A few hours passed since his descent.
Nana worriedly paced back and forth in her room, biting her thumbnail as she glanced around the windowless steel. A bed was to the corner, and a bookshelf next to it with a table in the center of the room. A mini fridge was by the door, and that's all there really was. Nana never liked having too many valuables in her room. Less reason for people to come barging in.
"He should've been here by now." She kept repeating. Her mind began to race, and doubts started running through her mind.
A knock brought her back to reality. An elderly man stood in the doorway, cane in his grasp. His face rose in a wrinkled smile at Nana. He was fairly large, about six foot 11, and burly with long grey hair. Freshly shaven face, and held a prominent authoritative, yet fatherly aura. "You needn't worry about him. He'll be okay."
"But… I can't sit still, Shink. Takabi. He still… He still doesn't remember anything… I don't think he can survive on his own." Her voice held a strong sense of worry, and her eyes gazed at Shink.
Stroking his chin, he said, "If his mind does not remember his past, his body will. Keep in mind who his father is. That man has done some of the most impossible things I've ever witnessed for my lifespan, and all of his kids are geniuses in their own right." He approached her, the sound of his cane clicking on the metal floor, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Nana my dear, you must not let your feelings for him fault your belief of his strength."
"What feelings," She said quietly. "I moved on from that."
"They say time alone can alter one's thinking, but not their hearts. Your true self, true feelings are buried deep down inside." He gave her another hearty smile. "He has not changed, despite the distance that grew between your both. In the end, he shall find his way back to you, and it's your job to watch over and guide him forward."
She nodded, but mentally dismissed any possibility of her childhood feelings remaining. Yet even now, she could feel a strong stirring in her chest when she thought of him. "Let's go. The video feed should be up by now."
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Takabi ripped a bush out of his path. He was breathing hard, having just climbed the mountain nearby to take a better look at the scenery. He was caked in dust and dirt, his hair a sweaty mess and stuck to his forehead. Taking a seat on a tree stump on the cliffside, he listened to the rushing water drop into the lake below, the clear liquid reminding him of the last time he ate or drank any water.
"There might be fish in there." His eyes fell on his dirty hands. Opening his palm, he willed his flames to come forth.
"Treat this as training…" He closed his eyes, focusing on the fire. Slowly, it began to bend and twist until it shaped like a hand. Smiling at himself, he aimed forward, and let the fire shoot out into the water.
Steam erupted when contact was made, but pulling his arm back, the fire hand rushed towards him, a fish in its grasp. He caught it with his free hand, looking at it and licking his lips in hunger.
The bushes moved behind him. At first he didn't notice, but the second he heard footsteps, his body whipped around and eyes went wide as a heavy fist slammed into his stomach. All the air in his lungs was instantly knocked out, and his body propelled off the cliff, fish dropping from his grip.
The rushing air was like razors to his skin, and vision began to dull from the pain in his center. His body slammed into the lake, and he slowly sunk.
What the hell was that, He thought as he swam back to the surface. His head shot out in a heavy splash, and the mysterious figure dropped onto the water surface. Watching him, Takabi blinked. His vision looked different from how it was a moment ago.
The world was black and white. He could see trails of a strong mist in the air, flowing around the person in front of him. The mist would enter his body, filling at specific points, and under their feet. Their feet, on the water surface.
They're using magic to stand on the water… Is that even possible? Takabi looked at himself, then placed a hand on the water. It went through at first, but once he focused, his hand began floating upwards until he couldn't push it through the liquid. He brought his knee up next, then his other leg until he was crouching on the water.
Magic. He could see it, clear as day, under his hands and feet, in his muscles and all around him.
"Judging by your reactions, it seems you've discovered your visual prowess." The person said. They were dressed in all black, a cloak around their body and mask on their face. The only thing given away was their voice. A man. He sounded familiar to Takabi though. "Those eyes of yours are special, ya know."
"Special, huh. Who are you?"
"Sorry, I'm under strict orders to not reveal anything until you reach your destination. However, I'm too curious about you, so would you mind a quick match with me?" He asked.
Takabi narrowed his eyes. This guy was strong. He could see that, and remembered the feeling of his punch. He survived that, and falling into the lake faster than a bullet. "Why not? I could use the practice anyway." He stood up straight, eyes locked on the man before him.
The man waved his hand, gesturing to him to attack.
Takabi did just that. Flames appeared between his fingers, shaped like stars. He tossed them, the man ducking and dodging faster than Takabi could see.
"Wow. You just discovered magic change and you can do it so effortlessly. Well, that's to be expected anyway."
Takabi ran forward, the water rippling under his steps. He threw a punch, the man using his right hand to throw his attack off course as he dodged. Takabi spun, raising his right leg and bringing it back to connect a heavy kick. The man blocked swiftly with his forearms, black eyes peering down.
"Your movements are too shallow! Stop overthinking your attacks!"
"Overthinking?" He asked, then smirked. With a cry of power, he jumped, bringing his left leg forward with flames bellowing wildly. When it landed, the fire erupted, blowing the two of them apart from one another. Takabi slid back on the water surface with steam rising from his connection, taking a deep breath and exhaling a massive ball of white fire surging through the air.
The man in the mask raised his palm, a hand of shadows rushing from his sleeve and catching the fireball, crushing it and letting the hot dark clouds rise in the air. Takabi leapt through, his eyes noting the magic residue in the air. The man clapped his hands together, strings of shadow rushing up from the water and wrapping around Takabi's limbs, squeezing tightly. "Now what will you do, kid?"
The smoke behind the man caved in. When he looked back, Takabi's flaming fist slammed into his mask, forcing him to slide back. When his eyes looked back to the boy in his Shadow Tendrils, Takabi stuck out his tongue before his body erupted in fire and vanished into the air.
"Fire Clones?!" He began laughing, "Oh man, you're beginning to really amuse me, kid! Still, you'll never actually defeat me with attacks like that."
Takabi scoffed at him. The man began to rush forward, and Takabi's eyes widened. There was a faint mirror image of the man throwing a jab first, then a quick haymaker. Takabi craned his head, dodging the jab, then raising his arms and blocking the haymaker.
My eyes… It's like they're predicting his movements, Takabi thought.
He flipped, bringing his legs up and striking the man's chest, forcing him into the air.
"My body is responding the way I want it to." He jumped, high above the man, opening his palm and throwing it forward, a wave of fire rushing out from his hands. The flames surged in the air, striking the man head on. He laughed, extending his limbs and blowing the flames away. As he did, Takabi came down, his fist slamming into the mask again, cracking it before the force of his punch threw the man hard into the lake, ripping the calm water apart.
The liquid splashed high in the air, and quickly came back down like rain as Takabi landed on what remained. He was breathing hard, and his vision had returned to normal.
A hand rose from the remnants of the lake, and the man crawled up from underneath, his mask shattered around the left eye. "Good. Good, you grow as you fight." He rose to his feet. "You still have a long way to go, but I suppose you satisfied me for now. Take care." His body blackened out, and it dropped into his shadow before dashing away.
"Hey! What are you… and he's gone. Great." He brushed the excess water away, igniting fire around his body to dry himself off completely. Stepping onto the soil, he focused on his eyes. There was a small flash in his vision, and the black and white void returned. The black magic in the air trailed in the direction that the man had traveled, and Takabi began to jog after it.
Along the way, he rubbed a finger under his nose, noting the increased scents that plagued him. His sweat came in more vividly, the smell of frogs and animal excrement lurking in every direction he turned to. His nose was getting stronger as well.
In fact his whole body, despite being tired, felt like it was remaking itself. His muscles were a bit more enlarged, but still small enough to be lean. He was capable of naturally jumping around thirty to forty feet in the air without really trying, if he gauged it by the fight just now.
"I can't wait to tell Carlos about this," He smiled widely, quickening his pace and hurrying off toward what looked like a small metal structure in the center of a clearing.