"No! You're clearly not thinking straight, Toshirou-kun. I cannot allow you to attempt such a task!"
"Dammit, Kaa-chan! What don't you understand?! It's for both of us! I have to do this!"
"No! You don't have to do anything. I told you once and I'm telling you again, you are not going anywhere near Sekaila! Hmph!"
'What a pain', Toshirou thought.
The argument has been back and forth, ever since Toshirou requested that Takezawa teach him how to use a sword. His mother had vehemently opposed it which brought them to the current situation they were in. A day had passed and the topic was still fresh on their minds.
"Are you two still going on about this?" Takezawa asked, coming out of a spare room. After constant pleading from Ruri, Takezawa agreed to live with them for a couple of days. Toshirou on the other hand did not voice his opinion on the matter but inwardly, he did desire her to stay with them because, in all honesty, he was scared, not necessarily of what had happened lately, but more of the unknown - what was to come.
"Misaki-chan, please help me convince Toshirou-kun not to go away!"
"You know your kid more than I do. You know he's not going to back down no matter what you tell him."
"B-but,"
"Ruri, why don't you just hear him out first, see what he has to say."
"Hmph!" She huffed and turned away from her, like a little kid that had been denied her toy. "I don't want to hear out Toshirou-kun because he'll easily convince me to let him go."
'The hell?' Both Toshirou and Takezawa popped a vein at Ruri's argument.
"Toshirou-kun is good with words. If I let him, he'll win me over and I don't want that. So to avoid that, I won't listen to him."
'Koitsu...' A vein appeared on Toshirou's head.
Takezawa sighed in exasperation. "Ruri..."
"So that's how it's going to be," Toshirou said. He got up from his position and walked over to a wooden shelf in the living room. Picking up a board from it, he moved to his mother and sat in front of her.
"Then, would you like to play a game of chess?"
*10 minutes later*
"Checkmate, I win!"
Toshirou sat in a corner, his skin pale and lifeless, overcome with depression at his quick loss against his mother in a game of chess.
"Daijobu, Toshirou?"Takezawa had a worried expression on her face.
{
"He's fine, he's fine," Ruri said, cheekily. "Fufu, now I don't have to worry about anything."
'I guess even Ruri can be wicked at times.' Takezawa let out a sigh.
"Like hell!!" Toshirou slammed his hands on the floor. "Quit screwing with me, Okaa-san!"
Takezawa quietly stood up and strolled back into the spare room given to her. She sensed things were about to get heated and she'd rather not be at the center of it all.
Mother and son's gaze were locked on each other that they didn't even notice when she slipped away.
"I told you Toshirou, I'm not going to allow you to go there."
When his mother said his name without honorifics, he knew she was being dead serious.
"I have to, I have to go to that other world. What don't you understand? You saw what happened a few days ago, you know as much as I do that's not going to be the end of it. If that horse bastard could make it here, there's no guarantee that others won't come!"
"But.."
"But nothing, Okaa-san. I'll have you reminded that I almost lost my life last week. If it wasn't for Sensei, things might've turned out differently. So many people were in danger and it was all because of some otherworldly being. Just because Kuroma is dead, doesn't mean everything is going to be alright. You of all people should know that by now!"
The stillness was eerie. Toshirou realized he might have been too harsh with his words.
"I'm... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all those thin-"
"But you're right, Toshirou-kun." Ruri cut in. Her head was hung down and her eyes were solemn. "I know... I know everything you say is true but to be honest, I'm not worried about you going, I'm worried about you not coming back. Anytime I think of Toshirou-kun going over there, I start to get all fidgety and anxious."
She placed her palm over her chest. "My heart beats so fast whenever I think about it that I don't think I can bear it anymore. My heart can't take it Toshirou. What if you were to die, what if something scarred you for the rest of your life, what if you never come back? All these questions lay heavy on my mind. Toshirou-kun said it himself, ''we're the only family we've got''. I just, don't want to lose you."
Her words weighed heavy on his mind. He pondered on them, knowing how she felt was a relief but he knew no matter how much concern she had for him, it wouldn't change the fact that people were after them and no one around them was safe. The only solution is to eliminate the ones who started this mess.
"But if there's one thing I know, is that whatever Toshirou-kun sets his mind on, he always succeeds."
She grabbed his hands in between hers and looked into his eyes.
"I believe in you, Toshirou-kun. If your heart indeed tells you to do this then I'll support you with everything I have. But make me this promise."
Toshirou nodded his head.
"Please, come back alive. No matter what it takes, any means necessary, please come back to me. Come back to us, Toshirou-kun."
He smiled at his mother and embraced her with all his heart. Mother and son held onto each other, relishing in the fact that this would be their last moment together as one. They held onto this moment, making silent promises to never leave each other, to always look after one another, to be one in heart and soul. The bond between mother and son wasn't like any other. It was something far deeper.
At that moment, Takezawa entered the scene.
"Have you made up your mind, Toshirou?"
Leaving the embrace with his mother, he stood up and faced his teacher.
"I have. Please teach me, Sensei."
...
The next three days, were days full of training. Exhausted, spent, Toshirou lay down on the floor to rest his aching shoulders and arms. It's been damn tasking.
"So you actually succeeded in hitting my sword away. Impressive, Toshirou-kun."
"Arigatou, Sensei!" He panted.
After his mother gave him the GO for his departure, Takezawa wasted no time in taking the teen under her wing. As a teacher, she had access to the school 24 hours 7 days a week, and so she used that advantage to make good use of the kendo classroom to teach him the ways of the sword. He recalled the instructions of his teacher concerning the weapon beside him.
<<"The basic concept behind Kendo, and any sword technique in general, especially Japanese, is the principle of one strike - one kill. What that means is no wasted movement, total concentration, and perfect timing to execute a single, fight-ending blow."
She stretched out her right hand with her palm wide opened and did some hand signs in the air. She brought down her ring finger, switched to her middle finger, took it up, and brought her ring finger down again. As she did the last gesture, a black circle with some markings and symbols on it appeared in front of her hand in midair.
She pulled out a sword - well, two to be exact, out of it. A black sword with a red line running across the middle from the tip and another similar blade but with a blue line.
Toshirou looked on in fascination as she held the two swords. The former, he recognized pretty easily.
"Isn't that.."
"Yes, it's his sword." Takezawa tossed the sword with the blue line to him, which he caught by the hilt.
"You're going to a world where almost everyone is skilled at one weapon or the other. Merely knowing how to defend yourself isn't good enough. So that's why..."
She held her sword with two hands and moved her right leg out in front of her in a fighting stance.
"For the next three days, you'll be trying to knock my sword out of my hands. If you succeed, you pass, if you don't, you fail. It's as simple as that. Knowing you, you're already proficient enough in Kendo to perform this fea-"
*Swish*
In an instant, Toshirou had swung his sword at her, interrupting her. She quickly moved her head away to avoid the attack, jumped away from him, and looked at him with a bewildered expression.
He straightened himself up. "Have I ever told you you talk too much?"
An angry tick mark appeared on her head. 'This brat.'
He smirked and locked gazes with her. "Let's do this.">>
Coming back from his musings, he stood up and faced his teacher, still holding the sword in hand.
"What next, Sensei?"
She looked at him before letting out a sigh.
"You're not quite ready yet." She said.
'I thought we've already established that.'
She sat down on the wooden floor, kneeling with her legs behind her and her hands on her lap, placing her sword in front of her, a standard Japanese way of sitting. Toshirou sat as well, with his legs crossed and his arms resting behind him.
"I will be frank, all this is unnecessary."
He didn't say anything.
"You don't have to go anywhere. You could live your life without problems. You could grow up, marry a pretty girl, have kids, without having anything to do with Sekaila. So why exactly do you want to do this?"
He sighed and leaned closer to Takezawa.
"I know my reasons aren't strong enough. It's just as you said, it's completely pointless about thinking to perform such a task. But,"— he set his sword on the floor in front of him and placed his right palm on it— "my family was attacked, my father was killed before I even knew him, Takezawa-sensei and Okinawa were both hurt, Chiyo was at risk of danger. I just can't let that slide. I'm determined to make them pay, make them feel some kind of pain, similar to what they've caused me. It's not a good enough reason but maybe when I go there, I'll find a better one. As of now, that's the only reason I have. The only one I need."
"You do know there's a high chance you won't come back?"
"I know."
"Ruri will be sad, same with Chiyo."
"I... I know."
She looked at him once again before closing her eyes and lifting her head.
"I see your resolve is very firm, I like that. I will tell you everything you need to know before going there."
She passed a water bottle to him, to replenish the energy he had lost.
"Arigatou." He said as he drank from it.
While he drank, she chose that moment to begin speaking.
"If you want to even have a chance at survival, you need to know everything about what we call 'Divine Energy'."
"Oh yeah," Toshirou said. "You and he mentioned it quite a few times."
"Indeed. It is our very life force and the source of our abilities, or well, the source of everything thing that had ever been created."
Toshirou broke a sweat as he heard his teacher's words.
"Let me tell you a little tale about the origin of the world. Your knowledge on divine energy depends on it."
He nodded his head.
"Long ago, millions of years back, possibly billions, the world was created by a supreme being, a God to be precise."
"A God?"
"Yes Toshirou-kun, a God. He has many names. In Sekaila, he is sometimes referred to as The One. But more often than none, he is referred to as His Majesty. Nothing that was made was made without him and everything that hasn't been made was made by him. Do you understand, Toshirou-kun"- she looked up at him- "He is the epitome of life as we know it and works outside the realm of the imagination and comprehension."
'Su-Sugoi!' Toshirou thought to himself in awe.
{
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the world was without form or void, darkness reigned over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of His Majesty hovered over the waters. Out of nothingness, he created something, and out of something he created everything. He is a divine being, the essence of divinity."
'That word again, divine.'
"Do you know the story about Adam and Eve?" Takezawa asked.
"The first man? I'm pretty familiar with it." Toshirou replied.
"And do you believe it?"
"Hmm." He said in a monotone voice. "Should I?"
"It's up to you to believe it or not but I truly tell you, it is not a fairytale or a legend. It is real. Adam and Eve were the first of the human race."
"But how does it relate to divine energy?" Toshirou asked.
"When man was created, he was created in His Majesty's image and likeness. And His Majesty is a divine entity, meant that man was created in his divinity as well."
He put his hand on his chin. "I see, then that means..."
"Hai," Takezawa replied. "It was due to that, we have divine energy in the world."
"Sensei, you keep saying 'the world', is it right to assume you are referring to Earth?"
"The Earth you say, I'm afraid it's much more than that." She said.
"Please elaborate?"
"Hm." She closed her eyes and put her hand on her chin. "What kind of place do you think Sekaila is?"
Being thoughtful for a second, he replied. "I think it's simply another world like this one. Possibly parallel to this?"
"It looks like you have an idea. But in all truth, it's one of the vast amounts of worlds that exist alongside this one. Universes is a more accurate term. When I say Earth, I am merely referring to the entire universe as a whole."
"But why? Isn't it easier to just say universe?"
"It is, but to the people you will be facing, just as you view Earth as one of the numerous planets or bodies that exist in the universe, they view this universe as one of the multiple timelines or space-time continuums that exist in the Outerverse."
"The Outerverse?" Toshirou asked, curiously.
"Yes, the Outerverse. I do not know much about this because I am one of the most lesser beings but if you get there you'll be able to get more information on this topic. The hosts merely use the term 'Earth' because that is this universe's most visibly trait." Takezawa replied.
"I understand. So back to divine energy?"
"Yes. Having explained its origin to you, I will delve into what it is. As I said earlier, it is our life force and the reason for the manifestation of 'miracles'. Miracles are simply supernatural abilities that have no scientific explanation behind them. It isn't magic. It is considered much more holier and convenient than that."
With a questioning expression, he asked. "So which do you have, Sensei?"
"Miracles. Beings like myself have divine energy imbued into us since our purpose was to serve."
"I see. But does something like magic exist in Sekaila?"
"It does actually, but I recommend not knowing what it is. Someone with your blood shouldn't be involved with it at all."
"With my blood?"
"Mm. Why do you think Ruri and I place so much faith in you and your goal? Did you think it was merely because of your determination? No! Inasmuch as having a firm resolve is good, without the power to back it up, it is meaningless. You possess a rare thing, the blood of an Archangel, and not just any Archangel, the Archangel Nathaniel. That alone is enough to make us believe that you can accomplish this task."
'I hadn't even thought about that.' He looked at his palm and clenched it into a fist. 'Then I need to use this power, this gift, to its full potential. I can't afford to falter.'
"Apart from that, you've fought with a creature possessing divine energy, and considering you're a half-breed, there was a slight chance that you wouldn't have had divine energy within you."
"How so?" Toshirou asked. "I thought everyone has divine energy in them in Sekaila."
"No, not quite. You held my sword, didn't you? If it were a regular human without divine energy, he would've died from just one touch of the hilt." Takezawa replied.
Toshirou sweatdropped, thanking his maker for the unbelievable amount of luck on his side.
"Before the fall of man," The black-haired teacher said. "Man was created to be close to His Majesty. The relationship between His Majesty and man was stronger than any other. The original design was for mankind to share in his divinity which would have been extended to their offspring and at large, the entire world. But then man sinned, by eating the forbidden fruit. It gave birth to chaos, an estrangement between the human race and His Majesty, and thus for the original design to be scrapped. Three consequences concerning His Majesty's divinity were passed onto man - One, despite the abundance of divine energy in the atmosphere, it became somewhat rare for a human to be born with it. Normal humans cannot tap into divine energy - the one in the atmosphere, but for those who are born with it, it is an endless power source. Two, it wasn't hereditary anymore. For example, a father and mother who possessed divine energy could give birth to three children and only one or two would have it within them, most times none at all. Three, depletion of divine energy in them would ultimately lead to their death and there is no afterlife for them. As you can see, it's a pretty big deal. Earlier, I said divine energy in the atmosphere was an endless power source but it doesn't mean a person cannot be ridden of it in his body."
"Seriously," Toshirou sighed. "This is a lot to take in."
She flicked his head with her middle finger. "Of course it is. What else did you think?"
He waved away his teacher's hand and looked up at the ceiling.
"It's a lot more complicated than I imagined. But it's still worth a shot."
Takezawa smiled. "Glad you think so. Let's discuss another detail of divine energy."
"Hai," Toshirou replied.
"Yosh! Even though divine energy is the same for everyone. How it's applied varies from person to person." She drew a circle on the wooden floor with a pencil and divided it into five parts. She signaled to Toshirou to come closer which he did.
Using the circle, as an illustration, she said. "The entire circle represents divine energy as a whole. The five parts represent the five ways in which it is applied."
"There are five classifications of users of divine energy. We have the Summoners, the Elementals, the Conductors, the Manipulators, and the Transformers."
Curiously, he asked. "What do they mean?"
"I was just about to explain them. Summoners, as the name implies, are people who can summon animals and use them in battle. How is this done? Some people are very much liked by pets like dogs, cats and so on. Summoners are able to share their divinity with these animals, synchronizing with them which would transform them into bigger and stronger beasts that can be used in a fight. How strong the beasts are depends on the strength of the Summoners. The Summoner also gains the attribute of that animal."
Placing his hand on his chin, Toshirou said. "I see, that is really useful in battle."
"Indeed it is. Elementals and Conductors are somewhat similar but there is a clear difference between the two. Elementals are users who can manifest their divinity in the form of the four basic elements; water, earth, fire, and air. While Conductors, are not able to manifest these elements but can manipulate them in certain ways. Conductors can utilize a higher-end version of these elements; lightning, metal, wood, blood, lava, amongst many others. It's kinda unfair if you ask me."
"Then we have the Transformers, they able to manipulate the structure of both living and nonliving things. What makes a thing to be what it is, can be controlled by these sets of beings. Manipulators are users who can infuse divine energy into objects. It increases their damage output and durability. They are one of the most dangerous kinds of people to face."
To demonstrate, she held up the pencil that was in her hands.
"Filling this pencil with just a bit of energy"— she held the pencil in between her index and middle finger and shot it at the wall — "Can pierce through concrete."
*Crash.*
The pencil hooked into the wall and multiple cracks formed around the hole.
"That attack alone would kill a normal human if shot in the brain," Toshirou muttered.
"It will. I am going to be teaching you a lot of things in the next few days. So don't get wimpy on me, okay?"
"Right back at you." Toshirou replied, unamused at being called 'wimpy'.
Grinning cheekily, Takezawa stood up and said. "Let's begin."