Although he lost them, Tensai ran until his short legs went numb. He ended up on the outskirts of the Korosu village.
Strolling into a nearby alleyway, hidden from the sight of the evening sun, Tensai sat leaning against a wall. He tried to rest, but his adrenaline had yet to wear off.
He reached into his pocket for the water bottle and drank to his heart's content. Breathing a sigh of relief, Tensai felt fur brush against his arm.
He turned quickly, only to discover a black cat was the source of his worry.
"You scared me," Tensai said, closing his eyes to calm down.
He glimpsed at the cat again. Noticing its disheveled coat, he concluded it was a stray.
He flipped the cat on its back. Its eyes were wide open, but its body was still and silent.
"Dead," Tensai muttered.
His mind flashed back to his father's earlier teachings.
"You must carefully soak in external prana like a sponge," He remembered his father saying.
Using memory, Tensai followed his father's instructions and hovered his hands over the cat's corpse.
He gathered external natural prana into his palms for a while, then began gently channeling it into the cat's corpse.
He recalled his father's words, "You seem to have a knack for prana manipulation...
"Perhaps one day, you'll be the one to bring your mother and me back by mastering this technique."
The cat twitched with life but perished a moment later.
"Hm," Tensai got to his feet and walked into the distance.
"Maybe he was right...
"Maybe I will be the one to master this technique."
Over the next few years, Tensai survived due to his intellect. He began by concealing his identity by faking his own death.
Using his father's technique, he temporarily revived an individual that resembled him. Planting that individual amid a clan gathering, he fooled his family into "killing" him and believing they'd rid themselves of the last trace of Kazuo.
From then on, his life was smooth for the most part. He grew up among the very clan that betrayed him and his father. His intentions were never concrete, but he spent time honing his skills, typically using animal corpses.
On the day of the dragons' massacre, Tensai watched it all unfold. He oversaw everything. From the moment the Korosu eliminated the last dragon till their defeat at the hands of Saku.
Everything was as he and his father expected. The Korosu family was ejected from the shi mountains immediately.
Tensai examined the aftermath of the battle in the dragons' cave. It seemed they left nothing but a bloodbath, but just before he left, something caught his eye.
He wiped the blood from the wall revealing a series of convoluted markings. The markings depicted two pairs of matching earrings. Each had one earring depicting an hourglass and another showing a spiral.
Another marking depicted a double-edged katana, with images of dragons engraved onto its blade.
Beside it was a final marking displaying two dragons, one pink and the other purple. The dragons were equal in size, separated by an Om symbol.
"What do these mean?" Tensai whispered.
He scanned the area for more markings but found nothing.
"That seems to be it," he said, "I should go. Saku and the rest of the Shi will be back soon."
Following the dragon's massacre, the Korosu people were in critical condition. And their headstrong leader, Warui, was as distressed and confused as ever.
Growing up, he could never defeat Saku in their many spars. Because her kindness was her most discernable quality, during all their spars, she beat him while keeping her calm and collected attitude.
However, after the dragons' massacre, Warui fell victim to Saku's rage for the first time. When it came to doragonken, he was always in second place next to Saku.
But even with his help, his clan paled in comparison to Saku. She singlehandedly stopped their rebellion without breaking a sweat.
This devastated Warui. Not only was his clan collapsing, but more importantly, his ego shattered.
Exploiting Warui's condition, Tensai schemingly offered his assistance. Planning to manipulate Warui into giving up information regarding the dragons' cave, Tensai became close with Warui and eventually became his advisor.
It was then that he would earn his nickname. They never saw his face, but the Korosu knew he worked behind the scenes and nicknamed him "The Puppeteer."
Like a puppeteer, Tensai orchestrated business from the shadows. And Warui, still in his defeated state, was oblivious to Tensai's dishonesty.
Amid Tensai's plot, the Korosu struggled to recover from their defeat.
Scorning Saku's order for them to leave the Shi Mountains entirely, the Korosu settled on the outskirts.
Resources were scarce, but they sent out rations accordingly.
Of the families receiving rations existed a couple expecting a child. The couple's portion of food was small and insufficient.
Despite his wife's objections, to preserve her life and his soon-to-be son, the man relinquished his percentage of food and supplies to his wife.
He eventually starved to death. His dying wish was modest. All he requested was that his wife deliver their child and care for and protect them with her life.
His wife strived to fulfill his wish, and when their child was finally born, she was shocked to discover that she had conceived the first elite in the Korosu Clan's history.
She and her husband settled on a name before his death. So right after delivery, she proudly announced her child's name, Kurome.
As an elite, Kurome was born with his prana awakened. All around the world, the birth of an elite is celebrated and treated as a blessing.
However, for Kurome, this was the opposite. Instead of celebrating him, the Korosu viewed his birth as the gods' punishment for their sins.
Kurome was born with illusion prana. Unlike others whose prana's attributes are present within their abilities, his were in his physical characteristics.
His prana manifested in his eyes and made them nothing but black sclerae, affecting his vision by causing his blindness.
Another attribute of his prana was its passivity. Sharing gazes with either of Kurome's eyes would result in falling victim to his illusions.
He couldn't close his eyes, he couldn't cry nor sleep, and his abilities were involuntary. No matter what he tried, he couldn't negate their effects. And more importantly, he couldn't escape his prana as it affected him too.
Kurome would randomly fall victim to his own prana. In these delusions, he could see. However, the illusions on him always seemed like nightmares, and he had no way of escaping them.
When Kurome turned seven, most of the Korosu had fallen victim to Kurome's illusions at least once.
The Korosu despised him. They felt his abilities were harmful and hindering their clan's recovery. However, Kurome never had ill intentions.
Kurome was the Korosu's only saint, and those without prana had absolutely no resistance to his abilities. His illusions were spontaneous. They could enact one's worst nightmare or even display their paradise.
When under his illusions, the victim's physical body is immobile, allowing Kurome to do as he pleases with them. But despite how they treated him, Kurome always left their bodies untouched.
However, still fearing his power and potential, the Korosu attempted to kill him several times.
They tried everything from public stonings to guillotines, hangings, and crucifixion. However, Kurome's abilities and healing factor allowed him to survive their attempts.
Unable to kill him, the Korosu ostracized Kurome at a young age. He left the village. As a blind child without a home, he was unaware of how to survive.
Kurome settled into a cave outside their village. With one pair of warm clothes in an area of unpredictable weather, cold and hunger ravaged Kurome's nights. However, due to being an elite, he persevered.
His life seemed hopeless, but his mother was his salvaging ray of light.
Despite falling victim to his illusions on several occasions, his mother's love never wavered.
She made daily trips to his cave, bringing him food and a fresh pair of clothes. Some nights, she told him stories of ancient folklore. One story that particularly fascinated Kurome was the tale of the grim reaper.
He was captivated by the reaper's ability to gather souls. "One day," he thought, "the reaper will take mine too."
To prevent treating her son like an animal, Kurome's mother never avoided eye contact, opting to endure his illusions.
When Kurome asked why she went so far for him, her reply never changed. She always said, "I'm your mother. And I vowed to deliver, care, and protect you with my life."
Meanwhile, the Korosu's disease had spread to Warui, and his condition was critical. His sickness devastated his body, and he appointed Tensai as interim tribal chief until he recovered.
Under Tensai's direct rule, the Korosu's condition improved drastically. He produced several remedies that cured their diseases.
By now, he'd sharpened his father's technique to the point where he could fully control those he revived. Using this technique, he resurrected the Korosu's dead, utilizing them as hunters resolved their famine, making food and supplies plentiful.
Kurome's situation also improved as his mother could bring plenty of necessities to his cave.
The Korosu hailed Tensai as their savior and worshipped him.
Tensai sat reclined on a luxurious couch, surrounded by a group of beautiful women in provocative clothing. Some fanned him, while others caressed his body.
Tensai's mind was distant as he reflected on his life. He was unsure of how to feel. The Korosu went from hating him and his father to glorifying him. Granted, they weren't aware of his true identity.
The women closest to him stopped feeding him grapes, noticing his blank expression.
"Tribal chief," she said, "you've been distant today. What's bothering you."
Tensai replied, "Just stress, caring for the family and all."
The woman set the bowl of grapes on a nearby table.
"Well," she said as all the women fondled Tensai erotically, "Allow us to relieve you of your stress."
Later on, with Warui being as vulnerable as ever, Tensai took the opportunity to question him.
He took a puff of his cigar and entered a room with Warui pale on the bed.
Tensai asked, "Those markings in the walls of the dragons' cave. What do they mean?"
Coughing, Warui replied, "They refer to a prophecy. This sickness hinders my memory, so I don't remember the details. But the earrings and katana are ancient artifacts guarded by the dragons.
"At full potential, they're said to grant unparalleled power."
"I see," Tensai responded.
"I hear you've been creating cures for our clan's diseases," Warui said, "how come you haven't cured me? Remember, you're merely an interim. I am the true tribal chief."
"I know," Tensai answered.
"So, where is my cure?"
"Right here," Tensai handed him a cup emitting a medicinal scent.
Warui sat up and downed the liquid.
His body dropped a moment later.
"Good night, Warui," Tensai took another puff of his cigar and exited the room.
"For the first time, I have a distinct goal.
"Those artifacts...
"They will be mine."