He took me outside and told me to place it in the middle of my hand and chant the words, "Yūgō." I repeated his words, and the talisman levitated in front of me and opened. The mixture of black and purple flames spun in the center of it all. He then told me to touch it to claim the power of the mindless Nekomata. I placed my index finger in the middle, and the flames sprung upward and entered my eyes.
I felt an explosion of energy emerging, like a sea of opportunities waiting to happen. I looked at my palms and the purple flames surrounded my wrists like bracelets. The elder told me that my training was special and it would take me some time to master this power. He added that it could take years before I mastered them. I hope he was exaggerating because I can't wait that long to train. He told me that for the next couple of days I would be getting used to the village.
I asked him for a mirror and saw that my eyes were like cats', but this time they were purple. Jominara walked back into the room and said that she'd show me to everyone tomorrow. For now, she wanted to find me a place to stay for the night. I looked out the window and saw all kinds of Nekomatas. They looked peaceful and joyful. The elderly saw my optimism and said that they used to be happier when the balance was proceeding.
Jominara then told me to follow her to the place I was going to stay. She stated that it was a one-bedroom hut made of golden lumber. She told me that I would be living by myself until I was done with training. The interior was amazing; it looked like a log house, or rather, a lake home. Jominara left me to it and went to rest herself.
The elder cat told me I had several abilities, which were shortened to power, gravitational abilities, aura augmentation, spiritual discharge, soul discharge, and Final Eye. I didn't know how to use this Nekomata, but I wanted to experiment with it a little.
I closed my fist and took steadfast deep breaths and looked deep within myself. I wound up in my mind space and was looking directly at what was inside me. It was a beating heart that was purple and emitting a misty type of aura. This seemed to be the mindless Nekomata's life force. It was pulsing continuously as its power grew stronger.
I backed out of my mind space and started exploring my new powers. I opened my hands and the flames were summoned to my palms. I streamed it throughout the room and shortly pulled it back in. One of my skills fell under the gravitational pull. This was similar to my original ability to levitate. I focused my energy on my palms and tried to emit waves of energy. The flames disappeared and ripples appeared out of thin air. They were similar in color but more expansive. I hurtled the cluster of ripples at the carpet on the floor below me and lifted it off the ground.
I released the gravitational pull and reset the flames again. Then I hopped off my bed and walked to my window, and the village was empty. I assumed that the Nekomatas were in their homes. The next thing I wanted to do was get some sleep. I have been up for almost two days and need some rest. I figured there was nothing to worry about since I wasn't tailed by anyone. So I laid down and fell asleep.
In the morning, I got up and met up with Jominara. She brought me to get something to eat. The place we dined at was a rather medium-sized building that was filled with Nekomata's. The diversity of breeds winced me. I didn't want to be mean, but it kind of disturbed me in the slightest. Jominara told me to initiate my cat, Neko, eyes. This way, I could fit in. No matter how I look, I will never get used to this. It didn't feel right.
We sat at a table and ate some sort of soup that tasted like tangy miso soup with a tinge of cat hair. Jominara told me I didn't have to eat it, but I needed something to eat. However, I consumed it all to fill myself up and wait for Jominara.
While I was waiting, I noticed a few Nekomatas making their way towards us. They were asking her who I was and how I was able to be here. She dodged their questions and told them that it wasn't their concern. They seemed like nice people, but they had no business with me. However, I wasn't the type of person to be mean to anyone, so I introduced myself. Jominara told me to not tell them anything.
I wasn't going to tell them anything valuable, just introduce myself. I gave them my name, age, and some interests. There were three of them. One of them was named Sera, and she was the oldest one there at 16 years old. The second one was another girl named Kuki, and she was two years younger than Sera. The last one was a boy named Suzuki, and he was 11 years old.
All of them had distinct personalities, which made it easy to depict them. Sera was the one who was joyful even in the heat of the moment, Kuki was the laid-back person who talks a lot but has no real interest, and Suzuki was the quiet-scared type. He was a bit jumpy when we met, but he seemed to have calmed down a bit.
Jominara finally finished her food and was ready to take me around the village. The two girls begged Jominara to let them tag along. She didn't like the idea, but she let them go with us. When we left the lunch area, she enlightened me and told me that it was called the cat bowl.
Shortly after, Jominara showed me the learning houses, which were really just schools. I followed her around as she showed me some famous landmarks around the village. We walked past statues of past leaders and past events. She showed me the markets, homes, and lakes. This led up to her showing me the final part of her tour, the training ground called Battle Zeno.
I asked her why they called it Zeno. She said that the name came from a battle that happened here a long time ago. She didn't say much, as if it was uncomfortable for her to say. I let her know that it was OK and that I wasn't all that interested. She ended our tour shortly after and told me that I needed to go back to the elder and he would guide my training.
Jominara seemed off. She wouldn't just end this and send me on my own like that. She must have had some connection to the battle. I couldn't stress her out too much, so I left it alone. She walked away and I followed. I already needed to go back to the village anyway, so I walked with her. As soon as we arrived, I headed straight to the elderly cat and told him that Jominara and I had completed our tour. He told me that now we know my brother is a lost cause for the moment, my training can now begin.
No matter how bad it seemed, Manny was my number one priority, and I wasn't going to let Nazo get away with what he was doing.
*End Of Chapter 30*