Deep underground, Yuso stood tall. Residing a mere few feet away was his master, an old man dressed in a kimono—similar to the redhead. Recently, after Yuso had traveled through Adonai once more, he returned to Master, awaiting the elder's instructions.
"Every day it seems that you find more things to encounter. First, it was those two rogues; then, your battle in Ryakudatsu; and now, you had a little quarrel in a village." Master chuckled, his withered lips widening into a grin.
Yuso remained stoic, his demonic eyes never wavering in the presence of Master. "I do apologize, but if you remember, I have goals of my own, Master."
"Yes, yes—your little dream of becoming the successor of Lucifer." The elderly man scoffed, waving his hand. If Yuso's ears did not deceive him, he would have detected disgust as an underlying tone in Master's words.
The redhead nodded cordially. "Never mind my plans, Master. What did you wish for me to complete?"
The elderly man's saggy eyes broadened at Yuso's words, his posture stiffening at a sudden remembrance. Clasping his hands together behind his body, Master parted his lips to speak:
"I wish to hear of your travels—originally, you arrived at Ryakudatsu in search of the curse that resides there; however, you never procured such. But then you go to a different village. How come?" Master asked, curiosity lacing his tone.
A pregnant silence encompassed the room, only to be shattered by Yuso, "As I was traversing through various woodlands, I discovered a battle taking place in the distance—a luminous box reaching the sky, which then attracted me. Upon arrival, I noticed a familiar cloak, with a familiar name embedded into the fabric."
"And, what was of the name?" Master ushered, arching an eyebrow.
Yuso then answered. "Furusato. The name which was held between the rogues that snatched the curse from me, Master. After speaking to a rogue with a green ring, I attempted to intervene in hopes of stealing the curse back."
Suddenly, Master's eyes shot wide open, his mouth gaping slightly. Yuso caught on to the elderly man's countenance quickly, but he was unable to question Master as he beat him to the punch.
"Green ring? Please elaborate." Master requested, his eyes narrowing at the redhead.
Questions rang through Yuso's head, all of which pertained to Master's abrupt solemnity. But the redhead chose not to ask, but to reply, "It had appeared to grant the wielder a green-colored Aura Sense. That is all the intel I have on the item."
Subtly, Master glanced down at his fingers, eyeing four different colored rings that were placed on each finger—minus one.
'That's where it is, then.' Master mentally noted, his eyes returning to Yuso.
The redheaded male took a step forward. "Is everything fine, Master?"
The elderly man smiled. "Oh, everything is perfectly fine, Yuso. But, I do have a mission for you…"
'Soon, that Lucifer you idolize will be nothing but a carbon copy of my power!'
XXX
"Uhhh, where are we heading?"
After previously learning of the cloaked figure's true identity, which turned out to be Asami, Tanjo and the blue-haired woman abandoned the creek after several minutes of conversing.
Asami refused to answer if she would take Tanjo on as a student, but only lead the boy to a distant location. So far, the two have walked until the sky started to darken.
"Tell me, kid—" Asami tried to speak, being interrupted by Tanjo.
"My name's Tanjo."
"—Tanjo, have you ever been to the top of a mountain?" The blue-haired water manipulator questioned, looking forward.
Tanjo craned his head to the side. "No. Why?"
"If you recall, I never answered you on if I'd train you. Well, here's your answer." Asami stated, suddenly halting in her tracks, looking up.
Tanjo quickly stopped inches behind Asami, his face morphing into visible confusion. Then, the boy noticed the blue-haired woman point upward, his eyes following.
With the widening of his eyes, Tanjo spotted the giant mountain that towered above everything on land. From the jagged edges made stone, which was then paved into a triangular point at the peak of the mountain.
Asami then spun around, her gray cloak swaying with her body's movement. "Your first official training session with me will be at the top of that mountain!"
Tanjo didn't budge, his gaze locked toward the tip of the mountain. Though he heard Asami, he was too absorbed in his own thoughts to answer. Due to this—*smack!*—Asami smacked the boy atop the head.
"Focus when I'm talking!" Asami ordered, retracting her hand.
Tanjo rubbed his head. "Sorry. But, why a mountain?"
Asami smiled. "For me, I used mountains to train all the time. Good for target practice, helpful for workouts—and can help you how to work under extreme pressure, ay-kay-ay, the dense air from up high."
"Are you sure?" Tanjo deadpanned, lingering disbelief apparent on his face.
Without warning, Asami's face steeled. "Fine then."
The woman then ambled away, walking up to a large tree. To Tanjo's surprise, Asami knocked the tree to the ground with the nudge of her index finger. Once the tree collapsed, Asami miraculously lifted it up with one hand, quickly returning to Tanjo.
"How good is your control over your Aura Sense?" Asami asked, standing a few feet from Tanjo.
Tanjo thought back to his training, his mind scrabbling for an answer. "Not that good?"
Asami sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "We all start somewhere. Heads up."
"Woah!"
Suddenly, Asami pushed the tree onto Tanjo, who, with all his might, tried to keep the tree from crushing him, storing as much magic into his limbs as currently possible.
"Keep it there. I notice that you're focusing your magic only on your arms and legs. Let it flow equally through your entire body—core strength is vital too, you know." Asami reasoned, eyeing Tanjo, amused.
Tanjo heeded Asami's words, his thoughts becoming focused on his magic's limitations. Shortly after, the boy attempted to spread his Aura Sense throughout different parts of his body, starting with his torso.
A smirk grew on Asami's face as she observed Tanjo proceed to lift the bulking tree upward with less difficulty.
"There ya go!" Asami cheered, smacking his back.
"Ayy!" Tanjo howled, nearly dropping the tree.
"Oh, sorry."
With a smile on his face, his eyes drawn to the wide object on his back, he spoke aloud, "So, what now?"
Asami smiled creepily, making Tanjo flinch. "You're going to carry that whole tree up the mountain!"
Shock filled Tanjo's entire form, his countenance portraying fear. "What!?"
Asami put her hands on her hips. "I said that you're going to carry that tree up the mountain. This will help you control your Aura Sense at will. So go! Or I'll have you do this without your Aura Sense!"
With fear inducing his actions, Tanjo ran up to the mountain with haste. Staying behind, Asami smirked at the struggling teenager.
'Huh, and Aura Amalgamation. Not once did I ever think I'd meet someone with it. The kid's going to be a monster—either the good kind or bad. But… I guess it's my job to keep him on the right path. It's what He would've wanted.'
XXX
Chapter done! Man, Tanjo'll have to carry that entire tree up the whole mountain!? Sounds difficult, but will he do it? Probably, this is fiction. Besides that, what will be Yuso's new mission? Why did Master ask about Doryoku's ring? Stay tuned to find out!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_