An intense surge of adrenaline coursed through Tanjo's blood that his heartbeat was audible within his ears, the rapid succession of palpitations being the only thing keeping his mind from deviating from the current moment.
"S-sir, what are we going to do…?" Mizuki asked, huddled in Tanjo's arms.
Through his mask, Tanjo's eyes surveyed the area: two immensely powerful rogues that he had no chance of beating together, all while being in enemy territory. The stab wound in his stomach was slowly healing, but it still affected the boy nonetheless. Most of his Aura Sense was focused on the wound, and his mind was trying its hardest not to spiral.
Tanjo desperately wished for Asami to suddenly appear from somewhere—but, alas, she was not going to.
The masked teenager breathed, an idea formulating in his mind. "Something potentially idiotic, but I can't think of anything else right now…"
Mizuki looked at Tanjo with a perplexed expression, only to observe as his potential savior closed his eyes, appearingly channeling some inner power.
'I either die here, losing Mizuki again,' Tanjo contemplated, 'or I fatally wound myself from overexerting my Aura Amalgamation ability, but let Mizuki live free…'
Tanjo knew his Aura Amalgamation was quite an uncanny ability; the power was absurd and it had carried him quite far. His encounter with the pentagram-using redhead would have been his last if not for the grandiose Genso-Kyu he conjured out of the sheer power of every Aura Sense in his body.
Now he would have to rely on it once again. However, this time would be much more dangerous—his body was failing him, and all that kept him up was his magic, which needed to be far more potent to even give Tanjo a sliver of a chance to escape.
"I'm getting you out of here, Mizuki," Tanjo muttered, his eyes glowering.
'And this time,' Tanjo thought. 'I'm not just being naive.'
He had no idea as to how he could toggle his Aura Amalgamation to a higher level, but he had a fair grasp on his Aura Sense to a certain degree. If he focused, he could choose which of the four Aura Senses to use, so he would have to make all of his conscious decisions about fueling himself with magic.
In an instant, Tanjo could feel his body warming up, bubbling with internal magic that seemed to stroke his soul.
"Hold on, Mizuki." Tanjo ordered, wrapping his arms tighter around the small child.
He furthered his leg separation, making Itami and Gimu alert. Tanjo would be attempting to travel at light speed for the first time since it was his only chance of evading the bandaged swordsman or the wood manipulator, and because doing so could seriously harm Mizuki, a young child without the ability to use magic to fortify himself. So, in preparation, a small barrier encompassed Mizuki, with a blue, luminous shine showing around his body.
Gimu narrowed his remaining eye. "Throw some roots around him, Itami; he's preparing to move."
"Don't explain the obvious!" Itami hollered, his staff hitting the ground violently.
*CRACK!*
The ground beneath Tanjo immediately became unlevel, and quick-growing wooden roots appeared. The wood's point was attempting to fatally skewer Tanjo as the roots continued to move in his direction.
But they were too slow. Tanjo was gone in a flash, completely escaping the roots unscathed. Itami grew angered, but Gimu was placid.
A smirk was etched onto the swordsman's lips. "Now this is the pace I like!"
Despite Tanjo's achieving a speed faster than light, Gimu could vividly see the boy dashing through the air at a speed that seemed far too slow for his own reflexes. Gimu twirled his blade and dashed at Tanjo.
In the air, Tanjo's eyes immediately spotted Gimu traveling at a speed that seemed normal, even though they were going incomparably fast to a normal living being.
'You're my only obstacle from here on out! The wooden roots can not possibly move at this pace.' Tanjo thought.
Evasively, Tanjo dove under an incoming slice from the bandaged swordsman. Gimu had a wild smirk on his lips, his remaining eye burning with amusement, although that did absolutely nothing to deter the masked teenager from advancing.
Tanjo kicked Gimu while still holding Mizuki, which caused the swordsman to quickly avoid. Tanjo left one hand on Mizuki to keep the barrier around his body in place as he formed a yellow Genso-Kyu with his other and aligned it with Gimu in an attempt to knock Gimu off balance.
'Get away!'
*BOOM!*
Gimu swatted the incoming beam of yellow light away with his blade, as if he were preventing a fly from approaching him; Tanjo was unnerved by the relative ease with which he moved.
Tanjo then looked down at Mizuki, analyzing the child's motionless figure. It was good that he could not see what was happening; he was already under too much stress.
'I just need less than a second to leave this village, but this guy won't give me the opportunity!' Tanjo eyed the swordsman intently, watching as he reeled back his blade.
Hastily, Tanjo maneuvered around every slice and swing that Gimu launched. He was being forced to move at a pace much faster than what he was used to, and Gimu was not even close to being at his limit—if he had one to begin with.
During their fight, they traversed all throughout Furusato village, creating trails of light in every direction they ran. From above, it looked like a new constellation was forming, but on the ground instead of in the vastness of open space.
Eventually, Tanjo could see a slice coming his way, and he could not dodge it. So, with everything he could muster in one hand, the masked boy grabbed Gimu's sword with his bare hand, grunting as he felt the blade slam into his palm with utmost ferocity and at immense speed.
'Now's my chance!' Tanjo thought, gritting his teeth.
While holding the sword in place, Tanjo raised one leg and rammed it into the dirt, separating the two instantly. Turning around in the air, Tanjo felt hope as he lunged away, his mind set on leaving the village.
'Yes, Mizuki! I finally—!'
Unfortunately, the boy grew too happy too soon.
*SWOOSH!*
"Hargh!" Tanjo spewed.
In an instant, he slammed into the ground with full force, losing all of his speed and momentum, and a new wave of pain pulsed through his body. Tanjo clutched Mizuki securely, keeping a barrier of protection around his small body despite the fact that he was in pain and colliding into decaying structures as he was dragged through the ground.
Tanjo opened his eyes to discover that he had fallen inside a collapsed structure, which had probably already toppled when he landed. The masked boy tried to get himself up off the ground, but he soon became aware of something fatal…
…He was missing an arm.
Blood seeped from the wound; the gray sleeve of his cloak was stained with his blood. All hope was falling rapidly as he stared at the space where his limb used to reside. He gasped for air as Mizuki opened his eyes.
"...Sir?"
A voice then rang through both of their ears: "Well, finally giving up?"
It was Gimu, eyeing Tanjo with interest. The bandaged swordsman was fast—too fast for the masked boy to comprehend. Even when utilizing all of his Aura Amalgamation to the best of his ability, he still could not escape the village.
"About damn time," Gimu said. "My colleague is having a mental breakdown because his idiot brother died."
Tanjo toned out the swordsman's words, focusing entirely on his missing arm. All of his senses zeroed in on nothing but his body, his missing limb, and his fear.
XXX
Everything was white. Breaking out of his stupor, Tanjo could no longer see anything—not a single object or person in sight. For a brief moment, the masked boy thought he was caught in another one of those illusions, but that thought was quickly purged as he heard a certain voice.
"Even as the god of time, I was almost late."
Tanjo spun around, his arm still missing. Instantly, the boy's eyes locked onto the familiar figure of the blue-haired god that led him to become a rogue: Kronos.
Tanjo inhaled. "Where am I? Where's Mizuki!?"
"Relax, we could be in this realm for eons and not a single second would pass by on Earth." Kronos explained, putting a hand up to placate the flustered teenager.
The masked boy glared. "So why are you here?"
"I was informed of what has been happening on your little excursion," Kronos informed, closing his eyes.
"Why didn't you come sooner!?" Tanjo shouted, balling up his only hand.
"Because," Kronos started. "The timeline was altered, preventing me from knowing what was going to ensue."
Tanjo froze, bewildered. "The timeline?"
"Originally, you were supposed to escape Furusato unscathed. The rogues would have never found you by the time you left, convening with Asami later on—but something altered all of those steps, changing it completely." Kronos said, brushing his chin pensively.
"Can the future really be changed?" Tanjo asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
Kronos swayed his head. "Hypothetically, yes; physically, no. There should not be a single person in your timeline that can change it indefinitely, but it happened, and I have no idea as to why."
"So what's going to happen to me and Mizuki?" Tanjo inquired, his voice concerned.
"Well, with me intervening, it can go both ways: you tap into your Aura Amalgamation or you die, leaving the child behind." Kronos answered, opening his eyes.
Tanjo clenched his jaw. "How am I supposed to tap into my Aura Amalgamation!? I have not once been told how to, only forcefully pushed into it! I'm being guided by nothing but luck!"
"I wouldn't call your neverending determination 'luck.'" Kronos refuted, craning his head slightly.
Tanjo grew confused. "My determination? How does that key into my magic? The Aura Sense is a physical function in our body, like a heart that beats; my will to win or survive couldn't enhance it."
"As smart as you are, I'm surprised you have not understood the Aura Sense just yet. Your magic is, believe it or not, linked to your soul. If it were extinguished, you'd die; if it were affected, via determination, it can surge; the disadvantage of exerting too much magic, however, is typically felt immediately after." Kronos said, folding his arms behind his back.
"So… what do I do then?" Tanjo asked, his muscles relaxing.
Kronos hummed. "I think it's quite obvious: you have to get angry. You are a person of great conscientiousness and intelligence who refuses to do things erratically. But in this case, you need to utilize your emotions much better. I'm not saying the more emotionally driven you are, the stronger you are—but the more determined and stern you are, the more you can adapt to a higher level."
"I… see." Tanjo clung to every word Kronos uttered.
"Now," Kronos clapped. "Go rescue that child and live on to save much more than you could possibly comprehend."
XXX
Kinda eventful, huh? It's been nothing but Tanjo through these past few chapters! I'm trying to dedicate entire chapters to our main character, giving him the spotlight for a good amount of time, typing out his character in full detail. I want his characteristics to shine, be known—I want Tanjo to be acknowledged as a boy who is growing, but has the prerequisites acquired to become strong! Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_