Caution was key in this particular situation. Tanjo was dead set on succeeding, and one wrong move, one erroneous action, one insignificant mental error could derail his entire plan. Fortunately, Asami can detect farther than any of the warriors along the Heiwa no Kabe, so nobody could sense them in return, spoiling their plan before it could start.
Unfortunately, Tanjo had to stick behind Asami. His control over his Aura Sense, much less his Aura Amalgamation, was too sporadic to consider it reliable.
"Hang on, Asami," Tanjo called out to his mentor, an idea forming within his head. "What if you place premature Genso-Kyu in the path that prevents us from being detected—that way I'll know where to go. We need to be as careful as possible."
The cloaked woman arched her brow. "That would be even more dangerous. It would only take one warrior to move one inch to the side to let them detect the Genso-Kyu. That's the whole reason we're maneuvering around their detection ourselves."
"Then we should hurry up. We're battling against luck here, Asami."
The blue-haired woman contemplated the boy's words. Not even in her younger years would she have been able to conjure up such ideas, reckless or not. But Tanjo was correct—whichever path they took, one unanticipated failure would be enough to end everything.
And Asami did not feel like blasting through the walls forcefully.
Besides, Tanjo suggested premature Genso-Kyu. They were famous for their invisibility, all while still being detectable. Despite the magic not being seen by the naked eye, the Aura Sense that builds a Genso-Kyu of any kind still lingered in the air like a fume.
"Okay," Asami agreed, exhaling. "Try to match my speed, Tanjo. This will be over before you know it!"
Tanjo nodded, his eyes shimmering with hope. "Lead the way."
Hastily, Asami focused her attention on the numerous incoming waves of senses, all stemming from the masses of warriors stationed atop Heiwa no Kabe's walls. It was as if she could visibly see the incoming waves of magic that the warriors exerted. Asami formed premature Genso-Kyu in a sophisticated line using the incoming information, each one tactfully placed outside the warriors' detection.
"Feel them yet, Tanjo?"
Tanjo hummed. "Yes. Just keep forming the line as we go if you need. Go!"
With a deep breath, Asami charged forward at speeds that made her impossible to see. Tanjo proceeded to follow directly behind her. Awkwardly, their path to Heiwa no Kabe included a plethora of zig-zags, but it had kept them undetected so far.
The masked teenager kept his Aura Sense at a moderate level. If Tanjo had managed to sense any of the warriors in the distance, that meant that they could sense him, too. Asami was the only one currently capable of one-way detection.
The two continued to rush to the wall, with Asami dodging the waves of magic and Tanjo following the invisible Genso-Kyu that formed a path.
'Yes!' Tanjo suddenly cheered.
In real time, not slowed by the immense speed felt by Tanjo and Asami, the duo successfully managed to dash to the front of Heiwa no Kabe's walls, meeting the massive stone barrier that surrounded the conglomerate of villages.
Without warning, a fear struck Tanjo like a mallet.
'How are we going to get through the wall!?'
Abruptly, Asami reached back and wrapped her hand around Tanjo's left arm and squeezed. Tanjo grew perplexed but was unable to act on his dazed state before he felt his entire body grow heavier and his grasp on the world around him slip.
'What's… happening?'
Through his very own eyes, Tanjo watched as his left arm turned into nothing but water, following along with the rest of his body. Every nerve within him halted, as if he were no longer alive, numb to everything.
Only one thought passed through him.
'Asami…?'
XXX
Cold. He was very cold, and a chilling breeze was blowing up his skin. It took a few short seconds for him to finally shoot up from the gravel ground he just had his face pressed against.
"What happened!?"
Tanjo was lost, the last thing he remembered was transforming into… water. His mind instantly drifted to an image of Asami with a cheeky smirk tugging her lips.
"Asami—!"
"—Shhhh!" Asami quickly came around from behind, a ring of water muting the teenage boy from shouting any louder. "We're in Heiwa no Kabe, so be quiet for right now."
The boy's eyes widened. They managed to breach the walls? Asami must have turned them into a liquid state to get past the ginormous stone walls. With a relieving sigh, Tanjo shifted his body to turn around and meet his mentor's gaze…
…only to remember the water muffling him.
"Oh, sorry." Asami apologized, waving her hand as the flowing water around Tanjo's mouth vanished into thin air.
"Thank you," Tanjo wiped his mask, wiping off any remaining droplets of water that clung to him. "I want to also thank you for sneaking us in. Apparently you can turn others into water—which was and still is horrifying."
With a genteel smile, Asami chuckled lightly. "I knew you'd be fine… sorta!"
Tanjo's face fell instantly. "...Sorta?"
"Nevermind that," Asami brushed the topic to the side. "As I said before, I only need to head five miles from here. In and out."
"Why the capital?"
Asami froze. "Why do you think I'm going to the capital?"
The masked teenager frowned, albeit Asami could not see it. However, the cloaked woman could definitely feel it. "You stared right at it the first time you told me that. It's also the tallest building in Heiwa no Kabe from the looks of it."
"I could have been looking at any building!"
Tanjo sighed, closing his eyes. "That is true… but you did just confirm that I was right."
Asami grew quiet, clicking her tongue.
"I preferred it when you were always nervous." Asami said, averting her eyes lamely.
The boy then gave up. "All right, let's get going—in and out."
"Woah, I didn't say you were going with me!" Asami ceased the boy's actions, staring him straight in the eyes.
"Huh!? Then what am I supposed to do!? You seriously trust that it's a good idea to leave me alone in this gigantic place!?" Tanjo asked, bewildered.
Asami shook her head, her hood swaying. "Call it training for yourself; you can learn to hide yourself in crowds."
"I thought you said we shouldn't mask ourselves?!"
"You don't have to." Asami replied. "Just act normally and stay out of trouble. That's it."
The boy had to wonder what Asami was up to, but aside from that, Tanjo could at least act like a normal person for a little while. He did live in Buraun for his entire life with the Aura Amalgamation, so surely he could hide amongst the masses one more time.
Tanjo took a quick breath, gingerly sliding his mask off of his face. If he were to enter a crowd of people with a mask, he might garner unwanted attention. It felt surprisingly odd to take the mask off, especially in such a risky location. Tanjo could only hope nothing bad would happen.
"Okay, I'm trusting you, Asami." Tanjo declared, his lips pulled into a thin line.
Asami gasped falsely. "Come on! You know me, Tanjo! Just go and relax and I'll be right back! Promise."
"Okay, okay. I'm heading off!" Tanjo said, slowly ambling away from his mentor.
Asami watched as Tanjo ventured into a busy pathway, disappearing into a wave of villagers. Immediately, her cheeky smile was no more, her gaze veering off and locking onto the capital of Heiwa no Kabe, just as Tanjo previously said.
"...In and out."
XXX
Aimlessly, Tanjo weaved through the hundreds of people brimming the pathways of Heiwa no Kabe, remaining untouched since beginning his miniature excursion. Everyone around him was too normal to keep up with Tanjo, despite the fact that none of them even gave the boy a swift glance.
Truthfully, Tanjo had no interest in the Heiwa no Kabe—other than its immense size, it was still just a group of collaborative villages combined into one. In short, a conurbation. Living in such a place would most likely be horrendous—a metropolis of busy and rude villagers, ruled by the Five Great Rulers, the Kyuujo.
"Furusato is already conforming to new ways, forgetting the whole king and queen society… Shanti, on the other hand, still holds strong…" Tanjo mumbled, his eyes darting all around, eyeing everything visible.
Suddenly, Tanjo's eyes started drifting toward the faces of the villagers around him, memories flashing in the blink of an eye.
—FLASHBACK—
Back in his home village, Tanjo could vividly remember the feeling of holding a rogue's throat in his hand, tempted to snap the fragile body part in under a second.
Looking to his left, Tanjo spotted Kaminari Nozomu. The Old Man. Nozomu nearly flinched at Tanjo's cold countenance. Lightning continued to flicker around Nozomu. The sight was menacing for the villagers.
Looking back on the moment, Tanjo felt nothing but sadness as he realized the state Old Man Nozomu was in.
"Put him down. You're making too big of a scene. Remember what I told you!" Nozomu spoke out to the jet-black-haired teenager, taking a step forward.
Tanjo's face was unreadable. Before the white-haired Nozomu could take a single step forward—*snap!*—Touma's neck was snapped like a twig, prompting his body to fall to the ground.
The teenage boy could vaguely see Old Man Nozomu's eyes broaden substantially.
'...I killed someone…' Tanjo reflected, dazed.
"H-he's Lucifer's descent!" A random villager yelped, cowering behind a group of civilians.
Tanjo's eyes tracked down the person who asserted the ridiculous claim, but something hit him, mentally. The weak and vulnerable expressions of the villagers—tripping over one another to distance themselves from him.
Then, Tanjo's eyes finally revealed emotion.
—FLASHBACK END—
That strong emotion that radiated from the villagers: disgust, fear, anger, and the lingering desire to lay down and die. Tanjo absolutely hated that feeling. It completely contradicted what the boy hoped to make people feel and how Tanjo aspired to let people act. It was sickening.
But, in the midst of the chaos, he 'killed' someone—ended their life. It was the first time Tanjo had ever committed such an act. Before that, the notion of subduing someone permanently never crossed his mind, and he originally never intended it to. However, times had woefully changed.
Nonetheless, Tanjo flinched as he gazed at the villagers' faces, reminded of the abhorrent hatred that was once sent his way.
'I don't doubt that the same would happen here…' Tanjo thought with a downcast expression.
Doing his best to ignore his emotions, Tanjo resumed his stroll.
XXX
Up high above the ground, seated at the top of the capital, surveying the civilians below, a dark-skinned man exhaled as he grew weary of merely staring at the functional city beneath him. He wore a tight red shirt to go with his black pants. His bald head was reflective as a light beam fell onto him.
Suddenly, a gentle grin was etched onto his features. "...So the blue-haired Tansu vessel decided to return once more, huh?"
XXX
Woah! Did not expect Tanjo and Asami to enter Heiwa no Kabe so quickly! Nonetheless, they arrived and are both heading out on their own excursion. Tanjo does not seem to be enjoying any of it in the slightest. Who is the mysterious man at the top of the capital and is he referring to Asami? Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_