Back on Earth, the Detrimental War was still ongoing. Bodies littered the lands between Adonai and Shanti, blood soaking into the scorched dirt. There were no clouds floating in the sky, for they were dispersed by stray beams of light discharged by arbitrary troops throughout the duration of the war. With the pace of the large battle, there would be no victors by the end of it.
Hovering above it all was none other than the God of Time, Kronos. The robed god peered down at the battlefield, his countenance not unveiling a single trace of sentiment. He has seen war more times than any being can count, watched the deaths of a billion and more. But, the events of the Abnormal Universe was all that mattered to him currently.
As the God of Time, he could foresee the future, dive into different instances of time, and manipulate the pace of all that was around him—oddly, the Abnormal Universe was above his detection and foresight. At any moment, a new cataclysmic event could occur, and Kronos would not know of it until it happened.
Regashi was the sole cause of this.
The brown-haired ruler had intervened far too much, completely altering the natural universal plots. Kronos could not perceive Regashi's advancements, no matter how hard he tried. Getting involved with the monstrous Ketsueki was, perhaps, the most moronic thing Kronos has ever done—but he has a reason to continue: Tanjo.
If Regashi was to be the end of everything, Tanjo would be the one who reverts everything. Tanjo would be the boy to balance it all.
To add to the God of Time's concern, however, was the growing power of the Tansu vessels. More notably, the two dragons.
*KRSSH!*
Kronos raised his right hand, allowing the Disruption of Reality's light blue rifts to emerge from his palm and spread through the air. The rifts then opened, creating a window for the deity to see anywhere in the universe. Kronos could see the planet Venus, where Kaminari Nozomu and Imawashiki were temporarily residing.
"Imawashiki is down… but his future is uncertain… what am I to make of this?" Kronos murmured, narrowing his divine eyes.
The god was uncertain if he was thankful that the dragons were sealed into two humans or if he was unsteady. On one hand, any of the Tansu Beasts are capable of growing to an infinite length in their animalistic forms, but through the will of a human, their power extends into infinity.
Without warning, Kronos's eyes flashed a bright blue light, the Disruption of Reality spiraling around his form. In this moment, the God of Time was finally able to look into the future regarding Imawashiki—but it was not for a spectacular reason.
*CLAP!*
With haste, Kronos clapped his hands, dispersing the blue rifts that clustered around him.
"...He's coming back."
XXX
The abyss. Seijun was familiar with its darkness. To be given no light, no tangible assistance, or even a ground to stand on. Floating helplessly. Despite returning to this awful realm, Seijun did not feel despair or melancholy. He felt rage.
"Moeru!" Seijun hollered at the top of his lungs, gazing into the bleak abyss.
Silence was all the man got in return. His ears were ringing from the muteness of Moeru, his eyes scanning the darkness of this world.
"Moeru! Don't make me force you out!" The man with red sideburns persisted, gritting his teeth.
*FWOOOOOSH!*
What was once dark is now brimming with the blinding light of flames. In a matter of seconds, the flames molded into an animalistic shape of immense size, dwarfing Seijun entirely. It was rare to see Moeru himself make an appearance. The dragon of fire usually refused to meet his vessel's gaze, considering the human to be far below him.
Nevertheless, the dragon ignites his presence before that same human. His claws were the first to form, with his legs following shortly after. The underside of his belly quickly became visible, leading to the rest of the beast's center. From the center of his form, his tail and wings materialized.
The last to be formed were his head and eyes, which were boring holes into Seijun.
"Your older age makes you no different, boy." Moeru grumbled, flashing his sharp teeth.
"I'm two years shy of fifty, I'll be damned if I let an overgrown lizard torture me any longer!" Seijun barked, clenching his fists.
The tension between man and beast was suffocating. Brown eyes clashed with red as the two bared their teeth at each other—two individual souls battling for dominance.
"I control your very soul, boy! You would be dead if it wasn't for my power!" Moeru roared, his claws ripping into the fabric of the abyss.
Seijun stepped forward, embracing the heat that radiated off of the mountainous Tansu Beast.
"You saved me because you would be long forgotten if I died! You would have no chance to return to Earth! I am your link to the living world!" The man yelled, pointing at the symbol embedded in the skin of his neck.
Moeru huffed, smoke escaping his jaws. "Then relinquish the seal. Let me free and we'll see who remains."
"No." Seijun declined tersely, glowering at the beast. "You don't control me, but I can control you. I've suppressed you for as long as I could, leading to the creation of… Imawashiki. But, I don't want that moniker anymore! Suppression isn't enough!"
The fiery dragon narrowed his flaming eyes and said, "Do tell… how will you subjugate me?"
Seijun placed his hand over the seal on his neck, gripping it tightly.
"Surrender yourself to me, Moeru!" The man shouted with determination.
Moeru blinked.
"Seriously? Telling me to surrender? That is an affront to only yourself if you think I'd yield to you." The dragon retorted with a hateful sneer.
Seijun took another step forward.
"Surrender yourself to me, Moeru!" He shouted again.
Moeru began to growl, tilting his head downward. "Silence! Your petulance is pathetic!"
The seal on Seijun was faintly illuminated, growing brighter by the second. Internally, Seijun knew this method was similar to the fairy tales he had overheard as a boy, but his soul was his, not Moeru's.
"Surrender yourself to me, Moeru!" Seijun shouted the same words in a mantra.
The fiery dragon felt his body stiffen, his limbs locking up. "You're only suppressing me! You can't control me!"
Seijun grinned weakly, inhaling. "I'll have you under control soon enough! Surrender yourself to me, Moeru!"
Moeru opened his mouth as wide as he could, his tongue transforming into a cyclone of fire. He was preparing to burn Seijun where he stood.
"Surrender yourself to me, Moeru!"
*FWOOSH!*
"Surrender—!"
Everything went dark.
XXX
Nozomu was keeping Seijun's comatose form company while he sat with his arms folded across his knees. All of the lightning that had been dancing around Nozomu's torso had stopped, leaving only his long, frayed white cloak. In a short period of time, a war had broken out between two of the three Great Nations, Tanjo had run away and Nozomu had failed to bring him back, and now Nozomu had to battle what remained of Seijun Hotaru, the man who had once been the most significant person in his life as kids.
"Why did he have to get Moeru…?" Nozomu mumbled, exhaling. "You would have loved him as a vessel, Kanden."
The lightning dragon within Nozomu scoffed. "Then who would keep up with Moeru's antics? You forget, it takes those with the strongest wills to topple the greatest threats."
Nozomu shook his head. "Seijun's will was shattered long ago, I can tell. He has scars on his back. He couldn't heal those; Moeru wouldn't let him. He's killed so many, too. He's been mentally and physically tortured since we were kids."
"And we will end it." Kanden spoke within Nozomu's mind, huffing.
Suddenly, in the corner of Nozomu's eyes, he spotted movement. Seijun's right hand twitches, his fingers curling slightly.
"He's waking up!" Nozomu vocalized his realization, standing up and stepping back cautiously.
After a few moments of Seijun struggling to wake up from his comatose state, his head healing from the hole that was punched into it, he spoke:
"Kami…"
Nozomu's stance softened faintly. "Seijun?"
Seijun coughed, his throat dry. He was regaining his power and strength rapidly, but the man refused to get up.
"Kami… I can't hold him back for long…"
The white-haired man inhaled, taking a tentative step forward. "You're here now, Seijun. Just stay in this state."
Seijun shook his head, his brown eyes locking onto Nozomu. "Please… kill me. I have him down and he can't intervene with my death. Kill me!"
Nozomu was shocked by the turn of events, staring at Seijun horrifically. Despite how monotonous he has been his entire life, Nozomu could not conceal the pain in his eyes as he heard his past friend's words. He was finally back, reverting to normalcy, but now Nozomu had to kill him.
"You have to, Kami… I've killed too many people… even without Moeru, I let all of his deeds happen…" Seijun spoke roughly, blinking his troubled eyes slowly.
*CRACKLE*
Silently, Nozomu encased his right hand with lightning.
"Asami would have loved to see you again, Seijun." The white-haired man stated numbly.
Seijun smiled. "Tell her I'm sorry…"
Nozomu dragged himself toward Seijun, kneeling down once he got close enough. He reeled his lightning-covered hand back, preparing to strike the vessel of Moeru down for good. So much pain accompanied this act. There would be no chance of returning, but keeping Seijun alive and allowing Imawashiki to revitalize himself was far from optional.
"I'll still be with you guys… I'll see what it's like beyond our world…" Seijun mumbled encouragingly, his grin widening.
A plethora of memories overwhelmed Nozomu, all of them pertaining to Seijun as a kid. His exuberant smile, his willingness to support others, his encouraging words, and, unfortunately, the day the Tansu vessels separated.
"Goodbye."
*WOOSH!*
As a tear escaped his eye, falling from his cheek, Nozomu thrust his right hand downward, aiming for Seijun's heart. Seijun rested his head against the surface of Venus once again, closing his eyes as he filled his head with joyous memories.
*KRSSH!*
Nozomu's final blow was intercepted, making his eyes widen. A blue rift that split space apart swallowed his hand, stopping him from killing Seijun.
"I deeply apologize for ruining a sacred moment, but I cannot let either one of you die just yet." An unfamiliar voice rang through the two vessel's ears.
Both Seijun and Nozomu turned their heads, looking at the owner of the voice. It was Kronos, who was levitating above the ground gracefully. His right hand was outstretched, signifying that he was the one who prevented Nozomu's strike.
"Who are you?" Nozomu demanded, hurriedly pulling his hand out of the rift.
Kronos hummed and said, "Kronos, the God of Time, and, debatably, your son's half mentor."
XXX
I was actually sad over Seijun's potential death! He's been one of my favorite characters and to kill him off either now or at any time at all, will definitely destroy me. However, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_