It all happened too fast. Yuso was not prepared. He did not receive adequate training. Blood covered the grass, heavy armor clanked on the ground, and a searing pain ripped through the heterochromatic redhead's chest. It was a successful ambush. Yuso's eyesight faded as the entire world flipped upside down. A sword coated in blue Aura Sense was stuck in his chest, with the blade's point protruding out his back.
Yuso's group was left with only one warrior surviving, the rest having been slaughtered in mere moments. The last survivor remained immobile on the ground behind the injured Yuso, grasping the soil as he watched the events unfold. Originally, the blade was meant to impale the warrior; instead, Yuso stepped into the sword's path, allowing it to violently glide into his torso. It was an act of courage that astounded the lowly warrior.
The unidentified assailants were incredibly powerful, overwhelming Yuso's Takuetsu potency. As Yuso attempted to heal, the blade that was lodged in his chest continued to surge in temperature, preventing the redhead from properly restoring himself.
Who were these people?
"Sir! Are you okay—grah!" The remaining warrior tried to call out to the youngest Takuetsu, but an arrow to the neck cut him short. His life faded away seconds after.
It was ironic: his death on the same day as his induction as an official Takuetsu. The shame he would bring to the crimson-haired family would be overbearing. Even being injured would be immensely humiliating, but being put down was appalling. Lord Shuji, Yuso's father, will be disappointed beyond belief.
With his heart thumping at a slower rate, Yuso observed as one of the unidentified warriors marched toward him, stopping a few feet away in front of the redhead. The sun bounced off the warrior's dark armor blindingly, his form towering over the youngest Takuetsu.
*MRMMM!*
Suddenly, the warrior faded out of existence, an older man appearing slightly further away.
"Don't worry, Yuso. Your family won't hurt you anymore."
The older man had black hair, with most of his strands turning gray due to old age. His face wrinkled as he narrowed his eyes at the injured Takuetsu, a series of four rings sitting on his right hand's fingers, each colored as one of the four Aura Sense.
Yuso parted his lips painfully, his voice scratching out of his throat as he said, "Commander Ryouiki…?"
The world went dark.
XXX
Faint sounds could be heard. Cold steel was wrapped around his wrists and ankles. Seconds after these sensations appeared, blurry lights washed over his vision. Yuso could recognize what had happened to him: he was unconscious. His father and other trainers have knocked him into such a state numerous times during his upbringing.
"Yuso? You awake, child?" A hoarse voice awoke Yuso even further.
Opening his eyes wider than before, Yuso's vision eventually became lucid. The first thing the eighteen-year-old Takuetsu spotted was the man that was present seconds before he had passed out and entered a comatose state.
Commander Ryouiki: Lord Shuji's right-hand man in nearly all of his affairs.
"W-what's happening? Where have I been taken?" Yuso mumbled, trying to move his limbs, only to notice that they were restrained by steel sleeves.
Ryouiki cleared his throat, staring the heterochromatic redhead in the eyes. "You're home, of course. Though, I doubt you'll consider the Takuetsu compound home very much."
Yuso transitioned into a far more sober state. "What!? Why am I restrained!? How am I restrained!?"
The older man hummed a low tune. "You were never informed, but the Takuetsu compound holds very important items. Items even you were kept from by your own father."
"Answer my questions, Ryouiki!" The redhead hollered venomously
The man chuckled, a grin stretching his lips. "So you are capable of anger! You've always been so passive; I assumed you were just different. But, then again, you are a Takuetsu—all of you have the same roots."
Yuso clenched his teeth, trying to let his Aura Sense flare, only for it to fail miserably.
"Your grandfather stole many curses and stashed them all underground, which also happens to be directly beneath the Takuetsu compound. One of them, however, is currently suppressing your magic entirely. Other than your father, I'm the only person alive who has access to this underground facility." Commander Ryouiki revealed, shifting his body and walking the opposite direction.
The older man approached a counter, sifting through a pile of arbitrary items with various shapes, sizes, and colors. Some had unintelligible writing, symbolic imprints, or other related features that may correlate to the items' purpose.
"I have two curses specifically picked for you, child." Ryouiki stated, continuing to rummage through the collection of items.
Eventually, the older man picked up two individual curses. One was a miniature sculpture of an open hand, the fingers curled ever so slightly. The second curse was a small sphere that resembled an eyeball—a pentagram imprinted onto the iris of the eye.
"What are you going to do with those!?" Yuso yelled, the muscles in his jaw tensing.
Commander Ryouiki ambled back toward the heterochromatic redhead, holding both of the curses in his hands.
"I'm going to make you better! I've realized that I can't beat the Takuetsu… but they can beat themselves." The older man declared, stretching his left arm out, the sculpture of the hand blocking most of the redhead's gaze.
Yuso started to fret as he saw the stone hand get closer to his face, staring into the dark palm of the cursed sculpture. The item alone was ominous, but the accompanying situation that the youngest Takuetsu found himself in added to the baleful atmosphere.
"Before I improve you… I, unfortunately, have to ensure stability. I apologize in advance, child. The Seimei no Ishi will undoubtedly prevent any… accidents from happening."
*FRMMMM!*
A red light emanated from the palm of the cursed sculpture, pressing against Yuso's face. The redhead's eyes broadened instantaneously, his veins bulging out of his skin agonizingly. Every muscle in his body tensed, his fingers curling tightly as his knuckles turned white.
Memories started to flash through Yuso's mind; images of his life overwhelmed him. The thoughts of his father, Lord Shuji, were prominent. Uncontrollable hatred swept over Yuso as he visualized the man. After a few moments, everything in the redhead's brain began to mold together, his life becoming a massive blur. Lord Shuji was now a man Yuso needed to subdue. The thought of him being a Takuetsu dissipated.
"You are to betray and forget your family. Feel the urge to spill their blood, destroy their home, and escape without a trace of who they were." Ryouiki spoke sternly, narrowing his dull eyes.
Without warning, memories of Yuso's siblings emerged. Their last words to Yuso returned.
'You cannot become like dad—or grandpa!'
Then past words from Lord Shuji:
'You're weak. Step foot outside this building and you will surely bring shame to our family name.'
Family name. Yuso forgot what name Lord Shuji was referring to, his hatred for the man overriding any sense that the heterochromatic redhead had. Ideals clashed together; Lord Shuji's harrowing actions and Yuso's siblings' enlightening messages intertwined as Ryouiki's order burned into the redhead's soul. To betray his family, Yuso would have to act the exact opposite compared to the other Takuetsu, but the stark contrast between Lord Shuji and the siblings tore Yuso's mind apart.
"I am to be your master—your only source of information—and you are to follow every order I give you without hesitation." Ryouiki added to his demands, watching Yuso undergo his change.
It was not long until Yuso had removed the name Takuetsu from himself, forgetting his association to the family. But, his idea of how to contradict this biological family took a turn that not even Ryouiki would be able to comprehend.
The cursed sculpture that blocked Yuso's face was then pulled back, freeing the redhead from the magic that plagued his mind.
"Yuso? Can you hear me?" Commander Ryouiki queried, lifting a brow in curiosity.
A pregnant silence encompassed the underground facility, a hint of worry appearing within the older man. Hesitantly, Ryouiki reached out, slowly bringing his index finger closer to the heterochromatic redhead.
That was when Yuso spoke:
"Yes, Master." The redhead spoke emotionlessly, his gaze empty.
Ryouiki smiled mischievously, his face wrinkling.
"What is your directive, Yuso?"
The redhead replied immediately, "To kill Lord Shuji."
Ryouiki blinked in surprise, astonished by the brevity of Yuso's agenda. The older man was relieved to see that the Seimei no Ishi had succeeded in altering the youngest Takuetsu's mind. With Yuso's newfound urge to kill the current patriarch of the Takuetsu family, Ryouiki simply maintained his smile, enjoying the new revelation.
"Anything else?" The older man inquired, tilting his head.
Yuso was quiet for a few moments, his dulled eyes staring into Ryouiki's. The next words that came out of the redhead's mouth bewildered the older man entirely.
"And to become the successor of Lucifer."
XXX
More of Yuso's backstory! I wish to briefly explain the Seimei no Ishi: it is a curse that manipulates the will of someone's life! Ryouiki utilized it to alter Yuso as a person, wishing to weaponize him for his own personal vendettas. But, as the curse was being used, Ryouiki's demands were just ambiguous enough to confuse Yuso and make him betray both Lord Shuji's and his siblings ideals, which are completely different. The contrasting ideals tore Yuso's mind in half and caused him to hate Lord Shuji, but pursue his ideals due to his siblings asking him to go against how his father and grandfather think. Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_