Note: There is a prologue in the auxiliary volume, so please read that first. Furthermore, this chapter will get a revamp.
"I.. saw the memories of Theos I."
One sentence was all it took to shock the two Generals, for there has been no known point in history where such an event has happened. Akio, though, explains that he could only see two of the many memories that his ancestor had.
Furthermore, Theos was the most shocked of the two, for he has been studying the history of his ancestor, The Dark Wizard and The Shining Generals for years, having gone over each and every one of the thousands of books written around said topics.
"Akio, you should make a formal report, for this would be revolutionary."
While being able to understand Theos' mindset, Akio disagrees, thinking that it would be for the better if he waited a bit. This leaves Theos dissatisfied, but he understands. With that, Akio leaves, for he had no other reason to remain there.
In actuality, the Generals have an enormous amount of trust in Akio, and subsequently, trust that his judgement will prove to be the correct decision to make, and because Akio is the only one who truly knows everything possible about these memories, though the teen begins double-guessing his own judgement, though he had no other choice that to believe in it.
As Akio makes his way back to school, he is greeted by a few men of Theos, who had aided in his training, and with whom Akio had a close friendship with, for they took over Akio's training fully after the incident with Leonidas.
A few minutes pass, and Theos' men are back on their way towards the Generals' headquarters, while Akio heads back to school. By this time, the classes have ended, but some of the school's facilities are open to those acquainted with the Generals, though the Successors were in mind (mostly).
Akio heads over to the gym, where his cousin, Genkei, awaits. They are both excited, for they can train again without holding back. The two cousins power up, as they charge at each other, and they clash, with its sheer pressure making the ground below them tremble.
Genkei pushes Akio back, but the latter plants his feet on the ground, though that doesn't do much. Akio falls to the ground, as Genkei continues to push further, crushing the ground below them.
Propelling himself off the ground and pushing Genkei off, Akio shoots a fireball at Genkei, who simply blocks it with his bare fists. The explosion hits him, but Genkei has no more than a few scratches and burn marks, though that wouldn't be enough to stop him.
Seeing that Akio is slowly descending from the air, Genkei shoots a tornado at him, making Akio unable to move at will. Akio attempts to burn the tornado, but it simply makes it even stronger, infusing it with fire magic.
Akio not only spins now, but he's also burning. This is even more of a disadvantage, but Akio attempts to find a way to somehow get out. At that point, Akio loses his consciousness for a few seconds, due to his excessive body temperature, but it was exactly what he needed.
Subconsciously, Akio's body partially turns into fire magic, and somehow, he manages to get through the tornado. Akio falls down afterwards, having somehow rematerialized, and he wakes up.
He stands up, noticing that he is not in the tornado anymore, and Genkei calls out to him, asking how the hell he got out of there.
"I'm unsure, but whatever that power was, I'll need to unlock it again."
Afterwards, Akio and Genkei continued their battle, exchanging blows, while the gym gradually got destroyed. The two cousins injured each other to reasonable amounts during this great battle, but that matters not, for they are unable to feel anything when they fully devote themselves to their battle.
Akio pushes Genkei back, sending him to the wall, and subsequently, making a big crater. Genkei doesn't come out yet, though blood starts coming out of his mouth, and the man laughs.
He pushes himself out, saying that Akio should better prepare himself. Akio smirks, taking a battle stance once again, as Genkei charges at him. Akio thought that Genkei would come in for a punch, or even better, a clash, but instead, Genkei stops his charge a few inches before he reaches him, as he then opens his hands, trapping Akio in a headlock.
Genkei then throws Akio down, as he gasps for air, though he jumps back, dodging Genkei's next punch. Akio smirks, as he charges on once again, punching Genkei, and planting his face on the ground.
This time, Akio infused his fist with fire magic, so it was even more powerful than before. Genkei raises his head with little difficulty, but he got injured quite a bit, and he realised that afternoon had come.
"Akio, let us stop here for today, for it appears that we've spent quite a lot of time training."
Genkei extends his right hand, and Akio does the same, agreeing, and the outcome of the battle was a truce. The cousins smile at each other, as they realize the damage that they have caused.
They laugh, but they get to work. Genkei uses his wind magic to restore the stands and everything else back to it's place, while Akio tries looking around the school, thinking that even while unlikely, it could be possible that there were spare tiles.
It turns out that there aren't any, and the school's gym would have to close down for a few days, until it was ready. Naturally, Akio and Genkei were now under supervision for whenever they entered the gym, be it with others or not.
Afterwards, Akio began contemplating what he should do with his new powers and the memories of Theos I. While he is interested in the origins of his family and knows everything, Akio understands that now, this is a quest to gain power and save the world, so there is no time to waste.
Immediately, Akio gets up and starts running to the Generals' headquarters, but on his way there, he collapses suddenly. As he falls to the ground, his eyes drift around, and he holds his breath, but ultimately, Akio falls unconscious.
Akio wakes up in an unknown place, clenching the ground, as he gasps for air. After he finally returns to his senses, Akio stands up, and he inspects the environment, which is far too unfamiliar.
He is only able to see that everything's black, however, as a man starts to come towards Akio, who is now confused. Who the hell is that man? Why is Akio here? What is this place? Many questions fill Akio's mind, but it is emptied when he sees the man clearer.
The man has the appearance of Theos II, Akio's father, but Akio is very much able to understand that it is not him. The man comes closer, and Akio is able to detect his energy more clearly now too.
The energy.. is dark. It's dense black. It feels.. corrupt. Akio, even, feels like he's about to vomit just by sensing it, but he retains his composure. The man comes closer and closer, until finally, he jumps forwards, lunging at Akio.
Akio is unable to react initially, but he's able to block the man's punch at the very last second, as he raises his hand. The man's fist meets Akio's wrist, but the pressure generated is far too big, as even Akio is getting pushed back, holding himself from getting sent flying.
Now, Akio has a clear view of the man, and it's not his father. His sclerae are black, and his hair, instead of being orange only, also have some black spots. The longer Akio's wrist is connected to the man's fist, however, he can see some stuff, some memories, that aren't his.
Through this man, Akio sees memories of someone getting pummeled, but then, the scene changes to one in which the man punches his opponent, with his fist going through the latter's stomach.
Akio, at that point, finally realizes that he is seeing the memories of Theos I, and that the person in front of him.. is The Dark Wizard. At that point, Akio returns to his clash with the man, whom he is tempted to identify as Theos I, but Akio knows that it is not him, but rather, a copy.
His eyes are filled with new-found determination, as Akio headbutts the copy, then continuing to punch him in the face and kicking him in the stomach, sending him back. The copy plants his feet on the ground, smirking, but Akio continues to remain serious.
The copy rushes at Akio, who simply moves to the right, dodging the attack, as he elbows the copy in the back. Akio shoots a fireball to the copy's face at point blank range, burning the right half of his face off.
Both Akio and the copy jump back, with the copy attempting to heal the wound that had just been caused, though Akio wastes no time, as he runs at the copy, ready to finish him off. The copy, however, had other plans.
Just as Akio reaches the copy, he shoots his own fireball at Akio's face, telling him that they will meet again soon. Akio's vision is blocked by the small explosion, while the copy disappears.
Akio reawakens in the real world, with the left side of his face in flames, and him being unable to see out of his left eye. Akio screams in pain, as the flames grow hotter, and he places his hands on them, in an attempt to stop them from spreading.
To his surprise, however, they do, and Akio is left with a heavy burn mark and blindness in his left eye, as he rushes to the Generals' headquarters. When he arrives there, however, he was shocked to see Hanami laying on the floor, bleeding, and a man there, with his hands covered in blood…