Baku watched the body with nervous eyes, beads of sweat rolling down his face.
"Finally…" A malicious voice sent shivers down the spines of everyone present.
"L-Lord Temebris!?" Baku stammered, taking a step back as the boy slowly rose to his feet, a dangerous aura radiating from him. The eye on his cheek vanished, replaced by black bar tattoos streaking down both sides of his face.
A small black dot appeared on his forehead, curved lines beneath it.
His calm expression twisted into a smile, which grew into a crazed laugh. "Yes! Finally, I'm free!" His eyes now glowed a dark, sinister purple, his voice heavy and cunning.
"This is bad! Really fucking bad!" Amuzi's mind screamed, panic coursing through every inch of her broken body, urging her to flee. But she couldn't—not with her shattered limbs and the weight of dread pinning her down.
That's at least a grade one great spirit… maybe even a grand class! Baku's body went rigid, paralyzed with terror, as he stared at the possessed Kintaro—now fully overtaken by the sinister spirit of Temebris. The fiend's crazed rant echoed through the air, each word dripping with malice.
Maybe while he's distracted, I can run? Baku thought, barely daring to hope. But before he could twitch a muscle, an explosion of purplish energy erupted toward him—a wave of raw destruction. The blast tore into the ground with a savage roar, carving a deep, smoldering trench where Baku had stood. Trails of smoke and ash wafted up from the shattered earth, lingering where his presence had been erased in an instant.He killed him with one attack?! Amuzi's heart thundered, sweat beading on her skin as fear gripped her, leaving her trembling and breathless.
Temebris tore off Kintaro's hoodie, revealing the network of dark tattoos now etched across his body. Black marks twisted around his wrists and biceps, while others coiled down his neck. A large dot rested on his chest, encircled by a thick, curved line that stretched halfway up his throat. Across his back, two horn-shaped tattoos curved outward, adding to his twisted aura.
With a deep breath, Temebris spread his arms wide, savoring the air. "Ahh… I never would've thought the air of these monkeys could be so calming. I can't wait to fill it with their blood!" His laughter echoed, sharp and chilling, as Amuzi held her breath, trying to remain as silent as possible.
"You think I don't notice you there, monkey…?"
Her blood ran cold as he turned toward her, a wide, predatory smile stretching across his face.
In a instant he dashed at her a ear to ear grin painting his face. She braces for the impending attack but it never comes.
She opens her eyes only to let out a shocked gasp, Temebris is now standing in front her his eyes devoid of any thought.
"Kintaro…?"
******************
Where am I…?" Kintaro mutters as he rises from a kneeling position. He places his hand on the ground, only to find a dark, viscous liquid clinging to his skin. He raises his hand and stares at the black water dripping from his fingers.
"What the…?" he whispers, standing fully upright. His voice echoes in the emptiness as he looks around, seeing nothing but an infinite void stretching in all directions.
"You should have stayed asleep… half-breed," a deep, thunderous voice reverberates through the void, shaking its very fabric. The horizon shifts, turning a deep crimson as a massive, monstrous eye opens in the place of the sun.
The eye is pitch black, a void that seems to devour light itself, its emptiness pulling at Kintaro's very being. Despite its immense size, the eye's attention is singularly focused on him.
Kintaro stumbles backward, a chill running down his spine as beads of sweat gather on his forehead. "What the hell is this?" he mutters, his voice trembling. Then, without warning, a flood of unfamiliar memories crashes into his mind, each one more vivid and disorienting than the last.
Among the torrent of images, one stands out: Baku, staring at him in terror, uttering a single name… "Temebris!"
Gripping his head in pain, Kintaro clenches his teeth, the memories threatening to overwhelm him. When he finally looks up at the massive eye, his expression shifts to one of fearful recognition.
"You're Temebris…" he says shakily, a single bead of sweat trailing down his face as the weight of the name settles over him.
Temebris is supposed to be dead… So why am I facing him right now?!
The colossal eye narrows slightly, as if unimpressed. It rolls within its eyelid, its disinterest palpable.
"I will not remember you," the voice growls, its tone filled with disdain.
Before Kintaro can respond, inky black hands surge up from the water beneath him. They coil around his body, gripping him tightly and closing around his throat. He gasps for air, clawing at the viscous arms as they drag him to his knees.
"Give up, hybrid… This body no longer belongs to you," Temebris intones, his voice reverberating like an unholy choir. The hands tighten, cutting off Kintaro's air entirely.
Kintaro's vision begins to blur, darkness encroaching on the edges of his sight. Am I really about to die like this…? he wonders, despair creeping into his heart.
But then, a spark ignites within him—a stubborn, unyielding defiance. His body tenses, and his eyes snap open, filled with determination. No! I refuse to die like this!
Summoning every ounce of strength, Kintaro pries the black hands from his throat, his fingers digging into their oily surface. He rises to his feet, glaring directly into the monstrous eye.
The massive eye widens ever so slightly, taken aback by his defiance.
"This is my body!" Kintaro roars, his voice unwavering. "You can't just take it without my permission!"
The inky arms retract, recoiling like wounded animals as Kintaro stands firm, his fists clenched.
"How irritating…" Temebris growls, his voice dripping with malice. A crackling orb of purple energy begins to form in front of the eye, growing larger and more menacing with each passing second.
Kintaro stares at the energy sphere, a nervous grin spreading across his face despite the danger.
"Oh, shit," he mutters, just as the sphere launches toward him at blinding speed.
The explosion engulfs him in a brilliant flash of light, consuming everything in its path.
******************
Now in the regular world Temebris is still idle, but inside is in out burst at Kintaros actions.
'Of course that brat decided to awake mid attack! Now I waste to much energy on destroying his consciousness! Damn that hybrid!…Doesn't matter I should still have enough energy to kill this one. It's his teacher too perfect..'
He raises his head with a smile and raises his hand again…
"Wow… What a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The great Temebris—it's truly an honor." A voice rang out behind him, smooth and unhurried. Temebris whipped around to see Lord Samunami standing there, a small smile on her lips as she gave him a casual wave.
In an instant, his hand swung forward, unleashing a slash of purplish energy. Before it could reach her, an icy wall erupted from the ground, intercepting the attack and blanketing the forest in a dense, chilly mist.
"Well, that was rather anticlimactic," she chuckled, her voice muffled by the mist. A sharp shard of frozen mist shot out and struck Temebris, leaving a patch of ice where it made contact.
In response, he fired a blast wildly in her direction. "I think you missed?" Her playful tone drifted through the fog, fueling his growing rage.
"You dare toy with me, monkey? How dare you!" he roared. But before he could react further, another ball of hardened ice struck his forehead, cracking it open with a frozen gash.
Blood dripped down as she laughed. "You're much weaker than I was told as a kid—are you a fraud, perhaps?"
A furious scream ripped from Temebris, clearing the mist in a violent gust, revealing Lord Samunami standing unphased, a smug smirk on her face.
"Wow, clearing out some mist—that's quite the accomplishment," Samunami taunted. In a flash, Temebris launched at her, shattering the ground beneath him with the force of his speed. She caught his punch, deflecting it with ease before hurling him into a nearby tree. He hit the trunk and used it like a springboard, rebounding toward her with renewed fury.
Watching from a distance, Amuzi was captivated, her gaze fixed on the battle unfolding before her. The two combatants moved with precision and skill, each maneuver an intricate dance between master fighters.
I knew something was off when I touched his shoulder, Samunami thought, studying Temebris's every move. But discovering him as the vessel for a spirit of this magnitude… that, I didn't expect.
As he rushed forward, she intercepted him, seizing his momentum and swinging him over her shoulder, slamming him to the ground with a bone-jarring impact. It was a move eerily reminiscent of Kintaro's defeat—yet unlike before, Temebris merely rebounded, springing to his feet with a twisted grin.
But before he could react, Samunami's hand shot forward, seizing him by the neck. Ice began spreading rapidly from her fingers, consuming him until he was completely encased within a towering pillar of frost, his eyes locked on her with a furious glare from within his frozen prison.
Samunami sighed, a hint of weariness in her expression, as a drill-like cone of ice formed in her palm, whirling to life at high speed. She stepped forward, intent on finishing the job.
"Wait! My lord, please don't! Don't kill Kintaro, I beg of you!" Amuzi's desperate shout broke through the silence, halting Samunami in her tracks. She turned, confusion flashing across her face as she looked at the injured tutor.
"Stop? Can't you see that isn't Kintaro—that's Temebris?" Samunami asked, her gaze hardening.
"Please, don't kill him," Amuzi cried, voice breaking. "I saw it his still in there! Also he made a promise—to become a sorcerer. He can't die yet, so please… don't kill him!" Tears rolled down her face as she pleaded, her body trembling with the depth of her despair.
"…" Samunami let the icy drill dissolve, placing her hands on her hips with an irritated sigh. "Like I said, that's Temebris at the steering wheel… but maybe…" She paused, and the ice receded just enough to let Temebris move his neck.
"You damn hairless ape! I'll kill you—I swear I will!" he snarled, venom in his voice.
Ignoring his rage, she locked her gaze on him, muttering a quiet incantation under her breath. Temebris's eyes grew heavy, his anger replaced by an unexpected drowsiness overtaking him.
"Damn… you…" His eyes slid shut, and the black markings on his body slowly faded away. The icy pillar around him dissolved, leaving Kintaro's unconscious form standing alone. A single bead of sweat rolled down the face of each onlooker, tension finally loosening its grip.
"Kintaro?" Samunami ventured, her voice steady but her smile tinged with unease. She remained prepared, uncertain of which personality would emerge.
…
"I'm cold…" Kintaro murmured softly before collapsing, landing face-first onto the ground.
—————————
Kintaro jolted awake, his body throbbed with an insistent pain, each pulse reminding him of the violent clash with Baku. Drenched in cold sweat, he shot upright in the hospital bed, the harsh fluorescent lights stinging his eyes as he let out a strangled cry, "Sensei Azumi!" Panic clawed at his throat, and he retched slightly, only to be abruptly halted by the weight of cold metal binding his wrists.
"What the…?" His eyes widened in disbelief as he struggled against the shackles, the rough chain rattling ominously. He instinctively grasped the restrictive collar encircling his neck, tugging desperately in an attempt to free himself.
The door swung open, revealing Lord Samunami, her presence commanding and unsettling. A sly smile danced on her lips as she stepped into the room. "Oh, you're finally awake?" she remarked, her voice smooth yet laced with mockery.
"What's going on? Why am I chained up?" he demanded, his heart racing as he continued to tug futilely at the chains that held him captive.
"That's just in case you psych out on us," she replied, tilting her head to the side with a disconcerting sweetness. "And there's really no point in trying to break free. You'll die if you succeed, and we wouldn't want that, would we?" Her eyes glinted with a predatory gleam, making it clear that she found his predicament amusing.
Kintaro halts his actions, his gaze locked onto her. "Especially after you became a sorcerer."
It takes a moment for him to process her words.
"Me, a sorcerer?! Thank you so much!" he exclaims joyfully, but winces in pain immediately after.
"Don't thank me; your teacher recommended you personally," she replies, leaning against the wall and gazing out the window.
"She respects you a lot, you know," she adds, but Kintaro only responds with silence.
————-
A hand slammed down on the desk with anger and fury, sending a wave of silence sweeping through the room. This space was different from the one we had left; it was large and grand, illuminated only by the flickering light of torches mounted on the stone pillars.
In the center stood a magnificent round table, surrounded by a dozen individuals dressed in lavish robes, their expressions a mix of concern and disbelief. Among them sat Samunami, seemingly unfazed by the tension.
"You've gone too far this time, Samunami!" an older bald man shouted, his large mustache quivering with indignation as he glared at her.
"What have I done to irritate you this time, Counselor?" she replied, her carefree tone only serving to heighten his frustration.
"You've let a great danger infiltrate the ranks of our country's forces—a ticking time bomb just waiting to detonate without warning!" he growled.
Her smile remained unwavering, even as he continued to rant. "Don't worry, Counselor. I can keep the 'great' Temebris under control. Isn't it better to monitor him in a place where we can keep an eye on his movements?"
The councilman opened his mouth to retort, but before he could continue, another voice interjected.
"I agree with the Lord." All eyes turned to the newcomer—a young man slightly older than Kintaro, yet still much younger than most of those present. He had a bowl-cut hairstyle and sandy blonde hair, his eyes closed, and a sly smile dancing across his lips.
"Prince Haru, you can't be serious!" the older man exclaimed, incredulous.
"It's not every day that such a powerful spirit falls into our hands. All we need to do is train him. I see no downside. And if things go awry, we'll always have a backup plan," he argued, a confident glint in his eye.
A heavy silence settled in the room following his statement, and Samunami stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye.
"Let's put it to a vote. All in favor, say 'aye,'" she declared. The majority of the council members responded with an enthusiastic 'aye,' including the prince.
Rising to his feet, Prince Haru clapped his hands together. "So it's decided. But, Lord Samunami, who will you assign to watch over this… situation?"
She beamed at his question, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Oh, my prince, I have the perfect person in mind."
*To be Continued…*