[WARNING: Please be advised that the following text/chapters contain mature and sensitive topics, including but not limited to murder, r4p3, general violence, and other disturbing content. Reader discretion is strongly advised.]
[Brief History]
The Mythical Stones appeared 50 years ago, which completely changed how the world worked drastically. The stones looked far from your normal ones, they had some kind of glowing runes or writing on them, using symbols or writings from the mythology of the country they were found in. When eaten, they momentarily cause an immense amount of pain to the user, and after that, the user can switch between their human form (or normal form) and their Shift (or their transformation).
50 years ago, a man by the name of Zhang Wei in Central China, (The region and specific location was unknown), found the first ever Stone, and reportedly ate it at a time of desperation, after the village he lived in was raided by some bandits. After the consumption, he turned into the first ever Stone User, and his transformation was the Monkey King, [Sun Wukong], the first ever of his kind.
With the title of a God and their immense power, he quickly defeated all of those who dared stop him from his goal, of becoming the Emperor of China. The people can only bow, as they have never seen this kind of strength before, but after a while, some stones are found as time goes on, and the world completely changed.
The constant shift of power and balance, as people who used the Stones for the better emerged, but humanity will never cease in becoming human, as people who used the Stones for their own benefits appeared as well.
Organizations, Groups, and Factions raised from the appearance of the Stones.
[More info will be in the next chapters :3)
...
In a remote region in Japan, lies a tranquil and mountainous village.
The people were lively there, kids were playing without a care in the world, the small market was going well, and the old men and women were relaxing. It was indeed a peaceful village filled with wonderful people.
...
Night time comes. The moon is full, and in a place with low light pollution, the stars are clear, and so is the night. The villagers are sleeping peacefully, the lights are off, and the place is silent, dead silent. However, the occasional coos, howls, or some other noises are to be expected in a place like this.
No one should be awake by now...?
...
A man is running through the thick foliage of the forest. Rustles of leaves and others are heard, as he pants heavily, seemingly desperate to reach his destination.
"Please, please let my wife be safe!"
The man pleads to the heavens, as he runs and runs.
His clothes are drenched in sweat, and his muscle sores are worsening, but he doesn't stop running.
...
In a small hut a little bit farther than others, the light is turned on, and a woman is screaming in pain.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
"Push, push, push!"
A woman is lying down on her back, as she clutches the hand of her mother, who is soon to be a grandmother. The midwife assists the woman, as she gives birth to a newborn. The woman screams again, and finally, after what seems like forever, the baby comes out from her body.
The midwife looks at the baby, and says,
"It's a boy!"
The woman smiles warmly.
The midwife wraps the baby in clothes and lets the woman see her son.
The woman looks like she's in her 20s, her hair is black and her face is beautiful. The kind of beautiful you usually see in your dreams.
The mother hugs the woman and congratulates her.
The midwife smiles as she witnesses the birth of a new family.
Just then, the man who was running earlier came in and shouted,
"Saiko, are you okay?!"
The woman's name is Saiko, the new mother.
Saiko smiles and says in a playful tone,
"Of course, I am, you idiot!"
The man sighs and smiles. He enters the hut to admire their new baby. He kneels down beside Saiko and assists her. The baby has black hair and pale skin.
"Is our kid a boy?" the man asks.
"Yeah."
"Well, either way, I'll still love our kid."
The woman smiles widely and leans her head on his chest, and the man hugs Saiko.
When compared to the amount of kids born every day, this one may seem insignificant, but to the parents, it sure is the highlight of their life.
...
The sun is shining brightly on the skin of Saiko, while still holding her son and sitting on a rocking chair. She is singing a calm lullaby for her kid. Her husband enters the hut and attempts to hug Saiko, but she raises up her legs to stop him.
"Aw come onnnn, let me hug youuuu~" The man said in a playful tone, still playfully attempting to hug Saiko.
"Stop being a baby, Maru," Saiko replied to her husband, whose name is revealed to be Maru.
Maru is a man in his 20s and looks quite young for his age. His eyes are black and so is his hair. His skin looks tanned because of his farming work. And he looks quite handsome.
Maru stops trying to hug Saikoz stands up straight, and says,
"So, what is his name?"
Saiko ponders for a moment, and replies,
"Ryu."
"Ryu? That sounds too mighty for humble villagers like us..."
Saiko looked annoyed in a playful way.
"Ah, so you don't want the best for our son..."
Her hands curled into a fist.
"W-wait, I was just kidding, hahaha..."
Maru backed away, dodging some spanking.
Saiko's expression changed into that of a warm one, as she looked at Ryu.
"Ryu is so tiny~"
Saiko pinched Ryu's cheek, and Ryu cried.
"Abababa! Ababa!"
Maru smirked and proudly exclaimed,
"Heh, looks like Ryu's gonna prefer being with me instea-"
His words were cut short, as Saiko glared at him.
"W-well, Ryu might prefe-"
Saiko silences Maru, as she smiles warmly and hugs her son.
Maru can't help but smile as well and gets near Saiko to embrace his family.
...
10 years later...
Ryu is now 10 years old.
One afternoon, Maru was sitting absent-mindedly on a chair, and was staring blankly at the wall, but then, he felt a small poke on his shoulders...
"AHHHHHHHH!!!" Maru shouted, surprised by none other than...
Ryu, who was trying to ask him something.
"Hey, Papa. Mama and some aunties were talking about this Stones thingy."
Ryu, the curious boy that he is, tilted his head for some answers.
Maru smiled and enthusiastically answered,
"I'll tell you the story... 50 years ago, some guy in China named, uhmm, I think it was Zhang Wei? Anyway, he ate some kind of glowing stone, then poof! He became a really strong guy and conquered his country! But now, there are many strong guys as well, so we really need to be careful, okay?"
Ryu didn't understand a thing and just stared blankly at Maru. Maru smiled warmly at him and hugged him.
"What a smart kid, asking those stuff when you're still so young!"
Maru pats his head and leaves.
Ryu didn't understand the story his father told him earlier, but he felt happy with his dad's compliments.
Ryu gleefully played outside, not minding a thing.