The man's red hair stood out strangely against the gray backdrop of the city, and he was incredibly tall. His face stayed hidden, an outline in the little light. Kanji started to feel fear, a primitive sense alerting him to impending peril. Beside him, Marumaya froze, her eyes wide with fear.
The man's eyes, which were an unsettling shade of blood red, were locked on them. Kanji felt as though they were cutting right through him. He wore all black clothing with elaborate golden emblems all over it. He was certainly strong, a physique developed by discipline and maybe something darker, despite his massive proportions.
A horrific grin stretched over the man's face, his grotesque features twisted into a horrible caricature of enjoyment. Kanji's mind raced, attempting to come up with a plan to stop the impending catastrophe. Trying to diffuse the situation, he blurted out, "Hey, well, could you show us the route to the city?"
His query hung there, a weak attempt to cover up his dread. The man smiled more broadly, a more malevolent look emerging. Then Kanji's eyesight was filled with blackness.
Kanji's eyelids were heavy, like lead weighted down. A persistent reminder of the assault he had experienced was a throbbing agony that surged through his neck. His eyelids strained slowly open to discover a cramped, gloomy room. Flickering flames on the walls, reminiscent of the Middle Ages, provided the sole illumination. A view of the moonlight sky was provided by iron bars that obscured the windows.
His heart fell as his eyes moved to the left. Marumaya was shackled to the wall by heavy iron chains that tied her wrists. Her face looked strained and pallid, apparently sleeping. Kanji started calling her name in an attempt to rouse her up, his voice resonating through the deserted room.
With a expression of bewilderment, Marumaya's eyes slowly opened. A silhouette loomed out of the darkness before her eyes could take in her surroundings. With his icy smile still firmly fixed on his face, it was the man with red hair.
"So, did anyone here awaken? With a deep, scary voice, he remarked, "I guess you're ready for some fun."
Kanji gave the man a scowl as his rage fueled a wave of defiance. The man with red hair became serious. "Why do you have that kind of stare at me? He stepped closer to Kanji, growling, "I definitely don't like anyone gazing at me like that."
The man with red hair moved in closer, his hand just over Kanji's shoulder. "Let me explain everything before you get angrier than you already are," he continued in a menacingly low voice. Kanji felt a cold rush through her.
The guy went on, sounding almost hypnotically, "You must not realize, but you're a remarkable youngster, Kanji." Kanji's eyes grew wide with uncertainty. How could this unknown person know his name?
The guy replied, his voice growing ominous, "You will know the cause in the future, but before I explain why I got you specifically." "Your uncommon abilities make you a unique youngster."
Kanji's perplexity increased. Strengths? What topic was he discussing? I'm not sure if God exists in the true sense, but I do know that the paranormal exists! The guy said, his voice brimming with disdain, "You know, there is a very rare breed of people in this world that are born with a 'Yin.'"
"What on earth is a Yin?" Kanji yelled, his bewilderment and rage erupting. With a raised hand, the guy quieted the kid. Calmly, he continued, "Wait, I'll explain." "On someone's hand is an odd symbol known as a Yin. For a human to possess it, they must have both the genetic makeup and a compelling cause to activate it. And to raise my commandant's position, I have made it my goal to acquire as many of those as I can in this planet."
Kanji's mind raced, trying to process the information. What was this man talking about? A Yin? A commandant? It was all too much to comprehend.
With ominous light shining in his eyes, the guy gestured skyward. "And guess what, to become one of my first troops, I need to give the person using said Yin a cause to activate it. If they don't know how, I will make them use it. Once they do, I will battle them, defeat them, and train them to become my soldiers," he added, his voice dripping with cold calculating.
Kanji's thoughts was racing. He heard what the man had to say. All he had to do to call on the enigmatic Yin was to incite Kanji to fury. And that strategy included Marumaya's attendance. He was overwhelmed with fear at the thought of what may transpire.
The man narrowed his eyes and turned to face Kanji. "You do realize what I'm going to do by now, don't you?" he questioned, a dark smirk creeping across his lips. One of his fingers started to glow a sinister crimson, as if to drive home his message. He revealed a sign engraved on his palm as he turned his hand over. It was the same as the Greek letter, a Phi.
With a growing ring of fire around his finger, he said, "My name is Enazumi Hidetoru, and this is my Yin (Phi)." It was an amazing sight, but also scary. Without conscious thought, Kanji knew what would come next. A battle raged inside him as he turned to face Marumaya.
"Not her, please!'' Kanji shouted, his voice filled with anguish.
The red-haired man, Enazumi, approached Marumaya, flames forming a makeshift fire sword out of his fingers. He struck her shoulder with such force that her skin was sliced by the flames. Marumaya let out a sharp cry as her body erupted in pain.
Kanji's fury increased. He made fruitless attempts to break free from the chains that bound him. He forced himself to settle down and use common sense out of desperation for a solution. He could try talking his way out of this one. Perhaps he could persuade Enazumi to instruct him without endangering Marumaya.
He noticed that Marumaya had several wounds from Enazumi, leaving her shoulders covered in blood, as he concentrated on his strategy. When panic struck, Kanji started trying to escape again. Grasping the chains with both hands, his skin tore away from the metal.
"That's it! I just need to cut my skin off," he muttered to himself, his determination unwavering. He gathered all his strength and focused on breaking free.
Enazumi turned to look at Kanji, who had a peculiarly dejected expression. He mutely uttered, seemingly to himself, "I wish there was another choice for this." In complete contrast to his earlier behavior, the words hung in the air. He appeared to be tormented by what he had done. Kanji couldn't figure it out. Though this man was obviously insane, there was a tiny bit of humanity in him.
Weak but determined, Marumaya's voice rose above the mayhem. Trying to put on a comforting smile, she said, "Don't worry about me." "My skin is only slightly perforated by these cuts. It's not all that horrible. Though intended to console Kanji, her words had the opposite impact. They made him feel like there was no hope. He was unable to let her go.
Kanji tugged at the chains with a newfound vigor, the constant strain tearing his skin. Enazumi proceeded with his ghoulish rite, stabbing Marumaya with increasing severity. Blood gathered at their feet, the cold stone floor turning into a red lake.
"Why do you do this the way you do? I understand why." With a voice hushed from rage and desperation, Kanji yelled at Enazumi. With a mask of indifference covering his face, the red-haired man said nothing. Nevertheless, Kanji noticed an oddity. Tears were pooling in Enazumi's eyes. It seemed as though this terrible deed was being forced upon him against his will.
"Just quit doing this if you don't enjoy it!" With a desperate tone in his voice, Kanji begged. But Enazumi paid him no attention, concentrating only on cutting Marumaya skin. The torment went on for hours even as the minutes passed.
A tempest of fury that swallowed Kanji whole, his rage was a maelstrom. He promised to exact unfathomable suffering on Enazumi, and his voice was a venomous hiss full of retaliation. Looking at Kanji with a mixture of expectation and amusement, the red-haired man seemed unfazed.
Kanji was surrounded by an ethereal, raw-power pulsating golden aura. An unearthly energy pulsed through the symbol that materialized on his palm: a mysterious Upsilon. There was a tremble on the floor beneath him as his presence sent a shockwave through the chamber, Not only that but breaking the chains in the burst of rage.
Kanji roared like a tiger and threw his fist down at Enazumi. With a casual indifference, the red-haired man easily deflected the blow, And as a answer he gave a open palm slap/punch to his stomach, The collision threw Kanji through the wall, opening. It sent a tremor through the chamber.
The cold night air washed over Kanji as he tumbled into the forest, his body aching from the impact. He lay on the forest floor, gasping for breath, his mind racing.
Kanji's body protested the effort as he struggled to stand. But his mind was a battlefield of wrath and resolve. Strong arms caught him before his head made contact with the unforgiving ground. He was being held by Enazumi, the person causing him pain, with tears rolling down his cheeks.
"My son, you performed admirably," Enazumi murmured, his tone oddly tender.
Kanji was startled awake the next morning, his thoughts racing. The building he had broken into was immaculate, unaffected by the pandemonium of the night before, as he observed. He was hit by a wave of uncertainty. Had I dreamed this whole thing?
A grin appeared on his lips as Enazumi appeared in the corner of his eyes. His voice was full of sarcasm as he said, "Oh, hello sleepyhead, and welcome to the Yin club."
Kanji fired off a barrage of punches and kicks at the red-haired man as he instinctively activated his Yin. With a smooth and precise gait, the man with red hair skillfully avoided obstacles.
Enazumi calmly said, "Let me explain one thing to you," in the middle of the confusion. "The girl is still there, barely alive, and the only way you can save her is by killing me, so please, find the strength to do that."
Kanji's fury increased. It was intolerable to consider Marumaya's suffering. He attacked with newfound vigor and strength, his attacks coming in ever-faster and more potent bursts.
Them he sent the boy flying with a simple finger flick, declaring, "You see those trees, this is a little demonstration of what could be with the Yin you have." He then went on to say, (Solar Ignis), his Symbol on his hand Turning into a deep red, while Kanji was in the middle of the air The Red Haired Man Launched His Hand In such a speed Kanji could not see, and in a singular moment a massive Explosion engulfed the surrounding trees, a testament to the destructive power of his Yin. Kanji was thrown backward, landing hard on the ground.
Kanji with a non stop friction of anger would try to hurt The red haired man, but that would be futile, and so hours and even days passed by.