Chapter 10 - "Tension Rising"
The academy grounds were tense; a feeling of unease in the air as students trained harder than they'd ever had. The Death Shadows were becoming more active, and the threat of an all-out war was no longer just a rumor. They could tell by Headmaster Kuroshi that they needed to be ready for anything.
Kyo stood in the training yard with his scythe in his hand, looking forward to the target dummy ahead. For days, he had pushed himself, firmly committed to achieving better mastery over his abilities. Chaos once was his nature; now, it became an untamed force-one that forced him to learn quick control lest he be consumed by it.
He swung his scythe-a clean cut, the blade slicing through the air with more control than usual, though not quite as sharp as he intended.
Kyo: "I gotta get this right.I cannot mess up again."
His voice was low and grave, the stern weight of responsibility dripping from every word.
He started to go in for a second strike; that was when Professor Shinigami appeared, using his cane but standing firm on his bad leg. His presence was undermined but nonetheless commanding.
Professor Shinigami: "You're pushing yourself harder than usual, Kyo."
(Kyo paused, looking over at the professor. Shinigami's eyes were sharper than they'd been in weeks, watching Kyo's every move with a mixture of interest and concern.)
Kyo: "Can't afford to mess up anymore. Especially after. well, you know."
(He averted his gaze, the memory of the mission that went wrong still fresh in his mind. Seeing the professor in the state he was now—a direct result of Kyo's recklessness—made his chest tighten with guilt.)
Professor Shinigami: "Good. You're learning." He walked closer, his cane tapping the ground rhythmically. "But you're holding back aren't you? Still afraid to use your full power."
Kyo: (His grip on the scythe tightened.) "It's not that simple. Every time I push too far, things get. weird. I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like I'm on the edge of losing control. Like something's waiting to take over."
Shinigami raised an eyebrow; his expression was more serious now.
Professor Shinigami: "That 'something' is the Death Shadows stirring inside you. You've already connected yourself with them, Kyo, whether you know it or not. The only reason you haven't fallen to them so far is that you're fighting. "
Kyo: "And if I stop fighting?
Professor Shinigami: His gaze hardened. "Then you risk becoming a vessel for them. A puppet for their will. But." He hesitated, his words carefully weighed. ".if you can learn to control it, that connection might be our best chance of stopping them. You're tied to the Death Shadows, Kyo. That's not something we can ignore anymore."
(Kyo gulped as his mind was working full-time. He didn't like that the only possible way of defeating the Death Shadows was by using what he feared most.)
Kyo: "You're saying I should. let them in? Just let chaos take over?
Professor Shinigami: "No." His voice came firm. "You have to bend it to your will. Chaos can be a weapon, Kyo, but only if you are the one in control. If fear is guiding you, you will lose. But if you embrace it sans thinking, you'll be consumed."
Kyo looked at his scythe and reflected on what the professor was trying to say. All this time, his wild and reckless nature had been at once his biggest strength and his greatest weakness. But now, it seemed as though everything depended on whether he found balance.
Not before he could answer him, Mei approached, her sword resting over her shoulder, wiping the sweat off her brow. She had been watching the conversation from a distance.
Mei: "He's right, you know."
(Kyou looked up at her, his eyes surprised. Mei wasn't one to agree with him-or anyone else-so easily.)
Mei: "You've always relied on your raw strength, your instincts. But that's not enough. If you don't learn to control yourself, you're going to get yourself killed."
Kyou: Artemis Smiling slightly, trying to lighten the mood. "Wow, is that. respect I hear? Careful, Mei, you might start sounding like you don't hate me."
Mei: She rolled her eyes, though a small smile was playing on her lips. "Let's not get carried away. You're still a headache. But at least now you're starting to take this seriously."
Kyo: "Yeah, well. I've got a lot to make up for."
(There was a moment of silence between them; the tension in their rivalry dissipated, replaced by a mutual understanding-unsaid. Kyo's respect for Mei had grown bit by bit; he would never say, but slowly he was starting to see the value in discipline she practiced so religiously.)
Talking, the two of them were standing to one side, watching the other students train. Where Sora was normally bright and cheerful, lately she seemed solemn. Nori noticed.
Nori: "You have been quiet of late."
Sora: (shrugs, looking away.) "Just thinking, I guess."
Nori: ("That's not like you." He looked at her knowingly.) "What's on your mind?"
Sora: (After a brief pause.) "It's. nothing." She glanced away, softer than usual in her tone. "Just old stuff. Stuff that doesn't matter no more."
Nori didn't press the matter, though he could find there to be more in this than that. Not everybody lacked a few scars from the past. He had his own after all.
Nori: (Sighing heavily, his voice almost a whisper.) "We are all regretful, Sora. You are not the only one."
(Sora glanced at him; her eyes, despite her best efforts, showed sorrow in their depths.)
Sora: "Yeah. I guess we do."
His mind flashed to a mission pre-Kyo's arrival at the academy—a mission where Nori had lost someone because he wasn't strong enough to save. It was a failure that still haunted him, even though speaking about it was a rare thing for him.
On the training ground again, Headmaster Kuroshi's voice rumbled across the field, which called for the attention of all people around there.
Headmaster Kuroshi: "Students, the time for idle training is over. War is upon us. The Death Shadows no longer are threats but build up an attack against the balance of life and death. It is our duty as reapers to defend this world and the next. You must be prepared."
(The students glanced amongst each other nervously. This was it-their training about to be tested in the most dangerous way possible.)
Professor Shinigami: To Kyo, his voice low, "This is your moment, kid. Get ready."
Kyo took a deep breath, grasping his scythe firmly. His heart was hammering in his chest, but for once in a long while, he wasn't charging into danger with his eyes shut. This time, he'd be prepared. Or so he at least hoped.
Kyou: to himself "I won't let them down this time either."
As the sun was setting over the academy, the silence weighed down more. War was coming. And Kyo knew his role in it-whether he liked it or not-was anything but ordinary.