Kūga's first cries broke the quiet of the early morning. His small body, wrapped in soft cloth, lay against his mother's warmth.
Tsukihime, his mother, looked down at him, her face lit by the soft morning light. Love mixed with tiredness in her eyes.
They lived in a small, tidy home, safe from the fighting clans outside. While trouble loomed beyond their walls, a fragile peace thrived inside. Raiken, Kūga's father, often spoke of a time when the clans had come together. It felt like a distant memory now.
Watching Tsukihime with their newborn son, Raiken felt a bit of hope, but it was shadowed by worry. Tsukihime's labor had been hard, and each moment felt both precious and heavy.
Their dreams of laughter and love seemed far away.
Kūga's bright blue eyes mirrored his mother's, holding a depth of feeling unusual for a baby. His striking white hair came from Raiken, who had once had hair like fresh snow. This mix made him a special blend of both parents. With each passing day, he grew into a perfect blend of their features.
As days turned into weeks, the shadow of tragedy drew closer. Despite her strength, Tsukihime died after childbirth, leaving Raiken to hold their newborn son in a world forever changed.
The lively laughter that once filled their home faded, replaced by the silence of a mother's love lost too soon.
.
Nine years passed quickly.
Kūga, now a lively young boy with bright eyes, explored every corner of their home. His smarts and creativity made Raiken proud, but the absence of Tsukihime weighed heavily on them.
Raiken often thought of how much Tsukihime would have loved watching their son grow. As a sickness began to take hold of Raiken, the shadows of death crept closer.
"Dad?" Kūga's small voice called one evening, his eyes wide with concern.
Raiken, sitting by the window, turned to his son, forcing a smile despite his exhaustion. "Yes, my little dragon?"
"Did Mommy die when I was born? I've never seen her…"
Raiken's heart ached. He pulled Kūga into a tight hug. "No, son. She went to a better place. But she'll always be with you in your heart." The truth hung between them, yet the warmth of his son's innocence softened the pain.
Time passed, and a year went by. Raiken's health continued to decline. He knew his time was short, yet he hoped to teach his son what he could.
"Listen closely, Kūga," he whispered one night. "There's a power inside you—something special. It's called Aether, and it's part of our family. You must learn to control it, even if I can only teach you the basics."
Kūga nodded, soaking up each word. In the days that followed, Raiken taught him to sense the world around him and harness the energies flowing through it.
Their bond grew with every lesson.
.
One day, while practicing, Kūga suddenly recalled memories of another life—halls filled with laughter, late-night gaming, the joys of a different existence.
"What the—" he gasped, clutching his head. "What just happened?"
The memories flooded him, and he felt a sense of loss for moments now gone.
"I'm sorry, old me," he whispered, feeling a strange connection to the boy whose life he seemed to have taken over.
Suddenly, a sign appeared before him. It read: "Don't worry, you didn't take over anybody! I just unlocked your memories. It's kinda a thing nowadays…"
Kūga blinked, disbelief washing over him. Was he imagining this? He looked at Raiken, searching for reassurance, but the sign began to fade.
Rubbing his eyes, he murmured, "What was that… was that Kami?"
Confusion swirled within him, caught between the weight of his past and the potential of his future.
With his memories unlocked, a new determination filled him. He was no longer just Kūga, the boy who had lost everything; he was Kūga Seiryu, destined to master Aether and find his own way in this new world.
As weeks turned into months, he trained hard, taking in every lesson Raiken shared. The echo of his past life reminded him of who he had been and the adventures waiting ahead. He would not waste this second chance.
When Raiken's health finally gave way, Kūga stood at the edge of loss, determined to honor his father's memory. He buried Raiken beside Tsukihime, their resting place shaded by the oak tree they had planted together. As he packed the earth around their graves, he felt both grief and resolve.
Standing over their graves, he whispered, "I'll come back one day… and I'll be strong then."
With that promise in his heart, he left the only home he had known, ready to forge a new path.
.
Months passed as Kūga wandered the wilderness, setting up camp in forests and by rivers. Solitude became his friend, providing the quiet he needed to sharpen his skills.
"I can do this. Just focus," he murmured one day, standing in a clearing, hands outstretched to shape a swirling orb of fire. Sweat trickled down his brow as the flames flickered.
But suddenly, the fireball exploded in his hands, sending him tumbling back. "Dammit!" he cursed, frustration rising within him. "Why can't I control it like Father could?"
Sitting on the ground, staring at the charred earth, he replayed his father's lessons. The basics of Aether seemed simple—manipulate the elements—but mastery required focus.
Days later, standing on a cliff, he tried to move the earth. "Come on… just move." At first, nothing happened. But then, as he took a deep breath and concentrated, the ground began to tremble.
A rock slowly lifted from the earth, and for a moment, he smiled—until it spun wildly and crashed down, barely missing him.
"Not again!" he groaned, falling to his knees in frustration.
But Kūga was nothing if not determined. He spent hours pushing his limits, breaking down his father's teachings. Instead of just manipulating raw elements, he aimed to connect with Aether—its flow and rhythm.
Slowly, progress came. One day, in front of a large oak tree, he extended his hand. This time, there was no struggle. With a flick of his wrist, the wind obeyed, slicing through the trunk easily.
The tree fell, and Kūga exhaled. "Finally… it's starting to make sense."
As days turned into weeks, his abilities grew. Fire, earth, wind, and water became second nature; he began experimenting with rare elements, even creating a spear of ice.
As he trained, he also developed his ability to sense life. Hours spent in quiet meditation allowed him to feel the vibrations of animals nearby and the energy in every living thing.
Yet there were setbacks. One night, he tried to manipulate time, hoping to slow the rain falling around him. For a moment, it felt as if the world paused—the raindrops hung in the air.
But then the moment broke, and the rain came down harder, drenching him completely. "Okay, so maybe I'm not ready for that yet," he muttered, wiping water from his face.
For every failure, there was a success. By the end of his training, he had surpassed Raiken's abilities. Where his father had summoned basic elemental attacks, Kūga could manipulate the very essence of the world around him.
Standing at the edge of a new cliff, he gazed at the horizon, feeling the Aether swirl around him. "I've come a long way," he whispered, "but there's still so much more to learn."
After days of reflection, he decided it was time for a change. His campsite had grown familiar, yet it felt too small. His growing power seemed to spill over its limits.
With the sky shifting to shades of orange and pink, he began packing his belongings, the sounds of the forest providing a calm backdrop to his thoughts. The cloak he had woven felt worn, and his simple tools were a testament to his journey.
As he secured his pack, he took one last look at his camp, feeling nostalgic. The wilderness had been both home and teacher, but he sensed there was more waiting for him beyond the trees.
With a deep breath, he felt the earth beneath his feet and the familiar hum of Aether surrounding him.
'This has been good,' he thought, 'but it's time to move on.'
With that, he lifted his pack onto his shoulders and started walking, paying attention to the gentle energies around him.
Each step felt like progress, not just in distance but also in his journey to master Aether.
Though he didn't know where he was headed, the desire to explore and learn pushed him onward, his connection to the world guiding his way.