Ryu's eyes fluttered open, greeted by the faint glow of dawn seeping through the nearly closed windows. He lay still, his slender frame pressed against the cold ground, as the familiar ache in his chest stirred.He had just had a nightmare which acted as a constant reminder of his childhood past, ten years ago as a child he had been a victim of maltreatment and on that particular day he was hiding furtively in their closet. His father's wrath still lingered, a constant companion in the darkness.His father had arrived at their rambling cottage ten years ago, drunk as usual and called for Ryu who was so immersed in his own little realm and didn't hear. " Ayy donkey head! I, your father, called for you and you dared to ignore me! " His father fumed when he spotted him standing in the confines of their open cupboard. " No... I..." Ryu stuttered in sudden immense fear and his father promptly pounced on him, battering him with fists and kicks in a seemingly random manner until he bled fr

Kenshi's eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing through Ryu's defenses. "What more are you hiding from me?" he repeated, his voice low and menacing.Ryu hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. But something about Kenshi's expression told him that he had no choice. "I...I don't know what happened," he stammered. "I just woke up, and...and things were different."Kenshi's eyes flashed with anger. "Different?" he spat. "You're telling me you survived an explosion that should have killed you, and now you're...changed? What did they do to you, Ryu?"Ryu shook his head, feeling a wave of fear wash over him. "I don't know, Kenshi. I swear, I don't remember anything."Kenshi's expression twisted in disgust. "You're lying to me, Ryu. I can see it in your eyes. You're hiding something." Ryu had forgotten that there was still one person who could read him like a book.Suddenly, Hanzo appeared at Kenshi's side, his eyes calm and soothing. "Master, perhaps we should give Ryu some time to recover. He's bee

" No! Ryu Don't kill him" Kasumi pleaded and the entity paused long enough to give a glance in her direction before slamming a surprisingly solid fist to the side of Black Fox neck and watched him collapse like a felled tree." Ryu! Are you still there?" Hayato said holding up his sword in a defensive stance. The entity took a few shaky steps towards them and soon collapsed, the darkness receded and left behind it's unconscious vessel.Ryu's eyes slowly opened, his vision blurry. He was met with the sight of Hanzo's concerned face, his eyes scanning Ryu's body."Ryu, can you hear me?" Hanzo asked, his voice firm but laced with worry. Ryu tried to speak, but his voice was hoarse. He nodded instead.Hanzo nodded back. "Good. We need to assess your condition. You've undergone a significant transformation."Ryu's gaze drifted down to his hands, He flexed his fingers, and they seemed to shift like smoke.Hanzo began to list off Ryu's new abilities to the others in the room. "Enhanced stre

Ryu charged forward, his shadow-coated blade flashing in the moonlight. Kaito, still reeling from the sudden turn of events, stumbled backward as Ryu unleashed a flurry of strikes.But Kaito refused to fall, his blood-red energy surging as he countered with a wave of attacks. Ryu parried each blow, but Kaito's sheer power forced him to stumble backward.Kaito's eyes gleamed with triumph as he landed a solid kick, sending Ryu crashing to the ground. As Ryu struggled to rise, Kaito unleashed a devastating blast of energy, striking Ryu with a wave of crimson force.Ryu's vision blurred, his body screaming in agony. But he refused to yield. Focusing his remaining strength, Ryu summoned the shadow energy within him.With a mighty cry, Ryu unleashed an unknown technique: "Kage no Shūen" (Shadow's End). The air around him seemed to distort, as if reality itself was bending to his will. A colossal wave of shadow energy erupted from his blade, striking Kaito with the force of a thunderbolt.Ka

At the KoKuryūkai base, Ryu was sedated in intensive care at their medical department oblivious to the conversation going on about him. " Apparently one of his list of unknown loop holes in his powers is Fire" Hayato started, shaking his head in pity and rage." Fire?" Kenshi frowned. " Light based attacks" Hanzo elaborated with a terse shrug. " He is susceptible to mental fatigue and light based attacks to which fire belongs... Hikari exploited both well"Kenshi glanced over to Ryu's unconscious form." How long will it take for him to wake?". " According to our medic, it will take a couple days in a normal person, but for him... It's hard to say -he could wake up anytime now" Kasumi replied shaking her head in anger." If I get ahold of Hikari, he'll regret he ever got Reborn!" Hayato fumed, his anger was shared by all of them but Kenshi knew it would be unwise to seek him out in his current form. " Hayato, place a lid on that anger" he commanded and walked stiffly out of the room.