Tora's PovHaving your sight taken in just an instant can be very unsettling. Especially when you are not expecting it. Everything suddenly went dark but years of training helped me reign in the sudden panic that would have overtaken me. Gradually, light began to return starting from behind me. On closer inspection, I realized that the light wasn't returning, but the darkness was being sucked into one spot in front of us. It continued to gather and swirl until it formed a hurricane about twenty feet high. The speed of the hurricane slowed down until it finally dispersed leaving a figure crouching where it previously was. Letting out a deep breath, the figure stood up and looked around. He stopped when his gaze landed on me. His eyes were pure black with no hint of color. They seemed to suck in and swallow the light around, creating a shadow effect around them. He was dressed in a pure black kimono with red trimmings at the edge of the sleeves and the bottom. One of his shoulders was
Crimson skies were all that was seen for miles without end. As though someone had spread a blood-red clothe across the entire sky. Black smoke could be seen from far away as fires burned the remains of their intended targets, soot and ash filled the air, creating an opposite effect of a beautiful snowfall.Crows sang songs of joy as they called out to one another while feasting on the corpses that littered the land for miles in all directions. Scavengers of all sizes crawled out of their homes to partake of the feast that was laid out before them. Groans and pleas for death created a symphony that would gladden the deity of death as men cried like infants and prayed for an end to their suffering.It was in this same field of despair and death that I stared down at the one who had come to claim my head. With the last of my strength, I pushed myself to my feet. I used my sword to support myself as I stood to my full height, never once letting my enemy see the pain and agony I was passin
Tora's POVSwinging blades have always been a way to focus and calm my mind. Strange as it may seem, a blade is as reliable as one who swings it. And for one who makes it his way of life then it becomes more than that. Waking up every morning before the break of dawn to go through the sequences and forms over and over again has become a part of me.Some find it strange but at this point, it has become strange for me to wield any other weapon other than the blade. The daisho gifted to me by my master when I passed the final test of the dojo quickly became my most prized possession. And as someone who has had to work for everything I have, it was a strange feeling to receive a gift, even if it was from the master.The burning sensation from repeated motions gradually spread from my arms down to my abdomen before quickly reaching my legs. Again and again, i swung my sword with vigor and tried to make each motion faster, quicker and stronger than the one before. By the time the sun had ri
Tora's POVOne could clearly see the precision in his movements. For someone of such a large build, his speed was quite surprising. The lackeys were already writhing in pain on the floor and the confusion could clearly be seen on the face of the challenger."What the hell did you just do you bastard?! Do you believe something of that level will be able to dissuade me? You're delusional".With that, he rushed the large-looking fellow who just stood on the spot while watching him with a bored expression. With a simple side-step, he moved out of the way of the challenger's fist at the last moment. Using the same momentum, he struck the loud mouth at the back of his neck instantly knocking him out. Giving him one final look of disgust he walked away as the crowd that had gathered made a path for him as he approached.Well, the morning seems to have started off on an interesting note. The lessons flew by in a blur and finally, the appointed time was at hand. Students filed into the auditor
Tora's POVWatching her as she walked away I couldn't help but wonder what caused that feeling of familiarity. Nothing surprising happened after that, there were a few red level incarnates even fewer supernaturals but a lot of humans. Once it got to my turn I walked up to the mirror wanting to quickly get it all over with. Standing in front of the mirror I was lost in the white smoke-like appearance that it had up close."Anytime today"the professor said. I could clearly hear the impatience that laced his voice. Taking a deep breath I raised my palm and laid it flat on the mirror. Staring at it intently for almost a full minute, nothing happened. I turned to the professor with an inquisitive look. He just raised an eyebrow in reply as he grunted in disgust. Seems someone has a strong dislike for non-incarnates. Already I could hear the murmurs that were beginning to rise.Feeling the stares of the other students boring holes through me I put removed my hand from the mirror and took a
Tora's POV Jumping back my hand went to my sword as I began looking for the source of the voice. However, it hit me as a shock to realize my daisho was gone. Quickly taking a physical combat form I looked around slowly still trying to figure out where the voice came from. "You have a white flame that burns bright in your soul boy. I like it" At this point, my almost permanent stoic expression had obviously morphed into confusion as I looked back at the statue of the samurai warrior. To my utter surprise, the statue moved. I stood there shocked as I could not understand what was going on. Upon reaching its full height, the statue was about sixty feet if I had to guess. As it moved to take a step towards me it began to shrink till it was as big as a regular-sized man. Color began to appear on its features and suddenly it hit me like a wooden sword in the gut. This was the warrior from my dreams. "Miyamoto Musashi" With a calm expression, he replied with a nod. Walking towards me he
Tora's POVThe professor speaking made the realization finally dawn on me that we were already in his office and I was still standing close to the door while he was already seated. His emerald green eyes seemed to glow in the shadow that his large frame created from backing the sunlight while being seated behind his large desk.Giving the room a once over I realized it was bare of any extravagant displays of wealth and only seemed to contain a large bookshelf, a smaller table where a chessboard rested, and a few other minorities that were required. The only thing that stood out was the painting that hung over the fireplace in the office. It depicted a plethora of draconic species soaring in the skies and seemingly in a series of weird dances with a massive rock-looking egg floating in the air. Presumably being carried by the wind."If you're done have a seat so we can get this over with."Professor Pius POVLooking at the student seated opposite me even an untrained eye could tell he
Tora's PovIt's been a week since the whole fiasco occurred at the evaluation hall. I was still a hot topic for most of the student body but I ignored it because I had to focus my attention on more important things. Like the magma-like flames that were being hurled in my direction by the Professor. He had started training me personally after the incident like he said he would and it was by no means a walk in the park. We were working on my reaction time and movement speed today. Hence, my swords were taken from me and I had to stay alive and on the move for the better part of two hours to avoid the flames that were approaching me from various directions.The muscles in my legs were screaming for a moment of reprieve while my brain was in overdrive mode. Dodging a ball aimed at my midsection I jumped to the side while calculating the distance between the professor and myself. This lesson will only come to an end if I'm able to get within 5ft of the professor. Hiding behind a rock to ca
Tora's PovHaving your sight taken in just an instant can be very unsettling. Especially when you are not expecting it. Everything suddenly went dark but years of training helped me reign in the sudden panic that would have overtaken me. Gradually, light began to return starting from behind me. On closer inspection, I realized that the light wasn't returning, but the darkness was being sucked into one spot in front of us. It continued to gather and swirl until it formed a hurricane about twenty feet high. The speed of the hurricane slowed down until it finally dispersed leaving a figure crouching where it previously was. Letting out a deep breath, the figure stood up and looked around. He stopped when his gaze landed on me. His eyes were pure black with no hint of color. They seemed to suck in and swallow the light around, creating a shadow effect around them. He was dressed in a pure black kimono with red trimmings at the edge of the sleeves and the bottom. One of his shoulders was
Tora's PovMoving inside, I took a seat at the workstation and faced everyone. "First before we do anything, now that we've gotten acquainted with each other, it's best we know who our links are and what we can do. This way, we'll be able to pair up properly when we have to divide ourselves during missions." I said to them. "I'll go first. I'm connected to Musashi Miyamoto and the white tiger Byakko. I've always used a sword but with Musashi, my techniques improved by leaps and bounds. With Byakko, I have the authority over wind and lightning. Which I incorporate into my swordsmanship." Everyone was quiet and there was a small hint of surprise on Richard's face. Ame spoke up next. "I am connected to Susanoo, God of storms and the sea. Being linked to him gives me hydrokinesis but on a more powerful scale." She finished. Cecil spoke up next before anyone could start. "I am connected to the one named Brunhilde. A renowned Valkyrie who was the best of them all. Being with her gives me
Ame's PovThe walk back to our quarters was uneventful. Richard, Ursula and Conrad were taken to the infirmary. Cecil argued against it when the medics tried to take her and insisted that she was alright. Now, the rest of us walked back as Kiri briefed Tora on the rest of the platoon's condition. "You know what you did wasn't necessary." I said to him. He paused what he was saying to Tora but didn't break his stride. "What do you mean?." He asked. "If you hadn't provoked her in the first place, this entire fight could have been avoided." I said to him. "I'm never able to understand what goes on in that head of yours." He didn't reply but he offered a smile instead. "If I didn't do that, a repeat of what happened when we first Tora could have occurred." He said to me. "Not that it's any different now, but if we had allowed this matter to drag on any longer than necessary then it could cost us our lives during our missions." I turned my gaze to Tora, he remained quiet as usual. As al
Mr Green's PovMaking my way to the training ground where the members of platoon nine were, I thought back to what I had seen from the silver-haired recruit name Sekizo Tora. He was efficient and quick witted. He displayed an attitude fit for a platoon leader. "Sir.! Do you really have to go by yourself? Surely there are more important matters for you to attend to." The young secretary walking behind me asked. "It's alright Sophia. There are certain things I have to do myself." I replied. "Plus I believe there's more to that young man than meets the eye." Getting to the training room, the guards opened the door and I stepped inside. The place was a literal mess. Scorch marks decorated the ground, the land was broken in so many places. Web-like craters and other dents showing points of impact were everywhere. To one side, the ground was smoking and red-hot with lava being the cause. If I didn't watch it myself, it would have been hard to believe that a fight between platoon members t
Tora's PovI raised my hands just in time to block a punch that was aimed at my abdomen. The force of the blow sent me flying deep within the gathering of trees outside of the clearing. I felt pain climbing up my spine and spreading throughout my body like wildfire. What on earth was that? When I finally came to a stop, I fell on my knee and looked ahead. It took great effort to channel and enhance my sight as my mind was reeling from the pain. Moving was hard and painful, a spot on indication that bones were broken. "SHIT!." I exclaimed. More pissed off than anything else. Concentrating, I began walking back to the clearing while tapping into my pain receptors and dialing them down to almost nothing. I had picked up this trick during one of my meditations some time ago. My armor was dented, but my headband and bracers remained intact. Healing internal injuries required precise focus, so finishing this battle quickly was the only acceptable option left for me. By the time I made it
Tora's PovDealing with the wolf was easy. He was no real threat. This one was a fighter. Her body was bones for battle, and she loves the thrill of the fight. This was a warrior worthy of my respect. Watching her technique, I got a rough estimate of what her power will be. Once the outline of the female warrior appeared, I heard Byakko give an appreciative growl. "A valkyrie. No wonder she is built different. Truly a fine specimen." Byakko said. At that moment, she had just dived down with power condensed at the tip of her spear. There were two ways to respond to this. Get out of the way, or respond with something equally powerful. I choose the second option. Channeling power through my arms, legs, and sword, I prepared my attack. I gathered power in my sword until the steel was blue and it was humming with electricity. I took a stance and waited while tightening up my muscles. The spear got close enough in a matter of seconds. Enhancing my senses so as to not miss the timing, I e
Kiri's Pov No longer able to withstand the urge, I dropped out of the shadows in front of Richard and his two teammates. The moment my feet touched the ground, I lunged at Ursula with my blade at the ready. I reached her long before her panic could fully set in. As my blade was coming down, I felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand and all my senses screamed danger. With my momentum, it was already too late to stop myself. My blade clashed with a katana the force knocked me back as a wave of current went through my arm. Dammit. "What is going on here?." A pissed-off Tora asked. I released my control over the shadows, instantly freeing everyone. Just as I was about to answer, I saw Tora's muscle twitch before he was no longer in front of me. The sound of two blades clashing behind me made me turn around quickly. Richard was being pushed back by Tora. A vengeful expression was clear as day on his face. "That guy is dangerous and unhinged." He yelled. His teammates, however, didn
Richard's PovThe sound of weapons clashing caused Ursula to turn around immediately. Although if I hadn't parried the attack, she would be bleeding right now. I didn't know if the attack was meant to be a fatal one or if it was only intended to cause an injury. A mixed expression of shock and realization was etched on her face when she turned around. She just realized that Kiri was not just a smiley face. Weaving some signs with her hands, they glowed and she yelled out a spell as she struck her palm on the floor. "Show yourself. REVELARE." The glow from her hand seeped into the ground and went out in a wave across the room. I quickly started looking around as I knew this was her spell to show whatever was hidden, be it living or nonliving. However, nothing happened. Nothing was revealed. Kiri remained hidden. Even Cecil and Conrad wore looks of surprise on their faces. "Why isn't it working? Why can't we see him?." I said while looking around. "I don't know." Ursula screamed in
Richard's Pov I watched the silver haired boy walk out of the room after addressing his friends. Even without saying much, it was obvious that he was the team leader and they respected him. I looked at Conrad who was still on the floor shaking. Be it from anger or fear, I didn't really give a damn right now. "You always speak before carefully observing who you're speaking to." I said looking at him. "I hope you learned something today." I turned away from him and went to the bed I had picked earlier when we arrived. I was putting away my sword and shield when I heard someone walk behind me. The sound of someone seating on my bed followed and I turned around to see who the person was. Ursula sat on my bed with her legs crossed and her arms folded. I had known her for quite a while and she usually did this when she wanted to talk. Stopping myself from taking off my shirt as I was about to hop into the shower, I jerked my head towards the door and walked out of the room with Ursula at