Tora's POV
The 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 POV
Looking at the student seated opposite me even an untrained eye could tell he wasn't an ordinary one. The way he carried himself told a story of tireless effort and sweat. This type was not easy to find no matter how hard one looked. However, my admiration of a young one who was willing to put in the work to achieve results would have to wait till later.
While in the evaluation chamber after he had touched the mirror in the room, his form had flickered at a speed that could not be seen by the clear eyes. I was only able to see it because I was already on guard. Within that brief moment, I couldn't feel his presence for a fraction of a second before he flickered back into existence. My curiosity was the reason why I decided to speak with him immediately after the occurrence before I had even submitted the official report to the principal of the school. Although knowing him I could guess that he was already aware of the whole thing. Reigning in my wandering thoughts I looked at the white-haired student in front of me once again and finally asked
"I want you to tell me what happened to you while in the chamber. Your form disappeared and came back almost immediately after those tendrils had dragged you off. Honestly, this is my first time seeing such a thing happen so I want to hear what exactly happened to you."
The look in his eyes told me that he was contemplating whether to tell the whole truth or leave out some details. It didn't matter much to me though, I'll be able to find out sooner or later. However, the words that left his mouth were not what I was expecting in the slightest.
20 Mins Later
"In all my years I've never heard of anything like this happening. Being able to converse with your past self. We also have to look at the chance of it being more than one"
On hearing that Tora's eyes slightly wavered before returning to normal before he asked,
"What makes you say that?"
"From what you've described there was more than one statue and the incarnate who spoke to you was one of them. What's to say that the others aren't alive also and just biding their time waiting for the right time to manifest?"
Standing up from my seat behind the large desk and moving to stand before the fireplace I stared at the flames as various thoughts and scenarios ran through my mind. Coming to a conclusion I turned to the white-haired boy who had been staring at my back and instructed
"From tomorrow after school, you will meet me at the instructors training room. Do not keep me waiting."
"You wish to train me professor?"
Staring blankly at him I smirked before staring at the flames once more signaling the end of the conversation with my silence. I didn't move from my position even after the door to my office opened and closed telling me I was finally alone in the office.
"You feel it too, isn't that right Raksha?"
The flames within the fireplace before me began to twirl before taking on the shape of a phoenix head. Its eyes stared at me before it cawed excitedly.
"Indeed. The boy holds something ridiculously powerful. I will take charge of the boy and push him to unlock his potential. That way we can know if he will be useful to our cause before another tries to snatch him up."
With a nod, the flames returned to normal and so did the lighting in the room.
Tora's Pov
Walking through the hallway I thought back to my conversation with the professor and could hardly believe the spectacle my life was becoming in the span of a single day. What I had not yet noticed was the lunatic smile that had crept onto my face as I thought about the endless possibilities that would likely arise in the near future. Indeed, this is going to be interesting.
Unknown Pov
It seems my assignment is going to be more complicated than expected. My job of identifying useful individuals for the organization became more complex with the strange occurrence that took place with that student. Looking at the information on the tablet in my hand I glanced through the details of that particular student.
"Sekizo Tora. What exactly is it that you are hiding. From what's been gathered there is obviously nothing special about you. But I can tell that is not going to be the case in the nearest future."
"It seems this batch is going to relieve my boredom for a while."
"HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE"
"Ah, that's right. That hotheaded professor has also taken an interest in him so I have to be careful not to expose myself."
Feeling the tablet vibrate in my hands, I looked at the message I had gotten directly from one of the executives…
"Proceed as planned. Extreme caution is advised. The full authorization has been granted to use whatever method necessary. Good luck."
Chuckling at the thought of having things go my way soon led to a burst of full-blown manic laughter that carried across the hallway along with the sound of boots hitting the floor.
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 Pov Immediately after I struck the professor, my mind went blank as I felt the strange rush of power leave my body. While my consciousness was drifting in the peaceful darkness, I felt myself get sucked in an invisible vacuum and when I landed harshly on my back, I opened my eyes and found myself in a forest clearing in front of a cave. Standing up I took in my surroundings and also took a moment to appreciate the solitude of the place around me. Bamboo shoots and other trees mingled with one another and spread out as far as the eye could see. The sunlight that filtered in gave the place an ethereal shine that would make any artist fall head over heels in an attempt to put on canvas what nature did without any difficulty. As I was still basking in the beauty of the place I heard a shuffling sound behind me. Turning around I noticed a shadow moving in the depths of the cave before a pair of glowing white eyes with blue highlights opened up and stared directly at me. Slowly th
Unknown PovNot being able to contain myself after what I had just witnessed, I threw a kunai aimed at his neck with deadly precision. To my surprise, the kunai seemed to bounce back after apparently hitting nothing in particular. Looking at my target closely I realized one of his swords was in his hand. Strange, I don't recall seeing him pulling out the weapon. Before I could think further on it, I felt the cold steel of a blade on the back of my neck."Thinking it is possible to hide from me is a deadly delusion."A deadly voice spoke from behind me. It was at that moment I noticed that the target wasn't close to the door any longer. Smashing a smoke bomb to obscure visibility, I dashed towards the exit while leaving a trail of caltrops and poison bombs in my wake.Jumping towards the darkest shadow close to the entrance to make my escape, I was only able to keep my head by quickly using a hook lodged to the floor to stop my momentum and leap to the left. Looking at my previous dest
Tora's PovHaving the Knowledge that Byakko had passed on to me had given me a huge boost. Though I can tell that this is just the tip of the iceberg. The image of a tiger on the hunt, its presence not being seen, and its prey unsuspecting as the timer on its life was quickly running outplayed in my head. The tiger's strike was invisible and totally unseen by the prey until it was too late making it seem like the tiger vanished. A perfect way to envision the technique that I was about to unleash."KIERU TORA"Spinning in a perfect circle without leaving the spot where I stood, I unleashed a slash that spread out in a circular motion around me. It was seen for just less than a second before becoming invisible to the naked eye.A perfect line appeared around me before the darkness began breaking apart. Seconds later, it had completely fallen to pieces and my senses had returned to normal. What I didn't expect to see, however, was my attacker with his hands in the air in a state of surr
Kiri's PovAfter using the shadows to change locations, I came out in a serene location at the far end of the school's property that was covered with trees and rarely visited by anyone. It was on at the top of an inclined slope so it was the perfect spot for watching everything happening below. Raising my right hand I flexed my fingers and realized I could not yet use it properly. During the clash with Tora, his power had cancelled out the power in my blade and rendered my arm almost useless. Which is why I had try to trap him with my void technique which he destroyed with little effort."Tell them that contact has been made and I'll be gathering them shortly."A figure quickly escaped my shadow and took on the form of a crow before flying off into the night sky."At last it begins."Tora's PovWaking up the next day I felt better than I ever had before and decided to put my new found energy to good use. After eating a light breakfast of instant noodles I took my swords and set out. S
Tora's PovThe moment the whistle escaped her lips everything calmed down. Even the wind that had been blowing reduced to a gentle breeze before stopping completely. The water serpent stayed still as she gracefully climbed onto its snout before coming to stand on top of its head. She stood there for a few moments before saying"It's very rude to spy on people and you've been doing it for quite a while. However, my patience has run thin so why don't you come out."Unknown Girl's PovI've felt a steady gaze on me for a while now. I couldn't tell where the presence was but I could feel their gaze. I kept on practicing my arts as my master had always told me to but I was weary the whole time. When the water serpent I had created was coming at me, my watcher's focus slipped for a second before disappearing again. That slight slip-up allowed me to pinpoint the general location. However, my patience an out as it seemed they were not willing to make themselves known."It's very rude to spy o
Unknown Girl's PovI spent a lot of time thinking about what happened yesterday. After I had gotten over losing my concentration and falling in the lake I couldn't train any longer. I tried searching for the strange boy from yesterday but he left no trace after disappearing the way he did.I tried talking with my connection who happened to be Susanoo the Japanese god of storms and sea to find out if he had any clue of the one behind the boy's powers but all he gave was a vague reply. I honestly disliked speaking to him at times. He always had a temper and he was always talking about focusing on training. I work my butt to please the sea god but he never seems satisfied.Walking through the hallways in school, I was still drowned in a plethora of thoughts until I bumped into someone. Looking in front of me I saw that the person I had bumped into was the smiling redhead. He was creepy but smart in a very scary way. He smiled and said 'Hello Ame.' I cautiously sidestepped him and him b
Unknown Girl's PovI spent a lot of time thinking about what happened yesterday. After I had gotten over losing my concentration and falling in the lake I couldn't train any longer. I tried searching for the strange boy from yesterday but he left no trace after disappearing the way he did. I tried talking with my connection who happened to be Susanoo the Japanese god of storms and sea to find out if he had any clue of the one behind the boy's powers but all he gave was a vague reply. I honestly disliked speaking to him at times. He always had a temper and he was always talking about focusing on training. I work my butt to please the sea god but he never seems satisfied. Walking through the hallways in school, I was still drowned in a plethora of thoughts until I bumped into someone. Looking in front of me I saw that the person I had bumped into was the smiling redhead. He was creepy but smart in a very scary way. He smiled and said 'Hello Ame.' I cautiously sidestepped him and him
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