Youth

A lot went on in the following days.

It took just about a day for all the Youkai to learn the truth about the Five Principal Clans. A variety of reactions came from it, but the one commonality now shared amongst the Youkai is a new wariness for the Five Principal Clans.

Surprisingly, none of the information had spread outside of the tight knit society hiding in Kyoto. I mean, that's nice and all, but I was honestly hoping for some naive Youkai to spread that information out. Because then everyone in the supernatural world would begin to know, and I can't deny my curiosity at seeing how they'll react.

I was hoping some upstart, prideful jackass would try to retaliate for 'spreading false information' or whatever and come here, and it'll give Akeno the perfect chance to enact some of her own revenge. Alas, that won't be happening soon.

That aside,

It's been three days since then. Akeno and I have been granted private access to the Japanese mansion where we talked. That mansion was one of Yasaka's summer homes, apparently. She has, like, eight more, so she easily gave it for us to use.

Nurarihyon tasked Shikaku with being our handler. I was sort of on the fence about it, but Shikaku seemed willing enough, and Akeno wasn't complaining, so I allowed the man to shadow us whenever we're in Kyoto. And besides, I think the poor guy needs a break or two. I don't know what he's been doing, but I can see visible bags under his eyes.

Oh, and the man also created a personal, permanent teleportation array right in our bedroom back in Kuoh. Which is awesome, since Akeno and I will be able to teleport to Kyoto whenever we want.

It's pretty eye-catching, but I can always just hide it using an 'Invisibility' Ofuda whenever Akeno or I are not around.

Right now, it's minutes past midnight. Akeno and I are alone in our summer house. We're out in one of the many open gardens the mansion has, and we're busy with our own training. Akeno's reading through a scroll Nurarihyon lent to her, and I'm busy rebuilding the Himejima Clan's Flame Sovereign Blade.

It's…kinda frustrating, actually. It's slowly beginning to dawn on me that I'm just no good at using swords. I can fight with it, but I'm not amazing by any means. Sending sword beams or cutting through mountain tops aren't things I'll be doing anytime soon.

My reasons for doing this are pretty shallow as well. It's a payback against Suou and the Himejima Clan, but it's also a preparation. Suou isn't the only practitioner of the Flame Sovereign Blade, and by breaking it down and remaking it better, it'll be easier to deal with them in the future.

But that's it. Once the Himejimas are dealt with, most of the things I've learnt about the sword won't come into use.

Punches and kicks on the other hand? I don't know what it is about fighting barehanded, but it's positively electric. It's exhilarating, and learning more about Judo from Suou and his servants' histories has yet to get boring.

But if there is one thing Akeno and I are lacking, it's magic. Sure, we have the Ofudas to give a variety of effects, but they're situational, and their supply is limited. Punching things to the ground has worked well enough, but there'll come a point where pure physical force won't be enough.

Not that I'll be switching to magic full time or anything. Judo has enraptured me in its grasp, and I'm never leaving.

That's the main reason why I asked Yasaka and Nurarihyon to teach us. They may be Youkai, but they carry with them all sorts of books and scrolls of magic. Akeno's reading one about lightning magic right now. She told me she's always been fascinated by lightning, and Nurarihyon was more than happy to indulge her.

And I do need someone to awaken my mana. Mana is the lifeblood of Magic; an energy formed by the brain. If Ki is the energy of life, then Mana is the force of the mind. Like Akeno's Primal Energy had been, my Mana is currently dormant, and I need someone skilled enough to awaken it.

I would've asked Akeno, but she isn't skilled enough to control pure Mana. She was born with her Mana already awakened, and she never really learnt a way to control pure Mana.

Either that, or I can go the other way and learn Senjutsu instead. It'll mesh well with my Primal Energy, and Kyoto has no shortage of Senjutsu masters.

Of course, that's impossible. Senjutsu isn't something a human can use normally. A human body is too frail; humans aren't evolved to handle the massive physical and mental strain Senjutsu places on its practitioner.

And that isn't even accounting for the 'Corruption' a practitioner can suffer if they fail to endure the malice of the world. Ki is continuously let out into the atmosphere by all sorts of living beings. However, humans are sinful creatures, and their malice can corrupt the impressionable Ki that floats in the air.

But I'm not a normal human, am I? My body has changed tremendously in the past three years, and it'll continue changing as I break through more and more 'thresholds'. Nor do I fear Corruption; my eyes tell me that my Primal Energy will take care of it.

Honestly, by this point, I'm not sure if I can call myself human. The little inefficiencies and imperfections of my body have slowly but surely been fixed by my Primal Energy. My organs-, no, my cells are different. And the channels that my Primal Energy courses through; my body has a new organ entirely.

I'm not really sure what I am, and it doesn't really matter anyway. Against the cold enormity of the cosmos, my race matters little in-

"Issei?"

I blink. "Yeah?" I turn to the side to find Akeno standing close to me, her eyes furrowed slightly. "What's wrong?"

"It's…" She looks away for a moment, before she closes her eyes. "It's just-, I've been wondering about something."

I tilt my head slightly. "And?"

She takes a breath. "We're going to stay in Kyoto to learn from Yasaka-sama and Nurarihyon-sama." She begins, staring at the starry sky above. I nod. "And even when the Five Principal Clans have fallen, we'll still be here." She continues. I nod again. "To what end?"

I shrug. "I don't know." I say, my mind is overrun by visions of beasts and monsters so far beyond where we stand now. "I mean, it's not like we have to do this everyday. Even I take breaks from time to time."

She nods. "That's true." She says, and there's a sad smile on her face as she looks at him. "But we'll spend so much of our youth on this, won't we?"

"...yeah." I say, suddenly saddened by the realization. The training, the learning, the pain; they're all preparations against the future. Just how much am I going to spend for our survival? How much more will I need to spend? "You're right." I smile tiredly. "Absolutely right."

I won't change it any other way. This is necessary. This world is a cruel place, and the shadows both real and imaginary hide conflict and beasts. I have people I want to protect, and I'm just not strong enough. Not right now. The world will continue to escalate and I need to escalate along with it.

But I can't deny the exhaustion. Two whole lives, filled with responsibilities of the future. Just how much more are there? Just how much more can I handle?

I don't know.

"Issei?"

"Hmm?"

She gently holds my hand. It's warm. "Let's go and look around Kyoto tomorrow." She says. "I…want to visit a shrine again. It's been so long since I went to one."

I smile. "Sure. I have a couple places I want to go to as well."

The night passes slowly after that. Neither of us are up for any training after our talk, and we spend the night just sitting in an open garden, occasionally talking as we watch the unobstructed starry sky.

It's nice. Sitting there with her, with no one else but the stars as our audience, isolated yet not alone.

It's tranquil. It won't last; I know that everything has just begun. This moment in time—it's the calm after the initial wave and before the storm. The Himejima Clan needs to be changed, and the Five Principal Clans wait after that. The roots of their ideology need to be uprooted, pulled and burnt to allow a new story to begin.

Because there are good people there, but their voices are silenced. The oppressors sit on their thrones, backed by blessings of gods and empowered by divine beasts.

Beyond that, there are even more lying in wait. But I don't fear, for in this life, I'm no longer alone. That lonely apartment I once lived in—it feels almost like a distant dream.

So, no. I don't fear. These past few years; they were my Youthful Beginnings.

And I await what's to come, both with excitement and caution.