1 CHAPTER 1 : TEARS AND FREEDOM
Intro: "THE WORLD WHAT A GLORIOUS PLACE, SEEK FREEDOM, AND IT WILL LIE STRETCHED OUT BEFORE YOUR EYES. IF AN ENDLESS DREAM FLOWS WITHIN YOUR RESTLESS SPIRIT SEES IT, CHASE AWAY AND STAND TALL. AS THE THREADS OF FATE WILL GUIDE THE CHOSEN AS THE TRUE KINGS OF THIS WORLD."
Doctor : " Mrs. Gratie Mr. Odin, it's a boy, and what immense aura he has; Even for an infant,
Look at the huge amount of life energy around the lad"
Gratie : "He's so bright and warm it's like holding a ray of sunshine it's self"
Odin : "HAHAHAHA ! He really is something alright... I'll give ya that much"
Gratie : " What should we name our little fireball here"
Odin : " you know i'm no good with names…you think of something";
As Gratie sat there thinking of a name for there child she let out a sigh with a slightly annoyed look on her face
Gratie : " useless as ever I suppose... Alesul... we are naming him Alesul"
Odin : " That's a great name... Alesul Illumina huh,has a nice ring to it";
Odin stood there with a laid back yet happy expression at the sight of his new born child
That expression swiftly changed as he whispered to the doctor outside of his wife's
ears in a serious tone.
Odin : " Doc make sure that nobody knows about this alright... I'll even throw in a lil extra
For your troubles"
Doctor : " not to worry I won't say a word. It's not everyday you get to deliver a child this deep in the forest; Especially not one with the markings of…"
Odin : " Glad to know you'll keep your mouth shut";
Alesul lays on his mothers chest as she caresses him, Gratie starts smiling however
As she realizes this will be the first and last time that she will ever get to
See her son; Gratie softly whispers
Gratie : " make sure you grow up nice and strong okay, and make sure you listen to your to
Father, But most important of all, make sure you get along with your older brother…
I love you Alesul"
Those were the last words spoken by Gratie that day,as Odin walked towards his wife and child he soon noticed what had occurred but by that time it was already too late, Odin stood there not saying a single word nor shedding a single tear: though his rage and sorrow where very much visible;
Doctor : " I am deeply sorry for your loss...may she find peace in the next life "
The sound of the door echoed within the walls of the house as the doctor exited; Odin then picked up the new born Alesul and strangely enough noticed something odd about his child,The bright and warm aura he originally had was no more. Instead what was once so bright had Turned dark, cold yet still so full of life; It was as if Alesul himself had understood the events that had just taken place and was mourning the very loss of his mother.
Odin : " You're really something else alright.."
After those words from Odin the bright warm aura was once again as Alesul began to smile;
After some time Odin decides it was time to bury his deceased wife,and set out leaving his
Home with child in hand; While walking through the forest in the dead of night after leaving his deceased wife and humble home behind; Odin notices that he himself was being followed.
Adjusting to the situation he swiftly and calmly lures the foe/foes in question deeper within
The large forest,while trying to act as if he has no clue that he is being pursued.
Odin internally : " it appears to only be 4 of them, whoever must've sent them either underestimated me. Or these guys are extremely competent in their own right. Not like it
matters, a good old fashion change of pace should throw' em off my trail."
As quick as the very shadow of night itself Odin vanished without a trace,
Faster than the human mind could think; Only to reappear at the peak point of the largest trees encompassing the extremely vast forest.
Odin : "Now,where are they…"
Before he could even finish his sentence one of the men
In question blitzes behind odin
man# 1 : " Don't let your guard down old man!!"
Odin : " old man?... i'm only 28";
The man in question faster than the eye could see, kicks odin sending him flying through the forest itself; decimating the area around them in an instant.Crushing trees large enough to house a village all gone; While withstanding the slight blow odin's priority first and foremost was protecting his newborn son.
Odin: " would ya look at that he's pretty good, looks like i won't be getting out of this one
As fast as I would like. Alesul you okay there lil buddy you ain't hurt are ya"
man# 1 : "You don't mean this brat right here do you"
The mysterious man speaks as he dangles the infant Alesul by his leg;
Alesul starts whaling upon waking up.
Odin internally: " what the … when did he?"
Odin : " all right, all right i'll give you your props kid you're pretty good"
As odin speaks 3 other men appear out of the shadows all sporting
The same attire as the first;All of them covered in black from head to toe.
Followed up by a sleek dark hooded trench coat with only one noticeable key feature;
A white and blue flamed skull with three red eyes on its face with a tag that said the words "FORSAKEN"On its left sleeve.
man# 1 : " Stop wasting time, tell me where's the scroll";
He says in an annoyed tone. The other men speak.
man# 2 : " damn that little fucker's got some spirit, he just won't put a sock in it"
man# 4 : " DAMN STRAIGHT, Zi Hi Hi Hi Hi !!"
Odin then speaks in a sarcastic tone
Odin : " A scroll?...lets see hmm, can't say I remember any dusty old scroll"
Odin internally: " So that's what this is about, too bad for them they could spend a lifetime or two and still never find it."
man#1: " I see...have it your way then. No matter we've already acquired half of what we came here for it's only a matter of time before we get are hands on the scroll"
Odin : " you can look for whatever scroll you fancy anytime you want; But frankly
I'm in a real nasty mood as of late. if you think you could dispose of me
And take my son you got another thing coming"
As the hooded man walks away still holding Alesul Odin charges in;
man#1: " you three take care of this. Meet me back at the rendezvous point when your done",
The men answer in an excited and confident tone as if they were to have the situation all under control.
The three men respond : " our pleasure!!"
FLASH FORWARD 16 YEARS LATER
CURRENT WORLD YEAR: ↁ796=5,796
AS STATED BY THE CRIMSON CALENDAR
BY THE HOLY CHURCH OF THE CRIMSON SUN
Deep within the woods on the outskirts of a small village by the name of " KOKOA" given its name for its abundance in the cocoa plant; above the branches of a massive tree there sits a young Alesul spending his time slacking off as per usual;
Alesul : " man i'm bored...gramps won't even let me outside the village lately, always going on about " hOw ImPoRtAnT TrAiNiNg iS" a big genius like me doesn't need no stinkin training i'm strong enough as it is" he says in a condescending and mild mannered tone.
Alesul : "would it kill'em to cut me some slack once in a while";
As Alesul sulks in annoyance at the thought of his grandfathers words
He hears a girls voice shouting at him from the ground below
Stasia : " Hey ASS face your grandfather's lookin for ya; something about you ain't done for the day !!".
As Alesul looks downward he sees a girl with long beautiful silver hair and what appears as a tomboyish look to her as she smiles right at him.
Alesul : " Great, another nuisance ; How come your always the first to find me
When I wanna be alone"
Stasia : " Hey, it's not everyday you have a pretty girl who's worried about y'know"
She says in a carefree and playful expression.
Stasia : " besides, if I don't look for ya who will "
Alesul speaks with an annoyed tone yet low enough as if not to be hurd
Alesul : " Nobody asked you to worry about me now why don't you just piss of…"
Stasia : " why you little…"
Before Alesul could even finish the last words of his sentence he found himself on the floor
As if he were knocked out of the tree by something; Alesul's tone rose upward as he regained
His balance to stand once more
Alesul : " WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, WHY WOULD YOU HIT ME WITH A ROCK YOU CRAZY BITCH!!!"
Stasia quickly grabs Alesul by his shirt and shakes him viciously as she yells back in an angry tone
Stasia : " YOU WANNA SAY THAT AGAIN YOU LITTLE SHIT!!!,anyways you've been gone for
Over two hours, and your grandfather wants you to comeback to the village"
Alesul responds with a carefree yet scornful look on his face
Alesul : " shitty old man I thought I told him I was done for today, he's been pushing me like crazy the last couple of days "
Stasia : " maybe that's just his way of showing he cares about ya"
Alesul : "well, it wouldn't hurt em to care a little less; at this point i'm bound for an early grave"
Stasia : " y'know , one day he ain't gonna be around and you're gonna regret not spending time with him"
Alesul puts both his hand behind his head as to signify his carefree yet rebellious nature
and responds with;
Alesul : " yeah, yeah whatever"
as they exit the forest and enter the village a women's voice echoes in the distance
" Anastasia hurry back, it's getting late!"
Stasia : " I better get back before mom gets any angrier I kinda snuck outta the house
when I wasn't supposed to "; " But before I go close your eyes first and no peeking alright,
this is your birthday present from me to you"; At first Alesul is a little hesitant to do as she says but surely enough he goes through with it, only to feel a warm soft sensation on his cheek ; Only to open his eyes mid way and realize it was a kiss, Alesul then gets a flustered and embarrassed look on his face.
Alesul :" what was... what was that for ", Stasia then responds back with an embarrassed look of her own.
Stasia : " I told you to keep your eyes shut stupid !; Anyways that.. that was a one time thing
so don't go getting your hopes up got it"
Alesul : " It's not like I want you to do it again. Besides I don't know where you've been "
he responds in a cocky and Pompous attitude; Stasia responds in an annoyed tone
Stasia : " I'll let that one slide for today, but if you so much as tell anyone I swear I'll kill you"
Alesul : " Whatever you say oh high one "; Just before leaving Stasia gives Alesul a serious look, serious enough to spook even the wildest of animals showing that her threats were serious, this expression sent a shiver down Alesul spine; as Alesul walks towards his home he thinks back on what had just occurred with an embarrassed look on his face and says
Alesul : " The old man was right about one thing... women are scary indeed, Anyways old man I'm hom..."
as he opens the door barely finishing his sentence he receives a kick to the face sending him flying through the living room and a stern voice yelling at him;
Mugen : "You're late !!!"
Alesul : " What the hell old man you tryna kill me! "
Mugen : " How many times have I told you not to get home so late; You ungrateful brat !!, besides you snuck away again from your training"
Alesul : " I told you before you shitty old man I'm done with your training"
Mugen quickly spears Alesul right on his back as he screams
Mugen : " WATCH YOUR MOUTH YOU DISRESPECTFUL LITTLE INGRATE!!!"; Meanwhile next door the neighbors could hear everything
Stasia : " Looks like those two are at it again over there"
Stasia's mother : " Sure is lively as ever in that household that's for sure "
she says as they both laugh gleefully at the situation. Later that night over dinner
Mugen : " Alesul when you're done cleaning up head towards my room I have something I want to tell you"; After hearing those words spoken by his grandfather Alesul understood that what his grandfather wanted to tell him had to be something of significant importance.
Alesul internally : " I wonder what the old man wants... It's not everyday he has that expression on his face"
After quickly finishing up Alesul heads towards Mugen's location
Alesul : " Hey, old man I'm done cleaning up. What was it that you wanted to show me"
Mugen : " good you're here... Now listen here boy as you've known I've raised you since you were but an infant, I've trained you in various ways since you were 2, from hand to hand combat to dealing with any weapon of your choosing; When your father brought you to me 16 years ago on that night holding you in his arms, he had 2 Items with him that day ... He said to me ..."
* FLASH BACK TO ODIN 16 YEARS AGO
Odin : " Mugen when that boy is old enough I'm sure that he'll want to leave this place. If he does make sure that he gets this... until then please keep these Items out of his view and tucked away; I know you'll understand why later"
* BACK TO PRESENT
Mugen : " The Items that he left with you on that day were Items that may look pretty standard at first glance but they are actually Items that could be quite dangerous in the wrong hands. Frankly I don't think you're quite ready for them yet, but as fate would have it I'm getting up there in age and I don't know when the reaper will come calling for me... If anything were to happen to me It would be best if you at least had access to them therefore I am giving you this."
Alesul : " A key ?.."
Mugen : " that key... quite frankly holds the answers to your very being! Protect it with your life"
Alesul : " AWWW MAN, why do you always have to try so hard to act cool all the time old timer if your worried about me just say it already"
Mugen : " This isn't the time for jokes, Alesul. But if you won't take this seriously enough... I guess I could tell you at least one key detail about those Items"
Alesul : " Now you're speaking my language, so what makes them so important then"
Mugen : " All I can say for now, is that whenever the day comes when that key is needed ,the reason for why " THAT ARM " of yours is the way it is will be that much clearer to you "; After hearing those words spoken by his grandfather Alesul's facial expression changed as his eyes lit up. It was as if a weight had finally been lifted of his shoulders; Alesul then thought to himself...
Alesul Internally : " Finally I'll know for sure what exactly I am, and why am I so different from everyone else around me."
Mugen : " But enough about that, I heard from Anastasia that you still plan on becoming a seeker... I thought I told you before that I absolutely forbid you from becoming a Seeker! "
Alesul's tone slowly began to rise.
Alesul : " FOR THE 1000TH TIME I TOLD YOU FORGET IT OLD MAN !!! "
Mugen : " I SAID NOO DAMMIT!!, DO YOU KNOW WHY I TOOK YOU IN...IT WAS BECAUSE I PROMISED YOUR GOOD FOR NOTHING OF A FATHER THAT I'D PROTECT YOU. SO I WON'T LET YOU THROW YOUR LIFE AWAY FOR NOTHING YOU HEAR ME!!!"
Mugen : " LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE ALESUL; I'VE SEEN MORE THAN THAT BRAIN OF YOURS COULD EVEN FATHOM. WITNESSED MEN MORE SKILLED THAN YOU COULD EVER HOPE TO BE, CHASING THE SAME DREAM ... AND ALL THEY GOT IN RETURN WAS PAIN, SUFFERING AND WORSE..."
Alesul : " I told you already gramps It's no use trying to talk me out of it I've already made up my mind, I'm becoming a seeker whether you like it or not "
Mugen : " I see...then in that case from this moment on, you are no longer family. GET OUT I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE HERE AGAIN "
Alesul : " So that's how It's gonna be huh, fine..."
Alesul with a frustrated expression on his face leaves the house and slams the door on his way out.
Alesul Internally: " shitty excuse for a grandfather if you were just gonna talk down on me you could've saved yourself the trouble I've heard it all before."
Mugen speaks in a sad teary tone
Mugen : " where did I go wrong in raising the boy... his destiny is so much bigger than he knows yet his mind is still so fragile ... no ... maybe I'm the one who's fragile. I've grown so attached to the boy that I ...that I don't want him to leave the nest and fly; If only he was still small like he used to..."
Tears fall from Mugen's face as he holds onto a picture frame of him and a young Alesul sitting on his shoulders.
*FLASHBACK : 10 YEARS AGO
ALESUL : 6 YEARS OLD
MUGEN : 62 YEARS OLD
Alesul : " Grandpa,Grandpa guess what me and Stasia did today "
Mugen : " Let me guess ... you went playing into the "great Zou forest "
Alesul : " Yeah but we saw something amazing, It was a fish with the longest body we've ever seen it was yay big"
Alesul spreads his arms to show the size of the fish he had just seen
Mugen : " HAHAHA If this fish was as big as you say then that was no ordinary fish,Answer me this did it have shiny blue scales and an orange and green mane on its head ? "
Alesul : " Yeah just like that, scales so shiny that it makes your head look not shiny in comparison grandpa"
Mugen : " Then what you saw was no fish my boy, what you saw was a sea dragon"
Alesul : " A sea dragon ?, what's that ?"
Mugen : " A sea dragon is one of the many creatures that inhabit this world. Usually they travel in groups and they can grow up to 2 kilometers in size; The one you saw was most likely an infant "
Alesul : " no way it was an infant,that sea dragon took up the "whole dubious river" like it was nothing "
Mugen : " well that goes to show you how truly massive they really are, But there's all sorts of creatures all around the world that make sea dragons look like your standard fish"
Alesul : " Grandpa, do you think one day I could see all those other amazing creatures on my own ? "
Mugen : " Maybe when your older, and you decide to leave this place "
PRESENT TIME
Deep within the great Zou forest Alesul sits atop of one of the many trees recollecting his thoughts as he sulks;
Alesul : " Damn you old geezer just you wait and see. I'll become an amazing Seeker, one that everyone knows about that has been to far off places and discovered things that no one else even knew existed. With expansive knowledge on this great world,just like the time when I first saw that sea dragon."
Stasia shouts from the ground
Stasia : " Looks like you guys had another fight"
Alesul responds in a bitter tone
Alesul : " why do you care it's not like it's any of your business, besides how did you even find me in the first place"
Stasia : " you're right it's not my business but where friends, right... so that makes it my business by association, and of course I'd find you here, this is your favorite spot after all. Besides the whole village could hear you guys fight... now make some room I'm climbing up there."
she responds in a calm and carefree attitude
Alesul : " great, now my peaceful sanctuary is tainted "
He says with a sarcastic tone and a smirk on his face, Stasia then proceeds to punch Alesul on his shoulder as she responds back at his remarks.
Stasia : " Oh shut up, you know you like my presence "
Alesul : " HA, as if ... anyways since you're already here can I ask you something ? "
Stasia : " Shoot, I'm an open book "
Alesul : " Why do you hang out with me ?, aren't you scared of me like everyone else in the village ? You hear the rumors . About how I'm cursed because I have these strange markings all over my right arm, that's why the old geezer makes me cover them up."
Alesul : " You remember, don't you ? ; What happened back then, the way the rest of the village looked at me once they saw my arm . It was as if they had seen a demon or something "
FLASH BACK TO 11 YEARS AGO
As Alesul played with the other children of the village the bandage wraps that covered his arm had come undone; As if that wasn't enough some of the adults of the village were also there. At that very moment they all bore witness to the strange markings that enveloped his right arm. Frightened by the unknown turn of events some of the villagers did not know how to react when suddenly some broke into a panic.
random village women : " OH MY GOD !, look at his arm those markings he...he's one of them those cursed ones; Run along now children before his curse gets a hold of the rest of yall "
random villagers murmur : " now that I get a good look at him those markings do seem familiar " ," yeah, I've heard stories about people like him,they say whenever they appear, bad things tend to happen."
village children : " ru...run away everyone before he turns us all into monsters " they shout as they run away laughing and giggling.
random child : " come on Anastasia quit standing around;Lets go before we get cursed too. " says the random child as he tries to pull her away.
Mugen : " Now remember Alesul you must never let other people see that right arm of yours…do you understand ?… never, always remember that; Make sure you always cover it up."
Mugen gently but firmly wraps the bandages around Alesul's arm making sure he covers every part of Alesul's arm.
Alesul : " fine" he says with a pouty look on his face.
Alesul : "but just so you know it wasn't my fault grandpa, they just came undone somehow; It's not my fault you tied them so loosely last time."
PRESENT
Stasia : " Who cares what they think or about some silly old rumor, I hangout with you because I want to, besides the rest of the kids our age are boring none of them would dare pull have the stupid shit you pull. "
Alesul : " You tryna call me stupid ? " Alesul asks in an annoyed tone
Stasia : " I don't know that depends, what do you call someone who burned down the village meeting hall " Stasia responds with a smirk on her face.
Alesul : " I already told you that was an accident "
Stasia : " Yeah yeah if you say so"
Alesul : " I'm serious it wasn't my fault "
Stasia : " If it was an accident how'd it happen then " she teases him further
Alesul : " well … um.. you know how the girls bathhouse is right next to the
meeting hall , well you know I'm a guy so… uh I was tryna catch a peak and… "
Alesul says with an embarrassed looked on his face
Stasia : " and ? "
Alesul : " I tripped over an oil lamp and and it lit the meeting hall of fire… okay "
Stasia burst out into tears of laughter as Alesul explained the embarrassing memory
Stasia : " That's too funny, see that's what I mean by stupid "
Alesul : " you're never gonna let this go are you ? "
Stasia : " not in a million years "
As Alesul and company kept reminiscing about the memories of the past
somewhere far to the northwest of " Kokoa village " things that would eventually plant the seeds , for the coming events that would transpire, were making their move. Although young Alesul did not know it, the turn of events that were coming into fruition would change his world forever.
Random soldier : " Captain Viper Wolf sir, the rest of our men have located the village you asked for ; What's the next move sir ? "
Captain Viper Wolf : " Good, tell the dispatched unit to deploy a square pincer formation and surround them on all sides. As well as to standby and not engage in any way till further orders ,also start getting the paperwork ready, your dismissed soldier. "
Random soldier : " sir "
Captain Viper Wolf Internally : " I wonder what the higher ups are thinking, this command came from the top brass as an executive order of the highest priority; It's not like this is the first time they've done this ,they've pulled this kinda shady shit in the past. But what's gotten their panties in a twist this time. Well...not like it matters, I'm just a soldier on the job…best not to think about it too much, besides they promised me a pretty hefty bonus if I kept this from the public eye."
Captain Viper Wolf : " More drinking money for me I guess"
He says as he laughs out loud as he exits the room.
Captain Viper Wolf : " Drinks are on me tonight men"
He yells in a cheerful tone. Soldiers cheering in the distance " hell yeah the captains buying tonight "
Upon his office desk however sits documents stating the following
WORLD GOVERNMENT HQ EXECUTIVE ORDER
FROM : Commander Razaumo V. Constantine
" The following is to remain top secret, any and all Information of this event is to be kept under wraps. If the former condition is not met precautionary measures will be taken resulting in the abolishment of : "Captain Vladimir Viper Wolf's rank within the government, as well as incarceration and possible death by public execution; The top brass is willing to make you a valuable offer of 30,000,000 Crell as well as possible increase in rank within the government for the complete and utter destruction of a small village by the name of "Kokoa "; that village is believed to be granting refuge to a high profile individual as well as another future world war potential. We ask that Captain "Vladimir Viper Wolf" send for his immediate arrest and transport him to HQ immediately ; The following are pictures of the individuals listed. "
* Bounty Poster
MUGEN
WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE
THREAT LEVEL CLASS B
BOUNTY : ***,000,000
Name : Alesul Illumina
*picture ( ash silver colored hair, golden colored eyes )
height : 5'7
weight: 150
" Remember the following, Mugen is to be disposed of as well as the rest of the village leave no one but the boy alive as he can be of use in the future understood. "
Stasia : " That reminds me Alesul, you're always going on about becoming a seeker. I always heard as a kid that seekers were nothing but criminals of the worst kind; why do you want to become one so bad ? "
Alesul : " I always heard from gramps that my old man was a seeker, and that he was always traveling the world always searching for the unattainable; as a kid I was always hearing stories about my dad, after a while I started to imagine what it would be like if I was a seeker and what's really out there in the world. Then when we were about 6 I remember when we saw that sea dragon for the first time. After that I really started to think about what other things were waiting for me on the outside if I were to just go and see the world for myself, before I knew it I was dead set on becoming a seeker. "
Stasia : "Then if your dad was a seeker hasn't it ever crossed your mind that he might be ... you know... dead ? "
Alesul : " yeah, it has but... that still doesn't matter to me because I know that if he is dead he went out doing what he loved the most and above all else... he had freedom, he probably died doing things his way. If I ever get the chance to leave this place and I happen to meet the same fate at least I did it my way "
Stasia : "phht hehehe,you know you say some of the dumbest things i've ever heard... At LeAsT i DiD iT mY wAy... but I like that about you your never afraid to speak your mind "
Alesul : " Sh- shut up what do you know anyways, I'll be the best seeker out there just you watch "
Stasia : "Sure, I'll be waiting then... anyways I better head back before mom notices i'm gone again and I doubt you'll be going back home anytime soon"
Stasia slowly makes her descent from the old tree standing tall in the moonlight.
Stasia : " Night "
Alesul : " night", he speaks softly. As Stasia fades into the distance and darkness of night, Alesul begins to wonder in his mind as he stares into the night sky. Thinking of the countless possibilities for adventure that he might encounter as a seeker. Alesul then remembers the stories he had heard as a child as well as the books he had read about seekers from long ago. "Seekers came about in this world around 200 years ago when men who were considered crazier than most decided to journey into these abandoned structures that towered above the clouds themselves. Said to be thousands upon thousands of years old,claiming that untouched wealth and fortune greater than the world had seen, laid dormant for the taking for he who thought himself brave enough to claim them. Though the people did not believe it, until a man by the name of Edwards E. the 3rd came along and decided that he would go and see for himself. They branded him a mad man on a death wish. Since the ones who thought themselves brave enough to challenge the structures before him never made it back. The ones who did however were never the same afterwards, some couldn't even comprehend what was going on around them anymore. However that didn't stop him on the contrary it peaked his interest even more he then dove into the structures without a second thought, 6 months later he then appeared back unto the world with more money and wealth than he could ever imagine though for him he had only been gone for about 16 days he then told people stories about the things he had seen. Strange places like no other creatures like the ones straight out of fairy tales and beast that could understand human speech however he did lose his right eye as well as an arm but he was excited to tell his adventures nonetheless. With that massive fortune he then built a city port by the name of "Edita" to the west. After word got out about his historic feats he was then arrested and eventually executed for all the world to see and labeled a traitor to the world government for trespassing on unholy territory. The structures where later deemed illegal and too dangerous to enter, but that didn't stop people from trying instead it had the opposite effect, Men and women alike all across the world set on discovering vast riches and more, headed out in search of the unattainable thrusting the world into what would be later called "THE AGE OF EXPLORATION". With all the new influx of seekers making headway in the world they were later branded as traitors and criminals wanted in every part of the world for numerous reasons.
As Alesul kept wondering to himself as he stared into the ever expanding vastness of the cosmos he slowly began to fall asleep as he mumbled ever so softly.
Alesul : " I wish I could become a seeker and just leave this place I'm bound to"
3 hours later :
As Alesul awakens he awakens to a faint foul smell unlike any other he had ever experienced before
Alesul : " What's that smell it's as if something was burning and what's this noise in the distance ? "
as Alesul leaps from the tree he briefly noticed a bright lit area with smoke going up in the air
Alesul : " That's where the village is located, what's going on over there ? "
He then starts walking to the village as he slowly makes his way back he notices that the foul smell from before as well as the smoke he had noticed had gotten stronger and stronger as well as screams and yelling that echoed in the distance.
Men yell in the distance : " HYAA, KILL'EM ALL DON'T LEAVE A SINGLE ONE OF THESE HEATHENS ALIVE, BURN IT ALL TO THE GROUND"
As Alesul started sprinting towards his village only two thoughts crossed his mind as his face changed from his calm usual self to a worried expression
Alesul : " I hope everyones okay... gramps, Stasia please be okay "
As Alesul gets closer to the village his expression grows morbid as he is horrified by what he is witnessing that his body shuts down refusing to listen, frozen in fear.
men in the background : " SPARE NO ONE EXCEPT THE WOMEN, WE GET A BONUS IF WE CAN SELL THEM AS GOODS IN THE BLACK MARKET "
Alesul's skin turns pale as he witnesses the onslaught of his fellow villagers, the burning homes, scorched corpses and severed corpses. As the massacre continues he notices a man on the floor begging for help as he crawls towards Alesul, still conscious yet his body severed from the waist downward, but before he could react a bombardment of arrows rained down from the sky killing many in the process; Countless soldiers surround Mugen in the process.
Soldier platoon leader : " W- we have you cornered Mugen there's nowhere left to run "
soldiers murmur in the background : " D-d-d- did he just say Mugen? , surely he's not talking about the Mugen ? , Captain Viper Wolf ain't mention anything about going up against a high ranking seeker, platoon leader may- maybe we should retreat and call reinforcement "
Platoon leader : " nonsense, men show some backbone ...think about it if we bring down the nation wiper known as the "human cataclysm" will shoot right up the ranks,besides the captain put us in charge of this mission think of what's at stake here soldier. besides he's not the only ability user here, ready yourselves men"
Platoon leader : " ATTAAAACK!!! "
Mugen : " well seems you soldiers are urgent to meet the most high, I'll make it swift "
The soldiers rush Mugen but one after the other the soldiers that first attack are swiftly cut down,making the following soldiers hesitant to attack thus making them lose their morale rather quickly.
Platoon leader : " SHIT... , their morale is fading fast. Men don't falter keep attacking"
The platoon leader then leads the charge as soldiers quickly follow his lead and begin to rush at Mugen once more. This time unleashing strange abilities in the process though none have an affect on Mugen as he quickly negates the abilities outright with sheer overwhelming power of his own, leaving the soldiers speechless.
Platoon leader : " Wha-what did you do to us you sneaky bastard, what sort of tricks are you pulling ? "
Mugen : " Oh, I assure you this is no trick, just a little something I learned over the years. How would you put it ? It's simply the fact that my power is much more vast than yours giving me the ability to flat out disrupt the flow of energy emanating from you with mine, thus the more refined one will dominate. As well as the fact that you can't even control that feeble energy you call power. Perhaps if you were a much more seasoned fighter this would've been a different outcome "
Platoon leader : " BULLSHIT!!, DO YOU REALLY EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT ? "
Mugen: " It's not a matter of believing when the proof is in the pudding, it's like an ant believing he can conquer the vastness of the universe when he can't even conquer the vastness of the forest. Now allow me to show you how I earned the title the human cataclysm"
Mugen then unleashes a strike swiftly yet as quiet as the dead of night itself, moving faster than the human mind could fathom striking down every soldier in front of him. Mesmerized by the strength of his grandfather Alesul stood there in awe as if his eyes were deceiving him.
Alesul : " I knew the old geezer was strong, but that sort of strength is just insane "
Mugen : " Boy, what are you doing standing around for get moving start helping anyone around the village who's still alive "
Alesul : " wha- what about you old man ? "
Mugen's tone rises
Mugen : " I SAID GET MOVING DAMMIT !!! "
Mugen : " Besides you'd just slow me down in the end "
Alesul : " Fine "
Alesul quickly starts to run in the opposite direction to look for anyone else who might have survived,but before leaving he stopped and whispered under his breath as if to not let his true emotions show.
Alesul : " Don't go dying on me gramps your the only family I have, ya hear "
Alesul then takes off looking for any signs of life within the village
Mugen : " hmmp, I won't roll over that easily my boy, it's gonna take a lot more than that to get rid of this old bag of bones. "
* CRACK *CRACK
Mugen : " ouch,ouch,ouch ,urgh ,there goes my hip. Maybe I am getting to old for this after all"
Mugen: " Now then why don't you show yourselves and come forward like real men "
4 men appear out of the shadows all sporting The same attire all of them covered in black from head to toe. Followed up by a sleek dark hooded trench coat with only one noticeable key feature; A white and blue flamed skull with three red eyes on its face with a tag that says the words "FORSAKEN"On its left sleeve. Same description like the men who attacked 16 years ago.
Man #1 : " I'm surprised you sensed us from so far out considering we where at least 600 meters away, I guess I've underestimated you on my part "
Man #2 : " well, I did hear he was around a B class war potential from the scrubs over there Zi Hi Hi Hi Hi ,so it's no surprise he could sense us "
Man #1 : " Don't let that outdated bounty fool you this man is most likely stronger than when he got that bounty, maybe even A class "
Man #3 : " A class ! "
Man #2 : " Looks like this might be fun after all Zi Hi Hi Hi Hi "
Mugen : " Hmph ,guess I'll be getting serious from this point on "
Mugen then proceeds to remove his robes showing his upper toned and battle hardened upper body entering into his fighting stance. Man#1 then speaks to the rest of the dark hooded men giving out orders to carry out.
Man #1: " You're with me, the rest of you go and retrieve the boy if possible "
Man #3 : " Don't worry this won't take long "
Man # 4 : " Yeah, yeah I hear ya "
The other two members of the mysterious group then begin to take off each in a similar direction.
Man # 1 : " Now that that's settled , tell me old man where is the scroll "
Mugen : " I don't have the slightest clue of what your talking about "
Man # 1 : " Seems you want to do this the hard way, I suppose... then let us end this farce, you'll talk soon enough"
Man # 2 : " HELL YEAH !!, LET'S GET THINGS ROCKIN Zi Hi Hi Hi Hi !! "
Alesul : " Hello, is anybody still alive ? , anybody ? "
As Alesul walks through the distorted village not a single soul is spotted with life anywhere in sight. Just the homes and corpses of the deceased set a blaze, as well as a foul smell potent enough to drive a person mad. As Alesul walks around what was once a beautiful and humble village; He notices that Stasia's home is also set ablaze, destroyed by the chaos, his body reacted before he could think and immediately rushed into the home without a second thought or regard to his own safety. As he rushes inside the home looking for survivors he sees two different situations which make him very uneasy as well as furious the first of which is Stasia's mother dead and buried under a pile of burning rubble the second was a tall dark figure dressed in black only recognizable by the insignia branded on the side of his arm. As Alesul gets closer he notices that the tall figure had the person he had deemed his closest friend lifted off her feet as he grabbed her by the neck gasping for the little bit of oxygen she could.
Stasia speaks softly : " a- alesul... ru-run..."
Alesul : " LE-LET HER GO!!!, YOU BASTARD !!! "
Alesul then rushes towards the dark hooded assailant trying to fight, Alesul throws a quick jab trying to aim for his face but before he could notice the hooded figure had already caught the first blow with his unoccupied hand.
Alesul internally : " What ! , he caught it ? but I fainted with my left hand first "
Man #3 : " YOU'RE PRETTY GOOD KID, BUT YOU MADE TWO MISTAKES, THE FIRST WAS THE LACK OF INTENT BEHIND THAT FIRST FAINT YOU TRIED TO PULL...THE SECOND WAS MAKING ME YOUR OPPONENT!!"
The hooded figure then proceeds to quickly knee Alesul in the abdomen, lifting him off the ground for a few seconds then following with a roundhouse kick that sends Alesul flying out of the house.
Alesul internally : " he's too strong what the hell... I can barely breath "
Man #3 internally : " Am I crazy or did that kid actually block my first attack by placing his hand right before I made contact, maybe he's better than I gave him credit for "
As Alesul layed on the floor gasping for air after receiving that last blow from one the hooded men. The hooded man exits the confines of the burning home with Stasia still in hand, he cracks a sinister grin then begins to remove his hood and reveals his face to Alesul. The most noticeable feature about this man was his dead eyes, those resembling close to a wild beast who likes to play with his prey before he kills them and a rather large tattoo that covers a large part of his head and face that appear to be runic in design.
Stasia : " Ale-sul-r-run away " she says as she coughs up blood from the strain of having her vocal cords damaged from being strangled by the man.
Man #3 : " Still alive are we, He He He... you got spunk, brat. Just for that I think I'm feeling a little merciful today " ; He then proceeds to let Stasia go and focuses his attention towards Alesul.
Man #3 : " tell me something kid, how much do you really know about yourself,He He He He "
Alesul : " The hell are you going on about, bastard ? What does that have to do with anything ? "
Man #3 : " It has to do with quite a lot actually, I'm specifically talking about those markings of yours ..., THAT MY FRIEND MEANS YOUR ONE OF THE LUCKY FEW THAT HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO REACH THE TOP APEX OF THIS WORLD OF OURS, HE HE HE HE!!! "
Alesul : " Apex of this world ? What the hell are you even talking about ? "
Man #3 : " OH COME ON , SURELY YOU CAN'T BE THAT STUPID, SURELY YOU'VE HEARD THE STORIES ... ABOUT HOW THE ONES WITH THE MARKINGS EDGED ON TO THERE FLESH SINCE BIRTH, THOSE WHO ARE THE TRUE!!!...."
Man #4 : " BASILISK !, that's enough you're talking too much again. Do I have to remind you what happens to those that flap their gums too much"
Basilisk : " My fault, it's just when it comes to this sort of thing, IT GETS MY BLOOD PUMPING Y'KNOW ! "
Man #4 : " Yeah whatever, just take this as a warning for next time because you know "HE" wouldn't let this slide if he was here "
Man #4 : " well, it looks like you got things under control here ... if you'll excuse me I'll be on my way then"
Basilisk : " Wait before you go back don't tell them I've got the kid yet I wanna have some fun with him first and see what he's made of "
Man #4 : " knock yourself out, just don't over do it like you did last time you got a bad habit of going overboard with things "
Basilisk : " sure sure I got it , NOW LETS HAVE SOME FUN !"
Man #4 : " see ya "
Stasia : " Alesul run and get away from here " she says as she coughs up more blood
Alesul : " I can't, not without you dumbass, I can't leave here unless your with me "
Stasia : " Just g-go "
Basilisk : " Now where were we, oh yeah it's about that time you show me your true power kid it's not everyday I get to fight people like you "
Alesul : " What power are you talking about ? , but if it's a fight you're looking for I'll give you one"
Basilisk : " NOW THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR !!!"
Basilisk then rushes towards Alesul and strikes him with a barrage of powerful blows, each and every one of them faster than the last.
Basilisk : " And up you go "
Basilisk then kicks Alesul up into the air once more, grabbing him by the head and immediately throwing him to the other side of the village. Alesul then dashes towards Basilisk trying to land a blow of his own, but it is no use as Basilisk is just too overwhelming for Alesul in terms of overall fighting capabilities; Instead he gets sent flying all the way to the outskirts of the village, near the Great Zou forest. In the aftermath of that last attack from Basilisk Dozens upon Dozens of trees are destroyed in an instant. As well as the distortion of the surrounding forest area from the force of the impact. Alesul Is barely conscious after that last powerful blow covered in wounds from head to toe.
Alesul internally : " Thi-this is him holding back ?, this guys a monster... I can't even feel my body right now "
Basilisk : " come on kid don't tell me this is all you have ?, come on show me that inner strength of yours, I'm starting to get bored here"
Alesul : " L-like I told ( coughs up blood ) y-you already I don't k-know what your talking about ( coughs up more blood ) "
Basilisk : " Fine if that's how you wanna play it then I'll just keep beating it out of you, who knows maybe once I'm done with you I'll have some fun with that friend of yours. She looks like she could use it if you catch my drift, He He He He "
Basilisk then cracks a sinister grin just to add more insult to injury, Alesul then musters all the strength he has left to stand back up this time furious with anger.
Alesul : " DON'T TOUCH HER!, I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BEAT YOU... BUT I PROMISE YOU IF YOU SO MUCH AS TOUCH HER I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH UNTIL I KILL YOU !!"
Basilisk : " HELL YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT SHOW ME THAT STRENGTH OF YOURS"
Basilisk then rushes towards Alesul once more but before he gets to attack Stasia jumps in the way at the last second causing Basilisk to stop in his tracks as she is not his target.
Alesul : " Stasia... What are you doing ? "
Stasia : " Isn't it obvious, I'm not leaving you to die just like you did for me "
Basilisk : " What the hell, get out the fuck out the way brat "
Stasia : " NO... I refuse, I won't let you hurt him any further"
Basilisk : " your really starting to piss me off, GET THE FUCK OUT OUTTA MY WAY !! "
Stasia : " NO!... what did the people of this village do to deserve this huh, we never committed a crime, we never did anything to deserve this" ; as she speaks her voice starts breaking down as her tears start rolling down her face.
Stasia : " how could people like you take away another's life without any remorse for it instead you smile at the thought of it, your a heartless monster"
Basilisk : " Cut the bullshit, I don't give a crap about your sobs story or this shitty ass village, I came here to do a job kid whether people live or die is nun of my concern if it happens then it happens, there are only five things I care about in this world and thats money,power,sex,status and collecting the scroll, human life isn't one of them therefor I don't give a shit about it. Now get outta the way before I kill you as well"
Frustrated by the thought of Basilisk's statement, Stasia slaps Basilisk across the face with all the strength she could muster.
Basilisk : " Why you little..."
Stasia : " People like you deserve far worse than death, you should be fed to wild beast you scum"
Basilisk : " enough of this "
enraged by Stasia's actions Basilisk decides to quickly dispose of her, quickly piercing through her lung with his bare hand. The speed at which he did it was fast enough to make a speeding bullet look slow in comparison,by the time he was done not even she nor Alesul had realized what had just happened. Unable to properly breath, Stasia starts to cough up massive amounts of blood as she starts to bleed out.
Basilisk : " Well that takes care of that...such a waste honestly, I was planning on making her my new plaything too... oh well I can always find a new one He He He He. Now, where were we kid"
Alesul : " YOU BASTARD I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU !!! "
Basilisk : " That's the spirit come at me then boy, HELL YEAH !! "
Alesul rushes towards Basilisk, he then attacks, landing a powerful kick. Basilisk blocks it with his right arm just at the perfect moment , Alesul then goes for another attack to follow the first but instead it was a faint attack as his true objective was Stasia he then quickly picks her up and rushes deeper within the forest grounds.
Basilisk : " Not bad kid, but running won't get you far "
Alesul : " It's gonna be alright I promise just hang on, we'll get you to a doctor and ...
Stasia : " Alesul, just put me down and leave me here. We both know it's too late for me anyways, I'm only dragging you down as I am "
Alesul : " What are you talking about like I could ever do such a ... "
Stasia : " Please, ju-just p-put me down " she says as she coughs up more blood when forcing herself to speak. Tears slowly fell from Alesul's face as he heard her speak though he did not make a face nor sound when shedding those tears; It was as if Alesul was trying to hold back his emotions for the both of them as he carried her.
Stasia : " I know that I d-don't ha-have long left to l-live anyways,even now I can feel my eyes getting heavier... as my breathing gets slower by the second, and how now everything around me... seems all the more precious... even now in this situation... "
Alesul : " stop talking like that I told you you're gonna be fine, we'll find a doctor in the next town nearby and... "
Stasia : " I already told you, It's too late for that idiot...just put me down... next to that tree over there "
As Alesul sat down by the nearby tree Stasia was right beside him as she caressed his face, clearing the tears that were falling from the side of his cheek. She then said in a soft voice " don't be sad for my s-sake " as she coughed up more blood and her breathing became heavier, she then said while looking at Alesul with the same smile as she always does " Alesul don't let what other people say about you ruin your dream...I know that you'll be an amazing seeker..., you dumb-ass " as she spoke those words the life force within her body got weaker and weaker until it was no more; Tears fell from Alesul's face as sadness overflowed within him,as well as the heavy rain fall that seamed to hide the sound of his voice when he cried. As Stasia's lifeless body laid within Alesul's arms he held on to her rather tightly letting his emotions flow out;
Basilisk : " Seems we finally got rid of miss self righteous over there, so how about it kid lets pick up where our little fight left off He He He He "
As Basilisk continued to taunt Alesul with his words,Basilisk noticed what appeared to be a cold sinister piercing glare coming from Alesul. That of which he had never seen on a person before. It was unlike any other he had ever come across, it was one of pure hatred and darkness. For a brief moment however Basilisk, a man who had looked death in the eyes countless times and never once feared it, found himself looking at death once more... only this time death was staring right back. This new and uneasy feeling sent shivers down his spine but that made him all the more excited.
Basilisk : " Looks like you're ready to show me your real strength, if I knew she was the trigger I would've killed her soo..."
Before he could finish his sentence however, Alesul dashed towards him faster than he could react, knocking basilisk back, sending him flying across the forest grounds. The creatures of the forest all scatter around in the distance as the shockwave of the blow is felt throughout the vast forest. Smoke and rubble cover the air as well as several large trees knocked over the area although basilisk is still standing after the attack. As the smoke and rubble cleared Alesul had this strange aura around him that just exudes out of him encompassing his body.
Basilisk : " Not bad kid... but you'll have to do better than that if you hope to kill me "
Man #4 : " Do you guys feel a crazy aura coming from over there ? "
Man #2 : " Looks like that bastard Basilisk went and did it again huh... I knew we should've killed him back then, but now it'll be more annoying to bring the kid back with us if he can use "THAT " don't you think ? "
Man #1 : " Maybe so... but regardless of the situation it shouldn't be much of a problem as he's just awakened to that power of his. The fact that he has already acquired the ability to use it, means that he's that much more suitable to help us with are cause"
Man #4 : " That might be true, but don't you think we should've been more careful about this, he could potentially end up running out of control making this an unfavorable outcome for us, considering that potential of his ? "
Man #1 : " Indeed, this is quite the predicament... but it matters not as we still have a job to do"
Mugen internally : " The boys gone and done it now, Odin I guess there's no turning back from this anymore"
Man #2 : " what should we do about the old geezer over here then ? "
Man #1 : " I do think it's about time we wrap this up ... since it seems he's willing to take the whereabouts of the scroll to the grave "
Man #2 : " But who would've thought, he'd hold out for this long... he's a tough old shit I'll give him that "
Mugen : " Heh, I may be old but I'm far from weak. If I was even ten years younger you lot wouldn't stand a chance "
Man #2 : " as if, i'm sick of this shit I'm ending this now, this shits gone on long enough"
As Mugen stood there in exhaustion covered in wounds from head to toe unable to move even the slightest muscle in his body, one of the hooded men dashed towards Mugen, blitzing him in the process. Before Mugen himself could even realize ripping off his left arm and leg as well as part of his torso. The devastating attack was brutal in execution as if to boast about his strength, leaving one of the hooded men to even call him out for it.
Mugen : " ( coughs up an extraordinary amount of blood as his body hits the floor ) "
Man #4 : " Don't you think you overdid it a little bit ? "
Man #2 : " What the fuck does it even matter ?, he was going to die eventually... it's not like we were going to spare the bastard "
Man #4 : " That isn't the problem,least you could've done was give him the courtesy of an honorable death "
Man #2 : " Honor ?, who gives a shit about that sort of crap, Zi Hi Hi Hi Hi "
Man #4 : " That's not point, that isn't how we do things you idiot "
Man #2 : " Are you trying to start something ? "
Man #1 : " Enough!, the damage is done... we should head back to the rendezvous point and meet up with "HIM", you stay here and make sure that other idiot doesn't do anything stupid "
Man #4 : " I don't think that's a wise decision, you know if it's just me here he's not gonna listen to reason unless I use force. Things can end up getting out of control if that happens "
Man #1 : " Fair enough"
Mugen internally : " Looks like this is it for me, a fitting death I suppose...considering all the blood i've spilt over my lifetime, in a way it's kind of merciful. Although, now the boy has no one to look after him but himself, though we had our differences and butted heads more than I could count that grandson of mine turned out to be a fine individual...Alesul I know that you will be a remarkable seeker... know that I believe in y-you "
As the battle within the village had already reached its conclusion the battle within the forest was just heating up. Basilisk dashed full force as he made his way back towards Alesul and displayed two strong hammer-like punches one after the other then followed up with an impressive barrage of punches strong enough to shatter the trees and large boulders in the surrounding area from the pressure alone. Alesul however dodged the barrage of blows completely as the aura surrounding him seemed to boost his physical capabilities as the fight continued, however Basilisk was not fazed by this as he blitzes Alesul after he dodged his previous assault and grabbed him by the leg and swung him into the ground causing Alesul to cough up blood as well as bleed from his head. Basilisk then proceeded to pummel Alesul further into the ground with the same powerful barrage of punches as before .
Basilisk : " Maybe I should break one of those legs of yours just to make it easier for you to come with us, how does that sound ? "
Alesul : " ...."
Basilisk : " No response huh ?, I guess you don't mind "
although Basilisk had spoken trying to taunt Alesul like he was doing previously Alesul did not respond, not because he couldn't,but because the aura encompassing his body had started to encompass his mind as well making Alesul less like a human and more like a wild beast in nature fighting on instincts alone; As not even his pupils were visible. Alesul then sprung up from the floor using his hands and kicked Basilisk high up into the air although Basilisk blocked the initial impact of the first blow but the strength behind it was still powerful enough to lift him off the ground up into the air. Alesul then dashes towards a massive tree in the distance and running up the side of the tree only to then leap from it catching basilisk by surprise, grabbing his leg and flipping Basilisk upside down, he then proceeds to hug him by the torso and begins to rotate both of them until almost hitting the ground letting go of Basilisk right before impact causing a devastating blow making a giant crater in the ground in the aftermath. However basilisk then slowly begins to rise from the ground as if nothing happened while also displaying a similar aura like that of Alesul's.
Basilisk : " I've got to say kid even though your mind may not be all there right now, your living up my expectations this was more fun than I thought it would be, now let me show you what happens when I get a little serious"
As Basilisk decides to finally show some of his true strength, Alesul in his unconscious beast-like state begins to exude even more aura than he had originally been displaying. At the same time the other hooded men began to take notice of the situation and began to feel uneasy about what was happening at the moment.
Man #4 : " It was as I had feared the situation has now become unfavorable, the kid is starting to release his aura in a wild manner from the look of things, if this keeps up will have a class 1 problem on are hands "
Man #1 : " we should take action now before " That " starts to occur, I say it's best if we retreat for now "
Man #2 : " What about that idiot Basilisk ? Do we leave him ? "
Man #1 : " No, one of you go retrieve him before he ends up getting himself killed, since the situation has already changed. Mugen is already dead and he didn't give an answer to the whereabouts of the scroll, as far as i'm concerned we have more pressing matters to attend to"
Man #2 : " this sucks, we came here for two things one was the scroll or it's whereabouts and the second was the brat,now we gotta go back empty handing to boot, I say why don't we just fight the kid even in his unstable state and bring him back half dead "
Man #4 : " Going back empty handed is gonna be a serious problem, I agree in taking the kid back even if we half to beat'em half to death it's not like it's too much of a task "
Man #1 : " It's not about if we can beat him or not, it's the fact that we cannot kill him that is the problem,making the fight pointless. As he will just keep getting stronger as the fight progresses and eventually become something of unimaginable destruction with no rationality... a wise man once said it is better to retreat and fight another day than to die for nothing "
Man #4 : " fair enough, I'll go retreat basilisk then, I won't be long "
Man #2 : " yeah hurry the fuck up,this rain starting to pour down like crazy, I don't know about you but I like to be dry "
Man #4 : " That's not what your mother said, but fine I'll hurry up "
Man # 2 : " tcht, piece a crap "
As the battle within the great Zou forest insinuated Basilisk and Alesul were still trading blows like no tomorrow, though the battle that they both engaged in would soon come to a sudden halt. As one of the hooded men made his way into the forest locating both of them rather quickly as he could sense the clashing of powerful aura,the hooded man then intervened in between the both of them stopping their attacks in their tracks at the same time. Basilisk however did not appreciate the sudden stop of his fight.
Basilisk : " what the hell do you think your doing ?, can't you see I'm enjoying this fight right now "
Man #4 : " The situations changed,were withdrawing from here and we still haven't gotten a lead on the scrolls whereabouts...besides we are limited on time,so lets get a move on before things get even worse "
Basilisk : " Tcht, fine "
As the hooded man explained the situation to Basilisk, they both agreed to retreat; however Alesul was still there although not in the right state of mind; As he was instinctively fighting while unconscious. That meant that Basilisk as well as his ally would have to find a quick solution towards this predicament that would eventually allow them to retreat. That's when they decided it was for the best if they could fight him off for just a moment and incapacitate him for at least several seconds. The hooded man near Basilisk was still holding on to Alesul's hand when he suddenly swept Alesul's leg dropping him to the ground,Basilisk then followed his lead by landing several blows on Alesul's abdominal area. The hooded man then proceeded to use a strange ability appearing as falling leaves allowing both him and basilisk to scatter into the wind while suppressing their aura as if they were never there. This allowed them to regroup with their other allies without much trouble.
Man #1 : " now that we're all here It's time for us to meet at the rendezvous point, though I have no idea as towards how "HE'LL" react to the news of our failure "
Man #4 : " Yeah, this isn't looking too good for us right now. The scroll is nowhere to be found and the brat is in an unstable state "
Basilisk : " Man, I could've taken care of the kid situation if you'd just let me fight him some more "
Man #1 " No, the deal was to bring him back alive...furthermore your tendency to go overboard is one of high risk for us. Besides knowing that the kid has awakened to his aura it won't be long until his presence in the world is made known,when that time comes we'll be sure to take advantage of it "
Like a shadow in the blackness of night they appeared and just like that they were gone. No evidence or trace to be found the hooded men in dark cloaks vanished, after the chaos that had transpired over the course of several hours, the village as well as the forest where left in complete ruins not a single sound was able to be heard for miles. Except the sound of heavy rainfall that just continued falling ceaselessly as the morning sun arrived. As time went by Alesul slowly began to regain his senses as he laid within the forest grounds, barely remembering the last few events that had transpired when he had lost control of his senses. As he fought the man known as basilisk but most of it was still a blur to him. He then slowly began to exit the forest grounds with Anastasia in his arms as her body was left lifeless. His body and mind alike exhausted by the events he had been a part of, things that transpired that he would've never thought possible had come forth into reality; Things that were dark and sinister in nature had taken over and washed away the life of things he had once taken for granted, realizing they were now gone with no hope of ever returning. As Alesul made his way back to his village his body dropped to the floor in disbelief as he saw with his very own eyes the corpse of what once was his grandfather. Alesul then rushed towards his grandfather's corps with Anastasia still in hand, tripping and stumbling in the heavy rainfall as he made his way over towards Mugen. Alesul's tears began to drop yet barely visible because of the rain.
Alesul :" G- gramps g-get up, come on old man y-you said you'd be fine. You said you'd always watch over me, SO GET UP ALREADY!!! "
Alesul : " I said g-get up dammit " he says as tears began to flow heavily from his face. Alesul began to punch the ground as he cried over the loss of his friend and grandfather, as well as the loss of every single person who once inhabited the village. Alesul then spoke but as he spoke you could hear the anger as well as sadness in his voice.
Alesul : " I SWEAR THIS ON MY LIFE, I'LL FIND AND KILL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU BASTARDS, YOU CAN COUNT ON IT ! "
Several hours later Alesul had buried and made individual tombs for each and every person who he could find in the village. Though some were harder to retrieve than others he still managed to get it done somehow. After he was done Alesul just stood there as he faced the cloudy skies above, eventually the sound of the falling rain engulfed the area as though it were trying to cover the sound of his sorrow filled cries. After some time however Alesul decides to enter the remains of what once considered his home looking for anything that might've resembled his peaceful life within the village. As he rummages throughout the rubble he finds what appears to be a picture frame though slightly cracked at the center.
Alesul : " T-this was mom's picture frame. I remember Gramps was always holding on to this every chance he could... out of everything that could've survived in this house this was one of them"
As Alesul kept looking at the busted picture frame he noticed that there was something stuck to the back of the picture frame, as he turned the frame over he noticed what appeared to be a small silver key.
Alesul : " A key ?..., if i'm not mistaken I remember every time gramps picked up this picture frame he would eventually then go to his room, maybe the key had something to do with it "
Alesul then quickly got up from the floor as he took the key that was stuck behind the picture frame as well as removing the picture itself and putting it in his pocket. He then headed towards Mugen's room. Upon arriving in his room he noticed that unlike the rest of the house Mugen's room was unrecognizable as it had been completely destroyed, Alesul didn't mind this however and kept on rummaging through everything in the room eventually noticing something at the conner of where Mugen's bed use to be. It was something that appeared to be like a door handle in shape, Alesul then quickly rushed towards that side of the room and began rummaging once more. After a while he managed to remove all the rubble that had blocked his way revealing what appeared to be a door that led to something underground. Alesul was intrigued yet confused as to why this mysterious door would be here as well as why he was never made aware of its existence.
Alesul : " A door ?, wonder why the old man never told me about something like this... what was so important that he had to keep this a secret from me ? "
As Alesul kept inspecting the contents of the mysterious door he noticed what resembled a small key hole right under the handle, though it had slipped his sight because of all the rubble and dirt that still covered the door. Alesul then quickly removed the inconvenience and right as he did, Alesul realized that the key he had just gotten belonged to this mysterious door.
Alesul : " I guess it's time I open this sucker right up, and see for myself what was so important that he had to hide from me for all these years "
Alesul then reached in his pocket and took the key that his grandfather had left behind hidden within the back of the picture frame, but just as he reached for the key hole pertaining to the mysterious door he took a deep breath as though preparing himself for anything that he may eventually find down there. As Alesul began to turn the key and eventually the handle belonging to that door he felt a sense of anxiety as he was rather impatient what could be lying in wait for him to uncover, as Alesul finally open the door a massive gust of wind burst out of what appeared to be a basement which knocked Alesul back for just a bit; Alesul then noticed that there were some steps that led deeper within the confines of this basement. Alesul then made his way down the dark entrance of the basement upon reaching the bottom he noticed that the dark room was bigger than what he originally thought before entering as well as filled with all sorts of things he had never once seen before.
Alesul : " Woah..., just who the hell was the old man... this place is nuts, just look at all these weapons and gear he had there just collecting dust in here. I'm guessing he wouldn't mind if I took a peak or two in this place, still it's crazy to think he had a room like this under the house "
Alesul was astonished at the things he laid his eyes upon entering the secret basement within the confines of his home. Weapons of all kinds just laying around some of the highest quality you could imagine, Alesul could tell just at a glance by comparison, vehicle's too some better than others and some Looked like they weren't even of this world. As he kept looking around, Alesul noticed a strange chest-like object sitting at the corner of the room. As he walked towards the chest he felt a strange pressure as though it were guiding him as well as pulling him towards it. Before he could realize it he had taken out the previous key that his grandfather had given to him, the key was hanging from a string off of his neck he then quickly removed it, but hesitantly opening the chest. Upon opening the unfamiliar chest he noticed a strange looking sword, one which was unparalleled in beauty, while holding a certain elegance to it. The elegance of this blade was akin to that of a king, covered in an otherworldly color. The sword seemed to change it's color hue on it's own, as though it were alive. Going from a metallic light blue to dark sinister purple on the scabbard. The hilt however was of a strange platinum color that was far too dark to be considered platinum but far too light to be considered black. Besides the color of the sword, the scabbard appeared to have strange alien-like markings on it. As well as a four point star- like symbol located within the cross guard of the sword itself. Distracted by the appearance of the sword, Alesul failed to realize that there was one more object located within the chest itself ,the second object was that of a medallion that had a strange symbol that pertained to the word balance in the far east. Beside it however was what appeared to be a note of some sort.
Alesul : " this must be a note , I wonder what's written on it ? "
" If you're reading this letter it most likely means that I am no longer of this world. It also means that I couldn't keep the promise I made of having you live a normal life. I also know that this means you will most likely follow in your father's footsteps as well as my own and become a seeker, although it bothers me I know that I can no longer stop you and in that case I wish you God's speed and the best of luck. Though before I make my peace let me share some information and give you some words of advice... I've cared and raised you for the past 16 years as though you were my own son. When your father brought you over he had also brought this sword and medallion with him, Personally I've only ever seen these medallion's on my journeys but never have I seen this weapon before. He told me it was a special weapon with unique properties and bearing many names throughout the world. Though most commonly known as " the ceremonial sword of Khatam ", at the time he didn't explain why but over time I slowly Understood the reason, he sealed away most of your abilities. As well as to why he told me to never let anyone see your right arm...I know there are many questions you may have right now but unfortunately I don't have all of the answers you seek, I hope you can find it in your heart to one day forgive me but this was done to protect you my boy. Now you have a choice in this you can either take the blade out of the scabbard allowing you to regain all your sealed power or you can leave it alone and live a normal life, the choice is yours.
sincerely : Grandpa Mugen "
As Alesul read the letter left by his grandfather he stood there in silence, he felt a sense of unease; After all he was left with more questions than answers. Yet somewhere deep inside he felt happy yet saddened and empty as he realized that in order for his dreams to come to fruition this was the price he had to pay. As Alesul put the letter down he began to reach towards the mysterious blade left by his father, right as Alesul made contact with the blade he felt a strange presence and energy emanating from the blade as though someone or something was sealed away inside it. As Alesul kept holding on to the blade he noticed that he wasn't in the basement anymore and instead some place different.
Alesul : " What is this place ?..., where exactly am I ?, and who are you ? "
Alesul couldn't believe what he was seeing, a strange man almost alien like in origin yet still resembling a human, covered in strange markings similar to that of Alesul's arm and the ones appearing on the blade. However it looked as though the mysterious entity could not move, as his body appeared to be covered in giant metal chains with strange markings and symbols of their own. Alesul, intrigued by the mysterious entity, decided to get closer but just as he did the entity itself opened its eyes, Looking back at Alesul with a menacing glare that felt like it could see right through his very soul. The entity then spoke with a voice like thunder and an intensity like no other that could be heard as it echoed all throughout this strange place.
Mysterious entity : " SEEM'S WE CROSS PATHS ONCE AGAIN BOY, NOW... WHY DON'T YOU LOOSEN THESE CHAINS FOR A BIT ? "
Alesul was shocked for a moment by what he had just seen, quickly letting go of the blade. As if frightened or startled by the entity's presence.
Alesul : " What did I just see ? ... w-what was that place and who was that ?, and why did I back away from the sword just now. It was as if my instincts just... "
Confused by what he just witnessed, Alesul decided to once again touch the sword, though this time nothing happened.
Alesul : " Nothing happened this time, that's strange, was it all just in my head. Whatever, I'll just figure it out later I guess, but before I get a move on and say my goodbyes to this place I'm sure gramps wouldn't mind if I took some of the gear and clothes that's here... not like it's being used. "
Alesul then began to pack his things into one of the many bags left by his grandfather within the massive inventory. As Alesul decides to venture into the great unknown he notices a small metal cube that peaks his interest before he goes, curious as to what it could be he decides to touch it.
Alesul : " gramps sure had a lot of weird shit in here, I wonder what this does ? "
As if magic, the small cube began to expand revealing it's true form, that of a futuristic and alien-like motorbike that seemed to hover never fully touching the ground. Excited by what he had just seen, Alesul quickly got on the bike and as if already accustomed to the bike he began to rev up the engine, only to burst out of the house from the force of the bike's engine.
Alesul : " HELL YEAH, THIS KICKS ASS!!! "
As he's leaving Alesul decides to pay his respect towards the graves of everyone who had lost their lives within the village, bowing his head as though to say thank you for everything.
Alesul : " Gramps, Stasia i'm off watch over me will ya "
Alesul then smiles with a humble yet confident smile and begins his descent from the village, driving the bike through the great Zou forest and finally off of the edge of the cliff, as he drives the bike off of the edge you see two hands though more like that of two spirits pushing him forward as though to never look back and to push forward though he does not see them nor notice them.
