Chapter 2 - Ruining

Saiko was relaxing and drawing a piece of art. Not the kind that sells for millions, but the kind of piece that holds a special place for specific people. She was drawing a tree, it looked, well, not the best, but it delivered the idea.

Ryu, running around, his clothes incredibly dirty, came near his mother.

"Mom, what's that?"

Saiko smiled.

"It's a tree, dear."

Ryu nodded and ran away.

Saiko looked at her son, who frolicked on the dirty grass. Then, her face cracks with wrath.

"Wait a second, laundry."

...

"RYU, GET BACK HERE YA BRAT!!!"

Saiko stood up and chased Ryu. Even with her age, she still kept up with the young boy. Ryu kept looking back and sticking out his tongue, further angering his mother. Though she was mad, she couldn't help but have fun when she chased her son around. Her face broke into a smile, though she kept forcing a mad look.

...

...

Evening, Maru was in the market, buying vegetables and meat to prepare for the village's festival, when he overheard some gossip from the next stall.

"Hey, did you know what happened to the Emperor weeks ago? That Jisei man... That name gives me the creeps..."

After hearing the name, Maru's face went from a peaceful one to a fearful one. The kind of face you'd do when something you wanted to forget so bad, came back to haunt you. His face darkened, sweating bullets.

His legs were trembling, his hands were shaky. The shopkeeper noticed.

"Maru, are you fine?"

Maru simply looked below, remaining silent.

....

"Yes, I heard that some Stone User took over the throne, I think their Shift was... Hmmm, [Susanoo]?"

Both men's faces became extremely disturbed, fear clearly showing on their faces.

"That's... Hopefully, this won't disturb our peace, no way they'll attack such a remote village like ours..."

"Hey, Don't say scary shit like that..."

"Forgive me."

"Well, what the hell are they gonna do here anyway? There's nothing worthwhile here."

"True..."

They both give off a sigh of relief.

Maru immediately took off and ran towards his home, his face was extremely desperate, and for what..?

Maru was greeted with the sight of his family having fun. He sighed in relief and wiped his sweat away. He immediately went to hug Ryu and Saiko.

Ryu was confused by his father's action, but simply smiled and hugged him back, not really thinking much of it.

Saiko, however, was worried. She hugged him back very tightly and patted his back.

"What's wrong, dear?"

She asked in a soothing voice.

Maru simply hugged her, holding back tears.

"T-thank god you guys are safe..."

Saiko sighed and caressed his hair.

"Shhh, it's okay... Nothing's wrong..."

Maru smiled.

The three shared a warm hug for a while until Ryu complained because his father stinked.

...

"I shouldn't be complacent, those bastards will not touch my family, if they're gonna come here, then so be it, I'll give them what they want," Maru silently thought to himself.

He broke one normal-looking plank on the floor of the house. He smashed it with his shovel, repeatedly banging it until it showed a crack. He, pried it open with the head of his shovel. One plank was done. Though it wasn't clear, the floor was hiding some kind of small crate underneath. So he went to work with the other planks. 

"I should finish this now, while Saiko and Ryu are outside playing..."

After some minutes, he finally completely revealed what was hiding underneath.

...

A giant, normal-looking crate. The thing looked extremely crude, throwing aesthetics out of the window, purely focusing on practicality. The dust was, very, very thick, it looked like it had been hiding there for some years. Well, now's not the time to admire its looks.

Maru dreadfully opened the crate, revealing a small stone, which was quite weird considering the size of the crate.

He went outside and put it in a small but secure pouch.

He gave the small pouch to Ryu.

"Do not ever tell anyone about this, you got it?"

Ryu nodded.

"When you're desperate, eat what's inside, okay?"

"Yes, papa!"

Ryu enthusiastically replied. Maru chuckled and patted Ryu's head.

...

As the hours counted down, Maru dreadfully waited.

...

Then, the villagers screamed.

The screams of many, completely overpowering the silent night. It was as if it was Hell on Earth. Screams of terror, and the stampede of the villagers.

It was supposed to be the village's festival, supposed to be a night of joy and laughter... So what happened...?

...

Maru immediately ran outside to see his family.

"Maru, t-the villagers!" Saiko shouted.

"I know, go in the hiding room with Ryu."

Saiko shakingly nodded and pulled Ryu with her towards the house.

Ryu looked at his father's back one last time.

Saiko pulled the rug on the floor, revealing a square hatch. They prepared for something like this. Saiko pulled the hatch open, revealing a ladder. Saiko went down first and helped Ryu get down too. Maru was above them, and with one final nod, Saiko closed the hatch. Maru closed the rug too.

...

Maru said it was a hiding "room", but it looked more like a cell than a room, with no lights whatsoever, thankfully, Saiko brought an oil lamp. With the surroundings illuminated, they were surrounded by some sort of iron, a completely iron room, that must've been expensive.

Saiko and Ryu hugged together tightly.

"Mom, what's happening...?"

Saiko forced a smile, comforting Ryu.

"Just a simple night, my dear..."

Ryu closed his eyes and hugged his mother.

Though Saiko said nothing was wrong, she wasn't so sure of it herself, she was trembling, scared of whatever would happen to her family, forgetting to think about herself...

The two hugged like there was no tomorrow.

...

Maru stepped outside, looking at the burning village, screams can still be heard.

"So he came."

...

Maru closed his eyes for a moment, before biting his lip, hard, seemingly on purpose.

Then, a sudden pillar of fire erupted, and an explosion rivaling that of a modern bomb happened after, then, when the ashes and smoke slightly became more visible the ground below Maru was scorched, and the ground looked darker than coal...

Then, after the dust completely settled, Maru, stood as an imposing figure, his presence radiating an intense heat that shimmers in the air around him. His eyes blaze with an eternal flame, reflecting the destructive and purifying power he commands. His hair, a cascading inferno of molten lava, crackles and sparks with every movement.

Adorned in armor forged from the heart of a volcano, his suit glows with a deep, fiery red, veins of molten gold running through the intricate designs etched across the metal. The armor's surface is perpetually hot, and smoke rises from the seams as if a volcano is barely contained within it. His pauldrons are shaped like roaring dragon heads, and his gauntlets end in sharp, claw-like fingers.

He wielded a long, glowing katana, which radiated a fierce, crimson glow, its blade a deep, fiery red that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. The hilt, wrapped in blackened leather, is etched with ancient runes that flicker like embers, Izanagi's sword... The Ame-no-Ohabari

He stood there, a living embodiment of the raw, untamed power of fire.

...

Maru, God Fragment: [Kagutsuchi]