~2~ Power

Akuro was deep in thought. 'I need a power that will both make me overwhelmingly powerful and make me immortal… is such a wish possible? I mean that's basically two wishes in one. What kind of power could grant both strength and immortality? Oi, what if I use things in myth as an example? Maybe underworld gods? No, not even Hades was unbeatable, the gods of lore were killable in the the end. Wait! That's it! I know what my wish is!'

Akuro looked up at Raijin sitting across from him in the endless void. "Hey gramps, I know my wish."

"Hmm?"

"I wish…to become Death itself."

"Oh? I've never heard this one before. Explain what you mean by… Death itself?" Raijin asked, now intrigued.

"Are you familiar with the Grim Reaper?" Akuro asked.

"Hmmm. Yes, it's an omnipotent being who controls the death of all beings. In lore the Grim Reaper is unkillable and rules over the souls of even gods." Raijin's eyes widened. As he spoke of the Grim Reaper, Akuro began to grin, and his grin widened more with each word Raijin spoke.

"Yeah, exactly that. I wish to become… the Omnipotent Death. I wish to be the Grim Reaper!" Akuro said.

Raijin then smiled, and that smile then turning into a boisterous laugh. 'This boy… he is… awe inspiring! With this wish he even has the power to kill us gods! Hmm, I must be careful with this one.' Raijin thought. "Alright boy, in the name of the almighty thunder god Raijin, I hereby grant your wish! From here on, you are the Omnipotent Death!"

Akuro felt a strange sensation run through his body. It was as if the outside of his body was burning while, at the same time, his blood turned cold, like he was freezing and burning at the same time, but, it didn't hurt. Instead it almost tickled, kind of like an irritating scratch you can't quite reach, and then, a moment later the itchiness faded away and changed into an empowered feeling. He felt an immense adrenaline rush like he was on a fast roller coaster. His excitement and anxiousness rose until something burst in him, and then he was able to sense things he never could before. At first it was awe inspiring, and then it turned downhill.

"I should've warned you, the power over death comes with a given risk that almost anyone could predict. You have to bear witness to every death that takes place in the universe, down to the last detail." Raijin said.

Akuro bent over onto his knees, grasping his head as visions of death, pain, suffering and flowing crimson blood rushed through his mind all at once overwhelming him. He never really knew how much death took place in his world… but now he could see it is much more than anyone could realize. Akuro felt a flash of pain run through his head and then through his entire body.

"Hmm. You need to learn to control it, Akuro, if you don't your soul will shatter. Then I'll have to find a new candidate to replace you, and the higher ups won't be happy." Raijin said. 'Damn. Maybe the drawback of this power is too much. Deities have wished to rule over death before, but they simply wished to raise the dead or control souls, not become death itself. The side effects seem much more brutal than any before him… I only hope the fool can pull through.'

'Shit, shit, shit, SHIT!' Akuro screamed in his mind, he couldn't even hear his own thoughts over the cries of the dead in his mind. 'I need to get this under control somehow… but how? So much pain… so much death… it's overwhelming!' Akuro groaned in pain. He could see every death that unfolded, not just humans but creatures as well, down to the smallest living organism. 'No… I can't control death… not yet… first… I have to become death, I can't allow myself to care for these lost souls or their cries of anguish, I have to steel myself! I can't let myself care… that's right… I don't… care. I don't give a damn about any of you!' As he thought this, all of a sudden the visions stopped rushing into his mind like a vicious river shattering a dam, but it became more like a small stream, gently trickling in. The visions were there, but they were no longer overwhelming, no, he could handle them. All he had to do was steel his mind and his emotions, and not care, just as he always had. His mind flashed back to a face he once loved, but soon grew to hate. He clenched his fists and grit his teeth. 'I don't care about anyone or anything, except myself. That's all I can care about, everything else… can simply screw off.' Akuro stood, his ephemeral figure now emitting an intense, dark pressure that swirled about him like a hurricane, and he was the storm's eye.

Akuro then met Raijin's gaze with his own dead eyes.

"I see. So that's how you did it, you've torn away your own humanity." Raijin spoke. "Not surprising considering the things you've seen just now, and I imagine you are still seeing them at this moment, hmm?"

Akuro glared at Raijin with a dead, emotionless expression like that of a ceramic doll. Then he suddenly smiled. "Oi, that was difficult, but I've got a hang of it now. All good, gramps."

Raijin shivered. 'It's frightening how fast he can change his composure. But I can still sense that aura, this sense of dread. His pressure is still there, though he hides it well. To anyone else he just seems like some anime obsessed fool, but to us gods… we can see how frightening this boy really is. Now I see… why he was chosen. The only question now is… will he lead mankind to glory, or will he be the one to bring about man's end?'

"Good. It is impressive how fast you can adapt to any given situation. But we will see how you fare when put up against the other Deities, hmm?" Raijin spoke, though he felt that not even he would be able to defeat the boy before him when he comes to his full strength. 'He may prove to be a problem in the future for us… I have to keep a close eye on him.'

"Oi, well I imagine that they all chose some formidable powers as well, I mean they were chosen just as I was. I imagine for better reasons, to be honest I am still confused as to why I was chosen in particular, but it's not as if it matters now." Akuro said. He was confident in his power that he chose, the only issue now was to figure out exactly how to use it. He'd have to run some experiments when he gets reincarnated.

"Hmm, yes. Well, now we must be off. We are already behind schedule, we must go to the Temple of Fantasies now." Raijin instructed.

"Temple of Fantasies?" Akuro inquired.

"I'll explain when we get there, you aren't being reincarnated just yet."

'Not yet huh?' Akuro thought, 'what is gramps up to?'

Raijin raised his right hand, the silver cloth falling away to reveal his bare skin on which were black markings in the pattern of clashing lightning. The old man held his fingers together, pressing his thumb and middle finger against each other. The markings suddenly flashed in a blinding burst of light as Raijin snapped his fingers, the following sound resembling that of a tremendous thunderclap. When Akuro could see again, he was standing in a vast open field of dried grass and dead trees. The sky was pink and orange as if it were a sunset, yet no sun was to be seen. The field was expansive and seemed to have no end.

"What is this place?" Akuro asked, confused, looking around and then down at his astral body. His skin was pale as it was in life and there was a strange black smoke barely visible swirling about him. 'This must be my power's aura, kind of like in anime. I need to learn to conceal it better if I want to be unnoticed by enemies.'

"This is the Temple of Fantasies. This place creates an endless realm based off of the user it connects to. Right now we are in my realm. The realm is based off of your spirit and personality. Can you guess why mine appears like this?" Raijin spoke.

"Oi… is it because you are dry and boring?" Akuro asked innocently.

"Why you, I am not dry nor am I boring you insolent fool!" Raijin sighed, "No. it's not because I'm… those things you incorrectly said. It's because my soul element is lightning, this landscape is a result of constant lightning storms and electricity striking the trees and the ground. Get it now?"

"Oh, so it's not just personality but also your… element? You mean like an aptitude towards a type of power?" Akuro asked.

"Yes, if your soul 'aptitude', as you put it, is towards fire, your fantasy space would be ashen or volcanic, if it were water it would be an ocean or river, if it were nature it would be a forest or jungle, and if it were earth it would be a desert or a mountain. Get it?" Raijin explained.

"I see. That's cool and all but… what is the point of this place exactly?"

"Simple, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yourself yet. We can't very well send you Deities out into the world of the living not knowing how to control your powers." Raijin said.

"Ah so this is a training ground?" Akuro realized. 'It seems I will be able to experiment with my new power sooner than expected.'

"Correct. You will learn how to control your powers here, and once you've mastered them we can then move on to meet up with the other gods and their corresponding candidates. Don't rush it though, the Temple of Fantasies is also a timescape, meaning that in here time is slowed to such a degree that it is almost stopped. In here, a day would equal only but a mere minute in the real world and the ethereal realm."

"Ah.. so you are saying I could stay in here for a whole year and in the outer realms only about 365 minutes would pass?" Akuro said.

"Hmm, yes but that doesn't mean I have the patience to sit here watching you hit your head against a wall for a whole year, boy. So no we are not going to stay here that long. I am going to give you three days time of training, and when the three days are up, the rest is for you to learn on your own." Raijin grunted.

"Oi, only three days? Is that really enough time to master my powers?" Akuro asked, unsure.

"Maybe not master it, but it will be a good start, and who knows, with how easily you can adapt to any given situation, you may actually be able to master your powers in this short of a time frame." Raijin shrugged. "It's all up to how hard you are willing to work for it."

"Yeah well my work ethic is not that great…" Akuro admitted. "Not unless I'm really interested in what I'm working towards." Akuro grinned, "and I'd say this is probably one such thing." Akuro observed the expansive landscape around him. 'Three days huh… what will I be practicing on in that time? Will it be enough time for me to get at least a firm hold on my abilities? Oi, I guess I'll just have to wait and see.' At that moment, Akuro wondered something. "Oi, gramps, why are we using your mindscape instead of mine? Is there any particular reason?"

"Hah, actually, there is. I fear that your mindscape would be that of some weird anime world, and I don't have the patience for any of that nonsense." Raijin said, arms crossed.

"Huh? Wait, you mean this place could make anime reality? Why didnt you say this before, I'd of had you use my mindscape instead!" Akuro complained.

"That's precisely why I didn't tell you, you idiot!"

"Oi, I should've had my power be to make reality into anime, now that would've been awesome… wait… shit. That would count as reality bending huh?" Akuro whimpered, disheartened.

"Yes, it would, now, stop wasting time. Let's get to your training, hmm?" Raijin suggested.

"Ah fine. Whatever." Akuro sighed. "How am I to train then? Am I to spar against you?"

"Pah! Don't get full of yourself boy, you aren't nearly my level yet."

'Yet, huh? Does that mean with the power I wished for I could potentially be as strong, or maybe even stronger than gramps? Maybe that's why he's refusing to spar with me, is it because he fears I'll surpass him? No, probably not. Ah, no use in worrying about that now, I'll find out soon enough.'

"Alright, explain to me how I will be training then." Akuro said with a shrug.

"Simple." Raijin smiled. "You are going to fight my Thunder Beasts."

"Thunder beasts?"

"Yes, there will be three levels to this, one for each day. You fight three of the strongest monsters of the thunder attribute." Raijin explained, a sinister grin on his old face. "The difficulty will scale up with each day, and if you manage to defeat each of these beasts then I would say that you would be strong enough to go out on your own."

'Three of the strongest thunder beasts, huh? I've never seen a real mythical beast before… I never thought they existed to begin with, I wonder just how strong they are.' Akuro thought. "And if I should fail?"

"Hmm…" Raijin's golden eyes bore into Akuro's, "to put it simply, boy…"

"Well?"

"Your soul will shatter."