CHAPTER 2 - ESSENCE OF THE SOUL

Twenty Minutes Later…

Tora crashed through the front door, collapsing onto the ground in a heap. 

He was wet and covered in mud, his clothes tattered and torn. Rain poured in from the open door. 

Footsteps were heard as Raion rushed downstairs, stopping when he noticed the two. "Tora ! Grandpa!!" He quickly shut the front door, slamming it quickly. 

"What happened???" He asked frantically as he crouched down, looking at the two. But no response came. They both seemed to be unconscious. 

Tora's eyes opened once again, back to their original color. 

His expression changed dramatically as he noticed where he was. He immediately tried to rise to his feet, but he stumbled, and fell back down. "Ow..!" His entire body felt heavy and in pain as if he had received a beating. 

"How did I get here..?"

"You just came in through the front door!" Raion shouted. 

Tora tried to remember what happened, but the last thing he could remember was the terrible pain that he had experienced After Mr.Crow's death. After that, nothing. 

"Ugh.." He placed a hand on his head as a sharp headache caught him by surprise. "Quit sitting around and help me out!" Raion complained, as he attempted to lift Akira up all by himself. Tora finally mustered the strength to stand, but barely, as he appeared by Akira's side. The two of them lifted Akira together, and were about to bring him to the couch, but then Akira awoke. "Grandpa!" They both shouted, as they wrapped their arms around Akira 

Akira chuckled, the exhaustion clear in his voice. "I sure am out of shape…" He said, ending the sentence with a hoarse chuckle. He placed a hand on Tora's head. But you're alright, and that's what matters. 

…

…

…

Sunday, May The 13th.

"I want to be strong." Tora told his grandpa. 

Akira then asked him, "Why?" 

"To protect myself and you!" 

"What about your brother?" Akira asked. 

"He can protect himself!" 

Later…

"How… Are you so strong!?" Tora said as he gasped for air. 

Raion approached him quickly without a response. Tora took a step back, before leaping towards his brother. 

"You need more training." Raion said, punching Tora directly in the face. 

Tora dropped to the ground, quickly rolling back. He then leaped at Raion, clipping him in the face. 

Raion hit back, jabbing him right in the ribs, before knocking him down onto the ground with a kick to the torso. But he quickly rose back up to his feet. 

As Raion prepared to strike again, Akira stopped him.

"That'll be enough." He said as he stood between the two boys. 

Raion paused as he lowered his fists. "Hmph." 

Tora snickered as a grin spread across his lips.

"What? I'll drag you through the mud anyday." Raion replied, raising his fist once again. 

"Tora, come with me." 

Tora looked up at his grandpa, nodding as they began walking towards the backyard. "I'm going to show you how to meditate." Akira said. They stopped abruptly in front of the lake. "What now, Grandpa?" Tora curiously asked. Akira let out a smug grin, as he snatched Tora by the back of the shirt and tossed him into the lake. 

Tora splashed onto the surface, immediately trying his best to stay afloat. 

Tora shrieked as he sporadically flailed around. 

A smile crossed Akira's face. Suddenly, he felt himself feeling something familiar. The scene before him reminded him of the past. 

He raised a finger upward, a brilliant blue glow surrounding his body. 

He aimed at the sky before releasing a bit of his Anima. A blue energy of sorts fired from the tip of his finger, crossing from his hand and to the clouds in the blink of an eye. Tora ceased all movement as his eyes widened out of pure shock. "What was that?" He asked out of amazement.

"It's called 'Anima'. It is the life energy that is determined by your mental and physical wellbeing." 

Akira sat down with his legs crossed as he watched Tora swim. "Close your eyes. Remember when I taught you how to meditate? Now is the perfect time to use it. Shut your eyes. Relax your muscles. Take deep breaths.."

Tora listened, and allowed his body to relax in the cold water. Within a short amount of time, he entered a state of meditation, his body passively floating in the water. 

Akira smirked as he noticed that Tora had already gotten the hang of it. "Good. This will be your very first lesson. Get in touch with your anima. Learn to feel it." 

 Akira stood up to his feet and trotted his way back to the front yard of the house. 

"Oi!" 

Akira called out to Raion as he approached. Raion didn't turn around. 

His eyes were shut, as he was concentrating on something.

He took a deep breath, as an extremely faint, colorless glow surrounded his body. 

Then it was gone. Raion sighed, opening his eyes. "I Don't have enough Anima." He muttered in an annoyed tone. "Wrong," Akira said. "You just don't have access to it. Meditate more, and you will eventually grasp it." He said as he stood with his arms crossed. "In the meantime, has it awakened yet?" 

Raion's eyes lit up, but then his expression grew disheartened. "No, it hasn't." Akira chuckled, placing a hand on Raion's shoulder. "Well, that's fine. You've got a few years anyway." 

Raion glanced down at the top of his hand, and in the middle was a very small dark spot of skin shaped like a four-pointed star.

"Moving on, I need you to come help me get supplies for the ride." 

Raion paused, asking: "Huh, what ride?" 

"I've got something to tell you kids later. And if the both of you want to get stronger, traveling is inevitable." 

Raion cringed. "Wait, both of us? What do you mean?" 

Akira was already walking away. 

Raion sighed, before running after him.

Back In the Backyard...

Tora began trembling, as memories of the night from last week flooded his mind. Images of the demonic wolf crossed his head in quick flashes, t. He froze in shock, as he felt himself sink deeper and deeper into the still, cold ocean. 

"Agh-!" 

He snapped back to his senses, quickly regaining his focus. "Where am I…!?" 

There was no ocean.

He was inside a lake, not an ocean.

Tora's chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath. The water was too cold and made it difficult to do anything.

His body was cold from the neck down. 

From the neck down??

Tora's eyes snapped downward as he noticed that the entire time, the water had been creeping up his body, and by now, it was up to his chin. 

"Trust in my spirit, grandpa always used to say." 

He slowly shut his eyes, fear creeping from the deep in the lake. He took deep breaths and tried his best to empty his mind. "Don't think… Don't think.." His facial expression slowly faded to nothingness, as everything around him seemed to no longer exist. The lake ceased to exist in his mind, along with the cold, wet feeling that had been present previously. 

It seemed as though he had become one with the lake. 

. . . 

. . .

. . . 

The next morning. 

True Power comes from the heart of all man, but is often corrupted by ill intent. 

Willpower is a man's greatest weapon, with the potential to shape even the universe. 

.

..

…

"Tora ! Wake up!!" 

His eyes snapped open, realizing that someone was calling out to him...

"Raion!?" Tora's focus was immediately broken, and he began quickly sinking in the water.

Just as the water reached his chin, he was pulled out by Raion. 

"Let's go, We're going on a journey! Your bags are already packed, we're going to the neighbor's house, then we go to Grandpa at the port." Tora shook his head, still dazed.

"...Port…? Journey…?" 

"Just come on!" Raion grabbed onto Tora , hoisting him up onto his back. "Woah~ " He was now wide awake, as his brother ran him through the forest. "Hey! Put me down!!" Tora pouted.

"Fine!" Raion put one foot forward mid-sprint, stopping himself and sending Tora flying. 

Tora yelped as he hit a tree that was ahead of them with a loud thud, before dropping to the ground. "Why??" He shouted, rubbing his head.

Raion bursted out in wild laughter, clutching his stomach. "It's not funny!!" 

They continued walking, eventually coming across two paths. 

One went left, and one went right. Raion headed left, which was the direction of the neighbor's house. Tora was very anxious to meet them, since the last time he saw them, he was rejected. Nonetheless, he moved on. 

Seven minutes later, they reached the place. 

Tora glanced up at the large, old rusty house. It was covered in vegetation and plants, since no one took care of the house. 

Raion walked up the front porch, the old boards creaking as he took light steps towards the door.

He nonchalantly raised his hand, but before he could knock, the door opened. 

In front of him was none other than Tamashi. Tamashi was about twelve years old, four years older than Raion himself, and in result, taller. Raion had to look up to see him eye-to-eye. "What do you want?" Tamashi muttered, his cold brown eyes staring into Raion's. 

"Grandpa told us to bring you with us." Raion replied. "Tell that old man I said No." Tamashi then attempted to shut the door, but Raion grabbed the doorknob. "It wasn't a question." 

Tamashi attempted to slam the door, but Raion put his foot in the doorway. "Grandpa said I could beat you up if I had to." 

Tamashi squinted at Raion, annoyed. "You think a pipsqueak like you could beat me?" Raion scowled in reply, a slightly angered expression crossing his face.

"Tamashi, what are you doing?" called the voice of a female from behind him.

Tamashi rolled his eyes, as he turned his head around. "It's nothing, go back to eating." Ignoring him, the person pushed past him, opening the door. Raion stepped back to create distance. 

It was a girl, seemingly around their age. She was still taller than Tora and Raion, but shorter than Tamashi. She had dark, almost-black but still brown hair that dropped down to her shoulders. 

"Oh, It's you guys. Tamashi doesn't like visitors." 

Raion scoffed, muttering something under his breath. "What was that?" Tamashi said, stepping towards him. Raion ignored him, and continued talking.

"My grandpa said that you guys are coming with us on a journey." 

"Our grandpa." Tora interrupted.

"Sure." Nola said, smiling. "Just let me pack our bags, and-" 

"Grandpa already bought enough clothes for all of us." Raion said before she could turn away. "Oh. Okay!" Nola exited the front porch and followed the two boys onto the path.

Tamashi watched as the three walked off, not even acknowledging his own existence. 

Tamashi did not want to be left behind, so he decided to follow them anyway.

They walked through the forest quietly, minding their own businesses. 

About ten minutes later, they approached the front of the bridge. 

"I always wanted to explore this city." Tora exclaimed, as he stared off into the tall buildings in the distance. No one replied, and they continued walking.

The bridge was wide, wide enough for at least ten people to stand side-by-side. Underneath them, and on their right was the sea, On their left was the docs where Akira was, and in front of them was the aforementioned City. It took about ten minutes to reach the other side. There were people walking back and forth from everywhere on the other side of the gate. 

One of the people stood out to Tora . It was a person around his height, carrying a box literally big enough for him to fit inside of and use as a hiding spot. Behind her were two tall men in all black who looked as though they'd been through a lot. 

"I've never seen so many people in one place." Raion spoke randomly, as he reached forward to open the gate.

As he did so, one of the people walking on the sidewalk in front of them, the one that was carrying the large box, tripped, falling onto her face. She fell onto the box which tumbled over, spilling milk everywhere. 

Tora rushed to the person immediately, a concerned feeling in his stomach. "Hey, are you alright?" 

The person slowly lifted their head to face Tora , her face burning a bright red. "I'm okay.." She stuttered nervously. She was terrible at hiding the fact that she was embarrassed. 

Her short, vibrant brown hair was drenched and reminded Tora of a wet mop. He reached out a hand, and helped her up. "I can help you pick that stuff up." Tora offered. She looked up at him, her cute black eyes glistening in the sunlight. "No thanks, I can do it." She said as she immediately began gathering the large pieces of shattered glass, placing them each back inside the box. "Okay, if you say so." 

Tamashi bumped Raion's shoulder, and said "Quit playing with your new girlfriend, we've got somewhere to go." 

Nola giggled at his remark. 

Raion scoffed when he heard what Tamashi said. "Girlfriend? Tora doesn't know any girls." 

"You don't either." Tamashi said, glaring at Raion with a smug look on his face. "Shut up, you don't either too!"

"Guys.." Nola sighed, shaking her head lightly. 

Meanwhile, Tora and the girl watched as the two boys argued. The brown haired girl looked towards him. "Anyways, what's your name?" 

Tora jumped, a little thrown off by the question. "Oh, my name? Uh…" 

They connected eye contact, as she waited for his response. "You alright?" She asked, noticing that Tora was flustered.

"Oh, Sorry. My name is Tora ." The girl smiled. "That's a cute name." 

"Why does she give me a sense of power…? She has such a cute, but powerful presence around her.." 

"Excuse me?" 

Tora snapped out of it once again. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Tora stuttered, as he shook his head. She sighed. "I said, my name is Rumi. Rumi Lazul" 

 "Nice to meet you, Rumi." Tora mumbled. Rumi raised an eyebrow. "You're weird." 

"Okay, that's enough." Raion said as he grabbed Tora by the arm, before tugging him away.

"See you later, Tora ." Rumi smiled, as she waved her hand. Tora waved back, as he was mercilessly dragged away.

They reached the Port four minutes later, instantly finding their Grandfather.

"Oi, What took ya' so long!?" 

He cracked Raion on the noggin as he spoke.

"Ow-! It's not my fault-" 

Akira placed a hand on Raion's head, ruffling his hair. "I Was kiddin'. I Saw the whole thing from down here. Tora did the right thing." 

Meanwhile, Tora dazed off into the clouds, still thinking about that girl from earlier. "She seemed so strong… But it wasn't like grandpa, it was… sweet?"

"Alright, well… Let's get outta here." Akira said as he walked towards the cruise ship, which was actually quite large. "Wait, how did you get this, grandpa?" Raion asked, as he followed behind Akira. "The mayor lent it to me, he's a nice guy." 

Raion accepted that as an answer, and they continued to load onto the boat.

After a bit they set sail, and began settling in. 

And so, a new journey begins.