LEVEL 10 - HUMAN

"Hey, Kazuya." Said a feminine voice.

"Yeah?" He responded

"What do you wanna do after you graduate?" She asked with a bit of hesitancy.

"Hm... well, I've always liked drawing, so maybe I can become an artist?" He said.

"Hmmmmm, that'd be nice, eh?"

"What about, you. What do you wanna do?"

"I want... to be a video game creator" She said with slight embarrassment.

"Ooh, that'd be cool! Maybe I could do the illustrations for the game you'd make, haha." He said with a smile.

"That'd be nice!" She said, as she put on a wide grin.

"Alright, let's continue this game. If I win, I get to take your manga collection for a month!" He proclaimed.

"You're on!" She said, grabbing the controller.

They unpause the fighting game they were playing, and share laughs. The laughs echoed, louder, and louder, and louder, until...

"Ugh..." Kazuya says, as he widens his eyes. "My head...." He grunts to himself.

Kazuya had been asleep for the last two days. His body had been recovering from the injuries he sustained in battle. The old man had wrapped onto him a few bandages in his sleep, and his pain had nearly completely gone away, though his body still felt fatigued.

As he sat upright from the mattress he was moved onto, he thinks of the dream that he had. "Was it another memory? Or was it just a dream? I can't remember it all that well..." He thinks to himself.

As he sits in thought, he hears the door open, and out of it, appear Mono, Terra, and the old man. Upon seeing him, Terra rushes over to Kazuya, relieved that he's finally woken up.

"Heh, knew ya wouldn't kick the bucket this early on." Said Mono.

"Thank goodness you're awake!" Terra exclaimed.

"Are you... crying?" Kazuya asked.

Embarrassed, Terra turned her face away from Kazuya, as she continued to tear up.

"It appears your body took its time in healing." Said the old man.

"How long was I out for?" Kazuya asked.

"Two days." The old man responded.

"I see." Kazuya said. "No wonder Terra was so worried. If anyone here was out for that long, I'd assume they were nearing some form of end. I'm lucky to have healed this well." Kazuya thought to himself.

"Hm? Where's Came?" Asked Kazuya.

"Ah, he went out for a walk. He woke up only a day later, with all the damage he sustained already healed. I've never treated a ghost before, so it was quite a shock when he woke better than ever." Explained the old man.

"I see. So he's alright." Said Kazuya in relief.

"Kazuya. I understand you've just woken up, but I'd like to speak to you in private. May the two of you please step outside so I can speak to Kazuya?" Said the old man.

The two of them agreed, and stepped outside. The old man sat down cross-legged Infront of Kazuya.

"Well, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" Kazuya asked.

"Kazuya. You're a human, correct?" Asked the old man.

"Huh- how did you?-"

"Terra told me." The old man interrupted. "Your ghoul friend also told me about how you got here."

"I see." Kazuya said.

"Kazuya. Did you know that every creature in the sky was once human?" Said the old man.

"Eh? Human?" Kazuya said in surprise.

"Mhm. To be more specific, we are the wills and aspirations of a human soul that has failed to pass into the afterlife." He explained.

"Failed to pass into the afterlife?" Kazuya said, perplexed.

"Correct. Those who may have regret, failed dreams, or lives that were cut short would end up here. It's why some of us, like myself, and your ghoul and ghost friends live quite long. Dying here naturally usually means some sort of fulfillment of purpose." The old man said. "The sky is simply a gateway for those who have failed to get a blind second chance at life in a new world. The cores we use to manipulate sky energy are simply our condensed wills." He continued.

"So everyone here was once human... wait why are you even telling me all this?" Kazuya asked.

"Because, you yourself were able to manipulate sky energy earlier, were you not?" The old man asked.

"You mean when I fought the guards?" Kazuya asked.

"Precisely. Your body subconsciously manipulated sky energy, despite you lacking a core, and your soul being intact." Explained the old man.

"But how? Didn't you just say cores are *needed* to manipulate sky energy?" Kazuya asked.

"Not quite. I simply said they are used to manipulate sky energy, but they are not the sole reason for controlling them. You already know that ghouls had always been born coreless, correct? Well, have you wondered why your friend Mono is able to to still manipulate sky energy this well?" The old man asked. "It's because of his will. His desire for revenge, redemption, and thrill have all allowed the soul that travelled into the sky to be able to manipulate sky energy, even without a core." The old man explained.

"So it's because of his will?" Asked Kazuya.

"Mhm. It's also why you're able to manipulate sky energy. While your memories are locked away, your emotions and brain are still clinging onto something; something radiating your soul with a strong will, one able to utilize sky energy, even without knowing it." Said the old man.

"A strong will..." Kazuya said to himself, as he stared at his fists. He felt slight excitement knowing that he had the ability to grow stronger. But he also felt a sense of fear. He knew the toll that his body had from just a short fight, and was afraid that doing this for any longer could cause him harm.

"Old man. Thank you for telling me all this, but even if I'm able to use the energy around me, I can only do it so well. I was knocked out for two days after just one fight, and just manipulating the energy around me took a massive toll on my body." Kazuya said, in a saddened, yet serious tone.

"Well, that's to be expected. Just because you're able to utilize sky energy, it doesn't mean your body is physically able to handle it properly." Said the old man.

Kazuya's face turned into a frown, and the old man let out a sigh.

"Well, If you'd like, I can recommend you to a friend of mine. He ran a dojo for a few decades, but was forced to close it up after the king took power. He can train you but..." The old man paused.

"But...?" Kazuya said, confused.

"Well, he's quite... harsh is one way to put it. His methods are extremely rough, and I know a few who have died under him. However, many have gone out of his dojo in just 3 years having become some of the most powerful people in the sky. I even know a few that are now working as Horizon Generals, which is the highest rank given to combatant serving under the king". Said the old man.

"Wait, so this guy will be able to make me utilize sky energy better?" Asked Kazuya excitedly.

"Although you are a human, I'm sure he can figure something out for you." The old man said with a smile.

"By the way, old man. How do you know all this stuff about humans, and who serves under the king? I thought this stuff was basically unheard of in the upper parts of the sky?" Asked Kazuya.

"Welp. It's what happens when you're real old. I ventured the entire sky, up to bottom and back, researching medicine. Well, that is until the king took power, and I was sent up here with the other Demis. You'll find that those who are still around before the king took over usually know of humans quite well, though a very few amount of us are still around. If I have to guess, maybe only 20 people know in the 10 highest levels." Said the old man.

"I see." Kazuya said.

Kazuya smiled and thanked the old man. Later that night, while everyone was asleep, the old man began writing a letter to be handed to his friend by Kazuya.

The next morning, they began packing to depart, and they later stepped outside, ready to leave.

"Kazuya." The old man said. "Here's the letter. Just hand it over to my friend. His name is Budo. He lives on the level after the next one, in a small dojo. If you just ask for his name down there, you'll be escorted straight to him." He continued.

"Thank you very much." Kazuya said. As they shared a handshake, they were about to depart, but just before departing, Kazuya had realized something.

"Oh yeah. I never actually got to know your name, old man." Kazuya said.

"Ah, right. Guess all the commotion made me forget introductions completely. My name is Gale. I'm also Terra's great grandfather." The old man said.

"Wait, you're Terra's great grandfather?!" Kazuya exclaimed.

"Why of course, can't you tell the similarity." Gale said.

Kazuya, Mono, and Came all stared at Terra, and back at Gale. They noticed the resemblance, but were still shocked.

"Wait, so Terra how old are you?" Kazuya asked.

"I'm 19." She replied.

"If you're 19, then how old is..." Kazuya said, while pointing at Gale.

"Ah, you don't need to worry about that. Just know that I'm old, hehe." Gale said with a chuckle.

The four of them walked towards the next gate, which was near the location they originally dropped at. It appears guards had already scouted the area over the few days they stayed at Gale's house, and as such, have left the area for now. They were able to transport to the next level, and were now on their way to seek strength!