Chapter I - Nikkemau the Assassin

Part I - Envy

My name is Nikkemau and this is not some righteous story of how I became a hero or how I saved anyone, this is a story of my second chance, my revival. It started in my younger years of childhood, as I was always in solace of my own solitude and despite those who had the cheerful laughter of friends and family to comfort them I kept to myself. The world that I lived in was not built on a society of social values, as human standards were not based on the discipline one was taught, but the ability of a person. Everyone had a unique gift. Society itself was constructed to promote hierarchy. Those people who were powerless served as mere peasants. These powers are something called unique skills, a unique skill is something that someone is born with but cannot be used right away. It is usually unlocked and awoken at moments of your life when you need it the most. So basically it can happen anytime, when you're young, older, or even never if it does not seem that you need it. I received mine as it was not from life threatening danger but from envy of others. It had seemed everyone but me at the time had awoken their unique skill. As for me I was the outcast and always alone for that same reason. One night as I was walking alone I met a couple of people in an alleyway who looked at me with a face of disgust because I was the outcast. I glanced back at them as I too was disgusted and envied the blessed skills they acquired. It filled me with anger so I turned, and held my hand out. Before I knew it aura flared out of my eye and hand. I picked up one of the guys that had been giving me a look but not with the strength of my hand, I had made him levitate. With a few swings and flicks of my hand I launched him from right to left like a rag-doll till he was breathing no longer, yes you guessed correctly that night I killed a person. The life I pursued after these events was of a ruthless killer. I became an assassin. I held this life for many years to come, but the story that had changed my life began somewhere near present time. It started in the early time of winter when the first few snowflakes came to be and covered the rooftops of shops, restaurants, and nearby houses. As I traveled through the night that had been covered in white layers of snow, all I could hear was the joy of people nearby that filled me with disgust. Their cheerful happiness and harmony was utter garbage. I continued to walk the path of white powder that eventually led me to a pub that was my second home to me as I spent most of my time and money here. I walked into the little broken down pub that looked like if it had been abandoned if it weren't for the lights that brought warmth to the inside I sat down in my usual drinking spot like any other day, yet something about the atmosphere felt uneasy as I sipped away the night; a man with glasses who looked very taken care of and was well dressed. Had a warm welcoming smile sat next to me and said "Another lonely night, eh? ". I looked at him and I was instantly filled with confusion. Have I met him before? Has he contracted me before? Who is he? Before I could ask these questions that had filled my head he stood up straight and said these words " Who will remember someone who has never existed?" and disappeared into the kingdom of snow that was outside. I got up and ran outside straight away but it was too late it seemed he had disappeared. But I have a feeling it will not be the last time I encounter this mysterious man.

That same night as I walked back to a little cabin that I had lived in for years, it seemed almost strange to me as if someone or something had followed me, but I shook the thought out of my mind and continued on. It only had a single room, a restroom and I called it "Home", but something felt ominously strange. I walked in the dark room and it seemed nothing was in the right place. I spoke out loudly "Who's there?". A man emerged from the darkness with a pale wide grin, a slender body with a black robe. "Hello Nikke, I have been watching and waiting for you, it's rude to keep a guest waiting is it not?" with a raspy voice he spoke. I ask with uncertainty " Who are you and what do you want?", at that moment I have already mentally prepared myself to fight as aura from my left eye and aura from my left hand started to pour out, but my body instinctively feared that this opponent was not weak, this opponent bled an unsettling aura that brought fear to me and screamed out "Death". My heart raced as an aura from my eye and hand flared .The man who stood in front of me with a gaze that meant certain death was no regular person, this man was a demon. I wiped the sweat off my face and slowed my breathing as the intense fear I was hit with was not normal. I was ready to grab him without hesitation but when I looked in front of me he had disappeared into the shadows of my dark room, before I can do anything I hear someone lean close to me to say, "Do not fret you will not die here we need that power of yours, then you can die like the wretched rat you are". And started to laugh maniacally. I was not able to react as I was restrained by an unknown force and stabbed by an unknown shadow and instantly felt weary and fell into a great slumber. The next thing I remember I awoke in a cell.

Part II - The Cell

All I could remember from being in this wretched cell is that minutes felt like hours, hours felt like days, days felt like weeks. If I were asked how long I was in there without the knowledge of the outside world I would have no answer. All I would hear before falling asleep again would be an ominous bell that would null all my senses and fill my sight with darkness. At times I would wake and hear chattering from outside of my cell, the words they spoke were not comprehensible. I awoke once more and I saw a man in a cell across from mine. I stared into the darkness and made a figure out of the man. I recognized him, yes this man was the same person who sat next to me in the pub that one night, but why was he in here? Was he the same as me? Or what other reason could he be in this wretched place. I called to him "Hey you, you're the guy from the other night right?", as he woke up I felt an uneasy aura pouring from his cell door. I thought to myself who the hell is this guy? He gazed at me as if he stared into my soul and then said with a grin "Oh, hey man what a weird place to meet again" as if this situation was normal to him. He stood up and leaned on the cell door and said these words "You're not dead, that's a good sign, well if you did at least I'd know you'd exist" with a cheerful chuckle. And I looked at him with the most confused look on my face, and asked "You said that to me before, what do you mean by that?". His reply was simple "Mmm, you'll understand one day, lets just plan on getting out alive first". Still confused about the situation I continued to ask "Who are you, what's your name, why are you here and.." he stops me and simply says "My name is Kaneoke and that's all you need to know alright" with a grin and a wink. "So what's your plan?" I asked. While he rolled up his sleeves he said " Do not worry you'll see pretty soon now won't you?". This aura he was spewing out and emitting felt nostalgic, like I've felt it before. It felt like the gates of heaven were opening and an aura from god himself was emitting at the very moment. I heard these two words.

"Aura Release"

At that very moment I knew this person was no ordinary human, it seemed he had the gift of god himself. The aura he was emitting was so intense it felt like gust of winds coming from his cell. I shuttered in absolute fear of how one single man can have all this power. He set his hand on the door of his cell and with one single push he was able to launch the door to the other side of the room. Closer he walked, all that was appearing before me in my mind was, "DEATH, DEATH, DEATH, DEATH", chills went down my spine and I was immobilized by fear. My own instincts were telling me to accept my own death. The night I encountered the Shadow man in my room was nothing near the aura he was emitting. He grabs the bars of my cell door and slams it to the floor. He extends his hands down to me, while I coward in the corner of the room. He speaks to me "Don't be afraid, I will save you, this is your second chance to be better" with a happy grin "Swear your loyalty to me and I'll be sure to save you from this hell hole" he continued. As I grabbed his hand it was like being let into the gates of heaven. "I swear my loyalty to you Kaneoke" as polite as I could have been I kneeled. He then tells me as he laughs "You don't need to kneel to me we're basically family now", but my mind still hazy with questions I managed to ask "Why me?". He simply says "You're just lucky I guess, but remember everyone has their purpose and your's happened to be along my path". And with those words I knew I was lonely no more.

Part III - Clans

As Kaneoke and I formed an alliance which he called "family" for some reason still not explained to me, we walked down a hall that seem endless and it felt like we have been walking for hours Kaneoke stops and says "Something doesn't feel right", as I reply "I thought it was just me, but you're right", we stopped and waited for a while to think. Suddenly, a man started to emerge from the shadows he had a pale white grin with pasty skin, he wore a black robe with the Japanese name "Taira'', he was the same slender man who brought me to this godforsaken hell hole, he spoke out "Where do you think you're going clanless boss, and wretched rat". What did he mean by clanless boss? Before I could ask anything to Kaneoke he stood right in front of me as if he was prepared to fight,"Well it looks like you're a little late with the news, this guy here has been blessed with the name of Minamoto'' Kaneoke says with confidence and a smile. "HA, DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH '' The shadow man says as he lifts his hands ready to make a move, aura seeps through the hall like fog in a cold night. This was the exact thing that happened that one night I was captured, but he felt stronger as if at this moment he was a completely different person. As a reminiscence of that same night I felt fear once more with the feeling of death closing in. The shadow man speaks with his raspy voice that gives such an eerie feel "Looks like you've caused enough trouble I'll have to dispose of you..", as he says the shadows begin to form tentacles that seemed to create a figure outside of its shadows the only thing that came across my mind is Kaneoke is not strong enough to kill this guy. In that exact moment Kaneoke turns to me to fill me with a sense of security "Oh c'mon Nikke do you not trust your own boss", he rolls up his sleeves once more "AURA RELEASE'' he shouts with a sense of sheer determination. Yet again a gust of wind from his aura began to fill the hall nearly blowing me off my balance. "Nikke just hold off the tentacles for me and we'll be just fine, now won't we..", but what threw both of us off was the shadow man's reaction, he laughed and laughed as if we had told the funniest joke in history. "This is it? This is the power of your clan?" . He commanded all of his shadows that attacked in such perfect sync with countless combinations and motions onto Kaneoke to the point of carving a hole into the wall with him laying inside of it. I had realized that this was the end for me and such idiotic idea of revival was not true, the savior I had believed in was not real. I layed on my knees and accepted death itself, this was the end of my journey. I said to myself "So this is how my life of solitude ends, maybe I have never existed to begin with"

An unsettling aura from the hole in the wall seeped out, it radiated intense heat. With such surprise I layed paralyzed to once again see Kaneoke standing straight on his feet, "Well you've really pissed me off now, only a few people have seen this form presented to you…", he continues on by saying "Shadow man it's time to atone for the sheer disgrace you have tried to taint on my clan's name". Kaneoke with such a furious and serious look on his face with a bright red shine coming from one of his eyes like if a demon or the devil has resided in his body.

He spoke these last two words that struck fear on to me and the shadow man who stood quietly through this transformation, Kaneoke says with such a ferocious tone in his voice

"Rage Release"

At that moment it was no longer the gust of winds exploding out of his body but radiating heat with such an enormous amount of aura flowing out. Before he was a scrawny man who was barely toned but at this moment it has looked like he was stressing his body to its limit as muscles and veins were clearly visible and pulsating, this form he took on was that of a Death God and it was clearly out matching the power of the Shadow man. As he tooks steps closer to the shadow man the ground shook with the utter power Kaneoke was releasing at this point, with a single punch Kaneoke ripped through the Shadow man's rib cage, blood started to spew out and Kaneoke holding on to something that was still beating and alive. It was…. the Shadow man's…. beating heart. Kaneoke without hesitation crushes the man's heart, the shadow man falls into the darkness still being able to speak after such a horrendous sight and says these last words ``We will meet again do not worry…" as he crawls into his sanctuary of darkness. I fear that he was not defeated and he has something else hidden that we do not yet know. As light from torches that were in the halls ignited again and a visible stairway appeared before us, Kaneoke's aura that was once that of the Devil himself faded away, he softly whispered " I pushed myself a little too much this time huh…." and collapses onto the ground. This was my boss and I felt honored to serve under someone as strong as himself. As I picked him up I saw a tattoo under the ripped rags that was his shirt, a Japanese name that read "Minamoto ''. Nikkemau Minamoto huh... sounds just right. At that moment at least one of my questions was answered.

Part IV - Cries From the Depths

I carried Kaneoke as he was no longer conscious and unable to move, I walked up the stairs into an unknown room with four different halls. I was ready to take four possible outcomes just to leave this eternal hell. Yet each path had a unique aura coming from them but I could feel the cold blood-lust overflowing. But one path in particular caught my attention as it had a trail of blood going down the hall. This blood on the floor looked fresh as if not many moments before it was spilled. This could have been the way the shadow man walked but how could he have lived without a beating heart, I was extremely confused on what had come before me, yet I gathered as much courage as I could to bring myself to go down this path. Although, an eerie aura creeped out of this hall as if a monstrous beast was at the end of it. The deeper I walked down the hall the darker it got, I felt coldness in the air, and a distinct smell of dead corpses. This smell was familiar, as I have done this as a living that had made me endure such smells. I saw a single light at the end of the hallway, as I followed the light I ended up in a room that seemed to be a torture room, but something caught my eye, a door that led to a basement as I got closer the smell of dead bodies grew. I managed to open the door and there laid a mountain of corpses at the end of the tunnel. Suddenly I felt the source of the cold and blood-lusted aura getting closer and stronger the closer it got, this situation couldn't have gotten any worse. As I readied myself to flee I happened to catch a sound of distress coming from a little girl. I could not bring myself to leave this room as something deep in my heart chained me to stay and help. I laid down Kaneoke on the floor as I thought of a solution to this but there was none. So, then I tried to find the source of the crying as it sounded like it was deep in the heart of the mountain of corpses, one by one I threw the corpses until I found a girl who was still very much alive, she was still young as she looked like a fourteen year old. Her body was covered in scars as if she had lived here her whole life. I brought myself to ask her "what's your name". She looked up to me and said "Sam". I looked at her and picked her up, getting ready to run or even fight if I needed to. She pulled on my shirt and told me "Mister why don't we give up, what's the point of continuing... I have no family left", as she refused to move she has lost the will to continue any longer. I grabbed and told her "You exist with a purpose, it may not be clear now but you're alive because you have a purpose. Please, we have to go now before..`` Before I could finish, I was interrupted by a loud grunt and rattling of chains. A man with a beastly stature stood before me, he had chains around his neck, arms and legs, he had almost pale skin with scars covering his body. Those scars were from no mere accidents or torture. No, they were from battles he has fought and won. He was a well experienced fighter, but this fight was not for myself. This fight meant the lives of two other people; Sam, Kaneoke and the name I now treasure deeply, the name that is engraved on to my soul "Minamoto". I readied myself to fight with all that I have. Aura flared out of my eye and hand, I picked up my hand towards him and levitated his enormous body, as I did so he summoned chains in the room that emerged from the darkness as they launched from my right and left. I had only mere seconds to react. I was able to successfully do an amount of damage to him and break one of his arms, but I was too quick to celebrate. One of the chains managed to pierce through my body luckily it was not a fatal blow. From behind me I hear the girl I was protecting with my life say "Mister please don't die too… I don't want to be alone again, it isn't my fault I wanted to give up and let the others die… Please mister don't leave me…". Those words she spoke to me with, were the same as mine. I felt her solitude and thought about what Kaneoke would do. So I turned to her and with a smile I said "Don't worry, once we get out of here you can be part of our family and take my masters name as well". She smiled as if it was her first time in her life hearing something good. With this I was determined to fight for her life as well as Kaneoke's. I managed to break a piece of stone from the wall; with that and with the fastest speed of my hand I struck the enemy before me multiple times in zig-zag formations, through his back, his arms, his legs, his torso, any part of his body I managed to pierce into. It seemed like I had won this battle, but the beast lets out a grunt sound like that of a bear ready to pray . He summoned what it seemed to be a hundred chains ready to strike us. I lost hope, I turned around covered the little girl with the remaining ounce of strength I. "I'm sorry I did all I could…. Just cover your eyes, it will all be over in a few seconds". For the first time in my life tears ran down my face, as she wept too. The chains came running down at extreme speeds, suddenly I felt a pulse and a bright light shone in front of me.

Part V - Sloth

The girl who it seemed I have been protecting shun like a bright light coming from the Heaven's. The girl who had seemed to have no other care for life, that had no will to live stood tall as an orb of light surrounded us. The chains that seemed to be the end for us clanked against the orb as if metal and metal meshed and rejected itself. At this moment the girl was not conscious of her actions as she seemed to have been doing this on the will of protecting me. The orb she used to protect us transformed into what seemed like serpents made from light that wrapped around the enormous beast and constricted him of any movement. This was my opportunity to end this beast's life as if I screw this there will be no other chance to defeat him. I stood up and released the aura from my eye and hand. I focused on one spot and one spot only. I picked up as much rubble as I could and began to make them spiral at intense speeds. Then one by one I began to launch the rubble as it pierced little by little into his heart. It seemed like bullets almost as they cleanly went through his body and crashed at the end as it hit stone. But I kept going, shooting rubles into the already gaping hole that was in his body...I lost sight of what my goal was. All I knew is that this beast had to be dead. Though his body was flinching no longer and his skin soon grew gray I had kept going with the slaughter before me. Until the girl grabbed me and stopped me from continuing she told me "Mister stop, it's over already can we leave please..", then I regained sight of what I had to do. I turned with a smile and said "Yeah, let's go Sam" as we headed out of the tunnel that was a graveyard of the unknown clan that laid behind us; Kaneoke stood at the entrance as if he had been watching us the whole time. "Man, that was intense huh Nikke" with a smile he spoke. I inhaled and exhaled, "What the hell do you mean intense, you were awake and didn't come down to help?". He laughed and said "Don't worry you had it all under control, besides we have a new butler ready to be part of our family". What the hell did he mean by butler? So I asked him that same exact question. He simply replied "See the highest ranking next to me are butlers, they're members of a clan that the boss can intrust their lives with". Once he told me this I quickly recognized that he did not join the fight as he merely tested our loyalty to him. With a great smile he welcomed Sam"Well let's get a move on Sam, and welcome to our clan 'Minamoto'". As tears ran down her face she wiped them off and with a smile she said "Thank you master", as my boss walked down the hall he carried Sam on his back and cheerfully sang a song about defeating the monstrous beast that laid back in the tunnels. "The big bad man, Should have ran, because big strong Sam had powers that shun through the ruins.." with giggles and chuckles they continued to sing.

Part VI - Gates to Freedom

My master and our newly recruited member walked down the halls of the dungeon with a joyace emotion that seemed to bring light to such a dark and gloomy graveyard of shadows. Each step felt to have brought a sense of relief as if the worst of this nightmare had been over, but yet I still had a small feel of concern as I doubted we were not to encounter any more trouble. This grim feeling has kept me in check as we walked up stairs, through rooms, endless halls, a labyrinth of never ending twists and turns as the only light we have bathed in was the light of the torches that filled us with no nutrition at all. Then a moment of silence was broken as we heard a lone chirp that seemed to be from the outside. We saw an undoubtable source of light coming from the end of the hall. The two who stood in front of me grinned with a joyace emotion that filled their hearts with excitement and turned to me as we had finally made it out. We made it outside as the only things that were present were the sounds of cicadas, a plain field with a couple of trees, a warm climate that came from the sun as it shined for miles. We could celebrate by bathing in the rich sunlight that has shun before us before we could leave a man who stood in the entrance of the tomb that was the dungeon called to us "I said we would see eachother again did I not?" fear struck me again as I recognized this voice, I was nearly paralyzed unable to move by my own instincts. I turned around as seconds felt like minutes and it seemed time stood still as I laid upon my eyes the face of a pale reaper, the shadow man. Before I could react I saw an enormous tentacle strike Kaneoke in mere seconds… no even less than seconds. Kaneoke gasped for air as the shadow seemed to have ripped through his body, yet when it retracted there was no whole or any damage at all. The Shadow man laughed and said "The heart may be pure, but it is easily tainted with shadows'' as he walked back into the darkness. The first thing I said as I looked at Kanoeke was "Are you..", but without any other words Kaneoke stood up and said "Don't worry let's just get out of here". We ran across the fields of an unknown location as we happily smiled as we were finally free, but still had a sense of fear.