Sweet Payment

"Fufufu"

A laugh with a feminine voice sounded in my ears as I wryly smiled at the woman before me.

Apparently, she goes by the name 'Nika', but the most important thing is that she is actually my grandmother.

Setting her appearance aside for now, I was felt with an urge to ask her about the 'Tsugikuni' name However, I postponed it for later, not wanting to ruin the atmosphere that had built up.

She was unusually strong, as I just couldn't free myself from her grasp as she thoroughly examined by body.

"Umm…"

"You can call me Grandma, or just Ma if you want"

"Okay Ma", She giggled, "What were you doing just now?"

"Don't worry about it, It's just a traditional ritual passed down the family"

"Pretty Please"

She seemed taken aback, as he averted her eyes from me.

She sighed before replying.

"Okay"

She went to her initial position before repeating a set of movements I was all too familiar with.

"Sun breathing"

I muttered, looking the dance which carefully replicated the forms of Sun breathing to almost perfection.

Looking at it again, another wave of guilt washed over me, the pained face of an elderly Yoriichi crying over my mistakes stung my heart.

While I could use 'Breath of the Sun' or any other, it now did not leave a single thread of satisfaction in my heart except guilt.

Was this what he felt when I became a Demon?

I am sorry brother. 

I don't remember what he truly felt, since I sealed much of my memories while I was in the Underworld, but I had an idea about it.

I couldn't dwell on that matter to much though, regret without salvation is meaningless. Not to mention, I am a completely different person than I was as a 'Tsugikuni.'

"Can I try that?"

I asked my grandmother. 

"Sure"

Her cheerful voice made a smile creep onto my face, as I held the sword that she did while demonstrating the 'ritual'.

Breathing in, retrieving the memories from my past self, I clenched my sword, closed my eyes and began moving. 

Following this was the magnificent art of swordplay that my brother had developed, an enthralling dance that struck fear into man-eating demons with fluid motion that illuminated the sword with Flames of my brother's dedication that I could feel on my arms that had gripped the blade. (Image here)

Yoriichi always wanted to find a successor for his breathing style, which he unfortunately couldn't since no one could truly replicate it. I wanted to fulfil his wish, and pass down the True 'Breath of the Sun' through my family. 

I finished the 12 sets in repetition, completing the 'Dance of the Fire God' as his friend, Sumiyoshi called it.

I opened my eyes with a deep breath, facing 2 of my current family members. 

"H-How do you?"

Eyes widened, both of them gaped at my figure, especially Ma who had some tears threatening to spill in her eyes.

Wait what, why is Ma crying?

I quickly ran over to her, trying to console her as both Uncle Sumiro and myself placed out hands on the back of my sobbing grandmother.

"You look just like him"

Ma cupped my cheeks.

I would have thought she was referring to my father but being the idiot I am, I asked instead.

.

..

…

After weeping for a bit, Ma took both of us inside.

I didn't know where we were going to I just soundlessly trailed at the rear.

After some time, arriving at an even more extravagant hallway, we stopped in front of a door. It had 2 symbols right next to each other, one being of a sun and the other being a crescent moon. 

Entering, a room full of intricate carvings and multiplicity of katanas came into view, with one of the walls having a huge white sheet carefully covering it like a curtain.

I was thrilled and curious about this, these weapons should have originated from a different World, so why were there so many of them here. 

Ma went besides the curtain and pulled it down, revealing a huge picture frame which showed two men in it. They had traditional Japanese clothing, one wore a purple kimono with a checkered pattern while the other sported pale Orange-colored one along with a red Haori on top. (Image here)

I instantly recognized the two of them, who also had long black hair and red marks on their faces that resembled symbolic flames.

How could I not?! After all, I was one of them!

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< < p>

I sat on a comfortable bed, alone in a regal large room that only held me inside. 

Looking outside the windows, I could see the glistening light of the moon on my naked wrists.

"So that's how it is. I will have to ask Athena if she has anything to do with this"

I muttered, as my mind went back to the moment where Ma took us to that desolate room holding my painting alongside my brother. 

When she asked me how I knew of the technique, I replied with an excuse. The said excuse that my Unique Skill could also identify the missing pieces of a technique or object, which allowed me to fill the gaps between the incomplete technique.

I couldn't tell them about the Origins of it, nor it name as I did not want to appear overly suspicious, and a Unique Skill should not have the ability to look into something that deep.

As per her story, centuries ago, Yoriichi, just popped up into this world like Otherworlders, lived a life and we are his descendants.

While it did make me slightly uncomfortable, but it was nothing compared to the multitude of lives I had lived previously.

My theory is that he was either summoned here by Athena or the others to mess with me or he is an alternate version that exists in Veldanava's creation since I had shown him many of my previous lives. 

Eh?

A dull sensation invaded my mind, as I felt a message from my 2 ant shadow beasts.

When I heard the asshole curse my parents at the gate in the morning, I had secretly left those 2 to follow him. Now, I knew where he was and had it clear in my mind of what I had to do.

Swathing myself in the Yi soaked with the Dao of Darkness, I covered myself in a skin-tight etheric suit to conceal my identity in the event I got spotted.

Letting the Rage slowly break out, I used the coordinates of my shadows to teleport there.

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< < p>

Senen was having a good day until the morning where he was returning from hunting a few Monsters when he saw the bastard, Reynolds Nasca, the oldest son of their ruler. 

And with that traitor, even a boy who looked just like him, followed. 

Everyone there, his fellow nobles and the worthless peasants, both grew disgust at the pair. After all, Reynolds was a traitor who killed the previous Commander of the Army just because of a slut.

He still didn't understand, why the hell was the King even letting him come to the kingdom? He knew, it was only because he was his son.

Laying in the bed, he couldn't even bring himself to sleep as he felt the anger surging through him. 

 After all, Reynolds was just a pathetic excuse of a Royal who didn't even know to take his and his fellow nobles' opinions and worried all about the lowly peasants. Not only that, He even killed the previous Commander, who had fought many wars and brought glory and riches to the kingdom just because of a wretched woman.

Huh?

He stood up, scanning the room as he felt an alien presence in his quarters. He did, but found nothing, as the shadows all around him only got darker as time went on.

Little by little, fear started to grow in his heart, as the darkness which had now only dimmed the lights, now found itself enveloping every escape opportunity it has to offer.

"Who's there? Come out! I order you"

His desperate voice only came out meek, and his face had sweat dripping from it like a bucket of water had just been poured over his head.

He ran to where the previous door was, only to pass right through. Looking around now, there was no light, only darkness. 

He reached for his sword, only to find the hilt while the blade itself was missing. He couldn't use Fire Magic, so he sent a horde of 『Wind Blades』 hoping that it would do something, but to no avail.

He previously felt weak and wobbly, fearing for his life, and wishing that he would just wake up from this Nightmare. 

What the hell?

His thoughts grew somber, as he felt a threatening presence in front of him.

He looked ahead and above, only to be met with two eyes that glowed balefully from above like those of a huge giant, releasing a malicious Aura which made his legs give out as he collapsed to his knees. (Image here)

"M-m-MONSTER"

He cried out, tears welling out as fear began to consume his mind.

"H-HELP, HELP ME"

His frantic voice echoed in the darkness, but no answer came apart from the assailant.

"There's no need to shout. No one except me can hear you"

The figure spoke in a deep cold voice that boomed through the darkness that held them.

But Senen, terrified out of his mind didn't stop, hoping that someone would help him.

…

Time passed, as Senen's throat could no longer produce a sound, his vocal cords unable to move without immense pain. He couldn't even breathe properly since the pain coursed through his body every time air passed through his wind pipe.

He could only look helplessly, as the huge dark figure slowly shrunk to that a human' s size and began to approach him.

He crawled backwards, trying to stay away from the approaching figure.

"You called my Father trash"

What?!

Senen shrunk back in fear, he could not remember who he called a trash, since he did not bother to remember the names of the 'lowly' peasants.

"You called my mother a Slut"

The figure said again, in an even more nefarious tone. It was at that moment that he realized who the figure was.

I-It can't be, isn't he just a kid?

"Y-y-you w-won't get away with t-this"

He tried to try his options, his voice hoarse from his damaged vocal cords.

"We will see about that. But you have to PAY"

The figure's voice slowly turned demonic.

"P-please, I'll do anything"

"NO… YOU WILL PAY WITH YOUR LIFE"

The figure raised his hand towards Senen, as a black flame extended from his arm and towards the aristocrat. (Image here) 

As soon as they came to touch him, Senen's entire body was enveloped in dark purple flames, slowly burning him to death.

"AAAAAHHHH"

Hearing this, the figure's lips turned to an evil grin as he watched Senen's scream which he burned to death.

After the noble turned to ashes, a glowing orb floated above it, before being absorbed by the flames which originated the figure. 

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< < p>

"AAAAHHHH"

I screamed out, looking around to see only darkness stretch out endlessly which made it stop. 

"Was that a Dream?" I questioned myself, "Or is this the Afterlife?"

…

"It must have been a dream, I mean, there's no way I would be bested by a little brat, much less if it was that of a traitor"

I laughed to myself. It should be true since I could feel my voice, it was normal. 

It must be true, after all this was just a dark night, I can feel the soft bed underneath me.

But it seems a bit harder than usual?

I look down, only to see 2 glowing purple eyes staring right back at me.

!!!

I jumped back, landing in the darkness, a supposedly invisible floor supporting me.

But what I saw made me lose all hope of surviving. 

In front of me were 2 ant monsters which somehow were covered in a sort of black casing, which I could take on, though with a bit of difficulty but behind them was a monster that no one in the Kingdom did not know.

With that stature and 2 large reptilian wings, that head which was infested with spikes. 

The monster with a gaze so fierce, that it made even warriors tremble in fear.

The same monster that was slayed by the founder of my kingdom, the greatest warrior we ever knew, and cost us almost all of our troops despite that.

It was a Fire Dragon Lord, or as we call it, the Infernal Dragon King. (Image here)

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 

A/N: Is this story good? Do yall like it or not?