"Did that squirrel just talk?" Daisuke, stunned by the fact of a talking animal, crouches down trying to get a better look at Seyogi.
Seyogi puts up a paw in Daisuke's direction and looks away, trying to brush Daisuke off. "Yes, yes. I am a talking squirrel. I'll explain later." He looks up at Niko. "However, Master, we must go!"
Niko opens the back door of his car, places his gear bag in the floorboard, his uniform on the hanger, and the long leather box on the seat. He asks as he closes his door, "Go where? And what 'time' is it?"
Seyogi looks up at Niko with as much determination as a little squirrel can force. "The transformation."
Realizing what Seyogi was talking about, Niko opens his driver side door and says, "Well, let's go!" He quickly sits in his car, pushes the "Start" button on the dashboard, and starts to back up.
"Master! Wait for me!" Seyogi yells as he scrambles to climb into the passenger seat through the open window.
Niko's car moves backwards, then jerks forward and out of the parking lot.
"So, we're....not going to the party?" Daisuke says sympathetically as he is left alone in the lot.
"Spill it: where are we going and what's going on?" Niko says as he drives around the convention center's parking lot towards the lot's exit.
"We are going to Kita Kawa High School." Seyogi says calmly as he settles in the passenger seat, his tail wrapped around his feet.
"I know where that is!" Niko calls out as he turns left towards the highway.
"Good. Now to give you the details." Seyogi clears his throat. "Do you recall the science fair at about, oh what was it, a year or so ago?"
"I think so. The whole school district had a huge fair in the middle of town at the mall. So what?" Niko says as he zooms on the highway, heading across town.
"Do you remember the girl with the jeweled glove?"
Thinking back in his memories, Niko tries to recall all that he can from the fair. "I think so. All I recall was that I was bored out of my mind."
"Please think harder, Master. If we are to help her, you must recall what she looks like." Seyogi pleaded.
Trying to focus on driving and sorting through his memories, Niko thinks harder. "Wait – didn't I see her in the food court talking to Nakafumi?"
"Yes, Master! She is the one I am speaking of. We must go get her, as she needs our help!" Seyogi says excitedly.
"But why do we need to help her? All I was told about the 'transformation' is that it will be the first of its kind for the Neko clan."
Seyogi exhales loudly. "I believe it is time for you to know the truth. You see, as a half-demon, you do not understand the complexity of the demon world, and how it can interact with the human world."
Niko seems puzzled.
Meanwhile, Seyogi continues, "During the science fair, there was a large explosion that destroyed a good portion of the mall."
"Ugh. Don't remind me. That was chaotic. Nobody was seriously hurt, but it was a pain in the ass to clean up."
"Well, during that explosion, certain events lined up that resulted in producing the first synthetic demon."
"WHAT!?" Niko yells as the car jerks across multiple lanes, almost driving off the highway.
"Master, I beg you: please pay attention to the road."
As he regains control, Niko asks calmly, "A synthetic demon? How is that even possible?"
"We are not quite sure yet, but the only person affected was the girl with the jeweled glove, and her new demonic abilities lay dormant - until today."
Niko's car pulls off on an exit towards the high school. "Is that why I started transforming too?"
Seyogi looks up at Niko. "Master! You transformed during your tournament? Wouldn't that classify as cheating?"
"I couldn't control it. I was in the middle of a match, and my marks started appearing. All of the sudden, the match is over and I won. I'm not sure exactly how."
"It might be a connection the two of you share. We won't know until we get her to Lord Tora."
As Niko pulls into the student loading area of the high school, Seyogi jumps out of the passenger window. "This way, Master!" he says as he runs towards the front door. Niko hops out of the car and is not far behind.
"She'll be fine. She's just pulling another prank." The instructor says as he flips through the latest headlines on his tablet.
"You have no respect for a student! How dare you let her suffer like this!" Nakafumi yells out as she tries to cradle Chisai's head.
The instructor places his tablet on his desk, leans on the desk with his elbows, and slowly removes his glasses. "If Konami-san didn't already have a reputation for pulling things like these, then something like this would be taken more seriously."
"This isn't a prank! She's seriously ill!" Nakafumi says.
The instructor slowly stands up, stretching his arms and legs. Grabbing his tablet, he turns to the class. "Look, I'm going to visit the restroom. If Konami-san isn't back in her seat by the time I get back, everyone gets extra homework tonight," he says as he walks out the door.
Nakafumi tries to shake Chisai, hoping to get her to come to her senses. "Chisai, I don't care if this is a prank or not, but please respond! You're really scaring me!" She says as more tears form.
Seyogi runs through the hallways, trying to find a specific room. Niko is right behind him, trying to keep up.
Moments later, Seyogi comes to a full stop in front of an open door. "Master! This one!" He says as he waves for Niko to come to his position.
Niko runs over to the open door. Holding onto the frame for some support, he catches his breath.
Hearing the commotion from the doorway, Nakafumi looks over. Realizing who is standing in the doorway, she pulls back enough emotion to acknowledge him, but becomes flustered at his presence. "N-N-Niko? What are you doing here?"
Niko looks up at Nakafumi's direction. Breathing heavily, he responds with "Naki? You go to this school?"
Nakafumi, trying to hide her true feelings towards her crush, tries not to be offended. "Um, yeah, I thought you already knew that."
Seyogi pulls on Niko's pant leg. "Master!" he begs.
Niko looks down at Seyogi, realizing that they were on a mission. "Oh, right." He looks up at Nakafumi. "Naki, we're looking for a girl with a jeweled glove. Have you seen her?"
Nakafumi turns her attention to Chisai. "You mean Chisai? She just collapsed. We don't know what's wrong."
Niko, unsure about the new information, looked down at Seyogi for advice. Seyogi is nodding as fast as his small squirrel head can nod. "Yeah, she's the one." He rushes over to Nakafumi's side and sees Chisai laying on the floor, her orange hair semi-scattered around her back made her look like a tiger.
Looking at Nakafumi, Niko says with reassurance, "Don't worry – we're here to help her." He leans over Chisai, putting his arms under her neck and legs. As he stands up, Chisai's orange hair flows across his front side.
Seyogi is still standing in the door frame. "Hurry, Master! We must get her to Lord Tora!"
Niko walks around Nakafumi and carries Chisai out the door. "See ya, Naki!"
Running out of the school towards Niko's car, Chisai's eyes open slightly. She sees a blurry figure with a red mane above her, but her lack of strength makes her pass out again.
Using his fingers to grab the door handle, Niko pulls open the passenger door and gently places Chisai in the seat. Seyogi runs into the car and sits between the passenger and driver seats.
Niko reaches behind Chisai, grabing the seat belt and reaches around her to secure it. He then runs to the driver side door, opens it, and slides in.
"Onward!" Seyogi says as he points forward.
Not even a second after Niko pushes the "Start" button, the car takes off and zooms down the road.
On the outskirts of town, the landscapes of bustling streets and crowded buildings quickly change to a serene, peaceful light forest. In the middle of one of the forests, a three story square house sits on a small island in the middle of a
large lake. This house shone brightly as its gold-leaf coating reflected the sun rays. A gold-painted deck surrounded the house on each level, while the black layered roof overhangs provided just enough shade to protect anyone walking under. A gold phoenix statue atop the smaller 3rd floor roof had its wings stretched outward like it was about to fly off at any minute.
Behind the house, right off of the main floor was a thin dock that lead to a small island with a few trees. Two small birds chirp away on one of the tree's branches.
"Ah, my friends. Today is a very special day." Tora says to the birds in a deep, baritone voice. The birds keep chirping away. "We get to find out whether or not the synthetic demon is a success or not."
The noise of a car traveling up a gravel road is heard in the distance. Tora turns around to face the direction of the sound. "And it looks like they have arrived right on time. Wish me luck." He walks away from the trees, back across the thin deck, and through the house to meet his guests at the front door.
Trying to maintain his balance between the seats, Seyogi holds on to the driver and passenger seats for stability. "Master Niko, I do wish you would take this road at a more reasonable speed!"
Niko, trying to get to Tora's house, tries his hardest to drive down the narrow land-bridge gravel driveway. As he approaches the golden house, he calls out over the noise the car is making over the gravel. "Seyogi, is Lord Tora even home?"
"Do not worry, Master. Lord Tora is home when he is needed." Seyogi says as he tightens his grip on the seats.
Niko's car approaches the golden house and stops the car at a 45-degree angle, slightly sliding on the gravel below. He gets out of the car, opens the passenger door, grabs Chisai in the same holding position he had her at the school, and runs to the front door. "Seyogi, where is he supposed to b-"
A rock sticking out the ground catches Niko's foot and makes him fall forward. With all of the momentum that he was building, Chisai flies out of his hands as he falls to the ground.
Oh crap! Crap, crap, crap! What did I just do? She's going to get hurt now because of my mistake! Niko can't stop blaming himself as his travel to the ground completes.
With outstretched arms, Chisai lands softly in the grasp of Tora. The fabric that draped from his arms, as part of his gold and black-rimmed kimono, rustled with the catch. "Oh my, that was a close one."
Niko, whose face is now covered with patches of dirt and some gravel, pushes himself up off the ground. As he moves upwards, he looks forward to notice someone standing in front of him, as if the voice didn't give it away. The light-gold rim at the bottom of the kimono covered his feet, but Niko had a pretty good idea who the person was. As he rose, the light-gold rim became much darker, all the way up to a red belt across the waist, slightly covered by a long, white beard. The red belt bordered the bright gold of the kimono, and the thick black stripes around the edges of the sleeves were a dead giveaway. Upwards, the long white beard became wider until it met the thick red stripes around the lapel. Now it was absolutely impossible to not guess who this person was.
Niko finishes standing up, brushes himself off quickly, and bows in respect. "Lord Tora, I do apologize for my...."
"No need for apologizes, my child. You have delivered her just in time." Tora says.
Feeling more nervous than at the tournament, Niko felt dumbfounded. He was Tora's apprentice, studying the intricate history and actions of the Neko Clan. Although Niko was a half-demon, he wasn't the first. Tora was always an honorary member of the Neko Clan for as long as time itself and was designated to teach all of the half-demons how to fight, how to defend, how to act in the way of the Neko Clan.
Tora turned towards the house and starts to walk in the front door. "Please, come in. I will set the two of you up here for the night."
Niko stands up. "Wait, what? What about my parents? Shouldn't they be notified?"
Tora continues to walk through the door. "Do not worry. They have already been notified of your situation."
Trying to think of the ways that his parents would have already been notified of the recent events made Niko's head go in circles. How did they know something about me that I didn't know?
"Oh, and boy, bring that new okatana of yours." Tora says as he disappears into the house, followed by Seyogi.
Still puzzled by the previous situation, Tora's statement made Niko even more unsettled. How did he know about that? Limited to only one option, he turns back to the car and opens the back door. As he opens the leather box and uncovers the velvet covering, he reaches down to grab the sheath, but pauses, thinking back to the last time he grabbed it. Standing in front of the Grand Master. The honor, the celebration, the nerves. Once he grabbed hold of the okatana, all of the nerves disappeared - the intensity, the spark, the feeling of something powerful. Even if the last time was a little....overwhelming, Niko knew that he could handle the power. Somehow.
Overcoming his memory, he wrapped his hand around the sheath and pulled the sword out of the box. Closing the back door of his car, he runs to the front door of Lord Tora's house. "Wait for me!"
Walking through the door, Niko expected to see a large room covered with tatami mats and bordered with shoji screens and dark wood frames – what Tora's house usually looked like. Instead, he walked into a wood-floored hallway that seemed to not have an end in sight. Countless doors surrounded him without any unique identification. As far as Niko could tell, he was lost. "Lord Tora! Where did you go?"
An ominous voice echoes throughout the hallways. "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few." Tora's voice echos. "I have trained you thus far, so use what you know to find me."
Looking around for some easy answer, Niko becomes frustrated. "What does that mean? Why is it always a fortune cookie with you?" He runs to the door to his right and tries to turn the handle. Locked. He runs across the hallway to another door. Locked. The next ten doors he tries are all the same: locked. Seeing how this effort was not getting him anywhere, he sat against one of the doors and thought about what Tora had said. "'In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.' So, I can either check every single door in this hallway until one opens, or....." The solution hit him. "I can transform into my demon form and find him quicker." He hits his forehead with the palm of his hand. "DUH!"
Niko stands up and sets himself in the middle of the hallway, equidistant from the doors to his left and right. By focusing all of his willpower, he closes his eyes to start the transformation.
Three dark, scratch like marks slowly appear on each of Niko's cheeks. In a wave-like fashion, his hair starts to change from fire red to sleek silver, starting from the roots outward. His teeth start becoming longer and sharper. Triangular-shaped ears slowly grow from the top of his head through his hair.
Completing the rest of the transformations, he opens his eyes. They shift from dark navy to deep red, showing the passion behind the demon form.
Once complete, Niko stands tall in his new form. Although he is only a half-demon, he can still portray the full figure of a demonic cat with most of the abilities of a full-fledged demon.
His eyes quickly become adjusted to the surroundings. Picking up on a faint scent, and faint sounds from afar, he dashes down the hallway with his sword in hand.
Walking up the last of the stairs, Tora walks into a small, quaint bedroom. Basic wood paneling, a lamp in the corner, and a simple twin-bed sits on the side. Slowly placing Chisai in the twin bed, he backs up to examine the situation. The jewel on Chisai's glove continues to pulsate, but very faintly. "Her abilities have activated, but cannot be controlled just yet. She must be stabilized." he says.
Seyogi runs into the room behind Tora. "Mi'lord, must you put Master Niko through such extensive tests? Hasn't he proven himself to you yet?"
"I just want to make sure he can trust himself. If he cannot depend on the power of his demon side to complete simple tasks, then there is no hope for him.
That is what I have been training him, although he still has a long way to go."
Seyogi sits on the ground, feeling placated. "Aye, Mi'lord."
A loud "THU THUMP THU THUMP THU THUMP" noise is heard from the stairwell behind Tora. He turns behind to see what is causing the noise. Silver ears appear first, quickly followed by deep red eyes, dark scratch-like marks, pointy teeth, a white t-shirt with the Sword Titan logo and a red loosely hanging over shirt, and khaki cargo pants, with an okatana grasped firmly in one hand.
"Ah, young Niko. You have activated your demonic abilities and found my location. Good for you." Tora says with a sarcastic undertone. "You are just in time to witness the stabilization technique."
Breathing heavily, Niko responds. "The what?"
Seyogi speaks up. "When this young girl's abilities activated earlier today, they went into a state of uncontrollable flux. Her body did not have the strength needed in order to keep her new abilities in order. This stabilization technique will help her abilities become more controlled, and she will be able to control them, just like you, Master Niko."
Niko looks over at Chisai. "So....she'll be like me?"
Tora walks over to Chisai's side. "In a way, yes – I guess you could say that." Chisai's chest gently rises and falls with her shallow breathing.
Tora places his hands in the air, hovering over Chisai. A soft blue translucent light flows from Tora's hands and gradually surrounds Chisai's whole body in an oval shape. Once the shape completes, Tora removes his hands. "The process has begun."
Niko walks over to Chisai, trying to place a hand on the soft blue oval. His view of Chisai is slightly blurred, as thin circles move all across the oval's surface sporadically. "Just how long will this take?"
Tora turns towards the doorway. "The greatest effort is not concerned with results. If all goes well, it should take all night." He walks through the doorway. "Meanwhile, let us begin your training with your okatana."
Niko looks at Tora's direction, then down at the okatana. "Begin training? What do you...." his sentence trails off as he notices that Tora is no longer in the room.
Seyogi hops up on the bed, staring into the blue oval surrounding Chisai. "Do not worry, Master. I will keep a close eye on her."
Knowing that Seyogi had never let him down before, Niko felt comforted. "Okay, thank you." He stands up and starts following Tora's path.
"MASTER! LOOK!" Seyogi calls out, hoping to get Niko's attention before he walked away.
Niko turns around, but has to shield his eyes. The jewel on Chisai's glove grows brighter and brighter with each pulse. As the light grows brighter, streaks of white light fly from the jewel and gather above Chisai, between her and the top of the light blue oval. A smooth "WHOOSH" sound is heard with each streak.
"Seyogi, what's happening?" Niko tries to say over the sounds of the light flowing upwards.
"I do not know, Master. I am unsure about the particular details of this process."
The streaks of light increase in numbers, until a long, thin pole-like span of white light forms over Chisai's body. The span of light pulsates with the same pattern as the jewel in her glove as it grows.
"Master!" Seyogi says as he points to the span of light. "It is starting to take shape!"
The top of the span, closest to Chisai's head, bends into a crescent-like shape with an upward shaft in the middle, meanwhile the bottom starts to become thicker, then sharper at the end. The number of light streaks start to rapidly decrease until only a few fly outward. After the last streak of light flows from Chisai's jewel to the span above her, the top of the span starts to lightly spark and move downward along the pole. As the sparking effect moves downward, the top of the light span turns from bright white to a shiny metallic silver. At the point where the crescent shape turns straight, a few small silver leaf-like shapes appear on either side of the item, then moves downward and makes the span of light turn dark black, with purple jewel surroundings inlaid every foot or so. Once the sparks reach the bottom of the span of light, the jewel in Chisai's glove drastically dims. The newly formed item rotates slightly while staying parallel to Chisai, then lowers to rest across her chest. Her hands slowly raise up and lightly grip the item across her chest, and the jewel pulsates one last time.
"What was that?" Niko says as he lowers his hands from his eyes.
"I believe that our newest student just received her weapon of choice." Seyogi says slowly as he tries to examine the odd situation. He looks at Niko. "Young Master, please go see Lord Tora. I will keep an eye on her and let you know of any more changes!"
Niko, realizing that there wasn't much he could do, nods to Seyogi and runs out the door.
Seyogi turns back to Chisai. "For a weapon of such power, I hope your journey is well, young one."
Running down the stairs that he just ascended moments ago, Niko approached the long hallway with many doors once again. Tora was nowhere in sight. Feeling frustrated again, Niko loudly says "This again?", which echos down the hallway.
Tora's voice echos throughout the house. "No tricks this time, young one. Please meet me in the basement to begin your training."
Confused at the layout of the house, and the purpose of meeting in a place he had never been, Niko tries to think about where the basement would be. "How do I get to the basement?"
"Allow me." Tora's voice says echoing down the hallway.
A large square piece of floor below Niko fades away, which causes him to fall through. "What the-?" he yells out and flails trying to grab anything he can to prevent himself falling, but to no avail. As he falls, the hilt of his okatana catches the edge of the floor, which pulls the sword out of its sheath. The sword's weight causes it to swing back and forth on the edge of the floor for a moment, then overcomes its static friction with the edge and falls downward following him.
A loud "KER-THUMP" echos in a large dark room, followed by "Ow, that was rough," from Niko as he lands on his feet and stabilizes his balance. Moments later, his okatana lands directly in front of him and embeds its blade a few inches into the solid rock ground. The shock of the blade landing makes Niko jump back a bit. There aren't many lights on as Niko takes a look around, but his cat-like vision adjusts to help him see in the darkness. Ridges and objects start to take form in the distance and become more clear. The area around him comes into focus and appears to be a rocky, desert-like area with plateaus and mesas. The area where he landed is lighter than the surrounding areas, and seems to lead somewhere. A light coating of dust falls back to the ground from where he landed. "What am I doing here?" he yells out in no specific direction, hoping to get a response from Tora, wherever he is.
Niko's cat ears twitch as a small rumbling is heard from the distance, and grows louder by the second. Perplexed by what could be causing a rumbling like that from under a house, he looks in the direction of the sound and realizes what it is coming from: a large boulder, easily the size of a small house, is rolling at full speed – straight towards Niko.
He quickly grabs the sheath in his right hand, and sprints to his left as the boulder gets closer to protect himself from the danger of being rolled on. Realizing that his okatana is still sticking up in the ground, and that he doesn't want it to be destroyed by the boulder, he sprints back in the direction he just came. Grabbing the handle of the okatana with his left hand as he passes by, his momentum pulls it out of the ground moments before the boulder continues rolling. On the path's bank, panting heavily, Niko is grateful that he just narrowly missed being squished by a large rock, and saved his new sword in the process.
Once again, he yells in no specific direction, "What do you think this is? A movie?"
Out of nowhere, Tora's voice echos in the large, dusty, rocky room. "View all problems as challenges. Look upon negativities that arise as opportunities to learn and to grow."
Trying to ponder what Tora said, Niko racks his brain thinking about the wisdom he just heard. Looking all around himself for an answer, he yells back. "I don
't understand! How am I supposed to grow when I don't know what to learn?"
No response.
"Well?" he yells again.
Again, no response.
A low rumbling is coming from the distance again. Niko's ears perk up at the noise. He looks in the distance that the boulder came from, thinking that it could be connected. Staying on the path's bank, he walks up the path trying to see if he can pinpoint where the sound is coming from.
Another boulder is rolling down the lighter path in Niko's direction. Standing on the path's bank, Niko easily avoids the boulder. The boulder continues to roll past Niko and down the slight hill, until it disappears out of view.
Having played plenty of video games in the past, Niko's experience told him that two similar boulders, traveling down the same path, meant only one thing: this was a test. "What is this? Another test? What am I supposed to do?" Niko says as he starts pacing back and forth.
He stops for a moment to think back to what Tora said earlier. "….let us begin your training with your okatana." Thinking that it might be a clue, he looks down at his okatana in his left hand. The perfectly polished blade reflects Niko's features along with the mysterious overhead lights. "Am I supposed to cut the boulder with my sword? Swords don't cut rocks!" He yells generically.
Another series of low rumbling noises come from the distance, and another boulder rolls by on the same path, disappearing out of sight.
Looking around for some sort of object, Niko figures that maybe the test deals with the boulder directly. Off to the opposite side of the path from where he is standing, a large pile of medium-sized rocks sit in a loose pile. Maybe I can create a diversion path to shove the boulder off, he thinks. Picking up the rocks one by one, he places them in the path, hoping to divert the boulder from continuing downhill and off to some other target.
Right on schedule, the next boulder rolls down from above and proceeds down the path. Niko crouches behind a stationary rock for protection. Upon reaching the pile of rocks, the boulder easily crushes all of them, leaving nothing but pebbles and dust as it continues to roll out of sight down the path.
Trying to figure out the next solution, Niko keeps searching for another object to hopefully act upon the boulder. Up the path, he sees an equally large boulder sitting on the edge of a tall mesa. Maybe I can push that off and block the oncoming boulder!
Sheathing the sword and placing the sheath under his belt, he begins his trek towards the mesa.
While Niko walked over to the large mesa, five more boulders rolled down the path in sequence and out of sight. As he approached the mesa, he realized that climbing it would be a challenge in itself. Scanning the rock face for any means of footholds or crevices, he spotted a scattered series of openings to easily scale the tall mountain. Putting his right foot in one of the holes and grabbing the rocks above for balance, he pushes himself up towards the top.
As he climbs the mesa, eight more boulders roll by right on schedule. Reaching over the ledge, he places both hands on the top and pushes himself over the cliff's edge. Pulling himself along his stomach with all of the strength his arms have left, Niko breathes heavily, trying to regain some energy to continue the task.
Another boulder rolls by below on the path.
Having lay on the mesa's plateau for a few minutes, Niko pushes himself up and heads over to the boulder teetering on the edge. Reaching it, he gathers what strength he has left it for one momentous push towards the large teetering boulder. He hits it with all of his force, and the boulder falls over the edge, directly on the path below.
Trying to muster a smile without any energy to spare is tough enough, but a small smile forms on Niko's face as he just realized what he had accomplished. Continuing his heavy breathing, he sits on the cliff's edge to watch the next boulder roll down the path, expecting to enjoy the upcoming event and pass this measly test.
Like clockwork, the approaching boulder appears from the distance. As it violently rumbles down the path, it gets closer and closer to the boulder that Niko pushed off the cliff that he now sat upon.
Excitement built up in Niko like a child on Christmas morning.
The moment the rolling boulder struck the stationary one, Niko could already feel the cool breeze of wind from outside Tora's house, the freshness of the lake water surrounding the house, the birds chirping in the near distance. Everything seemed to fall into place as the answer seemed to obvious to this puzzling test.
BOOM!
Until now. The large explosion noise was followed by a shower of rattling and "shhhish-ing". Metaphorically, the sounds could be Niko's daydream shattering. In reality, the rolling boulder plowed straight through the boulder that Niko pushed off the cliff. Nothing was left except two boulder-sized walls on either side of the path.
The rolling boulder continued on its path downhill until, yet again, it was out of sight.
Frustrated at the recent event, Niko quickly stands up and stomps around the top of the mesa. "AAAGGGGHHHH!"
Feeling anger getting the better of him, Niko pulls his feet together and stands still. Taking in deep breaths slowly and exhaling slowly, he starts to think again. What other options do I have? His mind jumps to what Tora said again. "….let us begin your training with your okatana."
Sitting on the top of the mesa and placing the sheathed sword in front of him, he props his hands and elbows up with his knees. "That's gotta be it. This is a test to teach me how to use the sword. But how am I going to cut a gigantic rock with a single sword?"
Trying to figure out what could possibly be the secret to this test, he thinks back to when he first received his okatana: receiving it from Grand Master Li. As soon as he touched the sheath, a spark shot through his mind, his being, his overall soul. This spark created much more than a sensation: it created a experiential bond between a sword and its wielder.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Niko asks as he tries to figure out where he is. The surroundings of where he has been transported are unknown, as nothing but white can be seen. As he walks forward hoping to see someone or something, two extremely large blurry figures start to appear. With a glimmer of joy, he runs towards the figures, hoping to get some insight to where he is.
As he gets closer, the two figures become clear. The one on his right is his house as it is today. The one on his left appears to be some sort of ancient pagoda. The pagoda stood tall, but seemed somewhat familiar. Its shiny silver coating reflected the bright white surroundings and the red smoke that flowed in and out of various windows.
Red smoke? Niko, intrigued by the appearance of something extremely odd, aside from the appearance of his current-day home and an ancient pagoda, approached the pagoda trying to figure out where the red smoke was coming from.
As he approached the pagoda, it seemed like gravity increased slightly with every step he took; walking towards the pagoda and its red smoke felt exhausting, until he could not proceed any further. Only steps away from the ancient pagoda, Niko was crawling as he did not have the strength to stand from the overwhelming effect of the gravity-like force pushing him down to the ground.
The red smoke starts to thicken. Niko tries to look up to see what it was doing. After a few moments, the red smoke starts to flow from the pagoda windows down to Niko's position. The smoke gathers in a thin cloud vertically in front of Niko, circling around a central point and increasing with every cycle. Trying to look up, Niko tries to pushes himself upwards, hoping to get a better view of what was to come, whether good or bad. Unfortunately, the overhead pressure pushes him back to the ground.
The cycling red smoke recedes inwards, then quickly blows outwards, revealing from top to bottom the red braided handle, the dark gray trident-like hilt, and the reflective silver of a blade – the same blade sitting in the velvet-lined box that Niko was about to receive – floating in front of him.
"He of the Neko clan." An ominous voice spoke out.
Niko tries to gather the strength to push himself up. He props an elbow
below him for better support. Looking up at the floating sword, Niko responds. "Yeah?"
"Throughout time, I have slain many. I have protected countless. I have destroyed villages and cities, and I have brought salvation to others. Do you have the courage to wield me?" the voice speaks.
Niko, trying to push against the pressure, gradually answers. "How should I know? Aren't you the grand prize at the tournament?"
"I have been called many names throughout my history. I shall tell you the name you can call me, only if you can prove to that you can wield me."
Putting his other elbow below him for better support, Niko starts to get annoyed. "How am I supposed to do that if I can't even get off the ground?"
"If you are destined to wield me, you can overcome this challenge, or die trying."
Great. Just great. One moment, I'm at the tournament, and the next, I'm about to be killed by some ancient sword spirit. Niko thinks as he considers his options.
"All you must do is fully grasp my handle, and I will be yours." the voice says.
Sighing, Niko says grudgingly. "Well, what other option do I have?" Shifting his left arm under his chest, he forces himself up and uses his elbow as a main support for his body, he tries to reach up using his right hand towards the sword's handle. Closer. He decreases the distance between his hand and the top of the sword. Closer. The distance decreases some more. Niko's hand starts to shake under the pressure. CLOSER! His hand is almost touching the handle when the pressure overtakes him and he is flat on the ground once again.
The voice echoes throughout the white area. "I am ashamed. Only a select few can wield my true power. Others do not unlock the secrets and only see me as a dull blade."
Niko tries to prop himself up and reach for the handle again. As he slowly progresses towards the handle, the pressure increases as well. Once again, he ends up flat on the floor.
The voice continues. "Throughout time, I was destined to meet unique individuals to match my prowess. If I was mistaken, then I wish you well in the afterlife."
Knowing that he couldn't die here, Niko had one option that he hadn't considered. He yells out throughout clenched teeth, "I AM NOT DYING HERE!" as reaches out with his left arm, disregarding the support it provided, and grabs the bottom area of the blade. As he closes his hand around the blade, blood drips from his hand where it meets the sharp edge of the blade. Realizing that his grip was solid, he pushes past the pain and turns his hand inward, rotating the sword from the air onto the ground. A loud CLANK echoes throughout the large space as the red braided handle and gray hilt hit the ground. Seeing that his desperate "attempt at a plan" worked, he quickly moves his right hand to grab the sword's handle, which is well within his reach.
Within seconds, the overpowering pressure of the increased gravity force gradually lifts. As it lifts, Niko stands up as well.
"Well done, he of the Neko clan. You have passed the first challenge and have proven yourself worthy of mastering my power." the voice echoes.
Feeling an overwhelming sense of confidence, bravery, and assuredness, Niko places his left hand below his right, fulling holding the handle of the sword. "You have abilities?" he asks the sword.
The ominous voice responds. "You will learn in time my abilities. For now, you can call me by the name I am known by in this era: the Banish Blade."
"The 'Banish Blade', huh? Has a nice ring to it." Niko says.
"Over time, as I merge with your soul – mainly your demon half – I will unveil my abilities as I permit, as long as you put your trust in me."
Niko rests the sword on his shoulder. "As your new wielder, I see no reason not to," he says as he walks away from the pagoda, disappearing in the bright, white light.
"'I will unveil my abilities as I permit, as long as you put your trust in me.' That's what it said." Still on top of the mesa plateau, Niko grabs the Banish Blade's sheath and stands up, looking across the vast emptiness of the rocky terrain, and feeling confident that he now knows what he must do.
Low rumbling starts to raise in volume in the distance, which only means one thing: the next boulder is rolling down the hill.
Running to the edge of the cliff, Niko jumps off and lands on the path below, in the pebbled remains of his previous attempt, he lands on his feet, although kneeling to cushion the impact. Facing the oncoming boulder, he pulls out the Banish Blade from it sheath. Placing both hands on the handle, pointing the blade towards the boulder, he whispers, "I fully place my trust in you, Banish Blade."
As the boulder speeds closer, the only thoughts going through Niko's mind are either "certain death by boulder" or a miracle. Hoping for the latter, he takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and raises the sword above his head. The boulder increases in speed and decreases the distance between it and Niko, now less than ten meters away.
Niko opens his eyes and swings the sword down towards the boulder, yelling "HELLFIRE!"
Chapter 3