The Shadows Within Us

Rai dashed over to Rei, who watched the crazed swordsman appear towards him. Rai grabbed his katana running over to attack him while Rei stayed standing and not moving until Rai was a meter away from him.

At that moment, Rei knew what to do and threw his rock into Rai's eye and, with him approaching at uncontrollable and maddening speeds, he could not dodge it. The rock impacted his eye and broke into it, blood flying out of his body.

Parts of his skull, surrounding his eye, shattered into pieces as he shrieked out in pain. He looked down on the grass with blood dripping down from his face. He was bodied and cradled as he protected himself.

"You're a failure Rai... You call me a coward yet you presented your hypocrisy while you cry like a baby and cuddle up to suck your thumb. Go back to your mother because we're not on the same level..." Rei lectured him walking over to him while Saori watched him in caution.

"You're right... we're not on the same level," Answered Rai, "I'm far greater!" He cried launching off slamming his katana into Rei's gut and then released a charge of lightning into him and he spun it around Rei's body burning him.

Rei laid covered in burn scars as Rai watched him.

"My ultimate move... Spinning Doom Striker." Rai commented.

"Incredible name. Absolutely elegant..." Muttered Rei weakly.

"Sarcasm does not make you the better man. It never has and it never will..."

"I already understand that Rai. What makes me a better man is my skill and power."

"Utterly sad that this skill and power seems to be hiding now... So sad..."

"Don't worry. It's coming out of the shadows..." He smirked as his katana fizzled in sounds and then he took off in the air as he then fell down launching an impactful explosion of lightning, pushing Rai back and soon fell down defeated. Meanwhile, Rei stood above him victorious and smashed his heel into his mouth.

"Maybe that'll shut you up next time?" Rei spitefully said leaving Rai broken as Saori watched on.

"What was between you and him, Rei? Why did you go like that so foolishly!?" She commented watching Rei walk over to her.

"Just a squabble..."

"You described this fight perfectly. An idiotic family rivalry and then you both took it so far..."

"Tell that to the person who unleashed his named ultimate move onto me without mercy..."

"I will after I finish talking to the person who made a weapon beforehand and spilt first blood and a lethal blow on someone who is vital for the war!"

"Do you think anything will be achieved by this war? It's going to end in failure like everything made by him!"

"You're probably are correct but that does not mean that you can spout traitorous phrases to powerful and brave fighters who need to get themselves ready for the possible battle of their lives. But what can we expect from another failure made by Haruto?" Akiro ordered grabbing Rei firmly and pushed him to the floor angrily and strongly.

"I've had enough of you and your father ruining the reputation of the Akari family! And you are meant to be the legacy of the Akari!" He carried on pulling a punch and ready to release it until Jomei kicked him emotionlessly.

"Enough Akiro. Just stop this madness... Leave the boy alone and stop hurting him like this... It's idiotic." Jomei muttered watching him with contempt while Akiko shrieked running to Rai.

"RAI! What happened to you!?" She cried cradling him as he groaned out in pain.

"Don't tell me you've done this Rei..." Jomei muttered coldly.

"I- I'm sorry uncle-" He answered fearfully.

Jomei launched a punch towards him while Akiro watched commenting, "Why can you do such a thing if you don't allow me to? Such hypocrisy I must remark."

"You take happiness from inflicting foolish pain, Akiro. I only take happiness in inflicting justice..."

"What justice is this!? You're hurting him!" Saori cried.

"It is justice, nonetheless..." Jomei answered cleaning his bloody fist.

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Yang Kwan stared right at Theothelm with caution but hidden ambition. He was going to be the greatest of them all with this power but was there a drawback from using such a forbidden power? How could this backfire towards him?

"If I am going to help you then I should need to know what you are?" Yang asked hesitantly.

"I am Theothelm, the shadow diety. I have already told you that and your questions are quite a nuisance to this discussion..."

"No no no! Tell me what are you without stating your title at all! Now explain right now! What is a diety?!"

"Very well, I am the shadow diety and a diety is an elemental force existing in the world. We have been first been universal force existing unmoving and non-sentient with immense strength until we were weakened and humbled by our creator. They sent us down to fall with their other lower mortal creations. We then had to morph our appearance to copy those mortals then and with my force, I chose to become an image of a snake..."

"I see. That was how it is then... Why do you need a vessel then? Aren't you able to control elements easily?"

"Didn't you understand what I have just said? We were weakened by our creator and so we had to go to this mortal plane. However, we were given an option to grow stronger. We need a human vessel that shall help us grow stronger and higher than ever before and transcend the form we were terribly given until we are able to become a pure diety once more..."

"I see. How does that work then?"

"It's when the ideals of a diety and their vessel resonate together. It's when their acts complement each other's lives for the better and that's how we grow as diety and mortal..."

"I see. You are under my control once I become your vessel, right?"

"Do not flatter yourself so quickly. I may be a force of power for you but that does not prevent me from having free will and being able to disobey idiotic orders made by you."

"I see... So it goes both ways then?" Yang asked thinking.

"If your primitive mind understands it that way then yes it is like that. So now, will we go ahead with our plan?"

Yang thought to himself, he remembered what had happened to him before with Akari and looked at his broken arms and hands. There was only one word to describe him as: weak. That's all he was.

He closed his eyes thinking to himself. His past, should he do it? To claim his better future and to enrich himself in power?

"Yes."

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"I do not wish for us to be enemies Mazoku. You can be an incredible ally," Kama remarked walking along with him through the caves and guiding him through as he smashed through the tunnels

"I see and why's that..." Mazoku asked sceptically.

"Follow me if you wish to know..."

As they walked through, demons cowered running away and escaping any dangers from the two stronger demons.

Mazoku watched on as they cried in fear from the haunting view of Kama until he caught on, they were running towards them, from something.

"Is there another enemy?" Mazoku asked.

"No, just some outcry against a rebel I see. A terribly foolish rebel..."

They then walked over to a wall and then Mazoku found a large hole where demons were running from and as, one fleed out from it, they were dragged in and cries could be heard.

Kama approached the wall and with ease, he slapped the wall quickly. It then broke with immediate speed and crumbled into dust.

"Get ready for a fight Mazoku..."