5

Chapter 5: Temporary Reprieve

Chapter Text

It took a day to regain feeling in my legs and for them to fully heal. This was one of the few times I was truly glad to be an Oni as without that heritage I would have lost my legs permanently. My mother in a display of surprising insight took Byakko's pelt and made me a set of clothes from it. I was a bit touched, not that I'd say it, that my friend and teacher would be with me at all times.

The biggest surprise, however, was a change in my training. Once healed I was brought to the Elder's house prepared to train again.

Mother and I were sat down at a table instead of in the sitting room or the dojo. Lain out before us was an array of various meat dishes and tea. Not looking to waste a rare gift or upset the Elder we began eating at his behest.

The meal was soon finished and the Elder spoke, "Congratulations are in order. You surpassed my expectations in your last trial. From this point till the Trial of Paths you shall train yourself with me testing your progress quarterly."

I'm not able to hide the shocked look on my face as he continues, "Without my personal instructions I still expect significant progress. You will hone your skills with your body and chosen weapon into an instrument of death. You have full access to the 'Den of the King of Beasts'. In five years time, you will face your next trial, do not disappoint me."

As we prepare to leave the Elder stops us, "Did you enjoy the meal?"

Confused we both reply in the affirmative, "Good, white tiger is a rare delicacy after all."

I grind my teeth in frustration as we walk home, bastard.

"Mother?" I've been doing some thinking and she's the only one who cares about me here, I should try to bond with her more.

"Yes, Daughter?" I know it's odd for me to speak without being prompted but at least try to hide your surprise.

"Would you come to the Den with me and help me with my archery?" My mother beams at me and butterflies flutter in my chest. Ugh, I'm seriously starved for affection in this life.

"Of course! Let's go now." With that, we head out.

"No no! Your stance is too rigid and you're moving too quickly through your draw. You must move fluidly, every position must be perfect." I sigh and drop my shoulders. Mother is way too focused on the spiritual aspect of Kyudo. I just need to put an arrow through the target's vital points.

"I don't understand Mother." Walking over she put a hand on my shoulder.

"Before you even draw you have to have visualized the death of your target." Grabbing the bow she snaps into position and fires without even looking at the target.

Honestly, it's one of the most beautiful things I've seen in this life. "The arrow piercing the target does not matter, for it is already dead. Anything beyond the draw is a foregone conclusion when I use the bow. You need to accept this, be at peace with this, and bring this fact into the world. Can you do that, Daughter?"

"Yes!" I move back into position.

Archery is not the only thing I practice, however. I stalk through the forest mimicking the movements of my teacher.

I am silent, I am king, I am death. I stumble as a paw cuffs me across the head. "Ouch, what was that for you fuzzy bastard!" I snarl at the phantom beside me.

"Your ego grows too large. I am here to temper you into the primal hunter, not facilitate your delusions." He brings a paw up and lazily strokes his maw in imitation of a wise grandmaster.

"I didn't even say anything! How did you even know?" I pout at the jerk who's teaching me.

"I'm a figment of your imagination, how wouldn't I know your thoughts?" Oh, screw you it's not my fault you couldn't dodge the shitty Elders attack. I duck under another lazy swing and stick my tongue out at the tiger.

"You know you're dodging nothing, right?" Maybe, this life hasn't been good for my sanity… Eh, I got a ghostly tiger friend now so it was worth it. Probably.

I sit in a clearing in lotus position with my odachi lain across my lap. I'm trying to reach my sense into the sword in front of me to better connect the sword and my body. The way I see it there are clearly supernatural shenanigans going on in this world, so I'm attempting to find different paths to power.

After a few hours of accomplishing nothing I stand and draw my sword. While swinging it I get a feel for the weight as well as the most natural ways to direct the edge.

I spend hours standing there, swinging the sword. By the end, my muscles are burning from the continuous action but I won't stop, I can't stop. I have under three months till my next encounter with the Elder.

Bringing out the feelings from my fight with the Touki user the cursed grudge flames manifest before me. With no target, they float ominously in front of me.

Looking inside I see the flickering forms of all the beings who have died by my hands. Men and women, the other children, a pack of wolves that I fought, a few tigers, and my friend Byakko. The impression of Byakko is especially strong as it warps the flames into his shape before wandering around the clearing.

"You need to temper this power. This is what allowed you to survive and through you, we survive. Bring us our vengeance and this power will continue to serve you," I feel the flames flare and burn my skin, "Forget our grievances and we will consume you instead."

With his piece said the flames disperse into floating motes.

When the Touki user told me what his power was called I was confused. My memories of my past life are tenuous at best, suppressed by trauma, and blurred by time. Touki, however, brings to mind, Ki, Chi, or life energy.

If that dumb brute can use it why should I not be able to do the same? I meditate in a clearing once more, except instead of focusing my attention on my sword, I turn my focus inward searching for the energy he used.

In my core I 'feel/see/taste?' a spark of energy grabbing onto the spark I open my eyes to a new world. This same energy I feel inside me is swirling all around, pulsing through the ground, falling down from the sky.

Curious I drag a bit outside towards me. When the energy touches mine I'm filled with the wrath of the world around me, my vision tints red as I roar in agony.

I frantically push the energy away from me. Panting I wonder what the hell just happened.

I instantly decided not to touch the 'Ki' outside my body focusing inward once more I drag it out over my fist. The energy is sluggish and unresponsive but eventually manifests as a white coating around my hand. Tentatively I poke a nearby tree and the bark crater around my finger.

Awesome is my last thought before I pass out.

My hypothesis of this being my life energy was proven when I awoke. The sense of fatigue I felt was terrible, it was as though just moving would cause me to pass out again.

So instead of moving, I lay here contemplating what to do with this knowledge. I could draw Ki from the environment so I won't have to use my own. This has the downside of me possibly going berserk if I can't either hold back or filter out that malice.

The other option is to somehow increase my Ki. My guess is that it will grow as I do but that isn't good enough. I will need to push my body to the limits as well as expending my reserves constantly. Hopefully, that will expand my life energy.

I growl weakly as I feel another wave of fatigue. I'll probably have to learn how to do both.

It's been a week since I've first grasped my Ki. In that time I've suffered through immense fatigue but I've managed to double my reserves. I doubt that this rate of growth will continue as my burgeoning Ki increases but it doesn't change what I have to do either way.

Reaching out into the environment once more I grab ahold of more natural ki. I really focus on it this time as it floats toward me. In the flow of energy are colorful wisps which I assume are spiritual imprints of strong emotion. Grabbing the hostile-looking ones; black, red, orange, I toss them out of the flow coming to me.

This time when the natural Ki connects with mine I'm in control. I flow this over my body and try moving. Sadly the boost in prowess in comparison to my own ki or the malicious ki is ridiculously small. This isn't what I need.

Pushing the purified Ki out I drag pure unfiltered natural Ki towards myself again. When it makes contact with me I'm once more drowned under the weight of emotion. This time, however, I'm prepared to fight back.

I meet the flow of rage with my own. The despair I greet with the pain I've accumulated in this life. The greed I greet with my own lust for power. All these negative emotions I shove against nature's the two waves crashing against each other in a cacophony of feeling.

My skin splits in some spots as my muscles jump, my teeth are ground together so hard they start to crack. The ground beneath me is pulsing, cracking, sending dust into the air. The wind is roaring around my body or maybe the one roaring is me.

Eventually, the sea of emotion stabilizes, and I'm left with a small ocean of energy inside me. Lifting a palm up at a tress in the distance I shove the majority of this well of energy through my arm.

All the nerves in my limb flare. The bone inside splinters. Yet still a ball of energy flies from my hand, with speed unmatched by anything I'm capable of, pierces through the forest shattering everything in its path.

Dropping my arm limply at my side I smile, a feral, maddened thing. But that smile is mine and is proof of my success.