CHAPTER VI: HISTORY

"Ever heard about the seven most powerful and influential families in history?"

Mikhail's question caused Ammar and Camellia to look at him and shake their heads. He smiled while cracking his stiff neck. Resting his face on his palm, Mikhail began to explain.

"The seven most powerful and influential families in history, or better known as the Royal Clans, have existed since the 3rd century. They were born with the gifts to manipulate their life-force energy into weapons or powers and that life-force energy, known as the Mystic Energy, gave them supernatural powers and abilities that are considered as divine powers by normal people. The Royal Clans are the Genji Clan, the Katagiri Clan, the Uzumaki Clan, the Takahashi Clan, the Kashimo Clan, the Renji Clan, and the Kirishima Clan. For two centuries, these clans fought against one another until the beginning of the Asuka Period in the 5th century."

"During the Asuka Period, there was a mass murderer that caused the Royal Clans to push aside their differences and work together. They investigated the incident that led them to the discovery of a cult that worshipped a mysterious woman known as Dayana. Rumour said that Dayana is a very powerful Demon who was once a human and has been living among humanity ever since the first mortal discovered fire."

"Seeing that the Royal Clans pose a threat to her existence, Dayana fought against the seven clans. Her powers were unparalleled and she easily killed the people from those clans until the head clan of the Genji Clan born with the Kamigan defeated Dayana alongside two sacred treasures and the reluctant help from the Katagiri Clan's head clan."

Mikhail paused to take a breath and then continued, "After she was defeated, Dayana retreated but not before swearing her revenge on the Royal Clans and made them kill one another as well as cursed the Genji Clan. Due to the many casualties of their people, the Royal Clans decided to form a martial arts tournament, the Purge, once a year at a selected location with the intention of ending the pointless bloodshed. The Purge also allowed anyone to test their martial art skills until some of them made it compulsory for every country to send a representative from anywhere." 

"Eight years ago, the Purge was hosted at my high-school. Shizuka was chosen as a representative of the Royal Clans while my senior represented Malaysia. Well, my senior was brutally beaten by Shizuka until I interfered and fought her," Mikhail chuckled at the memory of him fighting against Shizuka back when they were teenagers. "Oh, I forgot to mention, if you win the Purge, you will receive a huge sum of money."

"Wait, that last tournament was eight years ago, right? Then, what happened?" Camellia asked Mikhail who gave her a smile.

"I defeated Shizuka and instead of accepting the money, I abolished the Purge once and for all," Mikhail gave a peace sign at the shocked Camellia and surprised Ammar. "Any question?"

"So where are the Royal Clans now? I mean I know that you are from the Genji Clan and that Shizuka girl is from the Katagiri Clan. What about the other five?" Ammar asked his best friend. 

"The Uzumaki Clan and the Renji Clan are still in Japan. As for Kashimo, I have no idea. The same goes for Takahashi and Kirishima because if I'm not mistaken, they disappeared after they worked together with Dayana's husband, Daihachi, eight years ago." 

Camellia raised her hand and asked, "Daihachi the Demon King, right? The one you killed eight years ago?"

Mikhail nodded his head and then saw Mizuki coming down from upstairs, heading to the living room. She greeted Ammar and Camellia then waved at her younger brother with a small smile which Mikhail ignored her.

"Where are you heading, Mizuki-san?" asked Camellia with curiosity after seeing her formal outfit.

"Oh, I have a business meeting with the Yukiko Clan. I won't be back until sunset." Mizuki said and then excused herself.

"You really don't like your sister, eh?" Camellia received a sharp nod from Mikhail who then explained that he's been living his life without a sister or mother for almost 15 years. The revelation from Daihachi who revealed the truth about his life and family left a scar in his heart.

"Anyways, I'm pretty sure I covered up everything. Well, if you are curious about the origin of the Demons, some people said that Dayana was born with deformities, cursed by nature as a monster or freak. Others stated that she consumed her three siblings while they were in her mother's womb, a cruel act that she believed was necessary for her own survival. A few believed that she died at a young age after being abused and starved to death by her own flesh and blood and reincarnated as a powerful and vengeful Demon," Mikhail got off from the sofa and then continued, "Regardless of any versions of her origins, they all came to one simple conclusion. Dayana was born as a cruel monster bent on chaos and destruction. Anyways, I need to meet Shizuka. Oh, I have good news for you. Starting tomorrow, you two will be trained under me."

"Why?" Camellia asked.

"You two have been cursed by Damia, and by training under me, we can at least slow down the process of you two becoming a Demon. Also, I will search for any help or clue to lift the curse from you two."

Mikhail approached the wooden door and grabbed the doorknob. He took a deep breath and with a sad expression, he said, "You both have a bright future that's waiting ahead for you two. A good and peaceful life is waiting for you two. Don't waste that future by trying to fight Demons like me. Don't try to be like me."

The room fell silent, his words deeply impacting their hearts as he pushed the door and looked at them, "Live the life that I couldn't have. Unlike you two, I don't have any future at all nor do I have the privilege of living a peaceful life like you two. That privilege is gone. It died eight years ago during my fight against Daihachi. You two, however, still have that privilege. The privilege to live a good life. Don't let that curse take everything from you."

Before leaving the house, Mikhail reminded them to wake up tomorrow morning before sunrise because tomorrow will be their first day of training. He waved at both Ammar and Camellia and slowly disappeared from their sight.

"Live the life that I couldn't have."

"I don't have any future at all nor do I have the privilege of living a peaceful life like you two."

"You both have a bright future that's waiting ahead for you two."

Mikhail's words echoed within their minds as they looked at one another before glancing at the picture of the teenager Mikhail. 

***

"Are you blind, ignorant or plainly stupid?"

Shizuka looked at Mikhail and scoffed as she stared at what he was pointing at. It's a smoking-prohibited sign, causing her to discard the cigarette and stomp on it in frustration. She grumbled and then saw Mikhail's appearance.

The long, annoying, messy hair alongside an oversized black sweater, matching cargo pants, and a pair of dark sneakers patterned with doodles. She rolled her eyes and took out a hair tie from the pocket of her pants and proceeded to tie Mikhail's hair into a ponytail, much to his dismay.

"We need to do something with your outfit," said the woman with a blue denim jacket over a white t-shirt. She then continued, "Judging by your choice of outfit, I dare say that you have zero knowledge about styling yourself."

Mikhail grumbled as he placed his hands inside the pocket of his dark pants and said, "Empty pockets. I have no money."

Shizuka giggled and said, "Don't worry about it. Let's go to Shibuya."

Nodding his head, Mikhail followed Shizuka who was heading to the train station. While walking together, they both engaged in a conversation about Shizuka's life after his battle against Daihachi.

"After the battle, my first act was to form an alliance with your clan and the Uzumaki. It was one of my father's wishes, to be honest, as he saw great potential in having your clan as an ally."

Mikhail smiled and then remarked, "Plus, our head clans have been killing one another since the third century until the end of Sengoku Period. I think it's a great idea. I remember that your father always argued with Mizuki years ago."

Shizuka nodded her head and then continued, "Like your sister, Uzumaki-san, as well as others, I refuse to believe that you die. We searched for you for months. For me, as long as I don't see your body then it means you're still alive."

Her words caused Mikhail to smile a bit before chuckling which confused Shizuka. He then told her how difficult it was for him to move from one place to another with a fake identity until he decided to stay in Johor. 

"Well, the only clue we received about your survival prior to your battle against Dania was that someone took a picture of you from behind. So, your sister ordered the government to send a special squad of Hunters to track you down."

"Hunters?"

Shizuka nodded and explained, "An organization created by the Japanese Government with the sole purpose of hunting down the Demons after your battle against Daihachi. For years, they have known that the Demons have been living among mankind but refused to do anything until your fight against the Demon King eight years ago. They viewed it as a disaster and with your 'death' as well as the betrayal of Kirishima and the Takahashi clan, they decided to work together with us to combat against the Demons."

"They hunt down the Demons by using special weapons made from the Demons themselves. As you know, other than being part of the Royal Clans, the only way to harm the Demons is to use weapons made from their flesh and blood. To be part of the Hunters, you have to pass dozens of difficult exams and only by passing them all you can be a Hunter."

"Do they get paid?" Mikhail received a sharp nod from Shizuka.

"It depends on the rarity of the Demons. There are five types of rarity. From the lowest to highest are the Level 4, Level 3, Level 2, Level 1, and Level 0," Shizuka looked at Mikhail and said, "You fought the Level 0 type twice. The first one is Daihachi and the second one is Damia."

"The higher the rarity of a Demon, the more durable and powerful they are and the higher the reward you will get. You may not know this but after the battle between you and Daihachi, the Demons began to emerge everywhere and their numbers rapidly increased. We saw your battle with Daihachi as the beginning of the emergence of the Demons."

Shizuka's words regarding the beginning of the Demons' emergence caused Mikhail to have a small flashback about Daihachi's words.

"You may not know this but the night you were born, the moment you open those cursed eyes, the very second you cry, is the moment where the balance between mankind and Demons shifted. Your birth disrupted the balance and I should thank you and your father for that because I got the chance to live and witness this moment where I will not only kill you, but also the Royal Clans and enslave your kind!! Your father made a mistake by not ending my life when he got the chance and instead he chose to save that bitch's life!"

Seeing her friend's dark expression, Shizuka stopped and asked, "Genji? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Anyways, continue with your story."

As they're heading to the train station, Mikhail listened to Shizuka's story about the Hunters and he could only say that he's impressed yet guilty due to the battle between him and Daihachi that happened eight years ago caused the sudden increase of the Demons. He bit his lips and swore that he will fix everything by ending Dayana's life and her kind even if he has to sacrifice his own life.