Mysterious Obsidian Snake
The soup was warm, its simple flavor lingering faintly on his tongue as Amatsu ate in silence. The soft crackle of the dying fire filled the emptiness of the cave, a quiet rhythm that matched the slow, deliberate movements of his hand. Across from him, Higanbana lay curled beneath her makeshift blanket.
The blanket was simple, woven together from materials scavenged from the forest—strips of bark softened by days of soaking in the river, stitched together with thin vines, and padded with layers of dried moss and large, overlapping leaves.
It wasn't much, but it was hers—a fragile shield against the cold night. She had worked tirelessly to craft it, her small hands fumbling with the rough fibers, her fingers raw and sore from tying countless knots. The bark was uneven in places, and the moss sometimes crumbled away, but it was enough to keep the chill at bay, enough to give her a semblance of comfort in a world that seemed to offer her none.
her small figure rising and falling with each soft, even breath.
She had worked hard to prepare this food. He could see it in the slight tremor of her hands earlier, the way exhaustion weighed on her, yet never stopped her. The faint taste of her effort clung to the meal, subtle yet unmistakable. She had poured all she had into it, not out of necessity, but something deeper—something he could not yet name.
As the last spoonful slid down his throat, Amatsu felt it—a faint, almost imperceptible shift within. It was not the familiar pulse of chakra, but something quieter, something deeper. The sensation rolled through him, like ripples across still water, as if the essence of her effort had taken root within, transforming into strength.
---
[System Notification Detected]
[Buff Detected: Nutrition Buff]
- Effect: +3% Vitality (Locked) (Permanent)
[Buff Detected: Physical Recovery Buff]
- Effect: +3% Recovery Speed (Locked) (Permanent)
[Buff Detected: Energy Buff]
- Effect: +2% Energy Regeneration Speed (Locked) (Permanent)
---
Amatsu's dark eyes flickered toward the notification, his expression calm and unreadable, but something faint stirred in him, like a whisper from a distant past. His gaze lingered briefly on Higanbana's sleeping form. She looked so small, curled up against the cold stone floor, her face lit gently by the dim glow of the fire.
She had given so much of herself, without hesitation, without asking for anything in return. It was a kind of foolishness he did not know how to comprehend—a relentless determination that sought no reward, no recognition. And yet, here it was, her effort etched into his being, as if the act itself had defied reason and made the intangible real.
Amatsu's lips twitched faintly, though it was neither a smile nor a frown. Another step forward, he thought. Quietly, he leaned back against the cold stone wall, his eyes falling shut as the system's effects settled within him.
The fire burned low, casting flickering shadows across the walls, and the cave fell into silence once more. For now, rest would suffice. Yet, in the stillness, his thoughts lingered on her—on the quiet strength she carried, the scars hidden behind her soft, unsure demeanor.
Perhaps, without realizing it, she had given him more than just a meal. In her quiet way, she had reminded him of something long forgotten: that even in the harshest of worlds, there were still those who gave without asking, who still carried warmth in a world so cold. And somehow, that warmth remained, faint but steady, long after the fire had begun to die.
---
The faint glow of the embers flickered weakly, casting long, distorted shadows on the jagged walls of the cave. The air was cold, heavy with the scent of damp stone and ash, yet Amatsu remained motionless, his breathing calm and deliberate. His hand lingered over his lower abdomen, where the faint hum of chakra pulsed steadily, fragile yet undeniable. It was a mere spark, a small pool of energy that he had painstakingly drawn forth, but it was real.
He closed his eyes again, his expression calm but cold, like the surface of a still lake concealing unfathomable depths. The gentle rhythm of the chakra within him echoed faintly in his mind. It was crude, unrefined, and small—yet its existence was a promise. A foundation.
The quiet of the cave was broken by the faint rustling of fabric. Higanbana stirred in her sleep, her breathing soft and rhythmic as she clutched the blanket tightly around her. She slept near the fire, her presence fragile, a stark contrast to the oppressive tension that lingered in the air around Amatsu.
His gaze flicked briefly toward her, the faintest trace of emotion passing through his eyes before vanishing as quickly as it came. For a moment, he watched her small, curled form, her delicate features illuminated by the dying firelight. Then, without a sound, he turned his attention back to the faint pulse of chakra within himself.
"The world does not care for weakness," he thought. "To live is to fight, to carve your will into the unyielding fabric of fate. Those who falter are like autumn leaves—scattered, crushed, forgotten beneath the winds of indifference."
His gaze hardened, firelight flickering in his eyes. "Mercy is a privilege of the strong. To hesitate is to die, and to cling to others is to forge the chains of your own ruin. Weakness has no place in this world, nor in my path."
He exhaled slowly, his breath a faint mist in the cold air, his voice low and bitter. "I thought... I thought I could start over in this world. That maybe, just maybe, I could finally be free. Free from the weakness, free from the chains, free from the eyes that looked at me with pity or scorn."
His lips twisted into a faint, humorless smile, the firelight casting harsh shadows across his face. "But this world is no different. It's crueler, sharper—its people no less venomous. Kindness is a lie, a mask for those too cowardly to wield their blades openly. Hope?" He laughed softly, the sound hollow, devoid of warmth. "Hope is a fool's dream, a poison I drank willingly, only to choke on its bitterness."
His gaze turned to the dying fire, the embers glowing faintly, barely clinging to life. "Being good... trying to be kind... it's meaningless. In the end, this world only rewards those who take, those who crush, those who wield power without hesitation. I was weak once, and I swore I'd never be again. If the world is a beast, then I'll be a sharper fang. If its people are wolves, then I'll cut them down before they bare their teeth. There's no place for goodness here. Only strength."
His voice dropped to a whisper, cold and resolute. "I wanted to be better. I wanted to believe. But this world doesn't care for belief. It devours the gentle and spits out the broken. If this is the way of things... then I'll become something it cannot devour."
The faint hum of chakra within him grew sharper, his focus narrowing once more. He could feel the energy moving, sluggish and unrefined, like a stream choked with debris. His breathing slowed, matching the rhythm of the chakra as he began to guide it again, tracing the pathways described in the scroll.
The process was painstaking, each movement of energy requiring precision and control. The chakra resisted, slipping back toward his chakra-core like water flowing downhill, but Amatsu's will was unyielding. He pushed forward, forcing the energy to obey, shaping it with the same relentless determination that had carried him through his grueling training.
---
[Buff Detected: Chakra Control Buff]
-Effect: +3% (stacked 8%) Chakra Control (locked) (permanent)
improves precision and efficiency in manipulating chakra, reducing wastage during techniques.
[Buff Detected: Chakra Sensitivity Buff]
-Effect: +4% (stacked 9%) Chakra Sensitivity (locked) (permanent)
Enchances the ability to percieve and detect chakra, improving awareness of internal and external energy flows.
---
A sudden, sharp hiss cut through the stillness, sharp and serpentine, breaking the fragile quiet of the night. Amatsu's dark eyes snapped open, his senses sharpening instantly as his gaze swept toward the source.
---
[Buff Detected: Detection Buff]
-Effect: +3% Situational Awareness(locked) (permanent)
Faster threat recognition and improved reaction to sudden changes in the environment.
---
From the edge of the firelight, a shadow stirred, its movements smooth and deliberate, like a ripple in the fabric of darkness itself. Another hiss followed, softer this time, like a whisper sliding across the cold stone.
The snake emerged, its dark scales shimmering faintly in the dim, flickering glow of the dying fire. Each scale caught the light for the briefest moment, only to vanish again, as though it were cloaked in liquid shadow. Its glowing red eyes burned like embers, unblinking, locked directly onto Amatsu. The firelight seemed to dance within those eyes, reflecting a hunger both primal and unnatural.
Hiss... hiss...
The sound grew softer, rhythmic, as its long, sinuous body undulated forward. Its tongue flicked out, tasting the air, sharp and deliberate. The motion was unnervingly calm, a predator's confidence as it drew closer.
It coiled slightly, its body tightening with slow precision, every movement deliberate and measured. The faint scrape of its scales against the stone floor was barely audible, yet it carried a weight—an unspoken threat, a coiled storm waiting to strike.
The snake slithered forward, its dark scales glinting faintly in the dim light, its glowing red eyes fixed on Amatsu. It moved with an eerie grace, its body undulating like liquid shadow as it approached. Its tongue flicked out, tasting the air, before it coiled slightly, as if preparing to strike.
Amatsu did not move. His gaze remained locked on the creature, his expression calm but watchful. The faint pulse of chakra within him sharpened, his senses heightened as he analyzed the snake's movements.
The creature lunged, its speed almost too fast to register. The small, sharp fangs gleamed in the firelight as it darted toward his arm. But before it could strike, Amatsu's hand shot out, his fingers closing around its neck with precise, unyielding force.
The snake writhed in his grasp, its body coiling tightly around his wrist as it hissed. Its glowing red eyes burned with an unnatural light, its movements frantic yet deliberate. Amatsu's grip tightened slightly, his sharp gaze studying the creature closely.
And then he felt it—a faint pull, subtle yet insistent, tugging at his chakra. The hum within wavered, disrupted, yet Amatsu did not resist. He let the sensation linger, his mind sharp, his focus unbroken.
The system stirred silently, his chakra pathways adjusting, stabilizing against the intrusion.
---
[Buff Detected: Chakra Adaptability]
-Effect: +1% Chakra Adaptability (locked) (permanent)
Enhances chakra stability against external interference.
---
The snake's movements grew more intense, its body constricting around his wrist as if to draw more from him. The pull on his chakra intensified, sharper now, like a thread being unraveled from a tightly wound spool.
---
[Buff Detected: Chakra Adaptability]
-Effect: +1% Chakra Adaptability (locked) (permanent)
Enhances chakra stability against external interference.
Stacked 2%.
---
"Interesting," Amatsu murmured, his voice low and cold, barely louder than the crackle of the fading fire. His gaze remained fixed on the creature, unblinking, calculating.
The snake was small, no more than 60 or 70 centimeters, but its presence carried a weight far beyond its size. Its dark, glistening scales rippled like flowing ink, catching the faint light as it coiled tighter, illuminating the smooth, deadly elegance of its form.
He loosened his grip slightly, just enough to observe the snake's reaction. The creature lunged again, its fangs bared, and the pull on his chakra surged. Amatsu's lips curled into a faint smile, sharp and calculating.
"A predator... yet so small," Amatsu muttered, his lips curling faintly into something that wasn't quite a smile. There was no fear in his voice, only a cold amusement that lingered in the stillness.
"You also devour energy," Amatsu murmured, his voice steady yet tinged with a cold curiosity, as though speaking more to the idea than the creature itself.
---
Higanbana stirred faintly, her wide, uncertain eyes fluttering open as the soft sound of footsteps broke through her light sleep. She blinked, her gaze meeting the dark silhouette of Amatsu as he approached, his expression cold and unreadable.
"W-What are you doing...?" she asked softly, her voice trembling with both curiosity and shyness. The faint glow of the dying fire illuminated him as he knelt beside her, his movements calm, deliberate.
Without a word, Amatsu reached toward her, his fingers deftly grasping the edge of her kimono. Before she could react, a soft tearing sound filled the silence as he tore free a strip of fabric, the delicate material giving way easily under his grip.
Higanbana gasped, clutching the remaining fabric tightly against her chest as her cheeks flushed, her wide eyes flickering between the torn kimono and Amatsu's cold, methodical expression. "W-Why are you—"
Her words faltered as her gaze shifted to his other hand—the writhing shadow of the snake, its dark scales glinting faintly in the dim light. Its glowing red eyes burned with fury, its body twisting violently against his iron grip. Amatsu's hands moved with precision, binding the snake with the torn fabric, wrapping it tightly, each turn stripping the creature of its freedom.
The snake hissed, sharp and venomous, its body coiling and thrashing in defiance, but Amatsu's grip was unrelenting. His hands were steady, indifferent to the creature's futile resistance. The sound of the cloth tightening against the snake's scales rang softly through the air, a quiet reminder of its inevitable defeat.
"You're tearing my kimono?" Higanbana's voice quivered, her hands clutching the torn edge as if it might somehow mend itself. Her expression wavered between indignation and confusion, though her voice remained soft.
Amatsu didn't look up, his focus fixed entirely on the task at hand. "It serves a purpose," he replied, his tone cold, as if the fabric were nothing more than another resource to be used.
Higanbana bit her lip, her fingers trembling as she traced the torn edge of her kimono. The firelight danced across her flushed cheeks, her gaze dropping to the ground. After a long pause, her voice came, soft and uncertain, barely above a whisper.
"...Do as you must."
Her words lingered in the air, quiet and resigned, as Amatsu finished binding the snake. The creature's struggles slowed, its coiled body now motionless under the tight restraints of the cloth. Amatsu's dark eyes flickered toward her for a brief moment, his expression unreadable, before he stood, the subdued serpent limp in his grasp.
The fire crackled softly, breaking the silence between them as Amatsu turned away, his figure disappearing into the shadows beyond the firelight. Higanbana sat still, her hands clutching the torn fabric, her thoughts swirling in the quiet that followed.
Once the snake was secured, its body bound tightly in the makeshift pouch, he tied it to his belt. The faint pull on his chakra subsided, though he could still feel the creature's presence—a small, lurking weight at his side.
He leaned back against the wall, his gaze flickering toward the embers of the dying fire. The snake's ability lingered in his mind, its implications sparking a flurry of thoughts. If a mere beast could siphon chakra with such precision, then why couldn't he?
Amatsu's fingers brushed against the fabric of the pouch, his expression contemplative. The creature was a predator, a parasite that thrived by taking what it needed from others. It did not wait, did not plead—it simply took.
His gaze shifted inward once more, his thoughts turning to the faint hum of chakra within him. The energy was his, hard-earned and fragile, but it was only the beginning. The snake's ability had shown him a new path, a possibility he had not yet considered.
If chakra could be drawn out, then it could also be taken. Not just from himself, but from the world around him. The thought was tantalizing—a technique that would allow him to drain the strength of others, to turn their power into his own.