Chapter 2: Beginnings

Arc 1: Tokyo's Void Society

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{!!Before this chapter begins, just know that I will be using italics to show when the main character is internally thinking from now on, and when a different character that isn't the main character is internally thinking it will be displayed as [???: italics]. All other forms of dialogue will be shown as [???:""]!!}

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My eyelids weigh heavy as I try to open them, it feels practically impossible to lift them even slightly.

My body is stiff, and I can feel a soft mattress pressed against my back with a fluffy blanket resting on top of me.

Where am I?

The voice in my head is distant.

After a few seconds pass, I finally get my eyelids to open up just enough to see the bright light dangling above my head.

Before my eyes can fully adjust I attempt to sit up. But just as I make the slightest movement a sharp, internal pain forces me to immediately collapse back onto the bed.

Shit, that really hurt.

Now that I'm fully awake, I decide to scan over my surroundings. 

[???: "Finally, you're awake."]

I hear the voice of a woman. A playful yet icy voice coming from the far corner of the room. A voice that you could drown in. A voice that immediately intrigues me.

I look in the direction of the voice to find that white haired woman from before.

What was her name again? Something about Lust?

I take in the sight of her, sitting in an office chair with her legs crossed. She smiles at me softly with those piercing dark eyes.

She lets out a gentle sigh indicating that she is about to speak.

[???: "Welcome, Shiro Tatsuya, my name is Yumi Kurokawa. I am a member of the Void Society's chairmen in Tokyo. Essentially, there are 10 chairmen in Tokyo, and it is our job to handle all Euji encounters."]

As she speaks she holds up 10 fingers, her hands on either side of her chest as if to say "Yes, there are 10 chairmen."

I shoot her a puzzled look, raising an eyebrow and scratching the top of my head. 

[Shiro: "Okay I'm really confused… What the hell is a Euji? And I HAVE heard of the Void Society but I don't know much about it. Also that guy, Judgement? He brought up void hunters too, was he a Euji? Anyways who even are you, you said the Avatar of Lust right? What the hell is an avatar!? And how do you know my name, you weird lady?! I've only just met you!"]

Once I finish my panicked rambling, Yumi shuts her eyes and holds a hand up to cover her mouth as she lets out a soft giggle.

[Yumi: "You need to calm down! You just woke up from a 2 day coma, you pushed yourself much too far when you were fighting the other day. We took you back to one of the Void Society's bunkers, and you've been resting here ever since."]

She takes a breath as she slowly gets off the chair that she had been sitting on. She stands upright and approaches the side of the bed.

[Yumi: Since you're new to all this, I will be the one to teach you all about this line of work."]

Her tone of voice switches from playful to cold, indicating that her next words are to be taken seriously.

[Yumi: "Somewhere, in between reality, there is a dimension called the Void. We have no idea how it came to be or where it's originally from but it has dated back centuries in documented history."]

What the hell have I gotten myself into..

[Yumi: "This void has just one function. To produce shadow-like monsters and beasts. We call these Eujis. A Euji works by manifesting from an entity or item. Essentially, when a Euji manifests from an emotion, object or even a concept, it becomes the ultimate version of that being. For example, what you fought before WAS Judgement itself. In the Void, thousands of these beings are born every second, and in their realm they are constantly slaughtering each other and feeding off their essense to grow stronger. A Euji's strength is initially determined by its chosen manifestation and can then be enhanced by consuming other ultimate beings. This is determined by what it makes you feel, what impact it has on reality and what it's used for."]

I cut her off while she's talking, and I go to ask her a question.

[Shiro: "Wait wait, so if these Euji things come from the 'Void'.. then what the hell are they doing here?']

Her eyes light up at my words.

[Yumi: "You catch on quick don't you? The thing is, the Void simply isn't strong enough to hold billions upon billions of these Euji's, and because of that, some of them manage to slip through the cracks of reality and enter our world! That's where our job as Void Hunters come in!"]

[Shiro: "Huh?"]

[Yumi: "Void Hunters are people who are born with an innate ability or technique, like a superpower! We don't fully understand why this happens and it's a very rare occurrence. And, as said in the name, Void Hunters are the only people who can counter these Eujis. When you are born a Void Hunter you gain the ability to see and interact with them. This ability typically awakens between birth and adulthood. Eujis are typically invisible to the naked eye of non-Void Hunters. Regardless, no regular person without an ability could ever defeat one."]

This is too much to take in…!

Yumi pauses as she scans my face, as if she can sense my bewilderment.

[Yumi: "I understand that you're confused right now but that's okay, I'm sure most people would be confused if they were in the same situation that you're in right now."]

I suddenly remember something that I had been wanting to ask for a while now.

[Shiro: "Hey so.. when we first met, you brought up something about me being 'The Body of Hate'? Can you explain to me what that means-"]

Before I can finish my sentence, the door to the room flies open as a girl comes barging in. Her eyes light up at the sight of Yumi.

[???: "Lady Yumi! I've been searching everywhere for you!"] 

The girl notices me, a look of pure disgust washing over her face.

[???: "Have you really been sitting with this stinky boy all day?"]

What the hell did I do…?

The girl stands in the doorframe with her right hand on the handle. She has long blonde hair with a hair clip pinning back the front pieces, and she is wearing a jumper with blue jeans. However, the most distinguishable thing about her is the black cat perched on her shoulder.

Out of nowhere the cat leaps from her shoulder and straight onto my chest, forcing the air out from my lungs.

[Shiro: "Woah hey, calm down kitty."]

I begin to stroke its fur as I catch my breath.

I quickly realise, something is really off about this cat. Its fur is a much deeper black up close, almost like a shadow.

That's when it looks up at me and I see its glowing white eyes with no pupils.

What the hell… this isn't a cat, it's a Euji!

I quickly scoop it up in my arms and yell to Yumi, unsure of what to do.

[Shiro: "Yumi! There is a Euji here, help!"]

[Cat Euji: "meow!"]

As I panic I notice lady Yumi in the corner of my eye, once again covering her mouth and chuckling.

The young girl storms over to me. She snatches the Euji from my hands, screams at me and then karate chops the top of my head. 

Goddamn she's stronger than she looks.

[???: "Get your hands off my precious Trixie you filthy boy!"]

I immediately collapse back onto the bed with a throbbing pain in the top of my head.

[Shiro: "Trixie..? What the hell are you talking about..?"]

I say as I rub the top of my head in an attempt to ease the pain.

Yumi comes up to me, reaching her hand out to me to help me out of bed. I place my shaky hand in hers and with a bit of struggle I finally manage to stand upright with Yumi's support.

[Yumi: "It's alright Shiro. Trixie is a Euji, don't get the wrong idea, but Akiko has tamed it. Trixie's official name is The Cat Euji, but we like to call it by the name that Akiko here picked out."]

Ah, so that little girl's name is Akiko, and that creepy Cat Euji is called Trixie.

[Akiko: "That's right! Trixie is my companion when it comes to being a Void Hunter! So if you don't like it, that's too damn bad!"]

She crosses her arms proudly before shutting her eyes and poking her tongue out at me mockingly. 

This little brat..

I subconsciously tighten my grip on Yumi's hand in annoyance.

She turns her head to look at me, smirking slightly.

[Yumi: "Now that your up, it would seem appropriate for you to meet your team, don't you think?"]

Still holding my hand, Yumi guides me out of the room.

We begin to walk down a long corridor, me on her left and Akiko on her right with her arms crossed as if she's about to throw a tantrum.

As we walk, Yumi glances over at Akiko, noticing her pouty behaviour.

[Yumi: "Is something wrong, Akiko?"]

Akiko lets out an annoyed growl as she begins to speak.

[Akiko: "Is this stupid boy really all that special to you? I mean what purpose does he really hold? Useless..."]

She lets out an angry "Hmph!" once she finishes speaking.

Looks like someone's jealous.

I chuckle quietly as I speak in my head, glancing over at her with a smile.

She notices my friendly grin and immediately flashes me the angriest glare I've ever seen.

[Akiko: "What's so funny, rat?!"]

She storms right up to me and winds up her right leg to kick me straight in the balls.

[Shiro: "Guh! Ah!"]

I keel over and drop to the floor, curling up like a dying insect.

My family jewels!

Akiko lets out a satisfied sigh as she returns to Yumi's side.

Yumi reaches her hand out to me once again, helping me to stand back up.

[Yumi: "Akiko, that wasn't very nice! What happened to being a nice girl? I don't need you being so mean to poor Shiro here."]

Akiko's annoyed expression quickly fades to concern as she looks to Yumi for forgiveness. 

[Akiko: "No no! It's not like that, Lady Yumi! I promise! I was just a bit jealous since that boy was getting all of your attention when you could have been spending time with me that's all…"]

Yumi places her right hand on top of Akiko's, tracing circles over it with her thumb.

[Yumi: "I know, Akiko, but I need you to be good for me, understand?"]

Akiko sulks as she looks back at Yumi, her bottom lip trembling as she nods. She looks like she's about to burst into tears.

Yumi finally pauses in front of a tall glass door in the hallway.

She lets go of my hand and turns to face me.

[Yumi: "Alright Shiro, in this room you will be meeting some of the void hunters that you will be working with. Akiko here will be accompanying you, given that she is also a part of this team."]

I shoot Yumi an awkward smile, attempting to hide my annoyance as she places her hand on the doorknob.

It just HAD to be with her didn't it.

[Yumi: "I will meet with you again later, don't miss me too much."]

Yumi shoots me that familiar smirk that she always seems to do. She turns away from me and walks back down the long corridor until she eventually disappears around a corner.

I glance at Akiko standing in front of the door, waiting for me to stop looking in Yumi's direction and focus on the current objective at hand.

I might as well make things right with her so our time together won't be so shitty and awkward.

I let out a frustrated sigh as I prepare to speak to Akiko.

[Shiro: "Look, I know you don't really seem to like me much but I want to make my time here worthwhile, and I can't do that when a little girl like you is hating on me. So let's just work together like friends, okay?"]

Akiko glances back at me from over her shoulder for a second, her expression unreadable before she opens the door.

I begin to follow her into the room, but as soon as she steps inside she slams the door right in front of my face.

I guess there is no saving this relationship between us two..

I grab the cold metal door handle, turning it and opening up the door. 

I look around the room, and I see 5 people, including Akiko, sitting around a table conversing with one another.

Once they notice me, they give me an awkward stare while Akiko stands in the corner with her arms crossed in anger. The air in the room feels thick as I walk over to the table and sit down in an empty seat.

[???: "So new hire huh? Did Lady Yumi drag you here or are you crazy enough to employ yourself?"]

I let out an awkward chuckle before I begin to speak.

[Shiro: "Nah, I was fighting one of those Euji things for the first time and Yumi just so happened to find me and bring me in."]

As soon as I speak it seems like everyone is suddenly really interested in what I have to say about my encounter with the Euji.

[???: "So did you win?"]

[???: "Did you kick it's ass?"]

[Akiko: "Well, he did go into a coma straight after the fight so it wouldn't be far fetched to assume that he lost."]

After she speaks, Akiko puts on a devious grin with her eyes closed, as if her insult had actually worked against me.

[Shiro: "Well nah, actually I did win, and I'd say that's not bad for someone who just started being a Void Hunter."]

Everyone looks in my direction with shocked faces, now completely immersed in what I have to say.

[???: "So it was your first fight against a Euji and you ACTUALLY won? Congrats man, that's no easy feat."]

[???: "Yeah, even if it was his first fight that is really impressive for a amateur Void Hunter."]

Once all the commotion over my fight dies out, Akiko speaks up.

[Akiko: "So what even IS your Void technique?"]

I stand up and hold my fists in front of my chest as I activate my ability, hands igniting into those familiar blue flames.

Everyone sitting around the table stares in awe as they begin to admire my flashy technique. Meanwhile Akiko sulks in her seat, attempting to hide her amazement.

Ow ow ow.

But as quickly as my ability activates, it switches right back off again, the pain from using the technique burning the skin on my hands.

[Shiro: "I don't know why, but whenever I turn on the technique it hurts a ton."]

[???: "Well what actually is your technique called then?"]

I twiddle my thumbs as I attempt to come up with an answer.

[Shiro: "Well yeah about that… I don't really have any idea what my technique actually is at all. Strong punches I suppose?"]

The room fills with an uncomfortable silence, and so, I decide to spark a new conversation with the team at the table.

[Shiro: "So, what are all of you guys' techniques?"]

Akiko's eyes dart towards me. While looking in my direction she places her right arm on the table as Trixie crawls down from her shoulder and along her arm, eventually ending up on the table.

[Akiko: "Me and Trixie work together when we go Void Hunting, don't we kitty?"]

She gently pets the top of Trixie's head, making the cat purr from her touch.

[???: "You know I've always been intrigued on who could be the strongest Void Hunter in Japan."]

[???: "Well there is Ryoto, that dragon guy."]

As all their bickering fades out, I begin to hear those whispers that I had heard the other day, the hundreds of whispers that I can't quite make out. While experiencing this I clutch both sides of my head while looking downwards in pain and frustration.

Not this again..

The people around the table notice my agony and start to ask me what's wrong.

[???: "Is something wrong? You look like you're in pain. Tell us what's going on man."]

[Shiro: "Yeah nah, it's all good it's just I keep hearing thousands of whispers in my head that won't stop. Weirdest thing about them is I can barely understand half of the things they're saying."]

Everyone looks around the room at each other in absolute shock.

Heh, it's surprising to see that even Akiko's surprised.

[???: "You've been blessed with the innate technique of a thousand whispers. If you're unfamiliar about what that is, it's a type of pseudo-technique that warns you about great upcoming danger."]

So THAT'S what that is.

[Shiro: "Yeah well whatever it is it's real fucking annoying. So this means something real bad is coming right?"]

[???: "I suppose you're right."]

Before we can continue our conversation, the door to the room slowly opens up as Yumi emerges with her arms crossed, holding a tablet in one hand.

At the same time all of the whispers stop completely.

[Yumi: "There has been a Euji encounter nearby, Arachnaphobia. It has manifested and terrorized local people, the death toll is already in the thousands. I've come here to give you all the mission of eradicating it."]

That's when Yumi looks specifically at me, shooting me with that fox-like smirk once again.

[Yumi: "Shiro, I won't be joining you on this mission, this is a test for you. I want to find out how well you perform without my assistance. And don't worry, you will have your team by your side to help you with the fight."]

As we get up to go leave, Yumi says one last thing.

[Yumi: "Don't disappoint me.."]