Chapter Six

Nyssa's hand shakes, tears begin to fall from her eyes, but what accompanies that is a smile. 

"Is it...truly worth it, why do I restrict myself of what's left of the world. There's no way you could care the same way I do."

Nyssa stands up, and glances over at the door.

The feeling of dread Nyssa felt so long, feeling as if she had to continously suffer in this home. Hiding herself from the world to protect herself.

It all slowly left her body as she opened the door, and was met with the beautiful night sky, as tears left her eyes.

(Why… why does today feel different? The wind has always touched my skin, yet now, it feels like it's carrying something deeper—something like grace. Is this what it means to let go? My chest tightens, but not from fear… from something that feels like joy. I've spent so long convinced I didn't deserve this—the simple beauty of stepping outside, of feeling the earth beneath me, of watching the birds carve through the morning sky. But I do. I'm here. And maybe… just maybe, it's time I finally step forward and see what the world has been waiting to show me.)

In that moment, Nyssa felt true bliss, the feeling of wanting to explore the world for what it really has to offer

"Nyssa!"

Suddenly, Nyssa jumps as she turns around, and hears Kashikoi calling out to her.

Panic appears on Kashikoi's face, his hands shake as he nearly drops the food he brought home for her.

Nyssa doesn't turn her back though, she looks up, and glances at the moon.

"Nyssa, I know you heard me, it's late, and it's unlike you to leave home unless something has happened. Did someone come by? Are you-"

"Kashikoi..."

Kashikoi stops, as Nyssa turns around, tears in her eyes, but a smile. 

Nyssa's face held an expression of self-forgiveness and true acceptance of herself.

"Kashikoi, thank you for letting me feel human again. Even if it didn't last forever. i don't know what I would've done...had I not taken you in, and raised you."

Nyssa's words were shaky, as tears continued to fall from her face.

"Yeah..."

Kashikoi didn't say much, not knowing what to say.

Afraid to say anything else, not wanting to ruin Nyssa's moment of bliss.

"I'm sorry I got emotional, this truly isn't like me. I guess I just needed a breath of fresh ai-"

Kashikoi cuts Nyssa off, and gives her a hug. Putting the food he brought home to the side.

"Don't hide your emotions, and don't fake them either. You earned the right to cry a long time ago."

Nyssa hears this, loses control, and fully breaks down into tears.

"Thank you Kashikoi, thank you so much for being here.

Elsewhere, in an unknown building, hidden from the rest of the world—

A man walks through the halls of this building, holding a communication device in his hand. The air is thick with silence, broken only by the steady rhythm of his footsteps against the concrete floor. Dim, flickering lights overhead cast fleeting shadows across the corridor walls, giving the space a cold, ghostly glow.

As he's walking, he begins signaling someone, his fingers moving with practiced precision over the device's glowing interface. His coat sways with each step, heavy fabric brushing against his legs.

Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, he reaches a door at the end of the hall. A gust of wind slips through its edges, tugging at his jacket.

It blows in the distance as he opens the door to the outside—revealing a dark, open landscape under a moody sky, clouds shifting like waves across the stars.

"Have you located Kashikoi yet Damon?"

"He has been located sir, but not by me. Galen took the approach of finding his location himself, and then hunting him down himself as well."

"I won't say I'm surprised, he never listens to me either. He's too valuable of an asset to lose though, keep an eye on him. He has a tendency to go overboard, and lose track of the mission because of his obsession."

"Yes s-"

Before Damon can respond, The communication ends, and he walks outside as he begins to keep watch.

"A boy has caught the ruler's eye, A new sakusei Inheritor has been born. What the hell is going on in the world...it seems like, things are about to begin spiraling out of control."

Damon had been keeping a watch over all the events happening in the world, alongside the rest of the group he works with currently, The Unforgiven. A group of four men who previously worked for the government before they were swarmed and casted aside by the world once they unlocked Reiki in 1980.

As Damon's thoughts linger, anxious about the future of the world. He begins to calm himself as he remembers his one goal.

'All knowledge of power shall belong to me eventually though, if things begin to shift, then that is simply none of my concern.

A week later, just outside Joki's cabin, Dawn had been punching a tree. He focused tiny amounts of Reiki into his fists, attempting to control his power. 

(Dawn's Reiki Percentage: 91%)

(Emotional Quota: Sane)

Joki raises his eyebrow after noticing, Dawn has only thrown three punches, and yet his Reiki percentage has dropped significantly.

"Stop!"

Dawn immediately stops, and looks over to Joki who has a disappointed expression on his face.

"Just like your studies, you're capable of getting the right answer, but you keep doing things so fast. You're thinking too fast, and even right now, while you have dumped tiny amounts of Reiki into your fists, you are still using too much strength, it's draining your emotional quota."

"That again...just what the hell even is emotional quota, it sounds like a bunch of bullshit."

Joki sighs.

"Do you remember when we battled, when you felt like you were losing your mind, when you were clutching your head in panic and fear."

"...The way you just described it, how did you-"

"Because it wasn't just a feeling, that was what happens when you overuse your Reiki. Reiki usage starts at the limbic system, but as years went on since the discovery of Reiki in 1980, people found a name for what it was whenever people would lose their mind as they overuse their Reiki. Emotional Quota. And categorized them into four stages."

Dawn begins to think back, he flashes back to when he was younger, and he gasps as he remembers his brother attacking him all of a sudden. As he remembers everything, his anxiety begins to rise.

"Joki, what are the stages of Emotional quota? and...is it possible that in any of those stages, you would lose so much control, you end up attacking the one's you love?"

As Dawn says this, Joki can see the fear in Dawn's face, his body shaking, as if with each word he spoke a memory in his head became more and more vivid.

"Well, the first stage is simply being sane, and then you move on to fraying edge, where your emotional responses heighten, and you'll have occasional lapses in judgement, but overall, this shouldn't be too much of a concern. The concern begins in the last two stages."

Dawn focuses completely, his anxiety rising, and the fear of what he's about to hear rises as well. But he stays focused knowing that the answer to his question he's had for years may finally be answered.

"Splintered Veil...it's what you experienced, you begin to have a divide in reality, alongside hallucinating, and a heavy urge to act on all intrusive thoughts in your head making you unpredictable and dangerous, and the last one, fractured fantasy, and I'll cut to the chase kid, you do lose control, when you hit fractured fantasy there's no coming back, yes, you'll end up attacking the one's you love it can't be helped."

Dawn freezes completely as he hears Joki's words. A overwhelming sense of closure filled his body, but also sadness at the same time.

"My brother, when I was younger attacked me, he looked so exhausted, drained, and he all of a sudden got a boost of energy and swung with the intent to kill me. I wondered why for so long."

"This brother of yours? It's safe to assume he's dead, if not then he'd be a puppet just roaming the earth."

"Yeah..."

Joki walks over, and puts a hand on the head of Dawn.

"Listen, the most I can say is, your brother didn't die for nothing. He may have lost control, but if he was that far gone. Then he exhausted most of his efforts to keep you safe, let that motivate you, knowing that should make you wanna use all the effort I know you have Dawn."

Dawn sits in thought listening to Joki's words, and as he does he nods his head. Joki walks over to the door of the cabin.

"You've temporarily completed this training, I will let this go considering before you went right down to 80% with only two punches. You're improving, the next thing you're gonna do...is test your abilites."