FROM THE SKIES ABOVE

With the assault of the winds, Shiro watched, looking around. With his eyes barely able to open, he squinted, glancing around at the blue sky he bathed in. But within his seconds of peace, he heard a large sound that seemed to be coming from the ground. Disturbing his peace, he saw what seemed to be a large explosion. The smell was putrid, a horrid smoke. With a cold sigh, he looked at the Ovalithe as he started falling feet-first. The sigh had transformed into a smirk - one of confidence, resolve and happiness. 

Within an instant, his outfit burnt into ashes, revealing a new outfit - a sleek, black pressurized long-sleeved shirt, complimented by the robes which now hovered on his back with a katana sheath. His legs continued to burn, forming loose white sweatpants with a large wrap that bound the outfit together. Still, Cera's scarf remained, Shiro holding onto it as he took a deep breath, causing a large dust explosion. From where he was currently kneeling, he could only see the colour of dust painting the sky. 

"What was that?!"

"Is that one of their new weapons?!" 

"Please...make all the pain stop..." 

The faint voices of these presumed villagers circled around Shiro's head, and from the young voice he heard, the dust had immediately landed, and he emerged. With a quiet mutter of his voice, he looked around at the enemies. People wearing military-like suits, equipped with guns and grenades...With a simple observation, that was all the knowledge he needed. 

A sharp breath, venomous and inflicting, released from Shiro's mouth before he vanished within an instant, holding two fingers as he imitated a sword slash, paralyzing 3 of the soldiers in a row before he looked back at the injured villagers, seeing the splatters of blood on the ground. 

"Hmmm...Errrrr..." He sighed, rubbing his head as he rolled his eyes before he heard an outburst of stomping, as if they were all circling around him. Unknowing of the laws of this nation, he knew he had to keep his abilities on the down low - he didn't know the rules, so he had to play it safe. Without killing any of them, he had an objective; immobilize them all without harming the citizens of the village. 

Holding his arm, he watched as they all circled him, spinning around in a circle, paralyzing each of them. Seeing this, he quickly leapt, knowing he had to find the source of the explosion, moving at insane speeds, glancing at all the people that simply stood still, waiting for him to run past. 

"Running around aimlessly in a place that you clearly don't know...isn't very smart." Shiro heard an ominous voice, followed by a sigh. Within a split-second, he quickly held onto his sheathed blade, stepping back using one foot to slow down his momentum, looking at the man that stood a few meters in front of him. 

"My name is Naito, Second in Command in the Defense of Sarai, and defender of Lady Sanae." He spoke before he unsheathed his blade. Shiro glared at him; his dark outfit, the overwhelming cloak of fur, and the blade that he carried, a slithering presence looming over it. 

With a grasp of his soul, Izana held onto Shiro, possessing him. "Let me take control. Just for this." He watched as he tied up Shiro's hair, his entire stance changing. Holding onto his katana with confidence, Izana sped towards Naito, his leg soaring into his chest, which was blocked by his blade. With a backflip, he quickly launched himself into the air. Naito watched this, springing himself directly above him, about to slash him in half, but Izana could do all the things Shiro couldn't. Holding the sword with his fingertips, he used his flexibility to climb on the sword, directing a kick directly to Naito's chest, sending them both down. Izana decided to mock him, trampling all over his body. 

"For a knight, you surely don't have a lot of valor. Fight." Izana glared down at him before they both landed on the ground, Izana easily dominating, and Naito humiliated on the ground. The amount of anger on his face could easily tell Izana one thing - he needed to move. With a quick leap, he tried running away before feeling a slice on his cheek. 

"LASH OUT, EMBERA!" Naito shouted before countless waves of flames soared across the battlefield. Izana looked back at the village, using his blade, plunging it into the ground, placing himself in front of the blade, willing to take any kind of pain. 

"You won't feel the pain, Shiro. I will." Izana stared at the flames, deciding to walk through them, feeling each ash char his skin. He knew it hurt. But he chose to anyways. There were things that he had to protect, and he saw this as the only way. Holding his head up high, his strength never wavered. Witnessing death in his face, it burnt itself simply by staring at him. 

"JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! NOBODY HAS EVER WITHSTOOD MY FLAMES BEFORE!!" Naito yelled out loud, Izana laughing before he stood tall, his eyes slowly drifting like his consciousness. His body grew tired with each step, his legs quivered as he kneeled, weakly looking up at the dark silhouette. 

"Shiro...I'm sorry for this. I'm leaving the mantle to you for the time being."

"NO, YOU'RE NOT GONNA-" 

"I'm not dead, idiot. I just need...some rest...But I'll make sure you don't suffer any of the burns..."

With the ash dying, Naito walked up to what seemed to be the corpse of Izana as he thought, staring at the burns, picking it up as he laughed, slapping his cheek before looking over at his blade, taking it before flying away with his flames.