Unaru Yochimu (Human)

Name: Jouhei Tsuya/ Unaru Yochimu
Age: 23
Gender: male
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 65kg

Appearance:
Unaru’s overall appearance does not scream ‘teacher’, whilst he is physically attractive he does not stand out (unless someone really likes blonds). All of his outfits are modern and casual, even when he is working; his most common is black jeans with a chain style belt, black boots that have a steel toecap, a black long sleeved shirt and a mauve coloured jacket. He had a piercing in his left ear, and he tends to rarely take it out, he also wares heavy rings on his thumb and middle finger (right hand), and his thumb and index finger (left hand). His most notable piece of jewellery is his necklace, the pendent appears to be a G handing from a think chain, but infect it’s the symbol of the Yochimu clan that’s been rotated 90 degrees to the left. (the symbol being that of an eye)

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Race: Japanese
Soul race: Human
Hair color: Platinum Blond
Eye color: Blue
Body type: Thin/athletic
Country of origin: Japan

Personality:
Unaru is a quiet and calm individual, and some would say he is quite suited to his chosen roll as a guide or adviser more than a fighter. His chosen occupation showed his likes and interests in life, a substitute music teacher, after his experience with his powers he tries to use The Sight to help people, be them normal humans or otherwise, even if they don’t realise it, the substitute aspect of it appeals to him, meaning he gets to meet more people and even travel to areas he would never go to, and that brings us onto the music aspect of his work. Unaru has fallen in love with music since he started to venture out into the world, he has seen how it brings people together and even help them to open up, although he appreciate that everyone has different tastes in music, his personal favourites are rock and metal, and are the songs he mostly plays/sings, although he has learnt songs from other ganders to help him connect with a person he is trying to help. He is a man of simple pleasers as well, living off a small pay check from his teaching job, although he will take requests for privet classes if he needs the cash.

In the class room he is normally seen as a fun teacher, and he has known a few students who have been sad to see him go. Yet he will not take any bullshit, even using his powers once or twice to subdue unruly students, he does not mind mistakes and will give some one-on-one time to anyone who is struggling, and has been known to get students to open up about problems that they are having at home.

Regardless of what is going on he always tries to keep upbeat, not letting himself fall into despair of self-pity. However as some would think him a ‘goody-to-shoos’ he will not push his ideal’s on to other people, he knows everyone has a right to feel hate if they so wish it, along with love, lust and despair, yet above al else he respects ‘life’, that surviving is a lot harder and hold more respect than throwing one’s life away.

He is however, not without his own personal faults and concerns.

He is never really sure on what name to call himself, what name is really his. He uses Unaru more because he has too, not because he wants too, yet he will not use Jouhei because of the past, and person it is connected too, but that is not his biggest worry. He hates to think what he could become if he did not prove to be strong enough to ‘live’, that he would be tempted by the dark side of his powers and become a monster.

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General Aspects:

• Stamina: 1
  
• Reiatsu: 6
  
• Dexterity: 3
  

Race specific Aspects:

• Mind and body: 0
  
• Un-natural attunement: 3
  
• Spiritual pathways: 1
  

IC post count: 100

Ability: The Sight

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background:


The child sighed bitterly to himself as the warming light of spring poured into his room, yet he could not help but feel a chill that seemed to bite into his bones. The ten year old looked over the desk he sat at, books lay open with their pages marked by hand written notes and lines of colour, but as he rested his chin in his hand and gazed longingly out the window, completely uninterested with his studies at hand.
The warm, still air seemed to allow sound total freedom on this day, as the laughter of school children seemed to waft in like it was the fragrance of the flowers that nestled beneath his window. Like a bird in flight the laughter seemed to rise higher and higher before a bell sounded above the din of noise, calling them back in to their classes, remaining unaware of the home-schooled boy who wanted to join in. Jouhei sighed to himself once more, his blue eyes having no lustier for life as the other children had, he held no wonder for what tomorrow may bring, not when he had accepted the fate his parents had pushed upon him. The blond haired boy slumped back into his seat, having no motivation to continue with his studies; once more he turned his eyes down upon his paste white skin and asked himself. Why?

Jouhei had no medical ailments to warrant keeping him isolated, nor did he struggle with learning that he needed to be touted at another level. He felt an emptiness grow inside him, the lack of socialising in school had left him felling cut off from the world, to him nothing outside his window seemed real, like it was just a painting or images on a VT screen, the darkness in the room seemed to be growing as its inky tendrils seemed to creep into his mind, the times he had asked his parents why played over and over in his mind, yet it led him nowhere but to the ever-darkness of confusion and doubt he had in his heart. Suddenly, a knock on the front door shattered his world like they way a flash of lightning would split the sky, he blinked a few times, almost stupidly as the sound settled in to his ears, but as the silence started to settle one more like a flock of startled birds his heart dipped. Three knocks sounded out once more, so rhythmic where the taps that it sounded almost unnatural, yet as he realised the small tune his heart felt joy once more, for only one man he knew knocked like that.

'Jouhei!' a gruff, male voice barked down the lower floor, ' see who is at the door.'

'Yes Farther.' he called back.

Jouhei moved with haste though his door and down the stairs, yet it was not his father’s command that motivated his limbs. There was a elderly man standing at the door, he wore the garbs of an old Shinto priest, the years at etched themselves deeply into the skin around his eyes and mouth and his once jet black hair now sporting markings of silver and white, but it was his eyes that where the most captivating thing about the old man, the clear gray orbs seemed to sparkle with a life that would have normally left a man at his age. Jouhei could not help but smile, his darkened thoughts having been banished from his mind, the boy just wanted to throw is arms around the man's waist and embrace him, yet he did not.

'Hello, Grandfather.' he said softly as he bowed his head.

Just then a tall man appeared from behind the boy, his shadow falling over him like a bear looming over a small rabbit that caused the boy to flinch and shy away, meekly shuffling to the side to get out of the way. It was clear to see from the man's build and they way his hazel coloured hair was cut that he was a military man, his stern, ragged face showed no signs of warmth or happiness as his cold eyes scanned over the elder at the door.

'What do you want?' his harsh voice hissed.

'Can't an old man drop by to see his Daughter and Grandson?'

There was a sly chuckle in the old man's voice, and a glint of myth in his eyes as he addressed Jouhei's farther. The boy could already feel the tension between them, for as long as he could remember his father and grandfather had been at odds with another, yet, despite the over whelming tension in the air and his father's bad mood that always swiftly followed, he looking forwards to his visits’. His grandfather would always tell him stories of the gods or long dead heroes of Japan, of strange monsters that would curse emperors only to be undone by a humble stranger and most importantly, of the beauty the world had beyond what you could see with your eyes, yet it was that very thing that his farther hated. Grat, Jouhei's father, was not a man for fables or fairytales, he did not believe in anything that you could not see or feel or could be explained with logic, everything in this world could be accounted for, can be subdued and controlled with force and the stories the old man preached where nothing but lies that just made the young weak and afraid.

'Jouhei, my dear, why don't you go outside for a bit?' a soft, caring voice sounded out from behind them.

A thin, beautiful woman stood there in the living room door way, her long, glossy black hair swept down to the small of her back, and her striking jade green eyes seemed ringed with the lines of tiredness. Jouhei's stomach started to quiver with worry at her words, never before had he been sent away during times like this and the look on her face, the look of knowing, like she had been expecting her farther to show up, but the boy did not question any of it, he just obediently bowed his head and walked away, down the hall way and out the back door into a place he had hardly ever been.

The back garden was composed of nothing but grass and one solemn tree, the vibrant strands of green tickled the boy's ankles as he walked. He lifted a hand to shield his face from the sun's burning light, the rays seeming much bringer now then when they had came through his window, he sighed wondering what to do with himself now that he was out here, he had no ball to kick up against the wall or fence, or any other toy for that matter. A scratching on the far side of the garden got his attention, a Raven sat there, its talons dug deep into the wooden fencing that enclosed the area, its glossy black eyes seemed to be peering right at him, like it was watching his every move, normally a common bird like this would not fascinate any child, but this was the first time that Jouhei had seen one this close up. Its black feathers seemed almost unreal in contrast to its sunny surroundings, so black was its form it seemed that its shape had been cut out from reality itself, the boy seemed to become more and more aware of its presence as he looked at it, the way it would move its head from side to side, the way it would flick its tail to steady itself, the way its claws would grip and scar the wood that was under its thin legs. Suddenly Jouhei's head started to spin and he felt sick, his vision blurred, and his seemingly lifeless body tumbled into the soft grass.


'I will have no more of these ridicules stories!' Grat snarled at the old man sitting in his living room.

The old man did not seemed detuned, or upset by the man's outburst, it was clear to see by the look on his face that he had expected such. The old man just smiled, like he had understood that this man could not betray his nature and simply accept what he was saying, or let the old man have his beliefs in old sorties and legends, yet the old man was not trying to appeal to his son-in-law, he was trying to reach his daughter. Sara had grown up indulged in stories that her father told her, ones that her own son now yearned to hear, and now, sitting here whilst she watched her lover and her father battle with words wounded her so much it became a physical, throbbing pain.

'Maybe we should allow him to stay with him for a few days,' Sara said softly, hoping to ease the silent fighting, 'it would do him no harm to spend time with his grandfather.'

'No harm?' the man growled, 'he will fill the boy's head with nonsense! Of gods that do not exists and of hope that is not there, no, I will not allow you and you're father’s families ritual of filling their heads with lies, Jouhei will stay here where he will learn what is true! Then like my father before me, and his father before him, he will join the army and fight'

'Fight?' the old man chuckled, ' fight for what?'

'For Japan, Tsarr, he will fight for Japan.'

Again the old man lighted to himself, rising Grat's Ire to a new level,' For a Japan he does not know outside this house? For a world that does not exists for him? You teach him to look at the sun and see only fire? To look at the mountains, and see only rock? Everyone needs something to fight for Gart, to give them strength in times of need, and he won’t be able to find that if he looks at the world with pure logic and finds no wonder,' the old man struggled to his feet, ' and what if you are wrong about my words Grat? What if you're son does have a gift, what would you do then?'

'A gift?' he sneered, 'this so called gift is nothing more than the imaginings of an old man who has spent too much time detached from the world around him.'

Sara sat there quietly as the pain in her chest grew, she knew that there was nothing she could say or do to stop this. Yet there was something oddly prophetic to this setting, the past and the present bickering over the future, she closed her eyes and retreated briefly into her own past as Grat and Tsarr continued to bicker, she thought about the times when she and Grat dated, when they married and when she gave birth to her dear Jouhei, she was so happy back then, how he had changed and never could have imagine that one of her families oldest tails could be breathing down her neck. The two men were quite now, yet neither of them had backed down, Grat was like a stubborn goat who was trying to use his brute strength to knock over a old tree who's roots where planted firmly in the past.

'Maybe you should just go old man.' he growled witch such venom that it startled his wife.

'Very well.' Tsarr said solemnly, his shoulders slumped in defeat and his tread heavy with woe. Grat felt vectors as his Tsarr showed himself out, not saying a word to Sara or trying to see Jouhei as he left, yet he did not see the subtle tug of the corner of his wrinkled lips or the spark that glimmered in Tsarr's gray eyes. Their motives where worlds apart at that point, for Grat was only concerned with being right, making sure everyone knew that he was rightly justified in his actions and thoughts, and that this old fool was beyond his years and his preaching’s should not be tolerated, Grat just wanted his dominance to be acknowledged. Whilst Tsarr stood with his back firmly against the other side of the coin, the old learned man had no interest in the 'truths' and the 'lies' of the world Grat held in his ever-closed hart, he just wanted to do what was right by Jouhei and he knew this was not it, Grat was so set in his ways that he was completely denying his son part of himself.


Tsarr returned to his home, nestled in the mountains just beyond a farming village. The sweet smell of freshly cut hay wafted on the breeze, along with the light charming of the bells that hang around the necks of prized milking cows, as the old man made his way up the rocky path leading deeper into the woodlands, where the darkened greens of new growth where splashed with the golden light of the setting sun. An old wooden building could be seen thought the tress, so old and natural was its form that it looked like it had sprung out of the mounted side by the will of nature itself. A large black bird was perched on the windowsill, waiting patiently for the man's return; it was the Raven that had been in the garden with Jouhei, Tsarr just smiled at it as he entered his home, the weariness of the journey into town starting to sink into his old bones. The raven hoped inside, its glossy black eyes blinking away as it watched the human settle himself down, Tsarr opened a small leather pouch and placed on the floor beside him, the raven hoped over and delved its black beak into the small bag to retrieve what appeared to be a long strip of pink flesh. The bird gobbled down the worm greed fully, ruffling its feathers after it had finished.

'Thank you Master,' the raven screeched, 'you spoil me!'

'You more than worked for it today, Odin.'

'But it was you who brought him out into the gaze of Amaterasu.' the raven said as it flapped its wings.

'But it was you who brought him into the light, my friend.'

The raven jumped up on the arm, flapping his wings to steady himself as he did so. Tsarr lightly brushed his fingers over the birds back, feeling the silken feathers under his fingers, the even sun splashed the walls birth shade of reds and burnt gold as the sky blazed overhead, yet there was uncertainty and even a hint of sorrow brewing in his heart, his eyes seemed to lose focuses on the reality before him and his mind drifted off to other things. Odin turned his head to his master as he felt his fingers come to a stop, and the raven knew that look all too well, the look of deep contemplation with eyes that gazed ever onwards into the future, never ones blinking or turning away, regardless what was there.

'Is it Sara?' the avian asked quietly.

'There is nothing we can do for her,' there was a solemn tone in the old man's voice, 'or for Grat, he can't see what’s ahead to help him and she.. She does not want to be saved.'

'The boy,' Odin cheered, 'think of the boy.'


Jouhei shivered to himself as he screwed his eyes tighter together, trying to block out the cold that roused him from his sleep, slowly he opened his sleep laden eyes, only to wish to shut them once again. He was standing at the edge of a road that snaked up into the mountains, one that he knew of as it was not far from the town, and the cliff edge behind him seemed to yawn into oblivion, welcoming in falling water that flowed from a nearby river. They sky was thick with the inky blackness of night as a thousand tiny stars looked on, like glaring eyes from an abyss and it was the moon, so round and perfect like the sun, that brought any light to this seen. His breath hung in the air like a fleeting ghost as thunder growled warningly in the distance, one by one the eyes in the heavens turned their gaze away and lighting shattered the sky, illuminating the trees around him and casting distorted shadows of monsters across the road. The rain came down with a fury, soaking through the boy's hair and skin in a breath, the droplets biting at his skin like a thousand insects form of ice and fear, lights flickered far away thought the trees, like little sprites that came out to play in the rain, but the more they moved and the closer they got he realised, they where the headlights of a car.

The heavy beat of the engine seemed to throb through the night, splashing thought the growing puddles the car, who's black from was easily lost in the dead of night, sped ever onwards down the sodden road. Again the lighting flashed like the tongue of an angered snake, making the clawing shadows on the road look like they were reaching for the car, trying to claw at its wheels and get at the driver. As the lighting crashed across the sky ones more Jouhei recognised the car, it was his father’s.

The boy tried to yell out, to say anything but the cold and the rain had quickly sapped the strength from his form. The wind and the raid whipped up around him, stinging his eyes with its spray and stopping any attempt he may have conceived to move in any way, as he lifted his hands to try and wipe some of the water away from his eyes he missed the thick, velvety shadow that passed over the car. A bang sounded out, so loud that it seemed to outdo the thunder in intensity, as one of the vehicle’s tiers seemed to dissolve into nothingness, sending it swerving across the road like a horse that was trying desperately to shake a rider from its back, it screamed wildly past Jouhei, so close to him that he could feel the heat from the engine on his skin. Like a fish on a line the car seemed to be dragged onwards by fate, like a bolder it crashed into the bridge, buckling and screeching over the rusting railings and eventually, plunging into the raging waters below that seemed to sweep it down into the otherworld.

Jouhei's eyes opened in a shot as he scrambled about in the darkness, but it did not take long for his surrounding to sink in, to feel the warmth around him and the softness of the sheets on his skin, a dream, what he had just witnessed was nothing more than a dream. The moonlight flooded into his room like liquid silver, highlighting the edge of everything with its ghostly sheen, his frantic heartbeat started to settle down as he took in the dark serenity of the room, once more rooting himself in the waking world.

'Is something the matter Jouhei?' his mother asked as she opened the door, worried upon hearing his gasps and moans as he tossed and turned in his sleep.

The boy blinked against the harsh light that came in from the hallway, 'I'm fine,' he yawned 'it was just a dream.'

Sara wanted to go into the room, to hug her little boy, to kiss him in the head and tuck him back in but as she felt the heat from her husband’s gaze upon her she remained as she was. Grat did not want his son to be coddled, and always had to remind Sara of that, a smile pulled at the corner of his thin mouth as he watched his wife just wish their son a good night and close the door, he could not help but let his eyes narrow as he saw the weary and sadden look on her face. Her eyes appeared dull, and her hair, what was normally as flat and shiny as silk, seemed frayed at the ends, he had seen that look before, a look of defeat, like she had just given up on something she had been fighting against for a long time.

'Are you ok?' Grat asked an unnatural tone of worry in his voice.

Sara just put on a smile, one that seemed so fake it hurt to even look at it, this only made Grat's concern grow, 'Don't worry, I'm just worn out from my father’s visit.' she embraced her lover, burying her face into the crook of his neck, so he would not see the few escaping tears, like wayward rain drops, trail delicacy down her cheek.

The rain beat down relentlessly on the windows, like it was desperate to get in, to get away from the darkness outside, yet inside the house was no lighter or warmer then the approaching storm outside. Jouhei was home alone, his parent having gone out to a party. The boy pulled the blanket around him tighter as he tried to sink deeper into the chare he was curled up in, the large living room was being illuminated only by a single lamp, leaving an almost haunted feeling to the area, a book lay open by the feet of Jouhei's set, haven fallen free from the boy's grasp in his sleep laden state. The book was not full of happy tales, of maidens being rescued by brave warriors, but with the many wars of man, of victories and defeats, filed with images of the winner standing over the broken and burnt bodies of the loses and how they would demonise each other and make themselves the 'just cause'. Jouhei had long since grown use to seeing the images and they no longer affected him.

It had been months since his grandfather’s visit, yet what happened that day still stirred within him, like a spirit of rebellion was on the rise that wanted to fight against his father’s ways, yet the reminisce of the dream still lingered in him as well. A rumble of thunder echoed through the inky black sky, arousing Jouhei from his shallow state of sleep, blinking back against the darkness he try to realise what happened and try to think when he fell asleep, but his mind was so groggy with sleep that it soon wondered off the subject, he rubbed his eyes as he tried to bite back a yawn. The solemn light of the lamp seemed to be growing ever dimmer now, as the sky rumbled ones more, like a growl from a prowling tiger, Jouhei pulled the blanket around him once more as he started to feel a phantom cold, the air seemed to grow still and frigid, at one point he was sure that he saw his breath hang in the air like a fleeting dream. The wind howled and growled outside as the rain poured down, harder and harder if fell, filling the house with frantic beat like a thousand pounding hearts, lighting flashed across the sky, cutting the blackness in twin with its strikes of blue and white, the light causing shadows to move across the living room, monsters with gnarled limbs and twisted mews seemed to be making their way for the boy.

Fear over came him as his brought the blanket over his head, hoping to hide from the shadowy monsters of his mind. Another wave of light swept thought the room, only instead of a harsh flash it was a almost calming shade of blue, followed by an aggressive red, the colours seemed to chase each other from blue to red and back again, the sight of it made a shiver run down his spine, but as the lights turned the rain seemed to retreat into the night, leaving the boy to come out from hiding. Jouhei's heart was racing as he looked, wide eyed at the windows, the hum of a car's engine became dominant over the sound of the wind and the rain, but as quickly as the sound seemed to gain volume, it cut off, leaving the wind to once more come around and howl its warning. The pounding in the door made Jouhei jump and quiver in fear, it was so frantic it almost seemed like the rain had taken human form, but then another rhythm seemed to take over at the door, three beats, it was his grandfather, slowly the boy unfolded his limbs and slip out from his self-hiding place, bare feet meeting cold flooring seemed to shock him back into full awakening. Leaving his blanket where it lay he shuffled towards the front door, eyes darting around and body tense like he was expecting a beast to leap from the shadows and drag him back into its depths.

The door seemed imposing and unmoveable before him, thunder rumbled and roared once more, shaking the walls of the house, making what seemed to be waiting on the other side of him to be a dragon rather than a human. But as he shaking hands took a hold of the door handle he found it easy to open, the fresh, icy smell of the storm was the first thing to greet him, soon followed by the sight of an old man who was drenched to the bone, yet having nothing but a kind smile upon his weathered face, two other men were with him, both of them where covered in a tan overcoat that had turned dark brown over the shoulders and chest with the rain, the boy meekly bowed his head to the men and stepped aside, allowing them in to the dry hallway. The two cops scanned around the darkened home, taking note of the dark and somewhat foreboding environment, to them Jouhei seemed like a ghost with his pale skin, platinum hair and white sleeping clothes along with the almost dead expression on his face, it made one of them shiver.

'No sitter.' the larger of the two cops muttered.

'Grandfather,' Jouhei said quietly, his voice sounding almost gruff from sleep, 'W-what is going on?'

Tsarr looked down at his grandson and his eyes lost that kind, almost jolly shine to them, only to be replaced with the grim light of sorrow, 'My dear Jouhei,' Tsarr's voice was unusually soft and tender, 'you're mother and father..' he turned his coal gray eyes away from the boy.

Jouhei immediately felt a pang in his chest and the visions of the dream came back to him, tears stung at his eyes as he slowly, but surely realised what had happened, by the men where here and why Tsarr looked so mournful, 'They are dead..' his voice was barely above a whisper, yet the rain and the wind died down enough for everyone to hear his words.

Tsarr did not seem surprised by the boy's words, yet all he did was put one damp arm around his form and brought his close to his body for comfort. Jouhei's body shook almost violently with his cries.

'I saw it grandfather,' he sobbed, 'they went over a bridge in the rain; I-it was in my dream.'

'It's ok Jouhei, it's ok,' the old man tried to hush the boy, trembling hand gently brushing over his hair, when the boy's cry's had subsided to a soft sob Tsarr turned to address the two gentlemen, 'I will stay with the boy tonight, tomorrow I will take him back to my place, I already informed you where that is.”

A deathly silence seemed to come over the area, even though the rain was still falling and the wind still battered the trees outside. The cops looked down at the boy who was grasping on tightly to the priests robes, his face was barred into the cloth that he missed the blank and barren looks in the faces of the men, it was like they were sleepwalkers or zombies, they gave a slow nod to the old man before turning and walking back out into the rain. Once they had got into their car it seemed like whatever trance they were locked in was broken, they sat there as the windows started to fog up from their body heat.

'That kid, it almost seems like he was a ghost,' the younger of the two cops said, staring at the rain smeared window, 'gave me the creeps just to look at him.'

'Don't say such things,' the other growled, 'he could be ill, and I doubt losing his parents will help him any if he is.'

'That's another thing, did you hear what he said, about that he saw his parents death in a dream,' the man shuddered, 'I mean they found the car on its roof half way down stream, and his parents could have died in a number of way but for him to match it up like that,' he paused for a moment, 'it’s like the kid could see the future!'

His partner snorted and shook his head, 'You don't honestly believe in that stuff do you?'

Before he could come back with a retort a sharp voice screech over the cracking radio, signalling that they needed to be elsewhere.


A cold, dreary gray morning dawned over the sleepy town. Deep puddles lines the streets, reflecting the sun's morning light, turning them a shade of silvered-yellow, gardens had become almost swamp-like as the soil tried desperately to drink down the life giving liquid, and in the darkened cracks and crevasses of houses and gardens spiders scurried about in the damp as they tried to rebuild their webs, yes, the town, that was just starting to stir with life was totally unaware of the tragedy that had struck in the night. Jouhei looked down at his feet as his bags where packed into the car, he fiddled with the seatbelt that ran across his chest, as the dream played over and over again in his mind, wondering about the “what if’s”. What if he had warned them about what he saw, what if he faked a sickness to try and keep them home; thinking about it he would have even ran away for the night, anything to keep them from going on that road, but no matter how much he wished too he could not go back in time and change what had happened.

The fresh smell of rain made a sickness stir deep inside him, a depression do deep that no tears could reach, he barely registered the arm that slowly crept over his shoulders. The boy watched the world rush by the window, he had never been to his grandfather’s before, his farther would not allow it. As the houses rushed by Jouhei caught glimpse of the so called ‘normal’ life that he had been missing, children being taken to school by their parents, running happy down the road with their friends or siblings, jumping and splashing in the puddles despite the word of their elders, yet he did not feel like he missed out on anything, the shock of last night leaving him stoic. The car swiped him out of the town, out of the small place that he knew of, the car rolled ever onwards out into the wild areas further and further away from the place he once called home, the trees seemed to encase the road in their dark green hue, it almost looked like the road from him dreams, the one his parents met their end on. The similarities made his heart race, he almost could imagine it from his parents point of view, the wind and the rain belting down, pounding on the road like a thousand tiny hammers, the boy screwed up his eyes tightly, trying to block out the images but as he could still seem then whirling around his head like leave in the wind, he knew they were not linked to his physical vision, it pained him to see these things so much it felt like a cut on his skin, like each drop of rain was acid burning away his very existence.

Tsarr looked down at his grandson, and gaze over the physical pain the boy was displaying. There were no signs of concern or worry on the old man’s face, yet the look he had was not uncaring, he knew he could not help him, leaving him to it was the best, like letting a child to prick themselves of the thorns so they would know that they caused pain, so they would learn. Light flooded into the car, no longer being obstructed by the thickness of the canopy, the light even seemed to reach Jouhei thought his closed eyes, slowly he let his gaze take in the outside world, and gasped at what he saw. Golden fields seemed to roll onto eternally, the small huts seemed to break up the outline of the world, playing just to the right of the small farming village was the spring green of another forest, however this one seemed lighter, more welcoming than the one they just came thought, but it was the earth that the trees where rooted that inspired awe in the young human. A mounted rose up into the sky, like the earth had swept up to create a path into the heavens, men and women where working diligently out in the crops or tending to the livestock, this world seemed to removed from what he knew it was almost like he went back in time.
The car stopped on the gravel road just at the boundary of the village, this would be as far as it would go. Jouhei got out of the car and retrieved his bags from the boot, his eyes scared over the scenery.

‘Beautiful is it not?’ Tsarr said, his own heart lighted somewhat by the burst of life that had stirred in the boy.

‘Do you live here?’ Jouhei asked, wide eyed, this place had taken him away in more than one way. For this moment his thoughts were not wrapped in his loss, in his woes, he looked out at everything with a pure innocence and wonder.

Tsarr chuckled at Jouhei’s enthusiasm, ‘I do, my house is just pass the houses, in the woods.’

The townspeople seemed nice enough; they would bow their heads respectfully to the old monk or wave with a smile on their face. There was a sweet smell in the air, one that could not be pinned down to the smell of sugar or honey, yet that same sweet sent only seemed to add live to the boy’s form, he carried the weight of his bags and his burdens almost effetely, he turned his blue eyes up to the sky, for once the sun did not seem to burn him, it’s warmth just reached into his core; arousing his own inner flame. As they passed under the shadows of the trees he realised just haw warm the sun was on his skin, giving out a small sigh in thanks as he felt the cooling darkness upon his being, the ground was steep and rocky as they made their way up the warn path though the trees. Jouhei eyes wondered off into the dusty depths of the woods, wondering what was out there and feeling a tug of curiosity that made him want to drop his bags then and there to wonder off but he resisted, planning to do it another time, but then he cough a glimpse of the wooden stretcher just up ahead, the building’s earthy stretcher was like nothing he had seen, yet it instantly felt safe and homely, like a wolf pup coming back to the den it was born in before its eyes where open.

‘Welcome home.’ Tsarr said warmly as he pushed open the door.

The house seemed barren at first, but as you looked you could see that it did not need anything to fill it out. Two wooden chares sat near the fire with a small table between them, another table sat by the window, shelves where doted about the walls, filled with statues and other icons of Shinto Japanese Gods and Goddess, it was all very humble and very fitting of the old priest. Jouhei gently placed his bags by the door and took two small steps inside, there was a dusty, earthy smell about the place, a light sent that always reminded you that you where out in the woods, a flutter of wings seemed to echo around the room, drawing the boy’s attention to the black shape that swooped in like a striking shadow. The raven stood there, on top of one of the chairs, with its black, beady eyes focused on the boy, normally to a human a raven would look just like any other of its kin but Jouhei recognised it, there was no doubt in his mind that it was the same one he encountered the day of his grandfather’s visit, the one that triggered the strange and wonders event that, even now, did not really believed happened, he slowly moved closer to the black form, looking like a cat who was trying to stalk a tempting meal; but the bird’s piercing eyes followed every movement.

‘Welcome young Master!’ the bird screeched, opening its wings with its words.

Jouhei took a small jump back as the avian spoke, he was startled by it but there was no fear in his face of this strange creature. ‘I-It talked!’

‘This is Odin, he is my partner.’ Tsarr chuckled.

‘Partner?’ Jouhei had a quzickle look on his face, eyes looking up at his grandfather before turning back to the bird.

Tsarr sat down in the chare the bird was perched on, the sound of wood creaking under his weight. There was silence for a moment as a look settled on Tsarr’s face that Jouhei had not seen before, now he was no longer his grandfather but his Elder, no, he seemed to have an almost prophetic aura around him that made the boy quite and humble. The old man had been planning this for some time, yet faced with the boy here at this moment the words in his mind wavered, he was doubting himself if now was really the best moment, but he knew that time was at the essence.

‘It comes from a gift bestowed on this femalely; it started before my time, even before the time of my grandfather,’ with his words Jouhei settled down on the floor in front of him, already entranced by the hint of a story, ‘we have called this power The Sight, with it we can see the future, past and present, and even see though the eyes or birds, I believed you have already encountered this part of our gift.’
Jouhei looked down at his hand for a moment, like he was expecting to see something new there. He recalled the time he first saw Odin, when he first experienced that wonders event, the moment his being left his body and flew upon the dark wings of a raven, even now it was still so vivid in his mind, the way he looked down on his human form as the world dropped away from under his talons.

‘I have this power?’ he asked, more to himself more than anyone else.

‘Everyone in our blood line has been gifted with this power, though its strength differs from one to another, you’re mother’s was weak but I can tell that you will be one of the best that we have ever seen.’

Jouhei did not know how to feel, or even think about it. Part of him wanted to think that his grandfather was just joking with him, that this was all a lie, but as he saw though Odin’s eyes that day he knew that this was no lie, and even that dream, that vision lent itself to the cause. He thought about the dream he had, the dream of his parents death, he shivered for a moment as he shoulder sagged like someone had placed a large weight upon them, he could not bear to think about seeing things like that all the time would destroy him. Tsarr could see the change in the boy’s mood, he knew it was a lot to take in; even he had a hard time believing it when he was told all those years ago, it was true that The Sight could be seen as a curse rather than a blessing, but it was with anything else in this world, there was the light and dark, and he had to be careful not to let the boy fall too far into the despair the power can bring. The chare creaked once more as Tsarr roused to his feet, he wanted to show the boy that not everything he would see was bad, both the boy and the raven followed the ageing man over to the table by the window, where Tsarr pored some water from a white ceramic jug into a large shallow bowl, before pushing it near the edge of the table.

‘Clear your mind and look into the water.’ Tsarr said.

Jouhei was not really sure what his grandfather wanted, or how he was meant to clear his mind, yet he would try anyway. Jouhei turned his icy blue eyes upon the water, trying not to fix his gaze at any part or trying to have his thoughts dwell on anything, a few minutes passes like flying birds before anything happened but then it was there, images appeared before his eyes, it seemed strange; they were not appearing on the bottom of the bowl or on top of the water, but they did not escape the water’s edge. A man stood there in a park, he appeared to be in his early twenty’s with platinum blond hair, a low autumn sun was setting over the land, turning everything into changes of red and gold as darkened leaves started to blow across the vision, Jouhei could only see the man’s back, like he was standing behind him. The man turned his head slightly to the side, like he was trying to look over his shoulder, before turning around to face Jouhei completely, the boy gasped as he took in the man before him, how proud and wise he looked along with his eyes, his eyes where unmistakeable and at that moment Jouhei knew that he was looking at himself, the shock of this realisation caused a disruption of the powers with him, and the vision faded back into the water it came from.

‘What did you see?’ Tsarr asked.

‘Myself, I saw myself!’


Jouhei had grown considerably over the years, now sixteen years in age, he had grown in height and now could easily look eye to eye with many of the adults in the village, and his hair had broken free of the short cut his farther always made him wear; even his skin had lost its paleness and now bore a healthy tan. Jouhei sat beneath a bolding tree, autumn had once more started to settle upon the land, causing the forest floor to be carpeted in brown’s and golds, a raven hoped about near him, pecking at the scurrying ants and other insects that where trying to find shelter and food in the foliage. Odin stopped his foraging to look up at the human, thinking for a moment of all that has happened over the years, he has been a quick learner yet they both knew he still had much to do before they could say he had mastered his powers.

‘Tell me something Odin,’ he asked voice somewhat deeper now, ‘why can we only see though the eyes of bird? And not any other animals?’

‘Because of Yatagarasu and Amaterasu,’ he cried, ruffling his feathers, ‘Tsarr told me of it, it is part of your bloodlines oldest fable.’ Odin hopped onto the young man’s leg, flapping his wings briefly to stay stable. ‘it all started many years ago, with a young man, a simple farmer who was always looking out over his fields for danger but more importantly he looked out beyond the borders of the rice fields and wondered, he wondered with all his heart what was out there, what moved in the woods at night and flew in the sky, yet his duty was to his village so he stayed.’

The raven puffed out his chest, ‘the spirits that dwelled in the woods saw this man, curious, yet stalwart, so they all made a bet, who could make him leave the borders of the village and get him lost in the woods, one by one they tried to lure him out using cries and tricks of dancing light but none worked, still the man stood and watched, defeated the spirits were about to give up, till a fox appeared before them, “I can lure him out easily” it announced, “just give me one night and I will do what you all found impossible!”’

Jouhei was entranced at this point, he had heard many tales over the years with his grandfather yet there was always one untold, one that he could learn something from, he even loved hearing the ones he had been told before.

‘The fox,’ Odin continued, ‘transformed itself into a beautiful woman and danced naked of the edge of the forest where the man could see it, he was bewitched the moment he laid eyes on her, the fox lead him deep into the woods where all the spirits would see what it had done. Onwards the fox danced till it lead the man to a moonlit lake, where the fox reviled its true form, “Silly human,” it mocked him, “you know nothing of this world beyond your village, now wonder and wonder in these woods till you grow weak, never to return.”’

‘What happened?’ Jouhei asked, on the edge of his preverbal seat.

‘Peace,’ the raven chuckled, ‘quite down young one and let me finish.’

‘Freak!’ a new voice snarled though the trees.

Jouhei stood up and looked in the direction of the voice, his eyes narrowing it as soon as he realised what it was. Three humans stood in the woods just a stone throws from him, and he knew them well, Jezzmane and Lang where brother and sister, both of them bore jet black hair and brown eyes and there friend, Kain, whose hair was as brown as upturned soil, would always follow them around like a faithful dog. They had heard the squawking from the raven and had come to check it out, only to find the blond talking to a bird and once more, acting like he was getting a response. Jouhei had never formed any kind of bond with the other children in the village, they had always seen him as a outsider, regardless of how hard he tried to fit in or make friends, and now picking on him seemed to be a sport for these three, he did not know why, but the group did not see him as human, it was not clear if somehow, on some level, they felt his power or if they truly did not understand him as a boy from the city. Jouhei got to his feet, the raven flying off to perch on a low handing branch above the blond; a few dead leave clung to Jouhei’s legs but he did not pause to brush them off, his attention fixed on the three that where moving towards him, like three hyenas moving in on what they thought would be an easy meal.

‘I find it funny, really, to think that a city boy could talk to the animals.’ Lang laughed.

‘Ya funny.’ Kain mimicked, like a dog trying to please its master by barking at a trespasser.

Jezzmane however, was not even looking at the blond. She was facing away and down to the ground, but the expression on her face was clear to see, her features where contorted in distaste and there was even a hint of anger in her eyes, ‘I don’t even know why you bother hanging around here,’ she pulled her arms around herself, ‘everyone thinks that we should be nice to you just because you are the priest’s grandson, makes me sick.’

It was her words that stung him the most, her icy cold demeanour made the autumn wind seem warm in comparison. Jouhei turned his eyes away from them, trying to hide the small prick of pain from showing on his face, up in the trees the raven snapped it beak, irritated by the treatment of Jouhei, its nature whispered to it, telling it to swoop down and pluck out an eye or two; but the wisdom that had been bestowed upon it rang though, he knew that in order for Jouhei to master the sight he must know all the faces of humans and nature, regardless of how cruel and ugly they could be.

‘Why do you treat me like this?’ the blond whimpered, yet remained still, ‘I have done nothing to you, I was brought here by circumstances I could not control, even when I remain here in these woods you come and seek me out to torment me.’

Even after the years he had been living out in the village, there were still a few things that remained, seeming imbedded in his personality. He would try to act brave, yet the social isolation from an early age had left him uncertain when interacting with others, even fearful of some encounters, he hated this part of himself.

A sick grin started to form on Lang’s face, ‘Because it’s fun.’ He declared.

Jouhei could not hide the shock on his face, causing the black haired male to laugh. He staged back for a moment, looking like he was going to turn around and bolt like a startled deer, but then his mind drew back as he recalled what his grandfather had told him about his power, about the sight, how it drew on life around it and even held the possibility to curse others, at that moment Jouhei considered using his anger and his gift to curse these three that tormented him. The raven screeched over head, dropping from its branch to swoop at the three young villages, startling them and braking Jouhei’s dangerous thought pattern. Lang swung at the air, trying to knock the bird from the air, yet it remained just out of his reach, however his sister had a way of deterring the avian, pulling out a bottle that she had kept hidden within her long winter coat, she swiftly undid the top and with a sharp flick of her wrist, sent water flying into the sky.

Jouhei jumped back as Odin came in, but as the water was flung into the air he lost control of himself, and found his power taking over; showing him a glimpse of what could be. The vision was hard to take in because of the distortion and volume of water, yet he could clearly see the image of Lang next to a river, the river that boarded the village of its left side, as the water fell the imaged became twisted and distorted and it appeared Lang was suffering, yet how or why was not clear. The water came down with a strange thud that seemed to silence the area, the dark avian retreating back up into the trees, all four of them stood there in silence for a moment, guilt started to pulse though the blond’s being, guilty of the thought of cursing them, he closed his eyes, trying to close the eye of the sight, but he had to tell them, he had to warn them; even though he knew it would lead to more ridicule and alienation.

‘Lang, you have to be careful around the river.’ In that moment his voice had a prophetic tone to it, like his grandfather’s held.

The three seemed dumbfounded for a moment, but a moment was all that was needed. Jouhei quickly slipped away, disappearing into the trees, the way he moved over the dead leaves only strengthen the views they had about him being, unnatural. The icy eyed boy ran as fast as he could though the forest, trees seemed to move out the way to let him pass, only to leave their low hanging britches to painfully whip past him, as he moved he did not know where he was going too, but he just knew that he had to get away, yet with every hastened step; he wondered what he was running away from. He would tell himself that he was running away from the other teens, from their tormenting, yet now he truly wondered. The leaves piled up around his feet as he slowed down, his lungs starting to burn from the cold air and his body was trembling, he felt tiered, yet there was also part of him that told him he should keep moving, his feet shuffled forwards, feeling heavy from the dead foliage that clung to them, with a deep sight he turned his gaze towards the heavens. The raven circled above him, so high was its flight that for a moment Jouhei was expecting him to disappear above the clouds, the white parted above him revealing the endless rolling blue and the light of Amaterasu that seemed to sting his eyes, under the goddess’ light he could not deny what he was running from.

‘Why?’ he cried to the raven, ‘Why do we see these things? Why is the sight such a blessing when all we see is death and pain?’

‘Silence!’ Odin screamed, his cry sounding like it would shatter the sky, ‘because you are given a choice, to watch and to act, to become a story or fall into legend the future is not set in stone, what you see are only notes of a story that had yet to been written, will you take the pen Jouhei? Will you change what could be? The Sight is linked to life, to preserve it. To preserve life and freedom.’

‘Freedom?’ Jouhei growled, ‘if I can change the future, why must I suffer like this? Don’t I have a choice? To live, and be happy?’

The raven dropped from the sky sharply, twisting its body so it came right towards the blond, spreading its wings out suddenly, coming to a halt and settling down in the forest floor. Odin ruffled his feathers and puffed out his chest, which made Jouhei expect another lecture on the use of his power and his outlook on life.

‘You know why.’ The bird whispered.

A strange, unbearable knowledge had been stirring within Jouhei’s head for years now, like a beast awaking from a long slumber. He did not know if it was born from The Sight or a deeper origin, but he had gathered parts of it over the year, unaware, whilst it grew, and now he knew he had to put it into words.

‘Because you can’t understand freedom without having to wear shackles, you can’t know truth if you have not heard lies and you can’t understand love if you have never suffered.’

‘That’s right,’ Odin’s voice seemed full of pride at that moment, ‘and always remember; not to hate, never hate, for your hate will cause the sight to call to the darkness within you.’


Winter had settled in on the land, covering everything with a shimmering white coating. The frozen earth cracked underneath heavy foot falls of the blond teen trudging through the snow, a large amount of fire wood tucked away under his left arm, his breath hung in the air as the skin on his hands turned red from the cold, slowly he made his way back to the small wooden house nestled in the woods. He did not know why, but this winter seemed colder than the others he has been though, yet there was no sign of impending blizzards or excessive snow falls, if anything the weather had been quite compared to other years, yet he could not ignore the coldness of the air; air so cold that it seemed like the sky would shatter like ice. Laughter rang out around him; a light tone followed by something deeper, Jouhei glimpse movement out of the corner of his eye, a dark shape moving between the bold trees but as he turned they disappeared down the slop. His eyes widened in fear, there was only one group of three that he knew, and they were heading right to the river, he paced back and forth in a panic, if what he saw was going to happen then he needed to get to them if he had any hope; but his grandfather needed the firewood.
His mind was set as he turned his back to them, yet hope was not abandoned, after all he had spent years running around this woodland and knew it better than most. He picked out the areas where the snow was thin and would not bog him down, he griped the wood under his arm firmly, causing it to jab into his ribs with any sharp footfalls, but he managed to get back home quicker than any other villager would have, his pace came to an almost sudden stop when he got to the door. The old man was sound asleep on one of the chairs placed in front of the fire, a blanket covering his legs, the glowing flames gently lighting his aged face, and set next to him; his ever faithful raven. Jouhei never did tell him about the vision that day, when water was used as a deterrent against Odin, but as the teen sat the wood down by the fire, feeding it do make sure that it would not go out any time soon, he wondered if the old man would approved of what he was planning or would he had told the boy not to go? The blue eyes male felt a rebellious spirit invigorate him as he realised that he would not care either way, it was like what Odin said to him before, could he take the pen? Even if Lang had showed him no love, he would not allow him to be written out just yet.

The track down to the river was easy now that he did not have the burden of firewood, along with half of his path cleared by his track to the house. The trio was relaxing by the river as Jouhei reached the woodlands boundary, yet something stopped him from coming to near to them, all their hateful words had wounded him deep, and whilst he wanted to help them he was not ready to let himself be known to them. The river normally had a soft flow during the summer months, and would normally be enjoyed by anyone trying to escape the heat, as long as they could scale its deep banks, but in the winter the river was an entirely different beast altogether; with the increased snow and rainfall it would swell to what seemed twice its depth and its flow became fast and dangerous, he knew that if anyone where to fall in would quickly get pulled under.

Lang started to muddle about has his sister pelted Kain with snowballs, the three of them did not seem to have a care in the world, unaware of the blond ten that was spying on them from the woods. The black haired male started to inspect the makeshift bridge, nothing more than a fall tree that was blown down in a storm two years ago and now lay across the watery span, he kicked it a few times, trying to spot any movement at all, he put his foot on top of it trying to shake or rock it, but still the fallen log stayed stable, content that it was not going to fall away from under him, Lang took a few shake steps onto the tree. It was true that the fallen tree would not move, rooted in spot by growth and snow, but it was not the bond with the earth that the young man should have worried about, from his perspective the bark of the makeshift bridge was only covering in a light dusting of snow, but the spray from the river had coated the trunk, leaving it encased in a thin blanket of ice. One by one he took a few shaking steps, trying to balance himself as he kept his eyes straight ahead, maybe if he looked down he would of seen the out of place shine upon the bark, a glimmer that was outside the snow, but Lang was never one to take in the now and maybe if he did, he would have kept his foot from slipping.

‘No.’ Jouhei whispered under his breath, like his voice had been strangled out of him, he could only watch as Lang disappeared into the water, and the other two brake into a panic. His bare hands griped on to the bark of the nearest tree as Lang broke the surface of the water, trying his hardest to fight against the current, his sister and friend lumbered through the snow on the banks, their arms outreach yet he was miles out of their grasp. He let out a long breath, his heat of life visible on the air for a moment, before fading away, like Lang’s life itself, suddenly Jouhei felt strength flow into him, he recalled the raven’s words, ‘to become a story or fall into legend,’ he would not let Lang’s story end here.

It seemed that all of Lang’s nightmares had engulfed him as he was pulled under once more, every kick and strike of his arms drained him of presses energy. His think winter cloths became a dead weight as he fought against the charging current, his frame being smashed upon rocks and scraped agents stones, the cold were already starting to get to him, numbing his limbs. A shadowy form shot out from the trees with such grace that the two on the snow bank though it was a wild animal, but as it turned to run down the cleared foot path that ran along the rivers course, its true form became clear to them, it was Jouhei. His piercing blue eyes scanned over the water surface as he followed its flow, Lang broke the surface, gasping desperately for air.

‘Hurry Lang!’ his sister screamed, ‘you have to fight, swim towards me! Follow the sound of my voice.’

‘No!’ Jouhei cried out, ‘let the river carry you to safety.’

Even if he wanted too Lang could not fight, the river carried him further and further down its route, like it was leading him strait to a frozen hell. He was swept mercifully past a bolder and placed into a patch where the current was rather gentle, but it was merely the calm before the storm as the quite patch of water lead into rapids, the white froth seemed like the silver of a rabid beast, the dark rocks becoming nothing more than teeth in a hungry mew.

‘Now!’ the blond called, ‘now, swim!’

But Lang had not the strength, nor the will, to swim. A lightness had come over him, his fear had left him and had been replaced by a sense of peace, even his limbs seemed to tingle with a gentle warmth, he felt content to let the river take him away, to drown him and do it pleased with his body, he barely realised what was happening around him, he never even notice the blond jump from the bank to one of the rocks. Jouhei’s boot slid on the icy stone, but he managed to steady himself, dropping to all fours, thoughts of his own safety had fled from his mind. He reached out and took a hold of Lang’s sleeve, bringing the dark haired male to a hold within the raging stream.
Jouhei growled, trying to pull Lang towards him.

‘Wake up.’ He whimpered, ‘Lang open your eyes!’

Lang opened his eyes, not realising that he had ever closed them. He looked at Jouhei, a sense of gratefulness growing within him, that this person would come and try to save him; even after all he had done to the blond. Jouhei’s hand was already starting to feel the effects of the icy water upon it, the strength ebbing from him like colour been washed out of fabric, as the coat started to slip from Jouhei’s grasp, they all looked on, Lang’s sister, Kain, even a few villagers who had heard the shouting. It was as though their future was nothing but the choice of those who watched, their choice and so, their responsibility, because there is a pact between the seer and the seen, the listener and the storyteller, the judge and the judged. Between Lang and Jouhei, between story and freedom, between the past and the present, stepped reality.

Horror over took the onlookers as the sleeve slipped from Jouhei’s grasp, causing the river to sweep Lang onwards into the rapids. They tossed him about like a fox cub playing with a mouse, yet there was a cruel mercy to be found within the churning waters, thick tree branches had snapped under the burden of a heavy snow fall and got tangled within themselves and the rocks, reinforced by ice they became like steel, and Lang found himself brutally impaled upon it. Jouhei had a better view of it than any of the others, one broken tree limb and acted like a spike, onto witch the water had driven him onto, the tint of red glistened on the rocks and tainted the water around the corpse, it seemed gruesome but deep down the blond knew that it was better that way, a quick, clean death was better than drowning or being batted by the rocks. His body started to shake as the moment passed, the embrace of the ice queen starting to in cercal him, the jump back to the bank did not see as vast as it did when he leapt onto the bolder. The adults dragged him back into solid ground, praising him like he was a hero for trying.

Yet despite their words, Jouhei felt empty.


Down broke over the land, the sun looking like a forge set at the edge of realty, creating the word anew. Jouhei stood at the edge of the forest, looking almost like a stone sentinel in the early light of dawn, it had been three years since Lang’s death in the river yet, for him, it felt as fresh as the morning dew. Since that day the blond haired young man had vowed not to let something like that happen again, he trained harder, both in body and mind, and had already grasped the second power of the sight, the power to heal. Every morning this year he had found himself rising before the first light of dawn, like he was compelled by something he would come out into the woods and watch the light flood the sky, the young man lent up against the tree behind him, his blue eyes scanning out over the town below him. The air was already growing warm with the power that came in the summer months, the warmth made Jouhei’s spirit feel lighter, like it was slowly burning off his troubles, but he knew that this was only a temporary respite. The sun started to bleed colour into the sky, like an artist dropping paint into water and slowly tinting its hue to what there wished, one my one farmers emerged from their houses to tend to the fields or the live stock, the children started to come out as well, either to help their parents or just to play with siblings or friends.

He was now nineteen, living within this village for nine years now, but he still felt like an outsider. More and more he had travelled back into the city, trying to reconnect with his past, yet there was nothing there, the only past he had in the city was a house that lay barren and empty on a street he scarcely knew, Jouhei felt like he was in limbo, not belong here nor in the city. A raven wheeled overhead, its morning call echoing over the land, one by one others answered and joined the first one in the sky, more and more came till a murder had formed, dancing and twisting in the sky.

‘Odin, you never told me you had a family.’ He muttered to himself.

With the outbreak of life Jouhei knew it was time to go, a small, even sad smile on his lips as he turned back into the forest. He thought of his last visit into the village as he made his way back home, since that incident people had not talked to him, but looked at him with a strange look of awe and fear, he did not know what had been said about him, yet deep down he had a feeling that Jezzmane, and made Kain, had said that he had let go on Lang, that Jouhei chose, at the last moment, not to save him and discarded the man into the void.

‘Welcome back,’ Tsarr greeted his grandson, the old man smiling wearily, ‘sit, Jouhei, I have something to tell you.’

At the moment Jouhei’s stomach quivered with dread, never before had his grandfather ever felt the need to talk to him, tell him something this early in the morning. Tsarr moved over to the window, looking out over the woods he called home, at that moment Jouhei realised just how old the priest had grown, his hair had turned as white at the winter’s snow and his face was heavy with deep wrinkles, even his eyes had lost that gleam of life that Jouhei could always recall seeing when he was a kid.

‘You have mastered how to use the sight to heal, but I have to warn you, never reach out with that power when your heart is full of hate and anger, for that will cause you to cripple people.’

‘Cripple?’ he was not too sure what Tsarr meant, but then he recalled a story that he told him, a story where one of his ancestors used the power of the sight to burn up the eyes of her enemies, leaving them blind, ‘I won’t grandfather.’

A silence fell upon the room, a heavy atmosphere that felt like a lump, leaving you unable to speack.
‘That was not what you wanted to tell me, was it, Tsarr.’

The old man laughed.

‘No, no it was not,’ he simply pored water into the ceramic bold, like he always did when he was training Jouhei in his powers, like normal he slid the basin towards the blond, ‘look at yourself Jouhei, not with the sight, but with your own flesh and blood eyes, look, and think of your parents.’

It was clear that the young man was confused by this, but still he did at what was asked of him. As his eyes settled on the reflection he realised that he looked like he did when he saw the vision of the future, back when he first started living here, but he knew that was not what he grandfather wanted him to see. He found it hard to think back on his parents without activating the sight, yet he managed it, images of Sara and Gart came to his mind, his mothers long black hair and green eyes that he always found comfort in, and his father’s stern visage that – it hit him, the realisation hit him like a hammer blow to the chest, threatening to make his heart implode. It was nothing mystical; it was a realisation of the law of simple genetics.

‘Hair and eyes,’ Jouhei snarled as he backed away from the water, fear and confusion written on his face, ‘have I been so blind not to notice something like hair and eyes over the years?’

The truth can be something wonderful sometimes, but it could also cut like a silver edged knife. His body shook as everything he believed was true was slowing turning into a lie, for the first time in his life he looked on everything with distrust, even Tsarr, but the old man did not say anything, slowly he leaned forwards and lightly pressed his finger’s to Jouhei’s forehead, the place where all the uses of the sight believed the third eye lay. With the man’s touch Jouhei felt a wave of clam rush though him, like icy cold water was flushing away his anxiety, yet the young man’s legs still trembled.

‘Sara and Grat are, as you just realised, nor your real parents,’ Tsarr’s voice was clear and strong as he spoke, ‘but they are not unrelated by blood either. I fathered two children in my day, a daughter, Sara, and a son, Aisu, your blood farther.’

Tsarr turned back to look at the bowl of water, like he was reminiscing about the days when he had a family.

‘Aisu married a opera singer, Luna, around the same time that Sara married Gart,’ he could not help the sad chuckle that bubbled out, ‘they were always doing things together.’

‘Then tell me, how did I come to be raised by Sara and Gart?’

The old man became quite for a moment, thinking back on the incident before speaking.

‘Sara and Luna gave birth within two weeks of each other, you being born later than your cousin, but the boy as very sick from the start, there was no hope for him, and he died only 8 weeks old.’

Tsarr sighed, it pained him to go on, but he knew he needed to tell his grandson the truth.

‘When you where 6 weeks old Aisu was found dead in a park not far from his house, ravaged by a wild beast it seemed, poor Luna was devastated by it, she feel into a deep depression as she gave up on life.’

Tsarr retrieved a small wooden box from a nearby shelf, placing it next to the bowl so Jouhei could clearly see. He flicked back the small brass clasp that kept it firmly closed, revealing that it housed many pieces of paper, all neatly folded and looking like new, then like a fortune-teller using tarot cards he pulled one out, unfolding it and placing flat on the table for all to see. A birth certificate with the name Jouhei Tsuya.

‘With their despair still fresh from their own sons death, Sara and Gart stole Luna’s child away, keeping it and rising it as their own.’
He pulled another paper from the box, another birth certificate; this one was branded the name of Unaru Yochimu.
‘Unaru,’ Jouhei muttered, ‘the name of the boy I tried to replace.’

‘No!’ Tsarr said sharply, ‘Unaru was never replaced by anyone.’

With his words the old man laded out the final piece of the puzzle, like shards of a shattered mirror they came together to show the blond his true self. One final certificate was produced, this one marking the death of an individual, the death of Jouhei Tsuya.
Jouhei recoiled at the sight of it, his blood running cold and skin turning pale. After all, he had just been shown death.
‘N-no! B-but I’m Jouhei! He can’t be dead, he just can’t be.’ He stammered.

‘Did you really thing that they would call you by your birth name, Unaru? They did not take you to replace Jouhei; they took you to become Jouhei! That’s why they kept you home schooled, why you where never allowed out, why you became a ghost, they could not afford to let anyone find out about you.’

Jouhei, no, Unaru felt like he had just been gutted by a wild beast. One by one it seemed the truths of his life where going out one by one, like dying stars in the night sky, at that moment he did not know what to call himself, Jouhei was not his name, it was never his name; despite all the years he had been called it. Yet the name Unaru seemed like a different person, someone disjointed from this reality.

‘Why?’ he asked, ‘why tell me this? Did I really need to know?’

The blond let out a shuddering sigh.

‘This truth wounds me.’

‘You could not be allowed to live a lie my boy, and we both know you cannot stay here forever and if you used the name of Jouhei Tsuya someone would soon find out that it was the name of a dead boy. You would have been labelled as a fraud, a criminal for taking the name of the dead; as soon as you leave this place you will cease to be Jouhei.’

Unaru whimpered pitifully, like a wounded pup. He could see the logic in it, and the fact he needed to know, after all he was not a child anymore; but that did not make it any easier to take in, it did not blunt its sting.

‘And don’t forget,’ the raved added, ‘the seekers! The souls of the dead called forth by the sight, they call tell truth from lies, even if you don’t mean to tell them.’

‘Hush Odin,’ glared Tsarr, ‘the dead are not to be meddled with, we won’t speak of it.’

The blond still did not know what to make of this really make of it, all his life he had been Jouhei, and now to call himself Unaru was more bizarre then when he first gained control of his power. The elder and raven squabbled between themselves, but Unaru did not take in a word they were saying, he was wrapped up in his own problems, he did not know what to do, so he did what he had been doing for years, he ran away. Tears escaped his eyes as he fled out the door, his body seemingly moving without confirmation from his mind, as he fled deeper into the woods, tripping and stumbling over thick roots and rocks, if anyone saw him they would have thought that some rabid demon was at his heels, not once had the young man moved witch such a lack of grace. Like a living hand a root grasped his boot, causing him to tumble to the ground, sliding down into one of the many dried riverbeds that ran though this part of the woods, his ankle screamed in pain as he lay there, unwilling to move.

Two black, beady eyes watched the human lay there from the trees, beak snapping away keenly. Unaru was still as he lay there, to the point that he started to appear as carrion to some of the woodlands scavengers, who one by one, started to creep closer in hope what they before them was indeed a free meal, but the sight of the chest rising and falling, along with the quite heartbeat, made them turn away. The inky black scavenger in the trees took flight, circling above the fallen boy, its shadow flickering over Unaru’s face, it scratched out, starting the blond with human words.


Unaru rolled onto his back to watch the bird, startled by the fact that he could understand it. That was not Odin’s voice that danced on the wind; the voice seemed lighter, and somehow sharper, yet he could only hear the voice of animals that had been touched by the sight, and Unaru did not know this being. The blond shivered, trying to sink down even further into the ditch, like he was trying to hide from the shadow in the sky, he did not want to think if there was another sight user out there other than himself and his grandfather, as he knew that if there was another out there, then they would be related by blood, and he had enough family revelations for one day. The pain in his ankle flared up again, causing a small hiss to escape his lips, Unaru could no longer ignore the pain no more than he could ignore the strange avian that hovered above him, so, almost reluctantly, he closed his eyes and focused his energy on his ankle, but his mind needed to be calm for true healing to happen, and at that moment he could do little but dull the pain.


Tsarr and Odin’s squabbling came to a sudden stop, not because they had come to an agreement, but because they realised the boy was gone. Odin ruffled his feathers, it was not uncommon for the two of them to butt heads like two stubborn bulls, but the raven had noticed that they were doing it more and more, and he knew why. The old man had growing worries about his grandson, he knew better than anything that the sight could bend his mind, use him just as much as he was using it, after all the sight was the embodiment of legends, legends that could be dark and twisted as well as full of hope, he believed that Unaru would pick the right path, but after the long years they had spent together he had stopped seeing the boy as his grandson, and simply saw him as his own son. Like a person driven to know the ending of a book he turned his eyes on the water, trying to focus what was left of his power into seeing Unaru’s future.

‘You can’t!’ Odin cried, ‘not in your condition!’

‘We both know that it matters little, my old friend. Just let this old man have some peace of mind.’

The vision on the water seemed to form faster for Tsarr than it had for Unaru. The vision showed him the cabin of a bus that one could easily see riding around the city, yet as he looked over each of the passengers he could not see the blond haired male, the image in the water seemed to twist and blur, like it was trying to break free of something, before reforming again, this time it was forced on one, single man. He wore a long, heavy coat, which was out of place in the warm weather, his faced seemed worn by time and the elements, yet it was clear to see he was not that old, about his late forties, he bore two scars, one running from the bottom of his left eye to his jaw and another one that trailed over his lips on the right side of his mouth, but it was the eyes on the man that make Tsarr uneasy. His dull, charcoal gray eyes seemed to gleam with hate at the world, eyes that glared out beneath his untamed hazel hair.

‘No it can’t be!’ Tsarr snarled, ‘you are still alive!’


Out in the fields, people went about their day-to-day lives, totally unaware of the dark finger that lurked about the trees. The strange forum slide between the trees, its human shape stumbling slightly, like it had a limp and was struggling to walk over the uneven terrain, it grumbled and growled to itself, madden ramblings and incoherent thoughts slipped from its lips, dark eyes giving every living thing a deathly glare. Every bird, fox, mouse and even the insects could scene that thick, hateful aura coming from it; lurching forwards it seemed to drag its heavy shadow behind it, like it was carrying a sack of dead leaves. A fox saw the finger, its fur bristling in fear, but it froze, the natural instinct of flight or flight drowned out of it by the heavy, oppressive aura, but as the shadow passed it found itself once more able to move. Every creature knew where it was heading, and one by one, they fled from the area around the wooden hut.


‘Who are you,’ Unaru snarled, trying to back away from the raven that had landed next to him, ‘how come you can talk like you have been affected by the sight?’

‘Like you the power of the sight runs in my blood,’ the raven cried, puffing out its chest, ‘my name is Thor, I am the son of Odin, and any offspring sired by familiar of The Sight will gain the same blessings as their parent.’

‘So, just because you are Odin’s son, you can talk to me like he can?’

The raven nodded, it seemed strange to Unaru, like something that did not really make sense, yet he understood it. It was not uncommon for the old avian to fly off, even for days at a time of he did not think he would be needed, so it would not be surprising that he had a family of his own, Unaru even saw that this was true this very morning. Looking back on it now, never could he had imagined the turn this day would take, and the sun was still far from setting, he shuddered to think if anything more could be in store for today, yet he was relieved by the fact that there was no other sight user like him out there. He looked the raven in the eyes, intensely inspecting it.

‘But why show up now and... That poem, what was it?’

‘That was no poem,’ the raven scoffed, ‘that is an old fable past down since the first one was gifted with the sight.’

Unaru could not help by scowl, ‘An old fable?’ he snorted, ‘Tsarr has told me all the stories, and I have never heard of this one.’

‘That’s because he did not want you to know. Unaru,’ The raven hoped closer, ‘there are many things, aspects of the sight that he had not, not planed too, tell you that is why my father told me, so I could teach you in their place.’

The blonds’ eyes narrowed, ‘What do you mean their place?’


The shadow slipped in through the open door, its form seemingly eating the light, casting darkness into the room. Tsarr sat in his favourite chair; eyes closed and chin resting on his chest, like he had fallen into a deep slumber whilst waiting for Unaru to return home, his raven was in a similar state, fatigue from age over coming them, once more the shadow slouched forwards, closer and closer it etched to the old man, the air growing heavy and cold.

‘So, it was neither the present nor the future I saw,’ Tsarr opened his eyes, looking right at the dark mass, ‘but the past, what I saw was you travailing here, but to what end?’

At his discovery the shadow slowly exposed itself, the black mass fading away to show a more defined form, like eyes adjusting to the darkness. A man stood there, hazel coloured hair messy and wild like a pile of leaves; his eyes seemed like shard of flint set in his skull, and his scarred face was set in a grim scowl, his body was cloaked in a long brown coat, which made it clear that he was hiding something, his foot falls seemed to boom on the wooden floor as he lurched forwards, his face twisted up as he snarled at Tsarr, the scars on his face looking like welts.

‘Tsarr,’ he hissed, ‘I’m glad you are still alive.’

There was a sick and twisted tone to the man’s voice, his words so cold that they seemed to freeze the air.
‘You should go; your presence here will cause more damage than you could imagine.’

Despite the harsh, almost commanding tone Tsarr did not seem intimidating from his seated possession. The man though his head back and laughed, the sound gurgling up like a blocked sink, it sounded vile, like blood was pooling in his mouth, its concealed form shaking with pure joy.

‘Oh Tsarr,’ it howled, ‘how weak old age has left you, can’t you even stand to face me?’

‘He does not need too,’ a voice growled behind the mysteries man, ‘turn and face me!’

Unaru had felt the strange presence; it set every nerve in his body alight with dread, never before had he felt so much hate. Now he was standing before the man, and his hate almost felt like a physical thing, almost like someone had thrown a wet, heavy, blanket over him limbs. Unaru did not know what he was planning to do, even with the small hunting knife, something he always kept for self protection; he felt defenceless before this man. The raven perched upon the blond’s shoulder seemed to look pass the intruder, to Tsarr and Odin, looking to his own farther, but his attention was drawn back to the man as he turned to face Unaru. The young man seemed to shiver and etch back as the stone cold eyes fell on him, yet his face seemed to cause something to stir within the boy, like he had seen him before, in a dissident and dead dream that had long since turned to dust. There was a light of sadness that illuminated the man’s eyes, but only for an instant, before rage took over.

‘Get out of here Unaru,’ Tsarr grumbled as he pulled himself to his feet, ‘just run! And don’t look back.’

‘No!’ the man barked, eyes still locked on the youth, ’let him stay, I want to see him cry tears of blood.’

With his back turned he guard seemed lowered, and the raven saw a chance. He lowered his head, making his body as streamlined as possible, he knew he only got one chance, and it was time that this old avian relived his own youth, when he would pluck the eyes out of still living humans like in myths, with one beat of his ragged wings he took flight, heading towards his target like a dart.
But it would prove to be a futile effort.

The man seemed to possess unnatural speed as he turned around, arm flicking out in an instant. Unaru could not tell if he really did move that far, or if the oppressive air was slowing down his scenes, but it really did not matter, for it would not have changed the outcome. Odin lay there on the ground, his form seeing nothing more than a mass of feathers and flesh, a hole blown though his chest, killing the raven instantly. The man’s arm fell to his side, onyx black handgun firmly in his grasp, his lips twisting up into a smile, he always hated that damn bird, the horrid black pet that was outside the normal bounds of common being, but now it was gone and thus he did not need to worry about it anymore; now it was on to the next order of business. He turned the gun towards the old man, wanting to leave the boy to last, but the act of turning away from Unaru seemed to trigger something in him, the fact that he had seen that act before, he had seen it many times; then it hit him, like a door being blown open so violent it twisted off its hinges.

‘F-Farther!?’

All most instantly Unaru regretting his choice of words, Gart was never his farther; he was only his uncle-in-law.
Gart wheeled around, the hate in his eyes renewed and a snarl on his lips.

‘Shut up!’ he barked, ‘you where never my dear Jouhei, you where a poor replacement,’ he jabbed the gun in the boys face, to the point that Jouhei could smell the oils that he used to clean it.

‘Say one word, just one more word, and I’ll blow your fucking brains out!’

‘Let him be,’ the older man’s voice seemed to tremble, ‘he is just as much of a victim of this as you are Gart.’

‘You can shut up as well old man!’ he yelled over his shoulder, yet he never took his eyes off Unaru, ‘when I’m threw with you, you will have wished that old age took you long ago.’

Unaru stood there, frozen, his avian partner and long since escaped, fleeing when his own farther was shot down. He did not blame Thor, if Unaru had wings he would want to fly away from this as well, and that brought him back to an old thought, the fact that all his life Unaru had been running away, from the car plunging into the river to this morning, when he learned his true name, and now it seemed his past had come back to prey on him, like a hungry snake finding the mouse it invenomnated long ago. Tsarr knew he could not stand there, he could not let Unaru die, he moved with the speed of a man half his age, taking Gart off guard, the two of them fought fearsomely, appearing more like two old dogs then men, but Tsarr’s age was still a factor, along with his power fading with misuse, the table turned nightmarishly to Grat’s favour, as he managed to twist his arm free from Tsarr’s grasp, putting the barrel to the gray haired man’s ribs and pulling the trigger.
Tsarr did not yell or cry in pain as the bullet passed through his body, he almost felt it strange that he did not feel anything, only numbness. Gart let his body fall to the floor; Tsarr trying to gasp for breath but drawing only blood into his lungs, Unaru could see it all clearly, at that moment it seemed that reality warped only to allow him a clear view of Tsarr, a clear view of his last moments, he could see the way his lips quivered and twisted, mouthing the word ‘run’, but the boy seemed to hardly have a chance, before he could come to terms with what was happening around him Gart was already upon him. He felt the blow to the side of his head, but it was hard to tell as his body stumbled to the ground, grateful that it was not a bullet that hit him.

Gart griped a hold of the blond’s collar, hulling him back onto his feet. He could see the resemblance of his birth mother in him more than ever, it made him sick, the blond hair and sky blue eyes had always made him sick, everyday had been a reminder that he was not his son, that Jouhei was lost to the world. Unaru could not seem to focus his eyes, his head was swimming to the point it was hard to tell what was up and what was down, yet he had to tell Gart something.

‘Gart, I-I know.. About Jouhei, about who I am, grandfather told me everything,’ his voice was quite, like he did not want Tsarr’s dying form to hear him, ‘I’m sorry for your loss, and thank you, even though I was not your son you still raised me and loved me.’

Unaru was naive enough to think that his words would make Gart back down, that he would make him see pity and spare his life. But he did not expect it to raise his anger.

Gart snarled as he pressed the gun to Unaru’s temple, painfully pressing the metal against the bone.

‘I told you! did I not? That if you spoke one more word I would blow your brains out!’ the gun seemed to creak and rattle as his grip tightened, ‘say goodbye, Unaru.’

It pained him on some level that Grat called him by his birth name, like he was conforming that he really never did see him as Jouhei. Lightness came over him, like Lang has experienced in the water, he knew that any moment it would all end, he would no longer have to suffer, and he would not have to lose anyone that he would no longer have to be confronted about any new and horrid truth. The beating of wings seemed to be around him, startling him back into the physical reality around him, Gart’s grip loosened as he tried to fend off the raven that pecked and clawed at his skin, giving Unaru a chance to escape.

‘Quickly follow me!’ Thor screamed as he flew out the door and into the woods, Unaru hot under wing.

Gart growled and grumbled once more, watching Unaru disappear into the forest. He had the boy in his grasp, and he was not going to let him get away now, not ever, like a bloodhound he followed the path Unaru had blazed, lurching forwards like an unstoppable nightmare.


‘I-I thought he was dead?’ Unaru gasped for breath, stopping his stride for a bit, ‘the car, it went into the river, I saw it myself!’

‘Did you?’ Thor questioned, ‘you only saw the car go over the railings, only saw it fall into darkness, you only assumed outside of what you saw.’

Unaru opened his mouth to argue, but he knew that he had assumed too much, he just gave up hope to fast. His mind drifted to his step mother, he did not know what else to call her now, that maybe somewhere Sara had survived like Gart, but then the image of the man he once called farther shooting Tsarr and Odin came to mind, and he knew if she did survive the crash into the river, that Gart would have surely killed her. As far as Unaru could recall Gart had never been a very loving man, yet he did not think he would grab a gun and kill all of his kin, he knew something must of happened. He could feel the wall of hate approaching him, it felt like he was trying to run from a flood, he still had his knife in hand, but he wondered how useful it would be against a man with a gun. Thor too felt the approaching void, flapping his wings franticly in a panic.

‘Quick we must go!’ he screeched.

‘No, we can,’ Unaru almost barked at his partner, ‘I can’t keep on running from this, he will keep on following us, and I have to know, I need to know how he survived and why he is doing this!’

He did not have to wait long for Gart to catch him up; the dying bird song seemed to herald his arrival. Unaru stood there, head held high as Gart approached him, the shark that was riding the wave of hate, yet the blond showed no fear in his form, for a new strength had entered him, he knew that he would not die here, that he had yet to grow a few years and stand in the park, the words Odin said to him years ago, about what he saw being nothing but notes for a story not yet written, that the future was not set, echoed in his mind, yet they did not put any doubt in his heart.

‘Tell me, how did you survive the crash? What have you been doing for all these years?’ Unaru’s tone was demanding, he sounded so much like a fully fledged adult at that point that made Thor think years had gone by in seconds.

Gart scowled and snarled at Unaru, irked at the tone in his voice, but that was ok with him, he would tell him all he wanted to know, and torture him before he killed him.

‘Please, after all my training in the military did you think that I would die that easily? I managed to pull myself out before the car was swept away,’ there was a dark chuckle resonating from his chest, ‘I guess Tsarr never kept up with the police report, or he would have known that they only recovered one body from the wrecking, I was badly wounded but still strong enough to survive.’ He pushed and pulled at the scar on his face, pulling the cheek down so that they pink flesh under his eye was visible, it made him look even more insane.
‘After that I secluded myself from the world, letting my wounds heal, and day by day I plotted my revenge, revenge on the Yochimu name! On the blood that had cursed me.’

It was at that moment that Unaru saw it; he saw an image of himself in Gart, something evil, hateful and scared. In his solitude he had lost sight of himself, had become insane without the mirror or others in which every living being views themselves, it was a saddening realisation that left Unaru feeling a deep sorrow for Gart, he hated because he had came to know anything else, because it became the thing that killed his own sorrow and sustained him like a inky sun in a blood red sky. ‘A mirror shattered, reformed, and new, shell show the night too the morning dew,’ the words of the legend echoed in his mind, and here before him stood a man who had been shattered, reformed, to the point he was a totally different, totally new person, and once more, he was showing the Unaru what he could become, the darkness that lay within everyone. ‘A legend, are we all just trapped within our own legends?’ he thought to himself, walking slowly forwards to meet Gart.

‘I always hated you!’ Gart snapped.

‘No Gart, you only hated what I reminded you of.’ Unari’s voice was soft, like a slow flowing stream that came to give life to the forest.

Unaru reached out to Gart, both physically and with his mind. As his fingered rested on the man’s chest he knew what he had to do, he could of easily blinded him, or crippled him with a thought but he did not, he knew that was not what the sight was meant for, the sun goddess did not gift it to humans so they could kill each other, no, the true power of the sight was to heal. Unaru looked Gart in the eyes, before turning his gaze on his forehead, where the third eye was said to rest, and he looked into the man’s mind, into the darkness and rage that hate would breed in droves, so he did the only thing he could, in one selfless act he drew all of Gart’s hate, all his anger and sorrow, into himself. The raw emotion was like demons clawing at the inside of his skull, claws sharp with ire and hungry for freedom, to be let out onto the word, it tried to gnaw at his mind, tried to take over him, but Unaru knew that he had to be stronger than that, he had to be stronger than hate itself. One by one the demons died, quieting down till only a peaceful calm remained between them, Gart had felt nothing like that before, the strange tingling in his mind faded, leaving his body feeling weak, to the point he could no longer support himself.

‘I-I hate you.’ Gart said desperately, looking almost pathetic on his hands and knees.

‘No, you don’t, I have taken all of your hate, and you have nothing now.’ Unaru went to turn away, knowing that Gart was now harmless.

‘Why? Why did you do this to me? Why not just kill me?’

Unaru looked down at Gart, not in a way that was deeming in anyway. His eyes had a strange light to them, like a prophet that was distend to be believed by all him met.

‘Because life is hard, it is easy to hate, hate is something that every living thing had a right to, but forgiving Gart, forgiving and letting life live is hard.’

Unaru turned and walked away, not once looking back on the past, on Gart. The man who appeared to be a monster was left looking like nothing more than a frail and bitter old man, touch by the power of the sight and Unaru’s words, for the first time in many years he looked out at the world with no bitterness in his hart, he had not felt this serene, this clam and content since the morning after his and Sara’s wedding, his thoughts drifted back to his family. He realised what Unaru said about life being hard, and now he was left with nothing, not even his hate to sustained him, he knew then that even with all his training, all he had been through, he was not strong enough.

‘I was wrong about you, Unaru,’ he muttered under his breath, ‘you where not a poor replacement, you turned out to good for me.’

He looked down at the gun still in his grasp, the thing he used to kill his farther in law, the only thing he had left. He knew what he had to do, the only thing he could do, after all he had just been proven that he is too weak to let life live, sitting back on his knees he pressed the gun to the side of his head.

‘Sara, Jouhei, Tsarr, I’ll see you soon.’



The sound of a gunshot echoed around the forest, scaring away all the birds, all but the raven seated on top of Unaru’s shoulder. As the sound faded a empty silence settled around them, one by one the birds returned to fill the void with their song, the edges of dusk could be seen on the edges of the sky, it seemed this day had been nothing more than a trail sent by Amaterasu, and now that it had ended so way the day. Thor wanted to praise the young man, and fill his head with encouraging words, yet he knew that this was not the time, that he should be left to morn silently, but the raven had one question he needed to ask.

‘What do we do now?’ he asked.

‘The only thing we can do,’ Unaru’s voice was calm and clear as he spoke, ‘we live.’

He returned to the cabin that he had called home for over nine years, now it seemed nothing more than the tome of Tsarr and Odin. He said goodbye to the bones of the old man and the raven, having plans to leave that night.

Next morning the sun, having no alternative; downed over the nothing new.

*is glad he capped out the post count gain from background at 100*

*Coff* overachiever*coff*

Going to read it more tonight and edit this post, but seems solid so far, so does anyone have any objections? To the starting post count being 100? I will read the background for quality but it seems it will be based off of length sufficient for that number.

Yeah, Umm, I can agree to 100 xD

Pikante wrote:

anyone have any objections?

That made my day XD

added a link to my powers, hope they are easey to understand and am willing to answer any questions on them or alter them if needed.

ps: added the +'s for 100 IC post

By the power invested in me I now pronounce you approved.

Have fun.

You're now legally bound too ]:<