章 27: Testing
Sorry for the hold up! For nearly a month!? Unforgivable that is for me. Sorry, but university has been kicking my sore behind more times than once! Hehe, rest assured I'm still writing even if I don't pose! I don't give up that easily now heh.
Here! Have some of my doodles for fun! I mainly do figures so here some rare occurrence of me doodling characters. Also, have one figure drawing for fun!
*Ohari's POV*
My little munchkin hops onto the Dobos with a little flip, and with a wave back to me, she leaves with Mokuren and Kyui. Her little twin curls of hair bouncing up and down with the Dobo… I can never comb them down hehe.
I straighten my back, scooting in with my leafy chair, and without looking, ask:
"So Myriam, let's cut to the chase, who's in charge of this? I'm guessing it's Durga."
Looking to my side, Myriam watches peacefully at my munchkin as she gets smaller and smaller in the distance. Her ephemeral skin a hue of brilliant emerald green and golden light sheen.
"Durga told me to help watch over the little maiden. But I do not lie, I know not much. But I do know, it is kept in secrecy for now… how are you, Ohari?"
It's quiet, peaceful, nothing but the delicate wind that moves my fur in its gentle breeze. The plants, grass, trees return to their full prime and display their waves of leaves and petals… about time Myriam stopped sulking.
"I'm doing fine, heh, a little more lively than ever with my little munchkin with me. You should've seen her with Kyui, it's like seeing a side of Kyui I've never seen before..."
It's been a long time since I've ever seen Kyui so energetic before, a little sister was what she needed... you could say it was a mother's intuition.
"Tell me, Myriam, why? You were never the one to take such dangerous actions."
The air around her turns a little duller, the vines on her body tightening. Her abrupt stiffness catches my eyes.
"I… didn't want to. But something in Durga's voice told me I needed to… she told me to. But I went with it horribly and ended up almost killing the poor girl… I'm sorry."
So… Durga was the one to make the call. Goddess Durga, why such extreme measures? An uneasy note of silence passes before Myriam spoke again.
"I had a feeling something was off, different with the little maiden… her powers felt…"
"Familiar?"
I knew all too well. The expanding universe in her eyes condensed in shimmering light as she faces me with astonishment.
"You know? Or at least… you have a hunch. Could it… really be Asura?"
"Could she… be Asura. She has a name, Myriam."
"Apologies, but Sura… she shouldn't be. Even Durga isn't confident about this. Either Sura is Asura's reincarnation… or we're looking after a remnant of the past, something dangerous."
The hints were there always, but I didn't want to make the harrowing connection. Why my munchkin? Why her innocent, young life? Must she live a life of secrecy and constant danger? I grip the chair a little tighter, the leaf bending slightly.
"The connection is there, but I can't believe it either, and hopefully we are wrong with the latter. But… we saw, watched, witnessed Asura's death. Its soul perished, how could it be? And after so many hundreds of years… why now?"
Myriam's fluorescent, flora-green hair spread like vines as she stands and looks off into the sanctum of Magami Aura.
"Seishi…"
Seishi?
"What about them?"
"They're the only one who may have any knowledge about this… control of life and death, souls…"
God Seishi, but how?
"You don't think somehow they brought Asura back do you? Why would they?"
"I don't know… I'm sure Durga is guessing this too. But we have no way of finding Seishi unless they come to us."
But… Seishi is only the God of our universe, far below the incomprehensible existence of beings as powerful as Asura. We have no control over such beings much less a primordial.
"No sense in worrying now Ohari, we can only do what we can. I'm sorry…"
Myriam's hand travels to her arm… hesitantly grasping her own arm in shame.
"I'm sorry for hurting Sura. I truly have no right to call myself a guardian of life, much less a God."
A momentary spur of anger spikes my tail as my fists tighten… before it goes away. No point in getting angry now.
"You better be sorry… so how will my munchkin be doing now? Are we going to try to test the arm rings? I remember those rings… issued to the primordial users in the clan. I wasn't one so I don't know how it works."
"It's up to you, Kyui, and Sura. There will be no secrets, not from my side."
I see. Then… the sooner we get it over with the better. My munchkin will need to start training again. Who do I even pray to for her safety? I fear if her powers get out of control, and continues to grow, it'll endanger all universes… just… just like back then.
*Sura's POV*
It's been about two days since I got the shiny arm rings. Today's the day we test it… I hope it works. Will I really be able to get control of my powers? Is it... safe? Kyuu-san kneels down before me, one hand on her knees and the other flicking my forehead.
"Ow!"
"Stop brain farting brat, are you ready?"
"Uhh… yes!"
Kyuu-san hands me the two rings, will these really hel- Yah!! I pull my hands away… it's freezing to the touch!! And I thought this tundra landscape was cold enough! I hold onto the rings again, fighting the biting chill. With a click, it opens and latches around my arms, one on each. I pull on the gi that I have to wear again, I hate it. And the Sarashi bands again doesn't help, but it's cotton so it's not that bad.
It sends a wave of warmth spreading across my body, connecting to my power… hey it helped against the cold! My breath carries itself, lost amongst the falling snow and disappearing into the vastness of the tundra, glaciers, and frozen mountains… but the tundra vastness was cut short by molten land, fire, and brimstone… where my incident happened.
It's still burning, the expanse of lava, dotted by patches of snow. Mountains suffered collapses, cave-ins, and craters. And a massive scar, almost as if something was dragged across the tundra, destroying everything in its path.
Mom, Goddess Myriam, and Mokuren are here as well. Mokuren was beside me, checking my arms to make sure it goes on correctly…
"Careful ok, little flower?"
I'm a bit scared… no, I'm scared.
"Hey, it'll be ok brat."
A firm hand rests on my shoulders… Kyuu-san.
"I've got a method for you to calm down. Take a deep breath in~"
Ok… I let the cold air enter my lung, puffing my chest out!
"Not that much! Ugh…idiot, deep breath out."
Pooff!! The air escapes my lungs in a gasp! Kyuu-san looks disappointingly at me while Mokuren chuckles.
"Alright brat, feel a little calmer?"
Miraculously, I almost feel as if something is lifted off my shoulder. My feelings and thoughts feel a little calmer, and my muscles relax a bit.
"I think so, but I have a question… Why can we breathe here in the Akasha dimension? Isn't it like a void or something?"
It's always been on my mind the first time we stepped through here. Mokuren smiles and with her arm open, she gestures:
"We don't really know!"
… what?
"This dimension existed far longer than our universe, it defies physics of any kind. All beings who enter… seem to be able to live, survive, and exist on their own terms of physics separate from others even if they aren't from our universe…"
I didn't really understand any of that… but ok I guess! Science, weird dimension, and stuff! Phew… that calmed me down a bit more.
Following Kyuu-san into the distance, I turn back to see Ohari waving at me, I wave back… I can see her mouth "stay safe" with brows of worry. Goddess Myriam steadies her war hammer of green effervescent viridian light. No longer her nude self, Goddess Myriam was clad in knight-like armor.
"I'm here to guide you, Sura."
She spoke in my mind.
"I'm here too munchkin, I'm here."
Mom's soothing voice spoke to me too. Mom?!
"That's right, I'm here sweetie. Goddess Myriam connected our minds for talking."
Alright, let's do this. Kyuu-san yells at me from a distance away when we get far away enough, readying herself as she thrusts forward her hand and steadies her footing.
"Alright brat, try to summon some of that power of yours, little by little…"
I spread my hands, and close my fists. But when my arms come into my view… fiery red, blood red visage encircling my arms flashes before my eyes. Hesitation grips me, as the vision fades away. My hand reaches towards myself for comfort, only to feel them shaking… I try to steady them and hold them to my chest, but it doesn't help… I'm...I'm not ready.
A motherly voice is heard within my mind.
"It's ok sweetie, we're here. We're here. Don't be scared. Be careful and don't push yourself okay?"
But I'm scared, I hurt everyone last time… I don't want it to happen again. Kyuu-san points at me, her resolute amber eyes meeting mine.
"Hey brat! If you don't want it to happen again, then we need to do this… what did I say to help you calme down?"
Deep breath in… deep breath out.
"Deep breath in…"
Closing my eyes, once again, I take a deep breath in… slowly this time, my mouth slightly agape. Letting the chilling air enter me, I let the air fill my being… along with the incremental rise of my beating heart. Together in unison, my heart rings quietly in my ears and my primordial essence flows.
Let's go. Reaching the final point of my inhale, I summon my power, coursing in my veins once again.
*Fwoom*
Deep breath out… phew… my breath leaves, taking with it the burden upon my heart. Opening my eyes again, I feared what might my arms look like… I'm still me, right? Hesitant, my eyes flutter open to see… it's fine, but something is different.
My Saffron aura is like before, but slighter redder in color… and I feel… stronger. Parts of my aura seem to wrap around my arms and coil, almost as if it's alive. Wait, this feels... so familiar.
"Are you ok brat?"
I open and close my hands... nothing seems that different.
"I-I think I'm fine."
"How are you feeling munchkin?"
Mom spoke within my mind.
"I feel… ok, I think."
The power surges in me, more powerful than before. I don't want to lose control. The rings on my arm hold steadfast, the etches on it glowing brighter. Is it working? Only one way to find out as Kyuu-san and mom planned.
"Alright brat, now come at me."
"Ar-are you sure?"
Kyuu-san won't be holding back that much to try to push me to use more power. Mom tried to think of any other way, but I just couldn't summon enough power alone to activate the rings.
"You want to keep your power in control right? If you want to continue to train… if you don't want to hurt anyone else, we need to do this and see if those rings work."
Ok… I brace myself and dig my feet into the ice. Here goes nothing… or everything maybe. The ground shatters beneath me, and I burst through towards Kyuu-san.
"Haahh!!"
*crash!*
Within what seems to be only a moment, my fist clashes with Kyuu-san's arm as the wind rips outwards. Kyuu-san smirks.
"You're a little faster than before, brat… alright we need to push you further!"
Kyuu-san's leg sweeps around, I quickly block it, the unrelenting force pushing my arm into my side… Kyuu-san's not kidding.
As I try to grab the leg, it suddenly sends me flying with a sonic boom with great momentum and I skid across the ice. I pick myself up and thrust my hands up defensively, to see Kyuu-san lower her leg as the blue flames on her feet die down.
"Hah! That won't happen twice now, brat!"
Hehe… alright then! I charge in again. With a volley of punches at her, Kyuu-san dodges them with ease, even if I'm faster I'm still not hitting her! My fist misses the target and crushes through a small ice glacier, sending flying ice.
As I whip around, anticipating an attack, a blazing blue fire orb slams against my chest… at first I don't feel it, but a surge of pain and force enters me as the orb compresses and explodes.
"Arrghhaaa!!!"
The force repels me away as I try to not fall over. I stretch out my petals to slow down my speed and manage to stop. Kyuu-san looks at me, her stance ready again.
"Come on brat! You have to push yourself more!"
Grrrr! Come on Sura! With a spin, I blast a ball of Saffron energy at her.
"Take this!"
The ball connects with the palm of her hand, before Kyuu-san grabs it and throws it out of the way, the ball's dissipating heat melting and exploding in a crater behind her. Not enough! Something glares my eyes when a plasma fireball shoots towards me. I managed to catch it with both hands in time, the ball struggled to detonate…
"Heennnn!!!"
I'm not letting you!! My arms flex as I squeeze the mean explody ball!
"Heeeennnn!! Gotcha!!"
With a final push I compress the ball into dissipation. Kyuu-san smiles.
"Not bad… here's another one!"
A spear of energy hurls itself at me, I slide under the first one as its heat skims my face and fire a ball of Saffron flames at the next as they clash, intermixing into a ripple of explosive violet. The explosion covers me in with ice mist, my ears pick a humming sound… There!
I quickly roll out of the way of another spear and burst through the mist, meeting eye to eye with Kyuu-san. I thrust my hand in front of me, fire!!
Running across the tundra's rocky terrain, we firing blasts in a showdown of hail fire.
Several blasts soar past me as I jump over them and hop from one glacier to another… mid-flip I kick a blast towards her! Kyuu-san deflects it with a swift swipe and we continue our barrage of exchanges as we ignite the trail we left with flames and rumbling explosions.
I roll out of the way of a burst of energy and before I can even catch my breath, another immediately explodes beneath me just as I pulled away. There's so many!! I barely have any time to fire back! A smoldering blast skims past my arm, feeling the searing blue flames leave a mark on my arm. Damn it! I have to fight back! But I got my hands full… come on!
Raaagghhh! I reinforce my arms as I deflect another blast, Kyuu-san's concentrated on taking me down.
The primordial courses within me… my petals! Maybe I can… summoning the primordial power to my petals, I expand their reach, acting like arms. The tips of petals glow warm as primordials' energy gathers and I feel my skin emit steam.
Landing on a glacier, I feel the ice starting to melt underneath me and the flames within me build. I bring my petals next to me, a ball of Saffron of flames on each end. Kyuu-san stops in surprise.
"Since when can you do that?"
"Take this!!"
I unleash a continuous barrage of blasts that bombard Kyuu-san and her surrounding area with melting heat. She expertly repels and weaves through the blasts. Alright then! Some more! I bring my two hands as well, firing blasts at her.
Jumping up from the blasts, Kyuu-san hangs in mid-air as I ignite my petals and use my power to propel myself at Kyuu-san, diving us crashing into the ground again in a shockwave.
A fist rises upwards towards me as Kyuu's knuckles scrape my chin as I swerve my head backward, tch!
"Hraaggh!"
I send a punch towards her stomach and she parries it aside, advancing fast towards me with leg sweeps and jabs, each decisive blow generates powerful wind pressure, shattering ice around us and blowing my hair to a mess. Our fist connects, creating a crater.
*Krakoom!*
The explosive pressure deepens and widens the crater as we fight. I pull back for a strike, as my fist pierces towards her, Kyuu-san diverts it, sending her own at my face. It collides with my arm before her knees comes up before me as it connects to my stomach.
"Oof!"
I crash through a glacier and land on my fours, careening into and pushing past other mounds… that hurts! Why can't I hit her?! Where is Kyu~
*Wham!!*
Grrr!! I bring up my arms, bracing against her powerful kick, the force ringing in my ears as it vibrates my skull. The painful ringing sets my soul ablaze, THAT HURT!!! My hand comes forth in a glazing swing of burning red fire which Kyuu-san dodges and jumps back.
"Rrraaagggh!!!"
Miss again!! Kyuu-san blocks another igniting wave of flames as the curling primordial power wraps around my hands and crawls towards her with each attack. Her blue flame quanta hold strong, but my Saffron red begins to corrupt her blue aura, tearing away it, slowly changing starting from her arm where my blow connected… her blazing blue aura slowly to red and her aura dimming.
Kyuu-san notices and kicks me away!! I didn't care as the force pushes me back and feel the force crush my stomach, the pain did nothing but only push me further!
"Woah brat!!"
The primordial flames with in me becomes an inferno as the burning sensation of my heart spreads like fire.
"Sura! Calm down munchkin! You're going to hurt yourself!"
"Uraaahh!!!"
My foot crashes down, fissures of magma saffron erupting up. Kyuu-san jumps up, my feet ignite as I jet towards her. With my fist grasped together, I let loose a downwards slam. Kyuu-san blocks my attack but it sends her soaring down at sound-breaking speed. Kyuu-san lands on her feet, sinking and creating a shocking crater upon impact.
"That's it! Push yourself but try to get control of yourself!!"
"Shut up!!"
I descend in a roar, bringing it down on Kyuu-san a ground slam as she then immediately dodges. My landing creates another explosion deep within the blue ice. My hand buried in the ground, I sense something behind me...
"Calm down sweetie!"
*Crack!!*
Kyuu-san's fist fails to make contact, instead of colliding with one of my petals that moved in the way. I struggled to push back, Kyuu-san pushes forth with momentum.
"Tch, this is becoming a little bit of an issue. Come back to your senses!!"
A blazing shockwave erupts from her hand, my vision becomes jarred with a flash of pain, and when it clears... I found myself on the ground... Tch!! Spiking into the slow, my petals pushes me up. Kyuu-san, has her hands open, waving at me.
"Easy now..."
I don't want your pity!!
"Damn you!!!"
The primordial powers within compels me as the snaking energy amalgatmates on both my hands. The world spins as I flip onto a glacier and the glacier cracks as I push myself off at Kyuu-san.
I smash my hands together creating a huge ball of inferno. My muscles bulge and my fiery soul screams as it charges up, igniting the air around me.
Kyuu-san pulls back her hand and blue, spiraling spirit fire flames erupt, ready to fire.
"HAAAAHHH!!!"
Just as I about to unleash, a numbing wave overtakes my body... and everything falls limp. I can't feel my hands... nor my body. I hear a strange, calming echo as I tumble to the ground.
"Ugghh.... what happened?"
I tried to get up but I feel weak, only able to bring myself to kneel on the ground.
"Munchkin?! My little girl are you alright?!"
"Mom?"
Mom rushes to me along with Goddess Myriam and Mokuren. I feel strong hands help me up... Kyuu-san? I hear a weird, pressure sound... my arm rings! I looked to my arms, the glowing red symbols emitting hissing steam. I hear Kyuu-san say:
"It works, great... phew, thought the brat was about to explode again."
Still feeling a bit disorientated, I feel a stinging sensation, like salt on wounds around my mouth. I bring up my hand to touch it... to see... blood? I look down at the puddle of former ice underneath me, to see my reflection... and there's... sharp teeth around my mouth? What!?
I pull back a little. Mom catches me and hugs me.
"Easy sweetie, easy, it's ok. Thank goodness it worked. I was calling you the whole time thorugh teleknesis but you wouldn't respond..."
Mom did? I couldn't hear her, maybe I did... and in my rage ignored it.
The teeth, they're retracting slowly back... and the wound they came out of was... slowly but surely closing. I look at Kyuu-san, whose sweat dripped off her nose as she was being healed by Mokuren. Goddess Myriam let's out a sigh of relief.
"I thought I might've needed to step in again, who knows how it will turn out."
Mokuren rubs her beatuifully carved chin.
"It seems Sura was slowly losing control as she used more of her power... a question of whether the power is pushing her to lose control or Sura herself losing control."
I turn to Kyuu-san.
"Sorry for saying all those means things to you, Kyuu-san... I don't know what came over me."
Kyuu-san chuckles.
"I think I figured out how that unlocked powers of your work..."
Huh? Kyuu-san smirks at me.
"Brat, get ready to start training again cause we gotta work on controlling your anger issues."
*3rd person POV*
The war torn cloak rustles in the tundra wind. Standing atop a glacial mountain as the their mechanical leg whirred, creaking slightly in face of the icy weather. The red optical pupil dialates and retracts.
"Well, well, well... ain't that interesting, lil beastie."
They take out a bottle of hard liquor and attempt to take a mighty swig, only to find its contents frozen.
"Ah hell, there goes me liquor... damn, and a good brand at that."
クリエイターの想い 
Wild_Silver
Wild_Silver Sorry for the hold up for nearly a month! I'm working on my university and the classes are beating me up! Imagine taking classes that are totally useless for your major... my professors are real awesome though!!
As always, leave a comment, insult me some more (I'm not a masochist) and give some suggestions!