章 53: Conversations and changes.
POV: Anthony Edward Stark
"What are you? An intermediary from (CHAT)?" DS asked, looking at me, or at my new "body" in this case.
At this moment, I was controlling a hologram that the stream had made available to me. It was... strange.
I was still controlling my own body, but I could also control this hologram. It was confusing in a way.
"And why a mushroom?" DS finished, sitting on the tatami floor of the guest room we were in.
I looked at my mushroom "arms."
"Frankly, I have no idea. I just appeared like this. Maybe it's different for everyone? Or random?"
Well, it didn't matter now.
I walked over to DS and sat in front of him. As I did, a holographic table appeared between us.
"What game do you want to play? Poker, Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps?" I asked, looking at the list of games we could play. There were many.
Mostly casino games, others more "childish," so to speak. Uno, Monopoly, Scrabble...
And the two "big" ones, so to speak. Chess and Checkers.
For the "cheapest" table of a hundred thousand SP, there was an excellent variety of games. It made me wonder what the more expensive ones had as options. Especially the one with a hundred billion SP...
My thoughts were interrupted by DS.
"Let's go with Chess; I'm kind of rubbish at card games." He moved his hand, and a chessboard appeared on the table. "You can choose since I'm the host," he said, putting his hand on his chin.
"Well, if you want to lose that badly, fine." I commented as I moved my "piece." "I'll go with the whites."
DS sighed slightly but didn't say anything, and we started playing.
We continued playing in silence for a few minutes before DS was the first to speak again.
"No questions? I thought that would be the first thing you'd do." He said, moving the knight to capture my bishop. What did he want with that move? To lose faster?
"This isn't an interrogation. I'm just here to have fun and play." I commented lightly, leaning back in the chair. In my real body, I was lying down, sipping some wine.
"If you want to answer something, just read the (CHAT). There are thousands of questions there." I pointed with my mushroom "hand" to the (CHAT).
It wasn't an exaggeration when I said there were thousands of questions, especially from the (CHAT), where the "crew," as I liked to call them, hung out.
The (CHAT), where DS normally conversed with people, was... quiet, so to speak. No one had commented anything since we saw that... "thing." Sure, the initial shock had been something, but otherwise, we just waited for DS to speak.
Especially the older members, or, in this case, Ruby, myself (The best), and Dumbledore.
We had known DS for almost half a year at this point. Watching someone for so long, almost every day, nearly twenty-four hours, made you know the person well.
So, I knew that if DS didn't want to talk, he wouldn't talk. So, I didn't ask anything, just played.
I hadn't come here as an "intermediary," as DS had said, but rather as a friend.
DS wasn't doing well. I would be a terrible friend if I didn't try to cheer him up.
"I understand..." He commented briefly before returning to silence. Then, we went back to playing.
We continued like this for a few more minutes, where I was almost winning this game. DS was good, but I was just different.
"Check." I said, trapping DS.
He stayed silent, thinking. After a few seconds, he didn't make the move but instead spoke.
"My fear." He… fear?
As if understanding my mild confusion, he explained, without taking his eyes off the board.
"That place was my mind. Or, at least, a part of it... I think," he commented briefly before continuing. "That thing in the sea was the representation of my fear."
That thing... was his fear?
"You don't do anything small, do you, DS?" I couldn't help but comment, my voice slightly amused. "Some people are afraid of cockroaches; you're afraid of a giant monster?"
He laughed, shaking his head.
"It's not just that, at least not entirely," he said, moving the king away from the sight of my rook. "That thing itself wasn't my fear, but a representation of it..."
He gestured for me to make a move. Which I did, staying silent, waiting for him to continue.
"Since childhood, Stark..." He began. "I never liked the dark... always felt watched, as if something was staring at me..." He sighed, taking a water bottle from the inventory.
Funny that, even now, he avoided drinking anything alcoholic just because there were kids watching.
"I would offer you, but, well..." He pointed to my "face" or where my face would be. "You kind of don't have a mouth or a face, so to speak."
After a few sips, he continued.
"That fear disappeared as I grew older; it was natural for that to happen. As children, we fear simple things, like the dark... Silly, isn't it?" He seemed amused by something, a bitter amusement.
"I'm afraid of clowns," I commented, making my move.
When I said that, I could see DS raise his face, looking at my hologram. "Clowns...?"
"Yes, clowns," I commented, laughing a bit. "My father took me to a circus when I was younger, and one of the clowns from that damn place decided it was a good idea to scare a child. I have a trauma to this day." I finished my brief story.
How I hated that circus; I made a point of buying that thing to burn it all down.
"Clowns..." DS commented briefly before laughing. "A common fear, just like the fear of the dark... funny, didn't expect that from you." He said.
"What? I know I'm awesome, but I also have my weaknesses, few as they may be." I commented before starting to list. "Clowns, beautiful women, and... Well, I think that's about it."
The truth, as always, earned me things being thrown at me, in this case, the water bottle DS was carrying.
Before the bottle hit the ground, it disappeared, probably going into DS's inventory.
He sighed before speaking again.
"After a while, the fear had simply... disappeared, after all, the dark was nothing more than the absence of light. And that couldn't hurt me..." He said, moving the king to escape from my bishop. "Until Terraria, of course..."
He stopped for a moment.
"After all, I found out that my fear of the dark had returned, but it wasn't of the dark itself." He laid the king down, accepting defeat. "But of what lurked in the dark..."
He looked up, staring at my hologram.
"... After all, what hides beneath the moonlight?... What exists in the darkness when the pale moon rises high in the sky?" I won't lie; I felt a slight shiver going up my spine from the way DS said that.
Especially because of how his eyes seemed vacant, as if he were remembering something, something that didn't seem good.
That's why that "thing" was far away, in the darkness, and the only visible thing was the full moon...
"I understand..." A fear of what existed in the dark... It might seem silly; after all, what exists in the dark?... Nothing.
That's what I would have said six months ago, now? What do I know of the truth... What exists in the dark?
DS seemed to know more than I did, and that had been represented in his mind, of all things, as a huge monster...
... But... somehow I knew, I felt that there was something more to it, a reason why that monster had that form, that green eye... The Moon...
"Another round?" DS asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Checkers now? Or do you want to play chess again?"
"Let's play checkers now; I don't want to humiliate you in chess again." I commented arrogantly, making DS snort.
We continued playing until around midnight when DS decided to end the stream.
"DS... why say all this?... Why explain all this?"
He didn't need to explain anything... so, why?
"What to say? Explain what?" He commented playfully. "I didn't explain or say anything, just had a chat with a friend while playing board games."
It was lucky that the hologram didn't have a face; otherwise, everyone could see the smile that had appeared on mine...
Moments later, when DS said his goodbyes, wishing everyone a good night and shutting down the stream, I stood up, stretching.
I looked out at the balcony of my mansion, seeing the nighttime sea... For some reason, something made me uncomfortable with this view now...
I ignored the shiver that ran down my spine and closed the curtains, turning on the room light and returning to work on Jarvis. A few more months, and it would be ready...
I spent the next few minutes before bedtime working on Jarvis's code, but all the while, a question had lingered in my mind.
Something I wanted to ask but knew it wasn't right... After all... Why did DS have black hair and brown eyes...
... When the rest of his family didn't?...
The chance of this happening naturally was astronomically low... Was he adopted? Or was it something else...
... Well, it didn't matter.
I went to sleep after two in the morning; I would have stayed awake, but I knew DS would wake up early tomorrow, as always.
So it was better for me to go to sleep if I wanted to catch the morning stream.
[...]
POV: Devas Asura [Fourth day]
After turning off the stream, I didn't go to train, but to sleep.
My body was rested, completely ready for any challenge... My mind wasn't.
The day took its toll, especially the last parts... Seeing "him" had been an unpleasant experience, even if it was just a silhouette.
Playing chess and checkers with Stark hadn't been easy either. As much as neither of us was really focused on the game, it was mentally exhausting, even if just a little.
I was never a big fan of chess; maybe I'll start playing more now that I have gaming partners...
I leaned back, stubbornly on a bed I pulled out of the inventory, and closed my eyes, trying to relax.
I must have been there for almost an hour, trying to sleep, unconsciously following the rhythm of Sun's breathing...
I'm not sure when I fell asleep, just that it happened at some point; then, I woke up.
It felt more like a long blink than actual sleep.
I grabbed my phone and checked the time. Four thirty... Two hours of sleep; well, better than nothing, especially since my mental fatigue seemed to have disappeared largely.
I got up and put things away in the inventory, the bed and pillow, before opening the door and heading to the kitchen, where I could see three other green dots awake.
Four, if I counted the one running through the house.
I moved quickly through the house, trying not to make noise to avoid waking anyone else up.
I ended up finding out who the person running through the house was before reaching the kitchen, as he almost ran into me before saying good morning and running off again.
The youngest son of the Kamado family, Rokuta, if I'm not mistaken.
I think I have an idea of why the other three people were awake then...
Arriving in the kitchen, I found out who the other three were, as I suspected. Tanjuro, his wife, Kie, and Nezuko.
Or rather, the three who slept in the same room as that rocket running through the house...
From Nezuko's sleepy face, it wasn't hard to figure out who had woken up first. Interestingly, Tanjuro and Kie seemed fine.
"Good morning," I commented, making the two women turn quickly, slightly startled before relaxing when they saw it was me.
Interestingly, Tanjuro just waved calmly, sipping what I'm almost sure is tea.
Had he heard me while I was coming here? Or did he just assume it was me?
"Good morning, Devas." Tanjuro was the one who replied, nodding his head and pointing to the chair next to him.
When I sat down, the other two, Kie and Nezuko, seemed to recover from the small unintentional scare I gave them.
"Good morning, Devas-san." Kie was the first to say, followed by Nezuko. "Good morning."
I'm glad they dropped the "-Sama."
As justified as it was, since I had saved her husband's life, I still wasn't comfortable with most Japanese honorifics. I've never been one for formalities either.
"I suppose Rokuta has something to do with all of you being awake at this hour?" I knew the Kamado family woke up early, but it was around five in the morning.
One hour of sleep ends up being missed.
Tanjuro was the first to answer me, lightly snorting.
"I'm used to it, Kie too." He pointed to his wife, who waved while offering me tea, which I declined. "After five kids, randomly waking up at night becomes common." He seemed proud of this fact.
"I imagine so..." I never lived with young children, having no siblings, let alone children, but I can imagine what it's like. "Nezuko seems to resent that fact, from the way she's looking at both of you."
I commented briefly. If looks could kill, Tanjuro and Kie wouldn't be dead, but a little scorched was a possibility.
She was the second oldest, right? I don't envy her or Tanjiro.
Tanjuro just laughed, Kie did the same, which seemed to make Nezuko even more irritated, pouting.
"And you, Devas-san. Did Rokuta wake you up too?" Kie asked, sitting next to Nezuko.
"No, don't worry. I usually wake up at this hour." When I slept, of course.
"What do you do that requires you to wake up so early?" The question came from the youngest Kamado at the table, Nezuko.
"I assume you're asking about my job?" I asked, and when she nodded in agreement, I hummed a bit while thinking...
It would take too long to explain what a streamer was, so let's go with my other "job."
"Where I live." I began to explain. "There's something called a Guild. You can consider it like a company that hires people for various jobs; I'm one of those hired." Was the term freelancer invented at this time?
"What kind of jobs?" The little Kamado asked before her parents or anyone else could speak. "Otou-san once killed a bear; the meat was a bit tough, but it tasted good..."
"Nezuko! Your father said not to go around talking about that." Kie scolded her, making Nezuko give a little jump.
A bear? Was there something like that? I didn't remember that in the anime? Something from the manga, probably.
But it was funny how Nezuko seemed to want to use Tanjuro to brag. From the amused look on the man's face, he noticed that too.
"Nothing as fierce as a bear, just small animals." I replied.
"I don't think I could handle a bear; your father is quite strong. You must be proud of him." The way her eyes sparkled was cute; I had to restrain myself from laughing. It was as if I had praised her.
When I finished speaking, Tanjuro choked on his tea next to me, coughing slightly while his wife helped him.
The look he gave me basically said. "You know lying to children is not nice, right?"
I couldn't help but laugh lightly, which made the man laugh too, leaving Kie and Nezuko confused about why we were laughing.
I chatted a bit more with the three before saying goodbye, leaving the house.
It was a good morning...
[...]
After the brief encounter with the Kamado family in the morning, I went out to start my morning training, which could be summed up as me going to the top of this mountain and training where the air was thinner.
Already at the summit, I took the halberd and began training the forms, all the while focusing on my breathing.
Yesterday, before going to sleep, I let my thoughts wander, and I remembered one of the explanations from the anime for the breathing techniques, or rather, the foundation of all breathing techniques.
The Total Concentration Breathing technique was what made the breathing techniques work, the basis of breathing techniques, the basis of Sun Breathing, the basis of Hinokami Kagura.
The Total Concentration Breathing technique basically involved expanding the lungs to inhale as much air as possible, accelerating blood flow and heart rate while increasing the internal body temperature.
This was what allowed humans in this world to match demons, enabling them to perform feats that would be impossible otherwise.
So, as I trained, I focused my attention on inhaling as much air as possible, maximizing oxygen intake.
I breathed in slowly, absorbing the air, the oxygen into my lungs, then slowly let it out, exhaling the air along with carbon dioxide.
I repeated this process for almost an hour, even forgetting to start the stream, not even realizing that Tanjuro had climbed the mountain and was on the usual rock, watching me.
After almost an hour, I relaxed my muscles, frustrated.
I had achieved basically what I wanted; I felt my body stronger when I used the Total Concentration Breathing technique, but still, I felt something was wrong.
Somehow, something was missing.
It wasn't something physical; my execution, although something I had learned recently, was correct. I might not be a master, but I wasn't an amateur; my body instinctively knew how to correct my mistakes, improving my breathing.
No, what was missing was something more spiritual; somehow, I knew that. It was something involving the Spiritual Core; somehow, this energy was necessary.
The last screw, so to speak, making everything fit together, one last piece...
"Frustrated with something?" I heard Tanjuro's voice from my right, making me turn to look at him.
I had noticed him after stopping my concentration; I had also started the stream.
"A bit, I feel like I'm doing everything right, but still, something is missing..." It was frustrating; I knew something was missing, just didn't know where or what.
"Hmm..." Tanjuro scratched his chin momentarily before looking up, at the sky.
I followed his movement, looking at the same spot. The sky was clear this morning.
"What do you think about when using Hinokami Kagura?" Tanjuro asked me after a few seconds of silence. "What do you think the Sun is?" He finished, looking at me...
The same questions I had asked him yesterday...
I thought for a moment before answering.
"Nothing, frankly, just focus on breathing." I needed to concentrate if I wanted to use the Total Concentration Breathing technique correctly.
"As for the Sun..." I could give several answers, but I opted for the answer I had studied, the one that was the "true" one in "my" Earth.
"It is a massive sphere of hot plasma, mainly composed of hydrogen and helium." I looked up as I spoke. "It emits light and heat due to nuclear reactions in its core, generating energy through nuclear fusion."
It was a textbook answer, which for this time, was advanced, but in mine, it was something that could be found in less than thirty seconds of internet research.
Tanjuro looked at me silently, waiting for me to finish speaking before nodding, as if he had understood something.
"Frankly, I didn't understand almost anything of what you said." ... Or not. "But I found out one thing." The man stood up, "You use Hinokami Kagura as a battle technique." He looked at the Sun.
"You see the Sun only from the scientific side; it limits you, limits your spiritual side..."
I blinked for a few moments... Limits my spiritual side?...
I wasn't stupid; I knew the Spiritual Core had something to do with the breathing techniques, as there was a mysticism behind them. The way users could see the elements when they breathed, as if it were something magical, the way the slayer's mark appeared out of nowhere...
But still, was I limiting my spiritual side?... I didn't even have a "spiritual side" until yesterday, and I was already limiting it?
"Explain, please." I asked the man for explanations.
Tanjuro nodded calmly as he explained. "Hinokami Kagura is a dance, above all, it's not something done for battle..."
Okay... I knew that wasn't true, since initially, Kagura, or Sun Breathing, was a technique made for combat, but over the years, it ended up being lost, passed down as a dance by the Kamado family.
"... Try to let your mind loosen up, let your thoughts wander as you dance." He, as he said that, closed his eyes. Moving very slowly through the forms that now I knew.
The forms of Kagura, the twelve forms of Sun Breathing.
"With the right mindset, and with the correct breathing, this technique is capable of making the user dance forever." He took a deep breath before starting to move for real. "Watch my movements..."
Then, he began to dance... It was slow, sluggish at first.
The first form, moving the arm downward slowly while keeping the legs still. Enbu.
Then, he turned the body while moving the arms in a circular form, making a three-hundred and sixty-degree arc.
Second form: Heki-ra no Ten.
Before completing the arc with the arms, he moved the right hand, as if holding a sword, delivering two blows around his own body.
It was something fluid, without hesitation.
Third form: Retsujitsu Kokyō
And it continued, the dance continued. Each form, each step was something balanced, fluid.
Even though the movements seemed to have no connection, they somehow were interleaved.
Tanjuro's movements with each passing second seemed simpler but somehow more dangerous, each moment he seemed slower, but somehow faster.
I watched totally focused for I don't know how long, before the man stopped his dance.
"My father, when he taught me, said that Kagura was something to praise the gods, to show them appreciation." He took a deep breath before turning around. "I don't know if it's the truth, but when I dance, I follow his teachings, making a dance for the Sun." He smiled, looking up.
It was only then that I realized, the man didn't seem tired, not even sweaty, even after dancing for so long...
After this little lesson, with Tanjuro showing me how he performed Kagura, the man said goodbye, descending the mountain, saying he had something to discuss with his wife.
I didn't stop him, as I had some idea of what that discussion was about.
Shortly after saying goodbye to Tanjuro, I sat down, thoughtful...
In the meantime, the (CHAT) had gone crazy, in a certain way.
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]: What the hell was that DS?! The guy at one point looked like he was about to fly away. I've seen exotic dances, but this was... Something else, what the hell?! (Incredulous Iron Man emote).
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]: I SAID! This is not a dance; the guy didn't even seem tired even after dancing for two hours! Tanjuro must weigh less than fifty kilos; where have you seen that? (Generic guy shouting "I said!" emote).
[(MOD)RedHuntressLive]: Wow! That was... Shua and then hiei! and bam!... It was very cool! (Little Red Riding Hood emote with shining eyes).
[TohsakaHeiress]: A ritual dance for the Sun... I already knew it wouldn't be something normal, but this... Was unexpected. (Chibi Rin emote taking notes while nodding).
[JackSon]: I... Don't know why, but something in this dance was... strange to me, not weird bad, but different... As if something was calling me somehow? (Confused seahorse emote).
[BestToadSannin]: It reminded me a bit of the toad Katas, something focused on a part of nature... Curious... (Thinking frog emote).
[YellowHuntressLive]: I will, for sure, do something similar; punching people like this is the utmost style possible, and in the end, I'm as hot as the Sun! (Golden curls emote punching a punching bag).
Very varied reactions to Hinokami Kagura, most being of amazement and surprise.
The one that caught my attention the most was Percy's... He wasn't a god, but still, a demigod, the son of one of the Big Three, it was somewhat expected that Kagura would have some effect on him.
Even so... Tanjuro's explanation had given me some ideas, but... None of them were really something I liked...
Especially the part involving the gods. I wasn't foolish enough to think that all gods were the same, but still, the act of praising the gods made me... uncomfortable, to say the least...
I also didn't think it was that, as Tanjuro himself had said: "I don't know if it's the truth, but when I dance, I follow his teachings, making a dance for the Sun."
Tanjiro in the anime also never mentioned anything like that... His thoughts usually wandered to determination, protection, compassion, even...
Different thoughts, the same technique... I'm sure it was something different for Yoriichi too...
The physical aspect was the same, the same technique, but the mental, or the spiritual, in this case, was different...
A base, perhaps? A focus for this spiritual energy to connect everything with the breathing technique?...
It wasn't a concrete answer, but still, it was an answer, a path I could follow... Better than nothing.
"Well...." I sighed as I stood up. "Let's get back to training."
I could think and move my body at the same time, so it was good to get back to training...
I continued training for the rest of the day, focusing on repetitions, always focusing on how I breathed, especially in the Total Concentration Breathing technique.
Incredibly, it was something that after a while started to feel natural, reaching the point where I didn't even need to actively think to keep it active.
But still, I felt something missing... The last damn piece...
I continued training until it started to get dark.
I tried to keep training like on other days; after all, it wasn't the first time I would train in the dark.
But somehow, it felt different from other times, it felt like I was being watched... Which was both true and false.
I was being observed since I hadn't turned off the stream, but only that.
There was nothing on the Minimap, and even when I moved, to see if there really was someone, no point appeared within the Minimap range...
I knew it was pure paranoia.
My brain knew there was nothing, I knew there was nothing there, in the dark.
It wasn't rational, but irrational, an ancient irrational fear that had grown, returned with strength, thanks to that experience inside the "Spiritual Core"...
As night fell, my muscles became increasingly tense, my attention more focused on the shadows, until it reached the point where I couldn't train properly, anticipating an attack from the darkness.
Worried about an attack that wouldn't come, concerned about an enemy that didn't exist...
I sighed in frustration.
"Damn... This is not going to work..."
In the end, I ended up descending the mountain and going to the Kamado's house, where I found Tanjuro in the backyard, drinking tea and looking at the night sky.
"Do you have no sense of things?" I asked the man as I approached.
"Do you want to get sick again?" I finished, sitting next to the man.
Tanjuro shook his head.
"I'm being careful." He pointed to the blanket covering his shoulders and the torches' fire. "I'm covered, and I left the fire on; it's not that cold..."
I looked at the sky, where small snowflakes were falling...
I looked at him as if he were a complete idiot, which he noticed.
"Alright... it's cold, but old habits die hard." He took a sip of tea. "Let me enjoy my last nights in this house like this..."
I took a thermos from the inventory and took a sip. It was coffee. How I loved the VoidBag.
"I'm sure you're cured, so you won't die." After drinking, I commented jokingly. "So, I imagine you talked to your wife, decided to move?"
He nodded in agreement.
"I talked to Kie, explained some things, especially what you had told me." About Micha-Muzan... "Kie already wanted to move before, as the house was getting small; this new information only served to cement the idea." He shook his head, taking another sip of tea...
"I'm glad; I won't have to kidnap your family then..." I commented humorously, to which the man laughed before sighing, falling silent...
We were silent for a few seconds before Tanjuro spoke.
"I've said it before, but... I need to thank you again. Thank you, Devas..." He didn't turn around, just kept looking at the night sky... at the moon.
The obvious would be that this thanks were for saving his life... But something told me it wasn't just that.
Before I could ask, he continued, as if reading my mind...
"Thank you not only for saving my life; that's something I appreciate. Still, mainly, for letting me stay with my family..." He sighed.
"I lost count of how many times I saw Kie crying hidden from the children, saw Nezuko cry, hidden from the younger siblings..." He seemed tired.
"I saw Tanjiro, every day, grow stronger, becoming a man when he should be a child, taking my place, as he knew I would die." I could see that he was clenching his hands, to the point where the knuckles turned white...
"I felt useless, that I had failed as a husband... as a father..." He sighed, relaxing his hands.
I could see that this time, it was a happy sigh.
"So, Devas, my friend, if I may say so, thank you, not just for saving me but for letting me see my children grow up." He opened a smile.
"For giving me the opportunity to be with my wife until old age, for giving me the chance to tease my son when he brings his first girlfriend..." He laughed, joyous, turning around.
I could see that he had small tears in his eyes, tears not shed out of happiness.
"So, Devas..." He bowed, placing his hands on the ground before I could stop him. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart; I appreciate it..."
Quickly, I helped the man to stand up.
I...
"I won't refuse your thanks, Tanjuro." I said, putting my hand on the man's shoulder. "But don't bow..." I wasn't a king, I wasn't a god.
"If you want to thank me, do it standing."
This seemed to make the man even happier.
He wiped his eyes and smiled, this time, keeping his back straight as he said.
"Thank you then, Devas, for giving me hope..."
I... Honestly...
For me, it was a deal, an exchange. The Hinokami Kagura for Tanjuro's disease cure.
But thinking now, for the man, it had been, even if a deal, something that saved him, that let him stay with his family...
Hope... It isn't...
I sighed, looking at the sky... At the moon... At the full moon... Why did it always seem to be a full moon?...
Why did it always seem that whenever I looked at the night sky, that's all I could see...
I sighed once again... I was tired...
It hadn't even been six months since all of this had started, since I had been thrown into Terraria, and I was already tired...
"Can I use your backyard, Tanjuro?" I pointed to the middle of the torches, the only place without snow, as I stood up.
The man didn't respond verbally but nodded instead.
With the confirmation, I walked to the middle of the torches.
Wasn't this where he performed the ritual every New Year?...
I took the Houtengeki from my inventory, held it with both hands, and began to follow the movements of the Hinokami Kagura...
At the same time, I let my thoughts wander, freely, as Tanjuro had said before...
I continued for a few moments before stopping...
I knew it wouldn't work, again, something was missing... I couldn't...
I couldn't see, imagine that something. I've always been logical, always tried to understand things.
The Sun, for me, has always been just that, the Sun. Even watching anime, playing games, reading manga, things that escaped reality, I never diverted my thoughts from reality.
The Sun has always been the Sun, a giant ball of plasma... Not a god... Nothing any more...
I felt my muscles tense... This wasn't working... The darkness around me didn't help either...
I felt cornered, like a small animal in a cage... like a child in the dark...
I was... tired... scared...
I sighed for the third time... Taking a deep breath...
This wasn't from now, but since I arrived in Terraria... maybe even before...
I tightened the grip on the Houtengeki's handle, to the point where I felt my fingers hurt... I was so angry at myself... It was always like this... It has always been like this!
I've always had this fear... and I was tired of it...
Tired of being afraid of the dark...
Tired of being afraid of the night...
Tired of being afraid of the Moon...
Letting the air out of my body, I let my muscles relax... I looked at the falling snow, at the night sky... at the moon...
"So be it then..." I murmured to myself...
... Let's see if this could work... After all... it was all that was left...
... It has always been all that was left...
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling my body warm with each breath... My blood pumping faster...
Then, under a full moon...
"Hope... isn't it?..."
... I began to move again....
[...]
POV: Tanjuro Kamado.
After thanking Devas, I admit I had become a little embarrassed. I couldn't thank him, no, I would never be embarrassed about that.
But by the way I acted, Devas was right; if I were to thank him, it should be standing.
I scratched my neck, still a little embarrassed, while watching Devas train. I felt there was something wrong in the way he moved, and from the way Devas had stopped, he felt it too.
It was strange, as if the Kagura wasn't compatible with him, and yet, somehow, he was making it work.
But that would only go so far, as Devas and I had noticed, something was missing, a key element.
I watched Devas for a few more seconds before deciding it was getting late. It had started snowing more heavily too; it was time to go inside...
But as I was about to get up to call Devas, I heard him speak.
It was low, to the point that if the backyard wasn't entirely silent, with only the sound of the almost extinguished torches filling the air, I wouldn't have heard.
"So be it then..." It was as if he was talking to himself, not to me, not to anyone...
I could see that he had started using the Kagura again, but this time, it looked different, something seemed different somehow...
Then, again, he spoke, and again, to himself.
"Hope... isn't it?..."
Before I could ask what it was about, he started moving again.
At first, it was slow, something leisurely.
He was moving slowly, following the Kagura forms, one at a time.
First, he spread his legs, slashing forward with the halberd he held.
The first form: Enbu,
Then, the changes began.
The second form should be something broader, where the user would swing the upper body in a long, complete arc.
This form that Devas had made was more contained, simplified, more... efficient; that was the right word.
He had spun the halberd, creating the same effect, but without needing to turn the body, just the axis of the weapon.
The second form, or what should be the second form: Heki-ra no Ten
This continued, slowly, I could see the changes, with each form, a change, one less spin, one less movement.
It was only in the fifth form: Shayo Tenshin. That I realized what I was watching, what was happening.
The fifth form was an arc, a leap, where in the air, when I danced, I executed a strike with the Shichishitō, the seven-branch sword I used in the ritual.
It was one of the most difficult forms to execute, and from what my wife said, one of the most beautiful.
The way Devas used it wasn't like that.
He didn't jump, but instead, twisted his body, as if spinning around an invisible enemy, then slashed with the halberd, attacking the back of that enemy.
It was effective, with no showmanship... This was no longer a dance...
When Devas completed the fifth form, spinning his own body, he turned around, and only then could I see his face.
His face was calm, expressionless, but the same couldn't be said of his eyes… They were furious, as if containing a sea of fire… No...
A Sun… It was as if in each eye, each pupil, he held a Sun...
Without hesitation, he continued to move; that's when I realized, he was looking at the night sky the whole time… at the moon… as if challenging it…
… As if challenging the night… the darkness… the gods…
… As if challenging the Moon…
If I hadn't been in shock with what I was seeing, I probably would have laughed. It was funny, a blasphemous joke, to some extent…
Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto should be angry, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was.
After all, in the same place where his wife, Amaterasu-ōmikami, had been praised for over three hundred years by the Kamado family, where the gods were thanked, at this moment, he was challenged.
It was like a joke, an invented story, something impossible…
… Something created to give hope to men, to humans, to fight against the night…
But it was real, it was happening, right in front of me, at this moment.
With each movement, Devas got faster, with each form, more precise.
Where before I could see wasted movements, I couldn't anymore; where before I could see hesitation, he was now decisive.
At some point, with each movement, I could see a kind of liquid flame coming out of his halberd, like a fire so hot that it had turned into something else…
And this continued, every time Devas completed the twelve forms, he got faster. Every minute, faster. Reaching the point where, at some moment, I had stopped being able to see the halberd in his hand...
The halberd was like a blur, something illusory, that, if I tried to focus my eyes on it, they seemed to hurt, as if I were looking at something bright.
For hours, this continued and continued, without me even realizing time passing, my attention totally focused on Devas.
I only noticed that it had become daylight when Devas stopped moving, when I was allowed to look up and see that the moon had disappeared from the sky.
The Sun, rising on the horizon, with the first rays covering the world…
… Devas had fought against the moon all night…
I was incredulous, still not understanding if what I had witnessed was real or not.
Only then, when I looked at Devas's hands, did I realize that I could see his halberd again.
When I understood why, why I could see it again without my eyes hurting when looking at it, I started laughing. I couldn't help it, but I started laughing with all my might.
It was obvious… it was so obvious!
Why I couldn't look at the weapon, why I hadn't noticed that it had dawned…
Why the Sun seemed to have risen in the sky, only when Devas stopped moving… Only then returning to the sky…
After all, it was no longer wielded by Devas…
Used as a weapon…
I continued laughing until Kie woke up and came to see what had happened; only then, when she spoke, did I realize.
Devas hadn't moved until now… He had passed out standing.
With a smile on his face, as if relieved, a weight lifted from his shoulders.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, first of all, sorry for the delay in the chapter. I had some difficulty writing it in a way I liked, but here it is. I thought it turned out pretty cool.
No beating around the bush, on to the chapter!
Firstly, the conversation between Stark and Devas, or DS.
I focused on Stark's point of view for two reasons. Devas, as some people may have noticed, is an unreliable narrator in some things, especially about himself.
And secondly: I wanted to delve a bit into "our" Stark, since his personality changes from story to story, so I focused a bit on him.
After that, a small interaction with the Kamado family, just to show a bit of them and give Devas the information that Tanjuro killed a bear.
To boost Nezuko's energy a bit too, since frankly, I didn't think people liked her that much.
So, the dance. Tanjuro danced for the first time, and the (CHAT) saw it, with varied reactions. Especially Percy and his not-so-human side.
Then, for the ending, Devas was really affected. As I've been trying to show since the first chapters, he had something with darkness, with the night, which was only heightened by the encounter in the Spiritual Core with our "not very friendly" friend.
So, his internal monologue, I focused a bit on that part, because as I had said, it was one of the things I would focus on in this arc, Devas' mental state.
Finally, Tanjuro's point of view, him seeing Devas evolve rapidly due to an epiphany. I plan to comment on that in the next chapter.
The "Liquid Fire" Tanjuro saw is nothing more than Plasma, which he doesn't know the name of.
The Breath of the Sun (Devas' version) doesn't release "Solar Fire," but rather, plasma.
About the breathing itself, I'll leave it for the next chapter. Devas was modifying it all this time, as I tried to show, but the real changes came at the end.
And the scene I liked when I wrote it and imagined it.
"Devas was fighting against the moon."
Curious, isn't it? A dance used to praise the gods, in Devas' hands, in less than three days, it turned into the opposite extreme.
But, to the relief or stress of some people, some parts of the Hinokami Kagura still remain, especially two. The effect it has on "Sun Gods" and "Foxes." It's something that I, frankly, left because the target is only one...
...And it would be funny to see some scenes that I planned.
Well, that's it. I'm going to sleep here, good night to those who stay, and good reading until next time!
PS: I was watching Monsters, Inc. with my little siblings, and the movie gave me some ideas...
PSS: Next chapter, the end of the Kimetsu arc, and a scene that I thought was really cool when I imagined it! The climax of the arc, so to speak.
PSSS: The chapter from the viewers' point of view should be next, finishing the arc, or one after that, an interlude then, which do you prefer?
PSSSS: Hope...
PSSSSS: The target is only one!
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