บท 1: 0.01: The Dawn Of A New Beginning

"Two thousand years ago, war was inevitable. Fire, Ice, Earth, Wind, Lightning, and Energy. That was all people saw past them with just a small glare. Humans, Aliens, and the "Power-driven People" were up and about nonstop. You woke up and then died. That was the life of the past.

Years later, the elements split into different clans. Nakamorian(Fire), Native(Ice), Cassoule(Earth), Aoi(Wind), Motsubi(Lightning) and Yakuza(Energy). As each clan individually united, they built nations that grew as one. But, one warrior, responsible for the jointure of all species, was the Best 'Human' to live.

However, the aliens saw him as a threat and summoned war on all the clans. The humans both had malevolent associations for eighteen years but lost their city and the Best Human. The aliens dominated and ruled over the humans; nevertheless, the Power-driven were exiled to duel among these associations. Some lived, and some died. Some started to live among the humans. And these power-driven people were known as…. "RONINS!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

A sudden scream rose as if someone had been in a horrid nightmare. Tedashii Katsuno. The fifteen-year-old Ronin resided in a large dojo with his kinfolk. Offspring of The Blue Wind queen and his father, who trains him daily to become self-sufficient, disciplined, and influential in the future. Unlike any other human, he was exceptional as he was one of the first Nephilims. Today, he was to experience the summer break with his Best friend and sister. But this semester, a big surprise was in store for them.

Chapter 0.1: The Dawn Of A New Beginning

Morning crept its way into Tedashii's room. He was awakened by a nightmare he had since he turned thirteen. A vision of someone's youth but of a man he had never seen. He wiped the running sweat off his face, then sat upright on his bed. Observing his surroundings, he was glad everything was confirmed again. He did not want to go back. No one would.

He then proceeded with his daily activities. A normalized morning routine. Suddenly, he knew something was about to occur; he could sense it. So, before he opened the door, he stood aside. As the door was ajar, Konami came gliding to the ground.

THUD!!

"OUCH!"

He looked outside and then back at her.

"You're five minutes late today, Coco."

Konami Katsuno. Tedashii's little sister, who's assigned to wake him up every morning if he is still asleep. She deemed that her duty since he slept like a log.

"DON'T FIVE MINUTES LATE ME!! I don't even get paid for this."

In an attempt to help her, she swiftly stood up by herself.

"Yuri seeks for you downstairs. If you're finished with...whatever, then we'll see you there, yes?"

And off she went. Tedashii glared at his bed, took a deep breath, and shut the door. Yuri, Tedashii's younger sister, by a year. She was just as ambitious as him, but for her, at the age of 14, success meant exceeding him by any means. Alongside her was Sanji Misaki - Yuri's boyfriend and Tedashii's proclaimed rival.

"Took you long enough! What the hell were you even doing?!" She asked.

"Morning to you too, Yuri. Yes, I slept well...thanks for asking."

Sanji laughed at how consistently these fights occurred between Tedashii and Yuri.

"Hahaha, you seem tense today, Tedashii. Is this the fear you feel from her every day?" Sanji asked.

"It would take more than that, and she's younger than -"

WHACK!

Yuri forcefully hit Tedashii's head.

"Still tired, I see. Hope that woke you up."

Tedashii slowly looked back at her, and immediately she ran.

"Looks like someone needs to laugh a little more!"

"NO, STAY AWAY FROM ME!!"

Tedashii wanted to tickle her, and that was one thing she hated the most. She ran out of the house, and they both laughed while running. Sanji and Konami both stood by the door, wondering if they would get back.

...

They eased to rest by one of their favorite places of leisure. By a tree at the edge of the hill, they lived on. They plummeted down and lay on the grass, staring at the sky just before Sanji and Konami caught up.

"This is a life I never want to leave, don't you agree?" Tedashii asked.

"You're way too comfortable, Tedashii. Once I surpass you in training, you'll see who will leave the house first!"

They all burst out of laughter and lay down together.

"Did you guys hear about the Apprehension?" Sanji asked. He pointed at the sky. "It's a test where you focus all your spiritas on a dream. And if you summon a clan-colored sky, they will select you to join the other guilds to retain Legon City."

"What do you mean by a clan-colored sky?" Konami asked.

"It's quite self-explanatory. Let's say the Fire clan, Nakamura. If they have a ronin, the sky will glow orange. If you're part of the Ice clan, Native, you get a blue sky."

Yuri and Konami were shocked, but Tedashii barely paid attention to him. Then, a thought came to mind.

"Wait, Sanji. Then what clan are we part of?"

He did not know how to answer that.

"That's a good question. The problem is they only take clan-based ronins in Legon City. So, pretty much non-clan ronins, like us, only have a chance to get recruited in a guild better off if you get to work for Rebirth! That's my dream-."

POOF!

Out of nowhere, a pillow hit his side. When it fell off, another one was thrown to his face. The others laughed at his ambush, not so surprised by this visit.

"I brought pillows because someone is boring people to SLEEP!!"

It was Sasha OsBlancos, one of their close friends. She lived around Meadow Town, which was situated below the hill. Her mother is close friends with Sanji's mom, so she is considered family.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BORING PEOPLE TO SLEEP?! This is useful information. Don't you see that we might be selected?"

She bursted out laughing.

"HA! And what are the chances of you being selected? You don't have a natural prowess, and we live in the outskirts of the central region."

She then looked stoic.

"Don't keep your hopes up for nothing... we'll never get picked."

She laid down alongside them on one of the pillows.

"The last thing I'd want is to pick either side. My older sisters took different paths; who do I follow?"

A moment of silence was bestowed upon them.

"Then just do what you do best," Tedashii said.

"Huh?" Confusion was evident in their voices.

"Whether you are with a clan or not. Those aspects don't mean anything to me. I know what I want to do, and that's enough motivation to fight for it."

He stood up and looked beyond the edge. The sun shone high in the sky; he pointed toward its direction.

"Where I see the light, I just hold my hand out, hoping to reach it. I am going to get selected. I am going to create my guild. I am going to beat every single villain I come across. I will become one of the F5s, and then I'LL BE KNOWN AS THE LAST HERO!!"

He clenched his fist hard as he gave such a moving speech.

"So I say, we wait for the day! AND WE CAN ALL GO TO-"

This was also self-explanatory. Tedashii did what you should never do: talk with your eyes away from the crowd. They all left already. The only thing that watched him was a bird, who also seemed not to care.

While Konami and Sasha were watching TV, Sanji and Yuri were in the kitchen. Tedashii stormed back into the house.

"HEY! I WAS GIVING SUCH A NICE SPEECH; WHY DID YOU GUYS LEAVE?!"

"The bird took my seat...so I left," Sasha answered as the others laughed.

"Me and Yuri wanted to make something to eat, so we had to leave early."

Konami didn't even look up to Tedashii. She just kept gazing at what was on the news.

"Well, What's your excuse, Konami?" Tedashii asked.

"Uncle?"

"WHAT??!! AFTER ALL I SAID BACK THERE, ALL YOU CAN SAY ABOUT IT IS UNCLE??!!"

She then pointed towards the television, where they saw what caught her eye.

"Good morning to all the viewers of Central C news. My name is Cloe Sapphire, and a special guest joining me today is the captain and Vice of the Rebirth guild, Mr. Martin, and one the most well-known ronins, Gaiyato!"

Everyone ran to sit down to watch. Yuri and Sanji brought rice balls and tea to eat and drink.

Izanami and Giyora passed by to tell them they would fetch their grandfather at the station.

"Alright, BYE!!" They yelled in unison. But Izanami felt something suspicious going on.

"None of you guys want to tag along?"

"No, thank you!!"

"HA! CAUGHT YOU GUYS-"

She thought he had them by a string. But when she walked into the living room, they were eating and watching a bird documentary.

"…Is that a bird documentary?" She asked confusedly.

"Yep!"

"And you guys don't want to tag along …because of this?"

"Yep!"

She sighed and said goodbye. They wished them farewell and instantly turned toward the television.

"So, Mr Martin. Tell us, you guys are working on a new method to decide who goes to Legon?"

The man sitting beside his Vice then looked at Cloe. He wore black shades, a cold-blooded stare underneath, slicked-back brown hair, and a navy blue suit. Gaiyato was their uncle, the brother of Izanami. He also had a navy coat with a double color of pink-red and black hair dye. Unlike Martin, Gaiyato wore a full face mask, but all you could see was his left eye through his lens. The rest of his mask entirely covered his right eye.

"Yes. We have devised a better plan to recruit more ronins for this year's apprehension. Gaiyato, if you would."

Gaiyato then stood up and unhooked his coat.

"Greetings to all the viewers. My name is Gaiyato Aoi, the Vice-captain of Rebirth."

"WAIT! DID HE SAY AOI?! That's your uncle?!" Sasha and Sanji said so ecstatically.

"Yeah, he's actually on TV!!" They all said together.

"A long time ago, we thought bringing clan-based ronins would be the most profitable option. But after five years of no progress, we realized the main issue was…numbers. And that is such a liability for us on the battlefield. As per the rule by Sir Williams, we and the F5 guild are not allowed to help the new selections of ronins. We want to know they can fend for themselves if we aren't present."

He took a good look at the camera.

"And that's why tonight we will host a bound ritual for all the fighters! Human or Ronin, we all have spiritas within us. If you end or destroy the fictional world, you will get what I call A spot in the sky. Once the clouds cover both the sun and moon, you all will be able to make your mark. But remember, you're doing this at your own risk. You can be sent to the same space if you're bound together; if not a solo person, you will join others randomly."

They all got up and began to celebrate.

"YEAH! WE WILL BECOME GUILD MEMBERS!!" Yuri said.

"I told you, Sasha, never underestimate lady luck!" Sanji said.

Konami and Tedashii kept jumping around out of joy.

"Did you hear that, Coco? We are going to be guild members!"

"Do you think we will finally be able to become the last heroes?!"

They all looked at her.

"Wait, what do you mean, Konami? You can't even control your spiritas well yet." Yuri said.

"Well, regardless, I'm the only one who knows how to do the bound ritual. So, like it or not, I'm coming with." She said with both her hands on her hips. "Who knows, I might surpass you all and get my mark before all of you."

Tedashii just picked her up and smiled.

"If you ever want to do that, you must surpass Sanji, Yuri, Sash, and your older brother. If you have what it takes, I'm all well with it."

Yuri was shocked at his response.

"TEDASHII! She's just a kid. Don't you-"

"I'm also fine with it, too." Sanji interrupted her.

She looked back at him.

"Sanji?!"

"Like Tedashii said. If she has what it takes, we can't stop her. And besides, if she is the only one who knows how to get there, we can't go in without her help."

Sasha pulled Tedashii aside. In contrast, Yuri and Sanji kept arguing.

"Teddy, I'm also with Yuri on this. It's too dangerous to take her with us."

"What other choice do we have? If she does not come, we will never reach Legon City."

He stalked towards the window.

"Do you remember the promise I made?

"You said that we'll make it to Legon to save both of my sisters. But that does not-"

"Hey, Sash. We will achieve that dream, and if anything happens...leave that to me. But I promise you, and I'm going to use everything I have within me to keep everyone safe."

He hugged her, but then Sanji interrupted.

"That's going to be a problem, Tedashii." Sanji then got serious. "We heard everything you said, but one part doesn't sit right with me. I don't need your help to be safe. You should probably stand behind me for safety."

He smiled while he said that, and so did Tedashii.

"Ha! Well, that makes the two of us. I don't need your help to be safe, either. Once we're in, don't hold me back."

This was the beginning of their rivalry. Their ego drove both, so they challenged each other to go beyond their abilities during the ritual. Sasha sighed, and Yuri patted her back.

And so they all got prepared and dispatched back to their homes. They scheduled them to meet up again before midnight.

...

Yuri walked into Konami's room.

"Can we talk?"

"GO away."

Konami was not in the mood to talk. She overheard that nobody wanted her to join, which set malice between the two sisters.

"Konami... I'm doing this because I'm looking out for you-"

"NO! You don't have to sugar-coat your reasoning."

Konami stood up and walked towards Yuri. She smiled and then pointed at her nose.

"You're afraid I might surpass you as well. Isn't that right?"

Yuri was not triggered.

"You will NEVER surpass me, Konami."

"We'll never know for sure?"

She then shrugged her shoulder and kept walking to her bed. Yuri then got serious.

"You know what? I will prove it to you during the apprehension. Better be ready to catch dust, Coco!"

Konami didn't turn back; she didn't want Yuri to see that her plan worked against her. So when Yuri left her room, she hopped on her bed and clenched her fists out of joy.

"Just wait! I'm going to beat you all!"