章節 8: Eating at the Mind
Shadows. Everywhere. No matter which way he looked, red eyes and silhouettes. The Netherrealm was so incredibly dark. One couldn't see more than five feet ahead of them.
"Hehehehe."
"Tehehehe!"
"Mnnn…he looks tasty."
Ominous chuckles resounded through the area. It was a mass collection of voices mingling together. The Nahobino clenched his fists to stop the shaking. He was terrified.
"Young man…steel yourself. The demons would've found us eventually. For your first fight, this will get ugly." Shin's new partner, Tsukuyomi, spoke in the boy's mind.
Footsteps. Slithering. Movement. All types of things could be heard in the darkness. The young man got in a sloppy battle stance. There was no sign of experience in his form.
"Ha….Ha…Ha…" Shin was beginning to hyperventilate. His heart threatened to burst from his chest.
"Young man, here they come. Ignite your sword."
"Sword? What sword? How?"
A demon hound stepped out of the shadows in full sprint. Its jaws opened wide for a bite. The Nahobino barely acted in time, raising his left arm to keep it away. Razor sharp teeth clamped down on Shin's arm, cracking bone and spraying blood.
"AAAAHHHHHH!" He screamed.
Their combined weight brought them to the floor. While trying to pry the hound's mouth open, it dragged his body across the white sand like a ragdoll.
"Your hand, young man! Your hand! The sword…use it now!" Tsukuyomi exclaimed with urgency in his tone.
"AAAHHHH! GET…OFF!"
Shin's hand finally ignited, a blade of searing light going straight through the demon hound's skull. Dead. He then scrambled to his feet, wary of the surroundings. That was only a single lesser demon…and there were countless eyes staring at him. Waiting.
A grotesque demon that resembled a zombie soon leapt out of the darkness. This time, he was ready. He swung his sword hand, the blade easily cleaving the demon in twain. It was an ugly stroke. One that lacked the qualities of a swordsman.
More and more demons tried to ambush him from the darkness. He killed them sloppily, gaining more wounds each time. His grunts were heavy…filled with a need for survival. Once more a demon was cut down.
While Shin was still recovering from his swing, a muscular humanoid elephant dashed out of the darkness. It had all been a distraction. A fist was already hurtling towards the young man's rib cage.
"Young Man! On your left! Dodge!" Tsukuyomi yelled in Shin's mind.
It was too late. By the time he turned his gaze, the fist was already sinking into his skin. The damage was brutal. His ribs cracked inwardly, piercing his organs. His spine snapped.
BOOM
Shin was launched across the sand. He skipped across the surface like a rock. His body was like a crash dummy, twisting and turning. It took a long time for him to stop moving. The young man's vision then started to blur. Regaining the air in his lungs was all he could do.
There was no such thing as rest. Shin was convulsing on the ground, trying to breathe and stand at the same time. He wanted to go home. Why did he have to end up here? Why him? With all these cruel demons…it was unfair.
At that moment, a spiked limb shot out of the darkness and pierced his left leg. Shin could only scream…but his voice was drowned out by the demonic chuckles. Before he could do anything about the appendage, it pulled back with force.
RIIIIP
Everything below his knee was ripped off, vanishing with the spiked limb back into the darkness. Blood drenched the white sand. Shin was bleeding out…only able to squeal like an animal. His voice box had shattered at some point.
"It looks like we die here, young man. While our time together was short, I don't regret striving for godhood with you." Tsukuyomi spoke calmly.
Then it came. That slithering sound. It could be heard again. The young man could only watch with dead eyes as a massive blue serpent slithered out of the darkness. Its body circled the half dead fledgling of a god.
"To think sssuch weak demonsss could do thisss to you. Are you a newborn? You mussst be. Hmmm...how old? A day? Two? Hehehe."
The serpent's head lowered into Shin's gaze. It had a human face, but the forked tongue gave away its true calling. The Nahobino seared the snake's appearance into his mind.
"............." Slowly falling unconscious, he listened to the gloating demon.
"How anticlimactic. I brought all of these lesser demonsss for nothing. It was only to tessst your ssskill. How weak could you possibly be?" It complained.
The serpent's tongue wrapped around Shin's damaged arm. Its jaw clamped down, tearing off the limb with a clean bite. More blood drenched the sand. More shrieks of pain.
"You taste exquisite…but the power I'm gaining from you isss too sssmall. Why mussst you be ssso weak?" It complained.
The Nahobino couldn't hold it any longer. Everything went dark. Unfortunately that wasn't the end. Right when his mind shut off, something pricked his skin. A flood of awareness surged through his nervous system. His eyes snapped open. Everything was clear again…and the serpent was smiling.
"Ssssorry, but I like to eat my prey while it'sss awake. I won't kill you yet…I know you'll tassste much better in the future. Sssstill, that doesn't mean I won't sssavor your taste."
The serpent hissed before tearing open Shin's stomach and digging in. Pain. Overwhelming pain. He was forced to stay awake the entire time. It was torture…being eaten alive. He could only watch as his intestines were pulled from his body. Multiple shadows laughed at the scene. Some were jealous. Others argued with each other.
"Hehehehe."
"What do you think he tastes like?"
"Look at his kidney! Damn that looks good."
"Hehehehehe."
"Hahahahaha."
"I want the leftovers."
"I want…."
"It looks…"
"Yummy…"
"Mmm. Viscera…"
…
…
PRESENT DAY
Shin's eyes snapped open and immediately turned yellow. The Nahobino form manifested instantly. His bed shattered as he burst into motion. There was a sonic boom as the young man burst through the walls of the house. He was outside in less than a second.
VRMMM
His photon blade ignited with a vengeance as he looked in all directions. He was ready to fight for his life. His breaths were heavy and deep, almost sounding like an animalistic growl.
A few seconds passed before he regained his bearings. That's right…he was no longer in the Netherrealm. Earth. He was back on Earth.
"Haaaaaa." A sigh escaped his lips.
'A dream. It's just a dream of the past.' He thought.
His saber deactivated and his form changed back to human. His eyes closed for a moment. When they opened again, he was back to normal. Calm. Controlled.
Shin finally looked at the destroyed walls of his house. Another sigh escaped his lips as he sat down in the field of flowers. That would have to be fixed. He'd also need to get another bed.
It was still early morning, the sun having yet to rise. The breeze caressed the young man's skin. Each nemophila flower swayed in a synchronized motion. Trees sang along to the melody of nature, soothing the Nahobino's worries.
Time went on smoothly. The majority of the day was spent repairing what had been broken. A furniture store wasn't too far away from his home. It was on the outskirts of the downtown area. As he put in the order for a new bed, he noticed a few men covered in tattoos walking around. They all wore black dress suits.
'The yakuza all the way out here? In Ibaraki? Which family are they from?' He thought.
Shin wasn't new to the workings of Japan. The yakuza and the government had an unspoken agreement. Don't be too much trouble, and there won't be too much heat. Unlike gangs from other places and cultures, Yakuza didn't antagonize most civilians living in their turf.
The young man finished the bed ordering process before approaching one of the members. A relatively heavyset man was smoking a cigarette. Shin stood beside him, a basket of fruit in his hand.
"You know, cigarettes are bad for you." He spoke casually.
"....................." The gangster looked at him without a reaction. Shin raised the basket of fruits.
"Want some? These are actually good for you."
"Whaddaya want." The yakuza member finally said. It wasn't really spoken as a question.
"................." Shin didn't respond, only dangling the basket. The gangster sighed before grabbing an apple.
"Happy?"
"Hmph. To answer your question, I was just curious. I thought the Yakuza would be in those really big cities. Not Ibaraki. What family are you from?"
"Eh? Why would I tell you that? You sound like a spy. What family sent you?!" The heavyset man questioned. He was calm but sounded prepared to fight.
"...Do you see any tattoos on me? I'm only curious. Tsukuyomi doesn't discriminate against those he protects. If he doesn't, why would I? Simple as that."
"The god of the moon? Are you talking about that rumor? That he's been watching over this city recently?"
"...Come on, don't get sidetracked." Shin commented. The gangster scratched his head.
"You're the one who brought it up, you bastard. Fine, this is our family."
The heavyset man rolled up his sleeve to reveal an emblem on his wrist. It was a strange design, one that was hard to describe accurately. Shin nodded in recognition at the symbol.
'The Inagawa-kai family. I see.' He thought.
"I heard that your family cares about its people. An honor bound group led by a man of strong morals." The young man commented. A smirk resounded next to him. The gangster finally bit into the apple.
"Hmph. There's your answer."
"Well, Mr…."
"Just call me Ken."
"Ken, may your family and business remain prosperous and peaceful for the times to come."
There was a small sliver of light that flowed through the area. It was very subtle, but Ken noticed it. As a member of the Yakuza he remained aware of his surroundings.
"What the hell?" He growled. Shin gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't question it. Just enjoy your blessing."
Ken frowned for a moment before coming to a shocking realization. He wasn't stupid, and the previous conversation made it even easier to connect the dots. The gangster bowed politely…as was custom in Japan.
"Thank you, great Kami."
"Anytime. Make sure you finish that apple. It's healthy for you and may have some long term benefits." Shin commented while leaving.
As the Nahobino made his way back home, he caught a silhouette from the corner of his eye. His blood froze for a moment. Like a rusty gear, his head slowly turned. There was nothing there when he actually looked…but he knew what he saw. It was the face of that damn serpent.
'Am I…hallucinating? No. I refuse to still be so weak.' He thought.
Shin wouldn't accept such a thing. The struggles he went through, the pain and strife, it wasn't so he could suffer after making it out. Life should only improve now. Not the other way around.
As he anchored himself mentally, the ground shook violently. Screams resounded from the other side of the city. Adults, teens, and kids alike stood in shock as something massive emerged from the ocean. The beach front had suddenly turned into mass panic.
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