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Tale of the Moonblade

This is a piece of work which I have sadly decided not to finish. Take of the Moonblade was meant to release in 7 different posts. I was going to draw the covers and I'd release them weekly, like a shonen manga. However, this project now belongs to a life I no longer live.


At the time, I was studying journalism and dating my (now ex) girlfriend. I also did not have many friends. Now, I am not studying journalism, not dating my ex, and I have many friends. This piece feels more like a remnant than anything, and I do not believe I am meant to finish it with its current state.


Still, even though it's unfinished, I was proud of what I wrote, so I wanted it to breath. Enjoy the unfinished Tale of the Moonblade. Thank you.



Mikazuki stood on the mountain's cliff, watching the great dog. He'd never seen such a huge inferno in his life. The flames rolled through the valley, torching trees and animals without prejudice, as the mad dog howled. For a lesser swordsmen, the howl of a Garmr would chill to the bones, but Mikazuki was not a lesser swordsmen.


Mikazuki was a tall man with a thin build. He bore a crescent moon tattoo which curved on his left eye. His hair was long and black, braided into a ponytail which stretched down his back. He wore a red headband around his forehead. He wore a dark purple trench coat with light purple buttons with no sleeves and no shirt. He wore cyan sweatpants with cuffs on the end and sandles. His sword was a glistening light blue with a black and gold handle. It was long, jagged and had no guard.


He backed up before running headfirst towards the cliff, jumping off at the highest peak, blue and silver sleeveless fur coat flapping in the wind. He lept down towards the Garmr, unsheathed his sword, and got into position. Garmrs never looked up, so as he fell, he steeled himself, took the proper pose, and cut, slicing the top of its head.


The Garmr squeeled as it turned it's back and went from the now smoldering landscape from which it came. Mikazuki sheathed his sword and exhaled. A large fox with a collar reading 'Lola' ran out from the remaining forest to greet him, squeeling in fear. Mikazuki held her and scratched his neck and rubbing his head. Lola scampered back into the woods.


He turned around and walked towards a large, stone door with a valve in the mountain. He turned the valve and push open the door, groaning as he did.


He walked into a small room with four incense shrines and a unique sword in front of each. Candles adorn the shrines with a photo of five teenagers in the centre of the room. Mikazuki took out a tuft of burning fur out from his pocket and lightly lit each candle. He sat down crossed legged in the middle of the shrines.


"I've finally found him," he says, looking at the photo.

"I leave in a day. He is strong, but I can intercept him and take it without a fight. I must leave you unprotected for a few days while I chase him down. If any of you object, make yourselves known, and I will remain."


No sign appeared.


"Then it is settled. Brothers, I swear, your souls will finally be able to rest."


Mikazuki sheds a tear before taking off his headband and placing it on the altar, giving blessings and extinguishing the candles. He picks up his headband, walks out, closes the door behind them, ventures into the forest.





A boy with short, black hair stood tall in a field of grass, brandishing a wooden sword on his hip. The grass itself was tall enough to crouch down in. The wind blew as he watched vigilantly for any movement. A ruffle sprouted a few meters away, and he sprinted towards it. Wack!


"Owwwww," said the grass. "You didn't have to hit so hard!"


Another boy stood up from the grass. The boy was tall and, notably, had a bump on his forehead. His name was Chikyu.


"Hihihi, I found ya!" laughed the boy with the sword. His name was Taiyo.


Three more boys came up from the grass.


"Well I guess you're it! I'm still undefeated," said a boy with long, black hair.


"No fair! You never get caught first! You should be it for once, Mikazuki!" screamed Chikyu.


Mikazuki shrugged.


"It's not my fault I'm so awesome," he mocked.


"Let's play something else," said one of the other boys who had blonde hair. His name was Kosumosu. "I'm bored of not moving. Let's play tag!"


"No!" yelled Mikazuki. "How else will we become swordsmen without training?"


"All we do is train!" complained another boy with freckles whos name was Hoshi. "I wanna play!"


"We don't have time to play!" exclaimed Mikazuki. "We have to become the strongest!"


"Children! Dinner time!" called out a voice from outside the valley.


"Great! You used all our playtime!" scolded the boy with freckles.


The boys looked at Mikazuki and shook their heads before running back home. The boy with black hair dropped the wooden sword. Mikazuki stood in the field for a second before picking up the sword and running after them.


The five boys sit around a dinner table with their mother Sora and father Jikans, eating dinner. The table had rice and steamed vegetables. The house was small, and food was scarce, but the seven of them made due.


"How was work dada?" asks Taiyo.


Mizu eats some of rice.


"It was productive," said Mizu. "We harvested many crops today. The village will have food for another few days."


"Hey dad, if you harvest so much food, why don't we have more?" asks Mikazuki.


Mizu and Sora look at each other, smiling.


"My sons," started Jikan. "Do you have that which you need?"


The five boys look at each other and slowly nod their heads yes.


"Do you all feel well fed and cared for?"


The boys nod.


"Do you have enough water to drink and beds to sleep in?"

The boys nod.


"Then I need not bring more food," reasons Jikan. "This is an important lesson, my sons. Never take more than you need, lest you take from others. Life will reward your virtues."


The boys looked around, unsure what to say.


"There!" exclaims Hoshi. "I ate everything! Can I go play now? Pleeeeeease!"


Sora chuckles.


"Yes Hoshi, go play."


"No fair!" complains Chikyu. "Why does he get to go play? I want to go play!"


"You have to eat your portions," explained Sora. "Hoshi ate his worth, so he earned his leave."


Chikyu just frowns and folds his arms over his chest.


The children all finish eating one by one. Mikazuki is the last one to finish. He gets up to leave, but Jikan stops him.


"My son, I'd like to speak with you. Would you stay a moment?" asks Jikan.


Mikazuki is puzzled.


"Yeah dad," hesitates Mikazuki. "What is it?"


Jikan hesitates.


"Do you know what your name means, my son?" says Jikan.


"It means moon, right?" asks Mikazuki.


"That's the definition," answers Jikan. "It isn't the meaning.


Mikazuki looks at his father with a slight head tilt and puzzled look.


"Taiyo was the first, so he was the light of the sun. Kosumosu was the second, so he was the chance of the cosmos. You were the middle, so you became the half moon and symbol of the middle point. The light in the midst of the dark. Hoshi was the fourth, and born under a star, so he became the star, and Chikyu was the last, so he was grounded in the earth. You are the story of creation, my son. You five are the will of everything," explains Jikan.


Mikazuki looks even more puzzled than before. Jikan just smiles.


"You will understand one day," explains Jikan. "Keep your brothers close, my son. You will need their spirits one day."


"Okay dad!" says Mikazuki.


He promptly runs off to join his brothers playing. Jikan just sits at the dinner table, resting his elbows on the counter and placing his head ontop his knuckles. He pulls out a watch from his pocket and looks out the window. The watch has a coloured red mark next to the 3 and a coloured blue mark in between 9 and 10. He gets up from the table and looks out the window and sees the valley and the mountains that protect it.


"It will be as it was willed," says Jikan, putting his pocket watch back into his pocket and walking from the window. The sun sets and the night comes about, where a crescent moon shines down on the valley.


Sora puts the five boys in their shared room, with the window pan shining down from the ceiling. Mikazuki stares up at it as Sora tucks his brothers in and kisses them goodnight.


"Can't sleep?" asks Sora.


"No," says Mikazuki. "The moons too bright! Can you tell it to stop?"


Sora giggles.


"Haha, no Mikazuki," says Sora. "But who knows? You live in a world of magic! Maybe one day, you could!"


Mikazuki's eyes light up.


"Really?" says Mikazuki with excitement.


"Oh yes!" says Sora with a smile. "Before that, though, you need to grow big and strong! Only boys who sleep good gain powers! You better get some sleep now if you'll move moons tomorrow!"


"Okay mama," says Mikazuki, laying down. "Goodnight!"


"Goodnight, dear," says Sora with a regretful smile. "I love you." "I love you, too!"






Mikazuki rode down the last of the five mountains which used to circle the valley, carrying nothing but a drawstring bag carrying a map, food, and water bottles as well as his sword Huygens, plus a pencil. Lola ran down the mountain beside him. When he had made his way, he'd find himself in The City, where vengeance would be his.


He packed a day's worth of food for himself and Lola and planned to live off the land. Along the way, there were supposed fountains and trading outposts. This was all based on the map, however, which was drawn up twenty years ago. Mikazuki didn't have lots to go off, but it was all he had.


Mikazuki mounted Lola, and the two were off. The first fountain was only half an hour away, so they'd be able to make it. The ground was dead and difficult to move in, but the weather was not overly hot, so Mikazuki was confident him and Lola would make it.


The pair were ten minutes into their journey when Mikazuki's gut shot up at him. A sudden burst of adrenaline forced his body down as he pulled Lola to an abrupt stop.


"Wroof!" screamed Lola.


"Hold on a moment," said Mikazuki. He got down from Lola and looked around the area. Another burst of adrenaline. Mikazuki swung his body 180 degrees and went face to face with an arrow. Reacting as quickly as he could, he threw himself down, the arrow knicking his right cheek and drawing blood. Lola whimpered in fear.


"Behind me!" yelled Mikazuki.


Lola scampered behind him as Mikazuki drew Huygens with his right hand, petting Lola's neck with his left. He looked across the prairie, swaying his eyes from left to right, before seeing another arrow on its way to meet his nose. Mikazuki held Huygens in front of him, blade facing forward. The arrow was cut in half, both halves soaring for a while one each sides of his face before falling. Still, Mikazuki saw nothing.


"Show yourself!" called out Mikazuki to the empty fields.


Mikazuki heard the whirling of another arrow now. He saw it approach, but he was not the target. It whisked past his right cheek. In an instant, he dropped Huygens and caught it, the head of the arrow tapping Lola's nose. Mikazuki was furious, but anger was not conductive to victory.


He picked Huygens up from the dirt it'd fallen into. Another arrow. He swatted it away with a simple swing, the arrow turning a little before landing in the dirt.


Every arrow had come from similar trajectories. Mikazuki reasoned that, given his reactions, they'd been fired from twenty meters away.


"Protect me for a moment, Lola," said Mikazuki. Lola snarled and nodded yes.


Mikazuki backed up a few steps, turned around, and held Huygens with both hands, aiming it into the dirt. Two more arrows whirrled towards him, but Lola caught them both mid air in her mouth. Mikazuki raised his sword above his head, and swung down.


"Hai!"


He hit the dirt with a mighty strike, blowing up the ground beneath him and Huygens with a silver explosion. He flew into the air in the arc of a crescent moon, flipping once before landing with a thud 20 meters away. He knocked dirt into the air and shook the ground. Dirt seemed to float in the air as Mikazuki finally got a clear image of where his enemy stood. Now covered by dirt, the enemy loaded another arrow. Mikazuki looked at him with a red anger. The enemy shot three consecutive arrows at him, walking backwards with a panic. Mikazuki swung Huygens and cut through each one by one. The enemy stumbled and fell into the dirt, trying to load one final arrow. Mikazuki was close enough now to see the bow, and cut it before grabbing onto the enemies' dirt-littered arm.


"Ah!" screamed the enemy.


Mikazuki hoisted him into the air.


"Remove your spell!" commanded Mikazuki. "I would see the man who threatened my best friend!"


"Okay! Okay!" squealed the enemy. The enemy became visible. He was a larger, bald white man who wore goggles and a grey tracksuit. Mikazuki dropped him and held Huygens to his neck.


"Wait wait wait!" squealed the enemy. "I'm just a humble thief! Please don't kill me! I have a family to feed!"


"You should have thought of that before raising arms at my friend!" screams Mikazuki. "It is one thing to challenge a warrior, it is another to use cowardice to win!"


Mikazuki nudges his blade further into the thief's neck.


"Please! I have a family!" squealed the thief. He reaches into his right pocket and pulls out a photo of him, an older woman and a young boy.


"I have to provide for them! I'm all they have!"


Mikazuki hesitates, then lowers his blade. The thief exhales. He turns back towards Lola. The thief reaches into his left pocket, and pulls out a popper. Mikazuki turns back towards him, dodges to the right, and in one motion, cuts the thief's left arm off. The popper fires a poisonous cloud, which Mikazuki skirts away from.


"AAAAAHHHHHH!!" yells the thief, blood leaking from the wound as his severed arm lay in the dirt.


"Consider this a warning," says Mikazuki sternly. "This is not a coward's world. You'd do well to find other ways to provide for your family."


Mikazuki turns and walks back towards Lola, brushing his cheek of any blood. The thief screams and holds what is left of his arm. Mikazuki mounts back on to Lola, and they depart.






The five boys, now teenagers, stood in a line, facing Jikan. Jikan stood at the bottom of a half sphere sloping downwards while the five boys stood at the top. Each held their swords and pointed them towards Jikan, who simply stood still.


"Hai!" screamed Jikan. "Hai!" screamed the boys back. The five of them charged at once, heading straight to the centre. Taiyo's blade burnt like the sun. Kosumosu threw his sword at Jikan as it flew freely through the space. Mikazuki's sword became hard like moon rock. Hoshi's sword became bright as he aimed the beam at Jikan. Chikyu's blade sprouted vines, aiming and latching towards Jikan.


Jikan, with everything coming towards him, simply jumped a few feet to the right and watched the five boys stumble into one another, lose their balance, and fall over.


"Nice!" mocked Jikan. "You're all showing real improvement!"


"Why are we doing this, dad!" moaned Chikyu. "No one else sees the future but you! We can win with raw strength against anyone else!"


"You really think so?" questioned Jikan. "What happens when you fight each other? Does the stronger one always win?"


The five boys all looked at each other, tossing their heads and shrugging their shoulders.


"Who wins the most often?" asked Jikan.


The boys looked around and all, eventually, pointed to Mikazuki.


"Why does Mikazuki win?" asked Jikan. "His name, and hence power, means crescent moon. Should not the sun, the earth, the stars, or even the cosmos be stronger than him? He is just a moon, so why does he win?"


Four of the boys shrugged, except for Mikazuki, who already knew.


"It's true that names are a powerful thing in this world," started Jikan. "A birth name gives you powerful tools to work with, such as mine! Jikan, meaning time. I see time, and I see all that could happen." Jikan paused.

"But I am powerless if I do not apply my strength," finished Jikan. "Tell me boys, how does Mikazuki use his powers when you fight?"


"His blade becomes hard as moonrock but light as zero gravity," starts Taiyo. "He effortlessly blocks all our attacks."


"Exactly," responds Jikan. "Mikazuki finds creative uses, and practices them. This is the path to strength. Class is dismissed. Think of new uses outside of combat, and next time, we will see what you've thought of."


Jikan turns and walks away, leaving the boys to train.


"Well that was fun," pesters Hoshi. "Who wants to go get food now?"


"No way!" refutes Chikyu. "I want to try this! Imagine what my name could let me do!"


"Haha, since when do you ever turn down food?" mocks Hoshi.


"What do you mean by that, punk?" demands Chikyu. Chikyu marches up to a smirking Hoshi.


"Oooookay," intervenes Kosumosu. "Let's chill. The two of us will get food. Taiyo, do you want to stay and train with Chikyu?" Kosumosu looked at Taiyo with a pleading look. Taiyo sighed.


"Yeah, I'll stick around." said Taiyo. "Hit me runt!" Chikyu swung vines at Taiyo, who simply burnt them up in response. Hoshi and Kosumosu started on their way out. No one had noticed Mikazuki leave.


Mikazuki chased after his father, and found him sitting alone on a rock, overseeing a river. Mikazuki slowly walked towards him.


"Yes, my son?" asked Jikan, still facing the river.


Mikazuki abandoned the pretense and walked up, sitting on the grass beside his dad.


"Streams beautiful, isn't it son?" asked Jikan.


"Yeah," said Mikazuki. "I love this spot, dad."


"I do too." replied Jikan. "Tell me, son, do you ever plan on leaving here?"


"Leaving?" asked a perplexed Mikazuki. "No, I wanna stay here, with our family!" Jikan smiled.


"Even so," started Jikan, "there will come a time when you have to leave. Come son, let me show you the world around us."


Jikan got up and started in the direction of the house. Mikazuki stood and followed him.


A short time later, Mikazuki and Jikan sat at the the dinner table. Jikan unrolled a hand-drawn map. In the center was the valley, with five mountains drawn around a river and forest.


"We live in a world of magic, my son," explained Jikan. "We live in a world where names are given to us by powers we do not understand, where magical beasts roam the world in search of prey, and where the abnormal should be expected. Our valley is peaceful, but in that world, my son, you will meet many challenges that would seek to hurt you."


"But I don't want to leave, dad," explained Mikazuki. "I want to stay here."


Jikan ignored him.


"Much of the outside world close to here is peaceful." Jikan pulled out a blue pen and drew a large circle around 2/3rds of the map.


"This is peaceful land," explained Jikan. "Most forces here wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone one bearing the crescent moon."


Jikan pulled out a red pen and drew on the remaining land.

"This, however, is hostile," explained Jikan. "Many lands here are filled with raging infernos, slave traders, and whole worlds that would eat you alive. My son, if you enter them, be forewarned."


"What about past the map, dad?" asked Mikazuki.


"That, I do not know," admitted Jikan. "I've never ventured past those lands. Never had any reason to. But if you arrive there, my son, be prudent."




The Burning Bush


Mikazuki pulled out the map. He pulled out a wooden pencil and drew a line inside the red, ranging across four locations and one final spot off-map. He marked an X on the one closest to the valley which depicted a burning bush. Mikazuki rolled the map back up and looked around. It certainly was burning, but he saw no bush.


The terrain was completely flat. Some metal structures stood, but almost all were charred and ruined. The ground was burning. Twigs and coal were scattered across. It was either on fire or close to it. The fire never seemed to burn anything, but it burnt all the same. This went on as far as Mikazuki's eyes could see.


Mikazuki summoned soft moonrocks for Lola to walk on, saving her from the heat. He walked in a straight line, looking straight forward. Lola and him had stopped at a river and stocked up on water before leaving. They were hesitant to drink it all, but Mikazuki knew Lola needed some.


Mikazuki made himself a small platform to stand on. He got off Lola and took out a water bottle from his bag. Lola opened her mouth and drank freely from it.


"There you go," said Mikazuki with a smile. "Feeling any better?"


"Rurh roo!" exclaimed Lola.


"Good girl!" said Mikazuki, rubbing her lower neck with his left hand and petting behind her right ear with his right hand.


Mikazuki then tried to remount onto Lola, but as he was halfway, the rocks underneath suddenly collapsed.


"Lola!" screamed Mikazuki.

He quickly caught her in his arms, droping Huygens in the fire, with Mikazuki himself landing on charred ground. He started to burn.


"Aaaaaah!" he cried. He quickly made a platform of moonrock for Lola to stand on far out of the way.


Mikazuki trudged through the fire to grab Huygens a few feet away, his clothes on fire.


As he reached down to grab the sword, he heard howls. He recognized them quite well. As he pulled up Huygens from the ground, he saw three Garmrs standing in his path, the largest of which had a scar on top its head.


"Great," mumbled Mikazuki to himself.


Mikazuki summoned moonrocks underneath himself, dusting the fire off his clothes. The scarred Garmr leaned its head and neck back before letting out a huge inferno towards Mikazuki. Mikazuki in-turn shot several rocks to block the fire's path, which simply burn up on impact.


Mikazuki watched the rocks turn to ash, and in one moment, the only moment he had before oblivion, he jumped out of the way and landed on the charred ground once again. He quickly makes another platform and brushes himself off again.


One of the smaller Garmr leans its head back and breaths fire towards him, while the other one leans its head back and charges in anticipation. Mikazuki makes another, much smaller rock platform, which he jumps to quickly. The other Garmr breaths towards him, where he again quickly makes a platform and jumps to it, but he misses the landing and smashes onto the rock.


Feebly getting up, Mikazuki watches as the scarred Garmr leans its head back. Mikazuki notices it is slower, so he takes the chance and aims his sword high in the sky.


"Hai!"


Mikazuki launches his sword into the ground. The momentum against the moonrocks sends him flying at the arc of a crescent moon. He turns his body forward and aims down towards the largest Garmr, who is still aiming where Mikazuki was. He sees it as a clear shot and begins his swing, when he notices one of the smaller Garmr's right claw swinging towards him.


Mikazuki quickly diverts his swing to the Garmr's claw and slices it clean off, its claw dissolving into flames before ultimately dissapearing before impact.


The Garmr squeels out and retreats, and Mikazuki lands on the scourched ground again, watching the scarred Garmr breath fire directly above him, his feet once again burning up.


The second smaller Garmr stares at him with a fury in its eyes. It swings down with its right claw towards Mikazuki, reaching through the flames of the scarred Garmr. Mikazuki, without time to properly stance himself, deflects the blow and feels the ripple impact. The Garmr swings again with its left, and Mikazuki blocks again, feeling the impact trickle through his body.


The Garmr pushes forward towards him, swinging right left right left right left. Mikazuki walks backward, stepping off the rocks and into the burning grounds, blocking them all as quickly as he can. He feels each blow, and barely mitigates the flames.


Mikazuki notices the scarred Garmr start to charge again. It distracts him from the smaller Garmr as it finally lands a hit with its left claw.


"AAAHHHH!" screams out Mikazuki. His shirt is partially burnt, and flames linger on the exposed chest.


Mikazuki holds it for a moment before stancing up on the next. The smaller Garmr swings once more. Mikazuki counter attacks, and slices upwards with a jump through the Garmr's elbow. The monster squeels as he lands on its head, which was surprisingly cool.


The scarred Garmr finally lets out its fire breath where Mikazuki stood before. It tries moving its head towards Mikazuki, now on top of the smaller Garmr, but is too slow.


"Checkmate," says Mikazuki.


He leaps off the smaller Garmr, raises Huygens above his head, and swings down. He cuts the scarred Garmr's head clean off. "Aaaaarf..." squeels the Garmr as its head is seperated from its neck and falls to the scourched earth. The remaining, smaller Garmrs run away, squeeling in pain. The scarred Garmr's body vanishes along with its head. Mikazuki lands in the dirt body first, burning from the flames. He coughs up blood as he lays in the charred soil, his vision blurring


"Don't tell me you're finished already!" exclaims a voice.


The flames around Mikazuki vanish from the ground. Mikazuki looks around, and slowly raises himself, tapping out the remaining flame on his shirt.


Mikazuki's vision comes back slowly. Through the haze, he sees a small, but bright yellow hugh. His vision sharpens. Before him stands a humanoid body with a ring of fire for a head, embers coming off the top. It's wearing charred knight's armor with a copper heu and purple gauntlets. It is pacing back and forth .


"Can't tell me you're beat already, moon man!" mocks the monster. "You know how long I've waited for this fight?"


Mikazuki cranks his neck and picks Huygens back up.


"Sorry," questions Mikazuki. "Do we know each other?"


"Hah! Guess we've never been introduced!" laughs the monster. "Shōdo! At your service!"


Shōdo curtesys.


Mikazuki tilts his head, looking at Shōdo with confusion. Shōdo stops pacing.


"What? What's with the look?" questions Shōdo. "Surely you've heard of me!"


Mikazuki inhales to speak, but closes his mouth before he does.


"The scorch of the earth?" continues Shōdo. "The all-consuming frenzy? Raging wildfire? Birther of the first fire? Surely your dad had to have told you about me."


Mikauzki shrugs his head and shakes his head no.


"Oh come on!" screams Shōdo. "He was practically my arch nemesis! There's no way he never told you about me!"


"I don't know what to tell you," replies Mikazuki. "Maybe you just slipped his mind?"


"Slipped his mind? SLIPPED HIS MIND!?" Shōdo is now screaming. "I attacked your bastard dad's home how many times and I slipped his mind?"


Shōdo has started pacing with anger. Mikazuki watches on in confusion.


"I set up this whole moment," whispers Shōdo, quiet enough to be a whisper but loud enough that Mikazuki can hear him. "I was going to have a whole reveal but noooooo Jikan just had to be lame! God! What a guy!"


Mikazuki just watches.


"Congrats buddy, you probably saw this," screams Shōdo. "Ha ha! Good for you! Hope you're satisfied."


"Listen," starts Mikazuki. "If it's all the same to you, I'm on a bit of a time stretch here, so I should probably get going..."


"Silence!" screams Shōdo as the surrounding ground burns brighter. "Your pops might never have told you about me, but I'm about to burn it into your memory, brat!"


Spirals of fire appear in Shōdo's hands. He fires them at Mikazuki's head. Mikazuki ducks to the right, narrowly avoiding the flames.


"I've waited a long time for you, moon blade!" says Shōdo with excitement. "I've wanted the valley since before you were born!"


Shōdo swings his arms above his ever-burning head, causing the burning ground around Mikazuki to turn into full on blazes reaching to the sky. It gets hot. Mikazuki looks back for Lola, but can't see her. He summons a moon rock and throws it into the pillar, but it breaks up upon contact. He is completely trapped, with only a few feet to stand on.


"But someone, always someone kept me from my prize!" yells Shōdo, walking through the flames towards Mikazuki. "Whether it was Jikan the all-seeing or Mikazuki the crescent moon blade after him!"


Mikazuki turns his body to look around, only seeing the fire. As he moves, he feels his drawstring bag on his back and remembers the water bottles.


"But now," continues Shōdo. "Now, the protector has come to me! You're on my turf rocket man! And there is no escaping hell!"


Shōdo enters the small circle he left for Mikazuki to stand inside. Mikazuki crouches low, sucumbing to the heat.


"Once I'm done with you, it's all mine!" gloats Shōdo. "Do you know how long it has been since I've eaten real trees? Real rocks? Real animals?"


Shōdo grabs the burning up Mikazuki with his right hand, Mikazuki dropping Huygens in the process.


"Decades. It has been decades without a proper meal! Do you know what that's like!" whispers Shōdo with a grin. "My hunger will finally, finally be sated. What do you have to say about that?"


"I say no!" screams Mikazuki. He grabs a water bottle from his bag and splashes it onto Shōdo's face. The water and bottle both evaporate on contact.


"Is that it ?" mocks a very unamused Shōdo.


"No, this is!" screams Mikazuki.


Mikazuki jabs Shōdo's elbow with his right hand, forcing Shōdo to lose his grip. Shōdo looks down at Mikazuki, then hears rushing water. He looks up and sees a lake's worth of water coming towards him.


"Wait just one seco-"


The water smashes into Shōdo. The rush carries him for a few, whirlwind seconds before the water falls into the dirt. Mikazuki gets up, picks up Huygens, and walks towards Shōdo. The ground is free of flames after the water drenched it out. Shōdo's head is no longer fire, just a regular human's. His armor is stiff.


Mikazuki walks right up to Shōdo. He holds Huygens at his neck.


"Not so hot now, are you?"


"How... how did you do it?" asks a baffled Shōdo. "There's no water anywhere in my kingdom. How did you do it!"


"You said it yourself. I am the moon," responds Mikazuki. "Wherever the moon goes, so do the tides. There's a watering hole not too far from here. All I had to do was ask it to come visit."


Shōdo smiles.


"Clever guy," remarks Shōdo. "Your father must've been very pleased when he saw this one."


Lola comes running from behind. Mikazuki turns to see her. Shōdo takes the second he gets and pushes Huygens away from his neck, standing up. Mikazuki turns back to stare at the standing Shōdo.


"Would you consider yourself a true swordsmen, Mikazuki?"


"It is my life."


Shōdo pulls a sword from his armor, still stiff from the water. He starts pulling off his gauntlets.


"Then can you deny a fellow swordsmen a duel to the death?" asks Shōdo, taking off his boots.


"A swordsmen?" questions an insulted Mikazuki. "No real swordsmen would rely soley on their name!"


Shōdo pulls off his chestplate.


"Oh no, you misunderstand," starts Shōdo. "My name relied on me. The scourched earth demanded food. I was always hungry. I've been hungry for longer than I can remember!"


Shōdo throws his chestplate aside, and the embers covering the ground dissipate.


"I'm not hungry anymore," explains Shōdo. "For the first time in a hundred years, I can see clearly!"


Shōdo raises his arms to the sky in excitement before looking back at Mikazuki. His body is covered in burn scars, with a giant one in the shape of a bush wrapping around his torso.


"There's still a job to do," comments Shōdo, aiming his sword at Mikazuki. "I've waited for this fight for decades, boy. My fire may be gone, but my hatred is not! You won't deny me. This is all I have left."


"Very well."


Mikazuki holds his sword by his hip and aims it up. Shōdo aims his sword down towards the ground.


"Let's dance!" screams Shōdo.


Shōdo charges towards Mikazuki, dragging his blade through the dirt before swinging upwards towards Mikazuki. Mikazuki blocks low to the right and holds Huygens against Shōdo's sword. Mikazuki pushes his body weight against Shōdo's sword.


He gets close to Shōdo and aims for the neck, but Shōdo deflects Mikazuki's push.


Mikazuki's momentum sends him forward. He loses balance in the process. Shōdo tries to capitalize with a high swing, but Mikazuki blocks high. The swords connect. Both men draw their weapons back before clashing again on Mikazuki's left, then right, then low right, then high left. Their blades clash as they stand in place.


Shōdo predicts Mikazuki swinging to his right and aims for his arm. Mikazuki reacts, drops Huygens, and dodges to his left, letting Shōdo's blade pass between the gap in his arms, ending up on Shōdo's left.


Lola runs towards Mikazuki, but Mikazuki sticks his hand out and shakes his head before getting back up.


Mikazuki gets a fair distance away from Shōdo, who stands between him and Huygens.


"What good a swordsmen are you without your blade?" mocks Shōdo.


Shōdo does a middle swing aimed at Mikazuki's chest. Mikazuki jumps backwards. Shōdo closes the distance and swings at Mikazuki's head. Mikazuki ducks his head backwards and arcs his body. Shōdo transitions to a diagonal swing aimed at his chest. Mikazuki dodges towards the ground, narrowly avoiding the blade as it comes towards him, crouching in the process. Shōdo does a swing downwards, but Mikazuki gets closer to him and grabs the hilt of Shōdo's blade.


Mikazuki and Shōdo wrestle and turn for control of the hilt. Mikazuki body checks himself into Shōdo's chest, sending the blade flying. Both men stand up. Mikazuki walks past Shōdo. Shōdo just watches him.


"Clever boy," remarks Shōdo.


Both men walk towards their blades and pick them up. Shōdo spins his sword in his hand a little before aiming his sword into the ground again. Mikazuki stances up, this time holding his sword aiming behind him at his right hip.


Shōdo charges Mikazuki once more, and tries to swing up, but Mikazuki raises his left foot, steps on Shōdo's sword before it leaves the ground, and pushes off with his right foot. Mikazuki gets into position. He slashes, aiming at Shōdo's head. Shōdo smiles as his neck is cut in two.


Mikazuki touches the ground as Shōdo's lifeless, scarred body limply falls down, his head rolling away.


"A true swordsmen never strikes the same way twice," says Mikazuki, sheathing his sword.






In a far away village many years ago, two children were born to Yasumu and Songen, as well as Bōshi and Beruto. The whole village gathered at Shukufuku, the alter where children were given their names by the great beyond. Childbirth in this village was no small matter. Names would be given, futures determined. The village elder held the first baby in his arms and held it up to the alter.


"Great beyond," prayed the elder. "We call upon you, deliver this child his holy name!"


A blue mist descended on the alter with the child and elder inside. The crowd watched as the blue mist move, trying to peer inside. After a few moments, the elder exited with the baby in his arms, a huge smile on his face.


"His name is Jikan!" proclaimed the elder. "Jikan, the all seeing!" Yasumu and Songen sighed a breath of relief. A child who was time, that would surely be a great asset to the village.


Bōshi and Beruto gave their child to the elder. They hoped for something helpful, the same as their friends had received. They thought about their usefulness in the village, and hoped their child would bring an age of prosperity to both their class, and to their lives.


Beruto handed her child to the elder. The elder once again entered into the alter.


"Great beyond," prayed the elder. "We call upon you, deliver this child his holy name!"


Blue mist descended on the alter, with the child and elder inside. The crowd watched, and waited, this time for longer. It was unusual of the elder to take so long inside the mist. They wondered about their safety, while Bōshi and Beruto became more and more concerned. Finally, the elder exited with the child, a look of fear in his eyes.


"What is it, oh elder?" asked Bōshi.


"Disperse!" commanded the elder to the crowd.


The crowd was baffled, but went their own seperate ways. The elder handed back Bōshi and Beruto their child.


"What happened?" asked a scared Beruto. "Will my child be okay?"


"The child will prevail," explained the elder. "It is all of us who will not. You must not tell the child his name, for when he says it and gains his powers, the earth will burn."


"What name could possibly burn the earth just by an awakening?" spoke a bewildered Bōshi.


"Shōdo," answered the elder. "The boy's name is Shōdo, scourched earth. This is a power I'd prayed never made manifest, for it is that of a parasite. The flames will consume everything, and its host will know nothing but hunger."


Bōshi and Beruto listened in horror.


"Do not allow the boy to learn his own name," commanded the elder. "For his own, and for all of our sake's."



Jikan and Shōdo played in Jikan's backyard, now both nine years old. Jikan by now had spoken his name, and could see the futures before they happened. Shōdo still hadn't heard his. Jikan called him Greg. Shōdo didn't like being called Greg.


Shōdo was swinging a wooden sword around, while Jikan watched.


"This is so unfair!" yelled Shōdo. "Why do you get to have a cool name and I don't!"


"You have a cool name!" exclaimed Jikan. "Greg is awesome!"


"I hate Greg!" replied Shōdo, swinging his sword around even harder.


"Well too bad!" replied Jikan. "You're Greg! Greg Greg Greg Greg Greg!"


Shōdo got angry, and ran at Jikan. He swung his sword at Jikan, but Jikan just dodged low. Jikan stood up as Shōdo angrily swung again. Jikan caught his sword and threw it away, booping Shōdo on the nose.


"Boop!" said Jikan. "You're Greg."


"Ugh!" screamed Shōdo. "This is so unfair! Why don't I get a name!"


Shōdo kicked a rock and sat in the grass. Jikan walked over and sat next to him. Shōdo started to cry.


"Can you see why?" asked Shōdo, tears in his eyes. "Can you see why I don't get one?"


Jikan looked solemly at his friend.


"Yes," reply Jikan. "You don't want it man. Names suck." "Easy for you to say when you have one," replied Shōdo.

Shōdo stood up and grabbed his sword.


"Hey," answered Jikan. "At least you'll be the best defender in the village, right?" "Yeah," responded Shōdo. "A true swordsmen never relies on his name. I just wish I had something!"


Jikan sighed, and closed his eyes.


"Yknow," started Jikan. "There is... something... you could do...."


Shōdo looked over, smiling ear to ear.



That night, Jikan and Shōdo made their way to the elder's home while the village slept.


"I'll keep watch," said Jikan. "You go inside!"


Shōdo sneaked into the elder's house through a window. He crept past the elder's bedroom into his study. Jikan, instead of watching, ran to the village gates. He snuck past the guards and wandered away.


Shōdo looked around in the elder's study, until he found what he was looking for. Laying closed on top of a table, it was a big book of names, identifying the powers of every name that could be uttered. There were millions of pages, each one dedicated to a single name.


Shōdo took it off the table and crept out of a window in the elder's study, book in his left hand. He eagerly ran to the other side of the house.


"Jikan!" exclaimed Shōdo. "I did it! I found the boo-" Jikan was nowhere to be found. Shōdo shrugged it off and ran away from the elder's home. He ran to an abandoned building, where he read the pages of the book in the moonlight.


"When I find this," whispered Shōdo to himself, "I'm gonna be the best swordsmen I can be! Dad will be so proud!"


Shōdo eagerly flipped through the pages, reading different name aloud, hoping he'd find the one which awakened him.


"Shatsu, Shin, Shine," read Shōdo. "Oh what's this one?"


Shōdo flipped to the page with his name on it. The page spoke about how the owner gained fire powers. Underneath the descirption, 'CURSED' was written in big red text.


"This sounds so cool!" proclaimed Shōdo. "Okay, Shōdo!"


Shōdo's whole body began to ignite. His clothes melted off, as did his flesh. He became a living flame, then the flame expanded. The abandoned building caught fire, then the fire grew and consumed it. Shōdo curled up in pain.


"AAAAAAAAAAHHH," he screamed. "I'm so hungry..."


The abandoned building burnt down, with the fire dissipating.


"I'm so hungry..."



Shōdo spent the night burning down the entire village. No one had the power to stop him. He evaporated the water first, then the animals, then the buildings, and finally, the people. The first person Shōdo went for was the elder.


The elder, now awoken by the burning of his village, rose to the occasion. He watched as Shōdo walked up, the blazing inferno following him.


"Boy," started the elder. "What have you done!"


"I didn't want this!" screamed Shōdo. "I'm so hungry, please, help me! I don't know what to do!" "Help you?" replied a bewildered elder. "Boy, this day you will die! The curse will be lifted from this land! So says Jūryoku, lord of gravity!"


Shōdo looks on in sadness.


"But, you're the elder," said Shōdo. "You're supposed to help me..."


"There is no helping you now child!" replied Jūryoku. "You are a curse of the great beyond! You must be purged!"


Jūryoku raised his hands with open palms and slammed them down into the ground, causing a wave of pressure to smash down into Shōdo. The flames surrounding Shōdo were extinguished, but Shōdo himself stood unaffected, angry and betrayed.


"If you won't help me," started Shōdo. "Then you will feed me."


Shōdo raised his right hand and shot fire at Jūryoku. Jūryoku watched on in horror as the flames came closer. He tried to move, but in his old age, he wasn't fast enough. The flames connected to his head, burning him away to the bone before melting his body alive. Shōdo felt his hunger sated for just a moment, before it returned.


"No," spoke a horrified Shōdo. "I can't do this. I can't burn people alive! This is wrong!"


Shōdo heard the villagers approaching behind him. He turned around and saw an angry mob.


"No!" exclaimed Shōdo. "Stay away from me! Don't come near!"


The angry crowd threw things at him, from pitch forks to tomatos to whatever scarce water they had left. Shōdo peered into the crowd and saw Bōshi and Beruto watching on in horror.


"Mom, dad, help me!" screamed Shōdo through the peltings. His parents backed away. It dawned on Shōdo that they weren't scared for him, they were scared of him.


Something in Shōdo broke. He burned the villagers away in an instant, and his hunger was sated. With the few minutes of clarity, he walked up to his parents.


"Run," he told them. "Run away from me!"


Bōshi and Beruto took off north, leaving the remains of the village behind, while Shōdo went south.




The Dredge


After travelling on Lola for a few days, Mikazuki pulls out his map. He drew an X above the burning bush and looks up at the next drawing, a drawing of three men in chains wearing large gags. He puts away his map and looks forward, then down.


In front of Mikazuki is a huge hole, both in length and depth. The hole spirals down with man-made tracks lining the perimeter. Mikazuki looks closer and sees men and women with muzzles walking down by the hundreds into the hole, holding pickaxes, wearing the same clothe, grey jumpsuits. Mikazuki watches as the crowd hobbles, shuffles and limps down deeper into the hole. At the bottom and around the bottom, more people swing their pickaxes into the stone and dirt. Mikazuki watches a woman, who couldn't be older than 17, swing a few times and fall over. No one moves to help him, he just lays there in the dirt.


Mikazuki lets out a horrified gasp, in disbelief of what he's looking at. He'd never seen anything like this.


"Stay here Lola," tells Mikazuki. "I won't be long."


Lola barks and hides in the bushes.

Mikazuki walk forward a few feet towards the hole. None of the miners have acknowledged them yet. Mikazuki walks to the mouth of the spiral downwards. The miners walk past as if no one was there.


"Hello?" calls out Mikazuki.


The miners don't acknowledge him.


"Hey!" calls out Mikazuki. "Why are you all doing this?"


Still no response from anyone. They simply mine on, trudging into the hole.


Mikazuki grabs onto a man entering the hole.


"What are you doing here?" yells Mikazuki into the man's ear.


Mikazuki feels the man's bones crunch. He immediately lets go and backs up.


"Are you alright?"


Mikazuki walks towards the man, only for him to trudge into the hole. The man makes it a few steps in before collapsing. The other miners step over him and continue on. Mikazuki is at a loss for words.


Mikazuki walks alongside the miners entering the hole. He soon arrives at a few women mining. They blankly stare at the wall as they slowly swing their pickaxes into the dirt. Mikazuki waves his hand in one of their faces. The woman continues staring at the wall, as if he weren't there. Mikazuki leaves and continues down.


Mikazuki arrives at the bottom. He walks to the centre and looks around at the hundreds of miners striking the ground. He walks up to a young boy and places a moon rock in front of his pickaxe. The boy continues striking as if nothing changed.


"What is wrong with you all!" screams Mikazuki into the crowd.


Mikazuki raises his sword above his head and strikes the ground. It causes a small shake in the earth. The people bob up and down from the impact, but no one acknowledges it. It was as if it never happened.


Mikazuki gives up and sits in the middle of the giant hole. He looks up at the spiral leading down to where he sits as men, women and children collapse around him. He sighs and gets up, holding Huygens on his shoulder.


Mikazuki takes one last look around and then stands up to leave. He looks up at the spiral, but instead sees a shadow. Mikazuki quickly jumps backwards as a woman with a tail and a snake's fangs lands where he stood.


"HISSSSSSSSS," hisses the woman. "Thisssss place is not for you!"


The woman lunges at Mikazuki fangs first. Mikazuki blocks with Huygens, her fangs biting onto the blade. Mikazuki swings to the right and the woman goes flying, landing into a crowd of three miners. The miners fall and don't get up.


"What did you do!" demands Mikazuki. "All these people, how dare you!"


The woman leaps into the air again, aiming down towards Mikazuki. Mikazuki positions his right foot behind him, holding Huygens against his leg. The woman lands down, and Mikazuki slices her along her chest, her skin coming clean off. She collapses beside him.


Mikazuki turns to look at her corpse. Instead, he sees the woman loosening her skin before slithering out of it. Mikazuki is taken aback.


"You'll need more than that, big boy," snickers the woman.


Mikazuki tries to swing from above, but the woman spits onto his face before he gets the chance. He freezes mid air, with his sword only a foot away from her.


Mikazuki falls over. He looks past the woman, where he sees Lola coming closer. He motions to her to stay, a pleading look in his eyes. Lola stays in the forest.


Mikazuki passes out.





Mikazuki wakes up laying down in a cell. He's wearing the same grey jumpsuits and doesn't have Huygens. They let him keep his headband, though.


Mikazuki shares a cell with another man. The man is sitting in the corner of the room. He's bald and sports a big, grey beard. He doesn't have a gag.


"Good morning," greeted the man. "Sleep alright?"


Mikazuki looks around. He stands up and tries punching the bars. They don't budge. He looks outside his cell and sees a long and thin rectangle-shaped prison with multiple floors. He feels his body, looks down and sees the jumpsuit. Then he feels his head and realizes he's still wearing his headband.

"Good news is they let you keep that," comments the man. "Nice little memento of who you were."


Mikazuki feels around the bars. He touches up and down and looks at the bars sideways.


"It's no use," comments the man. "Many men have tried, no one gets out of here."


"I haven't tried yet," replies Mikazuki as he straddles the bars.


The old man looks back at his lap. Mikazuki continues messing with the bars.


Mikazuki starts punching the bars. The metal reverberates, but doesn't break.


"If you're going to try breaking out, could you at least do it a little quieter?" asked the man politely. "Some of us enjoy peace and quiet."


Mikazuki turns back and looks at the man.


"What, do you want to just stay here?" asks Mikazuki sarcastically.


The man smirks.


"Right now," says the man with a soft-spoken tone. "There's nowhere else to go."


Mikazuki hears him, but just turns away and keeps punching. The man turns back to his corner.


"What's the noise!" screams a voice outside the cell.


Two men wearing silver armor carrying tasers walk over.


"Guards, please forgive him," says the old man. "It's only his first night."


"Sounds like someone needs a lesson," replies one of the guards.


The men open the cell. Mikazuki sees a chance and tries summoning a moon rock, but nothing shows up. He just points with two fingers at one of the guards. The guards look at him confused before pressing a button on their tasers. An electric current turns on between the two edges. The men stick them into a confused Mikazuki. Mikazuki is badly electricuted, and falls to the ground.


"AAAAaaahhh..." cries Mikazuki.


"Stay quiet newbie!" says one of the guards as he spits on Mikazuki.


The guards walk out of the cell, locking it behind them. They walk away and disappear into the prison.


"I told you, my boy," starts the man. "There is nowhere to go."


"What is this place..." asks a fried Mikazuki. "Where the hell am I?"


The man smiles.


"The bourgeoisie have a few names for it. Stadia, land of the independant, paradise..." answered the man. "Us? We just call it the dredge."


The man stands up and walks to the cells' door. He sticks his head outside the bars.


"THE DREDGE!" screams the man.


Slaves knock against the bars, the man's words echoing across the dozens of floors above their heads. The guards shake, uneasy at the unity. The man walks back into the corner.


"My name is Fenikkusu," says the man. "I am the immortal phoenix, blessed to be born and reborn forever. I've been in this cell a long time, waiting for The Great Beyond to exert its will."


"I should've been able to make moon rocks," responded Mikazuki. "My name is Mikazuki. Why didn't it work?"


Fenikkusu smiles again.


"Those don't work here," started Fenikkusu. "You see that hole?"


Fenikkusu points towards a small hole in the wall. Mikazuki walks towards it and looks inside. A bright, green glow obscures his vision. He has to struggle to hold himself up.


"I can't see anything," states Mikazuki, still looking.


"Give your eyes a second to adjust," responds Fenikkusu.


Mikazuki keeps looking, and the green dims. He sees a small, green shard. It looks plant-like, but doesn't look organic. It is held up by two tweezers.


"What is it?" asks Mikazuki, fighting not to fall over.


"That," responds Fenikkusu, "is a limiter. There's a creature out there who stops our names from holding their strength. That is a shard of it. The man who runs the joint cut it off the bugger himself."


Mikazuki stops and looks at it. Then he backs up before running straight into the wall, shoulder first. The brick wall stands still as Mikazuki falls to the ground. Fenikkusu sits and watches.


Mikazuki backs up again, and runs into the wall shoulder first again. He slams into it, the bricks staying in place, while he falls on the floor again. He stands up and continues ramming into the wall, again and again, over and over, slamming into the wall continuously. Mikazuki starts to get worn down after a dozen slams. He gets up slowly, backing up again, dragging himself.


"How long are you going to keep that up?" asks Fenikkusu.


"As long as I need to." replies Mikazuki, running and slamming into the wall again.


"Why a slam?" asks Fenikkusu. "Why not try clawing through the hole?"


"Because I get weak whenever I'm near the damn thing," replies Mikazuki from the floor. "But if I run from a distance, I'm able to keep my momentum."


"Ah," says Fenikkusu. "That's smart. Good observation."


"Thanks," thanks Mikazuki sarcastically as he runs into the wall again, falling to the floor, the bricks slightly moving in place.


"It's funny though," starts Fenikkusu. "You noticed that your physical strength wouldn't work, but you're still trying. Why?"


"Not like I got many other options," replies Mikazuki from the floor again. "My brothers are waiting on me."


Mikazuki starts to raise himself from the floor, but Fenikkusu walks over and pushes him down.


"What?" sternly asks Mikazuki.


"You have other options," replies Fenikkusu. "You have patience."


"No," replies Mikazuki. "I don't. I cannot leave them unprotected."


"Can your brothers not protect themselves?" asks Fenikkusu. "Their souls have waited for many years. They can wait a little longer."


Mikazuki looks at Fenikkusu with a concerned seriousness.


"Oh come on!" replies Fenikkusu. "I know the look of vengeance well enough by now. You know how many revenge-hungry hypocrites I've seen over the years? I'm not making a judgement call here, but be honest with me: What do you seek?"


Mikazuki pauses.


"A man killed my brothers many years ago," starts Mikazuki. "My father had to leave our village for a little while. He put me in charge, because I was the strongest of our brothers. I couldn't..."


Mikazuki pauses.


"They died because I couldn't protect them. It is my duty to at least help their souls rest."


"Who said it was your job?" asks Fenikkusu. "You said 'strongest.' Sounds like they could've protected themselves."


"They were never as serious about being swordsmen as I was," answers Mikazuki. "I was the strongest. It was my job."


"Mmm," mumbles Fenikkusu as he walks back to his corner. "I sympathize. I'd do the same if I were you."


Mikazuki stands up, walks to the cell, and starts running. Fenikkusu walks between him and the wall. Mikazuki tries to stop but slides into Fenikkusu. Fenikkusu catches him with a hug.


"But this isn't the way." says Fenikkusu.


Mikazuki backs up from Fenikkusu.


"You," starts Fenikkusu. "You are not to blame."


Mikazuki turns his head away.


"How old were you?" asks Fenikkusu.


"I was old enough," answers Mikazuki.


"How old!" says Fenikkusu, raising his voice. "How old were you?"


Mikazuki pauses.


"I was 15," replies Mikazuki. "I'd trained my whole life to protect my family, and when the time came, I failed."


"What about your life since?" asks Fenikkusu. "How old are you now?"


"25," replies Mikazuki, his head still turned away.


"So why do you torture yourself?" asks Fenikkusu. "It has been a decade. You've done what you have to honour them. Why do you keep hurting yourself?"


Mikazuki pauses.


"This is all I've ever known," says Mikazuki. "This is all I have. I have to avenge them."


"And then?" asks Fenikkusu. "What do you do after? What will your life be?"


"I don't know," replies Mikazuki. "We'll see if I make it that far."


Fenikkusu walks towards Mikazuki. Mikazuki looks up at him.


"Would your brothers want this?" asks Fenikkusu. "What would they say?"


Mikazuki smiles and remembers.


"Taiyo would get it," starts Mikazuki. "He'd tell me to get revenge, and he'd joke about how he was too good not to be avenged. Then he'd tell me to be kind to myself, and he'd hold my shoulder."


Fenikkusu listens and nods.


"Kosumosu wouldn't have cared much," says Mikazuki. "He'd tell me he lived a good life and that he'd done what he wanted with it, and he'd tell me not to worry about him. Then he'd tell me to just go do what I wanted."


"Chikyu would complain," stated Mikazuki. "He'd see me all beat up and probably call me an idiot. Then he'd say it wasn't my fault and would ask me to take care of Lola."


"Hoshi would," says Mikazuki with a smile. "Well Hoshi would get bored and ask if we could go eat. Then he'd get bored of eating and ask to go play. Then we'd go play and ask to go eat again because he didn't eat enough the first time."


"My brothers wouldn't want this."


Fenikkusu looks at Mikazuki with a smile.


"You are free," says Fenikkusu. "Now, you have somewhere to go. Allow me to show you something."


Fenikkusu walks toward the corner he sits in. Mikazuki follows him.


Fenikkusu points to where he was sitting before. "Do you know what that is?" asks Fenikkusu.


"Your ass mold?" asks Mikazuki.


"No." says Fenikkusu with an incredibly disappointed tone. "Look a little closer."


Mikazuki squints and leans down. He sees a drawing of a man raising his arms to the moon as men in cells walk free. Below is faded writing that says 'wait for the moon.'


"What is it?" asks Mikazuki.


"That," replies Fenikkusu, "is the will of The Great Beyond. I've been waiting for you, Mikazuki."


Mikazuki walks to the cell bars. He looks into the opposing cell and sees the same drawing in the same corner.


"We've been waiting for the moon to come," says Fenikkusu. "Every slave in here knows to wait for the moon. Just never expected him to be in here with us."


"How is this possible," stutters Mikazuki. "Every slave? How long has this been a thing?"


"As long as I've been here at least," answers Fenikkusu. "Which has roughly been ten years. But there's many who have been here much longer."

"I'm just," Mikazuki finds himself at a loss for words. "I'm just one man. This doesn't make sense. How am I meant to stand up to all of this on my own?"


Fenikkusu smirks.


"You're not," answers Fenikkusu. "Poke your head out. Say The Dredge for me."


Mikazuki walks over to the bars. He pokes his head out.


"The Dredge," he says lightly.


Slaves slam and tammer against the cell doors. They make as much noise as they can on the bars. The guards rush to the cell. Fenikkusu sits in the corner, blocking the prophecy.


"Hey!" screams one of the guards. "Quit it!" The guards walk away, shaking with unease.


"You have an army, Mikazuki," tells Fenikkusu. "You just need patience. Here's what we'll do."


"Every day, slaves are taken from various floors to work in the mines," starts Fenikkusu. "The rest simply sit in their cells. As they pass by, be discreet, and whisper that in 30 days, the moon will come out. In the meantime, we'll see what we can do about the limiter."


"30 days?!" reacts Mikazuki. "I don't have 30 days! I have a man to catch!"


Fenikkusu smiled.


"Patience," answers Fenikkusu, "is your true power."





A man sat asleep on a golden throne in a large, ivory room. A red carpet lay before him, leading to two connected doors. Around the room sat others on couches and chairs, sitting around tables gambling on card games and talking to women.


The doors swung open. All eyes turned to the doors. In stepped the woman who'd fought Mikazuki. The man on the throne woke. The woman bowed at the entrance as the eyes fell away from her.


"My lord," said the woman. "A named man came to the dredge. He wielded a large sssssssword, but he hasssssss ben dealt with."


The man on the throne straightens himself up.


"So you killed him?" asks the man on the throne. "Is he dead Kobura?"


"No," replied Kobura. "Thisssssss man isssssss ssssssstrong. He sssssssurvived my poisssssssson. He awaitssssssss hisssssss fate in the dredge."


The man on the throne smirked.


"Works for me," replies the man on the throne. "Good work Kobura. You're dismissed."


Kobura leaves through the large doors as the man goes back to sleep.





For the next thirty days, Mikazuki whispers to every slave who passes by his cell about the moon. They never acknowledged him.


"They don't nod, or turn their heads, or anything!" said Mikazuki with anxiety in his voice. "What if they can't hear me? What if they stopped believing?" Fenikkusu smiled.


"I've been here long enough to know," said Fenikkusu, "these men, women and others hear everything. Continue on. It will work."


Mikazuki continued whispering to each slave who passed by, with each word spoken adding to his doubts.


When slaves weren't passing by, Mikazuki and Fenikkusu would work on disabling the limiter. They'd gather pebbles and whizz them into the hole, trying to knock it over in the hopes it would stop working. Mikazuki would gather a few, grind them down with his finger nails until they could fit into the crack, and flick them at the limiter. His aim was bad, so Mikazuki kept missing day after day. The guards never came to their cell, so they hadn't noticed.


Most days, unless they talked about slaves not responding or the limiter, Mikazuki and Fenikkusu sat in silence.





Mikazuki became hungrier day after day. The guards brought enough water for the day, but never any food. Mikazuki's stomach hurt whenever he'd drink water after a while, because without the food he simply became too weak. It was torture.


"How have you lasted so long without food?" Mikazuki asked Fenikkusu during one of their many days in the cell.


"Oh, they deliver a full course meal every three weeks," explained Fenikkusu. "Just enough to keep one alive, but far from enough to keep one strong."





"How old are you?" asked Mikazuki on the twentieth day during one of their many attempts to hit the limiter.


"I am twenty-three thousand, six hundred and eight years, nine months and two days old," replied Fenikkusu. "I have died and been reborn 230 times. Normally, any given life lasts a hundred years or so."


"What's it like?" asked Mikazuki.


"It's alright," replied Fenikkusu. "I never die of natural causes, so whichever end I meet is slightly painful. After a while, the pain and death blended together. It doesn't effect me as much as it used to."


"How have you stayed sane?" asked Mikazuki. "You have to have lost so many people. How do you deal with it?"


Fenikkusu smiled.


"When I was a boy," started Fenikkusu. "I was scared of just that thought. My childhood friends and I were very close. We grew up in a beautiful city. It's still out there, but I mean it's hardly the same after however long now. I was so scared of losing them."


"What happened to them?" asked Mikazuki.


"They died of old age," answered Fenikkusu. "350, 358 and 432 respectfully. I was used to physical pain by then after dying 3 times, but this was worse. Loss was the worst kind of pain I'd felt. I was away from the city when they'd died. All three were very sudden, so it's not like I could've just waited around for a few decades."


Mikazuki nodded his head, remembering his brother's sudden passing.


"Luckily for me, I got closure," explained Fenikkusu. "Each of them left letters. It was a common thing in our city. When I got home and heard the news, the letters were waiting for me. It helped in a way, knowing that some part of them existed still on this paper. It helps me knowing that, even with all the people I've known, some part of them is still here after their body goes away."


Mikazuki sits in silence for a few moments, before standing up with a few pebbles.


"When we get out of here and once this is all over," starts Mikazuki. "Remind me to write you a letter. I don't know how things will go from here on out, so just in case, I want some part of me to still exist on this world, too."


Fenikkusu just smiled.





After thirty days, Mikazuki had spoken to as many slaves as had passed by and had flicked so many rocks into the crack there were only five left of the previous hundreds. Still, the limiter stood.


Mikazuki began pacing.


"I have to applaud you," says Fenikkusu. "I've never seen someone with aim this bad before."


"You're really not helping!" screamed Mikazuki. "I don't think I can hit this. Why haven't you tried!"


"I don't see a Phoenix drawn in that corner," snickered Fenikkusu. "Do you?"


Mikazuki ignored him.


Mikazuki exhaled, picked up a pebble, walked to the crack, and got his hands into position as he had done so many times. He saw the hundreds of pebbles lined in the hole that he'd flicked. There were so many that the wall was sinking from the weight.


Mikazuki lined himself up and flicked. Another miss, the pebble barely making it half way.


"Come on!" screamed Mikazuki in frustration.


Mikazuki leaned down, grabbed another pebble and lined himself up. He flicked, but his finger missed the pebble and went into the rut.


"Only three left now," teased Fenikkusu.


"You really aren't helping," scolded Mikazuki.


Fenikkusu just smiled.


Mikazuki picked up another, flicked it, and missed, then another, followed by another miss. The weight on the wall was sagging the wall, opening the crack wider.


Mikazuki picked up the final pebble. No more lay in the cage. Mikazuki aimed, his eye firmly locked on the limiter, adjusted his fingers perfectly, and flicked.


It missed.


Mikazuki looked blankly at the wall.


"No, no no no no!" cried out Mikazuki. "This can't be happening! No!" Mikazuki slammed his hands against the wall, and instantly, part of it collapsed. Pebbles spilled from the new opening. Mikazuki looked at the fallen walls, the limiter now within arms reach.


"Hahahaha!" laughed Fenikkusu. "I can't believe it! It really worked!"


Mikazuki turned to Fenikkusu.


"What do you mean it 'really' worked!" demanded Mikazuki, making air quotations.


"You were never going to hit that thing," explained Fenikkusu. "Do you see how small that thing is? No, the only way through would've been by collapsing the wall. It's a really old wall and after you rammed into it a dozen times when you got here, well I mean come on the thing was begging to come down."


Mikazuki grabbed Fenikkusu by the shoulders.


"You couldn't have just said that?" asked Mikazuki with anger in his eyes.


"Oh come on," mocked Fenikkusu. "How would I have taught you patience otherwise?"


Mikazuki slapped him on the cheek.


"Ow."


Mikazuki walked over the broken wall. He got weaker as he walked closer to the limiter. He reached out and touched it. As soon as he did, it disintegrated. Mikazuki instantly felt his strength come back. He felt a warmth in the cell.


Mikazuki looked to Fenikkusu. He saw a man with bright orange wings on his back and burning talons for legs. Fenikkusu just smiled.


"Now what?" asked Mikazuki.


"Now," started Fenikkusu, kicked open the cell doors. "You bring the moonlight."


Guards ran to the cell after hearing a loud metal bang. Fenikkusu flew out of the cell and flapped his wings to his left and right, sending a tremor through the floor that tripped the guards.


Mikazuki stepped out of the cell. He looked at the cells and saw slaves staring at him.


"My fellow slaves," yelled Mikazuki, the guards just watching. "The moon is here!"


Mikazuki threw his arms up, flashing moonlight through the cells. The slaves covered their eyes as moonlight shone through their cells.


"Rise up!" screamed Mikazuki.


The slaves banged on their cells, rattling the bars and stomping their feet. The guards all nervously looked around, horrified of what was happening. Fenikkusu flapped his wings and flew across each cell, his talons setting fire to each lock.


The slaves pushed open their cell doors, rushing out onto the floor. Guards ran away as fast as they could before slaves caught them, tackling them and taking away their tasers. Mikazuki watched from the ground, his anxieties melting with each cell door opened.


Fenikkusu unlocked every cell before flying back down to Mikazuki.


"Armory was conveniently placed just past that door," explained Fenikkusu. "It's like this place was designed to have a breakout. I believe there's something you want in there."


"Oh I've waited a long time for this," responds Mikazuki, unable to contain his grin.


Mikazuki and Fenikkusu walk up to a large, locked iron door. Mikazuki summons a giant moonrock and smashes the lock apart. The door come unhinged as a dark room stocked with shelves and shelves of clothes, weapons, bags, and personal belongings. Fenikkusu retracts his wings and changes his talons back to regular human feet.


Mikazuki backs from the door and faces the rioters.


"Rioters!" calls out Mikazuki. "Come, arm yourselves!"


The rioters quit beating on the guards. They make their way to level one of the prison and slowly shuffle into the armory.


Mikazuki shuffles through a few rioters and finds his things. He puts on his trench coat, packs his pants into his pack for later and picks up Huygens, who was leaning in the corner of the room. He attaches the sheeth to his pants and throws his bag across his back. He spots Fenikkusu on the other end of the room.


"You spot your stuff?" asks Mikazuki.


"Oh yes," answers Fenikkusu, carrying a pile of clothes and bag. "It's been here for forty years, holding out for this."


Fenikkusu reaches into his bag and pulls out a snowglobe with a big, orange bird on the inside. The snowflakes are orange embers.


"This was made for me by one of my best friends," explained Fenikkusu. "I carry it with me wherever I go. You asked me earlier how I lasted so long without food. Hope, my friend, hope. This is my hope."


Fenikkusu put the snowglobe back into his bag.


"I urge you, my friend," said Fenikkusu as he put his hand on Mikazuki's shoulder. "Find some kind of happy ending after this. Avenge your family if you must, but live for something. I'd know more than anyone else that there's more to life than goals."


Mikazuki nods.


Rioters fill the expansive armory, forming lines to grab whatever they can. One of the guards, barely conscious, reaches into his pocket. He pushes a button, and red lights flash through the prison. Holes in the ceiling open up, where men and women dressed in combat gear look from on-high. The rioters look up.


One man stretches his fingers towards the prison, creating a massive pillow of gelatin beneath them. The men and women jump onto the pillow one by one, bouncing off the pillow before landing feet first on the floor. There are three of them.


One woman steps forward. Mikazuki recognizes her.


"You all have approximately 10 seconds to return to your cells," commands Kobura. "Otherwise we will dispurse you without prejudice. 10..."


Rioters look on in fear. Muffles of panic are heard from behind their gags. The rioters look at each other while Kobura counts down, before finally looking to Mikazuki.


"5..." Kobura continues counting down.


Mikazuki turns back to the rioters. He watches them shiver with fear. He looks deeper into the crowd and sees a boy holding a gun. Him and the boy make eye contact, his eyes pleading with Mikazuki to do something. Mikazuki closes his eyes, breaths, and turns to face Kobura.


"2..." continues Kobura.


"No one here is returning to their cells," answers Mikazuki. "I've spent a month of my life here, watching you people drag innocents away like they're nothing. They die while you watch on."


Mikazuki turns to Fenikkusu. Fenikkusu nods. Mikazuki nods back.


"We will die for our freedom before we submit to you ever again!"


Mikazuki's speech rouses the rioters. The fear they had turns to ferver. They stomp and clank their weapons together, screeching as best they can through their muzzles. Kobura smiles.


"Suit yourselves," says Kobura.


Her and the other run towards the rioters run towards them, with Mikazuki leading, blade first. Mikazuki and Kobura keep eye contact as they clash into one another, Mikazuki swinging at Kobura, his blade meeting her fangs. The stand and fight in the centre of the prison. Fenikkusu ignites his wings and flies into one of the men, ramming his head into the man's chest. The man is knocked back as Fenikkusu chases after him to the far right of the prison. One man walks past everyone, and faces the rioters in the far left of the prison.





On the far left, the rioters run toward the man. He is tall and buff, wearing a blue and silver swimsuit which covers his entire body. His hands are big and his knuckles are hairy.


Those with guns run forward, taking aim and shooting at him. The man raises his right hand and snaps. The bullets, still flying mid-air, vanish. The rioters look on in shock. A rioter carrying a spear charges the man. She come within an inch of stabbing him before the man raises his right hand and snaps again. Her weapon disappears. The rioter loses her balance, falling into the man before landing on the floor.


"You weapons won't work against me," declares the man. "I am Gunshuku, who's name means disarmament! No tool of destruction shall be raised against me! If I see it, I'll snap it away!"


The rioter stands up and swings her right fist at Gunshuku. He catches it with his right hand, lifting her into the air by her arm. The rioter looks on in fear before Gunshuku throws her into one of the metal bars. She falls to the ground in pain.


"RAAAAAAAAAH!" screams Gunshuku as he runs into the crowd of rioters, shoulder first. He knocks into one and sends them into the floor. Rioters surround him. They are thin and malnourished, and unable to deliver seizable hits against his armor. Gunshuku feels the taps of fists on body before he spins around and punches each of them, knocking them to the ground.


Gunshuku continues making his way through the measly crowd while the child Mikazuki looked at in the back watches him. The child hides among the crowd as they run up to fight Gunsuku without any success. The child hides a knife in his pocket, trying to hide it from Gunshuku's view.


Gunshuku remains still, waiting for the unexperienced and malnourished rioters to run towards him. He keeps his fists raised and punches them out as they approach. Some duck his hits, some block them, but ultimately their strength isn't enough. The child sneaks up behind a tall man running towards Gunshuku. Gunshuku pushes the man, sending him flying. The boy runs up to Gunshuku and stabs him in the foot, his knife piercing the shoe and striking blood.


"AAAAAAAH!" screams Gunshuku. "You little shit!"


Gunshuku raises his right hand to snap, but a dozen rioters, seeing the opening, jump into him, knocking him over and holding down his hands. The rioters beat on Gunshuku, knocking their weak fists, feet and elbows into him.


"Get off of me!" screams Gunshuku. He throws some rioters off of his right arm, only for more to jump onto him. One bites his ear. More punch his face. Some remove his battle suit and punch his stomach. One kicks him in the groan.


After a good few minutes of punching, the rioters exhaust and stand up. Silently, they stand and watch as a motionless Gunshuku lays bloody on the floor.


The battle for freedom on left side is won.





On the right side, Fenikkusu faces a man wearing light green cargo pants, a black croptop and sandles. His hair is slicked high and is black.


Fenikkusu spits a fireball at him while flapping his wings in mid-air, with the man raising a wall of gelatin to block it. The gelatin turns into char.


"That won't on me, buddy!" exclaims cargo pants guy with a raspy, almost prepubescent voice. "Gelatin is flame-retardent!"


Fenikkusu is visually repulsed by his voice.


"What poor name did you get?" asks Fenikkusu.


"I am Zerachin!" exclaims Zerachin. "I am the lord of gelatin, summoner of smooth residues and-"


"So your name," asks Fenikkusu, cutting him off, "is just 'Gelatin.' That's it?"


"Oh yes," answers Zerachin. "It'll be more than enough for you!"


Zerachin swings his arm in n arc at Fenikkus. It summons a wave of Gelatin. Fenikkusu doesn't move as the gelatin hits him. He feels a little wet, but isn't hurt.


"You can't be serious," asks Fenikkusu. "There's no chance you fight with gelatin waves."


"You fell right into my trap!" Zerachin pulls his hands back in a humping motion. The gelatine freezes up and hardens on Fenikkusu's body, weighing down his wings and freezing his body in place.


Fenikkusu falls to the ground like a brick, his body smashing in arm first, the gelatin smashing apart as soon as he crashes onto the floor, the shards splattering across the floor.

























Chikyu complains, Taiyo is the most mature, Kosumosu is a moderate and reasonable, and Hoshi gets bored easily. Mikazuki is the protagonist and learns slowly and has the most unsettled character arc.

Make the president of the village the bandit

Have flashbacks of the boys growing

Make a callback to Mikazuki hiding in the grass and jumping out and symbolize it as a man afraid to really confront his problems.

Give the main antagonist powers from the entire world Mikazuki has ventured across.

Have Jikan be alive at the end of the quest, and have him be the one who set up everything for a reason.

Have the big bad use all four of the brothers powers, and have Mikazuki learn from each one of them based on what the counters were of the villains he beat.

Antichton's matter turns off powers.

Explain in the final dual why Mikazuki cares so much about being a swordsmen.





 
 
 

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