Sunshine beams through the window, a faint orange glow enveloping the room. The faint chirping of birds outside.
Grim'Lok opens his eyes, gazing at the ceiling above before sitting up slowly. He then looks at his hand, seeing himself in the body of his younger self 3 months ago but his power feels the same.. "What the hell is this?" His words echo in his own mind. His ears suddenly pick up a faint singing coming from the other side of the house.
He follows the voice cautiously, heading into the next room. Entering the observatory he sees a redhead woman who's standing near a crystal ball which is glowing from her touch. She stands around 5'5 with an average build
"Mother?" Grim'Lok mutters as In front of him stands what looks to be his mother, Lilith Wolfshire. Her red curly hair wobbles as she turns to him.
"Grim'Lok my boy!" She embraces Grim'Lok. His body slowly starts heating up virtually unnoticeable now…
"..." Grim'Lok stares out the observatory window. "This is a few hours before it happens." The words slip from his mouth unconsciously, thinking out loud. Lilith tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean Grim?"
He says nothing, continuing to stare at the peaceful outside. People walk and talk, the market is bustling with activity and a group of girls singing which can be heard from all halfway across the village.
"Are you gonna answer-" Lilith couldn't even finish her sentence before Grim'Lok looked her in her eyes.
"Three months, Three weeks and Three days is how long it's been since our clan was destroyed." His words cause Lilith's eyes to widen in shock.
"So we were attacked huh?" Lilith says, looking out the window. "It was only a matter of time ya know? Our clan rose to power one hundred and fifty something years ago. But I don't expect you to know about it yet."She laughs wholeheartedly, while Grim'Lok on the other hand is staring at his hands.
"I've awakened the Chikara you all claimed I didn't have." As the words leave his mouth Lilith's face lights up. "I see.. So you've been training under Risaki then?"
Grim'Lok grins as he begins emitting a huge amount of chikara causing nearby furniture to get blown back aggressively.
Lilith puts her hands up to shield herself as she looks at her son, "That means you got the scroll, and do you have the sword as well?"
"What sword?" Asks Grim'Lok, his face full of confusion and his chikara stops surging.
"Nevermind then." Lilith responds quickly, turning towards the family portrait off in the distance. "I hope you weren't a troublesome student."
Grim'Lok laughs loudly for the first time in a while, "Of course I was, That old geezer isn't gonna know what hit him the next time I see him." He drops his shoulders in a relaxing gesture before his eyes light up once more. "Oh and I'm also taking the OMEN Exam!"
Lilith grins ear to ear. "That's exactly what me and your father wanted. I know you'll be a strong captain someday." She turns again, this time towards the door, grabbing his hand "Let's go take a walk around the village."
Grim'Lok and his mother walk through the relatively busy village of Worshire. People wave and greet each other, as well as Grim'Lok and Lilith. "Woah Grim'Lok you got taller?" A man asks as he walks past them.
"So Grim'Lok, tell me about what happened after our death." Lilith asks as dozens of civilians breeze by them.
"Well, I almost died." He reveals, causing his mother to gasp almost immediately clasping his shoulders. "Almost Died!? We told you to run away when they attacked, didn't we?"
Grim'Lok scratches his head and lets out a defeated sigh, "Father did… I just couldn't bring myself to leave you all alone."
Lilith smacks Grim'Loks head, scolding him. "I taught you better than that!" He laughs it off, looking at the sun setting down faster than it usually does.
"So what now?" As soon as Grim'Lok finishes his sentence a loud explosion is heard off in the distance followed by blood curdling screams that make both of them wide eyed. "We're under attack!" Lilith turns towards the sound but Grim'Lok is staring at a man in the air. The man dawned a pristine red and black mask barely visible due to his black hooded cloak concealing most of his face.
"It's happening." Grim'Loks eyes narrow as he sees the man's Chikara surging, Lilith finally looking up as well. He analyzes the symbols on the cloak making a mental image of them. "Crescent Moon pierced by a blade and.. That eye in the middle of it…" He says as the masked man's cloak flows in the now heavily present winds.
"Attention." His voice echoed through the entire village causing most of the panicking wolfshire to look up at him.
An eerie silence follows, then he slowly lifts his right arm, his thumb and middle finger touching.
"In the next 10 minutes the wolfshire clan will be no longer. And in the next 5 minutes your entire village will be destroyed." He snaps his fingers and as he does a volley of fire tipped arrows start to rain down from the heavens immediately causing the village to catch fire and many to die from the arrow.. Orfrom the eternal flames.
Villagers scatter trying to escape and as they do multiple figures that look exactly like the masked man start to appear out of thin air. One by one the villagers die. Screams flood the village as the flames grow darker.
"Damn you!!" Grim'Lok took a step forward but then his mother grabbed his shoulder, stopping him entirely. "They're strong Grim'Lok! You almost died last time, remember!?"
Grim'Lok looks at his mother with an understanding yet furious look, it's short lived as the masked man slowly starts to descend. "I hate your kind." A man attempted to run past the masked man but some unforeseen force stopped his momentum.
The masked man disappears, reappearing a few feet in front of him. "Where is your elder?" His eyes glow through the holes in the mask creating a deep dark red glow in the setting sun.
The frozen man's eyes stare at the masked man, saying absolutely nothing.
"So he's trained you well." He holds his palm towards the man and stares at him, now with an intensity that rivals a starving animal. "I'll ask one more time," His palm starts to glow and the air around them slowly starts to warp. "Where is your elder!"
The frozen man looked at the masked man's palm, before drifting back to his eyes. "It is a Wolfshires oath to never reveal information to scum like Noctis!" The man's head fell from his shoulders immediately as the words left his mouth.
"Live by the oath, die by the oath.. Filthy worms." The masked man slowly puts down his bloodsoaked arm, his sleeve dripping with the man's blood.
Grim'Lok, who was watching from afar, starts to grit his teeth, his limbs start to glow. The Mark of Uken starts violently pulsating on his shoulder as his anger surges, the memories of his deceased clan fueling his rage. "I won't just sit back and watch as he destroys the village again!" Grim'Lok's voice makes Lilith shiver, watching as the glow slowly engulfs his entire body. Grim'Lok stands straight up as his brown eyes slowly turn red matching the glow. The glow solidifies before shattering around him as he channels his chikara into his legs.
A ground shaking roar causes the masked man to turn around just in time to see Grim'Loks hand as he punches him, sending him through multiple buildings. His body comes to a halt as it slams into the village wall.
"These filthy wolfshire." He says as he reaches for his mask running a finger over the cracks from Grim'Lok's punch. His eyes widen as he watches Grim'Lok approach him. "That chikara presence. Just what are you?" Lilith notices the intrigue in his voice.
Grim'Lok leaps into the air, his roar again causing the ground to shake violently. He slams his fists down into the man punching a gigantic hole though the village wall. His eyes widen as the masked man's afterimage disappears. Quickly he turns around, the man leaning on a staff made of pure rock. "Are you an elder?" He asks quickly, getting into a battle stance as he clashes his mountain staff with Grim'Loks chikara armored fist.
He quickly pivots flickering beside Grim'Lok and head kicks his glowing body. Grim'Lok doesn't budge in the slightest, grabbing his leg and throwing him through the hole and away from the village.
In the background Lilith begins evacuating survivors, the fire that consumes the village raging on intensely. "Good, he got him away from the village."
Grim'Lok pummels the masked man with a barrage of punches and kicks he can't block with the mountain staff. Grim'Lok uppercuts the masked man into the air, jumping up and cracking the ground as he leaves it.
"You damn-" Grim'Lok doesn't let the masked man finish his sentence, appearing behind him and sending him down to the ground with a dropkick sending him through multiple trees. Before his momentum stops Grim'Lok disappears causing the masked man to widen in shock. "Damnit!"
He appears in front of the masked man with a chikara building in his mouth. The masked man quickly summons a barrier and just in time as Grim'Lok screams, unleashing a gigantic beam of chikara from his mouth engulfing the entirety of the man's barrier.
The barrier slowly cracks as Grim'Loks beam continues on. Multiple trees get incinerated behind him. "He can't hold this forever," He thought as a crack formed a small hole in his barrier, the beam completely incinerating half of his mask. "But neither can I." Grim'Loks eyes widen and the beam dissipates. He takes a step back and the masked man smirks, "In order to pass the path of shadows you must defeat yourself at your darkest moment." He reaches for the mask revealing himself to be an exact copy of Grim'Loks physical appearance; the only difference being porcelain grey skin.
Erik Stormbreaker walks through the corridors of headquarters, the subtle clanking of his armor a reminder of his duty to protect the people of Azunne.
Rapid footsteps approach causing Erik to turn around. "Erik sir!" His eyes immediately soften in recognition of the woman. "What is it Kunomi?"
Kunomi quickly straightens her posture, taking a deep catching breath. "The dome around Gomen has faded sir!"
Erik's face straightens and he nods, "Send in the watchers. Now." He looks at his hands and he balls them up creating a fist. Kunomi quickly scurries away.
Erik continues down the hallway as Kunomi's footsteps begin getting quieter and quieter. He clutches the lightning insignia he keeps around his neck. "OMEN…"
"The only thing I cannot replicate is that filthy form you've taken. How you've obtained it I do not know."
Grim'Lok's clone grins before his palms slam into Grim'Loks gut but he doesn't move nor does he react. Instead the red aura around him surges even more ascending into a pillar into the air and completely melting its arm away and nearby trees.
The clone leaps backwards watching as Grim'Loks body ascends in the air. "That Chikara is damn near molten lava."
He puts his hand in front of his face shielding himself from the intense heat radiating off Grim'Loks body.
Lilith looks up at Grim'Lok "This is exactly what the elders described… The heat," She drops her hands as she slowly starts walking towards him. "The anger.. My son… You are exactly what the prophecy was talking about."
The heat generated around Grim'Lok starts to slowly burn at his skin, his screams getting louder and more and more blood curdling but her steps never falter. "My sweet boy…"
She reaches her hand out and the Chikara generating slowly starts to cool down. "You've had your fun." Grim'Loks body drops to the ground landing on his knees. His arms show tremendous damage, the skin peeled, his clothes burned and his eyes dim.
She slowly helps him to his feet.
"I'm a fine mother." Grim'Loks trembling body and head still pointed towards the ground betray his words.
As he looks up to meet his mothers eyes she smiles. "Are you sure-"
A beam of chikara flies towards them but Grim'Lok is fast enough to wrap his arms around his mother shielding her but not himself as they get sent flying through dozens of trees creating a trail of destruction in their path.
Once the dust settles Grim'Lok's entire body is shaking and he's holding the unconscious body of his mother. "You.."
A crackle of energy forms near Grim'Lok but his eyes never leave his mothers. "No… I couldn't do it." The mark on his shoulder which is now visible due to his charred clothes starts to pulsate violently. "I swear.."
His Chikara surges once again, this time engulfing his entire body. "This time… I'LL REALLY KILL YOU!" The ground beneath him shatters as the chikara begins forming into monstrous chikara, scorching the earth and completely melting the building around him. One tail forms behind him and distinctive wolf ears as he gets into a low stance.
"..."
FLICKER!!
Grim'Lok appears crouched below the clone coming up with a hard uppercut sending him off his feet. Before he gets anywhere though, Grim'Loks tail wraps around the clone.
A quick slam from the tail creates a crater beneath the clone as Grim'Lok jumps into the air.
The clone staring up at Grim'Lok cracks a smile as he puts both hands in front of him. "You stupid-" Grim'Lok appears above him grabbing both his arms and putting his foot on his chest. The heat from the aura around Grim'Lok behind melting the clone's arms as he pulls…
Then slowly, Grim'Lok opens his mouth as a gigantic ball of chikara begins forming in his mouth.
"AAARGH!" The clone screams as Grim'Lok continues pulling and pulling until eventually his arms are ripped from body.
The ball disappears and Grim'Lok closes his mouth. He held both palms at the grey clone and suddenly all the concentrated chikara forms instantly in front of them. "AAAAAH!"
The chikara shoots forwards slamming into the clone's chest, then through it, pooling inside the clone and flooding it with a tremendous amount of chikara.
The beam is continuous, causing the clone to inflate, growing larger and larger until.
BOOM!!
The excess chikara that Grim'Lok forced into the clone's body caused it to explode creating a scar in the earth and a hole in the path of shadows.
Another roar from Grim'Lok causes the air around him to start cracking, the dimension slowly withering away.
Those who pass the gate of initiation have to walk the Path of Shadows, a misty trail that traps the target in a sleepwalking illusion and forcing them to re-live a traumatic experience and forcing them to fight themselves as the villain. When finishing the walk it leads to the Crescent Exam Hall.
The Crescent Exam Hall is a gigantic hall that holds rafters full of OMEN Warriors stretching from Initiates to Watchers and Wardens all there to celebrate and welcome the new warriors joining OMEN. In the middle of the hall stands a white round table with golden lining sitting 6 OMEN council members. Each one wears robes with special symbols on them. The round table showcases each person who passed the Gate of Initiation. Their Path of Shadows.
"11 passed this year? That's lower than expected." Yulan Nuzara says as her eyes drift to Grim'Loks path. "Who's that?"
"Grim'Lok Wolfshire. Risaki Payne's student and the last survivor of the great Wolfshire clan." Orion Sepeti says, a man with a grey beard that stretches down to his knees. "I talked to Risaki and he says Grim'Lok is the strongest member too. Even stronger than his father Alexander."
"He's stronger than all of last year's contestants combined." Kaiso Dycaina looks over to another path, Osinar Magikan's. Osinar sits on top of a destroyed city, he completely destroys his memory with no care, no remorse. "Where's his clone?" The camera slowly pans down to Osinar's clone split in half at the bottom.
"This has to be the smallest yet strongest class in OMEN history." A deeper voice chimes in, Reinhart Serone. His voice causes another voice to quickly say. "Then it would be a disservice to give him such a low role." Quincy Anen, the newest and youngest member of the council says.
"Enough. It seems this Wolfshire is strong enough to destroy his path." The statement causes those at the table to turn to who said it. Tenki Buza, A woman known as the strongest appraiser in OMEN. Her 5 '9 stature hidden beneath the council robes causes a sense of allure to all of OMEN that they respect.
"Incredible." Grim'Lok's body is engulfed and covered in a blazing red chikara. Unstable and molten. He slowly walks towards Wolfshire Village, the path of shadows breaking down behind him as he walks revealing the misty walkway he entered. "It's just as Risaki said, this boy isn't anything less than a B rank." This starts a small debate at the table before Orion clears his throat. "Do these warriors know about the seal?"
Tenki turns towards the different ranks of the OMEN Warriors. "Only Watchers and Wardens." Her eyes scan every one of the A-Ranks. Eventually handing on the 10th best A-Rank Warden. "Saiko. I have a task for you."
Immediately, Saiko jumps from the rafters to a few feet before the table. Saiko stands at 6 '1, his scruffy beard and long ponytail does well to build his chiseled face. His athletic physique is visible through his uniform and that only causes chatter about his power.
"Yes, M'lady?" He drops to one knee as he says this.
"You have an impromptu mission. You see that boy Grim'Lok trained under Risaki Payne and that seal he taught OMEN will come in handy. Perform the Secret Spirit Seal on Grim'Lok before he makes his way through." She signals towards the gate of Initiation which now has a few people starting to walk out and into the Crescent Exam Hall.
Grim'Lok continues forward, the path becoming more and more visual behind him. The village in front of him slowly flickers between flourishing and destroyed.
The village is now barren. A ghost town as the illusion continues to struggle holding.
Saido leans on a wall staring at the approaching Grim'Lok. His presence causes a primal fear to creep over Saido for a split second before he grins.
"Unfortunately I'm not prey." Saido's eyes glow and that fear turns into an unspoken confidence. "That hunter aura is something else though kid." Saido takes another look at Grim'Lok, this time analyzing him.
Grim'Lok roars in response before dashing towards Saido, throwing a punch that gets blocked. Although the force nearly sent Saido flying through multiple buildings. "That's some serious strength!"
A quick pivot from Saido frees him. Two quick palms to Grim'Loks chest send him back a few feet; Saido is relentless, Already in the air sending a barrage of Air Palms towards Grim'Lok that seem to hit him instantly.
Grim'Lok gets pummeled by the air fists but he remains standing. "RAAAAH!" His screams cause a shockwave that shields him.
Saido lands on the ground gracefully.
"Wolfshire, stand down." Saido's commanding voice causes Grim'Lok to dash towards him. "A problem with authority huh?"
Grim'Lok approaches fast, swinging his left hand at Saido who weaves. Grim'Lok is fully turned around, exposed. Saido wastes no time getting into a karate stance.
"SECRET!" As he says the first word a Symbol starts glowing through Grim'Loks clothing.
"SPIRIT" The raging Grim'Lok, unaware of the symbol on his stomach, turns with an unstable chikara ball in his hand. The crackling energy from the ball starts to disrupt Grim'Loks path. A thick green chikara coated Saido's hand as thrusts his hand forward. Grim'Lok doing the same.
"SEAL!" Grim'Lok throws the Chikara ball, but it's too late. Saido's hand had already pierced the seal. The chikara ball rips through Grim'Lok's illusion, destroying it completely and only leaving the misty walkway.
The chikara that once surrounded Grim'Lok shatters like glass as he loses consciousness.
"Take a nap wolfshire." Saido says as he slings Grim'Lok over his shoulder, beginning to walk the path back to the Crescent Exam Hall.