It was early in the morning, roughly 8 am based on the sun's direction. That was the time when Yamikuro woke up after a restless night. It was easy to close his eyes at first, but falling asleep was the hard part.
He felt way easier in the morning than he did last night; he could have almost fallen asleep again, but Urashin was gone.
Yamikuro pushed himself up from the futon, his hair a complete mess and his eyes drooping. With a swipe to clear the saliva on the edge of his mouth, Yamikuro stretched.
Despite it being a bright morning, a hint of grayness haunted his vision.
There was a wide window casting sunlight into the room, one which Yamikuro poked his head out of.
However, it didn't take long for him to see Urashin breathe in smoke and blow it into the chilly morning air.
Urashin repeated that action until there was barely anything left of his cigarette, which he dropped to the ground. The forest was considered to be sacred, but Urashin had no respect for the property of this motel.
Urashin's hands fidgeted, thinking about smoking another cigarette. But once he felt someone stare at him from behind, he lowered his arms and turned around.
"So you've finally woken up, Yamikuro," Urashin said in a loud enough voice for Yamikuro to hear it.
Yamikuro's grip tightened against the bottom of the window his hands held onto.
"Morning." He greeted Urashin.
Urashin gave him a nod and walked over the slightly wet grass that seemed freshly mowed. His steps were heavy, yet calculated.
He never stepped onto any life beneath him, be it a snail, a worm, a grasshopper; he stepped past them as if he could pinpoint their location.
Yamikuro dressed up once he didn't see Urashin, whom he assumed was walking to the room. He put on his black pants from the funeral, but left the black jacket hanging on the coat hanger.
When the door lock clicked, and Urashin pushed open the door with a screech, Yamikuro had already gotten himself ready.
Urashin noticed that and almost smiled, but he still had business to take care of with Yamikuro.
"Let's go downstairs, there's something we need to discuss. I'll pay for breakfast."
Yamikuro wanted to deny out of politeness, but his stomach crawled just as he was about to open his mouth.
"...Fine." Yamikuro had no choice but to accept.
The saloon was quiet; the drinkers from last night were still asleep. A few bypassers, most likely going to the capital, peacefully ate their breakfast.
Yamikuro sat at a seat next to the window, near the entrance door. According to Urashin, that was the furthest point from everyone in there.
The same bartender stood before the counter, his attitude being as it was yesterday. Yamikuro rested his head on his arm, which he supported with the table.
He couldn't believe just how fast his life had changed, and it only kicked in just now.
Not too long ago, he attended classes, hung out with his friends, and asked Kazuhiko to help him with exams. Now he was never going to experience those things again, not after this mission.
The thought of it wanted to make Yamikuro tear up, but he held it together, wiping his eyes with his other hand.
Without Yamikuro noticing, Urashin sat on the opposite side of the table, placing a cup of steaming coffee and a glass of cold orange juice on it.
"You okay?"
Yamikuro looked down at the ground, nodding.
"Yeah."
Yamikuro obviously wasn't fine, but Urashin didn't poke him any further. He took a sip of his bitter coffee, with no milk and just a spoonful of sugar.
"I ordered you orange juice, as for the food, it'll take some time."
Yamikuro looked up at Urashin again, pulling back the snot in his nose with a quick breath in.
"Thanks."
Yamikuro held onto the cool glass, trying to understand his thoughts.
"...So what are we going to do?" Yamikuro asked after calming himself.
Urashin took another sip of the coffee before answering.
"I guess the first step would be to explain how our powers work, assuming you didn't learn about it in the capital."
Yamikuro hesitantly shook his head; he knew about Ascensions and powers everyone had, but nothing else.
"I suppose the first thing you need to know is that through everyone, be it a Resonant or Graceless, has what's called Kishin."
"Kishin?" Yamikuro repeated.
"Without it, or even by running out of it, a person would be dead. It's what keeps our heart beating."
Before Urashin was able to continue explaining, the man from behind the counter placed a plate on their table.
He didn't say a word, not like he could've, considering that'd be interrupting Urashin, and he didn't want to start any trouble.
On the plate were a few pancakes stacked on top of each other with jam sliding down them onto the poorly placed vanilla ice cream.
Yamikuro grabbed the fork and the knife, finally letting go of the glass, and dug into it.
After Yamikuro took his first bite, Urashin continued.
"With Kishin, you can specialize in a variety of so-called paths: Shintai, Seikodo, Naiko, Kensei. Each carries importance in every fight; knowing how to utilize all of those gives you a huge advantage over your enemy."
Yamikuro could barely memorize the name Kishin before being told four different names on top of that.
'Kishin is the source that keeps me alive, was it?' Yamikuro thought to himself.
"What were the other four?" Yamikuro asked aloud this time, relying on Urashin as his actual teacher.
Urashin let out a sigh. Even though he had expected Yamikuro to be confused, it wasn't like he understood it immediately either. But he had to try to make Yamikuro seem like he had to keep up in order to make the theoretical stuff quick, considering the time crunch they were on.
"Shintai is where your physical attacks lie, your kicks, punches, dodges, even the more technical stuff; altogether they're categorized as Shintai."
"Naiko is your internalized power, one that helps you thicken your skin, tank attacks, even helps with healing wounds quicker, but that isn't a thing we Resonants specialize in."
"Kensei is your main power, one that reflects your heart and separates every Resonant. No person can have the same exact power, even if they grow up in the same conditions."
"And finally, there's Seikodo, the externalized power, with which you can shoot projectiles, create shields, or blasts. It's one where you leak the most and have an inhumane amount of it."
Yamikuro froze for a second. He had an inhumane amount of Seikodo?
Back when Yamikuro first went to the dorms, Rye mentioned something.
"You have no control over your powers."
Was that what he meant? That Yamikuro had no control over his Seikodo, that would also explain how he was so easily found.
But before Yamikuro could ask how to control it, the entrance door was kicked open.
In stepped a group, the man in front dragging a body across the floor. Urashin had noticed their shadows lurking outside long before they barged in.
"Is this what you wanted?" The man in front threw the body towards the counter, his ugly laugh filling the quiet saloon.
Urashin turned his head to see bounty hunters behind him.
"Well? Where's our promised money?" The man stepped to the counter with his heavy steps that made the strong boards creak.
The man behind the counter threw a small bag on the counter, not saying a word.
"That's it? That's half of what you promised!" The man threw the bag at the wall.
"This is all I have, so deal with it."
The situation was about to escalate when Urashin thought of a perfect way to show the power system in use.
"Yamikuro, do you remember what I told you about Seikodo?"
Yamikuro nodded lightly, unsure why Urashin would ask him that now.
"Watch closely."
Without any noise or a visible attack, the hands of all eight men in the saloon slowly glided down their arms, cut perfectly straight.
They didn't notice that immediately, nor did their bodies, before the hands dropped to the ground. Just then, blood started gushing, and their laughs turned into screams of horror.
The men rushed outside, trying to seek help they wouldn't have gotten from the saloon they raided. Their hurried steps lead them down the slope to the village.
Yamikuro had to press his hand to his stomach to keep from throwing up, and yet, deep inside, he wanted to learn how to do that.
"What was that just now?" Yamikuro seemed completely awake at that moment.
"Seikodo. It's just one of many ways to externalize your Kishin, and without proper Naiko control, you can't defend yourself from unexpected attacks like these."
Urashin didn't do it to save anyone or out of the kindness of his heart; he had just found a perfect way to showcase Seikodo.
And that gathered the attention of a woman sitting in the back of the diner, inspecting Urashin and Yamikuro.
She got up, pushing the chair back in its place, and made her way to them.
"Well, if it isn't Urashin Kari." The woman sounded almost flirty, and caught Yamikuro off guard, making him turn around.
Urashin's look turned colder as his eyes closed in.
"Algeda."
Algeda had an off-putting smile on her face, as she grabbed Yamikuro's cheeks with her long and thin fingers.
"So you found a new pupil, after everything that happened?"
Yamikuro tried to nudge his head away from her, but Urashin stood up, screeching coming from the chair he pushed away.
"Leave him alone."
Algeda let go of Yamikuro, still smiling and looking at Urashin in the eyes.
"I want us to settle things we couldn't before you left our guild so abruptly. Ohh, it almost broke my heart, what a sad day it was without you, Urashin, my dear."
Urashin grabbed the cup from the table and finished it.
"Yamikuro, you'll witness these powers firsthand."
Yamikuro didn't say a word, almost like he had lost the ability to speak. He just spectated and followed orders.
Urashin and Algeda were now about to face off, both from supposedly the same guild, the Dagger Guild.