A single corpse, a man's body, took the place of the captives. It was flickering in and out of view like a glitch in the world's grim reality. And then it raised its head and stared directly at him.
"Danto…" The hoarse whisper was a gentle breeze, a sound that should have been comforting but felt like the grave.
…!
The boy, Danto, stumbled back, his hand flying to his tachi's hilt.
The vision vanished as quickly as it came, leaving him alone with the silent, cold reality of the corpses on the floor. He huffed, his breathing heavy, and forced himself to regain his composure.
He clasped his hands together and lowered his head, his voice a soft, prayerful whisper.
"Oh, let their souls not face damnation, for it wasn't yet their time to die. If they have done wrong, then forgive them and accept them into the great afterlife." He slowly opened his eyes, but nothing had changed.
The corpses were still there, silent and cold.
What would you expect to happen?
He thought, a familiar cynicism settling in.
This isn't some fairytale.
A prayer isn't going to turn their bodies into some flower petals.
You should know that better than anyone.
Danto ignored the voice and bowed to the bodies. "Don't worry, the Cabonari will hold proper burials and inform all your relatives."
He stood up and turned to face the man's corpse, his headless body on the floor. "That should round up my patrol…"
He muttered. "But who would've ever guessed… that I'd run into a Beast Art User during my first week…"
He stared at the headless corpse. Surprisingly, the bleeding had stopped, the neck wound a dark, coagulated mess.
"That's weird…" The boy said to himself.
What was it again… about Beast Art Users.
He gently hit his head, trying to remember the lessons he'd once dismissed as useless.
***
The memory flickered to life, grainy and distorted. A long-haired man with a sparse beard sat in front of him in an empty classroom.
"You see… Beast Art Users are vile people who give up their humanity in pursuit of power." A long-haired man said, his expression as gloomy as the lesson.
The younger Danto slightly raised his head, his hands clasped, his face giving away his fatigue.
Not from the lesson.
But from something else entirely.
Noticing this, the long-haired man paused. "Am I… boring you?" He stared directly at Danto.
"Pfft. No." Danto rudely said.
"Then what is it?" The man's voice sharpened, the evening light reflecting off his medicated glasses.
Danto lowered his head, but frustration filled him. He scoffed and nodded his head.
"It's just that why am I here learning about beast users when I can be learning how to fight!" He blasted out.
The older man just kept quiet.
"I mean, how would any of this be useful to me… To help me and find that man…" His voice flared.
"To make him pay for what he did!" His voice broke a bit as he spoke, the pain a physical thing.
The older man just sighed and nodded his head in disappointment, then stood and walked towards the young boy with an indifferent look.
And then---
SLAP!
His hand slid right off Danto's face. Danto almost fell down from the force.
"I know you're a kid…" The older man spat.
"But even kids aren't this stupid. Trying to throw your life when you've learned absolutely nothing?"
"Fine. I won't stop you." A subtle anger filled his pupils.
"Let's see how you'll fare out there against the other art users and the wildlings." He said, turning his back to sit on his wooden chair.
Danto faced the other direction, gently massaging his cheek, which felt as red as a tomato.
"That's what I thought…" The man sneered.
He glared at the boy for a minute before giving an exasperated sigh.
"Now back to what I was saying about beast users…" He began.
"They forsake their humanity to gain power by taking what's been now called the blood oath."
"They then become vile creatures with a more primal kind of strength…" The man's voice slowly faded, blending with the fog of Danto's past.
***
Back in the present, Danto slowly touched the area on his cheek where he was slapped, feeling a sort of phantom pain.
Hm… I actually did need it. He tightened his fist and gave a short smirk, a flicker of appreciation for the brutal lesson.
"What did he even say after that…" h
He said to himself, trying to remember.
"Oh yeah. That beast art users have enhanced strength… speed and uhh…"
!
His mind clicked and his eyes immediately darted to the man's motionless corpse on the ground.
A wave of relief washed over him for a moment as the man's eyes remained still.
But it was cut too short.
The man's eyes began to twitch. Danto's hand was a blur, unsheathing his blade. But it was already too late. What he saw had already confirmed his memory.
"...and regeneration."
A grotesque, spinal-like extension erupted from below the severed head, burrowing into the beheaded body, which immediately stood back up.
The head rearticulated with the rest of the body. The deep wounds from the slash were covered in new, fast-growing tissue. In a matter of seconds, everything healed as if nothing had ever happened. Only the tattered clothing and the blood on the floor proved it had.
Danto just stared at the man, his first-hand experience with the impossible. He shouldn't have been surprised, but it was one thing to hear about it and another to see it with your own eyes.
He couldn't help but gulp. Then he remembered Cabonari Survival 101.
Protect the body first and foremost.
He thought, a new wave of fear washing over him.
Bushi Arts Number One (1).
Loyal Swarm!
He said within his mind.
A faint, colorless aura emitted from his body, forming a thin, protective layer over his clothes.
"...Now…" The man groaned, his neck creaking as he stretched it.
"Seems that I actually don't regret it… Being a Beast Art User is freaking awesome!" He grinned, a monstrous expression that was both horrifying and gleeful.
His body was already poised for attack, and Danto was in full alert mode, his mind a mix of tactical focus and raw terror.
—The End of Chapter 3—