Chapter 10 – The Moonborne Oath
The scent of ash still lingered in the wind.
Old Master Hanzo sat cross-legged beside the central hearth of the dojo, a steaming cup of bitter root tea resting in his gnarled hands. Though the fire before him crackled low, his thoughts were elsewhere—eyes distant, lost in memory and old prayers.
He did not need to turn his head to feel it.
The ground whispered first. A change in pressure. A presence born not of weight, but of intent.
The boy had returned.
"Asura," Hanzo murmured, the name like a reverent sigh. "Or… shall I say, Patriarch Asura Tsuyoi."
Asura entered in silence, cloak shifting like shadow. His face was unreadable, though the fire in his gaze had not dimmed. Battle clung to him still—not in dried blood, but in presence. In gravity.
He looked around the room, noting the unchanged layout. The silence. The stillness that followed death. Then his eyes found the old man's.
"I've returned," Asura said simply.
Hanzo gave a deep, respectful bow from his seated posture. "And the heavens tremble for it. The Tsuyoi name has waited long for a bearer strong enough to carry its weight."
"Such formalities are unnecessary."
Old Hanzo rose slowly, his knees groaning in protest. But his back was straight, and there was reverence in his stance. He bowed deeply, forehead nearly to the floorboards.
"No," Hanzo replied quietly, straightening. "But you came back. When no one else ever did."
Hanzo's gaze turned toward the small ceremonial chest near the hearth.
"I have something that belongs to the former Tsuyoi Patriarch," he said. "And now… it belongs to you."
He knelt once more, opened the chest, and removed a small, obsidian tablet engraved with curving sigils—ancient runes that shimmered faintly with silver dust. At its center was the crescent seal of the clan: the moon cradled in twin blades.
Asura stepped closer, hesitating for the first time in this new life.
"It's not a title you earn," Hanzo murmured. "It's one you carry… and make worthy again. No ceremony. No grand procession. Only this," Hanzo said. "A name, long buried… and a path only you can choose to walk."
Asura stepped closer, eyeing the token. "And what does this path demand?"
Hanzo met his gaze. "That you take the name Tsuyoi. That you lead. That you bear our curse… and break it."
A silence settled between them.
Then Asura drew a small cut across his palm, letting the blood spill freely over the crest of the token.
At first, there was only stillness.
Then—
The dojo darkened as silver mist poured in from the windows, and the air itself seemed to breathe. The blood on the token was absorbed into the carving. Runes flared to life—lunar glyphs glowing with ancient power.
[System Notification – Unique Title Acquired: Patriarch of the Tsuyoi Clan]
[New Identity Registered: Asura Tsuyoi]
[Clan Feature Unlocked: Moonborn Legacy]
[Passive Bonus Gained: All followers of the Tsuyoi Clan now gain +5% to attributes during nighttime or under moonlight. All loyalty and morale increased when fighting beside their Patriarch.]
Hanzo watched, lips trembling—not with fear, but awe. "The blessing… it answered. You are not only heir. You are the Moon's chosen knight."
Asura clenched the token, and from the shadows of the dojo, a faint pulse echoed outward—carrying power, memory, and a call only those of the Tsuyoi bloodline could hear.
A new age had begun.
[Divine Blessing Detected – Embrace of the Umbral Queen Resonating with Moonline Legacy…]
[Effect Triggered: "Lunar Awakening"]
All across the dojo, hidden seals and carvings flickered to life. Old Hanzo gasped, clutching at his chest as an old warmth flooded through him.
[Tsuyoi Clan Resonance: +1 Tier to All Techniques | Lunar Essence Restored to Disciples of the Moon]
The old man steadied himself on the steps, breath caught in awe. "I… I never thought I'd see it. The Moon accepts you. We are no longer castaways."
He turned toward the inner hall.
"Come, Patriarch. The sanctum is yours to enter."
Beneath the dojo, a sealed corridor had been untouched for decades. The old man led the way, fingers brushing a faded mural depicting two divine figures: the Lunar Goddess bathed in silver light, her gaze serene and eternal, and the Night Goddess cloaked in shadows, her eyes filled with quiet vigilance. Between them, twin moons hovered in eclipse, a symbol of their entwined dominion. A soft click echoed as he pressed a sequence into the wall.
The stone parted.
Inside, the sanctum pulsed with low lunar light. Shelves lined with scrolls and relics stood untouched by time. At the far end sat a pedestal with a single item resting upon it: a silver chain, delicate and ancient.
The necklace shimmered with potential, its center hollow—waiting for something.
[Item Obtained: Lunar Reliquary (Moonjade Vessel)] Description: A divine receptacle forged by the first Moon Scribe. Capable of holding the shattered fragments of the Moon Goddess's jade. Only a Patriarch may bear it.]
Next to it, a scroll lay sealed in wax shaped like a crescent blade.
Asura reached for both items.
And the light in the sanctum deepened.
[Clan Feature Unlocked: May share skills with loyal disciples through Moon Pact Rituals. Shared techniques scale based on Patriarch's bond.]
As his hand brushed the ancient scroll, something stirred—within the paper, within the blood, within him.
[Hidden Sword Technique Unlocked – Eclipse Fang]
Description: A sacred Tsuyoi art passed down only to those acknowledged by both Moon and Night. A sweeping horizontal slash that summons a crescent arc of lunar-shadow energy. Inflicts heavy damage and applies Moonshade:
-10% to enemy resistances for 10 seconds
Blinds enemies for 3 seconds under moonlight
Cooldown: 12 seconds
Scaling: Strength + Intelligence
"Strike once, and let night devour the day."
The scroll disintegrated into particles of pale silver and deep shadow, imprinting its technique deep into Asura's soul.
The old man looked up sharply. "That technique… not even I was entrusted with it. The Moon has chosen a true heir."
The old man lowered his head one final time.
"The legacy is yours now. Lead us beyond the shadows."
Asura closed his fingers around the necklace.
And the Tsuyoi Clan truly rose again.
Asura held the silver chain in his palm, its center hollow, as if longing for completion. With his other hand, he withdrew the Moon Jade fragment—gleaming softly like crystallized moonlight wrapped in shadow. The shard pulsed in response, as if it recognized the vessel before it.
He pressed the piece into the hollow core of the necklace.
The reaction was immediate.
[Moonjade Fragment Detected-Compatibility: Confirmed]
A thin chime echoed through the sanctum—high and clear, like a bell heard from a distant temple beneath a full moon. Lunar sigils spiraled outward from the necklace, illuminating the room in a dance of silver and indigo light. A rush of warmth surged up Asura's arm and into his chest, intertwining with his core.
The relic had accepted its host.
[Moon Reliquary Activated – Fragment I Slotted]
Passive Bonus Unlocked: Lunar Affinity – All moon-based skills gain +5% effectiveness.
Hidden Function: Future fragments may awaken dormant blessings or bestow divine memories.
Asura's gaze hardened with clarity. He wasn't just collecting pieces of a divine artifact—he was rebuilding a soul, stitching together the echoes of a broken goddess.
The old man behind him stepped forward, his voice reverent. "You've done it… That necklace once belonged to our founder. When she bore the burden of the Moon's sorrow. They say even with all five fragments, the jade cannot be made whole by strength alone."
Asura looked over his shoulder. "Then what does it take?"
The old man hesitated. "A light untouched by shadow. In ages past, only the daughter of Luna, the Moon Goddess, could cleanse the jade. Her blood held the purest mana—unspoiled, divine."
Asura's brow furrowed. A memory flickered—Minami's laughter under moonlight, her aura always unnaturally bright, even before the world changed. She had always been special.
"Then I'll pass it on to her," he said softly, almost to himself. "And she'll finish what fate began."
The old man blinked. "You… know her?"
"I do," Asura said. "Her name is Lunaria."
The mural on the wall flickered again—the eclipse between the goddesses pulsing, as if reacting to her name.
He fastened the chain around his neck. It settled just over his heart, cool against his skin, pulsing gently with celestial rhythm.
"One piece down," he muttered, eyes narrowing with purpose. "Four remain."
And somewhere, far beyond the veil of mortal perception, a divine presence stirred—watching, waiting, remembering.