Darkness surrounded Eiji; he couldn't see or hear anything around him. Even the ground beneath his feet felt like it had gone missing. His psyche was gripped with fear, unlike the last floor he had fallen through, this one felt like it had led somewhere otherworldly. The only thing Eiji could discern was a sense of warmth. It wasn't like a warm breeze or a warm bath; the warmth he could sense almost felt like it permeated his entire body, and despite his confusing and disorienting conditions, the sensation of warmth almost felt… comforting. Time started to distort. Unable to keep his thoughts straight, Eiji wasn't sure if he had been in this void for five minutes or five hours. The space around him started to feel heavy and warmer as time passed. When suddenly, out of the darkness, Eiji could finally see something in the distance. It came from below, almost like he had been falling towards something this entire time that was just now coming into sight. The pale blue dot of light from below slowly got closer and closer until he could start to discern what he was seeing, and Eiji couldn't believe his eyes. "What am I looking at?!" His mind panicked. "Is… Is that the… Planet?! How?? What the hell is happening?" His mind raced until the image of the world had finally stopped moving closer. The Planet rotated slowly beneath his feet, inching along as the clouds stirred below him.
"That's… that's Kamikochi… how did I end up here…" Eiji thought as he loomed above the Island nation he had called home. For a moment, it was peaceful, almost serene; watching the world from this high above, but that peace only lasted for a moment. Once again, Eiji could see something approaching him from below, this time much faster than before. Eiji only saw a glimmer of light before he was surrounded by a mysterious force. From the surface of the planet, a massive torrent of energy had shot up and enveloped Eiji, swallowing him completely in an instant. Eiji was overwhelmed; his body felt like it was on fire, like his entire nervous system had been cut into pieces all at once. He screamed in silence, the sound of his voice muted by the swell of chaos around him. "What is this?!" Eiji thought frantically, barely able to keep himself conscious throughout the assault. He struggled to even move his head, trying to look back down at his body and the planet. To his amazement, what felt like a hellfire was doing nothing to his body, his hands and legs looked completely unharmed, even though it felt like his skin and flesh had been torn away. Nonetheless, the pain was unbearable. Eiji knew he likely had less than a minute before it pushed him over the edge. "What's going on? How am I supposed to do anything!?" his thoughts felt heavy at this point, even trying to think was taxing. He was quickly starting to fade. "I can't keep this up… There's nothing I can do… I'm blacking out now…" And then, much to Eiji's surprise the entire ordeal was over just as quickly as it had begun. Eiji blinked and tried to open his eyes. His mind was still foggy after being pushed to the edge and his body was still wracked with pain and confusion. Squinting, he tried to regain his focus and stay awake. He could still see the shape of the planet floating down below him. "I'm still up here… Is it not over?" Eiji's head fell backwards. He had lost the strength to hold it up, but what he saw quickly brought his mind back to life.
Eiji peered out into the depths of the cosmos that surrounded the planet and he could see it all. All the universe in its splendor and wonder was laid out before his eyes and all of it was connected by an endless web. He stared for a moment in awe. The sight almost made him forget about the pain coursing through his body before he looked back towards the planet to see a strand of the ethereal cosmic web cradling the planet and spreading back out. Like the torrent that had encompassed him before, the strands rushed and swelled with energy as they threaded the universe together. It was then that Eiji realized he could do more than just see what was before him. "I… I can feel it!" He realized with astonishment. Eiji was in complete awe. "I can see it all! I can feel it all! This… This is Ki!" Eiji had realized what he was looking at, "I can feel it! I can see it! I can see the Ki!" he said as he began to rejoice. For years he had dreamed of feeling the sensation course through his body and now that it had happened it was like a weight had been pulled from his shoulders. Eiji had forgotten for a moment that he was still floating above the planet in his excitement. With the sensation he was feeling and the sight before him, he realized it could only mean one thing… "My eyes are open!"
Still exhausted from the surge of energy he had endured, he looked down and could both see and feel the Ki pouring out from his own body, reaching out and trying to connect to the web of Ki that spanned the cosmos like a vine searching for a place to anchor. As his own Ki reached out and made its connection, Eiji felt another rush of sensation throughout his body. This time entirely void of pain. Eiji felt almost euphoric as the splendor of the universe filled his mind, it was like a rush of information that had all been conveyed through the sensation of Ki. The warmth he had felt at the beginning of his ordeal felt like it had more than permeated his body. It felt like his very soul had become part of something infinitely large. Eiji watched as the Ki from within himself and the Ki of the universe melded and exchanged with each other until he couldn't tell one from the other. As it began to subside, the sight of the Ki that flowed from his body and spanned the universe began to fade, but while it may have disappeared in sight, Eiji could still feel the sensation of his new awakening. He was now left in silence as he floated above the world. Gone was all the pain he had felt previously, and in its place was a new deepseated feeling of connection and splendor… but at the same time he could also feel something else… a feeling like he was being watched by something he couldn't explain. Something that felt nostalgic and foreboding all at the same time. Eiji's eyes scanned space and the stars, even though it was almost unimaginable that he wasn't alone, he was more sure than he had ever been that something, somewhere had its eyes on him. As his eyes moved across the cosmos, he couldn't help but notice one patch in the cosmic landscape that stood completely dark. No stars or lights emerged from the black patch of sky, making it seem almost out of place amongst the decorated canvas of galaxies. "That's where it's coming from… This feeling like… No, this knowledge that something is watching me." Before Eiji could think about it any further, he realized it was all falling away. The planet was getting smaller, and smaller beneath his feet and the stars and space began to dim in the background until he could barely see them, eventually disappearing altogether. "Am I going back… or am I dying?" Eiji couldn't help but think to himself after the strange and miraculous experience he had just gone through. Slowly, he was surrounded by the familiarity of darkness, once again unable to hear or see anything at all. He lost his sense of time once more, unsure of how long he had been floating in the darkness. "Maybe I'm already dead…" he said to himself as he waited for this ordeal to end one way or the other. "Eiji!" a voice suddenly rang out in the darkness, "Eiji, wake up!" it shouted again. "I know that voice…" Eiji thought to himself, "That's…."
"Headmaster, what are your orders?!" Yelled the voice of a Sentoki squad captain as he and several other squads broke through the treeline to see Hiro and Gado standing at the base of the plateau. "Surround the area! Nobody goes in or out of these ruins unless I say so!" Hiro barked. It had only been a few short minutes since the strange and violent display had ended and Sentoki across the area began to gather in response. Confusion ran through the ranks as they formed a perimeter around the massive shard of land that jutted from the earth and encased the ruins. "Hiro, we need to get inside! Eiji could be in there!" Gado shouted as he grabbed his brother by the collar, ready to launch himself from the ground in an attempt to get inside sooner, only to be interrupted by the sudden emergence of a black cloaked figure. The strange visitor had seemingly appeared out of thin air in between Himself and Hiro with a faint glow of yellow-hued Ki surrounding his body. "Sir, reports say a young man entered the ruins just moments before you arrived, a young man with red and blue eyes," Said the mysterious figure. "Ren!" Hiro shouted. "Rei!" Gado shouted at the same time as the two of them summoned their Ki and effortlessly shot into the air above. Only a second later the feet of the monstrous men had landed atop the plateau, ready to charge into the ruins and fearing the worst, but before they could enter. The outline of a figure emerged from the shadows of the entrance. Out of the stone archway that led down into the underground temple emerged Ren, his face red and swollen and his eyes bloodshot and strained as he stepped out, into the light carrying Eiji's limp and lifeless body in his arms.
"What happened?!" Gado cried as he rushed forward toward the clearly shaken Ren. "I… I don't know… I just found him like this…" Ren managed to whisper as Gado dropped to his knees and scooped Eiji's body from his arms while Hiro rushed in behind him. "Hiro! He's not moving," Gado cried, his voice cracking as tears began to blur his vision. Without saying a word Hiro stepped around his brother and reached in, putting his fingers to Eiji's neck. "Both of you need to keep your heads clear. He has a pulse." Hiro stated in an almost cold and unnerving fashion. "Sorad." Hiro said, seemingly calling to the open air as if he was addressing someone. "Yes Headmaster?" Answered a voice from the shadows as the same cloaked figure who had appeared before, manifested once again. "Fetch Sumiko Harabani immediately and explain the situation, have her meet me at my Brother's house. Go." Hiro commanded the shadowy figure who once again vanished as quickly as they had arrived. "Gado, Get Eiji to the house as fast as you can and meet Sumiko, I'll be just behind you after I direct the squads." Hiro said to his brother, his command as headmaster was unwavering despite the situation and how deeply he worried about his nephew. Gado, who was still on the edge of panic, quickly wiped his face and stood up with his son in his arms. His brother's momentary strength had sparked a flame of hope and hardened his resolve. "Hurry up behind me," Gado said as the glow of his deep blue Ki began to form underneath his feet and in an instant he was gone from the precipice of the plateau with only a faint blue glow left behind in the direction he had taken off in.
"I told you two to stay at the house!" Gado yelled as he caught sight of Kyuen and Hikari on the path ahead of him. "What happened?!" Kyuen yelled back as he swiftly approached, wondering why he was still in such a rush but now running away from the strange event that had occurred. "Kyuen… look in his arms," Hikari said with a breathless gasp as she covered her mouth with her hands. "No Time! Follow me back to the house!" Gado belted as he rushed past them. For just a second Kyuen caught sight of his face and noticed Gado's wet cheeks and bloodshot eyes. Without hesitation she grabbed Hikari by the wrist and followed in pursuit as fast as she could, her heart beating harder than it had in years. "Eiji… please be okay," Kyuen thought to herself as she swallowed hard and ran as fast as she could.
Gado had quickly reached the house and to his surprise, Sumiko, a petite and delicate blonde woman, was already waiting for him on the porch. She greeted him immediately as Gado arrived with Eiji in his arms. Sumiko; another close friend of the Umitasora family, was in fact the twin sister of Fumiko Harabani, but unlike Fumiko, Sumiko was a Shishogan user, and a highly specialized medical one at that. "Get him into a bed. I need him isolated from your Ki," Sumiko said promptly as the two of them rushed inside the house and brought Eiji up to his room. Eiji lay motionless in his bed, his breathing now shallow and sharp. With her hands laid out over Eiji, Sumiko quickly began her inspection. Her golden-yellowish Ki began to flow out from her hands downwards towards Eiji, enveloping his entire body as he lay in the bed. As Sumiko's evaluation began, the sound of the rest of the family clamoring into the house came from below. "Where's Eiji? Is he okay?" rang the voices of Kyuen and Hikari as they rushed up the stairs and towards his room, only to be greeted by Gado immediately hushing them to keep quiet. " Hey, hey calm down." Gado said as he placed a hand on each of their shoulders as they stood in the hall. " She just began so we… we don't know anything yet…we just need to be patient," Gado said solemnly as he looked over his shoulder at Sumiko, the glow of her ki radiating out from the room. The three of them were staring at Eiji's body laid out on the bed as the weight of the situation set in on them all. A few moments later Hiro made his way into the room with Ren in tow as well, and together the five of them quietly and somberly watched as Sumiko's Ki swirled around Eiji's form. Each of them hoping for some relief from their nightmare.
"I've never understood how this works, Shishogan medical work, I mean," Hikari said to the room while standing in the doorway of her brother's bedroom, breaking the silence that had taken over since they had arrived. Hiro looked back at his niece with a surprised expression. "It's different from us. Unlike me and your father who possess the Nikugan, or you and Kyuen who possess the Gensogan, Medical Sentoki must possess the Shishogan. To put it bluntly, The Nikugan and the Gensogan use Ki as a power source, But the Shishogan uses and interacts with Ki directly, making it able to heal the body… You should have a bit of a better understanding of this before you graduate." Hiro said somewhat playfully, trying to lighten the mood. Hikari looked confused at her uncle's explanation, "So you're telling me she's… Inside his body? That's kinda creepy…" Hikari said as she thought back on all the times she had visited the medical office and shuttered. " But wait! I thought a Sentoki doctor could only work on people who have already opened their eyes? right?" Hikari said, still unsure of what exactly was going on. Everyone in the room turned, looking at her in silence before they turned their gaze to Eiji. Sumiko's voice broke the silence, "It seems that whatever happened to Eiji in those ruins did just that… his eyes are open now, But I suspect you already knew that Hiro… that's why you called me to look over him first, correct?" She asked him with a sense of curiosity in her voice. "It was just a hunch…" Hiro replied quietly, his eyes fixated on his nephew as the rest of the room stood around in awe of the bittersweet moment that Eiji had waited so long for, but had come at such a cost.
It took a grueling two hours for Sumiko to finish her exam of Eiji's unconscious body, the entire room sitting in silent anticipation almost the whole time. Eventually her hands had finally stopped glowing with Ki as it retracted from Eiji's body and back to her own. "It's his Ki system," she said in a flat uncomforting tone. "Similar to the body's nervous system, we have a system in our bodies that carries and distributes our Ki. Normally this system grows and strengthens over time once an individual opens their eyes and awakens their Mesukiro but with Eiji… well frankly I've never seen anything like this… It appears as if his entire Ki system has been shocked and forcibly opened. If I'm being honest I can't say for sure what this means for him in the long run but for now… his life shouldn't be in danger," She finished saying with a smile that tried to comfort the rest of the room. A wave of relief washed over everybody as sumiko announced that Eiji's life didn't seem to be at risk for the time being. "When will he wake up?!" Hikari asked as the concern returned to her voice. Sumiko began to gather her things as she continued, "His body is in shock, yet surprisingly he doesn't have any other injuries at all… but the Ki system attaches to every part of the body. Forcing it open like this would leave anyone knocked out for at least two of three days... The pain must have been excruciating as well…" She replied to Hikari as she looked down at her motionless patient, trying to imagine the searing agony he must have endured, but nobody in the room was happy with that answer. "I need to head back to the hospital library and look for anything similar to this in the medical records before I proceed… Stay by his side," Sumiko said before seeming to step closer in toward Kyuen and whisper something the rest of the room failed to hear, only to then quickly let herself out. Abruptly leaving the family behind as they surrounded Eiji's bedside.
"I'll be staying here for a while if you all don't mind" The young friend who had discovered Eiji after the Ki storm said to Gado. "Of course Ren… or Rei? Which is it right now? Sorry, I can't tell like Eiji can," Gado replied with confusion. "It's Ren right now," The young man replied. "Wait so does Rei know what's going on right now?" Hikari chimed in from across the room. "Yeah he knows, he can see and hear everything I do." The young man in question was actually Ren or Rei depending on when you asked. The truth was they were in fact two people in one body. They were something of a medical marvel, two fully conscious minds inside of one body, entirely able to change which one of them was in control at will. Yet despite their oddity of an existence, Ren and Rei had been friends with Eiji for as long as either one of them could remember. "Hmm," Hikari replied, she and the rest of the family of course knew of Ren's condition but she had never asked about how it really worked. "You're more than welcome to stay with us Ren. Eiji would want you to be here, I'm sure," Gado told him. "I have a few sleeping bags in my closet," Hikari added as she ran off into the next room before coming back with a number of sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets, and tossing them into the middle of the floor. "Yeah, I'll be staying the night again too," Kyuen added as she started to make herself a spot to sleep for the night. "I have something I need to check on," Hiro said cryptically, "and I need to have someone block off the ruins and start an investigation, I'll be back later to check on how he's doing." Hiro said before walking over to Gado, balling his fist and gently tapping him in the chest as he left the room and headed back towards the ominous ruins, leaving his Brother, Kyuen, Hikari, and Ren to watch over Eiji as he slept.
The family had been sitting by Eiji's bed for the better part of the entire day now, and the hours began to creep later into the evening as exhaustion took over them. "We'll sleep in here Gado," Kyuen said, gesturing to Hikari and Ren. "You should head off to your bed, it'll be way too crowded if we all try to sleep in Eiji's room." "I guess you're right," Gado replied reluctantly as he bent down next to Eiji and gently grabbed his son's hand. "It's gonna be okay Eiji, we'll get you fixed up and back to normal right away… I-I'm sorry I let this happen," he said tearily to his unconscious son before quietly picking himself up and heading down the hall to his own room. leaving his door open to try and feel as close as possible to the rest of the family and Ren. Kyuen turned to Hikari, who was sitting on the floor, not trying to hold back her tears in the slightest. Kyuen grabbed the sleeping bags and rolled them out across the floor for Hikari and Ren. "No more tears for tonight you two, the doctor said he's gonna be alright," she said as she knelt down and hugged them both. "Let's all get some rest and take it one day at a time from here." Kyuen added. Hikari moved her sleeping bag closer to Eiji's bed, taking his hand as she lay down. Ren laid out at the foot of Eiji's bed with his sleeping bag for the night. Kyuen turned off the light, and the three of them slowly drifted off to sleep, Hikari never letting go of her brother's hand as she dreamt.