Five full days had now passed since Eiji had come across the ominous room, deep underground in the ruins of the temple that left him unconscious and stuck in recovery, but on the morning of the fifth day, it was finally time for the Umitasora family to watch Eiji truly open his eyes. "Oh look, here they come now!" Hiro said to the group of people surrounding him as they stood on the beach outside of the Umitasora family Dojo. Walking down from the treeline came Gado, Kyuen, Hikari, and Eiji. All walking in a single file line with Eiji leading the group. "Look at him… he borrowed his father's old school gear," Hiro said as he watched them step onto the sand. Eiji was clad in a solid black close-fitting, long-sleeve uniform, complete with a hood and rugged durable shoes meant for Sentoki sent out on missions. "He looks good," Hiro said to Ren who stood beside him. He had asked Ren to show up earlier than the rest of the family in order to discuss a few things. "He looks serious," Ren replied. "As he should, this will likely be one of the biggest days of his life," said Hiro with a proud smile on his face. The four of them approached the rest of the group waiting at the Dojo as they made their way across the beach. "Well here we all are," Hiro stated as the group joined together. He placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder as he approached, "You look so serious Eiji! I thought you'd be more excited!" Eiji looked up at his uncle. "Did you expect me to act like a child, Uncle Hiro?" he said with confidence. "I may be behind but I'm not naive… as tough as things have been for me up until now, I know things only get harder from here on out… now let's get started," Eiji said as he walked off into the Dojo, the rest of the small crowd filing in behind him.
"Let's not waste any time then!" Hiro exclaimed as he paced around the room, while the rest of them took a seat. Eiji sat in the middle of the floor, as the others took place around the perimeter of the room. "Eiji, you're familiar with Mrs. Sumiko Harabani and Mr. Don Terra, our two leading Shishogan teachers at the school." Said Hiro while the two of them stepped forward, standing in front of Eiji as he sat. Mrs. Harabani, who had originally treated him, was the spitting image of her sister, the only difference being her platinum blonde hair, aside from that the two twins were indistinguishable. The Other teacher, Mr. Don Terra was one of the oldest Sentoki still teaching at Kaika Temple. His posture had been dragged down by gravity in his old age, supporting himself with a feeble cane as his long white beard reached down past his waist. "Mrs. Harabani will be performing your operation today, and even though it's a simple procedure, the oddity of your situation has drawn Mr. Terra here as well," Hiro stated. "Oh, so he's here to observe? Eiji asked, as he waved to Mr Terra, it had been a while since he'd seen him last. "More or less," Hiro responded as he gestured to the two of them to get started with their procedure. Sumiko and her temporary assistant, Don, took a seat on the floor behind Eiji in a kneeling position, and as they did Eiji's heart started to race. Despite all his efforts to harden his resolve, he found himself shaking with anticipation. "Are you ready Eiji?" Hiro asked his nephew. Eiji looked around the room, at the face of his Father. His sister. Kyuen and Ren. All of the teachers Hiro had gathered, the people he respected and so desperately wanted to stand beside as an equal, and then finally back to his Uncle. "I'm ready," He said stoically.
The two Shishogan teachers sitting behind him raised their hands, as their eyes began to glow. Teal from Don and a pale Yellow-gold from Sumiko; the colors of their ki swirled and enveloped Eiji from head to toe. "Do you see that?" Sumiko said to Don, "I've never seen anything like it, the Ki in his mind is entirely separated from the Ki in his body," she continued. "That's so odd!" Mr Terra exclaimed. Eiji winced at the idea his insides were being inspected. "That's so creepy," he thought to himself. "Despite how odd it is, it's an easy fix," Sumiko said as she started waving her hands. One over the other like she was pulling on an invisible rope. Suddenly out of the center of Eiji's back, Sumiko's pale yellow Ki emerged from his body and inside of it another glowing aura colored a bright emerald green swirled and moved about like water in search of a drain. On the sideline of the Dojo Hikari gasped before covering her mouth and shooting a glance at Kyuen, knowing her Ki was green as well and wondering which Mesukiro her brother might awaken. They all sat and watched in awe as the yellow glow of Sumiko's Ki carried Eiji's own Ki up and out of his body. It came out like a cord of rope, inch by inch until it was almost long enough to reach the base of his skull. Eiji clutched his chest, "I can feel it… like something being pulled and stretched out of me," he thought, not being able to see the spectacle behind him. "Okay. This is it," said Sumiko as they all paused for a moment. "Take a deep breath and count to three Eiji," she instructed. Eiji's nostrils flared as he filled his chest with air, "One… two… thr-" His words were cut off by the rush of sensation that flooded his body and mind since she had lied a bit to Eiji and 'ripped the bandage' off early. The glowing yellow Ki shot towards the base of Eiji's skull with the green cord of his own Ki still carried inside. The moment it made contact with Eiji's head, Sumiko's Ki was instantly pushed away in a rush of energy that burst out and swept through the Dojo as it washed over everyone. Eiji's head was thrown back, his entire body now swarmed with the exquisite glow of his bright Green Ki. His eyes flashed the same color, glowing brighter and brighter by the second. "This is it!" Eiji thought, "I can feel it!" All of a sudden his mind flashed, and the memories of what he experienced in the temple underground all came flooding back in a rush of thought and emotion. Being above the entire planet, the torrent of energy that consumed his body, and the unmistakable feeling he was being watched.
Eiji's mind and body reflexively responded to the memories he had recovered. What had started out as a euphoric rush of Ki, quickly became a nightmarish memory of his near-death experience. Eiji's hands flew to his head and clutched it in desperation while his Ki swelled out of control like a raging flame, almost reaching the ceiling of the Dojo. He let out a bloodcurdling scream as he dropped to the floor, the sheer memory of the pain making him writhe in agony. Everybody in the room rushed to his side, only for his continuously swelling Ki to spill out across the Dojo like a wave and violently push them all back against the wall. A second later, a returning wave of Yellow Ki surrounded Eiji as Sumiko tried to keep him under control. The rest of them watched in horror as Eiji continued to suffer. Sumiko closed her eyes, her hands controlling her Ki as it washed over and surrounded him, still lying on the floor. "Shhhhhh, Settle down Eiji it's okay" She spoke as her Ki continued to hug tightly around him. Her voice echoed throughout the Dojo as if coming from everywhere all at once. "Calm your mind Eiji, it's just your memories," She said, her voice continuing to float through the air like a heavy fog. On the sides of the Dojo, a few of the observers had dropped to their knees, specifically Hikari and Ren, the two of them finding it difficult to keep their eyes open as Sumiko spoke. In turn the others in the room had all covered themselves in a blanket of their own Ki. Hikari was the first to catch on, She focused and surrounded herself in a shield of her own glowing White ki and found herself able to stand back up, and Ren caught on shortly after and did the same. In the center of the Dojo, Eiji's Ki slowly began to recede into his body. He had stopped screaming and slowly as he came to his senses, he picked himself up off the floor while his emerald green Ki now hugged tightly around his own body. He stood in the center of the room, not saying a word. His hands still trembling at the memories he had recovered.
"Are you okay Eiji?!" Gado called out desperately from across the room. Sumiko's Ki began to recede as she loosened her grip. Eiji held his hand in front of him, mesmerized by the color of his Ki, "Green..." He said softly as he suddenly remembered he wasn't alone, "I-I'm okay," he said calmly to try and reassure the room. "What the hell just happened?!" yelled Kyuen. "I'm not exactly sure," said Don Terra, who was visibly shaken by Eiji's unexpected reaction. "Sorry everybody," Eiji said, "Uncle Hiro… I… I remember what happened at the ruins now," he said as he turned to face him. "O-Oh, that's great Eiji," Hiro said with surprise. "Are you sure you're okay though?" He asked his nephew with concern. "Yeah, I'm okay," He said distractedly as he continued to stare at his own hands. "We umm… We can discuss the ruins afterwards, if you're sure you're feeling okay. We still have one more step here to complete," Hiro said as he walked over to the center of the Dojo where his nephew stood. Eiji picked his head up and looked at his uncle with confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked. Hiro grabbed Eiji by the shoulders and turned him around to face Sumiko who was still standing behind him.
"Don't overthink this part," Hiro said to Eiji quietly as he leaned in behind his nephew, "It's like flexing a muscle. Just react," he finished saying before taking a few steps back. Eiji knew what was to come. He took a defensive stance and furrowed his brow, standing ready in front of Sumiko. "It's not an attack Eiji," she said with a light-hearted laugh. Making Eiji ease up despite his anticipation, "Just push it back to me," she added before the glow of her Yellow Ki amassed in front of her. Like a cloud of swirling mist, she gently pushed her Ki in Eiji's direction. It drifted across the room slowly meandering its way over toward the center of the Dojo. "It's like flexing a muscle… Just push it back to her," His mind repeated over and over as it approached. "Okay, here it goes," He thought to himself. Eiji closed his eyes and focused as hard as he could, concentrating on the new sensation of Ki he was experiencing. Like a rush of warm water throughout his body he could feel the surge, he couldn't explain it but the feeling felt more than natural, as if he had known how to do so all his life. With a surge of enlightenment he could trace every ounce of Ki as it flowed in and around his body. He put his hands together in front of him as if to push something away, and with a deep breath for the first time, He extended his Ki out past his hands and into the Dojo. Like the breaking of a dam, a swell of Green Ki erupted from his palms, swirling and twisting as it rushed across the room. What was intended to merely push Sumiko's Ki back to her, shot through her docile cloud of Ki like an arrow and aimed for her directly. She reacted immediately, jumping out of the way at the last second as Eiji's Ki crashed into the stone walls behind her. A thunderous sound rang out, as the wall cracked and split, shards of stone hitting the ground and dust filling the air.
"Eiji!" Gado and Hikari called out, "Sumiko!" Kyuen exclaimed alongside them. As the dust cleared Eiji was stuck, frozen in horror that he might have hurt somebody with his unbridled release of Ki. Everybody was staring at him in astonishment. While Sumiko was the first one to speak up after Eiji's astonishing display. "So it's the Shishogan," she said bluntly. "Shishogan..." a few of them muttered in surprise. Sumiko walked up to Eiji, waving her hand across his face and causing a wave of her Yellow Ki to seemingly disperse from his body. "I left some of my Ki attached to you after the operation in order to see how your Ki system would respond." She said to him, turning to look at Hiro right after, "We need to talk outside. now." She said to the Headmaster with urgency. "Everybody wait here, we'll be back in just a second to sort this out," Hiro said as the two of them stepped outside together. "What just happened?" Eiji said, still trembling from his mistake. The glow of his Ki had dissipated and no longer clung around his body, his eyes returning to their normal color as well. Gado and Hikari rushed in to check on him and see if they could figure out what was going on. "Eiji, that was insane, how did you do that?" Hikari asked. "You almost blew a hole right through the wall," she added. "I almost hurt Sumiko..." Eiji said with fear as they looked at the damage he had caused. "No, you didn't," Kyuen said from behind as she approached the three of them. "Sumiko had no chance of being hit by that. Despite you going a little overboard, you're Ki would have to have been moving a lot faster to hit someone like her," Gado added. Eiji let out a sigh of relief. "Still… you shouldn't be able to do something like that right from the jump," said Kyuen as she looked at Eiji suspiciously. Gado reached out and grabbed his son's shoulders as he looked into his eyes, "Are you sure you're okay Eiji? All of this has been a little crazy and I'm worried you're gonna push yourself too hard doing all of this!" Eiji placed one of his hands over his Father's, "I promise, I'm okay Dad," he said as reassuringly as he could. Before Gado could let go of his son's shoulder, something struck Eiji. It was almost as if he could feel what his father was feeling, the emotions pouring into Eiji's mind briefly before Gado pulled away. "That was odd," Eiji thought to himself, as his family all gave him concerned stares.
The Doors to the Dojo opened back up as Hiro and Sumiko walked back inside. "Eiji! Good news and bad news! Which one do you want first?" Hiro exclaimed. "Umm the bad news first I guess," Eiji said trepidatiously. Hiro lowered his gaze and looked at Eiji from under his brow, "Effective immediately Eiji is to be pulled out of school, on top of that I'm giving you an official order as Headmaster that under no circumstances are you to use your Mesukiro again without my permission." Hiro stated somberly. "What?" What do you mean" That's not fair!" "Explain yourself Hiro," everyone shouted over each other in confusion. "Woah, woah, woah! Hiro exclaimed as he waved their concerns out of the air. "At least wait to hear the good news before you jump down my throat!" He added as Eiji walked out from behind his family, approaching his uncle. "What's the good news Uncle Hiro?" He said with a meek voice, his hopes all but shattered with the weight of the bad news he had just been given. "The good news… Is that starting tomorrow you will be training as much as humanly possible with Mrs. Harabani here, and with her, you have my permission to train your Mesukiro from sun up to sun down if you can handle it," Hiro said with a smile. "Sumiko here has agreed to drop all of her classes in order to focus on you Eiji… I'll let her explain why."
Sumiko stepped forward to talk to Eiji. "Eiji, before I stepped outside with Hiro I mentioned that I had left some of my Ki attached to your person when you first used your abilities, and what I found was slightly alarming. It seems as though the process you went through made a fundamental change to your Ki system." she said. Eiji's look changed to one of concern as he listened to her speak. "I don't know what that means," he said in confusion. Sumiko continued to explain, "There was little text on all of this, so I expected something unplanned to occur, it was part of the reason I came along today. What we thought was a temporary inflammation of Eiji's Ki network was actually a restructuring. While my Ki was attached to Eiji and he first used his Shishogan, I could see what was going on with his Ki network, and the very moment that Eiji focused on his Ki, his entire network expanded far beyond what a person of his skill level should be able to do, resulting in the surge in power that we all saw," Sumiko said finishing her explanation. Hikari scratched her head, even she seemed a bit confused by the explanation they were given.
"I see," said Gado "So that's why you made the decision that you did," Gado said to his brother Hiro. "This ability needs to be monitored carefully, and Eiji's understanding of Ki control is going to be more crucial for him than somebody who's Ki works regularly," Hiro said before turning to his nephew to address Eiji, "Look Eiji, I know all of this has happened fast, and it's confusing but we're going to make sure you have all the resources you need to train and improve, but for the rest of the day I'm gonna ask you to take it easy, alright?" Hiro asked his nephew. Eiji reluctantly let out a sigh, "To be honest I think I need some time to process everything that's happened today, and the last few days too," Eiji said as he rubbed his forehead in exasperation. His mind was all over the place from the memories of the ruins, the surprise of his abilities, and then the news about moving forward, he was at his limit. "The Shishogan…" he thought to himself, "I can't believe it… I thought for sure it would be the Nikugan, but I never expected this! I've barely studied the Shishogan abilities compared to the other two Mesukio!" his mind raced as he stood in the center of the dojo.
As the teachers who had come to observe began to funnel their way out of the Dojo, the Umitasora family had been left behind in the wake of the eventful morning. Despite the confidence and resolve Eiji had started the day with, he had now been met with an entirely new set of unexpected hurdles he was going to have to overcome. His mind reeled with the events of the day, his awakening, the unexpected Shishogan, his removal from his regular classes, it was all a heavy load for him to process. "Hey..." His Uncle's voice cut through the chatter of everyone as they left the building, except it was clear he was speaking as Eiji's Uncle and not Headmaster Hiro. "Let's all go get some food," he said as he looked up toward Gado and the rest of the family. "What do you all say? Dinner and drinks on me!" Hiro bellowed as he raised his arms. "We do have to celebrate after all, don't we!?" he added with a cheerful smile as the rest of the family happily agreed. "I know it's not the way you expected it to happen, Eiji… but you did it. Your eyes are finally open!" Hiro said to him as the family gathered around. He had yet to let himself relish in any feeling of celebration, even in the last two days of waiting for this moment he had buried himself in study and preparations. As the proud and smiling faces of his family and other close friends gathered around him, Eiji was overwhelmed with emotion as tears of joy began to roll down his face. In response he was embraced by his family all at once, each one of them making sure to let him know how proud of him they all felt.
After the events of the morning that were both strenuous and joyous for Eiji and the family, they began making their way from the dojo and towards the Capital city of KamiKochi, which sat atop the cliffside surrounding Kaika Temple. Do'Kobu city: The glorious and bustling capital city of Kamikochi was a place of bounty and celebration. Crafted from the same red stone that had been extracted to carve out the Temple below, the city sat as a monument for Sentoki culture and order. Filled with all kinds of citizens, humans and yokai alike, the city was abuzz with its normal activity as well as the upcoming excitement for the placement exams, a highly celebrated event. Eiji, Hikari, Gado, Kyuen and Hiro all made their way through the towering stone buildings that line the streets and were filled with apartments and shops of all kinds. They walked past the industrial district where citizens and retired Sentoki did the work that kept the city and temple alive until they had reached the entertainment district, a part of the city known for its abundance of restaurants, taverns, music halls and more. For the first time since he had opened his eyes, Eiji looked at the city around him and didn't feel so disconnected and lost. The sight of people at work with their Mesukiro doing even simple and meaningless tasks no longer bothered him, in fact it was nothing but inspiration to see someone doing something as simple as using their Ki to water their garden."Okay everybody shuffle in!" Hiro belted as he held the door open for the family and friends that had gathered, his face beaming with pride as if he had brought them all somewhere special. The family made their way into the quaint and cozy little pub and gathered around at a table, joined by Sumiko, & Ren. As the family settled in.
A large banquet table had already been prepared for them in the center of the bar area that was clearly not normally meant for tables and dining. Gado, Hiro, Kyuen, Hikari, Eiji, Ren, & Sumiko all took their seats around the table, a few of them struggling to squeeze themselves between the table and the bar as they sat. Eiji was seated at the head of the table, with Gado and Hiro on either side. Their shoulders were well above the height of his head even as they sat down. Hikari and Ren were seated next to Gado and Kyuen and Sumiko sat next to Hiro on the other side of the table, all of them looking at Eiji with pride and a sense of fulfillment that for the first time did make Eiji's stomach turn with disappointment and shame. "So I heard the big news!" Chimed a voice from behind the bar as an auburn haired woman quickly made her way out to the table and wrapped her arms around Eiji from behind.
"Congradulations Eiji," The woman said affectionately as she planted a kiss on his cheek. Eiji blushed a bit as he patted her arm that clung tightly to his chest, "Thanks Lonna," he replied in kind as let him go and stood up straight. "And Hikari! We might as well celebrate your graduation tonight too since we all know you're gonna place first!" The woman said cheerily before turning to Gado and Kyuen and giving them just as much of a friendly welcome. "And where's Taiyo these days? Him and his buddies have been some of my best drinkers lately!" She added. "He's on a mission, I told you that the other day," Hiro interjected, almost with a rude and bothered tone. The woman, Lonna Heartbru, had known Hiro since they were both young, and the exact nature of their relationship was complicated to say the least, but nonetheless she had been a close friend of the family and someone the Siblings regarded as a slightly more estranged aunt. "Dont start with me, I was just making conversation," Lonna snapped back at Hiro, her expression instantly becoming sharp and almost vindictive before quickly returning to the same cheerful expression when she looked back at the family. "So how about some drinks!" She cheered as she made her way back to the bar only to quickly reappear with a number of bottles and glasses carefully balanced on top of a serving tray.
Lonna handed out the glasses to each of them first before placing a few bottles of dark brown liquor on the table with the words 'Amaiasa' printed across the front, and another singular booth with the label reading 'Iterra-fizz'. She poured some of the first bottle into the glasses of Gado, Hiro, Kyuen, Sumiko and Hikari and with the latter bottle she poured a glass for Eiji and Ren. Lonna still had one small glass on her tray that she had yet to hand out, and before making any sort of toast or giving any words, she poured the last of the yellowish brown liquor into the stout clear cup and handed it to Eiji. Eiji looked at the glass before looking back at his family, its sweetish, floral aroma coating his senses before the telltale smell of booze followed behind it. Eiji's face stretched a bit with a feigned look of fear, making the family chuckle a bit at his innocence. While the drinking age across Kamikochi was officially set at Eighteen years of age, it wasn't at all uncommon for some as young as sixteen or seventeen to have a singular small drink in the company of family, despite it technically being illegal, most often looked the other way.
"Amaiasa, It was your grandmother's favorite, and now me and your Uncle always have a glass whenever there's something truly special to celebrate," Gado said to his son with pride as he lifted his glass and raised it in front of him. Eiji was the last to raise his glass, staring at it again briefly as he swirled it around once more. He had never met his grandmother, she had passed away long before he was born and it also wasn't often that he learned something new about his family like an honored drinking habit, but something about the glass in his hand and new eyes with with he saw his family had left him feeling a closeness that felt somehow foreign and familiar all at the same time. "To Eiji!" Hiro shouted, followed along by the rest of the table repeating his chant. "And Hikari!" Lonna added before the table could set their glasses down, giving her a wink and letting the rest of the table echo the toast once again.
They each took a long drink, for a second Eiji watched them all before closing his eyes and putting the small cup of liquor to his lips. The moment it hit his tongue his eye shot open the juxtaposition of the taste and its smell almost startling him for a second. It was like the flavor of honey blended seamlessly with an almost herbal feel. It was reminiscent of medicine but not quite as bitter or sour, with notes of rose and raisin. Eiji eagerly finished the glass in one gulp, the liquid leaving running traces along the rim of the clear glass. "Hah! Well he may not be as big and tall, he definitely has the Umitasora taste!" Hiro bellowed with a joyous smile as he wrapped his arm around his nephew and shook him a bit. He had expected it to burn, but Eiji was pleasantly surprised as he swallowed the drink that only left his lips slightly numb and his chest feeling like he had swallowed a glass of warm water. "Wow… Eiji whispered with a slight smile of astonishment as his Uncle jostled him. "I think you might be right!" Gado chimed in as he joined Hiro with his arm around his son, and smiling with what looked to be even more pride than they had a moment earlier. All at once, Hikari, Lonna and Kyuen all seemed to roll their eyes in exasperation, even Sumiko and Ren shared a small glance of camaraderie as they chuckled at the musings of watching the family enjoy their time together.
For hours the night carried on full of laughter and celebration, The family drank while Eiji and Ren continued to celebrate with the bottle of "Interra-Fizz" a non intoxicating celebratory drink for minors that it said to provide a bit of a 'buzz' and maybe even stretch one's sense of time. After some time a group of caterers had arrived, clearly arranged by Hiro ahead of time and spoiled the family with all sorts of favorite meals and delicacies he knew the family loved. At one point even Kyuen had quietly turned to Hiro to discreetly thank him for having the mind to arrange for her favorite meal as well, only for her to quickly realize that the influence of the drink was not at all helping her discretion. Evoking an uproar of laughter from the family that in turn brought about a rare thing that could only be seen under the perfect circumstances, A flush faced and embarrassed Kyuen. It had been a perfect celebration of Eiji's achievement and his recovery, despite the odd circumstances of his awakening, there was not one word spoken that could have alluded to the idea that it was not of his own merits or strength. Anybody at the table knew it would have ruined the purpose of the gathering, a tenant in the Sentoki way of life that was almost as important as the Mesukiro itself, The celebration of life and its struggles.