The next morning, the birds chirped as the streets of Do'Kobu City began to stir. Shops opened their doors as street vendors took their places and started setting up. A flood of cold water poured over the table dousing the sleeping man who still remained at the bar the following morning. "Get up, you're gonna be late!" Lonna's voice rang out as the rush of water crashed into Hiro's face and jolted him awake. "Oh comon!" He groaned as he sleepily wiped his face and shook the water from his hands. "In all our years I don't think you've ever woken me up gently," Hiro added as yawned a bit and cracked his neck. "You've never deserved it," Lonna remarked as she began clearing off the pile of bottles and half empty glasses that had amassed on the table over the course of the night. Hiro scoffed in disagreement as he stood up and fixed his disheveled clothes. "Ugh, you're such a slob," Lonna said as she looked at him, licked her thumb and used it to wipe away a bit of dribble that was dried in the corner of his mouth. Hiro smiled a little as Lonna took over the fixing of his attire and adjusted his hair with her fingertips. "You still look like shit," She said as she finished and patted him on the shoulder, her lips pursed in a tight unsatisfactory smile.
"What happened to everyone else?" Hiro asked as he rolled his eyes a bit at her and began to make his way towards the door. "Gado managed to control his drinking for once in order to get Eiji and his friend home, and Hikari went back to Kyuen's place with her and Sumiko, by the way what's with those two? Kyuen and Sumiko?" She asked curiously, after filling Hiro in. "Nothing as far as I know, Not that Kyuen would tell anybody in if there was," he said with a shrug of the shoulders as he reached for the door handle. "Oh, and what did you mean 'I'm gonna be late'?" He asked over his shoulder just before leaving. "You don't remember? You were supposed to meet Eiji about… well an hour ago," Lonna replied with a smirk as she looked at the ticking clock on the wall above the bar. "Ugh god that's right… I told him to meet me first thing in the morning to go over the memory of his incident," Hiro said with pain in his voice as he buried his face in his hand and made his way out the door. The sunlight blinded him as he walked out into the street and Lonna's voice was drowned out by the sound of the city as she cried out from behind the wooden door, "You didn't pay your tab!"
Hiro lugged himself through the city and down toward Kaika Temple, where his office lay. Reluctantly waving and saying hello to everyone who greeted him as Headmaster. After the arduous hike down from the cliff face, Hiro had finally arrived. He swung open the massive black wooden doors to the expansive library that doubled as his office. You wouldn't know it from looking at him, or even speaking to him, but Hiro was likely one of the most well-read and studious individuals in all of the temple, a trait he kept fairly well hidden. "Two hours late," Eiji said bleakly from one of the couches along the wall of the library's foyer. Hiro just waved him along as he trudged through the doors and into the main office. His office opened up into a massive, seemingly endless library. Floor upon floor reached upward into the sky, all connected by a series of winding staircases. For ages now the fountain of knowledge had been home to generations of Headmaster after Headmaster, each one adding to and preserving the wealth of Sentoki history, science, and literature. The two of them sifted through the maze of shelves and display cases until they had navigated themselves to the center of the building. In the middle of a large round recessed pit stood a desk made of solid black marble, the edge of the pit was tiered to create some seating, almost like a miniature amphitheater. Hiro slumped into his desk chair with a grunt, as Eiji took a seat across from him. "A little hung-over are we?" said Eiji. "If this is what drinking with you guys looks like you can count me out," he teased as he grabbed a paperweight off his Uncle's desk and fiddled with it. "We may have overdone it a bit," Hiro groaned as he opened one of the desk drawers and grabbed a small flask. "So that's your answer?" Eiji said with disapproval. Hiro wagged his finger as he sipped from the tiny vial of brown liquid. "It's a field supplement, a shot filled with vitamins, electrolytes, and natural energy," He said, finishing off the bitter-tasting liquid as he tossed the bottle over his shoulder. "Let's get this over with," He continued as he grabbed himself a pen and paper. "Start from the beginning, and give me every detail you can remember about what happened down in those ruins."
As the clock ticked by, Eiji recanted everything he could; describing his excitement and confusion around his discovery and his unconscious vision. With Hiro documenting every word that he uttered, Eiji gave as much information as he could about his experience which ultimately led to him opening his eyes, despite having no idea how or why. He continued to describe how he thought he might have found himself in such a place, recounting the eerie statue and room that he had found just minutes before it all went dark.."It was like something you read in a book! my body was pulled through the floor!!" Eiji said. "Next thing I knew I was surrounded by darkness, without any sounds or any feeling, aside from it being warm." Eiji winced as he recounted the incredible pain that consumed every inch of his body during his time floating above the globe. He described the massive surge of unbridled Ki that shot up from below, and the torrent that came along with it, as well as the strange and undeniable feeling that somebody or something had been watching him throughout his time under the ruins. Hiro sat back in his chair as he racked his brain for any information that might allude to what was truly below the surface of those ruins. After Eiji had finally finished telling his experiences and going over the strange series of events, the two of them had yet to uncover anything that pointed in the direction of an answer. Hiro heaved and let out a long sigh in frustration, "Even with your full story added to mine, I don't think I'm any closer to understanding what could have happened," he said. The two of them reeling with confusion at the events that had transpired.
Suddenly a voice spoke from the air around them, almost as if it was coming from everywhere at once. "I can answer that for you if you'd like, Headmaster." said the ominous character. Hiro and Eiji shot up from their chairs and spun around, searching for where it had come from. His office was one of the most well-guarded places in the temple; it should have been impossible for anybody to have entered the library unnoticed. "Who's There?" Hiro shouted as his Ki began to emanate around him. "Well, well Headmaster aren't you a lively one. As soon as your Ki began to stir I could see those eyes," said the mysterious visitor. What happened next was unimaginable, the air in the room seemed to ripple, trembling as though the fabric of reality itself shuddered under an invisible weight. Then, without warning, a sharp, jagged seam carved itself into existence. An almost imperceptible gash that radiated an unsettling stillness. The edges of the tear shimmered, neither light nor shadow, but something that defied both, an impossible absence that drew the eye and made the world around it blur.
From the rift stepped a figure, each motion unnervingly fluid, as if he were untouched by the constraints of this world. The cut in space sealed itself with a faint hum, the distorted edges collapsing seamlessly until the room returned to its ordinary stillness. The figure before them by all visible means looked like an ordinary man. Clad in long green and black robes he was tall and slender, accompanied by the most plain and expressionless face. His long sleek black hair falling down over his shoulders. Although he looked human enough, the presence of his Ki was beyond unfamiliar. Hiro quickly stepped around the desk and placed himself in between Eiji and the unwelcome intruder. "You're going to tell me two things," Hiro said from under his brow as he stared the man down. "Who the hell are you? And how did you get into my office?" He said as the glow of his purple Ki served as a foreboding threat. Once again the voice filled the air, seemingly coming from the odd man, despite his mouth remaining completely still. "Relax yourself, Headmaster. I've come to you in peace and inquisition. As to how I entered your office, I believe I can answer that by simply stating who I am." Hiro and Eiji were frozen with anticipation. Hiro's instinct was ready to unleash at the drop of a pin, looking for some sign of any threat or deception. Eiji was distraught at the abruptness of the interruption as well as the ominous powers by which the strange man had made his entrance. The transient voice spoke once more, "My name is Okuninushi The Balancer, You know me as a Kami."
"A ridiculous claim!" said Hiro sternly as he stood between his Nephew Eiji and the unwelcome intruder. "Oh?" said the ominous man with a sense of curiosity in his voice. "Explain your business here and how you got into my office or prepare to be removed," Hiro said with all the authority of a headmaster. "Let me be more clear," said the intruder as he began to pace around the recessed circle that enclosed Hiro's desk, His hands clasped in front of him and concealed by his lengthy robes. "As I stated before, my name is Okuninushi, you can call me Okun for short. As I also said before, I am here to answer your questions regarding the 'Forced Awakening'." His strange blank eyes darted over to Eiji as he finished his sentence. "And I'm just supposed to believe you?" Hiro asked. Okun paused and stared at him with no expression. "Yes, I suppose it's been a while since I've revealed myself, I must say I'm quite impressed with the City and Temple that has been built here. But yes, after I've shared what I've come here to share, there should be no doubt of my identity," said Okun to the two of them.
Eiji timidly stepped out from behind his Uncle who had been keeping the space between him and the supposed Kami. "I-I saw the statue of Okun, y-you look nothing like it," Eiji muttered shakily. Without responding Okun began looking around the room as if he had forgotten that the two of them were standing in front of him. His eyes locked onto one of the many bookshelves that filled up the room, "there." He said ominously as one of the books seemingly removed itself from where it was nestled and floated over to him. Without removing his hands from his robes the book, obviously being guided by his Ki, folded open. The pages fluttered until they had reached their intended designation. "Here, my description is listed in this book," Okun stated plainly as the book floated over towards Eiji and Hiro for them to read. The book described him to the T, even down to the color of his robes, as if he had only ever worn one set of clothing. Hiro looked up from the book slowly, still not trusting Okun's wild claims. "It's an illusion," said Hiro with determination. "You can't fool me," Hiro continued as he snatched the book from the air and slammed it shut. For the first time since he had entered the room, Okun's expression had changed to a look of slight bewilderment. "There's no way for you to tell that… Even with your-", "You just told me," Hiro said with a mischievous grin as he took a step toward his still unwelcome guest. Okun's expression changed again, "Outwitted so simply," he said, this time with a soft smile. "Maybe choosing this form after being away for so long was incorrect…"
Suddenly the body underneath his robes began to twist and move, Like two snakes under the sand, a set of eerie masses came over the crest of his shoulders and down the length of his arms. To their disbelief, at the end of his sleeves emerged a set of pointed mandible-like appendages as he opened his robe to display. Hiro and Eiji's faces alike both twisted with confusion and a bit of disgust. In a matter of seconds, Okun's entire body began to twist and contort, His mouth slowly receded into his pale porcelain-like face which became whiter by the second. The muscle and tissue around his barely exposed neck and hands withered away underneath his skin, leaving nothing but tightly wrapped bones that showed every jagged cut and angle. As his already bleak and off-putting eyes became pitch black, a set of deep iridescent green horns began emerging from his forehead, piercing the air of the library with obscurity. His legs seemingly fused together and from the back of his robe came an almost insect-like form of chittering legs and chitin. His hair grew grey and extended down towards the floor of the library profusely, ridiculously coiling upon itself, only to be lifted back up as Okun grew enormously in stature. Now standing over Fifteen feet tall, he towered above the two of them and stood at eye level with the second balcony floor. Eiji's jaw sat open in amazement as his Uncle stood strong in his resolve, the two of them were fixed and somewhat frozen by the otherworldly-looking being before them. "Eiji was it?" Once again the voice came from the air around them as if the room itself was speaking to them. "Can you please fill the room with your Ki, your Uncle is still not convinced of my identity, despite my appearance. Even as a newly awakened Shishogan user, someone who went through a forced awakening should be able to do so," Okun's voice rang out. Eiji looked up to his Uncle who reluctantly nodded in what seemed like frustration. "Do it Eiji," he said without ever removing his eyes from Okun's now pale and mouthless face. Eiji trusted his Uncle's judgment and closed his eyes.
For the first time since his awakening the day before, he focused inside himself and tapped into his newfound Ki. A Bright Green aura welled up around him, "Focus…" He said to himself as he let the awareness of his Ki fill his mind and begin to extend past the boundaries of his body. He could feel every bit of it, like an extension of his entire being reaching out around him and flooding the room. He had only intended to release enough Ki to fill the small circle they stood in, but had accidentally let out enough to fill over half the library. With his eyes still closed it was like he could see the room around them in his mind. Everything was outlined and shaded by the color of his Ki, but more than that, he could feel it. With his Ki extended out like this, if so much as a fly were to move he would know. Like a ripple in a pond, it would echo out across the area he had now dominated with his aura. "You can see it, right?" said Okun's booming voice as Eiji tried to reconcile this new sensation. "I'm not using a drop of Ki, so you can trust this is my true appearance" He continued to say in his battle to earn their trust. With his focus still maintained, Eiji Observed Okun with his Ki. He could only see his figure. He then looked to his Uncle who now stood beside him, His focus almost breaking as he began to see the raging torrent of almost endless purple Ki that moved around inside his Uncle's body. It wasn't just the Ki that Hiro had summoned when Okun arrived, Eiji could see the depths of his Uncle's massive power like he was staring into an abyss. His stomach knotted and a sort of primal fear began to arise in Eiji's mind the longer he stared at the bottomless pit that was his Uncle Ki. Eiji shuttered instinctively, accidentally breaking his focus and opening his eyes. He wiped his forehead, "Sweat?" He thought to himself as he trembled slightly from what he had seen. "Well? Could you see any of his Ki Eiji?" Hiro asked. Eiji almost had trouble looking his Uncle in the eyes after getting a glimpse of his intimidating presence. "N-no…"
For the first time since Okun had entered the room, Hiro took his eyes off the mysterious figure and turned to look down at his Nephew behind him. "You'll have to get used to seeing that Eiji," said Hiro, knowing what it was that had shaken him. Eiji looked up tepidly as he gained back his composure. Hiro turned back to Okun, who had quickly reverted back to his more appealing form. "I'm still not fully convinced you are who you say you are… but you've shown me enough to hear you out for the time being," Hiro said as he started pacing clockwise around the circle. Okun began pacing in the same direction across from him as Eiji stood between them, feeling that his Uncle's confidence in his discernment was stronger than his own.
"You say you came here to answer our questions but how do you know what we'd like to ask?" Hiro questioned his conversational opponent as the two of them circled each other. "The boy's awakening could be seen all the way from the Mainland. Once I saw the Ki storm, I knew somebody must have stumbled into my formerTemple," Okun replied. Hiro raised his eyebrows as he clasped his hands behind his back, his Ki had all but dissipated away by this point. "Your Temple you say?" Hiro looked towards Eiji, nodding his head in a silent prompt. "Th-the statue looked like his other form," Eiji said, for some reason, he couldn't fully gain his composure while standing near Okun, even without focusing, his very presence was mildly disturbing. "Thank you, Eiji," Okun said kindly. Hiro cleared his throat, taking command of the conversation once again, "If it's your temple as you say then you should be able to tell me exactly what my Nephew found while he was there," Hiro said slyly thinking he would be able to trip Okun up. "Simple, Eiji discovered something that was supposed to have been destroyed. An archaic tool of war that was used to force open the eyes of a human when they failed to do so themselves," Okun said. Eiji once again stood with his mouth agape at what was being revealed to him.
"They were called 'Ki Prys'," Okun continued on, "And I helped create them over Five thousand years ago here on this Island." Hiro simply kept pacing as Okun kept on with his explanation. "The Ki Prys were made at the request of the humans who lived here before this nation. In order to help them battle against outside forces they needed more individuals whose eyes were open, and in my sympathy for those people, I made them. One for each form of human abilities; what you call the Mesukiro." Hiro began to form his next question for the enigmatic Kami as they circled each other but was cut off by his Nephew. "Why were they supposed to be destroyed?" Eiji asked, Okun's revelation had piqued his obsessive interest in history and truth, pushing his fear and timidity to the side. Okun sighed, "Because despite my best efforts they did not work, Each Ki Pry could only be used for its corresponding type of Mesukiro, but without being able to know which Mesukiro a person may have prior to a forced awakening-" Hiro cut him off, "It would kill them." The two of them had stopped pacing, still standing on opposite sides of the circle, staring at the ground below their feet. "Yes," Okun said dryly, his words heavy with a sense of shame. The gravity of what this meant set into Eiji's stomach like a rock, his eyes widened as he slowly took a seat in the chair beside him. "I'm relieved to know you're okay Eiji," Okun tried to say softly. He could tell Eiji understood the needle he had blindly passed through in order to remain alive. Eiji once again found himself staring down at the palms of his hands, "If I didn't have the Shishogan… If I was almost anybody else, I would have died in that chamber." He muttered quietly.
"But you didn't," Hiro said with conviction to his Nephew who had slumped into the chair contemplating his own mortality. "Yeah…" He replied somberly before his inquisitiveness took over once again. "Why didn't you destroy them yourself?" Eiji asked Okun. "I left the task to someone I trusted, obviously that was a mistake," he replied. "Someone you trusted?" Eiji asked again as Okun shot him a glance, "never mind that, It's irrelevant," he said with a bit of dismissal in his voice. "No, It's not. Who was it?" Hiro said, interrupting the two of them. Okun slowly turned his gaze to Hiro, glaring at him before speaking, "When I first made myself known, I mentioned those eyes of yours. Do you think I can't see it? The identity of the man who betrayed my trust is irrelevant for the same reason your eyes are irrelevant to your Nephew here," Okun said with a bit of frustration and annoyance. Hiro seemed unfazed by his answer, "I see," was all he said as a reply. Eiji sat in the chair trying to understand the exchange taking place, but it was so short and cryptic that he had no hopes of making sense of what the two of them were getting at.
"Well then it seems you've cleared up the mystery of what happened to Eiji, I'll have the Ki Pry as you so call it dealt with-" Okun cut Hiro off with a low almost immutable tone, "I've already finished the task I should have completed long ago, The chamber is destroyed." Hiro looked up at Okun from under his brow, "Well then…What else are you here for?" He asked, becoming impatient. "You still don't trust me?" Okun asked, "I think I've made it clear that I've come here with no ill intent," He said. Hiro stood up straight and fixed his Kimono, releasing some of the tension in the room. "The Sentoki have not seen or talked to a Kami in almost three thousand years, so surely you can understand my apprehension, despite any evidence or promise of goodwill. Now please answer my question, what else are you here for?" He asked for what was clearly the final time. Okun sighed, beset with what seemed like shame once more, "The humans who successfully chose the correct chamber during its experimentation had… a side effect," Okun said precariously as he looked at Eiji. "I've come to assist Eiji with overcoming this side effect" he finished. "His Ki system you mean? And the flux of Ki he experiences? We're aware of it," Hiro said. "Yes, it can be… problematic," Okun said ominously. "Explain," said Hiro. Okun choked a bit on his words and gave Hiro a look of determination. "It's… irrelevant." Hiro took a long deep breath through his nose, exhaling as if he had heard something upsetting. "I see," He said cryptically once again as if he understood exactly what Okun had meant.
"Why are they talking about me like I'm not here anymore?" Eiji thought to himself as his face scrunched in confusion. "What does he mean by irrelevant and why did Hiro just accept that answer?" Eiji was once again lost in their seemingly coded conversation. Hiro spoke up once again after pausing to take in Okun's statement. "What's the catch?" I'm waiting for the part you're not telling me," He said to Okun. The strange Kami man let out a small sigh and for a second his face almost took on a look of shame. "You may be aware of the issue with his Ki system, but there's nothing you can do to amend it. The Ki Pry were built by the Kami and so the… effects… can only be tempered by such," Okun stated poignantly before finally seeming to address Eiji in the conversation. "Eiji… I'll try to explain this simply… The Ki Pry works by using my own Ki… as well as the Ki of the two other Kami to connect an individual to the Ki reserves that flow though the planet, forcing an awakening of the Mesukiro… But this leaves a bit of a problematic after effect… Your Ki system and your personal Ki reserve will continue to absorb Ki from the natural world and eventually… it will push your body past its capacity to handle it…" His tone had become grave, even though he was back in his human looking form, it felt as though he was once again looming over Eiji as he stated the dilemma so matter of factly.
Hiro gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, still torn between the words Okun was saying and his willingness to believe them. "And so what are we supposed to do about it…" Hiro asked with a furrowed brow. The Kami paused for a second, his breath almost hitching before he spoke again, "Well to start… I'd like to take over Eiji's training. Furthermore… I'll need to be able to separate him from the Ki. He remains connected too." Okun said with a bluntness that cut through Hiro's attempt to stay calm and rational. "... And how exactly… Do you plan to do that?" Hiro's voice droned on, clearly not pleased with Okun's evasion of the answer. "It's.. a simple Ki procedure-" "Absolutely not!" Hiro roared as he slammed his fist onto his desk, "How dare you break into my office! Claim to be some Kami, and tell me you're going to perform some operatio-", "I'll do it." The room fell silent for a minute, none of them speaking or even breathing. "I'll do it," Eiji repeated with a sense of confidence he had never felt before as he stood up from his chair.
A sense of normalcy surrounded the closed doors of the Headmaster's library. Clerks and assistants bustled around the building completely unaware of the exchange taking place inside. Behind the sturdy black doors, Hiro slammed his fist down onto the desk in frustration. "Eiji! You have no idea what you're saying!" he yelled, his voice echoing out amongst the library. "This stranger barges into my office! Gives us some farfetched explanation that we've yet to verify! Claims to be a Kami from five thousand years ago, and says he wants to operate on you! And you say yes?? Are you insane!?" Hiro stood hunched over his desk, his chest heaving in anger at his nephew's naivete. Eiji stood calm in his resolve, he had never been in this position before, but at that moment he knew he was making the correct choice. "Uncle Hiro…" he began slowly, "A minute ago when I looked at Okun with my Ki. You had yet to take your eyes off of him the entire time until I confirmed he wasn't trying to trick us with an illusion," he said. "So what?" Hiro scoffed in objection. "If you truly believed him to be a threat, then there would be no circumstances in which you would take your eyes off someone who had managed to break into your office… In other words, you know he's telling the truth as much as I do," Eiji said solemnly," It was against his better judgement to disagree with his Uncle let alone the Headmaster. "So I have to ask, are you saying no to the first Sentoki being able to train alongside a kami in almost three millennia as Headmaster… or as my Uncle?" Eiji's words dug into Hiro's composure as he gritted his teeth. "You opened your eyes yesterday Eiji…it's been less than a whole day and you expect me to sign off on all of this? What would your Father say?" Hiro argued. "I'll ask again! Who's saying this? Headmaster Hiro Umitasora, or My Uncle?" Eiji asked again sternly, his voice no longer trembling or quivering.
Okun stood between the Uncle and Nephew as their wills collided, shooting his finger into the air astutely to interject. "Can I correct something? The Kami have remained separate from the Sentoki for some time now, but there still has been some contact… Sentoki who have been able to train under Kami in recent history have been asked to omit their run-ins with our kind, in order to prevent others from seeking us out, but the idea that a Kami has not been seen or heard from in all this time… is wrong." The two of them sat with an empty stare, needing more time to process the way Okun was just casually re-writing the history they had known. Without speaking, Hiro opened one of the drawers on his desk and removed a book. The spine of the book was decrepit, it had been bound and rebound with various strings and bits of leather. The cover, a cloth-wrapped plank of cedar, had no words or depiction on the cover other than an ominous symbol that was the color of dried blood and looked like it had been hastily painted on. "At a time of great change in my life… I was sent this book and had been told it was a gift from Amanozako. Back then I thought it was a joke, possibly from a mentor, but nobody I knew would fess up to having sent me the book. On top of that… the things in this book are well-kept and guarded secrets that almost nobody could know…" Hiro said. His demeanor had changed, and despite not acknowledging Eiji's argument, he had stopped facing Okun with such hostility.
"He prefers to go by Oza," Okun said with a warm smile as he reached for the book in Hiro's hand. Hiro's eyes darted to the side as Okun flipped through the pages and meandered over the scribblings and crude drawings that filled the pages. Eiji's eyebrows raised, "I was right! He wouldn't have handed over the book if he didn't believe Okun was a Kami!" he thought to himself. "This is his work alright. I haven't had the pleasure of reading any of his scripts for quite a while," Okun said. Eiji quickly tried to step closer and peer inside the book, only to have it abruptly closed shut the moment he moved toward them. Throughout the conversation, there was something that the two of them were carefully dancing around and purposely leaving Eiji in the dark. Eiji was fairly certain that if he asked about it he would be met with the word 'irrelevant' once again. "So are you to tell me that book was sent to me by a Kami? And if so, why? Hiro asked. "Who knows," Okun replied, "The Kami do well to stay informed about the state of the world, clearly Oza had heard of your achievements and felt as though you should have this information, and judging by the temper you greeted me with, I'd say he was right," Okun teased as he placed the book back in the drawer.
"Can we get back to me?" Eiji interjected, feeling frustrated with their convoluted conversation. Hiro cleared his throat and shut the drawer, folding his hands in front of him he turned to his Nephew. "We have to talk to your Father bef-" "No we don't," Eiji interjected. "You're the Headmaster, and I'm a student. Asking my Father will only result in me missing this chance and you know it." Eiji's gaze was unmoving as he locked eyes with Hiro. "Your Father Eiji…" Hiro dragged his sentence as if he was still deciding how to finish. "Used to make that same face when his mind was already made up," he said with a heavy sigh as he buried his face in his hands. "This is gonna be a tough one to explain to Gado," Hiro said out loud as he stood up from the desk and leaned over it. "Does that mean?…" Eiji hung on his words with trepidation. "Yes… Well go ahead with what Okun has proposed… If he's telling the truth, then it doesn't seem like we have any other options…" Hiro said reluctantly, "but I have conditions," he said as he turned back to Okun. "Of course," Okun replied appeasingly. Eiji just sat in silence as the two of them negotiated terms, not wanting to undo what he had said to successfully coerce his Uncle.
"Condition one: Before you begin, you will explain every last detail of what you plan to do during the operation and how you plan to train Eiji to myself and our leading Shishogan teachers. Condition two: During Eiji's operation and training our leading Shishogan teacher will accompany the both of you, And condition three: …If I at any point think you may be lying to me or trying to deceive us in any way…" Hiro's voice trailed off as the air around him began to reverberate and glow with a deep purple hue. "Yes, yes, you've made your point." Okun said as he waved his palm at Hiro almost dismissively before turning back to Eiji. "Eiji… you must understand… the way you opened your eyes was meant to be a tool of war… Your training and your progression are going to reflect that… aggressive manner… but I will make sure you get through it. We can begin as soon as tomorrow if you're ready," Okun said and waited for Hiro's final word of approval. "Eiji…" Hiro's voice sounded reluctant and almost unsure. "This is against my better judgement but… As of right now you are officially a Sentoki… Your mission is to be the first Sentoki in over three thousand years to be officially trained by a Kami." He said to his Nephew and Okun with a grim yet stoic expression.
With yet another major change in Eiji's life unfolding, Taiyo back home from his mission with Aimee, and Hikari only one day away from the start of her exams, the Umitasora family children were all on the precipice of things that brought them further out from under the cover of innocence that they had grown up with. Each of them tried to go through the motions as if things were normal. Taiyo slept the majority of the day, but during bouts of wakefulness, his mind was stuck on the events of his mission and his new standing with Aimee. Hikari rested before her exams began, visiting her mothers garden and meditating over her future. Meanwhile Eiji, found himself wandering the streets of Do'Kobu city and Kaika temple after leaving Hiro and Okun to discuss things further. He was at a loss of what to do with his time, after the events of the morning the world around him felt surreal. As if once again he was disconnected from the people and city around him, but disconnected in an entirely different way than he was before. In a matter of days he had jumped from being aimlessly behind, to being a part of something so bizarre that most of the individuals he used to envy wouldn't even begin to understand what he was wrapped up in. Finally, after hours and hours of just walking around for the day, Eiji's feet had eventually carried him home.
"Oh Good, Here he is now! Eiji, I was just filling in the family," Hiro's voice chimed as Eiji walked through the front door of the Umitasora residence. Eiji looked up to see the members of his family each stricken with a mix of shock, confusion and surprise. "I can see why you couldn't tell me anything this morning…" Taiyo blurted out with a blank stare. "This is… more than I can handle I think…" Gado said as he put his hand to his forehead in exasperation. "A kami… What kind of training comes with that?" Hikari said to herself as her mind wandered. "And where's this 'Okun' Person now?" Kyuen asked as the rest of the family still reeled at the situation. "He's with Sumiko going over how he plans to train Eiji," Hiro replied. "You left him alone with Sumiko??" Kyuen said in a low but harsh tone as she grabbed Hiro's robe, her reaction grabbing the attention of the siblings as they all shot her a confused glance. "Whatever, I'm sure she's fine…" Kyuen continued as she seemed to turn her nose away.
"Now, now, I didn't tell all of you this just to worry everyone," Hiro said to the table as Eiji took a seat amongst his family. "I told you all because well… and I don't do this very often but… I wanted to know what you all thought of my decision…" Hiro said to the table, his shoulders slumping a bit and showing a lack of confidence that was almost undermining as he waited for their response. Surprisingly Gado was the first one to respond, standing from the table and looking at his younger brother. "Hiro… You may be their uncle… But I don't think you love these kids any less than I do… So if you think this is the right decision for Eiji then… I'll stand by it… as long as it's what Eiji wants…" Gado said proudly. Eiji had expected a long drawn out and contentious argument from his father, and he was fully surprised to hear Gado's response. "Well that settles it then!" Hiro roared as he lifted his arms in celebration, leaving Eiji somewhat in shock at how quick the whole ordeal of disclosure actually was.
The three Umitasora siblings sat paused for a moment as Gado and Hiro seemed to carry on with dinner as if the two of them hadn't just reached a major decision. Kyuen smiled a bit to herself as she watched the confused expression of her nephews and nieces around the table. "It used to make Annika so mad how little you two would discuss things," she said softly, evoking a gentle smile from both Hiro and Gado as they started to eat. "We've just never needed to go through long winded conversations to understand each other," Gado replied warmly. "I've always trusted Gado's decisions and he's almost always trusted mine," Hiro joked back. Another second of silence passed as Gado and Hiro kept eating, only for Taiyo and Hikari to slam their hands down on the table and stand up from their seats as they both said in unison, "He's training with a Kami and you two are just eating dinner?!"
"Well apparently, it's not such a rare thing…" Hiro muttered, making Gado look over in his direction as well. Once again Hiro pulled out the small handbound book that he had shown to Okun earlier that day and handed it to Gado. All three of the siblings' eyes seemed drawn to the book as he passed it across the table, and for Taiyo and Hikari, it was the first time they had seen it at all. "Whats that?" Taiyo asked curiously as Gado seemed to look over the book and flip through its pages. "I didn't know you had held onto this," He said, shooting a side glance at Taiyo, seeming to ignore his question as he handed the book back to Hiro. "Apparently it was sent to me from a Kami named Oza…" Hiro said as Taiyo and Hikari watched in amazement. "Oza…" Hikari said to herself as she listened in.
"Oza… Oh! Amanozako! He was called the Kami of Tempers!" Hikari exclaimed loudly as she made the connection, interrupting the rest of the table. "The Kami of Tempers?" Taiyo and Eiji said together as they looked at her, Eiji feeling somewhat disappointed in himself that he had let Hikari momentarily beat him in academic knowledge. "Mhm! I remember reading a story in my sixth year, about how there was once a Kami whose temper was so erratic and unpredictable, that had almost no followers or Sentoki who learned under him but those who did were allowed to call him Oza!" Hikari stated proudly, it was clear that her mind was sharp and prepared for her exams that would begin the next day. "If that's true, then that makes that book even more special… if there weren't many followers of Oza even during the time the Kami led the Sentoki, then what's in there could be things that have never been seen before!" Eiji stated as he looked at the book that sat on the table in front of his uncle.
"I doubt it's true," Hiro replied casually as he continued to eat his meal. "The Sentoki and the Kami haven't worked together for almost five thousand years. The stories and tales that we tell are largely conjecture mixed with fables. After they disappeared, people used to use stories about them to teach and scare children, so who knows what's truly accurate nowadays," he continued, making the rest of the table pause for a second as they took in the implication of what his words meant. "So how can you trust this Okun guy then?" Taiyo interjected, breaking the small silence that had grown. Hiro held his pause for a second before responding, giving Taiyo a warm smile for being the first one to point out the obvious dilemma. "Well… I can't… and I don't but…" Hiro let out a long and almost destitute sigh as he put down his fork and leaned back in his chair.
"Well it's like this… As Eiji Uncle, I'd like nothing more than to turn him away from this whole thing and let him have a completely normal experience as a Sentoki, but as the Headmaster… I'm not sure I could ever consider myself worthy of the title if I were to turn away an opportunity to reconnect us with the very beings who founded and gave us our way of life in the first place… There's also Eiji's inexperience to consider," he said gently, making sure to not have it come off as an insult. "There's just no good answer in this kind of situation…" Hiro said. "And so we go with our gut." Gado added poignantly as he looked at both Hiro and Eiji with a loving and confident expression. "Eiji… I have a very strong feeling that this decision was yours and not your uncle's… You've always been someone who refuses to turn away from the unknown, so I'm guessing it was almost impossible for you to say no to this kind of opportunity, am I right?" Gado asked his son.
Eiji looked down at the table, his lips pursed in a thin slightly embarrassed smile after his father had read the situation so well. He slowly stood up from his chair and looked at the faces of the family that sat around him. He had been unable to pinpoint what he had been feeling throughout the day after the strange events of the morning, but now as he sat in his home amongst his loved ones, he finally understood. Eiji took in a deep breath and spoke, "I have a feeling… that a lot of change is about to happen… for all of us…" He said with a bit of a smile. "Taiyo, you just returned from your first serious mission… Hikari, you start your Placement Exams tomorrow… and now all of this going on with me… well… I'd like us to just enjoy our dinner," He finished saying as he grabbed his glass and raised it to all of them. There was another small pause, it had certainly been a night full of them. For a second, they all shared a glance that needed no words to explain, the young man that stood before them raising his glass was different from the boy he had been up until now, and they all knew that in that moment, the last child of the Umitasora family had grown up.