⁂~(Updated 2022-07-05-)~⁂

*Ready for professional edits*

(This is the free version.)

Word Count: 4600

Under an expanding red moon, history progresses...

Kazuki wandered Lilith's firefish-heated palace in quest of the dining hall and stopped to glimpse through a stained-glass window. The legendary black mountain, the Fist of Kaito, spiked the snow-blotched sky. Kazuki followed the mountain's distinctive grooves as it nearly hung over the fortress. Ashinburn's granite ring-shaped wall, silver-spear fields, and ballista turrets weathered the frigid squalls. The fierce showers of toxic ashfall and lava squirts struck a sizzling red-orange magic barrier that shielded the townsfolk.

"Angelo told me the Fist of Kaito protects Ashinburn against volcanic eruptions," said Kazuki.

Kazuki watched as the ash-loaded fringes spit their lava tears onto the glowing mana barrier that protected Ashinburn.

"And that barrier protects the whole fort from the toxic ashfall too. It's a strange position for a fortress, but now that I see it from up here, I don't think you can punch through that barrier with anything. I should be safe here."

Kazuki strolled through the creaky wooden doors and into the fire-fish-heated dining auditorium. Colourful foods and spiced wines sat on a white sheet over a barbarian-crafted long table. The scents of freshly squeezed lemons, garlic odours and oregano flavours trailed down the aisle to warm his nose.

Kazuki sat beside the food portions at the long table and underneath a golden chandelier. As it softly flickered above his heroes' feast with their orange candlelights, he snatched the elven-carved silver cutlery. Shoving food onto his plate without hesitation, he stopped and looked around.

"I don't know where everyone else is, but I'm digging in!" he said.

Starved, Kazuki licked his chapped lips. As the steam of the enormous banquet stroked his cold face, he viciously seized three yakisoba buns and slammed them onto his fancy gold-lined stone plate. After consuming the delicious noodle bread like an arctic canine, he grasped for the giant rock bowl of baked potatoes.

He crammed them into his mouth, one by one and swallowed—almost choking with each bite.

"By Emerac's beard, boy! You're going to give yourself a damn stomach ache!" said an old-robed half-elf approaching Kazuki.

Kazuki turned his crumb-filled face toward the half-elf man and puffed his cheeks like a chipmunk hoarding acorns. He swallowed his food in one big gulp and looked at the man's creased features. A ring of grey-white hair sat around his balding, mottled scalp and as he held a constant wizened face, his back hunched. With each step, his aging bones jittered behind a familiar gold-trimmed cloak.

"Sorry. I'm just so hungry. Hey, wait a second. You're wearing the old-style graduation robes! Are you a student of Master Kenji too?" said Kazuki as he shoved another potato into his mouth.

"I helped train your master, boy. Kenji was only ten years old during the Lions Head War. However, time is not on our side and we must get to the matters that concern Agatha and what you possess," said the old man as he juggled his lips.

Kazuki dropped his mouth and spilled food all over his wet robes.

"Do you know if Agatha is okay?!"

"If what Angelo has told me is true, then my dearest Agatha is no more," said the old man, with a lump in his sagging throat.

"What? What do you mean? Is she dead?"

"Agatha destroyed Angelo's Sigil Heart and set him free. I am guessing it was the only way to save you from the empire's misjudgment. And I'm afraid no mortal has ever returned alive from the Realm of Styx."

"Agatha... is dead?"

"I will be looking into that myself later. If we are lucky, she may have left the memory of what happened to her in her cavern. I can show it to you later. Now, I am not here to play one-hundred questions. We cannot waste any more time. Lady Fox has a gift for you in the armoury. So quit mopping around and clean yourself up. I see Kenji's laziness and love for food have rubbed off on you."

"Who are you?"

"You can call me Mr.Takahashi. I have trained dozens of legendary warriors. Among six others, I was a founding member of the Order of the Iron Rose."

⁂

The cold, damp air rushed as Kazuki, and Mr.Takahashi descended the torchlit spiralling staircase in the eastern tower.

"Lady Fox and I have kept this magical artifact hidden for quite some time. For her to pass this on to you... Well, she must respect you a great deal. Either that or she wishes you to at least die with honour, having the weapon of a true celestite hero," said Mr.Takahashi.

Aggravated, Kazuki stepped in front of Mr.Takahashi in the stone stairway.

"Listen, old man! I never asked for this. The whole world is suddenly counting on me. Can't you at least pretend to believe in me?"

Mr.Takahashi chuckled.

"You have got the fight in you. That's good. You are going to need it. Listen, Lady Fox has called upon me for a reason. I have something that may hold your spirits up."

As they reached an old cellar door, Mr.Takahashi unbarred its rusty latches and pushed it open, letting out a slight grunt. Wall torches surrounded the edges of a dark rectangular dungeon and illuminated with the brush of Felin's palm as he passed by. Six stone pillars stood adjacent to each other next to puppets armoured in white-tiger fur and heavy plates.

Old spiderwebs overcame the corners as a dim ray of red-white moonlight crept through a small barred window and struck a chained treasure chest bolted to the cold granite floor.

"I've never seen armour like this before. It's made of silver. Yokai are weak against silver," said Kazuki as he brushed cobwebs off a suit of armour. "It looks like it hasn't been used in decades."

Mr.Takahashi hummed while holding his arched back and walked to a far corner past the fastened chest into a dark unlit part of the dungeon.

"Now, where did I put that key," he said as he rummaged through a crate of grimy mats.

"So, did everyone in Ashinburn fight in the war? Is that why all this stuff is still here?" asked Kazuki.

"I was one of the historians within the Archives of Cloud. I know the annals of nearly every celestite and the painful wars they have caused. I also fought in the Lions Head War, yes." answered Mr.Takahashi.

"So, you know who the man in the obsidian mask is and Miyasato, right? I think you're the one I was told to find."

Mr.Takahashi's smile instantly drooped. He fumbled and grabbed his hunched back as he caught the wall and sat down on a nearby cobwebbed stool. His thoughts raced as his consciousness shot back to the past.

"Miyasato...? Let me tell you a tale, Kazuki... Long ago..."

⁂(The Lions Head War - 70 Years Ago)~⁂

A torn black hooded shawl whipped against an encompassing firestorm of embers—a sinister raiment. Through the crimson gem sockets of his frightening archaic mask, a set of glowing scarlet eyes gleamed within a fiery haze of burnt debris and scorched timber.

Ocelot, the new elven king, cast off his violet-gold cloak. The blazes engulfed and seized the elf's soaring mantle—dissolving it within a torrent of black-hollyhock-tinted fire.

"I will no longer stand here and watch my people die! This devastation... not even I can fix what you have brought to my home country. It will haunt the elven race forever! You have tarnished this soil! It is my birthright as the grandchild of Yuun to stop you, even if it costs me my life!" yelled Ocelot as he closed his bright green eyes in focus.

"Ocelot, no! We have to take him on together!" shouted a young armoured Agatha.

"Do not be a fool, cousin! Keep him at a distance!" yelled young Mr.Takahashi.

"Eyes of Fūjin!" chanted Ocelot.

Ocelot's narrowed green eyesight emitted a ringing pulse, illuminated with bright verdant magic, and began firing energy beams through the apocalyptic atmosphere. As the hot rays of hardened wind pummeled the black-masked figure, the masked man gripped his red-hilted katana and flourished the curved blade downward, releasing a fountain of blood.

"My blade, Muramasa, wants to taste your blood, elf king."

The obsidian shadow marched forward and slashed Ocelot's beams of energy—one after the other with his evil katana. As the dark sword split the animation streams in half, bangs of lime-hued light repelled and ricocheted throughout the scorched elven city. A nearby beautiful elven inn crumbled and collapsed to the ground.

Young Mr.Takahashi coughed and swiped away the dust.

"He is cutting through hardened mana with steel? How is that even possible?" he huffed, frozen in disbelief.

As sweat poured from Mr.Takahashi's forehead, he swiftly looked toward young Agatha. She began unclipping needless equipment to increase her agility.

"What are you doing, Agatha? Put your armour back on. He could launch another wave of black lotus shinobi at any moment," said young Mr.Takahashi as he wiped the sweat from his eyes.

Countless corpses of elves roasted within the beautiful elven city of Aratine. The metropolis dematerialized into a blackened wasteland—an expanding void of searing black flames. Millions of sorrowful outcries of elven women and children scrambling to safety stirred the battlefield into a ruinous, smokey nightmare that Mr.Takahashi would never forget.

Trying her best to focus past the outcries, young Agatha unclipped the final piece of plated armour from her muddy silver corset. Her long brown curls whooshed upwards as the gravitational slam from the falling armour pounded into the soil.

"Ocelot needs us! Would you leave your own cousin behind, Taka?"

"But, Agatha. You cannot die here. You know this, and Ocelot knows this," replied young Mr.Takahashi as he grabbed Agatha's belly.

"You told him?" she asked, clutching Mr.Takahashi's hand.

"Last night," replied Mr.Takahashi.

The unique tribal-like tattoos etched into Ocelot's pale elven skin gleamed with leaf-green mana.

"Do not worry, my friends! It is time I repent for my father's sins with his own power," called out Ocelot as he smacked his palms together.

"I promised I would only use this ability when the world needed it. The elves are not fond of celestites that defy nature—especially my father's past betrayals. That moment of redemption is now! Forgive our family's sins, grandfather, Hideki Yuun. I must take the essence of this whole city and its surrounding forests to save my people. Nature will never grow here again!" cried Ocelot as he formed the sign of the ram.

Ocelot slammed his white-green mana-charged fists into the concrete, creating a mini-earthquake and massive energy lashes.

"Life-Art Heirloom: Gaia's Reversal!"

"No, Ocelot! That ability will tear you apart!" yelled Mr.Takahashi.

A jade aura thundered through Ocelot and every abled elven body in the country. The elven king's long blonde locks raged through the air as the ritual seethed his flesh—the three champions began to kindle with a mystical shield of shimmering aqua. Miniature sea turtles rapidly raced inside the water barrier at an unimaginable speed.

"Just watch my friends. This technique was taught to my father by Hideki Yuun himself. My father used this same power to defy grandpa Hideki and destroy my ancestor's name by petrifying the entire Jungle of Yuun once. It can absorb the life energies of nature and dismantle them forever."

"In doing so, I can convert the energy into whatever I want, and I have chosen a barrier from the World Turtle itself. It will magically regrow and repair an open wound in milliseconds. I have already healed fifty-thousand of my kin!"

"I will not let you take this destruction any further! Man or demon, it does not matter what you are! I am Ocelot! Son of Hayashida the Destroyer and grandson to the most powerful member of the Council of Sages, Hideki Yuun! We are the Order of the Iron Rose! The last line of defence!"

The black-cloaked man's red gemmed eyes glowed behind a thick mask of scorched obsidian. He released his bloodied katana into the air. Time seemingly slowed for the dark blade, dispelling it into a violet smoke as he approached the three Iron Rose champions.

The man threw back his shredded dark raiment and crossed his obsidian-plated gauntlets behind his back.

"If it's any consolation to you, you three are keeping up nicely," he said, stepping on the head of a woman's pale blue elven corpse.

"The other sage slaves were... disappointing. You should be proud of yourselves for surviving this long. You have become a part of my chosen now," said the masked man.

"Don't you dare touch them!" screamed Ocelot.

"I despise using this dialect. However, I am intrigued. You heal wounds faster than any sage slave I have seen in many eras. Hideki would be proud. I promise you that. I now see why Hayashida had chosen you as his successor for the Celestite of Helios. To maintain this technique, I wonder how much mana you need to expel from your body. Ah yes, look at all this nature mana around us pouring into you, elven king. I think you destroyed more than I did," taunted the obsidian-masked man.

"Shut up!" yelled Ocelot as he discharged another barrage of eye beams at the masked man.

Mr.Takahashi darted forward and unclipped his combat belt, equipped with numerous kunai knives. He swung the strap through the blisters of embers and continuously flung each dagger perfectly. The thrown daggers suddenly converted to metallic dust upon reaching the masked figure's dark-purple aura.

The masked man aimed one of his palms towards Ocelot and another at a charging Agatha. As his ruby-crested eye sockets illuminated amongst the metal mists of young Mr.Takahashi's evaporating kunai barrage, he spoke directly to Ocelot.

"I have the star stone, elven king."

Ocelot's eyes widened.

"That's not possible. My father destroyed it over five hundred years ago!"

"What is he talking about, Ocelot?" yelled young Mr.Takahashi. "What stone?"

Amid his black-armoured palm, two mini-tornados of sable magma swirled from a black rock with red engravings. They propelled towards Ocelot, Agatha and Felin with the sound of an erupting volcano. Felin gasped as the black fire tornados clashed against him and his comrades. Ocelot's mana shields flashed and tore apart with screeching hot energy. His muscles popped, and while holding on with extraordinary strength, his fingers, and soon after, his entire limbs began to disintegrate.

"The Star Stone of Kagutsuchi... Created by Kagutsuchi himself, the first bearer of fire,\. It was a super-weapon during the First-Age. It will disintegrate anything it touches and give the user immunity to fire-based attacks," stuttered Ocelot.

"I pulled the stone from Kagutsuchi's dead fingers. Then your father stole it from me. But, after tracking him for six hundred years, I eventually took it off his corpse as well. It was amazing that he was still alive after all this time and after giving you his celestite. He did not want you to know. But, as I told you and your sage slave friends, elven king, only another Hanyo could kill me. Unluckily for you, I am the last of my kin," said the masked man as he clenched his black-armoured fist, pressuring the fire tornados.

"Agatha, Taka, take my Gaia Shield! It is the only way to stop the artifact from killing you and your baby! The stone is burning Gaia's magic as well as my flesh!"

"Ocelot, don't! You'll die!" shouted Agatha.

Ocelot swiftly shot his water-healing turtles into Agatha and Felin's liquid barriers. The black-fire tornado forced through and flipped Ocelot backwards into the ash-filled ground with an explosive crimson bang. The malicious dark fire ate away the elf king's flesh savagely.

His arms disintegrated into smoking dark blue embers as Ocelot tried to pull himself up.

"Argh!"

Ocelot wailed in agony as his technique attempted to stitch every cell in his body back together. Ocelot's eyes began to glow again with an emerald radiance as he looked at a petrified young Mr.Takahashi for the last time. His body decayed into a pile of smoking green ashes as his remains spread into the searing breeze like burnt parchment thrown to the wind.

"No! Ocelot!"

Ocelot, King of the Elves: Declared K.I.A on Octas 31st, 813 AC.

Cause of Death: Disintegration by artifact.

The black magma tornado smashing into young Agatha's magical barrier had dissipated. She unsheathed her violet blade—the ensorcelled Hyperfang. As she dashed towards the masked man with incredible rapidity, Hyperfang ignited within a blue hellfire.

Young Agatha, without hesitation, began to deliver lightning-fast blue-fire-powered melee strikes as the masked man repelled with his gauntlets.

"That weapon will not work on me, sage slave. It is made of the same alloy my armour was crafted from," lectured the masked man as he locked the katana tightly in his hands.

I can't believe it. Ocelot... I swear on my father's grave that I will not let your death be in vain. In the end, we will win this. That is a promise, muttered young Agatha as she held through the clash.

"I grew up with him, you bastard," she said as she clenched her teeth and tried to break away from the masked man's grip.

"Though, It's like Ocelot said. We are the Order of the Iron Rose! The last line of defence next to the council of sages themselves. You're going to pay for what you did to him and everyone else!" she shouted.

Within a blur, young Mr.Takahashi appeared before Agatha and fired a spinning kick that forced the masked man to let go of Hyperfang.

"She is not your only opponent!" yelled Mr.Takahashi as he slammed his feet into the ground—forming hand signs at incredible speeds. Tears soared through the searing atmosphere as he chanted.

"Triple-Diamond Technique, Multi-Image!"

Over one hundred perfect doppelgangers of young Mr.Takahashi manifested from the burning ground and surrounded the masked man.

"Solidified illusions? You insult me," scoffed the masked man.

The original young Mr.Takahashi, grabbed Agatha and pulled her up from the cracked concrete ground.

"You need to run. My son is not dying here," said Mr.Takahashi, narrowing his brown eyebrows.

"And I am not letting him grow up without a father," she answered, standing up alone.

"10,000 Black Tigers," muttered the masked villain as he sprang to launch a series of martial arts kicks and punches—crushing all one-hundred clones into the charcoal dirt.

After several psychical strikes and successful blocks, the young Mr.Takahashi fumbled to guard against the masked man's sweeping kicks. Takahashi tripped—his face slamming against the dirt.

Takahashi felt the masked man seize his throat and haul him from the ground like a doll.

"I told you, Takahashi," said the masked man. "Nobody can stop me. If this is your last line of defence for the elven kingdom, it is inadequate. You have wasted my time. Sanguine alone could have handled this country. However, I admit that this has been the most fun I have had in a very long time," laughed the masked man as he squeezed Mr.Takahashi's throat.

As Mr.Takahashi tried to pry away the masked man's solid grip, he sneered.

"Wait..." choked young Mr.Takahashi. "It's you... It's been you this whole damn time. It's not possible... I was there when you died!"

A wave of blood rained over young Mr.Takahashi. The masked man looked down—an enchanted Hyperfang penetrated his special obsidian armour and into his chest. "That's for Ocelot," huffed young Agatha as she twisted the blade.

The masked man twitched and grunted. He flung young Mr.Takahashi to the soil and smacked Agatha's enchanted sword with his armoured palm out of his chest, all in one movement.

As Agatha lunged again, the masked villain slapped away Hyperfang with a swift backhand and flipped into the air, striking the blade across the blazing battleground.

The masked man laughed in a deep foreign tone and waved his black gauntlet over his bleeding wound.

"That was smart, Takahashi. Your distraction was amusing and would have felled any S-Rank bearer. That... Hyperfang... is quite the weapon. I think it may be on par with the Legendary Shinto Katanas. Still, aren't you forgetting something?"

Young Agatha and Mr.Takahashi witnessed in disbelief as the masked man's wound glowed with shining green light. The mana closed the wound—every cell wired back into its place as if the magic were stitching a blanket.

Agatha and Mr.Takahashi stood stunned. It was Ocelot's Celestite of Helios. Without a doubt in their minds, the masked man had taken his powers.

"What... are you?" puffed Agatha as she struggled to focus.

"It will take some time to perfect, of course. Ocelot had two centuries of experience. Nevertheless, do not despair. I am a fast learner," said the masked man.

As the masked man magically fused his critical wound, Mr.Takahashi winced and quickly crawled back to Agatha.

"We have to go! We need the cores to stop him now. We must regroup with Diaxis and the others!" coughed Mr.Takahashi, swatting away the battle dust.

Fatigued, he smacked his cut hand into a close-by withered flower patch. Soon after, a silvery portal manifested into the ground—hidden from sight.

"He's invincible..." said Agatha, paralyzed with fear.

Agatha suddenly felt someone clasp her shoulder. As she turned around, she met the gaze of an outlandish white-haired man. He gripped the white hilt of his long silver katana, and his ambiguous red eyes started to gleam. As the man walked past Agatha to help Mr.Takahashi to his feet, his purple and white armoured robes fluttered within the hazy debris.

"Take your wife and get out of here. I have led the survivors away from the country," said the strange, red-eyed man.

"You just came through my portal. How the hell did you do that? Who are you?" asked the young Mr.Takahashi.

"My name is Miyasato. I am the first-born Hanyo."

⁂~(Ashinburn | Present Day)~⁂

"How do you know of this? How do you know the obsidian shadow lives?" asked old Mr.Takahashi.

Kazuki answered with a lump in his throat, unsure of Mr.Takahashi's reaction.

"I spoke with the core yokai inside the Crystal Palace—inside of me. I have been there. It's real, and they claim the masked man has escaped the land of the dead. He stole Izanami's celestite. That's how he absorbs other people's yokai."

Mr.Takahashi walked back and forth in thought as he muttered to himself.

"Osamu's story is starting to come together. If he is right, then the masked man has indeed escaped death. The empire is being controlled from within, as I suspected. What of the Black Lotus Clan, Kazuki? They are his followers. Did they mention anything about them?"

"There are new members, and they are stronger than before. Also, the original three members are still around. I can't remember their names. But, if the masked man is supposed to be dead... how did he die?"

"He was defeated by Miyasato not long after Agatha and I escaped through one of my teleportation portals. When we teleported to the faraway City of Flowers, a bright red light flashed before our eyes."

"Was that the Great Detonation?"

"Precisely. People say that Miyasato sacrificed himself to create a massive explosion to destroy the masked man. We were told he succeeded at the cost of his own life. However, he destroyed the entire elven kingdom as well."

"You mentioned you knew the masked man?"

"I knew the vessel he was hiding in. It was my old master. Somehow the masked man took over his body."

"Your old master?"

"Emeric Sirus."

"The first emperor? But didn't he die of celestite cancer?"

"Yes. I was there when Emeric passed away. Kenji was there as well. He was just a kid at the time."

"Then did the masked man take over his body when he died?"

"I suspect so. However, it may go deeper than that. During our fight, he told me that only another Hanyo could kill him."

"What's a Hanyo?"

"I have read many archives in my life, and I have never encountered the term. Miyasato said that he, too, was a Hanyo. He was the firstborn. I am not sure what he meant by that."

"So, Miyasato defeated him and sent him to the underworld with a big bang that day. That's where Izanami is. Then he stole Izanami's powers, allowing him to pass through to the land of the living. My yokai said that setting foot on her side of the underworld was impossible—even for a core yokai. Whatever a Hanyo is, it lets him pass through... Now he's back. But if he used Emeric's body, it would have been destroyed by cancer and the blast. So whose body is he in now?"

"That's what scares me. Agatha and I talked about it long before I was imprisoned for failing a dire mission. She thought the masked man was Emeric masquerading as a masked figure to hide his identity. I disagreed. I think something took over his body. Perhaps his mind as well. An ancient evil of some sort. Seeing how Emeric was one of the Azmorian Twelve, it would make sense. The masked man claimed to have known all the first celestite bearers. He said that he killed a few to steal their secrets. So, Agatha may too be correct."

"So that means the masked man is over a thousand years old."

"Indeed. Emeric was a high elf, but even high elves only live to be around eight hundred in Azmoria. The timelines don't match up. I think whatever was inside Emeric had to be something else."

"When I met Diaxis, he didn't want to discuss Emeric. He blamed himself, thinking the Mirror of Destiny gave Emeric celestite cancer and that he started to change."

"Change? What else did he say?"

"That's about it. We were attacked by the Black Lotus Clan inside the Crystal Palace not long afterward. He stayed behind to defend it. When I see him again, I'll mention it. Maybe he'll know more about the true identity of the masked man than we do."

"See that you do. I'm afraid of whatever plans the obsidian shadow has. We are on the brink of a final war. Fate has come for our blood. He's returned to finish what he started. So, you must uncover the masked man's identity, gather strong warriors to combat his Black Lotus Clan and figure out what a Hanyo is."

"Do you think I might be a Hanyo? Maybe that's why I can carry the sage's yokai."

"You are more intelligent than you look, boy. The Celestite of the Mind must be opening itselfto you. You may very well be. And if so, you are our last hope in defeating this evil. But, you need to become stronger. You need to keep moving and get out of Ashinburn. I am sorry, but you place this entire fortress at risk, lad. Nevertheless, about that parting gift from Lilith, before I forget."

The strange, chained chest twitched with a crack from Mr.Takahashi's fist. The chest recoiled around and levitated, bestowing a collective shade of rainbow colours that brightened the hidden armoury. The chains rattled as they kept the chest from flying out of control. Blue dazzles shot from its large keyhole, and the treasure chest smashed back down to the stone ground, thrusting an outward ripple of dust.

Mr.Takahashi used the odd black key he had grabbed earlier and unlocked the magical lock on the chest. Kazuki stepped forward as Mr.Takahashi blew the dust and lifted the top of the coffer. The anticipation on Kazuki's face turned into instant excitement.

"This is the sword my darling Agatha used during the war. Its name is Hyperfang. Swear to me you will look after it," said Mr.Takahashi, handing Kazuki the black-gold sheathing.

"This is Agatha's legendary sword?!" said Kazuki in awe.

"Judging by your reaction, I assume I do not have to tell you the story behind this great weapon."

"But how? Agatha said she sealed the sword away," asked Kazuki as he felt the sheathing—a jet-black scabbard etched with gold-plated symbols from top to bottom.

"Hope is what the kanji reads, Kazuki. Just like your name. Ironic."

"Wow, old man, I don't know what to say. Thanks! This gives me a huge confidence boost."

"It is my pleasure, Kazuki. I had finally found a use for my power other than gathering chronicles faster than the typical scholar. Now I can conjure any item I wish into this chest using my yokai's Realm of Styx. However, I must know where the items are. I also had to have been in the locations where these items are in person. It would not be helpful to transfer myself without some visual knowledge.

"I could end up in the mountains, just like you did! However, you are lucky that I, too, trained at the Heart of Yuun, and I was Agatha's lover for many years. I know where she had hidden the blade," smiled Mr.Takahashi.

While Kazuki unsheathed Agatha's magical obsidian weapon, a sharp chime rang through the dark cellar's crisp air, and the katana radiated with a mystical violet stream. Kazuki stuttered while playing with it in awe.

"This weapon... I truly am everyone's last hope, aren't I?"

"I have faith in you, my boy, as did Agatha. Anjelico is sagacious. If he trains you quickly, it will be a dangerous journey indeed. Not many masters are left in the world nowadays. Most forbidden arts died with their warriors during the Lion's Head War. The only place the archives would acknowledge such a fast training method without one would be... no, it is far too dangerous. Not to mention it is highly forbidden!"

"A forbidden training method? What is it?" asked Kazuki as he sheathed and fastened Hyperfang to his black-gold robes.

Mr.Takahashi sat down on his nearby stool. His bones and back caterwauled as he yielded a small grunt. Leaning back in thought, he sighed.

"The underworld. It is also known as The Black Styx. The realm is merely a myth. It is said to adjoin Izanami's underworld. We could hit two birds with one stone. Legend says that when the core yokai split from The All Demon and became one with humanity, the reaper came to our world to ensure he was sealed. The reaper is Izanami's guardian. All I remember is a golden gateway is said to lead to the Lady of Death. Kazuki, you must find the reaper, and it will grant you the power to enter The Black Styx to speak with Izanami."

"Where do I find the golden gate and the reaper? It sounds hard."

"Not at all. We know where one of these golden gates is located. More incredible than even the cores themselves, honestly. Emeric Sirus dove into writing many chronicles about The Black Styx. He had only left clues as to what it was. He describes the entrance as dark purple clouds, unlike anything we see in the sky. A shadow that does not possess moisture but rather a gateway to another realm, where time and space are supposedly non-existent. The bridge between the world of the living and the dead. During his adventures, Emeric had written about these gates of death and found a portal to this sub-realm.

"When he entered and returned, it was as if weeks spent within were merely hours in our world. If I were to point you in the right direction, I would travel to The Kingdom of Clouds and find the Elder Frog in Golden Cloud Village. Mention my name, and give him this letter. They will grant you full access to the Archives of Cloud, as they had voted against your execution. The Elder Frog will help you find the golden gate that leads to The Black Styx. However, you must still speak with the reaper and convince it to let you enter."

Kazuki grabbed Mr.Takahashi's envelope.

"Don't worry, old man. I'll do whatever I can. I'll find the Elder Frog and ask where one of these gates is. If I can't find that reaper yokai, I'll have to find someone who can. And thanks for Agatha's sword. I promise I will find her and bring her back to you!"

Mr.Takahashi gasped and smiled.

I can see why you made so much effort to protect him, my dear. He certainly is unique. There is something about him. He is stubborn and doesn't know how to quit. His ambitions of wanting a hero's life remind me of when we were young... and foolish.

The cellar door closed with a resounding chunk of rusty metal as Kazuki left. The torches quivered, and as Mr.Takahashi gazed into their dimming flames, thinking about Agatha, they suddenly brushed out with an unknown gust of chilled wind.

Darkness.

A female phantom manifested into the cold air, kissing Mr.Takahashi with the scent of burnt roses.

"Sending the boy to strike a deal with death itself? Most interesting."

Mr.Takahashi rubbed his eyes and shuffled to the cellar's door.

"..."

"I have foreseen the future, old man. The boy will force the world to watch itself burn upon a screen of light to avenge his fallen friend. Nothingness remains."

Mr.Takahashi grunted and finally argued back with the mysterious phantom.

"I see you're still around as well, Izuki. The future is not written in stone, witch. This legendary chess game has just begun, and it's your team's move."