This is a short story on the power of disbelief. Disbelief can cancel the most powerful magicks, crush the most powerful sword, and even wipe people from existence. Remember this at all times. And remember that belief can be just as powerful as disbelief, too. Just not for the unlucky soul in this story.
The lone warrior stood, still as a statue, in the desolate field, meditating, thinking, planning. "This mage… he must be powerful if they need me to collect his head…" He thought to himself, wondering if this mark would be his last, before quickly dispelling the thought from his head. "Of course I shall win… no mark has bested me yet…"
"Hello, Sir Ninja…" A voice behind the warrior said. Without turning, the warrior replied, a faint smirk on his face.
"You must be Gustav… the mage…" He said, placing his hand on his concealed kunai knife.
"Indeed I am… have I become so famous as to be recognized…" Gustav said, his eyes closed, "…by the mighty Jonai, bounty hunter extraordinaire?" He said smiling.
"Why, yes… it seems…" Jonai replied, his grip on his kunai knife tightening, also preparing a fire jutsu, "…that you have been… less than a model citizen…" Gustav smiled, taking Jonai's words as a complement. "…stealing, running from the law… murdering the other bounty hunters sent after you… those were my friends, by the way…" Jonai said, ready to attack.
"Well… I apologize for killing your friends… they should not have… cornered me… I can be quite fierce when cornered…" Gustav replied, chuckling, "…quite like… a dragon…"
"So… he must be a Blue Mage, so he would be a hume…" Jonai thought to himself, channeling his fire jutsu in a spiral around his knife, ready to strike.
"I…wouldn't do what you are considering…" Gustav said, his voice shaky, noting the light from under Jonai's robe.
"Well, I am not you!" Jonai said, turning, throwing the knife at what should have been Gustav's throat. However, as he turned, he saw that Gustav was not a hume Blue Mage as he assumed, but a Nu Mou.
"I see you have missed your target…" Gustav smirked, his hands glowing with a blue light. "I, however, shall not." He said, throwing a blast of ice at Jonai, who swiftly dove to the left, nearly dodging the magick, but still being hit on his foot, which was encased in ice.
"…I see why you let nobody who fought you live…" Jonai grunted as his foot fell to the ground, "…if you had, I would have known you were Nu Mou, and I would have hit my mark…" He continued, summoning a blast of fire to thaw the ice, albeit slowly. Despite the fact that Jonai was not moving, Gustav did nothing.
"Very well thought out, Jonai… however, I also wanted to keep my secret techniques… to myself…" He said, smirking, his eyes glowing a faint red.
"W-what do you mean?" Jonai stammered, gulping slightly, trying to melt the ice around his foot faster.
"You see… I have a very special power… I can… take on the shape and powers of any beast…" Gustav said, his voice raspy, his eyes glowing stronger, and holding out his hand. "…as long as I have a soul… like this…" He said, referencing his hand, despite it being empty. "…I have gained these powers from the beast god…"
"…have you gone insane? Your hand is empty!" Jonai said, his foot nearly free.
"You are attempting to fool me… for in my hand… is the soul of a Thunder Drake…" Gustav said, lifting his hand above his head, before dropping whatever he believed was in his hand. "And I shall take on the shape… and powers…" Gustav continued, his voice growing deeper, lower, and more beast-like. "Of the mighty…" Gustav bent over slightly, taking on the natural stance of a dragon, "…Thunder Drake!"
Jonai jumped up, his foot fully thawed, also drawing his two katana, half expecting something to happen. ".,.you fool, nothing has happened, because there is no beast god! There are no gods!" He yelled at Gustav, who was still standing in the stance of a Thunder Drake. Gustav simply roared, and charged at Jonai, running at full speed, which was considerably fast for how the robes he was wearing. However, Jonai was much faster, stepping to the side, and bringing his katana down to Gustav, who shrieked in pain, falling to the ground, a large gash in his back.
"B-but… how?" He said, his vision fading as Jonai walked over, ready to drag her to the nearest prison. "How could… the beast god abandon me?" He pondered as his consciousness faded…