Prologue
In this world, the power of existence had been consumed by the Crimson Denizens, and this world was distorted and eroded. That was her mentors and guardians told her, and she believed that truth. That was reality she knew for her whole life, unlike other human that learned that after a tragedy like other Flame Haze or normal humans that related to Outlaw.
The truth was merely how the world worked to her, a reality placed before her very eyes, something as normal as common sense.
She was the one chosen to be the perfect vessel of God, the one who wished to preserve the balance. She was one of the hunters who possessed the extraordinary ability to hunt the Crimson Denizens, they were called "Flame Hazes".
All of these, which normal humans knew nothing about, belong to her real world. Her duty was protecting the balance of this world, the call was to exterminate the Denizens.
That was her everything, her existence, and apart from that, she had nothing else.
However, the moment of that encounter with him…
It was as if her world was rewritten, and he was shaking the very foundation of her reality as she knew it.
Sakai Yuji was just eight years old when his world was dyed in color of crimson flame of Guze. At that time he and his family had no idea that his father's decision to made their twins stay with their grandmother in small village near Narita Mountain would end in tragedy.
He was playing hide and seek with his older twin Yuichi, who had dragged local children in their little game. Since they had the whole large farm as playground for themselves, naturally the game went on longer than normal because there were so many hiding place. Yuji who was playing as 'It' couldn't find his brother even after looking for him for hours and started to get worried. Especially because they always could find each other easily, he and Yuichi never failed to find each other no matter what. Their parent thought that was because they were identical twins.
But now…
Suddenly he was overcome by a sense of dread as something stopped him from walking towards his grandmother's house, which perhaps where Yuichi was after getting bored of waiting to be found. His young mind couldn't comprehend it, but it as if something blocked him off from his older twin. Yuji struggled against the invisible force and ran towards his grandmother's place he could barely able to recall where.
That was when he ran to something that burned him, and that something shattered and left him in so much pain. Yuji rolled over in pain before the fire died down and he was able to stand again. The fire didn't hurt as much as he thought, it felt like something prickling his skin. However for some reason that fire also made him felt so weak and tired, but he didn't care.
Not when he laid his eyes on a scene of carnage before him, a gigantic fox with humanoid body was grabbing his brother with its tail and sucking azure flame out of his brother.
"Nii-san!" Yuji cried but no one in the scene moved, all of them had lifeless expression on their face including his brother.
It was as if they were already dead.
The monster fox glanced at him curiously, "How come the Fuzetsu is broken and how did this brat escape?"
Yuji froze on his track, he couldn't move as fear and dread consumed him. He fell to the ground, his young body shook as he couldn't aver his eyes from the monster that was holding his brother.
"Same face." The fox titled his head curiously, "Twin huh… I have heard identical twins have connected existence… I can see a very thin line of existence connecting the two of you, how curious."
"Nii-san…" Yuji whimpered, tears pooling up in his dark blue eyes but his brother didn't respond. Yuichi's body was hanging limply on that monster's claw.
The monster moved towards him, but Yuji stayed rooted in his place. "Interesting… so you overcome the barrier that distort the world because of connection you have with your brother, how touching."
"Aah… Nii-san, let Nii-san go…" He cried helplessly, his hand reached out for a pebble and threw it at the monster.
The pebble bounced off of his fury body, golden eyes examined the boy curiously. "Don't worry… after I'm done with both of you… you're going to die together…"
Yuji eyed the monster with fear, but his body won't listen to him. "Aah…"
Suddenly his brother's blank expression changed as words escaped his lips, "St… stop… don't… "
The monster glared at the lifeless boy that no more than a mere torch, "Still have some consciousness huh?"
"Yu… ji… run…" Yuichi muttered weakly, his small hands clawing on the furry limb that was holding him.
Yuji stood up slowly, his feet shaking as he struggled to move. He didn't want to leave his brother, and definitely watch this monster killed him either. But what he could do? What a weak little boy like him could do?
"Annoying." The monster grumbled and opened his jaw, planning to swallow the boy whole. It was already a mere torch but he could be careless, both boys won't even have left any torch.
"STOP IT!" Yuji cried hysterically as he felt his very existence was sucked out. "Nii-san!"
Someone! Anyone! Help! Help! He didn't care who, but please! Please… please grant his wish to save his brother! He didn't think of anything else, all he wanted was his brother to be safe. He didn't want to lose his twin, even if… even if…
"You have a wish?"
It as if time stopped when a deep voice answered his call, and his vision was clouded by black flame.
"Yes…" Yuji answered fearfully, he didn't know who answered his plead but he was willing to grasp it. "Brother… help my brother…"
"A mere boy like you call out to me for your brother… what a strong desire… I never know a human could be this strong.
It took years of collective desire of Tomogara to call me out… "
" Please…"
"Very well… with that strong desire I am sure you're willing to exchange anything for a contract, and thus… I shall answer your call. Give me your name little one…"
Exchange? This voice wanted him to give something in exchange of saving his brother? That was fine, as long as he could save his brother! "Yu… ji… Sakai Yuji…"He answered in determined voice, "My name is Sakai Yuji! My wish is to protect my brother!"
The voice then answered that wish, "If that is what you wish, Sakai Yuji, then you will be the sole human to ever walk alongside me"
And the world Sakai Yuji knew of was consumed by black flame and it was a color, which blotted everything into darkness.
Seven years later…
"So this is where we part ways… " The old man looking Tomogara said, tipping the rim of her hat. "Let's meet again in the next crossroad of fate."
The boy in front of her looked sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head, "Yes, I am sorry for imposing you for the last few months… Leanan-sidhe."
Amber eyes eyed the boy in amusement, "It's no bother, you have been a good companion and student for the last few months and I am flattered to be involved in helping you to perfect your unique Unrestricted Spell." The disguised spell crafter said to the young boy, "It's astonishing how fast you're able to master your Grammatica…"
"It's thanks to you who name it, it would take longer for me if not for your guidance with fitting name you gave." The boy said modestly.
"The pleasure is all mine." Leanan-sidhe returned, "Are you going back to your hometown now?"
He nodded, "Yes… the double I left in my absence would have few days left at most." He admitted sheepishly. "If it run out my absence would be noticed."
"The last time it happened, you're on the newspaper as a missing kid." A deep voice came from small silver pocket watch that tied to his belt. "Hopefully you didn't calculate wrong amount for torch you left behind as your double… again, my vessel… you're very lucky we can cover that up."
Leanan-sidhe's shoulder shook as the spell crafter tried to not laugh at the boy's flushed face. "Hmph."
"Anyway!" The boy cut in before either non-human burst to uncontrollable laughter. "Let's go home now! If I'm lucky I am not that much left behind for my school works!"
"You've missed your graduation ceremony and even enrollment to high school." His contractor pointed out. "Then again it's not everyday you run to Leanan-sidhe."
The spell-crafter shrugged, "Your graduation ceremony and entrance to high school is not everyday either, you have missed a proportional part of your youth…"
True, that was a little sad but then again on his contractor's urging he almost didn't think twice to drop everything the moment they spotted the famous Spiral Organ.
"It's not like I lost all my high school life." He said as if to console himself, "Well then, once again thank you for everything Leanan-Sidhe. Take care…" The boy said as he bid the tomogara a farewell.
Leanan-sidhe in her Lammie's form smiled at the boy who was running towards random direction before he disappeared in a burst of azure flame. "Take care… Sakai Yuji, see you again in the crossroad of fate."
Meanwhile in Misaki City
"So this is the city of ceremony…" A beautiful girl dressed in all black muttered as she looked down at the city. "Still… it's strange there's so many torch here."
The pendant on her chest spoke with deep voice, "I agree… not to mention looking at the distortion, it's done in hurry. There are a lot of torches here but most of them felt strong as if the consummation of existence is done in hurry."
His Flame Haze raised an eyebrow at that, "Is that so, Alastor? What's the purpose, that sounds like this Tomogara just wanted to create as many torch as possible."
"Perhaps… but even if that's the reason, they could have consume in slower rate so it would be less suspicious." Alastor, the Crimson God said. "Perhaps there was a Flame Haze here and this Tomogara was doing this in his or her absence."
The dark haired Flame Haze perked up at that, "A Flame Haze that stay in one city? That's rare… aside from the Four Gods of Motherland and a few exceptions, Flame Haze in general won't stay in the same place for long… not in medium-sized city like this."
The Crimson God agreed, that was a little odd. "Perhaps this place have sentimental value for the Flame Haze… " While in general Flame Haze were lone wolf, they were affiliated to Outlaw and Flame Haze Federation so there's some sort of control over their action and whereabouts. But there were some Flame Haze that refused to be affiliated, especially newborns that too obsessed with their revenge.
"There's faint trace of Unrestricted Spell casted around here, whoever this Flame Haze… they're undoubtedly master of Unrestricted Spell." Alastor added.
His Flame Haze narrowed her eyes, "Is that so? But where do you think this Flame Haze went off to that a Tomogara quickly seize the opportunity to go on rampage here?"
"Hm…"
The blazing eyed hunter tensed for a moment, "Fuzetsu… someone casted Fuzetsu in the shopping district."
"This presence… just rinne perhaps, get ready for battle." Alastor muttered as his contractor leaped to the next building, running towards the Fuzetsu they sensed.
When she arrived on the scene, a rinne that looked like giant baby doll was about to consume a boy dressed in black gakuran. She cut off the arm and in fell as it oozed flame of existence. She heard groan of pain and realized something was off that the boy could move inside the fuzetsu. Then again facing against rinne, she had to eliminate them before quenching her mundane curiosity.
It was a pathetically easy fight, those dolls barely putting up a fight.
"Uh…"
The boy who could move inside the seal was a torch, and strangely it seemed for a moment 'it' was trying to stay still to fool her that he was a normal torch. At least this torch had some brain if it was aware of its status, but still unusual. It was a mystes.
It seemed the master had rinne with good brain in them, as one of them sneaked behind the mystes to steal the hougu. A last ditch attempt to get something out of this mess. She quickly slashed the offending limb, and the rinne cried out in pain.
"You… that fiery hair and blazing eyes, Flame Haze of Alastor!" It hissed venomously. "My master will not let this down, he will destroy you! You, tool of hunting!"
She was not amused, if the doll thought it would offend her to be called a tool. She was exactly that after all, "So what? Your master will cried out his last word very soon, but for now let's hear yours." She returned the threat and readied her sword to kill her in one clean slash.
"Die Flame Haze!" A creepy head ball rinne cried as it rolled towards her direction and the mystes.
She didn't even think twice to run her sword through both the mystes and the female looking rinne, but it surprised her that the mystes managed to move and only had half of its arm cut off when the rinne couldn't. She didn't mull over it for long as she moved on to kill the ball shaped one.
But much to her shock instead of coming for her, the heads rinne changed its course in the last second and barreled towards the mystes instead. She swung her sword down, a slash that would have cut both the rinne and mystes in the same time but a black blur appeared between the mystes and rinne and a rows of blue crystals appeared. The rinne was slashed in two but not even a scratch on the crystal wall.
On the corner of her eyes, she saw but the core in form of smaller doll managed to escape her in last second and fled.
"Damn it, one of them got away." She hissed before turning her attention to the crystal wall that shattered in instant she sheathed her sword.
As it shattered, a boy that looked exactly like the mystes was revealed wearing a frown on his face. The boy was wearing the same uniform even, but his presence was completely different.
"Who are you?" She demanded, narrowing her eyes. "A Flame Haze?"
Inwardly the boy was groaning that of all Flame Haze he had just to run to this one.
This story is for my bouncing idea until I get over writer block for my Naruto story... if you like Naruto please take time to read mine ^^
From what I see this section of fandom is kinda dead... but well, I write this story for pure enjoyment so I am not that concerned of review but will be very happy to get some XD
THis story will take more in depth about creating ideal world Sairei no Hebi wanted to create... while it's a wonderful project he has there I think he is a little too naive in execution.