-In The Future-
"Y...you...heartless...monster…"
"Tell me where it is." Said a white haired man.
"I'd...never...betray...ASGARD!" The wounded man jumped up and attempted to swing his hammer at the smirking white hair man.
"Tsk tsk tsk." The white haired man caught the hammer with ease and kneeled down to the wounded warrior's level. "C'mon Thor...God of Thunder...Big tough asgardian guy! Just show me where your papa's left eye is and I'll leave this place without anymore casualties."
"You already...killed most of my people! Why should I trust you?!" I hissed.
"Because unlike you, I'm a god that can do whatever he wants to. I have necromancy Thor. I can bring them all back. All you gotta do is help me out."
Thor looked down. "Do you swear your word? Will you...truly fulfill your promise?"
"Sure thing pal."
"...I...I suppose-"
"NO THOR! DON'T LISTEN TO THAT SPINELESS LEECH! HE WISHES TO DECEIVE YOU!" Yelled an old man.
"Father!" Thor yelled.
"Tch...Fucking Odin…"
"I've been watching you for quite some time now Tatsugami. You've been quite the pest in EarthRealm and the NetherRealm."
"Don't call me that old man!"
"I'm sorry. Would you prefer Metagenesis, or better yet, soulless bastard?" Odin growled.
"I'm gonna enjoy tearing you to shreds." Metagenesis snarled.
Odin pulled out a large axe. "In the name of all the Asgardians that you mercilessly killed. I, ODIN, KING OF THE NORSE GODS, WILL CUT YOU-"
Odin was silenced when a hand passed through his chest. "You...talk too much…"
"FATHER!" Thor shouted.
Metagenesis lifted the old god up and held him over the edge of the tall summit of Jotunheim. His deadly smirk returning.
"Y...you truly are...the plague of this world...You're the...full personification of evil." Odin choked out.
"Why thank you my good sir. Have fun in limbo you old piece of shit." Metagenesis dropped Odin off of the mountain and turned back to Thor. "Well...Back to you." He said as he stomped on Thor's hammer, crushing it completely. He grabbed him by the neck and glared. "Tell me!"
"You...will rot...for all that you've done." The thunder god muttered.
"I will never die. Not in this lifetime or the next…"
"Everyone dies...Even you!" Thor smiled.
"Ward of Flames: Melting Point!" Metagenesis heated up the palm of his hand and seared the god's throat. He dropped Thor's corpse to the floor and stared at it with an enraged expression. He flicked his finger, creating a large shockwave that destroyed a mountain in the distance. "I will find you...And when I do...I'll be unstoppable!"
-Present-
(SHIRO'S POV)
"HYAH!" I slice a large demon in two with Black Inertia.
"Watch your back!" Vauz yelled as he kicked another charger's head clean off.
"Whoa! Thanks man." I said to him.
"Thank me by staying alive!" He spun and kicked another's head off.
I cut another one into pieces and flipped back as four tried to gang up on me. Helena ran at all four and knocked them all back with just one of her powered up punches.
"Pull your balls outta your purse and fight back, wuss!" She said to me.
I growled to myself and placed my sword in a portal. I grabbed my Gilgamesh Grips and put them on. I dashed forward and hit about fifty guys, each with three hundred well placed punches. I dropped all of them in literally five seconds.
"How was that, she bitch? Pretty manly, right?" I said with my arms folded and a smug look on my face. That was until a large fist knocked me to the floor.
Helena scoffed. "Oh yeah. Nothing screams manliness like laying flat on your ass."
"Shut the hell up…" I stood up and stared down the large, red demon. "What's up with this prick?"
Kyra and Naomi landed down next to me with their black, demon wings still out. Naomi smiled at me and Kyra faced the large beast.
"Inkis Jong. He was a high level demon that's been corrupted by greed. His desperation for power is what led to him gaining that enlarged form."
Gracia crashed down and grinned at me. "He's like SUPER tough now."
"Doesn't really matter how tough he is. The bastard's on our turf now so he's our problem to deal with." Vauz grumbled.
"He's right. We need to deal with this quickly and safely." Kyra told us.
"He doesn't look so tough." I spoke.
Helena laughed. "This coming from the guy who got hit first."
I rolled my eyes and ran forward. Inkis swung his fist at me. I lifted up my right arm and blocked the attack with little to no effort. I jumped up and run along his arm. He tried to grab me but I smacked his hand away. When I got to his face, I slammed my fist in between his eyes, knocking him down.
"C'mon big guy! Get up!"
Inkis stood and stared me down. I flipped him off and grinned. He charged at me and tackled me into a large boulder.
"SHIRO!" Everyone yelled.
I crawled to my feet and hissed at the pain in my limbs. "Alright...Time for the big shits!" I grabbed the Hanzuname Dragon blade and once again tried to unsheath the damn thing. "What the fucking hell?!" I yelled with frustration.
Inkis wasted no time punt kicking me into the same rocks. I moved myself out of the rubble and glared at my "Legendary" sword.
"Shiro! Are you alright?" Everyone asked me. Even Helena seemed somewhat concerned.
"I'm fine I guess...A little pissed off. A tad bit...HOLY FUCK!" I stared at the awkward angle in which my leg was bent with panic.
"Oh goddamn!" Vauz yelled.
"Olivia, please heal him!" Kyra said as she looked away.
The short girl kneeled down and placed her small hands on my leg. Her eyes flashed blue and her hands glowed brightly. I cringed when my broken bone melded itself back together.
"It is done." She said.
"...Damn that's helpful. You and Izzy would be great buds." I chuckled.
'Who's Izzy?" Kyra asked.
"Huh? Oh she was a friend of mine back when I wasn't dead."
"Not to interrupt or anything, but Inkis has been charging up another attack." Helena huffed.
"Right, we'll take backstories later. Naomi, back me up from the air. Vauz, Helena, run separate flanks. Gracia, you're running distraction." Kyra ordered. I was amazed by how easy she took charge.
"RIGHT!" They all said.
"Hey...What do you want me to do?" I asked her.
"Can you still fight?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." I told her.
"Than do your job as bodyguard and keep me protected while I finish this." She said.
"Yes Lady Kyra!" I bowed to her with a playful grin. She blushed and looked away.
Vauz and Helena sprinted around the large demon whiled Gracia blasted him with large gusts of wind from her hands in order to draw its attention. Naomi sprouted her wings and lifted off into the skies. She held out a hand and blasted a black and red ray of demonic energy. This forced him to put his guard up leaving him vulnerable to the double attack from Vauz and Helena.
"That's our cue." Kyra said as she took off towards Inkis.
I bolted past her with my Gilgamesh Grips and blocked a few of his wild attacks. A large burst of wind collided with his face, causing him to stagger.
"Go princess!" I yelled as I clutched her forearm and swung her towards the larga demon. A bright red orb charged up in her hand. She slammed the orb into Inkis. She dropped down next to me and we watched as he disintegrated into nothing.
"Geez...What did you just do to him?" I asked.
"He was a tainted soul beyond redemption. I erased him from Hell and banished his being to Limbo for the rest of eternity." She said as if it were nothing.
"...What?!"
"That means don't be a useless idiot or she might just get rid of you." Helena said.
"You're still talkin'?!" I said with a harsh glare.
"That's what my mouth is for dipshit!"
"I bet it's also for suckin-"
"ENOUGH! Both of you!" Kyra shouted.
"Psh...She started it. LIKE USUAL!" I yelled in Helena's face. She spun and buried her fist into my face damn near knocking me out. A tear fell out my eye as I held my bleeding nose.
"Why is he even here?! None of this even makes sense!" The short blonde snapped at Kyra.
Everyone grew silent, including me. "Helena, I'd advise you to lower your tone." Kyra warned.
"Answer my question! Why did you even choose him?! He's a weak and useless sleazebag!"
"WHO THE HELL YOU CALLING A FUCKING SLEAZEBAG?!" I barked.
"You! You're just a pervert living out his best wet dream! You barely even help! Kyra doesn't even need a bodyguard! Especially not one as pathetic as you!"
"Whoa, Helena chill out." Gracia muttered.
"What does he even do?! We don't need him! Who honestly wants him around? Naomi can't even stand guys like him. Kyra doesn't need you, Olivia is always uncomfortable with him around, Gracia lost her home because of his douchebag kingdown, Dio isn't even willing to talk to him all that much! For shit sake, Vauz is gay and he doesn't even like him! Why is he here?!"
The silence was even more tense. Tense and very much hostile. No one even bothered looking at me.
"Helena...I won't tell you again! CUT IT OUT!"
I glared at the shorter girl and got in her face with complete anger. "You know what? Fuck it then. You want me gone so bad, then I'll fucking leave! If I'm such a goddamn problem for everyone, I'll fucking go!"
"Shiro, it's not like that." Kyra said softly.
"Bullshit it's not!" I yelled at her. "I didn't ask to fucking die! Why did you even call to me?! Why the hell were you in my dream?! WHY DID YOU BRING ME HERE?!"
"Shiro please...Calm down." Vauz said to me as he placed a hand on my shoulder. I quickly smacked it away and glared at him.
"NO! FUCK THAT! If little miss bitch wants me out the picture then I'll fulfill her bullshit wish!" I turned and stomped off, shoulder checking Helena in the process. I closed my eyes and quickly teleported away.
(TATSU'S POV)
I struggled to catch my breath as Eliza and I ran away from the Elven forces. I turned back to see if we had lost them yet. Much to my relief, we had gained a good amount of distance.
"I think we lost em' Tatsu." Eliza said.
"Oh thank god. All that booze, plus this goddamn running...I might just...Oh shit!" I threw up everything on the floor below.
"We should probably get home now." She said.
"Yeah...Good idea…" I nodded. "You wanna teleport?"
"Yeah, I guess that's fine. You mind stopping somewhere for me though?" She asked.
"Sure. Where to?" I asked back.
"You know where the Sunken Hollow is?"
"Isn't that where some of the most dangerous scumbags live? You know, the criminals that attack anybody that comes on there territory."
Eliza smirked. "You're not scared, are you?"
"Did you forget who I am? Trust me, after seeing Metagenesis face to face, nothing in this world scares me."
"Then let's get a move on!"
"Why do you wanna go so badly?!" I asked her.
"It's a special place to me. It's been a few years since I've been there so I kinda feel like going back."
"Right...Well then grab my hand." She clutched my left hand softly. I warped us to a large, dark forest that had multiple treehouses. It was like a small city with ziplines and rope bridges.
Eliza gasped as she looked around the place. "It's even better than I remember! Have you ever been here before?"
"Nope. I've only heard about it from the you in my timeline."
"I just HAVE to show you around. Come on!" She grabbed my hand and tugged my through the dark, city of the trees. Many people looked at us as if we were insane. I was feeling uneasy and Eliza was smiling.
We walked all over the place, seeing the many include some of the shops which sold weapons and clothing. A few bars and canteens were also along the way. Our final stop was a tree house. It was the biggest one in town and was surrounded by multiple cloaked figures.
When we got near the door, they all aimed there daggers at us. "State your business here, less you wanna die!"
I got into a fighting stance and glared. Eliza simply walked forward and rolled up one of her leather sleeves. She showed them a tattoo and they all instantly dropped their weapons and backed off. They all stepped aside and allowed Eliza to open the wooden door. She looked back at me with a smile.
"C'mon! I want you to meet someone." She said to me.
We stepped inside and saw three people. One was a large man with a huge beard. He was looking at a set of axes. Another was a pretty looking woman with long navy blue hair. She was holding the final member in her arms. A small baby with short black hair.
"Bastian we're out of supplies. We need to raid the Altarian's camp! We don't have any other choice." The woman said.
"I know Frida! I've already sent out our scouts to go and survey their defenses." The large man said.
"They've been gone for weeks. The Altarians are a formidable group. They may have captured the scouts by now. We need to attack."
The man grunted. "That could lead to more casualties! We can't afford to lose more people!"
"What other choice do we have left?" The woman said.
"WE CAN HELP!" Eliza suddenly yelled, startling the two talking.
"Wait what?" I muttered.
"Oh my god…" Frida muttered quietly.
"Eliza! What are you doing here? And who is that outsider that you've brought into our camp?!" Bastian asked.
"Hello to you too, Bastian. You as well mother. As for what I'm doing here, I've come to visit my old home. I missed this place so much that I just had too."
"Right...What about him. He better not be another one of your one night stands!" Bastian glared at me and I glared back.
"I'm sorry, what?!" I hissed aggressively.
"This is Tatsu. He's not just some guy either. He's my boyfriend. Like legitimately this time. He can help you with the raid. I promise."
"What are you doing?!" I whispered angrily at her.
"It'll be okay. Just trust me." Eliza whispered back.
"How can you be so sure? The Altarians are fierce barbarians with the strength that rivals the giants. Our speed and stealth can only do so much against them. What skills does this Tatsu possess to aid us in this raid?" Frida asked.
"Go ahead and tell them." Eliza nudged my side. I rolled my eyes and stepped forward. "I'm a being with powers given to me by the death god. I possess several legendary weapons and tools, and have mastered many different styles. I have strength that is fifty times what Hercules can even hope to muster. I'm faster than the speed of light and can control time."
They both stared at me with shock. "Where did you find this man?"
"He was lying in a crater outside of my house." Eliza shrugged.
"It's the truth…"
"Hmph...Very well then. If you can lead the raid, then you'll gain my blessing. I am expecting big things from you. My daughter isn't one to choose a partner so you must be extraordinary to have caught her eye."
I looked at the woman, then back at her daughter. "...Good to know."
"We will begin the raid tonight! In the meantime, you're welcome to enjoy the city of thieves."
"Thank you both!" I nodded.
(SHIRO'S POV)
"RAAAAAAAAHHH!' I shouted as a burst of purple flames spewed from my mouth. I continued burning down the hellwood trees with my singular dracomancer ability.
"HEY KID!" Yelled a grumpy old man.
"Who are you?!"
"I'm the guy who's wondering why his forest is getting burned to the ground by some shithead kid." The man grumbled.
I looked around at the growing flames and scratched the back of my head. "Whoops! Sorry about that dude…"
His maroon cloak was hiding the upper part of his face. All I could see was his lips curl downward. "Well don't just stand there all gobsmacked! Put the damn fire out!"
"I uh...ok." I put on my grips and rubbed my hands together. I took a deep breath and clapped them both together and creating a thunderous boom and blew the fires out instantly. "There! That should do it."
"What the hell are you even doing out here besides fucking up my home." The old man asked.
"Oh, I was just practicing my elemental dracomancy." I said with a shrug.
"You mean the shit that dragons give to people?"
"Yeah. I got it a while ago. Never really practiced it though. All I can do is use the dragon breath…" I chuckled.
"Hmm...I see. Well, I don't know what dragon gave you his essence, but you won't really grow unless you learn from it personally. Otherwise you're just stuck with a shit power."
I glared with silent rage. "THAT BITCH! HE FUCKING DUPED ME!"
"Sounds like you got ripped off, kid."
"Yeah! I spared that bastard ass dragon for some lame ass power that I need him to train me with!"
"Why didn't you go to Drukus Yul?" He asked.
"What the hell is Drukus Yul?!"
"The realm of the dragons. It's where draconian folk can live in peace from those that would hunt them down."
"Oh...So how do I get there?" I asked.
"Well...I don't think I can help you with that kid."
"What?! Why the hell not?"
He sighed. "I don't know where the fucking place is! I ain't no draconian! You wanna find the place, then find another dracomancer. I'm only telling you what I know."
"...Wow. Well, do you know any dracomancers?" I asked.
"As a matter of fact, I do. There's Marco Ulrich. Gladiator and champion of Hades. Dominique Gliss, the angelic server of St. Joseph. Finally, there's Sandra Neptune, the granddaughter of Poseidon. All possess good status with dragons and can wield elemental dracomancy."
"So where do I find them?" I asked.
"Well...You don't. Marco is the closest, but not just any old demon can go into Hades' domain. That, and Marco isn't exactly friendly either. He's a vicious, cold blooded killer far beyond compassion. He's the best at what he does and what he does is kill." The old man sighed.
"...Damn. Ok what about the other two?"
"Dominique is all the way in the Aether Realm. As you should know, any demon that enters that realm, let alone the kingdom of Heaven, will perish instantly and be sent straight to Limbo. As for Saundra, she is tightly guarded and protected. She's the most likely to aid you but is also extremely difficult to meet in person, especially all the way from the deep pits of hell."
"Right...Well, I still have to try! Fanny Pack style!" I said before putting away my grips.
"Neat ability kid." He said to me.
"Thanks. I learned it...myself." I technically wasn't lying.
"I bet you keep a ton of stuff in that portal of yours."
"Meh, only my gear. Like my legendary swords and stuff."
"Legendary? How legendary?" He asked.
"Well there's Black Inertia, which can grow whenever I say the magical and...somewhat redundant word...INERTIA! Then there's this piece of shit." I reached into the portal and grabbed the Hanzuname Dragon blade.
The old man fell back as I lifted the weapon. "Where did you get that?!"
"Haruka Blade gave it to me. I can't unsheath it though…"
"You met...I can't believe it. How was he? Is he still alive? Is he still protecting Wudai? Did he start drinking again?!"
"Damn! Chill out old man! How do you even know Haruka?" I asked.
"I'm...His father. Thaddeus Oshinobi. I haven't seen my son in over five thousand years. Seeing that specific weapon...It's overwhelming." The old man said.
"I see. Well, can you help me unsheath it?" I asked.
"It's not a weapon that just anyone can wield. You must bond with the sword and let its power flow within you. Only the most powerful ninja were able to use it. If my son gave it to you then it's because he saw something inside of you. The blade will unsheath itself to you when you truly need it...Or something like that, I dunno…"
I sighed. "Well that was...useless…"
"SHIRO!" Yelled a familiar voice.
"Oh shit...Well, It looks like I got company. Why did they even follow me?" I huffed.
"I can see that you've got your hands tied right now young man so I'll take my leave. If you ever want to talk to an old man and learn a thing or two, just come back here. Any friend of Haruka is a friend of mine." He said.
I nodded to him. "Thank you Mr. Thaddeus."
He vanished in a cloud of red smoke, leaving me alone in the partially burnt forest. I looked up at the blood red sky and sighed.
Within a few short minutes, Kyra and the rest of the gang including Vizeron ran over to me. Kyra threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly.
"Shiro please don't leave! Helena didn't mean it. We all want you here in our group." The black haired girl said to me.
I looked at Helena. She didn't seem too pleased with me at all. I sighed and looked at the others. Gracia had a distant looked, Naomi gave me a sad smile, Vauz had his arms crossed and Olivia avoided eye contact with me.
"You're apart of our team. You're precious to us." Naomi said softly to me.
I stared at her and then back to Kyra. "But...I still feel like I don't belong here…"
"That's why we're all gonna share who we really are. It's time that you really meet the Aesma-Daeva branch." Kyra told me.
We all walked home and sat down in the living room everyone was quiet and seemed tense. Nobody felt one hundred percent comfortable talking about their past.
"...So should I go first?" I asked.
"Yes Shiro. Please do share your story with us." Kyra said.
I sighed. "Well as you guys already know, my name is Shiro Tatsugami. I was the prince of Hazen Reach and was unfortunately born without the abilities that should've passed down to me from my father. I sucked with magic, I wasn't very good with many weapons, I never got the power of the Hazen Lords and I was a fucking idiot. A straight pain in the ass for my dad and little sister. I constantly got into trouble and even stole the kingdom's most prized possession."
"YOU STOLE THE DARK LITHIUM SHARD?!" Gracia shouted.
"Yeah...I heard that it'd give anyone god like abilities...I couldn't have been more wrong. I ate the shard and it fused with my body. This not only did nothing for me, but I was also hated amongst my people. I was put on trial again and nearly executed until my father stepped in. My relationship with him was strained due to my dumb tendencies. He probably died hating me for causing him such headaches. My sister looked up to me...but I lied to her. I told her that I was something that I wasn't. If she knew that I was a fraud, she'd hate me too…"
"What about your mother?" Kyra asked.
"...What about my mother?"
"Well...You kinda left her out of the equation." Helena huffed.
"...I don't know. I never really got to meet her. There's too many conspiracy theories that say that she was banished from the kingdom or that she died. I dunno what's real or not. All I know was that my father never spoke of her to me."
Gracia gave me a long hard stare. I couldn't tell what she was thinking about. She seemed perplexed by her hardened face.
"What about your other friends. What were they like?" Kyra asked.
"Well, there was Isabel who was a real nice girl. She was as kind as can be. Especially since she was the princess of the vampires. It was weird because even though she didn't eat much, she was also a great cook. Pretty good healer too. Then there was Gabby…" Even her name hurt to say out loud.
"Who was she? You never seem to talk much about her." Kyra said.
"Well she was kinda the first real girl that I had a crush on. I'd be a complete dingus and she'd punch my face in and glare at me with her pretty eyes…"
"Do you...like it when girls hit you?" Kyra asked with small blush.
"What?! No! It wasn't like that! It was just our dynamic. I dunno. She'd be all cute and hostile and I kinda liked that about her. The way she was all tomboyish. She was dealing with a lot of grief when her uncle died. I guess in that moment, her and I began to connect. She was the one that put knots in my stomach just by looking at me. I really did like her. Part of me still does...Too bad she doesn't feel that way about me anymore…"
"Why? What happened?" Naomi asked.
"She met someone new. The guy that killed me is her new crush. By now, they've probably already got it in!" I sighed.
"That's pretty cold." Helena snickered.
"Yeah...The bastard was a cryomancer...That ain't gonna happen again though! I'm gonna get stronger and learn how to use this damn dracomancer stuff. I should also practice with this vengeance crap that Death gave me."
Everyone looked at each other for a moment. Kyra was the first to speak.
"Well...Who's up next?"
"Any volunteers before I start picking?" Kyra said.
Vauz sighed before standing up. "I was born a demon and raised to serve Lord Schepulturath and Lady Kyra of the Aesma-Daeva family. I am her chef and personal care taker. That is my life and my main purpose."
"Straight forward…" I muttered.
Kyra smiled. "Thank you Vauz. You've been a wonderful person in my life. I owe you so much."
"Think nothing of it milady."
"Who's next?" Kyra asked.
"I'll go!" Naomi said cheerfully. She walked over to me and sat on my lap. I almost threw her off by accident. "Okay Shiro, listen very closely. You already are familiar with Haruka Blade so I don't have to explain what he's all about."
"R...right…"
"So growing up, my mother was a geisha for the shine of Haruka. My father was a temple guardian in Wudai. He took care of all the affairs that involved worship for the legendary hero. When I was a small girl, I'd always watch how my parents praised this mysterious man. I never understood what was so special about him until I saw him fight against possessed shinobi warriors. His speed, his strength, his attitude...It was all so overwhelming. Not to mention the sword that he'd come back and wield every time he appeared. He was incredible in every way. All my life, I wanted to talk to him in person. I always dreamed of seeing him and his cool sword again."
"Well I don't know so much about seeing Haruka but if you ever want to hold the sword…" I grabbed it and held it towards her. "Then be my guest."
"No...I can't touch it. It's sacred. Only the greatest ninja warriors can hold it!" She said frantically.
I simply stared at her with a grin. "Don't sweat it. I can't even unsheath the damn thing let alone use it yet. Go ahead." I swear to god if she pulls the blade out…
She grabbed the weapon and ogled it with total interest. "It's so beautiful…Oh man, if my parents found out about me touching this, they'd kill me!"
"Oh yeah, how did you end up in hell?" I asked.
"Well you see, I had grown ill and couldn't be treated properly. I died at a young age and Kyra offered for me to stay here when I was lost. in return, I serve as her right hand."
"Oh wow. That's pretty cool of you Kyra."
Kyra smiled. "It's what was the best choice. I had desperately wanted a friend and Naomi seemed like a great choice."
"We've been besties since we were like six years old! She taught me how to use my demonic powers and showed my the fun side of Hell." Naomi winked.
"Sure did." Kyra said before walking over to me and sitting extremely close to me. "Anyone else volunteering?"
"Hmm...Why don't you go on ahead Helena." Kyra ordered more so than asked.
The small blonde haired girl sighed. "I'm the daughter of the norse god Baldur. I was blessed with unimaginable raw strength. Unfortunately my father felt as though I wasn't deemed to live in his world due to my mortal blood, so he killed me instead. This lead to Kyra finding my soul and helping me hone my skills."
"Your dad was a god?!" I said with widened eyes.
Helena rolled her eyes. "Yes and my mother was a human…"
"So...You're like a demigod, right?"