(SHIRO'S POV)
"SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!" Screamed a helpless woman.
I jumped up in the air with my large black sword in my hand. "Inertia!" I shouted while my soul energy flared up. I sliced the ruthless demon in half and landed right in front of the woman as she held her crying child. "That takes care of that." I grinned.
"Oh thank you so much young man!" She said.
"No sweat! I live for dishing out demonic beatdowns." I said to her. I then noticed the others landed down by me and with unsatisfied looks.
"Nice going smartass…" Helena grumbled.
"Why the hell did you run ahead?!" Vauz yelled.
"Relax guys. I took the chump down in one mighty swing of my badass sword. All it took was some soul energy."
Kyra stomped up to me and gave me a hard smack. "You also made us lose our only lead on the rest of his crew! Not only that, but you also stripped me away from claiming another tempered soul!"
"ALRIGHT!" I yelled defensively. "Look...I might've went a little overboard, but that's just because I don't really know how to control my own strength all that well."
Helena scoffed. "Explain shithead."
I sighed. "Soul energy is like my substitute for mana. I use it to buff me up and stuff. It's extremely potent and can be real versatile. The only is that...I don't really know how to trigger it's other uses."
Nyne looked me over and raised a brow at me. "Soul energy is a forbidden form of power. It draws power from the lost souls that are trapped in Limbo. Do you realize that you're connected to the bridge between Heaven and Hell?!"
"...Nope!" I said.
"Dude! You should try entering Limbo! Maybe you'll be able to learn some cool new moves." Gracia said.
"Perhaps...Only one problem. I don't know how to cross over…" I shrugged
"Maybe we should kill you and send you there ourselves." Helena snickered.
I glared at her. "Not funny."
"Who was joking?" She smirked.
Kyra placed a finger under her chin. "Have you tried meditation?"
"I'll! Not meditation! It's so boring!" I groaned.
"It might be the only real way to get you there."Vauz said.
Naomi hugged me from behind and moved her lips to my ear. "I know a lot about meditating. I couldpersonallyhelp you out if you would like."
"Shiro doesn't need your help Naomi! He's already got me." Kyra huffed.
"But the monks of Wudai specialized in meditation. I'm more suitable to help him out than you are."
Kyra glared. "He's not going with you!"
"Why don't we let him choose?" Naomi suggested.
They both looked at me with harsh, threatening looks. "Um...Well, if Naomi says that she can help me and is good with it then I guess I can let her try."
Kyra glared and folded her arms and looked away. "Fine!"
"Oh would you relax Kyra. He just knows that I can REALLY help him with this." Naomi giggled. She grabbed my hand and smiled at me. "Come on Shiro. We should get back to the palace. There's a special place that I like to go to in order to meditate."
"Alright, sounds good." I nodded.
She sprouted her black demon wings and lifted off of the ground. "Hold on tight."
"Got it."
(ZERO'S POV)
WE CAN'T HELP YOU!" A man screamed. Half of his body was encased in ice.
"I think you can. I'm looking for a man named Vaku. It's said that he frequently roams around this area. You tell me, and I let you go."
"I...I don't know! Nobody knows where he goes! He's called the Phantom of the west for a reason! He's just tricky to find!"
I narrowed my eyes. "Well if you're not gonna talk then I guess you'll just have to die where you stand." I moved my hand towards his face and watched the frost slowly spread around him.
"GET BACK!" Yelled a man in the back of the bar. A bright green beam of energy flew by me, forcing me to step away.
"Ah, so you're finally here! I've been waiting to see you for some time now." I said with a wicked smile.
"...Look at you...You're all grown up now." The black haired man said with a bitter tone. He was wearing a black coat with white trimmings and had no shirt under it. His black pants were loose and his boots were white.
"Yes! I've grown a lot since you last saw me. I'm not the same sniveling child that you wanted dead!" I yelled as I shot forth a barrage of ice shards. He phased through them and struck me in the gut. I flew back and hit the wall behind me.
"WRONG! You are still a little brat with more power than you know what to do with! Your death will be what puts balance to this world!" Vaku shot another green beam at me.
I lifted up a large wall of ice to block it but the ice shattered and the beam hit me head on. I dropped down and hissed at the burning sensation in my chest. "Bastard!" I slammed a hand on the ground and watched Vaku's feet freeze to the floor. I stood up and lifted a hand. A large, glowing snowball formed above me. "GO TO HELL!" I threw it down and watched it detonate into a wintery explosion.
This didn't do much to Vaku. He went intangible and flew at me. "You can't win if you can't hit me!"
"We'll see." My eyes glowed a deep blue color. "You have valuable information that I want to know. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make you talk."
"Is that a fact?"
"It is, you rotten piece of trash!" Cold winds swirled around me as my mana slowly rose to the next level. "I'll make sure you don't escape like the last time we met."
"You caught me off guard the last time we met. You will not do so again!" Vaku glared.
"We'll see…" I stared him down, waiting for him to initiate any sort of attack.
He looked at me and clapped his hands together, creating a shockwave that pushed me through a wall. I rolled outside and glared at him. He jumped out and sent a green blast at me. I made a wall of ice to shield myself.
"You can't hide behind that worthless ice forever, boy!" He pushed more energy into the ice, slowly cracking it in the process.
I desperately tried to keep the ice up. My attempts failed and I lost control of the struggle. The ice shattered and I was hit head on by the blast. My arms were burning and I felt nothing but sheer pain.
I lifted myself up with a frozen pillar. I stared down my opponent once again. "You don't know who your fighting, do you?"
"A snot nosed brat that's in way over his head!" The man yelled.
"Tch...Wrong!" I lifted my hand to the sky. Winter storm clouds swirled around the air above. "Let the cold lay waste to those that disobey my frozen majesty!" Within seconds a blizzard formed in the area. "Hail to the winter king! Bow to the frosted sky and shiver beneath my might!"
"Hmph...What nonsense…"
"Fear the power of cryomancy! Ward of Frost: Furīzu Zettaireido!" I swiped my hand to the side and watched as a huge wave of ice moved towards Vaku.
"How is this even possible?!" He yelled before lifting his hands up to attempted to block.
(SHIRO'S POV)
"Calm down Shiro! You're way to tense!" Naomi scolded.
"I'm trying but...It's really difficult to focus when your boobs are pressed up against my back." I said.
"Just relax. They won't hurt you Shiro." She giggled.
"Geez...Look, they're just a little distracting, okay."
She pressed them even harder against my back and smiled. "kmIf you want to grab a feel then by all means, go right ahead." She slowly licked the edge of my ear and giggled sexily.
"GAH!" I shrieked and jumped back.
"Cut it out Naomi!" Kyra screamed from behind us.
"Alright...Shiro, just relax and focus your inner peace. Close your eyes and let your spiritual self free." Naomi said softly.
"Focus...focus...focus…" I hummed. I closed my eyes and let the inner essence of my spirit free. The soul energy surrounded me and lifted me off of the ground. My mind was blank and I couldn't feel anything. That's when it had happened.
I snapped my eyes open to see a vast landscape of floating spirits. All were the souls that were lost and stuck in Limbo. The sky was a bright purple, and the river next to me had an odd, white liquid flowing in it. The trees were glowing with bright pink and purple leaves. It was such a bizarre place to be in but I somehow felt...drawn to it.
I looked around as I started walking in a random direction. The spirits were all so static with their movements. They didn't speak, nor did they interact with me. They just stared at me as I continued walking around.
"Well ain't this unexpected? The shitbird kid that I blessed a while back!" Yelled a seemingly familiar voice.
"Who said that?" I asked around.
"You don't remember me? Think back to that alleyway on Xeno's island." The voice said.
"...Wait a second...You're that Tomix guy!" I shouted.
"Ding ding ding! Give the lucky winner a prize!" The white haired man with brown skin and a scar running horizontally across his face revealed himself. "Tomix Rippendum aka Tom the Ripper aka Tommy Ripz has graced your presence." He said mockingly.
"What are you doing here?! How are you here?!" I asked.
"Duh! Same way you made it here dick for brains! I am the OG soul weaver so...Yeah! I can access Limbo whenever I want." He said.
"Soul weaver. You've said that before and yet I still don't really understand it." I grumbled.
"What's there to understand?" He lifted a hand and showed his now glowing, purple hand. "I draw power from the souls that have been forever lost to this place. This is what you've been doing whenever you power up to increase your speed and strength."
"Okay…"
"However, you've only tapped into about a fourth of what this power really is. You may have pulled off a few neat tricks, but it all comes down to whether or not you're willing to do what it takes to win a fight." Tomix said.
"What do you mean by 'whatever it takes' dude?"
"You don't have to just take from Limbo. You can take from the living world as well."
My eyes widened. "But then I'd be killing people, right?"
"Hey. It's what you gotta do. Living souls are much more powerful than lost souls. Once you can take somebody's soul, you'll really be able to let loose." He grinned.
"I don't know...That just seems so...over the top…" I sighed.
"Maybe...Maybe not...Nobody ever said it'd be your only option. It's just your best option."
"Damn...I don't know dude."
"Well why don't you just take a quick peek at your friends. They seem to be growing more and more everyday while you dick around."
He showed me multiple different images. One was Clyde practicing his ice magic, another was Isabel using her vampiric abilities and another was Gabby punching solid rock with her bare fists.
"They're all getting so much more powerful. Here I am still the same as before. I can't believe I let it come to this!"
"You've got my powers kid. Just use em'!" Tomix said.
"Right...I won't hold anything back anymore. I'll get stronger no matter what it takes. I won't die. Not again."
"Good because you dying in the afterlife will put you here. You'll be nothing more than fuel for the power that you currently use. You'll cease to exist kid. Just like everyone here." Tomix chuckled.
"That won't happen!" I raised my fist to the sky and absorbed the energy of every lost soul into my body.
It felt strange yet...oddly familiar to me. I liked the rush that it gave me. The power. It was begging to be let loose. I had to make it burst. I had to let it out!
"There you go!" Tomix clapped.
"GRRRRRRAAAAAAHHH!"
My eyes snapped open and I was back in Hell with all of my comrades. Naomi was sitting across from me with a smile on her face.
"You did it Shiro!" She praised.
"No...Not yet." I told her.
I stood up and let the countless souls from limbo enter my core. I breathed in and out slowly. The soul energy swirled throughout my veins. It grew more and more potent with each passing second. My body felt light. It felt...Free!
"Shiro, what's happening to you?!" Kyra asked with concern in her voice.
"Nothing I regret." I closed my eyes and saw Tomix standing with a smirk on his face.
"You feel that? kid? All that untamed power...It's all yours. Feel the wickedness clawing its way out of your body. Embrace it!" He shouted.
"It feels...Good…" I said to myself.
"Yes...Let it build up and release!"
I let out a violent yell as my power exploded. A wild gust of wind pushed everyone back. It felt good. The intense amount of strength that surged through my veins was exhilarating. It was amazing. Almost too amazing. I wasn't sure why but there was something deep down inside that seemed...sinister to say the least. Feeling unsure I decided to power down and keep myself at bay.
When I opened my eyes, I saw everyone staring with differing looks. Kyra placed a hand on my shoulder before speaking.
"Shiro I don't know what the hell that was all about, but please be careful. That aura you're giving off doesn't feel safe. It's twisted. Borderline chaotic. Just promise me that you'll take it easy with all that soul stuff."
"Ah, c'mon Kyra! I'm me! I got this. Just watch. I'll tame it and make it my own power."
She nodded. "I'll hold you to that."
"Trust me! Shiro Tatsugami is a man of his word...When he wants to be…"
(ZERO'S POV)
"Quit running and fight me you fucking coward!" I shouted.
"You're far outmatched you sad little bastard."
"And you're and asshole!"
"You'll perish for ever even thinking about challenging me!" Vaku phased in front of me and grabbed me by the throat. "Between you and me…"He slammed me into the ground once more. "Your poor old mother wasn't really the kindest lady you know. You know what she said?"
"SHUT UP!"
"She told me that she hated you. She wanted you dead. That's why she left you all alone. She left you out in the cold to DIE!" Vaku chuckled darkly.
"I SAID SHUT UP!" I reached out and grabbed his neck. Ice quickly formed from my handed and crept across his skin.
He grinned and phased out of it. "Pointless!" He smashed his foot against my face, sending me to the floor.
"You're done for brat!" He lifted me up by my hair and smirked in my face. "Any final words?"
"Yeah...NOW ZERO!" I yelled.
Out of nowhere, an ice clone appeared and stabbed the man straight through his chest with a sword made of ice.
"GAH!" He choked as the blade slid right out of his left lung. "B...but how?!"
"While you were shit talking. Only takes me a second to make a clone of myself."
Vaku dropped to his knees and held the bleeding hole in his chest. It was now my turn to smirk.
"You...can't just...let me die Zero…"
"Tch...Fine. Tell me what I wanna know and I'll stop the bleeding." I said.
"Your mom is in the Lost Isle. She said something about finding Nirvana. I don't know what the hell she was going on about! She was delusional! Everyone thought that she was a fucking nut job! She left for that place after you were born. She could be dead right now!"
"Then I'll just have to go and see for myself." I turned around and started walking away.
"H...HEY! YOU SAID THAT YOU'D HELP ME!"
"...I guess that we're both assholes now…See ya Vaku."
"FUCK YOU ZERO! FUCK YOU!"
I walked outside and summoned Koriju. He looked at me with all four heads with confusion.
"How far are you able to fly?"
"For you, the ends of the Earth." The middle two heads spoke.
I couldn't help but crack a grin. "You are too kind old friend."
"Might I ask what the occasion would be."
"We must find the Lost Isle. Someone may be there for me. I need to see them as soon as possible."
The frost hydra seemed concerned by his master's wishes.
"Zero please reconsider. We may end up wasting our time with this. The Lost Isle is often referred to as a myth. Only one man wasbelievedto have found it. It could be anywhere. We would most certainly pass before we find such a place. What even brought you to this point? Why go through the trouble of searching for this place?"
I sigged. "It's apparently where my mother went to. She want to reach Nirvana. At least that's what Vaku said."
"Ah, I see...Well then we are with you Zero. We'll find this place together."
I smiled. "I knew I could count on you!"
"Now for the final concern of this journey…" The two right heads spoke.
I was now confused. "What's the issue?"
"It involves a certain someone." The left two said.
"Who Gabby?" I asked.
The four heads nodded simultaneously. "You two have grown quite close. It's honestly refreshing to see you opening up to someone else." The front right head spoke.
"She's very attractive and strong. I've never really had these kinda feelings before. She makes me...happy…"
"I could tell. That is why I wish to know if she will be joining us on our journey." Koriju's front left head asked.
"I'm not sure if I should ask her to come. It won't be a fun adventure. She could get hurt or worse…"
"Do you not believe in her capabilities?"
"It's not that...I just...Look I need to go talk with her before deciding on what to do." I told him.
"Then hop on and let's go." He said to me.
"Right. Let's go."