Disclaimer: I do not own Taimanin series.
Five Days Break – 13
The centipede was cut down, sharing the same fate to those who'd crossed path with the crimson blade.
The demon with many arms felled as its body slashed to pieces. The crimson blade continued to dance in the darkness and showed no sign of stopping. The attack came unpredictable, each swing of the sword was a straight pattern and yet those simple movements appeared as a blur. Through an absurd technique, the sword had become one with the air.
The bird watched Kotaro pointing his blade to the next target in sight. It was the next piece of wood he would cut down. So it flee, wings soared and flew towards the rift above. The giant bird didn't have a conscience, it possessed little to no instinct to feel the greatest threat ever to appear within the Great Ashen Tree dormant. Its sole purpose was to obey the unvoiced commands of the one that turned it into a heartless wooden machination. At this moment, the whisper was telling it to escape, the tree couldn't afford to lose another precious vessel.
Folding its wings, the bird raced past the large crack and rose high above the forest. As it was about to escape, a tiny load created a pressure on its back, barely noticeable. Without a warning, it happened out of nowhere, someone was standing on top it. The crimson blade stabbed it right between the head. The giant vessel staggered, falling from the sky.
The blade won't stop there, not until its wielder decided to spare his enemy. However, the intention no longer crossed Kotaro's mind. He continued to grip the weapon tightly, pulled it from the bird's head, jumped off and performed a swipe.
The sword missed its mark as the bird was out of reach. Despite that, a cut ran deep along the body of its target. The falling bird split in half, dead to Kuchiki's control.
Fuuma Kotaro successfully wiped out all of the ashen monster's favorite vessels.
As body parts of the giant bird hit the forest, he landed on a canopy among the trees. The state of omnipotence had yet to run out. It constantly drove an insane amount of focus into his mind.
Within the vortex that covering over half of his face, the right eye carefully watched the severed top of the bird and saw what it needed. Kotaro dashed over the crowns. Combining with Wind Art, his movements were as light as a feather. He reached the lifeless corpse of the bird and shoved his hand into the crack where the crimson blade had stabbed through.
The right eye was looking at an invisible pathway that connected to both Kuchiki and the Great Ashen Tree's consciousnesses. Before it disappears for good, Kotaro infused Taima energy to his hand and grabbed onto that existence.
The flesh, the blood and the soul.
Kuchiki had used this quote multiple times. To each other, those words were connected. Although it came directly from his mouth, Kuchiki spoke of them not to show off his inflated complex as a self-proclaimed avatar of an otherworldly being. He used them as a presentation to the ideal bornt from the Ashen Tree. The Great Ashen Tree consumed the flesh, drank the blood like water to plants to deliver and absorb nutrients in every part of the body.
In the end, which part of the soul fitted into the entirety of that existence? The supernatural rebirth ability, the so-called blessing Kuchiki received from the tree was part of the answer. For a tree that can grant others the life of a pseudo-immortal being, it needs the souls. It was fully capable of perceiving the spiritual power exists outside the realm of ordinary comprehensions, the tree desired to feed on it for a long-standing goal.
In another world, acquiring souls will help it reach rejuvenation.
The golden era Kuchiki mentioned was this. Over a thousand years, it had harvested hardly enough lives to fulfill that goal. Ingrid would be a different matter. To Kuchiki and the Great Ashen Tree, a high-ranking Hell Knight would be more than enough to fill in the rest of that gap. Her presence in this town had kickstarted that goal to progress faster. That would explain the desperation on Kuchiki's part, he wanted his god to heal and regain its prime in order to expand its influence like they once did in the ancient period.
Not happening!
Kotaro planted the sword to the ground and formed a hand seal. The humanoid aura of Senketsu disintegrated and left Kotaro on his own.
Since another fragment of Kuchiki's consciousness had been deal with, no more hindrance would come for a while. He used the pathway connecting the bird to the alien tree to get more answers. With the next jutsu, Kotaro could finally confront the Great Ashen Tree's Will face-to-face.
[Shishimura Koro's Style: Soul Reading]
The world around him shifted in a bright flash.
A lightheadedness struck him.
However, Kotaro pulled through. The peak of concentration carried him past the shortcoming effect of Soul Art as his consciousness hijacked the pathway. The right eye didn't close despite the blinding scene. It saw through it, it saw the surrounding trees disappearing and replaced by a vast room filled with tatami mattresses.
As the light faded, he recognized the interior design of the place. It was the living room back in the Fuuma's Estate. Kotaro stood in the middle of all that sudden change and familiarity, somewhat dumbfound. He touched the right eye and scanned around to see anything strange. The feeling from before was gone, the familiar sight after a heated battle snapped him out of what seemed like a trance.
What was he supposed to do again?
"Oyakata-sama."
He quickly turned to the voice in the hallway. His hand cautiously went for the sword only to realize it wasn't there. His right eye widened as Tokiko entered the room and carefully closed the door behind her.
"What's the matter?" Tokiko asked, eyeing the movement of his hand.
"N-No, nothing."
Kotaro's hand fell back to his side. That was awkward, the slight distortion in her voice caused him to think she was a different person. He couldn't feel her presence at all, as if she wasn't truly there. But she was in front of him, showing a kind smile.
Then that expression was gone as she looked at his face, blinking. Surprise turned to complete shock.
"Oyakata-sama! Your eye!? Your Ninja Art has awakened!"
She rushed over and gave him a tight hug.
"I knew this day would come!" Tokiko cheerfully said while tears of joy swelled up. "You've achieved a milestone!"
Kotaro's body went stiff at the intimate gesture, the reaction confused him. Awakening to a Ninja Art has always been a common thing to a Taimanin. Knowing Tokiko, he doubted she would show that much emotion to his case. In his head, it might have been a single word congratulation and nothing more is needed to be said.
Still, this was nice. Kotaro rarely saw Tokiko being this happy towards her incompetent little brother. She pulled away after few pats on the back and wiped the lingered tears in the eyes.
"My apology, Oyakata-sama. I just…..I'm happy you have come a long way as a Taimanin."
Kotaro sheepishly scratched his head. Hearing those words was unreal.
"Are you ready for our next mission?"
"Eh? Mission?" Kotaro startled at the sudden development.
Looking closely, she was already in her Taimanin bodysuit. It wasn't the usual black combat suit he often sees her wearing for missions. Tokiko was wearing one of the old suits that enhanced her Ninja Art Clairvoyance for many A+ ranked infiltrating missions in the past.
It had a colorful scheme. Purple, silver and blue. One might argue the appearance was too eye-catchy for stealth. However, Fuuma Tokiko was a prodigy, she had moved beyond all the hardships to earn a respectable place among the elites and the strongests of Gosha. Strength, agility and Ninja Art enhancement, the suit still had everything she needed. It was thanks to this combat suit she had earned the nickname Indomitable Tokiko during those harsh days.
"Oyakata-sama…..just don't stare at me too much." She glanced away, a blush adorned her face. "Even though you told me I'm look…...look cute in this. It's still a little embarrassing."
A Taimanin bodysuit is made for the purposes of supporting the user's abilities and distracting the enemy at the same time. The suit worked extremely well in emphasizing certain features of her womanly charms.
But, why wearing this now? Is their next mission that difficult?
"Tokiko, what is our next mission?"
She cleared her throat and provided the details.
"Our objective is to infiltrate Tokyo Kingdom and retrieve the data about a black market deal that involves a bioweapon. The helicopter will take us there."
"Alright, give me a moment. I'll assemble the team."
"Wait." As soon as Kotaro reached for his phone, she stopped him. "I believe we should keep a low profile."
Kotaro raised an eyebrow.
"What I meant is this is a top secret mission, Oyakata-sama. We ought to keep this between us, it would be dangerous if details of our mission leaked out to others."
"But there are people capable of doing this type of mission than me."
"This is a two man team mission. You are the person I've chose." Tokiko determined her fact. "We haven't been together on a mission for a while so I'm taking this as my chance to see your growth."
There was something wrong with her judgement. It almost based.
"If this is a top secret mission, the difficulty is usually S-ranked. It will be too much for me to handle. I'm not the right person for this, Tokiko."
"R-rest assure, this will give you good experience. Like I said, I also want to see how far you can go with your Ninja Art."
"A S-ranked mission is not a place to test one's skills. It's either completion or failure. There're always consequences when it comes to the latter in these missions, high-risks are guaranteed. This is part of the Taimanin Codes." Kotaro recited a knowledge he learned from the Academy. "I don't think I'm suited for this the way I am now."
"Worry not!" Tokiko said. "I'll look after you, Oyakata-sama. With my ability, there won't be any issue during the mission."
"I will be a burden to you." Kotaro firmly replied. "It's a fact no one can deny."
"But-!?"
"I'm thankful that you're excited about my growth, Tokiko. But a S-ranked mission is not something I can handle at the moment, Ninja Art awakened or vice-versa. I'll make sure to go on a mission together with you next time, the less difficult one of course."
Letting out a sigh, Kotaro attempted to leave.
"Just pick Saika as your partner. You know she's the better choice for stealth and keeping secrets in the family."
"Wait! Where are you going?"
"To my room, read books."
Snap.
When he turned to the doorway, a snap of the fingers echoed. The whole scene changed before his eye. The door switched place with his own bed, Kotaro's leg hit the frame and stumbled over the mattress.
"Ouch! What in the world!?"
Before he could get a sense of what happened, a pair of hands pinned him down. While his shoulders pressed against the furniture, Kotaro's eye went wide at the figure sitting on top him.
"T-Tokiko!?"
"You must have thought I'm acting out of line. I'm sorry, I know I'm being selfish."
As Tokiko raised her head, both stared into each other eyes. Much to his shock, the big sis looked like she had lost control over her emotions. The tears were coming back.
"But I just wanted to go on a mission together with you and no one else. It's been too long!"
"But we did a mission together last month!?"
"That was a mission with the Task Force! That didn't count!"
"I….look, there're plenty of opportunities to do individual missions later. It doesn't have to be now. It doesn't have to be a S-ranked mission either."
"Still! I want to do it now, Kotaro-kun!"
First name basic!?
"W-Wait, Tokiko. Let's talk about this!"
Things were going too fast Kotaro couldn't wrap his head around Tokiko's actions. He had never seen her like this.
"Tokiko will try her best to protect you! Just for today, just for this mission alone, I want to be closer to you, Kotaro-kun!"
Kotaro's torso sunk deeper in the bed sheet as Tokiko added more force to her grip. He couldn't move while her leg straddled his waist. Her face brought close to his. The situation didn't make any sense to Kotaro. He was aware that Tokiko cherished her family most in the world, but this was a whole new level he didn't think she would be capable of expressing.
"Hold up! Hold up! I understand you want to see my improvement. But I'm going to need some advices first!" Kotaro panicked. "R-Right! Saika! Let's just call Saika and hear her opinion on this!"
"There's no need for that!" Tokiko said, desperation filled her voice. "Why can't you understand, Kotaro-kun? I just wanted this to be between us. Why do you keep mentioning Saika?"
She pulled away, giving him a full view of her Taimanin bodysuit.
"Look at me, I'm even wearing this just for you. Stop bringing up others and pay attention to me more."
The conversation was heading toward a dangerous territory. Kotaro didn't know what had gotten to Tokiko. If he didn't do something, things would escalate beyond the point of no return. To be frank, he had no idea what even lied past that point. It was the hunch screaming at him to get out of there before it's too late, before he's completely sucked into the ordeal.
Come on! Use your brain, Kotaro! Don't let it shut down because somehow you found Tokiko appealing in her old suit! She didn't seem to be in the right mind. Say something! Do something!
Jolt!
As the right eye let out a tingling sensation, a strange image flashed in front of his view. In Tokiko's place, the shape and shadow of a giant tree appeared then vanished within a blink. Kotaro almost slipped a gasp, not because Tokiko were caressing his hair and cheeks in a loving way. The dawn of realization in that instance snapped him back to reality.
The Great Ashen Tree. That name abruptly turned up in his head like an urgent wake-up call.
He caught Tokiko's wrists and pushed her away.
"Kotaro-kun?" Shocked by the respond, a hurtful feeling paint over her expression.
Kotaro jumped out of the bed and retreated as far away from her as possible until his back hit the bookshelves.
That figure. That face. The emotion spilling over it has never been real. None of this was real. Fuuma Tokiko, his big sis, was never there. He should have realized it sooner.
"Seriously." Kotaro muttered in a low tone. It was a growl constricted to a whisper. "You peeked into my memories, didn't you?"
Damn alien tree! How dare it uses her appearance and makes up this whole nonsense!
"Don't you dare insult Tokiko!" Raising voice aimed at all direction. "You think you understand her personality so well based on my memories alone? You think I would buy into this crap because you used her voice and appearance!? How about using your own face so we can talk!?"
The resounding echo ended with silence. The true mastermind had yet to make itself known. There was nothing indicated that the tree even wanted to consider having a word with him. The Tokiko who was a deceptive illusion did nothing aside from watching Kotaro fuming around to find a way out. He kicked the door, smashed the window and hit the wall, none of the attempts seemed to work as if the place was reinforced by an invisible barrier.
As long as the malevolent being could hear it in this faked world, Kotaro won't stop his outburst.
Finally, he stopped once a giggle eerily choked up the tension. He slowly turned to sneak a glance at the other person in the room.
"How obnoxious."
Her lip adorned a bewitching smile. The Fuuma Tokiko look-alike revealed her true color.
"Your refusal to the blessing worth an everlasting spring. Your constant struggles for a life brings no value to your own. And the wishful thinking that you can stop the Great Ashen Tree. All that efforts made you go this far." She spoke. "You had been quite a nuisance, Fuuma Kotaro."
Her voice had changed, it belonged to someone else. Tokiko the illusion no longer sat on the bed, a young woman clad in an imposing kimono clothing took its place. She was the priestess who once attended the shrine at the foot of the Great Tree. She shared the same ashen skin tone with Kuchiki the current avatar. She was here to represent the higher will ruling over this reality.
"You abstracted your soul to confront me. For such a straightforward manner, I applaud you."
"You're sure that's your true appearance?" Kotaro calmly questioned. "Have to take someone else's physical form to do the job for you, huh."
"Indeed. As you have noticed, this face belongs to the first human girl who had taken care of me when I was merely a bud. She was a fine servant and the first avatar I'd ever created. Thanks to her and the village, my was able to mature into a full-pledge tree. This consciousness then surpassed all other sentient beings."
Frowning and gripping his fists, Kotaro listened.
"You've seen my works, you know what I am talking about."
The expanding branches and root in the underground tunnel. The wooded creatures. The vessels. Kuchiki and his bizarre pseudo-immortal power.
"Being a Great Tree, I am exempt from all mobility. However, having a consciousness that can go anywhere you want is truly a wonderful thing. I will continue to grow until the day my reach extends beyond these mountains."
"What exactly do you want from our world?"
"I…" the priestess trailed off, head titled slightly as she tried to come up with the words. "I do not think there is such a word that can perfectly describes my intention. From where I came, the impression must be to consume is to survive? Has there been an idiom like that in your world, Fuuma Kotaro?"
Survival of the fittest. Even so, it had nothing to do with how the Great Ashen Tree wanting to achieve its goal. It didn't even come close to this entire situation.
"Let me put it this way. For one to harbor an appetite, it needs to be nurtured, it needs to be satisfied. From that satisfaction, the appetite continues to increase to the point it develops a conscience to yell at you, to tell you not to stop. It makes you want to feed on everything endlessly, it invokes a desire in you, it promises you that something glorious will wait on the other side once you successfully chased after the purpose you've been set to follow."
"In other words, this whole mess happens due to your instinct." Hearing all that senseless rambling, Kotaro struck right in the nail. "You're not exactly a tree possessing a sentient mind. You're actually a predator with an innate behavior just like any animals out there. Just like human and demon."
Clap Clap Clap!
"That is the right impression. You understood me."
The gentle smile on the priestess's face gave Kotaro a shiver.
"To be truthful, I maybe act on my instinct, I did not let it overtake me. In fact, I am making use of it. Why not stop, you asked? Does the question even matters when this world has so much to fulfill my appetite. There is nothing different once everything becomes whole with me."
The flesh, the blood and the souls. The Great Ashen Tree wanted to consume it all.
"But first, I am required to heal myself. For so long, my body is withering."
Snap!
Her fingers flicked and the scene around them changed.
"I like this modern gesture, this snap of the fingers. I knew about it from your memories. It is certainly unique and a fun thing to do."
They stood in a dark chamber. In that vast space filled with unhatched cocoons, Kotaro immediately put up guard to prepare for any tricks the mastermind was about to pull.
But the will of the Great Ashen Tree had no intention of attacking him, at least for the moment. It showed him another cocoon hanging at the top of the chamber. It had a see-through surface for Kotaro to look inside.
"Ingrid!?"
His eye went wide at the trapped Hell Knight. A spark of dark blue tinder seemed to be floating around her while she was unconscious within the cocoon. As much as Kotaro wanted to break her out of that thing, none of this has been real.
"With her body, her blood and soul, my rejuvenation will be completed. She will merge with me just like every lives which came before." The priestess added. "Do not worry, for her existing to serve my goal, I granted her a sweet dream. Her mind is linked to my consciousness. She will feel no pain in the process."
"Existing to serve…" Kotaro repeated the outrageous words. "Where did you get that idea?"
"Oh? Was I wrong? You do not sound convinced."
"I guess you've been composted too much over these hundred of years so I'm hearing loads of crap."
"How rude." She pouted. "Although, I can understand you frustration. There is a limit to what you can do against me within this realm."
Snap!
Reality shifted once again. The priestess was gone from his view.
However, she didn't fully vanish. Within the shrine at the foot of the Great Tree, she was kneeling together with another figure wearing a straw hat.
Then, that figure stood up, his hand reached for the sword dangling on his waist.
A flashback played out before Kotaro. The red gleaming sword unsheathed and struck down the priestess herself without mercy. The swordsman who committed the act had waves of crimson aura around him.
"Senketsu." Kotaro recognized the figure in legend.
"He was the reason my body is on the verge of dying." The dead priestess suddenly turned her neck and spoke, startling him. "The day he came to the forest cost me dearly."
The sword raised to the air, pointing downward and thrust into her heart.
"My first avatar."
The scene changed to burning houses and trees.
"Then, the people who followed her."
The entire forest and the hidden town lit up in a wildfire. In the midst of chaos and suffocating smoke, the crimson blade continued to dance and chased after all living things. The screams, the brutal slashing, the blood spilled and the bodies falling after one another made up a devastating sight that would haunt Kotaro in his sleep.
Senketsu, by himself, slaughtered the whole village.
Kotaro couldn't touch heat from the fire or taste the rusty smell from the deep red liquid splashed around his feet. But he could feel the aggressive emotions taking shape as Senketsu stabbed a villager in the chest, withdrew his sword and decapitated the man on the spot. On the swordsman's dampened face, the purest form of hatred displayed in the horrifying watch of the remaining survivors.
"On that day, the trail of blood was so vast, enough to create a river." The priestess said. "It should have marked the end of my existence. Yet, it sunk deeply into the soil of this land. It streamed down my roots and branches."
She turned to Kotaro with a smile.
"Thanks to this fateful event, I came to understand their devotions. The ecstasy of being showered in their essence and received the blissful taste of what it means to have one appetite fulfilled."
Kotaro's lip parted slightly, lost for words.
The slaughter had weakened the Great Ashen Tree. But in exchange, the consciousness evolved. What Senketsu did didn't kill the Tree, he only managed to put a stop to it from becoming a bigger threat at the time.
Snap!
They were back in the shrine.
"Ah. But not all was lost."
Outside the broke down entrance, a young boy rushed inside and held up the priestess's lifeless body in tears. His face, his clothes and feet paint in the deep red liquid of his own wound and all those who were killed. He cradled her head, both whispered and shouted words heard by no one but the withering Great Tree.
"Clever Kuchiki."
Kotaro's eye went wide at the young boy's name.
"He was struck down. Despite the wound, he managed to survive and hid well underneath the corpses, patiently waited until the massacre is over. In the aftermath, losing both the village and the love of his life had truly driven him mad. Insanity became his companion from this moment onward."
The Will of the Great Ashen Tree raised its hand, ready to make another snap.
"Fortunately, one of the Ashen Flowers survived at the top of the Great Tree. He sought it in hope of resurrecting the girl, but it appeared to be a fruitless effort. An empty vessel remained empty, the death remained dead. Kuchiki lives on as he swallowed the petals. Then, he too, would also leave. Rather than staying here together with the body of girl preserved within me. He took his leave to the world outside this place."
And then…
The scene changed from the heartbreaking moment within the shrine to the narrowed path stretching across the forest. A man in his prime was leading a group of people to the foot of the Great Tree.
"By the time nature healed the forest back to normal, people from the other side of the mountains eventually returned to this place once again and built a town, hiding from conflicts of the outside world. Kuchiki led them here, took his chance to blend in with the human and has never forgot to do his bidding for my sake, willingly. The rest is history."
Thus, the hidden town of the Great Ashen Tree was found.
Snap!
Reality shifted to the modern time. Kotaro watched the crowd moving along the bustling streets, stores opened and a section of the town lit up with colorful activities and food stands.
A festival was happening. This was one of the former peaceful moments the hidden town once had while a darker motive was running behind the scene.
Kotaro eyed the priestess, who smiled at the lively sight. Deep down, that expression was less about how the townsfolks - or her followers - were enjoying the festival. She cared more about the source of nutrients gathered in one place for a big feast. These people would soon disappear from the crowd, one by one, and being forced into a fate worse than death.
"The culmination of these vessels would take a while." The priestess said. "It was not until many years later that the next Ashen Flower would be produced since the ancient time."
Kotaro recalled the moment Kuchiki caressed the flower after he harvested it at the top of the Tree. No wonder he had gone mad when Kotaro took it. By the time of Ingrid and his arrival in this town, it was the only flower to be made after a thousand years.
"The Ashen Flowers prolongs lives and turns the one consumed them into a part of me. The mortal shell can be ridden and the soul will live on within the realm of my consciousness. That is the true nature of the blessing."
"And up till now, he's been using that power to kidnap others to feed you." Kotaro concluded. "He kept them inside those cocoons. Once you consumed everything and turned them into wooded vessels, he took their places and stole their identities by transferring his consciousness to the victims' body. That explains the town population being in decline. If there's no more, he will find a way to lure others into this trap. Hence, the town became a tourist attraction even though it was supposed to be hidden from the world."
It was the story of this small town and the Great Tree which rose above it.
"Why showing me this?" Kotaro voiced his doubt.
"Why, you asked? You have made it this far. I believe it is only fair to give you this knowledge before you are deemed to serve me for eternity. It is better to know the truth than be off without having the slightest hint of what had happened."
Kotaro raised an eyebrow at her words.
"Me? Deemed to serve you?"
"Indeed. You have proven yourself to be a better replacement than Kuchiki."
The priestess explained her reason.
"Kuchiki had served me well. Though, his wit is not as sharp as it was during his prime. He has been very hasty, impatient and incompetent. His capture of the Hell Knight may have been one of the rare good qualities about him. His foolish desire to bring this girl back to life became an inconvenience, he truly believes I can bring the death back. No, he misunderstood me. When the soul, flesh and blood becomes whole with my body, I cannot separate it. How unsightly it would be if you have to vomit the delicious food you had taken time to devour. I need my appetite satisfied, not the other way around, not for a puny servant to swallow it in my place because he loves it."
Cruel wasn't enough of a mean to even describe it. This was how the Ashen Tree thinks about its most devoted follower.
"But he is the one trying to help you to achieve the Eternal Spring."
"As of this moment onward, he is utterly unfit in trying to do so."
Snap!
A pale old man was shrinking to the floor at the heart of the Great Ashen Tree. He hugged his head and chest, gasped and wiggled in pain as he screamed a gut-wrenching voice.
"Half of his mind has been destroyed by you, Fuuma Kotaro. Thus, he is broken to me."
While he was crawling towards the preserved body of the real priestess, Kuchiki went limb. He failed to reach and embrace that cold hand inside the cocoon one last time.
"You see, Eternal Spring is a world where people will be drawn to me, to become my devotees, to enter my dormant willingly and become a part of me. They will help me grow, nurturing me using their existences and expanding my reach at everything. This world is nothing like the barren landscape of my home, Fuuma Kotaro. It has everything I want, there is no end to this pleasantry. My appetite will always be satisfied."
The faked priestess extended her hand.
"How about it? Will you cease all these futile resistances and join me in the new era where Spring will never end?"
Kotaro wanted to recoil in disgust. But he didn't flinch, it would be a dead give-away answer to the invitation.
"It will be an unending happy life. You can live forever under my shade and watch how I can make your world prosper as my beautiful garden."
She wouldn't accept no. It wouldn't let him say no. The damn tree wanted its entire existence satisfied by everything at this point.
"You will be granted the honor to become whole with me."
Its mindset was beyond screwed. Neither human nor demon's moral could be applied to a malicious entity that sees no bound in its heartless nature. The thing only knew how to chase after its instinct. In what kind of brutal alien world this thing was born?
Slowly, Kotaro's hand came up.
The priestess – The Great Ashen Tree's Will – beamed a smile in delight as he took her hand.
"Very good. And here I thought you would refuse. I will gladly welcome you but you must first meet my curiosity. Why is the change of mind?"
"I never said agree."
"What?" The priestess's eyes slightly widened.
"Soul Reading helps me interact with your consciousness. In this realm of reality, you are in control of everything because all of this is part of you. You could have easily manipulated my mind."
But the Tree couldn't do it.
"But you couldn't, you can't bypass this eye. You can't reshape my memories to make things persuasive. You had to peek inside and show me everything, you had to find a way to sway my opinion."
Then, the right eye lit up. Kotaro tightened his grip.
"Guess what? I'm a stubborn guy to monsters like you. You thought my world is your own little garden? Great Ashen Tree, you are just a big thing with the mindset of a child who don't know when to stop."
The world around them began to glitch.
"W-What are you!?" The priestess shouted.
"It's my turn to get down to the bottom of all this. You peeked into my memories and impersonated Tokiko, acted like she wasn't in her right mind! My sister can be sweet and strict at the same time, but she is never one to act like someone slips weird things into her drink! Screw you! You put that image in my head! Now it's only fair I'm exploiting you back!"
Yes, he was still pissed about that.
[Shishimura Koro's Style: Soul Records]
Reality flashed. The effect occurred like a television constantly switched channels.
A vast room filled with advanced technologies and machinations Kotaro hasn't seen anywhere before. It didn't seem to come from the Dark Realm or any part of the human world.
Saplings with ashen color preserved behind many cylinders fish tanks. Among them, one particular young tree was brought to an operating table.
A seed was taken. It was put inside a box connecting to a machine, the second box on the other side of it lit up. Behind that glass door, an object could be seen.
No, it wasn't an object. It resembled some kind of organism. It looked like a brain. Human? Demon? Alien? Something else? Kotaro couldn't determine the nature of that appearance.
The machine lightened. Once the process was done, the seed was sent away. It arrived on a transportation that has no wheels, automate. It was delivered outside the room, outside a giant dome and into a desert where sights of ruins scattered around the burning sand.
A figure in dark robe stood waiting under Two Suns. The intense heat didn't faze it one bit. One of its arms stretched out to receive the delivery. The seed with a transplanted consciousness lied motionlessly inside that palm.
The hot air suddenly twisted, as if space was wrapped and forced open a path. A portal that led to somewhere appeared next to the figure and it walked through.
It saw the vast sea of leaves on top a tree. Finally, it tossed the seed away, letting fate to decide where it would grow.
Soul Records ended.
Snap!
The priestess swatted his hand away and snapped her finger with a scowl. She wasn't pleased by what happened.
Kotaro looked at her in shock. The true nature of the Great Ashen Tree was a twist that he would never expect. It was never bornt naturally into the world.
"You're an artificial life!?"
The priestess's scowl turned livid. Cracks formed on her body, the Great Ashen Tree's Will was about to burst in anger. It could never accept those words.
"ENOUGH OF THIS!"
The world shook.
"I AM MY OWN SELF! I HAVE NO MAKER! I AM ME! THE gREaT AsHeN TreE!"
Her voice exploded in his ears. Some words came out distorted, incomprehensible. The Tree was losing it.
"You insulted me, Fuuma Kotaro!"
"Hey! Proofs were right there! You saw it!"
"DECEIVER! You had been given a chance and you denied me!"
Snort!
The priestess watched in disbelief as Kotaro stared her down in incredulity.
"Do I look like I gave a damn about your chance from the beginning? You were never a God to anyone."
"I am a God!"
"You're a tree with an implanted mind playing a self-made belief game. You're just a self-conscious bioweapon sent over to this world to screw us over."
"Silence!"
"Turns out you're a thousand years old child with the ability to make others pamper you, and you are drunk in it. You really got me good. Ingrid, too. You know what? I don't have time to show either you or Kuchiki sympathy because of your circumstance. You're not an actual deity, he's not truly a monster. But what you both did are enough threat to everyone. Even if this ends up us being completely gone as your food, someone out there will try to find the truth. I left a message, they'll come prepared. And when they do…"
Kotaro made a grin full of teeth.
"Get ready to be either chopped up or burned to ashes. It's going to be really stung, you know. The Task Force has plenty of powerhouses to deal with your big trunk. Oh! And here's a head up! Gosha has big festivals coming up, they're going to need lots of woods for those bonfire dance events."
Maybe it was due to him understanding the truth. Maybe it was due to him seeing through its origin. For the first time since its birth, the Great Ashen Tree wavered. The unseen confidence from nowhere brought chill to its core.
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"
SNAP!
Everything broke apart like a mirror violently smashed to pieces. The self-proclaimed god's dignity shattered in its little world.
…
….
….
….
….
When everything was clear again, a certain figure came into his view.
There was no way he could mistake that long captivating pink hair.
"Ingrid?"
/
Author's Note: All done. I'm finally over the part that drove me into a writer's block last year. Next is Kotaro and Ingrid's bonding time, Lol.
Anyway, Taimanin RPGX finally has a global release. HOORAY!