Shingo Tsukino wandered alone through the park. He was looking for something to break the mundane routine of his life. He longed for a new adventure. Something to stir his restless spirit. As he strolled along, lost in thought, the sound of raucous laughter and cries of distress brought him back to his senses. As he peered through the trees, he saw a group of older boys tormenting a helpless child. The injustice unfolding before his eyes made Shingo's blood boil.
He marched toward the despicable scene without hesitation. "Stop bullying him!" he shouted, demanding that they stop their cruel actions. The three bullies turned in the direction of the bold intruder. Standing before them was nothing more than a scrawny boy, much younger than themselves.
"Well, well, looks like we've got ourselves a new playmate, boys," the ringleader sneered as he stalked menacingly up to Shingo. His two cronies kept a tight grip on the sobbing victim as well. Refusing to show any fear, Shingo stood firm. He was not going to let them intimidate him into complying.
"I suggest that you let him go and be on your way," Shingo said firmly, his steely gaze fixed on the leader of the group. "Or you will be sorry you ever crossed my path."
The brute let out an incredulous laugh. "Listen, boy. Walk away now and pretend you saw nothing. It's for your own good," he offered, grinning mischievously. But Shingo was not going to be deterred by threats like that.
"I'm not going anywhere until he's free and you three are stopping bullying him!" Shingo declared defiantly. The bullies howled with laughter. They were amused by the bold attitude of such a small boy. Insulted that they did not take him seriously, Shingo's face flushed with anger.
When the three bullies finally stopped laughing, their leader let out another mocking chuckle. The smug amusement was evident in his voice as he looked down at the small boy before them. "Oh, what exactly are you doing here? Stop us? Come on, you're tiny and we outnumber you three to one. There's no way that a little pipsqueak like you is ever going to stop us. So why don't you just turn around and run away before you get seriously hurt?"
Shingo clenched his jaw and balled his hands into tight fists. A surge of anger rose within him as he glared defiantly at the much larger bullies. He lowered his head and charged at them with a burst of reckless courage. But his act of bravery was cut short. One of the bullies reached out a heavy arm and slammed it into Shingo's chest, knocking the wind out of his lungs.
The powerful blow sent him crashing to the ground with a painful thud. It seemed to echo in his ears. For a moment, the pain was so intense. A scream of agony escaped his lips before he could stop himself. But Shingo refused to surrender to these brutes, despite the pain that tore through his small body. A sense of justice compelled him to continue the fight, no matter the odds.
And yet, an unfamiliar sensation began to flow through Shingo even as he lay in the dirt, struggling to rise. It was a kind of awakening. The dawning of an innate power he did not fully understand. At that moment, he could feel the seething rage and petty cruelty emanating from the bullies, as if their dark emotions were an energy he could draw upon. And mixed with their twisted glee was the all-too-familiar despair of their victim, a sadness Shingo knew intimately. It was as if a reservoir of hidden power had been tapped within him by concentrating on these feelings.
Shingo drew deeply from that source, and as he did so, a rush of crystalline clarity and alacrity flooded through his entire being. It was rage, pure and uncontrolled, that was now filling him with energy. A dark fury that washed away all pain and doubt and flooded his body and soul with passionate intensity. Like a perfectly undisturbed pool of water, his mind was focused. And with unshakable certainty, Shingo knew exactly what he had to do in this moment of transcendent rage.
He stood seamlessly. He rose to his feet as if the crushing blow had not touched him at all. Surprised by this sudden display of resilience, the three bullies hesitated for a moment. They exchanged uncertain glances. But not one to lose face, the head bully quickly put on his mocking grin and stepped up to Shingo once more. "Oh, you want some more, then?" he taunted, oblivious to the dark inferno of rage that was brewing behind Shingo's steady gaze. "Well... here... it... is!" Preparing to deliver another powerful blow directly to Shingo's head, the bully cocked his arm back.
Somehow, in Shingo's mind, a vivid tactical image took shape with perfect clarity. He could not fully comprehend where this sudden burst of knowing and skill came from. Maybe it was just a rush of adrenaline, or maybe it was just pure animal instinct. But deep down, he sensed that this was no mere flight response. It was something much more profound.
Shingo found that he could perceive every minute detail of the bully's trajectory as it sailed toward him. The precise angle of attack, its dizzying speed, the maximum force with which it struck, all were laid bare. And with this insight came an uncanny increase in the reflexes and coordination of his own body.
At the last possible moment, Shingo twisted out of the path of the oncoming fist with fluid grace. Not only did he dodge the blow completely. His preternatural focus allowed him to seamlessly transition into a devastating counterattack. With reflexes faster than a viper's strike, Shingo lunged forward. With every ounce of strength in his small body, he clamped his jaws down on the bully's outstretched arm.
The bully's cocky yell was instantly transformed into a scream of agony. Shingo's teeth tore through fabric and flesh without hesitation. He was driven by a fiery purpose. As the coppery taste of blood began to fill his mouth, the bully's screams reached a fever pitch. Clutching his mangled forearm, the wounded bully staggered back. He stared at the boy in shocked horror. From the deep bite marks that had torn through his skin, streams of dark blood flowed freely.
"You two! Get him!" the chief bully shouted to his cronies, saliva flying from his lips. The two minions sprinted toward Shingo with malicious obedience, abandoning the smaller boy they had been tormenting.
But Shingo could see their approach with preternatural clarity. He could sense their intentions as easily as he could read words on a page. He knew exactly when and how they would try to grab him. At the last possible moment, he jumped backwards with a grace that surpassed any cat. Screaming in pain and shock, the two thugs crashed into each other with a sickening crunch.
Seeing his thugs so easily outmaneuvered, sheer fear finally pierced the lead bully's cruel arrogance. As his two groaning companions began to pick themselves up, the leader made the executive decision to retreat. "You know what? We should get out of here," he declared, all former bravado gone from his voice. The others readily agreed. They were anxious to escape this suddenly formidable foe.
In a panicked rush, the three bullies took off. They ran as fast as their legs could carry them. But as he fled, the head bully couldn't resist one last, petty taunt, yelling over his shoulder, "Next time, your sorry ass is going to be begging for mercy!" By the time the last of the syllables had left his lips, the bullies were already completely out of sight.
But even as the distance grew, Shingo could still somehow sense the three boys clearly, as if invisible tendrils connected him to their presence. In his eerie new consciousness, their hot anger and resentment burned like signal flares. And beyond that, tantalizing and overwhelming in its richness, a whole world of sensations and essences unfolded before him. The air itself seemed alive. It whispered its hidden secrets.
Shingo blinked as he felt the power begin to drain from his veins just as quickly as it had come to him. The clarity faded. There were only lingering whispers and more questions than answers. Was it all a figment of his imagination? What had happened to him in those frenzied moments spent fighting? He looked at the boy, almost his age. He was lying on the ground, obviously in pain. With that, he was on his way to the boy.
As Usagi waited for the test papers to be handed out, her heart pounded with a mixture of fear and anxiety. The beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead showed the overwhelming fear she was feeling. Studying had never been her strong point. She knew that this exam would be a challenging ordeal.
Naru, the best friend of Usagi, noticed the distress in the face of her companion and spoke in a worried tone of voice. "Usagi-chan, are you all right?" she asked, her forehead furrowed with worry.
Usagi turned to Naru with a shaky and insecure expression on his face. "I am frightened, Naru-chan," she confessed, her voice trembling slightly. "What if I fail this test? My grades are barely holding up."
Naru smiled reassuringly. She wanted to ease Usagi's worries. "Don't worry, Usagi-chan," she said in a soft and encouraging tone. "I am sure that you will succeed. I believe in you."
Before Usagi could reply, a familiar voice interrupted them. "Well, I, on the other hand, will pass this test perfectly," Umino declared, pushing his glasses onto the bridge of his nose and grinning smugly.
Annoyed by Umino's arrogant statement, Usagi rolled her eyes. "Nobody asked you, Umino," she retorted. Her frustration was evident in her tone.
At that moment, the teacher of the class, called for the attention of the class. "All right, class, take your seats. It's time for the test," she announced and began to hand out the test papers.
When the test papers were handed out, Usagi steeled her nerves, determined to face the challenge. She knew that the road ahead would be difficult. But with the support of her best friend and the determination to prove herself, she was determined to give it her all.
The classroom fell silent as the students began to work on the test, the only sounds being pencils scratching and papers shuffling. Taking a deep breath, Usagi focused her attention on the questions and began to write.
Usagis eyes remained fixed on the first question. Her mind went blank. The confusing questions might as well have been written in a foreign language that she could not understand. Panic began to rise in her. It threatened to engulf her completely.
She took a deep, soothing breath and tried to calm her racing mind. Surely her attempts at study had yielded some knowledge. It would come in handy now. Concentrating with all her mind, she forced herself to focus on the daunting question at hand.
All of a sudden, a strange transformation occurred. It was as if a veil had been lifted from her mind. The answers began to reveal themselves in remarkable ways. The questions seemed to rearrange themselves. They formed clear patterns and intuitive solutions.
Usagi blinked in disbelief. Her pencil moved over the paper almost by itself. She did not fully understand the source of this newfound aptitude. But the answers felt undeniably right, as if guided by a higher power.
The same amazing phenomenon continued to occur with question after perplexing question. It was as if she had been given a preternatural intuition that guided her through the treacherous waters of the math exam.
By the time the exam was over, Usagi had found the answer to every single question. When she went to the teacher to hand in the exam, a feeling of uncertainty and fear came over her. What had just transpired during the test?
The rest of the school day passed in a blur for Usagi. Her mind remained focused on the confusing events that had unfolded during the test and replayed the inexplicable moment of clarity that she had experienced.
As she started to walk home, Usagi tried to push these lingering thoughts aside and concentrate on the familiar sights and sounds of her beloved neighborhood.
"I'm home!" Usagi called as she stepped through the front door. She hastily kicked off his shoes.
Her mother, Ikuko, poked her head out of the kitchen with a warm and welcoming smile on her face. "Welcome back, Usagi-chan. How was school today, my dear?"
Usagi hesitated. For a moment, she wondered if he should mention the strange incident during the test. But something in her prevented her from revealing the details. "It went well, I guess," she replied instead and forced a nonchalant shrug.
As the evening wore on, Usagi did her best to immerse himself in the familiar routines and comforts of life at home. Finally, as the night grew late, she crawled into bed. Her eyelids were heavy with fatigue. Maybe she could make sense of it all with a good night's sleep. Or at the very least, it would provide a temporary respite from the lingering questions that plagued her mind.
The next day at school, the classroom was filled with anticipation. It was time for Mrs. Haruna to hand out the graded exams. While some were excited, others were indifferent, and some students were gripped by anxiety.
Usagi felt as if his stomach twisted into complicated knots while the teacher methodically walked through the room and handed out the papers one by one. In view of the strange circumstances around her performance in the exam, she was not sure what to expect.
But when Ms. Haruna finally came to Usagis desk and handed him the test paper, Usagi could hardly believe what he saw in front of him. A perfect score of 100% was written in bold red ink.
There must have been some kind of misinterpretation of the markings. This could not be right. Could it?
"Tsukino-san?" The stunned silence was broken by Haruna's voice. "How did you manage to get a perfect score?"
A murmur of disbelief rippled through the classroom when her classmates saw her perfect score. Naru looked at her incredulously, while Umino's jaw dropped, stunned.
Before Usagi could even try to formulate an answer, a voice echoed from the back of the room. "She must have cheated! There is no other explanation!"
Suddenly, the whole class erupted in a cacophony of accusations, each one demanding an explanation for Usagi's unexpected success.
"I have not cheated at all!" Usagi protested. Her voice was barely audible over the noise. "I swear that I answered the questions honestly!"
"That is completely absurd!" Umino exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. "You've never shown such academic prowess before. Something must be wrong."
But as the accusations went on, she had to realize that her pleas were falling on deaf ears. No one was willing to accept that the perpetually struggling student could legitimately have had a perfect score on the exam.
No matter how vehemently she protested her innocence, her classmates were still convinced that she was a cheater. Even Naru, her best friend, did not seem to be sure about the whole situation.
She had not cheated at all. She knew it with every single fiber of her being. And yet, no one wanted to believe her. How was she going to explain the preternatural intuition that had guided her through the test? Even to her own ears, it sounded like a complete and utter nonsense.
With a heavy sigh, Usagi put her bag on his shoulders and left the school building. The warm afternoon sun greeted her but she could find no comfort in its soft rays. The accusations of cheating were still ringing in her ears, no matter how vehemently she tried to deny them. As she approached the Crown Game Center, the warm glow of the neon sign called out to her as if it were some kind of consolation.
Her subdued expression immediately caught the attention of Motoki, always the attentive friend. "Usagi-chan, what's wrong?" he asked with concern on his face.
Usagi remained silent. She could not find the words to explain the injustice that she felt in her veins. But Motoki understood and with a soft smile, he suggested, "How about a game to distract you?"
Motoki led Usagi to the latest Run and Gun arcade game. Its vivid graphics and pulsating soundtrack filled the air. When the game started, something stirred in Usagi. It was a familiar feeling, similar to the supernatural intuition she had experienced during the test. Her fingers danced over the controls of the game with a fluidity that she had never experienced before. In rapid succession, enemies fell before her.
As Usagi's score climbed higher and higher, Motoki watched in amazement. Her reflexes seemed to be almost superhuman.
"Usagi-chan, that was incredible!" Motoki exclaimed. His voice echoed through the arcade and attracted the attention of the other visitors who quickly gathered in front of the spectacle.
When they saw Usagi's seemingly effortless dominance over the challenging game, murmurs of awe and confusion ran through the crowd.
"How are you able to do that?" one of the spectators asked in a confused voice.
Usagi shrugged, his eyes never leaving the screen. As the level of difficulty of the game increased, Usagi could feel a wave of adrenaline running through his veins. The mysterious force that had guided them so far seemed to intensify, flooding their senses with heightened awareness and unprecedented focus. She navigated the treacherous levels and dispatched the most formidable of enemies with ease.
The onlookers watched in stunned silence, their eyes glued to the screen, utterly captivated by Usagi's extraordinary performance. "This is crazy," another one of the spectators whispered and shook his head in disbelief.
With one last triumphant stroke, Usagi secured his place as the undisputed champion and his score rose to a level that had never been seen before. Unable to comprehend the sheer magnitude of what Usagi had just done, Motoki stood there with his mouth open.
"Where did you learn to play like that?" he exclaimed, his voice full of awe.
Usagi turned to him. A small smile was on her lips. "I didn't learn it," she said simply. "It just came to me."
When the excited crowd dispersed, Usagi felt a sense of relief. For a short moment, the sense of being downtrodden had melted away, replaced by joy.
Weeks had passed since Shingo and Usagi had felt an indescribable feeling inside of them for the first time. It was like an untapped, slumbering power. From time to time, unfamiliar sensations surfaced that indicated extraordinary abilities beyond their comprehension. These burgeoning powers manifested themselves inconspicuously. To an outsider, Shingo and Usagi simply seemed to excel at random tasks that were slightly beyond their usual abilities. But even to themselves, the true origin of their abilities remained unknown.
However, their mother, Ikuko Tsukino, had a much more profound perception of these manifestations. It is the Force flowing more and more through her children. Subtle indicators made her aware of it, like Usagi's strangely perfect test results one day, which were not achieved by typical studying but by the Force unconsciously guiding their answers. Another time, Ikuko noticed that her son Shingo hid the bruises from a punch with unnatural haste and his injuries disappeared almost immediately in a way that only the Force could allow. With each passing week, Ikuko's sensitivity to their Force auras grew stronger. Shingo and Usagi continued to manifest abilities without realizing the true source. Ikuko felt every ebb and flow of their manifestations.
A few nights earlier, she had discussed the situation privately with her husband, Kenji.
"We cannot allow them to remain unconscious much longer," she had insisted. "Shingo and Usagi need to get guided before their untrained sensitivity to the Force attracts undue attention."
Kenji understood the necessity. Even though he worried about how their children would react to such an extreme revelation.
The appointed evening arrived. Ikuko told Shingo and Usagi to join her and Kenji at the dining table. When the two teenagers felt the solemn undertone as they sat across from their parents, an air of confused apprehension filled the room.
"Have either of you experienced any... unusual occurrences recently?" Ikuko asked, watching Shingo and Usagi closely.
Usagi furrowed her brow in confusion. "What do you mean, mama? There is nothing strange going on here." Nervously laughing, her voice rose an octave.
Shingo shifted uncomfortably in the seat next to her. "Yeah, I'm not sure I have a clue what you're talkin' about." Rubbing his neck self-consciously.
Ikuko fixed them with a sharp look. Shingo and Usagi looked away guiltily. "Do not try to deceive me. I can feel the power that is awakening in both of you."
To underline her words, Ikuko directed a mere thought at the array of silverware and dishes in the kitchen. The utensils rose from their resting places, guided by an energy, to float across the room and land gently on the dining table in front of the stunned eyes of Shingo and Usagi.
"What... how did you do that?!" Usagi stammered, her eyes wide open in disbelief.
Shingo could only stare in amazement and was speechless. Kenji chuckled at their reactions while Ikuko maintained a steady composure.
"There is something you both need to know," she began, her voice demanding attention. "I am not from this planet."
Their eyes wide with disbelief, Shingo and Usagi exchanged confused looks. "What do you mean? You are not from this world?" Shingo inquired, her voice laced with trepidation.
Steeling herself for the revelation, Ikuko took a deep breath. "I come from a dimension known as Typhojem. That is where I was born."
A stunned silence filled the room. Shingo and Usagi struggled to process their mother's amazing revelation. Letting the weight of her words linger, Ikuko gave them a moment to digest this shattering truth.
"You? You are from another dimension?" Usagi asked. Her voice was full of disbelief.
Ikuko's nod was solemn. "I was born the heiress of the Azijakaer clan. I was to take the position of Dark Councilor for the Sphere of Sith Doctrine."
"What does that even mean?" Usagi said with confusion etched into her features. "Sith Doctrine? Azija…kaer clan?"
Ikuko spoke, her tone somber. "The Sith are an ancient order. Ikuko's family, the Azijakaers, held a position of great importance. They were charged with preserving and propagating the philosophical foundations of the Sith Way. The power that she and the two of you wield is called the Force."
On Shingo's face, a realization dawned. "So that's why you were able to levitate those utensils... you wield this 'Force' power."
Usagi's eyes opened wide. "You mean that we can do that too? Move objects with our mind?"
"Exactly," Ikuko affirmed. "And in that, lies the truth behind your own emerging abilities."
Then it is Shingo's turn to ask his question. "If all this is true, why are you here on Earth?"
A painful expression flickered over Ikuko's features. "I was banished," she admitted. Her voice was tinged with sorrow.
Shingo leaned forward. His curiosity was aroused. "Banished? For what reason?"
Ikuko exhaled slowly. She collected her thoughts. "My ideals, what I believed, how I felt. They contradicted the nature of the Sith. For all their preaching of freedom, they had contempt for my desire to forge my own path."
"Ikuko's spirit could not be bound by the shackles of Sith dogma. She yearned for something greater, a life unchained by the Sith way." Kenji interjected, his gaze filled with admiration for his wife's resilience. "Due to this, your mother was severely punished for her defiance before she was cast out and transported to Earth through the Force."
His voice barely above a whisper, Shingo shuddered. "That's... that's horrible."
Usagi had to gasp and covered his mouth when she heard that. "That is terrible, mama! How could they have done such a cruel thing?"
When Ikuko met the eyes of her children, her gaze softened. "Do not be sad, the two of you. It was a harrowing experience, but one that ultimately led me to freedom from the Sith and to the love of my life, your father, and to this life that we cherish so much."
Kenji's eyes shone with admiration as he looked at his beloved wife. "I remember that fateful night," he began, his voice full of awe. "A brilliant flash of lightning lit up the sky, and you materialized on the nearby lake."
Ikuko nodded, a small smile on her lips. "I was barely conscious. My body was ravaged by the brutal banishment." She turned to Kenji. Her expression was tender. "If you hadn't stepped in, I wouldn't have survived."
As he remembered, Kenji's eyes crinkled at the corners. "I will never forget the the moment I saw you, I was captivated," he said. His voice was full of affection. "This mysterious woman, radiant even in her wounded state, had an unmistakable aura. It drew me in. It was at that moment that our destinies were intertwined, two souls joined together against all odds."
Their faces contorted in a mixture of discomfort and irritation as their parents indulged in their lovey dovey moment.
"Enough of this mushy stuff," Shingo interrupted. His tone was full of discomfort. "What we want to know is how we are to use our powers."
Her eyes shining with curiosity, Usagi nodded vigorously. "Yes, mama, please teach us."
"Patience," Ikuko's answer was. "I will teach you both how to use your connection to the Force properly."
Kenji takes a stern tone. "Well, the two of you should not use your powers to do anything dangerous."
Usagi pouted slightly. Her impatience was obvious. "But when will we be able to start to learn cool powers like making objects float?"
Shingo followed up. "Yeah, when do we begin?"
Ikuko glanced at Kenji, who gave her a reassuring nod. "We would say tomorrow. It would be the weekend. It is now late in the night, after all."
When the rest of the family got up from the table, Ikuko pulled Shingo and Usagi into a warm embrace. "I know that this is a lot for you to take in," she assured them. "But have faith, you both have a power that should be used wisely and I will be with you every step of the way."
Shingo and Usagi exchanged glances. They knew that their lives were taking an unusual twist.
A/N: So, this is where I would end the chapter here. Nevertheless, please follow if you're interested, favorite if you like it, and review if you want to state something clearly.