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Chapter 6: Embers of Resolve

  The village of Tsukihara lay broken beneath a dawn that refused to fully rise. The eternal twilight, once a golden comfort, now cast jagged shadows over charred homes and blood-stained earth. Smoke curled like grieving spirits, the air heavy with ash and iron. Villagers moved through the wreckage—some weeping, others silent, hauling debris or tending wounds. The Voidborn had fled, but their scars lingered, etched into the village’s heart and Raiyo Kisaragi’s soul.

  Raiyo stood amidst the ruins, his mismatched eyes—one a boundless blue, one a cosmic violet—fixed on a collapsed shrine where he’d once chased fireflies with his father. His hands, blistered from last night’s battle, trembled with pride and guilt. His Jinken, a faint Gekkō glow, had awakened, and he’d faced the Voidborn leader—the scarred beast that stole Renji ten years ago. He’d swung his blade, felt its pulse, and for the first time, he wasn’t helpless. But the village burned. Lives were lost. I wasn’t enough.

  His grip tightened on the dull steel at his side, now lifeless without Gekkō’s light. The Voidborn leader had escaped, its scars mocking him. His violet eye pulsed, a flicker of rage—or something ancient, stirring within.

  “Raiyo!” A voice, soft but sharp with fear, cut through his thoughts.

  Saya, his mother, hurried toward him, dark hair tangled, eyes red from sleepless grief. She stopped short, hands trembling as if he might vanish like Renji. Then, with a choked sob, she pulled him into a fierce embrace, fingers digging into his shoulders.

  “You’re alive,” she whispered, voice breaking. “Thank the heavens, you’re alive.”

  Raiyo stiffened, her warmth clashing with the fire in his chest. “I’m fine, Mom,” he mumbled, pulling back, but her grip held firm.

  “Fine?” Saya’s voice cracked, rising. “You ran into those monsters! You could’ve died, Raiyo! Just like—” She stopped, choking on Renji’s name, but the weight hung heavy.

  “I had to fight,” Raiyo said, voice low but unyielding. “I couldn’t watch again. Not after Dad. Not when you and Uncle Shigure were in danger.”

  Saya’s face crumpled, and she stepped back, arms wrapped around herself. “You’re just a boy,” she said, almost to herself. “You don’t have to carry his war.”

  “But I do!” The words erupted, raw and fierce. “Dad died because I was too weak. The Voidborn took him, took our home, and I won’t let them take you! I’ll get stronger, Mom. I’ll make them pay—every last one!”

  Silence fell, heavy as the smoke. Saya’s eyes searched his, fear mixing with recognition. She reached out, fingers brushing his violet eye, trembling.

  “You have his eyes,” she said softly, grief thick in her voice. “Renji’s eyes. He had Jinken, Raiyo—a Sōsei power that could split the heavens. But it was wild, like a storm he couldn’t tame. He fought something… beyond Voidborn. The Sokān, he called it—a shadow behind everything. It scared me every time he left. And now…” Her voice broke. “I see that storm in you.”

  Raiyo’s breath caught. His father was a Sōsei user? The revelation struck like a blade. “What was the Sokān?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

  Saya’s gaze dropped. “I don’t know. He said it made Jinken, made Voidborn. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn’t. Promise me, Raiyo. Don’t let Jinken take you like it took him.”

  Raiyo wanted to vow he’d master it, but her pain silenced him. He nodded, a reluctant gesture, but his heart roared: I’ll control it. For you. For Dad.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Saya’s hand lingered on his cheek, then she pulled him close again, softer this time. “Come,” she said, voice steadier. “Let’s sit for a moment. Just you and me.”

  They sat on a broken bench, the twilight sky above them a canvas of gold and shadow. Saya pulled a small, worn pendant from her pocket—a gift from Renji, etched with a star. “He gave me this,” she said, smiling faintly. “Said it’d keep me safe when he couldn’t.” She pressed it into Raiyo’s hand, her touch warm. “Now it’s yours. To remind you there’s more than fighting.”

  Raiyo’s throat tightened, the pendant’s weight grounding him. For a moment, the world’s chaos faded, and it was just them, mother and son, sharing a quiet heartbeat. He clutched the pendant, vowing to carry her warmth, knowing he’d need it in the days ahead.

  The infirmary was a cramped shack, air thick with herbs and blood. Shigure lay on a cot, chest wrapped in blood-stained bandages, face pale but eyes sharp. The Sword Saint’s presence, even wounded, was a force, and Raiyo felt small under his gaze.

  “Still brooding?” Shigure rasped, a smirk tugging at his lips. “You fought last night, kid. Took a swing at that Voidborn bastard. That’s more than most would’ve done.”

  Raiyo sat, guilt twisting his gut. “You’re hurt because I wasn’t strong enough,” he said, voice low. “If I’d awakened Gekkō sooner—”

  “Enough,” Shigure snapped, tone like steel. “You stood your ground. That’s what matters. Now listen. That Gekkō you lit? It’s just the start.”

  Raiyo leaned forward, Gekkō’s golden-violet pulse vivid in his mind. “It felt… alive. Like it was me, but more.”

  Shigure nodded, grave. “Jinken is your soul given form. Your will, rage, heart. But it’s a double-edged blade. Wield it wrong, and it’ll cut you deeper than any Voidborn.”

  Raiyo frowned, Saya’s warning echoing. “Like the Voidborn?”

  Shigure’s eyes darkened. “Voidborn were Jinken users once. Burned their souls to ash. Every use risks a piece of you—a Soul Gauge. 100% is human. Zero, and you’re them.”

  Raiyo’s stomach churned. “How do I control it?”

  Shigure pointed to a flickering candle. “Jinken has stages. You’re at Gekkō—unstable. Next is Shin’en, a true weapon you name. Then Kokuten, bending reality. And Sōsei… full soul power. Few reach it. I haven’t.”

  Raiyo’s eyes widened. “What’s the cost?”

  “Everything,” Shigure said. “Each use burns your soul. Last night, maybe 5%. Push too hard, you’ll fall. You felt it, didn’t you? A pull, a coldness?”

  Raiyo nodded, recalling the fire and shadow. “So… how do I start?”

  “Focus. Your soul’s not just rage. It’s love, hope, fear. Channel it. Call Gekkō, gently.”

  Raiyo closed his eyes, breathing deeply. A golden star flickered, but a violet light surged, clashing. His body shook, forces pulling him apart.

  His eyes snapped open, gasping. The candle flared, nearly dying. Shigure’s face was shocked. “Two lights? Golden and violet… like your eyes. That’s not normal.”

  “What does it mean?” Raiyo asked, heart pounding.

  “I don’t know,” Shigure admitted. “Your Jinken’s something else. Focus on the golden—it’s stable. Try again.”

  Raiyo pictured Saya’s pendant, Renji’s courage, Shigure’s strength. The golden light steadied. His blade shimmered, flickering but real.

  Shigure smirked. “First step. Keep at it, and you’ll scare those Voidborn yet.”

  Midday brought a stir. A traveler, dust-stained, stumbled through the gates, voice hoarse. “Voidborn,” he said. “Massing in the east. Villages burned. A shadow leads them—Noctis, the Dark Sovereign. Wants eternal night.”

  Raiyo’s blood ran cold. Noctis. Tied to the Sokān? Shigure tensed. “Uncle,” Raiyo whispered, “who’s Noctis?”

  “A myth,” Shigure said, voice tight. “Or worse. Focus, Raiyo.”

  But Raiyo felt Noctis and the Sokān linked to Renji’s death. Shigure softened. “Kyoden Academy trains Jinken users to fight Voidborn. You want strength? That’s where you go.”

  Raiyo’s heart leaped. “I’m going.”

  Shigure chuckled, wincing. “The world out there—cities, machines, people—ain’t kind. You ready?”

  Raiyo nodded, violet eye glinting. “I have to be.”

  That evening, carrying water to the infirmary, a glint in the forest stopped Raiyo. A cloaked figure stood, violet eyes glowing like his own. The twilight pulsed, his heart racing.

  Then they were gone.

  Who are you? The eyes felt like a twisted mirror. Shigure’s voice echoed: Discipline. Raiyo turned back, blade heavier.

  The Voidborn, Noctis, the Sokān—someone was watching him. But Raiyo wasn’t the boy who cowered ten years ago. His Gekkō had sparked, his will hardened. He’d go to Kyoden, master his Jinken, face the darkness. For his father. For his mother. For a world that didn’t know his name.

  As twilight deepened, Raiyo lifted his blade, golden spark flickering. “I’ll protect them,” he whispered, voice steady, shivers running through him. “No matter what it takes.”

  To be continued…

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