Seijuro stepped out of the chamber and a bright light hit him. He squinted,
"Welcome to the Fear Foundation, young Seijuro." Frank turned his wheelchair to face him, shades lowered, a smirk tugging one corner of his mouth.
Frank's skin was light brown and his black hair, down and messy. He wore the same white cloak as the other Captains. He wore a black top, blue trousers and brown sandals beneath. His smile was warm in a way that made Seijuro both relieved and uneasy. Seijuro pressed his face to the glass and froze. Before him, the Foundation rose like a city carved from white stone and glass in the middle of the woods: towers and terraces stacked around a massive central dome that hummed faintly, a shimmering force field wreathed in rippling light, invisible up close but impossible to ignore. Paths wound between courtyards; people drifted in groups, heads bowed in conversation or training. Gardens and courtyards broke the white expanse, and cherry blossom trees lined broad walkways, petals drifting in warm drafts. It was a fortress of knowledge and power, isolated, and protected. From his village he had only ever seen hints of places like this. Up close, it felt like entering another world,
"Where are we going?" Seijuro asked, voice small,
"Showing you around," Frank said, pushing himself forward. "And I'm sure you have questions."
Seijuro followed, his eyes drinking the new place in. He waited until they were moving before asking, "Who are you people? And those things in the box, what were they?"
Frank's face softened; he spoke as if reciting an answer he was asked a dozen times. "We are Captains. We keep humanity safe from what we call 'fears.'"
"Fears?" Seijuro echoed,
"Fears form when a person's mind breaks under pressure, trauma, phobia, grief. Dark matter leaks from the mind, soul and body. At first it's weak and mindless, but the more dark matter a person emits, the stronger and more aware the creature becomes. Left unchecked, they can harm, or worse, corrupt people."
Frank glanced at Seijuro to ensure he followed, then continued, "Tenebris has existed for centuries. Those who learn it call themselves mages. The mages formed the Fear Foundation and the Captains to police these manifestations disperse them, seal them, stop them from growing and train those who are learning."
Frank's smile faded. He looked down at the sword in Seijuro's hands and sighed. "What you released weren't normal fears. In extremely rare cases, a person's dark matter can overwhelm their soul and make something… monstrous of them. Legends say Hell spat them back out. A former Captain tried to contain them, but the power was too much. They were sealed in that box, hidden behind barriers. How you breached those protections is something we can't explain. The Captain who tried to stop them paid the price."
Seijuro's throat tightened. He stared at the blade as if it might speak, "You said there are eleven Captains, but I only saw eight,"
Frank's expression darkened a little. "Not all of us still serve the same cause. Three Captains disbanded and formed a cult. Their doctrine is extreme."
"Extreme how?" Seijuro asked,
"To prevent fears from ever arising, they want to erase the human race. Only mages should live." Frank said flatly. He stopped pushing the wheelchair and looked out toward the woods. "Through those trees is where you'll train and live. Do you have any other family?"
Seijuro's voice dropped. "My mother…"
Frank's hand hovered over Seijuro's arm, "Your mother," he said softly. "You won't be the one to tell her, we wont burden you with that. By the time you return, she'll know."
"When do I start?" Seijuro wiped at his face,
"At dawn. You're from Lunar Village, yes?"
Seijuro blinked. "How did you…"
Frank nodded toward the crescent pendant clutched at Seijuro's throat. "The pendant. Old traditions die slowly." He pushed a little farther and gave Seijuro a final look. "See you tomorrow, young Seijuro."
As Frank rolled back inside, Kenji's stern shadow fell across the doorway. He extended his left hand; a small sphere of dark energy spun into being and the air shimmered. A doorway opened in the space between them,
"Walk through there," Kenji said in his usual cold tone. "It will take you home."
Seijuro nodded and stepped into the portal. He emerged into the familiar village he'd grown up in. Low wooden houses, the distant laughter of children, the smell of cooking drifting on the breeze. On the porch of his home his mother scoured the horizon, eyes raw with worry. He ran to her. She saw him and the years of fear and waiting poured out in a single, stunned gasp. He sheathed the sword at his side and they fell into each other's arms, both of them crying. Anger smoldered under the grief. Seijuro remembered the man's words…
You'll die before you can regret the choice you made today…
He felt a cold, hard knot form in his chest,
I'll make them suffer for what they did.
He thought clenching Ren's toy in his fist.