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> "When a man silences his emotions, he does not become wise — he becomes efficient. And efficiency without feeling is the most dangerous transformation of all."
— Friedrich Nietzsche
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Silence stretched for distance while ruke observed the building his target lived in, it had been a year since then and now he felt nothing at all, the shadow the grandmasters needed, after waiting for a very long time his target had just arrived home it was time for him to make a move as this very mission could change his life in ways he didn't think possible
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"This i perfect, you shadow are the true embodiment of fear" a grandmaster said
*Sounds of swords clash*
"Feel the pain waving through you and let that be your energy" another commented
*Metal clash, voices and screams*
"Be emotionless, act with precision, let every strike sent out he a body dropped down" the third grandmaster said
*Sounds of blood splashing on the floor and footsteps approaching*
"After that you get to be reborn a new, as the temples doushin"they said in unison watching ruke walk towards them, his katana covered in blood, behind him laid bodies of other drax uses by the grandmasters to train him. They were all dead, body severed limb from limb and head decapitated and separated from their body.
"You're ready shadow..., but just one more task awaits you" a grandmaster informed stareing at the being he had created and worked on for the past year.
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Waiting for his target to get into the building ruke moved, this was a stealth mission and he planned on keeping it that way. Gesturing his fingers to make a hand technique, he moved behind the shadows avoiding every single guard he came across until finally he was in the building.
He then proceeded slowly advancing upstairs to where he was sure was the targets bedroom, but something stopped him from getting in. The door was being guarded by three bodyguards, two standing still in front of the door and one patrolling the floor. This would be a nice time to us my katana he thought, but when he attempted drawing his katana he remembered the exact orders he was given before deploying for the mission.
[KILL THE TARGET, LEAVE NO WITNESSES, ALERT NO ONE]
Letting out a sigh he kept his katana back in slowly, he then gestured his fingers and made another hand sign, this one different from the last.
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["It's time to show us the technique you've created ruke, and like I said, today you get to choose your codename, the name you will be called for the rest of your drax life. Once your technique have been thoroughly inspected, your codename will be given to you" kaiju informed his with a smike.]
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He did this with his eyes closed and as soon as he opened his eyes it seemed to him like time seemed to have slowed, everyone around him stopped moving which gave him the opportunity he needed to get into the room without being spotted.
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[A technique which uses your surroundings as a shadow and allows you to live around unnoticed... I'm your teacher but I have to admit that that's the best I've seen so far, although it ain't perfected it can be a huge help during stealth missions, with all that said and done I think we both know the codename you'll be receiving"kaiji smiled stareing at his student whose gaze was fixed on him
"Shadow.... I'll assume the name shadow"young ruke replied with a cold look in his eyes]
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"I have you to thank for this sensai"ruke hardly letting a smile curved around his face.
Already in the room ruke took some steps quietly approaching the bed where his target laid, he then drew his katana and pointed it at the man lying on the bed,
"Mission complete" he thought slicing through the targets throat killing him. But when he tried escaping he noticed something was wrong, the target had been killed but there was someone else he now had to kill as they had witnessed all that took place .
"I won't tell I.....I swear, just let me live"she whispered tears escaping her eyes while she pleaded for her life but ruke didn't burge seeing her cry.
"It's all fake" he said killing her too and escaping through the mansions window undetected.
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"All down with the mission ey?" The gatekeeper asked watching ruke approach the sanctums door but didn't reply he simply continues walking until he was at the door
"Open it"he ordered his voice sending a threat and his rage noticeable.
"Should I?"the gatekeeper asked stareing at ruke dead in the eye his voice also sending a threat
"If I asked one more time it'd be to a corpse" ruke threatened this time his arm reaching for his katana. Letting out a loud laugh the gatekeeper pushed the gate open
"This path you've taken..., it'll only lead to more pain than you can simply comprehend, you think becoming a doushin makes you unstoppable that's where you've got it all wrong boy, with every life you take, you lose your sanity, until what's left of your is nothing but a shadow of your former self" the gatekeeper whispered but ruke as usual said nothing, he only walked into the sanctum and had the door close behind him as he did.
"You've done well shadow" one grandmaster appreciated
"You've proven yourself worthy of being the temples doushin and not just the shadow of the temple" another said
"Along with being the doushin comes heavy responsibilities which you have to carry,.... And also benefits from it as well" the third did the same, starting the circle of discussion all over the first grandmaster spoke, this time his words coming out a little serious than they did before.
"As a Doushin, you get to leave the temple and explore the city of Nevada, we will communicate with you when we've got an assignment for you to clear"the first said
"And like you, we have some other drax's assigned to different places around Nevada, a meeting will be held so you can get to meet them and also get aquainted" the second spoke but ruke wasn't interested in what they had to say, he had done his job by eliminating the target, he wanted nothing more than to leave the sanctum at once, his patience was growing thin and he had heard enough coming from them.
"Sorry grandmasters but I have to go" ruke stood turning around to walk out the sanctum when he got called by the grandmasters
"Your insolence will be ignored considering you did a good job today, another attempt at it will be punishable.....and shadow..., remember this, the skill you learnt as a doushin can only be used once, anymore than that would get you killed instantly" they said this time in unison
"I'll remember to keep that in mind"ruke responded walking away and heading for the rax, as soon as he got there he laid on the mattress on the floor stareing at the ceiling
"I'll live for you two, and that's a promise"he muttered.
[SOMEWHERE IN NEVADA]
"That archeological fool Dan really proved it didn't he?" A man on black suits asked viewing the live streamed record Dan made before dying. Dan had planned on getting proof the temple existed but knowing he could die as well, he planned on making a live video streaming his exploration through the mountains with his sponsors and the S.T.A.D unit Incharge of security at the facility where he worked.
"So they killed him?.....how convenient"another guy replied sarcastically placing his legs on the table in front of him
"Manners boys....., this guys aren't just your everyday masked crusader..., they're fast, and move efficiently, the way they move displays no error like every attack had ad was already planned before they attacked.....we might actually have a hard time fighting against them"this time a lady responded, still stareing at the video in front of her.
"The red asked man..., that guy doesn't really give a shit does he?" The man on suit asked noticing he killed Dan, despite Dan not having anything to defend himself
"He killed Dan knowing fully well the guy ain't that a swordsman, impulsive and smart....I like him already"he continued
"So what do we do...boss?" The lady earlier asked stareing at the man sitting in front of the table the projected video obstructing blinding their field of view and also avoiding his face from being seen by them.
"We observe for some time...., I'll notify you when it's time to attack"he ordered slowly placing both hands on the table.
With the rise of the sun, ruke was already in a small town named azula. Azula a small town located just at the outskirts of Nevada. Although being a small town the atmosphere was lively, the sounds of villagers stormed the atmosphere making it nosier by the minute. He had never seen so many people showing kindness towards each other before and had also never felt so stranded before. It was his first time exploring outside the Temple while not being in a mission.
"Here to go from here?" He wondered searching around until a tavern caught his attention, he could at least stay there till he figured his next move he concluded walking into the tavern. Inside were candles lighting every corner of the huge hall where villagers drank, the interior design of the tavern looked similar to that of the temple so it was easier for ruke to blend in.
He sat on a barrel observing everyone around him and the environment he was in, as he did he could tell noone there posed a possible threat to him. "What would you love to have?"the kindest sounding voice he had ever heard asked drawling his focus back, he turned around to find and old lady stareing at him, she stood a book and pen on her hand while she stared at him
"Would you love to order a drink or perhaps a meal?" She asked again making sure to repeat herself so the strange boy in front of him would reply
"Both"ruke replied
"Anything in particular or just my pick?"she asked
"Just getting me something good to eat and something liquid to take it down with"ruke responded watching the old lady nod as she turned around to head to the kitchen where she had walked out from
"Sorry but if it's no trouble can I know your name?"ruke asked, for some reason he didn't know about he wanted to know her name
"Everyone in town calls me grandma uda..., for some reason you remind me of me son"she replied smiling walking back to the kitchen and soon she returned with his order.
"You've got a place to stay?"she asked placing his order on the table for him, he didn't reply immediately but after some seconds of silent he did
"No" he responded
"Then you can stay in my house, I've got a room for rent.... that'll do right?"she offered and he replied almost instantly"yes.... how'd you know I didn't have a place to stay?"ruke asked, was she peherps a threat to him he thought already in a position to slice her head off if she made the move but her reply was simple
"I know everyone in town, they come here for a drink, you on the other hand I haven't seen before"she smiled heading back into the kitchen. That smile was genuine yet felt empty, had she lost someone dear to her too, without thinking about it much ruke focus on the drink on the table more than he did on the food.
The day was fast-paced, and ruke didn't move from where he sat, he just stayed there watching uda taking orders all day, she smiled while she worked even though she looked stressed, what was her secret he wondered. Soon it was dark and uda had just closed for the day and was heading back home with ruke who forcefully was carrying some baskets.
"You said earlier I remind you of your son, where is he now?"ruke asked
"He's dead..., died some months back" uda responded with a sour smile, and instantly brightened up again "but what can I say?...., everything happens for a purpose right?"she continued this time her smile radiating more than it did the last time. Ruke knew it, he instantly understood why her smile felt both genuine and empty as the same Time but what exactly wa her secret, he had lost people important to him as well but he couldn't find Peace,he had never felt as happy as he did when they were around and he regretted his life now, so what made her so happy, so optimistic even after losing someone she cared about.
"How did you do it?"ruke asked stareing at the ark sky above them, he could barely let out a smile or even smirk but uda was smiling like it was nothing
"Do what?"uda asked confused at his question.
"How do you do it?, staying happy even after losing someone?....how do you remain happy"ruke asked again this time making sure his question was clear and uda understood exactly what he meant, letting out a smile she answered
" I do nothing really, you see being happy is an option one we all got"she answered letting out a sigh "some can barely smile at a time like this and prefer to stay unhappy...., but I choose to remain happy, I choose to be an optimist and enjoy everyday of my life"she paused for some breath then continued "sometimes I do reminisce about the past, over and over again "her expression saddens as she took a quick glance at the lonely village street being illuminated by the moonlight, her words had brought back rukes memories of his team and how happy he felt when he stayed with them, those were just memories now as he hadn't smiled since that day a year ago "but the past can't be changed, we should just accept the unpleasant events that has already taken place,although not everything can be perfect, who knows ...we might still get to find something beautiful and pleasant sometime later in the future"uda concluded her gazed diverted toward ruke who's stare at her was quite empty as he stared away.
"You've lost someone too, haven't you?"she asked but he ever replied
"You don't need to reply I can still see tell my those look you got in your eyes"uda smiled walking ahead of ruke and opening a tiny gate which led to an old style residential building, it looked quite similar to a shoin-zukuri, a building used during the 14th to 16th century, her home really was different and felt welcoming from the rest he had seen while coming here
"We're here"uda welcomed as ruke walked in. Still stareing around he noticed a shadowy figure approaching them ready to attack he stood and watch as the Shadowy figure which turned out to be a lady hugged uda.
"You're late"she complained her voice taunting
"As happy as I am to see you mom, I still worry for your safety, it's late what if something happened to you out there...and who the hell is he!?"she asked confused seeing a guy about her age standing beside uda and even carrying her bags and baskets for her.
"He's a friend, he haven't told me his name yet but he'll be living in the empty room from now on, on rental that is"uda explained, ruke watched as the last in front of him diverted her gaze from uda and to him, her gaze were threatening but to ruke he found such gaze not much of a threat to him but more efficient and effective on insects
"I'm anila...,her daughter*points at uda*, I don't know what she saw in you but if she brought you here personally, then you must be someone worth trusting, I dont trust you sadly, but she does so I've got my eyes on you, no quick movements and no pulling any stunts while you stay here, this is a warning"anila warned her expression changing completely while she stared at her mother
"C'mon mother, let's go in"Anila smiled taking the basket from ruke and leading her mother into the building. As much as ruke would love to deny it, her gaze reminded him of someone ....., someone he knew quite well
"Sensai" he thought, surprised as she shared the same expression as him when he started at her. Fading the thought aside he joined them in the building.