(Two Months Have Passed, August 13th, 1820)
After two months, Double had finally felt alive, and gained a new sense of self. Being enclosed to a new environment, and being educated by Joki.
"Man...it doesn''t even feel like two months, time flies by doesn''t it!" Double says, smiling as he walks outside of the cabin.
Alongside Double, was Joki who had looked significantly more muscular, and his hair that had grown as well. They both leave the cabin, and as they do, Joki hands a device to Double.
"Check this out, it''s called the Jogen Torakka, I crafted it a while ago." Joki states, sticking his hand out to Double, handing him the unknown device.
Confused, Double waves it around in the air, and as he does, he notices the device start to blink rapidly.
"It''s like a checkpoint in a video game, following it will tell you exactly where you need to go, that''s right! I''m sending you on a little mission." A happy Joki says, staring into the distance, pointing to where Double should move to.
"This place, where exactly are you bringing me too. This thing is annoying as well, it''s the beeping is getting on my nerves." Double says.
As Double finishes his words, Joki pats Double on the back.
Double''s confidence over the months had lowered, understanding that there were threats stronger than him made him fear what lies ahead, but overtime, Double realized that fear is something natural, and the only way to deal with it is to face it head on.
''Whatever this mission is, I will do my best on it. Though, I hope it isn''t anything too complicated.'' Double thinks to himself, leaping into the distance.
The area pinpointed on the Jogen Torakka had been close by, and Double''s immense speeds made it simple to track it down.
As Double disappeared into the distance, Joki remained rooted in place, A palpable sense of nervousness etched across his face, and the shadow of uncertainty gradually enveloped him.
''He looked scared...throwing him out there with no knowledge of anything will only make him more fearful...but this was the only way he''d be convinced to go out there.'' Joki''s contemplative thoughts echoed in the recesses of his mind.
In the state of Virginia, there had been a deserted area, void of anyone or anything, but in that empty and wide space, there was someone who had made camp there.
Cities had been torn apart, and completely destroyed with no sight of them, all to make room for a singular small house.
"Well...this is a very splendid surprise, someone was able to find me after all. Speak your name boy." The man says to Double.
The tone in the man''s voice told Double that he had been very cocky, that cockiness made Double feel uneasy. Remembering his fight with Joki, and understanding that this overconfidence could spell the end for him.
"My name''s Double, this device says that you are what I''m after, I assume that means..." Double says, continuing to stand on guard.
The man begins to stand from where he was sitting, he walks ahead and notices Double''s aura for himself. A smile begins to form on the man''s face as he begins to notice Double''s low amount of aura.
"You decided to come to me knowing your aura lacked control, and above all you don''t have much of it either. You are so obviously unprepared." The man says.
The man opens his eyes, and in a shocking turn of events, his eyes had been red. Different eye colors tend to mean that they possess more than one ability, and those with only one ability have a extremely powerful ability at their disposal.
The name of these eyes had been referred to as Sakusei, and can only be awakened when the user feels completely hopeless.
"So you have them too, you have the Sakusei. Did you end up with no ability just like me." Double says, an annoyed expression on his face.
Double''s words had confused the man, but at the same time made him hysterical. Finally, the man had decided to take steps towards Double.
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The air around them had begun to intensify, and as the man takes steps towards Double, Double followed along and did the same.
"It''s been awhile since I was able to get my hands dirty, but before anything...I gave you a name and I''d like for you to tell me yours?" Double asks.
"Hmph, the name Is Kashikoi, though, it is rude for a fucking peasant to ask questions out of line." Kashikoi says, pulling his hand out as it begins forming sparks.
As the two get closer, and are now in reach of each other, Double wastes no time, and quickly throws a punch at Kashikoi. The punch missed, but the punch itself made Kashikoi jump for a moment.
Double''s physical ability had increased over the two months, and with that, so did the speed of his attacks. Double does a spinning backhand, and Kashikoi quickly ducks under it, and kicks Double back.
''He''s easily able to react to my attacks, and above everything else...I got the feeling he''s holding something serious back. I have to come at him with a different approach.'' Double thinks to himself, sweat pouring down his forehead.
Double jumps above of Kashikoi, and feint''s a punch, as he does this he drops to the ground and throws a kick. Double had zero experience of fighting with actual martial arts, no style to go off of.
The sole strategy at his disposal was the repeated experience of clashing with Joki, during which he had honed the art of feinting attacks numerous times to disrupt his opponent''s anticipation.
''He''s trying to feint his attacks over and over again so that I can''t see him coming. It looks like he wants to catch me once, does this brat think he can end the fight with only one punch?'' Kashikoi thinks to himself, smiling while watching Double''s actions.
Eventually, Double appears below Kashikoi, and finally sweeps his legs, Kashikoi believing Double was going to go for a finishing shot, had now been falling in confusion.
Double smiles, and quickly gets up after the sweep. Prepared to end things, he had already charged all of his aura into his fist ready to strike with the perfect opportunity.
"Maybe standing on your own two feet, you can defend against me effortlessly, but...if I was to take you off your balance, then you couldn''t dodge this one could you?" Double says, standing above a Kashikoi stunned in mid-air.
"Jyu-Oh-Sei, Junzuki!." Double yells out.
Double throws the punch, but suddenly, right before Double could land the attack, he gets hit in the back by a huge lightning strike stopping his attack.
Kashikoi lands on the ground, and begins to dust himself off ready to get back up. Confused, stunned, Double didn''t know what to think. Like a student being called unexpectedly to answer a difficult question in front of a class, Double was completely frozen.
In a desperate attempt, Double swings his arms with full force out of panic, but is quickly gut punched by Kashikoi. The force of the punch made Double cough up blood, and drop to his knee.
"Look at you...you''re so pathetic, did you come into this fight thinking you weren''t gonna get hit, and did you also just think a simple sweep was gonna be enough to take me out." Kashikoi says, a smirk on his face.
Double tries to stand once again, but that attempt would be made futile as he''s kicked in his mouth by Kashikoi. The kick took a tooth out of the mouth of Double, and broke his nose simultaneously.
Suddenly, Kashikoi raises his hand in the sky, and looks down at a defenseless Double, who had been laid out on the ground.
"Jigoku no kutsū, kurai raimei!" Kashikoi says softly.
A huge lightning strike hits Double in the stomach, silence can be heard, Double had been struggling to breathe, in this fight, Double had only been hit four times, but to him it felt like he had been hit over one hundred times.
"I have to...I have to get up, not like this, I can''t go back. I have to keep fighting.'' Double thinks to himself, holding back a tear coming from his eyes.
Kashikoi delivers a powerful stomp to Double''s stomach, causing him to cough up even more blood. At this critical juncture, Double clung to life with nothing but sheer tenacity and an unyielding will to survive.
"You surprise me, you should have died on that lightning strike earlier. What''s keeping you fighting? You can''t do anything...you''re an idiot for making your own death more painful." Kashikoi says to Double, laughing at him.
In an instant, Kashikoi''s eyes widened with a sudden realization. Double, undeterred, swiftly moved his arms, determined to rise again. However, before he could fully regain his footing, Kashikoi delivered a forceful stomp to Double''s stomach once more.
"Damn it! Please! Let me get up, not like this...I don''t wanna die here, let me live, and let me challenge you again another time. Please!" Double begins pleading for his life to Kashikoi, his words, tinged with fear and vulnerability
A disturbing smile begins to form on Kashikoi''s face, and at the same time, Double stares with a horrified expression. it is said that when a person realizes they are about to lose their life, a rapid mental review of significant events and emotions occurs, often accompanied by heightened awareness and physiological responses.
In this moment, Double began rapidly going through all the moments from the last two months, and realized that''s all he could remember. The moments from when Double was younger, and other events as well had been gone. For a brief moment, time had slowed down for Double, and during that time, aside from the two months, Double hadn''t remembered any of his experiences in life.
"You look pathetic right now, begging me for your life! That''s priceless, weaklings like you don''t deserve the right to die fast." Kashikoi says, standing over Double.
''Man...have I been moving like this my entire life? I didn''t even realize that my entire life, I hadn''t experienced anything. I''m really gonna die, and I haven''t been able to do anything with my life. I...want...I want a second chance, please, give me a second chance.'' The words begin to echo in Double''s mind, to bruised and beaten to speak.