''It''s pitch black in here, where am I?'' Double asks.
A shiver runs down his spine, reminding him that he''s completely stranded.
Double walks around, but can''t find anything at all. As he''s walking furthermore into the darkness, he makes out the silhouette of a man in the distance.
"Who the hell are you? Make yourself known or else!" Double yells.
Double continues to stare at the silhouette, his foot placement exuding an authoritative air.
The silhouette reveals itself to be none other than Kairoji. Kairoji doesn''t look okay though, as he has bruises on his arms.
"Welcome to the void I''ve created. I was able to take all of that festival, and enclose it to this circular void. It was a measure I had to hurry and do after my experience with Joki," Kairoji says.
The void that had been created was from Kairoji''s ability; he possessed two abilities, the first a very strong power, allowing him to siphon the body and aura of another by a mere touch, though, the process takes a minimum of 10 seconds. The second, equally as formidable if not more, Kairoji can craft any conceivable structure or environment. Stepping into these created spaces allows him access to an unlimited arsenal of abilities, limited only by what he believes is possible for himself.
Double flashes a cocky smile, his lips curling upward with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. The confident smirk he wore on his face catches the attention of Kairoji.
"So...Joki fought you, and then you ended up running with your tail between your legs because you couldn''t handle it. How hilarious is that?" Double asks, laughing under his breath, mocking Kairoji.
"You should watch your mouth, after all...you will soon turn into corpses, just like all of those people in this festival. This festival can be whatever I want, and I thought a perfect way to fool you all into a sense of comfort was to use the corpses of the people who have walked into this festival and make them come alive. Though, you ruined the festival and made me destroy it, it works in my favor because now I only have to worry about this void I''ve created, and because it''s an empty one...there isn''t too much to manage," Kairoji states.
A horrifying smile comes across Kairoji''s face, as Double''s smile disappears.
Double''s eyes widen in disbelief, and his entire body begins to tremble, quickly overcome by a flood of emotions.
"What''s wrong, kid? Where did all the bravado go? Don''t tell me you''re feeling bad for these people; have you ever noticed what times we''re living in...they were going to die sooner or later," Kairoji says.
Amusement is evident in Kairoji''s eyes. Kairoji is momentarily entertained by Double''s frozen state, a mix of surprise etched onto his features. However, as Kairoji''s laughter continues, an unexpected change ripples through Double, catching Kairoji''s attention and stopping his laughter.
"Of course, I know the times we are living in, and I understand that yeah, they may have died sooner or later, but what gives you the right to kill them...did they do anything to you?" Double states.
"They did nothing, but over time, more and more people came rushing through. What interests me is when I decided to siphon off their bodies and aura, I realized that their memories, the precious things they love, got annoying. It was hard to manage all of those pathetic ass values they have, but you remind me of a certain face that I was informed about by someone else."
Double ignores his talk though; he rushes in coating his arm with aura. Kairoji dodges and puts his hand on the ground as if he were trying to summon something or someone.
"Let me just see if my theory is correct." Kairoji proclaimed while raising his hand into the air.
With each ascending movement, a distinct figure gradually materializes, revealing a man unknown to Double.
Double looks in confusion. A man appears, and he instantly locks his eyes onto Double.
''So, his ability revolves around summoning things to do his bidding? Just like with my fight with Kashikoi, going in without feeling my opponent out is dumb,'' Double thinks to himself.
Double continues standing at a distance, refusing to get closer until he understands the whole situation.
The man doesn''t move at all though, and he continues looking down as if he''s lifeless. Kairoji smirks; he begins to put his hand on the chest of the man next to him, and his hand begins to glow white.
"I wonder...if I can take the ability from someone I bring back from the dead. It''s been ten years since this guy has been dead, but even in my mind, the realm of possibilities for myself is short, but with enough testing...just maybe..." Kairoji says, looking into the eyes of the lifeless man.
"Ten...years ago?" Double asks, squinting his eyes, trying to figure out just who the man is.
Suddenly, the man''s eyes widen, and he grabs Kairoji''s hand and shoves him away; he walks toward Double who stands on guard, not wanting to get close to the man.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Kairoji notices this, but the man''s walk and the aura he gives off leave Kairoji frozen in shock. To think that one of his creations could take life was never even a thought in his mind.
"Who the hell are you?! You would turn your back on a guy like that in the middle of a fight. That''s stupid!" Double yells.
A confused expression stuck onto the face of Double, not knowing whether to run or fight. Not able to gauge the strength, and if the person in front of him is a threat or not.
"Middle of a fight? This isn''t my fight at all, but since I''m here, there''s one question I wanna ask before I leave. I don''t belong here." The man says, continuing to walk forward until he was in handshake distance of Double.
The man finally gets in the face of Double, and Double''s eyes widen as his mind begins to flood with memories from when he was younger.
Double begins to remember his brother, and the time they spent together when he was younger. The image of his brother starts to become clear, and he notices that the man in front of him is his older brother.
"Actually...I have two questions, one...do you even remember my name?"
Double''s expression showed that of starstruck, words not being able to be formed, his body not being able to move. Everything hit him at the same time, as he stood in front of the person who died ten years ago.
"Kyomu...your name is Kyomu." Double hesitantly says.
Double''s face continued to be frozen, as he realized who had stood in front of him. His mind couldn''t fully process it.
Kyomu smiles, he looks at Double, and puts his hand on his head, and proceeds to put two fingers up.
''Wait...why is he doing that with his fingers? Does he think I''m dumb or something?'' Double thinks to himself, but he suddenly begins to remember events from when he was younger.
(Eleven Years Ago, November 13th, 1809)
"Double! Pay attention. This is going to be our little drill for whenever I want to make sure you remember the important stuff. You might be young, but I need you to grasp this." Kyomu stated, a grin playing on his lips as he raised a finger for emphasis.
Double smiles, and claps his hands, excited to see his brother smiling. Double and Kyomu shared a bond that most brothers fail to share.
No matter how young Double was, he always got excited to see his older brother happy, because even at a young age, all he saw was death around him and violence, but to see his brother alive and happy meant the world to him.
"One! If I lose my life...what is it that I want you to do?" Kyomu says.
The smile on Double''s face begins to fade, and he begins to tear up and cry. Kyomu reaches his hand out to Double, but Double slaps it away.
"I don''t have an answer to that! Because you won''t die, big brother! You are strong... you won''t let anyone break our bond and ruin the family we have now, right?" Double exclaimed.
Double runs up and hugs Kyomu''s knee. A look of deep sadness was etched across Kyomu''s face as he gently placed a hand on Double''s head, offering a bittersweet smile.
"Alright, maybe that was a bit heavy, but the second question, Double...do you think our connection will cease with death?" Kyomu asked, his hand firmly gripping Double''s shoulder, a gravity-laden expression etched across his face.
Double tries to cry, but the expression on Kyomu''s face prevents him too. Double in his mind wants to uplift Kyomu, and make sure he''s in good spirits, so he lies.
"No...the bond we share won''t end when we die, it''ll go on forever and ever!" Double says.
"Correct! Sorry, I just needed to be honest with you before we move forward. Now, let''s continue our journey." Kyomu says, smiling back at his little brother, grabbing his hand and proceeding to walk into the distance.
(Present day, September 15th, 1820)
"In light of the fact that our paths have diverged, and I find myself no longer a part of your life, I ponder my second question: regardless of the memories retained or the moments forgotten, do you think our connection has truly come to an end?" Kyomu says.
Kyomu''s voice trembles as he speaks, his two fingers quivering as he struggles to hold back tears. He places a hand gently on Double''s shoulder, offering silent comfort.
The question Double as a child couldn''t answer honestly because of what he believed had changed. Double, wearing a smile reminiscent of his childhood, now meets Kyomu''s gaze and locks eyes with sincerity.
"Nah, it''ll go on forever, the bond between brothers is unbreakable." Double spoke with a contented weariness, his expression comfortably etched with the lines of happiness.
Kyomu''s face lights up with pure happiness. In their younger days, Kyomu had detected Double''s dishonesty through forced mannerisms and expressions. When questioned about it back then, Double''s lack of genuine belief was apparent, leading Kyomu to wisely drop the subject.
However, when asked this question, Double''s face shows nothing but pure honesty, and confidence in his own words.
"Then...that''s all I needed to hear. I wish I could express more, I want to say more so badly, and I''m sorry." Kyomu apologizes, lowering his head, overwhelmed with nothing but disappointment in himself.
"Wait...why can''t you say more? We''re here together, and we have all the time we need..." Double says.
Suddenly, Double looks behind Kyomu and notices Kairoji''s hand turning white. Kairoji takes his hand and quickly points it at Kyomu, who had already known his fate.
"Goodbye Double, my only regret was dying too early." Kyomu says, showing one last smile on his face to a confused Double.
Kairoji swipes his hand, erasing Kyomu from the void, nothing but particles in the face of a frozen Double.
"What an irksome sentiment—let the dead rest in peace. I''ve learned my lesson; that experience will be my last time trying something like that," Kairoji says.
The telltale lines of exasperation etched across Kairoji''s face, as Double stands across from him in complete awe.
"What...what the hell, you aren''t a real person, twisted, unremorseful—how can anyone possess these habits? Where is your sympathy?" Double asks.
"I parted ways with that long ago, my friend, and sooner or later, when the weight becomes too burdensome, you''ll find yourself doing the same," Kairoji says.
Suddenly, Double aggressively takes a traditional boxing stance, positioning his feet shoulder-width apart and his knees slightly bent,
"Don''t call me friend, and become like you? I''d rather die!" Double says.
Double''s aura spiraled out of control, yet with the limited mastery he possessed, he managed to channel it into the clenched fist before him.
Kairoji burst into laughter, thoroughly astonished by Double''s audacious attempt to land a punch from such a ludicrous angle.
"What the hell are you doing?! Taking a boxing stance from a distance? Do you plan on somehow catching me from over there? I''ll see you coming effortlessly," Kairoji says, laughing hysterically, taking his focus off Double completely.
"Jyu-Oh-Sei, Thunder Jab!" Double yells.
Double unleashed a ferocious punch, and a colossal shockwave rippled through the air with formidable intensity. The force of the impact surged towards Kairoji, an unstoppable wave of power. As the shockwave collided with Kairoji, it targeted his stomach with pinpoint accuracy. The impact was so devastating that Kairoji couldn''t withstand it, coughing up torrents of blood in an instant.
"You wanna act mercilessly? Fine then, I''ll fight you like a murderer, a killer, someone who''s unremorseful. I will be the one to take your life!" Double says, going back into his boxing stance, preparing himself.