Kaiya(grossed out by the bird-like human's appearance): "What is your name?"

It(holding up his right taloned hand): "The name that not even Sajiro wanted to speak of."

Kumo(entering his Elemental Possession): "His name is--"

It(pointing his taloned hand at Kumo): "Shukai."

Yutaka was speechless.

Tobias was horrified.

Kaiya couldn't speak.

Kumo looked at the ground below his feet.

Shukai his beak and smiled.

Shukai(looking at his four victims): "I haven't eaten human flesh in 15 years. And I see the main course right in front of me."

Tobias was envious of Shukai. He balled his fist up and grinned his teeth.

A bolt of lightning struct the air and Raitrious appeared.

Raitrious (looking around): "Did I miss the slaughtering yet?"

Shukai (looking at his older brother): "Nope. It's about to begin."

Raitrious (disappearing in a bolt of lightning): "I shall be looking from the Lemuria."

He disappeared.

Kumo(shocked and confused): "Lemuria?"

Shukai(panning his sights to Kumo): "You of all people should now what the Lemuria is."

Kumo(trying not to stare into Shukai's murderous gaze): "Yes I do. But it's a shock to see that it's still around."

Shukai(about to laugh): "And why is that?"

Kumo turned his head to his right side and a tear escaped his eye.

Kumo(having ardor flow into his eyes): "Because that's where my parents died."

Yutaka (looking at Kumo): "How old were you?"

Kumo(trying not to cry): "8 years old."

This shocked everyone, causing sudden silence.

On the Lemuria, Raitrious was looking over the horizon of the island.

Raitrious(watching the clouds drive by Raitrious' limb leg): "So, those two that I killed, they were Kumo's parents."

He grinned a little and bore his demonic teeth.

Back on the battlefield, Shukai had finally cracked. He laughed so hard that the entire city heard him.

Yutaka (cracking neck): "If you guys aren't going to do anything! Then I am!"

He charged for Shukai but his punch was blocked by Shukai's clawed hand.

Yutaka(pulling his arm from Shukai's hand): "What the hell are you?!?"

Shukai (bringing out his sharpen claws): "The Strongest Demon, you !"

He slashed Yutaka's chest, allowing streams of blood to jump out of his chest and fly to freedom. Yutaka closed his eyes and woke up in a hotel room with his slashed kimono on the other bed and his torso wrapped in bandages. He positioned himself so he could sit upright.

Yutaka scanned the room and saw his right hand, all the way to his shoulder, was bandaged up.

Yutaka(looking at his right hand and talking to Crandor): What happened?

Inside his mind, Crandor was standing in front of Yutaka's injured soul.

Yutaka's soul(looking at Crandor and holding his ribs): "What the hell just happened?"

Crandor(lowering his head to Yutaka's soul): "Shukai slashed you."

Outside, Kumo and Kaiya burst through the hotel room door and, without thinking, Kaiya jumped onto Yutaka's bed and hugged him.

She got off him.

Kumo(approaching Yutaka's bed): "You almost had a nasty fall."

Yutaka(looking at his right hand): "Almost? Nasty fall?"

Tobias walked in and sat in a chair across from Yutaka.

Kaiya(looking into Yutaka's eyes): "You don't remember, do you?"

Yutaka nodded.

Yutaka(looking at Kumo): "What happened after I got slashed?"

Kumo(looking out the window): "You fell."

Yutaka (confused): "I ... just fell."

Kumo(nodding): "No. There's more to it."

Flashback (Begin):

Yutaka(pulling his arm from Shukai's hand): "What the hell are you?!?"

Shukai (bringing out his sharpen claws): "The Strongest Demon, you !"

He slashed Yutaka's chest, allowing streams of blood to jump out of his chest and fly to freedom. Yutaka closed his eyes and Kumo raced to save him.

Shukai disappeared along with the wind.

Kumo, using his momentum, caught Yutaka by his collar and before smacking into the ground, disappeared.

They reappeared on top of the rooftop.

Kaiya(looking at Yutaka's scars): "There's no way in hell he's going to recover from this."

Kumo(throwing Yutaka's left hand over his head and grabbing his hand to haul him into the hotel): "Yes he is! It's just a matter of time and a miracle."

Tobias(running up to Kumo): "What do you mean by 'miracle'?"

Kumo(looking at Tobias): "He was slashed by Shukai."

Tobias(confused): "I'm 15 not 30, I don't know what's so different about Shukai from Raitrious or Summi?"

Kumo(running down the stairs): "Shukai, next to another demon I can not mention, has a unique ability."

Kaiya(running down the stairs behind him): "Unique ability?"

Kumo(nodding): "He can use a technique that no one in the world can use."

Tobias(concerned): "What is it?"

Kumo(kicking down the door to the lobby): "'Poisoned Darkness.'"

Kaiya(opening room 227's door): "That doesn't sound so bad."

Kumo(running and laying Yutaka on the bed): "It's bad. It can cause heart problems the second that it connects or worst."

Tobias(looking at Kumo): "What's the 'or worst' part?"

Kumo(looking at everyone): "The worst part is: creation of an evil personality."

Flashback (end)

Yutaka(looking at his right hand): "Is that why my Signage is covered?"

Ichuji walked into the room with Kasa.

Yutaka(looking worried): "Mother, what are you doing here?"

Kasa ran over to Yutaka and hugged him.

Kasa(parting his hair from his face): "I heard what happened. You faced Summi got killed, was revived, then Raitrious defeating him. You and Tobias were sparing, an orb exploded and Shukai arrived. You fought him and then you were slashed in the chest. And now you reside in this hotel room."

Yutaka was complexed to hear everything that occurred in the past two months.

Kasa(getting off Yutaka): "Now, let me see if there is any impurity."

She took Yutaka's Signage and shook his hand.

Kasa's element sign jumped into Yutaka's body and saw a darker form of the latter taking shape.

Kasa(releasing Yutaka's hand): "You and Crandor are about to battle a darker form of you."

Yutaka was confused.

Kasa got up, looked at her son, smiled and walked out of the hotel room.

Kumo(crossing his arms and thinking): (It's just as I thought. Yutaka's hatred is being collected. But why? Why didn't Crandor or, for that fact, Yutaka sense it? Could it be, that the hatred is being collected in an area that Crandor can't detect but Kasa's Element Sign can?)

Tobias shot his sight to Kumo.

Tobias (looking at Kumo): "You seem ... tense. Is something wrong?"

Kumo looked at Tobias.

Kumo(closing his eyes): "No. No, I'm not tense."

Tobias (getting up): "Just a feeling."

Ichuji (looking at the clock on the bedside): "It's getting late. Well, I'll send Takahiro with a message about who Shukai is."

Everyone left the hotel room. Yutaka got under the covers and looked at his right hand. He fell asleep looking at his hand.

To Be Continued ...

 

In Loving Memory:

Dwayne (Wayne) Ballard

Sunrise:

March 25, 1993

Sunset:

March 05, 2011 (Aged: 17)