Emanation

I never thought teaching others would be so difficult.

Just how did you do it, Master?

The boy was no struggle to teach. I gave him the knowledge, and he improved upon those teachings. 

A true prodigy. 

Nineteen months have passed, and I have no clue what the civilized world is like. I am starting to think, this forest is consuming me.

My mental state is in anguish, but I neglect it.

I have to find a way to make it out, and restore the country to the people of Uburaria. If anybody should hate the world, it should be me.

People are going to hate you, for whatever you do.

Tell me, am I right?

Is the country better right now?

Am I meddling in the happiness of others, to instill my ideal form of government?

A revolution sounds beautiful to the ears, but it can never be accomplished without hostility.

I cannot indoctrinate these children.

Unbelievable, it's been nineteen months, since the war concluded.

The children and I have developed a bond. At first, the relationship between us was not too great. To them, I was their father's disciple and their caretaker.

To me, they were a responsibility. I took them under my wing, as a way to repay the favors, I owed their father.

It was difficult to form a connection, when considering the age gap between us.

The single factor uniting us is their father.

I had met the elder son prior, to our unfortunate reunion. We met a couple of times, and I had met the eldest daughter, when she was a toddler. I was surprised, the son remembered me.

Our time together brought us closer, I grew to adore them. Of course, I did not earn their favor, at first. I put them through the harshest training, since I thought they were capable of it

It turns out, they were not.

They had little to no experience in hunting and basic survival skills.

Kosuke and Himari managed to eventually pick up the pace, and grew accustomed to their new lives.

Maki, however, was not ready.

The four-year-old lacks the talent, which is not surprising. I decided, to postpone her training. Far too young, and lacks the readiness.

I focused on putting more pressure on, Himari, in hopes of providing her sister, a proper protector. The boy and I tend to be absent throughout the day, since we gather the supplies.

Himari had a tremendous amount of potential. I consider her, to be a greater hand-to-hand fighter than her brother. A notable flaw of hers is her refusal: to utilize weapons.

And like his sister, the boy also refused. When considering the two's skills, it makes sense. They do not need weapons, but I want them to be versatile.

I consider them to be prodigies; their ceiling is much greater than mine.  At first glance, they can replicate whatever I teach them.

It's honestly ridiculous

In a matter of years, they will reach my level.

Anybody hailing from the five clans can develop into a great warrior. Those who lack ties to that lineage can never reach the heights without sacrifice.

There's a reason these families had separated themselves from the common folk. They are better off remaining isolated, excluding the genetics of those inferior, to them.

Little did they know, their actions would build resentment, and give rise to a commoner, who would eventually put them in their place.

He is the man, I will have to face.

He is the tyrant, who seized power, whose hunger can never be quenched.

Anyhow, Kosuke differs from his sister. He truly might be able to surpass his predecessors, his lineage has a factor in it, but the blessings of Heaven cannot be overlooked.

He developed a hereditary technique, which comes about once in a lifetime.

There comes a time, when another is born with much greater blessings. No matter, how hard you work, or fight against it. Its futile.

Like every man, I will be defeated by time.

The mortal man is not eternal, and he should not fear his mortality. He should fear his ego, which makes him indulge in his glory.

The glory of tomorrow is not for the man of today; the glory of tomorrow will be for those to come after us.

That being said, love them and encourage them, Hideaki.

"Look Kosuke, we have been through this countless times. It never goes how you want it to. Save yourself the time, and put it into your training," said Hideaki.

Bawling his fists, as he jumped side-to-side, Kosuke replies, "You underestimate my power, Master. I learned from my mistakes, and I took your advice. Have you noticed it, Master? My increasing strength!"

"Do not be ridiculous, Kosuke," Hideaki said, "I cannot tell apart the difference in your strength, a month ago, or two weeks ago. At my level of strength, I can hardly feel your weak presence."

"My weak presence? That would be true, if I were the same Kosuke. In just a year, I have reached this level of power. If I am to have another year, I will be able to beat you, Master!" said Kosuke.

"Brother, you know that is not true. When we have teamed up against him, we could not push him to use his sword. He was the beloved disciple, for a reason, Kosuke," said Himari.

"Your praise is not needed, my child," Hideaki said, "should you not be attending to your sister?"

"Maki will be fine, my Master," Himari said, "she is asleep. Plus, I would not wish to miss the opportunity, to see you spar, sire."

"Fine, but allow me, to show you; how to combat against a warrior," Hideaki said, "this will be a lot different from our normal spars, Kosuke the Younger, as I will fight with the intent, to finish you off."

For the first time ever, Hideaki unsheathed his sword. This action brought the challenger, his student, to ecstasy. A sense of acknowledgment is what the student felt, as his Master entered his stance.

He too, entered his battle stance. Typically, he brought his hands halfway between a fist and a jab. The boy had developed into a very great martial artist; it cannot be denied.

It served him well, when considering his technique.

For a brief moment, the mentor and student had a standoff. Each awaited the other, to make a move, however, Kosuke's youthfulness prompted him to be rash, and he was the first to make the first move.

Hideaki had anticipated this, and he chose to evade him. By doing so, he avoided a barrage of punches, which could've been lethal.

The inherited technique of the Younger, proved to be a great one. There are many techniques of Emanitation. Some are inherited through descendants, but a majority of people develop techniques. Genetics can be a major factor in the potential of a warrior, but sometimes individuals are favored at birth.

It's similar to how those born into wealthy families have favorable lives, compared to those of other lower classes. One does not have a say in what they are born into, but what one does have a say in, is how far their ceiling can go.

The Blessed neglect this thought, they believe everything will work out in their favor.

The Unwanted acknowledge this thought, they believe they can become the equals to The Blessed.

A worthy flaw of both individuals.

It just happened to be the inherited technique of Kosuke, which proved to be something beyond extraordinary. He was born with the ability to control gravity. At his young age, he developed his form of offense, by enveloping his hands with a gravitational force. If one punch were to land on you, it would be brutal!

He can endure the increased weight, without significant drawbacks.

As talented as he may be, I did not earn the merit of fastest of the Seven for no reason. You are talented, I admit.

Do not underestimate a seasoned warrior, like myself, child. At that instance, I used my swiftness to escape his reach, hoping to make him anxious.

"Unreal! He's so quick, his energy signature even disappeared!" said Himari.

"I had thought, he was fast," Kosuke muttered, "This is just ridiculous! Does he think the surroundings are his allies? If that is what he thinks, I will clear the area!"

He brought his hands together, and began generating a perfect sphere, in which, he began to swirl around. With each swirl, the sphere began to grow. By the time, he had finished it, he launched it to the sky. The result allowed him, to spin it manually from afar, as the sphere drew matter towards it. In a couple of minutes, he had cleared the terrain.

This increased his field of vision, as well as forcing Hideaki out of hiding.

His anxiety would not be eased, as he was anxious about incoming attacks. At that moment of panic, Hideaki came from behind. Kosuke had noticed the appearance of the strong energy signature, he tried to raise his hand, trying to repel his attacker. However, it proved to be useless, as Hideaki swiftly landed his attack.

The pain was too much for the boy to bear; he released his technique.

I never had any attention of fighting the boy at close quarters, instead, I wanted to do everything in my power, not to give him an advantage.

He quickly succumbed to his wound, faltering to the ground, as he exclaimed, "I thought you said, this would be a spar!"

"I did say, I would fight you with the intent to put you down. So Himari, what did you learn from that?" said Hideaki.

"To not challenge you, until I have more knowledge about you," said Himari.

"Uh, not the response, I had wanted. Good enough, I guess," said Hideaki.

"Somebody please, help me! I'm going to bleed out!" said Kosuke.

"Seriously, Kosuke? When I was your age, your father would not have ended the spar, like I did," Hideaki said, "let this be a lesson, to learn how to become versatile."

"There is one way, we can heal your injury, Kosuke. Master, should we heat your sword to cauterize his wound?" said Himari.

"It would not be a bad idea," said Hideaki.

"Are you two trying to kill me!?" said Kosuke.

Afterward, I concluded the spar. It was too much for the brat to handle, I guess. I could have easily healed his wound, like it was nothing. I decided against it; it was best not to make them rely on me.

If they were aware, I could perform such a technique, they would be less careful in combat and overexert themselves.

The fight against Kosuke made me realize, I was not focusing too much on Himari.

I had thought, she would figure it out alone, but I was wrong. She's of age to teach her about Emanation.

I wonder, what is your natural gift?

"Master, if I may ask," Himari said, "why have you brought just me, and left the others back home?"

"I have my reasons," Hideaki said, "my intention on bringing you along was to find your natural gift."

"My natural gift?" said Himari.

"Indeed, Himari. Everybody is born with an innate talent for something. Some are naturally more athletic than others, some are naturally stronger, and so on," Hideaki said, "in our time together, I have taught you and your brother the four principles of aura. I taught you that determination plays a great role in its usage. In addition, I taught you proper control of the power."

"Yes, you did," said Himari.

"I displayed to you, how to produce aura. If you were in a situation, you would be able to restore your reserves of energy. Last but not least, I taught you, how to efficiently flow it within your body. It is proven most beneficial, for you when considering how this skill has allowed you, to enhance your physical prowess," said Hideaki.

"You have taught me that and much more," Himari said, "I fail to understand, what the point of this talk?"

"All of those teachings were mere preparations, for what's yet to come," Hideaki said, "I am sure you noticed, how despite receiving the same teachings and guidance, your brother has managed to evolve into a greater fighter than you."

"I have noticed, but it doesn't bother me. He's a man, and also one of the strongest men, I met. Kosuke is talented, so it is no surprise, he managed to use your teachings to further himself. That is just the type of genius, he is," said Himari.

"He is a natural genius, it's honestly disturbing," Hideaki said, "however, you should rid yourself of that mindset of yours."

"Rid myself of my mindset? Like what?" said Himari.

"For starters, you believe he's reached it because he's a man. It is a poor mindset to have because you can possess that power yourself. As your master, it is my responsibility to be truthful to you," Hideaki said, "the truth is you too can be strong."

"I can have power, like that? Is that the reason, why we are at this river?" said Himari.

"Partly, yes. You are a lot different from the girls mentored under your father," Hideaki said, "those behemoths were as power-hungry, as the boys were."

"My father taught girls, like me? I did not know that. What were they like?" said Himari.

"There were only two of them. They were quite beautiful to be honest, until they had you in a headlock. A couple of times, they nearly drowned a couple of the boys!" said Hideaki.

"Are you sure they were girls?" said Himari.

"Well, that is what I and the others thought, to comfort ourselves," Hideaki said, "anyhow, you have mastered the four principles of aura. It is time to move onto something more serious, the art of Emanation."

"The art of Emanation?" said Himari.

"The Art of Emanation is an advanced usage of aura. Imagine it like this, aura is the main source of your power, but Emanation is to take that and make something greater," said Hideaki.

"So it can be said, that Emanation and Aura is like a tree?" said Himari.

"I do not get what you mean by that," said Hideaki.

"Well, you said that aura is the main source. Emanation uses that source and makes something better. I thought of it, like a tree because my body naturally will be the holder of said energy. Applying aura onto my body, allows me to make my body a lot more durable than. This would be how a tree uses branches, to transport water and nutrients to the leaves. In the final process, this leads to the birth of fruit. In this case, it would be the birth of my power," said Himari.

"That is a lot to unpack there," Hideaki said, "Your father was not able to explain it, to me, like that. You are correct, Himari. However, you failed to let me finish."

"Oh, yes. I apologize," said Himari.

"Emanation is not one, it is split into fragments. Everybody is born into these fragments. and that is what they will be tied to. However, some types have an affinity towards the others," Hideaki said, "for instance, your brother is of the Nikitís. If you do not turn out to be one, do not be sad. It is one in a million chance, to be born into that. Some people naturally are destined to be above us; I do not even have such gifts."

"I knew, he was gifted," Himari said, "but one in a million? That is just something else. He's more special than you would like to admit, Master."

"He is, I do not deny it," Hideaki said, "the kid is his father's son, alright. Your father would have told you differently, but I will not."

"And what would that be?" said Himari.

"That hard work can beat talent, Himari," Hideaki said, "if the talent neglects to work, it will be true. However, if the talent works just as hard, it is impossible to keep up."

"This is the most, we have talked," Himari said, "it has led me to question, how was it that my brother managed to figure out his type if you never had this talk with him?"

"That is simple," Hideaki said, "for a genius, like him, he can reach the next level on his own. I am not degrading you in any way, but it is the truth. Your brother seems to improve through constant trial and error. As a result, he's improved himself and has become less reliant on me."

"Am I a burden to you guys," Himari said, "be honest with me."

"A bit, to be honest. I do not wish for you to fall behind," said Hideaki.

"Okay, I understand. What fragment am I? Also, you have not mentioned the other types," said Himari.

"Oh, right," Hideaki said, "The five fragments aside from the other are: Dimiourgia, Ekpompi, Metamórfosi, Ergolávos, and Syfonía. The average person is born to one of these five. Like the Nikitís, you are not tied to just one affinity."

"So the other fragments, also have affinity towards the others?" said Himari.

"Yes, except it is not tied to all. Normally, it can be one or three. The Nikitís is thought to be the culmination of all fragments. Do you understand now, why your brother's potential is so great? His inherited technique is incredible, and to think, he will be able to access the other fragments. The possibilities are endless for him," said Hideaki.

"That is just amazing!" said Himari.

"That is your reaction? I had hoped to spark a rivalry, oh well," Hideaki said, "let us get to the point, Himari. Do as I instruct you to do: concentrate your aura towards the fingertip of your index finger, and make sure that your aura isn't flowing in any other part of your body. Take a seat, at the riverbed before you, and concentrate on your task."

"Is that all?" said Himari.

"You may only release your concentration, when you reach the balanced equilibrium between the body and soul. When you accomplish it, you will know. Afterward, you will use that same finger to touch the water and that will reflect the fragment," said Hideaki.

"Got it," said Himari.

"Best of luck, my beloved disciple," said Hideaki.

And so, she seated herself near the riverbed, as I instructed. At first, I thought that I was accelerating her progress.

I mean, she's a child. I am no different from Master; here I am instilling the same brutal teachings. My circumstances were a bit different from hers, but it is for her benefit to learn this.

There is only so much I can do to make these kids, half a warrior. From my experience, there is truly no amount of training that can equate to experience on the battlefield.

I have high hopes for her. For starters, she has great physical prowesses. She was surprisingly pretty strong before my teachings, when I had taught her enhancement, she became stronger.

This led me to believe, she could be an Ekpompi. Those individuals tend to be associated with incredible physical gifts. I am an Ekpompi type, however, if my opponents were to witness my technique, it wouldn't seem so.

There are a couple of reasons, but the main reason is that I bound myself to strengthen my powers.

That is a subject for another time, though.

Ekpompians were frowned upon in the clan, I hail from. I was outcasted from the clan, for many reasons. For starters, I was a child born outside of a marriage, and I also was a half-blood. In other words, a mutt. They would never allow such a thing to become an heir, or be associated with them.

Oh, I did it again.

I said, I would not bicker about my past. It is difficult not to do, when you consider that you are a bastard. The heirs of my father turned out, not to be much better, I mean my younger brother, Futoshi betrayed the clan. I never met the guy, but I find it hard to believe that a man would give up that life of luxury, to become a mere foot soldier of the Imperialist.

It is hard to say; if he is playing for both sides. His motives are unclear, but you and I shall meet soon. The paths we have chosen, it is only a matter of time.

My elder brother, Akira. He's the pride and joy of the clan. I do not believe, my father finds him suitable as a successor. He lacks the battle experience and generalship. Futoshi had these qualities, but he did not wish to engage in a bloody succession war, against his siblings most likely.

Akira and Futoshi share the same mother, as she is the only wife of my father. However, his wife did give birth to a final child.

The final child turned out to be a girl, it most likely did not bring joy, to my father. It did not bring disappointment either, it allowed him to find another suitable successor.

The women of these families tend to be oppressed, when compared to their male counterparts. However, if anybody can avoid oppression, it would be the daughter of the current head.

It is not like these great families, do not produce great warriors out of their women, they just don't allow them to participate.

It is a big world out there, maybe I will not have to face my troubles. If it were not for my Master, my life would be hell.

I might have died at the hands of my biological father.

When the father of my younger brother died, I was left in peril. He was like the father, I never had. If he had not died, what would he think of me?

As for my Master, he was like another father to me. The least I can do for the man is to train his kids and give them the strength to protect themselves.

This is only the first stage of your training, kids. I have yet, to make my motives clear to you. My true motives will not matter, if I cannot make you fighters. As the disciple of your father, it is my duty, and yours as well, as his children, to carry out his will and achieve what he could not.

As one of his Seven disciples, I shall stick to your teachings, and not twist your idea of revolution into that of wickedness. For, I do not desire to inflict the hurt, I have felt by the world. I hope to achieve, the dream of putting an end to the Imperial power that now engulfs, my country.

If the four great families refuse to fight, I will do what those cowards and all their talent cannot do. It takes courage, but also comrades to take on such a task.

Huh, I managed to get off-topic. This journal is meant to record my actions, perhaps I should focus on the girl.

To my surprise, I would not be able to contain myself. I had left my journal and quills back. Before I knew it,  she had achieved the ideal concentration, in fact, she was not aware of her drooling mouth!

Her soul and body had intertwined; could it be that she is equal to her brother in greatness? In a mere six hours, she managed to reach it, incredible!

I was at the edge of my seat, as I wanted my question answered, just what will you be?

“Come on”, I thought, “I'm dying to know.”

For what would come, it took me by surprise. As she touched the riverbed, it would spark the riverbed to split into two! It turned out my prediction was incorrect; it was not remotely close.

Ergolavos was her natural affinity, an ability tied to spirits.

Afterwards, I thought, it is about time, that I snapped her out of that state. To regain consciousness in that state is very difficult.

This was perfect timing, to get back home. Training just got more interesting, it seems.