The Strength to Move Forward

The night air was crisp, the city lights of Tokyo casting a soft glow over the streets. Kaminari and Sumire had just parted ways, agreeing to meet at 10:45 PM on the eastern side of the city.

Now back in his room, Kaminari was frantically digging through his belongings, tossing items out of his locker with his head buried inside.

“Not this.” Toss.
“Not this.” Toss.

Finally, he pulled his head out, his brows furrowing as he pressed his hands together in frustration.

"Where is your proud fang, Mom?"

With renewed determination, he dived back into the mess, shoving books, clothes, and old papers aside.

“Dad always bragged about it… He said Mom fought a monster and took its fang as a trophy. I never believed it until now, but damn it… where is it?”

He scoured the shelves, his hands moving swiftly through his belongings—until his fingers brushed against something unfamiliar.

A small, locked compartment inside the locker.

Kaminari blinked.

"A locker inside a locker?"

The keyhole was strange—just a simple, hollow circle. It didn’t seem to have any traditional locking mechanism.

With narrowed eyes, Kaminari tried brute force. He slammed his fist into the lock—four, five times—but it wouldn’t budge.

His lips curled into a small, irritated smile. “Alright, you damn locker, if you won’t break, I’ll break you!”

He infused his aura into his fist and swung with full force—but instead of shattering, the hole in the locker absorbed his aura completely.

Klick!

The lock snapped open.

Kaminari blinked in surprise. “Wait… that’s all it took? Just aura?”

Curious, he reached inside and pulled out a small, sealed envelope. As he did, he miscalculated his movement and bumped his head against the locker’s frame.

"Ow—!"

Shaking off the minor pain, his eyes landed on the front of the envelope.

It was addressed to him.

"For Kaminari."

His breath hitched. He didn’t recognize it—he had never seen this letter before.

His fingers trembled slightly as he opened it.

The letter:
Kaminari,

If you're reading this, I can only assume you've awakened your aura.

Kaminari, I am your mother, and this is my message to you.

I am so proud of you. The day you were born, the doctors told me that you would never awaken an aura. But I never believed them. I always knew, deep in my heart, that you would defy that fate. That you would become something greater.

You are the hope of this universe.

Inside this locker, I’ve left you something—a crystal necklace made of aquamarine. Keep it close. It will guide you when the time comes.

I know you are preparing to go to the Demon World. I must warn you—there is a powerful devil there. His name is Kuroshin.

One day, when you awaken your first ultimate skill, you must defeat him. Do not underestimate him. But I believe in you.

I wanted to see you grow. I wanted to see you graduate, to see you find love, to see you become a fine man. But life had other plans.

I wanted to hear you call me ‘Mom’ just once.

But my dreams… they were never meant to come true.

Go, Kaminari. Live. Be strong. And know that no matter where you go, my blessings will always be with you.

—Your mother.

Kaminari clenched the letter tightly.

"My one and only motivation to move forward."

A tear slid down his cheek, yet his lips curled into a soft, heartfelt smile.

"This letter… it gave me the peace I’ve been searching for since childhood."

He gazed at the aquamarine crystal necklace, cradling it gently in his hands, holding it for a moment as if cherishing its presence.

"The only person I love… without ever having seen her."

With quiet reverence, he slipped the necklace around his neck. A faint glow pulsed from within the stone, as if responding to him.

He wiped his eyes and stood up, a new fire burning in his chest.

"Now I have one more reason to defeat Kuroshin."

He clenched his fists.

"If Mom told me to do it, then I’ll do it!"

Kaminari glanced at the clock—10:14 PM.

"Ah! I need to get moving!"

But then, a thought crossed his mind.

"There’s one more thing Mom mentioned… I need to know."

With that, he called out internally, “Oye, Devil King! Wake up!”

A groggy, deep voice rumbled inside his mind.

"Mmm… what do you want, boy?"

"What exactly is an ultimate skill?"

The Devil King yawned. "It is the strongest attack an aura user can achieve. Every aura user has seven ultimate skills, but they can only be awakened by pushing beyond their limits."

Then, without another word, he went back to sleep.

Kaminari’s eyes widened.

"Then… my ultimate skill must be Blood Stitching!"

At the meeting spot, Sumire was already waiting.

She stood under the moonlight, wearing a beautiful, elegant dress with her hair flowing freely.

Before Kaminari arrived, she took a deep breath. (This time… I’ll definitely impress him…!)

The moment she saw him, her face flushed red.

Kaminari waved. “Oye! Sumire! Over here!”

She covered her face with her hands for a second, trying to calm herself. Then, with a deep breath, she approached him.

The two of them reached the edge of a massive cliff overlooking a deep valley. At the bottom lay an ancient stone structure, partially covered in mist.

Kaminari frowned. “Good. Now… how do we get down?”

Sumire fidgeted, tapping her index fingers together.

“…You can ride on my back.”

Kaminari blinked. “Huh? As long as we get down safely, sure.”

Sumire’s blush deepened, but she turned around. Kaminari hopped on—instinctively grabbing onto something for support.

His hands landed directly on her breast.

Sumire’s entire body stiffened.

Kaminari froze.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then—

“NO, DON’T TOUCH THERE, FOOL!”

Kaminari instantly pulled his hands away, completely flustered.

“SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY!”

Sumire’s face was brighter than a setting sun as she pouted. “D-Don’t you know how to treat a lady?!”

(H-His hands were warm...)

"Sorry madam! I'm really sorry." Pleaded kaminari.

Clearing her throat, she refocused. “Alright. Let’s go.”

With a deep breath, she leaped off the cliff—descending like a falling meteor.

Kaminari’s eyes went wide with sheer terror.

“WE’RE GOING TOO FAST—WE’RE GONNA DIEEEE!”

At the last moment, Sumire slowed their descent with a perfect, smooth landing. She flashed him a triumphant smile.

“There! Safe and sound!”

Kaminari staggered to his feet, his eyes spinning.

“I saw my life flash before my eyes… Bwaaah!” He bent over and threw up.

Sumire crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks. “Hmph! You’re just jealous of my flying ability.”

After recovering, Kaminari straightened. “Alright, let’s find that portal. It should be nearby.”

They searched the area, and soon—

“Over there!” Sumire pointed.

In the distance, a large, glowing purple portal shimmered.

Kaminari grinned. “LET’S GO—!”

He sprinted forward.

Only to run directly into a giant spider web.

His body hung upside-down, completely stuck.

A massive spider, dripping acid from its fangs, loomed behind him.

His face paled.

“…Oh, come on.”

—To be continued.