Templar Knight, Merzora [2]

“You know what your problem is? You are misled by your idiocy.”

No matter how many times Yuushin tried not to, he always ended up recalling his grandfather's words whenever he was in a bind.

“Use your senses. Your senses! Why can’t you listen?”

Whenever he was facing a wall that seemed to be unbeatable, its presence towering over him with the bitterness of failure and regret. Whenever he didn’t know what to do, what he could do to move forward…

“If you can’t achieve something as simple as a novice’s first step, how do you expect to become a master?”

…that was the voice Yuushin would hear. Again and again, echoing in his mind nonstop. Making his heart race colder and uncertain, its beating faster and more hesitant the more he struggled to keep that voice away. And he could hear it again.

The head of the Retsugo family. His first master. The man who shaped Yuushin’s martial art and gave it a direction.

“If all you can aim to be is a failure, retrace your steps and start again. Fix your ways until all you can see in front of you is victory.”

Yuushin clenched his jaw, forcing himself to focus on what mattered. On the things that had to be done.

“You have a good control. Yet this is as far as my respect goes.”

With a swing of her greatsword, the knight sent Yuushin crashing against the wall again. He blocked the attack with his arm, yet the blade still pierced his skin. The cut was not shallow, yet it hadn’t reached his bone. Before he could feel relieved, Yuushin stopped himself.

Not something to be proud of right now, Yuushin.

Focus.

Find the itch.

At that point, he had put the Tuning Weapon away. Dodging the tiger knight’s strikes was already proving challenging enough, Yuushin having to give his all to match her speed and react on time for the attacks. Not only that, but the space was limited.

Restricting.

Using his elbows, Yuushin pulled himself from the hole in the wall, rolling to the side right before the sword hit him.

The sword—

It's stuck.

Not wasting the opportunity, Yuushin sent the Soma to his legs—his feet moving as soon as it touched the ground—before he concentrated the energy again on his arms, gathering the Soma in his fists. The knight turned her body, starting to position herself to counterattack him.

Yet the greatsword was stuck. And that cost her one second—a second Yuushin took all the advantage he could get.

*CRACK CRACK*

Two punches, both on her side, and though he couldn’t be sure how much they affected her, Yuushin hit hard enough to break the metal armor and send her meters away.

As she stood up, the knight glared at him—spitting blood in such a nonchalant way, it made him crack a smile.

Wow, she could at least pretend it hurt.

Yet that only showed how much Yuushin was at a disadvantage. Sure, he was landing some kicks and punches here and there, yet their damage could not compare to the knight’s strikes. How much longer for a swing of her sword to cut through his bones? To pierce through his heart, end his life?

“Again.”

“You are not trying hard enough.”

“Again.”

Yuushin clicked his tongue, shaking his head once. Focus. You gotta focus.

Once again the greatsword was aimed at his head, Yuushin using a quick burst of his Soma to blind the knight just enough to lose some of the momentum, allowing the man to duck. He tried to take her down with a low kick, yet she blocked his feet with her own Soma, the golden and crimson clashing together for a second.

*SWOOSH*

She quickly rotated the sword, and that time Yuushin had no choice but to send all the Soma to his right torso. When he got a glimpse of her smile, however, he knew he had screwed up.

Before the greatsword ever reached his skin, the knight raised her leg and kicked Yuushin right on the chest, her Soma bursting out of the kick and sending him flying—his body sinking deep into the far end wall. Pain spread all over, his Soma reacting almost instinctively as it ran through his pain receptors, dulling their response.

Yuushin coughed, the metallic taste spreading within his mouth.

Did I overestimate myself this time…?

And as he struggled to free himself from the wall, Yuushin could see. Walking toward him, getting closer step by step. The tiger knight with black tail and black ears.

That itch? He was nowhere close to feeling it. All he could hear was that voice.

“Again.”

Carrying memories of his failures.

“Again.”

Of all the things he never managed to achieve, no matter how hard he tried.

“This is the only place that could ever accept a failure like you.”

“You will regret this day, and when you do, there will be nothing left here for you.”

…was his grandfather right, in the end?

Was there nowhere else he could belong to? No place he could succeed? A place where he could actually amount to something, be someone.

*scraaaaaape*

The greatsword kept being dragged along the stone floor, the sound making Yuushin’s ears ring as it got louder. Closer.

…

“…ero…rom…ce it.”

At that moment, however, another voice reached him. One that was familiar, even as its echo spread thin within his mind.

…what was it?

“…ero…rom…ce it.”

“…oes not…ey become…ace it.”

Bit by bit, the voice became clearer—the memory it carried still trying to surface, the images blurry and faded.

…these words. What were they again?

This voice…it’s Vel’s.

Yuushin could see that lilac gaze. That earnest and poised tone, filled with its own warmth and care. The sweet scent brought by the breeze, as it passed through the raven black hair.

Then he recalled. That day.

“A hero does not run from what ails their heart—they become stronger, so they can face it.”

Vel’s words.

“So whatever you hold dear in your heart, do not let it be tainted by fear and reluctance. Instead,
make them your strength. Make them be what you fight for.”

…

What am I fighting for right now?

Yuushin clenched his fists. He focused on the warm energy flowing within him.

What am I keeping close to my heart?

Soma pulsed through his veins, giving his muscles strength. Making his mind clear, making his pain irrelevant.

What is important to me? What am I afraid of losing?

His pride as a martial artist? No.

Yuushin reached out with his hands, grabbing the wall’s edges.

His moments of peace and solitude? No.

Without hesitation, he pulled himself away. Leaving the rumble and stones fall behind him, until the wall’s coldness reached him no more.

His creative expression? His professional aspirations? No.

The templar knight stopped in her tracks suddenly—only a few steps away from him—her body tensing for a brief second as she narrowed her eyes.

What did he want to protect?

Whoever is dear to me. A place I can call home.

And the more he thought about it, that place was neither Tokyo nor Okinawa. Those people were neither his colleagues nor relatives.

The place he wanted to call home had giant trees and curved mountains. It was a place he barely knew enough about, yet one he wanted to explore and discover. As for the ones he wanted by his side, most were not even human—they had furry ears, horns, and purple skin.

Yet time and time again, they called out for him. They trusted Yuushin without knowing anything about him. They helped him, saved him, taught him, laughed with him.

They made his efforts matter.

“…if you accept your limitations and weakness, I shall gift you a swift death.” While her tone was cold and merciless, her body was hesitant. Almost restless.

Yuushin took a deep breath—the world around him growing quiet.

He recalled one of Sapphire Fang’s first lessons.

“From now on, do not think with your brain. Think with your senses.”

“What is the difference?”

“One will feed you lies. The other lets you see through them.”

He recalled his master’s words.

“Did you know? The color of Soma is directly affected and influenced by our experiences—our memories.”

He understood what she meant.

“It’s not that each color is unique, but that what fills and represents them is particular and special to their owner.”

“You gotta find the core, boy. Your core, your itch.”

Not that Yuushin had to feel the itch.

But find his own trigger. The path his own core would take.

think with your senses

let my soma guide me

And as he followed that warmth, as he felt the Soma flowing and bursting through him, Yuushin felt it. Not an itch. But a blaze.

One so scorching and fierce, it was not blinding—it swallowed and burned everything.

“Nah, I don’t think I will.”

Yuushin focused on that blaze. Held it close.

Replicated its sounds.

Felt its touch.

Savored its taste.

Sensed its gaze.

Memorized its scent.

Then he pulled the blaze close to him—let it engulf his entire heart.

Golden Soma burst out of him, bathing the entire room in its glow—forcing the knight to block the energy with both her blade and her Soma. And as the golden Soma spread across the room, its light was no longer warm.

It burned.

Yuushin smiled, the smile beaming with joy. Pride.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

And as he fixed his stance, the knight changed hers.

For once, he was on the offensive.