Knowing oneself

The world’s most terrifying and powerful nation… Japan. For the past seven centuries, Japan has stood at the pinnacle of human prosperity and power, and this was no accident. The fact that half of the world's total Aura Masters were born in Japan was but one manifestation of their dominance.

However, this power was not a gift from God rather, it was a terrifying price paid, as if through a contract with hell itself. Wherever blood was spilled, wherever bullets whistled, the fingerprints of the Japanese Emperor were bound to be left behind. With a single gesture, they could halt bloody wars with a single wish, entire nations were wiped into dust and ash. Japan was the navigator of the world’s destiny and the most dangerous patron of war.

Exhausted by this boundless tyranny and endless conflict, the nations of the world united to build a fence grandly named the “World Government.” This desperate attempt to shift the balance of power and regain freedom has continued for two centuries. Yet, even today, the might of that great empire continues to permeate the world's atmosphere like the "scent of a corpse."

Chapter 6: Knowing oneself

A thunderous sound, like the sky cracking open, pierced through the darkness within Tenuun’s mind, making him snap his eyes open. The first things he felt as he regained consciousness were the searing heat of the air and the metallic, bitter taste of blood in his mouth.

Looking around, he found himself lying on the right hand bed of a Mongolian ger. The air inside was heavy, stifling with a thick heat. “This place is...” he muttered, but before he could finish, the rafters and walls of the ger shook violently. Outside, a rhythmic and massive sound echoed, as if a giant creature were pounding the earth.

Suddenly, the door swung open with force, and a young stranger entered, wiping sweat from his brow. Seeing Tenuun awake, he said, “Oh, you’re up? The Great Ancestor told me to bring you. How do you feel? You’ve been asleep for a whole day.” Tenuun stared at him in confusion and asked, “Where... where am I?” Ignoring the question, the young stranger replied, “Well, you look sturdy enough. Come on, let’s go,” and roughly pulled Tenuun outside by the arm.

As soon as they stepped out, the crackling of fire and the pungent smell of smoke hit his nose. There, beside a snapping bonfire, was a shaman adorned with bird feathers on his head, wearing a death messenger like headdress (oroivch). He was beating a drum that echoed through the earth, dancing amidst the mingling light and shadow of the flames. Each beat of the drum vibrated through Tenuun’s body, as if trying to awaken the "beast" within.

The young stranger pressed down on Tenuun’s shoulders, forcing him to sit. “Come on, what are you hesitating for? Just sit!”

Tenuun’s eyes remained fixed on the shaman. As the shaman moved, his veil shifted, revealing glimpses of a cold, wrinkled face hidden between light and shadow. It was indeed the same old man he had encountered at the hospital. “This old man...” he realized. Suddenly, a sound like thunder rumbled in the clear, star-lit sky.

“COME FORWARD, MY LOST CHILD,” the old man spoke with many voices at once. Tenuun felt as if he were being pulled forward, walking toward him involuntarily. As Tenuun approached, the old man took water from a wooden bowl and sprayed it abruptly onto Tenuun’s face. “YOU WANDER WITH TWO MINDS, UNABLE TO FIND EVEN YOURSELF. HANGING ONTO ANOTHER’S BODY INSTEAD OF YOUR OWN?!” he cried out, beating his drum and pointing to the west with his orva (Mongolian shamanic drumstick).

“ONLY WHEN YOU ABANDON YOUR OWNERLESS VENDETTA WILL YOU FIND YOURSELF. BUT NOT YET...” Tenuun looked in the direction the old man pointed. The Milky Way in the sky seemed to recede and vanish like a retreating tide. “BUT AS FOR YOU!” the old man shouted fiercely as dark clouds suddenly swallowed the Milky Way. “YOU, WHO HAVE FED ON THE BLOOD OF MANY—I SHALL TAME AND SEAL YOU.”

As soon as the old man struck the drum three times with great force, Tenuun’s naked body began to sear with pain, as if he were lying on open flames. He screamed in agony and tore off his shirt. There, on his stomach, a human face was protruding and straining forward. Looking closely, it was his own face. The face twisted into a nauseating smirk: “Come on, don’t you want to remember me? I am the real you, and you are just the fake me! Hahaha!” it began to laugh. Tenuun clutched his stomach with all his might, reaching a hand toward the old man. “H-Help me! Please help!” But the old man only continued to dance and beat his drum. “P-Please! Dammit, help me!”

Suddenly, everything went silent. The old man stopped dancing. From behind the tassels of his headdress, cold blue eyes stared at Tenuun. “ONLY WHEN YOU CONQUER YOURSELF SHALL YOU BE FREED FROM YOUR SUFFERING!”

“Hey... Wake up... Are you okay?”

Tenuun opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground, twitching and clutching his stomach. “W-What happened? Was it an hallucination?” Tenuun asked. Young stranger looked at him with concern. “You were just sitting there and suddenly started convulsing, holding your stomach. Are you alright?” Tenuun looked down at his belly. His shirt was still on, and there was no strange face on his body. He stood up, gasping for air. Sweat poured down his face, and his heart pounded so hard it felt as if it would burst through his chest. “W-What just happened? That feeling was definitely not a dream.”

His body still felt as though it were burning with that heat. In the background, the old man sat panting on one knee. “May the Spirit of the State forgive me,” the old man gasped. The stranger rushed to him, crying, “Master!” The old man looked at Tenuun and said, “It is definitely him... From today, I take you as my disciple. I must guide your path and prevent the many disasters to come. That is enough for today. Tomorrow, your training begins.”

Tenuun stammered, “Disciple? Where am I? Huff, huff... Bringing me to this desolate place without my consent...” The old man cut him off. “You want your revenge, don't you? You want to know who you are. Dulguun is not a man you can kill easily.” Tenuun’s eyes widened. Dulguun that name reignited the fire of vengeance within him. He swallowed his words and looked down in silence. The old man added, “Training starts tomorrow. You are a child with great mental instability. Trust me.” Tenuun avoided further argument and went quiet.

The old man said no more, helped him up, and thought back to the previous day...

One day ago... At the Hospital.

Dulguun stepped right up to the old man's face and smiled. “Don’t tell anyone about this… Master.” The old man’s gaze shifted to the unconscious Tenuun. “What are you plotting?” Dulguun replied, “Nothing much. Just think of it as... trading one life for another.” He looked down at Tenuun and continued, “I killed this guy’s father. So now he wants revenge against me. Since I killed his father, I want to keep this fellow alive in return. At least one person from their family should continue the bloodline, right? Heh.”

Old Man: “Typical of you. Nothing good ever comes from you. But what happened to this boy’s body? How did he end up like this?”

Dulguun: “I want to know that too. The President must not find out about this power and ability of his. If the President knows, the horrors of that time will repeat themselves.”

Old Man: “So this boy is connected to Subject 047? His aura is exactly the same as his. Yet his face and form are entirely different—he is a different person.”

Dulguun: “I wonder. But if he keeps committing murders like this because he can't control his power, it will cause an uproar, and we won't be able to hide it from the President. So, I have a proposal. Won't you take him and train him? There are more than a few people besides the President who want to seize this ability of his. Look, the assassin they sent is lying here headless already. If he is guided correctly, he will become truly good and powerful. If left to his own devices...” Dulguun kicked the lifeless body of Arthur. “...this is what will happen.” The old man hesitated, then sighed. “Not for your sake, but to prevent future risks, I will take him.” Dulguun smiled. “You truly are a wise man.”

Reflecting on this, the old man looked at Tenuun and sighed. “Even with my guardian spirits, I could not uncover this boy’s secret. No matter what, I cannot leave him like this...”

To be continued…