Revelations and Bonds

"Abolish the Power Council? Are you crazy?! All the Council members are Monsters! They are out of your league! Not even a Heavenly Commander can stand tall as one of them!" Azula could not believe Kento, he understood that he was the strongest Heavenly Commander but, there were still opponents stronger than a Heavenly Commander.

"Yeah! Crazy-Kento!" Pepo roared.

Kento then turned to Pepo with a serious glint of light.

"Then answer me this…do you think the Great Mystic Elder is corrupt? Yes or no."

"I…umm, yes."

"Do you think his methods of laws are fair?"

"…no."

"If you had the chance to retaliate this instance, would you take it?"

"Y-Yeah."

"See! My faction is full of people who are tired of the unfairness and corruption of the laws."

"Kento-san…"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"I'm going, to be frank…I'm just a bear, plus I never got out of this Domain…only once. In addition, I know nothing from you humans what the word 'Law' is, I'm just a cute plump panda that likes to kick ass and eat grass! Err…bamboo!" Pepo struck a pose as he finished his amazing speech.

"Gueh…" Kento sighed inwardly after that.

'My main reason is to finally make Hiroyama a better city and to fulfill my friend's last wish. Shigeo, We will change the Mystic society!... Shuuta will.'

His eyes fixated back on the battle, Shuuta seemed to be out of gas, and Granny Iho was still stern, she then canceled her Magic and floated back to the lake.

"Mm? W-what's wrong?" Shuuta raised an eyebrow with an expression of confusion.

"We've been fighting for a long time now, I'm well aware of your abilities Shuuta-boy. Plus…I'm hungry." Granny Iho then rubbed her belly, sighing exhaustedly.

"Oh, um…yeah! I guess I'm hungry too." Shuuta then canceled his Magic and landed on the lake too.

Granny Iho turned around, finding nothing, she then turned around finding nothing again.

"Umm…where's the dojo?" Granny Iho blinked her eyes rapidly in fear.

Shuuta pointed towards a missing part of the land and laughed wryly.

"My-my-my-my home!!" Granny Iho cried out, letting tears waterfall comically.

"Well…we did fight fiercely and destroyed a lot of landscape." Shuuta scratched the back of his head...seeing all the craters and holes on hills and the crumbled-out forest of bamboo trees.

"Phew! You guys almost ended all of us! Haha!" Kento joked as he made his way toward them.

"Now, now. Iho-sensei, let me restore the Domain to its peak state, I am the overseer of this Domain after all." Pepo proudly stated, making a weird motion with his paws…or claws.

"Ohh…the dojo is back. Thank you Pepo." Granny Iho seemed even more exhausted inside her soul...Shuuta noticed it and felt bad for her...even though she looked young, she was truly old inside.

"There's no need to thank me. This isn't the first time the dojo was destroyed…and it certainly won't be the last." Pepo then entered the dojo and instantly made desserts and tea for everyone to enjoy.

…

At the table, Granny Iho sipped on her cup and glanced at Shuuta.
She had thought of this for a while now, even in the midst of combat, she saw a mirror image of Shigeo in Shuuta.

"Shuuta-boy, I've decided to make you my apprentice from now on." She decided.

"Huh?! Oi, I only want you to train Shuuta as you trained me before. I never asked you to make him your apprentice!"

"Apprentice? What does that mean?" Shuuta was left dazed, he understood that he will be trained by Granny Iho, but other than that...

"It means, that you will learn Sage Magic, and will be my successor that keeps Sage Magic alive."

'Keep Sage Magic alive?' He gazed at the small granny and responded with a question.
"Is Sage Magic not known by any Mystics?"

"No, but it is not like that. I just can't entrust any Mystic with powerful Magic, which is why I decided to entrust Sage Magic to you. Also, you can teach it to others that are trustworthy, to enhance their arsenal." Granny Iho nodded sagely.

"Yes, of course! If it means getting stronger, then I'm all up for it!" Shuuta felt excitement bubbling up inside him, and with that, he could make his comrades stronger too.
What a deal!

"If you're going to learn Sage Magic, first I must explain to you what it is exactly. Sage Magic is a gift from God himself, it's a power that derives from the tranquil mind and the strength of the will of a being, Sage Magic was created for one purpose only, to aid Mystics in battling their state of mind, it helps the Mystic to control any negative emotions."

"I see, but…is there no problem if I have Demonic powers and Godly powers? And what happens if I combine them sequently?"

"I don't know. You're going to have to find out yourself. Maybe it's like combining oil with water, or maybe they are compatible since both Magic are of the same coin."

"Uhh…I have a question."

"Yes? What is it?"

"Is [World Destroyer], Sage Magic? Because if it is…what does that skill have to do with a tranquil mind and the strength of the will?"

"I'm pretty sure that's [Destroyer Magic]. A semi-forbidden Magic that can utterly bring chaos to the world." Kento added playfully, though he made it sound a bit absurd.

Still, he wasn't far from reality. [Destroyer Magic] is dangerous. One can destroy anything in their path with a single flick of their fingers. Most skills were banned because of the substantial damage to the land and enemies...it could not be restored. It was Magic that attacked the sole base of the magicules, and the soul of the enemy.

"Yeah…no joke," Shuuta recalled the colossal ball of Mana, he knew for sure the Domain would be obliterated if the ball hadn't been popped like a balloon by Shuuta.

"Ahem… I am well aware of your situation, you have no Familiar at the moment and you've died once...correct?" She tried to change the subject as swiftly as possible.

A pain inside his heart wouldn't let him agree, instead, Kento responded on his behalf.

"Yeah, he did," Kento spoke.

"Actually, I do have another Familiar...she's a human girl."

"Oh? So you have two Familiars?" Granny Iho was left dumbfounded for a split second, she finally realized where his strength came from.

'I understand now. Why your Magic is as potent as a high leveled Mystic.' Granny Iho smiled at such a realization.

'It seems your other Familiar became stronger while you were gone.' Her deviant smile widened.

...

"Uwah! This is really hard Noara-san! I can barely even do one set!" Yuri was swinging a sword vertically, although her motivation was strong, her movement was wobbly and sluggish.

"Come on now, you want to be a burden to Shuuta? Right now, he's training to his limit, and he's maintaining two of you. Plus...Kakoyo also wants to be his Familiar..." Noara was lost out of her mind, another lovebird decided to annex her own soul to Shuuta's...what a casanova he is!

"Hueh Hueh Hueh! It's a brilliant plan! Being Shuuta-Kun's Familiar might just be the most genius idea I've had so far!" Kakoyo blinked excitedly, with this new master plan, she could finally never part ways with her dear Shuuta, it was a flawless plan...only Shuuta had to agree.

A single doubt floated in her head...

Hearing that, Yuri turned towards her in a swift move.

"Grrr...I won't let you snag him from me!" Yuri was not going to let another girl she'd never seen before snag his childhood love! At least not without a fight!

"Oh yeah?" Kakoyo had zero respect for Yuri, she had almost no aura, plus she was new at wielding Magic.

Both girls slammed their faces against each other's, sparks forming as they shot glares.

"Girls, girls, simmer down! Remember, we are low on time, or did you forget?" Noara yelled, irritated.

"N-no, I didn't forget at all. We will accompany Shuuta to wherever he's going." Yuri looked onward with resolve.

"Yeah! To help him rescue his ghost Familiar." Kakoyo looked fired up. She saw a fire within Yuri that burned brighter than hers...'At least she has grit.' She thought reassuringly.

'At least they are fired up, both are showing signs of improvement as well. Especially Yuri, her magic is certainly useful, hopefully, Shuuta will use it to the fullest.' Noara saw the little improvements in both girls, a light resided in her eyes, and she was blissful.

On the other hand...

"Argh!" A blonde youth randomly dropped to the floor, toasted and foaming from the mouth.
A muscular man with glasses sighed stressfully, the reason being; that Hikaru got electrocuted for the third time.

Kento gave his brother the scroll to learn the Forbidden Skill that he used to train Shuuta.
And as a result...Hikaru was toasted multiple times.

'He said that the calmness of the mind would break the skill...how impatient is my child?' Kentaro had round comical eyes, watching his son twitching like a cockroach.
Also, Noara had round eyes, glancing at the passed-out Hikaru.

'I wonder how Shuuta is doing.' Noara then turned to the girls on a dime, because they almost started a brawl!

...

Granny Iho, Kento, and Shuuta were outside of the dojo, in the backside for an open area.
There was a huge waterfall with an unnatural color, it looked like a videogame from an RPG of sorts, and its color was brighter.

"This place..." Shuuta ogled the spacious area that brews life...an extraordinary sense of Mana radiated throughout the place.

"What? You've been here before?" Kento asks, suddenly tripping on a well-placed stone.

"Uhh...no, it's not like that. It's just...it looks alive...as if a very well drawing was brought into reality." Shuuta tried his best to describe his feelings.

"Oh? Shuuta-boy picked up on it that fast?" Granny Iho was surprised, he was faster than Kento as a child.

Shuuta remained confused, what did that even mean?
Granny Iho continued, "That's because it is, I drew this image and made it a reality. It's a skill that uses quite a lot of Mana, you can draw anything you want, including entities or creatures."

Shuuta had a dreadful feeling, that skill sounded like bad news.

Granny Iho laughed at the boy's reaction.

"Don't worry, this skill is unique only to me." Granny Iho was still laughing, Shuuta's face could not stop showing concern or fear.

"Say, Grandma, is there anyone else that could somehow use that skill? Can it be stolen? Or can someone copy it? What if-"

"Shut it, boy! I understand your concern..." Her eyes narrowed, she also had her own concerns.

Slap!*

"Gah! What the hell Kento-san!?" Shuuta barked with hostility.

Kento then placed his hand on Shuuta's head. "You're good at stepping on land mines."

Shuuta furrowed his brow, "I did it again?!"

Kento then sighed, responding to the stupefied boy.

"Granny Iho is a special Mystic, you see, have you wondered why she lives here, inside this drawing?"

Shuuta frowned. "No, because I just noticed it."

"She is being kept here without a choice. You saw how powerful she is, right? And that skill you're scared of."

"I-I'm not scared of it..." Shuuta stuttered.

"She was banished out of fear, but in reality, it was a cover-up to discard her...you see, that Grand Mystic Elder is a weasel, he didn't want anyone opposing him and saw Granny Iho as a threat. In the end, she is living here under the jurisdiction of the Grand Mystic Elder."

Shuuta narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists. "What a horrible piece of trash."

"I know...but that's not the worst part yet-"

"Kento, that's enough." Granny Iho coldly stated.

"The Grand Mystic Elder-"

"Kento!"

"-is her father."

Granny Iho remained silent as her anger spread out through her body, turning away she made her way to where she was going to train Shuuta.

Shuuta lowered his gaze, feeling rage inside him, he didn't understand how her own father could do such a thing.

And again, he barely met his father, so he had no right to feel like that, or so he thought, but the fact remained to him; The Elder Mystic needs to be abolished, Shuuta's eyes sharpened, setting up a new goal for now.

Kento smiled at Shuuta, he had a face of an angered dog, it kinda of reminded him of Shigeo, it was when Shigeo battled Kento for the first seat.

'And he was so serious too, man, I miss Shigeo...but.' Kento could see the resemblance between Shigeo and Shuuta, they were identical...Shuuta only had crimson hair and a red headband.

"Don't feel like that. Even though my Master has been through solitude for 100 years, she still loves her father."

Shuuta's eyes widened in shock. "Seriously?"

Kento nodded in response.

"She can't leave, or else she'll be executed. Yet, she still cares for that geezer. Also, she's been waiting for someone to change him, to change the Mystic society."

Kento then smiled like the sun. "So, she chose you. You became her apprentice. She wants you to succeed on your path, and to become something greater."

Shuuta was moved, he comprehended why Granny Iho decided to make him her apprentice.
Yet, there were lingering doubts roaming his mind.

"But, why me? You know that I'm the son of Abbadon...wouldn't that bring chaos or hatred towards me?" Shuuta pondered, with a faint frown.

"I honestly don't know myself...you have like a certain charm." Kento chuckled.

'Eh? What's that supposed to mean?' Shuuta couldn't grasp what Kento meant in the slightest, but then...

'Oh, that? My charm still works even though I'm inside you? Abbadon spoke out of nowhere scaring Shuuta.

'Father? What do you mean your charm?' Shuuta felt irritated.

'Uhh...'

'Father...' Shuuta had a serious face.

Shuuta heard his father sigh for the first time, Abbadon blushed a bit as he continued.

'As you know, I used to be the greatest, mightiest Demon of all! The Demon King! I controlled an army of millions! I was a general genius and had power that could rival even gods!'

'Can you get to the point? You sound like a child fantasizing.'

'Ehh...Fine! Since you're so pushy. Hmph!'

"Is he really the Demon King?' Shuuta frowned.

'When I first met your mother...my heart could not stop pounding...it was my first time feeling love, it was a feeling of bliss, sweetness, and hope...feelings that a Demon King is not used to, or rather, shouldn't have.'

'Right...'

'Love drove me to do things unfit of a Demon King, I was trying to win over a woman's heart.'

'This is getting cringy.'

Abbadon blushed a bit more, continuing.

'I tried many things, letters, offerings...even sacrifices, yet, none worked.'

'S-sacrifices?' Shuuta wore an expression of concern.

'That's until I finally asked for help. Asmodeus, an acquaintance, gave me a passive skill that charms people...still, it didn't work with Kohana.'

'Wait a minute, wait a minute...you asked the Sin of Lust for help?'

'Indeed. He seems more knowledgeable with love...so.'

'So, what you're telling me is...you tried to seduce mom?' Shuuta had a dark face.

'I-I...yeah.' Guilt didn't let Abbadon deny it, and he was sweating buckets.

'...'

'Shaddup! I'm a Demon King! I don't care about right or wrong, I just wanted to win over Kohana, that's all!'

'Ahh...your innocence kills me, dad...'

'Hmph! If you're done, then leave me alone. I need to water the garden.'

'H-Huh? Garden?'

After that, Shuuta was able to hear Abbadon watering many plants, this left him dumbfounded.

It sounded like the drawing that Granny Iho was talking about.

"...!"

'Dad! I have a question! It's very important!'