Netherworld Training

Okiku’s nonchalant response silenced the atmosphere. He understood at last. His eyes flickered with astonishment. “W-wait? What?”

“I erased its existence,” she repeated.

“I understand that. It’s just… you can do that?”

Okiku nodded. “I also have the ability to manipulate death.”

Scary, Kotaro learned not to fool with her, lest he wanted to join that poor ghost.

“Every word spoken breathes life as part of the Skill Rules. As your mind conjures the image, you expel it with your words, thus bringing miracles into the world. That is how you use your reiki.”

He took her word. A blade conjured into his mind, from its sharp edge to its regal hilt. Come on, Sword of Justice! Kotaro groaned, expecting the object to materialize. “It’s not working…”

“Don’t think about it too hard. The moment one recognizes the presence of reiki, it becomes second nature. Of course, once you understand how the flow of reiki works.”

“If I may,” Gouki chimed in with a soft tone. “Reiki is like the unseen variables in an equation, influencing the outcome with their presence. It’s the constant flow of positive energy, adding a transformative factor that, when harnessed and understood, becomes a powerful force as a result.”

Kotaro tilted his head. “Like thermodynamics?”

Gouki nodded.

With that, he changed approach. He pictured the drinking bird. His body heat rose. The energy surged in his veins. He startled. “Woah, that was…weird…”

His eyes widened. Tiny particles flowed in all directions. Kotaro rubbed his eyes, but it persisted. Tension gripped him. Being near Okiku brought a sense of terror, like standing naked in a violent blizzard.

“Not bad,” commented Okiku. “You just learned how to awaken your reiki. If you wish to stop what you’re feeling, you need to relax your senses. Take deep and slow breaths, calm your mind, and you will be fine.”

Kotaro focused his senses. Deep breaths. Slow. In and out. The molecule slowly faded.

“Why don’t we continue your training?” Okiku nodded to Gouki.

Their match continued. However, Gouki had other ideas. The gardener set his wakizashi under a tree. Sakura petals began showering him, seemingly praising him with heaven’s grace.

“Best awaken your reiki,” Okiku commented.

“What are you talking about?”

“Shinkaiho,” Gouki muttered. The pile of petals danced in a whirlwind. “Senso En!”

He crouched. One foot led forward while the other remained rooted.

Kotaro scanned his opponent. The stance was defensive. He took one step, but Gouki did not budge. He took another step, noticing the pebbles beneath his feet. He grabbed one and threw it at his foe.

Gouki cocked his katana and sliced it in two, then resumed his stance.

Just as I thought. Kotaro searched for his options.

“You’re never going to touch him.”

Kotaro turned to Okiku. “What do you mean?”

“Gouki’s shinkaiho, Senso En, is the ultimate defense when it comes to close-range.”

“The shinka-what?”

“It’s an advanced technique. One that comes from within. You will achieve a shinkaiho of your own someday.”

In this journey, the shinkaiho was an innate ability that harnessed powers within the user. For Gouki, Senso En gave him the greatest form of defense. Within a three meter radius, his body would automatically move without thought.

“The ultimate defense…” Kotaro put some thoughts into his approach. If he approached Gouki, he would be cut down. Another rock was pointless. Nothing came to mind. Like Okiku mentioned, it truly was the “ultimate defense”.

“Okay, I give up!”

“Gouki…”

The gardener broke his posture. His shinkaiho deactivated. He approached Kotaro and bowed. “That was a good fight.”

Easy for you to say. Kotaro faked a smile. “Yeah, it was.”

“Although…” Gouki pinched his chin, pondering.

“Hm?”

“I think if you learn how to manifest your reiki. Maybe you have a chance of defeating me. My shinkaiho is vulnerable if it forces me to…” His babbling seemed never-ending. With no end to stop, Kotaro found it difficult to follow.

“Now, now, Gouki, you need not to frighten our guest. After all, it is clear he requires more training,” Okiku chimed in. The phantom princess snatched Kotaro’s hand, and she led him further into the building. Gouki’s continued rambling echoed behind them despite his audience having moved on.

“He sure talks a lot,” Kotaro remarked. His feet creaked beneath the tatami mats, contrasting Okiku’s silent footsteps.

“He’s a lonely one. Like you, poor Gouki has no memories of his past life. His death? Unknown.”

“What about you? How’d you die?”

Okiku stopped her tracks. Her pink, wavy hair shimmered. Her jade eyes and gentle smile mesmerized him. “I jumped into a well.”

Awkward silence befell the hallway. Flames flickered, slowly burning the candle wax

Kotaro harrumphed. “That was um… uneventful…”

She chuckled, “I’m just kidding. I slit my throat. And then I jumped into a well.”

“T-That makes it even worse. And why are you so casual about this?”

“What? I’m already dead, so it doesn’t matter. Now, let us continue.” They neared the end of the hallway where a sliding door awaited them. Beyond it was another garden, similar to the front entrance. However, one notable difference stood out: towering blocks of black granite, each reaching a height of seven stories.

“Your training begins here.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Kotaro asked.

“What else? Move those granite rocks.”

Her casual tone discouraged him. “You say it like I can just do it.”

“Sure you can. Just use your reiki.”

He remained skeptical. She approached a boulder and tucked her fingers beneath. Reaching the bottom, she lifted it above her head with ease. His eyes flashed.

“Like this, see? Like how you heightened your senses to see reiki. You can do the same with your physicality. This is known as Reiki Magnification.” As she demonstrated, the granite dropped on her. To the average human, this would be fatal. Okiku defied all logic, her head poking out of the rock from the side. She phased through the object as if nothing occurred. “Now you try it.”

Kotaro neared the closest rock. He dug into the soft sand. Deep breaths. The drinking bird conjured into his thoughts.

“Channel that energy into your arms,” Okiku guided him.

His biceps tensed, his veins more prominent around the arms. His teeth gritted. The struggle manifested as his body trembled rapidly.

Okiku stared intently. Kotaro’s strength caught her interest. The rock slowly rose. He groaned violently. With mighty will, he lifted the black granite above his shoulders.

“He’s not using his reiki,” Okiku muttered. She saw none within him. None. Only his innate strength. “You have potential, young Kotaro… you have potential…”

“What…di…d-you…s-say?” His arms and legs shook fast. The strain felt too much to bear.

Okiku focused reiki into her hands, easing his struggles. The weight shifted to her as she walked away. His body moved in a daze.

“I said, take a rest. Your training is over.”

He couldn’t utter a word. Exhaustion got the best of him. Everything blurred. Noises muffled. His sight submerged into darkness.

“Oh dear…” Okiku shook her head, dropping the boulder elsewhere. “What am I to do with you now?”

“His innate strength sure is interesting. Perhaps the Scarlium is giving him strength?” Okiku touched Kotaro’s chest. Just his reiki. No one’s else. She hovered above his unconscious body, pacing around it and stroking her chin. “No, that can’t be it. I don’t sense her reiki within him. Which confirms two things: the first, the Scarlium hasn’t awakened, and the second, he is stronger than he looks. He certainly isn’t an oni. Nor an orc. Or an ogre. A human, all the way. This is almost unheard of.”

Her interest grew as she dwelled upon the mystery. This was a change; at first, he was a mere toy to ease her boredom.

“You have an explanation to give, Gap Yokai.” Okiku turned around to see Yuuki. He came out of his portals, standing on top of the boulder. She glared at him suspiciously.

“Why am I being accused like always?”

“Did you use the Boundary to alter his innate abilities?”

“And if I have?”

“You’re testing your life against the All-Creator,” Okiku warned, “ You know what happens if you treat the Boundary as your own.”

“I didn’t.”

“Come again?”

“I merely reset the days. It was his innate ability that allowed him to grow,” Yuuki protested.

For the first time, Okiku was surprised. Her eyebrows lifted. “His shinkaiho!”

“You’re finally catching on. Although I can’t conclude it, it’s a possibility. I watched him fight a yokai when he discovered Densetsu. He destroyed the yokai’s Six Sided Dimension with a single punch.”

“Interesting…this one might potentially destroy the Project Device then?”

Yuuki shrugged. “Perhaps. Perhaps not.”

“How do you suppose we stop her?” Okiku asked. She feared another reset was imminent. This training would be useless.

“The culprit forced me into two solutions: bring Noel to face the Project Device, and the other, the Scarlium awakens and fights the Project Device. Our safest bet is bringing Noel.”

“But why didn’t you bring her the first time you reset—”

“Because that’s what the culprit wanted,” Yuuki interrupted. “Once this incident ends, another will occur. The Sylvan Supreme will order his men to execute Kotaro. If Rikku intervenes, Infernian spies will infiltrate sylvan grounds. And the culprit remains loose.”

“Navarasa and Yanluo will disagree,” Okiku cautioned.

A huff escaped Yuuki’s nostrils as he smirked. “Like they have better plans? What good do their opinions bring if they care nothing about human issues? Frankly, I care less about those two.”

“Oh dear. This explains why you can only speak to me and not anyone else. You’re too self-centered. Why do you always think you’re the only one who can handle all of this?”

“Because…” Yuuki raised his right arm, pointing at the violet sky. Celestial bodies formed, half the size of a sun. A white dwarf. “Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the Honored One.”

His other arm pointed downwards. From the barrenness gravel sprouted a sycamore tree. Behind him, he used the Boundary to open a rift. “Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the Mighty One.”

Okiku glared at him, unapprovingly. She tightly gripped her paper fan. Her brow furrowed.

“Another thing before I go… I am responsible for unlocking his shinkaiho…”

She clicked her tongue. Before she uttered her last word, he vanished into his portal. The phantom princess crossed her arms and huffed. A concentration of reiki manifested at her fingertips, and Okiku unleashed her fury upon Yuuki’s creation.

Okiku sat beside Kotaro, her knees drawn to her chest. “What am I to do with you? Perhaps this incident will be solved.” Okiku groaned and planted her hand onto his chest. “You better use my reiki wisely.”

No response. As expected.

Butterflies swarmed Kotaro, cloaking his physical form. They were everywhere until it couldn’t be seen. Okiku opened her paper fan. “Disperse!”

She closed it, and the swarm vanished. Kotaro. Nowhere to be found. “How will your story go, I wonder?”