Shadowed Burden
While Kuragami and Sky were flying to the circus, Sky said something to him.
“I'm taking you to the circus. But first, I need to tell you something.”
“What?”
“You fought the shadow disciple didn’t you? Do you know his name?”
“No.”
“I see. When you guys went sleep, Yua told me about her past. Her parents were both killed. By who, no one knows.”
“Till this day? I wonder if she will ever find out.”
“She also had a little brother she cared about dearly. They would play outside with each other every day. Them and their grandfather were like a happy family. Her brother’s name is Yuuto.”
Kuragami starts to get interested.
“One day. An organisation came to their town. They said they were looking for a vessel for their artificially made mythical beast.”
“If they made it, how’s it mythical.”
“Who knows. Wait Kuragami, stay on topic.”
“My bad.”
Sky shakes his head.
“Anyways. They must’ve thought Yuuto was a good enough vessel, so they took him away from the family, leaving them traumatised. Every day she waits for Yuuto to come back.”
“That’s tough. And I’m guessing he’s the shadow disciple then?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know for sure?”
“The old man confirmed it. He’s an informant for Raffles. He’s been putting his own people in danger.”
Kuragami gets irritated.
“That old bastard! I’ll make sure he pays!”
“Leave him to me. You focused on Yuuto.”
“All right. I’ll think of this as a personally assigned mission.”
“Yuuto huh? I haven't heard that name in years. What the hell makes you think you can call me that? Only my family calls me that, The Shadow Disciples!”
“You see the shadow disciples as your family, and not Yua? You’re sick!”
“I’ve been with the shadow disciples more than I’ve been with Yua and my grandfather. They don’t have a clue at all about what goes on in this world. The Shadow Disciples showed me the light within the shadows.”
“Your true family are the ones who care about you. Like Yua!”
“The shadows care for me. They’re the only ones who do.”
“They only care for you because they can contain some beast inside you. You’re nothing but a tool.”
Yuuto chuckles.
“The person with the armband, calling me a tool. How ironic. Say, Kuragami Nozomi, are you just a normal boy, like me?”
“I wouldn’t call you normal, but there’s nothing special about me.”
“So then tell me why someone in our group is so afraid of your being?”
“What are you talking about?”
Yuuto smiles menacingly.
“Maybe I’ll have to find that out for myself!”
Yuuto appears in front of Kuragami. Kuragami jumps on the tree behind him.
Yuuto raises his aura and shoots shadows towards him. Kuragami dashes from tree to tree, dodging the shadows.
He raises his aura and generates ice, racing towards Yuuto.
However, he covers his fists with his shadow aura and punches the ice, causing it to shatter.
Kuragami dashes through the shattered ice and kicks Yuuto in the stomach. Yuuto tries to elbow him down, yet he dodges and gets back on his feet.
Kuragami swings his right arm to punch Yuuto, yet he blocks. He then retaliates with a punch of his own which Kuragami blocks.
They continue to fight hand to hand. At the moment they’re both equal, beating each other up.
Suddenly, Yuuto drastically raises his aura, forcing Kuragami to be pushed back.
“This is going nowhere! I have to end this now! Losing here, would mean I lose everything!”
Kuragami can sense that he is scared.
“I guess, the only way to show you that things can be different, is if I beat you.”
Kuragami also raises his aura, rivalling Yuuto.
Yuuto charges up a powerful technique in his right hand.
“I’ll end you Kuragami! The burden of my legion!”
The technique starts breaking the area around them.
“Shadow Devestation!
Kuragami also charges up a powerful technique in his right arm. His eyes start glowing. Yuuto starts thinking to himself.
“But Kuragami,”
“Angelic Breeze!”
“If you can really save,”
They both run towards each other. Both their techniques end up in a powerful aura clash.
“Prove it here.”
Their aura can be felt around the whole region around them.
“Hey you guys feel that?”
Cherry knocks out multiple with her branch.
“Yeah. That’s Kura. I hope he’s ok.”
Homura creates a fire barrier. He looks at the sky, a bit of snow comes down. He smiles.
Sasaki notices a bunch of people walking towards the town. They don’t look hostile.
“Don’t worry guys, Kuragami got this.”
Their aura clash goes on for a few moments. Both their aura’s intensifies.
“I won’t lose here, not again!”
Kuragami’s aura then slowly overpowers Yuuto. Yuuto can’t handle it anymore.
Yuuto smiles.
“What is there to be afraid of? All this fighting, the conflict. What purpose does it have?”
Kuragami becomes even stronger.
I thought I was protecting my family, both families. Yet one was putting the other in danger.
Finally, Kuragami fully overpowers Yuuto. It creates a large explosion, giving birth to a temporary blizzard across the region.
The blizzard fades away. Kuragami is standing, breathing heavy due to fatigue.
Yuuto can barely move and he’s on the floor. He looks at the gleaming sun, behind all the snow falling. He puts his right hand up slowly.
“The snow, gives me hope.”
Sasaki defeats the last soldier. He stabs his sword on the ground and rests on it.
“Finally, it’s done.”
“Is this the snow of the boy you three were with?”
Sasaki looks back to respond.
“Probably. I won’t lie he-”
No one is there. Sasaki is confused.
Sky has Raffles suppressed on the floor.
“Would you look at that Raffles. Your precious Shadow Disciple has been defeated.”
Raffles starts to get worried. His voice is trembling.”
“No. This can’t be. My circus, my everything! What have I gotten myself into?
“Why so scared all of a sudden?”
“They’re both coming, I can feel it. Both their presences showering the whole region.”
“Who Raffles, who?!”
Raffles starts to laugh.”
“We’re all going to die! And you’re coming to hell on the same boat as me!”
“I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
Sky flies off.
“Are you done Yuuto?”
Yuuto laughs.
“Maybe if we met earlier, and I wasn’t a shadow disciple, we could’ve been friends.”
Kuragami smiles.
“What rules say we can’t?”
“You’ll see. He’s probably on his way now, since I’ve lost.”
Kuragami’s face quickly turns serious.
“What? Who is?”
“Goodbye Kuragami, there’s no way your leaving this place alive.
They both sense out of this world aura coming their way. The clouds start to turn purple. Everyone can notice in the atmosphere that someone incredibly powerful, has arrived.
Sasaki, Homura and Cherry both look up in the sky.
“This aura, I’ve never felt anything like this.”
Sky looks up as he’s flying.
The wind starts to scream across the whole region. The waves of the sea start to rage.
The aura gets released at them covering the whole area. It feels dark and eerie. It's like a demon fresh from hell has just entered the area. Kuragami looks up.
“Yuuto, is that your aura?”
“Nah.”
Both Kuragami and Yuuto can hear a loud maniacs laugh. Someone is jumping high in the air, making their way to them.
“Kuragami Nozomi, the one burden! I finally have the green light to kill you!”