After another intense training session, James and Ryan headed into the small town nearby, where they went to get traditional ramen.
James: “Damn, these noodles are pretty good.”
Ryan: “I know right, I’ve never had traditional ramen before, it’s good!”
James: “So, how are you enjoying Japan so far, Ryan?”
Ryan: “Huh? We’re in Japan?”
James facepalms himself, then groans from frustration: “Yeah, didn’t you realize from the buildings and the people here, dude?”
Ryan: “Nah, the crash made me a bit lightheaded man, I didn’t realize where we were, give me a break.”
James shrugged, before finishing his bowl and setting it, along with the chopsticks down on the table and wiping his mouth on his sleeve. “Yeah, that’s fair, I guess. Also, I’ve heard the nearby woods, are pretty dangerous, from what the locals told me, so maybe let’s take their word for it.”
Ryan also finishes his bowl and sets it down opposite of James’ and stares confusedly at him. “Huh, how come?”
James: “I don’t know, the locals sounded seriously scared of whatever was in there.”
Ryan: “And what was in there, then?”
James: “I figure we should ask one of them for more details, no?”
Ryan nods in agreement, they stand up and thank the cook, before James forces Ryan to pay, making him grumble. They exit the restaurant and walk into the streets to find someone who could answer their questions about what could be in the woods that could be so terrifying.
Eventually, they find a woman, who seems to know her way around.
James speaks up: “Hello miss, do you mind if we bother you with a question?”
The woman looks up, a curious expression on her face: “Of course sir, what is your question?”
Ryan: “Do you happen to know what’s in the nearby woods that terrifies the people here so much?”
The woman’s face turns a bit pale and starts to stutter: “I-I uhh… I remember that I-I have an a-appointment, have a g-good day, sirs!”
James and Ryan watch the woman stand up and practically speedwalk off.
Ryan looks at James. “Damn, did she take too many pills?”
James: “I don’t know, but something was off, did you see how she turned pale when we mentioned the woods?”
Ryan: “No shit Sherlock, anyway why don’t we ask that guy over there?”
Ryan and James walk over to the man at the corner of the street who Ryan pointed to, he has a shady look on his face.
James: “Hey good sir! Could you explain to us what’s in that scary forest over there?”
The man looks gives them a frantic, semi-scared look. “Uhh, look man, I can’t tell you! Piss off!”
Ryan grabs the man by his shirt’s collar before he can walk off. His green, flaming hands burn off part of the collar. “Look pal, tell us what’s in those woods right now, or I’ll beat it out of you!”
The man raises his hand in defense, waving them frantically above his head: “Hey, chill out man, you’re burning my shirt and I’m not looking for trouble! Fine, I’ll tell you what’s in the fucking forest, just let go of me!”
Ryan sets the man back down and let’s go of him. The man clears his throat.
“Alright, The Legends state that a scientist was so focused on a project, that he involved his son in it, but something went terribly wrong and the experiment failed. His son was evaporated into ashes, the scientist couldn’t bear the thought of having killed his own son, so he worked day and night to form his ashes into a conscious creature. The son’s new form came with terrifying abilities, the sheer power corrupted his mind entirely, what had corrupted him was the energy of Cinis. The son escaped the lab and fled into the forest, from there on, he hunted unaware humans wandering into his territory, brutally slaughtering them.”
Ryan: “Wow, that kinda sucks for hi-”
James cuts Ryan’s sentence off, nudging him with his elbow. “Dude, stay a bit serious. Thank you for the information sir.”
The local: “Now leave me alone you freaks! And what is even up with your green hair?!”
The man scurries off, out of sight from James and Ryan.
Ryan looks over at James with a confused look and a raised eyebrow. “Green hair? What is he talking about, man?”
James now looks at him, with a realizing expression. “Oh yeahhh, I forgot to tell you, your hair changed while you were unconscious.”
Ryan looked into a store’s mirror with a puzzled look. Noticing his hair had changed, his eyes were glowing white and his facial structure was improved, which now shared the same color as The Star. “Oooohhh yeah, it is green! I never noticed. My face also looks different, my eyes are all glowy now too!”
Ryan and James decided to go to the lab at the edge of the woods, to go and seek out the “corrupted son”. They entered deeper into the woods to try and find the lab.
As they walk further, they look around. Suddenly, as they step further into the forest, it becomes nighttime.
Ryan: “Huh, what the hell? Why did it turn nighttime all of a sudden?”
James: “I don’t know, most likely because we’re closing in.”
The two of them notice a small lab in the distance, they decide to investigate it.
Ryan: “You think that lab has something to do with the “corrupted son”?”
James: “Definitely, let’s go inside and get this shit over with.
Ryan and James walk inside, their footsteps faintly echo as they look around the abandoned, ruined interior.
As they enter the main research chamber, Ryan notices a notebook, a blueprint for a machine and a photo of a father and son, the glass of the frame is shattered.
Ryan: “Yo James, check this ou-“
Suddenly, the creature, which has a skinny body made out of ashes and has glowing, white eyes and a set of terrifying, long razor sharp teeth, appears out of thin air behind Ryan and grabs his shoulder, before hurling him out the window, shattering the glass, Ryan is launched out. In mid-air, the creature blitzes to Ryan and punches him down to the forest floor by ramming both of it’s fists against his stomach. In the meanwhile. As James processes what happened, he instinctively jumps out the window, after both Ryan and the creature to assist him. He lands on top of the being and pulls it away from Ryan. Ryan is rolled away from the creature as James pulls on it’s head to hold it back. His body glows even more green, forcing his body to regenerate and heal his broken ribs from the fall and any other injury.
James: “Hey... you fucking moron, get off my student!”
As James wrestles with the creature, he barely has good grip on it, due to it’s smoke-like essence. He manages to throw it toward the lab and it slams against the outer wall. Ryan and James both retreat a little.
Ryan: “Is that the thing we’re looking for?!”
James: “Pretty sure, yeah.”
In the building, the creature stands up and rubs it’s back, before looking at the two of them and narrowing it’s white eyes. It makes a sound, that resembles clearing the throat, it’s voice raspy and with an echo.
The Creature: “Why… Disturb… My Home..?”
James: “Do you have the mental capacity of a five-year old? Why are you talking like that?”
Ryan: “Wait, let’s ask him actual questions, y’know? First up: Why’d you throw me out of a window man, not cool!”
The Creature: “I… Told you… Already… Filthy mortals…”
Ryan and James look at each other, then back to the creature. Ryan speaks up.
“So, who even are you?”
The creature’s pupils narrow in faint annoyance, it then points to itself.
“My name… Is Kiyome Rareta-Mono.”
Ryan and James exchange a puzzled look, before James looks back at Ashes.
“But aren’t you made out of ash? Why don’t we just call you Ashes?”
Ashes growls and lunges at James, extending two blades of ash from his arm and swinging for James’ liver. James dodges. “Woah, calm down there man! Did I strike a nerve?”
James and Ashes dash, their forearms clash, sending out a giant shockwave, Ashes’ right arm is crumpled.
James and Ryan are slid about 50 meters away from Ashes.
Ashes cracks his arm back into it’s original shape, his body producing a shriek as he does so.
Ryan: “What’s the plan here? Do we have to fight him..?”
James: “Got any other better options, Ryan?”
Ashes slowly walks back and forth, left to right as he tries to figure out what the two of them are up to.
-To be continued...-
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