Foundations of Power
The next day rose, and with the burning sun struck through the seeps of Zenatori's window. It reminded him that the summer was near, and with that, the heat. Zenatori limped off his bed, feeling the heat. It wasn't hot enough to make him sweat, but it was hot enough to sizzle his skin.
Zenatori lowered the blinds on the window, cancelling the blaze from entering his room. He checked the time.
9:45 am.
He realized he had time to spare, so he texted Akari.
"Meet me in the library."
He wanted to learn the history of syneji artistry. As he pressed the send button, he couldn't help but feel subtly embarrassed. It was quite foolish for someone to have to explain the history of something that you should already know. Who goes to a school about syneji artistry and knows nothing about it?
Maybe, if he waited a couple of days, Kurosawa, or someone else, could help him learn the history of it. No, he had no time to hesitate, he had to graduate as quickly as he could. To save everyone.
He entered the library and found Akari already waiting for him. He only wondered how she got her so quickly. Was she also very fast like Hayoku or Koumiko? But she's just a high school student, she couldn't have had that much time to strengthen herself. Nonetheless, he wasn't to get distracted, the main topic would begin.
Zenatori took a seat in front of Akari, quietly sliding the chair back to sit.
Akari broke the silence.
"What is it you need?"
"You told me to ask you if I needed questions, right?" Zenatori said presumingly.
"Yes..?" Akari said, partially quizzically.
"Yes..?" Akari said, partially quizzically.
"I was wondering if you could tell me the history of how this stuff started."
Akari leaned back slightly in her chair.
"Hmmm, I guess you should know the basics; it only makes sense."
Akari twiddled her thumb slightly before leaning forward again. She seemed as if she was doing a vast recollection of her thoughts. She seemed to finally come to a conclusion and said.
"Two thousand years ago, there was a syneji artist named the Divine Artist. This syneji artist wasn't bound by the qualms of humanity; they were an all-knowing being, sent by God. The Divine Artists sacrificed themselves to create five children that appeared from each fragment of their souls. They all had the fragment of the soul of the Divine Artist; these five syneji artists were named the founders, and like the divine artist, they had the ability to transfer their souls as well. Due to them each sharing 1/5th of the divine artist's soul, they had a precognition similar the the Divine Artist. Each founder had one of the five inherent syneji: Akairo Founder (Dragon's Flame), Urei Founder (Temporal Frost), Midori Founder (Earth Bounds), Shiroi Founder (Winding Stride), Seimei Founder (Bleeding Rejuvenation). The five founders were seen as heroes and would never fight anyone unless they absolutely had to."
Zenatori could only find all this history interesting. Everything truly has a reason for something.
"How do you know if you are born with an inherent syneji?" Zenatori said.
"The five inherent syneji's, otherwise known as the five syneji's gifted from God, are the ones descended by the five founding artists. The people born with one of these synejis are often born in a bloodline of each of the syneji's. I myself was born in the Akari line. Which is why I have the syneji; Temporal Frost. There's an off chance you aren't born into any, and just randomly awaken your syneji."
Zenatori realized he wasn't born in a bloodline of syneji artists, at least for all he knows. But he likely would've known if he was. Does that make Zenatori weaker than Akari? He couldn't be a strong syneji artist if he can't get past Akari. Zenatroi finally spoke up.
"How about we fight?"
"What?"
"To serve as a testament to see which one is stronger, someone born without a bloodline, or someone born in one. You said I could awaken my syneji, right?"
"That doesn't really make any sense, even if I wasn't born into one I would still be stronger than you, because you are simply experienced."
Zenatori thought for a moment and realized what Hayoku said.
"The growth of a syneji artist is exponential."
Zenatori had always thought that the only way to get stronger was to brute force it. But Hayoku is right, with this time of thing you start off slow. It was a process that couldn't be rushed. Just because he isn't stronger than Akari now doesn't mean that he will never be.
Akari suddenly interrupted Zenatori's line of thought.
"But, we can train. I'd like to get to know how strong you are as well."
"But, we can train. I'd like to get to know how strong you are as well."
And so the rivalry begun.
Zenatori follows Akari into a large padded room. The room has test dummies, punching bags, and mats that lie on the floor. Zenatori takes a moment to look around the room, taking in every detail.
Akari looks at Zenatori and said.
"This is the training room."
Day by day, this school becomes more interesting to Zenatori. He notices that far on his right is another room that leads to a gym.
Akari said.
"This is where you can train, and you're free to enter at any time you want. We'll be using it for this training session. We aren't doing anything crazy yet. I just want to test your strength. You aren't ready for things such as isotonic force reinforcement and other stuff."
"This is where you can train, and you're free to enter at any time you want. We'll be using it for this training session. We aren't doing anything crazy yet. I just want to test your strength. You aren't ready for things such as isotonic force reinforcement and other stuff."
Zenatori finishes his observation and looks at Akari.
"So what are we doing?" Zenatori said.
"We're just gonna try basic hand-to-hand combat. I'll let you strike whenever-"
Zenatori instantly reaches his arm out, striking through the air with a powerful jab. But, Akari simply lifts her arm and grabs Zenatori's strike. She tauntingly said.
"Unlike me, you're still a human, while I am a syneji artist."
Zenatori retracts his fist and attempts to strike Akari again, but she evades.
"What sloppy form."
Zenatori looked and could only think to himself. How is she moving this fast? This was beyond humanity.
Akari puts her hands behind her back and leans forward, smirking. Zenatori attempts to wipe the smirk off her face, but she bows her hand effortlessly. He then goes in for a thunderous knee, but she quickly raises her head and dodges again.
Zenatori tries to catch her off-guard with a sudden right cross, but she simply leans back, evading yet another strike. She was too quick, it was impossible to hit her.
Akari grinned and let Zenatori drop his fist before saying.
"Although I am human like everyone else, the reason I'm physically superior is because of isotonic energy. Everyone is born with a certain amount of isotonic energy, but to refine your isotonic energy requires isotonic force, which not everyone is born with. Isotonic energy controls your physicals and your stamina. My isotonic energy isn't fully refined, but with isotonic force, it refines it automatically, and it can take up to twenty years for your isotonic force to be fully refined."
Zenatori was hit by a sudden wave of determination. If he could force her to use her syneji, he considered this battle a victory.
Zenatori let his arms down and went for tactics more unconventional. He attempts to grab Akari, lunging downward, but she moves out of the way, pushing him to the ground. It was like a bull seeing the color red.
Zenatori tries to go for another blow, but Akari simply lifts her elbow and parries Zenatori's strike. Zenatori spun around with a spinning back fist, at was effortlessly dodged by Akari, leaning down.
Akari slightly chuckled.
"What are you trying so hard for? What do you have to prove?"
All Zenatori wished was to wipe that smug look off her face. Zenatori bolted forward, exhausting his energy, and tried to hit Akari. Akari readies herself to evade, but the abrupt Zenatori spreads his arms out, sweeping through the air.
He crashed to the ground. As he looked up, he felt something on top of him. Akari crossed one knee over the other and lay against Zenatori.
Zenatori lay on the ground in defeat, slamming his fist against it.
Akari began laughing, closing her eyes as she teared up.
"It seems that got it out of you," she said.
"It seems that got it out of you," she said.
Zenatori frowned.
"Yeah, yeah, picking on the weak. I hope you're proud."
"Yeah, yeah, picking on the weak. I hope you're proud."
Akari continued laughing.
"You're the one who tried to prove something!"
As Akari opened her eyes, one centimeter from her face, a fist was driving straight toward her. It was too late to try dodging, there was nothing she could do to react quickly enough. Zenatori finally grinned, for his victory was inevitable.
"Kidaigen: Ice."
In a mere instant, a sickle of ice was generated in front of Zenatori's hand, freezing his entire arm. Zenatori could only stare in shock.
"What the hell..?" Zenatori thought.
"What the hell..?" Zenatori thought.
"Was that what you were looking for?" Akari said in a disgruntled tone.
Zenatori attempts to budge his hand out, but is unable to.
Abruptly all of the ice vanished, and Zenatori could freely move his arm. Zenatori could only blankly stare in shock. What was this world he entered himself in?
Akari explains.
"All I simply did was deactivate my syneji, nothing to look so surprised about."
Although Zenatori completed his goal, this world still had much more to explore beneath the surface.
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