Prologue

He could still smell the pungent aroma of melting skin and burning flesh, could still feel the flames scorching the sides of his face, orange tendrils licking at his heels as he ran. The begging cries and screams of the dying echoed repeatedly through his head. Even as he lay unconscious, pain resonating through his very being, he remembered every second of the ordeal, every detail of it as clear as a freshwater spring. Unable to think and unable to move, the scenes circulated through his mind on repeat, replaying over and over again, seemingly without end.

Eventually though, the pain began to recede and the memories slowly subsided, the darkness smoothly pulling back. The agony that had plagued him for an entire lifetime was cut down to a dull throb, never quite disappearing but leagues better than it had been moments ago.

Feeling much better, he let out a mental sigh before fully relaxing for the very first time.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Arrrrgggggghhhh!!!! Huhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

Taking a sharp inhale, Tsukahara Hanzo opened his eyes, dark, almost void-like hues greeting the world as he attempted to quickly sit up, before being quickly floored when hit with spasms of intense pain. With deep, jagged breaths, the youth struggled to calm himself as more and more sweat seemed to appear from his body, his heart thundering in his chest to the point where it was all he could hear. The comparatively dull aches and pains from before hadn't faded and an intense heat that radiated from his drenched frame failed to make any of it better. The black haired youth could hardly even feel the rest of his body, a severe burning gathering into three spots on his upper and lower torso.

It was all Tsukahara could do to even stay conscious, the world spinning every which way whenever he moved a millimeter too fast. Every time he lost focus, Tsuka could feel his reality slipping, the darkness threatening to once again take hold.

"Well. Appears as if you successfully, yet superfluously, managed to cling to this mortal coil." A gentle but stern voice filled Tsuka's ears, catching him by surprise as he struggled to rid himself of his own extreme disorientation. Gradually, and with an exorbitant amount of struggling, he turned his head in the direction of the speaker. "I do so admire your grit and rambunctious spirit, but this does come as a bit of a hindrance. I truthfully wasn't expecting you to regain consciousness for another month yet here you are, alive. Groggy and disconcerted, but alive."

Sitting in the far corner of the room, almost completely out of Tsukahara's fluctuating vision, was a lone figure garbed in some sort of bright white clothing. With his failing sense of sight, it was difficult to pinpoint the identity and age of the individual, but the gruff and deepness of the tone, as well as the words spoken, were already more than enough to give Tsuka a good estimate.

Male. 50 years of age or older. Educated. Well versed in conversation, be it to himself or with others.

The young man let out a heavy breath as he tried to recollect his thoughts, his mind still struggling to stay above the surface, fighting fiercely against the waves of darkness that threatened to drown him once more. His senses were starting to steady themselves, though they too would take a dive every now and again, further adding to Tsuka's own condition. Still, he managed to hang on to his own consciousness as he began foraging the inside of his own mind, sifting through the vast amount of memories he had tried so hard to push away. The ever repeating cycle he had attempted to suppress came flooding back into the forefront, causing him to nearly lose his sanity in the process.

The sounds of horses thundering through the fields, causing the very ground to vibrate. Balls of molten earth raining down from the starry night sky. Blood pouring out from freshly made corpses as well as from those on the verge of moving to the next life, their terrified screams floating through the air. The face of his childhood friend as she mouthed her last words, her final breath escaping before passing away in his arms.

Tsukahara recalled everything at once, the events of days past scrolling by in mere seconds.

"You need to breath, young Raven," the older man spoke up, somehow cutting into the youths impending mental breakdown. "Let the inner turmoil flow unrestricted, uninhibited. Relax your muscles and clench your teeth, rid your mind of all distractions."

Tsuka could hardly hear a word the man was saying, his own heart pounding in his ears. Still, he attempted to follow what he was able to comprehend, letting out a slow and steady breath. Despite his instinct to suppress all the painful images and sounds circulating his membrane, he closed his eyes and clasped his hands together, letting the proverbial door slip open. It was as if he had gone back to the past with the way every detail and slight changes in emotion came sliding the moment the pathway had been cleared. It was almost enough for Tsuka to wish for death, overwhelmed by all intense imagery.

"Easy now," The man spoke, just as calm as he had been since the very beginning. "It's hard right now, but it gets easier. The pain never truly goes away but neglecting it will only cause it to fester and expand, similar to an infection. If we can mend the wounds now, then youll only have to tend to the scars."

Tsukahara didn't really get where the man was going with everything, but he listened as best he could.

"Now, let's deal with the injury." the man suddenly sounded tired, a frail voice largely different from how it had first hit Tsuka's ears. "What can you remember from before you opened your eyes?"

"Everything," Tsuka readily answered, his voice coming out dry and crackled. "Everything."

"Then we'll start from the beginning," The voice determined. "Let's start from a few days before the moment your pain commences. Be not afraid of adding your own thoughts and feeling to it."

Tsukahara didn't know what to say at first as he took a deep breath, his chest heavy with all of his churning emotions. He could hardly breath, let alone speak, yet he was expected to report what he had just went through. It wasn't a stretch to say that as he sceptical about it.

"It happened three days before the end of War Games," Tsuka explained, giving into the man's request in the end. "Before the Blue Boars attacked and killed everyone in the Village."