16 Improvements

It's hours past midnight, and I'm alone in the woods. It's completely dark here. The stars above are clear to see; the lack of artificial light allowing the natural light of the stars to shine. It's cold too, the nights turning colder as the days progress through autumn.

I'm standing in those same woods, my eyes glowing with golden light. The darkness doesn't stop me, nor does the cold. The Eyes of God gives me vision in all spectrums, and my enhanced body can easily warm itself against the cold.

I'm shirtless; wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants. A pair of knives are held in my hands, and winds blow as I make swift cuts through the air. Sweat is running down my chest, and glowing white lines stretch all across my body, buzzing with power. They're a visual of the Primal Energy that runs within my body.

They're permanent, actually. They didn't used to be, but after my body passed a few more 'thresholds', the Primal Energy that once ran through my body instead changed course. New special 'veins' formed in my body, and it's through these special channels that my Primal Energy now runs through.

It was also the most painful breakthrough I've ever experienced. Previous breakthroughs have simply been my body upgrading itself, destroying obsolete cells and replacing them with new ones.

That specific breakthrough was different. My body used everything it had to create something entirely new. It was agonizing. It felt like someone had jammed a burning metal rod straight through my spine. I'd actually passed out for a few hours from the pain.

Now, these white lines glow across my body, shining a bright white whenever I start using Primal Energy. They're still only visible to my eyes, thankfully, but it does get distracting from time to time.

That aside,

It's been a few months since Akeno began living with me. The first couple weeks were a little rough; getting every essential thing in such a short time wasn't easy, but my family made it work. The weeks after are much easier though, and it was gratifying to see just how much Akeno has changed over the months.

She's a lot more outgoing, even more than she was when we first met. It's…a little tiring for me, actually, but I'm pretty sure that's just me being old. I do my best to entertain her from time to time, though she's more than satisfied just being with me throughout the day.

She's not in school, though I think my parents are planning to sign her up. Although it'll be somewhat of an uphill battle, considering Akeno doesn't have any legal documents to her name. But I'm sure my parents will make it work somehow.

While we wait though, I spend my afternoon at home, teaching Akeno whatever she'll need once she starts her education. Thankfully, she's quite the attentive student, and it doesn't take much for her to grasp the materials I'm teaching her.

As for me,

I haven't slept in months.

I've rested, of course. I've taken breaks, meditated, read a few books here and there. But sleep? I haven't slept on my bed in months. Partly because I don't need to and partly because the one time I tried to sleep on my bed, Akeno trapped me in an inescapable hug.

I began this nightly training a few months back, a week or so after Akeno began living with me. Since my afternoons are now spent together with Akeno, only my nights are free for me to use. Of course, no one but Akeno knows that I'm even doing this, and she's promised that she won't spill the beans.

As I planned, I used the weapons Akeno's pursuers left behind to aid me. Using my eyes, I can easily dive into their histories, and do so without hurting myself too much. And so I can dive into their pasts while my body mimics everything my eyes show me, training both my body and mind to move in unison.

Since the tools I'm using for this are shortswords and knives, I've become fairly familiar with them. I still haven't caught up with the astounding skills those pursuers had, but I'm at least confident I can use them to fight without stabbing myself.

Though, I won't be fighting with swords and knives. At least I don't plan to. At the time being, I still haven't found an efficient way of pushing the Primal Energy inside me out into the world. And without being enhanced, the knives I swing are just…well, knives. They're more likely to shatter than to cut through cinder blocks.

Of course, I can use my Ofudas to empower them. And I have! But I'm saving those Ofudas. I'm only using weapons when I really need to.

And besides, my punches are stronger.

In truth, these weapons provide something more important than simple weapon mastery.

Using my eyes, I can also see how those pursuers moved and defended as they fought. How they move during battle, ways to evade, how to defend; those are available for me to view and more.

And that? That's far more important.

It won't be wrong to call them ninjas. Past simple servants, they're also assassins, and the lives they lived through their weapons shows. Their brutal training, their mantras, their practices, their knowledge. With my eyes, they're all mine for me to learn from.

From parkour to assassinations to meditation to Shinto Magic to judo, my eyes grasp onto them all and present them for me to view, and I'll follow along as best I can. The memories of their wielders will flash in my mind, and I'll mimic them all. Every swing, every kick, every seating, every jump, every dodge; I follow them all.

And it shows. I can move faster, I can jump higher, and my punches and kicks come out stronger. I haven't made any leeways towards Shinto Magic, but I'm still making progress. There's a barrier I can't cross on my own, and I'll need Kanada's help for it.

It's a little dizzying at times, but it doesn't slow me down. I can't let it slow me down.

I don't have time.

Delving into these histories have shown me something else. Those pursuers were sent out on a mission to hunt Akeno down, and not to return until they accomplish their task. However, if they don't return in three years, Himejima Suou—a high ranking member of the Himejima Clan—will follow their trail to finish the job.

Akeno wandered Japan for around a year and a half, and she's lived with me for a few months now. If everything follows as the Himejimas planned, then Suou will come after Akeno in a year and a couple months.

Akeno who now lives with me. With my family.

If Suou comes after Akeno, my family is bound to be caught in the crossfire as well, and if one of them dies-, no, if one of them even gets the slightest bit injured-

I can't let that pass. I can't let my family get hurt.

So I have a year and a few months to get stronger, to learn everything I can and use them to prepare for what's to come. Himejima Suou is strong, incredibly so. He's much stronger compared to those three pursuers, and even now, stronger as I am compared to months before, I'll still be crushed.

A year and a few months. That's how much time I have.

So I train. With the deadline hanging as a blade behind my neck, I train. Night after night after night I come to this small forest, and I train. My body glows with bright white lines, and my eyes shine with golden sparks. Primal Energy is spent, burning inside my body to repair the damages I incur as I push my body beyond its breaking point.

Soon, days turn to weeks. Then weeks to a month. A month to a few. Time continues to tick forward as I strive to improve; a race against time before Suou arrives at Kuoh.

And with time, I continue to change.

I grow even taller, bulkier. I still look like a kid, but certainly not a ten year old. Thankfully, puberty is beginning to hit my fellow classmates as well. None of them are as tall as I am, but I don't look too out of place. The only new thing I get is the occasional recommendation to play basketball because of my new height. I, obviously, refuse.

My hair changes too. The patch of white hair has grown larger. By this point, nearly half my hair is white. It looks somewhat ridiculous actually. I look like some idiot who decided to haphazardly dye one half of their hair white. Thankfully, I can cover that up using an 'Illusion' Ofuda.

Before I know it, several months have flown by, and I've gone up another grade. I'm a sixth grader now. Nothing substantial changes. At least for me.

Because my parents have worked their magic, and Akeno enters sixth grade together with me. She's in a different class though. She was a little apprehensive about going to school, but just a day was enough for her to get comfortable. The manners she cultivated back in the Himejima Clan has cemented her status as an 'elegant lady', and she's made a number of new friends because of it.

(I'm pretty sure my mother nearly cried when Akeno first brought her friends home.

I'm definitely sure my father actually cried when that happened, even if he tried hiding it by going to the bathroom.)

And I'm overjoyed. It's nice to see her finally have someone else she can talk to, to see her have the life she should've had from when she was young.

But it's hard to remain completely happy. I have just about half a year left before Suou will begin tracking Akeno down.

I'm not sure how I'll fare against him. He's strong, incredibly so. His skills in battle are great, but his mastery over Shinto Magic is even greater. He'd received a divine blessing from Kagutsuchi, the Shinto god of fire. His flames burn with intensity comparable to the heat of raging volcanoes.

I'll be going against someone with the blessing of a god.

I'm…cautious. This time, I'm not completely sure of my victory. I don't have the guarantee that I'll come out of this conflict unscathed.

But this is something I need to do. For both Akeno and for my family.

It's fine. I've prepared as much as I can, and I'm continuing to prepare. Every possibility I can think of is explored, and any countermeasure is prepared.

And during it all, I continue to train, doing all I can to prepare before the approaching fight.

(And privately, I eagerly await Himejima Suou's coming. Because he is an important member of the Himejima Clan, and has committed terrible atrocities to Akeno and many others in the name of humanity's 'purity'.

When he does come, I'll be ready. And I'll make sure he won't die easily. I'll bring unto him the same torture techniques he's been taught and even more.

It'll anger the Himejimas, no doubt. But I don't really mind.

I'll just destroy them all.)