Inner Demons

Back at Yomi, Akuma and Izanami are waiting for Hades and Death. Akuma said, “We don’t have time for this.” Izanami said, “Hades is your superior so you will treat him as so.” Hades appeared in a spiral of blue fire and said, “Akuma was right. Yara is currently in Greece and my brothers are back.” Death appeared and said, “I have knowledge about someone who can track down Susanoo and deal with him.” Izanami leaned forward and asked, “Who?” Death said, “A samurai who goes by the name Orochi but if he’s going to work with us, he wants some form of payment.” Izanami asked, “What are his demands?” A man in spiky red samurai armor said, “The Eternal Flame.” Hades laughed and said, “Not in a lifetime.” He looked at Hades and said, “I’m the best bet you have.” Hades frowned and said, “My nephew Hercules owes me a favor. I could have him deal with that Tate brat.” Steam began to come from the armor and he said, “But it should be demon vs demon.” Izanami said, “I’ll give you the ability to learn something just by seeing it once and being able to copy it flawlessly.” Orochi nodded and said, “I won’t fail you.”

Two years had gone by ever since Thane left to train with Kyle and he had replaced his sword with a newer one. It was still a katana but the edge was a dark blue and the more inward part of the blade was midnight blue. The handle was white and his tsuba was an orange trapezoid. Thane had also started to change the way he dressed. He wore baggy black sweatpants and didn’t bother putting on a shirt or jacket because of the constant heat in the Astral Planes. He also had his hair in a ponytail because it gets in his way when he’s training but he doesn’t want to cut it but it still went down to the center of his back. He had his sword and sheath attached to his side. Right now he was meditating on a boulder in the middle of a pond and learning how to use the water element. He had mastered wind and sound and Kyle told him that water was the third easiest, all he had to do was focus on water and imagine it flowing. He’s been trying to do this for three months now and still hasn’t managed to master it but he isn’t too mad. Tori was circling Thane in the air and she let out a loud caw. Thane opened his eyes and stood up. Tori dove down and landed on his shoulder. Thane saw that she had a letter tied to her foot so he grabbed it and unfolded it. To his surprise, it was from Katie. Thane had only sent one letter using Tori but he never thought that she got it. Thane began to read the letter:

Dear Thane,

I’m really happy to hear that your training is going well. Mine, Rebecca’s, Connie’s, and Itsuki’s training is tough but we’re managing. It is a little boring not hearing one of your jokes or stories but other than that, I can’t complain. I’ve been practicing a little kenjutsu with the sword you gave me but by the time you get here, I should have my own. Your sword is in good condition though so you don’t have to worry. I should also tell you that I got my third tail so you aren’t the only one getting stronger.

Love, Katie

Thane smiled and folded the letter, putting it in his pocket. Kyle saw Thane and yelled, “Come here!” Thane looked at him and stopped smiling. It wasn’t because he was upset or anything but when in the middle of training, he tries to be serious. Thane jumped off of the boulder and landed in front of Kyle. Kyle was wearing black jeans and a white tank top. He was extremely muscular and had a stubble beard. His hair was long and straight, heading down his back. He asked, “How’s your water training going?” Thane said, “I’ve managed to control a small amount of water. Pretty much what’s in the pond.” Kyle smiled and said, “Good, now try to control it with your Sage Power.” Thane shrugged and made an X with his arms and he made sure his palms were facing out. Thane’s eyes turned orange and his pupils became slits. Thane then broke the X and he looked at the water. Thane held out his hand and large ripples came from the center of the pond. The ripples became more intense and large with each wave and then Thane snapped his fingers. The water took the shape of a giant dragon and Thane looked at Kyle.

Kyle was impressed with how far Thane had come and he began to slowly clap. “You learn fast but you still have much to learn.” Kyle said with a smile on his face. Thane returned the water to the lake and he returned to his normal state. Kyle asked, “Have you been practicing with your Samurai Vision?” Thane frowned and said, “You shouldn’t even know about that technique.” Kyle said, “Your father wants me to teach it to you.” “If he wanted me to know it so much, he should teach me himself like an actual dad.” Thane said in retaliation to Kyle’s answer. It’s been two years since he was last in the clan and normally he wouldn’t have any problem with it but he felt abandoned so it brought him a lot of rage and sorrow when his family was brought into a conversation. Kyle asked, “Do you know why you’re here?” Thane said, “Because I won a bet.” Kyle smiled and said, “Jack wanted Edo to train you but Edo told him that I was training you, so he visits almost every night while you sleep. You are his first born son and the heir to the Tate Clan. He worries about you but he’s scared to face you.” Thane looked at Kyle confused and said, “But he’s much more powerful than me.” Kyle nodded and said, “He isn’t afraid of your power. He’s scared because he sees himself inside of you. I’ve been in this universe for hundreds of years and you act just like your father. He doesn’t want you to make the same mistakes he made. The same mistakes that cost your sister’s life.”

Thane sighed and asked, “When can I return to my actual home?” Kyle placed his hand on Thane’s forehead and let out a reassuring smile. “Very soon. I promise.” Kyle said with a calming voice. Kyle took his hand off of Thane’s forehead and asked, “Now have you practiced with your Samurai Vision.” Thane nodded. The Samurai Eye is a Tate Clan technique that helps them see things move much slower than they’re actually moving. They’re also able to use Soul Techniques that specialize for the specific user and they can see their opponent’s soul. Thane hadn’t figured out his special ability yet but he was able to use the Samurai Eye with ease. Kyle was also able to perform it because Thane’s grandfather gifted it to him for saving the clan. Kyle smiled and said, “Good. But I don’t believe you.” Kyle snapped his fingers and twenty pebble sized pieces of metal came from the ground. Thane backed up and his eyes turned green. The metal pieces flew towards Thane at speeds that were equal to bullets but to Thane, they looked to be as fast as the average frisbee. Thane dodged ten of the pieces but Kyle flicked his wrist and the other ten began to move ten times fast and more erratically. Thane had a hard time keeping up with their movements and to him, they looked like they were flying at speeds that a baseball pitched by a professional would be flying at. Thane would prepare to doge one but it would change direction at the last second and a secondary one would fly from beside or behind him.

Impressed with Thane’s skills at dodging, Kyle made the metal pieces disappear and Thane’s eyes returned back to normal. Kyle smiled and said, “So you have been practicing.” Thane nodded and began to stretch. A black man, around the size of Thane and with large muscles appeared behind Thane and attempted to grab his throat but he went completely through him. Thane reappeared behind him and he held his blade to the side of his neck. “Who are you?” The man frowned and said, “Ichiro Kamando.” Thane then sheathed his blade and hit the silverback gorilla that was standing behind him, with the back of his fist. The gorilla flew back and Thane walked in front of Ichiro and said, “Next time you want to come after me, try a little harder cousin.” Ichiro looked at Thane and smiled. “It’s been a while.” Ichiro was wearing green camo cargo jeans and a green tank top. He had a battle ax on his back. Ichiro was Thane’s cousin from his dad’s side. Ichiro’s mother was Thane’s father’s little sister but coincidentally, Ichiro and Thane were born a month apart. The Kamando Clan were also a similar clan to the Tate Clan except they use auras and spirit animals but the Tate Clan uses souls and Earth Spirits. The Kamando Clan is a hunting clan but they are seen as equals to the Tate Clan because of their amazing skills and a technique called Hunter Sense. Little is known about it but the Tate Clan only knows that it can rival their Samurai Vision and Hakai.

The gorilla stood up and walked beside Ichiro. Thane asked, “Why were you trying to attack me?” Ichiro bowed and said, “I was tasked with hunting down a blood demon and my skills led to you.” Thane sighed and said, “Well, I am half Blood Demon but we both know that I’m a better fighter.” Kyle smiled and said, “It seems that you two know each other.” Ichiro nodded and he said, “Oh but you haven’t met my spirit animal Griffin.” Thane looked at the gorilla and said, “Sorry for punching you.” Griffin grunted and Tori let out a loud caw. Ichiro said, “So you have a Spirit Animal.” Thane said, “Oh Tori. No, she’s my Mocking Crow. I’ve already taught her my Hakai.” Ichiro smiled and said, “Well, I hope you know how to leave this place.” Thane pointed up and Ichiro looked at the sky. He saw a large purple portal and Thane said, “Go through that and you’ll end up at the gateway at Edo’s monastery.” Ichiro looked at Thane and asked, “What are you doing here?” Thane said, “Training.” Ichiro asked, “For what?” Thane smiled and said, “To be the greatest swordsman.” Ichiro smiled and said, “When was the last time you were on earth.” I said, “Eight years in Astral Time but Earth Time, two years.” Kyle smiled and said, “You two have been catching up for long enough but we should head to Edo. I heard he has a surprise.”

Thane nodded and the three of them went through the portal but they appeared in the front of Edo’s monastery. They walked forward and opened the door. Thane walked in first and Ichiro and Kyle followed behind him. Thane had been practicing his demon powers so he’s pretty adaptable to most environments and Kyle knew that but Ichiro didn’t and he was just being cautious. They made it to a large dark room and Thane’s eyes immediately adjusted to the light, allowing him to see the entire room without any difficulties. Thane looked around and the lights immediately turned on, temporarily blinding him. Thane took a step back and closed his eyes trying to reorient himself. Thane opened his eyes and a man with long black hair and in a white kimono tried to punch Thane. Ichiro grabbed the man by the neck and threw him across the room. Thane smiled and said, “Thanks.” Ichiro nodded and Thane stepped forward. A flaming tornado then spun towards them and Thane’s right arm and right side of his chest turned bloody red. He held out his hand and once the flames made contact with it, he absorbed it. Ichiro asked, “How’d you do that?” Thane smiled and said, “Absorption. It’s a Demon Trait that Kyle taught me. Pretty cool right?” Ichiro nodded and said, “So it only works with elemental attacks.” Thane shook his head and said, “I can use it against many more attacks.” Edo then charged after them and Thane held out his hand. A large swirling flame flew out of it and Edo dodged the attack. Rebecca, in her werewolf form, charged after Ichiro and punched him into a wall. She looked at Thane and began to growl but Griffin punched her away. Thane and Kyle shrugged and they ran to Ichiro. Thane helped him up and said, “Give me a second.” He then walked to the center of the room and held his hand right next him with the palm facing up. Thane’s eyes turned green and everything began to shake. “Partial Hakai.” He spoke as the walls began to crack and the building shook even more. Itsuki began to laugh and he walked into the room. “You win.” Thane stopped his attack and Edo asked, “What was that?” Thane said, “That’s a secret.” His arm and chest returned to normal and he said, “This is a weird welcome home party.” Itsuki looked at Ichiro and asked, “Who are you?” Ichiro smiled and said, “I’m Thane’s cousin. Some people call us twins though, mainly because we were born at the exact same time.” Rebecca stood up and said, “Great. Now there’s two of them.” Thane shook his head and said, “Ichiro is a part of the Kamando Clan. That’s a hunting clan that uses auras and stuff. I’m a part of the Tate Clan and we use the soul and other dimensions.” Kyle smiled and said, “Better yet. He’s the reincarnation of Kratos. The god of divine strength.” Ichiro and Thane said in unison, “What?!” Kyle said, “Thane, you of all people should’ve sensed that.” Thane said, “Maybe but he’s born with an ability that hides his soul from my clan. It’s called the Silent Presence.” Thane stepped back and held his arms out. He caught Katie and said, “You guys are horrible at making traps.” Rebecca said, “It was all Itsuki’s plan.” Thane placed Katie down and she stood up. Her ears perked up at the sight of Thane. He smiled and said, “But it is great to see all of you guys.” Rebecca asked, “What happened to your shirt?” Thane said, “It’s hot as hell in the Astral Realm so I don’t wear one.” Katie stepped back and Thane asked, “Where’s Connie?” Itsuki said, “He left a month ago.” Thane began to think and he let out a nervous chuckle. “What day is it?” He asked. Rebecca said, “You’re kidding.” Thane shook his head and said, “To me it’s Friday 3rd of August.” Katie said, “It’s still May.” Thane smiled and said, “Thanks.” Edo said, “Katie, I hope you don’t mind leading Thane to his room.” Katie nodded and she walked off with Thane.

They walked down a hallway and the sun beamed through the windows. Thane placed his hand on Katie’s shoulder and she looked at him. He smiled and said, “We haven’t seen each other in two years and you won’t speak to me.” Katie didn’t say anything and he asked, “Is it the fact that I don’t have a shirt?” Katie still didn’t answer and Thane sighed. “I guess you’re mad at me.” Katie stopped walking and three white tails appeared. She looked at Thane and said, “Thank you.” Thane asked, “For what?” Katie smiled and said, “My tails aren’t translucent anymore. That means I’ve finally tapped into my true power and because of you, I’ve managed to get two more tails.” Thane said, “I didn’t help with any of that. You did it all on your own. But I’ve managed to tap into my true power too.” Thane’s right arm and chest turned bloody red and a horn that looked to be made of chunks of blood appeared over his left eye. The horn was at least six inches long and very sharp. Katie looked at him surprised and a little scared. Thane smiled and said, “I think I look pretty cool.” Katie asked, “Can I touch your horn?” Thane lowered his head and Katie walked towards him. She placed her hand on Thane’s horn and said, “It feels so real.” She backed up and Thane stood straight up. An arm then broke through the wall and grabbed Thane’s arm. Itb pulled Thane out of the monastery and threw him at a tree. Thane flipped midair and he landed on the trunk of the tree, standing up straight. He walked onto the actual ground and saw Lucifer and Sol standing there. Sol was in a knight’s armor and Lucifer wore a suit. Katie walked through the hole in the wall and Sol shot a beam of light after her. Thane ran in front of the beam and blocked it with his demon arm. Sol and Lucifer looked at him and the beam disappeared. Sol was amazed that Thane hadn’t sustained any damage from the attack but Lucifer expected it. Lucifer smiled and said, “Seems like our demon friend learned how much potential he has." Everyone ran to them and saw Sol and Lucifer. Tori flew in beside Thane and transformed into Thane when he’s in his normal state. Thane looked at Tori and said, “Protect them.” Tori nodded and Thane walked forward. Lucifer continued to smile and he said, “Remember Amaterasu. Sensory Samurai are our greatest threats.” Sol nodded and said, “Susanoo. I need your help.” Thane ignored her and Sol asked, “Are you listening?” Thane said, “Susanoo isn’t my name.” Sol frowned and said, “Fine. Thane, I need your help.” Thane asked, “What is it?” Sol frowned and said, “There’s an assassin after me, you, and Itsuki. He’s a part of the Tate Clan. I need you to help me kill him.” Thane said, “No.” Sol asked, “What?!” Thane said, “I’m not helping you. Find someone else.” Lucifer said, “Coward.” Thane ignored him and said, “Give me one good reason to help you.” Sol said, “I could die.” “Good riddens.” Sol looked at him surprised and said, “Then my reincarnation will be less powerful than me.” I said, “I can find them with ease and Edo will train them the right way.” Sol frowned and said, “You saved me at the school but you’re ignoring me here. I thought that you had a kind heart.” Thane said, “You tried to kill me, joined the devil, and think about no one but yourself. I can’t help someone like that.” Sol said, “You aren’t exactly perfect either. You tried to kill me and you also left Edo’s teaching to be trained by some outcast.” Thane shook his head and said, “I left to protect Katie. I left my home and my old life just to confuse the true enemies. I’m not on Tate Mountain with my clan because I’ve decided to sacrifice my life and live in a different dimension. I’m forced to be alone because I care about others. You’re alone because you don’t want to be seen around me and Itsuki.”

Sol said, “I could use the same excuse.” I looked at Sol and said, “I’m sorry.” Lucifer said, “No you’re not but if you won’t help us, maybe your next reincarnation will.” Lucifer walked towards Thane and threw a punch. He went completely through Thane and Thane disappeared. Thane reappeared at the tree and said, “You can’t touch me.” Lucifer charged after Thane and was about to punch him but Thane dodged the attack and kicked him into the woods.

Itsuki smiled and said, “Thane has gotten much stronger than we last saw him.” Rebecca asked, “Why do you say that?” Itsuki asked, “Doesn’t something seem off about him?” Rebecca shook her head and Katie said, “He isn’t using his sword.” Itsuki nodded and said, “It could just be a fake out but he might have incredibly powerful attacks when using his sword.” Kyle said, “He wanted to be the best swordsman so I first taught him powerful attacks.”

Lucifer then began to fly and he flew towards Thane. Thane let out a smile and said, “I’m done playing games.” Thane then charged after Lucifer and uppercutted his chest with his demon arm. One meter long blood spike appeared out of Lucifer’s back and Thane backed up. Kyle smiled and said, “This is Demon Mode Controlled. Thane can manipulate exposed blood or the blood of whatever he touches when he’s like this.” Lucifer fell to the ground and stood up. Thane placed his hand on Lucifer’s forehead and shot out the light beam that he absorbed from Sol. Lucifer was shot deep into the woods and the beam disappeared. Thane cracked his neck and Lucifer walked out of the woods. He ripped the bloody spike from his body and said, “I truly do hate you but now is not the time to be fighting. I don’t lie and I’m not lying when I say that this assassin is truly after you guys.” Thane returned to normal and said, “Let’s say I do believe you. What’s to stop you from attacking me?”

Lucifer pointed at Kyle and said, “That man can kill me with ease.” Thane looked at Sol and asked, “Why’d you come to me though?” Sol frowned and Lucifer said, “The gods rank the reincarnates by how powerful they are. You’re ranked at number one and are seen as a demigod so we really only need your help.” Thane frowned and said, “You can talk to Edo about that.”