The screams intensified, shattering the night's calm and tranquility. Takeshi had sensed something was wrong from the very beginning. Beyond his intuition, he realized the village was entirely empty—no residents strolling, no guards on watch—even though the sun had only just set and it wasn't yet time for sleep or dinner.
Upon reaching the two-story house from which the sound erupted, he stood before the open main door. He entered and moved with rapid steps, checking the rooms along the small hallway. He inspected two rooms, but they were empty of people, containing only old wooden furniture. Finally, he reached the door at the end of the corridor. It was partially open, but Takeshi couldn't see through the gap. He raised his hand to swing the door wide, and as he touched the handle, he heard the pained voice of a woman.
"Don't come any closer!!"
As soon as he heard her voice, he burst in. He looked up to see a wounded, suffering woman in her thirties holding her young daughter tightly. Before her stood a massive man wearing a dark green robe—the color of dry moss—holding a sharp knife. The woman's wounds were superficial, except for one deep gash in her abdomen which she covered with her hand, struggling against the pain to protect her child. The little girl had bloodstains on her clothes, hiding in her mother's warm, trembling embrace.
All eyes turned toward Takeshi. He entered with his focus locked on the man; what he saw was a clear crime. His first thought was that it was a kidnapping, a conclusion drawn from his previous experience with the Royal Skull Gang, which had left a mark on his mind.
The man turned to see who had opened the door. Seeing Takeshi behind him, he gave an indifferent expression, turned back to the woman, and said:
"Who are you? It seems you're one of these fools. Don't worry, your turn will come soon—"
The woman interrupted him with a faint voice emanating from a broken heart:
"Help me, please..."
Takeshi froze in place, staring at the scene without making a move, thinking to himself before taking any reckless action.
Why? Why am I wasting time here? Why don't we just continue our way—better yet, why am I standing still while this woman and child are about to be killed in front of me?
Suddenly, Takeshi clenched his loose fists and gritted his teeth, blaming himself for such naive thoughts. When the man in green heard the woman's whimpering, his eyes widened with rage. He looked at her and raised his hand high, pointing the knife at her, shouting:
"Damn you! Who gave you permission to speak!"
The woman closed her eyes, trembling with fear, while the girl refused to look, clinging to her mother as they awaited their end.
But suddenly...
BOOOOOOM!!
The sound of something massive and solid crashing into the wall erupted—it completely shattered it. The woman slowly opened her eyes to see only Takeshi standing before her. She looked toward the sound and saw a massive hole in the wall, nearly the size of the large man.
"What happened?"
The woman asked, overwhelmed by confusion, still clutching her daughter.
Takeshi had delivered a devastating punch to the center of the man's face, sending him crashing through the wall. He gave no reply to the woman; instead, he headed toward the hole and jumped out to meet the massive man lying on the ground. The man put his hand to his bleeding nose and tried to stand, bracing himself against the earth.
As the man tried to grasp what had happened, a long shadow blocked the moonlight. He opened his trembling eyes to see Takeshi standing over him, fist raised high.
"Wait—"
The man couldn't finish his sentence. He received another direct punch from Takeshi that pinned his head to the fertile ground. Despite the force of the blow, the man did not lose consciousness. This was due to a strange layer that had formed at the point of impact, absorbing much of the damage. The layer was semi-transparent and felt like a sponge; Takeshi initially felt as if he hadn't punched a person at all.
Is this an ability too?
Takeshi leaned down, pointing his fist at the man. With wide eyes and a stern, serious tone, he said:
"Don't move. The next punch will end everything..."
The massive man obeyed; after all, that spongy layer couldn't negate the damage entirely.
Yes, it is undoubtedly an ability... Takeshi thought, recalling a conversation with Orfin during the past two weeks.
***
During those two weeks, Takeshi had learned much from Orfin about abilities—their types, their dangers, and so on. Although Orfin had not answered every question, he had cleared the picture for Takeshi.
"Someone who can use branches to fight? Well, that is undoubtedly an ability, and it's of the Istara type,"
Orfin had explained. He broke down the basic types into three:
Istara Abilities: These allow the user to manipulate natural elements in general, like Yamikaji controlling trunks and branches, or Greid controlling ice.
Velk Abilities: These enable the user to create direct defenses or attacks, like Joso creating small sparks by snapping his fingers, or this man's ability to create a spongy layer to reduce damage.
Peripheral Abilities: These are the rarest and hardest to find. They allow the user to manipulate the surroundings/environment around them.
"Additionally, each person enjoys one ability that accompanies them for life, which they cannot change except in rare cases. Aura is considered the fuel for it. If you want to unlock your ability, there are two ways: the first is training, and the second is being in a life-or-death situation where your negative emotions intertwine."
Orfin had explained all this, though the information was incomplete and left many questions.
What if someone created an ice shield—what type would that be?
What if they manipulated an existing element rather than creating it—would that be Peripheral or Istara?
But for Takeshi, this didn't matter yet; he couldn't acquire one now, and time was running out to hunt his enemies.
***
"Who are you?"
Takeshi asked the man. The man responded with a wicked smile:
"Do you mean 'me' or 'us'?"
Takeshi raised an eyebrow, bringing his fist closer to the man's face.
"What do you mean?"
The man raised his hands and said with excitement:
"We are slave traders. We came to hunt new 'merchandise.' That woman refused to surrender, so I resorted to violence. I've scarred her body and filled her with wounds—oh, the Master might be angry with me—but he'll vent his anger on the person who interfered in our business—"
"I understand..."
Takeshi interrupted him with a crushing punch that bypassed the spongy layer, smashing his face and burying his head into the cracked earth. Takeshi's hand was stained with blood as he glared at the man. He stood up, facing the massive body lying on the ground.
He raised his bloodied hand, staring at it with intense focus. He suddenly clenched it and looked up at the sky, where bright white stars sparkled.
"Slave traders, then? I don't know how many there are, or how strong they are, but... I will carve my path through them regardless!!"