I lost track after a thousand deaths.
My body eventually adapted. I felt no pain, not a single speck of fear, when I experienced death. Everything just felt…calmer.
Or it was just me who had lost his sanity.
Either way, it had been months, trapped in this place, dying.
No food, no water, not a single minute of sleep.
Just death.
Over and over and over and over.
I didn't even resist anymore. It was to a point that my death felt like a breath.
Because even with a sword stabbed, guts spilt, limbs torn apart, skinned alive, burned, drowned, eyes gouged out, suffocation, and several other manners of death, I had experienced.
I learned to remain calm. Keep my 'Panic' in check, that's what he tells me at least.
"How long has it been?" I asked, sitting beside Orochi.
We were on the peak of one of his heads. The real form of Orochi. High up in the sky, from where I could observe his mind realm as if I were sitting on the edge of a high skyscraper.
"Ten months," He spoke, and leaned back, lying down on his back.
"Not killing me anymore?" I asked.
"Hm… I think you've learned your lesson," he said.
"So this was just petty revenge for our argument back then…" I replied.
"No, I literally mean the first lesson." He countered.
Son of a bitch was definitely lying.
"So…If a month here is an hour outside, I believe just ten hours have passed in the real world…quite a cheat," I said, lying down and staring at the red thunderous sky, which felt so close to me.
"This much is…bare minimum, if you really want to be a part of celestial trials," He spoke, staring at the sky, just like me.
"How are you so sure I want to be a part of that?" I asked, tilting my head towards him.
"Oh come on, I figured out everything about you, this much is nothing," he replied.
"…I guess," I murmured.
Orochi raised his one hand and opened his palm wide. "Raise your hand like me…"
I furrowed, but still followed. Raising my hand and opening my palm.
"Now…don't force yourself to feel your aura, just close your eyes, and project a katana, just like mine, and grip it," He said.
'Wait…it's that easy?' I thought.
"No, it's not. But you don't think I killed you over a million times just for nothing, do you?" Orochi spoke.
"Fine…" I closed my eyes and thought about the sword.
Curved, single-edged blade with a pointed end, slightly elongated. A serpent-shaped tsuba, forged in dark steel. Eight heads coiling outward.
Etched along the spine (Mune) are storm-like wave patterns, the tsuka (handle) wrapped in deep silk cord, with silver menuki (Ornamental grips) shaped like coiled black serpents.
I took a deep breath and closed my palms tight.
A satisfying smile crept up my lips. I felt a grip.
I opened my eyes and looked at the long katana in my hand. A sword with no weight, but it felt as if it could cut anything in its path.
Completely black hilt, black tsuka, and a dark blade with a breath of white-and-black aura of mine.
It was a piece of art.
I raised my other hand and tried projecting another, just like the twin swords of Orochi.
But…nothing happened.
"It will take time…but I say it's decent progress, considering the details of your katana," Orochi spoke.
"Time for the next lesson," He said, standing up.
"About time-"
*Stab*
…He killed me again.
"Kusanagi is the final form of the twin swords of Orochi." He continued, manifesting one of his katana.
"But to reach that level, it might take decades," He said, pointing his blade at me.
I could manifest my blade at any time now. Holding my katana, which was in complete contrast to the flaming blue of his, I kept playing with it.
"Chūdan-no-kamae"
"Jōdan-no-kamae"
"Gedan-no-kamae"
"Hasso-no-kamae"
"Waki-gamae"
"Seigan-no-kamae"
"Katto-no-kamae"
"Morote-gamae"
"Itto-no-kamae"
"Kasumi-no-kamae"
"Kage-no-kamae"
"Tsubame-gaeshi"
"These are the twelve main forms of the Serpent sword style, which you need to master, just so that you can learn Kusanagi," Orochi spoke, and continued.
"Kasumi, Waki are the deception arts. Seigan and Jodan are dominant and have psychological control. Tsubame-gaeshi, the final stance before Kusanagi, is the echo of Susanoo," He said.
"That's a lot to take in for …second lesson," I replied, swinging my sword. It felt good.
A few more swings and training, I felt like I could kill him.
"Why the hell are you waving your katana like a child?" Orochi pointed at my sword with his.
"Focus," he said, and took a stance.
"You'll learn Kage-no-Kamae first. The shadow stance." He continued, took a step and disappeared.
"Oh…" I felt the world turning upside down as my head fell on the ground.
"The shadow stance," Orochi spoke as my world turned black again.
"Well, that's one hell of a demonstration," I said, alive again, standing in front of him.
"To master Kage, you need to learn its five stages." Orochi began speaking again.
"Ichi no Kage. The stillness." (First Shadow)
"Ni no Kage. The displacement." (Second Shadow)
"San no Kage. The entry." (Third Shadow)
"Shi no Kage. The afterimage." (Fourth Shadow)
"Go no Kage. The emptiness." (Fifth Shadow)
'Basically flash step,' I thought, and nodded at his teachings.
'Who knew there were theories to swinging a sword,' I thought.
"In your classic Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, visible motion comes from three betrayals, Shoulders, hips, and breathing."
"To learn the stillness, you should have no readable initiation." He said and took a stance.
Sword held slightly off centre, tip angle towards my shoulder line, body angled about 30 degrees off-line, rear heel slightly raised, and knees soft.
"Take this stance," he said, and I followed.
"Relax shoulders," he pointed out.
"Then how will I hold my sword u-"
*Stab*
…
"Alright, man, just correct me, no need to kill me every time now…" I spoke and took the same stance again.
"Shoulders relaxed…"
"Trying,"
"Try harder,"
"I'm trying my bes-"
*Stab*
'Fuck this shit,' I thought, my vision fading to black once more. 'Dying while the kingdom falls into ruin isn't a bad idea either…'