Reji looked up at Oza with bright, excited eyes.
"Would you train me now? I'm really excited to learn many things!"
Oza smiled calmly and nodded.
"Sure. I'll do my best to teach you. Follow me."
Without wasting another second, Reji quickly followed Oza. They left the house and traveled deeper into the forest, where tall trees surrounded them and sunlight filtered through the leaves in golden beams.
Eventually, they arrived at a small clearing in the middle of the forest.
Oza bent down and picked up a wooden sword resting near a tree before turning toward Reji.
"I want you to show me what you've learned with your kusarigama," he said. "Even if it's only a little."
"Alright!" Reji grinned confidently. "I'll show you!"
He pulled out his kusarigama and took a deep breath. The chain rattled softly as he swung it through the air. His movements were focused and controlled, though the weapon still felt slightly heavy in his hands.
The blade spun in smooth circles around him.
Oza watched quietly before smiling.
"Now, I want you to cut that tree."
He pointed toward a nearby tree standing several meters away.
Reji paused for a moment, then tightened his grip.
"Okay!"
He began swinging the kusarigama faster and faster. The chain whistled through the air as momentum built around the weapon. With a quick motion, he launched the blade forward.
WHOOSH!
The curved blade sliced across the trunk.
Reji immediately pulled the chain back.
CRACK!
The tree trembled violently before splitting apart and crashing to the ground.
Oza clapped his hands with a pleased smile.
"Very good, Reji."
Reji puffed out his chest proudly.
"Really?"
"Really."
Oza rested the wooden sword on his shoulder.
"Now let me ask you something. Do you possess any special powers? Such as Base Energy, Advanced Energy, or Forbidden Energy?"
Reji giggled.
"I only have Reikou! My father told me I awakened Reikou energy!"
He tilted his head curiously.
"What about you?"
Oza smiled faintly.
"I do have one."
"Really?"
"Yes."
His expression remained calm.
"It's Forbidden Energy."
Reji's eyes widened.
"Forbidden Energy?"
Oza nodded.
"Your Reikou belongs to Base Energy. It is the most common type and the easiest to awaken."
Reji leaned forward.
"Then what does Forbidden Energy do?"
Oza looked toward the sky.
"Forbidden Energy grants abilities that resemble the powers of gods."
Reji gasped dramatically.
"So you're a god?!"
Oza laughed.
"Not exactly."
He folded his arms.
"When someone reaches Forbidden Energy, they may gain a power known as a World."
"A World?"
"Yes. A personal reality shaped by their own existence and power. Every World is different."
Reji's eyes sparkled.
"Then what's your World?"
Black Sea is a terrifying ability that forcibly overwrites the surrounding world with an endless ocean of darkness. Upon activation, the sky loses all light and becomes a boundless black void, while the ground beneath everyone transforms into a silent sea stretching infinitely in every direction.
Unlike ordinary illusions, Black Sea is a manifested reality. Those trapped within it feel as though the laws of the world have changed. Their sense of balance becomes unstable, their perception of distance and direction collapses, and their minds are gradually overwhelmed by a feeling of insignificance before the endless abyss.
As the victim's consciousness weakens, the sea begins to pull them downward. No matter how they struggle, the depths continue to drag them deeper into the darkness. The deeper they sink, the greater the pressure becomes, crushing both body and spirit beneath the weight of the abyss.
At the lowest depths lies the true horror of Black Sea. The ocean itself becomes a living force that invades the victim's body, extracting blood, vitality, and spiritual energy directly from their existence. Conventional durability, armor, regeneration, and defensive abilities offer little protection, as the sea does not attack the surface—it attacks the very essence of its target.
Within the abyss, time loses meaning. A few seconds in reality can feel like centuries to the victim. Many experience what seems to be thousands of years of endless drowning, isolation, and suffering before their existence is finally consumed by the sea.
Reji's eyes widened with amazement as he listened to Oza explain the terrifying nature of Black Sea.
"You're actually really powerful!" he exclaimed. "How did you manage to get a power like that?"
Oza's gaze drifted toward the sky above the forest. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting shifting shadows across his face.
"Since I was born, I already had it," he replied calmly. "And... I used it on my parents."
The words struck Reji like a physical blow.
His grip loosened, and the kusarigama slipped from his hands, landing softly on the grass.
"You... killed your own parents...?"
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Oza smiled.
It wasn't a cruel smile, nor was it particularly sad. It was simply calm, as if he were talking about something ordinary.
"You don't have to think about those things, Reji. You're still too young to understand."
Reji swallowed nervously. The answer didn't really explain anything, but somehow he felt it would be rude to ask further.
Instead, he looked away and asked another question.
"Do you even have any friends?"
Oza chuckled softly.
"No. I don't have any friends."
His eyes wandered toward the endless blue sky beyond the trees.
"I prefer being alone. A peaceful life is enough for me."
Reji nodded slowly, though he wasn't entirely convinced.
There was something strange about Oza. He was kind, patient, and easy to talk to, yet there was a distance around him that felt impossible to cross.
Oza remained silent for a few seconds.
When I was a child, I used to stare at the sky for hours.
I wondered what the world would be like if I were the only one left alive.
Quiet, wasn't it?
No arguments. No expectations. No meaningless voices filling the air.
Just silence.
His smile remained unchanged.
Then I started wondering... what if I simply killed them all?
At first it was only a thought. A childish curiosity.
But after discovering my Forbidden Energy, that curiosity became something else.
I still don't know how I awakened it. Maybe I was born with it. Maybe fate made a mistake.
Whatever the reason, the moment I understood the power I possessed... I used it on my parents.
And they died.
The wind rustled the leaves overhead.
People think loneliness is painful.
They're wrong.
Loneliness is peaceful.
One day, I'll make this world quiet.
I can't kill Shougo yet. He's stronger than me.
But eventually... when the time is right... I'll betray him.
Reji bent down and picked up his kusarigama, brushing dirt from the handle.
"Alright..." he said awkwardly. "I think I understand. Let's just continue practicing."
He glanced at Oza one last time, searching for some hint of what the man was really thinking.
But all he found was the same gentle smile.
"Of course," Oza replied warmly.
The two returned to training as the afternoon sun slowly crossed the sky. Reji practiced his swings, learned new stances, and listened carefully to every lesson his master offered.
And while the boy focused on becoming stronger, he remained completely unaware that behind Oza Fujiwara's calm eyes rested a darkness deeper than any abyss the young warrior had ever imagined.