-- Nineteen Years Later --
Obai Sirle was lost in thought, analyzing the battle taking place in front of him. It was a simple one-on-one, but the stakes against the two men couldn't have been higher.
Both were fighting for the right to gain seemingly magical strength in order to become heroes in the War for Vweiya, a war who's beginning had shocked the continent from a maddening invasion along the Devil's Arm.
The opposing force of the Seishin quickly became hated throughout the Vweiyan Empire, turning the image of strong warriors into those of treacherous monsters. Now that a year has passed, the tales of the battles along both the Arm and the Kokoro Isles have traveled to the furthest corners of the world.
People clashing sword on sword, breaking apart boulders and trees with each swing. A small village splitting in half from a general's attack. The level of devastation had never been displayed before.
In the beginning, most people assumed that fear had made others exaggerate details. But the few that survived those encounters quickly shared that there was more to a human than what was previously known.
Even though the Empire was leading the forces onto the battlefield, the heavy hitters all stemmed from a group named the Karada. Their appearance had been a mystery, however they had always existed alongside the higher-ups. They were hidden simply because of the power that they possessed. The manipulation of divine energy.
But now that they were at war against a strong adversary, the Karada couldn't afford losing the territory they had worked tirelessly to maintain. And so, they sent their elites to the battlefield. Wreaking havoc from their monstrous strength that rivaled the devils, granted to them by the energy manipulation technique that was taught by Karada's leader, Ilka Merric.
Now every new soldier wanted to become stronger. The new initiation battles were quickly put in place by the Empire to weed out the weak and grant the strongest fighters the right to become devils themselves.
'You don't swipe at the legs there, he's already recovered and about to parry.'
The battles before Obai took place in a simple dueling arena, sand covering the floor, the ring shaped into a hexagon with nets covering each side, connected by tall wooden pillars, to prevent the fighters from escaping their brazen choice.
The upcoming fighters all stood outside the ring in some simple stone stands. Cheers would bounce against the walls behind them, echoing every hit that each fighter landed upon the other.
Every few minutes two people would grab a bokken and enter the arena. They would fight each other until one of them either gave up, or couldn't stand. Plenty of blood had already soaked into the middle of the sand from people too determined to give up.
"Do you feel nervous?"
Obai wasn't listening, still focused on studying the current duel.
'Most of the people here don't seem to have good training. I should be able to outclass anyone, but can I overwhelmingly win without resorting to that?'
A small cough came from a short man next to him. "Um, sir, do you feel nervous about your battle?"
Finally realizing that someone was trying to talk to him, Obai's eyes widened slightly and he quickly faced the shaky young man. Well, he only looked young from his height, Obai couldn't tell if he was really older or not. The age of people here ranged from sixteen to twenty-one.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you... um, what were you saying?" he replied coldly.
The initiator smiled weakly as he asked again for the third time. "I was simply wondering if you were nervous at all. Uh... you don't have to answer. Talking just helps my nerves."
Obai's eyes grew calculated as he looked over the man. He was too thin and short to pose as a threat. Did he have exceptional skill? Perhaps not, considering how shaky his body was before his battle even started.
'Damn... this guy might die.'
"I'm not really nervous, but I'm definitely staying alert."
The smaller man's shaking stopped. "Ah! I see! If you don't mind me asking, where are you in the queue?"
Obai looked back towards the now ending battle, replying sharply. "I'm next."
"Oh! Then... I guess you'll be fighting my older brother."
He smirked. "Oh? I don't suppose you'd give me any tips?"
"Haha, sorry. I'll have to root for him. But I'm sure it'll be a close battle."
Cheers erupted around them, announcing the end of the fight.
Obai didn't answer, simply watching the crowd, spotting a couple men on the other side who had started to move.
Two guards unhooked one of the nets from a supporting beam, opening up the arena. They were both part of the Karada, wearing dark clothes that lacked sleeves. Each of them had a tattoo of the face of Sennirad, the devil of strength, on the side of their left bicep. It wasn't very intricate, but anyone would recognize the boar-human hybrid with horns off the side of its head.
Both guards calmly walked in and started to drag the beaten body out of the arena. Neither of their faces contorted in emotion, already used to the disgusting routine.
'I guess most of the close matches won't end with a fighter tapping out.'
"Are you a good fighter?" he asked the small man.
"Ah, not really, I still thought it was worth entering to have a chance to get the rumored energy manipulation."
'Yea... this guy's definitely going to die.'
Obai chuckled softly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Maybe it would've been better to learn from those rumors before entering."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I guess most people wouldn't know, but there's more places in the world to acquire energy manipulation."
The man looked a little shocked. What he'd just heard wasn't something most people knew. In fact, Obai wasn't sure that anyone besides the divine manipulators recognized the multiple traits of energy.
The tiny man must've been rethinking everything right now.
The arena fully cleared and it was time for Obai to meet his challenge.
Obai stepped forward, reviewing everything he had seen that day as well as all of the lessons his sister and uncle Skaa'rei had once taught him. This battle was simply one of many steps he needed to take. He better not fail immediately.
"Hey!"
He turned, surprised by the short man's shout. He stared at the man, looking at him puzzlingly.
"Name's Teddy. What about you?"
Obai paused. 'Really? He wants to know my name? I'm about to beat up his brother!'
He turned back, answering Teddy with a minuscule amount of amusement in his voice. "I'll tell you when I win."
He quickly reached one of the nets, pushing through the loud and rough crowd. Taking a glimpse at the slightly taller guard, Obai simply looked at the bokken in the man's hand. A second later it was shoved into his grip.
He was then ushered through the net and into the arena, taking one last glance at the guards behind him. His sight landed on the tattoo once more, and a light burned within his eye.
He was going to win. Giving up was not an option for him. Obai was determined. More determined than anyone else here. Even if he did end up on the floor like the last loser, he was going to keep fighting. He needed the power Karada offered. The Body Trait was the easiest and most helpful for him, and once he mastered its energy manipulation techniques he could focus on his goal.
The Karada may be at war, but he didn't care about that. He simply needed to gain more strength and experience, as well as observe the higher ups of Karada. He needed to know more before he killed his target. Obai was going to get his revenge for Nova's murder by killing the one responsible – the most powerful person in the Empire, Ilka Merric.