"The discipline of suffering, of great suffering... has been the sole cause of every enhancement in humanity so far."
— Friedrich Nietzsche
"To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering."
— Friedrich Nietzsche
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When a drax takes off his mask for another drax, it is simply translated to "KANASU", submission of a drax to another. By no means is a KANASU broken as death is the penalty for those who refuse to accept their new fate as slave to another below or above them.
"Hope you don't regret it, your rules I mean"horror grinned like a maniac drawing out his special weapon, two katanas, with just one gaze at him ruke knew the drax in front of him was great at close range combat, but still against him that was nothing.
"No comments huh?...kill joy"horror smiled charging towards ruke katana at hand, this wasn't unexpected, his type were the ones who rushed in blindly simply repositioning his shoulders without moving one inch from where he stood he avoided a slash, then caught the katana on horrors left arm with his finger.
"If that's how you fight, you won't win against me"ruke whispered loud enough for only he to hear, he then slammed his knee against horrors chest, held him and threw him towards the other side of the warehouse floor.
"What the hell?, I'm bleeding?"horror huffed stareing at the blood on the floor, Tracing a finger on his lip and looking at it, he could see blood, why was he bleeding?, he wasn't kicked hard enough to make him bleed he thought diverting his gaze towards ruke
"Why you!!!"horror yelled rushing in again, this time his attack was different, he went for a stab but as soon as ruke slammed the blade away using his scabbard a second unseen attack tried slashing off his head but he forced his head back letting the katana slash past his neck without touching him, it was over all so ruke thought, a third slash slammed him so hard it raised dust clouds around blinding the view from most drax's.
"I hit him good this time didn't I?"horror laughed hopping back as he waited for the dust clouds to clear off.
"Did he do it?....., did he get him slammed?...,has he defeated the doushin?"voice around couldn't be helped there was no reaction coming from the dust clouds that could tell them if the doushin was alive or not.
"Did he really defeat the doushin?"a drax standing behind the drax on white mask ask stareing down at the dust clouds which was now starting to clear off
"With eyes so poor and ki reading so low I wonder how I ever made you my subordinate?....."the white masked drax insulted still stareung down waiting for the dust clouds to clear off
"I'm sorry Lord light....., I'll do better next time"the drax behind pleaded
"No need for apologies pain....., it's just how it is, the powerful get power the weak get weaker"light replied with a smile. He dust clouds were now cleared off and to everyone's surprise the doushin still stood on that same spot unscathed and with no damage or injury to show from that last attack.
"Impossible"horror stared his gaze filled with horror, no one had ever survived hIs triple slash, not even his superiors when they faced him head on., but this doushin survived, and he didn't just survive it, he was unscathed, unharmed and still standing right there stareing at him.
"If those were your most powerful attacks ..., then I think we know how this is gonna play out don't we?"ruke asked his red blood coated eyes filled with blood lust.
"How did he do it?"horror thought standing still while stareing at a now dandered up ruke "I didn't really want to use this but you've forced it out of me" horror smiled, gesturing his fingers he made four hand signs "DOWNPOUR!" He yelled his grip tightening against his katana while he slowly took steps approaching ruke. Ruke could tell something was off about that last attack, he could feel a sudden pain in his head, his vision were now getting blurry and his nose were bleeding, each steps horror took only increased the pain he felt,"Was this it?" He wondered, the horror show many drax's spoke of...., "must be it"he concluded exhaling deeply and closing his eyes, he then proceeded to placing one knee on the floor and grabbing his katana but still not pulling it out.
"Your technique is great, but it has one flaw"ruke said tilting his head in accordance with horrors steps, he could feel horror moving, he could feel each step and with that he knew exactly where horror was.
"Flaw?....what flaw?...this technique was studied and deemed worthy, pronounced perfect by the grandmasters, who are you to say it has a flaw? Huh!"horror yelled angry advancing his steps towards ruke but ruke had heard him coming, waiting for the perfect chance to strike ruke drew his katana slicing through horrors mask which fell down in pairs. It has been cut without horror himself realizing, this astonished everyone present as they hadn't seen ruke draw his katana in the first place.., "how did he....., what the hell is going on?"they wondered.
"that guys dangerous.....,"light smiled stareing down at the arena as he watched ruke withdraw his katana from horrors neck "slicing at a speed surpassing that of the gatekeepers, he really is no ordinary rookie" light concluded with a smile
"When did he?.....tssssssssssssk, how did he do it?, I had the advantage here, what the hell happened!!!"horror yelled angrily, he hadn't seen ruke move a muscle but he felt the impact when the blade collided with the mask and watched it fall down "who are you??"horror asked, he had a sick look in his eyes, although not of hatred but if submission and admiration, "this guy was on a while other level,"he acknowledged letting go of his weapons then stareing at ruke
"You told me earlier, that my technique was flawed...., what was the flaw?"horror asked
"It had failed to take me down, that is it's flaw"ruke responded walking past horror with his arm placed on horrors shoulder "I won....., I know you know what that means"ruke said walking ahead to meet other drax's around, he had ended his duel rather faster than he anticipated. With the duel concluded, ruke proceeded to meeting the rest of the drax who had gathered by words from the grandmasters.
"Your battle was so thrilling, I think I backae a fan!" A child looking lady drax yelled standing in front of ruke "call me lust, honored to meet you"lust continued, ruke said nothing he walked past her like she wasn't even there and proceeded to meet the drax who had watch ed the duel from the to floor, the drax on white mask light. He knew only two people were different from every other drax in the temple, and they were the gatekeeper to the sanctum, the drax with the black mask 'dark', and the silent protector of the temple who overseers it's safety from the outside, the drax in white mask 'light". Even he knew not why they had separate masks from other drax who possessed the red, blue and green mask, but he knew the legends which brought upon the distinct colour.
"The doushin in the flesh....., nice fight out there"light complimented as ruke approached him
"Crap that...., let's get straight to business...., the grandmasters had told me earlier that you'd be in need of assistance, what do you want?" Ruke asked as Impatient as ever but light seemed not to have been offended by rukes words
"Heard Yu were a grumpy one..., confirmed that myself just now.."light joked sitting on the couch on the upper chamber, come to think of it ruke had just noticed the upper floor looked more of a safe house than a hide out, and he knew why
"Go on then,.. take a seat"light smiled, ruke took a sit just in front of light and soon after lights smile disappeared,
"Leave us alone, just the both of us"light order and at this words the drax's standing guard around the room instantly left. Light no longer looked like a jokester but now look like the drax ruke expected an had imagined him to be.
"What I'm about to tell you no one else should hear, is that clear?"he said his voice sending both threats and danger towards ruke who for the first time in a while felt a bit of fear in his unfeeling heart.
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"Where the hell did he run off to?"uda asked, she had just returned from the tavern but found her daughter alone at home, and ruke no where to be found "had they got him too?"uda wondered her tears getting the better of her "if he was harmed, then was all her fault for letting him send those thugs off earlier"she thought patiently waiting for ruke to return and finally he did but was also so surprised when he received a tight hug from uda. "Where have you been all day!"she yelled not out of anger but of concern, was she really worried about his well being he questioned watching her take her arms off him
"Where the hell have you been?"she asked again, did he really have to answer that?, he could only stare as she yelled and questioned him
"Out"ruke finally replied walking past uda and heading for his room.
"So shallow...., I wondered what made him that way?"uda smiled watching ruke walk away "at least nothing has happened to him and he had returned safely"she muttered her voice low enough for only her to hear what she said.
"A massacre?...,"ruke thought, lights words still lingered within him like a hangover after a drunk night, it had barely been a week since he got out of the temple and now the grandmasters are ordering a massacre?"he thought sitting on the huge piece of clothing set on the floor for him
["The grandsmasters have sent words that you'll be participating in the day of cleansing",
"What cleansing?"
"An order to take down every member of the force task with searching and locating the temple, this mission commences in two days be ready before then, briefing will be held on the same day, that's as much info as I can give till the d day, get ready doushin..., the massacre of blood will soon be upon us]
"In two days"ruke huffed getting pulled out from his thoughts by a knock on the door he quickly opened to find anila standing outside
"Hy, em..., I was wondering if you could escort me to the village market tomorrow, I'd feel a whole lot safer if I had you around you know after today's incident"anila asked her chin rosey red and her gaze pointed at the hall, she was definitely trying to avoid any eye contact between her and ruke and ruke knew exactly what she was doing, not like it mattered to him anyway he huffed answering positively to anila request
"Really"anila asked tilting her head enough to stare ruke in the eye surprised he had agreed to escort her
"Yes...., that all?"ruke asked
"Yh..."she replied turning around and slowly heading for her room, ruke did the same but before he could shut his door he heard his name being called by anila at the hall "and ruke.....thank you" she thanked staggering back to her room, all this felt nostalgic like he had lived this exact moment before, while he thought, it hit him.... He has figured it out
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"And ruke [hey Shadow]....thank you [thank you]"
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"They sound too damn alike"ruke chuckled painfully not being able to hold back some tear as they slowly rolled down his chin, "too alike"he muttered