10Surrounded on all sides by three Black Smile agents was a tall, pale white Shattered. Unlike other Shattered with indiscernible features, this one had a face much like a human's, though its proportions were sharper, more dagger like. It even had a head of long, thin hairs that shone emerald in the sunlight. Its bare feet clenched to the gravel on the rooftop where they all stood. The agents surrounding it started moving slowly closer.
"Back!" It spoke, arms outstretched in either direction. "Stand back before I flatten this whole building and bury you all under the rubble."
Of the three Black Smile agents, the one in front, Kyoko stood armed with a scythe several heads taller than her. The other two members, Takashi and Masaru, flanked the Shattered. Takashi armed with weighty steel gauntlets, while Masaru brandished a whip, its ends spiraling on the gravel. The Shattered recognized their shadowy black sports jackets, the white armband on their right sleeves bore smiling black lips with the word "smile" between. It watched as Kyoko exchanged looks with both her comrades.
She leveled her scythe to the Shattered, maintaining her distance. A whip cracked from the Shattered's blindspot, lashing round its leg taking hold of its ankle.
"Takashi! Now!" Kyoko yelled.
Takashi rushed forward from behind. He swung, but an arm motion from the Shattered arrested Takashi in an invisible grip. The Shattered waved its hand, propelling Takashi into Masaru.
Kyoko stepped forward, scythe descending upon the Shattered. But it responded with an open palm in her direction, sending an unseen force that threw her backwards to the rooftop's edge.
"Kyoko!" Masaru yelled, cracking his whip at the Shattered's back. With a flex of its back muscles, it sent a pulse misdirecting the whip, and striking Masaru across the face.
Turning around, the Shattered watched Takashi rise to his feet. Arm outstretched, it thrust an invisible pressure against Takashi's knee, forcing it to buckle inwards. Takashi collapsed with an agonized howl gawking helplessly at the branches of bone piercing his flesh. With a clenching of claws the Shattered repeated the gesture against Takashi's other leg, causing its victim to cry out once more.
"Takashi!" Kyoko screamed.
The Shattered then directed its arm toward Masaru, an unseen force raising him by the throat. The Shattered closed its open palm into a fist, and Masaru's skull erupted in a burst of blood, brain and bone. As Masaru's body fell ragged to the ground the Shattered turned to face Kyoko, only to find she had gone. It walked to the edge of the rooftop, catching a glimpse of her as she descended length of the building in large leaps, gone from sight in an instant.
The Shattered walked over to Takashi, his screams now choked wailing. It placed its heel on the bridge of Takashi's nose before stomping through the back of his skull, dyeing blood red its pale white foot.
The Black Smile are proving tougher than estimated, it thought. My remaining impoetus should be just enough to capture Shotaro Minami.
_gestalt_
In an empty space that expanded beyond the bounds of the horizon, where the passage of time felt invisible, and where one could feel their body align with the Earth's axis, Shotaro and Akira stood facing each other. Under their soles was a white floor with porcelain like surface. The rest of the space lay in artificial darkness, illuminated only by domed starlight blanketing them overhead. The Grounds, Akira had told Shotaro, was a space only accessible to Black Smile Agents for training purposes.
Two days had passed since Shotaro's first encounter with a Shattered. Akira's call with Shotaro afterwards remained brief. He had informed Shotaro that the proceedings for his initiation would require meeting Akira behind the construction site near the bridge at sundown the next day. He was informed that should he choose not to come he would be brought forcibly. Shotaro arrived of his own volition. Once there, Akira had informed him that because Shotaro did inevitably utilize the phone in order to save his life, he was now indebted to the Black Smile.
To pay this debt, Shotaro owed the Black Smile his body for use as an instrument in the struggle against the Shattered. In order to serve as a proper tool of war, he was told, he would need to be sharpened. His training would begin the following day.
On the fateful day, once Shotaro's parents had left for work, Akira showed up at his doorstep and demanded Shotaro to walk him to the bathroom. Once there, Akira pulled a black key that he placed into the center of the closed door. The key turned with a click, before phasing through the paneling. That was when Akira opened the door and advised Shotaro to follow him into the Grounds.
"This is for you," Akira said handing Shotaro a small bottle of capsules.
Shotaro took the bottle from Akira's hands.
"What is this?"
"It was manufactured for you by our head scientist. From the files we had on you, he determined this was best suited to be your weapon against the Shattered."
"This? How am I supposed to fight using this?" Shotaro examined the red and white capsules inside.
"Take one, I'll show you."
Shotaro took one of the capsules and a wave of tingling sensations came on all at once. The same flow that allowed him the power to kill the Shattered now cascaded through his veins. The hollow echo of the Grounds made every breath and footstep resonate through Shotaro's ears. He could feel the individual ridges on his hands. The feeling of weightlessness came on once more.
"That feeling, that energy, is called impoetus," Akira spoke up. "Right now it is swaying within you but with nowhere to go."
Shotaro noticed a cycling tendril of black ashes rising upwards, behind Akira, to form a mannequin like figure.
"Right now your goal is to use that impoetus to obliterate this dummy," Akira said pointing behind him.
Shotaro looked at his fists and then back to the dummy. Akira stepped aside. Shotaro rushed the dummy, fist held back with tension, only to land an impotent blow that bounced off the dummy.
"No," Akira sighed, "You can't just swing away at it. You have to focus on the momentum of the energy. Concentrate on where it wants to go," Akira said.
Shotaro closed his eyes and gathered his strength. He looked to the dummy once more and threw a second punch, this one landing with more force, but as he made contact the energy recoiled, sending a sharp sting through Shotaro's arm. The dummy remained anchored.
Akira shook his head and took a seat of empty space in the room. He looked to be hovering, "I can tell this is going to take a while."
"How long do I have to try?" Shotaro said.
Akira grinned, "As long as it takes to succeed."
Shotaro fell back from a hard blow against the dummy. The dummy remained unmarked and unmoved. Shotaro couldn't tell how long he'd been in here, but it had felt like hours had passed.
"Listen, I'll say it again," Akira addressed him, "Synchronize your breath to the rotation of the impoetus. Adapt your breathing to its motions."
Shotaro panted, his hands on his knees, "Maybe it would help if you gave some sort of demonstration."
"I told you already, our powers are on different levels. You won't be able to learn anything watching me. Only after you've accomplished this will I be able to help you."
"How fortunate," Shotaro groaned.
"Don't feel bad, this is often the biggest hurdle for rookies."
Shotaro winced as he stood. He felt a sharp stinging in his arm after the first ten minutes. Since then he'd been punching through pain. He looked to the dummy and focused on his panting breath, his racing heart. The flux of impoetus surged him forward to the ebony figurine.
He pulled his fist back hard. From the corner of his eyes he glimpsed a wavering sunset glow adorning his fingers. With a roar, his knuckles smashed dummy's visage, exploding into tiny, hard fragments in a bright orange burst. The blast sent Shotaro recoiling back through the air until he fell hard on his side with a yell. As the dust cleared, Shotaro stood up, clutching his limp right arm with his left. The glistening black legs of the dummy stood smoldering.
"Looks like you over did it kid," Akira said stepping to Shotaro. "Here." He handed Shotaro a small blue pill.
Shotaro examined it, wincing as a sharp sting ran through his arm.
"It's a nerve activator, it won't heal your arm but it'll mend the feeling in the muscle tissue and the nerves. It's like a bandage," Akira grinned, "Although I am going to have to actually bandage your arm as well. You'd risk permanent damage otherwise," Akira explained.
Akira withdrew a roll of bandages from his jacket and began the bandaging process.
"If it's any consolation, you accomplished that in two hours which is faster than I expected."
"It's not. How long did you expect me to take?"
"Well, the average rookie takes about eight hours."
"What? You were prepared to watch me attempt this for eight hours?"
Akira laughed, "Of course not. I was prepared to wait another half hour before leaving you on your own."
"So you were going to abandon me?"
"Hey, at least it didn't happen, so there's no need to dwell on it."
Once Akira had finished with Shotaro's arm he got a call. For a moment, it looked to Shotaro as if the phone materialized in Akira's hand, but he wasn't sure.
"Cipher speaking," Akira answered. "That's correct…Not since the first day…If that's the case, then I'll have to speak with Takei…Likely biding their time, but we can't make assumptions…Okay…Okay…Yes…Good…I'll be there immediately."
Akira pulled from his pocket the black key he used to open the doorway. He stuck it into suspended space and watched it turn. The space in front of him swung open to the hallway in Shotaro's house. He turned to Shotaro.
"Alright kid, you've more or less completed your training for today. Rest, we'll be meeting the same time tomorrow afternoon," Akira motioned Shotaro out of the Grounds.
Shotaro stepped out, the door swinging closed on Akira behind him. Shotaro found himself in the hallway, just outside his bathroom. Curious, he turned to open the bathroom door, but as he did he saw his father sitting on the toilet with his pants around his ankles and a half finished crime-romance novel in his hands.
"Shotaro! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
After his training session, Shotaro lay on his bed staring at his ceiling for an hour. His mind wandered over the events that transpired over the past few days and wondered how it was possible for someone's life to change so drastically so suddenly. He'd tried intermittently to read or study for his upcoming history test, but the ache of his bandaged arm proved too distracting. After reaching a certain peak in frustration Shotaro decided to take a walk.
The road behind his house led to a path lined on the side by drooping willows over Little River, a creek leading up to a small pond bed further north. The path was alive with the cacophonic buzz of insects and croaking toads. Further in the distance, the bright red and blue lights of Okumura Tower blinked in and out against the evening lavender sky. A fervent breeze swept Shotaro's jet black hair and danced along with hanging leaves.
Shotaro continued along the path, his arm inflexible in its bandages, though numbed slightly by the medicine. Suddenly, he felt a chill pierce his spine. He could feel eyes peering through him, stripping him to his bones. He searched for a moment before his eyes were drawn to a tall, muscular figure standing atop a utility pole. Its arms were crossed, its skin bone white, its hair thin and emerald and its eyes golden and unrelenting.
Could it be? Another Shattered? It looks almost…human?
The Shattered opened its mouth, "Are you the one they call Shotaro?"
A talking Shattered? Shotaro cocked an eyebrow, "Who's asking?"
Shotaro's mind couldn't process the image of the Shattered flickering out of sight before finding himself prostrated on his knees, a crushing weight overcoming his entire person. His face to the ground, he could only hear the Shattered's gravelly voice talking in front of him.
"I know you're an Archetype, you have their odor, the same odor that marks Black Smile territory, so I know you're one. There is nothing stopping me from embedding your skull into the earth, unless you tell me where to find Agent Shotaro Minami. I'm granting you one last chance to answer. And when you answer, you will address me as Lord Balmung."
As the pressure bore down on Shotaro, he used his free hand to uncap his bottle of capsules and pop one in his mouth. Immediately he felt a surge run through him, and suddenly the weight of Balmung's pressure became bearable. Shotaro rose slowly against the force, concentrating impoetus to his fist. As he launched his punch forward, Balmung waved Shotaro away before his fist connected. To Shotaro's surprise however, the orange glow gathered in his hand shot forth from his fingers and exploded in Balmung's face.
The two flew back with equal force.
My punch stopped short, but the impoetus didn't? Shotaro looked at his hand. I see. It's not for punching, it's a projectile.
Balmung spent no quarter of a second on the ground, flipping to his feet immediately.
"The taste of your impoetus matches the sample I was given," Balmung smiled. "So you're Shotaro Minami."
"Did you say taste? That's disgusting," Shotaro said.
"How bittersweet. I was hoping to kill you. But you're the one I've been sent to find so I guess crippling you will have to do."
"You'll be dinner for the hounds of hell before then."
Balmung aimed his arm toward Shotaro, then clenched his claw tight. Shotaro yelled as his bandaged arm was wrenched into an invisible armlock. Shotaro closed his eyes, using his breath to focus impoetus to the fingers of his good hand. The orange glow of energies gathered to the radiating tip of his index finger. As Balmung's power edged Shotaro's arm towards hyperextension, Shotaro aimed his finger like a gun toward Balmung, and fired off a small but quick mass of aura that exploded in a burst of sunrays as it knocked Balmung in his chest and off its feet.
Shotaro gripped his bandaged arm immediately, the pain reeling through his arm proving stronger than the medicine. He watched Balmung sit up slowly as his claws traced the burn on his chest. Balmung had barely seen what hit him before it barreled him to the ground. He stood to his feet and spit out the blood in his mouth.
"When the time comes, I will claw at your skin and gnaw at your limbs for innumerable of nights and long stretches of day. For now, I must convince myself that you're worth waiting to kill," Balmung spoke.
Balmung cast an invisible grip around Shotaro, pulling him off his feet and flying toward the Shattered. His fist smashed into Shotaro's nose, dropping him to the ground headfirst. Wincing, Shotaro opened his eyes to see Balmung's heel descending on him.
Then, a projectile zoomed over Shotaro's head and crashed into Balmung. Shotaro rose to his feet to see what he thought was a projectile was a young man. He was dressed in a black trench coat with a white armband and smile on the sleeve. His left arm was adorned in a kind of red samurai armor, though he held a claymore over his shoulder. He stood facing Balmung with his back toward Shotaro.
"I told you I wouldn't let you get away," the Black Smile Agent spoke.
"You again? A fool you've been, returning for me after I'd already shown you mercy," Balmung replied.
The Agent lifted his sword above his head, the ground trembling underneath him. Shotaro watched stark red waves pulse from beneath the Agent's feet as impoetus spiraled up the blade of his sword.
Damn. I've used too much impoetus to engage in 2-on-1, Balmung thought. I'll have to retreat for now.
Balmung crouched down low before extending his legs and launching himself high above the two of them, where he soon disappeared from sight. The Agent turned to Shotaro.
"Kentaro Dazai, an agent for the Black Smile. Are you Shotaro Minami"
"I am."
"That's good to hear," Kentaro said as he leveled his sword at Shotaro. "That Shattered, Balmung, has been killing agents in a hunt for you. He's only a Class 1 Shattered, just a level above the silent more primitive ones, but he's killed at least seven of our rookie agents so far. However, I refuse to allow you to kill him."
"What?"
"I alone shall kill Balmung, understand?" Kentaro said, turning his back toward Shotaro. "For the sake of those that have died, stay out of the way." On the final syllable, Kentaro fled off.