《Darkness: Dawn of Gods》 Prologue: The Darkness and The Legends There was once a man who stood against hatred itself, he made the ultimate sacrifice of fighting a friend, who had fallen victim to darkness, in hopes of getting rid of it for good. But hatred doesn''t just vanish- It lingers, waiting for the right moment to rise again. Takou Ayaru, also known as Gold for his golden powers stood in the rainy battlefield surrounded by forests. This was an unavoidable battle, he was against Isey Houa, a member of The Legends, a group that was founded by Takou himself. "Why did you take the darkness?" Takou asked loud enough that if anyone was within this circular shaped field could hear it. Those were the only words he could think of in this situation, unsure if that person was even Isey anymore. "It''s too late, Gold. Your friend is long gone and thanks to him I have finally awakened," The Darkness that had taken over Isey said before letting out a chuckle that echoed throughout the area. There were purple lines that came out of his eyes and covering the face, compared to normal Isey he looked unrecognizable. Takou didn''t respond, to him the words of The Darkness were meaningless. Doing a couple of hand signs, a golden colored aura appeared around him, the power of it was so immense that The Darkness had to be careful not to be pushed back by the force it created. "You''re planning on sealing me in here again, aren''t you. Unfortunately it won''t work, I''ve learned about majority of your moves you used last time," The Darkness got excited, "I''ll finally take you along with the other legends down." Takou''s eyes narrowed while gathering up his power to seal The Darkness, he had to get over with this fight before the others came to try and help him. No one except for Takou was strong enough to go against something like The Darkness. "Last time I wasn''t ready to sacrifice my own life but now that I''ve grown I''ll give anything to make sure you won''t win," Takou got slightly irritated by recalling their past encounter. "Hmph. Is that so? I remember it going down way differently, nonetheless I am hatred. You can''t get rid of me and you know that, eventually someone will find me and I''ll break free once again from your seal," The Darkness gave Takou a wide smile to hint that he''s undefeatable. Takou let go of his hands that he had been holding against each other the entire time and was ready to put an end to this. "Eternal sealin-" Those were the words that Takou said out loud before he was cut off. The Darkness appeared in front of Takou holding him by his throat, his speed was so fast that it could''ve been considered as teleporting. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "How did you... No how did I... underestimate you," Takou said while struggling to breathe while The Darkness was choking him out, The Darkness then threw Takou on the ground and got ready to finish him off. "Isey!" Someone yelled behind The Darkness, the voice echoing throughout the field. The Darkness turned his head slightly towards the voice, "The Legends, a group formed to unite the strongest people in this universe, yet you people are no match against me, you may come at me but just know you''ll die." Akylu Sierd, the person that controls sand and who yelled out Isey''s name completely ignored what The Darkness said and started running towards him. The Darkness appeared behind Akylu as he was running and knocked him down by his feet. Akylu groaned and struggled to get back up, almost as if something was pushing him against the ground. The Darkness raised his hand wanting to finish off Akylu when Kajo Tamta who has nature powers got ready to attack. He showed up behind The Darkness, wanting to attack his weak point, however The Darkness turned around and severed Kajo''s head with a single strike of his hand. Pire Lasta, the last member here who was able to do something gathered up his ice powers and turned them into a bunch of icicles and sent them flying towards The Darkness. The Darkness reached his hand in front of him and a shield-like purple wall appeared in front of him that once the icicles made impact with it, they melted instantly. As Pire was creating more of these icicles, he didn''t notice the small hands that were slowly crawling out of the ground grabbing him by his feet making him unable to move. Once Pire noticed that however, it was already too late, The Darkness once again had the wide disturbing smile on his face and by moving his own hands, the smaller ones responded to the commands, what seemed to be an endless amount of them, the small hands covered Pire and cracked his neck. The Darkness then, without looking towards the direction, severed Akylu''s head just like he did with Kajo''s. The rain got heavier and at that moment The Darkness felt a presence of someone possibly even stronger than Takou. Without being able to react in time, he was sent flying across the rainy field by that mysterious someone. The Darkness was looking around in desperation, hoping to catch whoever it was when suddenly he was sent flying away once again by someone in the opposite direction he was looking. When The Darkness raised his head from the ground, he noticed someone standing in the heavy rain looking at the dead bodies. The person turned their head towards The Darkness and at that moment The Darkness felt excitement he hasn''t felt since his first battle with Takou, there was someone that was able to challenge him- no, there was someone that was able to have an advantage in this one-sided battle. The Darkness started laughing, "I like you. Someone like you will be of perfect use for me, I won''t let a chance like this pass by," His laughter became quieter as he was talking and he tried to catch the person who was going to most likely attack him. Suddenly The Darkness felt a surge of energy hit him and he grabbed the person who appeared on his left by the foot they were attacking with and pulled the person down, "You''ve made me surpass my current limits and this is exactly why someone like you will be the perfect host." After that, the darkness made its powers burst out of Isey''s body into that person. Chapter 1: The Fated Day The society of those with powers and without powers has been built on wars and conflicts. The powerless rule the world, and those with powers are hunted. These rules weren''t always forced onto the people, not too long ago these two sides, those with abilities, called the Resonants, and those without called Graceless lived in peace. One day, a man quickly rose to become a leader, Lucian Daichi. He claimed that those with powers are a plague to humankind, and will lead to destruction. His words gained popularity and through his innovations Graceless had a chance to fight back. He designed The Hunters, Graceless in hazmat-like suits using artificial elemental powers. With that, he waged wars and eventually the world headed towards a brutal civil war. Graceless won, and with that they became the leaders. In this new era, power what it once was doesn''t exist, and only powerless get to live in a world created by both sides. ### In the city that was filled with towering buildings and busy streets, posters of Lucian Daichi, with the words, "We can stand against those with powers by uniting as one," lived Yamikuro Asaki, walking beside his childhood friend Elara, hands in his pockets. Yamikuro''s dark blue eyes inspected each corner and alleyway, looking for something. One of the Resonants was on the run. "You''re really going to do this?" Elara asked, yawning a little. "Of course," Yamikuro said without hesitation, "He needs my help." Elara sighed, "You''re an idiot, you know that, right?" "You tell me that every other day." They turned a corner, and in the shadows was a young man, out of breath. His clothes ruined with bruises on his body. On a closer inspection, these were the clothes of prisoners, and his hands were still in cuffs, nullifying his abilities. "S-stay back!" The man yelled, trying to get away. "We''re not here to hurt you," Yamikuro said in a calm down, raising his hands, "You need to get out of here before the Hunters find you-" Footsteps were heard, coming towards the alleyway. The Resonant got up and lumped towards Yamikuro out of desperation. "Show me your cuffs, I may be able to free you." Yamikuro reached into his pocket. But before he could do that, the Hunters stepped into the alleyway, facing towards Yamikuro and Elara. "We''re done for." Elara''s heart was beating out of her chest, the Resonant hiding behind her. "Well, what do we have here..." One of The Hunters spoke. "If it isn''t that criminal again, you''re lucky that you''re not a Resonant. You would''ve been the priority to be executed." The other laughed. Yamikuro glenched his fists. "Killing your parents was it?" Without a word, Yamikuro handed the equipment to Elara, reached towards the broken pipe, grabbed it, and ran towards The Hunters. Startled, one of them just started loading their weapon, when Yamikuro landed a blow with the pipe. The other stepped back, and started running, but Yamikuro''s accuracy was precise, throwing the pipe he hit The Hunter in the back of the head, knocking him down. Meanwhile Elara was freeing the cuffs off that man, and she succeeded just in time before more Hunters were heard. "We have to run!" She yelled. "I know that, let''s go somewhere crowded!" Yamikuro yelled back, as he grabbed onto her sleeve. As they ran, they reached the city square- only to be in time for an execution of another Resonant. A crowd gathered, watching as a Resonant knelt before the execution platform. Just then, Lucian Daichi stood before them. "This is what happens to those who don''t follow the rules." Lucian declared in his usual calm, yet eerie tone. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Yamikuro felt his blood boil, he hated everything about this. "They''re just killing someone for being different." Elara, standing there with a straight face didn''t react. "This is just how things are." Yamikuro turned around and was ready to leave. Before Lucian could give the execution order, a loud explosion shook the area. Smoke filled the air, and once it cleared, a girl stood on the platform, the Resonant standing free beside her. Yamikuro''s breath caught in his throat. "Who''s that?" Elara was equally as shocked. The girl leaped down, grabbing a sword out of thin air and swinging it around, flames swirling everywhere. One of the Hunters managed to hit her left arm, but she shook it off. "Not today," She said, taking down the Hunter, and facing Lucian. All Lucian did was smile as Hunters showed up all around, surrounding the square. When she saw the Resonant disappear, most likely escaping, she leaped into the air, and also escaped. Yamikuro ran after her, not thinking. "H-hey, Yami! Where are you going?!" Elara yelled, before losing him in the crowd. Trying to follow where she went, Yamikuro found the girl sitting in an empty park, hidden behind trees and bushes. Her left forearm was hurt, and a destroyed device laid on the ground. "Why did you follow me?" The girl asked, surprisingly confident near Yamikuro. "I''m not here to fight... I''m curious is all." He said. "Curious?" "Well, I''ve never seen someone fight back against the Graceless." "Yeah? I couldn''t stand to watch someone I know die like this." After looking at Yamikuro closer, her eyes widened. "You''re Yamikuro Asaki, aren''t you?" "I am... Where''d you hear that?" Yamikuro raised his eyebrow. "You''ve saved countless of people living here, and helped them find a way to The Hideout." The girl forced herself up, "To be honest, you inspired me to take action against the Graceless... I''m Isabella, by the way." "I''m Yamikuro-... Never mind. It''s a pleasure to meet a fan of mine." Yamikuro chuckled a little. "Don''t be stupid, I''m not your fan," Isabella sighed, "But you''re seen as a hero for the weak ones." Looking at the broken device, her expression changed. "How am I meant to get back there now?" Yamikuro reached towards the device and picked it up. "So this is what you all use to travel, huh. I can''t tell what it looked like before getting smashed like a pancake." "I''m typically good when it comes to fixing stuff, but this is beyond repairable. You''ll have to get a new one." Yamikuro handed it to Isabella. "If only it was that easy... I don''t even have a way to contact anyone in The Hideout." "Haha, it''ll be fine, don''t look so down. There''s plenty of you still in this world, you''ll surely find someone that has this device." Just then, Hunters were heard talking near the bushes. "Where could she have gone? Lord Daichi has gone on a wide range search for her." "I wonder why." The other Hunter replied. "I thought Resonants were pacifists or something, why''d she have to cause such a scene." Sneaking out of the bushes, Isabella ran as fast as she could. Yamikuro didn''t notice it until she was gone, but he quickly picked up the broken device, which she dropped, and tried to follow her. Noticing Isabella run out the park, he followed. "Sheesh, you sure run fast." Yamikuro panted, as he caught up to her on the rooftop. Isabella was caught off guard, "How did you-? No, I don''t recommend you follow me. This is a dangerous mission, and someone like you shouldn''t throw your life away." "The government has their eyes on me anyway, and I think they''re trying to capture me as well but I''d be the only Resonant to be captured and killed like that." "I''ll help you get to The Hideout, and then..." "Why are you doing all of this?" Isabella cut him off. "Why? ...It disgusts me to see someone like Lucian be in control of all these lives, and for what? But why am I going out of my way to save all of you, I guess this is just what I do. I''ve never thought about it like this, to be honest... Although I think it started ever since I had that dream." "That was also around the time when my parents died, I was the prime suspect, I still am to this day, their bodies just disappeared and I remember them questioning me for so long until they gave up." "...That''s terrible, but how do you know they''re dead if their bodies were never found?" "The killer left behind clues, mostly stains of blood. I was the only one who was with them during this time and they thought it was suspicious I didn''t hear anything during the night they got killed. A few nights before that, I had a dream where I fought against a man, glowing purple, with dead bodies everywhere on the ground. After his powers burst in me, I woke up, feeling dizzy, tired and heavy for days." Isabella''s eyes widened, "What if it was real?" "What do you mean?" "I''ve heard many myths and stories, and one of those talk about a being known as the Darkness. A dangerous power that-" "Power? No, that''s not possible. I don''t have anything like that." Yamikuro stopped her. Before they could continue their conversation, a drone flew up to them. Noticing it, Yamikuro turned his head the other way but Isabella grabbed onto his hand and dragged him to the stairs, inside the building. "Oh no, what do we do?" Yamikuro stuttered, his hands shaking. "We have to jump down." Isabella looked towards the door they came from. "Huh?" "My powers still work fine, I can get us down there." Taking quick breaths, Isabella grabbed onto Yamikuro''s arm again and burst through the door, ready to jump. But that''s when a helicopter hovered over them. "Do not make any sudden movements! We will shoot if you don''t listen!" A Hunter said through a speaker. "Damn it..." Isabella quietly said as she raised her hands, accepting defeat. Yamikuro was about to do the same, when time suddenly stopped. Feeling multiple hands reached to him from his back, voices called out for him. Yamikuro tried to decline but that''s when he felt head splitting pain, and his heart beat out of his chest. "Yamikuro!" Was all he heard while everything went dark. Waking up gasping for air, he faced the starry sky, moon shining onto the roof he was lying on. He looked around for the Hunters and Isabella but that''s when he noticed bodies upon bodies on the ground. "What the hell?" He said out loud. Yamikuro stood up, stepping over the dead Hunters, trying to look down at the street below him. It was quiet, with nobody walking around. Was he dreaming? "Darkness wielder, what pleasure it is to meet you." Someone said behind him, sitting on top of the rooftop enclosure. Yamikuro turned around, sweat dripping down from his body. "Who are you?" "A god." He said, a wide smile appearing on his face. Chapter 2: Sphairos "I''m a god. And my name''s Sphairos." He said, his smile growing bigger. Unable to get words out, Yamikuro just stuttered. He then slapped himself, trying to wake himself up, but that didn''t work. Holding his cheek, he stared at Sphairos. "Don''t worry, I don''t have to kill you... If you''ll work with me. Let me extract the Darkness from you and I''ll be on my way." "The Darkness...? No, you have me confused for someone else." Yamikuro took a step back. "Do I? How do you explain the countless bodies laying all around, this must''ve been done by someone with powers strong enough to even take all of them down." Yamikuro''s eyes widened, when he thought about Isabella. "Could this have been her doing?" He looked around the bodies to see if she stood out, "Where even is she?" "I was here, watching all of it. You also killed the girl that was with you, Darkness wielder." "What?" Yamikuro''s stomach dropped, his heart racing even faster. "As they suspected, you''re not in control of your power. I''ll just take it before you cause any more harm, alright?" Sphairos stretched, getting ready to move. "Stay away from me!" Yamikuro yelled, backing up to almost the edge of the roof. Closing his eyes, and taking taking a deep breath, four orbs appeared around him. "So it has to be this way. Fine by me." Reaching out to one of his orbs, Sphairos jumped to Yamikuro''s level. "This is the orb of gravity. I assume you know how gravity works, right?" Extending the orb in front of himself, Yamikuro got pulled in, allowing Sphairos to reach out to him. Choking out Yamikuro, the orb disappeared out of his hand. Yamikuro had to think quick, not being able to activate his power, he reached into his pocket, grabbing the broken device left behind by Isabella, he stabbed Sphairos with a sharp part of it. Sphairos let Yamikuro go, grabbing onto his own hand and screaming in pain. "Damn you, Darkness wielder!" Yamikuro wanted to run, but to where? He was stuck on top of a roof, with no way to get down, Sphairos stood in front of the door that lead to the stairs. After recovering, he reached out to another orb, and threw it without warning. Managing to dodge it, the orb hit the building behind him. The building that once stood tall was just gone, disappearing into thin air. Sphairos seemed disappointed, standing still, almost as if he was toying with Yamikuro. He grabbed yet another orb. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "What do you think this does, Darkness wielder?" Yamikuro didn''t respond, he tried to run around, to dodge the attacks easier, but he tripped on a dead body. At this moment, he wanted to give up. There was no way to get out of here alive, especially if he wasn''t able to activate his Darkness power. Looking at the night sky, he couldn''t believe the current situation. Yamikuro Asaki, the savior of Resonants, was one of them all along. He couldn''t help but smile at the thought of that. With his eyes closed, accepting his fate, he heard Sphairos scream, heat blowing over his body. "Isabella?" His first thought was. He got himself up, and saw her slashing her sword and Sphairos stood there, trying to look for an opening. "Isabella, you''re fine!" He said, his shakiness and unease getting better. Sphairos kicked her back, and quickly reached out for an orb. The orb, and Isabella''s sword clashed, sparks flying everywhere. Sphairos tried to touch Isabella with the orb but it was futile, the orb flew out of his hand, onto the streets below. Standing there, amazed, Yamikuro watched the fight unfold. Isabella had an upper hand, continuing to attack while Sphairos had bleeding cuts all over, and couldn''t do anything but tank the attacks. Noticing one of Sphairos'' orbs re-appear around him, most likely the one he used first, Yamikuro yelled, trying to be of some help, "One of his orbs is back, and it''s the orb of gravity!" When Isabella had to charge up her attack, Sphairos took the chance to jump backwards, grabbing the orb of gravity. "Damn you..." He said, out of breath and in pain, "You''re a human, so how? How am I struggling?" "He''ll pull you in, that''s the ability of that orb!" Yamikuro yelled. Reaching out his hand, with the orb, Isabella was pushed away. She flew through the rooftop enclosure, and onto another rooftop. "Wait no... Was it my fault she lost?" Yamikuro''s mind raced. "...Now you, Darkness wielder. I''ll kill you." Sphairos turned to him, struggling to talk. "Who would''ve thought I''d need to use energy to heal myself against some humans like you." He said, his wounds recovering, and his breath returning to normal. There cuts were still visible, but they weren''t bleeding, and Sphairos was able to fight again, like he did before. "I''ll kill you before that girl gets here." Sphairos grabbed onto his last orb he currently had and aimed it towards Yamikuro. "Rest easy, although I was expecting more of a challenge from you." Yamikuro''s heart beat out of his chest when he felt himself reach the edge of the rooftop. One more step and he would''ve fell to his death. It was either falling to death, or dying by Sphairos'' hand. Being known as a hero, Yamikuro wanted to go out as one. He glenched his fist, putting on a serious face. "I''ll kill you!" He yelled, running towards Sphairos. Startled, Sphairos laughed a little, "Where did that come from?" Getting close to Sphairos, Yamikuro started throwing hands, as expected Sphairos dodged all of them. And Yamikuro suspected that Sphairos was still toying with him, but he didn''t care. His anger had built up, and he was ready to unleash it. After almost landing an attack, Sphairos kicked him away. "I''ve had enough." Ready to throw the orb, he said his final words to Yamikuro. "I wish you had entertained me a little more, but at least I''ll complete my mission here." The orb, making impact with the ground, exploded and Yamikuro was sent flying. Seeing Sphairos smile, a tear flew out Yamikuro''s eye. With his eyes slowly closing, in his final moments he saw memories of his parents. Not thinking about anything else. "What a death... But we''ll reunite soon, won''t we. Mom, dad." Isabella, who struggled to get up from the other rooftop, saw Yamikuro and her stomach dropped. "Yamikuro!" She screamed, watching him fall onto the streets. Her voice faded as Yamikuro''s eyes completely closed. Everything went dark. Sphairos had won, Yamikuro couldn''t do anything against a god, his heart stopped, blood spilling everywhere. Chapter 3: Divine Meeting Around a day ago, somewhere in space all of the higher ranked gods gathered together. "I''m grateful we could meet again since the last incident," A god called Voltaris said with his long gray hair and beard, "I know that we all have stuff to take care of but something unexpected has happened." Looking at everyone in the room with his serious yet concerned face, he announced, "The Darkness has a new host." "There''s someone strong enough to be in possession of that power, again?" A young god named Terron asked. Animus, the god who was glowing of bluish green, spoke up, "I have sent my spirits in search of this immense power," A creepy smile grew on his face, "It is nothing to worry about. The darkness wielder is just a child. However, I do find it weird that this child is still himself, typically the darkness wielders do not adapt to it for months. His soul must be strongest out of everyone we have seen so far." Ahrimanoth, a god wearing a full body suit with a long jacket, suggested: "Because it''s a kid, we can surely send a lower ranked god to go and get the darkness." "I know someone we can send. He''s fairly new but he''s already proved himself to be stronger than most." Chronos, who had a headband over his eyes with three scars on each eye poking out, said. Illusia, a god with messy hair and a small top hat on his head responded: "Going there by ourselves would be stupid indeed, the balance of the universe can only be maintained if we stay in our places, not intervening with humans." In a relief, Voltaris sighed, "At least we got that out of the way," And then continued, "We still have to worry about a specific person and the plan, I just hope that person doesn''t find out about the darkness before we can get it back." "That person has most likely made plans on getting the darkness already," Terron felt anger within him. Animus added, "The balance of the universe will not matter if The Darkness falls into the hands of him. I am going to earth when the time is right." Chronos raised his voice, "Don''t be stupid. There''s no point in causing a scene when this situation can be dealt with a lower ranked god. You always act on your own and that has never brought us any benefit." "There''s no need to start arguments. We''ve already found a way to deal with this situation, me and Chronos will stay here to summon this lower ranked god." Voltaris commanded. "Alright then. See you all next time." Illusia said as he disappeared into thin air. Terron stood up from the chair, "So I assume this means our meeting is over. See you all some other time," He said, making a portal appear next to him and walking in it. Ahrimanoth walked backwards into the shadowy corner. "I don''t know when we''ll meet again but this lower ranked god better succeed." Stepping into the shadowy corner, he disappeared into it. Animus started glowing bright green, "I will not do anything as of yet, I have hope in this god." As he was talking he got brighter until he suddenly disappeared. Chronos then summoned Sphairos, a lower ranked god who commands the Orbs of Oblivion. He had just gotten back from a mission when he found himself suddenly appearing in front of two higher ranked gods, Voltaris and Chronos. At first he was confused as to where he was until he looked up and saw two gods, around twice his size, standing in front of him. Sphairos got on his feet and then bowed down to them, "What brings me here? If I may ask." "The Darkness has found a host and we have decided to assign you with the task of taking him down," Voltaris said in a commanding tone. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "Wait, are you assigning just me to take down the darkness wielder?!" Sphairos exclaimed but then stopped himself, "I''m sorry. What I meant to say was, are you sure I''m strong enough, sir." "It''s a child who just recently got his hands on it. He shouldn''t be able to use the darkness to his advantage yet," Chronos assured, "Not to mention, you''re one of the only available gods for this job." Thinking the situation through, Sphairos felt pride in being able to impress his superiors and smiled, "Do you want me to bring him back dead or alive?" #### "Welcome, Asaki," A soft voice from behind him said, "I''ve been waiting for you." Opening his eyes slowly, as if he had just taken a nap, Yamikuro yawned, "Hello." "Remaining calm after your previous events, you really are interesting." The man started elegantly writing in his book. Before Yamikuro was able to ask another question, he realized that the place he woke up in wasn''t something he recognized. The presence of this place felt eerie. Lying down, he saw towering book shelves that reached as far as eye could see, next to him was a tall door with a huge lock without a keyhole, and on his right, behind a table, sat a handsome man with long white hair, his eyes blue as ocean, who was writing. "...Where am I? And who are you?" "Have you begun to grasp the situation you''re in? Name''s Honor." He said, putting down his pen softly. "You have died, fighting a god, his power way out of your league." "What? Died- No... That can''t be..." Yamikuro stood up, but then it hit him. The memories of his encounter with Sphairos came back. "That''s right. I remember now... I was blown up. I''m really dead, and this is the afterlife?" "...That''s what I would say if you didn''t possess the darkness." Honor leaned forward on his chair. "I can resurrect you, and help you stand against that god, his orbs of oblivion are merely toys for a true darkness wielder." Yamikuro looked down, "I don''t get this Darkness thing everyone keeps mentioning. I thought I understood, but when I tried to use them... I failed, and died..." Nodding slightly, Honor said, "Come, sit down," Pointing at the chair in front of his desk. Walking up a couple of creaking stairs, Yamikuro sat down, letting out sigh. "I''m listening." "The Darkness... It calls itself hatred, a curse for humanity. The wielder of this power can single handedly wipe out the entire universe, but looking at you, I doubt you''d go that far." "It''s a curse...? But why do I have it?!" Yamikuro asked, looking into Honor''s eyes, "How did I get it?" "That I''m not so sure of, perhaps it was fate. I do hope you''ll remember how you got it. What I do know is that you''ll be the one to use the Darkness to take down the god that killed you." "I''m not a god that can control you, I only exist in this dream world after all, but I can guide you down the right path, that is if you''ll listen to me." Taking out a piece of paper, Honor handed Yamikuro a pen. "But before I grant you the ability to use the Darkness freely, let us form a pact." "A pact?" "With this, you''ll promise to use the Darkness for good, I know I said you don''t look like someone who''ll destroy mankind, but I can''t be sure of that. The Darkness is the most powerful after all." "How do I know I''m using it for good?" "None of us are perfect, and the Darkness does have a tendency to make people psychotic, and eventually lose control of themselves. If you keep your head up and don''t let things depress you, you should be fine. It''s a difficult task but I can only ask of this from you, Asaki." Yamikuro thought on it, but eventually grabbed the pen from Honor. "...I''ll form the pact." Honor smiled a little, "Incredible, just sign your name here." After signing his name, Honor stood up, being taller than Yamikuro expected. Walking up to Yamikuro, he reached his hand out to him. Suddenly, everything started spinning, and Yamikuro''s vision slowly turned dark. "I''m sure we''ll see each other again, Asaki." Yamikuro''s eyes shot open, and his body was completely healed. It was like he had fallen asleep on the streets, with a few Hunters that had fallen from the rooftop. Forcing himself up, he now had to find Sphairos. But before that, Yamikuro had to figure out how to use his newly awakened power. "Damn it... I forgot to ask Honor how to use my power...!" He started panicking. Just then, Sphairos jumped down to Yamikuro. Startled from Yamikuro standing, he didn''t know what to say. He had no orbs flying around him, most likely because they haven''t had time to regenerate. So how long was Yamikuro out? "How is it possible? you should be dead!" Sphairos yelled. Not responding, Yamikuro felt the power within him growing. An unexplainable feeling- one that only a Darkness wielder can experience. A smile crept on his face, with purple lines growing beneath his eyes. The wind picked up, dark and stormy clouds forming. Looking at his shaky hand, Sphairos caught himself struggling to move properly. What was this feeling he was experiencing? Yamikuro clapped his hands together, yelling, "Ascension: Gluttonous Realm!"