The Dark World
Chapter One: History of the Dark World
Makasu walked through the forest after he completed his training to take his mind off of things, he walked past large trees as he observed his surroundings, cherry blossoms adorned the trees that took root among the thick grass and damp mud. He looked up ahead and emerged into the wilderness.
He looked around at the grassy meadows, taking note of the wildlife that surrounded him. Guess I’ll rest here for now. He thought to himself as he lay down on the prickly grass and looked up into the bright sky, lost in his thoughts.
He sighed, thinking back to many things, how much time he spent preparing sushi, his thrilling training session and his argument with his father. “It’s not fair...” He mumbled to himself. “I just want to make a difference right now, is that too much to ask?” He groaned in frustration and looked up at the clouds. “Maybe someday...”
Makasu took a deep breath while he took in his surroundings, calming himself, he contemplated if he should meditate right then and there, when all of a sudden he saw what looked like a purple star in the sky. “What the...” He cautiously got up. “Why would there be stars out during the day...and why on Earth is it purple?” Makasu questioned. He only got more bewildered as this star got bigger and bigger. He hastily grabbed at the handle of his sword. “Something about this really doesn’t feel right...” He looked around, and he realized he wasn’t the only one feeling uneasy about this, the wild animals that surrounded him started running away, as if they could sense a predator approaching.
Makasu drew his blade as he leered at the star; he stared intently at the oddly coloured star as it increased in size and got brighter. He felt his eyes water, he closed them tightly and rubbed his moist eyes against his wrist until they stopped stinging. The star seemingly got even bigger and brighter, he soon realized that it was actually falling to Earth at a very quick rate. Makasu was still somewhat intimidated, yet became overwhelmed with curiosity about this whole situation and ran towards the falling star, various thoughts raced through his head. What’s going on? Why is this here? Why is it even falling to Earth? It was only a matter of time before it got even closer, Makasu backed up and started running away, taking cover in the forest. At last, the star struck the field ahead; the impact shook the ground, causing him to fall into the bushes. He peeked out to see it had formed a small, smouldering crater in the once peaceful grassy meadow. Makasu cautiously approached it and saw that it wasn’t a star at all; it looked to be some sort of armoured monster.
“Whoa...cool!” Makasu reacted with both surprise and awe, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He slid down the newly formed crater and looked closely at the purple creature, who appeared to be some sort of knightly griffin. The young samurai noticed that the avian figure was just lying there, barely moving. “Hey, uh...you alright?” He scratched his spiky black hair. Well...it’s obviously in no condition to get up, and it doesn’t seem like it could hurt me even if it wanted to. Makasu thought to himself as he approached the downed monster. He gently touched the creature’s chest and noticed that he was barely breathing. “Shit...he’s almost dead...” Despite the strange situation he was in, Makasu felt pity for the poor injured creature and wished to help him out, after all he didn’t want someone’s death to be on his conscience as long as he could do something about it, whether the dying person was human or not.
“Alright, up you go...” Makasu hoisted Vertukai’s body over his shoulder, who let out a pained grunt as the boy climbed out of the crater and ventured through the wilderness, looking for shelter. “Don’t worry, I’ll find a safe place for you to stay.” He traversed onward, he knew that his father would never let him bring a stranger to his household, let alone one that looked as monstrous as this, so taking him home was out of the question, taking him to the store even more so. He thought back and remembered a far away cabin that he regularly visited as a kid whenever he and the rest of his family were on vacation. He knew no one resided in this peaceful getaway, so he quickly headed in that direction. “I know exactly where to take you, just hang in there.”
Meanwhile at the Dark World, the eyeball monsters arrived back inside the floating deadly castle to see their master. They arrived in his throne room and watched him sit in front of a control panel; he was pressing some buttons and pulling some levers. “Good, you three have returned...” The Dark World Master acknowledged them without even looking at them; he kept his eyes on the screen in front of him, focused solely on working away at the control panel. “You’re just in time too...I was about to activate my castle barrier.” The tyrant raised his clawed index finger and pressed a button, activating a transparent purple barrier that surrounded the devilish castle. He pulled one more lever, rendering the force field invisible. “Now, no one gets in or out without my say so...” He smirked as he glanced back his subordinates.
“And I trust you three have taken care of Vertukai, have you not?” The Dark World Master asked. The three eyeballs nodded in unison. One of the eyeballs floated up to the control panel and injected its tentacles into sockets on the machine, switching one of the many screens frequencies to what they saw. The anarchic king sadistically smiled as he observed every impact they made against Vertukai’s battered body until he plummeted to another planet. The eyeball retracted its tentacles and bowed to its master who rotated his throne, facing his subordinates. “Excellent work, you all have done very well...his severe injuries will leave him stranded on that planet, leaving me undisturbed.” He said with a devious smile that contrasted his calm yet sinister tone, he raised his hand and opened his palm. “You three have served your purpose, now become one with me once more!” He shouted as he clenched his fist, the three eyeballs exploded violently, their tentacles scattering across the room. Purple orbs of energy replaced where these creatures once were, and Berenkar inhaled the chaotic energy, absorbing it inside himself. He closed his eyes and grinned; when he reopened them his reptilian pupils were gone until he blinked. “So loyal, they fight for me, and they die for me.” He then laughed maniacally, his laughter echoing throughout the entire castle.
Back on Earth, Makasu reached his cabin and opened the door. “Here we are.” He stepped inside, then closed the door behind him, placing Vertukai gently down on a bed, the beast let out a pained groan as his body touched the mattress. “Sorry...here, let me patch you up.” Makasu took out a first aid kit and bandaged up his arm, putting his leg in a cast as well, afterwards he headed out into the hallway. “You rest there as much as you need to, I’ll go get some food for you if you’re hungry.”
---
Vertukai’s vision was blurry as he opened his eyes, he blinked a few times until his vision was readjusted, he looked around at the wooden walls of the cabin, felt a comfortable bed underneath him, and found his arms and legs wrapped up in bandages. He wondered who did this as he observed his surroundings, but his quandary was soon answered when he saw Makasu walk through the doorway holding a tray of sushi.
“Oh, you’re awake!” He took the raw fish and handed it to Vertukai. “Here, eat up, it’s delicious!” Vertukai was in no mood to eat, he just let out another groan in response and pushed the food away with his free hand. “Hey, come on, don’t be stubborn. It’s good for you and it’ll give you lots of energy. You’ll love it, I promise.” Vertukai grunted and swatted at his hand. “Not hungry, huh? At least have one bite, you gotta get your strength back somehow, right?” Vertukai glared at Makasu as he kept shoving the sushi into his face, he grabbed it from him and held it up to his beak, his hand shaking. “Atta boy, easy does it now.” Makasu held onto his arm to keep it steady.
Vertukai closed his eyes tightly and took a bite, he grumbled as he started chewing it, but these pained grumbles soon turned into satisfied moans. “Mmmm...what is this?” Vertukai wearily asked after swallowing the food.
“So you can talk, huh?” Makasu asked.
“I can...” Vertukai strained himself to say before he popped the rest of it into his mouth, eating it slowly to savour the taste. “May I have some more?”
“More sushi, coming right up!” Makasu handed him the tray, Vertukai grabbed them one by one and ate to his heart’s content. “See? What did I tell you? Am I right or am I right?” He watched Vertukai empty the tray. “Man, you were hungry! Then again, with injuries like that, I guess I can’t blame you.” He walked back to the kitchen and put the empty tray away.
“Where...am I?” Vertukai weakly asked.
Makasu walked back and sat by Vertukai’s side. “My family’s cabin, we tend to go here on our vacations.”
“No I mean...what planet did I land on?” Vertukai asked.
“Earth, Tokyo to be exact.” Makasu informed him. “You took a pretty big tumble...well, actually that’s a bit of an understatement, you outright fell from the sky! I honestly thought you were a star at first, if I wasn’t wondering what was going on, I’d have probably made a wish or something!”
Vertukai didn’t quite understand his joke, but he didn’t care, he just rubbed his forehead with his clawed hands. “It was a fierce battle...”
“No kidding, something pretty bad must’ve happened for you to end up like that...what’s your name anyway?” Makasu asked.
“I’m Vertukai.” The Griffin simply introduced himself. “You are not...perturbed by my appearance?”
“It did throw me off at first, I guess it’s kind of unusual, but who am I to judge? I’m just some punk kid.” Makasu chuckled.
“In any case, I must thank you for taking me in and letting me rest...” Vertukai smiled. “Anyone else would likely have kept away from me due to my grotesque appearance, but you did not, you saw that I needed help and immediately came to my aide without question. You truly have a kind heart and a brave spirit. For that, you have my eternal gratitude.”
“Hey, it’s the least I could do. I’m not perfect, but I do what I can.” The young boy stood up. “My name’s Makasu, Makasu Hiroshi! Nice to meet you!” Makasu folded his hands together and bowed to him.
Vertukai just gave him a puzzled expression.
Makasu peeked up at him. “Oh, it’s a Japanese custom, this is how we greet each other.” Makasu explained. “Sorry if that wasn’t clear.”
Vertukai slowly nodded in response.
“So uhh...” Makasu leaned forward. “What brings a...” He moved his hands around, wondering how to word his next question. “Guy? Outsider? Monster?” He shook his head. “What brings a bird creature like you all the way here?”
Vertukai looked at him. “It’s a long story, are you sure you want to hear it?”
“Why not? Got nothing better to do.” Makasu shrugged.
“Very well... I come from a planet now known as the Dark World, where out of control monsters are running amok. But it wasn’t always this way, originally we looked far more like you.”
---
Many years ago, there existed a criminal mastermind, he was pursued by the authorities for the longest time, having killed thousands over the years, plunging everywhere he went into chaos until at last he was caught and imprisoned for his crimes. Murmurs were heard amongst the prisoners he was passing by.
“Took them long enough…”
“He’ll be out of here eventually.”
“Fat chance, security’s tight around here.”
“I wouldn’t want to be his cellmate...”
“I wonder who the unlucky sap will be.”
“Shut up in there!” A policeman clanged his baton against the steel wall, the echo reverberating around the prison, quieting down the rowdy criminals.
Berenkar glared at anyone who came within his field of vision, his pupils shifted from side to side, gazing at his dreary surroundings, he was eventually brought to his cell where they locked him up. He sat down, his long dangly hair obscuring every bit of his face except for his beard and mustache. He grabbed his arms as reality sunk in, he was finally incarcerated, and there seemed to be nothing he could do about it.
Eventually he peered out through the bars, he saw two more cops escorting another criminal through the prison complex, this one was a short, elderly man, balding, with a white handlebar mustache. He had wrinkles around his eyes and wore a white lab coat, its long coattails dragged behind his blue pants and white boots. He was taken to another room and came out wearing an orange jumpsuit. To his sheer indifference, his own cell door was opened up. Whispers and murmurs were heard among the prisoners until the cop banged his baton against the wall once more. “I said shut up!”
“This is your new cell, Dr. Lenkrad. You will be keeping Berenkar company.” One of the cops informed him. “If anything goes wrong, let us know, and we will transfer him to a holding cell.”
Dr. Lenkrad said nothing, he simply nodded in acknowledgement, proving himself to be a rather quiet man.
“Right.” The cop looked around. “Everyone, at 9:00 am I expect you all to get back to work outside, the stones aren’t going to chisel themselves!” Groans were heard across the prison complex until he clanged his baton once more. “For the last time, shut up!” He spoke up again when they fell silent. “Good, now get some shut eye, you’ll all have to get up bright and early tomorrow!” The cop walked through the hall, he spoke with another cop before they both left the hallway, a few minutes passed by, and the lights turned off.
Berenkar scoffed at all this, he didn’t care about any of these people, he looked at them all with pure hatred and contempt in his eyes, hoping they’d all die soon so that he’d have an easy way back to his old life. He cleared the hair from his face, with the musky, dirty blonde strands now draping back.
Dr. Lenkrad took note of his facial expression. He fell silent for so long that when he spoke up it almost came as a surprise. “I can tell how you’re feeling...you want nothing more than to get out of here, don’t you?”
Berenkar leered at the doctor.
“What if I were to tell you that you wouldn’t need to get out?” Dr. Lenkrad smirked.
“What are you talking about?” Berenkar hissed through clenched teeth.
“The very same thing that got me imprisoned here.” Dr. Lenkrad remarked. “My various experiments have been deemed far too dangerous...but I have managed to sneak something in.” He looked around. “Tell no one of this, you understand?”
Berenkar crossed his arms. “Fine, you have my attention, just don’t waste my time.”
“Why, I wouldn’t dream of it.” Dr. Lenkrad smiled, he reached through his jumpsuit and into his lab coat, he extended his hand towards his cellmate and splayed his fingers, opening his palm to reveal a purple ember of flame hovering over it. “It is a new energy source that I have developed, I call it Chaos Energy.”
Berenkar fell silent, not quite sure what to make of it. He looked the doctor in the eye. “What does it do?”
“That’s what I am here to find out, I let myself get caught, knowing they wouldn’t be able to confiscate it.” Dr. Lenkrad pocketed it. “...and by pulling some strings, I managed to get into the very cell of the most dangerous criminal in the world.”
“You’re pushing your luck, what do you hope to accomplish?” Berenkar scoffed.
“Everything.” Dr. Lenkrad had a devious smile on his face. “With this, there will be no more laws, the impossible will become possible, no one will have limits anymore, and we can do anything we want to. I just need something to test it out on...or rather, someone...” He smiled and extended his hand. “Berenkar, are you interested?”
“Hm...” Berenkar paused for a moment. “You drive an interesting bargain, but how do we know it will work the way you want it to?”
“That’s the thing, we won’t until we try. It’s a pretty big risk, but if what I’ve heard about you is true, you’re all about those kinds of risks. What do you say?” Dr. Lenkrad asked.
“Very well...I accept.” Berenkar took his hand by force, cracking noises were heard as he shook his hand.
“Excellent.” Dr. Lenkrad grinned as he returned the handshake, he felt Berenkar’s fingers squeezing into the back of his hand. When it was released he took his hand back and rubbed it, this prisoner had a strong, tight grip. He knew his arm could have been torn out of its socket with ease had his cellmate wished to do so. He had a feeling he made the perfect choice for a test subject.
Later when most of the prisoners were outside performing physical labour with the guards supervising them, Berenkar snuck into a secret room that only the good doctor knew about. He was strapped to an operating table with Dr. Lenkrad looming over him, the doctor wore a makeshift visor which he lifted, with the Chaos Energy hovering over his other hand.
“You’re sure you are ready for this? Once this energy enters your body, there is no turning back.” Dr. Lenkrad warned him. “The effects will be unpredictable.”
“Yes.” Berenkar nodded without hesitation. “I have nothing to lose. Do it.”
“For science.” Dr. Lenkrad grinned as he reached his hand towards the mad prisoner, holding the chaos energy up to his body, the doctor moved his palm downwards and put the energy into his chest.
At first, nothing appeared to be happening. Dr. Lenkrad frowned a bit in frustration, but soon Berenkar was groaning, his body writhing on the table. Lenkrad stepped back a little when his cellmate’s body began shaking violently, these shakes soon turning into a full blown seizure. Dr. Lenkrad did his best to keep his patient stable, holding his head to the side so that he wouldn’t swallow his own tongue. Berenkar began foaming at the mouth while convulsing wildly, the table beneath him was shaking and making clattering noises as his body violently shook around, jolting and jerking every which way as far as his restraints would allow. Dr. Lenkrad pressed against his chest to keep his body stable and could feel his heartbeat fluctuating wildly until it abruptly stopped. Berenkar let out one last breath before his body collapsed, going completely limp.
“No...” Dr. Lenkrad pressed his ear up against his chest to make sure of his condition, and sure enough he could not hear his heartbeat anymore. “No, all that progress!” He pressed his hands against his chest and pushed down in order to resuscitate him. “Live, damn you, live! All my work cannot be for nothing!” He yelled as he continued administering CPR. He would not let his patient die, not on his watch.
Lenkrad attempted to revive Berenkar for what felt like hours, but it all seemed to be in vain, as he showed no signs of life. He clenched his forehead in frustration and wiped the sweat off his face. “Berenkar...the most nefarious criminal of all time...died of a heart attack as a result of my experiment.” He rubbed his temples. “What a way to go...it’s almost underwhelming after everything he has done...I suppose I could be considered a hero for this...but at least his suffering is over.” He sighed as he walked to the doorway. “How am I going to explain this?”
Suddenly he heard slight jostling which made him turn around. He saw Berenkar’s body twitching a little. “No way...can it be?” Lenkrad rushed over to his side and observed him for anymore signs of life. “Berenkar!” He was shocked, he was convinced this procedure didn’t work, as the prisoner looked to be dead at first. The doctor grabbed him by the shoulder and shook his body in a frantic attempt to wake him up. “Are you alright?”
Berenkar growled as his body began to glow with a purple energy. He opened his eyes, revealing them to be cracked and bloodshot. His arm began to transform, getting more muscular as it broke through the cuff restraining him. He reached towards Dr. Lenkrad and grabbed him by the neck as his fingernails grew into claws, lifting him up into the air. He squeezed firmly against his throat with his transforming hand, his voice getting more demonic as he spoke. “Why, Dr. Lenkrad, I’ve never felt better.”
The energy pulsated, turning into a fiery aura that spread around him as his body became more muscular, yet his skin became more decayed and skeletal. His pupils became reptilian-like slits and armour was materializing on his body. Soon the aura grew in size, and bolts of Chaos Energy were launched all around the prison. When the guards and prisoners alike returned, they too were infected with Chaos Energy, everyone’s bodies altered and morphed into more grotesque visages of their former selves, soon their transformations became so chaotic that they didn’t even resemble the people they once were anymore, their painful transformations becoming more haphazard and monstrous, seemingly random as was appropriate for such an energy’s name.
As this mad transformation took place, Dr. Lenkrad felt his own body begin to change. His prison outfit was torn off during his transformation as his labcoat began to rip apart as well. He saw Berenkar spread his clawed hands out as he tossed his head back and let out loud demonic laughter that reverberated across the walls. Soon the entire complex was consumed by this energy. The prison’s structure around him was warped and altered, its shape changing wildly before their eyes until it resembled a castle, Berenkar raised his claws, continuing his mad laughter, and thanks to this energy, by sheer force of will he made the castle launch into the sky, flying into the clouds while he gained control over these newly formed monsters.
Much later, Dr. Lenkrad was constructing a massive laser cannon attached to the bottom spire of the castle, almost hidden among the large spikes surrounding it. Dr. Lenkrad was working away at the mechanism with a wrench. He made the finishing touches to a creation that Berenkar was forcing him to finish as his body altered more and more. “It looks like my experiment was a success...” He covered his face in shame, which was shrouded in shadows, obscuring his new monstrous form. “Perhaps it was too successful...” When he was finished, he scaled the castle and climbed into the window of one of the lower levels.
Berenkar’s laughter sounded even more maniacal as the colossal cannon fired a massive purple laser made up of Chaos Energy at the planet it hovered over, slowly spreading it all across the surface like a terrible storm until the entire world below them was completely consumed by it, infecting it all and violently transforming everyone it touched into horrifying monsters.
“Heaven help us all...” Dr. Lenkrad growled under his breath while watching his laser cannon fire this energy, his voice showing traces of regret underneath its now monstrous sound.
---
“Ever since then, my home world has become what is now known as the Dark World, a corrupt planet ravaged by vicious monsters of all kinds.” Vertukai said as he closed his eyes. “Over time, I have been plotting against him, trying to rally up any monsters with remaining free will, I drew up the schematics to his castle after analyzing it for some years. I wanted to strike at the right time in the place he would least suspect, but unfortunately, he caught onto my scheme and after brutally beating me, he sent his eyeball creatures after me to chase me out of my home planet and finish the job. I thought I escaped them, but I ended up getting injured, I plummeted down to this planet...and that’s when we met.”
Makasu’s jaw dropped after hearing that story, he could not put into words how he felt as it was all still sinking in for him. He finally spoke up. “Vertukai, I...I don’t even know what to say...I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“It’s a lot to take in, I know.” Vertukai sighed. “The situation has been chaotic for so long. Many lives have been lost or corrupted. The few of us who are free from his control don’t know what to do about it. But perhaps...you could help us out.”
“”What?” Makasu pointed at himself, completely bewildered. “Me?”
“Yes, ever since my world was consumed by darkness there has been a prophecy. A prophecy that declares that one will bring an outsider to the world and purge it of all evil; they will slay the monsters in their way, and put a stop to the source of all chaos.” He looked at him. “I believe you are that outsider. Come with me Makasu, and you can help me free my planet from Berenkar’s tyranny.”
Makasu paused for a moment, he raised his hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up. That’s a tall order.” He stroked his chin. On one hand, this was an opportunity that he was waiting his whole life for, to save an entire planet. He always felt he might’ve just been too ambitious, but the possibility that it could become a reality was tempting. On the other hand he still had a lot to learn; he was somewhat afraid to fight such evil monsters and didn’t even know how he would beat them.
“There’s nothing to worry about.” Vertukai said in a comforting tone as if he read his mind, he gazed at the sheathed sword on Makasu’s back. “If you strike them down with that weapon of yours, you will be able to destroy them easily.”
Makasu glanced back at the hilt of his sword and smirked. “Heh, yeah, I’ll mop the floor with them!” He had a cocky smirk on, getting caught up in his overconfidence until he came to his senses. “I mean...wait, what? No! What am I saying?” He shook his head rapidly. “If your entire planet is taken over, it’d take an entire army to take it back. That’s lot to ask for from one kid. Even if one guy could do it, you’d need a much more experienced warrior than me, after all, I’m just a samurai in training...”
“Trainer, trainee, it matters not. So long as you are willing to help, I know you can do it.” Vertukai reassured him. He tossed the covers off of his body and got up; he spread his wings proudly, allowing the bandages to fall to the floor.
“Wow...you’re a pretty fast healer.” Makasu blinked.
“It’s thanks to you that I have my fighting spirit back; without the food you gave me I would have surely died, instead I was revitalized and my newfound willpower allowed my Chaos Energy to do the rest of the work.” Vertukai stretched his arms and tilted his head from side to side, cracking his neck and unstiffening his joints. “Now that I am healed of my injuries, are you ready to go?”
Makasu stroked his chin in contemplation, this was such a life changing moment for him, as much as he would like to rush into it and show the world what he was capable of, he thought back to his father’s teachings and wondered if he was truly ready.
“If you have your doubts, I will not force you.” Vertukai told him to reassure him.
“No, don’t worry about it...I’ve been waiting for a moment like this to prove my worth, it’s just that now that it’s presented itself to me, and after everything you’ve told me...it’s a lot to consider.” Makasu explained.
“Alright, I will give you a moment to decide...” Vertukai looked off in the distance.
“No need to...I accept.” Makasu shook his hand. Vertukai returned the handshake firmly. “Just...let me say goodbye to my dad, okay?”
“Of course.” Vertukai nodded. “In the meantime, I will be waiting.”
“Thank you.” Makasu bowed respectfully to him, Vertukai bowed back, smiling as he got the hang of this new custom. The young samurai headed out of the cabin, walking back to his father’s residence. “How do I even explain this? I don’t want to lie to him, but if I tell him the truth, he’ll never believe me...” He sighed. “I’ll just have to come up with something...maybe I can tell a little white lie, or at the very least, leave out a lot of details.”
---
Sesu was watering some plants; tea was boiling on the stove in order to help him unwind after a long day. Makasu entered the room, and when he saw his father he thought back to their fight earlier. His nervousness overtook him and he felt his throat close up, unsure of what to even say. He took deep breaths to help soothe his nerves, and then cleared his throat before speaking. “Umm...dad?”
“Hm?” Sesu turned towards his son.
“Listen, I-” He was cut off by a high pitched noise, the tea was ready. Sesu walked towards the kettle and poured himself a cup. Makasu itched at his ear, then bowed to his father. “I’m...very sorry about not listening to you earlier, what I did was wrong, and I should have heeded your advice. I have brought shame to my family’s name.”
Sesu paused for a moment to take a sip of his tea, and then placed it down on a plate. “Nonsense.” Sesu muttered. “You have done no such thing. You’re still young, my child. Mistakes will be made; the important thing is that you learn from them.” He placed a hand on his shoulder. “And what have you learned this time?”
“To not act so brashly, and to respect my elders.” Makasu said.
“Indeed, you must never disrupt the natural order of the world around you.” Sesu took another sip of his tea. “Long ago, the Samurai once conquered villages and had slain many men to make Japan what it is today.” He closed his eyes. “Those days are over, and although I have allowed you to train to follow in our ancestors’ footsteps, I wish never to bring back that mindset. If you are to become a warrior, it shall be one of righteousness, never one for selfish desires.”
“So many things have changed since then though...come on, dad, one guy couldn’t do all that in this day and age.” Makasu said.
“You would be surprised at what a single man can do.” Sesu glanced at him. “You are young and naïve. Fortunately, you still have time to learn.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Makasu scratched the back of his head. “You’re expecting a lot from me, aren’t you?”
“Only because you seek to accomplish so much on your own, but do not worry, this is why we train one step at a time. After all, as infants we take baby steps before we begin to walk, you are to jump in the air before taking a massive leap. This kind of training and discipline is no different.”
Makasu chuckled nervously and nodded a bit, there was much weight to what his father was saying. He wondered if he could live up to it all. Sesu looked at him, able to tell by a mere glance how the boy was feeling.
“Makasu, you are still my son, and nothing will ever change that.” Sesu smiled warmly at him. “There is nothing to forgive, as you are already forgiven.”
“Thanks, dad.” Makasu smiled back at him, he then tapped his index finger against his chin, wondering how to word his exact situation to him.
Sesu raised an eyebrow. “Is something on your mind, my son?”
“Yeah, I uh...” Makasu closed his eyes. “I have a friend who really needs my help. He lives very far away, so I’ll have to go for a long time.” He looked at him. “I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“Who is this friend, and what kind of help does he need?” Sesu asked.
Makasu hesitated to say anything for a bit until he briefly spoke up. “I cannot say.” He waved his hands around. “Not that I’m lying, but I don’t think you’d believe me even if I told you.” He lowered his arms. “At any rate...this might be just what I need to hone my skills, and hopefully complete my training as a full fledged Samurai. I’ll be able to help those in need and beat the bad guys down!” He swung his fists excitedly at the air, but then paused for a moment. “...without being so impulsive of course.”
“You always were rather hotheaded.” Sesu chuckled and shook his head. “Sometimes I feel such a thing will never change.” He walked over to his son and ruffled his hair a bit. “Even still, it sounds like a great battle is ahead of you, especially if what you’re saying is true. Keep all of our training sessions along with everything I’ve taught you in mind, and never forget to keep your loved ones close to your heart.” He placed a hand over his own chest.
“I will, dad. Don’t worry, I swear I’ll make you proud of me.” Makasu bowed to his father.
“That’s my boy.” Sesu smiled warmly as he bowed back. “That is why I can never stay mad at you. As stubborn and eager as you can be at times, I know for a fact that your heart is in the right place. That is why I forgive you, and why you will always be welcome back here, Makasu, no matter how long you are gone for.” He walked over and hugged him.
“Thanks, dad. Hearing that from you makes it all worthwhile.” Makasu smiled as he hugged him back.
Sesu hugged him firmly until he released the hug. “Do you wish to have some tea with me? There’s more than enough to share and you may need the energy for such a daunting task ahead of you.”
“Thanks, but I’d really better get going. Can’t keep my friend waiting after all. Responsibility and all that, you know?”
“I understand.” Sesu nodded.
Makasu started walking to the doorway, but then glanced at the tea kettle and licked his lips. “Although it does look good...okay, maybe just one sip.”
Sesu smiled and pat him on the back, the two sat down, and the elderly man poured another cup.
---
Vertukai stood in the midst of an open field, waiting for Makasu until the young Samurai ran up to him. The griffin turned to face him before speaking. “Have you said your goodbyes?”
“Yes.” Makasu nodded.
“Good.” Vertukai extended his hand and spread his wings. “Then let us be off!”
Makasu just blinked at this, looking completely baffled.
“Just grab my hand, and I’ll take you there.” Vertukai told him.
“I, uhh...” Makasu looked up at the sky, then back at Vertukai. “Thing is...stuff burns up when it enters the Earth’s atmosphere.”
“I am unfortunately very well aware of that.” Vertukai confessed. “But this time, I’ll have protection.”
“You might, but what about me?” Makasu pointed up. “Humans can’t survive in the vacuum of space, there’s no oxygen, so there’s nothing to breathe!”
“Hmm...in that case, I’ll have to do something I originally wanted to avoid.” Vertukai muttered.
“Oh, and what’s that?” Makasu asked.
Vertukai grunted a bit as he plucked one of his purple feathers from his massive wings. It glowed with the fiery purple aura of Chaos Energy. He moved the feather closer to him. “Now, hold still and brace yourself...this will unfortunately hurt, a lot...”
Makasu sharply inhaled and closed his eyes. The black haired boy tensed up as he felt the feather coming closer and closer to him. His left eyebrow twitched a little and he seemed to be instinctively holding his breath. A spark leaped off of the feather and touched Makasu, he was suddenly surrounded in a wild purple energy, he clenched his teeth as he grunted and groaned in pain, but tried to hold it back. He started panting and sweating, feeling like every organ inside him was tearing itself apart. He couldn’t take this unbearable pain anymore and screamed in agony. He fell to his knees and breathed heavily. His entire body glowed in a faint purple energy until it died down and the pain subsided.
Makasu looked up wearily at Vertukai, with hints of anger and disbelief in his expression. “What the hell was that?! Are you trying to kill me or something?”
“On the contrary, you needed that to survive.” Vertukai crossed his arms. “That my friend, was a mere taste of what being infected with Chaos Energy is like.”
“You mean the stuff that turns people into monsters? Are you insane?!” Makasu stared aghast at the winged creature.
“It was only a trace amount, not enough to completely alter you, just enough to allow you to breathe in the vacuum of space.” Vertukai informed him. “That pain was the very reason I did not wish to do this, but I had very little choice in the matter.”
Makasu stood there for a moment to catch his breath and regain his bearings.
“Now, are you ready?”
“Yeah...just give me a sec...” Makasu raised his index finger while breathing heavily. He inhaled deeply, as if to meditate for a moment in order to calm himself. He opened his eyes and extended his hand. “Let’s go!”
Vertukai extended his wings, took Makasu’s hand and instantly flew off into the sky. The young warrior called out as he felt himself lift off from the ground. He looked around with a mix of awe and panic, seeing the clouds surrounding him in a way he had never seen before. Vertukai flapped his wings and he felt intense heat for a moment. Although leaving the Earth’s atmosphere was still intense for the young samurai, thanks to the Chaos Energy it felt like little more than a simple heatwave. Finally they were in space, and although Makasu initially held his breath, he opened his mouth and gasped when he felt air enter it. “Wow...”
“You’d best not get used to it. Although this may seem amazing at first, I have seen many fall prey to the effects of Chaos Energy.” Vertukai warned him. “I dare not give you anymore, no matter how dire our situation may get.”
“Yeah...trust me, I’m not gonna plan on getting more anytime soon.” Makasu remarked.
“In order to vanquish such foul monsters, we will have to work together.” Vertukai said, his wings flapping with all their might. “This planet is very dangerous, so you will need to heed my advice carefully.”
“Got it.” Makasu nodded. “Though I’m not gonna plan a vacation here if that’s what you’re thinking.” He quipped.
“With your skills and my guidance, only then will we be able to liberate my home from these monsters and put a stop to the Dark World Master once and for all.” Vertukai said. He continued flying, then opened up a portal of purple energy in front of him. He glided through it and flying silently, he saw it, the purple planet of his ravaged home world. “Here we are...may the prophecy soon come true.”
END OF CHAPTER
He looked around at the grassy meadows, taking note of the wildlife that surrounded him. Guess I’ll rest here for now. He thought to himself as he lay down on the prickly grass and looked up into the bright sky, lost in his thoughts.
He sighed, thinking back to many things, how much time he spent preparing sushi, his thrilling training session and his argument with his father. “It’s not fair...” He mumbled to himself. “I just want to make a difference right now, is that too much to ask?” He groaned in frustration and looked up at the clouds. “Maybe someday...”
Makasu took a deep breath while he took in his surroundings, calming himself, he contemplated if he should meditate right then and there, when all of a sudden he saw what looked like a purple star in the sky. “What the...” He cautiously got up. “Why would there be stars out during the day...and why on Earth is it purple?” Makasu questioned. He only got more bewildered as this star got bigger and bigger. He hastily grabbed at the handle of his sword. “Something about this really doesn’t feel right...” He looked around, and he realized he wasn’t the only one feeling uneasy about this, the wild animals that surrounded him started running away, as if they could sense a predator approaching.
Makasu drew his blade as he leered at the star; he stared intently at the oddly coloured star as it increased in size and got brighter. He felt his eyes water, he closed them tightly and rubbed his moist eyes against his wrist until they stopped stinging. The star seemingly got even bigger and brighter, he soon realized that it was actually falling to Earth at a very quick rate. Makasu was still somewhat intimidated, yet became overwhelmed with curiosity about this whole situation and ran towards the falling star, various thoughts raced through his head. What’s going on? Why is this here? Why is it even falling to Earth? It was only a matter of time before it got even closer, Makasu backed up and started running away, taking cover in the forest. At last, the star struck the field ahead; the impact shook the ground, causing him to fall into the bushes. He peeked out to see it had formed a small, smouldering crater in the once peaceful grassy meadow. Makasu cautiously approached it and saw that it wasn’t a star at all; it looked to be some sort of armoured monster.
“Whoa...cool!” Makasu reacted with both surprise and awe, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He slid down the newly formed crater and looked closely at the purple creature, who appeared to be some sort of knightly griffin. The young samurai noticed that the avian figure was just lying there, barely moving. “Hey, uh...you alright?” He scratched his spiky black hair. Well...it’s obviously in no condition to get up, and it doesn’t seem like it could hurt me even if it wanted to. Makasu thought to himself as he approached the downed monster. He gently touched the creature’s chest and noticed that he was barely breathing. “Shit...he’s almost dead...” Despite the strange situation he was in, Makasu felt pity for the poor injured creature and wished to help him out, after all he didn’t want someone’s death to be on his conscience as long as he could do something about it, whether the dying person was human or not.
“Alright, up you go...” Makasu hoisted Vertukai’s body over his shoulder, who let out a pained grunt as the boy climbed out of the crater and ventured through the wilderness, looking for shelter. “Don’t worry, I’ll find a safe place for you to stay.” He traversed onward, he knew that his father would never let him bring a stranger to his household, let alone one that looked as monstrous as this, so taking him home was out of the question, taking him to the store even more so. He thought back and remembered a far away cabin that he regularly visited as a kid whenever he and the rest of his family were on vacation. He knew no one resided in this peaceful getaway, so he quickly headed in that direction. “I know exactly where to take you, just hang in there.”
Meanwhile at the Dark World, the eyeball monsters arrived back inside the floating deadly castle to see their master. They arrived in his throne room and watched him sit in front of a control panel; he was pressing some buttons and pulling some levers. “Good, you three have returned...” The Dark World Master acknowledged them without even looking at them; he kept his eyes on the screen in front of him, focused solely on working away at the control panel. “You’re just in time too...I was about to activate my castle barrier.” The tyrant raised his clawed index finger and pressed a button, activating a transparent purple barrier that surrounded the devilish castle. He pulled one more lever, rendering the force field invisible. “Now, no one gets in or out without my say so...” He smirked as he glanced back his subordinates.
“And I trust you three have taken care of Vertukai, have you not?” The Dark World Master asked. The three eyeballs nodded in unison. One of the eyeballs floated up to the control panel and injected its tentacles into sockets on the machine, switching one of the many screens frequencies to what they saw. The anarchic king sadistically smiled as he observed every impact they made against Vertukai’s battered body until he plummeted to another planet. The eyeball retracted its tentacles and bowed to its master who rotated his throne, facing his subordinates. “Excellent work, you all have done very well...his severe injuries will leave him stranded on that planet, leaving me undisturbed.” He said with a devious smile that contrasted his calm yet sinister tone, he raised his hand and opened his palm. “You three have served your purpose, now become one with me once more!” He shouted as he clenched his fist, the three eyeballs exploded violently, their tentacles scattering across the room. Purple orbs of energy replaced where these creatures once were, and Berenkar inhaled the chaotic energy, absorbing it inside himself. He closed his eyes and grinned; when he reopened them his reptilian pupils were gone until he blinked. “So loyal, they fight for me, and they die for me.” He then laughed maniacally, his laughter echoing throughout the entire castle.
Back on Earth, Makasu reached his cabin and opened the door. “Here we are.” He stepped inside, then closed the door behind him, placing Vertukai gently down on a bed, the beast let out a pained groan as his body touched the mattress. “Sorry...here, let me patch you up.” Makasu took out a first aid kit and bandaged up his arm, putting his leg in a cast as well, afterwards he headed out into the hallway. “You rest there as much as you need to, I’ll go get some food for you if you’re hungry.”
---
Vertukai’s vision was blurry as he opened his eyes, he blinked a few times until his vision was readjusted, he looked around at the wooden walls of the cabin, felt a comfortable bed underneath him, and found his arms and legs wrapped up in bandages. He wondered who did this as he observed his surroundings, but his quandary was soon answered when he saw Makasu walk through the doorway holding a tray of sushi.
“Oh, you’re awake!” He took the raw fish and handed it to Vertukai. “Here, eat up, it’s delicious!” Vertukai was in no mood to eat, he just let out another groan in response and pushed the food away with his free hand. “Hey, come on, don’t be stubborn. It’s good for you and it’ll give you lots of energy. You’ll love it, I promise.” Vertukai grunted and swatted at his hand. “Not hungry, huh? At least have one bite, you gotta get your strength back somehow, right?” Vertukai glared at Makasu as he kept shoving the sushi into his face, he grabbed it from him and held it up to his beak, his hand shaking. “Atta boy, easy does it now.” Makasu held onto his arm to keep it steady.
Vertukai closed his eyes tightly and took a bite, he grumbled as he started chewing it, but these pained grumbles soon turned into satisfied moans. “Mmmm...what is this?” Vertukai wearily asked after swallowing the food.
“So you can talk, huh?” Makasu asked.
“I can...” Vertukai strained himself to say before he popped the rest of it into his mouth, eating it slowly to savour the taste. “May I have some more?”
“More sushi, coming right up!” Makasu handed him the tray, Vertukai grabbed them one by one and ate to his heart’s content. “See? What did I tell you? Am I right or am I right?” He watched Vertukai empty the tray. “Man, you were hungry! Then again, with injuries like that, I guess I can’t blame you.” He walked back to the kitchen and put the empty tray away.
“Where...am I?” Vertukai weakly asked.
Makasu walked back and sat by Vertukai’s side. “My family’s cabin, we tend to go here on our vacations.”
“No I mean...what planet did I land on?” Vertukai asked.
“Earth, Tokyo to be exact.” Makasu informed him. “You took a pretty big tumble...well, actually that’s a bit of an understatement, you outright fell from the sky! I honestly thought you were a star at first, if I wasn’t wondering what was going on, I’d have probably made a wish or something!”
Vertukai didn’t quite understand his joke, but he didn’t care, he just rubbed his forehead with his clawed hands. “It was a fierce battle...”
“No kidding, something pretty bad must’ve happened for you to end up like that...what’s your name anyway?” Makasu asked.
“I’m Vertukai.” The Griffin simply introduced himself. “You are not...perturbed by my appearance?”
“It did throw me off at first, I guess it’s kind of unusual, but who am I to judge? I’m just some punk kid.” Makasu chuckled.
“In any case, I must thank you for taking me in and letting me rest...” Vertukai smiled. “Anyone else would likely have kept away from me due to my grotesque appearance, but you did not, you saw that I needed help and immediately came to my aide without question. You truly have a kind heart and a brave spirit. For that, you have my eternal gratitude.”
“Hey, it’s the least I could do. I’m not perfect, but I do what I can.” The young boy stood up. “My name’s Makasu, Makasu Hiroshi! Nice to meet you!” Makasu folded his hands together and bowed to him.
Vertukai just gave him a puzzled expression.
Makasu peeked up at him. “Oh, it’s a Japanese custom, this is how we greet each other.” Makasu explained. “Sorry if that wasn’t clear.”
Vertukai slowly nodded in response.
“So uhh...” Makasu leaned forward. “What brings a...” He moved his hands around, wondering how to word his next question. “Guy? Outsider? Monster?” He shook his head. “What brings a bird creature like you all the way here?”
Vertukai looked at him. “It’s a long story, are you sure you want to hear it?”
“Why not? Got nothing better to do.” Makasu shrugged.
“Very well... I come from a planet now known as the Dark World, where out of control monsters are running amok. But it wasn’t always this way, originally we looked far more like you.”
---
Many years ago, there existed a criminal mastermind, he was pursued by the authorities for the longest time, having killed thousands over the years, plunging everywhere he went into chaos until at last he was caught and imprisoned for his crimes. Murmurs were heard amongst the prisoners he was passing by.
“Took them long enough…”
“He’ll be out of here eventually.”
“Fat chance, security’s tight around here.”
“I wouldn’t want to be his cellmate...”
“I wonder who the unlucky sap will be.”
“Shut up in there!” A policeman clanged his baton against the steel wall, the echo reverberating around the prison, quieting down the rowdy criminals.
Berenkar glared at anyone who came within his field of vision, his pupils shifted from side to side, gazing at his dreary surroundings, he was eventually brought to his cell where they locked him up. He sat down, his long dangly hair obscuring every bit of his face except for his beard and mustache. He grabbed his arms as reality sunk in, he was finally incarcerated, and there seemed to be nothing he could do about it.
Eventually he peered out through the bars, he saw two more cops escorting another criminal through the prison complex, this one was a short, elderly man, balding, with a white handlebar mustache. He had wrinkles around his eyes and wore a white lab coat, its long coattails dragged behind his blue pants and white boots. He was taken to another room and came out wearing an orange jumpsuit. To his sheer indifference, his own cell door was opened up. Whispers and murmurs were heard among the prisoners until the cop banged his baton against the wall once more. “I said shut up!”
“This is your new cell, Dr. Lenkrad. You will be keeping Berenkar company.” One of the cops informed him. “If anything goes wrong, let us know, and we will transfer him to a holding cell.”
Dr. Lenkrad said nothing, he simply nodded in acknowledgement, proving himself to be a rather quiet man.
“Right.” The cop looked around. “Everyone, at 9:00 am I expect you all to get back to work outside, the stones aren’t going to chisel themselves!” Groans were heard across the prison complex until he clanged his baton once more. “For the last time, shut up!” He spoke up again when they fell silent. “Good, now get some shut eye, you’ll all have to get up bright and early tomorrow!” The cop walked through the hall, he spoke with another cop before they both left the hallway, a few minutes passed by, and the lights turned off.
Berenkar scoffed at all this, he didn’t care about any of these people, he looked at them all with pure hatred and contempt in his eyes, hoping they’d all die soon so that he’d have an easy way back to his old life. He cleared the hair from his face, with the musky, dirty blonde strands now draping back.
Dr. Lenkrad took note of his facial expression. He fell silent for so long that when he spoke up it almost came as a surprise. “I can tell how you’re feeling...you want nothing more than to get out of here, don’t you?”
Berenkar leered at the doctor.
“What if I were to tell you that you wouldn’t need to get out?” Dr. Lenkrad smirked.
“What are you talking about?” Berenkar hissed through clenched teeth.
“The very same thing that got me imprisoned here.” Dr. Lenkrad remarked. “My various experiments have been deemed far too dangerous...but I have managed to sneak something in.” He looked around. “Tell no one of this, you understand?”
Berenkar crossed his arms. “Fine, you have my attention, just don’t waste my time.”
“Why, I wouldn’t dream of it.” Dr. Lenkrad smiled, he reached through his jumpsuit and into his lab coat, he extended his hand towards his cellmate and splayed his fingers, opening his palm to reveal a purple ember of flame hovering over it. “It is a new energy source that I have developed, I call it Chaos Energy.”
Berenkar fell silent, not quite sure what to make of it. He looked the doctor in the eye. “What does it do?”
“That’s what I am here to find out, I let myself get caught, knowing they wouldn’t be able to confiscate it.” Dr. Lenkrad pocketed it. “...and by pulling some strings, I managed to get into the very cell of the most dangerous criminal in the world.”
“You’re pushing your luck, what do you hope to accomplish?” Berenkar scoffed.
“Everything.” Dr. Lenkrad had a devious smile on his face. “With this, there will be no more laws, the impossible will become possible, no one will have limits anymore, and we can do anything we want to. I just need something to test it out on...or rather, someone...” He smiled and extended his hand. “Berenkar, are you interested?”
“Hm...” Berenkar paused for a moment. “You drive an interesting bargain, but how do we know it will work the way you want it to?”
“That’s the thing, we won’t until we try. It’s a pretty big risk, but if what I’ve heard about you is true, you’re all about those kinds of risks. What do you say?” Dr. Lenkrad asked.
“Very well...I accept.” Berenkar took his hand by force, cracking noises were heard as he shook his hand.
“Excellent.” Dr. Lenkrad grinned as he returned the handshake, he felt Berenkar’s fingers squeezing into the back of his hand. When it was released he took his hand back and rubbed it, this prisoner had a strong, tight grip. He knew his arm could have been torn out of its socket with ease had his cellmate wished to do so. He had a feeling he made the perfect choice for a test subject.
Later when most of the prisoners were outside performing physical labour with the guards supervising them, Berenkar snuck into a secret room that only the good doctor knew about. He was strapped to an operating table with Dr. Lenkrad looming over him, the doctor wore a makeshift visor which he lifted, with the Chaos Energy hovering over his other hand.
“You’re sure you are ready for this? Once this energy enters your body, there is no turning back.” Dr. Lenkrad warned him. “The effects will be unpredictable.”
“Yes.” Berenkar nodded without hesitation. “I have nothing to lose. Do it.”
“For science.” Dr. Lenkrad grinned as he reached his hand towards the mad prisoner, holding the chaos energy up to his body, the doctor moved his palm downwards and put the energy into his chest.
At first, nothing appeared to be happening. Dr. Lenkrad frowned a bit in frustration, but soon Berenkar was groaning, his body writhing on the table. Lenkrad stepped back a little when his cellmate’s body began shaking violently, these shakes soon turning into a full blown seizure. Dr. Lenkrad did his best to keep his patient stable, holding his head to the side so that he wouldn’t swallow his own tongue. Berenkar began foaming at the mouth while convulsing wildly, the table beneath him was shaking and making clattering noises as his body violently shook around, jolting and jerking every which way as far as his restraints would allow. Dr. Lenkrad pressed against his chest to keep his body stable and could feel his heartbeat fluctuating wildly until it abruptly stopped. Berenkar let out one last breath before his body collapsed, going completely limp.
“No...” Dr. Lenkrad pressed his ear up against his chest to make sure of his condition, and sure enough he could not hear his heartbeat anymore. “No, all that progress!” He pressed his hands against his chest and pushed down in order to resuscitate him. “Live, damn you, live! All my work cannot be for nothing!” He yelled as he continued administering CPR. He would not let his patient die, not on his watch.
Lenkrad attempted to revive Berenkar for what felt like hours, but it all seemed to be in vain, as he showed no signs of life. He clenched his forehead in frustration and wiped the sweat off his face. “Berenkar...the most nefarious criminal of all time...died of a heart attack as a result of my experiment.” He rubbed his temples. “What a way to go...it’s almost underwhelming after everything he has done...I suppose I could be considered a hero for this...but at least his suffering is over.” He sighed as he walked to the doorway. “How am I going to explain this?”
Suddenly he heard slight jostling which made him turn around. He saw Berenkar’s body twitching a little. “No way...can it be?” Lenkrad rushed over to his side and observed him for anymore signs of life. “Berenkar!” He was shocked, he was convinced this procedure didn’t work, as the prisoner looked to be dead at first. The doctor grabbed him by the shoulder and shook his body in a frantic attempt to wake him up. “Are you alright?”
Berenkar growled as his body began to glow with a purple energy. He opened his eyes, revealing them to be cracked and bloodshot. His arm began to transform, getting more muscular as it broke through the cuff restraining him. He reached towards Dr. Lenkrad and grabbed him by the neck as his fingernails grew into claws, lifting him up into the air. He squeezed firmly against his throat with his transforming hand, his voice getting more demonic as he spoke. “Why, Dr. Lenkrad, I’ve never felt better.”
The energy pulsated, turning into a fiery aura that spread around him as his body became more muscular, yet his skin became more decayed and skeletal. His pupils became reptilian-like slits and armour was materializing on his body. Soon the aura grew in size, and bolts of Chaos Energy were launched all around the prison. When the guards and prisoners alike returned, they too were infected with Chaos Energy, everyone’s bodies altered and morphed into more grotesque visages of their former selves, soon their transformations became so chaotic that they didn’t even resemble the people they once were anymore, their painful transformations becoming more haphazard and monstrous, seemingly random as was appropriate for such an energy’s name.
As this mad transformation took place, Dr. Lenkrad felt his own body begin to change. His prison outfit was torn off during his transformation as his labcoat began to rip apart as well. He saw Berenkar spread his clawed hands out as he tossed his head back and let out loud demonic laughter that reverberated across the walls. Soon the entire complex was consumed by this energy. The prison’s structure around him was warped and altered, its shape changing wildly before their eyes until it resembled a castle, Berenkar raised his claws, continuing his mad laughter, and thanks to this energy, by sheer force of will he made the castle launch into the sky, flying into the clouds while he gained control over these newly formed monsters.
Much later, Dr. Lenkrad was constructing a massive laser cannon attached to the bottom spire of the castle, almost hidden among the large spikes surrounding it. Dr. Lenkrad was working away at the mechanism with a wrench. He made the finishing touches to a creation that Berenkar was forcing him to finish as his body altered more and more. “It looks like my experiment was a success...” He covered his face in shame, which was shrouded in shadows, obscuring his new monstrous form. “Perhaps it was too successful...” When he was finished, he scaled the castle and climbed into the window of one of the lower levels.
Berenkar’s laughter sounded even more maniacal as the colossal cannon fired a massive purple laser made up of Chaos Energy at the planet it hovered over, slowly spreading it all across the surface like a terrible storm until the entire world below them was completely consumed by it, infecting it all and violently transforming everyone it touched into horrifying monsters.
“Heaven help us all...” Dr. Lenkrad growled under his breath while watching his laser cannon fire this energy, his voice showing traces of regret underneath its now monstrous sound.
---
“Ever since then, my home world has become what is now known as the Dark World, a corrupt planet ravaged by vicious monsters of all kinds.” Vertukai said as he closed his eyes. “Over time, I have been plotting against him, trying to rally up any monsters with remaining free will, I drew up the schematics to his castle after analyzing it for some years. I wanted to strike at the right time in the place he would least suspect, but unfortunately, he caught onto my scheme and after brutally beating me, he sent his eyeball creatures after me to chase me out of my home planet and finish the job. I thought I escaped them, but I ended up getting injured, I plummeted down to this planet...and that’s when we met.”
Makasu’s jaw dropped after hearing that story, he could not put into words how he felt as it was all still sinking in for him. He finally spoke up. “Vertukai, I...I don’t even know what to say...I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“It’s a lot to take in, I know.” Vertukai sighed. “The situation has been chaotic for so long. Many lives have been lost or corrupted. The few of us who are free from his control don’t know what to do about it. But perhaps...you could help us out.”
“”What?” Makasu pointed at himself, completely bewildered. “Me?”
“Yes, ever since my world was consumed by darkness there has been a prophecy. A prophecy that declares that one will bring an outsider to the world and purge it of all evil; they will slay the monsters in their way, and put a stop to the source of all chaos.” He looked at him. “I believe you are that outsider. Come with me Makasu, and you can help me free my planet from Berenkar’s tyranny.”
Makasu paused for a moment, he raised his hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up. That’s a tall order.” He stroked his chin. On one hand, this was an opportunity that he was waiting his whole life for, to save an entire planet. He always felt he might’ve just been too ambitious, but the possibility that it could become a reality was tempting. On the other hand he still had a lot to learn; he was somewhat afraid to fight such evil monsters and didn’t even know how he would beat them.
“There’s nothing to worry about.” Vertukai said in a comforting tone as if he read his mind, he gazed at the sheathed sword on Makasu’s back. “If you strike them down with that weapon of yours, you will be able to destroy them easily.”
Makasu glanced back at the hilt of his sword and smirked. “Heh, yeah, I’ll mop the floor with them!” He had a cocky smirk on, getting caught up in his overconfidence until he came to his senses. “I mean...wait, what? No! What am I saying?” He shook his head rapidly. “If your entire planet is taken over, it’d take an entire army to take it back. That’s lot to ask for from one kid. Even if one guy could do it, you’d need a much more experienced warrior than me, after all, I’m just a samurai in training...”
“Trainer, trainee, it matters not. So long as you are willing to help, I know you can do it.” Vertukai reassured him. He tossed the covers off of his body and got up; he spread his wings proudly, allowing the bandages to fall to the floor.
“Wow...you’re a pretty fast healer.” Makasu blinked.
“It’s thanks to you that I have my fighting spirit back; without the food you gave me I would have surely died, instead I was revitalized and my newfound willpower allowed my Chaos Energy to do the rest of the work.” Vertukai stretched his arms and tilted his head from side to side, cracking his neck and unstiffening his joints. “Now that I am healed of my injuries, are you ready to go?”
Makasu stroked his chin in contemplation, this was such a life changing moment for him, as much as he would like to rush into it and show the world what he was capable of, he thought back to his father’s teachings and wondered if he was truly ready.
“If you have your doubts, I will not force you.” Vertukai told him to reassure him.
“No, don’t worry about it...I’ve been waiting for a moment like this to prove my worth, it’s just that now that it’s presented itself to me, and after everything you’ve told me...it’s a lot to consider.” Makasu explained.
“Alright, I will give you a moment to decide...” Vertukai looked off in the distance.
“No need to...I accept.” Makasu shook his hand. Vertukai returned the handshake firmly. “Just...let me say goodbye to my dad, okay?”
“Of course.” Vertukai nodded. “In the meantime, I will be waiting.”
“Thank you.” Makasu bowed respectfully to him, Vertukai bowed back, smiling as he got the hang of this new custom. The young samurai headed out of the cabin, walking back to his father’s residence. “How do I even explain this? I don’t want to lie to him, but if I tell him the truth, he’ll never believe me...” He sighed. “I’ll just have to come up with something...maybe I can tell a little white lie, or at the very least, leave out a lot of details.”
---
Sesu was watering some plants; tea was boiling on the stove in order to help him unwind after a long day. Makasu entered the room, and when he saw his father he thought back to their fight earlier. His nervousness overtook him and he felt his throat close up, unsure of what to even say. He took deep breaths to help soothe his nerves, and then cleared his throat before speaking. “Umm...dad?”
“Hm?” Sesu turned towards his son.
“Listen, I-” He was cut off by a high pitched noise, the tea was ready. Sesu walked towards the kettle and poured himself a cup. Makasu itched at his ear, then bowed to his father. “I’m...very sorry about not listening to you earlier, what I did was wrong, and I should have heeded your advice. I have brought shame to my family’s name.”
Sesu paused for a moment to take a sip of his tea, and then placed it down on a plate. “Nonsense.” Sesu muttered. “You have done no such thing. You’re still young, my child. Mistakes will be made; the important thing is that you learn from them.” He placed a hand on his shoulder. “And what have you learned this time?”
“To not act so brashly, and to respect my elders.” Makasu said.
“Indeed, you must never disrupt the natural order of the world around you.” Sesu took another sip of his tea. “Long ago, the Samurai once conquered villages and had slain many men to make Japan what it is today.” He closed his eyes. “Those days are over, and although I have allowed you to train to follow in our ancestors’ footsteps, I wish never to bring back that mindset. If you are to become a warrior, it shall be one of righteousness, never one for selfish desires.”
“So many things have changed since then though...come on, dad, one guy couldn’t do all that in this day and age.” Makasu said.
“You would be surprised at what a single man can do.” Sesu glanced at him. “You are young and naïve. Fortunately, you still have time to learn.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Makasu scratched the back of his head. “You’re expecting a lot from me, aren’t you?”
“Only because you seek to accomplish so much on your own, but do not worry, this is why we train one step at a time. After all, as infants we take baby steps before we begin to walk, you are to jump in the air before taking a massive leap. This kind of training and discipline is no different.”
Makasu chuckled nervously and nodded a bit, there was much weight to what his father was saying. He wondered if he could live up to it all. Sesu looked at him, able to tell by a mere glance how the boy was feeling.
“Makasu, you are still my son, and nothing will ever change that.” Sesu smiled warmly at him. “There is nothing to forgive, as you are already forgiven.”
“Thanks, dad.” Makasu smiled back at him, he then tapped his index finger against his chin, wondering how to word his exact situation to him.
Sesu raised an eyebrow. “Is something on your mind, my son?”
“Yeah, I uh...” Makasu closed his eyes. “I have a friend who really needs my help. He lives very far away, so I’ll have to go for a long time.” He looked at him. “I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“Who is this friend, and what kind of help does he need?” Sesu asked.
Makasu hesitated to say anything for a bit until he briefly spoke up. “I cannot say.” He waved his hands around. “Not that I’m lying, but I don’t think you’d believe me even if I told you.” He lowered his arms. “At any rate...this might be just what I need to hone my skills, and hopefully complete my training as a full fledged Samurai. I’ll be able to help those in need and beat the bad guys down!” He swung his fists excitedly at the air, but then paused for a moment. “...without being so impulsive of course.”
“You always were rather hotheaded.” Sesu chuckled and shook his head. “Sometimes I feel such a thing will never change.” He walked over to his son and ruffled his hair a bit. “Even still, it sounds like a great battle is ahead of you, especially if what you’re saying is true. Keep all of our training sessions along with everything I’ve taught you in mind, and never forget to keep your loved ones close to your heart.” He placed a hand over his own chest.
“I will, dad. Don’t worry, I swear I’ll make you proud of me.” Makasu bowed to his father.
“That’s my boy.” Sesu smiled warmly as he bowed back. “That is why I can never stay mad at you. As stubborn and eager as you can be at times, I know for a fact that your heart is in the right place. That is why I forgive you, and why you will always be welcome back here, Makasu, no matter how long you are gone for.” He walked over and hugged him.
“Thanks, dad. Hearing that from you makes it all worthwhile.” Makasu smiled as he hugged him back.
Sesu hugged him firmly until he released the hug. “Do you wish to have some tea with me? There’s more than enough to share and you may need the energy for such a daunting task ahead of you.”
“Thanks, but I’d really better get going. Can’t keep my friend waiting after all. Responsibility and all that, you know?”
“I understand.” Sesu nodded.
Makasu started walking to the doorway, but then glanced at the tea kettle and licked his lips. “Although it does look good...okay, maybe just one sip.”
Sesu smiled and pat him on the back, the two sat down, and the elderly man poured another cup.
---
Vertukai stood in the midst of an open field, waiting for Makasu until the young Samurai ran up to him. The griffin turned to face him before speaking. “Have you said your goodbyes?”
“Yes.” Makasu nodded.
“Good.” Vertukai extended his hand and spread his wings. “Then let us be off!”
Makasu just blinked at this, looking completely baffled.
“Just grab my hand, and I’ll take you there.” Vertukai told him.
“I, uhh...” Makasu looked up at the sky, then back at Vertukai. “Thing is...stuff burns up when it enters the Earth’s atmosphere.”
“I am unfortunately very well aware of that.” Vertukai confessed. “But this time, I’ll have protection.”
“You might, but what about me?” Makasu pointed up. “Humans can’t survive in the vacuum of space, there’s no oxygen, so there’s nothing to breathe!”
“Hmm...in that case, I’ll have to do something I originally wanted to avoid.” Vertukai muttered.
“Oh, and what’s that?” Makasu asked.
Vertukai grunted a bit as he plucked one of his purple feathers from his massive wings. It glowed with the fiery purple aura of Chaos Energy. He moved the feather closer to him. “Now, hold still and brace yourself...this will unfortunately hurt, a lot...”
Makasu sharply inhaled and closed his eyes. The black haired boy tensed up as he felt the feather coming closer and closer to him. His left eyebrow twitched a little and he seemed to be instinctively holding his breath. A spark leaped off of the feather and touched Makasu, he was suddenly surrounded in a wild purple energy, he clenched his teeth as he grunted and groaned in pain, but tried to hold it back. He started panting and sweating, feeling like every organ inside him was tearing itself apart. He couldn’t take this unbearable pain anymore and screamed in agony. He fell to his knees and breathed heavily. His entire body glowed in a faint purple energy until it died down and the pain subsided.
Makasu looked up wearily at Vertukai, with hints of anger and disbelief in his expression. “What the hell was that?! Are you trying to kill me or something?”
“On the contrary, you needed that to survive.” Vertukai crossed his arms. “That my friend, was a mere taste of what being infected with Chaos Energy is like.”
“You mean the stuff that turns people into monsters? Are you insane?!” Makasu stared aghast at the winged creature.
“It was only a trace amount, not enough to completely alter you, just enough to allow you to breathe in the vacuum of space.” Vertukai informed him. “That pain was the very reason I did not wish to do this, but I had very little choice in the matter.”
Makasu stood there for a moment to catch his breath and regain his bearings.
“Now, are you ready?”
“Yeah...just give me a sec...” Makasu raised his index finger while breathing heavily. He inhaled deeply, as if to meditate for a moment in order to calm himself. He opened his eyes and extended his hand. “Let’s go!”
Vertukai extended his wings, took Makasu’s hand and instantly flew off into the sky. The young warrior called out as he felt himself lift off from the ground. He looked around with a mix of awe and panic, seeing the clouds surrounding him in a way he had never seen before. Vertukai flapped his wings and he felt intense heat for a moment. Although leaving the Earth’s atmosphere was still intense for the young samurai, thanks to the Chaos Energy it felt like little more than a simple heatwave. Finally they were in space, and although Makasu initially held his breath, he opened his mouth and gasped when he felt air enter it. “Wow...”
“You’d best not get used to it. Although this may seem amazing at first, I have seen many fall prey to the effects of Chaos Energy.” Vertukai warned him. “I dare not give you anymore, no matter how dire our situation may get.”
“Yeah...trust me, I’m not gonna plan on getting more anytime soon.” Makasu remarked.
“In order to vanquish such foul monsters, we will have to work together.” Vertukai said, his wings flapping with all their might. “This planet is very dangerous, so you will need to heed my advice carefully.”
“Got it.” Makasu nodded. “Though I’m not gonna plan a vacation here if that’s what you’re thinking.” He quipped.
“With your skills and my guidance, only then will we be able to liberate my home from these monsters and put a stop to the Dark World Master once and for all.” Vertukai said. He continued flying, then opened up a portal of purple energy in front of him. He glided through it and flying silently, he saw it, the purple planet of his ravaged home world. “Here we are...may the prophecy soon come true.”
END OF CHAPTER