Long Live the King || unOrdinary

The Lonely Samurai

Kuyo stepped above the rooftop of a building in a random low-tier district for which he hadn't bothered to find the name. He was angry. Furious. Only weeks prior, his best friend had sacrificed himself to protect him. And Kuyo just let it happen. He didn't even avenge his death. He felt powerless. Weak. Regardless, he continued to be a vigilante, even as countless others had retired their costumes and went into hiding to get away from EMBER.

His eyes scanned the ground below. Watching, waiting, for some would-be criminal to come around stick someone up. He realized that the more he went out into the field and fought more crime, the less and less he'd pull his punches. He could feel himself losing control. He hated himself and wanted to—

"You're too hard on yourself," a familiar voice said from behind him. It was Rei. The very one who had just sacrificed himself just weeks before.

"R-Rei?" Kuyo asked puzzledly. "I thought you were dead."

"I am," Rei confirmed. "But you needed my guidance, so I'm here."

"Are you a...a ghost?"

"Not as far as I know." Whatever this Rei is was still the lighthearted man that he used to be. Kuyo missed him. He wished it was him instead of Rei in this situation, but...there was nothing he could do. The amount of guilt and despair that Kuyo felt was unmatched by anyone who knew Rei outside of his family.

"Then what are you?" Kuyo asked. "My conscience? Am I going insane?"

"You're not insane," Rei soothed. "But I suppose I am your conscience the more I think about it. Whenever you need me for emotional support or as a guide, I'll be here."

Kuyo turned around and continued looking down at the town below. "I don't know what to do anymore," Kuyo said. He turned around to face his conscience. But...he was gone. Kuyo guessed he didn't need him at the moment.

His thoughts were interrupted by a clattering sound from below the rooftop he was standing on. He dropped down, summoning a blade and stabbing it into the wall to slow his descent. He finally stopped on the fire escape, close enough to get a decent look at the cause of the noise. He saw two men, one was wearing all black, save for a theatrical looking mask that featured blood red tear streaks from the eye holes.

The other man looked fairly important, perhaps a major businessman or minor politician of sorts.

"Please! Whatever you want I can give it to you! Do you want money? I have money!" the sophisticated-looking man pleaded.

"Money doesn't matter in this world," the masked man said, his voice was psychotic sounding and it sent shivers down Kuyo's spine. "All that matters is power. And you have too much." The masked man broke into a loud cackle that twisted Kuyo's insides and sent the hairs on his body standing straight up.

The masked man finished cackling and activated his ability. His glowing red eyes could just barely be seen through the eye holes of his mask. The laughing began again, albeit slower and much quieter than the cackling from before. He reached out with his hand and the sophisticated-looking man began to cry out in agonizing pain.

Kuyo had seen enough. He leaped down from the fire escape and landed, stabbing the ground with one blade, cracking the pavement. "That's enough creep!" he exclaimed. "Let this man go!"

The masked man chuckled. "You think I'm afraid of you?" he asked Kuyo. His hand had now lowered and the man had stopped screaming. Kuyo glanced at the man and noticed that blood was streaking from his now bloodshot eyes.

"Evidently not," Kuyo remarked. "But whatever ability you have can't be that strong!"

He dashed toward the masked man, who dashed to the left to dodge his charge. Kuyo managed to slash his right arm. Blood splattered across his arm, but the masked man didn't seem to react. Kuyo watched in horror as the blood from his arm began to shape itself into a blade-like form and attached to his arm like a replaceable hand. It then clotted and became solid. The masked man stabbed at Kuyo, who just barely managed to block the attack with his own blade.