(Second-person POV)
Letting out an annoyed hiss, the skeleton pushed off the ground and began charging toward you as you did the same, ready to beat him to the ground. The unbearable pain keeps time with the heavy thumping of your heart, whiting out your vision one beat at a time, but you chose to ignore the feeling and focus on defeating the intruder.
Your heart surged with adrenaline as you heard your heart beating in your ears. You let out a menacing growl and lunged at your opponent as hard as you could in your body's broken state, punching him square in the jaw as you bit back a groan of pain. Something about this felt all too familiar; something you wouldn't be repeating without a choice; with that, your instincts kicked in. Evading the humanoid's attacks before they landed and then fighting back, the two of you seemed to be more dancing than fighting, finding a rhythm and exchanging blows.
Even as you felt blood pour out from your face in streams and pool around your feet, you refused to give in and refused to let this - or any, for that matter - foe kill you without a fight. Not now. Not ever.
Sucking in a pained breath, you gathered the power of the element of speed and metal hardening your fist before throwing a left hook at the skeleton, knocking his head right off. Feeling your chest heave with exhaustion, you summoned a towel from your pocket dimension and tried to stop the blood that leaked from your face like a flowing tap. This is probably from overusing my powers, you thought, trying to regulate your breathing, Had the fight continued any longer, I would have passed out...
Suddenly, you felt a burning sensation course through your body, causing you to freeze in shock. Snapping out of the daze, you turned to find the skeleton you had 'defeated', only to come up with nothing. Approaching you, the teen in black called out "Thank you, miss-"
"Get down!" you yelled out, erecting a wind barrier around the five people just as the cavern exploded into a mess of blazing rock and ash. Feeling your consciousness slip away from your fingertips with each passing second, you pushed past the buzzing in your ears and managed to murmur "Sorry... Sensei... I've... failed..." before the colours that flashed around you and the nauseating lights blinded you faded to black.
(Time skip - ???)
Sitting up with a start, you immediately regretted the action as your head throbbed with pain, your mind reeling as you struggled to comprehend your surroundings. Letting out a gasp when you remembered what had just happened before you passed out, you looked around in horror.
Devastation.
That was the only word that came to mind, and even that didn't do the scene in front of you justice. What was once your home was now a pile of rubble, completely destroyed by the explosion. Those skeletons must have decided to blow the entire cave up when I defeated them and their leader was just stalling for time! you thought, trying to dig through the bits of rock and ash. How could I have fallen prey to such a mistake? you groaned, But wait... The last thing I remember was creating a barrier for those five intruders and then passing out... So... how did I survive...?
Looking around you, you caught sight of a familiar black and white tail, the scales making your blood run cold. "Dart!" you gasped out, trying to use your earth element to dig her out of the wreckage, only to be met with overwhelming pain. Guess I'll have to do this the old fashion way... you thought. Slowly, you forced yourself to stand through strained limbs, pushing the jagged stones away by hand and ignoring the feeling of the rocks digging into your hands.
I still have the Void Vanquisher, so that's good... But... Sensei's going to be so disappointed when he comes back... What if he sees this and doesn't want to keep me as a student anymore?! Then we won't be able to stay together anymore and everything will have to change! you thought in a panic, finally digging your reptilian friend out of the ruins. "Dart? Dart? Are you alright?" you murmured, pulling the dragon's head onto your lap, gently brushing her scratched scales.
Opening her artic-blue eyes much to your relief, you let out a sigh of relief and hugged her head as she purred softly, as if trying to reassure you. Shrinking down to her original size, your companion crawled into your lap and began to rest, no doubt extremely tired from the battle just before. "Thanks for protecting me, girl," you whispered, not getting too loud as you gently stroked her head.
Speaking of the battle, how did I realise that the cave was going to explode before it happened? The electric shock made it almost impossible for me to smell or hear, so it wasn't because I caught a whiff of gunpowder... Plus, I was too focused on the battle between me and the four-armed skeleton to bother looking around for any other enemies... then... was it my time element? you wondered, picking up Dart and wrapping her safely around your neck as you began searching for the five other people that you had encased in your wind barrier.
It's not entirely impossible since foresight is a time thing... But how come it never activated before? Is it because I used the Void Vanquisher before and some of the power increased my own? I need to ask Kusho Sensei when he comes back but until then... Trailing off, you finally caught sight of the dome-like structure you had encased the humans in and began making your way towards them.
Forcing the wind barrier to fall and let the males trapped inside out, you felt your muscles scream as you used your elemental powers, blowing the fallen debris away from its centre. As soon as it fell, you felt a weight lift off your back as you pull your hood down, not wanting to further associate with these intruders. They bring nothing more than trouble... you sighed, checking over your slightly singed clothes to find that they were in relatively good condition, save for the ends of your cape that had been caught in the explosion.
"Hold on!" the voice of the teen in black called out, his hand grabbing your own as you flinched at the unexpected contact and you practically ripped yourself away from his grip. "A-ah, sorry about that. Thank you for protecting us. The name's Cole, Master of Earth! This is Zane, the one in white and the Master of Ice. The one in red is Kai, Master of Fire, and the one in blue is Jay, Master of Blabber."
"Lightning!" 'J' hissed at this 'Coal' figure as you side-eyed the group.
"And this is our teacher, Sensei Wu," the teen in black finished, seeming pretty proud of his teammates.
Giving them a small nod of acknowledgement so as not to seem rude, you turned to leave when 'Coal' called out to you again. "Wait, what's your element? You seem to be able to use wind, earth, nature, and that black cloud!"
"...Void..." you revealed, earning confused looks from the males while the old man seemed to be shocked by your words.
"Kusho managed to pass on his powers? How extraordinary..." he murmured, stroking his long beard as he seemed to examine you, making you suspect his motives. "I can help train you, young girl, and you can join the ninja at my monastery. I can help you reach your full potential and help you defeat the Skulkin if they attack again."
"No thank you," you responded, turning to leave again with Dart still nuzzled against your neck, "I will not take on another teacher when my current one has not given me his permission to move on." Giving the group of teens that looked to their teacher in protest and/or confusion, you added "And I think your current students have something to say about me 'joining' your team."
"Hm... Then how about you join us, not as a student, but as a friend? You will get access to the monastery's equipment and will have to participate in our routines, but you will not be pressured into joining the Ninja on their missions."
"Hold on, Sensei!" the male in red cut in, his voice still hoarse after you placed him in the wind prison before, "You can't just ask a random stranger to join us!"
"Yeah!" the one in blue chimed in, "Was always a boy band, but now you're asking a girl to join us?! Well, not that I mind..." he chuckled, occasionally stealing glances at you with a red face which you found... odd, to say the least.
"She is the true master of the Void Vanquisher," the old man responded, earning shocked gasps from the rest of the group, you feeling the same, though your stony face didn't show it.
"What?!" the red ninja exclaimed, looking from you to his teacher in disbelief, "There's no way! She doesn't even know Spinjitzu!"
"And I have no interest in joining your four-man band," you add on, the spiky-haired male nodding with your statement for once. "Besides, I don't care about this 'Master of the Void Vanquisher'. All I care about is protecting this sword until Sensei comes back, and until that day, I will traverse the land in search of him."
Stroking his beard, the old man looked into your eyes as you glared back at him, subtly wondering if he was going to challenge you to a fight. "I see... You are indeed a very loyal student, but perhaps it is fear that is motivating you?"
"What?" you mutter in confusion, "What is there that I should be scared of?"
"Well, if you joined me then I can help you find out," he replied, making you grimace in annoyance.
Who does he think he is? The world's best salesperson? He walks up to my house with his band of pyjama teens and tries to steal the Void Vanquisher I was set to guard, and then happens to lead a whole army of skeletons right to me! Then, they blow up my home and destroy Kusho Sensei's things! The nerve of some people! you hiss in your mind whilst making sure that your face still retained its unbothered facade, carefully analysing the five males standing in front of you.
"Quick question, do you like the colour blue?" 'J' asked, his eyes lighting up with hope as he flashed you a small smile, his aura turning a soft sky-blue in shyness.
"...I don't mind it," you reply, not sure what this has to do with anything. Not missing the celebratory grin the teen spouted, you turned your attention to the old man with whom you still have unfinished business. "Anyways, I refuse your offer, no matter what position you offer me," you insist as the male looked into your eyes before finally relenting.
"Hold on," the teen with hair not dissimilar to a porcupine's spines cut in, "How do we even know that she's the master of the Void Vanquisher? She could be pretending to be its protector for all we know!"
Letting out a sigh, the oldest of the group of humans replied "The Void Vanquisher was created so that only the one it chooses can unsheath it. She has already done so multiple times and even used the weapon without trouble, Kai. She is no doubt the sword's weapon."
"Really? I mean, anyone can draw a sword-"
"You want to give it a try then?" you interrupt, wanting to see what will happen if the person that isn't the 'chosen one' tries to pull the Void Vanquisher out.
Almost hesitating, he nodded at you as you tossed him the sword in its scabbard, ready to attack and get it back if they even dare to do so much as to try and steal it. Placing one hand on the handle and another on the sheath, the teen tried to pull out the weapon, his face contorted from strain before eventually pausing to take a breath. Doing it again, he tried to draw the blade, only to fail. "Maybe if I...!" he muttered, setting his hand alight, hoping that his fire element would awaken the Void Vanquisher.
Suddenly, a field of grey energy blasted the male in the opposite direction of the weapon, the sword seeming like a white blur as it headed straight for you. Catching it with your dominant hand, you looked to the teen that was helped to his feet by his friend in black, you inquired "Anyone else wants to try?"
"Wh-what did you-?!" the hothead demanded, seemingly enraged by the outcome of his attempt.
Giving him an insouciant shrug, you replied cooly "Nothing. The Void Vanquisher just rejected you as its master. If you want clarification, just ask your teacher. I'm sure he saw what had happened and that his personal opinion wouldn't cloud his judgement."
All eyes on him, the males' sensei nodded slowly, agreeing with your words as the teen in red looked on in disbelief. "May I give it a go?" the human in white inquired, raising his hand politely.
Well, he's got nice manners, I'll give him that... you thought as you threw the weapon at him, I wouldn't mind it if he became the master of the Void Vanquisher...
Contrary to your expectations, he was also unable to draw the sword but was smart enough to see from his teammate's attempt to not use his elemental powers. Handing the blade to his friends, they tried to unsheath the blade but nothing happened, as if it were a stone that wouldn't budge in the slightest. "Do you mind if our sensei gave it a try?" 'Zain' asked as you nodded, wanting to know how the Void Vanquisher would react if it were to be in the hands of one of the same people that betrayed your teacher.
Before the old man was even able to fully grasp the weapon, it let out another blast of energy, flying away from his hand and back to your side. Because the male managed to stabilise himself using his bamboo staff, he wasn't blown away like his student in red, but seemed to be shaken up by the flint-grey power.
"What if I unsheathed it?" you muttered, pulling the gleaming pearl-white weapon out from its casing and tossing it to the male in black. Almost immediately, he was brought to the ground by the weight of the blade, unable to pick it back up as if it were sucked towards the earth by a large magnet. Even as three of his four companions went to help him, the sword wouldn't budge at all, as if it were made of solid osmium and weighed twice as much as lead.
Walking over, you picked up the tsurugi and placed it back in its sheath as if it weighed like a normal sword, making the four teens look at you in a stupor. Dismissing the weapon to its place in your pocket dimension with a snap of your fingers, you let out a sigh and turned on your heel, ready to leave the broken bits of your home behind. "Well then, I bid you five farewell," you remark as you headed down the mountain, unsure of where to go but letting your legs lead you nonetheless.
"W-wait, what's your name?!" the voice of the blue teen called out, making you stop and pause for a moment to consider whether or not you should reply.
"...(y/n)," you answered, not stopping to look behind you at the place you once called home, "Call me (y/n)."
Author's note:
Thank you very much for reading this chapter. It was 2598 words long and I hope it didn't disappoint! The reader will join the ninja in the future and unlock her true potential! But will she find her sensei again? That's for me to know, and for you to find out when I release that chapter! But until the next chapter comes out, have a nice day/night/evening/afternoon and I'll see you in the next one :)