Tsubasa KokoroReclamationOdd would be the word that Tsubasa would use to describe the way her day had gone so far. Being summoned to Meisa’s office, only to have her instruct her to go and train with Fushichō. Tsubasa wasn’t surprised that she knew, but she as more surprised by the fact that she was ordered to train. Stepping into her small apartment, Tsubasa worked the transportation scroll off her waist and settled it on the floor. Placing her hand at the center of the scroll. To be honest she was excited, but if Fushichō or Meisa caught wind of that she would probably regret thinking it. Releasing the scroll Tsubasa disappeared in a cloud of smoke, trying her best to hider her excitement.
MusicAs the smoke cleared, Tsubasa could see the morning just entering the cave with the light glow of the bright orange sun. Deflecting off the sun below, giving the cave a slight glow of the morning sky. Her feet sinking into the sand lightly as she put weight on them, Tsubasa stood up from her crouching position. Looking around a faint smile on her face grew. This place was like a second home to her, where she was introduced to new concepts as well as ways to control her chakra. Looking ahead of her, she saw the next intended place for Tsubasa to visit. A long hallway, with seemingly more etchings on the walls along it stood before the young woman. On a tombstone to the left of the entrance, lay an odd garment Tsubasa didn’t quite recognize for a second. It was a hooded cloat, with no sleeves and an odd scar on it. Picking it up she noticed that it would fit into her armor well. It was the deep crimson that the last one was, as well as the golden trim that seemed to mimic the subtle golden glow of the carvings. The designed were slightly different from the ones on the walls, but only with more sweeping arcs and feather-like details.
“This must have been the reason, she asked for a sketching of the new armor breast plate when I created it.” A giggle faint could be heard from within the tunnel. Tsubasa straightened her back as peered down that way, seeing a small silhouette grow larger as it moved closer. Figuring she couldn’t wear the garb without layering it under her armor, she began to unfasten her breastplate and belt.
“Is the garb to thine liking? I’m quite proud of thy work on it. The designs are rather…. novel.” Fushichō leaned up against the one of the walls eyeing the carvings with a faint expression of longing. Her fingers were stains with the same golden reflective material as on the walls and the cloak. Tsubasa slowly slipped the cloak on and straightened out the fabric across her body.
“Their very organic. Very free form and original. I’m more interested in how the robes integrate with my armor though. I may just have to take this back with me….” Fuchichō smirked and stepped toward the taller woman. Tsubasa looked the phoenix’s human form up and down, taking note of her bust and hip size with a hidden envy. “If thou passes thine next test, thou art welcome to take them.” She said looking at her student with a determined face smirk. Tsubasa could exactly place why, but she found the comment reassuring.
Turning around, Fushichō gestured Tsubasa to follow as her hair began to flare with a white light. “Today, thou shalt look on these walls and meditate on the ideas of permanence, reclamation, and rebirth. How does the energy and ideas of the past affect the present? Is anything actually permanent? I shalt meet thee at the end. Take thine time, my student.” As she finished her speech, her aura settled and she retained her bird form. Flapping her wings, she quickly flew down the long hallway slipping out of Tsubasa’s sight.
Looking to the wall closest to her, she quickly recognized the mural. It was the same illustration she had seen in the ruins, about the small, but prosperous society living in harmony among the phoenixes. Eyeing the next mural, she noticed that the phoenixes and the robed humans separated instead of together or intertwined like in the murals before. The humans seemed to be huddling over a small symbol. It looked like an odd, black summoning circles with a stick figure human at the center. The phoenixes appeared to exhibiting gestures of sorrow, as they seemed to follow the sun. In the next mural, we finally saw a full picture of the main city of the society. Built at the summit of a small mountain, their walls seemed to be built tall with small gates and elevators around. Flying toward the sunset, the phoenixes flew off into the sunset, still sharing gestures of sorrow and sadness. The human’s robes changed to a dark, blackened color with a white trim as the seemed to be constructing something along the city walls. In the next mural it showed the city being lifted into the air by large, black machines on the city walls as it flew toward the sea, leaving a large crater in the mountain. The only thing that remained was a large tower with the same designs as the murals, seemingly of the phoenixes. The machines on the side of the now floating city gave off large plumes of smoke and dust, as it continued toward the sea. In the next mural, it showed the city sinking into the sea, staining the water black around it.
The next mural seemed different from the others, drawn with more swooping and fluid style. Just from the siding alone, Tsubasa could tell that a different artist had drawn this. It showed a lone phoenix descending from the sun and flew over its previous home. Only the very top of the tower was visible, as the rest was covered with a large glacier. The majority of the crater had been eroded away by the glacier, excepting one corner of it making a new peak for the mountain. Around the peak had formed a small collection of clouds that seemed to remain to mask the peak. The phoenix settled itself upon this peak and waited.
The next mural was oddly enough the same excepting one difference. Next to the singular phoenix was an odd glowing light, which seemed to be depicted with a crystal in the mural. It gave no explanation of the crystal.
The next mural was also an artistic departure from the previous murals. At the center stood a man wearing an odd necklace with six tomoe and rippled purple eyes. One of the tomoe was aglow with the colors of a flame with golden trim. Tsubasa knew the man in the mural only from legend and seemingly from her teacher. The mural was of the Sage of the Six Paths, however he seemed younger than he was usually depicted in legends it also showed that the only tomoe made in color was a black and white one at the opposite end of the necklace. He also seemed to be missing several of his sacred items. In the four corners of the mural, it showed him in several different situations. One showed him sliding down a sand dune while the intense rays of the sun beamed down on him. The next showed him walking through a dark cave, his eyes glowing in the darkness. Tsubasa soon realized that he was going through the same trials she had been going through with Fushichō. The next trial showed him meditating in the center of a circle, seemingly with small flames surrounding him. The trial after than showed him trudging through the snow in a blizzard, but his eyes were no longer aglow as they were in all the other trials. She found it odd, but it appeared that his eyes were closed and…. Bleeding?
The next mural was much like the previous except the man at the center was different. His hair was black and he had a pair of sharingan. An Uchiha had been here however in the first trial it only showed a tombstone with a scarf. A bitter feeling sunk into Tsubasa’s stomach as she stared at the other blank trials and thought back to the tombstones she had seen up to this point. Continuing to look around at the other murals, with their tombstones dotting the trials. A Sarutobi, an Uzumaki, Naru, Aburame, Amagiri, Hyūga, Inuzuki, Shimaru and a list of other names that Tsubasa didn’t recognize. They all came and fell at some point in the trials. All excepting herself and the Sage… As she looked ahead down the tunnel she did not see any more murals and the ending of the tunnel. Turning her head to the last mural, Tsubasa gasped a bit.
On the first trial, the subject of the painting skated along the sands, avoiding large fireballs. Her long hair flowing along in the wind. The second trial showed her standing with her large sword in hand, yelling at the darkness. The next two trials were clear… with nothing drawn in them. Looking at the young woman in the center of the mural, Tsubasa saw herself. Her vibrant pink eyes and hair. Her sleekly designed armor and blades, glowing gold and silver. The maroon sash on her waist. The fitted robes and hood given to her. Tsubasa was moved by the fact that she was on the wall at all. There was something different about the mural though. The designs seemed to mimic her cloak’s, with sweeping golden trim and the new added color of silver. Tsubasa looked above her own head in the mural to find a fifth trial… She was sitting on the side of the mountain with her hands held together, with burning wings sprouting from her back. They were small and kind of hard to distinguish from just simple flame. Tsubasa also noted something on her own face. She was crying.
“Thou gaveth until it pained you and sought more. Your presence changes the stakes of all the challenges. You’st appear to thee as an ever-changing thing.” Fushicho said standing behind Tsubasa. She surprised and startled, Tsubasa tried to turn around but stumbled as she shifted her weight. Falling back against her own mural, she looked up at her white haired teacher.
“Fu-F….Fush?” She calmly knelt down in front of her, lightly brushing Tsubasa’s bangs out of her face. “Thou art about to begin the hardest trial. Thou may feel pain beyond imagining or experience something wonderful… which one I can not say…” She said as stood up and slipped her hand down Tsubasa’s chin. Gesturing to help Tsubasa up, Tsubasa took the hand and slowly stood up and looked down on the bustier ‘female.’ Tsubasa looked toward her teacher with a worried look.
“I’d be lying if I said I liked pain… but is this all really necessary? I’m just here to learn… I don’t need fancy murals or paintings.”[b] Fushichō smiled a bit, only to have it sink a bit after thinking about what was to come. Placing a hand on her shoulder and directing toward the exit of the tunnel, Fushichō’s changed to something more chipper. “ The fact that thou see thineself as nothing more than that is exactly why thou deserves to be upon that wall. Thine predecessors only saw thee as a means to an end, to attain glory and etch thine names upon the walls of time. Of course, they got what they wished and soon perished for they lacked something. Something I have not been able to name nor should it be. It can’t be taught, but it can be honed.” Walking through the threshold of the tunnel, Tsubasa’s eyes slowly adjusted to the small amount of light within the chamber. The large circular chamber seemed to extend upward toward the sky with an open top that let small bits of sunlight into the tall chamber. “Welcome to Megalis, last remaining relic of a long lost civilization. Settle in here and meditate. Think on everything thou hath learned from thine past visits. Then let everything drop away for a while and simply think on thine breathing. Then… when thou feels that thou art ready, try and pull in what energy thou feels surrounds thee. If this is a success, join thee at the top.” Fushichō said in a low tone before taking her bird form and flying to the top of Megalis. Tsubasa’s brow furrowed, but she settled herself at the center of the chamber and began to breath.
Moar Music
Calmly closing her eyes, Tsubasa began to slow down her breathing and considered what she had done so far. First she met Fushichō atop the summit of the mountain where she learned to use one of her most used abilities. It was peculiar but she recalled that she taught her about energy and how it mimicked love. Small bits of dust began to swept up in the light breeze that seemed to be working it’s way around Tsubasa. After her meeting on the mountain, she met Fushichō in the desert below where she avoided her fire as she crossed the expanse of sand. Once in the oasis she learned about how interconnected the world was, despite what people wished to believe. The lands, the villages, and Kage, all followed the same rules or… rhythm. The small breeze began to pick up and became more of a gust, moving Tsubasa’s bangs and robes about with the same circular flow. Then she stepped into the dark caves of the mountain, looking at the old ruins and facing a beast that made her shiver just by thinking about it. She learned the potential of fear as well as its weaknesses. The wind continued to pick up, beginning to whistle as it picked up speed, throwing Tsubasa’s hair and cloth about as she remained completely still. Finally she came here and learned of who came before her. First the civilization and then all the other students. All lost to their own hubris and unable or unwilling to simply listen and attempt to understand. She began to think on what Fushicho said to her at the beginning of the hallway. First the civilization that sank into the see. They seemed to forget the teachings of the phoenix and perished because of it. Then the other students lost themselves because they saw the teachings as a means to an end. It all seemed so simple at the time, but all together it seemed to point toward something larger. The wind continued to wiz around Tsubasa until… she finally heard it. It was faint, but it seemed to be coming from the top of Megalis… no. Farther than the top. She could almost sense it at the summit, pulsing with some kind of beat. Each beat resonating across the mountain and hitting her with the little energy it had left. Bump… Bump… Tsubasa could feel something else around her apart from the bumping energy of the peak and the wind. It was like a weight, pushing at her at all sides. It felt familiar and new all at the same time, rippling with the bumping and circling with the wind. As she inhaled, it contoured against her body and was slowly pushed away as she exhaled. She felt it tingle on her skin either from it’s warm or cold touch. She could not tell which. Soon an idea popped into Tsubasa’s head, which was all too tempting to try. Taking a deep breath, Tsubasa allowed a large amount of natural energy to enter her body.
Even Moar Music
Tsubasa began to feel warmer, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. All of her senses began to feel stronger. She could hear the exact points where the wind whistled. She could feel it run through her hair and fingers more ‘vividly.’ She could smell what remained of the morning dew on the sands. Her heart pumped loudly in her chest as she continued to breath as though she was meditating. Slowly standing up, Tsubasa opened her eyes and was surprised by what she saw. She was ablaze. Her hair, her robes, her armor, her body all engulfed in flame. Though surprised, Tsubasa was not scared. A large grin grew across her face as she looked to the top of Megalis. The wind still swirling around her, Tsubasa began to channel chakra to the back of her boots. Releasing them in a constant burst, Tsubasa was leaned forward and she began to move around the chamber in a circle, mimicking the wind. As she picked up speed, Tsubasa’s grin developed into a large smile. She had never gone this fast before, and she couldn’t help but feel that she could do even more. Channeling more chakra into the back of her breastplate, she looked toward the walls. Jumping toward the wall, Tsubasa places both her boots against the stonewalls and released the chakra on her back in another consistent burst. Riding the walls, Tsubasa slowly began ascending the large tower of Megalis, leaving a scorched path as she went. Tsubasa felt like she had almost and unlimited supply of chakra, but as she started to reach the top, she began to feel something else. Finally reaching the top, Tsubasa was flung from her circular motion and skid across the stone platform at the top of Megalis. Looking on in shock, Fushichō yelled out. “Stop!” Confused, Tsubasa could feel something literally burn off of her but she couldn’t tell what. Normalizing her breath, the flames quickly subsided and suddenly, Tsubasa felt extremely weak. Dropping to a knee, she began to pant. Fushichō quickly rushed over and hugged Tsubasa. It was then that Tsubasa finally realized when had burned off of her.
She felt weaker, not just because she exerted herself, but in total weaker. She had burned away an eighth of her chakra capacity. Just gone in an instant. Looking around, Tsubasa noticed a small crystal ball at the center of a large door. It showed no indication as to where the door went and the door had no markings apart from the crease where the two stone slab doors met. Looking down at Fushichō, Tsubasa noticed that she was crying and mumbling the same phrase. “Not to her… Please not to her…” Tsubasa slowly wrapped her hands around, Fushichō. [b]“F-Fushichō?” Tsubasa said timidly. Trying to pull herself together Fushichō wiped her eyes on a bit of Tsubasa’s now charred robes. “Thoust hath attempted to enter Sage mode, but it would seem, despite everything we have done, thou doth not have the ability.” She sniffled a bit and looked Tsubasa in the eyes with a serious face. “Thou shalt never attempt that again and I am afraid…” She paused looking down at Tsubasa’s chest, clenching the robes on the chestplate. “Thou shall not be able to enter the next trial. I would not have you risk your life as you just did again.” Tsubasa didn’t quite understand what she just did or rather what she did wrong.
“W-was it something I did? Was the stance wrong or… maybe I missed something in the tunnel… I-I could try again or…” Fushichō put a finger to Tsubasa’s lips and shook her head, tears starting to build in her eyes again. “Thou were perfect… One of the best… thou reminded thee of him so much, but… Thou lack something that cannot be given. Thine chakra reserves were too small. I suspected that you may be able to achieve it by mastering thine chakra control, but…” Her voice began to break. “Thou…” She buried her head into Tsubasa’s chest as she began to sob, her moans echoing through Megalis. Tsubasa sat with Fushichō in her arms, trying to think of what to say, but… no words came to her.
