Plip...
A single raindrop struck Zeverin's lashes.
"I am so... so... cold," Zeverin said with no breath to speak another word.
"Was I always this cold?" Zeverin asked himself.
A faint glow in the form of a white ball suddenly appeared in front of Zeverin.
Shiin….
It shone and grew larger until it became the star we call the Sun.
[May 4, 1997]
Below that star, in an old village which stood closest to the sky, was the home of the Raiden clan. The IKAZUCHI VILLAGE.
"Hey, Akuma, what are you doing?" A playful voice of a boy came from outside an old sweet shop.
"I told you, call me Zeverin. My mother gave it to me," young Zeverin's voice came from inside the shop.
"Huh!!! She is a... I mean..." The boy stammered.
"What? Just leave, why are you even here?" Young Zeverin lunged forward and pushed the boy.
GRAB! SWOOSH—THUD!
A big boy grabbed Zeverin, threw him, and started to beat him.
"Big brother Yoru, he is my friend, please stop," the boy said.
"This friend of yours tried to kill you, Kaito," Yoru said while still beating Zeverin.
KRAK!
Zeverin tried to stop Yoru's attack on him with his full power and grabbed his leg.
"I didn't try to kill him, you bastard!" Zeverin shouted in pain.
SWIP!
A woman, middle-aged, very beautiful but very weak—the marks on her body told the story of what people give as a reward for being kind. She, with both her hands, grabbed Yoru's other foot.
"You carrions," Yoru shouted while moving back.
"I am sorry, young master Yoru, it was my son's mistake," the lady said, bowing her head down.
"You piece of sh—, cursed woman, how dare you! You touched me," Yoru shouted, alerting everyone near her residence.
"I am sorry, master—" the lady failed to complete her sentence.
"But why is she out of the house? She was caged inside her house!" In no time, all the neighbors gathered. Zeverin's mother took Zeverin behind her, protecting him from the crowd. Fearing the crowd, Zeverin grabbed her kimono so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"Shh... shh... shh... everything's gonna be alright, my beautiful boy," she kissed Zeverin's forehead and hid him inside her kimono.
"What should we do now, master Yoru?" a person from the crowd asked.
"Huh, the temperature will be decreasing until the next morning. Make their life worse in the meantime," Yoru said.
"Yes, master!" The whole crowd cheered.
As Yoru forcefully took Kaito, Kaito protested; he tried to escape from his grip.
"Big brother, he will die! Don't you see he is the same as me? Why does he work in the gutter? Why isn't he like me?" Kaito cried while being dragged by Yoru.
"Ahhh, don't you understand, Kaito? Because he is the son of that woman. When she came into that house, that whole family was killed in a single night. She is cursed, and that is why her son is also a curse," Yoru said rudely to Kaito.
"No, he is my friend! Zeverin is my friend! He won't work in the gutter, he won't be tortured by his father nor his mother, not anymore!" Kaito said as he escaped from Yoru's grip and ran.
In just three hours, the old sweet shop was destroyed, all their rations taken, their clothes torn, and they were exposed to the environment to freeze to death.
THUD! THUD!
Heavy footsteps of a drunk man reached the doorsteps of the shop, and his eyes fell a few blocks away on a son and his mother.
"When my mother said you were a curse, I ignored her, but now—" He didn't complete his sentence, but loosened the whip on his hip.
"Kill me, do anything with me, I don't even care about that now, but remember one thing: don't ever think about hurting my son even once," the lady protested while covering Zeverin's whole body so he wouldn't even feel that she was being hurt.
SWISH—BAM! UGH—!
He hit her with full strength, not once, not twice, but until the whip broke on him, and he went to take another bottle of booze.
DROP! DROP!
A single drop of blood fell on the lashes of Zeverin.
"It is too cold, mother," Zeverin mumbled.
"I know, my boy, are you feeling hungry?" she asked, barely stopping herself from crying.
"Nahhh, I don't need anything when you have hugged me like that," Zeverin said, pain in his voice.
"Sob... sob... You were the best thing—" she tried to complete her sentence.
"Enough, Akira Raiden, it's the 100th time today. 'You' are the best thing I ever had, mother," Zeverin interrupted her and wiped her tears.
"UGHH.... WAAAH—!!"
She cried as loud as she could, like she had been holding back tears for very long.
"Oh my, sweet mother, we talked about it, no crying," Zeverin said while jumping out of her kimono, wiping her tears.
"Yeah, I am sorry, my prince," Akira said.
"I did not eat yesterday, you know. I have saved one bowl of rice. I will bring it for you," Zeverin whispered so only she could hear.
"No, son, you are also hungry. I can't eat—" She couldn't complete the sentence.
"No ifs, ands, or buts. I am bringing it, and you are eating it," Zeverin ran inside as fast as he could.
Inside, the bowl Zeverin thought he had hidden was broken, and the cold rice was all over the floor, but some was left inside the broken bowl. He surrendered himself to his hunger. He ate the rice on the floor, flattened by footsteps, and carefully picked up the bowl with the unharmed, yet cold, rice and ran outside as fast as he could.
"See, mother, see it is still fresh," Zeverin held the bowl in front of her.
"But—" she failed to speak.
"Fresh and clean rice," Zeverin repeated.
"As my prince says," she took the bowl, but then her eyes went to the last corner of the road where she saw a puppy—injured, a weakling. She stood up and let the puppy eat the remaining rice in the bowl, despite the fact she herself hadn't eaten for three days.
"Huh, I got this? Fine, I am going to clean the gutter, and the money I get will be for me becoming an arcanist, and becoming strong," Zeverin pouted in a cute way.
"Don't be mad, he needs it more than me," Akira said while trying to comfort Zeverin.
"I will be, I will be a mad-man, an arcanist, but for now look for yourself, as for me gutters are hot, but the broken shop isn't," Zeverin said while running.
"No... No.…I am sorry I couldn't give you a better life, Zeverin," Akira covered her mouth to stop from crying while seeing her 4-year-old only child work in the gutter.
As the time didn't stop for anyone, one hour passed in a second. Young Zeverin, covered in a bad odor, wearing torn clothes, and bearing wounds that were blue 'cause of the freezing cold, shivering in the cold, ran to his house as fast as he could.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
His few steps were on the broken glass. There was the smell of booze, which meant his father had done something. As he moved further, he saw his mother pinned on the ground, covered in dirt and her own blood.
He stood behind a broken window in which he could see his mother and father.
"I have decided it, Akira," Zeverin's father said in a rage.
"What? You are no one to decide for us," Akira shouted.
"Who is 'us' here? I have decided I can't carry two curses plus weaklings," Zeverin's father grabbed Akira's neck.
"What? No, no, no, please, I beg of you, dear. He does everything you say, he didn't meet me, he works so you can buy booze, he never disturbed you, please, no," Akira cried while saying this.
"That is why, weakling. He loves you more than anyone in the world. He just accepted his fate. I didn't like it; he is enjoying it in this hell, but I want to see him in pain and cut his weakness." Zeverin's father held Akira by her chin.
"So you won't kill him, right? Thank you, there is nothing better than this. Please keep him alive no matter what it takes." A sudden smile on Akira's face caused his father to lose his joy in torture.
"You cursed woman!" Zeverin's father kicked Akira and put his dominant leg on her chest.
SLING!
Zeverin's father unleashed his sword, and spotted Zeverin behind the window.
"See, Akuma, the curse of my life, see what is the punishment of being weak," his father shouted, pulling his katana through her chest.
CRRRAAACK!!
And the katana broke halfway inside her body, later becoming Zeverin's own weapon.
RAIKO NO HAHA (Mother Thunder's Blade) was formed.
Which was completed by his own mother. The real cost of gaining this beautiful power.
His father dragged her body, and Zeverin, who stood like a piece of rock. He took them very far from the village and threw both of them in the middle of the jungle.
15 days later, as the winds calmed down, the chirping of the birds started again, and the beautiful environment was more beautiful than ever, Zeverin was out there searching for prey in the jungle.
"Vance, you heard it, we both will be going to the arcanist academy next year. I am so excited!" Young master's voice echoed in the whole jungle.
"What is so exciting about it, Master Ushimoto?" Young Vance teased the master.
"Stop teasing me already, Vance, not at least you," Master pouted.
"Ok, ok, I am just saying I am very hungry and we are far from home," Vance said in dissatisfaction.
"You can join me if you want, sir," Zeverin's voice came from a tree's branch.
"And what is a little boy with a lightning katana doing in the middle of a forest?" Master said with a shocked expression.
"And also, above that, why are you this kind to this boy?" Vance asked.
"You can say because of my mother, sir," Zeverin said without any expression.
"Really? How is your mother, young boy? Tell me more," Vance asked with curiosity.
"Before that, Vance, I think we can trust him. Let's go with him," Master whispered in Vance's ear.
"Yes, for sure. Come with me, both of you," Zeverin said as he guided them to a wooden shelter he had made.
"Wait, how did you—" Master didn't ask the question.
"He must be a Raiden, Ushimoto," Vance said to Master.
"Yeah, you must be—" Master couldn't complete his sentence due to the horrors of what was in front of him.
In front of him was the rotting body of Zeverin's mother; she was covered by a blanket made of leaves. Zeverin got into the shelter, kissed her forehead, took two rocks, and placed them in front of Master and Vance.
"She is my mother. She wants me to become an arcanist. She says I am the best thing she ever had. Can you two make me an arcanist? I beg you, please," Zeverin started crying silently.
"What kind of son am I? These are all the rice balls I have, sir. Please, I want to be an arcanist," Zeverin said as he lifted the rocks.
"You will definitely be the strongest arcanist, boy," Vance said as his eyes were also wet.
"Please, I beg you, I beg you, help me bury her. Make me an arcanist, Vance sensei..."
[May 4, 2010]
[Zeverin Raiden - POV]
"Ohh Zeverin, no good, no, no, no," the desperate voice of Vance sensei reached my ears.
"Sen... sei, you wanted to know how she was," I said, using all of my remaining power.
"We will have enough time for that later, just please stay with me. I can heal you, please, Zeverin," Vance sensei begged me to teleport with him.
"She was like cherry blossoms—soft with ethereal beauty, but gone too soon." As I ignored him and said this, tears started to come.
"Take it, take my sword, take Kaminari away. Give it to someone deserving, not a carrion like me, sensei," I begged and cried with all the energy left in me.
"Please, Zeverin, last question from your side. I won't let anything happen to you, please come with me, please," Vance sensei gripped me tighter as he tried to stop his own tears.
"Was I a strong arcanist, sen...sei...?" Zeverin completed.
"Zeverin what? Zeverin? Zeverin, answer me! God damn it, answer me, please answer me, Zeverin," Vance sensei shook Zeverin's body as he was trying to wake him.
As Vance cradled Zeverin's broken form, his ragged screams tore through the silence, fracturing the sky itself until the heavens broke down and wept alongside him.
[East Dotonbori]
"Ahh, end of another chapter…." Master lowered his head down as he heard Vance shouting.
"Master," Hina stepped forward, worried.
"Leave it, find the others, Hina. I must take Zorian for now," Master ordered Hina.
"Yes, sir," Hina vanished on her way to find everyone else.
WHUMP!
Master's knees gave out. "You young people don't have to die, none of you."
He pulled Zorian onto his shoulder.
"At least you won't. And also that fool.
Kūten (Void-Shift)!" Master shouted.
As the word escaped Master's mouth, he was teleported to the aircraft's medic ward with Zorian in his hands. A technique faster than Vance's, but with the sole user being Ushimoto's Master.
"Take him, he is about to die, and call the S-rank medic to operate on him," Master ordered.
"Yes, master," one medic said while taking Zorian.
"Make sure you don't fail him, 'cause he is the only future alongside someone I know," Master said while grabbing a medic's shoulder.
[Inside the underground metro station]
VRRR.... KZRAK!
A sudden sound. A sound of space rejecting itself—that was always how a Godwound dies anywhere in the universe at any time.
"You hurt," the voice of Arashi came from the dark side of the metro station.
"What a monster! First, that Zeverin's 'JINSENSHINKYAKU (Godstep of Instant Flash)' had me enough, and now you are also here, Genius of the Dark," Muso shouted.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. I can't, we are in the same situation, but you are working on your remaining power, and I am on will," Arashi said with a devilish smirk.
"I know what your will can do," Muso started stepping back.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. Killing is freeing you from your wrongdoing, but torturing isn't," Arashi arose from the darkness, but—
[This scene refuses to conclude]