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“Bloody bane of my existence is what you are!” He would say drunkenly as his hand lazily smacked the back of Sora’s head.

Bane. It represented everything spiteful, petty, and mean about his father. It struck at the innermost fears of every child: fear of disappointment, fear of abandonment, fear of violence. As a kid, that name had hurt more than all the smacks from his father's heavy fists. Day in and day out he would endure through the verbal and physical abuse his father would inflict upon him, however he had resolved not to give into his despair and carried on with his life normally outside of home. One would have to ask, where was the boy’s mother? Of course she had moved onto the heavens far long ago, falling into cardiac arrest upon Sora’s birth. Tragic indeed, but nothing the boy could miss. He had always wondered how his life would be had his mother been around, yet he highly doubted his father would fail at finding another excuse to bring him misery.

His skin would thicken with each passing day, learning to ignore the threats and insults directed at him by his father. He was unsure of how he was able to cope with such a thing so…well. When he was out at the academy or anywhere away from his father it was as if he were a different person, always smiling and bringing out the best in himself and others. However, when he was at home his emotions were always in a frenzied mess. At times he was full of hate, misery, or even pain. Regardless of what he was feeling at home, he always portrayed himself to be, for a lack of better term, emotionless. Apathetic even. Most of Sora’s time was spent on rooftops, his hand reaching out to the moon, wondering if he would ever break through the chains that bound him to the Citadel. Yet with each year, his optimism would dwindle.

The door would slam shut behind his father as he spat out slurred curses left and right. It was another one of his drunken rages, however this time he seemed far more enraged than usual. He began blaming all his problems on Sora once more, telling him how he was stuck in this rat-hole because of him and placed his mother’s death on his shoulders. He even began to rant about how he was indebted to everyone due to having to feed him when the fact was that he drank away all their Ryo in bottle of Sake. He lit into his son with the savage fury of a bitter, hopeless man. He broke his nose; he blackened both his eyes. He knocked several of his teeth, split his lip, cracked his ribs, and he even attempted to gouge his eye out with a kitchen knife. Managing to leave with his eye intact, albeit having a scar, Sora fled to his room leaving his drunken dad to pass out on the floor. As he held his head under his pillow, soaking his sheets with crimson he wished for nothing else than his father to die. He would repeat such wishes in his head over and over until he dozed off into a deep slumber.

Sora would be awakened by a loud commotion outside of his room at the crack of dawn. Oddly enough he found himself sleeping on the chair; he didn’t recall getting up from his bed. His father had died. It was decided by the authorities that he had died of natural causes. A heart attack, brought on by a combination of alcohol, stress, and overexertion of nearly beating his son to death. Oh well, was all that went through his head. He even grinned a bit when nobody was looking; having a devilish smile that would soon be locked away. The boy with a genuine smile and innocent laugh had surfaced once again, only this time he never left. Not yet at least.

Things would take a quick turn for the young Airontoku however, for there was none available to take him in and what was better than to enlist a fine young man into the ranks of the Airontoku military? That was just what he was to do, as decided by the higher ups of his society. Whether it was for better or worse was out of the question, for nothing is worse than what he had left behind.

Through Passion, I gain Strength

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Sora’s power had been growing. In only a year of training he had learned much about the raw power an Airontoku held. He was years younger than any of the other trainees, however he could feel that he was far stronger and more talented than any of the others. The higher ups had taken note of this as well. Physically, he was stronger than ever before. During his morning training runs, he could sprint almost at full speed for several kilometers before having to stop. His reflexes had become quicker, his mind and senses were far sharper than he could have possibly imagined. When necessary he could channel chakra through his body, giving him bursts of energy that allowed him to do seemingly impossible feats. Run up walls, leap several meters vertically, fall great distances and landing unharmed. It was incredible.

With each week he would surpass another of the soldiers who had once been ahead of him. Their poor attempts at hazing the boy with a contrasting personality and appearence would come to a hasty end. When he wasn’t training his body, he was in the library studying ancient records. Scrolls and manuscripts of the past were absolutely fascinating. There was so much outside of the iron fortress he dwelled within. Shinobi villages were one of the more popular subjects as well as unique Kekkai Genkais.

The neophyte spent several hours each day studying the ancient records. He became infatuated with them. Many of the scrolls were historical records reminiscing ancient battles or glorifying the deeds of the older clans. There was one that stood out in particular to him, one of azure eyes and free spirits. However the information gathered on that seemingly extinct clan was scarce. The library’s archives supplemented what he learned from the trainers, giving context to his abstract lessons. In time, Sora would feel that the ancient knowledge would be the key to unlocking his full potential. And so his own understanding of the world around him would slowly take a shape of its own.

Another year would begin to pass, and the matured Airontoku of fifteen years would soon be ready to ship out. His time spent training and studying in the library had done him well. Yet now he understood that this was only the beginning. The Airontoku was starting to grasp a great truth on a deep, fundamental level: that the strength to survive must come from within. Others will always fail you. Friends, family, fellow soldiers... in the end, each person must stand alone.


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Nejiro no Shiroiraigā, or the Citadel’s White Liger, it was a name his comrades in battle had coined. He held the courage and nobility of a Lion within him. However, he had the judgment and acted with the skill of a tiger. The title of a Liger, a cross between the two cats, was more than appropriate for the Airontoku soldier. Sora had crossed blades with many at this point, and his mastery over the Airontoku bloodlimit surpassed many. His growth would seem to know no bounds.

At this point of his life the soldier had come to a realization of his schizophrenia. His multi-personality disorder was something that had daunted him multiple times in the past, after all people feared what they did not understand. As Sora grew in his power, so did the eternal struggle for control within. Akuseru, a carefree and free spirited boy, his creation was an escape from Sora’s troubles at home. Through Akuseru, Sora was able to cope with the way his life was, and thus was able to continue on living. Sora himself can be described as empty, a person who lacked in emotion or feelings yet knew the difference between right and wrong. The third was Cyprien, a cold and manipulative man whose intentions revolve purely around himself. Lastly, it was Bane, the embodiment of Sora’s hate. It took all of the Airontoku’s effort to seal away Bane. However, with each passing day the boy knew Bane would not remain dormant forever.

At the age of sixteen, the battle hardened Airontoku would get his first major assignment. He was to lead a unit to infiltrate a small kingdom in Tsume no Kuni. The team was to liberate the kingdom of its tyrannical leader in exchange for the resources available in that country. The mission was of high priority due to the situation the Citadel was in. The resources that would be made available by the kingdom were a necessity to the dwellers of the Iron Citadel. However, said resources were scarce and seemingly unattainable at the time. Failure was not an option.

The squad would move swiftly in the night, covered by the coat of darkness. Sora’s team was far too small to take the entire kingdom head on, in addition to that it would be to reckless. Instead they would meet with the rebel forces, however their strength would not be of any use if used directly. Instead, Sora would cause anarchy within the kingdom alone. He would then send out a signal notifying both his unit and the rebel forces too charge into the kingdom and come to his aid. The plan was one of deception, one that would require far more cunning and skill then Sora had. In fact, the plan was not of Sora’s nature to begin with. This of course was the work of Cyprien.

The soldier managed to infiltrate the kingdom with little to no problems. While the sun still slumbered, he would assassinate a guard and take his uniform. Following this he would sneak into the barracks and use his mastery over the Airontoku bloodlimit to render their equipment useless. This alone would give his small force the edge they needed to overtake the kingdom. By the time sun had risen he was already making his next move. Conveniently enough he ran into one of the king’s Royal guards who covered themselves in a large red cloak. Upon disposing him he would change his attire once more before making his final move. By now the guards had awakened and realized their equipment was unusable as well as finding some of the corpses Cyprien had left behind. The seeds of doubt had been planted.

Upon reaching the bell tower he would ring it with all his might. The signal had been heard, and soon the clashing of weapons would be as well. With the battle beginning and morale on his side, Cyprien only had one thing to take care of. Making his way to the throne room disguised as one of the King’s Royal Guard, he would kneel before the king and give his report.

“A rebellion?!” The King asked in shock, thinking he had crushed the rebel forces long ago.

“No Sire…” Cyprien said softly before turning his head up and flashing a wicked grin at the king. “…A revolution!” Nejiro no Shiroiraigā would shout as he unsheathed his blade and lunged towards the King, quickly ending his life. Cyprien would be showered by a spray of blood, his demonic grin still intact. His lust for blood had been increasing, and he quickly eliminated the guards that would respond to the King’s earlier cry for help. Licking the blood off his lips, he felt an even stronger craving. Blood simply wasn’t enough at this point, he needed to bring misery upon his enemies.

Bane. What seemed to be sealed off for a nearly a decade had resurfaced once more. Sora had resolved that his father had indeed not died of natural causes, but was the result of Bane. Proof of this was his location upon waking up that very same day, an explanation that took far too long to come too. Sora’s body was in Bane’s hands now, and as long as he was in control misery and death would shroud the kingdom. Cutting through both enemies and allies alike, blood would taint the walls of the castle. Using the raw power of the Airontoku Kekkai Genkai he set the castle ablaze, and eventually it would fall. With the castle having fallen, the kingdom had been liberated.


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The large gates of the Iron Citadel would creak as it opened, only to reveal that a single person was to leave. Finally, the now seventeen year old Airontoku would be outside of the fortress that he had resided within for so long. His chains had not been broken quite yet though and he was not going out on his own accord. Although he was partially free to do as he pleased, he was to return within a year with the head of his old superior, who had apparently gone rogue. He was charged with the murder of several clan members as well as an attempted assassination of Nibare Hassei, an Honored Brethren Sora had grown to admire. The Shiroiraigā found that he was able to connect with said Brethren’s odd qualities. Often being harassed in the academy days for his own lively personality, seeing another Airontoku with similar qualities, an Honored Brethren at that, made Sora view Nibare as an older reflection of his own self.

The previous day:

“Are you sure we should allow him to go?” One of the Brethren said, his voice booming as it echoed through the conference room they were discussing. They had been discussing Sora of course, since he had been the one to step up and take the assignment. Murdering a fellow clan member was the greatest sin and Airontoku could commit. Making an attempt at the life of a Honored Brethren had dug the Rogue’s own grave. “Senzoku used to be his superior officer after all…and the Kingdom of Lyneel incident...” Another would speak out softly, supporting the louder Brethren. They were against the idea obviously, Sora was a good soldier but they didn’t feel he should have such freedom.

“Ha! Let him go, It’ll be fine.” A confident voice would cut them off, it was Nibare. He had been leaning back in chair quietly enjoying their conversation until now. “Have a little faith.” He told them, and before they could say anything else he would quickly cut them off. “Should he fail I will take full responsibility. I place my honor and position as Honored Brethren on his shoulders for now. Now enough of this nonsense, we have more pressing matters to discuss don’t we?” His voice would sway the rest as the silent Empath nodded, having not partake in the discussion at all. His acknowledgement of Nibare’s points had been enough for the rest. Sora had been approved.

Before he had arrived at the gate Nibare had met with Sora. He told him to start his search at Hi no Kuni and to look for an old friend of his by the name of Sakamoto Ryuichi. He would be able to teach Sora the skills he would need to take down Senzoku. Following this he would whisper softly to Sora, “Heh, I’m sure he’ll be able to help you seal your inner demons.” He’d say with a chuckle before slapping Sora’s back and sending him on his way, as if he knew about the chaos that whirled within the Airontoku’s mind. As Sora walked out the gates, they would creak once more as they came to a close. He could hear Nibare’s voice as it did giving him a word of advice, “SHOULD you not come back within a year, I WILL kill you myself!” He said in a lighthearted voice as if he was joking, which he was not.

So his search would begin, starting with the lush forests of Hi no Kuni. Within due time he would find the man named Ryuichi, he was a large man at that. His eyes held wisdom and his scars displayed his experience. It would appear that Nibare’s influence had carried itself outside of the Nejiro since Ryuichi had accepted Sora as a pupil upon mentioning his name. His training was vigorous and death defying. The Airontoku had been naive, to think he held such power when great warriors like Ryuichi existed outside of his home. He soaked in his knowledge and teachings like a sponge, treating his teacher's ideals as law itself. Following Ryuichi's philosophies had strengthened Sora in mind and body, and as Nibare said he had been able to control his “inner demons.” His master had expanded his combat experience as well, teaching him a variety of ways to handle even the toughest situations. The power Sora would tap into next would likely be his greatest however. Ryuichi, although unable to perform such a skill himself, aided Sora through the process of molding chakra with just one hand. Very few could do such a thing, and he was astonished at the fact Sora himself could reach such levels of advancement. However, Ryuichi had no intentions of keeping a pupil he had nothing left to teach, and so the boy was dismissed from his tutelage. His hunt would need to continue elsewhere.

His next encounter would be one of the famed White Eyes lineage. Traversing through Hi no Kuni, Sora had run into another man of strong resolve. However, the two resolute warriors didn’t come to terms at first glance. Sora had recognized this figure, from the updates he received at the Citadel, it was the 5th Fire Shadow of Konohagakure. Hyuuga Ichijin — known as Madoukishi No Hyuuga to those who dwelled within the Iron Citadel. The two’s battles was short and soundless, with neither triumphing the other. It consisted of Sora’s Inkaten going against Ichijin’s Shunshin. While Sora’s technique was superior, his adversary had refined his core abilities to the point of perfection. Why did the battle start? Well the two had been traveling through a town and evidently the local vendors had been complaining of robberies. Well each of the fighters had bags of their own and a misunderstanding had built up, which had quickly been dissolved soon after. As the two disappeared from site multiple times, they would finally clash swords only to find the true culprit cowering in fear at a distance at the sight of their battle. Apologizing to one another, the two had a long discussion and continued their travels of the world together, deciding they would part ways once their respective purposes deemed it necessary.

Sora was simply amazed by his Hyuuga companion’s vast knowledge. He had learned so many things as they traveled from country to country from both this person and their experiences as they adventured. He learned of the many Kekkai Genkais in the world and some of Konohagakure’s famed clans, as well as some famous clans outside of his home village. Sora’s ignorance of the world seemed to fade away as he learned a great deal from Ichijin. His friend was careful not too divulge too much information, something Sora both understood and respected. He too wouldn’t give away many details of the Airontoku, but he shared what he could with the elegant Hyuuga. Unfortunately, their adventures, or misadventures even, had to come to an end. Sora discovered information on Senzoku, the target he had been searching for all along. The two would part ways at Kawa no Kuni. With a simple tap of their backfists against one another, the two would flicker away, leaving only a cloud of dust behind.

Senzoku had been residing in Kiba no Kuni, taking refuge in Port Porthos. And so the Shiroiraigā would arrive at said location and begin his head hunting. He had asked around some of the local townsmen if they had seen Senzoku around, being sure to flash them a quick picture he had been given back at the Citadel. Most pointed him towards another townsperson, telling them to ask them instead and he felt as if he had been going back and forth throughout the port. He noticed something odd between all the people he had spoken with, however he shrugged it off as he was in a hurry. Finally being given a proper clue, Sora was told to check in a cavern not too far from the port. Making his way out of town and back into the desolate lands of Kiba no Kuni, he found the earlier mentioned cavern. As the Airontoku explored the cavern, he would make it all the way down to a dead end where he found several torches illuminating a large grotto within the cavern itself. It was odd, but he would find his mark soon enough.

“I’ve been waiting for you, amateur.” He said, referring to what had called him back when Sora was but a trainee, sitting on an almost throne like chair. Sora found many shadows covering his own, and glanced backwards. Behind him stood the townsmen he had been asking, it was no wonder why they had been sending him on a wild goose chase all over the port. With a snap of Senzoku’s fingers, they would all lunge towards Sora in an attempt to impale him with a multitude of weapons.

So the Shiroiraigā would then roar. The circle of ten or so enemies would find them surrounding but a blur and the real Sora had taken to the air. With a swipe of his sword a blast of wind would scatter the huddled up group of enemies. The ones directly hit by the gust of wind would have their bones break and limp around in the floor, where as the others flew towards the walls of the cavern. Upon landing, a number of blurs would be seen all over the cavern as a loud thud sound followed the last breaths of the remaining enemies. The Airontoku had been careless though, and Senzoku had came behind him and slashed diagonally across the warriors back. Normally such cuts wouldn’t pierce the skin of an Airontoku such as Sora, however Senzoku’s blade wasn’t so dull. Combined with his swordsmanship along with the molten power of his heat conduction, it was more than enough to create a scar upon the Shiroiraigā’s back. Anger in his eyes, he would stand up and unleash the full fury of the Ryuujin Jakka upon Senzoku, disposing of him almost instantly. Unfortunately the surge of power would cause the cave to begin collapsing, and Sora quickly exited with the head of his enemy.


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Justice, courage, compassion, courtesy, honor, sincerity, and loyalty. The tenets that Ryuichi had taught were found in the eyes of his fellow brothers at the Citadel. Upon his return, such traits were established to himself in the eyes of others and to others in the eyes of his own. His victory of the rogue officer known as Senzoku had returned a great deal of respect to Sora among the higher ups, and he even received a promotion. Nibare and he had only exchanged a cheerful grin where as the other Brethren had shook his hand and gave the boy some acknowledgement.

Sora had been viewing things in a different light, but despite viewing the Citadel more of a home than a prison, he still felt bound. He still felt the need to leave the iron fortress and explore the world himself. His adventures with Ichijin had taught him that much. He knew that he would resign from the military and take his time off to explore the vast continent and all it held within.

His emotions had been more in control as of late and he was free to allow Akuseru have control and retain the ability to intervene at any time. However, such conveniences did not apply to his more malicious counterparts. He had his training with Ryuichi to thank for that. No, he had Nibare to thank even more so than his training. Had it not been for his optimism and faith in Sora, then the Shiroiraigā would surely not have made it as far as he did. Although the two did not speak many words, he felt a connection between him, and regarded him as someone he could trust and depend on. In fact…

Friends, family, fellow soldiers... in the end, these are the people that you can depend on.


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