Chapter six: First Fuzen

Chapter six. Gets violent. Kills his first Fuzen! Redone, ty if ya read!

Chapter 6: First fuzen

 

 

The next day was a long, sore, waking nightmare. Dissapointment loomed over me as I had, yet again, failed to create my split soul. Dragging myself through the day, I tried my best not to show I was fatigued or in pain. Even during P.E. I tried my hardest to actually work out, regardless of the agony that brought me. It was hard to care about teachers being upset with my absence, when I have so much on my mind... Honestly, I was happy I didn't have to fight a girl or get beat up by some old dude. At least not until later this evening. A small laugh escaped me just then, as I headed toward Algebra, my last class of the day. This teacher was at least a bit easier to understand, as in, I seemed to get what he was teaching most of the time. Most mathematical instructors could care less about individual students and chose to move one once enough students seemed to understand... So in a small way, it isn’t my fault I don't understand what I should’ve already learned. With a new bravery I proudly strode down the path that just two days ago, I was nearly killed on. No foes in sight, but even if they were I could fend for myself now!

 

"Why hello Vyon, glad to see you here." My teacher greeted.

"Hi! Seems like I'm always the first one here." I replied referencing the empty classrom.

"Not yesterday you weren't... or the day before..." He allowed his voice to fade humorously.

"Sorry! I've been looking for a job." I have no idea where that lie came from, but it worked.

 

"Well with the current economy, it would be wise to find employment as early as you can. But I implore you to follow through on your education!" His tone was more serious this time, but still I smiled.

"Of course! I can make up whatever work you need." Though I really had no intentions on following through, I wanted him to feel good.

"Not necessary, nothing really happened. Just some notes you missed." As he set up the projector he handed me a sheet of numbers, symbols, and words.

Math and equations have never been anything I understood. It was painful to me seeing anything along those lines, as it was complete gibberish. No one seemed to understand that either... each of my families blamed me for not trying hard enough or simply refusing to learn. A gentle sigh escaped my mouth, as I heard some snickers and restrained laughs from the entering students. They could have easily been laughing at anything, but something told me I was the target. It was hard to make it through class without falling asleep, but I managed until the bell rang.

 

Sluggishly wandering outside, I jumped with terror, as I came face to face with a fuzen! Straddling the fence a few yards away, was a disturbing spider like creature, which would have deeply effected anyone with a phobia. It appeared to be the body of an infant or a young child, but it was horrifically deformed. From the spinal column, eight thin spindly legs held the gate tightly. The twitching babies hands had fused into dripping fangs and on the forehead of the gasping infant, was a single eye, torn into the bleeding skull. Within this single eye socket I was mortified to see a shifting amount of human eyes, ranging at a time from four to eight. Skulking about it seemed to notice me as it stopped dead in place. The head of the infant jerked around as the monstrous entity examined me and then bolted from the fence with a faint hiss. Shivering from that ordeal, I felt unsure of what to do... Do I got after it? Would I win? I have no weapon, but even bare handed I could probably kill it. Turning away and heading toward my friends, I felt disgusted with myself. My heart was screaming at me to go find it and defeat that horrid creature, but my head told me that I would surely be killed...

 

"Hey guys!" My happiness was questionable as I greeted them, but I had an excuse.

 

"Sup Vyon, got any plans for this weekend?" Shio greeted me first, he could probably tell I was upset.

 

"Not really..." I replied with a laugh, haven't thought that far ahead...

 

"Haven't decided if I should go to my fathers lakehouse with him." Maxwell replied as Shio looked his way.

"Dude, don't go and then we can hangout at your place this weekend!" Zen exclaimed jostling Max.

"My dad will be furious if he found out." Max snapped sharply.

 

"That's why you don't tell him genius!" Zen's remark was shortly followed by light swat of the shoulder.

 

"He will find out. You can't clean up a mess to save your life!" Max exclaimed throwing his hand outward in aggrivation.

 

"You guys know your yelling right?" Lyra asked causing them both to look at her in unison.

 

"Let's get out of here, I need a smoke!" Zenex cried loudly, before covering his mouth and widening his eyes with worry.

 

"Sorry, but I can't come with ya today..." My response made them turn in place. "Have to go home as soon as possible, since I ditched school." Lying to them hurt, I hated that they could not see the true me.

"A'ww that sucks!" Lyra cried out.

 

"Damn man, that really blows." Zen added.

"Equal and opposite reaction, know what I mean?" Maxwell joked dryly.

"See ya Vyon, text me later." Shio gave me a slight nudge as he passed by with the others.

 

"See ya tomorrow guys, hopefully..." I called back to them as we parted.

 

I only remained on my path for a short while, before taking to the unpathed sky. Shooting upward in a small spiral, I hit a fine altitude and let myself sink a little. Once I had refocused, my body blasted off toward Hiromasa's house in the woods. I wonder how many people have stumbled upon his house? Sort of funny to just live in the middle of the woods like a hermit, but it makes sense considering what he does for a living. Swiftly arriving I slowed myself and allowed my body to partially stop flying, so I began to fall. Flipping forward once my feet pointed down I began levitating again so I was closer to the ground and my landing would be softer. Hitting feet first, I crouched to brace my fall and I watched fire scatter beneath me in a plume. I will never get tired of flying! I mean, I get tired from flying, but I will never not enjoy it! Heading up the dirt path I hopped up Hiro's porch and knocked on the door.

 

"Come on in Vyon!" Hiro called from within.

 

Opening the door I was greeted as Hina appeared in the hall with a big smile. "Hey, no luck?" She said after a few seconds of examining my face.

 

"No..." I glumly replied.

 

"Don't worry Vyon, you'll get it!" Her excitement gave me confidence.

"Yeah..." Hiromasa took our attentions as he appeared behind her. "Sometimes it takes people years to create a split soul." His simply put statement crushed me.

"What? You can't be serious..." This was blurted out without my consent and I sighed sharply.

"Just try not to be anxious Vyon." Hina offered her simple advice.

"Have you tried imagining what it will be, your weapon?" Hiromasa asked and Hina quickly repeated the question.

"Well, no..." My mind began to wander at this very thought.

 

"Regardless, until you can create your split soul, it's hand to hand training for you!" Hiromasa wagged a finger my way, before patting Hina on the shoulder.

When she looked at him, he ran a finger across his throat and made a choking noise. "Alright, if you say so Hiro..." Her lilting way of saying this emphasized the rhyme.

 

"Hina will help you practice today. I have to do a city sweep, downtown is getting pretty bad..." Hiromasa's words faded as he moved down the hall.

 

"Wish I could help..." A wave of defeat swept over me as I looked away from there faces.

 

"Don't worry boy! You'll be out there in no time!" Hiromasa gave me a friendly shove before heading toward his room.

"I'll meet you outside Vyon. Get warmed up." Hina giggled after saying this and ran to her room.

 

A small groan made it through my closed mouth, as I now realized I would have to fight Hina. My stubborn pride refused to have me admit it, but I was more afraid of her winning. I understand this is for practice and I should be learning, but getting beat up by a girl is not exactly good for my pride. Once out in the yard, I stretched a little and jogged in place, the normal stuff. Soon Hina emerged from the house with Hiro, who was dressed a little odd... Hiromasa was wearing a full length trench coat that was all black. Around the lapel and on the trim of the jacket was a thin purple lining. The sleeves, as well as the tails of his coat, had decorative purple fire lining it. Now I normally would have said it looked goofy, with the flat collar and the wide sleeves, but the burning designs gave it a personal touch, which I liked. Hiromasa said something to Hina then waved to me as he burst into flames and shot across the sky in a blink. Turning back to Hina she smiled and put on a pair fingerless gloves, with little pads on the knuckles. I took this time to put my hair up and retie my shoes.

She giggled a few times, getting into a martial arts stance. "Ya ready Vyon?" Her voice was brimming with excitement.

Before I could respond she vanished in a flash of green flames. Flying forward with her leg drawn back, she kicked her leg outward and it whipped by inches from my head. The momentum carried her all the way around and she landed facing me, punching my chest and stomach several times. Shoving her away was my only defense, but she simply leapt with my push and flew backward a good distance. Hina didn't miss a beat and sprung toward me with a fist drawn back. Leaping aside desperately, she punched the ground hard! It didn't seem to phase her though, as her instant reaction was to try and sweep kick me with her furthest leg. Hitting her shin against my ankle knocked my leg out from under me and I stumbled to regain balance. During this momentary stagger Hina, stood up straight, brought her leg up to her chest the kicked straight upward sending me into the air. With a dull cry of pain I flipped up and over, landing hard on my belly. Hina's laughter was taunting and made me rise to my feet quickly. Growling back, I felt my aura blaze all around me and my fists curl closed. My mighty swing was simply redirected and she tripped me effortlessly. Flailing my arms I tried to avoid hitting the ground, but instead I fell flat on my face.

 

"You have great power... and you wan't it really bad!" Hina stressed the words "really bad". "But you just can't hit me!" She stated simply flicking some of her hair aside.

Oh that's it! Jumping up I threw several quick strikes the way I saw Hiromasa attack the other day. She avoided most of it, then pushed away my hands on the last two. Retaliating quickly, she lifted her leg and instantly launched a round kick that I narrowly avoided. Turning around in her wide stance, she leaned away and kicked straight out, her leg colliding with my side. Stumbling away, I swung my fist around behind me, knowing she would attack! My arm collided with both of Hina's and she was flung back slightly by my force. Chuckling, she leapt backward in shortening hops until she was a good distance away. With another flash of bright green fire she was before me throwing two long punches, which I blocked. She spun in place from her second punch and delivered a chop that I was unprepared for. Still her finger tips whipped by inches from my face as she lashed out and missed.

 

Jumping off both feet Hina delivered two kicks as she rose into the air, then landed with a heavy knee exactly where I was just standing. Miraculosuly, I managed to easily shove off both of the kicks and move away from her crashing form. Looking up at me as I appeared across the yard, she smiled then stood up, reassuming her combat stance. A strange little tweeting sound went off and Hina perked up, the fire of battle leaving her eyes. She ran over to a small egg shaped timer, that was popping open, allowing the little bird to tweet inside. After pressing a button the egg became silent and she turned back to me smiling, as if we weren't just fighting.

 

"Alright! Now make your spilt soul!" Hina commanded with a bob of her finger.

"What if I can't?" My voice was doubtful, but not enough for her response.

Gasping she covered her mouth and strode up to me. "Never talk like that! You're a sin splitter!" She slapped my face lightly and my mouth shrunk to a tiny circle. "You can do anything!" With a shake of my shoulders she made me smile.

"Alright, I got this." Replying confidently I flared my aura into being.

 

This will be easy, I just... gotta think of what it will be! Whenever I think of weapons, I usually envision like a pistol, or maybe a knife, or something... Clearing my mind I began focusing and forcing energy to leave my body. It was surprisingly easy to get the orb to form, but still my hands were unable to move once it appeared. After a while of struggle, I sighed out an exhausted breath and the fires vanished quickly. The thought of waiting years for a weapon sounds awful. Is that why Hina is so good at fist fighting? What is Hina's split soul any way?

"Hey Hina, can I see you split soul?" I asked turning to her as she chewed her nails.

 

"Thought you'd never ask!" She replied with a huge smile.

She lifted both arms and small circles of light opened outward from her hands. These rings reached a certain size and then began burning powerfully. Just as the scorching green energy reached a distorted form, they burst like phantom light bulbs, leaving behind two strange ring shaped objects. Holding one out toward me, I took the heavy wooden ring that was entirely blunt, save for a single blade. This blade was positioned opposite the handle on these semi perfect rings. Each of the blades curved outward and then downward away from the handle, but still held incredibly fine points, giving them an arrowhead shape. Within the center of the tiny wooden rings, two little spikes could be seen, where the back of the blade poked through. Hanging from these thin slivers of steel were two tiny charms in the shape of the sun and moon. Written along the wooden portion of the wheel were crazy, magic looking symbols… These marking ranged from simple lines, to complex circles with various patterns in the center. Gripping it by the handle, I felt it was wrapped in stiff leather with fur stuffed beneath it to make holding it easier. Honestly I thought it was sort of dumb, but thinking about how good of a fighter Hina is, she could probably tear someone up!

 

"Thats pretty cool!" I whirled one around on my finger, much to her dismay.

"Be careful!" She snatched it from me quickly. "They may look silly, but they are dangerous."

 

"Alright, sorry..." Replying somewhat jealous of her two weapons. "What are they?"

 

"They’re called chakrams!" She exclaimed gripping them both with crossed arms. "Triple threat, I can punch with em', throw em', or use them to cast spells!" Her growing excitement hit a small climax, as she clanged the two blades together.

"Spells? You can use… magic? Like real magic?" My eyes widened as these questions formed.

"Of course! How do you think lil ol' me kills Fuzen with ease?" Her voice changed a few times during this statement.

 

"Can... I use magic?" This question came out giddy as I clenched my fists with glee.

"Saddly no, your power is far to unstable." Hina replied looking away and allowing her weapons to vanish. "But if you practice a lot, you may be able to cast some basic spells." I appreciated her encouragement, but what she said seemed final. "Forget about that for now, you have to get your split soul first!" With her hands on her hips, she leaned toward me speaking in a mock upset tone.

 

"You're right!" I replied trying to heighten my spirits.

Not knowing what to do differently, I decided to just practice relentlessly! Each time I failed to create the fireball or lack the strength to crush it, I reinforced myself by the thought of somehow being one step closer. There isn't a way to determine whether or not I am actually any closer to succeeding... Failing again, I fell forward and began panting on the ground. Growling in rage, I slammed a fist down and leapt to me feet forcing my aura to appear. Steadying my breathing, I began shaping the sphere of flame and felt it come into existence, but it near instantly burst into a searing wave of light.

"God damn it!" I shouted rolling on the ground as my face and eyes burned. "What the hell am I doing wrong?"

 

"Vyon, calm down. You'll hurt yourself if you keep this up." Hina replied walking down the steps. "Just take a break for a little bit. Want a snack or something?" She offered as she started back toward the porch.

My frustration instantly turned to guilt, but I forced a smile to my face and nodded. As I got up I was now painfully aware of how empty my stomach felt. Doing this really takes it out of you, but the rewards are going to be sweet! I need to figure out what is wrong... The next fuzen that is stupid enough to cross me, I want to kill without question. As I entered the house I still felt a bit uncomfortable, but I was warming up to this old place. Hina was rifling through the cupboards on one foot until she appeared with a box of breakfast cereal. She seemed very excited to eat the raisins and wheat flakes, so I didn't complain about the blandness. Munching cereal by the handful I thanked her several times for sharing, but she insisted this was nothing at all. After a few moments of enjoying the cereal, Hina hopped from her stool and opened the fridge. Handing a bottle of juice toward me, she smiled then swapped the colors around comically.

"I suppose I should take the yellow one!" I laughed grasping the bottle of pineapple flavored punch.

 

"Sort of wierd, right?" She chuckled cracking open the bottle of lime flavored liquid.

 

"Why is my aura gold... why are they specific colors?" Pausing to take a long drink I damn near emptied it in one shot.

She lifted a hand and curled her fingers until one landed delicately next to her face. "Your eye color." She said simply.

 

"Oh duh, should have figured that out..." Trailing off I couldn't help, but feeling a little stupid.

"No biggie!" Her reply was so chipper it brought me back to a good mindset instantly.

"How long did it take you to get your split soul Hina?" Crossing my arms I leaned on the counter.

"One week, two days, six hours. But hey, who the hell was counting." She laughed momentarily distraught, but I understood the pain.

 

It felt like I was lacking somehow. As if my effort just wasn't good enough and that made me miss out on something incedible! I need to do this, now! Like right now! Finishing my drink I filled it with water at the sink then rushed outside. I refuse to wait even another day! This is going to be mine as soon as I can stop wussing out! With a swipe of my arm I summoned my aura and then quickly formed the sphere of concentrated power. With all my might I slammed my hands together, but was just rewarded with a burst of light and a blast of force. Landing on my a*s, I quickly got back up and tried again. This went on for some time, lets say two hours, but still no split soul.

 

I felt like a failure, like I would being trying this for years to come. With sunlight fading, I was now using only the glow of my own aura to try see. Sighing heavily in frustration, I kicked a rock across the yard just to vent some anger. Hina had been in the house for a while and honestly I was glad, this is embarrassing. Living as a human for so long, has probably stunted my abilities as a sin splitter. Hopefully at some point I will be able to get this... Sighing I lifted my arms reluctantly and tried again. With an immense amount of energy focused I produced the largest fireball yet! Pressing on this orb caused crackling sparks, which shot from within myself, manifesting momentarily. My fingers slipped forward and I gasped pressing harder into the inferno, causing my entire hands to disappear. Straining to push further, I lost trength from excitement and the orb vanished.

 

"You're so close Vyon!" Hiromasa called to me lowering from the sky.

 

"Really? That hasn't happened yet!" All of my doubt exploded into excitement.

"Keep trying!" He pointed into my chest with a energetic smile.

 

Shaking out, I focused my breathing and cleared my mind of any extra fidgets. I took my time creating the sphere of existential light, pushing as much power as my body allowed free. Soon though, I was panting for air and my body felt emptied of everything powering it. Shouting as I fought to control the eruption in my grasp, I felt my hands sink inside once more. The outward force was incredible, bone shaking, but I had tempered myself to prepare for it. After several seconds of fighting my hands through nothingness, I felt something solid. My palms suddenly slammed together and the air was filled with tiny shards of paper thin fire and long streams of gold light. Watching the glass like bits of flame vanish into nothing, I felt my hands being pulled apart. As I looked back down a dense beam of glorious golden light sliced upward from within my clutched hands. Letting out a siren of ineffable screeches and energetic howls, this column of light began lashing outward randomly. When these sounds reached an extreme, the light had become blinding and I feared holding on further. With an earth shaking boom my weapon cast off the sheath of light and took form!

 

Within my grasp was a very bizarre and quite heavy sword! My eyes darted quickly over the weapon examining its every feature. The blade extended from its handle and got steadily wider as it reached the razor sharp tip, roughly four inches in width at the widest point. The handle was the weapons oddest part. Just below the blade was a flat, circular shaped, plate, roughly two inches thicker than the blade’s edge. This silvery colored disk was etched to resemble the moon in great detail, pitted delicately in places to resemble craters. Around the top and bottom of the lunar decal, was a detailed carving of savage jaws, which appeared to be trying to eat the moon. On the sides of this celestial emblem, where the crossguard would be, were two huge, triangular... ears? They definitely resembled canine or wolf ears, but they seemed to have simply... grown from within the metal. The handle was constructed from hard leather with cloth laced around it and bound in place by stitching at the top and bottom. Where a normal sword would end, my sword had something hanging off the pommel. As if woven from a living beast the base of this weapon has a tail attached! Touching this fluffy extremity caused it to twitch, making me recoil! What the hell is this? Examining the blade again, I chuckled as I saw it had bite and claw marks spanning its length! Gripping the blade with both hands I found the handle about a hands length longer than I actually needed, but found it light, compared to Hiromasa's heavy spear or Hina's weighted wooden rings. Lifting the blade overhead I released a powerfully long howl of victory! This maybe one of the strangest looking swords I have ever seen, but this one is mine! Somehow this is a piece of me, I did it!

 

"Congratulations!" Hiromasa approached after my voice lost power.

 

"Vyon, got it?" Hina cried from the living room window. "No way! Awesome!" She appeared from a plume of green incandescense before she even finished speaking.

 

"May I?" Hiromasa asked holding his hand toward me.

 

"Of course!" Exclaiming joyously, I flipped the weapon around and put the handle in his grasp.

 

It seemed heavier for him than it was for me, as he struggled a bit to hold it up one handed. He seemed mostly intrigued by the scratches and bite marks coating the blade itself. Moving down the weapon, he ran his hand along one of the ears, which folded forward upon being touched! Hiromasa made a curious sound as this happened, watching the tail also react by swaying slightly. Running his fingers over the teeth, which were carved into the metal finely, he spun the weapon around to confirm it was on both sides. Once he did this he checked the edge of the blade and gripped it himself. With a shrug, he flipped the weapon in his fingers and handed it toward me handle first.

 

"I can't really make heads or tails of it, no pun intended." Hiromasa stated as I took my sword back. "All I can say is your ancestral tether is probably ancient or prehistoric even... Meaning it's a total mystery!" Hiro sounded perplexed as I held the odd weapon in my hand, examining it closely.

 

"Wierd..." This breathy word fell out of me, as I gently clutched the blade.

 

"Way to go Vyon!" Hina cheered, clapping a few times as she bounced on her toes.

 

As I felt the edge of the large sword the tail sprung to life! It lifted slightly and wrapped around my wrist. Though the shock of it was a bit alarming, I was overall amazed and I began to laugh. Releasing the blade I gripped the handle with both hands and stepped back from the others. Giving it a few swings, I felt the tail actively avoiding my face, as a matter of fact, it was tightly snaring my wrist! Honestly I thought it looked dorky, but parts of it were awesome! I really liked the semi-ridiculous huge blade, and the jaws crunching around the moon were wickedly sharp and carved with great detail. Another shorter shout of joy burst from me as I held the weapon up with both hands. Looking at the two of them, they both laughed as I held my tail toting Excalibur.

 

"So when can I start killing Fuzen! The next one I see is so dead!" I cried out swiping the blade through the air in sharp short cuts.

 

"Easy there killer! Down boy!" Hiromasa called, catching the sword during my wind up. "You need to practice and learn some technique. Just go home and practice conjuring it alright? Learn to do it easily, then we’ll talk about fuzen and how to fight them." His command was lined with a hint of encouragement and I nodded confidently.

 

"We need to get going on the night patrol!" Hina exclaimed glancing at her watch.

"I know, lock up the house and let's go." He replied to her, lifting into the air as his aura appeared, like it propelled him upward.

 

"What does she mean? Night patrol?" I asked as he was preparing to leave.

 

"Fuzen get more active at night. Peoples fears and debauchery gives them more power." He explained looking down at me. "We make sure to be active at night, to kill them when they’re bold enough to feed freely."

 

"Makes a lot of sense. Sure you don't need help?" I said nodding and looking at the illuminated ground beneath our aura’s.

 

"No, Vyon we can handle it." Hiromasa's voice was very solid.

 

"See you tomorrow then. Thanks again, both of you!" My smile held all the sincerity within my body, as I looked at both sets of eyes.

"Go practice kid. Come back tomorrow and we'll see how tough you are with that sword." Hiromasa taunted, but I was to excited to respond with anything snide.

 

"Of course, yeah, I’m gonna practice like a madman! Be careful guys!" I called to them both as I watched them float away.

 

Lifting into the air I felt an immense wave of fatigue climb over me. As I looked down it felt like the weapon was sapping my strength or more like I didn't have the strength to carry it. Stopping I lifted it to my face and as the tail uncurled from my wrist, the whole weapon blew away in a small cloud of fire. Watching in amazement, I found flying not so hard now and I actually felt a bit more awake! The way you manipulate the power within your body actually seems to effect the way you feel! Each day that passes, I become less confused and scared, but more curious. I need to know as much as possible about these new powers I have had hidden away.

 

Flying upward and downward in tiny waves, I attempted to corkscrew as Hiromasa does, but failed and only made a few curls. Flying over to a nearby house I landed on the roof as quietly as I could, then checked my phone. Lyra and Zen had called, but only Lyra's was for me. Zenex called to ask if he could copy my algebra homework, as we were in the same class, just different periods. Something caught my eye and I nearly dropped the phone as I saw a figure scurry into darkness. Approaching slowly I tried to peer through the shadows of night, but I could see little. Lowering myself toward the ground my heart nearly stopped as a figure leapt from the shadows screeching. Flailing backward from the attacking demon, my focus scattered and I felt my aura burn out.

 

Hitting the ground with a thud, I quickly rolled backward to recover, then stood up searching for the Fuzen. The putrid figure shambled forward and released a guttural noise along side the wheezing breaths. This awful humanoid figure had no arms or head and only the legs seemed undisturbed. Spanning the length of the torso, from breasts to belly button, was a disgusting, bloated, bile spewing mouth. What was once the rib cage had been fashioned into teeth within this brutal opening in the body. Snapping open and closed constantly, I saw this disgusting cavity in the torso also served as an eye!

 

Within the mouth, beyond the gnashing, blunt teeth, was a single eye formed out of the morbidly contorted heart. Taking deep breaths through the grotesque mouth, this creature appeared to exhale through the severed hole in the neck! The lower half of the body was covered by scraps of bloody clothing, which barely clung to the rotting skin beneath. A bile spitting roar came from the torso as the pupil within dilated to nothing but a small speck.

 

Shouting back a carnal roar, I summoned my sin aura and took a stomping step forward. This meek figure shuffled back a bit before releasing several smaller roars followed by a lot of wheezing from the neck hole. Lumbering forward the creature revealed it had another weapon... From within the open neck hole, a jagged piece of bone slowly and noisily emerged. It was on the end of a fleshy strand, which quivered around with each breath. As this lengthy tube of sinew emerged, it squelched like someone stirring macaroni or disrupting gelatin...

 

As it grew closer, I vanished from place, moving beyond it to the other side of the lawn. Watching it recover and attempt to find me, I took this time to try summoning my split soul! With a small shout of rage and focus, I created the sphere easily, but it vanished the instant I saw the Fuzen approaching. Throwing it's entire top half forward, the spine in the neck hole slung out a foot or two and nearly stabbed me in the chest. With a loud choking noise the spiked tendril began to retract. Gagging for several seconds the beast continued to approach snapping it's bloated belly at me with another growl. Soul sprinting again, I reappeared by the back door of this house, but the beastly form tracked me and was already redirecting itself. Swiping the slimy spine forward, I felt it snare my arm instead of stab me as I expected! The pull was instant and the gagging, slurping, and coughing was morbidly disturbing. As I began to slide closer across the damp grass, I thought of an idea! With a loud shout, I karate chopped the tendril, charging power through my hand. Instead of snapping or being cut like I expected, my attack ripped the tentacle straight out of the neck hole with a bursting, slimey, slapping sound.

 

"Oh god, ugh, f**k!" I swatted my hand around to try and remove the coiled bundle of bloody flesh.

Looking back and wiping my arm on my shirt, I saw the beast had become deformed further. Both shoulders had been severely dislocated and the morbid mouth was now torn at the top corner. The neck hole was absolutely torn asunder and very little of its original shape remained in tact. As if nothing happened the mangled fuzen continued to pursue me, seemingly unphased. Pools of blackened blood were falling from the brutalized body and the wheezing hacks, now produced dribbles of crimson from the mangled hole that once held a head. Stepping forward, this hideous creature continued snapping it's jaws as the mangled upper body jerked around randomly. Where the shoulders once connected to the neck, a large amount of intestines were vomited forth and forced to hang like foul, dripping dreadlocks. Each one of these six gut wrenching tubes of filth, instantly came to life. On the tip of each rancid piece of flesh, a thick barb pierced forth, like a needle going through cloth. Flailing and lashing like whips, they each attempted to snare me or stab me.

 

Vanishing backward, I felt the tendrils brush my shoulder and my leg, but I landed with nothing but stains. God the smell is awful, like decaying s**t found a place to call home, then die. Turning to charge me again I desperately called for my weapon, but was unable to form it. Dodging a lash from the reeking tendrils, my body rolled along the ground until I landed on all fours. Kicking upward I began running to avoid the whirlwind of disgusting innards, but had nowhere to go! A small cluster of rotting human organs whipped around my arm at the shoulder, locking tight like muscled fingers.

 

Cryies escaped me and I thrashed to free myself, but I only felt more sticky tubes snaring me tightly. Looking back I saw the gurgling and snapping jaws eagerly awaiting my arm to finally reach it. From within, the bulbous eye peered into me as each pull became harder and harder to fight. Two tendrils wrapped around my neck just then and I was pulled closer, barely managing to get my fingers clear of the snapping teeth. Guttural breathing accompanied each bite, as I fought to keep my arm from entering the mass of dead flesh. Feeling my feet slipping nearer, I knew I had to act soon!

Lifting my free hand, I tried to break the tendrils again, but found these much more rubbery. My impact forced thin rods of waste and decaying matter from the ends of the semi-opened intestinal strands, which sickened me into a momentary delay. Each strike gave me a little bit more time though, as the Fuzen didn't seem to be able to pull when I was struggling. After my sixth swing, I could feel my stamina draining and I knew this would never work. Lifting my hand with a desperate scream, I charged as much power as I could focus into this attack. Something formed in my grasp and as I swiped my hand downward, I heard the clanging ring of metal! Staggering backward I felt the intestine tentacles slide free limply. Gripping the sword with both hands, I shouted with primal rage then unleashed a one handed, horizontal slash. Feeling instant contact, a wet metal crunch filled the air, as blood trailed from my sword and splattered the surrounding area in an uneven arch. Wails of inhuman pain were heard, as the Fuzen stumbled around and coughed up gobs of bloody matter. My blow had cut a line straight across the creatures torso, leaving the mouth gashed open savagely.

 

Hearing the bone chilling screams only fueled my desire to destroy the creature! Rushing forward I gave it two powerful diagonal strikes. Each landed, but the first one was much better than the second. Fleshy bits and streams of blood poured from the now butchered mouth, as it meekly struggled to escape the enclosed backyard. My voice breaking in fury, I delivered one final attack, straight down into the open portion of the neck. My blade sunk deep into the flesh and was stuck near instantly. Releasing the weapon, I fell backward as the dreadful beast stepped toward me, but only fell and dislodged my sword. With one long wheezing breath the fiend appeared to die. Staring with a mixture of terror and adrenaline, I saw the moonlight glinting off my sword and the pools of expanding blood. Reaching forward slowly, I snatched the weapon and retreated, pointing it toward my downed foe. My eyes dared not move, even as lights came on in the household and movement was seen. I sat there for a few minutes, staring and pointing my blade, as I trembled so hard it hurt! A short laugh escaped me, as I lifted my recently threatened arm and examined the fire surrounding it. With my own strength... I had defeated a fuzen! The world was ever so slightly safer now because of the fear and pain I just endured!

 

After a several seconds my aura burned down, then vanished, like a match burning out. Right now I could care less who see's me in there backyard... Watching the corpse of the fuzen, who had once been a human, a sigh escaped my lips. Who was she? What was she like? Did she have a family? Cringing, I looked away and had to fight a sudden rush of tears. Flying away, I felt little droplets flicking from my face as I flew toward home. Once I reached the apartment building, I sat on the roof and had a small moment to calm myself. The idea of simple negative thoughts doing... that, to someone... I just cant, I don't even... Tears fell endlessly, silently into the shadows of growing night, only visible momentarily as moonlight sparked through them.s Realizing the irony of my crying I tried my best to stop and see tonight as a victory. One less Fuzen to attack someone! Still the pain of losing that woman... that person... has the potential to spawn many more. Did she have kids? What did she do for a living? Did she have a husband or wife? Sniffling a few times, I got up and walked to the edge of the roof.

 

It was far to late to knock, so I would not be able to get in... unless... Wait, well, it’s worth a try! Floating downward to my closed window, I cocked an eyebrow and took a deep breath. As I exhaled I felt myself vanish and when my vision cleared of soul fire... I was in my room! Silently cheering and prancing in place, I screamed hushedly and then threw a few mock punches. Never again will they be able to do anything to me! Not only can I become invisible, but I can teleport... through walls! Falling on my bed, which was a mattress and some milk crates, I sighed with comfort. Though it was hard to actually do, I summoned my split soul! Not only that, but I killed a Fuzen today! Not bad for a rookie, right? Sleeping was not hard given how tired I was, but nightmares stirred at the back of my mind all night, waking me several times. The horrific image of that mouthed torso and all the other Fuzen I have seen was not something easily forgotten or ignored. Something tells me however, that these were average sightings to a sin splitter and I would certainly see something much worse...

 

Reviews

[Brittanie Bardwell]

Alright, I love this chapter and the fight scenes. You do very well with the fight descriptions. Same advise as before, break up those large paragraphs but otherwise a really great chapter. Also, love the sword. :)

[Thatonedawg]

Omg thank you! It took several dozen ideas before I settled on a weapon I liked for Vyon. Thank you I will work on making shorter paragraphs or atleast breaking up large blocks of action. Thanks again your advice has been so very valuable!