Moving like a whisper, Kaito navigated the compound. He shadow-dashed from the silhouette of a stone lantern to the underside of a bridge, evading the blazing torches. When a heavy-armored elite guard blocked the pagoda's entrance, Kaito tossed a small smoke pebble. As the area filled with thick, obscuring fog, Kaito slipped past the coughing guard and phased through the heavy wooden doors.
He focused his mind, drawing on the cursed blood in his veins. Shadow Leap. He blinked from the roof directly into the tall grass behind a patrolling guard. With a swift, practiced motion, Kaito grabbed the soldier from behind. He didn't use his blade. He struck a precise pressure point on the soldier's neck, rendering him unconscious before dragging his body into the brush. A non-lethal approach was harder, but Kaito refused to let the bloodlust accelerate his curse.
He had not cured the curse entirely, but he had bought his people time. Aragami 2 [0100787018198800][v65536][US].nsp.rar
The general was knocked unconscious by the shockwave, his flame sword extinguished. Kaito landed on his feet, breathing heavily. He looked down at his arms. The angry black veins had receded, replaced by smooth skin. The violent whispers in his mind were quiet.
As the general raised his heavy sword for a crushing overhead strike, Kaito didn't dodge. Instead, he dashed directly forward, dematerializing into shadow at the exact moment of impact. He passed right through the general's body and materialized behind him. Moving like a whisper, Kaito navigated the compound
If you'd like to continue or modify this story, let me know:
The rain never reached the floor of the Rashomon Valley, evaporating against the cursed heat of the Akatsuchi invaders. From the jagged peak of the Shadow's Reach, Kaito looked down at the burning village. His skin was pale as porcelain, mapped with black, pulsing veins that betrayed the Shadow Essence rotting him from the inside out. He was an Aragami, an undead warrior born of darkness, destined to lose his mind to the void if he could not break the curse. As the area filled with thick, obscuring fog,
The general swung the flaming sword, sending a wave of fire across the room. Kaito rolled to the side, the heat singing the edges of his dark cloak. He counter-attacked, his twin daggers clashing against the massive blade. The force of the blow rattled Kaito's bones, and the proximity to the fire made the shadow veins on his arms scream in agony.