The desert night was cold in a way that still surprised Suisen, even after living in Sunagakure his whole year of existence. Days were scorching hot, sure, but nights? Nights were when the sand seemed to steal all the warmth right out of the air and hoard it somewhere deep underground. The young homunculus pulled his hoodie tighter around himself, blonde hair catching the moonlight as he trudged through the dunes outside the village proper. He had chased and played with his sister Kasai not too far from here. A soft grin took to his face.
"Just a quick walk," he muttered to himself, mimicking the excuse he'd given before sneaking out. "Nothing dangerous about a quick walk under the stars, right? I mean Dad didn't catch me last time I snuck out, he is too busy with that tower stuff he does."
The formerly plagued terrain stretched out before him, still bearing scars from the Diamond Maelstrom that had terrorized this land for three decades. Even though the terrible sandstorm had finally receded, allowing Sunagakure to return to the surface, the desert hadn't exactly become friendly. Dad had warned him about roving bandits, wild beasts, and even nomadic tribes that might not take kindly to a lone kid wandering around at night. But Suisen had never been great at following warnings when curiosity was involved.
His crimson eyes scanned the horizon, taking in the vast emptiness. During the day, this place was all harsh light and shimmering heat waves. At night, though? At night it was almost peaceful. The stars stretched overhead like someone had spilled a jar of diamonds across black velvet, more stars than Suisen had ever seen from inside the village which now dwelled under the suface. Each one twinkled and pulsed with its own rhythm, as if they were breathing. It kind of reminded him of Kureji-sensei and the rhythmic lessons he received.
"Whoa," he breathed, stopping in his tracks to just look. The seals covering his body tingled faintly, responding to something he couldn't quite name. It wasn't danger, at least, he didn't think it was danger. It felt more like... recognition? Like standing in front of a mirror and seeing something familiar staring back.
That's when he saw it.
A streak of light across the sky, brighter than any shooting star should be. It wasn't the typical flash-and-gone that people made wishes on. This one moved with purpose, arcing downward in a graceful curve that seemed to be heading straight toward—
"Oh no, oh no, it's gonna—"
The light struck the sand maybe fifty yards ahead of him, but instead of the explosive impact Suisen expected, it simply... sank. Like a stone dropping into still water, except the sand rippled outward in concentric circles of displaced grains before settling back into place. No crater. No explosion. Just a faint glow emanating from where the light had touched down.
Suisen's feet were moving before his brain caught up with the decision to investigate. He half-ran, half-stumbled through the sand, his short legs making the going slower than he'd like. The glow didn't fade as he approached, I mean if anything, it seemed to pulse brighter, almost like it was responding to his presence.
"What are you?" he whispered, dropping to his knees at the edge of the disturbed sand. The seals on his body were really tingling now, warm enough that he could feel them through his clothes. Not painful, just... aware. Like they recognized whatever was buried here. A part of him felt as though this could be a fail safe telling him to walk away, a system his dad placed on him when he was designed and formulated.
...but he started digging with his hands, pushing sand aside with the fervor of a kid who'd just found buried treasure. And in a way, maybe he had. The sand was still warm from the impact, and the deeper he dug, the brighter the glow became. His fingers finally brushed against something that definitely wasn't sand, but instead it was something smooth and impossibly warm and humming with energy that made his whole body vibrate in response.
"Gotcha!"
Suisen pulled it free, and his world went white.
Not white like blinding light, but white like suddenly understanding something you'd never known you didn't understand. The object in his hands was small, maybe the size of his palm, and it looked like someone had captured a piece of starlight and convinced it to hold a shape. It pulsed in rhythm with his own heartbeat... or maybe... his heartbeat had synced to its pulse, honestly he couldn't tell anymore. The light was warm, almost liquid in quality, shifting and swirling within an invisible boundary that kept it contained.
A wisp. That's what it looked like. A wisp of pure energy, dancing in his cupped palms. Moving about freely yet perfectly still like the spiral of a storm contained into a single point in time.
The moment he touched it, Suisen felt something click into place inside his chest. It was like finding a puzzle piece you didn't know was missing and discovering it fit perfectly into a gap you hadn't realized existed, but now couldn't live without filling. The wisp's energy reached out, tentative at first, brushing against his own spiritual energy as four blossoming wing-like-structures fluttered into the air around his hand. The seals on his body flared bright enough to be visible through his clothes, working overtime to regulate the sudden surge of power... surge of life force.
But this wasn't the overwhelming, consuming kind of energy that had turned his sister Sora into pure chakra and breaking her apart into the basic components in which their creator and father had woven together to give them life, no. This was different. This was... balanced. Where his spiritual energy burned hot and wild, the wisp's energy was cool and calming. Where his threatened to overflow and consume his physical form, the wisp's presence seemed to ground him, anchor him, remind him that his body was supposed to stay body-shaped... thank you very much.
"You're..." Suisen started, then stopped, unsure how to finish that sentence. The wisp pulsed brighter, as if encouraging him to continue, it's wings vibrating with what could only be described as joy. He tried again. "You're like me. Kind of. Sort of. You're... you're made of energy too, aren't you? But you hold your shape. You know how to hold your shape, don't you..."
The wisp didn't answer—it couldn't, not with words—but Suisen felt its response anyway. A wave of warmth that felt like agreement, like recognition, like coming home after a long journey. His crimson eyes widened as understanding dawned and tears fell and slammed hard against the sand around his feet.
"You're my soul,"
He breathed, and somehow he knew it was true. Not his actual soul—no—he already had one of those, a fragment of his father's—carrying Shin's aspect of unbridled glee and his sin of unrivaled gluttony. But this? This was something else. This was a piece of something greater that had chosen him, connected to him, recognized in him a kindred spirit struggling to maintain form in a world that demanded physical bodies of perfection... of grace... of strength.
The starlight spun in his palms, trailing light like a tiny comet, and Suisen couldn't help but laugh. It was the kind of laugh that bubbled up from deep in his chest, pure and joyful and utterly delighted. He'd come out here looking for adventure, maybe hoping to find some cool rocks or see a sand hare or something equally mundane that to a child naive of the world would be equally as magnificent as meeting a star. Instead, he'd found... this.
A companion.
A balance.
A piece of the divine that looked at a homunculus boy and said "yes, you'll do."
"yes, you..."
"Can you... can you always stay with me?" Suisen asked, holding the wisp closer to his chest afraid its energy would unspiral and shatter and be released back to where it was from like his family before him. It pulsed once, twice, three times—each pulse in perfect sync with his heartbeat. Then, slowly, it began to fade. Not disappearing—no, but rather sinking into him, merging with his own energy in a way that made the seals on his body glow bright gold before settling back to their usual appearance of scripted blood and crimson.
The wisp was gone, but Suisen felt it still. Nestled somewhere in his chest, right next to his heart, waiting.
waiting.
Ready to emerge whenever he needed it. Ready to help him maintain the delicate balance between spiritual and physical that kept homunculi like him from burning away into nothing.
From becoming nothing.
From being no more than nothing.
"Thank you," he whispered to the night air—to the stars above—to whatever force had sent this gift falling from the sky straight into his path. The desert stretched out around him, still cold, still potentially dangerous, still marked by the scars of the Diamond Maelstrom and the war against forces this child dare not understand. But somehow, standing there under the infinite stars with warmth blooming in his chest, Suisen felt less alone than ever before.
He hadn't realized how alone he truly was.
He turned back toward Sunagakure, his steps lighter despite the sand trying to drag at his feet. Dad was probably going to be so mad that he'd snuck out. But Dad would also understand—eventually. After all, Chikamatsu Shin was the one who'd always told him to live the life he'd been given, since no one knew when it would end.
When it would end.
How soon would his end?
And if tonight had taught Suisen anything—if it was worth anything, it was that sometimes the best parts of life found you when you were brave enough to go looking for them.
The wisp pulsed once inside his chest, a gentle reminder of its presence. Suisen grinned and started the trek home, already planning how he'd explain this to his father. Already wondering what other abilities might come with having a piece of starlight living inside his soul.
His soul... not his soul...
Already excited to discover what it meant to be connected to something divine.
"Best night walk ever," he declared to no one in particular, and somewhere inside him, the wisp seemed to agree.
[Using: Discovery of Contract of Your Choice for Kami]
"Just a quick walk," he muttered to himself, mimicking the excuse he'd given before sneaking out. "Nothing dangerous about a quick walk under the stars, right? I mean Dad didn't catch me last time I snuck out, he is too busy with that tower stuff he does."
The formerly plagued terrain stretched out before him, still bearing scars from the Diamond Maelstrom that had terrorized this land for three decades. Even though the terrible sandstorm had finally receded, allowing Sunagakure to return to the surface, the desert hadn't exactly become friendly. Dad had warned him about roving bandits, wild beasts, and even nomadic tribes that might not take kindly to a lone kid wandering around at night. But Suisen had never been great at following warnings when curiosity was involved.
His crimson eyes scanned the horizon, taking in the vast emptiness. During the day, this place was all harsh light and shimmering heat waves. At night, though? At night it was almost peaceful. The stars stretched overhead like someone had spilled a jar of diamonds across black velvet, more stars than Suisen had ever seen from inside the village which now dwelled under the suface. Each one twinkled and pulsed with its own rhythm, as if they were breathing. It kind of reminded him of Kureji-sensei and the rhythmic lessons he received.
"Whoa," he breathed, stopping in his tracks to just look. The seals covering his body tingled faintly, responding to something he couldn't quite name. It wasn't danger, at least, he didn't think it was danger. It felt more like... recognition? Like standing in front of a mirror and seeing something familiar staring back.
That's when he saw it.
A streak of light across the sky, brighter than any shooting star should be. It wasn't the typical flash-and-gone that people made wishes on. This one moved with purpose, arcing downward in a graceful curve that seemed to be heading straight toward—
"Oh no, oh no, it's gonna—"
The light struck the sand maybe fifty yards ahead of him, but instead of the explosive impact Suisen expected, it simply... sank. Like a stone dropping into still water, except the sand rippled outward in concentric circles of displaced grains before settling back into place. No crater. No explosion. Just a faint glow emanating from where the light had touched down.
Suisen's feet were moving before his brain caught up with the decision to investigate. He half-ran, half-stumbled through the sand, his short legs making the going slower than he'd like. The glow didn't fade as he approached, I mean if anything, it seemed to pulse brighter, almost like it was responding to his presence.
"What are you?" he whispered, dropping to his knees at the edge of the disturbed sand. The seals on his body were really tingling now, warm enough that he could feel them through his clothes. Not painful, just... aware. Like they recognized whatever was buried here. A part of him felt as though this could be a fail safe telling him to walk away, a system his dad placed on him when he was designed and formulated.
...but he started digging with his hands, pushing sand aside with the fervor of a kid who'd just found buried treasure. And in a way, maybe he had. The sand was still warm from the impact, and the deeper he dug, the brighter the glow became. His fingers finally brushed against something that definitely wasn't sand, but instead it was something smooth and impossibly warm and humming with energy that made his whole body vibrate in response.
"Gotcha!"
Suisen pulled it free, and his world went white.
Not white like blinding light, but white like suddenly understanding something you'd never known you didn't understand. The object in his hands was small, maybe the size of his palm, and it looked like someone had captured a piece of starlight and convinced it to hold a shape. It pulsed in rhythm with his own heartbeat... or maybe... his heartbeat had synced to its pulse, honestly he couldn't tell anymore. The light was warm, almost liquid in quality, shifting and swirling within an invisible boundary that kept it contained.
A wisp. That's what it looked like. A wisp of pure energy, dancing in his cupped palms. Moving about freely yet perfectly still like the spiral of a storm contained into a single point in time.The moment he touched it, Suisen felt something click into place inside his chest. It was like finding a puzzle piece you didn't know was missing and discovering it fit perfectly into a gap you hadn't realized existed, but now couldn't live without filling. The wisp's energy reached out, tentative at first, brushing against his own spiritual energy as four blossoming wing-like-structures fluttered into the air around his hand. The seals on his body flared bright enough to be visible through his clothes, working overtime to regulate the sudden surge of power... surge of life force.
But this wasn't the overwhelming, consuming kind of energy that had turned his sister Sora into pure chakra and breaking her apart into the basic components in which their creator and father had woven together to give them life, no. This was different. This was... balanced. Where his spiritual energy burned hot and wild, the wisp's energy was cool and calming. Where his threatened to overflow and consume his physical form, the wisp's presence seemed to ground him, anchor him, remind him that his body was supposed to stay body-shaped... thank you very much.
"You're..." Suisen started, then stopped, unsure how to finish that sentence. The wisp pulsed brighter, as if encouraging him to continue, it's wings vibrating with what could only be described as joy. He tried again. "You're like me. Kind of. Sort of. You're... you're made of energy too, aren't you? But you hold your shape. You know how to hold your shape, don't you..."
The wisp didn't answer—it couldn't, not with words—but Suisen felt its response anyway. A wave of warmth that felt like agreement, like recognition, like coming home after a long journey. His crimson eyes widened as understanding dawned and tears fell and slammed hard against the sand around his feet.
"You're my soul,"
He breathed, and somehow he knew it was true. Not his actual soul—no—he already had one of those, a fragment of his father's—carrying Shin's aspect of unbridled glee and his sin of unrivaled gluttony. But this? This was something else. This was a piece of something greater that had chosen him, connected to him, recognized in him a kindred spirit struggling to maintain form in a world that demanded physical bodies of perfection... of grace... of strength.
The starlight spun in his palms, trailing light like a tiny comet, and Suisen couldn't help but laugh. It was the kind of laugh that bubbled up from deep in his chest, pure and joyful and utterly delighted. He'd come out here looking for adventure, maybe hoping to find some cool rocks or see a sand hare or something equally mundane that to a child naive of the world would be equally as magnificent as meeting a star. Instead, he'd found... this.
A companion.
A balance.
A piece of the divine that looked at a homunculus boy and said "yes, you'll do."
"yes, you..."
"Can you... can you always stay with me?" Suisen asked, holding the wisp closer to his chest afraid its energy would unspiral and shatter and be released back to where it was from like his family before him. It pulsed once, twice, three times—each pulse in perfect sync with his heartbeat. Then, slowly, it began to fade. Not disappearing—no, but rather sinking into him, merging with his own energy in a way that made the seals on his body glow bright gold before settling back to their usual appearance of scripted blood and crimson.
The wisp was gone, but Suisen felt it still. Nestled somewhere in his chest, right next to his heart, waiting.
waiting.
Ready to emerge whenever he needed it. Ready to help him maintain the delicate balance between spiritual and physical that kept homunculi like him from burning away into nothing.
From becoming nothing.
From being no more than nothing.
"Thank you," he whispered to the night air—to the stars above—to whatever force had sent this gift falling from the sky straight into his path. The desert stretched out around him, still cold, still potentially dangerous, still marked by the scars of the Diamond Maelstrom and the war against forces this child dare not understand. But somehow, standing there under the infinite stars with warmth blooming in his chest, Suisen felt less alone than ever before.
He hadn't realized how alone he truly was.
He turned back toward Sunagakure, his steps lighter despite the sand trying to drag at his feet. Dad was probably going to be so mad that he'd snuck out. But Dad would also understand—eventually. After all, Chikamatsu Shin was the one who'd always told him to live the life he'd been given, since no one knew when it would end.
When it would end.
How soon would his end?
And if tonight had taught Suisen anything—if it was worth anything, it was that sometimes the best parts of life found you when you were brave enough to go looking for them.
The wisp pulsed once inside his chest, a gentle reminder of its presence. Suisen grinned and started the trek home, already planning how he'd explain this to his father. Already wondering what other abilities might come with having a piece of starlight living inside his soul.
His soul... not his soul...
Already excited to discover what it meant to be connected to something divine.
"Best night walk ever," he declared to no one in particular, and somewhere inside him, the wisp seemed to agree.
[Using: Discovery of Contract of Your Choice for Kami]