
The Grand Purifier
[legend="• [glow=white]I N F O R M A T I O N[/glow] •"]
- Name: Yamato Harokai
- Village of Origin: Stone
- Gender: Male
- Age: 22
- Height: 5'8''
- Body Frame: Average
- Natural Hair Color: Jet Black
- Natural Eye Color: Crimson Red
[legend="• [glow=white]A P P E A R A N C E[/glow] •"][spoilername="See Me"]
- Kai prefers to sport a more traditional clothing of his time, he wears a white haori with four black square buttons on the shoulders and a golden lace below the shoulder and around the arm. He wears a black hakama with white tabi and brown slippers. His clothing are quite common while at the same time unique, showing his elegant yet simple style in fashion.
- When given enough time to prepare for battle, Kai wears additional armor to fit the situation. Having a black wooden armor on top of his haori and a set of black armguards that also acts as a storage for his paper charms.
- One thing that stands out in his appearance is the red rope-like belt tied around his waist that acts as a holster for his Akuhei Kamen. Though it may look undesirable as a means to secure a weapon, the rope-like belt itself has been infused with chakra to act as a magnet for his weapon, allowing him to easily draw and sheath it with ease without worrying that it may fall during fast maneuvers.
[legend="• [glow=white]P E R S O N A L I T Y[/glow] •"][spoilername="Know Me"]
[*] A kind-hearted soul and caring person. Kai loves to be with people and tends to socialize with strangers wherever he goes. Though he does sometime fail to read the atmosphere, he is more than sympathetic to feel another's situation. Kai can also be quite hard-headed for the right reason, forcing or acting upon things that he sees wrong.
[*] Kai deeply values of all living things, even those that cannot be seen by normal means. Although he has a strong sense of what's right and wrong, he's more than willing to eradicate the life of a being if it means saving more, possibly even his own life. But usually, that's only as a last resort as he always try to find an end to a fight without taking someone's life.
By the age of ten, the children are then tasked to manifest, the five elements even as such a young age - they knew that they were only capable of holding a few elements due to their alignment. Kai was given a talisman to show his affinity and as he placed it within his fingers and started chanting, the talisman glowed green - the element of Earth. His elders were not pleased as it did not show any signs of other elements like others whose talisman glowed orange or purple. Like the elders, he also saw the disdain from his father's face but the gentle smile from his mother. Despite all odds, his elders did not forsake him and encouraged him to improve quickly otherwise he'd fail. Fail on what? They did not continue.
Kai continued to train despite his shortcomings, unlike the others of his generation who showed two or even three attributes, he wanted to show that even a single element would be equal in terms of power and it did. On the second review with his elders, not only did he pull pebbles and rocks from the ground but minerals akin to steel were gathered around him. They shined brilliantly with the sun's light as they hover around him. The elders were pleased but his father's face showed otherwise, doubt.
It seemed his first trial was a success but two more remained and those would determine his fate. As for the second trial, they were tasked with choosing a weapon from a selected few and mastering it. There were many oddities within the given choices such as hammer with a blade on the edge, a bow without arrows, even a puppet that has holes in it but there were also ordinary ones such as blades and shurikens. For Kai, he picked up a katana for his choice but little did he know that this would bind him to an even greater burden than he would have hoped for. Each day he would train with his katana, steel that reflected the sun and an edge sharp enough to cut a boulder. Watched and tutored by his father as he himself choose the katana when he was young, his training progressively grew harder with each passing day. Starting to from mere practice against straw dolls, to cutting down bamboo to the point where he was brutally beaten by his own father during each sparring session. Despite the harsh regiment from his father, he was recognized as a skilled practitioner of the katana by his elders and prepared him for the final trial.
When he turned eighteen, Kai entered his final trial. The re-sealing of the demon artifacts. Each and every priestess and purifier in their clan had undergone this trial and only a few had passed but despite everything they had trained for, regardless of success or failure, the chances of dying were still the same as stories of their own clansmen sealing these demons away but dying in the process were common within the clan. Those who had failed but luckily lived were stripped of their title and were tasked to teach the next generation from their failure. While their fate seemed good, they were also forbidden from using everything they have learned from their clan's teachings, leaving them with the pride of their weaponry when they were young as well as the affinity for the elements they had discovered. But to those who had passed the trial and lived, they were revered as great purifiers and priestess, tasked with leading their clan to the next generation.
This time, Kai was tasked to re-seal one of the most dangerous artifacts that the Yamato Clan held. The Akuhei Kamen, also known as the katana without a scabbard or the demon without a home. The elders led Kai and his parents into the deepest part of the Yamato Estate, passing through ornate marbles with golden decorations but none had interested him. As the dream-like scenery slowly turned into a dreadful picture. Glistening marble floors would soon turn to wood, slowly progressing to mere stones that would look like a path inside the cave. Only the lit candle holders that hung on the side of the craggy walls served as their guide. What felt like years of walking finally ended when they entered a round stone chamber. The elders directed Kai to continue while they remained outside the chamber.
As Kai continued on, the first thing his vision took notice of was the set of ropes hanging above, connected to the pretty much every part of the chamber itself. They hang from the floors, the walls and even the rocky ceiling. He squinted his eyes as he tried to get a better look at them when he noticed they weren't ropes, they were talismans used by his clan, linked together to form a rope and despite the number of them, they all lead to one part of the chamber. In the middle of the chamber was the katana that he was tasked with re-sealing, hanging by the rope-like talismans.
With each step he took, he felt a demonic presence growing stronger as he got closer - feeling determined, he held the hilt of katana, ready to face his trial when the harsh reality struck him. While his eyes were stuck on the weapon, he failed to realize what else was around him. Tripping over and falling onto the stone floor, he saw the bodies of his own generation who also picked the katana as their choice when they were young. Some were barely breathing while some did not moved an inch. Those stories weren't mere tales to scare them, it was the truth and those who ignored the warning were left to die in this trial. Trying to regain his composure, he grabbed his katana and drew it out from the scabbard and with his katana ready in his right hand, he took out a talisman with his left hand.
"I'm ready." He whispered to himself as the talisman started to glow, illuminating the space around him but even though the weapon was sealed, he felt its presence stronger than ever, pushing back the light beneath his feet. He felt a terrible headache as he saw the shadows around him slowly devour the light he created, slowly crawling towards him with the intention of devouring him. "Release!" He threw the talisman into the air as the talismans surrounding it started to decay, revealing the gleaming katana. His eyes focused on the weapon, almost mesmerized by the fine craftsmanship only to meet with the demon itself.
As the katana slowly descended to the ground, the unnatural shadows surrounding him shifted away from him, gathering beneath the katana as it formed a pool of pitch black darkness, like a pit where not even the light can penetrate it. Kai prepared his katana, shifting into a defensive stance as to face the unknown. There, a figure of a man rose from the pool, grabbing the hilt of the katana. He couldn't see any features of it as if the man itself was a living shadow but regardless, he could strongly feel its intense bloodlust coming from it.
"Do you wish for death or life?"
A voice rung to his head, the figure stood there like a statue yet he knew he was already in grave danger.
"Do you wish to live or die?"
The voice continued, almost angelic but what stood before him was a demon that had slain countless members of his clan and nothing but the stone cold caverns.
"You can't seem to decide just yet. Let me help you."
As the last word passed through his ears, the figure lunged at him with the katana. Those words lingered in his head, almost dazing him but the flash of steel interrupted him and returned his focus. He raised his hand, blocking the attack. The force of impact wasn't as strong as he expected yet his hands were shaking, his blade slowly creating a rattling noise as it remained in contact with the katana. "Right now, I need your answer." The voice continued. Seeing the figure in nearly point-blank range, it was as if he was looking towards a void with nothing within it. Just darkness, cold and empty. "Last chance, forget everything you have learned up until now. You're basically a sheep in line for the slaughterhouse sent by your own parents."
"No..." Kai shouted, his hands slowly stopped shaking as he tightened his grip.
"Join me, we will end this useless killings that your clan has started."
"No..."
"Such a sad answer... and I almost liked you." The angelic voiced answered. Kai felt his balance breaking, the weight of the katana started to get heavier. What was his weapon soon turned into a picture of despair, a crack started to appear along the edges of his blade. "Just like them before you, you will fail." The voice added as the sound of glass breaking echoed throughout the cavern, Kai could only watch stare into the darkness - oblivious to the shattered remains of his katana and the cold steel embedded in his shoulder.
"No... the one who's going to join me... IS YOU!" Kai barked into the air, jumping back and letting the steel of the katana slide through his shoulder. A sharp wincing pain echoed through his body, nearly causing him to stumble. The figure did not hold back, it moved with unbelievable speed which he couldn't match yet with his experience but he wouldn't give up just yet. Drawing a talisman, he started to chant, a momentary glimmer of light surrounded him. Kai watched the figure run towards him, the sound of steel whistling towards him as the figure swung the katana like an axe. In a blink of an eye, the katana stopped mere inches from his face - a barrier stopped the blow, but he wasn't done yet. He took out three talismans from his robe,
flinging them up into the air. The figure wasn't fazed by his action at all. The figure drew back the katana once more, ready to strike.
"Guess I was right." Kai whispered to himself, taking out one more talisman before laying it down onto the ground. The figure froze, the three talismans from before has found themselves attached to the figure.
"This can't be! These stupid papers are worthless!"
The voice rung to him, his vision slowly fading. Dropping to his knees, Kai grasped his chest, taking out his finger and swiping some of his own blood oozing from his open wound. He could feel his body getting cold - perhaps it was from being in the cavern for too long? or perhaps he was close to dying. Despite the questions running through his head, he was certain that he had to pass his final trial. Reaching out towards the talisman on the ground, he painted it with his own blood before passing out.
He opened his eyes, watching his body drifting calmly in the darkness. Is this what it feels like to be dead?" He thought to himself. "No, you're not dead. Just unconscious from loss of blood." A voice echoed throughout the space, almost sarcastically if one were to consider it. "I'm quite glad that you ended this era of stupid teenage sacrifices, I was really getting sick of it." The voice added followed by a hearty laugh. "Regardless, I'll be looking forward for our future together. Don't die." He ended as a figure slowly appeared from the darkness, outlined by a faint red light. It extended its hand towards him who did the same, grabbing his hand when a flash of light blinded him, finding himself lying down in bed. His vision was still fuzzy but as he regained his sight, he saw his mother who had fallen asleep by his bedside with what looked like watermarks on the sheet. She had cried herself to sleep. His father on the other hand stood at the end of his bed, a smile on his face - the first time he ever saw his father with a smile.
"Congratulations..." His father calmly greeted him, his smile slowly disappearing. "Right now, the elders are quite in a stir with the unique situation you just did." His father added, pointing towards Kai's chest. Kai slowly unrolled the blanket and to his surprise and confusion, he saw the Akuhei Kamen within his arms. He was cradling it like a baby. In his shock, he struggled to throw it away when his father approached him, grabbing him by his shoulder which sent a shock of pain to his body, momentarily stunning him. "That artifact belongs to you now. Take good care of it." His father uttered as he released his grip before walking out the door. Kai looked down, seeing the Akuhei Kamen neatly wrapped in blank talismans with a single crimson talisman wrapped around the base of the blade.
That dream he had, it wasn't a mere dream - it was all too real. He could remember talking with a stranger for ages but could only recall the few moments within it. He was bewildered by the fact he was now wielding a weapon that almost killed him but now, he felt he had found a valuable ally. He couldn't really explain it, its like meeting someone for the first time and you already knew you'd be good friends. That's what it felt like. Regardless of the events, his body still ached from the pain. He laid back down into his bed, his eyelids heavy. He drifted back to sleep.
"Welcome back, my friend.".History
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- Name - Mission Rank and Status
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