Sunėkuaizu, Kiryuu

[Kiryuu]

Name: Sunėkuaizu, Kiryuu
Age: Seventeen - Freshman
Race: Human
Nationality: Japanese

Height: 5'11" [180 cm]
Weight: 143 lbs [63 kg]

Appearance: The silver-haired boy whom we all know to be named as Kiryuu, is the progeny of both a vigorous father and a youthful mother; hence those whom know the truth would have undoubtedly expected that the teenager would be one of the most youthful and vigorous people in terms of appearance alone. Such an assumption would have rung true, seeing as when he were younger the teenage male could have certainly been regarded as naturally handsome due to his fine youthful features. Both the beauty of the father and the mother had been, without a shadow of a doubt, passed down to their child; despite not sharing any other distinguishable features of theirs. The alabaster-topped teenager had not been born with the fiery-crimson hair of his mother, nor had he been born possessing the deep brown coloring of his father; strangely enough, he had been born with the deepest-blackest colored hair. In yet another similar way, he had possessed neither of his parent's eye colors; instead his own eye had taken a stormy-gray pigmentation rather than his parent's respective black eyes. However, despite clearly appearing different there were some similarities between himself and his parents; as an example, he had inherited his mother's pale skin, alongside of his father's facial structure. Though as a result of these overwhelming differences between himself and his parents, he often jokingly referred his parents as his adopted ones, should he had never been informed of it... he would, in high-likelihood, have never surmised that he were indeed their son; physically in either case. Regardless, he had always been considered to be a rather handsome fellow from way back when.

One should have taken note of the usage of the past tense from the above mentioned text, as such a description would no longer fit the bleached-hair teenager. For he, at the present moment in time, had been anything but the word "good-looking". There is no longer any physical appeal upon that once-been delicate face, having been lost to the ravages of time and the various circumstances which tagged along. The narrow face of the youth had once been covered in pale skin; never having possessed a single blemish as to mar the clarity of such beauty... various parts of his face were now layered in a rough, dark-grayish color, and was now littered with an innumerable quantity of faint scar tissue. One side of his face had been especially burnt, which had rendered his right eye blind. Once originally possessing smooth-to-the-touch skin, now laid rough and dry; it had been almost as if had a leathery-scaly feel to it. The skin he had once possessed now stretched tightly across his visage; and as a result of this stretching, the indentation of facial bone were now quite prominent throughout his features. To name a few of these alterations: his jawbone and high cheekbones were now quite prominent unlike before. Along with all of this, the face of the soon-to-be adult had now been completely devoid of any and all forms of hair. His natural sharp and narrow eyebrows, and his head of voluminous wild black hair were both gone; replaced with hairless patches of skin, his onyx-colored hair, turned white as a result of some unknown force; perhaps as a result of his ability awakening. As every fiber of a hair follicle had been burnt off (of the facial region), there no longer exists any possibility of hair growth upon that ravaged face of his. All in all, his face resembled that of a human skull with decaying skin rather than that of an ordinary human's face.  

As if the face of the youngster had not been repulsive enough as it had already been described above, he has under his possession yet another deformity that is more disconcerting than everything else combined. Ever since he had first "awakened" Him, the eyes, once of stormy-gray pigmentation had undergone a rather drastic change in appearance. The change that accompanied during this awakening is strictly cosmetic and retains absolute no beneficial or detrimental effects on the functioning of his eyes. The genetic gray eyes which the youth had long once possessed, were of at this point in time a crimson-red color. It had not been just the iris of his eyes that had been changed, even the sclera itself had turned pitch-black in terms of color. These eyes of his give off the illusion of being luminescent in nature; particularly within darkness, akin to that of a feline. Upon having performed a closer examination of the optics that he possesses, one would notice that the surface of his eyes possess several markings upon it though have no apparent significance. Furthermore, the eyes which he possesses as of now contain an almost lifeless look to them, staring unblinkingly ahead of him and barely appearing to ever move at all within their respective sockets; suffice to say, even the most open-minded and tolerant of individuals would feel absolute disgusts whenever this peculiar individual looks at them with said eyes. In summation, he is a man whom possesses such a hideous face that even a mother would find it difficult to love; it is quite ironic that the son of two people whom were noted for their looks would end up looking as revolting as he is. Though fortunately enough, the ugliness only extends from his face to the base of his neck; the rest of his body possessing an infinitely more bearable appearance.

Indeed, the rest of the child's body is completely normal whenever compared to his face; though still possesses a few scars and burn marks blemishing the entirely pale skin, with some bone and vein indentations. As he had lead a rough life, the teenager is most certainly physically fit when compared to the vast majority of people; though he is hardly the burliest amongst the ranks of true martial artists. The physique in which he possesses takes upon a slim and rather slender form, and it as thus that the general description of his body is primarily of an ectomorphic nature, naturally meant to be wiry. Though luckily, bulging muscles have never managed to appeal the young man, as he primarily relies upon his ability in dire situations; hence his aptitudes revolve around remaining as swift and agile as possible, such a thing would prove to be quite difficult should he possess a sturdy form. Despite his thin build, the mutant known as Kiryuu is in good physical condition despite possessing such a thin build. Whilst he appears to have no toned muscles as to be able to boast about, they are in fact present, merely only visible when they are flexed or otherwise exerted. Even then, they are hardly all that impressive of a sight; as normally his chest and abdomen appear flat whenever he is relaxed, and his limbs are thin and bony. Once again, bone indentation may be seen at certain places upon his frame, and even a few veins manage to make themselves seen throughout his body; but still, even when his body is relaxed, the toughness of his skin implies that a certain level of physical fitness is present. In a certain sense, his build merely acts in order to deceive others of his actual physical capabilities; something that had more-than-once came in handy.

In all likelihood, as a result of his slender frame, the masked boy appears to be much taller and lankier than he actually is; also, his posture may also be yet another factor to take into account, considering that normally he stands with a perfectly-straight back. He has yet to have grown to his full height, though at this current point in time, he stands at a height of exactly five feet and eleven inches; roughly the length of a hundred and eighty centimeters. From a set of rather broad shoulders would one find the man's arms hung, said arms are both long and slim; ending in thin and rather bony hands with equally slim fingers. Those fingers, coupled along with the bony structure of his hands and his arms, have a tendency of appearing insect-like more than anything else. The same holds true for his legs and feet, both of which are just as thin and skeletal as his upper limbs. In fact, the obscured kid possesses very little meat upon his bones in a general sense, and as such, one should not be surprised that he weighs very little; his body mass remains at an unfaltering one hundred and forty-three pounds, or rather sixty-three kilograms. Whilst the student does not usually alter the dress code he had grown up with, he had eventually grown tired of the previous attire which adorned his body' opting to swap the old line of clothing for something else. With that being said, his personal preference for dressing in a manner unorthodox is still quite noticeable, perhaps even more-so with his current outfit. With his strange sense of fashion put aside, the masked teenager is unlikely to alter his outfit on a day-to-day basis; with the current style of clothing serving as the official uniform of sorts.

To start off, said uniform consists of a pair of black leather boots, rising halfway up his lower leg. Aside from these black-colored articles, the majority of his clothing is of a black shade. His trousers, which are loose-enough to enable easy movement, are held up by a utility belt; it is here that he attaches his pouches and most of his equipment. A thin, long-sleeved shirt covers his upper torso, the bottom of which is tucked under his belt and trousers. The shirt also sports an attached hood, one that is large enough to obscure the wearer’s entire head, if pulled low enough. Above all of this, our young friend is clad in a snug, form-fitting coat, the outside of which is the aforementioned black color, while the inside is a dull gray. This single-breasted coat is usually buttoned up completely to its collar, but is left open from the waist-down to enable unhindered movement. The collar in question has wide, flat lapels that lay flatly on the wearer’s shoulders. The coat stops just a few inches above his ankles. The thing that had perhaps made the youth most well-known for, not that he was all that famous anyway, is the mask that he wears. It is an extraordinarily rare sight to see the fledgling without this accessory equipped on his person, and he often treats said mask as if it were his actual face. He even wears this article during his slumbering, and only requires to unzip the lower-region of the mask to eat and drink; hence having absolute no need to ever take it off. Kiryuu had replaced the original mask which he had worn for all these years after it had broken, and now uses a much more obscuring one to cover the vast majority of his face in reason of his extensive injuries. The new mask is made of a flexible-leathery material, covering the whole of his face except for the upper-left region; the better part of his face.

The mask is rough, colored black, and has the peculiar characteristic of a mouth in the appropriate section. No nose-shaped protrusion exists on the mask’s leather surface, as it is meant to lie comfortably across the wearer’s face. The thin slit of an opening in the bottom of the mask is carved in the shape of a small smile, giving the face wear a constant smiling look. The inside of the mask is lined with a soft, cotton cushioning, meant to make the mask more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time. Clasps hold it in place.

All in all, the entire attire serves the purpose of covering every inch of his skin, as well as hiding his repulsive physical traits. The result is that most, if not all, people him by his mask and clothes, and not by his actual face; which is precisely how he prefers it to be.

Personality: Those whom bear the title of "gifted", have a tendency of holding themselves in high esteem; despite whether appropriate or not in reflection of their abilities. Naturally there are those whom do not possess as much confidence and self-assurance in themselves unlike their "self-assured" fellows. However, there exists a rare breed whom are neither conceited nor lacking in self-confidence; such as our deformed youth. Unlike the vast majority of people, Kiryuu does not think of himself as good, nor any better, than someone else. The young boy instead possesses a humble impression of himself, both in relation to his skills and his overall personality. In fact, he has a certain sense of modesty that may be referred as special; seeing as not only does he avoid saying anything positive about himself, but takes a step further by focusing upon his negative qualities and traits - even if such things do not exist. People have a tendency of describing the youth to not overestimate himself, but rather underestimate himself; as proven by the fact that he would go to lengths to downplay his own various achievements and talents. He would act as if they were of no extraordinary value, or he would otherwise point out some sort of flaw within his exploits. It is an extremely rare occurrence for one to hear the fledgling boast or brag about anything, and if he ever does, it would have been an extremely rare and special exception. He seeks no praise nor any acknowledgement of his worth (which he considers not to have much if any). Instead, he is the sort of individual whom has no desire of any public recognition, wishing to stay out of the light and in the shadows; like any sensible nobody ought to do.

Most would expect someone such as he, whom bags upon himself, to possess an inferiority complex or otherwise have low self-esteem, but this is far from the truth. The youth is one-hundred percent confident in his strength, and has no wish in changing himself. Strictly speaking, he holds absolute belief in everything that he says about himself. Whenever training, it is not in an effort to better himself so that he may become the strongest in the world, nor is it to rid himself of some sort of weakness; he trains so that he may keep his skills sharp, alongside for other, more selfish reasons. This person is convinced that he is neither exceptionally talented, nor a failure of one; in his eyes, he is but a mediocre magus, someone whom may easily be overshadowed by a much more spectacular person. It is due to this, that he would sometimes attribute whatever accomplishment of his to luck; rather than from any actual talent from his part, even if it were clearly not the case. In his opinion, the one and only remarkable and noteworthy factor about himself, is the fact that he is a magus, and as he further adds... a rather mediocre one at that. Whether or not this is true, only very few may say, as most people whom had encountered this individual have doubts whether or not he is actually strong. Especially because he keeps remarking that he is not strong. His habit of self-deprecation often holds some unintentional benefits, to elaborate: most people have a tendency of exaggerating some aspect about themselves, and our young gentlemen is not any different from others in this regard. Humorously enough, his claims are not exaggerated because he might be weaker than he says he is - but rather that he might be stronger than he says he is.    

Having lived the life of a wanderer for many years, the masked individual is hardly the most optimistic of people. To put things bluntly, the youngster is a cynic and pessimist; seeing the world through black-tinted lenses. He had lived a rough life, fraught with difficulties, and as such he knows that the world is not all gumdrops and lollipops; particularly since he had not experienced much, if any, happiness throughout his life. Along with possessing a cynical heart, he does not possess a good opinion of mankind, and thus he harbors near-misanthropic feelings towards his fellow humans. It is not to say that he hates or feels ashamed of being human; but rather feels that humanity as a whole is performing disappointingly as the dominant race of the world. It is in his opinion, that every human-being harbors darkness within themselves, and as such, one must be ever cautious around all of them.  Alongside with his dark outlook on life, and his distrusting nature, one may be hard-pressed to gain the trust of this peculiar person. Lately, this had become all-the-more difficult with his arrival at the Academy; slowly becoming more cautious and untrusting toward everyone outside of himself. He gives very few people the courtesy of his trust and friendship, such anti-social behavior, is due to his belief that by placing one's trust in too many people, may prove to be more detrimental than beneficial to a person. He views this as a belief founded by logic, and thus adheres to it.  

Another thing which he finds to be logical, is control over his emotions and desires. As far as he can see, one's emotions have the power to manipulate and control oneself; whether their mind, or their actions. Emotions cloud a person's reasoning, and a man without reason is no longer a man. Therefore, it is a necessity, especially for himself, to have complete control over their emotions and maintain a collected mindset. As such, he makes an effort to not give into his emotions or desires, thus allowing him the advantage of a cool head. In reason of this, he is often remarkably calm and composed; rarely showing any form of extreme emotion. It is much more common to see him with an amused demeanor more than anything else; often addressing others with a sarcastic and mocking manner of speech. In reason of his dry and dark sense of humor, he is extremely difficult to get along with sometimes. As of yet, the described youth had not displayed any sense of romantic affection toward anyone; and as the years pass, become increasingly unlikely. He appears to be psychologically asexual if anything, and is more or less contemptuous towards such things. However, for all the control he may appear to have over his emotions, the one which causes the most difficulty is anger. It is a remarkably long and arduous endeavor to anger him; though not as much for him to display signs of irritation from either annoyance or of frustration. Despite the fact that causing him actual anger is stunningly difficult, he considers rage to be his bane. Unlike most others, he does not fly into a blind and murderous rage whenever having lost his temper. But rather, he remains as cool and level-headed as always whenever angered. The only real difference between his ordinary-self and his angered state, is that he becomes more vicious and cold-hearted; thus making him much more likely in performing acts that he would ordinarily not do. For example: viciously maiming someone when there is no benefit in doing so, simply because he is angry at that unfortunate soul.

His biggest goal in life was, and still is, to be in control of his life; both in mind and body. To this day, he absolutely despises the idea of someone else being in charge of his life. This had been the primary reason as to why he had not joined any sort of organization until a short while ago; as he has no desire to being used like a puppet by politicians or by the military; in reason of his abilities. The very thought of being used by someone else, even if it were for "the greater good", absolutely sickens him. Such people whom aim to control him may certainly expect a sense of malevolence from him. Selfish though it may be of him, he considers his freedom as one of the most important things in his life, and will do almost anything to ensure its continuation. There is but one thing which he regards as being just as important as his freedom, or even more so: his survival. To our young friend, survival is one of his first priorities, and just as with his freedom, he will do almost anything to ensure his safety and survival. It is not to say that he is afraid of death, as surprisingly he does not fear death as much as one might expect; seeing as he knows that people such as he, as well as any other human, could die at any point in time without any warning. There is no complex reasoning behind such a wish, it is not achieve a dream or objective, nor because of a promise. Instead, he considers life to be a gift; and as such, will do his utmost best to make sure he protects this greatest of gifts. As he would put it, "When I die, it will be because I've done everything I can to prevent it, and failed." He, however has enough sense to know that other people may not feel as if one's life is of the highest of priorities.

The idea of the preservation of his life had led to him becoming a very rationale being - or rather, even more rationale than he were before. He has a tendency of approaching everything with a logical and sensible outlook. If an act has no actual beneficial result or significant meaning to it, he will most likely refrain from performing it. As a pragmatic individual, he will do anything he can to accomplish a task, or ensure his continued existence. Whether in battle or not, he will resort to any tactic, no matter how underhanded or dishonorable it may be. He is an opportunist which has no qualms about manipulating or deceiving others for his own personal gain; even willing to resort to sadistic acts in order to achieve them. Truthfully, he had always hid himself behind a mask - a mask of lies and deception. When coupled his "assholeness" and self-preservation, it goes without saying that he would go to extraordinary lengths to advance his own interests. He is not above back-stabbing someone should it be beneficial to him, or even fleeing a battle should an opponent clearly be more powerful than him. As a pragmatic individual, he will only do something if there is something to be gained from it. For example, he would not needlessly inflict pain on a defeated enemy, or even kill them, should the opposite be more sensible. If there is more to be gained by abandoning a mission rather than completing it, or vice-versa, then he will go with the more beneficial route. Hence explaining why he dislikes losing his temper; as when angered, his logical thinking is hampered and may result in his performing unnecessary, violent acts. Put simply, whilst he may be a despicable character because of his practical nature, he is not unnecessarily malicious. He could kick the dog if he wanted to, but should there be no benefit from doing so, then he would not bother. Despite all of these negative traits and fails, deep down, he is still a good person.

The lessons he was taught by his deceased mentor have been embedded so deeply into his heart that no amount of corruption or evil can seem to remove them entirely. In spite of his selfish ideals, he is still a kind-hearted soul. While he is not the most compassionate or affectionate of people, he is not a complete monster either. Sometimes, he will help someone without any care for whether it will reap any profit for him... though, he will often tell himself that having someone indebted or grateful to him might come in handy one day. More often than not, his acts of kindness are done out of good intentions, and not because of any sinister motives. He has yet to have forgotten his manners and etiquette; traits which may make him a very likeable person. He knows how he should behave in public and around others, and thus will rarely address someone with a rude or condescending tone; whether said person is an elder, superior, equal, or even an inferior. It is true that he speaks in a sarcastic manner at times, however, the humorous tone is always evident. His treatment of women is still the same: seeing them as worthy of his utmost respect, and rarely will he ever act insolently towards them. All in all, whilst his approach to living his life and accomplishing his objectives had changed notably; there had been very little change in how he appears in public and toward others. In fact, he remains the polite and good-natured individual that he had been for years. If someone were to interact with the magic-user in a friendly manner, and not hostile, then they might discover how "good" he is whenever compared to others; though he may still come off as a jerk.

Relations: N/A

History: Our story begins with the introduction of a man by the name of Shirayuki Saito; a high-ranking officer of an astute and mysterious organization. Just like any other officer within said organization, he had indeed been a fine addition to the group, displaying immense skill through his line of work. Though, his aptitude as an infiltrator and a spy paled in comparison to his undying love and loyalty to the organization and his comrades. He was an infamous scientist throughout the world, slowly unlocking the mysteries of the world through his research. In reason of this, he had been one of the more respected men of his nation; alongside amongst the ranks of the organization. He, unlike many of his peers, had a friendly rivalry with one of his former squad-mates; an esteemed youth by the name Kimura Naomi. It had been since their first training session, where the two would constantly compete against one another. As the fates would have it, through thick-and-thin, they would survive their harsh occupation; watching each other's back as they completed mission after mission. It had therefore been no surprise that the both of them had ended up falling in love with one another; granted, it had taken them quite a while for either to realize this fact. Or come to terms with it. When the word spread that the two of them would be engaged to one another, there had been a great deal of approved nodding among the other folk; you were not able to find a more perfect match, they would say. It had taken but a few months before the two would marry, most were happy for those two; wishing for them to lead a happy life together. As a result, the newlyweds had eventually decided that it would be best to leave their line of work, both the military and the organization, and move into the countryside, desiring their lives to be spent in peace in an attempt of raising a family together. Many had been saddened and distraught over the news; considering such fine soldiers were leaving the group and the military; though cheers and congratulations were still fresh in the air nonetheless.

Hence, upon the arrival of the destined day where they left, they would settle themselves in a small village; making a small cottage their new home. Saito had managed to find himself a satisfactory job in no time at all, whilst Naomi spent most of her days mingling with the other folk, focusing on enjoying everything that life had to offer her. They were as happy as could be; and a cynical man would have stated that certain tragedy was dying to strike at them, but nothing of the sort had ever occurred in the couple's life. It would have taken them but a few months after settling in their new home when Saito had came home to great news; Naomi excitedly declared that she were with child. Delighted to hear this piece of news, it had not been long before they were telling their friends and relatives alike that they were expecting a child. From then on, the days went by with great anticipation and excitement as they awaited; planning and fantasizing about the aspect of being parents. However, happiness unfortunately never lasted forever. The news of a great tragedy would have reached the loving duo, said news consisted of the deaths of numerous acquaintances during an important and claudestine mission; many of the casualties, if not most, were the closest friends of Saito. As per the request of his dying friends, he had been informed of their passing. Hence, upon learning of the deaths of his beloved comrades, the retired officer had been horrostruck and promptly hurried back as soon as he could. Upon having returned home from the summons, he had came back as a slightly different man. The loss of his precious comrades, the thought of not being there to help them in their hour of need (and subsequently the organization), had greatly wounded his very soul.

He had found some sort of comfort by being together with his wife during their mourning whom would try her very best to cheer him up. After a while he had indeed seemingly felt better in reason of his wife being there for him; thanking her. With the knowledge that he would soon become a father, he had been quite aware that it would do no good for his soon-to-be expanded family if he had spent his last days sulking and in mourning. In reason of this, he had returned to his normal self; much to his wife's relief. However, she had sensed still that her husband had changed to a certain degree; though what, she did not know. At that point in time, she had not known just how accurate her womanly intuition had been... days would come to pass, flora turned from green to autumn colors, all appeared to have returned normal. Right. But there had been something different in the atmosphere. Saito had not been behaving as per his usual perky-self; at times, he had been rather distant and inattentive, it had been as if his mind were somewhere else rather than the current present. From time to time, he would leave their hour for long periods of time, a fact that Naomi had more than once observed. He hung around mysterious people, or spent hours alone at his study; something had definitely been amiss. Naturally, Naomi would wonder as to what had been wrong with her husband, starting to worry that he had started to involve himself with some sort of bad crowd. It had been shortly after that, that the fated day, had at long last arrived.

Naomi laid in the hospital ward, and in her arms, was a small baby boy; Saito was found beside her. Upon first glance, the child did not appear to belong to either of them; he had not possessed the red crimson hair of Naomi, nor her green eyes, or of Saito's muddy-brown hair and eyes. Instead, the eyes of the youth were a stormy-gray color, his small strands of hair had clearly been of a black coloring. Though the lack of resemblance between child and parents did not bother either parent; they were just happy to see that they child was alive and in good health. The mother had remarked that she had hoped that their son would grow up to be as handsome as Saito; which the latter gave a nod in response, along with a smile as he looked down unto their newly-born son. They had already picked a name beforehand, seeing as they had awaited for this day for a long time. Hence they had named the child Shirayuki Kai. A part of Naomi had desperately hoped that her husband would soon return to his regular-self now that he were a father. To her immense relief, he had done just that, reverting to his playful and joyous demeanor; as judged from his playing and loving of the child. The sight had naturally pleased her, for she had been glad that the Saito she had known and loved was finally back. The days would pass by pleasantly, life just seemed perfectly beautiful. It would only be two months later when disaster had struck.

It had been after awakening in the morning that they had discovered that their son had been kidnapped in the middle of the night. The two parents had been horrified by what had happened, hence they began searching everywhere so that they may find their boy, they would ask for the other townsmen to help them look; they were desperate to find Kai. Naomi looked as if the world had come to an end; she was terrified for her son, worried that he may have been in grave danger as they searched for him. This time, it had been Saito that would be there for her, helping her get through the mess in which they found themselves in. In the end, it had been his confidence that they would find their son that had stopped the mother from doing anything drastic. One night, whilst laying in bed attempting to fall asleep; she had heard someone sneaking out of the house, which she surmised that it must have been Saito. She had, for a long time, been worried about the changed personality of her husband. Though she had cast behind that worry with the belief that they were erroneous. Though said worry arose once more. She had begun to follow Saito; recalling her training as a stealth operative, specifically how to shadow others. She had no idea as to where her husband hurried along, but she had been more than determined to find out. Despite harboring suspicions, she had yet to distrust her husband; regardless of that fact, a part of her had been telling her that something was wrong. Hence, she followed him through the dead of night; which ultimately lead her across the land until her husband had reached the entrance of a small cave, at the base of a mountain. His cautious nature had made her all the more suspicious that something was wrong, and without a second thought, she had followed her husband into the cave.

Upon having stepped into the tunnel, she had found herself reaching a large stone cavern; seemingly crafted by hand into the mountain. Inside, she had then shortly spotted her husband speaking to a number of cloaked figures. She surveyed the dank room, which was lit only by a few braziers, revealing various pieces of lab equipment. Her eyes had then focused upon a peculiar sight atop of the ground, noticing that there had been a large and intricate seal; and in the center, a large barrel was suspended above by a few meters. With her presence hidden, she gawked from a distance as her husband and the mysterious men scattered to stand at various points around the seal. One of the cloaked figures stepped forward, depositing a small object wrapped in numerous folds of cloth above the center of the seal. The aforementioned cloaked figure had then positioned outside of the seal, just like the others had done, and as one they (including Saito) dropped unto their knees, hands upon the black-ink, a green glow of energy radiated from each of them; increasing in intensity as time passed. As she watched from the shadows, the markings upon the floor which made the seal, began to snake toward the object in the center; slipping through the cloth which covered the unknown object. Immediately when the last marking had vanished underneath the folds, the barrel suspended above, had begun to shake in a violent manner; swinging from its steel chain in an unstable manner. None of the figures had reacted in the slightest, continuing to expend their energy as to complete whatever ceremony. Whilst they continued, a dark-gray smoke began to seep out of the barrel; flowing smoothly into the object located directly underneath. Just as it had been with the markings, the gas would slide underneath the bundle of cloth until it finally vanished from sight.

All of the cloaked figures had finally stopped radiating the illusive surge of energy, which then one of them had stepped forward as to collect the object situated upon the ground. Said bundle of cloth would then be passed into the arms of Saito; the latter looked down upon the object with a content look, and of fiery determination. He would proceed to lower the cloth from atop the object, which upon the reveal, Naomi would loudly gasp as she came to the realization that the object... was Kai. More confused than she had previously been, she stepped out from behind her cover and proceeded to call out to her husband. Startled by her presence he would stare at her, clearly shocked by her being there. Slowly, with a stunned voice, she had asked Saito as to what had just happened, and more importantly, why was their son here? With the lack of a response, Naomi advanced toward and grabbed her son out of the clutches of the still-stunned Saito. She had been close enough to her son to realize that there had been an intricate seal tattooed, or rather etched, unto the center of her boy's back. A look akin to that of fierce fire was directed toward her spouse; said look caused the cloaked figures behind her husband to automatically step back a pace. It had taken a few seconds of silence until Saito had finally spoke up. He, with an unnerving sense of calm, had told his wife that Kai had not been kidnapped; confessing that he himself had taken him away one night, bringing their son to this place. Whenever he had been asked by the distraught wife as to why he had done so, he replied with a content look that it had been all for the Organization; all for the safety of the world and its inhabitants. He proceeded to explain that the barrel above contained the results of his research. For many months, he had been researching how he could create an artificial ability. After much time and effort, alongside the failed human-prototypes (which were destroyed), he had done it. Once he had theoretically succeeded in doing so, he had brought their child here so that he could be turned into the perfect soldier, a warrior unmatched by any other. His next goal was to mass-produce this masterpiece of his, as to create the ultimate army for the Organization.

As she listened to the narrative, she had backed away from her psychotic husband; her face horrified, yet furious, as to what he was saying. She had been unable to fathom that her loving husband would do something like that, to their newborn son no less! She would yell at him as she asked how he could do such a thing, how the hell he thought that he had the right to do such a thing. A chuckle escaped his lips, repeating once more that it had been done for peace; all for the safety of the world. Kai would be raised as the ultimate weapon, commander of an unstoppable army; the Organization would have unbelievable power at their disposal. They would be capable of crushing anyone whom stood against them and their ideals, never would the world ever have to suffer or feel fear. A strange looked had taken place upon his face whilst he spoke, a strange glint in his eyes as well. He had looked like a completely different person now, his mind broken as a result of his obsession for his desire of avenging his fallen comrades. Once having finished his speech the mother would proceeded to shake her head, and with a sense of defiance told her husband that she refused to allow her son to be a monstrous result of his obsession. Hence she had ordered Saito to undo whatever he had done from Kai immediately; and snarled as she made yet another comment that, if he had felt that the 'accursed' Organization needed this as badly as he claimed, then he should turn himself into an abomination instead. She loved her son too much to allow him to suffer or have his future tarnished as a result of this monstrous experiment of his father. Such words had surprised Saito; he had honestly believed that his wife would understand, that their shared love would have her agree with what he had done. A minute of silence passed as he glared at the woman he loved, seeing her in a new light. Finally, he had stroked his hair; looked around him distractedly as if he were lost in thought.

He had then looked at his wife, his expression was then cold and dark. With a flat tone, devoid of any emotion: if she was to stand in the way of his protecting the world, then she was an enemy; and if that were the case... then he had to perform his duty and rid the world of its enemies. With those hateful words of his, he lunged at her, a combat knife had suddenly appeared within the grasp of his left-hand as it swung toward Naomi's throat. Naomi had managed to dodge just in the nick of time, managed to maintain her grip on the unconscious child which laid in her arms. With a terrifying look in his eyes, Saito had then turned to face his wife. It was all-too obvious that he had been beyond reason, so she turned tail and ran out of the cave as quickly as she could manage. With no wasted movement, Saito had followed closely behind her; those two figures would dance throughout the night, Naomi doing her best so that she may lose Saito. Normally she would not flee, she would have fought; but such action carried risk as of the moment, she risked injuring Kai. So she had simply ran as far as she could, recalling her training she had used a few tricks; managing to lose her pursuer, even if only for a short while. She had taken advantage of the moment, quickly taking refuge in a small town. It was still the middle of the night, hence the inhabitants of said town were fast asleep; no need to worry about anyone questioning her or taking any notice to her. She had known that Saito would shortly track her down, hence she figured she had to find a place to hide her son before Saito returned to hunt both of them down. The very thought of bearing such a curse in such a little body had made her heart ache; longing to find some way as to rid her beloved child of this monstrous thing. As she scurried and searched throughout the village for a safe spot to hide her baby, and then with the fear of Saito catching up to them, he had been left behind at the town's orphanage as she ran off; trying to not think about her son. All she could do now... was pray that he would lead a happy life. That he would not suffer for what she and Saito had brought upon him; a cursed fate.

Kai, or rather Kiryuu as he was named at the orphanage, had grown up without any recollection of the above-mentioned events. Nor had he known any actual information in regards of who his parents were, or whom he was. Strictly speaking, the orphanage which he found himself living in had been far from the best in the business. The village itself was small, poor, not well-developed, and littered with obnoxiously large families whom barely had enough money to feed themselves. The orphanage was just as small and packed with more children than it could possibly ever handle. The orphans lived in sub-standard conditions; receiving a great deal of neglect from the staff in reason of their numbers. Since the village was not well-known, and most families within the village had more members than they probably wanted... you could concur that not many adoptions have ever taken place; thus it had been a common sight to see children as old as fifteen living in the orphanage. Assuming that they had yet been kicked out, or ran away from "home". As he had grown up in a rough and neglected environment, Kiryuu had been far from the happiest child one could run into. He had no one to teach him about good ethics, though that is not to stay that he was a delinquent. While he indeed had several bad habits which often lead him into trouble, he had never done anything severe from his lack of guidance. He had managed to procure some good qualities for himself, though he had no one to help that part of him grow. He had never been bothered with the fact that he was an orphan, unlike the vast majority of the other children at the orphanage. It was true that he had no idea whom his parents were, nor why they had abandoned him, but to him the word 'parent' was just a meaningless word. As he had never received any sort of love and affection, which every child needs as they grow, he had never understood the importance of having a family. Or for that matter, any form of relationship.

Even his friends, which 'acquaintance' might fit better, were not that close towards him; this was mostly in reason of the fact that they had found the boy to be a rather odd character. And odd he was. For one thing, he had refrained from ever showing himself to others; except on the rare occasion whenever someone had came to adopt one of the children at the orphanage. Another thing was that he refrained from spending time with people; whether in his age group or not. Instead, he would often wander in an aimless manner throughout the village and surrounding areas by his lonesome self. Merely taking in the beauty of the world around him. He loathed the orphanage, his gut turning every time he returned; or even looked at it. And it was not just the orphanage... he disliked most of the people around him as well. It had not been because he thought that they were idiots, or that he was any better than them, but rather in reason that he knew that they disliked him. The adults would often murmur between themselves, catching them telling one another about how the boy gave off an odd feeling; as if there was something "wrong" with him. In reason of this treatment, he had grown to be rather quiet and cold around others; snubbing them rudely or simply ignoring them. With the bad impression he had given others, it had been no wonder as to why he remained in the orphanage for almost nine years without ever being adopted. During said nine years, all he wished was that he could find some way to leave the orphanage. If he had given the people who wanted to adopt him a chance, he may have received his wish earlier. He disliked the idea of having a parent, not appearing appealing whatsoever in the least; as such, it was unlikely that he would ever leave through adoption.

Eventually, he had indeed received his wish. It had been a day just like any other, or more accurately, it was just before sunset; yet this day would forever be etched into his memory. At the current point in time, the boy had been sitting upon the branch of a tree at the park when he had heard a loud explosion behind him. Immediately followed by screams of pain and fear. As he looked behind himself, he had seen a horde of strangers clad in black running amok the village; knocking down doors, setting buildings on fire, massacring people left and right; becoming a hot-topic around the world, the emergence of a new terrorist group. The mysterious group would ransack the town, killing any found; felling all with either blade or gunfire. Every single building had been burnt or knocked down. Kiryuu ran through his burning village, through the bloodshed. Anywhere he looked, he had seen the people he had spent so many years with dying before his very eyes. The boy, though terrified, ran as fast as could from the carnage; knowing full well that if he stayed, he would be found and killed. Wanting nothing more than to live, he had ran and ran, longer than he had ever ran in the entirety of his life; longer than he thought he could possibly manage. When he could go no longer, he had finally collapsed inside an empty cave as he rested; frightened and alone, he wondered as to what he was going to do from now on. He had remained in the cave for a few hours, only emerging from the cave when he had begun to feel hunger. He had scavenged what he could, making away with some fruit and having discovered a nearby river as to quench his thirst; once he had satisfied both hunger and thirst, he had set out in a random direction. Hopefully toward some form of civilization. He had no concise plan as he was just a nine year old child, though he had figured that it would be infinitely better to search for something rather than wait for rescue that would never come.

He walked, hours and hours still, he walked. He would climb over fallen logs, zigging and zagging around streams and rivers that he encountered along his path. It had taken him nearly three hours before he had finally come across an open road; which lead to a fork. As he had been illiterate, he had not been capable of reading the signs at the junction in order to select the best path. Instead, he had been forced to pick one of the forks at random. Fortunately enough, his decision had brought him to another small village, and as soon as he saw said village, he had known that this had been much more developed than where he had grown up. He entered the village, and upon doing so, began to look to procure some form of sustenance for himself. As he was but a child of nine years, he had no money in his possession. Nor was he skilled enough in any particular domain to earn himself a living. Hence he had to resort to stealing from others, naturally this did not sit well with the people he had stolen from. As a result of this, his bad reputation seemed to persist even in this new village; which lacked proper child-care services. He lived on the streets, stealing and struggling to survive. It had not been that much of a change from his previous life as one might have expected. In consideration of the lack of any proper comforts at the orphanage, his current lifestyle, whilst it was in no way an improvement, was nonetheless bearable. The days would turn to weeks, and weeks to months... and soon enough, Kiryuu had spent about a year living the life he led.

He had never stayed in that one place, as he had eventually been forced out by the inhabitants; and in other villages (sometimes actual towns) he happened along, he often grew tired of the same place rather than be chased out. As a result of leading such a life, he had learned a great deal about fending for himself. At times, he would not stay at a town or a village; instead required to camp out in the woods. Through this, he had managed to develop his survival skills. Not much of anything occurred during his life since then, it was dull and repetitive, but as he had very little to compare it to... he managed to bear it. At times, he would take upon smalls tasks for money or food; which helped him learn about the world, even if only a little. He had taught himself to read as to pass the time, which upon successfully have done so, procured books for himself. This would later develop into a passion of his. As the years rolled on by - specifically two after leaving the first village, he had grown a considerable deal since he had first left his home village. He had grown both in body and mind, being much more mature than people of his age, and much psychologically tougher in reason of his rough lifestyle. When it came to ambitions, or plans for the future, he truly did not have a single one. It was not in reason of his lack of trying, or laziness, but mostly because of the fact that he had no one to guide or point him in the right direction. Thankfully, he saw issue with this. He did not want to live his entire life without goals, other than finding some way to feed himself, hence he sought to take any chance to change his future that would come his way; and such an opportunity did indeed make its way toward the young boy.

It had been during one of his visits to another town that he had been mugged by a gang of older teenagers. Unfortunately for them, Kiryuu did not possess anything of any value; hence why they proceeded to beat him up as to make up for his not yielding anything of value. In reason of his younger age, and genetics, he was much smaller and weaker than those boys; no way was he able to stand up for himself in a proper sense, which resulted in his being severely pummeled. He laid upon the ground in a fetal position, bruised and beaten, with the older children kicking and mocking him as he turtled up. Needless to say, Kiryuu had felt completely helpless. Fortunately, the beating would soon be interrupted. It was an old man which would come to his rescue. An old and hunched up man had stepped up toward the group, politely asking them to cease the beating they were dishing out unto Kiryuu. They laughed in response, mocking him for what he had just said; in an attempt of intimidating the old man. Though he had stood his ground and repeated what he had previously said; the polite tone was nowhere in sight. The group of teenagers would advance toward the elder, readying themselves in attacking the man. The first punch thrown toward him had been effortlessly countered, much to the surprise of all whom found themselves there. Surprised even more when the older man had swung his hand to release a gust of wind at the group of boys; instantly knocking all of them off their feet and straight into a dumpster. Frightened by this strange power, the boys climbed out of the dumpster and ran for it. With the hoodlums disposed of, the old man had then walked over toward Kiryuu; helping him unto his feet. Once he had recuperated to a certain degree, Kiryuu had thanked the man before exploding into a sense of awe and wonder as to how the man had generated a gust of wind; of which he had displayed mere moments ago. With a smile, the man had taken Kiryuu to a restaurant and brought him something to eat whilst he explained everything.

Revealing his name to be Shinji, he would explain to the youth about the recent emergence of 'gifted' children, and many other things. Kiryuu naturally listened in awe, during his ventures he had seen strange things before, but he had never thought much of or about them. To him, they were just... insignificant. Though by listening to Shinji, he had become aware that there was more to the world than he had first thought. Once having finished his explanation, he had then asked the youth to tell him about his life. Kiryuu would then summarize his past in as few sentences he could manage; the white-haired man listened with a sympathetic and pitying face. When finished, Shinji had asked the boy if he wished to become his apprentice; if he wanted to learn and control the ability he sensed within the youth. The offer had surprised the young boy, prompting him to reflect in silence whether it was a good idea (and get over the fact that he had an ability himself), and after a few minutes... he agreed. With that, Kiryuu had been taken under the wing of Shinji; the latter whom began teaching him a deeper understanding of himself; and of his abilities. From that moment onward, Kiryuu's life would become much more exciting. For the first time ever, he had realized that he now possessed an actual goal. It felt good. He became studious, working his hardest so that he may become proficient at using his ability. He had tried his best to master everything that he had been taught; which pleased the older gentleman, as Kiryuu was sharp and talented, and able to adapt to this sudden change in his life quite splendidly. Basic academics, physical training, and then practicing his ability were the primary focus for the few years they had together. With the knowledge that he would have to start with the very basics, Shinji was both patient and considerate with the boy, giving him confidence and making sure not to lose the youth's resolve. Sooner rather than later, Kiryuu had begun to regard his mentor to be a friend; someone he could actually turn to for help. For the first time in years, he had finally felt like he was happy with his life.

A few years would pass, and appropriately, Kiryuu had learned a great deal about being a Magus (as he and Shinji would describe 'gifted' people). His travels with his mentor had helped promote his growth as a person, granting him various experiences. Shinji had not been only helping his protege become a better Magus, but was even helping him become a better person. Good manners, a moral compass, politeness, all those lessons which a parent ought to teach their child. With his having ended up learning under the tutelage of Shinji, the boy had often wondered if this had been what it felt like to have a parent. Though the time came when his training with his mentor would come to an end. Kiryuu knew all too well that Shinji had been a very old man, whom despite his great strength, was nearing the end of his life. Eventually he would be gone, and Kiryuu would yet again be by himself. Upon being at his deathbed, the old man had told his pupil that it was all up to him now. How to live his life. How he lived. What he did. It was all his choice to make. Ever grateful for all he had done for him, Kiryuu had thanked Shinji, staying by his side until he had died. He had been seventeen years of age when his mentor had died; he had spent six years under his tutelage. The loss of his mentor, his only friend, had left quite an emotional blow. Once more, he was in charge of his life again; and admittedly, he was a little nervous as to what he should do. Shinji had told him of a certain academy; that dealt with teaching and training people such as himself. Whilst he did not exactly like the idea of being bound to an organization... he would join the academy; out of respect of his mentor's last wish. Though why he had been urged to attend had been beyond him; was it so that he would continue to grow, or was there some other reason?

As there were no official records of the boy dubbed as Kiryuu, he effectively did not exist; and thus, despite displaying some proficiency with his ability; would not have had been capable of infiltrating the academy for gifted individuals by himself. Thankfully, Shinji had taken care of that problem and managed to procure an invitational letter; allowing him access to the Academy. The problem then had been as to how he would get there, and such his journey started. He would travel on foot for the majority, hitching a ride whenever he could; and eventually had to go through warzones and other notably dangerous areas; forcing him into various combat situations as he made his way. Naturally, both in reason of his training and his ability, he had managed to survive; though he was far from skilled enough to negate all forms of injury. Hence, he had been extensively injured, captured (and then escaped after suffering from some form of torture), and dealt with all matter of horror. He had grown stronger, and his ability further 'evolved'; prompting the acquirement of his albino-like appearance. He hid most of these features with a mask he had procured along his journey, and eventually, dirtied and wounded, he had entered the Academy.

The story turns blank here, leaving all to wonder how his tale will come to an end.

[Teishu]