Jōki

The gunfire was deafening.

Security guards swarmed the auction house, their weapons trained on the two men standing at the center of it all. The air was thick with tension, the stench of blood and burning debris filling the room.

Rossi let out a deep sigh, rolling his shoulders as he gripped the handle of his katana. "A lesson? You're talking about teaching a kid right now?" He let out a dry chuckle. "We're surrounded, and you think this is a good time?"

Sun, ever the enigma, simply smirked behind his mask. "Learning happens in the field."

Rossi frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Sun didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Luka, kneeling to meet his eye level. "Listen, kid. Let's talk about Jōki."

Luka blinked. "Right now?"

Sun ignored his confusion.

"Jōki is the power inside people," he began. "It's linked to emotions—anger, joy, sadness, fear. The stronger the feeling, the stronger the Jōki."

Luka nodded slowly, trying to absorb the information.

"But you," Sun continued, "are different. You're not like normal Jōki users. You can't awaken through emotion."

Luka frowned. "Then… how do I do it?"

Sun's grin widened. "Erase everything."

Before Luka could ask what he meant, the first wave of guards attacked.

Rossi moved first. His movements were fluid, his Jōki-infused katana slicing through the air like water. Every step was calm, precise.

Luka watched in awe.

But then—

Sun raised his hand.

Dark shadowy tendrils emerged from the ground, twisting and curling like black ink spreading through water.

"Inkborn Manifestation."

The tendrils shot forward, devouring everything in their path.

The guards didn't even have time to scream before they **vanished—**erased from existence as if they had never been there.

Rossi inhaled sharply. Even though he was blind, he could feel the void spreading. "That ability of yours…" he muttered. "It's unnatural."

Sun chuckled. "That's the point."

Rossi didn't argue. He grabbed Eros by the shoulder. "We're leaving."

Eros looked at Luka, unsure.

"Go," Sun said. "Me and the kid need a little… experience."

Rossi didn't like the sound of that, but he knew better than to argue. With a swift motion, he disappeared into the shadows with Eros.

Sun sprinted through the chaos, Luka close on his heels. The air was thick with smoke and the metallic tang of blood.

Sun moved like a shadow, his presence a blur of destruction. Anyone in his path,innocent or guard,was erased without hesitation. To him, they were all the same: filthy people who thrived in a world of greed and cruelty.

"Stay close," Sun barked, his voice cutting through the cacophony of screams and gunfire.

Luka obeyed, his small legs struggling to keep up. He didn't dare look at the bodies Sun left in his wake. He didn't want to know if they were alive or dead. All he could focus on was the sound of his own heartbeat, pounding in his ears like a drum.

The path ahead was littered with debris, the walls crumbling as Sun's **Inkborn Manifestation** tore through everything. Shadowy tendrils of Null Energy lashed out, erasing obstacles and enemies alike. The ground shook with each step, the building groaning as if it were alive and in pain.

"Let's go!" Sun shouted, his voice sharp and commanding. "To the auction hall!"

Luka followed, his breath coming in ragged gasps. When they burst into the hall, the scene was one of pure pandemonium. People were scrambling to escape, their faces twisted in terror. Guards fired wildly at the Xeno-Onix, but their bullets barely slowed the creature down.

Its black, grotesque body was hunched forward, its expressionless white mask eerily staring ahead. The creature let out a piercing shriek, its clawed hands ripping through the nearest guards.

His mind flashed back—

The screams. His mother's chains. His father's bloodied face.

Luka's entire body froze.

Fear.

He understood fear.

His hands shook. His legs refused to move.

The Onix turned toward him.

The director of the auction, a portly man with a face slick with sweat, clutched a gleaming katana to his chest. He stumbled toward the exit, his eyes darting nervously between the Onix and the chaos around him.

"Damn it, they're all useless!" he spat. "I need to get out of here with my goods!"

Sun's voice cut through the noise, cold and mocking. "Fufu. Not a chance, mister."

The director froze, his eyes widening as Sun appeared in front of him like a ghost.

"W-Who the hell are you? I'll give you money! Protect me!"

Sun didn't respond. With a flick of his wrist, a tendril of Null Energy lashed out, erasing the man before he could scream. The katana clattered to the ground, forgotten.

Luka stared, his stomach churning. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. The Onix was still rampaging, its hollow eyes now locked on him.

"Master Sun!" Luka cried, his voice trembling. "Help!"

But Sun didn't move. He stood there, his masked face unreadable, a faint smile playing on his lips. Rossi and Eros watched from the shadows, their expressions a mix of curiosity and concern.

The Onix lunged, its claws slicing through the air. Luka scrambled backward, tripping over a chair.

"Master Sun!"

Sun stood off to the side, watching.

Smiling.

"Remember the lesson, Luka. To awaken, you need to feel the void. Erase every emotion. Don't feel anything."

Luka's breath caught in his throat.

Why… why wasn't he helping?

Why was Rossi just standing there?

Eros?

Was he going to die?

The Onix lunged.

Its claws sliced clean through Luka's arm.

Pain—

White-hot pain shot through his body as blood sprayed across the floor.

"AAAH MY ARM !"

His vision blurred.

He clutched the stump where his arm had been, feeling his own warm blood pooling between his fingers.

Sun's voice cut through the pain.

"Erase it."

Luka gasped. His body trembled.

"Erase everything," Sun said again, voice steady. "That's the key to your power."

Luka couldn't think. The pain was too much.

His mind raced—his mother smiling before she turned to ashes. His father broken and bleeding. The island, burning, filled with corpses.

Was his life really just meant to end like this?

His body felt cold.

Empty.

Alone.

And then—

A spark.

It was quiet.

Not a roar.

Not an explosion.

Just a silent void.

Luka's dark eyes became darker.

A suffocating energy spread from within him.

Master Rossi tensed. "This feeling…"

Eros took a step back. "What is that…?"

Sun laughed.

"There it is."

Luka's Null Energy had finally awakened.

A massive pulse of black, formless energy spread across the auction house.

The Onix screeched and took a step back.

For the first time—

It felt fear.

Rossi reached for his katana and threw it.

"Kid! Catch!"

Luka barely registered it, but his body moved.

His fingers wrapped around the handle.

The moment he touched it—

The blade disintegrated.

Rossi's mouth parted in shock. "What—"

Sun let out a sharp whistle. "Oops."

Luka stepped forward, his mind eerily calm.

The Onix let out a final screech and lunged—

Luka lifted his hand.

The moment his fingers brushed against the creature's mask—

It vanished.

No blood.

No explosion.

It was simply gone.

Luka collapsed.

The world faded around him.

And the last thing he heard—

Was Sun's laughter.

Then Luka collapsed, the energy draining him completely. Sun rushed forward, catching him before he hit the ground.

Eros shivered, his face pale. Rossi stared in disbelief.

"I can't believe it. The kid has that kind of power… and regeneration?"

Sun smiled, his voice filled with pride. "Told you. He's special."