Wrath Reincarnated

JULES

I WILL NOT HOLD THEM BACK FOREVER, JULES TIDESHAPER. MAKE YOUR CHOICE.

Jules knelt there, still on one knee, burning inside the flames along with everything else, blind to the world around him as sounds rushed in from every angle and clouded his perception. Everything started to weave into one another, and that relentless heart beat—his heart beat, if Wrath were to be believed—grew louder until it was all encompassing.

This sound… All that's left to me is sound, and that too is fading. Jules gripped tighter to the two broken pieces of his sword, The Sound of Fury, desperate and unsure of how he could make it out of this alive.

…The Sound? If that's my heart beat, then maybe I can…

INTEGRATE, OR DIE.

Jules focused on his own body again, just his heart. He felt its edges, its vibrations and its frequency, then he shifted to the Sound of Fury's. Line them up, and then…

« Integrate » make sure italicized as internal monologue [Jules]

Using his heart as the conduit, Jules Integrated a portion of his own soul into the Sound. Just like sonar, his echolocation sense radiated out from him and cast a light on everyone and everything around him. Wargs there, Leshens there in the trees, and a massive nine-tailed fox there—No time to dwell yet.

Jules slammed the broken pieces of the Sound back together and fused them into one again, though it remained a wooden sword. Instead of Rukia or Kaizen's white flames, it erupted into a fusion of orange and crimson fire. The sonar pulsed again, and Jules noticed just three shining hearts in the field of dozens of opponents—one for each type of foe. Their light slowly faded until Jules' heart beat again, and the sonar lit everything up.

CLEVER, INDEED. GOOD HUNTING, JULESSSSS…

There's a brief moment between heart beats when I lose vision—I'll just have to keep my blood flowing fast, then. Jules sprinted to the Warg first, and along the way he flicked his off-hand at the Leshens, and the fire swept over toward them to hold them off. The fox lunged and swiped at Jules, and he dove under its massive, outstretched paw. Its body knocked him to the side; he smacked face first into the ground, then rolled over to avoid the Warg's smashing hooves. The fox slid to a halt and whipped around.

Thump. Thump.

Back in control, Jules waved the Sound at the Warg like a torch, and it backed off. The fox reared and charged to him. With no time to weigh the consequences, Jules danced around the Warg and plunged the sound into the golden traces of its heart. It yelped, and the fox plummeted into them and crushed Jules to the ground, trapped under both of them. The Warg coughed and wheezed on its own blood, and the other Wargs around him collapsed to the ground. What the fuck is going on here!?

AN ABOMINATION, HOW YOU WAVE THE SOUND OF FURY AROUND LIKE A TORCH. PERHAPS YOU ARE READY TO PASS IT ON ALREADY?

Jules lifted the Sound up to his own face just in time to block the fox snapping his face off. It shook the Sound, trapped between its thick jowls, like some chew toy. Rukia—Listen to me!

The fox stopped and eyed him for a moment. Its irises narrowed to sharp ovular points, and it never betrayed an ounce of affection or empathy. Just Wrath. It whipped its head sharply again and released the Sound—and Jules was trapped from the waist down. The fox howled into the night sky, and repositioned itself on top of the Warg, crushing Jules further. She's gonna kill me! She's really gonna maul me to death! Fuck, what do I do—

Jules felt a faint tracing feeling around the number on his Seal. Thump-Thump.

Oh, hell.

Jules flipped the Sound around and stabbed himself in his Seal, right over his heart, and an explosion launched all three of them away from each other and into the sky. Jules rolled into the middle of the flames near the Leshens. He got his bearings straight and rose to wobbly feet. One down, two to go.

The other Leshens, the copycats as Jules coined them, wedged themselves between him and the real one with the glowing heart. He waved the Sound like a torch at them, to little effect. Bastards saw what happened to their buddy. Gotta take them out soon. The nine-tailed fox howled nearby. Thump-Thump. Jules focused on the line of trees to his left and right, and the path formed for him in his mind, or maybe it was the Sound who laid it out for him, Jules couldn't be sure.

The front Leshen raised both of its fists into one ball and slammed down at Jules. He leapt to the left and darted off of a tree trunk back to the right. The next one swiped at him, and Jules grabbed onto the arm and rode it back to the left, then jumped off a second tree, much higher this time. He passed over the third and fourth Leshen and landed on the fifth's shoulder. When it tried to slap him with an open palm, Jules dropped down to the ground and dove between its legs to the final one. It backed away, and Jules tossed the Sound up slightly into the air, and caught it just above where the hilt should be. Where it will be, when this is all finished. Then he hurled it like a javelin into the Leshen's golden heart.

Wait, something's off. Jules echolocation sense felt distant from his body—He felt like he was inside the Leshen itself. Oh crap—If I put my heart in the Sound, then that's where it's coming from. From the Sound, Jules witnessed his body crash into a tree as the fox tackled it. At least the Leshens are down.

I LOATHE REPEATING MYSELF, BUT YOU ARE FOND OF FORCING MY HAND: INTEGRATE, OR DIE.

Jules rolled his body around as best he could; now that the physical connection between his body and soul had been severed, it proved much more difficult. As the fox approached, Jules heard the clinking sound near its neck. Thump-Thump. When he focused in on the sound, he saw the collar that the Shrine Boss wore.

I knew it… I knew that was Rukia, but I didn't want to believe it—I just wanted to kick the can down the road, and delay fighting her. But I knew when she went inside this Shrine with me, just like the Warg in Coralhaven, that it was a bad omen. Last time we Integrated, you betrayed my trust—Will you… Jules couldn't finish his thought. Even alluding to it wracked him with guilt.

KILL RUKIA? NO. I WOULD NEVER.

Kaizen's waiting for us on the other side.

DO NOT WASTE OUR PRECIOUS TIME. GET TO THE SOUND.

What will you do, when we Integrate this time?

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

I HAVE ONE GOAL: FIND AND KILL DEATH.

At all costs? I don't think so—

CLINK!

The fox's teeth ripped into Jules' neck. Hot blood pooled down his shoulder into separate trails to both his fingers and navel. Jules laughed, then smiled. It reminded him of a simpler time in Coralhaven, the day when this insane journey started. But instead of dealing death today, he delivered mercy. He reached out and grabbed the beast's collar—Rukia's collar—and ripped off the tag that was shaped like a tsuba.

[Item: A metal tsuba.]

Darkness spread from Jules' pupils to the edges of his eyes until his eyes were blacker than Ink. Time froze, and a vision appeared before him.

A confident, zealous man. Young, tanned skin. Pristine armor that shined in the dark vision, with a crimson cloak. Short black hair, tapered around the edges. Noble. A long table stretched out before him. Golden goblets scattered about, a crimson runner that matched his cloak. Maps both curled and unfurled scattered across the table. He looks at me as I open the door. A war room? No, a banquet hall. Piercing eyes. Entirely black. Nothing behind them. No future, no justice. No mercy…

Jules returned to the Shrine. He squeezed the tsuba in his right hand, and the fox released its canines from his left shoulder. Jules' vision returned first, then his sensation—first cold and wetness, then the excruciating pain. His nostrils filled with the smell of burnt flesh and charred wood, then he tasted to blood leaking out of his mouth. The Shrine's Boss—Rukia, in her new form—sat down before him. Her golden heart faded away as Jules' sense of hearing faded away.

She glared at him without mercy, but rather understanding. In that moment, Jules thought he understood, too. Is this who you really are, Rukia? Between the Cycles, with your memories restored? Jules reached out the tsuba and his right hand to her, but she didn't move. Jules laughed to himself again, then he pressed the tsuba into his Seal, above his heart.

"I hope I saved you, Little One." The world spun around him, and they traversed the vortex back to the real world.

SHLURP! SHHHLURP!

Jules awoke to some licking his face—Holy shit, Rukia! Jules ripped open crusted eyelids and saw his familiar little pipsqueak Familiar—and not the massive nine-tailed beast—laying down on his chest and just absolutely going to town.

"Ruke!!" The harder Jules pushed her away from his face, the more force she applied, the sneakier she became at slipping through his fingers and hands, and the longer her tongue appeared to be, as it reached new depths inside Jules' mouth. "Blegh—geugh, gross!"

In one quick motion he swatted her away. She rolled around on the ground, and with each bounce, Jules could have sworn he heard squeaky sounds. He looked up above her defeated body and saw Kaizen beaming at him.

"Congratulations, Jules. I told you this was the hardest piece, and now you know why."

"I sure as hell don't know why!" Jules rose and pointed the most threatening finger of his life. "What just happened!?"

"Julessss, I see stars," a dazed Rukia groaned. Despite that, she flipped over to all fours again, then bowed her head. "I am really, really sorry Julesie."

Oh fucking hell. Puppy dog eyes AND ears? I stood a better chance against you in there. He turned around, and the Shrine had disappeared, but the oasis remained.

"My forgiveness comes at a cost—Both of you!" Jules shouted. "Explain, and you're pardoned of all offenses."

"We've all had to endure this piece of the Sound," Kaizen said. "I've mentioned that Rukia here is cursed with her memories, but that's not always the case." Jules shifted his attention to Rukia. You've got some serious explaining to do.

"I know that look, Jules." She curled her tail—just the single one, now—up into herself. "I knew I had to go in, and I knew I wasn't gonna like it, but that's all I knew. It's like a compulsion, part of the curse."

"So in there, that was really…you?"

"I am the only true reincarnation, if you will. But in your nightmares, in the Shrines and—beyond—I am my original self. All I know is that I am as old as Wrath himself, and that I'm from his world."

"Annnnddd…" Kaizen said. Rukia bumped her two index claws together sheepishly.

"Annnnddd…?" Jules asked.

"And I sorta, kinda—I forged the Sound of Fury. I guess you could say I'm it's real master—"

"YOU WHAT!?" Jules threw his hands to the heavens and collapsed down on his back.

"That's not completely accurate, Rukia." Kaizen scratched his beard. "But that's all I can say—Hey! Who wants a lesson on the Sound's newest feat—"

"Not right now Kaizen!" Jules snapped. He took a deep breath to calm down; he was was angry at Rukia, but maybe not this Rukia, he wasn't sure. "So is that what you really look like? Do you have nine tails under there?" Jules scooped her up by the nape and inspected her lone tail. She kicked and screamed and clawed at his face, demanding he place her back down—and gently, at that, so he obeyed.

"So about that." Her eyes flashed. "If you Integrate Kaizen into me, I can take that form. And when I grow up, that's what—"

"Well why didn't you say so!" Jules grabbed her paws and spun her around in a circle, much to her dismay.

"I have to say, you are taking this really well," she admitted.

"Well, Ruke, you didn't know, and you couldn't warn me—Unlike this guy." Jules pointed his thumb at Kaizen, then both he and Rukia whispered insults about the ghost into each other's ears until he exploded.

"Do you want to learn your new features of the Sound or not!?" Kaizen demanded. "And why are you taking this all so well?" That's right, let your anger consume you, old man.

"Because I captured this Shrine by myself, despite Wrath's best attempts to Integrate with me. And no one died, not even…the other Rukia. But you." Jules and Rukia stalked toward their prey. Kaizen backed up defensively. "I'm starting to think that you know every single thing that happens to me. Like Coralhaven. Obviously this Shrine. And now that I'm saying this all out loud, it's got me thinking about the next one…" Jules slammed a finger into Kaizen's chest, and Rukia kicked his shin for good measure. Kaizen sighed in defeat.

"Yes, Jules." He sat down, and it warmed Jules' cold heart to see how miserable the old man felt right now. Kaizen drew one more deep breath, then looked straight into Jules' eyes. "The Warg went into Coralhaven with you. My own Warg led me to the first piece of the Sound of Fury in my hometown. I, too, Integrated with Wrath and destroyed my home, and my family." Kaizen glanced at Rukia. "As did my master before me, and so on."

Jules clicked his tongue. I knew it, but there's more. "And?"

"You don't miss a beat, kiddo. Yes. I will accompany you into the next Shrine."

Jules rubbed his forehead to alleviate a massive headache. Rukia turned her head away from Kaizen in spite, with her snout pointed up to the sky.

"So how does the Warg play into all of this?" Jules asked. The antlers represent Wrath from my nightmares, but he said the Warg stole his powers…

Kaizen stretched out a hand. Jules glared at him, but helped to his feet anyway. "I'll tell you the answer to that, once you defeat me at Mount Fury, and all the Seals have opened." Jules ripped his arm away from Kaizen's grip. "And kiddo, you think you feel bad now? Just wait."

Every thought of Jules' converged onto one line of thought. How can this possibly play out without Kaizen being Death?

"I told you, Jules. I'll answer that question when you've assembled all the pieces of the Sound."

Jules exhaled through his nostrils sharply. Three pieces to the Sound. Three Magi. Envy, Lust, now Greed—fuck!

"Greed!" Jules whipped back around. "The Painter told us all those years ago that The Nomad trained Greed. If he knows we're here… Cy and Kat!"

"And Whiskers," Rukia muttered.

"It's time to train, old man. I'll set aside our differences now to learn how to use the Sound." Jules put his fists together in front of his chest and then bowed.

"I knew you'd see the light! Now, place the tsuba on the wooden stick—wait, where's the wooden stick!?"

"Oh Sweet Salvos! I left it in the fucking Shrine!"

"You what!?" Rukia and Kaizen shouted together. Then they heaved over and started cracking up.

"We got his ass!" Rukia slapped her knee.

"Jules—You are so gullible. You only need one piece—so seriously, don't lose that one—and you can get the others back. Just summon it."

«« Summon Sound of Fury »» [Jules]

The wooden stick formed in his hand, Jules belted it across the old man's face, and he crashed to the ground. "Come on, teach me. We don't have time for jokes and gags."

Kaizen shot to his feet. "Right you are. I see you saw through my ever-so-cryptic message and learned that you too can Integrate with the Sound, but now you are able to Integrate two souls into the Sound at once, as well as two souls into your body. I mean three, if you count yourself."

"That's incredible! So does it turn into a sword? And when I get the next piece, can I fit three—" An intrusive thought cut Jules off, and he had to chew on it for a while.

"You can also Integrate me into Rukia, now." Jules glazed over the news.

So if I can Integrate three souls at once when the Sound is finished… Does that mean Wrath himself is the third? But why would I ever want that? Jules focused back in to Kaizen scratching that damn stubble of his.

"Listen, kiddo." Bad news always follows that statement. "There is a cost to wielding all three pieces…"

"You can have all three pieces of the Sound, but you can't utilize its full potential until you've opened your Seal…"

"What!?"