Jin IV: The Breath of Life

The grass glowed with a vibrant green thanks to the Sun’s light, matching the emerald coloring of the leaves of the surrounding trees. The wind rustled the plant life but could not stir the majestic mountain overlooking the trees.

The monolith of stone rested at the edge of the trees, harmonized in nature, but uncompromised by the elements.

In the space of greenery between the trees, Jin sat firmly planted on the grass with the blades grazing the sides of his toes. His hands rested on each knee of his crossed legs, eyes closed, and muscles relaxed. His long black hair swayed to the wind’s command, with the skin of his arms tingling in its gentle breeze. The cool air rushed in through his nose as he breathed. The crisp scent stirred in his nostrils. Jin exhaled steadily. His lungs contracted, tightening the muscles of his defined chest beneath his dark blue tunic. His legs loosened in the fabric of his dark pants, shifting with each breath.

Jin straightened his posture and continued breathing. The tapping of sandals meeting the ground sounded in his ears, and the subtle crunching of grass joined every step. Jin opened his eyes. He turned to his right, seeing his master.

Augus walked toward his student. The Sun’s all-giving light outlined his toned, muscular frame, along with his long, silverish white hair and beard. Clutched in his right hand was a small wooden log; his left hand held a sheathed katana, its length resting on his shoulder. The sword’s golden round guard and golden linings of the sleek, black sheath gleamed with a golden hue in the Sun.

“I trust you’re ready to begin?” Augus said, his voice deep yet calm. Augus reached Jin and stood across from him as he turned his way.

Jin rose from his legs and stood firmly at attention. His blue eyes locked onto his master’s gold. “Yes, master,” Jin said, his voice strong.

Augus focused on Jin’s rapt gaze at his voice. He saw the young man stand before him. His eyes met the young warrior’s, seeing the mountain’s stillness in them. A small smile played on Augus’ lips, and he dropped the log to his feet. “That look in your eyes,” he said. “Such a bold expression. Like a man who has faced war. You’re definitely a far cry from that baby who knew nothing about the world.”

Jin placed his hands behind his back. His eyes drifted downward, looking away. He blanketed his past ignorance on the ground, seeing it become the vast, emerald expanse of grass. “There was no way I could’ve known. I didn’t know how to fight, much less anything about our world housing demons.”

Augus nodded at the truth. He took his sword off his shoulder and flipped it so that he held it in reverse in his hand. He then placed the end of his sword on the ground with his hands stacked on the pommel. “And now, here you stand. A young man with a name known to demon kind, having his blade cut the flesh of some of the higher demons.” He firmly gripped the pommel as he continued. “But, you still have much to learn, even with all that you have witnessed and accomplished.”

The facts of Augus’ words quickly settled in Jin’s mind as he nodded. “Yes, master,” he said. “I am ready.”

Augus looked at Jin. He examined his student’s posture. His golden eyes scanned the young man’s stance, still as the mountain in the distance. “Very good,” he said. He reaffirmed his hands’ positions on his sword’s pommel. “Now, answer me this question. Before sight, before sound, before even speech, what is the one thing that is innate to us? The one action that we all know at birth?”

Jin looked down at the grass. His brow knitted in concentration. He set his hands to his sides. “The one action we do we all do at birth,” he repeated.

Augus saw Jin lower his head. He pattered his fingers on the pommel of his sword. Patient. “That’s right, Jin,” he whispered to himself. “Use your mind. Think it through.”

Jin’s thoughts ran as far as the vastness of the fields, but he maintained his stillness. His toned chest heaved as the air filled his lungs, then contracted as he exhaled. With every instance, the cool sensation of the air rushing into and leaving his nose focused Jin’s mind. The only thing apparent to him was his breathing.

Jin snapped his open at his master, who looked back at him with a heightened brow at his expression. “Breathing,” Jin said. “All of us are born breathing.”

A smile played on Augus’ face at Jin’s answer. “Yes!” he said. His voice rose slightly in confirmation. “Breathing. All living things breathe.” Augus then lifted his sword by the handle and gripped it in his left hand. “And there is more.”

“What is that, master?”

“As all living things breathe, there is a breath to all living things. That breath is a form of energy. It is an energy that transcends our very being, even this world. This power has earned many names throughout history, but we have now come to know it as ki.”

Jin looked down as he repeated the last word, “Ki...”

Augus noticed Jin’s eyes diverting. From their corners, he saw them laced with curiosity as Jin’s brow knitted together. “Jin,” He called out, quickly regaining the young swordman’s attention. “Do you remember what I taught you about ki, before you found the Eye of Genma?”

Jin stood firm. He looks at Augus. The interest in his eyes mixed with pondering as a corner of his mouth upturned. “Ki,” he began, “is a fundamental life-force, a latent energy that is present within the body of every being. It said that it is what gives us life and what creates the flow of life. You also taught me that it keeps our senses sharp.”

Augus smiled, chuckling. His head raised with a slight hint of his pride at his past wisdom being carried in Jin’s answer. “Very good!” he said. “You remember my teachings, after all. “He then lowered his head and turned his back to Jin. “But there is even more to it than that.”

“Master?”

“There is still much you haven’t learned about ki yet, my boy.” Augus directed his attention to the sky. “You came upon the Eye and went without my teachings for two years.” He then looked down, closing his eyes. “But that is my fault. As your master, I shouldn’t have left you with only sword and breathing techniques, especially if you took it upon yourself to guard the Eye, he said in a much lower voice.

Jin saw his master’s head lower with his tone. “Master, I–” His voice halted as he caught Augus raising his hand.

Augus then lowered his arm as he said, “It isn’t right. No. It’s shameful for a master to only give his student the bare minimum to fight monsters. I should’ve sought you out, but I wanted to allow you to forge your own path when you acquired the Eye.” Augus then raised his head and looked back at Jin. His face contoured into a firm countenance. “The thought of a master losing a student is not a comforting one, and  I am responsible for your lack of proper skill.”

“Well…” Jin began. He looked to the side. His lips scrunched, shame mingling on his face. “It wasn’t my best move to journey with the one thing that demons sought, especially with no effective way to defend myself.”

Augus fully turned around. His eyes softened as he saw his student glance away, but he could see ignominy lacing his countenance. He walked toward the young swordsman and placed a hand on his shoulder. As Jin looked up to him, Augus looked back. “Then, I believe this is a chance for both of us to do right,” he said, his voice slightly raised in assurance. “Of course, even with your victory over Entei and Shimotora, you will only encounter the more powerful demons over the course of your journey. And with the loss of your sword, you’ll need simply more than tin to face them.”

Augus continued, “In truth, you ki will be one of your greatest assets in battle. Allow me to explain.”

Jin remained focused on his master.

Augus removed his hands from Jin’s shoulder. He walked back, placing himself far away from Jin. A wind blew from the east in the space between them. Augus only saw the gap between where he and Jin stood, and what he left behind for Jin in both distance and guidance. “Ki not only sustains life, but it can also strengthen it,” Augus said. “Many people live their entire lives ignorant of its existence, let alone its true capabilities. However, for those of us who live the life of a warrior, it is as vital to us as breathing.”

Augus held out his sheathed sword before him. He then closed his eyes and breathed. A yellow stream of light soon enveloped his hand. The glowing force snaked from his hand to the sword in his grip, layering into a pulsing cast of energy. The light slowly flickered, flowing like fire in waves off both Augus’ hand and sword.

Jin’s eyes widened at the light stretched through its master’s hand and blade. The blue of his eyes shimmered at the ethereal glow. “That’s… your ki?” Jin asked. “I don’t think I’ve seen you do this before.”

“Indeed, but you will come to know this and your own ki during your training,” Augus said. “Ki has always been viewed as man’s first weapon. When properly trained and guided by a serene state of mind, your ki can be harnessed and manifested. In terms of the basics, you can wield it as a tangible force. It can empower you, make your strikes harder, bolster your speed to where you become unseen, and hone your senses to greater heights.” Augus tossed the log with his hand before catching it and looking at his sword as it glowed with his power. “You can even focus your ki into your weapon, to make it more effective.” He tossed the log into the air again and caught it before pulling his arm back. “Like this.”

Augus turned in the great mountain’s direction. The elder raised his arm and drew it back. Breathing deeply, his lungs filled with the cool air, and his arm braced,  muscles tense. With his finger clutching tight, Augus heaved his body and threw the log hard into the distance, the very air whooshing in his toss.

Jin watched the log spin in the air as high as his eyes could follow, broadened at his master’s strength. He then returned his attention to Augus.

Augus shifted his position, lowering his body as he widened his stance with his left leg stretched behind his right. He then gripped the sheath of his glowing sword in his left hand and drew it to his side before gripping the handle with his right.

Closing his eyes, Augus braced his legs with the steadiness of the mountain’s stone foundation, unmoved and unconcerned by the world’s worries. He breathed in, taking in the brisk air through his nose. The flickering energy grew brighter, with more arcs. He then breathed out. The air left his body, and the waves grew smaller, the light growing slightly dimmer. Every breath became his power, his very ki rising and falling at his command and temperament. He exhaled the final time, and his energy shrank, tightening into a line of pulsing yellow light around the sheathed blade.

 Augus raised his head. His golden eyes snapped open, and he locked the log as it started falling. His grip tightened. He swung out his sword with a swift flash, and a yellow arc of energy flew from the blade.

The shimmering crescent rushed high into the air, racing toward the log. It met the wood. The lumber split easily, coming apart in a manner befitting paper. The wave ran through it in a single, bright streak, then dissipated into etheric embers, fading away. The one single log snapped apart into two thick pieces of wood.

Jin’s eyes widened as the cleaved halves. The pieces thudded hard as they hit the ground. “Amazing,” Jin said, as he faced his master, who straightened his stance.

Augus guided his sword to the entrance of his sheath and slid it inside until the guard met the end with a sound clink. “Your ki is one instrument that functions as many,” he said. “When properly harnessed, it can act as a guard to protect your weapon from damage. You can even extend the reach of your strikes with pressure alone. It would have undoubtedly worked in your favor when you fought Entei and Shimotora.”

“Yes,” Jin concurred, “Their blood ate away at my blade with every strike I made to their flesh.”

“Some demons have advantageous abilities, even in their very blood. But ki can be effective against it.”

Jin’s expression hardened. His master’s words churned in his mind. They came together in images: a blade cutting through a horned demon like paper, a fist breaking stone, and a great aura flowing from the human body. His eyes almost beamed, but then they settled, looking down.

Augus’ eyes followed his student’s. “What captures your mind, Jin?”

“I’ve seen… No. I’ve felt that power before,” Jin said.

“Yes. When you used the Divine Dragon’s power.”

Jin raised his hands and gripped them into fists. “I could feel it running through my body. It healed my wounds, made me stronger, faster. It even became a blade.” His eyes narrowed as his fists tightened. The muscles in his arms strained at the lingering sensation of the divine power that surged through them. “I was able to harm Entei with its sheer power alone…”

Augus nodded at Jin’s words as he said, “A mortal’s ki can stand against demons, but even more so with divine ki of the gods. Its purity can overpower a demon’s yōki, their own wicked life-force, setting back their power, even those of stronger demons who can heal as if nothing had happened.”

Jin’s hands loosened their grip. His eyes narrowed but remained stern. “But… it was overwhelming…,” he said. “For as powerful as I was, I could feel my life being sapped away.” His arms lowered slightly. The tension in his arms faded at the mention of his strength diminishing.

Augus lowered his head, placing his fingers to his chin. “Hmmm. Yes. Mortals naturally cannot withstand divine power. There is an endless series of tales of those who have sought this power and have either died or gone mad, thinking they can control it.”

Jin looked at his master as he said, “Their spirits must’ve been weak.”

“Come again?” Augus said.”

“When Genma bestowed his ki to me, he told me to use my spirit to focus it.”

“I see. Yes. I suppose those of weak will never truly wield divine power, much less have any control over the power they already have.” He reaffirmed his focus to Jin. “But you,” he said. “You were able to not only hold the Divine Dragon’s power but wield it long enough to face Entei and soundly defeat him before I found you.” Augus then approached Jin, towering over his student. “It seems that you have a particularly strong ki and quite the talent of channeling it that few people possess.”

Jin looked up to his master. His face softened, his eyes widened with optimistic anticipation. “You believe so?”

“If your life force is that strong and that adaptable, there’s no telling what you can be capable of when properly trained. I’ll be sure to guide you through the basics of harnessing that power. Afterward, you’ll be on your way to making it second nature.”

Jin nodded, and he straightened his posture. “Then, I suppose I’m your student once again,” he said. A light smile spread across his face at the idea of training with his master once again.

Augus lightly chuckled in agreement. “And this time, you’ll learn fully, I guarantee it. Then, once you’ve mastered the basics enough, we’ll get to work on forging a new sword for you.”

Jin placed a hand on his hip. He looked down on it to find the sash of his tunic free of any object. His mind flashed; images of his battle with Entei swarmed. No weapon, only able to use his hands, at Entei’s mercy. His brow knitted with his mouth drawing a hard line at the thought. He loosened his sash upon further gaze at his sash, picturing it as the place for the possible fruits of his labor as a new blade. “Yes…” It feels…off to be without a sword.”

Quickly drawing his attention to the sword in Augus’ hand, Jin scanned the gold decoration on the black sheath from its linings to its pommel and end cap. “Master,” he said to Augus. “If I may ask, what is that sword? I don’t think I’ve seen you use it before.”

Augus stepped back from Jin and held out his sword. “You mean this?” He gripped the handle with his free hand. “This is a blade that I don’t bring out often. But since you’ll be fighting against it, I believe that you need an example of an effective weapon.”

Gripping the handle, Augus pulled the sword halfway out of the sheath. The blade gleamed in the light of the Sun. The rays reflected off the blade’s very edge, and it shone with a diamond’s luster. “This is Tenyūyo,” he said. “It’s one of the finest blades you’ll ever see, only four others like it in the entire world.”

“Incredible!” Jin says, eyes lit at the sword’s shining edge, making their blue brighter than usual.

Augus then placed the sword back into its sheath. Afterwards, he returned his attention to Jin, who looked back. “But remember, be it ki or a weapon, both are merely tools. At the end of the day, neither can compare to the warrior’s hands or his strength of will that wields them.”

“Yes, master,” Jin said with a nod.

“It’s common, and so easy for one to become absorbed into the power of their weapon and their ki that they forget to develop their own strength physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.” He placed his freedom on Jin’s shoulders. He looked into his student’s eyes, furrowing his brow. “And they die by some horrid creature, or lowly thug, because they got sloppy. Never forsake your training, Jin. And never forsake everything you learn today.”

Jin’s expression matched his master’s as he looked at him. “Yes, master.”

Himself nodding, Augus removed his and turned away from Jin. “Good,” he said. “Then we had best get to work.” Augus then turned and began walking to the mountain. “Come.”

Jin followed his master. He looked at Augus’ back, and then the great mountain before him. “We’re going up the mountains?”

“Not too high up,” Augus confirmed. “Just to the mid-region. I’ve prepared means for which we can conduct your training.” He then looked back at Jin, and his lips joined in a smile. “I’m curious to see how your skills have improved while you were gone for two years. And I believe a proper bokken session should suffice.”

“Bokken training with you?” Jin asked. “Huh. It’s been a while.”

“Yes. Let’s see if you will emerge from our session with fewer welts this time,” Augus chuckled and looked ahead.

“I believe you’ll be surprised, master,” Jin said, laughing. “Two years is a long time, and I’m not eight years old anymore, either.”

Augus only gave another chuckle in response, and the two proceeded to the cave entrance within the mountain. The wind greeted their backs, turning to faint whistles as they entered the cave.

The mountain remained still, unbothered by the wind.

• Bokken (木剣): 木 (Bok(u) = Wood) and 剣 (Ken = (Double-Edged) Sword), also known as Bokutō (木刀): 木 (Bok(u) = Wood) and 刀 (Tō = (Single-Edged) Sword). It is a Japanese wooden sword, usually in the shape of a katana, used for training in Japanese swordsmanship.

• Tenyūyo (天猶予): 天 (Ten = Heaven/Heavenly/Divine) and 猶予 (Yūyo = Grace)

Jin III: The Master

“Go! Surround him!” a voice cried.

Armed men charged at the order. The passion for war filled their cries, mixing with the heat in the air. Soldiers came together behind one another in a red-clad stampede, with swords and spears ready to meet their steel with the enemy. Some even mounted and rode on horses past their comrades onto the battlefield.

“Look at them all,” a voice said. Its voice was deep yet calm.

A figure stood upon a raised part of the land. His skin, as grey as ash, blended into the shadows of the approaching dark clouds overhead. Red-orange lines ran through the right half of his upper body like veins of burning magma, and long, black, jagged hair reached only halfway down the back. His muscles stood pronounced and firm like black stone taken shape. His right eye gleamed with an orange light in the shade as he stared at the approaching army.

“So much red,” the figure said. “Running through the battlefield like blood.”

The figure fanned out his arms and opened his hands. A fiery light burned in his eye, and the markings on his body glowed. Lines of orange light enveloped his hands, and he clasped them together with the first two fingers of each touching, and the thumbs raised straight up. The light flickered, sparks danced, sizzling with an eerie hiss, and erupted into flames swarming over his hands. The figure then placed his hands entirely together and then parted them as he brought out his right hand. The flames compressed into a ball of fire, and he clutched it in his hand.

He gripped the fireball with both hands and stretched it into a line of fire. The flames molded and formed into a burning blade. It shimmered, cloaked in fire, as it illuminated the figure’s body. He grabbed the weapon’s handle and swung it down. The flames scattered into dying embers, revealing a long, double-edged silver blade. The weapon resembled a greatsword. Its blade rested, attached to a broad, red, fire-shaped cross guard with an orange gem in the center and a brown grip.

The figure took the sword with both hands and raised it over his head. A bright orange light with small waves of fire enveloped the blade, and the waves flashed into great flames, coating the sword. The figure faced the approaching army, and the fire around his sword raged into a blistering inferno. A line of red shone under the fire’s markings and stretched along the blade’s length. The line shifted into an unknown string of characters.

The demon’s eye brightened as he said, “All submit to the purgatory of the dreaded flames!”

He gripped his sword tightly and swung down with his demonic strength. His blade crashed into the ground, blasting the soil apart, and flames screeched into a straight line of fire. The flames burned a path of black ash toward the army.

The warriors rushed into battle but halted in their tracks. They peered at the flames, eyes lit in an amalgam of fear and the glimmering of their fast-approaching deaths. The fires crashed into them. The roaring of the flames filled the air, mixed with horrid screams. Once proud in their armor, men writhed in a searing sea of hell as the fire washed over them. Their black visages danced wildly before crackling and finally crumbling into ash.

The demon set his sword to his side. He looked down at the collection of burnt corpses and smoldering dust. He closed his eyes and sighed with a breath of fire.

“All submit to the purgatory of the dreaded flames.” The demon repeated and etched his sword into the ground.

The clouds' darkness covered the burnt fields, melding with the parched black of the grass. They brushed together, and lightning flashed in between. More dark clouds gathered, and the lightning surged with arcs reaching greater numbers and force. The lightning crashed, scattering with a boom, and brought light to the charred fields below before dying in a faint glimmer.

The demon stood still; his blade was still stuck in the dirt as the storm above raged. The lightning crackled and surged through the clouds again. In the silence, a blue bolt shot from the sky and struck the ground with a thunderous crash.

Dust and burnt soil scattered from the lightning’s wake behind the demon, who, while his hair moved to the draft’s command. The harsh gales settled, but the cloud remained. A figure stood within the dust; his muscular stature silhouetted in the shade. An east wind rushed, and dust left in its wake.

The demon stepped forth. His armor, black with a shining blue edge, covered his shoulders and chest of his greyish-blue body, and a long, tattered black cape hung down his back. He advanced toward the demon in front of him. Jagged markings, like veins, ran throughout his arms and sides.

“Ryūō…” The figure breathed. A cloud of electric fog passed as his breath. “Kaen Ryūō of the Dragon Flame,” he said.

Ryūō’s eyes flexed at the mention of his name. He plucked his sword from the soil and turned to face the other demon. “Goro…” Ryūō said, “of the Dreaded Lightning.” He exchanged glances with Goro. A wave of fire cloaked his sword, and it vanished in a flash of scattering flames. “Why are you here?”

Goro placed his hands behind his back and said, “I felt your power throughout this range. I found you as I passed through the great bolts of the blue.” He stepped closer to Ryūō. “And then there is you. Why would a Higher Demon come to war with mere humans? Or were you quelling a need for slaughter?”

Ryūō’s brow knitted at his question. He turned around and returned his attention to his line of destruction and the ash-riddled fatalities that blackened the ground. “It was of their will to seek conflict with me,” Ryūō said. “I merely stood upon these fields, and the samurai saw me as another demon to slay. Perhaps it was out of fear for their lives or the thought of having a trophy that stirred their call to war. As you can see, I have honored their wishes. Ryūō relaxed his brow and settled with a sigh, arms crossing his chest. “Perhaps they would’ve been better off seeking another challenge instead of combat against a force they didn’t understand. Then, they could’ve lived at the very least.”

A dark chuckle captured Ryūō’s attention, and he turned to Goro. “How very fitting of the creatures. Meeting their ends against the very powers they sought to challenge. Such folly.”

“Do not be so quick to underestimate them,” Ryūō said. “Although they are arrogant, there is a reason their kind has existed for this long, even against us. They chose to walk rather than crawl, to construct huts for themselves instead of living in caves, and to arm themselves and fight rather than accept death.”

“You believe them to be our equal?” Goro unclasped his hands and rested them on his sides.

Ryūō narrowed his gaze as he said, “I believe them to be resilient. There is power in simple determination. And whether demons admit it or not, humans possess it in abundance.”

Goro walked around Entei. His blue eyes set on his brethren. He stopped before him and looked toward the land of the army’s fall, scanning the destruction. “Yes. I suppose there is some truth to your words.” He narrowed his eyes as he continued. “Especially given recent events.” Goro looked back at Ryūō.

Ryūō’s focus centered on Goro in his last sentence. He stepped forward, curious as he said, “Such as?”

Goro turned around and placed his hands behind his back again. “Word has spread that Entei, the Master of the Flame, had placed himself in a predicament some time ago. Your student and Shimotora, the Claw of the Ice, had taken it upon themselves to search for the Eye of Genma.”

The mention of the two demons forced Ryūō’s mouth into a twisted sneer. “Hmph! Those fools. Do they honestly believe they’re worthy of the dragon’s power?”

“It seems they do,” Goro said and continued, “or rather, did.”

“‘Did?’” Ryūō questioned.

Goro stood silent for a moment but soon answered, “Do you recall the works of a certain swordsman, the demon slayer who travels with the Eye?”

“The one called Jin?”

“Yes,” Goro said. “To be brief, your student and Shimotora encountered the swordsman at a lone temple and met an unfortunate end.”

Ryūō’s expression hardened, brows drawing together. A dreary wind passed, and a corner of his mouth creased upward, revealing a fang among his sharp teeth. “They’re dead?”

Goro raised his hand to face and flexed his fingers. His digits curled slowly, almost closing into a fist before opening again. Blue arcs sparked against his fingers and danced over his palm before fading. “A tragic defeat for ones so proud,” he chuckled. “They had cornered the swordsman, even using their absolute strength. Of course, the swordsman was more ‘resilient,’ as you say, than they initially believed, and he used the Eye’s power to destroy them.”

“The dragon’s power…” Ryūō whispered.

“Indeed. I honestly didn’t believe that there was anyone who could best both Entei and Shimotora in combat.”

“Hmph!”  Ryūō scoffed. “So, a lone human delivered my student’s end. I’m not surprised. He and Shimotora were always arrogant fools.” Ryūō turned from Goro and held out his hand. It quickly glowed with an orange light that waved like a flame. The light flashed and warped into a flickering fire over his palm. “I taught Entei everything he knew about the sword and of the flame, but he thought he could go on only half of his lessons.”

“And it didn’t help that he was always acquainted with Shimotora in their little hunts,” Goro added.

“If he and Entei fell to the human, it proves that they were beyond the aid of anything, including the Eye of Genma. They deserved their fates.”

Goro looked at Ryūō’s back and proceeded toward him, but stopped a few feet away. “Then there is the matter of the one called Jin,” he said. “Humans aren’t known for being able to harness such power, let alone that of a Divine Dragon. And this human was able to do so and survived.”

“It is more than clear that the Eye is as invaluable as it is dangerous. Obtaining it from someone of such skill as the swordsman will not be an easy task. Especially if he was able to tap into the dragon’s power.”

The demons stood. Only the light rumbling of the dark clouds above challenged the silence. Goro looked around, eyes narrowed as though he were in. He then returned his attention to Entei.

“Then,” Goro started, “what is our next move?”

“For the moment, we wait,” Ryūō said. “The swordsman might’ve been able to wield Genma’s power once, but I doubt he’ll be able to do it again. Skilled or not, he is still human and can only hold that power until it destroys him.” He looked back at Goro as he continued, “Still, whether his power is limited or not, we don’t dare underestimate him. So, we bide our time.”

“I suppose we should make any necessary preparations, then,” Goro said. “The swordsman hasn’t been seen for some time, but that is no reason for us to be sloppy, lest we share the fates of Entei and Shimotora.”

“Make no mistake,” Ryūō said, “we will have to deal with him at some point, and the Eye will be in our possession.”

A dark chuckle emerged from behind Goro’s mouth. He slowly raised a hand to the sky. Blue sparks crackled in violent arcs throughout his hands, and the clouds above rumbled with brief flashes of light. Similar sparks emerged in the clouds, with a fierce, frantic surge, and more appeared by the second.

Below, Goro’s eyes flash with a blue light, and his sharp teeth join in a ragged smile within his maw. “In that case, I will take my leave, Ryūō,” he said. “I’m sure our paths will cross again.” He retained his grin as he continued. “However, should I encounter the swordman, do not hold it against me if I were to claim his head before you.”

In a blink, thunder boomed, and lightning flashed. A sporadic bolt surged violently out from the clouds and struck Goro below. Ryūō made no effort to shield him from the great radiance, and Goro vanished along with the great bolt. Smoke rose from the burnt patch left behind, adding little embers to the plumes.

Ryūō focused on where Goro stood. A smirk emerged, and he turned from the scorched patch. He made himself away from the parched battlefield that served as the army’s resting place. “That is… if you should survive to claim his head,” he said.

Ryūō walked far into the field, and dark clouds reigned overhead, covering him as he became lost in the distance.

*          *             *

Darkness. Darkness was the only thing present, and nothing else.

“Jin,” a voice echoed in the void. It was a deep and tempered voice, yet calm and familiar.

A streak of light broke, and the darkness in two gave a view to light. The light shuddered, dimming slowly, and darkness overwhelmed it, returning everything to black. Seconds later, there was nothing, and everything became silent.

“Jin!” The voice called again, later than before. A faint groan emerged, and the darkness split open once more, revealing a faint light.

The light dimmed slightly, revealing a shade of dim brown above him. Darkness flickered as though eyes were straining vainly to remain open. The weight of darkness grew quickly, and everything shut into blackness, the silence returning.

Again. Nothing.

“Gather your wits, you fool!” The voice shouted.

The darkness split open and faded away. Above, light illuminated the ceiling as flickering spots on the wood. A hand reached out to shield from the light.

“I… By the gods… I’m alive?” Jin groaned in a whisper. He slowly rose from his back, his arm braced on the wooden floor support. He looked down to find himself draped in a new blue tunic, with a blanket covering his lower body. “What? When did…”

Jin leaned slightly, and a sharp ache tore through his body. He cried out, gnashing his teeth with his eyes closed shut, and gripped an arm around his torso. Shuddering, his eyes flickered open, and an exhale dimmed the pain.

“Finally awake, are you?” The deep voice said, much clearer than before.

Jin’s eye snapped open. Still holding his body, he saw a figure sitting before him. He scanned the figure’s broad form draped in a sleeveless tunic.

The figure sat before a small line of candles atop tall stands. The waving lights on the lengths of wax flickered throughout the man’s surroundings, reflecting off the gold linings of his white tunic.

The figure sat, legs crossed, next to a stone bowl. The man’s hands rested on his knees. “Kitetsu, The Shadow Slayer,” the man began, “Shimotora, The Claw of the Ice, and Entei, The Master of the Flame. Scourges on the battlefield, utter monsters to humans and demons alike.”

The man pressed his hands against his knees and rose by his legs. Jin’s gaze followed the man as he stood, looking up along the man’s hair reaching down to his upper back. “And yet, you’ve managed to defeat them when challenged.”

Jin’s brows snapped together. He tuned into the man’s tone, and his eye broadened. “That voice,” he whispered.

“You were always one of my best students,” the man continued, “but you always had that hard head working against you.”

The man slowly turned around and faced Jin. His golden eyes gleamed with a shine even more incredible than the flames. His face bore the wrinkles of a man of wisdom befitting his advanced age, working in tandem with the silverish-white that colored his hair, mustache, and beard. And yet, the defined muscles of his body betrayed his age.

Jin leaned in close and squinted his eyes at the older man, slowly widening as they examined his appearance. Images soon flashed in his head of him avoiding bokken before being struck in the head, meditating under rushing falls, and climbing towering stocks of bamboo in the setting Sun.

With a smirk growing on the man’s face at Jin’s reaction, he folded his broad arms around his chest. “It has been a while, hasn’t it, Jin?” he said.

Jin only blinked as he whispered, “Master… Augus.” Jin and Augus exchanged glances. Jin softened his expression toward his teacher.

He slowly rose from under the blanket. As he did, his body ached again suddenly, and he hissed through his teeth. The throbbing surged throughout his torso, forcing Jin’s arm to hold himself.

Augus watched Jin writhe in pain and lowered his hand to the bowl below him. Taking the bowl in his hand, he handed it to Jin. “Drink this,” he said. “It’s medicine.”

Jin brought the bowl to his lips and drank the clear, glowing liquid inside. As the mystic medicine flowed down his throat, his body became more relaxed, and the pain subsided. Sighing, he parted the bowl from his lips and set it down on the floor.

“Try not to move around too much. Your body still hasn’t fully recovered,” Augus said. He folded his arms and walked around to Jin’s left. “It’s honestly remarkable that you’re even alive. To think that you would be so reckless as to take in the Divine Dragon’s power. You could’ve destroyed yourself.”

“My options were limited, master,” Jin sighed. “I had lost my sword, and facing them hand-to-hand was a fool’s game.”  He looked at his open palm and clenched it tight. “I didn’t even know the Eye could grant such power.”

“You lost your sword?!” Augus snapped.

Jin closed his eyes with his lips parting at another sigh. The rise of his master’s voice returned memories of endless scolding under his teachings. “Yes… I–”

A hand flew in a blur from nowhere, smacking Jin with a sound ‘thwack.” Jin shouted at the sting and gripped the back of his head. Huddled over, shuddering with the throbbing spreading with the reach of a spider’s leg, Jin gnashed his teeth with a sharp hiss.

“You damn fool!” Augus said. “Have you learned nothing from your training? Have I taught you nothing?” His eyes broadened at his pupil’s ignorance. They soon shut, and he breathed in through his nose, then exhaled. His expression softened, and he returned his attention to Jin.

“Forgive me, master,” Jin breathed.

Augus lowered to Jin’s level and crossed his legs as he sat down. Master and student exchanged glances, and Augus only lowered his head as he chuckled. “You were always one of my best students, Jin. Skilled, focused, and intelligent. But you always had one weakness.”

“What is that, master?”

Augus placed a hand on Jin’s shoulder as he said, “You’re as lazy as they come.”

Jin’s eyes widened, stunned by his master’s words. “‘Lazy?’”

Augus took back his hand. “You were always a prodigal student, but you would always finish them halfway, believing raw talent would carry you.”

Jin scrunched his lip. “With all due respect, Master, what could I have missed? As you’ve taught me, I have honed my skills with the sword. I have studied and used your teachings on breathing and centering myself. I have even improved my stance–”

“Your ki.”

Jin blinked at the interruption. “My…?”

“Your ki,” repeated Augus. He saw a blink in his answer. “The breath of your life, the energy that dwells within you. Had you remembered how to harness it, you would’ve defeated Entei and Shimotora WITHOUT losing your sword!”

Jin sighed. The word of the human life force tapped his mind only slightly, sticking with only a faded thought. “Forgive me, master,” he said. “I’ve overestimated myself, thinking I was beyond your teachings.”

A chuckle from Augus returned Jin’s attention to him. “You needn’t worry. When you’ve fully recovered, I’ll humble you to a respectable level.”

“Master?”

Augus pressed his hands to his knees and rose to his feet. “News of your encounter with Entei and Shimotora is bound to reach the stronger and more hostile demons. They undoubtedly will come after you for either the Eye or prestige, and they will not fall as easily as the ones you have faced. If you are to stand a greater chance against them, you will need to refine your techniques… and learn how to harness your ki.”

Another sigh left Jin as he placed his hands on his lap. He looked at his master. “How long has it been since I was your student?”

“Well over two years,” Augus said. “Right before you came across the Eye. Am I ever going to hear the story as to why you’re traveling with it?” He made his way to the end of the room.

“I’m not sure I fully understand it myself,” Jin admits. “But I believe it to be a… destiny.”

“Destiny? Is that so?” Augus said. He reached the end and placed a hand on the shoji, “Regardless, you will be under my teachings and will complete them during your time here. But, for the moment, rest. I’ll prepare a meal tonight; you’ll resume training within the week.”

Augus opened the shoji, revealing the outside cloaked in darkness. Only the Moon’s light granted a dim view of the sand and grass outside. Augus walked through the door and slid it closed.

Jin sat under his covers. He placed one hand over the other and looked at them in thought. “Hmph. Training under my master again. I can already tell it will not be easy.”

• Ryūō (竜王): 竜 (Ryū = Dragon) and 王 (Ō = King), and Kaen (火炎竜王): 火炎竜王 (Kaen = Flame Dragon King)

• Goro: Comes from the term “Gorogoro,” (ごろごろ), the Japanese onomatopoeia for the rumbling of thunder.

• Ki/Qi (気): Energy/Life Energy or Life-Force

• Shoji (障子): A door, window, or room divider used in traditional Japanese architecture, made with translucent sheets on a lattice frame.

Jin II: Fire and Ice Part 4

The winds blew across the tree-covered landscape. Clouds drifted under the Moon, their great shadows blanketing the temple grounds. Their shades faded in the presence of Jin, who stood with his newly acquired dragon-scaled ōdachi as he faced Entei. Streams of blue energy flowed from his eyes like mystic smoke, and a matching glow adorned his blade with the same flickering aura, with the Eye of Genma shining in the center of the draconic hilt.

A growl emerged through Entei’s gnashed fangs. Smoke and ember rose from his gritted teeth, and he tightened his grip around his own ōdachi

“You…” Entei said. “How are you not dead?!”

Jin remained focused on Entei, redoubling his grip on his sword. “I’m honestly surprised, myself,” he said. “I had no idea that the Eye was capable of this.” He smiled and continued, “It still lives up to its legend of bringing great fortune. I suppose that includes tapping into the dragon’s power. It’s no wonder that greedy humans and demons covet it.” Jin’s smile left him, and he hardened his gaze. “All the more reason why you’re not getting it.”

Entei snarled, “Even if you have the dragon’s power, it won’t be enough. In the end, you’re just a monkey with a bladed club. What can you possibly accomplish?”

“Hmph. I killed Shimotora, “Jin said. “And if I recall, I drove you into eating his heart for strength.”

Entei released another growl. “You think yourself clever, human, but once I kill you and take the Eye, your sharp tongue will be of less worth than your gravestone.”

Jin chucked, “All you’ve done is make threats throughout this conflict. And yet, I’m still here.”

Entei’s brow creased at Jin’s words. He brandished his Rekka, and his fingers tightened around the hilt. “Not for long!” he growled.

Entei dashed with his wings, kicking off the dust beneath his feet, and raised his sword. He flew straight at Jin and swung down. Jin widened his stance, tensed his legs’ muscles, and turned his draconic sword. The blades clashed, and sparks erupted. The energy of their edges clashed with streaks that struck the ground around them like lightning.

The hairs of the warriors waved from the force, and Jin bared his teeth with Entei flashing his. The aura around Jin flared. He stepped and forced his strength against Entei’s. Chest tightening with his arms burning, he pushed Entei back. The wispy aura around the blade grew bright. He swung his sword and threw Entei off with the aura emitting from the blade, blasting Entei away.

Entei bared his teeth as he flew back at the power from Jin’s blade. He shuddered, clinging to his sword. Fanning out his wings, he stomped the ground. Dust trails rose with his feet digging into the stone tiles, but the energy still flickered against his sword.

The energy wave illuminated, brightening Entei’s face. His orange and blue eyes flared with wisps of their own. He opened his mouth with a dragon’s roar and slashed the energy, dispersing it into glowing, tattered ribbons that disappeared into thin air. Entei straightened his posture and returned his attention to his Jin.

Jin looked at Entei and focused on his sword. His broadened eyes scanned the blade. “Incredible,” he said. “Even the sword’s ken'atsu can push you back. If your sword was enough to fell Shimotora, this weapon is exactly what I need to destroy you.”

Entei barked, “Ridiculous! You? Kill me?” He stepped closer, and smoke and fog rose from his mouth. “I have burnt villages to the ground and vanquished entire armies!”

“And yet, you cannot kill one lone swordsman,” Jin said. “I guess I’m the exception.”

“Enough!” Entei said.”

He flapped his wings and charged again at Jin. Jin readied his sword. Entei swung his blade, and Jin stepped to the side, vanishing in a stream of blurred lines.

Entei’s eyes snapped open. “What?!” He looked in all directions but couldn’t find Jin.

“Entei!” Jin’s voice shouted.

Entei jolted at the voice and turned his head. He saw Jin standing near a wall of the temple grounds. Jin focused on Entei. He drew his sword to his side. Widening his stance, he tightened his grip on the blade and took off, dashing in a streak of light. The light passed instantly with the rush of the wind and a thin spray of orange.

Jin slid across from Entei’s left. His drawn sword glimmered, the edge of which carried a spot of lava-like blood. The blood dripped from the blade and burned a smoldering hole in the stone.

Entei stood. Mouth closed, eyes shuddering, he wiped his cheek and looked at his hand. His burning blood dripped from his palm with smoke rising from it. He bared his teeth and clenched his fist before turning to Jin.

Jin turned around as he said, “I seemed to have pulled back more than I thought. I should’ve expected this from the dragon’s power.” He flashed a smirk as he focused on the cut on Entei’s face. “Although I could still hit you, even slightly.” His smile faded, and he hardened his gaze. “That only means one thing.”

Entei narrowed his eyes at Jin, his teeth still bunched together.

Jin only looked back. The calm wind passed him by, blowing back Jin’s hair upon hitting his face. “Your end is only a matter of heartbeats,” he said. With his tattered cloak blowing in the wind, he raised his sword to Entei and set his eyes on his opponent like a reaper ready to claim the demon’s vicious soul.

A trembling overtook Entei’s face and his teeth. “This… human…” he thought. An orange light glowed within the cut on his cheek. It thinned and shrank before closing shut. A growl rose behind his clenched maw, and he shouted, “My end?! You arrogant bastard of a primate! You’ve seen what Shimotora and I were capable of, yet you mock me. I beat you to within death’s clutches, yet you mock me! And now, when hiding behind the dragon’s power, you speak of bringing me MY end?!”

Jin stood. Silent.

“You…,” Entei said. “Do you believe yourself to be invincible with the dragon’s power? Do you believe yourself to be a god?!” Entei breathed with his brown knitted together. He exhaled, expelling smoke and fog out of his body. “No,” he said. “You’re just a human, a talking animal. And it seems the only way to remind you of your place is to flay and char you until there’s not a single drop of fat!”

“You’ve already seen that I’m willing to fight to my dying breath. Killing me won’t be an easy task,” Jin said.

“No,” Entei snarled. He readjusted his grip on his sword. “But it’ll make the Eye a far more satisfying prize, especially after killing the hated slayer.”

“I’ve already told you,” Jin said. He swiped his sword to the side. “You’re not getting the Eye!”

The wind settled. Entei closed his lips, as did Jin. One stared at the other with energy streaming from their eyes. Jin slid his back foot a little farther than the other. Entei narrowed his eyes, flexing his fingers around his blades. A shining orange-and-blue light outlined him and flickered across his body.

Entei took off with a roar. Jin stood and raised his sword to his front. Entei closed in. He lashed out and swung his sword. Jin turned and clashed his blade against Entei’s. Their energies collided. Violent winds howled and twisted around in a burst of pressure, accompanied by colored, waving lights.

Entei grunted. He raised his hand and struck his fist into Jin’s face, knocking him away. Jin flew back but flipped upright. He staggered to stand up straight and planted his foot to align himself. Entei tore through the air skyward with another beat of his wings. He ascended high over the ground. As he looked down, he saw Jin look up at him.

“I will not be defeated…” he said. Entei raised his free hand, and the light around it grew bright and flowed like fire. “I will NOT be defeated!”

He reeled his hand back. Flaming streams swirled into his hand and converged, erupting into a ball of fire. Entei thrust his hand and launched a fireball—another great flame shot from his palm, followed by another.

The fireballs plummeted, their flames trailing behind, and closed in quickly.

Jin tensed his body and jumped to the side. The first shot hit the ground and exploded, sending smoke and tile fragments flying. Jin covered himself from the rushing heat biting at his arm. He looked up and jumped back, and the second one crashed with another burst of fire. Pieces of the ground were dispersed, and Jin guarded himself from the rubble. The last fireball came down fast.

Its burning light brightened the area. Jin glanced up at the fireball and snapped his brow together. He gripped his sword with both hands, and he drew it back. He bent his knees and leaped toward the flame. Raising his sword, Jin swung down and slashed the great flame through the middle. The fires passed Jin and died into fading embers.

Jin landed on his feet. A beast’s roar echoed and filled his ear. He looked up again, seeing a stream of twisting winds and ice raging toward him. He pulled his leg back and dashed in a streak of light.

The winds hit the ground and exploded into freezing gales. Low whales moaned with their winds, and a sheet of jagged ice spikes formed over the titles. Jin slides his geta against the ground. He turned and braced his arm against the cold air, and his hair and tattered cloak swayed before the winds died.

“I must be cautious!” Jin said. ‘Even with the dragon’s power, the slightest mistake and I’ll be killed.”

Entei stared from above. His hands gripped his sword in a strangling hold.” His teeth clicked together in a smoke-filled hiss. He beat his wings and flew straight down. Entei set his feet and stomped on the ground a few feet away from Jin.

Jin readied his sword and stared down Entei with a hardened gaze. He drew his weapon back and dashed into a streak of blue, waving light with dust in his wake. Entei raised his weapon with Jin closing in, and they again clashed their blades.

Waves of light erupted from the meeting of their swords. Their auric energies locked themselves in a struggle between elemental and draconic power. Jin’s arms trembled, and he bucked against Entei. Entei growled and reaffirmed his footing.

Eyes flared, teeth clenched, Jin forced Entei away from his sword and slashed his chest.

Entei roared with his blood rushing out of his wound and dripping to burn holes in the ground. Jin pulled back and swung his sword, slashing Entei’s body again. The demon released another beastly cry, clutching his chest, and stumbled back.

Jin drew his sword to his side and lunged at Entei. His leg swung out in a blur and struck Entei’s body.

Power flowed from his legs in a wave of blue light. Jin thrust his leg and threw Entei from his geta. Entei coughed, a breath of smoke and fog leaving his lungs. He soared in a blur. He smacked and spiraled off the ground and crashed hard through the stone wall of a building behind him. Bits of rubble were scattered on the floor in chunks.

Jin landed but kept his eyes on where he sent it and saw the demon resting on his back. He flexed his fingers, wrapping them tightly on the hilt of his sword, and raised it with both hands. Closing his eyes, he slid one leg back and breathed. His eyes snapped open, filled with bright energy. The cloak of power around his sword flashed, twisted, and shaped like a single-edged blade covering the inner one. Wisps ran off the outer edge, and their light shone over Jin.

He swung his sword down, and bright blue energy rushed as a crescent wave from the blade in a burst that twisted the winds. His arms moved in a swift, upward swing, firing another wave that shook the earth. The arches traveled, cutting into the ground and behind trails of molten stone.

Entei shuddered as he rose off the floor. His eyes shut, he groaned and shook his head, then rose to his feet. A blue hue brightened his body. He opened his eyes, and they snapped wide at the incoming light arches. He crossed his arms over himself. The arcs closed in and struck Entei in a blast of blue light and smoke.

Pieces of the building flew, carried by the violet winds of the blast. Jin watched from where he stood. The winds died, and the stones stopped falling. The dust cloud faded in the wake of the winds, revealing blue fires around him.

At the center, Entei stood. Hunched over, his arms slouched, blue and orange gashes riddled his arms and chest, glowing with their colors. Drops of the demon’s lava and ice-like blood tailed from his wounds, burning holes and forming ice patches as they dripped onto the tiles.

Mixed breaths left his body in deep groans. Entei collapsed to a knee, jabbing his sword into the ground. The wounds on his arms and body were closing, but they were closing little by little. Entei clenched his teeth and looked at Jin. He pushed himself with his sword and stood upright as his wounds closed shut.

“It should not have taken that long to heal…” Entei said.

Jin kept his eyes on Entei.

Entei gnashed his teeth hard, a heated growl emanating from his clenched jaw. “You…!” he said.

Jin wielded his sword and widened his stance.

Entei’s eyes glowed, and wisps of light streamed from the irises. He beamed, orange and blue lights flickering across his body. “You…!” His aura expanded and burst into a vortex of orange and blue energy.

The winds were spurred, twisted, and chaotic, without any discernible direction. Jin guarded himself against the fierce winds. Entei fanned his wings, and the energy enveloping him flickered more intensely.

He bellowed with a deep, growling roar from his throat, “BASTARD!” He dashed ahead with his wings. The air exploded around him, and the ground shattered under him as he took off. His power trailed behind him, and a streak of fire and ice, and he released another cry.

Jin shook, his blue eyes wide, and raised his sword to fight, only for Entei to grab his face and take him into the air. He clutched Entei’s arm with his free hand, groaning under the demon’s palm. Thrashing, he kicked Entei’s chest and sides, but couldn’t free himself from his grasp.

Entei ascended higher and faster with Jin in his hand, turning left and around over the grounds, flying further away from the temple. They soared over the ever-expanding forest, and Entei retained his grip on Jin’s head.

“You wretch!’ Entei snapped. “How dare you challenge me?!”

Jin thrashed in Entei’s grip and continued kicking his body, but to no avail. Entei flew over the forest. Each flap of his tremendous wings carried him and Jin further. The temple grew increasingly distant behind them, and they approached a vast, open grassland.

The field spread amid the surrounding trees. Boulders lay spread through the grass. Entei’s shadow cast itself over the field. He grinned at the environment. His wings stopped, and he pulled back his arm with Jin in his grasp. Entei hissed, muscles bulging as he tensed his arm and threw Jin hard toward the ground.

Jin fell fast, holding his sword tight with his teeth gritted in his descent. He smashed hard, carving a great wound into the earth. Dirt and scattered with rising dust, he crashed into a boulder. The great rock cracked against him, and the ground trembled.

A throb rushed throughout the back of Jin’s head, and a high-pitched whine rang in his ear. The sound dimmed with the pain in his subsiding. His clenched teeth held back a groan, and his eyes creaked open. His vision cleared, and the world around him came into focus; he saw the massive ditch he was in. He blinked a few times and slowly rose to his feet with his sword etched into the ground to help push himself up.

“He’s determined,” Jin said. He looked up and saw the Moon in the sky. Narrowing his eyes, he saw a winged spec making its way over the jewel of the night sky while slowly descending. “But at least being away from the temple will give me more room to fight,” he said.

Jin whipped his sword to his side. He crouched and jumped high out of the chasm, landing on the rock behind. He stood as Entei touched down before him. Entei locked his eye on Jin and closed his wings.

A breeze blew over, stirring the grass and leaves of the surrounding trees. Jin closed his eyes as his hair and tattered cloak bent with the wind, cutting off the energy trails. He breathed, taking the cool air through his nose, and exhaled gently. His snapped open, and the energy trails resumed their flow. He kicked off from the boulder in a streak of light with a boom.

Entei shot up and quickly swung his sword. His blade clashed with Jin’s, and sparks of energy erupted from their sword. The auras of their weapons flared and twisted, rousing the grass beneath them. Entei growled and pushed back, and Jin’s blade flew from his guard. He slashed at Jin’s side, missing as Jin evaded, and attacked with an overhead swing, flames trailing behind his sword. Jin raised his sword and struck Entei’s blade again.

Jin buckled under Entei’s strength, but his footing stood firm on the ground. He pressed his hand on the back of his weapon. His arms strained as Jin rose, pushing Entei back, and he threw Entei’s sword off his. He watched Entei stagger, and he stepped back. Gripping his sword, Jin raised it overhead, and a light blue auric wave cloaked the sword. He swung, striking the ground, and a large blue crescent wave of light rushed from the. It ate a line through the ground and crashed into Entei.

The wave rushed and drove Entei into the surrounding forest, smashing him through tree after tree as the energy burned his body. His voice rasped behind his clenched jaw and burrowed into a growl. The energy pushed him deeper into the forest and collided with a massive tree, setting off a thunderous eruption of dust and light.

Splinters of wood dispersed through the smoke from the blast, and the ground trembled as the light died out. The shaking ceased. In the end, a loud, furious cry. The bestial howl echoed throughout the forest, and a blazing line of fire shot through the smoke.

In the distance, Jin peered at where he sent Entei. He narrowed his eyes and saw an orange beacon of light. The light grew closer and brighter, and his skin stung at the heat as it drew near. Jin’s eyes shot open. He jumped to the side, and flames streamed, roaring out from the trees. Jin locked his arm over himself to protect himself from the heat. The beam of fire blasted clean through the boulder and burned the trees of the surrounding forest behind it.

As the flame died, Jin lowered his arm. He looked and saw a hole melted into the large rock. Embers flicked within, and the molten stone bled out as if from a fresh wound.

A rumble echoed from the trees at the right, and Jin turned to the noise. He saw the cloud of smoke rise over the tree. The rumbling continued, and a lone plume speared from the smoke. A pair of wings fanned out and dispersed the cloud, freeing Entei.

The demon’s eyes lit bright with his power. He saw Jin below and raised his left hand. The winds whistled, and streams of a brisk blue swirled over his palm and converged into a small ball of sparkling ice. Entei drew his arm back, his hand thrust forward, and the orb exploded into spears of razor-sharp ice jetting from his palm. The ice shards streaked down the sky with lines of frost streaming behind them.

Jin readied his sword, and the ice came down fast. Two ice spears rained down, and Jin dashed to the side. They hit the ground, exploding with cold gales, and jagged, frozen stalagmites rose from their impact. More spears came down, and Jin raised his sword.

He dashed and jumped to the side as one spear struck the ground. He then drew his weapon back as he ran. The blade flew in a bright streak, slashing the ice into glittering mist. Two more spears shot down over him. He stopped mid-run and sprinted off, vanishing as a blur, leaving them to impale the ground as he reappeared and continued running.

Above, Entei growled with a cold breath. He stretched out his arm and opened his clawed fingers. Sparkling blue fog gathered in clouds around his arm. The clouds wrapped and froze into a solid coat of ice on his arm and extended into a set of claws.

Entei flexed his claws and flew fast toward Jin. Jin’s eyes went around, and he stopped himself. He raised his sword, and Entei swung out his claws. Bladed ice and draconic steel clashed, sparking dragon energy, and the ice scattered. Entei forced his arm against the sword, and Jin’s feet scraped the ground to keep his body upright.

“Why won’t you die?!” Entei shouted.

“You’re not a good listener, are you, Entei?” Jin snapped back. “I’m not letting the Eye fall into your hands!”

One forced his strength, but the other resisted and pushed back. They stared into each other’s glowing eyes, and their teeth gritted. Jin’s hands trembled. Burning smoke and fog rose from between Entei’s teeth. He opened with a mad roar and swiped his claw, knocking Jin’s large sword out of his hands. The sword spun into the air before spiraling back down and stabbing the ground behind Jin.

Jin staggered back from Entei’s strength. Entei rolled his ice-clad claws tight. He swung his arm in his charge and struck Jin across his face. Jin swayed from the blow, one step overlapping the other. Entei clenched his teeth, opening them with a roar as he took flight, his wings kicking up dust. His legs whipped out in a blur and kicked hard into Jin’s chest.

Jin coughed with the air leaving his body. A great ache spiked throughout his chest. His pupils dilated as he hunched. His dulled sight left the world around him a smudge. It returned only for him to witness a blur rush from under him, and an ice-guarded fist smashed into his chin and shut his jaw.

Entei shot his fist up and threw Jin off with a punch. The swordsman’s body flew over the grass and passed his sword. Jin groaned in the air as he soared. His eyes crept open with his vision clearing. As the world came into focus, he saw Entei in the sky. The demon opened his mouth with a deep exhale, and streams of fire whirled into a flickering sphere of flames. He exhaled and erupted a large ball of hellish flames from his jaws. Jin’s eyes lit open, and he crossed his arms over his body. The fireball lit up the ground under him with a bright orange sheen. It crashed into Jin, meeting the soil in an explosive burst of flame.

The flames scorched the grass around the caved part of the earth, and ember-laced smoke rose from the crater. A line of smoke shot out of the hole in the greater plume. A set of arms fanned out and dispersed the smoke, revealing Jin with a blue aura cloaked around him.

Jin landed on his feet and looked to see Entei in the sky. He gnashed his teeth at the demon. A sudden pang rushed through his body, and he clenched his chest. The light filling his eyes flickered, and the energy streaming from them stuttered before returning to its natural flow. Jin gasped through his teeth. A heaviness overcame his legs like lead chained to his limbs, and he fell to a knee.

Entei smirked at the swordsman. The beating of his wings followed his descent, and he touched down in front of him. “Quite the burden in wielding the dragon’s power. Isn’t it, boy?”

Jin only bared his teeth. His legs remained weighted to the earth. He pressed his hand to his knee. His fingers tensed, muscles trembling as he rose. He faced Entei, and his vision dulled, leaving him to see the world as a dim smudge before it cleared. His teeth clenched harder at the sudden wooziness rushing through his body.

“What’s the matter? Does it feel like life is leaving you?” Entei said. “It was to be expected. A mere human could never truly control Genma’s power. And the dragon was a fool, thinking your pathetic kind was ever worthy of it!”

Entei brought out his arm, and the ice covering it shattered into tiny crystals. His right hand tightened its grip on his sword, and he grinned. The markings on the right side of his glowed orange, and those on the left shone blue. His entire body soon shimmered with the dual flicker of demonic energy. The force swirled around him, snaked around his sword, and enveloped its blade. The elements sheeted the sword with a mixed, illuminated coat with wisps of flames and icy fogs.

He widened his stance and gripped his sword with both hands. Jin panted, looking at the energy running off the blade. His gaze switched between it and the sword with the Eye of Genma still etched in the ground.

“If I can reach for the sword…” Jin thought.

Entei bent his knees and drew his weapon near the ground, and his wings opened, ready for another flight. His glowing eyes set on Jin, and his teeth joined with his curved lips to complete the twisted grin.

“We’ve reached the end, you and I, swordsman,” Entei said. “And with your death, the Eye will be rightfully mine!”

Jin returned his attention to Entei and gnashed his teeth. He closed his eyes and inhaled. The cool air wafted into his nostrils and filled his body. As he exhaled, a bit of the heaviness left his left, and the dizzy feeling parted from his body. He drew his foot back and faced Entei.

“Then come and get me!”

Entei’s smile devolved into a fanged scowl. His eyes glowed with wisps flaring, and his mouth opened with a bestial shriek. He stomped a foot forward, cracking the ground beneath his heels. His wings fanned hard, and he lunged into a vanishing blur. The terrain shattered beneath his strength and speed, and earthen dust whirled in the violent winds where he disappeared.

The winds rushed over Jin. He closed his eyes with his hair sprawling in the wind. He inhaled through his nose, and his chest filled with air. He then exhaled, and his body relaxed. The gales ceased. His skin tingled under a sudden mixed sensation of heat and cold, and his eyes snapped open.

He dashed, ducking his head under a blade coated in flowing frost and fire that emerged from nowhere. A large shadow cast over Jin. His eyes glanced up, and he saw Entei towering over him in his failed attempt to take his head. He switched his gaze to his draconic sword, still in the dirt. With another step, he disappeared in a visage of fading lines.

Entei looked behind, teeth gnashing. “No!”

Jin emerged from a blur and reached for the sword. He grabbed the handle tight, turned with his feet skidding against the ground, and freed the sword. His arm whipped to the side, and he swung the blade down.

Entei turned. His eyes bugged at the sword in Jin’s hands. His teeth grated together, and a hateful growl rose underneath. His fists rattled in his anger, and his brow creased.

“I am done playing games with you, monkey!” he shouted.

He brandished his sword to his side. The elemental forces surrounded, stirred, and twisted throughout the blade’s length. Sparks, fire, and glitter of ice clashed. The sparks crackled in their meeting, replacing the fire and ice. More sparks emerged along the sword, growing. More arcs branched out and erupted with a great, raging thunder as though they spawned from a storm.

Jin’s face brightened in the blade’s flickering illumination. He knotted his brow and drew one leg forward, the other farther back. He drew his sword on the opposite side of his body and slid it under his left hand like a sheath. His brow unclenched, and the rest of his face softened. The light of the lightning brightened his face. Everything became quiet as if deafness had taken over. He then closed his eyes, and everything went black. The darkness was stagnant and surrounded him like a void, with only the sound of his breath audible.

The draconic aura glowed around his body. The light ran off him in waves. The waves drew back, pulling toward his body, and lined around him, forming a sheen brighter than before. The energy veiled around his sword. His entire form shimmered, piercing every corner of darkness created by the clouds above like a star, and the grass around him stirred from the force of his power.

“What?!” Entei saw the light encasing Jin and his sword. The lightning sparking around his blade crackled, the branches sprawling erratically like flailing tendrils. “Your tricks won’t save you, boy. Not this time!” He readied his sword to his side, the sparks following behind the blade, and his wings opened.

Fiery red and frost blue rippled across his body. The grass under him reeled from his energy. The winds, twisted by their combined power, rustled the leaves from the trees around them. Entei’s eyes remained on Jin while Jin’s eyes remained closed.

A lone leaf plucked off a branch. It soared into the distance behind. It drifted, ascending helplessly until its climbing ceased. Little by little, it descended, fluttering in the faint wind’s care. It drew closer to the ground.

Entei widened his stance. Jin stood still, hair flowing in the force he created.

The leaf touched the grass.

Entei’s eyes widened, and he leaned his body and took off with a strong sweep of his wings. The ground shattered, the lightning from his sword trailed behind, and dirt and dust trailed his path.

Jin stood silent. The energy around him continued to glow, with the grass still bending with the wind. Entei sped closer, and the light of the arcs surrounding the demon’s blade flickered on his face. Jin dug his feet into the ground, his eyes snapped open, flaring with energy, and he lashed out his blade.

Two roaring voices filled the air. Lightning and energy met, and streaks of light and sparks erupted in the clash.

The winds died, leaving everything to silence. A shadow loomed over the ground, and drops of red fell onto a spot of grass, speckling its green with red. Jin looked ahead. A trail of red ran down his arm, spilling from an open cut and dripping onto the grass. A sudden spark danced around him, and he jolted as they died.

A heavy, gnarled gasp sounded from behind. Entei shuddered with his breathing. He looked down to find a lava-like, slushed, freezing blood drop on the ground. His eyes followed the drops, finding a great, deep gash hewed into the mixed-colored orb and spanning from his lower body to his shoulder.

The glowing light in the orb on his chest and the marking on his body faded, and the energy flowing through his eyes died. His hands trembled. He dropped his sword, and it dispersed into flames.

Entei panted. He shut his mouth and sputtered with a plashing cough, vomiting his mixed blood from his maw.

“Im…possible,” Entei said. His voice rasped and gargled his own blood. He walked, his legs trembling with each step. “This… monkey… Shimotora… A lowly creature like him… defeated us…” Entei stopped. A frozen spot emerged on his finger. It spread throughout his hand, and the left half of his body turned into ice. The skin of his other half darkened into a burnt black. It rose from his hands and made its way to his neck. “Unbelievable…”

With his breath leaving him, his head solidified. The left half froze solid, and the right half was charred black. His body toppled over and crumbled onto the ground in a pile of smoldering ash and shattered ice.

Jin breathed in and exhaled through his nose. His legs became heavy again, and he clutched his chest with his free hand. Jin dropped to a knee and stabbed the sword into the ground to keep from falling. He then released the sword and planted both hands on the ground. The aura around him dimmed into faint wisps, fading from his body, and the streaming energy left his eyes, restoring their initial blue hue.

The pang left his chest, but his legs weighed him down. In front of him, the sword glowed within the soil. Its power flowed from its draconic steel, and light enveloped it. The light shrank and formed into the shape of a curved jewel. The light died, and the jewel fell to the ground.

Jin panted and grabbed the Eye of Genma. He held the jewel in his palm. Baring his teeth, Jin slowly rose to his feet, quaking from the weight in his legs. He turned and walked to where Entei stood. As he came close, he would see more of his fallen foe’s ruined body. Upon reaching the demon’s final resting place, his eye scanned remains, reduced to only chunks and crumbles in the dirt.

Jin sighed at the Moon and said, “Master Setsu. It’s over… Entei and Shimotora are no more.” His lips lowered, frowning with his loosened brow. “I’m… sorry, I wasn’t quick enough for the temple, its people, and for you. I can... only hope you and the others find peace with the demons finally gone.” He switched his glance to the jewel in his hand. “And Genma…”

A new pain raged in his chest, with his heart pounding in his ears. His shoulders slumped forward, his upper body sagging. He looked ahead. The vision of the world dulled and dimmed. His body tottered from his weight.

“I… I…”

His eyes rolled up and closed shut. He tilted back and dropped hard to the grass.

Everything became quiet again. A calm wind passed through the forest over the field, and the Moon loomed in the sky, bathing the swordsman in its light.

*          *             *

Hours passed. The Moon was lower in the sky, but the night was still there. Below, Jin’s body rested in the lone field. In front of him lay the remnants of Entei. Half of the ashes rested, while the other half of the ice melted away.

In Jin’s hand, the Eye of Genma was undisturbed.

A sudden pattering broke the silence. The sound of grass caving in a rhythmic crunch grew closer to Jin. A pair of sandal-clad geta stopped near Jin’s head, casting a shadow over his body. The figure stood tall and broad, with long silverish-white hair masking his eyes.

“Jin the Swordsman,” the figure said in a deep and raspy voice. “First, Kitetsu, and now Shimotora and Entei. Your skills have allowed you to survive another day.” The figure turned his head to the jewel in Jin’s hand. “But luck was also on your side. Had it not been for the Eye of Genma, you would be in the next world.”

The figure reached down and grabbed the Eye from Jin’s hand. He then picked Jin up by his arms and hoisted him over his shoulder.

“Then again, the fact that the Divine Dragon blessed you with his power and that you could wield it for so long without dying is indicative.” The figure walked ahead, passing Entei’s corpse, and carried Jin under the trees. “Perhaps you’re destined for greater things, but still have much to learn.”

The figure continued with Joe in tow until they disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

• Geta (下駄): Traditional Japanese footwear.

• Ken'atsu (剣圧): 剣 (Ken = Sword) and 圧 (Atsu = Pressure/Force)

Jin II: Fire and Ice - Part 3

Jin breathed with a fog that left his mouth to disappear into thin air. He scanned the demon’s tall, muscular body, seeing the smooth, orange, flame-like markings on the right side and the rigid, light blue ice-like markings on his left. His focus switched to Entei’s chest; he watched the orb of light in the center of his chest glow with a gradient mixture of the two colors.

The matching energies brightened from Entei’s transformed state, illuminating Jin. Jin’s skin tingled, and his cheek twitched from the mixed sting of the heat and cold. The temperatures were present together, yet neither canceled the other. He saw the hairs rise along his arms, stopping near his shoulders, and the hairs on the back of his neck finished what they started.

The elemental energies left the demon’s body in glimmering specs flowing from his eyes.

As Jin moved, his body throbbed. Every part of him ached, and a great sting burned at the side where Shimotora had struck him. He quickly caressed the wound with his hand, placing it over the blood-soaked part of his tunic. He removed his hand and found his blood coating his palm.

“Dammit!” Jin said. He scanned the blood. While it did not paint his entire hand, it was enough to leave the upper half a shade of red. He looked down at his hip and found it bare. Switching his attention to the floor of the temple grounds, he saw his useless, ruined sword. “And without a weapon too…”

Jin lowered his hands to his side and closed his eyes with a sigh. In his closed view, all that faced him was blackness and emptiness. Only the winds and his heartbeat sounded in his head.

“The Eye…” a voice whispered. Its voice was a low, echoing whisper.

Jin’s eyes snapped open. “W-what?” He looked around but saw no source of the voice. “Setsu?”

“The Eye…” Sestsu’s voice whispered again.

Jin blinked at the voice. “I...”

A roar sounded ahead. Jin turned toward the noise. His body became illuminated by orange light that grew brighter as it drew closer. Jin’s eyes went wide, seeing a massive fireball race toward him. Teeth gnashed, skin stung from the heat, Jin crouched and jumped to the side of the fireball’s path. It crashed into the floor with a fiery blast, sending Jin flying back higher into the air.

Jin fell and slammed hard onto the ground, turning onto his stomach. Smoke blew past him as rubble from the temple floor scattered around him. Jin shuddered with a great pain coursing through his body. His arms tensed, and he hissed with gritted teeth and rose to his knees.

His hair dangled over his face, and he sucked what little air he could into his body. He exhaled amid approaching footsteps and looked up to see Entei coming.

Entei stopped. He saw Jin raise himself and brandished a vicious grin. “You don’t have the luxury to afford quiet moments, swordsman. Or rather, former swordsman,” he chuckled.

Jin only stared at Entei. His brow knitted together alongside his breathing. He scanned Entei’s body, noting his horns, wings, and clawed toes. Entei looked at Jin’s disheveled appearance, hair unkempt, face dirty, his bottom lip stained with blood, and the side of his tunic torn.

“By now,” he said, reaching for his ōdachi, “you must realize you were never leaving this temple with the Eye of Genma.” He drew his sword from its sheath and wielded it to his side.

Entei walked toward Jin. His teeth came together in a sharp grin. One step after the other, the edge of his blade lowered to the ground. It scraped against stone, raising flashes of fire. Entei breathed, and a mixture of smoke and fog passed through his clenched teeth.

Jin gnashed his teeth. A low growl emerged from his throat, and he widened his stance. He rolled his fingers into trembling fists and clenched his eyes shut. Body shuddering, he shook his head, opened his mouth, and charged with a roar.

Entei stopped in his path and saw Jin run straight at him. Jin’s sandals clicked against the floor as he ran. He reached Entei, pulled back, and swung his fist, but Entei dodged the blow. Still gritting his teeth, Jin punched again, only for the demon to evade to the right.

Entei narrowed his eyes, gripping his sword with both hands. He raised it overhead and swung down. Jin jumped to the right, leaving the blade to slash the strands of his hair and carve into the ground. He hissed through his teeth as his body burned with another sting from his wound, causing him to stumble.

“You've truly gone mad, boy,” Entei said. “Only a fool would fight me with mere fists.”

Jin readied his hands as he said, “If you truly believe I would hand you the Eye and die without fighting, the only fool here is you!”

Entei growled through his fangs, with his mixed breath running through. He looked at his blade, seeing the moonlight beam on its surface. Entei tilted it, saw his reflection, and then looked at the claws of his other hand. His lips curled up, and he chuckled. He swiped his blade, slid the sword into its sheath, and closed it with a clink. Entei widened his stance with the blade in its home and raised his claws.

“Very well, boy. I have no problem breaking you with my bare hands before you submit. I will save ending you with my blade for last.”

Jin hardened his gaze. He trembled, the wound on his side aching, and realigned his stance. His breathing labored from the pain in his body as he faced Entei.

"He's right,” Jin thought. "There's no way I can stand against him. At least when I had my sword, I could defend myself. But without one, am I merely buying time?”

In front, Entei straightened himself. His large wings fanned out. The Moon cast a great shadow of their shape, and Entei brought his teeth together into a grin.

“Now, prepare yourself!” Entei said. He kicked off and vanished in a stream of blurred lines. Dust circled his previous position from his speed.

Jin shook and steadied himself. His breathing hastened. He looked around but saw only the temple grounds, vacant. A sudden chill raced along his back. He looked behind him. Entei reappeared and crashed his fist into the side of Jin’s face. Jin cried from his open maw and flew from the punch across the grounds. Everything around him meshed into blurs as he soared. A shadow rushed past him through his creaking eyes, and Entei clutched his face into his hand.

 Entei flapped his wings and skidded his monstrous feet on the floor to stop himself. Growling at Jin in his hand, he flapped his wings and took to the air. Jin clutched Entei’s arm and struggled, but could not pry himself loose from his grip. Entei pulled his arm back and dived down fast. His wings beat the air, and he saw the roof of a small building below. His gaze hardened, and Entei tossed Jin to the building.

Jin plummeted and smashed hard onto the roof. The ceiling caved under the force of the impact, and its tile pieces scattered from the crash. Jin cried out, eyes bugged with his body arched, as globs of blood left his mouth.

Jin’s vision blurred and quickly refocused, and he saw a large visage descend over him. Entei dropped down and stomped a foot on his chest. The wooden beams holding the roof together splintered and snapped as Jin smashed deeper through the ceiling, with large pieces crashing and breaking onto the stone floor below.

Entei looked over Jin, whose upper body hung down through the hole in the ceiling. He reached and grabbed his head with his right hand before lifting him. Jin’s lower half swung over the roof.

“Is it sinking in yet?” Entei said. “There is no point in fighting back. It only prolongs your pain!”

A wind blew over them. Jin’s hair and cloak swayed in the air. Another current passed, his eyes snapped open, and his teeth gnashed. He roared from his throat and punched straight at Entei. His fist hit flesh with a smack. Jin’s teeth remained gritted, and his arm buckled.

His fist trembled, clutched in Entei’s brutish hand, and continued to push against Entei’s strength. Entei tightened his grip and crushed Jin’s hand. Jin reared his head back with a gnarled groan. Entei bent back his wrist. Bones crackled, and Jin shouted in another distorted yell. He shuddered. A throbbing ache rushed through his arm, and heated pants left his body.

Entei released his hold on Jin’s hand and quickly lifted him by his arm. He drew his right hand and rolled his fingers, popping his knuckles as they squeezed into a fist.

“I already told you! It’s pointless!” he said.

He let go of Jin’s hand, swung, and slammed his fist into his stomach. The strike sent Jin flying further across the temple grounds.

Jin’s eyes dulled, and his mouth slacked open with blood-mixed spit. He descended with a doll’s lifelessness and smashed into the ceiling of another building. Ceiling tiles flung from the rising cloud of dust and debris, broken into chunks, and flew apart. The dust cleared with the wind, and Jin was on his back in the small cratered hole in the roof.

He lay, eyes shut, long hair sprawled, and cloak tattered at the end. A trail of blood ran down the side of his mouth. Dust and scratches riddled his face, and his eyes winced and fidgeted open, revealing their blue pupils shining in the Moon.

A ring sounded in his ears. His vision blurred, forcing him to see everything in a blotch. It cleared; he came to see the Moon become defined with the ringing’s end. Jin bared his teeth and raised himself on his elbows. He trembled, groaning as he rose to his feet. Jin panted with short, hot breaths and held his side. He wiped his mouth and spat out the blood inside, driving away the taste of iron from his tongue.

He lowered his head, closing his eyes as he continued to breathe. A cold wind blew past him, blowing his hair, and beating wings accompanied the wind. He looked ahead, and his eyes shot open to see Entei in the distance flapping his wings.

Entei faced Jin. His eyes shone in their own colors, and their signature wisps drifted away. He held up his left hand, and the markings on his body glowed. A light blue fog surrounded his hand, and a small spiral of icy whirlwind formed around his palm and quickly dispelled. The wisp around his hand brimmed, and tiny blue balls of ice and snow emerged over it. They quickly developed and sharpened into sparkling crystals.

Jin stared into Entei’s eyes, and he pressed his lips together. His body shuddered, and he held his injured hand.

Entei’s eyes trembled at Jin’s expression, baring his teeth. “Those eyes…” he said. “I despise that look. Even after being beaten, again and again, you look at me as if you think yourself my better.”

Jin kept his focus on Entei. His eyes hardened still, and his breathing shook. Yet, he stood in front of his foe.

Entei’s vicious scowl grew, and he bared more of his teeth. “Stop it…” he said. He drew back his hand with the ice shards and shouted, “WIPE THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE!” He swiped his hand and threw the ice in Jin’s direction.

Jin winced and raised his arm over himself. The shards came fast and struck his body. They whizzed at him with the speed of bullets and sliced at his body, cutting his arms and legs, and he stumbled back from hit after hit. Blood spilled from the cuts, and more still as the shards hit his chest. The onslaught ceased, and Jin dropped to a knee.

Warm blood trailed in thin lines down his arms and legs, with wet, red spots emerging from his tattered tunic. Panting, Jin held his arm. He flinched with the wind hitting his wounds. He gritted his teeth and shook his head before he faced Entei.

Entei growled. His eyes flared; he lashed out with a strong flap of his wings. Jin flinched and stepped back, and Entei disappeared in blurred lines that dispersed. Jin looked around, and Entei reemerged with his fist in a blink and struck Jin with a heavy punch across his face. His head flung with a string of blood flying from his jaw and scattering into drops. Entei whipped his arm back. He threw his fist and punched Jin hard in the chest. Jin grunted with a garbled cough as the air left his body, and another blow struck his chin, shutting his jaw.

Jin soared backward off the roof. He flew over the ground. His battered body was lifeless, eyes shut, and blood leaving his mouth. His messy hair waved in his flight, and he plummeted and hit the stone floor in a violent slam. His body rebounded off the floor, and he dropped again to his back.

He rested on the ground, his entirety unmoved. He sucked what little air he could. His chest rose with his breathing, and his eyes crept open. They flickered upon seeing the light of the Moon. His view blurred and dimmed with his eyes giving in to their weight, and they closed to darkness, casting out the light.

There was nothing. Nothing except a void. No sight of light or even the voice of the wind. Time seemed to have stopped. The beating of wings broke the silence, and the sound drew closer and grew louder. Jin winced at the strong draft as it hit his face and stung his cuts. A force hit the ground, and his body shook from the tremor. He coughed as what felt like a hand grabbed his tunic and lifted him off the ground.

He swung in the grip—a line of light cut through the blackness. The void flickered and gave way to the light as Jin opened his eyes. The light dimmed, and the world came into view. He saw a large, blurred smudge that cleared his vision, and he witnessed Entei holding him up by his tunic. Jin looked around and saw the main temple where the battle started.

Entei looked at Jin with glowing eyes. He held Jin higher, watching his legs swing as he ascended. Tightening his grip on Jin’s tunic, he turned and tossed him in the temple’s direction. Jin flew, and his body smacked against the stairs. He tumbled down and collapsed onto the bottom of the last step.

Jin slumped on his side, hair covering most of his face. He looked through his hair and saw Entei walk toward him. His breathing labored. His body ached with the rising of his chest. His tongue rested, stained by the blood that pooled within his cheek. The taste of iron assaulted his tongue, and he shuddered at his trembling body.

Entei stood before him. He scanned the beaten warrior. His vicious teeth formed a smile.

“And so, it ends,” he said. “Just as I envisioned. But, then again, the outcome was obvious.” Entei gripped the sheath of his sword in his left hand and took the handle into his right. "I'll admit, you lasted longer than I expected. But ultimately, a mere human could never match my strength.”

Entei drew his ōdachi from the sheath and swiped it to his side. The blade gleamed under the Moon. Its writing glowed red.

“You played quite the game, human. But the game is over. And you’ve lost!” Entei held the sword with the blade facing away from him. As he raised his left hand, the markings on his body shone with his demonic power. Orange waves came off the right side of his body in glowing wisps, and icy blue ran off the left. The waves swarmed around him, coiling up along his arm. The energy gathered in his palm formed a bright orb. It glowed with a mix of orange and blue light, its energy pulsing. Tiny sparks of fire and chunks of ice orbited around the sphere.

Jin pressed his hands to the floor and raised his body. Arm’s buckling under his own weight, he turned his attention to Entei. His eyes shifted between the demon’s sword and the elemental energy in his hands. His vision blurred and refocused, and he pushed himself further up.

His hair dangled over his face. “I can’t withstand another of his attacks. But what can I do?” A great sting burned up his side and hissed through his teeth. “Master Setsu… Forgive me… You gave your life to protect the Eye, and I couldn’t get it away from the temple grounds.”

Jin’s brow creased with a narrow gaze at Entei. “But I will still protect it… even if I will be joining you soon.” He closed his eyes. His arms gave out, and his body collapsed.

Everything became black again. A calm breeze brought another wind. Jin breathed as his body rested on the ground. The wind died, and all around him went into a noiseless void.

A voice spoke through the silence, “The Eye…”

Jin’s body twitched at the voice. “Master… Setsu…?” he voiced in his head.

“The Eye, Jin,” Setsu’s voice whispered. Focus your mind, body, heart, and soul on the Eye, and pray to the Divine Dragon. Call… to Genma.”

Jin breathed as his thoughts continued. “The dragon?”

“To those of a worthy cause, the dragon will come…” Sestus’s voice said. It spoke softly and faded.

Silence returned. Jin relaxed his body. His thoughts grew quiet, and an image slowly formed in his mind. The magatama, the curved jewel of the Divine Dragon, became pictured. It brimmed with blue light, pulsing with the dragon’s power.

“Great Divine Dragon…,” Jin whispered wearily. “Great Genma, hear me.”

Entei took the elemental sphere and ran it along the length of his sword. The flames and ice traveled across the blade, coating it with their energy. It glowed in a bright, mixed aura. Specks of fire and ice danced around the blade as it glowed with their combined power, and Entei lowered to the side with its edge nearing the ground.

"I'm going to enjoy this,” Entei said. He came closer, step by step. His sword moved closer to the ground until it touched the stone tiles. The blade scraped the tiles, and orange and blue sparks flew. “The imagery of the ice and flames rending your body puts a smile on my face. But I’ll find more satisfaction from prying the Eye off your corpse.”

Jin continued to speak in a calm voice as Entei approached. “If I am worthy, lend me your strength to… end this beast’s rampage. Many have suffered…,” his breathing halted and quickly continued as he spoke, “by his hands. Innocent people. Master… Master Setsu fought to protect your stone and gave his life. He has… trusted me, and I honor his trust.”

Entei approached Jin, towering over him. Looking down, he gripped his other hand on his sword and raised it over his head. “I don’t know what beetle prattle you’re mouthing about, but it won’t help you or anyone else. Once the Eye is mine, my power will have no equal. I’ll lay waste to anyone who stands in my way!”

Jin gritted his teeth and clutched his hand tight. “Please!” he hissed. “For those slain, for those at risk, lend me your strength to end this!”

Entei raised his sword higher, and the energies around flared more intensely. Orange and blue lights illuminated the area around them, enveloping Entei and Jin in their gleaming colors.

A different blue light pulsed within Jin’s pocket. It beamed again, faintly glowing.

Jin winced. His head felt weighted. The image of the jewel appeared in his mind. A roar of a great beast followed, echoing throughout his subconscious, and the light in his pocket grew brighter.

“Give my regards to the old buzzard in the next world… Jin the Failed Swordsman!” With a demon’s cry, Entei swung his blade for the killing blow.

In Jin’s pocket, the glow erupted, shining brighter than before. It burst forth from the pocket, revealing the gem enveloped in its light. It flew over Jin and Entei’s sword against it.

“What?! What is this?!” Entei shouted.

Energy beams exploded and flickered in different directions, like lightning bolts, seeking an escape. The intensity of the gem’s aura grew more by the second, and another surge of light exploded from the jewel, deflecting Entei’s sword, and he flew back from the force. He flapped his wings, stomped the ground to stop himself, and looked toward the lights.

“The Eye of Genma!” he said. “What is happening?!”

The jewel’s light grew, and everything became enveloped in his radiance.

*          *             *

His eyes opened to a world of blue luminescence covering every inch, and blue light particles danced around the air.

“W…What?” Jin whispered. Jin looked around, seeing only the bright, seemingly empty world. He looked down, finding solid earth underneath him.

He pressed his hands against the surface. His arms trembled under his weight, but he raised and supported himself with his knee. Slowly, he rose and stood upright. He looked ahead, and his eyes went wide.

Before him stood columns of solid rock stretching across to the horizon. Some stood taller than others, protruding through and over the clouds. No Sun hailed the sky above but a canvas of endless blue.

Jin looked around and saw the endless columns of stones and a stream of clouds, but not a single sign of life. “What is this place? And Entei. Where did he–?”

A rushing gale cut him off. He crossed his arms over himself as his hair and tattered tunic waved violently in the wind. The wind ceased.

Jin turned around as he said, “What in the world was–” His words ended with his mouth open wide and his eyes.

He looked heavenward.

In the sky was a dragon the size of a giant. Its belly was white, along with its gleaming scales. Enormous leather wings rested on its back while its arms and claws were at its sides. Its long, serpentine body coiled around the rock column where Jin stood, reaching down through the clouds below.

Jin focused on the creature’s face, gazing at its blue, crystal-like eyes and the energy trails flowing from them.

The dragon looked down at Jin. Its breath left its nostrils as a glistening fog.

Jin stared at the dragon. He closed his mouth and opened it again, but he said nothing. Closing his mouth again, he breathed through his nose and exhaled as he spoke, “The Divine Dragon. Genma.”

Genma remained silent. It lowered itself and neared Jin's head. Jin stepped back.

“You.” Genma’s deep but calm voice echoed throughout the area. Jin stood, eyes bugged at the dragon’s tone. “Young swordsman. Take my ki and use it to defeat this evil. But be wary. My essence is not of the mortal kind. Focus on it, not with your strength but with your spirit.”

Jin’s eye remained set on Genma. They trembled at the sight of the divine beast. And yet, his arms and legs remained still. His eyes stopped shaking, and his brow creased.

“I understand!” Jin said.

Genma opened its massive jaws, revealing its enormous diamond-white fangs. He raised his head and roared at the sky. His voice boomed, shaking everything around him, and Jin widened his stance to brace himself. Gemna flapped his incredible wings, creating powerful gusts as Jin crossed his arms over his body while his hair and tunic swayed in the violent winds.

With another beat of his wing, Gemna took off and soared higher into the sky. A light blue aura formed around his body and erupted into flickers. The energy grew brighter, and light developed throughout his body. The dragon ascended higher into the sky and bolted in a flash of energy. Genma plummeted toward Jin, who looked up from below. The dragon collided with him in an explosion of light.

A bluish hue shrouded Jin’s entire body. He bent at his knees, his whole body shuddering. Heat surged through him and housed itself in his chest. His upper body burned as though his heart had become a furnace. He shut his eyes as he clutched his chest, and an aura blazed around him like fire. Jin shook from power. He gnashed his teeth with a grunt and dropped to a knee.

Jin then sucked in the air, and his eyes settled. The heat in his chest dimmed from the coolness overtaking it. He exhaled, and a cooling rush overcame the heat. He breathed again, and his trembling ceased. As his body settled, he stood up, lowered his arms, and raised his head. The aura around him glowed and flared, expanding into a massive tower of energy. It grew until it covered the rock column's peak and rose into the sky.

*          *             *

Entei kept his arms crossed from the blinding lights. The lights died down, forming a halo of blazing energy. Entei lowered his arms and stared at the light. In it, he saw Jin standing on his feet.

Jin stood with his head lowered as the aura glimmered around him. His hair and cloak danced in its power, and he raised his head. He opened his eyes, and they glowed with wisps of energy swirling around them.

Entei’s eyes widened. “No! How can he–?”

The wounds on Jin’s body and face glowed, and Entei gnashed his teeth at their radiance. The cuts on his side and arms and the ice wounds on his chest shrank and sealed, leaving only the blood behind.

“No! Entei hissed. “How are you doing this?!”

“Already told you, Entei,” Jin said. “I wouldn’t hand over the Eye and die without fighting!”

Jin opened his right fist, revealing the Eye of Genma floating over his palm. Entei’s eyes cemented their focus on the jewel. He growled through his gritted teeth.

A bright orb of light formed around the Eye and glowed into a pulsing sphere. Raising his hand, Jin clasped the ball of light. It squeezed in his hand, streaks of light shone through between his fingers, and Jin drew out and opened his hand.

The light stretched, shaping into an ōdachi. Its light illuminated Jin’s body, and he grabbed the sword’s handle. It continued glowing, and Jin swung it down. The light crackled and flaked away like molted skin, giving way to a long, single-edged, blue-tinted blade. The moonlight shone on the white and grey dragon scales on the blade’s back. In the center of the white dragon-themed hilt was the Eye Genma.

The aura bathed Jin in its glow. It retreated and wrapped itself around the sword, but the flowing energy in Jin’s eyes remained. He brought the blade to the front, widening his stance as he gripped his other hand on the handle.

“Now, Entei,” Jin said. He hardened his gaze at Entei. “Come take the Eye if you still believe you can!”

Jin II : Fire and Ice - Part 2

A dreaded wind drifted through the decimated Temple of the Dragon, carrying traces of snow and ember. The fires and patches of ice remained, along with the corpses of the slain innocents.

On the temple grounds, Jin stood, holding his sheathed sword. His thumb rested on the guard, ready to draw. His teeth gnashed, and he set his sights on Entei and Shimotora, who stared back at him. He watched Shimotora flex the claws of his humanoid tiger form. He then switched his attention to Entei, who held his sheathed sword.

Shimotora breathed. With a faint growl, a cold fog passed from his fanged jaws. His left eye glowed, its signature icy blue energy surrounding it. The muscles of his large body bulged with every growled breath.

Entei pressed his thumb on the guard of his sword, revealing red markings on the blade. The markings stretched across both sides of the blade, forming a single line of text. The sword left the sheath and shone in the moonlight.

Jin narrowed his eyes at the red markings. “What kind of language is that?” He said under his breath.

“Lost, in thought, human?” Entei’s voice said.

Jin snapped from his thoughts and faced Entei.

Entei smiled at Jin’s attention and placed his sheath under the sash of his pants. “You’re wondering what’s written on this sword, aren’t you?” he laughed. “The inscriptions are written in divine characters beyond what your apish mind can understand, so allow me to translate.” Entei brought the sword and held the base to his face. “It reads, ‘All submit to the purgatory of the dreaded flames.’”

Jin tensed at the words. His fingers wrapped tight around his sword, following Entei’s laugh.

“Ghastly, isn’t it?” Entei sneered. “Some of us stronger demons are fortunate enough to wield a Magu, demonic arms of the Makai. You’ll find that my weapon, Rekka, is far superior to any piece of tin and wood.”

Shimotora snickered and stepped toward Jin. “And you’ll find my claws more lethal than a mere blade. They’ll tear the flesh from your bones like paper!”

Jin scoffed, “Hmph! You won’t know that unless you kill me, demons!”

Shimotora growled, baring his fangs as he flexed his claws. “Your voice grows irksome, fly spec! Although you won’t have a voice once I tear out your throat!”

Shimotora widened his stance. He placed one leg behind the other, lowered his body, and set his hand on the ground. Facing Jin, his left eye glowed brighter with wispy energy. He dashed and disappeared.

Jin stood firm and held his damaged sword. A frigid wind brushed past his cheek, and he faced the right. His eyes looked around, yet he saw nothing except Entei, who gripped his sword with both hands.

Another chill surged throughout his body, and a force struck his body. The wind left his lungs in a loud cough, and he hunched over from the strike. Jin’s eyes strained to see Shimotora, with his knee rammed into his chest.

Shimotora pressed his knee hard into Jin’s body and launched him away. Jin flew back from the force of the kick. He hit the ground hard. Rolling on his chest, Jin clutched the pain throbbing in his body. He sucked whatever air he could back into his lungs, catching his breath, and his eyes flickered open.

A loud cry and fire roared above, and Jin’s eyes snapped open. He saw Entei plummeting toward him, holding his cursed sword over his head. Gnashing his teeth, Jin raised his body. He groaned with the pain in his chest sharpening from the change in position and leaped to the side. Entei swung hard, missing Jin by a hair’s breadth and slashing his cloak.

Jin rolled to the ground and kicked himself up. He placed his sword into his sheath and faced Entei.

Entei sneered at Jin and readied his sword. He flapped his draconic wings and flew straight at Jin, who jolted at the demon’s speed. Grabbing his sword’s hilt and sheath, Jin removed it from his sash and raised it. Entei swung and clashed his sword against Jin’s sheath. He stomped forward and forced Jin back with his blade, cutting into the wood.

Entei smirked and pushed, leaving Jin to stumble. He charged and jabbed his elbow into Jin’s body. Jin gnashed his teeth, leaning from the strike, and Entei focused his strength and shoved Jin away to stagger again. He raised his sword. Facing the bladed edge of his body, Entei raised his left hand. It glowed with bright orange light, moving in wisps. The wisps flicked faster by the second and erupted into flames around his hand. Drawing his hand, he ran it over his sword, coating it in the fire.

“Human!” Entei called. He saw Jin hold where Shimotora struck him. His eyes widened with his sinister smile when he noticed Jin’s eyes widen at his flaming sword. “Let us see how you fare against this!”

Entei gripped his sword with both hands and drew it back. Further tightening his grip, he swung with great strength, and a large wave of flames rushed from the blade toward Jin. Jin bared his teeth and jumped to the side, escaping the fires. The burning wave passed Jin and slammed into the wall behind in a blast of fire. The explosion thundered, echoing throughout the temple with pieces of stone scattering and hitting the ground as Jin covered his face from the light and debris.

Jin bared his teeth at the rising heat, and the light died. He looked at where the wave of fire hit, and his eyes went wide upon seeing the hole blasted into the wall. The fire burned on the edges, and charred pieces littered the ground.

Entei held his fire-cloaked sword as he said, “There’s more!” He swung his sword and unleashed another wave of fire from the blade. Drawing his sword again, he swayed with greater force, sending another wave bigger than the last that traveled over the ground.

Jin saw the flames fast approaching, and he bent to his knees. He sprinted ahead and jumped to the side, leaving it to hit the wall behind in a sound blast. He continued running to the larger wave. His skin itched at the approaching heat, and his eyes narrowed at its light. Crouching in his run, leg muscles tensing, Jin jumped high over the fire. The end of his cloak waved, and its edges crisped into cinders over the roaring flames.

Descending fast, Jin pulled back his sheathed sword into his hands and struck Entei in the face. Entei cried out from the blow and staggered to the side. Upon landing, Jin pursued Entei and jabbed his sheath into his body. He swung again, clashing his sheath against Entei’s chin, knocking him back.

Jin charged at Entei, and a loud tiger roar bellowed in the distance. He turned toward the cry and witnessed Shimotora stampede toward him.

Shimotora’s large feet pounded against the stone stiles as he ran. He moved faster and disappeared in a sudden burst. Jin squinted and looked around to find him. A growl sounded, and he turned his head, catching a glimpse of a pale blue blur before it vanished.

Everywhere Jin looked, the blur disappeared with dust kicked off the ground. A pawed fist struck him across his face at another turn of his head. His head reeled with spit and blood flying from his jaw. His eye snapped open, and he saw Shimotora close in with another furious charge.

Shimotora swiped his claws and slashed Jin’s side. Jin released a gnarled cry at the tearing of his flesh. A hard cough choked out of him as Shimotora dashed and hammered his fist into his chest. Jin clicked his teeth together with the air leaving his body, and Shimotora held him in the air by his fist.

He glared at Jin as he raised him higher. Growling, he pulled back and struck his palm onto Jin’s chest. Jin flew, hit the ground, and rolled onto the floor. He stopped in front of a temple wall.

Jin’s long, dark hair rested over his face. Trembling, he raised himself. His legs shook. He hissed at the sharp sting in his sides, gripping where the demon’s claws cut him. Touching the open wounds, he shuddered and opened his hand. The blood painted his palm red and dripped onto the tiles below. He diverted his attention and witnessed the three streaks of cut flesh. He winced at the warmth of his blood trickling over his skin and staining a spot of his tunic.

His wound throbbed, forcing another hiss through his clenched teeth, and he dropped to his knee.

Shimotora stood before him, and he bared his teeth. He smiled with a growled laugh while flexing his claws. “No, little swordsman!” he said, drawing his claws back. “I am not through with you yet!”

A cold fog emerged around his paw, and a sheet of ice grew around his claws. The mist rose around his paw and became brighter until it warped into a freezing aura. Shimotora bent his knees and lowered his chilled paw to the ground. A small icy patch formed in the presence of his power. He flexed his paw, and the patch of ice pulsed with a cold gale, with jagged spikes of ice growing and increasing in size.

Jin locked his stance with his hair and cloak swaying in the icy winds. Shimotora focused on Jin. Stomping forward, he swiped his arm and unleashed a wave of ice in large, jagged spikes.

Still holding his wound, Jin leaped away as the wave morphed into a massive ridge and crashed into the wall behind him. The rigged wall of ice crushed through the stone, breaking it into chunks and scattering them onto the ground.

Jin skidded on his feet in his landing. He panted, clutching his wound, and clenched his teeth with a wince at the pain. Hot breath left his body, and sweat rolled down his head.

“On the brink already, human?” Shimotora’s voice called. Jin raised his head and saw the demon step toward him. “As I told you, I’m not through with you. NOT YET!” he shouted.

Shimotora clutched his claws and opened his fanged maw. He inhaled, and streams of freezing air entered his body. His muscular chest expanded with his breath, and he closed his mouth. Aiming at Jin, he opened his mouth with a thunderous roar, unleashing a massive blizzard of violent icy gales.

The winds twisted, spiraling at Jin, who crouched to his knee. He jumped high, evading it. The twisted gales hit the floor below, exploding in a flurry of cold, dreadful winds. Giant, jagged spikes grew from where his breath hit. The winds blew fiercely, carrying bits of ice and snow, and Jin flew from the force over Shimotora and across the temple grounds. He crashed and rolled on the ground, and his body smacked the stone wall of a building. His eyes closed, his teeth gnashed upon hitting the wall, and he collapsed onto the floor.

Jin’s long, dark hair whipped over his head and face as he rested on his side. His teeth clicked together, and he shivered from a chill that rushed throughout his body. Jin trembled and rose to his knees. His hair dangled over his head.

“Dammit…!” He growled. A great sting burned from his injured side, and he gripped his wound. He panted, shaking with the cold and the pain overtaking his body. “Their mastery over the elements is monstrous!” he said. “They manage them with extreme control…,” he looked over the massive wall of ice carved in the temple walls, “and with the raw power to match it!”

Jin’s eyelids grew heavy. They lowered and closed while he continued to catch his breath.

“Swordsman!” Entei’s voice shouted.

Jin’s eyes snapped open at the call. He looked around, eye scanning the grounds, but couldn’t find him. A flapping noise sounded, and Jin shot up. The flapping sound was steady but carried force, the sound of beating wings.

“Above!” Jin looked to the sky. He saw Entei high in the air, flapping his draconic wings to stay airborne.

Entei looked down at Jin. He held his sword in his hand, with the edge of its demonic blade gleaming in the moonlight.

“I hate to admit it, but you certainly have an annoying talent for narrow escapes. Few have been able to avoid my flames or Shimotora’s ice for so long. I suppose even animals can find ways to survive if their lives are at stake.”

Jin sneered. “That only means we won’t allow ourselves to die to horrid creatures so easily!”

Entei scowled and clutched his sword tight. “Even when you’ve seen our might, you speak as if you’re our equal! You have yet to strike us with your sword since you discovered what contact with our blood does to it.” His frown curved into a smirk, gripping his sword in both hands. “Very well. We will see how long your instincts can keep you alive before I carve out your heart.”

Jin gripped his sword and sheath and widened his stance while lowering his body. He clutched the handle of his sword tightly and looked at Entei. A lone bead of sweat ran and fell from his brow. His breathing slowed but steadied itself.

Entei focused his sights on Jin as his beating wings kept him in the air. Firming his grip on his sword, he flashed a sinister smile. “Here I come!” He flapped his wings and soared down toward Jin.

Jin unsheathed his sword with a fierce swing and clashed his blade against Entei’s in sparks of white light. Jin’s arms fastened, and his feet skidded back against the ground at Entei’s strength. Entei growled with smoke rising through his clenched teeth, forcing his might against Jin, and pushed him back and charged with another beat of his wings.

Entei readied his sword and swung at Jin, but Jin ducked his head from the swing. He charged, slashing at Entei, and their blades clashed in another flash of sparks. Entei withdrew his sword and stomped ahead with another strong swing. Jin raised his guard and met his sword against Entei’s once more. With another stomp, Entei forced himself through, breaking Jin’s guard, and rammed his knee into Jin’s chest.

A shock rushed through his body, and Jin gnashed his teeth. Growling, he tightened his hand into a fist and crashed it into Entei’s cheek. Entei stumbled back with a loud cry, and Jin focused on Entei’s sword. He charged toward Entei, drawing his sword around with both hands, and drove into Entei’s shoulder.

Entei roared, driving his head back with his eyes shut. His lava-like blood spurted from the wound and dripped down, burning holes into the stone floor. Jin placed his hand on the bottom of his sword. He tensed the muscles in his arm and pierced straight through Entei’s shoulder, forcing a louder cry from the demon. Entei’s eye bugged with the blade driven into his flesh, and he drew his teeth together.

“Damned human!” Entei snapped! He raised his arm and struck his elbow onto Jin’s shoulder. Jin stumbled onto his feet, but held his position, and Entei slammed into his shoulder again.

Jin trembled. The pain rattled throughout his body. His footing was still steady, and he held his sword with both hands. Gripping tight, he slashed down clean through Entei’s shoulder.

Entei cried out with the roar of a wounded beast. Fire erupted from his mouth, blood dripping and burning holes in the floor. Stumbling back, he gripped his shoulder and dropped his sword.

Jin drew his blade back and saw Entei’s blood coating its already chipped length. The sword’s metal melted at the blood’s power. Its molten metal dripped away little by little and snapped in half. The upper portion clanged to the floor.

Jin’s mouth lined at his decimated sword. “Just as well,” he said, dropping the other half to the ground, “it wouldn’t have held for long.” He took a step and hissed through his teeth. He gripped his wound, and his legs buckled with a sharp sting rushing up his side. “Dammit!” he said behind his gritted teeth.

Shaking his head, Jin snapped back and set his sights on Entei’s Rekka. He ran over, hobbling, and grabbed the sword off the ground. He gripped the sword and ran his hand along its length, focusing on the characters inscribed on it.

“All submit to the purgatory of the dreaded flames.’ In that case, let’s see if the same is true for demons,” Jin said.

“Human!” Shimotora’s voice roared. Jin directed his attention ahead, and Shimotora emerged from blurred lines. Standing, he flexed his claws and looked behind Jin. He witnessed Entei clutching his nearly severed arm and refocused his attention on Jin. “You’re stubborn. I respect your tenacity, but it is all pointless.”

“Indeed,” Entei said, “You might have my sword, but you won’t live nearly long enough to use it.”

Jin lined his mouth. “So, you say. You fail to consider that I’m still alive and with your sword. Your poor judgment matches your arrogance!”

“What?!” Entei snapped. He gnashed his teeth together with smoke that emerged through his teeth. He rolled his fists, and they became enveloped with flickering flames. “Even now, you continue to mock us, you conceited animal!” Entei flapped his wings and took to the air. “I’m going to kill you, boy. And I’m going to enjoy it!”

Jin’s hair and cloak fluttered in the wake of Entei’s beating wings, and he scowled at the demon. He turned his head and saw Shimotora step forward.

Shimotora’s cold breath left as fog from his mouth, flexing his claws again. “Not before I tear him to pieces, Entei.” He took another step. “Then, you can have the privilege of burning his mangled corpse!”

“All the same, ape! You are not leaving this temple alive, and certainly not with the Eye of Genma in your grasp!”

Jin focused on Entei, then on Shimotora. He switched his attention to the sword and gripped it tight, knitting his brow together before focusing on the demons again. “Then take it!”

Entei snarled like a dragon and opened his mouth. A plume of fire shaped into a flickering sphere in his jaw. He threw his head down with a vicious growl and breathed a stream of roaring flames at Jin. Jin turned and swung the sword, clashing it against the fires. His arms tensed, but he pushed forward and slashed through the flames, dispersing them into dying embers.

Shimotora watched as the flames faded into nothing. He growled with the ferocity of his animal image. Readying his claws, he stomped forward and vanished in a blur. Jin turned his head as soon as Shimotora disappeared. He relaxed his grip on the sword but kept it firm. He took in a breath and exhaled.

A sharp, icy wind stung his cheek, and he faced left, saw a blue, lined blur become apparent, and swung the sword, clashing against Shimotora’s claws as he appeared. Shimotora growled and swiped his other claws, and Jin guarded with the blade.

Shimotora forced his bulk into his claws, pushing Jin, but Jin reinforced his stance, causing his sandals to skid against the ground. The wound at his side throbbed, and his legs shook at the pain. The sound of wings boomed, and he looked behind, seeing Entei fly at him with his hands cloaked in fire.

Jin strained as he stood upright and jumped back from Shimotora, leaving Entei to fly past them. He touched down and reaffirmed his grip on the sword as Entei flew to Shimotora’s side.

Entei brought his hands to his sides, and the fires that cloaked his hands erupted into spinning fireballs. Next to Entei, Shimotora breathed, and cold waves of air entered his body. Jin braced himself and charged with the sword drawn back. Entei drew his arms forward and emitted a spiraling stream of flame from his hands. Shimotora roared, unleashing a blizzard of freezing winds from his mouth.

The waves of fire and ice raced straight at Jin, and Jin ran ahead. As he ran, Jin swung, and the blade and waves clashed. Jin’s body trembled from the force of the elements. His teeth gnashed together, and his skin twinged at the heat and cold. His wounds ached, and the sting from them and the elements all mixed into a new blend of pain. Jin gnashed his teeth and cried, slashing clean through fire and ice waves. They dispersed, scattering into specks of embers and frost that disappeared in the wind.

Entei and Shimotora looked at the display with widened eyes, and Entei took flight. He soared straight at Jin, readying his hand. He cloaked it with fire and swiped at Jin’s head. Jin ducked from the burning hands. He felt the flames’ heat lick his cheek, and he slashed Entei’s chest with a mighty swing.

Jin stepped forward with a turn, swinging his leg, and kicked Entei across his face. Entei cried out as his blood spilled and swung at Jin with another punch. Jin weaved his head from the blow. Raising the sword over his head, he swung down hard and sliced across Entei’s shoulder and body. More of Entei’s hot blood dropped onto the temple floor, following another of his cries.

Entei slammed onto the ground and clutched the wounds on his body.

Jin ran at the downed demon with the sword drawn. A roar sounded, and he stopped. Looking up, he saw Shimotora rushing at him with his claws ready. Jin raised the sword with his other hand pressed against his back and clashed it against Shimotora’s claws. Jin steadied himself but buckled against Shimotora, who pushed back, growling through his fangs.

Shimotora threw his arms and pushed Jin away, leaving him to stumble at his feet. He charged again as Jin readied the sword. Shimotora lashed his claws with an arched swing, but Jin weaved his head, and the claws slashed off strands of his hair.

Jin tightened his grip on the sword, widened his stance, and raced toward Shimotora. He lunged with a loud cry and slashed down across Shimotora’s chest. Shimotora roared with his icy blood, leaving his wound, staggering back, and rearing his head. Jin rushed, crashed his shoulder against the beast’s chest, and slashed his body again.

A louder roar raged from Shimotora’s maw, and more of his cold blood dripped onto the ground. His eyes flared and set their sights on Jin, who looked back at him.

One glared hard at the other. The wind drifted, brushing Shimotora’s fur and forcing Jin’s hair and cloak to dance. The wind was gone. The two still focused their hardened gaze on each other. Jin braced his stance, tightening his grip on the sword, and Shimotora flexed his claws as the wisp of energy around his eye flickered.

The jagged ice wall from Shimotora’s earlier attack smashed through the temple wall. In the silence, cracks formed on the ice’s surface. The cracks grew more prominent, and a large chunk broke off and fell to the ground with a thunderous crash.

Shimotora’s eyes lit up in the wake of the noise. He bent his knees and flexed his claws.

“Now… DIE!” Shimotora roared, and he disappeared in a dash. The dust that was under his feet swirled as he took off.

Jin held the Rekka tight in his hands. Breathing through his nose, he closed his eyes and exhaled. The world around him became silent save for the beating of his heart. In his created silence, even time became irrelevant.

He breathed again, and a gust of freezing air brushed his cheek. His eyes snapped open, and he swung the sword with great force. The vicious sound of a blade cutting through flesh broke the silence.

A faint pant met the winds. Blood dripped onto the temple ground and stained the stone tile.

Jin stood with the sword clutched tight in his hand. He caught his breath and looked forward. Thin trails of blood ran down from two cuts on his cheek. Cold, blue blood, stained with icy fog, marked the edge of the Rekka. Steam emitted from the specks of freezing blood, and they slowly evaporated from the sword.

A gnarled roar echoed and broke the silence. Jin turned around to see Shimotora huddled over, trembling.

Wet, hearty coughs left Shimotora’s quaking body. A large, deep, icy blue gash ranged from his left shoulder to his lower body. His blood ran out of his wound and fanged jaw, dripping down onto the floor in a frozen spot. He looked down at his injury, panting. He turned around and faced Jin, revealing his condition.

“You…,” he said. His blood gargled in his voice. “How could you… a human… do this… to me?”

“Admittedly, it was a guess…,” Jin said. “Your blood damaged my sword, and with your ability to heal, I knew I couldn’t defeat you with a mundane weapon, not as I did with Kitetsu. With Entei stating that his sword was beyond mere steel, it only took slightly longer to figure out if it would affect you two.” Jin panted. His body grew heavy, quaking under his weight. “I’m no demon, but when I cut through your ice and Entei’s flames, I knew I had a chance.”

Shimotora’s eyes went around, and his breathing slowed. His arms fell to his sides. The wisp of icy energy around his left eye flickered. It grew smaller, weaker, and died out in a faint huff.

“Shimotora… The Claw of the Ice… cut down… by this… small human...,” Shimotora panted. His eyes struggled to stay open. “Entei… kill him… and take the Eye of Genma… for now, only you can…”

More blood dripped from Shimotora’s wound. A final fog, his cold breath left him. His body tilted back and fell hard onto the ground with a loud thud.

Jin panted with his hot breath filling his lungs. A sharp sting ran up the side of his body, and he ground his teeth together. He stabbed the sword into the ground, holding himself steady, and collapsed to his knees. He closed his eyes, and his breathing steadied.

“YOU!” A voice roared.

Jin quickly shot his head up, only to be struck on the side of his face. His grip released itself from the sword and flew before hitting the ground. His head rested on the ground as his cheek throbbed from the punch. Baring his teeth, he pushed himself and balanced himself on his elbows. Shaking from the pain in his cheek, he saw Entei back on his feet.

Entei stood with his fist out and fanned it open. A fiery-orange glow enveloped his hand, as did his sword. The sword lifted itself from the ground and flew into Entei’s hand. Entei then returned the sword to its sheath as the light around it faded.

Turning his head, Entei looked at Shimotora’s corpse, which rested by his side. His eyes focus on Shimotora’s. They were glazed, bold without light. “Shimotora…,” he said. He returned his attention ahead and saw Jin rise to his feet.

Jin stared back at Entei. A small trail of blood ran down the side of his mouth, and he wiped it on the back of his hand. His brow creased, and his gaze hardened at the demon.

Entei looked and scanned Jin’s body. He saw how the wounds rested on Jin’s body and face, clothes stained with blood and filthy from the fight. Yet, he saw that his eyes were unmoved. Entei gnashed his teeth together, and smoke rose from between them.

“You conceited, wretched human!” he hissed. “Who do you think you are? We are faster than you, stronger than you, capable of more than your frail kind can imagine. And yet, you challenge us!” He growled. “And that look…!” He looked into Jin’s eyes. “Despite everything, you look at us… at me… as if we’re equals. No, you believe yourself to be superior!”

Jin remained silent and stood upright.

Entei rolled his hand into a trembling fist and turned to Shimotora’s body. He raised his fist in the air. With a shout, he threw it down and punched straight into Shimotora’s chest, and slush-like blood gushed from the wound.

Jin shook at the display. “What is he doing?”

Fog rose from the hole in Shimotora’s body. Entei plunged his arm deep into the corpse and stopped. Gritting his teeth, he pulled his arm, causing more blood to leave the wound. Shimotora’s freezing blood riddled his hand and evaporated in only seconds while an organ thumped in his palm.

Jin’s eyes trembled at the sight of the organ, and he whispered, “His… his heart?”

The heart was large, barely fitting in his hand, and bearing an ice-like texture. It thumped, as if it were still pumping blood, despite being outside the body. Entei clutched the heart and looked at it as he said, “The heart is a crucial part of any being. It is where their soul resides, as well as their power.” His brow creased, with his eyes narrowed at the heart. “And Shimotora’s heart, his Heart of the Bestial Tundra, houses his power over ice.”

Jin creased his brow. “Shimotora’s soul?”

Entei bared his teeth at Jin’s voice and faced him. He scanned Jin’s body again, focusing on his wounds and the dirt on his clothes. Entei fashioned his teeth into a grin.

“Our skirmish has taken more out of you than your brave façade is letting on, boy,” he said. “The way you are now, it would be a simple matter for me to burn you alive. But no. No, we are far beyond the mercy of quick ends now.” Entei stepped forward. “For cutting down Shimotora with my sword, primate, I’m going to leave with a final vision: A nightmare beyond even death itself!”

Jin tensed at Entei’s words and noticed Entei bring the heart closer to his mouth.

“Now, bear witness!” He opened his mouth wide and sank his teeth into the heart.

Jin’s eyes lit up with horror as he watched Entei bite into the heart more. The sound of jaws chewing in relentless feasting filled the outside.

Entei ate the heart piece by piece and shoveled the last bit into his mouth before he swallowed it in a massive chunk down his throat. He took his palm away from his mouth, panting, and wiped the drops of freezing blood away from his jaw. He hunched over, and an orange light glowed around him without warning. Entei grunted with the sudden tensing of his body and gripped his chest. The flame-like markings on his side glowed as well. Suddenly, the orange light around him brightened, and the left side of his body gave off a light-blue glow mixed with the orange.

Jin’s heart pounded, and his eyes bugged at the lights around Entei’s body. “It can’t be!” he said.” He’s changing again?!”

A set of rigid, ice-like markings emerged on the left side of his body and glowed light blue, and the same glow appeared in his left eye. Entei released his hold on his body and threw his head back with the roar of a raging beast. His upper body and arms grew in muscle, his legs bulked, and his feet rose and crushed the ground beneath them. His feet stretched his pointed shoes until they tore open. They resembled a dragon’s clawed toes. Shockwaves emitted from the force of his muscles as his body grew, and Jin covered his face with his arm from the furious winds produced by the shockwaves.

Jin bared his teeth as a stinging mixture of hot and cold winds hit his face, and he opened an eye as they ceased.

The energies around Entei’s body flowed in wisps. A blue light filled his left eye, and an orange light filled his right. He grew taller with his body changing to fit the proportions of his newly acquired muscle mass. The flesh of the upper sides of his head bulged and formed into gray horns. Large clusters of ice formed on his arm and shoulder. They cracked and shattered into pauldron and gauntlet.

The glows in Entei’s eyes faded, but the sclera carried their colors, and wisps of the same colors flickered around them. An orb with the colors appeared in the middle of Entei’s chest, and he clenched his fists as he stood upright.

Jin furrowed his brow. “Dammit!” he said. “His yōki has gotten stronger. I can feel it, even from here!”

Entei walked forward. Jin braced himself but shuddered and gripped his injured side. As Entei walked, fire cloaked his right hand, and a freezing fog enveloped his left.

“Now, Jin the Swordsman,” he said, “you face a true demon!”

• Rekka (烈火): Inferno or Raging Fire

• Magu (魔具): 魔 (Ma = Demon / Evil / Devil / Magic) and 具 (Gu = Tool)

• Yōki (妖気): 妖 (Yāo = Demon / Devil / Monster / Phantom / Specter) and 気 ( Ki/Qi = Energy / Life Energy)

Jin II: Fire and Ice - Part 1

It had been some time since Jin slew the dreaded Kitetsu in battle. He had been guarding the Magatama of Genma for over two weeks, moving from village to village in his travels. In time, he reached his destination: the Temple of the Dragon, an ancient sanctuary in the mountains. The temple was extensive, spanning a compound throughout the plateau. It could almost serve as a small city.

A small collection of huts built on wooden footholds connected by bridges leading to the mountain’s temple grounds.

Jin reached the main temple and presented the gem to the keepers. They placed it within the jaws of a great stone dragon resting in their temple’s heart. He decided to stay at the temple to rest and recuperate from his fight with Kitetsu. During his time, Jin came to find the temple’s inhabitants to be quite hospitable. They gave him food, tended to his wounds, and gave him new clothes with a new sword. It was a ninjatō, a fine blade attached to a black-and-blue-wrapped hilt.

During his time, Jin learned new information from the keepers of the temple.

When it was time for him to leave the mortal world, Genma, a mighty Divine Dragon and protector of the eastern lands, allowed the humans to carve a curve-shaped gem out of his crystal-like eye. Imbued with the essence of the Divine Dragon, the Eye of Genma became known as a magical artifact that enabled humans to protect themselves from evil. However, wicked demons have simultaneously sought the dragon’s eye to bolster their power.

Jin sat alone in his small hut, a wooden shelter away from the temple grounds. Next to him rested his new sword on the floor as he scanned the writing on the paper.

“Incredible,” he said. “I had heard rumors of the jewel used to bring good fortune, but I had no idea it would be something so powerful. If it truly does possess the essence of a Divine Dragon, it might bear other powers as well.” Jin rolled more of the scroll from the bottom and continued to read. “I can only hope that it will remain safe in this temple. This scroll tells me that demons have been searching for it for centuries.” He rolled up the scroll and wrapped it tightly with a string.

Jin placed the scroll under the bed and stood up. He yawned, stretching his legs before climbing on the mattress. His body relaxed on the bed, and his eyes grew heavy. Jin placed his hands on his chest and gave a final yawn. His eyes closed shut, and he drifted to sleep.

Night fell, and the clouds grew dark as dusk approached. In the silence of the evening, a breeze gusted, and snow drifted from up high. Another draft coursed in the wake of the falling snow, carrying specks of embers in its winds.

*          *             *

A boom roared with fire raging from all directions of the temple grounds. The screams of people echoed through the area as the wooden fixings of the stone buildings’ roofs burned and collapsed into charred heaps. Gales of snow stormed through the temple, forming shards of ice that soared and struck the fleeing inhabitants, bringing them down hard.

In the hut, near the wooden area of the grounds, Jin’s eyes snapped open at the noise, head flying up from his bed. His eyes winced, and he looked around his abode. Clouds of smoke and frigid air surrounded him, and he looked around. Screams filled the air, growing with the falling snow and embers.

Jin jumped out of bed and grabbed his sword off the floor before placing it in his sash. He grabbed his kasa and wrapped his cloak around him before running outside to the bridge as fast as possible. Fire, smoke, icy fog, and snow scattered, and the people screamed, agony filling their shrieks.

Jin continued to run, and the screams around him grew quiet. Far and wide, he looked. The people within their huts, men and women, all fell off the wooden foothold. Some were alit, entire bodies blazing with fire, and others were frozen solid, unable even to scream as they fell to their end.

“What is happening?!” Jin said. He looked ahead as he ran, and his eyes went wide. “The temple!” he said as she reached the temple’s entrance.

Fire and ice roamed the stone floor, walls, and buildings, and the people dispersed through the temple. Burned beyond recognition or frozen and shattered, the bodies remained motionless, unable to move or do anything but serve as decoration for the carnage.

“Dead…” Jin said. He was almost breathless, eyes lit, trembling at the bodies. “All dead… But…how?”

He gripped his sword tightly and looked towards the main temple, where he saw parts of the damaged ceiling covered in fire and ice.

“No…”

“Release me, demons!” the voice cried out. “Release me!”

Jin raised his head. “That voice..!”

“Release me!” the voice said.

“Master Setsu!”

Jin threw himself and rushed to the temple. His breathing quickened as he raced up the stairs and ran for the entrance. Reaching out his hands, Jin pressed on the golden dragon-scale-lined doors of the temple and forced them open. He ran through to the inside of the temple and stopped as he looked around. The once-brown wooden walls were burnt, with fire running along one side and cracked and broken by the ice that covered them on the other. He turned his attention to the floor and saw the bodies of the temple keepers.

Some were on the floor, parts of their bodies burnt, while others had sections frozen. Others had their backs and chests slashed, with blood pouring from their wounds.

Placing his hands on the sheath and handle of his sword, Jin squeezed his hands tightly into fists around them. Although gripping the sword, his hands trembled around the handle. His hastened breath left his mouth in the form of a fog. His skin shook with the heat and cold passing over and through his body. His eyes trembled, and he looked at the bodies. He witnessed the destruction, and all noise dimmed as his heart pounded in his ears.

Jin gnashed his teeth and closed his eyes. He tightened his lips and sucked in air through his nose. With an exhale, the trembling of his hand ceased. He inhaled again, and his chest filled with air. As he exhaled, his jaw unclenched, and his shoulders lowered. His heart settled, slowing into steady beats. He drew in a breath and exhaled a third time. His body relaxed, standing against the mixture of hot and cold air around him.

He opened his eyes and looked ahead. “Okay,” he said. With his hands still on his weapon, Jin ran up the stairs. He came to the main doors.

“The heart of the temple…if Master Setsu is in there, I’ll likely find the ones responsible for all of this destruction.”

Jin took his hands from his sword and pressed on the door. He pushed them open and stepped inside. The temple's heart was vast—strong pillars, connected from floor to ceiling and standing in rows on opposite sides. Lit candles rested on the walls, illuminating the room.

Jin walked inside but stopped. Looking at the wooden floor, he found stone rubble in pieces. On top of the pile was the broken head of a dragon with its wings shattered at the sides.

Jin looked into the head's mouth and saw it empty. “Gone?” He said. He stepped up and looked over the broken statue. “But where is the—?”

A voice shouted, erupting into a pain-filled scream that filled the room. Jin shot up from the noise and turned his head. In front of him stood two figures: one in black-and-blue garb, the other in black pants with red-and-orange hexagonal patterns. The one in black and blue, blank, held an older man in a yellow robe high in one hand, while the other jabbed into his body.

Jin looked at the older man in the assailant’s grip. His eyes lit up. “Master Setsu!” he cried out.

The figures turned to his voice and faced him.

“Jin!” Setsu gasped.

Jin’s teeth clicked together at the mention of his name. He looked at Setsu, seeing his bruised face and bloodied lip. His eyes then locked on the man’s yellow robe, torn at the chest and stained with blood.

He looked at the two assailants, focusing on the blue one. The figure’s eyes were large, round, and focused on him like a vicious tiger, with his left eye blue. Jin creased his brow at his muscular stature. Jin noticed something swinging at the figure’s lower back, and his eyes bugged at the sight of a tiger’s tail. Jin then scanned the man’s whole body, finding his skin an icy pale blue.

As Jin looked at the figure, he saw his breath emerge as a cold fog passed through his mask.

Jin then set his sights on the other figure. He noticed his body was not muscular, yet lean, fit for battle. Moreover, Jin saw that his skin was a dark ash-gray and that the right half of his upper body and arm resembled burning magma. Jin examined the long, black, jagged hair that reached the figure’s back and orange right eye. He noticed a red pauldron and gauntlet on his shoulder and arm.

“Well, look what we have here, Shimotora. Another human,” the long-haired figure said. “Perhaps he’s come to die like the rest of his kind.”

Shimotora lowered Setsu to his knees. He glared at Jin and laughed with more cold breaths leaving through his mask.

“Demons!” Jin growled. He widened his stance and gripped his sword. “Release Master Setsu! Now!”

The demon smirked, horrid fangs emerging through his grin. “Fine! We were done with him anyway.” He snapped his fingers. The bigger demon removed his bloodied hand from the elder’s body, showing a set of claws extended from his nails, and tossed him in Jin’s direction.

Jin gnashed his teeth as Setsu soared towards him. He opened his arms, and Setsu smacked into him. Jin grunted from the impact against his body but held Setsu. Relaxing his arms, he lowered one knee while holding Setsu.

“Master Setsu…” Jin called. “Are you all right?”

Setsu trembled in Jin’s arms, and he gritted his teeth in a hiss. His eyes flickered as they opened, and he looked up at Jin.

“Jin…” Setsu said, voice gasping, “You have arrived.”

Jin sighed with a smile. "You're alive!” His brow creased, and he shot a dark look at the demons. “Wait here,” he said. "I'll rid the temple of these monsters.” He stood to rise, but a hand gripped the collar of his tunic. He looked down and saw Setsu breathing as he wiped the blood off his lip.

“Jin,” he said. “Do not worry for me. You have to protect the Eye of Genma.” His eyes shot open, and he trembled with another hiss through his teeth.

Letting go of Jin’s shirt, Setsu reached into his bloodstained robe. He took out his fist and opened it, revealing the curved blue jewel in his palm.

Jin’s eyes lit up. “The Eye! But how did—”

“When the demons attacked, I rushed to the temple and grabbed the Eye. I managed to hide for a time, but they found me and…and…” Setsu’s voice broke into a rasp, and he clutched the wound in his chest with a ragged cough. Jin reached out to Setsu, only for the old man to clench his hand. “They cannot have this stone! Guard it with your life, boy! With your life!”

Jin looked at Setsu as he wheezed. His hand opened, and he reached for Setsu’s, setting his eyes on the gem, and his hand stopped. But, slowly, he drew his hand close and grabbed the gem.

“I will,” Jin said, his voice low and taut.

Setsu saw the gem in Jin’s hands. His breathing settled, and he looked at Jin’s face. He saw his hardened blue eyes and smiled.

“Good…” Setsu said. His breathing weakened.

Setsu trembled in Jin’s arms, and his eyes flickered. Jin gasped, and his eyes shot open.

“Master Setsu!” Jin held on to the elder, but Setsu kept his smile.

“It is all right… It is all right…” Setsu’s voice grew weak, and he touched Jin’s shoulder.

Another breath left him, and his eyes closed. Setsu’s hand fell limp off Jin’s shoulder. Setsu’s head turned to the side with a final breath, and his body grew still.

The demons watched the old man lie in Jin’s arms. The long-haired demon folded his arms and set his teeth into a sneer.

“It seems the old one is no more, Entei,” Shimotora addressed. He retracted his claws and flicked the blood off his hands.

“Hmph! Such as the fragility of humans,” Entei scoffed. “It served that decrepit old buzzard right.”

Jin’s brows knitted together. He rested Setsu on the floor and rose to his feet. He looked at Setsu’s body, and his mouth formed a hard line. He held the Eye of Genma in his fist and placed it in his pocket before shooting his glare at the demons.

Shimotora narrowed his eyes at Jin, and he exhaled with another cold breath. “Entei,” he said, “I believe the other is willing to challenge us.”

“Him?” Entei said. He looked at Jin and saw hate in his face. "You'd best think twice when making that face at me, human. If you don’t wish to join the old man, I suggest you hand over the Eye to us.”

Jin kept his glare on the demons. "That's not going to happen!’ he said.

Entei’s smile dropped into a scowl, and his right glowed. “A lot of nerve from a human who seems eager to meet his death. And what makes you think you have a say in the matter, boy?”

"I'm going to kill you!” Jin said, his voice gruff.

“Kill us?” Shimotora said, stepping to Entei’s side. “A small human like you?”

“I wouldn’t underestimate me,” Jin said. He opened the left side of his cloak, revealing the hilt of his sword. "I've dealt with your kind many times before. One recently fell by my blade some time ago.”

Shimotora tilted his head. “Your blade?”

“Ah, so it was you,” Entei said. "I've heard rumors of how Kitetsu the Shadow Slayer met his end, but I never believed that it was at the hands of a mere human.” His teeth joined to a grin, and he stared hard at Jin. “It seems you’re a credit to your race, though not by much… Jin the Swordsman.”

“So, you know of me,” Jin said.”

“You have quite the reputation. Protecting the weak and downtrodden, all while cutting down our kind.” Entei sneered. “A would-be hero. It’s pathetic.”

“I prefer my position over that of a revolting beast.”

Entei gnashed his teeth. “And with a tongue as sharp as his wit and blade.” He settled his mouth and flexed his hand. “But, make no mistake, we will have the Eye of Genma, and I will have your heart!”

Jin scoffed, “Hmph. Kitetsu said the same thing to me before I killed him.”

“You might’ve bested Kitetsu, but I wouldn’t let that go to your head,” Shimotora breathed. “He was a weak and arrogant demon. He deserved to die if a fragile little boy like you defeated him.”

Jin stood firm. “All the same, you two are not getting the Eye.”

Entei breathed with smoke rising through his teeth. Everything grew quiet. The three stared each other down with a look to kill. Shimotora flexed his fingers, and his nails formed into razor-sharp claws. Next to him, Entei held up his hand. Smoke emerged from his palm, and it erupted into a fireball.

“In that case, we’ll just have to take it from your corpse,” Entei said.”

Jin stood silently and flexed his hands to grip his sword by its sheath and handle. He kept his eyes locked on the demons and pressed his thumb on the guard of his sword. He breathed through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, and his body steadied as he relaxed.

“Then come get me!”

Entei’s eyes flared at the words. He pulled back his arm and thrust it, throwing the fireball. It flew straight at Jin, and he jumped the side out of its line, leaving it to crash into a wall in a blast of fire and smoke. His feet scraped the floor upon touching down. His thumb pressed against the guard, and Jin drew it from its sheath. Jin gripped his sword and charged at Entei. He swung, and Entei guarded with his gauntlet against the blade. Metal scattered into glowing chipped metal from the clash.

Gnashing his teeth, Entei forced Jin’s sword off his arm, causing him to stumble back and pursue. He raised his clawed hand, swung at Jin, and missed his head as he evaded. Jin bared his teeth. Gripping his sword with both hands, he swung at Entei, only for his blade to strike his gauntlet again. Jin forced his strength against Entei and kicked him in his chest with a grunt.

Entei reeled from the strike, holding his chest. Next to him, Shimotora crossed his arms with his claws ready. He took up a starting position, one foot in front of the other. Leaning, he disappeared in a dash.

Jin’s eyes bugged when the demon vanished. He looked in all directions but found nothing but Entei smiling in front of him. Jin continued to search, and a wave of cold air rushed behind him. His eyes widened with the quickening of his heart, and the hairs on his neck stood up. He quickly turned and saw streaks of light and raised his sword, hitting it against a set of claws.

Gritting his teeth, muscles tensing, Jin locked eyes with Shimotora, who wrestled with his claws against Jin’s sword. They buckled against each other’s might, but Jin was pushed back. His feet skidded against the floor, and his arm muscles burned to keep themselves steady. He yelled and forced Shimotora’s claw off him with a firm step.

Shimotora’s feet struggled to keep him balanced, but he steadied himself. He charged and swung his claw, but missed Jin as he weaved to the side. Jin swiped his sword, and their arms collided in more sparks of light. They backed away and hit their weapons against each other.

Shimotora growled and pulled back his hand. He balled it into a fist and struck Jin across his face, sending him flying across the room. Spit flew from Jin’s shaken jaw as his head reeled, and he slammed onto the floor. A throb rushed at the side of his mouth, and Jin held his cheek as the pain coursed through it.

A shout rang out, caught his attention, and his eyes snapped open. He faced the ceiling and trembled at the sight of Entei soaring high above. The demon’s fist was pulled back and ablaze with fire while plummeting down to Jin. Jin hardened his expression. Rolling back, he flipped himself up, and Entei smashed his burning fist into the wooden floor.

Jin landed and rose to his feet. He saw Entei’s fist embedded in the floor. His nose twitched, and he smelled the pungent scent of burning wood filling the air. Jin looked to Entei, seeing the crater of smoking wood around his fist, its edges burning into cinders.

Jin creased his brow, and Entei pulled his fist from the hole. Entei turned to face him as Shimotora walked over to his side. Drawing his sword back, Jin charged. Entei swung with a punch, but Jin ducked to the side. With a mighty swing, Jin slashed across Entei’s body.

Entei shouted at the sharp steel running into his flesh, blood gushing from the wound as he staggered to his feet. His blood was glowing orange and thick and dripped onto the floor, burning holes like spurts of lava.

Bending on one leg, Jin jumped and struck his knee against Entei’s chin, knocking him back. Jin slashed Entei’s body again, gripping his sword tight. Entei roared in pain, with more lava-like blood gushing from his chest.

Jin touched down. He looked down at Entei, who clutched his chest. Hot breath after hot breath left his chest. He closed his eyes for a brief moment. A cold chill rushed up to his arm, and his eyes snapped open. He looked to the side and saw a blur of black and blue vanish.

“Dammit!” he hissed, gripping his sword with both hands.

Jin slowly turned and looked around, but saw no trace of Shimotora. His eyes darted back and forth, but nothing came into their sight.

Shimotora reappeared behind in a blur and jabbed his knee into Jin’s back. Jin cried out and was flown from the kick, and Shimotora vanished in another burst of speed. He reemerged in the air. Jin headed in his direction, and Shimotora swung out and slammed his leg into Jin’s side, kicking him off to the far side of the room.

Jin slammed and rolled onto the hardwood floor and kicked up to his feet. Skidding, he dropped to a knee and balanced himself with his sword. His back and side throbbed from the kicks, pulsing. He shook his head and looked up at the sound of a roar. He saw Shimotora lunge at him with his claws at the ready. Jin swung high and clashed his blade against Shimotora’s claws with a quick thrust, forcing him away.

Shimotora lashed out with his claws, but Jin swung his blade hard and fast and countered. Sparks of heated metal scattered, and Jin threw Shimotora’s arm away from him. Clenching his sword tight, Jin rushed at Shimotora and slashed at his body. Shimotora shouted out with a tiger’s roar as light blue-colored blood gushed from his open wound. The drops of his blood were a cold blue, thick with an icy fog surrounding them, almost like an icy slush. They dripped onto the floor, and tiny ice crystals formed as they dropped.

Jin saw Shimotora stumble at his feet and rushed at him. Clutching tight, he swung his sword in his run and slashed Shimotora across his body.

Shimotora rocked back from the cut and clutched at the wound where more of his frozen blood spilled, and he fell onto the floor,  growling like a tiger, and held his body as he shut his eyes and gnashed his teeth.

Behind, Jin panted. His chest pounded, heavy and burning from the fight. Tiny beads of sweat formed on his forehead and ran down the sides of his face. As he tried to catch his breath, he saw smoke and fog rise out of the corner of her eye. He looked to see his sword bearing specks of the demons' burning, freezing blood. The lava-like blood ate at the metal of his blade, and his icy blood hardened into solid ice and broke off pieces of the sword.

“What?” Jin said. He drew his sword and looked closely at the chipped metal. He looked back at the demons, who slowly picked themselves up off the floor. “Dammit!” He quickly placed his sword in its sheath. "They're more dangerous than I thought. I have to get the Eye away from them.”

Standing upright, Jin turned and ran for the doors and pushed them aside as he ran past them. The demons stood at their feet. They faced the door as it slammed upon Jin’s leave. Entei’s right eye glowed, and a wisp of fiery orange energy surrounded it. Shimotora growled under his mask, and his left eye glowed, surrounded by a light blue fog-like energy.

“Wretched human!” they said in unison.

*          *             *

Outside, the temple remained, with the fires burning and the ice chilling the walls. The bodies of the inhabitants lay either charred or frozen from the attack. A wind fell upon the temple grounds and passed.

The temple’s main door slammed open in the silence, and Jin rushed through it. He hurried down the stairs, panting in his tread. He reached the end and ran to the exit at the front of the grounds. As Jin came to the grounds’ entrance, pillars of fire and ice shot up through the stone floor, and their power blew back Jin. Skidding on his feet, Jin braced his arms over his face. He bared his teeth, and his skin twitched from the hot and cold winds from the elemental pillars.

The ice pillar died down into snow-barring gales, and the pillar of fire faded into embers. Emerging, Entei and Shimotora stepped forth. They glared, setting their glowing eyes on Jin, who lowered his arms and balled fists.

“There is no escape,” Shimotora said.

“You really are a fool, Jin the Swordsman,” Entei said. “Did you honestly think you would leave these grounds with the Eye of Genma?”

Jin scoffed, “Actually, I did.”

Entei bared his teeth. “Humans. You certainly are an arrogant race of apes. However, you are skilled with the sword. I will give you that much credit.”

“But it is all vain,” Shimotora said. “Look.”

The wounds on their body glowed: Shimotora’s with blue light and Entei’s with red. Jin saw the radiance emitted from their injuries. The cuts grew smaller as they shrank, shrinking with each passing second before sealing completely. Jin’s eyes bugged when the wounds closed. But it was more than that. No scab or scar remained. It was as if they were never cut.

Jin’s chest became weighted. His brow creased, seeing his efforts fade.

“Surprised?” asked Shimotora. “We demons of the Makai, the stronger ones, can recover from any wound, no matter how great.”

“A little piece of steel cannot kill us. Your sword is of no use,” Entei said. “I believe that our unique blood has already made certain of that.”

Jin gnashed his teeth and widened his stance. The wind blew around him, lifting his cloak and blowing his hair.

“The winds of change are blowing, swordsman,” Entei said. "You've put up a rather decent fight, but it was a futile effort. “Surrender the Eye to us, and I promise you a quick death.”

Jin stood, his lips sealed. He widened his stance and brought his hands onto his sword and sheath, gripping them tight. He stared hard with his blue eyes, furrowed at the demons.

Shimotora chuckled, “It seems that he is unwilling to forgo the Eye, Entei. A foolish attempt to protect it.”

“Indeed,” Entei agreed. He narrowed his eyes. “Still, part of us still knows mercy, Jin.” Entei brought his legs close together, his arms spread, and clenched his fist. “We will grant you a death befitting a warrior.”

Jin hardened his expression as Entei took his stance.

“You should feel honored,” Shimotora said as she stepped up. “You are the first to stir us into using our true abilities .”

Jin’s eyes widened as he said, “True…abilities?”

Entei and Shimotora then stood side by side.

“Prepare!” they said in unison.

Shimotora gripped his mask and pried it from his face. His mouth, fully exposed, housed the white fangs of a tiger, and he roared like an animal. Shimotora crouched and jumped high into the air, front flipping into a spin. His entire body shone with an icy blue light as he continued spinning. The light grew brighter and more prominent until Shimotora was enveloped. Jin braced a hand over his face to shield his eyes from the light.

The light died, bringing Shimotora into view. Jin’s eyes shot open at Shimotora, who ceased spinning and fanned his body out.

Shimotora dropped onto the ground hard. His hands and feet, now paws, crushed to the temple’s stone floors beneath them. Rising, Shimotora towered over Jin, standing twice as big. His upper body and arms were muscular, with his chest and abdomen pale blue. The rest of his body was transformed, bearing icy blue-and-white fur marked with pale blue tiger stripes. Shimotora’s head and face resembled a tiger, complete with large slit eyes, and his tail lay on the ground. His black garb was torn at the torso. Growling, Shimotora gripped the tattered remains in his claws and ripped them off his body.

Jin’s eyes trembled. He examined Shimotora’s body from head to toe and saw that he resembled a tiger, standing like a man.

An orange light glowed without warning, and Jin and Shimotora faced it. Entei glowed with an orange aura that blazed like fire around his body. His right eye glowed with fiery orange energy. Markings that resembled flames emerged and coiled on the sides of his body, and he hunched his back over. Bulges appeared under the flesh of his back. They grew more and more until they tore open. Lava-like blood gushed from the open wounds, and dragon-like wings jutted out from his back. The wings expanded and then closed.

Jin felt his heart quicken at Entei’s transformation, scanning the draconic wings and markings.

Grinning, Entei clasped his hands. His fingers were crossed and interlocked, with his pinkies touching, and his left thumb on top. A fire then enveloped his hands, and a fireball emerged. The fireball glowed brighter, and Entei grabbed it in his fist before he punched the ground. A torrent of fire blasted from below. The explosion faded with dying flames, and in their wake, a sword in its sheath floated in midair, an ōdachi sheathed in a long black scabbard. The scabbard yielded red, metallic flames embedded along its length, and a tatted red cloth wrapped around the top.

Entei gripped the sword before he held it in both hands.

Jin looked at the two demons. Horror filled his face, his mouth gaping.

Shimotora furrowed his eyes. “Behold, human!” he roared. “I am Shimotora. The Claw of the Ice!”

“I am Entei. Master of the Flame!” Entei said. He placed his thumb on the circular golden guard of his sword and pushed it up, revealing a hint of the blade.

Jin pressed his thumb on the guard of his sword and hardened his look at the demons.

“And you will not leave this temple alive!” the demons said.

Jin drew his sword as he prepared to fight. He looked at the dulled edges of his weapon and stared at the demons in their terrifying forms. Their declaration echoed, and their eyes surged with their elemental power.

• Shimotora (霜虎): 霜 (Shimo = Frost) and 虎 (Tora = Tiger)

• Entei (炎帝):  炎( En = Flame) (Can alternately be read as honō) and 帝 (Tei = Emperor)

• Ninjatō (忍者刀): A single-edge Japanese short sword used by shinobi (ninja) of feudal Japan.

• Ōdachi (大太刀): Meaning large/great sword. It is a single-edged Japanese sword about 6 to 7 feet long.