Chapter 1: Emergence

Teigu, or otherwise known as Imperial Arms, are weapons of war and destruction. Any and all wielders of such instruments obtain power over any other. Only another Teigu can stand against a Teigu, and this created the one rule that forever remained to when two clashed.

Only one will survive.

48 Teigu were created by the first emperor of the Empire, he gathers rare materials and brought together the best and brightest minds to design and create these mythical weapons. He feared the empire he built would crumble in his absence, so he used the Teigu as a method to prolong it. The Emperor distributed the Teigu to the nobles and generals and other people of power, believing this would preserve the Empire.

The Teigu were too tantalizing for those without, and so an internal battle was waged. Wars were fought, assassinations became common occurrences, and chaos griped the nation. Teigu began to disappear, either being lost, destroyed, or hidden away to prevent their miss usage. The numbers of Teigu slowly decreased, and as of now, nobody knows how many remain. It was at that point, i discovered my own Teigu. Whether or not it was a blessing or a curse…I have no idea.

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I carried more than enough darkness in my heart. My mother and father were murdered before me on my 6th birthday, and my home had been burned to the ground. I was taken in by the village elder, who later gave me to another family. People believed that I would be happy amongst another family, but it only shed more tears. The father of that family, I refuse to accept him as mine, was in simple words…a drunken abuser. He spent the nights wasted and laughed as he beat his wife to near unconsciousness, painting a smiley face on her tear-stained cheeks in her own blood. It was then I lost the innocence all children have. It was two weeks from my "adoption" when my "mother" was almost killed, strangled by her supposed lover that I acted. The man, or rather monster, was my first kill. As the wife struggled on the floor of her kitchen, I walked behind the monster and sank a fork into his temple, jamming it into his brain. He died with an insane smile on his face. The wife then did the unthinkable.

She tried to kill me.

I stood there in shock at my violence, and the women I had saved picked up her husband's broken beer bottle and stabbed me in the stomach. I coughed blood into her eyes as she wept distraught tears. I roared in pain and shoved her back, jumping on her as I rode her onto the floor. The beer bottle protruding from my stomach stabbed her in the throat, and the life she was already loosing gurgled from her throat. I lay on top of my adoptive family, our blood mixing with the alcohol that had spilled on the floor. It was then I drifted into unconsciousness, believing I was going to die.

I awoke in the village "hospital" with the village elder watching me. He told me of the deaths of my "parents" and that I would be living with him. My life only got darker as I isolated myself from the world. It was on my 7th birthday I was introduced to Sayo and Ieyasu. I was not exactly the easiest person to be around. I had no trust in people, nor any desire to trust them. But given time, I grew to trust them, and then we became a family. We did everything together. We hunted, we laughed and cried, and we most importantly lived with the others at our backs. We were a force on the hunting grounds; we felt like gods, we were free.

It was on my 8th birthday everything changed. We were out on a hunting, camping trip, when a I felt something. It was a strange desire that needed to be filled. I just all of a sudden felt curious as a felt a presence pulse. My friends were laughing loudly and preparing the dinner we had just killed, so they didn't notice my absence. I walked alone under the surprisingly bright moonlight, my presence just felt summoned, and I had the deepest desire to appear before whoever called me. I walked out into a clearing and felt it, the presence. I wanted with bated breath and watched in wonder as my as the being that summoned me made itself known.

It was massive; it easily towered over me, as tall as the trees that surrounded us. It walked in front of me, and lowered itself to the ground so we could look at each other eye to eye. I beheld the creature and only one word came to mind.

Serene

The creature was like a dream. It had the body of a wolf, but had the antlers of a deer. It tail was that of a dragon, with scales running up to the base. Its fur was a pleasant green that spoke of spring, and its fur swayed in the gentle breeze like fresh grass. Its antlers had branches sprouting from them, new buds and leaves adorned them in a cheerful fashion, and a gem glimmered on the creature's forehead. Flowers blossomed around its feet, and the creature's maw seemed to have a pleasant, peaceful smile. Its eyes glimmering in humorous curiosity, but a tinge of sadness shone in its pupils. My jaw refused to stay attached to my face, and I had no brain functions that were capable at the time to keep it anchored to my skull.

This majestic creature gave off this aura of comfort, of safety, like the warmth a mother gives to her frightened child. I felt tears form in the corners of my eyes and I ran towards the creatures head. It welcomed my embrace and I lay against the creatures cheek, sobbing. I don't know what came over me, but all my mental walls just broke down, the dam shattered, and all my sorrows flooded my soul. The creature watched me in sadness, and I watched in amazement as a tear fell from this proud creatures eye. As it fell, I watched in fascination as it fell towards me. it had this golden green glow, and then a voice of warmth and kindness entered my head.

"Do you wish to end your suffering? Do want the ability to save and care for those in pain? Do you wish for the power to prevent others from feeling your pain? What is your answer?"

I could only weep sorrowfully, 'I would, I would accept any burden to life this pain, and anyone else's pain from their shoulders. I will carry it all, if I can spare anyone from this horrifying vice of agony.'

The creature nuzzled me, "Drink, and let these be the last tears you shed."

I obeyed, I felt no need to hesitate, I was enraptured by this creature, and I had complete faith that if I complied, all would be ok. I reached for its tears, and I drank. I expected to taste of salt, of grit and sadness, but once I drank these creatures' tears, I felt warmth blossom in my soul. It was heartwarming, it was soul cleansing. The creature nuzzled me and curled up picked me up with its tail, resting my body on its back in between its shoulder blades. It carried me away, though I'm not sure where, I was already falling asleep in the natural comfort this creature gave me. I didn't even notice the changes my body was going through as I drifted to the best sight of sleep I ever had. The creature placed me in a tree, I was still barely conscious. The creature than floated in the air gracefully, and dissolved into a wind, floating like the stars in the sky. Its glowing green sparkles swirled around me gently, brushing my skin, and then disappearing. I felt the power surge into my soul as I seemingly absorbed it, I felt so alive! And then a voice spoke in my head.

"Use this power well, don't fight it…embrace it, believe in it, become it, and live!" the Voice spoke. It had a feminine voice, power radiating off its vocal notes.

I then felt a searing heat on my forehead, and then I lost consciousness.

I awoke the next morning inside a tree.

Yeah, real shocker.

I was a good 40 feet up, so I nearly had a fatal heart attack just from looking down. It took me a few moments to assess mu surroundings and calm my raging heart down. I couldn't even hear my own breathing as my heart beat like a war drum in my ears. I looked about for the creature that took me away last night, but found no sign of it. He hoped it was ok; no creature that beautiful should be harmed by any weapon of man. I was about to call out when the voice from last night invaded my thoughts.

"I, Artio, accept you as my first wielder, and partner. May the power we wield bring hope to the souls touched by despair." She proclaimed.

I looked down onto my chest and found a leaf tattoo in a dark green. Speaking of my chest and my whole body for that matter…it looked like I had been hitting the gym every day for the past 5 years. I was ripped!

"Are you a Teigu?" I asked, trying to talk with this voice, but I was only greeted with silence.

I looked in wonder at my new muscles and giggle with childish joy. I swung off my branch and flew towards the earth, running down the tree trunk in joy. I jumped and rolled onto the forest floor and ran with the morning wind. I felt to at peace, so comfortable with my own skin. I felt like I was at harmony with my darkness and my light. This was balance, this was freedom.

I ran without restrain, without concern, forward, until a thought crossed my mind.

Where am I?

I looked up at the sky and noticed the absence of stars, dawn had peeked over the horizon and the day had begun. He looked around for any directional clues or tips as to where he came from…but found none. He walked to a nearby body of water and sat at its edge, contemplating what to do when the voice spoke again.

"Use it…call for it, it will come."

I felt completely confused. But hey, it was a starting point. I entered a meditative position and closed my eyes, diving into my mind to try and find the "power" this being had mentioned. I just kept diving, and diving, trying to find that warmth that she gave me yesterday. I felt it, the warmth, the comfort, I reached for it, and then I felt it full force. My eyes shot open as a green aura exploded outward from me, enveloping me and spreading outwards. It ran across the ground and through the trees, and then the beauty sprouted.

The Forest came alive! The trees adopted a healthy green glow; flowers grew and bloomed along the forest floor. Danger Beasts and animals alike emerged from the forest towards me. The water gained a powerful luster that only precious stones had. My green aura calmed down considerably and then shrank to my outline. It rose from me to the sky like smoke from a recently extinguished flame. I felt it, the power, the peace within the balance, and I looked at the creatures before me, and laughed. It was a joyful laugh, one that bore no pain or misery, it lifted them. Plants bloomed at my feet and their fragrance blew through my hair. I embraced it, I believed in it, I became it, and I felt alive!

I commanded it, called for it, and it responded. A tree grew from underneath me, and shot towards the sky at an incredibly fast rate. I climbed in altitude, rising towards the heavens, a smile adorning my features.

I rose above the trees, and stood atop the now fully grown redwood tree. All the answers to my questions came to me. What this power was, who it came from, the possibilities, reasons, and the goal to reach for with this new gift.

"I, Tatsumi, accept you as my Teigu, and partner. May the power we wield bring light to those who have been hunted by the darkness!"