Novel Bin Chapter 8: The Protectors of Tokyo, the Monk Clan!
Chapter 8: The Protectors of Tokyo, the Monk Clan!
"Yep, he\'s my friend! He is actually the son of the granddaughter of the sister of my grandmother… That\'s why he\'s a foreigner… Haha," he laughed.
Frank suddenly realized that Matsuo had been glancing at the scene that unfolded a few seconds ago.
"I see… but why didn\'t you acted before then?" asked Harumi.
"Well, I didn\'t want! I was hoping for you two to get together if you did not know he was from my family… Heh. Man, it\'s hard to flirt with Vampires…" said Matsuo.
"Vampires?! So that is what Harumi is… Woah, they are real and all," thought Frank.
"You and your stupid games. A proud Vampire such as I would never be with the likes of you, monk" said Harumi, walking away.
Matsuo and Frank heard Harumi\'s footsteps as she walked away from the scene… after they did not hear her anymore, both of them sighed in relief… Wait, both?
"Man, you almost got killed you know. Even if you can heal her curse and be immune to hypnosis, her strength would be capable of breaking your skull like a watermelon" said Matsuo with a relaxed tone on his voice.
"Matsuo… Are you?" asked Frank.
"Well yes, we just met today, but I already saved your life once. So, you owe me a favor… How about you pay it by joining my faction? Unlike the Vampires and Werewolves, we are not so picky as long as you are willing and have a good affinity with what we use" said Matsuo, showing Frank a spark of bright yellow light from his fingers.
"Magic… wait, all of this is going way too fast…" muttered Frank.
"Fast…? You are an ability user, are you not? Why would you come here if you did not want to join a faction? A factionless Ability User will not last a single day in Tokyo… Vampires and Werewolves are way too picky and savage… They might not appreciate the ones like you, but the Life Energy that you controlled there was fairly good, we need Healers for a long time. Come with me, I\'ll show you the shrine," said Matsuo.
"Well… I gotta be a bit honest with you, I had just recently awakened my Ability, and my family doesn\'t know nor has any…" said Frank.
"What? Wait, what?! So you are… an Awakened?! Damn... Well, come with me. You will love the Shrine and my sisters! Do you like shrine maidens, Frank? Oh right, we will have to make a lot of preparations if you do not want your family killed by other factions soon or later, we better cover them into our faction too… though, if they are not ability users, we should not tell them… Damn, you are so lucky to have met me. I am quite a nice guy, you know! You are also a fairly good actor, faking being in my faction like that! You sure know how to survive through your brain. Well, a bit," said Matsuo, walking in another direction as Frank followed him.
Although Frank had thought about escaping to another world from Harumi, he could not access his phone in time, and would had gotten killed with no second chances or lives to spare, his acting was what made him survive, and if he wanted to stay on Earth while not being instantly killed by other factions, he would have to join one.
"All of this is pretty new to me… But I will try what I can. I own you more than a few favors… Harumi really didn\'t give me a good impression of the world of Ability Users though… had this concept always existed, by the way?" asked Frank.
"Yeah, she is fierce, isn\'t she? That is why she is so fucking scary… But I cannot get enough of her beautiful eyes, man… Anyway, yeah, not all factions are like the Vampires or Werewolves. We the Shrine of Tokyo are those that try to walk through the path of righteousness and to save those that had awakened their Abilities from falling into the Underworld… You also almost got your blood sucked off you and left like a mummy on the streets. See how dangerous the worlds get when you get an Ability? It\'s as if everything before is a mere fa?ade for the masses, isn\'t it?" muttered Matsuo.
Matsuo and Frank kept chatting as they walked through various alleyways, suddenly reaching a large shrine a dozen blocks away from the school.
"Here it is! The Shrine of Tokyo… well, it is unnamed for now because it is mostly used by us, and not the public. This place is filled with Magic Seals that make people without magic or abilities are not capable of perceiving this part of the block," said Matsuo, patting Frank\'s shoulders.
The Shrine resembled a beautiful ancient Japanese building with several floors, almost resembling a tower to an extent, such an enormous building would have been easily perceived by the masses, but because it was being hidden behind such seals, it has remained in secrecy for many years.
"I see… Damn, all of this is new to me, now we are talking about magic and seals like a normal thing? Damn…" muttered Frank.
"Yeah, well, get used to it quickly man, you\'ll get to have a lot of work whenever you become part of the faction! You gotta pay with effort for being protected by us, but don\'t worry, everyone is mostly nice… mostly" said Matsuo.
"Mostly… Ugh, at least, if they are not as scary as Harumi…" muttered Frank.
"Ah, yeah, no, no one is that scary, rest assured," said Matsuo, leading Frank through the stairs and entering the building.
A beautiful young woman greeted them, with long white hair made into several braids that reached her feet, pale white skin with a rosy hue, a slim figure, and a beautiful and provocative kimono with white and yellow colors and flower decorations, she was wearing ornaments above her head that seemed to be part of the royalty of ancient Japan.
Frank had suddenly noticed that the moment they entered the shrine, space had changed, as they were sent to a different room way above the tower… the woman glanced at Frank with her bright yellow eyes, which seemed to hold wisdom untold.
"My descendant, have you brought another lost puppy here? Sigh… Your benevolence knows no bounds, Matsuo-san…" she said.
"Sorry great ancestor, I just couldn\'t help but help him out, he\'s genuinely a nice person… he recently awakened a Healer-type Ability, and his physique seems strong enough to be capable of resisting a Vampire like Harumi\'s strength without having its bones broken into pieces," said Matsuo.
"Hoh? He is indeed quite more promising than the ones you have brought in past years… Maybe he will be more useful as well" said the \'great ancestor\' of Matsuo… her entire body radiated an aura of brightness as if she were the incarnation of sunlight.
"Nice to meet you…" muttered Frank, kneeling in Japanese style, named dogeza.
"Your dogeza is quite good for a foreign, it is good to know that you\'re knowledgeable about our culture… you\'ve already won a few extra points with me, Frank-kun, fufu,"
"Ah! Frank, you don\'t be too so formal with grandma, stand-up!" said Matsuo.
"Is that so…? Okay, sorry…" muttered Frank.
"Hm… I like him already. He seems so innocent- yet there is something within his eyes. Yeah, you are not as simple as you seem, are you not? Fufu. Very well, come here, I will give you your mark, so none of those Demons can come near you as easily as before" said the woman, as Frank walked towards her with a bit of awe over her overwhelming presence… However, unlike Harumi, she was inviting and gentle, almost relieving.
"What? That fast? No ceremony, great ancestor?" asked Matsuo in surprise.
"You have already proved his worth, is it not? I hate traditions anyway, so come here" said the great ancestor.
Frank walked near her as she touched his right arm, and moved her delicate fingers across the palm of his right hand.
Ding!
[A friendly entity of great power has branded you]
Ding!
[You have gained the [Divine Brand of the Monk Family of Tokyo: Level -] Skill!]
As Frank\'s hand was engulfed in a slight light, a small tattoo resembling a shrine appeared on the palm of his hand.
"And done…" said the beautiful woman, giving Frank a bright smile.
"Thanks for accepting me in your faction… All of this has been very sudden…" muttered Frank.
"Haah, we get those words a lot, don\'t worry, Matsuo and my other descendants will give you a brief introduction… I am expecting a lot of you, so don\'t disappoint me, okay? But don\'t worry either. I have no interest in forcing people to do my bidding, it is of your decision to help us or not. As a friend of Matsuo, I am more than happy to offer you the possibilities within my faction. Make sure to grow stronger, there are many things we offer in here, and once more, you are not forced to do anything against your will, alright? So feel free to explore around. I am always happy when new members join us," said the woman, as Frank and Matsuo were suddenly sent to another floor in the large tower, without Frank being able to thank her.
She was being indeed very nice, as this Clan wasnt one that opressed their members but simply tried to help new members to grow stronger and help each other to survive.
After all, this world was already filled with many dangers, forcing people to obey them would not reach anywhere, even an Ancestor such as her needed to gain the honest trust of her people, and she had never liked to force her ideals or anything over anyone, she had many problems herself to go around telling people what to do.
The woman then took a sip of her sake, as she glanced at the sunset.
"Hm… Times are changing, this young man… the power within his soul… Was he the one that received the Source that fell from the heavens? To think that such a lucky person amongst the non-ability users would exist… Instead of sure death, he somehow survived and acquired a power that could change the course of our entire world… A new Era is approaching… I have to make sure to nurture him well and not force him to do things he wouldn\'t want to, so he can grow as himself... I wonder what Gaia might think about him..." she muttered.
Indeed, although this was a Clan, it was not conventional at all, and unlike Frank feared, no one was going to force him into doing anything he didnt wanted, but would offer new possibiliteis for him to grow stronger and know more about the world.
By joining a Clan, he was being helped and protected, but not chained nor restricted to do anything he didnt desired, and he was also free to do as he pleased.
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Author\'s Note: If you like the story please give any powerstone you could spare, if we reach a nice number there will be bonus chapters at the end of the week, it all depends on you!
Thank you very much for reading!