"In the middle of everything falling apart, I was still trapped in my own delusions. Blind to my own foolishness. If I had realized things sooner... if I wasn't so stupid... would anything have changed? Would I have been able to live a normal life?"
A voice echoed through the darkness, filled with regret.
A scream followed soon after, loud and desperate, as if everything had already been lost.
Then everything went silent.
Isshin suddenly woke up.
He sat upright and stared at the ceiling for a moment. His heart was beating faster than normal, and his body felt tense, as though whatever he had just experienced had actually happened.
"Was that a nightmare?" he muttered.
The strange feeling lingered for a few moments before slowly fading away.
His house wasn't much. It was a small wooden shack with barely anything inside besides a simple bed, a table, and a few old belongings. Sunlight slipped through the cracks in the walls as morning arrived.
Isshin stretched and stepped outside.
The cold air immediately hit his face, helping him wake up fully.
After washing his face at the nearby river, he made his way toward the village where his mother was already preparing breakfast.
"You're up?" she asked with a smile.
"Yeah."
Isshin sat down beside her.
She handed him a plate containing potatoes and some soup. It wasn't much, but food had never been plentiful in their village.
He quietly began eating.
After a while, his mother looked at him thoughtfully before reaching into her pocket.
"I have something for you."
Isshin looked up.
She pulled out a necklace.
It wasn't made of gold or silver. It was simple and inexpensive, but it looked well taken care of.
"Happy birthday," she said. "I know it's not much. I wish I could do better."
Isshin immediately shook his head.
"No, I like it."
He put it around his neck and smiled.
His mother seemed relieved.
As Isshin got up to leave, she called out again.
"Don't forget to say goodbye to your father."
Isshin nodded.
His father was preparing his hunting gear nearby.
"Are you going hunting?" Isshin asked.
"Yeah."
His father checked his bow and arrows.
Isshin waited for a second.
"...You're not forgetting something?"
His father looked at him with a confused expression.
"No?"
Isshin stared at him for a moment before sighing.
"Alright."
Even though his father had forgotten his birthday again, Isshin didn't mention it.
There wasn't much point.
He simply turned around and left.
Not long afterward, he found Takashi and Yui waiting for him.
"Isshin! Happy birthday!" Takashi shouted.
"Happy birthday," Yui added.
"Thanks."
Takashi grinned.
"We're doing something today."
Isshin raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"We're going to the forest."
Isshin immediately frowned.
"The haunted one? Are you sure? Mother will get angry."
Takashi waved dismissively.
"It's fine. We'll just tell them it's because of your birthday."
"How does that help?!" Isshin asked.
Takashi laughed.
Yui covered her mouth, trying not to laugh too.
After thinking about it for a few seconds, Isshin shrugged.
Eventually, the three of them headed toward the forest together.
At first, everything felt completely normal.
Birds chirped among the trees. Small animals occasionally darted through the bushes. The sound of flowing water could be heard nearby.
It didn't feel dangerous at all.
As they walked deeper into the forest, Isshin suddenly slowed down.
Something caught his attention.
He looked up.
The moon.
It shouldn't have been that visible yet.
The sky wasn't even fully dark.
Isshin stared at it.
Then his eyes narrowed.
For a brief moment, he thought he saw something move across its surface.
A shadow.
Dark and unnatural.
"...D-Did you see that?" Isshin asked.
Takashi turned around.
"See what?"
"The moon."
Takashi looked up.
"What about it?"
Yui glanced upward as well.
"It looks normal."
Isshin continued staring for several more seconds.
Nothing moved.
No shadow.
No strange figure.
Just the moon.
"...Never mind."
The three continued walking.
As time passed, the forest gradually grew darker.
"We should probably head back," Yui said. "It's getting late."
"Yeah... I suddenly don't like being here anymore," Takashi admitted.
Isshin nodded.
"Let's go."
The three turned around and started heading back toward the village.
When they reached the river near the village entrance, Isshin stopped.
"I'll wash up first. You guys go ahead."
Takashi suddenly looked toward the village.
"...Do you hear that?"
Isshin paused.
There was noise in the distance.
Shouting.
Lots of it.
"We should check," Yui said.
"H-Hey, wait for me!"
"We're going first!"
The two immediately ran ahead.
Isshin stayed behind for another minute, washing his hands and face.
He wasn't particularly worried.
Then he stood up and started walking toward the village.
As soon as he got close enough to see it clearly, he stopped.
Everything was destroyed.
Buildings were burning.
Smoke covered the area.
The ground was stained with blood.
Isshin froze.
Then he saw them.
Takashi.
Yui.
Both of them were lying motionless on the ground.
His mind went blank.
"...Mom?"
He stumbled forward.
Then he found her.
She was still alive.
Barely.
"Isshin..." she whispered.
Her voice was weak.
"Run..."
His hands immediately began shaking.
"No..."
Before he could move, an arrow struck the ground nearby.
Isshin turned around.
Two soldiers were approaching.
"Oh? How did we miss this child?" one of them asked.
The other laughed.
"Kill him quickly."
Isshin ran.
His breathing became uneven.
His legs felt weak.
But he kept running.
The soldiers followed behind him without any urgency.
To them, he wasn't a threat.
He was just a child.
"Help!" Isshin screamed.
"Somebody help!"
His voice echoed through the forest.
Far above, something heard him.
A dragon.
At first, it ignored the noise.
"Is that a child's voice?"
The dragon sounded annoyed.
"Children can be so loud these days."
It tried to ignore it.
But the screaming continued.
The fear in that voice was impossible to miss.
The dragon sighed.
"...Fine."
It spread its wings and descended.
Moments later, it saw the situation below.
"What...? These soldiers?"
Back on the ground, Isshin stumbled and fell.
One of the soldiers raised his weapon.
"You're dead, kid!"
A deafening crash suddenly shook the area.
Dust exploded outward.
The soldiers immediately stopped.
Something had changed.
The dragon had taken control of Isshin's body.
One of the soldiers died instantly.
The other stumbled backward in shock.
"What...?!"
Fear appeared on his face.
Isshin slowly raised his hand.
With a single touch, the soldier's defensive qi shattered.
The man staggered backward.
"There's no way... this isn't a kid! Who are you?!"
"I am the Thunder God."
"The embodiment of storms."
"Raijin."