After dinner, Haisei and his mother had retired to their respective bedrooms. One is tossing and turning, overwhelmed by worry and unease that seem to be amplified by everything around them.
And the other, well, he sat cross-legged in the center of his room, altering various pieces of creation around him–Practicing his energy manipulation and cursed-technique finesse.
His hair was fluffed from the terror of the wind that affected him and, strangely, only him. All the while he did this, he kept a strong, mindful eye on his mother on the other side of the house. Their rooms were separated by the living room.
Something Haisei highly appreciated.
A smirk lifted his lip, recognizing the breathing pattern of his now slumbering mother. Kaching! He gets up with a giddy chuckle, tip-toeing awkwardly around his room to get to his door–Sliding it open like a breeze as he escaped through the darkness of his home.
He moved normally, but his actions carried his sense of urgency. The smell of dinner still lingered, mixed with the scent of his mother's fading perfumes. He took a deep breath and stormed out of the front door, unlocking his room window mentally as he locked the door behind him.
The midnight breeze that tore through Japan at night nearly blew him off his feet. It was a stormy week; from the looks of the skies, it's only going to get worse. Shaking his head, he looks in both directions, absorbing the silence in the neighborhood and the stillness of nature.
Humidity always made him feel right at home–Rainy weather is his signature. Slipping his hood over his head, he straightens his arms behind him before launching them forward, his arms extending at the speed of sound–Cracking like a whip as his hands find safety at the top of a nearby, four-story building.
He grinned, feeling his heart begin to pound wildly, his cursed energy pulsing in tandem. He slung shot through the atmosphere like a star through space–His ascent was instantaneous, one moment was all it took for him to be soaring over the streets of Sendai.
"WOOHOOOO!" He hollered out of instinct, his hair danced wildly, his hood flapping off his head. This is insane! Holy shit! "Hahaha!" He chuckled, arching through the air, over a river, over parks, and finally, finding his aim to be spot on, Ottawa Factory was his destination.
Seeing the distilled, rotting, and actively devolving stillworks factory closing in quickly, Haisei grit his jaw and tightened his gut as he prepared himself for landing–Here goes!
BOOOM!
CRRRRRK!
As he crashed through the ceiling, he was immediately overwhelmed by the stench of death. A horrid aura of hopelessness and despair washed over him like a tidal wave, threatening to take hold in his heart.
But he was better than that.
As he hit the floor with a disgusting crack, he dented the cement and rolled, being carried by his speed into the metal wall, bouncing off of it like a ball and skidding to a stop in the center of the facility.
He stood up sharply, shaking his head to get rid of the ring that ruled his ears.
"Sheesh, what luck. Landing right in the heart of the crime scene." His head whipped around, his golden eyes shining in the dark as his observation haki flared, giving him insight into everything within a 650-meter radius. Nearly the entire factory.
Just a couple of areas further around it–No doubt assisting facilities.
I can see the cursed residuals; this place reeks of death. He snarled, flaring his nostrils only to move on seconds later. His eyes caught a glimpse of something off in the corner of the room.
His footsteps were nearly desolate, his mind keeping an eye on the surrounding patrols. The sorcerers have already contained the curses. Keeping them from leaking out of this area. They sure move quick–This had to have happened, like what? Two days ago?
With the talismen in place, he wasn't so sure he'd get the response he was hoping for by coming to the factory. He cursed himself for thinking so naively. Of course, they would be on it quickly.
But something in him told him not to give up just yet. So he continued to snoop. Kicking over fallen metal scraps, tubs of grease and oil–Anything to disturb what's hiding within.
"Oh? This area continues?" He shuffled through a narrow gap, created by toppled steel beams and machines that had been torn apart–uprooted from their initial stations.
The area was another room, one that was drastically different from the one connected to it. He frowned, squinting in recognition–The space in front of him shimmered strangely, almost metallically as he stepped through.
Chains hung from the beams holding the ceiling, each one thick enough to fit an entire human. The air was dingy, the atmosphere hung heavy as if Haisei were the one hanging from those very chains.
He stopped in his path, taking in the room, letting his senses wash over it as his energy began to flare, empowering him further as he prepared for battle. His golden eyes caught something just in the center of the room, though he glanced around, images flickering into reality.
"Whew~" He whistles, dozens, if not hundreds of men and women alike hung from the very chains that swayed in the silent, still atmosphere. Drawled and soaked in old and new blood that poured from their necks, mouths, and eyes endlessly.
The soft, pitter-pattering of blood hitting the stone floor reverberated from all the bodies; it synced seamlessly, creating a haunting cacophony that caused shivers down the kid's spine.
However, his tension didn't dissipate one bit. From the shadows of the cursed realm, four humanoid, mechanical chimera creatures appeared. Each one was fitted with a welding mask for the head. Steel beams connect their heads to their bodies with chains wrapping around and throughout their flesh.
"S-safety? S-S-Safety?" One murmured, sauntering closer with uneven steps. The others followed closely behind, their chains dragging torturously, excreting high-pitched squeals that sound like the screams of their own moments of death.
Haisei grinned through the electricity that shocked his skin and nerves. He cracked his fingers forming fists, feeling his heart pound harder and harder with his cursed energy syncing along like a formidable dance partner.
Power raced through him, and before he even knew it, his cleansing began.