The Immortal Swordsman

[Kuzuru]

"Kill him! Take his soul, feast on his blood!" Kuzuru's voice growled loudly, his rampant blood-lust drowning my own thoughts. A deep breath quieted his hunger and I focused on my opponent. I would say he was a younger man, but I've lived for over a thousand years and everyone seems young to me. Regardless of his age his name was Ken Takimi and he was a swordsman, that was all I needed to know. Our battlefield was the roof of a mega skyscraper, the air up there was thin enough to make breathing difficult.

The younger bladesman smiled arrogantly and asked "You look out of place here mate, are you sure you wanna fight me?"

Slowly I unsheathed by blade, Kuzuru's presence bombarded me but I pressed through it. "You're Ken Takimi right? The self-proclaimed 'sword-god' ?"

He smirked and pressed a button on his bracelet. The bracelet hummed and a bright blue energy blade formed in his hand. "I'm the one and only, that sword you have there looks like a relic. My cyber blade will cut through that piece of crap like paper, are you sure you want to do this?"

The cyber-blade was a recent technological advancement that came about because of recent advancements in armor. In this day and age the only thing that could crack through a good suit of armor was a skilled blade master with a cyber-blade, well that and a blade infused with the souls of thousands of dead warriors. Even with my demonic blade technology was finally starting to catch up with my power, maybe in a few more decades my sword would finally become obsolete. My daydreaming was interuppted by Kuzuru's booming voice.

"What are you waiting for? Slaughter him already Renji! Rip him to ribbons!"

My patience was thinning and I growled under my breath "Be quiet already you damned nuisance."

A stiff breeze howled across the rooftop and sent my wide-brim bamboo hat flying off the building. At that moment I knew, in my heart of hearts that that day was going to be a crappy day. Almost reluctantly I raised my blade and dashed towards Ken, like a crashing wave I was upon my poor opponent. He certainly wasn't an amateur but he didn't have a thousand years of experience. My blade matched his blow for blow, forcing him to stumble backwards as I continued my assault.

"Yes! Let me taste his blood, oh lord yes" Kuzuru cheered as one of my strikes found Ken's chest, spilling red across the ground. As much as I hate to admit it, I did enjoy seeing the fresh blood spill across the floor. A sinister grin crawled across my face and I could see the fear in Ken's eyes.
This was what I lived for, the perfection of my craft. The utter domination of my opponents. He swung at me blindly, his instincts were guiding him rather than any form of training. I ducked below the wild horizontal slash and punched him in the gut, stumbling him towards the edge of the skyscraper. This was getting pathetic, he definitely did not live up to the hype.

Taking a few steps backwards I asked him "Is this all you've got Ken? Is this what the famed 'sword-god' has to offer?"

"How, how is that ancient piece of crap deflecting my cyber-blade?" his voice trembled with fear as he pushed another button on his bracelet. The energy sword changed into a bright blue pistol. Swords, I can deal with swords but guns become tricky. I sheathed my sword and assumed a more traditional stance, taking deep slow breaths.

"Calling upon my power against someone like him? You must be losing your edge Renji!" the demon within my blade mocked me.

Ken fired a bright blue bolt, moving as fast as lightning it raced towards me. Time slowed down, or rather my perception of time slowed. The bolt almost froze in midair as I took another deep breath.

"Demon cut" I whispered as I drew my blade and slashed outwards.

Black and red demonic energy swallowed my blade. The energy of over a thousand souls coalesced into one beautiful attack. A line, thin as a razor cut forth from my slash. It moved fast enough to break the sound barrier several times over. The blue bolt was consumed by the oppressive force of my attack and Ken was cut cleanly in half. A deafening crack echoed across the rooftop, signalling the end of our battle. Kuzuru cheered as Ken's soul escaped its mortal coil.

"Delicious"

After Kuzuru was finished feasting I sheathed my blade and turned towards the exit. However there was no exit to be found, in fact I watched in horror as everything faded to black. My mind went numb and I found myself unable to move. Even Kuzuru's ever-present presence was oddly absent. Then before me a white silhouette materialized against the black void. It spoke about foreign concepts such as the Omniverse and Omnilium. Then as quickly as it began I found myself standing in front of a fountain, surrounded by starch white walls and floors.

"Where am I? Kuzuru, where the hell am I?"

My sword was silent.

"Kuzuru?" the demonic force that once consumed my every action was absent. In fact even my body felt slower and weaker. I took a step away from the fountain and looked around, several others were around the fountain lost in their own business. Cautiously I gripped the handle of my sword and Kuzuru's booming voice echoed into my head.

"Where did you go Renji!? I can barely feel your soul anymore, in fact I can hardly feel anyone's souls! Take us back!"

"I don't think I can Kuzuru" before he could object I released my grip and his corruption disappeared from my mind. Apparently even the great demon was weakened by the trip to the Omniverse. Perhaps this is a good thing, at least I'll get some nice peace and quiet.

[Carn_Val]

My buddies would always say something about how odd the observable world's people go about with their daily routines. Some thrive to achieve greater purpose, neglecting themselves in the process, some put too much attention to themselves that they start to lose purpose while others just lose themselves and their purpose as they realize just how futile the situation they are born in. Yes, sometime later, these people will be gone from the world, just as the people centuries before them did, and the people before that too and maybe us too after a while. The idea is that something new replaces the old, the old entrusts things to the new and the new continues on and on until they become old as well. A simple cycle, yet very complicated once you notice the little things, this is the idea of progress. However, there is a very small flaw in this cycle, so small yet done so many times that it affects the cycle of progress. Once the old is replaced by the new and the old entrusts the work to the new, the new resumes what the old was doing, then the error occurs. An error of correction and the lack of it in the cycle. As the old instructs the new and entrusts the work to the new, all these do's and do not's pass on as well but somehow, the new only absorbs what the old one does and not what the old does not. This simple flaw passes on to the next one until the new one creates the mistake the old one has done as well. With such a neglected and reccuring flaw, can it still be called "progress"?

Anyways, I was just lost in thought while I'm walking back into the center of the unpigmented world, the ever changing fountain. Somehow, my legs are leading me back here, for what reason? That I do not know. As I walk past the faceless people, those I took no notice of, I start to feel cold, void and empty, like the blanket of space I was born in. Usually, such a feeling would comfort one as they recollect their memories of their youth, not in my case. Such a long time had passed since my initiation, those memories were long forgotten, not by time but by importance. These things aren't important to me, I am an Anomaly, one who exists at the present. An existance born as is, no vulnerability, no end. For as long as time moves, so does an Anomaly. Yes, an Anomaly, and a bored one at that. I try to recall the many games I learned from the Zone and try them out, one at a time.

I got bored and chose "The Word Train".
"I am an Anomaly of the Zone.
Zone is the name of my Home.
Home is where I get to rest.
Rest is a four letter word.
Word train is a boring game to play.
Play also has four letters.
Letters make up words, and ultimately, ideas.
Ideas come from a creative mind.
Mind your manners.
Manners are necessary for correct social response.
Response is...is a...~ Aw!"

Something knocks me out of my game, forcing me down as I fall unto the plain floor. I look around to see who the culprit was and give up on it when I see how many people became my suspects. I may not have found the reason I lost my balance but I did see something that catches my interests, a man with long, shrivelled hair and sporting a sword. He carries with him the eyes of the lost, like he just arrived there as well.

"He looks like someone who can help me with my mission.", I said to myself.

Before I could think of a plan to recruit him for my cause, my legs were already heading to his direction. As I close in to the left of him, I can see his eyes sweeping sideways, trying to absorb and assess as much of the situation as possible. I had no choice but to call out to him instead of sneaking in. With the most hospitable voice I can do, I wave at him with the smile of a Carnival main attraction.

"Yo ho! Hi there Mr. swordsman. I'm Carn and I was wondering if you needed anything. ", I call out to the man. The man seems to shrug his shoulder and ignore me, raising a foot forward to engage a walking stance.
"Oi, Mr. swordsman, I'm talking to you, the one with a funky hair." I casually stand in front of him and whatever destination he has in mind once I confirmed him noticing me. I stand there as still as a statue, assuming eye contact and the man returns a gaze, not at me but my general direction, as if still ignoring me. I was now close enough to smell something coming from the swordsman, well not the swordsman himself but the weapon he's carrying.
"That smell... it smells just like me. One like me. Here in this Omniverse...", I muttered to myself and somehow gave the man a reaction. Did he hear what I said? Does he know what I am? Things started to escalate quickly once he looked at me with his sharp, soul-piercing gaze, if I had one.

[Kuzuru]

Renji was aware of the man dressed in black well before his approach. The swordsman made it a point to keep his wits about him, especially in such a strange place. He took a few steps away from the fountain and looked around, taking note of every gate eight in total. He reached into the inner pockets of his outfit and produced a small pipe and a bag of tobacco. He took a few seconds to pack the pipe and place it in his mouth. With a practiced motion he removed a single matchstick from his pockets and struck it against the rough edge of the pipe, lighting the match. He lit the pipe and took a deep puff, releasing a cloud of smoke shortly thereafter.

Omni had said that I interested him, is this place just a collaboration of warriors? He smirked slightly and placed a hand on his sword.

"I'm so hungry Renji! Find someone to rip apart so I can feast"

Ignoring the sudden desire to strike out and spill blood Renji spoke to his demon.

In time Kuzuru. From what I can tell, this Omniverse is a gathering of warriors, strong souls. Maybe we'll finally have a battle worth remembering.

"I don't care who I eat! I just need more souls!"

Renji removed his hand from his sword and watched as the anomaly started walking towards him. The swordsman shift slightly, a subtle move to keep himself just outside of the creature's reach as Carn moved to his left side. He took not of the scythe and cleaver and did some mental math to calculate their approximate range. He listened carefully as the anomaly spoke, but chose to stay silent as Carn finishes his movement. Renji put his hand on his sword, just to be prepared in case his new found friend turned into an enemy. The second he touched the hilt his body froze, Kuzuru's grasp was almost unbearable.

"Rip his soul from his chest! Slaughter him!"

Renji winced as the demon's voice screamed in his ears. He took a deep puff of his pipe and let out a cloud of smoke, trying to silence the raging demon. The swordsman was finally forced to release his grip as Kuzuru's presence became too much to bear. His composure broke slightly and with a bit of frustration in his voice he asked Carn.

"My name is Renji Kiyomasa, tell me are you a demon or do you just look like one?

[Carn_Val]

I kept a good, long look at the man infront of me, the way his clothes looked worn out from use, his obviously unkept hair, the look on his face and finally the sword he carries around with him. He seemed very attentive, while pretending to not be one. He carries the aura of a man soaked in battle, feuds, duels, whatever situation that made use of the sword and lived through all of it. No matter where I look at him, it basically shouts 'warrior' alright. There is one peculiar trait about him I noticed; everytime he grips his sword, he looks like his stomach went bad, veins and cold sweat appearing ever so slightly. "Hehe", I chuckled silently at the thought.

He puffed a trail of smoke from his pipe, an odd sight that fills the cloudlessness in this plain world, and decided to reply to me with a question, a question that bundled words so foreign to me. Well, it wasn't the word but the concept behind me that was foreign. It was not something I had deal with in the Event Horizon. I shook the thoughts out before it carried me away so I could reply to the man. I took a note of his name on my head and started talking.

"Eh? Demon? Whazzat?...", I answered with the most recent cloud of thought I had in mind. I waited for any other reactions from him before continuing with my words.
"I'm no demon, whatever that is, but that sword you have just awfully feels familiar. It feels like an Anomaly, like me! ", I gave the man a grin.

He looks at me as if he's expecting an explanation about what I just said and since I brought that out I feel responsible now, although that could probably be just my head suggesting things.

"Well, it's a long story but Anomalies are...let's say we come from the skies. Ok?", I tell him, trying to be as simple as possible so as not to challenge his mental prowess.
"And that sword you have, I'm pretty sure, is like an Anomaly. An inanimate one, or has been reduced to one. I don't know. You have to ask it yourself.", I added.

As I talk to him, I think about the Anomaly life cycle, if there is one. How we came to being merely because someone somewhere decided to make a difference to a lot of people, making the whole world shake wiith it. Whoever that was, whatever that person did affects the kind of Anomaly that is created. The shape, the form, whether the Anomaly will be good, bad or a little bit of both. All of these depends on what happens. The idea may sound simple enough but I'm sure the processes aren't as easy. I stand idly, wondering what to say next when an idea came to me like rock. I'll do what I do best in the Midnight Carnival, I'll be a good host. Removing the hesitation and negativity, I start chatting like an Anomaly would.

"Oh yeah! You're currently in the Omniverse but I'm sure you met the white kid already and you know that stuff. I've only been here for a couple of days so whatever I tell you just came from people, well 'person', I talked to. You see those arch-shaped objects on the horizon? Those are gates, each gate leads to a verse, each one is slightly different from one another. I can't really confirm this yet since I haven't left this fountain area...oh look, it turned into a clocktower, weird.

Anyways, the gate to the south leads to a snowy, glacial verse called...uhm... The Frozen Fields. Southeast gate is for The Pale Moors, a dark, boring and spooky place this butcher I met told me. The eastern gate leads to fantasy land! Erm...I mean Camelot where the Kingdom lies...wait, Camelot's the capital of the Kingdom, so basically the east gate leads to the Kingdom or was it Camelot? Right! It leads to Camelot, which houses the Kingdom and Minas Tirith is it's capital, sorry for the confusion. Ehehe, so northeast has The Tangled Green, sounds so jungle-ish, with thick vines and tall canopies. The north leads to The Ashen Steppes, not sure what the place is but I'm guessing it's got lots of fire and flammable stuff to turn to ash, maybe stairs too...The northwest gate leads to the dessert, The Endless Dunes, which sounds scratchy and itchy, although I might go there once I've decided what to do. The west get leads to Coruscant, a cool, technoverse, probably full of shiny chrome and synthetic material. Lastly, to the southwest gate is The Vasty Deep, home to talking seafood and mythical creatures, like pirates, who replaces your lost teeth for coins. I heard they take them out forcefully though.

Uhm...there's Omnillium which is kinda fun to use and all that, although I made a few stuff with it. Just picture the object you want to make and Omnillium does the rest! It's quite handy, I say! Also, I think it runs out quickly, unless you get some sources to extract from, you can even recycle the stuff you made back into Omnillium. I haven't really done a lot about it yet. I tried extracting Omnillium from someone, it wasn't worth it.

Oh yeah, there seems to be~ "

Well yeah, I'll admit, I got carried away there, I kinda gave him a semester's worth of information in a matter of minutes, I feel bad for him. I do feel impressed to see him just standing there, taking it all in like the man he is. Yeah, I might tell him about how Coruscant's Empire don't really blend with the Kingdom. I might do just that after I finish this sentence here.

"Oh yeah, I got one just like your sword. This is Trauma, an Anomaly like me, too bad Trauma's just an inanimate one, an objectform Anomaly. Tremor's like Trauma too, they don't speak but I think they like you, mister Renji.", I accidentally drop Tremor, giving us a good 'tremor' as well.

"Oops...", I apologize to the man and Tremor, dusting off the cleaver as I lift it up again with a dumb smile, all six hundred plus pounds of it.

"So...you got any idea where you're going, mister Renji? The Ashen Steppes is a 'hotspot', I heard."
I put Tremor away on my back like I used to and start practicing swings with Trauma, keeping a little distance from the swordsman so as not to risk losing my fingers.

[Kuzuru]

Renji listened intently while smoking from his pipe. Whatever this creature was, at least he seemed more helpful than malicious. Carn kept speaking of anomalies and even reffered to Kuzuru as one. Perhaps demons and anomolies are one in the same? the bladesman thought to himself.

"And that sword you have, I'm pretty sure, is like an Anomaly. An inanimate one, or has been reduced to one. I don't know. You have to ask it yourself."

Renji laughed at the thought "we aren't exactly on speaking terms." Kuzuru wanted nothing more than blood and gore. The only time the demon spoke about anything other than spilling blood was when Renji allowed himself to be consumed by the blade. Inside the depths of the blade Renji allowed the demon to take control of his body, turning him into a living weapon. During these moments Renji and the million other souls swallowed by the blade met. This meeting could take many forms, but often it was a ball or dance of some sort. The ghosts would never speak or interact with Renji and he was forced to sit there and watch as Kuzuru used his body to tear apart the opposition. He hated relying on the demonic power of Kuzuru, but sacrifices had to be made if he was to be the best.

He listened to Carn's explanation of the verses and Omnillium. He raised an eyebrow at the thought of being able to create anything with the magic substance. Concentrating on the rainbow orb in his chest he he out his hand and focused for a short time watching in awe as the Omnilium began to take shape. After a few moments a simple wide-brimmed bamboo hat was created The hat obscured his face beneath a shadow and made the swordsman even more intimidating.

"Tell me Carn, does this place have bounties? I'm looking for warriors to fight and slay, I'm going to become the best swordsman here" a devilish glean appeared in his eye and a wicked smirk crawled across his lips. Even though Kuzuru's bloodlust was silent Renji was itching for a fight, this was perhaps the first time in centuries that he would find worthy opponents and his body tingled at the thought. He looked at Carn, thinking about drawing his sword against the Anomaly. No, he was helpful I won't kill him. Renji wasn't sure where he would head first, but he would be looking for bloodshed wherever he went.

[Carn_Val]

It is a shame to hear that mister swordsman is not in good terms with his sword. That he and his sword do not agree with one another, I think so. I try to make some sort of background story between the two, making questions inside my head like "how did you two meet each other," or "what made you two stay with each other," just so I could get a good idea how to talk to the man but I quit as my newfound 'friend' exhaled a pillar of smoke from his pipe. "Nice," I whispered to myself.

The hour was dragging on since I met the man. Thankfully, things have gone smoother by the minute. After I told the man about Omnillium and asked his plan, he gave this blank stare into the distance, as if he could find answers in the horizon...or can he? Well, while he brainstorms a little and gives that snicker in his expression, he starts to play with the Omnillium in him. He looks like his enjoying it and at the same time, trying to get a feel of the prismatic ball of seizures. What did you know? He makes a hat with it. I never knew he was the hat kind of guy. Well, his taste seems nice after he got this fierce looking stare from the shade of his wide hat. Classy.

I have an idea I wanted mister Renji to know but something is making me think it over again and again. A bunch of "what if''s" keep distracting me. I do not remember being so negative back at the Event Horizon, if I remember correctly. Somehow, these just started eversince coming to this strange, isolated world. I try blaming Omni for it but then stop myself, thinking that such an act is pretty much so un-Anomaly. Perhaps these current events are causing me to change again? I wonder.

Ok, so playing around with Trauma gets tricky since the more I move the scythe around, the faster it gets. I mean ridiculously fast, fast enough for me to see wind slicing into buffets of air. It may be handy in a melee but it obviously is quite a dangerous sight in a normal situation. I mean in a worst case scenario, what if I accidentally lose control of Trauma and the scythe starts to swirl at a pack of squishy humans? It will definitely leave a messy stain in this sterile world. Then again, even if I think in a lesser bad case scenario, that'll be me hurling a high speed sycthe unto the direction of mister swordsman here. Whether he dodges it or he loses an eye, I'll be in big trouble. I stop twirling the scythe and put it away, along with the cleaver behind me.

Once my idle movements halt, I check my Omnillium, purchasing a thin piece of glass and metal from the nearby booth that read "Communicators for sale". I got what many called a 'smartphone'. Judging from how the people used them, it was probably named as such for how they acted so dumb in front of such piece of technology like the one on my hand. I mean why would you make peace signs and stick your tongue out at a harmless chunk of fancy metal? I fiddle with it until I reach its major functions, which were connecting to what was called the "Dataverse" and to contact other people with the same type of technology. Pretty cool, if you ask me.

A few minutes into the phone, Renji mentions my name along with the word 'bounties'. I did not really listen carefully after diving deeper into my fancy device. Not wanting to annoy the man for not listening I assume he was asking if there was such a thing as bounties in this oddworld. I fiddle with my phone further until I find a list of available bounties in the Nexus.

"Hmm....bounties....bounties, bounty....oh, nope. Nothing here," I tell the man. I'm not sure if bounties do exist here or there's just no bounties in the current verse we're in.
"Maybe we should try one of those gates for bounties, there doesn't seem to be anything in the immediate area," I voice out a suggestion.

I raise my scythe up in the air and give it a good spin. The spin was enough to drive me along with it and hurls me northbound. With a rubber churning skid, I land on my feet, pointing the scythe on the direction. "I guess we should go that way. Come on! " I try to persuade the swordsman to come with me to the north gate.
"There's no point sitting around here if we got a huge playground waiting for us over there! Come on, mister Renji! Please?" I practically beg the man. Wow, I never knew I could be this excited about something I have no idea of. I guess that's what being an Anomaly is.

"Oh yeah, if you want one of these, I can happily lend you some of my Omnillium, if you come with me, that is." I wave the smartphone on my hand as I wait for the swordsman's decision. "It's got nice apps and stuff..." attempting to entice him further.

[Kuzuru]

The anomaly was a strange one indeed, his weapon seemed to have otherwordly properties as well. Renji's keen eyes watched carefully as Carn played with his weapon. The scythe gained momentum with each movement until it was carving through the still air itself. Only by calling upon Kuzuru's boundless power could Renji hope to slice through the air like Carn was doing so effortlessly. To say the swordsman was impressed would be a grave understatement. Renji was sure his sword was calling for him to spill Carn's blood, especially after seeing the power that the anomaly held. The swordsman resisted the urge to draw his blade, knowing that unleashing such a bloodlust would probably be a bad idea here in the Nexus.

No, he needed time to think time to be alone and figure out his course of action. Carn showed his the dataverse device and Renji watched curiously, staying silent throughout. He held his hand out and channeled his Omnilium once more. In his hands formed a simple dataverse device; having witnessed first hand the progress of technology over the past thousand years he was no stranger to the concept of a mobile phone. The device was already calibrated and ready to go, having been programmed specifically for Renji's use. The swordsman offered his contact information to the anomaly and told Carn "I'm afraid I can't follow you, but here we should keep in touch."

To be honest, Renji did not care about keeping in touch in terms of camaraderie. No he wanted to fight Carn. He wanted to feel the anomaly's blood on his sword and he wanted to feel the rush of a good battle. Renji took a deep breath, filling his lungs with smoke from his pipe. Even though I can't hear Kuzuru, I can still feel his bloodthirst. I have to control myself, I have to be careful. The swordsman began walking towards one of the many gates while checking the functions of his new device. As he walked past Carn he waved goodbye and spoke "perhaps when I become better acquainted with the Omniverse we can reconvene. Until then take care my friend."

[Carn_Val]

Living in this world makes me think differently than I did back at the Event Horizon. Somehow, every time I want to do something, I think about the consequences of doing such actions. In a way, that is really odd, even for an Anomaly like me. We didn't have to care about these things, perhaps I'm just losing my touch after a couple of days in this "Omniverse". I might need to evaluate my skills since I felt different after arriving here. Now where should I test it out? Hmm...

A few minutes pass as I try to think of a better spot to be in. Now mister swordsman Renji here started making his own phone. I guess this means he has enough Omnillium with him. He's not going to take my offer now is he? I blame myself for possibly wording my offer wrongly that it sounded oppresive to the man, my mind now going in circles. Trying to be more optimistic, I forcefully lifted my cheeks up in a smile. He looks at me with eyes in contact; I approach him. Thinking "So, you are coming, right?" before even getting the chance to say it, the swordmaster decides to decline my invitation. Standing with my mouth open, a passing bug sliced in half as it collided with my teeth, I look at him with blank eyes. "I knew it. This whole hesitating thing is making me lose opportunities," I mubbled to myself. Displeased, I turn around to hide my clenching teeth. "Thinking" is a sign of the weak, the strong merely acts on impulse, such thought eats through me as I resume to face him and exchange contact information.

Now that my head is filled with heated emotion, I redirect it into the place I was headed to, the Ashen Steppes. I will make myself stronger and halt this delaying trail of thoughts before me. It is unnecessary and wasteful in achieving my mission which is to find other Anomalies, like his sword, and keep them in one place. I was unable to have the swordsman follow me but I know that we'll meet again. I'll make sure to do what is necessary the next chance I get. Maintaining the constant grin and squinting eyes in a smile, I look at him as he passes by me, leaving words of realization and reunion.

"I'm sure we'll meet again, mister swordsman." If he wants to be better, let him be, I like my prey fresh and lively.

As he leaves me behind, I wave at him. Shouting gentle words of parting, I wished him farewell even though our meeting was such a short while. Calling me 'friend' huh? I smile at the thought. I never had friends in the Zone. Well, never had 'talking' friends at least, they didn't seem capable of handling me. Before I leave and walk in the opposite direction, I open my smartphone and make a simple .txt file, typing in a bullet followed by 'Renji Kiyomasa'. I name it 'hitlist.txt' and save it. Once the phone slept, I walk away with a genuine smile on my face.

"This will be fun."