Ain Soph - Act I

Chapter 1 - Rite of Passage

The sun was setting in the horizon; the clock continued to tick as transient moments went by. Glaring into a ball of vermillion luminosity as blood trickled down the face of a man who was already hunched over and essentially on his last legs. Crimson vitality just fell from his being like a faucet that was damaged and could not stop dripping no matter what had been done to remedy it. His breathing became heavier and his heart began to slow down, whatever was coming next he had already made his peace with his mother and family.

"Captain! We caught one of those Kajiwara dogs snooping around our turf!"

"Where are they being detained? Perhaps I can fork a deal with them for our family's membership back into the 45." The cold and calculating middle-aged man spoke in response to one of his subordinates; his life experience only betrayed him since he of all people should have known the consequences of this decision.

On the rooftop of his penthouse, koi fish danced around in the pond outside. These fish were widely known for their longevity but this place quickly became a stage of ironic proportions. There the captive rested while waiting for the end; his hands were tied and bound by both string and cord, being forced to remain in a kneeled position so that they had to look up at the man in charge of the family. Their face was slightly bruised with a pale purple around the right eye and numerous gashes from being whipped to death for information, likely by some female members of the same organized crime group.

"...Sorry Ma...I should have quit like you said, if I could turn back time I would..." The man thought to himself since he knew that he was now either going to be killed or used to gain leverage; having failed to carry out the hit and become a made man like his friend motivated him to do, his only choice now was to make peace with the end.

A black ponytail stood high as a single man entered an elevator on the first floor with headphones in, listening to some synthwave music so that the atmosphere was set. Bodies dropped to the floor as soon as the elevator doors shut; a katana was tied firmly to his waist with a sash and he dressed as if he were on a business trip. Some of the men assigned to the family's leader noticed that a person was coming up the elevator to the penthouse suite, readying themselves with these transhuman entities came ready with supernatural arts just in case they had something or someone who was exceedingly dangerous on their hands.

The sound of bloodcurdling screams came from down the hall, followed by gunfire, explosives, and the audibility of steel rending flesh. Given that the first floor of the penthouse had already been cleared out and it seemed like the resistance had been met at the elevator leading to his room. Choosing to not act hastily, the captain did not execute his victim but instead went to investigate the matter with his lieutenants so that they could find out what the disturbance was about.

"Who the hell-" these words escaped the lips of the surprised mafioso.

"Stay quiet, the Captain will handle this and then you're next." Spoke one of the Lieutenants, a burly man dressed in extremely fashionable clothes consisting of golden chains and diamond rings. A silencer was pointed at the head of the victim, likely as a means of trying to keep the unexpected hero from advancing upon them.

As bodies continued to drop against the floor, calm yet approaching footsteps caused a spike in the captain's heart rate unsure of what would happen next since they had been very comfortable in their lifestyle and essentially lost all of the power that once made them a fearsome leader.

"Hey fellas, it's come to my attention that you have a friend of mine. If you know what's good for you, I'd put those weapons down and return him, unless you're looking to join the remains of a once recognized family. Yuck, all that's left of this guy is an eyelash, you should choose a better cause to fight for."

"You idiot, THE OGYOSHI-KAI HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE THE 1980s! Our leader may have been taken out but I'm still here and I swore to him that it wouldn't fall under my control."

"You really should have thought of that before capturing an associate of the 45. The Syndicate doesn't take likely harm befalling members of the inner circle, what you've started is-"

A single streak of lightning passed through the hallway, destroying all of the priceless paintings and expensive displays the captain collected by extorting money off the backs of other people. Like a force of nature, his blinding speed was overwhelming and his movements were graceful, supported by his natural dexterity with the katana. Before the eye could blink once more, he already closed the distance and severed the heads of each lieutenant and the captain; they were not spared a moment to even collect themselves or think about their actions. His expeditious techniques were full of unindulgent killing strikes. The detained's eyes could only follow his movements narrowly but this did not take away from the feeling of awe. In his line of work, there was no need for talking but he could offer him some solace with the last words he had to share ahead of his brain drifting off to the Ganges River:

"-a war."

[To be Continued]