Kapitel 5: Weight of Progress
Sliding backwards Atlas spat to the side, blood running down the side of his face, the warm trickle burning against his temple. The raw skin of his knuckles was like he had been hammering away at a brick wall for hours. Blood soaked his hands. The loose tracksuit pants he wore were the only thing covering his body.
Cracking his neck he crouched down lower. Looking over at Frank who wiped blood away from the corner of his mouth. His forearms that he had been using to block with were covered in shallow gashes from Atlas' cursed energy's special property.
Frank was a good but harsh teacher, he was really providing motivation for Atlas to learn reversed cursed energy.
Watching as the wounds in Frank's arms stitched together he shook his head and said, "That fracturing will make you a tricky opponent lad. If you can get better control over your cursed energy then you should be able to deal some real damage despite defences. Good on yah." His voice was lighthearted as he shook out his right arm.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance as he watched the wounds fade he got ready to dash. Pushing cursed energy into his legs before leaping forward. In a moment he was in front of Frank, the next he was swinging. The next he was doubling over, a knee slamming into his gut. Predictable.
Grabbing a hold of Frank, Atlas pushed as much cursed energy into the leg as possible, watching the flesh split apart, the fracturing not even happening anymore it was so quick.
Feeling a blow coming for his back Atlas twisted to the side narrowly dodging it and with a grab of Frank's fist he pulled him forward. Stepping into his guard and hammering a blow into his chest as he forced Frank onto his damaged leg.
Watching the old man's eyes widen in surprise at the speed and precision of practised strikes he pressed his advantage. Each attack splits flesh and sent cracks through the air. Seeing an attack about to hit him Atlas just grinned fracturing the air with his energy in a single moment. Frank's fist tried to push through the shards only to be horribly split.
Forced to pull back Frank pushed his energy into his technique as his eyes grew cold. Backing away as fast as he could the air suddenly rocketed in temperature. The floor concrete of the ruined building heated up to the point Atlas couldn't stay on his feet without the skin blistering in moments.
"You know I think it is time you learned how to use reversed curse energy what do you say, lad?" His words held an edge to madness.
Oh god, this wasn't good.
While Frank was… a good teacher he sometimes had 'tests'. One of the worst things about this old man. Whenever he started to feel pressured he would always use his technique and force Atlas to back down unless he was inflicted with horrible burns. Or made a jump in progress that impressed the old man. It was almost spartan-like training.
Honestly, even at Jujutsu High, they sent kids out to fight curses right off the bat. You got injured learning this line of work. Normally it was from curses however not curse users.
But as Atlas had gotten used to fighting Frank over time, he had been pushing the man onto his back foot more and more before it seemed he had finally snapped and wanted to show Atlas what strength really was.
"Fuck you old timer!" Atlas said as he tried to jump back but seeing the man's hands come together he could only grit his teeth, was he really going to use Domain Expansion!
Feeling the air suddenly rapidly increase in temperature the world became black for a moment before bronze walls seemed to rise out of the ground. The shiny metal was smooth against his bare feet. Standing a fair distance away Frank sat down and said. "You move towards me and I turn you to cinders lad. Let's see how long you can endure… or how long it takes you to learn to heal." His words were wicked.
This was one of the reasons he was such a good teacher, it was very spartan in a way, Atlas didn't mind the results but the process was starting to piss him off. He had been going through months of this but this was the furthest he had ever gone. And to be honest, Atlas was starting to get mad, this was abuse at this point.
Knowing he had no choice but to obey he glared daggers at Frank. His eyes burned with defiance as the temperature started to rise.
A Domain Expansion was simply the sorcerer locking you in a 'barrier' with them that they infused with their technique. Meaning that when you were in the barrier you were sure to get hit by the technique. Normally Frank could only heat up things he was making contact with but now? He could heat up anything in his domain at a much faster rate.
His domain took the form of the inside of a giant bronze bull.
Feeling the hot metal against his feet Atlas grit his teeth as he felt the soles of his feet start to blister and fuck it hurt like hell. He should have just gone straight to Jujutsu High, what the fuck was he thinking letting a curse user train him. Sure he was learning very quickly, but was it worth it. This seemed to be the final straw.
Focusing on the energy inside him Atlas ignored the pain, the feeling of the soles of his feet slowly burning was excruciating but he endured. He had suffered worse, he would endure. No matter how bad it got it would end, he would see the other side and either be burnt so badly he couldn't move, or learn how to heal himself and outlast the Domain Expansion… Frank couldn't hold it up forever.
Gritting his teeth he focused on those feelings of rage and annoyance. Those negative feelings. He needed to multiply them together and turn them into positive energy. But it was something so foreign. Hearing the sizzling of flesh he took a deep breath, the smell making his stomach flip.
He was going to kill Frank.
Letting out a cry he opened his eyes and took a deep breath as he took a step towards the old bastard. His energy billowed around him cracking the air into shards as multiple reflections of the bull were suddenly being shown.
He would learn it or die.
Clashing his energy together he felt the power start to fluctuate, he imagined it spinning, combining, strengthening. But nothing was changing. He felt it shift and move within him. The cursed energy raging around his body made him tougher. Skin that once burned now only reddened.
Laughing Frank said, "Honestly Atlas every time lad, every time I try to push you a bit further you surprise me, tough love seems to work eh! If you weren't so exceptional I wouldn't push you this hard you know." His voice held joy as he watched Atlas march forward despite the flames that started to burst off his skin.
Suddenly looking at the boy with concern Frank was just about to disable his barrier, he didn't expect the boy to try and kill himself. He was pushing it too far. He was going to get hurt seriously.
While Frank was tough, yes he admitted that his methods were brutal almost barbaric. He never wanted to actually properly hurt Atlas more than he could handle. The boy was just too tough for his own good meaning that spartan training brought out the best in him. Which got him hurt.
Just before the technique cut off his eyes widened. Atlas' body suddenly healed. The burns faded back to healed skin as his eyes crackled with fractured iris', his body radiating spacial fractures that blurred his form.
It had taken the boy 2 months… two months to grasp the reverse energy technique… that was, nuts. It had taken him years to learn it and this kid came along and did it in months? Maybe he had known it before he lost his memories but still, this was just insane.
Cursing he cancelled his Domain as he backed away from Atlas who suddenly charged at him with speed enough to shatter the floor beneath his feet as he launched towards Frank. The shattering shock echoed through the abandoned warehouse they were in, the shaking of the walls bringing dust down from the ceiling.
Slamming his fist into Frank's chest he pushed his energy into the man's chest, intent on causing him as much pain as he had endured.
With a thundering rattle, space shook for a moment before a giant vertical crack opened in the air as if the gap between the dimensions was splitting for a brief moment.
Thrown against the wall, his chest almost cleaved in two Frank felt his eyes start to darken but was able to use his own positive energy to heal the wound. The black faded from his vision as he coughed. Honestly. He wouldn't be able to handle that again. If he was hit with something like that once more he would die. Seeing the boy start to march towards him he held his hands up and said. "Ey ey ey, settle down there lad. Just trying to help you. You know I would never actually seriously hurt you right?"
"You were fucking slow cooking me! No, that was straight-up frying! For fuck sake!" Atlas said, his voice rising, normally he was good at controlling his emotions but not against psychotic teachers that threatened their students with death.
"What is your problem! That is the first time you have ever gone this far but I seriously thought you were gonna scar me permanently there." Atlas said as he plonked himself down on the ground with a hard thud. The energy in his body faded as he took deep breaths. God his reserves were close to the lowest they had ever been.
Letting out a small sigh he shook his head, "Never do that again or I will kill you if I get the chance." His voice was laced with proper anger that he barely contained.
"Hey it's me that can stop or cursed spirits that won't so… I don't really think I am too in the wrong lad. Honestly, you would be fighting cursed spirits for that academy if you joined them and let me tell you, deaths are more common than you think in young youths like yourself. While I will admit I do go too far sometimes. I think that I am better preparing you. I would never actually kill you." His voice ebbing with some sorrow, regret even. But his eyes held a sense of justification as he hung his head.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Thanks but fuck you too. Honestly. I know how bad it is out there, I have seen some things… memories that may or may not be real, flashes." His voice catching. "I am grateful that you are training me as you are… just… don't make me think you're gonna kill me again. Only the normal amount of spartan please." Atlas finished as he looked up at Frank. His eyes brimming with seriousness.
"Yeah… yes I promise, only the normal amount of spartan. Surprised you know what that is. Much of a fan of Greek stuff?" Frank's voice turned from regret into curiosity as the duo started up a conversation.
"You think? No, I personally like to think that I'm named after a book. Dick." Atlas responded with, a smirk crossing his features to show that he really wasn't that bothered and did find the humour in it. Shaking his head he stood up, starting to lead his way to the apartment building, he wanted to sleep.
Honestly, while they didn't talk about their personal history they always just talked together about random things. Odds and ends came to mind. Sometimes Atlas would mention something that confused the old man but those comments mostly went ignored. He had forgotten almost everything, so random made-up facts that filled in the void were not unbelievable.
---
Training had been going well. Sitting in one of the abandoned apartments on an old mattress that lay simply on the floor Atlas thought back to the past month. Nothing much had happened, he had worked on his control and developing his power. Working on improving the power of his special property but hadn't really found anything more. His technique still hadn't shown itself just yet.
Also physical training and a harsh regiment of it as well.
Looking at his hand he let a fracture in space form before letting it cut his palm open, normally his power automatically avoided him but he could make it affect him. Feeling the blood start to pool in his palm he stared at it before he pushed positive energy into the wound and in an instant felt the wound start to heal.
Honestly, his reserves of cursed energy were massive, much larger than Franks to both their surprises. Focusing on circulating the energy around his body he wanted to grow more proficient in it, he would try to keep it up all the time. But he didn't have efficiency like another certain bullshit previously mentioned white prince.
And without six eyes that just wasn't possible to have constant uptime. But he would at least have it up most of the time to practice with it. But he would always make sure to keep some backup reserves.
Leaning back against the wall he looked out the window. His face was a mixture of emotions, the longer he was in this body the harder it had been to control them, his emotions that was. He still was really good at it, just he slipped up every now and again… it was, annoying.
Seeing that the bed was positioned like his old room. The bed facing the window he laughed as he saw the full moon shining brightly down. All he was missing was actual glass in the window, and the rain of course…
It felt like it had been so long, but in reality, it was just a few months ago.
--- Hoshi ---
It was depressing, looking at that moon with black-rimmed vision like he was always on the verge of passing out. It felt so hopeless, his life was worth so little. He had just… given it up to someone else that straight away started making better use of it than he ever even tried to do.
It was… hurtful.
He hated it, it just made him feel unbearably… sad.
Looking at the moon he let out a sigh, he had tried to do the proper thing and had been locked away for it. Now this combat genius had come along and immediately started fighting better than he ever could and taken down what had scared him for so so long. Honestly, a part of him was glad that his body and soul could be used for something that mattered now.
Maybe this person would do good with it… if they left the fucking curse user. Really? Already siding with the bad guys just to be trained and not spending the effort to get to the academy?
He couldn't judge though… he never tried either. It was shameful really. What he had… hadn't, done with his life.
It was shameful. He was a failure and now more than ever he could recognize this. Once he saw his body being used so much better by someone so much greater than him.
'Don't say that, this isn't fair. He is just taking an opportunity that you were never given…' something dark whispered into the corner of his mind. A sorrowful tone that lined his conciseness with doubts and anger. It was right in some ways though, this wasn't just his fault. He had never even been given a chance right?
Bowing his head he laughed at himself, maybe he could make something out of his life. Maybe he could still do something from within here. After all, he still had his mind…
--- Frank ---
Honestly, Atlas was far too good of a combatant to be 16… he moved like he knew what he was doing and had practised the moves for years against countless targets. His martial skills were far better than his own and he couldn't only keep up because he was better at strengthening his body. But even that advantage was fading.
Atlas had surpassed all expectations he had. And then more.
It was like he was training a genius. Looking at the moon he listened to the sizzle of rat meat over the fire, the dank smell comforting in a way as he filled his lungs with smoke.
How far would this boy climb? He needed to get him to the academy, he wasn't fit to be a teacher...
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein