Runecraft Volume 1: Takeo's Beginning [12.4k Words]

Takeo Yuudai's Beginning- Part 5

Keisuke watched as Asahi and Chikao reset the circle. Tapping the staff at three different points around the perimeter.  Ahmya brought Keisuke forward ready for the ritual to begin. She was placed in the same position as all those before her.
Asahi tapped the staff against her hand, the staff shook and began to crack,

“Wha- what is this power? It’s so strong, almost vicious.”

The Circle radiated brilliantly a bright yellow colour with Pink highlights. This was different, no one ritual before them had a purple colouration to it nor did it have two colours.
Keisuke froze completely for 3 seconds before becoming animated again.
“Congratulations, your power has been awakened, a powerful one at that. The Dynakinesis Rune!” Asahi exclaimed. Your power shall prove you a great ally or a dangerous enemy. Chikao, you know what to do now.”
Takeo turned to the extravagant looking man with pink hair as he pointed his index finger at Keisuke, she disappeared into thin air. Her phone fell beside the circle.

Takeo grew frustrated and darted straight for the phone, he gained ahold of it successfully. Asahi asked him to move into the circle as he felt threatened by his invasive actions.
Takeo nodded, no words were spoken, no sympathy given for this Government Asshole.

He was touched by the replacement staff as Keisuke’s mass break of power had damaged the old one beyond use. This staff was exactly identical to the first, the same spruce neck with the silver head.

The energy drained from Takeo momentarily, as it flowed into the circle. He observed, watching as the circle began to glow. It faded a light Red, then slightly blue, before finalising white. He hasn't got one, it said that those young ones who fail to awaken a rune are doomed to never receive one.  His mission had ended. He would never save Keisuke. The government would remain in power. He would never make the world fair, never learn the truth behind his fathers death. It was over.

“Oh ho ho ho, fun, i get to send another one to their death.” Asahi cried in pure excitement.

Takeo felt his feet lift off the floor, he folded his arms,  put his head down and closed his eyes as he was propelled through a hole in the roof. He had expelled so many people from the building there was no roof left for him to crash into. He was thrusted through the natural floor on the outside of the building, narrowly missing important water pipes. He lay unconscious on the surface for hours.

By the time he awoke it was around sunrise, however the sun could not be seen, it was pouring with rain, the water droplets crashed like heavy waves in large hoards. No one else was around. It was eerily quiet. No security guards, no other hopeless ones. Just Takeo and the rain. He got up, his entire body radiated with pain. This was the most emotion he had ever felt. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the two phones, his and Keisuke’s. Surprisingly, neither were damaged. He began thinking of a way to get back into the base and save her. He wouldn’t have even lost Keisuke if he didn't ask her to venture with him. For now he walked away from the Tottori Centre. He put Keisuke's phone in his pocket again and walked in the rain. He kept his phone out, no signal.

After he got out of range of the Centre, he managed to gain signal. 100’s of missed messages from his mother. She acted like she wasn't so worried for Takeo but this seemed more serious. Usually he was home in time for her to lock up the house for the night. It was expected, especially after what happened to father, he was all she had left. After a while, he turned back into the area of Tottori with the market stalls. He was walking through when off to the side in a dark alley he heard something. Noises of pain. 3 Shady figures were standing around something, throwing anything they could. Takeo had to be cautious, he knew he had to help but they could be rune bearers.  He ran over with a sense of urgency, a homeless man, on death's door, getting assaulted by 3 of the government's own. How shady can one organisation be? Two of the men were familiar to Takeo. They were at the front gate yesterday. The other guy was unfamiliar to him.

He asked them unenthusiastically to stop. They didn’t listen and continued to terrorise this homeless gentleman. He’d have to use lethal methods to prevent them. The homeless man was bleeding out, blood rolled in the masses from the top of his head streaming over his eye. He had brown hair with large chunks of grey beginning to appear. He was older, late 40’s or maybe his 50’s. He wore a torn red shirt and two tone brown winter coat. Dark brown until the chest area where it transitioned into a lighter brown. His trousers were squalid, no sign of their original colour..

The men did not stop or simply did not hear Takeo and so he did what he said and tackled the guy closest to him, the one that let him and Keisuke into the facility yesterday. He began to pummel the life out of this guy, rapidly beating his face inwards, breaking many bones in his face.
The others attempted to attack Takeo but he became incredibly defensive. He finished beating up the first guy and lept straight into a powerful uppercut, it connected straight with the other security guy’s jaw. The guy who was unfamiliar to Takeo tried to run but didn't make it far, as Takeo picked up a shard of glass he found on the ground and launched it into the back of his head. Takeo ran to the homeless man, who was lying down by this point, he helped him get back into an upright position.

Takeo asked the man what happened and he began to explain everything from the beginning….