One Year Ago:
Ritzo stood beside his father, Rahto Tenshiro, as they waited before the gate of the estate. Rahto had summoned void walkers from across the continent in the hope that they would discover what Ritzoâs void art was. Despite being born with the Emphetripia Heart, Ritzo could not bend the void to his will. He was strong, like any other born with the second heart, but lacked the speed of thunder, the art passed through generations of the Tenshiro bloodline. Rahto glanced down toward his left. A disappointment to our name. Perhaps that shall change today. He glared at Ritzoâs small frame.
âStand straight, boy,â he said with a cold voice.
âY-yes, Father.â Ritzo jolted up and placed his hands at his sides.
Rahto continued to face his son for a moment, but his focus had lingered on something else. The forest that surrounded House Tensei had always had a dark and mysterious feeling about it, the type of sensation that felt cold and invasive, like a metal chain being wrapped around one's body. However, something about it now felt heavy, like the trees themselves had fallen on top of him. He glanced down at Ritzo instinctively and immediately understood why the air had suddenly felt so heavy. Beside him, Ritzo was no longer standing straight as he too had felt the sudden pressure, but unlike his father, he could not endure the pain and had fallen hard onto his knees.
âStand up, boy,â his father demanded, completely uncaring for Ritzoâs pain.
Ritzo plunged his hands into the earth below as he battled against the aching pain to raise his right knee. What is this?! T-Thereâs nobody here! After a few seconds, he managed to raise his knee and place his foot on the flat ground, using that as leverage as he slowly stood up.
CRUNCH
Ritzoâs gaze immediately bounced up as he heard a familiar sound. What was that? A moment of pure silence passed as he scanned the scene before him. Before the gate that led into their estate was a dark forest, with a single, narrow entrance. The same entrance, devoid of any light, that stood before the two.
CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH
The sound manifested once more, only this time, it did not stop. Having felt that something dangerous lurked within the dark entrance, Ritzo instinctively lowered his form and reached for his sword, an action that came as a pleasant surprise to his father. From the dark entrance, several cloaked figures emerged like ghosts, their faces shrouded in darkness due to their large hoods. Ritzo looked even more confused now as his eyes bounced across the robed figures. Are these the void walkers he called? Each robed figure had a distinct feeling about them, and then there was the figure to the far right. He was taller than the rest. His arms alone could be mistaken for two more people had the daylight been any weaker. Rahto stepped forward and nodded slightly.
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âWelcome, void walkers.â
Rahto then turned and walked into the Tensei estate as the five followed behind him. Each examined the small boy as they walked past with disgust in their hidden gaze. To them, he was nothing more than a stain in the revered, noble clan of the Tenshiro, a stain that needed fixing. They began by circling him, studying him as he sat atop a small rock with his legs crossed. Each of the five slowly released the void energy within them to avoid overpowering him like before.
Ritzo sat with his legs crossed, and his blade lay flat on his open palms. Can I open my eyes? What are they doing? His thoughts scrambled as the never-ending sound of wool robes brushed against the stone ground. He could feel a strange, burning sensation within his chest, but he could not understand why or how it was happening.
âIf your Emphetripia gland works at all, then it will respond,â one said in a hushed tone.
âIf it does not, then there is nothing we can teach you,â another said as the five continued to circle Ritzo. Seconds went by, then minutes, until five whole minutes passed.
THUMP
Rahtoâs gaze bounced to Ritzo as the void walkers paused, completely void of movement like statues. For a split moment, Rahto and the five had both sworn they had heard the sound of a heartbeat, yet the air was silent. Then, one of the five spoke.
âChild, open your eyes.â
The moment Ritzo realised they were speaking to him, a cold shiver ran down his spine. Did I do something wrong? he wondered. But there was no point thinking too much; he could not afford to keep them waiting. He slowly opened his eyes as white, blinding light poured onto his retina like molten lava. As his sight returned, the outline of a single figure became clearer and clearer. One of the five had removed her hood to reveal her long white hair as she stood before Ritzo.
âI shall test your aptitude for Thunder Arts,â she said calmly.
Another behind her walked closer. âAnd I shall test your aptitude for Water Arts, assuming you have no hidden talents for Thunder Arts.â The remaining three walked closer and removed their hoods. Each would test Ritzo to find out which void arts suited his biology, as his working Emphetripia gland was proof of his latent talents.
Hours passed, and not a single test had yielded results. Ritzo could not move any faster than a regular human; he could not move as swiftly as the waves in the ocean, nor could he generate heat like a user of Flame Arts. There was nothing he could do. His father walked toward him with long white robes that whispered on the stone ground as Ritzo sat defeated.
âPathetic,â Rahtoâs voice was sharp and surgical. âYou were born with the heart, a rare gift amongst humanity, and yet, nothing.â
He turned and walked into the building as Ritzo sat alone, covered in dust. Why does Father hate me? He glanced at the chipped sword he had been holding in his hands as his grip tightened. Why am I so weak? He had never felt this way before, this disgusting, aching feeling that crawled up his chest. I don't even want to fight. Why can't I play like the other kids? Why do I have to keep swinging this thing? A single tear fell from his eyes as a painful truth buried itself in his chest that day: He hated everyone around him. Everyone but her.
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[Codex Fragment: voidwalker biology]
The Emphetripia Heart is a single fragment of a void walker's biology. Some are born with specialised nervous tracts, others are born with unique muscle composition. These hereditary differences are what decide which arts a void walker adopts.