"I don't want to alarm you, Akira," Ito said calmly, "but you have a Yokai inside you."
Akira immediately started clawing at his skin. "How do I get it out?!"
Ito caught his wrists. "Aye—stop. I said don't panic. This is why I wanted to explain Tao before training you."
Akira froze. Ito exhaled through his nose, steadying himself.
"Let's start simple. Tao is life energy. No real limits. Everyone's Tao looks different—mine looks like a gate. And that's… probably all you need."
Akira tilted his head. "So mine looks like a Yokai?"
Ito shook his head slowly. "Uh—no. You're just… an anomaly."
Akira went right back to pulling at his skin.
"Stop that," Ito snapped. "You're gonna rip your own face off. What you have is a Yokai contract—pretty normal for Taoists. What isn't normal is that you never noticed it. Which means one of two things: either your Tao pool is so massive you couldn't feel the Yokai feeding… or it's starving itself intentionally to keep you alive."
Akira blinked. "So… what do I do?"
Ito rubbed his chin. "You could enter your true realm and talk to it—but you need basic Tao control first. It took me a week to learn Tao. Not bragging." He paused, eyeing Akira's hair. "But if that black-and-white hair's legit, I should be able to do this."
He moved behind Akira in a blur and drove a shockwave of Tao up his spine.
Akira's body lit up like a lantern.
"I knew it," Ito grinned. "You're a natural Tao—"
Akira passed out mid-sentence.
"…ist," Ito finished flatly.
Akira opened his eyes into a vast, silent void. Before him floated a world of swirling color—a canvas alive with motion. At its center sat a throne.
When he tried to step toward it, his body locked, frozen.
A towering lion-like humanoid appeared at his side, mane of gold streaked with silver flame.
"Who are you?" Akira demanded. "Where am I?"
"I am Arthur," the Yokai replied, voice calm and resonant. "This is your mind. That—" he nodded to the throne-world "—is your true state."
Akira strained, but still couldn't move. "Why can't I reach it?"
"Most Taoists never can," Arthur said. "They only draw fragments of power from it. Your true state shapes your Tao. It is the birthplace of your strength."
Akira folded his arms. "Fine. Then can you at least stop stealing my Tao? It's annoying."
Arthur shook his head gently. "If I stop, we both die. We are linked—since birth. You were born in a forest filled with Yokai. When they closed in, I intervened. I took root inside you to keep you alive. That bond requires twenty percent of your Tao."
Images flickered: a crying infant, a Yokai's hand touching his forehead, an old woman carrying him away through rain.
Akira let out a long breath. "Alright… then can I use your abilities?"
"I'm sorry," Arthur said. "Your body is far too weak—for now."
Akira smirked. "Then I'll be back when it isn't."
Arthur's expression warmed. "I'll be waiting."