[Author note here:]
Now I don't wanna see any frowny faces, people! The man will get his gauntlets one way or another. Or maybe I am gaslighting you? Who knows! mwahahahahaha!
[Author note over.]
Tetsuya walked deeper into the repository, eyes scanning shelf after shelf.
A katana caught his attention first.
It was a long, elegant blade with a black hilt. He lifted it carefully from its stand.
The moment his fingers touched the handle, he felt it.
Sharp.
Not just the edge of the blade. The entire weapon emanated a cutting intent. Like it wanted to slice through everything it touched.
He gave it a few experimental swings. The blade cut through the air, as if almost eager to carve through something. Or someone.
'This could be useful.'
But something felt off.
Not wrong, exactly. It just didn't feel right for him.
He was someone used to settling things with his fists. His cursed technique was literal energy fists. Said cursed technique also provided him with an instinctual knowledge of how to properly throw a punch.
Such a weapon wouldn't mesh well with his style.
He set it back carefully and moved on.
A few shelves down, a simple ring sat on a velvet cushion. Plain silver band, no decorations, nothing remarkable about it visually.
Tetsuya reached toward it.
Then stopped.
A crawling sensation spread across his skin. Cold. Unpleasant. Like something watching him from just out of sight.
His hand hovered over the ring for a moment before he pulled it back sharply.
'Yeah, no. Not touching that.'
He moved on quickly, shaking off the lingering unease.
Further back, near the corner where the lantern light barely reached, something caught his eye.
Tetsuya almost missed them entirely.
A pair of anklets.
The pair of anklets was a beautiful blood red color. Even as faded as it was, the deep crimson metal reflected the red light of the lanterns.
They looked old. Ancient, even. Etched with worn patterns that had faded over time.
Tetsuya stopped in front of them.
No label. No description. Just two bands sitting on a low shelf, unassuming and forgotten.
But something drew him in.
He couldn't explain it. Just a pull. A sense that these were meant for him.
He picked them up carefully. They were heavier than they looked.
Without thinking too hard about it, he knelt down and clamped them around his ankles.
The moment they locked into place, everything felt off.
He stood slowly, testing his balance.
Then, Tetsuya took a step forward, only to almost drop on the floor, catching himself on the nearby shelf.
It was almost like his brain sent the signal, but his leg received it later than it should.
'What the fuck was that?' He thought, alarmed at how bizarre the feeling was.
Like his own two legs had been replaced with a new, worse pair that refused to listen as well as his old one.
He tried again. Another step.
Same thing. His foot landed heavier than it should have, slower than expected, throwing off his entire sense of coordination.
It wasn't just that. Each anklet felt like stones dragging his feet down. Not enough to stop him from walking, but enough to make his legs tired almost immediately.
'Are these just glorified training weights?'
He frowned, staring down at his feet.
'Maybe I should get something else.'
But then he paused.
Tetsuya focused, drawing cursed energy from his reserves, and pushed it down through his legs, and into the anklets.
'Worth a try, I guess.' He thought.
The change was instant.
The weight vanished.
His legs felt far better than normal. Lighter. Stronger.
He took a step.
And once again, Tetsuya stumbled forward, nearly falling flat on his face.
The step carried him twice as far as it should have. Like gravity had loosened its grip, like his body weighed half what it used to.
Tetsuya's eyes widened at what just happened.
'What the hell?'
He took another step, more carefully this time, still channelling cursed energy.
His legs responded instantly.
He felt as light as a feather. Better than he'd ever felt.
'These increase my movement. Not just my speed. Not just how fast my legs move! The amount of cursed energy these anklets draw isn't much. Yet I feel like a new man when using them!'
He grinned slightly, mind already racing through possibilities.
'Who knows what else they can do?'
He stopped channelling cursed energy.
The weight slammed back instantly.
His next step felt like trying to walk through mud with weights made of lead strapped to his ankles.
Tetsuya grimaced.
'Okay. That's going to take some getting used to. Besides. If I can't handle this, might as well give up.'
He turned and walked back toward the entrance, each step a deliberate effort, legs already burning from the strain.
Jinichi was still standing outside the door, arms crossed, staring at nothing in particular.
He looked up as Tetsuya emerged, eyes flicking down to the blood iron anklets now wrapped around the boy's legs.
His eyebrow raised slightly.
"I thought you'd choose a sword or something."
Tetsuya said nothing.
He didn't know what to say.
Saying a "thank you" felt fake. Empty. After twelve years of nothing, a single gesture didn't erase the chasm between them.
Jinichi, for one, watched in silence as Tetsuya passed by. He just locked the door, and watched his son's back getting further away.
He stood there for a moment. Then he turned and walked the opposite direction, towards his private quarters.
Neither said a word.
The training grounds were empty when Tetsuya arrived.
Late afternoon sun painted everything in shades of orange and gold.
Tetsuya stopped at the edge of the circle, staring down at the blood iron anklets.
'Alright. Let's figure out what you actually do.'
He took a step forward.
Once again, his leg moved slower than his brain expected. The delay threw off his balance. He caught himself before falling, but barely.
Another step. Same problem. His mind sent orders, but his feet wouldn't move as he wanted them to.
It was like learning to walk all over again. Not like. It was exactly that.
Every movement felt wrong. Unnatural. His legs were obviously his, but they weren't responding the way they should.
He tried a basic kata. Simple footwork, nothing fancy.
He stumbled three times in the first ten seconds.
'This is ridiculous.'
But he didn't stop.
He reset. Started again.
Stumbled.
Reset.
So on and so forth.
His legs burned. The weight dragged at him constantly, making every motion twice as exhausting as it should be.
But slowly, he started to adapt.
His brain began accounting for the delay.
By the time the sun started to set, he could walk without stumbling, though his legs felt like he'd ran a marathon.
Tetsuya sat on the ground, legs screaming in protest, sweat soaking through his clothes despite the cool evening air.
He stared up at the darkening sky, chest heaving.
'This is going to take forever to get used to. No matter what though, this is a great learning experience.'
These anklets were going to make him more dexterous. Stronger in a different dimension than just brute force or just cursed energy.
And who knows. This change in how his body and energy worked, at least when concerning his feet, might lead to something more.