Tengoku e no Hangyaku - Rebellion against Heaven (english version)

Chapter 13: Herald

Ryuusei walked alone under the night sky, escaping for a moment from his fate marked by battle and chaos. The moon, bathed in a silvery glow, seemed to watch him with the same uncertainty that he felt inside. He was away from the training ground, from the voices that clamored for his power, and sought answers in solitude.

That's when she saw it. An old man, dressed in tattered robes, but with an aura that radiated unfathomable knowledge. He was a Herald, but different from the others. His eyes, a stormy gray, seemed to have seen the birth and fall of empires. He smiled with a knowing grimace and, without preamble, spoke to him.

"Son of the Ying-Yang, what are you looking for in the gloom?"

Ryuusei frowned. "I'm not looking for anything. Alone... I needed to think."

The old man let out a harsh laugh. "Those who say they are not looking for anything, are the ones who have the most questions. Tell me, boy, what do you see when you look in the mirror? A warrior? A monster? A savior?"

Ryuusei looked down. "Sometimes I think I'm all of those things. Or none. I feel that every step I take drags me further into a destination that I don't know if I want."

The Herald nodded slowly. "Anger is a river that drags even the strongest. And power without purpose is just mindless destruction. You have something that few have: choice." The old man looked at him with intensity. "You could be the destroyer of worlds, the storm that consumes everything in its path. But you could also be the architect of an era of peace."

Ryuusei clenched his fists. "Peace? With these powers, I see only war and suffering."

The old man smiled sadly. "Because you still see the world as it has been shown to you. But peace is not only the absence of war, but the construction of something greater than fear and revenge. With your skills, you could create a refuge, a new order... you could have followers, guide those who have lost their way."

Ryuusei looked at it skeptically. "And you think it's that easy? That I can just raise a flag and everyone will follow me?"

The old man shook his head. "It won't be easy. Nothing worthwhile is. But tell me, Ryuusei, what would be greater: to defeat death in a senseless battle, or to create a world where death itself becomes irrelevant?"

Ryuusei's eyes widened in amazement. "Defeat death...?"

"Yes, boy. Someday you might do it. Not with violence, but with the transcendence of humanity itself. Death has reigned too long, and you... You could change the rules of the game. Even if it's just for a few decades, you could give the world a break, a shadowless dawn."

Ryuusei felt a chill run down his spine. For the first time in his life, someone spoke to him not of war, but of hope. "And what if I fail?"

The old man smiled. "Those who never tried will fail. But you... You have in your soul something that few possess: faith. Not in the gods, not in the prophecies... but in the possibility of something better. In humanity itself."

Ryuusei was silent. He looked at his own hands, those that had wielded weapons and wreaked havoc, but could also heal and protect. For the first time, he wondered if his fate was set in stone... or if he had the power to carve it himself.

The old man stood up, leaning on his cane. "Remember my words, Ryuusei. Don't let yourself be consumed by anger. Builds. Inspires. And when the day comes when you must face Death, do it not with hatred, but with love."

With one last glance, the old man disappeared into the shadows, leaving Ryuusei with the weight of a revelation that would change his life forever.