Initiate of The Heel
In the belly of the Jade Fortress, within a chamber carved from the very essence of dread and secrecy, the initiation ceremony for the Heel is about to begin. This hallowed ritual, presided over by Kemono, turns rough unruly warriors into a group like no other.
As the initiates gather, the air thick with anticipation and the scent of fear, their gazes are inexorably drawn to the figure of Kemono. He stands before them, not as merely their leader, but as the harbinger of their rebirth. The chamber, lit by torches that flicker as if hesitant to reveal too much, casts long shadows across the altar at its center.
Kemono raises his head, and from his left eye, a spectacle most horrifying and wondrous unfolds. The eye, glowing with a sickly purple luminescence, shudders and distorts. Then, with a sound like the tearing of reality itself, a purple slug-like creature emerges. This being, pulsating with a dark energy that seems to suck the light from the room, hovers momentarily in the air before Kemono's visage, its form a grotesque mirror of the power it is about to bestow.
The initiates watch, frozen between terror and awe, as Kemono approaches the first among them. With a gesture that is both an offering and a condemnation, he directs the creature to the forehead of the initiate. The slug, its body a mass of writhing energy, attaches itself with a sudden ferocity. The initiate's scream is cut short as the creature begins its work.
From Kemono, through the conduit of the creature, a stream of life force flows. It is not a gentle gift but a violent transfusion. The energy, dark and potent, enters the initiate, forcing its way through veins and sinews, reshaping and remaking. The pain is immense, a crucible in which the very essence of the initiate is broken down and reforged. Their eyes, once dull with submission, now blaze with the same purple fire that marks Kemono.
One by one, the initiates undergo this transformation, each emerging from the ordeal reborn. Not merely warriors of the Heel, but extensions of Kemono's will, connected to him by a bond forged in darkness and pain. Their eyes, glowing with unnatural light, serve as a testament to their new existence.
The ceremony concludes not with words, but with a silence that echoes with the weight of what has transpired. The Jade Fortress, ever a monument to horror and power, now also stands as a testament to the depth of Kemono's dominion over his followers. In this act of shared suffering and empowerment, the Heel is bound tighter than ever, not just by loyalty, but by the very essence of their being.
As the initiates leave the chamber, their footsteps echo with a new purpose. They are no longer mere mortals, but vessels of Kemono's dark will, marked by the creature that now resides dormant within their leader's eye.
Entered by: 0xe9a1…78d3
Under the cloaked moon, the village of Tanabito lay in deceptive calm, its people unaware of the drama unfolding in their midst. The spy, shrouded in shadows as deep as her intentions, moved with a silence that belied her desperation. Her master's orders had been clear: infiltrate Kemono's inner circle and uncover his plans. But as fate would have it, her foot caught on an unseen root, sending a cascade of pebbles down the silent path. It was all the signal Kemono's sentinels needed.
Dragged before Kemono, her heart raced, not just with fear but with the realization of her monumental failure. Kemono's tent stood imposingly at the boundary of the failed rice fields. Its interior was a stark contrast to the bleakness outside. Rich tapestries depicting battles of long ago adorned the walls, and a single large table, carved from the darkest ebony, dominated the room. Here, Kemono sat, not as a conqueror, but as a ruler deeply invested in the fate of his domain.
Kemono, whose reputation as a merciless leader preceded him, eyed the spy with a curiosity that unnerved her. "Speak," he commanded, his voice as deep and unforgiving as the sea during a storm. "Tell me of the lies your master has woven about me."
Trembling, the spy spoke of her master's claims — that Kemono sought to enslave the village, that he harbored no love for the land and its people, and that his powers were sourced from darkness alone. As she spoke, a surprising expression crossed Kemono's visage — not anger, but a pained understanding.
"You have been misled," Kemono said, rising from his seat. He moved to the tent's entrance, gesturing for the spy to follow. What lay before them was not a village crushed under the heel of tyranny, but a community striving towards rebirth. The crops, once failed, now showed signs of life, coaxed back to health by Kemono's own hand — a blend of dark magic and a deep, unspoken compassion for the land that had once nurtured him.
"See with your own eyes the truth your master seeks to blind you from," Kemono spoke, his gaze sweeping over the land. "I wish for prosperity, not destruction. But prosperity demands a price."
The spy, moved by the sight and Kemono's unexpected display of empathy, found herself at a crossroads of loyalty and truth. Yet, as the night wore on, a chilling realization dawned upon her — she had seen too much, understood too deeply the complexities of Kemono's rule.
Kemono, sensing the shift in the air, turned to her with a look of solemn resignation. "You cannot unsee the truths revealed tonight, nor can I allow them to spread beyond these walls." His voice, once filled with a hint of compassion, now bore the weight of impending doom.
With a swift motion, Kemono summoned his beastly powers, the air crackling with dark energy. The spy, knowing her fate was sealed, closed her eyes, accepting the end. Kemono's eyes pulsed with a dark purple light, his arms warped and changed, reaching out into long purple tendrils that constricted her body, folding her over until she slumped lifeless to the floor. Her body lay ragged, her eyes vacant. In a moment that felt like an eternity, Kemono had unleashed his might — a spectacle of shadows and light — and the spy was no more.
Her end was as gruesome as it was silent, a testament to Kemono's ruthless resolve to protect his vision for Tanabito and its people. The village, oblivious to the sacrifice made that night, continued its path towards rebirth under the watchful eye of its enigmatic ruler.
There was still good in Kemono, yet his mission was clear: open the Torii of the Dead, cleanse the land, and free the misguided population. No one should stand in his way, and if they did, his footmen, The Heel, and he himself would crush them.
Entered by: 0xe9a1…78d3
