Orlouge Training Lesson 4: Niche Orlouge

[Silence Sei]

"Look, I know we've had our differences. I know I said I don't think I could ever accept that you weren't my baby girl anymore. I know I basically said that I didn't want you because you were you. All I have to say bout that is... I'm sorry. Kyla, you were the best thing to ever happen to me. When I held you in my arms, for the first time in my life, I felt like the weakest man in the room. Do you know why? Because you gripped my finger with your tiny hand."

"I wanted that girl back, that baby girl who was the one thing that could bring 'Big Bad Ninja Niche' down to his knees with an incomplete word, or a drawing that was outside of the lines. I couldn't take that you weren't that person any more. I think I'm ready to accept you now for who you are. Sei has done a wonderful job being the father I was too cowardly to be, but I want to have another chance with you, and with Akiv. So what do you say after this, we go get him and go from there?"

Niche Orlouge sighed after the long winded speech, holding both of his arms out for the hug he was expecting from his daughter. Niche and Kyla had been separated for too long not to share this tearful moment together...

...Unfortunately, reflections in the mirror don't hug back.

Niche dropped his arms, satisfied with what he was determined to tell the girl. Almost as if on cue, he heard the door to his home in Chateau Drantrak open. The creaky thing was always a good warning to tell the ninja to hide. Yet today, he expected his guest, and was not afraid to tell her how he truly felt now.

Each step down the stairs to the living room of his home seemed like the longest step he could take. He was going to do this, he was going to make amends with his daughter, try to help her with controlling her magic, and then start a new life, just the three of them.

When Niche got to the bottom step and saw Kyla. Her brown hair dangling and her blue eyes looking up at him. The same blue eyes that had lost their wonder and innocence years ago. Nice smiled.

"Look, I know we've had our differences." Niche nodded inside of his head, confident that he could do this. Kyla blinked as the Mystic went to find the right words to say to her. But those eyes, those eyes that were the mark of a woman, not his child. No, Kyla was not Niche Orlouge's daughter, nor had she been since the day he for all intents and purposes disowned her. Kyla Orlouge was the daughter of Sei, and the girl was proud of it.

"Let’s go outside and see your mother before we start working on your training," Niche said, absolutely bawling inside of his mind. He could never do it. Someone had taken his daughter away from him, he could never do the same to his baby brother...

[Amber Eyes]

As they approached the grave Kyla held out her hand for her father. She smiled as he took it and knelt before the tombstone. Niche had carved each of the six stones in the cemetary himself.

There they stood, the stones for each of Kyla's two elder brothers, her mother, her niece and sister-in-law, and finally the smallest one, for Kyla Marie Orlouge.

The back of the stone was ingraved in the girls mind,

My heart lies here, So small, so sweet, so soon.

She looked over at Niche, whose head was bowed but had tears in his eyes and she did something she had never done before. She grabbed her father and hugged him with all of her might as though ten seconds of contact could erase thirteen years of hurt. She wanted to go back and be that little girl he loved, to make the pain in his eyes vanish.

Trouble was, she could barely remember her days here. So much had happened and she was not a little girl anymore. She forced herself to let him go and to walk away.

"Whenever you are ready, I'll be ready to start training."

When she was certain he would not notice she turned around. "I love you daddy." She whispered the words more to feel them on her own tongue than anything else. She wiped a stray tear and headed for the house.

[Silence Sei]

Niche stood up and followed Kyla back to the house. Along the way, he pointed out several placed Kyla used to frequent as a little girl; The barbershop where she had got her first haircut, the first restaurant she had ate non baby food at, the small clinic that had been where she was born. Everything in the town of shadows revealed another memory, another time lost when Kyla had disappeared.

Niche shook his head, trying to focus more on his daughter. This was about her training after all, not about his nostalgia.

"Now Kyla, all of your Uncles are going to tell you that magic is something different. Succed will say its a tool to make easier, Steppenwolf an experiment that needs to be studied, Ciato a sign of power that only the strongest should have, Sei a strategical advantage over an enemy, and Razak, I still think he thinks its a type of card game." Niche paused while thinking about his middle brother for a moment.

Niche stopped, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder, stopping her mid-pace. Kyla turned around as Niche once again looked into her eyes. "The thing is, Kyla, magic is what you want it to be. So... what do you want it to be?"

[Amber Eyes]

A million thoughts filled the girls mind, magic had so much potential. It was a blessing hidden within a curse, and if only she could unlock it perhaps something good could come out of all the bad she had gone through. The girl did not want to tell her father that she was unsure of what she wanted, so instead she said the first thing that came to her mind. "I want power."

"That's the last thing I thought you'd say Kylana, you just reminded me of your uncle Ciato a bit." The disappointment in Niche's eyes was evident.

"Well I did just spend a week with the guy," Kyla attempted to turn her comment into a joke. When Niche did not speak Kyla continued, "I spent most of my life feeling powerless to stop bad things from happening around me. It seems no matter what I do or where I go someone is waiting to take everything. I don't want to ever have to start over again, and I don't ever want to watch an innocent person die because I was too much of a coward to do something about it."

Niche smiled at his daughter, and brushed her hair from her face, "Now that sounds like my little girl." Kyla instinctively pulled his hand away but immediately regretted it.

"I'm sorry," her father quickly stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I just forget sometimes all the things I don't know about you. "

Kyla thought about apologizing for her actions but decided against it. She would only get hurt if she explained everything. "So I guess, I want magic to be a way for me to make sure no one else has to go through what happened to us."

[Silence Sei]

"That sounds more like you. Ciato is only out for how the power can benefit him, not how it can benefit others," Niche said, a bit more stern than he would have liked. He continued to walk with his daughter, smelling the fresh baked pies that hung in some of the more culinary-centric houses window sills. Eventually, the two got to the edge of the town, the area that broke Chateau Drantrak off from the world of Althanas.

The field was pretty desolate, only dying grass swayed in the breeze, and the sounds of a few faint crickets could be heard in the town of eternal darkness. Niche looked down towards the ground and kneeled, his ears picking up the sounds of the cricket far easier than a normal Mystic would have. The man clasped two of his hands together and smiled, catching his intended prey.

The legs of the bug rubbed against the ninja's skin, and Niche could not help but form a smile. Walking a little outwards, Niche removed the top of his hand just the tiniest bit in order for Kyla to see the green insect. "You're going to corral this thing into going where you want it to go. Use non lethal shadow and light magics to steer it where you want it to be, let's say..."

Niche looked around, smiling as he saw a dying wipper will tree about ten feet east of Kyla. "There. Make sure the thing walks in a straight line. It'll take a lot of control, switching between your magics, and it may tire you out. But I want you to be able to shift between your powers like they're nothing. You've been given a great gift Kyla, and if you truly want to protect people, this is how."

As Niche finished he released his temporary bug holding cell, allowing the cricket to drop to the ground. It began to hop away, and Niche pointed straight towards it. "Just so you don't lose him, I'll keep an eye on him so you'll know where he's gone if you need to. Sound fair?"

[Amber Eyes]

The image of her father with the grasshopper hidden in his hands brought back a memory of her childhood so strong that Kyla could not believe she had ever forgotten it. Her brothers were playing ball a dozen or so feet away, her mother sat under a nearby tree braiding Jaquelynn's hair. Dusk was quickly coming and Niche held his little girl close. "Have you ever seen a firefly dance?"

The young girl had smiled up at her father with wide eyes, "uh uh."

"Would you like to?"

"Please." That one word was all it would have taken for Niche Orlouge to move mountains. He sat the little girl down in the grass and draped his large coat over her small frame. Her eyes barely peaked out the top but he could see the laughter hiding there. He stepped out of sight for a moment and then returned with his hands cupped. He brought his treasure to Kyla and opened his hands, out flew a firefly, the brightest the girl had ever seen.

Niche had sat with Kyla for at least a half hour, controlling the firefly movements and making it dance for his little girl. Kyla had fallen asleep against her father's chest. The smell of his cologne filled her nostrils and Kyla realized it was the same kind he wore back then.

She smiled up at her father, happy that he would finally teach her his trick. He released the grasshopper and Kyla tried her hardest to focus on telling it which way to go.

It was harder than she had expected, each time she would get it to move the right way it would jump out of the path and she would have to start all over. If the grasshopper would only cooperate the small path would only take a few seconds to navigate, but at the rate it was going they would be here for hours.

Kyla focused as hard as she could, and the little bug took two jumps towards the goal. The girl smiled and shouted "Yes!" at the top of her lungs before she realized she had taken her eyes off of the grasshopper and it was no where to be found.

"I guess I have to start all over now huh?" Kyla looked at her father pleadingly, her mind too tired to imagine the task.

[Silence Sei]

"No Kylana," Niche said with a smile on his face, "you did well enough for one day. You proved much by trying so hard to get the little guy to his goal. You've got your mother's will and stamina in you." The father smiled to his little girl, turning her around as they began to head back to his house.

He looked back for only a second, smiling as he looked at the grasshopper that was planted on the tree itself, playing music on the bark of the thing.

Niche had given Kyla everything she needed for rest; directions to the bathroom, a few towels, some pillows, and a comforter or two. Niche's house was particularly warm usually, but no matter how good the ninja felt, he had an inkling his daughter would be cold. Was his father-like intuition finally starting to kick in? Niche wondered this to himself as he quietly stared out the window.

There was normally an eerie feeling of foreboding in Chateau Drantrak, a sense that no matter what happened, there would always be a pair of eyes watching. Yet, tonight everything seemed so peaceful, with no doom looming over anybody's head. Perhaps it was Kyla's presence that was making Niche Orlouge feel so...

...complete.

He took his bath quickly following Kyla's and hurried off to bed while the steam was still leaving his flesh. He nestled himself under his purple satin sheet, looking at the holes in the wall beside his bed. He bit his lip for a moment, worried about the source of those holes. As he thought, his eyes grew eye, slowly slinking downwards until they were finally closed. Just like that, Niche Orlouge began his sleep.

And with it, he began his nightmare anew.

[Amber Eyes]

Kyla sat in her room reading as she listened for Niche's shower to end. It had been a long day and only the fact that she was sweaty stopped her from immediatly lying down and calling it a night. She was having difficulty concentrating for some reason and after having to reread a paragraph for the third time the young girl sat the book down and stood up.

She glanced around the small room, trying to remember a time when it was hers. A few memories came back to her, reading under the covers with Jaquelynn, dancing by the window with her brothers, and saying prayers before Niche kissed her on the head and stood in the doorway until she fell asleep. When her mind reached the day her family was ripped apart Kyla heard the shower turn off.

She stood completley still hoping Niche would assume she had gone to bed already. He did not check in on her and Kyla waited until she could hear his rhythmic breathing before she quietly walked to the bathroom. She laid her pajamas and bathrobe next to the sink before starting up the water. She undressed quickly and stepped into the shower, the steam from the hot water sticking to her flesh. She turned her back to the water jet and rolled her head back and forth letting the water soothe her aching shoulders and neck. She quickly washed her hair and began to wash off her body.

A loud thud reached her ears and she reached down and tuned the faucet off. Another thud caused the girl to freeze in place with her heart pounding in her ears. Water ran down her body before making a quiet tap in the bottom of the tub. She stood there until the cold from being wet became to much to stand and then reached for a towel. She quickly dried herself off and pulled on her clothes.

She wrapped her head up in a towel and opened the bathroom door just a bit. She peeked out but all she could see was the dark hallway. A murmer reached her ears and Kyla quickly recognized Niche's voice. Fear was replaced with curiosity, and the girl tiptoed to her father's door.

Another thud reached her ears and this time Kyla placed the sound, it was someone hitting a wall. She opened the door to see her father tossing in his bed wrapped tightly in his covers.

"Dad," The word came out barely above a whisper. Niche simply tossed again, his brow furrowed as though he was in deep concentration. Kyla took another couple steps before again calling out to him, "Niche! Wake up!"

Kyla watched as her father pulled his arm back and slammed it into the wall, pieces of wood splintering off. It was then that she realized there were at least a dozen similar holes near his bed. She was afraid of Niche physically hurting himself if the nightmare continued, so she made her way to the side of his bed. The young girl reached down and placed a hand on each shoulder and shook the man lightly. "Please wake up Dad, I'm scared."

[Silence Sei]

It was always the same nightmare. That horrible night when he had went out to slay invading bandits. He was one the people looked up to in Chateau Drantrak, respected not just for his family name, but his raw power as well. He had taken his sons to repel the would be robbers. It was supposed to be a simple cut and dry defense of the town, nothing to worry about. Niche Orlouge had thought that he had it all under control.

Niche Orlouge was wrong.

What had appeared to be between five to ten bandits was more accurately around thirty. While the smaller force had drawn the town defenses out, the bigger group had broken into houses, stolen the weapons of whatever guards had remained in their homes. They did not take hostages, they only took lives. When they were finished ransacking the houses, the bigger group showed up as reinforcements for the smaller group. Niche Orlouge had grown arrogant due to his skills, and it cost him greatly.

Several houses had been set ablaze, the smell of burning flesh, the screaming of children as they burned. Niche and his sons fought as hard as they could against the bigger force, but they had come prepared. Light based weapons, shadow based armor. The three had to rely on their physical prowess in order to win the day.

But when Niche turned, he saw one of his children, Eerste, the first born son, lying on the ground, unmoving. His second son, Toorn, stood with his head held high, even as the blade was being pressed to his throat. The bandits had heard of Niche Orlouge's strength, knew of his power. Even thirty of them could not beat Niche. That was why they had to attack the Mystic's true weakness, his family.

The ultimatum was simple; give up or Toorn would join his brother in the afterlife. When Niche had refused, he felt the azure blood of his own child splatter across his face. Toorn fell to the ground, his blue eyes still holding the same Orlouge pride they held in life. He was only fifteen years old.

Niche's fists trembled, and he let out a howl that toppled a few of the burning buildings. By the time he had finished, there was nothing of the bandits left to bury. His fists had hit so many of them, so many times. he had been covered in the red blood of his foes to join Toorn's own blue blood. When he had returned, he found the rest of his family dead, and Kyla missing...

"Please wake up Dad. I'm scared."

Niche's eyes shot open, and he stilled the fist that nearly found its way to Kyla's temples. His eyes showed so much fear in them, so much hurt. He relived this nightmare every night, but it was the first time he had ever been awakened from it. It did nothing but prove to Niche that Kyla was hope incarnate. Kyla was the person who had saved him from his own self-pity.

"I'm....going to teach you Toorn and Eerste's favorite techniques, Kylana." Niche said while looking at his little girl. It was an apology for then, and an apology for now. Niche Orlouge was sincerely sorry that he had always been so powerless.

[Amber Eyes]

Her father's words struck Kyla like a ton of bricks. She did not remember much about her brothers, only passing memories here and there. So when her father told her she was going to learn both of her siblings favored attacks, she did not know quite how to feel. Would she be able to honor the memory of Toorn and Eerste in a proper way?

Kyla took a huge swallow of the lump in her throat and nodded. If Niche felt that she was able to do such feats, she would have to go along with it. After all, her father would not try to set her up for a true failure, would he?

Kyla kissed her dad on the cheek and tucked him into bed. It was a strange role reversal for the two of them, but one Niche did not bother to protest against. After Kyla made sure her father rested comfortably, she snuck back off to her bed, and got some sleep. There was no longer a pounding sound coming from Niche's room for the rest of the night....

~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, Niche stood with his hands on his hips as he looked at his child. Kyla mocked the stance, scrunching up her face and trying to look as intimidating as the Ninja Orlouge. The sheer attempt brought laughter from the Mystic, which in turn cause Kyla to slowly turn a few slipping giggles into a full out laugh herself.

Almost as quickly as the laughter had began, Niche abruptly stopped and looked to his daughter. "Kyla, Toorn aways thought that shadow magic was more of a support tool for heavy hitters like me to come in and manipulate. As such, he developed a technique that could hurt the opponent in a way they'd never see coming. It did a number on him, but if used correctly, you'll have no trouble scarring your foe enough to where they won't want to fight you any longer."

Kyla was still laughing a bit, not having the kind of self control that her parent had. Niche waited for the girl to finish before he pointed to the ground. Kyla's blue orbs shifted downward and stared at the ground. It only took a minute or so before the girl began to feel like what she was doing was outright ridiculous.

"What am I looking at?" Kyla finally asked, looking up to her father.

"Look at my shadow, silly." Niche finally revealed, and Kyla promptly obeyed. The girl's eyes widened as she watched her father's shadow throw several shuriken towards the house. Naturally, the ninja stars were lost in the shadow of the much larger house. However, Kyla distinctly heard the sound of wood being chipped, and looked up to see several chipped pieces of wood in the building.

Kyla looked to her father, who was breathing heavily from the technique. Obviously, Toorn was not the only one who the attack took its toll on.

"So..." Niche spoke in between breaths, "ready for the basics of the phantasma?"

[Silence Sei]

Once Kyla had nodded, Niche cracked his knuckles and smiled, looking back and forth to make sure nobody was paying attention. Chateau Drantrak was still a populated town, after all. "Okay, the first thing you have to imagine is what you want your shadow to make. It's better if you focus on projectiles, because if your shadow releases them, they take their own form instead of eating away at your magic."

Kyla blinked for a moment. "Eating away at your magic?"

"Right," Niche confirmed, "if you have your shadow hold on to, say a long sword, as long as your shadow is holding that long sword, your magic is being drained. Eventually, you'll only be stuck with being able to pull off Mystic Protection. While that's a good spell in and of itself, you don't want to lose any other options you may have. That's why phantasma is better used for throwing things."

Kyla nodded, understanding the point.

Niche kicked a bit of dust into the air, providing a solid cover for him and his daughter. "The next step you have to learn, is that once you're pictured the object, focus your shadow magic on making it become a reality. Like a shadow sword, but you need to keep from allowing the weapon to make a physical manifestation. After a couple of seconds, the welled up shadow magic will release itself on your shadow."

As Niche spoke, he lifted his arm, his shadow holding a dagger on the ground. Niche made the throwing motion, and the shadow obeyed, releasing the weapon towards the house. "You also have to remember that your shadow is still an extension of you. You still have to make the motions in order for your shade to toss the item. It's just that you won't be physically holding it."

"Finally," Niche spoke, walking over to his daughter and placing a hand on her head, "you have to remember that the Phantasma does not have to physically connect with the object, just its shadow. So say I use the technique on you, if the dagger actually hit your ribs, that would be fine, but say you shift your position and the sun forms your shadow in front of you, causing your shadows head to be in the way of the attack. The dagger would find itself in your head the second it hit your shadow's head. Get it?"

"I-I-I think so..." Kyla said, looking down at her shadow. The technique seemed quite complicated, and she seemed like she wouldn't be able to pull it off. Taking a heavy gulp, she nodded once more to her father. "I'm ready to try it....for Toorn."

Niche, who had become worn out for the short time that the Phantasma had been used, wearily nodded to his daughter, sitting down and playing the part of observer.

[Amber Eyes]

Kyla hadn't expected to get it right the first time. Her shadow followed her every move, releasing the weapon. The girl gave a grin as it circled, making its way back to her as quickly as it left. Her shadow's hand extended with her own and as it caught the blade she nearly let out a yell of victory. That is, before she saw the blood. Her hand dripped aqua, not much more than a surface scratch really.

Niche quickly ran to her side, his sleepiness long gone. "Kyla, are you alright? Let's get you inside and bandage that up."

The two walked to the house in silence, too many years and too many tears stood between them. They reached the small water closet and he carefully covered the wound with a clean cloth, tying it neatly as though he had years of practice. Kyla wondered how he learned the skill but thought better of asking.

"Are you sure you are okay, Kylana?"

The girl raised her eyes, seeing the worry there. Her heart leapt with a bit of hope. "I did it."

Niche laughed, pulling the girl in for a hug. "Yes baby, you did."

[Lye]

Thread Title: Orlouge Training Lesson 4: Niche Orlouge
Judgment Type: No Judgement
Participants: Silence Sei & Amber Eyes

Silence Sei (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?30) Receives:


1,344 EXP!
72 GP!



Amber Eyes (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?14196) Receives:


960 EXP!
72 GP!