Welcome to Gaia! ::

*the young man smiles warmly, and finally speaks*

"So you are the Sage of Spirit. Thanks to the legacy of the Cursed Eye, I have been able to regain many things this time. For that, I am grateful."

*he bows slightly*

"If you don't mind, I would like to ask you a few questions. This won't take even a moment of your time, I promise. Kokujin-san, I can sense that there's more to you than you're letting on. What exactly is it you want to achieve? What is it that you're trying to do? You certainly have worked very hard up to this point, and while you have been able to fool others...but I understand full well that simply cannot be the case. I would prefer to understand you than have us become enemies if possible."

*He seems to show no fear towards Kokujin whatsoever. In fact, he's addressing him as an equal. He does this not in a sarcastic sense, but in fact a sincere sense of courtesy. Not to mention, he emanates a wisdom that's completely absent in others in their late teens. Just who exactly is he?*

*Ajna laughs lightly* "You are quite well informed, as I would expect. While you have no obligation to provide me with answers, I'm afraid I cannot let you leave."


*Kokujin's followers and the Lunar Hope crew fade into lotus petals and fall. The two of them are alone now inside the Lunar Hope Arena.*


"Welcome to Maya (Illusion Dimension). The moment we made eye contact, I have transported your mind to this place. I was hoping you would simply answer my questions, but I was not so naive to depend on that. I was hoping to understand you, in perhaps find a solution that would minimize future casualties....but it seems my only option left is to kill you."

*Ajna takes a martial arts stance*

"Far be it from me to judge your motivations, but I simply cannot stand by after all the people that have suffered because of your actions. If I don't do something about you now, the balance will suffer. Nothing personal."

"Like you, I also know all too well how rotten the world can be. And I certainly am not happy with Heaven's sense of "justice". I am not here to convince you to accept my sense of justice either.

The balance I speak of is for every one corrupted, there is one who finds inner peace, and to minimize suffering as much as I can. That is all. A simple wish."

*Ajna relaxes and his aura settles. The air around them has become much less thick. Apparently Ajna's ki is large enough that it could not be detected by normal means. This entire room was filled with it, like an ocean of spiritual energy all around. It's a similar feeling to when you realize you're wet only after you surface from the ocean. While this place may be an illusion, Ajna's power is very real. Now that there has been a shift in his Ki, anyone who can detect spiritual energy can tell you that his Ki is exceptionally huge and potent...and more pure in nature.*

"Well, I suppose trying to explain any further wouldn't do any good."

*Ajna watches Kokujin's moments unflinchingly. Despite having a blindfold on his eyes, he reacts as though he sees. Perhaps he is looking through his third eye hidden behind his hair? Or is it something else?*

*Ajna raises his left arm in front of him, palm outward*

"Soma." (Of the Moon) *a powerful force pulls Kokujin's body and shadows towards his palm. It seems to be a gravitational power that can affect things beyond the tangible. As things draw closer to him, the field of gravity seems to converge 5 feet before Ajna's actual palm.*

*After he announces Soma, he dashes around Kokujin in an arc at impressive speed. His movements are reminiscent of Bushimaru's, but the speed is closer to Debora's...though Debora still wins by a longshot. As he dashes he jumps and performs a roundhouse kick, then continues moving again. Offense and defense simultaneously. The kick itself is ordinary, but that strange power from before exudes from the kick. The strange energy surges from the kick and rapidly approaches the gravity field's convergence point, like a bullet. The energy from the kick has a tremendous amount of physical force, as well as a mass of spiritual energy to it. Basically, it's a slicing energy attack from the kick and it has a lot of physical and spiritual power to it; enough to even make Kokujin a bit worried if it hit.[/rankyaku]*

*Ajna smiles. Then proceeds to do....nothing. Nothing at all but stand completely still. He proceeds to place his palms together, and his energy reacts strangely. All of it seems to compress around this body, much like Anahata's and Bushimaru's Chield ability. While this can not be seen, the room certainly feels a lot more empty now.

"Shuddhi." (Sanctify) *Normally a spiritual-based ability would be thwarted by Aether Disturbance, and it tries to fight his casting. However, the distorted air cannot penetrate the barrier of ki around Ajna. Ajna's spiritual energy is so concentrated and rare, that Aether Disturbance has little effect. It only serves to delay the casting. After a few moments, Ajna has a revelation. Afterwards the distorted area inside the shadow dome steadily returns to normal again.*

*This is done in just the right amount of time, because only a few moments remain until the shadow dome crushes him.*

"Karana." (Of the Waves) *Opposite of Soma, this ability allows Ajna to push things away from him. The entire dome rapidly is pushed outwards. It happens so quickly, that the shadow dome is disrupted and tears in a few places, and Ajna is able to break through one of the tears. Once he leaves, Karana dispels inside the dome and it rapidly returns to where it was before, then condenses completely shortly afterward. Ajna's presence from his ki can be felt in the entire room again, though it seems dealing with both of Kokujin's spells wore him out slightly.*

"You truly are a frightening sorcerer. I never imagined that you could maintain such a level of concentration for those spells. Charging an area with unstable magical particles to hinder your opponent's use of energy, while at the same time managing Shadow Magic so well. It just goes to show just how amazing human potential truly is. " *Ajna nods, then frowns* "Though, it pains me to see your heart only desire destruction. If you were willing to let go of your hatred, then I would leave you be. I truly am sorry that I was not able to help you some time earlier in your life. Regrettable."

*While this may sound artificial to most people, Ajna is different. He exudes a sincerity that's not found in most people, and has a true sense of concern for Kokujin. Not as an enemy, or as the Sage of Spirit, but as a human being. What's more, his everlasting composure and sense of wisdom suggest he's far older than he appears. Not to mention he saw through how Aether Disturbance works. He must be experienced with magic users as well.*

*A man who seeks more power to reach his goals, wanting to destroy anyone and anything that gets in his way. A seemingly young man with great power who would rather understand someone than destroy, even if that's an enemy. These two truly appear to be opposites. Even so, this does not cause him to hesitate.*

"Indra." (Of the Lightning)

*he appears behind Kokujin. This is beyond a speed technique. It's more akin to a time-space / teleport ability. It is not nearly as easily detected. Even for a teleportation move, it's not very noticeable since it's pretty much instantaneous.*

*Immediately after, he proceeds to do a precision fingers strike aimed at Kokujo's lower vertibrae of his spine. If he succeeds, he'll damage, if not sever, the nerves in his spine and cause Kokujin severe damage. At the same time, Ajna performs a powerful stomp on Kokujin's shadow, just in case he tries to use that Shadow Puppet trick again. The stomp creates a minor quake since he's channeling half of his power through his foot into the ground (the other half being in his fingertips). Once again, Ajna's ki is flowing through his limbs...so his attacks have slightly longer range than his actual body parts.*