The Iron Maiden: First year of furyoku
A horrible device of either torture or execution, the Iron Maiden is something that few enter willingly. An iron coffin shaped like a women in a twisted reference to Mary, few would dispute the vile nature of it or it's creators.If you were to look inside of it, you would see iron spikes jutting out from all side, ready to pierce who ever is tossed inside.
Yoh Asakura is one of the few who can say that they survived entering the Iron Maiden, and one of the fewer that can say that they have gone inside more then once. Before Yoh entered the Iron Maiden, he was simply an ignorant child. He was dedicated, yes, but it didn't yet understand how difficult his chosen method of gaining power would be.
Furyoku, a measure of shamanic power, called mana by the English. It can be increased by purposely putting oneself in a near death state, something the Iron Maiden is quite capable of doing, even if it is not the most efficient way. It is still much more effective at increasing someone's furyoku then the alternate method of stripping the senses.
When Yoh first enters the Iron Maiden, he is not prepared. The short, sharp, iron spikes pierce his body, and the pain is horrible. It feels like his nerves are on fire, like he is dying, which he is. He screams, he cries, he even yells out curses that he overheard. The pain is to much for him to bear, and he fades in and out of consciousness.
After an undeterminable amount of time, Yoh is pulled out of the Iron Maiden to be healed and to get some rest to help his recovery. While resting he also trains in Onmyoudou under his grandfather, before he goes back inside the torture chamber. In, out, in, out, Yoh's days are a blur of pain, sleep, and training. Soon enough, though, he stops feeling the pain and his mind becomes more clear.
He can feel himself getting stronger every day, now. The Iron Maiden really is increasing his spiritual power, and his grandfather and mother say that he is stronger then both of them combined. He knows that he isn't strong enough yet, though. He WILL bring his brother Hao back, no matter what. He will do what ever he needs to, endure any trail, and push on through everything the world can throw at him to get his brother back. Yoh Asakura will succeed or he will die trying.
[END]
You said this a while ago:
Ouch.
Also You guys technically have two mediums for the Spirit of the Mirror.
What did you mean by that? Also, do you think you could tell us how beginning of the series Yoh compares to us in skills?
On a completely unrelated note, I love this quest, it is one of my favorites (which is why I write these omakes for it).