Cadenza
Chapter One The New Guardian
Feline bodies aren't exactly suited to some forms of expression. Oh, they're good for anger, or annoyance, or for a general sense of superiority, sure. For absolute smugness or for portraying a sense of absolute bone laziness, you can't possibly find something better suited than the feline form. Still, there are certain things they can't do; shrugging for one. They are also incapable of really showing any signs of apprehension other than their 'fight-or-flight' response. Namely, tensing up in preparation for mauling something.
So when I say that Spinel was gnawing at his nether lip, just try to get a sense of what a huge, moth-winged panther might do if he was a bit nervous for someone other than himself. "Master, are you positive that this is your desire? Surely there's another way..."
Clow Reed smiled gently at the cat. Irreverent, sarcastic, and given to delusions of supreme genius, he was a wonderful friend. "I'm afraid not, kitty-cat. I'm quite powerful, and as these years of work have passed I've grown stronger. Still, I'm still only a man. There are forces that not even I can completely stave off." He stood slowly and carefully from his over-stuffed armchair. "What of the circle? Has Ruby finished her work yet?"
Spinel sighed in defeat. He never HAD been able to persuade the benignly stubborn human to ever do anything sensible. "Almost. She's aligned the matrices of power as you asked for, though she still can't figure out what you intend to bind; she's never heard of this kind of energy being used before. There's still the question of those final touches you told us you needed to do, but Kero, Ruby, and myself have done everything you required."
Clow nodded in satisfaction. What had once been the Book of the Clow had begun to change recently, to his consternation. He had only found out a year ago that the new changes were occuring as the spirits of the cards began to lose bits of themselves to...something else. He had found his answers, and now had only one last choice remaining, one last detail in the final modifications to what he knew would be his greatest achievement, his masterpiece.
Now to finish it.
--------
"You summoned me?"
Gabriel turned at the sound of the unassuming voice, biting back a wince as he saw it's owner. "Hello Yue. Yes, I did call you." Gesturing to the side, he motioned for the Seraph to make himself comfortable.
This was not his choice. He continued to tell himself that repeatedly, and it was the only real thing that was keeping him from losing control of himself. He DIDN'T want to do this. He liked Yue well enough; he had enormous potential, his power quite near to that of a True Archangel. With further use of those powers, he could someday join the Host as a full equal of They Who Stood Before Him.
And now, the Almighty Himself had informed Gabriel that he was to deliberately send his protege, his friend, on a mission that would stunt those powers to a gigantic level.
Gabriel knew the truth about Yue. Well, as much of the truth as anyone not an Ancient God currently knew. He hadn't been all that interested in Falaris' and Anubis' antics in the realm of scrying at first; Anubis served whoever gave him orders, and the people of Falaris' realm had little exposure to angels. It was only during that debacle with the Senshi and the Virage that he'd been made aware that whatever the two had been up to, it was something of great importance, both in general as well as personally.
He'd been stunned to learn that neither was really in charge, that Elyah Himself had been seeing to this. Something of note to the Almighty was most definitely important as far as he was concerned; that it had resulted in the death of one of his Host had only brought it home.
It had been shocking to say the least to discover that the quiet, unassuming Seraph was a reincarnation of lesser beings, let alone that simple elf from Lodoss. Okay, Fungsahn had been a worthy entity to assume the status of an angel, but it had never been seen before. Angels were made, they were primal souls. Other people didn't normally even gain access to the true sphere of Heaven; random dragon/elves did NOT become Seraphim.
Gabriel shook himself from his reverie as Yue spoke up. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
Yue quirked an eyebrow at his Commanding officer. "Was there a particular reason that I was summoned? Or is this just a social call?"
Gabriel let himself smile slightly. Yue was notorious for his lack of social skills; he wasn't anti-social, just uncomfortable around others. "No, hardly a social call. It's just a small assignment; I don't imagine it will take more than a few months at the very most." He sighed, quickly opening a scrying gate to display two things; the first being a tall human male dressed in ornate black robes enhanced by cloth of gold, silver, and blue.
thought Yue as opinions began to form. He was fairly good at reading body language; the degree of kindness and general 'nice- ness' radiating from this individual was such that he was either a true humanitarian or someone who could feign Incubus-like levels of false charm. Hopefully the former, but he doubted it if this warranted Gabriel's personal attention. "Who is he?"
"Clow Reed, a sorcerer of great power and little repute."
Yue's expression didn't change, but he was impressed to say the least. Normal sorcerers grew in power and reputation simultaneously. This one had not only attained great power, but managed to use that power to keep that knowledge from other powerful sorcerers. Protection from that kind of scrying required a LOT of power. "What's so special about him?"
Gabriel's next gesture was to change the image in the scrying portal from the man to a large book, the cover red leather, with the image of a winged golden lion on the front page. It was sealed with a lock that seemed to be based on fairly simple spells tweaked for higher power. As it slowly rotated, he could see on its back the image of an astrological clock; tracery circles, each holding various small or large circles of the same gold, all centered around a sun in glory orbitted by the crescent moon.
Gabriel paused long enough to make sure he still had Yue's attention before continuing. "This is Clow Reed's claim to fame, the Book of the Clow. He has spent the past eighty years building up to form this store of magic." The image changed again as the portal enlarged slightly, dividing into more and more images. Some were interesting enough; one showed a woman in a harlequin's motley leaping through some kind of disk. Others were just silly; one showed a winged hot air balloon, another showing the image of a four-year old girl in puffy pants, little orbs dangling from her pigtails. "What you are seeing are images of the powers of this book. As years passed, Clow Reed discovered a way to combine some of the aspects of both western and eastern sorcery; the stablizing forces and raw power of western magic combined with the eastern sorcery's sophistication and propensity for summoning."
Yue's forehead creased in thought. "Summoning? You mean he's a druid or shaman of some kind."
Gabriel shook his head. "Not entirely. Yes, he does summon his servants for the bulk of his work and power, but not the way you're thinking." He gestured to the variety of images within the screen. "The book you saw earlier doesn't hold pages or words; it's more like a book-shaped box than an actual book. What it actually contains are cards; fifty two of them in total. What Clow Reed has done is found a way to create different micro- climes in each card, each one being the home of a spirit of some kind." Four images came to the foreground; one looked like a winged elf, her hair in two huge billowing fans that seemed to be wings themselves. Another resembled an angel child, while the third was the image of an elven mermaid. The last was a woman in simple draped robes wearing a headdress of leaves, similar to a laurel. "These are the four most powerful of his cards; Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth namely."
Yue raised a hand in polite interruption. "You said that they're the homes of the spirits; did you mean home, or did you mean prison?"
Gabriel grimaced. "For the most part, they're homes. Clow Reed has yet to show any signs of cruelty, and he was careful to select spirits to bind in the cards that genuinely wanted to share this bond."
Yue nodded automatically as Gabriel continued to go through the cards. He paid only half attention; earth air fire water light and dark were the strongest. Each had certain powers, but most were still classified. He did feel a bit of a shock at some of them; honestly, what kind of mage created a spiritual servant that served no purpose other than turning things into candy? Or one that only made soap bubbles; it was ridiculous. He didn't really bother to pay attention until Gabriel finally wound into the actual mission itself.
"We've been watching carefully, and so far Clow hasn't done anything suspect," said the Archangel, regretting the lie now to come. "However, we've discovered that he's not quite finished yet. We're not positive, but we think he's going to make another card."
Yue's eyes narrowed as he took in the new images displayed before him. "Soul matrices."
They were not a comfortable subject among virtually anyone who knew of them. A soul matrix was a construct that blended multiple energy forms (spiritual, magical, physical, elemental, psionic, and others) for a single purpose.
To cage a soul outside of its natural link.
Gabriel had started at Yue's identification. It had taken Heaven's intelligence weeks to cross-reference the relevant data; they'd only just identified what was being made. "Yes - how did you know?"
"I'm a soul-streamer, remember?" Yue said quietly. "I'm a bit more connected to the vagueries of souls." Gabriel took a deep breath, and nodded. "This is our worry. We think that he may not intend to make a spirit card; we think he's going to try and form one that uses a human soul as opposed to a nature sprite. We're understandably worried."
Yue nodded as he stood. "You want me to deal with this?"
Gabriel nodded, but raised a hand to forestall Yue. "Understand; this is only guesswork. We aren't sure WHAT Reed is up to. For all we know, he might be trying to make himself into a golem for immortality or something. We aren't sure that he's going to do something of smite-able level. Don't do anything rash."
Yue nodded. "So watch first, then act as needed. What's my clearance?"
"Unlimited."
Yue very nearly face-faulted. "Uh...okay." The last time a Seraph had been given Clearance Unlimited had been centuries ago, when Lucifer had requested aid in putting down a revolt within his hierarchy. This hardly seemed to warrant the same level of freedom as a foray into Hell against some of the few beings who could kill angels. "Why?"
Gabriel winced inside, but managed to keep Yue from seeing anything appearance-wise. Outside, he may as well have been suggesting a different hair-cut for all the worry he showed. Still, this had been the one stipulation he'd asked for; he wanted this to fail, and he wanted Yue to have any and every chance of keeping out of this mess. "Just...just be careful, alright? Only He knows the full story of Clow Reed. We do not."
Gabriel watched the young seraph as he spread his wings and began rising to where he could ride the Flow into the mortal realm. As he faded from sight, the Second of all the angels allowed himself to slump down into his chair. "Please let this fail," he whispered under his breath.
He turned in startlement at the flare of power behind him. Michael and the Metatron stood there, but that was second in Gabriel's view. He stood there as well, compassion in his eyes.
Metatron smiled faintly. "It will work out. This is something that is beyond us."
Gabriel turned aside; it wasn't an official visit, and as such it warranted no real need for formality. "I know that. I just..."
Michael nodded as the three turned to leave. "We do as we are ordered. We do that which must be. We do that which harms none who have not earned it. And yet, for all that we strive for good, we cannot always love it."
--------
Yue sighed in bliss as he shot through the skies. To his knowledge, he was one of the few angels who really enjoyed flying like this. Oh, there were millions who enjoyed flying, who considered themselves aerobats. The thing was, when an angel flew, they entered a state in which they weren't quite in harmony with the world around them; they had substance, but it didn't really interact with the world around them more than perhaps a mist did.
As such, he didn't think a single angel other than himself, from Michael himself to the lowest grigori made an outright choice to become a part of the world for no reason other than to feel the air sluice across their skin.
He sighed as he turned to dive further downward. It was...sensual, really. As th, really. As thng hugged and caressed by countless hands; the hands of a trusted friend, the hands of a lover, it didn't matter which. All he knew was that it was joy.
He stalled as he came within range of Clow Reed's mansion. Angels could ride the Flow between worlds at will, but their were limits to how accurate they could be. Travel from heaven to the correct given hemisphere was easy. Going from heaven to within about a hundred miles of your target was fairly hard, but certainly doable.
Direct from heaven to the exact coordinates was something you generaly only saw gods, goddesses, and archangels regularly did.
As such, he was stuck finding the right planet, then using his own somewhat limited teleportation abilities (maximum range of about twenty miles) to make a brief course correction to get precisely where he needed to be.
Suiting thought to action, he burst into a flare of blue, fiery energy, and vanished.
--------
Clow smiled as he felt the surge of energies following the seraph's arrival in this plane. "It's time."
Spinel, Ruby, and Kero all moved to their positions in the circle of magical force they had woven together, leaving only the final weaves to be completed by their master himself. They still didn't quite know what it was intended for, but they had done as asked. Clow Reed had a bit of a habit of startling the daylights out of them with what he finally ended up making.
Clow took a deep breath, and began to draw his limited magical energies around himself. He was powerful, but so much of his power was invested in the Clow Book that it took time, ceremony, and careful use to accomplish anything else with his spare energies. He'd only get one chance at this, if he even had a chance to begin with.
It was time to find out what he could really do. If he deserved his own self-image as an Arch-Magus.
--------
Yue's sense of danger flared uncontrollably as he initiated the teleport. In the split second between being here and being there, something had latched onto him and shifted him just so.
His destination was supposed to have been the grove on Clow's grounds. Instead, he'd been subverted in mid-teleport into the circle of magic.
Into that feared and despised Soul Matrix.
Feeling the magics and forces slam into his own soul-based powers, he could feel them twisting and bending around his Being. Instinct took over, and he lashed at them with waves upon waves of soul-streamed energy; pure, unfocused, primal spiritual force.
It did little good, though the back-lash of the failed attack gave him some idea of what he was up against. Forcing the fear and rage that came from his being caged in this...this abomination under his control, he focused the energies properly, and struck a new assault entirely.
THIS struck hard. He was paying little attention to the exact world around him; all he knew was that the circle was being maintained by four entities, two humanoid, two not. That, and a profound sense of grim pleasure at the sudden shock in their eyes as they felt his counter-strike.
While his strike had done some damage, it wasn't making any headway on his real target, his bindings. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to unleash more and more power, painfully burning his Channels as he forced them to accept more energy than he'd ever dared to channel at once. He shed enough energy in seconds to have reduced the surface of a continent into a barren ruin, and it still wasn't enough. Panting under the exertion, he ceased his assault for a space. He began to gather himself for another assault; he was unlikely to survive an influx of greater power than what he'd just dared, but dying in an attempt to free himself was perfectly satisfactory as far as he was concerned.
"Have you considered," spoke up one of the holders of the field, now recognizable as Clow Reed, "what's going to happen to this area when you succeed in breaking this field? Specifically, what that energy is going to do once it has nothing to contain it, nothing to oppose it?"
Yue paled almost instantly. He wasn't a dark-skinned man to begin with, and it was still apparent. He'd just thought it himself. Enough power to reduce everything within five hundred miles into a smoking ruin of liquid glass. That was if he had spread it; focused into this area as it was, the land of Japan would be sporting a new volcano, one with a crater MILES across as opposed to simply yards. He turned to regard the sorcerer warily. "Have you considered," he asked, consciously aping the other's earlier phrase, "what's going to happen to you when it becomes clear that you're trying to turn servants of the Creator into your little trinkets? I'm strong, but if you think that I and the rest of your little cards are enough to withstand a host, you're delusional."
Clow regarded him quietly. "I need to speak with you privately," he said finally. "Are you willing to refrain from killing me during that time?"
"Why should I?" Yue asked. "And for that matter, are you willing to trust me?"
Clow nodded, still solemn. "I think you'll keep your word if you give it to me. The trick is getting you to agree in the first place." A ghost of a smile that held little actual happiness crossed the mage's face. "Tricks are something I'm quite good at."
Yue took a deep breath, forcing himself back under control. An angel could devestate a continent if he wished. An archangel could have destroyed the entire planet if they tried hard enough. He wasn't sure where he stood, but it was somewhere in between the two. Allowing THAT much power to act under rage was not something he was prepared for. "I agree not to try and kill you until after you've said your piece. I will not agree to stop trying to kill you outright afterwards."
Clow nodded tiredly. "I didn't expect anymore." He raised a staff decorated with a off-center sun-in-glory on a huge, elliptical sheet at the top. Sighing in relief, he allowed the energies he'd used there to return to his own reserves. "Walk with me." He turned towards the door, and opened it for the seraph. Pausing just long enough to temporarily banish his wings, Yue followed the magus.
Ruby allowed a ragged breath to escape her lungs. "Good god...what is he? So much power..."
Spinel sank to his haunches, dumbfounded. "We weren't holding back in the least. I don't think the master was (though he might have), and this was after whatever the circle did to him." He shuddered. "The thing that frightens me is that I think he would have hit us even harder if Master Clow hadn't convinced him otherwise."
Kero swallowed, looking nervously into the garden. "If he decides to attack, we'll defend the master." It wasn't a question, they knew they would. "But...do we have any chance of succeeding?"
"No," Spinel said simply. "Let's pray Master is able to convince him not to try anything dangerous. To us, at the very least.
--------
He very carefully kept it hidden from the angel, but deep inside, Clow Reed was feeling something that he'd not felt in almost half a century.
Fear. Pure, soul-shattering fear.
He was used to being an archmage. He was accustomed to that certain confidence in his own invincibility that such high-level magic should have given him. It was not comfortable to suddenly realize that you were potentially helpless.
Spinel had been correct of their short battle; Clow had held nothing back. He had tapped every shred of power he could access; he'd even drawn what power from the spirits of the Clow they could give, and he'd barely stayed alive. His words had been a gamble; the soul matrix would have shattered, drawing his energies along with it, and he doubted the floor would have so much as gained singe marks. What Yue might have done afterward was not something he felt comfortable thinking about.
He didn't swallow, for all that he wanted to. It would have been nice, though.
Yue stopped walking as they reached a willow in Clow's garden. Leaning back against one of the lower tree branches, he turned to regard the mage. "You have something that you want to talk to me about. What?"
Clow paused, collecting his thoughts. He knew what he wanted, but he needed to be careful in how he phrased it. Well, best to get the awquard part taken care of first. "That soul matrix was specially combined with a geis; it's bound you to the Clow."
Yue felt ice crawl up his spine as his fingers started abruptly digging into the wood. "What precisel "What preciselbound to the clow?'"
Clow invoked the Wood Card's power briefly to draw some of the vines and shrubs into a very temporary chair as he allowed himself to sit opposite Yue. "I'm bound to the Clow too, you know," he said, his nerve returning. He'd been right about Yue so far; he kept his word if nothing else. "I want to clarify one thing. You're bound to the Clow, not to a Clow Card. If that's your worry, don't. I'm not going to be able to arbitrarily turn you into a card, or at least try to."
"What. Do. You. Meam. By. Bound. To. The. Clow." Yue bit each word out, allowing a tiny bit of the divine spark to show in each hard word. Not much, just that bit all angels can use for divine announcements.
Clow felt it certainly, but he was rather unruffled. He was in his element now; this was shop talk. "When I created the Clow book, I originally created a small pocket world in the pages; you see it often enough in cursed and enchanted fairy tales and the like. The difference is that this world is bound to allow no one else to come in without some rather severe penalties. The spirits themselves were summoned through due course in the normal way, and given the option of joining into the cards. They would gain greater power and the ability to associate with other spirits they normally wouldn't have been able to find, but at the cost of being bound to serve whoever was the master of the book."
"What's the normal way?" Yue interrupted. "And what happened to the spirits who might have refused?"
Clow shrugged. "There are certain rituals common in both eastern and western magic. They're the magical equivalents of posting a classified ad, just in another world. Interested spirits who meet the requirements can enter the second half of the spell to reach a place of contact that is controlled by the mage performing the summoning." He used the Sweet to conjure a small plate of crumpets and tea, offering some to the angel. As Yue accepted a chamomile tea, he continued. "Of course, there were several spirits who refused or ended up unwilling to bind themselves this way. The Power, for instance. Most of those spirits are hulking, shape-less brutes that only have mist-like forms of energy. It took a VERY long time to find that cute little pink sprite who serves as the source of strength." He took a sip of his own tea, a variety of Earl Grey. "Those that chose not to seve me, I let return."
Yue quirked an eyebrow at that. "You let them return. Just, 'run along, on your way?'"
Clow smiled slightly. He was glad that this requirement had at least been met; Yue seemed rather calmer now. "Not quite like that, but yes." He set the tray of tea on a small table that he'd created along with his current chair, and brought two items from within his robes. The first struck Yue as being irritatingly cute. It was some kind of key; all pink, it had what looked like a caricature of a parrot's head on one end. The other was decidedly less; the main body was black, while the head was of a dark blue, and looked like some kind of fleurdelis, with an almost vine-like tendril coiling a part of the way down. "This," he said, hefting the pink key, "is the Key of Clow. It is the symbol of the Clow's master." He raised the other key. "This is the Dreamer's Key. It has most of the same enchantments, but it is linked to one thing alone. You."
Yue stared at the two for a time. "I'm still rather unhappy with you. What does this have to do? Stop jumping to subjects; it's a bad habit I have as well."
Clow nodded companionably. "As you wish. It's quite simple. I want you to believe that I'm not a bad person. I NEED you to believe that I'm not some kind of slaver. That's what these keys are for. If you take the Key of Clow, then you accept whatever it is I propose, for all purposes. If you chose the Dreamer's Key, then the enchantments I lay will be within your power to break with barely an effort." He set them both on the table within easy reach. "Please don't choose yet; I still have to explain myself fully."
Yue's gaze lingered on the keys. He'd just have to extend his hand and this farce would be over with. Unfortunately, he didn't believe in breaking his word. "Continue."
Clow sighed deeply. "I have spent the past eighty years of my life on the Clow; I'm almost three hundred years old, you know. And now, something has happened that has required me to do something about seeing to the Clow's protection." He used the Illusion Card's magic to draw the three images of his servants; the sphinx-like Keroberos, the moth-winged panther Spinel Sun, and the similarly moth-winged Ruby Moon. "I actually created these three, and bound them to the Clow in a manner similar to the way you were bound. They were meant to serve as the guardians of the Clow."
"So that's what this is about," Yue interrupted. "You want me to serve as a guardian of the Clow." Yue shook his head. "You go through all this for me; may I ask why?"
Clow considered. "Well, you meet the requirements I wanted for the final guardian. Firstly, you're ridiculously powerful; I sincerely doubt that anyone will be able to just TAKE the Clow away from you if you didn't allow it. Secondly, you're an honest, trustworthy man. The third reason has something to do with philosophy." He sipped at his tea before continuing. "Are you familiar with the system of Nine Alignments?"
"Philosophical division," Yue responded. "You see it all over the place, but it's strongest in the so-called 'gamer' universes. Krynn, Rokugan, and Aramar are just a few of the worlds that use that system. You basically have the three alignments of good, neutral, and evil, and further division into law, neutrality, and chaos." He shrugged. "Heaven doesn't really pay much attention to the system, as too many people there fit into the cracks and such. What does this have to do with you; I don't recall that philosophy being used here very much."
Clow nodded. "True. Still, I find it convenient to think of it that way. You see, I think of myself as being linked to multiple alignments, but not to certain things. Specifically, I eschew the philosophies of Evil and Order; or rather, I at least don't consider myself bound by them." He sipped again at his tea. "That leaves four philosophies; neutral good, chaotic good, true neutral, and chaotic neutral. Or if you prefer examples, the Healer, the Rebel, the Scholar, and the Trickster."
Yue nodded. "Four alignments, four guardians. Who's who, in your opinion?"
Clow smiled ruefully. "Ruby fits in with Chaotic Neutral quite well; she enjoys meddling with others too much otherwise. Oh, she has some leanings toward Good over neutrality, but she's still the closest to that philosphy. Spinel is Neutrality; he really only cares about learning more and protecting the Clow to the best of his abilities. That leaves you and Kero; the two of you could quite easily fit into either Chaotic Good or Neutral Good, so I won't bother differentiating."
Yue sighed. He had what he considered to be a temper problem. He didn't lose his temper easily; that was what he considered his problem. He found it difficult to stay angry with others for any length of time. He didn't talk about it often; most people looked at him like he was crazed for wanting to be angry more often, but he felt that being too forgiving was potentially as dangerous as not forgiving easily enough. As such, he was starting to stop hating Clow for this. Oh, he still resented him, but he wasn't really ready to vaporize him arbitrarily. "Thank you for the offer, but I already have a day job. The Dreamer's Key, if you don't mind?"
"I'm quite aware of your 'day job,'" Clow replied evenly. "Representative of the DDI, the Department for Divine Intervention. Not quite as powerful as either the Goddess Relief Office or the Earth Assistance Hotline, but still powerful enough to be considered a rival company. And as for the key, I'm not quite done. There's one last thing I want you to understand."
Yue sighed. "You know, I don't think I'll kill you after all, and I don't believe in torturing people, so you're off the hook there. Still, make this quick."
Clow mentally gathered himself. This was his trump, his ace in the hole. If this didn't work, he'd just wasted a large portion of his life on this single chance. He disliked waste. "I'm linked to the book of the Clow, just as you are." He dropped all of his personal shields for a moment. "I want you to link with the Clow, and link with me. I'm good at talking, but I don't think that's going to be good enough. I want you to KNOW why I'm doing this."
Yue stared at him for a moment. That kind of link wasn't done casually; it was akin to allowing a person to know any and everything about you to a degree of intimacy that most married couples didn't share. Clow nodded at the shocked look. "I'm a bit desperate, you see. Please, being without any defenses at all is feeling extremely odd. Could you hurry?" Yue swallowed nervously. He could just assume that if Clow was this desperate than he should accept, but that was a stupid and potentially suicidal gamble. Steeling himself, he traced the new links he'd been trying to ignore, and plunged into the world of the Book of the Clow, and into the Master of the Clow.
It lasted perhaps a second, but he experienced more in that instant than he could have in a year of conversation. Gasping in shock as the link was severed, he stared at Clow. He understood a great deal now. Why Clow needed so powerful a guardian. Why he was so afraid for his creations. No, not creations. He'd never married, never had any true relationships. The cards, the three guardians were his children. And like any true parent, he'd thrown everything out of the window to ensure the safety of those children.
Clow felt hope enter him as Yue turned to stare at him, understanding shining in his eyes. It faded to be replaced by a bit of sympathy, a bit of resolution. "How long?"
Clow shrugged. "Perhaps a year; I can't say for sure. So, what is your decision?"
Yue turned to the table, and walked over calmly and unhurriedly. Without hesitation, he picked up the Dreamer's Key and set it in a pocket in his long vest. Taking up the Key of Clow, he turned to face its creator. "Clow Reed, I hereby agree to carry the mantle of Guardian of the Clow for as long as I am able and desired to."
To be continued...
Chapter One The New Guardian
Feline bodies aren't exactly suited to some forms of expression. Oh, they're good for anger, or annoyance, or for a general sense of superiority, sure. For absolute smugness or for portraying a sense of absolute bone laziness, you can't possibly find something better suited than the feline form. Still, there are certain things they can't do; shrugging for one. They are also incapable of really showing any signs of apprehension other than their 'fight-or-flight' response. Namely, tensing up in preparation for mauling something.
So when I say that Spinel was gnawing at his nether lip, just try to get a sense of what a huge, moth-winged panther might do if he was a bit nervous for someone other than himself. "Master, are you positive that this is your desire? Surely there's another way..."
Clow Reed smiled gently at the cat. Irreverent, sarcastic, and given to delusions of supreme genius, he was a wonderful friend. "I'm afraid not, kitty-cat. I'm quite powerful, and as these years of work have passed I've grown stronger. Still, I'm still only a man. There are forces that not even I can completely stave off." He stood slowly and carefully from his over-stuffed armchair. "What of the circle? Has Ruby finished her work yet?"
Spinel sighed in defeat. He never HAD been able to persuade the benignly stubborn human to ever do anything sensible. "Almost. She's aligned the matrices of power as you asked for, though she still can't figure out what you intend to bind; she's never heard of this kind of energy being used before. There's still the question of those final touches you told us you needed to do, but Kero, Ruby, and myself have done everything you required."
Clow nodded in satisfaction. What had once been the Book of the Clow had begun to change recently, to his consternation. He had only found out a year ago that the new changes were occuring as the spirits of the cards began to lose bits of themselves to...something else. He had found his answers, and now had only one last choice remaining, one last detail in the final modifications to what he knew would be his greatest achievement, his masterpiece.
Now to finish it.
--------
"You summoned me?"
Gabriel turned at the sound of the unassuming voice, biting back a wince as he saw it's owner. "Hello Yue. Yes, I did call you." Gesturing to the side, he motioned for the Seraph to make himself comfortable.
This was not his choice. He continued to tell himself that repeatedly, and it was the only real thing that was keeping him from losing control of himself. He DIDN'T want to do this. He liked Yue well enough; he had enormous potential, his power quite near to that of a True Archangel. With further use of those powers, he could someday join the Host as a full equal of They Who Stood Before Him.
And now, the Almighty Himself had informed Gabriel that he was to deliberately send his protege, his friend, on a mission that would stunt those powers to a gigantic level.
Gabriel knew the truth about Yue. Well, as much of the truth as anyone not an Ancient God currently knew. He hadn't been all that interested in Falaris' and Anubis' antics in the realm of scrying at first; Anubis served whoever gave him orders, and the people of Falaris' realm had little exposure to angels. It was only during that debacle with the Senshi and the Virage that he'd been made aware that whatever the two had been up to, it was something of great importance, both in general as well as personally.
He'd been stunned to learn that neither was really in charge, that Elyah Himself had been seeing to this. Something of note to the Almighty was most definitely important as far as he was concerned; that it had resulted in the death of one of his Host had only brought it home.
It had been shocking to say the least to discover that the quiet, unassuming Seraph was a reincarnation of lesser beings, let alone that simple elf from Lodoss. Okay, Fungsahn had been a worthy entity to assume the status of an angel, but it had never been seen before. Angels were made, they were primal souls. Other people didn't normally even gain access to the true sphere of Heaven; random dragon/elves did NOT become Seraphim.
Gabriel shook himself from his reverie as Yue spoke up. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
Yue quirked an eyebrow at his Commanding officer. "Was there a particular reason that I was summoned? Or is this just a social call?"
Gabriel let himself smile slightly. Yue was notorious for his lack of social skills; he wasn't anti-social, just uncomfortable around others. "No, hardly a social call. It's just a small assignment; I don't imagine it will take more than a few months at the very most." He sighed, quickly opening a scrying gate to display two things; the first being a tall human male dressed in ornate black robes enhanced by cloth of gold, silver, and blue.
thought Yue as opinions began to form. He was fairly good at reading body language; the degree of kindness and general 'nice- ness' radiating from this individual was such that he was either a true humanitarian or someone who could feign Incubus-like levels of false charm. Hopefully the former, but he doubted it if this warranted Gabriel's personal attention. "Who is he?"
"Clow Reed, a sorcerer of great power and little repute."
Yue's expression didn't change, but he was impressed to say the least. Normal sorcerers grew in power and reputation simultaneously. This one had not only attained great power, but managed to use that power to keep that knowledge from other powerful sorcerers. Protection from that kind of scrying required a LOT of power. "What's so special about him?"
Gabriel's next gesture was to change the image in the scrying portal from the man to a large book, the cover red leather, with the image of a winged golden lion on the front page. It was sealed with a lock that seemed to be based on fairly simple spells tweaked for higher power. As it slowly rotated, he could see on its back the image of an astrological clock; tracery circles, each holding various small or large circles of the same gold, all centered around a sun in glory orbitted by the crescent moon.
Gabriel paused long enough to make sure he still had Yue's attention before continuing. "This is Clow Reed's claim to fame, the Book of the Clow. He has spent the past eighty years building up to form this store of magic." The image changed again as the portal enlarged slightly, dividing into more and more images. Some were interesting enough; one showed a woman in a harlequin's motley leaping through some kind of disk. Others were just silly; one showed a winged hot air balloon, another showing the image of a four-year old girl in puffy pants, little orbs dangling from her pigtails. "What you are seeing are images of the powers of this book. As years passed, Clow Reed discovered a way to combine some of the aspects of both western and eastern sorcery; the stablizing forces and raw power of western magic combined with the eastern sorcery's sophistication and propensity for summoning."
Yue's forehead creased in thought. "Summoning? You mean he's a druid or shaman of some kind."
Gabriel shook his head. "Not entirely. Yes, he does summon his servants for the bulk of his work and power, but not the way you're thinking." He gestured to the variety of images within the screen. "The book you saw earlier doesn't hold pages or words; it's more like a book-shaped box than an actual book. What it actually contains are cards; fifty two of them in total. What Clow Reed has done is found a way to create different micro- climes in each card, each one being the home of a spirit of some kind." Four images came to the foreground; one looked like a winged elf, her hair in two huge billowing fans that seemed to be wings themselves. Another resembled an angel child, while the third was the image of an elven mermaid. The last was a woman in simple draped robes wearing a headdress of leaves, similar to a laurel. "These are the four most powerful of his cards; Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth namely."
Yue raised a hand in polite interruption. "You said that they're the homes of the spirits; did you mean home, or did you mean prison?"
Gabriel grimaced. "For the most part, they're homes. Clow Reed has yet to show any signs of cruelty, and he was careful to select spirits to bind in the cards that genuinely wanted to share this bond."
Yue nodded automatically as Gabriel continued to go through the cards. He paid only half attention; earth air fire water light and dark were the strongest. Each had certain powers, but most were still classified. He did feel a bit of a shock at some of them; honestly, what kind of mage created a spiritual servant that served no purpose other than turning things into candy? Or one that only made soap bubbles; it was ridiculous. He didn't really bother to pay attention until Gabriel finally wound into the actual mission itself.
"We've been watching carefully, and so far Clow hasn't done anything suspect," said the Archangel, regretting the lie now to come. "However, we've discovered that he's not quite finished yet. We're not positive, but we think he's going to make another card."
Yue's eyes narrowed as he took in the new images displayed before him. "Soul matrices."
They were not a comfortable subject among virtually anyone who knew of them. A soul matrix was a construct that blended multiple energy forms (spiritual, magical, physical, elemental, psionic, and others) for a single purpose.
To cage a soul outside of its natural link.
Gabriel had started at Yue's identification. It had taken Heaven's intelligence weeks to cross-reference the relevant data; they'd only just identified what was being made. "Yes - how did you know?"
"I'm a soul-streamer, remember?" Yue said quietly. "I'm a bit more connected to the vagueries of souls." Gabriel took a deep breath, and nodded. "This is our worry. We think that he may not intend to make a spirit card; we think he's going to try and form one that uses a human soul as opposed to a nature sprite. We're understandably worried."
Yue nodded as he stood. "You want me to deal with this?"
Gabriel nodded, but raised a hand to forestall Yue. "Understand; this is only guesswork. We aren't sure WHAT Reed is up to. For all we know, he might be trying to make himself into a golem for immortality or something. We aren't sure that he's going to do something of smite-able level. Don't do anything rash."
Yue nodded. "So watch first, then act as needed. What's my clearance?"
"Unlimited."
Yue very nearly face-faulted. "Uh...okay." The last time a Seraph had been given Clearance Unlimited had been centuries ago, when Lucifer had requested aid in putting down a revolt within his hierarchy. This hardly seemed to warrant the same level of freedom as a foray into Hell against some of the few beings who could kill angels. "Why?"
Gabriel winced inside, but managed to keep Yue from seeing anything appearance-wise. Outside, he may as well have been suggesting a different hair-cut for all the worry he showed. Still, this had been the one stipulation he'd asked for; he wanted this to fail, and he wanted Yue to have any and every chance of keeping out of this mess. "Just...just be careful, alright? Only He knows the full story of Clow Reed. We do not."
Gabriel watched the young seraph as he spread his wings and began rising to where he could ride the Flow into the mortal realm. As he faded from sight, the Second of all the angels allowed himself to slump down into his chair. "Please let this fail," he whispered under his breath.
He turned in startlement at the flare of power behind him. Michael and the Metatron stood there, but that was second in Gabriel's view. He stood there as well, compassion in his eyes.
Metatron smiled faintly. "It will work out. This is something that is beyond us."
Gabriel turned aside; it wasn't an official visit, and as such it warranted no real need for formality. "I know that. I just..."
Michael nodded as the three turned to leave. "We do as we are ordered. We do that which must be. We do that which harms none who have not earned it. And yet, for all that we strive for good, we cannot always love it."
--------
Yue sighed in bliss as he shot through the skies. To his knowledge, he was one of the few angels who really enjoyed flying like this. Oh, there were millions who enjoyed flying, who considered themselves aerobats. The thing was, when an angel flew, they entered a state in which they weren't quite in harmony with the world around them; they had substance, but it didn't really interact with the world around them more than perhaps a mist did.
As such, he didn't think a single angel other than himself, from Michael himself to the lowest grigori made an outright choice to become a part of the world for no reason other than to feel the air sluice across their skin.
He sighed as he turned to dive further downward. It was...sensual, really. As th, really. As thng hugged and caressed by countless hands; the hands of a trusted friend, the hands of a lover, it didn't matter which. All he knew was that it was joy.
He stalled as he came within range of Clow Reed's mansion. Angels could ride the Flow between worlds at will, but their were limits to how accurate they could be. Travel from heaven to the correct given hemisphere was easy. Going from heaven to within about a hundred miles of your target was fairly hard, but certainly doable.
Direct from heaven to the exact coordinates was something you generaly only saw gods, goddesses, and archangels regularly did.
As such, he was stuck finding the right planet, then using his own somewhat limited teleportation abilities (maximum range of about twenty miles) to make a brief course correction to get precisely where he needed to be.
Suiting thought to action, he burst into a flare of blue, fiery energy, and vanished.
--------
Clow smiled as he felt the surge of energies following the seraph's arrival in this plane. "It's time."
Spinel, Ruby, and Kero all moved to their positions in the circle of magical force they had woven together, leaving only the final weaves to be completed by their master himself. They still didn't quite know what it was intended for, but they had done as asked. Clow Reed had a bit of a habit of startling the daylights out of them with what he finally ended up making.
Clow took a deep breath, and began to draw his limited magical energies around himself. He was powerful, but so much of his power was invested in the Clow Book that it took time, ceremony, and careful use to accomplish anything else with his spare energies. He'd only get one chance at this, if he even had a chance to begin with.
It was time to find out what he could really do. If he deserved his own self-image as an Arch-Magus.
--------
Yue's sense of danger flared uncontrollably as he initiated the teleport. In the split second between being here and being there, something had latched onto him and shifted him just so.
His destination was supposed to have been the grove on Clow's grounds. Instead, he'd been subverted in mid-teleport into the circle of magic.
Into that feared and despised Soul Matrix.
Feeling the magics and forces slam into his own soul-based powers, he could feel them twisting and bending around his Being. Instinct took over, and he lashed at them with waves upon waves of soul-streamed energy; pure, unfocused, primal spiritual force.
It did little good, though the back-lash of the failed attack gave him some idea of what he was up against. Forcing the fear and rage that came from his being caged in this...this abomination under his control, he focused the energies properly, and struck a new assault entirely.
THIS struck hard. He was paying little attention to the exact world around him; all he knew was that the circle was being maintained by four entities, two humanoid, two not. That, and a profound sense of grim pleasure at the sudden shock in their eyes as they felt his counter-strike.
While his strike had done some damage, it wasn't making any headway on his real target, his bindings. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to unleash more and more power, painfully burning his Channels as he forced them to accept more energy than he'd ever dared to channel at once. He shed enough energy in seconds to have reduced the surface of a continent into a barren ruin, and it still wasn't enough. Panting under the exertion, he ceased his assault for a space. He began to gather himself for another assault; he was unlikely to survive an influx of greater power than what he'd just dared, but dying in an attempt to free himself was perfectly satisfactory as far as he was concerned.
"Have you considered," spoke up one of the holders of the field, now recognizable as Clow Reed, "what's going to happen to this area when you succeed in breaking this field? Specifically, what that energy is going to do once it has nothing to contain it, nothing to oppose it?"
Yue paled almost instantly. He wasn't a dark-skinned man to begin with, and it was still apparent. He'd just thought it himself. Enough power to reduce everything within five hundred miles into a smoking ruin of liquid glass. That was if he had spread it; focused into this area as it was, the land of Japan would be sporting a new volcano, one with a crater MILES across as opposed to simply yards. He turned to regard the sorcerer warily. "Have you considered," he asked, consciously aping the other's earlier phrase, "what's going to happen to you when it becomes clear that you're trying to turn servants of the Creator into your little trinkets? I'm strong, but if you think that I and the rest of your little cards are enough to withstand a host, you're delusional."
Clow regarded him quietly. "I need to speak with you privately," he said finally. "Are you willing to refrain from killing me during that time?"
"Why should I?" Yue asked. "And for that matter, are you willing to trust me?"
Clow nodded, still solemn. "I think you'll keep your word if you give it to me. The trick is getting you to agree in the first place." A ghost of a smile that held little actual happiness crossed the mage's face. "Tricks are something I'm quite good at."
Yue took a deep breath, forcing himself back under control. An angel could devestate a continent if he wished. An archangel could have destroyed the entire planet if they tried hard enough. He wasn't sure where he stood, but it was somewhere in between the two. Allowing THAT much power to act under rage was not something he was prepared for. "I agree not to try and kill you until after you've said your piece. I will not agree to stop trying to kill you outright afterwards."
Clow nodded tiredly. "I didn't expect anymore." He raised a staff decorated with a off-center sun-in-glory on a huge, elliptical sheet at the top. Sighing in relief, he allowed the energies he'd used there to return to his own reserves. "Walk with me." He turned towards the door, and opened it for the seraph. Pausing just long enough to temporarily banish his wings, Yue followed the magus.
Ruby allowed a ragged breath to escape her lungs. "Good god...what is he? So much power..."
Spinel sank to his haunches, dumbfounded. "We weren't holding back in the least. I don't think the master was (though he might have), and this was after whatever the circle did to him." He shuddered. "The thing that frightens me is that I think he would have hit us even harder if Master Clow hadn't convinced him otherwise."
Kero swallowed, looking nervously into the garden. "If he decides to attack, we'll defend the master." It wasn't a question, they knew they would. "But...do we have any chance of succeeding?"
"No," Spinel said simply. "Let's pray Master is able to convince him not to try anything dangerous. To us, at the very least.
--------
He very carefully kept it hidden from the angel, but deep inside, Clow Reed was feeling something that he'd not felt in almost half a century.
Fear. Pure, soul-shattering fear.
He was used to being an archmage. He was accustomed to that certain confidence in his own invincibility that such high-level magic should have given him. It was not comfortable to suddenly realize that you were potentially helpless.
Spinel had been correct of their short battle; Clow had held nothing back. He had tapped every shred of power he could access; he'd even drawn what power from the spirits of the Clow they could give, and he'd barely stayed alive. His words had been a gamble; the soul matrix would have shattered, drawing his energies along with it, and he doubted the floor would have so much as gained singe marks. What Yue might have done afterward was not something he felt comfortable thinking about.
He didn't swallow, for all that he wanted to. It would have been nice, though.
Yue stopped walking as they reached a willow in Clow's garden. Leaning back against one of the lower tree branches, he turned to regard the mage. "You have something that you want to talk to me about. What?"
Clow paused, collecting his thoughts. He knew what he wanted, but he needed to be careful in how he phrased it. Well, best to get the awquard part taken care of first. "That soul matrix was specially combined with a geis; it's bound you to the Clow."
Yue felt ice crawl up his spine as his fingers started abruptly digging into the wood. "What precisel "What preciselbound to the clow?'"
Clow invoked the Wood Card's power briefly to draw some of the vines and shrubs into a very temporary chair as he allowed himself to sit opposite Yue. "I'm bound to the Clow too, you know," he said, his nerve returning. He'd been right about Yue so far; he kept his word if nothing else. "I want to clarify one thing. You're bound to the Clow, not to a Clow Card. If that's your worry, don't. I'm not going to be able to arbitrarily turn you into a card, or at least try to."
"What. Do. You. Meam. By. Bound. To. The. Clow." Yue bit each word out, allowing a tiny bit of the divine spark to show in each hard word. Not much, just that bit all angels can use for divine announcements.
Clow felt it certainly, but he was rather unruffled. He was in his element now; this was shop talk. "When I created the Clow book, I originally created a small pocket world in the pages; you see it often enough in cursed and enchanted fairy tales and the like. The difference is that this world is bound to allow no one else to come in without some rather severe penalties. The spirits themselves were summoned through due course in the normal way, and given the option of joining into the cards. They would gain greater power and the ability to associate with other spirits they normally wouldn't have been able to find, but at the cost of being bound to serve whoever was the master of the book."
"What's the normal way?" Yue interrupted. "And what happened to the spirits who might have refused?"
Clow shrugged. "There are certain rituals common in both eastern and western magic. They're the magical equivalents of posting a classified ad, just in another world. Interested spirits who meet the requirements can enter the second half of the spell to reach a place of contact that is controlled by the mage performing the summoning." He used the Sweet to conjure a small plate of crumpets and tea, offering some to the angel. As Yue accepted a chamomile tea, he continued. "Of course, there were several spirits who refused or ended up unwilling to bind themselves this way. The Power, for instance. Most of those spirits are hulking, shape-less brutes that only have mist-like forms of energy. It took a VERY long time to find that cute little pink sprite who serves as the source of strength." He took a sip of his own tea, a variety of Earl Grey. "Those that chose not to seve me, I let return."
Yue quirked an eyebrow at that. "You let them return. Just, 'run along, on your way?'"
Clow smiled slightly. He was glad that this requirement had at least been met; Yue seemed rather calmer now. "Not quite like that, but yes." He set the tray of tea on a small table that he'd created along with his current chair, and brought two items from within his robes. The first struck Yue as being irritatingly cute. It was some kind of key; all pink, it had what looked like a caricature of a parrot's head on one end. The other was decidedly less; the main body was black, while the head was of a dark blue, and looked like some kind of fleurdelis, with an almost vine-like tendril coiling a part of the way down. "This," he said, hefting the pink key, "is the Key of Clow. It is the symbol of the Clow's master." He raised the other key. "This is the Dreamer's Key. It has most of the same enchantments, but it is linked to one thing alone. You."
Yue stared at the two for a time. "I'm still rather unhappy with you. What does this have to do? Stop jumping to subjects; it's a bad habit I have as well."
Clow nodded companionably. "As you wish. It's quite simple. I want you to believe that I'm not a bad person. I NEED you to believe that I'm not some kind of slaver. That's what these keys are for. If you take the Key of Clow, then you accept whatever it is I propose, for all purposes. If you chose the Dreamer's Key, then the enchantments I lay will be within your power to break with barely an effort." He set them both on the table within easy reach. "Please don't choose yet; I still have to explain myself fully."
Yue's gaze lingered on the keys. He'd just have to extend his hand and this farce would be over with. Unfortunately, he didn't believe in breaking his word. "Continue."
Clow sighed deeply. "I have spent the past eighty years of my life on the Clow; I'm almost three hundred years old, you know. And now, something has happened that has required me to do something about seeing to the Clow's protection." He used the Illusion Card's magic to draw the three images of his servants; the sphinx-like Keroberos, the moth-winged panther Spinel Sun, and the similarly moth-winged Ruby Moon. "I actually created these three, and bound them to the Clow in a manner similar to the way you were bound. They were meant to serve as the guardians of the Clow."
"So that's what this is about," Yue interrupted. "You want me to serve as a guardian of the Clow." Yue shook his head. "You go through all this for me; may I ask why?"
Clow considered. "Well, you meet the requirements I wanted for the final guardian. Firstly, you're ridiculously powerful; I sincerely doubt that anyone will be able to just TAKE the Clow away from you if you didn't allow it. Secondly, you're an honest, trustworthy man. The third reason has something to do with philosophy." He sipped at his tea before continuing. "Are you familiar with the system of Nine Alignments?"
"Philosophical division," Yue responded. "You see it all over the place, but it's strongest in the so-called 'gamer' universes. Krynn, Rokugan, and Aramar are just a few of the worlds that use that system. You basically have the three alignments of good, neutral, and evil, and further division into law, neutrality, and chaos." He shrugged. "Heaven doesn't really pay much attention to the system, as too many people there fit into the cracks and such. What does this have to do with you; I don't recall that philosophy being used here very much."
Clow nodded. "True. Still, I find it convenient to think of it that way. You see, I think of myself as being linked to multiple alignments, but not to certain things. Specifically, I eschew the philosophies of Evil and Order; or rather, I at least don't consider myself bound by them." He sipped again at his tea. "That leaves four philosophies; neutral good, chaotic good, true neutral, and chaotic neutral. Or if you prefer examples, the Healer, the Rebel, the Scholar, and the Trickster."
Yue nodded. "Four alignments, four guardians. Who's who, in your opinion?"
Clow smiled ruefully. "Ruby fits in with Chaotic Neutral quite well; she enjoys meddling with others too much otherwise. Oh, she has some leanings toward Good over neutrality, but she's still the closest to that philosphy. Spinel is Neutrality; he really only cares about learning more and protecting the Clow to the best of his abilities. That leaves you and Kero; the two of you could quite easily fit into either Chaotic Good or Neutral Good, so I won't bother differentiating."
Yue sighed. He had what he considered to be a temper problem. He didn't lose his temper easily; that was what he considered his problem. He found it difficult to stay angry with others for any length of time. He didn't talk about it often; most people looked at him like he was crazed for wanting to be angry more often, but he felt that being too forgiving was potentially as dangerous as not forgiving easily enough. As such, he was starting to stop hating Clow for this. Oh, he still resented him, but he wasn't really ready to vaporize him arbitrarily. "Thank you for the offer, but I already have a day job. The Dreamer's Key, if you don't mind?"
"I'm quite aware of your 'day job,'" Clow replied evenly. "Representative of the DDI, the Department for Divine Intervention. Not quite as powerful as either the Goddess Relief Office or the Earth Assistance Hotline, but still powerful enough to be considered a rival company. And as for the key, I'm not quite done. There's one last thing I want you to understand."
Yue sighed. "You know, I don't think I'll kill you after all, and I don't believe in torturing people, so you're off the hook there. Still, make this quick."
Clow mentally gathered himself. This was his trump, his ace in the hole. If this didn't work, he'd just wasted a large portion of his life on this single chance. He disliked waste. "I'm linked to the book of the Clow, just as you are." He dropped all of his personal shields for a moment. "I want you to link with the Clow, and link with me. I'm good at talking, but I don't think that's going to be good enough. I want you to KNOW why I'm doing this."
Yue stared at him for a moment. That kind of link wasn't done casually; it was akin to allowing a person to know any and everything about you to a degree of intimacy that most married couples didn't share. Clow nodded at the shocked look. "I'm a bit desperate, you see. Please, being without any defenses at all is feeling extremely odd. Could you hurry?" Yue swallowed nervously. He could just assume that if Clow was this desperate than he should accept, but that was a stupid and potentially suicidal gamble. Steeling himself, he traced the new links he'd been trying to ignore, and plunged into the world of the Book of the Clow, and into the Master of the Clow.
It lasted perhaps a second, but he experienced more in that instant than he could have in a year of conversation. Gasping in shock as the link was severed, he stared at Clow. He understood a great deal now. Why Clow needed so powerful a guardian. Why he was so afraid for his creations. No, not creations. He'd never married, never had any true relationships. The cards, the three guardians were his children. And like any true parent, he'd thrown everything out of the window to ensure the safety of those children.
Clow felt hope enter him as Yue turned to stare at him, understanding shining in his eyes. It faded to be replaced by a bit of sympathy, a bit of resolution. "How long?"
Clow shrugged. "Perhaps a year; I can't say for sure. So, what is your decision?"
Yue turned to the table, and walked over calmly and unhurriedly. Without hesitation, he picked up the Dreamer's Key and set it in a pocket in his long vest. Taking up the Key of Clow, he turned to face its creator. "Clow Reed, I hereby agree to carry the mantle of Guardian of the Clow for as long as I am able and desired to."
To be continued...