Prologue
A breeze of warm wind blew through the forest; rustle of the leaves could be heard.
A young lady stood in the sun patched clearing, her long blond hair waved in the air along with the hem of her long white dress.
She smiled as the birds sing and a few bunnies hopped by.
So peaceful….
She pushed back a lock of golden hair behind her ear and closed her eyes, enjoying the last few seconds of quietness before someone interrupts – which she knows that will happen.
"Hinarin-sama."
She opened her eyes and turned around. Before her, a young boy kneeled on one knee with his head bowed respectfully.
"No need to be so formal," Hinarin said, her voice soft and gentle.
"No," the boy didn't lift his head. "You're the Goddess in Throne, impropriety is not allowed."
Hinarin giggled as a small sparrow flew down and rested on her shoulder, she reached out a hand and rubbed the sparrow's neck with a curled finger.
"Oh Black, you're too serious," Hinarin teased.
The boy named Black still didn't move from his spot.
"Fine," Hinarin huffed. "As your Goddess, I'm telling you to relax a bit and stand up."
To her surprise, Black's shoulders relaxed and he stood up.
"You're pretty obedient today, aren't you?" Hinarin smiled slyly.
Black frowned but was quickly replaced by a smile. "I guess relaxing a bit won't hurt, just this once."
Hinarin nodded as the sparrow hopped onto her finger. "So…what may I do for you?"
Black's face grew serious again. "I'm here to report that everything is in place."
Hinarin pouted. "All serious again," she complained, walking a little away and kneeled down in front of a flower, the sparrow hopped down next to the purple daisy and tilted its head at her.
"Light and Noy is guarding the Crystal Cave today," Black continued, "and I've ordered 20 more guards to spread out in the area near the Cave."
"The Crystal Cave is hidden in the Holy Mountain for centuries, it had been safe all these time so why so many guards?" Hinarin asked gazed at the daisy.
"Better be safe than sorry," Black said, "Wolf is on the watch at the top of Holy Mountain too, just in case."
"Oh?" Hinarin turned her head and looked at the dark-gray haired boy, meeting his icy-blue eyes with the autumn coloured ones of her own. "Poor Wolf, you really like giving him missions don't you? Despite his your brother."
Black snorted. "That's all the more reason to give him more work; I'm trying to help him lift up his rank."
"There are other ways to lift up ranks," Hinarin pointed out. "And why would you want your ranks so high anyways?"
"Our Wolves' Village is a proud village Hinarin-sama," Black retorted, "We cannot dishonor them."
Hinarin smiled. "So loyal," she whispered as she looked into Black's clear eyes. "I'm glad that you're on my side."
Black closed his eyes, a blush appeared on his cheeks. "No need to praise me like that Milady, it's my job to serve you."
"You care pretty much for your brother even though you two don't get along well," Hinarin said tilting her head slightly.
Black looked away. "I just don't want him to embarrass himself."
Hinarin giggled and turned her attention back to the sparrow in front of her.
The sparrow looked up at her and crocked its head to one side then the other. All of a sudden it started hopping around panicky.
Hinarin frowned.
In the distance a long howl suddenly echoed through the forest. The sparrow took off into the air.
Hinarin stood up and gazed at the sky as all the birds fled from the trees and animals ran pass her, away from the Holy Mountain.
"Hinarin-sama," Black spoke in a low calm voice but his eyes was dead serious.
Hinarin faced the dark-haired commander with narrowed eyes and nodded.
Racing footsteps closed in on the two as a bluish wolf leaped over a bush into view. The wolf turned into a human figure and nimbly landed on one knee, bowing his head at the two leaders.
"Hinarin-sama, Black-sama, the Holy Mountain is attacked," the newcomer said. "The enemy is none of the warriors I've seen and he's surrounded by an unknown dark energy."
"Enemy?" Black spoke first, "You mean there's only one attacker, Wolf?"
The boy named Wolf lifted his head. "Yes."
Hinarin immediately raced towards the Holy Mountain, both Wolf and Black turned into their animal form and followed closely.
Hinarin grabbed her dress as she soared over a fallen log and in a flash of white light a powerful reindeer landed in her place on the forest floor as she bounced off once again in long high jumps towards the Crystal Cave, a black and bluish wolf flanked both her sides.
Dark storm clouds suddenly covered the sky as fat raindrops poured down within moments.
Up head of the three they could hear screeching noises and a black cloud blocking their path. But when they got closer they saw it was bats, not cloud. Their eyes glowed red in the darkness.
Wolf growled and let out a roaring bark, the raindrops tumbling on the bats turned into small sharp ice-pins, sinking into the black crying creatures.
They ran pass the fallen bats and deeper into the mountain. The usual bright peaceful forest of the Holy Mountain is dark and gloomy, a threatening aura hung in the air. The only source of light is the magical goddess glow coming from Hinarin.
No sooner a swarm of buzzing hornets which too has red eyes came out from blackness and shot stingers at them.
This time it was Black who blasts the stingers and hornets away with one wind-wave bark.
As they made their way up the Holy Mountain, more creatures with red eyes stood in their way, but Black and Wolf cleared the path for their Goddess in Throne.
When they reached the Crystal Cave, all the 20 guards laid on the ground, motionlessly.
"No…" Wolf choked as he ran forward but suddenly an enormous brown bear crashed down at the entrance to the Crystal Cave and roared at Wolf, its glowing red eyes lit up with hunger.
Wolf skidded to a halt in front of the bear; his fur bristled up with surprise. Black tensed his muscles, ready to leap forward. But before either of the wolves could do anything, vines that grew on the outer cave walls glowed brightly and whirled themselves around the bear like snakes then pulled the creature out of the way.
Hinarin's Reindeer form walked forward into the cave, Black and Wolf followed.
The traditional light lit cave was pitching black.
Hinarin narrowed her eyes and looked around; Black and Wolf stood on her both sides panting, while their Goddess seem unbothered from their long run.
A pair of eyes suddenly turned to them in the darkness.
With the glowing light from Hinarin's animal form, Wolf spotted two figures laying on the ground a little away.
"Light, Noy!" Wolf gasped and raced forward to the two boys. Wolf pressed his muzzle to both boys' neck in turn, once he was sure they were still alive he glared up at the pair of eyes in the darkness, a growl rumbled deep in his chest.
"Who dares trespass the sacred Crystal Cave!" Black barked at the hidden figure, "Show yourself!"
A rusty chuckle echoed in the cave. "As expected from the Commander, you passed all my men with ease."
Wolf growled louder and bared his teeth as Black snarled.
"What an unexpected visit."
Both Wolf and Black immediately forced their ruffled furs flat.
The pair of eyes in the dark narrowed with glee. "Well…well…well…Who do we have here? Our Goddess in Throne, Hinarin…..no, should I say…..Legendary Reindeer?"
Hinarin stepped forward, her magical glow shone brighter and brighter till the whole cave was light up. Black and Wolf both crouched in ready position to attack when they saw the intruder. By now, they could see the delighted smirk of the beast in front of them.
"Step away from the Crystal." Hinarin narrowed her eyes, her voice boomed through the cave but her mouth didn't move once.
The intruder chuckled and circled the stone-stand in the middle of the cave, tracing his finger on the edge of the stand. The great Crystal that floated on the stand started glowing and shaking, sensing the dark energy from the intruder close by.
"This precious crystal is this village's greatest treasure, is it not?" the intruder said.
Hinarin's animal form glowed in a white light and changed back into her Goddess form. "Lightslayer," Hinarin spoke the intruder's name for the first time. The name sends shivers down Wolf's spine.
"I'm asking you one more time," Hinarin said calmly, "Step away from the Crystal."
"Asking?" Lightslayer burst out into laughter. "You really don't know how to stand up for your people don't you?"
"Lightslayer!" Black took a few steps forward. "Don't you dare say that!"
Lightslayer once again chuckled, amused with their anger.
"I asked you nicely," Hinarin said and pointed a finger at Lightslayer. "I never liked settling things with violence."
Just as the words left her mouth, a white light shot out from her finger at Lightslayer who stepped out of the way at the last second. Hinarin blasted out another light as Lightslayer jumped out of the way once again. Hinarin's finger followed his every move as he dodged the lights she fired one after another.
Wolf lunged at him but Lightslayer knocked him away with one wave of his hand.
Dark energy swarmed around Wolf as he hit the wall with a yelp then slide down the smooth wall. Black's eyes widened as he watched his brother's body went limp, dark light still hovered around him.
"Bastard!" Black roared and leaped at Lightslayer.
Lightslayer's smirk widened as he turned into his animal form, meeting Black's attack head on.
Hinarin shot a white light at Wolf, the white light swallowed up the dark ones and started healing the bluish wolf.
Furious roars filled the cave as Black and Lightslayer lashed out their attacks at each other nonstop.
Hinarin lifted up both hands, palm facing Lightslayer as a white energy ball started forming like a bubble in front of her hand.
Noticing this, Lightslayer roared and bit down on Black's shoulder with his poisonous fangs. Black shrieked with pain and slashes his claw across Lightslayer's eye. Lightslayer immediately loosened his grip and Black leaped back.
Wolf who has just recovered conscious saw Black turning back into his Beast-Spirit form and clutched his bleeding left shoulder, sinking to his knees.
"Black!" Wolf turned into his Beast-Spirit form too and rushed to his wounded twin's side.
Hinarin finally fired her attack, hitting Lightslayer squarely in his chest as he was trying to recover from Black's attack. He gasped and turned back into his Beast-Spirit form, grasping his chest, he felt pain spread through his body.
"I won't let you have it your way, Lightslayer," Hinarin said.
Lightslayer's face twisted with pain but he smirked at the three. "And I won't let you have it your way too."
Before Hinarin could understand what he meant by that, Lightslayer threw a black energy ball at the Crystal.
"No!" Hinarin tried to block the black energy with her own but it was too late.
The Crystal suddenly cracked and shatters into pieces. Hinarin's eyes narrowed into a glare as she looked at Lightslayer, but he had already disappeared.
The crystal pieces started swirling in tornado circles, faster and faster until it all fly out of the cave.
Hinarin rushed out the cave, followed by the two wolf brothers.
They watched as the crystal pieces shot in all direction, but six of the piece flew furtherer and furtherer into the now-cleared blue sky, till they lost sight of it.
Black winced and fell to his knees, feeling the poison slowly taking affect. Wolf was on his knees next to him.
Hinarin kneeled down and rested a hand over Black's as his wound started to glow with a faint light. Black winced but soon the wound closed up and the poison disappeared.
Hinarin stood up and gazed at the sky where the six crystals vanished.
Wolf helped Black to his feet as they followed Hinarin's gaze.
"I'll send out a flyers' petrol to bring back the Crystal pieces," Black reported and started to walk off, still holding his shoulder.
"Wait, Black," Hinarin stopped him. Black turned around. "Even a flyer's petrol won't find them now."
Both Wolf and Black frowned. "What do you mean by that, Hinarin-sama?" Wolf asked.
Hinarin looked back up at the sky. "Or better said, we cannot retrieve them now."
"Why?" Black questioned.
"Because they're in another world," Hinarin whispered and looked at both Wolf and Black in turn. "The human world."
The wolf brothers' eyes widened.
"The human world? Then what must we do?" Wolf asked.
With a wave of her hand, Hinarin shot a light into the sky. "They'll come back eventually," she said, "We'll look for the other crystals later, but I want Lightslayer found first."
Black nodded calmly.
"But what if Lightslayer gets them before we do?" Wolf was still feeling uneasy.
Hinarin smiled at him. "He won't."
Wolf relaxed his shoulders a little.
"When the time comes," Hinarin continued and looked at Wolf in the eyes. "I want you to lead the team to retrieve the crystals."
Both Black and Wolf's eyes widened.
"Eh? Me?" Wolf chocked.
Hinarin nodded and turned to Black who had recovered from the surprise. Black smiled inwardly as he glanced at his brother with pride.
"Wouldn't Black-sama be a more suitable choice?" Wolf asked.
"I've got a lot to do, Wolf," Black replied.
"You'll be fine Wolf," Hinarin assured then started giving Black orders.
Wolf stood there in disbelief but soon a huge grin spread on his lips. This'll be the first team he'll ever lead.
In the human world:
The six crystals hovered above a city.
After a few minutes they shot off in different directions.
Two to an ordinary house
One to the forest
One to a Japanese-styled mansion
One to an apartment
And the last one to another house but smaller than the first
In each of the house, six girls slept peacefully.
The crystals turned into necklaces and wrapped themselves around each girl's neck.
The crystals glowed pink, blue, purple, green, white, black; then dimmed, turning colorless.