Author's Note: The plot is finally unfolding in this chapter, at least, ring of birds and a soft breeze blowing on his face. Morning hinted of a promising day ahead. The rain had ceased eventually, the clouds emptying their store of rainwater onto the earth, giving water and life to all living things. The grass looked like it had been sprinkled with diamonds by a celestial being that had paid the area a short visit during the night; the fresh green blades glittered with dew in the light of the morning sun.
Hao took a casual glance around; the cave seemed considerably lessouds emptying their store of rainwater onto the earth, giving water and life to all living things. The grass looked like it had been sprinkled with diamonds by a celestial being that had paid the area a short visit during the night; the fresh green blades glittered with dew in the light of the morning sun.
Hao took a casual glance around; the cave seemed considerably less dark and gloomy than the night before, with the sun shining into its interior. The darkness at the back still refused to budge, he noted, retreating all the way to the back, still withholding the knowledge of what lay in store for the curious explorer who dares to venture inside. The unknown still sent a shiver down his spine, but today, he was intent on finding out what lay inside the cave. The sun was already on his side, shining light into the cave and removing part of the darkness. All that's left for him was to add some flames as torches to guide him throughout his possibly perilous journey, and he was ready to face the odds. Who's frightened of some cave anyway? I've seen worse.
After a brief search of the surrounding land for suitable food that could count for breakfast, he found fruit and caught fish from the stream, situated conveniently a few meters from his temporary shelter. Fruit were eaten briskly and fish slightly cooked on a spit, before all traces of food were eliminated: he did not want to be forced to entertain an unwelcome guest. Bears were frequently sighted around these parts.
Stomach filled, he found two branches with dried leaves clinging to them, tied them together and set them afire, again with the help of his Spirit. The heat was so intense that a normal person, albeit someone who practices shamanism, would back away from it. Hao did not even flinch, even if it being less than an inch away from his face. He tried to keep it as far away from his long hair as possible. Having his crowning glory singed was not part of the plan he had formed in his mind. With torch in one hand and nothing in the other, he set off, towards the centre of the cave.
-------------------------------------------------Shaman King--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The silence was shattered only by the steady 'drip-drip' of water droplets from the cave's ceiling. Even with his fire, Hao had to admit that it was dark in here. Too dark for comfort. With his torch, he could see less than a meter in front of him. Imagine what a normal explorer could see. Less than a centimeter, probably. He was beginning to feel thankful that he could see his hands in front of him. This cave felt strange. Sure, throughout his life he had slept in more than one cave, but this cave was a wee bit different than the ones he'd visited. This one was too dark, too silent. The norm was that deep caves like this one were usually inhabited by cave-dwelling bats that came out to feed at night. Yet there were no signs of life in this one. "It was almost as if all life were repelled from this cave…" He trailed off. It was better not to invite trouble by having negative thoughts invade his mind. Admittedly, he was frightened by the very atmosphere of this place, although he was already feeling disgusted about what he felt. Nothing had ever spooked him in this way. Nothing. So why was he scared? He realized he did not know the answer to this one.
He felt a prickling sensation coming on, and a soft gush of wind was blowing towards him. Wind? Was it even possible to have moving air, even if he was this deep inside? He had been walking aimlessly for what seemed to him like a very long time. The passageway was endless, or maybe it was his imagination playing tricks on him. Whatever it was, he clearly felt wind. There was no mistake.
He was filled with trepidation. The thought of turning back had never occurred to him from the start, but somewhere in his mind now, an alarm signal was sounding deep within, that he should just go back, if he knew what's good for him. From his past experiences, that alarm signal had never been wrong. It had saved him from a blizzard and stormy winds before, but these natural occurrences were a far cry from the current situation he faced. He knew he had a choice: trust his instinct, or follow his will. After a mental battle between trust and will, will won after all. He decisively took a step forward. The wind had become stronger, and it was blowing in his direction, straight at him. Straight at him? Hey, this was beyond logic. Wind blowing from the inside of a cave? It was unimaginable how that could happen. If it was during the olden days, that could be witchcraft or something like that, but now, in this era? Heck, no. Curiosity aroused, Hao walked toward the wind, intent of unrevealing the answer for himself.
The wind started out as a harmless gust, but the nearer he approached it, it increased considerably in velocity, and soon it was literally throwing itself in his face. The force was so powerful he could hardly open his eyes to see where he was heading to. It blew his hair away, making them have a wild and unkempt appearance. He bowed his head and looked down to the ground, to make sure every step he took landed him on solid ground. All he could do for now is to hold the torch in a corner where the wind would not extinguish it in a matter of seconds, and walk.
He walked and walked, till the time came where, tired as he could, he could not even move an inch. The wind was lashing at him full force, forcing him back; he could feel it shrieking in his ears; he stood his ground and began a short battle of strength. The wind was acting like a shield used in the offensive, pushing him back, inch by inch. He wanted to dig his shoes into the ground to get an anchor, but besides solid rock, there was nothing on the cave floor, not even the tiniest trace of sand or mud.
He was rapidly losing strength; his whole body ached from top to toe from holding out against the wind. Was he going to just give up? He had worked so hard to get all the way here. He fought against the strong temptation of just relaxing, and letting the wind blow him all the way out. Besides, if the wind was preventing to get close to what it was hiding, surely that meant that what was behind it was something good?
In a desperate last attempt to break free of the barrier, he stuck his foot out and inched a step forward. The wind was still forcing him back; the amount of pressure it put on him, surely that was enough to break his bones? His foot met not ground, but a soft substance, and then he heard a splash. Water. The wind pressing against him gave way immediately and it vanished completely. Stunned, Hao fell back with a thump which rang out loudly throughout the cave.
-------------------------------------------------Shaman King--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Breathing heavily, chest heaving, he lay there motionless, staring wide-eyed at the blackness above which was meant to be the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity. The contrast was tremendously great: a second ago he was pushing with all his might against a gust of wind the force of an oncoming vehicle and then, before he knew what was exactly going on, the force field had broke unexpectedly and he, thrown off guard, was thrown back onto the ground. Not that the sudden change in circumstance was not welcoming; with the continuous gust of wind gone, there was one less thing to take care of.
Hao sat up; his pants were beginning to have a sticky, unpleasant sensation which made him feel uncomfortable. Looking down, his first expression was horror and surprise, followed by disgust. Yuck, mud. His pants were completely stained with the stuff. Mud was in splatters and there was a generous dark brown patch of it at the back of his pants, especially in the behind where he had landed forcefully.
He wiped it off with his hands, and wiped his muddy hands on the cave walls. It did not look so bad after the mild cleanup, but still, it was sticky and revolting. Hao made a face and turned to view his new surroundings.
There was not only rock now; water covered part of the area. The underground pool was lined with mud and it was at this thin border separating water and rock that Hao stood, looking over the edge. The pool seemed bottomless; he could hardly see what lay beneath. He strained his eyes in the darkness, even with the aid of his trusty torch, which had not gone out, and still could not catch a glimpse of the other side of the pool. The pool snaked deep inside the cave and if he wanted to finish his journey, he had two options: swim or fly. No land lay beyond as far out as he could see. He could swim, but after dipping a finger into the water, he decided not to. The water was icy-cold, and it stank too, with the pungent odor of things left to die and decay on their own. Flying was out too: the cave was huge now, but the tunnel leading to its interior looked like it was decreasing in size each move you make. It probably could not fit an oversoul, and he did not want to reduce the cave to a pile of rubble simply by trying to fit his oversoul in that small, restricted space. If what lay ahead was destroyed in the process, it would not be worth it. He had come so far.
Almost as if everything had been planned, as if somebody-or something-knew and expected his arrival, he turned to his left and-wonder of wonders-near to the edge of the water, only a few meters away from where he stood, lay a boat, tied by a piece of rope to a short pole sticking out of the muddy ground. Perfect. It was exactly what he needed.
The boat was a small one, made out of wood and capable of holding a maximum of about 2 people. Coming closer he saw that the boat had been here for a very long time: the surface where the boat had touched water slowly disintegrating, helped on by the dark green moss growing on it. The wood seemed ancient, but all in all, the boat still looked like it would make it on a trip inside, or so Hao hoped. Two oars lay to one side propped up by the side of the boat.
He climbed in gingerly; harboring the disturbing feeling that the boat would just simply crumble to no more than pieces of wood if he was not careful enough. Hao hated caring for ancient objects, because they needed more care and you would destroy them with your bare hands if you did not give them the care they need. In his eyes, they were weak objects, relying on others to exist; that includes living things, too. His contempt for the weak was one of the things that continually fuelled him in his quest for greater power. "But still, Opacho was weak, wasn't she?" A voice nagged at him from deep within his mind. He hissed angrily, recalling the memory when she had fled from him, right at the end of the Shaman Fight. No, she was not! She was just…just…He could not go on. He was still grieving for the loss of his most loyal follower, but it was useless to grieve. He had a more important task at hand.
The boat glided noiselessly across the surface of the water, creating soft ripples that made the boat bob up and down rhythmically. Hao held the oars, one on each hand, rowing the boat along. He had no need to row hard, however; the boat seemed to know where to go, moving along, keeping close to the cave walls and turning in unexpected directions. There was no dripping to shatter the peaceful silence of the atmosphere. It was so dark now that Hao could not even see a meter in front of him (he had put out the torch, having needing both hands to grasp the oars). Everything was as irrational and surreal as a dream. He found himself thinking that he would not be surprised if he saw a bright light leading to the pearly gates to heaven at the end of the journey.
The way was narrow and seemingly endless; it felt like being in a snakes' inside. The one long tunnel brightened a little and soon split into three, each not betraying their contents. Hao's arms relaxed; he could not keep going now, he must pick one of the three to continue. Now he must decide.
Trying to move a little closer to each of them proved a worthless effort: what lay within was still hidden. The mouth was like a plain black disc, though open and large as life. The entrances are all so stubborn. He sighed, desperately racking his brains for a solution for a way of escape from his current predicament.
Perhaps it was at that time that his grip on the oars was slack, or what had happened was entirely planned, for when the boat gave a sudden lurch, it startled him into dropping the oar on his right hand into the water. A splash sounded throughout the cave, forming waves of water which slammed on the sides of the boat. Hao swiftly lighted a ball of fire on his hand, but it was too late. The missing oar had already drifted beyond reach, and Hao would not descend into the pool and take his chances with the ice-cold water. He cursed under his breath, the fire inside him threatening to roar to life. But still, the boat was completely independent of its passenger, pivoting around steadily until it faced the middle tunnel, then with another jerk that nearly threw Hao off balance, it skimmed the water with breakneck speed, heading straight into the awaiting mouth of the tunnel.
It was almost like a ride in a theme park, the boat moving along without anyone controlling its movement. It was reminiscent of an excited puppy dashing to its owners when they finally came home after a long day. The critter would run fast, not stopping till it reached the door, and then it would sit there, tail wagging in anticipation. In fact, that was the exact thing that the boat did, its speed accelerating with distance covered. Hao closed his eyes; his mind was spinning and the only thing he could do was to cling tightly onto the sides of the boat to avoid being thrown overboard. He could hear the rushing wind as it whistled in his ears. One ominous thought still lingered, in spite of all this: with such speed, I wonder if we'll crash.
The crash, fortunately, did not happen. The boat halted as suddenly as it picked up speed, and this time, Hao was thrown off balance. Stumbling, he just managed to grab onto something to stop himself from hurtling downwards and probably earn a jawbone fracture that likely would need medical attention. Rubbing his palm, which had a red mark where he had gripped the side of the boat a bit too tightly.
The area had changed. He was in what looked like the middle of a small pond, surrounded by high walls of yellowish rock. There was a piece of dry land right smack in the middle, sort of like an island. It was bright in here, with sunlight streaming in from above. The sky was a light blue disc above, dotted with puffy white clouds likened to cotton wool. It was more vibrant, too, with plants sticking out from crevices and clumps of flowers here and there. Everything felt fresh and full of life, except for one thing.
Right in the middle of the island was a steel platform, and on it lay a metal box, about one-and-a-half meters in length. The sunlight reflected off it, creating a dazzling light that was both ethereal and unearthly. The metal surface was smooth, embroidered with strands of spider web silk and a few streaks of angry red color. Blood or paint, Hao could not tell. The whole object looked alien and out-of-sorts in such a sunny place brimming with happiness.
The air was hot and heavy, and everything around had the feeling that they were waiting for something to happen. Waiting for what? There was no sound, no chirping from the birds that flew past in the air. Everything was still and silent.
There existed a hidden sense called 'instinct', buried within all creatures from the beginning of time, and perhaps it was his instinct awakening from the depths inside him. In that instant, a strange emotion washed over him, and without warning, he strode over to the metal box, his body ignoring all orders to stop whatever he was doing. Fear made his blood run cold, ironic, for one who controlled fire, and a shiver went down his spine. Was he afraid of what he was going to do next? Or just astonished that he had no control of his physical body?
His fingers held firmly onto the metal lid and tried to lift it. He knew he could not; the lid was too heavy and it was shut tight. Stop! You know your own ability. His attempt to persuade his body, and whoever was controlling it, fell on deaf ears. His fingers gripped it even harder, pulling and tugging it with every ounce of energy he could muster. Muscles screaming with protest were ignored ad the whole body worked to complete the task bestowed to them. Kneeling down, hands pushed from below; still, the lid refused to budge. He was gripping it so tightly his knuckles were white; still he tugged, strained and shoved. The lid was rusty underneath; the force of it all, and the rough way he tried to free the lid made blood ooze out through shallow cuts on his fingers, trickling down, dripping onto the sandy ground, staining it a dark brown. Still, he felt no pain, as he continually worked to get the lid off.
Finally, with a groan, the lid grated against the box and came off, clanging noisily against the ground where it was thrown. Hao leaned against the box, panting. Arms wet with sweat, and fingers with blood. Blood was pounding in his ears; he blinked and shook himself to clear away the dizziness. He wiped his hands on his poncho, momentarily forgetting the harm done to them, leaving bloodstains on the fabric.
The pain came almost immediately. Swept underneath in a wave of nausea, his fingers were burning hot; every attempt to numb the pain made it even worse. Stifling a cry, he sat down on the spot dyed a hideous reddish-brown and waited until he got used to it. It did not take very long. Summoning the strength to stand, he could not help but to peek over the lip of the metal box, to satisfy his growing curiosity. What he saw made him stare in wonder. Clearly, the box contained what he could never imagine.
Lying in the rectangular box was a girl. She was fast asleep, red lips slightly parted, eyelids closed. She looked angelic and innocent, dressed in a very light pink lacy dress with a ruff. Her hair was as dark as midnight, black as coal, in contrast to her skin, which gave a soft glow, smooth as porcelain. She wore no shoes, white gloves with a thin pink ribbon tied around each wrist. She was like an angel descended to earth.
Unlike the ungodliness I represent, Hao thought bitterly.
Author's Note: With that, chapter 2 comes to a close. My sincere apologies that the story crawls at a snail's pace every chapter. The excitement will come soon, and that's a promise.