A Guiding Light -- Chapter 6

A Guiding Light

An After Talpa Story

By Melissa "Akemi" Ho

Author's Note: This is part of a 9 chapter story plus author's notes. It is COMPLETED. To best view this story, please visit my Ronin Warrior Wing on my web site -- http://www.geocities.com/libraryoflegends/

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Chapter 6 -- Within a Dream

Sage paced up and down from wall to wall silently fuming his helplessness. Twice it happened! Twice the wolves changed to darkness and I could not stop it! And now Michie is captured as well. He grimaced to himself and shook his head. Damn it all! Why is it I can only save myself! He could still feel them, his four friends. They were still alive but where he had no idea. The link between them was weak and only barely detectable. For all he knew they could be being tortured or worse. Sage shuddered, remembering what had happened when he was captured by Cale and taken to Talpa's stronghold. The events were imprinted in his mind and his mind constricted in horror at the thought of it happening all over again. He felt worse for Cye and Kento for it would be the second time they would be going through it. And wherever they are, Michie is probably there as well. The poor girl. Sage felt his fury resurface. Again he saw the scene replay itself in his mind. How the wolf snuck in the hole in his shield, leapt on the girl, turned to mist that swallowed her and dissolved into nothing . . . He continued to pace, his footsteps clanging on the wooden plank floor and barely in control of his anger. Chiye looked up from where she was seated by the table and looked at him sorrowfully.

"Why do you blame yourself? It was not your fault."

"Of course it was my fault!" Sage swung back to her, fingers clenched in a fist. "I couldn't protect her! Just as I couldn't help my friends!"

Her gaze continued to me one of pity, "Those wolves are full of dark energy," her tone consoling. "They are not alive in the strictest sense of the word and so cannot be killed as the energy allows them to reform elsewhere. I am amazed that you were able to destroy any of them at all."

Her words cut through the frustration in his mind. "What did you say?" he asked, whirling on her.

"You really don't know who you, are do you?" Chiye said slowly.

"Of course I know who I am!" Sage bit back, "And I know it is not what you think."

"You may think you know," the Chiye continued, "But as yet you remain unsure. I can see it in your eyes." She rose slowly from her chair, brown robes swirling around her ankles. Sage watched her movements with his face a mask of confusion. She reached a cabinet and pulled out a large leather-bound book, its cover dyed the color of dark forest green. Carefully, Chiye leafed through the pages, her finger stopping on one midway through the book. She glanced at the words on the page and then gazed straight into Sage's eyes.

"Xsiathon raythein ciophth. Nazaretha vialon solurin," she chanted in a strange language. The air of the cottage shimmered in response, and everything became covered in a layer of what resembled pixy dust. Sage felt his armor begin to glow as his powers were activated of its own accord. He started in astonishment when his kanji flared on his forehead, the bright green rays brightening the room.

"Wisdom," he whispered automatically. For a moment, the scene around him was blanked out in the brilliance until it began to fade. Sage's eyes cut easily through the light he was so used to, but he noticed that Chiye was blinking back the bright afterimage with a look that contained both astonishment and yet unsurprise.

"Yes," she whispered, "There is no question, you are the one."

"No, I am NOT!" Sage reasserted, thoroughly upset that Chiye was pushing the issue. He turned his back to her and stared out the window. He didn't have time to play this game. He needed to think up a plan. Time was running out, Sage knew that in his heart. If he was going to save them, he needed to do it soon or there wouldn't be anything left to save.

"Denial will not change that fact," Chiye continued, unperturbed, "Your calling is wisdom. That virtue is a part of you as is the light that you call. It is who you are. And this power is exactly what this world lacks, and what it needs to be saved."

"You are not listening . . ," Sage gritted his teeth.

"And yours is the gift of healing is it not? Is it not your nature to heal those things in pain? To put together what is wrong?"

"Look," Sage turned back to her, trying to keep his tone even, "This I will tell you. I don't know how you know but yes, I'm not from this world. My friends and I came here when a gate was activated by accident on our world. I am a Ronin Warrior. In our world there are five mystical armors each imbued with an element and connected to a human bearer with a virtue. Mine IS the armor of light and my virtue IS wisdom but I was chosen to battle the evil Dynasty that threatened my world, so therefore I CANNOT be the one you seek here." He held a silence then continued quickly, "And I do not have time for this. Michie and my friends are in danger and I must do all I can to rescue them."

"If that is truly your wish," Chiye said, "Then you must think on what you have just said and all that you have learned. They will surely point the way, and I will be happy to help you so long as you need me." She straightened then headed out of the door to leave him alone in the cottage.

Sage watched her retreat and let out a long drawn sigh. Now that the prodding had stopped, he felt somewhat ashamed at his behavior. How could he blame her for wanting so hard for him to be their savior? This scene of death had lingered here for a year, according to Michie's tale. That was enough time for the people to become disenchanted, to be so full of fear and to wonder if the next day was to be their last. If what Michie said was true, then what was left of the villagers would soon die out when the last of their supply of food did. And people in need always cling to whatever they perceive to be their savior. He remembered the expressions of hope on Mia and Yulie's face when they realized that they were the Ronin Warriors and therefore had the power to beat back the evil that Talpa raised. How desperate we become when we are in need of help! No he could not blame them in their thinking. But that is beside the point. I need to find where the others are. And like it or not, they are where that robed man is, and he is linked to the darkness of this place.

Sage lowered himself in the wooden chair near the hearth and thought hard. The hearth fire flickered off his green armor, throwing intricate shadows on the grooves and overlapping plates. Sage stared at the moving shadows and suddenly gasped. Wait a minute! The mural! He had not really thought about it until that moment, but now that it was in his mind, the memory came flooding back to him.

In ages old paint was a scene of destruction. Women in cotton dresses and aprons clutched tiny children to their breast while their facial expressions were twisted into ones of absolute horror. Men ran toward them, mouths frozen in the midst of a scream. Behind them, black wolves with eerie red eyes chased them. Fangs bared with foam dripping from the deadly canines. The ground was blanketed in snow and ice and the trees around the people were bare of greenery, branches sagging. Above them, a figure in jet black robes gazed over the scene, arms outstretched with beams of black lightning streaming from his fingertips. Behind him, the sky the color of night but with no moon or stars to alleviate the darkness.

He remembered associating the awful scenery as the same around them. But now he matched the other images to the events he had seen and heard about. The villagers, expressions twisted into ones of horror, being chased by black wolves with glowing red orbs for eyes. That scene could be no other than the one Michie had described to him, the one that preceded their arrival. Then came the man in black robes . . . A man in black robes! Sage straightened with alarm. The one depicted in the mural was of the exact same likeness as the one he had seen on the mountain peak. But that would mean . . . That would mean that this world does not just resemble the mural. It is the world in the mural! Mia had said that the shrine was called 'The Gateway to the Sun,' and Michie had said that this place was once called the 'Land of Sunlight.' And there was no doubt that it was a gate we came through that first time! The two, they are one of the same! The black magic of the robed man was what was obscuring this world, Sage realized now. But there is something more. Sage furrowed his brow in thought. I remember being confused as to why my powers functioned when it was obvious that none of the others did. I think . . . Sage's eyes widened. Rowen said this place had no life. And Ryo said he couldn't feel the fire. The earth was caked and barren and every riverbed appears to be dry. There are no clouds and thus no rain to fall. Was that the answer? My power is that of the light. Though it works best where light predominates, it is also quite effective against the powers of the dark. Wasn't that the reason why Cale had hated him so? Why their powers worked best against each other. So, the reason my abilities remained as strong as they did was because I was better equipped to fight the power drain by the darkness. It is also the reason why I alone was able to destroy some of those wolves and drive them off, all three times. What did that imply for him? That the prophecy held some ounce of truth after all?

"Beware the evil that lurks in realms of chaos."

Sage blinked at that statement he had seen written on the parchment. Certainly the "evil" refered to the robed man? The wolves, he controls the wolves, Sage recalled. What had the old woman said? She said he was once a man that had turned to the black arts of sorcery because he could not stop the unjust execution of his brother. And the wolves were made of dark energy, energy no doubt from the land and corrupted by the magic of the black robed figure. 'Realms of chaos?' A reference to where he dwells? 'Realms of chaos' . . .

"What would be considered a 'Realm of chaos'?" He said out loud.

"I'm sure you know the answer to that," a voice said behind him and Sage turned to see Chiye enter once again. "But I'm feeling quite magnimous," and a wan smile touched the old woman's lips, "So I shall give you a hint. Think of the mind's eye and I believe you shall know the truth."

Sage frowned at that. "The 'mind's eye'?" He searched back through his memories, knowing he had heard the phrase before but . . . where? Ryo! Sage's eyes widened with the revelation. Through out the entire war with Talpa, Ryo had been plagued with dreams; but not ordinary dreams. His dreams were ones that carried hints of the future. They foretold Talpa's coming and served as mediums for conversations with the Ancient. For that matter, Sage had had a talk or two with the Ancient in his dreams as well. In dreams, anything can happen. And depending on how your mind abilities run, you can see anything, or see complete chaos. Chaos? 'Realms of Chaos'! He's taken them to the world of dreams?! Sage's mind whirled and Chiye looked up at him, nodding.

"You understand now."

"Somewhat," Sage said crossly, "But why on earth would he be in the world of dreams?"

"I've been thinking on that too," the Chiye continued amiably, "Why would evil use the world of dreams? It is because it is so much easier to control people neh? Dreams are the gateway to people's subconscious. What better way to sap someone's energy than through a dream? They are never aware of it and even if they do see or sense something unusual, they think nothing of it. And magic itself is made of mental abilities. It is a sad fact indeed, that the simplest spells to use are those best performed with or about dreams."

Sage could not deny that logic, since he himself had been experimenting with psychic and empathetic abilities for many years. But what did get him thinking was the old woman herself.

"Who are you, really? Michie said her village considers you somewhat of an eccentric. And how do you know all of this?"

"I was wondering if you were going to ask that," the Chiye sighed slightly. "As you know, any kind of magic abilities are rare. I am a mage," she held up a hand, "Not a powerful one mind you. My abilities are more toward the effect spells than the offensive. One reason why I am no match for the robed figure you saw." She rubbed her eyes, "In any case, I left the village when I was young. One, because I did not like how the others treated me and my abilities. The second being to continue research on various subjects. Lately that has been the prophecy. But, I know a great many other things, as well."

"Then you must know of a way to get to the dream world then?" Sage said, practically jumping on her.

Chiye looked up from her musings. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. But I have never really had a need to perform that spell before so I don't know if it will work."

"It doesn't matter," Sage put in. "There's no other way I can think of to get there. And I must get there to rescue Michie and my friends. He is planning something, I can feel it."

Chiye only looked at him. "Then I will help you all I can. Please, give me a few moments to get the spell ready."

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Sage paced outside the little cottage impatiently. His eyes wandered to the starless sky while his ears scanned for any hint of a howl. The feeling sat on the edge of his senses. Whatever magic that man is preparing it is getting close to completion. He was running out of time.

"Sage?"

He heard his name being called and turned quickly in that direction.

"It is time."

Sage hurried back inside. He blinked with surprise when he entered the doorway. The inside of the cottage had been completely transformed. The table was now shoved against the hearth and the chairs stacked neatly in the far corner. A cotton pallet had been laid on the floor surrounded by a ring of candles. Incense burned and tickled his nose with the various scents.

"Here," the Chiye said, pointing to the pallet, "Lie here and relax. You shouldn't feel a thing, though your powers being the way they are, it may feel like the ground has dropped from under you."

Sage complied, unsheathing his no-datchi and placing it over his chest so he could lie easier. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Well . . ," Chiye continued her explanation slowly, "Normally, only the conscious mind will travel the realms of dreams, but it seems your friends and Michie were sucked in physically as well. I'm going to try the same thing but this puts you in danger as well. For if I lose the link with you, you may be trapped there for an eternity." Her sorrowful brown eyes met his gray ones, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"And my answer is we have no choice. I will take my chances."

"Then if your mind is made up . . ." Chiye knelt beside him and began chanting in that strange language he had heard her use earlier. Energy swirled and it seemed that the colors around him were getting brighter every second. Hues of all colors of the rainbow swirled around him and made him gasp. The cottage walls disappeared in the mixing of color and the ground beneath him turned into a multicolored vortex. His body tensed as he felt himself being sucked into its center. Sage forced himself to relax and used meditative techniques to slow his breathing. Suddenly, he felt the ground drop away beneath him and he was falling. Falling and falling to somewhere while the colors slipped past him in a blur of motion. And while he fell, he heard a string of words call faintly after him.

"I wish you luck Sage . . ."

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