Authors notes: And here is chapter 4, Kurokawajima part 2 (of 3). I hope you all enjoy, and please review, I give cookies to reviewers.
"So what is Kurokawajima?" Freed asked, acting normal for a change.
"It was a village in the north of Fiore, until eighteen years ago when it was destroyed. It used to be the place to study Shadow Magic, so much was lost then, I have a book from there, it's mainly a reference book, but it does teach Shadow Step magic."
"A book?" Evergreen raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, it was one of ten copies in the world, now it's the only copy left, the other nine were destroyed along with Kurokawajima, I don't know how this one survived." she pulled out a small hardback book, bound in black leather and held shut by an onyx clasp.
"Is that it?"
"Yeah, 'To Walk the Path of Shadows' as I said, it's mainly a reference book for those looking to travel through the Shadow World, but it teaches Shadow Step, as the best spell to get access to the Shadow World."
"You should speak to Levi, she'll probably know someone who can copy it." Freed said
"Levi?"
"Blue hair, obsessed with books, followed around by a pair of teenage fangirl impersonators." Bixlow said.
"Oh, ok, thanks, anyway to get there, we need to get the train to Shirotsume, then hire a carridge and head into the mountains, and we won't be able to find a guide, no one in those mountains will even speak about Kurokawajima."
"So what exactly does the council want us to do when we get there, all they asked was for an investigation, but into what?" Evergreen asked.
"Hmm, the obvious one is what happened to the village, no one knows what destroyed it." Freed said.
"There's also the chance of finding some lost Shadow Magic, that would be awesome." Kiiri said.
"Why was it the place to study Shadow Magic?" Evergreen sighed
"It had a permenant portal the the Shadow World in the village hall, apparantly, maybe it's something to do with that."
"Or they want to know why their teams ended up the way they did." Bixlow suggested.
"Hmm, they wanted a Mage who could see souls, why?" Freed thought out loud
"I dunno." Bixlow said.
"Ghosts are souls, bound to this world by something, whether willing or not, they have a form which hides their souls from view, it's said that if you can see the soul of a ghost, you will learn what binds it to this world, which may be linked to what happened, or who did it." Freed said.
"Makes sense, but why all the secrecy?" Bixlow sighed as they reached the station.
"It's the council, I try not to think about why they do things, too much of a headache." Kiiri said.
"Right, train to Shirotsume, why not further?" Evergreen said
"The route through the mountains can only be accessed from Shirotsume, unless you like climbing."
"We could always fly." Bixlow said.
"I can't, I'm still learning that spell." Kiiri complained.
"Hmm, I could carry you." Bixlow said.
"O-Ok. . ." he really did make Kiiri nervous, but she wasn't afraid, it was, wierd.
"So flying it is, so much faster that way, Babies, flight formation."
"Yami no erecture!"
"Here we go!"
Bixlow grabbed Kiiri, one arm pressing her against him, the other underneath her legs. Kiiri grabbed on to him as the group flew off at speed.
Bixlow was flying a little slower than normal, mainly to keep his balance, he doubted Kiiri would appreciate being dropped.
"If you end up dropping me, don't bother catching me, I can use Shadow Step like a parachute."
"How?" he was confused.
"I can manipulate gravity and friction in the Shadow World, so if I fall I can just glide and land safely, though you'll need to pick me up when I land."
"Fine, but I don't intend to drop you."
"Good."
They flew for most of the day with little conversation, the noise of the wind drowning every other sound out.
By sundown they had reached Shirotsume, and Evergreen was complaining about the state of her hair.
"I knew there was a reason I hated long distance flying."
Bixlow shook his head, at least Freed was more or less back to normal. He put Kiiri down, deep down, missing the feeling of her clinging to him, she was a very good looking girl, with just the right proportions.
"We should find somewhere to stay the night." Freed said.
"There looks alright." Bixlow pointed to an inn, "Don't looks too cheap, or too expensive."
The inn catered for travellers, and had two twin rooms left."
"Well that's good, girls in one room, us two in the other." Bixlow sniggered.
"What's so funny?" Evergreen gave him a dangerous look.
"Seems this inn is haunted, I see a soul, but no body, and it's following you."
"Wait, what?"
"Hmm, well given what we're gonna be dealing with, it'll be good to get some experience before hand." Kiiri said, taking the key and heading up the stairs."
"Hmm, it's following you now."
"Shadow Eyes. . .hmm, ah I know what this is, Shadow Step." She stepped forwards, then vanished. A few moments later she reappeared, supporting a Rune Knight.
"What the?"
"Thank you, I'm from the council, I was part of a team investigating a village near here, we got into the village hall, then I don't know where we ended up."
"Shadow World, is the rest of your team still in there?"
"I don't know, some black mass started chasing me, and I got separated."
"Hmm, that's not good, if it's the portal I think, it's permenant, so your team may have made it out, but those things are nasty."
"What was it?"
"A Shadow Phage, if one catches you, it eats your sanity, and dumps you. . .into. . . the normal world, that's what happened to the other groups!" Kiiri clapped her hands as she reached her conclusion.
"Uh, is she, ok?" the Rune Knight asked nervously.
"I think she's just on a permentant sugar rush." Evergreen said.
"Anyway, where were the other groups found?" Freed asked.
"In the a village not far from here, Sugitani, all of them were found in the square."
"Sugitani is the nearest place to Kurokawajima, it's a day's long carridge ride from here, we'd want to stay the night before heading up the valley." Kiiri said
"You're going there!" The Rune Knight looked ill.
"Yeah, council got sick of losing Rune Knights, so asked us to have a look, what exactly were you looking for anyway?" Bixlow asked.
The had taken seats in the bar , Evergreen was sorting out food and drinks for the group.
"Everything and anything. What happened? Did any magic tomes survive? Locate a rumoured portal."
"You did that, walked right through it in fact." Kiiri said.
"The ghosts are odd, they're afraid of something, but we couldn't find out what, one said they were waiting for someone to return home. But I'm not a researcher, I'm just a soldier."
"We should get to Sugitani as fast as possible, to see if those others are there." Freed said.
"We shouldn't fly, the weather in the valleys is unpredictable, at least on the ground, you can see the road beneath your feet." Kiiri said.
"You know a lot about this area." Evergreen said.
"My family is from the area, and I know a couple of people in Sugitani."
"Seriously."
"Yeah, if they're still alive, I should be able to get us free accomodation, Akane and Hikaru."
"I saw them, they're the oldest people in the village, how do you know them?" The Rune Knight asked.
"They raised me from about the age of five, I don't remember what happened to my parents, my aunt disappeared, I know that, vanished on a job, and I have a cousin somewhere, but I have no information on him, except he's about my age, and he's a guy."
"So I'm guessing you'll be heading to Sugitani tomorrow." the Rune Knight said.
"Yes."
"Can I hitch a ride, if my team are there, I'll be able to get a message out."
"I don't see any problems." Freed said
The food arrived, and the group ate, Kiiri was quiet and stuggling to stay awake, once they had finished she headed to bed.
"Night, we need to be on the road by sunrise, it's a long trip."