The Legend Begins
A Ronins Origin Story
Author's Note: This is part of a 17 chapter story plus a prologue, an epilogue, and 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/
Chapter 6 – Midnight Rendezvous
"I passed!"
The cry cut through the afternoon stillness like a hot knife through butter. Ryo, who had been lounging under one of the trees that dotted the school grounds looked up and smiled at his friend who was bounded over the lawn waving a paper in the air. Beside him Rowen, who had his nose stuck in a book as usual, smiled into the pages, finally glancing up to grace him with a smile.
"Congratulations Kento!"
Kento was grinning, his face split into smile almost too wide for his face. In fact, it looked as if he was in danger of exploding from happiness.
"An A!" Kento was chortling. "And I owe it all to Rowen."
Rowen laughed, "Don't be ridiculous, that A was all your doing. All I did was push in the right direction."
Ryo leaned back against the tree bark watching his two friends with amusement as they argued as to whom the A was really due to. He picked up a blade of grass and idly began to suck on its tip. So much had happened in the last month. Ryo shook his head. Yet it all seemed like yesterday when he had come into the school, not knowing anyone and then running head on into poor Rowen. He placed his arms behind his head as he leaned more heavily on the tree. Had it really been nearly six weeks since the start of school?
He gazed at the cream colored building of Hana High and saw a brown-haired form emerge. His light blue knapsack swung from one strap on his shoulder and he appeared to be whistling as his light steps carried him toward the three of them settled on the hill.
"Someone's extra happy," Cye said as he approached them, a smile on his face. "I could hear him a mile off. It's a wonder the Noise Squad isn't out here."
Kento was in too good a mood to rise to the jibe and instead waved a piece of paper in front of Cye's nose. "I got an A on the Chem test!"
"Congrats!" Cye said, putting an arm around his friend. He gave his friend a light punch in the arm. "I see Rowen's been busy then," he grinned mischievously.
Rowen gave him a straight face. "That's what we're arguing about. Care to mediate?"
"Why don't you ask Ryo?" Cye said wisely, also keeping his face in a neutral expression that threatened to surrender to laughter at any minute.
"I'm neutral here," Ryo grinned at them, "Don't you dare get me involved." He was laughing.
The playful banter went on for a while longer before they finally tired and contented themselves with lying on the grass in various positions of repose. The wind whistled through the leaves and the boughs danced lightly, throwing the filtered afternoon sunlight into a glittering array of light and dark. The peace of the afternoon allowed them to unwind from the rigors of the day. Such times were rare, so busy were they with all of their afternoon activities. But Friday always lent an air of relaxation and they liked nothing better than to lounge under their favorite tree doing absolutely nothing.
Ryo couldn't describe that feeling that appeared whenever he was around his four friends. He couldn't imagine life at Hana High without them. It seemed as if he had known them forever. The funny thing was, he'd never had thought to meet any of them. They were all so different. There was smart, quiet Rowen, short-tempered, stubborn Kento, open, trusting Cye, and serious, reserved Sage. And me, he thought wryly. He thought back to the first day of school, when he'd experienced the odd feelings of recognition. Those memories were distant now. In its place were memories of the afternoons spent at Sage's dojo, studying together in the library, fun-filled lunches, movies, trips to the Faun family restaurant, and just plain hanging out like they were doing now. Ryo had never felt so contented or fulfilled as he did when he was around his four companions. Four?
"Has anyone seen Sage?" Ryo asked with nonchalance.
As if in answer to his question, a blonde haired head suddenly peaked out from the double doors of Hana High's main building. His head swiveled from side to side as if anticipating an onslaught at any moment. Finding the way clear, he darted out from the building, still on the look out for an attack that would never come. Once he had convinced himself that nothing was going to happen to him, he relaxed and made his way to where his four friends were lounging, occasionally peaking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed.
"I think," Cye grinned at Sage when he finally settled in the grass beside them, "That you're the only person to ever have the problem of too much girls."
"So what happened this time?" Rowen asked, his midnight eyes dancing with laughter.
Sage gave a cursory glance around the area, which to all intents and purposes, remained deserted, but he wasn't going to risk being eavesdropped on and lowered his voice. "There's a rumor going around that I dumped Akiko," Sage said quietly, giving another paranoid glance around the area as if he thought someone would overhear.
"And did you?" Ryo asked in amusement.
"Seeing as I was never dating her in the first place," Sage answered dryly, "I don't see how. But now every girl has it in their head that I'm 'available.'" He let the sentence hang dramatically and none of them had trouble guessing what that meant. "I was almost grateful for that first rumor. At least the girls left me alone then, and Akiko got a kick out of it," he continued. Akiko was the dark brown haired girl that was always hanging around Sage. Sage had gotten to know her quite well, actually, and had developed a "friendly" relationship with her. Poor Akiko wanted it to be more than that, though, and had been thrilled when the rumors started, even if reality was a little different.
"Ah but there is one girl that isn't after Sage," Kento let the sentence hang in the air before continuing, "My dear Kumiko."
Cye broke down laughing at that, pounding Kento's back as he did so. "MY DEAR? That's going a little far don't you think?"
"Not at all," Kento said seriously, and Rowen couldn't keep from laughing, for once his book forgotten.
"Give it up Kento," Ryo butted in, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously, "You know she's really after dear ol' ME. So just admit it already."
This time not even Sage was immune to the laughter as Kento loudly refuted that claim and tackled Ryo from the side. The two of them went down in a scuffle as they grappled at each other, tears of laughter twinkling in their eyes. Sage watched the exchange as he tried in vain to stifle his laughter. Suddenly, a flare of hostility jerked Sage into a rigid posture. His senses stretched out in the general direction and the identification of the feelings made his blood run cold.
"Well, well. So the little kids are all here and playing oh so nicely."
The mocking voice quickly brought the other four to their senses and Ryo and Kento sat up with alarm. Rowen seemed to shrink into the shadows and Cye was struggling to keep the fear that the junior still roused in him from his face. Sage could only look on with a face carefully devoid of all expression, although his insides were knotted with tension. Ryo was the first to rise, his fiery blue eyes starring challengingly at Kotaru.
"What do you want?" Ryo managed to keep his voice steady. Luckily for him, his bruises had long since faded and there were no ugly reminders of their last encounter, but Kotaro certainly did not forget; nor did he forget the grievance he had with Rowen's grades, Kento's mediating, and Sage's popularity. Not to mention all the fun he had last year with Cye, now a sophomore but still the same old nuisance.
"Well, we've some unfinished business to take care of," was Kotaro's response. His comrades grinned evilly, anticipating the easy pickings these five would be had.
Sage rose beside Ryo, his gray eyes flashing dangerously. Kotaru may doubt Ryo's skills, but there was no denying Sage's superiority. But this was not kendo and there were no girls to spoil Kotaru's own reputation and Sage knew that this encounter would not end very well. Kento's anger was aroused now and overcame his good sense and it was only Cye's hand on his shoulder that kept him from tackling Kotaro. Kento had seen far too many battered bodies at the hands of this bully and his gang, and his sense of justice screamed that retribution must fall. Rowen could only look on with an expression of fear, but that was quickly replaced by one of determination. He had taken Mama Faun's offer and had been training often in self-defense with her. He may not be quite that skilled yet, but he knew that he could hold his own. Mama Faun was a hard taskmaster. And Ryo was right, Kotaro's actions had to be stopped some way or another. He joined the others in a standing position; ready to slip into a defensive stance that Mama Faun had been training him so hard in.
Ryo sensed the back-up that the others were willing to give him and appreciated it to the depths of his soul. He let an arrogance seep into his voice as he felt the others' support. There would be no repeat of the last incident. "It's five on five," Ryo growled back in response.
Light glinted off Sage's gray eyes as he nodded his assent. "And I don't believe the odds are in your favor," Sage said with a deadly calm.
For a moment, both parties look straight at each other, not even Kento daring to make a move. Sage sensed, at the edge of his mental range, a pair of teachers quietly discussing grading techniques as they rounded the corner on a path that would take them right to where the ten of them were standing. He let a smile play upon his lips and was about to make a comment when Cye interjected.
"This is not the time or place Kotaru," and Sage was surprised with the edge of steel in his voice, "Unless of course you want your fat ass permanently removed from the school."
The two teachers came into view, and although they hadn't yet spotted the two groups, they would certainly notice that something was up if a fight broke out. Kotaru was seething that these freshmen were actually standing up to him, especially the two that he had previously beaten brutally. He was even more upset by the fact that he wouldn't even get any revenge on them for their insults. He eyed the approaching teachers sullenly then turned and growled softly to Ryo.
"Meet us at the edge of Sendai Forest at twelve if you're man enough," he sneered. He then motioned to the rest of his gang, and they left with smiles of anticipation plastered on their faces.
Cye sagged with the effort of keeping himself calm and sank back into the grass. Rowen did the same, his face an almost comic expression of relief at the narrow escape. Kento was quaking still with suppressed anger but managed to sit himself in the grass without blowing up. Sage only grimaced as his eyes followed Kotaru' retreating back and Ryo was glaring after him, his blue eyes narrowing as he made his decision. With only the barest of thanks to his friends, Ryo stalked off toward the direction of home to prepare for what was not going to be a very pretty night. He didn't want to get the others involved in what was obviously his problem.
The others stopped and watched Ryo's departure, aware at once of what Ryo planned to do. Sage listened to their quiet conversation with only half an ear. His mind was rapidly making plans to complement what he knew Ryo was planning to do.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The night air was brisk as it whistled through the leaves of the trees. The boughs creaked in a symphony of sound against the chatter of the night creatures. The clouds rolled by in the sky above, bringing with them the fresh scent of a rain shower. The silver moon was full as it shone over the darkened landscape. It would have been a beautiful night if Ryo hadn't known the events that would take place in a mere few minutes. He shivered with a cold that had nothing to do with the wind and pulled his jacket around him tighter. It hadn't been easy convincing his grandparents to stay out this late. They had been suspicious but had trusted their grandson's motives. Ryo felt ashamed at betraying that trust, but more so for not telling his friends of what he planned to do. He pursed his lips. Kotaru was his problem. Cye had had to deal with him already and Rowen had been forgotten with Kotaru's obsessive pursuit of Ryo. Rustlings brought Ryo's wandering thoughts home and he whirled, ready to deal with whatever Kotaru could throw at him.
Moonlight glinted instead off an unmistakably blonde head and a chuckle escaped the figure as it stepped deeper into the light.
"Hold yourself tiger, I have no grievance with you." Sage's gray eyes glinted softly in the moonlight and a slight smile played upon his lips.
"Sage . . ," Ryo began but was cut off with a wave as three more figures stepped out from the shadows.
"Did you really think we'd let you have all the fun by yourself?" Kento's face grinned at Ryo, "Now that really isn't fair."
Rowen shook his head. "Ryo, I know what you were trying to do but you didn't have to. Kotaru is a problem for all of us." He paused, "Besides," he added quietly, "I still need to repay you for the first time."
"You can always trust us Ryo," Cye said, not as an accusation but rather as a reaffirmation.
Sage could only smile at Ryo's widened eyes, "Five is better than one. You should know that."
"And we five stick together!" Kento said as a last, Rowen and Cye silently confirming Kento's statement.
Ryo looked back and forth between his friends and felt his eyes begin to water in gratitude. Here were his true friends. Friends who were willing to help him out even at risk to themselves. "Thanks guys."
Sage waved his hand as if it were nothing and continued to smile although it was rapidly fading as he took note of his surroundings.
"So where is the bastard?" Kento asked, his brown eyes scanning the area and wondering if Kotaru may be lurking in the shadows.
"Maybe he decided not to show," Rowen said with nonchalance. "Maybe he finally realized that Sendai Forest is a preservation area and off-limits to trespassers."
"Highly unlikely," Cye grimaced. "Facts like that don't normally deter him."
The five of them edged into a circle with their backs to each other, listening into the night. Sage's senses strained for even the slightest hint but found nothing. He frowned. Maybe Rowen's right. Maybe he isn't here. Thought that we wouldn't show so he didn't either. That would explain the lack of life around here. Sage let his guard and his tension drop, as he came to that realization and he felt Ryo relax into mirth beside him.
"Ha! So Kotaru was the one that was too chicken to show up." Ryo's statement opened a floodgate and the others relaxed and laughed off the tension. Now that the immediate danger was past, they all couldn't believe that they were so worked up over this incident.
"Come on guys," Rowen said with genuine relief, "Let's all head home before we get caught."
Sage smiled at that, and then his expression fell to one of annoyance. "Damn! All that work to get out and for nothing."
"Tell me about it. I should be having my midnight snack right now!" Kento wailed.
"Always thinking about food," Cye tsked with resignation.
Ryo was about to comment laughingly on that when something caught his eye. What? He looked up and stared into the darkened forest. There! A flash of something white was darting through the trees. Ryo narrowed his eyes, trying to pinpoint the exact location of the flash. He spotted it again a few feet away and then traced its path. It was heading deep into the forest. Thoughts began to dance in his mind as speculation began to dawn on him. And his eyes widened when they reached a conclusion.
Sage felt Ryo pause and wondered at it. Automatically, his senses stretched as his eye panned the area. He relaxed himself and let his "othersight" take over; the brightly colored energy patterns swirled around him. How odd. Why is everything so bright? The colors were almost abnormally bright here and Sage wondered why he hadn't sensed it before. The energy seemed to be coalescing here; it was prevalent in everything. It reminded him of the time two weeks ago when he had seen the auras of his two friends. That's right the auras! Try as he might, he had never figured out the reason behind the unnatural brightness of both Ryo's and Cye's auras. I wonder . . . On impulse, he turned his ephemeral gaze to his four friends . . . and staggered. Four extremely bright auras greeted his astonished eyes. Ryo was a pulsating red and Cye was a bright blue. That wasn't new, but Kento was glowing orange and Rowen was a deep blue as dark as the midnight sky. What is going on?! All living things had auras but never, never this bright!
Sage felt his consciousness slipping from him as his extended senses were simultaneously burned, drowned, crushed, and blown away. He raised a hand to his face as if to shield the unnatural brightness but knew it would do no good. Through the glimmer and the dazzle, he noticed with astonishment that the other four mirrored his actions, blinking their eyes rapidly to clear the brightness. They stared at Sage and then with surprise at each other. Kento's mouth dropped open in shock then placed a hand to his head as if maybe perhaps he was going mad. Rowen was backing up, shaking his head in denial. Cye was staring around him with wild eyes. He too felt his forehead for a fever. Ryo could only blink at the chaos around him, his mind in just as much a mess. Kotaru and the flash of white were far from his mind as he turned fearful eyes on his four friends, glowing with varying bright colors. Sage felt something brush against his mind and he whirled unsteadily toward its source, still staggering. He leaned against a rock and tried to focus his ailing mind. Something incredibly white appeared at the edge of his vision. But instead of dazzling him as the others had, the tendrils of white soothed his shambled mind and brought him back to full consciousness. No longer in danger of passing out, Sage watched with his "othersight" as the tendrils reached out and steadied the others. The fear in the air diminished and the other four were shaking their heads and blinking rapidly. Surprise slowly faded from their faces and Sage saw the auras fade from his view. The white. It's shielding them! Sage thought in surprise. No longer could any of them see the bright auras and Sage switched back to his normal view where each of them was regarding him thoughtfully and with fear in their eyes.
"Um, what just happened?" That was Rowen and his expression would have been comical in any other situation. His facial features were screwed up into a grimace and his midnight eyes were dilated. His complexion was pale and his hand trembled.
Sage looked between his friends, whose expressions were no better than Rowen's, and sighed. He wondered how he would tell them what had just occurred in simple terms and debated whether they were ready to hear it. It wasn't just that psychic abilities were decidedly abnormal; it was that they had them. For them to see the auras told Sage that they all had varying degrees of psychic powers. He thought back to the day that he had first seen Ryo's aura and his odd reaction. Then he remembered the panicked expression that Cye had given him two days later. My probing must have awakened them. His head swiveled as he heard Cye's response.
"I don't know," Cye's voice wavered. The rest of his voice caught in his throat and he was unable to get any more words out.
"That was really freaky," Kento said, trying to force his voice into a casual tone but failing miserably.
Ryo blinked at them all, his blue eyes flicking back and forth between his friends with a fearful expression. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with a thought and he turned back to the forest, gazing into its dark depths and trying not to think about the disturbing events that just occurred.
Rowen stared at the sky. The bright moonlit night darkened with clouds and the moon vanished from sight, leaving behind an eerie blackness. The wind suddenly stopped and could no longer be heard whispering among the boughs. The sound of the rippling river that had filled the background was quiet. An unnatural silence befell the area and Rowen felt his heartbeat quicken. It was beating so loud, he wondered that the others couldn't hear it. His eyes no longer gazed at his friends but at the altered surroundings and his blood began to run cold. Rowen switched his gaze back to Ryo who had the strangest expression on his face. He was about to comment when, to his astonishment, a large white tiger emerged briefly from the darkened woods before darting back in. The others, now acutely aware of their surroundings, also turned to stare at Ryo. Ryo appeared to ignore them all and began to walk blindly to where the white tiger had stood.
"Ryo, what . . ," Rowen began, but found that the words stuck in his throat.
"It's my tiger, White Blaze." Ryo's voice was distant as he said so, his mind seemingly lost to another place and time. His movements were choppy, almost as if he were in a trance as he made his way over toward the tiger who had again emerged from the woods, to fix Ryo with a penetrating stare. Unaware of his four friends who were now staring at him with varying degrees of bewilderment, Ryo disappeared into the silent forest, following after his brown-eyed tiger who seemed to be beckoning him somewhere.
Cye watched Ryo's retreating back with his face a mask of confusion. He could no longer make heads or tails of what was going on, his comprehension shot ever since he saw the glowing auras. What the hell is going on?!! The three remaining were shooting glances between Ryo and themselves, wondering if the world had suddenly ended and that maybe they were all going insane. Even Sage had the oddest look of bewilderment as he watched Ryo disappear into the woods. His gray eyes grew distant and then he abruptly stood to follow after Ryo, as if he had suddenly come to some sort of an answer. Cye had no idea what that answer might be but he knew that Sage always seemed to see the world in a different light. He saw answers that the others would never have seen or figured out. The silence was starting to disturb him and his heart was pounding painfully in his chest. He had a sudden sense of foreboding and, rather than risk something awful happening to him, fell quickly into step behind Sage. He motioned to the Kento and Rowen. Both of them looked like they were going to faint from fear, their movements jumpy and their eyes glazed over. They seemed to feel that same sense of urgency that Cye had sensed and hurried over to follow behind him. Neither of them wanted to be left alone in this place that had turned less than friendly.
Ahead, Ryo's form darted unwaveringly from between the trees as he followed his unusual guide. The gloom obscured everything that might have given the five a hint of familiarity. The brewing storm threatened to break at any moment, but the air continued to remain unnaturally still and not a sound could be heard. Cye, Kento, Rowen, and Sage clung together like a band of frightened rabbits, finding the stillness unnerving while Ryo was oblivious to everything as he led the group deeper into the forest. At first, Cye thought they were trampling randomly through the trees, but then he began to realize that they were following some sort of game trail. He swiveled his head back only to find that the trail had disappeared behind them. He felt the adrenalin pound in his ears as he switched his gaze back to the front where now he realized that the trail was actually opening up for them. The white tiger continued to lead them on, occasionally turning to fix the group with an intense brown-eyed gaze. Cye shivered under that gaze but the unusual brown eyes failed to faze him. The night was rapidly becoming too unreal for anything to seem out of place.
The forest seemed to end abruptly and Cye blinked in confusion before he realized that they had actually just come to a clearing. The white tiger ambled over to the center and carefully laid itself down, its brown eyes regarding the proceedings with a look that held far too much intelligence. Released of his trance-like state, Ryo stared around him in bewilderment. The clearing was a perfect circle. The edge where the trees ended and the open sky began was clean-cut and tailored precisely. Just inside the edge were five stone tablets arranged in a pentagon. They were old and worn with long vines wrapped around them. The grass was tall and obscured almost half of the stone. Ryo's gaze was drawn to the tablet at the far left of the clearing. It was beckoning him toward it and, as he had following White Blaze, Ryo's will was stripped and he found himself walking toward the tablet. Around him, the others also felt that irresistible call and had no choice but to follow it to its destination.
Rowen reached his designated stone tablet and stared at it. Despite the fact that there was no light to see by, he could clearly see that there was some inscription engraved on the tablet. Acting more on instinct aroused by the strange call rather than curiosity, Rowen pulled at the vines obscuring the wording and gasped. There, in stark, bold letters, was a name. But not just any name. It was his name, along with something else he only vaguely recognized. "Rowen of Strata." His mind had no sooner registered that fact than his roving eyes glanced below it to reveal the rest of the engraving. Underneath his name was a symbol: a stylized arrowhead in a circle. Beneath that was a kanji. Rowen's eyes grew wide as he recognized the strokes that he had so often seen in his little orb that graced his shelf. "Inochi – Life." That was almost as shocking as his name. Rowen cast fearful eyes on the tablet, on the verge of either fainting or screaming in fright and confusion. Shocked gasps from across the clearing told Rowen that the others had come to similar, shocking revelations.
"What's going on?!!!" Kento's voice was on the verge of hysteria.
"My . . . name . . . Why is my name here?!" Cye's dismayed voice also carried a hint of hysteria and was cracking.
Lightning suddenly flashed, illuminating the clearing with its blinding light. Shielding his eyes from the light, Sage's astonished eyes watched as the tiger, which had been lying in the center, suddenly stood and roared in answer. His "othersight" immediately saw the white aura around it and Sage realized that it was the tiger that had shielded the others and steadied him. But his mind was still spinning with the appearance of his name on the tablet and Sage's mental capabilities were shot to hell. Nothing made sense anymore and the atmosphere was becoming more surreal by the minute. Another white form began to coalesce beside the white tiger. This one took the shape of a man. As his form became more solid, Sage could see that he was wearing ancient white robes. His eyes were covered by the brim of a large, triangular straw hat from which silver white hair flowed. His feet were covered in soft white socks on grass sandals. He carried a wooden staff with a gold, crystal-like top with jingling rings of the same color. Something tugged at the back of his mind and Sage's mouth opened wide with shock as he recognized the monk standing in front of him. He had met him; a long time ago when he was still little in what he thought was a dream. The man turned his gaze to Sage and smiled warmly. Yes, you have met me before, Sage of Halo. The time comes when you must fulfill that promise you made to not only me, but also yourself. The man spoke into his mind and Sage gasped at the soft mental words.
The man turned his gaze toward each of the others in turn and smiled at them although each one was shaking like a leaf. Ryo was mouthing words that were barely audible, even in the silence that had fallen over the clearing.
"You . . . You're the Ancient," Ryo stammered, identifying the man that had so often appeared in his dreams when he was younger. Whenever he had almost succumbed to the grief of his father's death, Ryo remembered the man in white robes who held a staff and comforted him until the tears receded. But I thought it was all a dream! His mind constricted in denial. Maybe he was dreaming.
"This is no dream, Ryo of Wildfire, though you are not the only one who wishes it so," the man said out loud and the white tiger raised its head, switching its gaze between both Ryo and the white robed man. The man raised his head and regarded the entire, astonished group. "Yes, I am the Ancient and it was I who called you here tonight. The powers of evil have begun to threaten this world and you five have been chosen by the powers of the fates to repel it."
"But . . . why us?" Rowen's small voice sounded loud in the silence following the Ancient's words.
The Ancient smiled back at him. "It is because you five have unique skills and powers that make you suited for the task at hand." His tone sobered almost immediately. "The evil has been a work for a long time which forced me to put a block on your abilities so they would not sense you. But the time draws near and I must remove that block in order that you will be ready when the time comes."
The Ancient walked from his place in the center of the pentagram and approached the extremely bewildered Ryo who was blinking rapidly, his mind having lost all hope of reason. The Ancient gave him a reassuring smile and pressed the top his staff to Ryo's forehead. Softly, the chiming of bells began and Ryo gasped as he felt the changes within himself. He was plunged into a bath of fire. He could see the bright, orange and yellow tongues licking against his body but yet could not feel the heat. He watched as the eddies of magma swirled around him and the lava rose to engulf him. Virtue. The word whispered in his mind, floating over the flames. Ryo sensed, somewhere in his country home that his little red orb was pulsating, shining a bright red. The red light reached out and where it touched him, the sensations began to fade away, but leaving behind a realization of what Ryo now knew to be utter truth; there was no denying it.
"I am Ryo of Wildfire." The admission was soft yet it rang out over the clearing, as the Ancient's smile grew wider.
"Yes," he whispered and turned from a dazed Ryo to each of the others in turn. Their quiet cries echoed across the clearing as they came to the same undeniable conclusion.
"I am Sage of Halo."
"I am Cye of Torrent."
"I am Kento of Hardrock."
"I am Rowen of Strata."
Now that their blocks were removed, they plunged headlong into their elements and the surrounding environment responded to their unconscious calls. The clouds seemed to melt from the sky and the moon returned with all of its silver glory. The wind began to blow and the swinging boughs erupted into a symphony of sound. The gurgle of the stream encompassed them, bringing with it the sweet melody of rushing water. The grass stems poked from the rich brown soil and waved in the breeze. The horizon began to lighten as the darkness was chased away, to reveal a pallet of rosy pinks, pale yellows, and light lavenders of dawn. The Ancient watched the spectacle with contemplating eyes then to each of the five dazed youths before him. His eyes regarded them with sadness.
"In time you will understand everything but for now you must go for the hour is waning and I cannot remain thus for long."
The Ancient shook his staff and again the soft chime of bells could be heard echoing across the forest. White Blaze rose from his position and growled softly, leaving his place beside the monk to nudge a stunned Ryo.
Ryo reached out blindly to clutch at his beloved tiger as the only stable reality in this unreality and let him lead him back into the dense underbrush of the forest. He sensed, rather than heard; the others fall into stumbling steps behind him. For a moment, the white light that was the Ancient expanded and blinded everything from view. Then it was gone and the forest returned to its natural, normal state. Sage could no longer detect the unnatural energy fields that had been prevalent since they entered the forest edge although he no longer cared at the moment. As they staggered out of the forest, they heard a few words whispered into their minds.
Ronin Warriors, look toward yourselves and each other.
The words followed each of them as they turned their steps toward their homes, their minds numb with the revelations of the night.
