Finally an update! I sat down for a couple hours and battled my way through this. I have started reading a lot more lately as well, so I picked up some "favorite" words of mine. But this chapter covers the rest of the plants up to Hao. Now how cool is that !

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The warriors, having made their way past the Plant of the Cave, slowly walked up the sloping dirt path, towards the new plant door. The fighting, walking, and tension had left everyone tired, famished, and speechless. Chocolove especially took quiet steps, his head resting upon his chest, and eyes averted by his thoughts. Only three more plants were left, and with time running out, all of the warriors understood that they needed to reach the throne quickly. Soon enough they were through the next heavy door, face to face with nothing but…

"Water!" Ren managed utter, before the door quickly closed behind them, rendering them breathless.

Everyone was now immersed in what looked like a large aquarium. It was cold, dark, and various signs of life-form could be seen dwelling below their feet. Some they had seen before, but others looked like ancient creatures from dinosaur storybooks. Horohoro dodged to the side, surprised and frightened by the hammerhead shark that had just missed him. Besides the dangerous creatures, there didn't seem to be a way out since it was dark all around them, and they were not able to hold their breath any longer despite the fact that their hands were clamped over their mouths. Chocolove looked incredibly ridiculous, using his right hand to cover his mouth, and left over Opacho's. To make matters worse, they all felt a penetrating pressure upon their ears like never before, making Horohoro, Ren, Yoh, and Lyserg use their other hand to cover one ear. Sati merely smiled, and with a wave of an arm, before the kids panicked with suffocation, they were once again able to breath.

Huff huff "What… they weren't joking when it was called the 'Plant of the Ocean'" Chocolove said, catching his breath.

"The main question is, though, how we are supposed to fight if we can't breath." Ren said as-a-matter of fact.

"Don't worry about that too much." Yoh smiled, looking up and propelling himself towards Sati.

"Yes. I also saw it. Sati merely manipulated the water and created a bubble of oxygen around us. I think I can do that as well, especially with the Spirit of Fire." Lyserg said, pushing his hand through the sheer transparency of the air bubble that had now formed around them. Although the water was outside, in the small area surrounding the remaining group, there was a lot of empty air which caused their clothes to flair upwards, especially Sati whose flowing skirt seemed to be in ten different places at once.

"Well, then we will leave this fight to you. But the question is where is the Patch?" Ren began….

"Welcome to the Plant of the Ocean" suddenly the Patch had materialized inside their very air bubble, his arms crossed across his chest. "I would have never expected you to come this far, but I'm also amazed how fast you were able to use the environment around you to survive." He stated, looking with glazed eyes at Sati, who merely narrowed her small eyes. Of course you all know me…"

"Makuna" Ren simply said. He remembered Makuna from the ordeal with Niklom, the head culprit who sent Ren to his death the first time around, with the spear in his chest. Facing him brought back a variety of emotions from that time period, mostly about Chrom. Ren had faced his fears and regrets though, and this was not what bothered him. It would only mean one thing…

"Let's stop talking…" Lyserg inserted, peeling off his right sock only to leave himself completely stripped except for his boxers, weapon, and cape. Now, with the Spirit of Fire materialized beside him, he created an armor oversoul using morphine and Zeruel. "…and begin!" suddenly Lyserg shot past with lightning speed straight towards the Patch who simply thrust himself back.

Everyone stood in awe as both opponents faced each other in the water. Makuna's oversoul was obvious now, he had an animal oversoul as well, and his was the spirit of the shark. It's jaws could be seen in his saw like blade which he held out against Lyserg in a fighter stance. Lyserg, on the other hand, had a complete armor oversoul along with an air bubble created around himself. He had obviously used air as the Spirit of Fire's medium to create breathing space around himself as well.

"You think you will be able to fight like that? Your foryoku is draining much faster under water here you know. I'm sure you realize this." at this Makuna edged towards Lyserg missing him by a thread. The sparring went on for quite a while as both threw attacks at one another. Lyserg propelling upwards, Makuna's thrusts downwards, while at other times Lyserg slicing through everything as Makuna dodged in very little room. Makuna himself tried to sing the Patch song only to be interrupted by Lyserg before he finished. At this point both fighters were drained and only stared at each other. The next attack was to be the last.

"I underestimated you" Makuna grimaced.

"Hmph. So did I."

"Well I guess nothing is to be had from standing here and staring at each other."

"Quite so."

In an instant both glided past each other, faces blank at either side. But before the onlookers could question who had won, Makuna's chest was torn open and he drifted silently towards the bottom floor. The pressure within the water had obviously torn the wounds more than necessary as well. Lyserg, in turn, quietly swam back to the group in the nick of time before the exit showed itself on the bottom of the ocean floor. It slid open, letting water drained out below, and leaving everyone standing on the bottom of the plant. Horohoro walked to the door, and discovering a ladder on the side, started the climb down with everyone afterwards. The ladder was surprisingly long, making it take some time before they reached the ground.

Once again, they found themselves on the familiar dirt path in Mu. However, unlike last time, they didn't have to walk some ways before discovering the entrance to the next plant. This time, it loomed above them in a frightening fashion. Resting straight above their heads on a small ledge, the warriors started the rock climb. It was not as easy as they had thought.

"Hey Ren! That was the rock I was going to hang onto next."

"Why you!"

"It's not my fault you are slower than a turtle."

"Lyserg, you stepped on my hand! Ow!"

"Hmm, Sati is it a good idea for you to climb with a skirt?"

"hmph…"

"Woah this is high up. I wonder why they put a door way up there. I feel like I'm in the Olympics here."

"Woops sorry Horohoro, I just didn't see you there."

"The Olympics don't have rock climbing as a sport."

"Yes they do!"

"Hey what a pretty drawing…"

"Nope."
"Yoh, should you be gawking at drawings at a time like this?"

"Yes!"

"But look Ren, I think it's little people, and they are crying."

"Uh…"

"I think I got rock particles up my nose."

"So. I have seen people cry."

"WOOT I MADE IT FIRST!"

Chocolove managed to work his way up first after Sati, and the rest of the warriors enclosed on them quickly. Within a moments time the door flew upwards, and even before stepping inside, everyone huddled together with the exception of Horohoro and Sati. In front of them was a beautiful white snowy mountainous area, with jutting ice crystals in different places. An aurora could also be seen in the background, its dancing colors refracting through the icicles. Yoh sat himself down on the floor as Chocolove and Lyserg huddled near him, obviously trying to keep body heat. Opacho wobbled and dug a small hole, but before they questioned what she was trying to do, she found some measly sticks that she brought back. Lyserg, taking the cue, lit them on fire.

"It sure is beautiful… though not at all comparable to my home." Horohoro whispered, glancing back at the others who lived in substantially warmer localities.

"I will be surprised if we don't catch a cold with all these weather changes. I can still feel the desert heat on me from Namari…" Yoh threw carelessly after warming himself a bit. Opacho had seated herself in Yoh's lap, resting her little head upon his arm.

Ren rolled his eyes. "I think a cold is the least of our worries."

"I am surprised none of you have ever questioned these plants' origins yet." Sati said out of nowhere.

"Origins?" Chocolove turned his head sideways to glance as Sati with a questioning face.

"Hey Lyserg can you increase the fire? I wonder where the Patch is, they seem to like surprising us now days."

But before anything else could be said, the next opponent had appeared and greeted them. Ren, breathing heavily, looked him in the eye as the Patch smirked.

"Why Ren, you look rather cold. I hope this climate is not too much for you. I of course was looking forward to fighting with you. But not only is your foryoku level low, but so is the temperature."

"Still talking nonsense I see, Niklom." Ren stood, breathing into his hands.

"Hmph. In either case it doesn't make a difference."

"Here Ren, you can use my jacket." Horohoro offered.

"I don't need it." Ren said, embarrassed at Horohoro's affection in front of the enemy.

"Haha Ren, you should take it." Niklom put in.

"Right now, I have one goal, and that is to get to the throne. Stand aside Niklom."

"Stand aside? Is that what you tell all your opponents, or do you think you have the right to pity me?"

"…."

"I must say Ren, I should actually thank you for killing my brother." Niklom smiled. At this, Sati and Yoh turned their heads and focused seriously on the Patch's face. "It made me grow up faster, and without living under my brothers' shadow I was able to advance quickly. There is a reason why I am the last patch before UNIVERSE. I am the strongest of them. I became stronger to surpass my idiotic brother who got himself killed. And also…"

Before Ren could blink Niklom was in front of him. As his eyes closed for a millisecond, he felt the thrust of Niklom's blade upon him, and when he opened them again, he lay against the hard thickness of a boulder made entirely of red ice. Red, from his own blood that smothered against it.

"ugh." One of Ren's eyes remained open as he stared at Niklom, clutching his bloody arm.

"….also so I would have the chance to kill you for good." Niklom hissed.

Already everything was getting blurry to Ren. The cold air was not helping, though he found himself relieved since the blood did not flow from his wound as fast as it would have in normal conditions. Shivering, he hoisted himself up using the boulder, and with knees bent, stood to face his opponent once more. Gritting his teeth, Ren released the Spirit of Thunder to create a small armor oversoul around himself. The armor oversoul wasn't very fancy, however, but with Bason in his spear and armor oversoul, Ren knew he could beat Niklom but he would have to do it quickly and use all his foryoku to concentrate on one final blow. Until then, all he could do was simply dodge until an opening presented itself. Most of his foryoku at the moment was going to maintaining his armor oversoul.

"Pfft. Even with an elemental spirit, you should know as well as anybody Ren—a spirit simply won't give you a winning chance. I really want to finish this fast." Niklom once again rushed towards Ren, "See how you like this Ren… 'Mammoth Horn!'" Suddenly, Niklom released a monsterous attack, horns flying at Ren in every direction possible, there was no possible way to dodge it. Ren flew to the side, rolling over to the right and doing a small flip to the left, landing perfectly on another icicle, his feet gripping the ice as much as possible. Even so, this maneuver did not exempt him from being grazed by the attack, his shoulder was now sliced open.

My left arm is obviously useless now. It's a good thing for this plant. The weather is numbing the pain and stopping the blood flow. Even if I die…NO! I can't die. Ren what are you thinking? Dying is not an option, we can't waste anymore foryoku on purification. I have to do this myself, and do it fast.

"Hmm what are you thinking, Ren? When I'm done with you, your body will be so mangled they couldn't revive you even if they wanted to." Niklom's oversoul now was enormous. Glaring down from a good 4 meters above his head, a large elephant like oversoul was seen; hairy, brown, and powerful. Ren couldn't himself shuddering from the size of it. How can I defeat this thing, there must be something…

"It's… a hairy elephant!" Chocolove pointed, his eyes wide with excitement.

"No. not an elephant, a mammoth." Horohoro sighed.

"I know Ren is powerful, but against that, even I might lose."

"I think it would take all of us to defeat that thing."

"Yah…"

"Not really, we should trust Ren, and not get involved. This is between him and Niklom. It is a deeper issue than just power levels." Yoh chimed in.

"I think in this case Yoh might be right. Though I don't think it will help any if you ask me." Lyserg replied.

"Hmm…" Yoh smiled, focusing once more at the tiny Ren face which was tilted upwards.

"Hmph. As you can see, you can't defeat me, whether you concentrate your foryoku or not." Niklom cried. Now I will make you suffer, suffer as you made me suffer.

"Maybe not. But at the end of this fight the only one who will lose will be… YOU!" Ren jumped up, trying to slash Niklom on the top of his foryuki, only to receive a giant hit on the side of head, making him reel towards the other side of the plant. Crashing violently in the ground, Ren could barely feel his fingers. This is going quicker than I thought. Ren pulled himself up only to kneel on the floor. He's right, there is no way I can defeat him like this. I must have some other card to play. What would a TAO do in a time like this…

"What are you thinking about? Life after death? Get up. It's time to meet your end." Niklom jeered.

FLASHBACK------

"Hey brother where are you going? I thought you were going to play with me?" a little child with flowing black hair screamed, running towards the larger man who was grabbing his head band.

"Oh Niklom, shouldn't you be in bed right now?"

"Bed! I'm not 10 anymore! I'm 11 years old! Mom said I could stay up until 11pm now."

"Well I was summoned by Goldva. You know we have to prepare for the Shaman Fight."

"But that's so far away!"

"Well, not everything happens in one day, little one." The older brother Chrom rubbed his siblings' head.

"Oh alright. Will you be back soon? I wanted to show you this trick dad taught me."

"Don't worry I'll be back! I just have to run a few errands with Silva."

"GAWDD Silva again! Brother can't he do anything himself!" at this, Chrom laughed, and sighed.

"Haha… anyways I'll be back later okay?"

"Okay. But afterwards we should play together."

"Sure thing."

"Don't bring Silva."

"haha. Don't worry about that, I think he was invited somewhere for lunch."

"Ohh where?"

"I can't remember. Anyways I better go now. Goldva is very punctual, and there is still a lot to do."

"I love you!"

"Heh. Love you too. Go to bed, you look tired, 11 years old or not!" Chrom opened the door and left. The little boy rushed to the side window, admiring his role model walking down the street.

END OF FLASHBACK----

A slash came down upon Ren, on the same shoulder that was injured before. A scream could be heard echoing throughout the plant.

"Heh." Niklom sneered, rubbing the splashed blood from his hands. His oversoul suddenly shrank to a small size and then disappeared within a thin stick. "Obviously this is too much for you Ren. I was thinking of killing you immediately, but perhaps it would be better to torture you physically." Niklom kicked Ren's arm, only to receive a defiant look from Ren, who had managed to hold back all the tears during his pain. He wasn't able to feel his feet anymore.

"It is really disappointing, the way you act."

"Hmph." Ren murmured through his teeth. "You should be the one to talk -- a spoiled brat who can't deal with his brother's death."

"Hah! You still think this is about that! My brother was a fool! Don't flatter yourself. I don't hold grudges."

"Sure, whatever you say." Niklom's eyes flashed fire.

"Hao-sama is the Shaman King, it is a Patch's duty to protect him."

"A sense of duty? My ass. You are just a baby who doesn't know what he want, following whatever powerful person you see. You're pitiful." Niklom, hearing this, was now bent upon killing him here and now. However, when he went to raise his arm, he couldn't move.

"Hmph? Having trouble I see?" Niklom looked down. Ren's armor oversoul had disappeared, and it was immediately apparent what happened. Ren had liquefied the ice below Niklom slightly, and oversouled the SOT with the small drops of water itself, using the thunder-like properties to hold him there by aligning the charges properly. Ren reached out and took Niklom's thin weapon and threw it aside, with his spirit trapped within it.

"So is this how you killed him, by using cowardly surprising attacks? You know you can't pass through the door by just locking me here. Only I can open the door, and I won't do it for you until you kill me."

"I am not going to kill you."

"What, getting cold feet now you murderer?"

Everyone gasped suddenly, as Ren did the most unexpected thing. With his spear, he reached out, Niklom closing his eyes to make way for the attack. I'm joining you now brother. Suddenly Niklom was overcome with warmth, and opening his eyes he did not find warm blood as he expected, but instead…

"Ren…" Chocolove sighed, smiling to himself.

Ren now embraced Niklom, and as the boy looked at him in wander, he pulled back to say what he had always wanted to say properly. "I'm sorry Niklom. Nothing could bring your brother back. I was the one who took him away from you, and Hao had nothing to do with this. However, we can't allow him to roam free. Killing people is something no one has the right to do, be it me, or Hao." Tears began to fall from Niklom's face.

"Hey brother! What do you think the new Shaman King will be like!"

"I don't know. But whoever he is, will have respect for all kinds of life forms."

"You mean like beetles?"

"haha. Well beetles are living things, but everything else as well, from leaves to animals to humans, everything has a life—a will to live. We are all trying to live the way we know best."

"Even this pencil?"

"Hahaha!"

"Hey brother, will the Shaman King be nice, even if I am a bad boy?"

"Heh. I'm sure he will be…"

The door across the plant opened, just as the group got up. Yoh now took the duty of carrying Opacho, who had once again fallen asleep. It was, after all, a pretty long day. Ren, rubbing Niklom's fallen head, and returning his weapon to him, walked out of the door.

As the door shut behind him, Yoh was the first one to say anything.

"Well I must say, today was quite an eventful day, I wonder what Anna would say about this." At this, everyone dropped with relieved tension.

"IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY!" Ren screamed

"Haha!"

"Well we only have one last plant left, though I must say we were pretty lucky throughout the other times." Lyserg stated.

"In either case, this path in front of us seems to be getting much more dangerous." Sati whispered, looking forward.

As everyone focused their eyes forward, their faces dropped. The path was broken, and it looked like they would have to jump to different rocks in order to get across. Jumping from one to the other, Chocolove's face full of horror that made even Sati smile, they reached the other side. On top of the ledge they finally reached the last plant door. UNIVERSE. Taking a big breath in, they stepped inside, as it opened.

Nothing could prepare them for what they saw next. The entire plant made them feel like they were in space. The mechanics of the place were amazing as they saw small rotating planets, stars shooting across what felt like the ceiling, and much more. But as astonished as they were, they couldn't be prepared for the small PATCH inside.

"OH MY GOD! Horohoro look, LOOK!" Chocolove forgot all decency and shook his pointed hand at the small alien in front of him.

"Woahhh I didn't even know Alien's existed! Are Patch related to Aliens I wonder!" Horohoro seemed as excited as Chocolove.

"You really are an idiot." Ren looked downwards. "He's not an alien. That's his oversoul."

"Oversoul! Wow! But damn, how do you get the spirit of an alien." Horohoro said.

"Obviously from where alien's live…" Lyserg confidently interrupted. At this everyone was astonished at the simplicity of the answer, and a unanimous monotone "Lyserg…" could be heard.

"Hmm. You all seem to have taken a long time to get here, though I must say it was understandable." The small extraterrestrial inserted. His voice was calm and tranquil.

"So you are a Patch?" Yoh questioned.

"Yes."

"And your oversoul is an alien."

"It indeed looks that way."

"But…"

"Obviously I see a question in your eyes. But the history of Mu is a complicated one, and the question of aliens or extraterrestrials as you call them is quite a complicated as well . It is not my duty to tell you any of it, and I have no need to. You have trespassed on the domain of the Shaman King, and I will not allow you to pass any further. You either leave or I will kill you."

"Wow he sure is straight-forward." Chocolove uttered.

"Where is Hao-Sama?" Opacho suddenly jumped down from Yoh, and approached the alien.

"Our king is in the midst of the ceremony. He cannot be disturbed. You are a friend of his? Oh- I see you have the same power of Reishi as well."

"Yes. Who are you?"

"I am Rutherfor."

"I want to see Hao-Sama."

"You may wait for him, but not here. I cannot allow anyone to enter the throne room." At this Opacho stomped her small feet and wobbled to a corner of a room where she seated herself, her arms crossed across her chest.

Now turning back towards the warriors, Rutherfor turned to his side, and held out his grey finger behind him. "As I said before, I advise you to leave, or else you will meet the same fate as them."

Yoh squinted at the bodies in front of him. One was small, the other larger and well formed. Suddenly, he recognized the smaller one; the outfit, the small dictionary at his side. "MANTA!" Yoh broke into a sprint behind Rutherfor. "Manta wake up!" he cried, tears forming in his eyes as he held the small boys' head in his arms.

"Urg…" he stirred.

"Manta, are you okay!"

"Yoh! I'm glad you made it here… but…" tears flowed down the boy's already tear-stricken face. "But Anna…" his voice slowed down… "Anna… she… she's dead!" Yoh's face took on a ghastly white.

"Anna? How did Anna get here!"

"I can't explain… Yoh…you must watch out. He… " pointing towards Rutherfor. "he is really dangerous!"

"Manta, Manta!" Yoh shook Manta in hopes to take him out of his delirious state. "Manta, where is Anna? And, is… is this Anahol?" he stuttered.

"Yah. That's Anahol. You can't tell? Well, Rutherfor mangled him badly. He tried to protect me Yoh!" Manta's lip shivered. "I always need protection… I can't… I feel so tired Yoh" his voice barely above a whisper…

"But Anna… where is … where is her body?" Yoh's eyes gleamed.

"She's dead…" Manta said.

"Yes, but Manta, please…" tears trickled on Manta's face.

"She…." His voice barely heard… "she…" Manta couldn't finish his sentence though, as he fainted straight into Yoh's arms. His fingers dangling atop Yoh's elbow.

"Manta…" Yoh laid his head on the bottom of the floor, and turned his head sideways with a killer glare.

"Rutherfor you have gone too far!"

"He's not dead. Just exhausted probably. I have nothing against humans, they are such meek creatures. Though I cannot say the same thing about that girl and 'Anahol' as you call him"

"Why you!" Yoh rushed forward, only to be caught by Lyserg.

"Yoh, calm down, we can't let emotions get away with us. Anahol was pretty strong, and so was Anna…. and if he defeated them…"

"Anna isn't DEAD!" Yoh yelled.

"Yoh" Ren walked beside him, resting his hand upon his shoulder. "he's right. We have to think of this calmly, right now, our goal is Hao remember? Act like a leader." Yoh nodded in some understanding.

Before thinking of it any further. Sati seemed to float in front of them.

"In either case, I will be the one to fight him."

"Sati…" Yoh gasped, still composing himself.

"Don't worry" Sati smiled.

"Very well. I had warned you…" Rutherfor rushed forward, "GRAVITY PULL" Suddenly, Sati flew upwards, her dress bellowing below her. Above, the gang could see a large ball forming, and even they could feel the force in the room.

"SATI!" Yoh screamed.

"Hmph. This is ridiculous." Sati commented. "BUDDHA-GIRI!" and suddenly a giant Buddha statue loomed over the hole. Rutherfor, obviously caught off guard with the new development, stared in awe. As quick as the black ball formed, the faster it disappeared. The Buddha clapped it's hands together around it, flattening it like a pancake. Rutherfor's face took on one of utter horror.

"Your foryoku…" sweat dripped from his forehead, "… it's quite high, I'm surprised, it is probably the closest to Hao-sama's."

"Then you would know not to fight with me."

"Guess again. BLACK MATTER!"

Suddenly, everything went black, particles could be seen floating everywhere, and Opacho ran to Yoh and clutched at his pants. Yoh simply patted her on the forehead and picked her up.

"He's scared, Yoh-san…" Opacho whispered.

"Ya… I bet."

"Fufu! Now what will you do?" Rutherfor's voice could be felt in every direction.

"What do you want me to do?" Sati said with ease. "Let's stop playing around."

"As you say…"

BIG BANG!

Absolute silence filled the room, everyone shielding their eyes from the blinding light that had suddenly appeared. But, as fast as it had come, the faster it disappeared. Now, once again witness to the amazing room surrounding them, the warriors could see a piece of Sati's dress floating to the side.

"Sati…" Yoh whispered. Even as a whisper, Yoh's voice seemed to echo throughout the room like a megaphone.

"Hmpph. You are better than I thought." Rutherfor now lay kneeling on the floor, eyes glazed. His oversoul was flickering, his face a blur.

This has to be the strongest Armor oversoul I have seen. To be able to oversoul a spirit with his ENTIRE body is no easy feat… It not only requires a lot of foryoku but great physical strength as well. Sati was kneeling across from him, half her dress torn from the side, revealing a bare white thigh. I myself concentrated a lot of foryoku to block that "Big Bang" attack of his.

Despite both parties being injured, within a couple seconds they were flying towards each other, throwing attacks and blocking them in an orderly fashion, although none of these attacks were nearly as powerful as the ones before them. The amount of foryoku and reiyoku in the room made even Chocolove and Lyserg shudder.

"They are so powerful…." Chocolove said.

"Yah… even if we both combined our foryoku or reiyoku we wouldn't be able to compete… Their spirits are so strong, I can't even imagine their reiyoku."

"It's a good thing we have Sati on our side then…"

"…."

"Thousand Buddha Palms!" Sati shouted, her spirit appearing and many hands appearing out of the air. Suddenly, Rutherfor was surrounded, and before he could say anything, they came crushing down upon him.

Silence.

Huff huff. Sati tired herself out, breathing heavily. But, the warriors' eyes were not on hers, but on Rutherfor's. Rutherfor's oversoul was indeed an alien. But, it was tiny and small. The size of a child's hand. How did he use such a weak soul to create such a massive oversoul? He is able to manipulate it so well... it's amazing. With his oversoul out though, Rutherfor's true form could be seen. He was just a…

"A child!" Horohoro yelled.

"He must be Redseb's age or so. He's so small." Lyserg said.

"But so strong!"

"In either case, he's not dead. I can see him breathing. Maybe he can tell us more about this place. And I can't seem to find where the throne is. It's so dark here…"

At this, Yoh came by Rutherfor and kneeled beside him, supporting him up. Sati had recovered herself, and now stood beside them.

"Can you please tell us about this place? There is no use of fighting anymore." The child sat up.

"The throne is over there." He pointed upwards. The door was clearly visible now, but in the midst of the stars it was hard to place.

"But how do we get up there?"

"Just use that switch on that corner, and it will deactivate gravity, then you can just go up there."

"What about this place…"

"Mu, as I told our new King, is a place that was invented by its people, replicating nature so that they could live in space, this you saw by the various plants here. But they were still human, technology or not, nothing can compare to the power of nature."

"So they were destroyed by nature."

"Yes. I'm sure you have heard of it. Even humans have it recorded in their history. It was called the ICE AGE. The people of Mu were incredibly greedy humans. As their technology grew, so did their pride. They aimed for very high goals, completely ignoring the simple signs warning them of their ruin. Hence, when the world changed, they noticed too late, and instead of utilizing nature to their benefit, they stole from it. Simply speaking, they took animals and plants into Mu by stealing from the other people in the world. In order to save everything for themselves, they purposely sank their island deep underwater. However, they quickly realized it was not enough. Nothing can replace nature. Shortly afterwards a plague spread through Mu, and the various people who had taken refuge in the plants died. Some of the Mu, however, who realized this error early, escaped above and started a life there. To start a life in that time, however, required a good understanding of nature and this could not be done alone. Nature is made up of life as much as death, and the only way it could be done was to create a relationship with both the living and non-living, every form of life on earth. The people who survived from Mu were those who were able to do this, and became the first shamans. To become a shaman, however, means you have to lower yourself to the idea that nature has as much power over you as you do over it. Hence, only a handful of people became shamans. The people of Mu did teach other humans as well, while others simply caught on, and at the end the only ones who survived were those who were either shamans or appreciated their powers. All around the world the shamans were named differently according to the people in the area, from guru's to gods to many of the various names we still hear of today in mythology or history."

"Wow…" was all anyone could say, and it was said by Chocolove.

"So the Patch…"

"The Patch are descendents of the Mu… Well in actuality so are all of the very powerful shamans. The Mu people were of course, called the Mayans, as western history has recorded them. So… now you know about" Rutherfor pointed to Chocolove "Pascal Avaf." Chocolove stood in awe.

"And these drawings on the wall?" Lyserg asked.

"I'm surprised you noticed. The drawings on the wall are the very history of mankind, and the various calculations and ideas of the people of Mu. It records a history that is not recorded by humans. After all, with the ICE AGE many of the knowledgeable men and women who had known the oral history of man died out. One of the best things the Mu people did was to record it."

"And the Great Spirit…?"

"That is something I do not know. The only one who might would be Goldva. I know whatever history was passed down to me from my family. I am around 2000 years old, and am also an onmyouji. The people of Mu also knew some of the secrets of eternal life, and with my spirit, I can achieve this. He is special and keeps me young as I was when I first got them."

"So this is why the Shaman King is chosen every 500 years?"

"Yes. The Great Spirit has an effect on the physical body as well. It is a different type of oversoul similar to mine which the ceremony allows. In order to create a binding oversoul like I have with my 'alien' spirit, you have to become one with the spirit, foryoku and reiyoku both combined. My family passed down this secret, but only with the alien spirit. But with the Great Spirit the only one who knows of the method is Goldva, though other Patch would attend the ceremony later to honor the Shaman King. The Great Spirit is all knowing, he is the spirit of all of nature…"

"Thank you… it has been a good help." Yoh said, standing up as Rutherfor once again created his oversoul. Horohoro walked to the side of the room and turned on the switch, and all of them lifted off the floor. Lyserg and Ren, taking the advantage, grabbed onto one the planets which headed upwards, Yoh with Sati, simply waited to be carried up, while Horohoro and Chocolove tried to swim their way up, making Opacho laugh on top of Yoh's head.

Finally, they reached the door. Sati, who had Manta in her arms, was the one to push the door open. When they entered, it was the most beautiful sight they had ever seen. There was a luscious garden in front of them, with cracked Marble steps leading upwards. The Great Spirit could be seen in the background, sending shivers down their spines. They were glad that they were strong enough to handle the massive spirit, since the first time they had seen it in Patch village, they had downright fainted. Reaching the base of the stairs, they nodded to one another, Sati merely waving using her rod like a walking stick (A/N: I forgot what the rod was called), and began their ascend.

Walking seemed a lot longer than any of them had hoped, each foot seemed to get heavier with every step. Around them they could hear various sounds from bird cries to the creeping of lizards and insects. Finally, after a good ten minutes, they finally began to reach the top of the dais. Before doing so, they created armor oversouls, expecting to see another Patch, maybe even Goldva, guarding Hao. However, what they saw when they reached was enough to make even Sati's jaw drop.

The throne itself was incredibly simple, but it was definitely made of pure gold, it's colors flashing bright in the midst of the Great Spirit. The surprising thing, though, had nothing to do with the surroundings, throne, or Great Spirit itself. Atop the expensive chair lay two entangled figures. The first one had a beautiful feminine face, with ebony hair draped upon the front of his chest. Red star earrings glittered from his ears, as he was dressed in a beautiful flowing robe of red. The robe had gold lining and silver borders, along with small crystals dangling from the ends, splitting the surrounding white light by splitting the colors like prisms. The second figure had her right leg thrown over the left of the male, and rested sideways, her head snuggled towards the naked chest showing through the red robe. Her blonde hair created a great contrast to his black as strands weaved their way through his. She, however, wearing a beautiful cerulean robe, her right hand dangling over his leg, and the other clutching a black dress. Beads round themselves in her hair, as her face reflected dried up tears. Both figures were sound asleep…

"Hao…" Lyserg said, sneering

"and…" Ren continued.

"A…Anna!" Yoh finally managed to get out.

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Yay! We are finally at the last fight :P Maybe Ill get reviews now, in either case, next chapter is a flashback Anna X Hao moment. So all the cool stuff comes now. I'm sorry to have rushed the fights here, but I myself was getting sick of the fighting and wanted to get to Hao already, so I figured everyone else did too. But hopefully it didn't come off as too hurried or something. Please review if you want more of these chapters, sometimes I wonder if I am wasting my time :P