Yes, it's another update!
Aren't you a lucky reader?
Thank you for your feedback, made me really happy!
I'm going to answer a reader question:
Guest:
Wouldn't their souls be split if they go to the other world?
A: No, Haru has the power to keep their bodies and souls together. While they are on their journey their bodies are 'sleeping' inside their souls. I'm not really that sure either what it means. ^^'
Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this chapter as much I liked writing it!
Since traveling to the place called 'Central' took so much time the three mages had all had the time to get a mental image of what the place would look like.
Erza thought it would be a town much like Magnolia. Lucy thought that it would be a large castle. Gray was quite certain that no matter what the place looked like it would be filled with animals.
But none of them were able to prepare to what they would see soon.
The huge creature they were riding made out of the thick forest they were in and they finally saw the place called 'Central'.
It was an enormous city that climbed towards the sky in many levels. It was very wide from the bottom and it got smaller towards the sky. All the buildings were pearly white color and since the moonlight hit them directly they all seemed to glow. Huge green gardens could be seen even from very far away but the most beautiful thing about the town was that a cliff rested above it and a waterfall fell right on top of it, creating rivers that ran down it.
Gray had been right about the animals. There were many smaller creatures than Malu flying around the city but also much bigger ones.
All together the city seemed very lively even in the middle of the night and its beauty was without comparison.
"Welcome to Central, The biggest town in this world." Kaito stood up and announced with pride.
The three mages got up too and their eyes went wide in wonder.
"So this is... Central..." Erza gasped. They tried to carve this scene deep into their memories since it was just breathtakingly beautiful.
Malu slowly flew toward the upper part of the city.
The three mages tried to see what kind of people lived in such town but they were too high to make out any people. All the houses seemed to have gardens which looked well taken care of and the waterways were all decorated with the same pearly white stone as well as all the roads.
There was a huge building at almost the top of the city which reminded them of a church though it was at least ten times bigger than any of the biggest churches they had seen or heard of.
"What is that building?" Lucy asked.
"That-" Kaito turned too look at the three with a smile.
"-is our elemental users' main meeting place. It's like our guild."
"What!? But it's enormous!" Kaito's smile seemed to get even wider.
"Yes. And there are four more buildings like this in this world. The northern tower of wind, the eastern tower of earth, the southern tower of fire and the western tower of water."
"Why are they named after the elements?" Gray asked.
"That's because they are places where we go to train the elements to."
"So what's this building called then?"
"The central tower of wisdom. Every elemental user has to start their journey from here and once powerful enough this place will provide the users missions of their level to perform."
Right then Malu descended to the ground softly like a feather.
"Yay! I wonder if Mae is here?" Haru said and jumped off the big creature before running towards the huge building.
"Haru, don't run off too far." Kaito warned the younger.
"I know~!" Came an answer.
The mages jumped off the creature too and Kaito sent it off with a thank you. Soon they all stood before a huge pair of doors which were guarded by some men.
Kaito walked up to them and showed them something that he took from his pocket. Then he seemed to explain something about the three mages. The guards nodded and soon the big doors opened.
Haru seemed overjoyed to be in the central tower and even Kaito seemed a bit more relaxed.
The five walked in and the mages had to once again marvel the beauty of the building. There were big glass windows everywhere and they were all different colors and shapes, making the insides look very colorful as the moonlight still shined brightly. Not a single candle was needed to light the space. Big, white pillars rose to the very tall roof and a plant seemed to grow on every one of them. The plants had deep red colored roses that bloomed even in the middle of the night.
The most beautiful thing inside the building was however its walls. Most of the walls were hid behind a curtain of water and the falling water connected to make a river run next to the wall. The only sound they could hear was their own footsteps and the gentle flow of water. Kaito and Haru seemed to know where they were going and the mages just followed them. They soon went through another pair of doors which were a lot smaller than the doors they came through before entering a garden. The three didn't have much time to take in the beauty of this place before the were once again inside. This room was as enormous as the hall they had first been in but this rooms walls weren't covered in water, they were covered with shelves full of books. The two element users decided to climb an enormous staircase before they came to the second level. This level was also covered in shelves and books but it was obvious that they weren't there to read.
They walked across the room before they came to another pair of doors. These doors weren't white like the other doors had been, they were dark wood and had golden ornaments in them.
"Just leave the talking to me." Kaito just said before the doors opened.
The first thing they saw was darkness. They walked forward until they started seeing small lights around them. They recognized them as candles that were hanging from the roof and they slowly increased in number as they walked forward. Soon the room was nice and light and they finally saw what there was at the end of the room.
There was only a single window in the room and before it stood someone.
Kaito and Haru knelt down on the floor and seemed to bow.
"Master. We have returned from our personal task." The figure did not move.
"Was your task successful?" A light male voice asked.
"Yes Master." The man called 'Master' turned around and the mages could then see him properly.
He was so different from any man they had ever seen. He was tall, lightly build male and he had very long hair that had been braided very neatly and it reached down to his knees. His skin seemed perfect, there wasn't even a scratch on his face where he had a small, noble smile. He wore a clothing that resembled the mages of a white kimono and a golden kimono loosely on top of the other. He looked almost like a woman. The air around him was mysterious and very powerful.
The three mages soon found themselves kneeling in front of this powerful and graceful figure.
"Welcome Earthlanders." The figure said and gave a small bow.
"It has been too long since I have seen any new faces. Please, have a seat." The three mages hadn't seen any furniture in the room but when they lifted their heads they saw that five chairs had appeared before them. It was silly but they had never seen such amazing wooden chairs before. They had so many details that it was impossible to appreciate their beauty at first look.
The five sat down and the mages finally saw where the chairs had come from. The 'Master' walked a few steps closer before, at lighting speed, wines appeared from the darkness and created a much bigger and beautiful chair for him. He sat on it like nothing had happened while the three mages had to force themselves not to let their jaw drop in amazement.
Erza found herself wondering about how old the man was. He looked no more than twenty four or so but he could easily be hundreds of years old... maybe even thousands? She would probably never know but it was clear that the man had been around for a really long while.
"Master, we have come to you to ask for help." Kaito said.
"I realize that. You wish to enter the holy ground and awaken the sleeping boy, is that correct?" The man asked calmly.
"Yes, that's correct." Kaito seemed nervous all of the sudden.
"Unfortunately there isn't much I can do to help you with your task."
Kaito's eyes met with the 'Master's.
"But Master-"
"-However, I can tell you where you will find help." The man continued calmly. Kaito let his head fall as if he were in shame.
"You must travel north, to the crystal mountain, and find the mountain rose. You have to bring it to the forests in west where you will find the water spirit Demial. She will help your friends to separate from their bodies safely." The man had a mysterious glint in his eyes, like he knew something we didn't.
"Thank you, Master." Kaito thanked him before we left the room.
–
Kaito and Haru walked ahead of the three when they were crossing the great hall in silence.
"Kaito..." Haru said in almost a whisper.
"What is it?" Kaito answered in the same volume.
"Do you think...Master is testing us?" Kaito didn't look at Haru.
"No. I don't think so. But..." Kaito glanced behind them.
"I think he's testing them."
Before they could ponder the matter any longer Kaito suddenly felt a weight on his shoulders.
He took a quick turn to see a familiar face.
"Shin...it's nice to see you again." To Kaito and Haru he didn't apparently appear any different from them but for the three Earthlanders the young man was a strange sight.
He was a tall young man with a medium long hair and he was also very slim build, like the Master in central. He seemed like the type to wear a smile even if he didn't feel like smiling. He wore a long, white coat that reached to his ankles and it had a furry hood and golden trimmings and embroidery. But the fact that he was wearing such warm clothing wasn't really the strange part. It was the fact that he was floating a bit from the ground.
"He's.." Erza started.
"floating.." Gray finished the thought. Haru noticed that the three were surprised.
"This is Shin! He uses the wind element to fly. Isn't it cool?" Haru explained with his voice full of excitement. The said person then flew behind the boy and grabbed him under his armpits before lifting him in the air. Haru started giggling with the cutest voice and the large hall made his laughter echo.
Shin seemed like a very brotherly figure to Haru that moment and when they looked at Kaito he was also wearing a smile on his face when he saw Shin playing with Haru.
"Shin was the one who found us when we came to this world. He helped us with everything we needed and he has really become an important existence to us." They hadn't expected Kaito to speak about their relationship with the older but knowing this made them somehow relieved yet very sad. After all, they would be the ones to break this relationship.
"Shin, what have you come for?" Kaito then asked and Shin descended to put Haru on the ground. Then he flowed towards the door and stopped to point at it.
"You want us to follow?" Kaito asked and Shin nodded. They followed the older boy out of the building. It became clear then that Shin was mute.
When they were outside Shin descended to the ground and walked away from the group. He then inhaled deeply before opening his mouth to...sing.
The three were mesmerized once again. No voice came out of his mouth yet he sang with his eyes closed and hands swaying with an unheard rhythm. The air started to move around them. They knew something was about to appear.
They didn't have time to see it before it was already on the ground. It walked beside the tall man and he petted its head. The creature looked exactly like a white tiger. It seemed to purr when he got attention from its master and its tail moved in pleasure. The creature was certainly a lot smaller than Malu, but even then they would all fit well on its back.
"Shin... are you telling us that you will take us?" Kaito asked. Shin nodded with a smile.
"Shin usually spends his time in the northern tower and there isn't a place in the northern region that he wouldn't be familiar with. If we want to find this flower there is no better guide than him." Kaito seemed to be thinking out loud and realizing the things he said that moment. Shin only nodded at Kaito's explanation. It was surprising how confident he was but it just meant that he had been around for some time too.
"Thank you, Shin. You are always here to help us." Kaito said and gave a smile before his usual serious look was back.
"Alright, lets go." We all climbed on the tigers back and soon we were running through the air in high speed.
I hope you enjoyed it
If you have any questions I'll be more than happy to answer them. There is a big possibility that I have made some mistakes too so feel free to point them out and I will be sure to fix them.
Feedback much appreciated.
