My eyes snapped open and I quickly sat up, only to lay back down as quickly as I had sat, feeling waves of burning pain course through my chest. I coughed painfully, momentarily curling into a ball before it finally began to subside and I was able to stretch out again. Rolling onto my back, I stared up at an ice-blue ceiling, trying to remember why I had bolted awake so suddenly.
I felt as if I had awakened from a nightmare, yet I could not manage to recall what the nightmare was. My body ached all over and while I was significantly warmer than I had last remembered myself to be, I still felt quite cold. That was when I realized that I was no longer on top of Fatoum and as slowly as I could, I sat back up to have a look around, wondering how I could have climbed all the way down the mountain when I had been unable to stay on my own two feet.
I was in a room that seemed to be made completely of ice, from the ceiling to walls to even the floor, giving the room a frosty look. Through the window, I could see nothing but clouds and snow and other icy fixtures outside. I was not on Fatoum, but I was still on a very high mountaintop somewhere else in a castle that appeared to be made out of ice. Appeared to be. A closer look at the walls near me told me that it was a very pale blue stone, not ice, even though I was still quite cold.
As I lay back down, I realized that I had to be on top of the other mountain that I had seen from Fatoum's peak. It was impossible for me to have survived climbing down Fatoum and making it all the way up this peak. Someone had to have found me and brought me here from where I had collapsed on Fatoum. I knew from experience that I had been too badly injured to make such a treacherous journey on my own.
Oddly enough, I felt a strange sense of deja vu. This was all too much like the time I had met Chimitsu and began my journey to collect all five Elemental Keys all those months ago. Only now, I woke up alone, without Chimitsu at my side, and the castle was covered in snow and ice instead of looking like springtime.
I had not sensed anyone else's presence in the room all this time, wondering if I was truly alone this time. Once more, I pushed myself into a sitting position, ignoring the pain in my chest as I looked around. The decor was quite icy in its apppearance, from crystal chandeliers to silver candelabras and paintings depicting wintry mountain scenes.
Could it be that I am in the home of the Ice Elemental?
The heavy door to my room swung open and in stepped a pale woman with piercing ice-blue eyes and long hair that was completely white, even though she appeared to be as young as I was. She was carrying a tray with some sort of steaming soup and drink in a bowl and cup as she entered, setting it down only long enough to close the door. Once she had done that, she picked up the tray again and smiled to me as she walked over.
"Ahh, Jack. So good to see you awake and trying to move around." she said softly.
"Uhh...thank you, I think. Tell me, where am I?"
"You're in Himuro Castle on Hyousetsu Mountain. My home."
"Where?"
"The mountain you saw from the top of Fatoum. Nobody knows this castle exists here except for the daring few who made it to the top. Perhaps one person every 250 years."
"I see."
She chuckled softly and sat down next to me on the bed, setting the tray in my lap. Unlike the walls, it was made of another kind of stone and silver, polished to give it an icy look. The bowl and cup, however, was made of a polished black stone, contrasting the rest of the decor, oddly enough. The food and drink steamed, still hot in this cold climate.
"Go ahead. I assure you it's not poisoned." she said.
I looked to her and then cautiously took a spoonful of the soup, knowing it would be rude to refuse. It tasted somewhat salty, yet spicy sweet at the same time. Its warmth traveled through my body, warming me from the inside out, from the tips of my fingers to the tips of my toes.
I set the spoon down and picked up the handleless cup, looking at the steaming liquid inside. I had never seen a drink this color before or anything like it in my life. Yet it had a sweet scent and I cautiously took a sip, finding it to taste as sweet as it smelled. Chocolate. Liquid chocolate.
"Hot chocolate." she said with a grin.
"Hot...chocolate?"
"Hot chocolate. Mixed with milk. Warms the body and soul, or so I like to think. Hot and sour soup to go with it."
"They are very good, thank you."
She beamed and I got the impression that she had made both herself.
"I thought you'd like to have something new and something familiar to eat when you awoke."
"I see. How long have I been here? Actually, how did I even get here when the last thing I remember was Fatoum's peak?"
"So many questions, young samurai. Eat. I will explain everything."
I nodded and began to eat the soup, watching her from the corner of my eye as I ate.
"Before you can ask, I know what you're thinking. To answer the question that's burning in your mind, yes, I am the last Elemental whom you seek. The Elemental of Ice and Water, Asagi." she said.
I sucked in a breath with surprise, also taking in the soup I had been in the process of swallowing. I coughed painfully, setting down the spoon before I dropped it, reaching for the napkin she had provided, coughing into it. She paused, her pale eyes wide with concern until I had caught my breath long enough to take a sip of the hot chocolate.
"Forgive me." I said.
"It's all right. I should have waited until you were done eating to tell you that."
"It is all right. I already had my suspicions that you were the last Elemental when I first saw you. Were you the woman I saw down at the foothills after the battle with those destroyers?"
"Yes. I'm sure you suspected who I was even then."
"I did, yes, but not completely."
"Of course. I wouldn't have shown myself except that I feared that without my guidance, you would never have made your way to Fatoum, nor dared to climb until you reached its summit."
"Perhaps, perhaps not. I was, however, wondering which way to go after that portal had been ruined."
She nodded and I returned to my meal, watching her as she smoothed out her robes.
"At any rate, I am the last Elemental which you seek and it was I who brought you here from Fatoum's peak. You would never have made it back down safely, much less climb Hyousetsu. I'm surprised that you had managed to make it to the top of Fatoum and stay on your feet as long as you did before you collapsed."
"Let me guess. If I had made it back down safely and gone to a doctor, he would not have been able to help me, even if he had wanted to?"
"I see Chimtsu's joking personality has rubbed off on you."
"Perhaps. I do remember her saying something to that effect to me when this journey began."
"Well, yes, in that respect, there is a parallel between the beginning of your journey in seeking the five of us out and the end. I'm very relieved to see you awake and feeling better, but you are not completely well and need to rest or your wounds will end your journey for you."
I finished my soup and chocolate drink, furrowing my brow as I looked over to her.
"How bad?" I asked.
"Bad enough. I watch over these mountains from this very castle and I have seen many, many men attempt to climb Fatoum's peak. Until you, nobody had ever made it to the top and those three monks that began the journey with you turned back shortly before you encountered the yeti. Few people ever had the strength or skill to pass beyond that point and those who did, either fell to their deaths or simply froze to death."
"Then how is it that I made it when they did not?"
"Because you were climbing Fatoum for something other than yourself and personal glory, Jack."
I paused, slowly setting down the stone cup, realizing that she had been the one to fill my mind with those visions of home and my lost family. I had been so ready to give up and forget all about my journey, ready to give up all hope and succumb to death if I could not find a way to defeat Aku. She had been watching and knew what would have pushed me on and succeeded in doing just that.
"You..."
"Yes. The visions were from me. All this time, you pushed yourself to your limits and beyond for the sake of your family and your people. That, Jack, is why you made it to the summit when others could not. You pushed yourself beyond your limits, not for yourself, but for them."
I sighed softly and laid back on the soft pillows under the thick, fluffy blankets. Asagi quickly removed the tray and set it on a table nearby, pulling the blankets up around my shoulders, tucking me in not unlike how a mother would tuck in a child at night. My chest tightened up as I began to think of my own mother and how she used to do the same to me when I was a little boy.
"Please rest now, Jack. You have a long time to recover before I can give you the Neptune Jewel and you can complete your quest." she said.
"I am sorry, but I cannot."
"You must! Your resting time has given your body some time to recover from the massive internal injuries you suffered as a result of your battle with the yeti, but you are still not out of danger. Your ribs are still broken on top of that and I'm surprised that you can sit up and breathe comfortably."
"A samurai will do what he must to complete his mission."
"But at the cost of his life? That is foolish, young one, and I won't allow it. Rest. Let your ribs and body heal from the frostbite and broken bones and you may see the end of your journey soon. If you don't, then I fear that your recovery will be beyond even my sister's abilities."
"Sister?"
"Yes. Chimitsu has been summoned to come and finish the healing process faster than you would heal naturally. I've done what I could to keep you alive and well, but healing is not my strength. I must leave the rest to her."
"Very well. I shall rest, but first, I wish to know what the final test will be."
"Jack, you've already passed the final test."
"I have?"
"Yes. By making it to the summit of Fatoum, you proved yourself to be the only person worthy of receiving the Neptune Jewel from me."
"But, was the Neptune Jewel not kept in another mountain?"
She chuckled softly and ruffled my hair, which I realized only now to be loose from its usual topknot, the ribbon lying atop my folded kimono with my katana and obi.
"It was, to be guarded by lesser elementals who failed when you defeated them nine months ago. Fear not, they have not been harmed or punished. Guarding such a jewel there was to see how well they had learned their lessons and you didn't know what those gangsters were planning. It didn't take much for me to get it back and the waters restored to normal. This time, however, it will not be controlling the waters. It doesn't do that when it's joined with its four sisters."
"I see."
"Rest now. I will give it to you when you've recovered enough to summon the Great Spirit Elemental."
She stood and picked up the tray, disappearing back through the door which she came, leaving me alone to think. I sighed softly, wanting to rest, but also wanting to finish my quest before Aku could reach us. Then again, if three lesser Elementals could defeat Aku and keep him away from the Neptune Jewel, then there was not much of a chance that he would come all this way and risk facing a true Elemental just to stop me. I would be safe for the moment.
I shifted my weight a bit, wanting to roll onto my side, but with my healing ribs, that was not an option. Peeking under the blankets, I noticed for the first time that I had been wrapped in bandages from my armpits down to my bare hips, most likely to keep me from bending too much. I tugged the blankets back around my shoulders and curled up, laying on the fluffy pillow.
Despite the iciness of my surroundings, I found the bed and thick blankets to be quite warm and soon found my eyelids growing heavier and heavier. Even though I wanted to stay awake and think awhile longer, my body refused to obey me and I was asleep within a few seconds, dreaming of home and my family.
Sometime later, my eyes opened and I was greeted with a familiar face leaning over me. I almost did not notice her white wings extending from her back and would have missed them had she not moved them to drop a few feathers in my face. I sat up, seeing stars outside now, the icy room illuminated with candlelight.
"Chimitsu!" I cried.
"Hello, Jack. Still getting into trouble, I see."
She laughed and drew me in for a hug, her wings wrapping around my back, sending a familiar sensation through my body. Even the wings could heal with a mere touch and I realized then that the bandages that had been wrapped around my torso were gone. I could even breathe without any pain that accompanied the broken ribs I had been dealt some odd days ago.
"And I see that you are just as playful as ever."
"You know me, Jack. It's good to see you alive and well. Or relatively well."
"It is good to see you too, Chimitsu. Thank you for the healing. I really do appreciate it."
"I know you do, and I don't mind doing it, either. I haven't seen someone with your strength of will and purity of heart in centuries. I don't think I have seen anyone like you since before Aku came and took over this tiny planet."
"I am honored to have met you all and earned your favor. I am only doing what is right and what needs to be done."
"Perhaps, but nonetheless, you are a rare and special man and it is us who are honored to have known you."
She slowly released me, her wings drawing back and folding against her back.
"I had better let you get dressed. Asagi'll be back soon with the Neptune Jewel and she'll want you to be ready to go when she arrives." she said.
I nodded and watched her go before pushing the blankets aside. I stood and stretched, feeling pleasantly warm and relieved to feel well once more. My kimono and the rest of my clothing had been repaired once more and I dressed quickly. I reached down and picked up my katana, slipping it into my obi before pulling my hair back into its usual topknot.
No sooner had I stepped into my sandals than there was a knocking at the door.
"Yes?" I called out.
"Are you ready? It's time."
I walked over and stepped out to face Asagi and Chimitsu.
"As ready as I will ever be for this."
They both nodded and turned to head down the corridor, Chimitsu lagging back behind her sister a bit, walking at my side. There was an air of wistfulness about her, yet I could not place it. Asagi walked ahead, all of us in silence as we neared a set of heavy, crystalline doors. With a light touch from Asagi, they swung open, revealing a room lit with silver candelabras.
At the other end of the room stood a crystalline table engraved with a figure eight, which I had been told was the symbol for infinity. Laying on the table was the Neptune Jewel, in a diamond form instead of the teardrop shape it had been in when I had first seen it. It was also a great deal smaller now.
Asagi stood in front of it, joined by myself and Chimitsu a few seconds later.
"May I have the other jewels please?" she asked.
I untied the black bag from my obi and handed it to her, watching as she poured the other Keys into her hand and set them in a formation on the table around the infinity symbol. A closer look told me that she had placed them in the points of a star that had been engraved around it. How odd.
The five began to glow brightly and I had to look away. Chimitsu and Asagi did not seem to be bothered by this, even as it burned at my eyes from through my eyelids. Finally, it died away and I was able to look again. What I saw lying on the table in place of the five jewels was not what I had expected to see.
On the table in the middle of the carving atop the infinity symbol was a diamond star, glittering with all the colors of the rainbow as the firelight danced over it. A silver chain lay near its top, attached to the topmost point. I picked it up and held it in front of me, admiring it for a moment before slipping it on.
"That is the Star of the Elements and now, all that is left is to call forth the Spirit Elemental and your quest will be over." Asagi said.
"How do I call forth the Great Elemental?"
"You already know how. All you need to do is look in your heart and you will find the way."
I looked at the jewel hanging around my neck and sighed, taking in a breath as I closed my eyes. Words began to form in my mind, words that I did not know I even understood. I opened my mouth to speak, finally ready to return home. But before I could speak a single word, Chimitsu stopped me.
"Jack, wait!" she cried.
I opened my eyes to find her standing in front of me, her eyes shimmering with tears. She did not want me to go, even though we both knew that I had to or Aku would forever rule this world. She reached out and took my hands in hers, her wings unfolding slightly from her back.
"What is it, Chimitsu?" I asked softly.
"I...I don't want you to go. I know you have to, but a part of me doesn't want you to go. You bring so much hope to this world."
"I know. I do not want to leave those friends I made here behind, but I have no choice. Aku must be defeated for the sake of my people and for future generations that should have been."
She nodded and sighed, wings drooping just a bit. It was hard for me to see her not be her playful self. She did not appear to be herself when she was sad instead of cheerful.
"Chimitsu-san, if it will make you feel even a little bit better, I..."
She cut my words short by leaning forwards and firmly pressing her mouth to my own. I blinked in surprise before closing my eyes, realizing what she was trying to tell me, why she was so sad to see me leave. Yet we both knew that nothing could ever come of her feelings. She was an immortal Elemental and I was only a mortal samurai, destined for another place and time.
Her hands held mine tightly for a few seconds before she finally drew away, the tears shimmering in her eyes. She reached up and plucked a feather from her wings, slipping it into my closed fist.
"Don't forget me..." she said.
"I will always remember you and your sisters. Thank you...for everything."
She nodded and backed away as I closed my eyes once more, reaching inside my heart to find the words. I began to speak the foreign incantation, feeling energies well up inside me, causing the Star of the Elements to glow brightly from where it hung against my chest. I opened my eyes at the end of the incantation, the Star itself leading me now, and watched as Asagi and the tearful Chimitsu finally vanished from sight as the Star pulled me away from the mountain and to the place where the Spirit Elemental awaited me.
FYI: A little translation. "himuro" means "ice house" and "hyousetsu" means "ice and snow"
