Chase vs. Kimiko
At precisely midnight, the birth of the day August 6th, a red silk dragon sat coiled upon a grand, golden altar layered with white and black lengths of cloth was set aflame by his hand. Following suit, candles lit across the pale lawn. It was a gathering of about fifty young lives who have sworn loyalty to the Xiaolin existence and those sworn to serve Heylin eternally who stood solemn before the altar set at the mouth of the temple. It was only appropriate to have this ceremony in the Xiaolin temple courtyard, as she would have wanted it.
There was a minute of silence. No one dared fidget under the watchful eye of the Heylin prince of darkness, who took this ceremony the most gravely of all. For six decades this ceremony was supervised by him and executed by them, Master Monk Omi and Master Monk Clay. Then, after the silence one could slice open with a knife, Grand Master Raimondo stepped up between the flames that engulfed the beautifully crafted dragon and the crowd of young faces. He took in a breath and addressed them. "Xiaolin warriors. Heylin warriors. We gather here tonight without killing each other to commemorate the day we saved each other."
Chase Young smiled in the shadows; the old boy still kept his Brazilian roots and tongue as nimble as his wizened wits.
"But it was at a cost, that we had saved our world. A cost that spent the blood of innocents. A cost that spilled the blood of one so dear to our hearts. A cost, that for some years, we were never able to recover." The heads of the elders bowed. "This cost was a blow we could never have avoided, for she had, out of her own will, chosen that path – the path between good and evil."
The old man turned to look youthful Chase Young in his golden reptilian eyes, as if asking permission to continue on this ceremony for the sixtieth time in a row. He nodded slightly and came forward with a beautifully carved scroll. The men exchanged glances and Master Monk took the handwritten scroll. Opening it gently, in an almost caressing manner, he began to retell the tale sworn to be told to the generations.
"There was no means of stopping a woman whose mind was set with the desires of her heart. Her heart was a fiery organ, ready to beat with the race of adrenaline in her veins. She looked into our eyes that night, betraying every emotion that swam within her bosom. Something within this Xiaolin Dragon of Fire had snapped into reality. We knew there was no stopping her."
"She wanted to save the world. She had said it without words, and that spoke of power. She attracted our attention with her energy and determination few warriors have till today. She wiped away her own tears. She stood tall on her own feet and strode on head high."
"The arrangement was simple. "We will find the areas that are being overcome by Hannibal Bean and his recruits and push them back. We will keep pushing until we drive them back into their caves." She uttered the very words I have so inscribed here over a very large world map I provided her. We had barely any say in the matter anyhow, except my interjection of improving the plan of action into a more complicated strategy so if our strength should fail, at least our wits will hold our victory together. We discussed this overnight and prepared for the execution the very next day. I gave them all armours that were much better suited for war than their robes for mere showdowns. My personal army assembled and stood at the entrance to my lair, awaiting my order, as the young men of Xiaolin gathered all their elemental Wu. We departed for war."
"The series of events happened swiftly under fifty-two hours after the departure."
"By Chase Young's telepathic measures, we found that this very temple was burnt to the ground and blown sky high at the same time. The dead bodies of monks lay scattered in several pieces each. The natural world was already half consumed by the ravenous evil devouring every living being it found. Urban locations were yet untouched, as was Hannibal's plan to inconspicuously reduce the world's resources and weaken it, before delivering his final blow on civilisation."
"We battled them in Congo, Amazon, Pacific and Atlantic. We drove them back to the North Pole and believed we had cornered them into their base. We believed that our victory was at hand and our confidence built high. We stormed the frozen land as a massive army against the black, inhuman figures that crawled on its surface. They were monstrous, cold and concise and cruel. They were created to fight bloodily and win by heartless massacre of their opponents. We understood how our forefathers had lost to such a power as Chase Young had lost a part of his mighty army."
"We fought hard and intense, only to realise that the continuous emergence of these hell sprung creatures were unnaturally convenient. Our Kimiko and Chase Young then ventured forth as planned into the abyss they came from, while we, men, entertained a diversion. With the Shroud of Shadows they remained invisible to the naked eye as he teleported them from place to place in search of the source and those responsible. In the heart of the cave they found it, a swirl of green, purple, red and black. Chase Young stepped out of the Shroud and stretched out his palms to absorb the energy when snarls were heard above."
"But the final battle was only to be expected as Kimiko, with the new found force within her, defeated opponent by opponent, some mentioned here: Catnappe, Vlad, Cyclops, Jack Spicer and even Wuya. She opened Sphere of Yun and trapped them all safely. Just as Chase Young had nearly absorbed all the energy, he heard a shrill cry. Turning, he recalls seeing her bleed and falling. Not a moment too soon he finished the job and killed them all single-handedly, whilst we above finished off the remains of those evil creatures."
"The world was saved."
Mastor Monk Raimondo rolled up the scroll and tucked it under his arm. He bowed his head and stepped back as Chase Young took centre stage.
The man who stood before them let the moment linger in their hearts, as he held his hand behind his back. "This day we commemorate the final choice she made. Remember it well and may you live long to see the days she fought vigilantly into freedom. She did not plan the death, but she did plan. It is a price we pay as warriors, be you Heylin or Xiaolin. Good and evil played an equal role in saving this unsuspecting world on this day, at this moment, six decades ago."
The fire continued to burn. Chase Young and his warriors remained in the courtyard with Grand Master Raimondo, Mastor Monk Omi and Mastor Monk Clay and the youngsters. The interaction was tremendously contrasting and queer between sides that opposed each other since time began. The cock crowed as the sun rose over the mountains, but neither party flew against the other still. Then nightfall began to settle
At precisely midnight, the death of August 6th and the emergence of an old day came. Evil left swiftly, as if no change was made at all as good stayed within their walls. The fire died.