Author's Comments:
1) There is an interesting foreshadowing from one of the reviewer. I'll just give out a little spoiler. What I have in mind is actually different from what the reviewer guessed. There will not be a love triangle between Reiton, Sakura, and Syaoran. Sorry for those who were looking forward to it!
2) Yue is NOT the king of Accera, but he does have a high position in the government since he is the one that controls the Phantom Knights.
3) School is starting again for me. Yes, you heard it. SCHOOL! Hooray for me...NOT! Taking college level chem and bio classes the same time. I guess you guys know what that means. Less update. Boohoo.
Chapter 21: Pandemonium's Gate
It is past midnight and Sakura was still behind the grassy hills. Since the hill is far away, not many villagers go there.
She was meditating with the pink lacrima that Syaoran gave her. She had her eyes closed and the lacrima shone brightly as it levitated.
The lacrima dropped on her lap when she heard someone walk up from behind.
Yuuko plopped down next to Sakura and layed down on her back, "I still can't believe it. Can't believe it!"
"Shhhh!" Sakura hushed her, "Do not be so loud! People are sleeping and they might hear you."
Yuuko kicked her legs up in the air as if she was exercising, "How is it that you gone through so much things but still remain so optimistic?"
Sakura smiled, "Who knows?"
"Do you remember Kaede?" Yuuko asked. Sakura nodded and Yuuko continued, "I told you about her childhood once. Her whole family was killed by a half. Ever since then, she have hated every half she meets. But you...I would believe that you would hate them more than we do since the demons and halves took away everything and everyone you cared for. How can you still accept them so easily?"
Sakura sighed and gazed at the dark skies as she remember her past, "Why...you ask me why...I lost all my love ones, my brother, my sister in law, and my friends. Do you really think I did not hate them for making me suffer? But Sora once asked me something…"
"Sora as in Tekuta? The leader of the gods?" Yuuko wondered since she only knows the gods by their alias and not their birth name. This is why no one ever questioned Sakura's identity when she told them her name.
Sakura nodded, "He asked me is it truly the demons fault that caused so much death?" She recalled the conversation she had with Sora. "And then I realized that we were the ones that dragged the demon into the war."
"What do you mean by that?" Yuuko asked and rolled to her side to face Sakura.
"Few months into the war, I've come to realized that the demons did not attack willingly. It was the human Sicarius members who forced them into kill. And thinking that the demons did it purposely, the people began hating on them."
Before Yuuko had a chance to say anything, Tomoyo and Faust popped in.
"What are the two of you doing here?' Tomoyo asked. She sat down next to Yuuko as Faust sat next Sakura.
"I was meditating at first but now we're just talking about what started the Chaos Era." Sakura replied.
"What?!" Faust exclaimed loudly, "How could you two leave me out of this conversation!"
The three women laughed lightly and Sakura spoke, "We've only started talking. You didn't miss out much."
"Well as I was saying I still think that it is the demons fault since Reiton is the mastermind behind everything." Yuuko proclaimed, "He is afterall the demonic tyrant!"
"Demonic tyrant…?" Sakura blinked few times, "Reiton is a human..."
Faust, Yuuko, and Tomoyo had their mouths wide open with shock.
"No way! No possible way! The things written in the history books is wrong all along?!" Yuuko asked.
"Please inform me all about this!" Tomoyo said excitedly, "If I tell Eriol about this, he will certainly be shocked.
"You have to tell us about Reiton! I can't believe what I have been reading is a lie!" Faust pouted.
A laughter escaped from Sakura's lips as she spoke, "It's no surprise that you guys do not know who Reiton truly is because back then the commoners saw him as a demon. Whenever he makes his appearance you can assume that any town or city is completely annihilated with no survivors. So anything written down about him are mostly rumors or vague interpretations."
"Besides it has already been 5,000 years. Some things are bound to be different from the truth." Sakura shrugged.
"Alright!" Faust said excitedly, "Other than Reiton, who is another enemy you find that is hard to kill?"
"The Commanders." Sakura answered immediately.
"They are the Sicarius leaders under Reiton right?" Tomoyo asked.
Sakura nodded, "Yup. There are seven of them total. If my memory serves correctly, three of them were still alive before my disappearance. There was Marcus the warrior, Hyou the half leopard, and Taliyah the snake demon. I would assume that Marcus is dead already since he is a human but I don't know about the other two. It actually wouldn't be surprising if two of them are controlling Sicarius now."
Faust pumped up his fist, "We'll be the next generations of the Guardians to defeat the Sicarius Commanders!"
Yuuko burst to laughter, "The Guardians and the Sicarius Commanders are all 13 rank fighters. We're far from their caliber."
Faust glowered, "We'll just have to train harder to reach that level!"
Tomoyo glanced at Sakura, "It's interesting how they are named the Guardians. Kinda like the guardians of humanity. They are your friends right?"
"Yes…" Sakura responded sullenly as she began to reminisce about her old friends, "The nine of them fought alongside with us against Sicarius."
"It give me chills just thinking that the Commanders are still alive now." Yuuko mumbled, "We humans have the Reincarnation of Gods and the Nine Guardians while Sicarius has Reiton and the Seven Commanders. After the Chaos Era, the gods, the guardians, and Reiton completely disappeared, while three of the commanders survived. Just imagine how strong they are."
"Whoa scary!" Faust spoke in a loud whisper, "If they're still alive now. I'll hate to meet one of them."
"I don't think the world is that small…" Yuuko said uncertainly as her eyes narrowed.
Sakura smiled, "Why would they be after you when they don't even know you."
"Tsk." Yuuko made a sound with her tongue, "You never know. They might pop up right now and be like 'I will kill you right now!"'
Tomoyo cried out suddenly, "Don't say that! If they do pop up, we'll be dead for sure. Plus did you forget that Sakura is here. If they know that she is here, they will definitely hunt her down."
"I was just kidding." Yuuko laughed, "And if by chance that they are here we got a goddess here to protect us."
Sakura shook her head, "You should know that not all of my powers have returned yet. This is the reason why I've been traveling with you guys. And I seemed to be injured, which is why I've been meditating to let the magic flow smoothly throughout my body. It will be bad if I end up fighting, especially with someone as strong as the Commanders."
The other three went silent. "Your injury is quite serious." Tomoyo murmured.
Sakura smiled, "I'll be fine."
~ Scene Change. Tomorrow Morning. ~
"Sakura, can you wake Syaoran up? Eriol went at first but I think Syaoran fell back asleep." Mei Lin yelled from outside the hut as she and the others stretched.
"Okay." Sakura yelled back and went inside Syaoran's room. Syaoran had been on guard duty the past two days and he is now sleeping soundly.
Syaoran was sleeping on his side with his back facing the wall. Sakura couldn't help but smile when she thought how peaceful he look in his sleep. She sat at the edge of the bed and reached out to stroke his hair.
"Syaoran wake up." She spoke softly and shook him lightly. He grumbled and rolled onto his back.
She bit her lip nervously and bent down. She pecked his lips lightly and to her surprise, she was suddenly flipped around. She released a small yelp and looked up to see Syaoran grinning from ear to ear.
She is now laying on the bed with Syaoran hovering above her.
He rested his forehead on hers, "I never knew you would take the initiative and kiss me. I should've approached you earlier."
"No!" Sakura gasped, "I was just trying to wake you u…"
Syaoran smother her lips and stopped her from talking. Within seconds her mind completely went blank.
He deepened the kiss as he force her mouth to open. One of his hand settled on the side of her upper leg and traveled across her torso.
He left trailed of kisses down her jaw and went to her neck.
Her heart pounded strongly against her chest.
"Syaoran." She moaned as his other hand rested on her waist.
"Breakfast is ready!" Tania yelled from outside.
Sakura's eyes snapped open and Syaoran rolled off of her. He laid beside her and sighed.
She sat up and placed her hand over heart to calm herself down.
"I think we should go out now." Sakura said softly. She quickly got out of the bed and dashed out. Syaoran couldn't help but kept smiling while he watched her run out of the room.
On the way out Sakura crashed into Tania who was bringing out some dishes of food.
Sakura caught the food before it fell, "I'm so sorry!"
Tania smiled, "It's okay." They brought it out to the room outside where they dine and placed it onto the table.
Sakura glanced back at Tania, "You look...familiar. I wonder if I know you before."
Tana tilted her head, "I'm sorry. I lost my memories so I don't recognize you at all."
"Oh," Sakura was disappointed. She thought Tania might be a friend from the Chaos Era. But she thought to herself again, there is no way Tania would be still alive since she is a human.
In the late afternoon, the group dispersed through the village. Some went to help the villagers while others stayed around the hut and chatted.
Ryder walked side by side with Tania and ended up alone at the outskirts of the village.
"Uhm.." Tania began fidgeting with her fingers, "I'm sorry. I overheard you and Ty-sama speaking about the Queen. But I didn't mean to heard it!"
Ryder raised a brow, "What did you hear?"
"I just heard that the Queen's men is after Prince Kiyoshi. That's all I heard. Please believe me!" Tania grabbed his right hand with both of her hands and clutched it tightly against her chest.
He smiled, "I believe you. I mean if you didn't tell me I would never know. You chose to tell me, so I believe you."
He kissed her forehead and hugged her.
"I have something else to tell you." She spoke urgently, revealing the importance of what she wanted to say.
He laughed lightly, "What is it that got you so worried?"
"I… think that...I think that Sakura is working for the Queen." Tania finally said it while hesitating a bit.
He was surprised at her accusation, "Sakura is a very nice person and has been helping the group a lot. I do not think she is a spy."
She shook her head, "You don't understand! I saw her talking to someone wearing all black last night. I couldn't see his face since he covered the bottom half of it. But I did hear them talking about planning to lure Prince Kiyoshi alone and kidnap him."
Ryder's brows furrowed together, "I really don't think Sakura would be that type of person."
Tania spoke distressfully, "I am just worried about you! There is a spiritualist in the village. Have him read her memories for you then you'll know what I'm saying is true. Even what I heard is wrong, at least you'll have a peace in mind."
He began to ponder about what to do. Certainly if Sakura did not have anything to hide, she will not be refusing it. But if she does, then it'll just her more suspicious.
"I guess that does seem like a good idea." Ryder mumbled to himself.
"I can ask my spiritualist friend to help me tomorrow at noon." Tania suggested, "You should get her away from Kurogami-sama. I don't think he'll like it if you are doing something like that to her."
"Yea." He nodded, "I have been traveling with Kurogami for a while but I am still afraid to approach him."
"Then I'll bring my spiritualist friend to the area behind the grassy hill and meet you and Sakura there." Tania said as she smiled sweetly.
~ Scene Change. Tomorrow Noon. ~
"What is it so important that you have to tell me in secret?" Sakura asked as she followed behind Ryder.
Without turning back, he responded her, "The things I want to talk about regards to the safety of Prince Kiyoshi."
After they walked across and down the hill, they caught sight of Tania and an old man standing next to her. The old man was standing with his back hunched forward and two hands behind his back.
They stopped in front of Tania and the old man and Ryder faced Sakura. "Sakura, I want to trust that you are not helping the Queen, so I requested Tania's spiritualist friend to help us."
Sakura stood there frozen and managed to keep her face from showing how shocked she was. She smiled as natural as she could, "I...I see. What is it that you would like me to do?"
Ryder went forward to Tania and the old man, "First let me introduce you to Satoshi. He use to be a wandering mercenary. But he settled down in the village about 30 years ago."
"Ohh What a beautiful lady." Satoshi laughed and brought out his hand.
"Thank You." sakura smiled and reached out to shake it. Her smile instantly faded the moment she touched him.
Her gaze met his stare and Sakura pushed him away. She grabbed Tania and Ryder with her and pulled them away from the old man. "There's no way you are a spiritualist! You aren't even a human!"
"What the hell." Ryder spoke confusingly.
Sakura suddenly felt a small needle like pain at the left side of her neck. The side where Tania was standing at.
"What do you think you are doing?!" Faust bursted out from a place he was hiding.
Sakura touched the side of her neck and felt two small bumps. She looked at he finger and saw that it was smeared with blood.
"Tania...What are you...doing?" Sakura whispered and began stepping away from her. Her footsteps staggered as she backed away. When Sakura became unsteady, Faust dashed forward to catch her.
Ryder stepped in between them, "Why did you do that Tania? Explain yourself!"
Tania smiled at him.
Rock Wall. Sakura summoned a wall in front of Ryder before Tania could touch his chest. But even though she did create a wall in time, Tania's explosion was so great that it shattered the wall and Ryder's whole body flew backward.
The old man went beside Tania and transformed into a young man. Patches of dark brown scales formed over his skin and his pupil changed to an elliptical shape like a cat.
"Sakura…" Tania looked down at Sakura and Faust, who is holding onto Sakura on the floor. You guys never seen my human form before, but I never that my disguise was so perfect that neither you nor Kurogami realized who I am."
After she finished talking, she began changing to her demon form. Her transformation is similar to Satoshi, whose real name is actually Hyuga.
Tania's scales are slick black and the area around the eyes are shiny gold. Two small horns grew out from the top of her head.
She smiled at Sakura, revealing her two venomous fangs.
Sakura's eyes widened, "Taliyah…"
"Good thing you haven't forgotten about me." Taliyah's smile was wiped off her face, "After all, you and the other gods were the one that dragged my beloved Isaac to hell!"
Taliyah became furious and raised her hand to smack sakura.
Earth Sediment. Fausted created a small thick board to block her strike.
Taliyah did not expect Faust to block it so her attack wasn't that strong.
Seeing that Taliyah did not break his surprised block, Faust grabbed Sakura and dragged her away.
Sakura began to stumble. Faust threw one of her arm over his shoulder and began escaping.
Sakura's adult body was too heavy for him so he leaned the other side. He tripped on his own foot when they were running down and both of them rolled down the hill.
Dozens of snakes came bustling out from the soil around where Sakura laid. She let out a hoarse scream when the snakes bit her.
She breathlessly pried the snakes off of herself, but there were just too many. She rolled onto her stomach and began crawling toward Faust who had fallen unconscious.
"Master!" She felt rustle from inside her clothes.
"Don't come out." Sakura quickly whispered. Each time she moved she felt like her own body was becoming heavier.
"Don't come out." She repeated herself and winced when she felt another bite from a snake. "I won't be able to support you...Go...Go to Faust."
Kero restrained himself from transformation and sneaked into Faust's clothing before Sicarius came.
Taliyah came walking down the hill with Hyuga and ten other Sicarius behind her.
Sakura reached her right hand forward but still could not reach Faust.
The snakes trailed after Sakura and wrapped their bodies around her limbs to prevent her from moving.
From inside the hut, Kurogami felt a sudden surge of demonic power from Taliyah's transformation and instantly ran out.
Seeing how anxious Kurogami was, the group chased after him. They know that Sakura is not the type to get disturbed to easily. So whatever that made him like that must be very serious.
They arrived in time to see five Sicarius magicians standing around Sakura and Faust in a pentagon shape.
Transmittance Separator. Five of the magicians summoned dozens of strings that weaved together to a thick rope and coiled around Sakura's body.
Since they did not target Faust, it is evidence that Sakura is the one they wanted all along.
"Sakura!" Syaoran yelled and ran to her, but Kurogami stopped him. Never did they see Kurogami this angry before. "Taliyah!" He roared. Within seconds he summoned his scythe and jumped to attack her.
Taliyah shot numerous scales out from her hand and Kurogami twirled his weapon to deflect it.
Ty saw the Sicarius symbol on the members' capes and recognized that they were the group helping the Queen's men.
"They are working for the Queen! Attack them!" Ty commanded. The group began to engage in a began with the other five other Sicarius members. It was amazing how those five were able to fight against everyone from the group and simultaneously prevent them from getting near Sakura.
"No!" Tomoyo gasped, "Taliyah is a Sicarius commander!"
From the village, they could hear one of the villagers yell, "Guys look! There are two Phantom Knights!"
The two Knights rode across the village, barking at them, "Do not bother getting your belongings and leave here as fast as you could! Sicarius has come!" The villagers scurried away to the opposite direction at the Knights' orders.
The Knights came galloping into the battle scene with their horses and unsheathed their swords.
Kurogami blocked her punch and swung his scythe at her. She stopped his attack by grabbing onto the stem of the scythe. She leaned forward with a grin, "Your fighting skills have become quite dull the past years."
"Shut up!" He grabbed her face. He wanted to smash her head onto the floor but she opened her mouth and a huge snake came sliding out. Her body deflated like a piece of clothing as if she was shedding her skin. He threw it to the floor and backed away but it was too late.
Taliyah bit Kurogami's neck. Her eyes flared red and she injected much more poison into his body than she did with Sakura.
Kurogami ripped her away and teared her into two piece. He staggered backward and fell on the floor as he vomited a fountain of blood. Taliyah's body regenerated instantly.
Kyle and Genji, the two Phantom Knights intervened with the fight and began attacking Taliyah as Kurogami struggled to get up. She easily slid past the two and dodged their attacks.
When Kyle managed to slash her, the attack did not go through. It was like her scales were made of steel.
Taliyah snapped Kyle's sword in half with her mouth. She flung herself forward and bit his arm. She smacked Genji hard with her tail and he flew back. Genji got up from the floor and pressed his hand against the bottom left side of his body. Taliyah's attack broke two of his ribs.
When everyone was fighting, the last Sicarius member stood right in front of Sakura with both of his hands out. It turned out that he was a spiritualist.
The five members fighting against the group protected the spiritualist. The two groups fought for few minutes and the spiritualist began chanting a spell.
Taliyah's 100 meter long demon body rose up high above them. Sakura stared at Taliyah with tired eyes. She had forgotten how strong Taliyah is. Taliyah is strong enough to wrap around Tadao's large demon wolf form which almost killed him once.
"Humans!" Taliyah's voice came out loud and strong. Everyone unconsciously stopped fighting and faced her as she spoke, "The Gods have protected you in the Chaos Era. But that will not happen anymore!"
"What the hell is she talking about?" Sano muttered. Chie shrugged her shoulders and kept her guard up.
"I'll let you know that the one you called Sakura is the Goddess of Magician!" Taliyah boomed. Everyone stood frozen with shock except those who already knew.
"Stop joking!" Mei Lin yelled, "She is just a farmer's wife!"
"Doesn't matter what you think but this is where she dies!" Taliyah hissed.
Tomoyo looked at Taliyah's terrifying form and then at Sakura, who is still being held down by the snakes and the five magicians. "Oh no…" She whispered.
Syaoran turned his head swiftly to see her worried expression. And that is when he realized that the secret she and Eriol were keeping from him was Sakura's true identity.
He is definitely surprised by the news but he knew that there is no time to just stand around and be dazed. He has to first save Sakura and Faust.
Kurogami used all his energy and leaped toward Sakura.
Taliyah swung her tail but missed. At the same time, Faust began to wake up.
"Faust's eyes widened when he saw the state Sakura was in, "Sakura!" He reached out and grabbed her hand.
She smiled as blood dripped down from the corner of her mouth, "I trust you…"
Kurogami came descending down above Sakura when a ten layered magic appeared on the ground below them.
Teleport. Faust and Kurogami disappeared and Sakura began panting.
"Ignore that!" Taliyah yelled out, "Just don't let the rest of them get near Sakura!"
The members went in front of the group and stood in a line with their weapons pointing out. At that moment the spiritualist finish chanting his spell.
Pandemonium's Gate. The floor trembled and two doors rose up from the floor in front of Sakura.
The metal gate had three hellhound heads protruding out. THe gates have many disoriented bumps on it. The group looked closely to see that those bumps are actually human skulls. The handle was shaped as a gargoyle. The gargoyle's eyes popped open and the doors opened up from the middle.
"I don't believe it…" Eriol whispered. He could not even turn away from the sight in front of him.
Through the gate, they can see and endless trail of skeleton bones.
"Do you remember this?!" Taliyah exploded, "This is the exact way you and Eiyu killed my beloved husband!"
Sakura closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
"Hell is where you will go!" She roared and the whole place shook.
Dozens of chains flew out of the door.
Sakura's eyes snapped open.
Teleport. Using the last of her strength, she casted a teleportation spell that was much stronger than before. A 13 layered magic circle appeared in front of the group which was perpendicular to the ground and instantly teleported the group and the two Phantom Knights.
The chains pulled Sakura in and the five magicians instantly released their spells.
Sakura wheezed, "Taliyah! You don't understand! Your husband is…" The door slammed shut and slowly sank down to the ground.
"Hahahahaha!" Taliyah's laughter echoed and made the ground tremble. "I'll kill all of them for you! Every last one of them! Just you wait! I'll finally have my revenge for you and Master Reiton!"
"Lady Taliyah, what should we do about those who got away?" Hyuga asked.
Taliyah heard the sound of the group about 10 miles away. She sucked in her breathe and released a dark venomous gas. The trees that came into contact with the venomous gas instantly withered away.
A gust of wind blew, hastening the spread of the gas.
~ Scene Change. Faust and Kurogami. ~
Kurogami punched the ground and the floor cracked when he realized Sakura had teleported them away. He staggered up to his feet and saw that Faust was still laying on the ground.
Faust stared at the place Sakura was suppose to be. He could not comprehend what just happened.
Kurogami grabbed his arm and lifted him off the ground. Faust stood in front of him with his head down and both hands curled into a fist.
Faust began tearing up and his whole body shook. Sakura had been taking care of him ever since they left the Castanea. Even though she wasn't his biological mother, they were still very close. "Why?! I don't get it! If she could teleport us then why didn't she teleport herself away too!"
Kurogami sighed. He could feel the poison spreading through his body and here he is, stuck babysitting a kid. "Didn't you see the ropes the five magician casted?" Kurogami responded, "Once you are tied to that, you can not cross through any portals or go through any dimensions. Taliyah brought five magicians for that spell to hold Sakura down. She came prepared."
"Then...what are we going to do now?" Faust asked.
Kurogami touched his chest and knew that he has to get himself cured quickly. "We need help…" He looked at the sun to see which direction to go, "We'll head to Accera."
When he finished speaking, Kero popped out from Faust's pocket.
"Whoaa." Faust jumped up from Kero's sudden appearance.
Kurogami chuckled when he saw Kero transform into his beast form, "So she knew this would happen and thought ahead of time. Sakura made a good choice by not letting you fight Taliyah."
"Heading to Accera right?" Kero asked for confirmation.
"I'll teleport us as far as I can." Kurogami said and used a teleportation spell. He covered a three day walking distance within seconds. He began panting and fell on his knees.
"Kurogami!" Faust exclaimed and went to help him.
"There's probably two more days of walking distance." Kero looked at Kurogami, who was in pain. "I can probably fly us there within a day or less."
Kurogami did not bother responding since he was already having trouble breathing and staying conscious.
Kero bent down, "Help him get on."
Faust pushed Kurogami's heavy body up and got up after him. He sat behind Kurogami so he could make sure Kurogami will not fall.
Kero spread out his huge wings and flew into the sky. Faust stared at the tiny villages and cities they flew over. He stared with awe at the sight.
"Kurogami shouldn't use so much of his power since he is already injured."Faust said to Kero.
Kero shook his head, "We have to get to Accera as soon as possible. Not only does Kurogami need an antidote, but we also need to quickly save Master."
He began to speed up and spoke again, "We only have seven days to save Master since she passed through the Pandemonium's Gate."
"What?! Why seven days?" Faust asked.
Kero grimaced, "Because after seven days, Master's soul will be locked in hell forever."
~ Scene Change. Syaoran and the Group at Night. ~
Many of the villagers escaped and separated to different directions but some of them did not manage to outrun Taliyah's venomous gas. They did not have the resistance fighters do so they died immediately.
Even if the group wanted to, they could not save all the villagers. The only thing they could do was to redirect the flow of the gas by casting wind.
Everyone in the group and the two Phantom Knights hid out in a dark wet cave.
Kyle curled up into a ball and couldn't stop shivering.
Genji sighed as he leaned on the wall and closed his eyes, "As expected from the Goddess. She is able to teleport so many of us even under such circumstances."
The group sat silent and stared at the floor. The only thing that could be heard is the howling of the wind.
"Alright." Yui stood up, "I have no idea what just happened today. Why did that demon say Sakura is the Goddess? That is just unbelievable."
"It is not unbelievable." Eriol looked up and began telling them the hints and clues. The little pieces come together like a puzzle and he eventually figured it out.
"So you knew all along?" Ty asked.
Eriol shook his head, "I only figured it out after I delivered the black orb back to the Li Kingdom."
"If Sakura-Chan is truly the goddess then why didn't she fight against Taliyah?" Lady Izumi asked and pulled her twins close to her.
Yuuko responded, "Sakura told us that she is injured and her powers have not completely recovered. That's why she is traveling with us. In addition to that, she was poisoned. Even if she wanted to, she doesn't have the power to fight against the snake demon."
She frowned and continued, "Besides, I think she was saving her energy so she could teleport all of us away."
"Hold on!" Yamonosuke stopped for a bit and exclaimed, "If Sakura is the Goddess then who is Faust?"
"Prince Faust is the second prince of the Castanea Kingdom." Kenshin said as he walked into the cave with the four guards behind him. They took off their hood and revealed their faces.
"This just keeps getting better and better." Sano muttered to himself earning an elbow from Chie.
Chie whispered to him, "I remember that guy from the Shika household. He's a Dark Knight, you better watch what you're saying." (Ch 9 if you forgot about Shika household)
Syaoran suddenly spoke up, "I don't care about their identity. Why were they even out their the first place?"
All eyes immediately went to Ryder. He looked down guiltily and began explaining how Tania...Taliyah tricked him into thinking that Sakura was a spy and Sakura found out the old man was a demon. That was also when Faust came running into help Sakura.
"I see…" Kenshin turned to face Ryder, "It was you who caused everything."
"No! I…"
Ryder didn't even have time to make an excuse when Kenshin drew his sword and slashed down at him.
Ty quickly drew his own sword and stopped Kenshin's blade before it could cut Ryder.
"It is not his fault." Ty looked right into Kenshin's eyes as he spoke, "He was tricked by that woman."
Kenshin turned his attention back to Ryder as his sword pressed down against Ty's sword. Ty's arm began to shake when he tried to push it back and failed. Kenshin was stronger than him.
Kenshin leaned forward, his face close to Ryder's as he whispered in a low dangerous voice, "You better pray that nothing happened to Prince Faust or it'll be war. Galatas against Castanea."
Suddenly they heard a low growling noise. Kenshin turned around to see Kyle baring his teeth out and his eyes were bloodshot red.
Kyle placed each of his hand on the side and pounced forward. Genji quickly hit the back of his head and Kyle immediately fainted.
"What the hell was that?" Yamonosuke asked.
Genji sighed and answered, "That is Taliyah's poison taking effect. Taliyah can release three types of poison. She can paralyze, control and kill. Seeing what Kyle was doing, I'm assuming that he is being controlled by Taliyah now."
"Then that means Sakura was paralyzed…" Syaoran whispered to himself.
Sano's jaws instantly dropped opened, "That snake demon poisoned Kurogami too. If she has him under control then Faust is to die for sure!"
"No. Taliyah will not do that." Genji responded, "She fought Kurogami in the Chaos Era before. She will not risk having him alive. She'll for sure to kill him."
"Hold on." Syaoran narrowed his eyes, "I know you guys are the Phantom Knights but why are you even here and why are you after Taliyah? And who exactly even is Taliyah?"
Kenshin and the guards seated themselves along with the group. "That's right." Kenshin said, "Why does one single demon have two Knights after her?"
"I see." Genji chuckled, "You do not know of Lord Yue…Lord Yue is a the last surviving Guardian from the Chaos Era. He is the one that informed us about Taliyah and ordered us to track her down."
Kenshin looked at him suspiciously, "What evidence do you have to prove what you are saying is true."
"My word is evidence." Genji replied simply.
~ Scene Change. Accera. ~
It was at night when Kero arrived to the capital of Accera. He flew over the city and began descending down when he unexpectedly hit a barrier.
Three of them fell down to next to the wall outside of the city. Kurogami laid on the floor unmoving, while Faust and Kero groaned in pain.
"Intruders! Intruders!" They heard someone yell, "Prepare the arrows!"
Faust flipped over and looked up at the castle walls to see dozens of men gathered above. The guards pulled their bows and aimed it at the three.
Kero went on his feet and growled at them.
Arrows came pouring down from every direction.
Rock Wall. Faust imitated the move Sakura used earlier but his was much thinner. The arrows got through and got stuck half way.
"Ackk!" He yelled and summoned another one.
"Lit the arrows on fire!" A guard commanded and Faust was aghasted. If he couldn't completely block the normal arrows, there is no way he can block the ones with fire.
Right when Kero was going to attack they heard a woman cry out, "Stop!"
Two figures jumped down in front of them. It was Lykos and Riko. It turned out that Lykos arrived to the city shortly after Riko and now the couple is staying there.
From above Kurtis, the Knight who helped Riko halted the attack from the guards.
Lykos bent down to feel Kurogami's pulse. "Not good, we need to get him treated." He picked Kurogami up easily and hopped over the gates. He dashed to the castle and requested for doctors and alchemists.
Yue, Lykos, Rikos, Faust, and Kero stayed outside as Kurogami got treated.
"I wouldn't worry too much." Yue said, "I already have an antidote for Taliyah's poison."
"You have an antidote for Taliyah's poison?!" Faust repeated shockingly.
"I've crossed path with her more than once." Yue crossed his arms, "And she killed many of my comrades. Of course I'll have a way to get back at her...And who are you, kid?"
"Sakura's fake son." Riko giggled, "Also the second prince of Castanea."
Yue eyed Faust suspiciously, "Castanea..huh? Good thing you're not from a kingdom from the South or I'll really hate to throw a young prince into my dungeon."
Faust gulped nervously under Yue's gaze. He had heard from his father, King Leon and his teachers back in the kingdom saying how powerful Accera is. Accera has a strong hatred for the South, who are anti-halves so the North and South have an intense relationship. There was a period of time where some of the Southern leaders were actually pro halves, but they were quickly assassinated before the whole country was converted.
"Well, it doesn't matter where you're from now." Yue left his spot and headed to a conference room. There was a big circle table in the middle with twenty chairs around it, all evenly spaced out. "We have more important matters to discuss."
After they seated themselves, the Phantom Knights came in and lined up behind Yue. Faust could see that not all the Knights are present since there are less than 10 of them. If he would have to guess, he would think that those Knights are out on a mission.
"I can't believe Taliyah used Pandemonium's Gate on Sakura." Rika said angrily, "That of all things! Sakura must be in so much pain now."
"What is this place across Pandemonium's Gate? I just know it is bad, but exactly how bad?" Faust wondered. The only thing he know is what Kero said about her soul being stuck in hell forever.
"The world we live in can be said to have four layers." Yue pointed up and began explaining, "The sky or the heavens are where most of the primeval god live. The primeval gods are the first immortals that created earth and every living being." He pointed down at the table and tapped it, "The middle earth is where we, the humans and demons live. It is also a place that is connected to thousands and thousands of other dimensions, across time and space."
He leaned back on his chair and continued explaining. "Below the middle earth is the underworld, where the souls of the dead go so they can reincarnate again and again. And below that is the deepest layer called hell. There, souls are unable to reincarnate and each day, they undergo endless series of torment and pain. That is where the Pandemonium's Gate open to."
Lykos began to speak, "The problem is not how to open the gate, rather our problem is how to pull Sakura back out. No living human nor demon can cross the gates unless they are bounded by the chains. Once we are bounded, we won't be able to get loose. Therefore, that is not an option.
"If living beings can't then we'll just have to find someone who's already dead." Yue whispered as the idea came up in his mind.
"Who's already dead that is willing to help us…?" Riko spoke when she realize who Yue was talking about, "Wait! You don't mean them right?! I know they still have not reincarnated yet but telling them to go is just too dangerous."
"It is because it is dangerous that they will go save Sakura." Yue responded, "Have you forgotten? We are all loyal to the gods. As long as it is within our capabilities, we will protect the five gods."
"How would you contact them?" Riko asked.
"Tetsuo." Yue called out and one of the Knight stepped up. Tetsuo is the only spiritualist within the Phantom Knights.
"Get ready. I want you to contact someone for me from the underworld. And since the gate can only be opened at the same place, we'll have to travel back to where Faust came from. Whatever tasks you have, give it to someone else. You will need to save your energy to open the Pandemonium's Gate." Yue ordered.
"Yes sir."
Yue smiled, "It is time I meet the eight of them again."
Lykos nodded, "This job fits no one better than the Guardians."