YAY! Updating again! Although I don't know if I like how this chapter goes...

Sorry if the characters seem a little off...

But enjoy it anyways! More to come soon, hopefully!

Chapter 26: The Morning Star

Cal didn't know where his companions had wandered off too, nor did he care. All he cared about was the voice that had crept into his head the moment he entered the dark cave. The voice that whispered he was about to obtain unlimited power.

He walked through the black corridors, not seeing, but following the directions the voice spoke to him. The darkness pressed around him, but he opened his arms and welcomed it. It would, after all, make him stronger. The voice promised him that.

Turning another corner, he came into a large chamber, lit softly with a strange reddish black hue. Cal looked around, his eyes coming to rest on the source of the strange light.

Stuck in the middle of the floor, point down, was a club like weapon with spikes on the large end. The whole weapon pulsed with the strange light, which gave off an aura of darkness.

Grinning, Cal walked towards the weapon, reached out, and grabbed the hilt.

Anna and Ayamae were relaxing with Jun, Pirika, Tamao, and Delila, watching as Asim took Manta through some shaman exercises. Manta was coming along in great leaps, and even thing late in the evening, he now had the strength and energy to keep going.

"I'd better make dinner," Delila said, standing up. "They're going to be starving when they get done."

"I'll help!" Pirika said, jumping to her feet.

"Me too!" Tamao said, quickly following the two others inside. Jun smiled, then got up, wandering off hand in hand with Li.

Ayamae yawned and stretched out in the grass and Anna smiled, relaxing next to her.

"You still having the dreams?" Anna asked.

"Yeah," Ayamae said. "I just have this horrible feeling something is about to happen."

Anna nodded. "Me too. I can sense something, I just don't know what."

Ayamae sighed. "I guess we'll find out soon enough, right?"

"Yeah," Anna said.

Ayamae sat up as Asim and Manta made their way over towards them, both dripping in sweat, but looking quite pleased with themselves.

Manta opened his mouth to ask a question when both Anna and Ayamae went stock still, eyes going wide.

"Aya," Anna gasped.

"I know," Ayamae said, sounding just out of breath.

"What is it?" Manta asked, shocked at the reaction of the two girls. "What's wrong?"

"That aura," Anna said.

"Pure evil," Ayamae said.

Asim shook his head. "I don't feel anything."

"It's there," Anna said standing up.

"I hope the others are okay," Ayamae said.

Delila came to the door then, peeking her head out. "Dinner's ready," she called. Then, seeing the looks on their faces asked, "What's wrong."

"Something's happened," Ayamae said.

"We just don't know what yet," Anna said. "But we're going to find out."

Yoh and the others made their way through the pitch black tunnels, lit only by the light of their spirits. They could all feel the evil that saturated the walls, ceiling, and floors of the place.

Hao was having a harder time than the others, mainly because he had carried this kind of darkness in his heart for over 1000 years. It made him sick to think that he had allowed that kind of power over him, and allowed it to make him do all kinds of evil deeds he knew he would be repenting for for the rest of his life.

Yoh came to a stop as they ran into a fork in the tunnel. One tunnel led deeper down, while the other moved slightly upwards.

"Which way?" Horohoro asked, peering at both tunnels.

"Ummmo," Yoh said, looking between the two, before glancing at his companions. Ren looked as stoic as ever, Bason floating right beside him. Horohoro looked slightly ill, and kept Kororo nestled in the crook of his arm. Ryu was gritting his teeth in the dim light, Tokegero beside him looking worried. Faust had his arm wrapped protectively around Eliza. Chocolove kept one hand planted on Mic's head. Lyserg had Morphine planted on his shoulder, and continued to glance at Hao with distrust.

And Hao, Hao looked paler than usually, something that worried Yoh. Yoh also noticed that Hao had been silent ever since they entered the black structure.

"Hao?" Yoh asked, hoping to bring his brother out of whatever funk he was in.

Hao shook his head, still looking slightly nauseous.

"It's up to you, master," Ryu said, hefting his wooden sword on his shoulder.

"That way," Amidamaru pointed towards the tunnel that moved upwards.

"You sure?" Yoh asked, looking to his spirit, who nodded. "Then that way it is."

Yoh expected some forms of complaint, or questioning as to why he was following Amidamaru's suggestion, but none came. It must be the feel of this place, Yoh thought, leading the others on.

"Come on everyone," Yoh said, attempting to lighten the mood. "Not afraid of a little dark, are we?" Yoh was worried that if everyone got lost in their own thoughts, and the darkness that surrounded them, that they would be consumed by the evil that filled this place.

"Teh, of course not," Ren scoffed, catching onto what Yoh was thinking. "Why, in my country, we have 33 caves that are darker than this."

"Amazing," Bason said, hovering near Ren.

"How is that amazing?" Horohoro asked.

"How is that a maze of a king?" Chocolove blurted out.

Silence filled the cave as everyone stopped to glare at Chocolove, until Yoh broke it with laughter.

"Hahahahaha, oh, that was a good one Chocolove," Yoh laughed.

"Yoh-kun," Faust said, a worried look on his face. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine," Yoh said, still laughing. "We just can't let this place get to us, right nii-chan?"

Yoh slapped his brother on the back, causing Hao to jump and turn to look at him. Yoh and Hao met eye to eye, and Hao, seeing that Yoh could be so relaxed in such a place, allowed himself a smile.

"Heh, You're right, Yoh-kun," Lyserg said, also smiling.

"We should continue on," Hao said, pointing ahead. "I think we're almost there."

"I think I saw a bear!" Chocolove said, pointing dramatically into the distance. Everyone fell silent again after that. "Heh heh, a little too much?" Chocolove asked.

"Yes," Ren said, pushing by Chocolove. The group continued walking, and while still surrounded by the darkness, in a place full of evil, they felt light hearted. They were together, nothing could go wrong when they were together.

The air of light heartedness followed them until they came upon a large room filled with strange, pulsing, red-black light. They could all feel that this was where the evil aura was coming from.

And in the center, standing next to a weapon that looked like a spiked club, was Cal. The group lurched forward as Cal reached out a hand.

"NOOOOOO!" Yoh and Hao shouted as Cal's hand gripped the weapon and pulled it from the ground.

The cavern shook, and dark laughter echoed around.

"At last," a deep voice boomed. A voice Hao recognized with dread. "At last, my Morning Star has been recovered. Soon, I shall return to this world and claim it as my own! Then, all who are weak shall tremble and be destroyed! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"