Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.
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AN: Yeah, I didn't get to post last week. Wanna know why? Yeah, of all the days I go to the library, it had to snow. I mean, it was peppering down. It was like a freak snow storm. Everthing was green one minute, and the next thing I knew, it was completely white. Yeah, like I said, a freak snow storm.
ANYWAY! Yeah, hi. Right, anyway, this chapter is like more or less exposition. Yeah, I know. We all love that, don't we? Major secrets revealed in this chapter. Like what exactly Jin told Yuki and his involvement with Garr, Bunyan and all the rest. You know, the blasted subplots that I've been hinting at, but never got around to exactly explaining it? Yeah, that crap. (waves) Have fun!
So, here are the reviews:
Nina Windia: Hiya! How are you? Ah, no problem. Just glad to see ya back! Oh! Thank you for adding me to your Favorites list!!! Ah, Manna… heh, that actually gets explained this chapter (smiles). There's more to her than meets the eye. Yeah, Rekks isn't completely bad.
Glad you liked Manna and Ryu's conversation. Hn, that's cool (smiles). Yup, the professor is REALLY REALLY old. Oh, don't worry, you will be seeing more of the old coot soon enough. Yeah, I like Momo too. I didn't want her to be whiny or anything. When I created her character, I tried to figure out what kind of kid Jin would have… and that led to Momo.
Ah, I'm glad you liked how I portrayed Wyatt. Eh, yeah, I thought that did appear a little strange. I mean they're talking about the guy and then he appears. Maybe he's got psychic powers or something. Ah, Wyatt is a robot with lots of powers. Red Dragon is just a code name.
Yup, Aaron is Jin and Yuki's dad. Odd, huh? Uzuki comes from their mother. Ah, really? I see that is really funny lol Exploding chimera parts! Yuck! I ain't cleaning THAT up!!!
Manna's reason for following them around is talked about this chapter. Jin's been keeping secrets… Mwhahaha!
Glad you liked the confessions chapter! Hehe!
Anime Monkey: Hiya! Glad you see you again. Yup, it did. The King Key powered the giant robot. Um, I guess they pulled it out of the robot before it go boom, cuz the key ends up in the character's inventory after that event.
Okay, here's the next chapter. Enjoy.
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Understanding
"Why do I have the feeling that I am missing something really, really important here?" Yuki asked. She glanced over at Nina, who was sitting in a chair right beside the bed that her bodyguard was laying in. At least the man was breathing easier now.
Nina looked down at her lap. She laid her hands down on her lap and bit her lower lip. "I don't understand any of this. Why is Strife here and how did Mina know that we were here? None of this makes sense."
Jin glanced over to Manna, who merely nodded. It was like the two of them were silently agreeing to something. Jin finally cleared his throat, catching the attention of everyone in the room, with the exception of Strife.
"We… need to talk," Jin said slowly. Manna nodded in agreement.
"There is more to this…" Manna said. She looked highly uncomfortable. "But… it goes against the rules to tell you. But now, I don't think we have a choice anymore."
Wyatt looked up from where he was standing. "What rules? Is there something that you know that you're not telling us?"
Manna nodded. Jin smiled slightly and glanced over in Yuki's direction. Yuki caught the look and frowned. "This is about what you told me, isn't it?" Jin nodded in agreement. "Great. This isn't going to end well."
Ryu sighed and placed his hands behind his head. "Okay, so what's the big, bad secret?"
Manna gave the group an odd smiled. "We will explain when Garr and Mina get back."
Ryu, Nina, and Wyatt stared at their companions like they have lost their minds. What secret were the three of them keeping from them? And more importantly, what did it have to do with Garr and Mina?
A short while later, Mina reentered the room, followed by the bulky Guardian. Garr scanned the room, but his eyes fell on Ryu. He gave the young dragon a confused look. He quickly got over the surprise to see that Ryu was still alive and walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder.
"I should have known that you would not so easily give up," Garr said. "It gladdens me to see that you are still alive."
Ryu smiled nervously. "Thanks Garr. I'm glad to be alive, too."
Yuki gave Garr a sideways glance. "Hiya Garr!"
Garr merely looked at Yuki and sighed. It was funny how unwanted memories tended to pop up when you wanted them the least. Apparently Yuki still seemed to have that special gift of annoying him even when she was grown.
Jin decided to save Garr from having to more up with a response to Yuki. "Garr, it's good to see you again."
Garr glanced over at Jin and Manna. He nodded at the two of them. "Jin Uzuki, Manna Sphere. It has been a long time. It's good to see you again."
Jin nodded. Manna grinned slightly. "Yeah, though I wish it was under better conditions. I take it that you know why we are here?"
"Yes," Garr said. "You are here for the Sky Key. The young man on the bed told me as much."
"Strife told you that?" Nina asked. Garr looked at her. Nina sighed. "Ah, he's my bodyguard. His name is Virgil Strife." Garr nodded in understanding.
Ryu was quickly becoming bored with the idle chat between everyone. "Okay," he said as he clapped his hands together. "Could someone explain what is going on here? How is Mina still alive?" Ryu looked over at Manna and Jin. "What is it that you two are hiding?"
Mina, who was standing behind Garr, took a step forward and spoke up. "I am the Guardian of the Mark of the Wing. So long as I hold the Mark, I remain unchanged. It is part of the power of the Mark. I will not age as long as I hold it, unless I pass it on to another person. I am the Great Bird, Avatar to the Goddess of the Winds. The immortality is part of the curse that was placed on the Mark, to keep people from trying to seek it out."
"How is it that you are here at Angel Tower?" Nina asked. This girl really was Mina Windia, princess of ancient Windia. Her sister in a past life. Nina closed her eyes, trying to drown out the screams of her past self as young Mina gave her life and freedom to become the Great Bird.
Jin and Manna looked at Garr. Garr merely shook his head. Jin turned his attention back to the assembled party. "In order for you to understand what is happening now… you first must understand the past… Everything that has happened up until this moment, has been being woven together… Hn, to wit, our fates are intertwined with each others'."
Everyone gave Jin a confused looked. Manna spoke up. "He's saying that in order to explain why Mina's here, we will have to explain our pasts, and how they line up with each other."
Jin nodded. "Well, I guess that Yuki already knows all of this, but I will still fill everyone in. It started when I was sixteen…"
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A young man stood at the entrance of the cave. He was slightly tanned with short black hair. He was dressed in dark traveling clothes. He had a sheathed katana strapped to his back.
Jin Uzuki knew exactly why he was at the cave. He was looking or something. There were rumors of treasure being at the lowest floors of the cave. He didn't really have a need for any treasure, but he needed to do something to distract him.
Today was his little sister's third birthday. He knew that he should be back in Lahan with his mother and sister, but he just could not deal with his father at the moment. He wasn't particularly fond of the older man. For starters, Jin knew about the experiments his father was running on that poor boy, Fate. He couldn't do anything about that, though, no matter how much he wanted to.
His father wanted to experiment on him as well, but Jin was much stronger than Aaron. If Aaron knew about Yuki's powers, he would experiment on her as well. Jin knew from the moment the child was born that she had powers. He knew he had to save her from Aaron, so he bound her powers. Yuki and his mother, of course, didn't even know about that, but he wasn't willing to take any chances.
So the need to get away from dealing with Aaron led him to a cave a few miles outside of Lahan. Jin was tired of constantly dealing with the older man and his demands. He would always try to goad Jin, make him angry so Jin would use his powers. Jin never did, however. He would not give Aaron the satisfaction.
Jin shook his head. Even out in the middle of the boonies, he was still thinking about that bastard. Jin was so caught up in his musings that he didn't even notice the shadow behind him. It was only when the other man tapped Jin on the shoulder, did Jin finally turn around.
The newcomer was a tall man with long silver hair, dressed in dark clothing and a black trench coat. The man also had tapered ears. Jin stared at the man for a moment. When he figured that the man was no threat to him, he relaxed.
"What's a kid doing out in the middle of nowhere?" the silver haired man finally asked. He flashed Jin a smile.
Jin scratched the back of his head. "Eh, there's a treasure or something around here… figured that I would get it before someone else."
The man smiled. "Ah, me too!" the man snapped his fingers. "Ah, I have an idea! I say we work together and get the treasure! It would be a great adventure!"
Jin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He looked at the older man and shook his head. "Sorry old man, I work alone." Jin walked off, leaving the odd man behind. He entered the cave alone.
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Jin knew he was being followed. He at first thought it was the odd man that had met him outside of the cave, but he soon figured that it was someone else. After a few hours into the cave, Jin was beginning to get a little nervous. It was close quarters and if he was forced to get into a fight, whoever it was that was tailing him would have the advantage.
A white-hot pain laced through his head. Someone was in trouble. Jin wondered to himself who would be down in a wet, smelly cave. Jin heard the scream of a young woman. Jin didn't even realize that he could run as fast as he did. He finally got to the source of the scream.
Standing before him was a young woman with long light brown hair, dressed in a formfitting robe and pants, wielding a pair of short swords. She was apparently fighting against an older man, a highlander to be exact. The Highlander was also wielding a pair of short swords. He made a move at the girl and stabbed her in the side.
Jin unsheathed his katana and lunged at the Highlander. The monkey in question dodged Jin's initial attack, but Jin spun around and stabbed at the Highlander again. The Highlander looked mildly impressed.
"Who are you, boy?" the Highlander asked. Jin glowered at the man. The man ignored the boy. "I am Zake, second-in-command of the Taobashi Guild. This matter does not concern you! Mind your own business!"
Jin growled and lunged at Zake again. The two parried each other's blows over and over again. The main problem, however, was that while Jin was skilled at wielding a katana (his grandfather had made sure of that), Zake was wielding a pair of short swords. That meant that Zake only had to parry with one of the swords. The other sword found it's way into Jin's upper torso.
Jin screamed and jumped back. He didn't have time to mutter a healing spell. Zake jumped behind Jin and stabbed him in the back. Jin staggered back and fell to the ground. The girl that he had tried to save ran over and caught him before he fell. She looked up and scowled.
Zake was about to deliver a fatal blow to the two of them, but was stopped when another katana parried Zake's short swords. Standing before Zake was the silver haired man that Jin had encountered outside of the cave. The man flashed the girl a grin and turned his full attention to Zake.
"Say, that's not very fair, is it?" the man asked. He pointed his sword at Zake. "I suggest that you forget that you were ever here, understand?"
Zake growled. "Stay out of this, unless you want to forfeit your life!"
The man smiled. "…fine. Have it your way!" the man laughed and lunged at the Highlander. Zake screamed at the katana made its way into Zake's side.
Zake jumped back and tried to flee, but the man was suddenly right in front of Zake, katana held at the ready. The man was much faster than Jin. Zake began to realize that he was outmatched and outclassed. He muttered something under his breath and vanished. The man cocked a white eyebrow and sheathed his blade.
He then turned his attention to the fallen Jin and the young woman. The woman eyed the man slowly. He grinned. "Hey, don't give me that look. I'm the good guy!"
The woman nodded. "I know who you are… Pearl clansman… I just want to know why you are here."
The man smiled. "I am Troy! I am a hearty traveler and a seeker of mysteries. Who are you?"
The woman's eyes narrowed slightly. "Yui, of the Narave Guild…"
Troy nodded. "Well, that explains why you are here in this cave. So, what about that guy?" Troy pointed to Jin, who had lost consciousness.
"I'll take him back with me…" Yui said. "I'll take care of him. It's the least I can do. He did try to save me after all."
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Ryu and the others looked at Jin in confusion. Jin cracked a grin.
"What? Did you think that I started out great or something? The point is, I was taken back to the Navare Guild's headquarters by Yui. Turns out she was raised by the guild's leader, Karn Danc. Her parents were apparently guild members, but were killed during a raid.
"Well, I was able to recover and I got to know Yui. She told me that I could not spar my way out of a wet paper bag. So, she suggested that I train with the guild's head, Karn Danc. He taught me how to be a Phantom Thief. The kodaichi that I gave Yuki? Those were the ones that Karn gave me after I completely my training with him.
"During that time, I guess that I fell hard and fast for Yui. I spent two years at the guild, and I fell in love with her. Apparently, she felt the same, and ah we got engaged. During that time, however, Aaron had found Fate and had him and the Gate transferred to Lahan and started the Link Experiments. I decided to return home at that time and see what was up. I'm glad that I did."
Manna looked up and smiled. "Funny, that's when we met. I guess it was three years after Troy saved Jin's ass…"
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Jin had returned home after being gone for two years. Many things had chanced. Aaron, however, had not. Jin almost killed Aaron when he found out that he had used Sakura as one of the Link participants. There was little he could do, however.
Yuki was five years old now and Jin was 18. She was very shy around her older brother, but after she got over that shyness, she clung to Jin everywhere he went. Jin learned that Aaron completely ignored Miyuki due to the fact he thought she had no power. Jin was really happy. Aaron couldn't hurt Yuki like he did their mother.
It was during one of the visits to the local pub that Jin ran into his savior. Sitting at one of the tables was Troy. Seated in front of him was a young woman with long purple hair, dressed in black. Troy spotted Jin and waved him over.
Jin walked over and sat down next to Troy. Jin eyed the woman warily and decided to focus his attention on Troy.
"Hiya!" Troy laughed. "Remember me?" Jin nodded. "Good, okay this lady seated before me is called Manna Sphere. I am Troy."
Jin shook his head. "Does anything you ever say make sense?"
Manna shook her head. "He's really hard to read."
"What are you doing here?" Jin asked. "Are you two on a date or something?"
Manna and Troy made a face. "I am married," Troy said.
"I have a boyfriend," Manna said. "No, we are here to talk to you."
Jin shrugged. "Why me?"
"You know about the Link Experiments?" Manna asked.
Jin nodded. "Yes," Jin growled. "Aaron's crazy to think that they can call on the power of the gods…"
"They want to do more than that," Manna said. "Jin, do you believe in Destiny?"
"Eh?" Jin asked. He scratched the back of his head. "Are you talking about the Destined Cycles?"
"Yes," Troy said. "We fear that Aaron is trying to call on Ladon himself. Jin, how much do you know about the Destined Cycles?"
Jin's eyes narrowed. "How do you know my name? I never told you."
Manna smiled. "We know many things. About you… about your sister…"
"What are you talking about?" Jin said through gritted teeth.
"Your role in the Destined Cycles," Manna said. "You are the one that foresaw that would happen if Myria was left to her own devices, after all."
"What…? What are you talking about?" Jin shook his head. "Who are you people?"
"Jin," Troy said. "I am the Avatar of the Sea Leviathan, the water god Titus."
Manna gave Jin a sly smiled. "I am the Overseer of the Grand Design, the Faerie Queen Manna. I hold the position that you use to hold…"
Jin frowned. "Great, I am talking to two crazy nuts. You expect me to believe this?"
"You met Karn, did you not?" Manna asked. "Jin, listen to us. We need your help."
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Jin laughed. "At the time, I really thought that Manna and Troy were the ones that needed help. Professional help. But, I listened to them."
Manna looked at the group. "As an Avatar, Troy already knew what was going on. Myria was returning to the mortal realm. But with her, there was an even darker force. It's too complicated to talk about… but with her return, a fallen angel came with her. The former Overseer… my teacher… he struck down one of Myria's fallen angels back before the War of the Gods."
"That Overseer was me," Jin said. "Lucien…"
Ryu's snapped around and looked at Jin. "What…?"
"The Overseers are gods of Destiny," Manna said. "We watch over the Grand Design and make sure everything stays in balance."
Jin nodded. "The fallen angel was called Legence. I… Lucien stripped him of his powers and sent him straight to the Underworld. I fear that the recent demon sightings were his doing. It could be possible that he might have even absorbed the demon god, Death Evans. He feeds on negative emotions, so…"
Manna sighed. "Jin, Troy, and I started to investigate rumors about demon sightings."
Jin grinned. "Yui decided to join us at that time. The rumors led us all over the world. Yui and I decided to get married during that time, so yeah. The four of us were exploring the world and trying to figure out what the hell was going on. We ran into Garr that way."
Manna was about to say something, but was cut off by Garr. "I was on orders from Lady Deis to investigate the rumors as well. However, before I was able to get any leads, I ran into young Mina being held hostage by some of Legence's followers. They were going to sacrifice her to their god and use her powers to become his strength.
"I attempted a rescue, but was outnumbered. Jin and his companions came along and helped me to free Mina and drive off Legence's forces. So, I guess that you could say that I owed Jin a favor. That's why I helped take care of Ryu, Nina, and Miyuki. I took Mina back to Angel Tower with me and decided to protect her."
"Since we had similar goals, we decided to help each other out," Jin said. "Along the way, we ran into Bunyan and he was able to help us out by taking us to see the Yggdrasil. There was nothing much to note… the Yggdrasil was only able to confirm what we already knew. Legence was the one that was controlling the demons and turning people into demons. He was trying to get his old powers back."
"What made it worse was that at this time, Cymosion had already began to infect the Brood. Briet was one of Legence's followers and he infected Ryu in hopes of being able to kill off the Destined Child."
"Gideon was devastated," Jin said. "Aaron told me that Gideon brought Ryu to Lahan in order to find a cure. What he failed to mention was that Legence was posing as one of his assistants. That's how Ryu got involved with the Link Experiments. Legence got to Gideon and warped him somehow. Gideon only wanted to help save Ryu, but when they involved him in the experiments, the system went berserk and caused the Red Dragon to go out of control. Gideon then ordered the destruction of Lahan to cover up the mess, but everyone already knew that."
"Legence has been manipulating everyone from the beginning," Manna said. "He will stop at nothing to destroy Ryu and the Grand Design. I don't know it he wants revenge or if he is on orders from Myria herself… but he's apparently warping Gideon and making the Brood King to do what he wants."
Ryu looked up at Manna and Jin. "Is… that true? Then Gideon's not the bad guy here?"
"We don't know," Manna said. "But… we have to stop them at all costs."
"No pressure, huh?" Ryu laughed nervously.
"Right… so, that's it," Nina said. "Legence is really the one that we have to stop."
"Right," Jin said. "But… we still don't know it Myria is the one pulling the strings or not."
Ryu shook his head. The long forgotten dream echoed in his mind. "I… think he might be acting on his own. Myria only wanted to protect the world. Legence seems to want to destroy it."
"Ryu what are you talking about?" Yuki said. Before Ryu was able to answer, however, an injured priest busted the door open.
"Guardian!" the priest gasped. "Please help! Intruders have invaded the Tower…" and with that, the priest fainted.
Garr's eyes flashed. "Any talk we have will have to wait!" Garr rumbled. "The invaders must be taken care of!"
To be continued.
