Disclaimer: See previous chapter

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Chap. 62

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Forest

"So Kayura is out here?"

The Sunstreamer had landed just outside of the forest area where Kayura had ventured. Outside the trees, Ryo, Sally, Yuli and Whiteblaze stood before the trees below the ship as they prepared to enter the woodland.

"Yeah. It was what she wanted." Sally answered the Ronin.

Ryo nodded lightly, but his attention seemed to be diverted. The Preventer noticed this right away and moved beside him.

"Ryo? Are you alright?"

"Hmm." Ryo blinked as he turned to her. "Oh, yeah."

Sally couldn't help but smile. It was starting to feel like the beginning of the Gundam wars. Looking into the woods, she said simply. "I'm sure she's alright."

The Ronin found himself blinking again at her comment. "Huh?"

"You're almost the opposite of Heero." Sally continued. "You don't hide your feelings well, Ryo."

Ryo face began to redden a bit, until he realized what she said. "Heero? What do you mean?"

Sally chuckled a bit before answering. "Him and Relena. Although I think it's a bit more complicated for them." Her smile faded away. "Especially now."

Heero...and Relena? That was quite a surprise to the Ronin. As long as he had known Heero, he had never thought him to be the type to like someone, much less Relena. Even now, Ryo didn't believe it. The Celestial of Reflections never really displayed his emotions that way or any way for that matter. But it did explain why he protected Shiva in that battle they had before.

"I guess. Huh?"

Just then, Ryo heard a slight humming sound coming from his pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out his orb, and along with Sally, gazed as the crystal shimmered with his trait repeatedly in his hand

'Virtue...'

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"Anubis..."

The two warriors of the Ancients stood in the midst of a scene of white. Slowly, the scene changed back into the crystal pond, but now it was within the light. The traits of the Ronins, the Warlords, and the Celestials shimmered around and over their heads as before in the cave, only now, all nineteen symbols were glowing.

"What is this place?" Kayura asked.

"The Sacred Pool." Aunbis glanced around. "In this place, this is where the souls of the armors were first birthed." His eyes lifted up to the symbols above. "The best traits of all of mankind are forged here, creating this place of purity."

Kayura looked up as well and a realization came upon her. "This place...it was created by the Ancient Ones..."

"Yes. Although you have never been here, your heart knew where to take you." His eyes dropped and fell upon her with a light smile. "A heart of purity."

"Then what was that..." She paused, not knowing exactly how to describe fighting herself. "What was it that I fought?"

Anubis nodded in understanding. "It was a test. When it comes to humans, they exist in a blend of light and darkness. Whichever is the most dominant is primarily up to the individual. As such, for those of your clan, to ensure that they can harness the purity of light in this place, they must face their darkness. In defeating it, you have proven yourself worthy to enter this sanctuary."

"I see..."

"Now the time has come for you to know it all."

In a flash, the pond disappeared into white light once again. The time was brief however and the scene darkened. As though they were soaring though the sky, Kayura and Anubis descended upon a dark field. Kayura remembered this place from the last vision. The battlefield where the forces of light met with the destructive power of the unknown warrior... But this time, Kayura was right in the middle of the battlefield, with the fearsome creature storming toward her.

"You dare to challenge my might?! Foolish mortals!"

Kayura felt her body automatically retract into a defensive stance at the sight of the frightful figure, but managed to control herself. No matter how real it seemed, this wasn't actually happening, because it had already happened. She wasn't really there, therefore, the creature wasn't bellowing at her, but rather the white-clad warriors behind her.

The clan of the Ancients...

A dozen or so warriors were gathered on the opposite side, all armed with golden weapon that shone despite the gloomy skies. The warrior in the lead raised his sword into the air and then toward the rampaging creature.

"Your destruction ends here, Nanashi!"

Kayura's eyes widened with shock as she turned back to the creature. She hadn't seen Nanashi yet, so she was unaware of the monster's identity. However, to know that Nanashi was involved in all of this beforehand was a surprise to say the least.

"That's Nanashi?!"

"Yes. The first warlord from the Nether Realm, Nanashi was also the creator of the dark world, using the power of the Gem of Creation, an artifact ancient even to those who would be called ancient."

Kayura looked over to Nanashi again, examining the demonic warrior until she caught glimpse of his collar. Embedded in the armor was a pearl-like sphere, shimmering in a pale aura of energy. The creature in possession laughed at the opposing force.

"Wrong. Its path will be cemented in blood. YOUR BLOOD!!"

If there was any fear in the warriors of light, they did not show it through their determined expressions. And thoughts that it was hidden were tossed away when they all, with loud battle-cries, charged at Nanashi.

"And thus the first battle ever waged between Earth and the Dynasty began."

From the distance, Kayura watched as the warriors engage Nanashi, attacking with all their might. But Nanashi warded off their seemingly meaningless attacks and unleashed his power in an onslaught. The battle rages for hours, with Kayura watching as the warriors of light were torn apart. However, they never stopped fighting and no matter how much the Dynasty master punished them, they continued to fight on in the greatest show of bravery and courage she had ever seen. Finally, it ended when their leader struck the Gem of Creation and weakened Nanashi enough for his remaining comrades to strike him down.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Nanashi crumbled to the ground and vaporized, leaving nothing behind save his powerful gem, which had been cracked and splintered into two pieces, and the bodies of those he had slain.

"Your ancestors emerged out victorious from this fight. But it wasn't without a price. Only four survived."

Kayura blinked and turned to Anubis. "Four? Before, you said it was three."

Anubis nodded, but kept his eyes trained on the battlefield. "Yes. Three humans and a white armored tiger."

Looking back, Kayura saw what he meant. Beside the three warriors, there was indeed a white tiger, covered in silvery armor and bearing two sword sheaths on the side.

"Whiteblaze."

Anubis nodded once again. "Back then, he was known simply as Blaze, the tiger companion of Darius of the Ancients."

The tiger roared in mourning as the three stood motionless; taking in the fact they had won the battle, but had lost many of their friends. Kayura too, felt the pain of the loss, although she didn't understand why. Sympathy was one thing, but what she felt was deeper than that. Anubis almost seemed to be giving the same expression and the scene grew to white once again.

"Though Nanashi was vanquished, the major source of his power remained; the Gem of Creation, which had been cracked in the center by Darius' attack. Despite this, it still contained unfathomable power. The three decided to take its power and forge it into a weapon of light in the case Nanashi, or any of his newly formed Nether Realm, came to threaten the Earth Realm again. And so they came here."

The scene of white dimmed once again, returning the two to the Sacred Pond once again. But this time, they stood by the side of the waters, while the four figures were in the pond itself, standing in a semicircle. In their midst, the Gem of Creation hovered, still cracked in the center until the entire Gem shattered into two pieces. Again, Kayura was caught with recognition, but this time, Anubis voiced it before her.

"Yes, Kayura. The Jewel of Light and the Jewel of Life are the two halves of the Gem of Creation. And through them were born the Celestial armors, the Ronin armors, and the Warlord armors."

"But I don't understand." Kayura said in askance. "I thought that the Ancient One created the Warlord and Ronin armors through Talpa's mystical armor."

"It is true. Talpa's mystical armor was created when the Jewel of Life disappeared after Nanashi's first attempt to regain his power. This occurred after the Celestial armors were completed."

The scene of white began to lift around them again, this time showing a scene of an open field with a forest on the edge. But then, a swirl of black cloud came out of nowhere and a massive crimson gate materialized into view. Thunder rumbled and lighting struck as the gate slowly opened and a pitch-black creature stumbled out. It seemed to be part armor and part mist, but the demon red eyes showed it malice that could only be found in the Dynasty master.

Anubis continued the story. "Nanashi managed to obtain the Jewel of Life, but because it was only a fragment, he was defeated and vanquished into a labyrinth of darkness within his own realm. Unfortunately, he pulled the Jewel in with him, but lost it somewhere in the realm, where its power was used to created the Talpa's mystical armor."

The scene changed once more, showing the two Talpa's first attack on the mortal realm. "And from there, Talpa, the first of Nanashi's children, mounted an assault on the human world, only to be vanquished by our predecessor, who separated the armor into the nine armors of the Ronins and Warlords.

The scene changed once more, returning them to the Sacred Pool, hovering above. From their vantage point, they saw all the armors encircled around the pond and both Jewels hovering above in the center.

"The two halves of the Gems were used to symbolize the traits of Heaven and Earth. As such, the armors took up these characteristics in their construction. The Celestials were suited for the stars above, while the Ronin and Warlord armors were for earth below.

The armors and the Jewels disappeared from the scene and were replaced with the three surviving Ancients and their armored tiger companion within the crystal clear waters.

"But more than the armors were needed." Anubis went on. "To protect them until the proper time, three items were left to aid those who would protect them until the time came for them to revive. From the woman warrior Shera, her enchanted weapons, the Starlight Swords. Keras, the leader of the Ancients, left behind his powerful weapons, the very weapons that cracked the Gem of Creation, the Soulswords of Fervor. And Darius left his faithful tiger as the guardian."

The scene focused in on Blaze, who was stationed at the cave entryway, the same area where Kayura faced her darker half.

"When Blaze was put through the trial, his soul split, becoming the dark tiger Blackblaze. The two of them fought, but with no victor. As a result, they remained separated until Blackblaze reunited with Whiteblaze in order to save his life."

The scene then switched back to the cave interior, where the leader of the Ancients lifted his weapons into the air. The swords soon left his hands and then floated to the right of the two Jewels.

"The Fervor Soulswords became attracted to the combined power of the armors, thus becoming the only weapons that would suit the Ronin armor of Inferno as well as the Celestial armor of Nova. In addition, Keras made it so that the tiger guardian would be the bearer of the swords for the wielder, whoever it may be."

The scene finally shifted to Shera, who lifted her hands into the air and allowing her precious swords to levitate beside the Jewels as her leader had done, with the blade stationed to the left of the Jewels.

"Finally, the Starlight Swords were designed for the use of the Ancients that would be around to fight. Normally, such power wasn't needed except for extreme cases. However, the swords were lost some time ago when the clan was destroyed by Talpa, ultimately winding up in your hands."

"Then how can Mia and Shiva use them?" Kayura asked.

"As the Soulswords of drawn to power, the Starlight Swords are drawn to purity. However, the Soulswords were bound to the armors while the Starlight Swords had to remain free for their use. So after your defeat, they wandered, seeking a soul to revive them."

"I see." She had already known that much and Mia confirmed it as well. "But tell me... How does all of this help us to defeat Nanashi now?"

"The armors, powerful as they are, are still incomplete." Once again, the images of the armors came up, surrounding the two. "In fact, it is a result of that power that makes them that way. As a result, the armors themselves desire battle. When a powerful foe faces them, they will be drawn in to fight regardless of reason or purpose. This is especially true of the armor of Nova and the armor of Inferno, those being the physical manifestations of the Gem's power."

"So that's what happened between Heero and Ryo."

"Yes. Nanashi thought to try to use the Inferno armor's power to awaken the Jewel of Life and reunite the Gem of Creation. But he did not expect for the armor of Nova to come forth and do battle with it, not to mention the resulting backlash. Thus, his plans were delayed. But as long as he is in possession of the Jewel of Light, he controls the heart of the Celestial armors."

"What must be done?"

"The armors much become complete." Anubis answered. "To become the weapons of purity they were meant to be, the three armors of purity must be brought here. Once that is done, then all of the armors will be refined into the souls they were granted, allowing all the bearers to be free from their hidden bloodlust."

"The three armors...of purity?"

This was new information to Kayura. Armors of purity? What did that mean? Was there another set of armors somewhere? Once again, Anubis answered her question

"Out of all the armors created, only three of them possess the most sacred of human emotions. Emotions that allow for the light to always shine, regardless of the darkness. These three were placed into three of the Celestial armors."

The armors began to fade away, leaving behind only three of the Celestial armors. Kayura quickly identified them. The armor of Dune, the armor of Crystal, and the armor of Phoenix. Above them, the traits of Faith, Hope, and Love glowed brightly.

"Once brought here, these traits will filter into the other armors, freeing the bears of the armor's curse." His voice became urgent and his presence began to fade away. "But you must hurry. Nanashi's strength grows even now and he seeks a new way to reenter our world with a power that would make him unstoppable."

Kayura reached out to him. "Anubis, wait. The Staff. I am unable to call it forth."

Anubis soon became transparent, but his expression had returned to calm. "Worry not, Kayura. It...is...in the...hands of...another..." His form soon disappeared entirely and the scene of white completely obscured Kayura's vision, leaving her with Anubis' last words.

A poem...

Star of the night, comet of fire,

Let faith be the spark of your pyre

Soul's heart of heavenly delight

Hope be found in the sands of the night

Above the tower of snow and rhine

Between heaven and earth, love burns divine

The purity of mankind in the waters of peace

Unlock souls of fight

Shine forth with power eternal

Creation's light.

"Kayura...Kayura, wake up!"

"Hm?"

The white cleared away and Kayura found herself lying on the ground within the cave, with Yuli's face looming over her.

"Yuli?"

The youth's face exploded with a smile. "Hey everybody, she's waking up."

Kayura closed her eyes and lifted herself off the ground, holding her head as she did so. Opening her eyes, she looked up at Yuli, Sally and Ryo all standing around her.

"You... You're all here. But how?"

Ryo lent his hand down to help her up, all the while answering her. "The armor of Wildfire... It guided us here."

"What is this place?" Sally asked as Kayura rose to her feet

"This...is the Sacred Pool." The knowledge that Anubis left her was still fresh in her mind along with the poem and the task she had to complete.

"Our last hope to defeat Nanashi."