Chapter 27: End of another Journey
The day today was unlike any other day in the life of the lone woman sitting silently beside the small window in her room. Her dark brown eyes looking sleepily at the three branches dancing peacefully with the wind. Thought playing in her mind, she twirled her long dark hair with index finger, not expecting any unusual thing to happen. However, the day to day was unlike any other day as a new presence appeared inside her room and called her attention.
"Hail, oh maiden," an angelic deep voice greeted.
The woman turned to the newcomer and saw a beautiful young man standing not far away from her, but immediately turned due to the blinding while light emanating around him. She tried to look at him, covering her eyes with her hand to prevent her from being dazzled.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I am an angel, sent from the heaven to deliver a message," he answered. "Your clan will be praying to strip them off of their power."
The woman listened. She knows that their power has been making their life more difficult that it should have been. It is always becoming a source of their grief for being hunted to become a human weapon. She knows that her people has been talking about wanting to be free from their power. Knowing that the angel has something important things to say regarding this matter, she remained quiet for him to continue.
"The four heavenly beasts will descend and show themselves onto your people and will fulfill their wish. However, you will be sacrificed to hold all the powers that will be taken from them. You, and your descendants will hold the power until the day when all the seven darkness are released to the surface of the earth until they are resealed and destroyed once and for all."
The woman was momentarily shocked at the revelation, but quickly composed herself as she prostrated before the angel. "Let it be done in accordance to the heaven's will."
Hearing her willing reply, the angel nodded and slowly vanished into nothingness.
-0-
"When the moon vanished," he spoke up, "seven stars will shine to their brightest." This is what Reliquie said after looking into Kuroro's past. He explained to them all the details of what happened to the young man as well as the details of how to reverse the curse which can be done on the third day of the seventh month. That means, they still have to wait for almost two weeks.
The seven ghosts scattered for the meantime, while Kurapika's group rented some rooms at an inn near Mt. Samat, and Rain on the other hand returned to Maynilad after having a long talk with her brother.
Kuroro was laid on one of the two beds in a small room while Kurapika performed a temporary cleansing, passing her aura throughout his body by pointing two fingers at his forehead. Her, and Kuroro's body returned to their original state. However, within the whole two weeks, Kuroro never opened his eyes even once and Kurapika was getting anxious with each passing time. Even until everyone gathered again, Kurapika became even more anxious. She doesn't know if she can fulfill her duty on releasing Kuroro from the darkness. She doesn't know if her powers can truly save him.
Everyone gathered at Mt. Samat in the middle of the night where seven stars are most visible above them, the only source of light in the darkness with the absence of the moon. Wearing white priestly robe, the seven ghosts, which now includes Teito, formed a circle around an elevated platform made from nen, where they lay Kuroro with Kurapika and Rain standing at each side of the platform. Gon and Killua on the other hand, stood at a good distance away from them, ready to do whatever needed when emergencies arise.
The ghosts started to sing praises to the one creator, doing the exact opposite of the curse song from Kuroro's memory. Kurapika and Rain reached out for each others hand to draw power from the seven brightest stars in heaven. Both of them are essential in this preparation, balancing each other to call out and gather spiritual energy from the stars.
Closing their eyes, their spirits travelled from land to heaven, where galaxies are visible from the naked eye, every star twinkling around them. Just like the fiery flashing sword of the great creator, the seven stars shoot out a flaming energy in between them and returned to their body as they lay their intertwined hands on Kuroro's chest. A blinding light spread around them, sending the darkness inside Kuroro's body into turmoil, forcing it out.
Kurapika and Rain opened their shining scarlet eyes and lifted their hands. "I call upon you," Kurapika started, "who hold the darkness of wrath, go out of that body and return to the void!" The air swirled around them like crazy, almost taking them out of their balance as it entered slowly in between their arms until the darkness that came with it vanished into nothingness.
Kurapika released a long sigh as she looked at the other girl who nodded at her. One last step remains in the process to complete. The ghosts sang non-stop in praises, preventing any dark spirit from disturbing their ritual. The girls released each others hands as they raised their index finger and pointed at Kuroro's forehead, sending the final cleansing energy in his body. A golden cross mark started to form on his forehead, the same shape that he had before. The cross insignia glowed momentarily until it is left there like a birthmark.
The exorcism is complete. The sealing is complete. The cleansing is also complete. Kurapika sighed for the last time as they remove their fingers from Kuroro's forehead and looked at the him with anxiety plastered in her eyes. "It's done, right?" she asked.
"It's done," Reliquie said in confirmation. "That is all we can do for him."
"He is strong enough to survive this long, he'll surely survive this as well," Landkarte (Dan) said. "He'll wake up soon."
"There is one more thing that needs to be done," Profe spoke up, gaining everyone's attention to him. "The darkness needs to be destroyed once and for all."
Everyone agrees. This is, after all, the main reason why Kurapika and Rain's power exist.
"Let us stand before the great cross," he continued and proceeded to walk along with the other ghost.
Rain and Kurapika looked at each other and followed the men, but not before asking Gon and Killua to keep an eye on Kuroro.
"It was revealed to the first host that the seven darkness will once again roam the earth and wreck havoc," Profe said once everyone arrived and looked at the two girls in front of him. "Only then that they can be destroyed with the use of the powers within you."
"Why didn't the first host destroyed it when she got the power?" Rain asked.
"She can't, even if she wanted to." Dan answered. "It's the Pandora's box job to weaken its power."
"Mnn," Profe nodded. "The time between the first host and you was all calculated for the darkness to be destroyed."
"What should we do then?" Kurapika asked this time, eager to end all of this soon.
"You have to release the darkness you just sealed and pour every power you have all at once."
"Kurapika and Rain widened their eyes. "Isn't that dangerous!" they exclaimed in unison.
"Everything will be fine," Profe assured with his ever smiling face.
"If Profe said that everything is fine, then everything is fine," Castor reassured them.
"Don't worry, we are here for no reason," Frau smirked.
Teito gave him a look. "You don't look credible, though." And Frau replied with a "tsk."
Kurapika smiled at them why Rain looked at her father. Dan nodded at her with a smile and she did the same. She turned back to Kurapika as she raised her hand to her shoulder to get her attention, "let's do it," she said.
Kurapika answered with a serious nod. They can do it, she thought to herself. She knows they can because she has everyone. Her heart is filled with strength and all the anxiety are gone. She fully faced Rain and breathed out loudly. "I'm ready, she said.
The two of them once again held both their hands and made a circle between them and shouted, "released!" a strong dark forces immediately came out from the circle like a whirlwind. They concentrated all the power within their body and once the darkness is above them, they both raised their hand and let out every ounce of their angelic power. Ethereal light came out from their hands and rose up to the whirlwind of darkness like a flashing sword, but did not penetrate the darkness at all and remained beneath it.
The girls felt the heaviness upon their body, but remained standing with their hands stretch out. The seven ghost also raised their hands toward the girls, sending their spiritual power and the sword started to penetrate, disintegrating the darkness inch by inch. A few minutes later, the flashing sword cut through the whirlwind and few toward the sky, leaving the darkness to disappear like grains of sand flowing into nothingness.
Kurapika and Rain fell with their butt on the ground. "We made it," Rain said and Kurapika smiled at her, about to say something as well but stopped by Gon and Killua's call.
"Oiiiii!"
Everyone looked at them and saw the two boys waving at them and Kuroro behind them. Kurapika's eyes widened and immediately stood up. "Kuroro!" she called out as she ran toward him. "Kuroro," she called once again as she stood in front of him.
"Kurapika," Kuroro acknowledge with a smile.
Kurapika also smiled, overflowing with different kinds of feelings, feelings that she cannot explain. With that, she hugged him tightly and said, "welcome back."
Kuroro returned the hug. "Thank you, Kurapika."
The others watch at them with smiles on their faces while Gon and Killua looked at each other and made a high five shouting, "yeah," rejoicing at finishing another journey.
Kurapika learned a valuable lesson in this journey that they just finish, that every burden that kept it someone's heart, when it is shared, it becomes lighter and more bearable. She used to keep everything in herself, her anxiety, her loneliness, her troubles, but because she has her friends and the people who love her, she learned to go out of her shell and become a better version of herself.
-0-
Back at Rukuso Mountain where Lumiere used to live, the wind blew kindly around her, sending her the refreshing scent of the forest surrounding her. The scene beneath the mountain never seems to change except that it became quieter since the Kuruta tribe are gone. She missed the old days.
She can still remember the faces of the people she cared and treated as her own family. Despite living in seclusion at the top of the mountain, her presence in the Kuruta vicinity never bothered them whenever she pay a visit.
She remembered Rika and Karin, Rain and Kurapika's mothers. She remembered how each of them walk their own path and made their own families.
Lumiere smiled at herself. "Don't worry, Rika, Karin," she said, "those two are doing well."
"What are you doing there, Lumiere," a girl's voice shouted behind her. She turned and saw Kurapika walking toward her. "Come on, the food is ready," she said as she grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the picnic ground that everyone set-up.
"Wow!" Lumiere's eyes lit up as saw the delicious looking grilled meat taken out of the hot grill.
"Here," Rain handed her a plate with different kinds of newly cooked dishes.
"Itadakimasu!" she exclaimed as she put a piece of meat in her mouth. "Ah! It's so delicious!"
"Itadakimasu!" the others did the same.
Lumiere looked at at the people around her. Everyone are happily chatting with each other and can't help but the smile once again. She felt a hand over her right shoulder and saw Oliver beside her smiling at her.
"You look really happy," he told her.
She nodded. "Of course." She turned her gazed to the youngsters in front of them. "I experience a lot of things in this new life," she said and looked back at the man beside her. "And I am thankful for being born once again."
The end.
-0-
AN: I'm really sorry for being so so so so late!
Anyway, this is really the end of this. I was not planning it to be like this at first, but I lost interest along the way. I still did not want to abandon it so I decided to give a quick ending. So, that's it.
Thanks to everyone who read this fanfic, especially to those who gave their feedback.