Episode 3: Truth Behind the Ruins!
Events During Book 0:
The Casting of the Dark Curse…
Three drops of blood fell to the grass before igniting an orange gel streaming across the entire field. It crafted a gigantic magical circle similar of the inverted pentacle. The substance reached to the other four points of the star, encasing the box, Abigail, Akiteru, and the hairs from the 4 half-sisters with energy.
A tall, vortex of smoke filled with black, red, and orange magic effects grew from the center of the pentacle, heading up to the skies. Both heroes and villains watched in its majestic beauty and horror being unleashed.
Kei smiled wickedly at this while Verrado raised up her arms to send the fiery clouds of the dark curse across the entire valley, reaching as far south as Casa Grande, to the north at Black Canyon City, to the west at Buckeye, and finally to the east as Gold Canyon.
Towards the city of Anthem, where Rasputin 'retired' to, the ex-shrine priest's heartbeat was felt rapidly as the fiery clouds of the Dark Curse arrived in this city too.
How far will this curse take us, he thought, closing his eyes as the curse washed over his body…
Planet Duniya, 2 Months after the Dark Curse breaks
Journey to Lha'li
Rasputin rounded up Tsubasa, Seijuurou, Isana, and Hikaru while the other Shimogami senshi and Misae stayed behind to keep things going smoothly for Aeuropa City. At this point, the Shimogami senshi could tell that Tsubasa and Sei were starting to become a couple but kept it quiet among themselves.
It was no doubt that Isana and Hikaru were like a married couple despite not having an official ceremony.
They trekked their journey towards the south-southeast, heading to the Las Jangwa Desert at the very region where the meadows and the desert would soon touch together...
The blue-haired man looked at his partner, "This man…why do I keep feeling a strange aura from him?"
"Strange how?" Sei asked.
"It reminds me of the very person who we are enemies to. Yet, this person is filled with sorrow that I can't even fathom," Tsubasa muttered.
"Well, I suppose you do have a point. There is something about him that is familiar," the red-haired rest his fist beneath his chin, "But, just who is this man exactly?"
Annoyed, Rasputin turned while maintain his composure, "Is there something the matter, gentlemen?"
Tsubasa tried his hardest to not jump while the red-haired said, "Matter? Um, no. Nothing at all."
"It's not nice to keep secrets. I saw you whispering. What's it about, huh? Do I hear wedding bells?" Isana asked.
"Hey. Not cool. Stay out of it," Hikaru grunted.
"But it's soooooo obvious," Isana grinned.
"It's none of your business, though," the brunette frowned, "It's not our business unless they want it to be our business, got it?"
"Well…'scuse me," Isana crossed his arms.
With a sigh, Tsubasa lifted his crossbow, pointing at the mysterious guy, "Okay then…Rasuptin, if that's what you go by. Why don't you tell us more about this mission?"
"Whoa! What are you doing?!" Sei gasped and tried to hold him back.
"I don't trust you because the way you recruited us out and not informing where we are going...who are you really Rasputin?" Tsubasa asked, ignoring Sei's protest.
"Is that seriously your only reason? Do you realize how paranoid you're sounding!" Isana replied.
"Isana, stand down. I'll handle this," the red-haired replied.
"That will not be necessary gentlemen," Rasputin sighed, twirling himself around, "I guess it is time that I properly introduce myself..."
He clasps his hands together to summon a sword of thin-blade as his green irises turn blood-red with some blood marks surrounding his eyes. With this, Tsubasa was almost ready to shoot his arrows.
"Maybe Tsubasa was on to something after all," Hikaru felt a nervous sweatdrop coming.
"Who exactly are you? Explain yourself now," Seijuurou said.
"Born as the Bastard king of Thebes, descended from monsters that feast on humans. I am the first of our kind - Oedipus Rex!" the king's voice echoed through Rasputin's mouth.
"Uh…what now?" Seijuurou grew confused.
"That name does ring a bell..." Isana analyzed the thought of that name.
"Your legend says that you were banished from your family of origin, yet you fulfilled that terrifying prophecy," Tsubasa replied.
"Indeed but of course there was more to the legend that no one knew about...in your modern era," Rasputin/Oedipus answered, "My father...Larius violated the ways of mankind...and because of him, the Elder Barins were created to punish all of us. I may have killed him, but the war of the Elder Barins kept on going."
"The Elder Bairns...you don't mean..." Seijuurou gasped.
"Your 'Alex'...was one of them too?" Tsubasa asked.
"Part one, if I recall from his legend. You're the same as him?" the red-haired narrowed his eyes.
"As I said, I am the first of our kind...the first human and Elder Bairn hybrid...which is why my reincarnated form as Rasputin...also inherited the same traits. But being reborn in an era of royalty with the Romanovs, and solitude kept my original powers from resurfacing," the man explained, "It wasn't till my third rebirth under the Chiropteran family I was under."
Tsubasa's eyes widened as his mind flashed back to the following…
"To backtrack about what you said earlier, I saw the father today and he spoke about starting his story over. Do you think it's possible that he's changed?" she questioned.
"Well I do not know this man, but I know this…if he is willing to forgive himself and try to find happiness…I think a second chance is a possibility," Tsubasa placed his two cents.
"Would you give that witch a second chance?" Elise questioned.
"…depends on what that witch is doing now," he said, "I'd have a hard time to believe it at first but…"
"Well that's my point with Rasputin; I can't trust him but…he does care for the children very much so. I don't know if I will ever be happy again but…maybe I should go back too and find my story," she replied, "I'm sorry if this conversation was awkward but…"
"No…I appreciate your honesty. At least we both feel a similar kind of pain," Tsubasa nodded as he got up with Toto.
"That means that you…" Tsubasa trembled as he tried to shoot his arrow, but he struggled, "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HER!?"
"So, you met with her...didn't you?" Rasputin asked.
"And do you not even care about her life?! YOU SICK BASTARD!" he shouted back.
"...As the old irony goes, you have eyes, yet you can't see the truth. That's why I am here," Rasputin said.
"And what truth is that?" Sei looked at him sharply.
"I am here to find MY truth. I recruited you gentlemen to come with me to help me research on what happened the day Lha'li fell during the Chiropteran Wars," Rasputin replied, "And if it had something to do with the princess."
Tsubasa finally lowers the bow as he could barely reply to this. None of this made sense…what could this mean?
"Legends and stories will twist and connect, in ways that you cannot fathom...some of them will rot to dust. Others will keep on going and going without an end. In my case, my legend was brought up from violation after violation," Rasputin continued, "It's as if I am eternally punished...but for once in any of my lives...I want to break that cycle.
"After I died during the Chiropteran Wars, I was in the Underworld for some time but at some point, a path of light led me to the heavens...So...if I was able to get to the paradise...did I really do what I did to Elise or not? Or is there something else that is hiding that truth from me?"
"Someone like you was in the same paradise as us?" Isana felt disbelief.
"Like he said, there could be some truth here. Something buried beyond our sight," Hikaru said.
"Okay there, you are getting WAY too into this," Isana replied.
"I'm listening to this carefully. Something we should've done instead of turn swords and arrows against him," he replied.
After a moment of silence or two, Tsubasa looked at the eyes of Rasputin/Oedipus and stated, "You will lead us to Lha'li...and if the truth claims that you are innocent, we'll reconsider. If not…"
He gestures his bow, "Your 4th death or whatever this number may be will be a lot quicker than going to sleep."
The five made it to the ruins of Lha'Li after another day and a half. The heat was intense, but it turns out that some people were still running things barely across the ruined village. Some areas looked like they were rebuilding but it was no progress.
The people there had loose-fitted clothing and fabrics that could barely keep them from the sun. The Hidaka trio used their powers to provide a rainy area for the civilians to bath in and to drink. It was for sure a blessing as the area has hardly seen water for months, perhaps years.
After enough searching, Rasputin found the wooden-platform stage when he performed his musical, "It was here...I was right here singing, while trying to recruit humans by mutating them into members of my army...the Chiropterans."
"How did you even make that work?" Isana asked.
"Dark magic to say the least," he shrugged, "We got what we needed even though my brother Alex tried to kill me but couldn't."
He closed his eyes to try to remember the city back in the day, "Yes, the newly-formed Chiropterans did lay waste to this city...but I was well on my way out of here...some of the new ones followed while others raided across town.
"We were supposed to regroup by the Old Creek Junction before returning to our nest..." he muttered but suddenly paused as throbbed a bit, prompting him to fall to his knees.
"Hey. You okay?" Hikaru asked.
"I…I don't remember the rest that day…" Rasputin said, "It's as if whatever happened next…"
"Where was this nest?" Seijuurou asked.
"It was not far from the Vedas Hot Springs," the man replied.
Taking out a few of his paper talisman markings left from his days at the Shrine along with some beaded-like jewelry from his days as Friar Gregory Lawrence, he was coming up with a plan into how he could regain the memories of his Chiropteran days…specifically that day.
However, something else echoed in his mind as he recalled something from Alex and Haruka…
"Water…a living thing…"
"That's right," Rasputin muttered, "The water is alive…"
"That is something Haru would say…what about it?" Seijuurou asked.
"There's only one way that can answer the question...water...is indeed a living entity...if I mix it with my blood...I might be able to finally remember what happened...but coming to this city was the first ingredient...because it's where...'she' is from...Elise was a princess here...and her family approved of us coming here, of course they didn't know who we were, but I never even saw her," he said.
"Is this a good idea?" Tsubasa looked at Sei.
"I don't like this anymore than you do. If we want to get the full truth, we... we might as well go along with it for now. I hope I don't regret this later," he replied.
Setting up the area of dirt, Rasputin placed five of his paper talismans while silently praying that Watanuki was right about this mission. Using their wands, the four senshi created a puddle of pure water.
With a bite on his thumb, Rasputin placed six drops into the water…
After a long minute, the water flared to life as it exploded upwards before it shifted into a shape of Rasputin during his Chiropteran days with a shadow of the five Chivashi alongside. It was like watching a 3D movie of some sort as they watched the six of them recruited the newly created Chiropterans beyond them.
"This was the army that we created," Rasputin stated, "And we left the city, but it did undergo chaos. I asked two of my Chivashi to go get them back."
The four men and Rasputin continued watching the 3D figurines walking in circles in its animated sequence, heading towards what looked like a massive cavern in one of the mountains across the desert.
"That was the nest," Rasputin muttered.
The figures walked into the cavern when it was rather darker than usual (it would normally have some low-lit fire pits). Seconds later, a cry of hyenas could be heard as the water split off, revealing a group of hooded figures in familiar shapes that both Tsubasa and Rasputin recalled…
"N-NO!" he shouted.
"It's her...the same one…" Tsubasa gasped.
"When we got back to our nest...I-I remember now. That strange cloaked person was there with her clan...they ambushed us!" Rasputin continued, "T-that means...Matroyna! Varvara! Oh my dearest children!"
He fell to his knees, weeping bitterly upon what was shown before him. The water shifted again, showing a pregnant Verrado coming to Lha'li with her clan of witches, using their magic to turn the city into rubble and ruins while slaying the royal family of the desert.
Verrado herself then approached to Elise and cast her under a spell, putting false memories of being the mother of the children before killing her. Elise's soul would then drift off to the unknown before the First Generation of the Magic Six created the afterlife where her spirit found itself into upon the shores of Idaina Magna.
The cocoons were then delivered to a confused, memory-altered Rasputin who would then vow to protect his two children…leading into more chaos with him and Alex and up to the final battle in Iwamara…
"M-My children…I am so sorry," he breathed heavily, still on his knees with pain.
"Oh my god" Hikaru could barely react to this horror.
Tsubasa approached to the fallen man before putting his hand on his shoulder.
"I may have done bad things in my life, but I knew I couldn't have hurt a person like that!" Rasputin stated, "Not even after...Jocasta...it's the whole reason why I knew I became asexual and became afraid to become intimate! This is the very proof!"
"After you found the truth back in Greece..." Seijuurou muttered.
"I swore to never get intimate with another person ever again...that witch must have known who I was and tried to repeat the trauma over again!" Rasputin shouted.
"You're like us…you were hurt by that clan and that woman," Hikaru answered.
After a long moment of silence, the water collapsed back down to the sand before evaporating to the heat.
"…So what now?" Seijuurou asked.
"When I was reborn the second time, I did have my own family yes, but I was a much different person as my memories of Oedipus was locked away," Rasputin continued, "Matronya and Varvara were present by my side and they too were reborn on this world...but under such horrible, cursed circumstance."
"How will we get Elise to believe all of this? The truth must be told but I have a bad feeling she won't settle this right away. The way she spoke to me about you back in the heavens, she really wanted you gone," Tsubasa answered.
"I have no doubt she wanted that," he shrugged before his ears perked up.
The four men turned to see a group of human-like beings with wings on their back, showing the similar resemblance to Rasputin during the memory presentation. One of them looked like a princess along with three others looking like birds.
"W-who...?" Isana looked at them.
"More Chiropterans?" Hikaru asked.
"Stellaluna?! Y-you're here!" Rasputin gasped.
"You look worn out...are you alright? We saw you and these gentlemen traveling to this territory," Stellaluna answered.
"It's a long story, but..." he replied, looking at the four humans, "I think it's time that I continue my quest. I am sorry to have bothered the four of you for this."
"We do appreciate that the truth has been found. And…I'm sorry for what I said to you earlier…" Tsubasa answered.
"But should you ever need us again...I'm certain you'll call for us," the red-haired agreed with a small grin.
With a smile at last, Rasputin replies, "Thank you."
Rasputin followed Stellaluna and her guards back to Chirottori as the former was somewhat less thrilled about returning there but the princess insisted that the family inquired more information about the ancestry as well as finding a stash of treasures found in the river of jewels.
"You've already been here once Raspy, it's not like you're a stranger to us," the princess stated.
"But even still, I know you and the family have a busy life now in the present," he brushed his hand to the side of his hair.
Stellaluna takes him to the main gate of their palace as it is now made of wooden in nature instead of charcoal of rocks like it used to be during Pandora's reign.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked.
"You'll be fine. Besides, only you can speak the language of the old," she insisted.
"And what is it do you want me to do?" he replied.
"You'll see," she winked, leading him through the entrance before going through the halls of the palace. After several turns and twists through the halls, they arrived at the Northern Wing area where the parents along with some interpreter tried to read something on the table.
"I'm home!" Stellaluna called.
"Stella-sweetie, I see you've came back rather earlier than..." Janella began but pauses to see Rasputin with her.
"What is it…" Goliath began but he too stopped.
"Uh, h-hi again," Rasputin chuckled nervously.
"R-raspy, don't be frightened! This is your moment to shine!" Stellaluna drags him over to the family tree map on the table.
"I guess our daughter has insisted about you being a key to our past," Janella answered.
"By all means. Have a look for yourself," the king shrugged.
Rasputin took gander at the map, "Y-yes...it would seem so...there's Dodecadron...my father...originally part-Chiropteran and part-fairy. His family were the original rulers to this land of the Mullerians. Our family line ended with Alex and I..."
He paused as he recalled from what he saw earlier about the true origin of his children and the wretch who destroyed him and Elise.
Stellaluna noticed Raspy's somber expression across his face as Goliath asked, "Something troubles you, lad?""
After a moment of silence, "...I found out today that my children are not made by the last princess of Lha'li."
"Eh? But..." she looks at the family tree again.
"Take another look...that person next to my name...the ink is fresh and new. This is supposed to be an old map from a very old family," Rasputin pointed it out.
"When you put it that way, I do find that a bit odd," the king observed this.
"When Pandora took over this kingdom, she told me stories about how Dodecadron's family once had business with the residents of Lha'li..." he revealed, "That's when I did my own research and learned that they are ruled by strict guidelines of their religion based from the Tabukists but they splinted off with their own set of deities.
"In exchange for their alliance, the family gave them a gift...it was an artificial series of hot springs by locating several underground water reservoirs. It's because of this that the residents of Lha'li were able to flourish...
"During the dark times, I went to Lha'li with my Chivashi to find more humans to convert to artificial Chiropterans.
"But the bigger problem was when after we returned to the nest located not far from the hot springs...
"We were ambushed and, the name you see there...was not the mother of my Matryona and Varvara. It is true that I am their father...but it wasn't by choice."
"Say no more. I think we can all surmise what fell upon you. And this wretch who did what they did... did you ever get a name? Or what they were?" the king asked.
"I have met someone who knows of her clan...for he was also a victim, but he lost his wife and his only son to their sickening rituals," he replied, "It kinda feels surreal to be here...where I once lived. Yet everything is redesigned."
"Much better than the hellfire and brimstone from before... or so I was told," Goliath answered.
"After all that has happened, we found that the hot springs were no longer there...it was as if all the water was drained," he said.
"Stella, honey, are you going to tell him about what you saw...that thing?" Janella asked.
"Eh? oh um...Raspy...if I may, I heard the noise of a bell..." Stellaluna added.
Rasputin looked at her a bit sharply, "So…you hear it too?"
"Only about three times or so...but each time that I did hear, it got progressively louder...then the other day," she leads him to a window where she points out at four massive crystal-like structures.
"Th-those are...the ones I saw from before!?" Rasputin gasped.
"Where have you seen them?" Janella asked.
"Never mind where...but these towers...they're pointing towards the direction of the hot springs," Rasputin muttered.
"Perhaps the answer lies in the hot springs?" Goliath asked.
"This may be the true chance to find out," Rasputin answered.
The trio of Hidaka Senshi and Tsubasa were making their way back towards Aeuropa City, talking among themselves along the way on what else needed to be done upon their return.
"…Just how many more have suffered because of that bitch?" Tsubasa grumbled.
"Far too many to count on one hand," Seijuurou sighed.
"But we still don't know what their true objective is. That bitch may have been defeated by her daughter but they all disappeared...no doubt they have some sort of a base hidden away," the blue-haired man replied.
"And us without any leads as to how to track them down," Hikaru added.
"I don't even want to imagine what their end game scenario is going to be... or whatever they have planned, for that matter," Isana answered.
They were exiting the desert and towards the meadows once again, but the ground began to shake. At first it was subtle but then it grew more violent by the moment.
"That... can't be good..." Sei's eyes widened.
The ground breaks loose in front of them, revealing several-spiked crystals heading towards them.
"WATCH OUT!" Tsubasa shouted, yanking on Sei's hand to dodge the explosion.
"WHAT THE...?!" Hikaru gasped.
"Get out of the way of these things and don't turn back you guys!" Tsubasa ordered as they ran back towards the desert, heading in a different direction than they were with Rasputin. The shadowed-spike crystals chased after them, threatening each step of the way.
Annoyed, Isana threw a blast of water to see if it would stop the spikes but they stabbed the water through like butter.
They arrived at a strange place in the desert that was filled with a series of holes all around. The crystals stopped growing but four massive tower-like structures appeared in front of them. Each embedded in symbols that Seijuurou recognized of the two...
"W-what is this place?" Isana asked.
"Who cares? Are we safe?" Hikaru added.
"What's the matter?" Tsubasa noticed Sei's darker expression.
The red-haired pointed at the two of the structures, "I've seen these two before…my high school... points at one crystal. And Iwatobi...our rival school."
"But why are they here?" Tsubasa asked.
"And what about the other two?" Isana looked at the sun-shaped symbol and the paw.
"As I feared...the power of Articora must have come to this land."
The senshi gasped and turned to see Rasputin again along with Stellaluna and her mother.
"Well that didn't take too long," Isana shrugged.
"That's all fine and dandy, but..." Seijuurou said, pointing at the crystals, "You know what these are, don't you? Samezuka and Iwatobi are upon their surfaces. Why? Who sent them here? And what are the other two symbols?"
"...I guess I may left a few things out on our quest. But I didn't think fate would tie this together so quickly and unexpectedly," Rasputin shrugged before digging into his bag to take out a set of notes he wrote throughout his journey.
"I've seen these crystals before while I was on a different expedition...I touched one of the crystals and boom, I realized I am a reincarnation of a cursed child of Thebes who shares a similar blood like Alex. The symbols and the bell would appear from time to time in my dreams...and it led me to a different world where I would train...them. Nonetheless, these symbols represent the powers of the Guardians of Articora."
"Arti-who-what?" Isana looked confused.
"Articora...a continent where legendary giants live to guard the sacred power of Polaris. Only the fifth guardian is destined to go to Polaris and set things right caused by the wrong," Rasputin explained.
"That doesn't explain why these things are here, or why our schools' symbols are on them," Seijuurou commented.
"...Mayfield, Arizona, Iwatobi, and Samezuka. They are guardian spirits," Rasputin replied.
"What did you say?! Tell me you didn't say 'Mayfield'. What the hell is going on?" Seijuurou looked at him sharply.
"...You know of these names, don't you?" Rasputin asked.
"Mayfield... that was the name of Alex's school, if I'm remembering right. What does his school have to do with this?" Seijuurou crossed his arms.
"It's like I said, they are guardian spirits," Rasputin stated.
"And you said there was a fifth one...?" Tsubasa questioned.
"There is. One who is the bridge between Chaos and Cosmos," he said.
"I don't suppose you know who or what that may be," Sei replied.
"Only Articora would know the answer. I have never been to that land so I cannot answer that question. I only know of it because of a friend informing me of its existence," Rasputin answered, "But it appears we are here because something else is hidden. Something that should belongs to its owner but has not yet returned to the world of living..."
"That's probably the closest we're going to get to a straight answer from you. Yay, for vague," Sei sighed.
"We are looking for what is called...a talisman," Rasputin answered.
"A talisman?" Hikaru asked.
Tsubasa held Sei's hand from behind, "Let's just keep ourselves together here. I'm sure Asahi and Ikuya wouldn't want us to crumble."
"You're right," Sei blushed but felt comfortable.
"It would be best to split up into smaller groups..." Janella suggested.
Tsubasa and Sei followed Rasputin and Stellaluna while Hikaru and Isana followed Janella as they wandered throughout the Hot Springs...finding interesting languages and architectures along the way. The Mullerians explained to the humans more about the land since the new era.
The two teams split to both sides of the springs, looking for some deeper holes or tunnels that may lead to what Rasputin keeps calling a "talisman".
"Does our enemy...want these talismans too?" Tsubasa asked.
"It's very likely they may be after them. Which is why we must find them before they do," the ex-priest answered.
"Do we even know what we're looking for? What it looks like? Anything?" Seijuurou added.
"I've secured at least three of them so far...and they can appear like any ordinary object but being experienced as a shrine priest, I can tell when an object emits power," Rasputin said.
Stellaluna sniffed her nose in the air, "Raspy, I think I smell something towards that direction…"
She points out towards a strange looking oasis-like region in the horizon. With a nod from Rasputin, Stellaluna makes a bat-like screech call to attention to her mother and the others. Seijuurou looks at Tsubasa, then shrugs his shoulders. Whatever mysteries lied ahead, he hoped they will receive the answers shortly.
The group arrived at the Oasis as sure enough Rasputin can indeed sense the work of a talisman creating this illusion of some sort. Yet the water, the palm trees...everything seemed real.
"Be careful of what you touch," Rasputin warned.
They walked around the flora of trees, water, and succulents of all shapes and sizes for several moments. It didn't take long but a small tune of music filled the air…sounding like a stringed instrument. Isana and Hikaru look around, trying to their hardest to hear where the melody originates.
Tsubasa turned to see a strange looking instrument on top of bed of flowers playing by itself.
"The Kantele, of course!" Rasputin realized.
"Why would this musical instrument be out here...did it belong to someone?" Stellaluna asked.
"Is this the talisman you were searching for?" Sei looked at the ex-priest.
"...Yes, but...looks up we are going to have to fight for it," Rasputin answered as the ground began to shake again.
"Stellaluna!" Janella shouted as her daughter clung onto her arms safely.
"Get out of the oasis area!" Rasputin cried out.
"Whatever this thing is... we're not running. Ready, gents?" Seijuurou grinned as he and the others took out their transformation pens.
"As ready as we ever be," Hikaru said.
"AQUARIUS POWERRRRRRR..."
"THUNDARIS POWERRRRRR…"
"ECHINOZOA POWERRRRRR…"
"GLADIUS POWERRRRR..."
"MAAAAAKKKEEEEEE UP!"
~Book 2.5 END~
~To Be Continued in Book 3: Ever Blue Company~
Synopsis: As Artemis and co. were sent to Olympia Magna, the remaining Hidashimo Senshi were left behind but joined by other Swimming Guardians. However, one timeline remains to be revealed as the truth about Dark Mirror brings consequences to the contents involved. A new world created by the Dark One itself imprisons the STYLE FIVE with a whole new set of personas. How will anyone remember the past if the future has already happened?
To Be Released: December 2020!