"Where... where... where am I?" Shivering, like ice danced across his skin. "I... help... please..." A weight lay upon him, breathing was a struggle. "Help... please help..."

Nothing... darkness and fading lights... the weight heavier and heavier...

"No, breathe my child, breathe!" Soft and far away, a voice called out to him. The sound was odd, warped somehow... and yet he could understand it. "Live, please my child, live... "

The voice faded away and so did his vision...

"Live..."

Sharp, cold something like a cold lightning bolt ramed through his body and he awoke, eyes wide and the Darkness parted.

He saw a face, handsome and worn down, with a tall hat and priests outfit. "My child, you alive."

"Who are you... where..." Darkness took him again, but this time it was different, tempered by sleep and time not the weight of crushing pain.

"""

The Darkness would fade from time to time as slowly, he recovered from whatever illness weakened him so much. Moments of awareness returned to him, hazed by an unbearable fever that made the world swirl with discomfort. Through it all, the Japanese Priest from earlier watched over him, keeping him cool and comfortable as possible. He bathed him, which should have been uncomfortable but was oddly sweet. He fed him, cool slightly gross soup, like he would a small child.

Every day was hell but eventually the fever broke, and he awoke entirely, sitting up on a mat on the floor in a house made of glorious wood. It was beautiful, with screen doors and a sense of purpose to everything. He was nude and tired but oddly happy.

He had survived it, whatever the hell had happened to him... Still, was weak though. He could feel it, his first attempt to stand proved his muscles were like jelly and his body just lacked the energy to stand. So he layed there, waiting and quiet for what had to be an hour before the old priest returned.

The screen door opened, and with it came the scent of more soup. The priest was there as before, stooped from age and tired but with a kind smile and sharp jaw.

"My son, can it be, you've awakened. I worried that the fever would take you." With all the speed that age allowed, the man approached him, placing the tray down gently before sitting on the pillow next to his bed. With cold calloused hands, he grasped the boy's hands, a smile on his face. "I sense the infection had passed... may the gods smile down upon you further, my son."

"Gods... I don't... who... what happened, sir..." Scratchy and won, his voice scared him and with it a realization of just how close his death had come.

Through his shivers and fears, the old man sighed and grasped his hands tighter sending a shock through him. "Calm yourself child." A glow, a literal freaking glow came from his finger, traveling up the boy's arms and into his mind. His panicked was fading despite the shock, and he felt tired but also wonderfully aware.

"What... magic?"

The priest laughed softly. "As you are from the future, a time that seems void of power if your aura told me anything, then I am not surprised that find you so shocked... but yes." He smiled at him, kindly. "My name is Gin, I am the High Priest of this school, a school for the training of other Priests and Priestesses. In this time, we channel the magic of the soul, a magic all humans have access to, to cast spells of protection and offense. Power that comes from the joining of the four souls and their connection to the body. It is spiritual energy, the opposite of a demons... and if you intend to survive more then another night, you must begin learning how to channel it."

The words, their tone, shocked the boy and he looked at the man before him thusly. "Live... and channel it... why... I don't... how am I in the past. I mean I believe you, your literally using magic but... how... I can't remember."

The cold hands reached towards his temples and with the normal calm came a clarity. " Remember, you must... if you are to fight that which infects your soul."

"What happened here?" A massive sight, little grass and the remnants of a decimated tower and castle.

He tried to recoil as the vision slammed into his mind, but the priest's grip was strong.

"What's that buzzing... shit, Japenese Hornets?" He saw them, massive and powerful reaching towards him, he ran randomly, knowing the fatalities associated with their sting. "What, shit!" Something locked his foot in place and he tumbled, falling into the wreckage painfully, his camera crushing painfully against his chest, something sharp crushing against his hand.

"Stop, please... I can't... please... no more!"

Light exploded, dark and twisted purple. "You'll do, for my new host!" Echoing and loud, the voice reached into his mind and the buzzing faded into nothing as sheer agony like lava poured into his veins. I will consume you and live!"

A scream parted his lips as something powerful pulled him harder and harder into the ground which parted like putty and drug him further and further through the bright light.

"Stop!" He screamed, but to no avail, he saw it a massive red arm twisting around his body pulling him to a glowing center. "Please, stop!"

It did stop, but not for the better... darkness took him, stuck in a place between light and shadow, heaven and hell...lost for who knew how long...

"STOP!" He managed, finally to pull away from the old man, panting along side him as he cried, the memories of the Dark place. For a long moment he cried and endured the horrors of his memories, then the rest came and diluted the pain as he remembered finally who he was entirely." My name... Brian... Brian Carlson... I'm an exchange student, sixteen years old... I... took a trip, for senior year to Japan. I want to work in Television and I was working on taking pictures. I was proud of it, my self, for doing that... it was amazing but I went down the wrong path by accident. We were taking pictures of a local castle, it was like a monastery but they have no records of what it was for. I heard hornets, and their fatal so I ran. I fell and something dragged me... into a light but... what... what was it."

The Priest, Gin, coughed lightly. " A demon of great power... or rather it's remnants. When a Demon of great strength dies, it can leave traces within the earth that can linger for generations. It seems this one, when exposed to your blood I imagine, was energized enough to gain a foothold and sent you to the underworld where it could reform safely. Your a strong boy, even without power, your Spirit is potent enough that you managed to anchor yourself enough where it was forced to release you. The time stream runs through this and the Underworld, and it tossed you to a point of least resistance, a place where that Demon had yet to be slain.

This place, there is a tower where the beast was and is sealed... you appeared under it, or rather under the ground near it. I wouldn't have noticed had it not been for the sudden death of grass and your whispers. I was lucky to find you child. You were lucky that I found you."

That was clear. " Thank you... but... how... what did you mean, about me needing to channel my spirit power if I am to live?"

Gin's face turned dark. " The beast was anchored with you, your flesh, the fever is a mark of lingering traces of demonic impurities. " With a single gnarled finger, he pointed to dark specs on Brian's chest that he had not noticed before, marks that actually covered his body but mostly surrounded his heart. It was a terrifying sign an one that left him breathless. " In my youth I could have purified you but sadly I cannot... and so I could only seal it away. To keep you alive and all of us safe from it's power, I will teach you how to channel your power that of your soul..."

"Ok... I don't want to die."

"If you had refused, you would have and it would have harnessed your life force for something. Your body could have become a host to a demon or you could have become one of the undead."

"That... wouldn't be good... so thank you." He stopped for a moment. " But what's the different between demon power and spiritual power?"

This time Gin smiled. "Technically not much. It is all a part of energy and all magic uses energy, it is just a different form of it. They are on opposite ends of the spectrum of power and that makes them naturally aggressive towards each other." He chuckled softly. "I love having new students, even if the reason for your studies is not for the greater path of being a priest. This makes you a sorcerer then a priest I suppose, as I will be teaching you to draw on other magics... but still I will relish in it. Right now I only have two other students, Momiji and Botan. You will enjoy them, they are wonderful girls really."

Somehow the man didn't seem to notice the existential dread on Brian's eyes as his world swirled around him, all but upside down...

'How did my world come to this...'

A question he pondered while he drank his soup, hoping sense would return soon...

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

This was lot of fun to write and so weird but epic. Quick but I think the urgency of his lessons makes sense...

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.