Cards, Love, war, and rebellion
Chapter 10
Authors note: all right now all that dilly dalling aside it's time to get serious and bring something with a bit more action and folklore. This time there will be something really mythic. You will find it out in this chapter so bear with me.
POV: Sakura.
It's been 3 weeks since we've arrived to Hong-kong and a lot has happened in that time. I got accepted as Syaoran kuns bride, Meiling chan is now courting Ryouma kun, Tomoyo chan made a new friend who she gets allong with really well, we fought demons on almost an everyday basis, and now I seem to be the center of a religious cult that's been forming recently with Daiyu san as the main priestess. What's more they're even building a shrine dedicated to me which is embarrassing. Heck I was even given plum wine as an offering of forgiveness for their sins as well as confessions and prayers. I tried to stop them but they kept on doing it, heavens those girls are out of control. Today is one of those off days where we get the whole day of rest from fighting demons. Now we are at Bao kuns favorite noodle shop for lunch where they make great noodle soups. We were eating and discussing the demon attack recently.
"Look I know I haven't fought the demons myself but I can tell that something is not right." Huan Liu san deduced.
"You're not the only one your majesty." Shanyuan blurted out.
WHACK
[don't call him that in public you moron. He specifically said to call him Huan, Huan Liu, or Liu. If you call him your majesty in public people will bow their heads or something. He doesn't want that!] Shi's boar read after she gave Shanyuan a good whack upside the face.
"You have some interesting friends lady Tomoyo." Huan Liu observed.
"And I won't have it any other way." Tomoyo chan declared proudly.
"But still He's right about the demons though." Syaoran kun added between a few bites of noodles.
"Yeah it's almost as if someone is pulling the strings in the shadows or something." Boa kun added.
"You know in my experience whenever something feels like someone's pulling the strings it's normally that being the case" Kero chan told everyone.
"I'm going to have to agree with you there. Cause after all Eriol put me though a series of tests that nearly cost me and my friends lives, and the butler of one of our friends was doing something sinister when we had the clear card incident." I added while my wings were fluttering with nerves. I managed to keep my wing under control so they won't flutter as much but I'm nervous throughout my body and the recent battles aren't even helping.
"I wonder if Eriol could help us out with this trouble. You guys told me that he knows a lot about magic from good to sinester. Maybe some of his knowledge may help." Meiling chan suggested. It was a good plan and we know that Eriol kun is in Hong-kong somewhere. The hard part will be finding him since Hong- kong is a big city. He could be anywhere even the outskirts if possible.
"Help you yes I will, but don't expect me to know everything." A familiar voice called. We all looked to see a cloacked man with a hood over his head. As he walked up to us he took his hood off and we see the face that all knew. It was Eriol kun, it has been long time since we've last seen him. His dark blue hair turns black in the ligh of the sun giving him a handsome look on his face. He hasn't ganged much especially with his glasses. I'm happy to see him again but there is something that's been bugging me to ask him. Before I could ask him Syaoran kun beat me to the punch.
"So you're the one who saved that man from being impaled by that demon days ago. Am I right Eriol?" Syaoran kun asked.
"I was however I didn't want to intrude you on your visit here so I kept my distance. But it's great to see everyone agai." Eriol kun told us with a smile. I'm happy to see him again but Syaoran kun doesn't always like him for some reason. Eriol kun is the reincarnation of my predecessor Clow but he is also a good friend of ours. Since he may know what had happened I start to ask him.
"So Eriol do you know something that may help us, like who's pulling the strings?" I asked. From that point Eriol kuns face went grim.
"I have an inkling of who it could be but I don't have any proof nor am I 100 percent certain if it's true." Eriol kun confirmed.
"Do tell." Ryouma kun asked.
"Let's just say that a student of Clow have something to do with it." Eriol kun informed.
"A student?" I asked.
"I don't know the full details but I do know where we can get the answers." Eriol explained. And it turns out that the only place where the answers are located is at the mausoleum at the Hong-kong magic institute. This meant that we may have to get in one of the most prestigious and forbidden places in the country. From what Syaoran had told me during our sailing to Hong-kong is that only registered potential mage students and school staff can enter. And one of its tasks is to find Clows successor and the clow cards. While The Li clan do have some privileges when it comes to entering it others however must register first before entering its grounds. Syaoran kun also explained that he even had gotten an invitation to attend it on a scholarship but he declined because he wanted to be with me, that's so sweet for him to give up a chance to go to a high end academy just to be with me. We decided to discuss the matter further at the compound after lunch. Once we are in Syaoran kuns room he brought in a map of the school grounds and laid it down on the table. The layout of the academy was huge and it seems as if it had be improved by the ages. There were many dorms and class building as well as a library. The mausoleum was at the back of the main building and it seems that it was placed so that everyone could see it from different angles. We were curious on why Eriol kun would choose the academy till he told us why.
"The last testament of Clow Reed in in the mausoleum buried with him. From what I'm told, no one is allowed to touch it let alone read it." Eriol kun explained.
"Are you nuts? Going in a imperial academy to steal an important documents is a major crime!" Huan Liu protested.
"But it's the only way to help us find a way to stop this mess." Syaoran kun explained.
"He's right, and besides if we didn't do something about it then we may as well down in a ditch." Bao agreed.
"Fine. As they say, know thy enemy know thy self and you will be victorious. I'll explain this to my father." Huan Liu sighed at this. He seems reluctant but we must know what has happened. If Clow Reed had any information about this then we must learn about it from his final testament. That way we can put an end to this once and for all.
"Then let's do it!" I declared.
"Yaya stealth mission! I have the perfect outfit for you and Li kun Sakura chan!" Tomoyo shouted. I fell to the ground once she said that. Don't get me wrong, Tomoyo chans outfits are cute and all but they can be embarrassing to wear. The frills of the dresses to the outrageous styles and accessories are weird enough, but sometimes the cuteness can be a bit overwhelming. The last outfit Tomoyo chan made me wear was really raunchy one especially for a group, and that was when we made the bust for the gamble house bounty. As she went to our shared room to grab them I looked at Syaoran who looked like he was beginning to regret his decision. He had been the victim of Tomoyo chans antics as well, especially during our childhood and dates. When Tomoyo chan returned I was relieved yet surprised at the same time. The outfits she made were navy blue Shinobi garb, however ours are heavily modified. Mine's was sleeveless and had a cutout for my wings and had shorts instead of the the regular trousers while Syaoran kuns had short sleeves. They have navy blue skarfs that we can use as masks and tekkou for the arms. The shoes were of the han-cho style and were padded for silent movement but mine had navy blue knee socks added. Also there were some pouches and pockets galore on the outfits even in the tekkou's, I could hide my cards in them. Got to hand it to her this is the least extravagant outfit she had ever made, Tomoyo chan certainly has a knack for style and funtion.
"Alright then let's do it tomorrow night. You two need plenty of rest in order to go in there." Kero chan adviced.
"If there are demons at large tomorrow don't worry. I'll handle them with the others. You two rest easy." Eriol kun added, and rest we did. The following day was a calm one but there were a few skirmishes with the demons but this time it was light. Eriol kun stood in for me and Syaoran kun so we could prepared for tonight. When the sun went down we only had short amount of time to get in and get out since summer meant more sunlight and less dark nights. Lucky for us night time lasted almost just the same in the southern areas especially in Hong-kong. As Syaoran kun and I skimmed along the roof tops using the jump card to help us jump higher we arrived at the academy. There are a few guards around since it's considered one of the most prestigious academies in the country. As we jumped over the wall we sneaked past the guards with ease. Some of them are probably new and were probably lax since it is night time plus I used the sleep card to help them get drowsy. We head inside the main building and sneaked around searching for the headmaster's office. It took us a few minutes but we managed to find him drinking with a few other men and probably what looked like to be a few call girls or something. They are obviously celebrating something but I hate to say this, we have to crash and ruin this party. I used the mist card to create a fog cover and then use dash on Syaoran kun so that he could capture him and take him out of here so we could interrogate him. I didn't use the sleep card on them cause they have high magical powers but they were too busy drinking to notice any change in magic power. Once we captured the headmaster we made sure that he was bound and gagged so that he won't make any noise. We took him to a nearby ware house to interrogate him. We untied his gag so we could interrogate him. Syaoran kun pointed his blade to the headmasters neck as a means of intimidation.
"Who are you? And what do you want with me?" the head master asked
"We want the keys to the mausoleum." I asked nicely.
"They are in a drawer in the key room." The head master answered quickly.
"That's a lie, I know that you would use that to throw off anyone who tries to enter the mausoleum." Syaoran threatened.
"How did you-" the head master began before he was cut off by Syaoran kun.
"You kept the keys in a safe in one of the buildins." Syaoran kun said.
"Ok I'll tell you, it's in one of the class halls so please let me go." The head master pleaded.
"I know it's in one of the class halls! You're going to tell us which one and where it's located and you'll give us the keys to open it" Syaoran threatened as set the edge of his blade to the head masters throught.
"Better tell us cause we are in a hurry. Also my companion here isn't patient at the moment it's best to tell us and we'll let you be." I assured.
"Seems fair." The head master answered.
"Start with the building." I told him firmly.
"Class hall fenghuang, it's the building with the phoenix on the door." The head master answered
"The room." Syaoran asked
"Room number 4 on your right." The head master added.
"The safe's location." Syaorand finished.
"It's in a trapdoor under the teacher's desk. Also the keys are in my shoes" The head master said finally.
"Thank you." I said. I took off his shoes and boy do his feet smell. He needs to go take a foot bath or something. I shook his shoes till I saw some small keys fall out of it. I scooped them up and told Syaoran kun I had them. He took his blade of the head masters neck and we went on our way. But the head master made one final statement before we left.
"Don't even think about entering it because there is a seal on the entrance. Only the master of the Clow cards can enter." The headmaster told us. So only I can get into the Mausoleum huh? Well he just let the cat out the bag.
"I don't think we need to worry about that sir. I'm already set." I Said giving him a hint as we ran off to the class hall leaving the head master behind.
"Do you think it was a good Idea to say that?" Syaoran kun asked.
"Nope, but I thought that it would be fun." I asnwered as we headed to the fenghuan hall. Finding the hall and the room was easy enough. the sleep card word really well on the guards and some of them were asleep so we had no trouble going passed them. As we entered the room we saw that the desk was on top of a rug of sorts. Syaoran kun and I moved the desk and removed the rug, and sure enough there was the trap door. I brought out the keys as Syaoran kun pried it open, when he did there was the safe. I tried different keys till I found the right one and unlocked the safe. As I opened the safe there were many documents and old relics. As we digged through the safe we noticed that the documents were mission reports on finding the Clow cards as well as the successor, many of them were reported as failed in the han-cho dialogue. As we searched through the safe we've found the keys and sure enough it's the one we were looking for. With that we headed off to the mausoleum. The mausoleum was 20 by 20 square meter building that is about 15 meters tall. There is one gate to the building, as we opened it up we quickly yet silently went in and closed the door. Syaorankun lit up a torch for us to see in the dark, as we searched the place we saw a shrine in the middle and we knew that it was dedicated to Clow reed. As we searched the area we noticed a magic circle. As I brushed my hand on it the head masters words echoed through my head. With that I poured some magic power in the circle and then a set of spiral staircases appeared. I look at Syaoran kun who gave me an assured look.
"I'll keep watch, you'll get in and grab the testament and we'll get out of here." He told me. With that I mustered up some courage and went down the stairs. The area is dark and cold and very scary, so say that I'm afraid is an understatement. I'm completely terrified, so I lit up a torch and went on my way lighting up more torches as I move forward. I must admit dark places can be terrifying especially if it's haunted. I don't like ghost they are scary, I hope they can please just go to heaven and rest in peace. I walked onwards till I came into a room and I lit up the place. It turns out that there was a locked gate in front of me. I examined the gate and to my surprise it was locked. Lucky for me I always have a hairpin with me for the occasion. As I jimmy the lock as I was picking it I heard a click. I withdrew the hairpin as the gate is unlocked, I opened the doors and I stepped inside a large round room. as I walked in a seal lit up and got burned away, Probably because of my magic power and the fact that I am Clow sans successor. Inside the room was a symbol of the sun, a crescent moon and a star on the end of the wall. At the center was a tomb where Clow reed lies to rest. And at the foot of the tomb was a long rectangular box that holds the last testament of Clow reed. I walked up to the box and took a quick peek inside and sure enough it was a scroll. This may be the last testament we are looking for, if I take this back with us then we may have the answer we are all trying to get. I placed the scroll in one of the pocket on my outfit and head back up. As I arrived at the stair I saw Syaoran kun hugging the wall.
"Did you get it?" he asked.
"I've got it." I answered while showing him the box.
"Good cause we better get out of her or"
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh
"That" Syaoran kun said as he got interrupted by the whistle.
"Let's get out of here!" I shouted and we dashed away. As we got closer to our intended exit we tripped over something and a net fell onto us. Clearly we were caught like a rat in a trap. A couple of people who I assumed to be students were hauling me and Syaoran kun away. As they came to a stop I realized that we were in the center of the school square.
"A flower fairy and a mortal man eh? You two caused allot of trouble for our school." The leading student is probably the head of the student council or something; she's dressed the same as the other students however she's a little more elaborate to say the least.
"I don't know why you would come in here and defile our school grounds but you will be severly punished for your blasphemy." She shouted.
"Mate. Please hear us out!" I shouted
"Oh Ni-hon-kaido spies eh? Well the authorities will have a field day with you."
"Wait a moment?" Syaoran kun yelled taking off his mask. Then an uproar came as they reconized Syaoran kun.
"Lord Li why are you sneaking in our school?" The head of the student council shouted.
"Information." Syaoran kun answered.
"Can't you just walk up to the front desk or ask the head master you tied up right there?" I looked to my left to see the head master looking at us with concern.
"We couldn't, and this is a matter of life and death. Not your schools reputation." Syaoran kun answered.
"he's right, we could only learn more if we look this up!" I shouted as pulled the scroll out of my pocket.
"Wait is that! How did you manage to get your hands on the last testament of Master Clow? Only the successor of Clow could go through the seal!" The head student asked. With that I called out all the cards as they float around me glowing pink. Everyone gasped at the sight of the cards.
"It couldn't be. . . could it?" The head master walked towards the cards as if he was in a trance.
"These were the clow cards, but now they are Sakura cards. In short they are my friends." I told him. Then the head master did something unexpected. He went his knees and bowed in Han-cho fashion.
"Card mistress . . . for years we have searched for you! Please forgive us for this blasphemy!" The head master shouted.
"HOE?" I shouted in surprise. I looked around to ask what's going on but then something weird is happening right now. Everyone else is bowing just like the head master.
"Card mistress please forgive us!" everyone shouted. This is too much for me. The next morning while we are having breakfast everyone looked at me with pity in their eyes. I can't blame them, First I've got people worshiping me like a goddess now I have people begging for me to be my disciple and take over the academy.
"Poor Sakura chan, she had a allot happened to her in a matter of a few days." Tomoyo chan said while trying to sooth me.
"Hoe, hazukashi yo." I wimpered.
"I'm surprised that the academy has accepted you as their mistress." Meiling said.
"First you're considered a goddess, now the leader of a faction? (sigh) all we right now need someone to make her a queen and she'd be considered a real celestial." Ryouma said.
"Ryouma don't say that, she's been through enough of it as it is!" Syaoran kun shouted.
"Gomen, just thinking out loud." Ryouma applogized.
"It's ok, it's just a lot to take in." I said accepting his appology.
"Still this is something. Did you go the testament sakura?" Eriol kun asked.
"Hai!" I said proudly showing the box
"I hope that whatever is in there could help you out with your little trouble." Huan Liu said.
"I hope that it could put a stop to this nonsense." Bao added.
[yeah the situation is becoming so ridiculous right as of this moment.] Shi's tablet read.
"Well hurry up let's see what it says." Shanyuan shouted.
"Calm down people let us finish our food first." Syaoran ordered. I'm happy that he told us to wait. I'm still a bit embarrassed about what happened. As we finsished our food I pulled the scroll out of its box.
"Alright Sakura, I hope that what you find in here will help you with our little escapade." Eriol kun said.
"let's see what it says!" Tomoyo chan shouted. I unrolled the scroll and began reading it. however I wasn't prepared for what the context had in store for us. Not only did it say how the demon problem started and who was controlling it, but there is a backstory and history to all of this. As I continued reading the context I realized one thing that comes into mind.
'this changes everything' I thought.
Authors note: I'm gonna call it a day for this chapter. If you want to know what the context of the scroll said I'll tell it to you in the next chapter. There is going to be a more in-depth story of Clow and Long Chang. Spoiler alert! The two had a strong familial bond together. I'll see ya'll in the next chapter.