Power of the Crests Saga:
Passion of Fire: Part Two of 'Passion of Fire
Original Author: Debbie (Dai-chan)
Rewriter: Celestra
So, a cliff-hanger. Hey, if Debbie wouldn`t let you hang ( for a while anyways) neither would I.
DISCLAIMER: Sorry but the original 'Power of the Crests Saga' belongs to Debbie (Dai-chan). And again, I dedicate it to the one true author, Debbie. For now I am only calling you Debbie.
Now, on with the story! By the way, Kari is not in this the fic, I am the eighth Digidestined!( Tai is supposed to be my brother, but Matt is my boyfriend and that is why in this story he cares about me and I care about him)By the way, Raimon resembles a tiger and a raichu.(Mostly a tiger,though.)She has two lightening sparks on her cheeks and one on her tail.
The minor pain woke her instantly. Elanna moaned as her body hurt everywhere. She felt like she was thrown and crushed into something. And she remembered heat. Intense heat. She noticed that she had patches of dark burned skin on her arms. Flinching as she touched the wounds, she realized she must`ve been out for a couple of moments, since the burns were raw. She slowly sat up, bearing against the pain, and scanned around. Thankfully, her trusty digimon, Raimon, was near, just beginning to wake. She found herself in a partially burned part of the jungle. She saw her gold-colored lead pencil with her silver initials on it laying nearby, undamaged. She took it and put it in her big pocket. She still had her pad of paper in her pocket, but finding her friends was more important then finding out if her precious drawing of her beagle, Loxie, was burned. She waited for Raimon to gather her bearings, then suddenly, she heard a sobbing voice behind her.
" Help! Help me!"
Standing up, Elanna saw Sora running toward her. Her face was deathly pale, and her eyes held fear and horror. She was alone, without Yokomon.
Elanna ran to her, holding her. " What`s the matter, Sora? Are you injured?" Then she saw the minor burns on Sora`s arms.
Sora still sobbed." It`s . . . it`s Tai. He`s hurt really badly."
" How bad?"
" He – he – " Sora began to hyperventilate, shaking violently.
Elanna held her in her arms, soothing as if she was a child." Breath, Sora, breath." When Sora finally slowed her breaths, Elanna`s blue eyes gazed to Sora`s red-brown eyes.'' Tell me how bad Tai is." She began to worry about her brother.
Shaking, Sora held up her hands. She had her red gloves off, and Elanna saw blood, actual blood all over her hands, so much that she couldn`t see Sora`s skin beneath the blood.
" My goodness . . . " Elanna`s heart clenched with pain.
" I tried to stop the flow of blood. I tried! But . . . so much blood . . . " Sora sobbed uncontrollably.
" Take me to him! Now!"
Sora led Elanna and Raimon through the burned jungle, and soon, Elanna saw Agumon sitting near a charred bush, looking haggard under his orange skin. Yokomon was softly whispering to him, so softly that Elanna couldn` t hear the words. And near them, lay an unconscious Tai.
Elanna inhaled hard through her teeth. He was moved to lay on his back; Sora must have moved him. Dark blood stained his blue shirt, darkening it into dark red. Elanna knelt by him. She gently touched the blood, and it was warm and wet. Again inhaling deeply, Elanna carefully pushed up his shirt. The blood was streaming from open burns, the blood mingling with pieces of charred skin. The burns were on his chest and neck. Elanna never saw worse burns. Worried, Elanna looked up to Tai`s face. The impatient, confident face was deathly livid, his skin drained from loss of blood. He was still alive, but not for long. She must work fast.
" Sora, " Elanna looked up," Do you have your medical supplies from camp?"
Sora nodded, and got out the supplies from her pink belt pouch. She gave them to Elanna, saying," Do you know what to do?"
Elanna closed her eyes for a moment." Let us hope my attention on Ms. Yolika` s schooling about nursing paid off." She began to tend to the comatose boy, careful of the wounds. She silently prayed,(" Please, Tai, live. Keep living for us.")
" What happened?" came a small voice from behid.
Startled, the girls and the digimon looked behind, forgetting all about TK and Patamon. He was also burned, but not badly. Elanna and Sora tried to cover Tai from his vision, but TK saw the ghastly-paled boy with the exposed blood. His azure eyes widened at the sight.
" Don`t look." Sora turned to him, holding him to her. She turned around so she faced Elanna and the others as TK looked away. Patamon hovered near, he also saw the sight, but he was not as shaken as his human friend." He will be okay, TK," Sora soothed. TK said nothing, his eyes still wide.
Elanna exhaled as she wrapped the last bandage around Tai`s neck. The blood stooped flowing, and some of it came back into his face, coloring his cheeks. She pushed down the stained shirt over the bandages. She would take the shirt off, but she did not want to damage the wounds further, risking Tai` s life by doing that. Standing up, Elanna turned to Sora." Sora, we must find material to build a stretcher. We are in no condition to carry Tai. We need two thick, strong branches and leaves to carry him. Also, we need to find a shelter for protection."
" But – but what about the others?" TK` s innocent eyes gazed up to her." My brother?"
Thinking she was crying, Elanna reached to wipe a teardrop from her cheek. Looking down at her hands, which were covered with blood, Elanna realized that she must of left traces of Tai` s blood on her cheek. She was becoming sensitive, becoming easy to cry in any situation. She remembered Tai telling her that she must learn to hold her composure.(" Oh, Tai," she thought sadly," How can I keep my cool when you almost died?") Sighing, she squatted to the little boy` s height, saying," It` s best for him to get better before we go and search for them. I know that their alive somewhere. I know it in my heart. TK, your brother would want you to help Tai first if he was here."
TK gazed at the still form of Tai and nodded.
" TK, you can help me gather the material for a stretcher," Sora said, trying to encourage the boy` s low soul.
" I will find shelter," Raimon volunteered.
" Are you sure, Raimon?" Elanna asked with concern.
" I am the only one who can."Her black eyes swept over small Yokomon and weak Agumon.
Patamon hovered over her." I will go with you."
Elanna watched the rodent-like digimon and small orange digimon entering a part of the jungle as Sora and TK entered in another with Yokomon following behind. It was up to her to guard Tai and Agumon. She sat beside him and brushed away a lock of dusky hair from his face. Despite his pale face and injuries, Tai looked like he was peacefully sleeping. She looked at Agumon, who sat unmoving, his face a twist of pain, his eyes glued on Tai` s face.
Elanna reached to hold Agumon` s claw. " He will be fine, Agumon."
Agumon shut his eyes and grimaced." I know, but he is so weak."
Elanna` s blue eyes turned to her brother, confidence in them." He won` t give up."
Sora, TK, and Yokomon came back with the material. Sora and Elanna thoroughly built a stable, secure stretcher. TK and Yokomon helped; even Agumon helped a bit, but too weak, he remained at Tai` s side. Soon, Raimon and Patamon returned, acknowledged that they a shelter – a small cave at the base of a mountain range. Eventually, paying attention to their surroundings, the group was farther then the cliff then to the mountain range. Carefully, Tai was lifted on to the stretcher, and Elanna and Sora carried him, following Raimon and Patamon to the shelter. It took them a couple of hours to get there, for there were hazards, and often Elanna and Sora would have to switch places at the ends or lift the stretcher to avoid bushes.
As Elanna and Sora checked on Tai, Patamon and Raimon went foraging for food, bringing back the same fruits as last night. The group ate hungrily, to help heal their burns faster. Remembering ` s schooling, Elanna chewed pieces of fruit and put the mush Tai` s mouth, helping him swallow reflexively. Night was coming quickly and even though none of them were fit to keep watch, Sora volunteered to keep guard, then she would wake Elanna for the last watch.
Habitually, Elanna woke a few hours before dawn. She sat up, checking her burns. They were healing pretty fast, due to the food and rest. The healing process went faster in the Digiworld then in the real world, Elanna had noticed. By her side, Raimon woke, stretching all her slender body. Elanna scanned around and found that the cave was empty except for a gently blazing fire and the sleeping forms of Tai and Agumon. She walked up to them, and, with a bit of what was left over, changed Tai` s stained bandages. She had the chance to clean the wounds with water dripping from a single stalactite to avoid infection. She again wrapped the wounds with fresh bandages. As she worked, she heard a soft humming from outside the cave.
Finished, Elanna and Raimon went out. They found Sora sitting cross-legged, leaning back against a boulder, with a sleeping TK in her aarms. Yokomon and Patamon were nestled together, seeking warmth and comfort. Elanna knew that Sora loved to sing, and she probably sang a lullaby to soothe TK. Sora pushed back the single lock of fair hair from the boys forehead, and, as if it was alive, the lock fell back in place. Hearing soft footsteps, Sora looked up to see Elanna. She looked really fatigued from lack of sleep.
" You need to get some sleep, Sora," Elanna spoke gently." Here, let me hold TK."
Sora stood up and gave TK to Elanna. TK mumbled in his sleep, the name of his brother included, before settling his cheek on Elanna`s shoulder, once again dozing. Raimon curled around Patamon to keep him warm as Sora picked up the still sleeping Yokomon. Sora made a move to enter the cave, then stopped in the entrance.'' Elanna?"
Elanna looked back.
" Are you positive that we will find our friends?" she asked.
Elanna nodded." Of course, Sora. We must keep faith that we will find them. I just know.''
Sora smiled. " I think that you should have the Crest of Faith instead of the Crest of Bravery."
Elanna chuckled softly." No, I will leave the faith to little TK. The Crest of Bravery is just right for me."
" Why is that?"
" Well, just more then caring about our friends, I can understand what they feel. How and why they feel. I have insight, able to see and understand. Through bravery, I can see what other people fear to know, I can see their feelings like I am reading their mind. Others are scared to do that, scared on what they might find, but I am not afraid because I have bravery and I know that because of my crest.
Sora` s amber eyes studied Elanna` s blue eyes." Do you know what I` m feeling right now?"
" You are sad. Sad for Tai."
Sora sighed.(" Elanna can see more then feelings. She can see souls.") Sora thought. She gazed down, distressed." I am. I just hope he will survive.''
" He has a very powerful, strong-willed soul unlike any I have ever seen before. He won` t give up. It` s not like him to give that easily.'' Elanna gave a comforting squeeze on Sora`s hand." Go to sleep, friend.''
Sora yawned and nodded. With Yokomon, she entered the cave. Her heart clenched at the site of the unmoving Tai, but she was relieved that he was looking a bit better then before. Agumon was getting well, too. Sora sat by Tai and laid down. Soon, she heard, from outside, Elanna humming another lullaby from her childhood, hoping to soothe the groups depressed souls. Sora smiled, knowing that they would be all right. Her eyes drooped, and she slid into a rested sleep.
Two eyes of blazing flames glowed fiercely in the darkness, floating so near that he could feel the scorching heat on his face. A crackling voice that seemed to speak through the flames came out of nowhere.
" You are the Master. You must be destroyed."
Suddenly, a ball of fire burst toward him . . .
Gasping, Tai snapped his eyes open. His vision was blurred, but slowly his eyes adapted to the darkness.(" Where am I? What happened to me?") His eyes met a rock ceiling and he immediately assumed he was in cave or something.(" But where are my friends?'') Lolling his head to one side, he his digimon, Agumon rolled up into a ball sleeping , he turned his head to the other side and found Sora and TK sleeping near, their digimon also dozing.
Tai tried to crane his head to see better, but a slice of red-hot pain sliced through his chest, leaving him gasping for breath. Calming himself, he waited for the pain to go away. The pain took it` s time to leave. The pain throbbed inside his chest, and he panted in short breaths to ease the pain. He heard soft footsteps coming, and the concerned face of Elanna filled his vision.
Closing his weary eyes, he was so relieved that the pain was immediately gone. He felt the familiar, empathetic squeeze of Elanna` s hand on his hand. Opening his eyes, he saw Elanna wiping her wet eyes, also looking relieved." Hey, Rascal. You scared me for a moment."
" What . . . happened?" Tai struggled to speak, his voice so dry and harsh. He was thirsty, too. He tried to raise his head, but another shot of pain burst in his chest.
" Don`t move," Elanna said, resting her hand on his bandaged chest. The warm touch soothed the pain." You have serious burns on your chest and neck."
Tai noticed that he had his shirt off, and coils of bloodstained bandages wrapped around his chest and neck, looking half like a mummy. Elanna had a small wrap on her right forearm, probably covering a burn, and a few patches of charred skin covering her arms, not as worse as his. The brown eyes gazed up to the blue eyes." The others?"
Elanna` s blue eyes flickered to the sleeping forms of their friends." Sora and TK are all right." Her eyes lowered for a while, her fingers fidgeting with the knot of her bandage. Tai knew what she was thinking. The others have to be all right.
Tai weakly squeezed Elanna` s hand to get her attention." Who tended my injuries?"
" I did."
Tai beamed at her." I always knew you were a doctor at heart, not an artist.'' Elanna answered with a modest smile. She always appeared timid whenever somebody praised her, but he knew she did enjoy it." Well, Dr. Elanna, will I walk in no time?"
She answered with a teasing smile," Take two aspirins and call me in the morning." Then she rested her fingers on his forehead, her eyes sympathetic." You really do need sleep, Tai."
Already, his eyes drooped, and he nodded. Elanna was still at his side when he snoozed into an empty, dreamless sleep.
But he did have a dream, confused and blurred. He was running in a kind of maze. He didn` t know where he was; all he knew was that he being chased by someone horrible. He panted and gasped as he rounded countless corners in the bewildered maze. He didn` t care if got lost. All he wanted to do was get away from whoever was chasing him. He heard his friend` s voices calling from above, taunting.
(" You are nothing without your courage.") Sora` s cynical voice.
(" You are worthless to us.") Elanna` s disgusted voice.
(" You are supposed to protect us.") TK` s miserable voice.
He slapped his hands over his ears from the voices, screaming to drown them. He turned a corner and skid to a stop. He was at a dead end, blocked.
(" You are nothing!")His voice! From behind him!
He turned to see the dark face of . . .
" Noooo!"
Tai popped up into a sitting position, his throat trembling with wheezes. Again, the pain burst in his chest, and he bent into a ball, trying to resist the pain. He felt warm hands touching his arms and holding him, giving him sweet comfort, so sweet that is was almost as painful as the chest pain.
" You are all right. It` s only a bad dream."
He rested in the arms for a while and opened his eyes. He was in Sora` s supporting arms, feeling the warmth radiating from her body. Looking around his surroundings, he was in a larger cave, it` s rocks hued red-brown. The ceiling was so high he couldn` t see it. The air was so thick and warm that he had difficulty breathing in the steam that filled the air Agumon and Biyomon were near, studying him with concern.
Tai turned to Sora." Where are we? Where are Elanna and TK?"
" We are in Blaze Mountain," answered Sora, letting Tai sit on his own.
" Where is that?" Tai touched his chest and cringed in pain." Have I slept long?"
Agumon nodded at him." For nearly a day."
" Tell me what happened."
Sora answered," Phyrimon found us. The digimon battled him, but still, he was too strong. I thought he was going to destroy us, but he didn`t. Somehow, he hypnotized us to fall into a stupor and I woke in this place with you, Agumon, and Biyomno. Biyomon recognized this place as a volcano called ' Blaze Mountain.'"
(" That` s why it` s so hot'') thought Tai. He waited, then gazed up to her." Sora, you didn` t answer my second question." Where are Elanna and TK?"
Sora pushed a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear. She had her sky-blue hat off, sweating in the heat. " I don`t know. Phyrimon must keep them in another cave. I cannot hear out there from in here."
Tai pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. He closed his eyes and shivered all of a sudden.
" Tai, you are shaking." Sora put her arm around his shoulder.
" I had an eerie dream. I was chased by someone. I was so frightened. I heard voices – your` s, Elanna` s, and TK` s, saying I was worthless. Then I was blocked and I turned around to see who was chasing me.''
" Who?''
His narrowed as he tried to remember." I can` t remember. It` s too blurred.''
" Don` t struggle too hard. It will come back."
Tai suddenly shook his head violently." No, I don` t want to remember! It was frightful!" He hugged himself tighter, ignoring the pain from the pressure of his burns.
He looked up at loud, stomping footsteps coming closer and closer. Sora was terrified as she stood, facing the direction where the footsteps were coming from. Biyomon and Agumon stood in front of Tai, preparing to protect him, their weak friend.
Sora turned to him, her amber eyes hard. " Quickly, pretend to be unconscious!" She hissed softly.
"Why?"
"Do it!"
The bold words made him jump. He could see that she was serious. He laid down and closed his eyes. He forced to slow his breaths to deep and regular. The air was getting hotter, difficult to breathe. He soon heard familiar voices.
" Elanna! TK!" Sora said, relieved.
Then came the crackling voice of Phyrimon.'' The Master is still sleeping?" Tai found himself struggling not to stiffen at the words.
" Please don`t harm him, Phyrimon,'' he heard Sora pleading. Phyrimon didn`t answer at all, but he was still there. Then Sora asked,'' Why do you call Tai the Master?"
Phyrimon answered unemotionally," He is the Master because he bears the Crest of Courage. He must be destroyed at once.'' Then he left, the heat diminishing in the air.
Tai waited until he was certain Phyrimon was gone before letting his body go limp. Who was he, really? Why was he called the Master? He didn`t want to die because of that.
" Is he okay, Sora?" he heard Elanna saying with heavy concern.
He opened his eyes and sat up." I am okay." Elanna and TK ran to embrace him, glad to see him okay. Raimon and Patamon went with them, also relieved. Elanna and TK were slightly disturbed, tense." Are you both all right? Was he torturing you?" His eyes darkened at the thought.
Elanna shook her head." No, we are fine. Are you okay, Tai?"
Tai nodded, feeling stronger by the minute. He felt the pure azure eyes of TK on him, studying him, so serious for a boy so young." Are you the Master, Tai?" he whispered.
" I don`t know what Phyrimon is talking about, but I am not the Master."
" Yes, you are the Master."
Startled, all the kids crowded together in fear as Phyrimon entered the cave. He must have eavesdropped them talking. Agumon, Raimon, Biyomon and Patamon stood in a defending line before Phyrimon, still to weak to digivolve, but fearless as Digimon Guardians. Tai felt the cold eyes of the fire digimon on him, paying no attention to the others. Clenching his teeth, Tai stood up, ignoring the chest pain, and, heart pounding, walked past the digimon line. Agumon made an anxious noise in his throat, but Tai cut him off with a hand. The severe brown eyes gazed up to the passionless ash eyes.
" Are you afraid?" Phyrimon almost ridiculed.
" Yes, I am!" Tai` s words sharpened. He grew tired of that digimon torturing him with hazy nightmares and the nonsense of the 'Master.' But he had never been so terrified then when Phyrimon wanted to destroy him. Why him? Why must he be destroyed?!" I don`t know who I am!"
" You don`t know who you are."
It was Tai` s voice! But it didn`t come from his throat. He saw a form in the darkness, the same size as him, moving from behind Phyrimon. The form moved around and stood in front of Tai. He shook in new horror as he stared in the eyes of himself. Yet the Dark Tai was not him. He wore alike to Tai, looked exact the same, with the unkempt dusky hair, and the impatient face. The only difference was the eyes, which were dead, like cold ashes neglected to keep alive.
" Who are you?" Tai` s voice trembled as stepped back once.
" Who are you?" Dark Tai echoed with the same voice, but tauntingly.
" I am Tai!" he yelled over the echo.
" No, you are not,'' Dark Tai shook his head almost in pathetic pity." You are nothing."
Instantly Tai realized what Phyrimon was doing. He was destroying him with his darkest fear – himself. He was always acting daring and brave, often to cover his true self to friends. Inside, he was always frightened. He friends would not look up to him if he was cowardly. Realizing the reason of Phyrimon, Tai stiffened himself, his eyes darkened as his gaze met the cold gaze of himself." You are nothing but my fear. To be courageous, I must face and overcome myself."
Dark Tai smirked." You can` t face yourself. You are not courageous."
Tai` s face scowled with new strength." No! I won` t let you destroy me! Yes, I fear myself, but because I would not see myself. But I must. I will not give up to myself! No one will make me! I am Tai!''
His crest glowed orange and surrounded him. An aurora of flaring flames encircled him, like he was the source of the fire. Intense pain throbbed in his chest, but Tai paid no attention, his eyes blazing as passionately as his fiery aurora. His friends moved not, gapping in unbelievable awe. Phyrimon and Dark Tai stepped back in disbelief at the boy, the Master of Courage.
Tai` s voice shouted with the very courage of his soul." I am the Master! Passion of Fire!" A gigantic beam of twirling flames emitted from his outspread hands, it` s scorhing heat sizzling his flesh. The beam bound Phyrimon and Dark Tai from head to foot. He heard horrible, pained screams as they were slowly dying into red-hot ashes, the only traces of their exisisences.
The beam dissolved, and so was his fiery aurora, leaving Tai appearing passionless without his fire energy. Slowly, blackness crept in his head, and he swayed." I am . . . the Master . . ." he breathed slowly before he collapsed, all thoughts gone.
He was carried. He was laid down on his back, and was carried by a supporter. He slowly woke in the darkness. He was slightly aware that he was in fresh air, and that the pain was gone from his chest. He let himself rest, let his senses remember the new surroundings. Unconsciously, he let out a small mumble from his mouth.
" Hey, he is waking!" he heard a young male saying. He stopped moving and was lowered to solid ground beneath him. He sensed pairs of eyes gazing at him.
" Hey, Rascal."
The voice seemed familiar to him, and he was urged to see the face that voice belonged to. His eyes opened a crack and he saw all blurs. He saw seven vague forms gazing down to him, and the winking rays of the sun surrounding them with auroras of light. He blinked several times to clear his vision. His eyes widened to see better, but narrowed enough to avoid the bright sunlight. His friends inhaled sharply, their eyes widened in silent shock.
Tai gazed up at them with puzzlement.
" How do you feel?" Sora said, her fingers touching his forehead.
Tai` s voice was raw, and it was difficult for him to speak." Confused . . . how long . . . have I been out?"
" A couple of hours, Tai," answered Elanna." We are carrying you down Blaze Mountain."
His eyes went to her." Phyrimon?"
" You burned him into ashes,'' said Agumon.
" Burned?"
" You don`t remember?" wondered Raimon
" All I remember is fire, blackness . . . myself.'' He closed his eyes at the shaken memory of facing himself.
"Must we tell him?" he heard TK whispering.
His eyes flew open." Tell me what?"
Sora sighed and gazed seriously at him." Tai, you have changed.''
" Changed? What do you mean?"
Biyomon answered from Sora` s side," Since after you got your ,'' . . . she struggled to find a word. . . " power or gift or whatever, somehow you have a strand of red in your hair and your eyes are red now, no longer brown.
Tai frowned in bewilderment.
" We need a mirror to prove," TK offered.
" Or water," said Elanna. She stood and left under low brances with Raimon by her side.
Tai lifted a hand to touch his chest, and then realized that he was clothed once again with his shirt, which was clean, but with a few staines of dried blood – his blood. There was no longer bandages. He felt his chest and neck. The burns were gone; his skin was unbroken." "My burns . . . they are gone."
" Somehow, you are healed," Agumon said.
" How?" No one knew the answer.
Elanna and Raimon showed up soon after." There is a small pond not far from here." She and Sora began to lift the stretcher, but, flushing, he stopped them.
" No, wait. I can walk.'' Tai tried to sit up, but again, the same pain shattered in his chest.
Gently, Elanna and Sora pushed him back down to his laying position." Rest, Tai. You are in no condition to move. Let us do it." Sora said wisely.
Elanna lifted the front end of the stretcher as Sora held on to the back end. Tai gazed up to the flashes of sunlight between swaying branches as he was being carried, remembering what had happened. He didn` t want to remember, and he laid silently, feeling soothed by the gentle movements of the girls.
Then he was lowered to the ground. He was allowed to sit up, the pain in his chest a sliver, not as intense as before. He leaned forward to see his reflection in the silent pond. For a moment, he thought his reflection was not looking back, but it was really him with some changes. His eyes used to be brown with eager, hungry ambition, now bright red. The irises were now all reddish with speckles of deep orange and golden yellow. He turned his head so the sun could reflect in his eyes. For a brief time, the irises blazed like dancing flames.
" My eyes . . . like fire." Then he saw a bright red lock among his dusky colored hair, curling above his forehead, standing out. He reached to touch it to see if it was real. It was real, feeling like his own hair. He gazed up to his friends, who were watching him." Those things . . . I got them after I got my power?" All nodded as one. He again looked down to his reflection, as shocked as he was." Unbelievable . . . Would I be like that forever?"
" It` s a possibility,'' said Sora softly.
Tai took his time studying his reflection, trying to see if it was all a dream and
He would wake up to find himself normal. But he was no longer normal, not to his friends, who wre now seeing him in a different way. He had power he never knew he had, and affected him forever. He may be a different Tai on the outside, but he was still the same inside.
He didn`t react when, all of a sudden, raindrops fell from above. He heard his friends respond with relief, welcoming the fresh, cool water. Raindrops fell in the pond, disordering his reflection, but the red eyes – his eyes of fire were unwavering, staring back with courage.
Tai inwardly smiled and whispered," I am the Master."
TO BE CONTINUED!