Chapter Seven—One Step Closer
Finally, the sun had risen from her bed and stretched lazily over the sky, with her long, multitudinous arms spreading above the world. Princess Kinuyo appeared even more glamorous in the gentle yellow light, her ivory skin melting into a golden hue, as though King Midas himself touched her. She was a petite statuette out of place in this mystical world, but then again, maybe not. Ryo still believed there was something off about the fair princess.
"This is the most beautiful day I've seen in forever!" she chirped, clinging to the warrior's arm. "My, I can't wait to see father. He must miss me ever so much. Boy, I never thought I'd hear the day I'd say that!" Kinuyo giggled and squeezed Ryo's arm tighter. "Where are we headed anyway?"
"To the home of the Moonlighter Faeries."
Kinuyo pressed her hands to her cheeks in shock. "Oh, not those wretched things! No, no, no! You can't take me there! They've caused nothing but trouble in my government since the Yusaki regime ended thousands of years before."
"Whoa, whoa, hold up, princess! What kind of trouble have they caused and why?"
"Stupid faeries. They come to court and pester father to get rid of these hunters and so forth. Then when father can't do anything about it, they take it as an act of war, so they start attacking the palace. Of course, we can't see them, and they injure a lot of our best soldiers. Very rude and disrespectful, if you ask me." After wagging her finger in distaste, Kinuyo placed her hands angrily on her hips and tapped her foot.
Ryo smiled at her innocent irritation despite his wariness. "Your highness, I think it best to continue onward. I have to reach the Faerie Homeland by this afternoon if possible."
Although she wore a bitter countenance, Kinuyo relented and resumed a hold on his arm. "I guess if you must. Tell me, Ryo, for what is this dire quest you nearly left me in the woods?"
"Not for what but for whom. One of my best friends is in a deep coma, and the only way to bring him out of it is to beseech the empress of all faeries. My sorceress gave me directions there, and I can't come back without the cure. Lives are at stake, Princess. Will you help me?"
Ryo thought he saw a blush creep up on the young woman's cheeks, but she disguised it with a look of anger. "Dumb faeries. I still don't see how they can help!" But after a few more minutes of complaining, she quieted down as well as released her grip on Ryo's arm.
The pair soon entered a bit of wild meadow, green and sunlit, unlike the rest of the forest. "How odd…" Ryo muttered, but explored the beautiful dell anyway. Meanwhile, Kinuyo was dancing about with the merriest of smiles pasted on her face. She basked in the warmth of the light, a thing she had not seen for however long she had played prisoner to the woods. Ryo had to admit to himself that the princess was certainly one of the loveliest women he had ever seen. Her hair possessed a soft sheen, nearly ethereal in appearance, and her bedazzling eyes had the same ghostly quality. There was a certain radiance about her, one he couldn't exactly put his finger on, but he was sure it was unique and rare. Kinuyo turned her shining face toward him. "She's bewitching," he murmured dreamily. Ryo promptly tripped on a stone and fell forward.
The princess giggled and nudged him with her shoe, the beaded slipper pressing into his armored side. "Watch where you walk, silly warrior!" She laughed again before taking off for the stream on the edge of the glade, arms thrown up in the air with joy.
"Kinuyo—ah—Princess! Come back! You shouldn't run off!" he yelled after the frolicking woman. "Kinuyo! Please, wait!" Ryo scrambled to his feet and darted after her.
She ignored his every call and continued chuckling until she'd reached the stream's bank. "Oh, relax! See, there is nothing to worry about." Suddenly apprehensive from Ryo's warning, the princess scanned the surrounding area, and upon finding nothing threatening, she dove her hands into the water, playfully splashing it upon her face and neck. "Come over here, Ryo! The water is ever so refreshing, and there are even little sylphs in it! Oh, how darling!" When the warrior was within the correct distance, Kinuyo scooped up a handful of the icy liquid and showered him with it. Although Ryo scowled at her, internally he was joining in her laughter and merriment.
All of sudden he felt ashamed. Here he was, Ryo Sanada, Warrior of Wildfire, on a sacred and desperate quest to save his dear friend's life, and instead he was flirting with some alluring princess in a romantic field. What was he doing? I'm a warrior with a job to finish and a woman I love! he scolded himself. I can't be taking time out to play!
"Cut it out, Kinuyo!" he snapped sharply, and instantly her smile drooped. "You promised to help me save my friend, and here you are distracting me, driving me away from my course. You led me astray on purpose! Damn you!" Ryo drew his katana, pressing the tip against the white flesh of her throat. "So that was your plan all along, demon. Now you shall face the consequences!"
The lethal blade pushed urgently against Kinuyo's skin, not yet breaking the white surface but applying dangerous pressure. Ryo grinned wickedly. The sumptuous image of his metal slicing effortlessly through her neck muscles was driving him to deal the final swipe. He was marked for executioner, and he didn't want to let down the woodland audience. The warrior could see the princess' head toppling from her neck and onto the soft earth with peaceful thud. Her final gasp echoed through his mind, and it aroused him both physically and mentally. Ryo had never wanted anything so bad as he wanted to take the life of the innocent maiden kneeling helplessly before him.
As he was about to decapitate her, Kinuyo remained utterly calm, her normally expressive face lying placid. She stared, her aqua eyes penetrating his very soul, and he almost felt as though she tugged or even bit it. No tears welled in those blue lanterns; no frown marked her countenance. The princess, kneeling casually in the grass, seemed not to stiffen in the slightest, despite the threat of death. "Ryo," she whispered, "why are you doing this? What's become of you?" The first sniffle was heard, but amazingly the lady refrained from crying. "What did I do? Oh god, I'm sorry if I offended you. Here," she said, offering a scrap of her of her royal blue gown. "Take this and dry off. Truly, I apologize. Forgive me."
For a moment Ryo debated with himself about whether or not to kill her. But she seemed so innocent and seriously worried if his feelings were hurt. She simply kneeled there, handing part of her dress to him as a peace offering. And those eyes wouldn't lie to him. There was sorrow and regret there. His sword started to waver, and Kinuyo breathed a sigh of relief.
Immediately the katana shot back into position, terrifying and demanding as ever. "I don't think so, hell beast! Another trick, yeah? Well, I'm not falling for any more of your ruses, not this guy. Time to die. I shall put you where you belong!" Ryo drew back slightly for more power, and then thrust; however, he stopped at the last second.
Why? Why did I stop? Sweat poured down his face, soaking his collar of his armor. Kill her or she'll kill you! Ryo's breath came in strained gasps, begging him to ease up. His muscles burned with fire, but he was frozen in that pose and couldn't move even though he wanted to. Drive it into her! Slice her open! Do it, fool, before it's too late! The warrior stared on at his victim while she stared right back. Ryo could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes for reasons he didn't understand. They seared his skin with their raging heat and streaked his armor with their glistening bodies. Do it… Kinuyo smiled reassuringly, and to Ryo it seemed like a smart aleck thing to do. Hesitantly he drew back.
Instantly, Kinuyo reached for her throat, which moments ago had nearly been severed from her head, and began crying horrendously. "Ooh!" she steamed. "You big jerk!" She lunged for him, banging her fists on his superior armor. "How dare you! How dare you assault a princess!"
With a muffled clatter the Wildfire katana hit the ground, the winking metal begging and pleading with Ryo to execute the rogue demoness. He turned his scarlet face away from it and began to weep. The warrior's own shaking hands wiped his eyes as he tumbled down into the grass in a trembling heap. "What the hell is wrong with me?" Ryo's voice broke with sobs. His mind was trapped on a runaway roller coaster of emotions with nowhere to get off. Up and down, and up and down with a loop-de-loop. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
Rising from her sitting position, Kinuyo sidled over to the warrior's side, resting her ice-cold hands upon his heaving shoulders. Her fingers slipped into the locks of his hair to soothe them back, as she let a comforting, silencing hiss slip from her lips and into his ear. "Don't apologize, not yet. It isn't your fault, brave warrior. It's these damn woods; they affect your mind after a prolonged period of time. The same thing happened to me, Ryo, but if you survive the breakdown, you'll be all right—as good as new, in fact." Kinuyo gingerly lifted the Ronin's chin so his glazed-over eyes met hers, their emptiness guzzling down the light and beauty with a voracious hunger. "Look at me, Ryo, here, in my eyes. I'm here; I'm okay; I survived and so will you if you try. Just pull yourself together. Come back to me and your friends—those who rely on your help."
The animation returned to Ryo's eyes, but not without being accompanied by a dark entity that swirled menacingly in the depth of his eyes. Their souls met in each other's gaze, mingling and flirting like life and death. Grabbing his head with pain, the Ronin blinked and inquired, "What happened to me, Princess Kinuyo? I used to be a heroic warrior, able to face down any opponent or evil without thinking twice. I was brave; I was their leader, for Christ's sakes! I led the troop into battles against the king of all evil. And now—now—here I sit, a quivering little infant, whining for my mommy. Look what everyone's relying on! Fools. I mean, look at me. I can't even complete one simple quest."
"You have time; we're not off schedule yet—"
Ryo butted in, uncaring if she were finished or not. "What happened to the valor, the respect that came with every battle I fought? I said look at me, Kinuyo!" the warrior demanded desperately, grasping her slender wrists and wrenching her dangerously close to him. His fevered exhalations crashed upon Kinuyo's face like waves upon the jagged shoreline. "What's become of this 'brave warrior'?"
"You're just as brave and honorable as ever, Ryo," she whispered fearfully.
"Do you mock me?" he raged, twisting the lady's wrist painfully.
She whined without shame, "Na, no, Ryo. I only speak the truth. Ow! Ow!" Finally, he relented, letting Kinuyo's hands fall limply to her sides. She mumbled pained sounds as she massaged the sore skin.
Ryo burst into tears again, covering his face from view by burying it in the swaying grasses. "I'm sorry! God, what has happened?" His sobs continued for a while before his face shot up from the camouflage, a deadly serious mask donned. "You should run away before… before it's too late. I'll only get you killed, princess." His sad eyes turned back to the earth, and he folded over again.
"Oh no," Kinuyo said, draping herself over the Ronin's hunched back, "oh no, no, no! I'd still be stuck in that dreadful darkness without you. If you give up now, I'll never get to see my father again…" She paused poignantly then whispered into his ear. "And your friend will die. Is that what you want? Do you want to let him down and the rest of your warband as well?"
Ryo's head shot up, fear resonating in his voice. "Rowen… I promised I wouldn't let him down; I promised the others I'd come back. But how can I disgrace myself like this? They'll never accept me. They'll never forgive me." His head bowed again as he fought back the newest onslaught of tears.
Kinuyo placed a chilling hand on Ryo's own, her fingers intertwining with his. A shiver wiggled its way through his veins, creepy and at the same time pleasant. "Ryo…" she cooed, as the princess pressed her cheek against his, strangely hot with embarrassment at her audacity despite her cold body. "Please… Don't let everyone down. Don't let me down." She nuzzled up against him, as she was overcome now by her own emotions.
Slowly the Ronin rose to a kneeling position, pushing Kinuyo off of and away from him. "Your highness, look, I have someone back home," he whispered softly, "whom I love very much. She's probably waiting for me."
Although Ryo assumed she'd take it as bad news, instead she smiled quite brilliantly, as though she were thinking, "My plan worked." Her eyes sparkled a little in the afternoon sun, miniature blue prisms that captivated and bedazzled. "She is, I'm sure. And now that you have that to think on, you'll hopefully reconsider this foolish notion of giving up. Besides, I'm sure as hell not staying in this ever so creepy forest for a minute longer. With that in mind, let's get out of here. Don't keep her waiting." Kinuyo offered her hand to Ryo and assisted him to his feet.
He nodded. "I suppose you're right. Come on. We haven't much farther to go." After dusting himself off, Ryo tugged on Kinuyo's hand, and the pair followed the winding path of the brook.
Several minutes had elapsed before either one of them had even glanced at the other. There was a surreal silence about the field, until Ryo heard the giggles. He turned to his partner, but Kinuyo seemed oblivious, perfectly happy to simply stare into the gushing water at the frolicking sylphs. Okay, so where were those laughs originating? Scanning the terrain with his sharp eyes, the warrior noticed nothing of importance; nothing but sweeping grass, babbling creeks and shivering trees.
Suddenly the chuckling was in Ryo's ear. "You must be a clown, no?" it chirped.
A rush of wind tickled his ear, accompanied by the bizarre noise of paper rustling in the wind. "No, no, Arzula, you maroon. It's a warrior. Big scaries in the human realm, so I hear."
"And what would you know? Anytime I listen to you, Simarik, I get thrown off track. And you wonder why no one believes anything you say anymore."
The young man's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "What's wrong, Ryo?" Kinuyo asked with concern when she took notice of his expression.
"Oh, so his name is Ryo, huh?" the voice named Simarik mocked. "What a stupid, silly human name! Can you believe it? Ryo, Ryo, Ryo, Ryo!" it chanted relentlessly.
"Knock it off, Simarik! You're annoying even me." Ryo heard the distinctive sound of someone sticking out her tongue, and then the prompt, defined sound of a smack. He grinned with amusement even though he could see nothing of the spectacle.
"What are you smiling at, silly warrior?" Kinuyo persisted urgently. "Are you feeling all right?"
"I told you, I told you!" Simarik screeched. "Ryo is a warrior!"
"Oh, shut up. He's listening, you know? Aren't you, Ryo?" Arzula inquired, pinching his earlobe so his jaw dropped with surprise.
Just then, the princess took hold of the Ronin's shoulders and shook. "Snap out of it, Ryo! You can't slip back into this state, not when we're so close to Faerie Heath!"
Two short gasps echoed in Ryo's ears, and the rustling sound increased tenfold. The sudden silence over his right shoulder left him a little anxious. Abruptly, in a deep, nearly masculine voice, Arzula spoke. "Who are you, Ryo the warrior?"
He cleared his throat, and although he stared at Kinuyo he spoke to the voice in his right ear. "Exactly that. I am Ryo the warrior." The princess before him seemed utterly confused and equally oblivious.
"What kind of response was that?" her highness asked.
"And why are you here with this Remora Spirit? What is it you want with the Faerie Heath?"
"Slow down, Arzula," Ryo ordered, waving his hands in front of him, startling Kinuyo. "I can only answer one question at a time. Now what in the world is a Remora Spirit?"
Simarik snapped, "Answer ours and we'll answer yours. First, tell us why you are here to begin with, and why you seek the Faerie Heath, realm of the Moonlighter Faeries?"
Pondering this for a moment in order to determine how to answer the two voices, he began, "I came to beseech the empress of all faeries for her help. One of my fellow warriors, Rowen of the Strata, has fallen into the talons of an unknown enemy. He has stolen Rowen's soul, and now Rowen lays in the deepest state of unconsciousness, unable to speak with his friends.
"My sorceress, Lady Kayura, sent me on a quest through the rugged woodland of Fantasia Forest in order that I may bring back the cure for Rowen. I've been wandering for nearly two days now, and every sort of monster you could think possible has attacked me. I've had nothing to eat in the past day, as savage goblins have devoured my ration pack. Please, I beg of you two, I need to make my way to the Heath and kneel before her highness, the great Empress Haleigha, before it is too late for Rowen. Allow me passage." He stared straight at Kinuyo, although he looked not at her but through her.
There was a silence as the two voices obviously mulled over his veracity. "And what of the spirit?" Simarik barked. "Where does she fit into all of this?"
"What spirit do you speak of?"
"Do you take us as fools, Ryo the warrior?" Arzula growled angrily. "The one right before you, of course!"
The world seemed to slow to a halt. So that was it, huh? Kinuyo was a spirit, a dead princess, a lost soul. That explained nearly everything. That's why the thargon completely ignored her and went after him instead. That's why she was so cold. And that was why Ryo found her so odd. "You're not even alive! You didn't tell me? Kinuyo, after all we've been through! How could you lie?"
"But I don't know what you're talking about, Ryo. I haven't lied to you. Where is all this coming from and what the hell do you mean I'm not alive? Touch my skin, Ryo. Feel it. I'm real." Kinuyo thrust her hand out in front of her, diving for his cheek. "I am alive!" Her icy fingers brushed his unshaven face and caressed his cheek. "Real…"
Their eyes met, and Ryo realized why he felt as though he were looking into her soul: not because he was connecting on a deep level with her, but rather because she was a lost soul. "She doesn't know," Ryo whispered to the disembodied voices. He rubbed against her hand, almost on the verge of tears. Slowly he brought his lips to the meat of Kinuyo's palm and kissed it. "I'm sorry," he said to her. "You didn't know. What an awful way to find such a thing out. And I'm the one to tell you."
She stared perplexedly at him. "What are you talking about?" Kinuyo asked as she withdrew her hand fearfully. "I don't understand."
Ryo kept gazing into her amazing cerulean eyes, unblinking and unwavering. He kneeled before her to speak in the softest of voices, "Princess Kinuyo, you're dead. You died a long time ago."
"No…" she muttered as she slinked backwards.
"Princess, what year is it?"
Suddenly afraid to answer, she pondered over her answer, hoping to get it right. With her voice trembling, she said, "1218?"
"Try 1993."
Her breath caught in her throat. Everything in the last 770 plus years was thrown into question for the young-looking princess. She concentrated on her hand held out before her. Kinuyo thought at times she could see through it, like the specters that Father had always told her haunted the palace. She had never believed. "It can't be… It can't be! You're the liar, Ryo!" Hot tears flung from her cold face. "I'm alive! I am! I am! How else can my experiences be explained? Huh? How else? I live and breathe before you. It can't be…"
It was Kinuyo's turn to break down. She tumbled to the grass, still gazing at her pale hands as salty water ran down her stunning face. Her body shook with rage and sadness and fear all at the same time. The world seemed to have been thrust into darkness as a cloud passed over the sun, and the princess shivered all the harder. The sweeping grass turned into a billion knives that sliced up and down her skin. The babbling creeks spat sinful words at her with their watery voices. The shivering trees motioned angry gestures with their bony limbs.
"Never seen a spirit do that before," Simarik mentioned to Arzula. "Kinda unexpected. Ghosts crying, eh? What next? A friendly thargon?"
"What the hell would you do if you found out you died 700 years ago?" Ryo growled viciously as he swatted at the air. "Now get out of my way! I have a friend who needs me!" The Ronin raced to the shaking side of the princess, wrapping an arm around her and muttering comforting words into her ear.
After a few moments had passed, she turned her red face fresh with a thousand cascading tears and smiled. "We're never going to get there, are we?" She sniffled and let loose a wet laugh, forced yet comforting for both of them to hear.
Ryo embraced Kinuyo with all of his heart. They'd been through so much together in just a short stint of time. "Oh, Ryo," she sobbed into his shoulder, "I'm alive."
He massaged her back as he whispered into her ear, "Yes, you're alive. You are alive to me, Princess, no matter what anyone says."
A few more sobs onto his armor and Kinuyo looked up at him with a glistening face, vibrant with ironic life. "Ryo, what am I?"
"A princess, why of course."
Her face went whiter than usual as she became deadly serious. "I mean it, Ryo. I need to know. What am I? A ghost? A fetch? What, I have to know."
"But I thought that—"
"I'll deal with the shock later. I need to know this before we continue on. I'll have plenty of years to cry over this, but you've got a friend in trouble, so give me the shortened version." Everything had changed with the thump of the heartbeat. Her posture was that of a true princess' and her sternness, that of only a ruler, hardened her face until she got her way.
"Kinuyo, you clever girl," Ryo muttered under his breath.
The Ronin felt the wind by his ear, and he knew in an instant that the faerie was back. "I can answer her question," Simarik offered. "She is a Remora Spirit, a type of creature similar to that of a fetch, only difference really is that she is a ghost—dead."
Still the young warrior looked perplexed. "What's a fetch?"
"Do you know anything at all, human?" and Ryo felt a tapping on his temple as though Simarik meant to rattle around his brains a little. "A fetch is a being that latches on to a familiar person and can appear to that person at any time. But I guess a Remora is still a bit different in that once it attaches to one person, it can't be separated from him. You see, it can be in either your world or it can teleport to the spirit plane above. But no matter what, it can only appear on the terra realm within the same room as its human. Kinda complicated, but, hey, that's us mythical creatures!"
After Ryo had digested all of the information, he relayed the news to the princess, who merely sat staring at him with the same resolute face she had worn the whole time. She trembled a little with fear or disgust, he couldn't tell, but she didn't look too well. "Princess?"
"Just give me a few more seconds and we can go." Kinuyo finished drying her eyes and straightening her clothes then nodded approvingly at her companion.
A pinch of the Ronin's nose gave him a scare. "Oh no you don't, warrior!" Arzula warned. "You didn't tell us why she is here! You shall go no further until I know about her."
"Very well. We met in the woods some hours ago, and I can't get rid of her (gee, I wonder why now), so she's helping me complete my quest. Happy?"
"Hardly," the faerie replied rather bitterly.
"Well that will have to do because the pair of us are going to the Heath with or without your guidance and approval. I have lives at stake here, and I will not be stopped by a couple of grumpy faeries." He stared off into empty space, but he got the unique feeling that he was looking right at Arzula.
Kinuyo shot up from the ground and threw her hands in the air angrily. "So, those ever so rotten faeries are behind all of this! Well, now it all makes perfect sense.
"You stinking faeries! Too scared to show yourselves? Well I'm not running like my country's warriors. You don't scare the Princess Kinuyo that easily!" The young woman spun in wild circles, searching for the invisible sprites. She wore a scowl and had a nasty gleam to her eyes. "Curse you all to the ends of the Earth!"
Although she could not hear their speech, the distinct sound of giggling echoed bitterly in her brain. Two choruses of laughter filled the air and the sound even creeped Ryo out. "So, this is our dear Princess Kinuyo? We had almost forgotten about her. After all, she disappeared for months and was presumed dead," Arzula cackled with frightening glee.
Simarik's voice split with joy. "I'll bet she doesn't even know what happened to her kingdom after she ran away!"
Ryo grabbed his ears. "Stop! Stop it the both of you! I don't want to hear. I don't want to hear!"
"Oh, but you must," Simarik insisted.
"No," the warrior ordered. "No more discussion. Come on, Princess. Let's go." He grabbed his partner's wrist and they stormed through the meadow together, leaving nothing but swirling grass in their wake. Ryo practically dragged the lady across the ground, as she stumbled her way behind him while trying not to fall on her face. Every so often, he would yank her hand hard enough to bring her to his side only for her to fall back again.
"Ryo, please, this hurts ever so badly. Can't we slow down for a minute?" she pleaded wearily, bumbling over every root mound of stiff grass.
He sighed. "I guess so. But then we pick up the pace again."
"What did those no good faeries have to say to you that made you this way?" The softly glowing lanterns in her head implored with a tremor of fear flickering in their depths. Staring into them made everything he had to say so much harder for some reason.
"I left before I could find out, but I'm sure it wasn't for a lady such as yourself to hear." Though she made a sarcastic face, a short stint of silence ensued as the two reached the entrance to what had to be the Faerie Heath.
A gentle milky mist emanated from the high weeds and squat trees to enfold the handsome pair in its ethereal arms. Though it was daytime, the Heath seemed dark with danger and mysticism. Oh boy, thought Ryo, more fun adventures for the two of us. The Heath was ripe with smells too, ranging from the soft aroma of pine to the gut-twisting stench of death; Ryo was unsure of whether to smile or gag. Cattails and tall grass jutted viciously out of the swampy earth, a gray green and brown that muddled the scenery into one sloppy mess. The limpid stream that had so far lined the edge of the vale abruptly transformed into a muddy trickle of water at the mouth of the swamp. And once again Fantasia Forest fell into silence as the pair approached cautiously, the two invisible faeries hanging yet again by the warrior's ear.
"We simply can't let you enter," Arzula insisted, pinching his lobe.
"Oh," Simarik chimed in, "we cannot, no, will not let you proceed any further. Besides, your efforts to reach the gates would be futile. You can't see them without our permission."
With a heavy sigh, Ryo tilted his head toward the voices to sound more interested. "And how does one get such permission from you?"
"One must demonstrate need and selfless purpose," Arzula answered.
"Isn't saving a friend's life a good enough purpose, especially if it means saving others' lives as well? I think that demonstrates a pretty damn good need, too."
There was a soft murmuring between the two voices as the faeries debated the issue. A couple of times the argument grew heated, the gentle rumble of voices raising to an audible level, only to fall back to the sound of whistling wind. Arzula spoke again. "Tis true, Ryo the Warrior, that you have demonstrated the strength of your heart and spirit by braving the wild forest. Also, you must be master swordsman to get past the trials of the native beasts here, and from the dulled edge on your sword, I assume you killed a goblin? Their slightly acidic blood will do that to metal, worse to the skin. But can you prove that you are here for the purpose you say you are? How do we faeries know that a sorceress did not send you here to retrieve a pair of our wings? Prove this is not so, and we shall grant you your wish to enter."
For a moment, the Ronin mused over how to confirm he was sent here on behalf of Rowen's life. But how? They would not likely trust his words since they hadn't thus far, and they seemed very protective of their empire. And suddenly it dawned on him. Surely they would listen… "The Ancients sent me."
Kayura's last bit of information on the faeries told him that the faerie race was tied inexplicably to the Ancient clan. They had a bond that was rooted in the olden times, probably predating the age of even the rule of Kinuyo's family. No one could even remember why such a tie existed between one clan of humans and a race of mythical creatures such as these elusive Moonlighter Faeries.
Further crediting Ryo was the fact that Ancients never trusted anyone but the truehearted to do their sacred work. Now Arzula and Simarik would have to let him pass.
He heard a slight gasp from Simarik before Arzula responded to his announcement. "Very well. You may enter under two conditions. First, you must send your Remora Spirit to the ethereal plane to wait for your successful return. Second, you must agree to be blinded while another faerie leads you to the gates. Comply with both demands and you can freely enter. We can do nothing but oblige, but not at all happily. Refuse, and you will leave the forest now."
Ryo turned toward Kinuyo and took her chilling hands in his, stroking the flawless skin on the back. His eyes stared deep into hers, capturing her full attention. "Princess, you're going to have to try something you've probably never done before. You're going to have to transfer up to the spirit plane. Do you know how to do that?" She shook her head, a tear dripping from her sad eyes. "Now look, it shouldn't be too hard. Just maybe concentrate on your inner self—"
"But my inner self is now my whole self. I'm dead, remember? A ghost. A spirit unto this living Earth."
He squeezed her hands lightly. "Princess, in order for me to save my friend—remember Rowen—you have to agree to hang out on the spirit plane for a little while. Then when I call you back down, you can return to me and we'll get out of here." Ryo glanced back into the air. "Can I do that? Call her back down?"
Simarik answered, "Of course you can. All you gotta do is think the thought, and she'll get the message. But I don't know why she'd come back to such a… a… human face!"
Ignoring the bratty faerie, the warrior returned to Kinuyo. "Just wait for me to call. That's all you need to do. You can take this time to explore, okay? Maybe take a look around the realm and see what there is to see. You never know, maybe you'll meet some spirits like you." Ryo heard a laugh from Simarik abruptly stifled by Arzula. Slowly the Ronin let go of Kinuyo's hands and stepped back. She lurched for him to embrace him, but stopped herself short and reminded herself that she couldn't always be attached to him like a lapdog. Nodding, the princess closed her eyes, and gradually her pale color began to fade to a translucent white and then into nothingness. Ryo believed he would never forget the terrified countenance plastered on his princess' face as long as he lived. She looked hopeless, horrified and lost all at once.
"Fine, part one is done. Are you happy yet?" he inquired.
"A human could never make me happy," Simarik spat rather nastily.
A sharp slap sound was heard and then Arzula's voice. "That will do just fine, yes. Now for the second half. You are willing to be blinded temporarily?"
"Anything, just let's do it quickly."
"Very well." With a snap of her fingers, Ryo heard yet another strange sound. In the distance it sounded like a humming, but as it got closer, the distinct whizzing of wings filled the air. Another faerie…
"Ooh!" an impish voice cooed excitedly. "It's so cute! Is this a human?" Ryo felt tiny fingers poking at his cheeks eagerly. The sickening image of the goblins touching him popped into his mind, and he violently brushed the faerie away. "I've never seen one of these before. Oh my! Well, what did you summon me for, Mistress Arzula?"
Evidently Arzula had expected such a reaction from the young faerie, and she sighed with mild frustration. "I need your services, Kiz. Blind the human here, then lead him to the gates. Once you get there, leave the human waiting at the gates and wait for Simarik to show up to usher him in. Then you can go about your daily business. That's all you're required to do. Do you understand, Kiz?"
Ryo heard a quick, quiet yes and then nothing at all. As he surveyed the area, he got the distinct feeling that he was being gawked at by several different entities. No, scrutinized was more the word he was looking for. Every inch of him felt exposed as the eyes scanned and analyzed his human form. He felt foreign in this magical realm. He wanted nothing more than to get home to Mia and Rowen and the rest of the Ronin Warriors. Hopefully by now Kayura and Anubis had some answers.
"Ready, human?" Kiz inquired excitedly.
"I guess as I'll ever be," he mumbled reluctantly. But now was no time to back out.
"I promise you won't feel any pain. I promise. Back off, ladies, and give me room to work!" The light buzz of her wings possessed the air as no silence could. To Ryo the sound was as sweet as honey, dripping into his ears and softening all other noises with its beauty. The palette of colors in the world around him melted into a revolting oil painting on the Heath's dark canvas. Ryo watched in awe as the brownish hues oozed into one another, and the resulting wooziness he felt from watching the show made him unsteady on his feet. "Close your eyes, human," Kiz urged, taking two tiny fingers and closing his lids tight. The warrior was all too willing to comply; anything to get rid of the swirling sickness. Joining the flutter of the faerie's wings was an enchanting melody, a bewitching song that relaxed Ryo's nerves like a drug.
Suddenly, the song concluded and Ryo felt an emptiness in the pit of his stomach that morphed into a sickeningly swell that rolled from his feet to his head. His eyes shot open to search for the sugary song—some relief to the bitter taste in his mouth—but to his amazement he could see nothing of the world he once knew. It was black—like endless night—as dark as Talpa's soul.
For a brief moment the Ronin thought he saw the glint of blue hair up ahead, the only splinter of color in the darkness. "Rowen?" Wildfire called out. As the blackness expanded, it seemed that the blue drifted closer, and sure enough, slouched on the ground in a pitiful heap was Rowen. Blood pooled on the darkness before him, and crystalline tears dripped slowly from his eyes into the sanguine liquid. One eye was swollen shut, and repulsive welts snaked up and down his chest and back, shreds of his shirt clinging to his skin with dried blood. Rowen's face was almost entirely shadowed except for his bruised lips, which moved monotonously as the Ronin uttered one word that never came out. Even scarier was the way that they worked—like they were machine-controlled—as though there were little or no feeling left inside Rowen. Drips of blood, like bricks in the sidewalk, created a gory trail to the hunched shell of a body Ryo once knew as a feisty warrior.
Ryo lunged for his comrade, but to his dismay he couldn't move. His joints were locked in position and his feet were frozen to the floor. His wide eyes stared with shock at his revelation, and he attempted to cry out, but even his mouth betrayed him. Sealed with wicked glue, his lips could not even part to form a word.
Amazingly, as though it took all his strength to do it, Rowen lifted his head to see his fellow Ronin standing mortified before him. "R… Ryo?" the young man implored hesitantly. His back heaved with his excited breaths. A twinkle of delight at his savior lighted his one good eye. "Is that really you?"
Although he wanted to confirm the question, not one muscle would move an inch to even blink his eyes. Ryo clung to the hope that Rowen would still know it was he and not some deception by whomever was holding him captive.
"Ryo?" Strata asked with curiosity in his voice. "Man, is that you?" The joy left his eyes only to be filled with despair and hatred. "Morin! Morin, you bitch, how could you do this to me? Goddammit! Stop taunting me! I'll never tell you what you want to know, so give it up!"
Ryo tried to look perplexed, but he wasn't even sure he could convey any emotions in his state. The fact that Rowen bored into him with such a foreign vehemence only proved that thought. How badly Wildfire wanted nothing more than to reach out to his friend and tear him away from this awful torture, but he simply couldn't move or even speak. Why?
Abruptly Rowen jerked his head around at a sound Ryo could not hear. Then he glanced back at Wildfire and seemed to come to the realization that Ryo was not just a figment of his imagination but the real thing, his friend. A cold tremor of terror or maybe pain shot through the bound warrior and he stared sharply at Ryo, pleading with his eyes, "Get away from here now!"
Unknowingly, the red Ronin was jettisoned back onto a different plane of inkier blackness. Though nothing but darkness possessed him, Ryo knew this was someplace new, lacking the danger of before. He felt his voice fill his throat and sweet sound came out of his mouth. Ryo grabbed his neck and sighed of relief. "Thank god. What the hell just happened to me, Kiz?" No response. "Arzula? Simarik? Anybody?"
Arzula spoke shakily. "I don't… We don't know. One moment you're shouting the word 'Rowen!' over and over, and the next you're failing like leaf in the breeze. You kept mumbling about how you couldn't move, but you were spiraling all around the Heath. And what does this word Rowen even mean?"
"We thought it was a bad word in your language," Kiz added with a blush in her voice.
"Correction," Simarik snarled smartly, "only Kiz thought that."
A breathless laugh escaped Ryo. "It's a human name like mine. For example, Ryo, Rowen and Sage are all names in the human world just like Kiz, Arzula and Simarik."
"Hey! How come my name was last?" the spoiled faerie snapped.
Ignoring Simarik, Ryo gave himself a moment to adjust to his new ebony realm then asked, "Kiz, what happens when you cast this spell, hm? I am I really blind or am I on some plane like the spiritual one?"
"Well, I don't really know all that well what the dynamics of the spell are; however, I do know for sure that in order to get to the level of blindness that I place you in, you have to descend through three planes: the spiritual, which you hardly even experience; the undead (where the souls go on their way to Hell), which you pass right through too; and then the last one, which rarely people see at all. Sometimes I don't even think they slip through it because they never mention anything about it. Come to think of it, I'm not sure what it's even called. Anyway, finally you end up in this 'dark world,' if you will, which is merely blackness. That's all I know." She sighed ponderously. "Why do you ask?"
"Somewhere along the way I got stuck in the folds of the planes, and I ended up in the last one. I saw Rowen there, my dying friend. But in that world I couldn't talk or move or barely even breathe."
Ryo was relatively sure Arzula was raising an eyebrow from the disbelieving growl he heard issued in her throat. After a smack of her tiny lips, she announced, "Kinda far-fetched to me. Then again, I've never taken that journey into blindness, so I guess I wouldn't know. But, if Kiz believes you, human, I'll have to at least try to. Now, you two should get a move on. The day is already starting to wan, and you should try and reach the gates before mid afternoon, that is if you want to get out of the forest before nightfall." When all that was agreed upon, Kiz took Ryo by the hand and lead him like a seeing-eye dog through the Heath.
@~~`~~~
After returning to her conjuring room, Morin sat exasperatedly in her chair, letting her beautiful charcoal robe billow around her as she slouched down with a sigh. What a day it had been.
Dragged from her room to check on a screaming Rowen, she found him only to be rocking himself back and forth and ranting about his friend Ryo. When she looked around, the Lady found nothing, not even a trace of foreign aura. Then what the hell had he been raving about? Maybe she had finally broken him, snapped his mind. But in so short time? Where was the fun in that?
Brushing a hand through her silky hair, the sorceress searched the room for a bit of crow's beak cream. The damn voice was in her head again and it wouldn't shut up. The host was beginning to grow an attitude after all these thousands of years, and it was pissing Morin off. Headaches were common and so was the muscle cramping. Occasionally even her limbs would move involuntarily. If this hadn't been the last Dualar in existence, she would have abandoned the body long ago. Luckily, she was a highly skilled sorceress, and for the time being, appropriately applied crow's beak cream would keep the unwanted voice out of her head.
Taking a scoop of black salve out of a jar, Morin put a dab on the tip of each middle finger to draw a line under each eye and put one dot on her forehead and one on her chin. She then stared into a mirror, concentrating only on those marks. Gradually, the harsh words echoing in the back of her mind faded until they sounded more like whimpers. The sorceress smiled delightedly.
Back in her chair she rolled her shoulders as she yawned. Trying to figure out the mystery of the Celestial Warrior was starting to wear her out. Her eyes ached just as much as her head, but with the casting of a quick spell she felt back to normal. Now, she could think a little more on Rowen.
His outburst yesterday and the one today had been particularly violent. His tone, his countenance, everything about him was filled with hatred, and somehow it was familiar. Though she hadn't been able to put her finger on it earlier, the Lady had definitely recognized his aura now. It had glowed scarlet with his growing rage, like the aura of one specific man she had the misfortune of knowing: Lord Talpa.
When Talpa had finally come for Lord Yusaki, his vermilion aura had nearly encapsulated them all. Revenge, fueled by his rage, had driven him into the Palace that fateful morning, slicing away highly-trained guards as though they were mere paper dolls. As he stood incensed before the throne, flames of hatred sprouting from the negative energy encompassing him, he withdrew the black sphere from his cape, narrowed his eyes and called forth the spirit of his mentor Lord Osumi. Morin remembered vividly how the room had swirled like a snow globe, only she, Rantach and Talpa remaining stationary. He chanted wildly some prehistoric language, his red aura only deepening to a blood color before she felt the pull into the sphere. The next thing she knew, she was waking up in a deteriorating castle-like structure within the damn black ball with the knowledge of her master's horrible destruction and descent into Hell. But all Morin could see when she closed her eyes was fire of Talpa's aura.
And now it was in the Celestial Warrior. How it manifested itself there, she didn't know and she doubted she cared; however, it presented a problem. Talpa had destroyed them with that rage, and now it was in her newest enemy. She needed information from that boy as soon as possible, before the latent power had time to fully take him over or his friends could rescue him.
Lady Morin would begin immediately…
Right after lunch.