Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Twelve

Seiji had been playing against himself in a wild game of tic-tac-toes (well, perhaps not wild; it was just something to pass the time with) when he felt the pulling sensation that tugged him upwards into the gray mist. For a second, it looked as if he could go back to his game, when he was whipped away from it and pulled almost painfully into his body.
He opened blurry eyes to see a small face with a starburst-like scar on the cheek. It jumped as Itsue tried to force a smile onto her face. Seiji narrowed his eyes at her. She burst into tears.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" She ran away from him, past the bed and out of the room. Seiji sank back against his pillows. He took a ragged breath as he heard approaching footsteps. Yayoi popped her head into the room, looking tired and frayed, and gave a quick, customary look over the room. Her eyes widened when she noticed her brother was awake and well.
"Seiji!" She sprang from the doorway and bounced over to the bed to give her brother a breath-taking (Seiji's, to be exact) hug. "I was so worried!" She pulled away from him and frowned. "Do you hurt?" she asked, her voice full of genuine concern. Seiji looked thoughtful for a moment. Was this a trick question? Nah . . .
"Um, no."
"Good." Yayoi proceeded to strangle Seiji. "How DARE you worry your family like that! Grandfather taught you well enough to defend yourself against being stabbed!" She stopped after a moment and dropped her arms. "That made me feel better," she announced in a light voice. Seiji glared at her as he rubbed his collarbone.


"Hey."
Nudge nudge.
"Hey!"
Poke poke.
"HEY!"
Pinch pinch.
Ryo did not bother opening his eyes. His hand shot out to wrap around the throat of the person who would not let him sleep. "Knock it off," he grumbled before he released his grip. He rolled over onto his side. Another voice, light and feminine, coughed. It sounded familiar.
"You have a tendency to be rather violent, young man."
"Hn." A shiver ran up and down Ryo's back. So this was what it was like after a person died. Darkness, the cold, and mocking female voices. Well, he supposed it could be worse. Did this place even have a blanket? He felt about for it, and when his hand encountered some cloth, he yanked at it and tried to pull it over his body. A different voice, much like the one that had tried to awaken him, screeched in something akin to indignity.
"Eee! My dress!"
And Ryo was jolted awake with a harsh left hook to the head. He sat upright, saw double for a brief moment, and then his vision cleared and he saw Morhon, Shin, and one other person. She had hair the color of sea foam and eyes that matched the darker depths of the ocean Ryo could remember being pulled into. Their shape were the same as Morhon's.
Did this mean he was not dead? Or was he a ghost like Tadashi?
He rubbed his aching jaw; he didn't think he was a ghost. That punch hurt too much. He looked at the woman who punched him. She rubbed her sore knuckled and nervously looked away from him at Morhon. The Queen of Black Dragons was satisfying herself with the domesticate task of making tea over a tiny fire. Shin sat beside her and watched Ryo with worried eyes.
"What's the matter?" Ryo asked as he leaned forward. The dragon began to lean away from him but stopped when Morhon turned a warning glance on her. The Queen sighed at the unspoken questions within Ryo's eyes. She carefully set the teapot onto the ground and demurely folded her hands in her lap.
"Ryo, this is Marinka. She is a dragon of the water. You are a creature of fire. She catches the scent and heat from you whenever you move, and it makes her nervous because it is water's duty to eradicate fire. No, do not say apologize; it is all right. It is only her nature versus yours that is at odds here, and there is nothing you may do to change it anymore than you may switch natures. Marinka, I understand you wish to go back to your mother and the sea, but you must stay here and remember all that is said for your mother's sake. Please, do not allow Ryo to make you ill at ease. And Shin, if-oh wait. You did not do anything."
Shin broke into a small smile. "Darn, and you were on a role, too."
"I most certainly was."
Silence reigned as Morhon went back to making tea.
"What happened?" Ryo finally asked. Morhon handed him a fresh cup of tea. He looked down at it to see raspberry leaves floating around in the dark liquid.
Morhon folded her knees beneath herself and regarded those around her. "I have a confession of sorts," she began. Ryo blew at the hot tea and sent tendrils of steam drifting from the cup. He regarded Morhon as he sipped at it. "It would appear as if the matter concerning my Tears goes deeper than we have credited the known problem thus far."
Shin folded his arms across his chest and waited. Moron continued on, even as her solid green eyes flickered over in his direction. "I care not to involve any more people than what there are. I wish to protect you from the inevitable conflict. However, knowing your personality, that will not be possible." She glared at Ryo as if his personality was a fault unto itself. He colored slightly in sheepishness; after all, he did stubbornly persist in nosing about the matters of the ghost and her family and that was the reason why Seiji had been hurt to begin with.
Morhon sighed and smiled at Shin. "You I prefer to keep out of this mess completely." She turned to Ryo. "Your friend would not have been here to begin with had he not come back to the sea as it called him and the Green Dragon Queen had not sent her daughter-" Morhon nodded at Marinka, "-to tell him you were in danger."
"What of you?" Ryo asked.
"I dare not meddle with other's domains. It is not my place, and the Green Dragon Queen took a great risk in sending her daughter for help. She does not approve of the Mistress of the Sea accepting sacrifices." Morhon's mouth twisted, but she said nothing else on the matter. Rather abruptly, she changed the subject. "This is yours." Her wrist twisted and something appeared in her hand. Glowing faintly in the light, Ryo saw it was his yaroi. He instantly sprang upon it.
"I thought I lost it! Where was it?"
"Sitting upon my cave floor," Morhon replied. She smiled wryly. "T'was not the first time it winded up there."
Ryo stared at her in surprise and then looked around, taking in the details of where they were. Sure enough, they were back in her cave. A few oil lamps burned brightly above their heads, supplying the only light within the area. He smiled slightly; he should have realized where they were after sleeping on a stone floor. "How is Tadashi?" he asked as he took another sip of his tea.
"Tadashi does fine," said Tadashi, appearing beside them. Shin jumped in shock. "Thank you very much for asking though." The ghost drifted over to where Morhon was and folded his legs beneath himself. He floated in the air just above the floor. "No one has ever asked after my well-being. I imagine it comes from being dead and thusly you really lose any well-being you may have had."
Morhon poured another cup of tea for herself and cradled it between her hands. "Tadashi found the tea for me. I'm afraid it may be a bit musty, considering how we seemed to have had it for well over a hundred years."
Ryo grinned. "Think of it as vintage, m'lady!"
Morhon returned the smile. "Indeed! Perhaps it is just that!" She cheerfully took a sip of her tea and then set the cup down firmly upon the floor. She folded her hands in her lap. "Marinka, you may leave anytime you care to for the sea. Your mother will grant no more intervention than what she already has. Please tell her Soul Death meddles where it should not, and I will take care of the matter on my own."
Marinka jumped to her feet, her face lit with eagerness. She remembered to give Morhon a quick bow of respect, and then she hurried out of the cavern. Morhon sighed. "I really did not care to see her hurt in what we are about to go up against." She turned to Shin. "You I care not to involve with this entire matter. I wish I could send you home, but I do not believe you will go willingly, which is why you shall stay here with Tadashi. If we are in desperate need of help, he will bring you to us."
The look she gave Tadashi said that the ghost, of course, was to do absolutely nothing of the sort. Morhon turned to Ryo. He quickly shook his head.
"Uh huh. I'm going with you and that's final. I was here from the beginning and I mean to see it to the end."
She smiled and shook her head. "I knew you would say something of the sort, which is why I would not make you stay. You are to come with me. You are the wild card needed to win this situation. As a human, Soul Death will think you weak, but you are not above its notice so it will take an interest in you,. And with your abilities, you have the advantage."
"Uh, Soul Death?" Ryo asked.
Morhon blinked, and then broke into a smile that bared her sharp teeth in a threatening manner. "I seem to have overlooked informing you of our antagonist. Please note I do so deliberately until a more appropriate time. Now, come with me. We must not avoid our rendezvous with evil."
Shin looked as if he was about to say something, but Morhon quieted him with a wave of her hand. "I am immortal. What could possibly be done to me? To the best of my abilities, I shall protect your friend. However, I need him. Darkness cannot fight darkness for it creates too many stalemates; far too many unknowns with horrible outcomes we cannot afford. Fire is light. I need light. You are water. Water cannot be of any service to us where we are going."
She smiled, blew him a kiss, grabbed Ryo suddenly, and melted into the shadows.
Shin looked at Tadashi, who hadn't moved. "She is odd," Shin said after a moment in the hopes of creating a conversation to pass the time with.
Tadashi smiled blandly. "Really? One stops noticing after one has lived with her for well over a hundred years." A thoughtful look passed his face. "Of course, she did spend most of that time sleeping . . ."


They slid, as butter across a hot frying pan would, out of the shadows at the foot of Morhon's cliff. Morhon looked up at the cave as if she was seeing it for the last time.
"What are you not telling me?" Ryo asked after a moment. Morhon shrugged.
"Were you not willing to give your life for your friend when the Lady of the Sea took you?"
"Yes. No. I mean, yes, I was willing to give my life up for my friend."
"Are you still willing to do that to save the lives of all your friends?"
"Of course."
"Good."
Ryo watched as Morhon turned her back to him and trotted a few paces away from him before he spoke up. "Where are we going and who is this enemy we face?" Crickets chirped in the surroundings forest. The trees towered above them as silent guardians, the only witnesses to what was taking place between the soldier of benevolence and the immortal queen of darkness.
Morhon stopped a moment, glanced quickly around, and then gestured Ryo close to her. He came slowly, unsure of what was wrong. She gave the shadows deep within the cover of the trees and bushes another wary look before standing on tip-toe and cupping a hand around her mouth. Ryo leaned close to capture her whispered words.
"Outside my domain, my element may be used against me. Would you come into realms that are usually only associated with death and nightmares to learn the secrets of your enemy?"
Ryo gave Morhon an odd glance, searching for something in her face that would betray what she really meant. Her youthful face was open and eager, but also saddened. Ryo nodded once as his eyes continued to search. She brightened slightly then reached up to grab both Ryo's hands. She fell backwards top the ground, pulling Ryo with her.
They slipped into darkness devoid of all light, where not even black could be called black, because the color was too deep, too bottomless. They spiraled downward in an almost floating-like stance, eerily slow, into the dead-like quiet. In the darkness that was too deep to be called darkness, the two lone figures were wrapped within their auras of mutual colors. Ryo glanced down at himself in surprise to see a faint red hue cling to his body. Morhon was a deep, deep gray, almost blending into her surroundings.
Morhon released Ryo's hand and rolled away in a tight flip. She up-righted herself and stared at Ryo as her body drifted around his in lazy circles. This is my domain. Her voice reverberated through everything. The darkness swallowed the sound and sent it rocking back at them even as the vibrations of the resonance trembled through Ryo's body. We are safe here, no matter what happens. What we say will be safe and the wrong persons shall not hear it.
"What is it you dare be so careful of?" Ryo whispered. The sound of his voice seemed to disappear into the darkness, not strong enough to fight for its own identity. He wrapped his arms around himself to stop the shiver that ran through his body.
Morhon's form shimmered, as if she were fighting to keep her identity a physical thing.
The dragons are ancient beings, she began slowly. We were created at the beginnings of time, many, many thousands of years ago. The Word spoke, and the Universe was created. We saw the progress of mankind through good times and bad, flourishing no matter what happened. She gave Ryo a cryptic smile. You are fascinating creatures. You never seemed to give up, no matter how bad things were. Those are very admirable traits, found in but a few rare species. You are stubborn with life, generous as any angel, and yet so utterly and completely selfish without deigning yourself to absolute destruction.
But we dragons are not the only immortal creatures to be born at the beginnings of time. There is a balance in everything that exists. If not, then one side would destroy itself, no matter the element of order or chaos. Indeed, it is because of the Lord of Chaos that we dragons exist. We dragons represent all elements created to balance one another. Earth and air. Fire and Water with its companion, Ice. Light and Darkness. But were we the created good? No, we were neutral in the forces of what is evil and what is good. We were already balanced out within our elements. It was a disadvantage to the beast of disorder, even as it is a disadvantage for the Angel Seraph. And it is because of these disadvantages does the Word forbid to partake with either side with want or desire for chaos and order.
However, our elements were to allow us control when matters got too out of hand and we are forced to make a decision between both. Light and darkness have always been enemies. Warring against one another for control, they do not always win and, more often than not, lose. Light often overcomes darkness, and darkness has a weakness, in that it swallows itself up.
"Weakness?"
Morhon ignored him. A vacant look spread across her features as if she had plunged her psyche into memories buried deeper than the darkness' depths they were within.
But if you distinguish the source of light, then darkness will rule absolute. Be there only a tiny flicker of light against the impeding darkness, 'tis only a matter of time before the light is snuffed out.
And within that darkness exists an evil, because only evil can feed off darkness. That is what evil does; it feeds upon its victims until it turns upon itself and the destruction caused is amassed with great wounds. Evil is as ancient as I am, having sprung from the beast of disorder, He Who Destroys Creation, and it feeds from my power as I am the Queen of Darkness, of non-light, of shadows.
But what am I queen of? Only a kingdom that lays in dust, my people long dead, and everything but a fading memory.
Pictures, fast, fleeting and transparent, whirled from the darkness. They shot by Ryo before fading and being replaced by another. After a few of them-of a black-scaled dragon that bore herself with a familiar grace and a red-scaled dragon of an infinitely larger size and masculine posterity-Ryo realized they were Morhon's memories. There were eggs and clusters of baby dragons both red and black that tormented the larger dragons as only children could and get away with it. It was overlaid by a dark cloud of ashes as the children and the eggs were destroyed by hoards of men with painted faces and fierce, sharp weapons.
But as I have no kingdom now, and no children, what do I risk when I pull my power back away from the creature that feeds up on it? Perhaps the Angel Seraph would end my reign and a new ruler shall take my place for such insubordination on my part. Her hands snapped forward in an almost-prayer like movement, and the darkness disappeared with a whoosh. Ryo found himself floating in almost blinding-white area. He cried out in surprise and covered his eyes. White still shone as if it had been burned into his retinas.
Do you realize the color black is the equal combination of all existing colors? That is why I have always been the most powerful of all dragons. When you take away all colors, only white-which is not a color, but all that remains when everything else has been drained-exists. Nothing that is not of pure Order may exist forever in white, for to be exposed to one's true self, to see how petty, ugly, and coarse you are, is often a sight that drives people to the brink of madness.
Morhon spread her arms wide. The blackness returned, hue by different hue of color. It started out as the lightest yellow before it turned blue, and then green, which darkened into a magenta and began to show shades of red, deep into brown, and finally, fading into black. Within black exists all colors, and within each of those colors is the corresponding power. Because of this, evil may take any form and any personality, for within those depths of darkness is what is, has been, and will be.
Darkness has always existed; it was before light came to being, and all objects existing before light casts shadows, so it will always exist. Everything comes from the darkness, and everything eventually returns to the darkness. It is the reflection of all that is. Those who use my power to their own ends manifest themselves so they are stronger than those of the light. But the more they fight against the light, the more the light strips away the darkness until those evil lose their ability to use my power. Without the darkness, these souls may not take various forms.
The darkness is not evil, Ryo. It never has been. It is those who use it to fight against the light that are evil. The darkness is not the enemy of the light, for the light is merely the absence of darkness in which the darkness is the lightest of its hues. They fight merely because of their differences, but without light, darkness cannot determine its own self, and without darkness, light remains undefined.
The enemy we face has long been ignorant of the light. It stayed within the recesses of the darkness, not because it could not exist knowing what it truly was, but because it was too scared to emerge into the light. It was created at the beginning of the time as I was, but it had not the guidance nor companionship other immortals were blessed with. Little by little, it slowly began to rise upward from the deeper depths of the darkness. It marveled at the different hues of color that exists. And so a desire to possess these colors overcame it in its childish delight, and it rose a little higher up into the light.
Now, this creature was not inherently evil. Nothing is inherently evil. It was merely curious of the world, but curiosity is far more dangerous than evil can ever be. It is one of the far more powerful aspects of Chaos and is the key root to almost all turmoil and disorder. This creature roamed the world at night for it could not yet stand the brightness of day.
Ryo, we both know what often takes place night. Violence, cold cruelty, unhampered bitterness, wickedness that otherwise would not be seen at day is released at night because many of the good people are tucked safely in their homes and there are few to stop the evilness that runs rampant under the cover of darkness. Darker aspects of Chaos, that which the darkness fashioned in reaction to the Word's creation of the Universe.
People do not have the light to see how wicked they truly are at night, and so thus they hide behind their facades of superiority. They truly cannot see how wicked they are. Within this darkness, where evil blossomed, the creature learned of the darker side of humanity. The creature could not exist within the light where goodness flourishes and overrides evil, even just temporarily. It could not see the opposition of darkness where the opposite, the balance and the good, must ride.
For hundreds of years it watched as the evil progressed. As innocent as a babe and just as inexperienced, the creature became influenced. And because of the influence, when oppressed by something that the darker side of humanity represses in the vain hope of hiding from the ugliness of that which it is, the creature could not understand politeness, trust, honesty, charity, unselfish sacrifice, and heroic deeds for greater good.
Finally, it began to exist within the twilight.
Five decades earlier from now, give or take a few years, there was said to be the war that ended all wars. I may have slept through it all, but I was in a suspended motion where I could watch everything take place. War is darkness after all, it is my element and I know all that takes place in my realm.
A young man was killed at twilight during the war. Those who die during the time of the spirits are the most likely to dwell within that region between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Coupled with the fact he promised he would return to his wife and child, the young man could not make the full transition to the dead. He could be apart of neither worlds, trapped by a single promise too powerful to release him.
His power was limited though; he could only stay in the place he had died, which was the sea where his submarine had sunk. Among the crew of a hundred, he was the only one who haunted that machine. It was a horrible place that even the water dragons shunned. A year passed. One day, while making its usual rounds throughout the world at night, watching the evil take place from the beginning of twilight, the creature from our earlier subject caught the whiff of a violent thought. It followed the trail of the thought until it reached your cabin. A little before twilight ended, it witnessed the horrible end of a woman whose heart cried, alone and tired.
The woman waited for her husband through the pain, and so she was trapped in the land between the living and the dead when her life, at last, ended. Thus she would wait there until her husband returned for her.
Ryo turned pale when he finally realized what the story was about. "Hisoka and his wife," he whispered.
Morhon turned slowly from where she gazed outward. Her eyes, calm and grave, settled upon Ryo. She nodded her head slowly. Aye. Hisoka felt the moment his wife was torn from the world of the living, and he used the pain he felt to rip himself free of the area he was trapped and projected himself to the area his wife was. He could not save her. However, his child was still in mortal danger. Once the evil men had finished doing what they would with the woman's body, they moved on to do what they would with the daughter, Itsue.
Hisoka killed them. As a spirit, he is a shadow of his former self. As a shadow, he has a natural ability to use my power. He used it to shred the men that killed his wife, thereby protecting his daughter.
The creature was watching this. Having never before witnessed such a strong emotion that was not wicked or cruel, and yet to see such an action associated with it hardly seemed fitting. So the creature approached Hisoka with questions. 'Why?' asked the creature. 'Why did you protect the girl?'
'Because I love her,' was the reply. 'And I would give anything to have protected my wife, but I couldn't.' Because the woman was trapped as a spirit in that area, the man could not enter it, so she never learned that her husband had been near until much later.
And that was when the creature decided to explore this new side of humans. These positive emotions were at odds with negative emotions it had always associated itself with. It was filled with a burning desire to know more of these feelings. Yet, because of its very nature, it wanted to destroy these feelings.
For you to understand the next part of this story, allow me to take you back more than a hundred years ago. Remember how I said Tadashi and I met? He was a skinny little orphan child who took it upon himself to climb the cliff to my cave. He was told that, because he was so weak, he would not live very long. He felt for once in his life he would like to see or do something special, and I was the only special thing in existence that he knew of within a walking distance.
I was impressed with him. He was very brave to have climbed my cliff in such a condition that he was, and I saw no fear in his eyes. So I gifted him with advice and a ring with a Tear engraved within the middle. Before Tadashi died, he gave a young lad the ring. That young lad grew up, had a family, and eventually grew old. Four generation passed, and the ring passed through each generation, until it was passed onto Itsue.
The creature recognized the Tear as a piece of my power. It knew that enough shadows gathered together would form a solid masse. However, there were three problems.
The first was Itsue, a small child who had just lost both her parents. She possessed the Dragon Tear, and because of it, could communicate with both her parents. She did not know of her father as of yet, but rather promised her mother she would find him. Upon leaving the domain of her mother, she did found her father. The second problem was Hisoka, who was free and no longer had a place to tie himself to. His immediate reaction was to attach himself to his daughter so he would not dissolve away into an echo. The third problem was Aya.
"Aya?"
Aye. The ghost you have been trying to help does have a name. Aya was trapped in her own spot around the cabin, waiting for her husband's return as he had promised. She could sense he was near, and it was the resolve to wait for him that gave her the strength to stay as a spirit. But it was her domain, and Hisoka could not cross it until she passed away. As Aya would not pass on as she waited for him, Hisoka could not see her. I would find this situation amusing were it not so tragic.
The creature of wicked darkness reasoned that perhaps Hisoka could cross if he were alive. So the creature used an art it had invented back in the darker ages of mankind where necromancy was still alive and flourishing. He bound Hisoka to a raven, regardless of Hisoka's own perception of what he now exists as. Hisoka was able to take a solid form, but he may only exist within the light, because to descend too far in the dark would leave him vulnerable to other creatures of the dark, or to break the bonds. But that was not the answer either. Hisoka still could not enter the domain of another spirit.
Itsue was another agenda that had to be taken care of as Hisoka was bound to both her and the raven. Not knowing how to respond to children, Soul Death bound her to a raven as well. So she was trapped always in being a child, never allowed the chance to grow up. Because she was locked within the curse as a spirit was, trapped and unable to go anywhere as a spirit, she too was subjected to the same rules of her father. As these two are bound together not only through their ravens but through one another, they may not venture far from each other. Where you find Itsue, you will see Hisoka, and vice versa.
The creature took the Tear, telling Hisoka and Itsue that, when enough Tears were found, eventually they would have gathered together enough power to give Hisoka a truly solid form where he would not be subjected to the rules of being a spirit, and release Aya from where she was trapped. But the Tears are rare and precious gems, found in few places of the world where a dragon would not interfere with the collecting of. A thorough search across Japan only provided them with one, and that one was Itsue's.
"And then I came along."
Aye, and then you came along. You had every intention to stop them, and that they could not allow; on the bright side of your meddling, you have a much-needed Tear.
"But Hisoka and Itsue never meant any harm! They only wanted to help Aya."
Aye.
"And where does that creature fit in? You say that it is evil, and you call it Soul Death. Why? What has this creature done besides being influenced by the world? I don't understand."
Ah, Ryo. I call it Soul Death for it is just that. It is the death of souls. Truthfully, there was no known name for the creature. You must beware of naming such beings, for to do so is to lend it power and grant ease to those seeking to manipulate that power. By binding Hisoka and Itsue, it slowly kills their souls, until they will fade and exist no more. And that is why I call the creature Soul Death. It is not inherently evil, but it has been influenced by the evil for too long. It needs to be stopped by someone who is in command of light.
"I'm not of the light. Fire is my element."
Fire is light. Light only reveals that which truly is. But fire is the destructive force of light that destroys what gets in its way, and purifies what remains of that. It is the force of all elements to be reckoned with and is the most respected of all. Ryo, you are fire, and in that, you are light. I need someone with your nature and your power to help me. Your virtue is benevolence. That is kindness, compassion, goodwill. Indeed, you are the child of benevolence, and there was only one other in all the Realms to hold that name, and that was the Angel Seraph reborn. Even then, the Angel Seraph could only claim the title for four blissful and innocent years of your lifetime.
Ryo, there are many emotional aspects, and almost all of these aspects are a form of Chaos. Chaos is conflict and as such is pure energy. That energy is not always something we care to have. Chaos may only be coaxed, for to fight is to form chaos, and the more one fights, the more chaos is formed. Benevolence is a form of Order, for Order does not create confusion. Love is an aspect of Chaos because love is confusion. Compassion does not seek to confuse nor is it layered so there are different sides. Compassion is plain and simple without an exterior motive than what the compassion is being offered in. If deceitfulness, treachery, or confusion are involved, Order does not exist. You were born to be a child of this, ruled forever by this virtue no matter the circumstance.
I am a neutral force. I can only step in if the battling forces that lay on either side of me cross into my personal boundaries. If I were to interfere otherwise, then the Word, that which created me, would step in and put an end to me through the Angel Seraph for my siding with either Chaos or Order.
"But Soul Death is using your power! Can't you stop that? You yourself said that it dwells within your element, and you are the queen of your element."
Aye. But all elements and all forces are generated from the darkness, both good and evil. I gave my Tears away to you and to Tadashi, which was passed on to Itsue. She freely gave her Tear to Soul Death, and even though your Tear was taken, it was not longer in my care. I may do nothing as long as Soul Death does not strike any blows directly against me.
To do otherwise would warrant my end! You cannot understand the awe, respect, and fear both the Angel Seraph and the Lord of Chaos command!
I will not deny I need your help, loath as I might to beg you for it. If Soul Death continues, it will destroy Itsue and Hisoka. Itsue nearly killed your friend, and it almost broke her heart. The only way she was able to save Seiji was to exchange his death for yours. You were to be sacrificed to the sea, but the Immortal Dragon Queen of Water did not care for the idea, and asked Shin through Marinka if he would intervene.
Once Soul Death destroys Itsue and Hisoka, it will feel lost and it shall seek others to take their place. The more souls are captured, the more souls will die. It is the very pattern through which Chaos was born. Every action gives birth to another.
You need to go after Soul Death and chase it back into the inner depths of the darkness to this place here. Once fully in my domain and not existing anywhere near the lighter hues and as far from light as possible, I may chain Soul Death to this place, and not allow it near the light until this darkness has purged the foulness from it. By invading my domain, I can only trap it there without worrying of the interference of the Word.
"But?" Ryo urged her. Morhon turned away from him and her shoulders drooped.
But I do not know if you can do it. Ryo. Soul Death is ancient, and while it has only seen the evil of several centuries, it knows a great many terrible things that may be used against you. I could be sending you to your death, and I feel terrible. You are a creature of fire. Morhon turned and looked directly at Ryo. You are like my husband, a shining creature full of warmth and bounce, ready to take on the world and drink in all its experiences, no matter what is thrown at you. I want you to be able to fulfill that life, to fill that desire to know everything that there is to be known. I will not lie to you. There is the chance that you may not come back.
Ryo broke into a brave smile. "Hey! Let me believe that I will come out alive, and I will. There is nothing that will get in my way. Discouragement, though, may do more harm than good."
Morhon returned the smile. Ah. Forgive me, Ryo. There was a long pause as she continued to smile and gaze upward at him as if memorizing his features. Now, sum up what I have told you in short. I want to see if you understand everything, or if I should clarify some matters more clearly.
"Uh, okay." Ryo frowned thoughtfully, recalling the conversation that had been taking place ever since they entered into Morhon's direct realm of power. All the words she had told him, the mountain of information crammed into his mind, clambered forth into indeterminable sources. It was difficult to pinpoint the beginning.
Morhon watched him for a moment, and then broke into a wide smile. Overwhelmed? she asked. Ryo nodded. Would you prefer I sum up the situation? Ryo nodded again, gratefulness plain on hi face. Very well. Soul Death is a creature of the darkness that slowly kills the souls of Itsue and Hisoka. In order to stop it and release the souls from their bindings. You will have to use your own powers against it. Fire commands a great deal of respect from the other elements and is the destructive, purifying, force of light. You cannot kill an immortal creature and I cannot fight it outside of my domain. Wound Soul Death the best you can, for then it will flee into the darkest areas of my domain to be healed. Once there, I shall take action and chain the creature to the depths until it forgets the evil it has learned. Understand?
Ryo gazed at Morhon's face, and then slowly nodded once. "Yes."
She reached up then, her hands resting lightly upon his cheeks. Her fingers splayed wide and she rubbed the palms of her hands against the skin on his face. Her solid green eyes were softened by tender light. She did it for whatever reason-perhaps she found it comforting to touch him and took strength in his own confidence that he would life through the matter.
Morhon withdrew her hands and dropped them to her side. She drifted slightly away from him. Good luck, she said softly. Give me your hands. She held her own out, palm upwards. Ryo laid rested his hands over hers. She stared down at the knuckles, and then turned the hands over study the calluses and grains of the skin.
She cocked her head, dropped his hands, and raised hers. Two bright pinpoints of light appeared between them, hovering in the layered velvet darkness. A black jewel, only slightly lighter than its surroundings, and a jewel as bright and red as any single flame Ryo had ever seen. They both floated over her open hand. My Tear, Morhon said softly. And my husband's.
Before Ryo could react to that, Morhon snatched Ryo's left hand and pulled the palm down. The black Tear dropped from where it was hovering and pressed itself against the middle of his hand. It sunk painlessly into his flesh. The very top, imbedded like a small beauty mark, winked momentarily with a reflected spark of light. Ryo stared at it in surprise, and then Morhon did the same thing to his other hand with the red Tear.
She backed away from him and looked at him expectedly. Ryo stared at them for a long moment, and then looked at Morhon.
Finally, he said, "What was that about?"
They are my gifts to you. The ultimate power of anything is darkness. Everything springs from it, and with a piece of Shadow, you may call upon any other power you need. The red Tear was my husband's, and he was a fire dragon. Your main element is fire; this Tear's ultimate and only ability is connected with fire in any shape, form, or position. In that thereof, your fire shall become stronger and you will find yourself in the possession of a finer control. You will need that to face Soul Death.
Ryo glanced at the back of his hands. "How do I give them back to you after this is all over with?" Morhon looked indignant over such a prospect.
You shall do no such thing! I said they were gifts for you. And this way, with their being in your flesh, no one may take them in any way, short of forcefully removing your hand. Now go, your battle awaits you.
Morhon planted both hands upon his chest and gently pushed him back. Ryo sank downward through the darkness. Morhon's figure became smaller as he silently drifted further away. Finally, she all but disappeared, and he closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to enter his mind and blot out awareness.
Morhon's shoulders hunched forward where she was still floating. Ah, she said wistfully to herself. Would that I had a child like you. Perhaps I did, at one time, but I may never know. May the darkness open its path to you and allow you safe passage.


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