The Armor of the Soul
By Dixxy
Chapter Thirty-Six: Prisoner
(Cye)
I hated what was happening to me. Trulpa was using me for a power I'd been rightfully given at birth. The empress was controlling me like a puppet, and there was no way I could stop her.
The ceremony Trulpa had conducted combined my armor orbe and the Jewel of Death into one talisman. The Jewel of Death was the stronger of the talisman and overruled my armor, taking complete control of me. But I was still aware of what was going on around me. I could still see through my eyes and hear what was being said, but I couldn't speak, control my body, or fight the force controlling me.
After Trulpa had me dressed in this weird outfit that is best described as what you might get if you put Hercules and any Native American movie into a blender. Personally I hated the ensemble, but the Jewel of Death forced me to say that I liked it.
I wanted to hurl.
Being controlled by the Jewel of Death was a nightmare. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't gain even the slightest resistance to the evil powers of the talisman. For a day or so I was a puppet, doing what the Jewel of Death wanted me to do. I wanted to cry, I wanted to get control back, but I couldn't. Nothing helped.
Finally, Trulpa sent "me" on a mission to the Mortal Realm. Even though it was against my will, I went.
~
Boston was a nice city. Busy, but not as big or busy as Tokyo. In a way it was a lot like Toyama. But the Jewel of Death had evil intentions for the city and the people living there. Especially a certain five Ronin Senshi, two Ronin Warriors, ex Warlady, and monk. My father. . .
From my hiding spot in the ally, I watched several pedestrians talking about sports, television, business, and the normal everyday small talk. American culture was so different from what I was used to in England, Japan, and even the Dynasty. My mind was fascinated.
Eventually I saw the Torrent of the Senshi. My heart nearly leapt into my throat. Long, sapphire blue hair cascaded over her shoulders. She wore a tight, baby-blue T-shirt, a denim skirt, and blue high-tops. Her large, pink eyes seemed almost distant as she got lost in thought. Her skin was a light tan in color, and she looked like she might've been Hawaiian, but I wasn't sure.
Eventually, she sensed me. She looked around nervously before quickly ducking into the ally that "I" had chosen to hide in. Oh no, I thought. I don't want to hurt her.
"What is this presence?" she asked.
I was forced to chuckle and speak. "So glad to finally meet you my precious little Senshi." My partner in arms turned to see me and stared at me in wonderment. After a short while I spoke again. "You know you should have no reason to fear me, Sara," I said. Slowly I began to walk towards her, causing her to wince. My body took this opportunity to get up close to her. She jumped away as she felt my warm breath on her soft skin.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"You, my dear, know me as Destiny," I said. "But I was once known as Cye of the Torrent."
She froze, staring at me through those large, innocent pink eyes. "No," she said in disbelief. "You're not evil! You're an impostor!" Her finger was pointed accusingly at me, shaking as she did.
I wish I were an impostor. . . I thought miserably.
"Oh, but yes I am," I said, grinning evilly. "I am no impostor. Trulpa has. . . shown me the unimaginable wealth and power of the Dynasty."
"You must have been brainwashed!" she said. "The Cye that Anubis, Kento, and Sage talk about is nothing like the evil being I see before me!"
I laughed, throwing my head back. "That Cye? The weak, pathetic Ronin Warrior of Torrent? The runt of the litter? The quiet, nervous little puppy? No, that Cye is gone. Instead, I am here to take his place." My mind mentally winced. That wasn't entirely true!
"The Jewel of Death. . . That's what Trulpa's used to corrupt you!" said Sara, looking almost concerned. It made me feel a little better- knowing she was concerned and all- but she had to figure out a way to get that accursed talisman off of me!
"Maybe so, maybe so, but what truly matters is that unless you choose to join me in the Dynasty, you will perish. All of the Senshi have this option. Think about it. Never having to fear death. Never having to go to school. Having the power over an entire world!" I said, trying to make it look good. In reality I was ready to hurl.
"Trulpa wants to destroy this world. I could never bow before her!"
"Then perhaps there is no choice but to have you exterminated."
"I don't care if you're my partner in arms! You're threatening the realm I've sworn to protect, and if I must destroy you, then so be it." Sara looked like she was trying to be defiant, but I could see she wasn't so sure of herself.
"Well, I don't feel like a fight right this moment. I want you to sweat it out, little mouse." With that, I threw down a smoke bomb and went back into the Dynasty.
~
Later that day, I was sent on the mission to reveal myself to all of them the WHOLE truth, although Trulpa ended up backing me up. Mentally I was in tears as I watched Anubis- my father- stare at me in disbelief once he knew the truth. Sage and Kento were just in shock. I'm not sure what the other four Senshi thought, but I could see pain and hurt in Sara's eyes.
I wanted to badly to apologize to all of them. I wanted to let them know I was still alive inside, that the Jewel of Death hadn't completely taken over. I wanted to escape from my body and help them defeat Trulpa! But here I was doing the exact opposite.
That night was a difficult one. Trulpa removed the Jewel of Death from my neck, explaining that my body would be useless if it were left on too long, and had me locked away in my old room. I liked having control of my body back. It was better than having the Jewel of Death control me, that was for sure! But I could tell I was still cursed when I looked into the mirror.
In a way I looked like my old self. Same face shape, same hair cut, the basics. But my eyes were a demonic red that I could hardly bear to look at and deep streaks of blue and yellow were mixed in with my auburn locks. I sat down before the mirror, folding my arms on the desk and resting my head on my wrists. Tears streaked down my cheeks.
"I'm a monster. I, I'm never going to be the same again!" I said, this time fully breaking down. The tears kept coming and coming, not letting up until I drifted into an all but easy sleep.
~
The following morning I awoke to find myself standing up. Trulpa must have placed the Jewel around my neck while I was mentally asleep. So it was BACK to feeling miserable as my body either walked or teleported around the Dynasty with me as its unwilling passenger.
When was this ever going to end?
~
Hello loyal readers! I see that many of you have left questions in the reviews for this story, so I'm going to answer some of them:
Kar-chan: The reason that this story is updated so quickly is because it and four sequels have already been completed. I post so quickly because I'm only editing them to get them to make more sense or fix spelling and grammar errors. And thank you for the compliments on my style!
Musou Misora: Kar-chan had the same question. What about Ryo and Rowen? Sadly, Rowen and Ryo don't get a clue until Dragonia, which is about four stories away. If it's any compensation, Rowen is the central character in the next story, Oh, Lucky Me. As for the voice Rona was singing with, it was Rowen. Three more of the long distance duets happen in the next story.
Hope I cleared up a few things! Feel free to review at any time if you have any questions, comments, ect. See ya!