After a short while, Lee heard a loud thump. "OW!" cried Ryo. Lee whipped around and peered into the darkness. "What happened?" he asked. "Something hit me in the back…" Ryo whined. "Be quiet, would you… something isn't right," came Rika's voice. "Ugh this is so annoying! I hate this darkness! I wish we had a fire or something!" Takato exclaimed. Suddenly, there was a crackling and light. Everyone stared at Takato as he lifted his hand. Crackling, red-orange flames surrounded his hand as he stared in shock. He moved his hand, but the flames didn't go out. "Fire One," came a voice suddenly. They all looked around, almost panicked.
A noise sounded behind the group and they all turned. A figure stood behind them, tall and thin. "Aryel?" called Takato. The figure chuckled. "Close, Fire One. I'm her best friend." The form stepped from the shadows, revealing the typical Renamon-like appearance. This one was dark blue and dark green with black gloves and clothing. "My name is Micayla," she said with a deep bow. Takato bowed in return. Lee, Ryo, and Rika looked at one another before bowing also. Micayla smiled approvingly. "Well, I'm glad I found you. Aryel panicked when she discovered that she had forgotten to tell of your magic," she said. The group glanced at each other before turning back to the fox person. "Excuse me?" replied Ryo. "Magic. You heard me well, Akiyama Ryo," Micayla answered with a chuckled. Ryo blinked, not understanding.
Micayla sighed. 'This is going to be a long day…' she thought glumly. "Well, you see, each of you has magic. Wong Jenrya Lee, you have Wild Magic. You've figured out one part of it. Talking to animals. You can also send off magic in defense and offense. You call can. But you all have limits, too. Akiyama Malik Ryo, you have Digital Magic. It involves using the source of Digital Data to bring forth power to protect. Nonaka Genesis Rika, you have Ice Magic. You can figure what that magic uses. Matsuki Tokatai Takato, you have Fire Magic. You, too, can figure what that magic uses," she explained. Lee, Ryo, Rika, and Takato looked surprised. "Katou Yoi Jeri has Wild Magic, like you Jenrya," continued Macayla, "Wong Saochung Suzie has Immortal Magic, quite strong."
The group just stared in shock at Macayla. "Well, I must go. Ta-Ta!" Macayla disappeared as Renamon often did. Lee was the first to snap out of his trance. "That was abrupt… Well, we need to find the Lance," he said, poking Ryo. The other three snapped out of it and nodded. "Yeah, let's go," replied Rika, shaking her head. The group headed off again, using Takato's fire as a light.
"You know… I was wondering how Macayla knew our surnames, middle names, and first names," said Ryo aloud. The other three shrugged. Ryo pondered on the thought until Lee suddenly cried out. "What is it, sir?" Ryo stammered, startled. "We've made it…" Lee breathed. Takato took a step forward but Rika stopped him. "Too simple," she said, looking around. She picked up a stone on the floor and tossed in into the area. Nothing happened. She then glanced at the tiles on the floor. "The numbers…" she muttered. "What?" was the boys' reply. "The numbers. They're the numbers of the Ancient Times. I think I can count them out for you, Jen-kun," Rika answered, looking at Lee. Lee gulped. "O-Okay…" he breathed, nervous. If Rika made one little mistake, he was dead. But, he figured he could trust her.
"First, step on the one directly in front of you. That's zero." Lee stepped onto the tile and nothing happened. "Now…that one! The one with the circle and the funny symbol in the middle! That's one." Lee continued this all the way up to twenty-three. Then, Rika became stumped. There was only one more tile and he could reach the huge casket. "Um…" Rika started to sweat. 'I can't mess up… I can't,' she thought. She glanced at the two tiles in front of Lee. Lee watched her nervously. He was scared to death, but not showing it.
"Well… I honestly don't know, Jen… You're going to have to take a guess," said Rika finally. That's what Lee feared she would say. He sighed deeply and turned to the tiles. He glanced between them then to the tile beneath his feet. Staring at the three tiles, he noticed a similarity. He glanced back at thirteen and fourteen. Yes, there it was. The line going through the square at vertical line had simply switched to a horizontal line. He took a deep breath and stepped onto the tile he guessed was twenty-four, his eyes closed.
Nothing happened. Lee opened one eye and looked around. He was alive. He was alive. Grinning, he jumped onto the main floor and dashed over to the casket. He pulled out the key and opened it up. He searched over the casket, soon finding the place to put the key. He set it in the eight-pointed star shaped indent and turned it. The casket creaked and he pulled the key out, setting it on a rock beside him. He motioned for the others to come over. They jumped over, going from tile to tile in the same order. "I'm going to need help pushing this open," Lee said. They nodded, all gathering on one side. "One… two… three!"
The four heaved against the top and it slid off. Dust puffed into the air. Coughing and waving dust out of his face, Lee approached the casket again. He looked in and gasped. Inside, perfectly preserved, not decomposed, was the body of his great-grandfather, Jenrya Wong. Lee's eyes were wide in shock, his sight running over the body of his ancestor. 'They… They look exactly alike!' thought Ryo in surprise. And it was true. Jenrya Wong was a fourteen-year-old version of Lee.
Lee saw something in his ancestor's hand and slowly reached out. He took the thing, which turned out to be a piece of paper. Unfolding it, Lee read it over.
Heart in Heart,
Hand in Hand,
You'll find your prize,
Under the sand.
Lee blinked. Then, he realized that the ground beneath the tiles under his feet was sand. He set the paper beside the key. Shooting down to his knees, he pulled at a tile. It moved, so he pulled harder, flinging it off finally, revealing sand. He grinned broadly, tugging at another tile. The others joined him, pulling at more tiles.
After about ten minutes, the four had removed most of the tiles near the casket and were digging in the sand. Lee was frantic, in a delighted way. Ryo chuckled when he saw the thrill in Lee's eyes. Suddenly, Rika cursed. "I think I found something," she muttered, shaking her hand in pain. Lee bounced over and continued her digging. Sure enough, he dug up a trap door. He cleared off all the sand on it. He searched for a good hold to open it and couldn't find one. "Damn… No way to open it, guys," he said glumly. "There has to be a way," replied Ryo. He came over and tapped his weapon bracelets. One turned into an item for prying things open. "Crow bar," he chirped, smiling. He set the crow bar in one place and tugged. The trap door shot open quickly. "Well, that worked," laughed Ryo. They slid into the room beneath, one by one.
Lee glanced around in the murky darkness. He could see a few shadows in the dark, but nothing more. He reached into his pocket, ensuring himself that he had grabbed the key when he came down. He took a step forward and a blinding flash suddenly came. Everyone covered his or her eyes until the flash died down to a soft glow. Lee peered out and gasped in awe. In front of him was the Wild Lance, broken, but there. He stepped closer to the altar it lay upon and stood beside it. Stepping up on a rise, he gazed at the item before him.
The others gazed as Lee reached towards the Lance. His hands touched it and the glow spread over his body. Suddenly, his hands shot up, one piece of the Wild Lance in each hand. He looked utterly surprised, staring at the Lance. The rings on the top end jingled by themselves, as if a breeze was blowing past, but there was no wind. Lee's hands moved together, the broken ends of the Lance touching. Another flash came, but not as bright as the first. When everyone looked again, the Lance was in one piece again and Lee was holding it in his hands still, emitting a soft glow all around him.
The Key rolled out of Lee's pocket, coming to a stop a foot or two away. Lee stared at it for a moment before stepped off the rise to retrieve it. The Key began to glow and Lee paused. 'What… What is going on?' he thought. Watching in awe, the Key began to change shape. When the glow faded, there was now a little two-tailed kitsune laying there, sleeping. Lee held the Lance in one hand and kneeled beside the kitsune.
The kitsune opened its eyes. "Huh…?" it muttered, blinking. "You okay there, little guy?" a voice came suddenly. The kitsune shot to its feet, growling in a young way. Lee chuckled. "It's fine, buddy. I'm not going to hurt you," he said. The kitsune stopped growling and peered at him. "Wild One, hm? True, true, or no, no?" it asked. "True, yes." The kitsune tilted its head. "Name, name, hm?" Lee smiled. "Lee." Bouncing over to Lee, the kitsune got right in Lee's face almost. "My name be Key! Nice to meetcha, yep!" he chirped. Lee laughed cheerily and picked Key up. "Well, Key, we need to leave now. And I guess you'll be coming with us."
Rika stared at Lee as he approached them. "A kitsune?!" she cried. Lee nodded. Rika reached out and hesitated before the kitsune. He waved its two tails and smiled broadly. "Rika, hm? Princess, yes, yes. Came to help nice Prince Lee," he said. Rika gasped. "How… Oh, of course! Kitsunes have the ability to read minds!" she exclaimed with a smile. Ryo coughed. "Can we go? Something doesn't smell right," he murmured. "You mean, something other than your breath?" hissed Takato, waving a hand in front of his face. Ryo punched him in the shoulder. "Shut up, Gogglehead!" he cried. "Gogglehead? Hee! I like that name for him, yes!" giggled Key.
The group climbed up, out of the room with the Wild Lance. When they got into the light again, Lee handed the Lance to Ryo for the older boy to inspect it. Lee had Key on his shoulders as he covered his great-grandfather up again after adjusting the note his ancestor held. It now read:
Heart in Heart,
Hand in Hand,
You'll find your prize,
Under the sand.
But it has been found,
And the Key awakened,
So now the War will be won,
And the Shadows shaken.
The group headed off to leave again, crawling up out of the golden hearth. Lee came to the water, which had suddenly become semi-violent with waves. He dipped his hand into the water and splashed around a little bit. Teeth, shark's teeth, brushed against his hand and GrayFang's head rose out of the water. "A storm, my friend?" asked Lee. GrayFang growled. No. A battle has caused a freak of nature storm to occur. It is no true storm, unless a true storm consists of red lightning and black rain, he hissed. Lee gasped. "We need to leave. Fast," he said to the shark. The shark growled in reply and dove under the water.
GrayFang soon returned with a few more other sharks. My brothers. Come into the water and hold on. We'll be going as fast as we can to get you to the surface, he instructed. The group got into the water, each one grabbing the fin of a shark. Takato gurgled under the water, looking ticked off. They all closed their eyes when the salt began to sting. Suddenly, they were moving. Fast.
Chapter eight.
Akiyama Shadow