Night fell as we made our way through the desert toward the ruins. And with it, so dropped the temperature. It wasn't long before we could see our breath. I wrapped my cloak around me tightly feeling cold, anxious, and hyper-alert.
"We should hurry." Fai said.
"I wonder if we'll all fall asleep again and return to that time…" Mokona pondered.
"No," Syaoran answered. "Once we enter the ruins that won't happen."
"How do you know that?" Kurogane asked as we finally reached the entrance to the ruins.
"If my theory is correct, it should be just like that day. Time within the ruins has stopped." He raised his hand to open the doors but before he could touch them, they opened on their own.
"It's almost as if it were welcoming us." Fai said, on guard.
"Great." Kurogane added, itching for a fight. I held my hands together and quickly pleaded with the universe for our safety and success before following the men inside.
"There's nobody here." Mokona said as we walked through the darkness.
"During the purification, the only ones who may enter the ruins are the priest and the royal family member who is undergoing purification." Syaoran explained.
"And that member of the royal family is Sakura? The one who was with you before?" Fai asked.
"Yes." he answered after a long pause. We made our way up a long staircase until we came to a large open room. The feeling of magic surrounded me before any of my other senses could register anything. There was a fountain of water in the middle of the room with what should be flowing waterfalls feeding into it. But…
"The water isn't moving." I gasped.
"You were right. Time here really is static." Mokona added. We made our way to the water to inspect it further. I watched as Fai stuck his hand into the frozen flow of one of the waterfalls.
"So much water in the middle of a desert. And at the top of a building no less. Architecture is a factor, but I think a great deal of magic is also necessary to sustain this place." he said.
"Yes. That was an important duty for the country's priest. Sakura, as the most powerful in her family, was a candidate to become the next priest." Syaoran explained.
"How long were you with that Sakura, Syaoran?" Mokona asked.
"Always." He answered, catching us all by surprise. "We were always together since the day we met — that was seven days before her seventh birthday — until I reached the age you see me at now."
"B–but Syaoran, you were held captive weren't you? Since you were young?" Mokona pushed for more answers as a picture began to form in my head. It was as if I knew the answer before he said it.
"I had my time wound back for a price."
"By the witch?" Kurogane asked.
"Yes."
"May I ask why?" Fai spoke from beside me.
"In order to retrieve the Sakura of that day." Syaoran answered. And in an instant, I could see what happened. It was as though I entered a trance as he shared what happened.
There was Syaoran as a child, standing outside of Yuuko's home, looking as determined as ever. He was greeted by Yuuko's created twins and dragged into the building where he set everything in motion.