27 ~Weapons~

By: Little Ucchan

Chapter 2: Panic Attack

"Of course I'm @#$%ing scared!! I'm about ready to piss in my pants over here!!" ~Kento

Bold.

Fearless.

Immovable.

Strong.

What did these words have in common? Well, they were all used to describe one man. From the ash-blue hair that forever remained in a disheveled state to the large metallic boots that clanged noisily against the ground he walked upon, everything about him emanated power. His confidence was abundant. His strength unmatched. And his fighting spirit has never faltered.

Until now.

For some obscure reason, Kento felt the sensation of fear clinging to his mind. Of course, being the kind of man that he was, he concealed it fairly well, not letting his body give away his uneasiness. To anyone else, he seemed just as firm and unyielding as ever. But that still didn't change the fact that his heart was beating so loud in his chest that he wouldn't be surprised if it echoed down the hall!

Why did he feel this way?

When he had first begun this journey to the ruined temple grounds outside of Essa, he was almost as psyched up about it as Sage was. The taste of adventure. That's what he loved. It was the driving force that had lead him practically all over the continent during the three years he'd been traveling. Kento would go anywhere as long as it had the prospect of turning out into one hell of a ride!

But now… he wasn't so sure. He'd admit that he felt a tinge of hesitation when he caught his first glimpse of the temple. A little more so when they were walking down the corridor to the main hall. And when Satsuki's sense of panic didn't ease, his mind started to swirl with second thoughts and wild, irrational ideas. However, Kento would scarcely show any outward signs of these changes that were happening within him. He wouldn't show weakness, especially to Satsuki. But when Sage stayed behind… that's when he felt a sharp pang inside his chest. And he continued to feel that way the entire time he and Satsuki were walking towards the exit. It wouldn't go away. And he knew why.

Kento never should have let him go alone.

But what could he do now? Turn back? And tell Satsuki what? That he thinks that her brother was in danger?

Yeah Kento. That would really go well with her, he thought sarcastically. Why don't you just tell her that Sage died or something? It'd still have the same effect.

The young man sighed inwardly. What was he going to do? It was either to continue forward and endure the ominous feeling hovering over his heart or go back and, not only risk looking like a complete fool if he was wrong, but also cause the young girl by his side to go into extreme hysterics the entire way there. Some choice he had, considering that Kento would never forgive himself if something had happened to Sage while he ran away in fear. But… making Satsuki even more afraid than she was now, especially if it turned out to be a false alarm, was something that the he also wished to avoid. He never wanted to put her in a state of distress or into any unnecessary danger. Not while he was acting as her bodyguard.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) Kento wasn't given a second longer to ponder the issue. A scream rang clear in his ears so suddenly and with such force that he couldn't help but cry out in surprise himself. Only when Satsuki's elbow accidentally slammed into his side, did he jerk to his senses and realize that the scream had come from her.

He opened his mouth to snap at her for giving him such a scare but stopped short of doing so, instead voicing out his concern as he watched her rub her right thigh gingerly. "Suki, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," she replied, unsheathing the dagger from her leg and giving it a bewildered look. A look she and Kento equally shared as ~Ailee~ burst into life again, the blade suddenly empowered with fast moving electrical currents.

Kento made a face. "Don't tell me you shocked yourself."

"I did not!" Satsuki cried out indignantly. "It acted up on its own!"

"Its own?" the man repeated skeptically.

She nodded.

"Is that even possible?"

"I'm not sure," she sighed, staring at ~Ailee~ thoughtfully, her knowledge of the nature of the ~Weapons~ only going as far as what her brother knew. From what she remembered, this reaction only happened one other time. It was last year, I think. When Kento and Sage had that duel and…

"Oh God…" her eyes widened in pure horror, the thought she had in her mind not having to even finish itself before she was running down the corridor back in the direction of the main hall. "Sage!"

"Suki!!!" Kento yelled, calling to the girl in vain before breaking into a run himself. The flames of the torch came dangerously close to scorning his face as he ran, forcing him to hold his arm up high as he made an effort to catch up to his friend, already well out of his sight.

"Suki! Wait!!" he hollered again. But all he heard was his own heavy footsteps against the temple floor. Damn! That girl can run! Kento didn't think that she could create such a gap between them. But Satsuki had such a strong urge to find her brother and come to his aid that it was no wonder that she covered that much distance. In the dark no less! Kento would have laughed aloud at the irony of the situation if the act didn't consume the oxygen he needed to take into his lungs. Satsuki, throwing away her previous fears in a heartbeat, just because she believed that Sage was in danger. He'd never known her to be so reckless! But it was a hidden character trait present in both siblings. Something that Kento could relate to himself, but still needed time to get used to seeing in his two traveling companions. Especially in the cool, levelheaded man that he was now worrying over because of the sudden flight of his 'cautious' younger sister.

Dammit! He cursed again, sucking in more breath as he ran. If Suki's being this impulsive, then I can only imagine what kinda shit that idiot's gotten himself into now!

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Sage blinked back astonished eyes. Hadn't the light from ~Korin~'s blade gone out? But his eyes testified to a different story. The chamber was enveloped by a dim green light that he couldn't find the source of. As he looked around bewilderedly, it almost appeared as if the light was coming from within the structure itself. An impossible notion to conceive, but it was true. The walls, ceiling, floor, pillars… they all glowed green. An eerie, mysterious shade that succeeded in making his insides feel queasy. There was something wrong. The evil presence Sage felt earlier had vanished, but this new feeling he had didn't please him. True, this aura he was sensing wasn't as oppressively cold as the atmosphere before, but… there was just something wrong. The chamber felt calm but he knew that it was a lie. A façade. The soft glow was hiding something deeper, more hideously sickening, making his head swirl with an approaching wave of nausea. What was going on here?

In an instant, Sage jumped back, sword drawn quickly into a ready position when his senses alerted him to movement up ahead. His eyes were riveted to the back wall behind the altar, watching as a portion of the wall began to move forward. His heartbeat escalated with every passing second; going to such speeds that he was soon forced to breathe heavily in order to slow it down. Am I scared? His legs felt weak, the sound of the hidden door scraping against the ground grating at his nerves. Is that why I'm so edgy? Am I afraid of whatever's inside there? The door finally swung open, revealing a previously conceal corridor leading to…

At that moment, Sage didn't really want to find out. That hallway looked ominous. And for the first time, common sense overruled curiosity. Sage took a step back, deciding that it would be in his best interest to leave. Unfortunately, that was going to be a problem.

He felt forward motion coming from his backside, the luminescent green light moving ahead. He couldn't believe his eyes as the light flooded the murky passageway with its pale glow, as if being sucked in by some invisible vortex, the shift abandoning half of the chamber and leaving it in absolute darkness. Sage was reluctant to look behind him, feeling the completeness of the black void lurking at his back, giving him goose bumps with its callous touch. The contact forced him to step forward and away from it, the feeling of numb iciness threatening to make him lose his nerve. But as Sage stepped forward, the darkness crept up behind him, following his every move and forcing him to move forward again towards the corridor that was waiting for him.

Something was urging him to go ahead. He couldn't stop it… this darkness. And soon enough, he found himself standing right in front of the entrance, uncertain doom looming before him, and a suffocating darkness towering behind. Sage tightened his grip on ~Korin~'s hilt, finding the ~Weapon~ to be his only source of comfort, as well as his only line of defense. Taking in a deep breath, he sighed. Here goes.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Oh God oh God oh God oh God! Satsuki ran at full speed, disregarding the fact that she was practically running blind, the light from ~Ailee~'s charged blade not being efficient enough. Sage! Please be alive! The young teenager completely ignored the wounds she received whenever a sharp turn would cut into her pale skin. She would endure any pain to reach her brother, the fact that he was in serious danger the only thing driving her forward. And it was a fact. There was no doubt in her mind that if she didn't reach Sage soon, Satsuki would never see him among the living again. All because of a year ago…

She remembered it clearly… the fight at the capital of Argon against the city guards. How ~Ailee~ did the same thing. Shocked its owner into alertness just in time for her to spot the guard coming in at Sage from his left. She remembered… the feeling of upcoming death hovering like a storm cloud overhead. How the halberd would have broken through her brother's light armor… How it would have punctured his lungs… How she would have lost him… forever.

It was enough.

And before she knew it, Satsuki had drawn her ~Weapon~ from its sheath and fired a fast lightning attack to stop the guard cold… and dead. She didn't know what she was doing. She had packed too much power into the attack and hadn't administered any control over it. She just fired. And the effect was deadly. It was a first time she ever killed a man. The last too, since Sage made the effort to train her in how to handle the ~Weapon~'s power. But she never forgot that day. Satsuki knew that she chose her brother over the life of that man. And the only reason she was able to save him was because of ~Ailee~'s warning.

And when she had received that same warning again… there was no stopping her.

I won't lose him, she thought, forcefully slamming into another corner with her next turn, but never losing her speed. I refuse to do so!

Satsuki staggered to a halt when she no longer felt the confining walls of the hallway, feeling instead the vast emptiness of the main audience hall the moment she had entered it. Perspiration clinging to her body, the cool openness of the chamber was a godsend to her hot skin. But she couldn't enjoy it. There was something wrong. Looking from side to side, Satsuki immediately noticed what was bothering her. Where's Sage? Shouldn't he be in here?

No. There was nothing. Only darkness, foreboding and menacing.

"Sage…" Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper, the lump of fear already lodging itself deep within her throat. She tried again. This time louder. Again. More forceful. And again. A yell. And again… And again! So complete was her panic that Satsuki soon found herself screaming out his name in uncontrolled terror. "SAGE!!!!"

But there was no answer.

She wasn't aware of her own tears streaming down her face.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Kento had been watching.

Despite Satsuki's lead over him, he had managed to reach the main hall a minute or so after her, just in time to witness her break down right before his eyes. In the torchlight, he saw a distressed 16-year-old girl trembling in tears. And the sight broke his heart. This was what he didn't want. He never wanted to see her like this. It meant that his best wasn't enough. Kento couldn't even protect the one he cared for. He couldn't spare her pain. And that ripped at his manhood more than anything in the world.

Stepping up to her side, he instinctively placed his arm around her, trying to offer her some relief. She gratefully took it, leaning into his strong form. Tears continued to silently fall from her eyes. Neither said a word.

Not able to find words that would comfort her, Kento took that moment to look around the chamber. He cursed mentally. Sage was nowhere to be found. Even if the room they were in was the main hall, there were only a few noticeable passageways other than the entrance they came through. And all were blocked by debris, effectively stopping anyone from entering. So where the hell is he?! He couldn't have gone anywhere else.

Kento frowned in disdain. That moron! Knowing him, he probably traveled down some hidden passageway and got lost in this stupid piece of—Hey! That's it!

Satsuki looked up from her misery when she suddenly felt the warmth of Kento's body leave her, the young man pulling away to walk towards the center of the room. Standing at its center in thoughtful contemplation, he stared at the floor for a long time. He smiled an irrepressibly large grin when he caught sight of Sage's footprints, faint in the dirt covering the granite floor. Following the tracks up the platform and around the altar, he came to a stop in front of the back wall.

It ends here. He scratched his head with his free hand, looking around his feet, trying to figure out why the footprints abruptly disappeared. His eyes immediately fell upon a line of dirt resting to one side. It looks like it was pushed aside, by… Looking at the wall again, Kento spotted a vertical line running up the middle of it. Following the line, he traced the path with his eyes, the depression forming …a hidden door!

Smiling again to himself at his accomplishment, he approached it at one side, running a hand against the stone wall. With one sharp knock, he rapped on one side of the line. Solid. A short pause later he repeated the movement on the opposite side and received favorable results. Hollow.

"Yes!!" he shouted in triumph, receiving a bewildered but hopeful look from Satsuki, who, by that time, had reached Kento's side.

He gave her one of his grins, the one that she had known to identify as a harbinger of good news. "Suki, fire ~Ailee~ at this wall!" he directed. "Do it as hard as you can!!" 

Satsuki gazed at him with confused emerald eyes, only to be greeted back with that same grin. "C'mon! Time's a wastin'! You wanna reach your brother, don't you?"

She immediately lit up with those words, the glitter in her eyes returning with renewed hope. "Kento…" she started, raising her arm and taking aim. "…Thank you."

He didn't need to hear her words of thanks. To him, her smile was enough.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Sage stopped. Guided through the numerous passageways by the ever-present luminescent green light, he came to a halt in one corridor, reaching a dead end that he knew was all but that. And he was right. The wall lifted, sliding upward to expose a hidden chamber.

He took a step back, hesitant to go through. The energy emitting from the inside of the room was revolting. It was the same one that had accompanied the green atmosphere, but to a more severe degree, as if this room was the source of that vile aura. But as much as it made him sick to his stomach, Sage felt compelled to step inside. No longer did he feel he was being pushed from behind, but now he was being drawn forward. And he knew why. Right in front of him, at the center of the farthest wall, was a tall pedestal. And floating above it, bathed in a clear beam of white light, was a small round orb colored in a green hue.

Sage stepped inside, eyes glued to the glistening marble that gleamed like an exotic gem. With every step, he felt the power emanating from it. How it was calling him to take it. Tempting him to indulge in a little extravagance that wasn't known to any living being. To claim its power as his own. He wasn't aware that there were others watching him as he slowly advanced, urging him along as well… but for a darker, more sinister purpose.

He blinked, abruptly stopping in the middle of the room. Looking down, Sage watched in astonishment as his ~Weapon~ came to life, flickering wildly in his hand and then slowly calming down. He didn't know what to make of it. Nor was he given time to deliberate the matter, the shining orb calling to him once again. He didn't even take a full step forward before ~Korin~ acted up again, this time quivering in his hand as it blinked on and off. He tightened his grip on the sword, not really knowing if the trembling was the ~Weapon~'s doing or his own shaking hand. Hoping to stop this madness, Sage sheathed his sword, the rattling of the blade continuing for a moment longer before all was quiet once again.

Sage gazed at ~Korin~, confused at its actions, for it never reacted like this before. It was showing a will of its own, a notion that was disturbing at the very least. To think, a weapon acting independent of its owner. But then again, this was an ancient relic.

Glancing back at the floating orb, he tried hard to resist the influence it exercised over him. Although Sage wasn't exactly clear on what vexed ~Korin~ so much, he recognized a warning when he saw one. And there was something about that object suspended in front of him that wasn't right. And yet, it was so desirable at the same time. He wanted to pull away, even tried to. But still, no matter how strong his resolve was, Sage found himself giving in to human weakness.

He was now standing on the upraised platform right in front of the marble pedestal. The orb was barely a foot away from his face. He reached out his hand to touch it, but immediately received a hostile response from ~Korin~. The ~Weapon~ jerked and wobbled within the confinements of its sheath, refusing to stay put for its owner's sake.

He knew what ~Korin~ was telling him. 'Get away!!' it screamed. But he was too close to the orb to comply. He felt his hand restricting ~Korin~'s movement as the other reached out against his will. He couldn't move back, shutting his eyes tight as his fingers inched closer to the deadly object. Shit!!

"SAGE!!"

He immediately snapped his hand back, the spell broken the instant his sister's voice penetrated through his skull and entered his mind.

"Satsuki?" he gasped in surprise, turning around to see his little sister standing in the doorway. She was panting heavily, on the brink of collapsing from exhaustion. But she still managed to run up to Sage and wrap her arms around him in a fierce hug.

"Oh God, you're alive!!" she cried, breaking down into tears. "You're alive… I can't believe… that you're alive!"

"Satsuki…" Sage placed his arms around her, just glad to have his sister close to him again. Right now, he was in desperate need for this kind of comfort.

Of course, a good thing like this never lasts for long.

"You jackass!!" Satsuki screamed, punching him in the arm. "I thought you died!! Don't ever do that again!!!"

He rubbed his sore arm, chuckling lightly. "I'm sorry Satsuki."

But his sister could tell that he didn't mean it because of the way he smiled at her. "This isn't funny! I was worried about you!"

"I know…" he sighed, unable to put up a decent fight. He was just too happy to see Satsuki to work up a good argument. Since she had entered the chamber, the aura that had been following him had disappeared almost instantaneously. The green glow was gone. The temple had returned to the state it was in when they had first entered it, which was a major load off of Sage's mind. He felt safe once again.

Well… for a moment he did.

Finally realizing that they weren't alone, Sage looked back towards the doorway. Kento was standing there, torch in hand and a scowl on his face.

"Are you going to yell at me too?" Sage asked when the larger man had crossed over to their side of the room in very short, quick strides.

He huffed, placing an annoyed hand on his hip. "No. I'll just save that privilege till after we get out of here."

"So… you're mad at me."

"What do you think!?"

He sighed. "You're mad."

"SAGE!!" Kento yelled, barely restraining himself from leaping forward and strangling him. "I would kill you right now if it didn't defeat the purpose of us trying to find you to begin with!! Do you realize how much of a panic you put us through?!"

"I thought you were going to yell at me after we got out of here."

"@#$% you!!"

"That's enough!!"

Both men grew silent, turning their heads to their female companion.

"Kento, calm down," Satsuki advised him, stopping him cold with a stern look when he showed signs of an argument. "And Sage," she added, turning towards her brother. "Stop acting like an ass." The blonde wisely kept his mouth shut.

"There's to be no fighting until we get out of here. Okay?"

"Yes ma'am," they replied simultaneously, a bit too energetic for her liking.

"No smart-aleck remarks either," Satsuki snapped. "Now let's go."

She started to walk out when Kento gently caught her arm, pulling her back. "Kento? Wha…"

He didn't look at her, instead keeping his eyes fixated on Sage. The man was standing in front of the pedestal, gazing blankly at something.

Coming up to her brother's side, Satsuki quietly hooked her arm around his. "Sage?" she called out hesitantly.

No reply.

Satsuki looked up at his face from where she stood, following his gaze to the pedestal backed up against the wall. There was nothing there. Looking back at her brother, she tried to read his expression. She was able to discern nothing at first. But of course, she knew how good Sage was at hiding things. Gazing directly into his visible eye, she could now tell what was swirling beneath those lavender orbs. Confusion. He was confused. But of what?

"Sage?" she tried again, but failed to get his attention. Only when Kento placed a firm hand on Sage's shoulder did he snap out of his reverie, turning his head to the side to look at him.

"Hey man. You alright?"

"…Yeah," he replied, looking back at where the orb had once been. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"C'mon Sage," Satsuki tugged at his arm. "Let's go."

"…Yo!" Kento swiped a hand in front of the blonde's face when he didn't make a move to leave, once again breaking into Sage's thoughts. "Let's go, man! The sooner we get out of here, the better."

"Right. But…" He paused, looking both at Kento and Satsuki. "Did you guys see anything over here?" Sage asked, gesturing towards the pedestal.

"No," Kento replied.

"I didn't see anything," Satsuki added.

"Are you sure?" he asked skeptically. "I mean I swear I saw…"

Kento shook his head, placing both hands on his friend's shoulders. "Sage… this place is seriously having a weird affect on you. We have to leave… Now."

Unfortunately, the explorer in him suddenly came back in full. Although he really didn't object to the idea of leaving, Sage wanted to know exactly what happened to him when he was alone in the temple. Was he just imagining it all, or was there really something strange going on here? He needed to find out.

But Kento knew what Sage was thinking. And there was no way in hell he was going to let him get his way. "Sage, I swear if you don't move right now I will haul you off your ass and carry you all the way outside!!"

He blinked at the forcefulness of the threat. No doubt Kento would go through with it if Sage pushed him too far. But instead of taking it seriously, being used to Kento's fighting nature, Sage immediate came up with a parry.

"Kento, if I didn't know any better… I'd think you're scared."

No man would let that comment slide, and Sage was certain that Kento would blow up at the remark. And he did… Just not in the way he thought he would.

"Of course I'm @#$%ing scared!!" he screamed. "I'm about ready to piss in my pants over here!!"

"Kento—"

"I don't care if you laugh," he cut him off. "And I don't care if you make fun of me. But the truth is… I. Am. Scared." He enunciated those last three words very clearly. "I'll admit it. I'm scared. This place is scaring the shit out of me! It is the epitome of scariness!" Kento rambled on. "And I want to leave! I want to run out of here and never look back. That's how scared I am! And if we don't leave right now I'll KNOCK you over the head and DRAG you out by force!!"

Sage was left totally speechless. He had no idea that Kento felt that way! He didn't even think it was possible for a guy like him, someone who's fought more fights than he's had dinner, to be scared of anything!! He didn't even flinch when Sage was in a blind rage and assaulted him on the streets of Metna. And that's saying much since the swordsman was a deadly adversary whenever he was angry. So of course he was surprised when Kento admitted that an ancient temple scared him to death.

"I agree with Kento, Sage," Satsuki pitched in. "There's something wrong about this place. We should go."

Even if his mind readily agreed with them both, his mouth said something totally different.

"Don't you guys think you're overreacting?"

"Sage…" Patience was ebbing away.

"I mean, it's just a temple."

"Sage—" Irritation was seeping in.

"What could it possibly do to us?"

"Sage! We're leaving!!" Another comment would bring the tolerance level down to zero.

Silence.

"…But—"

"NOW!!"