** Disclaimer: You know what this is, I really shouldn't have to say it. I don't own Tenchi Muyo! or any of the characters created by AIC. I do own the unique plots, writings and original characters that I've created. Blah blah blah.
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Tenchi Muyo! - Echoes of Twilight
A Fan Fiction by Sebayn
Cycle Alpha - Chapter 3: Descent
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"Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation, corruption, and destruction of man? I'm not sure that man needs the help." - Calvin to Hobbes
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*** III *** III ***
Drops of perspiration dripped from the Tenchi's face as he walked along the beaten path toward the dried-up lakebed. Shards of amber sparkled and swirled across the landscape carried by the strong eastern wind. The hollow wind shrieked with increased tenacity as it streaked over the horizon.
Tenchi's noise crinkled as he paused to sniff the air. The overwhelming smell of smoke and soot had blanketed most all other outdoor scents for several years now. Even though the intense quakes and other disasters that occurred had been a considerable distance from the Masaki Shrine at the time, the haze had washed across the valley engulfing every other odor within it.
He was tired of it. Tired of the destruction, of the overwhelming foreboding that one whiff of air brought down on him.
Now it would change and he would be the one to change it. It was true that he had promised his father he would escape this barren planet, but no longer was that his primary drive. He would do it for himself.
Step after step echoed softly as Tenchi trudged into view of the dried up lakebed, returning to a place he had visited countless times in his life. The old backpack that was slung over his shoulders dropped to the ground with a loud thud. Tenchi froze in his tracks, all color draining from his face instantly.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this."
The bark of the ancient space tree Funaho boiled and contorted as a black oily liquid spread itself over the desperate tree's roots. Tenchi could only watch in stunned silence, a gentle but resigned wailing sound emanating from within his mind. The black ooze continued to expand as it grew upwards along the tree's trunk like a ferocious beast consuming its prey.
There was no doubt. Funaho was dying a slow and excruciatingly painful death.
The wailing became louder, more pronounced and vocal, Tenchi realized as he stared blankly at the scene before him. One of Funaho's upper branches cracked liked thunder and tumbled violently downward impacting off the ground and sending a cloud of dust flying upward.
"What can I do?" Tenchi meekly thought out loud.
To touch the tree would mean his own death, the bewildered man had no doubts as to the validity of that understanding. Whatever the oil was, it was not to be violated by his hands alone.
Branch after branch surrendered and crashed down upon the Earth where the tree had resided for over seven hundred years. The venomous plague that had attached itself onto the tree gurgled and bubbled chaotically until at last it had engulfed Funaho entirely.
Tenchi turned his head and vomited while nearly collapsing to the ground him. The grotesque sight of the tree that had been one of the few constants in his life proved too much for him to handle.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
The thought cycled through his mind endlessly, haunting him, mocking him while he could only make himself to look upon the ground. Despair was etched on every feature of the lost prince's face. To have suffered through so much, and to gather his strength and wits only to fail before he could even get started rattled his very being to the core.
"This isn't right!" Tenchi screamed using every ounce of strength he had left.
Dust. Brown dust. Once more he had been reduced to nothingness. Trapped in a world he could not escape, a place where hope no longer existed. He would end up as nothingness after all, Tenchi realized as he slowly dropped to his knees as his back faced Funaho remorsefully.
The ground stared straight back up at him a though it were taunting his helplessness. But Tenchi's eyes unexpectedly narrowed, fixated on the ground, focusing in closer, focusing on something that shouldn't be there. Something that wasn't humanly possible.
A footprint. An impression made on the dead surface. The shape and diameter larger than the average human's.
The wind shrieked defiantly as Tenchi stood up once more, eyes sweeping across the length of Funaho while traveling downward upon the ground. The footprints started from the base, only briefly covered up by the forceful wind, and continued into the decaying forest, up to a place he had hoped never to visit again. The Shrine Office.
They were fresh. Someone else was here, on this planet, but not from this planet. Who or what, Tenchi didn't know, it didn't matter to him. But whatever the case, whoever he found at the end of those tracks was responsible for Funaho's death.
Anger and the desire for life energized Tenchi as he picked up his bag and tossed it over his left shoulder once more. In his right hand he clutched the Tenchi-ken tightly.
He would find out who this creature was, he would discover how it arrived on this planet, and then he would kill it.
*** III *** III ***
Ok, let's review the facts, Tenchi thought wildly. First off, my father is dead. Funaho either dead or still painfully dying from whatever that black oil stuff is.
He was marching through what was left of the forest, heading uphill to a relic of his past, a place he wished to avoid. Dead tree limbs and branches scratched at him from all sides, like ravenous claws, as he continued uphill ignoring the sting.
Someone has come to this planet, someone who is not *from* this planet. Tenchi could barely believe that after all this time he'd be dealing with an offworlder again. It was really almost anti-climatic it it's own ironic sort of way. Their purpose was to kill Funaho, my one possible link to help. The implications of that pointed observation were clear and present.
They're here to make sure I don't get off this planet alive.
For a moment the man paused his tracks, disturbed for the briefest of moments. His father had died hours ago, he had confronted the fact that the Earth nearing it's end, witnessed Funaho's sudden demise, and discovered that an alien presence was nearby that wanted him dead while he now plotted their own end.
Logic and reason would dictate to an emotionally balanced person that he could very well be walking into a trap.
Caution was required, careful planning a necessity and patience critically employed. Some part of his mind acknowledged this reality, and then promptly dismissed it entirely.
Tenchi was out of tears, it was too late to plan anything more than an all out confrontation, and patience was a commodity he just ran fresh out of.
The thick forest of dried dead trees lightened for a moment as Tenchi, caked in dirt and soaked in sweat, neared the top. The red sky greeted him once more and in front of him stood the frame of the Masaki Shrine Office.
He had shunned the place where he had trained for endless hours with his grandfather. After Katsuhito's death, the structure held no interest for him, only bad memories. Noboyuki had seen to it that the place's affairs were put in order. The chaos that ensured because of the Earth's decline resulted in no tangible reason to ever bother with it.
So it remained yet another ghost of his past.
Why do they want me dead? He thought to himself as he approached the doorframe. None of this makes sense, and I'm sick of that. So damn sick of it!
Now was a time for answers, it was a time of truth. The footprints ended in front of thin wooden slide door. The door that now stood a mere four feet in front of him.
Tenchi gritted his teeth and tossed his bag to the ground. His brown eyes narrowed angrily as he brought the Tenchi-ken to his side.
Time to end this.
He charged the door with lightning speed, the impact of his force sent shattered slabs of thin wood flying against the interior wall. A dim light illuminated the spacious shrine office with an eerie glow. Ancient paintings remained bound to the wall, despite the passage of time, and statues covered in dust remained posed in perfect form.
"Show yourself." Tenchi demanded in a loud but abnormally calm tone. "Now."
Three hollow claps rang through the stale air in response.
Dressed in dark but intricately embroidered robes, a man who looked no older than 16 knelt in the corner room where Tenchi's grandfather had used as a dining room. It was obvious that particular room had been recently cleaned and polished, a clear contrast from the rest of the dwelling, and from the looks of it only hours ago. His long thick ivory hair freely cascaded down the back of his neck untied and unrestricted. His blood red eyes met his brown ones almost casually, as though all of this was merely some morbid formality.
His lips curled into a smile devoid of any visible sign of deviance or hostility.
"You're a Juraian?" Tenchi asked not wanting to believe the site before him, body tensed in a front stance. It wasn't a monster. He had no tentacles, fangs, laser guns, horns or anything of the sort.
It was a mere Juraian.
One with large feet no less, Tenchi noticed as he glanced down at his guest's robed legs.
"You sound disappointed?" the 'teenager' cordially replied. His voice sounded maturely young, vibrant, but with a feminine quality to it.
"To be honest I am." Tenchi said relaxing. Out of force of habit, he scratched the back of his neck with his left hand.
"I am very regretful to have let you down." The smile etched on his boyish face increased. "However, to make amends might I offer you a cup of tea?" He politely gestured to the empty seat at the old traditional Japanese table.
Tenchi looked deeply annoyed. "Just so we're on the same page here, you want me dead, don't you?"
"We need you dead."
"Is the tea poisoned?"
"Of course not. That would be quite rude, wouldn't it?"
"Not as rude as killing a first generation space tree with a toxin that does it in a time consuming and obviously painful manner," he shot back.
"True, but it was the only option available to us."
"Why?" The one word question was pronounced passively, while anger was building up within the Jurain quarter-breed as he stood posed in the doorframe.
This wasn't going anything like he had expected it in his adrenaline fueled scheming. This was *not* what he had expected.
"Do not ask me questions that you already know the answer to."
"Why do you want me dead? Why is this planet dying!? What happened to my family?!" It was like the straw broke the camel's back, the dam cracked and shattered, and it all came rushing out as Tenchi Masaki began screaming at his unexpected guest with fire in his eyes.
Upset at the change in demeanor the Juraian frowned slightly, yet his body remained perfectly lax. "Please calm down. This will not do."
Regaining his composure, but losing none of his sharp venom, Tenchi walked into the room and focused intensely on the person before him. "What the hell do you mean that 'this will not do'? What the hell is supposed to 'do'? Who the hell are you and why do you want me dead?"
Like a bright light bulb unexpectedly activated to illuminate a darken room, light sprang across the Juraian's face. "Oh my, how very rude of me. We haven't been properly introduced yet, have we?" he spoke apologetically as he rose to his feet.
"What?" Tenchi asked not entirely comprehending what he was hearing from his would-be killer.
"Our introduction." he repeated simply.
Tenchi blinked.
"My name is Jorandan T'seni of house Tensil," he gracefully said as he bowed deeply before his reluctant and confused host.
"What?" Tenchi gasped in unbelief if what was happening.
"I am Jornad--"
"I know that!" Tenchi yelled. "Why do you want me dead?!"
Jorandan brought his hand up to cup his supple chin and considered the anger-flushed Juraian/Human hybrid before him. Yes, he could easily tell him. Explain to him why he had to die, why he must cease to live in order to ensure the survival of the Empire. It had been an issue long on his mind. He could also tell him about his friends, the many offworldly females he had nobly befriended years earlier.
But it was like dangling strips of rotting flesh above a starved creature, something much too distasteful for him to even contemplate.
He would opt for plan 'B' instead. "Know that your death will serve a higher cause." The smugness, while not intended, was laced heavy around a similar air of contrived self-righteousness.
Tenchi cocked his head to one side as a smile of his own appeared on his lips. Anger spliced with curiosity was a dangerous brew, one Tenchi was partaking of heavily at the moment. "I understand if that's the case, if the cause is great. But frankly, I just wish you'd have come right out and told me that. I think it would have saved both of us a lot of time and trouble."
Nodding curtly, Jorandan's white hair wisped about his face like a gentle whirlwind lost in benevolent solitude. "Indeed, Tenchi, indeed. Perhaps the saddest part of the entire ordeal is that if they had merely listened to me in the first place we wouldn't have even had to wait this long. Your powers, despite your tainted blood, are reportedly great beyond any measure and as such deemed a potential threat by those fools who ordered such elaborate and entirely unneeded measures taken. As I suspected your character, your true nature Tenchi so unlike your friends, is civilized enough to know when sacrifice is required."
The smile widened on the face of Tenchi Masaki, his white teeth gleaming eerily in the husky light.
"Yes," Jorandan concluded almost to himself, "You, my gentle friend, know the meaning of duty." He was quite a striking creature, Jordanan decided in spite of his unruly heritage. Strong, adaptable, elegant in his brutish and almost primal fashion, it was really a shame he had to die. He was a prime specimen and the last of his kind. It was true Earth had been a backwater planet, but all life no matter the level of refinement and intelligence deserved inspection and the right to exist.
"You are not here to kill me." Tenchi stated, a bit amused himself at the sudden conclusion he had just arrived at.
Acknowledging and impressed with his accurate assessment, Jorandan giggled softly. "Merely here to insure that your life will end naturally. I have no desire to spill blood. I'm afraid it's just never been in my nature."
"Then the Earth must be in even worse shape than I thought." Tenchi shrugged coldly, trying to hide his increasing distaste for the present conversation.
"Correct again, my friend. According to my ship's computer there are only a few hours remaining until the planet expires."
"Oh," Tenchi begun with his guest's true intentions finally revealed, "You merely wanted to give me some company before the end comes. Which is why you offered me the tea. Your computer system's must have revealed that the last human life died earlier today."
The silver haired Jorandan closed his eyes solemnly, as though he was contemplating one of the great mysteries of the universe. "My condolences on the loss of your father, Tenchi. Please don't think ill of me for not mentioning it sooner. I merely wanted to avoid reopening recently acquired wounds, or so to speak."
"How considerate of you." Tenchi made no attempt to hide his sarcastic tone while he rolled his eyes. And I thought Seriyu was dense, he thought while wiping his brow with his left sleeve
Oblivious, Jorandan straightened his robes before clasping his hands together. "Would you care to join me for a meal and that cup of tea?"
"A last meal." Tenchi murmured. "Do I get a last request, too?"
The young man's brow furrowed at Tenchi's question. "It would be my honor to try and grant you one if it is within my power."
It didn't require any strenuous thought on Tenchi's part to decide his reply. "Tell me what happened to my family."
A look of forlorn sadness appeared on Jorandan's young face. "I wish I could, Tenchi, I truly do. But that is something forbidden for me to share. Believe me Tenchi, I truly wish that I could grant you the information you so desire."
Tenchi nodded sagely, expecting the answer all along. "I understand. I suppose I'll just have to settle for my second request."
A silver eyebrow arched in curiosity. "Which is?"
Tenchi gestured smugly to the nearby table. "Your head on that plate."
A look of confusion appeared on Jorandan's face momentarily as he turned to gaze at the dinnerware, his boyish face crinkling. It was the moment he was waiting for. In a flash, blue light erupted from the master key as Tenchi lurched forward with a loud yelp. Eagerly he swung the Tenchi-ken in forward sweeping motion aimed at the alabaster haired Juraian's neck, powered by twenty years of unrequited fury.
Light shimmered around the dark robes of Jorandan, an energy force Tenchi knew all too well. His sword impacted against it, halting his surprise offensive completely while forcing him to stumble backwards from the shock of it.
The force field dissipated from sight after a second had passed. Jorandan slowly turned his neck until he once more faced the lone native inhabitant of Earth. The look of Jorandan mirrored Tenchi's with clouded eyes and a disgusted look racked upon his face.
"This will not do, Tenchi Masaki." Jorandan said. His once smooth and calm voice now defined by hurt and betrayal.
Tenchi smirked, now crouched in a low defensive position a few feet away from his opponent.
Jorandan slowly began closely the distance. "How utterly disappointing." The Juraian shook his head sadly, the magnitude of the revelation finally forcing him to understand. "And to think that I thought better of you, Tenchi."
"You sound disappointed?" Tenchi smiled darkly. His back was to the wall and the exit was blocked from his reach. While he had no intention to run, he did not like his prospects of fighting in close quarters. "I'd offer you some tea, but to be honest, I can't stand the stuff. *Especially* that green tea crap that grandfather drank for breakfast, lunch and dinner."
Revolted, Jorandan shut his eyes tightly and concentrated for the briefest of moments.
Juraian energy flickered and returned in full force, swirling around his body like the eye of a hurricane. Tenchi groaned loudly, very much resigned to his fate. The full force of the stark white energy rippled and rushed forward, hitting Tenchi like a powerful surge of water propelling him backwards. His back hit the wall with a resounding crackle, splintering the ancient wood into pieces and sending him flying through the air outside until he landed painfully several yards away.
Pain spread throughout Tenchi's riddled body as though it were lightning descending a metallic pole. Trying to recover quickly, he attempted to get to his feet only to have them give out forcing him back down onto the hard ground. Absently he shifted his head back toward the shrine office where he saw the black robed Jorandan walking menacingly toward him through the new entryway his body had unwillingly created.
"I must admit my disappointment continues to grow. Even I would have expected more from a person trained by the legendary Yosho." Jorandan said while shaking his head in dismay.
Despite his injuries, Tenchi beamed a smile. "Serves me right for not practicing in the last ten years."
"Oh my, that is bad. What would your grandfather have said?" Jorandan replied mockingly.
Tenchi laughed, a pain filled hollow sound if there was one, causing blood to sputter from his mouth. "That old bastard would have scolded me for using anger to strike you in the first place and then would have lectured me for an hour about the proper angle to attack from. But that doesn't matter, because no matter what I could have done the Jurian energy would have still blocked it. Ancient techniques only get you so far against alien energy forces."
Jorandan's lithe shadow blanketed Tenchi as he continued to try to stand. "Quite true. It makes one wonder why you are even able to wield the master key."
"You...have to know one...thing about me." Tenchi managed to choke out. His body was quickly going into shock from the stress inflicted on it over the last twenty-four hours. Even with mysterious abilities, there was only so much a man could take. "That is..I'm going to survive."
"Is that so?" Jorandan laughed.
With one swift motion, Tenchi lurched to his feet at an inhuman speed sending a roundhouse kick straight to Jorandan's face. Luck had finally found Tenchi, the kick connected, somehow bypassing the force field, and sent the fair skinned Juraian tumbling backwards with painful cry. Twisting his body around to face him, Tenchi summoned and re-activated the master key and quickly brought it into a defensive back stance. "Without a doubt."
Jorandan regained his balance, but not his composure. Gingerly he brought his left hand up to touch the right side of his cheek where blood dribbled downward.
"You..." he mutter, "You.." his tone was rapidly rising, "You primitive savage!" Scarlet eyes glared remorselessly at injured Tenchi. "How dare you insult me you uncouth BRUTE!" He was not trembling; steam was not jetting from his ears. His rage was self-contained.
From Jorandan's side, a white beam of light shot up forming his own sword. From out of the shadows of his cloak, Jorandan's hands clutched an eerily similar key device intricately carved in polished Juraian wood.
Time froze.
Most sacred of all substances slowed until it came to a minor crawl. Fires blazing around in all directions seemed to halt as though frozen like ice. The howling wind became silent and no louder than the faintest of whispers.
And then it came.
Jorandan charged Tenchi with unparalleled speed and tenacity, cold vengeance dripping from his brow. The exhausted Masaki was barely able to bring the Tenchi-ken up to block the first blow of the onslaught. The white blade clashed against blue sending sparks flying, wildly dancing in the air of destruction. A second swipe to his right knee was parried, and a fourth to the left narrowly dodged.
Tenchi's body shook more and more after reflecting each blow. His body was finally failing him while the pale skinned Juraian was relentless in his attacks.
In his final desperate gambit, Tenchi swung his pale blue blade horizontally along the Jorandan's chest line, powered by the last reserves of his strength and stamina.
The execution was sloppy, the move predictable from the moment he unleashed it.
Jorandan skillfully jumped over it, landing back on the ground without missing a beat. Tenchi's arms now felt like stone to him, the cumbersome weight of each limb an unbearable burden.
Exhaustion.
Desperately Tenchi tried to bring his blade back into a defensive position, guarding his exposed torso, but it was already too late.
Jorandan brought lowered his blade to however just above his lower left hip. Then with one abrupt motion his blade swept diagonally across missing Tenchi's chest and going straight through his right elbow with horrifying power.
It was surreal, Tenchi thought, to see his lower right arm, still clutching the ignited Tenchi-ken in his sweaty palm, go flying into the air. Blood splattered across his face from the impact of the blow. The stub of what remained of his right arm still extended toward the sky.
He had seen limbs be severed before. He had accidentally severed a limb once; the space pirate Ryoko's right wrist. Never before had he experienced anything like it himself. The pain jolted him into a state of paralyses beyond any he had every before experienced.
Time returned to normal. Tenchi crumpled to the ground instantaneously. Blood spurted out of his body like gushing water from a faucet, covering the ground around him in stark scarlet.
A weak laugh erupted from Tenchi's blood drenched lips. "I thought..that it...wasn't in your nature to spill blood?"
Jorandan ignored his question, choosing instead to put away his key from somewhere within his bountiful robes. With a smile returning to his lips, his voice became as pleasant as it was when they first met. "I cannot say it was a pleasurable experience, but it was good to meet you, Tenchi Masaki."
Tenchi coughed violently and vomited while he desperately tried to prop his body to his side. The defiant wind was engulfed by another sound, the hovering of a massive ship directly overhead. The sleek design and elegant organic material made the ship undeniably Juraian.
From overhead a bright yellow light shone down on the duo.
"I will of course convey your regards to your friends when I meet them. It won't be much longer now. How very, very sad and unnecessary this all was." He grinned, "But if I can offer you one additional condolence. You won't be alone in death."
The words registered with the crippled man, but Tenchi's vision was failing him and he was quickly beginning to loose his grip on consciousness.
"Farewell Tenchi." Lifting his hand to wave, Jorandan looked upon the crumpled body one last time before ascending into the light.
Barely a moment later Tenchi Masaki surrendered into blackness.
*** III *** III ***
Darkness.
Eclipsed only by the fire.
Shadowed by the haze.
Smoke.
Billowing clouds filled with endless death.
Death.
An end to a beginning.
Death interrupted.
A chance.
One last possibility.
Sanctuary.
Twin eyelids silently jittered opened revealing two bloodshot mahogany eyes. Hazily they focused in and out until the rest of Tenchi's mind regained consciousness.
The ground was rattling constantly. In the distance explosions rocketed sending additional shockwaves across the landscape. Groggily Tenchi jolted himself from Death's clutches. He arched his neck only to see the stub of what had been his right arm. No longer bleeding, but no longer whole.
To stay would mean death. I must live, I must survive. It wasn't a mantra. The words held no hope for him. There was no hope.
His body, much like the planet, shook uncontrollably. He was now roughly twenty yards from what had been the Shrine Office building. It too was now ravaged by flames, beating eaten alive internally and from outside.
Despite the small miracle of still being alive, Tenchi was covered in black soot from head to toe. His once white t-shirt was torn in several places and the cloth lay draping open like another open wound. He wasn't sweating, but what perspiration he had shed was now firmly latched onto his skin mixed with dirt.
Sanctuary.
Carefully, using his left arm to aid him, Tenchi arose from the fatal black ash-covered ground and moved forward slowly. His old bag had been tossed far enough from the shrine office to avoid being damaged by fire. Nearby a small pile of rubble burned as though it were one of Hell's own infernos.
From that fiery rubble, something glittered in the corner of Tenchi's eye.
Hobbling over to inspect, Tenchi cringed to discover the flesh of his right arm being scorched in the open fire. Still clutched in his charred right hand's grasp was the still-gleaming Tenchi-ken.
Seeing his arm severed was a surreal enough experience. Seeing his blackened arm propped upright was another. The grotesqueness was enough to overwhelm any sane being, but Tenchi was already too overwhelmed to care. Feebly he extended his left hand to grab the shape of the master key. It took a few firm pulls before his right hand relinquished control.
He shoved the cool wooden handle into his pant's pocket before exerting his remaining strength to once more sling his backpack over his left shoulders.
There was only one place left to go now.
The crippled man hobbled his way into the burning forest over the trembling ground. A flurry of sparks and ash falling like rain.
*** III *** III ***
The granite mountain housing Ryoko's cave loomed over Tenchi as he journeyed closer toward the scared shrine's entrance.
How long has it been? Tenchi pondered, trying desperately to ignore the lingering pain throbbing throughout his body. I haven't been back here...since...it all started. This is where it all really began.
A massive quake sent Tenchi sprawling forward toward the ground. His head bounced off of a dense rock sending another turbulent lance of pain right to his head. Blood spilled freely from the new wound.
He had no choice but to ignore it the best he could as he picked himself off the ground for what seemed like the millionth time that day.
Am I in hell? It was an interesting question that there was no immediate answer to. If hell exists, this is exactly what it must be like, Tenchi decided.
His uneven steps increased in pace, which wasn't very fast to say the least. I have to be close, the gate is just up there, I know it is.
The last time Tenchi Masaki had neared the vaulted gate had been over twenty years ago when curiosity had fueled his desire to see the infamous oni of the Masaki Shrine. He had received more than he had bargained for.
I haven't been back here since. All those times I used to just sit and play around the shrine ended when I freed her...I guess I never had any reason to come back. He had stopped before the gate to look around the surrounding area. These were where his true childhood memories lived. If only I hadn't forgotten...
It is said that the certainty of death makes a man conscious of his past. In Tenchi Masaki's case, it was the past making forcing him to fight death.
When his reminiscing was over, Tenchi turned his gaze and attention one more to the gate in front of him. It was locked. That wasn't entirely correct, not locked, but rather sealed.
A medium length bar of smooth metal of some sort had been placed over the middle of the entryway effectively making it a door with no key. Even more perplexing, two thin lines of brown vines dotted with mini leaves of all things traveled the length above and directly below the steel. Too absurd to be mere decorations, but very much alive for it to be of Earthly origin.
No matter the case, Tenchi had no time for it. The quakes were picking up in mass quantity. The ground itself began shifting and contorting as though some invisible force was pulling it apart at the seams.
With a sigh, Tenchi dropped his bag and with his good arm drew out the master key once more. The handle had never felt so burdensome as it felt now. The forgotten prince was once again running off of energy he did not have.
Closing his eyes to marshal his concentration, Tenchi attempted to activate the Tenchi-ken in his weakened state. Light flickered back and forth on the hilt for a moment until a pale blade emerged. Relieved at his minor success, Tenchi made a quick upward motion soundly slicing off the steel and wooden beam.
He pocketed the key hastily and painfully moaned when he picked up his pack again. The stub where his right arm had been disturbed him. Even so, if he didn't keep moving he'd lose even more than his arm. Much more.
The ground violently caused Tenchi to loose his balance again, although this time he was able to steady himself against the sturdy cavern's wall. With a final glance toward the outside of the valley, the exhausted man opened the gate and entered into the prison that had contained a demon for so many centuries.
It can't be long now...
The alter appeared a head of Tenchi just as he remembered it when he was seventeen. The ancient bowls and scrolls lay carefully arranged around where the Tenchi-ken had once lain dormant.
Odd. It's been re-sealed, Tenchi realized. The massive boulder and the miniature totem stone that controlled it's functions was completely closed. With Ryoko's liberation, it did not seem logical to go to such a length to close it up again. But, Tenchi thought, at least I know how to handle this problem.
With a loud crack Tenchi dropped the runed totem stone to the floor. Immediately the round even stone surface split into two equal halves.
The larger version of the stone rumbled, a sound indistinguishable from the one emanating from outside, and opened as it had over twenty years prior.
The steep slope lead downward into a cavern he had only been in momentarily once before. The elevated floor was carved up in a mystical style. Liquid of some sort flowed freely downward between the grooves. An artificial light source illuminated the confines through the liquid.
At least some things never change, Tenchi reflected. It was genuinely creepy, the crippled prince could almost see the spirits of the past inhabiting the cavern. But at least this time I won't fall and crack my head. I don't think I could take another hit today.
He spoke, or more accurately thought, too soon.
At that moment a cataclysmic quake rippled through the Earth's crust splintering much of the ground to pieces and exposing the surface to the depths of the planet's core. Tremendous fire erupted everywhere outside. The whole planet was on fire.
The enormous impact sent Tenchi Masaki sprawling down into the deep recesses of Ryoko's prison with an earth-shattering scream. "Ohhhhhhh shiiiiiiittt!"
The ominous humming sound played to Tenchi's ears as he reluctantly opened his eyes. His vision was spotty, and constantly faded in and out. The main room was amicably lit in the shame fashion the descending ramp way had been. The central pool that had contained Ryoko for seven hundred years remained in the center of the room.
Clutching his head with his remaining arm, Tenchi groaned in pain as he limped forward. His vision continued to blacked out and came back at random as a fresh stream of blood dripped from his forehead.
Adding insult to injury Tenchi stumbled and once again fell, this time splashing into the central pool. Immediately the lighting morphed from a sterile white shade into a dark sky blue.
The entire room began to shake intensely; whether it was due to something he did or due to the natural forces outside was anyone's guess as far as Tenchi was concerned. A mechanic female voice materialized literally out of then air.
:: Launch sequence initiated :::: Activating internal dampeners ::
"What now?" Tenchi moaned out loud.
:: Removing holding clamps :::: Energizing core ::
"Is this a computer? Hello?" Tenchi began to yell. "Answer me please!"
:: Transformation sequence initiated :::: Safety locks engaged ::
"Transfor--what?" Tenchi screamed as the water began to shift back and forth as if it were a glass of water being picked up by a petulant child. The floor beams rose into the air rearranging the very setup of the holding chamber. Everything was changing right before his eyes.
Overwhelmed by the new chaos, Tenchi slipped out of consciousness once more.
:: Prepping engines :::: Auto-pilot activated ::
:: Launching in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.... ::
*** III *** III ***
Darkness.
Eclipsed only by the light.
Shadowed by the stillness.
Air.
Endlessly filling the void with hope.
Life.
A new beginning.
Death conquered.
A chance.
One last possibility.
Realized.
Sometime later, he slowly opened his eyes and stretched reflexively. The refugee was sprawled out on a smooth gray floor. Directly in front of him a large electronic screen displaying an image of a shattered Earth entirely consumed in red flames. He quickly blinked several times in an attempt to make sure he was seeing straight.
But not at the screen.
Tenchi stared at his hand and then clenched it into a fist tightly and before releasing it. Closed it once more, and then opened. Unlike his left hand, there were no calluses on his right palm. Extending his right arm into the air, he moved it around for a moment before dropping it limply back to the floor.
"Whatever." Giving one last exacerbated sigh, Tenchi Masaki closed his eyes and laid his head back onto the cool floor surrendering himself to his own fatigue.
*** III *** III ***
Cruising silently through the vastness of space, the jet-black ship sped away from the remains of a celestial body once known as Earth.
The cycle has been concluded.
Closing Song: Cosmic Castaway
Performed by Electrasy
Lose my head to the chemical freeway
Comin' up on overload
In a mystic new dimension
Purify and sanctify me
What, so I'm in no end game
Move my piece right off the board
Losing sure is easy so I am no more
But I'm not broken, in my dream I win
In here I'm nothing, a Cosmic Castaway
In my head I'm a chemical dreamer
Speed up to burn out mode
Comin' up in the 5th dimension
Beautify don't crucify me, yeah
So I need no mind game poisoning my lonely soul
Losing sure is easy so I am no more
But I'm not broken, in my dream I win
And I take over, coz I'm no loser
And I'm in and you're not, bad dreams don't stop
But I'm all screwed up, a Cosmic Castaway
a Cosmic Castaway, a Cosmic Castaway
And I want but have not
Bad dreams, lost thoughts
In here with no pain, you hurt me again
And I want but have none
I should beat the alien
But here I'm no one, a Cosmic Castaway
a Cosmic Castaway, a Cosmic Castaway
a Cosmic Castaway
The cycle will begin anew in: Unrealized Revelations
Author's Note: Jorandan is pronounced (Jhoor-on-din). Special thanks goes to Ledzepfan for pre-reading.
--
Preview of next chapter: Dazed, confused and riding through space without a clue, Tenchi Masaki tracks down and follows the only person so far that knows his friends whereabouts. But what he's managed to survive and endure through so far will be nothing compared to the shock that he's in for.
The story has begun.