Chapter 10
" We're not being chased..." Syaoran looked over his shoulder. " That's strange..."
" Why do you suppose that is?" Hitomi asked.
" The Dragon..." Yue blinked, realizing. " It suppresses magic of the dragons...so...that means...the
Phoenix can't sense Syaoran!"
" That's a relief." Cerene blinked.
" About time this thing did something good." Chid looked at the flying dragon underneath them. "
No wonder the Phoenix never-attacked Fanelia."
Syaoran remained silent for a time. " Now I know...when they hid me, they placed weird
objects all about me. They were dragon hearts. That's what protected me for all these years..."
" Nani?" Yue asked.
Syaoran didn't answer.
" Where are we headed?" Lorenil, one of the survivors, asked Van.
" Somewhere. I don't know." Van answered. " I'm just going away from that place."
" Without any idea where on Gaea you're headed." A sorceror named Shay frowned. " Turn up.
Might distract the Phoenix."
" Down." Syaoran contradicted. " But keep moving. I sense that he's above. He's going the wrong
way, but he might see us if you go up. And go faster. I'm going to try to use my dragon powers to
shield us from his view, though I doubt it will work...unless, Escaflowne has a conscious..."
It probably did, Syaoran didn't know, but whatever just happened he managed to make them invisible without letting a peck of magic escape the huge dragon. Syaoran then sat down and fell asleep next to Chid, being very exhausted.
They flew on for two more hours at a relatively high speed. Syaoran woke up and looked around him.
" We can land now." He told Van. " The Phoenix is far away."
They landed in a small clearing. Escaflowne returned to its warrior form and stood among the tall trees, and the trees were tall, taller than Escaflowne, with wide branches so the armor was covered completely.
It was nighttime. Allen and Shay made campfires and roasted the meet the sorcerors had hunted. Syaoran ate hungrily this time-his appetite increased dramatically, probably because of the need for strength.
" Slow down before you choke yourself." Yue warned. Everyone realized Yue was especially protective of the child. " We don't need a dead defender."
Syaoran answered by turning into a dragon-that probably would help him wolf the meat down better, Yue realized. The guardian sighed and held the fidgeting animal as the dragon tore the meat off like a murderer.
" Syaoran, Syaoran," Yue let the dragon swallow before closing his hand around the dragon's thin neck and pulling him back. " Don't scare me like that. What's wrong with you?"
Chid looked down. The others looked back.
" Syaoran?" Yue blinked as Syaoran wiggled out.
" Syaoran," Yue held on to the dragon again. " Syaoran, calm down." The guardian's eyes began to
glow and the golden eyes of the dragon dulled while the snakelike thing curled up on Yue's lap.
Lorenil looked at one of the sorceresses. The sorceress nodded.
" Someday, you'll probably understand." Syaoran said to Hitomi. " Things will never be the same
again. You see all the changes and sometimes you aren't happy with them...wish they were left
alone but they aren't because nothing can be left alone..."
" You realize that everything you knew were gone and all that's left were bits and pieces of memories, nothing more..."
" You stare around you and realize that you were made to live in a world of fire and ice..."
" A world where demons dwell..."
" And angels burn in the flame..."
" And you stare at your past and cry out, ' why?'"
" The answer?"
" Because all you've ever lived for was gone and this is all you have to save. A world of ashes and flame, the sky covered with smoke, the smoke of roasting flesh and boiling blood. Was this what they wanted me to live for? Iie, but this is all I have to live for. This hell, this world doomed to be consumed in darkness, and I to be consumed with it."
" Sometimes I still remember the old days. But I thought recollection was something old men and women do. They lost all they had before and are losing what they still claim. They lost their childhood, their youth, their strength, and they are losing their life. There was no hope for them but to wait for death."
" Why do I feel this way, Sakura?"
The streets of Tomoeda were dark and quiet. Syaoran looked around for any sign that there
was anything of the past. There were none so far, at least from where he was standing.
The old building, the old apartment building-it was gone. Probably from some earthquake. Japan was always full of earthquakes, although those in Tomoeda were more rare than other places. Now a brand new building stood tall on the area where his old home stood. Syaoran looked at the building. He thought he saw his old apartment when he last came here with Hitomi, but he wasn't sure. It didn't matter. What mattered was that the building was gone.
Syaoran stood there for a long time, staring at the doors. No one came out. No one went in. Syaoran saw himself walk up the steps of the old building and entire into the lobby with the keys. He went up on the elevator and when it opened came to his door. Taking his keys he turned-
" Syaoran."
Syaoran turned around. He was outside again, in front of the new building.
" Escaflowne." He acknowledged. " How did you come?"
Van was quiet for a moment. " Hitomi and Yue helped me." He said. " They had things to take care of, and Lorenil believes since I am part of Escaflowne I might also have its protective qualities. They were afraid you might expose yourself."
There was a silence.
" You seem to spend more time in Japan than in Hong Kong." Van observed.
" I'm afraid of what I might find there."
" What do you think you might find?"
" Change."
" Surely your family's graves will still be here? You ought to visit them. It's the least you can do."
Syaoran paused. " Hai, it's the least I could do." He was silent.
" I come and I realize you are all I have left." Syaoran told Allen. " I don't want to lose you."
" If you die and we live, wouldn't that be the same thing?" Allen asked. " If we must die, let us all
die together. That way no one will be lost. But if Fate decides to let us live, if the gods decide to let
us all be together, we will survive this."
" You have so much faith." Syaoran whispered. " But you're with a god now. And this god knows
not what's to come."
" I can't believe I've never seen this before." Syaoran looked at the stones in the clearing. Each stone bore the name of who was underneath, and a blessing. " I was so absorbed in getting away..."
Van squeezed the child's shoulders soothingly.
" I am sixty-two today." the child suddenly said.
" Nani?" Van blinked.
" Today is July thirteenth." Syaoran looked at the clouds. " I was born on this day, fifty two years
ago. I just realized that. I guess it's appropriate I came to visit their graves."
Van was silent. " So you are physically twelve."
Syaoran didn't answer. " It should have been the zodiac I was born in." He whispered. " The Dragon. But this year's not the dragon. It's the year of the rooster."
Van closed his eyes. " I know little one." He kissed the boy's soft hair. " Let's go home."
" Home?" Syaoran asked, with tearfilled eyes. " Where is home?"
Van answered by pulling Syaoran into a loving embrace.
" Merle!"
The cat blinked and turned around. " Hum?" She tilted her head. " What is it, Hitomi?"
" Don't wander off like that." Hitomi called. " You don't have Escaflowne to protect you. What if
the Dark Phoenix comes?"
" He'll come and destroy us all anyway." Merle licked her arm.
" You sound so brave." Syaoran rolled his eyes as he appeared through the bushes with Van. "
Wait until you see him. He scared me half to death the first time I saw him."
" When was the first time you saw him?" Lorenil asked as the other sorcerors gathered up things to
build a magical fort, which was suppressed by Escaflowne.
" That time my aunts and uncles were still here." Syaoran's voice sounded distant. " Aunt Monei
was holding me tightly. That time the Dark Phoenix didn't see me but I saw him. He looked
terrible." The child shuddered. " That was the first time, and Monei took me away."
" Was she killed too?" Merle asked.
Van glared at the catgirl.
" Hai, she was killed." Syaoran put on an absent air. " They all were. There was no one left."
There was a sudden screech. Thundering hooves were heard. The group turned as one, the sorcerors all dropping whatever they were holding. In the sky snakelike shapes were moving. Syaoran's eyes widened. " Could it be?"
A unicorn halted in front of him and turned into a human. He was tall and pale, with white
hair and brown eyes. He glanced at Escaflowne, then at Syaoran. Then he looked up at the sky.
" Go!" He gently pushed Syaoran. " Go underground. It's a good thing you came here-we thought
you wouldn't arrive on Gaea, much less go in the right location. Head to that clearing. There's a
refuge underground," He turned back into a unicorn and led the way. Without hesitation, Syaoran
followed, and everyone else followed him.
Some are still alive, The child thought to himself. Or am I dreaming?
The unicorn stopped, sniffed the air, and went right at a tree. It disappeared. Syaoran followed without hesitation. The others, more reluctant, went as well.
Above the serpents were screeching at the advancing Phoenix. Below, a Forin hurried down
the hall in her human form with a Mander.
" Think those serpents can keep them away long enough?" Asked the Forin. " Where is the child?"
" They just came in." The unicorn man answered. " Faneth just brought them. Hopefully those
serpents can distract the Dark Phoenix away from the Escaflowne while we hide it."
" Hai." The Mander agreed. " I wish I was in the water. I feel so dry up here."
" Hai, you with your flippers." The Forin answered. " Let's hurry up and check on the child.
Hopefully he's alright...not too far gone, anyway."
" Who are you?" Syaoran asked. He knew they were immortals, but he had never seen them before
and it suddenly frightened him. What if they were working for the Dark Phoenix?
The serpent didn't answer.
" Nakten!" He called for the Mander. " Nakten, we got the child. Should I call for the others to
retreat?"
" Nakten?" Syaoran whispered in shock.
A woman with blue-black hair, with well defined curls, appeared at the doorway of the
underground tunnel.
" Nay, that will rouse suspicion from the old brute." She blinked. " Syaoran, come here little one.
It's safe now."
Syaoran stared at her in disbelief and for a while could do nothing but gape. Then he burst into laughter and tears and ran into her arms.
The Mander spoke soothingly to the Phoenix Dragon as the previous Forin and Mander appeared with the unicorn man.
" Now is not the time for greetings, young one." The old friend said apologetically to the child. " In times of war, feelings must be repressed. The Dark Phoenix has some serpents and other devils in his power. They are attacking south. We will have time to talk later. For now, I have to take care of things. Faneth? Can you show our guests to their chambers? Also, send for the Arns. We need all the flying beings and they are one of the best-survivors anyway. Tell them to protect that huge statue up there-it holds a protective essence for the child."
Allen and Van didn't bother to tell the Mander that the ' tall statue' was not in fact, a statue. If it pleases them to call it a statue they can call it a statue. Escaflowne is being protected by these strange beings, and that's all that mattered.
" Some Nolans are heading this way," Said an Arn from the underground refuge in the south. " Has
the child been found yet?"
" He has." Said a Mander. " We'll have to send some of the Manders out. Nolans are weak against
water."
It seemed as though everything was a confused mess. But in reality everything was organized. There were few ' soldiers' in each refuge but there was enough to defend from many intruders. There wasn't much diversity though. The forins were the deer with golden antlers, but they were not very powerful. The unicorns are a little stronger but not enough to defeat many species. The Manders are more powerful than most-they were water creatures, with long necks and songs that can enchant the coldest of hearts. Serpents were closely related to Dragons, though they lack the power and they do not have legs. Like Dragons they were able to move through the air and they had soft doelike eyes, but they were not able to control the elements. They were only known for their slyness and ability to surprise the enemy.
The Arns are close relations of the Phoenix. They were more powerful than the serpents but less powerful than the Manders. Of all flying species other than the Dragons they were considered the most skilled. It was the Arns that distracted the Phoenix from the precious child the Phoenix and the Dragons had taken so much care to hide. They were clear, they did not have color and seem to be ghosts, but they were solid. Long tail feathers spread out behind them so they could maneuver easily. Sharp eyes could see anything from miles away.
The earth shook. The Mander shouted to everyone. " All Manders! Go through the west entrance! All Manders to the west entrance!"
There was great commotion in the underground refuge as men and women jumped out into the exit and the waters outside. The Arns prepared to leave from the north exit.
The sea creatures swam up to the surface of the water. Above, the Nolans, batwinged panthers with no feet on their legs, growled and attacked the defending Arns. Being better flyers, the Arns circled around them as the Manders attacked from below. But there were too many Nolans, all growling and glaring. One of them dropped down and without even touching the water, broke the neck of a Mander with its teeth.
The Dark Phoenix hissed. They were only serpents! How did his powers not affect them?
Little did he know, the presence of Escaflowne played a part in this. The Dragon suppressed the power of the Phoenix instead. The Dark One did not think that the tall armor had a mind of its own. No one did. It can probably feel the pain, but think? What absurdity!
However, the Dark Phoenix was certain that Escaflowne will hinder his plans dramatically. That stupid statue already prevented him from capturing the child so many times.
Now the Dark One wished he had killed off the other immortals as well. They were becoming too much of a nuisance. The man refused to believe that they were defeating him. Perhaps they weren't at all, but the Dark Phoenix had an uncanny feeling that he was beginning to lose.
He won't lose! This was but a test. Even if the attacks from the serpents increased dramatically as to wound him, and his powers decreased so as not to hurt or scratch them at all, by some uncanny and unknown power...
The slam on the table echoed throughout the hall. There were no whispers. The hall was silent and empty.
Soon the door opened and a Nolan entered. It only took a single step before it collapsed. The Dark Phoenix looked emotionlessly at the dead corpse, all bloody and dirty.
" The child is worth all this trouble." He muttered. " All this accursed nonsense. What's a little death?"
One day I'll become strong. And I'll destroy you all. You'll regret crossing me...
" How the hell did that happen?" Syaoran cried. " They weren't even scratched!"
" It was the Dragon."
" What dragon?"
" Escaflowne."
" The statue?" Syaoran still referred to Escaflowne as the statue. " How? I thought Escaflowne only
has something against dragons, or me, at least."
" It has a mind of its own. Or at least, a mind of Van's own." Nakten smiled. " Our odds are getting
better."
Syaoran sighed and visibly calmed down. " So the refuge at the south end is alright?"
" They managed to defeat the Nolans."
" Nasty creatures."
Nakten nodded, amused. Syaoran threw his arms around his old friend.
" I missed you so much. I thought I was all alone."
" Your family's more considerate than that." Nakten laughed. But her laughter was not fully merry.
" Are they alive too? Any of them?" Syaoran asked, hope in his voice. He had thought all immortals
had died. He had thought Yue and Kerberus died and yet they are still here. Now the Arns, the
Serpents, the Manders, the unicorns and Forins, they're here. What if-
" Iie." Nakten said softly, her eyes sad. " They're all gone, Syaoran. Perhaps we will be gone too. It was a valiant battle."
Syaoran blinked. " Huh?" He whimpered.
Nakten sat down and sipped some tea, which they were surprisingly rich in. " That night they hid you in the glade," She began, " The Dark Phoenix attacked. They first called upon the Arns to distract the Dark Phoenix as they escaped far from where they hid you, holding a fake bundle so that the Dark One will be tricked. The Dark Phoenix fell for it, but killed most of the Arns along the way. The Phoenix, hot by nature, faced him first, while the Dragons tried to call upon the Manders and other sea creatures-Ghorians, Bailies, and other land and air dwellers-Griffins, Maydos, Larks and Strais. That time the Dark Phoenix already had a lot of the serpents on his side, along with ogres and orcs, Nolans and Contors."
" At first it was a stalemate. Neither side won. But then it began to rain. The Phoenixes suffered terribly, but the Dark Phoenix was not harmed. It began to rain harder, so all of them became ashes. The Dark Phoenix summoned a wind and scattered the ashes so that they can never be held together and reborn by rekindling their flame. That was the end of the Phoenixes. The Dragons realized that the Dark Phoenix had destroyed an entire species and summoned more beings-serpents and pailents, Rendons and Haws. Without the Phoenixes the Dark One was able to let go of all his power. The Dragons suffered terribly from his flame, but since there was the rain, many of them managed to escape with only a few major burns."
" The young Phoenixes perished in the rain. The Griffins were killed by the Dark Phoenix's might. Their young were hidden away, and for a while things were relatively quiet. Then the Dark Phoenix's army attacked again. The Manders and Forins took care of the sea and land, while the Arns tried to battle those who were airborne. It was a devastating battle that lasted for days without ending. In the end the Dragons lost. They knew they will not be able to win anyway, but they wanted to save you."
Syaoran remained silent.
" Afterwards the Dragons fled. The others began to set up refuges like this one." Nakten smiled sadly. " The Dark Phoenix thought that you might be in one of them so he attacked every single one. After around two or three years, the dragons were the only ones left. They fought many battles that lasted for over thirteen years. In the end, not even a child was saved. The only ones the Dark Phoenix avoided were the refuges in the oceans. When he finally turned to those, we escaped to Gaea. The Dark Phoenix thought it wouldn't be worth it to track us here, until you woke. But that was many years later."
" So they're all gone."
" All gone."
" You're the only ones left?"
Nakten nodded.
Syaoran swallowed. " What about the other children?" He asked. " Why didn't they save them?"
Nakten looked at Syaoran. " Because...you're more important."
Syaoran laughed bitterly. " I'm tired of being important. I'm so important that I got my
whole family killed and so many immortals as well, and perhaps I might even cause the destruction
of an entire planet."
" It's not your fault, Syaoran."
" To hell with it's not my fault!" Syaoran buried his face in his hands and sobbed. Nakten rose and
gathered the boy into her arms.
" Don't cry little one," The motherly Mander said to the child. " Don't cry. They died willingly for you. It was never your fault. You couldn't have done anything. But child, listen to me," Nakten bent down and raised the boy's face to look into her eyes. " Don't be afraid. Be strong, Syaoran. For all of us."
" This will be our last." The young girl said, her eyes dazed. " The last battle before all is lost."
" Stop that nonsense." The older Dragon snapped. " Nothing is lost until it is lost. The army's
arriving. Call Hal! Tell him to send the young ones up there as well. We need all the powers we
can have."
The Dragons ran along the trench and appeared above ground. There were sneers from the sky and land as orcs and ogres approached with the Nolans above. The young girl attacked the orcs and ogres first. Above, fire arrows were shot down.
" Summon the shield!" The older Dragon shouted. The shield was summoned and the arrows were deflected, but that was not to last. The Dark Phoenix loomed across the sky, his black aura covering the sun and moon so that the entire world was shrouded in darkness.
" Fire!" The dragons shouted, as pure energy, destructive energy, was fired at the Dark Phoenix. The terrible being smirked, gave one great flap, and a huge wind circled around the refuge, tearing up the ground...
" What strange water," The young Mander remarked. The other Arn nodded her head.
" They say it's Phoenix' water." A serpent boy remarked.
" Ew! You're disgusting!" Cried the young Mander.
" It's true," The serpent answered. " When they potty, their water's like that."
" I don't think Phoenixes potty anywhere other than grfich," Another serpent boy blinked.
Syaoran walked with Nakten over to where the immortal children were standing.
" Children, where is Longak?" The older Mander asked.
" He's gone over to the library." The first Mander answered. " He said something about training a
boy."
" In the library? That hardly seems logical." Nakten paused. " But no matter. Come Syaoran."
" Nakten, do you think I will gain enough experience in time?" Syaoran asked.
" If we hurry, probably." The old Mander answered. " Come along. Longak!"
" Yeah?" A Mander stepped out, rubbing his head. " Is this the kid? Awfully young though." He
frowned, and Syaoran hesitated a step.
I have to train with him?
" Come here, boy." Longak pulled the child's hand rather forcefully. " Let's begin with what you know-and please, don't destroy anything. Quiet in the library."
It was hard for the group to imagine that they were dropped in a society of immortals, even
if the immortals weren't especially strong ones. There was always something going on-a child threw
fire, or water, or ice, and broke some magical barrier. The flurry of immortals would rush to mend it,
no matter how small the crack. Everything needed to be kept perfect. The children cannot step out
of certain boundaries. Always there was a group of children training. There were few children, but
there were still some, and always one child would peek into the mortal guest chambers to study Van,
or Allen, or some other thing they found interesting about the mortals.
Several hours into their stay, Syaoran rushed into the room with a gust of wind. He stopped
quite abruptly before Yue, who blinked at him for a minute.
" How's the training?" The guardian asked, still not sure what to make of the boy's sudden entrance.
" Hold on, let my guts catch up." Syaoran answered breathlessly, and Yue was a little unsure of
whether Syaoran was speaking figuratively or if his internal organs were really suffering from
inertia. After two minutes, Syaoran blanched, rushed over to the sink and began vomiting the
contents of his stomach.
This time none of the mortals helped him. It wasn't because they suddenly felt impassive,
they just didn't know what was going on. Eventually, a Mander looking man stepped in.
" I know." The man gruffed, though his words were sympathetic, " It takes a while to get use to."
" If I ever get use to it," Syaoran wiped his mouth. " Hold on, the world's spinning," Syaoran
stumbled a little before standing still.
There was a brief silence.
" Well?" Longak demanded.
" Hold on!" Syaoran snapped, his Phoenix crankiness rising within him. " I thought you knew how
it feels when your organs are displaced."
Longak decided to wait. He was extremely ill-tempered, for a Mander, who usually were calm and soothing. But a Phoenix by nature will defeat him in any cantankerous moods, no matter how young the immortal is. Although the man was getting impatient, he didn't really want to risk getting roasted by a Phoenix-which often happens when they were angered.
After a full minute, Syaoran relaxed-and fainted.
" Well, if he expects to defeat the Dark Phoenix that way, I'd say dream on!" Longak huffed, but
deep inside he was getting worried. He marched over to the boy and lifted him up, wanting to slap
him awake, but froze.
" What is it?" Nakten asked-having watched the whole thing.
" God, is this kid anorexic?" Longak nearly yelled. " How can he expect to defeat the Dark Phoenix
this way, huh?"
" I have no idea." Van was getting annoyed with the yelling Mander. " But I'm sure he'll start eating
now. Maybe we should wait with the training-whatever you call it."
Longak would have barked at the mere mortal if Nakten hadn't agreed.
" I'd say he's right." She said. " The child was exhausted from the beginning. It would help if he
rested and regained his strength before using it all up for training."
" There were many places down there." Nakten smiled. She turned into the beautiful Mander that
she was and dove down. Syaoran hesitated, and turned into a dragon, following her.
They moved at a slow pace, with the Mander leading. The baby dragon opened his mouth when he saw the underwater cave.
The Mander whistled, indicating that she wanted the dragon to follow her into the cave. Inside, there were precious stones glittering on the walls, completely untouched-
" Syaoran?!" Someone yelled. Syaoran opened his eyes, rubbing the sleepiness out of them. He
didn't recognize the voice very well, but he could tell it was a child's voice. Sounds of footsteps
thundered into the room. Syaoran looked over and saw many children.
" He's awake!" The youngest one cried. " Are you real?"
Suddenly, there were many questions being asked, getting louder and louder by the second.
Syaoran sat up slowly, waving the questions off while yawning.
" What happened?" He finally asked.
" They told us that the Phoenix Dragon is with us," The children once again began to talk excitedly
and loudly. Syaoran winced.
" Alright, alright, quiet down." Syaoran stood up. " What time is it? Also, where are the rest of the
mortals?"
The chattering began again, and as Syaoran walked out he was still surrounded by the different children. Syaoran tried to quiet them down but it seemed the children were too excited to care.
Syaoran told himself he didn't like being the center of attention anymore, even more a star of any kind. Actually, he already was tired of it, but this just reinforced the fact. They walked through the dimly lit tunnel, the children's noisy chatter giving Syaoran a headache. Eventually, an Arn came and quieted them down.
" Yue and Longak are looking for you." Said the Arn. Syaoran found himself comparing the Arn with Longak. The Arn had softer looks than the other immortal. Laughing eyes, smooth skin, and dirty brown hair that flew about his face like ruffles. Syaoran nodded.
" So he's sensing where we are now." Syaoran observed. " Or at least, the area we're in. I haven't even done much training."
" It will have to do." Longak grumbled. " Told you we didn't have much time. In case you didn't
notice, the Dark Phoenix always knows where you are. He'll be setting up lots of nonsense later
on."
" I'm content with that." Syaoran answered. " Since my powers aren't controlled yet, I guess we'll
have to settle with traps. Just because he's immortal doesn't mean he's wiser than those who are not.
Allen, Escaflowne, Chid, sorceresses and sorcerors, what do you suggest?"
The mortals weren't sure. " What can you do?"
Syaoran sighed. " right. Strategies, people to do them. Zhu Geliang." The others cocked an eyebrow at him. " Alright. All of the Manders have the power to enchant through their singing. They can raise tidal waves if they wish-I'm not sure how that's going to help. They are in control of all sea creatures and are good to have if you're traveling by water. They can also cast some illusions to fool the Dark Phoenix for a short time, but I don't know if that's going to help us much-the time is really short. They are not that good in direct combat. You should probably set them as back up or defense. They can also shift the land into the sea, but it takes a lot of them. Do we have enough?" Syaoran asked Nakten. Nakten didn't know.
" It might be good for drenching the Dark Phoenix, but I doubt it will do him much harm. It may slow him down." Syaoran said without humor. " Anything you can think of about water they can do. They can do even more than dragons can, which tells you how powerful they are."
" The serpents are good at direct combat because they're usually less docile, and they have sharp teeth. They can't do much. They're really fast fliers, but if you want flying gods you should move to the Arns. The serpents are rather dark creatures and some of the more powerful ones have control over time. It probably won't affect the Dark Phoenix if the one the other sorceror casted did not. But they can cause a good distraction, and they're not easy to wound or kill."
" The Arns are very good at flying. They have some control over fire, but they won't have any affect on the Dark Phoenix. The Arns can drive the Dark Phoenix insane." Here Syaoran made a hint of a snort. " But I doubt it would help much in the long run."
" Unicorns have this charm thing going. They have the ability to bless us and perhaps shield us from some of the Dark Phoenix's spells. They can also cast some weird spells on the Dark Phoenix that should work. Again, this can only be for a short while."
" How short?"
" Two hours."
A brief silence.
" And the Forins?"
Syaoran blushed. " Not much they can do either. They're friends with the trees. I don't know, they listen to the trees and understand their language. And flowers, and any plant. So...they can also communicate to all the wood animals, but...?"
There was a loud boom. The earth shook. Syaoran looked tired.
" Things are heating up over there." Syaoran sighed. " He's coming back more and more
frequently."
The ceiling began to crack. Syaoran raised his hands and it mended.
" Quick, over here!" Longak shoved Syaoran into a dark hall. " Go up ahead. You'll find
Escaflowne there, and get out of here! We don't have time for training any longer. The man's going
to chase you to the ends of the universe! Hurry!" He shut the door as Syaoran, Van, Hitomi and
Lorenil went through.
" What about the others?" Syaoran suddenly cried as they ran towards Escaflowne.
" I'm sure the immortals will take care of that." Hitomi was a natural runner, but the hallway seemed
so long and dark and confined...
Escaflowne curled up in its dragon form and was as still as the stones around it. Occasionally there will be a tremble as the earth shook from the booming above. The group ran up onto the dragon and the dragon roused.
" Over there," Syaoran's sharp dragon eyes spotted an exit. " Hurry up! This place is going to collapse!"
They made it out, but Hitomi's leg was crushed by one of the boulders. Outside the sun was hot and bright, but the wind was cool and refreshing. The Dark Phoenix spotted them and dove down. Without thinking, Syaoran released a blast of energy, knocking the other back. The Dark Phoenix flapped his giant wings, then he formed a black aura, so big that it seemed to cover the whole sky. The aura shaped itself into a great bird with huge wings, the the huge bird soared overhead. Syaoran hesitated only a second.
" Hitomi! Bring out your cards!" He yelled, and he jumped off Escaflowne.
" Syaoran!" Van shouted. Syaoran dove down. He was falling. His body was spinning and he was falling, faster and faster and faster. The ground rose to meet him and he twisted his body up. He swooped up at a sharp angle and the Dark Phoenix screeched as he pulled his sword out and stabbed him in the wing. Syaoran hovered, his pale robes flapping, and concentrated on his own aura. Red aura became a phoenix almost as huge as the Dark Phoenix's own aura, and green aura became a long dragon, slithering and roaring silently, its massive head demanding allegiance. Where the red and green auras met, a brown shadows flickered.
Syaoran was bigger than the Dark Phoenix.
Escaflowne veered around as Van eyed the child and the man. The dragon paused in midair. Hitomi summoned her staff and struck a card. A bow and arrow appeared in Syaoran's hands.
The boy looked at Hitomi briefly before aiming. The Dark Phoenix made a cross with his arms as the arrow pierced his aura. The arrow deflected and Syaoran dodged.
The Dark Phoenix released a roar. Orcs and Ogres flooded the field below them. Serpents surrounded Van and Escaflowne. Syaoran turned. Something shot past him. It came from a serpent, who had shot lightning out of its mouth. Syaoran glared at the serpent. The Arns from the refuge came to join him in the air. He turned back to the Dark Phoenix. The man was smirking.
Without warning, Syaoran dove below the Dark Phoenix. The man gave a screech of fury and dove down after him. Syaoran stretched his body and felt himself move faster, gliding through the air. The wind lifted him up and carried him, faster and faster and faster...
A pain crashed into his back. Syaoran turned around and shot whatever he could think of at the Dark Phoenix. He changed himself into a solid light and lashed against the Dark Phoenix violently. The Dark Phoenix responded in kind, and the two began to crash into each other again and again, one purple, one brown, and the lights began to make the sky as white as snow and glow painfully.
Shrieks were heard. Van tried to draw Escaflowne up, but there were serpents trapping him
in. He dove down and saw that the serpents were following him. He tried to get up, but they blocked
him. He tore through, but they began to attack everyone. Lorenil tried to cast spells but they didn't
seem to work on the strange creatures, and so Escaflown crashed into the canyon below.
It was a long drop.