Chapter 1
When Dais and Cale walked inside Mia's house, they found all five Ronin Warriors and Sekhmet sitting on the two couches and three love seats that were spread all over the Living Room. On the other hand, they did not see Mia or the "Exchange Student." "So, where are Mia and this "Exchange Student"?" Dais asked the Bearer of the Armor of Hardrock.
"They went out to do some shopping," Kento replied as he shrugged his shoulders.
"For what?" Cale asked.
"If you want to find out! Then you'll come out here and help us with these packages!" A female voice yelled.
"We're coming!" Sage yelled in response.
Seeing that there was nothing else to do, all three ex-Warlords got up form one of the couches and walked outside towards the driveway. It was there that they noticed the five Elementals helping Mia and another girl, that Dais figured was the "Exchange Student," unload various items from the jeep. Cale noticed that the two women had bought bread dough, sugar, food coloring, something the mortals called "tissue paper" in three different colors, various colored candles, soap, incense holders, incense, plums, peaches, something mortals called "Hard Candy," Sake, and other various objects. "Are you three going to help," the "Exchange Student's" voice scolded, "this is your festival too."
"What are you talking about?" Dais blinked, puzzled by the young woman's words.
The "Exchange Student" sighed, "If you three help me with all this stuff, I'll be able to tell you."
After everything had been brought inside, Mia asked everyone to sit down in the Family Room until she could get everyone some tea. When Mia came back with a tray of Green Tea, everyone took a cup. The "Exchange Student" took a sip of her tea and began to speak. "My name is Mercedes Candelario, I go to a local college in Mexico City, the same city where I have lived in all my life. This is the first time I have been out of my country, and Mia helped me feel a little closer to home by allowing me to celebrate my people's traditional autumn festival that started this morning."
"What festival?" Sekhmet questioned.
"El Dia de los Muertos," Mercedes smiled, "or as the English-Speaking people call it, the Day of the Dead."
Dais, Cale, and Sekhmet looked confused.
Mercedes looked at her watch, ignoring the confused look on the Seasons' faces. "It is 9 o'clock in the morning already, and we still have so much to do. Could you three show me where your friend is buried?"
"Uh," Dais stuttered, "he's buried in the Nether Realm."
"WHAT!" Mercedes yelled in complete shock, sitting her tea down on a small coffee table, "How can three people, who are still alive, exist in Mictlan?"
"Mictlan?" Sekhmet mumbled as his eyes went wide, "What is Mictlan?"
"Not what," Mercedes smiled, recovering from the startled expression, "but where."
"What do you mean?" Cale replied, furrowing his eyebrow.
Mercedes smiled again, "Many years before my Spanish ancestors came to Mexico, there lived a great civilization called the Aztecs. At that time, between the end of July and the beginning of August, the Aztecs celebrated a festival that was the groundwork for the Day of the Dead. The festival was presided over by Mictecacihuatl, the Goddess of the Dead. Her realm is called Mictlan, or, translated into English, "place of the dead." However, despite what many people believe, Mictlan is not a place of judgment, but a comfortable resting place that the dead can reside until they visit his or her living loved ones."
"So how can you tell when the dead has come to visit?" Sekhmet questioned in a tone of voice that sounded like a mix of curiosity and alarm.
"Have you ever seen Monarch Butterflies?" Mercedes grinned.
"Yes," All three Seasons replied.
Mercedes grinned again, "The Monarch Butterfly bear the dead person to his or her relatives. It is by instinct that the dead guide his or her butterfly to their loved ones."
"Sounds crazy," Dais whispered to Cale.
"I know it does sound crazy," Mercedes agreed, "But that remark is to be expected from people who do not live in my culture. And," Mercedes smiled as she picked up her teacup to take another sip of tea, "I'd advise you not to whisper, I have very good hearing."
Dais almost turned red.
"So," Mercedes began, "what is this "Nether Realm"?"
Dais explained as best he could about the world that he, Cale, and Sekhmet lived in. It was mostly a world of demons and some humans, not a land of the dead. When Dais had finished, Mercedes slowly nodded her head. "Is there any way we can get all of this to your "Nether Realm" and be ready for the ceremony at noon?"
Dais nodded as he waved his hand. Almost as if by magic, a gate opened up to the Nether Realm in the Living Room. "Here you go."
"Thanks," Mercedes smiled, "but that doesn't excuse you three from carrying stuff."
"WHAT!" Dais, Cale, and Sekhmet yelled at the same time.
Mercedes frowned, "Help me with this stuff and quiet whining like little boys."
When Dais and Cale walked inside Mia's house, they found all five Ronin Warriors and Sekhmet sitting on the two couches and three love seats that were spread all over the Living Room. On the other hand, they did not see Mia or the "Exchange Student." "So, where are Mia and this "Exchange Student"?" Dais asked the Bearer of the Armor of Hardrock.
"They went out to do some shopping," Kento replied as he shrugged his shoulders.
"For what?" Cale asked.
"If you want to find out! Then you'll come out here and help us with these packages!" A female voice yelled.
"We're coming!" Sage yelled in response.
Seeing that there was nothing else to do, all three ex-Warlords got up form one of the couches and walked outside towards the driveway. It was there that they noticed the five Elementals helping Mia and another girl, that Dais figured was the "Exchange Student," unload various items from the jeep. Cale noticed that the two women had bought bread dough, sugar, food coloring, something the mortals called "tissue paper" in three different colors, various colored candles, soap, incense holders, incense, plums, peaches, something mortals called "Hard Candy," Sake, and other various objects. "Are you three going to help," the "Exchange Student's" voice scolded, "this is your festival too."
"What are you talking about?" Dais blinked, puzzled by the young woman's words.
The "Exchange Student" sighed, "If you three help me with all this stuff, I'll be able to tell you."
After everything had been brought inside, Mia asked everyone to sit down in the Family Room until she could get everyone some tea. When Mia came back with a tray of Green Tea, everyone took a cup. The "Exchange Student" took a sip of her tea and began to speak. "My name is Mercedes Candelario, I go to a local college in Mexico City, the same city where I have lived in all my life. This is the first time I have been out of my country, and Mia helped me feel a little closer to home by allowing me to celebrate my people's traditional autumn festival that started this morning."
"What festival?" Sekhmet questioned.
"El Dia de los Muertos," Mercedes smiled, "or as the English-Speaking people call it, the Day of the Dead."
Dais, Cale, and Sekhmet looked confused.
Mercedes looked at her watch, ignoring the confused look on the Seasons' faces. "It is 9 o'clock in the morning already, and we still have so much to do. Could you three show me where your friend is buried?"
"Uh," Dais stuttered, "he's buried in the Nether Realm."
"WHAT!" Mercedes yelled in complete shock, sitting her tea down on a small coffee table, "How can three people, who are still alive, exist in Mictlan?"
"Mictlan?" Sekhmet mumbled as his eyes went wide, "What is Mictlan?"
"Not what," Mercedes smiled, recovering from the startled expression, "but where."
"What do you mean?" Cale replied, furrowing his eyebrow.
Mercedes smiled again, "Many years before my Spanish ancestors came to Mexico, there lived a great civilization called the Aztecs. At that time, between the end of July and the beginning of August, the Aztecs celebrated a festival that was the groundwork for the Day of the Dead. The festival was presided over by Mictecacihuatl, the Goddess of the Dead. Her realm is called Mictlan, or, translated into English, "place of the dead." However, despite what many people believe, Mictlan is not a place of judgment, but a comfortable resting place that the dead can reside until they visit his or her living loved ones."
"So how can you tell when the dead has come to visit?" Sekhmet questioned in a tone of voice that sounded like a mix of curiosity and alarm.
"Have you ever seen Monarch Butterflies?" Mercedes grinned.
"Yes," All three Seasons replied.
Mercedes grinned again, "The Monarch Butterfly bear the dead person to his or her relatives. It is by instinct that the dead guide his or her butterfly to their loved ones."
"Sounds crazy," Dais whispered to Cale.
"I know it does sound crazy," Mercedes agreed, "But that remark is to be expected from people who do not live in my culture. And," Mercedes smiled as she picked up her teacup to take another sip of tea, "I'd advise you not to whisper, I have very good hearing."
Dais almost turned red.
"So," Mercedes began, "what is this "Nether Realm"?"
Dais explained as best he could about the world that he, Cale, and Sekhmet lived in. It was mostly a world of demons and some humans, not a land of the dead. When Dais had finished, Mercedes slowly nodded her head. "Is there any way we can get all of this to your "Nether Realm" and be ready for the ceremony at noon?"
Dais nodded as he waved his hand. Almost as if by magic, a gate opened up to the Nether Realm in the Living Room. "Here you go."
"Thanks," Mercedes smiled, "but that doesn't excuse you three from carrying stuff."
"WHAT!" Dais, Cale, and Sekhmet yelled at the same time.
Mercedes frowned, "Help me with this stuff and quiet whining like little boys."
