Chapter 9
The room was plunged into total silence. Everyone was looking at Anubis, who in return, looked at the "new" people who had just come skidding into the room. As if on cue, Mercedes loudly cleared her throat and asked, "Is this your friend?"
"Yes," Cale whispered in a mix of awe and shock.
"Well," Mercedes sighed, "I think it would be polite if you would introduce me to him."
Anubis smiled at Mercedes, "Let them get over the shock. I don't think they know how to handle something like this."
Dais and the others were completely stunned, true, they had heard Mercedes say that the dead would visit the living, but no one had been prepared for this surprise. "Dais," Rowen whispered, "is this one of your illusions?"
"This better not be one of your illusions," Kento whispered back, "because if it is, then you're dead."
"He's not an illusion," the ex-Warlord of Illusion whispered. "If he were, then I would have felt the vibrations by now."
"Vibrations?" Ryo questioned.
"When I create an illusion," the Warrior of Summer began, "the false copy will give off a vibration that I can feel throughout my body. A real person has a human aura and gives off light. I'm not feeling any vibrations, but I can feel a light that comes from a human aura."
"I feel it too." Sage agreed, "This is no illusion."
Mercedes sighed, "I could've told you that."
Anubis raised his hand to stop Mercedes' next words, "my friends are not used to the fact that a dead friend has returned to visit them. Give them the time to take any measures that they feel is necessary."
"There's only one way to tell for sure," Sekhmet challenged. "Anubis, do you remember the time we were traveling around Kyoto, and we ran into that Portuguese Missionary?"
"I remember," Anubis nodded.
"Do you remember what he said to you?" Sekhmet asked.
"He said, and I quote, "You two reek of a demon from the depths of God's eternal damnation." I was sure he knew something about Talpa." Anubis stated.
"Do you remember what happened next?" The Warrior of Autumn asked as he pushed the next question forward.
"After you got angry, we left the city." Anubis remembered, "A few days later we came back and you used your sword whip on him. You gave the missionary a cut that allowed one of your poisons to surge throughout his body. He died eight days later from a poison that "somehow" managed to get into his body."
The Venom Warrior turned to the others and nodded, "It's really him."
Mercedes threw her arms up into the air, angry at the thought that they believed that she was lying to them. "I told you it was him. Why don't men ever listen?"
Anubis laughed, "First of all, I do listen," he told Mercedes, "and second of all, Dais has the power to create illusions. He's suckered many people with his illusions because they look, feel, and act in a very realistic manner."
Mercedes gave Dais a funny look, "That isn't possible, in my culture humans cannot make illusions, only witches who use black magic have that ability."
"I AM NOT A WITCH!" The Spider Warrior yelled, offended at Mercedes' remark.
"I'm not saying that you are a witch," Mercedes shot back, "I'm just saying that in my culture, illusions are created by witches for evil purposes."
"Like all the times you tried to kill me?" Kento sneered.
"Shut up!" Dais snapped.
"Okay!" Mercedes snapped, "I believe we had a discussion about the proper behavior to have around your friend."
"It's okay." Anubis laughed, "this is normal for all of us. In fact, I've missed all this bickering."
Mercedes rolled her eyes as she left the Commons Room and headed straight for the Castle Kitchens.
Anubis looked around the room. A few things had changed since he had died. There were more lights in the castle, thanks to something the mortals called "Skylights." Anubis also noted that the castle didn't its usual musty smell anymore.
As Anubis' eyes traveled around the room, he found his altar. He recognized the altar as his own because it had his picture as well as his favorite food. When he saw the gold washbasin, pitcher, towel, and soap, he smiled. "Thank goodness I can clean up after that trip."
"Uh, why?" Cale asked.
Anubis looked at the Warrior of Winter, "Have you ever traveled via Monarch Butterfly?"
"No," The ex-Warlord of Corruption replied.
"It's not exactly a very clean way to travel." Anubis sighed, "Besides, a person can get really dirty after a long trip like the one I just took."
No one said anything as Anubis began to wash his face and hands.
The room was plunged into total silence. Everyone was looking at Anubis, who in return, looked at the "new" people who had just come skidding into the room. As if on cue, Mercedes loudly cleared her throat and asked, "Is this your friend?"
"Yes," Cale whispered in a mix of awe and shock.
"Well," Mercedes sighed, "I think it would be polite if you would introduce me to him."
Anubis smiled at Mercedes, "Let them get over the shock. I don't think they know how to handle something like this."
Dais and the others were completely stunned, true, they had heard Mercedes say that the dead would visit the living, but no one had been prepared for this surprise. "Dais," Rowen whispered, "is this one of your illusions?"
"This better not be one of your illusions," Kento whispered back, "because if it is, then you're dead."
"He's not an illusion," the ex-Warlord of Illusion whispered. "If he were, then I would have felt the vibrations by now."
"Vibrations?" Ryo questioned.
"When I create an illusion," the Warrior of Summer began, "the false copy will give off a vibration that I can feel throughout my body. A real person has a human aura and gives off light. I'm not feeling any vibrations, but I can feel a light that comes from a human aura."
"I feel it too." Sage agreed, "This is no illusion."
Mercedes sighed, "I could've told you that."
Anubis raised his hand to stop Mercedes' next words, "my friends are not used to the fact that a dead friend has returned to visit them. Give them the time to take any measures that they feel is necessary."
"There's only one way to tell for sure," Sekhmet challenged. "Anubis, do you remember the time we were traveling around Kyoto, and we ran into that Portuguese Missionary?"
"I remember," Anubis nodded.
"Do you remember what he said to you?" Sekhmet asked.
"He said, and I quote, "You two reek of a demon from the depths of God's eternal damnation." I was sure he knew something about Talpa." Anubis stated.
"Do you remember what happened next?" The Warrior of Autumn asked as he pushed the next question forward.
"After you got angry, we left the city." Anubis remembered, "A few days later we came back and you used your sword whip on him. You gave the missionary a cut that allowed one of your poisons to surge throughout his body. He died eight days later from a poison that "somehow" managed to get into his body."
The Venom Warrior turned to the others and nodded, "It's really him."
Mercedes threw her arms up into the air, angry at the thought that they believed that she was lying to them. "I told you it was him. Why don't men ever listen?"
Anubis laughed, "First of all, I do listen," he told Mercedes, "and second of all, Dais has the power to create illusions. He's suckered many people with his illusions because they look, feel, and act in a very realistic manner."
Mercedes gave Dais a funny look, "That isn't possible, in my culture humans cannot make illusions, only witches who use black magic have that ability."
"I AM NOT A WITCH!" The Spider Warrior yelled, offended at Mercedes' remark.
"I'm not saying that you are a witch," Mercedes shot back, "I'm just saying that in my culture, illusions are created by witches for evil purposes."
"Like all the times you tried to kill me?" Kento sneered.
"Shut up!" Dais snapped.
"Okay!" Mercedes snapped, "I believe we had a discussion about the proper behavior to have around your friend."
"It's okay." Anubis laughed, "this is normal for all of us. In fact, I've missed all this bickering."
Mercedes rolled her eyes as she left the Commons Room and headed straight for the Castle Kitchens.
Anubis looked around the room. A few things had changed since he had died. There were more lights in the castle, thanks to something the mortals called "Skylights." Anubis also noted that the castle didn't its usual musty smell anymore.
As Anubis' eyes traveled around the room, he found his altar. He recognized the altar as his own because it had his picture as well as his favorite food. When he saw the gold washbasin, pitcher, towel, and soap, he smiled. "Thank goodness I can clean up after that trip."
"Uh, why?" Cale asked.
Anubis looked at the Warrior of Winter, "Have you ever traveled via Monarch Butterfly?"
"No," The ex-Warlord of Corruption replied.
"It's not exactly a very clean way to travel." Anubis sighed, "Besides, a person can get really dirty after a long trip like the one I just took."
No one said anything as Anubis began to wash his face and hands.
