Ch. 5: The Leader of Lost Souls
Shina rested her head on her bed, kneeling. Tears flowed freely, as huge sobs filled the room. Sarah, Kane and Irvine stood at the door. Long, the man she loved, was dead. Victoria was gone, lost to Xion, and killed by a sword to the throat. Irvine and Sarah looked on with concerned faces, while Kane looked irritated. Finally, he had enough. He walked over and yanked at Shina's shoulder.
"Look, Long's death is a tragedy, but crying about it isn't going to help!" he said sternly.
Shina swung her fist at Kane, but he easily batted it away. She looked at him, and broke down, propping herself against him. He pushed her off, and she landed on her bed, still sobbing. Kane turned to leave.
"Pull yourself together," he said exiting the doorway. Sarah ran after him.
"How can you be so cold-hearted?" she asked in anger.
"I have to be. If we get hung up on everybody who gets killed, we'll all end up dead," he replied. "We've lost two already, we lose another, we get DQ'ed. Then we go home and someone else gets the prize."
"What is it?" she yelled, "What is on the island that's worth all this killing?"
"More than you can imagine," Kenji answered as he emerged from the shadows. "They've disqualified Xion and his team for using that sword on Victoria. As a result, I'm taking her place."
"But Kenji, what about Uriko? What about your children?" Sarah asked in concern.
"If someone else wins this tournament, every person alive will be in danger," the young ninja replied.
"But what is.?" Sarah asked.
"Tell Irvine and Shina to meet us at the staircase. We'll tell you there," Kane interrupted.
Five minutes later, Irvine, Sarah, and the still whimpering Shina gathered at the staircase, where Kenji and Kane waited. The Shaolin monk and the ninja led them down the stairs, and into a hallway illuminated with an eerie green light. They looked in wonder as they came across a giant doorway. Kane and Kenji opened it, and they all beheld a sight that brought silence to them all.
Behind the doors was a giant circular chamber. Along the floors there were more strange writing, while statues stood around the center. And in the center was a sight never seen by man. An enormous column of green light, which, upon closer inspection, housed the tormented faces of fallen fighters.
"This," Kane said, "is the Well of Souls. Any person who dies on the island is sent here."
"So this is the big prize? An oversized nightlight?" Irvine asked sarcastically.
"This Well is rumored to have the ability to grant the heart's desire of whomever proves themselves worthy."
Sarah looked up. "So this is what the Tournament is all about?"
"Yes," Kenji answered. "But in order to prove yourself, you must defeat the Well's guardian, Red Dragon."
Shina stopped crying, and walked up to the well of souls. She noticed a face inside. Long's face. She reached her hand inside and touched it, but it passed through her fingers. She removed her hand and clenched her fist.
"So if I win this tournament, then I can get my Tiger back? Fine," she turned around and looked at everyone "Then I will."
She walked up to Kane, and looked him square in the eyes. "You're the best fighter out of all of us. Tell me, can I beat him?"
Kane returned her stare. "Honestly? No. Not even close."
"Heh, I knew you'd be honest. You're going to teach me how to fight like you," she said as she walked away.
Kane grinned. "At last one of them is starting to get it," he said walking off.
Shina walked into the forest surrounding the temple. Her eyes scanned the landscape until she found the object of her search. Kane was meditating, doing a split between two fallen logs. In one fluid motion, he closed his legs, springing himself into the air, did a back flip, and landed next to her.
"Good evening," he said. Suddenly, he struck her with a swift chop to the side of her neck. She stumbled, and looked over in anger.
"What the Hell was that for?" she yelled.
"You should have seen that coming," Kane replied. "And after I'm done with you, you will."
Kane walked over to where he was meditating, and resumed in the same position. "As clichéd as it may sound, if you want to beat Red Dragon, you must unlearn everything you know about fighting, and start with the basics. Physically, you have all you need. But you must also use your mind and spirit as weapons, for they are your deadliest."
Shina sat beside Kane, and closed her eyes, absorbing his every word. "We'll start with breathing. Not yours, but your opponent's. Long before any movement is made, a breath is drawn, that is the first clue."
For hours on end, Shina sat, absorbing all Kane had to say. Monitoring breathing, regulating your own, and probably the most important to Kane, uniting mind and body.
"Mind and body must function as one," he said. "In the instant that it takes for your body to react to your mind is where the fight is won or lost."
Kane walked over to the cliff, and looked out over the ocean. " I will leave you with three things to ponder. One. Survival is not something you can do. It isn't an action; it is a state of mind. Two. To master your discipline you must first master yourself. Three. When you are in a fight, you battle two enemies. One is your opponent, the other, is your perceived limitations. The defeat the former, you must conquer the latter."
Kane turned and walked past Shina, who was still in deep meditation. "I have taught you in six hours what it took me six months to learn. If it were any other person, I would have said it was hopeless. But I am certain you have the will, the determination, and the spirit to take what I have said and mold them into a form you can use. We will meet here tomorrow, when the sun rises, and I will see if my faith is justified."
Shina stayed behind as Kane walked away. She attuned herself to all her surroundings. Leaves drifted silently to the ground, and fights raged on. Shina could hear everything. Every punch thrown, every kick blocked, ever leaf that fluttered and every wave that crashed. A storm approached, from the northwest. Rain hammered down on her, she felt every drop as it contacted. The heard with wind howl and the thunder rattle. The thunder, she could predict where it would hit. The night wore on, the storm moved on. She was cold, hungry, and soaked to the bone. But she never felt more alive. No, not alive, REBORN. She was Shina Gado, reborn.
Footsteps approached from the south. The person walked up, and stopped a few feet from Shina.
"Your heartbeat gave you away before you left the temple," she said.
"I am impressed. I never taught you to read heartbeats." Kane smiled.
"I was always ahead of my class," Shina said with a smirk. "Now, let's do this." Shina took off her coat, and took a cloth from the pocket. She tied it over her eyes, then checked to ensure it was tight. She got into her stance, and faced Kane.
"You ready?" the Shaolin monk asked.
"Don't talk," she smirked, "Do"
Shina rested her head on her bed, kneeling. Tears flowed freely, as huge sobs filled the room. Sarah, Kane and Irvine stood at the door. Long, the man she loved, was dead. Victoria was gone, lost to Xion, and killed by a sword to the throat. Irvine and Sarah looked on with concerned faces, while Kane looked irritated. Finally, he had enough. He walked over and yanked at Shina's shoulder.
"Look, Long's death is a tragedy, but crying about it isn't going to help!" he said sternly.
Shina swung her fist at Kane, but he easily batted it away. She looked at him, and broke down, propping herself against him. He pushed her off, and she landed on her bed, still sobbing. Kane turned to leave.
"Pull yourself together," he said exiting the doorway. Sarah ran after him.
"How can you be so cold-hearted?" she asked in anger.
"I have to be. If we get hung up on everybody who gets killed, we'll all end up dead," he replied. "We've lost two already, we lose another, we get DQ'ed. Then we go home and someone else gets the prize."
"What is it?" she yelled, "What is on the island that's worth all this killing?"
"More than you can imagine," Kenji answered as he emerged from the shadows. "They've disqualified Xion and his team for using that sword on Victoria. As a result, I'm taking her place."
"But Kenji, what about Uriko? What about your children?" Sarah asked in concern.
"If someone else wins this tournament, every person alive will be in danger," the young ninja replied.
"But what is.?" Sarah asked.
"Tell Irvine and Shina to meet us at the staircase. We'll tell you there," Kane interrupted.
Five minutes later, Irvine, Sarah, and the still whimpering Shina gathered at the staircase, where Kenji and Kane waited. The Shaolin monk and the ninja led them down the stairs, and into a hallway illuminated with an eerie green light. They looked in wonder as they came across a giant doorway. Kane and Kenji opened it, and they all beheld a sight that brought silence to them all.
Behind the doors was a giant circular chamber. Along the floors there were more strange writing, while statues stood around the center. And in the center was a sight never seen by man. An enormous column of green light, which, upon closer inspection, housed the tormented faces of fallen fighters.
"This," Kane said, "is the Well of Souls. Any person who dies on the island is sent here."
"So this is the big prize? An oversized nightlight?" Irvine asked sarcastically.
"This Well is rumored to have the ability to grant the heart's desire of whomever proves themselves worthy."
Sarah looked up. "So this is what the Tournament is all about?"
"Yes," Kenji answered. "But in order to prove yourself, you must defeat the Well's guardian, Red Dragon."
Shina stopped crying, and walked up to the well of souls. She noticed a face inside. Long's face. She reached her hand inside and touched it, but it passed through her fingers. She removed her hand and clenched her fist.
"So if I win this tournament, then I can get my Tiger back? Fine," she turned around and looked at everyone "Then I will."
She walked up to Kane, and looked him square in the eyes. "You're the best fighter out of all of us. Tell me, can I beat him?"
Kane returned her stare. "Honestly? No. Not even close."
"Heh, I knew you'd be honest. You're going to teach me how to fight like you," she said as she walked away.
Kane grinned. "At last one of them is starting to get it," he said walking off.
Shina walked into the forest surrounding the temple. Her eyes scanned the landscape until she found the object of her search. Kane was meditating, doing a split between two fallen logs. In one fluid motion, he closed his legs, springing himself into the air, did a back flip, and landed next to her.
"Good evening," he said. Suddenly, he struck her with a swift chop to the side of her neck. She stumbled, and looked over in anger.
"What the Hell was that for?" she yelled.
"You should have seen that coming," Kane replied. "And after I'm done with you, you will."
Kane walked over to where he was meditating, and resumed in the same position. "As clichéd as it may sound, if you want to beat Red Dragon, you must unlearn everything you know about fighting, and start with the basics. Physically, you have all you need. But you must also use your mind and spirit as weapons, for they are your deadliest."
Shina sat beside Kane, and closed her eyes, absorbing his every word. "We'll start with breathing. Not yours, but your opponent's. Long before any movement is made, a breath is drawn, that is the first clue."
For hours on end, Shina sat, absorbing all Kane had to say. Monitoring breathing, regulating your own, and probably the most important to Kane, uniting mind and body.
"Mind and body must function as one," he said. "In the instant that it takes for your body to react to your mind is where the fight is won or lost."
Kane walked over to the cliff, and looked out over the ocean. " I will leave you with three things to ponder. One. Survival is not something you can do. It isn't an action; it is a state of mind. Two. To master your discipline you must first master yourself. Three. When you are in a fight, you battle two enemies. One is your opponent, the other, is your perceived limitations. The defeat the former, you must conquer the latter."
Kane turned and walked past Shina, who was still in deep meditation. "I have taught you in six hours what it took me six months to learn. If it were any other person, I would have said it was hopeless. But I am certain you have the will, the determination, and the spirit to take what I have said and mold them into a form you can use. We will meet here tomorrow, when the sun rises, and I will see if my faith is justified."
Shina stayed behind as Kane walked away. She attuned herself to all her surroundings. Leaves drifted silently to the ground, and fights raged on. Shina could hear everything. Every punch thrown, every kick blocked, ever leaf that fluttered and every wave that crashed. A storm approached, from the northwest. Rain hammered down on her, she felt every drop as it contacted. The heard with wind howl and the thunder rattle. The thunder, she could predict where it would hit. The night wore on, the storm moved on. She was cold, hungry, and soaked to the bone. But she never felt more alive. No, not alive, REBORN. She was Shina Gado, reborn.
Footsteps approached from the south. The person walked up, and stopped a few feet from Shina.
"Your heartbeat gave you away before you left the temple," she said.
"I am impressed. I never taught you to read heartbeats." Kane smiled.
"I was always ahead of my class," Shina said with a smirk. "Now, let's do this." Shina took off her coat, and took a cloth from the pocket. She tied it over her eyes, then checked to ensure it was tight. She got into her stance, and faced Kane.
"You ready?" the Shaolin monk asked.
"Don't talk," she smirked, "Do"