(Indigo Mountain, Archaeological Dig Site,
1968)
Koga and Genesis joined
the other men outside and watched as the demons scurried into one big huddle
in the middle of the campsite. Koga turned to Genesis.
"Let me go back to my
tent. I have a machete in there, and I can…"
Genesis shook his head, cutting him off.
"No. It would not be
smart to make any sudden movements right now. Let us wait until we can
figure out exactly what is going on."
Koga frowned, but did not want to argue with
his teacher. The demons all suddenly stood still, their heads turned up
at the dark, cloudy sky. The wind picked up, beginning to blow with a strange
vengeance. Devon clutched onto Blaine's sleeve, turning his face to his
arm so as to shield it from the dirt flying about with the wind. The dark
clouds began to part, revealing a strange winding staircase that glittered
with dark jewels. The area seemed to go mute for one instant, but then
an ear-splitting roar erupted from the top of the stairs, a roar that sent
cold shivers down all the men's spines. The demons cheered and began to
jump around as if in celebration. A few of them turned back to the tent,
and went back inside. Koga started after them, but Genesis grabbed onto
his shoulder to stop him. The demons returned, carrying the glowing artifacts
in their hands. In one large parade, they all began to stream up the stairs.
Kinle fell to the ground, his hair falling
in front of his face, shading his features.
"I…I have done something…terrible…"
"It wasn't your fault,"
Samuel comforted. "You had no idea."
Kinle shook his head pitifully.
"I don't even know what
I have done…"
Koga silently went back into his and the boys'
tent, and emerged fully clothed in his ninja uniform, his machete in his
hand. Devon lifted his head from Blaine's arm to look at Koga.
"Where are you going?"
"Where do you think?"
Genesis grabbed Koga's arm.
"You are not going up
those stairs, if that is what you are suggesting."
"I have to stop those
creatures. Anyone can tell that they are evil beings. They must be destroyed.
And I don't see anyone else going after them."
"That's because we value
or lives too much," Blaine remarked.
Koga ignored him and wrenched his arm out of
Genesis' grasp. Kinle stood.
"I'll go with him. I
am the one who has brought these…these things here. And I should be the
one to try to stop them."
Before anyone could protest, Koga and Kinle
both sprinted to the stairs and were soon disappearing amongst the thick
clouds.
"Koga! Come back!" Genesis
demanded in his deep southern accent.
Blaine scowled and shook his head.
"Always has to be the
noble ninja, the bastard."
He pulled away from Devon's hands and began to
follow them up the stairs. Devon had gone up soon after, followed by Samuel
and Genesis.
It was pitch black at
the top of the stairs. No one could see a thing. Devon felt around blindly
for Blaine, whispering his name.
"I'm here, Devon," Blaine
whispered back, putting his arm around him protectively.
Koga strained his eyes to see something-anything.
He hated this. He hated being helpless and vulnerable. In the dark he was
hypersensitive to everything-the sound of his comrade's feet against the
floor, the breath his lungs, the heart pounding in his chest.
After several moments
passed, and everyone was on the verge of snapping entirely, a small flame
was suddenly visible in the center of the room. It was the chalice, and
the chalice began to glow. All the other relics followed suit, floating
in a circle around it. As Koga's eyes adjusted, he could see the demons
underneath the hovering circle, on their knees, heads bowed. Before he
or the others could make a move or speak, a horrible sounding deafening
voice boomed throughout the space.
"You are the mortals
who have released me from my eternal prison. For that, I am filled with
gratitude."
Though the voice spoke kind words, they did not
sound sincere. This was not lost on any of the men. Devon moved closer
to Blaine and Koga gripped his machete tighter in his hand.
"Who are you?" He questioned
the air from which the voice had spoken.
After a pause, he replied.
"I was, am, and forever
shall be known as the Lord of Darkness. I have many other names, depending
on whom you happen to ask, but that is the one I prefer the most. I was
sealed away hundreds of years ago…or even longer, if you're keeping count.
But now, thanks to you fortunate men, I am now free. And I shall spread
my power, my wonderful power over this whole world."
Samuel turned to Genesis.
"I do not trust him,"
he whispered. "I do not believe he means what he says. I believe he will
bring the world only evil and no good or wonder."
"There is no need for
such doubt, my friends," boomed the Lord of Darkness, before Genesis could
reply. "I mean you all no harm…unless you dare to be dumb enough to defy
me."
The demons rose on these words, as if to illustrate
the point. Koga was not afraid.
"You are an evil being,
and you shall not go unpunished. We shall return you to your prison. Obviously,
it is were you belong."
The demons hissed, slowly sliding across the
floor to the outspoken ninja.
"Is that how you all
feel?" The voice asked.
No one answered. In response to the silence,
the demons let out a raged battle cry and leaped towards them. Koga raised
his machete and sliced through the demons that came near him, spilling
blood everywhere. Blaine, Genesis, and Kinle pulled out their pokeballs
and released their pokémon. Blaine's magmar and Genesis' growlithe
both used their Ember attacks and the smell of the demon's roasting skin
wafted into the air. Kinle's donphan picked up demons with its strong trunk
and slammed them down onto the hard floor, crushing their bones and busting
them open. Devon and Samuel punched and kicked and scratched madly, unable
to do much of anything else.
Kinle eventually managed
to make his way through the demons to the luminous relics. His hands reached
up to grab the chalice when the Lord of Darkness roared mercilessly. A
large hand appeared from the shadows, venom dripping from its sharpened
nails. Kinle closed his eyes and his hands closed around the base of the
chalice just as the LOD's fingertips were inches away from his chest. Kinle
shouted out the prayer imprinted on the artifacts, sweat falling down the
sides of his face. The Lord of Darkness howled in anguish and his demons
joined in his screams. Large, brilliant flashes of light began to erupt
everywhere as the floor beneath them began to crumble. The artifacts, all
except the chalice, shot off in different directions, disappearing into
the unknown worlds. The demons and the staircase began to sink below the
ground, and the men raced down the stairs that were falling apart. They
threw themselves to the ground and shut their eyes tightly.
When they finally opened
their eyes, any evidence that anything had happened at all had vanished.
Everything was just as it had been before. Genesis, Samuel, Devon, Blaine,
and Koga would never forget all that happened on that day. The only one
who would was Kinle. He was erased of all memory of the incident, because
he touched the chalice after it had been activated. No one knew, but Kinle
had kept the chalice with him afterwards, not ever knowing where it had
came from. And one day, he gave it to his wife, Maria Ranielli, who gave
it to her son. And to this day, that boy has never let it out of his sight.
End of Chapter Nine
