Water streamed down her lenses, so Yolei could, at the moment, see nothing at all. After a few seconds, though, she thought that she had run too far. Her aim shouldn't have been so inaccurate, and those things should have been swarming on her by now. She slowed, stopped, and removed her glasses, squinting through the rain. Only one figure remained. She set her slightly less wet glasses back on her face, and the figure came into focus. It was the Emperor, looking even more confused than her--and much more irritated. "What have you done, girl?"
Her eyes tightened. "Oh, come on. We're the same age, Ken. It's Yolei."
"I am the Emperor, and you will address me as such!" He looked as if he wished to continue, but he must have begun to realize how ridiculous he looked, standing soaking wet and shaking his fist with no backup.
"Yeah, sure, Emperor, if you call me Yolei."
As Yolei had earlier, Ken scoffed. "You wait until I have an army at my back. Then I will call you what I wish."
The girl laughed. "I will, Ken. I'll wait." She then began singing a song that seemed composed solely of the Emperor's name.
BOOM!!
Both Yolei and Ken instinctively ducked at the deafening crash and searing flash of light that cut their terse banter short.
"Silence, children!"
As teenagers, neither was terribly fond of this address. Ken rose first and shouted back something about respect that was lost in a great gust of wind.
A being appeared out of swirling water and leaves, a creature of shining silver and glacial blue. It looked human, with flowing pale hair and matching robes that shifted with the wind, except for its enormous size.
"You, boy-child. Silence!" This was definitely a roar. Ken quieted in the face of something so large and mysterious. "I have a task for you two." The mortal pair exchanged looks.
"Um, I'm sorry, sir... ma'am... but we're not friends. We're kind of... involved in a war. He's the bad guy," she finished quickly.
This time, the thing did not quite roar. "I care not for your petty rivalries. For whatever reason, this world is vitally important to the two of you, whether to satisfy your dark dreams of domination or as a haven from your native world. That binds you closer together than you know. And if you wish to preserve this world, you will have to embark upon a quest to discover its salvation."
On the one hand, it was a very strange and completely baseless claim... binding them together indeed. One the other, this being had appeared out of thunder and lightning, as powerful beings always did in epics. Yolei hoped this wouldn't turn into an epic.
Ken sneered. "Impressive parlor tricks. Tell us why we should embark upon this quest of yours."
The being turned his eyes, like glowing white fire, upon the boy. "You are fortunate that I do not tire easily, boy-child." Without a word or gesture, the rain cleared and the moon and stars shone serenely upon the odd gathering. Ken's midnight blue and black uniform flickered to the grey uniform of his school, then back. Even his hair changed for that split second. Yolei thought she saw something flicker above his head... a crest engraved with a symbol she couldn't recognize. She shook her head. Ken with a crest. Ridiculous.
"It is not unreasonable of you to wonder who I am. You have met the guardians of this land?" He did not stop to wait for a response. "The tiniest blade of grass here is to those guardians what the guardians are to me. You could say that I am... an angel of this world. I know the boy-child regards this world as little more than a child's game, but he will learn that it is much more. Just as your world posesses its living spirits, so does this one. I am one of these spirits. And I am asking you children to save this world you cherish so much from an evil as powerful as I. You are little more than infants, playing at your games, but this is deadly serious." Incredibly, he smiled softly.
"As powerful as I am, I cannot save this world of mine from destruction. Indeed, none of this world can. Only outsiders, like you. You must begin immediately. I fear I have waited too long already. The way will not be long but extremely difficult. I will not tell you death awaits you if you fail, for it does not... but for this world, it does. All life shall wither away until only the rocks and machinery remain. Eventually, the dark which threatens this world will threaten yours, unless you are able to halt its spread."
Yolei, who was a bit more accustomed to these charges to save the world, stepped forward timidly. "Then what do we have to do?"
"There is a cave on Infinity Mountain. You must climb its treacherous slopes and find this cave. It lays in the sun and sparkles in its rays. Then you shall descend, deep into the very roots of the mountain. There in the dark live creatures you cannot imagine, which you cannot allow to deter you from your journey. Whether you kill them or not means little to me. Across a black river you will notice a weak light in the darkness. Follow that light, and you will find a star, buried at the end of an ancient road. Because of a shadow, rising from Infinity to cast its darkness over the world, this star is dying. This star has lit this world like a beacon, attracting its unique forms of life and sustaining the balance of light and dark from within its mountain home. This shadow does not wish to dominate, like the boy-child here, but to annihilate. It would immediately sense a native of this world, but you two shall remain safe, outsiders as you are. It will not recognize you until you have taken the star."
"And... and what do we do when we have the star?" The moon darkened for a moment, and a shadow seemed to pass over the stars. Yolei shivered.
"If you have found it soon enough, I shall appear to you as I have now and take it."
Despite himself, Ken was intrigued. "And if we do not?"
The silvery being regarded him quietly. "You shall know." An icy breeze ruffled the hair of the two humans, carrying an unpleasant odor Ken couldn't quite place. "The shadow has begun to manifest itself. You can see it and feel it. You must begin as soon as I depart." From within his billowing robes, the spirit withdrew a lantern. "One of you must take this and keep it safe. Inside the mountain, there will be no light until you near the star. And the other will take this." This time he produced a dagger. The hilt sparkled and gleamed like a diamond, refracting tiny rainbows on the spirit's silvery flesh. The blade was a jagged, wicked instrument--dull grey and hooked. It seemed rough and primitive above the jewel-like hilt.
"We all know which one 'the Emperor' will take," Yolei muttered, mimicking his voice when she pronounced his title.
And then, without any word of farewell or guidance or well-wishing, the spirit disappeared. Clouds scudded over the starscape, but the rain did not return. Hesitantly, Yolei reached for the lantern. It shed a soft light in a wide circle and warmed her somehow. As she had predicted, Ken took the dagger and placed in somewhere inside his uniform.
For a moment, they were silent.
"So... do you think he's telling the truth?" Yolei finally ventured. She really didn't like awkward silences.
Ken appeared deep in thought. "I believe so. He demonstrated his powers, and recently, I have noticed strange shadows in this world. And... spells of cold, like a minute of winter in the middle of summer." He looked up, usual expression of disdain back on his pale face. "If we are the hope of this world, girl, I am afraid very soon we both will have a lot more time on our hands."
Her eyes tightened. "Oh, come on. We're the same age, Ken. It's Yolei."
"I am the Emperor, and you will address me as such!" He looked as if he wished to continue, but he must have begun to realize how ridiculous he looked, standing soaking wet and shaking his fist with no backup.
"Yeah, sure, Emperor, if you call me Yolei."
As Yolei had earlier, Ken scoffed. "You wait until I have an army at my back. Then I will call you what I wish."
The girl laughed. "I will, Ken. I'll wait." She then began singing a song that seemed composed solely of the Emperor's name.
BOOM!!
Both Yolei and Ken instinctively ducked at the deafening crash and searing flash of light that cut their terse banter short.
"Silence, children!"
As teenagers, neither was terribly fond of this address. Ken rose first and shouted back something about respect that was lost in a great gust of wind.
A being appeared out of swirling water and leaves, a creature of shining silver and glacial blue. It looked human, with flowing pale hair and matching robes that shifted with the wind, except for its enormous size.
"You, boy-child. Silence!" This was definitely a roar. Ken quieted in the face of something so large and mysterious. "I have a task for you two." The mortal pair exchanged looks.
"Um, I'm sorry, sir... ma'am... but we're not friends. We're kind of... involved in a war. He's the bad guy," she finished quickly.
This time, the thing did not quite roar. "I care not for your petty rivalries. For whatever reason, this world is vitally important to the two of you, whether to satisfy your dark dreams of domination or as a haven from your native world. That binds you closer together than you know. And if you wish to preserve this world, you will have to embark upon a quest to discover its salvation."
On the one hand, it was a very strange and completely baseless claim... binding them together indeed. One the other, this being had appeared out of thunder and lightning, as powerful beings always did in epics. Yolei hoped this wouldn't turn into an epic.
Ken sneered. "Impressive parlor tricks. Tell us why we should embark upon this quest of yours."
The being turned his eyes, like glowing white fire, upon the boy. "You are fortunate that I do not tire easily, boy-child." Without a word or gesture, the rain cleared and the moon and stars shone serenely upon the odd gathering. Ken's midnight blue and black uniform flickered to the grey uniform of his school, then back. Even his hair changed for that split second. Yolei thought she saw something flicker above his head... a crest engraved with a symbol she couldn't recognize. She shook her head. Ken with a crest. Ridiculous.
"It is not unreasonable of you to wonder who I am. You have met the guardians of this land?" He did not stop to wait for a response. "The tiniest blade of grass here is to those guardians what the guardians are to me. You could say that I am... an angel of this world. I know the boy-child regards this world as little more than a child's game, but he will learn that it is much more. Just as your world posesses its living spirits, so does this one. I am one of these spirits. And I am asking you children to save this world you cherish so much from an evil as powerful as I. You are little more than infants, playing at your games, but this is deadly serious." Incredibly, he smiled softly.
"As powerful as I am, I cannot save this world of mine from destruction. Indeed, none of this world can. Only outsiders, like you. You must begin immediately. I fear I have waited too long already. The way will not be long but extremely difficult. I will not tell you death awaits you if you fail, for it does not... but for this world, it does. All life shall wither away until only the rocks and machinery remain. Eventually, the dark which threatens this world will threaten yours, unless you are able to halt its spread."
Yolei, who was a bit more accustomed to these charges to save the world, stepped forward timidly. "Then what do we have to do?"
"There is a cave on Infinity Mountain. You must climb its treacherous slopes and find this cave. It lays in the sun and sparkles in its rays. Then you shall descend, deep into the very roots of the mountain. There in the dark live creatures you cannot imagine, which you cannot allow to deter you from your journey. Whether you kill them or not means little to me. Across a black river you will notice a weak light in the darkness. Follow that light, and you will find a star, buried at the end of an ancient road. Because of a shadow, rising from Infinity to cast its darkness over the world, this star is dying. This star has lit this world like a beacon, attracting its unique forms of life and sustaining the balance of light and dark from within its mountain home. This shadow does not wish to dominate, like the boy-child here, but to annihilate. It would immediately sense a native of this world, but you two shall remain safe, outsiders as you are. It will not recognize you until you have taken the star."
"And... and what do we do when we have the star?" The moon darkened for a moment, and a shadow seemed to pass over the stars. Yolei shivered.
"If you have found it soon enough, I shall appear to you as I have now and take it."
Despite himself, Ken was intrigued. "And if we do not?"
The silvery being regarded him quietly. "You shall know." An icy breeze ruffled the hair of the two humans, carrying an unpleasant odor Ken couldn't quite place. "The shadow has begun to manifest itself. You can see it and feel it. You must begin as soon as I depart." From within his billowing robes, the spirit withdrew a lantern. "One of you must take this and keep it safe. Inside the mountain, there will be no light until you near the star. And the other will take this." This time he produced a dagger. The hilt sparkled and gleamed like a diamond, refracting tiny rainbows on the spirit's silvery flesh. The blade was a jagged, wicked instrument--dull grey and hooked. It seemed rough and primitive above the jewel-like hilt.
"We all know which one 'the Emperor' will take," Yolei muttered, mimicking his voice when she pronounced his title.
And then, without any word of farewell or guidance or well-wishing, the spirit disappeared. Clouds scudded over the starscape, but the rain did not return. Hesitantly, Yolei reached for the lantern. It shed a soft light in a wide circle and warmed her somehow. As she had predicted, Ken took the dagger and placed in somewhere inside his uniform.
For a moment, they were silent.
"So... do you think he's telling the truth?" Yolei finally ventured. She really didn't like awkward silences.
Ken appeared deep in thought. "I believe so. He demonstrated his powers, and recently, I have noticed strange shadows in this world. And... spells of cold, like a minute of winter in the middle of summer." He looked up, usual expression of disdain back on his pale face. "If we are the hope of this world, girl, I am afraid very soon we both will have a lot more time on our hands."