Guiding Star
Prologue
The darkness was quickly closing in. Rezo turned and gave him a desperate look.
"Clow! Get out of here! This is more than you can handle!" Rezo shouted, over the roar of the dark magic surrounding them.
"Nonsense! I have come this far with you, I am not about to back out now! You may be the Sages, but even you need help sometimes!" Clow replied, as the wind whipped his dark hair and robes around. The battle had been raging for hours, and still there was no end to the torrent of evil magic that was pouring out of the chasm.
"Rezo's right! Run away while you still can, Clow! This was our job from the get-go!" Rain, the only female Sage, said, as she wiped sweat and blood from her brow and looked back at the tumult behind her. Clow stubbornly shook his head. With a single, commanding gesture, he summoned up his sorcerer's staff, and started reciting an incantation. At first nothing appeared to be happening, then a brilliant glow emanated from him, canceling out the evil around him, and strengthening his comrades. Then the Sages watched in amazement as the human sorcerer tapped the ground with his staff, and effectively sealed the chasm, preventing any more evil magic from getting through.
"I would never have believed this unless I had seen it. Well done, Clow." Shiroi, the White Priest and the only elf among the Four Sages of the Age, said, his silver eyes tired, yet pleased.
"Thank you. Now I think I will rest a bit before we move on." Clow murmured, before collapsing into Rain's arms.
"You've earned it, Clow. Rest easy." Rain murmured, as she sat down and settled Clow's head onto her lap, brushing stray strands of black hair away from his tired face as he slept.
"The world is safe because of him. Let us hope that he never has to worry about this sort of thing again." Rezo said, seriously. His companions nodded in agreement.
One Hundred Years Later…
Chapter One
Clow awoke to the usual silence of his woodland home. Granted, he enjoyed his quiet time as much as the next person, but there were times that he was actually lonely.
"I wonder how Shiroi, Rain, and Teim are doing? I haven't heard anything from them since Rezo passed away." Clow murmured, as he got up out of bed. Even from where he stood, he could see his staff; it was exactly where he had laid it when he'd returned home a little over a century before.
"Has it really been that long? One hundred years is a long time to a normal human, but I stopped aging when I used that sealing spell. Time doesn't mean much to me anymore." Clow thought, as he picked up his staff and examined it. It was a bit tarnished and dusty, but he could easily remedy that. At one time, he'd been known as the 'Sorcerer Supreme' and was feared by all who erred on the side of evil. Now, however, he was a thing of the past, a legend in the people's minds. And that was how he preferred things. Yet, now, as he gazed at his long unused staff, he felt his old wanderlust rising again; the urge to explore the world was reemerging.
"What could it hurt? A simple trip would do me good!" Clow thought, as he raised the staff into the air and whispered a simple spell. A strong wind kicked up as powers long dormant awoke to do his bidding. Within moments, Clow was once again wearing his sorcerer robes, and his pack was ready for travel. With almost an afterthought, Clow changed his staff into an amulet and hung it securely on the clasp of his outer cloak.
"Now I am ready to go." Clow thought, as he slung his pack over his shoulder and walked out the door, not even bothering to look back at what he was leaving behind.
Morning sunlight warmed the path as he walked along. It had been far too long since he had ventured into the world beyond his home and the nearby town.
"I wonder how much has changed?" Clow mused, as he reached a fork in the road and paused to look at the choices he had.
"Hmm………Where should I head first? Sairaag or Seiruun? Or maybe even Xoana?" Clow murmured, thoughtfully. Then he shrugged.
"Why should it matter? At least I am going somewhere!" Clow said, with a smile, as he chose the road to Seiruun. He had heard something about Seiruun sending explorers to sea in search of new lands, and wondered if some of those explorers had returned yet. He had also heard about a powerful sorceress by the name of Lina Inverse, and often wondered what she was like. So deep was he in his thoughts, that Clow didn't realize that he had company until he was almost completely surrounded.
"Well, well, look what we have here? It looks like some idiot trying to pass himself off as a sorcerer! What do you say, Idiot?" a rough looking bandit sneered, derisively. Clow merely smiled at him.
"Good morning. Fine day for a walk, wouldn't you agree?" Clow asked, knowing that by remaining calm, he could annoy the bandit.
"Oh yeah, real fine. Now why don't you hand over your gold? I would rather not hurt you." The bandit said, getting snickers from his companions for that remark.
"Very thoughtful of you, sir, but I just simply can't part with these treasures. Why don't you go on your way and leave me be? I would rather not harm you." Clow replied, almost repeating word for word the latter part of the bandit's demand. The bandit's face turned bright red with fury.
"You little………….! Get him!" the bandit leader roared, signaling for his men to attack.
"Bad decision." Clow said, as he threw a quick Flare Arrow at them. Then he turned and let the bandits see the bad side of a Fireball. By the time the dust had settled and the smoke had cleared, the surviving bandits had run off with their tails between their legs.
"Well, now, they provided a good workout. I'll have to give my larger spells some exercise later on." Clow mused, aloud, as he continued on his way. The rest of the day was spent peacefully walking through the countryside. Once in a while he would stop to admire the scenery, and note how much things have changed from the time he had last been through there. Then he would move on, his desire to wander winning out over the desire to remain in one place for long. It was towards the evening that his peaceful walk was disturbed. He reacted instantly when he heard frightened screams coming from the small town he was approaching, running, then Raywing-ing to the source of the cries. He stopped abruptly when he saw a hideous creature standing in the town's center, terrorizing three young families.
"Elmekia Lance!" Clow shouted, sending a magical attack at the beast. The monster roared in pain when the spell hit it, and whirled around to face him.
"Good. Now to lead it away from those people." Clow thought, as he gazed intently at the creature, knowing that one slip in his alertness could cost him his life. He leaped back when the monster swiped at him with its huge claws, and goaded it into chasing him with more attack spells. He could tell, just by looking at the beast, that it wasn't an ordinary monster.
"It has attributes of at least three different creatures……………it has to be a chimera! But where did it come from? Who created it? Why was it created?" Clow thought, as he led the creature a good distance from the town, turned, and stood his ground.
"Now to give my stronger spells a workout!" Clow thought, as the monster lumbered forward, eyes glowing with rage. With a deep breath, Clow closed his eyes and concentrated. Within moments, there was a powerful aura surrounding him.
"Wind. Crimson flame. Grant the power of thunder to my hand. Digger Volt!" Clow shouted, as lightning burst down from the cloudless sky, striking the chimera directly. With a tremendous explosion, the chimera disappeared, leaving an ugly black crater in the ground where it had been standing. Clow sighed and swiped a hand across his brow.
"That was a close one. But it really wasn't too much of a challenge……..Whoever had put it together had to have been a little inept." Clow muttered, as he headed back to the town. When he got there, he was greeted by the families he had rescued, and the rest of the town.
"That was truly incredible, young man! We owe you our lives!" an elderly man, this one obviously the town mayor, said, as he looked up at the tall sorcerer.
"Nonsense. I was only doing what I thought needed to be done. I couldn't let that thing hurt those people." Clow replied, honestly.
"Still, at least let us show you our gratitude by letting you stay here in our town for the night. I'll give you the finest room in my inn." Another man, this one obviously an innkeeper, said.
"I thank you for your hospitality." Clow said, as he followed the innkeeper to the inn. Once inside his room, Clow sat down on the bed and took stock of all that had happened that day.
"This has been a strange day, indeed. I haven't been away from home a whole day yet and already I have had to use my magic twice! I wonder what else my impromptu journey has in store?" Clow mused, aloud, as a soft knock at the door signaled that dinner was being served downstairs. As he stood, he smiled again; whatever happened, happened. He would just deal with any problems in his own fashion when the need arose. For now, he would enjoy being among people again. Little did he realize that, when he left his room, there was something watching him, something that had a particular interest in his future!