Disclaimer: all characters and locations unless featured in the Teen Titans
show or otherwise, are property of Mr. Bigg.
LOCATION: Somewhere in the lofty peaks of China's southwest mountains...
The helicopter touched down, whipping up dust clouds from the stone ground. The hit-tech chopper seemed out of place in the ancient monastery's courtyard. Monks stopped their daily routine, starring at the odd contraption that had literally landed on their front doorstep.
Rayfe disembarked from the aircraft, surveying the scene before him. The monks made no move to either welcome him or rebel him; their piercing gazes merely judged him from afar. Soon, the Elder Sage came from one of the buildings, approaching Rayfe.
"Tristan! It is good to see you again! I had thought you were to forget our pact!" the Elder Sage said happily, embracing Rayfe. Rayfe quickly ended the embrace, snapping into attention.
"I am here to honor our agreement, old friend. Where is our parcel?" Rayfe asked, surveying the crowd.
"He... has fled. I am afraid the truth was too much for him," The Elder Sage sighed despairingly. "He could be miles from here by now."
"I doubt it. He's scared and confused; I should be able to find him just fine..." Rayfe said, turning to leave.
The Elder Sage initially opened his mouth, planning to protest his friend's sudden departure, but pushed the thought from his mind. The boy had left him and the monastery on his own accord. The boy's fate now lay outside the archaic stone walls of the mountain shrine, in a world he never dreamed of. The monk could only wish the boy good fortune.
As the helicopter lifted off, The Elder Sage thoughts turned to Rayfe. How long has it been since the soldier had last been here? As hazy as the memory was, Rayfe seemed... different somehow. Perhaps it was merely due to the passing of time, or maybe some misconception by the Elder Sage, but the difference still remained. The Elder sage pushed these thoughts from his head as well, uttering a blessing for his friend.
"Sir, I'm picking up a heat signature on the scanner heading our way. ETA is 5 minutes," The pilot said through his microphone. "Should I intercept it?"
"No. Land the chopper- that's our parcel," Rayfe replied.
"Sir?" The girl asked, looking at Rayfe.
"Sorry Private, but you'll have to wait in the car," Rayfe said as the helicopter touched down. He unstrapped himself, and made his way into the mountain fog.
Hotei stopped his sprint suddenly, realizing that his blind run could place him in danger. He stared around at his surroundings. Hundreds of rocky outcroppings, a few wispy tufts of grace, nothing familiar. He walked to the edge of one of the outcroppings, kicking a pebble over the edge experimentally. Hotei watched its descent, turning away before he could see it hit the ground. Hotei grimaced at the landscape. It was barren, lifeless, unfamiliar, and now it was the only place he could go.
He sighed, taking a seat on a nearby stone, slipping into deep thought. He did not know why he had fled the monastery. He did not know where he would go. The Elder Sage had once told him about the many large cities and towns people had built, but Hotei deemed them to fantastic to be real. He doubted anything could exist in this environment anyway. The only thing he did know for certain was that he would remain himself.
Hotei's thoughts turned to anger. Looking to vent his frustrations, Hotei grabbed at the nearby stones, throwing them over the cliff. He did not want to be a hero, he did not want to be a savior! How can they tell him his life's only purpose is to kill someone he never met?! Had he no say? Was destiny absolute?! He hated the Shadows, he hated fate, he hated the Elder Sage-
Hotei hesitated. He looked at the stone in his hand. Did he really hate his mentor? Of course not. He dropped the stone to the ground, letting out a long sigh. The air grew cold as the sun began to set.
"It's a desolate place out here, isn't it?" A voice said from behind him. Hotei quickly leapt into a fighting stance, thrusting his naginata at the stranger. "It's ok, I mean you no harm," The stranger said. He stepped forward, seemingly appearing due to the mist.
Hotei eyed the man warily. He wore some strange green garments the likes of which Hotei had never seen.
"Who are you? What do you call yourself?" Hotei asked sharply. His normally naïve tone was now cautious.
"I'm called Rayfe. Tristan Rayfe," the man said, stepping forward.
"What do you want?" Hotei spat quickly.
"There's no need for hostilities. I was just passing through, saw a fellow traveler, and wanted to take a break. Is that a crime?" The green stranger explained soothingly.
"I suppose not. All the same, I'm not a traveler," Hotei said, letting his guard drop slightly.
"Don't tell me you live out here?" 'Rayfe' said, cocking an eyebrow.
"Yes... well, no actually. Not in this forsaken morass," Hotei said, glancing at the land before him.
"I suppose it's none of my business, then. But this place doesn't have to remain desolate," Rayfe said, trailing off.
"What do you mean? It was made desolate- desolate it shall remain," Hotei replied remorsefully.
"Our finishes aren't determined by our beginnings. Even the greatest must start as the weakest," Rayfe explained.
"Not me. I have started my life the way I will finish," Hotei said sadly. "It is the only future I want."
"You are bold to challenge time itself, boy! But I can see you are wrong," Rayfe replied, laughing.
"Wrong!? How is the choice I made wrong?" Hotei asked indignantly.
"You have the look of a fate about you. You are one of destiny's chosen, perhaps? It is not certain, but I know one thing- you have been given grate power, though it sleeps deep in you. With that power, you could change this place into a land of bounty- a pittance compared to your true ability! You cannot ignore these gifts, Hotei!" Rayfe said.
While shocked that Rayfe knew his name, Hotei was compelled by the stranger's words. Perhaps, perhaps he could have a choice. With his power, he could master his destiny.
"What do you want?" Hotei repeated, shakily.
"I want you to come with me. I want to show you your true self," Rayfe responded gravely.
"If... if I go with you, will you teach me? Will you show me how this power inside me?" Hotei asked.
Rayfe nodded. Hotei stood, dusting off his robes. "Then I will go," Hotei said. They left the cliff, shrouded in gray fog and green leaf.
LOCATION: Somewhere in the lofty peaks of China's southwest mountains...
The helicopter touched down, whipping up dust clouds from the stone ground. The hit-tech chopper seemed out of place in the ancient monastery's courtyard. Monks stopped their daily routine, starring at the odd contraption that had literally landed on their front doorstep.
Rayfe disembarked from the aircraft, surveying the scene before him. The monks made no move to either welcome him or rebel him; their piercing gazes merely judged him from afar. Soon, the Elder Sage came from one of the buildings, approaching Rayfe.
"Tristan! It is good to see you again! I had thought you were to forget our pact!" the Elder Sage said happily, embracing Rayfe. Rayfe quickly ended the embrace, snapping into attention.
"I am here to honor our agreement, old friend. Where is our parcel?" Rayfe asked, surveying the crowd.
"He... has fled. I am afraid the truth was too much for him," The Elder Sage sighed despairingly. "He could be miles from here by now."
"I doubt it. He's scared and confused; I should be able to find him just fine..." Rayfe said, turning to leave.
The Elder Sage initially opened his mouth, planning to protest his friend's sudden departure, but pushed the thought from his mind. The boy had left him and the monastery on his own accord. The boy's fate now lay outside the archaic stone walls of the mountain shrine, in a world he never dreamed of. The monk could only wish the boy good fortune.
As the helicopter lifted off, The Elder Sage thoughts turned to Rayfe. How long has it been since the soldier had last been here? As hazy as the memory was, Rayfe seemed... different somehow. Perhaps it was merely due to the passing of time, or maybe some misconception by the Elder Sage, but the difference still remained. The Elder sage pushed these thoughts from his head as well, uttering a blessing for his friend.
"Sir, I'm picking up a heat signature on the scanner heading our way. ETA is 5 minutes," The pilot said through his microphone. "Should I intercept it?"
"No. Land the chopper- that's our parcel," Rayfe replied.
"Sir?" The girl asked, looking at Rayfe.
"Sorry Private, but you'll have to wait in the car," Rayfe said as the helicopter touched down. He unstrapped himself, and made his way into the mountain fog.
Hotei stopped his sprint suddenly, realizing that his blind run could place him in danger. He stared around at his surroundings. Hundreds of rocky outcroppings, a few wispy tufts of grace, nothing familiar. He walked to the edge of one of the outcroppings, kicking a pebble over the edge experimentally. Hotei watched its descent, turning away before he could see it hit the ground. Hotei grimaced at the landscape. It was barren, lifeless, unfamiliar, and now it was the only place he could go.
He sighed, taking a seat on a nearby stone, slipping into deep thought. He did not know why he had fled the monastery. He did not know where he would go. The Elder Sage had once told him about the many large cities and towns people had built, but Hotei deemed them to fantastic to be real. He doubted anything could exist in this environment anyway. The only thing he did know for certain was that he would remain himself.
Hotei's thoughts turned to anger. Looking to vent his frustrations, Hotei grabbed at the nearby stones, throwing them over the cliff. He did not want to be a hero, he did not want to be a savior! How can they tell him his life's only purpose is to kill someone he never met?! Had he no say? Was destiny absolute?! He hated the Shadows, he hated fate, he hated the Elder Sage-
Hotei hesitated. He looked at the stone in his hand. Did he really hate his mentor? Of course not. He dropped the stone to the ground, letting out a long sigh. The air grew cold as the sun began to set.
"It's a desolate place out here, isn't it?" A voice said from behind him. Hotei quickly leapt into a fighting stance, thrusting his naginata at the stranger. "It's ok, I mean you no harm," The stranger said. He stepped forward, seemingly appearing due to the mist.
Hotei eyed the man warily. He wore some strange green garments the likes of which Hotei had never seen.
"Who are you? What do you call yourself?" Hotei asked sharply. His normally naïve tone was now cautious.
"I'm called Rayfe. Tristan Rayfe," the man said, stepping forward.
"What do you want?" Hotei spat quickly.
"There's no need for hostilities. I was just passing through, saw a fellow traveler, and wanted to take a break. Is that a crime?" The green stranger explained soothingly.
"I suppose not. All the same, I'm not a traveler," Hotei said, letting his guard drop slightly.
"Don't tell me you live out here?" 'Rayfe' said, cocking an eyebrow.
"Yes... well, no actually. Not in this forsaken morass," Hotei said, glancing at the land before him.
"I suppose it's none of my business, then. But this place doesn't have to remain desolate," Rayfe said, trailing off.
"What do you mean? It was made desolate- desolate it shall remain," Hotei replied remorsefully.
"Our finishes aren't determined by our beginnings. Even the greatest must start as the weakest," Rayfe explained.
"Not me. I have started my life the way I will finish," Hotei said sadly. "It is the only future I want."
"You are bold to challenge time itself, boy! But I can see you are wrong," Rayfe replied, laughing.
"Wrong!? How is the choice I made wrong?" Hotei asked indignantly.
"You have the look of a fate about you. You are one of destiny's chosen, perhaps? It is not certain, but I know one thing- you have been given grate power, though it sleeps deep in you. With that power, you could change this place into a land of bounty- a pittance compared to your true ability! You cannot ignore these gifts, Hotei!" Rayfe said.
While shocked that Rayfe knew his name, Hotei was compelled by the stranger's words. Perhaps, perhaps he could have a choice. With his power, he could master his destiny.
"What do you want?" Hotei repeated, shakily.
"I want you to come with me. I want to show you your true self," Rayfe responded gravely.
"If... if I go with you, will you teach me? Will you show me how this power inside me?" Hotei asked.
Rayfe nodded. Hotei stood, dusting off his robes. "Then I will go," Hotei said. They left the cliff, shrouded in gray fog and green leaf.