================= HIDDEN ! THE PALACE OF LORD KANAMAR ! =================
The six youngsters were at a fountain in the prosperous village of Naramu . All of them paid
attention to the gnomish mystic calling himself Tsuchirou no Sama .
" If you still seek the way to your homeworld , such a way might be found within the walls of the
palace of Lord Kanamar . "
" Excuse me , " Sakuya said , " Who is Lord Kanamar ? "
" Kanamar was a great lord who sought to become a great sorcerer as well after he discovered
that he had great powers , which he developed to the fullest . Soon his palace was filled with great
and powerful magic spells and artifacts that he had amassed for a very long time . But one day ,
Lord Kanamar disappeared . His fate remains unknown to this day . The palace itself disappeared
from the sight of all as well ."
" That 's some story , Chibi-sensei , " Yuji stated derisively , " Is there a point to all this or are you
simply flapping your gums ? " The others all gave Yuji a dirty look . Tsuchirou no Sama himself
paid no attention to Yuji's words but instead proceeded to resume speaking .
"In the palace you will find a mirror which will lead to many worlds,"he then produced a map,"this
map which I am giving you will lead you to the most likely location of the palace of Lord Kanamar.
I must warn you,though, the palace itself is hidden from plain sight ."
"How are we supposed to find it ?"Hiroshi asked .
"What is hidden,"Tsuchirou no Sama said,"can be found when light is all around ."
"You mean it's gotta be real bright before we can find this palace ?" Yuji asked in an exasperated
tone of voice . To everyone's surprise , Tsuchirou no Sama walked away from the fountain where
he turned at a building's corner . When the youths went after him , all they found was a black
sphere no bigger than a fist . After Hiroshi picked it up , he said , " Well , I guess we know what
we've gotta do . "
"Yeah ," Yuji replied , " forget this whole thing and find ourselves a more reliable means to get back
home . "
"Yuji !" Kyoko exclaimed . But before she could utter another word , Yuji then said , "Come on ! This
thing sounds like a real waste of time to me ! I mean looking for a hidden palace in some wilderness
is like looking for a needle in a haystack ! I don ' t know about you , but I'm not gonna waste my
time looking for some castle nobody's found . . . "
" That ' ll be quite enough , Yuji ! " Hiroshi said , holding the black sphere and the map in one hand
and his bow in the other . " If there ' s a chance that mirror will lead us home , we ' ve just gotta
take it . "
" Besides , Yuji , do you really have any better ideas ? " Kyoko asked . After a minute or so of
silence , she then said , " I thought not . " Hiroshi then handed the sphere to Kyoko before reading
the map .
" According to this , " Hiroshi said , " what we're looking for is supposed to be over half a day east
of this village . "
" Sounds like a lot of walking to me , " Kunichi said . " I 'd better bring some provisions . "
Unknown to them , hidden in the shadows of a nearby alley , Kage no Oni had been watching .
Soon , in his shadow wraith form , he flew off . Not far away , he flew down and assumed his solid
form where his lord , Asharukhan , awaited on his chariot .
" I trust you have news for me , Kage no Oni ? "
" I do , my lord . Those youths of Tsuchirou no Sama's are seeking the hidden palace of Lord
Kanamar . Apparently he charged them to find the Mirror of Many Worlds . "
" If that fabled mirror does exist , it would provide me with a chance to find other worlds to
conquer . Besides , there are the other artifacts which are of interest to me . "
" So we are to follow them , milord ? " Asked Kage no Oni .
" Indeed . "
With that , Asharukhan raced off in his chariot . Kage no Oni resumed his shadowy form and flew
off after him .
A few hours had barely passed since the young ones marched out of Naramu and into the east .
" According to the map , " Hiroshi said , " Kanamar ' s palace is somewhere around here . "
All they saw was a vast field as far as the eye could see .
" Tsuchirou no Sama said that when light was all around . . . " Kyoko said . Then Kunichi said ,
" Let 's see if I can take something out of my pouch . " He started to chant and gesture over his
open pouch and took out a flashlight . He clicked on the switch several times , but no light came
out .
" Heh . " An embarrassed Kunichi said , a big sweatdrop forming on his head . " I forgot the
batteries . "
The others collasped . Yuji was the first to get up as he uttered complaint after complaint . Just then ,
the sun came out of the clouds and its light hit the black sphere in Kyoko ' s hand . The sphere then
began to glow .
" Look , you guys ! " Kyoko exclaimed . The once-black sphere was now glowing brightly . As if
that was not surprising enough , the glow from the sphere caused an enormous structure to appear .
from out of nowhere .
" It ' s . . . it ' s the palace! " Sakuya exclaimed .
" Just as Tsuchirou no Sama said ! " Said Kyoko , to which Daisuke replied " Awesome ! " Chibiyuni ,
for her part , squealed excitedly . Hiroshi went to the huge wodden gate and , to everyone ' s
surprise , it creaked open .
" I guess we ' re going in , " Hiroshi said .
" I don ' t like it , " Yuji said . " This doesn't seem like a good idea , if you ask me . "
" Nobody asked you , Yuji ," Kyoko said . Soon enough , they were all inside the palace where they
saw artifacts and trinkets littered across the main hall .
" Something 's been nagging me , " Yuji said . " Tsuchirou no Sama must have known about this
palace and how to open it . "
" Your point , Yuji ? " Asked Hiroshi .
" Why would he want us to find this place? Does he want what ' s inside ? "
" You are wrong about that , Cavalier , " a familiar voice rang out .
" Tsuchirou no Sama ! " Sakuya exclaimed . " What are you doing here ? "
" I am here to warn you that Asharukhan is on his way . "
" I ' ll bet you told him , huh ? " A suspicious Yuji asked . Kyoko then said , " Yuji , how can you say
something so stupid ? You know Tsuchirou no Sama opposes Asharukhan ! "
" Indeed , " Tsuchirou no Sama said , " if I did not , why would I warn you all ? To answer any
questions , I indeed knew about the palace , but it was not up to me to find and open it for I have no
desire for the artifacts within . However , Asharukhan does . If any of these objects of magical power
were to fall in his hands , I fear for this world .If he were to possess the mirror , he would use it to
conquer any and all worlds , most likely yours , eventually . "
" Hello , " Yuji said , " we still haven't found that blankety blank mirror you told us about . "
" Well , we better start looking , " Hiroshi said . As the six youngsters along with Chibiyuni looked
around , Tsuchirou no Sama said to himself , " My young friends , you may be forced to sacrifice
your means of getting home in order to foil Asharukhan . "
At that moment , a certain chariot drawn by a huge evil looking horse was racing on .
Asharukhan knew that he was getting closer to his goal .
The six youngsters were at a fountain in the prosperous village of Naramu . All of them paid
attention to the gnomish mystic calling himself Tsuchirou no Sama .
" If you still seek the way to your homeworld , such a way might be found within the walls of the
palace of Lord Kanamar . "
" Excuse me , " Sakuya said , " Who is Lord Kanamar ? "
" Kanamar was a great lord who sought to become a great sorcerer as well after he discovered
that he had great powers , which he developed to the fullest . Soon his palace was filled with great
and powerful magic spells and artifacts that he had amassed for a very long time . But one day ,
Lord Kanamar disappeared . His fate remains unknown to this day . The palace itself disappeared
from the sight of all as well ."
" That 's some story , Chibi-sensei , " Yuji stated derisively , " Is there a point to all this or are you
simply flapping your gums ? " The others all gave Yuji a dirty look . Tsuchirou no Sama himself
paid no attention to Yuji's words but instead proceeded to resume speaking .
"In the palace you will find a mirror which will lead to many worlds,"he then produced a map,"this
map which I am giving you will lead you to the most likely location of the palace of Lord Kanamar.
I must warn you,though, the palace itself is hidden from plain sight ."
"How are we supposed to find it ?"Hiroshi asked .
"What is hidden,"Tsuchirou no Sama said,"can be found when light is all around ."
"You mean it's gotta be real bright before we can find this palace ?" Yuji asked in an exasperated
tone of voice . To everyone's surprise , Tsuchirou no Sama walked away from the fountain where
he turned at a building's corner . When the youths went after him , all they found was a black
sphere no bigger than a fist . After Hiroshi picked it up , he said , " Well , I guess we know what
we've gotta do . "
"Yeah ," Yuji replied , " forget this whole thing and find ourselves a more reliable means to get back
home . "
"Yuji !" Kyoko exclaimed . But before she could utter another word , Yuji then said , "Come on ! This
thing sounds like a real waste of time to me ! I mean looking for a hidden palace in some wilderness
is like looking for a needle in a haystack ! I don ' t know about you , but I'm not gonna waste my
time looking for some castle nobody's found . . . "
" That ' ll be quite enough , Yuji ! " Hiroshi said , holding the black sphere and the map in one hand
and his bow in the other . " If there ' s a chance that mirror will lead us home , we ' ve just gotta
take it . "
" Besides , Yuji , do you really have any better ideas ? " Kyoko asked . After a minute or so of
silence , she then said , " I thought not . " Hiroshi then handed the sphere to Kyoko before reading
the map .
" According to this , " Hiroshi said , " what we're looking for is supposed to be over half a day east
of this village . "
" Sounds like a lot of walking to me , " Kunichi said . " I 'd better bring some provisions . "
Unknown to them , hidden in the shadows of a nearby alley , Kage no Oni had been watching .
Soon , in his shadow wraith form , he flew off . Not far away , he flew down and assumed his solid
form where his lord , Asharukhan , awaited on his chariot .
" I trust you have news for me , Kage no Oni ? "
" I do , my lord . Those youths of Tsuchirou no Sama's are seeking the hidden palace of Lord
Kanamar . Apparently he charged them to find the Mirror of Many Worlds . "
" If that fabled mirror does exist , it would provide me with a chance to find other worlds to
conquer . Besides , there are the other artifacts which are of interest to me . "
" So we are to follow them , milord ? " Asked Kage no Oni .
" Indeed . "
With that , Asharukhan raced off in his chariot . Kage no Oni resumed his shadowy form and flew
off after him .
A few hours had barely passed since the young ones marched out of Naramu and into the east .
" According to the map , " Hiroshi said , " Kanamar ' s palace is somewhere around here . "
All they saw was a vast field as far as the eye could see .
" Tsuchirou no Sama said that when light was all around . . . " Kyoko said . Then Kunichi said ,
" Let 's see if I can take something out of my pouch . " He started to chant and gesture over his
open pouch and took out a flashlight . He clicked on the switch several times , but no light came
out .
" Heh . " An embarrassed Kunichi said , a big sweatdrop forming on his head . " I forgot the
batteries . "
The others collasped . Yuji was the first to get up as he uttered complaint after complaint . Just then ,
the sun came out of the clouds and its light hit the black sphere in Kyoko ' s hand . The sphere then
began to glow .
" Look , you guys ! " Kyoko exclaimed . The once-black sphere was now glowing brightly . As if
that was not surprising enough , the glow from the sphere caused an enormous structure to appear .
from out of nowhere .
" It ' s . . . it ' s the palace! " Sakuya exclaimed .
" Just as Tsuchirou no Sama said ! " Said Kyoko , to which Daisuke replied " Awesome ! " Chibiyuni ,
for her part , squealed excitedly . Hiroshi went to the huge wodden gate and , to everyone ' s
surprise , it creaked open .
" I guess we ' re going in , " Hiroshi said .
" I don ' t like it , " Yuji said . " This doesn't seem like a good idea , if you ask me . "
" Nobody asked you , Yuji ," Kyoko said . Soon enough , they were all inside the palace where they
saw artifacts and trinkets littered across the main hall .
" Something 's been nagging me , " Yuji said . " Tsuchirou no Sama must have known about this
palace and how to open it . "
" Your point , Yuji ? " Asked Hiroshi .
" Why would he want us to find this place? Does he want what ' s inside ? "
" You are wrong about that , Cavalier , " a familiar voice rang out .
" Tsuchirou no Sama ! " Sakuya exclaimed . " What are you doing here ? "
" I am here to warn you that Asharukhan is on his way . "
" I ' ll bet you told him , huh ? " A suspicious Yuji asked . Kyoko then said , " Yuji , how can you say
something so stupid ? You know Tsuchirou no Sama opposes Asharukhan ! "
" Indeed , " Tsuchirou no Sama said , " if I did not , why would I warn you all ? To answer any
questions , I indeed knew about the palace , but it was not up to me to find and open it for I have no
desire for the artifacts within . However , Asharukhan does . If any of these objects of magical power
were to fall in his hands , I fear for this world .If he were to possess the mirror , he would use it to
conquer any and all worlds , most likely yours , eventually . "
" Hello , " Yuji said , " we still haven't found that blankety blank mirror you told us about . "
" Well , we better start looking , " Hiroshi said . As the six youngsters along with Chibiyuni looked
around , Tsuchirou no Sama said to himself , " My young friends , you may be forced to sacrifice
your means of getting home in order to foil Asharukhan . "
At that moment , a certain chariot drawn by a huge evil looking horse was racing on .
Asharukhan knew that he was getting closer to his goal .