Chapter 3: Mezameo, Ryu
Subaru and Souske left that day and journeyed through the woods toward the mountainous regions to the west. Even though many roads traveled in that direction, Subaru refused to take them. Every time Souske asked to take one of those roads he would simply reply.
"The woods will be faster and safer. That is the route we will take." There was no room left to argue and Souske quickly learned to just shut up and follow Subaru. The pace was quick and Souske quickly found himself tiring greatly.
"Can we take a break?" moaned Souske. "My feet are killing me and I feel like I'm about to fall asleep."
"We can rest when night falls. Until then we need to move." Souske moaned loudly at these words but forced himself to move on. His stride became weak and his feet barely left the ground. It was all he could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Souske forced himself to keep walking despite the fact that he was beginning to black out. He was suddenly shocked back into reality when his foot hit a rock in the path. In his exhausted state he fell forward like a rock and crashed into the dirt path.
Subaru turned and saw him there on the ground. He walked over and lifted him up into his arms. Without a moment's pause he carried Souske a short ways further until he found a small clearing in the forest. He laid Souske down in the leaves and let him sleep. Subaru gathered some small sticks from nearby and placed them together in a nice pile with some leaves. He reached into his cloak and pulled out two stones. He used them to spark the leaves and quickly used the flame to begin burning the sticks. The fire began to grow and Subaru began adding bigger sticks until he had created a nice fire. With the fire complete Subaru sat down on the ground and leaned his back up against a tree. Subaru stared up into the sky and closed his eyes. Before long, he too fell asleep.
Dawn came quickly and the morning light awoke Subaru. He glanced over and noticed that Souske was till fast asleep.
"He will need his strength soon, the least I can do is let him rest now." Subaru went off into the woods to find something for breakfast. He leaped from tree to tree keeping perfectly silent. He pulled his cloak around him and vanished from view. With the cloak around him Subaru was completely undetectable and it was not long before a deer came near enough for Subaru to strike. He reached behind his back and pulled out a small sword from its scabbard on the back of his waist. He leaped from the tree and with one fluid motion claimed his meal. By the time he returned Souske was already awake.
"Ohaeyo, Souske." Souske glanced up at Subaru and then turned his head away. "What's wrong?" Souske looked up into the sky and then answered.
"I'm not sure I made the right choice." He rose to his feet and looked Subaru in the eye. "How do I know I haven't made a terrible mistake?"
"You don't." Souske seemed somewhat taken aback by the answer. "Not now. In time you will see the path you must walk. At that time you will know. But for now you have to trust me." Subaru dragged the deer into the opening and placed it in front of him. What he did next was something Souske had never seen. He began to create many hand seals, and uttering an indiscernible chant. Then he suddenly folded his hands together and stuck his fingers forward pointing at the deer. Without warning flames erupted from the dead animal. Subaru focused on them and was obviously keeping them burning. Subaru broke the hand seal and when he did the flames vanished just as quickly as they had come. Subaru removed a large portion of meat from the animal and began to eat it. Souske continued the stare.
"What just happened?" The words seemed hesitant as if Souske was afraid to speak them.
"That was the power that was given to me. I have the ability to use those complex seals to call the elements to do my will. However it pales in comparison to the strength you will possess."
"What power. You have still told me nothing of what I am to become."
"And I won't, at least not yet. When you awaken you will know everything. That is all I can tell you. Now eat, we have a long way to go." Souske was hesitant about eating the meat, but couldn't deny that he was starving. So he gave in and ate. In truth it was the best meal he had ever had. Although in all fairness he was also the hungriest he had ever been. Once Souske and Subaru had eaten their fill they continued on the journey. The two moved at a quick pace, and whenever they grew hungry Subaru would kill an animal and cook it as he had before.
They continued in this pattern for several days. Until finally they arrived at the destination. The mountains that had been far off in the distance now surrounded them. And before them stood the entrance to a deep dark cave. Subaru walked forward and beckoned Souske to follow him. They wandered deeper and deeper into the cave and the darkness surrounding seemed to grow deeper as they traveled. Souske starred around him trying to glimpse something in the darkness. However nothing revealed itself to him. Souske however was so focused on the darkness around him that he did not notice that Subaru had stopped in front of him. The two collided and Souske found himself on the cold hard floor. Slowly he got back to his feet and watched Subaru as he stood still. The silence that had surrounded the two since they entered the cave was broken as Subaru called out to someone Souske could not see
"Here my call and open the door so the protector of your child may pass." For a moment the call went unanswered. Light suddenly flooded from either side of the two as two torches went ablaze with a green flame. Before them stood a large stone door with strange marking on it. This door slid aside into the wall and revealed a splendid chamber lit by the same green flame. Souske slowly followed Subaru as he entered. It was a circular room with statues and pillars adorning the edge. At the opposite end of the room was a set of stairs leading up and into an alcove that contained a larger and more elaborate door than the one before, however the markings seemed similar to the other ones. No one was in the room, however just as he had done before Subaru called out to someone.
"Sylphreed, Goddess of the Wind, open your doors and receive the one you gave birth to. Let your child enter." When Subaru finished there was again a short pause before the inner doors opened. "Go Souske, through those doors is where your destiny will be realized. Beyond that door is where you will find the answers you seek." Souske walked toward the open door and then became aware that his footsteps were the only ones he heard. He turned and found that Subaru was not going to follow him.
"Why won't you come with me Subaru?"
"Beyond that door is a place only one may go. None can follow beyond that threshold. Now hurry, time is not our ally." Souske turned and took a deep breath. He feared what he would find and did not like venturing into the unknown without Subaru to protect him. He took a deep breath and walked forward through the door. Just as he passed them they closed behind him, leaving him in total darkness.
Subaru watched as the door closed, and once it had he breathed a sigh of relief. He slowly turned and looked back out the door that opened into the cave.
"He shall not be yours Onime. No matter how powerful you are even you cannot touch him while he is under the divine protection of Sylphreed."
"So it would seem." Replied a voice from out in the darkness. Then a figure walked forward and allowed the light to shine on his face. His dark hair hung loosely down to his shoulders and his eyes where coal black. He now wore loose flowing black clothes opposed to the armor he had worn before, but it was still without doubt the same person. Onime had come.
Souske searched the darkness for something, however darkness was all he could find. But in response to this darkness, just as had happened before, torches erupted with a green flame that gave light to the room. It was small and rather simple. A short set of stairs led to a raised area that contained a small altar and behind the altar, carved in the wall, was the a statue of a women, the same statue Souske had seen in the outer room. As Souske observed the room a column of light came down from the ceiling and through it came the glowing body of the women pictured in the statues
"Welcome back, my child." She said as she stared down at Souske from the air above the altar.
"Who are you? What do you mean by child?"
"I am Sylphreed, the Goddess of the Wind, and you are my child. The one whom I gave life to."
"What do you mean by Goddess of the Wind?"
"My meaning is simple. Goddess of the Wind means exactly what it says. However the role I played and the story of your birth is what I will tell you."
The sound of metal on metal echoed through the chamber as Subaru and Onime fought. The two flew through the air rebounding off the walls and crossing swords in mid-air.
"Your skills are quite good, for someone who is not one of the Mahouski. However they fail to even come close to those of one who is." Said Onime as he swung his sword and tried to force his blade through Subaru's. Onime swung his sword hard and forced Subaru back. He then held out his hand and unleashed a burst of black at Subaru. Subaru quickly dived to the side and while he was in the air he quickly sheathed his sword and began creating the hand seals. He then released them and held one hand forward. Lightning jumped from the palm of his hand and raced toward Onime. Onime held his hand out toward the bolts.
"Yami Kekkai!" he yelled and a wall of darkness appeared before him and absorbed the lightning bolts. Subaru stood crouched down on the floor as he redrew his blade from behind him. He leaped forward and attacked Onime.
"My story begins with the formation of the world. I was one of the six who crafted this world into existence. Setsuna the God of Fire, Raiha the God of Thunder, Rana the Goddess of Water, Baramunk the God of Light, Kurenai the God of Dark, and myself. We each added out own element into the creation and created a perfect balance. However Kurenai was not happy with balance. He began to pour is darkness into the world. That is when man was born. Man was the creation forged when the darkness collected. Baramunk countered this by pouring his light into the world and trying to turn man into a holy creature. Kurenai became very angry when the plan started to work. He redoubled his efforts to flood the world with evil. Baramunk reacted by placing six seals around the earth to consume and restrict the evil power. Kurenai was enraged at Baramunk's ability to prevent all of his plans from coming to fruition. So he acted directly against Baramunk. He could not kill him, but he managed to seal him into a special crystal, called a Spirit Crystal. He broke this crystal into five fragments and cast them into the world.
He then began to pour vast amounts of darkness into the land. This darkness overflowed the seals and flooded into the world. It corrupted many humans greatly and transformed them. That was the birth of demons. The four of us united and defeated Kurenai. However before we could do so he poured almost all of his power into the earth. His dark powers could not be neutralized as they where by Baramunk. So instead Setsuna, Raiha, and Rana created warriors within the world and gave them the powers of the elements. These three warriors were their children, the Mahouski, Honoski Kenji the Mahouski of Fire, Kaminariski Hikaru the Mahouski of Thunder, and Mizuski Sei the Mahouski of Water. However the evil energy of Kurenai had not all manifested in the world. And because of this another warrior was formed. Yamiski Onime the Mahouski of Darkness. The warrior that could crush all of the Mahouski. However I had not yet given birth to a Mahouski. And so I created you, Kazeski Ryu, the Mahouski of Wind. The most powerful of the Mahouski. A fierce battle ensued, and in the end the four, led by you, prevailed and Onime was defeated. The demons were cast into the depths of the earth were they were sealed away. Peace was restored. Kenji, Sei, Hikaru, and Ryu vanished from the world.
But the peace did not last. Somehow Onime was revived. He broke the seal and led his demon armies into the world above. And now we are awakening the other four Mahouski. Kenji, Sei, Hikaru, and Ryu have always lived, but they remained asleep. Hiding their power. However you can sleep no longer. Onime must be stopped and therefore you must be revived. The most powerful of the Mahouski shall live again. Mezameo Ryu! Shed the false form of Souske and be reborn as Ryu of the Wind!"
A bright light suddenly filled the room and within that light Souske was forever lost. When the light faded it left behind Souske's body, but it was different. He wore the same loose cotton clothes as Onime did; only his were a white. At his side slipped under the cloth belt around his waist hung a katana, the same style of blade wielded by Onime. He was the leader of the four Mahouski sent to combat the darkness and the only one that could truly rival Onime. Ryu had awakened.
The fight between Onime and Subaru raged on. The two warriors bounded around the chamber trying to get a clean hit against the other. Subaru leaped from one of the walls and quickly dodged a blast of darkness thrown at him by Onime. He rolled across the floor and stopped on his knees waiting for Onime to make a move. His concentration was fixed on Onime when suddenly he felt a powerful force from within the inner chamber. Subaru looked toward the door and a smile spread across his face. He rose to his feet and starred at Onime
"You feel it too. Ryu has awakened." As Subaru said that the door to the inner room opened slowly. Ryu stood there and looked over at Subaru. Subaru looked back and at that moment Onime attacked. He charged at Subaru with his sword ready. Subaru couldn't block or dodge the attack. However Ryu could stop him. He threw his hand forward and unleashed of burst of wind. It surged forward and hit Onime sending him flying him into a wall. Onime slowly rose back to his feet and stared at Ryu. Ryu stared back and then without breaking his concentration he drew his sword. He held it down in front of him and placed his other hand on the blade. A green light began to grow on the blade and then he grasped the sword in both hands and held it pointing forward with has arms bent back ready to lunge. However Ryu was not going to charge Onime. He was executing one of his special attacks.
"Juk Drive!" he yelled and pushed the sword forward. The green light flared up and then vanished as a massive blast of wind flew from the blade. It was much wider and far more powerful than the one he had used at first. This one struck Onime and threw him through the outer door. Onime was thrown from the cave. He crashed out on the ground and after climbing to his feet he decided to retreat.
Ryu sheathed his sword and walked over to Subaru. He smiled slightly before he fell forward. Subaru caught him lowered him onto the ground.
"Sylphreed! What happened, Ryu didn't get hurt why did he collapse." Sylphreed!" The goddess floated out of the inner chamber and stared at Subaru.
"You of all people should know the answer to that. Although Ryu is awake he is not at his full power. That attack took a great toll on him. He is not hurt, simply exhausted. Stay with him Subaru. Even though he is the Kazeski he is still very vulnerable. As he fights and uses his abilities he will grow stronger. Until he has fully awakened you must continue to protect him." Sylphreed began to fade from view and her form became transparent. "It seems that Ryu is not the only one who has used up their power. I must rest. Subaru, guide him and protect him. Seek out the other three. Mizuski Sei, Honoski Kenji, and Kaminariski Hikaru. Only together will they stand a chance of winning this war." After speaking those final words Sylphreed faded away into nothing.
Subaru and Souske left that day and journeyed through the woods toward the mountainous regions to the west. Even though many roads traveled in that direction, Subaru refused to take them. Every time Souske asked to take one of those roads he would simply reply.
"The woods will be faster and safer. That is the route we will take." There was no room left to argue and Souske quickly learned to just shut up and follow Subaru. The pace was quick and Souske quickly found himself tiring greatly.
"Can we take a break?" moaned Souske. "My feet are killing me and I feel like I'm about to fall asleep."
"We can rest when night falls. Until then we need to move." Souske moaned loudly at these words but forced himself to move on. His stride became weak and his feet barely left the ground. It was all he could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Souske forced himself to keep walking despite the fact that he was beginning to black out. He was suddenly shocked back into reality when his foot hit a rock in the path. In his exhausted state he fell forward like a rock and crashed into the dirt path.
Subaru turned and saw him there on the ground. He walked over and lifted him up into his arms. Without a moment's pause he carried Souske a short ways further until he found a small clearing in the forest. He laid Souske down in the leaves and let him sleep. Subaru gathered some small sticks from nearby and placed them together in a nice pile with some leaves. He reached into his cloak and pulled out two stones. He used them to spark the leaves and quickly used the flame to begin burning the sticks. The fire began to grow and Subaru began adding bigger sticks until he had created a nice fire. With the fire complete Subaru sat down on the ground and leaned his back up against a tree. Subaru stared up into the sky and closed his eyes. Before long, he too fell asleep.
Dawn came quickly and the morning light awoke Subaru. He glanced over and noticed that Souske was till fast asleep.
"He will need his strength soon, the least I can do is let him rest now." Subaru went off into the woods to find something for breakfast. He leaped from tree to tree keeping perfectly silent. He pulled his cloak around him and vanished from view. With the cloak around him Subaru was completely undetectable and it was not long before a deer came near enough for Subaru to strike. He reached behind his back and pulled out a small sword from its scabbard on the back of his waist. He leaped from the tree and with one fluid motion claimed his meal. By the time he returned Souske was already awake.
"Ohaeyo, Souske." Souske glanced up at Subaru and then turned his head away. "What's wrong?" Souske looked up into the sky and then answered.
"I'm not sure I made the right choice." He rose to his feet and looked Subaru in the eye. "How do I know I haven't made a terrible mistake?"
"You don't." Souske seemed somewhat taken aback by the answer. "Not now. In time you will see the path you must walk. At that time you will know. But for now you have to trust me." Subaru dragged the deer into the opening and placed it in front of him. What he did next was something Souske had never seen. He began to create many hand seals, and uttering an indiscernible chant. Then he suddenly folded his hands together and stuck his fingers forward pointing at the deer. Without warning flames erupted from the dead animal. Subaru focused on them and was obviously keeping them burning. Subaru broke the hand seal and when he did the flames vanished just as quickly as they had come. Subaru removed a large portion of meat from the animal and began to eat it. Souske continued the stare.
"What just happened?" The words seemed hesitant as if Souske was afraid to speak them.
"That was the power that was given to me. I have the ability to use those complex seals to call the elements to do my will. However it pales in comparison to the strength you will possess."
"What power. You have still told me nothing of what I am to become."
"And I won't, at least not yet. When you awaken you will know everything. That is all I can tell you. Now eat, we have a long way to go." Souske was hesitant about eating the meat, but couldn't deny that he was starving. So he gave in and ate. In truth it was the best meal he had ever had. Although in all fairness he was also the hungriest he had ever been. Once Souske and Subaru had eaten their fill they continued on the journey. The two moved at a quick pace, and whenever they grew hungry Subaru would kill an animal and cook it as he had before.
They continued in this pattern for several days. Until finally they arrived at the destination. The mountains that had been far off in the distance now surrounded them. And before them stood the entrance to a deep dark cave. Subaru walked forward and beckoned Souske to follow him. They wandered deeper and deeper into the cave and the darkness surrounding seemed to grow deeper as they traveled. Souske starred around him trying to glimpse something in the darkness. However nothing revealed itself to him. Souske however was so focused on the darkness around him that he did not notice that Subaru had stopped in front of him. The two collided and Souske found himself on the cold hard floor. Slowly he got back to his feet and watched Subaru as he stood still. The silence that had surrounded the two since they entered the cave was broken as Subaru called out to someone Souske could not see
"Here my call and open the door so the protector of your child may pass." For a moment the call went unanswered. Light suddenly flooded from either side of the two as two torches went ablaze with a green flame. Before them stood a large stone door with strange marking on it. This door slid aside into the wall and revealed a splendid chamber lit by the same green flame. Souske slowly followed Subaru as he entered. It was a circular room with statues and pillars adorning the edge. At the opposite end of the room was a set of stairs leading up and into an alcove that contained a larger and more elaborate door than the one before, however the markings seemed similar to the other ones. No one was in the room, however just as he had done before Subaru called out to someone.
"Sylphreed, Goddess of the Wind, open your doors and receive the one you gave birth to. Let your child enter." When Subaru finished there was again a short pause before the inner doors opened. "Go Souske, through those doors is where your destiny will be realized. Beyond that door is where you will find the answers you seek." Souske walked toward the open door and then became aware that his footsteps were the only ones he heard. He turned and found that Subaru was not going to follow him.
"Why won't you come with me Subaru?"
"Beyond that door is a place only one may go. None can follow beyond that threshold. Now hurry, time is not our ally." Souske turned and took a deep breath. He feared what he would find and did not like venturing into the unknown without Subaru to protect him. He took a deep breath and walked forward through the door. Just as he passed them they closed behind him, leaving him in total darkness.
Subaru watched as the door closed, and once it had he breathed a sigh of relief. He slowly turned and looked back out the door that opened into the cave.
"He shall not be yours Onime. No matter how powerful you are even you cannot touch him while he is under the divine protection of Sylphreed."
"So it would seem." Replied a voice from out in the darkness. Then a figure walked forward and allowed the light to shine on his face. His dark hair hung loosely down to his shoulders and his eyes where coal black. He now wore loose flowing black clothes opposed to the armor he had worn before, but it was still without doubt the same person. Onime had come.
Souske searched the darkness for something, however darkness was all he could find. But in response to this darkness, just as had happened before, torches erupted with a green flame that gave light to the room. It was small and rather simple. A short set of stairs led to a raised area that contained a small altar and behind the altar, carved in the wall, was the a statue of a women, the same statue Souske had seen in the outer room. As Souske observed the room a column of light came down from the ceiling and through it came the glowing body of the women pictured in the statues
"Welcome back, my child." She said as she stared down at Souske from the air above the altar.
"Who are you? What do you mean by child?"
"I am Sylphreed, the Goddess of the Wind, and you are my child. The one whom I gave life to."
"What do you mean by Goddess of the Wind?"
"My meaning is simple. Goddess of the Wind means exactly what it says. However the role I played and the story of your birth is what I will tell you."
The sound of metal on metal echoed through the chamber as Subaru and Onime fought. The two flew through the air rebounding off the walls and crossing swords in mid-air.
"Your skills are quite good, for someone who is not one of the Mahouski. However they fail to even come close to those of one who is." Said Onime as he swung his sword and tried to force his blade through Subaru's. Onime swung his sword hard and forced Subaru back. He then held out his hand and unleashed a burst of black at Subaru. Subaru quickly dived to the side and while he was in the air he quickly sheathed his sword and began creating the hand seals. He then released them and held one hand forward. Lightning jumped from the palm of his hand and raced toward Onime. Onime held his hand out toward the bolts.
"Yami Kekkai!" he yelled and a wall of darkness appeared before him and absorbed the lightning bolts. Subaru stood crouched down on the floor as he redrew his blade from behind him. He leaped forward and attacked Onime.
"My story begins with the formation of the world. I was one of the six who crafted this world into existence. Setsuna the God of Fire, Raiha the God of Thunder, Rana the Goddess of Water, Baramunk the God of Light, Kurenai the God of Dark, and myself. We each added out own element into the creation and created a perfect balance. However Kurenai was not happy with balance. He began to pour is darkness into the world. That is when man was born. Man was the creation forged when the darkness collected. Baramunk countered this by pouring his light into the world and trying to turn man into a holy creature. Kurenai became very angry when the plan started to work. He redoubled his efforts to flood the world with evil. Baramunk reacted by placing six seals around the earth to consume and restrict the evil power. Kurenai was enraged at Baramunk's ability to prevent all of his plans from coming to fruition. So he acted directly against Baramunk. He could not kill him, but he managed to seal him into a special crystal, called a Spirit Crystal. He broke this crystal into five fragments and cast them into the world.
He then began to pour vast amounts of darkness into the land. This darkness overflowed the seals and flooded into the world. It corrupted many humans greatly and transformed them. That was the birth of demons. The four of us united and defeated Kurenai. However before we could do so he poured almost all of his power into the earth. His dark powers could not be neutralized as they where by Baramunk. So instead Setsuna, Raiha, and Rana created warriors within the world and gave them the powers of the elements. These three warriors were their children, the Mahouski, Honoski Kenji the Mahouski of Fire, Kaminariski Hikaru the Mahouski of Thunder, and Mizuski Sei the Mahouski of Water. However the evil energy of Kurenai had not all manifested in the world. And because of this another warrior was formed. Yamiski Onime the Mahouski of Darkness. The warrior that could crush all of the Mahouski. However I had not yet given birth to a Mahouski. And so I created you, Kazeski Ryu, the Mahouski of Wind. The most powerful of the Mahouski. A fierce battle ensued, and in the end the four, led by you, prevailed and Onime was defeated. The demons were cast into the depths of the earth were they were sealed away. Peace was restored. Kenji, Sei, Hikaru, and Ryu vanished from the world.
But the peace did not last. Somehow Onime was revived. He broke the seal and led his demon armies into the world above. And now we are awakening the other four Mahouski. Kenji, Sei, Hikaru, and Ryu have always lived, but they remained asleep. Hiding their power. However you can sleep no longer. Onime must be stopped and therefore you must be revived. The most powerful of the Mahouski shall live again. Mezameo Ryu! Shed the false form of Souske and be reborn as Ryu of the Wind!"
A bright light suddenly filled the room and within that light Souske was forever lost. When the light faded it left behind Souske's body, but it was different. He wore the same loose cotton clothes as Onime did; only his were a white. At his side slipped under the cloth belt around his waist hung a katana, the same style of blade wielded by Onime. He was the leader of the four Mahouski sent to combat the darkness and the only one that could truly rival Onime. Ryu had awakened.
The fight between Onime and Subaru raged on. The two warriors bounded around the chamber trying to get a clean hit against the other. Subaru leaped from one of the walls and quickly dodged a blast of darkness thrown at him by Onime. He rolled across the floor and stopped on his knees waiting for Onime to make a move. His concentration was fixed on Onime when suddenly he felt a powerful force from within the inner chamber. Subaru looked toward the door and a smile spread across his face. He rose to his feet and starred at Onime
"You feel it too. Ryu has awakened." As Subaru said that the door to the inner room opened slowly. Ryu stood there and looked over at Subaru. Subaru looked back and at that moment Onime attacked. He charged at Subaru with his sword ready. Subaru couldn't block or dodge the attack. However Ryu could stop him. He threw his hand forward and unleashed of burst of wind. It surged forward and hit Onime sending him flying him into a wall. Onime slowly rose back to his feet and stared at Ryu. Ryu stared back and then without breaking his concentration he drew his sword. He held it down in front of him and placed his other hand on the blade. A green light began to grow on the blade and then he grasped the sword in both hands and held it pointing forward with has arms bent back ready to lunge. However Ryu was not going to charge Onime. He was executing one of his special attacks.
"Juk Drive!" he yelled and pushed the sword forward. The green light flared up and then vanished as a massive blast of wind flew from the blade. It was much wider and far more powerful than the one he had used at first. This one struck Onime and threw him through the outer door. Onime was thrown from the cave. He crashed out on the ground and after climbing to his feet he decided to retreat.
Ryu sheathed his sword and walked over to Subaru. He smiled slightly before he fell forward. Subaru caught him lowered him onto the ground.
"Sylphreed! What happened, Ryu didn't get hurt why did he collapse." Sylphreed!" The goddess floated out of the inner chamber and stared at Subaru.
"You of all people should know the answer to that. Although Ryu is awake he is not at his full power. That attack took a great toll on him. He is not hurt, simply exhausted. Stay with him Subaru. Even though he is the Kazeski he is still very vulnerable. As he fights and uses his abilities he will grow stronger. Until he has fully awakened you must continue to protect him." Sylphreed began to fade from view and her form became transparent. "It seems that Ryu is not the only one who has used up their power. I must rest. Subaru, guide him and protect him. Seek out the other three. Mizuski Sei, Honoski Kenji, and Kaminariski Hikaru. Only together will they stand a chance of winning this war." After speaking those final words Sylphreed faded away into nothing.