Chapter 7: Demonic Corruption

Sei and Ryu continued on their journey the next morning. The two walked side by side through the forest and found themselves back on the plains surrounding them. It was still early in the morning and the sun was bit a sliver above the distant horizon when both of them felt a massive burst of power. However this power was not one they needed to fear. It was far off in the north, and both of them knew exactly what was over there.

"And now another is awakened." Ryu said in a quiet tone.

"That energy is without doubt the kaminari noryoku. That must be where Hikaru is."

"It's still a good distance away. We need to move quickly. That energy was a burst. He is awakened, but he is at his weakest. Even now the energy is gone. If he leaves there we have no way of finding him again."

"My thoughts exactly, let's go." With that the two Mahouski set out at a run. The plane they were on stretched forward for many miles and then dropped off into a ravine. Down within that ravine is where the Kaminari Shrine is located, but what else was there was something neither Mahouski knew.

After a good hour the two noticed a small village against a small hill only a short distance off to the right. They decided to stop there and take a quick brake. They could get something to drink and a quick bite to eat before continuing. However when they entered the village they did not find it very welcoming.

A dark atmosphere seemed to hang in the air. The crop fields were full of brown plants that showed no sign of ever recovering. The people walked slowly and with what appeared to be great difficulty. They would frequently bend over and hold their hand to their mouth while they endured a fit of coughing only to take several more steps and repeat the process. It was a horrid sight.

The two warriors stood still in the center of the village. They were approached from behind by an old man with a cane. He grunted to gain their attention and when they turned to look at him his mouth dropped open.

"You, you are th-" The man's sentence was cut off as a spasm of coughing gripped him. Sei reached out and held him up until it passed. "Forgive me he said and then continued his thought. "You are the Densetsu no Mahouski, Kazeski Ryu and Mizuski Sei?"

"Yes we are" replied Ryu. "Please tell me what happened here." He added making a sweeping hand gesture toward the surrounding town.

"It's the demons." The man said before another spasm fell upon him. The Mahouski looked on with pity in their hearts. When he recovered he continued his tail. "This is no natural event. Cyrad was corrupted by the demons. The very air around us is a plague. The soil is filled with evil and nothing can grow. The corruption spread from a cave in the hill over there" the old man pointed toward the hill that went along the village. We tried to go in there and stop the plague, but anyone who got close would fall into a massive convulsion and cough up their blood before falling to the ground dead."

"Why don't you just leave this place? Run away free yourself from it."

"It is not that simple. Something in the air we breathe has made it so that our bodies cannot live without it. Many have tried to run, but they to fell victim to it the same way those that got to close to it did. The only place we can live in this spot. Surrounded by the plague. The only way we can be freed from it is only a myth, and one that only you two can fulfill." The old man paused waiting for Ryu or Sei to say something

Ryu picked up on the man's hesitation and set him at ease. "Don't worry, we will help you in any way we can."

"Oh thank you, thank you so-" the man again fell to his knees coughing heavily.

"Don't thank us just yet, just tell us how to free you."

"Yes, the rumor is that this plague is being caused by a magic stone, one which you can use to counter the corruption. If you counter flow it with your energy the air will change to one of prosperity and this land and its people will be returned to the way they were. It is nothing more but a myth, but it is all that we cling to." Ryu paused slightly as he considered the situation.

"We'll do it." He said. Ryu gave a quick glance toward Sei and she nodded her approval. "However we have just come from a battle and would not risk entering that cave without being at my full strength. Could you give us a place to rest for the night?"

"We could, but staying here too long will drain your energy won't it. Doesn't it require your energy to neutralize the corruption?"

"Our bodies are different then yours. It will take more than this to be able to poison them. Don't worry, we'll be fine."

"In that case please stay at my place as long as you need." The old man gestured toward a small worn down house right off the main street. He began to lead the way, but suddenly fell to his knees as another spasm ceased him. His cane fell to the side and the man was on his knees trying to regain control of himself. Ryu knelt down in front of him and told him to get on his back. The man protested a bit insisting that he could manage on his own, but Ryu would not have it, and he eventually wrapped his arms around Ryu's neck. Ryu grabbed the man's legs and rose back to his feet. The Kazeski walked toward the man's house and Sei followed behind him. When they arrived Ryu laid the man down in his bed and told him to rest. The man fell asleep quickly and Ryu and Sei were left to themselves

"Are you sure this is wise Ryu?" Asked Sei. "I mean if Hikaru moves we will have a difficult time finding him again. Why don't we just go in there, counter flow the energy, restore the village and be done with it?"

"You know why Sei. Don't tell me the thought hasn't crossed your mind as well. This corruption is severe. It has infected the land and the very air around this village." Sei let out a sigh of acceptance.

"So you think it really is one of the generals, don't you?"

"Yes I do. And this one is very different from Hachigeki. Hachigeki was a powerhouse, but he possessed no style. He couldn't even use a magic crystal; much less cause this much devastation with one. Unfortunately I know very little of the demon generals. They didn't exist last time we fought, what I know of them I learned from Sylphreed. And all that consists of is that there are four of them and that their strengths and weaknesses were made to parallel the four of us. Hachigeki was made in the likeness of Kenji, Akamaru was made in the likeness of Hikaru. The other two I know very little about. Although judging from the fact that this general uses his magical abilities to attack I can guess that he is the one made to parallel you. He will be very strong in the magical arts, but what they consist of and the degree to which he knows them I know nothing."

"And that is why you're being cautious about this?"

"Precisely. Now let's get some rest, that is after all the whole reason why were taking this night." Sei stretched out on the floor and got comfortable for the night. Ryu leaned his back against a wall and lowered himself to the floor, removing his katana from the belt as he went. He held the sword against his chest with his back resting against the wall, and in that position he drifted off to sleep.

Ryu woke up to a burning village, flames surrounded him as he quickly rose to his feet. Sei was gone and Ryu had no idea what was happening. He shoved his sword back under his belt and ran out of the house. He was in a village he had never seen before. Ryu drew his sword and searched for the enemy. He saw a blast of water from behind a house across the street. He ran and leaped over it. Sei was on the ground battling against an enemy he couldn't find. He landed and turned to face her.

"Sei, what happened?" He asked in a panicked tone. Sei said nothing, but nodded her head forward. Standing against the building was the enemy. A large warrior with a variety of weapons strapped to his thick armor. A red skull within a circle was marked on his shoulder. It was Hachigeki.

"How can you be alive, I killed you myself?" Ryu questioned.

"Yes you did, and I've been meaning to thank you for that. However, even death is subordinate to the will of Onime, for him all is possible." Ryu charged forward and unleashed a blast of wind at the general. Hachigeki held up his arm and the blast was easily blocked. Ryu swung his sword, but Hachigeki hit it with the armor covering his arm and knocked it away. He grabbed Ryu by the neck and lifted him into the air. He kneed Ryu in the gut and punched him to the ground before kicking him away. He then removed the big sword from its sheath at his side and charged Sei. She leapt away and landed with her palm to the ground.

"Koorima!" she yelled and the ice spears dived down on Hachigeki. However they simply bounced off his armor. Hachigeki swung his sword hard and Sei nimbly dodged letting the sword crash into the ground. However Hachigeki reached to the side and pulled his boomerang off his armor and swung it at Sei. Still off balance from her first dodge, Sei was unable to dodge the next one. The blade sliced across her stomach and Sei screamed out in pain. She fell back and in that moment Hachigeki stabbed his sword through her. He back arched and her mouth flew open. Blood dripped out of her open mouth and then Hachigeki pulled the sword out and Sei's limp body collapsed on the ground. Ryu tried to scream, but his voice could not be heard. Tears stung his eyes and his vision blurred.

A forceful shake broke the image away and replaced it with one of Sei's concerned eyes staring at him. Ryu was breathing heavily and a cold sweat covered his body. He was breathing heavily as Sei reached out and embraced him. She held him close and tired to calm him. Ryu regained his composure after a few minutes and he told Sei what had happened in his dream. She dismissed it easily as a dream with no basis in reality.

"I would love to believe that, but there is something else. It is a vague memory that I carry from before I awakened. The person who first owned this body had dreamt of the demons coming to his village and killing him. He took action from that dream and maybe that is why he did not die. However the demons did come. I think this dream is very similar to that one. We may be able to change the future, but as it stands now I think Hachigeki will be revived."

Sei could think of nothing to say. She simply sat on the floor and looked at Ryu. She wanted desperately to find words to express her feelings, but none came. All she could do was pull herself to a spot along the wall next to Ryu. Although no words were spoken both understood that the dream would have to wait. They knew that a general was in the cave and they would need their strength to fight him. The two fell asleep and did not awake again until the next morning.

The sun was already well above the horizon before Ryu opened his eyes again. He silently got up from his slouched position on the wall. He slid the katana back under his belt and glanced back over to the bed where the old man still slept. Ryu had meant to let Sei sleep, but apparently his movement must have disturbed her. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked several times to adjust to the light. She too rose to her feet and attached her sword to her belt. The two Mahouski walked side by side out of the house. They spoke not a word to anyone as they walked from the village over to the cave. They could feel the demonic contamination that hung in the air. It was more than enough to kill anything else. As the two stood just outside of the cave entrance they paused and glanced at each other

"You ready to go?" Ryu asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Came the reply.

"All right then, let's go." They walked forward into the cave. With every step they took the poisonous air grew thicker. This was definitely the source of the corruption. Ryu's nerves were on edge. He and Sei still hadn't regained much of their power. And now they were walking into an intentional fight with on of the four generals. It was not a very logical move, but one they would make nonetheless.

The demon aura was not very strong and Ryu and Sei were at the end of the cave. A large set of double doors was before them. Ryu pushed hard on them, but they refused to budge. Ryu drew his sword from its sheath and held his hand along it. The blade began to grow green and Ryu unleashed his Juk Drive. The door blew apart and flew inside. Dust was kicked up everywhere and it was very hard to see.

The dust slowly settled back to the ground and before them was a large room. At the center was a small figure with a pitch-black cape and a staff clasped in his right hand. He stood before a pedestal that supported a small crystal upon it. The man turned to face them and the Mahouski saw his bright red eyes. The same symbol that was worn by Hachigeki and Akamaru was marked upon the staff. This was the demon general causing the corruption.

"Well, it seems the Mahouski have decided to pay me a visit. Such wonderful news."

"Why did you poison the town, what purpose does it serve?" Ryu asked.

"No reason really, just testing out my powers. You have no idea how potent these magic crystals can be. I never had to leave this room and yet I could still cause so much damage. They truly are remarkable."

"You scheme ends here general. We're stopping you now." Ryu proclaimed.

"Oh that just won't do at all, no it won't. I think you will find me much more difficult than the other generals. Against them your noryoku gives you a strong advantage. However against me, it is simply enough to break even." As he finished the sentence he swung his staff forward and an arc of darkness flew from it. Ryu and Sei leapt out of the way and landed on the floor in opposite sides of the room.

"Watch out Sei, that's not sorcery. It's yami noryoku. But how can he posses it?"

"Ah you seem to be surprised by my powers. They are the result of Onime's genius. His ability to manipulate is element is far beyond yours. He infused me with the same darkness he possesses. The result was a demon who had the same yami noryoku he has. Are you still sure you want to fight me, Shikon, one of Onime's four generals?"

"If you trying to scare us it won't work," replied Sei, "we came to stop you and we won't leave until we do."

"Such foolishness, very well. Kakugo." Shikon swung his staff up in the air and a giant ball of darkness formed at the tip of his staff. He threw it at Sei who quickly jumped out of the way before holding her hand forward and unleashing an Aoi Katsunaki at Shikon. He flung his staff upward and a wall of darkness appeared and blocked the attack. Meanwhile Ryu had sheathed his sword and was charging a Kazadama. He flung it at Shikon who suddenly sensed it behind him and leapt into the air. The ball of wind flew underneath and headed toward Sei.

"Sei watch out!" Ryu yelled in warning. Sei noticed it in time and rolled to the side to avoid it. Shikon landed on his feet and turned to face the Mahouski. Ryu quickly drew his sword and swung it up barely grazing the ground. "Kuuhazan!" he yelled as a cyclone erupted from the minor gap between his blade and the ground. Shikon again jumped out of its path and while he was in the air he swing his staff forward unleashing a blast of darkness. Ryu held his hand out and formed his Kaze Kekkai to block the move. Sei waited until just after he landed to slam her palm onto the ground and execute Koorima. The ice blades shot out of the ground and converged on Shikon. Shikon held both his hands to the side and formed a shield around himself. The ice blades shattered against it and the pieces fell to the ground. The shield faded and Shikon looked at Sei.

"A very good skill. However not good enough." Shikon unleashed several blasts of darkness at Sei, all of which hit her. He got near her and hit her hard with his staff. A sharp spike gave Sei a rather deep wound across her arm, and then another sliced across her leg. Shikon swung his staff upward but Sei jumped back and only received a minor scratch from that attack. Shikon pointed his staff toward Sei and a small beam of darkness shot from it. It moved very rapidly and Sei had no chance of dodging. It struck here chest and Sei fell back to the ground. However when her body struck the ground it turned into water and fell apart. The water splashed across the floor and Sei was no longer there. Shikon's eyes went wide when he saw the water break apart, and they got even wider when he heard a Sei's voice behind him.

"Mizu Rendan!" she yelled and unleashed a water blast that knocked Shikon up into the air. However this was by no means the end of her attack. She spun around and unleashed another blast at the vulnerable Shikon. Sei continued sending blasts from her hands for a short while and then she summoned a large blast of water from above Shikon that threw him back to the ground. Ryu had taken the time during Sei's Mizu Rendan to prepare a move of his own. Once Shikon had landed Ryu quickly created two arcs of wind and merged them together into the Kaze Souga. The swirling blast hit Shikon and threw him from the ground and into a wall. Shikon fell to the floor and slowly rose up using his staff to support himself.

"Damn, I underestimated you. You are indeed strong, but you still stand no chance against Onime. I'll concede the town to you, but I assure you this is not the last you'll see of me." Shikon summoned a shield of darkness around him. The shield shrunk down and vanished, taking Shikon with it.

Ryu sheathed his sword, and ran toward Sei. Although the water clone she created had taken the fatal blow, she had received all of the others herself. Sei holds out her hand and points it at the magic crystal. She shoots an ice blade at it and shatters it into several pieces.

"Sei, don't stress yourself. You need to rest."

"Before that, I need to take care of these wounds." Sei held her hand over her chest and a white light began to glow. Darkness was pulled out of her body and destroyed by the light. After Sei finished removing the demon taint from herself she passed out and fell back to the ground. Ryu panicked and lunged toward her. He checked to make sure that she was still alive and when he knew she was he figured she had just passed out from overusing her noryoku.

That was the main risk of relying on their powers. The noryoku the Mahouski possessed was a powerful weapon, but if it was abused their body falls into a comatose state. During that time there is nothing that can wake them back up. Although they usually don't last long, a day or two at the most, if one of Mahouski were to extremely overuse their powers the state could last for several weeks. It was something they always needed to be careful about. Ryu knelt down and picked Sei up of the ground and carried her back to the village. When they returned they could already notice a change in the environment. The powerful corruption that spread everywhere was already lifting. The people were still very sick, but showed signs of improvement.

Although Sei had removed the taint she received from the battle, the wounds were still there. The wound in her arm was bleeding rather badly. Ryu questioned the first person he came to as to where he could find the doctor. The news he received was not what he wanted to hear. The doctor had died a few weeks before from the demonic corruption. The man showed Ryu to one of the larger houses and pushed open the door.

"This is the doctor's house. All of his supplies are still here and I assume their still good, but I know nothing of the medical arts, and neither does anyone else. In fact the doctor moved here because we had no one else t do the job. You can help yourself to anything you need. Please use whatever may help."

"Arigatou." Ryu replied in a distracted tone as he had already laid Sei down on the bed in the corner of the room, he had removed her sword from her side and placed it in a corner of the room, and was searching for some bandages. Ryu knew nothing of these chemicals and herbs that surrounded him. All he knew was that he should put a bandage on the wound and try to stop the bleeding. Ryu found a roll of bandages and quickly wrapped it around Sei's arm and tying it off as best he could. He then proceeded to place a similar bandage on her leg. With that done Ryu had exhausted his knowledge of what to do. Ryu looked at her peaceful form lying there. A slight red color flushed his cheeks and he turned to walk toward the door. He paused before he reached it and turned to stare at her for a moment more.

When he walked out of the house he found a crowd surrounding him. It was then that it occurred to him that he had never given them the good news. Their attention was focused on the Ryu as he stood there starring out upon their hopeful faces.

"You can all relax, the one responsible for causing the corruption has been driven away and the magic crystal he was using has been destroyed. You town will return to normal in time." Once Ryu finished these words he watched as smiles spread across their faces and they all began shouting for joy. Many of them rushed forward to show their gratitude to Ryu. Even though the kids had no idea what exactly had just happened they knew it was good and they knew that the man before them was the one who did it. They ran forward and several of them leapt up onto him. He caught several of them and allowed others to hang from his neck. A few angry parents came up and pulled their kids off of the Mahouski, while lecturing them about what they had been told about hanging on people. Ryu couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.

The doctor who had cared for Subaru had asked Sei why they suffered so much and fought to save the world when he wouldn't stay to enjoy it. Ryu hadn't heard Sei's answer to the question, and didn't have one of his own, but now he did. Watching these people enthusiastically praising him and thanking him. Seeing all of the happiness he had created. That was his reward, it was all he needed.

Ryu remained amongst the villagers and insisted in helping them rebuild their lives. Although they strongly insisted on doing it themselves, and that Ryu had done enough for them already. When they finally agreed to let him help they gave him minimal work, and refused to allow him to help them anymore. Ryu did what little he could, and despite his efforts not to he found himself spending the rest of his time sitting next to Sei's bed and watching her sleep.

Three days passed in this fashion before Sei woke up. Ryu was asleep in a chair next to Sei's bed when she opened her eyes again. She sat up slowly not sure of her surroundings. Her gaze fell upon Ryu who was leaned back so far he was about to fall out of the chair. She smiled and gave a light chuckle. This did not disturb Ryu and he slept on. Sei quietly rose out of the bed and reclaimed her sword from a small corner where Ryu had placed it. She strapped it to her side and walked toward the door. She opened it and then before she left the room she turned back and faced Ryu. His body was still sound asleep resting in the chair.

"Arigatou." She said before walking out of the house. Sei walked calmly around the village looking at all that had changed. The corruption that had once filled everything in the entire region was now almost non-existent. The fields were all neatly tilled showed strong signs of health. The people were back to normal. Children ran through the fields playing, mothers hummed a lively tune as they hung the sheets up to dry, and the fathers were taking a short break from their work to tell a few jokes and laugh together. It was a perfect contrast from what had greeted the Mahouski only four days ago. Sei heard a loud noise from back the way she had come. She turned with a start and starred as Ryu leapt out of the doctor's house and looked around frantically before his eyes fell upon her. He let out a sigh and walked over to her.

"You scared me half to death, I had no idea where you were." He told her.

"I would have told you, but you looked like you needed the sleep." She replied.

"You probably did the right thing. Anyway we don't have anytime to waste.

Hikaru is probably gone by now. We need to hurry toward the shrine and see if we can find any sign of him in that area. Hopefully he's still in that region and we can get to him, otherwise we may have lost track of him."

"How long has it been?" Sei asked, just now realizing that she must have been asleep a good while.

"Three days. You overused your noryoku in the fight with Shikon and passed out after removing the taint from yourself."

"Three days," Sei repeated, "then we need to leave right away."

"My thoughts exactly." Ryu replied. The two began walking from the village and tried to act inconspicuous as they went to leave. However one of the kids noticed them and ran toward them.

"Ryu-san!" He called as he rushed toward them. The boy jumped up and crashed into Ryu's chest where he was promptly caught by the Kazeski. "Where are you going, Ryu-san." Ryu smiled and placed the kid back on the ground.

"It's time for me to go. I have to go and save other villages like yours." The kid looked puzzled and was not satisfied with the answer.

"But I want you to stay here with us." By now his mother had noticed what was going on. She walked quickly over to her son and grabbed his hand.

"Don't be a burden. Ryu-sama has things he needs to do." She then turned to Ryu and thanked him sincerely before telling him to hurry before more people realized what was happening. Ryu turned and walked away from the village

"Bye Ryu-san." Called the boy. After he said that Ryu heard his mother scolding him.

"Ryu-sama, that's Ryu-sama." She said in a stern tone. The two Mahouski looked at each other and smiled.

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So what do you think? This chapter may seem like filler, but it had its purposes. One of them will play a role through the entire first book. Anyway a little preview of the next chapter.

Ryu and Onime fight again, the appearance of the fourth and final general, the appearance of Hikaru, and last but definitely not least Ryu will use his ultimate attack. Anyway the next chapter has a good amount of action so if you like that be happy.

And please review.