Note: Please excuse
the varying chapter lengths. Each chapter (up to 11) already has an objective
and I write until that's achieved which can be sometimes short and sometimes
verbose. Thanks and enjoy. - Azi
Past Incarnation
By Azi
Chapter 4: Chaos
ENGLAND
Eriol Hiiragizawa sat in his study, thinking that something was amiss. He didn't know exactly what it was, but he had a feeling that something very wrong was going to happen very soon. He also thought that he should be hearing from his cute little descendant or his sweet half-daughter within the next couple days. He sighed. "Maybe I should check with Nakuru and see if the mail has come," Eriol mumbled to himself as he rose and left the room.
"There you are Eriol-kun!" Eriol cringed at those words. "Have you seen Suppi? I've got something for him to try," Nakuru said with a mischievous look on her face.
Eriol smirked, "He's probably hiding from you. No doubt you want to shove more sugar down his throat." He gave his guardian a knowing look. "Anyway Nakuru, I came out to check of I got mail today."
"Nothing yet, Master. Are you expecting a letter?"
"I was thinking that Sakura or Syaoran may have written, that's all," Eriol replied as he turned back to his study.
To his surprise, there was an envelope addressed to him on his desk when he returned. His feeling of something amiss came rushing back when he saw Sakura's handwriting. 'She only sends her letters this was when it's something urgent,' he thought as he opened the envelope. He suppressed a chuckle when he laid eyes on the letter. 'Even in an emergency she uses that pink paper Syaoran gave her before he left.'
"Dear Eriol-kun
I'm going to send this letter the quick way when it's finished. I'll let Syaoran-kun send a message at the end of it. – He's visiting with his mother, but considering current events, they may stay for quite a while."
Eriol smiled at this, thinking that maybe she was writing to tell him that she and Syaoran had gotten together.
"Tomoyo-chan has had a couple visions recently. The first one is nothing too important – it involved a truck and me. I'm okay. It was nothing to worry about and nobody got hurt. It's the second one that we're worried about.
She had a vision during training this morning. Li-san made Syaoran-kun and I continue to practice while she tended to Tomoyo-chan. When we were finished, she told us what she saw – Decision Maker Stuart from the Distant West has died. She says that his son was chosen as his replacement.
Eriol-kun, I'm scared. Tomoyo-chan saw burning cities and people being used as slaves. She said they were training an army of fighters. But the worst, Eriol-kun, is that they are training people in magic – dark magic."
'So that's what this uneasy feeling I've got is,' Eriol thought to himself as he read Sakura's words. 'We haven't even heard of Decision Maker Stuart's death yet. Maybe there's a way to stop this.'
"I'm really worried. I have a feeling that this Evison and Decision Maker Nawat (even his name gives me shivers, it always has) are going to try to destroy the world.
Adan-kun is worried too. His family lives in the Northwest. The two countries are so close; he thinks if there is an attack the Northwest will be hit first. He wants to see his family to make sure they're okay. He'll be leaving by boat in a couple weeks – as soon as they find a substitute for him. He doesn't trust planes, he figures if there is an attack they will ground all the planes and capture everyone on them so he's getting a ride on a trading ship. Is there any way you can make sure Adan-kun gets there safely and sooner than expected? I want him back here as soon as possible.
Thanks, Eriol-kun. I hope this letter didn't ruin your day as much as Tomoyo-chan's vision did ours.
Your half-daughter, Sakura"
"Hiiragizawa
I've been feeling strange auras from somewhere distant. I hope they have nothing to do with Daidouji-san's visions because they are getting very strong. I don't want to bother Sakura-chan about them – she's too worried right now as it is – so can you write me back separately and tell me if you've noticed them yet? My mother and I are staying at the Daidouji residence so you can direct your reply there.
Also, what can you tell me about this Adan guy? Sakura-chan seems to like him quite a bit, but he hasn't been here for very long.
Write soon, Li Syaoran"
The young dark-haired man smirked at the end of his 'cute descendant's' letter. 'He just has this odd way of making my day better. I can feel a little bit of jealousy under those words, but I'm sure he doesn't even notice it's there…yet. Maybe something's going to change soon and they'll remember everything.' Eriol sighed and looked at the magically sealed box on his desk. It contained letters from Sakura, Tomoyo and Syaoran. He had felt that something was going to happen so he had sealed all his letters so nothing could damage them: not even magic.
He was glad he had because something had happened and nobody remembered that Syaoran and Sakura loved each other, let alone how much. He had the letters to prove it. 'It's not the time yet though. I wish I could tell them, but no one would believe me if I said anything now. Everyone thinks they're just friends. Something tells me that whatever's going to happen would be easier to handle if they remembered everything though.'
Shaking himself out of his reverie, he turned his attention back to the issues revealed to him in his friends' letter. Eriol relaxed for a moment and sent his magic in search of the auras Syaoran had mentioned. Shortly afterward, he snapped back to his senses looking rather worried: the auras were from the West and they were getting very strong. 'This must be the magical army Daidouji-san saw in her vision – or at least the beginning of it.'
After taking a couple minutes to calm himself, he
pulled out a sheet of paper and started to write to his cute little descendant.
'I'll write to Sakura-chan tomorrow, after I've had a chance to talk to
my partner and to think it over a bit more.'
THE DISTANT WEST
"Really Evison, I thought you had more sense than that," a man in his mid-thirties stated bluntly to the newly appointed Decision Maker. "Your father never would have chosen you if he thought you would do this!" The bluntness changed to exasperation as the man waved a file in front of the boy's face.
"You forget your place Symon. You may have been my father's favorite advisor but, to me, you are nothing. You're only here until I have the time to get rid of your position." The twenty-three-year-old's voice dripped with poison – a major change from his speech earlier that day.
Symon sighed. "But an army? This is insane. We need an army even less than the North needs more snow."
"It's not snowing in the North right now – they could probably use a little to cool the place down."
"Fine then, but no one's going to attack us! Your father made sure during his time as Decision Maker that this was one of the most peaceful countries on the planet." Symon just couldn't see why an army was necessary in such a peaceful world.
Evison grabbed the folder and walked away. Under his breath he menacingly said, "That will all change soon. I have big plans for our little country. I have big plans for you, Symon."
Symon heard none of this and went back to his office
shaking his head. 'Why do I get the feeling the world is going to fall
apart soon?' he asked himself. An unexpected reply came from somewhere
in his head, 'Because it is.' The voice was cold and full of hatred – it
sounded evil.
Evison continued down the hall looking completely
focused and very commanding. In reality, he had no idea where he was going.
He was too busy thinking about the plans he and his mentor had cooked up.
'I almost pity Symon, thinking his opinion could change anything.' The
boy smirked. 'Belen has already started training people in magic and we
have enough weapons to support a massive army. Those poor saps in the North
had no idea why we kept buying their resources. Starting tomorrow, everyone
will serve us. Including you, Symon. It seems Belen thinks you have magic
too. Given time, you will become our strongest supporter.
Decision Maker Belen Nawat sat in his study contemplating his plans. 'Things are going smoothly, at last. It took too long to get to this point. I suppose the child had to grow up, but I could have used someone else years ago. Then again, the boy was filled with hate from birth. It made him a perfect ally.'
FLASHBACK
Belen watched the beautiful twenty-six-year-old as she stared out the window. Her round belly showing just how near she was to giving birth to her third child.
He sighed. 'I've just been watching her for years. She was supposed to be mine by now. Of course the little trollop still seems to think her husband is better than I am. I'll have to show little Gracie that she is vastly mistaken. If I can't have her, neither can Nahan Stuart. Not anymore.' Belen's thoughts slowly got darker; mirroring the change in his personality over the last several years.
The young man strode across the room and wrapped his arms around the girl's waist. He felt her body stiffen as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "When was the last time I told you that you look beautiful when you look out the window like that?"
"Belen, don't," Grace pleaded with fear in her voice.
"Belen, don't," he mimicked. "You know you belong with me Grace darling."
"What happened to you Belen? You used to be our friend. You used to be so nice and caring. It's like you are your own evil twin, you've changed so much."
"It's all because of you darling."
"Don't call me that, you have no right!" Grace Stuart snapped as she tried to escape from his hold.
"You are the one who has caused these changes in me. Because I lost you, I lost everything good in my life. You should have been mine; your children should be mine. If you loved me like you claim to love that weakling Nahan, everything would be different." Having finished his tirade, he turned his companion around in his arms and kissed her roughly.
She tried to back away, her fear of her former friend growing with every passing second. Unfortunately, she found her route blocked by the window she had been gazing through. "Please don't!" She cried as she pushed him away from her with all her strength. Her anger was getting the best of her.
Belen responded by grabbing Grace's arms and pushing her against the window – the glass cracked. "You cannot escape me darling. I am your destiny." His voice dripped with poison that would cause even the bravest to cringe. He kissed her again as she struggled in vain.
To suppress her struggles; he pushed her back even further. The window shattered from Grace's weight and she fell three stories to landing Rose bushes she had planted six years earlier. Her scream had filled the air on her way down.
People from all over the grounds rushed to help the injured woman. She was, to most, the sweetest person they had ever known and the whole country would mourn if anything happened to her. She was rushed to the nearest hospital while everyone prayed for her recovery even though it was likely she would not survive.
Grace awoke to blackness. She wasn't anywhere she had seen before – something was definitely wrong. The world she was in seemed filled with fear, anger and hate. She found her existence there painful. Grace looked around frantically for any sort of a way out but eventually realized she was trapped: in her own emotions. She gave out an agonizing scream of fury and despair and finally succumbed to the darkness.
In a hospital room, doctors were trying desperately to save a young woman. She was pregnant and badly injured. The men reluctantly accepted that they could save either the woman or the child, but not both. The baby had a better chance of survival so they opted to remove the child and try their best to save it.
Just before the doctors snipped the umbilical cord, the young woman let out a chilling scream. That scream would haunt everyone who heard it for life. Her body shuddered once and then fell still. The room became strangely silent and at once, everyone knew that Grace Stuart, wife of Decision Maker Nahan Stuart, was dead.
END FLASHBACK
Belen Nawat smirked. "Who would have thought that I had created my own ally?" The comment floated through the air, not heard by anybody because no one dared to venture near Decision Maker Nawat's quarters.
After a moment's pause, he slipped easily back into his thoughts. 'Of course, everything was delayed because that fool Nahan refused to die. I should have known his beloved Grace would protect him even after death. It's just lucky I found a little spell that helped her forget her love. Once everyone forgot that she and Nahan loved each other, all blame was instantly removed from me – they couldn't connect a thing.' A smile flitted across his face as he remembered with pride how he had stolen Grace's love from her. 'Six years, it took six long years to make his death look natural. It took seventeen years to figure out how to break her curse.'
Belen continued thinking about all he went through
to get to this point. So soon, the world would be his and his rival - his
obstacle – would turn in his grave to find that he had helped.
FLASHBACK
"Really Nahan, I don't see why you're opposed to this. It's for the good of the country."
"I fail to see how arming all our citizens and teaching them to fight will help our country. In my opinion, it will only push our culture towards violence. I do not want our children to grow up thinking that fighting is the answer."
Think of it as protection. Any young woman would be safer is she knew how to defend herself. Although you refuse to admit it, there are men out there who would take advantage of a pretty young woman. If she could fight back or even use daggers, she might be able to escape without a bruise. I feel it's necessary to make sure all our people know how to defend themselves."
"But Belen, why should we teach everyone to use swords? That's the strongest weapon the Peace Treaties allowed. Others may think we are raising an army!"
"It's just a precaution my dear Nahan. At some point someone may decide to take over the world. It would be wise to have all our citizens able to defend our country if we ever come under attack. Besides, many countries in the East require people to learn to fight."
"I suppose you are correct. I will agree with you then, but this must not be abused."
END FLASHBACK
FLASHBACK
"Belen, have you noticed that many people are showing magical abilities lately?"
"Now that you mention it, I suppose there have been a number of magical accidents lately. Perhaps we should do something about it?" Belen responded to Nahan's question thinking how lucky he was not to have to bring it up himself.
"Well, from what I've read, untrained magic can cause major problems if it cannot be controlled. I think perhaps we should set up schools or maybe just classes to teach people to control their magic. It might be safer that way." Decision Maker Stuart thought only of the safety of the people he was chosen to represent.
"A good idea, my friend. Although, maybe we should set up a method of testing to ensure that one with strong abilities does not get overlooked. I've heard that some magic can be buried deep inside and when finally unleashed, it can be the hardest to control." Belen was surprised at how easy this was. Never mind that he had caused many of those 'accidents.'
END FLASHBACK
'It was all too easy. He played right into my hands
time and time again. He never even thought that I might have ulterior motives.'
The dark man finally went to bed – after all tomorrow was a big day. Years
of preparation would finally pay off.
Symon woke up coughing. He looked out his window and assumed that it was still before dawn – he couldn't see any light outside. Then something hit him: the strong smell of fire. He looked out his window again and this time he saw it. All the buildings around him were burning. There were people trying to escape the destruction everywhere.
"They're burning the cities," Symon whispered to himself almost afraid something worse would happen if he spoke too loud. He rushed to get dressed and left his room in a hurry, but not before he grabbed a book containing water spells. "Someone has to stop this before it goes too far. I just hope I'm strong enough."
After years of hiding his magical abilities, Symon cautiously released his aura. A rich brown – comforting, like milk chocolate – surrounded him as he began an incantation that should stop the fire at the nearest house.
Symon concentrated on his magic as he watched a small trickle of water slowly grow larger and engulf the flames that had been devouring the house. He sighed in relief as one fire extinguished. He walked closer to the next burning house and repeated the process.
He grew weary as he saved the second house, but he didn't care. 'This has to be stopped. I must stand in the way of devastation.' As he worked on smothering a third fire, he exhaustion got the better of him. He heard footsteps running toward him as his vision clouded.
"Can't have you spoiling all my fun now, can I?" the poisonous voice directed itself to Symon. "Take him and put him with the other magic users. He will make a strong addition to my army."
Symon shuddered under the voice. Before he completely lost consciousness, his mind registered one more thought. 'The end had begun. I must escape and find a way to stop the world from crumbling.'
Behind the shadows carrying Symon, a world of chaos
began to emerge.
Pronunciations and Meanings
Nawat - (NAH-waht) means 'left hand.' A little history here: the word 'sinister' (evil) came from a Latin word that means 'on the left.' Because of the connection between evil and the left, left-handed people were considered to be well...evil. Make the connection...
Belen – (BEL-en) means 'an arrow.' Read the full name – Belen Nawat – as 'an arrow of the left hand' or perhaps an instrument of evil.
Symon – (SIGH-men) means 'to hear' or 'to be heard'
Nahan – (NAY-han) derived from Shanahan which means 'wise one.'