War of Magicians

The Birth of the Phoenix

Chapter 4

The prince's dreams did come to pass. Yue frowned. He doubted even Sakura had such power in her dreams.

The day was bright and sunny, unlike the day before. Syaoran came downstairs looking rather drowsy.

" You're lucky it's the weekend." Yue told Syaoran. " I didn't know you manage to sleep so late. From what Sakura tells me you're an early bird."
" Why are you still in your true form?" Syaoran asked bluntly, obviously startled. Yue didn't answer.

" How did you sleep?"
" Okay..."
" You had nightmares."

Syaoran seemed taken aback. There was a difference between him and the prince after all, but no matter.

" Was I..."
" Iie."

Syaoran frowned, puzzled. " I don't understand..."

Yue was silent for a long moment. He studied the child. This child had more innocence than the prince did. He was less wise, but by no means less intelligent. There was still the sad light in the child's eyes that had won Yue's heart so many centuries ago, and the look of frailness. When had he seen that on the prince? When that child was sleeping, dressed only in his inner garments, his hair pooling over his shoulders. But the long hair had made the prince seem less boyish then Syaoran.

" Come here." Yue said. Syaoran hesitated, and there seemed to be a flicker of uncertainty and fear in the child's eyes. Syaoran slowly approached.

" Syaoran." Yue commanded. The boy gulped, but went forward all the same, keeping his eyes focused on the guardian's every movement.
" Closer." Yue said again. Syaoran took another step. He was right in front of the guardian now.

Yue ran his fingers slowly over Syaoran's head, around his cheek, under his chin. He studied the boy's face closely and wondered how he could have missed it for so long a time.

Syaoran broke down crying. He didn't know what Yue was doing, only that the guardian had a look on his face that frightened him, and he suddenly felt his vulnerability at its peak.

Seeing the tears, Yue bent down to the boy's level and gathered him in his arms.

" Taizi, Taizi, Taizi, Taizi," He murmured, over and over again. Syaoran did not respond to the title.



Forbidden City was a grand sight, especially during the spring. Then the frozen stream would start flowing and grass will grow everywhere. Yue, however, was never quite interested in the old artifacts so much as the special site they planned where people could dress up as Emperor's and Empresses. They would take photographs and then change.

" You were a great prince Julan." Yue sighed. " It's Heaven's will for you to be born at the wrong time."

" I'm only mortal." Syaoran's voice suddenly answered from behind him. Yue whipped around.
" I thought you were sleeping."
" Sleeping after that episode?" Syaoran's face was emotionless. " I did sleep a little, but it was uneasy. Tell me, who was Prince Julan, and why did you call me Crowned Prince?"



Hiriingaziwa looked up from the books with a stunned look on his face. On the page of one of the older books was a portrait of a child with long black hair pulled into a bun. The boy had large golden eyes, thick eyebrows, a small nose and mouth, with graceful features and noble stature.

His name was Liu Julan, also called Liu Sheng, St. Baojin, Mystic Prince, and Amber Child. He was said to be even smarter than Zhuge Liang, the wisest man of the Han Dynasty, if it weren't for the fact that the child had died far younger than his late Han counterpart.

The enchanters, sorcerers, and clerics-magicians of the time, had ignored the royal families of the world until then because they felt no threat. They started paying attention to Julan's eldest brother, but when they found him completely useless, turned their attention to Julan.

Whatever threat they felt, they killed the prince for it.

Could it be though...

Could it be that the boy....



" Clow Reed died at the age of a hundred and ten, an old age for someone of his time." Yue was looking at the feather on the table. " Three days after his death we guardians moved out of the country and towards the east."

All of this was said in Mandarin, and Syaoran was astonished to find there was no accent.

" Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun settled in the eastern part of Russia. There they discovered that there was more than one type of magic. In Russia they found the wizards, a type of magician that is weaker than us, but immortal and are the bearers of wisdom. Kerberus and I continued south, reaching the Mongolians and borrowing their horses, fleet and strong, to finally arrive in China."

Syaoran looked at his own feather in silence.

" All this ended after a few decades. Those we left behind died of old age. The world steadily changed around us. When we reached the capital of China, it was near the end of the Han Dynasty. By chance I met the Emperor Liu Li, the hero of his time."
" Liu Li?" Syaoran frowned. " I know many Emperors of the Han Dynasty, but never have I heard of such a name. The last name is right, but the first...it sounds foreign. Perhaps after the revolution his history was lost..."
" It was not communism that destroyed his place in history." Yue answered. " It was his son."
" His son..."

Yue turned to the child he had once loved so many years ago. " His son's name was Liu Julan, but his friends call him Xiao Lang..."

" You're kidding. Li Syaoran is..." Ruby Moon sputtered,
" If he isn't, then let the world fall to pieces." Eriol groaned. " But this cannot bode well for us. First the Card Mistress, with her cards, then Clow's other half, but then we have to find some way to hide him from other magicians."
" Clerics are no threat. They surely wouldn't do anything to harm him, if they don't protect him either, but the enchanters , and other sorcerers, they serve as a threat."
" Did the enchanters hurt the prince, Eriol-sama?" Spinel Sun asked.
" The books don't say." Eriol frowned. " Little was known about the child's life, ever since a spell was used to erase his father and himself from history. Less was known of how he died."
" What period exactly did the child live in?" Spinel asked.
" Somewhere around the end of the Han Dynasty." Eriol answered. " Before the ten eunuchs took over."
" Yue and Kerberus were in China during that time. They never did tell us what happened-they just went into the Clow Book. Maybe they can tell us something?"
" Doubtful. Chances are Yue only wandered among them as a normal human. The royal family is set apart from the rest of the Hans."
" Just maybe though..." Ruby answered grimly.



There were two types of nymphs-water nymphs and wood nymphs. Divided among these were sea nymphs, river nymphs, lake nymphs for the water, and mountain nymphs and forest nymphs for the wood.

In general there weren't that many in the world, and they were all so well hidden even elves can't find them. They weren't that powerful, they weren't that wise, they weren't, in general, particularly useful, but their existence was of immense importance because they were one of the few creatures where their every movement controls Fate.

This being so, it's even more important that they should not have any contact with other creatures, be it man or beast, and Nature, granting this, made them so that they do not wish to have any. However, being that the Phoenix was also linked to Fate, that night the nymphs made their appearance in Tomoeda.

It didn't exactly mean well for the town, because both water and wood were masters of erosion. It was of great luck for Syaoran that he happened to be in Yukito's house and not in his own apartment, because that night the entire building collapsed. Countless were wounded, more than ten were dead, and all that had died were on Syaoran's floor.



" The first time I met him he was a child." Yue looked at Syaoran. " He was in the courtyard with his cousin Lady Meiling and half brother Liu Che."
" Liu Che. Liu Che was the fifth Emperor of China. Han WuDi, we call him, because he was the Emperor of the Han and was also great in military arts. Why name another Liu Che?"
" I do not know."
" And Meiling...Meiling's my cousin also."
" She is. During that dynasty she was the Lady, also called the Princess, because she could often be seen with the princes. By and by people forgot that she was no longer royalty."
" That's mighty odd."
" It is. When I first saw you," Yue had changed to address Syaoran directly, " You were practicing sword-fight with your half-brother Che'er. You won repeatedly, shouting nonsense and laughing. You didn't see me until later."
" How did I see you?"
" Your father ordered you to come meet me. You asked me to tell you about Europe."
" Did you tell?"
" Of course I did."
" Did the prince like it?"
" I don't know."
" Do you really think I am...the prince?"

Yue pulled the child to an embrace again. " You can be no other."



There were two types of enchanters-one from the east, and one from the west. The eastern enchanters were far older in general and carry more wisdom than the western ones, and were also more powerful and more experienced. However, the eastern enchanters were so rare because of the mass attack led by the Lord Leoden of the Clerics so many years ago.

Ever since the enchanters was reported to kill the Lady Trilinar of the Clerics, the two magicians had been at war. At first the enchanters kept denying it, but the clerics, though immortal, were quite foolish and hasty in judging. By and by, both races forgot the reason for the rivalry and simply fought out of need for bloodshed. Even the clerics, so famous for their knowledge and wisdom, failed to live up to the world's expectations. Upon the identification of the famous Prince Julan's reincarnation, both races rapidly charged towards the the world of the sorcerers.



Sorcerers, being mortal, did not understand the meaning of their arrival. Only Clow Reed knew, for he was wise enough to transfer his memories into his younger reincarnation. Eriol was the first to greet both enchanter and cleric that night, though his welcome wasn't extremely warm.

" Who stands there?!" Eriol called, his guardians by his side, though all three knew very well who the cloaked figures were. The clerics were the first to arrive, and they could easily be identified with their gleaming and pale swords, for they were not the same as priests and much of their magic came from their art of sword and arrow. In this sense, Eriol mused, the wolf boy is a lot like a cleric. Yet then again, Julan had dealings with clerics. And enchanters.

" Who are you?" a cold voice asked. Eriol did not falter.
" I am the native of the land you now stand." He answered. " Speak now, or I'll resolve to more violent manners."

Did the cleric think he had a point? Eriol was prepared for battle, but the cleric spoke.

" We, sorcerer, are the clerics from yonder. We come to seek the prince."
" There are no princes to seek." Eriol answered coldly. " The prince you speak of died many a year ago."
" Yes, he did. But his soul remains." The cleric stepped into the moonlight. " Hand him over, or there will be fire as never before."

Eriol glared at them. " It is not your place to speak thus to me. I am Clow Reed, Creator of the Clow Cards, Master of Elements. I am a great friend, and an even greater enemy. We sorcerers will not let you trespass so."

There was a moment silence where the cleric seemed to contemplate Eriol's words. Eriol waited.

" We want only the prince. Nothing more."
" The prince is my descendant. I will not let him go without reason."

The cleric's eyes turned cold again. " The prince may be your descendant, but he is not in your control. You mortals are powerless to stop us."
" You do not comprehend the extent of our power." Eriol answered. " You may have killed many in the past, but now we are all stronger."
" We have strengthened as well. 'Tis no surprise." The cleric answered.

Just then, there was a cry, and a beam of light crashed to the ground, ending with a puff of smoke. Eriol stepped back as the enchanters intervened. The clerics and enchanters began to fight.

The child magician sighed and turned around, gesturing to his guardians to retreat. The enchanters came just in time to ruin everything for the clerics. They moved away from the scene. The cleric were right about one thing-the sorcerers were powerless to stop them, save the prince, who in the end drove them back to their homeland but in the process lost his life.

" Hurry. We have to warn the boy." Eriol told Ruby Moon. " It doesn't matter about the Card Mistress now-if the child dies again worse things could happen."



" Yue!" Syaoran froze. " They're here."
" I know." Yue stood up. " I sense them too."
" Who are they after? Sakura?"
" Sakura is nothing to them."
" Me then? Is it the feather? Should we get rid of it?"
" Iie! The feather was what kept you alive for as long as you did. Do not worry, I might not be a match in battle for them, but as long as I take to the air they cannot catch me. Right now I think they caught the attention of several other magicians in the area. Stay put."

Still, Syaoran could tell the guardian was extremely tense. He clutched his shirt, or rather Yukito's shirt.

" Should we warn Sakura?"
" We'll need her help." Yue answered surprisingly. " And Kaho's as well. Hurry, make the phone call. I'm keeping watch."

Syaoran moved over to the phone. He was nervous. After that episode with Yue, he didn't know what to believe anymore, except that there was danger and that was really really real.

" Moshi moshi?" A gruff voice asked.
" Get Sakura. Now. No time to explain, only tell her to come over to Yukito's house. Now."
" Gaki?"
" No time!" Syaoran hung up just as the auras came nearer. Yue covered the child's body with his own as the door exploded in a blast of splinters. Syaoran shrieked, terrified, his scream muffled only by Yue's warm clothes. The guardian looked up.

It was a boy with glasses. Eriol Hiriingaziwa, who at first looked strickened, but then a look of relief spread across his face.

So the guardian does know the prince. He thought to himself. Yue wouldn't even treat Sakura that way.

" Who are you?" Yue asked harshly. He better not be one of those sorcerers...

Eriol thought quickly. This sudden intervention had spoiled his plans entirely, but his plans cannot be compared to this. " I am your master, Yue of the Clow Cards, for my spirit is that of Clow Reed. You need not fear me. Ruby Moon, Spinel Sun."

At the sight of his comrades Yue relaxed. He released his hold on Syaoran and walked over to his fellow guardians.

" Ruby Moon." He said in English. " It has been a long time. Spinel Sun."
" No time for introductions." Spinel said apologetically. " Get the prince out of Japan as soon as possible. Wait for us in Chang'an. Sakura and Kerberus would catch up with you later."
" But Chang'an's not what it use to be! And I'm not even sure I can find it..."
" Then wait for us in Forbidden City. Tell me you know where that is. It's huge, it's in the north, and it's filled with ancient buildings and paintings. Get into the main building of the city. Hurry." Eriol answered. " I'll have to face the clerics and enchanters. We'll tell Kaho and Sakura to go to Forbidden City. Fret not."

Clerics? Syaoran thought. Aren't they healers?

Yue, stunned and too stupified to do anything else, grabbed Syaoran, who was equally surprised, and flew out the window in a speed faster than he had ever flown before. The sky seemed to stretch endlessly above him as Yue gained altitude, and he looked down to see half of Tomoeda completely destroyed. Several streets were flooded while buildings were covered with moss and grass. Yue did not ponder long, for he continued flying south. The air rapidly grew thinner. The child clung to Yue in dizziness.

" Cold." The child whispered. Yue wrapped his arms tightly around Syaoran. He could only fly so fast. " Hold on Taizi. Hold on."

Sakura sighed. " How am I supposed to do anything if the cards don't listen to me, Kero chan?"

Touya was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. " Care to explain why the stuffed animal should answer you, kaijuu?"
" Because I'm not a stuffed animal." Kero answered. Touya did not seem startled. " But you know, they should answer to you even more, since you're the mistress now. I wonder what could be wrong..."

The wand... Sakura stared at her wand. The wand's changed, the book's changed, the only thing that had not changed was the cards...

Eriol turned. " Card Mistress! Fly south away from Japan! Take your guardian with you!"

Sakura blinked. Kerberus growled.
" Do as he says!" The guardian shouted at her. " Those are elves and wizards! You won't stand a chance!"

The wizards turned upon her. Sakura stepped back in alarm. Kerberus seized her and took to the air before the wizards could react.

" Kero, what are you doing?" Sakura shrieked.
" We have to do as he says!" Kero shouted back. " That guy's the reincarnation of Clow Reed!"
" Nani?!" Sakura shouted, but they had left Honshu already, and was flying like sound towards North Korea. The aura of the clerics and enchanters faded behind them. Sakura looked down and shuddered. It's so cold up here...