Shitza: HI again, hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you all are up for a new chapter. Okay, I know I should have updated this sooner, but I had so much work to finish for school I barely had time to finish a chapter for my other story. Anyway, please forgive me for this delay, hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
Also, thank you all reviewers for the over a hundred reviews I have received over this story. When I first started to write this I never could imagine receiving just fifty, not even forty. So THANK YOU!!!!!!!
Hem, hem… On to the story…
Chapter 22 In Life or Death
Lin returned to the fire, her travelling clothes a bit unbuttoned then usual. Yet as she got near to the camp she saw it was unusually quiet. She went to look for the others, but she could only find Deko. Panicking she ran back to Xing, to tell him the bad news.
(In the World of both Living and Dead)
Chihiro opened her eyes. Her head kept on spinning. She looked up and saw Kohaku leaning over her, tears in his eyes.
"You were so cold, I thought I had lost you." He said.
Chihiro sat up and kissed him lightly. "Where are we?" she asked.
She looked around, fear driving her close to the edge of insanity. She took a deep breath, not believing her eyes. They had come, to a place without life and without death, here nothing either lived or died. It just existed. The trees grew as pillars of stone, but they looked lifeless, but still grew right before their eyes. She saw a squirrel, which jumped from branch to branch. Once it fell, landed on a rock. But even if it looked dead it kept on, jumping.
It all was meaningless, but still beautiful in a way. The ground was covered in flowers, which bloomed. But what kind of flower was grey or black? Not many, and none of those grew stiff and formless.
On the pale sky the sun shone. There were also rumbling clouds above. Grey rain clouds that rumbled above. But there existed neither thunder nor rain. Also there existed no wind, anywhere. But still the clouds moved rather fast over their heads. Chihiro tried to understand, but couldn't. It was impossible.
Just then a blurry shape appeared behind a huge cloud and for the first time in a thousand years two creatures, other then a phoenix would see the Phoenix of life. It was a red phoenix with golden feathers, decorated very beautiful over its head, tail and wings. Chihiro and Kohaku couldn't do more then sigh in awe.
Just then the phoenix changed direction, and instead from continue to fly over them it landed by their feet. The phoenix of Life became herself right in front of their already shocked eyes. To their surprise she smiled when she had finally transformed and stood before them, holding a long staff with spells written in an old language.
"It's an honour to finally meet you, Chihiro and Kohaku. I have been waiting a long time for this meeting."
Chihiro almost fell over, from hearing those words. She had never heard anything like it. She knew that the two of them had already met more phoenixes then it was possible, but that one of them would actually welcome them. It was something wi´hich would bother her for the rest of her life.
Chihiro opened her mouth to speak, but the phoenix continued.
"You might wonder why I live here, down in nowhere. It is a long story, but I wish you can bring it to your world as both human and spirit has lost faith in the hard work I do."
"What do you mean?" Kohaku asked.
"I don't live down here in this sorrowful world without a reason. I haven't always lived here, once like you I lived in the world above. But then, about ten thousand years ago my brother, Destiny, saw one thing that would happen, straight ten thousand years into the future.
Two souls, two lovers have fought the dark evil, longer then you've known,
One is born with powers, the other one unknown.
The power of the first born, will loose something of deep value,
The other one will gain what powers she haven't wanted.
Peace will spread to the world, if their choices are right,
Peace will fly, if choices are made wrong.
Death may await both, if darkness will gather strength.
So, there are three, but there will only be one.
Yet the sorceress has some magic, for good or bad
She will crush, whatever stands.
Earth is found where the lowest ones live
Peace will fall into darkness
Water flow, calming beautifully.
Lightning strike, when you are unprepared
Wind will blow, raging angry
Life flow out from your soul
Love will kill, as much as it gives
Destiny foretell your fate
Fire emerge from strength, from good
Ice as cold, won't tell you at all
And so, the Great War will begin."
She sighed, a tear trickling down her cheek.
"I was sent down here, for protection. A few times I do actually fly up from this prison, but not often. They say if I die so will the whole world, something we can't risk. I have lived for a such a long time, all though not as long as Wind, I think he has lived longer then the world itself. I have waited so long for the powers of the worlds for The Two to be born. Maybe now, my time to leave this place has finally arrived."
Kohaku kept staring at her, no emotions or thoughts shown in his face. Chihiro looked at him, worried. She wasn't sure of what to think. She looked down on that cursed ring, which glowed angrily.
"Uhm, Great Phoenix" she said. "I was wondering if you could help us with one thing?"
Kohaku stared at her but then smiled. She clearly saw the message of surprise in his eyes, but also she knew he was proud of her. Somehow, from their connection, she felt he was kind of scared to ask someone who had the powers over their lives, and could be able to rip It away if they so much as made one mistake.
The phoenix laughed and smiled yet again. "Of course Chihiro, I already know what you ask of me and I will help you. You have my words on that."
She walked over to Kohaku, the long gold dress she was wearing dragged against the grass. She put one hand over the ring, and murmured a spell from her heart. There was a gold light, but nothing happened.
"I am afraid this is beyond my powers" she said sounding tired and surprised. I would advise you to the Phoenix of love,. She lives some miles west, towards the sea in a great cave. I don't have a map to show you, but I trust your friends now where they can find Inika."
"Inika?" Chihiro repeated surprised.
The phoenix smiled once more, and n a hurl of white fog the two of the disappeared back to their own world.
To Reviewers: Once more, thank you so much. Here are the responses!
Velf: Thank you for reviewing, and I'm going to return on reading either today, tomorrow or.. well, doesn't really matter. It's the Christmas holiday so I have plenty of time to catch up on all stories, and about hundred chapters.
Dagorwen of Ithilien: Okay, this wan't as soon as possible for me, but there were some delays for this chapter. Anyway, I hope you liked it and thank you so much for reviewing!!!
Fukari: No problem, I'm just happy when reader and reviewers return and tries to catch up. Hope you'll continue reading and thank you for reviewing!!
big book worm: Well, you don't need to applaud, I have been learning English since I was ten after all. Also, I thnk I'm one of very few, in my own age here that actually reads English literature freely. (Yet it don't help the grammatical parts) But anyway, thaknk you for reading and reviewing!!!
Storm-Maker: Thank you, I'm happy you like it. And thanks for understanding my little language problem in the terms of grammar and spelling. I think the main reason for me with the problems is that many times I have been able to use the Swedish (my native language) grammars, which isn't fully correct.
Winter –iel –o burzum: Thank you so much for the compliment, and sorry this took such a long time to write. Hope that you liked this chapter.
Crimson-Eyed-Angel99: AS I suppose you have really enjoyed this I just can say thank you for reading and I hope you liked this chapter!
End Notes
Shitza: It may take me a while to update until next time. But until then, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shitza