Mystery of the Soul
ch 3
Aunt Meih, Kento, and Kaye were all sitting under one of the weeping willows beside the pond. "Alright, now are you going to tell us what's going on?" Kento asked starting to get more than a little annoyed at the situation.
She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, "do you remember a couple named Jia Li and Shen?" Aunt Meih asked waiting for their response.
"Yeah, but what do they have to do with this?" Kaye asked very curiously.
Aunt Meih opened her eyes and looked at the two, "Jia Li and Shen are not whom they seem to be. Jia Li is actually a phoenix and Shen is a dragon, well, in spirit anyway. What you saw were only their human forms. Every century they come to the mortal realm seeking two people that they believe can fulfill the prophecy."
"What prophecy are you talking about?" Kento grumbled crossing his arms.
"The prophecy that says two people that have been through so much, and came through their adversities because of true love for each other. They are the ones that can stop the Dark Harpy and her spirit hunters from determining the fates of the spirits that come after, a fate far worse than death." Aunt Meih replied. Kento and Kaye looked at each other in a mix of shock and disbelief.
Kaye looked over towards aunt Meih with a deep frown, "but how can we? We don't even have our armors! How are we expected to..."
"The two of you have all that you need. You have your fighting skills, intelligence, you also still have your magic." Aunt Meih started to explain.
"How can we still have our magic?" Kento asked in disbelief. "When you died, yours transferred to us!"
Aunt Meih nodded, "it's true, when I died my magic did flow into the two of you, but just before I left the mortal world. I said one last spell, this allowed the two of you to keep your magic when you died. That is why you still have it."
"But we barely even know how to use it. We don't even have any spell books or anything!" Kaye exclaimed in frustration.
"You don't need any spell books, my young ones, the magic has always been with you, here." Aunt Meih replied with a warm smile motioning to their hearts. "You'll know how to use it when the time comes."
Kento stayed quiet for a little longer, and then he finally spoke, "aunt Meih, were you ever going to tell us about this?"
"At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to tell you." Aunt Meih replied, she then saw the disappointed look in their eyes. "I was hoping that it didn't have to come to this so soon. I guess that I was just afraid..."
"Afraid?! Afraid of what aunt Meih?!" Kaye shot at her.
"I was afraid if you two didn't accept your roles in your destiny that..." aunt Meih started to explain sadly.
"That we what? Come on aunt Meih, just tell us already." Kento replied looking at her with stern eyes.
Aunt Meih looked deeply into their eyes. "If you didn't accept the gift that you've been given. It would consume you, and the both of you would become what you fear most."
------------------------------------------------
Ryo was sitting on the ground with his knees drawn up, and his face buried within his hands. He was sobbing so hard that it was making it difficult for him to breathe. At that moment he didn't care, he looked up and glared at his kanji ball that he held in front of him. He slowly stood up, "Kento, Kaye, I'm so sorry, all I wanted to do was destroy the demon lord and his priestess. I didn't want the two of you to die. Please forgive me, I'll understand if you won't. How can you forgive me, if I won't forgive myself?" Ryo cocked back his arm, and was about ready to throw away his kanji ball, "I don't deserve to be a Ronin Warrior any longer."
"You know, I was wondering what it would take for you Ronins to give up. Now I know." a voice said in amusement from behind.
Ryo whirled around and glared into the darkness, "who's there?! Show yourself!"
"If you insist."
"Oni!" Ryo growled angrily glaring at him. "You're going to pay for betraying us!"
"Funny choice of words from someone who killed his own friends." Oni mocked with a cocky grin. Ryo charged at Oni, and then he jumped up delivered a hook then right after a roundhouse straight at Oni's stomach. Oni laughed as he dodged Ryo's attack.
'He's fast, faster than me.' Ryo thought angrily breathing hard while keeping his eyes on him.
"What's the matter Wildfire, having problems?" Oni asked in amusement.
"Shut up!" Ryo growled angrily.
"You know, with that type of attitude, maybe you should just quit being a Ronin Warrior. I mean where did it get you, once you think about it. You tried to get rid of a very dangerous demon, but in the process you also killed your two friends." Oni taunted in enjoyment. Ryo's eyes flared with intense anger, but his heart wretched with so much guilt that it felt like it was tearing him apart. "What would you say that there is a way to get their spirits back? Would that interest you?"
"What are you talking about?! They're dead! There's no way..." Ryo yelled at him outraged.
"That's where you're wrong, Wildfire, when you get back. Why don't you ask Jia Li and Shen? I'm sure that they'll know exactly what I'm talking about." Oni replied with a laugh as he disappeared in a blink of an eye.
'Could it be possible? Is there a way to bring them back to life?' Ryo wondered to himself as he looked towards the direction of the Rei Faun place. After a few more minutes of thinking, Ryo decided it was finally time to go back.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rowen frowned while looking at Jia Li and Shen, "hey, wait a minute."
"Yes?" Shen asked raising an eye brow at him.
"You called Ryo, Wildfire. How'd you know..." Rowen started to ask. Jia Li and Shen looked at each other and sighed.
"We know all about you, Ronin Warriors." Jia Li replied as they looked at each of them. "We'll explain everything as soon as your friend comes back. In the meantime, we need to make preparations."
The three Ronins looked at each other in complete confusion. "Hold on, you're not taking one more step towards Kento's and Kaye's bodies until you two tell us everything that's going on." Cye said getting in front of them.
"There's no time for us to take this quibbling up with you. We have to get them ready, so they can come back. Now if you don't mind, get out of our way." Shen replied with narrowed eyes.
"What are you talking about, them coming back?" Sage asked curiously walking towards them.
"Yes, why don't you two fill us all in on what's going on." Ryo replied finally joining back with them.
"Very well," Jia Li acknowledged with a nod of her head. She started to fill them in on their quest to find the two people that could save the fates of the souls that would come after from a fate far worse than death. The guys looked at each other in disbelief, "it's true, but in order to bring them back from the spirit nexus, you have to find what is called the pearl of life."
"Is that anything like the jewel of life?" Sage asked in an interested tone.
"It's similar in some ways, but in others it's more powerful." Shen replied nodding his head.
"But when we came to the mortal realm, the pearl split in half, and we were wearing half of it around our necks." Jia Li told them with a slight frown.
"What do you mean by were wearing? What happened to them, where are they now?" Cye asked in slight alarm.
"That's what we're not entirely sure on. You see, when the final battle took place, and the demon lord and his priestess were destroyed. Somehow, the two pieces of the pearl vanished. But we do have some suspicion of where they ended up, and if that's the case, then our time is truly short." Shen replied in a concerned tone.
ch 3
Aunt Meih, Kento, and Kaye were all sitting under one of the weeping willows beside the pond. "Alright, now are you going to tell us what's going on?" Kento asked starting to get more than a little annoyed at the situation.
She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, "do you remember a couple named Jia Li and Shen?" Aunt Meih asked waiting for their response.
"Yeah, but what do they have to do with this?" Kaye asked very curiously.
Aunt Meih opened her eyes and looked at the two, "Jia Li and Shen are not whom they seem to be. Jia Li is actually a phoenix and Shen is a dragon, well, in spirit anyway. What you saw were only their human forms. Every century they come to the mortal realm seeking two people that they believe can fulfill the prophecy."
"What prophecy are you talking about?" Kento grumbled crossing his arms.
"The prophecy that says two people that have been through so much, and came through their adversities because of true love for each other. They are the ones that can stop the Dark Harpy and her spirit hunters from determining the fates of the spirits that come after, a fate far worse than death." Aunt Meih replied. Kento and Kaye looked at each other in a mix of shock and disbelief.
Kaye looked over towards aunt Meih with a deep frown, "but how can we? We don't even have our armors! How are we expected to..."
"The two of you have all that you need. You have your fighting skills, intelligence, you also still have your magic." Aunt Meih started to explain.
"How can we still have our magic?" Kento asked in disbelief. "When you died, yours transferred to us!"
Aunt Meih nodded, "it's true, when I died my magic did flow into the two of you, but just before I left the mortal world. I said one last spell, this allowed the two of you to keep your magic when you died. That is why you still have it."
"But we barely even know how to use it. We don't even have any spell books or anything!" Kaye exclaimed in frustration.
"You don't need any spell books, my young ones, the magic has always been with you, here." Aunt Meih replied with a warm smile motioning to their hearts. "You'll know how to use it when the time comes."
Kento stayed quiet for a little longer, and then he finally spoke, "aunt Meih, were you ever going to tell us about this?"
"At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to tell you." Aunt Meih replied, she then saw the disappointed look in their eyes. "I was hoping that it didn't have to come to this so soon. I guess that I was just afraid..."
"Afraid?! Afraid of what aunt Meih?!" Kaye shot at her.
"I was afraid if you two didn't accept your roles in your destiny that..." aunt Meih started to explain sadly.
"That we what? Come on aunt Meih, just tell us already." Kento replied looking at her with stern eyes.
Aunt Meih looked deeply into their eyes. "If you didn't accept the gift that you've been given. It would consume you, and the both of you would become what you fear most."
------------------------------------------------
Ryo was sitting on the ground with his knees drawn up, and his face buried within his hands. He was sobbing so hard that it was making it difficult for him to breathe. At that moment he didn't care, he looked up and glared at his kanji ball that he held in front of him. He slowly stood up, "Kento, Kaye, I'm so sorry, all I wanted to do was destroy the demon lord and his priestess. I didn't want the two of you to die. Please forgive me, I'll understand if you won't. How can you forgive me, if I won't forgive myself?" Ryo cocked back his arm, and was about ready to throw away his kanji ball, "I don't deserve to be a Ronin Warrior any longer."
"You know, I was wondering what it would take for you Ronins to give up. Now I know." a voice said in amusement from behind.
Ryo whirled around and glared into the darkness, "who's there?! Show yourself!"
"If you insist."
"Oni!" Ryo growled angrily glaring at him. "You're going to pay for betraying us!"
"Funny choice of words from someone who killed his own friends." Oni mocked with a cocky grin. Ryo charged at Oni, and then he jumped up delivered a hook then right after a roundhouse straight at Oni's stomach. Oni laughed as he dodged Ryo's attack.
'He's fast, faster than me.' Ryo thought angrily breathing hard while keeping his eyes on him.
"What's the matter Wildfire, having problems?" Oni asked in amusement.
"Shut up!" Ryo growled angrily.
"You know, with that type of attitude, maybe you should just quit being a Ronin Warrior. I mean where did it get you, once you think about it. You tried to get rid of a very dangerous demon, but in the process you also killed your two friends." Oni taunted in enjoyment. Ryo's eyes flared with intense anger, but his heart wretched with so much guilt that it felt like it was tearing him apart. "What would you say that there is a way to get their spirits back? Would that interest you?"
"What are you talking about?! They're dead! There's no way..." Ryo yelled at him outraged.
"That's where you're wrong, Wildfire, when you get back. Why don't you ask Jia Li and Shen? I'm sure that they'll know exactly what I'm talking about." Oni replied with a laugh as he disappeared in a blink of an eye.
'Could it be possible? Is there a way to bring them back to life?' Ryo wondered to himself as he looked towards the direction of the Rei Faun place. After a few more minutes of thinking, Ryo decided it was finally time to go back.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rowen frowned while looking at Jia Li and Shen, "hey, wait a minute."
"Yes?" Shen asked raising an eye brow at him.
"You called Ryo, Wildfire. How'd you know..." Rowen started to ask. Jia Li and Shen looked at each other and sighed.
"We know all about you, Ronin Warriors." Jia Li replied as they looked at each of them. "We'll explain everything as soon as your friend comes back. In the meantime, we need to make preparations."
The three Ronins looked at each other in complete confusion. "Hold on, you're not taking one more step towards Kento's and Kaye's bodies until you two tell us everything that's going on." Cye said getting in front of them.
"There's no time for us to take this quibbling up with you. We have to get them ready, so they can come back. Now if you don't mind, get out of our way." Shen replied with narrowed eyes.
"What are you talking about, them coming back?" Sage asked curiously walking towards them.
"Yes, why don't you two fill us all in on what's going on." Ryo replied finally joining back with them.
"Very well," Jia Li acknowledged with a nod of her head. She started to fill them in on their quest to find the two people that could save the fates of the souls that would come after from a fate far worse than death. The guys looked at each other in disbelief, "it's true, but in order to bring them back from the spirit nexus, you have to find what is called the pearl of life."
"Is that anything like the jewel of life?" Sage asked in an interested tone.
"It's similar in some ways, but in others it's more powerful." Shen replied nodding his head.
"But when we came to the mortal realm, the pearl split in half, and we were wearing half of it around our necks." Jia Li told them with a slight frown.
"What do you mean by were wearing? What happened to them, where are they now?" Cye asked in slight alarm.
"That's what we're not entirely sure on. You see, when the final battle took place, and the demon lord and his priestess were destroyed. Somehow, the two pieces of the pearl vanished. But we do have some suspicion of where they ended up, and if that's the case, then our time is truly short." Shen replied in a concerned tone.