Chapter Three: Shattering Togenkyo
The sea, endless in its blue as it touches the horizon, brushing against the clouds and the sun… falling upon the shores of some distant land.
Prince Toma yawned in boredom as he gazed out at the seemingly endless ocean through one of the many windows in his giant tree home. The small island kingdom of Togenkyo, his magical empire, rocked gently against the waves as if the mother sea were cradling the island as its own small child.
Man, I'm so bored…
In the waves around the island, a family of bottle nosed dolphins called out as the younger ones followed each other in a lively game of tag. In the sky a flock of seagulls landed on the Great Tree's many branches, resting after such a long journey across the infinite reaches of the blue. The island drew these animals and more as a testament of its magical powers. It was a haven from the wilds of the Pacific, peacefully keeping its existence secret from the majority of mankind with magical illusions.
Today promised to be a boring one, just dozen before that and the dozen before that. Toma had spent most of his life on this magical island, often bored out of his mind as any normal, cooped up child would be. Tapping his fingers incessantly on his wooden throne, he pleaded for something exciting to happen.
I would trade my entire kingdom and everything in it if I could live a life like Ranma's. But then again, I had best not tease myself with such wishful thinking. I have certain obligations I must attend to. Dreaming about living a different life won't help my people.
At some point after meeting Ranma, the older boy had become Toma's role model. The youth believed that if he could be more like his former pig-tailed nemesis then his life would gain some measure of excitement. This ideal was not without merit. Ranma's life was never dull, to be sure. Toma's advisors were less than thrilled that he had chosen to emulate such an insufferable ruffian and had no trouble saying so. Their arguments were further sustained when it was pointed out that the great tree and most of the island had suffered damage because of Ranma and his friend's during their short stay.
Toma lazily tossed his sheathed sword into the air, catching it before it could hit the ground. Yes, of course these thoughts are impossible. I am a prince and I have a duty to protect my people. I shouldn't be thinking about crazy adventures. I am being too selfish.
He rose from his throne and stretched his lithe body, cracking his neck and knuckles, ridding himself of stiffness. Guess I'll perform my weekly inspection of the training grounds, it's not like I have anything better to do today.
Attaching his ancient ancestral sword to his side, Toma threw open the chamber doors and stepped out into the warm, tropical sunlight. Its gentle glow raised his mood as soothing warmth soaked into his body, drawing forth a light smile upon his lips. Snapping his fingers, he was instantly flanked by his three beast-men bodyguards who came out of the woodwork with inhuman speed. They walked in silence through the island's dense forest of palm trees, admiring the beautiful day, guarding their prince with skilled awareness even though everyone knew there were no threats to speak of on his island. What few natural predators had once lived on the island had long since been destroyed.
I wonder what Ranma and Akane have been up to lately. I should pay them a visit sometime. That would be fun! Just like last time.
After losing Akane to Ranma, the two warriors had parted as friends after a free ride back to mainland Japan. Toma wasn't the type to hold a grudge and besides, during Ranma's stay on Togenkyo he hadn't been bored a single moment. As a counterbalance, Akane had humbled him greatly. As a result, Toma realized that he still had a lot of maturing to do before he even thought about marriage. It had been quite a lifestyle change consider that it had been his only goal up to that point.
Most of the men on his island had married the many maidens whom he had stolen from other islands to be used as bridal candidates. A majority of the women had resented them at first but constant effort and attention won their hearts one after another. His men were good-hearted souls and the women were treated with reverence and love. Marriages were held almost every day for over a record-breaking month. Romance and bliss returned to Togenkyo and now, a year later, the island was filled with cooing, crying babies, swelling the population to a greater number than it had ever known. In the years to come the father's would train their children to fight and serve Toma as well as they had. Thus the security and continued existence of Togenkyo would be secured for many generations to come.
Arriving at the round circular training area on the southeast tip of the island, Toma watched as the men sparred with a small measure of interest. This zone was as militaristic as he would allow. Training was conducted only in this area so that the overall peace and tranquility of the island would not be disturbed.
"They certainly have improved since last year. Wouldn't you agree, Salatoru?"
Yes, lord." The man/monkey nodded, taking a puff from his long tobacco pipe. His voice sounded amazing like a cheesy game show host on TV but most knew better than to cross him when he grew serious. His mastery of mind-altering images and illusions were impressive, second only to Toma himself. "I wonder what has inspired them to train so hard."
"That is quite obvious," the bird/man Torusan rasped from behind his wooden mask "They wish to be in top shape so that they can inspire their sons to be even stronger then themselves. It's a natural balance of sorts."
Wonton the dog/man just stared dumbly at his comrades, not understanding the topic at hand. He pulled a bone from his pocket and stuck it in his oversized mouth, 'woofing' happily. Toma reached up to scratch his head, chuckling despite himself.
"Togenkyo's guards are the finest in the Orient, my lord," Salatoru remarked, gestured to the training men with his pipe. "If their sons learn to fight as good as their fathers then we will be in fine shape. Any unwanted guests that show up next time won't fare so well as the last."
When the men saw their master was watching them, they increased the ferocity of their strikes in hopes of catching his attention to each of their own fighting skills. Halfhearted blows turned serious and swords clashed together sharply, drowning out the sounds of the ocean around them. Some of the heartiest turned to unarmed combat and wrestling. As they threw their opponents to the ground with audible thuds, sand kicked up high into the hot afternoon sky.
The fourteen-year-old stared at the sun as it climbed higher across that warm sky. Like most children his age, he soon grew bored and needed constant amusement to stay focused on a certain thing for any period of time. "Salatoru, stay and watch over the men. Wonton, Toristan, you two may return to your chambers. I am done here for the day."
The three men bowed respectfully as Toma departed back into the cool shade of his tree home. He fell onto his bed and stared longingly at the group photo of Ranma and his friends that was mounted on his wall. Feeling the gentle rock of the island upon the waters, he lay there for a few moments as his mind dwelled on the past.
His thoughts returned to those of his mother and he jumped up to look at a huge panting of her on the massive wall opposite of his bed. Mother was so beautiful. He smiled gently. She was so kind and gentle. I wish you were still here with me; I know you would be pleased to see the man I've become.
A strong cold breeze sailed through Toma's home, causing the young prince to shiver and clutch at his arms, rubbing against the goose bumps that formed across his skin. Strange, I don't remember it getting this cold in July…
The breeze died down and the room once again warmed up. He was about to forget the strange matter entirely when suddenly a powerful, intangible aura rose up from out of nowhere and nearly knocked him off his feet. His eye's widened in barely concealed concern and he suddenly felt a tingle of fear for some strange reason. His heightened senses screamed at him from the confines of the back of his mind, urging extreme caution.
Is this…a battle aura?! Yes, that's what it is, I can sense it! I've never felt anything so strong before!
He turned away from the painting and scanned the room. It couldn't be Ranma... could it? No, this feels sinister… almost unnaturally so.
"This cannot be Prince Toma of Togenkyo. I didn't know the ruler of this island was only a child. What a complete and utter disappointment." A deep voice rumbled throughout the room, startling the prince to his core.
Toma searched thru the chamber with his eyes, trying to find the source of the voice as his hand felt to the hilt of sword, drawing comfort from its firm metal frame. "Who's there!?"
His well-trained eyes fell on the doorway where a shadow of what he guessed was a man shimmered into existence. It couldn't be a shadow, he quickly deducted that much. The sunlight couldn't penetrate deep enough in the tree to cast enough light to form deep shadows of that nature and even if it could, nothing in his home even resembled such a shape. He guessed it was some kind of magical trick, perhaps an illusion.
With a wave of his hand, the shadow stepped forward. Behind him, the large stone door closed and locked behind him. Toma felt the hair's on the back of his neck prickle and stand on end. A cold hand had settled on his heart with a chilled ice grip, and he took a hesitant half step backwards. Every cell in his body screamed at him to run.
"I see you there. Who are you and why do you enter my chambers without permission?!" Toma had the suspicion that his day was about to take a wide U-turn away from boredom. What's that saying? 'Be careful what you wish for?'
"I am a master of shadows, nothing more, nothing less. I have come to see the famous Lord of Togenkyo. However, if I had known that you were only a boy, I wouldn't have wasted my time coming here in the first place."
The youth simmered with anger and his shoulders trembled. "A mere child, you say?! I am Prince Toma, Lord of Illusions! I find your disrespect annoying and completely uncalled for! Be gone, shadow, or you will be punished accordingly."
The shadow laughed with amusement as he slowly strode forward. "You will punish me?! Listen to me boy, I have fought many powerful opponents and withstood many strange and potent attacks. My training alone nearly cost me my life. But the payoff was worth it and made me even stronger than before. As such, I highly doubt that you, a young fool, will succeed in beating me where so many others have failed."
"You underestimate my abilities and insult me as well!" The prince growled and drew his sword. "It seems you need a lesson in manners and respect. Prepare for battle!"
He charged forward, swinging his sword with deadly grace, trying to deliver a blow that would cleave his opponent in half. Unfortunately, it didn't connect. The Shadow Warrior teleported at the last second and Toma's sword caught nothing but air.
The prince spun around frantically, searching for his elusive target and came face to face with the dark cloud. Before he could react, the man raised a large arm and slammed his fist into Toma's face, throwing him back into an antique table. It shattered into pieces under his weight. Stunned, he lay on the ground for a moment amidst the broken husk of the furniture and felt warm blood trickle down his face, forming a puddle of red on the floor. He snarled in rage and disbelief. "How dare you!"
"You started this fight, fool! Due to your rashness I will finish it! Don't think for a second that I'm going to spare you just because you're a child."
"We'll see, wont we?" Toma sheathed his sword and disappeared in a brilliant flash. The Shadow Warrior blinked in amazement behind his helmet, and took a cautionary step backwards. The prince reappeared right in front of him and threw a punch that connected with what he guessed was the man's chin; it was difficult to tell with the cloud distorting his view. The attack had come far faster than he had anticipated and he snarled in frustration. Unlike the other opponents he had faced, he hadn't taken the time to properly research this brat beforehand. That meant there was a danger brought on by the element of unknown, but that just made things sweeter and he relished the fast paced uncertainty the battle was creating. Life wasn't worth living, after all, if one wasn't prepared to take risks.
The shadow stumbled backwards clumsily, his initiative broken as he shifted into a defensive stance. Unlike his previous opponent, this lad knew how to fight up close and personal, and he did so like a cornered wolf. The Warrior grinned, suddenly feeling very pleased. His journey here hadn't been a waste after all.
Toma used this vital time of inactivity wisely by slamming his foot straight into the man's chest. His opponent grunted in pain but managed to regain his balance and throw a punch aimed for the young prince's side. Toma avoided the move with ease and back flipped away at the last second, giving him some room to work with.
A flurry of punches caught nothing but air as Toma skillfully flipped out of the way, his own blade ringing out, almost taking an arm off at the shoulder. The Shadow Warrior had learned a hard lesson. Though young, Toma could fight with the skill and power far above that of normal human beings. It would not do well for him to underestimate the boy a second time. Advancing again, he took more care in planning his next attack.
"You are good young prince, far better than I ever imagined you could be. I was surprised to see that you mastered the art of teleportation. Normally it would take a person many years to master. I am impressed! However, it will take more than a teleport and basic level attacks to faze me for long."
The Shadow Warrior dropped into a stronger offensive combat stance. "Now, show me your true potential!"
Toma couldn't remember the last time he had fought this hard. His body was covered in a fine layer of sweat and his muscles strained with exertion. He certainly hadn't seen such a high level of skill displayed in an enemy during combat since Ranma's little adventure. The only difference was this warrior was out to cause permanent damage. One slip up and it would be all over.
The two began a game of run and catch around the room, each teleporting to spots where they would be able to launch a quick attack against the other. Toma, being as small as he was, still landed several punches that hit hard enough to amaze the Warrior. Still, his armor absorbed the blows and the unfortunate prince soon found himself on the receiving end of a powerful counteroffensive, and his body paid the price as punches tenderized his flesh.
Switching tactics, he drew his sword again and resumed his attack, once again forcing his foe back. Rolling in low, he kicked at the Warrior's armored shin, setting him temporarily off balance. Jumping up, Toma drew his sword high and brought it down towards his opponent's head with amazing speed and precision. The Warrior raised his arm and the sword cut into the armor on his forearm, but not deep enough to reach the skin. Slapping the weapon out of Toma's hands and across the room, he followed up with a kick to the boy's sternum. As the stunned prince flew backwards, the Shadow Warrior was there to meet him, catching him by the front of his clothing and pounding his stomach with a vengeance.
Setting himself against the pain, Toma lifted his foot up and kicked his enemy square in the jaw. Finding the grip holding him slightly weakened, he managed to break free and half fell, half roll across the room. He grabbed his sword and turned, leveling it in the direction of his opponent.
As a pause in the battle occurred, he took a second to catch his breath, rubbing thoughtfully at the large gash on his cheek, given to him by a painful fist to face connection. This guy is strong, much stronger than I am! I can't hope to beat him with regular attacks. My only chance is to collect all my remaining energy and hit him full force!
"This must end here!" Focusing his mind, Toma collected his energy reserves and prepared for an all or nothing attack.
The warrior paused and rose to his full height, rolling back his shoulders. "A final attack this early in the match?"
Toma smiled thinly. "I've never been one for drawing things out."
"Ha. Here I was beginning to think that you were a true martial artist, especially after stunning performance you just gave. Oh well. If you are going to gamble on an all or nothing attack at least give me a glimpse as to the true extent of your power."
He made no attempt to move or shield himself. Nothing could have infuriated the young prince more. The way Toma saw it, no matter how strong willed this man was he would certainly fall victim to the sword's illusion attack. No one had ever been able to see through the illusion with the exception of Ranma.
"I'll show you power!" Toma raised his sword and began concentrating his power for his attack. Holding the weapon with his other hand just below the tip, he closed his eyes in concentration. Abruptly, fire sprouted from the blade's hilt, licking at the metal. Toma pulled his arm back and, with a strong swing of the blade, shot fire from his sword. The menacing warrior in armor was instantly engulfed in a torrent of flame that would appear to burn with intensity for several long minutes. The flames greedily clung to the armor the Shadow Warrior wore but he did not move. In seconds he was utterly consumed by the fire and heat of the prince's attack.
While the move was entirely an illusion, what the mind perceived as being truth became real. As such, the Warrior's own mind would seal his demise. A wave of comfort washed over the prince when he knew the man was dead. He sunk to his knees in exhaustion. Never before had he used so much energy to heighten the attack to its greatest believable setting. He counted himself lucky that the Shadow Warrior didn't know of the move's weakness. If he had, not only would he have survived, but it would have opened up a world of problems for the young ruler that he no longer had the strength to resist. Wiping sweat from his eyes, Toma watched the illusionary flames finish its ghastly work.
His eyes transfixed on the lovely and terrible fires of his final attack as he watched the hellish flames dance in merriment for a long moment before sheathing his blade and taking a deep breath. "I didn't want to take your life. You left me with no other choice."
Without warning the Shadow Warrior burst from the flames like a reincarnated phoenix and charge towards the stricken prince at blinding speed, howling at the top of his lungs. He delivered a roundhouse kick to Toma's face that spun the youth to the ground. The boy lay there, wide-eyed, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.
The Shadow Warrior laughed. "I noticed that your attack was not real when your hand came in close contact with the blade. You didn't recoil from the heat or the flames like a normal person would. Armed with that knowledge, your attack was little more than a fireworks show. It's utterly useless when a person knows that it's an illusion. Did I hit right on the mark or what?"
Striding forward, he grabbed the prince roughly by his hair and lifted the boy off the ground as if he weighed nothing at all. Toma's mouth filled with dust and small rock shards as he was slammed into a nearby pillar, shattering it. He collapsed in a heap at the man's feet, surrounded by rough chunks of stone.
"Unfortunately, you risked all and lost. Now you must pay the price for your gamble. I will find a way to twist your final attack to suit my personal use. You have my thanks for such an entertaining afternoon."
Toma screamed as his vision went red and pain blossomed across his spinal column and up into his brain. He screamed again as a portion of his knowledge was ripped away from his mind by an invisible force, leaving a gaping hole of nothingness in its place. The agony racked his body, tormenting with high levels of malicious power. Bolts of discharged energy played across his shaking form as the Shadow Warrior howled with delight, standing over his defeated foe like a black demon. Crying out with a final whimper, Toma collapsed and lay unmoving on the floor, charges of static energy still sparking across his prone form.
The Shadow Warrior turned to go. Time was of the essence. He didn't have time or energy to waste in killing the boy when he had an even stronger opponent to track down. There was no reason to kill these weak pawns. Defeat and robbing him of their most guarded attacks was shame enough. The only ones who deserved final death were Ranma and the old man.
The doors of Toma's chamber flew open and the Shadow Warrior whipped his head around to see three animal-like men standing in combat stance. Behind them, a contingent of personal body guards stood ready for battle.
"Step away from the prince!" Torusan rasped.
Damn it. I wasn't fast enough. The Shadow Warrior knew it wasn't a question of whether or not he could take them all but a question of how much time it would take to do it. He was not a patient man and even a moment of wasted time with his final goal drawing so close to completion was utterly unacceptable. He quickly decided that it would simply be best to cut his victory a trifle short and leave these fools to pick up the broken pieces of their fallen prince.
"Master Toma!" Salatoru cried as he saw Toma lying broken on the floor. His furry face held a look of rage and barely controlled agony. "What have you done to him?!"
"Ahhh, the faithful guards to the rescue. Too bad for him that you didn't arrive five minutes sooner. He's just having a nap right now. Nothing to worry about. Farewell gentlemen, I have pressing matters elsewhere to attend to."
The Warrior called upon the shadows from the darkness of his soul and teleported away with a blinding flash of red light, leaving only his haunting laughter behind as it echoed throughout the large chamber.
Horrified, the three beast-men ran to their master's side and held his twitching, sweating form in their gentle hands. His breathing came in short, uncontrolled rasps and several of the men looked at one another, uncertain of what to do.
"Prepare a boat," Salatoru cried, running ahead. "The master needs medical attention!"
Wonton, the strongest of them all, carefully lifted the boy up and carried him in his massive hands, whining sadly.
Luckily, the floating island was passing closer to Japan than usual so the trio arrived in Okinawa via boat in good time. Toma was rushed into the emergency room one hour later at the island's central hospital. The doctors, after getting over the initial shock of seeing three animal-like men and two spear armed soldiers, told them that the young boy would live but that it would require days of rest and other procedures before he would be well enough to see visitors.
Silently and sadly, Toma's faithful men began the trip back to Togenkyo. In all of their hearts burned the desire for revenge, but they had no way to extract it since the enemy had neither given his name nor shown his face. Sighing and leaning back against the mast of the small boat as it sailed back to the island, Salatoru thought of Ranma and knew, somehow, that this nightmare would not leave him untouched. Glumly, he placed his wooden pipe between his lips, taking several soothing puffs of the burning tobacco. The smoke filtered down his throat and into his lungs, calming his nerves ever so slightly.
Rest easy, lord Toma. Just focus on recovering your strength. Don't worry, one way or another, you will be avenged.
The matter would be left to Ranma then. Perhaps that was how it was meant to be. Salatoru only hoped fate would be kinder to him than it had for poor Toma.