Ad: Hey, what's ringing? xD I be Adriatic, the Goddess of Underwater Radiance. Hehe. I'm Atruyai (Atry) by the way, just with a different name.
The Snow Person will appear in this chapter. Yes…
OH! And I'm truly, truly, truly sorry for the LATE update! I was so busy with school work and all the tests. I was really dropping out of my studies, and my parents were steaming O.o Then I had to go to London AGAIN because one of my aunt's friends just arrived at Heathrow Airport, and we had to fetch her as well. So as a consolation, I've provided you with a long chapter! I'm really, REALLY, REALLY sorry! x( I hope I'll never do this kind of thing again!
But I have to warn you that this story might be ON HIATUS for the next two months because I have to study for the mock exams we have in Third Year. I just can't fail this one – my freedom depends on it! ;-; So I'll be putting away ALL distractions (yes, that includes my valuable ToS game, wahh!) and concentrate on revisions! Wish me luck, and sorry again!
Disclaimer: I will try to buy it when I'm rich. But for now, CCS is CLAMP's. That's that. No buts about it. Bah.
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: LeGaCy DrAgOnS :
Chapter 13: Locked Soul Released
By Adriatic (Atruyai)
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There wasn't even a chirp in the cold, freezing air. The birds have all disappeared to safer places, the sun's rays were refused entry by the thick branches of the cursed trees. Darkened vines stretched across the dry, parched ground, as if reaching out to grab the riders that were now heading their way.
"Man, this place is as spooky as my Grandma's hut." Rarreu shuddered, clinging to Blanche's cascading manes. The horse neighed, as if sighing. Syaoran glanced at his travel partner over his shoulder with a slight glare. "We're nearly there. We have to ride carefully over these damned tree roots, they might trip us. Heck, I want to bash that stupid bastard's head in as soon as I can, but we might get severely hurt here if were not a bit more cautious."
The Li prince scowled at another foot-thick tree root that Furrion almost tripped over. Rarreu shrugged helplessly. "The quicker we rescue Sakura-chan, the quicker I get to reunite with my family." Syaoran directed and threw daggers (not literally) to him. "How can you be so heartless to my Sakura?"
"You're getting obsessive." Rarreu said sternly, his eyebrows furrowing. Syaoran ignored him. "My late father… he was a scholar, you know." The blond boy whispered softly, trying to catch a glimpse of the blue sky amongst the criss-crossing network of black branches piling one top of one another above them. Syaoran stared at him for a minute, before forcing his eyes to the back of Zeko's neck again.
"He once said that when you really love someone… you're willing to let them be free. Or something like that. I don't quite understand it myself."
Syaoran couldn't ignore that comment. His eyes glazed over briefly. "I… I'm not…" A sigh, "I'm not trying to just keep her to myself… I guess… I guess I'm just being a bit overprotective… that's all."
"Then that's just brotherly love."
"It isn't!"
Rarreu scoffed. "Believe whatever you want. But I think you're emotions are like in the middle of a collapsing bridge. You don't know which side to head for to make it off the bridge in time."
Syaoran's shoulders slumped a bit. However ridiculous he sounded, Rarreu was right. "You're in a bind, I see." The other teenager murmured, loud enough for Syaoran to hear. The prince pulled on Furrion's fur, and the fire wolf howled to a halt. Rarreu, slightly surprised, stopped beside him. He looked into Syaoran's face and sighed in sympathy.
The prince had an almost pitiful look on his face. Sadness, confusion, depression, frustration… all fused into one gloomy expression. "It will all turn out okay. Someday that 'brotherly love' of yours will evolve into a much bigger emotion. You will know when that happens, trust me. I was once like you with Emillion."
Rarreu chuckled to himself and patted Syaoran's back.
Suddenly, rays of light appeared around them. The two riders surveyed their surroundings, panicking. The fragments of light collected into a ball, and the ball expanded into a shape.
A human shape, to be exact. A woman.
To Syaoran, she looked strangely familiar…
She wore a white robe that fluttered in the sudden breeze that had appeared the moment the ball formed. She had hazel-coloured hair and pale skin, so pale that it blended in with the colour of her white robe.
Her eyes were golden. She sprouted angelic wings, twice her own body size. She looked down upon the two teenagers with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"Speak of your business in the Foliaric Forest." Her mouth was like the whispers of the wind, soft but sharp. Syaoran opened his mouth to speak, but Rarreu slapped it shut again.
"We wish to rescue our companion, trapped in the castle up ahead. Please let us through, fair maiden." He said quickly, before Syaoran bit his hand. Rarreu gave him a warning look.
The angel scrutinized them warily. "And how do you plan to escape from the Castle of the Undead?" She asked, with a thin layer of pity covering her voice. Rarreu shook his head.
"We do not know, miss. Our current priority is to retrieve our friend." Syaoran crossed his arms over his chest, letting Rarreu talk through this by himself.
"You haven't laid out your plans. You would never survive. Be gone." The angel held her palm out, facing outwards, and a light arrow shot out at an inhuman speed. Syaoran prepared himself for the worst, tugging on Furrion's fiery manes to the side to avoid head-on impact.
But the worst never came.
Out of nowhere, another arrow intercepted the light arrow's path. It was blue in colour, and disappeared upon contact. The light arrow vanished with it.
The angel's expression was firm, but curious. "You have a guardian with you. Bestow upon me your titles." She demanded, setting herself on the ground. Rarreu blinked, but put on his most overpowering smirk right away to hide his relief.
"My name is Satoshi Rarreu, and I'm a pyrotechinian. This is my friend, Kenroushi Kanzei, a warrior." He smacked Syaoran's shoulder playfully to further emphasize his point. The angel raised a thin eyebrow. "Warrior?" She floated forwards, getting closer to the two teenagers. "I will let you through, but on one condition."
Another ball of light appeared on her hand, and something appeared, encased in her grasp. It grew longer until it was at least three feet long.
It was a blade.
But no ordinary blade, it was made of light.
Syaoran stared at it in awe. Rarreu felt a sinister urge to touch it. The angel saw this and held the sword gingerly by its hilt. "Those without a brave soul will never be able to wield this heroic sword."
Rarreu blinked and snapped back to his old self (much to Syaoran's dismay). "You're right, I'm sorry. It's just something was whispering into my ears…"
"It's the Light Spirit. Holding this sword will only do you harm. The spirit will test your strength and braveness. It only qualifies souls who fight for justice and love." The angel handed the sword to Syaoran.
"Please, hold the hilt. You might feel slightly uneasy, but it'll be just for ten seconds or so." Syaoran nodded and gripped the hilt of the blade. The instant his skin made contact with the rough surface, the sword glowed. Syaoran felt like his hands were on fire.
"Arggh!" He released the sword immediately, but managed to catch it again with his other hand, which also burned. A reassuring feeling accumulated inside him, convincing him that it'll all be okay in the end. So he held on, although blood was starting to pour out of his hand.
At last, the pain stopped and the sword ceased to glow. Rarreu rushed over to check on Syaoran. "Hey man, we need to stop that blood flow!" Syaoran was now very much used to the pain, so he didn't mind. "Hmm… what…?" He asked, as if he was on drugs.
"Stand back." The angel ordered, and held Syaoran's severely bleeding hand. The wound rapidly healed, and Syaoran returned to his normal self. "Wh-What happened?"
The angel gave him a small smile. "You have been accepted by Crystalline Light, the sword. Now, I have a favour to ask of you." The angel sighed as Syaoran fiddled with the blade. Rarreu sat back and listened.
"My name is Enriya Quante." The angel started, staring off to the dark depths of the forest. Syaoran looked up in shock, as did Rarreu.
"I was supposed to be wed to the prince of the Dreamon Kingdom, Rikei, but…" Her wings drooped and embraced her. "…Rikei said he was in love with someone else. I was appalled, but since he was a bit like a little brother to me – I was twenty at the time and he was fifteen – I agreed to annul the engagement."
Syaoran recalled the words Sakura muttered in her dream. He opened his mouth to speak, but at the last second decided to let Enriya finish her story.
"Rikei left the next morning, barely leaving me without anything to remember him with… I really thought he hated me. But when I followed my father to the armoury at the base of our castle, there was a large package on the floor. Strangely, it was addressed to me."
Here, Enriya gripped the cross necklace she was wearing around her neck. It looked a bit too weird to be called a necklace, since of was more of a choker. The diamond studded cross, Syaoran noticed, overflowed with a kind of evil energy. The prince instantly sprang into a more guarded mode.
"Inside the small box, was this little thing." Enriya shook the choker. "And a note from Rikei. It contained two words, 'Wear it.' I was a bit suspicious, but wore it anyways. It… it… clamped to my neck… choking me slowly…" Tears started to form at the brim of her brown eyes as she continued.
"The next thing I knew, I was dead. And I transformed into what I am now… though I'm not an angel, nor am I a human. Something forced me to kill my family, and that's what I did. I'm a sinner. An empty, wandering soul; guarding this forest. The only way for me to escape into my afterlife is for someone to wield the Crystalline Light and slice off the Chains of Blood in the castle, then cut this thing into pieces." Enriya tugged on the choker, as if disgusted by it.
Rarreu narrowed his eyes. "Castle…?"
Enriya nodded. "Yes… the castle up ahead was my home. But it isn't anymore… Aeder has taken over Rikei's body and overwhelmed his soul."
"Aeder?" Syaoran quirked his eyebrows. At Aeder's name, Furrion howled and backed away, baring his teeth.
"Aeder is a high demon. An emotionless being. He sucks life energy from humans and uses their body as hosts for his shapeless one. In reality, he looks just like a black blob." Enriya let out a hollow laughter, one without a spark of life.
Syaoran grew more alarmed. If this Aeder being could suck life energy out of humans… that means… "Sakura…!" Syaoran murmured under his breath, panicking again.
"You're looking for Kinomoto Sakura, right? I saw Aeder galloping through the forest with her unconscious body a few hours ago. He called her name out sometimes, but I'm sure it wasn't exactly him. My theory is that maybe Aeder didn't completely devour Rikei's soul. A part of the boy is still in there, somewhere… and I suspect it's the part of him that loves Kinomoto-san very dearly. But Aeder could twist one's feelings, turning love into lust…"
Syaoran stared at Enriya pointedly. "You knew that Rikei loved Sakura?"
"Yes, he told me once that he fell in love with cherry blossoms…"
The Li prince fell into a lapse of silence. Rarreu bristled. "Stupid demon… I suppose the only way to get rid of Aeder is to kill him with the Crystalline Light?"
"Precisely. But…"
"But what?"
"You will have to break away the Chains of Blood first. These chains are enchanted by Aeder himself… they fuel his power. They are like the catalyst for his magic. They provide unlimited mana, the holy substance which supports dark and light magic. Without mana, the Crystalline Light would not be working and dark forces like Aeder would be banished to The Realm. The only way you can break the chains is when your emotions reaches its very climax. This situation is very rare indeed."
Syaoran huffed. "I don't care. I will rescue Sakura, and I always stick to my word."
"But as they say, when you gain one, you lose another…" Rarreu said sadly, tucking his head between his knees. Syaoran glared at him. "Stop talking in riddles, brat."
"He is right, Li-sama." The prince turned to Enriya abruptly. "How did you know me?"
"I… have my ways…" The woman said mysteriously, smiling. Rarreu rolled his eyes at the two of them. "You see, if we break the chains, the mana flow will disintegrate, causing the very decline of Wedromone."
"How so, brat?"
"Call me by my name for once, will ya? Anyway… as I said, Wedromone will die out, as it's a magical land sustained by the power of mana. No mana…"
Syaoran's eyes widened. "…No Wedromone…" Rarreu nodded austerely.
"I'm glad that you could finally figure it out, Li-sama. Although there is one way to continue to the river of mana… what is it now…? I've pretty much forgotten about it…" Enriya flapped her wings thoughtfully, closing her eyes in concentration.
"Ah! In order to prevent the leakage of mana, you have to continue the line of the Rainbow Dragons. In other words… you have to revive the dragons within you and Sakura-san. Their magic will connect the broken mana links together again."
Syaoran rubbed the mark at the back of his neck. Rarreu had sensed that this was something Syaoran wasn't ready to let him know, so he went away to tend to Furrion (he wasn't used to the wolf earlier but he's okay now) and Blanche, arguing with Cera and Kero at the same time.
"I need to go save Sakura then… that's my top priority. I'll think about everything else later." Syaoran stood up and brushed off the dirt from his peasant clothes. Enriya gave him a sheath made of hardened leather for the Crystalline Light. "Please defeat Aeder for me. Free Rikei-chan from the demon's torture… I will help you get rid of him completely in the end, so… hang in there."
Syaoran nodded and stored the Crystalline Light. "With this and my family's sword, I'll be able to defeat that bastard for sure!" He pumped his fist into the air and Enriya smiled.
"I shall let you pass now. Be careful of Aeder's minions, they have the power to inflict serious injury on you. Good luck." Syaoran hailed Rarreu and the teenager brought Furrion and Blanche over.
"Thank you Enriya-san. I will avenge you and the others, I promise!" Syaoran mounted Furrion and Rarreu climbed onto Blanche.
Enriya asked them to wait. "The Black Castle is built in a valley on top of the mountain ahead. You cannot enter the valley by foot, there is no entrance."
"We'll think of something." Syaoran said determinedly, fisting his hand. Enriya smiled again as the two teenagers took off.
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"Whoa…" Rarreu breathed as the mountain loomed above them. Its height scraped the skies and its peaks were jagged and pointy. A thunderstorm was brewing above, but there was no rain. Syaoran sighed heavily, shaking his head. "How are we going to get over this…?" He stared at the mountain, cursing it for being an (inevitable) obstacle.
"We should ask Keroberos-san and Foxip (Cera). They're the ones who could fly after all." Rarreu rotated his finger in circles in the air, rolling his eyes. Syaoran inclined his head at the blond teenager's suggestion. "For the first time in all this time, I'm agreeing with you, brat. The end of the world is near." He pulled Kero from the beast's hiding place in Sakura's bag.
"Hey, wake up, you stupid stuffy." He shook the little creature from side to side. Kero growled. "I heard you, dumbass!" He snapped, escaping from Syaoran's grasp. "And I heard your plan, too. No. Way." The Sun Guardian stuck his tongue out teasingly. Syaoran felt the rushing urge to chop the beast into bits with his newly acquired blade.
"Kero, we're trying to save Sakura here." He said patiently, though through gritted teeth. Kero nodded thoughtfully. "Of course we are, don't you think I knew that? I don't want you to ride me because it would probably be too dangerous. The summit is too high up and I can get easily tired if I fly too high with something on my back." The guardian pointed to the soaring mountain.
Syaoran groaned in frustration. "What about you, Foxip (Cera)?" He asked the creature sitting on Rarreu's shoulder (arguing with the teenager, as usual). Cera frowned and shrugged. "Same problem. Plus, my wings are very fragile. They could only be used for gliding and light flying. Short trips are okay with me, but long hikes like that just right out sucks."
Rarreu shouted at Cera for using bad language, and the Ikaeran shouted back.
Syaoran ran a hand thought his unruly hair. "What to do, what to do…" Suddenly, a shrill cry blasted in his ears, and he jumped. Furrion jolted under him, and scurried away. Blanche followed in pursuit.
Once in the safety of a cluster of boulders, Rarreu poked his head out slightly. He 'eep'ed and pulled back, panting. His eyes were wide. "I think… I just saw… a dragon." He fainted with swirly eyes as Syaoran sweatdropped.
The Li prince heard a roar and called upon his family sword. Counting to three, he jumped out of his hideout and charged…
Only to be stopped by another sword, resulting in a loud 'clang'.
"Very good." A gruff voice said, and the sound of sword being stored in a sheath could be heard. Syaoran opened his eyes, and saw Vyclae.
"You…!" Syaoran spat, anger blazing inside him. Vyclae tied his long silver hair with a thin white band and kept his stance coolly. The thirty-year-old stared down at the prince in front of him. "Nice to meet you again, Li-sama."
"What are you doing here!" Syaoran started to suspect that there was an alliance between Rikei and Vyclae. The latter petted Dracul gently, all the while still staring at Syaoran with an amused look. "I presume that you desire a transport to the peak?" He said, looking up to the mountain.
"So what if I do!" Syaoran held his blade out in front of him, ready for an attack. Vyclae laughed. "You're so stubborn. I wish to help you, is that alright?" Syaoran mouthed a fierce 'no'. Vyclae sighed. "Very well. You would have to stay here and wait for a more… trustable person who would offer you a transport to the Jagged Valley. Although I would have to inform you of the decreasing number of travellers coming through here lately, since that angelic being blocked the path…" Vyclae smirked as Syaoran thought hard.
"For all I know, it might be a trap! You're a murderer, that's the least I expect from you!" The prince shouted, sounding more confident that he really felt inside. After all, it is hard to believe someone who once decapitated your people in front of you.
Vyclae's eyes darkened and he turned away. "Do as you wish." He looked stiff and very regretful, and Syaoran knew he had hit a sensitive spot. "H-Hey…" The next thing he knew, he was holding Vyclae's shoulder apologetically. He didn't know why he did it, he just did.
Vyclae stopped in his tracks, his head bowed. "But then again… you would've killed me from the start if you're my enemy, ne? …I'm not sure if I can forgive you for what you've done to my kingdom, but I'm sure I will find the strength to do that one day. Forgive you, I mean." Syaoran smiled softly, patting the shoulder he's holding. Vyclae turned his head to him and smiled, half-morosely. "I'll be waiting."
Syaoran nodded eagerly and smiled again. Vyclae smiled back as Dracul looked on confusedly.
"What's most important now is Sakura. I need to get her out of that fortress, and quick!" Syaoran looked at the man beside him, who seemed to be in deep thought.
"I've scouted the whole valley before. I remember a flat landing space just above the castle on which I could tell Dracul to use. Then, you can go to the castle from there." Vyclae effortlessly carried the unconscious Rarreu over his shoulder (and stuffing Cera in the teenager's bag) before boarding Dracul after Syaoran.
The prince called Furrion back and looked at Blanche worriedly. "What about the white mare?" He asked Vyclae, being unsure himself. The older man thought for a moment, but he, too, seemed to be at lost.
"I… can take care of myself." A soft, echoing voice floated in the air, surprising Syaoran and Vyclae greatly. A light enclosed Blanche in a tight bind, and dispersed to reveal a unicorn with an extraordinary blue horn. Blanche whinnied, stretching her wings, her feathers flashing in the colour of magical gemstones. "I'm not… as weak… as you humans… think I am…" She trotted to Rarreu's body, Dracul eyeing her every step sharply.
"I shall carry master… myself… he will be awake soon…" Blanche bit into Rarreu's tunic and gently lifted him onto her own abdomen. Syaoran and Vyclae could only gawk in surprise while Kero peeked over the edge of Sakura's bag. Dracul's belly grumbled, showing his jealousy. The black dragon snorted hot, black smoke and turned his long head away.
The relationship between dragons and unicorns had never gone well for the past 2000 years. This was because the dragons were immortals, while the unicorns weren't.
Unicorns were supposed to be a life form that had ceased to exist in the vast land of Wedromone. Some suspected there were a few colonies living way out in Exire, a mythical continent spread across the sea. The unicorns were driven out from Wedromone by the power of darkness and immortality. They were honourable beings, the unicorns, and they were the symbols of death and rebirth. They despised the immortals with such a passion that there was a record in the Ancient Archives telling of a great war between the two forces. No-one knew which side had won however, but many assumed quite a lot of unicorn tribes simply went extinct, and the ones that survived emigrated, thus resulting in the lack of the holy creatures in Wedromone.
Blanche was already airborne. She circled the sky three times as Syaoran and Vyclae recovered from their shock and climbed onto the impatient Dracul.
The black dragon rocketed into the sky in a fit of rage. He tried to cook Blanche with his black fire, but the unicorn evaded his assault smoothly.
It took Vyclae all of his strength to steer Dracul back to the flat spot on the mountain. The dragon landed with an angry thump, stomping off to sulk after Vyclae and Syaoran unloaded themselves. Blanche gracefully glided in, stopping in front of Syaoran so that the prince could take Rarreu off her white body. The pyrotechnician was slowly waking up.
"Dragon… big… black… scary…" He mumbled, opening his eyes. Vyclae laughed. "Dracul won't bite you. He's a good dragon." Dracul blew a smoke ring and continued to sulk. Rarreu sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes. He stretched, but quickly retracted his arms as he caught sight of Vyclae and Dracul. The blond-haired teenager latched onto Syaoran desperately, crying for his life.
"Demons with silver hair! Necromancers! Dragons! Black fires! Unicorns! I'm going positively BONKERS!" He wailed in a strange accent. Syaoran undid Rarreu's grasp on his tunic and glared at the subject of his hate. "Get away, brat. And stay away."
Vyclae chuckled. "I guess I have a lot of explaining to do, eh? But I prefer it that we do it later… seeing that you both have matters to straighten out." He stared down at the black fortress below, pulsing with evil sorcery.
Syaoran followed his gaze and frowned. "It is so. Brat, let's go." Rarreu, who was finding the unicorn beside him strangely familiar, blinked. "What? … Oh, yeah. Let's go." He glanced one last time at the strange creature beside him and hurried along with Syaoran, leaving Kero and Cera to Vyclae's care. They gave one final wave to Vyclae, Blanche and Dracul before descending the spiralling steps to the ground.
The minute their feet made contact with the ground, the dry, cracked earth moistened as if watered. Healthy, green grass sprouted merrily in the area two feet radius from their feet. Flowers even bloomed. Rarreu 'ooh'ed.
"I'm guessing this is what happens when a place usually starved of mana gets a visit from those who are loaded with them…"
Syaoran lifted his foot, and the small patch of green withered away; leaving a small storm of dust in its wake. When he placed his foot down again, the ground sprang back to life. "Weird."
Rarreu ran in circles, and predictably a round shape formed under him of green grass. It looked like something foreign in the middle of the wastes. "This is fun!" He screamed with glee as flowers tickled his legs. Syaoran rolled his eyes.
"You're such a nuisance." But a smile tugged at his lips. "Come on, we better go." Rarreu nodded and skipped after him.
It wasn't long before they arrived at the fortress. The turrets mocked them, beckoning them closer. Syaoran's hand flew to the radiating Crystalline Light at his side, his senses on alert. Rarreu went ahead and coolly pushed the huge iron gates open.
They stumbled into a dark hall, lit by the lighting bolts flashing outside. Rarreu ran forward, and something clicked underneath him.
A living suit of armour, nearly twenty foot tall, suddenly appeared out of thin air and swaggered towards them. Rarreu jumped in shock. Syaoran ran in front of him and slashed the ghoul with the Crystalline Light. The cluster of iron and brass froze, a blinding wave of light creeping all over its rusty body. A light shone, so bright it scorched the eyes of Syaoran and Rarreu. A piercing cry echoed eerily between the walls of the hall.
Then, the creature was no more.
Rarreu laughed with relief. "Whoa… I thought I was gonna die! The guy was huge!"
Syaoran kept Crystalline Light in his hand as he looked around. "I knew that entering this place wasn't as easy as opening the gates and sauntering in. Something must be guarding it. And that something was this… supernatural creature, called forth by that tile you stepped on. We need to be more careful." The prince sighted a dimly-lit stairway leading downwards at the end of the hall.
The gates slammed shut behind them with a deafening 'bang'. A noise resembling an iron bar falling into place was heard coming from the other side. Rarreu turned around and grimaced. "Uh-oh."
A wicked laugh crackled through the place, like the calls of a crow. "You pathetic humans! Do you really think that you could defeat me! Even with that cursed blade, you shan't conquer me, inferior beings!" Sounds of bones grinding against each other attacked Syaoran's eardrums. Rarreu surveyed the dark depths of the room, and was horrified by what he saw.
Skeletons were advancing towards them from all directions, each with a sword/scimitar in hand. There were a throng of them, and a humongous skeletal dragon, bigger than the living armour, to complete the lot. The dragon was so bare that the two teenagers saw the ball of fire churning in the place previously known as its stomach. It has two horns on its head, just like the ones Encyllis had when he was under Aeder's control.
Syaoran's family sword transformed automatically, as if sensing the danger its master was forced into. The prince, enforced with the 'twin blades' in his possession, grabbed Rarreu by the boy's shoulder and sliced his way through the mass of bleached skulls and bones. Groans and strangled cries surrendered to his brute strength, but still, a slash of the skeleton's sharp scimitar to the shoulder sent his spiralling to the ground, bringing Rarreu down with him.
"Arrghhh…" The prince whimpered, but he willed himself to stand up again. He lurched forwards, throwing himself into the gaping entrance to the basement of which he saw earlier. Luckily (or maybe not), only the skeleton dragon followed in pursuit. How it flew with its bony wings was an unfortunate mystery to for the two escaping teenagers.
Syaoran, amidst taking two steps at a time in his stride, became conscious of the deep stab wound on his thigh. Upon realizing this, his speed slowed down greatly, until he finally collapsed, exhausted.
"Oh shit!" Rarreu, being a little bit older than his wounded partner, nestled him into his arms and continued to run down the winding stairs. The small area of the stairway grew hotter and hotter by the second, and the pyrotechnician had a distinct feeling that the dragon's fire breath was working its way to them, quite rapidly.
After a few more minutes of miraculous survival, Rarreu stopped at a dead end.
"Oh, crappy mother of-" His following words were so vile they would have even made the skeletons blush.
He swivelled in every direction available, panicking. The smell of wood splinters being devoured by fire enraged his senses even more. "Not good, not good…" In all his panic, he tripped over a small torch and fell backwards into the wall.
Literally.
The pyrotechnician found himself tumbling into a cave, Syaoran still in his arms. Dazed, he gaped at himself.
"Rarreu-kun…?" A weak voice called out wearily, and Rarreu twirled around. His spirits soared at the sight of Sakura, who was chained to the rough walls. Her right hand was bound to the Chains of Blood.
Like the name, the silver danglies were immersed with thick red blood. Rarreu felt sick just looking at it.
"S… Sakura-chan! There you are!" He dragged his eyes away from the chains and smiled shakily at Sakura, who smiled back, although the smile was as shaky as his.
"I'm so glad you're safe… I heard all the commotion upstairs and got worried… I tried to scream so that you could hear me, but I was too weak… I think these shackles are absorbing my energy… hey…! Isn't that…!"
Sakura gasped at the sight of Syaoran reaching out to her. "Sakura… I found you…"
Tears gathered in her emerald eyes. "Syaoran-kun! You're hurt…!" She croaked hoarsely, trying to grab Syaoran's stuck-out hand with her left arm. Unfortunately, he was just beyond her reach. Rarreu wanted to move closer to the princess, but Aeder got in the way.
"How did you get past my army!" He shouted furiously, his maroon eyes on fire. He raised a ball of darkness to strike Syaoran and Rarreu, but again, the blue arrow came to their rescue. This was followed by a blast of white from the Crystalline Light, which had been stuck in Syaoran's grip all along.
Enriya emerged from a wisp of white smoke and protected Syaoran and Rarreu from Aeder's onslaught. "COWARD! You're attacking a fallen warrior!" She screamed. Aeder gritted his teeth and turned to Sakura.
"Fine then, she will die first!" He pointed a pale finger to the maiden and chanted words that reverberated in Syaoran's skull. He vaguely remembered this evil spell: it was so powerful only high-demons could perform it. He had read about it in his father's ancient library. It was called the Banishment Order. The target is catapulted against their will to The Realm, never to return; trapped in eternal impurity while darkened shadows haunt their barely existent lives.
Syaoran couldn't let that happen to Sakura, the one girl he had grown to appreciate and love. His body arched as a surge of power was channelled through his veins to his hands, and finally into his swords. His wounds healed, and strangely, he glowed. Wings started to grow from his back, coloured with the pale shades of grey and light green.
His swords combined to form one, single blade, shining with a holy light. Syaoran jumped into the air and interrupted Aeder's spell, thrusting his newly-attained sword through the demon's 'borrowed' chest.
Aeder screeched in pain, and his immaterial body oozed out of Rikei. It fizzed in the air, as if one fire, and dissipated into black smoke.
Enriya breathed in sharply. "…Amazing…! That was the first time a high-demon was defeated without being separated from its chains!" Rarreu feel onto his back, breathing out in relief.
Syaoran stored his sword, still feeling awkward with a pair of wings on his back. He rushed to check on Sakura. The princess was released from her imprisonment and laughed merrily as Syaoran crushed her into his chest.
"Sakura…" A familiar voice called out, and Sakura's eyes widened. Syaoran loosened his grip on her and stared, surprised, at the body on the floor.
It was Rikei.
The real Rikei from two years ago.
The boy was lying on the floor, dying. He gave Sakura a faint smile. "I'm… so glad… you're safe…" He coughed blood. Sakura dashed to his side and held his hand.
"Rikei…!"
Rikei laughed shortly. "Who… else?"
Sakura held his hand close to her cheek and sobbed. Syaoran watched her quietly. Enriya looked on with melancholy eyes, while Rarreu propped himself up and was unsure whether to smile, or frown.
"I… missed you…" Rikei said silently, crying himself. "All… that time… Aeder made you suffer…" A bloody cough, "I was so… sad… and angry… at myself…"
"I wanted to… beg for your… forgiveness… I wanted… to talk to you… about a lot of… things… but…" Another cough, "Aeder… held me back…"
Sakura felt a tear slipping down her face. "You'll be fine… We'll get you out of this place, and I'll try and fix up a treatment for you!"
Rikei shook his head slightly. "No, Sakura… I'm going…" He grip on Sakura's hand weakened. "I only… wanted your… happiness… so please… be happy, my love… and forgive me… for hurting you… all this time…" His breaths came in shallow gasps.
His head turned to Enriya. "Enriya-san… please… bring me there…" The angel's eyes softened. "As you wish, Rikei. We'll go together." Enriya gathered Rikei's body into her arms.
Sakura tried to keep Rikei back. "No…! No! Let him go! He'll be fine! He'll be fine here with me!" She cried and cried, but Syaoran grabbed her by the shoulders and held her there. She struggled to break free, but it only made Syaoran's grip tighter.
Rikei smiled again from Enriya's arms, almost apologetically. "I'm sorry… Sakura… forgive me…"
His voice started to fade as his silhouette flickered with Enriya's.
"I want you to be happy… this… is my last wish… please… find your happiness…"
Sakura wailed. "Rikei, I love you!"
But Rikei didn't reply.
"Your happiness… is not with me… you cannot love me… I can't… give you happiness… goodbye, Sakura…" His voice died away, and Sakura's hand fisted.
"No!" She buried her face in her hands and cried louder.
Syaoran twisted her around to face him. "You idiot! Rikei wanted you to be happy, dammit! Stop crying!" He shook the girl in his arms. Sakura gritted her teeth and halted her tears. She wrapped her arms around Syaoran and snuggled closer to him.
"…I want you, Syaoran-kun… I really do…" She whispered softly. Syaoran stiffened.
Rarreu cleared his throat. "Umm… hate to burst the delicate bubble here, but we better get out 'cause this whole structure's GOING TO COLLAPSE ANYTIME SOON!" As if proving his point, an earthquake erupted.
Rarreu stood up and took out a white feather from his pocket.
"Enough of this dilly-dallying, Yue-san! Help us out!" Yukito/Yue zipped out of a portal and grabbed Rarreu by his shirt. Syaoran gawked for a bit, before following the guardian with Sakura in his arms, using his newly-acquired wings to help him catch up with the speedy silver-haired man.
They squeezed through a medium-sized hole at the back of the cave and glided through a long, twisting tunnel.
Within ten minutes, they were all safely outside on the platform. Rarreu joined Vyclae on Dracul, and they took off again, to the meadows outside Foliaric Forest.
Behind them, the black castle crumbled into a pile of rubble and powdery dust.
xxxx
Syaoran landed on the ground on his knees gracefully, taking care not to wake the sleeping girl nestled in his arms. His wings folded themselves at his side, a pleasant mass of midnight blue and rose red, showing his relief of his love's safety. They must be some kind emotion meter, Syaoran thought amusedly.
Yue, Dracul, Blanche and Rarreu settled beside him. Rarreu slipped to the ground from Dracul's ridges, ridding his blond manes of tiny particles of dust. "Haha! That was soooo easy!" He did a little jig around Syaoran. "We did it, we did it, we did it!" His ranting continued to a higher level as he started to run around and annoy the seven hells out of everyone, excluding Sakura who was snoring peacefully in Syaoran's arms.
"Will you quit it!" Yue shouted harshly after Rarreu started playing with his large wings, dancing with them as if they were some kind of voodoo doll. Rarreu shrunk. "I apologize, Yue-san."
Yue growled and crossed his arms, turning his back to everyone like a sulking child. But he wasn't sulking, and he certainly wasn't a child. Vyclae knelt beside Sakura and Syaoran, shaking Rarreu off when the teenager toyed with his long, greyish-silver hair. The teenagers moved on to bug Cera and Kero.
Vyclae placed his palm on Sakura's forehead, and inspected her hands. "She's having a high fever, and the skin around her wrists has all shrivelled from lack of air. I believe the shackles of which you told me is the cause of this. She needs some rest if you want to continue on your journey." Syaoran nodded worriedly. "We'll set up camp." He said aloud.
Rarreu whooped. "I'll go find a flat space to put up the tents!" Turning to Vyclae, he sneered competitively. "Whoever finds the first space big enough for all of us gets to choose dinner! And the loser has to cook it!" The older man smirked back. "You're on, kid." Rarreu chuckled and jumped onto Blanche as Vyclae climbed onto Dracul. Cera and Kero looked at each other helplessly, certain that this is going to be the end of their little lives.
They took off with Rarreu performing a loop-de-loop in the air before shooting high into the sky, Dracul hot on his tail, trying to sear Blanche's wings with his black fire… again.
Yue stopped over Sakura, shielding her from the dimming rays of orange from the setting sun. The sky had cleared when the Castle of Quante was destroyed, and the ground flourished with greens, its mana supply replenished. With the soft breeze whipping the blades of grass in all directions - as if swaying dancers on a stage – and the distant chirps of birds settling into their nests, the place couldn't have felt more heavenly.
"I'll go get the ingredients for her medicine." Yue said finally, after a while of observing Sakura's sleeping face. Syaoran blinked thrice. "Medicine…?"
"I know a little bit of healing arts. Clow Reed-san once taught me." His eyes softened. Syaoran smiled. "Thanks. You must be very close to Clow-san… he was my tutor too." Yue's eyes snapped upwards, and he coughed. "Ummm… Yukito wants you to stay here with Sakura-hime while we look for stuff." He hid his face, flexed his wings and took off. Syaoran was perplexed, but a slight movement in his arms grabbed his full attention.
Sakura yawned tiredly, opening her eyes to smile at Syaoran. "You're warm…" She laughed as Syaoran coloured cutely. She stared at the magenta-ish sun, disappearing over the horizon. "I never though we'd ever watch a sunset together, you being so negative an' all." She rolled her eyes playfully at Syaoran.
The prince listened as she sang a song he always heard whenever she observed the sunset alone in the past.
And there goes the sun…
Hiding from you and me
Stars hovered in its place
As the moon shone brilliantly
It was a slow song she created herself during one of her so-called 'inspired' times. It had a soft, hollow rhythm to it. It was couple with her voice, which flowed like a mermaid's.
She fell into a lapse of silence after that, embracing the possessor of the arms holding her. "Aishiteru, Syaoran-kun." She whispered gently. Syaoran wasn't surprised. He whispered the same back to her delicate ears. "Aishiteru, koishii."
Sakura grinned.
Syaoran lifted her chin and kissed her tenderly on the lips. He didn't want to force her like he did last time. Sakura pulled away and sighed, leaning against her prince. "If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up…"
Syaoran chuckled. "That line is seriously clichéd, my dear." He murmured, his breath tickling her ears. Sakura smiled warmly. "I know." She kissed him again, lightly. When they parted, Sakura finally noticed the wings on Syaoran's back. They're dyed in an amorous red now.
"When did you get that…?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She peeked over Syaoran's shoulder, her body still in his protective hold. The Li prince shrugged. "I dunno. They just… came to me. Maybe it's because I realized that I never want to lose you, if not again." He tightened his grip on her small body and rested his head in the crook of her neck. Sakura giggled. "I'll be a good girl and not wander around next time." She pushed him away and held out her pinkie in front of her. "…But you have to promise to be kinder to everyone for me!" Syaoran laughed.
"Deal." He hooked his pinkie with hers, smiling.
The sound of hooves grinding on wet grass was heard, and the two royalty lifted their heads. Rarreu was throwing a tantrum on Blanche, a plaster on his nose. "It's all your fault, Blanche!" Syaoran raised his eyebrows. The boy must've realized that the unicorn was his own steed, but what's with the plaster…?
Dracul swooped down beside him with a smug look on his sneering face. Vyclae was sniggering. "Serves you right for showing off. Go and prepare our Meat Stew now." The man waved Rarreu off his a flick of his hand. The boy whined all the way into the depths of the forest, grumbling about not being good in hunting. Blanche and Cera were with him all the way, sometimes kicking his behind to shut him up. But he would continue his range of complaints a few minutes after.
Vyclae laughed good-heartedly. "That was a riot!"
"What happened?" Sakura and Syaoran chorused.
Vyclae shook his head, stifling another round of laughter. "Trust me, you don't want to know."
"No, trust us, we do."
The ex-Dragonyte general burst into fits of laughter. "Well, it went like this: we were flying about in the air when that stupid kid thought that we were advancing too slow, he sped up, only to crash into a tall tree and have his head stuck in a hole." He rolled about in the dirt as he laughed again.
"(Un)Fortunately, the woodpecker living inside the hole went berserk and pecked at his nose until it bled!" Vyclae guffawed until his stomach muscles hurt. "It was unbelievably hilarious! And while all this was going on, I had found a suitable place for us to crash near a lake! That's why I won, and the kid lost!"
Syaoran hid a smirk. "If I hadn't known better, I would've deemed the whole thing unfair." Sakura nudged him in the ribs, shaking her head.
After a while, Vyclae calmed down and took several deep breaths to stabilize himself. "Well, we better start moving to the lake. It won't do us any good if we stay here in the dark. I want to get a fire going as soon as possible."
Syaoran inclined his head at his idea, and again carried Sakura in his arms. Vyclae blinked. "Would you like Dracul to carry her?" He referred to the princess, who was again fast asleep in her koishii's arms.
Syaoran shook his head gently, smiling serenely at the figure in his embrace. "No, I think she'll be fine with me." He blew her bangs out of her closed eyes and pecked her on the forehead. "How about the others?"
Vyclae shrugged. "They'll find us somehow. Our priority now is the flower in your arms." He winked and once again rode on Dracul, who grunted. Hasn't he been on enough flying trips already!
The black dragon stretched his ridges and wings reluctantly before shooting into the sky, Syaoran at his side.
xxxx
Crackles of fire kept the small camp site warm and hindered the animals that tempted to close in on them. Syaoran was sitting on a log with Sakura wrapped up in a blanket beside him, leaning against his shoulder. The chains drained so much of her energy that she fought to remain conscious as Syaoran fed her a bowl of mushroom soup earlier. He said that it was healthier, and that she didn't have enough energy to digest the meat stew in her current state. Sakura had obliged willingly, being too tired to argue.
Rarreu was playing with the waters in the lake, splashing about like a kid. He had voiced his desire to stay with his wife and daughter during dinnertime, promising to keep his mouth shut about Sakura and Syaoran and their journey. Syaoran had agreed, having enough trust in 'the brat' to allow him free. Besides, he did promise Sakura that he would be kinder to everyone in exchange for her obedience. He meant what he said. He never wanted to lose her again.
Anyway, now with Vyclae watching over them like a mother hawk, he doubted that they will get into as much danger as before. Still, he preferred to be cautious.
Yue washed his bowl and wooden spoon in a small stream that ran into the lake. His eyes glazed over at the sight of Sakura and Syaoran, as Yukito took control of him for a split second.
'I wish to speak to them, Yue-san.' Yukito's voice rumbled from deep inside his consciousness. Yue sighed. "It's about time you do. I'm starting to feel awkward around them with nothing to say." Yukito laughed as he transformed. He tapped Syaoran's shoulder and smiled at the shocked expression on the prince's face.
"We meet again, Li-sama, Uiji-san." Vyclae/Uiji Hakura gave a faint smile. "How do you do, Tsukishiro-san?"
"I am well. How about you?"
"Fine, thank you for your consideration."
It was strange: two members from two opposing clans sharing a civil conversation with one another.
"And how do you fare, my good man?" Yukito asked Syaoran as he shifted his attention back to the prince. Syaoran laughed. "I bid myself as healthy as a popping weasel, Yukito-san."
"Hard time?"
"Yeah." The Li prince sighed.
The three men erupted in laughter. Syaoran excused himself to tuck Sakura into sleep, after the princess had protested the noise the men made.
Yukito faced Vyclae, who raised an eyebrow in question. "What happened to the Black Zen Clan, Vyclae? The readers want to- I mean, we of the Whites, need to know our opponents."
Vyclae waved his hands dismissively. "You can rule however you want. The Blackies are no more."
Yukito blinked disbelievingly. "No… more…?" His face drew a blank.
Vyclae chortled. "I killed them all. The whole lot. Boom." He threw his arms apart and cackled maniacally. Yukito sweatdropped. "What?" Vyclae calmed himself down and smiled sadly.
"I dispersed the Black Zen Clan. I eliminated every single one of my Shadow Ninjas with a Holy Spiral Bomb. They're unholy, immaterial beings after all, pulled out of the Necromancer Scrolls my necromancer father gave me. Of course, I burned the book too, with Soulfire to prevent it from reviving in the ashes."
Yukito looked at him closely, then gazed up to the stars, not believing his ears. The enemy that the White Zen Clan a.k.a the Dragonyte Kingdom has been trying to defeat is now no more. It took more than words to convince him.
"Your father was a necromancer?" He questioned Vyclae, who nodded solemnly. "I spent my childhood in the shadows, because I inherited my mother's whitish silver hair. My dad hated any colour other than black, because his family were a hoard of black necromancers."
"The most horrible of the type."
"Exactly."
Angered, Yukito snorted. "You're his still son, even if you had green hair!" Vyclae laughed.
"Oh well. His era passed. A priest forced a few holy words down his throat, and he dropped dead. Now, I've inherited the throne as heir, and I'm killing the clan."
"I'm not sure whether I could… believe you, Uiji-san." Yukito said uncertainly.
Vyclae took out a pocket knife from his back pocket and sliced his palm. Black blood came pouring out. Yukito gasped.
"That's my proof. When I was small, my father cursed me with his darkened blood. Fortunately, my mother's own pure, holy bloodline of healers prevented me from transforming into a necromancer myself, but when she was killed – no doubt by father's 'allies' – my father brought me up in the necromancer's way of living. That's why I was so… barbaric. Instead of a ball, my plaything was a human skull. Instead of regular stones, I toyed with human hip bones. All these fascinate me, because they react to my blood and can suddenly act on their own will after they are brought back from the dead by my aura."
"That is sad… I'm sorry for being so rude earlier." Yukito ducked his head. Vyclae watched him with a soft gaze.
"I'm okay now, though. I went to see my aunt, and she helped me to get rid of the evil spirits locked inside my soul. I feel lighter now, hence the… uh… happier personality." He chuckled. "But I still have the black blood. But they hold nothing special anymore. They're just normal blood, only black." Vyclae winced as he wrapped his hand in bandages, after washing the blood away with a pot of water from the stream nearby.
Yukito smiled. "That's good, Uiji-san. Eh… you can join us Whities if you want." Vyclae shrugged.
"I'll consider it. Now, I'm keepin' tabs on the two lovebirds." He nodded to Syaoran, who was trekking back to them, his face red and his lips swollen.
Yukito and Vyclae could even guess what held him back. Syaoran caught their looks and flushed even more. "Umm… uh… she…"
"Gave you the old snog, eh?" Vyclae winked knowingly. Syaoran shrunk. "Anoo… I think it went a bit beyond that… okay, it went far beyond kissing…" He admitted, blushing so hard that his face was nearly coloured a deep maroon.
Yukito and Vyclae laughed, whistling and patting Syaoran on the back. The prince curled into a ball. "It didn't go to there, though! Just… before it… and nearly…" His glowing red face gave way for more laughter from his two silver-haired companions.
Rarreu ran from the shores of the lake and waved at Yukito. "Yo! Snowman!"
Yukito smiled and shook his hands. "Mission accomplished, ne, Rarreu-kun?"
Rarreu flushed as Syaoran and Vyclae looked on, blinking in their confusion. "Actually, it was all thanks to Aeder, the high demon." Yukito nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Yue told me all about it before. Thank you, all of you. I don't know what will be the reactions of Touya, Akira and the others if I tell them Sakura's been kidnapped and held hostage in the Black Castle."
"You knew about the castle?" Syaoran asked, surprised.
"Yes, the Black Castle is quite popular in the White Zen Clan. A lot of our knights tried to infiltrate it and defeat the high demon, but they never reach the 'peak' of their emotions when they faced him, so none of them returned alive. That, and well…" Yukito adjusted his glasses and stared at Rarreu.
"I was sent by King Fujitaka and Queen Nadeshiko to ensure that the two of you – Sakura and Syaoran – end up… uh… 'closely acquainted' with each other. And I seemed to have succeeded." Rarreu sniggered, triggering another blush from Syaoran.
"And Mr. Snowman here (that's Yukito to you) and his guardian side were supposed to supervise me." Rarreu pointed to Yukito, who puffed his chest out proudly, before tilting his head to sniff the meat stew brewing in the pot. "Err… may I?" He asked, blushing. Vyclae shooed him off and he lunged at the bowl to scoop some stew. Typical Yukito.
"Anyway, we better get some rest. Tomorrow, we shall drop Satoshi-san off at Miss Emillion's and be on our way to the Cherry Fields." Vyclae planned, tapping his chin.
"And I'll go back to the castle and report to the King and Queen. Then I shall move Rarreu-kun's whole family, as promised, to Miss Emillion's house. I will be staying there to teach Cleric a few lessons about manners with Denaii, so whenever you're weary, drop by anytime. I'm sure Rarreu-kun wouldn't mind, would you, Rarreu?" Yukito quirked an eyebrow at Rarreu, who shrugged. "No problem."
Syaoran turned to talk to Vyclae, a question clearly shown in his eyes. "Cherry Fields?"
Vyclae looked at him as if he was stupid. "Of course! Haven't you forgotten that you are supposed to release your soul dragons? Even an outsider like me knew of that!"
Syaoran looked embarrassed for a second. "Eh… gomen nasai."
Vyclae rolled his eyes skywards. "We need to find the Cherry Dragon Tree. There, you will face your final test."
Syaoran gulped.
xxxx
Ad: Man, this chapter was long. I am very sorry for updating so s-l-o-w-l-y. I feel so guilty for making you all wait. And I just wanna tell you that this story might be put on hiatus for some time! I'll try to update sometimes, but I can't guarantee it.
I'm sorry again!