Chapter Two: The Swords

"Clef!" the three Knights ran through the palace faster than they'd ever run before. They ran into Ascot on their way, and Umi stepped forward, "Ascot, where's Clef? We need to speak to him right away, it's very urgent."

"Umi where have you been? We've been looking for you all day. The Guru is…indisposed at the moment," he winced and looked down, his bangs covering his eyes.

"What do you mean indisposed? Ascot what's wrong? Where's Clef?" Umi questioned, and he looked up quickly to meet her eyes before his head shot down again.

"Umi, Clef is very sick, he's been trying very hard to find you three, he says something terrible is happening to Cephiro that only the Magic Knights can stop. We don't know what's wrong with him; he might not last much longer," Ascot said softly, and the three girls stopped, completely and utterly shocked.

"What?" Hikaru whispered.

"That can't be…" Fuu protested.

"Where is he?" Umi persisted.

"He's in his chambers, come on, I'll take you there, but Magic Knights, be prepared. He's not the person you left a week ago."

They nodded and Ascot took them towards Clef's room at a slower pace than they would have liked, but impatience was not a trait they should carry at the moment, so they held it in.

When they reached the large wooden doors to Clef's study, Ascot rapped on them three times. They slowly opened, and Clef's voice came out to them.

"Ascot, you've brought them," it was weak, weaker than they'd ever heard it, but it was joyous all the same.

"I have Guru Clef," he responded formally and led the three into the chamber.

They looked around them at the large tapestries aligning the wall, of foreign places and countries they'd never seen. They spotted pictures of Autozam, Chizeta and Fahren; there was even a tapestry of Tokyo. Umi grinned at it, but then looked toward the bed that held the most powerful Mage in Cephiro. A deep purple velvet comforter covered his body, and his robes were draped over a nearby chair. His staff was leaning against a bedside table, on the table sat his headdress. There were deep circles under his ocean colored eyes, and his lavender hair was covered in sweat and matted. He coughed into a childish hand that didn't seem to belong to a man that was almost 750 years old. Once, Umi might have teased him for this, but this time she couldn't. He looked too much like a dying man.

"Guru," all three knelt on one knee in front of his bed. Umi's hands clenched as her blue hair fell over her shoulders and into her eyes. That woman was behind this, she would have to pay.

"Rise, Magic Knights, I have a mission for you, if you're Willing," his tone was formal, but his eyes seemed to light up slightly.

Ascot brought the three chairs from another room, and that made them wary. Clef was too weak to even do simple summoning spells. Cephiro was too vulnerable in this state. They looked out Clef's large windows and didn't see anything wrong. The ocean still lapped calmly against the shore; the Forest of Silence was just that, silent. Monsters didn't ravage the land or tear at the people. It seemed safe enough, but even they could sense the danger growing here.

"No doubt by now you have met her," there was no need for him to tell them who 'her' was. They already knew, as much as they hated to admit it.

"Who is she Clef?" Umi asked as anger tore through her.

"Who is she?" he laughed weakly, but it was not in humor. "Her name is Mala, and she is the Wielder of the Swords."

That didn't inspire the shudder from the three girls as it did from Ascot, but Fuu swore she felt a cool breeze as Hikaru looked toward the fire, almost sure it had died down. Umi stared forward placidly, unblinkingly. She felt a rush of freezing water flow through her.

"The Wielder of the Swords?" Fuu inquired despite the sudden cold. She had to know, there was something in this woman that showed utmost power. She didn't want to take on any enemy not knowing.

"The Wielder of the Swords is an ancient being, and evil being," Clef began. "Forged long ago, forged the same day as the pillar system, the same hour as the Magic Knights. She is you…in a way," his smile was grim as the three shook their heads vehemently.

"Never," Hikaru slammed her fist against the chair, almost shattering it into splinters.

"Calm yourself," Clef's voice held a little of its old scolding, enough to make them stay silent, but not enough to make their unease fade. "She holds one of each of your traits, one of the traits of the Swords. The Swords she wields are replicas of yours in manner, in color, in feel, but they are, in one word, evil. They are the combination of all evil in the world, as your current swords are the combination of all good in the world. If you were to take them…the world would be doomed."

"Why would we ever take them?" Hikaru demanded. "We love Cephiro!"

"Her ways are persuasive," Clef answered mildly. "She has…tests…"

"We have undergone them," Fuu looked at the ground as Clef's blue eyes snapped open to stare into their souls.

"How many?" he shouted so loudly that Ascot had to rush forward to keep him from fainting.

"Two," Umi responded softly.

"Two of the three then," he looked at the ground. "You must tell me of these tests."

They poured out the whole story; the stories varied for the first test, but then grew the same for the second. Clef stayed silent, all the while his face grew paler, more drawn. It almost seemed as if their words were killing him. They all wanted to stop, but when it was suggested he would merely shake his head and answer no.

"Whatever happens, you mustn't take the third and final test. Promise me!"

They nodded and kneeled before him, drawing their swords and holding them in front of him in a formal salute, "This we promise by the blades that have saved Cephiro more than once. This we promise, by our vows as Magic Knights."

He seemed to rest easier as he fell back into the pillows and nodded, "Now leave me, I need rest."

They nodded and walked out, Ascot accompanying them.

§§§~~~

"But how are we supposed to keep from taking it if she corners us in our dreams, or in a whole other world like she did for the first two?" Hikaru inquired when they were shut up in their room.

"I don't know, but we have to," Umi looked into her lap. She sat cross-legged on the bed, her hands rested on her knees. "No matter what happens to us, we have to. No matter how she tortures us, we have to. We cannot take those swords. I will not let myself turn to darkness."

Fuu nodded and smiled weakly.

"You're right, again," Hikaru's smile was a little stronger, and it brought warmth to the other two.

§§§~~~

His seals were loosening; he could feel it now. In a minute, a day, a week, a month, he could be free and causing pain to those that betrayed him.

"No father!" his son reached for a sword that wasn't there as he probed the magic seal with his own magic.

"Back off!" he snarled and slammed his son away with his magic, nursing his hand that his son had smashed. Precious magic lost, that was all, his son lie unconscious in this darkness and precious magic was lost. All that was important was the magic, the magic he had sold his soul for, the magic that would gain him vengeance. What was a soul anyway?

"No…Umi…" he whispered, then his head slumped against his chest and he was barely breathing.

He gave his son a scathing look and refused to help him. That would waste far too much magic, far too much. He had been dead before, he knew what dead was. It wasn't anything for his son to be fretting; soon the love of his life would be dead too. Only, he planned to make her suffer first. Then, maybe if he felt merciful he'd let her die, maybe.

§§§~~~

"Here we meet again," Fuu heard her voice in the darkness and spun to face it. She wasn't surprised when she found she couldn't draw her sword in this darkness. She hadn't been able to draw her sword yet. There was something in that, but she didn't have time to think before she was warped into a world of light. All memory was washed away from her; all she had to do was walk up that hill in front of her.

"Ferio," she smiled at him, and he grinned back and held his arms out for her. She ran toward them, but was blocked by a wall. She looked at it puzzled, not quite nervous, not yet. She drew on the powers of Wind and easily knocked it over. She smiled again and walked forward only to be greeted by another wall. She glared at it, how dare these things try to keep her from her Prince? Maybe if she used sheer force instead of magic, they were magic things after all weren't they? Then something from another time and another place dawned in her mind, 'Third test.'

A test she wasn't supposed to take? Was that it? That couldn't possibly be it, there was no test she shouldn't take, was there? A horribly cruel woman appeared in her memories, and she gasped. This was they were facing. She couldn't take this test, she couldn't.

"Fuu-chan," Ferio called and looked broken when she sat on the ground, refusing to try and knock down the wall.

A horrible shape appeared behind Ferio. It was some sort of monster, something worse than even Ascot's. Its long fangs dripped with what appeared to be blood, and, was that a strand of blue hair? Her stomach lurched, but she forced it to quiet, barely. It raised a gnarled green hand and waved to her. "What? Ferio!" she screamed.

"Fuu-chan!" he yelled back. She quickly realized he was defenseless.

"Ferio!" she could force herself to be still no longer. She slammed her fists against the wall and knocked it over, in sheer force. She began to sprint up the hill, calling on her magic as she did, but something in her head made her stop.

'A test.' She was dreaming wasn't she? This wasn't actually happening, Ferio was sound asleep in a room nearby. He wasn't.

That same gnarled green hand urged her forward. She wanted to save him from that thing that was human but not quite. Its features were almost the same, but the eyes had no pupils, no color. They were a glazed white. The skin was falling off the flesh, but was a sickly green color that only plants should be. The hair was half missing but what was there was a tangled mash of blood and matted black hair. Fuu quickly saw its other hand had been nicely severed by Umi's sword, but this was only a dream. "Save him Magic Knight, I'll give you the chance," its voice was like a viper whispering sickness in her ear. She shook her head.

"What?" Ferio whispered and shook his head. "Fuu-chan, I love you, you must, we must be together."

"No Ferio," she whispered and turned her head. "No, not tonight."

That hand swung down, and Fuu stared in horror as Ferio's head fell from his body. The scream she sounded seemed to ring on the mountains.

§§§~~~

"Where is this place?" Hikaru asked, but before she could realize or guess all memory and thought faded away from her. She smiled blissfully at the clouds overhead and the meadow beneath her feet. She giggled helplessly and let the flowers tickle her nose as she fell among them. She could just lie here, all…

"Hikaru?" she sat up and looked around her. "Hikaru? I need you to come here, I want you to find something for me."

"Okay Eagle," she answered and walked toward his voice. "But where are you?"

"Over here," she found him quickly on the edge of a very foreboding forest. The trees hung over so there was no light inside. It was a dreary contrast to the meadow she stood in now.

"In there?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes, it's-it's my sword Hikaru," he looked distressed, and she hated seeing him worry. "I've lost my sword in there, and…" she looked down and saw that he was wounded. There was a gash in his leg.

"You're hurt!" she reached down to touch it and he winced.

"Not badly, when we get back to the palace we'll have Fuu fix it," he smiled at her, and she nodded, still worried.

"I'll get your sword, where did you lose it?" she looked into the forest and didn't want to go but wanted to help her friend in whatever way she could.

"Right down that path there, sort of path," he grinned, and she nodded and was about to enter, but felt something tugging at her heart.

'A test.'

"Yes," she murmured. "The third test, I'm not supposed to take it, we decided. Clef told us."

"What? Hikaru my sword, I can't be left defenseless, not injured," Eagle protested.

"I'm sorry Eagle, I can't go in there," Hikaru shook her head and crossed her arms, refusing to set foot into the darkness.

"What do you mean you can't go in there?" his voice sounded slightly angry and slightly confused.

"I just can't. It's a test that I can't take because it'll turn me evil. You understand?" she smiled, but he glared at her, and she tried not to crumble at his glare.

"You mean to kill me?" he demanded. "Hikaru I can't go, but you can! Are you afraid?"

"No," she drew the word out carefully. "I just can't Eagle, I'm sorry."

"You are not the friend you're made out to be," he turned and started to walk away.

Hikaru reached out to him, the word was on her lips, 'Wait…' Still, the voice was louder inside her head, 'A test Magic Knight.'

She shed a tear and watched him disappear, possibly forever.

*

Before Umi could even question, the darkness faded to be replaced by a dimly lit room. She looked down and found she was in her fencing uniform with a sword in her hands. She grinned and turned to bow to her opponent.

"We'll test your strength," the opponent jeered, and Umi tilted her head. That rang a bell.

'A test of strength.'

She looked around for the voice, but realized it was that of her memory. Before she could wonder, her opponent was pacing her, and her feet were moving of their own accord. She fell into the familiar strokes and blocks and realized how good her opponent really was. Whoever this was, she would defeat them and prove her skill.

No, that's not right, something told her, and she stopped. Her opponent slashed across her cheek, then her arm, urging her to fight. She wanted to, she wanted to stop that searing pain in her flesh, but she couldn't. She had to stop. Something was telling her that there was something more.

"Weakling, fight!" her opponent urged, more persistent now. There was a slash across her chest that dug in, then her hands, both of them, marked by blood. She screamed and fell to the floor; another strike cut off her long blue hair and marked her neck, not deep enough to kill. She looked at the person with no eyes and there was a slash across her other cheek. She buried her head in her hands and cried, tears mixing with blood and pouring down her hands as her opponent slashed her back again and again, the pain was blinding. She screamed for forgiveness, and woke, drenched in sweat; the other three were trembling beside her. She reached for the two and all three began to sob uncontrollably.