Author's notes:
I'm back with another chapter Seem's there's something about Sephiria that we still don't know about. Could it perhaps, but a good side in her? And what will happen to Sakura and Syaoran? (Am I putting them through too many tortures? '')
Note: I do not own any of the characters! They are copyright of CLAMP and I do not take credit for any EXISTING characters, though I will create a few of my own for the purpose of this story. My fic is basically a new world that Syaoran and the gang go to next. Note that it takes place after they leave the Oûto world (where they were actually inside a game). I will be creating personality features for characters still mysterious in the Tsubasa series: they may not (well, most likely aren't) be what CLAMP has planned for them, but for the purpose of my story, that's how they are! Ok? That's enough for now XD. Enjoy!
What happened last time:
"Hm." The man sneered. "So the angel has an angry side too. No matter if you like my methods or not, Sephiria, it was your price. A small price in my opinion, for what I gave you. Freedom. By helping you, I'm killing two birds with one stone, and that's all you need t know. I've tried many times now to gain that girl's power, and this may be my chance, especially with him awake now." The man gave a casual wave towards the boy resembling Syaoran behind him. "So follow the plan Sephiria. You owe me that much for your freedom."
The image of the man and the boy faded, to be replaced with a mirage of Sephiria herself. The mirror was once again, just an ordinary mirror.
"Fowl beast." Sephiria muttered with rage, her grip shaking as she held her staff. She breathed in a shaking breath to calm her nerves. She strode slowly towards the wall behind the mirror, where a large portrait hung upon the ice wall was cast in shadows. Her voice suddenly grew soft and hollow, as if she was another person. "Will their love end like ours, defiled by the selfishness of another?"
Chapter 5: Emotions of the Spirit
Syaoran pulled his cloak around him as he felt a shiver tingle up his spine. Something seemed amiss… or perhaps it was just the cold. The wind carried the sounds of a sweet nightingale's sorrowful tale. The voice rode on the bitter breeze until it was swallowed by the gradual dusk. Syaoran's horse fidgeted in the unusual cold, his sword clanging lightly against a buckle.
"Nee!" Mokona shivered and jumped into Kurogane's shirt. "Mokona's so COLD!"
"Garr! GET OUT OF MY SHIRT!" Kurogane yelled, trying to pull the wiggling bun out.
Syaoran breathed out, trying to calm down his nerves as they hopped onto horses, preparing to set off. The bustling inside the castle echoed from open windows.
Fye smiled at him. "Don't worry Syaoran-kun. The King will be safe in the castle."
King Ethan, who had faith in the old religion, repeated what the previous kind had done at the time: send only the travellers to attack and stop Sephiria, while the kingdom's army stays in Silan to help the citizens flee and to guard the castle. Though he showed signs of great fear, he firmly stayed put in the castle to carry out his role as King. When Syaoran asked him why the previous king had kept all his soldiers at the castle instead of sending them to aid the travellers, King Ethan replied, "There is… one thing about the sorceress you known not of."
He fidgeted with his hands, wringing them nervously as if unwillingly to inform the travellers of what he was about to say. "Of course, these are all just rumours… but… the sorceress was a kind figure in Silan before she gained her powers. She was, in fact, eligible to become Prince Lindon's bride."
The travellers all shrunk back in shock,
"There were rumours from the elders of this kingdom that Sephiria had visited the castle many times before she grew powerful. Lindon's father is believed to have called his entire army to stay within Silan territory for this reason. However, I personally believe this is preposterous. Prince Lindon's father was a man of selfish means, do pardon my rudeness for my ancestors, but he was to the moment he died by enemy hands. He must have kept the soldiers where they were for his own safety. Obviously that failed, since he committed suicide when he falsely believed Sephiria had entered his castle. Now, I by no means am calling myself selfish for doing the same thing, but I do believe that if this tactic worked once, it shall work again." He looked up from the floor and fixated his gaze on the travellers. There was a hint of fear in his eyes.
"A-and of course, I believe you guys are very capable of defeating the sorceress by your own means too, no?" King Ethan gave a quick nervous glance at Mokona, who sat half-asleep and muttering strange words on Syaoran's head.
"..ran."
"Syaoran!" Mokona's voice swept Syaoran out of the memory, and he was once again aware of the frigid cold. "Are you ok?"
"Yes." He nodded. "I was just thinking about what the King had said… but, something doesn't seem right."
Fye cocked his head in question. "Hmmm?"
"The rumours that King Ethan heard about Sephiria and Prince Lindon. They seem highly possible, but there's a large portion of the story missing. Sephiria's tale and her will for revenge have to be connected somehow… but what?"
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Sakura sat on the cold ice as her foot began to feel numb. She had not moved since the sorceress left. Snow cuddled in her lap, snoring softly in its dreamless sleep. Her mind was a mess and she couldn't think clearly, Her usual optimism had been driven off a cliff by the sorceress's cruel words. Tears streamed down her cold pale cheeks, her soul encaged in hushed torment.
The doors slid open again, and Sakura looked up through slightly puffy eyelids up to see the same silver white figure gliding in with the glistening staff in one hand.
"Well, my child? What have you decided?" The sorceress's voice sounded abnormally kind, unlike the coldness from their first encounter. Was it sympathy?
Sakura sat in silence. What could she choose? Her time for decisions was at an end. "I… I want a new start." She stood up, ignoring the stinging pain as she put weight on her numb foot. Sakura bowed low, unable to curtsy since Snow continued to sleep in Sakura's crossed arms. "I am in your service, my lady. Please allow me to serve you in any way you wish." She tried to keep her voice calm and untainted by her sadness, but all that she could manage was a small whisper from her lips.
Sakura heard a rustle of a cloak and suddenly felt a warm hand under her chin, freeing her from her bow. Sephiria tilted her head upwards, and Sakura saw the sorceress's face for the first time.
The hood had slid off, finally revealing the sorceress's extreme beauty. Stunning green eyes peered out at Sakura and soft straight brown hair hung on her head. Her dazzling eyes seemed to change colour in the reflecting lights around the room, or perhaps it was a trick from the shimmering crystals of ice.
"Good." A faint inkling began to appear on her left cheek, deepening as time passed. "Now, that is a good thing to hear." The voice was changing… growing colder and harsher as the mark increasing darkened. The eyes glinted and flashed to red.
Sakura could feel a stabbing fear rise within her body. What in the world is going on? Have I just met… the other side of Sephiria?
The eyes were fully red, and the mark was definably clear: a curving thing tattoo searing the shape of a dragon into Sephiria's pale complexion. Her fingers under Sakura's chin now felt cold and unwelcoming: the transformation was complete.
Sephiria laughed to herself, her bright red eyes glinting as she did. "I see FEAR in your eyes, my child." She sounded amused, and pulled her fingers away from Sakura. The sorceress turned towards the walls of the chamber, rotating slowly on her feet as if admiring the room for the first time "I have not fully rid myself of the tenshi in my soul. I find it's quite amusing to listen to the foolish whims of a fallen angel, and it will be a true pleasure to listen to her pleas for help when I ruin her beloved Silan."
Sakura stood upright, taking in each word with surprising clarity. So the evil of the sorceress has not full taken over Sephiria… she could still be kind. Her head began spin again with thoughts.
"Now, follow me. Midnight is approaching."
Sakura stared after the sorceress as she moved towards the doorway, waiting for Sakura to follow. "M-midnight, my lady?"
Sephiria was putting her hood back on, continuing towards the door. "Of course, do you believe I'm not going to invade Silan just because of a silly "wedding"?" Her voice answered back callously.
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Sakura's soft white shoes pattered gently across the ice as the sorceress led her to god-knows-where. Now awake, Snow scampered sleepily beside her.
Sakura carefully watched the billowing cloak meters before her, Sephiria's each step precise and majestic. If she had not known this woman was a sorceress, Sakura would've thought she as royalty. Split personality or not, the sorceress/tenshi was a lady with an air of elegance.
What happened to Sephiria? Did my feather really do this to her? Did it turn an angelic girl into a heartless sorceress? If Syaoran was here, he'd-
No…Sakura shook her head. He's NOT here. And if he even comes here, it would be for Esmerelda's sake: to defeat the sorceress and keep their future kingdom safe.
She tried to force a weak smile and she turned to the ice wall beside her. Sakura's face looked pale beyond recognition in the reflection. Her eyelids were still vaguely swollen from her tears, and her meek smile would never pass.
If I'd told him… if I'd let Syaoran know my feelings beforehand, would things be different? Would he perhaps, love me back?
Sakura turned her head back to face the ice beside her. She stared at her auburn hair, messy after the events of the past few hours. Her emerald eyes seemed to have lost their light, overpowered by the sign of lingering teardrops. Sakura hastily rubbed them from her eyes and looked back down to the floor, where Snow was trying hard to imitate Sakura by walking on his back paws. Unsuccessful, the little bear tumbled back to the ground, and gave Sakura a small shy grin. She returned a smile automatically, though her mind was still wandering a lonely darkness.
He'd never love me… he shows me so much kindness, but he'd never love someone like me. There's no hope for us, and there never will be. Her lips curved into a meek smile. I'm not as pretty as Esmerelda-hime, I'm not very helpful or bright. I always need protection and my soul is incomplete… with so many memories lost in drifting, unknown worlds. No, he'd never even consider the though, would he? It's too late for regrets, I've been too far away, too distant from him to ever show I loved him. And now, I might never be able to see him again.
Sakura was so deep in her thoughts she never realized Sephiria had stopped at a doorway near the end of a hallway, and almost ran head-on into the sorceress. Sakrua clumsily stopped and bowed in apology, but Sephiria did not look towards her once. She pointed the spear of her staff at the door and pushed it forward in midair. The frost-coated door swung open heavily without the spear ever touching it. The room was welcoming, with a soft queen-sized bed centred against the opposite wall, and a fireplace crackled place crackled heartedly in a brick fireplace against one side. Wooden furniture lay against walls and in corners and a small bed for pets sat b y the door. If it weren't for the walls of ice caging the area, the room would've looked like any other ordinary room.
"You will be staying in here." Sephiria's voice came from the shadows of her hood. "There is a door on the far end that leads to the kitchens. All I want you to do is clean it up and cook meals. Enjoy the view from the room and kitchen." The sorceress turned on her heels and strode out of the room once again.
"W-wait!" Sakura called after. "T-that's all you want me to do?" Sakura put her hands together, trying to warm her cold fingertips as she stared after the sorceress.
Sephiria stopped in her tracks and turned. "What's your name, child?"
"Sakura, my lady."
"Sakura…" Sephiria's voice seemed softer again. "Do you know how lonely it gets sometimes, to be cooped up by yourself? All I need right now is a human as my company, Sakura." A glint flashed as the hoot shifted a little. The voice became harsh again.
"Do not wander from your rooms. Stay only in the room and kitchen, do you understand? I'll trust you enough to not put a barrier on the door."
"Sakura curtsied. "Yes, my lady." When she looked back up again, Sephiria was walking further down the hall, soon completely camouflaged with the ice. I'll have to learn, to live on my own. I can do it… right Syaoran? Sakura turned back into the room and closed the door gently behind her. Noticing a small flap at the bottom that resembled a dog door, she suddenly imagined seeing Snow pound playfully in and out of the flap, highly amused by the customized door for it. Sakura turned to see Snow was struggling with its bed, dragging the cushion with its teeth. She laughed gently and picked up the little polar bear, and deposited the bed beside the mattress. Cuddling Snow gently in her arms, Sakura noticed in the corner of her eye a large window in the corner, hidden from the view of the doorway. As Snow gave her a happy nudge with its nose, she walked over to the dim light shining through the panes and peered out the clear thing layer of ice.
"Oh my GOD!" Sakura cried in surprise as she abruptly stepped back from the window after she recognized what she saw. Sakura had been floating a thousand feet above the ground in a giant ice palace, and never realized it until now.
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The soft clatter of hooves rode gently to a stop, echoing distantly across the mesmerizing silence that dawned upon the frozen land. Syaoran, Fye, Kurogane, and Mokona had arrived at the destination King Ethan had advised them to go. Standing on the tall hill, the travellers gazed at a large open field below splattered orange in the last glimpses of the sunset. Adjoining the edge of the field was a large glimmering sea, sparkling gently in the fading light. It would've seemed so peaceful and relaxing if the dire situation were different. A light breeze, cold as it was, swayed the tall grass below and pushed waves against the shore in resounding waves.
Sakura…Syaoran thought with a smile. You'd love to see this. I promise… we'll get you back and perhaps we can come to this very spot together… smiling.
"Just as the King said…"Kurogane interrupted. "The water is starting to freeze over."
Fye and Syaoran turned towards the sea in the far distance, and sure enough, patches of inert ice could be seen edging along the shoreline and spreading into the sea.
"Howee…Kuro-puppy! Your eyesight is soooo good." Fye joked and patted Kurogane lightly on the armour.
"Hai! Hai!" Mokona bounced repeatedly on his head, seemingly trying to keep warm. "And it's al-l thanks to Mokona's jumping on his head! Mokona! The Saviour!" Mokona tried to make an evil smile and tapped his paws together menacingly. "Bwahahahaha!"
"Argh! Who needs your help!" Kurogane whipped the cute pork bun off his head and launched into another pull-the-cheeks attack. Syaoran was standing a little bit away, a solemn expression upon his young face.
"Ne, Syaoran-kun." Fye stood beside him, gazing out at the freezing sea. "Do you remember what we said to you back in the world with the glowing lake?"
Syaoran nodded, giving a slight honest smile.
"I know it seems hard right now… to smile and laugh while Sakura-chan's not here. But wherever she is, whatever she's doing, she wouldn't want you to be worrying so much. I know, and I know you know too… Sakura isn't totally weak and she can take care of herself. Loosen up a bit hmm? We can handle anything Sephiria will hold up against us. It's just her, against the 3 of us."
Syaoran nodded again in reply. As Fye turned to help Mokona, Syaoran called out, "Fye-san?"
He turned back to face the young boy. "Well, I'm not known to give the best advice but…" Fye strode over and sat down on the dew-covered grass on the hill. He patted the grass beside him, motioning Syaoran to sit down with a warm smile. "I'll try to help." Their horses neighed gently behind them, trying to shake off the cold. Mokona's giggles could still be heard and he was continuously stretched.
Syaoran obeyed and the two sat in silence for a while watching tiny stars appear in the darkening sky.
"When I was in my room after we saw the ashes, I felt like I'd go insane. Just the thought of it hurt… the thought that the girl I love is no longer with me. NO longer in this world, or any world… because no one, not even someone who looks like her, talks like her, acts like her… is my Sakura. I couldn't… no I can't bear the thought of it at all. It was the same when she first lost her memories. She was frigid cold in my arms, and the high priest Yukito told me of her condition. But at that time, there was hope to save her… a tiny spark of hope but it still existed. Seeing the ashes were different to me… it felt like the end of the world and there was no turning back… an apocalypse for my heart. I was desperate to find some hope for that situation… I guess that's one of the reasons that kept me from falling over the edge of insanity."
Kurogane's battle with Mokona seemed to have seized behind them, and the horses did not stir. The wind continued flowing lazily along, swaying the long grass below.
"It's hard to say… how shall I put this?" Fye thoughtfully said. "It seems like you're doubting if you two will ever be together hm? Syaoran, there's always two types of endings for love. There's the tragic one, and the happily-ever-after that many believe to never exist. Every relationship goes through many hardships and problems, each trouble trying to pry the two apart. Some loves end, and they call it tragic because there was no happy ending. Those who've experience it time and time again believe that true love, and true happiness do not exist at all, and that they're just wishful desires of our minds. But when you see two people who've been thrown mercilessly into crushing torments and still come out hand in hand, you know that some things are meant to be. Love cannot be so easily conquered by evil. Love has and always will transcend through time and space… and you and Sakura are solid proof that it transcends through that and worlds as well."
"Fye-san, you can't say that…"
"What do you mean, Syaoran?"
"Sakura… I don't think she loves me. And even if she had growing feelings for me, I shattered them last night. Before she was kidnapped, she saw something between Esmerelda-hime and me. I didn't' want to ever hurt her or see her hurt at all, and I wanted to explain but my chance was snatched away. If she ever did have feelings for me, they're gone with the wind."
"Hm," Fye absent-mindedly wiped some dew off of a few nearby blades of grass. "I beg to differ, Syaoran-kun. But we'll never know for sure until you ask her yourself, so when you find her, tell her how you feel, and she'll answer you." He stood up with a smile, and brushed off invisible dust specks from his white coat.
"I agree!" Mokona jumped onto Syaoran's shoulder. "Tell her, Syaoran-kun, it'll do both of you good! Nee, you both deserve sooo much!"
"Hey-ey Mokona!" Fye said. "I bet you 10 hugs from Kurogane that Syaoran will do it sometime this week!"
"DON'T INCLUDE ME IN THIS! I'M NOT GIVING OUT ANY HUGS, YOU HEAR ME! ANY!" Kurogane stomped angrily beside the horses, causing them to scatter nervously away from him.
"Ne, I say tonight!" Mokona cried out hoping Kurogane will hear, trying to keep a straight face at the same time. He couldn't manage it. "Price! 20 hugs AND a kiss from Kurogane!"
Fye laughed. "Great price! It's a deal!" He shook the bun's paw as Kurogane screamed with rage in the background, scattering birds to rush out in panic from a nearby tree.
Syaoran smiled and couldn't keep a laugh from coming out. Mokona turned to him in amazement, and immediately charged at Syaoran, giving him a big hug.
"Heehee! Mokona feels like that's the first time Syaoran's laughed in ages! Mokona so happy inside now."
The smiles from everyone's faces suddenly faded. Something seemed amiss, and each head turned to the lake. The wind blowing against them seized momentarily, only to ominously shift directions. It whirled the fallen leaves off the ground, pushing them towards the lake where the waters that once lapped calmly were circling round and round.
"It's coming." Fye said as Syaoran got to his feet, his armour clanging gently as he moved. The wind picked up speed, whirring the clouds in the sky around one fixated point in the sky. Then, suddenly a peak of white, like a giant stalactite, a towering ice castle descended from the heavens, lowering into the whirlpool swirling in the lake. It's icy coating glimmered in the soft light from the stars and moon. The castle rumbled as its pointy base collided with the tumbling waters, causing high waves to hit the shore as it sank a little.
The arrival ended as abruptly as it came. All was silent again, and the waters calmed once again, lapping gently against the foundations of ice at the base of the castle.
"That must be it then." Fye said thoughtfully as if it was normal for a random block of ice to descend magically from the sky.
Syaoran nodded. "Sephiria's castle." He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, Hien.
"Sephiria's… castle?" Mokona puzzled. "But, it cant' be midnight already!"
"It seems midnight is when she actually enters the King's castle in Silan, not when she appears." Kurogane answered. A smirk spread across his face. "A century old sorceress eh? Wonder how powerful she is."
Author's Notes:
Bwahah XD Finally finished, sorry for the long wait - I've been flooded with school work. Anyways, this chapter can be considered boring I guess '' It's mainly emotions ) and a transition to the action chapters coming up - Sephiria has finally arrived, and is that the same castle Sakura is in? Has Sakura entirely given up on her love for Syaoran? Stay tuned!