Authors Note: Well, this was another slow chapter. Stuff happens though…
Previously: Shadow goes to get people for the war in the Dark Realm. He finds Meiling and Tomoyo around. Eriol is busy reading in the Water Realm, figuring stuff out. Candice and Sigma are kidnapped in the Light Realm by Abner. They are now held prisoner in Abner's dungeon. Meanwhile…
Chapter 26: Abducted
Tyrell moved quickly through the darkening Realm, waving his companions forward with a sense of urgency. The sky above him thundered and flashed, illuminating the ground in front of him for a few seconds. A moment later, huge pellets of water fell upon Tyrell, soaking him in less than two seconds.
"Hurry! You shouldn't let your daughter get wet in the condition she's in!" Lloyd yelled, diving into the dark mouth that was a cave.
No more than two yards away from the cave's gaping mouth, Kayley tripped, nearly landing on top of her child. Had Tyrell not, at the last minute, produced the small stream of magic to create a state of dimensional flux under Kayley, Ellen would have been crushed. Instead, the two remained virtually unharmed, scampering on towards the cave with little more than a skinned knee.
"Thank you, Lord Tyrell," Kayley said, holding Ellen close to her breast, keeping her warm.
"We'll be here until the storm ends," Tyrell said, walking back into the cave. "Lloyd, light a fire for them. After you're finished, you can come with me. I have… some knowledge you might be interested in hearing."
Lloyd moved to obey, taking a few dry sticks from his pack and unleashing enough Thunder energy on them to start a simple fire. Kayley moved Ellen closer to the fire, still cradling her, giving up her own jacket to keep her warm.
"M… Mommy?"
"Shhh… quiet honey… we'll be alright… get some rest," Kayley replied, and began humming a lullaby.
"Lloyd, are you done?"
"Yes, uh… Tyrell. I'll be there in a moment."
Tyrell finished unpacking a sleeping bag and hurried over to Tyrell's side, going deeper into the stalactite filled cave. Tyrell moved further into the cave, down narrow, twisting hallways and through large rooms, marking every turn that he made.
"Be careful," Tyrell warned as the edged sideways across a small protrusion of rock, just wide enough for the heels of their feet. With their backs pressed to the wall, Tyrell led Lloyd down the eroded rock wall, saying as little as possible. When they arrived at the bottom, Lloyd stared out over a large pool of water, awestruck by the massive fish, both magical and not, jumping out of the water.
"What is this place?" Lloyd whispered, his voice like that of a child. Slowly, cautiously, Lloyd bent down to touch the pure water, cupping some in his hand and drinking from it. "I had no idea places such as these existed…"
"Yes, well, I've brought you here for more than just the underground lake you see before you. There's something much more important."
"What is it?" Lloyd asked, straightening and turning to Tyrell.
"Kayley isn't safe. I believe that she is no more than a spy. Her child, Ellen, is potentially more dangerous. Whether or not she is really sick, I don't know, but I cannot, as the ruler of this Realm, leave them without an escort," Tyrell said solemnly. Tyrell walked over to the water, dipped a hand into it and sent out a small sonic pulse. Immediately, a fish came to him, rubbing up against his hand, absorbing the electric power coming from the tips of his fingers.
"But… Tyrell… what makes you think this?" Lloyd asked, wondering suddenly what the note Tyrell had picked up a few hours ago said.
"I'm sure you're mind flashed to the note immediately, Lloyd. You're very perceptive and I could use your powers of deduction in my employ once this is all over. The note, along with the odd figure we saw above the roof last night, they tell me. The note reads: "The girl and her mother wait. Take care to avoid the Stare." It's signed, "the watcher from the shadows."
"But, Lor– Tyrell, you don't know who this is from. There's no reason for you to believe a note left by some stranger!" Lloyd cried, surprise heavy in his voice.
"At first, I didn't think so either. But, for some reason I can't explain, I received an odd vision, while the clouds gathered over our heads on our way here. Kayley stood, behind Ellen, both of them with a demonic grin on their faces. I was there, lying on the floor, lifeless and you stood, no more than a meter away from me, fighting with your last breath."
"But… that's just your mind playing tricks on you. You read the note, and then your mind started thinking over it, and when you thought for long enough, your mind formulated this–"
"Enough, Lloyd. If there's one thing that I've learned from my father, it's to always trust your instincts. That all visions, all dreams, show some portion of the future. My father had a vision, moments before his death. He told me about it, attempting to lecture me in how foolish visions are, when in reality, he could have saved himself. I will not make the same mistake he did. Lloyd, I don't condemn the two of them yet. All I'm saying is to be careful, be wary of them."
"I'll do my best, Tyrell. Is there… anything else?" Lloyd replied, staring down at the lake and the fish as they swam around without a care for what the two land-walking giants were saying.
"Yes, one last thing. They followed us," Tyrell said, suddenly taking a more cautious stance and edging back up the ledge of rock.
Lloyd followed behind, poised to strike, a dagger of electricity in his hand. As they arrived at the top of the chasm, a dart flew towards Tyrell, penetrating his skin and leaving poison in his neck. Lloyd stared as time seemed to slow, watching as his traveling companion and ruler of his birth Realm fell to the ground. Suddenly, he was completely aware of his surroundings, seeing, without really seeing, the dart behind him as it glided through the air and lodged itself in his shoulder.
"So, you did know. That part about Master's plan failed. It seems you were informed somehow. How interesting," Kayley said, looming over Tyrell's limp body.
Lloyd stood behind her. Staggering and unable to maintain control of his dagger, he allowed it to shatter and disappear.
"Mother, shouldn't we be taking them now? There's only so long Master's willing to wait. You remember what he told us would happen if we failed, don't you?"
"Yes, of course. We mustn't fail," Kayley replied, ushering her child back up the long corridor before immersing herself within her radiant source of energy and letting a trickle of it move the two poisoned men lying on the floor.
"Yes, we must let them live. We can't afford to have that energy lost."
"But they're so troublesome. You know they'll revolt the moment they have a chance."
"Let them. I had to make sure that the final prophecy would be fulfilled. Only they, the girl, and her friends are allowed in the fight. I will not allow them to ruin the plan I set in motion seventeen years ago!"
"Bah! You're plan didn't work then, and you sought me out, putting me where you needed me to help you. I took caution to make sure everything would look as you wanted it to. For fifteen years, I've served you faithfully and you won't allow my sword the taste of these fools' blood."
"Silence, fool! He's awake!"
Tyrell sat up slowly, putting a hand to his head as the world blurred into view. Where am I? What happened? he thought, thinking about the scraps of conversation he had heard before fully coming to consciousness. Slowly, his eyes focused and the blurry dim room could be seen with more clarity.
The room was lit by the dim glow of a distant fireplace, causing shadows to flicker in and out of existence. A man wearing golden armor stood on one side, his face hidden by a helm of gold. Abner stood next to him with a scabbard in his hand. As Tyrell continued to take in the room, he saw Lloyd on the floor next to him, still unconscious.
"Well, well, well. The mighty Tyrell, Lord of the Thunder Realm, captured and powerless before me," Abner said.
"Abner…" Tyrell said, malice and hatred in his voice. "How dare you turn against these Realms? You attacked your own daughter, and for what? The promise of power? You rule a Realm! What more could you want?"
"Tyrell, you will never cease to amuse me. When this is over and done, I will have more power than you ever dreamed of. Power is everything and I long for it!"
"What is power if there's nothing left for you to use your power on? If you destroy the Realms, power is meaningless!"
"How wrong you are, Tyrell. The Realms are but a disease to the universe. They do nothing but plague the real worlds, the true worlds. The Realms steal energy from these worlds, transforming them into each element. We will cleanse the universe of the Realms, relieving the energy. You are but an obstacle. I would kill you if he would let me!" Abner said, motioning to the man in golden armor.
Tyrell stared, not believing for a second what Abner said. The man off to the side whispered something to Abner and left the room, gently shutting the door behind him.
"You're lucky today, Lord Tyrell. I have more… important… matters to attend to. I'll have time to deal with you later!" Abner yelled, staring at Tyrell who returned his stare with a nearly identical one, lacking only the sadism in Abner's. Abner proceeded to the door, turning and tossing a small golden drop of liquid at Tyrell before stepping out of the room.
The droplet of golden liquid hovered in the air, rousing Tyrell's curiosity, before flying into Tyrell's mouth. Immediately, his body convulsed as the liquid blazed a poisonous trail through his body. Every second begat more pain, eventually leaving Tyrell on the ground, wondering when the pain had ended.
Abner… I swear I will have my revenge on you! Tyrell thought before passing out on the cold floor, his body unable to cope with the pain that it had been submitted to.
Li lay in his bed, constantly aware that Sakura was right behind him. Every two minutes, he turned and stared at Sakura, realizing that he would never fall asleep. Why me? I should just tell her and get this over with! That's all I need to do to get a good night's rest!
Li continued to lie in bed, debating with himself what to do. I can't just get off the bed. She'd think I hate her or something. This would be so much simpler had we gotten separate rooms… Li thought, regretting his thought immediately. I love her, but… does she…?
Sakura rolled over in bed. "Li, are you asleep?" she asked, staring at the back of Li's head.
Great… Now I've awakened her. "N… no. Wh… why are you still awake?" Li said, feeling a sudden dryness in his mouth.
"I couldn't sleep. Maybe I'm just a little hungry," Sakura replied, still not moving from her spot.
Li turned and saw Sakura smile innocently as she sat up. After what seemed like years later, Sakura got up and walked to the refrigerator in the kitchen next to the dining room. Li stared after Sakura, blushing furiously in the dark room. After a while, Sakura walked back to the bed. "I'll get something to eat tomorrow. Li… are you alright?"
Li returned Sakura's worried look with a blank stare, unsure what exactly she meant. "Y… yes…"
"Ok," Sakura said, smiling before lying down again.
After a few moments of silence, Li turned around again, still unable to sleep. Images of the times he had shared with the girl next to him flashed through his mind, reminding him of how much he truly loved her. Somehow, Li managed to fall asleep, giving in to his body's desire to sleep, even if his mind continued to wander through his dreams.
Li sat up in bed, sure that something was wrong. A moment ago, Sakura was beside him, still somewhere near him as her aura filled the room. Now, it was gone. Li quickly got out of bed, looking around for Sakura when a voice drifted through the air to his ears.
"Li, I'm over here!" Sakura said, with hollow excitement in her voice.
Li stepped through a curtain dividing the dining room and the bedroom, a curtain that had been pulled back the night before, and found Sakura standing there with breakfast prepared on the table. As Li approached Sakura, the feeling that something was slightly out of place still plagued him and the reason continued to elude his grasp. He walked over to Sakura and stood for a while, evaluating the being before him.
Immediately a problem presented itself to Li. As he stared at the girl in front of him, he realized that something was missing. The aura that surrounded Sakura, the aura that filled every place they had ever been in together had disappeared. He no longer could feel Sakura, but instead, what was standing in front of him was no more than an empty carcass, a cheap copy of his beloved.
"Li, Is something wrong?" Sakura asked, taking Li's hand and sitting him down. She started spooning him a large amount of food, being very careful not to spill anything. After there was a pile of rice and many different other dishes stacked upon Li's plate, Sakura stopped and sat opposite Li.
Through all this, Li never took his eyes from Sakura. He stared after her, feeling that something important to him had disappeared, that the most important person in his life had somehow walked away, leaving him with a large, empty hole deep within himself. Another realization came to Li as he stared at the girl across from him. The girl sitting across from him was Sakura. Something had changed about her, or perhaps about him, but Sakura still sat across from him, filling Li with confusion and almost anger.
All the while, Sakura stared at Li with a confused yet worried look on her face, waiting for Li to say something. As their gazes met, Li saw the worry in her eyes, saw through it, and saw the emptiness within the girl. What's going on? That… That's Sakura… but…
A moment later, Sakura got up, looking very worried, and walked over to Li. "Li, tell me what's wrong. You're not acting like yourself today," Sakura said, taking Li's arm and leading him to the bed. After laying Li down, Sakura stood next to him, acting almost as a mother would, staring into the eyes of a dying child. With a look bordering on sorrow, Sakura put a hand on Li's head and, after seeing that everything was physically normal, allowed some of the sorrow in her face to wash off, smiling again.
Li continued to stare at Sakura. He closed his eyes and felt for her within his mind as she laid a hand upon his head. No matter how hard he tried, Sakura was not there. Something was missing, but yet not. Every time he saw her, he was assured that this was the Sakura he loved, but with his inner senses, nothing of the old Sakura remained.
"Li… say something," Sakura pleaded, escorting Li out of bed and to the door.
"I… have nothing to say…" Li replied, allowing himself to be led by Sakura, following her out the door. The two of them walked down a flight of stairs and out another door, leading them out into the open air of the Wind Realm. As the wind coursed through Sakura's hair, Li couldn't help but feel that the joy Sakura was feeling wouldn't last. Something was threatening her, right here where she was standing.
Something's wrong. Something catastrophic is going to happen. Sakura… what happened to you? Li wondered, moments before he heard a scream from behind him as a large, dark shape grabbed Sakura and in one swift motion, transformed her into a pile of ash, leaving only a single hair which floated gracefully into Li's outstretched arm.
"SAKURA!" Li yelled, sitting up in bed, cold sweat running down his face. He turned, seeing Sakura jump up in bed beside him.
"Wha… what happened? Is something wrong?" Sakura asked, startled and worried.
Li turned to Sakura, hugging her and refusing to let go. "You're safe…" he whispered as tears streamed down his face. A moment later, he let go of Sakura, taking a long look at her face, making sure that she was there. It was a dream. Only… only a dream, he thought.
Sakura stared back into Li's relieved face with a bewildered look. As she did so, Li got up, turned to the dining room, entered the kitchen and started cooking something to eat. I have to tell her how much I love her. That dream… something about it was real…
As the sun rose on the other side of the castle, Li finished his cooking, setting it out on the table and noticing that Sakura had disappeared. Much to his relief, he could still feel her presence, could still feel the energetic girl he was so madly in love with somewhere in the room. A moment later, the bathroom door opened, and Sakura stepped out, bright drops of water hanging from her hair, reflected in the dim lamplight.
"Li, is… something wrong?" she asked, taking a seat at the small table.
A moment later, Li decided that Sakura would be better off not knowing and quickly replied with a simple "no."
The two of them ate breakfast in near complete silence, one worried over a dream while the other sensed something wrong. As they finished their breakfast, a large gust of wind from the nearby balcony stole their attention from whatever unsettling thoughts were going through their heads. A few minutes later, the door creaked open, followed by a familiar voice to both of them.
"This door needs some oil," the voice said as Solana stepped through the doorway. "I see the two of you are already awake. I apologize for my… stalker… yesterday. He's been overly obsessed with me for a little more than a year now. I hope that dinner wasn't too bad, and… oh yeah, we have to get going sometime late today or early tomorrow. Until then, you're free to do whatever you want."
"Thank you for everything, Solana. The food was delicious, and everything's been wonderful. Can we… visit again after everything is over?" Sakura asked.
"Of course. How could I resist such a cute face?" Solana said, smiling in an almost motherly way.
Sakura nearly jumped into the air, completely overjoyed at the prospect of being back here, able to relax completely. Something, however, poked at the back of her brain, reminding her that something unpleasant lay ahead, some unavoidable catastrophe. Ignoring this gloomy thought, she turned to Li with a gleeful look on her face. "You'll come with me, right?"
Li stared back, lost in Sakura's eyes. What seemed like hours later, he replied with a stuttered, "yes" and let out a small sigh as Sakura turned her gaze from him, jumping energetically into the air to celebrate her excitement.
When will I tell her? What if I never get the chance to? I have to say something; have to let her know before it's too late, Li thought, allowing himself to calm down with a heavy sigh.
"You can do better than that," Solana said, whispering into Li's ear. "You still have today…"
Li whipped around. Finding Solana suddenly behind him ripped him out of his thoughts as he jumped a little into the air before regaining his composure and calmly staring at Solana. As what she said finally dawned on him, a confused look washed across his face, wondering what to make of her comment.
Solana slowly walked out of the room, leaving Li with a happy, bouncy Sakura. A little while later, Sakura suddenly stopped propelling herself through the room, feeling a strange aura around her. Closing her eyes, she felt for the source of the aura, turning and watching as quietness wrapped itself around her.
After a minute of silence, she found the aura's source and stared solemnly out the window. "Li… what is that?" she asked, pointing to what looked like an ominous gray cloud with a shaky hand.
"Be careful," Li said, having little to no idea what the cloud was. Li could feel a presence behind the cloud, something warning him that danger was approaching. Staring at the advancing cloud, he couldn't help but remember the dream. Tearing himself from those thoughts, he allowed the presence of the cloud to pass through him, attempting to identify it. Sakura…
Suddenly, the door behind Li slammed open and Solana walked in, finding her way straight to Sakura before staring out the window with her. "Sakura, if you have anything to pack, do it now. We have to get going," Solana said, staring warily at the rapidly approaching mass.
Sakura nodded, frantically darting around the room, looking for anything she might want to pack. She grabbed her bathrobe and some clean clothes from the dresser Solana had provided and tossed them, along with her set of drying clothes and into a small bag. As Li stared blankly at her, she grabbed his clothes as well, tossing them into the same bag before heading out of the room.
Li followed Sakura, slightly annoyed that she had taken his clothes for him when he could have done it himself. Ignoring the small annoyance, he set his mind back on the now stronger malevolent aura of the cloud. A moment later, he grabbed Sakura's arm, stopping her.
"You can't go out there. Wait here for Solana," Li said, staring into Sakura's concerned eyes.
Sakura turned from Li and let the cloud's aura wash over her, feeling the malevolence within it along with its purpose. The cloud was coming for her. Everyone else would be completely safe, so long as nothing got between her and the cloud. Immediately, Sakura rushed out of the hallway, not allowing Li to follow. She flung open the double doors to the castle and stood alone in front of the castle, staring up at the thundering cloud above her head. I can't let anyone else get hurt.
"Sakura! What are you doing?" Li asked, frantically trying to catch up to Sakura.
A bolt of lightning shot from the cloud, striking the ground a foot in front of Li and stopping him in his tracks for a second. As he began to run towards Sakura again, larger and more violent bolts struck the ground in front of him, creating a barrier between him and Sakura.
When the smoke and lightning finally cleared, taking the cloud with it, Sakura no longer stood outside the castle. Instead, there was a small sheet of paper, saying, "Come find me. I have plans for you," with a small, scrawling, illegible signature. Sakura… Why did you go? Li wondered as images of possible tortures flashed through his mind.
Li searched the air for the malicious aura, attempting again to identify who it belonged to. A strange sense of familiarity tickled the back of his mind without sprouting any plausibly correct answer for his questions. As his mind continued to search for an instance where he had felt this aura before, an image presented itself to him. Within his mind, the silhouette of a man appeared, holding in its arms a girl he knew had to be Sakura. The man stared at him through glimmering eyes and the background quaked with thunder and lightning. As suddenly as it had come, the image flashed away, leaving Li with some idea where the man was.
"Li! Where is Sakura?" Solana asked from within the castle, snapping Li out of his gloomy thoughts. The sullen look on Li's face answered her as unspoken words rang through the air. Solana called for Zephyr, climbed on, and flew herself and Li back to the Portal. The two of them stepped through it, and entered once again into the Dark Realm, each feeling more and more hopeless with each step.
Yay, another chapter! I'm so busy now… sigh… well, hopefully I can write slightly more quickly… if not… well, I'm sorry. Hope you keep reading!