Hey guys! This is Sage Pagan with her very first fantasy Tekken story here at the site. Xjmaster and I are writing this fic together--we exchange our ideasand I do the writing. Anyway, hope you enjoy it.

Awakening

Women are a mystery, a peculiar, powerful mystery, for they alone possess the ability to create life within and bring it forth from their wombs. In these days, men revered this sacred power, loved their women for it, and it was this gift of creation that made the woman so respected, and sometimes, feared.

For women are strong in ways men may never understand…

And so it began, some say, in the land called Elysium. Elysium was a peaceful realm, filled with beauty and joy and good-hearted people. The birds sang their sweetest here; the sun shone its brightest; Mother Earth beamed with life, her trees abundant with fruit and her flowers blinding in their color; overall, men and women existed in peace. Violence and hatred were rare, rare things in this land.

And yet, always, there must be shadows among the light to keep the balance. Elysium was far from perfect, for she possessed flaws like everything does. However, it was at this time that the balance was disturbed, and a new world began to take form…

Within Elysium stood the little village of Sythe, where a mere mortal woman, whose single desire was to conceive a child, lived.

Young Avriell, a beautiful woman of twenty-three with long ebony hair and a joyful demeanor, simply wanted a child of her own. She wanted to feel that miracle inside of her, that magic of life that would make her husband love and revere her, and she wanted to cradle that little life within her arms. She would kiss her child, love it, raise it, name it, and teach it all that she knew.

Yet life can be twisted and cruel, for woman's wonderful gift of childbearing was denied to Avriell. Day by day she watched as women her age bore sons and daughters, how they laughed and smiled with joy, love in their eyes. She watched and coveted, for her womb remained void of life. Why, she often asked herself, am I not bearing children like the others? What is wrong with me?

As the months went by, Avriell still hoped and prayed for a child. But after another year of emptiness, desperation set in as one night young, grief-stricken Avriell took her husband's life, claiming that it was his faulty seed that caused her infertility.

And yet, the months passed by once more and she remained barren. Madness replaced sorrow, all reason vanished, and young Avriell turned to dark sorcery. Driven by her bitterness and hatred, the mortal woman, once a being of light, became of the shadows. She surrendered her soul to the darkness, betrayed the goodness in all things, and in doing so, Elysium was forever tarnished. Its peace had been disturbed, and Avriell had no intention of righting her wrongs. For once a life has seen true evil, it can never return as it once was…

After mastering the dark arts, Avriell returned to her village and in a vengeful rage, set upon it a terrible curse. Wombs remained empty like her own, newborn babes died silently in their sleep, and the sun vanished from the sky. Despair reigned, and Avriell's cruelty prevailed.

Wandering the world alone as the most powerful sorceress, Avriell of the Sythe Village was no more. Reborn from the darkness as Voira, she seeks vengeance upon the earth that denied her the life she desired. To the sorceress, if she could not create life, then she would forge death instead.

And yet there is a story even older and more intriguing than that of Voira's. For far, far before the sorceress' birth into darkness, there came a legend that brought with it hope, light, and life, the very things Voira lives to destroy.

Legend foretells of the sacred birth of a girl child, a mortal who harbored the powers of the earth and all of the spirits of life within her soul. Although her gifts would lie dormant within her for the first years of her life, she would grow to be powerful, more powerful than any other creature the world had seen—possibly even more so than the great Voira herself. She is said to possess the ability to manipulate all of life's spirits, from the smallest green mosses under her feet to the very soul of Mother Earth herself; they are hers to use as she wishes. Life and death are also hers to create. A being of light, she alone holds the key to the eternal destruction of darkness.

And Evil knows it well, and fears the Spirit Child. For thousands of years the powers of darkness have lied patiently in wait, silently anticipating her arrival, waiting for the right moment to eliminate their enemy.

But Destiny would not have it this way. For though the Darkness waited and watched, they heard only silence as a babe's wail pierced the air: a cry of life, a cry of hope. Hidden from Darkness, she grew in safety, reared in a land separated from Evil's world of gloom and despair. And her powers, like the seed of a blossom, remained quiet yet slowly began to germinate within her.

The legend has awakened…

Twenty-two years later

It was nearing midday, and the scarlet-haired man sighed wearily. He and his companion, Ling Xiaoyu of the village of Gira, had been traveling since early morning, and still there was no sign of the kidnappers. Julia had been gone for nearly two days now, and Hwoarang felt as if he was traveling in circles. Cursing under his breath, he slammed his weapon onto the ground, the silver blade sliding halfway out from its leather sheathe.

Ling Xiaoyu, a young woman of twenty, sighed and halted. She had yet to get used to Hwoarang's attitude, but she patiently went to his side. The poor man held his face in his hands, and she sat down beside him.

Hwoarang was only twenty-three and belonged to the village of Thade, a little town hidden in the serene forests of Aneira. Thade was relatively close to Gira, home of Xiaoyu and Jin Kazama, and so it had not been too difficult for Ling to track down Hwoarang when she had needed his help.

The scarlet-haired man was bold and impetuous, often brash and too feisty for his own good, and the only person who'd managed to control him was his best friend. Julia Chang, a peaceful, intelligent woman and daughter of Thade's chief, had been Hwoarang's closest companion since Julia was five and Hwoarang six. She was the calm earth to his raging fire, the reasoning voice behind his spontaneity, and though Hwoarang was often hard to handle, she always found ways to reign him in. After experiencing the death of his parents and the teasing from his peers as a youth, Julia (besides his mentor and guardian, Baek) was the only person Hwoarang trusted. She was the keeper of all of his deepest secrets, his hopes and desires, and she was the sole person who knew the true man that lay beneath his "bad boy" charade.

It had been a difficult friendship at first, since Hwoarang had always been the crueler, more cynical one of the two; but in the end, the Native American woman had managed to melt the fear that had molded its way about his heart.

So when she'd suddenly vanished two mornings ago, it had sent him into a panic, more so even than the village. He'd set out that night with only a few provisions, the clothes on his back, and a couple weapons, one being Salvation, the razor sharp, silver scythe he'd mastered at the age of thirteen.

Although young, Hwoarang had been trained to be a skilled warrior, and was used to fighting and bloodshed. Well-known among his village and throughout his country for his prowess with his scythe as well as martial arts, Hwoarang was one of the greatest fighters his part of the region had seen. His forte was Tae Kwon Do, for Hwoarang preferred raw, skin-to-skin combat, and he excelled in the martial arts more so than with steel. However, weapons came in handy now and then as well.

Ling Xiaoyu, however, the girly, immature fighter from the neighboring town Gira, was not used to the battlefield as her fiery companion was. She had trained with and mastered the Phoenix, her long, elegant wooden staff, as a child, and also managed to perfect her martial arts skills as well. Hwoarang had nearly laughed out loud when she'd told him she was a warrior; the girl looked more like she belonged in the fields picking blossoms rather than be a martial artist or weapon wielder. She had not yet won his respect (only one woman in his life had deserved that), and Ling was determined to prove her worth to him.

Having lived a sheltered life, Ling Xiaoyu knew nearly nothing of the world that lay outside the gates of her village. It was a limited view, but that did not mean that she had any less desire to seek out the mysteries of the lands outside. But that was only part of the reason why she'd asked Hwoarang for his help.

Ever since she was a young girl, Xiao had cared very deeply for a certain raven-haired boy in her village. She was fascinated with Jin Kazama; there had been something intriguing about his lonely, serene demeanor. He had struck something within her heart from the very beginning.

Jin was the village orphan and had been raised by a few of the village elders until he could manage to survive on his own. As a child he had been misled and often felt confused; his mother had been pure after all, and his father the exact opposite, the darkness to her light. Both parents being dead, Jin had had no guidance, and he'd refused to listen to the elders that claimed to "know the best for him." As a result, Jin did not know which side to take, and settled for neutrality. Generally, the man leaned towards goodness, but it was futile to ask him to choose a definite side. Thus, it often annoyed his village when a war erupted and he'd refuse to fight, regardless that he was the best warrior among them.

Anyway, Xiao had always secretly loved him but knew no way how to express the feelings. Jin liked her as well; there had always been an attraction burning between them, but unfortunately for Xiao, Jin Kazama was just as unskilled as she in the love category. Fearing rejection and this strange, foreign emotion, Jin settled for solitude and silent longing for the woman. Asuka Kazama, his cousin and only living relative now, along with her parents, often reprimanded him for being so anti-social and "girl stupid." She'd urged him plenty of times to approach Ling and admit his feelings, but Jin had always quietly declined.

Ling gazed up at the sky absentmindedly, listening to Hwoarang curse more under his breath. She closed her eyes, remembering that day two years ago…

Two years ago, Xiao had discovered an unconscious Jin Kazama on the edges of the forest, just a few miles from her house. The skin on his chest and arms had been viciously torn, the gashes deep, and blood oozed in rivers from the wounds. In a panic, the young woman had rushed home for help, fearing that Jin was already dead. Fortunately, the man she loved had miraculously survived, and she'd sat by his side day by day, slowly nursing Jin back to health. A small friendship had formed then, and for the first time in months Jin Kazama heard himself laugh; only Xiao had that kind of effect on him.

A month later, Jin regained his strength and claimed that he didn't remember anything of the attack, only that he had felt an overwhelming sense of evil during that time. Also, the only remnant of that violent encounter was a mysterious tattoo on his left shoulder, the dark, jagged marks etched permanently into his skin.

Ling opened her eyes momentarily as her mind showed her the next memory, and silent tears emerged. She blinked them back furiously, turning away, not wanting Hwoarang to notice. He would only call her a wimp, that or an emotional wussy that wouldn't be able to handle the arduous journey ahead.

The letter had been brief, but it had changed her world from that point on. It was the cause of her journey with Hwoarang.

Xiao,

I'm sorry I did not bid you a decent farewell, but if I had told you I was leaving, I know that you would have managed to stop me somehow. But I need to be alone now, Ling. There are some answers I must find for I cannot keep living this way.

The Devil Gene, Xiao, that is what I speak of. With every passing day the demon blood within me strengthens, and I have left to find a cure. I promise that as soon as I find one (for there must be one somewhere out there. There is a cure for everything) I will return. Wait for me.

Know that I am grateful, for you and your family have only shown me kindness in the years that I have been with them.

And please, Xiao, do not try to look for me.

Jin

And, like Julia Chang, Jin Kazama quietly disappeared, and like Hwoarang, Xiao was on a quest to find a lost loved one. But, since she lacked experience with the outside world, Ling desperately needed Hwoarang's guidance on this journey in order to accomplish her goal.

He'd laughed at her at first, mouth wide, a bitter sound emitting from his throat.

"You? Ha! Right, right. Be careful with that stick hon, you might hurt yourself," he'd said, staring at her without an ounce of respect.

"Shut up! You don't understand!" she'd retaliated.

"Understand? I understand enough; you want to find Jin. Well, tough luck, darling, but I don't give a damn about your boyfriend, 'cause you and your pretty pink pigtails will only slow me down. Besides, I hate the bastard. Why should I help you as well as him?"

"Would you think differently if I was Julia?" she'd suddenly blurted, unable to stand it.

Hwoarang turned on her in a rage. "Well, what do you think? Julia is everything you are not. If it was her standing in your place, I would have already said yes."

And for once in her life, Ling was ashamed of who she was. If only she had what it took to please Hwoarang and make him help her. He was her only chance.

"No, please, I need your help. Just…just ask anything of me! Please!"

At this Hwoarang had turned to her, eyes narrowed. He waited for a moment, studying Xiao's face…

"You really do care for Jin, don't you?" he'd murmured.

Ling nodded, averting her eyes. "The rest of my village worry, but they are cowards. They hesitate to go and find him, and I will not wait when I can do something about it. He told me not to follow, but who knows what could have happened to him."

He sighed, relenting. He was unwilling to admit it, but Hwoarang knew exactly how the Chinese woman felt.

"Wow, maybe we do have something in common, Xiaoyu. Well, I'm not a cruel man, but I would like you to do one thing for me if you truly want to come."

Slight fear rippled throughout her skin. What was he going to ask of her? Xiao braced herself, waiting…

Hwoarang sighed, shaking his head. "Maturity, Ling, maturity."

Xiao relaxed slightly, but only just. "What?"

The Korean man rolled his eyes. "You heard me. Look, I've seen how you act when you're around people, and it's downright disgusting. All that giggling nonsense, that flirting with what's-his-face, that bullshit frolicking in the meadows—I don't wanna see it. And don't be a wuss; you're entering what we call 'the real world' now, not some fantasyland like it was back in Gira. Understand me?" he'd glowered.

"Yes," she'd replied softly. Hwoarang obviously wasn't afraid to speak his mind, regardless if it hurt others, unlike Jin. Xiao was feisty herself, but she'd have to learn to toughen up if she intended to get along with Hwoarang.

Ling Xiaoyu was naturally bubbly and light-hearted from the beginning, jovial and flirtatious, but, she admit, sometimes it got out of hand. This was obviously the very first aspect about her that Hwoarang noticed, and if she indeed desired his aid, she'd have to somehow obtain maturity while in his presence. It would be difficult at times, but Ling didn't mind. To her it was just one step closer to finding Jin.

So, after that agreement, Hwoarang found himself accompanied by the woman.

Hwoarang sighed heavily, running an idle hand through his scarlet hair. He glanced at the woman beside him, dark hair softly billowing in the breeze. Concealing his annoyance, he rose stiffly from his seat and readjusted the sheathed scythe to his side.

"Do you love her?" Xiao suddenly asked softly.

"What?"

She looked up at him, brown eyes innocent and curious, and Hwoarang suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. She'd always be so childish and naïve in so many ways.

"Do you love Julia?" she repeated before standing.

Hwoarang hesitated, and cursed inwardly for doing so. "Well, not the kind of love you have for that asshole, if that's what you mean."

"His name is Jin," she growled, her hand tightening on her staff. There'd been countless times when she'd had the unbearable urge to strike Hwoarang with her weapon, but, gritting her teeth, Ling knew she would have to learn toleration and patience too.

"Whatever. And no, not in that way…but yeah, I do love Jules. She's my best friend after all, the one person I trust in this goddamn world."

Xiao raised her eyebrows in curiosity. What did Hwoarang have against the world anyway? From her point of view, the world was a gift, a thing of wonder and joy, a place of light and peace, for she had been reared to think that way. But as she stared up at her companion some more, Xiao realized sadly that Hwoarang had obviously found reasons to think otherwise. Jin had as well.

What Xiao did not yet understand was that her perception of the world in which she existed was far, far from correct, for it was definitely not solely filled with peace and goodness. She would later of learn much, much more things than maturity on her quest with the Korean man…

He began to walk again when Xiao asked another question.

"Why her? What makes her so special?"

The Korean man halted and turned to face her.

"How about you shut up and mind your own business? Just because we're travelling together doesn't mean I have to tell you everything," he snarled.

"Touchy," she murmured under her breath, but Xiao quieted, respecting Hwoarang's privacy. Nevertheless, she felt herself smiling; Hwoarang didn't know quite yet just how powerful his feelings for his "best friend" were. She'd let him find out for himself. Love was complicated after all.

Hwoarang continued to walk, but he answered Xiao's question in his mind, silently remembering Julia.

Because she's not like everyone else. She gave me new eyes to a world I had nearly given up on…

Xiao was correct in that the world wasn't all rainbows-and-pretty-flowers in Hwoarang's point of view. He had good reasons for his bitterness.

Hwoarang was not very different from Jin in that both men were orphaned at early stages in their lives. Also, the redhead had not been born in Thade. Before Baek had found him and decided to take him under his wing, the young Korean man had lived in a remote village hidden away in the mountains. About twenty-two years ago, most of the inhabitants of that village had perished in a deadly plague, including both of Hwoarang's parents when he was only a year old. Nobody really knew anything about Hwoarang's birthplace, only that it was dangerous to venture there. Not even Baek knew much of it, only that he'd found the little Korean boy wandering aimlessly in the woods not far from the place, crying out for his parents. It was a mystery that many, including Hwoarang, wanted, but feared, to solve. Villages didn't just suddenly become ghost towns out of thin air, especially in a place like Elysium. There had to be some other force involved…

Hwoarang sighed, recalling the time Julia and he had both sneaked out of the village in the dead of night when they were eleven, running and panting with laughter into the far off forests to play. Over time, Hwoarang had developed an appreciation for nature while on these little secret excursions, for Julia had instilled a newfound gentility into his hard temperament.

"You needn't be so heartless and apathetic all the time, Hwoarang," she'd scolded once when a neighbor had passed away in Thade.

"So what? I didn't know him, and he never knew me either, so it ain't my problem. Life goes on, blah, blah, blah," had been his cold reply.

Julia, knowing full well about the tragic events of her friend's past, said softly, "But it was once a life, Hwoarang, don't you understand? Life is precious and fragile; can't you appreciate that?"

He had lost everything twenty-two years ago, so why should he begin to appreciate life's positive aspects now? Julia had tried hard to teach him of such things.

Hwoarang had stared at her long and hard then, thinking, when finally he sighed, "Well…I guess so, Jules. For you, I'll try."

She gave me new eyes to a world I had nearly given up on…

"Thanks," she'd replied with a little smile, "I knew you would."

Likewise, Hwoarang had taught Julia to harden up, for she'd always been slightly sensitive and emotional as a child. However, Julia did also get her first serious scolding from her parents after she took some of Hwoarang's "good advice."

Two nights ago Hwoarang had woken to find Julia's house destroyed. Her parents were fine, only a few scratches and bruises from the attackers, but they had been unable to prevent their daughter from being taken. They'd claimed that the men who took Julia had been robed all in black, making it impossible for a clear identification, and that they'd been expert warriors. The village was in a panic, for three other men who had seen the attackers now lay dead as a result of an attempt to rescue the chief's daughter.

Thade was one of Elysium's most peaceful villages, so when violence had suddenly struck, a chain of chaos followed. Fear spread like a disease; thus, the villagers' need to protect themselves overrode the need to rescue the chief's daughter.

"I can't believe this! You're all just a bunch of fucking cowards!" Hwoarang had screamed, running for his home.

"Where do you think you're going?" Baek had inquired when he saw his student violently tearing through his room and shoving food into a bag.

"I'm going after her," was Hwoarang's curt reply.

"Are you crazy? A war has erupted, Hwoarang; it isn't safe to go beyond these gates. You will not be a part of it, do you hear me!"

"What war? When did this happen?"

Baek sighed, covering his face with his hands. "Hwoarang, Thade is only one of hundreds of villages that are being ransacked everywhere. People are being killed and taken away, like Julia…and there are rumors that the Sorceress Voira has arisen."

"Bullshit. Voira's a myth, nothing more," Hwoarang smirked in disbelief.

"But—"

"Shut up, Baek. You don't understand. No one's doing anything about it, not even Julia's own father! Or Michelle!"

"Because they are the leaders! You have to understand that they love their daughter dearly, but they must remain behind to guide their people!" Baek tried to explain, but it was futile.

"Well then that means that I'm her only hope. Voira or not, I'm goin' out there," he'd growled, eyes afire with anger.

"Hwoarang, listen—"

"No, you listen! I don't know what this goddamn war is all about, but I know Julia has nothing to do with it. She's the most peaceful person I know, and when I find the bastards that took her, there'll be hell to pay!"

And with that, Hwoarang had left, leaving the only home he knew.

Midday began to fade, but the sun was still just as brutal, and Hwoarang wiped sweat off of his brow. He and Xiao had been walking for hours on the same path and still there was not a sign of the attackers anywhere. Everything was so serene, as if none of the violence and death had occurred in Thade. The forest was silent, save for the gentle sway of the tree limbs, their leaves murmuring softly to the air. The damp moss gave way under their feet, leaving behind emerald footprints; a stream trickled gently nearby, and the air smelled of apple blossoms and pollen. It was the epitome of Xiao's happy little world, and yet Hwoarang seemed to see every shadow within it. Even now as she grinned into the woods, Hwoarang's eyes darted back and forth, searching for flaws.

"This is so beautiful," she murmured in awe, staring up at the green canopy, the light playing on her face.

Hwoarang didn't answer, for he was again reminded of Julia. She would have loved this walk. Instead he was stuck with Xiao.

"I think we'll rest here for the night if we don't find some other place," he grumbled, readjusting the sack on his shoulder, "we'll be safe here."

An hour later they found themselves in the open. The forest had disappeared and was now replaced with lush mounds of prairie. Red poppies dotted the path here and there, and the crickets cried softly in the tall grasses.

However, the peaceful quiet was abruptly disturbed by a violent, deafening sound, as if something had collided with the earth. Xiao felt the vibrations travel up her body, and Hwoarang looked around frantically, one hand gripping the end of his scythe for security.

Xiao turned as she saw a thick cloud of black smoke rise into the air off in the distance…

"Look! It's from there," she pointed, directing Hwoarang's gaze.

"What the hell! What do you think happened?" he muttered, relaxing only slightly.

"I dunno."

"Let's go find out. Come on, this way. Julia might be there," he commanded, remembering Baek's words.

Xiao hesitated, looking again at the smoke. Fear and doubt rippled through her, but she followed her companion anyway.

On the way, Xiao asked breathlessly, "Hwoarang, I do not understand. What is happening to Elysium? Why is all of this violence suddenly here?"

Hwoarang glanced down at his companion and replied, "I don't know, Xiao. I honestly don't know. I've never seen anything like this…"