W.I.T.C.H. Dreams of Lusteria
By Galistar07water
Disclaimer: W.I.T.C.H. is owned and copyrighted by the Walt Disney Company Italia and is in no way affiliated with the fictional works of Galistar07water.
Author's note: If you would like to see drawings of W.I.T.C.H. Dreams of Lusteria, please visit my page and click the "W.I.T.C.H. Dreams of Lusteria" folder in the gallery section.
Chapter 06: Reflection of Pain pt. II
When Cornelia arrived at the school gate the next morning, Taranee and Will were already there with Kimi's Astral Drop. Looking around, she didn't see the others. Will and Taranee greeted her and told her that Hay Lin and Irma are still fuming over what happened last night.
"Hay Lin's in the art room, trying to finish up some of her projects for the upcoming Winter Festival," Will replied. "She wasn't particularly chatty or uplifting this morning."
"Can't say that I blame her," Taranee nodded as the three of them made their ways into the building and down the hallway. "After what happened yesterday, she's been avoiding all of us."
"As for Irma," Will glanced at Kimi's Astral Drop who was walking ahead of them. "Let's say that she's making an excuse to avoid Astral Kimi as much as possible."
"She doesn't care if this Kimi is just a magical carbon copy, so long as she has Kimi's face, Irma's keeping her distance."
"I don't have time for this," Cornelia rolled her eyes. Glancing at Taranee, she said, "Tara, you go tell Irma that we're going back to Lusteria today! I'll go and talk to Hay Lin and tell her that we're going back for Kimi."
Will and Taranee blinked in surprise. After what happened last night, they were unsure if their hearings were going bad.
"I'm sorry, but what did you just say?" Taranee asked.
"Cornelia, are you feeling alright?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow in concern. "You weren't too enthusiastic about it yesterday. Call me crazy, but I think I can sense a shift in your magical energy waves as if…" Will's eyes widen as Cornelia nodded to confirm her suspicion.
"Yeah, apparently our new friend in the mask decided to give me a pep talk last night," said Cornelia. "You'd never told me how annoying he was at first."
"Yami came to see you in your dream?" Will blinked again in surprise.
"Yeah, and that magical tree you told me about made me realize how wrong we were. Now that we're well rested, we can go back to Joseon and save Kimi before that water witch does something terrible to her!"
Will didn't know what to say at first. It's amazing that talking to Yami could help change your perspectives for the better over night…literally.
"Taranee and I will go find Irma and meet you in the art room later."
Cornelia didn't waste another minute to find Hay Lin. As she made her way to the art class room, Mrs. Warton, the art teacher and the head of the school's art department, came out with one arm full of students' art portfolios. She seemed pleasantly surprised to see Cornelia.
"Oh, hi Cornelia," she said.
"Good-morning, Mrs. Warton," Cornelia nodded. "I'm just looking for my friend, Hay Lin. Is she in there?"
Mrs. Warton nodded as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with a free hand. "Yes, she's trying to finish up another one of her paintings for the Winter Festival. What about you, Cornelia? Have you decided to contribute something this year?"
"I think I'll just stick to my ice skating routine," Cornelia replied. "I just needed to talk to Hay Lin about something important."
"Well, go right ahead in," Mrs. Warton smiled. "I just need to drop these files in my office. I'll be back soon."
Cornelia came in to see Hay Lin sitting at a station. she came closer to see Hay Lin painting an unfinished landscape of Joseon's great snow plain with Xuan Wu's Ice Palace sparkling in the distance. Already, Cornelia could feel the chill and she wondered if it was because Hay Lin was trying to give her the cold shoulder or because the painting was emitting a bone-chilling sensation, no courtesy of Xuan Wu.
Cornelia looked down to see a few more paintings, each depicting the beauty of some of the Lusterian sites they've been to thus far, including the City of Edo in Kimi's home nation of Nihon; Emperor Shung-tsu's Imperial City in Chang'an, Zhong-guo before half of it was destroyed; the Siulahm Temples where they met Monk Kaishin and Himerish; the beautiful underground cave with the glowing crystals, and…
"You even painted the hot spring with those ugly monkeys?" Cornelia gapped at the painting which was still wet. Hay Lin must have finished it early.
"They're macaques, not monkeys, Cornelia," Hay Lin said sourly, still keeping her back towards Cornelia as she continued to work. "But what difference does it make to you when you didn't even care to go back and save one of our own after she saved our lives."
"Hay Lin, enough!" Cornelia said sternly. "Look, I need to tell you something and it's important."
Grabbing a nearby stool, Cornelia sat down in front of Hay Lin. Before the Guardian of Air could stop her, Cornelia quickly recounted her recent dream. Hay Lin wanted to shake her head in disbelief, but with her power over air, she knew that Cornelia wasn't lying about meeting this masked boy, Yami, or his mystical cherry blossom tree.
Once Cornelia finished her story, she paused and looked down as if in shame. "I…I'm sorry, Hay Lin. I should have sided with you last night. A part of me knew that Kimi isn't bad and she's currently in distraught, but I was too blinded by my frustration and anger towards her that I decided to take it out on you and Yami as well."
"I forgive you, Cornelia," Hay Lin smiled weakly. "My grandmother always said that there is no disgrace in admitting your faults. That is true humility."
Cornelia smiled and before both of them realized it, Cornelia jumped up and gave Hay Lin a quick hug.
"Cornelia, stop it! You got black paint over the Ice Palace! Now I have to whip it down and start over again!"
"Oh, you can do that once we get back from Lusteria," Cornelia laughed. "Yes, we're going back to Joseon right now to save a friend and give that Xuan Wu a piece of our minds!"
"Who are you and what the hell have you done to the real Cornelia?!"
Cornelia and Hay Lin looked up to see Irma standing at the door with Will, Taranee, Matt, and Kimi's Astral Drop. The expression on Irma's face was that of irritation and anger. Matt seemed equally annoyed, but most likely for a reason different than Irma's. Kimi's Astral Drop just seemed bored as she casually walked around the art room staring at some of the other students' pieces.
Taranee shot Irma a warning look but Irma ignored her.
"Irma's not too happy about this plan of ours, naturally. But she's going with us whether she likes it or not," said Taranee.
"I can't believe you of all people are rounding us up to go back to that frozen wasteland just to save some cold-hearted Guardian, Corny!" Irma spat. "You don't even like Kimi! Why are you even bothering to try and help her again when you know she's not going to be grateful for it?"
"Irma, Kimi and her brother are Guardians like us, and they're both in the hands of the enemies! We can't just leave them!" Will scolded.
"I'm not saying that we should not save them," Irma shrugged. "I just think that after all the crap we put up with when it comes to Kimi, a few more days on ice should teach her a lesson!"
Cornelia couldn't hold herself back as she ran up to Irma and looked at her in the eye with her piercing blue optics. "You listen here, Irma," Cornelia started dangerously as she pressed one finger to Irma's chest to emphasize her strong standing. "The longer we leave Kimi in Xuan Wu's hand, the harder it is for us to save her. Xuan Wu murdered our friend, Kohaku, in cold blood. Do you really think that she won't do anything to Kimi if given the chance? We can't leave her in Xuan Wu's hand another day! If we forsaken her now like this, then we don't deserve to call ourselves Guardians!"
Irma frowned, feeling a bit guilty after Cornelia's speech.
"Look, I still don't like her that much, either. But I met the masked figure in a dream last night and he showed me how wrong I was. I know that she's a wreck after her father's murder and that she doesn't want to be saved, but you and I were letting our hatred blind us!"
"Irma, if it wasn't for Kimi, Will would have been killed by that tengu when we first met!" Ha Lin reminded her. "If Kimi hadn't had that magical vial, I probably would have died from being bitten by that snake spirit! And if it wasn't for her, Cornelia would have drowned!"
"We're going back to Joseon to save Kimi, whether you like it or not! And we're going to help her destroy Xuan Wu through justice, not vengeance!"
Irma looked around to see the others giving her a determined expression. Hay Lin sighed and said gently, "Irma, you're the Guardian of Water. You need to reflect on the pain and anger we've all been through these past few days and learn from it."
Irma sighed in defeat. "Alright Hay Lin, since I'm obviously outnumbered here. But how the hell do you expect us to leave school right now? In case you've forgotten, we don't have our Astral Drops anymore!"
Cornelia wanted to slap her forehead. Stupid! She was so determined to prove to Hay Lin and to herself that she has forgotten this small detail.
"Matt could cover for us," Will suggested. She glanced at her boyfriend, giving him a sweet look. "After all, you've done it before when we were facing Phobos and Cedric."
"Will, that was a long time ago, and it happened after school with your parents!" Matt pointed out.
Will sighed. "Right, my step-dad just saw us at the school gate earlier. If we're not in his classes, he's going to get suspicious."
"You'd think having a teacher for a parent would at least given us a few perks, right?" Irma joked.
"Perhaps I can help."
They glanced over at Kimi's Astral Drop and blinked in confusion.
"You? Please, it's not like you have any magic," Irma said coldly. "You're just an Astral Drop."
"And you're the imbecile who thought it was a good idea to use Astral Drops like me to do your dirty work," the Astral Drop countered venomously. "Yes, Orube warned me about it last night so that you wouldn't do the same to me."
Irma grunted and rolled her eyes. Great, another Astral Drop with an attitude. As if the real Kimi wasn't enough!
"So how can you help us?" Hay Lin asked.
The Astral Drop reached into her pocket and pulled out what looked like a small glowing sugar cube and handed it to Will. "The Jade Dragon gave this to me and said to have you blow on it—"
"What?"
"Do it," she ordered.
Before Irma could object any more, Will and the others gave her a glare. "Okay, okay! I'll do it!" Irma said, raising her hands up in defense. "Don't get your skirt up in a wrinkle!"
The five Guardians looked down at the tiny cube in skepticism, but if their caretaker gave it to them, it wouldn't be so bad, right? Will signaled them and they blew on it at the same time. The glowing cube dissolved like sand being blown by the wind, creating a cloud of glittering white dust. When it dissolved, the Guardians looked up to see their own reflections stand right before them talking to each other.
"Astral Drops?" Taranee blinked, adjusting her glasses. "That's impossible."
"Incorrect," said a familiar voice. They all turned to see Orube leaning casually against a wall at a corner of the room. "They're holographic specters and they'll be sufficient enough to take your places in this world's community until your return."
"Orube, how did you get in here?!" Matt demanded as he rushed to close the door before anyone else noticed her presence. "How come I couldn't sense you coming in? I've been trained for that in Kandrakar."
Orube smirked as if this was the most hilarious thing she has ever heard. "Matt, I'm an elite warrior trained in art of combat and stealth for hundreds of Earth years. Of course, I can sneak pass even the great "Captain Matt Olsen" whenever I want to."
Matt didn't find this amusing as he muttered something under his breath.
"I heard that," Orube winked, "or did you forget that my Basilíadians have sensitive hearings as well?"
"Ooh! Burn!" Irma laughed.
"Wait a minute, Orube!" Taranee interrupted. "So you're saying that these creatures are magical holograms?"
"More specifically, they're holomatters, but light-wielders like Kimi called them holographic specters," Orube explained. To demonstrate her point, she placed one hand on the fake Will's shoulder. The creature glanced up at Orube, but then brushed it off before returning to its conversation with the other. "They're solid enough should anyone of your instructors or classmates bump into them. While they can speak and respond when spoken to, in reality, they are not sentient. Unlike Astral Drops, these specters cannot really think for themselves. When you breathed into the spell, they've been programmed to imitate your individual mannerisms long enough to fool the Earthlings here."
"Great, so if I ever need a double to do my homework and not have to worry about it rebelling against me, I can conjure up one of these?" Irma asked hopefully.
Orube shot her a warning glance. After what happened, she still hasn't learned anything. "No, these specters will automatically disappear in twenty-four hours. We only have until then to finish up our next mission before your parents get suspicious."
"Alright, so what's the plan?" Will asked.
"Matt and Kimi's Astral Drop will stay behind to ensure that your holographic specters are functioning properly while we teletransport back to our headquarters. From there, we'll find a Portal to Joseon."
Matt couldn't handle this anymore. He had to intervene. "Now wait just a moment! I'm not staying here to baby-sit! I'm going to Lusteria with you!"
Orube frowned at Matt's decision to challenge her. "Absolutely not! Lusteria is too dangerous, especially with the Celestial Warriors in the playing field! You're not coming with us!"
"When did you replace my girlfriend as the leader?" Matt demanded. "I'm tired of being left out. I'm a part of their whole magical secret, too. And you cannot treat me like this, Rebecca, because I'm not the weak little pet-store assistant anymore! I can help!"
"Matt, this isn't about whether or not you are an asset or a liability," Orube stated firmly. "Xuan Wu is no ordinary villain like any other villains you've encountered with the Guardians before. She has the power to create a deadly blizzard and destroy you with ease."
"All those times we've fought the Celestial Warrior and her siblings before, I'm sure she was just toying with us, Matt," Taranee whispered.
"Matt, listen to us…listen to me," Will said gently, placing a hand on his cheek to reassure him. "Xuan Wu killed Kimi's father right before our eyes. Can you even imagine that pain if she does that to someone you love? I don't think I can bear it if she does the same to you to get to me."
Matt was silent. All he ever wanted to do was help, but if he goes with them on this mission, this Xuan Wu would most likely use him to hurt Will.
"Matt, we do need your help, but not on Lusteria. We need you here," Will continued. She clasped his hands in hers and smiled. "Just because we don't need you on Lusteria doesn't make you any less worthy than before."
Matt wanted to object, but he fell silent upon hearing Will's words. In the end he just nodded.
Cornelia cleared her throat. "Ahem. Will, time limit. Remember?"
"Right," Will nodded before turning her attention back to Matt. "Don't worry, we'll be back with the real Kimi this time, and we'll take down Xuan Wu for good."
The bell rang as Matt and Astral Drop Kimi watched the girls putting their forefingers together to create the teletransportation spell, taking Orube along with them. Once they were gone, the holographic specters left for their home rooms.
Matt turned to Astral Kimi. "C'mon, get to class and don't cause any more trouble. It's bad enough that your owner got you in detention."
Astral Kimi glared at him. "Don't think that you can give me orders, Matt-boy."
She walks out of the art room as Mrs. Warton and her homeroom class filed in. Matt followed her out and hissed to himself. "Matt-boy? Urgh, not her, too."
A few blocks away, Orube and the Guardians appeared right in front of their caretaker's house. Luckily, there was no one else around since this is a pretty quiet neighborhood to begin with.
Irma looked around their surroundings, her face puzzled by the fact that they were outside. "Wait, I thought we were trying to teletransport directly into the house. Why are we outside?"
"Magical safety precaution," Orube replied as she opened the gate to let them in. "The Jade Dragon placed an enchanted barrier that prevents anyone from appearing on the property directly. Only magical people can see and enter this place."
"So if an enemy ever tried to hijack our bodies to infiltrate this place…" Taranee began.
Orube nodded. "Then this place will not be compromised."
"But what about Ngọc Long? I mean, she pops in as a burst of flame all the time from Kandrakar!"
"Her emerald fire is an exception. Come, we must find a Portal."
They entered the house, but it was empty. No signs of their caretaker. Apparently, Kimi's host parent decided to take a vacation again.
"Where's Ngọc Long?" Will asked.
"Debriefing in Kandrakar with the Oracle and Lord Araël," Orube stated as she looked around. She spotted a piece of paper on the table and opened it. Will and Irma leaned over Orube's shoulders to see what it says, but the calligraphy was written in Chinese or whatever ancient Earth language Lusterians are used to.
"So what does the chicken scratch say?" Irma asked.
Orube glanced at her and replied, "The Jade Dragon is aware of our quick intention to return to Joseon and has taken the liberty to pre-open a portal as well as leaving us the enchanted winter cloaks for our mission."
"Great, so where's the Portal?" Cornelia asked.
Orube's expression remained unchanged. "She didn't state that specifically."
"So we have to go around and look for it?" Cornelia demanded.
"Wow, our caretaker really has a strange sense of humor," Irma rolled her eyes.
"We don't have time for this," Will demanded as she transformed. The other followed her example. "Let's split up and looked for it quickly."
"I'll check the bathroom to see if it's still in the bathtub like the last time," Hay Lin volunteered.
"I'll go get our cloaks," Taranee added.
"And I'll go look for some snacks!" Irma chirped, earning a few frowns from her friends. "What? I didn't get a lot of breakfast this morning!"
The others shook their heads and went on their way. By the time they met up, Orube was already in her warrior garments and Taranee was passing out the enchanted winter cloaks.
"The Portal is no longer where it was the last time we used it," Hay Lin said.
"And we couldn't find it anywhere else in this house," Will sighed.
"HEY, GIRLS?!" Irma's voice suddenly rang. "I GOTTA QUESTION FOR YOU! GET IN HERE!"
Cornelia grunted as she and the others shared expressions of annoyances. Nevertheless, they went into the kitchen to see Irma leaning in to look at whatever frozen food is in the fridge.
"Irma, for goodness sake! What's wrong now?!" Will snapped.
"Urgh! Please tell me that you didn't just drag us in here to confirm whether or not the sushi has gone bad!"
Irma gave them a look. "Urgh, no!" she scoffed before pointing into the freezer…wait…wasn't it supposed to be a regular refrigerator? Then why was snow coming out if it unless… "I wanted to ask you if this is the right Portal!"
The others glanced inside and sure enough, there was a magical Portal inside the fridge. They could see a hazy image of Joseon's snowy mountains.
"Soooo…" Irma began. "Who's climbing into the freezer first?"
Queen Sŏndŏk looked on solemnly as the magical screens displayed grim images. Pockets of cities, villages, and farmlands are being hampered by acid rains and arctic blizzards.
"Less than a day left until the deadline to Xuan Wu's ultimatum, Your Majesty," said Counselor Kyŏng-su. "Tell me, what will you do?"
The queen did not answer as she continued to watch her people running for their lives. Some were doing their best to hold back Xuan Wu's snow spirits and water demons while others tried to divert the raw natural power of the tempest. Unfortunately, none stood a chance against the relentless power of the Xuan Wu's army as they continued to conjure acid rains and snow storms.
"The will of a mad-godling such as that of Xuan Wu, will not outrank my decree," said the queen. "She will continue her assault, but I will never hand over my kingdom to someone like her."
"My queen, please! I implore you! Think of what you're doing!" Counselor Kyŏng-su snapped. "How many more lives of your own people will you sacrifice due to your stubbornness! At this rate, you'll be the queen of a dead—"
Queen Sŏndŏk glanced at him, silencing him with her stern gaze. "Take great care in how you finish that sentence, Counselor. You may be one of my personal viziers and thus, your input is valuable, but not irreplaceable."
Kyŏng-su bowed. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I must speak my own mind. I understand the position that you're in, but understand that your duty as our queen is to protect our people from such disasters as these!" he gestured towards the holographic screen.
"How can my people be free under the reign of a corrupt demi-goddess?!" Sŏndŏk demanded. "If Zuan Wu has my crown, my people will still be at her mercy. To her, we are nothing but insects waiting to be squashed for her own amusement!"
"At what cost will it take for your eyes to be opened! Look upon what is happening to your people, my queen! Is it not enough that the acid rains are burning the peasants' fleshes or having them frozen in an eternal sleep?" Kyŏng-su demanded, getting a bit too bold for someone in his position. Deep down beneath his exterior, he knew it had to be done in order to coerce her. "How much longer will you force your own people to suffer Xuan Wu's wrath? Are you waiting for a tsunami to wipe them out in order to succumb? My queen, if you surrender now, you'll at least give your people enough time to recover. They'll be able to mobilize and fight back again another time."
"No! Xuan Wu will not give them a chance to rebel against her if she has my crown!" Sŏndŏk retorted. "My people have survived centuries of war and natural disasters before and never in our history had any of my predecessors succumbed to outsiders' threat and nor will I!"
Bowing his head low, the queen did not see Kyŏng-su seething is teeth in frustration. She paused as she continued to watch the storm growing more intense in one village. She sighed with a heavy heart, for the difficult decision she has chosen…all for the sake of her kingdom's freedom from tyranny. But Sŏndŏk secretly wonder if she'll be strong enough to continue this.
"Kyŏng-su, you are dismissed," Sŏndŏk said gently. "I will consider your advice, but I must also think of the freedom of my people."
Kyŏng-su bowed as he slowly made his way towards the door. "I understand, Your Majesty, but I wonder if freedom for Joseon is worth it when you're sacrificing your people's lives to achieve it."
Sŏndŏk did not reply as he Kyŏng-su closed the door behind him. Once he made his way back to his quarters, Kyŏng-su's face changed back to that of Kenji's. Looking into the mirror, he made contact with Xuan Wu.
"How goes your mission, boy?" Xuan Wu demanded.
"Unproductive. I'm afraid the queen is too stubborn for her own good!" Kenji seethed. "Her antiquated sense of tradition and morality prevented her from falling into our hands. I believe she would rather have her people die free than live under your rule."
Xuan Wu scoffed. "Yet I sensed that Sŏndŏk is weakening. She cannot hold on to her decision forever, which could only mean that your "counseling" is forcing her to reconsider, despite its slowness."
"Then perhaps we should find something more drastic to coerce her? It seemed that your acid rain and blizzards are not enough to provoke—"
Bad move. Kenji realized his mistake and lowered his head, silently hoping for mercy. Suddenly, it felt colder as he realized that his chamber was getting frosted.
"My elemental attacks are not enough, you say?" Xuan Wu growled. "You dare question my abilities, Kenji?"
"N-no, my Lady!" Kenji pleaded. "I was merely—"
"Silence, boy! Do not forget that you are speaking to a godling!" Xuan Wu warned. The room got colder, causing Kenji to slip on his feet as she iced up the room through the mirror. "You have become quite presumptuous since we've granted you a higher dose of dark magic. Do not forget that I can do more than take them away."
"Forgive me, Lady Xuan Wu!" Kenji said as he got to his feet. I meant no disrespect to you or your powers, but merely trying to help you take Sŏndŏk's crown with a suggestion. I shall strive to be more accurate with my words."
"See to it that you do, boy," Xuan Wu warned. To Kenji's relief, the ice retreated, turning his room back to what it was before.
"I will give you one last chance. After all, you've already failed to follow my last order to the letter. I specifically asked you to leave Kimi alive long enough for us to use her and her brother to coerce the Chancellor! Yet you've allowed those two girls to attempt a full scale assassination! Be grateful that Zhu Que and I were there to intervene. Now your dear cousin is my prisoner, we will focus on the final phase of this siege."
Kenji's eyes widened in surprised. Kimi is still alive and she's a prisoner of Xuan Wu? There was suddenly a mixed feeling about this. On one hand, Kenji had hoped that the two sisters have killed Kimi so that he may passed it off as an unfortunate result. But on the other hand, Xuan Wu isn't going to kill him for this blunder, added the fact that she has iced up his cousin. If he played his cards right, perhaps he could try and convince the other Celestial Warriors to kill Kimi and Kyochi and make him their sole Guardian. But first, he must prove his worth and the only way to do that right now is to please Xuan Wu.
"Sŏndŏk's palace may be protected by an enchanted barrier," Xuan Wu said, "therefore any of my storms of great magnitude will not be effective. However, the rest of the capital city is not. I want you to find a weakness. Look for the chink in Sŏndŏk's armor and make her succumb to my demand."
An idea popped into Kenji head. There was a large structure he had passed by earlier when he first arrived in the capital. Now he just have to word his sentences correctly.
"My Lady, there is a nearby dam that blocks the Ryong River," Kenji started. "Do you think destroying it would be enough to effect the capital?"
There was a pause, but then Kenji noticed a curve upon Xuan Wu's blue lips. "Of course! The massive flood would kill everyone within! You will tell the queen that I have unleashed it as a final warning! Once Sŏndŏk realized death upon her doorsteps, her will to resist me will crumble! See to it that it's done, boy. If you succeed, I will pardon your daring tongue."
Kenji bowed. "Of course, Lady Xuan Wu. But I must request another vial of your potion. I cannot be seen at the dam but at Sŏndŏk's side to pour more poison into her mind."
"You want to use your betrothed and her sister as your scapegoats? You dare asked me another favor after you nearly botched up your last order?" Xuan Wu demanded. Kenji's heart was racing, but he tried to compose himself to be as calmly as possible.
"I promised you that I will not fail this time," Kenji assured her. "As you've said, it's a bother to do it yourself when you can have others doing the dirty work for you. With your magic, I can have Kiyomi and Kazumi working for you without realizing it themselves!"
Xuan Wu's lip curled at the wicked thought. Before he knew it, a new vial appeared through the mirror.
"This concoction will be more powerful than the last," she said. "Have your pawns drink it and they will believe anything you say without difficulties."
The image in the mirror disappeared. Kenji looked down at the vial before hearing another knock on his door. His betrothed has returned from the plain and it's time to serve her and her sister another cup of tea.
"It will be done, Lady Xuan Wu."
Orube and the Guardians fell through the Portal and landed in a pile of soft snow. They scrambled to their feet to find that they're in the middle of a village. To make it worst, it was snowing.
"Urgh! I'm getting a little bit sick of our caretaker putting Portals in the weirdest places in that house!" Irma complained. "It's freezing here!"
"What do you expect? A Portal in the bathtub leads to a hot spring, so naturally the one in the fridge would take us here," Taranee rolled her eyes. With one hand, she summoned a fire sphere to keep her friends extra warm.
"It's snowing now, but I sense a stronger storm coming in the air," Hay Lin said as she looked on into the distance. "The source of the storm is strongest over there," she said, pointing to the north. "I believe that is where Xuan Wu's palace is."
Cornelia nodded. "And if we find it, we'll find Kimi and Xuan Wu. C'mon, let's get going—"
"Cornelia, wait!" Will said, grabbing her by the shoulder with one hand. With the other, she placed it against her temple as if she was getting a headache. "I sensed something isn't right. And it's coming from that direction."
"But that's to the east," Hay Lin said. "I'm certain that Xuan Wu's palace is to the north."
"I know, but there's a disturbance in the energy field," Will replied. "I can't explain it but it feels very similar to Xuan Wu's mind-manipulation power."
"Will's right," Orube said, tuning to her animalistic instinct. "I can sense it, too. Something going on and I'll bet it's connected to Xuan Wu's power."
"Well, what do we do now?" Taranee asked. "We have a mission up north. Surely we can't divert from our courses?"
Orube shook her head. "No, we're going to split into two teams and head in both directions simultaneously."
"Splitting up?" Irma blinked. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Orube?"
"Yes, because whatever's happening in the east is most likely another one of Xuan Wu's attempt to steal Queen Sŏndŏk's crown. We cannot let it fall into her hands. But we still cannot abandon our main objective. Therefore, splitting up would be the most logical strategy." Pointing to the Guardians of Water and Fire, she said, "Irma and Taranee, you're both on Alpha Squad with me as we head for the capital city. Cornelia and Hay Lin, you'll be on Beta Squad with Will as your leader and head for Xuan Wu's palace. Find a way to get in and get Kimi out."
"But we'll be too far for Taranee's telepathic range. How are we going to stay in touch?" Cornelia asked.
"I have an idea," said Will as she used magic to manifest a bunch of ear-phones-liked devices and handing them out to her friends before placing one in her own ear. "Comm links. I've synchronized them to run through my magical energy wave. No matter how far we're from each other, we can stay in touch."
"Great idea, Will," Taranee smiled as she and the others each took a comm. link and place it in their ears.
"Right, we're wasting time," Orube noted. "Let's get going."
"Orube, wait," Will said, "Are you sure you want me to lead Cornelia and Hay Lin into the belly of the beast? Wouldn't it be better if I go with Irma and Taranee?"
"No, you're their leader and the one with the new transformation. If anything should happen, you're experienced enough to handle the situation just like you've always have."
"Hmph! Are you sure it's not because you want me to keep an eye on Cornelia and Hay Lin because of their stubborn determination to save our friend, or because we're stretch thin and you have no choice?" Will smirked, the tone of her voice hinting that she's joking.
Orube didn't answer her at first. Instead she simply replied, "You're the field leader for this assignment. Just don't die."
" 'Just don't die,' said the cat lady from Basilíade," Irma scoffed. "Seriously, Orube? You can't say anything more encouraging than that before we parted? And what are we doing here anyway?"
Orube, Irma, and Taranee have arrived at their destination. They've decided to use teletransportation and luckily, they didn't land in the middle of a freezing river. Instead, they landed on the dam itself. They got up to see the structure that they were on was overlooking the capital city of Gyeongju in the valley below. Like Chang'e in Zhung-guo, this city was surrounded by walls. There were markets, buildings, temples and restaurants. In the center was another ring of walls where only the nobles and royals resides.
"That must be where the Queen of Joseon lives," Taranee noted. "Should we go to her like we did with Emperor Sheng-tsu?"
"We could ask the Gemini Council and Yan Lin to baby-sit her like we did with him," Irma suggested.
"It's not that simple," said Orube. "I've heard that Queen Sŏndŏk is a very stubborn woman who holds dignity and honor deeply to her heart. Going to Kandrakar would be just as bad as abandoning her kingdom like a coward. Yet, Lady Ngọc Long mentioned that with the recent attacks throughout Joseon, her will to resist is weakening."
"Great," Irma huffed. "So what are we supposed to do while we're here?"
"We need to find the source of the disturbance," Orube said firmly. "I sense it somewhere here on this structure."
Taranee looked around to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. She quickly went to the edge to look down at the dam and admire its engineering. It's hard to believe that Lusteria could seem so primitive, yet advanced enough to pull off this giant structure made out of stone rather than concrete. Taranee was about to come back to the others when she noticed something. Quickly, she looked down over the edge and noticed some wooden crates.
"Orube, I think I found something strange down there!"
Orube quickly came over to Taranee's side to see for herself. Suddenly, her eyes widen in shock since her cat-liked eyesight could make out the calligraphy written on the boxes.
"They're explosives!" Orube yelled.
Irma and Taranee gasped. "Explosives? As in TNTs or dynamites?!"
"They're full of gunpowder!"
"Orube, if this dam explode…"
Orube glanced down at the capital. "If this dam explodes, the river will kill nearly everyone in Gyeongju!"
"We have to get rid of them!" Irma said. "Maybe Taranee and I can fly down there and teletransport them out?"
A familiar voice rang above them. "No! You will do no such thing, Earthling-filth!"
The three of them leaped back just in time to avoid being crushed under a light construct in the shape of a giant boulder. Once the dust cleared, they looked up to see a not-so-friendly face.
"Kazumi Kinomoto!" Orube seethed in anger. "What do you think you're doing?"
"What I should have done the last time we met," Kazumi growled as she manifested about a hundred light constructs in the shape of daggers. "Getting rid of you all!"
Orube manifested a shield from her own chi to block them.
"Just what we need! A rematch with Kimi's psycho cousins!" Irma shouted. "As if we didn't have enough on our plate with Kimi herself!"
"Wait, where's her sister?" Taranee asked when she noticed the absence of Kiyomi.
At that moment, a cluster of dark arrows rained down at them from behind. Irma quickly created a wall of ice to protect their rear as Kazumi's identical twin made her appearance.
"Not so fast there, chicken-heart!" Irma smirked.
There's got to be a reason why they're doing this! Taranee thought. Without thinking, Taranee tried to read their minds, hoping to understand their motives for destruction. Taranee was surprised to find herself against a mental block. The psychic impact felt as if she rammed against an…ice wall?!
Girls, I can't seem to read their minds! Taranee thought. It's as if their thoughts are being clouded by a cold heart!
Kiyomi stopped attacking and flew towards the side of the dam.
She's going for the gunpowder! Orube thought. Irma, Taranee! Stop her! I'll deal with Kazumi!
They broke formation and took on their opponents. Orube pulled out her swords and jumped at Kazumi. The latter manifested her own sword-liked construct and crossed-sword with Orube a few times.
"What's wrong with you, Kazumi?" Orube demanded. "Why would you two do something like this?! What purpose do you have working for the side of evil?"
"Evil?! You dare accuse us of evil purposes while you Guardians schemed for our destruction?"
"What destruction? What lies clouds your judgment? Was it powerful enough for the two of you to betray us? Betray your clan?!"
"YOU DARE QUESTION ME?! AFTER I FOUND OUT THAT KIMI KILLED MY HUSBAND?!" Kazumi yelled. In her fury, she summoned another sword and attacked Orube.
Orube jumped back. Kazumi tried coming at her again, but Orube managed to duck and kicked her a few meters back.
"I don't know what's going on, but regardless of your loathing for each other, Kimi would never kill—"
Don't coddle her, Orube! Irma snapped as she tried to avoid Kiyomi's dark orbs. Knock her down! Irma fired ice shards at them, creating mists upon contact. Kiyomi used it as a cover to sneak up behind Irma and blasted her to the other side of the dam.
"Irma!" Taranee cried. Glaring at Kiyomi she angrily said, "Kiyomi, listened to me! You and your sister are being controlled! Your minds are now under the influence of Xuan Wu!"
"Silence, you filthy Earthling!" Kiyomi warned. "Our mind has never been more cleared!"
"You dare accused us of being controlled whilst you Guardians are being controlled yourself?" Kazumi balked. "You're just like all of those people down in that city! Corrupted, blood-thirsty, warmongers!"
"What are you—"
"DO NOT PLAY US FOR FOOLS, ORUBE!" Kazumi sneered. "After our last battle on the plain, you were all captured by the Celestial Warriors! The Lady of Sloth has corrupted all of your minds and all of those who resided within that city below!"
"You Guardians were sent here to take the crown from the queen and deliver it to Xuan Wu yourselves! That's why we must fight! No one can free the corrupted minds of those under Xuan Wu's thralls. The only way to save the capital from you is to purge it!"
"Knowing that you got winded of our plans, half of you were sent here to stop us!"
"But you will not succeed for we will complete our mission!"
"You're both mad!" Taranee frowned. With one hand, she summoned a giant fire ball, ready to aim it at Kiyomi.
"Kazumi, don't you understand? You're mad at Kimi for something that may not be true!" Orube pleaded. "Xuan Wu is using your emotions and twisting it to suite her needs! Even if your husband's death is true, no one need suffer for it!"
Kazumi lowered her voice and dangerously whispered, "All will suffer if our ally demands it. After all, blood is thicker than water!"
Before Orube knew it, Kazumi threw one of her swords at her, aiming for her face. Quickly, she deflected it with her own sword, but at that moment, Kazumi took her chance and came with her might. Grabbing Orube around the waist, Kazumi lunged them both over the edge. Kazumi let go and encased her body in light aura, levitating herself through light waves in the air as she watched Orube fell.
"Orube!" Taranee cried.
Distracted by the sight of her friend falling, Taranee didn't notice Kiyomi coming at her until the last second. Taranee's reflex was to quickly throw her fire sphere at Kiyomi and once the latter is distracted, Taranee dove down to grab Orube.
Unbeknownst to her, Kiyomi timed herself and dodge the fire sphere. She let it hit the boxes of gunpowder behind her. Time seemed to slow for an instant. Horrified, Taranee and Orube watched as the entire thing exploded. The sudden BOOM emitted a shockwave that knocked them into the bushes, well away from the rushing river.
"No!" Orube cried!
The dam cracked and under the pressure of the water it burst like a great beast. The dark waves rushed forward spectacularly as it headed towards the capital below.
"Too late!" Taranee shook her head. "We're too late!"
"Our work here is done," Kiyomi said above their heads.
Orube and Taranee glared at them with a mixture of disbelief and pure anger. But at this moment, the two sisters could care less.
"There is nothing that you can do," Kazumi smiled smugly.
"Oh, yeah? Well, eat this!" cried a voice behind them.
Irma has regained her consciousness and blasted them with a powerful jet of water. "No one does that to me friends!"
Seeing that there's nothing left for them here, the two sisters glared at their opponents venomously before they magically disappeared.
"Irma, the flood!" Orube ordered.
"I'm on it!"
Irma flew ahead of the flow of the raging river and tried to use her magic to stop it in its track. For a moment, it seemed to work, but Orube and Taranee could see that it was too much for her.
"I…can't…hold it!" Irma cried, her muscles straining. "It's too big! I'm not strong enough!"
"Irma, get out of there!" Taranee cried.
Irma complied as she flew out of the way. "Damn it! If only I have my own Power Girl transformation! Then maybe I could have stopped it!"
"What are we going to do?" Taranee asked frantically. "How are we going to save all of those people?"
Orube looked on, her eyes following the flow of the massive river. The capital is only a few miles from here but it will be wiped out in less than five minutes. Damn! There must be something they could do! If they can't stop the oncoming flood, then maybe they can try and divert it. But how?
"It's too late!" Irma cried. "Once it passes that mountain, it's over!"
Wait? Mountain?! Orube's eyes widen. She looked to where Irma was looking and sure enough, there was a small mountain up ahead. The side facing the gorge was smoothed and covered with snow. It almost looked like the perfect place to set up one of those skiing areas on Earth.
"It's not over yet. We still have a chance if we can divert the flow of the river," Orube said calmly.
"How?! If you haven't noticed, I'm not powerful enough to stop a giant flood in its track! Let alone divert it!" Irma shouted angrily.
"No, but if we fly towards that mountain down there, we can create an avalanche!" Orube said. "It will be powerful enough to divert the flow. But I will need the two of you to do it!"
Taranee and Irma gave her a surprised look. The idea was so crazy it just might work!
"What do you want us to do?" Taranee asked.
"Teletransport us to that mountain," Orube ordered, pointing to its location. "Then create as many grooves as you can with your powers on its steep slopes. The snow will cascade into an avalanche!"
"On it!" Irma said and without another wasted breath, they appeared at the slope. Looking over her shoulder, Irma could see the flood coming quickly from behind.
Without another word, Irma magically manifested two snowboards that would move based on their mental will. She and Taranee got into position and started to glide across the slopes in a zigzag formation towards the top. The speed and pressure of their boards created grooves in the slopes.
"Now what?" Irma asked, pressing the button on the side of her comm. link.
"Fire the top with your attacks!" Orube ordered.
In unison, Taranee and Irma tapped into their elements, summoning a flurry of fireballs and giant ice spikes and unleashed at the top of the snow slopes. The blast of fire and ice at first didn't seemed to do much except create a giant cloud of snow mist. Then the three of them could hear a loud, rumbling cracking sound. It was almost as if the earth was splitting! To their amazement, their attacks caused a shockwave that rippled throughout the topside of the slope. With the grooves that they created earlier, the snow began to shift and cascade downwards, slowly accumulating into a bigger avalanche!
"Get out of there, you two!" Orube ordered. Without hesitation, Irma and Taranee flew higher and joined Orube from the safety of the other side of the gorge.
They looked on to see a frightening and magnificent scene: the force of nature as the avalanche they've created rumbled down like a giant beast. Bright, white snow spilled downward faster and faster, engulfing any trees in the way before spilling into the gorge. Mere seconds later, the rumbling sound of the dark waves echoed throughout the valley as the water spilled over the hills before spilling back into the ravine.
Without thinking, Taranee and Irma both grabbed Orube by the arms and lifted her higher into the sky, desperate to avoid the flow should the water be diverted in their direction. They all held their breaths as the dark waves collided with the white snow of the avalanche. It was as if an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. The concept itself has been a philosophical one for centuries and very few could answer it. Now that Taranee has seen it herself, she realized that if such thing would happen, they would both surrender and cancel each other out.
To their reliefs, Orube's plan worked as the rushing water was forced to divert its direction, pulling parts of the avalanche with it into a second ravine before both slowly came to a sudden stop. The thundering sound, however, still echoes throughout the valley as the three friends landed. They had no doubt that the people residing in the capital below had heard and seen death so close to their doorsteps.
"We did it…" Taranee whispered after a moment of silence. "We actually saved everyone down there."
"By the fires of Basilíade," Orube nodded, her hands shaking slightly. "We've done it indeed."
"Yeah! That's more like it!" Irma grinned before jumping into the air for a quick victory dance. "That's why we're the Alpha Team! I would love to see the look on those two girls' faces! We gotta tell Cornelia and the others about this!"
Without another word, Irma pressed the button on her comm. link, mentally asking it to connect to the Beta team.
"Cornelia, we did it!" Irma beamed. "Alpha Team rules! We've just saved an entire city, not to mention everyone in the royal palace, from being killed by a giant flood! How's your team—"
"IRMA, IF YOU HAVE THE TIME TO GLOAT, THEN GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE AND HELP US!"
"Cornelia?" Irma gasped. The change in her frightened tone alerted Taranee and Orube to the situation. "Girls! Are you okay?"
"Will! Are you and the others alright?" Orube demanded, connecting into her own comm. link.
"ORUBE— H—ELP US!" Will cried frantically before the link died, leaving nothing but the sound of statics to echo in their ears.
To be continued…
Story Trivia: Originally, the title of this chapter was called "Dark Waves and White Snow" before it was changed to "Reflection of Pain."