Chapter 09 Part V: Skeletons in the Closet Part V
There were no words that Will could find to expression how she felt after seeing all of that which Kimi has shown them. Glancing at her fellow Guardians, Will knew they felt the same.
Hay Lin, Taranee, and Cornelia turned away to hide their tears. Irma rubbed her eyes furiously to fight back a sob. Orube silently looked away. Will knew that the warrior was putting on a brave face as always. Something wet ran down her own cheeks. As Will blinked, her vision blurred from the tears.
None of these six young women knew Seiji Minamoto, but seeing a vivid flashback of his death and the demise of Shinrinkage shook them at the core. The silence was palpable. Kimi began to wonder if it had been a mistake on her part to show them her dark memories.
No, she decided. They wanted, asked, and needed to know. As painful as it was, Kimi knew that revealing the truth was the right decision.
Kimi closed her eyes and gently, the space around them began to glow. As quick and softly as waking up, the seven found themselves in the living room of their headquarters once more.
Someone was shaking Will. She blinked to see Matt's worried face.
"Will! Thank goodness! Are you all right?" he asked.
Will blinked again, confused. "Of course, I'm all right, Matt! Why wouldn't I be?"
Relieved, Matt let go of her. "I'm sorry, Will. It's just that you girls have been sitting here starring into space for several minutes. It was unnerving! I've been trying to snap you out of it for a while. A minute ago, some of you started crying!" He shot Kimi a venomous glare. "What did you do?"
"Calm down, Matt!" Irma said, stretching her limbs. "Kimi was just showing us an unpleasant memory of hers."
"We saw how Seiji Minamoto died," Cornelia added sadly. She wiped away the last of her tears. "At least we now understand how his death affected Kazumi, and that in turn hindered us during our missions whenever we encountered them."
Will placed a hand on Matt's shoulder and gave him an assuring smile. "Don't worry, Matt. It was just a memory. And trust me, it wouldn't be something that you would want to see for yourself. I'll promise that I'll tell you more about it later on in details."
Matt opened his mouth to protest, but decided against it when he saw how solemn the others still looked.
"So after that, then what happened?" Taranee asked, glancing at Kimi.
"Kyochi took me to Kandrakar where I lay bedridden under Lady Freyja's care for nearly three weeks," Kimi replied. "While I was recuperating, my brother returned to Shinrinkage alone to bury the rest of the dead and to retrieve Seiji's body for his parents."
Without hesitation, Kimi got up and took off her sweater and shirt. Cornelia and Taranee made a noise that sounded like a mouse squeaking while Irma and Hay Lin stuttered and flustered at once. Matt's face flushed red as Will dove in to cover his eyes. Before any of them could question Kimi's impulsive decision to disrobe half of herself in front of them, Kimi turned around to show them what's on her back. Several of them gaped in horror. Without meaning to, Will's hands fell away and Matt hesitantly opened his eyes enough to see what had made them so uncomfortable. He wished he hadn't.
Kimi's back was ridden with several hideous scars and ridges as if she had survived a grueling cancer operation. Matt clutched his churning stomach, fighting the urge to throw up. A part of him was now glad that Kimi hadn't taken him along into her dark memories.
"Don't avert your eyes!" Kimi ordered. "This is where Seiji clawed and stabbed me that night. Although the wounds weren't fatal and eventually they healed, the scars are still an eternal reminder of my failure." Kimi lowered her shirt to cover herself again.
"His death wasn't your fault," Orube objected.
Kimi shook her head as she sat back down. "I am the keeper of the Jewel of Life and the Guardian of Light. All of that power and yet I couldn't use it to save him," Kimi scoffed and shook her head at her own sense of uselessness. "You know, it is said that the Jewel can heal some of the most lethal wounds and bring back those near death, but I had never decided to use it to rid myself of these scars. I keep them to remember how he died."
Will got up and sat next to Kimi. "Don't be too hard on yourself, you were younger and more inexperienced at the time." Kimi glanced at her, seemingly unconvinced. Will straightened herself and said, "You're not the only one who failed to save someone before. My friends and I wield the elements and even we couldn't save a few people, both friends and foes."
Memories flashed through Will's mind as she took Kimi's hand in hopes that her aura magic could see and feel her own memories. Images of Will's dourmouse getting run over by a car, Phobos falling into eternity, Cedric getting killed by Ludmoore, and Liam shattering into a hundred pieces by the White Queen—all of this flashed through her mind.
"When my grandmother was our age, she couldn't save her friends," Hay Lin added. "Nerissa killed Cassidy and it just wasn't to same with two Guardians gone from their group."
"To this day we still couldn't save everyone, even with the aids of a new and more powerful transformation," Cornelia said.
"We just lost your father and Zhu Que recently after all," Taranee added.
Kimi sighed and gave them a sad smile. "Thank you, but it didn't matter to the elders of the Kinomoto clan. Eventually, Kyochi and I had to deliver the grave news before the court. I asked my brother not to reveal the entire truth. Seiji had suffered enough after his demotion. He had such big dreams for the future and I didn't wish for his name and memories to be tarnished in death. In response, my elders shifted the entire blame to me."
"That's horrible!" Hay Lin cried.
"And totally unfair!" Irma added.
"It didn't matter. In their eyes, I survived the battle but failed to save a very important kin. They called me a disgrace and an embarrassment to wear the mantle of a Guardian."
Orube shook her head in disgust. "I knew that the Kinomoto elders were controlling, but to call you that is just cruel!" she spat.
"To be honest, I thought it was worth the burden so long as Seiji's name wasn't tarnished," Kimi said. "The only other people who knew the truth were the members of the Gemini Council and Chancellor Komei."
"So you altered the truth?" Taranee asked.
"We told everyone that Seiji was killed by the creature and died honorably in battle. Naturally, this didn't sit well with Kazumi. A part of her knew something about his death was wrong, but she couldn't prove it." Kimi closed her eyes for a moment, picturing the scene in her mind. It felt as if it had just happened yesterday. "She came to our doors, demanding and pleading to my uncle and to me to let her know what really transpired that night."
"Naturally, you didn't tell her," Cornelia confirmed, her eyes sullen.
Kimi shook her head. "Of course, I didn't. I saw in her eyes that she was determined to kill her husband's murderer. She was chasing a ghost. Instead, I harden my heart, told Kazumi that it was best to remember Seiji as a worthy opponent and coldly turned her away."
A moment of silence passed between them again. Everyone was unsure what to say at first. Irma, never the one who could stand uncomfortable silence, decided to break it with her usual bluntness.
"So all this time, Kazumi had been holding a grudge against you because she rightfully suspected that you covered up the truth."
Kimi turned to face her. She didn't wince from the accusation. "Yes, but personally, I think her reputation as an unlucky bride is more preferable to being the wife of a cursed and murderous monster."
Irma opened her mouth to retort, but came up with nothing. "You do have a point there," Irma replied.
"But Kenji is using her feelings for his twisted game, and it's affecting our Lusterian missions!" Cornelia said. "Look, Kazumi's not letting go of the past and she and her sister have been a thorn in our sides since Joseon!"
"Cornelia's right, Kimi," Hay Lin said. "I think it's way past time that you actually tell Kazumi the truth."
Kimi glanced down at her palm. "I think Kazumi knows it now."
The others' eyes widened. "What do you mean?" Will asked.
"During the last confrontation with my cousins, Zhu Que's Deadly Sin came in and clouded Kazumi's judgment. She could have finished us in that state of fury and raw power. Just when I thought she had us, the Jewel of Life appeared and the next moment I knew, I saw Kazumi crying and muttering to herself in shock."
Orube turned to Kimi, raising one eyebrow. "Kimi, you don't think?"
Kimi nodded. "Yes, Orube. I think the Jewel of Life revealed to her the truth about Seiji's death."
"So what does this means? For us?" Cornelia asked.
Kimi glanced back down at her palm again, trying to ponder. "The Jewel of Life isn't just some common ancient talisman; it's partially sentient and has a will of its own. How, when, and why it chose to act in that moment is not entirely clear to me. Yet, whenever it does, it does so with good reasons."
"Your Jewel and my Heart seemed to become in-tune with one another more often these last few months," Will smiled, glancing down at her own palm as if sharing Kimi's thoughts. "They really helped us gain our new transformation."
"Still, the Jewel of Life chose to reveal the truth to Kazumi without my consent," Kimi said.
"So does this mean that you're having trouble controlling your own magic crystal?" Matt asked, his tone underlining a hint of bitterness. Will kicked him slightly.
Kimi shot him her iconic piercing glare with her ice-cold eyes, but said nothing.
Orube sighed with exacerbation. "Play nice, you two," she warned, folding her arms.
"I don't claim to understand why the Jewel chose to act on its own accord, but I am certain it has its reason. As its keeper, I have to trust its judgment."
"So what's going to happen when we run into Kazumi again?" Taranee asked tentatively. "I highly doubt Annam was the last we've seen of them."
Kimi sighed, tried and shook her head. "If my cousin confronts me, I won't deny it this time. You girls were right. I have been hiding the ugly truth from Kazumi for too long. I had my reasons, but it's time for the truth if the Jewel believes so."
Irma shifted in her seat, leaning in with her fingers touching as if she was trying to be serious. "What happens if she still hates and wants to kill you?"
"I will accept it—"
Irma blinked, incredulously. "Seriously? But—"
"Believe me, Irma, I don't intend to just sit there like an easy prey. I'll do my best to make Kazumi see reasons and get her to work with us rather than against us."
"Do you really think you can get them to side with us?" Hay Lin asked.
Kimi didn't want to answer. Perhaps she was unsure herself.
"Kimi, this may not be my place, but I think Kazumi and Kiyomi are better off without Kenji," Orube said.
"It is not my place to tell Kiyomi who she can and can't marry," Kimi replied.
Irma clenched her fists. Kimi felt a wave shifted in her aura. She glanced down at the coffee table to see several tiny water droplets floating out of their cups. "But that boy is a bad influence!" Irma said. "I would love to show him a thing or two about manners!"
Taranee placed a hand on her shoulder. "Easy there, cowgirl."
Irma glared at her. "Why shouldn't I? Now that I have my Power Girl, I am itching to use it on that scheming snake!"
"We shouldn't underestimate him," Taranee said, trying to reason with her. "Kenji barely used the full extent of his new power to start an international war between Annam and Champa. Can you imagine what he's capable of if he threw everything at us?"
"Let's get back to discussing what could happen in our next mission," Orube suggested. "We have to assume that Kenji can still be a huge thorn in our sides. What with everything's that has been going on in Nihon lately, I know that he can and will do anything to hinder our mission."
"You're right, Orube," Taranee nodded. She pulled out her laptop started to go through her notes. "With Xuan Wu and Zhu Que gone, Kenji will be working for Seiryuu in the upcoming campaign for the throne of Nihon."
"How is he going to do it this time?" Cornelia asked. "The last was killing the Royal Drummers of Annam so their shield would come down for Zhu Que's army to invade."
"Each kingdom has a unique seal on its sovereignty thus far," Taranee said, typing fiercely. "So now we have to figure out how Seiryuu will try to seize the throne of Nihon and factor in Kenji's possible role to help her." She turned to the Guardian of Light. "Kimi, Nihon is your home. What can you tell us about the situation there that might help us?"
Kimi lean back against her seat. "Well, for one thing, Kyochi and I are distant relatives of the imperial family."
Cornelia and Irma's eyes widened. "Wait, please tell us that you're not a princess, too," Irma said with indignation.
Kimi laughed at the thought and thankfully shook her head. "No, we're not royals, Irma."
Irma sighed in relief. Cornelia couldn't help but agree with her. "Thank goodness. I would hate to have to refer you as Your Highness."
Kimi ignored the taunt. "A woman from the Watsuki clan was chosen to marry the Emperor years ago. The marriage elevated several members of my father's clan into the royal court."
"I'll bet the Kinomoto elders were thrilled," Will said sarcastically.
"Hardly," Kimi replied. "They and several other rival clan heads were jealous. The Empress died from an illness not long after. Her daughter, the Crown Princess Kazu, is my tenth cousin. I've only met her in person once during my ascension as the Guardian of Light." Kimi brought a knee up to lean on as she wrapped her arms around her legs casually. "I remember she was barely a toddler at the time, pale and sickly, unlike her older half-brother, Prince Katsura."
"I surmise that this prince has the backing of several nobles?" Matt raised an eyebrow. He couldn't be but be curious in the political intrigue.
Kimi's eyes fell on Matt and she gave him an unsettling smile. "Ah, an intelligent observation from Matt-boy at last."
Matt rolled his eyes and scoffed. This is probably the closest to a compliment that I'll probably get from her, he thought.
"Matt-boy here is correct," Kimi said, turning to glance over at Taranee who was busy typing all of this down. "The Empress died due to complication from childbirth. From this, my cousin was born with a weak heart.
"A bad sign, especially since she's the Crown Princess," Taranee said. She pushed her glasses back into place. "Can I take a guess that the nobilities would rather back an older, healthier, male prince than Princess Kazu?"
Kimi nodded. "As you say, things are heating up."
"The current Emperor is on his deathbed," Orube added. "Chancellor Komei came to tell us this when he last visited."
Will and her friends exchanged glances, realizing what Orube and Kimi were implying. "With the Emperor gone and his heir so young and weak, Seiryuu could consolidate her power and usurp the throne!" Will said.
"Where do you think Kenji will fit into all of this?" Hay Lin asked.
"I'll bet that snake will help by distracting the nobles," Irma suggested. "Think about it, he'll probably get those high and mighty elitists to question themselves on whether they want to be rule by a sick little girl!"
Hay Lin's eyes widen. "When instead they could have her healthier and older half-brother on the throne! They'll likely try to convince the Crown Princess Kazu that she's unfit to rule and should just pass the throne to Prince Katsura!"
"And while they're distracted with their little in-fighting, Seiryuu and her forces will come knocking, forced their hands and seize the throne for herself!" Irma finished.
Irma and Hay Lin glanced at Kimi, their eyes glowing with excitement as if they had just uncovered the biggest mystery of the age. To Kimi, however, they looked as if they were plotting an exciting story for a school play. She decided against turning their ideas down outright.
"A possible scenario," Kimi said. "Even if it were to succeed, Seiryuu would need the key to the throne if she were to usurp the monarchy and rule legitimately."
Irma and Hay Lin's faces drooped slightly in disappointment. What could they be missing?
"The key to ruling Nihon legitimately is to have the divine blessings from the three Sacred Treasures; the Mirror of Moonlight Justice, the Sword of Heaven's Revolution, and…" Kimi held out her hand, summoning her magic crystal. It released a soft glow of sparkling light that danced around the room before Kimi put it away, "…the Jewel of Life."
"These three talismans," Will started. She stared down at her own palm as if she could see the Heart of Kandrakar. "They had something to do with your ancestors, right?"
"My grandmother mentioned them before when we first met!" Hay Lin added excitedly. She rubbed her temples, trying her best to remember the details. "Something that had to do with the ancient Nymphs as well."
Kimi nodded but it was Taranee who answered. Being an "A" student, she tends to take good notes, both scholastic and magical. Without hesitation, Taranee turned her laptop around to show everyone what on screen. Her notes were accompanied by sketchy illustrations (done by Hay Lin from weeks before).
"Three of the five ancient Nymphs that created Kandrakar also created the three Sacred Treasures, which they gave to the first Twin Guardians," Taranee said, pointing to a pencil sketch of the Nymphs on her screen. "Ebla, the Nymph of the Moon, created the mirror which goes to the Guardian of Darkness. We saw Kyochi used it several times in Kimi's memories. Téa, the Nymph of the Sun, created the sword, which was bestowed upon the Guardian of Light. Finally, Oneide, the Nymph of Life, created the Jewel that Kimi wields today." Taranee pulled up another tab and showed everyone a historical research website with a photo of three rusty looking relics. "I find it interesting that the Twin Guardians' Sacred Treasures are similar to the ones that we have on Earth. They're called the Imperial Regalia of Japan. My research tells me that these three treasures represent three virtues; the sword is valor, the mirror is wisdom, and the jewel of benevolence."
Matt couldn't help but rolled his eyes again as he glanced at Kim. Benevolence, huh? Could have fooled me.
As if she had heard him, Kimi gave him an icy glare, but said nothing as she returned her attention to Taranee's laptop. "Your research into this is well commended, Taranee. Tell me, are these Earthly relics magical like our talismans?"
"I can't say for certain, Kimi. There are a lot of things on Earth that claim legendary statuses. The hard part for us is knowing if they are magical or not. But take a look at this," Taranee pointed to a passage on the article, "It says here that the Imperial Regalia are used during the enthronement ceremony of an Emperor. You mentioned that Seiryuu would need the three Sacred Treasures if she wants to rule as a legitimate Empress. I need you to tell me as much as you can so that I can add something to my notes and go over them later. It may help our missions."
Kimi raised an eyebrow. "Everything?"
"As much as you can remember," Taranee nodded. Turning her laptop around, she began to type.
"Yeah, like my Heart of Kandrakar, we know that your Jewel of Life and the rest of the talismans are important," Will began. "But why are they important to your country's throne. I thought that Lusterian monarchs aren't magical?"
"You're quite observant when you want to be, Will," Kimi smiled as she sat back down on her couch. "You're right, in general most Lusterian monarchs aren't magical. But like the royal family of Annam, the one of Nihon are said to be descendants of gods. To my people, the Nymphs are divine."
"And so, too, are the gifts the Nymphs left to the generations of Twin Guardians that preceded you and Kyochi," Taranee said, realizing the connection.
Kimi nodded. "Whenever a new ruler rises to the throne, Twin Guardians would attend the coronation and use the Sacred Treasures to recognize him or her as the legitimate ruler. Originally, this was only ceremonial, but as I've said before, the talismans developed a will of their own. Over time, the Sacred Treasures became sentient enough and they and their wielders can recognize the true heir to the throne."
Kimi's expression darkened and the atmosphere in the room grew cold. "It's one of the reasons why the Celestial Warriors captured my brother and why they had been trying so hard to get me for the Jewel as well. With the Sacred Treasures in Seiryuu's possession, she can prove to everyone that she now holds more legitimate claim to rule." Hands shaking, Kimi slammed her fists on her armchairs, startling the others. "When Zhu Que revealed this, I was afraid that she would try to rip the Mirror from Kyochi's heart."
"But she can't," Will pointed out. She placed a hand on Kimi's, hoping to quell her anxiety. "Our talismans can only be given willingly. There are reasons why Kandrakar made a binding law so powerful that not even the Celestial Warriors can break."
"For now, Kyochi seemed to be safe," Orube said. "From what Zhu Que has indicated, it looks like they haven't made progress to forcibly extract the Mirror of Moonlight Justice from him."
Kimi sighed, frustrated. A part of her knew that Orube was right, but she couldn't help but feel so angry. Angry at her brother for that stupid fight they had before he left. Angry that the Mirror allowed its master to be captured by the Celestial Warriors in the first place. Angry at Zhu Que for dying when he could have helped her after his purification.
"I hate this," Kimi whispered. "It's been months since Kyochi's abduction and we're still nowhere close to saving him. We were so close when Zhu Que promised to help us." Kimi clenched her fists. Just thinking about Zhu Que's death infuriated her even more. Orube placed a hand on Kimi's shoulder and held her gaze.
"Believe me, Kimi, I would love nothing more than to skin that fox-bitch Kitsune myself. She and her mistress will pay," Orube said with determination, "but right now, we need to gather as much information as we can and prepare for the next mission. We don't have Lady Ngọc Long to help us this time."
Kimi sighed and relented. Leaning back against the soft cushions of her seat, Kimi laced her fingers together and set them on her lap.
Taranee glanced through her notes again and noticed that she was lacking a few things. "We know that all our talismans can do many incredible things. Even combining the Jewel and the Heart is quite incredible and unheard of, at least to my knowledge."
Irma grinned, glancing at Will and Kimi. "Naturally. They both helped us gain our new transformation and discover our Virtues."
Taranee glanced up from her screen. "What I meant to say is that aside from those things abilities we've seen thus far, I would like to know what powers the three Sacred Treasures possess that makes them unique from one another." Taranee turned her attention back to Kimi, expecting some detailed descriptions for her to add to her collection of notes.
Kimi nodded thoughtfully. "The Jewel was created by the Nymph of Life, and as such, it has the ability to heal those near death. It can even be used to restore and purify a dying environment, at least to an extent."
"The Heart of Kandrakar was able to do that before as well," Will said. "Its regenerative magic allowed us to transform without fatigue."
"It even healed my poor vision," Taranee added.
"As I recalled, we gave it all up to save a man's dying son," Orube said. The memory of their mission to Arkhanta was like a distant memory.
"But it took nearly all of us to sacrifice our portions of Xin Jing's gift to do it," Cornelia pointed out. "Does the Jewel require the same amount of sacrifice to cure one person from dying?"
Kimi shook her head. "The Jewel can heal the most fatal of wounds and cure the most deadly of disease. While it won't take all five Guardians to save a dying person, it will require a few years of their lives as compensation." Kimi shifted in her seat again for a more comfortable position. "If I were to use the Jewel to save a little girl who's dying from leukemia, she would live through adulthood, but she will most likely die ten to twenty years earlier than her healthier kin."
Matt starred at her, stunned. "You could use your magic crystal to cure cancer? People would kill for that kind of miracle."
Kimi's eyes harden at the mention of this. The others didn't noticed and nodded in agreement with Matt.
"That does sound incredible," Hay Lin said, awed. "Why wouldn't you use this to help as many people as you can? Sure they'll die in their middle age, but at least you'll give them several more years to be with their loved ones."
Kimi shook her head, sadly. "I'm afraid it's not as simple as it seemed. There must be a balance between life and death. Even such power as the Jewel can be abused. All would be chaos."
"What's so chaotic about saving lives?" Will asked.
Kimi fought the urge to snap at her. Honestly, it was like talking to an ignorant child, but Kimi kept her tone cool. "I would love to use my talisman to save as many lives as possible, but that could have unintended consequences later on."
"How so?"
"Overpopulation would destabilize our society, going so far as to having a negative impact on both our environmental and spiritual realms. And what if I had unwittingly saved someone who would become a powerful and dangerous person later in life? I am not saying this out of paranoia but of common sense. Magic or not, our actions can affect the future."
Silence befell them as they took it in.
"I guess magic can't be used as an easy fix, even on Lusteria," Cornelia sighed.
"The knowledge of the Jewel's extraordinary healing power isn't well known," Kimi continued. "Those from Kandrakar and my predecessors knew how dangerous this knowledge is and chose to reveal it only to a small number of trusted allies. The fact that I'm sharing this secret with you all is considered dangerous enough."
"You make it sound as if it's an honor and a privilege just to hear this," Irma said.
"It is. If all of Lusteria and those beyond the stars learned of this capability, they would come begging by the millions. Some could even resort to violence and blackmail to coerce me to healing someone they cherished, perhaps even someone who's a danger to Kandrakar and to all the worlds."
"When you put it that way, I can understand why you'd have to help keep things in check," Taranee said. "But still…you are essentially deciding who gets to live and die."
Matt grunted. "All that power must make you feel so powerful and special indeed," he sneered.
Kimi matched his glare. She wasn't amused. "No. It's terrifying."
Will sighed, tired of this little spat between them. Before any of them could chew each other out, Will cleared her through, making certain that everyone knew how irritated she was.
"In any case," Will said, shooting Matt an annoyed look. "Let's continue the conversation. What about Kyochi's talisman? The Mirror of Moonlight Justice, if I remembered correctly?"
"In Kimi's memories, we saw Kyochi using it to reveal the truth," Hay Lin said.
"It can do more than that," Kimi replied. "Moonlight Reflection can reveal your deepest desires and true intentions, no matter how well you try to hide it." She began to recall a small memory. "My grandfather once told me that in his youth, he saw a little sparrow landing on the Mirror's surface. Light from the talisman glimmered, turning the bird into an eagle. He knew that in its little heart, the sparrow desired to be the mightiest hunter in the sky."
"So when Kyochi used it on that trader in the hospital, Moonlight Justice broke through his hallucination! And then in Shinrinkage, the Mirror realized that the monster is really Kenji under a curse, even when you couldn't sensed it with your aura magic," Taranee exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement. They watched as she furiously typed all of this into her notes.
"It's also a useful tool when interrogating a captive," Kimi added. "Had we met years earlier, the Mirror could have revealed Lord Endarno as this Phobos you've spoken of before."
"Darn it," Irma grumbled, folding her arms. "That would have been really useful for us countless times!" Irma smirked wicked at Matt and said, "Maybe we could have used it on Matt when Nerissa took over his body."
"Don't remind me," Matt huffed indignantly. The last thing he needed was for Irma to give Kimi another reason to patronize him.
A thought emerged in Will's mind. Turning to Taranee, she asked, "You said that the ancient Nymphs created three Sacred Treasures for the Twin Guardians, right?"
Taranee nodded.
"Well, we've know where the Mirror and the Jewel is…" Will turned her attention to Kimi, "…which leaves us with the last talisman."
Hay Lin gasped. "Right! The Jewel can go to either Guardian, the Mirror to the Guardian of Darkness, and the Guardian of Light was supposed to wield the Sword, too, but…"
Everyone's gaze fell on Kimi again, expecting an answer. They had expected her to hold out her hands and summon it like she did with the Jewel. Instead, Kimi shook her head.
"I don't have it," Kimi said. She sounded as if she couldn't believe it herself.
Everyone's eyes widen, starring at her in disbelief. "What do you mean you don't have it?" Irma asked.
"I don't have it because the Sword of Heaven's Revolution has been missing before I was born. It was stolen."
To be continued…
Cultural references: You guys may not remember it, but Yan Lin did mention the three Sacred Treasures way back in chapter 1, part 3. I had planned for these three talismans to play a major role in this story since the beginning. I did base them from the real Imperial Regalia of Japan, but the Lusterian versions are more connected to the ancient Nymphs that created Kandrakar. In canon, we know that Xin Jing created the Heart of Kandrakar and that N'ghala became the first Oracle. I wanted the other three nymphs to leave their mark in history by making them the creator of the Twin Guardians and the three Sacred Treasures that they wield.
So far, all we've seen was Kimi's Jewel of Life. I given you all a hint of some of Kyochi's talisman's power in the previous chapter. Soon, we'll know what happened to the last talisman, the Sword of Heaven's Revolution.
By the way, I've updated another chapter to "A Slice of Life" if you guys want more Dreams of Lusteria bonus fluff. I'll try to update it with more in the future.