Hey! Sorry for the ultra late update. I've been busy, what with school and tournaments and stuff. And I also had a very bad writer's block. But, I've finally managed to squeeze something out. Tell me what you think ok? If you don't think it's up to standard, I'll gladly repost it. Haha.
I know chapter 20 was supposed to be the last. Bear with me for now, k? I'm really sorry.
Oh and the flashback in this chapter came from the period between chapters 14 and 15. After all, I missed two whole months between these chapters! Haha.
Biblical references here, no offence meant to anyone, yea?
Once again, sorry for taking so long with this chapter. Be sure to tell me what you think, and if it's up to standard or not.
Next update will be…I'm not too sure about that. I will try and update ASAP. Sorry about that.
And just in case, here's wishing all a HAPPY VALENTINES in advance!
Chapter 21- Falling Deeper
(Lyn's POV)
Where am I?
Floating…in darkness?
Is this the passageway between life and death?
No!
I can't die!
Not yet!
I have to go back…
I want to…need to talk to him…
At least give me a chance to express my feelings towards him…
Shinn…
(End POV)
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Shinn let out a moan of ecstasy as he felt the immense power flooding him. Holding so much power within him seemed to have heightened his senses. He could even hear the slight crack in that bastard Tao's voice as he repeatedly called Lyn's name.
Shinn breathed evenly as the power continuously flowed into him in a never-ending torrent. Suddenly, a gasp of pain escaped his lips, and he opened his eyes in surprise. There had been a sudden pain at his heart, as if someone had put their arm around it and gave it a squeeze.
Was he still resisting this dark power his master had given him, somewhere deep inside? Was he not fully loyal to his master? He had to be. His master was his benefactor, the one who had lifted him from the slums of his heart.
He had been the one who promised to bring Xue Li-An back to Shinn.
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"Lyn!" Ren called Lyn's name once again, and once more, there was no reply. Ren could feel a lump building in his throat, and every time he blinked, he felt tears threatening to fall.
This can't be.
Lyn's always smiling.
Can't keep still for a second.
So this can't be her.
She wouldn't lie here so silently.
She told me she would have a good talk with her brother.
And she always keeps her promises.
"Damn it…Lyn…Answer me…Stop fooling around already…you're scaring me..." Ren growled through gritted teeth, shaking Lyn's limp body gently.
"Come on…if you jump up and shout, 'JUST KIDDING', I promise I won't kill you! Just answer me…"
Ren stared at Lyn's face hopefully, and forced a sob down when there was no change in her expression.
Smile for me.
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(Lyn's POV)
Nothing but darkness…
Floating along aimlessly…
…
…
…
Death…
Sure is boring…
Nothing to do, nothing to see…
…
…
…
I don't think I'm suited for death.
I don't want to stay here, with no goal.
Besides, I feel like I should be somewhere else…
…
…
…
Only thing is…
I can't remember where.
Gosh. I can't be suffering from dementia, can I?
Not possible…I'm only 15 for goodness' sake!
Where am I supposed to be?
(End POV)
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A tear trickled down his cheek and dripped onto her closed eyelids. Tao Ren was crying. And he was no longer making any effort to hide it.
"Please, Lyn…answer me…" He whispered, wiping the tears from his eyes. Fresh floods replaced them immediately and trickled down his cheeks in steady streams.
"You promised me…that you would always be smiling ahead of me, and that you would never leave me alone…"
Flashback:
Lyn bent forward, clutching her sides as her body shook with laughter. "You look…like a lake…MONSTER!" She gasped out between laughs.
Next to her, Yoh grinned and nodded in agreement. Horo Horo was too busy beating the ground with his fist, laughing until tears ran down his cheeks, to show his agreement. Not that it wasn't obvious enough.
Ren clenched his fists. "Its not all that amusing…" He growled through gritted teeth, while trying to muster an air of dignity. His attempts were all for naught. After all, how was one to remain dignified when covered in mud from head to toe?
"Well, it is, actually. If only we had a mirror so you could see for yourself. Your mud splattered tongari looks like the fin of a lake monster." Lyn told him with a perfectly straight face, blinking cheekily at him before bursting into laughter once again.
"Here. I'll provide you with a mirror, free of charge!" Horo Horo said, still laughing hard. He performed an oversoul and froze the water vapor in the surrounding air to form a large block of ice.
Ren looked at himself in the 'mirror', and an unconscious growl escaped his throat.
I look stupid…
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Lyn sat next to Ren under the tree in the garden, leaves drifting down gently around them. She chanced a quick glance at Ren, then pulled her knees to her chest, twiddling her thumbs. The silence was awkward, to the point of being uncomfortable.
Lyn slowly gathered the courage to speak. "Are you angry about what happened just now?" She asked softly. Ren remained silent and continued staring ahead for awhile, before shaking his head.
Lyn let out the breath she had been holding unconsciously. "That's a relief…" She said, with a small smile. Ren nodded shortly, still not looking at her.
"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly, turning around so she was looking straight at Ren. Ren stared blankly ahead, showing no signs of reaction. Then, he shook his head as if having difficulty pulling himself out of his thoughts.
He turned to face Lyn abruptly, and took her right hand in his left. Lyn blinked in surprise, flushing lightly.
"Promise me something…" Ren muttered, a strange expression on his face. Lyn replied with a nod of her head and a bright grin.
"Promise me that you will never ever leave me alone in this world? Don't die before I do…and promise me that you will always be smiling?"
"EH?!"
Ren chuckled a little at Lyn's reaction, but in a split second, his expression turned to a more serious one. "I'm just worried…I've been having weird dreams lately…" He assured her that it was nothing important. Lyn nodded, looking at him uncertainly.
"Alright. I promise. Same goes for you, alright? Don't die before I do."
End Flashback.
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Ren bent over and dug his head into Lyn's stomach gently, stifled sobs escaping his lips. Normally, Ren would never have cried, but for some reason, he just couldn't hold his tears back any longer.
Stop crying, you idiot…
Her heart's still beating, so she's still alive…
Besides, Tao's don't cry.
We remain strong, no matter the adversity we are facing.
Ren lifted his face slightly, and saw something out of the corner of his eye. The two swords Lyn had dropped were glowing gently, faintly.
Ren didn't know what Lyn was trying to do, but if those swords were still glowing, it would mean that she was still maintaining whatever she had been planning. And that would mean that her will was still strong, and that she would be able to survive.
The glow surrounding the swords flickered, and then disappeared.
Ren bit down on his tongue to stifle a cry of despair. He lowered his head gently onto her chest, and closed his eyes when he felt her heartbeat growing fainter.
Lyn…
The one who did this…
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(Lyn's POV)
I feel so tired…
And there doesn't seem to be anything important that I have to do.
After all, mother always told me that if you couldn't remember something, it was because it wasn't important.
So…Maybe I can just leave?
That place…looks so peaceful…
Somewhere I can get my solace…
Animals living peacefully
A lion and a lamb playing together.
That must be what heaven is like.
I want to go there…
(End POV)
Lyn took a step towards the place which seemed like heaven, then took a step back, biting her lip. She still felt like she had forgotten something really important. She shook her head and let out a growl of frustration.
She looked back towards that place, and saw people smiling and waving to her, beckoning her to come closer to them. She took a hesitant step forward, and then another, followed by a third, each step more confident than the last.
Suddenly, a hand stretched out and blocked her path. She sidestepped and tried to walk past the hand, but it extended with her.
"Young one. You are not yet ready to enter this haven. This is for those who have no yearnings from their mortal lives." A awe-inspiring voice boomed.
Lyn looked up at the owner of the voice, an elderly man with a snow-white beard. "I have nothing I yearn for anymore. I just want to go that haven, and rest." She said, her eyes despairing.
The man shook his head.
"No, young one. Your time is not yet up, for your name is not written on the book of life and death. And you have yearnings, deep within the confines of your soul. Search deep within yourself, and reflect. And perhaps you will recall."
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Lyn blinked her eyes in surprise, trying to get her bearings. The last thing she remembered was that she had been speaking with that old man. A bright flash of light. And then she was where she currently stood.
Then, she felt a harsh cold envelop her. Not the simple coldness one would feel in winter. It was a strange coldness that had an unnatural feel to it. It was a coldness which sucked you dry of all your positive emotions.
Lyn bit her lips to stifle a cry of pain. She knew that the pain was purely emotional, but it felt so harsh, so real, that it amounted to physical pain.
Images began flashing through Lyn's mind, some of which seemed familiar, and some of which she didn't recognize.
Scenes. Events. People's faces. They all whipped through her head in an instant, too quickly for her to register most of the details. All except a few which lingered for a few fleeting seconds. And in all instances, there seemed to be something common. Just what, Lyn couldn't put her finger on.
Something purple.
A scene entered her mind and took over all of her senses, pushing all thoughts on the importance of her previous visions away.
People dying. One by one, they were all dropping down, like lifeless dolls which had been used for an oversoul but were now vacated.
Lyn felt something wet on her cheeks, and she raised her hands to her face in surprise.
Tears?
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Shinn looked down at the figure of the Chinese shaman leaning over Lyn, shoulders trembling slightly, before he looked away in distaste. All this love was making him sick.
Shinn lifted the scimitar he held in his hands and smirked. The power of the sword was indeed great. His necklace was pulling towards Lyn in sharp jerks, and Shinn could sense her life-force slowly ebbing away.
She was caught in the darkness. And she would not be able to escape.
My dear sister…
It ends today…
Shinn lifted his head and laughed maniacally. Unseen by anyone else on the battleground, unnoticed by Shinn himself, a tear rolled down his cheek. A tear of blood.
Unseen eyes watched this, and furrowed in anger.
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Maniacal laughter echoed in Lyn's mind as she looked around the slaughter field, desperately searching for any survivors of that massacre.
Whoever had done it was fast. Lyn hadn't even managed to sense him, let alone see him.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lyn noticed the shadows shifting and taking the form of a cloaked man. She whipped her body around to face the man, and to her surprise, a sword appeared in her hands. An insubstantial sword made of a pure white light.
The man shifted his hood so that it covered his face further, then spread his arms out, challenging her to cut him down. Two robed figures appeared at his side and stepped forward, shielding him.
Lyn charged, and slashed with her sword. It cut through those two figures with ease, like a sharpened knife slicing through paper. Lyn grinned at her easy victory, and turned to the cloaked man.
Her triumphant expression turned to one of horror as the hoods of the two robed figures fell. Her legs trembled and she fell to the ground with a cry.
Lyn shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, then turned to the cloaked man, shadows in her eyes. She thrust the sword forward, and to her surprise, the man didn't attempt to dodge her attack.
The sword pierced through the man's side, and he fell silently. As he fell, the hood of his cloak lowered, and what Lyn saw, made her raise her hands to her mouth in horror.
What have I done?
I have just killed my parents…
And my brother!
Lyn closed her eyes, and allowed the darkness to consume her.