Chapter 3
Koenma's POV
I awoke to the golden light of the setting sun, damp, cold sleeves and collar, and the girl, Elsa, staring at me. There was no sign of the tunnel we had been in before I collapse. I sat up, and was instantly greeted by a nasty headache, which made me feel quite dizzy. My dazed expression must have been highly amusing, because Elsa laughed, came over, and helped me to my feet after my vision settled.
"You gave me quite a scare in that tunnel, Koenma, just passing out without any warning whatsoever. Heh, at least we're out. You feel okay?" I looked at her for a second or two before nodding. "I think so. My head hurts, though." She smiled sympathetically. "That would be expected. You hit your head pretty hard, back there. Take a look." She created a mirror out of ice, and held it up for me to see what had happened. My forehead had a headband of bandages, with a slight red stain above my left eye, from where I had collided with the rocky ground.
"Just how long was I out, Elsa?" I asked out of pure curiosity. "About five hours. I found some food, if you're hungry." She gestured at a small pile of fruits to her right, and at two fish skewered on sticks and positioned over the embers of a dying fire. My stomach growled loudly; I felt my face go pink, once again to Elsa's amusement. "I'll take that as a yes," she said with a warm smile, and handed me a fish.
Reikai palace, throne room
Enma paced in the throne room, deep in thought. His plan had worked until that girl from Atlantis had shown up. He had needed to readjust for her. Sending Koenma had been the perfect solution. That would get rid of two birds with one stone, so to speak.
For centuries, Atlantis had been calm and quiet in the face of Reikai's politics, taking a stand only when necessary. But in the past few decades, the island utopia had been increasingly insolent, directly challenging a few of Enma's more radical ideas. In response, he had sent a powerful device to a few small groups of demons who resented the existence of the Atlanteans. The device was specially designed to negate his son's powers, allowing the demons to destroy the Atlantis barrier.
As for the second "bird," Koenma had always been a threat to his kingship. An eldest son, only child or not, is a king's biggest threat, above anarchy or anything else. True, the boy hadn't yet tried to rebel, but it never hurt to plan ahead. If his plan worked, the boy would die, and no one would be left to contend with him. Just one last thing…
Later, Makai
The demon lord looked down at Enma from his throne above the Reikai's lord's head. It was quite enjoyable, looking down on the man who ruled the entire spirit realm and was feared my demons, spirits, and mortals alike. "And you want me to eliminate this… Koenma? Your own son? And why would I do this for you, enemy of my kind? What is in it for me?"
Enma smiled convincingly. "If you kill Koenma, the barrier between Ningenkai and Makai will be destroyed along with his life. You will be able to freely access the human world at will." The demon smirked. It was a tempting notion, being free to enter Ningenkai, without having to bypass that pesky barrier. "How can I trust that your Spirit Defense Force will not interfere? They always get in the way when I get hungry and decide to hunt down a snack there."
"If they are reassigned, then they cannot bother you," Enma replied. "I am King of Reikai. I can order them to leave the demons in peace, if you so desire it." The demon lord's face sparkled with malice, his eyes glowing red with bloodlust. "Very well. I will tell my soldiers in the human world of this new development. Koenma shall die. You may rest assured of this, King Enma." Still smiling, Enma left the demon world, returning to the throne room of Reikai to enjoy the results of his plot.
Elsa's POV
We were in my small boat, on the way back to Atlantis. I had just finished fully explaining the situation to Koenma. He was sitting in the back, helping to direct me, while I rowed. The prince was unnaturally silent, even by his standards. "Is something wrong, Koenma-sama?" I inquired, earning a look of wounded pride from my companion. "I told you, call me Koenma! No titles or anything of the sort. Nothing's wrong, Elsa. I'm just thinking…" he trailed off, and resumed staring out at the vast blue sea, once again lost in thought.
Koenma's POV
I just couldn't understand something. It had been bothering me for the entire time, since I'd first met Elsa and learned of Atlantis. Why did Father tell me nothing? It's not like him to keep secrets of this level. Why would he send me here, with no knowledge of what I was here for? Why? Before I could take my thoughts any farther, I saw a shining city on the horizon. "Elsa, I see it! There's Atlantis!"
She smiled, and pulled harder on the oars, speeding up the little boat. We reached the island in a matter of minutes. The instant we reached shore, we both leaped out of the boat, nearly tripping over each other in our haste to reach the city. Up close, I could see the thousands of cracks spreading like a spider's web across the golden shield. "How could this have happened…?" I asked, placing my hand on the barrier. Instantly, feeding off of my spirit power, the cracks repaired themselves, the ring of solidity spreading out like ripples in a pond.
Elsa gasped in wonder at the sight. "That was amazing, Koenma!" she exclaimed. "Amazing, but draining. I used a lot of energy there, more than half. I doubt I could do that again, at least for some time." That was an understatement. I was exhausted! Opening my mouth to say something, I stopped as five demon auras approached. Elsa decided to comment at that exact moment. "Still, as awesome as it was, I think it attracted some company. Heads up!" I ducked as an energy blast whizzed over my head. "Let's go, Elsa!"
She had closed her beautiful red eyes, and seemed to be concentrating on something. "Just a minute, Koenma. Winter's Wrath!" A powerful ice storm swirled up out of nowhere, freezing the demons solid where they stood. Elsa gestured briefly, and the demons shattered into thousands of tiny ice shards, which quickly melted in the afternoon sun. "There. Problem solved. You were saying something, Koenma?"
I stared for a second or two before recovering my train of thought. "Ah, sorry. As I was going to say, we were right. The barrier's energy is being drained by something. I can't tell what, but I do know where. We need to pay a visit to Makai."