Chapter 21
Secrets of the Journal pt. 2
Gabriel returned to Daren's room and sat on his bed, replaying her last moments with her friend… no, something more. She unfolded the bundle; it was a green tunic with leggings and a semi-transparent outer tunic. They were obviously cared for lovingly; they smelled clean and fresh, and the colors had not faded. Shaking her head to dismiss her thoughts, she refolded the clothes and set them aside. She brought out the journal again to continue where she left off. She now saw the pages clearly; covered with many different kinds of writing. There were spells in every page written with the swirling designs of golden, black, and red ink
The lights and the wind repeated themselves and the speech started where she stopped it.
I will start at the beginning; my real name is Arden. I am the only son of Raden, a full-blooded were-wolf. I myself have only half the blood of a were-wolf. I am an illegitimate son, but the only living heir to his throne.
You, my child are a special being, a rare creature of beauty and grace. A long time ago, my father was searching for the perfect bride to rule his land with, when he heard of a legendary breed of youko, a golden youko.
He sought this vixen and paid a hefty sum for her, as she was captive, internally and externally. She was trapped in a human body so that she may live safely in Ningenkai. Her parents were killed, and so they could not rescue her from Ningenkai and change her back. My father planned to turn her into a were-fox and keep her in a weaker form so she would pose no threat to him.
Two great thieves of Makai came to her rescue; a fox named Kurama, and a bat named Koronue. They succeeded in saving her from her fate, with the help of a servant that befriended the vixen, and slain my father.
The vixen regained her youko form and grew in strength; but her troubles with my family were not over. I was a fool when I was younger; I went to my father as he lay dieing on the floor and gave him help. His spirit shared my body, and he took complete control. He attacked and kidnapped Kurama and Koronue, trying to blackmail the vixen into marrying him. Raden failed and his soul was torn out my body, freeing me.
A short while later, Kurama took the vixen to an annual gathering of youkos and proposed to her, madly in love with her. They became mates and marked each other in the manner of youkai. But little did they know, they would be separated the very next day by attacking poachers. The golden vixen was captured and suffered a great injury that made her forget her memories.
I, who had watched this vixen from the shadows after she freed me, rescued her from a bloody death. I used sorcery, which ran in my family, to change the vixen into an infant human. I erased all traces of her former life, including the mark her mate Kurama had given her, and raised her as my foster child. By now you should have guessed that the golden youko is you, Gabriel.
You must realize who and what you are, a spirit fox and a powerful medium. I, of course, brought you up strong and free, as you should be. I have juggled raising you and ruling my far off land for many years. You must understand, my dearest Gabriel, I kept the truth from you to protect you; even though I am a powerful sorcerer, you are a valuable and rare breed. Now, you are strong enough to take care of yourself and take on your shaman responsibilities.
She slammed the book closed, unable to keep her tears from flowing. She bit her fist and chocked back a sob. What had she done? Gabriel wept until the sun rose and another visitor came to pass.
The sound of glass shattering alerted her of intruders. Wiping her face on her sleeve, she ran to see who it was. To her surprise, Botan was standing amid a pile of broken glass. She had flown through the window and crashed into the couch in her hurry. "Gabi, there's trouble!"
"Botan, what's wrong?"
"The whole world is in a crock, entire territories are being enslaved by an unknown force." Botan said, mounting her oar again.
"What? How is this possible?"
"I don't know; Reikai headquarters is losing control over the lives of mortals. The natural emanation of energy has been tampered with and the worlds are out of order! Koenma has summoned you all together; c'mon!" she gestured for the blonde to follow her. Gabriel started towards her, and then skidded to a halt on the wood floors, "Hold on," she said, "I have to get some things!"
"Hurry! We're losing time!" Gabriel reemerged dressed in the green tunic Kurama had given her, armed with her rei-guns, carrying her crook, and the journal. Botan raised an eyebrow at her garb, but said nothing as the blonde hopped on the back of her oar. "Lets go."