Chapter 8
The Dark Past

The next morning, Harima went to Eri's house and explained what happened last night. She was shocked that he was kidnapped and Mikoto was possessed by a demon.

"Whiskers, why didn't Miranda called me? I would've been there for you and Hanai!" She inquired.

"That's because Miranda and Archer Girl were too busy saving me. In fact, Hanai had a part in this, until he learned that Mikoto is being controlled." He responded.

Eri looked down and muttered, "Idiot…"

"Rich Girl, this is no time to brood," he continued, "You, Tenma's sister, and Hanai must come with us. With Mikoto being controlled by that demon, it's not safe. Besides, with Maris and his thugs being chased out of here, it leaves Mikoto, or Meiko."

"Meiko?" Eri cried, "Who's Meiko? Is she the one controlling Mikoto?"

Erika entered the room and said to Harima, "I'll tell her. She won't believe you, but she'll believe me."

They sat down together as Erika explained the whole story to Eri:

"Meiko is a powerful sorceress, hailing from Dark Argos, which is the opposite of Argos; you could say that it's like a parallel universe. Anyways, many years ago, when I was five, my father, Jacob Avery, was killed by her, disguised as her late mother, Queen Isabella. He was training with me, to continue the Avery tradition, but she sent her minions, Maris, Bruce, and Runt, to dispose of him. Luckily, I stopped them from hurting him, but when Meiko arrived, he ordered me to escape. And then…"

"Oh, she killed your father?" Eri said, "That was horrible."

"It's true. Looking back, I wanted to help him, but he insisted that I run away. I tried to forget the past, but it continued to eat inside of my heart," Erika responded, "But then, Miranda shook away my bad memories."

"So, what does that have to do with Miss High and Mighty Hero, Miranda?" Eri asked sternly.

She continued the story:

"Years later, Miranda was at Dark Argos, planning to overthrow the Queen. But Miranda's sister, Sara Maynard, a brave hero in Argos, was one of the victims involved in Meiko's bloodlust. She died of a horrible death, and it hurt Miranda so badly. Ten years later, she, along with me and Kandy Potter, exacted our revenge on the evil sorceress."

"Who's Kandy?" Harima asked.

"Oh, she's nobody," Erika stammered.

"So, why did she return?" Eri asked, "It's not like she has to hurry."

"No, but Meiko vowed her revenge; and she has eight days to do it! Though I am afraid it's now four days."

"And that is why Miranda's visit here was a trap by Meiko, I mean, Mikoto, or whatever!" Harima insisted.

"Yes," Erika answered, "And my visit here was an order by the King, because he never gave permission for the greatest hero to leave England. But he did anyway, since I agreed to watch over you four: you, Mira, Eri, and Yakumo."

Eri then got up and shouted, "That's the most ridiculous story I ever heard! If what you're saying is true, then this Sorceress woman would've been alive again!"

"She'll be alive again… if we fail," Harima said, "Rich Girl, Archer Girl, I think four days is all we have left."

"I have a name, Whiskers! It's Erika Avery!" She shouted.

"Not you, too, on the "Whiskers" nickname!" Harima thought aloud.

"Anyway," he continued, "If we bide that time, she'll leave Mikoto's body and she'll be free, without ever having succeeding in her mission."

"I don't believe you," Eri snuffed.

"I do," Erika said, "Remember what she said: She must obtain Miranda's entire soul within the eight days, or she'll go back to hell for eternity."

"Her… her soul?" Eri gasped, "No… how can that be so… so… devilish?"

She got up and agreed to go with them.

"I still don't believe you, but if it means saving my friend and yours, so be it!"

"Good! But now she already knew about us, so we better leave," Harima stated, "Mikoto is loose with that evil spirit, and she knows where we are. But if we hide, as Miranda said, she'll not succeed."

"I love it!" Eri smiled, "Whiskers, you've done it again! But, don't think this nonsense will work on me."

Erika sneered from behind and muttered, "Brain-dead moron. Doesn't she realize that Miranda will die, and with any luck, so will she?"

XXXXX

The following afternoon, Eri was getting ready to leave as a knock on the door was made. She rushed downstairs and saw Miranda, who was a little forlorn. She hugged Eri and asked if she'll be okay with Harima.

"Oh, I'll be okay," she said, "Though, I don't approve of these twisted stories of how your sister died."

"It's all true. Erika told me everything," Miranda cringed, "I lost Sara by that vile woman, and she returns just to kill me. I don't know what to do anymore, and all you can say is that you don't care?"

Eri grinned and said, "I am glad Whiskers met you; besides, if it weren't for you, he would've been a dead man. And the same goes for Yakumo."

Miranda smiled with her eyes a bit watery, "Thank you."

She wiped her tears and said to Eri, "Listen, if it is for the best, you can assist me if you want. Kenji is a rather nice bloke, but he sure watches over a kipper like you."

Eri then asked, "Well, I should help you, but what's in it for me?"

Miranda looked away and said, "Never mind… besides, if I die right now, I think there's a little piece of my family buried within me…"

She and Eri went inside to chat; however, Maris appeared from the bushes and grinned evilly.

"Heh, heh, we'll have to think of some strategy; Meiko will be proud of us."

He crept in behind the bushes and waited for the opportunity. However, Miranda is already inside.

"I'll do it tonight, I cannot let her see me, otherwise she'll sic Avery at us," he thought.

So he waited until nightfall.

That night, Eri came outside and waited for Harima. However, Maris snuck behind Eri and grabbed her. He covered her mouth and dragged her away. Is Maris really getting to Miranda's skin?

XXXXX

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Argos, Kandy was looking through the files of ALL of Dark Argos, until she found Queen Isabella profile.

"Mister Nick! I found it!" She cried.

He and Kandy looked through the profile and found some discriminating facts:

"It says here that Queen Isabella was born in Dark Argos in 1820; she died in 1970 at the hands of Jacob Avery, who was later killed by an Isabella imposter. She was born Elsa Mirabella Matthias from Wales, England; she has never been married and has produced no children. She had an adopted son, who died on 1966, due to leprosy."

"Huh? That's it? It never said anything about Meiko!" Kandy thought.

"Who?" Nick asked.

Kandy then looked through Meiko's file: A complete blank.

"NO way!" Nick cried, "This Meiko is nothing more than an enigma!"

"An enigma? This profile never has been recorded! She must've erased all of this when she entered the castle."

"Uh, quick question, Kandy," Nick asked, "Who's Meiko?"

"She was a bad woman that killed Miss Sara Maynard, thirteen years ago. Miss Miranda, Miss Erika, and I stopped her after trying to take over Argos. Though, I'll never understand why Miss Erika wanted to know more about her."

"What is this Meiko?"

"She's an evil sorceress from Dark Argos. She said that she was the daughter of Queen Isabella. But according to Isabella's records, she never had a daughter. Miss Erika would be most surprised about this, if we tell her."

"Yeah, but how? Japan is far away! It would cost a fortune in Pounds to call from here."

"That's why I have the number she gave me for when I find the answers; a Miss Yakumo Tsu-ka-moto."

"Tsukamoto? (Pronounced Soo-kah-moh-toh)"

"No, Tsukamoto (Pronounced Ska-Mah-Toh); at least it's what Miss Erika said."

"But what if we don't know who she is? This Tsukamoto sounds like a devilish woman."

"Bite your tongue, Mister Nick! Miss Miranda knew about her from this Harima guy the King told us! (Miss Tenma, maybe; Miss Yakumo, I don't know…) I think… And if what we read here is true, and it is, Miss Miranda is in big trouble."

"You're right. Miss Miran-, I mean Miranda is in trouble! And so is Erika!"

"And let's hope we can rescue them in time."

The King entered the room and overheard their conversation.

"I heard about Meiko, and I am very shocked to hear the terrible news you read."

"Your highness?" Nick gasped.

Kandy stated, "Apparently, you knew what was going on, right?"

The King made a hearty chortle and said, "Oh, ho, ho, now don't be accusing me of such depravity; I'll have you know that Meiko the Sorceress is indeed NOT Isabella's daughter!"

"What?" Nick cried.

"But, your highness," Kandy retorted, "The file said that Isabella had only one son, adopted. What would you know about Meiko?"

He let out a sigh and pointed at Meiko's file.

"That's because… I erased her entire profile on record," he sighed.

Kandy gasped. Nick was enraged.

"Why would you do such a thing? Why would you erase her very existence?"

"BECAUSE! Because she's not supposed to be living in her life any further!" He bellowed, "Meiko the Sorceress, if that's her real name, is not from this world at all! She's a very old woman."

"Old?" Kandy questioned, "But how old is she?"

"Very old! In fact, she's my great-great-great-great grandmother!"

They both gasped.

The King then explained the story of Meiko:

"Meiko, born Meiko Hildenhauser III, was born a hero in medieval Argos and is an ancestor of mine. She was to continue the tradition of Argos, but she couldn't withstand the powers. When she arrived at Dark Argos, she confronted an evil demon with sharp talons and horns. It was as big as your average elephant in India. She easily defeated the demon, but at a terrible cost. When she made her leave, the demon cried out that she must continue on the tradition in Dark Argos. She refused, but the demon, in his dying breath, fused with her by force. Her entire soul, her body, her willpower, all of it! Gone. She went on to become the most feared Sorceress in all of Dark Argos, and has been ruling over this land for 5 centuries; that is, until Miss Miranda Maynard saved the kingdom."

"That's terrible! Miss Meiko is actually an old woman?"

"She's ageless. She was to die of old age, but for some reason, she consumed many souls in her wake, she never aged. When she went in her killing spree, she captured every soul in all of Argos, including Jacob Avery."

"So, Meiko has obtained many souls to stay alive." Nick said.

The King continued, "Yes… when I heard wind of Meiko's cries for domination, I just couldn't stand it anymore. When Meiko arrived three years ago, learning of her latest assault to the kingdom had been backfired, thanks to you and Miranda, I quickly erased her profile and made sure that she will never return."

"No way! The kingdom was attacked?" Nick cried.

"Were you there?" Kandy shouted at Nick, "Now be quiet!"

The King continued, "When Meiko was killed, all the souls she captured were free; but her ambition to kill the greatest heroes continued. It seems that after 500 years, Meiko vowed her revenge after all this. But it proves to be impossible, since Meiko is dead now."

"And she calls herself an immortal!" Nick jeered.

Kandy said, "Well, I wouldn't call her an immortal. Crazy, maybe; but immortal? No way."

The King then apologized and said, "If there is anything I could do to make it up to you…"

"Yes! There is!" Kandy cried, "May we use your phone? We have to contact Miss Erika."

"By all means," the King said, "I have given you everything you need to know. But now, Miranda must hear the bad news."

Kandy left the Hall of Records, walking gingerly.

"Don't mind her, your majesty," Nick said, "She's just weary after scrolling through your files."

"You're not helping, Mister Nick!" Kandy shouted, "I need to recharge first! Be a dear and call Miss Erika for me? I'll meet up with you later!"

"Right. I will." Nick confirmed.

He stopped and asked the King, "Say, Meiko was a hero, right? Did she, like, fight off the dark powers?"

He then replied, "Young Nick, I'm afraid some questions have no answers. Even if she would, controlling her darkness inside of her is difficult."

Nick was puzzled; he thought, "Meiko… she has some good within her."

XXXXX

At Yakumo's house, Miranda was sitting in the back porch, worried about Mikoto.

"I wonder," Miranda thought, "Why would Meiko stoop so low to nab her body? Is it because Sara wanted to exact revenge?"

Erika stepped out and saw Miranda brooding.

"Mira, I'm sorry that this trip was a downer," Erika said, "But, it seems now we're in a sticky wicket."

"Yeah, I know… But what do you want me to do about it: Kill Mikoto Suo? Absolutely not! That sorceress has gotten control of an innocent human being! I cannot kill her, even in my rage!"

"I see… and you're worried that you'll die, if you don't?"

Miranda nodded. Erika held her tight.

"Don't beat yourself up, Mira. Harima and I will handle this situation with you. We have three days left. Meiko will not succeed. I promise."

"What am I gonna do, Eri?" She whimpered.

She let go of Miranda and asked, "Incidentally, what were you doing the other night?"

But as Miranda was about to answer, Yakumo came out with a phone in her hand.

"Erika Avery?" She asked Erika.

"Yes, that's me."

"Phone call for you from some guy named Nick."

Erika went inside to answer; Miranda followed her.

"Maybe I'll get answers about Meiko."

Erika, was on the phone, and heard the news about Meiko's past from the King.

"So, Meiko is a descendant of the King?" She said, "And since when did Isabella had a son?"

Nick spoke, via the phone, "Kandy & I searched everywhere for it. We learned about Isabella, but Meiko's past was an ambiguity."

"Well, listen, I think the King should hear this about Meiko…" she stated, as she spoke about what happened to Mikoto the other night.

"Kandy, Nick, you heard it right, right?" she called, "Tell the King all about it! Maybe we'll shed some light about this Meiko Hildenhauser III!"

"Miss Miranda! How is she?" Kandy cried over the phone.

"She's here with me. I'll tell her the bad news. Call me back if any new information," Erika said, as she hung up the phone.

"So?" Miranda asked.

"Mira, I'm afraid you have heard such a contradiction from three years ago, from when you killed Meiko the sorceress… or should I say, Meiko the 3rd?"

"Huh? Erika, have you been scrounging through those Japanese cartoons recently?"

"That's not important! Remember Meiko saying that she was Isabella's daughter?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that was a lie."

She then explained to Miranda about Meiko's past. After hearing that Meiko was the King's great-great-great-great grandmother, she started to shake in fear. What's worse was that she also told that she's over five centuries old, until she died.

"So, then the reason she took a part of Jacob and Sara was…"

"It was to live forever… and now, she has control of Suo."

"And if she kills me…"

"She'll live again, hopefully for another five hundred years."

Miranda clutched her fist and started to huff and puff in anger.

"Oh, crap; not again. I cannot believe she's getting angry already; as much as I want to see her cry again," she thought.

"Meiko… I promise you," she muttered under her breath, "You will never succeed."

She punched the wall and screamed, "SORCERESS!"

XXXXX

Later that night, Maris and his croup carried a tied-up Eri and placed her on the chair. Her mouth was covered in duct tape and her arms and legs were tied up.

"Miss Boss will be happy with us on this one!" Maris grinned.

"This better work or we'd be screwed," Bruce bellowed.

"Stuff ya gob; this will work! Meiko promised us a chance to get Miranda Maynard again! This is her last chance! Besides, I hear tell that this little kipper is in love with that Harima jerk!" Maris shouted.

"Oh, tough love, I see," Runt snickered.

"It won't be long now. The very sight of her face will be most enjoyable," he snickered.

"Oh? And how come I saw the look of fright on your face, Maris?" Mikoto called, as she stepped in.

Maris was trembling in fear, knowing that she was earlier.

"Meiko! Just the woman we want to see!"

"Save it! I thank you for capturing this Eri girl, but I'll take it from here. You three have become such a valuable help, I don't think we can continue on this partnership."

"What?" Maris gasped, "Are you saying we're sacked?"

Mikoto pulled out her dagger and pointed at Maris.

"In a word, yes! Because of what happened three days ago, you showed me that you were too chicken to fight back at that little Avery urchin long ago; and now you showed the very same cowardice that I saw."

Maris pleaded her to spare him, "No, Miss Boss… I… I got it all figured out! We got her weak and helpless, knowing that you're here and you have a defenseless scamp in your possession. Is that too much to ask?"

"He's right! For a hot young woman, you are such an evil genius!" Runt added.

"Do NOT play games with me, vagrants!" She yelled, "All three of you are inadequately worthless! Thanks to your monumental spinelessness, I'll have to kill Miranda Maynard myself! I got one night left and I have to make it count!"

She placed her dagger in her pocket and added, "Your services will no longer be needed. Thank you for the assist, but if you wished to remain alive, you do as I say. LEAVE!"

Maris got up and was growling. He balled up his fist and charged at Mikoto/Meiko.

"She cannot do this. Nobody fires me."

He launched his fist.

"NOBODY SACKS ME!" He screamed.

Mikoto pulled her dagger out and jabbed him in the chest.

"I warned you… DIDN'T I?" She shouted, "You think you can get away with this? I tried to warn you, but you didn't listen. I was gonna spare you anyway, but I changed my mind."

Blood started to pour a bit, as Maris began to struggle.

"Meiko… spare me…"

Mikoto/Meiko shone a dark aura and had a demonic look on her face.

"YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO YOUR LIFE AS WE SPEAK! YOUR INCOMPETENT WEAKNESS MAKES ME SICK! SAY GOODBYE!"

She swiped the dagger from out of his chest very ferociously; Maris fell dead. Runt and Bruce were frightened by the actions. So was Eri, who was scared stiff.

"Now then… you two should know your place," she said to Runt and Bruce, who were frightened.

They stepped back a bit and agreed to leave.

"You're fired! Now, beat it!" Mikoto/Meiko shouted, "And take your pathetic corpse with you!"

Bruce and Runt grabbed Maris's dead body and was about to carry off, when she halted them.

"Just one thing: are you going to tell on me or are you going to get your chance and kill Miranda for me?"

Bruce responded hesitantly, "We'd kill her, just because you are a great evil mastermind!"

"Yeah, please don't kill us; just because we're loyal to you, we'd never betray you!" Runt pleaded, "We'd do anything to make you happy now!"

Mikoto raised her hand towards them and glowed.

"That's what I thought," she sneered, "Now let me ask you this question: Do you think I would be that stupid?"

She fired a black energy ball and vaporized all three of them. Eri, who was still tied up, watched on in fear.

"All 3 of those losers would've done my dirty work for me, rather than betraying the great sorceress; either way, I just couldn't stand seeing the faces of these pathetic cowards." Mikoto stated.

"No," she thought, "Now I know what Miranda meant. I'm sorry, Whiskers, I should've believed you and her."

Mikoto wiped the blood off her dagger with her skirt and approached Eri. She started to screamed, but was muffled.

"So, Sawachika, now you see why you never believe Miranda, because you are too blunt to figure it out," she said, "Go ahead! Scream with all your might! Miranda will come eventually. And when she does, you'll be the first, and last, person to see in the front row… the death of Miranda Maynard!"

Mikoto cackled as Eri started to scream again.

"Miranda, Whiskers," she thought, "Get your butts out here and help me!"

XXXXXX

Meanwhile, at the castle, Nick and Kandy went to see the king. He was shocked to hear what transpired.

"Your majesty," Kandy said, "We overheard what Miss Erika said about in Japan. Meiko has risen!"

"Erika said that she has consumed the body of a Mikoto Suo from Japan. And she has exactly three days left to consume Miranda," Nick added.

"My word!" The king gasped.

"I'm sorry… but, Miss Miranda is in a pinch. We know nothing about a Suo." Kandy cringed.

Nick said, "Your highness! Let us come with! We don't care what you do, but Miranda and Erika need our help!"

The king got up and shouted, "Absolutely not! This is Maynard's battle! She has to fight it alone! Besides, this Harima person may help her in battle."

Kandy said to Nick, "He's right. Don't forget, Miss Erika's there, too."

"Yeah, but… three people to fight a powerful sorceress?" Nick said, "Those are very tricky odds."

"3-on-1 was how we defeated Meiko!" Kandy giggled, "My guess is Miss Miranda can hold her own."

"I wouldn't celebrate too soon," The King proclaimed, "You say that she has three days left to be alive again."

"Actually, it's now down to 36 hours."

"Well, unfortunately, I suggest you should pray for either Miranda or Mikoto. If Miranda succeeds, she'll have prevented Meiko from a new life."

"YOUR HIGHNESS! Miss Miranda can't! This Suo girl is a casualty! If she kill her and free Meiko's soul… she'll die."

The King chortled and said, "Young Potter, I think Miranda Maynard is not that bloodthirsty. She'll find a way to free Meiko, when she does it. But whatever trump card she has, it better count. And if can find a way to banish Meiko and free her martyr, then she'll be able to stand tall as a hero. If Meiko succeeds… then I'm afraid it's over."

Nick was confused.

"Okay… I'm lost…" he said, meekly.

"I am the sorceress, Meiko Hildenhauser the Third. At last I have Miranda in my clutches. Revenge will be so sweet…"

Next Chapter: Meiko's Escape from Hell

"Oh, Miranda Maynard, come out to play… WAH, HA, HA, HA!"