Chapter 10
Twinstar
The carriage began its descent with a stomach-jolting lurch. Outside, overcast skies and rain made the evening sky dark prematurely, and set an overall gothic mood to the evening. Another bump and jolt as the carriage touched down, then the tug from the loss of momentum, until they were traveling little faster than the Dragonbirds walked.
The carriage came to a stop near a building, and the Emperor was up and out before it even had a chance to settle. Six guards stood in formation, a quadruplet of Dragonbirds between them. The Emperor was astride one in a single easy motion. The rest followed him, feeling a sense of urgency though their unease about the situation was almost thick enough to touch. Then they were off, galloping through the lashing rain, rain which was much cooler than that in the empire's capital city. The Dragonbirds were incredibly fleet of foot, even as they splashed through puddles on uneven surfaces and barely slowed to round corners, even leaping over obstacles (and one unfortunate denizen who happened to cross the street right as they rounded a corner). They hit the courtyard of the castle, through gates strangely open, and suddenly Solaer's mount took off, showing speeds none of the travelers had seen Dragonbirds possess before. Syaoran kicked the sides of the creature he rode on- it gave a low growl, put its head down, and suddenly its running style changed; less of that of a stiff-legged herbivorous creature, and more that of a predator: low to the ground with long, leaping strides.
They reached the main doors, only to find bodies strewn about the steps, their blood creating small streams of red as the rain washed it away. Solaer was off his mount before it even stopped, Syaoran right behind him. The teenager followed the older man through the twisting castle passageways, keeping a firm watch on his movements as they ran, finally reaching what looked like an inner audience chamber.
A cloaked figured stood with his back mostly to the door, facing an older looking Astron inhabitant, one that must have been King Castor. The King looked to be worse for wear, his whole body trembling, most likely from age or blood loss, a deep gash crossed his hips, another, lighter one ran across his chest, while various others crisscrossed his arms.
"King Castor!" Solaer cried out and a bright golden flame encircled his arm, solidifying into a sharply curved sword much akin to a scimitar.
The cloaked figured turned around, and Syaoran set his jaw. It was Kyle Rondart, all right, holding a staff before him, looking every bit like the storybook sorcerer. Behind him, King Castor collapsed to one knee, and Solaer started forward, running, sword somewhere between a defensive and offensive position- one that was unbalanced and very vulnerable, showing the Emperor's lack of concentration.
Syaoran drew his sword, and started after the golden haired emperor, keeping his pace much more subdued, wary as he stepped around the bodies scattered about the floor.
"My Emperor! Do not come farther in! The man has accomplices!"
Solaer backed up suddenly as a black figure simply appeared before him, slashing through the air with a set of long, claw-shaped blades attached to its hand. The Emperor regained his footing and lunged forward, slicing a golden trail through the air and through the figure, before continuing on without stopping to the kneeling King's side.
Syaoran was left with two of the ninja-like creatures between himself and Kyle, and more he could feel approaching behind him. He lashed out forwards, catching one across the throat. It spasmed, electricity sparking between the two halves of the cut before it finally fell down. He felt a rush from his right and he ducked as another of the creature's claws whistled through the air above his head. Forward, he stabbed it in the gut, then rose quickly to full height, bringing his sword with him, dragging it through the mechanical being's hide, cutting it nearly in half.
A quick spin, and the one charging in from behind him impaled itself on his sword with its momentum. Syaoran jerked towards another approaching, putting the impaled foe between he and the other, and it stabbed its companion in the back. The swordsman jerked his sword toward him while kicking out with his other foot, knocking both of the mechanical ninjas over and off of his sword.
Someone screamed his name but he never got the chance to find out who as a searing pain rent across his back. He stumbled forward, but went with it, hitting the ground rolling in enough time to hear a set of blades slice through the air where his head just was. He turned back just in time to see the one who had hit him's head go flying into the air on the tail of the silvery streak of Kurogane's sword.
The ninja readjusted his stance, and sliced through two others in one swift motion, effectively clearing the area around them for the moment.
"You alright?" the man asked of the younger, and Syaoran nodded hesitantly.
"I think so." He turned to look to where the Emperor and the King were both still fighting, now joined by the guards. More of the otherworldly beings spawned near the group, as Kyle turned to Syaoran and Kurogane- both standing between him and the door.
The man smiled at the two, fake and cheerful. "It would be wise of you to get out of my way."
Neither of the two swordsmen moved from their spots, Syaoran re-gripped his sword, making sure his hold was firm.
A faint glow emerged from the distended tip of Kyle's staff. "This could end so easily, so quickly, no one would need to get hurt."
Syaoran adjusted his position slightly as a symbol formed between his feet, spread outward slightly. The air around him crackled with power, and Kurogane took a step away.
"RAITEI SHOURAI!"
Energy burst out, converged, hit the staff Kyle was carrying and knocked the man a good dozen feet backwards with the force it exerted. The man rose to his feet shaken a second later, but largely unharmed.
Kurogane's eyes narrowed slightly and their opponent stared at Syaoran, looking completely surprised.
"Since when do youknow magic?!" He asked, looking over the younger male carefully. Syaoran just glared.
"Wait... that sword's different. You...!" And Kyle growled, adjusting his staff. "You're the one he had imprisoned! How did you escape? Where's the other one?"
Syaoran readjusted his position, gathering more power for his next attempt. "I was let out. And the other? I have no idea. Last I checked I'd nearly severed his hand."
Kyle looked at him distastefully, then shifted his gaze to Kurogane. "I'll ask again, move out of my way, and no one will have to get hurt."
Kurogane laughed. "I think you're the only one that's about to get hurt. Hand back the feather."
The robed man shook his head. "You don't seem to understand. I guess I'll have to show you then, what it is this thing can do." The feather flashed, illuminating a series of foreign letters along the side of the staff. Kyle gripped it by the end, and brought it down like a club. The staff streaked through the air, leaving behind a green sickle-shaped trail that launched itself at Syaoran as soon as the staff hit the ground with a resounding crack.
Syaoran adjusted his position, bringing himself into a defensive stance. The green sickle-shaped energy trail hit his sword hard, and he pushed back against it with all of his might, at least until the cut in his back forced his muscles to give out. His sword went flying from his hands as the attack hit him with enough force his vision went black as he tumbled end over end into the back wall of the throne room.
Kurogane growled and charged, but his sword hit a magical barrier like a brick wall, jarring his arms all the way up to his shoulders. The shield pulsed and knocked him backward, but he recovered and rolled, ending back on his feet easily.
"You have no magic, and the boy is too injured to use his properly," Kyle laughed. "It would seem this battle is mine."
"You shouldn't underestimate us," Kurogane said. "Especially not him."
Kyle glanced over to Syaoran, the young man slowly regaining his feet, peeling himself away from the blood-spattered wall, picking up his sword as he did so. Kurogane frowned; either that injury was worse than he first thought, or the young man had hit the wall extremely hard.
"Well, then. Try again if you think it'll allow you to get anywhere," the robed man laughed, pushing his glasses back up his nose.
Kurogane and Syaoran exchanged a glance. Neither of them quite knew how to approach this battle, but they knew they needed to figure it out soon. The ninja suddenly had an idea, and he jerked his head slightly, motioning to himself subtly. A pincer attack. Syaoran nodded his head, steadying himself, preparing for the attack. Kurogane started, and Syaoran followed. Kyle took a step back to brace himself, and held the staff up. The letters on the side of it glowed and twinkled in a rapid patterning as the air around him warped and twisted into another shield.
Both swordsmen hit it hard enough the edges of it buckled slightly, but the magic flashed blinding green and threw them both backward, and they both landed hard and stunned for a moment, completely open to attack, an attack Kyle was more than happy to do. He changed his grip on the staff as the shield flickered and faded, turning towards the more seriously injured Syaoran first. He raised it again for the same attack that he'd sent for the younger swordsman first, but just as he was about to bring the staff down, a beautiful, haunting cry pierced the air, enough to raise the hair on the back of everyone's necks.
Kyle spun about on his heel to face the corner of the room where the Emperor, King and guards had been fighting the small army of the mechanical ninja-like creatures. Something yellow and white, bright as the sun erupted from the center of the mass, sending the mechanical creatures flying backward, charred and unmoving. The fiery mass formed near the ceiling, wings spreading, eyes glowing red- a phoenix. It opened its beak as though to scream and that haunting song erupted again, causing several of the guards near it to collapse to their knees. From the tail of the phoenix, a single fiery thread trailed, finally wrapping around the Emperor's marked wrist, and as he slowly lowered his arm, struggling like it took effort, dripping blood all over the ground from his numerous wounds, the Phoenix turned, pointed its beak at Kyle and dove, as though the Emperor was using the string to fling it forward.
The robed man tapped the end of the staff on the ground, and the greenish shield reformed just as the Phoenix crashed into it with a low boom, like a sonic explosion. The golden fire flowed all around the shield, and the shield warped and twisted under its power. The phoenix flickered, power waning, and Kyle smirked, but the glory was short lived as a crack appeared in the shield, then another, then another, and just as the Phoenix faded, the shield shattered into hundreds of tiny green shards.
"RAITEI!"
Kyle turned slightly towards Syaoran.
"SHOURAI!"
The robed man smiled though he faced what was likely his death, and the bright blue energy converged upon him.
-
"Well what he did was fairly reckless, channeling the Phoenix of the Sun without proper preparation, and in the condition he was," Phaethon shook his head as he gazed at the sleeping form of their Emperor before turning back to Fai and Kurogane. "But everyone's still alive, the bad guy is gone, and the feather is back in its rightful place, is it not?"
The magician nodded, looking to Sakura who watched the two men in the hospice intently. Again she had awoken before the injured young swordsman, and she knew it was not a good thing that this had occurred.
Phaethon turned back toward the door and laughed. "They should be alright according to the doctor but we need to let them rest for now." Fai nodded and followed the man out the door, but Sakura stayed behind, walking slowly up to the window and looking out at the sunset. Several minutes passed, before something moved behind her.
"You're going to kill yourself if you keep pushing so hard," She turned and looked back at Syaoran, who watched her intently. "You're going to kill yourself to help me."
An amber eye looked down to her bad right leg, then slowly trailed back up. "Only if you don't kill yourself trying to help us, first."
Sakura gasped and averted her gaze back out the window. "How did-"
"The prices the Dimensional Witch asks for are extremely high, don't try to pay them off by yourself. We're all in this together; we should share the responsibility." Syaoran closed his eyes, wincing as he turned back toward the ceiling, the motion irritating his back injury.
"Then... if things are going badly, don't rush ahead by yourself. Let Fai and Kurogane help, let me help you if I can. You may not be the Syaoran we started this journey with," And she looked back in time to watch him grimace, only partly out of physical pain. "But we've been through a lot with you, and we've gotten to know you, you're our friend and companion as well. So let us watch your back as much as you've been watching ours. It's too hard to keep doing all this stuff you've been doing alone."
He sighed, staring at the ceiling, unwilling to meet her eyes. "Deal."
-
Another several days passed before Syaoran was able to stand and walk again, and by that time the Emperor had awoken. They decided to say their goodbyes and thanks to him before leaving, though he'd had no hesitations about telling them he was merely using them to achieve his own goals, he had helped them in the end.
He cracked open a single golden eye as they walked in, then closed it and let his cheerful, nice-guy smile spread across his face. "Let me guess, you wanna thank me for nearly killing myself to help you?"
Syaoran nodded, face solemn. "You did help us a lot, though. I'm not sure we would've been able to come out of that in one piece without that attack."
Solaer laughed, and a bit of his serious side leaked into his look as he finally regarded them all. "It was a threat to my people. As Emperor, I'm in charge of protecting them from all major threats, with my life if I must."
Syaoran nodded. "You're a good ruler for that. But we thank you anyway, for helping us out as well, even if we aren't of your people."
The emperor waved his hand, the one that was marked but now covered in bandages. "You're welcome. Anyway, have you found everything you need to?"
The group all looked to the little Mokona, and it seemed to think for a moment before nodding. "Yes! That's the only feather I've sensed."
"Great," and Solaer grinned at them all, his nice guy grin, but set beneath his arrogant bastard eyes. "Now get out of my world before you bring more trouble."
Syaoran smiled back, a challenge in his look. "We'd be happy to. It's too humid here anyway."
Solaer waved his hand. "Great. Hope I never have to see you all again."
They stepped out of the room and around the back of the hospice, an empty lot with no one around so they could transport out.
-
A/N: Astron Country is over! Next one coming is... well...
Stick tight and y'all'll see. Reviews are appreciated if you so choose to leave them. Until next time.