Chapter 21: Climatic Showdown (Part 3): The Portal that leads to adventure...
Norrisville Outskirts...
Theresa Fowler was quietly walking home with a noticeably happy smile on her face, in one day she became known as a tremendously good dodgeball player who can give out motivational representations, can cook delicious fried chicken and can paint a wall's worth of calligraphy all in the while having a large, Theresa smiled to herself as her friends were rather happy as well, happy to help in Theresa's life of school and surprising amounts of stress.
"So what should we do when we get back to my house?" Theresa asked the Legendary Four, wanting to know what her friends would want to do when they get back into Theresa's humble abode.
'We should probably just relax, it's been quite a busy day for us, not so much for you...But you know... 'Mizuwani suggested Theresa nodded in response without saying a word.
"Its like three in the afternoon, I guess I could like go to into town and enjoy myself while you four hangout at my house if that's what you all want of course..." Theresa said to the Legendary Four, their responses weren't very clear if Theresa was being honest with herself.
'Why wasn't there a single Oni attack today?' Shirokuma blurted out, wanting to address the elephant in the room, or this case, the elephant in Purgatory, Theresa quickly realized this, but she quickly reassured the Golden Samurai with her soft and quirky voice.
"Don't worry Shirokuma, we usually say that right before an Oni attack comes out of nowhere so we just have to be patient," Theresa answered the Golden Samurai, who only responded with a loud and gruff scoff, something that the rest of the legendary four heard.
'Its Very Much Like Clockwork, Just Listen To Theresa And You'll Get Your Wish Polaris." Pichigaru said to the Golden Samurai Oni, who only loudly grumbled as a response to the Red Peach Oni's words.
And sure enough, like clockwork, the Violet-haired Oni Keeper heard a loud growl, something that partially-startled the girl, until she realized she's protected by four ancient spirits who treats her like a good friend, or a older sister if your speaking in Kazeryu's perspective, or a well-intention apprentice if your speaking in Shirokuma's perspective, or a person that's on the same page if you speaking in Mizuwani's perspective, or a family relative if your talking in Pichigaru's perspective.
"What was that?" Theresa asked the Legendary Four, all of them answered with a verbal shrug, Theresa was curious and instead of running like she used to do, she actually went closer to the source of brutal and savage growls, pulling out Shirokuma's axe in particular just in case if the growler was either an enemy or just some hungry animal, which both can be a threat.
Theresa went off the path that she usually follows when she goes home in order to come closer to the source of brutal and starved growls, Theresa was now deep in the forest but she felt oddly familiar about her current location.
"Is that..." Theresa pointed, it was a cave, and the cave looked very familiar, it quickly donned on her as a smile began to form on her face.
"That's the same cave we met each other Shirokuma!" She said ecstatically to the Golden Samurai who only responded with a quiet laugh.
"Seems like it Theresa..." Shirokuma said with a smile on his face, Theresa wanted to revisit some old memories, so Theresa nonchalantly went inside the quiet cavern as something sneakily followed behind, for some strange reason the constant brutal growling finally ended when Theresa went inside the cave.
Theresa was enthusiastic at first, until she looked at the new sight of the cavern, there in the center of the end of the cave was a massive green portal that was swirling menacingly, waiting for someone or something to enter into its abyss of green magic.
"That was never there before..." Theresa said as she quickly turned around to check if there was something behind her only to be quickly pushed into the portal causing the poor Violet-haired Oni Keeper to scream in terror and causing the Legendary Four to scream in terror as well, all in the while the brutal and hungering Oni known as Kurushimi laughed as he entered into the portal as well.
The other side of the portal...
Theresa woke up by some sunlight shimmering through her window, she groaned loudly, she could barely remember what happened, all she could remember was the fact that she was pushed into a green portal by a shadowy assailant, she groaned loudly as she was resting on a bed, but this bed wasn't comfortable at all, it was more akin to a rug rather than a mattress, she groaned loudly as she sat up from her bed wiping her droopy eyes and allowing her eyes to see clearly, when she looked around her room, she gasped loudly and her jaw dropped.
the room she was in was more like a traditional Japanese room, it had a white sliding door, wooden panel floors and walls, something that greatly contrasted her normal room especially with the fact that she was sleeping on a small bed roll rather than her comfortable and soft bed, this immediately made the violet-haired Oni Keeper to stand up and then she realized she wasn't wearing anything except a white kimono.
"What in the world?" Theresa said as she then quickly realized that she does not have Shirokuma's axe with her, in fact, she didn't have any of the Four Legendary Oni weapons, something that honestly made the Violet-haired Oni Keeper to worry greatly.
"Shirokuma? Kazeryu? Mizuwani? Pichigaru? Anybody?" She asked herself wanting a response from the Legendary Four but to no avail for she only received a gall of silence.
"Where are you guys?" Theresa said as she went through the room she was sleeping in, not seeing the weapons or the bag that the weapons usually reside in, she was worrying even more so now since the Legendary Four are now completely missing, instinctively, Theresa opened the sliding door exited out of the room entering the small living room of this small traditional Japanese home, she quickly noticed that no one was home which only raised more questions than answers.
"Guys..." Theresa said as she only heard her own thoughts rather than the thoughts of the Legendary Four which seem good at first for it gave Theresa some peace and quiet but even then, she isn't used to receiving only silence by now, she was used to having the Legendary Four voice their input on the matter.
"Theresa!" The Violet-haired Oni Keeper heard outside of the humble home, Theresa perked up instantly, she knows that voice, it has the same tone of her mother, something that made the Violet-haired Oni Keeper to walk out of the house. There she saw tending a small garden was her mother, she looked relatively the same, tall, long black hair and she was wearing similar clothing to Theresa, bearing a kimono to have an aura of both wisdom and feminity.
"Ah! Theresa your finally awake! Can you, please tend the garden while I'll go into town to buy some food for dinner?" Theresa's mother asked the Violet-haired Oni Keeper, Theresa was rather flabbergasted by today's current events, her house was in the countryside, away from a traditional Japanese village that is no doubt old Norrisville.
"Mom...Do you what year is it?" Theresa asked her mother, wanting some answers from her Motherly look-alike, she only smiled and said in a calm and collected voice.
"It's 1214...Don't you already know that deary?" She said, Theresa's jaw dropped, she was in the thirteenth century, the portal was a portal through time, and no doubt this place is ancient Norrisville, which also means...
"Mom, I'll buy the groceries, you can stay here so you won't have to walk all the way to town just to get some things..." Theresa said to her mother as she quickly waited for her mother to speak.
"How sweet of you Theresa, I need a pheasant and some eggs, don't dawdle sweetie! And be careful, theirs been a lot more Oni attacks, but you've always been able to avoid them so you'll be fine!" She said as Theresa went into town, looking for answers and more importantly, the four weapons of the Legendary Four.
Elsewhere...
Shirokuma woke up with a loud groan of pain, he placed a palm on his face only to quickly realize that he's not been in Theresa's Purgatory, in fact, he wasn't in a Purgatory of any kind, he was in a cave, Shirokuma was rather alerted by this sudden change of place, as he quickly stood up from where he was lying on, it quickly donned on the Golden Samurai Oni, he was alive...Well, more like he was in his true physical form without the need of possessing Theresa, something that caused the Golden Samurai Oni to almost smile for now he can fight without worrying about Theresa's well-being.
Despite this, however, he was still worrying about the Violet-haired Oni Keeper, this could be due to the fact that she wasn't anywhere in the cave and she wasn't in Purgatory, she could be hurt, or even worse.
"Theresa...Can you hear me?" No response from inside the cave or inside Purgatory, this caused the Golden Samurai Oni to ponder about his true whereabouts, he decided to exit out of the cave, wanting some answers.
"Am I in the past?" Shirokuma asked himself, the facts add up to this, the fact that he was in his physical form without the need of possession means that this place takes place before his death at the hands of the Ninja which is a piece of pretty alarming evidence, the air is more cooler and less smokey than Modern day Norrisville Forest, something that the Golden Shirokuma quickly noticed.
"Kazeryu? Mizuwani? Pichigaru?" Shirokuma called, if Shirokuma was in a permanent physical form, they must have permanent forms as well, there was no responses to Shirokuma's words, they were most likely transported to other places when they were pushed into the portal as well.
Shirokuma exited out of the cave and was rather surprised by this new sight bestowed upon him, it was like the forest that Theresa walks in order to go home from school except with way fewer trees and way less grass, making her path more akin to a tradesmen's road rather than a simple breadcrumb trail to home. Shirokuma with a loud scoff followed the trail to town rather to home, wanting some more answers and more evidence to his claims, with golden bladed axe in hand, the Golden Samurai Oni treaded forward to Ancient Norrisville.