Chapter XVII
A normal day
Hey, author here! I've been quite occupied with all those school exams, sorry for the long delay! Here is a well-deserved, heck of a long chapter! Enjoy!
Warning: Just a bit of strong language...
Again, Rilury was floating over the huge black hole, ready to be absorbed.
One thing was for clear: her spirit wasn't from this world. Nor the planet she's living in...
A strange radiance was starting to unfold from the depth of nothingness. Sparkles, something imprisoned which was waiting to get out. Through her.
The darkness was coming closer and closer. The strong yellow sparkles were unbearable to see or to feel consuming every inch of her body.
It was a nightmare again.
She woke up seeing two pairs of black nebulas. At first she was surprised, but then she realized there was in fact an iris. Two eyes were staring at her.
It was Miyako.
"Ah, so you finally woke up. We are going to be late for the tournament." She said frankly.
"Wha-….Hey! What are you two doing in my room?!" Rilury shouted, because there was also Alejandro standing in a corner, waiting for his master.
"I wanted to make sure that you won't be late for the semi-finals." Miyako simply answered.
"How did my mom let you in?" Rilury asked, thinking that there is absolutely no way she would let that blonde latino guy in her room.
"We came through the window. It implies less effort." She answered plainly. "But there also is another reason I came to see you. Here." She offered Rilury a ticket to the hot springs.
"Why are you giving me this?" she asked confused and sleepy.
"I don't think you'll mind if you'd have a bath with me tonight, right?" she asked calmly.
"Um, n- no, of course…. And, uh…thanks?" Rilury tried to bond a few words before Miyako would jump off the window, followed by her servant.
She sat in bed, confused, thinking about the odd think that happened. The semi-finals…
"Oh, crap!" she said to herself and got up instantly to prepare herself. There were only 10 minutes before her battle!
On the battlefield. She discovered something that would practically make useless all of her attacks.
Furyoku nullification.
They were battling the Gandharas. It seems that lady Nyorai, the 10 year old girl that lost in the first tournament, was actually a part of a bigger group. Although they were following the Buddhist cult and didn't sustain violence at all, they somehow got themselves implicated in the tournament. It appears that the tension went higher in this contest due to the past events.
"We aren't here to win. We search for a balanced way between good and evil. It seems that this Shaman Tournament is becoming even more chaotic than it first was, and we are here to stop it."
Rilury was standing in front of them. She used up all of her moves: the shocking spiral, the atom blast, the lightning, the sickle of light…
Now that she thinks about those names, they really sound stupid. And their effects were annulated by the opponents.
She seemed to be at the verge of loosing this battle. Even if she herself wanted to battle all three of them.
Another thing that was weird was that Miyako hasn't interfered and seemed like she didn't even have any intend to do so. Perhaps she wanted to see what she was capable of.
Rilury smirked. There was still one card she hasn't played yet…
"Stop this tournament? But then why have you even entered it in the first place?" she asked ironically, clearly having regained her composure.
Jackson* gave her a satisfied look, like a teacher whose student passed his expectations. Rilury was surprised to see that look, but now that she thinks of it, he indeed was a good teacher. He taught her some good tai chi movements during her constant failing attacks and now it seemed that he was satisfied that she learned something very important.
"It is simple, in fact. Defeating the ones which aren't prepared and selecting the shamans we consider worthy."
"Well then, count me out of your both categories." She replied and formed a bright hexagon portal, which seemed to be accumulating particles of energy waiting to be discharged in one shot. She tried to do this before and failed. But now she's gotten stronger, she'll definitely succeed.
Jackson smiled pleased.
"You might not be one of the warriors we're looking for, but you seem to be quite an important chess piece."
A powerful blast emerged. It had a huge quantity of reyoku. Even Rilury could barely keep herself steady.
This is why furyoku nullification couldn't work. She was only using the furyoku to keep the hexagon in its shape and direct the attack. What was emerging was a dense energy coming from that….spirit.
"Maan, this battle surely was exhausting! I'm glad it's over now." Rilury stretched herself, sitting on a bench near Lyserg.
They were chatting from time to time, because she was closer to him than the rest of the group. They somehow seemed to be alike, but she didn't know exactly from which point of view.
Thing is, they understood each other quite well. This is why, after she won he congratulated her and they stopped for a little talking under the bench.
"Well, my fight is starting soon. I should get going." Lyserg said, after a thoughtful discussion about the latest books appeared. It didn't seem to be her type, but reading was something that Rilury does often, as she was used to being alone and having a lot of free time in her hands.
"Hm…I am really tired… But I promise I'll come before the end of the fight after sleeping a bit!" She guaranteed with a smile.
"There's nothing to worry about, anyway. Iron Maiden Jeanne recovered her spirit, Shamash, so I don't think we'll have any problem." He replied also smiling.
"Really? But how…I thought…"
"It is also an enigma for me…It seems like when the Spirit of Fire devoured a part of the Great Spirit, he released the lost souls he ate during this life." He said thoughtfully.
"Hmmm…Maybe it worked exactly like a charger. The Spirit of Fire used the necesary reyoku it gathered to open up the Great Spirit, and then he emptied itself to absorb more of the GS energy." She said lost in her own world.
"Hey, this is a pretty accurate theory!" Lyserg said admiratively.
"Really?" she blushed. "I don't think so. You know, sometimes I get lost in my own speculations and imagine all sort of connections, even if they're not real. I think that, deep inside, I am a little conspirationist." She joked.
"Well, I think this theory makes the most sense." He replied with a smile, then stood up. "It's time for me to leave now…"
"Wait, who are you battling?" she asked curiously.
"Another team of Gandharas."
"Man, these people are like bugs. They're everywhere!" she stated a bit annoyed. "Well, I'm sure you'll kick their butts. Good luck!"
"Thanks. Bye-bye, Rilu-chan!" he waved smiling.
"Bye!..." she replied a bit blushing, but didn't know why.
Lyserg eventually went out of sight and she started playfully swinging her legs. He seemed to be a nice guy…it was a pity that he was consumed by that hatred towards…him. After all, it was a good reason. Why would that spoiled brat even do such a thing? She went furious. Then she realized…what if she was in Lyserg's place… Would she be the same? This burden is indeed something distressful…
"Having fun with that Lyserg-boy, Rilury?"
A familiar voice. She looked up. There was him sitting on a tree branch, with his typical smug on.
"Spying on me again, huh?" she replied rigidly.
"Well, I couldn't walk further on my way when I saw how much you were enjoying yourself in that discussion." Hao answered with an ironic smile.
"Hm, are you jealous?" she asked with a grin.
"Not even close." He answered with a chuckle. "I was just wondering…" the smirk reappeared on his face. "Which side are you actually on?" his eyes regained a sly gleam.
She became flustered by this remark, but then answered a bit pissed.
"I'm not cheering you, got it?...Now, if you'd excuse me, I'm going to get a well-deserved sleep." She turned her back and rapidly left.
She was walking down the alley with furious steps and talking to herself.
"That annoying bastard…Oh, hey, look at me! I have a damn powerful spirit and a goddamn increased furyoku. Everyone should clean my shoes because I'd got the power, yo'!" she ironically imitated a strange accent with a deeper voice.
Her steps went slower this time. Then, she felt a strange presence behind her.
'And now he's following me, great. Not typical at all… ' she thought to herself.
She turned back.
"Couldn't resist not having the last words, could you?" she addressed the question to the person she'd been expecting.
But surprisingly, there was no one. He usually appears immediately after being discovered, part of his game. She continued walking, a bit surprised.
How strange…She felt it again. Something was definitely following her. Thing is, the presence didn't feel familiar at all…
She turned back really quick and saw something fly away behind the bushes with a short whiz. She searched for it, but it seemed to be camouflaged. She removed a tiny branch, and the sun's reflection made a sparkle on the intruder. It flew away right before her eyes, but it was really quick that she barely figured what it was.
A flying…eyeball? No, it was definitely her imagination. Although, the iris color was gold and it seemed like a…hexagon…?
Nope, nope, nope. She's acting all crazy again. Maybe it was just a bug or some sort of that. She walked further home, trying to not think about it. At least she felt that she wasn't being followed anymore.
Rilury woke up. She felt quite rested. Hadn't been sleeping like a rock in ages. She stretched herself delighted and looked at the clock…six p.m…
Five hours have passed! She jumped out of bed and went in a hurry to the Stadium. Maybe Lyserg was still there, so she could at least apologize….
She arrived at the end of a battle, but it wasn't Lyserg's.
It was Hao, standing right in front of three defeated shamans, which were lying unmoved on the ground….
"Don't bother checking their pulse" Hao said to the people responsible for healthcare.
The paramedics still did that and considered that he was right. They were practically…dead.
Monster…
The public emptied the stadium with this bitter thought. In a few minutes, only Rilury was standing here, with her eyes emptied and looking on the ground.
The staff would recollect the corpses later, as they were currently cleaning the tribunes.
Hao looked at her. She also observed that she was being watched. He smirked.
She jumped on the empty stage, fully angered.
"Hao..how could you?..." she clenched her fists nervously walking towards him.
"Those are simple weak shamans, which won't be for any use when I'll become the future king. Why do you care so much about them?" he scoffed.
She looked at the ground, disturbed of what she heard.
"Those are people's lives, Hao…" she said with a normal tone, still looking on the ground. "These aren't tools which you think you can use or not!" she said louder.
This remark made him loose his smug. He watched her as she walked to the victims. She prepared her hands which emanated a yellow spark.
He chuckled.
"What do you want to do? Revive them?"
She wanted to start the process.
"It's useless. " he said with a grimace.
She stopped.
It was too late, she thought. The Spirit of Fire certainly ate their souls already. Her arms felt heavy on the ground. She walked towards him, with her look covered by her hair. Then she showed him her green, determined eyes.
"Bring them back to life! In this second!" she demanded.
Hao looked at her. It was such a strong resemblance between then look she has now and the one she had that night when he exposed himself…
He smirked and took her face in his palm, with his fingers squashing her cheeks a bit roughly. He asked with a threatening air.
"If not, then what are you going to do about it?" his eyes went closer to hers and caught a mischievous look.
Her look was shadowed by her hair. Then he looked him directly in his eyes.
"Stop acting…Like a spoiled child!" she shouted at him.
She grabbed his wrist and toughly removed his arm. She was more infuriated than never.
"Fuck it!" she said, walking towards the stage. "I am going to bring them to life somehow even if it's the last thing I-…What?... HOW THE HELL DID THEY WAKE UP FROM THE DEATH! " she exclaimed, seeing the victims rubbing their heads as they would wake up from a deep slumber.
"Clinical death. " Hao pointed out indifferently. "Bringing their souls into this state requires temporary shutting down the basic chi points. Accuracy and strength." He explained like a scientist presenting his latest discovery.
"But why-, when, how the-…G'aah!" she screamed irritated by this confusion.
" It's just something I wanted to experiment. Despite being 1000 years since I wrote the Chou Senji Rakketsu, I still haven't lost my interest in finding the latest shaman techniques."
Rilury sighed. Somehow relieved. She then had a slight smile.
"You're a curious person, aren't you?"
"Hmph, perhaps. Now, I can finish those lab rats off." He said with an arrogant smile.
"Don't you even dare!" she pointed at him furious.
He smiled amused by her reaction.
"Well then, aren't you going to retreat your words?" he asked with a smug.
"Me? Oh yeah, sorry for believing you!" she said ironically and pulled her tongue out.
She carelessly turned her back, putting her palms at her nape "And yeah…emotionally playing with me like that. You're still spoiled." She added with a light tone and started walking away.
Hao was a bit intrigued by her remark for a second, but then a big smirk appeared upon his lips. His eyes showed a sort of satisfaction and still maintained an evil gleam.
The night went on, marking the end of a day full of events. The Hot Springs was exactly what she needed to relax.
"Thanks for the ticket, Miyako." Rilury said to her, but the girl didn't say anything but nodded.
There was a silence which at first was comforting, but then it became awkward. Rilury looked at her. She seemed to be quite young at first, but looking at her now, she was perhaps not too much younger than her. At least judging by her pair of pretty developed breasts.
Miyako sank her body in the water, with her eyes still covered by the cold, refreshing towel.
"If you're wondering about my age, I'm 14." She said, still having a calm voice.
Rilury blushed at her last thought. She really hoped she couldn't read minds as well…
"Of course I can. My guardian spirit is actually a demon." Miyako replied to her thoughts, thing which made Rilury dip her head in the water.
Then she got to the surface at a sudden realization.
"Speaking of your guardian spirit….I hadn't got the chance to see it in action…" she said, a bit confused whether or not this was a proper question.
"Don't worry. You soon will." She shortly replied.
Another awkward silence… Really, Rilury wished herself to have at least a bit of social skills and end those weird moments.
"Tell me, Rilury…" Miyako started a conversation. "What further intentions do you have with that boy named Asakura Hao?…"
Rilury blushed and went so hot that she stood out of the water. Oh God she how she wanted those moments of silence back now.
"W-what do you mean? He is a jerk and I don't want to do anything with him! Why would you even ask something about him?" she spoke quickly and agitated.
"No reason. Just wanted to break the silence that you don't like…I'm sorry if the question bothered you..." she replied somehow bored and disappointed.
"Oh, no, no, it's ok, you don't have to feel bad. I actually enjoy this…peaceful atmosphere"
"Hm… I'm merely used to this. But sometimes, silence is quite suffocating for people. It makes you feel quite lonely. And I don't want you to feel like this before the tomorrow finals."
"They're already tomorrow? Who are we battling?"
"Team X-Laws."
A beat skipped Rilury's heart. She hasn't even noticed that on the table. Why now, why Lyserg? They were just starting to get along. She became quite sad at this thought. Eventually, they'll all leave in a way or another.
"I hope this bath will help you calm your emotions. If not, then your shaman fighting will get worse." Miyako said a bit caring but still with an expressionless face. She got out of the water.
"Mhm." Rilury nodded still thoughtfull. "Don't worry, I'll do my best."
"See you tomorrow, then." The silver-haired girl said and left her to enjoy the last minutes of her bath.
She looked up at the sky… What was hiding beyond all those infinite stars?
The girl was right, after all. No matter how much furyoku you have, you can't handle a huge power if you are controlled by your emotions…
To be continued...
*Jackson is actually, in the manga, a member of the Gandharas. And yeah, he really is a tai chi master.
And yeah, lady Sati is actually 10 years old in the anime, sorry for following it, but I shall be loyal to the plot!
Also, please leave as many reviews as you can! They don't matter, good or bad, they won't stop me writing because I know that there still is somebody who wastes his time reading this *tears*
Or maybe I'm just a sadistic maniac who'd never stop mutilating the keyboard. Who knows..