Chapter XXIII

The Crowning

recommended song: Huun huur tu & carmen rizzo - ancestors call (eternal)

Enjoy!

"What…happened? Is this Heaven?" Horohoro woke up, lying on the ground.

"Of course not, idiot. We are all still alive…" Ren shouted at him, still being able to punch him in his head, even if he was badly injured.

Lyserg went to the two guys. Apparently, everyone got back to their soberness and were even able to walk.

"Why did he let us live? I thought…"

"Don't have stupid thoughts about mercy. It's not his type. Tsk…" he grinned. "That bastard let us all live only to witness his crowning. One cruel torture I'm not going to attend."

"Hmm…perhaps he just wants his efforts to be acknowledged. After all, he did put a lot of effort to finally get there, right?" Yoh said from the distance, nostalgically leaning on a tree.

"Yoh, I swear, you are the weirdest person I know. Honestly, thinking so simple about this maniac's psychic…"

"Not quite…but I just somehow sense the brute form of his feelings…" he responded with a melancholic smile. "After all, isn't this how we all would be feeling? Satisfied about ourselves?"

" Hmph. Fine, let's go then. It's not like we have something else to do before the world is ending. We can at least get in contact with the spirits and find answers…I somehow sense this is not over yet. And I think you have the same feeling, Yoh."

"Everything will work out in the end, Ren." The brown haired boy smiled.

X

*song plays*

The ceremony has started.

Dressed with a large white cloth and leather large pants, with his hair tangled with an eagle's feather, Hao was patiently sitting on the imposing marble throne. When he noticed his brother and his friends assisting, he harmlessly smiled towards them, making Ren's spike grow even bigger in consternation.

The shaman drum started playing. Their sticks incorporated the rhythm of nature.

The wooden guitar vibrated once with the forest.

The oboe's sound was bonding all these together and re-articulated them with the chimes of spirits.

Between the patch members, a large marble fire pot.

The ceremonial peace pipe was handed over. The first who smoked from it was Hao. Then the patch members followed, Godlva being the first. The others also smoked even if they were regular spectators. The King had to formally proclaim peace and bring eternal prosperity to his kingdom.

The smudge sticks were purifying the air. Held in their hands, the patch members started performing their ritual dance, to gather all the spirits.

"All spirits shall, thus' the new King will rise to The Great Spirit and proclaim it. Honorably greet his soul, thus' he will be your master. The Ultimate Shaman shall merge with the most powerful Spirit. "

Their feet were rhythmically moving, spreading the dust. They've felt like knocking on the ground.

The fire pot ignited. The marvelous flames were dancing in vivid colors, bending towards Hao. It wasn't a normal fire.

It was the dance of the spirits. Strange silhouettes made out of heating light were moving with the rhythm, lured by the divine sounds. Becoming more and more concrete, until the smudge sticks extinguished. The scent which remained in the air was consumed by the fire, or more like inhaled by them. They've seemed like to fully acknowledge who was in front of them.

They bowed.

Their hands extended towards him and environed his throne.

With his head resting nonchalantly on one arm, he smirked. A satisfied strong gleam was in his passionate brown eyes. Even the strongest spirits are praising him. And the strongest energy will be in his hands…

"May the World be in destiny's hands." Goldva ended his speech with a sight. It was all over now. The new age…was about to begin.

The Great Spirit descended. His body was wrapped with a lucent colorful plasma. Hao's eyes gleamed at the beauty of the holy light. It was a revelation.

The light wasn't only a visual effect, it was a whole guidance towards the universe. A synopsis of infinite knowledge and infinite power. His spirit was slowly detaching from his body….

All he needed to do was to let go of his body. His spirit was already welcomed in the dominion center. He could do whatever, whenever, bend the time and space at will….Death was the final stage to obtain this huge power…

Of a God.

X

"I think you deserve to know..."

Akira wasn't smoking, as she usually did during the mother daughter talks. She just stared at the sky full of stars.

"You aren't from this World."

Her green eyes were shocked, but not traumatized. Somehow, she expected this. She was staring blankly at the night sky. Somehow, she'd always felt how the stars were calling her.

"Then tell me…where my true home is."

"Nowhere."

This answer surprised her even more. She wanted a least to belong somewhere.

"What do you mean, mother?"

"Rilury, have you wondered why our family branch has this unique talent of making portals? Even you can create strong discrepancies in time and space, almost as strong as mines."

"Yes, but I also…"

"Bend strange electromagnetic waves. Something materialized in electric energy, but which feels more like a cosmic energy…. That is because you have the recessive gene, which shows once per two generations. Your grandfather's mother was also able to do it…"

So this is why her grandfather could train her properly.

Rilury felt a heavy burden on her chest. She never got the chance to meet her. Perhaps it would have been much more easier...

Or maybe not. This whole story seemed to be so unrealistic, it was like a science fiction told by her mother. But she felt that every single word was true and perhaps this is what hurt the most. Her capability of comprehension. She felt like she knew this all along, but was too coward to admit it, to admit that she didn't belong here.

"We aren't from this Planet, Rilury, And we don't actually belong to any other one. Because we were originally from a mixture of two outer space races, which principles didn't quite match... "

"So I am a fucking alien…great."

Akire laughed loudly. "Don't be silly, our ancestors have lived on Earth for more than 500 years. You are definitely most part human. Even your father had nothing special."

This didn't change much. She was still an outcast. And what was her purpose, after all? To hold a rotten key to a great, dangerous and incontrolable power until she dies and pass it to the next generation, just like that poor woman? To be tormented for the rest of her life, just like her, without being able to do something about it? Was she supposed to be a mind-numbing creature only to keep that power safe from-...

The last words appeared out of nowhere. From where did she had the hunch that she needed to hide something?

"Tell me...the name of the other Planet." She suddenly asked.

She referred to the place from which she inherited her power. She felt that she wasn't supposed to have it. She felt like…she stole it.

"It's been a long time…I can't remember it. However…."

X

They both went inside her room. Inside an old closed, she took a dusty box which didn't have any lock. She made a small portal and took from it something strange, an object shaped in the form of a hexagon and had weird inscriptions.

"Since the world is already about to end…I think we can finally revisit it."

Rilury flinched. So Hao…

"Indeed." Her mother answered, observing her reaction. "That crazy boyfriend of yours won. And since you can't change his mind with a lovely dovely kiss…"

"MOOOM!" Rilury shouted angry at her.

"Relax, I was only joking." Akire chuckled. "Besides, we have other concerns. It's risky, but it's somehow our only chance of survival. And the only way for you to find out more answers, because I don't even know them all myself."

Her fingertips touched the inscription.

Flashing light. On the wall, the structure of a hexagon which was like a middle strong vacuum, sucking the air. It was the portal to the other world, was right in front of her.

"We can try our luck, although I don't know how welcoming they'll be. Because, after all, we took something very important which belonged to them…"

Rilury was staring blankly at the unlocked door to more answers, the chance of building a new home…

But isn't home where your heart leads to?

If so, then her heart was definitely in another place…She clenched her fists and looked indecisively on the floor.

"Sigh…fine then, it is your choice…"

Akira raised her hand. Was she about to leave?...

No. She created another portal. On the opposite wall of the room which was now ravaged by the wind currents.

"Think about which one of them….would make you happy, my dear child." Akira's eyes had a maternal gleam and starring at her beloved daughter.

For the first time… Rilury felt directly the warmth of her mother enveloping her heart, which opened and showed the clear answer she was forcing to lock inside.

Quite strange. Everything felt like a deja vu...No, this is how she wants it to be. Right now, she knows she'll be risking her life. She know it might not be the best choice. But...

Holding her hand tight on the blue pendant, she stepped towards her chosen destiny...

X

The power of an omnipotent God…The world was all his now.

He reached his hand towards the centre. It was his projected target, a pumping heart of the whole Spirit. Hao took it gently in his hand…it felt warm. And he felt it beating…rapidly, nervously…

He recognized this sound. He felt it before, in certain situations, near someone special…

The figure of a short brown haired girl with emerald green eyes was brightly smiling at him. A beat felt strong…it was in his body. Bothered by it, he refocused his attention on the infinite energy force in his hand. He smirked darkly.

The world was not enough.

The heart was squashed in his hand. Hao brutally obtained the essence of the Great Spirit. It was red and warm, dripping through his fingers…

Insignificant creatures imprisoned in the miserable mundanity. Poor obedient shamans waiting for their lives to be decided…Everything seemed…

"So, small..."

Annihilation.

Time and space disrupted in a blackout.

He woke up.

The surroundings were destroyed. Burning flames. Every trace of life disappeared. Standing alone in the hellish landscape, his cloth fluttering in the chaotic wind...Hao seemed to have been waiting…

This area was only a small sample of what he could do. For a new empire to be build, the old one has to be destroyed. But before all that…

He had to meet a certain someone.

Finally getting closer...to more answers ;)

Don't forget to write reviews! :D I love them, thanks for the continuously support! I know the anticipation of the following is kind of suspicious, but don't underestimate me! xD. Anyway, tell me, what do you think about this chapter? Did "alien thingy" seem out of the blue (but there are hints through the story! .) or was it too plain and needed more emphasis? I let it sound quite as a normal thing, not too edgy, because then it would have seemed too forced. And the outer space idea was already approached by Takei, so don't make me a Sci-fi freak! . (even if I am quite the conspirationist type, but that's a whole other story xD)

Thanks for reading! New chapter coming soon, it is already written, I just need to add something to the after chapter (sound weird, I know), so the waiting won't be too long :D