Chapter 9 – Sweet Soul

Winding road from somewhere to nowhere
Traversed by someone loyal and fair
Bid, she was, from master's side
Temporal things to cast aside
A sweet soul on airs to glide
So long the road back home does seem
From there to here, as in a dream
For in this dream, though lost in shade
She could her being's duties pay
A friend so dear
A friend whose joy's no longer here
Did dare to test the hand of fate
And so the ironheart arrives, before it is too late

When Chrono's heart finally slowed to its usual pace, he allowed himself a look around the chamber. The body of the monster seemed to take up even more space than before now that it was dead. Fragments of its shell littered the ground, mixed in with debris from the walls and floor. They were mostly large, and a few of them were pointed. The corpse itself gave off a putrid smell that Chrono could only fully appreciate after the battle.

He ran his hand across the wall where one of the monster's fireballs had landed; it was warm. If the thing's attacks could heat up rock to the point where it could still be warm after that much time, he hated to think what a shot could have done to his flesh. The odds of surviving a clash—unarmed—with that monster looked even dimmer in retrospect with all the adrenaline cooled off.

Chrono threw a glance at his traveling companion. "That was pretty impressive," he said to her. "It's been a while since I've seen someone fight that well barehanded."

"I think nothing of it, Mister Chrono," she answered. "You should not, either. I could ascertain from observing you during the battle that you are no stranger to dealing with these sorts of confrontations. Am I correct?"

Chrono almost laughed. "You could say that. I've had my fair share of tussles against the big, the bad, and the ugly. I prefer being better equipped, though."

"You fight with a sword, do you not?"

"How did you know?"

"Your hands moved as if to draw a sword at the beginning of the fight. The movement appeared to be reflexive. I can only conclude that you are accustomed to carrying a blade at your side."

"Right again."

"The road ahead may only become more dangerous. I do not know if I can protect the both of us by myself, so…."

Chrono scowled. "Protect me? I know I didn't account for myself as well as I normally do back there, but that doesn't mean…."

"Please relax, Mister Chrono," said Coppelia. "I only mean to urge you to take up a piece of our fallen monster's shell as your new weapon. There should be several long, thin, sharp edges lying around."

The idea appealed to Chrono, so rather than argue, he set about looking for something with which to defend himself in case of another encounter. It didn't take long for him to find a sufficiently sharp sliver with just the sort of curve he preferred. It ended in a point, but its edges, sharp near the pointed side, dulled down into a shape that could pass as a handle in an emergency. Thus, it could be made to function as a crude sword. Swinging the makeshift, completely non-synthetic weapon around, Chrono felt a bit like the world's first swordsmith back at Ioka Village, turning an animal bone into a means to hunt more effectively.

"This will do nicely," he told Coppelia. "I feel a bit more like myself already."

"That is a good thing," said Coppelia. "Indeed, I shall consider it part of my duty to ensure your safety, if it pleases you, Mister Chrono."

"No problem. None at all."

"Then you do not feel at all uncomfortable to be aided by one so small in stature?"

"Forget what I said before. I'm still a bit in a haze here. I'm not even sure where here is, anyway, or where I'm going."

Coppelia put her hand to her chin and leaned her head to one side, as if she had never struck a genuinely contemplative pose before. "Where is it you would like to go?"

"Home to Nadia." Chrono said the words automatically. His desire to return to his beloved was that internalized.

"I see that you are sincere," said Coppelia. "However, I do not know of any land called Nadia around here."
"Nadia isn't a land. She's a woman."

"I see. Why do you wish to see her, and why do you refer to her as your home?"

"She lives where my home is. I belong with her."

"If you do not mind my asking, Mister Chrono, do you love her?"

"Of course I do."

"Then we must find a way to return you to her, for both your sake and for hers. Is your home nearby?"

"My home isn't in this… place. Time. I don't know how to get there."

Coppelia's expression changed, and she began speaking more in earnest. "Are you, then, a resident of the world of time? If so, then are you from any particular time?"

"Eleventh century, actually."

Coppelia looked disappointed. "I see. Then you are not from my time."

"So you're trying to get home, too?"

For the first time in the conversation, Coppelia looked mildly surprised. "Mister Chrono, you are very clever. I am trying to return home, but before I do, I have work to complete in this land. In fact, I fear I am unable to return merely of my own volition. I must locate a person who might be able to get me back. If you so desire, Mister Chrono, you should accompany me on my quest to find this person. We may then return together."

Chrono looked doubtful. "You said you're from a different time."

"I am from your future."

"Maybe I've met you before."

"You are a time traveler?"

Chrono smirked. "Yes, I am. Or was. I wanted to settle down with Nadia and live a slightly less exciting life, but circumstances got in the way. I don't really know what happened, but now I'm stuck here. I don't like it, either. Let's find your friend quickly and go home, shall we?"

"I believe that is the best course of action."

"Just who is it we're looking for, anyway?"

"Her name is Orchid."

"Orchid, like the flower?"

Coppelia thought for a second before replying, "Yes, like the flower."

"Is she from your time?"

"She is. I do not know how she came to reside here, but I must find out. I must ensure her safe passage back home."

"Very noble of you. But, uh, where do we go from here?"

Chrono and Coppelia approached the room's back exit. The floor behind the monster had fewer rocks scattered across it. The back wall was smooth and cold. The door itself was wide and, strangely, square. Beyond it was a stairway.

The stairs were the first bit of Jinling Caverns that were unmistakably manmade. They were hard on the feet and a little too small for someone of his size, so Chrono stood close to the wall in case he lost his footing. Coppelia didn't seem to have any trouble ascending more rapidly than Chrono dared, but she hung back to stay near his light.

Their path twisted around in true staircase fashion for what must have been several flights worth of steps, but eventually they found themselves reaching flatter ground. The passageway did not branch at all; it only rose slightly as they went on. After about a hundred feet, the walls grew lighter, and the air grew less stuffy. The floor's slope disappeared until Chrono and Coppelia were walking on level ground. After one final corner, a light-filled opening appeared in front of them.

"We're out!" Chrono shouted. He sprinted toward the exit, feeling light and giddy. Coppelia followed at her own pace.

"This does seem to be the end of it," she said. "If only we knew where to go next."

Outside the mouth of the cave, the rocky ground gave way to dirt patched with patches of light blue grass. Some conifer trees grew around the perimeter of what looked like a forest clearing, with the cave at one end and a path leading deeper into the woods at the other end. The sky overhead glowed a soft green color, with a few clouds visible. Chrono could see neither sun nor moon above him, but he guessed it was morning.

Chrono sat down on the grass in the middle of the clearing, stretched his arms over his head, and yawned. The ground felt slightly wet where it was green and soft where it wasn't. Everything smelled like the outdoors. Like trees. There wasn't any wind, but the air still felt nice. Anything would have been better than the thick, oppressive atmosphere deep inside the cave.

But when Coppelia stepped outside, the tranquility of the scene shattered like a block of ice hit with a hammer. Chrono saw someone following Coppelia; he jumped to his feet and shouted to her.

"Behind you!"

Coppelia moved so fast he almost couldn't see her. In an instant, she dashed forward and to her left about five feet, spun around, and waved her fists in a threatening motion at her as-yet shadowy stalker. Then, just as quickly as the tension built up, it melted away. The figure now exiting the cave turned out to be a young and relatively benign-looking girl.

The new girl bore no weapons, and she dressed in a fancy robe that seemed more the sort of thing one would wear when one wants to be looked at, rather than the sort of thing one would wear to a fight. It was a golden color, with red-brown trim and a shimmer not unlike that of a still pond on a quiet morning. Her face was at once plain and somehow otherworldly. She had her hair up in a large knot on the back of her head, tied with a golden ribbon. She kept her hands inside the pockets of her robe. She was everything but threatening.

"Are you lost, too?" Chrono asked her.

The girl ignored Chrono and faced Coppelia. Chrono, bothered by this, tried again, louder: "Hey, are you lost, too?"

The girl paid him no mind. Instead, she addressed Coppelia directly. "Young Coppelia, I saw you enter this realm, and I could not help but come to visit you."

Coppelia did not bother to mince words. "Why me?"

"Never have I seen one with such potential for great understanding. I had no choice; I had to come to see you to see if I could learn from you, and if not, to see if I could help you learn anything."

"Hello?" Chrono offered. "I want to learn. I want to learn how to get out of here."

"I do not know anything that would be of value to one of this world," said Coppelia. "I do not know why you would think that I would."

"I would think that would be obvious to anyone familiar with me," said the new girl. "For I am Jiao. I appear to those worthy to see me."

Chrono resorted to hopping up and down and flailing his arms wildly. "I've done a few heroic things in my day. Can't I be worthy?"

Jiao laughed. "Your friend is awfully noisy, isn't he?"

"Please keep in mind that he has had a difficult journey," Coppelia said. "He is a kind fellow, and he does show signs of great heroic potential. If you just passed through the cave, you surely saw a great beast dead on the floor near the end. Chrono aided in slaying it."

"Nevertheless," said Jiao, "I came when I saw you. I don't know why your arrival here was such a surprise; you appear in no prophecies I know of, and you resemble no mythical or mystical beings of which I am aware. Still, your mind intrigues me. I don't know what it is about it, but it seems to contain within it more power than I would expect in a god. And yet, you say you are nothing special."

"Indeed, Miss Jiao," Coppelia said while offering a humble curtsey, "I am not. I am merely a servant here to locate Miss Orchid and bring her home. I have also sworn to aid Mister Chrono in his quest to return to his beloved."

Jiao took a moment to study Coppelia, and then she turned her gaze on Chrono. At last she said, "Now that I see your friend, I must judge him a worthy hero, as well. I do so reluctantly, as his arrival has taken me completely by surprise. Tell me, Chrono, did you arrive here only recently?"

Chrono assumed a more dignified pose before he responded. "I did. While at my own wedding, a large Gate swallowed me whole and took me here. I then met some girl called Disenchantment, I got lost in that cave, I got attacked, I ran into Coppelia, and then we fought that monster and escaped. It hasn't been long at all."

"And you, too, seek Orchid?"

"Coppelia tells me she might know how to get home."

"Intriguing," said Jiao. "Do you have any idea where to begin looking?"

Coppelia answered for the both of them, "We do not, but we are prepared to turn over every stone until we achieve our objective."

Jiao pulled her right hand out of her pocket for the first time since she appeared. In it, she held a large piece of jade. She said, "Inscribed on this is enough information to get you started on your quest. Please put it to good use."

Chrono took the jade from her and held it up to his face. Sure enough, he could make out some barely legible writings carved into it.

"Are you well armed?" Jiao asked. "Please return the jade."

"What?" Chrono hardly had time to say anything before Jiao snatched the stone from his hand, along with his sword.

"This will not do for a weapon," she said. "Not here. There are too many dangers afoot. Allow me to make it better."

With that, Jiao held the jade up to the blunt end of Chrono's sword. As she did, it began to give off a light so brilliant that Chrono had to look away. When it finally died down, he saw Jiao holding the two objects as before, but they were fused together, and the jade had assumed the shape of a proper sword hilt, but with a rough grip made from something resembling rubber; moreover, the blade of the sword looked sharper and easier to wield.

"It is unwise to march unprepared into these woods," Jiao said. "Take this, out of wisdom."

Chrono took his sword back and gave it a few practice swings. Satisfied, he began to sheath it in his belt. In the process, he noticed that the writings on the jade were still intact.

"Thank you," he said.

"We both thank you," said Coppelia. "We shall be even more grateful should the information written on that rock prove useful."

"It shall," said Jiao. "Otherwise, I would not have given it to you."

"Does this mean you are leaving us?" Coppelia asked.

"It is not my duty to guide you, but merely to announce your arrival and get you on your feet. I feel I have accomplished that nicely, and as such, I do intend to bid you farewell before too much longer."

"Who are you, though?" Chrono asked. "You gave us your name, but that doesn't tell me anything about you. This whole place operates on such a different level from what I'm used to."

"My name is my identity," said Jiao. "I am the one who greets those who deserve to be greeted by me."

"And who decides that?" Chrono demanded.

"I do," said Jiao. "I certainly could not leave such dealings in the hands of a mortal, and most others of my kind are too busy for my menial work."

"Mortal?"

"This is where all mortals end up."

Chrono sat down on the grass again. "This is depressing."

"This is only the beginning for both of you," said Jiao. "Now, refer to the jade when you have questions about the land, and keep in mind that you are currently in the far north, on the border of Kuei's domain.

"Kuei?" Chrono frowned. "Who is that?"

"Kuei is one of four divine rulers. Many hold sway in this place, from those in the Castle of Dreams to those serving various minor warlords off in the untamed wilds, but in the immediate area, you will find that Kuei, Qilin, Feng, and Lung are the most important. They watch over the territory on this island."

"Island?"

"This island is a giant land mass in the Sea of Sorrows, beyond the End of Time."

"I do seem to remember Disenchantment saying something to that effect. She also mentioned the Castle of Dreams, on the Orchid Mountain. She said I was supposed to go there with her, but then she disappeared."

"You may still meet her again," said Jiao. "I wouldn't bet against it, but then, betting is considered somewhat undemure for us divine beings."

Coppelia spoke up. "Can you tell us anything about Miss Orchid? Is she connected at all with the Orchid Mountain?"

"That I cannot say," said Jiao. "I know of no one called Orchid, though I must admit that even I overlook those entering this land. I did not see Chrono at first. In fact, it's somewhat of an accident that I even know of you. Did you come here by accident, by any chance?"

"No," said Coppelia. "I came to find Miss Orchid. However, her coming here was an accident."

"That explains things," said Jiao. "I did not see your arrival, either, because it was a direct consequence of Orchid's. I only saw you because your mind is so different from anything I have encountered before. In any case, I regret that I cannot offer you any advice on where to find your friend, but I can urge you to ask around."

Chrono stood up again, leaning on his new sword. Tired from the fight or not, the prospect of finding some clue as to how to get home rejuvenated him. "Through these woods, then?"

"That is where I would start," said Jiao. "I wish you good fortune, and may your stay here be long and prosperous."

"Prosperous I can go for," said Chrono, "but I'm not really up for being here long."

Jiao did not reply. She merely placed her hands back in her pockets, made a quick bow to Chrono and another to Coppelia, and faded away, like a ghost, leaving no trace.

Coppelia immediately started down the path into the trees. "Mister Chrono," she said, "I would like to borrow your sword while we walk."