Chapter 7: A Mysterious Sennin Reveals a Clue

On the way to the next stage, which was located somewhere in the Amazon Rainforest, I noticed there were light poles toppled over with shattered glass all around. It made me a little curious, so I went over to investigate the scene, with Effie and the Lee Brothers following behind.

"This looks a little strange… it's almost as if the electricity was absorbed somehow." Yang pointed out at the broken glass.

"You're right Yang. It does look a bit strange… I wonder if that's a sign of my brother's whereabouts." I said curiously, "But I wonder if he had anything to do with this…"

"Perhaps I can answer your questions, young Illia." A voice came from somewhere behind me.

"What the- Who the hell are you, and how do you know my name?" I jumped out of both shock and surprise.

"I am someone who can help you find the answers you are seeking and the clues that you are asking for."

"If you're someone who can help me find my brother, then show yourself!"

"Very well, as you wish." The voice said, and instantly before our eyes, appeared an old man, with tattered clothes on and weird squiggly hair. The sight of him caused Yang to cringe and me to go into a mild state of shock.

"You're an old man… and I thought I was a freak! You're like freakier than I am!"

"Hee hee! You've got quite the tongue for someone as young as yourself." The old man laughed, and then looked towards Yang, who was now observant.

"I see you've got yourself a little friend there."

"Uh, he's not exactly…"

"Of course we're friends. In fact, he and his girlfriend allowed me and my brother to help him get the very thing he wished for." Yang put his left around me, making me a little bashful.

"That's very kind of you and brother to do that, young Yang. Now, about Illia's brother…"

"You know where he is, don't you?" I asked out of worry. "If you do know, then tell me where to find him."

"I can't exactly tell you where he is, but I can give you clues on what happened to him and what place he was taken, in exchange for a good battle." In my mind, I figured that the old man was asking for the biggest electromagnetic charge of a lifetime.

"You're on, old man, and once I finish you off, you better give me those answers!"

"Hehehehe! You're a very confident, but interesting one indeed. Come, amuse me." He then stopped floating and was finally standing on solid ground.

I then began to charge my electricity for the fight, as Yang proceeded to go to the sidelines with Yun and Effie. I was certain that the old man was gonna need a coffin after this fight.

"Round 1: Fight!"

Things started off real slow at first, since my opponent kept moving swiftly and dodging my attacks. It started to irritate me after a while, so I prepared an attack.

"Flying Viper!" I leaped forward and struck him, knocking him over instantly.

"About time I knocked some wind out of ya, old man!" I said, with the usual smart mouthed tone.

"Hmmm… very impressive. But how about, this? Nichirin Sho!" he blasted out a small yellow orb from the tip of his hand. I nimbly dodged the blow and prepared to make a counterattack on him.

"Tornado Hook!" I spun around and struck him five times, knocking him over backwards on the ground. I grinned in mockery and confidence at his limp body.

"Had enough yet, old man?" I said in mockery, "From the looks of it, I think you could use a nap."

"I'm just getting started, Illia! In fact, your screwed up face is only entertainment."

"Wha- YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" I shouted in rage at his comment, my eyes and vision turning into a bright red color.

"Interesting, those red eyes must be from the trauma you've experienced from the one who mutated you and imprisoned you in the train lab." He said observantly, after getting up from the ground.

"Just how is that any of your damn business? Who the hell do you think you are anyway, a mind reading old man?"

"I'm a sennin, young one, and yes I'm old. But I have only one name, Oro."

"Oro, huh? That's a weird name if you ask me." I said in an odd tone, "But at least it's better than Necro."

"I see your eyes have changed back to yellow. Tell me what the secret is behind them."

"Uh that? Well, it was from my endless rage and despair from my imprisonment in the lab. It seems that my emotions were interfering with my mutation."

"Fascinating… but enough chit chat! Try this for size! Yagyou Dama!" he shot out a huge green orb that went toward me.

I did my best to block it, but the orb came at me fast, and knocked me over on impact. I felt a sharp pain coursing in my back as I got up.

"That smarts…" I was hunched over in pain, and for some reason I felt the burning sensation of rage within me, but I held it back.

"Hee hee hee! It does not strike you, yet you'll be dragged into it. That's the secret of the Yagyou Dama." He said with a tone of confidence.

My rage suddenly came out and my eyes turned red once again. "YOU ARE GOING TO PAY DEARLY FOR THIS! MAGNO STORM!" I suddenly shocked him with a strong current of electricity at full power. I suddenly became the same merciless person that I was from that fight I had from Yun… but somehow I had some control over my rage.

"NOW TO FINISH YOU OFF, SLAM DANCE!" With full power, I slammed Oro about 10 times, before he was knocked out completely. Afterwards, I began to scream violently like a person who had just been possessed by an evil spirit.

"Take it easy Illia! You won the first round, there's nothing to be angry about…" Yun said, shocked at my rage.

"SHUT UP!" I screamed at him, "I'M NOT STOPPING UNTIL ALL OF HUMANITY SUFFERS THROUGH MY HANDS!" I continued to scream as the painful memories kept coming back into my head.

Oro got up, and was surprised at how my rage wouldn't subside. "This is a serious matter, I see… But nonetheless this battle was one of the best ones I had in 10 years." He said with an astonished face. "Very well, I shall reveal a clue of where you all can find Mikhail."

Oro then looked to Effie, and said "You might want to give this to Illia, it'll help relieve him from his rage." He handed her a bowl of some weird kind of herbal soup he made.

"Thanks, but what is this stuff?" Effie asked with a peculiar look on her face."

"This is a special lavender and chamomile broth. It helps to calm one from the emotions of rage." He explained to her, "I've been making this in my cave for years and years."

After minutes of screaming, I began to choke from my rage. Effie seemed worried as she approached me.

"Illia, drink this. It'll help you." She then took a wooden spoon and put some weird, but good tasting liquid into my mouth. Suddenly my rage subsided, and I was well again.

"Wow! Thanks Effie, this stuff really works! What is it?" I asked curiously as I hugged her.

"This is Oro's special broth. He made it from lavender and chamomile flowers."

"Well, whatever this stuff was, it works." I turned to Oro and said, "Are we still battling, or are you gonna tell us where Mikhail is."

Oro smiled and said, "There will not be another round, as you have given me one of the best fights I had in 10 years." He then began to float again and released a green orb. "Come, this orb will reveal where your brother is."

The orb began to show a clear image of Mikhail. The area he was in was kind of dark, but it looked very familiar to me somehow. With him was a girl with turquoise hair, and yellow bows who was holding a large stack of documents. He had chains on his wrist and ankles, like the ones I had once before. My eyes began to fill with tears.

"You see, Mikhail has just been mutated a day ago, and the scientists have restrained him for the next phase of this horrendous experiment…"

Before Oro could finish his speech, I began crying hard. The painful sight of my brother going through the same despair as I went through was just too much for me to handle.

"Why? Why did they do this to him…? This is just too horrible for me to bear!" I sobbed with burning tears of pain streaming down my face.

"I know it is hard Illia and I understand your pain very well." Oro reassured me.

"I appreciate your understanding, but you don't know what it's like to have had your freedom and your life taken away from you…" I explained in profound sadness, "But to have my brother go through the same pain is just as miserable…"

"I'd feel the same way as you Illia." Yun said, with some understaning and sympathy, "Hell, if Yang were to go through what you went through, I'd be so mad!"

"You would get mad Yun." Yang said while observing Oro's orb, which was now showing the next part of the experiment. The turquoise haired girl, Effie's sister named Irina, looked scared as she was watching in terror. I became sick through my despair and began to clutch myself.

Effie then held me tightly, and asked in fear, "What are they doing to him?"

Oro pointed to his orb, and said "They are implanting a cybernetic computer into his brain."

"Just like they did to me…" I said, recalling that painful memory.

The orb then revealed a man, who was blue and red with blonde hair watching over the experiment. That man was none other than Gill… the sight of him made me and Effie both shudder.

"That's him! That's the man who did this to Illia!" Yun pointed out at the orb, "When we find him, I hope Illia kicks his butt good!"

We all laughed, and I began to feel a lot better, as my tears had finally dried out.

"You know I'll kick his butt good, Yun!" I said in a confident tone, "Because he's not getting away with what he's done to me and my little brother!"

"That's the spirit!" Oro said, as he made his orb disappear, "Now if you want to find this mysterious man, Gill, you've better get back on your journey."

"Wait old man, can you tell us where to him?" Yang asked him.

"I cannot tell you where you find him, but I can tell you that he's a very powerful force to reckon with… so powerful that no other fighter was ever able to defeat him."

"I'll take that in mind, when I find him. But I will surely beat him at his own game, and get my freedom back!" I said with my signature confidence.

"Well good luck to you and your friends, young Illia and be careful!" Oro bid his farewell and disappeared into thin air.

We set off once again to the next round of my journey to freedom. Despite that shocking revelation that Oro provided me about my brother, it motivated me to do even better in the next round and to think more about gaining back my freedom and rescuing my brother from the clutches of Gill. Yet, I was certain that Mikhail would still be at the same lab that I had escaped from a few weeks before the tournament, but then again only time would tell where he truly is…