Past Life
Written by Justine JBV / Chibi Botan
Chapter Nine: One Last Smile
XLII
Kino's frustration became worse. Now he was bound inside this pentagram. But no, he can't give up. He had to find a way.
He tried and tried, but he cannot leave his spot on the pentagram. Satori did not let the opportunity to mock him pass.
"Well, what do we have here? Someone wants to join my party," he said, the sound of his laughter echoing through the cave.
He stopped laughing when a single shard of spirit energy escaped the pentagram but missed Satori's cheek by a mere centimeter.
Satori grinned. "Resilience… I like that."
But a tiny shard was far from what Kino needed.
"Damn," Kino muttered. He punched on the ground, frustrated that nothing worked.
He was surprised to see that the part of the pentagram that he hit—the center of it, the part Keitaro's feet seemed glued on—glowed when he hit it. The demon energy he accidentally produced out of anger seemed to have sunk in.
Satori was momentarily stunned when he felt the demon energy invade his body. The mark on his forehead, a replica of the mark on the ground, glowed as it happened.
Kino gave a victorious smile. In one shot, he gave all of the remaining demon energy he had left to the center, hoping against hope that this will work.
It did work, but not the way Kino had planned. He's now as weak as an ordinary ningen, all of them could tell.
When he started passing on his demon energy to the pentagram, it had sucked everything—and when Kino realized the mistake he had made, he could not make it stop.
"That was so nice of you," Satori taunted. "You may have missed me telling these kids about the pentagram—that passage at the center is not merely a way out, a way to reach me. It is directly connected to the mark on my forehead… And its function is to gather power for me."
Those were the last words Kino heard before is exhaustion dragged him to unconsciousness.
XLIII
"No!" Once again, Botan tried to get inside the pentagram, but she couldn't get past the barrier. She could see no hindrance, and yet she felt like a thick wall was separating them from those inside. She looked at Yumi expectantly. "Yumi, how do I get in?"
She heard Satori laugh. "Are you an idiot? You want to be a part of this? Thanks for the offer, but you have no power to interest me," and he laughed again.
Botan didn't listen. Satori had once again left them and focused on some ill-sounding chant. Botan feared that this one is the final part.
A concrete plan had already formed in her mind.
"Yumi, please?" she pleaded the girl who doesn't seem to want to let her know what she wanted to know.
"It's not safe, Botan."
"Please?"
"O-okay, but first, tell me what you're going to do."
How can I say? We can't let him know, Botan thought.
Yumi gasped a little, but easily regained her composure and said, "Think it and I will hear."
And she told her, in her mind, "Iwill offer all of the reigen energy I can call. Once I do, his body will not take it. Reikai and Makai energy cannot coexist in one body. If it's not enough, and I'm sure it won't be because he had taken Keitaro's too and that's very powerful…"
XLIV
Botan stopped for a second, momentarily distracted, remembering how her mother's spirit energy gave out because Keitaro's demon energy was so strong. She knew that what part of her white magic she could control is just small, but from what she heard about the dark magic's sacrifice, she will be capable of offering everything she has, even the power that has yet to be awakened.
"Then I'll do what you told me about in the forest earlier, remember it?—I will sacrifice myself to the pentagram, and all will be transferred to him the way he planned to do to Keitaro. The book said that it is the most effective way to offer anything and everything. All of the Makai energy he stole will clash with all of Reikai's that is in me. It will destroy him."
"No! You can't do that!" Yumi protested.
"But you promised." She insisted. "You have to tell me."
The girl's eyes clouded with tears. "Blood…. You have to offer a little of yours to be a part of the pentagram. When your father's blood touched the base, it locked him in." She started to whimper when she saw Botan pick a pointed rock to make a healing wound on her arms bleed. As Botan entered the pentagram, they both closed their eyes.
"Guru…" Yumi called in her mind desperately. "If you can hear me, please try to stop what Botan is going to do!"
XLV
Botan opened her eyes, and saw that she's no longer in the cave but a room with no walls. Strangely, there is nothing on the ground, no one around. This must be another dimension; only, there wasn't anything to see but white.
"You're really a hard-headed thing," she heard a voice say.
She looked behind her, and saw that it was the guru. She couldn't say anything.
"You will sacrifice everything," the guru said, even knowing that she understood what she is about to give up, "Even the chance to be reborn. Anyone who used dark magic to sacrifice her life—regardless of her reason, has just made a pact to the devils of the Netherworld. Your soul will be tainted, ruined beyond repair." She shook her head.
"My brother will be saved," she said, finally finding her voice.
"Yes." The guru closed her eyes. "He will grow up to be a fine warrior. He will be the savior of many, even in his future lives."
Botan smiled. "All is good then."
"For him and for many others, yes, but how about you? Have you even stopped to think what will happen to you?"
Since Botan had answered this question before, she knew she did not need to answer.
"Your soul will be surrendered to a place where the worst punishments are given: to the Netherworld, the world where all this sorcery had originated. Using this dark magic that is from them, your soul will be the payment. No one can save you there, you will be their slave."
XLVI
The guru stopped and waited for Botan's reaction.
She didn't say anything; she just waited for her to continue.
"Not even Enma's powers can save you, for he has yet to conquer the fourth world. When Enma-daioh foresaw all of this, and knowing that I had the same vision, he warned me not to help you. That's why before you came to my dojo, I already know... As Enma-daioh predicted, there was no one who could take down the Sorcerer. Reikai's warriors are still not ready for this fight, for only last year we have lost our best fighters to a war. What I wanted was to stop you, or offer to help you fight, but he told me how Hana's spirit energy is stronger and purer than that of anyone in Reikai… and it was passed on to you. Now that Hana is gone, your spirit energy is their only way to kill the demon energy in Satori's body."
"It is just me then. I see I've made the right decision."
"No, you don't see it clearly. If you do what you're planning to, no one can stop the demons of the Netherworld from claiming your soul. Only when you finally die your second death, your soul will be sent to Reikai. For those in Reikai it would seem only a day that you were gone, but in reality you will have suffered more than a hundred years in the Netherworld. Do you understand now, what you are pursuing?"
XLVII
"Yes. But I still haven't changed my mind. I will look forward to meeting Koenma in Reikai afterwards. He promised I will meet my brother again someday."
The guru seemed surprised that she had talked to Koenma but she seemed satisfied knowing this. "If Koenma said so, then he will do it. At least you have something to look forward to in your hardships." She sighed. "Still… I do not approve of this. The Reigens would forgive you, for they will gain in this too, but the only thing they can offer you is a place in Reikai, for you can't be reborn, and will never be fit to enter heaven." She shook her head in hopelessness. "If there is something I could really do to help you…"
"Guide me how it's effectively done. Soon it will be over," Botan said, trying one last time to convince the guru. "I will be grateful if you will guide me so… Even Enma thinks it's the best way. My brother will be saved. A lot of humans and demons will be saved from the sorcerer's plans. If a life has to be sacrificed, then let it be me. Whatever fate I will have in the Netherworld, it would only be a fair price to pay for the safety of the three worlds. And I will meet Koenma again and he will let me be with my brother as he promised. Everything will be alright afterwards."
The guru closed her eyes, and nodded. In no time, her appearance as well as the whole dimension faded in Botan's eyes. She was back to the cave, and like in Koenma's dimension, there was not any second lost.
XLVIII
Yumi was confused, feeling that something had changed once Botan entered the pentagram. One moment she looked panicked, and suddenly she's focused and confident.
Botan kneeled at the center, just beside her unconscious father and brother. Her bloodied hands found a certain mark on the ground, the one that is the same as the mark on Satori's forehead.
One hand on the ground, and the other cradling her brother, she started to mumble words that Yumi knew were not of their native language. She strained to understand what Botan is saying.
Her mouth opened wide when she heard the words Botan was slowly chanting, as if repeating after someone. She realized who that could be. It was the Guru.
She had heard her call, then. But she's doing the opposite of what Yumi pleaded.
Yumi couldn't understand.
Why was the Guru teaching that strange spell from the Netherworld? She may not understand the language fully, but she could tell it is dark magic. Dark magic is only used in Makai and Netherworld, but Yumi can understand words from Makai.
The words she's using are definitely from the Netherworld. And Yumi need not understand the language of the Netherworld to know what the chant would do.
Suddenly, she heard the Guru tell to her, in her mind, "She knows what she's doing and she's ready for the consequences of it."
XLIX
Satori concentrated on the chants, in continuation of what Kino and Botan had delayed him from doing earlier.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw the blue-haired girl enter the pentagram.
He didn't care. There wasn't anything the girl could do.
In a manner of minutes, the young power source's body will be his. And in a newer body, he will be indestructible.
A girl as weak as Keitaro's sister can never defeat him.
He closed his eyes and continued his chant, content in hearing the echoing chants of his minions.
Until he heard another voice— it was the voice of the blue-haired girl.
She was now positioned at the center of the pentagram, whispering a chant that Satori recognized—the chant for offering a soul.
"What are you doing?" he bellowed.
Why was the girl offering herself? Satori wondered, still clueless to Botan's heritage. The only thing he knew about her was that she is Kino's second child, and that she did not inherit any of Kino's demon energy.
He had no idea that the girl has the blood and spirit energy of a reigen, that this girl who he had dismissed as a weak half-youkai is also half-reigen.
He will never know how wrong he was to underestimate her.
L
Keitaro awoke and found himself in the arms of his sister.
She must have sensed him wake up, but she did not say anything to him. She was saying words that Keitaro did not understand.
He wanted to stand up but he was still bound in his place. He wanted to know what Botan was doing, but his energy is too drained off that he couldn't even speak.
He watched as Botan continued a cryptic chant, her left hand supporting him, almost in a hug, as if she was trying to protect him from the sudden gush of strong wind.
Botan's right hand was on the ground, glowing. He was surprised to notice that the cave seemed to have lit up—and was more surprised to know that the light is emitted by the star-like shape on the ground.
Something that is beyond him is happening, and his sister seems to be controlling it.
LI
Satori felt Botan's spirit energy entering his body.
He felt the insides of his body shudder, demon and spirit ki clashing.
As it was for Keitaro when he was born, Makai and Reikai energy cannot coexist in a body. One must give way. But since both were so powerful, every part of Satori's body seems to be in revolt. The pain was unbearable.
When he finally realized what was happening, he tried to stop it.
He tried to close the connection between the pentagram and the mark on his forehead. But he couldn't.
There was no stopping Botan's spirit energy from invading his body.
His tainted soul fighting against her pure soul, this created the final assault.
A flash of white, and his body seemed to shatter into pieces.
Pure soul and spirit energy had won.
LII
Keitaro realized that the cloaked demons had disappeared, at the same time that Satori's body turned into dust.
The sudden silence—the absence of the repeated chants, and the sight of the fading pentagram made him realize that it's all over.
"Nee-chan?" he nudged his sister, who had suddenly lost balance and fell atop him. Now realizing that he was no longer bounded in his place, he moved to kneel beside his sister, shaking her awake. "Nee-chan, wake up."
Slowly, she opened her eyes. "He's gone, isn't he?" she asked weakly.
Keitaro nodded. His eyes widened when he saw strange gray marks on her arms and cheeks. The marks are similar to the shape of scratch made by claws.
Botan could not see the marks but felt them. "It's a sign... they are fetching me now."
"What are you saying, nee-chan? Who are they? Where are they taking you?" Tears started to form on the young boy's almond eyes.
"Somewhere far… but we will see each other again someday." She reached for him and wiped the tears on his eyes. "Don't be sad… The guru told me you'll grow up to be a great warrior. A hero. Promise me you'll be good... and I promise that we'll meet again… and when that day comes, I'll be so proud of you."
He still didn't understand, but he knew that if she said they will meet again, then they will. She had never broken any promise to him.
"I promise," he said, noting that his father and the five children had regained consiousness. There was also another girl from the entrance that has started to walk towards them.
"I will look forward to the day we meet again, Keitaro… I promise someday we will." Before her body started to fade and completely disappeared, she gave him her sweetest smile.
To be continued… Thank you for reading!