XXVI. Soldier
"Well then, time to move on to the next world."
Like before, the mystic seal appears in Seishiro's right eye, and another, a larger one, appears below him preparing to take him to his next world, when suddenly he hears,
"Wait!"
He turns, and the voice comes from his former pupil, who now stands in front of the sakura tree, his eyes firm with an unrealized steadfastness, unseen before.
As the seal disappears, Seishiro asks, his voice surprisingly quiet, "You're also called Syaoran, yes?"
Syaoran does not waver. "Where is the feather?
Seishiro moves his hand towards his chest. "Right here." As soon as the words escape him, the feather appears in a heavenly ray of light in his hand.
"Give it back."
A glint in Seishiro's eye appeared. There was clearly more to Syaoran's desire for the feather than he had realized before. It was as if his want for it was only heightened by time.
"Back in Outo country, which actually turned out to be Edonis, I obtained the feather there and left in somewhat of a hurry. But it has the power to turn an entire fictional world into reality. Do you really think I can simply hand it over to you?"
Syaoran's expression stayed indignant.
"Give it back." He repeats, this time with a stronger force, as he puts his fists together and summons his sword of fire, unveiling it.
"I suppose we can't just talk this over." Seishiro replied, impressed by Syaoran's powerful lance.
"I have been watching you for the longest time, and I see what kind of person you really are."
"Through the eyes of your other self, yes?"
At this, a gust of wind powers itself around Syaoran, fully enabling him for a fight. But no matter. Seishiro had come prepared.
"That aspect of yours really is like your fathers." Seishiro responded by forming a bird-like demon from his palm, and then having it unveil his own sword in turn.
"Though maybe that's because you are your father's son."
Syaoran was already in his battle stance, as Seishiro plucked his glasses from his left pocket, putting them on as he said, "Well then…"
"Wait."
Seishiro and Syaoran turn to the older priestess, whose firm speech had stopped them from fighting.
"If you decide to battle further, then the Shirasagi castle would collapse." She motions toward her younger sister, who, with a helpful expression, forms a bright light from the palms of her hands, having it stretch out towards the ends of the castle, engulfing the two soldiers into what could only be described as another world littered with stalagmites and stalactites.
The two stand on one as they prepare for a melee.
"Ah…this would be called a kekkai. With this, we can do whatever we want and it will have no effect on reality. Wounds, on the other hand, are an entirely different story. What you experience here will also as if you experienced them in the real world. There is no changing that."
Syaoran nods in agreement.
"Well then, shall we begin?"
At once, the former pupil lunges at his master, but Seishiro is ready. The two clash swords repeatedly, over and over again until Syaoran decides to use his leg to knock Seishiro off balance. Clearly this won't do, as Seishiro blocks his attack, using that same leg to hurl Syaoran in the distance, having him land at the wall of one of the stalagmites. Seishiro sprints forth and cuts that same stalagmite in half, Syaoran quickly evading the sword as he tried to catch his breath.
Seishiro was quick behind him, transporting himself first in front of his former student, then next to him, behind, and finally in front of him once again as he delivered a strong blow to Syaoran's stomach and twisted his foot in the vermin's gut. He could almost feel the shudder that went through Syaoran as he coughed up blood, the essence staining the edges of his mouth, chin, and his shirt. He showed no mercy as numerous tendrils grew on his sword, almost hungrily impaling the nuisance's body, sending him high into the air, suspended for a few short moments, dragging out his misery until finally Seishiro sends Syaoran onto the hard rock below him, no doubt having passed out from the pain endured.
Seishiro lands on the stalactites next to the one his victim fell onto. Indeed, he had showed no mercy towards his former pupil. He didn't deserve it in the very least. He takes his glasses off as he states aloud, "Well then…it's time to go."
The seal in his eye appears as it had many times over, reflecting another seal underneath him. He smiled to himself, satisfied in the work that he had done, before something took Seishiro by surprise.
"Stop!"
He turned, his eyes wide, and saw that Syaoran, the vermin, was standing now. It appeared that the kid had a death wish. The seal goes away as quickly as it came.
"I'm not done yet."
Seishiro's violet orbs thinned. He put his glasses back on. "So it seems."
Syaoran held his sword close to his form, his right hand hovering over it as he stated, "Whatever it takes – I will get the feather back!" At the top of his lung, he shouts out his new attack:
"Raitei Shourai!"
An electric current immediately grows and multiplies, aiming towards Seishiro. But Seishiro is not perturbed by this – he smiles wickedly as he forms a barrier around himself using the mystical talisman known as the feather. The barrier goes back into the feather a moment later. There is a shine to Seishiro's glass eye as he chuckles quietly to himself.
This fight was not meant to last long.
"That attack just now could have been dangerous." He says to the nuisance, his voice treacherously low.
At once, Syaoran jumps towards Seishiro, shouting "Give it back!" as he reached for the feather with all of his might, the feather glowing bright in Seishiro's grasp until the illusion of the kekkai breaks around the two, revealing themselves back near the sakura tree, almost hovering as Seishiro lands back on the ground with the rest of the onlookers as Syaoran finally takes a hold of the feather, only for it to erupt with a bright cacophony of color around him. He struggles to keep the feather in his fisted hand as the rainbow of color continues to encircle him and the body of the sleeping girl still in the sakura tree, now brown tendrils surrounding him, almost as if trying to take him to another place.
"Kid!" The warrior shouts, his tone scolding and angry.
"Syaoran-kun!" The magician yells from concern.
"Syaoran!" The white rabbit creature cries whilst perched on Fuuma's shoulder.
"Don't worry – I'll come back together with Sakura." Syaoran yells over the noise of the whistling wind that immediately whisks him and the girl away, to another place that is unknown to the rest of the group, Seishiro included.
It was none of his concern where Syaoran was, or where he was being taken to. He was not his responsibility.
But there was no mistaking the alien sense of pride that he felt inside – his pupil really had improved greatly since the last time he had fought.
He had truly become a soldier in his own right.
