Chapter 26: The Prophecy
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to KOEI TECMO, TECMO and Team NINJA. I am not Yosuke Hayashi.
A/N: I wanted this updated quicker than before (and unfortunately did not succeed...), so here you go guys!
Thanks so much for the support!
Don't forget to R&R!:)
"I hope you are comfortable where you are sitting. I have a lot of talking to do." Greta smiled softly. Andra was still moody and refused to look at her aunt.
"We have a lot of questions," Leifang replied, crossing her legs, "first thing first - why Hitomi?"
"Are you sure you don't want something like a cup of tea or..." She was cut off by Ayane, who seemed annoyed.
"No. We want to know why. Andra refuses to tell us anything." She said, sending her a glare. Andra returned it.
"It is a very complicated process. I will gladly explain if you don't understand," The woman cleared her throat and started, " I was about forty years old when rumors started to spread. Apparently, an Angel had committed treason. I was slightly confused - why would a being so pure betray their own dimension? I had my answer soon enough - a stone." She said.
"A stone?" Kasumi questioned.
"A stone," Greta replied, "first, she had fallen in love with an Archangel, which wasn't surprising or treacherous at all, and because they are beautiful beings. But then after a whole day speaking with him, she had found a stone near his quarters. That stone produced so much light that it blinded her. So much power was emitted from it, and she kept it to herself. She did not tell anyone. And yet she was found out by none other than the Archangel that she fell in love with. He accused her of treason for stealing an Archangel's possession. By that time, she knew how to hide the precious gem, and instead of returning it, she ran away. The Angel went from dimension to dimension to try and hide the stone. She thought she was safe when she heard the Angels were not going to follow her anymore, but was petrified when the Demons were following her instead. The king at that time was scared of the uncontainable power the gem might have, and wanted to destroy it. In an attempt to save it, she happened to be passing by a hospital, where a woman was obviously crying in pain. Inside of her was a dying baby." She gave a sad look to Hitomi, who had frozen along with the others.
"A-a dying b-baby?" Hitomi's eyes turned purple in sadness, tears pooled in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, dear. I seem to be upsetting you." Greta apologised.
"It's...okay," Hitomi sniffed, "please, go on."
"Alright. But tell me when to stop if it becomes unbearable," the older woman took a breath, "the Angel couldn't breathe when she saw the woman. There was blood, so much blood...frantic nurses and doctors were running around. She could smell death already." Hitomi was crying. Was that who she was? Was she that dying baby? If so, then her mother...
"Was that me and my...mother?" Hitomi questioned, her lower lip quivering. Greta didn't answer. She needn't to. Everything was self-explanatory. Hitomi stood up abruptly and ran outside.
"Hitomi!" Hayate called, his eyes flashing in fear, the fear of losing her. Greta must have known what he was thinking, because she then smiled wryly.
"The whole perimeter is enclosed with magic. No demon will be allowed to enter." She said.
"What's going on? Aunt Greta?" A feminine voice carried to the room they were all settled in. Andra's eyes lit up for a split second as she saw a red headed girl and two little girls that were accompanying her.
"Gwen!" She exclaimed, tackling her into a hug. Gwen froze, then she squealed.
"Andra! I missed you so much!" She hopped up and down as Andra suddenly struggled to breathe.
"You're squeezing too hard!" The Huntress let out. Gwen giggled and released her, then she looked at the others. She frowned and looked at Greta expectantly.
"Oh, I have so much to tell," she chuckled. Hayate looked at the door with worry, then stood up.
"I can't take it," he said, shaking his head, "I'm going to go after her. I don't care if there's a shield around her. She's upset and she needs someone to be with her." He then left, running outside. Greta chuckled again, and everyone looked at her.
"He truly is the one for her. I wonder if the Sibyls were wrong..." She then shook her head, "no matter. Sit down Gwen. I will continue that story later. For now I think I must explain why you all have such strange powers. Firstly tell me what colours you have right now."
"Yellow, pink, red, white, purple..." Leifang trailed off.
"Green." Gwen suddenly said. Andra stared at her with wide eyes.
"Gwen...you too?" She asked. Gwen smiled and nodded, showing the bracelet on her wrist, motioning to the bright green gem. Andra shook her head and turned to Dante.
"And you?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed. Dante shook his head. The Huntress sighed in relief. Greta looked back at the others.
"Aren't there more?" She asked. In uncertainty, the others looked at each other, each of them shaking their heads.
"We know we are part of this prophecy," Leifang said, "but there's two of us that don't have powers. Well Eliot has healing po-" she was cut off by Greta's surprised yelp.
"Healing powers?!" Her eyes big as saucers, she grabbed Eliot's wrist violently. The British stared at the woman in surprise.
"You...are in grave danger. Do not let them catch you." She said, her eyes flashing with a mix of fear and awe. Eliot nodded, a bit scared. The old witch sighed, letting go of his wrist.
"I'm truly sorry. It's just...never mind. Continue."
"Right," Leifang cleared her throat, "Hayabusa and Eliot. They don't have powers like we do. Eliot has healing powers, but Hayabusa only has his fighting style and his sword." She explained. The old witch smiled.
"They will come eventually. Now, to explain... Ah! Yes. There are eight colours in the El- Hitomi's pure eyes. I don't think you've ever seen such a light shade of blue, right?" The group nodded, "well that is because all these colours are mixed in them. Not even the Angels have eyes like her. And - oh, this is why I wanted to tell the story to her too."
"Can't we just continue without them?" Kasumi questioned softly.
"If you desire to." Greta replied, pouring herself a cup of tea. Andra huffed.
"Just tell them, Auntie." She added rudely.
"Quiet, Andra. Well it brings us back to the very upsetting story. Yes, Hitomi was a dying baby, and she was not going to look like she does in the first place. The Angel was desperate, and hid the light inside of her. She did not know of the story of the Electus, nor did she know that she had just activated her power." Greta said, gently sipping her tea.
"So Hitomi was chosen even before she was born?" Leifang asked, placing a finger on her cheek. The old woman nodded.
"Yes. It was bound to happen. Although the Angel saved both Hitomi and her mother, they all became targets the Demons. They knew of Hitomi's immense power, and tried by any means possible to kill that light. If there was no light, then Hitomi would surely die. But they did not know that with the light would just absorb the evil they tried to put inside." She said. This seemed to shock Leifang the most.
"So, Hitomi has...evil inside of her?" The Chinese girl asked, shaking a little.
"Yes...when demons are near her the evil reflects in her eyes." Greta replied.
"Hence the colour black..." Hayabusa added, closing his eyes. The old witch nodded, closing her eyes as well.
"You have to find the person who owns this colour. I cannot tell you who it is, as I don't know. But there is a way to tell. If only Hitomi was here..."
Just then, Hayate came through, a sleeping Hitomi in his arms. She was smiling in her slumber and he was as well.
"I talked to her for a while. But then she said she was tired, even though she slept about two hours ago. I hope we didn't keep you waiting." He said, setting her down on a free couch. Hitomi let out a soft moan, stirred, but did not wake up. Petting her head once, Hayate left her and sat down next to Jann Lee.
"So there's a way for us to find the people who own a certain power through a ritual?" Gwen asked, her eyes twinkling. Being an apprentice witch, she had never used big spells.
"Only for Hitomi's emotions, dear." Greta winked. Andra had to roll her eyes from her corner.
"Can we get this over and done with? I'd like to see the town." The Huntress said. This time, it was Greta's turn to roll her eyes.
"If you want to see a ghost town then." She said dryly. Andra glared at her, before resuming her nail-picking.
"So wait," Ayane interrupted, "what happened to the Angel?"
"The only one who can answer that question is the Angel herself. But you will have a hard time. It will not be easy to find her. But right now, that is not of your concern. There are two more colours that you have to find. Right now, you have the powers of Curiosity - Yellow, Anger - Red, Purple - Sadness, Pink - Love, White - Happiness, Green - Jealousy...you are missing Orange - Fear and Black - Evil." Greta replied.
"What about blue?" Eliot questioned.
"That is her own power." Greta responded, "that mystical shade of light blue that not even the angels have..." She glanced at Hitomi's sleeping form, "to think that beings as pure as the Angels..." She sighed, shaking her head, "appearances are not everything. I guess I was wrong about the purity of the Angels. They are as selfish as the Creatures of the Underworld."
"Creatures of the Underworld?" Eliot widened his eyes.
"Yes, Creaturae ad inferni novissima. They are often confused with demons because of the similar appearance, behaviour and history. However, they are weaker than the demons. They don't normally attack the other species other than their own. They are not very smart either..."
"Are you kidding me?" Andra interrupted, laughing, "The Creatures of the underworld are idiots because their immortal leader is an idiot. He so badly wanted to be king Daray of the Demonic lands when he was still alive. I pity them. They will never achieve to anything. Especially when their dimension is the size of a pea." She mocked, throwing her head back as she laughed.
"I have to agree with Andra right there. They might have a terrifying name for themselves, but they aren't what you should be scared of. They are really pompous and arrogant, however." Dante butted in, chuckling a bit.
"Okay," Greta said, "I don't want to get off topic. Are there any more questions?"
"Just one more," Leifang replied, "what exactly happened around here?"
"Oh," the old witch sighed, "the demons have come and have raided our dimension. All the faeries, trolls, witches and mages have been kidnapped along with their grimoires. Kai wants them to strengthen his army's defenses through magic. Usually, when he is done with them, he kills them or takes away their power." She shook her head, "Miharu and Mikan, two poor little girls, their parents were amongst the lot kidnapped... I have vowed to protect them with my life, as they are very special little girls."
"Why are they so special?" Ayane frowned.
"They are acquainted with The Sibyls. They tell what they see."
"I've heard of one of those people," Gwen said, her eyes narrowing, "isn't it like an Oracle?"
"Except that the Sibyls only proclaim what they see will happen to individuals. They do not recite what will happen to this world." Greta replied.
"So we will know what will happen to Hitomi by asking the Sibyls through these little girls?" Ayane asked, raising her brow. Greta nodded.
"Only if the Sibyls finds you fit enough to listen." Greta said, smiling.
"And you are." Simultaneous voices cut in. The group turned around, where two little girls; one blonde and one brunette held hands, their eyes a neon blue pupils were dilated and almost empty. They stepped in the middle of the room, their faces blank.
"I am Tanaquil and this is my sister Tacita ." The blonde girl, Miharu said.
"We see the past, the present and the future of certain individuals. We tell the prophecy of that person and what they will become." Her sister, Mikan said.
"So you know what will happen to Hitomi?" Hayate exclaimed, standing up.
"Yes," the twins, or rather, the Sibyls said, "we have come to tell you the prophecy you keep hearing about." The twins clapped three times. A blue light suddenly appeared in their hands. The group was so blinded by that light that they had to close their eyes. When they opened them, they were no longer in the small living room, but in a blue space. In front of them was a strange text, that seemed too foreign to tell what it was. Kasumi suddenly propelled forward, her eyes a blank white. In a hollow voice, she began to read.
"To live, or to die.
To spare, or to kill.
A single man is to die so the universe is saved.
However,
this man is none other than a boy.
A boy, afraid, trembling, needing one thing:
Love.
To love, or to hate.
To trust, or to betray.
A single woman is to live so the universe is saved.
However,
this woman is none other than a girl.
A girl, afraid, trembling, needing one thing:
Courage.
There is one thing that she needs to remember:
In evil, there is good
an in good, there is evil.
The true enemy,
might not be the one needed to be killed.
There will be love.
However, it might not conquer all.
There will be betrayal,
Howver, it might be what is needed to survive.
Finally, there will be tears.
Not of anger, or of hate,
Nor of happiness.
There will be tears of sorrow,
of heartbreak.
Because, where there are tears,
there is death."
Daemonum Terras
"Shade, I'm terrified." Kokoro whispered, holding onto his arm, her grey eyes wide, "what if one of those...demons sense that I'm...you know..." She trailed off, wearily looking around her. Demons, whom she assumed were Incubi and Succubi, seemed to have a good time. They all had the stereotypical curved horns and the skimpy clothing. She shivered in disgust as an Incubus wolf-whistled when he saw her.
"Relax," Shade rolled his eyes, "they won't do anything. Ever since brother took over, mating seasons for Incubi and Succubi has been completely erased from the list." He said, winking at some Succubi. They giggled and waved. Kokoro glared at them, then at him.
"I didn't mean that! What if they try, you know...sucking my soul like you tried?" Kokoro asked, making Shade stiffen slightly, but only for a second.
"Like I said, there is flirting going on, but nothing sexual. And they would only attack a human, which by the way, you don't look like." He winked at her, making her blush. Topaz had used a mage, whatever she thought that was, to make her look and smell like a Succubus. She hated it. She looked half-dressed and slutty. If her mother saw her like this...
"Shut up!" She hit him, he laughed,"when are we meeting your friend?"
"He's right there." He pointed to a white haired Incubi who was drinking something, isolated from the loud people around him. His skin was pale, and his eyes a deep purple. He seemed young and attractive, but also reserved and equally mysterious.
"Hail!" Shade called out to the demon. Hail turned to him, his eyes flitting to Kokoro. She blushed under his purple-eyed stare, to which he smirked and waved at her.
"Shade," he nodded, "who is your lovely friend here?" Kokoro's face reddened even more because of the compliment.
"I have a favor that I would like to ask of you. And remember that you still owe me anyways." He said. The easy smile on Hail's face dropped, and instantly, his eyes hardened.
"Follow me." Hail simply said, turning around and walking away. Shade and Kokoro followed him, Kokoro gripping onto Shade's arm like a life-line. They followed him out of the club, out into the dark sky. This had to be the first time Kokoro had really seen the Demonic lands. The land was a dark red with a black sky and a white, creamy moon. From afar, she could see some sort of...castle. That must be where Shade's brother lives... She thought, slightly remembering the dark palace. She shivered as she remembered his deranged red eyes.
"What do you want now, Shade?" Hail asked as they stopped near a cliff.
"I want you to send her to the Human Dimension." Shade replied, glancing at Kokoro, but only briefly.
"What?!" Hail exclaimed, "are you out of your mind? I could get killed! We could all get killed! And why would you want to do that anyways?! Prince Kai is the only one that decides what comes and goes from and to the Human Dimension!"
"Hail!" Shade shouted, then coldly said, "this girl is not a demon."
The white haired-demon stared at him with wide eyes, then at Kokoro. He sniffed the air.
"I knew that the air was so sweet. Too sweet, even for a Succubus. So she's human?"
"Yes. Brother randomly picked her for being his three o' clock snack," Shade sighed, "She would have died if I hadn't come."
"Then why don't you ask him to send her back?" Hail frowned.
"Because she will certainly get eaten!" Shade growled, glaring at the Incubus. Kokoro stared at him in shock and disbelief; gone was the playful, perverted, soft Shade. This one was serious and cold. She didn't like him this way.
"Hail," Shade begun again, "you can just go to brother and ask him for permission to use her as bait to get more slaves. As soon as that happens, get her to her dimension. I don't want her to see the war that's going to happen here. It will be too horrific."
"Shade..." Kokoro whispered, tears nearly in her eyes.
"I will try my best," Hail said, but then, "that will be the last time I do something for you. After this, we're even." He said. Shade nodded, turned around and started to walk away. Kokoro caught his arm before they entered the club.
"Shade...please wait." She said. Shade turned to her.
"What is it?" He grunted.
"What's going to happen here?" She asked. Shade stared at her, then sighed.
"A war. It will be the Second Dimensional War. All the dimensions will fight each other again, and the one that wins will take over the universe. Right now, no other dimensions are in shape to fight us but two." He said.
"What are they?" She whispered, dreading the answer.
"The Angelic Lands...and your dimension." Shade hid his face from her by turning his face away, not missing her gasp.
"What?! Who's going to represent us?! None of us humans know that this is even going on!" She almost yelled.
"There is an army for you...it is small, but it is a huge threat." Shade replied, his face turning back to her. His unusually dark blue eyes seemed to pierce into her soul.
"Then...who?"
"The Electus, the Chosen One. She is the only one that can defeat us and Kai. That's why he wants to capture her and exploit her power. Surely he can also defeat her, as they apparently have similar strength but..."
"But?"
Shade hesitated and remembered how he had spied on Kai without him noticing. He was staring at his Crystallum again, a look on his face that he had seen before, and then did not recognise it. But then, he had looked at himself in the mirror. He remembered his dead lover, Reika's face. He looked at Kokoro and that's how he knew. He finally knew why his step-brother had that look on his face. His eyes, always so cold and void of any feelings other than anger, had brightened when he looked at the Crystallum. As he looked at the Electus' face.
"But...I'm afraid that Kai will not even try...because he's in love with her."
A/N: Kind of short. Wanted to add more, but then I thought better.
BUSTED, KAI!
Not a very Shadoro moment, but it's something. Kai, Enya and the others will definitely be in the next chapter. Also, I apologise yet again for a late update. My school work is becoming a real pain in the arse. But you know, I want a future, so I do what I can when I have free time.
I hope you're ready, because the start of the war IS the next chapter!
Thank you for the support!
Don't forget to R&R!:)