So here's yet another chapter in my story, we've only got two more for "The Gateway Opens." I am happy, no, ecstatic that so many of you have enjoyed reading my story. Especially since it is my first attempt at trying to finish a story.

Anyway I hope you enjoy this really short chapter (I hope to get the next chapter up within a week...I hope) Family complications inhibit me from working on this too much at the moment but I hope you all eagerly wait the next chapter.

So enough with my rambling please read on and enjoy.

Chapter 21

Resonance

Unknown Location

Unknown Time

I stood perfectly still as Victoria was writing on the floor around me. She was using a strange red chalk to draw various symbols, surrounding me in a circle. Arranged in a '+' sign around me were four tall obelisks made of ice.

"Oh! Will you just relax already, it's not like it's going to hurt or anything. I haven't even told you what you'll have to do yet!" Victoria clapped her hands and a cloud of red dust engulfed her. "You've gotta be careful with this dust. It can actually make you hallucinate, nothing to worry about though, it dissipates pretty quickly."

She walked over to a large cabinet and began to pull out various objects. I couldn't help but ask, "Is a Resonance always such a big affair?"

She pulled out a bottle of blue paste and said, "Oh, heavens no! Usually it's a quick little ritual involving drawing a few runes on the recipient and performing the Contract."

"Then what's with the pillars and symbols on the ground?"

Victoria gave a weary smile and said, "What we are doing here is much more than just a simple Resonance. I am not really alive anymore, merely a vestige left behind long ago. It is time that I truly rest so I have decided that, rather than just give you your own powers, you will also gain almost all of my powers as well." She took a deep breath and continued, "That way you'll have enough power, albeit with little experience, to keep up with your 'friend' and I'll finally be able to rest."

I stared hard at her for a moment and for the first time I noticed that she actually did seem exhausted. There was a subtle gray tint in her otherwise beautifully brown hair, it also looked like there were dark circles under her eyes. "How long have you been in the vial?"

She stopped and speculated, "You know, I'm not too sure. While my descendent, Gainen I think his name was, told me some of the happenings around the Multi-Verse he didn't say much of the family. But if I had to guess I'd say… 4,000 years? Give or take a few centuries of course." She turned towards me. "What's with that face? We Shadows are practically immortal after all."

"But-." I stopped myself. Why am I still getting surprised? Everything since Tatsu had come back into my life has been crazy. Why not throw in some immortals too?

Something else came to my mind just then… How old is Tatsu?

Victoria must have noticed my confused expression and said, "We aren't immortal in the traditional sense as you would know it. We can die but… You know, it's kind of hard to explain."

"You said 4,000 years… but you look like you're in your late thirties. How is that even remotely possible?"

She looked angry for a moment and then seemed like she was trying to calm herself down. Slowly she said, "Once a Shadow's powers reach maturity, in other words once they can use all of their powers freely in their full potential, though mastery of said powers is another matter entirely. Anyway once that happens a Shadows growth sort of stops. My powers reached maturity when I was 28, NOT in my thirties, so my body looks the same as it did then."

"So basically you're an old woman in a young body."

"DON'T CALL ME OLD!" I couldn't help but smile; her age was obviously a sore spot for her.

She took a deep breath and said, "The way a Shadow dies is entirely based on the individual though most Shadows live to an average of 1,000 years, and before you ask I sealed my mind in the vial. My physical body is long gone." She paced for a bit deep in thought. "Back to the whole partial immortality. We can die; sometimes in pretty common ways, it's just that our bodies are extremely resilient, therefore it makes us seem immortal. As an example almost all normal bullets are completely useless against a Shadow. But a surefire way for a Shadow to die by losing all of their powers."

I stared at her in shock, "Does that mean that you want me to kill you?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes, I want you to kill me." She had a far off look in her eyes but quickly shook herself. "Let's get this started already, shall we?"

In a shocked silence, I nodded. I didn't want to kill her but she just looked so sad

She moved over to me and began to draw some symbols on my arms using the blue paste. As she finished the runes began to glow but something popped into my head just then. "If I am receiving specifically your powers, would that mean that my growth would stop as well?"

"Considering that my powers have already reached maturity, yes you will stay as you are until the day you die." I didn't know how to feel about this… eternal youth was nice and all but at the same time, I would remain short forever. Victoria smiled and said, "Hey, look on the bright side. You are way better off then my brother was. His powers matured when he was only three years old. Just imagine for a second a tiny toddler who could throw boulders around with his mind."

I couldn't help but laugh and pretty soon Victoria joined in as well.

Wiping a tear out of her eye Victoria said, "Well our time is just about at an end. It's time for the Resonance."

I sighed, "What do we have to do?"

Victoria seemed to blush for a second and said, "Well… um… how do I put this… To successfully do a Resonance…um…" She seemed to mumble that last part. Then suddenly she shouted, "KISS!"

"I – I'm sorry but WHAT?"

She seemed to stammer a bit as she said, "In order to do a Resonance the recipient has to be marked with some Shadow Runes and then the giver has to kiss the recipient in order to transfer the powers. The only difference between an ordinary Resonance and the one that we are doing here is the runes on the floors and the obelisks."

"But why a kiss? Why can't it be some thing as simple as just saying some sort of incantation?"

She threw her arms in the air in exasperation and said, "Look I don't make the rules alright! Resonances have been around as far back as the earliest records in the Akashic Records! Look we should probably just get this over with already, it's probably been a few days back in your world."

I stared at her in shock, "But I've only been here for a couple of hours!"

"Sorry hun, that's how these alternate dimensions work and all. You could easily spend a month in one dimension then go to another and its been like an entire decade. It's always confusing. Now seriously, stand still and get ready. I've lived a long life and I'd like to finally be done with it."

She began to walk towards me and I couldn't help but notice the relieved expression on her face. I realized with a start how close she was to my face and then I could feel my heart begin to beat faster and faster. I closed my eyes and I jumped when I felt her lips collide with mine. Then I felt myself falling…