W.I.T.C.H. Dreams of Lusteria
By Galistar07water
Disclaimer: W.I.T.C.H. is owned and copyrighted by the Walt Disney Company Italia and is in no way affiliated with the fictional works of Galistar07water.
Author's note: If you would like to see drawings of W.I.T.C.H. Dreams of Lusteria, please visit my page and click the "W.I.T.C.H. Dreams of Lusteria" folder in the gallery section.
Chapter 04: A Wall of Earth and Iron pt. II
"This isn't working, Lord Araël," said Lady Verlona. "From what Lady Ngọc Long has told us, the Guardians are even less united than before."
"I agree," Lord Araël nodded solemnly. "It's clear that there is no lost love between Oracle Yan Lin's Guardians and the Guardian of Light. Truthfully, Kimi has no interest to work side by side with them."
"This is taking too long," said Lady Freyja, the Nordic Angel. "Lord Byakko is about to launch his attack on the Western Earth Kingdom of Zhong-guo and our heroines are less than ready to face him."
"If these girls cannot face five Celestial Warriors, what hope do they have of just one?"
"They will succeed," Yan Lin spoke up. "I have faith in the Guardians."
The twelve members of the Gemini Council eyed her with interest.
"And how can you be certain of this, Oracle?" Lord Shaye asked. "For the last several missions, they do nothing but argue with each other. Even with the Jade Dragon stationed as their mentor, these six Guardians cannot work together as one unit."
"They have faced a similar task before," Yan Lin reminded him sternly. "When the crisis on Arkhanta took place and the Fire Guardian left the group, my predecessor required Orube to join them. Both she and the Guardians could not work together in harmony and returned from their missions as failures countless times. But with each mission, they grew to trust each other and worked together harmoniously enough to free the banshee Yua."
"So you believe that with time, your five Guardians and Kimi Watsuki will learn to work together as a team?" asked the Arcane Sealer.
"I have no doubt, Lord Gaël," Yan Lin smiled. "When the time comes, trust and unity will blossom."
At that moment, a blinding flash of light emitted in the center of the room. Once it died down, Orube and the six Guardians stood before the Council. Lord Araël wasted no time with polite exchange of words as he snapped his finger. Several holographic interface screens appeared behind him.
"Let's get started," he said.
One screen shows an image of the Imperial City of Chang'an with small tabs holding images of Byakko and the Emperor as well as other lesser known figures. Another shows a digital blueprint of the city's layout.
"Time is a luxury that we do not have, Guardians," said the Oracle. "Every day, the Darkness is getting stronger, fueling the Celestial Warriors' strength. Soon, Byakko will be the first one to strike and if he succeed, it will become more difficult for any of us to counterattack."
"Byakko's ultimatum to the Emperor Sheng-tsu will expire today," said Lord Araël. "Our scanners have picked up high levels of dark energy and we have concluded that Byakko have gathered all of his corrupted humans and spirits into one large army and will overwhelm the Imperial City."
"He's planning to intimidate the Emperor," Lady Verlona added. "Byakko hoped that the sight of a massive army would be enough to convince him to surrender his power."
"If that happens, the Western Earth Kingdom of Zhong-guo will finally belong to Celestial Warriors," Lady Ngọc Long said gravely. "They'll dispose of the Emperor and will be one step closer to bringing down the Veil."
"Girls, you must intervene and prevent the Emperor from handing over his sovereign power to Byakko," said Yan Lin. "Get to him before the enemy does and get him far from Byakko as possible."
"Great, how are we going to do that?" Irma questioned. "Last I checked, we got our butts whooped and half the palace blew up. And I don't mean to be a downer, but it looks like Byakko's armies have pretty much surrounded the entire city. How are we supposed to get pass them?"
"We could drop in from the sky…" Hay Lin suggested.
Will shook her head. "Byakko would probably have some aerial spirits. They'll spot us in no time and will attack us long before we can reach the ground."
"Perhaps Monk Kaishin can help you," Lady Ngọc Long answered. "I believe he helped you before by navigating through some of the underground passages the last time you were there, correct?"
Kimi frowned, not liking the idea at all. But even she can't deny the fact that they really need her father's help to get into the Imperial City.
Orube nodded but she knew it wasn't going to work and decided to speak up. "I understand that getting to the Emperor away from Byakko is vital," Orube said, "but I fear that it will not stop our enemy. If we take him to the temple, Byakko's army will follow and overwhelm those residing there."
"Himerish may be their new abbot, but even he's not powerful enough to stop an entire army of dark spirits," Cornelia pointed out.
"Yan Lin, the last time we were at the temples, there were thousands of refugees. We can't put them in danger by taking the Emperor there," Taranee said in concern.
"No, you're not taking the Emperor to the temples," Lady Verlona said, shaking her head. "You'll need to take him somewhere Byakko can't reach him long enough for you to battle the Warrior and find his weakness."
The Guardians' eyes widen in shock. They could not believe what they were hearing.
"But we don't know how to defeat a Celestial Warrior," Will objected. "I know you told us to find a way to counter their magic and Deadly Sins, but we don't know how to do that."
"I have trained you intensively for many weeks," the Jade Dragon said firmly. "You must use what you have learned from me thus far and your intuitions to find the key to defeat your enemies."
"But—" Will protested, unsure of the answer she's been given. Yan Lin decided it was her turn to speak and reassured them.
"I know you're all afraid, but you're not alone," Yan Lin smiled. "Help will come, girls. And I believe the answer to defeat the Celestial Warriors lies within your hearts. If you open up to each other and listen, perhaps you'll find the answer to all of your troubles."
Will felt something pounding within herself and instinctively summoned the Heart of Kandrakar. It was glowing faintly, as if it was trying to tell her the answer. Will tried to listen but she couldn't hear it clearly enough. Something was missing…but what?
Lord Araël cleared his throat. "There is no more time for hesitation, Guardians. You must leave for Lusteria now and put an end to Byakko's twisted dream. Are you ready?"
Orube nodded. "We're as ready as needed be."
The Jade Dragon decided to address Kimi on another subject. "Kimi, I understand that you have issues with your father and I don't blame you for feeling hatred towards him. However, your heart has been clouded by judgment. You need to open your heart and listen to what your father had to say. He deserves to be heard after all this time. It's time to stop running from him and the past. Don't you agree?"
"I…" Kimi turned away, unable to face her mentor. She doesn't want to show the Jade Dragon the confused emotion she's feeling right now. Instead, she decided to cover it up with another scowl on her face. But even though she tried to conceal her face, she can't conceal what she's feeling in her heart from an ancient Lusterian dragon.
"It's time," Yan Lin said and nodded to Verlona. The pointed-ear woman blinked and tapped her staff three times to open a portal. The next thing the Guardians knew, they were back on Lusteria.
Byakko was standing at the top of a tall earthen pillar which he wielded himself, giving him a perfect view of his massive army below. Byakko grinned wickedly, too excited for what was about to happen next. But he knew that he can't just rush in. No, he will have to play his part delicately. The Emperor of Zhong-guo must see how useless it is to oppose him. Once the Emperor realized this, he'll have no choice but to surrender his throne to Byakko and the Celestial Warrior of Earth will legitimately become the new ruler.
"WARRIORS! SPIRITS!" Byakko bellowed and the army beneath him cheered. "The time for us is near at hands. The age of the Five Great Elemental Kingdoms is over and soon so, too, will the age of Kandrakar!"
The dark spirits and the corrupted humans joyfully roared some more.
"For too long have Lusteria remained in the shadows amongst the worlds govern by Kandrakar. It is time for us to take our rightful place in the galactic spotlight! Join me, for today the Emperor Sheng-tsu will surrender his power to me and we will be one step closer to challenging Kandrakar!"
The human crowd clapped and cheered even louder, some of them raising their spears and swords into the air as their moral rises while dark spirits danced over their heads with terrifying screeches.
"Today the Western Earth Kingdom of Zhong-guo will fall! Let the Darkness come!"
Kimi desperately wanted to hate her father. After all, he was the man who followed the evil side of Darkness and in the end, killed his wife in front of her eyes all those years ago. Her thoughts and feelings about him being a different man didn't change, not even when he came with W.I.T.C.H. to save her from Byakko. But when Kaishin accidentally placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, Kimi's magical ability to sense and read people's aura accidentally kicked in.
Being the Guardian of Light means being able to read, see, and feel auras from both living things. It's a very useful ability, but at the same time, very difficult to control. This power is also a defense mechanism which allows Kimi to involuntarily read and sense other people's auras without meaning to. When her father placed one hand on her shoulder, the physical contact between them triggers Kimi's ability, allowing her to read, see, feel, and remember her father's memories…painful memories that left her utterly confused and angry.
Through his eyes, Kimi saw herself and her brother as toddlers crying over their mother's corpse. Feelings of shock and despair plagued Kohaku's mind as he couldn't believe what he had just done. Kimi saw how he quickly abandoned his children's sides, knowing that they'll see him as nothing but a monster. But he was a monster. Kohaku knew that his thirst for dark power has robbed him of his family and because of his foolishness, his children are now motherless. The tears in their eyes convinced him that he must get away…far away from Nihon. If he had stayed any longer, he could have killed the twins the same way he had killed his wife.
Kimi saw how Kohaku had traveled for days, crossing over land and sea without food and rest. Eventually Kohaku fainted at a lake shore and the White Snake took pity on him and carried him to the entrance of the Siulahm Temples. There, the monks and the nuns took him in and nursed him back to health.
For months, Kohaku felt lost in this world despite the abbot's hospitality…there was nothing for him to go back to…he couldn't go back to his children or to the Watsuki clan. After all the misdeeds and the murders he committed, they would never let him anywhere near home. He thought about his distant cousins, Zhang Yide and his brothers, but Kohaku doubt that even they'll forgive him for his crimes.
Kohaku became disillusioned as he began to wander around the temples. The previous abbot and the other monks did not hold any grudges against him whatsoever and they were the only ones who treated him with any hint of kindness, love, and acceptances.
Kohaku felt guilty for his past actions and decided to become a monk to atone for his sins. Throughout the years, Kohaku became Brother Kaishin and gradually understood the temples' Buddhist principles by studying their scripts and enhancing his previous martial art skills. With the abbot's help, Kaishin mended his ways and found peace and a little bit of enlightenment from within his heart. Everything seemed peaceful and normal for the next sixteen years until his daughter and her Guardian friends arrived at their doorsteps…the past have came back to haunt him.
"Kimi?" said a voice. "Kimi, are you even listening to me!"
Kimi shook her head, unaware that the seven of them have already landed in Zhong-guo again. This time, they were standing on one of the Lusterian floating mountains again. They arrived about three miles from the Imperial City and looking down at the view, it wasn't a pretty sight. Byakko's army was stationed around the city, blocking nearly every entrance. There was absolutely no way in.
"What is it?" Kimi asked.
"You seemed distracted," Orube noted. "Is there something the matter?"
Kimi shook her head and insisted, "No, Orube-neechan. I'm fine."
Orube didn't look too convinced. "I know you long enough to tell that you're not. You know better than anyone else that your thoughts cannot stray elsewhere, especially now. We are about to go into a war zone and you're thinking about your relationship with your father."
"No, that's…" Kimi wanted to deny it, but Orube was right. Orube may not have the ability to read people's aura, but her senses are just as sharp. Kimi sighed and said, "…you're correct."
Orube nodded and like an older sister listening to her sibling's grievances, encouraged her to continue.
"For so many years, I hated my father. After what he did, how could I or anyone forgive him?" Kimi said. "I don't want to forgive him nor do I want to get to know him…but when he touched me, I read his aura…and now…"
Orube sighed and nodded in understanding. "I see. You unintentionally saw everything from his perspective and felt what he felt all these years as if you're walking in his shoes…"
Kimi blinked at Orube in confusion.
"An expression that I learned from Earth meaning to seeing life from that person's point of view," Orube explained. "I see you're confused and you're wondering whether or not if it's worth hating your father anymore."
Kimi didn't reply, but she didn't need to.
"Kimi, I believe a part of you is starting to understand and forgive your father, but at the same time you're too afraid to do so after learning to hate him for sixteen years that you're building a wall between yourself and the world."
"A wall of earth and iron…" Kimi mumbled.
"Kimi, we'll need you to be more focus in this upcoming battle," Orube said firmly. "Your mind can't falter at such a critical time. Right now, I think it is best that you tear down this wall between yourself and your father. You need to open your heart up to him and get it over with."
Kimi nodded. As much as she dreads it, she knew that everything Orube, Lady Ngọc Long, and even that little girl, Kotone, said to her was right…it's time to face her father.
The seven of them flew towards their rendezvous point in a clearing near the base of a mountain. They were alone at first, but suddenly, black smoke swirled in a small column in front of them. When it dissolved, Monk Kaishin was standing before them. Kaishin and Kimi exchanged silent glances before he bowed to her respectfully like any monk would before turning his attention back to Orube and the other Guardians and bowed to them.
"Welcome back, Guardians," he said. "It is a pleasure to see you again. I trust that your journey here has been quick and pleasant enough?"
"Well, we didn't have to squeeze into a tight closet to get into a portal again like last time if that is what you meant," Irma smiled.
Will and Orube wasted no time explaining to Kaishin what they need to do.
Kaishin nodded patiently and pointed to the vine-covered cliff behind them. "There is a cave behind these vines. It'll take us into the Imperial City. I can guide you, but once there in the palace, you must determine a safe location where Emperor Shung-tsu will be spirited to."
"Why can't we take the tunnel last night?" Irma asked.
"Because parts of it were collapsed after Byakko destroyed half of the castle," Kaishin said. "This tunnel is one of the few that survived intact."
"Then let's not waste any more time talking," Kimi frown. "Let's go."
They've been walking for only twenty minutes straight, but already Irma and Cornelia were complaining and wanted a break. Who could blame them since they've been walking around in the dark with nothing but Kimi's spheres of light and Taranee's fiery fist to guide them? The ceiling was low so they couldn't fly and the tunnel felt really stuffy and cramp. To make matters worse, the ground was littered with so many rocks and boulders that wearing high heels is starting to become a pain!
Luckily, they found a large opening up ahead and are surprised to see a large chamber filled with glowing green crystals! In darkness, it was like looking up and seeing emeralds twinkling in the night sky.
In the center was a small fresh water lake streaming into a tiny river that would lead to the outside world. Upon Irma's insistent, they decided to take a quick rest here place so that she could use her water power and ease all of their aching feet.
It also gave father and daughter time to talk alone.
Kaishin sighed heavily, unsure how to approach his daughter. After what happened last time, he wasn't sure if she would still listen to him. Luckily for him, Kimi made the first move as she stood near the lake with her back to him.
"I don't have to be in physical contact with you to tell that you're concern," Kimi said coldly.
"Why wouldn't I be?" said Kaishin. "After all, my son is missing and—"
"Don't!" Kimi glared at him. "Don't use my brother as an excuse! You have no right to!"
Her shouting drew attentions from the others who were all standing a few meters away, but Kimi didn't care. It's not like they can eavesdrop from this distance.
"Ever since Mom died, Uncle Komei took us in and he was the one who raised us to be who we are now! He was more of a father to us than you!" Kimi said furiously. "And you know what else? I realized that Komei covered for your hide even after you tried to kill him that night! He convinced our two clans to forget hunting you down and executing you, claiming that you have been killed in the depth of the Dark Forest!"
Kaishin looked down in guilt and sadness. "I don't deserve such kindness from your uncle, not after robbing him of his beloved sister and you two of your mother."
"Of course you don't!" Kimi cried. "And even if you had stayed to face justice, Uncle Komei would still have pleaded for your sentence to be lifted!"
"Your uncle is a good man as well as a great one," Kaishin nodded. "Too great and too brilliant perhaps. I was envious of him as much as I feared him. In my arrogance that fateful night, I sought to end his life with my own two hands."
"How could you be so cruel?" Kimi accused. "You were supposed to love and protect your family and serve your clan with honor and integrity. Instead, you were too obsessed with the power of Darkness!"
Kaishin held his breath and looked away. What could he say? His daughter was right. He was a monster and no matter how much he repented as a monk, he believed that he deserved Kimi's rage. However, Kimi wasn't done as she continued to pour out all the anger and frustration she felt towards him for the past sixteen years.
"And how could you leave us?" Kimi asked. Even though she knew the answer after reading his aura, but she wanted to hear him say it. "How could you leave us that night? Can you not see how lost Kyochi and I were without both you and Mother? Uncle Komei was there but there is still an empty void in our hearts after all these years you were gone…"
Kaishin didn't know what to say, but he didn't need to. He thought that by leaving his children, he could spare them from the shame and the danger he possesses with his dark powers…but it seemed that leaving them was just as cruel.
Without realizing it, Kaishin grabbed his daughter and embraced her for the first time in sixteen years. Surprisingly, she didn't push him away as she buried her face in his tattered monk clothes. Kimi desperately wanted to cry but found that she couldn't.
"What I did was sinful and no amount of repentance could wipe away that awful night from your memories. I should never have brought something as terrible as killing your mother on you or Kyochi," Kaishin whispered.
Although her eyes weren't teary, the sensation of them stinging was still there upon hearing her father's words. Deep down, she knew that he was being sincere even if she's not reading his aura.
"Seeing you after all these long years makes me so angry, sad, and hurt…" Kimi sighed sadly. "I wanted to continue this hatred, but I've read your aura…I can see and feel everything you felt."
Kaishin nodded.
"I…I understand why you left us…I…I can't deny it any longer…" Kimi confessed. "I know that you've regret your action and…and…"
Her lips quivered, unable to continue. The concept of love was too foreign for Kimi to the point that she can barely say it. But she need not to for her father understood and decided to finish for her.
Gentling placing his hands against Kimi's cheeks, he held her gaze and said, "You know that I love you and Kyochi with all of my heart. You two have always been on my mind since I left. I thought about the two of you every night since I came to the temple, wondering about your well beings and how you were growing up without me and your mother. Every night, I would often lay awake missing you both so much that it would hurt as if the Darkness has pierced my soul."
As he spoke, tears poured out of his eyes as he took in his daughter's face and realized something. Smiling sadly, he complimented, "You know, Kimi-chan, it would seemed that you have inherited your mother's beauty. You looked just like her."
Kimi held her breath, unsure of what to say. No one ever compared her to her deceased mother…not even her uncle, the Chancellor. To hear something like this from her father felt strange, comforting, but also forlornly.
Letting his daughter go, Kaishin reached into his robes and took out something wrapped in an old cloth.
"Here," he said, giving the small package to his daughter.
Kimi was unsure what to make of it. Hesitantly, she opened the folded bundle and discovered that it contained a simple kanzashi, Japanese hair pins. In truth, it looked more like a pair of hair sticks held together by a single, pink cherry blossom. The sticks themselves were slightly curved and were made of silver with tiny streamers made of crystals.
"It belonged to your mother, Kotone," Kaishin smiled sadly. "I grabbed it accidentally when I held her in my arms the night she died. I didn't realize that it was still in my hands until I came to Zhong-guo. It's the only thing left I have of her…but I believe you should have it."
Kimi was speechless. What could she say? In her hand was one of the few objects that belonged to the late Kotone Kinomoto. Her grandfather had most of them destroyed because he couldn't bear the painful memories of his beloved daughter. Kimi and Kyochi had nearly nothing to remember their mother by, only stories they hear from their uncle. And now here in her hand is an heirloom given to her by none other than her father.
"I do not believe that I am ready to forgive you for what you did sixteen years ago," Kimi said at last, looking at her father in the eye. Her piercing blue eyes didn't feel cold this time. Rather, they hint of gentleness as she said, "But now, I find myself unable to hate you any longer…Father."
Kaishin held his breath upon hearing this for he realized that ever since the Guardians first came to the temples, Kimi has never addressed Kaishin by his names. He hasn't heard any of his children addressed him as "Father" in sixteen years and to hear it being uttered from his daughter brought tears to his eyes.
Without meaning to, Kaishin embraced his daughter again. She didn't pushed him away, but surprisingly, she returned the hug.
"Are you alright?" asked a woman's voice.
Father and daughter let go and turned to see Orube smiling in appreciation as she stood over them.
"We're fine, Orube-neechan," Kimi replied, putting her father's gift away. "It seems that I no longer have any motivation to avoid my father."
Orube nodded in understanding. "I am happy to see that you're on speaking terms with Kaishin again, Kimi. However, I'm afraid we're going to have to break up this maudlin moment. We need to get to the Emperor now before Byakko gets to him."
Kimi clenched her fists, remembering all too well that Byakko and his siblings still has her brother somewhere.
"Let's go."
Byakko leaned back to bask in the glow of his upcoming victory. In less than an hour, the deadline to Byakko's ultimatum will be finished and the Emperor will have no choice but to surrender his throne over to the Celestial Warrior. He could just taste it.
Suddenly, a strange sensation came to him. Byakko frowned at first, but realized that it was the Guardians. They were coming and he could feel them through his power of the earth. And it looks like they're not alone for Kohaku Watsuki, the father of the Twin Guardians, are with them.
Byakko remembered his order from Hwang-Ryong and smiled. Time to convince the legendary shadow-wielder to join their side and remind him what it means to be a master of darkness.
Byakko kneeled down and placed his hand in the dirt. He concentrated and felt all the gold, iron, sand, and clay beneath the earth. Every speck, every molecules of earthen material is speaking to him and he has found his prey. It would appear that they are now within a tomb filled with earthen soldiers. Byakko smiled wickedly and mentally used his magic to breathe life into his new creations.
Capture the Monk Kaishin who was once known as Kohaku Watsuki! He commanded. Bring him to me. Kill the rest.
"Woah, where are we?" Will asked in amazement.
Kaishin has led them through another passage of the underground tunnel. They reached a pit with rolls upon rolls of something in the dark. Whatever they are, they were huge in numbers… Kimi shone her light spheres and the girls were surprised to see thousands of faces looking at them.
"Incredible!" Cornelia said in awe. "They're life-sized statues made from terracotta!"
"The Terracotta Army," Kaishin noted. "The first Emperor of Zhong-guo had them built near his necropolis as a form of a funerary art thousands of years ago so that they may protect him in the Spirit World."
"We have something similar back on Earth as well," Hay Lin chirped. Turning to Irma, she smiled, "Remember? We just learned about Emperor Qin Shi Huang and his Terracotta Army in Mr. Collins's class a few days ago."
"I didn't pay much attention in class that day," Irma admitted with a shrug. "But I'll admit that these clay-men are pretty cool. They're almost life-like!"
"It's incredible. All of them have different faces and it looks like they're arranged in a military order based on their ranks," Taranee noted.
"How many of them do you think there are?" Will asked.
"My guess…about several thousands of them," Orube replied. "Quite a few have already been broken. What a shame."
"We don't have time to stop and admire works of art," Kimi said, pointing to the exit a few yards away. "We need to get going."
"Who died and made you leader?" Irma questioned. Ignoring her, Kimi went ahead. "Sometimes, I really don't like this girl!"
As they walk through the pit, Cornelia felt something strange. It was a surge of magic…and not just any magic…earth magic. Cornelia blinked, but it only lasted for a second. She opened her mouth and about to tell the girls what she had just felt when suddenly, something caught her eyes.
Cornelia turned around and gasped because all the terracotta statues that they just passed have turned their heads and are looking at her!
"Girls!" Cornelia cried.
"What?"
"I swear these guys' eyes are following me," Cornelia said, her voice filled with caution.
Will giggled. "You think every guys' eyes are following you!"
"Not as creepy as this!" Cornelia insisted.
Irma turned around and was about to give Cornelia a sassy remark when suddenly, the closest terracotta warrior grabbed her.
"Get off of me!" Irma cried and she instinctively used a freezing water move to break away from her assailant.
The group quickly got into a defensive stance as the terracotta statues around them glow green as if being possessed by evil and then they started to move. It's even scarier when they're charging at you with weapons in hand.
"How is this possible?" Taranee asked, dodging a spear coming at her.
"It's earth magic!" Kaishin cried, using his martial art skills to break their staffs into halves. "And it's the dark kind."
"I'll bet you anything that Byakko is behind all of this!" Cornelia said.
"No kidding!" Irma snapped. "How are we going to get out of this one?"
"We fight our way through!" Will declared. "Take them down!"
Orube took out her sword and slashed through five terracotta soldiers. Three more came up from behind her with spears and swords in hand. But Orube is too quick for them as she swung her leg around and kicked them through their abdomen. They crumbled to the ground as broken pieces of clay.
Quickly, the others followed Orube's example and went off to take down their own sets of animated clay soldiers: Will's energy blast nearly disintegrated around twenty soldiers while Irma froze several of her attackers in ice blocks. A few feet away, Taranee sent waves of fire blasts and blew up a few dozen soldiers while Hay Lin sent blasts of air, knocking her attackers back while taking off a few of their limbs.
Kimi and her father, on the other hand, are using their blend of their light and dark construct to take down the coming soldiers. At the same time, they're threw several martial art moves whenever a solder got too close, breaking their arms and their legs.
The other Guardians decided to use what they've learn from Lady Ngọc Long as they integrated some Lusterian martial art moves into their elemental attacks. To their surprises, it was quite effective, especially when it allows them to endure a little bit of pain whenever they had to elbow, kick, punch, or slash against stone-hard beings.
After five minutes, crumbling and broken pieces of terracotta soldiers were lying at their feet.
"Hey, not so tough now, are you?" Irma gloated, hands on her hips.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her ankle, causing the Water Guardian to shriek and blast it off of her. To their surprise, some of the broken soldiers were crawling towards them, despite their legs and some of their arms taken off. Just like the broken terracotta arm that grabbed Irma, they seemed to have a sense of direction of where their victims are.
"You had to open your big mouth, don't you, Irma?" Cornelia commented in irritation.
The way the terracotta soldiers crawled towards the eight of them wasn't normal but quite freakishly in a way. To add insult to injuries, another wave of earthen soldiers came towards them, some of them were riding on terracotta horses as they brandished their weapons.
"Great! An army of zombie clay soldiers!" Irma fumed in irritation. "Just what we need!"
Several warriors surrounded them and jabbed their swords and spears forward, causing the Guardians to pull up a magical shield to protect themselves. The weapons broke upon contact, but it doesn't seem to deter the terracotta soldiers from their quest as they resorted to pounding the shield with their fists.
"You guys never learn, do you?" Irma smirked.
Will nodded to her friends and they all flicked their wrists at the shield, causing it to spin and expand. The terracotta soldiers found themselves shredded to pieces as the deadly shield pushed them back. The shield eventually disappeared, but it did do its job in taking down several dozen soldiers already. Unfortunately, more took their places as rows upon rows of terracotta soldiers armed themselves and began to charge closer.
The soldiers' stoic expression and silent answer were all the Guardians needed to know that the situation is far from over.
"Sheesh, I heard crickets more chatty than these guys!" Irma said jokingly.
"Shut up and keep fighting," Kimi said, blasting her way through to the exit. "This way!"
Several terracotta soldiers swung their weapons at her feet, hoping to knock her to the ground, but Kimi jumped and did a spit, kicking their heads off before somersaulting forward and sliced through several of them with a bladed light construct.
"No, Kimi! Wait!" Orube cried, suddenly dodging a swear head. She grabbed it, swung around and broke it before elbowing her attacker and left a giant hole in his torso.
Kaishin ran forward, his body glowing in dark aura and any earth soldiers foolish enough to made contact with him are reduced to ash.
Will and her friends attempted to catch up with both father and daughter, but they soon found their ways blocked by sentries on horses with bronze swords and spears.
"Great, we just lost our guide," Taranee noted with irritation. "How are we going to get out of this mess, Will?"
"I just scan the situation from above," Hay Lin said as she landed down. "It doesn't look good, girls. There are about another seven thousand more in this entire pit."
"They're just like their master," Cornelia said. "Every time we take one down, they can still move even with broken limbs or a piece of their faces busted off."
"Plus, every time we do manage to take one down, more seemed to take its place," Taranee added.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Cornelia's head. It was a long shot, but maybe she could…
"Stand back, girls!" Cornelia ordered and took a tiger stance. With both palms of her hands, the Guardian of Earth raised them above her head and suddenly pillars of rocks and harden dirt rose from beneath the sentries' feet. It elevated them up towards the ceiling of the pit and crushed them at top speed.
Without any hesitation, Cornelia brought both of her hands down and slammed it against the ground, causing the earth to ripple. The shock waves knocked the remaining terracotta soldiers off their feet. Before they could get up, Cornelia stomped the ground with her boot, using her power over earth to cause a tiny earthquake strong enough to shake the pit. Rocks and sand fell from above their heads and Hay Lin took that as her cue to blast air in front of them, creating a free path towards the exit.
"Let's go!" Will ordered. "Cornelia has created a cave-in and I don't want us to be in it!"
"How much farther towards the exit, Father?" Kimi asked.
"Not much. Only a few yards up ahead," Kaishin replied. Turning around, he noticed that the others are not behind them. "Daughter, your friends are not with us."
Kimi grunted in annoyance. Typical. She told them to keep fighting and follow her but apparently they didn't get the message.
Kimi slowed down her pacing and looked back. "I can still sense their auras. It would appear that the Earth Guardian has managed to take out a large number of the terracotta warriors with her powers."
"You are certain that they will catch up?"
"There is no time to wait for them," Kimi said. "My brother is still missing and the longer I wait for these lily-livers to catch up, I'll never get to Byakko and make him—"
Otou-san…
Kaishin's dark power kicked in as a new voice whispered into his ears. He turned ahead to look, but there was no one there.
"Kimi-chan, be still," Kaishin ordered.
Otou-san…h-help…me…
"Father, what is it?" Kimi asked.
Father…please…h-help m-me…
Kyochi-kun? Kaishin thought. It can't be.
"Kimi, do you hear that?"
Kimi shook her head. "I do not sense anything."
Father…Kimi-chan…I'm here…help me…please…
The voice was fading, causing Kaishin to become anxious. Turning to his daughter, he said, "Stay here. I must make sure that the path ahead of us is safe."
Before Kimi could protest, Kaishin tightened his bo staff and readied himself as he moved forward. How could this be? How could Kyochi have known that his father was alive? Could it be because both father and son share the same power over darkness? And if so, it seems that his oldest child is trying to reach out to him, calling for help.
Son…I'm coming, Kaishin thought with determination.
He only took a few steps when suddenly, ten more terracotta soldiers popped out from the walls and grabbed Kimi.
"No!" Kaishin cried as he turned around. He was about to run back and help his daughter when suddenly the earth above him came down, creating a wall of earth and iron between him and his youngest child, leave the latter at the mercy of soulless earth beings.
"Kimi-chan!"
"Father? I'm here!" Kimi cried, doing her best to defend herself. She managed to take down five soldiers but the other five still eluded her in the dark.
Before Kaishin could punched his way through the wall, the earth beneath his feet made a grab for his legs, and he looked down in horror as the earth mounted itself on top of one another, swallowing him whole.
"Father?" Kimi cried, but heard nothing. However, her aura sensing magic tells her that he has been encase in a ball of iron and is moving through the earth, away from her and towards the Imperial City.
A terracotta soldier used his spear and held Kimi in place. In the dark, Kimi is having trouble seeing her five attackers. Quickly, she held out her hand and a ball of light illuminated the enclosed space enough for her to see the five remaining terracotta soldiers. She took them down effortlessly.
By the time Kimi disintegrated the last one with a light sphere blast, familiar footsteps came close before a certain Earth Guardian took down the wall and Kimi was free.
"Kimi!" Orube cried. "Kimi, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Kimi insisted. "But Byakko has captured my father."
"Why would that rock head want anything to do with your dad?" Irma asked.
"It's likely that he plans to use Kaishin as some sort of leverage against us," Orube surmised. "Or perhaps he fears Kaishin to some extent since he was once a legendary shadow-wielder and hoped to level the playing field by separating him from us."
Kimi slammed the wall with her fist in frustration. "Damn it! How could I have been so foolish?"
"Excuse me?" Will asked irritably. She walked up to Kimi and looked her straight in the eye. "If you haven't noticed, you've been foolishly ditching us to go on ahead! We need to stick together if we're going to survive! We needed you back there in the pit, but instead you ran off again! I don't know how you managed to work with your brother, but in this group, we don't abandon each other!"
"I beg to differ but you lily-livers were supposed to follow my example and break through the line and into the tunnel!" Kimi retorted. "It's not my fault that you were too slow. At least my father understood what to do and followed me."
"And look where that got you now!" Will pointed out. "If you haven't noticed, Kimi, but the seven of us are still behind schedule. We're still underground and we've lost our guide."
"I'm not concerned for my father's safety as he can handle himself. It's my brother whom I'm more worried about. You may be a leader to your friends, Vandom, but you know absolutely nothing about my world and how to fight," Kimi countered.
"Even after you finally managed to open up and be on good terms with your dad, you're still the cold-hearted Guardian you always were!" Will spat.
"You think you're so powerful and better than us?" Irma added. "Well you weren't since Byakko nearly defeated you last time!"
"And why weren't you able to sense those statues coming to life with your amazing aura sensing power?" Cornelia asked sarcastically.
"Don't mock me, lily-livers," Kimi warned. "I've been trained how to fight all my life so don't question my experience. You pathetic lot never learned how to fight monsters until you were in your adolescence years!"
"ENOUGH!" Orube interrupted, placing herself between Will and Kimi before both side got into another argument. Turning to Kimi, she said gently, "Kimi, it's true that you and your twin have the most fighting experiences, but perhaps that is exactly why you cannot lead. You've been fighting alongside your brother for many years that it define your teamwork: you two don't need to communicate with each other in battle."
Orube turned around and pointed at Will and her friends. "However, this team is new because you're working with five Guardians who are not Lusterians."
Addressing Will, Orube said, "The same can be said for you, Will. You've been a Guardian and the leader of your team for quite some time, so you understand how to work with your friends. But you're also unprepared to work with one of the Twin Guardians. I know that you find it difficult to work with Kimi in complete harmony because both of your backgrounds and life experiences differ greatly from one another."
"So what are you saying?" Cornelia asked. "Neither Kimi or Will can be our leader?"
"But they both possess the Heart and Kandrakar and the Jewel of Life," Taranee pointed out.
"I'm afraid that this time, possessing powerful objects of mysticism does not grant one's right to lead charges against the Celestial Warriors," Orube said.
"It's not the object that makes the leader, but one's inner strength," Hay Lin said wisely as if Yan Lin was speaking through her.
Orube nodded. "A leader must be clear and explicit, rather than someone who takes off and disappear and expects the rest to play part in an unknown plan. We need a leader who isn't bias to their fellow Guardians' opinion of the other."
Walking over to Kimi, Orube placed her hand on her shoulder, allowing Kimi to feel and understand what she's trying to say. "Your compassion for your twin and your world is admirable, Guardian of Light, but you do not have the strength to win this alone."
Kimi looked down at her feet and after a few seconds of silence, she sighed in defeat and looked at Orube in the eye.
"You're right, Orube-neechan. You're the only one who has fought alongside both teams in the past. I believe you should be the one to lead us."
"Of course! Orube's the perfect choice!" Hay Lin cheered, switching back to her giddy self.
"Yeah, it makes sense since she's familiar with all of us," Taranee smiled.
"I supposed so," Will admitted to herself.
Irma and Cornelia stared at Will in disbelief and wanted to argue.
"C'mon, Will! You can't be serious about handing over your leadership to Orube?" Irma demanded.
Will gave them a tiring look that tells how serious she is. "C'mon, girls. You know Orube's the one."
Irma and Cornelia exchanged glances. It irks them that they'll be taking orders from someone other than Will. But at least it's not Kimi and Orube does seem to know how to reign in the Guardian of Light's loose cannon behavior, not to mention understanding how to work with both worlds.
"Alright, Orube's our new leader for now," Cornelia finally agreed, smiling at the older Basilíadian woman.
"Great, now that our feline friend has been promoted," Irma said, breaking up the congratulation party, "what do we do now?"
Before Orube could answer, Will and Kimi felt something and they both pulled out the Heart and Kandrakar and the Jewel of Life. The images in these crystals show something they did not expect.
"Is that?" Hay Lin asked in wonder.
"No way!" Irma exclaimed in disbelief.
Orube observed what was going on and smiled. "Alright, girls. Here's what we're going to do."
Try as he might, Kaishin couldn't free himself as his body seemed to tumble in a circle, causing him to feel extremely dizzy. He knew that the earth around him was moving and it seemed to be taking him somewhere.
Suddenly, the earth stopped moving and spat him out. Kaishin immediately got up as the dizzy spell subsided only to find himself in a very dark room.
It was completely pitch black and for any normal person, it would have felt as if they were blinded. Luckily, Kaishin wasn't an ordinary monk. As a shadow-wielder, he could make shapes and figures out in the darkness and avoid bumping into them.
Father… said the same voice.
"Kyochi-kun?" Kaishin gasped as he searched around frantically for the source of the voice. "Son? Where are you?"
Father…I'm here.
It came from another chamber.
Kaishin ran down the long, dark hall as he desperately tries to discover his son's whereabouts. As he ran, he readied his bo staff in case any more monsters or spirits jump out to attack him.
At last, he entered another dark room, but this one was empty save for a long block of stone in the middle. From here, Kaishin could make out the shape of a person lying prone on it as if in a peaceful slumber. He decided to approach it cautiously, for on Lusteria, nothing is as it seems especially when it's filled with magic and spirits. As the shadow-wielder came closer, he realized that it wasn't a spirit, but a boy!
The prone figure seemed to be in a deep trance, almost as if he was in a catatonic state as he whispered, Otou-san…
Kaishin came closer and he could see that the boy has the same dark blue hair and eye colors like his twin sister. Like Kimi, Kyochi's face also resembles his mother, Kotone, leaving Kaishin to choke on his own tears.
"Son?" Kaishin said.
In that moment, the twins' father dropped his guard and ran forward to embrace his son. He shouldn't have done this and he should have known better, because the Celestial Warriors have planned to use his emotion against him. Kaishin tried to pick up his son and hold him as if he was made out of glass, but when his hand passed through the boy, Kaishin realized that it was a trap. The boy's image flickered and disappeared: It was a holographic specter. Kyochi Watsuki was never in Zhong-guo in the first place.
"Oh, how sentimental," said a familiar voice behind him.
Kaishin turned around to face Byakko, the Celestial Warrior of Earth standing before him as he clapped his hand mockingly.
"I've been waiting for you, Kohaku Watsuki. It's time we talk."
To be continued…
Cultural references:
Shame on you if you thought that I was going to make Kimi the new leader of this group. She's practically a loose cannon and Will is prone to take her friends' sides when she disagreeing with Kimi on almost everything. Orube's the most logical choice since she's the oldest and the most mature, and not to mention the fact that she has spent more time learning both Earth and Lusterian cultures, which allows her to see both sides of the story between Kimi and the other five Guardians.
If you have seen my drawings of Kimi on my Deviantart gallery, you'll probably notice that she's wearing a sakura flower and a pair of silver hair sticks in her buns. It's actually her mother's and its purpose was to help patch things up between father and daughter after sixteen years of hatred.
The Terracotta Army is a real collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of the First Emperor of China. They were discovered in 1974 by farmers and have become one of the most iconic heritage sites in the world. I thought it would be cool if Byakko could make them come to life and fight the Guardians in the underground pits.
Otou-san means "Father" in Japanese.