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 05: A Heart of Ice pt. II
By the time they arrived at their headquarters, the six Guardians were met by both Orube and Lady Ngọc Long and neither of them looked very happy. The Jade Dragon was still wearing her earthly attire with her long hair tied up in a bun, giving her the appearance of a very ticked off business woman. The girls had never seen their Lusterian caretaker this furious and were doing their very best to avoid her piercing dragon-liked gaze. However, Ngọc Long's attention was directed at Kimi.
"What were you thinking?!" the Jade Dragon began coldly. "Is it not enough that I was summoned to the principal's office in order to reason with your Earthling instructors? Not to mention reporting to the Gemini Council on your recent behaviors? Earlier, I was to return and explain to Professor Mitridge why you decided to discard your detention period this afternoon!"
"You're not my parent, so do not presume to act like one!" Kimi growled defiantly.
"No, but here on Earth you are an exchange student from Japan and to the humans, I am your host parent and your guardian! Therefore we must act according to what Kandrakar wished to maintain our Earthly covers."
"Kimi, we're very concern about your behaviors recently," Orube added, placing her hands on her hips. "The current and the previous Oracles as well as Lord Araël feared that your mind and your heart are not as stable as it should be."
Kimi scoffed. "You're concern about my welfare? Well, I don't need you to! I am well as I have ever been."
"Look girl, you don't want to admit it, but you really have a problem!" Irma added. "You've been skipping classes and neglected your homework more than I do, and coming from me that's saying something!"
"You humiliated our physics teacher, and even though we don't like her that very much, we actually felt sorry for her," Cornelia added coldly. "We understand what you're feeling and—"
Kimi shot her a venomous and murderous glare and pointed a finger at her. "Don't," she warned dangerously. "Don't you dare say it!"
"But, Kimi—"
"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME THAT YOU UNDERSTAND!" Kimi got up and yelled with such hatred that it was scary. "HOW COULD ANY OF YOU POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND THE PAIN AND THE EMPTINESS IN MY HEART?"
"Hey, I lost my mother when I was little, too!" Irma reminded her. "And Will's father was a jerk and—"
"SHUT UP! I TOLD YOU TO NOT COMPARE YOUR MILD SUFFERING TO MINE!" Kimi roared and slapped Irma across the cheek, causing the Water Guardian to fall back. Kimi pointed a finger at her and locked gaze with her icy, cold blue eyes. "YOUR MOTHER DIED FROM AN ILLNESS AND WILL'S FATHER LEFT ON HIS OWN ACCOUNT. BOTH MY PARENTS WERE KILLED IN FRONT OF ME!"
Hay Lin felt the air around Kimi changing and it gave her chills. She hadn't felt something like this since the graduation party in the park before the ushi-oni showed up. Hay Lin didn't realize that she was standing behind the others, hoping to avoid Kimi's growing wrath.
Seeing this, Will stepped in, trying to calm Kimi down before it could get any worse. "Kimi, your father wouldn't want to see you like this—"
Kimi glared at her with those cold, blue eyes which did a pretty good job of shutting her up. "How would you know what my father wanted? HE'S DEAD! KILLED BY THAT WRETCHED WATER DEMONESS BITCH! I'LL BE DAMNED TO ROT IN THE UNDERWORLD IF I LET HER CONTINUE TO GLOAT OF HER KILLING!"
"So you committed to strengthen yourself in order to become her executioner?!" Orube asked, her face showing how horrified she is.
"YES! XUAN WU DESERVES TO DIE! THE SAME WAY MY FATHER DIED! I WILL GUT HER AND LET HER SUFFER AS LONG AND AS PAINFUL AS POSSIBLE BEFORE I END IT!"
Orube couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was not the same Kimi she grew up with. While the girl had always been cold like her father, she was never this murderous and blood-thirsty. Could Xuan Wu's cruel act have turned this girl's heart as cold as ice? There was no way Orube could let this continue.
"No! You can't fight her alone! You'll get yourself killed! Can you not see that revenge has impaired your judgment and your actions? It's turning you into someone you're not?!" Orube paused and shook her head sadly. "I can't watch you descend into the Darkness because of Xuan Wu…therefore, I'm confining you to base until further notice."
Kimi's eyes widen in shock. It quickly subsided as her face contorted back into a very murderous glare. Hay Lin and Taranee held their breath because it felt like Kimi was literally going to strangle her oldest friend.
"You're not serious? Our mission against the next Celestial Warrior—"
"—Will be done without you!" Orube stated firmly. "Should we run into Xuan Wu, the other Guardians and I will ensure that she'll meet her demise with justice in our hearts, not revenge as it now darkens yours."
"Is this really the time for another lecture, Orube? You speak of justice, yet ending Xuan Wu's reign of terror yields the same result. Why deny me the chance of retribution?"
"I cannot have you rushing back to Lusteria blinded with revenge and anger, Kimi! That will only make our enemies stronger! You know this! We must follow the same path as Will with purity in our hearts to counter their Deadly Sins and elements!" Orube pointed out furiously. "If you fight your enemies with a heart of ice instead of compassion, you'll end up captured the same way your brother did or worse!"
Mentioning her twin struck a chord in Kimi, causing her to look down as if lost in misery. Hearing these words spoken by Orube made Kimi growl in anger. After everything Xuan Wu had said and done to her, how could Orube, the woman whom she considered as close to her like an older sister, not support her?
Before Orube or anyone in the room knew it, Kimi held out her light constructed dagger and threw it at Taranee as a quick diversion.
Will shouted, "Look out!" and shoved Taranee out of the way of the attack, causing the other Guardians to fall back as well. Kimi turned her wrath towards Orube and held another dagger to her friend's throat.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Cornelia demanded, getting up from where she fell. However, she soon found herself staring down the tip of a dagger and realized that Kimi was going to stop at nothing to kill Xuan Wu. If anyone dares to stand in her way, she was going to have to fight them even if they're her comrades!
Taranee realized what Kimi was going to do as well and matched the Light Guardian with her own unparalleled eyes of disgust and Will didn't blame her one bit: there was no way in Kandrakar she was going to let them battle each other!
However, Irma snuck up behind Kimi and whacked her on the head with a Ming Dynasty vase that was sitting in the corner. Normally, this would have knocked out anyone, but Irma forgot that Kimi is a Lusterian. Unfazed by the surprise attack from behind, she slowly turned her attention towards Irma and the latter laughed nervously.
"Heh, heh…well, I guessed I should have used a giant mallet instead, huh?"
Kimi was not amused as her eyes glowed white. Irma didn't like the look of it and Will decided to jump in.
Lady Ngọc Long stepped in with a firm and authorizing voice that growls with great power of a dragon, "ENOUGH!"
The house seemed to shake and tremble under the Jade Dragon's intimidating aura. Before Will could go into her Power Girl transformation, Ngọc Long quickly got in front of Kimi and struck one of her nerve points at the side of her neck. Kimi fell down unconsciously in Orube's arms, her glowing light construct weapons dissolved. Will and the others looked at their caretaker who gave them a somber expression.
"This has gone too far. With her state of mind like this, I had to intervene." Turning to Hay Lin, the Jade Dragon said, "Help Orube with Kimi and take her to her room. We'll discuss your next mission afterwards."
Hay Lin nodded as she reluctantly went over to Orube.
Queen Sŏndŏk of Joseon sat on her throne like a statue as she listened to her advisors' frazzled conversion. Her golden crown sat elegantly on her head with its jewels and crystals dangling from the trident-like protrusions that goes around her head in perfect symmetry. Here is where the legitimate power of the monarch of Joseon resides; not in the throne like the Emperor of Zhong-guo, but in a mystical crown forged by Genbu, the Black Tortoise god.
Her five counselors were arguing with each other about the upcoming blizzard. Some of them were so fierce in their spat that they began to face each other, causing the beads around their black gat hats to become entangled.
"Your Majesty, I am afraid that the astrologists are mistaken for it seemed that the storm they've predicted has arrived early," said one counselor.
"This blizzard is blowing in from the northern mountains," said the second counselor. "I sense something sinister is about to take place against our people."
"Indeed," said the third. "This blizzard isn't natural. It's fueled with an evil force that I fear no one can withstand."
"It won't be long until the storm rolls into our front door," said the fourth. "We must send words to double the guards and protect our queen."
"No!" said Queen Sŏndŏk as she stood up gracefully. "Send words to the soldiers to protect my people!"
"But Your Majesty!" one counselor protested. "You're our queen and you must be guarded at all cost!"
"I have more than enough guards and soldiers for my protection, Counselor Hyun-woo," the queen pointed out. "If the story of the siege in Zhong-guo is true, then what we're facing is of no coincidence either. This blizzard is unnatural because the Celestial Warrior of Water has conjured it. Xuan Wu means to intimidate me by attacking my subjects. Therefore, I want you to send our soldiers throughout the provinces and supply our people with the necessary provisions in order to survive Xuan Wu's attack."
"My queen, if I may ask," said one counselor, bowing his head. "Why not do something about Xuan Wu? Perhaps we could appease her in some way and she'll take pity on us?"
"No, there is no pity coming from Xuan Wu for she has a heart of ice, Counselor Jun-seo," Sŏndŏk replied firmly. "Joseon may be the smallest of the Five Elemental Kingdoms, but that does not mean that we will be bullied into submission. We live in the coldest realm on Lusteria and have survived through thousands of winters before. What difference does this one make?"
"But this blizzard Xuan Wu has conjured up is too powerful!" Counselor Jun-seo objected. "Surely we'll need all the man-power we could muster in order to counter an attack?"
"We cannot challenge Xuan Wu's forces head on," said Sŏndŏk. "Our numbers of elemental wielders are too few while Xuan Wu has a legion of demons at her fingertips, ready to induce them with their master's Deadly Sin."
"But surely we can ask Kandrakar to send their Guardians to protect us?" the third counselor suggested.
"Contact with Kandrakar has been cut off for weeks, Counselor Ji-hoon," Queen Sŏndŏk replied solemnly. "I fear that we are on our own."
The fourth advisor, a very young man, came forward and bowed to her before holding out a mystical crystal sphere in his hand. It was frosted over and had a sinister blue mist surrounding it.
"What is this?" the queen asked.
"Your Majesty, this mystical sphere came from the sky the moment before I walked in," the young man replied. "I believe it is a message for you…from the Celestial Warrior of Water herself."
Queen Sŏndŏk nodded, giving him permission to play the message. The young man seemed unsure of how to activate the sphere at first, so she gestured for him to come closer and took the frozen orb from his hands. It seemed to react to her touch, for the sphere glowed brightly before it swirled and conjured a small gust of wind. The wind was cold and it grew stronger and stronger as if turning into a small blizzard itself inside the throne room. Quickly, the guards rushed forward to protect their queen as images of snow spirits surrounded them from above.
They began to take shapes and the queen recognized them as yuki-onna, malicious snow spirits. They began to sing harmoniously, their vocal spells encapsulate a warning song:
Surrender thy golden crown and kneel
Lest eternal winter thy kingdom will feel
Hail forever the Queen with the Heart of Ice
Or become slave to Sloth, a Legendary Vice!
Sŏndŏk scoffed, unfazed by the snow spirits' warning and intimidating display of power. Suddenly, she looked around and realized that her advisors were falling to their knees! It was as if their mind has been taken by the evil spell Xuan Wu had cast through her snow women.
"Oh, great Lady of Sloth and Celestial Warrior of Water," cried one royal counselor, "spare us your wrath and we shall convince our queen to give in to your just will."
"Traitors!" Queen Sŏndŏk hissed beneath her breath.
They seemed to have heard her as they turned their attention back to their queen. Sŏndŏk realized that their eyes were pale and milky as if they were under the control of another mind.
"Stay back! I am your queen and you will heed my words!" Sŏndŏk ordered as her crown glowed brilliantly. It pushed her hypnotized counselors back. "Guards! Arrest them!"
The guards tried to come to her rescue but the snow women flew in and froze them in their path with an icy breath. They attempted to go near the queen but the ancient spell in her crown throws them back should they try to take it from her head by force. Suddenly, the same young advisor who found the sphere appeared in front of her as a protective shield.
"Leave the queen!" the young advisor roared and held up his hands. Suddenly, the ice and frosts on the walls came to him as he wielded them into a powerful stream of water. With a flick of his arms, he used it to push back the snow women and threw out the other advisors. It barely affected the snow women, but they decided to retreat nonetheless for their message from Xuan Wu has been sent.
All was quiet at first, when suddenly, a haze of blue mist appeared causing half of the queen's guards to fall asleep when they inhaled it. A shrill laughter echoed throughout the royal hall.
"Xuan Wu," Sŏndŏk seethed through her teeth as a flickering holographic specter of the Celestial Warrior of Water appeared before her.
"That's Lady Xuan Wu, Your Majesty," Xuan Wu corrected coyly. "Did you enjoy my minions' performances?"
"Do not for once think that you can intimidate me with your cheap tricks, traitor," Sŏndŏk declared. "It will take more than that to persuade me."
"My, my, my. Your tongue is as sharp and cold as your icy heart, Queen Sŏndŏk," Xuan Wu teased. "It's something that we both have in common. And do not fear, for I do intend on doing much worse to you and your subjects. This is nothing more than the tiniest fraction of what I can do to you."
"Last I check, I, Sŏndŏk, am queen! Not you!" Sŏndŏk declared defiantly. "I am not afraid so do your worst!"
"Such foolishness," Xuan Wu laughed, playing with a strand of her hair as if bored. "Really, why do you mortal always insist on the hard way? If you don't hand over your crown within the next two days, my tempest will continue to cover your land in an eternal winter and your entire kingdom will be doomed to die in the bitter cold."
"The House of Silla has ruled this kingdom for centuries," Sŏndŏk said as she composed herself with dignity. "If I am to be the last ruler of this kingdom, then so be it. I would rather die than let you steal my crown."
"That crown was fashioned by my father, the Black Tortoise god! By rights, it should be mine and it will be! You will hand it over in three days or watch your kingdom freezes to death. If you continue to be stubborn, I shall ensure that your people, and even your most trusted allies will turn against you. You have seen what my snow women did to your advisors. Think upon the fact that I can do it ten folds!"
And with that, the holographic image of Xuan Wu disappeared, her sly cackle echoed the hall. Sŏndŏk hated to admit it, but it gave her the chills. The guards and the other advisors slowly opened their eyes and tried to make sense of what just happened. The queen turned to the young advisor who just saved her. It was clear that he's a talented water-wielder.
"I thank you, young man," she said. "However, placing yourself before Xuan Wu like that was perhaps not the wisest of decision. But you have performed admirably and am worthy to be a member of my court."
"I thank you, Your Majesty," the young man bowed deeply, his face still hidden under his gat. "Your well-beings is worth my foolish action."
"I do not believe I have seen your face before," Sŏndŏk noted. "Which could only mean that you were invited into my court by your predecessor...tell me, what is your name?"
The young man looked up and a small light shimmered in his blue eyes. "My name is Kyŏng-su, and it is an honor to be in your service, Your Majesty."
"Counselor Kyŏng-su," the queen mused. "As gratitude for your bravery today, I would like to appoint you as one of my personal viziers. Based on how you've handled the snow women, I could use your water-wielding magic again should they return to steal my crown. What say you?"
Kyŏng-su beamed and bowed. "It would be the highest honor, my lady."
Queen Sŏndŏk smiled and readied herself to leave the throne room. There were many preparation to take if they want to continue to defy Xuan Wu's assault. Everyone followed her out, along with Kyŏng-su, as they returned to their quarters.
Once he was sure he was alone, Kyŏng-su took off his disguise and looked into the mirror hanging on the wall opposite of him. The mirror's smoothed surface reflected that of Kenji Kinomoto's face. He took another step forward towards the mirror and whispered an incantation. The mirror's surface changed and began to show the face of Xuan Wu who smiled with satisfaction as she expects to hear news from him.
"It worked, Lady Xuan Wu," Kenji grinned mischievously. "The Queen of Joseon does not suspect a thing about me. The dark magic which you inculcated me has made me more powerful than before."
"Good, and now that you are amongst her most trusted advisors, you'll do well to play your part and convince her of the benefit in handing her crown over to me."
"And then will you deliver what is promised to me?" he asked.
"Do not fear, my little pet," Xuan Wu smiled. "Your deep hatred for your father and kinsmen is highly admirable, and betraying them for your own selfish desire touches my frozen heart. Therefore, the other Celestial Warriors and I will make you our sole Guardian. But first, you must help us in our quests to realize our dreams for Lusteria. Assist us in bringing down the monarchies for both Joseon and Nihon, then I will see to it that your desire for power and revenge comes to fruition."
"Music to my ears," Kenji whispered. "The role of Guardianship should have been mine long ago! I want to see my dear cousin Kyochi dead and the Jewel of Life ripped from Kimi's cold hands!"
"Patience, my pet," Xuan Wu said. "We will kill the Guardians in due time, but for now, we might need them alive as leverage against your father for our siege against Nihon."
"Surely you don't need to spare all of them?" Kenji asked.
"Killing them all now would be such a bother as I do have other things to attend to," Xuan Qu replied lazily.
"Then perhaps I could send someone I know to eliminate a few of these Guardians for you?" Kenji suggested slyly. "Then you would have less to deal with later on and at least one Guardian left to use as your leverage?"
The idea intrigues Xuan Wu. As the Lady of Sloth, she doesn't like to be bothered with too many things and doesn't like to exercise her skills in killing, no matter how much she enjoys doing them from time to time.
"Very well, boy," she said at last. She blew a kiss and a blue mist poured through the mirror to reveal a glass vial. "This potion has my special power to control and influence anyone's mind. While it won't be effective on the Queen of Joseon, it will work on your assassins."
Kenji smiled as he picked up the vial. Bowing towards the mirror, he transformed back into the water-wielding Counselor Kyŏng-su and said, "I humbly thank you for your help, my lady."
Xuan Wu scoffed. "Thanks are pointless. Now see to it that you put it to good use!"
As Counselor Kyŏng-su left his quarter, a figure appeared from the shadow. The Celestial Warrior of Fire had been watching the entire conversation. Zhu Que raised one eyebrow in interest as he decided how he was going to interfere on behalf of Hwanf-Ryong.
After carrying Kimi's unconscious body into her room upstairs, the others went back to discuss what happened while Hay Lin and the Jade Dragon stayed and watched over the girl. After Irma commented on how empty and boring Kimi's Japanese styled room was, Will pushed her and dragged her down the stairs in a hurry.
Taranee sat down on a couch and shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe Kimi tried to attack us."
Irma glared at her and scoffed, "Really? Because I'm not surprised at all! Remember when we first met her? She already tried to kill us before and that was when she's sane."
"No, Irma," Will said. "She didn't mean any of it."
"You sure about that, Will?" Cornelia spat. "Because it was me who was on the receiving end of her wrath a moment ago."
"It's official! She's delirious!" Irma cried.
"Stop it, you two!" Orube scolded, giving Cornelia and Irma an warning glare. "What's done is done and getting frustrated over it isn't helping—"
"Of course, we're frustrated!" Cornelia yelled. "A cold-hearted Celestial Warrior killed our friend and now his daughter is a blood-thirsty Guardian who would even attack her own friends to get revenge! Why wouldn't we be frustrated about this?!"
"Kimi's just desperate and attacked us because we tried to stop her," Orube clarified firmly. "Right now, she needs us more than she knows."
"Why would you even defend her?" Irma questioned. She stood up and tried to match Orube's glare.
"Because Kimi's suffering and right now she needs your help."
Irma crossed her arms and scoffed. "Hmph! Like you would know anything about suffering, don't you?"
Orube gasped and looked across the living room, eying a book that's lying on an alcove next to her sword.
"Yes…I would, Irma."
Irma followed her gaze and realized that it was Jonathan Ludmoore's book…the one where they were sucked into its world years ago and where Cedric died saving Orube. Irma realized her mistake because Cedric's death was very similar to Kohaku in which both men sacrificed themselves and died. Cedric's demise left Orube devastated to the point that she decided to leave her friends, pushing them away as she returned to Kandrakar and her home world alone.
"Orube, I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
"I've never told any of this before, but when Cedric was still alive…he…he made me feel at home," Orube began slowly, her voice barely a whisper. "Yes, I knew he was bad…but during our times together in his store, he showed me some of his books…and when we talked with one another, we felt connected. After all…Cedric and I were both aliens on a foreign world. I knew I had you as my friends, but at the same time, the feelings of loneliness plagued me as I continued my cover as Rebecca Rudolph. And as much as Cedric was deceptive, I knew that there was still a glimmer of good in him and that I could bring it out."
There was a pause, but Cornelia and Irma didn't want to interrupt for they were starting to feel a bit guilty for lashing out earlier. They watched in silence as Orube walked over to the alcove and picked up Ludmoore's book with one hand and stroke it sadly with the other.
"When Cedric was gone…my world and my heart became cold and empty…there was nothing left for me here on Earth. I decided to leave and live with my pain…I still live with it now. Whenever I look at this book, I am reminded of what it truly means to experience love and to suffer when it's viciously taken from you. So yes, I do understand what it means to suffer, Irma."
Irma looked down, unable to look at Orube as her head hung in shame.
Will suddenly remembered what she saw in her dream and nodded in agreement.
"Kimi's right, girls," Will started, grabbing the others' attentions. She looked up at the stairs that leads to Kimi's room. The Jade Dragon emerged, closing the door behind her, leaving Hay Lin behind to look after the unconscious Guardian of Light for the time being. "We can't truly understand the pain and anguish she's going through. I mean, look at how the Kinomoto clan treated her! Since her mom died, almost everyone in her family treated her like dirt! To them, she was the traitor's daughter! Practically the only other person who was nice to her was Chancellor Komei!
"Even when Kandrakar sent the talismans to chose Kimi and Kyochi as their new Twin Guardians, the Kinomoto clan didn't feel that it was her right to be the Guardian of Light. It's no wonder Kimi has been treating us with such hostility."
Will sighed, but then noticed how quiet it was. She looked up to see Orube and Ngọc Long giving each other surprised glances before scrutinizing her.
"What?" she asked.
"Will, how did you know all of this?" Orube questioned. "How did you know that the other Kinomoto clan members viewed Kimi as a traitor's daughter?"
"Didn't you say it once?" Will asked. She glanced at her friends who were now looking at her. They were curious to know how Will knew so much as well.
Orube shook her head. "I only said that some members of the Kinomoto clan are a lot worse than Kimi in comparison. I never told you the other details…"
"Especially the details of how Kandrakar selected its Twin Guardians," Ngọc Long added, her tone suggesting how suspicious she was getting. "Tell me, Keeper of the Heart, how did you come by this information?"
Will rubbed the back of her head sheepishly and shrugged. "A guy I met in a dream told me…well, he showed me, specifically, by using some magical aura-colored cherry blossom tree."
"Wait, what?" Cornelia asked, clearly confused. "Will, you're not making any sense? A guy showed you a vision with a magic tree?"
"You've met a guy?!" Irma asked, clearly interested. Taranee shook her head at Irma's eagerness and rolled her eyes. "Was he cute?"
"I didn't see his face. He was wearing a mask and a hood," Will replied.
"Oooh…the mysterious type, huh? I wonder what Matt will say if he hears this," Irma teased.
"Hmm, I am intrigued by this mysterious masked-figure of yours, Will," Ngọc Long stated. "Would you care to enlighten us?"
"Sorry, I was going to tell you all right after school today," Will defended. "But after what just happened with Kimi, I almost forgot about it."
"Well, now would be a good time to tell us of this new friend of yours," Orube stated seriously.
Will nodded and began her story from the beginning of the dream. She told them about Yami and what he looked like. She described his gentle mannerism and his formal way of talking and how wise and understanding he was. What's surprising to them was the fact that he seemed to know of Kohaku as well as the twins' past. Orube and Ngọc Long seemed very intrigued at the idea that this stranger having the ability to communicate with Will in the world of dreams, especially on how much he knew about her.
"Fascinating, and you said that you do not know his name?" Ngọc Long questioned.
Will shook her head and said, "No, he never told me his real name if he had one, but he said that his title was passed down from one person to the next. What does that mean?"
"In some cultures, a master or a ruler with a great title can pass it down to their successors after death to ensure that their legacy will continue," Ngọc Long explained. "In a sense, it gives the image of that figure immortality, but in doing so, historians and scholars are unable to map an exact list of the successors' identities."
"Who do you think he is?" Taranee asked, pushing the bridge of her glasses up her nose.
Ngọc Long thought for a moment before replying, "I'm not certain for now, but I can only make a hypothesis based on Will's description of his appearance and his name. The name Yami itself means 'darkness' in the language of Nihon, and since he could create his own world in the land of dreams and used it to connect to Will's subconscious mind, I would wager that this Yami is a dreamwalker; a class of mysterious and powerful travelers."
"And what do they do exactly?" Taranee asked, clearly interested in the subject.
"They study dreams and people's subconscious," Ngọc Long replied. "Using their abilities, they enter your dreams and help you understand your mental state and subconscious desires and tries to understand how your lives, emotions, and other experiences affected what you think." The Jade Dragon tapped the side of her head and said, "The mind is a powerful temple and it's only through dreams can we understand what it's capable of. Lord Araël was once a dreamwalker himself before he became the leader of the Gemini Council."
"So this Yami is a new alley?" Cornelia asked. "If he's here to help, then why wear a mask? Doesn't that seemed a little bit too suspicious to you, Will? Don't you remember the last guy who covered his eyes?"
"That thought had crossed my mind, Cornelia, but I think he's wearing a mask because he wished to remain anonymous in a humble way," Will replied. "And he didn't mean any harm, girls. If you had met him, I think you would've understood what I'm trying to convey. He wasn't threatening in his approach, but very…"
"Concerned?" Orube asked and Will nodded.
"And very sincere. It's as if he created that house and that garden in a dream as a place of sanctuary. Never once did I feel on the edge there. The only thing Yami wanted out of me was to know if I thought everyone was born evil. I think Ngọc Long is right and that he really was trying to help me understand what Kimi's going through."
"Right, what does your Yummy friend—" Irma began.
"It's pronounced Yami, Irma."
"Yeah, that's what I just said," Irma shrugged. "So what does your Yummy friend say? How the hell are we going to help Kimi? Does he tell you how to find Kyochi? Or does he even know where the Prince of Darkness is? Because right now, that information could be very useful."
"We help Kimi by putting an end to Xuan Wu's reign," Orube said, stepping in and taking charge. "I understand why she wants to kill that witch, but we can't let Kimi go down that path of revenge. We'll need to find a way to defeat Xuan Wu the same way Will did against Byakko…"
Cornelia clapped her hands excitedly. "Ooh, this could mean that one of us will be able to achieve her new transformation next! Oh, I do hope that mine will be elegant and beautiful. I would look fabulous with those ethereal wings, don't you think?"
"This isn't about fashion, Cornelia," Will snapped. "I almost died in that chasm! If it wasn't for the nymph Xin Jing's help, I probably wouldn't be alive right now."
Cornelia and the others held their tongue as the memory of Will's defeat at Byakko's hand still haunted their minds. In his rage and insanity, he almost killed Will in a very cruel and brutish way. It truly was one of their darkest hours as they watched Will being forced to live through an ordeal that could have resulted in her death.
Holding up a hand, Orube does her best to pacify their dark thoughts. "Look, the important thing is that we've learned a lot from our last battle. Thanks to Will's description of her tribulation, we now know how to defeat a Celestial Warrior."
"Yeah! If Will can defeat Byakko by countering his dark element and Deadly Sin with her own element and a Virtue, we can do the same to Xuan Wu!" Irma said.
"Easier said than done, Irma," Taranee scoffed. "Sure, we have to discover which Virtue counters which Deadly Sins and element against element, but Will said that it's also about discovering ourselves and our hearts…and it's those hearts that has to synchronize with our elements and Virtues at the right time and the right place."
"We have the basics, which is good enough for now," Orube stated. Turning to the Jade Dragon, she gesture for her to pull up a digital map of Lusteria on a virtual screen.
"You will go to the Northern Water Kingdom of Joseon," Ngọc Long began as tabs opened up to show videos of Joseon's mountains, forests, shores, animals, and spirits. "It's a very small nation located in the northern hemisphere ruled by Queen Sŏndŏk."
Ngọc Long waved her hand and the tabs changed to show images of Xuan Wu and a young woman who seemed to be in her mid-twenties wearing a golden crown on her head. "Unlike the Emperor of Zhong-guo, her right to rule does not lie within her throne but her crown."
"Like Elyon and her Crown of Light," Cornelia commented. "Does Sŏndŏk's crown give her special powers, too?"
"It endows her with knowledge of the stars and can shield her body, spirit, and mind from foreign entities," Ngọc Long answered. Turning to Irma, their caretaker asked, "Do you recall your first encounter with Xuan Wu, Water Guardian?"
Irma winced and remembered how Kimi slapped her face, trying to wake Irma from Xuan Wu's hypnotic spell. "Yeah. Did you have to remind me? Making me want to fight my friends wasn't that fun."
"So how do we avoid falling under her control?" said a voice coming from the stairs. They looked up to see Hay Lin finally coming down to join their battle plan. "Kimi's still asleep. I don't think she'll wake up any time soon. So, I heard you talking about Xuan Wu's special ability. How do we avoid it?"
"This ability would require Xuan Wu to capture your full attention in order to control your mind. And it's best not to look into her eyes while she's doing it," Ngọc Long replied. "Fortunately for us, the magic in Queen Sŏndŏk's crown prevents her from falling under Xuan Wu's spell, so she'll have to rely on other methods to force the queen in handing over her crown out of her free will." A new interface showed them an image of a snow storm in Joseon.
"She's also the Lady of Sloth and our magical probes have picked up scans of drastically changing temperatures in the atmosphere. Xuan Wu is inducing her Deadly Sin into Sŏndŏk's people through a powerful blizzard in order to force her hand."
"So her ultimatum is to have Queen Sŏndŏk surrender her crown or watch her entire subjects succumb to sleep from a deadly blizzard?" Hay Lin asked. The very thought of sleeping and freezing to death terrifies her.
Ngọc Long nodded solemnly. "Yes, but I'm afraid the blizzard is just the beginning. Xuan Wu has other more horrendous methods in mind and the longer Sŏndŏk tries to defy her, the more likely she'll unleash them."
"Then we'll defeat her before things could get much worse for everyone's sake," Orube confirmed. "Where is Xuan Wu's hideout located in?"
Ngọc Long turned around as the digital map of Joseon zoomed in to show a tall, lonely mountain in the middle of a very large moor. Everything was covered in ice and snow. "Xuan Wu's ice palace is located on this mountain. Unfortunately, there are miles of empty fields from all sides, so sneaking up on her is nearly impossible without a cover."
"We could fly in from behind while invisible," Will suggested. "Perhaps we could blend in under the cover of a fog or—"
THUD! THUD! BANG! SPLASH!
Everyone jumped as the sound upstairs startled them and stopped suddenly just as it began. For a second, no one said or do anything except stare at the stairs leading towards the second floor.
"What the hell was that?" Irma asked.
"Kimi!" Orube frown and ran for the stairs. The others quickly followed her.
"Dammit! She must have woken up and is throwing a tantrum!" Orube cursed as she and the others ran passed Orube's bedroom and the upstairs bathroom. Ngọc Long followed them from behind, but instead she stopped and stared into the bathroom. Once they have reached Kimi's quarter at the end of the hallway, Orube kicked the door open.
There Kimi lay in her bed with her eyes closed and her chest rising steadily. Will and her friends let out a sigh of relief. But Orube frowned and was not convinced. She walked up to the sleeping girl and bended over her and…took a whiff like a cat.
Cornelia raised an eyebrow and gave her friends a confused look. "Orube, why are you sniffing her?" she whispered. "It must have been something else. Kimi's still unconscious."
"No," Orube replied darkly and grabbed the girl's shoulder. "She's not!"
Kimi's eyes snapped opened as Orube shook her viciously. The girls ran in, trying to stop Orube for fear that their leader will throttle Kimi next.
"What are you doing?" Will cried. "Leave her alone!"
Fortunately, the older woman did release her grip on the girl, but continued to glare warningly at her. "This isn't Kimi!" Orube growled. "Her scent is different."
"What do you mean?" Taranee asked as Kimi gave them all a dazed expression. "It can't be a holographic specter…is it?"
"No…this isn't Kimi. It's an Astral Drop," Orube replied. At this moment, the Guardians' expression changed from that of confusion to shock as Astral Drop Kimi's lips slowly curled up into a mischievous smile.
Orube growled, furious at herself. "She played us for fools! She was waiting for Hay Lin to leave and took off, leaving this living copy of herself behind!" Grabbing the Astral Drop by the shoulders again, Orube demanded, "Where is your creator?"
Astral Drop Kimi shrugged, unfazed by the older woman's threat. "How should I know? She summoned me into existence from limbo and said that I can do whatever I want while she went off somewhere to take care of business."
Orube yelled in frustration and released the Astral Drop. She furiously pushed past the other girls and went into the hallway. Without thinking, she slammed her fist into the wall, leaving a large hole and a small cloud of dust in its wake. She didn't care if Ngọc Long was going to be upset with her about it. Once Orube calmed down, Hay Lin gathered her courage and cautiously asked, "Orube, you're our leader and you know Kimi better than us right now. So we'll follow your lead."
Will nodded encouragingly. "You're right, Orube. We have to stop Kimi before she gets herself killed. We're ready when you are."
Orube nodded and glanced at her friends. She quickly went into her room and came out donning her crimson red warrior outfit. Its fiery embroiders shimmered at the hems of her sleeves fiercely. "What's done is done," she started, adjusting her black, fingerless-gloves. "I may not have been able to save Cedric, but I can still save Kimi from making a terrible mistake. It's time for us to go to Joseon and do what we do best."
Will smiled and together with the others, transformed. "Yeah, and while we're at it, we're going to find a way and put a dent in Xuan Wu's blizzard."
"There is one problem," Irma noted and everyone gave her an annoyed look. She quickly held up her hands in defense. "Hey, I just wondered where the portal to Lusteria is this time, that's all. Let's hope that it's not in a small closet."
"You don't have to worry about that, Irma. I've placed the portal somewhere more...traditional," Ngọc Long spoke up from down the hallway.
She gestured them to follow her as she disappeared into the upstairs bathroom. However, inside was a larger room with traditional Japanese-styled wooden square-shaped boxes. Next to each box were iron-casted heaters with small piles of wood next to them. Hay Lin and Taranee gasped, knowing full well that this was a miniature sento, a Japanese bathhouse. They were not the only one surprised, for Cornelia gapped with her mouth opened upon seeing how large this was compared to the master bathroom in her penthouse.
All of the wooden boxes were empty, saved for the one at the far end of the room. The Jade Dragon stood in front of it and gestured for them to come closer to see that it was filled to the rim with hot water. The water wasn't clear and gave off a strange scent that Cornelia could only guess was herbal. Steams were coming out and even if it was't, they couldn't see the bottom of the tub. The floor around it was covered in puddles and there was a large wooden lid thrown carelessly to the side. It explained the thudding and the splashing sound they heard earlier: Kimi had discovered where Ngọc Long placed the portal and jumped in.
Irma gave Ngọc Long a quizzical expression. "Wait…you put the portal in a bathtub?!"
"The water in this tub comes from a natural and spiritual hot spring in the Hyeonmu Forests located in Joseon. Jumping in would have taken you close enough to your next destination. If you wished to help your fellow Guardian from making a mistake, I would suggest you stop pondering my choices of where I choose to put the portals in this house and dive in."
"Well, I guess it's better than a cramp closet," Irma laughed sheepishly. "Plus, we haven't visited Warmwater Spa in a long time so a trip to a hot spring sounds good!"
The Jade Dragon said nothing to comment this joke. Instead, she held out her hand and blew out a stream of magical fire. It danced around the six girls and when it disappeared, six white fur-rimmed hooded cloaks appeared around them. Cornelia gasped and twirled herself in delight.
"How lovely!"
"These enchanted cloaks should be enough to protect you from the freezing cold weather and provide necessary camouflage in the mountains," Ngọc Long said.
"Stylish and helpful…I love it!" Cornelia smiled and clapped her hands in delight.
"We're wasting time talking here, girls," Orube ordered as she brandished her sword over her shoulder. "Into the portal now!"
"Okay, okay," Irma huffed as she dove in first.
The Jade Dragon gave them a final nod and wished them luck on their mission. One by one, each Guardian jumped into the water and disappeared on the other side of the Veil. Their exit created such a commotion that Kimi's Astral Drop couldn't help but poke her head in for a look and caught Orube's attention. The warrior from Basilíade watched as the fifth Guardian jumped into the portal, causing the water to splash out.
Turning to face the Jade Dragon, Orube nodded with determination. "We'll bring her back, I promised."
Lady Ngọc Long shook her head. "Do not any promises you might not be able to keep, for I fear that Xuan Wu will make it very difficult for any of you to succeed."
Orube took one last glance at Kimi's Astral Drop who was still lingering in the doorway, curiously watching the two of them talk.
"We'll see about that," Orube said. "In the meantime, will you watch over her Astral Drop and make sure she doesn't get into trouble?"
Ngọc Long nodded and silently watched Orube taking a deep breath before jumping into the water.
Astral Drop Kimi blinked and walked up to the old dragon lady and innocently asked, "Is there anything to eat? I'm ravenous."
To be continued…
Cultural references:
Kenji Kinomoto first appeared in "Brave New World pt. II" a few chapters back. For those of you who don't remember, he's the adopted son of Chancellor Komei and the Twin Guardians' sadistic cousin.
The Northern Water Kingdom of Joseon is Lusteria's version of Korea. "Joseon" is the name of a Korean kingdom that lasted for five centuries from 1392 to 1897.
Queen Sŏndŏk was based on a real Korean queen named Seondeok. She reined as Queen of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, from 632 to 647 and really did wear a golden crown that has tree-shaped prongs on all sides. *Google "Crowns of Silla".
A sento is a traditional Japanese bathhouse. If you saw Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away", you'll know why bathing is important.
Yes, Kimi and Kyochi still have their Astral Drops, although unlike Will and the others, they don't used theirs as often. I plan on bringing back the other Guardians' Astral Drops into this story far into the future.
Story Trivia: Did you know that Kenji Kinomoto wasn't supposed to appear again in this story? Originally, he wasn't supposed in the manuscript either, but like Kohaku Watsuki, I found myself writing him into the script as I continued to type. Like other characters who were created along the way, I find myself wanting him to play at least a bigger role during the girls' mission on Lusteria.