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. III
Cornelia Hale was drowning.
She opened her eyes, looking around her environment after jumping into the portal and was shocked, for there was nothing around her but endless darkness and water. Cornelia desperately tried kicking her legs and moving her arms, but being such a terrible swimmer she knew she was in danger of drowning. There was a source of light coming from above, but Cornelia doubt that she'll be strong enough to reach it.
Fear and frantic thoughts quickly invaded her mind, taunting Cornelia with ideas of drowning and dying in a watery grave. It was her worst fear and at this moment, she thought that it was going to happen to her!
Suddenly, she felt the water around her moving as if it was propelling her upward towards the surface. Someone grabbed her by the arms and pulled her out. Cornelia gasped for breath quickly. She really wanted to strangle their caretaker right now for putting the portal underwater! Luckily, Irma must have used her water magic to save her. Cornelia was about to turn around and thank Irma, but instead of the Water Guardian's spunky smile, it was the face of an animal and it was grinning at her! Cornelia quickly looked around and realized that the hot spring was surrounded by…
"AAAHHH! MONKEYS! EW! EW! EW!" Cornelia shrieked as she got up and ran towards the others who were waiting at the edge of the spring. They tried to tell her to calm down, for she was never in any real danger of drowning, but Cornelia's only current thought was having her perfect skin and gorgeous blond hair touched by a primate. "EW! A MONKEY JUST TOUCHED ME! BAD MONKEY! BAD, BAD, BAD!"
The primate that saved her winced as if its feelings were hurt before finally barking at her. Another primate came up next to him and glared at Cornelia with disdain.
"How rude!" said the monkey, placing both hands on its hips, much to the Guardians' surprise. "I'll have you know that we are snow macaques! My son just saved your life since it's obvious that you can't swim, even in a five foot hot spring…and this is the thanks you gave him?!"
"You…you…you…can talk?" Cornelia stammered and the macaques looked at her as if she had asked the most stupid question in the world.
"Of course they can, Cornelia," Hay Lin whispered to her. "They're spirits."
"And if you don't want two hundred of them chasing us through Lusterian wilderness like the last time, I'd suggest you apologized to that snow macaque," Irma hissed. "Now!"
Cornelia hesitantly came up to the male primate that saved her and nervously whispered an "I'm sorry." Unsatisfied, the mountain spirit held out his wet arm, causing the Earth Guardian to grimace. She glanced back at her friends but was met with warning glares, telling her not to mess it up. Cornelia gulped and hesitantly held out her hand and almost shrieked when the snow macaque gingerly grabbed her palm and happily stroke it while giving her a big grin. It creeps her out. Cornelia quickly assumed that he was done forgiving her and yanked her hand back again, only this time without screaming. The mother snow macaque scoffed, clearly still insulted.
"Honestly, I have never seen a ruder Guardian!" she said. "Mind you, that other one with voluminous, blue-wavy hair didn't greet us either, but at least she didn't throw us insults before she—"
"You saw Kimi?" Orube asked the spirit. "The Guardian of Light has been through here as well?"
"Of course, we saw her!" the spirit huffed while her fellow spirits started to groom each other while continuing to keep warm in the hot spring. "Too busy looking angry to even mutter a proper greeting. Instead, she just acted as if we weren't here before she took off!"
"That's not true, Mother," said the male snow macaque. "She did ask us where the Ice Palace of the Celestial Warrior was located."
"Please, will you tell us which direction she went?" Orube asked. "It is imperative that we find her."
"Always in a hurry, aren't you?" the female macaque asked. Huffing she turned her back towards the warrior from Basilíade and jumped back into the warmth water. "I've seen sloth spirits more calm than you lot of hairless apes!"
Irma frowned, not appreciating the insult and wanted to make a snarky comment. However, it was the son who spoke up before she could get a chance.
"The Ice Palace is that way," he said, pointing behind them. "The Light Guardian was going pretty fast, so I doubt that you'll be able to catch up to her."
"Thank you for your assistance," Orube nodded. "We'll leave you to attend to your replenishing time."
The spirit grinned, baring his white teeth and waved, "Farewell, pretty Guardian! It has been an honor to hold your lovely hand."
Cornelia shivered as she forced a smile at him before quickly turning around to catch up with her friends. Will and Irma were kneeling down to inspect a patch of snow tracks.
"Anything?" Taranee asked.
"Oh, yeah. The girl with the heart of ice has been through here, alright!" Irma smirked, pointing down to a couple of boot prints in the snow. "Know anyone else wearing those sized-seven boots? Unless those snow macaques found them to be comfortable to wear. Speaking of which, how's your new admirer, Corny. I'm sure Peter would just love to hear it."
Cornelia rolled her eyes and quickly pinched Irma for her joke. "That's not funny, Irma! I almost drown back there! One minute I was underwater with no air to breath and the next thing, an ugly monkey—"
"—Macaques," Irma corrected.
"—Whatever! One was staring at me in the face!"
"Talk any louder, why don't you because we're still in ear-shot of them over there!" Taranee rolled her eyes in annoyance. Silently, she prayed that the primates were too busy relaxing in their own natural hot tubs to even care anymore.
"Cornelia, I told you before," Hay Lin said, trying to calm her friend down. "You weren't in any real danger of drowning. None of us were. The endless depth of water was nothing more than a transitional phase after passing through a portal. Kinda like an illusion while you're inside a tunnel. And have you noticed that once we came out, we're not wet?"
Cornelia never really realized that and looked down. Sure enough, she wasn't dripping wet from the hot spring! Was being underwater really just an illusion? Cornelia shudders as if the very thought made her cold.
"It's just…I'm still not a very good swimmer, Hay Lin," Cornelia said. "And for a moment there, I thought that I was actually drowning. I have never been so terrified and seeing a primate pulling me out of there didn't help."
Hay Lin nodded in understanding and gave her friend a quick hug.
Will finished her inspection and returned her attention back to her friends. "Well, I hope that you're better at coming up with a way of catching up to Kimi, Cornelia, because I can sense her magical energy trail and it's moving further and faster away from us."
"How did she move so quickly through the snow?" Hay Lin asked.
Will pointed to the prints and the girls saw that the boot marks disappeared and turned into a very flat impression in the snow as if Kimi switched to wearing skiis or…
"Snowboard," Will stated. "I'm guessing she must have manifested one from hard light and used her power to propel herself forward. So, anyone got any bright ideas or do we have to fly in the cold?"
"I have an idea!" Irma said, raising her hand up as if still in class. Before her friends could question her, Irma smiled and quickly used her manifestation power to conjure up four vehicles. It wasn't anything difficult. After all, Irma had used her powers to conjure up a brand new motorcycle for her boyfriend, Stephen, once. However, a motorcycle wasn't practical for snowy mountains, but Irma has come prepared.
"Snowmobiles!" Hay Lin cried happily, clapping her hands together before jumping on one.
"I've never drove one before," Taranee smiled as she slide in the seat behind Hay Lin.
"Practical and stylish," Cornelia mused, stroking one by the handle. "We'll get to the Ice Palace in no time with these."
"Nice job, Irma," Will smiled.
Cornelia took her position to sit in the front while Irma jumped into the seat behind her. She had rode with Peter on his motorcycle long enough to know the basic. Hay Lin took the helm on hers with Taranee behind her and Will gestured for Orube to sit with her. The older woman was hesitant at first, but did not say anything to voice her discomfort when the engines roared to life.
"Alright, girls, let's go," Will said as they began to ride off.
Kenji Kinomoto quietly snuck out of the palace and into a manor across the street. It belonged to the real Counselor Kyŏng-su, who was currently still in a coma upstairs in a hidden room. Upon entering, Kenji noticed two pairs of identical winter robes hanging on the wall and knew that he had guests. Taking off his disguise, he entered the tea room to greet his cousin and fiancé, Kiyomi Kinomoto and her younger twin sister, Kazumi. They were waiting for him with expressions of annoyance on their porcelain doll-liked faces.
"Kenji, what is the meaning of this?" Kiyomi demanded. "You were supposed to accompany me and Kazumi-chan to Uncle Kohaku's funeral last week!"
"The Chancellor was less than pleased of your absence, dear cousin," Kazumi added.
Ignoring his future sister-in-law, Kenji turned his attention back to his betrothed. "My love, it wasn't that long ago that you and the rest of our clan showed contempt for our fallen uncle. After all, he did kill our sweet Aunt Kotone, didn't he?"
"True, but the battle between the Guardians and the fearsome Byakko said otherwise," Kiyomi pointed out. "Our uncle died magnificently and deserves to have his honor restored."
"Of course, but you must forgive me for I was needed elsewhere," Kenji stated.
"Do enlighten us," Kazumi said darkly. "I am certain that our journey from Nihon wasn't tiring enough."
"Then perhaps some tea would replenish your strength?" Kenji offered and went off to quickly brew a pot. Once he was certain his fiancé and her sister weren't looking, he secretly poured Xuan Wu's mind enthralling potion into the mix. Faking common courtesy, he offered the two sisters some and smiled as he watched them drink it without question.
"As you know, I have come here to Joseon in order to aid the Queen against the Celestial Warriors' assault," he began. "Lady Xuan Wu will stop at nothing to get her hands on the Queen's crown."
"And what makes you think you can stop her?" Kazumi asked.
Kenji swallowed his attempt to growl at her for the insult and said, "Because I am the son of the famous Chancellor Komei Kinomoto—"
"You mean adopted son," Kazumi pointed out.
Kenji wanted to slap her but knew better and decided to continue his cool. "Nevertheless, the Queen of Joseon has her own reasons for calling me to her court. If I were to be successful, our future will be brighter than before. Wouldn't you like a new husband from a royal court, Kazumi?"
"Are you toying with me?" Kazumi growled as tiny, magical spheres of light began to crackle around her. "Just because Seiji died, doesn't mean—"
"The Elders of our clan will find you another husband?" Kenji interrupted, shaking his head. "My dear, that was two years ago, and you're still a widow. Tell me, what man would want to marry someone who was already married once? To them, you're just a used trophy—"
"Kenji!" Kiyomi glared, placing her hands on her sister's shoulders. But he held up a hand so that he may finish.
"However, if I were to put in a good word with Queen Sŏndŏk, she could find you a more suitable husband from her royal court…a prince, perhaps? And Kiyomi?" He glanced at his future-bride. "Your sister's future wouldn't be the only one ensured. If I could help the queen here, our future together would be realized as it should be."
The proposal was very tempting and it sounded almost too good to be true. Kenji came closer to Kiyomi and took her hands in his. "Don't you see, my love? You and Kazumi could have what you deserve: A more privileged life with me and a potential member of Sŏndŏk's royal court."
"Kenji…" Kiyomi began and Kenji saw that her eyes were slowly showing signs of her mind being susceptible to his words. The potion was working. He'll need to push it further along.
"You're betrothed to me, an adopted son of the legendary Chancellor Komei," Kenji whispered. "I don't have the blood of the first Twin Guardians and will never be considered a potential candidate by Kandrakar. But you and Kazumi are! Yet your glory was taken by Kimi and Kyochi! And now with Senji dead, the three of us are doomed to disappear in a sea of hundreds of Kinomoto clan members. We'll always be outshine by our relatives! And to add insult to injury, our Guardian cousins are related to Nihon's Crown Princess! Isn't it time for us to launch ourselves up the social class and be recognized?!"
"I never liked Kimi that much. She didn't even bother to show up at her own father's funeral here. There is no honor in that!" Kazumi glowered and seethed her teeth. Kenji smiled when he noticed that her eyes were starting to show signs of being influenced as well. Perfect.
"Indeed," Kenji nodded. "This is why I would ask you for your assistance."
"Which is?"
"To stop her and the other Earthling Guardians from reaching this place," Kenji lied. "You see, I have already proposed a plan to Queen Sŏndŏk in how to protect her crown. She has already taken to my liking and will listen to what I have to say. I am certain that my plan to save Joseon will work and the queen's praise will elevate our future for the better, my love. However, our dear Cousin Kimi is currently on her way here to change that."
Kiyomi frowned and Kenji decided to tempt her further with his lies.
"She means to take the queen to Kandrakar, or worse, that disgusting back-watered planet Earth," Kenji said as his lies continued to poison their minds. "And I'm sure you'll know what the queen will think of the Guardians if that happens…"
"We'll need to stop them," Kiyomi decided. Her twin seemed a bit unsure about this and nodded hesitantly.
Taking Kenji's hands, Kiyomi assured him, "We'll try to halt their advances. Do not delay in convincing the queen of your plan. I'll pray that you'll not fail to convince her as you haven't with me."
Kenji smiled and teasingly asked, "You doubt me, my love?"
Kiyomi was about to say something, but her sister pulled her aside for the moment. "Nee-san, I'll admit that I don't fancy Kimi-chan, but are you sure it's wise to stop her and those other Guardians? Wouldn't Kandrakar and the Chancellor be furious about this?"
Being a light-wielder, a part of Kazumi's mind was trying to resist Xuan Wu's potion. Kenji cursed quietly to himself for not adding an extra dose to her tea, but decided on another plan that will surely convince her otherwise.
He discreetly snapped his fingers behind his back and suddenly there was a light knock on the window. He opened it, pretending that it was a messenger and sure enough, there was a little dove made of snow perched on the sill. In its beak was a tiny scroll which Kenji carefully unraveled and read.
"What is it?" Kazumi demanded.
Putting on his best somber expression, Kenji spoke with sadness in his voice. "Don't you find your husband's death a bit strange, Kazumi-chan?"
Kazumi gulped as Seiji's death began to haunt her. The two arrows that killed him were never found and the Chancellor wouldn't tell her who the culprit was, no matter how much she pleaded. Kazumi vowed to take her revenge on the murderer ever since, but she could never find him as she doesn't possess the power to read auras, despite being a light-wielder. When she came to Kimi for help, the Guardian of Light coldly turned her away, stating that it was best to remember her husband as a worthy opponent.
"I could never forgiven Kimi for that," Kazumi whispered under her breath. "She was my only hope left of finding Seiji's murderer…and yet she refused…"
"I understand," Kenji said. "Which was why I requested Queen Sŏndŏk for help. She had one of her forensic investigators look into it and he has sent me the result. I am afraid…there was a reason why Kimi refused to help you…"
Kazumi's eyes widen. "What do you mean? She knew who the culprit was?!" Kazumi demanded.
Kenji gave her the scroll and Kazumi snatched it out of his hands to read it frantically. Her eyes and mouth opened in shock which was concerning for her sister. The younger twin read the letter again and again. Each time, her hands began to tremble more and more until they glowed white and magically disintegrated the paper.
Kiyomi approached her cautiously and asked, "Kazumi…are you alright?"
Kazumi's eyes turned dark and sinister. She coldly looked at her sister and nodded. "Forget what I said before and to hell with Kandrakar! I am going to kill Kimi Watsuki for this!"
Kenji smiled secretly as he watched the two sisters preparing themselves to leave. Once they were gone, he stoppered the vial and grinned. He wasn't above using his own future wife to do his wicked deed. Even if it means feeding poisonous thoughts into her mind as well as her sister's, it was worth it. He quickly changed back into his disguised and left for an audience with the queen.
Unbeknownst to him, the Celestial Warrior of Fire had been watching the entire thing silently in the dark.
Kimi was going as fast as she could across the snow plains, mentally commanding her light-constructed snowboard to stay its course. Her enchanted white fur-rimmed cloak billowed behind her in the wind, and while it was doing its job in protecting her from freezing cold temperature, it could do nothing to thaw her frozen heart. She was determined to end Xuan Wu's life even if it kills her.
The Guardian of Light hissed in annoyance as she remembered the event at their headquarters. Furious at Orube for trying to confine her to base, Kimi's mind snapped and attack her friends. Unfortunately, someone knocked her unconscious and carried her to her room. It was most likely her host parent, the Jade Dragon. They hoped that Kimi would stay unconscious long enough for them to discuss and plan their next move and head straight for Lusteria. Unfortunately for them, Kimi's aura reading ability kicked in as her self-defense mechanism, causing her to wake up earlier than anticipated. She waited for Hay Lin to leave and quietly eavesdropped on their plan. Once she knew where Xuan Wu's Ice Palace was located, she quickly summoned her Astral Drop and transformed. The Jewel of Life showed her where Ngọc Long had hidden the portal and it leads her towards the bathhouse.
Despite her success in escaping her friends, the memory was still a little bit too sour for her taste. Do you think you can chain me and lock me away? In silence, I will escape! Kimi thought as she lean to the right to avoid a bolder.
No, forget Orube! Forget Will and the others! This is something Kimi must perform and she must do it before the others—
"Kimi! Stop!" cried a voice in the distance.
Glancing behind her, Kimi could make out tiny spots in the distance and they were moving in fast! She realized that the others were gaining on her!
Frustrated, Kimi tried to make her board go faster by propelling herself with blasts of light from her hands like a rocket. The wind and snow bit at her cheeks as she moved closer towards her destination. Seeing how determined Kimi was to get away from them, the others stepped on the gas pedals. At last, Will and Orube managed to come up to Kimi's right side at full speed with the others not too far behind.
"Kimi! You need to stop!" Orube cried over the howling wind. "We're trying to help you!"
"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Kimi roared, "AND I DON'T WANT IT!"
Without any warning, Kimi shot several light-constructed daggers at her friends, hoping to slow them down. However, Irma and Hay Lin quickly used their tambourine and fans as shields to block them.
"Did she just fire at us?!" Cornelia demanded when one dagger came a little too close for comfort. It managed to cut five strands of her hair clean off in a blink of an eye.
Hay Lin swiped her fans at them, deflecting the daggers right back at Kimi who avoided the counter attacks.
"What do you expect? She lost her mind?!" Irma snapped.
"Kimi! This has to stop!" Orube cried. "Cease your thirst for vendetta and come home!"
"Don't try to stop me!" Kimi snapped.
"Don't force me to use my new powers on you, Kimi!" Will warned.
Kimi's response was to conjure up several pillars of hard light and ram them down behind her. The others yelped as they tried to steer their snowmobiles and weaved their way around the giant obstacles.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Cornelia screamed, waving her fist angrily as she tried to steer left then right.
"That's it! You want to play? Then let's play!" Irma screamed. She stretched out one hand and quickly melted some of the snow on the ground into a water stream and aimed it at Kimi's board. She missed and fired several more streams until one of them finally hit its mark, sending Kimi flying.
"Bull's eye!" Irma cheered.
However, Kimi landed on her feet and skidded backwards. She came to a stop and raised her head, her expression hinting just how annoyed she was. Before they knew it, Kimi's eyes glowed white as she raised a wall of hard light in front of them.
"Get off! Now!" Orube ordered as Will grabbed her and lifted the two of them into the sky. The others followed suit and abandoned their vehicles, leaving their transportation to crash into the thick wall.
"She's really nuts!" Taranee glared.
"Urgh! I have enough of this!" Cornelia yelled and dove in. Kimi quickly got into a fighting position, daring the Earth Guardian to try anything. Cornelia was just about to hit the crazy Light Guardian with an earth energy blast when suddenly, pockets of snow on the ground around them exploded.
"What was that?!" Hay Lin cried. "Is this a mine field?"
"KIMI WATSUKI!" cried a new voice. The Guardians and Orube looked up to see two figures coming in quickly with a murderous intent on their faces. They One was flying by riding light waves while her companion was ride dark waves. The one who cried Kimi's name took aim and shot several bolts of light at her. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
Kimi scoffed and conjured up a wall to block the murderous girl's attack. This seemed to tick the new light-wielder off while her sister shot black arrows at Orube and the other Guardians.
"Get behind me, girls!" Orube ordered as she tried to cut a few arrows down with her sword.
"Friends of yours?" Irma asked sarcastically.
"No, they're Kimi's cousins," Orube answered. "Kiyomi and Kazumi Kinomoto. I don't understand why they're attacking us!"
"More cousins trying to attack us? Just how insane is this family?"
Kimi ignored them and tried to make a break for it, but her cousins blocked her path by firing volleys of light and dark energy spheres at her. Kimi turned around and shot them both venomous glares. The feeling was mutual for Kazumi who landed and conjured a katana construct.
"You!" Kazumi growled, pointing it at Kimi's face. "It was you all this time!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kimi replied coldly.
"DON'T PLAY GAMES WITH ME! YOU KILLED SEIJI! YOU KILLED MY HUSBAND!" Kazumi roared as she charged.
"Should I add you to the list?" Kimi spat. "Frankly, I don't have time to deal with your paranoia at this moment."
"YOU BITCH!" Kazumi screamed and quickly charged forward, swinging her sword. Kimi easily dodged it. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU AND YOUR FILTHY EARTHLING FRIENDS!"
"Wow, that girl really means business…" Hay Lin groaned. Irma smirked and raised her hands, commanding a wall of ice to rise from the snow as their cover while Cornelia and Will quickly went to check up on their friends. Orube kicked Kazumi back and grabbed Kimi and gave her a quick scolding, warning her not to try and run away again. Kimi scoffed, but made no indication in abandoning them to face her cousins' wrath.
"Did you kill him?" Orube demanded, forcing Kimi to look at her. "Was Kazumi right?"
Kimi didn't answer the question as she quickly glanced back at Kazumi who was firing shots at them, causing Irma's ice wall to crack. At this rate, they're going to become exposed any minute.
"What are we going to do?" Hay Lin asked. "These two really have a lot of firepower."
"That's not all. I'm sensing something wrong with their minds," Taranee said, trying to tap into her telepathic powers. "I'm trying to make any truth to their motives, but I can't. It's as if they're under someone's control."
Cornelia's eyes widen in shock. "You don't think it's Xuan Wu, is it?"
The Guardian of Fire nodded. "It's highly possible. However, it seemed as if they're also attacking us out of their own free will…"
"Hmm…looks like something is goading them to kill us. So the important thing right now is to take them out without hurting them too much," Orube said. Turning to Will, she asked, "Will, can you use your new powers to shake them off?"
Will glanced back at their assailants and then noticed the broken remains of the snowmobiles in the distance. A thought came to her head. "I do have something in mind. But I never tried it before."
"Whatever it is, do it!"
"Fine, but I'm going to need some cover and—"
Kimi hissed when one block of ice next to her was shot off from Kazumi's blast. Furiously, she turned around and took to the air. Kazumi screamed and began firing disc-blades at her in mid-air.
"Kazumi, no!" Kiyomi cried, trying to control her sister's rage. "We don't need them dead! Let's just drag Kimi back to Nihon and bring her to justice!"
"NO, NEE-SAN!" Kazumi glared, turning her attention away from her target, which was exactly what Kimi needed. "I AM GOING TO KILL KIMI AND—AH!"
Will had no idea what just happened, but it looked as if Kazumi was hit by a powerful laser beam. It happened again, only this time, Kiyomi was hit and knocked back several feet.
"You really need to stop saying that," Kimi glared as she made a dive for them.
The identical twins quickly flew out of the way and got the upper hand when they started to chase her from behind. Avoiding their volleys, Kimi flew as fast as she could in dizzying circles, hoping to make their heads spin. When that didn't work, she quickly stopped in mid air. Kiyomi gasped, unable to stop as abruptly in mid-air as Kimi which was just want the latter wanted. The Guardian of Light expanded the lamias that consisted of the green ribbons wrapped around her arms lengths like ropes and used them to grab Kiyomi. Kiyomi yelped as Kimi swung her around hard before letting go, slamming her into Kazumi. Both sisters crashed into the ground magnificently in a cloud of snow.
"Hmph! Weaklings," Kimi frowned.
"Okay, I have to admit that that was awesome," Irma said. Turning to Hay Lin, she asked, "How come your ribbons don't do that?" Hay Lin shot her an annoyed look, telling her to drop it.
"Be on guards, girls," Orube ordered. "They're not down yet."
True to her words, the two sisters burst out of the cloud of ice and angrily charged towards their opponents. Moving their hands together in unison, Kiyomi and Kazumi barraged the Guardians with hundreds of light and dark spikes. Kimi weaved her way through them quickly, but one spike did scratch her on the thigh, forcing her to land and rejoin the others.
Quickly, Irma and Cornelia created a barrier of ice and earth, but with so many raining down them at once, they doubt that they'll be able to have time to conjure up another one if these break.
"Urgh! I can't get a clean shot at them!" Taranee cried. Turning to Kimi, she demanded, "Exactly how many crazy cousins do you have?"
Kimi didn't answer her. Instead, she got up and flew towards them. It was the most stupid thing to do, especially when hundreds of spikes are being fired at you at high speed. But Kimi didn't care. She just wanted to get to Xuan Wu's ice palace as fast as possible, and these two are becoming a hindrance to her plan.
To protect herself, Kimi decided to conjure a construct in the shape of a spinning pinwheel. When the sisters' attacks collided with it, the pinwheel's speed deflected their spikes and aimed it right back at them. Kiyomi and Kazumi ducked.
"Here's my chance!" Will cried, using her wings to fly towards the metal debris. "Girls, I need you to cover me!"
"Will, what are you doing?" Orube demanded.
"Putting my idea to use and see if it works!" Will cried.
Unfortunately, Will caught Kiyomi's attention and the older twin raised her hands. Suddenly, giant hands made out of shadows burst out of the ground, attempting to swat her like a bug. Their looks were frightening and creepy, but Will did her best to dodge them as she tried to make her way towards the broken snowmobiles.
"Whatever Will's trying to do, it had better be worth it!" Hay Lin cried, blasting air at the shadow hands. To her frustration, the gust of wind simply went through them. Luckily, Taranee's fireballs were faring much better, causing the shadows to cringe back. Meanwhile, Kazumi and Kimi were busy fighting hand-to-hand combat, and things weren't looking good for Kazumi as Kimi was brutal in her attacks. However, the light-wielder was equally determined, and fought back relentlessly. Both cousins exchanged shots and fires of light spheres, arrows, spikes, and crossing swords and blades.
Will finally arrived at her destination and with a thought, folded in her ethereal wings.
I have got to put a stop to this, Will thought. She knew that energy was everywhere and if she could tap into it and concentrate it to a fine point, she can do something new! Will had tried overloading several electrical appliances as well as some mechanical objects at home with her energy before…but there was one technique she had not tried yet.
Inhaling deeply, Will closed her eyes and summoned her chi and combined it with her new powers. Will began to picture what she wanted in her mind and with her new energy, she zapped the metal pieces. Suddenly, the broken pieces of metal surrounding her began to levitate, shift, and dance around her, all the while molding and reshaping itself into new, interlocking pieces. They folded and transformed, powered by raw energy and began to encase Will's body. Even the glass shields came together to become a helmet.
The sound of shifting metal caught everyone's attention as Will's new armor finished its transformation. Irma and Taranee gapped in awe of her new energized mecha suit. Will smiled, surprised that it actually worked! Satisfied with her result, Will grabbed the controls and ordered her mecha suit to make a high jump, landing between Kimi's cousins and her friends. Her landing caused a small shockwave, pushing the others back. Disoriented, the two sisters got up and were surprised to see Will inside a giant mechanical suit of armor.
"What's the matter, girls? Can't pick on someone twice your size now?" Will smirked.
"I'll tear you apart, Earthling filth!" Kazumi cried. She and her sister threw several light and dark energy blasts at Will, but were surprised to see how harmlessly they bounced off of Will's armor.
Will shrugged and charged. When they tried to jump in to attack her with swords, Will backhanded them. The move knocked both sisters to their feet with speed rival that to Orube's agility. They looked up at Will with great disdain in their eyes.
"Give up, girls!" Irma cheered. "You're no match for our friend here! So do your worst!"
Kazumi and Kiyomi sneered and were just about to take on Irma's challenge with another attack. Suddenly, a giant fire ball came down and hit the ground in front of them, causing both sisters to stumble back. The Guardians stared at them in shock before glancing back at Taranee.
The Guardian of Fire held up her hands in defense, "That wasn't me!"
"Then where did it come from?" Orube demanded.
Without another warning, a giant fiery tornado came swirling down from the sky and drew a wall of flames between the Guardians and their two opponents. Kimi noticed that fear has replaced her cousins' expressions of annoyance. Kazumi and Kiyomi looked up towards the sky where the fiery tornado came from, and began to step back cautiously. Before Kimi could chase after them, they flew away as if their lives depended on it.
Smirking, Irma yelled, "Yeah! You better run! And don't come back!"
"Irma, we have better things to worry about than those two!" Cornelia spat. "Like where did the fire came from and who saved us?!"
Curious as to what changed their opponents so much, the Guardians and Orube turned around to see the Celestial Warrior of Fire hovering behind them. His eyes were glowing white like a newborn star and his entire body was on fire, emitting a terrifying flaming aura around him. The way he carried himself was both magnificent and terrifying.
"Zhu Que!" Kimi growled, glaring at him. Without another word, she flew into the air and started blasting light energy beams at him.
"Kimi, what are you doing?!" Orube cried in horror.
Zhu Que dodged her attacks and roared with a deep, biblical booming voice. "INSOLENT CHILDREN! IS THIS HOW THEE SHOWETH GRATITUDE TO THOSE WHO ASSISTED AGAINST THY ASSASSINS?! I SHOULD KILLETH THEE ALL THIS INSTANT! MINE WRATH WOULD EASILY CONSUME THY SOUL AND SEND YOU TO THE PIT!"
The Guardians watched in horror as the wall of fire on the ground came together with his flaming aura to form a giant pair of wings. Zhu Que glowed brighter and hotter, blinding them with such intensity that they cowered before him. A piercing shriek emitted from him and when they finally looked up, they saw him transforming into a giant fire bird. His plumage was brilliant crimson red with flickering orange edges and his talons golden like the sun.
"That…is…one…b-b-big…phoenix…" Irma's lips quivered. "I'm not sure if I can put out his flames."
"By the fires of Basilíade!" Orube cried. She didn't realize that her legs were trembling at the mere sight of a goliath beast. "He has taken on the beastly form of the Vermillion Bird!"
The flaming beast shrieked, causing the Guardians and Orube to cover their ears. Distracted by the ear-splitting sound, Kimi didn't see Zhu Que bringing down his giant wings and swatted her out of the air like a fly. Orube jumped and caught her before landing on her feet. Then, he started to make his way towards the other Guardians. There were only two words to describe what was going through their minds as Zhu Que's fiery beast form came closer. Surprisingly, it was Will who voiced it when she realized that she was his intended target.
"Oh…crap…"
The mirror pool in front of Xuan Wu shimmered, showing her the battle. She scoffed to herself as she watched Will knocked the twin girls as if they were mere toys with her new mecha suit. It looked like things were not going well for Kenji's assassins, especially when one of those Guardians has a new transformation.
Xuan Wu was just about to summon her legion of yuki-onna to aid the two sisters when the screen showed her a newcomer to the battlefield. When she realized it was her brother Zhu Que, she got up from her seat quickly.
Blast you, Zhu Que! Xuan Wu thought, her fists shaking furiously as she seethed through her teeth.
Her attendants watched in fear as the anger of their mistress grew. One of them was foolish enough to approach her and asked what was on her mind. Before she knew it, Xuan Wu shot a deadly ice blast through her heart, causing the poor creature to froze solid and shatter into pieces.
"How dare he?!" Xuan Wu roared. "How dare my brother interferes in my domain?! The Guardians are mine to play with, not him!"
The magical monitor continued to show her the battle as the Guardians attempted to scramble and flee for their lives. Normally, Xuan Wu would enjoy watching this, but a part of her felt cheated. Suddenly, Xuan Wu remembered her mistake! She had gloated to Zhu Que of her desire to impress Hwang-Ryong so that she can get the bigger share in territory! Zhu Que didn't show any signs that he cared, but Xuan Wu bet that deep down, he was jealous and is finding ways to foil her plan! If he succeeds in defeating the Guardians and capturing one of them instead of her, Hwang-Ryong will no doubt give him her position!
Her suspicion grew as she watched Zhu Que's beast form using his claws to bang on Will's mecha suit relentlessly, trying to get her out like a predator hoping to get the meat inside a turtle's shell! The Guardian continued to shriek inside her armor as sparks flew with every bang his giant talons take.
No! Xuan Wu will not let Zhu Que have the upper hand. If she wanted things done, then she'll have to get her hands dirty! Glancing over at one attendant, she ordered, "You! Tell my head yuki-onna to assemble the others and meet me in battle this instant!"
The attendant nodded and quickly ran out the door.
Time to let Zhu Que knows that I rule this realm!
Will continued to scream inside her mecha suit as the giant bird continued to pound her into the cold ground with its claws. She didn't have any time to get up and defend herself. Her armor was too bulky while his attacks were too fast! Suddenly, Zhu Que stared down at her with those flaming eyes and Will got a very bad feeling about what's coming next. True enough, the bird started to use his beak and peck at her armor. Will wished that she had made her suit out of stronger metal, because Zue Que was putting dents on the surface with every peck.
"Get off of her, beast!" Orube cried. She charged and jumped in to attack, but the giant bird merely swatted her like a fly with his left wing. Orube crashed into Cornelia and Irma. Hay Lin and Taranee were too afraid to try and attack him. After all, more air and fire would just add fuel to the flaming bird's plumage.
Kimi tried shooting arrows at him, but they were too small to make a difference against his hide. She was about to enlarge them into harpoons when Zhu Que decided to breath fire from his beak. He turned his attention back to Will, whom he still had pinned down to the ground with one claw. When the inside of his mouth started to glow, Will thought, "Oh, crap!" Her suit was getting really hot as he breathed fire onto her.
She had to find a way to get out of here! She heard Irma screaming, trying to get the beast's attention by slamming it with water pillars. Unfortunately, that only seemed to irritate him. His fire-breathing quickly turned them into steam, clouding their sights. Will tried to wiggle her arms. If she could get them together, she could make a teletransportation spell and get herself a good distance away! But before she could, she felt herself being grabbed between the beast's beak! For a second, Will actually thought that it was going to swallow her whole! Instead, the beast was shaking her violently in its beak as if Will was nothing more than a rag doll, causing major disorientation!
Then Will felt herself being released and she was flying! Before she knew it, she crashed into the others. The beast shrieked loudly and it looked like it was going to breath fire on them again, killing them all instantly when it suddenly started to get really cold. Zhu Que paused and looked up to see a blizzard coming from the north. He hissed in annoyance and stepped back.
"PONDER YOURSELVES FORTUNATE, LITTLE WHELPS, FOR I AM NOT GOING TO DESTROY THEE THE PRESENT DAY!"
And with that, the son of the Vermillion Bird god took off towards the sky, leaving the girls completely clueless as they tried to get up and dust themselves.
Irma glared at Kimi and said, "Is saving someone and then attacking them a Lusterian thing?"
"I don't get it," Hay Lin added. "If he only wanted to save us from those two girls just to kill us himself, then why didn't he finish the job?"
Orube's animal instinct kicked in and she turned around to see the oncoming blizzard. "Girls, we have company!" She yelled, pointing in the distance. "It's Xuan Wu and her yuki-onnas!"
"Her what?" Irma yelled as the wind began to howl louder and louder. The others didn't bother answering her and they didn't need to because once the blizzard engulfed them, she realized that yuki-onna meant female snow spirits.
They all got into a defensive position and readied themselves for the attack. The snow women flew in and brought in the freezing cold snow-storm. To protect her friends and herself from their ice attacks, Taranee created a ring of fire and started to shoot fireballs at the snow women. Soon, the others began throwing their attacks whenever one of these spirits got too close. Orube swung her sword, causing a few to shriek in pain. Irma tried trapping them in water globes, but they seemed to enjoy it so she decided to swipe them with powerful water whips. Hay Lin tried to blast them away with a small twister, but she realized that she was making the situation worse for the others by intensifying the storm. Cornelia tried throwing boulders at them, but the snow women simply dodged them with grace. And when she did land a hit, the malicious snow spirits simply vaporized before reforming again.
To make matters worse, they could sense Xuan Wu's Deadly Sin of Sloth mixed in with the blizzard. They may be protected from the Sin now thanks to their stronger magic, but the longer they are exposed to it, the more likely that they'll succumb to its effect like anyone else. Fortunately for Will, her new transformation and her mecha suit were protecting her from its effect as she continued to pummel and zapped the coming snow spirits.
Suddenly, she heard a shrill laughter that was all too familiar to her as Xuan Wu materialized above them with a wicked grin on her face. She shot an ice arrow at her feet, causing the ground to explode into ice spikes. With her mecha suit half stuck, the frost began to creep itself into the armor! Will managed to free her arms and placed her fingers together for a teletransportation spell, and with it, she appeared next to her friend seconds away from becoming frozen-food!
"My dear, but that armor can't protect you for long," Xuan Wu tsked. "What a weakling you are. With all your newfound powers, you chose to hide in a metal suit?"
"Oh, yeah?" Will said, matching her glare. Her giant ethereal wings materialized while electrical sparks crackled in her hand. "Why don't you come down here and we'll dance? Or are you too much of a coward? I've suffered worse with Zhu Que as my dance partner! But with you, it'll be a cake walk!"
Xuan Wu's fists clenched furiously as she aimed her arrow at Will again. "Watch your tongue, human! Have you forgotten that I killed Kohaku Watsuki?" Xuan Wu warned.
Will scoffed. "Big whoop. I snuffed Byakko!"
Will's reply was the gustiest thing anyone has ever heard against a Celestial Warrior, especially when it's comparing both of their recent kills, showing Xuan Wu just how minor her victory was compared to Will's. This, Xuan Wu couldn't forgive or forget…and neither did Kimi. By mentioning Kohaku's name, Kimi is reminded of her vendetta! She watched as Xuan Wu's ice arrow and Will's lightning bolt collided, causing a huge explosion as ice spikes flew everywhere. Cornelia quickly erected an earthen wall to shield them from getting impaled. Will growled, hoping that she could electrocute Xuan Wu with her stronger lightning, but the Celestial Warrior wasn't foolish enough to use water attacks. With all the ice and snow around them, Will's lightning attacks were practically useless.
Before anyone else moved, Kimi's eyes glowed fiercely white as light began to gather in her hands to become a powerful attack. "XUAN WU!" Kimi cried through the howling wind. "YOU KILLED MY FATHER! I'LL TEAR YOUR HEART OUT!"
"Well, well, well…if it isn't the Guardian of Light herself!" Xuan Wu laughed. "Come to take your revenge on me? Well, here I am, little girl. Come and tear out my heart…oh, but wait! I'm practically heartless, remember?"
Kimi screamed, charging towards her opponent and blasting Xuan Wu's minions when they got in her way. The fury in her eyes was undeniable as the yuki-onnas decided to fall back.
"Kimi, no! Don't be a fool!" Orube cried, but Kimi wasn't going to listen to her or anyone one else.
Xuan Wu fired her ice arrows and they exploded into iceberg spikes upon impact. But Kimi navigated through them with ease thanks to her agility and prior training. She quickly landed on one ice pillar as it rose, using it to project herself into the air fast enough to get to Xuan Wu. Unfortunately, a giant water spout suddenly erupted from beneath her, knocking Kimi back before she could even land a blow.
Xuan Wu laughed maniacally. "Is that all you have to give me?" waving her hand, causing the snow behind her to melt into pillars of water drills. Will and the others didn't have time to defend themselves or make a run for it as Xuan Wu slammed them with said water drills and flooded the entire area.
Cornelia gasped as the fear of drowning plagued her mind again. She kicked and moved her limbs desperately in the water, hoping to find something to grab onto. But there was nothing as the current pushed and pulled her. Being such a terrible swimmer, her head kept sinking under, causing her to accidentally swallow cold water whenever she's trying to gasp for air. A part of her mind told her that it was hopeless. This time, there was no snow monkey to save her…
Cornelia saw, felt, and heard nothing but rushing water and bubbles around her. Suddenly, someone grabbed her by the arms and pulled her out and onto a floating iceberg. Cornelia gasped and coughed before looking up to see Taranee and Orube at her sides.
"You alright, Cornelia?" Taranee asked.
Cornelia coughed and nodded. "Yeah…where are the others?"
She looked across the field to see Kimi and Irma pulling Will out of the water. Seeing how drenched her friend was, Cornelia doubt that Will would risk using her newfound electrical energy now for fear of electrocuting everyone.
Wait…Orube, Taranee, Irma, Will, Kimi, and herself…
"Wait, where's Hay Lin?!" Cornelia cried.
"HELP ME!"
They looked up to see the current swaying Hay Lin violently back and forth between the icebergs. She desperately tried to swim for land, but was too afraid on account that she didn't want to be impaled by the ice spikes jutting out. And her wings were too drenched to fly!
Cornelia couldn't stand this. She has to do something to save her friend. Without thinking, she jumped back in and tried to kick her way towards Hay Lin.
"Cornelia, are you insane?!" Irma cried. "You can't swim!"
Xuan Wu laughed maniacally above them as she and her snow women enjoyed the show. "A Guardian who can't swim? Oh, that is precious! Let's have some fun with that, shall we?"
To the others' horror, Xuan Wu conjured her second talisman, a silver spear and a shield. Putting the shield aside, the Celestial Warrior of Water twirled her spear as if mixing a giant bowl of water. The current swirled in response to her command and the next thing Hay Lin and Cornelia knew, they were caught in a whirlpool!
"NO!" Will cried as she watched her two friends screaming for their lives. "HAY LIN! CORNELIA!"
Will couldn't take it. She was going to fly in and swoop them out. Her new ethereal wings should be strong enough to carry both of them. Irma and Orube sensed Will's determination and were about to give her some cover, but before any one of them knew it, Kimi dove in and swam towards the whirlpool instead.
"Kimi?! What are you doing?!" Taranee cried. Kimi was too busy doing her breaststrokes to hear them. Either that or she can't hear them with all the sound of rushing water coming at her. Taranee looked up to see a wicked smile curled up on Xuan Wu's blue lips. She twirled her spear and transitioned it into her bow and arrow instead, aiming at Kimi.
"LOOK OUT!"
Too late as Xuan Wu released her arrows into the water. They exploded, freezing the water into giant pockets of icebergs. Luckily, Kimi does her best to avoid them like she did before and finally came up to Cornelia. Using her light magic, she covered herself and Cornelia in her white aura, allowing her to mentally keep Cornelia above water. She reached her hand out and managed to cover Hay Lin, too, pulling her closer.
"You shouldn't have followed me, you lily-livers!" Kimi sneered, pushing the two of them towards the outer rim of the whirlpool.
Cornelia wanted to snap at her, but found herself too exhausted to do so.
"We have to get on land!" Hay Lin said, coughing water. "But…we're too far away now, and the whirlpool is too strong!"
And with Xuan Wu firing ice arrows at us, we're not going to make it, Kimi thought darkly. Looking up at Xuan Wu, Kimi shot her a venomous glare. This was not how she intended things to happen! She didn't want the others to follow her! And now with the terrain set to match Xuan Wu's liking, there was no way for any of them to win today…or for her to extract her revenge. With Xuan Wu's ice arrows firing down around them, a wall of ice was forming, blocking their path towards the others and to safety. A thought came to her and she knew what she had to do.
Kimi mentally created a solid floating platform made of hard light and pushed Cornelia and Hay Lin onboard. Once they were safe, she held up her and the platform moved away from her, shooting towards the others and bringing its two occupants to safety. Hay Lin looked back, horrified to see that Xuan Wu now has the Guardian of Light trapped.
"Kimi, what are you doing?!" Hay Lin cried.
Kimi didn't have time to answer as she felt the water around her being wielded into a giant hand, squeezing her. Xuan Wu has captured her.
"Now you're mine!" Xuan Wu smiled triumphantly. "Ice Coffin!"
Orube ordered the others to attack in order to free Kimi, but Xuan Wu's snow women dove in and created a wall of ice with their cold breath, preventing them from interfering. They could do nothing but watch in horror as the giant water hand formed itself around Kimi and froze into an ice coffin. The last thing Kimi did before being completely frozen was to glare at Xuan Wu defiantly and vehemently as possible.
Xuan Wu laughed triumphantly. "Glare all you want, child! No one has ever escaped my ice coffins before! Look on the bright side, now your prison matches your heart of ice!"
"YOU WITCH!" Hay Lin hissed. "LET HER GO!"
Xuan Wu turned her attention back to the other six and smiled wickedly. "Oh? Shall I add you to my collection? I'll be more than happy to. Two Guardians down, five more to go and a Basilíadian bitch as a bonus!"
RUN, YOU LILY-LIVERS!
Taranee's eyes widen in surprise of Kimi contacting them through telepathy. "Kimi?"
I SAID FLY, YOU FOOLS! RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE MORE HINDRANCE THAN HELP TO ME!
Orube seethed in frustration, but without another thought, she sheathed her sword and turned towards the others. "Kimi's right. We have to run!"
Hay Lin shook her head. "N-no! We can't leave her here! Not in the hands of that insane maniac! Kimi saved us and they've already captured Kyochi! We can't let our enemies take her, too!"
"This isn't up for debate, Hay Lin!" Orube yelled. "We're at a serious disadvantage here! We need to leave or else we're all part of Xuan Wu's ice collection!"
"But—"
"WE LEAVE NOW! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Orube snapped, shutting Hay Lin up. Turning to Will, she said, "Will, get us out of here, now!"
Will didn't argue as the Heart of Kandrakar materialized in the palm of her hand. The light from it was intense.
"GET THEM!" Xuan Wu screamed.
The yuki-onnas dove in, but the light from the Heart of Kandrakar was too brilliant and it blasted them back.
Orube turned around, giving Kimi one last look. We'll be back for you!
The light finally died and the girls were gone, leaving Kimi frozen in Xuan Wu's ice coffin and at the mercy of the Celestial Warrior's heart of ice.
Ngọc Long sat at the kitchen table, watching Kimi's Astral Drop enjoying a bowl of hot bánh canh, Vietnamese Udon soup silently. A burst of pink light made the Astral Drop jumped slightly in her seat, and when she and the Jade Dragon looked up, they saw only five Guardians and one warrior.
The six of them de-transformed and Will looked down in shame.
"We failed."
To be continued…
Cultural references:
The macaques, commonly known as Japanese snow monkeys, are only native to Japan. But the ones that Cornelia and the others encountered are mountain spirits, so yeah, I think they can travel to Lusteria's version of Korea if they want to. These Old World monkeys lived in very cold climates and like to keep themselves warm by bathing in natural hot springs. The scene where Cornelia screamed in front of them is a reference to an actual W.I.T.C.H. episode where she had to scrub monkey bars at the zoo for community service!
When the Guardians have their New Power transformation, their skirts and sleeves moved on their own as if sentient. They're called lamias. I didn't want Kimi's lamia to be on her skirt like the others…but being on her ribbons around her arms like a lasso is more practical.
The idea for Will's mecha suit came to mind after watching Miko putting on the Apex Amor in Transformers Prime and kicking Starscream's ass aft! I know it's a cop-out, but I wanted Will to use one at least once in this story.
A Yuki-onna is a Japanese snow woman, malicious spirits who lures victims into the snowy mountains with their beauty in Japanese folklore.
Story Trivia: Did you know that Xuan Wu is actually the oldest out of all five Celestial Warriors? Hwang-Ryong is second oldest, Zhu Que is the middle child, Seiryuu is fourth oldest, and Byakko is the youngest.