Chapter 16
A Startling Discovery, Part 3
Author's note: I know I haven't been very faithful in updating this story, but I have under no circumstances abandoned it. But I've been rather busy dealing with college and working on my newest story, "The Seduction Game". Also, I've two new ideas I've been toying around with. Anyway, I will definitely continue this, though I'm not sure when the next update will be. I'm getting the feeling my writing has been deteriorating, so I might be laying off writing fanfics for a while. Also, most likely I won't have access to the Internet over the summer, unless I get lucky. Otherwise, look for quick updates at the beginning of school (actually, the beginning of school for me is the beginning of October rather than September). Also, finals are coming up, and I have way too much to read. Can't believe my teacher for Political Science is making us read On Liberty and On Socialism by J.S. Mill and Walden by Thoreau in three weeks. Actually, it's not that much reading, but the reading is incredibly hard - it makes Aristotle look like it was written for kindergarteners! Not to mention another 150 pages for Economics, and four performances shudders in fear... here is some advice - in college, DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, PROCRASTINATE! Anyway, enough rambling, on we go!Single quote indicate mind-speech, and bold type indicate thoughts.
Lord of Darkness
Chapter 16
A Startling Discovery, Part 3
Minako rose heavily, blinking the remains of sleep away, and realized with relief that the others were also awake. The moon was high up in the sky, indicating that the time for ritual was almost upon them. The fire had died down, though a gentle warmth still radiated from the kettle, and the glowing ambers cast a mysterious flicker through the room, as if dancing shadows were flying across the motionless occupants.
Minako pulled the curtains aside, allowing the moonlight to fall directly on Rei's pale features, bathing the sleeping girl in a shining glow of unblemished purity.
Minako regarded her best friend for a second, a small wistful smile touching the corners of her lips before she strode towards the kettle, lifting the lid. Ten small, opaque spheres floated on top of the liquid which had turned a deep red color, like freshly spilled blood. She pulled one of the spheres from the kettle, careful not to touch the liquid, and regarded it curiously for a moment, before a satisfactory smile lit her face.
"Fascinating." Came Ami's awed voice. "Is that one of the chicken stomachs you stuffed?"
Minako nodded, twirling the little opaque ball. Her eyes closed for a moment, and the others could almost see the power flowing from her. The ball lifted itself, floating about a foot above her hands, before suddenly bursting into brilliant light. Everyone shielded her eyes, cautiously of the glare of the miniature sun.
"Nothing to worry about." Minako's voice was calm, but Zoicite could detect the fatigue in her voice, barely indicating just how much power she had used. He worried if she'd be able to keep it up. Her magic was strong, but not unlimited, and the strain on her body could have disastrous results. "I just purified everything that could harm Rei. There's no guarantee that the fire killed everything impure."
She held the sphere towards Makoto.
"Makoto, could you please split the outer layer?"
Makoto took the sphere a little cautiously from the princess's hand, almost afraid as if it would bite her. Evident relief showed on her face when nothing happened. She brought her left hand forward, lightning sparkling between her fingertips. A downward slicing motion later, and the sphere's opaque layer broke clearly in half, revealing a clear, golden core.
Taking the pill from Makoto's hand, she noticed Kunzite lifting his head out of the corner of her eyes.
"Endymion is outside of the force shield. He wishes to speak with you, Minako." His deep voice brought some comfort to the other occupants. His anxiousness was hidden, the tone confident and sure. It was not much, but Ami and Minako both needed it. The latter's eyebrow rose in surprise, but allowed the shields in her mind to drop.
'Yes, Your majesty? You wanted to talk you me?'
Black with silver lining flooded her mind as Endymion's authoritative voice flowed through her. 'How's it Rei, Minako? And be honest.'
Minako immediately recognized the concern in Endymion voice, and how he had limited his voice so that only they could hear.
'As well as can be expected.' She answered honestly. 'We are about to start the ritual, and that means absolute concentration if we wish to come out alive, relatively sane, and in one piece. It is essential that we are, under no circumstances, to be disturbed. Could you keep everyone away? In order for the ritual to work, the shields in our mind may not be dropped. Also, if possible, please strengthen the force field to repel any other sendings that might be sent accidentally our way - I don't want any distractions. We are strong, and so is the force field, but some one determined could still get to our minds, even with the present protection. I will contact you the moment I know the result.'
'All right. Good luck.' Minako felt the presence leave her mind, leaving behind only an echoing sigh of resignation.
She motioned for Makoto to prop Rei up, which the other girl did. Minako herself seated herself in front of Rei, opening her friend's mouth and slipping the pill inside. Stopping for a moment, she turned to stare each occupant in the eyes.
"Once this pill goes down her throat, the ritual starts, meaning absolute concentration. So, everyone, mental shields up. And no questions. This is a race against time. If there is some mistake and the ritual is not completed during the night, Rei won't live to see the coming dawn, and we might not either."
Minako sent out a silent probe, satisfied to find that everyone had put up their strongest shields. Minako pressed her fingertips against the dip of Rei's collarbone, before pushing slightly upward, causing the sleeping girl to reflexively swallow the pill. Immediately, Rei's body started convulsing, trashing around wildly, her features twisted in masks of pain.
"Quickly, hold her down." Minako instructed to Makoto and Kunzite, herself rushing towards the kettle. She pulled out five more sphere, placing one next to her head, each one on her hands and feet, so they formed a five-pointed star.
"Everyone, take a seat before the spheres." She commanded, herself sitting cross-legged next to the sphere by Rei's left leg.
Holding out her thumb, she bit into it, allowing a drop of crimson blood to drop on the sphere, before resealing the cut with a thought. The ball turned from an opaque color into a dark black, as though tainted. Her left hand covered the sphere, while she held out the pointer and middle finger of her right hand, pressing both tips into the vein situated on her left shoulder. Still pressing into her body, she pulled her hand sharply across her chest, resting it finally on her right shoulder on the complementary vein, slowly turning her wrist ninety degrees counter clockwise, before her arm went straight up, the two fingers pointing to the sky. Drawing a sparkling path forming a glowing pentagon, her brought her arm back down, her left arm rising to meet her right one, forming a cross across her chest. The pentagon started to increase in size, before disappearing completely only to form an instant later on the ground, with Minako seated inside. Golden light burst from her fingertips, flowing into the sphere as her body glowed with her power.
Everyone one else followed her example, calling on their highest magical abilities. Ami glowed a light blue, Zoicite a deep sapphire, Makoto a forest green, and Kunzite a blinding silver. An instant later, all five spheres burst simultaneously, showering the room in a brilliant show of light, which covered Rei one layer after another.
"Ami, Zoicite," Minako shouted to the two generals sitting next to Rei's hand. "Ba huan Lue he!"
Ami and Zoicite both grabbed one of Rei's hands, pressing their palms against hers, and rotating it slightly to generate the desired friction to open one Rei's veins situated on the middle of her palm. A second later, both Zoicite and Ami simultaneously drew their free hand into a fist, with only the pointer, thumb, and pinkie finger (a.k.a. zhi) pointed upwards. Bringing the hand down in a cutting motion, both of them pressed the two blood vessels on the back of their other hand to stop the backward flow of Rei's magic into them. Immediately afterward, the pinkie and thumb retreated and their free hand returned to its original position, with the pointer and middle finger (a.k.a. hu) pressing lightly just below the wrist of the hand interlinked with Rei's to control the blood flow.
"Kunzite," Minako's voice rose again, "Wei wuo du zueng!"
Like Ami and Zoicite, both Minako and Kunzite's hands turned into the hu sign, pressing both fingertips tightly against the middle of the Rei's foot, the pointer on the major vein, and the middle finger on the minor vein just next to it. Their other hand also turned to the hu style, pressing three points on their opposite arm in rapid succession - one on the shoulder, the elbow, and the last on the underside of the arm, stopping the blood from flowing, before their hand returned to the zhi fashion, pressing two pressure points right over their heart, keeping their magic to the appropriate level.
"Makoto." Minako stared the thunder girl straight in the eye. "Shang long si ba zang!"
The redhead brought her hands up to her forehead in the zhi fashion, palms facing outward, with her eyes closed. She slowly pulled them outward, a blurry but nonetheless sparkling line of energy appearing between her fingertips. Then suddenly, she brought her hands down, crossing them over her chest in the imitation of a shield, before placing both palms on Rei's head.
The minute all five had their purifying power flowing into Rei, the dark-haired girl's body shook, and she screamed. Minako fought the urge to let go and close her hands over her ears, unaware of the vision Rei was having.
After she had been pulled into the dark void, Rei was half-terrified and half-curious to see indiscernible white shapes floating. She immediately crouched in a fighting stance, though some rational part of her brain told her that it would probably be useless to fight against them. A slender form extricated itself from the mass of silver mist, stepping towards Rei, a gentle smile adorning an unusually pretty face, onyx eyes gleaming and lips curved a lovely sign of friendliness. Rei gasped, all signs of resistance flying from her mind, her mouth dropping open in shock. She had seen the face before, a long time before.
"By the gods! Catharine?"
The woman simply continued to smile, and the other forms behind her also became distinguished forms, forming two rows in front of Rei. Suddenly Catharine's face dropped in a dead serious mask, and the shapes of young women kneeled in front of Rei as one. Their voices sounded as one as they spoke.
"We beseech you, Lady Rei, daughter of Ares, the mighty God of War, to set us free from our imprisonment."
Rei took a step back, unprepared for this show of deference, and even more surprised by their words. Her tone was one of shocked awe. "Who are you?"
Catharine stood, taking another step towards Rei, but quickly stopped as she saw the other girl swiftly taking two steps back from her.
"They are the same as me, Lady Rei - deceased daughters of Ares whose bodies held the reincarnation of the first priestess to Ares. Not many have made it this far, with their bodies and minds intact, though every daughter's soul is kept imprisoned here, no matter to what level she achieved with her studies or the rituals."
Rei stared at Catharine, her mind trying to absorb everything the woman was saying. She had seen her picture before, in one the history books. It is said that she had the most potential to become the one who would become their messiah and bring honor and glory to Ares, but she was mysteriously murdered shortly after her seventeenth's birthday. Her body was found mangled and torn next to the cliffs, with sharp spikes piercing through many of the vital organs. Rei had heard some of the elders and hardened soldiers who had been on the expedition to find her murmur among themselves that they still saw the vision in their dreams, and had often woken up screaming.
"Are you real?"
Rei reached her hand out slowly, but gave a startled cry as it passed right through Catharine. The dark-haired girl cried, recoiling as though repulsed. She dropped to her knees, eyes screwed to slits in pain, and held a hand to her chest, trying to stop the pain that had ripped through her.
Catharine smiled sadly, and her voice was unusually quiet as she spoke again.
"You shouldn't touch my soul like that again - you'll die from the pain."
Rei's eyes continued to reflect disbelief and shock.
"What are you?"
Catharine turned from her, one of her pale hand waving at the kneeling girls. Her eyes held a deep sadness, her midnight black hair shielding her features.
"Nothing more than a shape that still retained the owner's personality and form. I suppose you could say that we are a part of the soul, maybe even a memory."
Her eyes were peculiarly bright as she turned back toward Rei. "We can neither cry nor laugh; we are an empty vessel, but without us, the former priestesses cannot rest. Until we are free from this imprisonment and returned to our respective owners, those poor girls' soul will drift forever, never able to find peace. We have no emotions, no feelings; all outward sign of expression is a trained reflex, a reflex that we are still unable to do without, having been so ingrained into our minds during the required social gatherings during our life time." Her voice quieted, and the last sentence seemed more for her own benefit than Rei's as she whispered, "Those tedious social gatherings seem rather bright compared to this void, does it not?"
Rei glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, and cautiously reached out to 'touch' the darkness surrounding her. Something soft, moist, and fleshy met her fingertips, and she screamed as a shock of black magic pulsed through her, causing her to hit the the hard ground, hugging her knees, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood as she tried to keep the screams of pain inside her. When she could breathe again, she was surprised to find a red glow coming from her surrounding space. Some of the shapes shifted restlessly, though most seemed unperturbed. Raising a hand to her head, she blinked, trying to stop the pounding against her temple.
"What is the world just happened?"
"This is our prison." Catharine repeated. Her dark eyes found Rei's amethyst ones. "Daughter of Ares, have you read the prophesies concerning the Chosen One?"
Rei raised her eyebrow, unprepared for that question. "No. Why?"
"I thought so." Catharine pointed out a girl to her - a child. She seemed no more than eight years old, and seemed to have inherited Ares' golden looks, with golden hair and bright blue eyes staring impassioned at Rei. She stood as still as a statue, and Rei wondered just how long the child had been in this void that is had sucked out the life that children seem to burst with. "That is the Lady Chika. She was the last priestess who read the prophesies about herself. Apparently, from what we know of the outside world, the things it said so terrified her that she committed suicide one night at the tender age of eight. Ever since then, no potential priestess was allowed to read the ancient texts."
Rei felt panic - mind-numbing panic. She had always been afraid of the unknown. Nothing was scarier than not knowing what awaited her, for there was no way to prepare to something you didn't know. Catharine seemed to sense it in her.
"Surely you know about the rituals that have to take place?"
Rei nodded. "I am not familiar with the proceedings, however, or the results."
Catharine seemed to have expected this much. "I thought so." She motioned for Rei to follow suit as she dropped to the floor, her knees folded behind her. Rei obeyed without protest.
"Tell me, who is performing the ritual while you are unconscious?"
Rei frowned. "I am not entirely sure. I believe the Lady Minako, and knowing Mina-hime, she would pick - as helpers - Ami, Zoicite, Makoto, and ... Kunzite." She spat out the last word.
Catharine appeared to be mildly interested. "So you know how many people are needed to perform the ritual." She paused for a moment. "Pardon me, but did you say Minako? You mean one of the favored daughters of the goddess Aphrodite?"
"How do you know?"
Catharine didn't seem to hear her. "Minako Aino, the only child since Eros to have found favor in the eyes of the goddess Aphrodite. If events have really gone along fate's strings, then may I suppose that the other four names you mentioned are the generals of the man whom the mortals call the 'Dark Prince'?
Rei dipped her head twice, confirming the other girl's suspicions. "Yes, though in King Sunaru's absence he rules, so I guess you could call him the 'Dark King', too."
"Then, if Minako is truly the child of Aphrodite, I believe the names you mentioned include a descendentt of Apollo Shootafar, due to the closeness of the essence of their magic, a child of Zeus the Thunderer because in their bloodline flows the power of revival and strength, and the other two, they are related to either Athena or Vestia, for both goddess are adapt at healing. Am I correct?"
"Yes, though I did not think of that. It's just that of the strongest of Endymion's warriors, the rest would be unsuitable. Jadeite is too rash and hot-headed, Nephrite is too mysterious and believes too much in fate to make an active effort in saving me. As for Endymion and Serenity... they are the heads of their respective land, and Minako would be foolish in endangering them."
Catharine's next question was asked with great care. "This descendent of Apollo... he is Minako's lover, is he not?"
"Not anymore." Rei growled, gripped by a powerful urge to destroy something just thinking about Kunzite and how he played her best friend.
Catharine sighed. "The houses of Aphrodite and Apollo always have had this love and hate relationship between them. Apparently, the strife started a long time ago, a time before the gods, by two deities who believed through a misunderstanding that they each had betrayed the other. It is said that only the reincarnation of these two may reunite the two houses." Catharine pulled a lock of hair behind one ear. "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
Rei's eyes opened wide. "You mean to say that Aphrodite and Apollo originated from the same kamis?"
"Deities, not kamis, but yes." Catharine sighed again. "Such emotional creatures, both of them. Their love is strong; with it, they would be almost unstoppable, but without it, killing them would be easier than stealing a coin from an infant. But that's enough of them. We don't have much time left, and there is still so much I have to tell you."
Rei didn't say anything, waiting for the other girl to continue.
"You asked what this prison was." A sad smile flittered across Catharine's face, and disappeared the minute she faced Rei, her voice dead serious. "Do you know the story of the first priestess? Or more specifically, of how she died?"
Rei frowned, trying to remember what her history books had told her. "Just that she was incredibly powerful, and was favored by Ares. As for her death... I believe she fought a great evil, and in order to stop it, she sealed the evil away in her own body."
"Correct. She sacrificed herself to save the world. However, because of the sealing, she was no longer pure or strong enough to follow Ares' will. Knowing this, and also that the evil would try to take over her, she committed suicide so that her powers would not harm anyone when she had completely succumbed under the evil's control. But before she died, she performed a spell to make certain that she would be reincarnated at the correct time. Unfortunately, the darkness inside her never left and thus was reincarnated with her."
Catharine stood, her eyes reflecting the glow around her. "This prison is the heart of the darkness. This monster, a creature before the beginning of time, goes by the name of Taureis, a beautiful yellow-eyed woman with the power to charm man and force them to do her biddings by feeding the dark feelings of jealousy, lust, and hatred inside them. Only those already in love - true love - and those who have unwittingly found their soul mates, are able to resist her. Rei, know this, if you are able to pull out of this, you will not be the first reincarnation to have survived. What I am about to tell is guarded strictly by those who are servants of Ares, and leaking this secret is punishable by death. But I am already dead, so it does not hold. Those before you who have passed the three stages of ritual are few and far in between, but they were there. However, they died immediately after they had awoken, for they had not found their soul mates yet. If they had lived, they would have been killed by their soul mates, and if that had happened, the first priestess could not been reincarnated, for then the soul of the girl would be able to be re-united with her soul mate and would have no reason to be reincarnated if she were happy with her destiny. The only way we can be free is if the girl holding the reincarnation of the first priestess defeats the evil. Tell me, Rei, did you know the man whose death you watched before coming here?"
Rei visibly shuddered as she remembered Jadeite's bloodied form. Her answer was almost inaudible. "Yes."
Catharine seemed pleased. "I thought so. Rei, this red glow is Taureis' anger that you have found your soul mate and may have the strength to destroy her. Remember, while Taureis may take on many forms, there are two things she can never hide, no matter what the transformation may be. First off, the sickly yellow color of her eyes, and the color of her hair, a singular shade of crimson, strikingly alike the color of freshly spilled blood. No other creature alive or dead has that color. However, Taureis is known to try to hide these traits by using things like fake fair."
Catharine turned from Rei a second. "Another secret is that Taureis has a perverse reaction to a certain word in the ancient language of the gods. That word has the power to force her to return from whatever form she had chosen to her original form. NO one ever knew what the word was, though."
The woman's voice lowered, and she glanced carefully around. "Taureis have many secrets, but this one is she has guarded jealously. While in her original form, she cannot be killed, only wounded enough to force her into hiding for centuries unknown. But Taureis' impatience will be her undoing. She is determined to take over the world as soon as possible to regain her lost power, and thus will take on as many shapes as she can to scout out potential candidates to do her dirty work and gather information." Catharine's voice lowered even further. "However, as soon as she takes on the shape of another, she will become as mortal as that creature she becomes. But she will not have that creature's strength or special abilities. Remember what I have told you, Rei, for it will be the key to killing her."
Rei stared at her strangely. "You can see the future?"
"No, I cannot, otherwise I would already know what would happen of each of us. All I've told you is what I have heard and learned. I pray they may be useful to you. Now, it's time to force your way out. We cannot leave, but you can, for it's not a place for the living."
"And what then?" Rei's voice was almost fearful.
Catharine smiled. "If you indeed manage to force your way out, you may be the one to free us all and fulfill Ares' will. Good luck, Rei. I pray that the blessings of the gods may be with you." And with that, Catharine faded away, simultaneously as the other spirits.
"Wait," Rei cried out, "how do I force my way out?"
But only the silence answered her. She was alone again. She started to claw at the fleshy substance of the wall, but the pain was so intense this time that she nearly blacked out. Her hands were swollen from her efforts, and the sickly smell of burned flesh assaulted her nostrils. She sat down, crossed-legged on the ground, meditating as she had been taught. And with the meditation came peace, and the ability to force herself out of her body. Rei felt as if she were having an outer-body experience as her shape moved toward the walls again, hands glowing with power as she sought to burn through the substance. Another jolt of black energy pulsed through her, and Rei hastily pushed the pain back, knowing it would be able to pull her back into her body. Instead, she focused on forcing all her strength to help her break out. And slowly, a ray of light shone through the tiny hole she had burned. Rei smiled, that ray giving her hope as she renewed her effort. Rei screamed in pain. The moment of distraction had been enough to pull her back into her body, and the pain had renewed ten-fold. However, she focused on the ray of light, and thought only of the awakening she would feel if she managed to break free. And she continued to force her way out.
Minako stared at Rei's face, relieved as a peaceful look came over it even though the girl continued to scream as though she were being torn to shreds. Her body stopped shaking.
"On the count of three." She shouted above Rei's screaming. "All us, release the cut off the power at the same time!"
"One." Minako refocused her attention toward Rei as she saw the rest of them nodding. Sweat was trickling down her face, and her breathing was labored. She was exhausted, and it seemed as though the others were not much better off, either.
"Two." Her voice rose as she prepared to release her magic. She noticed Kunzite's body tensing also as he prepared for the final word.
Minako opened her mouth for the final word, but suddenly her body jerked forward, and she felt as though whatever force controlled Rei was trying to suck her dry. Panic seized her, and her sought to remove her hand from Rei, but is seemed to be as difficult as trying to disconnect her fingers from her hand. Startled cries alerted that the other occupants also had felt the sudden force Rei.
"Don't panic!" She screamed, her mind searching desperately for anything she might have done wrong, but nothing came to mind. She had followed every step of the ritual to the letter. Her mouth dropped open in shock as doubt reeled its ugly head - could Rei be dying? A cry escaped her as something tugged at her heart strings. The next second, Rei's body gave another lurch, and she was thrown backward as if by an unseen force. She barely managed to catch herself before her head hit the wall. Four other thuds alerted her to the fact that the others had also been thrown. Kunzite fell against the chair, breaking the sturdy wood in the process so that he landed on a heap on the ground. Makoto and Ami hit the wall opposite of hers, both groaning in pain as they tried to propel themselves up. Zoicite went flying through the air, and Minako thanked any kami that was listening that the window pane was sturdy enough to support his weight. If it had broken. Zoicite would have been seriously injured, not to mention that the magic escaping would have put Rei at risk.
"Kunzite." She managed to croak out. "Is the force field still intact?"
The first general forced himself up, wincing as he noticed a deep splinter had pierced through his arm. He winced as he pulled it out. Tearing a strip of the bed-sheet to wrap his arm he closed his eyes, concentrating on feeling the magic as the shield on his mind stopped him from reaching out. "Yeah, it is."
"Ami, Makoto, Zoicite? Are you guys all right?"
Makoto groaned again. "We are alive, if that's what you mean."
"Peachy, just peachy." Ami moaned as she tenderly rubbed a bump on her head.
Minako sighed, relieved to know no one was seriously hurt as they moved towards her. She turned her eyes back to Rei to see the girl levitating off the ground and to start slowly revolving.
"What is the world just happened?" Zoicite murmured, dusting off his uniform.
Minako shook her head. "I have no clue. Let's watch and see." He shot a worried glance outside the window. "Morning will be here soon. If she survives, Rei'll awaken before the first light."
A gasp caused four pairs of eyes to turn to Kunzite, and they were all shocked to see the paleness of his face. However, his eyes were directly toward Reis. It seemed as if the dark-haired girl had righted itself during their conversation. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open to reveal purely black eyes, like endless abyss. A scream tore from her lips, except this time, it was not a sound of pain and agony, but a shout of rage and anger. Rei's body arched, her spine cracking under the pressure, and dark form burst from her body. Rei fell back onto the bed, her body limp and lifeless. The dark form gave another scream of fury and shot straight at them!
Minako's eyes widened in shock as she recognized the face. A single word fell from her lips. "Taureis!"
Ba huan lue he, Wei wuo du zueng, Shang long si ba zang - They are some of the names I got from watching too much Chinese martial arts movies. Most of the words don't make any sense, so they sound cool when pronounced correctly. In here, they represent elemental magic training for purification.
I hoped you guys liked this chapter. Hopefully the next update will be sooner. Please, leave me review and tell me what you think.
Shizu-chan