Ezra grabs me into his arms like a fragile child, and pounces into the air.
“Are you stupid!?” I shout in protest, kicking and slapping his arms. He lands on a thin tree branch that sways just a hair under our weight.
The trees stretch into the air to aim for the moon, daring to touch the top of the sky. Their height is incredible, and their branches’ distance from the ground is terrifying. Compared to the ones on Earth, they challenge the height of mountains and even surpass great towers.
I refuse to look down and give in to the terror of falling.
“They’re already headed this way.” Ezra glances behind himself and nods once, “Alright, time to go.” His grip on my body tightens and he sprints through the air. His black hair flaps around in the wind, tangling itself in all different direction. His silver stripe even mixes with the rest of his hair for a few seconds in between sprints. His eyes are brilliant colors of red and violet in the moonlight. Against his hair and skin, they blaze brightly, lit by a passionate fire inside him.
“I must warn you.” His eyes remain fixed ahead.
“Don’t get the wrong idea, I can very well handle things on my own.” I shoot him a glare, annoyed with his persistence to treat me as a doll.
“You need to know!” His voice intensifies. “Things will only get dark from here, and the knowledge of what’s been happening the past centuries will be shocking to you.” His right foot lands on a thick branch and he pushes off of it in a split second, sending us flying through the air again. “You must remember: do not show fear to anyone.” His eyes break from the forest and direct themselves at me. “You must be a wall of solitude.” His pupils send daggers into mine, sending a fiery heat to my cheeks. Those eyes seek to demand a promise from me to obey his command, even though he is my servant.
I haven’t had any time to take in the wild events of the past day. It’s all been occurring so fast that my mind is just hopping over everything in an attempt to keep up and not trip and fall behind. This whole new world has opened up before my eyes, like a life I haven’t known. I’ve only just returned and I cannot bare to accept this life as a futile one. I can’t help the overwhelming feeling of obligation I have to this world, to resurrecting it.
My eyes follow trees as they appear and disappear behind Ezra and I. Every now and then I spot Steele, Haruka, Rayce, or Kappie leaping in the air to follow us. Steele leaps quickly to sync up with us and joins by Ezra’s side.
“It’ll be a three day route to the Cave of Words. We’ll have to take refuge for the night, soon.” Steele neglects to look at Ezra, his yellow eyes remain on the forest landscape in front of him. He attentitively avoids running into branches and sharp leaves. Rayce leaps into range and also joins by Ezra and Steele.
“I’ve lost scent of them.” He says sternly. His demeanor has altered into a battle ready state, replacing the childish admonitions with seriousness. “Haruka and Kappie left to take care of the rest.” The moment he glances at me, his tough exterior falters.
“Thank you Rayce, I think we’ll sleep in the forest outside of Redinon tonight.” Steele asserts, “I know of someone willing to help us.” Rayce nods once and falls into line with Ezra and Steele.
Within a few minutes, Haruka and Kappie leap into sight.
“We’ve arrived.” Steele stoops to the ground below at the same time as Rayce and Ezra. “I shall secure our allowance to take refuge at this estate for the evening.” Steele bows once and leaves towards someplace in the near distance.
Ezra sets me down gracefully, taking his time to release me. I realize his intentions after-the-fact, and follow through with slapping his ear with a hard smack. “You perverted creep! I’ll kill you damnit!” My teeth grit and my eyebrows furrow to hide my embarrassment. Ezra begins a fit of laughter only angering me more. I’m sick of these people assuming I must be defenseless and vulnerable because I’m small.
“You’re so cute.” Ezra manages to say through snickering.
“Call me cute one more time and I’ll kick your ass.” I glare at him, balling my hands into fists by my side. He and Haruka tag teamed in utterly destroying my calm facade. Now I’m left with this as my only defense for feeling embarrassed.
“It’ll take us three hours to get to the Cave of Words by foot.” Kappie states, shaking his feet free of loose soil.
“We’re walking?” I ask, glad to change the subject.
“No, that’s sprinting time.” He replies to me with a stern tone, “It’s hidden by a fortress that only you can enter.”
“I’m pretty sure only you will know where to find what you’ve written as well since you’ve neglected to inform us…” Rayce adds, touching his small index finger to the corner of his mouth.
“You’ll know.” Ezra interjects, jumping into the conversation. He and Rayce still wear the tattered waistcoat and trousers that were previously in perfect condition. I look down at my own attire, not a scratch on me nor thread out of place.
They’ve protected me thus far, while majorly injuring themselves in the process. I’ve only been abusive and ruthless in return.
Ezra’s injury is healing, but I can still see a tear across his chest and torso from battling the dragons earlier. I’ve neglected to look at it due to the grotesque nature of the ripped apart skin and flesh, but as I take a moment to gaze now, I can see a difference. It healed much quicker while he was in zodiac form, but now that he’s back in spirit guardian form, it’s taking longer to mend. It requires security.
I look down at my unscathed sleeves, loathing that I’ve been of absolutely no help to them at all. I use my teeth to rip the fabric at the opening near my wrist. I then tear at the fabric in a sort of coil pattern to extend its length. I feel the boys’ eyes on me, tentatively observing my actions. Feet land on the ground and send a stiff vibration through the dirt, Kappie and Haruka have arrived, and are watching me as welI. I do not waver.
I continue to rip the green material until my entire arm is bare. I yank the sleeve off completely with a solid tug and hold out the ribbon I’ve created.
Wrapping it around my hand, I waltz to Ezra and stand before him. I hold the fabric in my palm and reach up to slip off his waistcoat. He doesn’t move an inch, his face is inexpressive and his eyes remain pointed at mine. Even though he’s thin, his body is still built like a fighter and made for protecting me. Something, I know now, that has been conditioned in them since they were little. Being with me altered their entire lives and futures forever.
My hand holds the end of the ribbon to the tip of the gash at his shoulder. It’s a thick material, and holds up against the blood. I slowly wrap it around his torso like a bandage, making sure his injury is completely covered. When the fabric runs out just before the end of his long slash wound, I tuck it under itself.
“I’m sorry it wasn’t long enough to completely conceal your injury.” I touch his hip lightly to acknowledge my shortcomings. I glance up to all the eyes blankly staring at me as if I’ve done something inconceivably wrong. “I was just hot, okay?! I didn’t do it for you, I did it so I could shed some of this heavy fabric!”
Ezra grabs my hand and lifts my chin to meet his eyes. He speaks in the most serious tone that I have heard come out of his mouth thus far, “Never put someone like me...before someone like you.” His eyes are dark, and the bad boy aura I’ve been experiencing from him springs back into the present. He drops my chin and retracts his hands from me. “I am to you as a maid is to her master. You shall not think otherwise.” His eyes are dark, almost black.
I can tell instantly that he’s had a dark past of some sort, the only reason to be a bad boy and a bitter soul. I know what Sonna would say on this matter, “He’s hard to get, hard to keep happy, and always a challenge. He’s a rebellious rule breaker.” He’s shrouded in darkness, and I’m worried it’s contagious.
He steps back to turn away from me and vanishes into the trees. I reach down to pick up his waistcoat after his figure disappears from sight. I brush off the dirt and grime from the fabric after it had been lying on the ground. The blood is damp, spotting the lapels and front buttoned panels. The fabric in my hands is practically strips of what it used to be.
The wind whistles through the branches, and I lose myself in the calming breeze. I forget about the three bodies standing somewhere behind me.
I feel my nurse mode kick in, looking at Kappie’s injury, I see it isn’t nearly as horrific as his brother’s; although, it’s still very gruesome. I reach down to my other sleeve to tear it off when Kappie seizes my wrist.
“I’d really rather you not destroy your beautiful clothing to aid in my recovery.” Kappie touches my cheek, “I will be okay, Miss Akira.” He bows softly, kissing the top of my hand. “Please do not worry about me-”
“But I do-I mean...I don’t worry about anyone, idiot...” I say before I can stop myself. I fight my face from blushing, forcing it down with the most strength I can muster. I feel embarrassed for allowing myself to speak my mind so carelessly.
Kappie freezes. His eyes widen upon looking at me, I struggle to say more. Leaving long moments between words to think of new ones, “It would just be a real drag if you all died and I had to do everything myself! It’s not like I like any of you...” I leave my sentence dropped off.
“We are stronger than you think.” Kappie straightens his back and looks off in the direction Ezra disappeared.
“They have allowed us to stay in the spare guest house on the far North side of the property.” Steele suddenly informs from the trees.
“My apologies for my lack of concentration. I will secure the premises.” Kappie gracefully spins on his heels and takes off, leaping through the trees.
“We have to tell Ezra.” I mutter. Steele turns his head to acknowledge me. “I just don’t want him ruining our plans is all!”
“If he’s left on his own accord, he will come back on it as well.” He states, glancing at me once and walking off in the direction Kappie dashed. Haruka pushes past me, igniting my animosity towards him.
“I thought that was very brave of you.” Rayce says when we’re alone. I look up at him in confusion. It takes a minute for him to read my expression and understand it before he says anything, “You do know you are of a higher status than us?” His eyebrows raise at me and his childish mannerisms pop back into play. When all I do is stare back at him blankly, he continues to explain in an exaggerated tone of voice, “We are your servants and bodyguards. We do as you say and protect you at all costs even if that means we end our lives in the process.” He shifts his body to stand before me, face to face. “For you to sacrifice anything, even if it’s just your sleeve, for us...it’s absurd!”
“Is it truly such an outlandish and preposterous thing that I care for your well being?” I question him. My memories have been taken away to the point that I neglect to remember small things like this. I can’t even recall my status and how to properly act around people. It makes me sick to my stomach, ashamed of who I’ve become.
“I...don’t know...We’re just not used to it I guess...” Rayce replies. I wonder why Ezra responded as dramatically as he did. I still don’t think of it as that big of a deal. “It challenges us to think we cannot take care of ourselves. We need you to believe in our well being and strength, not worry like a mother.”
He continues to speak but the sound becomes a haze of white noise in my ears. I open my mouth to speak, nothing comes out as his blue eyes trap mine for a long moment. If I look closely, it appears as if waves move in his irises. His pupils act as the beach that waves rise and fall on. The ascending and receding of the water sends me into a trance.
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Thick green grass blankets the landscape for miles, growing straight up towards the sun. The blades sway in the breeze, dancing to a silent rhythm. In the distance, mountains rise up out of the flat lands, surrounding the horizon like a neverending canyon. Earth is home.
I look around myself, curiously searching for my friends. They always play hide and seek with me, but I’m constantly the one to look for them. I skip around the meadow of grass and small flowers, ignoring the game we play. I feel like the luckiest little girl in the world to have such great people in my life. I treasure them like family.
My small white dress billows rapidly, whipping my skin. I find the boulder that helps me to see all the planet from standing on top of it. Once I climb the great distance I shout to the world, “I, Akira Sheeno, will finally turn ten in three months!”
“Oh really?” Kappie says cheerfully as he and Ezra pop out of hiding. I shriek in excitement as Ezra runs toward me. He lifts me up under my arms and swings me around in a circle. He sets me down gently while I continue to laugh.
“You mean your thousandth birthday is in three months?” Kappie puts his hands on his hips. He and Ezra wear their hair in identical fashion, solid black and messy, so long it dangles past their ears. The location of colors of Kappie’s eyes are the opposite of Ezra’s. They’re like pretty marbles I want to collect and keep forever. “You know we’re practically sixteen so you’re like our little sister.” Ezra adds. Kappie smiles sweetly, they have yet to mature, both mentally and physically, to become men.
“I don’t want to be your little sister!” I yell back at them. Kappie’s smile doesn’t waver, and it even catches on to Ezra like a contagion.
They grin at me and whisper loudly so I can hear, “I think it’s time for the tickle monster!” I shriek and run from them as fast as I can. Ezra runs up to me and catches me in his arms playfully. He holds me while Kappie starts tickling my stomach and sides. I scream in a fit of laughter, rolling and squirming around like a fish out of water.
“Ezra Dean get over here right now!” A woman yells fiercely from somewhere nearby. Her voice slaughters our fun in the short moment she roars. Ezra freezes and the light in his eyes drains instantly. The smile I love to see vanishes, only to be replaced with a dark expression that, as a child, I don’t quite understand.
Kappie and I sit on the cool grass, watching Ezra drag himself to his mother.
“One day I am going to help him.” I say out loud. Kappie looks at me with a blank expression. “I will avenge Ezra.”
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My eyes flicker open to a candle lit chandelier dangling overhead. Only four boys stand around me upon my waking up. I move my head around to look at each of them. Their expressions read anticipation in their own ways.
“Are you alright?” Rayce is the closest to me, squatting on the floor right beside my head. “You were...talking in your sleep…” His eyes dance over to Kappie whose arms are crossed over his bare chest. His lips are pressed together and his eyebrows furrow in a concerned way.
“I think I remembered something.” I say, “It wasn’t much but…” I shut my eyes tightly, embarrassed of my upcoming question, “how old am I?”
“You’re sixteen.” Kappie replies.
“Just sixteen?”
“Sixteen hundred years old.”
My mind empties itself of any and all rational thoughts, “There’s no way that’s true.”
“She still doesn’t remember the most important part.” Steele straightens himself and rubs the back of his head, “It would be an unwise decision to inform her at this moment in time.” His short and dark cinnamon colored hair resists to move under his hand and fingers. His facial features are the most matured of the group, having a slightly larger nose and sharper jawline age him well.
“He’s right,” Kappie adds, holding my eyes with his, “for now just hold onto the fact that you know how old you are. Be proud of yourself for remembering that much.” He attempts to encourage me, but his voice reeks of disappointment.
“We need to go to sleep now if we have any hope of leaving when the sun rises in the morning.” Rayce says to Steele as if they’re in their own conversation.
I purposefully tune them out, forcing their voices into a blur of white noise as I usually do.
I admire the single room cabin. I assume it’s the guest house on the property Steele mentioned earlier. It’s very small and quaint with older attributes and furnishings.
I lie on the only rug made of fabric as soft as pure cotton. The only light emanates from the candle lit chandelier I woke up to looking at. The walls are painted dark neutrals and the floor is mostly wood with small runners in front of the single stove, sinks, and what I assume is the bathroom. It is plain, nothing decorates the walls or the furniture. It’s made for personalization. I feel guilty for my inability to fulfill the cabin’s true purpose of becoming a home.
“Where are we sleeping?” I ask.
“Right here!” Rayce smiles. He squats even lower to lay down and rest his head next to mine on the rug.
“I guess he’s right, there aren’t any bedrooms. So if you don’t mind...” Kappie adds, extending his feet out and stretching his arms over his head. He yawns and lays down on the other side of me. “You can use me as a pillow if you like-”
“Don’t be such a perverted creep!” I reply, silently wishing for a blanket.
Steele morphs into his zodiac form, Tanuki. His size is only slightly bigger than the raccoon dog that he resembles. His body is thinner, but his tail is bushy and heavy looking. The cinnamon colored fur sheltering his body glints in the light of the flickering candles above.
Each guardian looks like exaggerated forms of animals on Earth. Aside from colors and eyes, each one has a specific characteristic that makes him stand out from just being an oversized animal.
Steele curls up on my feet, warming me from my toes as if he read my silent thought. His eyes are a deep yellow color, like citrine or amber. He yawns and closes them, his narrow face buries itself into his curled up body. Even though he’s their leader, he is physically the smallest in zodiac form. Consequently, their respect for his authority speaks volumes.
These boys redefine the definitions of servant and guardian.
“I’d rather sleep outside.” Haruka narrows his eyes away from my line of sight. A low growl comes from Steele, like an objection to Haruka’s protest. Haruka blows his bangs out of his face and reluctantly changes into his zodiac form. His Okami body is the most magnificent of all of them.
His fur is vibrant and gleaming, a wondrous silver color. At each of his joints on his limbs, his fur swoops up like clouds. He sort of resembles a lion in that way, but my first impression of his body is a wolf. His size is the biggest out of all five, closest to Ezra’s. His claws are long and sharp, his fur is thick and voluminous. The abnormally long and full tail of the brilliant silver fur that covers his body, stretches behind him on the floor. Emerald eyes stare at me with an empty look of indifference.
“You’re beautiful…” I whisper. Haruka’s ears twitch, hearing what I’ve mistakenly said out loud. I clear my throat, “Um...I mean…” I buckle under the pressure of his examination of me. There’s nothing I can say to recover from admitting my admiration for his Okami form. He sits on his back legs, staring at me. After several minutes I begin to think he’s standing guard or waiting until I fall asleep so he can join us.
The warm bodies around me have fallen silent. Their body heat acts at my blanket, maintaining a comforting atmosphere for me to sleep in.
And then there’s Haruka.
“Go to sleep.” I whisper to him, assuming the others are already out cold. He doesn’t flinch or blink. He’s ignoring you, Sheeno. “Stop staring at me or I’ll kill you.” I mutter a bit louder, hoping to get through to him. He seems to be more of a rebellious spirit than Ezra. Plus, I don’t need him to protect me while I’m asleep; besides, I don’t fully trust him to keep me from harm.
Haruka hooks his paw over his nose and closes his eyes for a brief moment. “I’m not going to sleep until you do.” I reply to what I think he’s saying to me. He bares his teeth at me and lowers his head slightly, challenging. “No one is going to attack us here.” He shakes his head and looks out the window then back to me. “We are safe, go to sleep.” I yawn and feel myself growing drained and weary. Haruka softly howls at me like a Husky. “Shut up and go to sleep.” I retort with a tinge of authority in my tone.
I turn my body towards Kappie’s, under the fidgeting of my feet, Steele moves to continue to cover them. Everyone adjusts to my movement like clockwork.
All except Haruka.
I grow tired of his insolence, “I’m not asking you…” I close my eyes, “I’m telling you.”
For a short moment I sense Haruka silence himself in hesitation. I then hear him walk around in a circle, his claws tapping on the wood, as he curls up and sleeps the furthest away from me.
I force my eyes to stay shut, but I lie awake, thinking.
I can’t help but pray I can find the Cave of Words the next morning. I hope I will be useful to them, leading them away from the danger that seeks me. Tomorrow, I will try my hardest to help, to give my life to saving theirs.
I question the possibility of how I can be centuries old and still look like a preteen boy. I repeatedly play the flashback of memory I saw earlier. From what I see, Ezra and Kappie used to be so innocent and cheerful like the way Rayce is now.
I wonder if I took that away from them just like how I took the light from Haruka.
I have stolen their lives for my own selfish needs all these years. No wonder Haruka hates me. My desire to know everything eats at my sanity bit by bit every day. The sickness in my stomach churns, mutating into the black hole.
As negative thoughts circle in my head, my black hole dives into my sleeping state of mind. I don’t dream like I wish, I have nightmares that take hold and refuse to let me go. They keep me from escaping, from awaking and falling back to sleep safely. It feels like falling in a never ending pit of liquid thicker than water, suffocating me into a darkness that’s all-consuming.
It’s a blackness that devours.
*****
My eyes flash open, finally allowing me to escape the torment the nightmares brought. I’m the only one awake. The sun hasn’t even risen yet, and during their slumber, my spirit guardians have all moved into different positions. I gently wiggle myself free of their grasps and weights to find somewhere to be alone.
The wood creaks ever so slightly under the pressure of my toes. Like a stealthy ninja, I slowly work my way to what I think is the back door. Once I open it the wind from outside pushes through, striking my face with a chilled slap. I turn my back towards the outside and ease the door closed as quickly and quietly as I manage.
The dark morning sky hugs the horizon. The trees from around the property have been chopped down leaving the vast area flat and grassy. My bare feet brush against the freshly dewed meadow, it’s cold to the touch. I walk through the field, passing into the trees and forest that barricade the estate we’ve borrowed for the night.
I seek a secretive place to think things through and hopefully find a clue to who I truly am. I feel like a burden for the five lives I’ve hijacked and changed. Poor Rayce, “If the other boys have gone through something similar to what he went through, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”
“Don’t say that, even to yourself.”
I trip over a tree root and collapse onto the freshly dewed grass and damp dirt. Sohna? My hair sticks to my lips and eyelashes, the air knocked out of me neglects to make its way back inside my lungs. Impossible. I feel the drastic change of my eyes widening as far as they can go. I know I heard her voice crisp and clear.
“S-Sohna?” I whisper out loud, barely audible even to myself. A small dainty hand reaches out to me, nails painted bright red. “No way.” I follow the wrist to the forearm to the thin and narrow shoulders. Red curly hair, like roses, sprouts from the familiar head that I never thought I’d see again. “This isn’t real.” I say, staring back down at the outstretched hand.
How much I want to fling myself upon her, tackling her to the ground. I want to nestle my face in her hair and smell the lovely flower scent of her skin. I crave for her laughter to send vibrations all around us, spreading an irritated smile on my face.
But I know this is just an illusion.
“You don’t know why they’re here, so don’t think for a second that you’re forcing anyone to do anything, that’s a bit conceited don’t you think?” She winks and playfully points to her right eye.
“I can’t remember who or what I am, Sohna, as if I’m not human...In truth, I might end up being my guardians’ demise…” I lean back to my heels and peer down at my hands, “I even somehow obliterated creatures thirty times my size...how do I know what ever that was...won’t end up hurting the ones protecting me?”
“You don’t know,” She leans down and tilts her imaginary head, “and neither do they. You truly cannot avoid that.” Her airy voice makes bad news sound good. Although it still reeks of bad news. “If you decide to set them ‘free’, don’t think for a second that you’ll actually be relieving them.” Her imaginary yellow eyes grow serious.
“What do you mean?”
“That would be a complete waste! They’ve spent their entire lives training to protect you, don’t let that go to ruin! They need you to need them and to want their protection.” She jumps straight up and looks out over my head. “Someone’s coming.” She looks back down at me, “I’ll see you later! Remember what I said and don’t give up!” She spins on her imaginary heels to escape. I instinctively reach out to touch her.
My fingers brisk her soft skin.
“Miss Akira?” Steele’s voice drifts into range. I stand up abruptly and try to wipe off the dirt from my hair and clothes. After moments of rustling leaves and shifting of dirt, Steele draws closer. “Miss-” His words drop out of thin air. “Are you alright?” The tone that comes from the question hardly lacks emotion. Steele trails towards me, dragging his Tanuki tail behind him.
“Go away.” I try hiding the small scratches from his sight. Although they failed to break the skin, the sharp rocks hidden in the wet dirt did manage a little damage to my palms.
Steele doesn’t seem like the type of man to show his true emotions like Rayce. He’s thick skinned and ornery. He’s the kind of man who demands respect and cooperation. He truly is a fine leader; not one trinity spirit can hold a candle to him. Even though I waver on trusting how he truly feels about me, I would follow his directions anywhere.
He reaches for my arm and yanks it up to his eyes, “Don’t lie to me again.” He un-hands me. I disgracefully withdraw from him; gazing down at my dirty bare feet. “You should be more careful Milady. Running off on your own causes grave danger, not just for you.” His dark eyes regard my behavior in a fierce manor. I rub my hands together near my chest.
“T-Tch! S-Shut up!” I say with the cowardice of a child.
“We will be heading out soon, so please wash yourself up and make yourself presentable to the others.” His voice lacks the unavoidable pity that I assume it should contain, “I don’t want them seeing you like this.” He about-faces to the direction he arrived from.
“Wait, Steele…!” I unsteadily mumble. He freezes in place, waiting for me. “I…” He looks at me over his left shoulder, “I…” I struggled to spit out the words that I want to say, the words I must say.
“Yes Miss Akira?” Steele doesn’t move an inch. A hint of irritability radiates from his words and I know his patience is thin.
“I…” My entire body feels like it’s on fire, the words catch in my throat, “I need you!” I blurt out louder than I anticipate.
Steele whips around in an instant and slams me against a tree trunk. My fear and adrenaline override the pain from the sharp bark jabbing into my back.
“Never say those words until the day your life is truly and unmistakably in danger of being lost.” His amber irises shift between my eyes. Anger pollutes his words, and his face shows the real look of ferocity. “Until then, you have no right to allow those syllables to escape your lips.” He pauses for a drawn out minute. My heart races in pure fear as I frantically try to hide it.
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Blood drips from my small pinky finger from a cut the length of my fingernail. I gently wipe it away with my index finger on the other hand, and I examine the crimson stain left around the cut. How come it’s still there? How come I can’t rub it off?
“Are you alright, Miss Sheeno?” The deep voice closes in on me. My eyes still remain on my finger while Steele glides over to my side. “We can try it again when you feel ready.” He bends over to pick up the katana I dropped on the floor of the practice room. The skinny blade sliced my finger only upon unsheathing the sword earlier, whilst readying myself to fight.
My feet send chills up my skin. The bamboo flooring retains a cool temperature under the soles of my feet. The building, made of ebony, stands tall in the vast open plains of Redinon. Rectangular shapes are cut from the walls to create open windows. They allow the warm breeze to move the cramped air inside the dojo. Katanas of all shapes and sizes hang on the furthest wall from where I stand. Swords of all kinds and weapons of the like litter the wall adjacent to the katanas.
“I am ready now.” I clutch the hilt and withdraw it from Steele’s grasp. “Once more, and do not hold back.” I challenge him.
Steele bows once to me and backs away, drawing his unruly axe to take me on in a defense lesson. He gracefully wields it as if the weapon itself was not a mechanism for gruesome slaughtering. In his hands, the axe is a dignified tool of elegance.
“When we are done, I will treasure the life you have and proudly protect it with my own.” His citrine eyes narrow at me. The tone of his voice is something I’ve heard before. The familiarity is what I know to be the privilege of obtaining respect from a prodigy such as he. I’ve worked for over three hundred years to achieve such a prerogative.
“When we are done, I will be strong enough so you won’t have to.”
Another flash of memory slips back into my mind.
I now know I must prove to them that I am worthy of protecting. I have to become someone I used to be even though I don’t remember her. If the journey forward only lies in the darkest depths of despair, I refuse to go down with the darkness that proceeds to consume me and take over my soul. I cannot let five lives be tainted by the black hole and the evil that lies within me.
“Do not treat me as if you do not know who I am to you.” I narrow my eyes back at Steele as I stand trapped against the tree. With every second of memory I gain back, I grow another step closer to knowing who I am and what has happened to this world. I aggressively push his body away from caging me against the trunk of the tree. “Even though I cannot look ahead to the darkness that will inevitably consume my innocence, I will not allow myself to be a weak child of a Lady.” Steele drops his arms to his sides. The daring yellow eyes that challenge my integrity, soften upon my retort. “I do not care anymore if this is the only efficacious time I have until my memories return. I grow tired of my ignorance. It’s time for change.”
Steele nods once and holds his hand out to me, “To go forward from here would be to walk into the black abyss from which no human or god may return from.” His hand does not waver while extended toward me. “Loss of humanity and death would be the least of all worries proceeding that decision.”
Fear. It is the remaining blood on my stained finger. The crimson tainted crevices in the smallest parts of my pores that are futile to reach and rid myself of. Fear is the impurity that rejects the notion of just being merely wiped away. Fear refuses to be rubbed off and it resists disappearance.
Fear is my enemy.
“To enter the lion’s den would be a privilege and an honor with you by my side.” Even though the fear of death and the unknown still haunt my conscious mind, I realize the girl I truly am would not even be phased by the challenge. Now it is my duty to represent her to the best of my abilities and if that means facing Hell straight on, I must do it. I will do it.
*****
Conclusion of ONE
ns216.73.216.146da2
