Yukanna
Passage to Keyper’s Cavern
Studies passed by a blur. I’m still dizzy from that trance, but obviously I have absolutely no power to fix those types of things.
I trudge home and twist the bronze key to my front door gloomily. The house was quiet, but Kuko’s wailing upstairs shattered it in seconds. My mom rushes upstairs with his formula, but he still wouldn’t calm down.
He missed me. I know, because I settle myself inside my room and drop my bag, the minute Kuko sees my face, his mood flip flops, and instead of his pudgy little rose red cheeks, his puckered face scrunched up, his world seemed to glow. He stares at me with his huge puppy-eyes and laughs at my heavy eyes. I weakly smile at him and excuse myself to my room.
Thank goodness I did, because my cell phone rings the minute I enter my door. I hastily pick it up and punch the Answer button.
“Yuka, I have no time to waste,” Jaclyn’s frantic voice rings in my ear. “Akane…how can I say this, but she’s GONE! I talked with her onii, Shayne, and he said that Akane’s room is locked now. He opened it, and, well, come over, will you? This is urgent.”
I almost dropped my phone. Akane is missing?! At a day like this…! I try to gather myself together, but I, too, probably feel like what Jaclyn feels now. But how can she be this calm?! “How the heck are you this calm when a best friend is missing?!” I exasperated.
“Don’t ask, I just am. So are you coming or not?!” Jaclyn snaps.
“Gimme time, gimme time!” I mutter. I try to retrace what has happened during this day. First off, those visions, and Katrina acting all weird, then my eyes turning green all over again. All this unusual phenomenon seems to be connected to each other… But how can I know for sure?
Well, there was only one way to find out. “I’ll be right there,” I declare.
I hear Jaclyn gulp on the other line.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, “Are you scared?”
“To tell you honestly, I am…” Jaclyn stutters. “What if something took her away? What if she-”
“Then why did you try to act all calm when I asked what happened?!” I snap, “Are you saying you wanted me to come out there and do absolutely nothing at all?! Jaclyn, if this is a matter of a friend being missing, do you think that I would just stand around here and do nothing about it?! Look, I’m sorry if I am actually yelling at the freaking speaker, but I care about my friends and family and will do everything it takes to protect them, got it?! Are you not gonna do the same?!”
Jaclyn-san shut up for awhile. Probably she was trying to think about something to counter my little speech. Minutes later, she peeps, “You’re right. I shouldn’t be afraid anymore. It’s because of my condition now…”
Huh. What exactly was that supposed to mean?
“Okay,” Jaclyn said, “I’ll-”
Bzzt…bzzt… the line goes dead.
“What in the world?!” I stare at my cell in shock. Now what?! This day is getting weirder and weirder. There was a long silence, then this eerie, dark voice rasps a riddle of some sort.
“You may find the worthy as you please,
But remember the truth you need to seize.
Beware the shadow, if you will,
Hence, one day it’ll help you still.”
The voice fades. Great. First that flashback, then Katrina’s sour mood, my unusual trance, and now this riddle about…the shadows?!
Will my life always be in the darkness and mystery?
But pushing that aside, I have to help Akane. I tell Mom that I was heading to Akane’s house. She gracefully approves and I storm out of the house with a pack of small weapons. The worst can happen, who knows? I have to take precautions. That riddle only makes me more suspicious.
I grab my bike and pedal with misery.
When I get to Akane’s house, the door was ajar. I quietly let myself in and see Jaclyn with Akane’s big brother, Shane. Their conversation was hushed and worried.
“Do your parents know this has happened at all?!” Jaclyn graves.
“No,” Shane replies, “They’re away at some business trip somewhere out east. But I’m the big bro; I gotta take care of this house and my little sister. What else can I do?”
I walk in and reply, “You can help us by leading us to Akane’s room.”
Both of them jump at the sound of my voice, and there was a light laughter around the empty home. Shane leads us to Akane-chan’s room, and stops at her door. I notice that he takes cautious steps around that door.
“Well? Why can’t you open it?” Jaclyn demands.
“Um…” Shane shifts his hands nervously. “Can you do it?”
Jaclyn and I eye him suspiciously and Shane begins to back away. He then blurts out: “Okay, I can’t go in because some barrier bounced me back and I got this like, gnarly scar over here.” He rolls up his sides, lined with ugly, deep purple bruises.
We backed away in disgust. “Ew! Shane, that’s too much info!”
“Well, don’t blame me. Now go and save my sis, okay?!” He excuses himself and slams a nearby door. “Some sis I have,” I could feel him thinking.
We slowly approach the hazel door that led to Lily’s room. Jaclyn winces in horror as she clasps the doorknob. Instantly, I could feel the electricity, the static that flowed in whatever was keeping us out of Lily’s room. But something seemed strange. I look at Jaclyn closely and realize that she caught on to what I was thinking. But I could tell that she had her mind set on something else.
This door has a barrier… I read in her mind, so this should mean that Lily has decided to go out in the Cavern… Oh no…
“Lily did what?” I ask.
Jaclyn gasps and quickly whips her head in my direction. “Gyah! Yukanna! Don’t scare me like that! It’s almost as if-“
“…As if I’m reading your mind?”
“Yeah- wait, what?!” She backs away from me and I sigh.
“Forget it. Just open the door. I just realized we’re unaffected by it.” I gaze at the glimmering necklace that I wore on my neck and smiled at it.
Jaclyn looks at me in surprise and twists the knob slowly. We both brace ourselves ready for the painful recoil to be thrown, but there was nothing when the door came open. Jaclyn looked puzzled. Then she gasps as she realizes that my necklace was glowing. “You’re necklace…” She begins.
“That’s right,” I reply, “The necklace has a specific energy that can break any barrier. It’s very strong. I believe that we have it here concealed in this diamond jewel.”
The necklace that I wore has always been called the Yu-Jo Jewel. I found it in my room as a kid and always wore it with me when I went to school. Basically it was a multi-colored diamond pendant in the shape of a rounded heart. Every time I pick it up, I feel an energy seeping out of me. But I always realized that when I wore it, I always felt…strange. I can’t really explain how I feel around it, but it was a feeling that I never forgot.
Once again, Jaclyn looks at me strangely then enters Lily’s room. I follow along holding the “Yu-Jo Jewel.”
Then all I remember is the fact that Lily’s room looked…discreet.
I open my eyes and realize I’m sprawled on this rocky, graveled ground. Gravel?! Okay, this can’t be happening. Whatever happened to Lily’s room? I groggily gaze around and see Jaclyn sprawled tight to my left. To my right, I see a boy that looked a lot like Lenn Minoru. I help Jaclyn up to her feet then lead her to the boy. He was laying on his front, moaning. We turn him over and gasp. This WAS Lenn Minoru! How did he get here anyway?!
We begin to look around. I notice Jaclyn didn’t seem surprised at all to be here. But why? How can she be normal about this?! I soon realize I was staring at the entrance of a looming cave, its mouth a yawning lip.
Our thoughts are interrupted as a voice vibrates from within.
“Step forward, Youths, and make way to Keypers’ Cavern!”
Jaclyn:
Bondage of Unity
When that light that shone in Akane’s room led us to the mouth of Keyper’s cavern, I automatically knew that she has decided to seal her name as a Keyper. It was no surprise that she was a destined one. I mean, she has this…bubbly, dedicated state in her that just makes her stand out from others. It was some sort of…Willpower that helped us immensely.
I feel happy that Akane is an ally, but what about Yukanna? Her aura is mysterious and dark… I’ve heard that almost no one knows why her complexion is hidden. I’ve only seen her smile once, and I will never forget that smile. I feel bad that I can’t see that often. That little gesture could change many, and I’m sure that many others noticed it. It’s a shame that we can’t see that every day… every moment.
But I thought about the moment I called Yukanna and told her the situation concerning Akane’s appearance. What a big mistake! Now she’s going to be involved in all of this mess that I have to suffer.
But how did I know that Akane went to the Cavern of Keyper once I went in her room? Well, as a Keyper, it’s my responsibility to find the other Keypers. I remember this person saying that there were seven of them, two destined to be our leaders, the Shadow Spades. A boy who possesses Pure Strength and a girl who possesses Shining Hope and Bravery was said to lead us. I could tell when he told that to me that finding the Shadow Spade Keypers wouldn’t be easy. But through toil and such, I promised this mysterious person that I’d find them.
Now I feel like I’m going somewhere. I got Akane-chan but now I need to examine Yukanna and surprisingly Lenn.
Speaking about Lenn…
Yukanna and I rush over to his pale, sprawled body. We turn him over and try to stifle a giggle. But nevertheless, we knew he was in trouble.
I look at Yukanna and ask, “Do you think you can carry him?”
She pats Lenn’s arm with a concerned look. “I don’t know. He’s really chubby. I feel really tired though.”
“C’mon,” I smile, “I’ll take one arm. You take another. We’ll have to explain to him why he’s here for some crazy reason…” I grimace in horror trying to imagine what the “Being” would say. It probably wouldn’t be pretty.
Yukanna looks at me and mouths who? I ignore that and notion for her to grab Lenn’s right arm while I grab the left arm.
“HEAVE!” Yukanna pants as we both lift Lenn off the ground.
“Oof!” Lenn’s bulky weight almost made me lose my balance. “You’re right,” I huff, “Lenn’s HEAVY!”
“Let’s
go!” Yukanna rushes to the mouth of the cave without any trouble carrying
Lenn’s side. She lifted it like a feather, which got me surprised. But I ignore
it and continue
lagging behind being pressured by Lenn’s immense weight.
We enter Keyper’s Cavern, nervous, tense, and wary. Most of the cavern was cloaked with beautiful gemstones of every color. The ends of the cave were rocky, but smooth to the touch. Still carrying the pale-faced Lenn, we trek on, losing breath, until I stop Yukanna and point to an open chamber.
“There,” I said, “We can’t get across until we can get the code here.” I point to a faint light where a keyboard and monitor laid, waiting to be used.
“Huh…” Yukanna put me in charge of Lenn and stares at the monitor screen.
“Oof…thanks for helping me get Lenn, Hito-san…” I mutter sarcastically and drag myself next to Yukanna. We stare at the screen, which said:
“Something happens all day on Winter Solstice.”
Yukanna gazes at it, puzzled. She tilts her head and then her face lights up in the darkness. Confident, Hito-san types “Shadows” on the keyboard and presses “ENTER.”
Immediately, a wall caves in and opens in front of us. I gape at her and she smiles. “I don’t take IQ tests for nothing. That was too easy. All you had to do was read the first letters of each word.” She grabs Lenn by the arm and positions it so it looped around her shoulder. “Shall we continue?”
I nod, still amazed. And as we went by every room, Yukanna seemed to have all the answers to each chamber…until we came into one that puzzled Yukanna and even me, having coming here for more than once. There was the usual monitor and keyboard, but Yukanna immediately said to me:
“There are traps in this room.” She points to the keyboard. “If I touch it, I’ll be zapped with an electromagnetic force.” She paces around and hops to and fro from the room. “Most of these spots have ropes inside them. If I step on them, I’ll be bound to the ground.”
I look at her, awestruck. It was as if she came here before! No one as far as I know could tell me right away that there were traps in this room!
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