Friday, May 04, 2007

Episode 41

"Ceri wake up."

"You're not dead."

"I have a gift for you."

"Wake up!"

Ceri was jolted awake by a weird tickling sensation. He was in a field, and someone had traced a blade of cow grass under his nose.

He turned and saw who it was. And quickly got up, backed away - putting as much distance between the two of them -

"W-what are you?" he stammered.

Tsae looked back at him curiously. She was as beautiful as ever, and Ceri couldn't help but notice she had grown since his time with Sensei.

She was no longer the child whom he cherished in his memories - she was taller, her skin was still fair but her face had matured, as had her body. Her hair, though longer, was smooth and jet black as he remembered it. All was good and well, except she was dead, for goodness sakes!

And yet ... how vibrant she looked - so full of life ...

"I suppose you're surprised to see me." Tsae said. "Don't worry, I'm not going to haunt you."

She chuckled gently and put away the blade of grass.

"I'm here on behalf of the Janus." She said, and realization poured into Ceri.

The Janus? Wasn't I at the academy, touchin-"

"Yeah, you did. And it knocked you out for a short chat."

Ceri gave her a blank stare.

"I-I d-don't-"

"-get it?" Tsae completed his sentence for him and smiled. "Well, its like this: the Janus had a preposition for you."

Ceri got to his feet slowly and narrowed his eyes.

"Before that," Tsae said, rising as he did. Ceri noticed she was just an inch shorter than he was. Do you love a girl named Sabriye?"

Ceri brought his wavering eyes back to Tsae and nearly choked. "Excuse me?" It seemed such an adrubt change of direction, his head was reeling ...

"I asked a simple question." she said, not taking her eyes off his face. Ceri couldn't read her thoughts nor did her face give any indication of them. "I expect a simple answer - yes or no?"

"Ye-no" he blurted.

Tsae did not look happy. "Alright," she said, "let me rephrase the question," This time Ceri dared to look at her straight on - "Would you want to be in a situation where you cannot be near Sabriye, touch her, look at her, for a very long period of time?"

This answer was strikingly clear: "No."

Tsae smiled sadly. "Good." she said, and drifted off. A soft breeze made the branches above Ceri sway gently.

Ceri followed her gaze and admired the sea of waving buttercups. The wind brought the scent of freshly cut grass wafting about them.

Tsae shook her head, as if to clear it. "Well," she sighted, "Back to business. The Janus plans to give you something special," - here she paused, studying his face - "But there's a catch to it - it requires a sacrifice."

Ceri was perplexed. "Of what?"

"Love."

He frowned, the implications driving home, "I do not love Sab-"

"It's good enough." Tsae cut in, her eyes glinting. "Your ability will connect you directly with the Janus. If you choose to accept it, then you cannot be with her. If you choose not to, then you will not be touched, harmed or changed in any way."

Ceri pondered this silently. Changed in any way, he thought, she means accept or not get anything at all.

He turned his thoughts to Sab - to her laugh (very rare); to her sarcasm (very common). He thought of the fleeting moments of connection between the two of them. Does love conquer all? he wondered. But he had told himself not to let anyone get past his defenses. Love everyone ... at an arm's length. And then there was the issue of serving his country as an Oragi. Surely that was what he was brought up to become.

Ceri quietly weighed his options, heavyness in his heart. Then he made his choice.

*

You need two seals to become more powerful. Kyioshi was essentially right. And now I know what to target.

Taylor rushed through the corridors, a feeling of euphoria at discovering what he knew was his future. Books he had lifted from the library bounced in his bag. All he needed was Callie at his side and they could go out and have the world at their feet.

Great schemes were still running through his mind as he flung open grand double doors and burst into the courtyard where he knew Callie was.

The cold pierced his lungs like steel daggers, making him gasp for air. He would've gasped anyway, for the magic going on before him was like nothing he had ever seen before.

Two of the Nobu assasins were dead. As Taylor watched, a boy blasting lightning at Vera was making his way around the courtyard, towards an exit.

He took a step forward at the boy, taekwando in mind.

A polar bear the size of a car slammed into the boy, cracking tile and completely destroying the door. The bear got up and placed its paw on the boy's chest. It apparently had no pulse, for the bear turned away and grunted with satisfaction.

It spotted another Nobu: a boy who had melted into shadow and reappeared behind Warren, knife in hand. The bear blew him away with a simple flick of paw and was after him, roaring and knocking statues and pillars aside.

Taylor was starting to feel frightened; he turned to look for Callie - this place was not safe for either of them -

He spotted Vera, Callie's familiar, hunting down the shadow Nobu. He saw Warren treating a girl who had a puncture wound at her side; her arms and legs were scaly and a wing lay unfurled on one shoulder.

And then he spotted her - arms glowing with magic, parrying and slashing with a girl who had a scythe - Taylor took a step forward, wanting to call out her name -

The words turned into a silent scream as the Nobu female twirled the scythe expertly - with a clean slice Calypso's head was ripped asunder; blood splattering onto the icy floor.

Taylor was moving forward, shock turning to agony turning to anger. Within ten seconds he was in range - twisting on one foot he landed a kick to the side of her head.

The Nobu girl crashed to the floor. She turned around, eyes wide open, looking for her assailant -

And found Taylor's hands strangling her neck.

"YOU KILLED HER!" He screamed, "YOU KILLED HER - I'LL SHOW YOU!"

The girl focused her mind, tearing metal from a nearby fountain pipe - it appeared as a dagger in her hand.

She was about to stab Taylor when all energy failed her - her hands fell limply to her side. Taylor stopped, surprised. His hands were slowly turning back to normal, from something ... inhuman. The Nobu girl stared up at him; an empty shell.

Her soul.

Then a wayward blast from the bear hit Taylor, missing the shadow Nobu and rebounding off a sheet of metal, sending him crashing through a flimsy door and into a hall.

A brief glimpse of two boys and blood. Silence.

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