A familiar woman in heavy silk robes and long dark black hair sits at the edge of a lake where the bright green grass and flowers ended with a messy haired little boy who kept his gaze down. “And then we came here together, away from the troubles of Noroc.”

  He groans with exaggerated boredom and falls over on the grass on his face. “I’ve heard this story,” he mumbles childishly.

  She laughs elegantly, gently placing a hand on the boy’s back. “Have you now? Then what happens next?”

  “He made a promise to take care of you. Then I was born, and he left.”

  She smiles as she closed her radiant blue eyes and sighs deeply, yet softly.

  He stays silent for a moment before speaking quietly once more, reflecting that of a child abandoned. “He left us here.”

  “It’s important for you to understand why he left, my dear,” she says gently.

  “Because of me...”

  “No, never,” she says with a small shake of her head. “He wanted to make sure we could live safely for however long we have left, to ensure his biggest fear never comes to pass.” She looks up, her deep blue eyes seeming to shine as a thought came across her mind. “I know you’re upset about it now, but in time you’ll come to understand.”

  “No I won’t,” he whines frustratingly.

  “One day there will be someone you care for so deeply that you’ll do the same for. Someone you would give the world for at all costs. And when you find that person I want you to not be afraid of where that path takes you, just as your father, okay?”

  He groans once more. “Fine.”

  She smiles kindly. “Come now... Let’s go visit his memorial together,” The entire scene fades into darkness just as the little boy got up and lazily followed after his mother, his eyes closed as he made the extra effort to display his boredom.

  “As long as I live... I won’t let you touch her...” Tai’s voice says weakly in a tired and beaten down voice.

  (Is... Is that you?)

  “Hard to keep those words from your position now. Don’t you think?” Replies another, unknown, male voice maliciously.

  ?

  Kaori winces lightly and rolls over before opening her eyes, seeing that she lay in her bed on board the ship. She sits up, holding her head as she felt a twinge of pain. “My head...” She rubs her eyes a bit and moves where she could easily stand up from the bed. “I can remember my dreams more clearly lately... Who was that woman?” Her eyes widen as she remembered where she had gone unconscious, her dream quickly slipping her mind, and hurries out of her room and down to the control room where the others were talking quietly with concern on their faces.

  “Kaori,” Breeze stands from the seat near the control panel.

  “Did we find out where he is?” Kaori asks seriously.

  “Yes as a matter of fact I believe we have,” Keiji replies softly.

  “Are we on the way there?” Kaori asks quickly.

  Keiji looks down a little before turning his gaze to the large window. “Not yet.”

  “We were waiting for you to wake up because you see, Tai is...” Breeze looks down, not wanting to finish her sentence.

  Kaori freezes as she heard Yogen’s voice speak from behind her in a soft and gentle tone, but his presence nowhere to be seen nor felt.

  “He’s at the Temple.” He says near her ear.

  “The Temple...” Kaori whispers softly.

  Breeze looks at Kaori anxiously. “We know you didn’t want to go there, and we wanted to ask you first since we aren’t really sure if he’s there without a doubt, and if he is then that means...”

  Shomei looks at how uneasy Breeze seemed at explaining and continues her thought. “It means they could be trying to lure you into a trap by using him as bait.”

  Vicious remains quiet as he crossed his arms, deep in thought while remaining silent.

  “They may keep you by force if they’re willing to go as far as taking Taiichiro hostage,” Shomei continues. “For years now they had let him be after he escaped the first time he was held there and focused on the task of building back up their own manpower, so it is likely that your denial to follow them has pushed forth a series of drastic measures.”

  Breeze steps toward Kaori and takes her hands in her own and looks at her earnestly. “If we go there we could lose you for good.” She shakes her head stubbornly. “I don’t want that to happen.”

  “So the decision rests with me?” Kaori asks, looking down at hers and Breeze’s hands thoughtfully.

  “Whatever you wish, we shall support you,” Keiji says reassuringly.

  “I-,” Kaori’s voices falters before she falls silent, remembering Tai’s pained voice speak in her mind once more as that single vision of her dream had pushed through her thoughts. “I will go to the Temple,” she says in a tone that that echoed her resolution in the matter. “I would like to speak with Grand Master Valo myself as both the Ruler of Gods, and as the Empress, but I don’t want to go alone.” She nods to herself as the memory at the fountain of truth crossed her mind. “And I won’t leave without him.”

  Keiji nods, his supportive expression remaining unchanged. “If that’s what you wish.”

  Breeze gently releases Kaori’s hands and looks at Keiji. “But-...”

  “It’s the request of our goddess.” Keiji says firmly. “We shall comply.”

  Kaori looks at Keiji worriedly. “It seems like it’s not something he wants to do... But we can’t continue on without everyone...”

  Keiji looks at everyone with a hard to read expression and his eyes seeming deep in thought. “We shall arrive shortly. I’m sure they are well aware of our impending arrival.”

  Shomei crosses her arms and looks down thoughtfully. “The Temple... They sure have been acting strangely lately.”

  Breeze looks at the monitors carefully. “They’re getting too big to handle. I heard of them wanting a goddess before but never this badly...” She says hesitantly as she logged in directions to the Temple. “We should be there in about an hour or two, I won’t leave the ship close just in case, so we’ll have to walk a bit.”

  “I’m sure this is the Temple’s way of trying to protect her. They aren’t like this without a reason,” Vicious mumbles quietly.

  Breeze starts to say something but is interjected by Keiji’s eerily calm, and stoic tone.

  “There’s many things done with and without reason. It’s been that way for hundreds of years,” says Keiji.

  Kaori clenches her fists at her side, listening intently to Yogen’s calm voice above the others who spoke seriously to one another.

  “May we speak alone?” Yogen’s voice asks quietly.

  Kaori nods lightly, then looks at Keiji and the others. “Please excuse me... I’d like to prepare before our arrival.”

  “Sure thing...” Breeze says supportively.

  Vicious waits for Kaori to walk out before speaking darkly. “Are you all intending on fighting the Temple head on once you get there?”

  “That is up to Miss Kaori. If support is what she asks of, then that is what she will get from us in any way we can offer. You vowed to protect the goddess should one return to Noroc haven’t you?” Keiji asks in response.

  “I work for the Temple, follow their teachings,” Vicious replies.

  “And the High Goddess herself has denied them right before your eyes. What are you to do now? You are more than welcome to stand with us. Help us protect her, save Noroc together as people, not as rivals. She has made it clear that has been her intention from the start,” Keiji stares down Vicious, his tone as stern as ever.

  ?

  Kaori enters her room and closes the door behind her quietly, resting her hand on the knob as her gaze lingered there. “I feel they think I’m doing something wrong,” she says quietly, knowing Yogen was standing in the room at the other side. “Don’t they?”

  “Merely afraid,” Yogen replies. “Just as Taiichiro was when he went to search for you without hesitation.”

  “Is he...” Her voice trails off, almost too afraid to finish her sentence.

  “He will remain immortal, but never free from pain. This is something the Temple is aware of and are not afraid to take advantage of.”

  She stays silent, a multitude of thoughts crossing her mind all at once, leaving the atmosphere heavy until she remembered Yogen wanted to speak with her. “Why did you want to talk with me?”

  “Your dreams, my lady. Have you started to recall them?”

  She nods at his question. “Yes. Before it was just feelings but now it’s... I don’t know how to describe it.”

  “Memories,” he says simply. “Because they are. Either visions of your own, or from deities before.”

  “Memories... So those feelings I had before I could realize what it was were...” Her voice fades as the thought consumed her.

  “Akiko’s feelings. You had been feeling what she had in her final moments of life... But Akiko is not the limit of your ability to see.”

  “What do you mean?” Kaori asks curiously.

  “You have the power to see the world around you.”

  Her eyes light up a bit. “Really? Can you show me how?”

  “As you wish.” He bows lightly and takes her hand in his, her palm facing upward. “Please focus on the subject you wish to see as much as possible,” he says calmly, then gently touches the center with his finger causing a clear image of Tai getting beaten to the ground by a Temple warrior to appear before them.

  “Tell us the location of the rest of you dirty low lives and the airship!” The Temple Warrior yells hatefully. “Then of the location of the Empress.”

  Tai falls to the ground, his face and body bleeding profusely while his hands remained chained behind his back and his legs chained to the stone wall behind him, the ground he had fallen into flooded over with a mixture of his blood and rising water.

  The temple warrior holds a gun to Tai’s head, looking irritated. “If you refuse to speak, I’ll gladly let you be consumed by your nightmares.”

  Tai looks up, staring directly past the gun at his head and at the Temple Warrior. “It doesn’t matter what you do to me, I’ll be here long after your gone.”

  The temple warrior pulls back the hammer of the gun, preparing to shoot. “Last chance.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “As long as I live... I won’t let you touch her,” Tai says with a hateful glare.

  Kaori moves from Yogen and covers her face in shock and horror as the image disappeared as soon as a gunshot was heard. “No...”

  Yogen frowns as the image faded around them. “It seems that though he is still alive, he is gravely injured. His pain must be beyond comprehension at this point.” He looks at Kaori worriedly, immediately noticing her saddened expression stare down and struggle to hold back her tears. “My dear lady... Another reason I asked you here was to help you meet those who are at your side aiding your fight.” He holds up his hand, four orbs of light floating above his palm. “Here are the representations of the souls with in you.” He removes his hand from under the orbs of light, letting them float for a moment as they held their place before Kaori, taking shape into very real visions of people, one of which being Ryota.

  She looks at each one; a young girl seeming to be no older than sixteen years of age with long black hair and a pleasant smile that reflected in her dark brown eyes. The young girl wearing a light blue and white heavy dress that flowed to the floor and slightly out behind her. Kaori’s eyes then wander to a tall, stern looking man nearing the age of twenty also with jet black hair but ice blue eyes that wore clothes closely resembling Vicious’s from Tinder shrine and lastly another older man, close to his mid-thirties with goggles on his head of short, white hair and deep red, yet friendly, eyes that exuded a fun loving personality from him as he held a retractable baton with what looked to be oil and soot on his face as well as smeared across his dark green overalls that he wore over a black long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. “They are the ones protecting me?”

  “Yes. Before the rise of the first revolution, protectors of the gods who visit earth, escorting them across the shrines until they reach their home at the Temple. Some of whom, have passed their duties on to who they deemed more worthy than them to protect the next. Long ago Gods were to rule with the servants of those who followed to maintain peace and harmony, but as you may know the conflict between those who believed the gods were nothing but humans pretending to rule and those who knew the truth was the start of the war. As time carried on the purpose behind it; no matter how brightly the truth shined, was lost. Now humans fight for the sake of power rather than the sake of proof. But those who remain faithful, and keep the honor of protecting the gods in their hearts holds most true in these souls.”

  She looks at the images of the people before her and steps toward Ryota, looking up at him directly. “Can... They hear me?”

  “I encourage you to try, though it is difficult.”

  She looks up at Ryota sadly for a moment. “You two were close weren’t you? You wanted to find someone to forgive him so badly with such sincerity in your heart.” She feels a tear fall down her face, seeing that she received no response. “I don’t think I’ll be the one who forgives him, but I promise to be the one who can help him bring the world back to what he remembers it to be.” She looks at Yogen seriously. “I want their help. With everything that I am. I am willing to accept their power.”

  Yogen steps to Kaori’s side as the images of the people around them faded. “There is a lot of heart ache on this path you have chosen. I want you to know, if ever it should become too painful to bear, I will be here to support you no matter the cost.”

  She feels tears continue to fall from her face, not quite sure why she was feeling so emotional but embraces Yogen suddenly, seeking comfort in his arms.

  ?

  Breeze sighs looking even more anxious than before as she paced back and forth. “We arrive soon.” She looks at Keiji worriedly. “Tai wouldn’t want this. He’d want her to just keep going.”

  “I know...” Keiji replies quietly.

  “I don’t want to lose her.”

  “I know...”

  “Keiji...” She stops pacing and stands in front of him with sadness in her eyes. “I’m scared.”

  He nods knowingly. “We must trust her. She has guidance from the heavens and even possibly our ancestors. We need to be strong and show her we will continue to be her support.”

  She looks down, her eyes tearing up before shaking her head and looking up with determination. “You’re right. We’ve got this... Protect her at all costs, rescue stupid Tai and finish this once and for all. And after that I’m kicking his ass for all the stress he’s put us through.”

  He smiles lightly. “There’s the spirit.”

  “I’ll go get Kaori.”

  “I will assemble the others and meet you both at the ground.”

  “Sure thing,” she says with fortitude then hurries out toward Kaori’s room, stopping as Kaori had opened the door and fell forward tiredly. “Kaori!” She catches Kaori in her arms lightly, her expression showing great concern. “What’s going on?”

  She breaths heavily for a moment and shakes her head. “I have to be stronger than this.” She attempts to regain her composure as she speaks. “I can’t...”

  “What are you talking about?” She feels Kaori go limp in her arms. “Uh oh...”

  ?

  Kaori opens her eyes as she heard voices around her, noticing she was just outside the familiar entrance of the cavern near the Homeland, with two others waiting outside near her that were unable to see her while speaking seriously to one another.

  “Where is he?” Says the voice of an impatient man with blonde hair and purple eyes.

  Another man with light blue hair shakes his head lightly. “I’m not sure. Jrud said he’d keep an eye on him though. We’ve got to trust him.”

  “I can’t believe we’ve got to work with such a disgrace to our people. Even our leader has banished him from stepping foot on our grounds,” says the blonde-haired man hatefully.

  “What if he’s serious though? If he’s tired of fighting back. I mean we can’t hate him forever,” says the other man uneasily.

  “We don’t have to hate him, but we should never trust him. Not after the massacre he’s caused,” he replies quickly.

  “We’re trusting him enough to know the elements’ location,” Replies the other man hesitantly.

  Kaori looks at them curiously. “Are they talking about...” She looks at the entrance of the cave seeing a tall muscular man carrying a weakened Tai over his shoulder.

  The muscular man throws a slightly younger and tired looking Tai to the ground hard, looking irritated. “Used his blood to seal the premises. No humans are getting in there at all.”

  Tai sits up weakly, holding his heavily bleeding forearm in pain.

  “Great work. We can move on to the next one after this,” The blonde-haired man says plainly.

  The other man looks down at Tai blankly, his expression showing slight empathy as Tai looked up at him with an expression of blank acceptance and exhaustion. “Did you hurt him?” He asks passively as his gaze moved onto the muscular man known as Jrud.

  Jrud shrugs a little carelessly. “He tried to leave the cavern, started whining about not wanting anything to do with this.” He goes over to Tai and knocks him down hard with a forceful push to the head. “But he should have thought about that two hundred years ago.”

  Tai groans in pain as he pushed himself back up, his hair covering his expression.

  Jrud glares at Tai yet seeming to enjoy seeing him in pain. “Don’t look so pathetic. It’s not like I can kill you anyway.” He grabs Tai by his hair and forces him up to look at him directly. “Besides, you brought this on yourself.”

  Kaori holds her hands near her heart, hurt at the sight of Tai’s merciless treatment.

  Jrud punches Tai’s stomach as hard as he could, causing Tai to wince in pain as he let out a pitiful moan and falls forward, leaning on Jrud.

  “You shouldn’t hurt him. He won’t be able to walk on his own to the next area,” says the man with light blue hair quietly.

  Jrud pushes Tai to the ground and stands over him hatefully. “Don’t tell me you’re starting to feel sorry for him,” he says irritably. “He’s the reason all our families are dead! The reason this war is even still going!”

  “Yeah but...” The blue haired man shakes his head lightly. “I’m not carrying him.”

  “We need to take a break anyway,” Jrud looks at Tai darkly and swings his arm across his body lightly, sharp unseen blades hitting Tai in various areas of his body, blood immediately seeping through his clothes where the blows landed.

  Tai moves to his knees, his vision fading in and out as he coughed up blood and stared at Jrud weakly. “Hate me as much as you want,” he says in a near whisper. “I won’t fight you...”

  “You have no right to play the good guy now. Not after selling out our people the way you have,” Jrud makes a blade appear in his hand and steps toward Tai.

  “No! Stop! Don’t hurt him!!” Kaori runs between Jrud and Tai, bracing herself to take the attack in Tai’s place.

  “C’mon Jrud, stop it,” The light blue haired man says seriously, causing the man to stop.

  The blade disappears from Jrud’s hand as he glares at Tai turning away from him carelessly.

  Kaori turns and looks down at Tai worriedly, seeing the blood soaking through his clothes and even falling down his face.

  Tai looks up, his eyes looking through her unseen image yet seeming as if he were looking directly at her.

  She kneels down in front of him, his eyes appearing to follow her. “I’m sorry...” She says with tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry...” She reaches out to him, her faded image touching the hair near his face before she pulled back sadly. “You didn’t deserve this.” She closes her eyes lightly, a strangely familiar voice speaking hatefully from what sounded like a far distance.

  “You can’t hold out forever. We’ll either break you or she’ll come to us on her own. Hopefully bringing the rest of those disgusting Yaban with her,” A male voice says angrily.

  Kaori opens her eyes, seeing the man Yogen had shown her before standing above a weakened Tai who was kneeling on the wet stone ground in a dark dungeon. (“Why am I seeing this?”)

  “Even if she does come... She’ll never follow you... Not when she knows the truth-,” Tai falls over forward in pain as he was kicked down.

  “When she knows the truth about you? The reason you’re alive,” The unknown man says with increasing anger.

  “She doesn’t belong to the Temple. She isn’t here to serve you...” Tai’s voice fades as if he were slowly losing consciousness, the images starting to fade even as Tai and the man continued to speak.

  Kaori stands alone in the darkness looking irritated. “The reason he’s alive... For what he did? Is there anymore to what happened?” She clenches her fists at her sides, her expression becoming angrier by the second. “No! I don’t care anymore! What he did isn’t my concern!! No one should be concerned anymore. I’m going to end this! Without the Temple, without the teachings. I’ll bring unity in my own way.” She looks up with angry determination. “I refuse to fail,”

  ?

  Kaori opens her eyes tiredly, realizing she was resting on Keiji’s back as they drew closer to the sinking remains of the Temple.

  Breeze glances over at Kaori as she noticed her eyes move, causing Keiji and the others to stop. “Ah! Kaori!”

  Keiji lets Kaori down gently and turns to look at her as Breeze spoke urgently.

  Breeze hurries to Kaori’s side worriedly. “Is everything okay? You really scared me early just passing out like that.”

  Kaori nods lightly. “I’m fine. I just really want to get to the temple quickly.”

  “I’m afraid this is as far as we can go,” Keiji says with a soft sigh.

  “What? Why?” Kaori asks with concern.

  “There’s a barrier around the temple specifically made to hurt them if they cross it,” Vicious mumbles quietly as he looked away. “They want them dead before they can even enter. When they took Taiichiro through the barrier it most likely put him in excruciating pain.”

  Kaori clenches her fists tightly, looking down. “Why must they do this? Constantly going to these lengths in my name. Wanting to do anything and be absolved of consequences. This isn’t supposed to happen. This isn’t the unity I wanted...” She shakes her head. “I’m tired of it!” She yells loudly, shards of ice forming around her like daggers before shooting out toward the Temple, stopping as it hit an unseen barrier that flickered in the glistening sun before seeming to crack and fall to pieces like shattered glass.

  “Um... Kaori?” Breeze says uneasily as she noticed the fury in Kaori’s eyes.

  Kaori stares ahead with a hard expression and continues walking passed the others toward the Temple, reaching the pearl bridge that connected to the island to the sinking temple, paying no mind as the water that started spilling over the bridge parted at her footsteps but not for anyone else who followed behind her.

  A temple guard and three other men run toward Kaori. “My lady!” He stops as he noticed Keiji and Breeze, then holds his weapon steadily with the others behind him. “Yaban?” He shakes his head. “We cannot allow them into the temple my goddess. They are of impure blood.”

  Kaori glares at the guards hatefully. “You let them through or you will face the wrath of the Gods,” she says darkly.

  “Even for you my lady, we cannot oblige. It’s strict orders from Grand Master Valo. We protect the Gods at all costs,” The temple guard says protectively.

  Kaori’s eyes seem to flicker a spark of flame as she glared at them. “I need protection from no mortal on Noroc.”

  “But Lady Akiko-,” The Temple guard stops as a burst of flames wrapped around Kaori and spread out across the water around her, causing a cloud of steam before it all died down.

  “My name is not Akiko!” Kaori holds out her hand, a wave of water pushing away the guards, and walls of ice forming a secure path into the Temple, no one paying any mind as the wall closed off to a dead end behind them, securing everyone in.

  Breeze holds Keiji’s arm lightly, looking worried as she whispered to him lightly, her voice no louder than Kaori’s brisk steps into the golden Temple. “This isn’t like her. What’s happening?”

  “I’m not sure but I’m afraid if we interfere at this point she will not listen to reason. We should let her get this out of her system until it’s absolutely necessary for us to step in,” Keiji replies in the same volume.

  Vicious hears Keiji and Breeze’s whispers then shakes his head angrily and hurries up to Kaori’s side. “Kaori, you shouldn’t be hurting people in such a sacred place. Please calm down and listen to their way. It’s for the best.”

  Kaori stops and looks at Vicious dangerously. “Listen to their way. You’re way, correct? Away from Yaban, away from someone who has lived peacefully while trying to correct the mistakes of his past? People who mean no harm? If you wish to follow in the footsteps of your false power then now is your chance to leave without crossing me. If not, I suggest you come to your senses and understand who is really in charge from here on out.” She turns away from Vicious and looks at Breeze and Keiji directly. “He’s in the lower dungeon. I’d like for you to help him.”

  Keiji bows lightly. “Leave it to us.”

  Breeze looks at Kaori worriedly. “But what about you? Will you be alright?”

  “I was summoned to speak to the Grand Master,” Kaori replies dryly.

  “All by yourself though?” Breeze says taking Kaori’s hands lightly, almost as if trying to calm Kaori’s anger. “What if... What if he takes you from us?” She asks quietly.

  “We’ll watch over her,” Shomei says in a strong tone. “Whatever happens, we’ll make sure she is able to leave this place.”

  Breeze looks over at Shomei with saddened eyes. “Promise?”

  Shomei nods in response. “I swear on it. Just worry about getting Taiichiro out.”

  Breeze looks down a little before nodding to herself and reluctantly releasing Kaori’s hands. “Okay... Let’s go,” she says to Keiji lightly.

  Keiji places a hand on Kaori’s shoulder lightly and looks at her earnestly. “There are things that you must resolve. Please make sure you are safe when you return.”

  “I will,” Kaori watches them leave out of an archway that burned open in the solid ice wall and looks ahead as it closed behind Breeze. “Where does the Grand Master stay?” she asks quietly.

  “The room of oversight. The tallest point of the area,” Shomei says compliantly.

  “Do you know the way?” Kaori asks.

  “Yes,” Shomei starts leading the way with Kaori right behind her and Vicious at the end.