Wednesday, November 21, 2007

CHAPTER 40

CHAPTER 40

“Which man can be as close to perfection had it not been the trials he has undergone?”

 

Kyoden let out a laugh. “That’s a good one. I almost thought you were serious about that.”

            His newly assigned instructor, Sera Allegheri, did not alter her serious countenance. “Kaneshiro, you heard me correctly.” She was a tall woman, her chin sharp and her cheekbones showing. Her robe could not hide her athletic build and her eyes reminded Kyoden of an eagle’s, determined and focus. Since she was his senior in age, she did not bother with salutation.

            “But really, you have got to be joking!” he objected. “That is completely absurd. Do you really expect me to believe that it is possible to aim and shoot at just one particular bird among thousands?”

            The two of them were standing in the middle of a vast field with four inactive machines which looked like projectors at each corner. Master Orestes was true to his words. He made sure Kyoden began his training the moment he was deemed to be fully recovered.

            “I know one person who was said to be able to do that but the fella’s dead already.”

            Sera crossed her strong arms and grunted scornfully. “So, the best archer in Haiken is just of this standard. I guess I shouldn’t expect too much from a kid who chose to run away from home.”

            Kyoden flushed at her words. “It has nothing to do with it! Besides, how did... how did you know about my running away from home?”

            “I suppose you have not been honest to your friends about this, am I not right, Kaneshiro? If you have no secrets, you would not be so agitated when others find out something about you,” she said. “Running away is a childish and cowardly act. Similarly, because you are childish and cowardly, you dare not test your boundaries.”

            He locked his jaws with resentment. “If you’re feeling so smug about it, why not you demonstrate for me?” he challenged, disgruntled.

            “If it isn’t for Master Orestes, I wouldn’t even bother to. I have nothing to prove to you but since I do feel like flexing my muscle a little and to show you what a real archer can do...” Sera Allegheri left her sentence hanging. She materialised a traditional bow and an arrow in her hands.

            “You’re planning to use those ancient tools?” Kyoden unwittingly jeered.

            “Lesson number one, boy, excellence in archery comes from the skills and concentration level of the archer and not the dependence on the equipment. Despite highly advanced weapons, if the archer is not as refined, then the weapons will be equally worthless.”

            I’d like to see what you can do. Kyoden did not like being insulted in the field he was best in.

            “Amateurs... The simplest trick would be enough to astound you,” she uttered, and then in a loud, commanding voice, she shouted, “Computer, online! Thousand birds’ status!”

            Kyoden’s eyes widened. Hang on, Chidori? Could she possibly be...? But she’s dead!

            “Stimulator online, thousand birds’ status activated,” reported the computerised voice. Uncountable amount of white doves suddenly appeared in the air, wings flapping urgently and feathers fluttered from them chaotically. While everything seemed to his eyes a complete confusion and mess, it was apparent to him that Sera was seeing a complete different view from him. She was watching the sky so calmly and alert, patiently waiting for her prey.

            He saw a flash of black wings but her arrow was already locked down on the target. With dead precision and confidence, she fired it. The black crow let out an odd, dying shriek as the arrow pierced it. It fell from its place among its feathered kind and landed like a heavy stone.

            Impossible!

            Sera’s head lolled in his direction to look at him, her lime green eyes spelled boredom. “I wasn’t even looking.”

            “You are ‘the Demonic Archer’, Sahira Araguri, aren’t you?” he breathed. What’s she doing in Sage Village!?

            “Why,” she drawled. “Afraid of me now, boy?” Her lips displayed a taunting and impish smile.

           

            Four hundred metres away, the Prince was also having his own training.

“Prince Raviex, Alphonse Pinnacles will be using stimulators to create a scenario where you will battle your opponent. Don’t worry because he is not invincible... just.... incredible.” His instructor left a touch of suspense at the end of his sentence. His small stature led Raviex to doubt that he was a warrior. His reference to himself from a third person’s point of view pretty much made Raviex alarmed too.

“You do not think Alphonse Pinnacles can fight?” the man asked, amused.

Raviex blushed, thinking that his expression must have revealed his thoughts. “I’m sorry...” he muttered.

“Don’t be, my dear Prince, because you are very much correct. The truth is, Alphonse Pinnacles cannot fight,” he admitted but he did not appear to be ashamed. Raviex instantly remembered that Keith said similar things on a certain occasion. “Your opponent is stimulated as well but Alphonse Pinnacles assures you, my stimulators will prove to be of great help in your training.”

“Mr. Pinnacles, I do not question the trainings you set for me,” Raviex affirmed as he stepped within the wide square space outlined by the projectors. “Please proceed to brief me about the training.”

“Simple, Your Highness, defeat your opponent. Oh, Master Orestes would like to remind you not to remove your weight bags,” informed Alphonse peculiarly happily. A part of him – his past self – was delighted. It was always delighting for him to see people in pain. That’s when the determination to live could be observed. Some begged for their lives, some fight for theirs; some rather just accept death than prolonged torture. The cries from those in agony... How wonderful that would be! So, struggle, my Prince, struggle! You must entertain Alphonse Pinnacles, the Tormentor!

“Computer, online,” he ordered, with a wide fiendish grin, “Ripper Status!”

Raviex watched warily as the forest around him fade away to be replaced by a grim-looking grey cell. Despite the wide space of the room, the impression that he was in an enclosed room made him feel slightly uncomfortable. He was trapped in a cubic room with no doors or windows; it was just a void.

The hairs on the back of the Prince’s neck stood on their end as he saw a grotesque figure formed before him in his image. Soon, he was looking at his own twin, only, it was radiating a shield of black, sinister aura and it looked as though it was a dead corpse bought to life. The fake Letaikno in its hands were triple the size of the authentic counterpart.

A hissing sound escaped its rotten lips. “Frigid Dragon!

And he has my skills as well?

Raviex took in the intimidating scene of a monstrous-looking ice dragon which encircled its summoner. The dragon, too, was converted to the dark side. What really caused him to flinch was the demonstration of power variance. The size and the duration of sustaining the formation of the dragon were beyond what he had ever conjured.

Wait, isn’t Frigid Dragon supposed to be a second-level skill? Why did it turn out to be a third-level, summoning skill?!

“The weaker one of us shall die!” The clone cackled.

The dragon lunged itself towards Raviex. Instinctively, he tried to defend himself. “Terrain Dragon!” He struck his sword into the ground, aiming the stalagmites which break through the ground at the dragon and his clone. The ice dragon breathed frost from its jaws, freezing the incoming stalagmites into harmless gigantic ice thorns.

“Not enough! Weak skills like that one won’t defeat me! Summon your dragon or get eaten by mine!” It scoffed at him.

Before he could think of a proper strategy to set himself in a better position, the ice dragon loomed before him. Its ice-blue wings covered his entire vision of the rest of the room. Raviex saw his own fearful reflection in the shiny, armour-like belly of the dragon.

“Power and strength do not make up the whole of the battle, my Prince. In many historical battles, it is the general who leads with wisdom, who won. When your enemy is too strong for you to compete in terms of brute force, you must learn to battle him with your wits!”

“Terrain Dragon!”  This time, a single stalagmite shot diagonally into the air from the ground.

“I told you! Those kinds of skills won’t work!” the clone jeered.

Raviex dashed onto the stalagmite. Just as the dragon blasted another ice beam, he leaped off into the air. The chance is now!

Dual Penalty!” Letaikno burst with electricity. He slashed it against the dragon’s head and upon contact, it exploded as the surge of electricity gushed through its body. He landed on the ground to the applause of his clone.

“That was quite a feat. Let’s see you perform more than that, shall we?”

It sprinted across the room at an unmatched speed to one who was carrying such a bulky sword, charging madly at Raviex.

Blade of the Lion!” He hurled golden crescent projectiles at it, attempting to slow it down. But it easily avoided them. They weren’t even the smallest threat.

The clone’s eerie face zoomed in his eyes as it closed in their gap. The intensity of his aura was crippling his mind, stunning him to the spot. “Don’t hate me, Princey! It’s for your own good!” It punched him at the abdomen without any reservation of strength. The force sent Raviex’s body smashing into the wall. It laughed maniacally.

Raviex moaned. This is no normal stimulation! The opponent, skills, injuries and pain... they are no different from a real life fight!

            Wiping blood from his lips, the Prince gave a chuckle. “So, this is for real. You’re forcing me to grow stronger the accelerated way, aren’t you?”

            “You better grow stronger. That way, you can entertain me a while longer!”

 

            “Raviex wouldn’t want you to wander off alone, Christine.”

            Christine spun around, startled. She relaxed when she saw that it was Yexi and Shenjoon. “Yexi! Shenjoon!”

            “You’re going to try to test your control on your SE?” asked Yexi. They were just slightly beyond the gates of Sage Village. The few days of rest managed her body to recover healthily.

            The red-haired girl decided to reply in a nonchalant manner.”Yeah, it’s better for me to know now if I could still manipulate my SE than during an actual fight.”

            What happens if the answer is not one that you want, Christine?

            “We will come with you, right, Yexi?” prodded Shenjoon, looking at his wife.

            “No,” the girl replied a little too fast. “I mean, I’ll be fine by myself.”

            “It’s not a good thing, Christine. You did not sense Yexi’s SE or my Tao-Yang Energy,” said Shenjoon worriedly. That means she’s not moulding her SE well. Her state has been reduced to a normal Lundea. “It’d be better if we could watch over you, in case anything happens, you know. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

            Her eyes softened. “Of course, Shenjoon, but anything goes wrong, you must prioritise your safeties, alright?”

            The couple nodded.

Deep down inside, you’re only scared that you’ll hurt your friends. The duo followed Christine’s lead in silence. Their thirty minutes hike brought them to a secluded lake. Ensuring that they were at a safe distance, Christine began trying to focus her SE in order to execute SE generated skills.

            Angel’s Flight was cast. Shenjoon swore she was moving faster than her previous times when she used the same skill. He was raring to match his Shadow Steps with her Angel’s Flight. Right then, he wished he had fully recovered and able to train with Christine.

            “You notice, Yexi, her skills would most likely be more powerful than before?” he pointed out.

            She laughed quietly. “You make your deduction so fast, Shenjoon.”

            “No, ever since the Silvongein incident, I could feel large amount of SE flowing out of her. It’s as though her body is too small to hold the SE she is generating. I think you know it too, so do the others and her,” Shenjoon remarked.

            “She did tell us that her seal was broken. Perhaps it is because she is not accustomed to the excess SE. Once she masters it, it would become a huge advantage,” added the wife. Christine was then casting the skill, Wind Strike. The lightning bolts which struck down in a certain radius around her also increased in speed and might. Though they were in a safe range, Shenjoon thought it looked frightening.

            “Not to mention, new powers. Raviex said she saved him with angel’s wings,” he uttered. “Could it be true? A human with angel’s wings?”

            Yexi shook her head once, unable to answer the question. At that moment, the Tao-Yang couple saw Christine collapse.

            “Christine!” They yelled in chorus, immediately racing towards her.

            Reaching her first, Shenjoon discovered her to be still conscious. “Hey, you okay?” He helped her up to a sitting position.

            Christine gave a weak smile. Yexi also joined them. “I guess this is going to be quite a problem for me until I figure out how to control the output of my SE, but at least I know I can keep my powers in check.”

            “It’s okay, Christine, you just need more time,” soothed the other Yamist. “How do you feel?”

            “Very tired, it feels like I could just sleep out here,” she admitted half-jokingly. “Huh?” Yexi gently pulled her backwards to her, settling her head on her lap. Christine’s dark hazel eyes were looking up into a pair of smiling grey eyes.

            “Rest, then, we’ll watch over you,” assured Yexi.

            “Thanks...”

 

            Raviex panted, his eyes not letting his clone out of sight. The duel had dragged on for more than five hours. His clothes were in a mess with many tears and smudges of blood. His physical self was also in a tattered condition with quite a collection of cuts, scratches and bruises. A deep gash was drawn across his chest and blood streamed from the side of his head to his chin.

            “I am surprise by your will to continue on fighting, Princey.” Despite it looking a little worn-out too, it was generally in a better shape than the other. “How about we end this with one last decisive move? If you can beat me with this one move, it is your win.”

            The Prince’s vision blurred. His head was pounding and he clearly knew that it was just adrenaline which kept his body from given out. He had to take the offer. “I’m in.”

            “I’ll finish you off with this... Valiant Dragon!

            Raviex’s stomach churned, witnessing an explosion of flame in the air. An infernal dragon of fire roared mightily, as though it was finally free from chains which were restraining it to roam freely.

            Tornado blaze!” ordered the clone. The dragon held its head up high and then discharged a long breathe of raging fire at Raviex.

            Frost Dimension,” Raviex yelled. An image of an ice dragon faced the incoming fire. It shot an ice beam at it but the fire was too overwhelming. It surpassed the ice beam and destroyed the ice dragon. He screamed as the flames burnt his body.

Why...?! Why is it that his dragons are not just mere images? Why is it that he can summon as he wishes and they stay by his side... to fight for him? Why is he able to use all my skills but use them differently and so much better than me?

            He couldn’t remember when he dropped to the ground.

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