Episode 19 The Island of Hazes, Dreams, and Pasts

Ryuu falls quickly from the air, the wind whistling through his ears. He bares his teeth, using the butt of his sword to bat off the Paradox. It relinquishes his leg at last, falling with a shriek plummeting into the ocean below.

Ryuu gasps as he flies faster and faster towards the ground. He turns in the air, removing his hang glider and using his cape as a parachute as he tumbles down towards the ground, landing with a loud rustle through a thick layer of treetop leaves and branches.

He lands at last on a small island, tangled in a net of thorns and brambles. He spits out a couple leaves, staring at his new surroundings.

He slowly rises to his feet, bending over and panting heavily. In front of him, his hang glider has crashed into the ground, smoking badly, the tail end completely crushed.

Ryuu sheathes his sword, standing up and taking a good look at the glider. “Damn, it’s been totaled. I haven’t got a chance of getting off this island with it.” He spits down at the glider, kicking it on the side harshly. “Piece of junk!”

Ryuu glances behind him as a couple birds leap into the air in surprise. He follows the birds as they fly higher and higher into the sky, eventually hidden by the blinding rays of sunlight in the cloudless sky.

Ryuu stares forward in the direction the birds had gone, down a small paved road, with many forest trees lining its sides. He takes a few hesitative steps forward, staring fixedly at the road. “A road…? Hm, where the hell could it lead? Is this island inhabited by anyone?”

He hastily begins running forward, sprinting down the road and puffing slightly. He stops at a dead end in the road, as it leads down a small slope onto a beach, where many palm trees sit, overlooking a soft, pleasant tide.

Ryuu narrows his eyes, staring from the beach, on his left, to his right, where the ground rises in a series of slopes, climbing higher and higher. Ryuu’s eyes suddenly widen as he stares up the slope, revealing his three pupils.

Ryuu dashes forward up the hill, a soft humming noise growing louder and louder as he approaches. He suddenly climbs to the very top of the slope, panting heavily from the physical effort. He stares at a small glowing door floating over the crest of the slope, sitting all alone at the top of the plateau.

“Mystic Door?! Strange…” Ryuu mutters, staring at the door. He stares down the slope back down the road he’d come from, where his hang glider is still smoking. “I’ve got no other way outta here…let’s find out where this door leads!”

He then recklessly wrenches open the door, stepping over the threshold and disappearing through it, even just as the door disappears completely.

The Chief leads the way down a dirt boulevard, with many dust clouds rising in the air. In the distance, the dark silhouette of an enormous volcano sits, its dark presence looming over the entire island.

Below the volcano stretches fields of high-growing grass and crops, leading into wide, sloping valleys and slopes further off in the distance, standing over the hidden beaches on the other side of the island.

Kunai, Arai, and Ivy stare as the Chief and his people lead the way down the road into a small village with many huts built of straw and wood. At the center of the village is a large village hall, built of layered wood, mud, and straw.

Arai stares with a slightly open mouth at the fields of crop leading away from the village. The crops are waving slightly in a soft night breeze, but in the light of the torches, they can clearly be seen to be yellow.

“Is irrigation a problem for your people?” Arai asks the Chief, striding just behind him.

The Chief nods his head sadly, glancing back to look at Arai. “Yes…for the volcano that this island was built upon blocks most of the water supply that we get. The slopes further off block the beaches of our island as well, so water has become very scarce. Our only source of water is a small stream running not far from our village, which is hardly enough for both my people and for watering our crops.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Arai replies, glancing up as they enter the village.

Kunai and Ivy turn their heads left and right, staring avidly around at the village huts, where many eyes and heads are poking out from the windows, glaring at the newcomers.

“Do you often get visitors?” Kunai asks the Chief.

The Chief shakes his head. “No. In fact, Lady Iris was the first to ever visit our people. I doubt whether the people of Victoria Island and Ossyria even realize we exist. You three, in fact, are only our second troupe of visitors.”

“So we’re only the second outsiders to visit this island, huh?” Kunai mutters.

“So anyway, how can we help you and your people?” Ivy asks. “I would feel so horrible if I couldn’t help you guys in anyway. It must be horrible to live in such misery.”

“We wouldn’t call it misery,” the Chief replies, “for even given the choice, we would not choose to live elsewhere. However, you are right in that we are in desperate need of help.”

“How then, may be help you?” Arai asks.

“We shall find a job for each of you,” the Chief answers. “The rest of the village Patriarchs and I shall decide over the night. Until the new day comes, we ask that you seek comfort in what beds we can provide. Once again, we greatly thank you for your willingness to help.”

“It’s no problem,” Kunai replies with a smile.

Arai yawns as he lays comfortably on a bed of straw, placing his head languidly over his arms, chewing an entire cookie in his mouth. As he finishes swallowing it, he turns to Kunai and Ivy, who are curled up in similar beds next to him.

“So, Kunai, Ivy…what do you think of this whole village?” he asks.

Kunai shrugs in his bed, staring up at the straw ceiling, which is buzzing with flies. “I’m amazed that these people are able to live in such awful conditions…I wonder what happened to that Lady Iris they were talking about? It seems strange that she would come bearing so many gifts and then just abandon them like that.”

“Yes, it is strange…” Arai mutters to himself. “Moreover, I wonder who this Lady Iris is? I’ve never heard of anyone like her before…”

“Who cares who she is, what’s important is where she is!” Ivy cries from her bed. “I can’t believe that she’d just abandon these people like this…”

“Well, what’s important is that we’re helping them now,” Kunai answers.

“Right,” both Ivy and Arai reply at once.

As several tropical birds chirp and fly overhead, Kunai, Arai, and Ivy stand in the midst of the small village in front of the village hall. The Chief and several of his men stand nearby.

“I have explained to the people your purpose for entering our village,” the Chief says to the three. “They have welcomed you into their midst and see you as friends.”

Ivy grins, smiling at the Chief. “Yay!”

Kunai glances at Ivy momentarily, smiling to himself. He turns back to the Chief. “So what are our jobs? What do you need us to help you with?”

“First, Arai…the town Patriarchs and I have delegated to you the important task of slaying the Red Drake that has appeared on our island. You will go with several of our best men to help us rid ourselves of this beast.”

Arai nods, saluting the chief with a grin on his face. “All right, Chief! I will try to do this to the best of my ability.”

The Chief then turns to Ivy. “Ivy, you shall help with preparing our village feast tonight. Should Arai and Kunai complete their tasks, then we shall have much cause to celebrate.”

Ivy grins, saluting the Chief as well. “I understand, Chief! I’ll not let you down.”

Kunai turns to the Chief, gazing at him intently. “Speaking of which, what is my task?” he mutters.

The Chief turns to Kunai, staring at him pensively for several moments. “You…Kunai, you are given the most important task of all: you will assist our village youth in an expedition to the volcano overshadowing this small island, and break the mass of rocks that nature has created into a dam, blocking the great waterfall behind the volcano.”

Kunai nods, smiling at the Chief. “I understand.”

One of the younger village men suddenly steps forward, smiling at Kunai. He reaches out his arm to shake hands with Kunai. “Hi, nice to meet you! My name is Aenashu, I am the Chief’s nephew, but you can just call me Nash for short.”

Kunai shakes his hand vigorously, smiling up at the taller man. “Pleased to meet you too, Nash. My name’s Kunai, and I hope we can be friends.”

Nash nods as well, smiling once again. “Yes, I’d like that. Well, we’ve got to get going soon, we’re gonna be going with a few of the other village youths too.”

“I see,” Kunai replies, blinking slightly as a crowd of young men appear behind them.

“We’ve got a long way to go and a lot of work to do, so it’s best we get going right away!” Nash shouts out loud as the other men cheer and roar in approval.

Arai and Ivy turn and wave as Kunai, Nash, and the rest of the men depart, trampling down an old dirt trail leading through the wild fields just outside the village.

Arai places his hands on his hips, smiling down at Ivy and the others. He shrugs, glancing up at a large cave nearby the volcano far in the distance. “Well, I suppose I should get going as well,” he mutters, as his own troupe of men appear next to him.

“Good luck, Arai!” Ivy cheers, waving as Arai too departs.

Arai places his hands on his hips again, as he and his men ascend a winding trail leading up a steep slope into the mouth of a cave high up on the volcano. A thin layer of ash hangs about the cave, slightly dimming the sunlight nearby.

Arai steps forward cautiously as a low, rumbling noise sounds from deep within the cave. He pokes his head inside, staring into the darkness within. “So this is where the Red Drake has chosen its nest?” Arai whispers to the others.

“Yeah, this is the place,” one of the men reply.

Arai suddenly draws his head out of the opening quickly, as a loud snoring sound rings throughout the cave, and a flare of flames explode from within. “Hm…seems like the drake’s asleep.”

Several of the men slowly creep forward, raising their wooden spears into an attacking position. As they slowly move into the midst of the cave, one of them inadvertently steps over a twig, cracking it. The noise suddenly echoes throughout the cave, and there is suddenly a loud roar.

Arai steps back in surprise, raising his Dark Ritual as a large Red Drake appears, brandishing its claws as flares of fire spark in its nostrils.

The Red Drake rears, leaping into the air and firing large balls of smoke and fire at the men. They scream out loud, several falling off the cliff into the long drop below.

Arai stares in surprise as the men fall, yelling for their lives. He then closes his opened mouth, a resolute expression appearing on his face. He waves his Dark Ritual, sending a shower of icicles flying straight at the drake.

It roars once more, knocking several more men off the cliff. Arai clenches his teeth, watching horrified as the men drop down into the valley below. He dashes forward, screaming, “Step aside!”

Arai then draws a staff of lightning in his right hand, stabbing the drake once through with it. It cries out loud in rage and pain, then turns and fires another fireball straight at him.

Arai quickly waves his staff, sending a blast of ice soaring into the air to meet the fireball, extinguishing it immediately. Arai bends over, panting slightly. He dodges deftly as the drake strikes at him with its claws, rearing and roaring angrily.

Arai then waves his staff again, sending a large capsule of ice and snow exploding over the drake, freezing it in its place. He then quickly summons another staff of lightning in his arm, shattering the frozen statue with one blow.

The remaining men cheer and applaud loudly as the drake shatters into pieces, but then suddenly gasp aloud as one as a dark form suddenly replaces the shell of the Red Drake.

“I see…I thought it was strange that so many men could not get rid of a mere drake,” Arai mutters to himself as the Paradox swirls in the air as a fog, slowly taking its form.

The Paradox suddenly takes the form of an even larger drake, with twin heads and scales black as the night sky. It rears up, flying into the air on its scaly, dragonish wings. The Drake Paradox shrieks in rage, its yellow eyes glaring down at Arai.

The other men cry out loud in fear. “What is this thing?!” they cry aloud.

Arai takes a quick step backward, his eyes widening as he stares up at the new Paradox. “Well…this is certainly something I hadn’t been expecting…”

He agilely flips over as the Drake Paradox swipes at him with its claws, forcing him into a flying leap off of the narrow cliff. Arai quickly summons a huge pillar of ice into the air, cushioning his fall and allowing him to land gracefully on the floor below.

He dashes off the ice pillar, glancing up as the Drake Paradox flies into the air and plummets down, chasing after him. Arai sighs, raising his Dark Ritual as he stares up into the sky. “This is gonna be quite a bit of trouble.”

“So where are we headed?” Kunai asks, as he and Nash lead the way along a narrow, slightly precarious path located on a slope slowly ascending towards the volcano. On their left is a long fall down to the island floor.

“Nearby the volcano some adjacent mountains form a large gorge with the volcano walls. A couple years ago there was a huge landslide there, and it blocked the flow of a waterfall that had been flowing through there. Ever since then, our supply of water has dimmed substantially, with the Valyara River becoming no more than a thin trickle of water,” Nash answers.

“I see, so we’re going there to try and unblock the waterfall, correct?” Kunai asks.

Nash nods in response. “Essentially, yes, that is our goal. We’ve not had much luck unblocking it, but perhaps with your help we may succeed this time.”

Kunai smiles, nodding as well. “Well, no matter what, I’ll certainly try my best to help you guys.”

The group suddenly arrives in a large clearing, a flat plateau entirely cleared of all trees. A thin layer of grass rests on the island floor, while a low wall of smooth rocks lines the area, creating a small enclosed room. Up ahead, a small opening carved into the rocks continues the route of the trail, climbing steadily higher.

Kunai gasps in amazement, staring around at the plateau. “Wow…this place is beautiful!”

“Yes…this plateau has been here for centuries,” Nash replies serenely, staring about at his surroundings as well. “I myself in fact come here often when I am ill, or tired, just for the peacefulness of this place. If you listen quietly, you may hear the sound of the waterfall that we hope will feed our river once more.”

“I see,” Kunai mutters, stepping out toward the edge of the rock wall, and staring into the sky outside, where a large waterfall is running noisily. “So the waterfall still runs, huh?”

“Yes, the only problem is that the rocks from the landslide have cut off the flow of the water into the river. Since then, the water has cut a new path, rerouted into a river leading back out into the ocean outside,” Nash explains.

Kunai gazes up at the large wall of smooth stone behind the rock wall, lined with many years of age. He narrows his eyes, staring at several small notches in the otherwise smooth stone. “Those are…”

Nash steps to Kunai’s side, staring out through the rock wall as well. “Are you referring to this stone wall here? It’s been standing here since as long as any of the village elders can remember. They say that this is the spot that Lady Iris most often visited when she came here. In fact, I think this is where she was taught how to master the technique of aiming.”

Kunai stares out blankly, now noticing the many, many notches in the wall. “So those notches in the walls are…”

“Yes, they are the places where she and the villagers struck the wall practicing with their weapons,” Nash replies, as the roar of the waterfall sounds just outside the rock wall. “You cannot really see it from this side, but as I recall if you journey all the way up to the waterfall, then you get a perfect view of it. But we’d only be able to get there if we manage to clear the mess from the landslide.”

“I see…” Kunai mutters. His eyes widen suddenly as they stray up the stone wall. “Hey! There’s a Steely up there!” He points high up on the wall, where a Steely is still poking out, lodged deep within the wall.

“You’re right, I see it too!” Nash cries out loud. “Interesting…this must be the very last reminder that Lady Iris was ever among us…”

Kunai does not reply, but merely continues staring up at the wall silently, his eyes boring into the smooth, stone surface of it, staring into the Steely still lodged in the wall after many years.