Episode 24 Eyes That See Light, Or Eyes That See Dark?

Alcaster gingerly sits down on a wooden chair behind a wooden table cramped in the small space between two shelves loaded with volumes of books. Outside, the sound of the windmill swinging in the light breeze can be heard.

Kunai nervously takes a seat next to Alcaster, as Ryuu and Arai stand and watch nearby. Behind them, Ivy is outside playing in the snow.

“So, you see, Alcaster, we don’t know for sure if Kunai was attacked by the Triplicate, a Paradox, or what…” Ryuu explains. “He has no mark of the Triplicate, so it doesn’t seem like he’s been attacked by the Triplicate, so perhaps it might have been just an ordinary Paradox…”

Alcaster nods slowly in understanding several times. He peers interestedly over at Kunai, staring into his right eye, where the two pupils lie. “Young one…do you have any recollection of being attacked by either the Triplicate or a Paradox within the walls of the Cursed Sanctuary?”

Kunai strains his head slowly, but quickly shakes his head, staring up at Alcaster. “I’m sorry. I don’t have any memory of what happened down there at all. It’s all very foggy to me.”

“I see…” Alcaster mutters to himself, shaking his own head slowly. He sighs and then stands up, walking over across the room and withdrawing from a paper-littered table a small vial of a glowing green liquid.

He takes a couple teacups and saucers from a nearby shelf and places them on the table where he and Kunai are sitting at. Alcaster then opens the vial, pouring some of the liquid inside into one of the teacups and handing it to Kunai.

As Kunai takes it, he gasps as it slowly begins steaming, as if barely warmed. Kunai stares down at the liquid hesitatingly. Alcaster nods his head, gesturing fro Kunai to drink it. “Drink up. It is a drought I concocted made of memory herbs. It should assist you in recollecting the events that conspired down in the Cursed Sanctuary.”

Kunai nods, then quickly takes a large sip of the liquid inside. He narrows his eyes as a swirling darkness quickly covers his mind, then widens his eyes as his mind clears, relaying back to his brain, as if in a movie, a clear, moving memory of himself in the Cursed Sanctuary.

Kunai suddenly slams his teacup down on the table, gasping out loud. He turns to Alcaster, who is watching him expectantly. Ryuu and Arai watch apprehensively as well. “Well, remember anything?” Ryuu mutters.

Kunai nods, furrowing his eyebrows thoughtfully. “Yes…it seems…it seems that the ceiling was collapsing. I told Ivy to take you two and get back into town…that I’d take care of the Triplicate myself…and then…”

“And then?” Ryuu rushes expectantly.

“Yeah. Then I used Shadow Partner, and I attacked the Triplicate from both sides, using my shadow as a diversion; the Triplicate destroyed it, but that gave me the opportunity to attack it. I definitely was not attacked by the Triplicate, nor any of the Paradoxes, for they were already all dead.”

Ryuu glances nervously to Alcaster. “No Paradox attack. What does this mean?”

“His soul was split, that is definite,” Alcaster replies, “for his pupils are now divided in two. However, the taint of the Triplicate, or any Paradox for that matter, does not reside in him, for he was not attacked. He is still capable of destroying the Triplicates, as strange as it may sound.

“His soul was split during the reckless attack in which he manually split his soul to summon his shadow. Normally when a Hermit uses Shadow Partner, it disappears after a set limit of time, depending on the Hermit’s ability. However, the Triplicate destroyed the shadow before it was given the chance to disappear, thereby destroying that split portion of his soul.”

“So, wait a minute…a part of my soul was destroyed?” Kunai asks perplexedly.

“That is correct,” Alcaster replies. “Allow me to explain. When one splits his soul, his personality is divided. The complexity of the soul determines how many times the soul can be split before the body is ripped apart by the empty rift in the mind. That is why the amount of times a person may be attacked by a Paradox differs from person to person. Consequently, when that specific portion of your soul was destroyed, it destroyed that piece of your personality. That is to say, it is gone forever.”

“Wait, you mean to say that a part of Kunai’s personality is now dead?” Ryuu asks in alarm.

“Yes. That is correct,” Alcaster replies softly. “However, we may never know which portion of his soul was destroyed.”

Kunai nods to himself, lowering his head and staring at the floor. ‘I know exactly which part…I guess I know now why I haven’t been feeling it lately…that emptiness in my heart after losing my family is gone.’

His eyes suddenly rise and stray out of the door, into the snow-filled streets of El Nath outside, where Ivy is building a snowman. ‘However, that longing still remains…’

“Hm…this is complicated, but it seems Kunai is still fit to fight the Triplicates, so it seems like we’re still okay,” Arai says suddenly. He grins. “So I suppose that puts us in the clear of heading for the next Triplicate, eh?”

“Hold up,” Ryuu says. “If Kunai’s soul really has been split, does that mean he can still create a Hybrid Seal?”

Kunai looks up in surprise at Ryuu. “Hybrid Seal? You mean like the ones you have?! I never thought about it like that…”

Alcaster glances thoughtfully at Kunai for a moment. “Yes, I suppose it would be perfectly safe and possible for a Hybrid Seal to be created. Would you like me to create one for him now?”

Ryuu turns to Kunai with a fatherly expression on his face. “Well, Kunai? How ‘bout it? You want to become a Hybrid? I know you’ve always told me how you thought it was so cool that I was one.”

Kunai grins widely suddenly, nodding. “Yeah, sure! I’d definitely look to become one!”

Alcaster nods, rising to his feet and tottering over to the many shelves stored in his small one room house. He stares up at a cabinet filled with many small vials and glass jars. “Hm…what kind of Hybrid would you like to become?”

“I’ve…I’ve always wanted to try out some of those Bandit Skills. I mean, as an assassin, I’ve never really been very strong at close-range hand-to-hand combat. It would help me greatly if I could learn how,” Kunai replies eagerly.

Ryuu nods slowly, but shakes his head. “Yes, but none of us are bandits. And blood of the person you’re taking the power from is required. Where are we gonna find a bandit willing enough to donate blood?”

“You need not fear,” Alcaster replies, turning to Ryuu. He suddenly opens the cabinet and takes out one of the small vials. “When the Joukai was still active and the Four still alive, I had a plentiful supply of blood from the various Joukai members. We often used this blood for transfusions or creating Hybrids. To this day I still have that blood of the legendary Joukai members in my possession.”

Alcaster turns to Ryuu, raising the vial he’d withdrawn in the air. “This is the blood of one of the bandits in the Joukai, as a matter of fact.”

Ryuu’s eyes suddenly widen, as he gazes open-mouthed at the vial in Alcaster’s hand. “That’s not—that’s…that’s not…is it?!”

“The very one,” Alcaster replies nonchalantly, as he strides over to his desk and begins scribbling on a scroll. He turns to the others. “I shall need an object to encase the scroll in.”

Ivy suddenly enters the building, stepping through the door and shaking several bits of snow off her shoulders. She turns and stares at the others cheerfully. “You’re making a Hybrid scroll for Kunai?”

“That is correct,” Alcaster replies.

Ivy suddenly steps forward, removing a small silver bracelet from her right hand. “Here. I know you need something to keep the power of the scroll in. You can use this.”

“Ivy…are…are you sure?” Kunai mutters hesitantly.

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course I’m sure!” Ivy replies happily.

Kunai smiles at her, as Alcaster finishes the scroll, and begins encasing it within the bracelet. “Thank you so much, Ivy…”

Alcaster then strides over to Kunai, holding the bracelet just over his head. The bracelet glows momentarily, before with a flash it enters Kunai’s body, dissolving and disappearing into the air.

“Well, that’s the end of that,” Ryuu growls. “I suppose all that’s left on our checklist is to get Kunai a new claw, considering his old Scarab is burnt through.”

“Oh, right,” Kunai replies suddenly, “I’d forgotten. Let’s head over to the Free Market right away, and find a new claw for me.”

Alcaster shakes his head sadly. “No, I am afraid you shall not find what you need in the El Nath Free Market these days. With all communication cut off from elsewhere and Orbis destroyed, we have not many people journeying to our markets anymore.”

“I see…” Arai replies. “Hm, this is frustrating. How are we going to get a new claw for Kunai then? We can’t have him going off to fight the Triplicate without a claw.”

“I’ve a solution, though it may trigger a difficult road ahead of you,” Alcaster says suddenly. “There are not many smiths left in this world, but I know of one living deep within the mountains just outside of here. If you go to him, I am sure he will make a claw for you.”

“I see,” Arai replies with a sigh. “Then I suppose it’s another detour we must take.”

“However, I must warn you that it is a perilous journey. He lives deep within the Ossyrian mountains, in the pit of a valley dark as the night,” Alcaster replies. “It has been many a year since any have dared journey to his home.”

“I’ll take that warning seriously,” Ryuu replies with a smirk, “unless my sword has anything to say about it, which it will.”

“Do not be so cocky, Ryuu,” Alcaster warns. “Braver and stronger men that you have lost their lives journeying to that valley, seeking the legendary ancient one who is said to have wrought weapons more powerful than any ever seen in this world.”

“Psh,” Ryuu replies nonchalantly, “All this nonsensical gibberish isn’t going to stop us from going there anyway, I’m sure you know that. So save your breath, old man.”

“Well I guess it’s another long journey ahead of us then!” Kunai mutters.

“Don’t worry, Kunai. We’ll find this guy and I’ll have him make you one hell of a claw,” Ryuu replies with a sneer.