Episode 51 The True Sickness of the Paradox

Kunai, Ryuu, Arai, Silver, and Ivy sit huddled around a small fire built of twigs, as the chilling night sets in once again around them. Above them, myriads of stars shine in a clear midnight blue sky.

Around the group lay countless acres of evergreen trees, growing tightly together and as far as the eye can see. Beneath them lies a rough, cold dirt floor, and to their side the ground slopes down in a steep hill, with a path leading on down into a wide valley below, where a grand castle-city lies.

Towering off in the distance and in the center of the city is a huge castle, its highest towers extending on into the sky, while innumerable turrets and wings poke out from the sides. The castle’s empty, arched stained glass windows emit a soft glow of candlelight from within.

Surrounding the castle is a high brick wall, with small, narrow alleys running through it, similar to the one Zack and Arayu had been throwing darts at.

“Thank you, Kunai,” Silver mutters suddenly.

Kunai turns to her in surprise. “Huh? For what?”

“For earlier, when you saved me from that Paradox. I truly want to join my brother, but it can’t be helped if I have to defeat the Myougun first,” Silver replies.

“Your brother?” Kunai mutters.

“If you don’t mind, would you mind telling us about your brother?” Arai asks politely, as he chews on a cookie.

“He…” Silver murmurs, “He…was killed by the Myougun eight years ago. My brother and I lived alone in the Rift World. Our parents had already passed away years ago. One day during a raid ordered by Lord Fyx we were captured, but my brother resisted, and they killed him on the spot.”

Kunai takes a slight intake of breath at this. “That’s horrible…”

“Hm,” Arai mutters sadly, “Classic tragedy involving the Myougun. I’ve seen countless families torn apart by the Myougun like yours, Silver.”

“In rage I fought back against the Myougun, and they released a Paradox on me. They left me for dead, as I scrambled to fight for my life. I lay in a coma for three days, and when I revived, there I still was, alive but barely alive, clutching the wrist of my dead brother.

“I screamed for help, but I could barely make a hoarse whisper. All of a sudden…he appeared,” Silver murmurs. She lowers her head, sadness pulsing through her, but anger as well.

“Who?” Kunai asks.

“The one responsible for my brother’s death…Lord Fyx!” Silver mutters.

Ryuu and Arai stare at her silently at the sound of the name, without reaction. However, Kunai pounds his fist on the floor. “That bastard! He tore apart so many families…”

“However there’s nothing more you can do about it Silver,” Ryuu adds. “Because he’s dead.”

Silver looks up in surprise. “He’s dead? Are you sure?”

“I was there to kill him myself,” Ryuu mutters, “with the help of someone else…”

“I see,” Silver mutters slowly.

“What happened when Lord Fyx found you?” Kunai asks.

“He…he told me that he was interested in me. That I held a lot of potential. Then without another word he brought out this scroll, and took some of my brother’s blood, and he made a seal out of it. My brother was a Fire and Poison mage, and ever since that day…I’ve held the use of poison.”

“So Fyx himself made you a Hybrid…?” Kunai mutters in awe. “But why would he do that? Didn’t he know that you’d be his enemy, and by making you more powerful…”

Silver shakes her head. “I had no idea that he was Lord Fyx at that time. But he told me that he was recruiting for an elite group called the Naraku or something, and that he would be back to see how I was progressing. He then…left.”

Ryuu looks up at the sound of the name. “He tried to recruit you to the Naraku?! What did you say?”

“I said nothing. I had no idea what was going on, so I just let him leave…” Silver replies. “Who are the Naraku?”

“The Naraku are an organization that used to work for the Myougun. They were all wiped out long ago, however recently…it appears that a new generation of Naraku have returned,” Ryuu answers.

“I see…” Silver replies sadly.

“Hey,” Ryuu says suddenly, “Tell me about your method of attack. Ever since I first saw it, I’ve been very interested in it. What kind of technique do you use to form poison arrows?”

“Ever since that day, I’ve had the powers of poison running through me,” Silver replies. She silently raises her wrist up to the firelight, staring at a stain of dried blood on it. “I found that my body could naturally secrete poisons, and I formed a special kind of arrows out of the poison.

“Poison is my secret method of attack. I left the Rift World several years ago when the barrier mysteriously opened and traveled around Victoria Island for some time, especially Ellinia, studying the plants and poisons found there. I remember for a long time I was always seeking to improve my poisons, and make myself stronger…so that one day I could return to the Rift World and make the Myougun pay.”

“And since you’ve returned to the Rift World…” Ryuu mutters, trailing off.

“Yes. I believe I’ve mastered the technique of poison. I came back to fight the Myougun myself,” Silver replies.

“Heh,” Ryuu smirks, “It’s not that easy. None of you may have realized it, but the Naraku have been tailing us ever since we got here.”

“What?!” Kunai gasps.

“Yes. From now on, we have to be more alert, especially since we are going to attempt to storm into the enemy’s castle tomorrow,” Arai replies, “We should be ready for anything they throw at us.”

“Let’s get them,” a figure whispers in the bushes nearby.

“No,” another replies next to the first. “We’ve got to follow through with the plan.”

“Tch,” the first figure grumbles impatiently, “I wouldn’t mind having a bit of fun with them…”

As the first few rays of sunlight dawn on the group’s campsite, Kunai stirs, and turns, grumbling sleepily to himself. He opens his eyes wide and stares up into the bright crimson empyreal sky.

Kunai lies silently, blinking every now and then and thinking to himself, as a haze of swirling bloody mass of clouds softly glide through the air above him. ‘Today…we attack the Myougun. I never even imagined this day would come so soon…’

Kunai’s eyes widen unexpectedly as he lies still, listening to the nearby drone of voices coming from Arai and Ryuu. He holds his breath, his eyes wide from fear, his ears keenly listening to the flow of conversation.

“When did this happen?” Arai murmurs.

“I found her like this when I woke up,” Ryuu replies in a low growl, “This is dangerous. It looks like the mutation is spreading faster than I’d first thought. At this rate…we’re running extremely low on time. She’s already nearing the final stages of the mutation.”

Kunai sits up immediately, causing Arai and Ryuu to turn in surprise. Arai smiles at Kunai apologetically, but kindly. “Kunai…so you heard our little conversation?”

“Yeah,” Kunai replies, his throat strangely dry, “I heard. What’s wrong with Ivy?”

Ryuu does not reply, but merely stands up, and throws back a sheet of blankets that had been laying over a still figure on the ground, revealing the unmoving figure of Ivy.

Kunai stares, aghast, at the sudden change in her complexion. Her skin has paled dramatically, and become scaly and coarse. Meanwhile, contradictorily, dark blotches of a fibrous, shadowy material rest on her, like an extra layer of skin.

However, the most distinctive change in her lies on both her sides, where a pair of large, dark, feathery wings lay folded atop of her, drenched with what seems to be a swirling, aqueous mist.

“Wings?!” Kunai gasps, awestruck.

“Not exactly a very subtle overnight change, eh?” Arai replies. He stares down mournfully at Ivy. “She seems to have been driven unconscious during the transformation.

“But…” Kunai mutters, “she looks just like an…angel.”

“The Paradox transformation is spreading much, much quicker than we’d anticipated, Kunai…” Ryuu replies. “I don’t think we have much more than a couple days left before it completes itself.”

“I’ve…still gotta look for a cure!” Kunai cries, his voice shaking slightly.

“It’s no use, Kunai,” Ryuu replies, “There’s no way we’ll find one in time.”

“I don’t care!” Kunai retorts. “I swore that I’d find her a cure, and I’m not going back on my word! I’ll find one no matter what!”

Ryuu sighs heavily. “Well, at any rate Ivy is still sought after by the Myougun. Nothing’s changed; she’s still being hunted down. With that said, it’s still our top priority to make sure she does not fall into their hands no matter what.”

Silver suddenly appears directly behind the three of them gathered around Ivy, slightly alarmed. She raises her head and peers around cautiously as a soft rustling begins to stir in the nearby bushes surrounding them.

“Do you hear that?” she whispers.

“Yeah,” Ryuu mutters. “So the chase’s already begun.”

“Yahoo!” a loud, clear voice cries jubilantly. All of a sudden, the figure of a bright, cheery man with long brown hair springs out of the bushes, several leaves and twigs tangled in his hair. He brushes them away and turns to face the group, a large smile planted on his face and a Kage clutched in his right hand.

“Gotcha!” he shouts, raising his staff.

“Oh no you don’t!” Ryuu growls, lunging forward and knocking over the man, putting him off balance. The youth sways dangerously but turns as he falls, pulling on Ryuu’s leg and dragging him down with him.

“We’re under attack!” Arai shouts in alarm.

“Let’s get outta here!” Kunai yells into the air, bending down and picking up Ivy, carrying her over his own shoulders. He turns and follows Arai and Silver out of the clearing, but they quickly stop in their tracks as another man, blue-haired and carrying a Black Arund, emerges right in front of them.

The man strings his bow with several arrows, and points his weapon straight into the face of Arai. “Don’t you dare take another step further!” he growls.

Kunai gasps in recognition. “Wait a minute! You’re that Ranger that appeared in Sanctum!”

Arayu sneers in Kunai’s reminiscence. “Very good. You remember me. However, I’ve no time for childish games nor useless chitchat. Perish!” He pulls on the bow, firing all four arrows at once.

Arai blocks the attack just in time, creating a thin barricade of ice around himself. He raises his own arm to shield his eyes in an automatic reaction. He opens his eyes, which had been clenched tight, and slowly lowers his arm. “Never thought you’d show up.”

Arai glances to his side, where Ryuu and Zack are brawling fiercely. “I see,” Arai mutters, “So the Naraku have come for us already, eh? So frustrating…”

Arayu suddenly stumbles forward, choking loudly in pain. He clutches his back, where an invisible figure has punched him from behind. Kunai abruptly appears behind him in a plume of white smoke, and waves his arms, signaling for the others to run.

Kunai, carrying Ivy, leads the way as Arai and Silver chase after him, running hastily down the hill, and scrambling over loose stones trying to find even footing.

Ryuu breaks loose from Zack’s grip, and knocks him backwards, leaping after the others. He sends a flare of fire behind him in case Arayu and Zack decides to give chase, and finally catches up with his comrades.

Ryuu pants heavily as he joins Kunai, Arai, and Silver, who are nervously glancing in all directions, anticipating further ambush attacks. “That was close,” Ryuu mutters. “We talked too much. The Naraku are already on the move. That was two of their members back there. The other two must not be far.”

Kunai lays Ivy down on the ground, standing her up as she stirs suddenly. She sways slightly, and Kunai helps maintain her balance by grabbing her shoulders. Ivy shakes her head, letting loose strands of her long black hair fall to her side. She opens her eyes dreamily, a glazed look in them.

Ivy presently stands up straight, grabbing her Thorns and straightening the Dark Seraphis sitting lopsided on her head. She stares around perplexedly at her surroundings.

Kunai grabs Ivy by the wrists, shuddering slightly at the cold feel of them. “Ivy! Are you all right? Can you hear me?”

Ivy gives Kunai a lukewarm glance before coldly turning away, raising her Thorns, her clear yellow eyes strangely blank. Ryuu follows her stare, and nods in understanding.

Before them lies a huge, oaken door built into a stone brick wall, barring the way into the city behind. In front of them is a huge Paradox, with leathery wings, though not as angelic as Ivy’s.

Arai and Kunai glance at Silver as she speaks, her nose buried deep within an informational book. “Variant of Level Fourteen Paradox: Guardian Paradox. Danger level: a hundred percent.”

“Um…that’s good to know,” Kunai mutters. “Do we have to fight this thing?!”

“No,” Ryuu mutters, “Just watch.”

Ivy waves her Thorns, signaling to the huge, hulking Paradox, and miraculously, the Paradox slowly disintegrates into the air, its monstrous form vaporizing into no more than a fine mist composed of blackness.

“It…just evaporated?” Kunai cries in awe.

“One of the few advantages of being an evil monster,” Ryuu comments, as the heavy oaken doors swing forward of their own will at the disappearance of its guardian.

Kunai, Ryuu, Arai, Silver, and Ivy unhesitatingly step through the threshold, sprinting down a bright stone aisle and up a flight up steps leading up into an open archway, its top towering high above them.

Kunai stares around as they emerge from another flight of stone steps into an enormous hallway, decorated with gigantic monoliths on either side, holding up the lofty ceiling.

Directly in front of them, sitting on a throne of marble built on an inward-facing terrace, is a stone knight of prodigious proportions, with a helm held low over its sightless eyes. In its still hands it carries a real Fairfrozen, gleaming slightly in the simple haze of sunshine pouring in through an opening in the roof.

Behind the throne and the knight is a winding stone stairway, leading on higher up into floors and depths unknown. Several similar statues, though smaller in size, stand aligned along the staircase, faceless, motionless stone sentinels.

A loud, piercing cackling suddenly fills the empty hallway, echoing eerily in the silence of ancientness of the hall. Ayame suddenly appears from behind the statue, gazing down at the group below her.

She draws her Geta, still laughing slightly, a smirk dancing about her lips. Kunai shouts out loud at her sight. He waves his fists at her. “So! You’ve come to fight us again?!”

Ayame smiles, with a mixture of menace and well-meaning behind it. “No. I’ve come only for Ivy. Lord Kimura wants her…if you want her back, Kunai, then I suggest you come and chase after her.”

Kunai growls, narrowing his eyes angrily. “I’ll never let you take Ivy!”

Ayame suddenly appears behind Kunai, poking him gently in the back. “Say that again?” She grabs Ivy forcefully out of Kunai’s grasp and leaps high into the air, landing atop one of the monoliths standing nearby.

Ayame leers down at Kunai, Ryuu, Arai, and Silver, smirking slightly. “If you’re interested in saving Ivy, Kunai, then I suggest you hurry. Lord Kimura won’t wait up for you. Ryuu, Arai…you two are nuisances again as always.”

Ayame snaps her fingers, and immediately the statue of the stone knight awakens, its eyes gleaming with reddish glow, and its hands springing to life, clutching its Fairfrozen readily.

Kunai then cries aloud as Ayame disappears in a burst of smoke, along with Ivy. “Damn! They got away!” Kunai shouts, oblivious to the commotion beside him.

Ryuu shakes his head, gesturing towards the knight, now stumbling towards them on its heavy stone feet. “Crap! Not now, we haven’t got the time for this!”

Kunai reacts rapidly, throwing a Steely cutting through the air. It hits the stone knight directly on the arm, but merely bounces off of it, and the knight crushes it as it totters forward on its stone feet.

Arayu and Zack calmly enter the hallway unnoticed through a stairway high up in the back of the room, standing on the brink of a fenced terrace. Together, the two of them stare down at the group from above, muttering softly to each other.

“Should we go down and finish them?” Zack sneers, leaning on his Kage lazily. “We can easily take care of Ryuu and Arai with that knight preoccupying them.”

“Kunai won’t go easily though,” Arayu mutters.

“No,” Shuriken’s voice rings softly behind them. He enters the terrace as well, and stands behind Arayu and Zack, allowing a soft patch of sunlight to play about his hair. “We go with the plan and allow them to finish off the knight. They will undoubtedly be weakened at that point. Plus, we have the advantage of terrain.”

“And that’s when we strike,” Zack smirks excitedly.

Next Time: Episode 52 Inescapable!

Kunai: That knight was tough to beat…

Arai: Right, I’m pooped out…

Ryuu: It’s no use! The Naraku are tailing right behind us, and we’ve got to find our way to the center of the castle, where Lord Kimura is waiting for us!

Kunai: Right before it’s too late!

Arai: No matter what the cost…

Episode 52 Inescapable! coming soon!