Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a Krazy Kwanzaa to you all.

Episode 100 The Ocean of Darkness

‘The world is a cold, harsh place when you are alone. When you have someone, anyone, then it becomes slightly more bearable because you have someone to share it all with—the happiness, the misfortune, the pain. However, being alone meant surviving it all with no one at your side. That was probably the most painful part of it. The only one I had was Phoebe, but I gradually realized she was all I needed.

‘After I lost my sister and my parents, I became a vagrant wanderer throughout the world. Eventually, I found my way on a ship headed to Victoria Island. At the time, I was still hunting for Lord Fyx—I had decided very early that revenge was my purpose in surviving that day. However, I was still horribly weak, and needed refinement in my skill.

‘It was on that ship that I met him, and my life changed forever.’

[Ten Years Ago]

The sky appears dark and gloomy, deprived of all emotion except its melancholy tone. A thin sheet of rain gently pelts the enormous ship sailing through the gray clouds, while the raindrops that do escape the huge size of the ship plummet into the swirling ocean far below.

On the surface of the earth is nothing but ocean waves crashing wildly against each other for miles around, as the airship makes its way through the sky, droning incessantly all the time. A young boy stands at the edge of the ship, arms hunched over the rail as he gazes down mournfully at the chaotic ocean currents.

Despite wearing nothing but a dirty old shirt and shorts, he appears to be completely unaware of the cold air, and the persistent patter of the raindrops.

“Here you go,” a gentle voice says next to the boy. He looks up in surprise, and finds a dark-haired man standing next to him, smiling in a fatherly fashion. The man is holding out a black cloak to the boy. “You’ll catch a cold or worse if you don’t keep warm.”

“Oh,” the boy murmurs, absentmindedly allowing it to be wrapped around himself. “Thanks, Mister.”

“What’s a young boy like you doing alone on a ship to Victoria Island?” the man asks in a genuinely concerned voice. His eyes roam over to the Meba sticking out of the pockets of the boy’s shorts.

The man suddenly reaches forward and grabs the Meba, holding it out for the boy to see. “Rule number one about fighting is to never show your weapon openly to the enemy. The more surprises you have up your sleeve, the greater advantage you have.”

The boy takes back the Meba with a dazed look. He resumes his vigil of glaring down gloomily at the ocean below. The man follows the boy’s gaze, and then looks up at the darkened sky. “I prefer to look up at the sky when I’m sad. Looking down only produces feelings of hopelessness. Looking up garners an opposite effect.”

The boy does not reply, but merely continues to watch the ocean waves move. “Say, what’s your name?” the man asks the boy.

“Sh-Shuriken,” the boy responds a bit timidly, seriously absorbing the man’s appearance for the first time.

“Pleased to meet you, Shuriken,” the man replies, holding out a hand for Shuriken to shake. “You can call me Mr. Kimura.”

“O-Okay,” Shuriken replies, grasping Kimura’s hand and shaking it.

“Are you traveling alone?” Kimura asks, his tone just a bit more serious than before. “It seems strange to see a boy so young such as yourself traveling solo. It simply isn’t safe in today’s world.”

Shuriken glances down at the floor, obviously attempting not to cry. “M-My…family died. A-A man named Lord Fyx killed them all. I’m just wandering around with Phoebe here.”

Kimura narrows his eyes upon hearing Fyx’s name. He stares silently at Shuriken for a moment. “Phoebe?” he says finally. “So you aren’t traveling alone?”

“Nuh-uh,” Shuriken answers back, “Phoebe’s my pet. Wanna meet her? Come out, Phoebe!” With a movement that surprises even Kimura, Shuriken reaches into his Meba and a tiny little dragon Paradox emerges, crooning slightly in greeting.

“A Paradox?” Kimura murmurs softly to himself. Upon seeing Shuriken’s curious gaze, he quickly regroups his composure. “I see. What an interesting little friend you have there!” Kimura says with a wide grin.

Shuriken nods in agreement as he bursts into a smile for the first time. He eagerly strokes Phoebe’s smooth, fibrous scales, petting her with a remarkably skilled touch.

“What do you intend to do when you arrive at Victoria Island, Shuriken?” Kimura continues to question the boy, with a tone of utmost interest.

“Um…” Shuriken replies, “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it much.”

“Have you ever heard about The Legend of the Three Phonemes?” Kimura asks suddenly, his face darkening dramatically.

“No,” Shuriken answers, shaking his head. “I haven’t heard about it. What’s it about? Is it a story you’re gonna tell me?”

“Yes, I suppose so,” Kimura replies, “it’s a story I’m going to tell you about. Since you haven’t anything to do, I’m going to tell you this story and at the end, I’m going to ask you if you want to come have some fun with me. You might even find it very helpful for your situation.”

‘So that was how Lord Kimura led me into the clutches of the Naraku. I was quickly overwhelmed by The Legend of the Three Phonemes, and I learned then that obtaining one of the Phonemes might give me the ability to bring back my family, and especially my sister, whose death I have never been able to justify my being unable to prevent.

‘However, right from the beginning, I had been deceived by Lord Kimura. He was only looking out for his personal interests, and brought together the four members of the Naraku by tactics of deception and false promises. Yet long after I realized these truths, I continued to work for Lord Kimura, in some vain hope of finding peace for my sister.

‘All that changed, though, when I learned of the Fatalists…upon hearing of their goals, I knew I had to put a stop to them immediately. After all, I’ve realized now there’s nothing I can do to bring back my sister, but if I don’t stop the Fatalists, then there shall merely be more victims such as myself, for their plan is to—’

Fain fires two consecutive arrows from his bow with dazzling speed. They tear through the air and pin themselves into the door of an apartment. “I must admit that I am impressed you’ve been able to dodge my arrows for so long,” Fain comments, lowering his bow just a bit. “After all, I’ve already told you that being hit just once by my arrows constitutes an instant death.”

Zack flashes a grin at Fain, as his entire body is continuously bathed in a glowing green light. “Unfortunately, Fain, you met up with two opponents perfectly suited t’fight against ya.”

He glances over at Shuriken’s monstrous form next to him. “Shuriken’s not lookin’ very sexy over there, but he’s got some crazy speed that no bowman like yourself can match. And as for me,” Zack says, “I’m just crazy enough that I’ll keep on spammin’ Heal regardless of my own mana limits. Result’s a shield that eliminates damage soon as it touches me.”

“Humph,” Fain snorts, sneering at Zack’s reckless waste of mana and Shuriken’s hulking form. “You two may be talented at evading my attacks, but there is no need to get ahead of yourselves. You haven’t even scratched the surface of my power.”

“We’ll see, won’t we, eh?” Zack responds slyly, raising his Kage to chant a spell. “Mystic Door!”

A floating door materializes behind Zack, and he tips it open with his staff. “Go, Shuriken!”

Shuriken leaps into the door, disappearing through it as a monstrous blur of black. Fain looks on, unimpressed. He gradually turns upwards, and spots Shuriken charging through the air down at him. “Hm. Casting Mystic Door to move a piece and barge in from my blind spot? Clever, but quite unnecessary.”

Fain raises his bow and points it straight up at Shuriken, firing several rounds at lightning speed. “Fall, you little birdie,” he snickers.

“Ain’t you lookin’ the wrong way?!” Zack hisses right next to Fain. In an instant, he fires a Holy Arrow at point-blank range straight into Fain’s chest.

Fain goes flying backwards, and crashes into the wall of a building. He rises with little interest from the rubble, and dusts himself off. “That was it? How boring.”

Zack watches Fain rise easily and approach he and Shuriken again. “Looks like we gotta hit harder or somethin’,” he murmurs.

“Just keep with the plan,” Shuriken growls to Zack, “I’ll take him head on with brute strength; he’s clearly a long-range fighter and will have trouble against my close-range attacks. Meanwhile, you fly in when the opportunity presents itself and strike.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Zack grins in response.

With daring speed, Shuriken zooms towards Fain like a bullet, a blur in the dark night. As he approaches the Fatalist, Shuriken stretches out his Avenger and strikes the air with devastating force.

However, Fain merely steps to the side and avoids the attack, while Shuriken slams into another building with unstoppable momentum. Fain raises his bow, but freezes as Zack holds his staff up to his neck. “Sorry, pal, but I got ya this time,” Zack smiles.

“Unfortunately not,” Fain says behind him. Zack spins in surprise but fails to react quickly enough, as Fain fires a round of four arrows straight into Zack’s back. Out of nowhere, Shuriken arrives at Zack’s side, his breathing heavy. In an instant, a powerful explosion rocks the area, as the arrows meet their target.

Fain bursts into loud, raucous laughter. “Ahahahaha! How foolish…taking the hit for your friend?! That is the most pathetic way to die…”

“Ya haven’t quite got it right there, Mr. Fain,” Zack says with a wink, as he saunters out of the falling dust clouds. “I took the hit.” He shows off his left shoulder, where four arrows are pierced deep into his skin. Blood soaks Zack’s robe where he’d been hit, but even as he speaks, the wound closes up with terrifying speed.

“Like I said,” Zack continues, pulling the arrows out of his shoulder, “this little shell o’ Heal coverin’ me allows me t’remain invincible s’long as I have mana.”

“In other words,” Fain growls loathingly, “your battle strategy is not suited for long battles.”

“Guess not,” Zack replies nonchalantly, “but it’s one that works. Go get ‘em, Shuriken!”

In a blur, Shuriken darts past Zack and rams himself into Fain, pressing his Avenger deep within the enemy’s body. A splash of blood seemingly floats through the air until both Shuriken and Fain crash hard into the wall of an apartment building. The structure collapses from the sheer impact, as dust and debris cloud the air.

“Die!” Shuriken screams, emerging from the rubble with Fain’s limp body. He hurls him into the air with a vicious kick, and Fain goes flying. Shuriken launches an Avenger after Fain, slicing through the bowman’s body with precise aim.

With a loud crash, Fain collapses onto the ground several yards away. However, after a few moments, he rises again, seemingly without any limits of pain or injury. In one second, he raises his bow against Shuriken again.

“That was quite a powerful attack,” Fain says calmly, noting the rage in Shuriken’s eyes. “You use the perfect blend of speed and brute strength. I am impressed.”

Shuriken pants heavily as he meets Fain’s gaze. He glances down at the Avenger growing out of his arm. ‘I grew strong to bring back my sister, something I now realize is impossible. However, what is possible, what is within my grasp is to…prevent anything like my story from happening again!’

“That’s why,” Shuriken howls out loud, “I must use all my strength to destroy the Fatalists!”

Fain appears surprised for a moment, but is forced to react almost instantaneously, as Shuriken rockets into him again with reckless speed.

As Fain goes flying once more, Shuriken steps back and lands lightly on his feet. Fain emerges from the rubble of his collision yet again, a stream of blood flowing down from his forehead. However, he still remains calm and largely unhurt.

“Why won’t you die?!” Shuriken cries in agony.

“I think I’ve had enough of analyzing your attacks,” Fain smirks, “I am growing weary of this. It’s time to stop holding back.” A dark smile crawls its way across Fain’s lips. “Do you know why I can instantly kill a person with my arrows?”

“’Cause ya rubbed your unmentionables against them?” Zack chants in a helpful tone.

“Death to your irritating mouth,” Fain retorts caustically.

“No,” Fain continues, raising his bow and lining it up with Zack and Shuriken’s bodies. “because in addition to my own strength, within each arrow is the power of the last person…I killed!”

Without warning, Fain lets loose a single arrow. It blazes through the air with the strength of a million arrows, and lights up the entire city with an impact likened to the cosmic explosions that created the universe.

Shuriken merely watches as the cosmic trail of the lone arrow flies straight towards him, giving him no time to react. The arrow’s power radiates outwards in a beating pulse of white light, destroying everything in its path, until it finally reaches Shuriken.

The arrow pierces through Shuriken’s heart, and leaves him hanging off his feet in the air for just a moment, lit up like an angel by the light of the arrow. And then, the arrow tears out of his back, and Shuriken plummets to the ground again, robbed of that heavenly light.

He falls closer and closer back into the darkened world, as his limp body collides with the ground, which is blacker than the night after the fantastic display of golden light emitted by the arrow.

However, the arrow does not stop; it continues to glide through the air towards Zack, and finally reaches him. He merely stands in shock, awed by the fall of Shuriken, and rendered immobile by the light of the great arrow.

“EXPLOSION!”

Out of nowhere, a beacon of reckless strength and power forces back the arrow on its path, and the two lights—one a golden white and the other a blazing mix of orange and red—collide with an impact to rival the collision of two planets.

At once, the haze of ashes disperses, and out steps a soot-covered Ryuu, still nursing several wounds. He steps in front of Zack, sword raised, and his arm held out in front of the younger boy.

“Rule number two about fighting—” Ryuu growls, as he meets Fain’s stare head on, “never broadcast your attacks so much that the enemy realizes where you are and what you’re doing!”

Next Time: Episode 101 No One Can Die

Arai: Arrows loaded with the power of the last person he killed? Oh dear! I wonder who can that be?!

Episode 101 No One Can Die coming soon!