Episode 6 A Crash Course in Souls!

Ryuu nods his head contemplatively, muttering to himself. “Soul Eaters? What a strange name…why are they called the Soul Eaters?”

“Why do you ask?” Sasha inquires.

“Because…” Ryuu growls under his breath, “That man, Ezekiel, is clearly a Hybrid, but he has only one pupil in his right eye.”

Kunai, Ayame, and Ivy each express their surprise with a sharp intake of breath. Kunai stares bewilderedly from both Ryuu to Sasha. “Wait, wait a minute…how can you be a Hybrid but not have been attacked by a Paradox?”

“You’re not lying, are you?” Sasha replies, “You really don’t know anything about the Soul Eaters. I thought that everyone had at least heard of them.”

“Uh, well, the truth is, Sasha…” Kunai mutters, trailing off.

“The fact of the matter is that we’re not from the Night World,” Ryuu finishes.

Ayame turns to Ryuu in surprise. “Ryuu! I thought we were supposed to keep quiet about it!”

“It’s no use hiding it, Ayame,” Ryuu replies, “This girl obviously knows a lot that we don’t know, and what she knows will undoubtedly help us. I’ve heard enough to deduce that she won’t betray us.”

Sasha turns confusedly to both Ryuu and Ayame. “What do you mean? What are you two talking about?”

“I’m Ryuu, an original member of an organization once known as the Joukai. We four, that is, me, Ayame, Kunai, and Ivy here, come from the world known as Maple. You are aware of the nature of multiple worlds, correct?”

“Yeah,” Sasha answers, “I know about it all. Everybody in the Night World knows about it, what with the travelers from Maple and all. We’ve always been known as the ‘other side.’ You four really are from the Maple World?”

“Yes,” Ryuu replies, “And there is also an organization there known as the Myougun, who created these monsters known as the Paradox. The Myougun and the Joukai have been opposing forces for decades. The Four of Victoria were slain because of him, and the portals between worlds were sealed up. However, their leader, Lord Kimura, has recently opened up the portals, and he is now seeking the Third Phoneme hidden in this world.”

“The Third Phoneme?” Sasha mutters, her eyes glimmering with surprise at the sound of the name. “They used to tell stories about how the Third Phoneme came to this world…”

Kunai glances curiously at Sasha. “You wouldn’t happen to know where she is, would you? Because right now, she’s in great danger, and we’re on a mission to find and rescue her before the Myougun get to her first. That’s why we’ve come into the Night World.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Sasha replies. “And I doubt you’d find anyone who does. The King’s priests in the capital city Altriar took her away when she was brought here over ten years ago. They took her to one of their hidden temples. No one knows where it is.”

“I see,” Kunai replies thoughtfully. “Damn…we really don’t have that much to work with.”

“At any rate,” Ryuu growls, “We have no choice but to put that aside for a moment. Right now, we have to catch up with those three creeps and the Dragon Paradox. We don’t have much time to lose. Sasha, tell us more about these Soul Eater guys while we run.”

A soft blue aura surrounds the group once again, as Kunai chants softly under his breath, casting Haste amongst the party members. The five of them then resume dashing at top speed in the direction the Dragon Paradox had fled.

“So just who are these Soul Eater guys, and what are they up to, if not Paradox Hunting?” Ryuu asks Sasha as they run side by side.

“The Soul Eaters, like I said, are a wanted criminal organization. They’re outlaws who are wanted in almost every major city in Night World. These guys, they pretend to be Paradox Hunters. But they’re really not,” Sasha explains.

“Then what are they?” Kunai asks from behind.

“Exactly what their titles suggest. Soul eaters. Not many people know this, but those three are the ones who actually summon Paradoxes to the Night World in the first place,” Sasha continues.

“What?!” Ayame gasps, “But how is that possible? I thought Kimura was the one who created them. How could three random crooks have such control over them?”

“These three aren’t just random crooks,” Sasha retorts, “They’re not even human. They’re the Sentinels of the great beast locked up in the Underworld.”

“The great beast?” Ivy replies, “Isn’t that just a fairytale? I had no idea that it actually exists…”

“No, you see,” Sasha replies, “You’re going to realize something very soon…”

“What?” Ryuu asks, as a heavy, strange silence falls between the group.

“Those Paradox that you encountered in your world…and the ones you encounter in ours…are not the same. Lord Kimura’s Paradox inventions are mere puppet imitations of the real thing. These Paradoxes in our world? They are only the children of the great beast, released by the Soul Eaters.”

“Children?!” Kunai exclaims in disgust.

“It is said that each Dragon Paradox is only a tiny horn on the tail of the great beast…” Sasha mutters, “At least that’s what the fables of the elder Paradox Hunters tell. It’s maybe part of the reason why not many choose this way of life. It’s simply…too dangerous.”

“A tiny horn on the tail…” Ayame mutters softly.

“So these Soul Eater guys, they just run around causing trouble by summoning Paradoxes? What is the point of all that then?” Ryuu adds.

“I don’t know,” Sasha answers, “That is as much as anyone else you’ll meet will know. No one knows what they’re really up to, or what their true motives are.”

“Hm…” Ryuu growls softly, “You still haven’t explained what important thing. Why was it that Ezekiel, that Warrior, could use lightning attacks if his soul had never been shattered before?”

“Do you know what they use the Paradoxes for?” Sasha asks softly.

“No,” Ryuu mutters in reply.

“Since they are not Paradoxes themselves, they cannot attack one’s soul. However, they use Paradoxes as their tools, to do the dirty work for them. And then they simply…bottle the souls ripped apart by their Paradoxes…and eat them. They consume that soul, and morph to use its powers,” Sasha answers, “However, they cannot sustain those powers for more than a couple days at best, so they must constantly be traveling, finding souls to eat.

“Without eating souls, they are nothing. They don’t exist. The very bodies and powers that they use are not theirs. They must keep feeding themselves to maintain those forms. They merely store the souls in their bodies, waiting to use them at their every whim.”

“What do you mean by ‘store?’” Ayame asks softly.

“Well, when a normal person is attacked by a Paradox, their soul is shattered, which is represented by the appearance of multiple pupils in their right eye. Instead, these Soul Eaters fuse the souls they eat into their own, storing these digested souls in their own empty ones. It’s all in the eye.”

“What a grotesque way of life…” Ryuu mutters.

“That sounds so horrible!” Ivy cries, “And such a terrifying way to live…so scary!”

“No kidding,” Kunai replies, “If these demon guys exist just to keep eating other peoples’ souls…”

“I suppose then, that means…” Ayame mutters, “All those bodies of Hunters back there…they were…”

“Yes,” Sasha answers for her, “Their souls must’ve been eaten by the SE.”

“So hold on…” Ryuu mutters, “So you mean, these guys…they’re expecting us? They’re just waiting along with their nice little pet Dragon Paradox so we’ll come and they can feast on our souls?”

“Most likely, yes,” Sasha replies.

“That’s sick!” Kunai exclaims in disgust.

“However…” Ryuu mutters to Kunai on the side, “If we’re after the Paradox’s claw, we’ve got no choice. We’re going to face these monsters.”

“Well, but what happens if they try and eat our souls?” Kunai asks, attempting to sound indifferent as he turns to face Sasha.

“I highly doubt they’d be after your souls,” Sasha answers, “Seeing how they’ve only just eaten. Besides, they may only consume the souls of those who are dead. You have nothing to worry about…unless you die.”

“Incidentally, what does happen to you once your soul is eaten?” Ivy asks curiously. “You still aren’t alive, are you?”

“Whether or not you are still alive…” Sasha mutters in an ominous whisper, “That is difficult to say. From what I’ve learned of the Soul Eaters, your subconscious remains existent, but subdued under the powers of the SE, drawn out only when they call on your powers for battle. After your soul is digested, your spirit is released as a being lesser than a ghost, existing for eternity as a bodiless, soulless, being.”

Ayame grimaces at Sasha’s description of the Soul Eaters. “That is absolutely grotesque. I can’t believe that such horrible beings actually exist…”

“Well, it should be considered that they come from the very bowels of the Underworld,” Sasha replies, “So therefore, they are creatures to be feared.”

“If they can keep replacing their bodies with new souls,” Kunai mutters, “Then can they even be killed? Are they immortal, or mortal?”

“They have existed for six thousand years,” Sasha answers, “It remains to be seen whether they can die.”

“Sasha,” Ivy inquires, “it’s amazing that you know all this stuff about the Soul Eaters. Are all Paradox Hunters as smart as you are?”

“No,” Sasha answers, “To know all this took me years of harsh research and hermitage. Most Paradox Hunters these days do it for the money. I don’t.”

“Then what do you do it for, if not for money?” Ayame asks.

“To do my job,” Sasha replies simply, “of killing Paradoxes. And the one I long to hunt the most is…the one that sleeps inside the Underworld, waiting to be released.”

Both Ryuu and Ayame exclaim a loud gasp, and the two of them exchange quick looks. “The great beast, the one that was sealed up inside the Underworld by the Four of Victoria?” Ryuu gasps. “That is an impossible thing to kill.”

“It is said that the great beast inside the Underworld is the parent of all true Paradoxes, and the Myougun’s pitiful Paradox are based off this beast. If such a beast were slain, there would be no more Paradox. They would cease to exist, and peace that should’ve been resolved thousands of years ago will be restored.”

As they journey further, spurred onward by Kunai’s Haste, the group suddenly arrives in a dark valley, where the pre-dawn fog seems to have settled, lying low over the rocky tiers of the dale.

A thin, rattling breath of wind sweeps by the dense mist covering the area, brushing aside the branches of tangible water crystals and revealing the three gruesome, cloaked figures of the Soul Eaters.

Both Kunai and Ryuu tense as the SE reveal themselves, bracing to fight. “They truly are children of Hell,” Sasha remarks behind Kunai and Ryuu.

Overhead, the Dragon Paradox once more circles the valley in the sky, its loud mournful cry ringing louder and harsher than ever in the emptiness and stillness of this wretched gorge. The clear luminescent light of the moon blinks momentarily, as the Dragon Paradox blocks its soft rays of light.

A sinister, sweeping breath of air blows by, rustling the tips of the forlorn, neglected blades of grass on the dirt ground. The three Soul Eaters step forward as one, seemingly emerging from a dream world into the real world.

“We don’t want any trouble,” Ryuu shouts aloud to the three, “We just came for the Dragon Paradox. If you let us have it, we won’t bother you any further.”

“It is not that simple,” the leader, Ezekiel whispers in a soft, menacing growl. “The Dragon Paradox belongs to us. It is our pet. We cannot let it go.”

“Oh yeah?” Ayame growls, stepping forward, her Geta raised and ready to strike. “Well, we’re not gonna let you get away with it easily either!” She swings her Geta menacingly, but in her excitement, drops it, and stubs her toe.

Ryuu sighs as Ayame dances around in the background, cradling her foot in both hands, her Geta left momentarily forgotten on the ground. “Ayame, you always were a bit of a klutz.”

“Hey!” Kunai exclaims out loud suddenly, rushing forward. The three Soul Eaters are suddenly in the air, riding smaller dragonish Paradoxes and escaping away into the night sky. “Come back here, you losers! Come and fight me like a man! Or…uh…I mean, soul-eating demon!”

“It’s no use,” Ryuu mutters with a growl, “We’ll have to chase after them.”

However, before the five of them can do anything, a sliver of shadow forms a puddle at their feet, and transforms into the grim, lean figure of Azuria of the Soul Eaters.

Azuria stands grimly before them, his figure hovering between the edge of illusion and reality. In both hands he wields his Cursayer daggers, and gazes down on the group with yellowish eyes hidden under his bamboo hat.

“You are not going anywhere,” he growls under his breath. “Instead, we shall fight.”

“Ugh!” Ryuu snarls, “We don’t have time for a fight with you! We need to keep up with those other two and the Dragon Paradox! They’re leaving as we speak!”

Azuria turns to Ryuu, and with an unseen flash, dashes up to him, bringing the thin tip of one of his daggers resting against Ryuu’s warm throat.

“Stop!” Kunai’s voice rings throughout the clearing. One of Kunai’s Steelys flies through the air, bouncing off of Azuria’s Cursayer and landing on the floor, its point lodged in the ground.

Azuria turns at once to face Kunai this time, staring at him with narrowed eyes, as if taking a measure of his strength. Kunai stands defiantly to face Azuria, no sign of fear etched in his dark face.

“You guys get going, catch up to the others and the Paradox,” Kunai says to Ryuu and the others, “I’ll hold this one off. I’ll fight him.”

“What?” Ivy gasps in surprise, “You’re gonna fight him? Don’t be ridiculous! We’ll stay here and help you! We’re not gonna let you fight him helpless like this!”

“I’m not helpless!” Kunai growls, “This is not why we came out here, to fight a Soul Eater! We came to get that Paradox so we can build Ryuu a new weapon! The mission ahead of the comrades was one of the longer-standing mottos of the Joukai, right, Ryuu?”

Ryuu remains silent for a moment, as if contemplating Kunai’s words. Finally, he nods, staring Kunai in the eye. “Kunai, I watched you grow up from when you were only a toddler. I’ve always had to play big brother to you, and take care of you, helping you stay out of danger. But now, you’re all grown-up, an equal. I’ve got no problem leaving you behind. I know you’ll survive, because you’re a Joukai.”

Kunai nods, flashing Ryuu a quick smirk. “All right, then! You guys get going!” Kunai then returns to face Azuria, and enters a fighting stance. “As for you…we’re gonna fight!”

Next Time: Episode 7 A Past That Had Been Shrouded In Mist

Kunai: Ryuu taught me how to fight, how to survive in battle-to-the-death type situations… This is my chance to show him how much stronger I’ve gotten!

Episode 7 A Past That Had Been Shrouded In Mist coming soon!