-=Newfound Peace and a Common Bond=-

-Dusk falls, hours after the epic clash with the Victorian Oni-

Shadow, Amber, Genya, Emma, Damien, Lance, Skye, and the Crow all stand silently in the fields, the sky now nearing the blackness of night. Almost directly above them, the dim glow of the moon provides a faint glow of light, upon where they stand. They are grouped together, their heads lowered in solemn prayer. Before them lies the body of the swordsman once called the Victorian Oni. The man, previously a warriro of inhuman rampage, was revealed to be no more than a simple human adventurer, just like the group that defeated him. Shadow’s party found this out not long after destroying the spirit that seemed to possess the warrior, turning him into the terror that once cast a shadow over Victoria. Despite the revelation, there was nothing that could be done to save the nameless person. All vital signs were non-existent after the possessive being left him.

Knowing full well that the warrior was the victim of a vile possession that robbed him of his free will, his right to live the way he wished, and ultimately, his longevity, the lightbringers felt it only proper to give the man a fitting burial, a way of letting his spirit know that the evil he spread was most likely not truly of his making.

The group stood silent in prayer, as the victim’s body lay deep in the earth, wrapped fully in cloth sheets. Behind his burial plot rested a tablet, etched with the following:

[i]Let all who pass by this marker stop and see that who sleeps eternally here was the unwilling vassal of a tormenting spirit, a being of darkness driving this person to acts of evil.

Let all who pass by this marker stop and see that the being of darkness has been torn away from its possession, setting this man free from his vile bonds, though unfortunate that he could live past it no longer.

Let all who pass by this marker stop and see that who you called the Victorian Oni no longer exists. The being who does not deserve this title rests here forever more. The being that does wlill never be seen again.

Farewell, you who we do not know. Let your soul finally enjoy the freedom it may have never known.

-The Lightbringers[/i]

-woobledywop!-

The next day, in Ellinia, the group who yesterday slew the Victorian Oni now rested in the home of the Raine sisters, sitting around a television, watching the news.

“In other news, an interesting, perhaps hopeful discovery has been made. Passerbys heading along the L Forest path to Kerning city have recently spread word of a grave recently made not far from the city outskirts. More important of note were the words etched on a stone that is part of the grave.” The reporter read off the etchings on the stone from one of her bulletins.

“Now, I personally don’t know what to make of it, but something tells me that if this development has anything to do with last night’s newsbreak of the Victorian’s unexpected return, followed lengthily by a shadowy explosion that could be seen for miles despite not resembling a towering column of some sort, then it’s possible that the Victorian Oni, longtime terror of the island we live on, is no more. Though many people are still skeptical, some are more optimistic, celebrating the belief that this being of destruction is finally gone. As for these so-called ‘lightbringers,’ no one knows for certain who they are, though the job masters believe them to be a group of adventurers who simply had enough of the creature and found a way to stop it. If this story is indeed true, as only three months from now can say for certain, then I, for one, extend my heartfelt thank to you loghtbringers, whoever you are. That’s all for the local news, now onto sports.”

Damien hit a remote button, changing the channel until he found an anime. He then leaned back for a moment. “Well, ain’t that a crock,” he mutters with a chuckle. “All that work, and no one knows who we are!” Everyone else laughed at the notion.

“Well, remember Damien, that we all did agree to keep our identities secret for a while,” Shadow explained. “After all, we know there are still evil forces out there somewhere. Media attention like what we could’ve received will likely hamper our efforts to keep the world safe.”

Damien nods for a moment as he leans back once more, but then stops himself. “Hey, wait a second,” he said, perplexed. “Why didn’t any of us think of this earlier? Crow! You said you worked with those forces before. Don’t you know who and where they are?” Everyone else leaned toward the Crow expectantly, suddenly interested in the news.

The Crow simply sighed, a look of dismay on her face. “I…I can’t remember…I can’t remember anything much, really. It’s rather odd, because I always knew them and their operations well, even on the day I discovered my cousins had died. Unfortunately, one day when I returned home for a while…it all just vanished. I didn’t even think about that ’till now. In fact, the only reason I do remember the forces I do is because I saw them recently, and their presence brought my memory back to life.”

“Well, what do you remember?” Emma asked.

“Just a ninja dressed in yellow and black that attacked Damien a while back in Kerning,” she explained. “I also remember that lizard we encountered when we fought the zombies. I also easily remembered the Victorian Oni the day he attacked Ellinia. Other than that….I don’t remember anyone else…I don’t even know where they are.”

Everyone hung their heads for a moment in response to the news. “Well, it’s likely they had some sort of memory-erasing measure placed on you somehow, in case you ever escaped,” Shadow reasoned.

“Seems likely,” Crow said. “Too bad I can’t remember what that is, either!” Everyone else groaned.

Eventually, Amber stood up. “Well, it is rough to know, or rather not know, the enemies that may exist, but we can’t be too hard pressed by that! For once in our lives, the greatest threat to Victoria Island is finally gone. We should take some time to celebrate our achievement. Who knows when we’ll get another chance to!”

Genya laughed joyfully in response, clapping her hands. “Celebrate!” she cheered.

“Sounds dandy to me,” Damien agreed, standing up to stretch. “How should we do it? Throw a rave?”

Everyone glanced at him for a moment. “Well, you never know,” he said with a shrug.

“I’m not exactly sure how much actual party stuff we have here,” Emma said, looking around. “I do know we do have some nice food recipes. Maybe we’ll bake a cake or something.”

“Yeah, a cake!” Moira agreed. “Maybe some cookies as well!”

“Muffins!” Genya added.

“Frosted donuts!” Lance chimed in, with Skye giggling at all the random suggestions.

“Ramen!”

Everyone stopped to look at him, rather perplexed. “Oh, c’mon,” Shadow complained. “What’s a party without some noodles?”

“A party without slurping noises?” Skye suggested. A moment of silence passed before everyone burst into laughter again.

-woobledywop!-

The day passed rather quickly with everyone working on whatever decorations and food they could find as they put a small party together. In the end, though, the entire group was rewarded by the fruits of their labor. They all sat around a large, round, wooden table, which was laden with a big, chocolate cake in the center. The cake was in turn surrounded by plates of donuts, cookies, and muffins. In addition, everyone had a bowl of ramen next to them.

Before anyone began eating, Shadow stood up, holding his glass of water in the air. “A toast to the Raine sisters, for having plenty of instant ramen in stock.” Everyone laughed at the notion, though they applauded anyway.

Amber then stood up, holding her glass up. “A toast to Moira, who came up with this idea in the first place.” More laughter and applause sounded.

As soon as Amber finished, Damien stood up as well, holding his glass. “A toast to the lightbringers and our friends with us, for banding together to achieve a common goal. Also,” he turned his eyes to Shadow. “To you, young rogue, for never giving up, no matter how bad things looked, and for leading us to victory.”

Moira stood up, glass in hand. “For fighting with us so hard to keep a city and its inhabitants safe from evil’s harm.

Emma stood up. “For avenging the losses our home suffered, as well as those people who lost a loved one to evil, and for restoring peace to Victoria.”

Genya rose. “For saving my life…way back when…and helping me…speak again.”

Lance and Skye rose as well. “For helping me believe in myself…and playing a part in saving Skye’s life.” Skye nodded.

Amber also arose. “For saving my life…and to everyone for saving it a second time.”

Adding to the toast to Shadow, the Crow stood last. A single tear flew down her cheek as she raised her glass.

“For…for saving my home…and helping me believe again.”

Shadow stood in response to all of them, raising his glass back. “A toast to you all as well. I came to this world alone, recovering from the devastation of my home world. Now, one week later, I have new friends by my side. I never would’ve gotten this far without any of you.”

Everyone broke into applause, capped off with the Crow giving Shadow a long hug. Eventually, the fanfare died down as Damien began passing out cake to everyone.

-woobledywop!-

“Wow, you managed to beat that thing?!” Scorpion exclaimed through the magic of the blue orb. “Wow, way to go, Shadow! For a demon believed to be invincible, taking him down was quite a feat. Too bad about the guy who was possessed, though.”

Shadow nodded in reply. “His soul can finally be at peace, just like those who fell to the oni before…not to mention those still living on this island right now.”

“I gotta ask, Shadow, how’d you do it?” Scorpion asked eagerly.

Shadow merely shrugged in response. “Just…had a little inner strength, is all. How’re things back home.”

“Eh, lot of work today,” Scorpion muttered. “Can’t complain, though. You just keep doing what you do best, Shadow.”

“I will.” Footsteps began sounding behind Shadow. “I gotta go.” He pocketed the orb before turning to face whoever approached. “Crow?”

“Hi,” she greeted as she walked out of the dimly lit Raine residence, standing on the dark branches that sat beneath a starry night sky. “What’re you standing out here for?”

“Just thinking…about everything that’s happened.”

“I see,” the Crow responded as she stood by Shadow. They stared at the sky together in silence for a moment.

“So, what changed your mind about family?” Shadow asked, breaking the silence.

“A lot of things,” she said. “First was your unbreakable belief in it. Then, I met a friend, Damien. I learned how similar he and I were, and amazingly enough, I considered him a friend after a short amount of time with him. What really made me change was your devotion to saving Amber after the zombie fight. Only my true family has ever shown me such love and care in my life, and I couldn’t help but see that in all of you.” She sniffled, wiping a tear. “I can’t believe how stupid I’ve acted! First I preserved my life in evil’s name, then I stubbornly deny the hope that others have…I feel like such a liability.” She sat roughly on the branch, holding her face in her hands as new tears came out. “Shadow, I’m…I’m sorry.”

Shadow knelt by the assassin and put his arm around her. “Crow, never once did I consider you a liability,” he coaxed. “The worst I ever did was disagree with your opinions, which were merely different. You believed something and I believed something else. Other than that, I never even thought you were evil. From what I could tell when I first saw you, I simply figured you were depressed, sorrowful over something. All I wanted to do was help you.”

“I know,” Crow whimpered. “I just never gave you the chance!”

“But you did,” Shadow countered. “Believe me, you did. It didn’t come quickly, but you eventually let me welcome you into our family of friends. Besides, before I helped you, you helped us. You let us know you were against the oni in Ellinia…you helped us fight the zombies and the oni…you’ve never been a liability, and you never will be.”

The Crow sniffled some more as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “You…you really mean that, don’t you?” she whispered, leaning close to Shadow. “You’d never say that if you didn’t…I once remember feeling sad because when I was young, other kids in my home village always made fun of me. My father, though…he always made me feel better by letting me know my good qualities. When I was down, he was the first to hold my head high again…and now, I feel like that’s happening again.”

“You had a wonderful family for a long time, Crow,” Shadow said, holding her close. “That’s something I never got to have all that long. I lost my original family when I was just ten years old. For a while, I thought my family was gone forever as well. Then I met new friends who brought me to a new home. After a long time there, I realized I had a new family to be with. That was when I learned that you can always have a family with you, bloodline or not.”

“Yes,” Crow agreed. Then she stood up. “I swear by every fiber of my being, I’ll make those villains pay for what they did to my old family. I’ll do it…with my new family.” Even with the determined vow, tears came once more anew. “I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me, Shadow.” She sat back down and gave him a big hug. “I just only wish my old family could see this…I wish they could see that we won yesterday.”

Shadow could feel a glimmer of his own tear upon his eye. “I do too, Crow,” he said softly. “I do too.”

Together, they walked back into the house. Inside, they were surprised to the rest of the group standing before them. Every one of them had a solemn look on their face, as though they suddenly seemed to relate to what was on the minds of Shadow and the Crow.

“We heard everything,” Damien said.

Shadow wiped one more tear from his eye before looking at everyone. “I guess we all have something in common, then,” he said. “We’re orphans.”

-meanwhile-

As the heroes rejoiced in victory above, their enemies were embittered by defeat in the dungeon below. The ninjas in green, yellow, and blue were especially tormemtive in their attacks on the cold eyes, not out of training but out of anger; their plan, believed unstoppable, had crumbled to dust. Now, with their one greatest weapon used against Victoria Island gone, their stranglehold was crippled. Among the “stress relief,” a ninja in red sat alone, the once-green energy around him now as red as his suit was.

Sethofan strode in the dungeon, not even paying attention to the carnage that went on around him. He walked up to the red ninja. “You idiot,” he spat. “You sent up some possessed warrior to take on the town, and even though he was declared invincible, he lost.” He turned around, noticing that the other ninjas had stopped their attacks to glare at him. “You just don’t seem to understand what real power is, don’t you? I could see the flaw myself. The oni, as you called him, was indeed powerful with Testament inside him, but the dark being only inspired ideals of terror and torment, making that wimp of a warrior a mindless being of destruction. Just pitiful.” He strode off again, walking past the other ninjas.

“AND JUST WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU’RE ANY BETTER?!” the red ninja roared as he stood up, his energies flaring around him. He fired a blast, which was joined by the yellow ninja’s fireball, the blue ninja’s blast of frost, and the green ninja’a acidic wave.

Sethofan merely rolled his eyes before thrusting his hands at the collective attack, shooting a blast of darkness that collided with the attacks, nullifying them and continuing on to crash into an unlucky taurospear, disintegrating it.

“That’s what,” he muttered before walking off.

The green, blue, and yellow ninjas started after him, but the red one called them back. “Forget about him,” he said, annoyed. “Indeed, the oni is gone, but that’s just the tip of our iceberg. Our grip on Victoria can be regained. We’ll just have to…spread things out. I’ll get things started tonight. You stay out with the monsters. Oh, and that’s enough cold eyes for tonight. Even those pathetic wastrels have their uses.” The other assassins nodded and left.

The red ninja went back to a private chamber. There, he approached a mystical looking orb that sat on a table. He took a seat by the table and pressed a button. The orb lit up before him. Eventually, a picture came to life on the orb’s surface. It was of a small, dark chamber. In the chamber sat a beautiful, regal-looking woman with long, flowing, black hair and gray eyes, wearing a crown and a pink dress. Her face carried a look of fear and worry. “Y-yes, master Soulist?” she stammered, trying to keep her composure amidst shaking.

“Empress Victoria of Ossyria,” the villain began, “We have good news. We’ve finally found your son.”

“R-r-really?!” Victoria cried out, visibly shaken despite the smile that came over. “Where? Where is he?!”

“He is here, safe with us,” the red ninja, identified as Soulist, explained. “We will see to it that he is brought to you safely. However, in order for that to happen, you must fulfill your condition. Remember that scroll I gave you long ago?”

“Y-yes, master Soulist,” Victoria answered, tears streaming down her face. “Anything to have my beloved Lucas back!”

“I want you to take it to that abandoned tower you told me about, the one far from your kingdom that was locked,” Soulist instructed. “This isn’t the Orbis tower I’m speaking of, so you know. I want you to go into the tower, take the scroll up to the top floor of the tower, where the large, barred window is, and set the scroll in there. Once you have done so, return, let me know, and I’ll check for it myself. You only get one chance at this, Victoria, if you value your son’s life that much.”

“Of course I do!” Victoria exclaimed. “I’ll do anything to have him back!”

“Good,” Soulist replied. “You’ll be pleased to know this is all you have to do, by the way. Simply take the scroll up to the tower, re-lock it, come back and let me know. I see the scroll there, you’ll see your daughter within two weeks. Understood?”

“Yes, of course, master Soulist!” Victoria cried joyfully. “I’ll do as you asked right away!” The image in Soulist’s crystal ball flickered away.”

“Soulist leaned back in his chair in the dark room. As he did, a pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared, slanted in an evil gaze. A growl came from where the eyes were.

“Patience, great demon,” Soulist coaxed, holding a scroll before it. The scroll was made up of yellowed paped rolled up by a black band. “Soon, very soon…” He then let out vile laughter that echoed out into the rest of the dungeon.

———————————————————————————-

And thus concludes the first part of my Viper series. Rest assured I will start up the next part whenever I can. In the meantime, as this is one of my final blogs before the holidays, I want to thank everyone one last time, especially for the continuity of front pagers I’ve received. As I’ve said before, you are all a reason I keep writing. Every time I get a like, every time I receive a comment, it continues to bolster the confidence I have in my ability to write. It should be noted that the epic lengths of certain stories I’ve read also inspire me. Of course, I’m not one who cares about a story’s length. Make it long, make it short, make it whatever you want. What makes it good is the content. That said, it amazes me how long some projects have been. Lost in the Shadows: 38 chapters. Tales of a Lost Phoneme: 56 chapters. Aurora’s Redemption: 66 chapters. Tales of a Lost World: 96 chapters. Now THOSE are some awesome thresholds.

In any case, my thanks to everyone(last time, I promise!) for the inspiration you’ve given me. If you ask me, I think your support and praise are a christmas present in itself. In fact, for those of us who write and share our stories together…I feel like we’re all part of a family. It fills me with so much joy, I’m honestly starting to cry right now!T_T

Thank you everyone always and forever! May your stories be long and fruitful! And drink Mountain Dew!