There and Back Again

Subject: There and Back Again Wed Dec 02, 2009 11:07 am

I held my hands around my head, not knowing what to do. These feelings had been repressed for so long that I had nearly forgotten them. Finally, the sound of combat died away, fading into the distance. My head rose, slowly at first, while my right hand came across to shade my eyes from the bright light that now surrounded me. The old one, the original Lightning Tiger, was standing in front of me. Looking down, my clothes had changed, and I was in the middle of a pit of sand. I could remember this all too well. I had been attempting to learn another one of his techniques for close range combat. Slowly, I raised myself up to my feet to look at him. He had long since retired, handing the title of Lightning tiger over to myself. It was great to see that man again. He was my height, skinny, but had solid black hair. His skin was smooth and chiseled, with the outline of his muscles showing through the open shirt that he wore. He always wore white pants and a black shirt that reflected dark blue in the light. I had one of those somewhere but had never really worn it until I had become the Lightning Tiger.
“What are the two branches of lightning?”
“Close range, and distanced combat.”
“Correct.. why do we use a formless combat style?”
“Electricity is formless. By seeming to randomly direct combat in any direction, you can maximize the amount of space between you and multiple enemies. A formless style also allows for a more broad form of attack in any direction. When utilized with lightning, it becomes a devastating combat ability. “

He took two steps further away, while I did the same. I brought my right arm up, immediately thrusting it forward. A bright blue light shot from my fingertips as I murmured the spell. In response, my master went to a knee, placing his palm onto the sand. The blue light erupted around me, giving me the feeling of being electrocuted. My internal energy was thrown off, and as the blue light faded, I hit the ground again. His Lighting Flash was a technique that I had long forgotten about, where he transferred the energy through the metal charges in the ground. There were fragments of minerals everywhere that could hold a charge, and with the amount of energy he had, there was nothing that could get within yards of him if he didn’t allow it. I closed my eyes from this, then opened them again.
Once again the scene had changed, and I woke out of breath and drenched in sweat. Yet again, I had another dream…dreams I couldn't really understand. They consisted mostly of destroying the only one who he had ever had…my angel. Most of them included my ship, but in some, he had a dream of her dying with the flowers he had given her in her hands. It was so confusing…yet it seemed so real. By far, the strangest dream that had happened was one that seemed almost like a romantic movie that Lauren loved to watch so much, kissing her as she slowly faded away…and then I woke up, as always. I did not dare tell anyone, knowing they wouldn't really understand any of it anyway. An entire year had passed since I had last seen her, and I was now the lightning tiger years old. After regaining my composure, I laid there, looking at the ceiling in my room.
"The healer…where is she now? and the blood. So much red throughout the dreams…so much blood. She was dead. A single rose…standing for their love? Or perhaps just herself, she was as pretty as a rose…"
Again I woke, this time to the buzzing of the birds who decided to be so loud this early in the morning. I was so confused…I just couldn't understand. And then, just as I had done a year before I walked hopped out of bed and threw on an open white shirt before walking outside. She had been gone to service for a long time, called in to support the northern rim. She was a highly accomplished healer, and our duties had kept us separate from each other. I had longed to see her again, but things hadn’t worked out that way. I could still feel the pain from my sister’s loss, and from seeing my brother defeat the demon that had taken her from us. Bringing my attention up, I saw her, standing there like she always did in the morning.
"My Angel.., standing at their former meeting place, the fountain. She was looking down, seeming so sad…and then…a single glance at me before disappearing with the wind…"
I was certainly terrified now, rigid with a mixture of confusion and fear. Something inside was telling, no, warning me of what was to come. She was right in front of me the entire time, and I couldn’t do anything to save her. I felt a knot forming in my stomach as I hit the ground. All of these memories were happening so fast that I had no idea which way was up. My disorientation followed a feeling of sickness, and I fell over, curling into a ball. The white light from the sun washed over me, leaving me laying in the floor of what was now a wooden cabin. I recognized it as my room aboard the ship.

Notes :915 / 2640

Subject: Re: There and Back Again Fri Dec 04, 2009 10:13 am

I laid there, while closing my eyes. When I opened them, this time I was standing beside my true father, a being of higher order and respected user of energy. We were in Establin, a graveyard near the outskirts of Novartis...
The tombstone on the grave reads:
HERE LIES SARAI NAZAN LOKI, BELOVED WIFE AND CARING MOTHER. MAY HER SOUL REST HERE IN PEACE.
Two men dressed in black stood beside the grave for hours, grieving over the death of their loved one. My brother was on the hilltop, staring off into the distance, while Sensha refused to come. I stood there beside my father as he spoke.
"Sarai..."
There, I recalled the events that happened what had been two days ago... My brother and I had been on a mission to the southern outskirts to defend small encampments and deal with an increasingly high number of demon sightings. They were slowly becoming more and more aggressive with their raiding parties, and it was becoming a nuisance for all of us. The only thing that I had known of my mother’s passing was that my father didn’t take it very well. My sister had been abandoned by the person closest to her, and once my father lost it, he was gone. Even when Sensha joined my crew, my father didn’t put up a fight. She reminded him so much of her that it was painful for him. I turned around, my body now standing in the room next to them. I had always wondered how she went out, and it looked like I would finally get to see that.
" Sarai, please hold on. The doctor will arrive soon."
Sarai coughed. She turned to Toro and said,
"I'm sorry Toro...I don't think I can fight it any longer..."
Sensha, who is standing on the other side of the bed said, "Mom, please hold on a little longer..."
Sarai turned at her daughter, smiling. Then, she caressed her face, wiping her tears away. I saw my younger sister in a new light. She had been there when our mother had passed. I knew that this was part of the reason why she had wanted to join my brother and myself.
“Sensha, you have grown into a beautiful woman. I'm happy that I could watch you grow up all these years."
"Mother..."
" Sarai, don't you talk like that. I'm sure you'll be okay soon.. and the boys will be back from the front lines too.."
Sarai held Toro’s hand, tightly, while my father did the same. I could see the fear in his eyes, and it was something I had never seen in my life.
" Toro, promise me. Promise me you will go on without me. I want you to promise...tell our sons that I will be with them always.."
"I...I don't think I can...living without you...I just can't bear it..."
" Toro, I'm sure you can do it. Please, promise me..."
"I...I promise..." Toro gave a hesitant reply.
" Sensha, I want you to listen to your father from now on. Do as he says."
"Mom, I promise. Don't worry about it."
Suddenly she gasped.
" Sarai!"
"Mom!"
"My time has come... Toro...I love you..."
Then, her eyes closed and her breathing stopped. Sensha broke down and started to cry before sliding onto the floor. Toro stared at Sarai’s lifeless body in disbelief. Then, he let out a shout, like a roaring lion. The sound of his voice frightened me at first, but I could feel the anger and frustration in his tone.
"WHY? WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE HER? WHY NOT ME? I CAN'T ACCEPT THIS! I CAAN'T!!!"
Sensha approached her father.
"Dad, please calm down..."
"How can I? HOW CAN I CALM DOWN AT A TIME LIKE THIS? DAMMIT!!"
"Dad, look. Mom is smiling..."
Toro looked at Sarai. She's smiling as if she were having a sweet dream. The peacefulness in her face brought tears to my eyes. I had been called to duty so many times, and just accepted it without knowing what was going on at the homeland.
" Sarai..."

“Sanzon!”
I turned to see Leroy and Kisi fly down and land beside us. My father turned, his eyes lifeless and devoid of all feeling. At the sight of them, my brother shot down the hill, sliding to a stop beside us.
“There was an attack on the Daenui, we have to go”

Notes :739/ 3379

Subject: Re: There and Back Again Fri Dec 04, 2009 11:22 am

I turned toward my father while placing my hand on his shoulder. I could feel that same knot growing stronger each second I stayed here. My brother stood beside me, and by his gaze, I could tell he didn’t want to leave either. The air around us had dropped in temperature, and it was beginning to get irritating.
“that’s enough. We will return soon father.. stay safe”
Turning, I took a step as the environment changed again. My memories were becoming a roller coaster, all drifting in and out of each other. I was back in my cabin again. There was a faint light from a glowing orb that swung above the room. My desk was piled with maps and charters, and my bed was neatly made. I stood there for a moment trying to get my bearings straight. There had to be something else wrong here, something that I was supposed to see. Closing my eyes, I half expected to open them to something different again, but nothing happened at all. Slowly, the sound of screaming came to my ears. Rushing forward, I threw open the door to see the flames from the other ship beside ours. Quickly our ship moved straight past it. The clouds were moving through the area immediately around us as we turned to face the line of ships from the lower world. My body lifted off, flipping backwards to land at the helm. Leroy had his hands on the mast, steering us out of the large balls of fire that were flying towards us. I came to the side of the ship while grabbing the wooden railing. My brother was at the stern side, sending large bolts of ice into the air. They would collide halfway with the balls of fire that were falling towards us.
Kisi stood at the back, throwing her own abilities into the fray. Clapping her hands, a wall of thick vibrations would emanate, breaking apart the balls of fire and stopping them in their tracks. We were on the defensive far too much to stop and assist those who were still on the Daenui. I could make out their bodies while the ship still burned. Unfortunately, the air was riddled with energy right now, giving them no room to fly over. For those who couldn’t fly, they took up arms and were still attacking the group of ships that had surrounded theirs. The skies above became cloudy as it started to rain. Looking down across the Hanuman’s deck, I saw Gemini, our water user. If the rain was coming, then the storm had to be here. Feeding off of the electricity in the air, I thrust my arm forward towards the first ship. A wave of ice hit it form my brother. Splinters of wood shot upwards in all directions while they retaliated with balls of fire. Focusing my mind slightly onto my target, a single bolt of energy crashed from the sky above. The strike took a large chunk out of their central mast, splintering it before it began to fall. The wooden structure pierced the sails in front of it, dragging itself to the side before it toppled over.
Using that to his advantage, my brother lifted his arm and froze the rain that was pouring down. The shards of ice pierced through the top deck, lifting more screams from the enemy ship.
“Port side!!”
I heard Leroy scream over to me. Lifting up, I kicked off of the walkway and slid to a stop on the other side. As I reached it, I saw another of their ships heading straight towards ours. If they were to strike us, we would have a huge problem. Before I could lift my arms to do anything, a dragon of water rushed from the side of the ship. It planted itself across their entire deck, making sure they were filled with water. Both of my arms raised towards the sky before being thrust down towards this great ship. A stream of blue bolts rained down across the ship, blanketing it in light before it erupted into flames and disappeared beneath the clouds.
I closed my eyes for a moment, hearing only silence.. what now..

Notes :704/ 4183

Subject: Re: There and Back Again Sat Dec 05, 2009 1:44 pm

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