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shoexchangeTitle: The Spirits Guardians
Pairing: Sakuraiba
Rating: R
Summary: The members of Sakurai House had been guardians for generations. However, when it became clear that Sakurai Sho didn’t possess the same power as his father, another person was chosen to take his place.
Warning: There are some violence and injuries, mostly of magical kinds. But I promise they aren’t scary.
Note: Dearestrollingday_s. Your sign-up gave me so much freedom that I ended up trying so many things. There have been many versions of your gift fics, each of different stories, but I ended up choosing this magical/fantasy, soulmate-ish story for you. I wrote this story with much love. I hope it would make you feel as happy as it made me felt while writing it. xoxo
I.
Little Sho stood in the garden. His small body heaved up and down visibly. Sho had been crying. In front of him, a patch of flowers in the garden was in a complete ruin. The delicate petals and fragile stems broken and smashed to the ground. A frightened horse ran through the garden earlier and the flower patch that the little Sho had been tending, the final gift from his late mother, fell victim to the horse’s panic stomps. It was the last thing they shared together before she was gone. Now, it's all in ruin.
Little Sho hiccupped a few times. He knew he had to be strong, a Sakurai wasn’t supposed to cry, yet Sho couldn’t stop crying. He remained there, engulfed in sadness, until a firm hand laid on his small shoulder.
Sho turned back to see his father looking at him gently.
"Papa, the flowers... Mommy's flowers..."
Sho tried to explain what had happened but what came through his sobs did not sound intelligible. His father still nodded understandingly.
"It's okay, Sho. Everything will be okay."
The head of the Sakurai house knelt on the ground, looking at the damaged plants and flowers. Then, he extended his hands forward. The palms laid flat on the cool ground, atop the broken flowers. Sho’s father whispered Ancient words and the air around him frizzled and sparked. Sho saw glowing, warm mist engulfing his father as the ground beneath them radiated in golden hue. and slowly all plants began to straighten up, broken stems mended, and torn leaves grew back. Within the minute, the flowers were blooming once again.
The small boy stood in amazement. His expression was full of wonder.
"Papa! Papa! They grow back." Sho cried excitedly.
"Yes, Sho. I helped them grow back." His father replied softly, a rare smile plastered on his peaceful face. Sho couldn’t remember when the last time was that his father smiled at him since his mother died.
"Can I do this too? Can you teach me?" Sho asked excitingly.
"You will be able to, my son. It’s in our Sakurai blood. After your training, you will be able to help the livings, mend the broken, and heal the sick. You will be able to do what I just did. And if the Spirits allow, possibly a lot more." His father looked at him proudly. He lifted the little Sho up as Sho reached in to hug his father.
"Papa," Sho broke the silence after a while.
"Yes?"
"Can you bring Mommy back?"
There was a silence. A long, nagging period of silence. The little boy kept his eyes on his father's face. Slowly, Sho saw his father’s eyes turned from shock to sadness, and eventually to emptiness.
His father’s eyes kept on the flower patch.
"I cannot help the dead, son. No one can."
II.
Sho woke up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare. The same, recurring nightmare that had been keeping wide awake at night in the past few months. He thought the nightmare was a result of his overwork at the Academy, but it followed him back home during the study break as well. Not being able to return to sleep, Sho got off his bed and decided to take a walk inside his family home. He left his room and strolled along the sparsely lit corridor of Sakurai manor. The hem of his long night robe trailed lazily on the stony floor. He did not even bother to put on his sandals, instead he let his feet to feel the cold stone, and let the cold touch cool his mind.
As he wandered down the stairs, Sho noticed the light in the study chamber was still flickering in the middle of the night. Sounds came out of it. There were his father's and a couple of the Councils members’, but there were also a few other voices Sho could not recall. It seemed his father was working late again. Sho was about to tiptoe past the chamber when he heard his name coming from one of the men. He couldn’t help stepping closer to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Sho would never be ready. He didn't have what it takes to be a guardian." A voice Sho didn’t know said a little too strongly. That comment was followed by several voices, some against, some supporting. His father interrupted them and insisted Sho should be given more time.
"He's just a young boy. There is still time to develop." Sho’s father pledged for him.
"Being a guardian is not a skill. You have to be born with it." The same voice commented in a hash tone. "He just doesn't have it in him. The Spirits must have chosen someone else."
Sho felt his heart just froze. He couldn’t bare thinking about such possibility.
"The Spirits always choose a Sakurai." His father protested rather stubbornly.
"No, not always. You are a Guardian, you convene with the Spirits, you know.” This time, it was uncle Okura’s voice replying to his father.
“Sho is my son and the heir of Sakurai house. He will have the same Power I have.” Sho’s father wasn’t giving up.
“He won’t. And apparently, he wouldn't be the next Guardian."
That statement hurt Sho more than he could imagine. The next Guardian would no longer be a Sakurai. It’s unthinkable.
"You know we do not want interfere with your son’s future or the affair in Sakurai house, but you have to think about the Land. The next Guardian must be brought to the temple, so he can be tended to properly."
There was a long silence. They let his father weight arguments and make up his mind. And after a moment, his father spoke again.
“The Spirits has spoken to me. I can lead you to him. But what about Sho?"
Sho forgot to breathe. His father admitted it. His father confirmed to these people that the next Guardian was someone outside the Sakurai house.
“Who knows? I hear his level of magic is only mediocre. He’s useless as a guardian.”
This couldn’t be happening to him, Sho wanted to scream aloud, especially not after all the hard work he had done and the difficulties he had gone through trying to prove himself at the Academy. All the study and the preparations he had done since childhood to become the next Guardian.
Unknowingly, Sho retreated into the shadow of the hallway. He stumbled on his long robe and made a startled cry. Afraid someone would have heard him, Sho instantly rose up to his feet and started running. He went out the back entrance and ran into the garden. His bare feet marked distinctive footprints on the soft winter snow. Sho ran through the sharp cold of late winter night until he dropped on the ground in front of a leafless tree.
Dejected and heartbroken, Sho looked up at the dry branches. The tree was cold and dead in the freezing weather. Useless… That word kept ringing in his head. At that instantly, his eyes changed from disappointment to strong determination. Sho was going to prove to everyone that he could be the next Guardian, that he could be a proper heir to the Sakurai house, that he wasn’t a complete failure.
Sho stood up. With firm steps, he moved forward. He wrapped himself around the tree and started to concentrate. The gift of life was not human power. It wasn’t the same as any other magic that lit fire, moved water, or control air. The gift of life came from the Spirits, the essence of the Land, and only those blessed with the connection to the Spirits with a strong enough will, and a powerful soul, would be able to channel the power to control life.
With his arms around the tree, Sho began to recant the ancient words he expertly memorized from his training, his preparation, to become a Guardian. Words came through his mouth effortlessly and Sho concentrated on summoning magical energy. Slowly, glowing mist emanated around the slim frame in the thin robe. The golden aura danced around Sho’s body and gradually moved onto the barren tree. Within minutes, the whole tree was covered in glittering gold mist. The radiating warmth melted the snow on the ground into a puddle of water. Sho took another deep breath, trying to suppress the pain he started to feel. It was as if someone reached inside his chest and clenched his heart with an iron fist. Masaki resisted the urge to scream as he continued to direct the energy to flow into the tree. His chest hurt. His body hurt. His head felt like it was about to explode.
After what Sho felt like an eternity of pain, the magical energy flowing into the barren tree caused a transformation. New leave buds emerged from the dry branches, signaling a sign of life. Little by little, small flower buds grew from stems. The tree began to turn as if it were Spring again. However, Sho was finally unable to hold it in any longer. A painful scream echoed through the chilly winter night as Sho’s exhausted body dropped on the ground. Sho could no longer see anything except a blurry, almost-blacken vision of half melt snowy ground. Coldness was creeping in. Pain was changing into numbness everywhere. He couldn't move nor speak. Pale pink flower petals started dropping on the wet ground. They fell on Sho’s bloodless face and stuck to his tear stain. Through his labored breathing, Sho let out a strained bitter laugh that sounded more like a sobbing cry. As he laid on the wet ground, his conscious slowly faded away, the voice still rang in his head. The words from his father’s study kept repeating over and over in his head. Sho couldn’t help agreeing with them.
III.
Everything around him was dark and cold.
Sho shivered as the wind blew passed. He didn’t know where he was. The place was vast and empty, with nothing and no end in sight. Sho didn’t know how long he had been there. He didn’t remember why he was there. He only remembered wandering aimlessly, feeling dispirited and heartbroken.
Sho continued to wander around. Until he heard someone calling his name. He turned around. Suddenly, in the place just a few steps away where there was nothing seconds before, there was a young man. Sho didn’t know where he came from. The man was about his age. He was a little taller than Sho with a soft smile plastered on his friendly face.
“I have been looking for you.” The man said. His voice sounded like a ray of sun in this dark, cold place. Sho stared at him, confused.
“Who are you? I don’t know you.” Sho asked.
“My name is Aiba Masaki. We are at the Academy together, although you probably don’t remember me.” Aiba? Sho searched hard in his memory. The name was unfamiliar but Sho slowly began to recall the life that he had earlier. The Academy. The study. His father.
“Your father asks me to look for you.” Aiba continued. “I am here to take you home.”
With that, Aiba reached out for Sho, but his hand stopped mid-way as another voice came.
He cannot leave.
Both of them turn around, looking for the source of the voice, but there was no one in sight.
It’s impossible for him to leave this place.
The voice came once more, and they realized it was in the wind, as if the wind was speaking to them.
“What’s wrong? Why couldn’t he leave?” Aiba asked aloud although he kept his eyes perfectly on Sho. The way he looked at him helped Sho relaxed a little despite Sho’s agitation.
His soul was shattered. Without a soul, he will be lost here. Forever.
“That’s a terrible fate.” Aiba spoke in almost a whisper. His eyes turned to sadness. Sho knew from Aiba’s look at the situation was dire. However, Sho didn’t care about that. All he could feel was how disappointed and heartbroken he was. The funny thing was Sho didn’t even remember why he felt like that. He could no longer what had happened to him, for what he felt like eternity ago.
“How can I help him?” Sho heard Aiba’s voice asking. Sho no longer cared about it but he didn’t feel like moving away from this stranger, not just yet.
No one can help him. No one can mend a soul. Not even you, Guardian.
‘Guardian?’ That word sparked something from Sho’s memory. Suddenly, he felt overwhelmed by despair. The weight in his heart grew until he could no longer hold it. He dropped on the ground and cried. However, as he continued to cry, Sho slowly felt some warmth in this previously cold and desolated place. He opened his eyes and saw glowing silvery green mist engulfing him and Aiba, who also lowered down on the ground right beside him. Sho felt a little pang of happiness – something he could hardly remember. Aiba extended his hand toward Sho again, and this time, to Sho’s surprise, he could touch him. Aiba’s hand radiated the warmth that Sho didn’t realize he desperately need. Sho’s hand reached out and grabbed Aiba’s in his.
“Help me,” Sho pledged. He didn’t know why he said such thing, but he knew he could rely on this stranger to release him from this miserable state.
Then, Aiba did something Sho didn’t expect. He pulled Sho in and enclosed him in a warm hug.
“They told me I have a powerful soul. If you need one, you can share mine.” Aiba whispered into Sho’s ear. Sho was startled by Aiba’s words. But before he could react or say anything, he saw a glowing bright orb inside Aiba’s chest. It started to grow larger and larger, until it became a bright large globe encasing both of them together.
“Let’s go home.” Aiba whispered to him and everything Sho could see turn to bright light.
IV.
“Guardian! Guardian!”
Loud shouting stopped Sho on track. The garnet red robe glided around the perfectly proportion body as Sho turned to face his caller. Matsumoto Jun was only on his heels. A smile plastered on Sho face when he acquired politely the purpose of the urgency in the call.
“You know very well why. Where is Aiba? The Council meeting is starting soon.” Jun was one of very few people who would be as forceful with his words when mentioning about a Guardian. Or talking to a Guardian.
“I am sure he knows.” Sho replied with a teasing smile. Jun was always serious and demanding, although he was the youngest member in the Council.
"Where is he, anyway? The Council has been looking for him for the last hours already. This would be the third council meeting he has missed since the turn of the season. What's wrong with him?"
Jun wasn't one to spare with pleasantry. His strong words also didn't seem to be only about Aiba. His eyes made it quite clear he thought it was Sho’s fault.
“I am always at the meetings.” Sho commented.
“I know, I know.” Jun waved his hand dismissively. “But it’s better to have BOTH Guardians presented, you know, especially with how things are presently.” Jun’s worry was genuine, and Sho secretly agreed with him.
It had been many years since the incident when Sho tried to revive the dead tree. They said he had used up every ounce of his power and his soul was shattered in the process. Sho’s father, the Guardian at that time, could only keep Sho’s body alive, but he couldn’t wake Sho up. That’s when his father revealed to the Council the identity of the next Guardian as the Spirits spoke to him.
Aiba was brought in. He woke Sho up.
Since then, Sho was now able to communicate with the Spirits, the priviledge that only a guardian could. Having two persons with such ability was unprecedent. It took the Council quite some time to accept the unforeseen situation, at the end, both Aiba and Sho gained the title of Guardians.
Neither Sho nor Aiba ever told anyone why both of them could converse with the Spirits. Sho never confided in anyone what happened to him, and Aiba never told anyone what he sacrificed to wake Sho up.
"I will try to find him and let him know that there is a meeting right now. But I can't guarantee anything." The guardian said quite good-naturedly. He smiled politely and excused himself before Jun could continue with his wrath.
The sound of Jun complaining was still audible in the distance as Sho walked toward the inner sanctum. Instead of walking into the inner chambers where he and Aiba resided, Sho made a turn and exited out a small walkway, leading away from the temple. The small path led into the woods. Sho went through some groups of trees, passed a small clearing until he finally arrived at a small creek.
Another thing Sho never told anyone was that he always knew exactly where Aiba was. More than that, Sho could feel what Aiba was feeling, he knew what Aiba was thinking.
And Aiba always know of his.
Sho walked along the creek. The stream was clear and cool, the summer was ending, and the fall was coming. He continued walking until he saw a slim figure sitting on a large rock on the bank. Sho smiled and approached the figure quietly.
“Jun is looking for me again, isn’t he?” Aiba asked without turning in Sho’s direction. He knew of Sho’s coming even before Sho arrived.
Sho took off his shoes and sat down next to Aiba. He lowered his feet into the cool stream and closed his eyes. Sho felt a refreshing rush of water spirit passing through him. It cooled him down and rejuvenated him.
When Sho opened his eyes again, he saw Aiba tilting his head and looking at him pensively.
“You are worried about me.” Aiba said in a plain statement.
“You have missed all the Council meetings in the recent moons.” Sho relayed Jun’s concern.
"They don't really want me. They already have you. These fish, on the other hand, do." Aiba replied. His voice didn’t have any hints of jealousy or remorse. Aiba was perfectly and truly fine with Sho representing them at the Council meeting – in the chair of power.
“There are two chairs at the head of the Council table. It’s kind of lonely sitting there with an empty chair next to me.” Sho teased, although there was some truth in Sho’s words. Aiba looked at him with his usual kindness. Of course, he knew how Sho truly felt. Sho continued.
“I think with the strange things happening right now. They want the true Guardian there for them to consult.” Sho refrained from adding that they wanted the one with true guardian power. He didn’t want to sound bitter. However, Aiba knew what’s on his mind.
“You are also a guardian, Sho-chan. A true guardian with the same rights and power as any other.” Aiba told him firmly, with a confidence. Sho wished he could say Aiba’s words were true. The only thing he had was a portion of Aiba’s soul. Sure, he could mend broken flowers and revive a barren tree now, but he was in no way able to turn a burnt patch of land into a flourishing forest like Aiba did.
Even now, with their feet in the same stream, all fish went to play with Aiba’s feet.
Come to think of it. There were many fish swimming around Aiba’s feet. The water around them was glowing and glittering in the sun. The silvery glow seemed to be engulfing the fish.
“It is too dry and too cold up north. They cannot survive.” Aiba said quietly – as if the short sentence explained everything. One thing that worried Sho recently was that he was unsure he knew or understood what was in Aiba’s mind. Some of Aiba’s thoughts were hidden from him, and Sho wasn’t sure whether Aiba did it deliberately, or something happened to their connection. However, Sho never voiced it out, and if Aiba knew of his concern, he never talked about it.
Aiba concentrated on those fishes for a few more moment, then the silvery glow disappeared, and the fish dispersed. Aiba let out a heavy sigh.
“Masaki, are you okay?” Sho suddenly felt alarmed. He turned to the man next to him and saw Aiba was breathing laboriously. Aiba tried to stand up only to drop back from exhaustion again. He made a small ugh sound but did not let out any more signs of discomfort. Sho was quick to help support Aiba, his right hand held on to Aiba’s right elbow firmly, and his left arm extended across Aiba’s back to keep balance and support to the tall, slim frame.
“You overworked yourself.” Sho complained. Of course, Aiba did, Sho should have noticed it quicker. Those fish were from the North, where Aiba said was too cold and too dry. He rescued them by moving them here.
Despite his worry, Sho couldn’t help being amazed. No other guardians had ever been powerful enough to physically move living creatures from one location to another location magically before – none that Sho had ever heard of, none that were on record, yet here it was in front of him, Aiba was doing the impossible.
“I am sorry to make you worry, Sho-chan, but those fish cried for help. I couldn’t ignore them.” Aiba muttered an apology as he allowed Sho to half-carry him up the bank of the creek. Aiba was indeed feeling weak. His legs could hardly carry his own weight. Sho gently let Aiba sit on soft grass underneath a large tree. He propped Aiba against his own body, with his arms wrapped around him. Under the cool shade of the old tree, Sho let Aiba rest in the comfortable late summer wind.
V.
“And both of you disappeared! You were supposed to go look for him!”
Sho already expected this. He knew Jun would be so furious that no guardians were presented at the Council meeting. However, he didn’t expect Jun would be barking into his room in the inner sanctum.
“I did go look for him and I found him. I told you I couldn’t guarantee I would be able to bring him to the meeting.” Sho decided to amuse Jun by arguing with him.
“Don’t be too clever, Sho. You know the meeting this afternoon was important.” Jun’s look turned serious and somber.
“And I know I can rely on you to tell me the details.”
Jun did. He told Sho how the Council was extremely concerned about the weather in the north affecting the forest and the people there. It had been an unusually dry and hash summer. And now that the fall was just around the corner, the weather in the north was already as cold as an early winter.
“The Council has sent scouts to the area. We also received reports from villagers there. None seems to be able to point out the reason why. We are hoping the Spirits and you two would know something about it.” Jun’s concerned look made him many years older than he was. The problem must be truly pressing.
Sho stayed quiet. He remembered the fish and what Aiba said about the North. However, without anymore information from Aiba, Sho wasn’t in a position to share with Jun.
“Anyway, where is Aiba now? He’s not in his room.” Jun asked, annoyed. Sho was surprised. He wasn’t focusing about their mental link and didn’t realize Aiba wasn’t in his usual place after they returned.
“I don’t know. But I will make sure he hears what you have to say when I see him.” Sho offered a compromise. Jun didn’t seem to be satisfied, still being too agitated and worried about the situation, but seeing there was nothing else he could do, Jun bid Sho a good night and left.
When Jun’s footsteps faded from the hallway, Sho focused his mind to find where Aiba was and realized he couldn’t locate Aiba anywhere.
That left the only place Aiba could be. He was convening with the Spirits.
Sho left his chamber and proceeded further into the inner sanctum. He walked past Aiba’s chamber and confirmed that there was no one inside. Sho continued until he reached the entrance of the largest area in the temple.
There, right at the center of the temple, was a very large and very old tree. The lore said the tree had been there before the time of the people. It claimed the tree was the most ancient living on the Land and they called it the Tree of Life. The temple was built around the tree, with a large, open-top chamber enclosing the tree. This was the place where guardians connected to the Spirits of the Land. The most important, most sacred place. The door to the inside, the gateway to the Tree of Life, was magically shut. Only a guardian would be able to enter. And only when they were summoned.
Sho didn’t hear the summon this evening. He rarely did. That was another reason why Sho felt so strongly that Aiba was the only true guardian. The Spirits favored him.
Sho was certain Aiba was inside, yet he didn’t enter. He stood outside and waited patiently.
Sho didn’t need to look to see that Aiba had left the chamber. He knew because he could feel Aiba’s anxiety and uneasiness so strongly. Sho immediately approached him, at the same time that Aiba looked him straight in the eyes.
And in Aiba’s eyes, Sho saw them all, his panic, his nervousness, his fear. They had never been in those eyes before, until now.
Sho’s body reacted instantly. He rushed forward and pulled Aiba into his embrace. Their bodies pressed together and Sho willed himself to give Aiba as much strength and security as he possibly could.
They didn’t remain for long. Aiba soon pushed Sho away.
“I have to go. Now.” Aiba said without meeting Sho’s eyes.
“Where?” Sho knew, but he still asked anyway.
“The North.” Aiba only said a single word, but it contained all his emotions. The worry, the nervousness, the frustration, and the desperation, all rolled up into one. Something had happened in the North and the Spirits had confined in Aiba. Some secret that Sho wasn’t allowed to know.
Aiba placed his hand on Sho’s forearm. He did not say anything but looked at the man who shared his soul expectantly.
"I cannot reach them anymore, the livings in the north, something or someone is blocking my connection. Something terrible is happening." Aiba's eyes were watery. It looked like he was close to tearing up. The frustration was consuming him.
"It can be dangerous. The Council would not let you go."
"I must go. The Spirits command me to." Aiba’s voice was suddenly strong as if he reminded himself of the responsibility he had as a guardian. Then, he stared at Sho apologizingly, "I am sorry, Sho-chan."
Sho knew what Aiba meant, what he intended to do. He quickly voiced his protest. "I am not letting you go alone.” Wherever Aiba wanted to go, Sho would go with him.
“They would need a guardian here.” Aiba reasoned.
“In that case, they need you here. I will go.” Sho argued. He knew Aiba wouldn’t agree to that. He only said it to prove his point.
Aiba kept his eyes away and didn't look at the man standing so close to him. A long time passed before Aiba eventually broke the silence with what sounded like a whisper.
“I would never ask you to go where I am going.”
Sho smiled softly and pulled Aiba in for another hug. His hand gently stroked Aiba’s soft, brown hair. “Lucky, you never need to ask.”
VI.
Sho and Aiba left without telling anyone. They knew none of the Council member would ever prove, so it’s better that they just disappeared. Despite that idea, Sho still left Jun a very brief note, telling him that he and Aiba were away on the business that the Spirits had commanded them. A mention of the Spirits should keep the Council quiet for some time. Hopefully, they would be done before the Council began to suspect anything.
It took them three days to arrive at the North. Aiba seemed to know exactly where they needed to go, which Sho suspected was because the Spirits told him so. They rode past abandon villages and dead trees. The air was so dry and so cold So felt every breath was like a sharp stab to his lung.
However, what surprised Sho the most was the state of the plants and trees along the road they travelled.
“The leaves. They look burnt.” Sho commented. It was the same everywhere he looked. This was extremely abnormal.
“Frost burn. They were exposed to extreme cold.” Aiba explained. Sho felt he should be surprised of Aiba’s explanation, yet he wasn’t. It was obvious Aiba knew what was going on in the North, that’s why he looked so troubled earlier. Sho also suspected that Aiba knew a lot more than this. He must know the cause of the problem.
They continued to travel north, passed more dead forest and abandon houses. The further they went, the colder the weather. They had to use magic to keep themselves warm.
Another more day of travel before they arrived at a steep cliff on top of a mountain. At first glance, it looked just like a regular, stony cliff. Only when Aiba got off his horse and walked closer that the cliff turned into a front of a massive temple. Sho almost cried aloud in surprise. He had never heard of a temple in the north before.
“We are here, Sho-chan.” Aiba said with a pensive look. It seemed something heavy was troubling him.
“How do we get in?” Sho asked. Aiba smiled at him and walked toward the front side of the stone temple. He placed his hand on the rock and the whole cliff radiated in bright light. There were loud sounds of moving stones and some mechanic. Aiba had opened the front gate, just like how he opened the Chamber of Life at their temple.
Aiba led the way inside. He obviously knew where to go exactly, because he didn’t hesitate one bit as he proceeded down the dim, damp temple. Sho followed close to his heels and was constantly on guard. He recalled many spells he learned years ago but never got to use them. Maybe this was when his high points in offensive spells way back at the Academy would come in handy.
Eventually, they arrived in what it seemed to be the center of the temple. In the middle of the grand chamber, there was a large glowing bright blue orb many times Sho’s size. It occupied a large portion of the room and its existence changed the air around them. Coldness radiating from the magical orb, along with dark hue of magical energy. As soon as they arrived, the orb reacted to their presence. The outer surface sparked dangerously as if it was alive.
Aiba turned to Sho briefly before his gaze shifted to the large blue orb again. He stepped forward and stood in front of the orb. More electrics sparked in reaction to Aiba’s advance.
Then, there came a voice. A beautiful but chilling voice.
“You’ve arrived. Do you come to kill me?” The voice came from the center of the orb. The question was more like a mockery.
“They told me to, but I won’t do that. I am here to talk to you.” Aiba replied. His message surprised Sho. So, the Spirits wanted whatever creature inside this orb dead. But Aiba would directly disobey the Spirits’ command?
“You are here to talk?” The orb sounded as surprise. It became quiet for an instance, then a laugh broke out.
“You are here to talk. After a thousand years someone came only to talk to me.” The laugh sounded magically beautiful but menacing at the same time. “Come! Step closer! Reach out to me. It has been my wish for a thousand years.” Sho felt uneasy. He knew they couldn’t trust the creature. However, Aiba didn’t share his sentiment. He stepped forward as the creature asked and placed his hand on the sparking orb.
As soon as Aiba’s hand touch the orb, there was an explosion of white light, followed by a thundering sound. The ground shook violently and they stumbled on the ground.
When they looked up again, the magical orb had disappeared. In its place, floating right in the middle of the chamber, was a small man dressed in an ancient clothing, something Sho only saw in very old book deep inside the temple library.
The Ancient. Sho almost screamed. This creature was an ancient, the people that lived on this Land thousands of years ago.
“Thank you for releasing me, guardian. Now I am free to pay back the Spirits for what they did to me.” The ancient said with a soft, scary smile, as he continued to hoover mid-air. His eyes gleamed and danced in the magical lights.
“Wait a minute. I am hoping we can come to an agreement somehow. I can release you, in exchange for you stopping all the destructions that you have been causing. You are free to go if you agree not to harm any livings on the Land.” Aiba cried out. He was on his feet now and looked determined to talk some senses off the ancient.
“Harm any livings? I never want to harm any livings.” The ancient tilted his head as he responded. “The only thing I want to destroy is the Spirits. They took away everything that I loved. For that, they don’t have any rights to exist.”
“You want to destroy the Spirits? But the Spirits is this world. You destroy the Spirits, you destroy this world.” Sho immediately protested. The chill spread through Sho’s vein thinking about the possibility of such destruction.
“That is unfortunate,” The creature shook his head. “Then, it couldn’t be help.”
“If you will continue to harm this world, I cannot allow you to go.” Aiba said commandingly. He didn’t want to do it but he no longer had a choice. The creature couldn’t be reasoned with. Aiba needed to imprison the creature again.
Magical energy trickled in the air and sparks of magic formed around Aiba as he summoned the magical energy from the Land. Aiba’s hands lurched forward, and swirls of magical energy materialized around his arms. Within seconds materialized around him. The guardian concentrated hard as the twirls of silvery green mist launched toward the hovering figure, engulfing him in massive magical sphere. The green misty sphere trickled with magical energy and sparked powerfully. As the sphere grew, Aiba tried to control his uneven breathing and concentrated on channeling the powerful magic. The power of the Land flew through the guardian who was struggling to maintain the powerful connection. It was somehow harder to connect to the Spirits and the Land inside this stony temple, but Aiba tried his best to do so. Layer after layer of magical energy grew around the sphere, enclosing the creature within with thick layers of magical barriers. Finally, the creature was contained perfectly inside. He still smiled and looked at Aiba pensively.
With laborious breathing, Aiba lowered his arms and stood observing his creation. The magical sphere would act as the cage for the ancient. With this much use of magical energy, Aiba knew his body was starting to crumble. The magical exertion was too much for a mortal being, even for a guardian. Sho also sensed it. He was right next to Aiba the moment he fell, and Sho took him in his arms. Aiba looked completely exhausted, Sho knew he needed to get Aiba somewhere safe as soon as possible.
But before Sho could do anything, the temple ground started to shake violently. Soon The whole building swayed and the stony structure began to crackle. Exterior of Walls and pillars split and tore apart. The ground began to unearth. This was a result of violent struggle between two opposing magical forces. Sho swore in alarm and lost his footing. He and Aiba collapsed on the ground on top of one another. In front of them, Aiba’s magical sphere began to crackle. Bright light emitted from cracks everywhere before the fragmented magical sphere shattered into million pieces. Magical residuals rained down from the height of the temple ceiling and gradually disappeared like falling stars. Within seconds, the sphere, along with the last of Aiba’s magical strength, was gone.
Amidst the disappointing quietness off the place, the creature spoke again.
"Impressive. You are a more powerful guardian than I expected." The creature complimented sincerely. “You know? I was once like you, no, I was better than you. Stronger. More gifted. Until the Spirits decided I was too powerful and needed to be destroyed. They didn’t do it themselves, instead they sent other guardians to destroy me. I never wanted to fight any of them, but they ended up taking my love away,” The creature sounded sad and bitter, “the Spirits sacrificed seven of their guardians to encage me in this magical tomb, only because they didn’t trust my power.”
The creature slowly came to the ground and stood looking at Sho and Aiba pensively.
“You are powerful, but your soul is incomplete. They must have told you to kill him too, right? So your power would be completed again.” The creature’s words shocked Sho. He immediately turned to Aiba, who kept his eyes perfectly on the creature. Aiba didn’t react to the creature’s comment, and that confirmed it for Sho.
“Aiba, why?” words came out of Sho’s mouth unconsciously. Aiba still didn’t react to any of the words. He was perfectly still.
“If he’s dead, your soul would return to you and your power would be much stronger.” The creature said to Aiba, then he turned to ask Sho directly, “Do you know that? By refusing to kill you, he has no mean of defeating me.” The creature walked toward them. Alarmed, Sho pulled Aiba up on his feet.
“I hate unfair competition.” The creature commented. And in that split second, a shard of ice materialized next to the creature. With a flicker of his hand, it launched toward Sho at great speed. Surprised and unprepared, Sho couldn’t react to the immediate danger.
But Aiba did. He pulled Sho down and used his body as a shield. The ice shard pierced through Aiba’s body, yet his two arms were still extended out, propping his body, and the impaling ice-shard, away from Sho underneath.
Sho screamed and was about to reach out toward Aiba. However, his hand couldn’t touch Aiba. Sho immediately realized his body was dematerialized into mist of magical energy. The last thing Sho saw before the brightness took over, was Aiba’s smiling at him peacefully and his last word echoing in Sho’s mind.
“Run.”
Sho woke up again to the strangely familiar sound of bird chirping and water running. He opened his eyes to see that he was laying under the tree that he and Aiba were together many days ago. The stony temple, the creature, the danger felt like a dream. Only when Sho looked down his body and saw a patch of blood on his robe – Aiba’s blood – that Sho knew what happened was real.
Panicked, Sho concentrated hard on their connection. He needed to know where Aiba was, and whether he was alive. But Sho couldn’t feel anything. There were no sounds, no thoughts, no feelings from the person Sho shared a soul with.
With the realization, Sho dropped face down on the ground and screamed.
VII.
Sho did what Aiba had told him. He ran.
But instead of running away like he knew Aiba would have wanted him to, Sho ran to the inner sanctum of the temple. He ran to the Tree of Life.
Even before he reached the Chamber of Life, he heard it. The voice of the Spirits calling him.
He has awoken. We need Guardian.
The voice kept repeating in Sho’s head until Sho reached the entrance of the central chamber.
“Let me in.” Sho commanded. The door immediately opened.
The Chamber was cold at first and the only noise to be heard was his own footsteps echoing the stony walls. But as he walked closer toward the center, whispers started, the room was filling up with voices - whispering, questioning and demanding.
It’s cold. We are dying. We need Guardian.
Sho bit his lips, realizing what was happening. All over the land, trees were wilting, crops were dying, fields turned dry. The power of the ancient was attacking the Land and it was depriving the Spirits of their magical power.
The Spirits of the Land continued to demand the Guardian. We need Life. We are dying. They kept repeating. Bring us Guardian. All will perish without him. Sho reached the center of the chamber and the voices were at the loudest. Bring us Guardian. There wasn't much time. The Spirits voices grew more agitated.
“He’s gone. Masaki is gone.” Sho didn’t know he could utter such words. And when they came out of his mouth, it felt bitter.
We need Life, the Spirits demanded.
"Take mine." Sho said to the Spirits, almost without thinking.
The voices suddenly stopped as if to ponder. Then, they all erupted even louder. Spirits were shouting at him, some in very angry voices. You are little. Too little. The voices complaint. We want Guardian.
“I am your Guardian. Even if you don’t feel so, I am still your guardian.” Sho reminded them. Inside, Sho knew too well the difference between him and Aiba, but if Aiba was willing to do his guardian’s duty, Sho was willing to do his share as well.
Especially now that Aiba was gone.
You would not last. A lone female voice stated matter-of-fact-ly. We will consume you. All that is of you. The voice was calm, in contrast to the rest of the Spirits who were still angry.
"I know", Sho responded in whisper.
And if Satoshi isn’t defeated, the Spirits and the Land will still die anyway.
Sho didn’t react to the gravity of female Spirit’s words. The only thing that went to his mind was that the creature did have a name. He was once a living, breathing creature like him. How could he turn into something so dangerous and so destructive?
Satoshi is coming. He wants to destroy us. The Spirits cried. Can you protect us?
“With my life.” Sho swore.
The golden mist engulfed the lone figure at the center of the Chamber of Life. Slowly, Sho’s body was lifted in the air by the magical mist. The glowing aura danced on him, reaching, and searching for something within him. Frigid vapor touched Sho’s skin, starting from his hands and his arms, creeping from his feet and legs. Soon, Sho shivered uncontrollably from cold. This was the Spirits of the Land, void of warmth from the Guardian. Now they were desperate for the source of Life, of energy, of warmth, something Sho knew Aiba had had in plenty. Now, what the Spirits desperately needed, they would take from him.
Without a warning, Sho felt sudden pain all over his limps. The misty coldness turned to piercing vines creeping into his body. Desperate for a source of Life, the spirits reached deep within the new source. The mist turned to golden threads, digging into Sho’s skin. The sensation was unimaginable. The pain was blinding all his senses. Sho vividly felt his magical power and his life force being suck out from every pore of his body.
Yet, it did not seem to be enough.
You are weak. The voices echoed disappointingly. The threads seemed hesitate to expand within him. You won't be enough.
"Please." Sho murmured a protest. He gritted through pain, " Don't stop." He said to the Spirits even though the pain had already blinded him. Sho focused on his power, trying to draw out anything within him. “Take all that I have,” Sho whispered and willed himself to brace for more agony.
He almost screamed when the next wave of life force was suck out of his body. The magical vine threads grew more intertwined, burying, digging, intruding inside his body, it grew inside his chest and slowly took a grip of his heart. Sho gasped desperately for air. The pain was impossible.
It is consuming you, all of you, little one. The same female voice rang in his mind. Sho closed his eyes, the sensation was more intense, the pain, the tickling feeling of his power being drained away. "It's OK." Sho whispered. He thought of Aiba and how their soul sharing might have been the reason of Aiba’s demise. Sho couldn’t help feeling responsible for this. For the Spirits being deprived of warmth. For the impending danger from Satoshi.
By the time the magical threads stopped, Sho’s whole body was fully intertwined in integrated maze of golden vines and stems. He had become a part of the Tree of Life and was fully connected to the Spirits. He could channel their magic and, if they needed energy, they would take his.
You are a part of us now. The Spirits whispered to Sho. It seemed Sho could hear them from within him now. He was about to thanks the Spirits when suddenly he felt a rush of energy surging through him. The guardian gasped to what it seemed like millions of sensations rushing into his mind. This is the Spirits of the Land. This is us. The spirits told the overwhelmed guardian. Even with his willingness to connect to the spirits, the sensation was still too great. The sensation of being connected to everyone and everything on the Land was unimaginable. It was consuming. Sho wondered if he would last long enough.
Then, he felt as if an electrical shock ran through his body. His body and the threads convulsed in shock. Sho just knew without the Spirits having to tell him.
Satoshi was already here.
VIII.
By the time Satoshi entered the Chamber of Life, Sho had not much power left in him. The ancient easily let himself into the chamber and walked forward. Frigid air and horde of ice shards surrounded him. Sho realized Satoshi was ready to attack and destroy everything.
“Oh, so you are here. I was wondering where you two disappeared to.” Satoshi commented aloud as soon as he entered. The comment surprised Sho and sparked a small hope inside him. The ancient said Aiba also disappeared. Maybe…
But Sho didn’t get a chance to continue on that thread of thought. Satoshi hurled the first group of ice shards at the Tree of Life. Sho wasn’t ready and the ice shards pierced into its trunk and branches. Being one with the tree, Sho cried painfully. The connection made him felt every pain that the tree felt. The Spirits also screamed in Sho’s head. The injury hurt them too.
“Stop it!” A voice broke out. Both Sho and Satoshi turned toward the figure emerging from the entrance to the Chamber. Sho’s heart skipped a beat.
“Aiba!” Sho cried happily, and Aiba turned immediately to the Tree of Life. Seeing Sho’s state, Aiba’s eyes widened in concern. “Don’t worry about me. We have to take care of Satoshi.” Sho quicly reminded him.
But Satoshi didn’t wait to be a target. He moved first. He summoned more ice shards and created a powerful storm inside the Chamber of Life. Ice shards flew everywhere, attacking anything in their path. Sho looked at Aiba in alarm. He knew he couldn’t do everything he was supposed to do at that instant, so he decided to do what he thought were more important. Golden stems instantly grew from the ground and formed a living shield blocking Aiba from the storm of shards. However, more shards hit the Tree of Life, cutting through its golden vines and fragile stems, burying into its trunk and branches. After the attack subsided, Aiba turned toward Sho in dread. Many shards from the snow storm had caused much damage to the Tree. Vines were torn apart, branches broken, and several ice shards were sticking out of the larger branches and trunk. Golden liquid seeped through the ripped wood. The Tree was bleeding.
“Forget about me, Sho! You must protect the Tree. Protect yourself! The tree is more important than me.” If Sho heard him, he did not respond. The next set of shards flew across the room and again the Guardian was safe behind the newly reinforced living shield. Aiba screamed as he looked back to witness more shards piercing into the already in bad shape Tree.
“Satoshi, please stop this!” Aiba cried. But Satoshi didn’t seem to pay attention. “Stop it! I can bring Nino back to you!” Aiba cried desperately. It seemed to work. Satoshi halted his attack mid-air.
“Nino? You said Nino?” Satoshi looked confused. His eyes gleamed with a hint of innocent happiness. He lowered his arms and turned toward Aiba. In turn, Aiba stepped out of his protective barrier, despite Sho’s protest, and walked closer to the ancient.
“I went to look for his spirit. He was trapped between worlds because he also lost his soul, right?” Aiba said softly. His eyes were kind and understanding. “Like Sho, Nino once used too much magic, didn’t he?”
Satoshi nodded. His eyes were grim and somber. “He did. He tried to protect me.”
Aiba reached out and took Satoshi’s hand in his. He entrusted something into the ancient’s hand. Satoshi opened it up and saw a ring, Nino’s ring, their ring.
“I cannot bring him back fully because his body was long gone, but I can lead his spirit to you, if you want me to.” Aiba offered, which Satoshi accepted it immediately. However, Aiba continued, “but you must promise to leave us alone. You will never harm any livings in the Land again, and you would let go of your grudge on the Spirits.”
“Anything,” Satoshi said right away, “I never wanted to bother with any of them to begin with. All I ever wanted was to live peacefully with Nino.” Satoshi said as tears rolled down his cheeks.
Aiba looked at him gently. He pulled Satoshi in and enclosed the small figure into his embrace.
“Then, let’s go.” Aiba whispered. Slowly, their bodies turned into silvery mist and disappeared.
Sho remained a quiet witness to the scene. When Aiba took Satoshi away, Sho smiled contently. He was certain Aiba was safe. And the Spirits were safe. Sho was completely drained and exhausted.
The pain slowly died down and Sho gradually lost all senses. Sho closed his eyes, thinking that it was OK to rest now.
Epilogue
The Land took a few moons to recover from the damage caused by the ancient. Then, lives in the Land were peaceful and happy – like it was supposed to be. Villagers went back to their fields, forest and ocean. With Aiba’s help, trees grew back, and flowers bloomed once again.
Sho helped a little. He went to places with Aiba and helped cheer him on. Sho knew better not to try to match Aiba’s power. There was no need to prove himself. They were both guardians, only that they did different tasks.
Jun also stopped bugging Aiba to attend the Council meeting.
He only asked for Sho now.
Pairing: Sakuraiba
Rating: R
Summary: The members of Sakurai House had been guardians for generations. However, when it became clear that Sakurai Sho didn’t possess the same power as his father, another person was chosen to take his place.
Warning: There are some violence and injuries, mostly of magical kinds. But I promise they aren’t scary.
Note: Dearest
rollingday_s. Your sign-up gave me so much freedom that I ended up trying so many things. There have been many versions of your gift fics, each of different stories, but I ended up choosing this magical/fantasy, soulmate-ish story for you. I wrote this story with much love. I hope it would make you feel as happy as it made me felt while writing it. xoxoI.
Little Sho stood in the garden. His small body heaved up and down visibly. Sho had been crying. In front of him, a patch of flowers in the garden was in a complete ruin. The delicate petals and fragile stems broken and smashed to the ground. A frightened horse ran through the garden earlier and the flower patch that the little Sho had been tending, the final gift from his late mother, fell victim to the horse’s panic stomps. It was the last thing they shared together before she was gone. Now, it's all in ruin.
Little Sho hiccupped a few times. He knew he had to be strong, a Sakurai wasn’t supposed to cry, yet Sho couldn’t stop crying. He remained there, engulfed in sadness, until a firm hand laid on his small shoulder.
Sho turned back to see his father looking at him gently.
"Papa, the flowers... Mommy's flowers..."
Sho tried to explain what had happened but what came through his sobs did not sound intelligible. His father still nodded understandingly.
"It's okay, Sho. Everything will be okay."
The head of the Sakurai house knelt on the ground, looking at the damaged plants and flowers. Then, he extended his hands forward. The palms laid flat on the cool ground, atop the broken flowers. Sho’s father whispered Ancient words and the air around him frizzled and sparked. Sho saw glowing, warm mist engulfing his father as the ground beneath them radiated in golden hue. and slowly all plants began to straighten up, broken stems mended, and torn leaves grew back. Within the minute, the flowers were blooming once again.
The small boy stood in amazement. His expression was full of wonder.
"Papa! Papa! They grow back." Sho cried excitedly.
"Yes, Sho. I helped them grow back." His father replied softly, a rare smile plastered on his peaceful face. Sho couldn’t remember when the last time was that his father smiled at him since his mother died.
"Can I do this too? Can you teach me?" Sho asked excitingly.
"You will be able to, my son. It’s in our Sakurai blood. After your training, you will be able to help the livings, mend the broken, and heal the sick. You will be able to do what I just did. And if the Spirits allow, possibly a lot more." His father looked at him proudly. He lifted the little Sho up as Sho reached in to hug his father.
"Papa," Sho broke the silence after a while.
"Yes?"
"Can you bring Mommy back?"
There was a silence. A long, nagging period of silence. The little boy kept his eyes on his father's face. Slowly, Sho saw his father’s eyes turned from shock to sadness, and eventually to emptiness.
His father’s eyes kept on the flower patch.
"I cannot help the dead, son. No one can."
II.
Sho woke up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare. The same, recurring nightmare that had been keeping wide awake at night in the past few months. He thought the nightmare was a result of his overwork at the Academy, but it followed him back home during the study break as well. Not being able to return to sleep, Sho got off his bed and decided to take a walk inside his family home. He left his room and strolled along the sparsely lit corridor of Sakurai manor. The hem of his long night robe trailed lazily on the stony floor. He did not even bother to put on his sandals, instead he let his feet to feel the cold stone, and let the cold touch cool his mind.
As he wandered down the stairs, Sho noticed the light in the study chamber was still flickering in the middle of the night. Sounds came out of it. There were his father's and a couple of the Councils members’, but there were also a few other voices Sho could not recall. It seemed his father was working late again. Sho was about to tiptoe past the chamber when he heard his name coming from one of the men. He couldn’t help stepping closer to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Sho would never be ready. He didn't have what it takes to be a guardian." A voice Sho didn’t know said a little too strongly. That comment was followed by several voices, some against, some supporting. His father interrupted them and insisted Sho should be given more time.
"He's just a young boy. There is still time to develop." Sho’s father pledged for him.
"Being a guardian is not a skill. You have to be born with it." The same voice commented in a hash tone. "He just doesn't have it in him. The Spirits must have chosen someone else."
Sho felt his heart just froze. He couldn’t bare thinking about such possibility.
"The Spirits always choose a Sakurai." His father protested rather stubbornly.
"No, not always. You are a Guardian, you convene with the Spirits, you know.” This time, it was uncle Okura’s voice replying to his father.
“Sho is my son and the heir of Sakurai house. He will have the same Power I have.” Sho’s father wasn’t giving up.
“He won’t. And apparently, he wouldn't be the next Guardian."
That statement hurt Sho more than he could imagine. The next Guardian would no longer be a Sakurai. It’s unthinkable.
"You know we do not want interfere with your son’s future or the affair in Sakurai house, but you have to think about the Land. The next Guardian must be brought to the temple, so he can be tended to properly."
There was a long silence. They let his father weight arguments and make up his mind. And after a moment, his father spoke again.
“The Spirits has spoken to me. I can lead you to him. But what about Sho?"
Sho forgot to breathe. His father admitted it. His father confirmed to these people that the next Guardian was someone outside the Sakurai house.
“Who knows? I hear his level of magic is only mediocre. He’s useless as a guardian.”
This couldn’t be happening to him, Sho wanted to scream aloud, especially not after all the hard work he had done and the difficulties he had gone through trying to prove himself at the Academy. All the study and the preparations he had done since childhood to become the next Guardian.
Unknowingly, Sho retreated into the shadow of the hallway. He stumbled on his long robe and made a startled cry. Afraid someone would have heard him, Sho instantly rose up to his feet and started running. He went out the back entrance and ran into the garden. His bare feet marked distinctive footprints on the soft winter snow. Sho ran through the sharp cold of late winter night until he dropped on the ground in front of a leafless tree.
Dejected and heartbroken, Sho looked up at the dry branches. The tree was cold and dead in the freezing weather. Useless… That word kept ringing in his head. At that instantly, his eyes changed from disappointment to strong determination. Sho was going to prove to everyone that he could be the next Guardian, that he could be a proper heir to the Sakurai house, that he wasn’t a complete failure.
Sho stood up. With firm steps, he moved forward. He wrapped himself around the tree and started to concentrate. The gift of life was not human power. It wasn’t the same as any other magic that lit fire, moved water, or control air. The gift of life came from the Spirits, the essence of the Land, and only those blessed with the connection to the Spirits with a strong enough will, and a powerful soul, would be able to channel the power to control life.
With his arms around the tree, Sho began to recant the ancient words he expertly memorized from his training, his preparation, to become a Guardian. Words came through his mouth effortlessly and Sho concentrated on summoning magical energy. Slowly, glowing mist emanated around the slim frame in the thin robe. The golden aura danced around Sho’s body and gradually moved onto the barren tree. Within minutes, the whole tree was covered in glittering gold mist. The radiating warmth melted the snow on the ground into a puddle of water. Sho took another deep breath, trying to suppress the pain he started to feel. It was as if someone reached inside his chest and clenched his heart with an iron fist. Masaki resisted the urge to scream as he continued to direct the energy to flow into the tree. His chest hurt. His body hurt. His head felt like it was about to explode.
After what Sho felt like an eternity of pain, the magical energy flowing into the barren tree caused a transformation. New leave buds emerged from the dry branches, signaling a sign of life. Little by little, small flower buds grew from stems. The tree began to turn as if it were Spring again. However, Sho was finally unable to hold it in any longer. A painful scream echoed through the chilly winter night as Sho’s exhausted body dropped on the ground. Sho could no longer see anything except a blurry, almost-blacken vision of half melt snowy ground. Coldness was creeping in. Pain was changing into numbness everywhere. He couldn't move nor speak. Pale pink flower petals started dropping on the wet ground. They fell on Sho’s bloodless face and stuck to his tear stain. Through his labored breathing, Sho let out a strained bitter laugh that sounded more like a sobbing cry. As he laid on the wet ground, his conscious slowly faded away, the voice still rang in his head. The words from his father’s study kept repeating over and over in his head. Sho couldn’t help agreeing with them.
III.
Everything around him was dark and cold.
Sho shivered as the wind blew passed. He didn’t know where he was. The place was vast and empty, with nothing and no end in sight. Sho didn’t know how long he had been there. He didn’t remember why he was there. He only remembered wandering aimlessly, feeling dispirited and heartbroken.
Sho continued to wander around. Until he heard someone calling his name. He turned around. Suddenly, in the place just a few steps away where there was nothing seconds before, there was a young man. Sho didn’t know where he came from. The man was about his age. He was a little taller than Sho with a soft smile plastered on his friendly face.
“I have been looking for you.” The man said. His voice sounded like a ray of sun in this dark, cold place. Sho stared at him, confused.
“Who are you? I don’t know you.” Sho asked.
“My name is Aiba Masaki. We are at the Academy together, although you probably don’t remember me.” Aiba? Sho searched hard in his memory. The name was unfamiliar but Sho slowly began to recall the life that he had earlier. The Academy. The study. His father.
“Your father asks me to look for you.” Aiba continued. “I am here to take you home.”
With that, Aiba reached out for Sho, but his hand stopped mid-way as another voice came.
He cannot leave.
Both of them turn around, looking for the source of the voice, but there was no one in sight.
It’s impossible for him to leave this place.
The voice came once more, and they realized it was in the wind, as if the wind was speaking to them.
“What’s wrong? Why couldn’t he leave?” Aiba asked aloud although he kept his eyes perfectly on Sho. The way he looked at him helped Sho relaxed a little despite Sho’s agitation.
His soul was shattered. Without a soul, he will be lost here. Forever.
“That’s a terrible fate.” Aiba spoke in almost a whisper. His eyes turned to sadness. Sho knew from Aiba’s look at the situation was dire. However, Sho didn’t care about that. All he could feel was how disappointed and heartbroken he was. The funny thing was Sho didn’t even remember why he felt like that. He could no longer what had happened to him, for what he felt like eternity ago.
“How can I help him?” Sho heard Aiba’s voice asking. Sho no longer cared about it but he didn’t feel like moving away from this stranger, not just yet.
No one can help him. No one can mend a soul. Not even you, Guardian.
‘Guardian?’ That word sparked something from Sho’s memory. Suddenly, he felt overwhelmed by despair. The weight in his heart grew until he could no longer hold it. He dropped on the ground and cried. However, as he continued to cry, Sho slowly felt some warmth in this previously cold and desolated place. He opened his eyes and saw glowing silvery green mist engulfing him and Aiba, who also lowered down on the ground right beside him. Sho felt a little pang of happiness – something he could hardly remember. Aiba extended his hand toward Sho again, and this time, to Sho’s surprise, he could touch him. Aiba’s hand radiated the warmth that Sho didn’t realize he desperately need. Sho’s hand reached out and grabbed Aiba’s in his.
“Help me,” Sho pledged. He didn’t know why he said such thing, but he knew he could rely on this stranger to release him from this miserable state.
Then, Aiba did something Sho didn’t expect. He pulled Sho in and enclosed him in a warm hug.
“They told me I have a powerful soul. If you need one, you can share mine.” Aiba whispered into Sho’s ear. Sho was startled by Aiba’s words. But before he could react or say anything, he saw a glowing bright orb inside Aiba’s chest. It started to grow larger and larger, until it became a bright large globe encasing both of them together.
“Let’s go home.” Aiba whispered to him and everything Sho could see turn to bright light.
IV.
“Guardian! Guardian!”
Loud shouting stopped Sho on track. The garnet red robe glided around the perfectly proportion body as Sho turned to face his caller. Matsumoto Jun was only on his heels. A smile plastered on Sho face when he acquired politely the purpose of the urgency in the call.
“You know very well why. Where is Aiba? The Council meeting is starting soon.” Jun was one of very few people who would be as forceful with his words when mentioning about a Guardian. Or talking to a Guardian.
“I am sure he knows.” Sho replied with a teasing smile. Jun was always serious and demanding, although he was the youngest member in the Council.
"Where is he, anyway? The Council has been looking for him for the last hours already. This would be the third council meeting he has missed since the turn of the season. What's wrong with him?"
Jun wasn't one to spare with pleasantry. His strong words also didn't seem to be only about Aiba. His eyes made it quite clear he thought it was Sho’s fault.
“I am always at the meetings.” Sho commented.
“I know, I know.” Jun waved his hand dismissively. “But it’s better to have BOTH Guardians presented, you know, especially with how things are presently.” Jun’s worry was genuine, and Sho secretly agreed with him.
It had been many years since the incident when Sho tried to revive the dead tree. They said he had used up every ounce of his power and his soul was shattered in the process. Sho’s father, the Guardian at that time, could only keep Sho’s body alive, but he couldn’t wake Sho up. That’s when his father revealed to the Council the identity of the next Guardian as the Spirits spoke to him.
Aiba was brought in. He woke Sho up.
Since then, Sho was now able to communicate with the Spirits, the priviledge that only a guardian could. Having two persons with such ability was unprecedent. It took the Council quite some time to accept the unforeseen situation, at the end, both Aiba and Sho gained the title of Guardians.
Neither Sho nor Aiba ever told anyone why both of them could converse with the Spirits. Sho never confided in anyone what happened to him, and Aiba never told anyone what he sacrificed to wake Sho up.
"I will try to find him and let him know that there is a meeting right now. But I can't guarantee anything." The guardian said quite good-naturedly. He smiled politely and excused himself before Jun could continue with his wrath.
The sound of Jun complaining was still audible in the distance as Sho walked toward the inner sanctum. Instead of walking into the inner chambers where he and Aiba resided, Sho made a turn and exited out a small walkway, leading away from the temple. The small path led into the woods. Sho went through some groups of trees, passed a small clearing until he finally arrived at a small creek.
Another thing Sho never told anyone was that he always knew exactly where Aiba was. More than that, Sho could feel what Aiba was feeling, he knew what Aiba was thinking.
And Aiba always know of his.
Sho walked along the creek. The stream was clear and cool, the summer was ending, and the fall was coming. He continued walking until he saw a slim figure sitting on a large rock on the bank. Sho smiled and approached the figure quietly.
“Jun is looking for me again, isn’t he?” Aiba asked without turning in Sho’s direction. He knew of Sho’s coming even before Sho arrived.
Sho took off his shoes and sat down next to Aiba. He lowered his feet into the cool stream and closed his eyes. Sho felt a refreshing rush of water spirit passing through him. It cooled him down and rejuvenated him.
When Sho opened his eyes again, he saw Aiba tilting his head and looking at him pensively.
“You are worried about me.” Aiba said in a plain statement.
“You have missed all the Council meetings in the recent moons.” Sho relayed Jun’s concern.
"They don't really want me. They already have you. These fish, on the other hand, do." Aiba replied. His voice didn’t have any hints of jealousy or remorse. Aiba was perfectly and truly fine with Sho representing them at the Council meeting – in the chair of power.
“There are two chairs at the head of the Council table. It’s kind of lonely sitting there with an empty chair next to me.” Sho teased, although there was some truth in Sho’s words. Aiba looked at him with his usual kindness. Of course, he knew how Sho truly felt. Sho continued.
“I think with the strange things happening right now. They want the true Guardian there for them to consult.” Sho refrained from adding that they wanted the one with true guardian power. He didn’t want to sound bitter. However, Aiba knew what’s on his mind.
“You are also a guardian, Sho-chan. A true guardian with the same rights and power as any other.” Aiba told him firmly, with a confidence. Sho wished he could say Aiba’s words were true. The only thing he had was a portion of Aiba’s soul. Sure, he could mend broken flowers and revive a barren tree now, but he was in no way able to turn a burnt patch of land into a flourishing forest like Aiba did.
Even now, with their feet in the same stream, all fish went to play with Aiba’s feet.
Come to think of it. There were many fish swimming around Aiba’s feet. The water around them was glowing and glittering in the sun. The silvery glow seemed to be engulfing the fish.
“It is too dry and too cold up north. They cannot survive.” Aiba said quietly – as if the short sentence explained everything. One thing that worried Sho recently was that he was unsure he knew or understood what was in Aiba’s mind. Some of Aiba’s thoughts were hidden from him, and Sho wasn’t sure whether Aiba did it deliberately, or something happened to their connection. However, Sho never voiced it out, and if Aiba knew of his concern, he never talked about it.
Aiba concentrated on those fishes for a few more moment, then the silvery glow disappeared, and the fish dispersed. Aiba let out a heavy sigh.
“Masaki, are you okay?” Sho suddenly felt alarmed. He turned to the man next to him and saw Aiba was breathing laboriously. Aiba tried to stand up only to drop back from exhaustion again. He made a small ugh sound but did not let out any more signs of discomfort. Sho was quick to help support Aiba, his right hand held on to Aiba’s right elbow firmly, and his left arm extended across Aiba’s back to keep balance and support to the tall, slim frame.
“You overworked yourself.” Sho complained. Of course, Aiba did, Sho should have noticed it quicker. Those fish were from the North, where Aiba said was too cold and too dry. He rescued them by moving them here.
Despite his worry, Sho couldn’t help being amazed. No other guardians had ever been powerful enough to physically move living creatures from one location to another location magically before – none that Sho had ever heard of, none that were on record, yet here it was in front of him, Aiba was doing the impossible.
“I am sorry to make you worry, Sho-chan, but those fish cried for help. I couldn’t ignore them.” Aiba muttered an apology as he allowed Sho to half-carry him up the bank of the creek. Aiba was indeed feeling weak. His legs could hardly carry his own weight. Sho gently let Aiba sit on soft grass underneath a large tree. He propped Aiba against his own body, with his arms wrapped around him. Under the cool shade of the old tree, Sho let Aiba rest in the comfortable late summer wind.
V.
“And both of you disappeared! You were supposed to go look for him!”
Sho already expected this. He knew Jun would be so furious that no guardians were presented at the Council meeting. However, he didn’t expect Jun would be barking into his room in the inner sanctum.
“I did go look for him and I found him. I told you I couldn’t guarantee I would be able to bring him to the meeting.” Sho decided to amuse Jun by arguing with him.
“Don’t be too clever, Sho. You know the meeting this afternoon was important.” Jun’s look turned serious and somber.
“And I know I can rely on you to tell me the details.”
Jun did. He told Sho how the Council was extremely concerned about the weather in the north affecting the forest and the people there. It had been an unusually dry and hash summer. And now that the fall was just around the corner, the weather in the north was already as cold as an early winter.
“The Council has sent scouts to the area. We also received reports from villagers there. None seems to be able to point out the reason why. We are hoping the Spirits and you two would know something about it.” Jun’s concerned look made him many years older than he was. The problem must be truly pressing.
Sho stayed quiet. He remembered the fish and what Aiba said about the North. However, without anymore information from Aiba, Sho wasn’t in a position to share with Jun.
“Anyway, where is Aiba now? He’s not in his room.” Jun asked, annoyed. Sho was surprised. He wasn’t focusing about their mental link and didn’t realize Aiba wasn’t in his usual place after they returned.
“I don’t know. But I will make sure he hears what you have to say when I see him.” Sho offered a compromise. Jun didn’t seem to be satisfied, still being too agitated and worried about the situation, but seeing there was nothing else he could do, Jun bid Sho a good night and left.
When Jun’s footsteps faded from the hallway, Sho focused his mind to find where Aiba was and realized he couldn’t locate Aiba anywhere.
That left the only place Aiba could be. He was convening with the Spirits.
Sho left his chamber and proceeded further into the inner sanctum. He walked past Aiba’s chamber and confirmed that there was no one inside. Sho continued until he reached the entrance of the largest area in the temple.
There, right at the center of the temple, was a very large and very old tree. The lore said the tree had been there before the time of the people. It claimed the tree was the most ancient living on the Land and they called it the Tree of Life. The temple was built around the tree, with a large, open-top chamber enclosing the tree. This was the place where guardians connected to the Spirits of the Land. The most important, most sacred place. The door to the inside, the gateway to the Tree of Life, was magically shut. Only a guardian would be able to enter. And only when they were summoned.
Sho didn’t hear the summon this evening. He rarely did. That was another reason why Sho felt so strongly that Aiba was the only true guardian. The Spirits favored him.
Sho was certain Aiba was inside, yet he didn’t enter. He stood outside and waited patiently.
Sho didn’t need to look to see that Aiba had left the chamber. He knew because he could feel Aiba’s anxiety and uneasiness so strongly. Sho immediately approached him, at the same time that Aiba looked him straight in the eyes.
And in Aiba’s eyes, Sho saw them all, his panic, his nervousness, his fear. They had never been in those eyes before, until now.
Sho’s body reacted instantly. He rushed forward and pulled Aiba into his embrace. Their bodies pressed together and Sho willed himself to give Aiba as much strength and security as he possibly could.
They didn’t remain for long. Aiba soon pushed Sho away.
“I have to go. Now.” Aiba said without meeting Sho’s eyes.
“Where?” Sho knew, but he still asked anyway.
“The North.” Aiba only said a single word, but it contained all his emotions. The worry, the nervousness, the frustration, and the desperation, all rolled up into one. Something had happened in the North and the Spirits had confined in Aiba. Some secret that Sho wasn’t allowed to know.
Aiba placed his hand on Sho’s forearm. He did not say anything but looked at the man who shared his soul expectantly.
"I cannot reach them anymore, the livings in the north, something or someone is blocking my connection. Something terrible is happening." Aiba's eyes were watery. It looked like he was close to tearing up. The frustration was consuming him.
"It can be dangerous. The Council would not let you go."
"I must go. The Spirits command me to." Aiba’s voice was suddenly strong as if he reminded himself of the responsibility he had as a guardian. Then, he stared at Sho apologizingly, "I am sorry, Sho-chan."
Sho knew what Aiba meant, what he intended to do. He quickly voiced his protest. "I am not letting you go alone.” Wherever Aiba wanted to go, Sho would go with him.
“They would need a guardian here.” Aiba reasoned.
“In that case, they need you here. I will go.” Sho argued. He knew Aiba wouldn’t agree to that. He only said it to prove his point.
Aiba kept his eyes away and didn't look at the man standing so close to him. A long time passed before Aiba eventually broke the silence with what sounded like a whisper.
“I would never ask you to go where I am going.”
Sho smiled softly and pulled Aiba in for another hug. His hand gently stroked Aiba’s soft, brown hair. “Lucky, you never need to ask.”
VI.
Sho and Aiba left without telling anyone. They knew none of the Council member would ever prove, so it’s better that they just disappeared. Despite that idea, Sho still left Jun a very brief note, telling him that he and Aiba were away on the business that the Spirits had commanded them. A mention of the Spirits should keep the Council quiet for some time. Hopefully, they would be done before the Council began to suspect anything.
It took them three days to arrive at the North. Aiba seemed to know exactly where they needed to go, which Sho suspected was because the Spirits told him so. They rode past abandon villages and dead trees. The air was so dry and so cold So felt every breath was like a sharp stab to his lung.
However, what surprised Sho the most was the state of the plants and trees along the road they travelled.
“The leaves. They look burnt.” Sho commented. It was the same everywhere he looked. This was extremely abnormal.
“Frost burn. They were exposed to extreme cold.” Aiba explained. Sho felt he should be surprised of Aiba’s explanation, yet he wasn’t. It was obvious Aiba knew what was going on in the North, that’s why he looked so troubled earlier. Sho also suspected that Aiba knew a lot more than this. He must know the cause of the problem.
They continued to travel north, passed more dead forest and abandon houses. The further they went, the colder the weather. They had to use magic to keep themselves warm.
Another more day of travel before they arrived at a steep cliff on top of a mountain. At first glance, it looked just like a regular, stony cliff. Only when Aiba got off his horse and walked closer that the cliff turned into a front of a massive temple. Sho almost cried aloud in surprise. He had never heard of a temple in the north before.
“We are here, Sho-chan.” Aiba said with a pensive look. It seemed something heavy was troubling him.
“How do we get in?” Sho asked. Aiba smiled at him and walked toward the front side of the stone temple. He placed his hand on the rock and the whole cliff radiated in bright light. There were loud sounds of moving stones and some mechanic. Aiba had opened the front gate, just like how he opened the Chamber of Life at their temple.
Aiba led the way inside. He obviously knew where to go exactly, because he didn’t hesitate one bit as he proceeded down the dim, damp temple. Sho followed close to his heels and was constantly on guard. He recalled many spells he learned years ago but never got to use them. Maybe this was when his high points in offensive spells way back at the Academy would come in handy.
Eventually, they arrived in what it seemed to be the center of the temple. In the middle of the grand chamber, there was a large glowing bright blue orb many times Sho’s size. It occupied a large portion of the room and its existence changed the air around them. Coldness radiating from the magical orb, along with dark hue of magical energy. As soon as they arrived, the orb reacted to their presence. The outer surface sparked dangerously as if it was alive.
Aiba turned to Sho briefly before his gaze shifted to the large blue orb again. He stepped forward and stood in front of the orb. More electrics sparked in reaction to Aiba’s advance.
Then, there came a voice. A beautiful but chilling voice.
“You’ve arrived. Do you come to kill me?” The voice came from the center of the orb. The question was more like a mockery.
“They told me to, but I won’t do that. I am here to talk to you.” Aiba replied. His message surprised Sho. So, the Spirits wanted whatever creature inside this orb dead. But Aiba would directly disobey the Spirits’ command?
“You are here to talk?” The orb sounded as surprise. It became quiet for an instance, then a laugh broke out.
“You are here to talk. After a thousand years someone came only to talk to me.” The laugh sounded magically beautiful but menacing at the same time. “Come! Step closer! Reach out to me. It has been my wish for a thousand years.” Sho felt uneasy. He knew they couldn’t trust the creature. However, Aiba didn’t share his sentiment. He stepped forward as the creature asked and placed his hand on the sparking orb.
As soon as Aiba’s hand touch the orb, there was an explosion of white light, followed by a thundering sound. The ground shook violently and they stumbled on the ground.
When they looked up again, the magical orb had disappeared. In its place, floating right in the middle of the chamber, was a small man dressed in an ancient clothing, something Sho only saw in very old book deep inside the temple library.
The Ancient. Sho almost screamed. This creature was an ancient, the people that lived on this Land thousands of years ago.
“Thank you for releasing me, guardian. Now I am free to pay back the Spirits for what they did to me.” The ancient said with a soft, scary smile, as he continued to hoover mid-air. His eyes gleamed and danced in the magical lights.
“Wait a minute. I am hoping we can come to an agreement somehow. I can release you, in exchange for you stopping all the destructions that you have been causing. You are free to go if you agree not to harm any livings on the Land.” Aiba cried out. He was on his feet now and looked determined to talk some senses off the ancient.
“Harm any livings? I never want to harm any livings.” The ancient tilted his head as he responded. “The only thing I want to destroy is the Spirits. They took away everything that I loved. For that, they don’t have any rights to exist.”
“You want to destroy the Spirits? But the Spirits is this world. You destroy the Spirits, you destroy this world.” Sho immediately protested. The chill spread through Sho’s vein thinking about the possibility of such destruction.
“That is unfortunate,” The creature shook his head. “Then, it couldn’t be help.”
“If you will continue to harm this world, I cannot allow you to go.” Aiba said commandingly. He didn’t want to do it but he no longer had a choice. The creature couldn’t be reasoned with. Aiba needed to imprison the creature again.
Magical energy trickled in the air and sparks of magic formed around Aiba as he summoned the magical energy from the Land. Aiba’s hands lurched forward, and swirls of magical energy materialized around his arms. Within seconds materialized around him. The guardian concentrated hard as the twirls of silvery green mist launched toward the hovering figure, engulfing him in massive magical sphere. The green misty sphere trickled with magical energy and sparked powerfully. As the sphere grew, Aiba tried to control his uneven breathing and concentrated on channeling the powerful magic. The power of the Land flew through the guardian who was struggling to maintain the powerful connection. It was somehow harder to connect to the Spirits and the Land inside this stony temple, but Aiba tried his best to do so. Layer after layer of magical energy grew around the sphere, enclosing the creature within with thick layers of magical barriers. Finally, the creature was contained perfectly inside. He still smiled and looked at Aiba pensively.
With laborious breathing, Aiba lowered his arms and stood observing his creation. The magical sphere would act as the cage for the ancient. With this much use of magical energy, Aiba knew his body was starting to crumble. The magical exertion was too much for a mortal being, even for a guardian. Sho also sensed it. He was right next to Aiba the moment he fell, and Sho took him in his arms. Aiba looked completely exhausted, Sho knew he needed to get Aiba somewhere safe as soon as possible.
But before Sho could do anything, the temple ground started to shake violently. Soon The whole building swayed and the stony structure began to crackle. Exterior of Walls and pillars split and tore apart. The ground began to unearth. This was a result of violent struggle between two opposing magical forces. Sho swore in alarm and lost his footing. He and Aiba collapsed on the ground on top of one another. In front of them, Aiba’s magical sphere began to crackle. Bright light emitted from cracks everywhere before the fragmented magical sphere shattered into million pieces. Magical residuals rained down from the height of the temple ceiling and gradually disappeared like falling stars. Within seconds, the sphere, along with the last of Aiba’s magical strength, was gone.
Amidst the disappointing quietness off the place, the creature spoke again.
"Impressive. You are a more powerful guardian than I expected." The creature complimented sincerely. “You know? I was once like you, no, I was better than you. Stronger. More gifted. Until the Spirits decided I was too powerful and needed to be destroyed. They didn’t do it themselves, instead they sent other guardians to destroy me. I never wanted to fight any of them, but they ended up taking my love away,” The creature sounded sad and bitter, “the Spirits sacrificed seven of their guardians to encage me in this magical tomb, only because they didn’t trust my power.”
The creature slowly came to the ground and stood looking at Sho and Aiba pensively.
“You are powerful, but your soul is incomplete. They must have told you to kill him too, right? So your power would be completed again.” The creature’s words shocked Sho. He immediately turned to Aiba, who kept his eyes perfectly on the creature. Aiba didn’t react to the creature’s comment, and that confirmed it for Sho.
“Aiba, why?” words came out of Sho’s mouth unconsciously. Aiba still didn’t react to any of the words. He was perfectly still.
“If he’s dead, your soul would return to you and your power would be much stronger.” The creature said to Aiba, then he turned to ask Sho directly, “Do you know that? By refusing to kill you, he has no mean of defeating me.” The creature walked toward them. Alarmed, Sho pulled Aiba up on his feet.
“I hate unfair competition.” The creature commented. And in that split second, a shard of ice materialized next to the creature. With a flicker of his hand, it launched toward Sho at great speed. Surprised and unprepared, Sho couldn’t react to the immediate danger.
But Aiba did. He pulled Sho down and used his body as a shield. The ice shard pierced through Aiba’s body, yet his two arms were still extended out, propping his body, and the impaling ice-shard, away from Sho underneath.
Sho screamed and was about to reach out toward Aiba. However, his hand couldn’t touch Aiba. Sho immediately realized his body was dematerialized into mist of magical energy. The last thing Sho saw before the brightness took over, was Aiba’s smiling at him peacefully and his last word echoing in Sho’s mind.
“Run.”
Sho woke up again to the strangely familiar sound of bird chirping and water running. He opened his eyes to see that he was laying under the tree that he and Aiba were together many days ago. The stony temple, the creature, the danger felt like a dream. Only when Sho looked down his body and saw a patch of blood on his robe – Aiba’s blood – that Sho knew what happened was real.
Panicked, Sho concentrated hard on their connection. He needed to know where Aiba was, and whether he was alive. But Sho couldn’t feel anything. There were no sounds, no thoughts, no feelings from the person Sho shared a soul with.
With the realization, Sho dropped face down on the ground and screamed.
VII.
Sho did what Aiba had told him. He ran.
But instead of running away like he knew Aiba would have wanted him to, Sho ran to the inner sanctum of the temple. He ran to the Tree of Life.
Even before he reached the Chamber of Life, he heard it. The voice of the Spirits calling him.
He has awoken. We need Guardian.
The voice kept repeating in Sho’s head until Sho reached the entrance of the central chamber.
“Let me in.” Sho commanded. The door immediately opened.
The Chamber was cold at first and the only noise to be heard was his own footsteps echoing the stony walls. But as he walked closer toward the center, whispers started, the room was filling up with voices - whispering, questioning and demanding.
It’s cold. We are dying. We need Guardian.
Sho bit his lips, realizing what was happening. All over the land, trees were wilting, crops were dying, fields turned dry. The power of the ancient was attacking the Land and it was depriving the Spirits of their magical power.
The Spirits of the Land continued to demand the Guardian. We need Life. We are dying. They kept repeating. Bring us Guardian. All will perish without him. Sho reached the center of the chamber and the voices were at the loudest. Bring us Guardian. There wasn't much time. The Spirits voices grew more agitated.
“He’s gone. Masaki is gone.” Sho didn’t know he could utter such words. And when they came out of his mouth, it felt bitter.
We need Life, the Spirits demanded.
"Take mine." Sho said to the Spirits, almost without thinking.
The voices suddenly stopped as if to ponder. Then, they all erupted even louder. Spirits were shouting at him, some in very angry voices. You are little. Too little. The voices complaint. We want Guardian.
“I am your Guardian. Even if you don’t feel so, I am still your guardian.” Sho reminded them. Inside, Sho knew too well the difference between him and Aiba, but if Aiba was willing to do his guardian’s duty, Sho was willing to do his share as well.
Especially now that Aiba was gone.
You would not last. A lone female voice stated matter-of-fact-ly. We will consume you. All that is of you. The voice was calm, in contrast to the rest of the Spirits who were still angry.
"I know", Sho responded in whisper.
And if Satoshi isn’t defeated, the Spirits and the Land will still die anyway.
Sho didn’t react to the gravity of female Spirit’s words. The only thing that went to his mind was that the creature did have a name. He was once a living, breathing creature like him. How could he turn into something so dangerous and so destructive?
Satoshi is coming. He wants to destroy us. The Spirits cried. Can you protect us?
“With my life.” Sho swore.
The golden mist engulfed the lone figure at the center of the Chamber of Life. Slowly, Sho’s body was lifted in the air by the magical mist. The glowing aura danced on him, reaching, and searching for something within him. Frigid vapor touched Sho’s skin, starting from his hands and his arms, creeping from his feet and legs. Soon, Sho shivered uncontrollably from cold. This was the Spirits of the Land, void of warmth from the Guardian. Now they were desperate for the source of Life, of energy, of warmth, something Sho knew Aiba had had in plenty. Now, what the Spirits desperately needed, they would take from him.
Without a warning, Sho felt sudden pain all over his limps. The misty coldness turned to piercing vines creeping into his body. Desperate for a source of Life, the spirits reached deep within the new source. The mist turned to golden threads, digging into Sho’s skin. The sensation was unimaginable. The pain was blinding all his senses. Sho vividly felt his magical power and his life force being suck out from every pore of his body.
Yet, it did not seem to be enough.
You are weak. The voices echoed disappointingly. The threads seemed hesitate to expand within him. You won't be enough.
"Please." Sho murmured a protest. He gritted through pain, " Don't stop." He said to the Spirits even though the pain had already blinded him. Sho focused on his power, trying to draw out anything within him. “Take all that I have,” Sho whispered and willed himself to brace for more agony.
He almost screamed when the next wave of life force was suck out of his body. The magical vine threads grew more intertwined, burying, digging, intruding inside his body, it grew inside his chest and slowly took a grip of his heart. Sho gasped desperately for air. The pain was impossible.
It is consuming you, all of you, little one. The same female voice rang in his mind. Sho closed his eyes, the sensation was more intense, the pain, the tickling feeling of his power being drained away. "It's OK." Sho whispered. He thought of Aiba and how their soul sharing might have been the reason of Aiba’s demise. Sho couldn’t help feeling responsible for this. For the Spirits being deprived of warmth. For the impending danger from Satoshi.
By the time the magical threads stopped, Sho’s whole body was fully intertwined in integrated maze of golden vines and stems. He had become a part of the Tree of Life and was fully connected to the Spirits. He could channel their magic and, if they needed energy, they would take his.
You are a part of us now. The Spirits whispered to Sho. It seemed Sho could hear them from within him now. He was about to thanks the Spirits when suddenly he felt a rush of energy surging through him. The guardian gasped to what it seemed like millions of sensations rushing into his mind. This is the Spirits of the Land. This is us. The spirits told the overwhelmed guardian. Even with his willingness to connect to the spirits, the sensation was still too great. The sensation of being connected to everyone and everything on the Land was unimaginable. It was consuming. Sho wondered if he would last long enough.
Then, he felt as if an electrical shock ran through his body. His body and the threads convulsed in shock. Sho just knew without the Spirits having to tell him.
Satoshi was already here.
VIII.
By the time Satoshi entered the Chamber of Life, Sho had not much power left in him. The ancient easily let himself into the chamber and walked forward. Frigid air and horde of ice shards surrounded him. Sho realized Satoshi was ready to attack and destroy everything.
“Oh, so you are here. I was wondering where you two disappeared to.” Satoshi commented aloud as soon as he entered. The comment surprised Sho and sparked a small hope inside him. The ancient said Aiba also disappeared. Maybe…
But Sho didn’t get a chance to continue on that thread of thought. Satoshi hurled the first group of ice shards at the Tree of Life. Sho wasn’t ready and the ice shards pierced into its trunk and branches. Being one with the tree, Sho cried painfully. The connection made him felt every pain that the tree felt. The Spirits also screamed in Sho’s head. The injury hurt them too.
“Stop it!” A voice broke out. Both Sho and Satoshi turned toward the figure emerging from the entrance to the Chamber. Sho’s heart skipped a beat.
“Aiba!” Sho cried happily, and Aiba turned immediately to the Tree of Life. Seeing Sho’s state, Aiba’s eyes widened in concern. “Don’t worry about me. We have to take care of Satoshi.” Sho quicly reminded him.
But Satoshi didn’t wait to be a target. He moved first. He summoned more ice shards and created a powerful storm inside the Chamber of Life. Ice shards flew everywhere, attacking anything in their path. Sho looked at Aiba in alarm. He knew he couldn’t do everything he was supposed to do at that instant, so he decided to do what he thought were more important. Golden stems instantly grew from the ground and formed a living shield blocking Aiba from the storm of shards. However, more shards hit the Tree of Life, cutting through its golden vines and fragile stems, burying into its trunk and branches. After the attack subsided, Aiba turned toward Sho in dread. Many shards from the snow storm had caused much damage to the Tree. Vines were torn apart, branches broken, and several ice shards were sticking out of the larger branches and trunk. Golden liquid seeped through the ripped wood. The Tree was bleeding.
“Forget about me, Sho! You must protect the Tree. Protect yourself! The tree is more important than me.” If Sho heard him, he did not respond. The next set of shards flew across the room and again the Guardian was safe behind the newly reinforced living shield. Aiba screamed as he looked back to witness more shards piercing into the already in bad shape Tree.
“Satoshi, please stop this!” Aiba cried. But Satoshi didn’t seem to pay attention. “Stop it! I can bring Nino back to you!” Aiba cried desperately. It seemed to work. Satoshi halted his attack mid-air.
“Nino? You said Nino?” Satoshi looked confused. His eyes gleamed with a hint of innocent happiness. He lowered his arms and turned toward Aiba. In turn, Aiba stepped out of his protective barrier, despite Sho’s protest, and walked closer to the ancient.
“I went to look for his spirit. He was trapped between worlds because he also lost his soul, right?” Aiba said softly. His eyes were kind and understanding. “Like Sho, Nino once used too much magic, didn’t he?”
Satoshi nodded. His eyes were grim and somber. “He did. He tried to protect me.”
Aiba reached out and took Satoshi’s hand in his. He entrusted something into the ancient’s hand. Satoshi opened it up and saw a ring, Nino’s ring, their ring.
“I cannot bring him back fully because his body was long gone, but I can lead his spirit to you, if you want me to.” Aiba offered, which Satoshi accepted it immediately. However, Aiba continued, “but you must promise to leave us alone. You will never harm any livings in the Land again, and you would let go of your grudge on the Spirits.”
“Anything,” Satoshi said right away, “I never wanted to bother with any of them to begin with. All I ever wanted was to live peacefully with Nino.” Satoshi said as tears rolled down his cheeks.
Aiba looked at him gently. He pulled Satoshi in and enclosed the small figure into his embrace.
“Then, let’s go.” Aiba whispered. Slowly, their bodies turned into silvery mist and disappeared.
Sho remained a quiet witness to the scene. When Aiba took Satoshi away, Sho smiled contently. He was certain Aiba was safe. And the Spirits were safe. Sho was completely drained and exhausted.
The pain slowly died down and Sho gradually lost all senses. Sho closed his eyes, thinking that it was OK to rest now.
Epilogue
The Land took a few moons to recover from the damage caused by the ancient. Then, lives in the Land were peaceful and happy – like it was supposed to be. Villagers went back to their fields, forest and ocean. With Aiba’s help, trees grew back, and flowers bloomed once again.
Sho helped a little. He went to places with Aiba and helped cheer him on. Sho knew better not to try to match Aiba’s power. There was no need to prove himself. They were both guardians, only that they did different tasks.
Jun also stopped bugging Aiba to attend the Council meeting.
He only asked for Sho now.
Tags:
(no subject)
3/2/18 23:20 (UTC)That last fight had me tensed! Sho was willing to give up his body (and life) to save the spirits, that was so courageous. Though him giving a shield to Aiba but not the tree is a bit strange to me. I also found it a bit too bad Aiba did not shared anything with Sho, like what he was planning to do in the North, what he was talking about with the spirits. It felt as like Sho and Aiba are not close at all, despite them sharing a bond through their soul.
Also, did Sho came out of the fusing with the spirits/tree alive with no consequences? The epilogue felt very short and not explanatory at all.
I may be too much into this universe (I love fantasy stories so much) and I enjoyed this story a lot, that’s maybe why I have these questions :p
(no subject)
28/2/18 08:41 (UTC)You had such an astute observation regarding the ending. It was strange, wasn’t it? This was not the intended ending, but rather the ending I wrote last minute before submission. I had a change of heart regarding the ending for posting. In the original, intended ending, Sho died as his life force was used almost completely by the Spirits. Nonetheless, the Spirits kept the very last of Sho’s essence in a seed, and gave it to Aiba. Aiba planted the seed where he and Sho often spent time together and he continued to visit the tree until the day he died. It wasn’t quite a happy ending that people tened to expect from an Exchange, and I felt it’s a little cruel to Sho, especially this being his Exchange. Hence, the happier ending that you read. I think I will post the original ending later when I repost this for my own collection.
Thanks again for your comments. I really appreciate it! ❤️
(no subject)
4/2/18 21:29 (UTC)(no subject)
28/2/18 08:43 (UTC)(no subject)
6/2/18 08:33 (UTC)(no subject)
28/2/18 08:50 (UTC)I LOVE Jun. You were so right. He was like a hall monitor. That’s a very cute way to describe him 💜
I am so happy you caught that tension inside Sho about him not deserving to be a guardian. In fact I wanted to base this whole story on that issue, but I couldn’t write well enough to convey the struggle Sho was experiencing :P Yet, you noticed that anyway. It made me super happy 😘 Thank you!
(no subject)
21/2/18 09:51 (UTC)When it was over, I wanted more. Hahahaha!
Isn't it so much like Aiba to have such a big heart, he has enough for two people? And Sho, ever the diligent student, giving his best but sometimes it's not enough. I really like the idea that part of Aiba is flowing in him, an unbreakable soul bond. They don't need to speak to know what the other is thinking. They know where the other person is all the time. I think it can only work with two people/creatures who are willing to be that way for each other. And the Sho x Aiba dynamics in this story made it work.
Thank you author-san for such a nice story.
(no subject)
28/2/18 09:30 (UTC)My bias was showing, wasn’t it? I love Sakuraiba and I wish to for them to have this special kind of connection, also to have them share a heart ❤️ (oh well, or a soul, hehee). It gave this special feelings and special connections that I thought sounded great on Sakuraiba. I am happy you felt good about it too. 😘 Thank you for your sweet comments. It made me feeling very happy to have written this story.