The Fourth Mamoru

*sequel to On the Brink of War*

     Matriarch Aloina Asi, daughter of the imperial Asi Clan of Hanei, thought herself to be a fairly reasonable person. She listened intently and without bias to the pleas of her citizens that came from all corners of their nation, and made swift and effective decisions in the face of danger. Her popularity amongst the common folk was fairing excellently, as well.

     However, breaking into the Rainforest Sanctuary, standing before the Kiniro Pond without her or the Holy Priests’ permission, and the fact that the perpetrator was from a rival nation was crossing the line.

     “Apprehend the intruder at once!” Aloina ordered furiously to the guards standing before her, bearing the bad news. “I will not allow the Kori’s Dog to sabotage Hanei’s sacred gift from the Empress!”

     “Your Highness, the entrance to the Rainforest Sanctuary has been sealed.” One of her lieutenants reported nervously. “There’s no way in, and no way out. Samui Fuyu is trapped in the enclave, just as much as we’re shut out.”

     “Bring the Holy Priests to the entrance! Have them perform rituals to untangle the vines!” Aloina retorted. “We cannot allow an intruder of such high status in an enemy nation to exploit our gift.” A burning flame ignited within her hazel eyes. “We must defend our Gift from the Empress with the might of Hanei!”

     All of the soldiers stiffened and saluted. “Yes, Your Highness!”

***

     Pit-pat.

     Pit-pat.

     Pit-pat.

     The Kiniro Pond itself was about the size of a large circular rug. The sacred pool was enclosed in a tropical enclave, vines and eucalyptus trees growing interchangeably between one another, weaving a tight, natural wall that sheltered off the pond. 

     Lush flowers of beautiful shades of pink and blue and orange sprouted from the base of the trees. Bromeliads popped out from its branches. The canopy above partially blocked the light from filtering into the sacred location, dappling the moist earth with blurry patches of sunlight.

     Hollowed out bamboo created a pipeline partially hidden by overgrown vines that collected pure rainwater from above and channeled them into the Kiniro Pond. At the time in which Samui was visiting the pond, a big rainstorm had just passed through, which resulted in the remaining water slowly dripping from the bamboo pipe into the sacred pool.

     “I shouldn’t be here.” Samui thought to herself, trying and failing to swallow her anxiety and guilt. “I don’t have permission from the Matriarch to visit the Kiniro Pond—why couldn’t I just wait to obtain a pass legally instead of sneaking in?”

     It was too late already. Samui was in the Rainforest Sanctuary, standing right before one of the supposed gates to the Heavens. There was no going back down.

     Samui took a deep breath, and placed a sacred golden lily onto the surface of the glowing water. She knelt down on one knee, closed her eyes, and began to recite the supposed summoning chant.

     “Oh great Mamoru, please answer my pleas. Darkness lurks at the edges of our nations, threatening to topple the lives we’ve worked so hard to build down with a single blow. We need your protection. Redémptor ómnium!”

     Samui took the wooden bowl of lily petals that she had brought, and gently scattered them onto the surface of the water. She squeezed her eyes shut again, praying desperately that the Mamoru would answer her calls.

     For a few seconds, there was nothing.

     Then…the soft swishing sound of water penetrated her ears. Samui opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a small whirlpool beginning to form in the middle of the Kiniro Pond. Her eyes widened. Was this really it?

     The whirlpool grew larger and stronger, sending the petals flying through the water. The golden lily was sucked into the eye of the whirlpool, and vanished from sight for a brief moment.

     Blinding golden light erupted from the whirlpool a second later.

     Samui instinctively shielded her eyes from the light, but immediately put her arms down once she realized what was happening. A cream colored mist rose from the waters, swirling around the beam of light that was growing stronger and more intense by the second.

     The next thing she knew, a hazy figure began to form inside the light.

***

     Darkness.

     Darkness.

     Darkness coats the world in its deceiving blanket, promising wealth and escape to those to approach it, only to ensnare their prey with its kind words. Those who enter the darkness do not realize what has happened to them until it is too late.

     He has been floating in the darkness for…how long has it been? He cannot tell anymore. Time, space, and matter blur and become one within the darkness.

     It’s like being thrown into the Void; you lose all sense of direction, time, and matter. The darkness chips away at your sanity, until all that is left is an empty husk of who you once were.

     But this time, he felt different. The darkness seemed to retreat just the slightest bit, and while he could still feel its slimy tentacles wrapped around him, there was another tug. One that didn’t radiate death and doom, but kindness and hope and desperation for aid instead. It felt…good. Like nothing he had felt in the eons that he had been trapped in the darkness.

     When did the Gates to Heaven become a pit of cobwebs? Wait…what was the Gates of Heaven? His thoughts were always unclear to him within the darkness. Everything he thought made sense until he thought about it afterwards.

     The tug came again. This time, it was stronger. He tentatively reached out to touch the thread of hope, and was instantly flooded with the strongest emotions of hope, desperation, gratefulness, and worship. He almost purred at the light that he had been deprived of for so long. An animalistic instinct overcame him, and he latched onto the thread with a deadlock grip, unwilling to let go.

     The thread tugged. This time, it retracted itself from the darkness—

     —and pulled him along.

     He was thrown into a blanket of light. The purity immediately washed away any of the darkness that had clung to him, and installed a sense of peace and tranquility that he had not felt in forever. He let out a sigh of satisfaction.

     His body began to form. Instead of being trapped in his spirit form, he began to take on the form of a human. His head grew ten sizes, and short, uncouth hair sprouted immediately afterwards. His sleek wings retracted its feathers and grew into those of a human. His talons grew longer, his claws turning into feet, his extravagant, slightly flamboyant tail feathers evolving into a cape. 

     He felt the godly light begin to fade, replaced by the normal—yet still light—air of Shogai. He breathed in the scent of the human realm that he was meant to protect, and opened his eyes.

     He was standing on top of the Kiniro Pond, the demonic trap that had imprisoned him for centuries—maybe even longer. The pond was surrounded by short tropical trees and vines, although it seemed…different from when he first found the portal. 

     Standing before him was a human, around the age of 20 or so, with long white hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a stunned expression on her face. He opened his mouth to introduce himself, only to realize—what was his name? All that time in the darkness had muddled his mind so much that he couldn’t even remember his own name!

     Then it came back with a jolt, like he was struck by lightning. He smirked internally, and stared down at the shellshocked human with his impassive silver eyes.

     “I am Xia, Spirit of the Wind, and one of the Four Protectors of Shogai.” Xia introduced himself to the human. He eyed her with his sharp silver gaze. “What is the reason that you have summoned me?”