Storm Phase – 7
In this epic fantasy, a young wizard with a mysterious destiny, a cat-girl ninja, and a diary that turns into a bat-like creature journey through worlds of monsters and mayhem.
The baojen man stands with the dying light of day at his back, a lone figure on the edge of a precipice. Soft petals from a wild pear tree blow past him, tumbling down into the forested valley below. His powerful hands are locked around the hilts of his swords. His red cloak dances like flames in the wind. His symbol, a goshawk in flight, embroidered in gold thread on the back of his cloak, glimmers in the fading sunlight.
Beneath the stoic façade of his noble face lies a deep weariness; one born of thousands of years of warfare, of kin strife, of exploring the far corners of the world, of the pursuit of esoteric magics… but most especially of love lost. His sky-bright blue eyes stare out across the valley. Where others would see a lush, virgin forest, he sees a long train of soldiers coming to destroy his people.
Behind him is an array of heavily armed guards and skilled attendants, his trusted companions and the members of his ever-taxing harem. All of his entourage was drawn to him… to his charm and regal features, yes, but to his innate power most of all. He is, after all, a kairu, a being of immense ability, a being that some would call a demigod.
A wiry warrior with a long mustache, one of his many descendants and one of his most trusted companions, steps up beside him. “Are you okay, my lord?”
The baojen kairu turns toward him and cocks an eyebrow.
“We have been standing here for an hour, my lord. Your harem is tiring, and we must make camp soon.”
The regal kairu looks back onto the valley, and sees now only the forest of the present day.
“I have seen a glimpse of the future, Koteri.” His voice is resonant, his pronunciation archaic, his tone resolute. “Here, along the edge of this cliff, I will one day meet my destiny.”
“Your end?” Koteri asks, worry creeping into his voice.
“My end? I do not think so.” The kairu strokes his long, black beard. “Though I cannot be certain.”
“I do not want to die in this foreign land,” says a woman behind him.
She is Notesi, the most annoying member of his harem. Notesi came to Okoro ten years ago, departing the old world with the last of his clan. Regardless of his destiny, Notesi will perish in this land, by old age if nothing else.
His harem still exists only because it is a tradition his people expect him to maintain. He does not love any of them. He has lost his true love, and that loss weighs heavily on his soul. Only one other comes close to his true love, but Aikonshi has left him. None of these woman can even provide a distraction from his cares. Only his slavish creation of perfected beauty, Inashiara, can do that, and she is but a hollow distraction.
“What choice do we have?” the kairu says Notesi.
An imposing warrior with a giant belly steps forward. “You could return to Tengba Ren, my lord.”
“And challenge the Jade Emperor?”
“You have supporters, my lord.”
“Not nearly enough,” the kairu replies.
“Our people have grown strong here,” Hamsin says.
The kairu smiles. “I know it is hard to believe, Hamsin, but my powers are waning. I have lived too long. I cannot fight the Jade Emperor.”
“My lord, we do not want to lose you,” Koteri says.
“Do not worry, Koteri. I will not fade away into oblivion as other kairu have done. I have learned from the mistakes of my kin, and I have not lost my will to live.”
He casts his voice loud so that all may hear him. “All of you need to understand that we will not be returning to Tengba Ren. Our people will reside here in Okoro. This is our home now, and it will be our home for many generations to come.”
Notesi begins to weep quietly. He regrets bringing her here and the hundreds like her who didn’t want to come to this new world, but none of his people were safe from the emperor’s wrath.
“We should move on from here before nightfall, my lord,” Koteri says, “and find a place to make shelter.”
“Go then at once,” he tells them. “I will join you soon.”
“Yes, my lord,” Hamsin and Koteri reply, and soon all of his entourage departs.
Once they are out of sight, the kairu clutches at his abdomen. He is wounded, and the wound will not heal. The poison that resides in it cannot be cured.
He needs rest — decades, perhaps centuries of rest — and a new body. And for that, there are preparations that must be made.
“Return to me fetch!” the kairu says. He had sent the creature out to gather herbs for spellcasting.
The kairu scans the valley one more time. He had considered building a new town atop this cliff. That was the purpose of coming here, but he has glimpsed the future and changed his mind.
Batwings flutter, and a small, catlike creature that walks on its hind legs lands just behind and to his side. The creature bows. “What would you have me do, master?”
As he turns toward the creature, the setting sun strikes the amber gem embedded in the the kairu’s forehead.
***
Startled awake, Turesobei’s striking blue eyes flared wide. “Kaiwen Earth-Mother!” he exclaimed.
The amber channeling stone, known as a kavaru, that hung from his neck on a silver chain was floating above him. The warm morning sun streaming through his window was glinting off its surface.
Strange. He had worn the stone ever since he was a small child, and he had never seen it do this before. He had also never before experienced a dream so real, so vivid. It was as if he had actually been there, standing on that cliff edge with… Well, the kairu could be none other than his ancestor Chonda Lu, whose kavaru Turesobei carried.
He reached a hand up toward the stone. As soon as his fingers touched its warm surface, the kavaru fell to his chest — lifeless, as if nothing unusual had happened.
He closed his eyes and focused his mind on the kavaru and the currents of energy flowing through the room. The stone was giving off a little more energy than normal, but otherwise nothing was unusual — nothing whatsoever.
He opened his eyes again to the morning sun — peeking over the top of the garden wall in the courtyard.
The morning sun. Over the garden wall! No, no, no — not again!
Why hadn’t Shurada woken him like he’d asked her to?!
He shoved the blanket off him and jumped up from his sleeping mat. As he threw on his clothes, the dream was starting to fade. It would soon become little more than a dim memory, despite how captivating it had been.
Was it just a dream? No, not if his kavaru was floating above him. It had to be one of Chonda Lu’s memories preserved in the stone leaking out while he was asleep. He knew that was possible, but it had never happened to him before. Of course, most dreams disappeared soon after waking and were quickly lost to the depths of the night, so it could have happened many times before without him knowing.
Dream or otherwise, he didn’t want to forget what he’d experienced. Though he was late for his lesson, he had to write this down. Their records of Chonda Lu’s life were scant, and what he’d seen and heard in the dream differed from some of the official accounts. Grandfather Kahenan would understand.
He dashed over to his table, knelt, and pulled out pen, inkwell, and paper. He began to record what he remembered…
Turesobei woke up, surprised to find himself slumped over onto his writing table, having fallen back asleep. How on earth had that happened?! He had been fully awake when he started writing!
He sat up and peeled the sheet of paper from his face. He scanned what he’d written.
When I woke, my kavaru was floating above me. It may have been glowing. I had dreamt of Chonda Lu standing atop a cliff, overlooking a valley. His entourage was gathered behind him. He was talking about his destiny and…
And that was it. He’d fallen asleep before he could write anything else. He tried now to remember the dream, but could hardly recall any details. And those few he could remember were fast fading.
He checked the position of the sun. Another half hour had passed, and he had nothing to show for it. He folded the sheet of paper and tucked it into a pocket. Maybe some of the details would come back to him — though he doubted it.
As he opened his door and raced down the hallway, a voice called out to him. “Are you okay, my lord? I couldn’t wake you!”
“I’m fine, Shurada!” he returned.
For now anyway. Grandfather Kahenan was going to kill him for being late again.