Mystics Of Garea

[Alisha Readman]

Hey, there! I'm Ran Yoko, and this is my first story on here, so I hope you enjoy it. It's only the prologue, but depending on popular opinion, I may or may not put more on here. So, please enjoy the first part of "Mystics of Garea"!

 

PROLOGUE-

In a barren wasteland, the hot, dry breeze blew dust and the dead branches of a lone tree. The sun was hidden by dark clouds that had crept up, shadowing the land for miles around. A black cat sat on the edge of an enormous crater, it's golden eyes watching the battle taking place in the crater.

"Are you enjoying this, Kagero?" a voice asked behind him.

The cat turned slightly to see a woman standing there, her long ponytail blowing in the breeze. Her gray eyes looked at him with something akin to humor, and her blonde hair was extremely messy, sticking out every which way.

"I should have known you'd show up, Sora," the cat said, turning back to the fight.

Sora sat down by Kagero, showing no surprise that the cat had talked. "So, who's winning?" she asked. "The Mystics or Kage no Yami?"

(Ninja Minion: Translator's note- "Kage no Yami" is Japanese. Loosely translated, it means "Shadow of Darkness". What? (checks earpiece/headset) Oh. The stupid author says to tell you that Kage no Yami is pretty much the top bad guy, like the most powerful demon of all. *mutter*[why did I sign up for this job anyway? I don't even get a name, for crying out loud!] In any case, continue with the story. Remember, I was never here.)

"See for yourself," Kagero answered, nodding toward the battle.

A ball of dark energy shot through the air in the crater, digging a furrow in the ground, only to be deflected by a wall of ice. The energy flew back off the ice, hitting the side of the crater, and creating another hole. The wall of ice started to crack, then shattered.

Sylea dropped down on one knee, coughing up blood. Throwing up the wall of ice, conjured out of almost nothing, had taken a lot out of the Mystic of Ice.

"Are you all right?!" exclaimed Sakura, Mystic of Healing.

"I'm fine, Princess," Sylea said, wiping blood away from her mouth. "Don't waste your powers."

"You're too stubborn for your own good sometimes, Sylea," said Ren, Mystic of Lightning.

"Princess Sakura!!"

Down the side of the crater came sliding two more people, Sharan, Mystic of Beasts, and Windrea, Mystic of Wind.

"What happened to you?" Sharan asked, stopping by Sylea.

"Did you evacuate everyone from the villages?" asked Yuna, Mystic of Fire.

Windrea nodded. "We did," he answered. "Have you made any progress?"

"Hardly," Ren said.

Rikoji, Mystic of Plants, agreed. "If we throw an attack at him," he nodded towards the black barrier surrounding Kage no Yami, "he seems to absorb it, and it comes right back, almost two times as powerful."

"Have you noticed something?" spoke up Adrian, Mystic of Earth. "When we throw an attack at him, it takes about two minutes for it to come back."

"So, what you're saying is that, if we take advantage of those two minutes and keep hitting him, we might have a chance?" Yuna asked.

"FOOLISH HUMANS. DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU HAVE A CHANCE AGAINST ME?" Kage no Yami's voice thundered.

"Why don't you butt out of our conversation!!" Sharan yelled. "Take a nap or somethin'!"

"What if we throw at him a strong enough attack that he can't throw back at us?" Sakura asked, lowering her voice.

"You mean like combining our powers or something similar?" Windrea asked.

"Sort of," Sakura answered. "But I meant summoning the Spirits."

This drew a concerted gasp from everyone.

"Sakura, are you out of your mind!?" Rikoji demanded. "You know what the penalty for summoning THEM is!"

"Yes, Rikoji, I know," Sakura said calmly. "But doing that is probably our only option. Even if we aren't able to be reincarnated on Garea. If we don't do it and die here anyway, what's the point of being reincarnated here? Kage no Yami will simply destroy this world soon enough, with or without us. If nothing else, maybe Tsubasa no Hikari will be able to seal him away."

(Ninja Minion: Translator's note- "Tsubasa no Hikari" is also Japanese. Loosely translated, it means "Wings of Light". (checks earpiece/headset) The stupid author is saying to tell you that Tsubasa no Hikari is the ultimate divine being, reigning over all the different worlds. Oh, and that the "Spirits" they were talking about are the Spirits reigning over the different Elements, like Fire, Ice, etc. I'm going to vanish in my smokescreen now. Remember, I was never here.)

"Well, I don't have anything against it," Sharan said, after a pause.

"What the hey!" Sylea said, standing up straight. "Even if we aren't reincarnated on Garea, maybe we'll be together in the afterlife."

"Who knows, it might be fun!" Adrian chimed in.

"Wow, they're really gonna do it!" Sora said, shading her eyes as she gazed down at them.

"Your enthusiasm knows no bounds," Kagero said. "By the way, won't your assistant be getting worried?"

"Nah," Sora replied, standing up and dusting off her jeans. "Yuu-chan never worries. He just gets mad. But, I should be getting along."

"You're not stayin to see the outcome?" the cat asked, sounding mildly surprised.

"Nope," the woman said. "I already know how it's gonna turn out. That's one handy thing about knowing the Time-Keeper. You oughta visit, y'know. She and your brother haven't seen you in a long time."

"Last time I was there, the Time-Keeper tried to sell me a cursed painting from that crazy antique shop of hers. What's more, Yue and I aren't on speaking terms. Last time I saw my brother, we almost killed each other."

"I wonder if Demon Cats always do that?" Sora muttered. "In any case, I'll see you later."

"Good-bye," Kagero said, not turning around as Sora walked away.

The woman walked a few steps, then turned back towards the crater. She muttered to herself, "'Even if we aren't reincarnated on Garea, maybe we'll be together in the afterlife', huh? Just because they won't be reincarnated on this world, who's to say they won't be on another world? If anyone knows about chances in other worlds, it's me!"

She laughed as she vanished, leaving a shimmer in the air behind her.

"Is everyone ready?" Sakura asked. Seeing the nods of everyone, she began to chant. Thus began the last battle of the Mystics of Garea versus Kage no Yami, which would decide the fate of an entire world. . .

 

EARTH, JAPAN

RIIIIINNNNNGGGG!!!!

The black-haired girl sat up in bed abruptly. Turning off the alarm for her clock, she yawned and stretched.

"Another dream," she muttered, scratching the back of head. "That's a good thing. I'm needing the next part of my manuscript soon anyway. Guess I'll write it down later."

"Sakura!" her mother yelled from downstairs. "If you don't hurry, you're going to be late on your first day of high school!"

"Oh, shoot!" Sakura exclaimed, jumping out of bed.

Outside the room, a black cat sat on the branch of a tree, it's golden eyes watching Sakura running out of the bedroom to get ready.

"I've finally found you, Mystic of Healing," he said.

 

-END PROLOGUE-

[Wyvern]

I like this story so far, Ran Yoko. :-) I definitely appreciate the self-conscious comedy that you intersperse throughout it, especially with the reoccuring Ninja Minion communications and the huge cluster of Mystics telling Kage no Yami to quiet down so they can figure out how to defeat him. I also like how you start the story with the interesting image of Sora talking to Kagero the cat, and really like the implication that Earth could be a potential grounds for reincarnation.

 

Your style of humor actually really reminds me of mai takekaze's stories, to the point where I actually think there's a chance that you two could be related... Am I in the zone? If you aren't related to mai, then you should definitely check out her stories, as I'm sure you'll find a kindred comic spirit in them. :-)

 

Anyway, welcome to the Mighty Pen! I hope you find it a friendly place to share your writing.

[Alisha Readman]

Thanks, Wyvern. Mai is actually my older sibling, so yeah, you are right. By the way, to all of the readers, I will not be able to post the rest of this story very often, due to killer work and school, plus the fact that I have limited internet acces, so please pardon the choppy postings. I forgot my manuscript today, so please enjoy the omake of Ninja Minion's. (evil laughter)

 

Oh, so it's up to me to bail you out cuz of your absent-mindedness, huh? Since I can't do my para-para dance with "Super Gals"(a popular Japanese anime) music, here's the second choice. Here's a preview of the rest of the story.

 

"Many years ago, on a world named Garea, a battle took place. A battle between Kage no Yami and the Mystics ended indecisevely, with the demon being sealed away, and the Mystics vanished. On Earth, a group of people have met at Kaio High School, a homeroom teacher, the school doctor, and the rest students. However, on Garea, a young man has stumbled across the seal that kept Kage no Yami locked up, and unknowingly broken it. Due to this, the reincarnations of the Mystics are transported back to Garea, where they must seal away Kage no Yami for the second time. But what of our heroes? Will the effort break them, or will they triumph? Look for the coming first chapter of "Mystics of Garea", "In Which Old Friends are Reunited, and New Friends are Made"!

 

So, what'd you think?

 

Author: I am in awe of your stupidity. That's one of the worst previews I've ever heard, and what's up with the long title for the chapter?!

It's like the chapter titles in the "Enchanted Forest Chronicles" by Patricia C. Wrede! You got a problem with it!?

Author: Yes, I do! Keep this up, and no paycheck!

(scribbling on paper while sobbing) Dear mother and father, I realize that as a ninja, I'm expected to stay in the shadows, do my jobs and not complain. But, due to the harrassment of a certain author, I may be committing seppoku soon, so I'm sorry that I'm such a failure as a ninja. . .

Author: To all you readers out there who don't know what seppoku is, it's taking a knife, and plunging it into your gut. From what I understand, dishonored samurai were expected to do it, and normally a "second" would be there, ready to chop their head off to end their suffering. Oi, Ninja Minion, don't think I'm gonna be your second for you.

(scream of ultimate anguish)

[Ran Yoko]

I like your story and all of the comedy. I have to wonder though, will any of the Mystics on Earth be childhood friends?

[ryurei]

In to the Assembly room walks Ryu who steps up to a podium placed at the front of the room. He clears his throat and began, “I found a note from MRS. Yoko asking me to post the next installment for her. It seams in confusion of moving in to the keep she’s locked herself in her house and needs some assistance.” He pauses a moment then begins reading the papers in front of him:

 

“Hey there. This is the first part of the first chapter (YAY! ) This story of mine has a lot of Japanese references, so if you don’t know what it all means, my faithful and loyal Ninja Minion will be holding a session after each chapter to explain it all. If she misses something, please forgive her, as her brain isn’t functioning very well ever since she hit her head a few weeks back 

 

CHAPTER ONE

Sakura dashed down the stairs, dressed in her school uniform, and almost tripping over the last two stairs. She hurried into the kitchen, where her mother, Kasumi, and her younger brother, Takashi, were eating breakfast.

“So you finally woke up, huh, nee-chan?” Takashi asked, his dark eyes twinkling with humor.

“Shut up, squirt,” Sakura growled, pouring herself a glass of milk and gulping it down. Plunking the glass down on the table, she glared at him. “And just why are you sitting there, calmly eating breakfast!? You have school too!!”

“I don’t have to leave as early as you,” Takashi said, then gave an exaggerated glance at the clock. “Oh, my, will you just look at the time!!”

“Aah! I’m gonna be late!” Sakura yelped. “Bye, see you later!” she yelled as she grabbed her toast and dashed out of the house, slamming the front door in the process.

“She’s such a ditz sometimes,” Takashi observed, finishing his milk.

“Now, now, be nice,” Kasumi chided, taking her dishes to the sink. “Oh, dear. Sakura-chan forgot her lunch. Taka-chan, would you be a dear and drop this off at her school on your way to your school?”

“Fine, oka-san,” Takashi said, reddening slightly. “But stop calling me ‘chan’! I’m fourteen years old!”

“Yes, dear.”

 

Sakura ran down the road towards her school, eating her toast as she ran.

My name is Sakura Koshiba. I’m 16 years old, and this is my first day of high school. I guess you could call me an aspiring young writer, but I’ve only got one story so far, and it’s progressing very slowly.

“Oy, Sakura!”

Sakura turned her head to see one of her best friends running towards her. Her dark eyes were partially hidden by her shaggy red hair, which was messily pulled into a short ponytail.

This is one of my best friends since grade school, Ran Hanabishi. Her parents run an okonomiyaki restaurant.

“How’s the manuscript coming?” Ran asked, joining Sakura in running down the street.

“I got the next chapter written last night,” Sakura replied. “I’ve got a copy of it with me, so I can give it to you after classes.”

“Cool! I think your story’s really interesting,” Ran said, breathing heavily.

“Thanks!” Sakura said, grinning.

Of course, people might find it slightly hard to believe that my story is based on these dreams I’ve been having for the last two years. Come to think of it, I even know three people who look like three of the people in my dreams. . .

“By the way, how come your parents weren’t at the opening ceremony yesterday?” Ran asked.

“Dad had work, and Mom was taken down to the police station for almost causing several car accidents. I think they called it ‘reckless endangerment’, or something like that.”

“Uh-oh. What’d she do now?”

“She walked across the street right in the middle of the flow of traffic! She was lucky to get off with only a warning!”

Ran burst out laughing. “Your family is just so much fun! Hey, we made it with ten minutes to spare!”

They dashed inside the gates of Kaio High School, and stood there, panting.

“Do you see Tohru anywhere?” Sakura gasped.

Ran straightened up to her full 5’6” height, and peered out over the crowd of students and teachers. “It’s hard to see anyone in this crowd!”

“Well, let’s try over by the bulletin boards,” Sakura suggested. “She might be there.”

“I doubt it,” Ran muttered. “I’ll be surprised if we can even find the bulletin boards.”

But, despite her grumbles, Ran followed her friend into the crowd. They were finally rewarded by the sight of the third member of their trio standing by the bulletin boards, waving to them. Her long brown hair was pulled into a neat braid, and her dark brown eyes sparkled with life.

This is my other best friend, Tohru Ijyuin. People may think that we make an unlikely trio, but we’re the best of friends.

“I see that you guys are late again, as usual,” Tohru commented, a teasing smile on her face.

“Really? Well, if you hadn’t noticed, it’s murder trying to get through those crowds!” Ran exclaimed.

Smiling at her friends good-natured bantering, Sakura turned her attention to the class lists, looking for familiar names. She noticed happily that she, Ran and Tohru were still in the same class, then one other name jumped out at her.

“Shin Kusanagi?” she whispered. “It can’t be. . .”

“Oy, Sakura,” Ran said, leaning in front of her friend. “Did you hear what Tohru said?”

“I’m sorry,” Sakura said, tearing her gaze away from the list. “What did you say?”

“Remember Chika Watanuki?” Tohru repeated. “Well, she was in our class last year, and from what I hear, she’s dating Amano, who was the captain of the junior high basketball team!”

“Really?” Sakura mused.

“Excuse me, but are you Sakura Koshiba?” a boy’s voice asked.

Sakura turned around, only to see the boy she never thought she’d see again.

“Shin-chan!?” she exclaimed.

 

Takashi trotted down the road, carrying Sakura’s lunch in one hand. He was passing by an alley when he heard a cat meowing. He stopped, and out walked a black cat.

“Hey there, kitty,” he said, kneeling down by it. “What are you doing here?”

The cat simply meowed again, and looked at him with unblinking golden eyes.

“Kagero, there you are!” a voice exclaimed.

Takashi looked up to see two girls about his age hurrying towards him. They appeared to be twins, almost identical with dark gray hair and green eyes. The one wore jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, with her hair shaggily cut to about shoulder-length, with several earrings and a string of amber-colored prayer beads wrapped around her right wrist. Her sister had longer hair which was pulled into two ponytails, and was dressed in a denim skirt and a sweater, and had several thin golden-colored bracelets on her right wrist, and prayer beads identical to her sister’s around her left wrist.

“Is this your cat?” he asked.

“Yes, he is,” said the short-haired girl.

“He disappeared last night,” the other girl said.

“Oh, okay,” Takashi said. He then glanced at his watch. “Shoot! I’ve got to hurry, or I’ll be late for school! Bye!” He then dashed down the street.

“Interesting,” the long-haired girl said, staring at her prayer beads, which were gently shaking on her wrist. “Who’d have thought that Princess Lin. . .”

“. . .would have Mystics so close to her,” her twin finished, pushing a lock of hair out of her face.

“I don’t see you two out much, Satsuki, Nadeshiko,” Kagero said.

“Well, Kaname told us to find you,” Satsuki, the short-haired girl, said.

“And we’re to give you a message,” Nadeshiko told him matter-of-factly. The two of them bore an expression that dared the cat to say that they were not supposed to be there.

“And the message is?” Kagero asked, somewhat impatiently.

The twins smiled at each other, then recited together:

“When you meet the Mystic of Beasts,

The hands of Fate have started to move.

Follow him close and you will see

All whom you have been seeking.”

“It doesn’t even rhyme, much less make very much sense,” Kagero muttered, shaking his head.

“Kaname also said to tell you that it would be good for you to stay within sight of at least the princess. . .” Nadeshiko started, then Satsuki finished the rest of the message.

“. . .for today, cuz something very interesting will be happening very soon.”

“I don’t suppose that the Time-Keeper happened to specify what exactly would be happening,” Kagero said, his voice dripping sarcasm. The twins simply gave him mysterious smiles.

Kagero sighed in irritation, then started down the street, muttering to himself. “I swear, that woman’s one joy in life is aggravating the heck out of anyone and everyone!”

“Bye-bye, Kagero!” the twins chorused, waving to him as he walked away. They then turned and walked down the street in the opposite direction of the cat, laughing.

 

That’s all for now, I’ll get more at a later date, sorry.

END OF FIRST INSTALLMENT!!!”

 

Ryu pauses and takes a quick drink of clear liquid that magically appears next to him before continuing, “Thank you for listening to the story. And if anyone sees MRS. Yoko tell her she owes me one.”

[Ran Yoko]

I like the fact that you have Japanese references and are planning on explaining them at a later date. But I hafta ask, is Takashi the Mystic of Beasts?

[Alisha Readman]

Howdy, this is Ran Yoko again. If this is starting out different that the rest of the story, so sorry, I’m trying a different mood for this part of Taro’s narrative. And yes, this is “Mystics of Garea”. Mai is simply posting it on here for me because of a system error that I made. So you know, when words in the text have ( ) on either end, it’s normally someone thinking. ‘Kay? Good, we’re cool. So shut up and read the story.

 

GAREA

Taro stumbled over a rock, and fell on his face. He was an Outcast, one of the few who looked different from the other people. He angrily shoved his jet-black hair out of his face, still sore from the rocks the last town’s villagers had thrown at him. All he had done was ask for a drink of water, and they treated him like a freak.

(Maybe I am a freak,) he thought. (I’ve had black hair and eyes since I was a child. Nobody else looks like me.)

He staggered to his feet and continued walking through the desert-like land. He had taken only a few steps when he tripped over what seemed to be a dried tree root, and tumbled down, head-over-heels, into a huge crater.

He simply lay there on his back for a few minutes, staring up at the cloudy sky.

“I hate my life,” Taro muttered.

IS YOUR LIFE THAT BAD? a voice asked.

“Yes, it is,” the man practically spat. “I can’t even walk through the edge of town without being treated like I’m carrying a disease, I’m constantly hungry and thirsty because no one willingly gives me anything, and even the sun never shines for me!”

THAT DOES SOUND VERY BAD.

“Thanks for agreeing with me,” Taro sarcastically said. Then he realized something. He sat up quickly and looked around. He was alone, except for a large rock in the middle of the crater.

“Great,” he said, holding his head in his hands. “Either the rock is talking to me or I’m hearing voices!”

I AM NOT A ROCK, NOR AM I A VOICE YOU ARE IMAGINING.

Taro realized that the voice was coming from the rock, so he walked over to it. He then noticed that the rock bore symbols written in a pattern around the top.

DESTROY THE ROCK.

“What?” the man said. “How am I supposed to destroy it, smash it with another rock? And why should I destroy it anyway?”

PLACE YOUR HAND ON THE ROCK AND REPEAT AFTER ME.

Shrugging, Taro did as he was told, and repeated the words he heard.

“KOROSHI NO YUME, KAGE NO YUGURE, TSUBASA NO KURAI, AWAKE.”

Taro was blown backwards by the blast of the rock exploding. He sat up, coughing, and waited until the dust and bits of rock settled. He gasped at the creature sitting there.

It resembled a large Kaiser dragon, except it was pitch black, and its glowing eyes were dark purple. A mane of dark gray fur flowed down its scaled neck and back. As it stretched its huge black wings, it gave a roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of Garea.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME, OUTCAST? the dragon said.

“T-Taro,” the man stammered, as he wondered what he had done.

FROM THIS DAY FORTH, YOU ARE TO BE KNOWN AS KAGEKEN, the dragon said. AS THANKS FOR FREEING ME FROM MY PRISON, YOU WILL BE MY AVATAR. YOU WILL GAIN BUT A SMALL PORTION OF MY POWERS, AND DO MY BIDDING.

“W-who are you?” Taro asked.

The dragon seemed to give an evil smile. MY NAME IS KAGE NO YAMI.

“What?” Taro whispered.

The dragon changed into a large black shadow, and shot towards Taro. It hit him in the chest, and he screamed, his voice echoing throughout the land.

He straightened up, panting slightly. His eyes turned from jet black to dark purple, and he flexed his hand. He turned the palm of his hand toward the side of the crater, and a huge ball of dark energy shot out of his hand, making the crater twice as big as before.

“Kageken, huh?” he said. “I like that name.”

Kageken turned back towards the village he had come from, and grinned. Those villagers would be the first to die.

EARTH

Sakura stared at the teenaged boy standing in front of her.

“Shin-chan?” she repeated.

“Sakura-chan, it is you!” he exclaimed. “This is totally awesome!”

“Uh, Sakura?” Ran asked.

“Who’s this?” Tohru asked.

“This is Shin Kusanagi,” Sakura explained. “He lived next door to me when we were kids, until his family moved away 10 years ago.”

“I never thought we’d be going to the same high school,” Shin said, grinning widely.

“Shin-chan, these are my two best friends, Ran Hanabishi and Tohru Ijyuin,” Sakura introduced her friends.

“Hey, Shin,” another boy said, coming up. His half-lidded eyes looked at the group with curiousity.

“Oh, this is Keisuke Takenaga,” Shin said, introducing his friend to the girls.

“Okay, people,” a teacher said, standing on the steps. His dark hair was pulled into a short ponytail, and he wore glasses. “I’m the school doctor, Sasuke Kazama. All teachers, please report to your respective classes. All students, please go to your classrooms. Thank you.”

All of the students and teachers filed into the building, and Sasuke sighed. “First day of school is always so hectic. I’m probably gonna have a lot of people coming by the office,” he said. He started to turn to go into the school, but he stopped when he saw a young teenager running through the school gate.

 

“Okay, class,” the homeroom teacher said, pushing away some of her short hair hanging loosely around her face, “I’m Yukino Akari. I expect you to be on good behavior this year.”

The door to the classroom opened, and Sasuke stepped in, followed by Takashi.

“Sorry for interrupting,” Sasuke said. “Koshiba-san’s younger brother has a package to deliver.”

GAREA

TATSUNOKO SHRINE

The woman sweeping the walkway to the shrine suddenly gasped, and looked up. She turned around to the east, and saw a faint red glow on the horizon.

Dropping the broom, she dashed headlong into the shrine’s main room, shouting, “Kikyou-sama!”

The older woman sitting in the room was panting, clutching the prayer beads around her neck. “Did. . .you feel it too, Kagome?” she asked.

Kagome nodded. “What should we do, Kikyou-sama?”

“We have no choice,” Kikyou said, standing up. She picked up the sword that was on the table set in the middle of the room and started to leave, saying, “Follow me.”

They went to the back of the shrine, and entered a cave hidden behind bushes. Deep in the cave, a small shrine was set up, with a large stone in front of it. A small waterfall trickled from the wall into a pool by the shrine.

Kikyou frowned at the stone, which was purely black, and drew the sword from its sheath. She dipped the blade of the sword into the pool, then pulled it back out.

“Here is the powder,” Kagome said, holding out a small bag.

Kikyou reached into the bag and pulled out a small handful of silvery-white powder. Standing in front of the stone, she sprinkled the powder on either side of the blade.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

Kagome nodded and stood on the other side of the stone. They both took hold of the sword’s hilt, the blade pointing down towards the stone. The two women closed their eyes and began to chant.

“TSUBASA NO HIKARI, RETURN TO US OUR SAVIOURS. UTA NO HIKARI, SING OF A HOPE OF REDEMPTION. MYSTICS, RETURN TO FREE US FROM THE DARKNESS!”

At the last words, the blade of the sword shone white, and the two women thrust the blade down into the rock. The sound of an explosion followed, and the entire cave lit up with a white light.

Moments later, Kagome and Kikyou stood at the entrance to the cave, gazing up at the sky.

“Do you think they’ll come?” Kagome asked.

“Only the Divine Being, Tsubasa no Hikari knows,” Kikyou replied, exhaling.

EARTH

Sakura gasped, feeling like something had just tugged at her.

“What’s wrong, nee-chan?” Takashi asked.

“I don’t know,” Sakura said.

Suddenly, a voice spoke, quiet and calm, but full of power.

“MYSTIC OF HEALING, SAKURA; MYSTIC OF PLANTS, RIKOJI; MYSTIC OF LIGHTNING, REN; MYSTIC OF EARTH, ADRIAN; MYSTIC OF BEASTS, SHARAN,; MYSTIC OF ICE, SYLEA; MYSTIC OF WIND, WINDREA; AND MYSTIC OF FIRE, YUNA. RETURN TO GAREA, AND SAVE THEM FROM THE SHADOW OF DARKNESS.”

“What the heck!?” Shin said.

The glass of the windows suddenly shattered, and Kagero leaped into the room, then jumped onto Takashi’s shoulder. The room filled with light, then, for Sakura, everything went black.

 

END CHAPTER ONE

 

Hey, there! I’m the Ninja Minion working for Ran Yoko. Here’s the translation notes for chapter one of “Mystics of Garea”. I hope it all makes sense. If it doesn’t, too bad

TRANSLATOR’S NOTES

CHAPTER ONE

 

Nee-chan: an informal term for older sister. In this case, Takashi is basically call Sakura ‘Sis”.

Dashing out of the house with toast: this is actually a very common thing in manga and anime. The hero/heroine wakes up late and only has time to grab a piece of toast before running to school.

Lunch: the lunch that Kasumi is referring to here is an ‘obento’, or boxed lunch. Apparently very common in Japan, Very similar to brown-bag lunches here in the states.

Chan: it’s a Japanese honorific, like ‘san’ and ‘kun’. However, ‘chan’ is more often used for best friends or young children. Which explains why Takashi doesn’t want to be called ‘Taka-chan’, considering he’s a teenager at the awkward stage in life.

No honorific: when Sakura, Ran and Tohru are speaking to each other, they don’t use any honorific, which indicates that they are very close friends. Not using any honorifics means that the two people are very close.

Okonomiyaki: a sort of Japanese pizza. It’s a flour mixture, with cabbage, meat and other vegetables fried on top. Very delicious!

Kaiser dragon: in this story, a Kaiser dragon is like a large Eastern dragon, more like a serpent.

San: the equivalent of “Miss”, “Mr.”, or “Mrs.”

Tatsunoko Shrine: Tatsunoko means ‘dragon child’, according to a movie I saw. The stupid author was out of ideas after an all-nighter, so she decided on a random name. It’s based on a Shinto shrine.

Sama: this indicates that Kagome has a high level of respect for Kikyou. If you were to translate it into English, it might be similar to “Lady Kikyou”.

SPELL TRANSLATIONS

Kage no Yami’s release spell

KOROSHI NO YUME, KAGE NO YUGURE, TSUBASA NO KURAI, AWAKE

KILLING OF DREAMS, SHADOW OF TWILIGHT, WINGS OF DARK, AWAKE

Kagome and Kikyou’s spell

TSUBASA NO HIKARI (WINGS OF LIGHT), RETURN TO US OUR SAVIOURS. UTA NO HIKARI (SONG OF LIGHT), SING OF A HOPE OF REDEMPTION. MYSTICS, RETURN TO FREE US FROM THE DARKNESS!

 

 

OOC: i will get to answering any questions as soon as possible I just ran out of time today:)

[Alisha Readman]

The second chapter is here!!! Scream in terror, my evil minions!! Er, I mean, rejoice, my loyal readers! (sweatdrops) As before, my loyal Ninja Minion will get some screen time after the chapter is over, with the translation notes (but I don’t think there will be very many:P)

 

CHAPTER TWO

 

“Shin-chan, do you really have to go?” Sakura asked her friend. The moving trucks were getting ready to leave, and the two of them were saying their goodbyes.

“I’m sorry, but Mommy says Dad got a new job,” Shin said. “Ah, don’t cry, Sakura-chan!” he exclaimed, seeing her eyes fill with tears.

“I. . .I don’t want you to go!” Sakura cried.

Shin was at a complete loss. Then he ran over to a box sitting on the curb and rummaged through it. He pulled out a stuffed animal that looked like a black cat with wide eyes, then hurried back to Sakura.

“Here,” he said, holding it out to her.

“But, Shin-chan, your dad gave you Stray for your birthday!” the girl exclaimed.

“It’s okay,” Shin said, smiling. “I want you to have him.”

Sakura sniffed, then pulled off her necklace, which was amber, silver, and blue beads alternating all the way through.

“Sakura-chan, I can’t take your necklace. Your mom made it for you!” Shin said.

“If you won’t take my necklace, then I can’t take Stray,” Sakura said stubbornly.

Shin finally relented, and they traded.

“Shin, hurry up!” Shin’s mother called. “We need to leave!”

“Bye, Sakura-chan!” Shin said, running to the car.

“Shin-chan, I. . I really. . .” The rest of Sakura’s shout was drowned out by the truck’s motor revving.

“Bye, Sakura-chan!”

 

I never got to tell him what I had wanted to say. . .

 

“Koshiba-san! Koshiba-san!”

Sakura slowly opened her eyes to see Keisuke leaning over her.

“Takenaga-kun?” Sakura asked, sitting up.

“I’m glad you’re all right,” Keisuke sighed. “You were crying while you were unconscious.”

Sakura rubbed her eyes, then looked around her, and realized that they were by a crystal-clear stream running through a forest. The second thing she noticed was that Keisuke’s hair was suddenly a light blonde, and his eyes were pale green.

“Well, this is certainly an unexpected predicament,” a voice said.

To their utter astonishment, Keisuke and Sakura found that the voice appeared to be coming from a black cat that had appeared from seemingly nowhere.

“This is NOT what I had hoped for,” Kagero muttered angrily. “Maybe one of the priestess’ appearing and restoring their past memories, and something like that! But, no, they’re just catapulted into a different world, with no idea of what’s going on, not to mention being split up as soon as they get here!!!”

Just then, he realized that the two teenagers were staring at him with dumbfounded looks on their faces.

“Please pardon my manners,” Kagero said, bowing his head to Sakura. “My name is Kagero Nekokage, of the Demon Cat clan. I am pleased to meet you again, Princess.”

He looked up to see Sakura looking around, as if expecting to see a princess in the vicinity.

“Princess Sakura, I’m talking to you,” Kagero sighed.

“Um, I’m sorry, but I think you have me confused with someone else, Kagero-san,” Sakura said.

Kagero sighed yet again. “This is gonna take a while,” he muttered, then spoke louder. “I am not confusing you with anyone else. You are the reincarnation of Princess Sakura Lin, who was the Mystic of Healing, and your friend here, is the reincarnation of Ren, the Mystic of Lightning.”

Sakura suddenly remembered the voice they had heard right before everything went black, mentioning Mystics. Then she realized something else. She felt the backpack on her back and pulled it off, rummaging through it. She pulled out the manuscript she had been working on.

“What’s that?” Keisuke asked.

“The story I’ve been writing,” Sakura said, flipping through pages. “In all honesty, I’ve been basing my story on these dreams I keep having. It’s focusing on a group of people with power to control different elements, and the people are called Mystics. Found it!” She stopped at near the end, on the page that started with “CHAPTER 34”. “This chapter I wrote last night, and after I went to bed, I had another dream. In that dream, the Mystics were fighting the main bad guy, a really strong demon called Kage no Yami.”

“What’s the possibility. . .?” Keisuke said, looking at Kagero.

Kagero nodded. “It’s as I thought. Somehow, when you were reincarnated on Earth, you still remembered things from your past life. But you can’t remember anything except for through your dreams, and even then, you don’t consciously recognize them as memories.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Sakura said. “But why are we suddenly here? And is anyone else here?”

“Considering what I found out on Earth, besides you two, the other six of the Mystics were reincarnated there. Princess Lin’s brother and two friends. . .”

“Takashi, Tohru and Ran!?” Sakura exclaimed.

“. . .the school doctor, your homeroom teacher, and your friend, Shin,” Kagero finished.

“Shin!?” Keisuke said. “Oh, now I’ve heard everything!!”

“It’s true,” Kagero said mildly. “Also, another detail you might be interested in. When you were reincarnated, your bodies automatically took on Asian features, so you wouldn’t stand out. But now that you’re back in Garea, you’ve probably turned back to the way you were in your past lives. Hence, your hair and eyes have changed color.”

“I noticed that Takenaga-kun has changed, but I have too?” Sakura asked. Kagero nodded towards the stream, and Sakura stood up and walked over to it. She saw her reflection and gasped. Her hair had turned pure white, and her eyes were a dark blue.

“Weird,” she muttered. Just then, an authorative voice rang out.

“Halt! Who goes there!”

 

Ran groaned, and rubbed her ankle. It was just her luck to land right next to a thorn bush. Sasuke knelt down by her.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, except for a nice gash,” Ran muttered.

Sasuke pulled out his handkerchief, and wrapped it around Ran’s ankle and tied it with an expert knot.

“Had much experience with things like this?” Ran asked.

“Two younger brothers who are twins and are very mischievous, and a younger sister who’s a tomboy,” Sasuke said dryly. “It was always up to Big Bro to patch up their scrapes. But, enough of that. Any idea of where exactly we are, how we got here, or where we should go?”

“Not really,” Ran said. When they landed, Ran’s hair had remained red, but her eyes had changed to dark blue. Sasuke’s hair had changed to a silvery-color, and his eyes were dark gray.

“But, we might as well start walking in one direction.” Ran stood up, and looked around. They were in what looked like a forest, with no trail to be seen. Ran picked up a stick and peeled the bark off of one end.

“What are you doing?” Sasuke asked.

“How about, we toss the stick in the air. And when it lands, whichever direction the peeled end points, we go that way,” Ran said, tossing the stick in the air as she spoke. The stick landed, the peeled end pointing south. Ran and Sasuke headed south.

 

Shin dug his foot deeper into the rocky slope to keep from sliding down. He sighed as he looked up at Takashi, envious of the younger boy’s agility. Somehow, when they landed, they had wound up on a narrow ledge with a several foot drop below them, and a steep slope above them. The way that life worked out. . .

Shin grabbed a branch that was sticking out the slope and pulled himself up a few more inches. Takashi, already at the top, reached down and helped him up to the very top. Once there, they retreated a few feet away from the slope, and laid down on the grass, resting.

“I do NOT want to do that again for quite a while,” Shin panted. He looked over at Takashi, and silently wondered why their hair and eye color had changed when they woke up. His own hair had turned light brown, and his eyes had turned dark green. Takashi’s hair had stayed dark brown, but his eyes were now a golden color.

“What?” Takashi asked, suddenly looking over at Shin.

Shin smiled. “I’m just surprised how tall you’ve gotten.”

“Duh!” Takashi said. “It’s been 10 years, after all!”

“By the way, how’s Tenmaru doing?” Shin asked.

“He died a couple years back,” Takashi said, looking sad. “I kinda miss that mutt.”

“You were pretty attached to him,” Shin grinned at the memory. “I mean, you did save him from those bullies.”

“Only to get beat up trying to save him,” Takashi dryly commented. “I was only five years old. Then you came along and tried to help.”

“A six year-old can only do so much damage to three eight year-olds,” Shin laughed. “Then Ayumu had to beat them off. Older brothers can be handy at times.”

“I guess,” Takashi smiled. “Afterwards, remember how much Sakura was crying because we were so beat up? She was demanding how a simple mutt could be worth so much.”

“Who knows?” Shin said, standing up and stretching. “I do know that it’s starting to get towards afternoon. And if we want to find out anything, even where we are right now, we should get going.”

“Yeah, but where should we go?” Takashi wondered aloud, standing up as well. “There’s no road.”

Shin thought a moment, looking around. “Over there looks a little easier to travel, so why don’t we try that way?”

“Sounds good to me.” Shin and Takashi headed west.

 

Yukino groaned in frustration as she glared at the trees in front of her. Her hair had turned silvery-white, and her eyes were pale blue. Tohru, on the other hand, looked pretty much the same as she had before, dark brown hair and eyes.

“I wonder where we are?” Tohru said.

“Who the heck cares!?!” Yukino yelled, finally starting to lose it. “We’ve been walking for probably an hour now, and we’re going in circles for all we know!!! This is why I HATE forests!!!”

“S-Sensei, calm down,” Tohru said. “It’s not quite that bad. Do you have chalk or something? We can mark our way as we go. That way, if we’re going in circles, we’ll know.”

Yukino had an ink pen in her pocket, so she used it to scrape the moss off of a rock is the shape of an arrow pointing east, and they walked to the east. After they walked away, the arrow on the tree vanished.

 

END OF CHAPTER TWO

 

NINJA MINION’S TRANSLATION NOTES FOR CHAPTER 2

 

Well, here I am again, with the translator’s notes. Not quite so many this time, but FYI: the stupid author is insisting that I also explain certain parts about Garea.

 

Stray: the stupid author thought that the readers might be interested to know that the stuffed animal is based on a drawing a friend of hers did a while back. Stray is a black cat with weird eyes and a huge appetite, in my opinion.

Kun: another honorific used normally for guys

 

That’s pretty much it. Since we have some space, I’ll share some of the author’s notes on the origins of the characters names. Please keep in mind that most of the names are inspired by characters in manga and anime that the stupid author likes.

Sakura Koshiba: her first name means ‘cherry blossoms’, and her second name comes from Kiri Koshiba in “Beauty Pop”

Takashi Koshiba: his first name seems to be one that the author likes.

Ran Hanabishi: her first name comes from Ran Kotobuki, the main character in “Super Gals”. Her last name comes from Kaoru Hanabishi in “Ai Yori Aoshi”

Tohru Ijyuin: her first name comes from Tohru Honda in “Fruits Basket”, and her last name is from Akira Ijyuin in “Clamp School Detectives” and “Man of Many Faces”.

Shinji Kusanagi: his full name is Shinji, but ‘Shin’ comes from Shin in “Pretear”, which is also a sort of pun on the author’s part, for the Shin in “Pretear” also controls plants. Oops, I just gave away something there, didn’t I?

Keisuke Takenaga: pretty much a name the author thought up off the top of her head.

Sasuke Kazama: his last name is pretty much a pun. The first of it, “Kaz”, is also from ‘kaze’, the Japanese word for ‘wind’.

Yukino Akari: the first part of her first name, “Yuki”, means snow, which is also. . .

 

The author hits the Ninja Minion over the head with a steel pipe, then types this quick message: “So sorry, but my Ninja Minion needs to make supper, so we’ll just sign off here. TTYL!”

She then turns towards the Ninja Minion, her steel pipe raised in the air, and the other people in the Pen Keep can hear faint screams.

“You were giving away part of the story when you’re telling them about the meaning behind their names!!”

“I’m sorry!!! Please don’t kill me!!”

“You can bet I’ll kill you!!”

Blood and tears fall on the keyboard, followed by an unearthly shriek, then silence. . .

[Alisha Readman]

CHAPTER THREE!!!! Can I believe my eyes!?! Things are starting to happen rather fast now. . .

 

CHAPTER THREE

 

Sakura and Keisuke looked over to where the voice had come from, hearing metal clanking and what sounded like a horse.

“Who goes there, I said!?” demanded the blonde-haired man who had just come into the clearing. He was wearing a full-body suit of armor, carrying his helmet under his arm and leading a white horse. “Answer me, knave! Art thou a brigand, bent on hurting this young beautiful damsel in distress by yonder stream?”

“Beg pardon?” Keisuke asked.

“Didst thou not hear me, fool!?” the knight thundered.

“Hey, buddy,” Keisuke said, starting to lose his temper. After being transported to this other world, being told suddenly that he was the reincarnation of someone he’s never even heard of, by a cat no less, and now being called a fool by this person who he can’t even understand, can you really blame him? “I don’t know who the heck you are, but first off: don’t you dare call me a fool, and second, why don’t you speak English!?”

“Silence, wretch!” the knight shouted, drawing his sword and pointing it at Keisuke. “A bandit such as thyself does not have the right to speak in such a manner to a Holy Knight of the Tatsunoko Shrine!! En garde!!”

The knight started to charge, only to trip over a rock in his path. He lay sprawled on the ground, while Keisuke and Sakura looked on in amazement, and Kagero shook his head in disgust.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Kagero said, trotting off behind a tree. “Stall him until I get back.”

Once behind the tree, Kagero spread the claws on his right front paw out and dug them into the earth. Moving in a circle, he created five circles around him, each one made by a claw. He then scratched a symbol on the ground in the circle. He closed his eyes and started to cast his spell.

“BY MY WILL, ONE WAY OR THE NEXT, GRANT MY WISH AND CHANGE!”

 

The knight had recovered swiftly, and had started to attack Keisuke again, but Sakura had hurled a rock at him, trying to distract him. Instead the rock had hit him in the head, knocking him down again.

“Oops,” Sakura said, grimacing.

“Wench!” the knight yelled, jumping to his feet. “I try to save thee, and THIS is how thou dost repay me!?”

“Who asked to be saved by you?” Sakura exclaimed. “I don’t even know you!”

“Sakura-sama! Keisuke-sama!” a man’s voice exclaimed. Everyone looked up to see a man in his thirties come through the trees. He had two daggers hanging from his belt, his dark brown hair was pulled into a long ponytail, and his eyes were golden. He stopped between the knight and the teenagers, glaring at the knight.

“Who are you!?” he demanded.

“I am Nanbara Iizuka, of the Holy Knights of Tatsunoko Shrine!” the knight proudly declared. “Who, pray tell, art thou?”

“I am Daisuke, vassal to Keisuke-sama and Sakura-sama of the honorable Takenaga family,” the man said. “Why are you attacking them?”

“Because he thought that your master was a bandit, and that your mistress was being attacked by the bandit,” another voice chimed in. A young woman in her teens dropped down out of a tree, grinning widely. Her long brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, and her dark brown eyes sparkled with life. “Hey, Nanbara, can’t you tell that these people aren’t bandits or anything like that?”

“Cousin Mitsuki, must thou interrupt me always!?” Nanbara yelled.

The two of them then erupted into a slightly heated discussion, while Sakura and Keisuke looked over at Daisuke.

“Who exactly are you?” Sakura asked.

“I’m Kagero, stupid,” the man said, muttering out of the side of his mouth. “Just play along for now, I’ll explain later.”

“Kagero!?” Keisuke said, barely able to keep his voice down. “What kind of a cat are you?”

“I’ll explain that later, too,” Kagero said.

Mitsuki and Nanbara seemed to run out of breath, for they stopped arguing. Kagero took advantage of the brief interlude to ask, “Which way to the Tatsunoko Shrine?”

“Why do you wanna know?” Mitsuki asked.

“We were on our way there,” Kagero explained smoothly. “We were attacked by bandits though, and had to rest here.”

“Well, that would explain thy disheveled appearance,” Nanbara said, tossing his head back so that his hair went flying out of his face. He walked over to Sakura and knelt at her feet, and smiled winningly up at her. “I apologize, milady, for my earlier treatment of thee and thine brother. If thou shalt grant me a boon to make up for my behavior, I shall escort thy party to the Tatsunoko Shrine without fail.”

“That’s okay, really!” Sakura said, not wanting to be around him for any longer than was necessary.

“Nonsense!” Nanabara exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “I will make ready my horse! The fair lady shall ride, for a lady of her pedigree should not walk on the treacherous path to the shrine!”

As he hurried to his horse, Mitsuko came over. “I’m sorry about my cousin. He looks like an idiot, but he’s actually a nice person, if a little obsessed with the Old Ages.”

“Come, fellow pilgrims!” Nanbara called. “The day is waning, and the shrine is a good two-day’s traveling from here!”

“Hey, Kagero,” Keisuke muttered. “Do we absolutely have to travel with these guys?”

“Might as well,” Kagero said. “And for safety’s sake, call me Daisuke, all right?”

“Yeah, yeah.”