Celestial Knights (Chapter 8)

Hidden In Time
Written By: Kohaku Inui
For Chibi Three Studios
Started: March 6, 2008
_____________________________
Chapter Eight:1

"Man, how big is this place?!" asked Kiva, exhausted. Leon smiled.
"Quit whining, we're almost there..."
"Thank goodness!"
Leon took a sharp left, and stopped suddenly in front of a large set of doors, making Kiva almost bump into him.
"Here are are." he said. He looked at Kiva, who looked uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?" he asked. Kiva looked at him and shook her head at the sight of his concern.
"I'm just a little nervous. It's okay."
Leon nodded.
"Alright."
He slowly and quietly pushed open the door, and slid in. Kiva followed, looking around.
What looked like hologram of Earth glowed in the middle, and a map of the stars stretched above the ceiling, making the room dark as night.
"Who is it?" called a voice.
"It's Leon and Kiva." called Leon back. A figure wearing a black cloak swooped from the darkness quickly, and appeared before the two. Mira looked not a day over thirty, with her long red hair tied up in a bun, and her gray eyes shining behind her half moon spectacles. She smiled.
"My good friend Leon...And Kiva." she said softly. She looked Kiva over, who blushed a little shyly. Leon put his hands together and bowed, and seeing him do this, Kiva did the same.
"It's very easy to tell who you are...You look exactly like your brother."
"You knew Tai?!" asked Kiva with surprise. She looked at Leon, as if expecting him to say something. But his face remained expressionless, as if deep in thought.
"Oh, I knew him well. He was a good young man, but he was very immature. I still remember, all the pranks he and Leon would pull on the priests." chuckled Mira, as she swooped away. Leon walked to the hologram of Earth, and gazed at it silently. Kiva looked at Mira.
"I need answers. I know nothing abut anything that's been going on. I don't know who this Priestess of Light is, I don't know why those wolves are chasing me around, and why you know my brother!"
Mira looked at Leon, and then to Kiva.
"You had best sit down for this one, dear." she said. She flicked her hand, and a chair flew behind Kiva, sweeping her off her feet. It soared in front of the hologram and stopped with a jolt. Kiva saw Leon through the hologram.
Mira appeared beside Kiva, sitting down as well.
"Our world," started Mira, as she flicked her hand, "Is another world connected to yours. People from Earth discovered Cariban in the middle of the twentieth century. The moment they came here, they realized there was something here that Earth didn't have: magic."
The hologram changed. It looked over a planet that looked a lot like Earth, only different shapes of land.
"The people grew powers; they were able to control the elements and cure incurable diseases. Of course, there is always someone to misuse their powers. And that person was the Dark Master. He became out of control, going mad with power. He's been taking over our world since, going to towns and killing people to steal their powers for his own selfish needs."
Kiva felt a shiver go up her spine.
"There was a prophecy," continued Mira, "That warriors of Air, Water, Fire, Earth, and Light would rise, and defeat the Dark Master. Your brother, Tai, was the Warrior of Light."
Kiva looked to Mira. Mira's face had fallen grim.
"Ever wonder why your brother died? He was just in his bed, when they found his body, and they could not find the source of death?" asked Mira. Kiva looked to the floor.
"He, and everyone else, went to fight the Dark Master. The only one that came out alive was Leon."
Kiva and Mira looked to Leon. His eyes were still distant, but now, they were cold and sad, as if remembering a dark memory.
"Leon risked his life to bring back your brother's body, and he was near death when we finally found him. But he insisted that we take Tai back to his family, so we let him go. Our world used to look like this. But now it's ravaged with darkness."
A dark shadow loomed over hologram of Cariban, and began swallowing it up. Kiva looked at Mira.
"What does this have to do with me, though?"
"When your brother died, he passed his powers to the next person with a pure enough heart. And that was you. The Dark Master sent those wolves to try and kill you because if you came here, you would try to defeat him."
Kiva was quiet for a few minutes.
"So," she said softly, "I have to defeat the Dark Master before he kills me, or else..."
"Cariban will be destroyed." finished Mira. Kiva, feeling Leon's eyes, turned around.
"Why couldn't you tell me this?" she asked. Leon blinked.
"The Warriors are born with a enchantment: they must pledge their lives to the protection of the Priest or Priestess of Light as long as they live, and if they are under age, the Warriors must not tell them about their powers." answered Mira.
"The other Warriors...What about them?" asked Kiva, turning to Mira.
"The Warriors are Avatars: once they die, they are re-incarnated into a body the same age they died at."
"The oldest would be around twenty-one." said Leon, walking behind Kiva. Kiva sighed, and then looked to the ground.
"I don't know..." 2

"Please Kiva. Cariban needs you." said Mira, a pleading tone in her voice. Kiva took a deep breath. She looked up, a smile on her face.
"Tai didn't back up form a fight and neither will I. I'll do it."3