Chapter 25:New World
"You made it!Wasn't that hard now was it?"I made a slight smile to agree.Maku fainted,landing right beside my foot.
"UHHH."
"Turn around Irai,you'll see why."Kimiko's eyes shone in amazement so I knew I HAD to look.I turned around and saw…BEAUTY. It was so different from my world. It felt SO different.Everything was shiny and it was night time.
"This is the capital of our dimension where the other 98 demon sorcerers live."
"Only 98 of you?"
"Yeah we're a small population.BUT WE MAKE IT WORK.And I feel stronger now that I'm in my dimension."
"Same here."Celestial said.
"What do you mean you feel stronger because I feel weaker.."
"OH.You didn't tell them Celestial?"
"Tell us what?"Kimiko questioned.
"When you're in another dimension,you're DNA changes by a tiny fragment.This can affect you in anyway possible.For example in me and my brother's case,we were weaker in your dimension."
"So you're stronger now because…"
"As soon as you get back to your dimension,the effects reverse back to your original state."
"Makes sense.."
"Why don't we explore the city together?"I nodded and went along with Sosu and Celestial.
"If you two wanna stay then stay."Maku and Kimiko looked at each other for a brief moment then ran up to us and caught up.The world was so bright and colourful.
I saw these giant squares with moving..machinery on it. It said billboard.That was something new. We didn't have it in the normal dimension.Everything felt different.There was barely any nature,just everything was machinery of some sort.I couldn't describe what my eyes were blessed with.For the whole trip I would be fantasizing about this new world. If only DNA didn't distort.Maybe I could live here. We were brought to a big building and went inside.There were cloaked one eyed creatures inside that came in all types of different shapes and sizes.
"Marvollous."Kimiko exclaimed.Some frowned.Some whispered.Some smile.I tried my best to stay positive but they weren't giving a good vibe.How could anyone be gloomy in a world like this?
"Celestial!Sosu..I see you brought visitors!"One of them stood up. He looked old,like Galvin.
"Hi."I waved.Some waved back but others were still stubborn.Celestial introduced us to the demon sorcerers vise versa.But Sosu stared out the window alone. He looked lonely.I walked up to him and stayed silent while the others murmured in advance.
"You alright?"I asked. He looked away from me as if something was wrong.
"Irai…"
"Yeah?"
"I need to tell you something privately.Outside."
"Uh,alright then!"We walked out and shut the down behind us.
"I remembered a little bit about this place. We weren't so advanced when I was younger.I'm almost 1700 years old.I got an estimated 300 years to live before I die.And…I remember.When I was younger,I used to get bullied for my strength as I was weaker than most demon sorcerers."
"Sosu why didn't you tell me this before?"
"I'm telling you this because it's the last time I'm going to see you Irai."
"FIRST EMMA DYING THEN UNCLE AIZAKKU IN THE HOSPITAL AND NOW THIS?!SOSU WE NEED A BREAK!"
The others came rushing out after hearing me shout.
"Is everything ok?"Maku assumed we were about to get in a fight and he came at the right time to break it up.
"Is there an issue here?"
"NO BUT-"
"Then stop yelling Irai!"I gritted my teeth in fury and turned to Sosu who just stared at me. It was so complicated to explain…
The demon sorcerers whispered behind my back.They didn't like my behaviour.
"Why don't we settle this an the arena?"One of them said face to face with me.Their aura made me sweat.
"I-I…well-"
"Stuttering?Are you scared?"
"No!"My voice trembling.I got goosebumps and my arm and leg hair began to rise.The atmosphere felt tense as if I couldn't breath for a second.
"Irai it's fine,no pressure."Celestial reassured.
"But I am pressured."
"You're still adapting to this world.I'm sure your friends are as well."
"I think it'd be good if we duelled.I want to see your progress."
I wasn't sure if Sosu was being sarcastic or not.His arms were crossed with a lowered gaze.
"I accept."My eyes were full of rage. My blood?Boiling.All symbolising my anger.I was ready to beat him. We were escorted to the arena where some of the sorcerers watched. We got into our starting positions waiting for a well dressed sorcerer to let his hand down.
Three
Two
One
"BEGIN!"He threw his hand down. In that moment, Sosu and I bolted from our places.
Sosu kept teleporting. He was moving so fast my eyes lost track of him.I focused really hard and my hands produced light energy.SLAM!My body went flying after being hit by him.CRACK!My bones broke after the impact but I wasn't going down yet.
I jumped into the air and formed light arrows,shooting them continuously at Sosu. He dodged every single one. He shot a water missile at me and I blocked it.Sosu attached some water web shape thing and pull me down to the ground.I got slammed so hard my ears began bleeding.
My ear drums were ruptured.I got on my feet and dodged his continuous jabs.I kept ducking under trying to catch my breath and he took a few steps back.
"USE YOUR TRAINING IRAI!I DIDN'T TEACH YOU ALL THOSE YEARS FOR NOTHING!!!"That's when I locked in.His words…motivated me.They became engraved into my flesh.Every aspect of his movements needed to be studied.I needed to predict his attacks to become unpredictable. My eyes reflected on realisation.
"You understand it now?"
"I do."
"You may be weaker in this dimension but there's one thing for certain,you're stronger than the boy I knew three years ago. AM I RIGHT?"
"YOU ARE."
"Show me your growth then."
The crowd cheered again.One side chanted Sosu,one chanted Irai.That felt better.I had 49 demon sorcerers chanting my name and I got motivated by my opponent. We kept fighting using hand to hand combat. It was as if I was in a boxing match.I threw a left hook right in Sosu's eye that sent him flying meters away. He clutched onto it,later revealing it had a bruise.
"I did some damage."
"Not enough though!"He opened his hands in a high five shape and fired water cannons.I tried to land with correct timing as I was in mid air at this moment.Sosu kept creating water shaped objects and fired them at me.After minutes of this,my clothes were soaked.I slowly stood up,cracking my neck effortlessly. He didn't look tired yet and I wasn't backing down.
I had to step up my offense before I lost the battle. IN FRONT OF A CROWD!Kraven slit my heart last time I had a crowd and I was fortunate to survive. So…I can't embarrass myself now.Sosu has taught me so much.
His eye was full of dread. He lifted his hand up and something rumbled from the ground.
I looked down and saw an emerging crack getting bigger and bigger until…SPALSH!A sea serpent,a big one. It sprouted out of the ground faster than my eyes could blink. It was swift and slippery,changing it's movements way to fast.
"Divine chains…"I whispered.
He noticed and the serpent adapted fast.I wrapped the chains around the creature and help it down temporarily while trying to think of a way to kill it.
Sosu was about twenty meters away from me and he started running,rapidly catching up to me.I grabbed the chains and swung the serpent round and round until I couldn't anymore. It flew in the air but not for long.Landing close to him.
THUD.
The impact created a smoke which made me not be able to see.Then the air and the serpent disappeared.
"DAMN,HE SWITCHED WIELDING FROM WATER TO AIR."WOOSH.A tornado spiraled towards me,ravaging and destroying anything in it's path.
It even picked up some of the ground.I jumped in the air,aim my hand and threw a light energy ball towards the tornado.
"NO!"The ball split the tornado into two now.Two smaller versions but there were more now.
"That's too bad Irai.Try something DIFFERENT!"
Sosu encouraged me more.I landed on the floor looking up at him menacingly. My face had blood on it.
My face looked like a shadow to him.Maku and Kimiko looked concerned.I didn't give up.Quantum step.A form of transportation that takes you a limited distance. He taught me that if I couldn't sustain my light wielding movement.
If I fully awakened it I could travel light years which is how long light travels a distance.
Step,step,step.I kept teleporting.Reappearing.Left to right his eyes flickered and I slashed his finger off before jumping back.
"Good job,you need to try harder next time."He chuckled and ran up to me,bumping into me,throwing constant jabs again. My hands glimmered golden.His hands were misty,making it hard to see his next movement.I was in that boxing match again.
Dodging,throwing hooks and uppercuts.Sosu threw a hard punch and I ducked,uppercutting him in the air.I threw myself into the air and grabbed him by the face,throwing him down again.When I came down,he was gone.I turned around and dodged a potential critical hit that could have given me a black eye.
"You think you're faster than me?"
"YEAH I DO."In a flash I went around Sosu and shot a light beam at him.Smoke erupted from his teared up cloak. He summoned a deadly mist,blinding me again so I couldn't see.I then got hit by smoke shurikins from a distance. He was circling me like a shark circling it's prey.
"Lucky…"He got away by the time the smoke cleared,there again,keeping his distance. We already fought with our hands twice,why not do it again?I wrapped a chain around his ankle and pulled him towards me,giving a hard jab to his jaw.
"What the…"My eyes widened.Sosu looked at me and cracked his jaw in place using his hand.
"Freaky right?"
"Yeah that does look-"He drop kicked my without hesitation.I got knocked to the floor looking helpless.
"IRAI YOU LET YOUR GUARD DOWN.DONT EVER DO THAT AGAIN WITH YOUR FUTURE OPPONENTS."
"Yes Sensei…"
"The winner is…NOBODY!"
"Huh?"The crowd shouted in confusion.Maku and Kimiko leaned in closer.
"ITS A TIE."Nobody said anything.Before it got too awkward, Sosu placed his hand out to help me up.
"Thanks."I said.
"Remember you would have a better chance if our dimensions were equal but…good fight.You've learned a lot since the magical forest."
A smile shone from me like the sun's ember.Maku,Kimiko and Celestial all came up to us. We were a five again.
"Why don't we eat now?I've got more things to explain before you two go."Celestial said.
We nodded in agreement and went back to the main area where Sosu and Celestial…lived. It was a neon coloured neighbourhood that looked aesthetically pleasing.
We stepped inside to a fresh linen flavour of air. It felt so marvellous.All scents of flowers bloomed in the open space of the room. We sat down while Celestial prepared something I couldn't see…
"That was…tiring."I grunted while my arms were in pain.
"You did good Irai I saw you clearly from afar!"Kimiko comforted.
"We should spend more time together sister when we get back to Earth."She smiled in response.
"Irai don't let your guard down next time because you got hit real hard due to that. If you ever fight Kraven or Red then DONT let your guard down.Especially with those two.They're an annoying bunch,it'd be a big problem if they worked together WHICH THEY DONT!"
"Speaking of them,I wonder what they're doing right now.I wonder what Aizakku or Yanagi are doing now."
"You'll find out soon when you get back to your planet Irai."
Celestial had served us the food.
"THAT WAS QUICK."
"I got it from a store I just had to warm it up."She placed down 5 bowls of purple tentacles.
"What the hell is this?"I questioned.
"Irai be respectful."Maku looked slightly disgusted after picking up the food but he put on a fake smile to be respectful.
"It's umm octopus legs coated in salt."I nodded slowly gritting my teeth.Sosu and Celestial already dug in.Maku pretended to like it and Kimiko took the tiniest bit I've ever seen.
"If you don't want it I'll have it."
"NO CELESTIAL ITS FINE!I'll eat it alright…"It was surprising tasty.
"Alright I think it's a good time to explain the thing I wanted to say earlier."Celestial placed her hand out.
"Give me the Secrets Of The World."
"Why do you need it?"
"Just give it please."I patted Maku on the shoulder.
"You have it right?"
"No I gave it to Kimiko."
"Here you go."
Sweat ran down my forehead.They had me worried for a second.I grabbed the book from her hand and gave it to Celestial.She kept flicking through the pages.She was looking for something really important.
"Page…108. It explains the moonstone's origins."
"WOAH."She handed the book to me.
"Have a look for yourself."
I haven't seen this page before for some reason.Maybe demon sorcerers just decode the book for us humans.Kimiko peered over to see the page.There was ancient writing that I mostly couldn't understand but there were a few sentences that were recognisable.There were also symbols of the moonstone and paragraphs explaining it's laws and power.
"Monko?"I questioned,desperately scratching my scalp.
"Monko's a mythical rock that spreads all around the universe. If you look closely it says there was a serpent who discovered it a few years before The War Of Fury."
I gasped.
"How many years?"
"The serpent kept it for 5 years before it some how landed on Earth.That means the moonstone has been around since 1640 which today that makes 28 years."
"That's a lot of information…how do you know how long she kept it for?"
"Historical facts.Books.Articales.Data based off what others have said,other serpents to be more specific.But it's good to keep that in mind before going back to earth."
After the dinner,we opened the portal using the purple moonstone.
"Well Sosu and Celestial,this is our final goodbye…"Some of us teared up.
"Thank you for being my student Irai."
"Thank you for being my Sensei Sosu."We hugged each other tightly.
"Celestial thanks for the support and information you've given us."
"No problem."Everybody hugged each other. We split the moonstones in half.
"Quick!The portal is closing!"Kimiko shouted before her voice distorting.She jumped in the portal,then Maku.Sosu turned around to say one final thing.
"TAKE THE STAIRS IN LIFE NOT THE ELEVATOR IRAI!"
"What?"He pointed in the distance showing a floating machine carrying a sorcerer inside.
"WHAT IS THAT?"
"An elevator.Something your generation won't experience!"
He started laughing.I made a slight smile although what he said about that machine was a bit…weird. It felt sudden.
I turned around and hopped into the shrinking portal.This was the last time I would see a demon sorcerer.I wiped my tears off my face.And just like that…we were back.
We were back on Earth.That trip felt so quick probably because time travels different in the demon sorcerer dimension compared to ours.
"I just realised we have a lot of mess to fix."Maku said in a depressing tone. He was right though.After the bloodmoon's aftermath things got bad in Japan.
"AIZAKKU!WHICH HOSPITAL IS HE AT AGAIN?"Kimiko reminded us about him.
"I KNOW."Maku went outside the palace to get our horses.
"Hop on my horse you two.There's not enough time to get the other horse."It galloped away following Maku's lead.