Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ The council of clow ❯ Past work 2 ( Chapter 4 )

Past work 2
Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK
Present day

Eli: It is ironic that Sakura did a similar thing when she converted 6 clow cards at once. If only she knew how foolish I was.

Layla: Who said you were foolish?

Eli: No-one, but when I came back here, the guilt settled in. I knew how much I endangered Sakura with my foolish action and every day I keep regretting it. This is why I called for discipline within the candidate. To prevent the problem happing again.

Layla: But Minko is different to Sakura. Minko was not part of the dynasty, while there is a small trace of the Clow dynasty within Sakura.

Eli: You are not part of the dynasty yet I took you on board.

Layla: Perhaps, but Sakura has a heart and looked after her team and the clow cards with great interest. Minko was only in it for its powers.

Eli: The heart... it is something I still don't understand. It's like, that my “game” with her was a life or death situation. That I was endangering her life, but I had to... it was my duty to test her.

Layla: And why did you test her?

Eli: The resolution I passed demanded it. You know the resolution; you and I knew what had to be done.

Immediately he pulls out a sheet of paper. On it was a parchment containing the resolution:

In order for the next candidate to follow the legacy of our dynasty, and to prevent the fateful incident in South Korea. The following steps must take place as soon as the candidate is chosen:

One member should "accompany" the candidate half way through the sealing process, cryptically helping her towards the final judgement and offering a second chance if called for.

Following the sealing of all cards and final judgement the candidate will have completed the basic training. Advanced training will then follow.

Advance training will rely on Eli to secretly test the candidate in a number of scenarios. The primary aim is for the candidates to switch from the loaned mana source Clow Reed left to hisher own mana source. This might be difficult at first, since the candidate's body will not be able to cope at first but please give perseverance.

Eli will have the ability to abort all but the final test (which is a all or nothing test).

Upon completion of the advanced training, the candidate is official considered the cardcaptor.

Eli: Now you see why Sakura needed to be strong in sprit and mind. I may have already planned on selecting her as the candidate, firstly by creating her staff to suit her, then by Kero to train her and Yue to test her. Knowing full well that Sakura would never hurt Yue, I had to entrust someone to carry and use the moon bell to ensure that she prevailed. That was your job, but mine was to fully test her when the time was right. That is why I ensured I never aged.

Layla: But if you pushed her to the point of killing her...

Eli: Yue would have already put her into limbo if she failed... that is why I was not afraid when testing her. Besides, she needs to know that the duty of any fighter of the light... will be in situations where heshe may perish either due to failure of the task in hand... or in sacrifice to others.

Layla: This is why you set yourself as an opposite.

Eli: Indeed... to her, it was life or death, fighting an unknown enemy with hostile intent. To me... it like a game of chess, only I was handicapped... even in places where I thought I was strong.

Layla: But what was the “pieces” as you called them?

Eli: The white pieces would be the candidate and her friends, who will fight the unknown forces, which I play. They are Sakura, Li, Madison, Meiling, Kero and Yue.

Layla: But Meiling was only in Japan for 3 days when you were there.

Eli: True, but if Sakura failed the final test it would have been checkmate, and I would have won, Meiling would not have survived regardless of where she was.

Eli: If I can continue... The black pieces would be the enemy, me and my newest creations Spinner and Ruby. These would be opposites of Kero and Yue to show a “dark” version of them. My role would be to play the role of the “villain” and test Sakura under numerous scenarios. Scenarios that would involve petty situations, scenarios that would involve rescues, scenarios that would involve facing someone with a warped sense of humour...

Layla: Which you seem to like.

Eli: Yes my humour did cause a few problems but it was beside the point. Where was I... oh yes... scenarios that would involve hidden enemies, scenarios that would mean sacrificing to defend others, even scenarios where apocalyptic situations arise, And all to fit three purposes.

Eli: One, to transform the cards into the cardcaptor's own image. Two, to switch the power source of those cards into cardcaptor's own. And lastly, to test the cardcaptor in every situation imaginable.

Layla: And you have succeeded in doing so.

Eli: But at what cost, Layla? At what cost?