Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis ❯ INTERLUDE ONE: A Tale of A Time Passed ( Chapter 15 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

INTERLUDE ONE: A Tale of A Time Passed

A long, long time ago, there lived a great king, who ruled his kingdom with wisdom, kindness and justice. He was loved and admired by all of his subjects, both human and youkai, which is surprising because the King was himself a very powerful youkai. Unlike others of his race, he strongly believed that humans and youkai can live in peaceful coexistence, and his kingdom was evidence of this fact that it set a precedent among other neighboring kingdoms.

This King had a wife and son who were just as loved by everyone in the kingdom. His Queen was a beautiful woman, noted as a gifted healer and for her kindness and generosity to all races. His son, was a sweet young boy with long scarlet hair parted into three ponytails. Raised with the ideals of his parents, the Prince has earned the love and respect of his father's subjects. Even at such a young age, he had already successfully mediated in land disputes and village squabbles that he was expected by all to follow in his father's exalted footsteps.

All this was observed with joy by the King's adviser, a brave young Warrior who had stood beside the monarch in countless battles. Such good friends they were that this Warrior served as a second father to the Prince and, more importantly, he was privy to the secrets of the King.

One of those secrets, which was probably the greatest secret in all the kingdom, was that the King had a mystical gift. He possessed the ability to "see" gods. Because of this gift, the great monarch was all too aware of the penchant of the gods in Heaven to interfere with the peace and order of Earth and its inhabitants. Any being viewed to be a threat to Heaven was summarily dispatched. On many instances, the King and the Warrior had been forced to intervene, something which displeased the gods immensely. But the King swore to himself that for as long as the fickle deities in Heaven continued to meddle in the affairs of Earth, he shall protect every living being against the intervention of the self-professed divine.

This sworn oath was seen as an act of defiance against Heaven, and the gods were determined to destroy the King for his audacity.

One day, a god descended from Heaven with conciliatory gifts for the King -- a beautiful youkai woman with pale skin and a scrawny, unkempt man in a white coat who was said to be a scientist. The man was sent to serve him in a scientific capacity, such as helping in the development of sturdy crops and other matters that would help improve the lives of the people in the kingdom. As for the woman, she was intended to be a lady-in-waiting to the Queen.

Not wishing to be rude to the god, the King accepted the gifts, although it was obvious right from the beginning that he was smitten by the youkai female's beauty. The Queen and the Prince harbored suspicions, but they chose to keep their silence, fearful of displeasing the god, and resigned themselves to accepting these new members of the Royal Staff. Only the Warrior remained distrustful of the newcomers, determined to keep a close eye on them, for he knew from experience that he should be wary of gods and the gifts they bring.

Time quietly passed by in the kingdom. The youkai woman diligently served her Royal Mistress, gaining the Queen's trust. Upon the recommendation of the King's Chief Scientist, a massive laboratory was constructed in the bowels underneath the castle to allow him to experiment on projects that would prove to be of benefit to the people in the long run. The King was pleased by all these developments, and he was eager to see what scientific breakthroughs would arise from the lab.

But the Warrior could not be fooled by these seemingly devoted acts of servitude. He found it very suspicious that only the scientist and his two assistants -- an ill-tempered young woman and a strange mustached man with holes in his head -- were the only ones permitted to enter the laboratory. They, and of course, the Queen's lady-in-waiting. All the workers who had helped in building the lab had lost all memory of what they had seen inside. There were also distressing news of mysterious disappearances in the town and nearby villages. Somehow, the Warrior suspected this had something to do with the mysterious lab. Whatever was hidden inside that laboratory, the Warrior knew that it boded ill for the Royal Family and the kingdom.

Unfortunately, because of his other duties, the Warrior could not be on constant vigilance. One day, when he and the Prince were called upon to quell a disturbance in a border town, the scientist approached the King and Queen about a significant breakthrough he had made in his laboratory and was very eager to show it to them. And only to them.

"Please come, my Lord and Lady, and see," the scientist urged them. "The greatest secret of our kingdom."

Ever trusting, the two monarchs went with the scientist. As they entered the laboratory, the massive iron doors closed behind them.

That evening, when the Prince and the Warrior returned from their mission, they were shocked by the news that greeted them. Sitting on his great throne, the King announced his official separation from the Queen, who had left the castle earlier and returned to her homeland. In her place, he had installed the youkai woman to be his new Queen. The scientist, on the other hand, was appointed to be his new adviser.

The Prince was outraged by this announcement. As he angrily voiced out his dissension, the unexpected happened. The King stood up from his throne, strode down the dais, and struck his son fiercely in the face. The Warrior caught the shocked boy before he could fall to the floor. As they stared at the monarch in stunned silence, the King ordered that the Prince and the Warrior be banished from the kingdom. But his new wife begged that they be pardoned, especially the Prince, who was his only son. The Prince did not want to accept any favors from this fiendish woman who had stolen his mother's place in his father's heart, but the Warrior advised him not to, and accepted the pardon. Leaving the throne room, the Warrior told the Prince that he believed that the Queen was being held prisoner somewhere inside the castle. If they stayed, they could find her and free her, and perhaps they could also free the King from the evil spell that had seized him. Worried about his beloved mother, the Prince agreed with the Warrior's advice.

Overnight, life in the kingdom became a living hell. Youkai returned to their feral state and attacked the poor defenseless humans. The chaos even extended to the neighboring kingdoms, as though a plague of madness and carnage had been let lose upon the Earth.

Within the castle walls, the Prince and the Warrior were helpless witnesses to the depravities of the King's Mistress (for they could not find it in their hearts to call her "Queen") and the Chief Scientist as they corrupted the King with their evil ways. Gone was the monarch they loved and admired, replaced by a beast who reveled in the blood of foe and innocent alike. He was also a monster with an insatiable lust that could only be quenched in the bed of his Mistress. Unknown to him, the evil woman did not find the King to be a satisfactory lover. The Prince had told the Warrior that he had heard the erotic noises of the Mistress and the Chief Scientist inside her chamber, and it disgusted him.

However, nothing could compare to the travesty that the Warrior had witnessed one night in the dining chamber. As the King and his Mistress were feasting, two guards brought in a trembling human child who was found scrounging for scraps in the castle kitchen.

"What a tender morsel he is," the Warrior, who had just finished serving wine to his King, heard the woman mumble as he was heading back to the kitchen.

A curious comment it was, the Warrior thought...until the Mistress ordered the child gutted. The screams of the boy as the guards drove their swords into his chest and belly would forever be etched in his memory. But the most horrible scene had yet to follow. Wide-eyed, the Warrior watched as the warm body of the child was laid on the table before the Mistress. With sharp nails extended, she drove her hand into the body, tore off a hunk of flesh and devoured it with gusto. The Warrior was shocked, slapping his hands to his mouth to stop himself from retching. To his horror, he watched as the woman removed the child's heart and offered it to the King.

"Eat, my Lord!" the Mistress enticed her husband. "Try the succulent flesh of a human!"

"No, my King!" the Warrior screamed under his palms. "Don't do it! You're not an animal like her!"

For a moment, he thought that the King would take the heart and put it inside his mouth. Then, just briefly, lucidity and disgust shone in the monarch's eyes. Standing, he slapped the heart out of his Mistress' hand, and without saying a word, left the dining hall.

Could it be possible? the Warrior thought frantically as hope sparked inside his heart. Could he still be saved?

When he returned to his bedchamber, the Warrior found the Prince waiting for him inside. The poor boy was disheartened by the change in his father, and more so, that he still could not find his beloved mother. It was obvious that the Queen was inside the laboratory, but he could not get in unless invited by the Chief Scientist. Remembering the incident in the dining hall, the Warrior told the Prince not to lose hope. He firmly believed that the King could still be redeemed.

But the Prince shook his head in despair. "I wish I could be sure of that." He then offered a suggestion. "What if I tell Father what that woman is doing behind his back? Perhaps he'll change if he knows..."

"Do not do anything, my Prince," the Warrior sternly warned him. "Let me take care of this. I will try to catch the King alone, so that I could speak lengthily with him. Maybe if I could get him away from that woman for a few minutes. I might make him see reason."

However, the Warrior underestimated the desperation of a boy in search of his beloved mother. Unknown to him, the Prince approached his father not only to inform him of his Mistress' infidelity, but to beg him to order the return of his beloved mother. As the boy prostrated himself at his father's feet, he did not notice the initial flash of anger in the King's eyes at that shocking revelation. Neither did he notice the way the King looked him over from head to toe.

"Do you want to know where your mother is?" the King asked the Prince. "Come with me and I'll show you where she is. Perhaps I'll even show you the greatest secret of our kingdom."

The prospect of seeing his mother again elated the Prince. Trusting his father, he followed the King down dark staircases and rumbling elevators, heading to the bowels of the castle.

Meanwhile, the Warrior, discovering the Prince was not in his bedroom, hurried to the place where he knew the King would take him -- the dreaded laboratory. Just as the doors of the elevator opened, the first thing he heard was the horrified scream of the Prince. As he turned in that direction, he saw that, for once, one of the metal doors was open. Running towards that chamber, his heart pounded like a hammer in his breast, hearing the Prince begging for his father to stop. Swiftly entering that chamber, he saw the boy, with clothes torn, struggling in the lustful embrace of his father. So shocked was the Warrior that, at first, he did not know what to do. Then, the Prince somehow managed to break free from the King's hold and rushed towards a stone pillar, wrapping his arms tightly around it.

With tears streaming down his cheeks, the Prince was screaming, "Don't let him hurt me, Mother! Please don't let him hurt me!"

Hearing that entreaty, the Warrior found himself training his eyes up that stone pillar, and a gasp escaped his throat, for trapped inside that pillar, transformed into stone, was the Queen!

Seeing the mad King advancing upon his son, the Warrior immediately placed himself between them.

"My Lord, spare your son! Do not do this to him!" he cried. "Take me instead! Let me take his place!"

For a moment, anger flared up in the King's eye at the audacity of the Warrior to get between him and the boy he desired. But then, the monarch got a very good look at the brave soldier. Unlike the other men at arms, the Warrior was lithe of build, like a dancer, and he had a beautiful face with expressive lavender eyes crowned with a long flowing veil of golden silk.

The Warrior knew that his lord's focus of interest had changed when the King's boring gaze shifted to him, and a lecherous grin curled up the corners of his lips. He raised his right hand in offering, and the King seized it. Turning on his heels, he dragged his poor friend back up to the castle proper and into his chamber, where he unceremoniously tossed the Warrior into his bed.

What followed next was a brutal tableaux of desire as friend forced himself upon a friend. Although chaste, it never entered the Warrior's mind to defend his honor. As the King took him, he even enfolded the monarch in a loving embrace.

With tears pouring from his eyes, the Warrior whispered again and again, "Onegai, my friend! Come back to us! We need you so much!" So pure and great was his wish that the Warrior was unaware that their joined bodies were awash with an aura of gold.

It was dawn when the Warrior awakened, his whole body screaming in pain. But all his aches were forgotten as he lifted his gaze to the remorseful face looking down at him with the light of sanity returned in his dark eyes.

"Is it possible?" the Warrior sobbed, caressing that ruggedly handsome face. "My Lord, have you returned to us at last?"

The King, however, answered in sorrow, "You helped bring me back to myself, but this is only temporary. What they did to my mind cannot easily be undone. I fell right into their trap, and I was powerless to save my beloved wife. What I almost did to my son...what I just did to you...." He pressed his right hand to his face as he began to weep. "There is no forgiveness for me."

"That is not true, my lord," the Warrior argued. "We know that you are under an evil spell. We understand. That is why your son and I have been trying to find ways to free you and the Queen from it."

What the King said next disheartened the Warrior. "There is nothing you can do. This is Heaven's curse, and only a god from Heaven can break the curse. I doubt it very much if God himself knows what's going on right under his nose. What he will see is the evil that I have committed upon this Earth and its inhabitants, and very soon, I expect him to send his Toushin Taishi to destroy me."

The Warrior was stunned by the King's words. Before he could speak that he would defend his friend with his life, the monarch raised a halting hand.

"I don't have much time before the madness seizes me again." From within his dresser drawer, he took out two items that once belonged to his beloved wife -- a pair of triangle earrings and the sunstone necklace. About the earrings, he said, "Give these to my son. Tell him, that no matter how long it takes, he should not give up in finding a way to free his mother." The King, surprisingly, placed the necklace around the Warrior's neck. The Warrior knew that the Queen had used the sunstone as a focus for her Healing Gift. As if in answer to the question inside his mind, the King continued, "My beloved wife once told me that you also possessed the Healing Gift. She also revealed to me that you have the same Gift of Sight as I. Both Gifts are very strong, although they lie dormant inside you. The sunstone shall awaken these Gifts. My friend, I ask that you be the healing hand of our wounded race. Use the Sight to discern the Real from the Unreal, for it is the Unreal that poses the greatest threat to us all."

"My Lord," the Warrior asked, "this is very confusing to me. Real? Unreal? I do not understand."

"You will, once your Sight is awakened to its full strength. Sadly, my Gift is not as strong as yours. I was blinded to the truth. It is this that has protected you and my son from the evil that is consuming the kingdom. The blindness that has afflicted me will not happen to you." The King caught the Warrior's hands in a tight grip. "I entrust my son and our people to you, my friend. Await the return of He who is our Savior and Creator."

"You are talking about the God Child. But He is just a myth!"

The King, however, simply said, "My friend, believe. The God Child and His friends will come to set things right. If we cannot believe in that, what more can we hope for? Now, I want you to go, before I do more unspeakable things to you."

The Warrior shook his head. "No, my friend. Let me serve you in this capacity for as long as you need the healing comfort of my Gift. It will be my greatest joy to do so, not just as your subject, but as your best friend."

And the brave Warrior did as he swore he would do, restoring the King's sanity even for brief moments when they are alone together in the bedchamber. During one of those lucid periods, the grieving monarch asked for and was given forgiveness by his beloved son. It was the King himself who even placed the earrings on his son's ears.

It was the use of the Gift of Sight that terrified the Warrior. With his eyes released from its physical blinders, he could now see the ugly picture of the evil that had seized the castle. The entire kingdom was surrounded by sickly green and black waves of energy. It was this that was causing the madness among the people. Within the castle, gods, in the guise of human or youkai, walked the hallways freely, plotting evil things against Heaven and Earth.

But what horrified the Warrior the most were the creatures that the King called the "Unreal". From what he could see, two types resided within the castle walls. The first type were beings that were once human or youkai, but given unnatural modifications, such as sharp blades that protruded out of their limbs. These unfortunates, the Warrior realized, were the same people who had disappeared, now the products of the fiendish experiments that had been conducted in the bowels of the laboratory. The second type of Unreal were original constructs, creatures wreaking of malevolence and great power. The Prince had seen one such monstrosity when his father had brought him down to the lab, a shadow creature with flailing appendages. But some of these constructs were in human or youkai form, which could only be distinguished by the dark aura surrounding them. Like the King's Mistress.

In the face of this great evil, the Warrior could only do very little, using sexual healing to disperse, albeit temporarily, the fog of madness that had gripped his King's mind. He knew, however, that there will come a time when his Healing Gift will no longer work. Great was the dark energy that had seized the kingdom and his King.

That time, however, never came to pass.

It was a moonless night. The Warrior lifted his sleepy head from the pillow to find his King looking outside the window.

Before he could ask what was wrong, the King simply said in visible relief, "He is here."

Just as he said this, there was a deafening explosion that shook the foundation of the castle. Thinking they were being attacked by a neighboring kingdom, the Warrior swiftly leaped out of bed and got dressed. Going to the window, what he did not expect to see was Heaven's Army surrounding the castle. At the fore of this formidable army was a small, but determined figure, walking towards the ruined door. Curiously, none of the gods followed.

The Warrior was about to reach for his sword when the King seized his wrist, shaking his head. "This is my fight. Take my son away from this forsaken place, my friend." He then strode outside the chamber without saying another word.

Obeying his King's command, the Warrior hurried to the laboratory chamber where he knew he would find the Prince. However, he was crestfallen by the Prince's reply.

"I will not leave my family and my home," the Prince told him firmly. "I will stay here."

"But the Toushin Taishi..."

"No matter what happens, I will stay. My parents need me here." The Prince's eyes softened. "You do what you can for our people out there."

The Warrior could not hide his dismay, but a reassuring smile formed on that young, handsome face.

"I'll be fine. Onegai. I have one last favor to ask of you. Seal me in this chamber together with my mother. Grant me blessed sleep, until I could be awakened at a time when I could save those I love."

It was a request that the Warrior could not deny. He knew that in the Prince's current physical state, he lacked the strength to wield magic as effectively as his father. With a single nod, the Warrior conjured up ribbons of golden and silver light that wrapped the Prince up in its coils, lifting him to the ceiling, close to his beloved mother who was imprisoned in stone. A tear fell from the Warrior's eye as he watched the Prince cup his mother's face and give her a tender kiss. As his fingers caressed that cold cheek, the magic surrounded him completely. In a few minutes, a sparkling cocoon of gold and silver was suspended high up in the ceiling, a beautiful cradle for the noble Prince sleeping within.

The Prince's request fulfilled, the Warrior made his way back up to the castle, hoping to save his King. As he ran up staircases and through several hallways, it saddened him to see the many youkai bodies lying in his path. A tragic waste of life. Looking at those bodies one by one, he realized that there was no sign of the King's Mistress or his Chief Scientist and his assistants. Cowards, the Warrior thought in disgust. That's what they all were.

As he barged through the doors of the Throne Room were the battle was taking place, the first thing that caught the Warrior's attention were the King's startling words.

"YOU ARE NOT REAL!"

This was followed by angry cries of "Urusai! Urusai! URUSAI!"

The Warrior gaped in shock as a small boy, probably not more than ten-years old, dressed in bloodied, flowing white robes, hurled a huge spear at the King, who had assumed the form of giant. The sharp point pierced that small spot between the monarch's eyes.

"Iie!" the Warrior screamed in horror as his beloved King and friend fell to the floor with a crash. Enraged by the sight of that still form, tears streaming down his face, he lifted his sword to the child that was the Toushin Taishi...only to gasp at what the Sight revealed to him.

Like the King's Mistress, like the constructs roaming the castle, the Toushin was an Unreal!

Tear-filled eyes of gold met his own lavender orbs, and the plaintive cry of a hurting child tugged at his heart.

"He's lying!" the Toushin Taishi sobbed, gripping his wounded right arm. "I'm real! I'M REAL!"

Anger over the loss of his best friend made it difficult for the Warrior to soothe the pain of the child. But comfort came, nonetheless, in the form of a giant hand that enfolded that deceptively frail form.

With eyes filled with understanding and guilt, the King said, "I beg your forgiveness, little one. When I first saw you, you possessed the same dark aura as the beings who have ruined our lives. But I was wrong. If you are capable of weeping, if you are capable of feeling pain, then you have a heart. You are not like them at all."

The Toushin approached the King. "I'm sorry too. I was only following orders. If I had only known..." Saying this, he gripped the shaft of the spear and yanked it out of the King's head. Looking at the Warrior, he begged, "Please heal him!"

The Warrior hastened to his friend's side and sealed the wound. "This is all I can do," he said in despair. "It is beyond my power to heal the damage to his mind. If only I could do more..."

"You did everything you could, my friend. I will not ask for anything more. I will wait here for He who can save us all." The King then told the Toushin, "Do not forget the things you have witnessed here tonight. I've learned a bitter lesson, and at the cost of my family and my dearest friend. I was blinded by the glamor of the Unreal. I allowed myself to be manipulated by an unknown, but evil power that threatens to destroy all existence. I am a victim of this being...as are you, little one."

"What must I do?" the Toushin asked in desperation. "What must I do to make amends?"

"Heed my advice. See not with your eyes, but with your heart. Believe only in those whom your heart trusts." The King's dark eyes narrowed, as though his sharp gaze were piercing the depths of the Toushin's soul. "Do not allow yourself to be fooled by those who claim to have your best interests at heart. The kind heart that you possess is the only thing that is keeping you from becoming one of them. Trust in its power."

A smile went up the lips of the Toushin Taishi. Bowing to the King and the Warrior, he vanished in the blink of an eye.

The King then turned towards the Warrior. "My friend, you know what to do."

With tears welling up in his eyes, the Warrior nodded. In a second, he stood outside the castle. Raising his hands above his head, he proceeded to erect a magical barrier around the castle, hoping to contain the wave of dark energy emanating from it. But his powers were too weak.

Then, from out of nowhere, a female voice offered, "Let me give you a hand."

Sparkling golden lights rained down upon him, giving him the added strength to complete the task. When the shield was finally raised, the Warrior beheld the beautiful Goddess of Mercy standing at his side.

"Is this how it's supposed to end, Goddess?" the Warrior asked her, unable to hide his bitterness and disappointment.

"Oh, but this fairy tale is far from over!"the Goddess exclaimed. "This story still has a long, long way to go!" She laid a graceful hand on her slim waist, sashayed her hips oh so slightly, and granted him a teasing wink. "Our heroes have yet to make their grand entrance, you know."

The Warrior sighed as he gazed in sorrow at the castle. "Can you at least tell me how long do I have to wait?"

The Goddess waved a hand flippantly. "Believe me, you'll be too busy in a faraway land to notice how quickly time flies. Time is supposed to move so fast when you're having fun."

"That does not sound encouraging," the Warrior snorted. "Sounds to me like I have a long, boring wait ahead of me. Waiting for an unknown future and worrying about the fates of the loved ones I'll be leaving behind."

Brushing her long hair back, the Goddess walked in the direction of the rising sun, her shadow that of a phoenix with wings outstretched, ready to take flight. Her last words to the Warrior was like a flame that sparked precious hope inside his despondent heart.

"Ah, but a wait, no matter how long or short, encourages patience and, if your heart is strong, faith that things will turn out right in the end. Faith and hope never go unrewarded. Before long, salvation will fall at your doorstep. And that you can be sure of."

TO BE CONTINUED