Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Ravenous: Dragon's Tear Prequel ❯ Part I ( Chapter 1 )

Ravenous

Prequel to Dragon's Tear
Part I

 

The winds were faint, barely pressing against the dark green blades of grass that sprouted from the ground. The sun was in full view over the mountains to the east, with faint clouds tracing the skyline. The scent of fresh rain from the previous night was still lingering. The city of Charity rested on the western shoreline and acted as one of the main ports of the large continent. Fish vendors set up market along the docks, while merchants pushed their carts along the dirt paths that ran throughout the city. Buildings shot up to four stories at the highest, whose owners consisted of either businessmen or rich folk. Near the water's edge sat one of the few schools within the city, with a large field in the back that sat atop a cliff and overlooked the ocean. At the cliff's edge stood a feminine figure.

 

Long strands of sea and pine green danced wildly against the winds that pushed against the coastline. Cyan colored hues focused from the horizon down to the waves crashing against the rocks below. The woman was dressed in layers of cloth that seemed fit for a Goddess. The most outer layer held a loosely fitted, forest green cloak that draped over her shoulders and hovered centimeters above the ground. Beneath were layers of faded green cloth that tied from around her neck, crossed over her chest, and rested at the arch of her back. From her waist fell the same material, mid thigh on her left side and down mid calf on her right. The women adjusted a few bangs from her field of vision and tucked them behind her ear while taking in the scenery before her.

 

“High Priestess Celene,” a voice carried itself along the winds to the ears of the slender woman. Celene brushed a few more strands of hair aside as her head turned to view a well dressed man approaching her from the school. The woman smiled as her peach colored arms dropped behind her back. “The village elders have been awaiting your arrival.”

 

The young sorceress nodded her head, smile still upon her features, before returning her eyes to the ocean. As several minutes passed, the man hesitated a moment before speaking up once more.

 

“They have been rather patient, High Priestess,” the man added. Still, the long haired woman stood, bare feet unmoving against the grass. Another minute of silence passed before his lips parted once again. He was silenced in an instant when the long, slender arm of the sorceress rose, as if sensing the exact moment when he was to speak. The man wisely held his tongue, and the woman slowly lowered her arm. He then bowed his head respectfully before returning to the school's back entrance. The winds were starting to calm around her and her hair fell gently against her back. Celene let out a breath and lowered her head.

 

 

**********

 

 

Her elbow was perched upon the student desk and her eyes unable to peer themselves way from the view of the ocean from the window. Her expression was that of any student her age; of complete and utter boredom. Short ebony strands found their way over her eyes, but a quick exhale of air brushed them out of the way. Her hair was messily kept, brushed only by the pillow she slept on. She always commented that she had a different hairstyle everyday, and it only differed depending on how she slept. Small hands reached up to the back of her scalp to scratch the back of her head, and the hand that covered her mouth as she yawned returned to its position on the desk, propping her chin up. Scarlet hues stared at the reflection in the window; bored. She was far too bored. She was also extremely tired, but that wasn't anything new. She was always tired, which probably sprang from her ability to become lazier than a sloth. She heard the voice of the teacher continuing his or her lecture on the Goddess of their planet. Hell, she wasn't even paying enough attention to know which teacher was in the room now. However, when a piece of chalk was harshly embedded into her forehead, she knew who to assume.

 

“Sakamoto, Karasu!”

 

The stinging sensation from the heavy hit of such a small object was beyond comprehensive. As the piece of chalk fell onto the desk, Karasu opened those crimson hues to find the fierce, violet eyes glaring at her from the front. Kumori Kawa; demonic arts teacher, as well as the youngest apprentice of the legendary ninja Sakamoto Kaisho; Karasu's grandfather. The young teen knew her all too well. The Sakamoto bloodline was well known for its ability of control over the dark elements, and Kumori learned from the Master. She was a tall woman with a slim figure. Legs so long, they could probably kick her right off her chair, despite being the furthest desk back. She had a deadly accuracy that could kill a fly from across the ocean. When those violet hues expressed anger or annoyance, Karasu always knew it was best to avoid the glare. The woman held a book in one hand while tossing another piece of chalk up in the air, catching it and repeating the process in the other. Karasu felt her throat closing, quickly straightened her back, and lifted the opened book on her desk up.

 

“Sorry…” she timidly announced her attention and focus, despite being caught day dreaming again. Laughter filled the room from the other students and Karasu felt herself sinking into the chair.

 

“See me after class,” the woman's tone was as deadly as her glare. Karasu lost her voice and simply nodded her head, hiding her red cheeks with her book. Kawa then got the attention of the class and continued her explanation of the Goddess of the Sea, Siren, and her hybrid daughter, Celene, the High Priestess of Charity. They say that the voice of Siren could entrance even a Planetary Guardian.

 

“The High Priestess of Charity will be leading the summoning tomorrow,” Kumori continued on. “As you all know from your Ancient Rituals class, the Siren's Call is a ritual that occurs every three hundred years. It was started by our Demi-Guardian, Gemini, the younger sister of Scorpio, our Planetary Guardian.”

 

Guardians, Gods, Goddesses; Karasu often found herself confused by all the celestial beings. Her eyes traveled from her teacher to the chart upon the wall next to the front window. There was a picture of Gaia, their home planet, as well as its five neighboring planets within their sector of the Galaxy. There were five galaxies all together, set up in a cross-like manner; the Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Central Galaxy. Karasu couldn't name any of the planets outside of their Northern Galaxy; a feat that someone three grades below her could easily accomplish. Having knowledge of just how big the entire universe really was made you feel insignificant. To the right of that chart sat the ranks of spiritual deities, or Guardians. At the very bottom were the Gaians, the humans of her planet. Above that were the Demi-Gods, or hybrids, beings that were half human and half God. The High Priestess of Charity, Celene, was a Demi-God. Daughter of Siren and a human, her voice is only used during the spiritual calling, which was what her teacher was talking about. Beyond that, there were the Gods and Goddesses of Gaia. There was a deity for the elements of the planet; rock, water, air, and fire, a deity for the four seasons, a deity for just about anything. Karasu was always at a loss. She was only thirteen, how was she supposed to keep all this information in her head?

 

Beyond the picture of the deities lay two figures, the Guardians of the Planet. The two figures often took on different forms. They were entire planetary souls. When they took on the form of a human every so many hundreds or thousands of years, their appearance changed along with time. Currently, they held an older, male Guardian, who acted as the planet's sword. The younger, female Guardian acted as the planet's shield. Scorpio was Gaia's sword and older Planetary Guardian. His younger sister, as Karasu always pointed out, since it made sense to her, was called Gemini. Beyond that, there were planets that had similar spiritual ranking systems, as well as a single spiritual being over looking each galaxy known as a Galactic Guardian. Again, the names of which left her, a feat that someone in her class rank should be able to perform.

 

*Smack!*

 

Karasu rubbed her temple as another piece of chalk nearly took out the side of her head. She winced at the newly added bump and quickly turned her eyes to a rather annoyed Kumori. Karasu could imagine the flames of the Underworld surrounding her teacher. Again, the immaturity of the class was revealed in childish laughter. Kumori quickly gathered her class' attention a second time.

 

“Since this will be a very historical day, there will be no classes for the following week,” Kumori announced. “I have the list from your parents of those students who will be staying with the school over the break and those that will be heading home.”

 

The city of Charity was well known for its schooling. It held a school for a variety of fields; magic, science, mathematics, medicine, spiritual deities, and alchemy, and so forth. Karasu was unfortunately stuck in the wonderfully boring study of Alchemy. Sure, it was pretty cool that she could turn water into wine, but what good was that little party trick if she wasn't old enough to drink? Of course, that's not really what the class taught. If it was, she wouldn't be as bored as she was now.

 

“Class dismissed,” Kumori finally said with a nod of her head. The thirteen and fourteen year old students quickly rushed from their desks to the doors. Karasu packed her things slowly, eyes avoiding the front. She knew Kumori was staring her down, waiting for her to approach her desk. So, she took her time packing her things up, and slowed her walk toward the desk to a sloth's pace.

 

“Miss Sakamoto,” Kumori started out.

 

“Miss Kumori,” Karasu unwillingly replied. Sometimes, her mind just acted on its own accord. She had no control of it, it wasn't her fault. She felt the glare hardening on her and she wisely kept her mouth shut.

 

“Are you doing alright?” The tone was most certainly unexpected, but Karasu should have guessed it. Nearly half the students of the schools were from different parts of the continent, so special housing was set up for all of the students. Some had two homes within the city while others took vacations to visit their families. Karasu was the granddaughter of the legendary ninja, Sakamoto Kaisho. His only son, and Karasu's father, was Shiro, a man who had died during the War of Flames ten years ago. Karasu barely remembered her father's face, and her mother died while giving birth to her. Her grandfather had raised her most of her life. She loved him dearly. Despite his desire for his granddaughter to become a great ninja, her Alchemic abilities were recognized and she was sent to the School of Alchemy in Charity at the age of seven. For the past six years, she had lived in Charity. Her grandfather would often visit her, but lately, due to his illness, the visits had become rare. Her grandfather was on his death bed now, nearing eighty years of age. She had no siblings whatsoever. Kumori was really the only person looking after her.

 

“Karasu,” Kumori again attempted to wake the teen from her thoughts. Karasu shook her head and smiled apologetically.

 

“Sorry,” she said as though she were embarrassed. “I haven't really been sleeping all that much.”

 

Kumori's expression always shifted when the rest of the students were out of visual range. She was well respected by Kaisho and was asked to personally look over Karasu after his passing. Still, as a teacher, she couldn't express any sort of favoritism over students. Most students knew of Karasu's situation, as well as the entire school board.

 

“When was the last time you visited Sensei Sakamoto?” Kumori asked. Karasu shook her head, avoiding eye contact.

 

“If I wanted someone to talk to, I'd go talk to a counselor,” Karasu said as she tried to mask her expression. “I know… I know what you're trying to do, but please. I'm just tired, that's all. I probably have a cold or something. I'll go visit the clinic just to be sure, okay?”

 

Despite her immature attitude most of the time, Karasu was well acquainted with taking care of herself. Before her Alchemic abilities were discovered, her grandfather worked hard to produce a ninja that could measure up to the Sakamoto bloodline. Sure, she was trained in the arts until she was six, and even after she developed her Alchemic abilities, her grandfather would constantly remind her of the ninja way, but… well, she didn't know. She just wanted to live life. She didn't want to worry about all these Gods and Goddesses, she just wanted to go out, lie on the grass, and enjoy the brightest star's rays upon her face. Now, she felt like she was constantly being monitored. The spontaneous acts of child abuse from her grandfather's youngest pupil were sort of refreshing in a way; almost comical. It made her feel like she had an annoying older sister. Still, older sisters had a tendency of being over protective.

 

“I have to meet with the rest of the faculty,” Kumori said. “I'll be back later tonight, though. I'll have Rhea leave out dinner for you.”

 

Kumori, though still young, had stopped her training with Kaisho in order to watch more closely over Karasu. The young, dark haired girl nodded her head and headed toward the door.

 

 

**********

 

 

Celene stood before nine village elders within the Cathedral located within the center of the city. The silence was thick since the Demi-Goddess had walked in. Celene studied the blank expressions of the village elders, all of whom wore heavy brown cloaks, before forcing her attention upon the man standing in the center.

 

“High Priestess Celene,” the man at the center announced as he stepped forward. “As you know, the Siren's Call has been a ritual ever since the departure of our Planetary Guardian Scorpio. The ritual was started by our Planetary Guardian, Gemini, to call the older spirit back to the planet. However, almost a millennium has passed and we have yet to see the return of our Guardian.”

 

“We believe it is time to reawaken Gemini,” the man to his left said as the others behind him nodded in agreement. “The spiritual and magical energy surrounding our planet has weakened greatly over the passed hundred years. If our planet's energy continued to decrease, Gaia will meet its end.”

 

“But forcefully awakening Gemini could result in disaster,” a feminine voice called out from the entrance of the cathedral. Standing within the faded light's frame was Kawa Kumori. The tall woman made haste as she took her place five steps behind the Demi-Goddess. She knelt down and bowed her head respectively. “I am sorry for my tardiness, High Priestess.”

 

When Kumori turned her gaze upward, she noticed Celene was smiling innocently at her. Kumori almost wanted to laugh. Ever since she had been chosen to become the High Priestess' voice, she had found the woman to be quite the pleasant company, despite her inability to communicate through words. Telepathically, Kumori was able to hear the words Celene wished to speak. As such, she spoke on behalf of the Demi-Goddess. Celene nodded her head, accepting the apology, and waved her hand for the woman to stand.

 

“So then, shall we continue the ritual that has resulted in nothing over the passed hundred years, while our planet slowly decays?” The center elder asked harshly as he raised his hands before him. “Our planet requires two Spiritual Guardians in order to maintain balance. Without that balance, our world will fall into chaos.”

 

“To prevent that, we must reawaken Gemini!” The village elder to the center's right stepped forward now, while the others quietly voiced their agreement. Planetary Guardians were spiritual entities that normally remained asleep within the planet. When an awakening occurred, it normally meant the changing of a Planetary Guardian. Gemini had been awakened once when Scorpio departed from Gaia. The reasons behind it had become mixed with myths and legends, but the basic outlined stated that Scorpio had been chosen to venture out to the edges of the Northern Galaxy to conduct some sort of research on something. What the elders were asking to do was awaken Gemini in order to reproduce a second Planetary Guardian.

 

“Think about what you're saying,” Kumori quickly announced, sensing the thoughts within Celene and allowing her voice to almost become completely taken over by the High Priestess. Celene's facial expression matched the tone of the violet haired woman. “To awaken Gemini before her normal awakening state could result in catastrophic repercussions from the planet.”

 

“So you're saying to wait another six hundred years for our Guardian to awaken on her own?” another man spoke his mind. “How can you be certain that Gemini will be able to reverse the damage that's already been done?”

 

“We must await Scorpio's return,” Kumori snapped back while Celene's brows lowered in frustration. “Though his spirit may not be present, he is still connected to Gaia. The Siren's Call acts as a beacon and allows him to find his way home. If we discontinue it, his soul will be forever lost within the edges of the universe.”

 

“We know of the ritual and its purpose,” the center robed man stated. “Our problem is that without his spirit being present, our planet will reach its end. While you continue to tell us to wait, our planet continues to perish. How much longer shall Gaia continue to suffer before we replace what has been lost for nearly a thousand years?"

 

Celene's expression hardened. It was obvious by now that all the elders felt the same about waking Gemini and producing a secondary Guardian. She knew the Gods and Goddesses of the planet felt the same as she. They knew the dangers of awakening a sleeping Guardian. Humans, however, weren't as old or wise as the Spirits of Gaia. They were young, naïve, and easily manipulated. Already, Celene knew the argument would remain one sided. The Spirits of Gaia only ruled over their natural elements. Normally, they would not interfere in the lives of humans. If Charity convinced the other nations to awaken Gemini, then Celene may have to seek aid from the Gods and Goddesses.

 

 

 

**********

 

 

It was foggy all around, and her movements felt like slow motion. Was she underwater? She could barely feel the clothing on her. Gravity… it was almost non-existent. Could she fly? She began to wonder and took another step forward, trying to head skyward. Nope. There wasn't a floor, though. At least, she couldn't see one. Everything around her was dark. She could see her hands, but there was no source of light. She took a few more weightless steps before coming to a stop. Where was she? Where was she heading? These questions were almost foreign to her. For some reason, she didn't feel she needed to answer the question, or possibly, subconsciously she already knew the answers.

 

A light suddenly blinded her and forced all darkness around her to scatter. The young girl covered those crimson hues and shielded her face with her hands. The light was far warmer than the darkness that swirled around her, but the darkness was comforting to her. She wasn't used to such a warm, bright feeling.

 

`With light comes darkness…'

 

The young girl felt something grab both her ankles. Panic and fear instantly filled her as it seemed the cold touch of death was at her feet. She looked down to find her own shadow looking back at her. Piercing her with glowing blood-red eyes, the shadow-being grinned wickedly, despite the bright light produced above. She fought desperately against it, but to no avail. She felt herself sinking into the shadows. She wanted to scream but her voice couldn't be found. She wanted to reach up to the light, to grab firm hold of it, but it seemed too far away. More hands reached up to grab her hips, her legs, her arms, and her shoulders. Even her hair was grasped. Pain erupted all around her as she tried to fight against the freezing hands that wrapped around her. Tears flowed from her cheeks as she continued kicking and screaming against the shadows.

 

Those crimson hues remained locked upon the light, screaming in silence and prayer that some sort of higher being would come to rescue her. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the light; a hand. Karasu tried to reach for it, but she couldn't; it was too far away. The slender arm, however, continued to peruse her. Hope; the young girl was filling herself with it. Someone was reaching out to her, trying to help her. Long, dark green locks surrounded the hand, and for the first time, those teal eyes opened.

 

 

**********

 

 

Karasu woke in a sweat, panting heavily. Her throat was soar, and her heart was racing. Her body trembled as she tried to get herself to stand, feeling a sudden need to empty her stomach. She ran to her bathroom and just barely made it. When she was through, she wanted to collapse. She felt physically and mentally drained. For the past six weeks, she had been having the same dream over and over, each one a bit longer than the previous. It was always the same. The shadows around her were trying to choke her, or drown her. There was a light that was too far for her to reach, but this time… this was the first time there was someone else. A hand had reached out to her. Karasu tried to remember the face, but she just couldn't. Green hair and teal eyes… that was all she remembered… or were the eyes blue?

 

Karasu pulled herself to her sink and splashed cold water on her face. When she was done cleaning herself up, her hands were still trembling. What did the dream represent? Why was she having it so often? Was it some sort of premonition? Was it just some stupid nightmare? It didn't make sense; none of it did. Karasu's eyes lifted up to her reflection… and she froze.

 

`With light, comes darkness.'

 

Within the mirror, she saw herself, and over her shoulder, was that shadow. Those blood-red eyes glared sinisterly at her reflection and she felt those ice cold arms wrap around her neck and fall over her chest. Her chest tightened and she found it difficult to breathe. The shadow's chin fell on her shoulder and she could feel the ice, cold breath of death itself reaching her ears.

 

`You'll have no choice in the matter, Raven…'

 

Karasu finally found the ability to move and swung around. Her back slammed against her sink and she nearly jumped onto it. No one; there was no one there. Karasu's heart was racing again and her eyes quickly filled with tears. Her body trembled before she finally collapsed to the ground, unable to hold her emotions in any longer.

 

 

End Part 1