The sequel to Cye’s Struggle
Chapt 25. That Battle Rages On.
Talpa glared down at Cye hatefully, and the young Ronin stared back just as coldly. Although there was fear, he could not let Talpa know this. He clung desperately to the belief that his friends would find him soon. He just hoped it was in time.
Talpa’s glare went from Cye to Kania. He stared at her helpless form held tightly by his Dynasty soldiers. “I trusted your services to me, Kania. And you disappointed me!”
Kania lifted her head and her eyes blazed with anger and hatred at the Dynasty Master. “It’s over, Talpa!” she spat. “The Ronins are on their way to save Torrent, and they’re going to destroy you!”
His eyes flash red, and the tension in the air was tight, as his anger rose like a rushing wave of lava getting ready to erupt at any moment. It came before anyone realized it. All they heard was a stunning blow, and a painful cry from Kania.
“KANIA!!” Cye cried out as he strained against those who held him. He was going nowhere, and one of them jerked his arm, twisting it, causing him to scream out in pain. He gasped, trying to block the pain, but only when he stopped struggling to get free, did the torment stop. He glanced toward Kania.
Her head was down and she was gasping as if struggling to catch her breath during a hundred mile marathon. There was blood dripping from her face, and it was hard to tell where exactly it was coming from.
Cye bit his lip and turned his head away. He was angry, extremely angry. His body trembled with rage, and he was certain he would blow up at anytime.
Talpa stared coldly at Kania, having no remorse for her at all. “Perhaps now you will think twice before betraying me, Kania. I hold all power here. I am your master! Never forget that!” His eyes flashed as if to emphasize his point.
Kania weakly lifted her head as the blood dripped from a broken nose, split lip, wounded eye, and two cracked teeth. Her eyes narrowed with hatred at him. “I am no longer yours, Talpa! And you not control my life! Not anymore!”
Talpa stared at her, with almost shock. Who was this puny female to talk to him this way? He was Talpa, the great Dynasty Master! Expected to be feared by all!
He stood slowly, glaring at her. “It seems that your punishment wasn’t enough, Kania,” he said coldly. “Perhaps if someone you loved was hurt before you, you will return to me.”
Kania gasped as he disappeared then reappeared right in front of Cye. Cye stared up at him, sensing the antagonism and abhorrence coming from Talpa. He closed his eyes as Talpa raised an arm high into the air. A silent whispered plea echoed through his mind again. Please someone!! Help me!!
Talpa let out a scream of rage and brought his arm down, but then suddenly he found himself striking against some kind of wall, and no matter how hard he tried he could not penetrate through to strike Torrent.
“WHAT IS THIS?! he screamed with rage as he kept trying to get through to grapple the young Ronin.
Cye opened his eyes and stared in confusion at the scene before him. Talpa was trying his best to strike him, but he couldn’t. What was going on here?
And then he heard that same familiar voice that had comforted him so many times. You have asked for help, and have trusted it to come, Cye Mouri, Ronin Warrior of Trust. So shall it be that you have what you have asked for.
Cye heard Kania softly gasp, and one look toward her, told him that she could also hear the same voice.
“AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!” Talpa shouted with rage as he threw his power at Cye, hoping to break through whatever was protecting him.
But nothing happened.
“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!” Talpa raged. “WHY CAN’T I STRIKE TORRENT?!!
His soldiers had no answer for him.
And then the entire room was suddenly swallowed by an extremely powerful light.
Talpa screamed in dreadful pain as he tried to desperately shield his eyes. Not even the Jewel of Life was this powerful! It was so stunning, so painful, so hideous, he would have gladly allowed Ryo to destroy him if the Ronin would have been there. But Wildfire was not, and he was forced to suffer.
And then suddenly the light vanished, and Talpa discovered that wherever the light had gone, it had taken Torrent and Kania along with it. His eyes narrowed angrily, and he screamed out his rage. Someone was going to pay!
Ryo was getting exhausted as he battled Sekhmet. Already the Warlord of Venom had struck at him several times, sending his poison through the boy’s blood stream. It wouldn’t be long before Wildfire would collapse.
“Give up, Wildfire!” Sekhmet taunted as he blocked blow after blow. He dodged to the side, and punched Ryo in his stomach, grinning at the painful gasp that had escaped from the boy’s lips. With a hard kick, he sent Ryo tumbling backward.
Ryo landed hard on his side and he gasped with pain as he watched the Warlord of Venom come closer to him. He struggled to get up. “I will never give up!”
Sekhmet smirked and placed on armored foot down on Ryo’s side, keeping him there on the ground. His swords waved back and forth in small circles just above Ryo’s eyes, taunting him, antagonizing him. And for one small moment Sekhmet was certain that he had seen fear in Wildfire’s eyes.
“So be it. You die now then.” Sekhmet brought his swords up over his head and started to bring them down. Ryo could feel the blades getting closer and closer and knew if he didn’t do something soon he would die.
Gathering all of his strength, he suddenly lashed out, grabbing Sekhmet by his ankle and tripping him from under his own feet. Sekhmet grunted and cursed as he fell. Ryo quickly jumped to his feet and grabbed his Wildfire swords combining them together, drawing energy from them as he began to glow red.
Sekhmet could feel the heat coming and turned his head as his eyes widen with fear. He struggled to his feet, determined to stop Wildfire before he was blasted away by his sure kill.
Ryo suddenly leapt into the air and cried out loudly. “FLARE UP NOW!!!”
The attack went out, and struck as Sekhmet screamed in pain. The force of the blast carried him away until he was gone.
Ryo was breathing hard, wanting to rest, but he did not get that chance before Dynasty soldiers attacked. He fought back hard, kicking punching, cutting them down with his swords, and knocking them off him with twists and flips. Nearby Sage was battling Cale, Kento was battling Dais, and Rowen was battling Delia. It seemed things were not going well for them, and who knew just how Cye was? Knowing that Cye was in that castle with Talpa fueled his anger to no end. And that anger strengthened him as he began to fight more viciously.
The battle raged on. Sage glared angrily at Cale as their swords stuck again and again. Neither had any intentions of giving up, neither had no idea who would win, all that mattered was taking the other out.
Sage was worried though. It was highly possible that while the Warlords and Warlady were keeping them busy, Talpa was hurting Cye. The thought made him frown with fear.
Cale saw it however and smirked. “What’s wrong, Halo? Are you afraid?”
“I’m not scared of you, Cale!” Sage bellowed as he began to fight with more intensity. His sword was going in so many different directions at once it was hard to tell where it had started. Block, give a plow, thrust to the side, dodge a blow to the left of the temple, parry a blow, do an uppercut.
Cale continued to smirk as he kept on fighting Halo. He was following Halo’s moves almost perfectly, but adding some of his own moves as well, making it harder on Sage, which made Cale want to laugh as loudly as he could.
Sage had had enough. Without warning he suddenly grabbed Cale by the front of his breastplate and flipped him over his shoulder, then kicked him as hard as he could as he brought the warlord down to the ground.
Cale groaned in pain, but it wasn’t over. Before he could even move, he heard the worst thing in his life.
“THUNDER BOLT CUT!!”
It struck him so quickly he couldn’t cry out in pain. The sure kill sent him reeling backwards until he was suddenly gone from the area.
Sage turned and rushed off to help Ryo get rid of some of the attacking soldiers. Hopefully this would end soon. Sage was clinging to the hope that they would defeat their enemies, save Cye, and return home as soon as they could.
Nearby Kento and Rowen were both fighting the best they could. Kento was trying hard not to fall prey to Dais’ illusions and Rowen was trying his best not to get his head cut off by Delia. The battle seemed almost hopeless to them, as the two were literally getting their butts kicked. Kento suddenly slammed into the ground, and Dais’ weapon suddenly struck him in the head. He saw stars dancing before his eyes and he struggled not to pass out. No he couldn’t…wouldn’t pass out. Cye needed him. He struggled to his feet and gripped his weapon tightly.
Dais only seemed to mock him as he started to call on his sure kill. “Web of…
Kento suddenly called his. “IRON ROCK CRUSHSER!!” The attack went out canceling out Dais’ sure kill and sending the Warlord flying away.
Rowen was having a more difficult time against Delia. She was stronger and quicker and seemed to almost know exactly what move he was planning. This was not good. Not good at all. He flipped and dodged out of her way, landing some distance away.
She laughed at him. “Running away already, Strata? Ha! You are weak. Just like Torrent!”
“Hey, lady, Cye is not as weak as you think he is! You don’t even know him like I know him!”
She only laughed again. “Well, I can’t say that’s not true. Then again.. I almost got to know him. If you know what I mean.”
Rowen gasped with horror, and that horror was quickly replaced by heated anger. He drew an arrow and placed it carefully on his bow, drawing the string back, and focusing intently, his rage providing more power to upcoming sure kill. “ARROW SHOCK WAVE!!”
Delia saw the sure kill coming at her and leapt out of the way. At the same time, a huge white tiger, attacked her from behind, knocking her forward and into the sure kill. She screamed in pain as she was suddenly blown away like the rest had been.
White Blaze landed on his feet and Rowen came to him, scratching the tiger lightly.
“Thanks boy,” Rowen said gratefully, getting a purr in response. Rowen looked around, studying the area. Ryo, Sage, and now Kento were all fighting intensely against several Dynasty soldiers. He would have to help them. He drew an arrow and placed it directly into his bow and fired, striking down a Dynasty soldier. Arrow after arrow flew through the air, knocking down soldier after soldier.
But it seemed useless as they continued to battle. White Blaze jumped into the fray slashing with his claws and trampling down the soldiers like stepping on paper cups, but for every soldier destroyed five or six more would take that one’s place.
“Ryo, what are we going to do!” Kento called out in despair as he kept on battling.
Ryo grimaced as he frowned. “We have to keep fighting, Kento. We have no choice. We have to save Cye.”
Kento nodded, strengthened by that. These bakas would pay for kidnapping his friend, and he wanted so badly to destroy Talpa, it made him lust over the sheer pleasure of just tearing the Dynasty Master from limb to limb.
It was Sage who was the first to see it.
A huge wave of light had suddenly appeared and surrounded the four Ronins and the white tiger. They stared with confusion as the light passed through them, and for one second Kento thought Sage was the source of it, until he realized this was a different kind of light. And then suddenly to their amazement the remaining soldiers were suddenly destroyed as the light touched them.
The Ronins stared in shock, almost numbed by what they had just witnessed. The light suddenly disappeared and another light seemed to beckon to them. They looked toward their left, toward a smoky haze and saw figures walking through. The four of them tightened with nervousness, and were waiting to attack, when one figure stepped out of the smoky haze, alone.
It was Cye.
“CYE!!” Kento cheered as they rushed forward to his friend, with the others close at his heels.
Cye lifted his eyes and a smile of utter relief and happiness appeared on his face as he tried his best to run to his friends.
He was given enough strength to do so, and soon he was caught up in loving hugs.
Kania watched happily as Torrent was reunited with his friends. She let out a sigh. Although she was happy for Cye, she was also miserable. She had lost her best friend to the Dynasty, and she had no where to go now. She would have to start over, try to remember her past and move on the best she could. Who knows maybe one day Delia would see the light. With a sigh she turned and suddenly teleported away.
Rowen blinked several times. He could have sworn he had seen two figures walking through that smoky haze, but what happened to the other one? There was no time to wonder about that. Cye had fallen asleep in Kento’s arms. He looked at Ryo.
Ryo studied Cye for a little, frowning at Cye’s condition. He was tempted to just turn and blast away Talpa and his castle once and for all, and make them pay for what they did to his young friend. He felt a hand on his shoulder and met Sage’s eyes.
“Ryo, let’s get Cye home now.”
Ryo nodded firmly, and they set off, heading for the Gateway to go home.
And as Cye slept in Kento’s arms, the young Ronin dreamed, and heard.
“I will always be with you, Cye Mouri, if you truly choose Me.”
And as he dreamt he saw a man, a stunningly handsome man with power beyond any wild imagination. He was dressed in a beautiful silk white robe, his auburn hair shone brightly, and he clothed with the brightest light that did not burn one’s eyes, but rather soothe them. And Cye felt comfort and peace just staring at him.
And Cye slept peacefully on as they suddenly arrived home.
Cye’s Fight
Sequel to Cye’s Struggle.
Chapt. 26.
Cye stared at his reflection in the bathroom with a contented little sigh. It felt good to be home, to be freed. And it was all thanks to… He paused, cocking his head slightly, wondering just who he should be thanking. That voice had helped him out quite a bit, should he thank it? Or should he thank another? Tough decision.
A knock came at the bathroom door. “Hey, Cye! You okay in there?”
A smile came to his lips. “Yeah, Rowen. Just getting ready to brush my teeth.” He grabbed his toothpaste and toothbrush and put just enough Crest on his toothbrush to start brushing.
“Okay, just making sure. Let me know when you’re done.”
Cye heard Rowen walking away as he continued to brush his teeth. Many thoughts were going through his head, but they weren’t the dreaded, confusing thoughts he had been having. They were simply questions that he was pondering over. He rinsed his mouth out with water, then took a couple of swallows of it, wiped his mouth, cleaned his mess up, and left the bathroom.
“Bathroom’s all yours, Rowen!” he called as he passed Rowen’s and Sage’s bedroom.
“Thanks.”
Cye nodded a welcome, then headed downstairs to see what was happening down there.
Ryo, Mia, Anubis, Kento, and Sage were all sitting in the living room, talking quietly. Yulie was sitting on the floor, brushing White Blaze and listening quietly to the adults talking. What they were they talking about he didn’t understand, but it had to do with Cye’s rescue.
“I don’t get it,” Ryo was saying as his features showed perplexity. “Someone was on our side there.”
“But who do you think it was?” Kento asked anxiously as he himself wanted to know.
“The Ancient One?” Ryo wondered, raising his eyebrows.
Sage shook his head. “No, it couldn’t have been him.”
Ryo looked over at him with a disbelief look on his face. “How do you figure? The Ancient One has helped us lots of times before!”
Sage let out a sigh and shook his head. “Look, all I know it wasn’t him. Besides did you see any mystical staff appear?” They all shook their heads, and he raised his hands upward as a way of empathizing his point. “I rest my case.”
Mia let out a sigh as she wondered who could have possibly helped them. Someone very powerful obviously. But who else could be strong enough to even stop Talpa single handedly besides the Ancient? This whole matter was confusing to all of them, and each of them were sitting here busily worrying about it.
Anubis was watching them. He had been mostly silent, listening to the Ronins detail about what they had witnessed and felt during Cye’s rescue. All of them admitted neither of them had actually rescued Cye. He had suddenly appeared surrounded by an extremely bright light and walking with a figure beside him. Then the figure had simply vanished, leaving them completely puzzled once more. Finally he spoke. “I think that Cye knows the answer.” He lifted his head and looked toward Cye who stood on the bottom step, watching them. All of them looked toward the young Ronin expectedly.
Cye shuffled his foot. He didn’t like a lot of attention, especially when everyone expected an answer. “What makes you think even I know?” he asked quietly.
“Because you’re the one that person was walking with when you came out of Talpa’s castle,” Kento said.
Cye remained quiet as he remembered that. He didn’t actually see any person, just a figure of bright light, the brightest he had ever seen. He had felt incredible love and peace, and all traces of fear, anxiety, doubt, restlessness, and pain had been swept away. He smiled thoughtfully as he could still feel those within himself.
“Cye?” Ryo called him back from his memory and into the present time.
Cye looked toward him, then at everyone else, seeing their expectant faces as they waited for his answer. He let out a sigh. “I really didn’t see the person,” he answered. “All I saw was a figure bathed in a golden light. I felt incredible love, more than my mother could ever give to me, or any of you, peace, hope, and everything I dreaded and hated suddenly vanished as if it didn’t exist any more.”
They sat there quietly staring at him as it seemed to them they were no closer to finding out anything than they were before.
“Cye, did you have any dreams or hear any voices during your captivity?” Anubis asked calmly.
Cye’s head snapped up and he nodded almost excitedly. “Yes! I did. I heard a voice first, and it was before my abduction, and I heard it during my abduction as well. It comforted me a lot.”
“And your dreams?” Sage asked.
“I had three of them,” Cye answered as he made his way from the stairs and sat down on the couch beside Kento. “The first one, I was standing on a beach, just watching the ocean. Then a young man appeared beside me. He couldn’t have been no more than nineteen years old. He had this strong voice, it sounded like clear glass to me. He was tall, about seven feet tall, with tanned skin, his eyes never saw the color before, but they looked to be like a very very light blue, and his hair was dark brown and down to his chin. He was very kind and I felt love from him as well. He spoke to me about a man, about the Son of God.”
“Son of God?” Anubis echoed as he stared at Cye with surprise. He wasn’t the only one who was surprised. Everyone else was staring at him with shocked faces.
Cye instantly became quiet again, wondering if he had said something wrong, or if they already knew about it. Silence was in the air, and he could hear his heartbeat increasing.
Sage sensed his nervousness. “We’re sorry, Cye. Go on.”
The others nodded, and he took a deep breath, telling them about his first dream, and how the voice had spoke and comforted him during his captivity. They listened carefully to him, no longer interrupting as they seemed very interested in all of this.
He told them how he had dreamt he had been home, and that a man had appeared, standing by each one of them, and then looking very sad as if he had lost someone dear to him. He told them his second dream of the man in which he saw the man perform great miracles, and taught thousands of people of love and forgiveness, and even more, and how he had witnessed the man’s torture and death for crimes he didn’t even commit. By the time he had finished speaking, there were tears in his eyes, which brought tears to even Kento’s eyes. For a moment there was silence, before Mia finally spoke. “Cye, do you have any idea who that man was in your last two dreams?”
Cye shook his head. “No, but I intend to find out.”
Sage was silent, thinking about all of this. He replayed Cye’s dreams over and over in his head trying to figure out an answer to them. He thought and thought and kept on thinking until he was sure his head would explode. Finally he lifted his head when the realization dawned on him. “What if that figure we saw with Cye was the same man in his dream?”
They all looked toward him, including Cye. “What are you saying, Sage?” Mia asked.
“Yeah, and which man and which dream are you referring to?” Ryo asked, trying to get a coherent explanation.
“The man that appeared in Cye’s last two dreams,” Sage explained. “The man that Cye saw in his first dream must have been some type of guardian, or a messenger perhaps. The second man that appeared, seems to be more above than the first one, but I’m thinking that the two of them somehow know each other, and that the one works for the other.”
Cye’s head suddenly snapped up as he remembered something. “Oh! When I asked the first man who he was, he simply replied, For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways, they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
“Then that man that said that must be an angel,” Sage said.
“What’s an angel?” Kento asked.
Ryo shrugged. “Beats me. “I always thought it was a good-looking babe.”
Cye shook his head and Sage let out a sigh. “Angels are spiritual beings, Ryo. Messengers from God. And it seems from what this angel told Cye, they are also protectors.”
“And from what you’ve all told us what happened during your fight to free Cye, I’m concluding there were angels helping you there as well,” Anubis said.
Sage nodded in agreement to that, and Ryo spoke up. “All I know the battle was tensed, and we should have been dead there by now, or at least in a cell along with Cye. But we weren’t. And the way Sage glowed like that? Man, that was intense.”
“But what about that other man, the one who got Cye out of Talpa’s?” Kento asked.
All of them were silent now, until Yulie spoke up. “Maybe it was the man from Cye’s last two dreams.”
Everyone looked over at him as he had spoken so innocently and yet so wisely.
“You know, Yulie, you might be right,” Cye said with a smile. Yulie smiled back and went back to scratching White Blaze’s stomach. The large tiger purred happily.
“Well, now we at least have an idea who helped you out of there,” Ryo said to Cye. “Now we need a name.”
Cye smiled faintly. “You’re not going to stop until you get one are you, Ryo?”
Ryo shook his head firmly. ”No.” He smiled back at the young Ronin. It was really great to have Cye back with him, to see him smiling, healed, and happy. But still Ryo wanted to know who the second man was. His name anyway. They had him and the first man, the angel, to thank for all the help they gave to them, and for rescuing Cye. Two thoughts lingered on Ryo’s mind though. Would they ever find out their names, and would they ever see them again? Only time would tell.
