“You’re joking, right?”
“Excuse me?” Adam asked, confused by his host’s discourteous response.
“Come on, it shouldn’t be hard for you,” said Master M. He set the full kettle on the counter and snapped his fingers over the burner. As his fingers crossed, a bright spark appeared and fell towards the gas coming from the burner, lighting it with a light pop. Adam’s eyes widened at the sight of the flames forming on the stove.
“How did you do that?” he said in amazement.
“You’re not a very good king, are you?” his host said, moving the kettle to the open flame.
“What does being king have to do with making magic?” Adam asked.
“Not magic,” he said. “Magid.”
“Magid?” Adam repeated.
“You should be embarrassed not to know.”
“Know what? What does making fire with your hands have to do with the country of Magid?”
“You really don’t know,” Master M said, dumbstruck. “Come on, take a seat. I’ll fill you in on something that those clerics should have done when you became the king.” They left the water to boil and sat down at the low table.
“I don’t know how much you know already, but I’ll start at the beginning,” Master M began. “Long ago, the Creator made the Other Universe and all of the life that exists within it.”
“I know that much, I was there,” Adam said.
“Don’t interrupt. Anyway, the Creator was responsible for the creation of all the worlds in the Other Universe except for one, Magid. No one knows for sure how it happened, but it seems the forces of the elements themselves created the world. Thus Magid is unique in that it is built from and dependent on ten elementary forces. Do you know them?”
“Can’t say I remember them specifically.”
“Well listen up then, because you really should know this. Logically there are the four base elements: earth, water, air, and fire,” Master M said, counting on his hands. “Then there’s the offshoots of those, metal, ice, electricity, and nature. There are also light and darkness. These are the ten elements of Magid, and for each one there was once a kingdom and a king to keep watch over the power of these elements. As these kings died, they passed the power of the elements onto their successor in the form of a relic that contained the element’s essence. This cycle worked for many years, until the dictator Klauss and his armies appeared.
“That was when the Creator called me to fight for Magid, under the army of the Metal Kingdom. I was given to use a small amount of the element’s power; not enough to alter the land around me, but enough to be effective in combat. There were others like me, each fighting with these powers as we led the armies against the advancing invaders.”
He interrupted his tale to look out the window. His eyelids sagged slightly, and he was silent for a moment before starting again.
“We fought with valor, but one by one the Knights of Magid fell. The kings were able to seal the elements back into their relics and hide them away from Klauss before they were executed. I wanted to continue the fighting, but the knight fighting for the Nature Kingdom, Oerious, stopped me. He had collected the elemental powers from the other knights and gave them to me, including his own. He told me that I needed to survive, because there were people waiting for me to come home.”
“What happened?” Adam asked.
“I left Magid as Klauss claimed the capital. I was alive, but ashamed that I was allowed to live when my comrades all died. I couldn’t bear to go back home, so instead I came here. This city is a former haven of swordsmen, but now I’m the only one left.”
“But what about the people waiting for you back home? Didn’t you at least tell them you’re here?”
“That’s really none of your business, Mr. Evans,” Master M said sharply. The two of them sat in awkward silence for a moment before the scream of the tea kettle cut through the apartment. Master M rose and made his way into the kitchen. He returned with the hot kettle and a ceramic pot with a few tea leaves in the bottom. He poured the hot water over the leaves to steep and went back to get two cups. Adam decided to break the silence.
“You still haven’t explained why you think I should be able to use these powers.”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Master M replied. “You’re the king now. The only king. Accordingly, you should have been given the power of all ten elements. Wasn’t that explained to you at your coronation?”
“Not specifically,” Adam said, “but now that you mention it I remember the priests making me wear this strange costume and blessing me with a bunch of seemingly random objects.”
“Those must have been the relics,” Master M deduced. “If that’s the case, then you really do have the power of Magid’s elements inside of you.” He poured the tea into his own cup followed by Adam’s after it had been steeping long enough.
“Well how do I use these powers then?” Adam asked. “I mean, I’ve never been able to make fire just by snapping my fingers before.”
“Were you born a master swordsman? I think not. It took years of practice. So will be the case with mastering the elements of Magid.”
“Forgive me, but I don’t exactly have time,” Adam said with a hint of anger. “There’s a madman somewhere in this city and I’ve got to find him before he does something this country is going to suffer for.”
“I guess that means we’re going to have to get started then,” Master M said, taking a sip of his tea.
“Started with what?” Adam asked.
Master M put his cup down and smiled.
“Your training,” he said.
Chapter Nine
The Mountain
Tokyo, Japan
December 15th, 2004
Dee stood outside the alley cupping a bottle of water while the Creator scanned the streets around them. The alley was empty now, or at least it appeared that way to everyone who walked by. New Baggins set up a barrier that reflected the image of the empty alley so that no alarm would be raised over the murder that had taken place. Within the alley, he and Mathias were inspecting the body. The Creator had taken Dee to get something to drink to calm her nerves from the sight of bloodshed.
“Are you feeling better, Ms. Gatti?” he asked. Dee took another sip and nodded her head while her mouth was still full of water. She swallowed and cleared her throat.
“I’m sorry for freezing up like that,” she said. “This isn’t even the first time I’ve seen someone die, but it’s still such a terrible sight to me.”
“It’s understandable,” the Creator said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Just try to put it behind you and focus on what’s ahead.”
She nodded and turned her head. The illusion behind them rippled as New Baggins and Mathias stepped out of the alley.
“Did you find anything out?” the Creator asked.
“The guy didn’t have any ID on him, aside from a set of dog tags,” Mathias said, holding them out. “His name was Jeffery Rogers. The tags identified him as a soldier of the United States of America.”
“They sent a soldier after us?” Dee asked.
“Highly unlikely,” New Baggins said. “This man did not appear to be working as part of a squadron and was likely a rogue agent.”
“What are the chances there are more soldiers?” asked the Creator.
“Probable, however I don’t believe that the sniper from the rooftop was acting as part of a military squad when this Rogers was killed. Were he an ally, he would have targeted Mr. Albright before one of his own. What is more likely is that the bullet was meant to silence Rogers and protect their secrets.”
“We’re looking at a fairly small cell, likely less than ten of them,” Mathias added. “We know they’re well armed and somewhat organized. We’re going to have to be careful about travelling around this city from now on.”
“This is going to hinder our search efforts even more,” the Creator grumbled, bringing his hand to his chin to think.
&nb
sp; “Speaking from experience, we’re going to have trouble with these guys unless we take them out immediately,” said Mathias. “Problem is, we’re just as likely to track them down as we are to find our own guy. Still, I don’t like walking around knowing any of us could be sitting ducks to sniper fire.”
“I agree,” the Creator said, “but we can’t allow this group to get in the way of finding Iilil-ja. It’s of the utmost importance that he is returned to Magid as soon as possible, and we can’t afford to cut back on our search for security’s sake.”
“So what’s the plan?” the bounty hunter asked.
“Our plan of action is unchanged,” the Creator said. “We’ll keep up our search, but let’s try to stay in close proximity to each other in the event another attack should happen.”
“Works for me,” Mathias said. “Keep Bright Boy with you, you’re going to need the extra muscle.”
“That’s quite fine with me,” the Creator said, smiling to New Baggins.
“Looks like we’re heading back out, Blondie,” Mathias said to Dee. She shot him a dirty look. He’d been calling her that quite often, and she didn’t take too well to the name. It made her feel childish.
“Before we go, about the remains of the gunman,” the Creator began, but New Baggins interrupted.
“It’s been taken care of. No one will know that anything out of the ordinary occurred in that alley.”
“Excellent,” the Creator said with a wider smile. “I knew I could count on you.”
Dee wondered what exactly New Baggins had done with the body, but when she and Mathias passed the alley as they continued their search they found it clean. Not a single drop of blood remained.
Kyoto, Japan
Master M led Adam up a snowy path on Mt. Higashi, which borders Kyoto to the east. Even in the winter, the thick bamboo stalks that grew along the mountain stood taller than either man. Adam was content now, having been fed, but was still cold. He only had the jacket he’d retained from his days with the Khazaki and a scarf to keep him warm, and the air was cold enough for him to see his breath in. Master M, whose gi was open slightly, didn’t appear to be uncomfortable at all.
“Where are we going?” Adam asked.
“You can’t expect to practice using your elemental powers in the middle of one of Japan’s largest cities, do you?” Master M answered. “The mountains aren’t very populated during the winter because of the deep snow. This is a good spot for us to be.”
“How am I going to practice if the snow is so deep?” Adam asked.
“I should hope you’ve had experience fighting in rough terrain. Besides, if you’re any good at it, you’ll be able to clear the snow away without a problem.”
The wind blew fiercely, causing Adam to draw his arms into his body to keep warm. The wind carried the snow flurries around, whitewashing the path ahead of them. Master M showed no signs of concern and pressed onward undeterred. Adam shielded his eyes from the winter gale and kept moving. “How could this man keep his composure so well?” he thought.
The wind let up, and as Adam uncovered his eyes he found that his leader had stopped. Ahead of the two lay a large open field, covered in snow.
“This is where we will work,” Master M said. “Until you learn to master the powers that lie dormant within you, we won’t leave here.”
“We’re going to stay on the mountain?”
“What better way to force yourself to draw upon the elements to survive?” the master said with a smile. “Now, your first step is to build a shelter and start a fire. There’s plenty of material around, so see what you can do. Be creative.”
Adam gave Master M a cross look as the man made his way to the outer edge of the clearing by the thick bamboo shoots. “Aren’t you going to teach me how to use the powers?”
“What good would it do for me to just tell you how it’s done?” said Master M. “Far better for you to struggle yourself and learn first hand.” As he said this, he moved his hands through the air. A patch of snow moved aside and the frozen earth moved up from beneath at four points, coming together to form a crude hut.
“Look, I don’t have time to mess around here,” Adam said, his tone growing more perturbed.
“I’m well aware of that, Mr. Evans,” the master said, starting a small fire with his hands. “All the more reason why you ought to get started quickly.”
Adam glared, but realized he was going to have to do this himself. He held his hands out, trying to mimic the movements that Master M had just performed. Nothing came about from the efforts. He tried snapping his fingers, hoping for a spark. Again, no luck.
“Having trouble?” Master M called, leaning back in his shelter. “I expect better from the king.”
“Shut up!” Adam shouted. “How can you expect me to just do something I’ve never had practice with and no idea how to even get started?”
“You’re over thinking it,” said Master M. “You’re trying to put reason into the equation and its preventing you from seeing what’s quite clear.”
“Like hell it is,” Adam grumbled.
“Stop thinking so much. In fact, clear your mind all together. You’ll need to start with a blank slate. Then you have to communicate with the elements.”
“Alright, that’s enough,” Adam said. “Communicating with elements? How do you expect me to talk to something inanimate?”
“That’s your problem,” Master M explained. “You’re still trying to apply logic to this. In your mind, these things are just objects that exist in the physical world. And yet, they are the physical world. Do you think the world around you is dead? Of course not, even the snow and stones are full of life.”
“You seriously expect me to believe that?”
“If you want the elements to obey you, you must first earn their respect. Reach out to them, let them speak to you, and listen to what they have to say.”
Adam shook his head at the absurdity. Realizing that he had no better ideas, he gave into to the ridiculous notion. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, clearing his mind of all thought. He stood there quietly, waiting for something to happen.
“This is so stupid,” he thought. “Nothing’s going to happen. Nothing is going to speak to me.”
The wind blew again and sent a chill over him. The whistling breeze filled his ears and silenced his thoughts. The cold nipped at his fingers as they twitched, and in the distance he heard the faint crackling of the fire. All of these things were not what he would consider to be alive, just the responses to his senses. Yet each of these things were a part of the natural world. Did that make them alive in some way?
Keeping his eyes closed and focusing on the cold around him, he twisted his hand. In front of him, a small chunk of rock shifted beneath the snow and stuck out. Adam opened his eyes and saw what he had accomplished while Master M smiled.
“Congratulations, you’ve taken your first step into understanding the world outside of yourself.”
“You don’t have to make me sound to be so egotistical,” Adam grumbled.
“Can you blame me? Anyway, don’t celebrate anything yet. You’re just getting started.”
He was right. Adam looked at his small rock and realized he still had a lot of work to do. He took another deep breath and sought to repeat his accomplishment with something a little larger.
Chapter Ten
The First Good News in a While
Tokyo, Japan
Shinjuku District
December 17th, 2004
Dee sat with her arms folded in frustration. She was underground in one of Tokyo’s many subway stations watching the Creator attempting to question commuters as they passed by. The busy people kept going, ignoring his broken Japanese read off of the translator. Dee reached into her coat and pulled out her silver pocket watch to check the time, a subtle way of expressing her discontent.
It had been two days since the attack by Sgt. Rogers and the rescue group had made little headway. Even without the
language barrier, none of the four of them were likely to run into someone with any information. In reality, Adam had only been in Tokyo for a single day before leaving for Kyoto so very few people had even seen him. On top of that, those few were not likely to remember a face they had only briefly seen once several days before.
The Creator gave up his attempts and met Dee back at the bench where she was sitting. The normally perky girl didn’t attempt to hide her discontent, still sulking as the Creator returned.
“No luck,” he said. His characteristic smile had faded, and had not been with him for more than a day now. They were both tired, and it was starting to show. Dee tilted her head back and sighed.
“It seems like we’ve talked to hundreds of people, and that’s just a small percent of everyone in this city,” said Dee. “No one has seen him.”
“Iilil-ja seems to be very good at hiding,” the Creator said. He felt a buzz in his pocket and reached for the communicator.
“I really want to find Mr. Evans, but this search has worn me out,” Dee said. “I just want to get back to the hotel and take a long soak in the tub.”
The Creator flipped the communicator open. There was a message from New Baggins flashing on the small LCD screen.
“They’ve found something,” the Creator said. Dee tilted her head forward again. “New Baggins wants us to meet him a few blocks from here.”
“Do you think this is the real thing?”
“I don’t think New Baggins would waste my time if there wasn’t a definite possibility.”
Dee smiled a little. She was hopeful for the first time in three days. The two of them made their way through the subway crowd towards the exit.
“I’m a little disappointed though,” the Creator said. “The translator isn’t working as well as I had hoped it would.”
Dee grinned behind the Creator. “Somehow I don’t think it’s the translator’s fault, sir.”
The Kyoto Ordeal (Tales of the Other Universe Book 1) Page 8