“It’s just a myth,” said Rocko skeptically.
“No myth, I assure to you it’s true,” said Julius ominously.
“No offense, but I thought you believed in one God,” said Michael.
“I do, but I’ve always been open to the idea of many things existing. Anyway, that is what we have learned from reading different records,” said Julius. “Tulina, Icolcus, and Gerwraith are actually the keepers of the portals that the book can unlock. Each of them is not to be underestimated; they are very dangerous and powerful.”
“I live for danger,” said Michael boldly.
“You are brave but foolish. They would trigger your fear before you could land a clear shot at them. They feed off the essence of emotions, such as fear and anger,” said Julius.
“What are their powers?” asked Serena.
“They share similar abilities. For instance, all Shirakais have the power to shape shift into forms of beautiful or grim beings. They can bring pestilence and death by screaming, and are workers of sorcery,” said Julius.
“Anything else on the weirdo-meter we haven’t heard yet dude?” asked Rocko.
“Each of them has a special gift. Tulina is a former witch of the cult of a demon goddess. She is able to control all forms of heat and fire. Icolcus has the power to create massive thunder and lightning storms, and Gerwraith is able to harness destructive winds and blizzards,” said Julius.
“How do you know so much about them?” asked Serena.
“You were not born in the centuries when the rest of the ancients and elders clans were lords ruling over the world. During those times, the Shirakai race had formed armies to attack our vampire clans, as well as the other creatures of the supernatural realm we were allied with, so we did what any people would do,” said Julius.
“Fight,” nodded Danny. “Can they be killed?”
“Yes, but not all of them. Only Lao Takai knows all of their secrets. He has lived longer than I have,” replied Julius.
“What exactly can this book do?” asked Danny. “We don’t know actually; the records we did have from Takai were destroyed in a fire many years ago. After that, Takai disappeared. The Coven did not hear from him again until three months ago,” Marianna spoke.
“Old fool should have stayed in the same place, makes our damn job a lot easier,” replied Darius annoyed.
“I believe it; after seeing all that I’ve seen I’m ready to believe anything. But who is this warrior who was foretold?” Michael sighed.
“You,” replied Julius.
“You have to be kidding me. I kill people for a living,” said Michael.
It was then Michael saw an angel before him, shaped as a man and dressed in a white robe with a hood, holding a book in one hand. No one else could see the angel or hear the words he spoke to Michael. “I am Gabriel, sent from the Christ. You have been chosen Michael.”
“You got the wrong guy,” thought Michael.
“You must face your destiny; the order of light demands it.”
Michael listened and Gabriel opened a book that he held in his hands; Michael’s name appeared in it. Then the angel vanished.
Michael was astounded by the angelic visitation. He now believed that God was trying to reach him and his faith was restored. But he still hated Phillips; he still could not let go of his desire for revenge.
Michael came out of it, and was asked by the others what had happened to him. He bypassed their questions, saying it was nothing but fatigue. “Who called on the phone earlier?” asked Michael.
“My old teacher Takai. He has been robbed. You and the others must help him to retrieve a special relic that was taken. It’s a jade dragon statue. Please understand that this relic is a part of the puzzle. This is your final test. Now go to this address and help him,” ordered
Julius handing Michael a note with the written address on it.
”Real cute!” retorted Michael.
“Look at me. Go, now! Or this sword will cut your head off!” said Julius, annoyed and drawing his sword to Michael’s neck. Feeling the sharp point at his neck, Michael knew that Julius meant business.
“When this is over my ass is out of here!” said Michael under his breath. The vampires and their comrades left quickly.
Alone again, Julius saw a woodcut of the relic on one of the scrolls he was reading through. He was nervous. “It’s time.”
Part Eight: The Jade Dragon
Chapter 51: The Man called Lao
Among the pagoda rooftops and decaying buildings perched majestic stone dragons layered in granite and marble. Below the mystical beauty of these guardians hung glowing lanterns that glistened brightly among the starry night, high above the masses of people celebrating in the streets. The center of the Oriental district was a wondrous place for festive spectacles.
It was the festival season and a grand parade was taking place at the heart of Chinatown. Fireworks lit up the night sky and firecrackers popped off in the distance. The Damascus crew and the Coven teleported to Chinatown, the group proceeded to the streets to locate Takai’s shop. The streets were crowded with dancers in the center of the parade and Chinese dragons roamed up and down. Among the chaos came Darius’s words, “How are we going to find Takai in this?”
“Be patient, we’ll find him,” replied Marianna. Scarlet looked at her portable computer tracker, typing in the address 1620 Shimoto Street. Serena looked at the computer tracker and asked, “How far are we?”
”Just a few blocks up, come on,” replied Scarlet. The group continued to the upper part of the Oriental district, where the scene was quieter. Away from the crowds, they approached a very old Chinese temple. Its stone walls looked ancient and its pillars were darkened by dust. The sky had grown very dark and a windstorm was beginning to brew; black clouds formed and white-hot lighting alternated with blasts of thunder. Rocko began to feel a strange and evil presence, like they were being watched. “I don’t like this guys, we shouldn’t be here,” he said.
“Quit being a pussy,” said Michael casually as he puffed on the nub of his cigarette and tossed it the ground. A crack of thunder silenced them as it cut through the sky.
The doors of the temple opened and they saw an old Japanese man with a long white beard and black kimono standing before them. “Welcome, please enter. We have been expecting you,” said the old man.
The large, embossed doors slammed shut behind them. The temple was lavished with Samurai armor. Katanas and blades of all kinds were mounted on the walls; Hachimen masks hung on the main wall of this dojo temple as the fragrant smell of jasmine incense burned at an altar in the center of the temple, in front of a large brass Buddha statue. On the shelves of this illustrious place were books of all kinds and small statues, the Japanese Capa and Oni creatures of legend. “
Lao Takai, we were sent to you by Julius,” said Michael.
“Yes, I know, he has told me much of you and your friends,” said Takai.
“You want us to retrieve something for you that was stolen?” asked Danny.
“Yes, but understand, all of you: this item is very important. If the book is located through the map contained in the statue, and the power is unleashed, it could cause the world to be in grave danger,” said Takai.
“Why did you even make the map in the first place if you knew this could happen?” asked Michael.
“To pass down to my generations of children should something happen to me. Old as I am, my time is growing short,” replied Takai.
“How old are you?” asked Danny.
“Let me tell you why this book is so dangerous and the, you will understand. Long ago the god of darkness named Sagamu and his loyal followers, the Shirakais, created the Yomi Tengu Shira, The Book of Darkness. The Shirakais are devils, demons, immortal creatures and the children of Gikara, a sorceress queen who sacrificed and slained humans to Sagamu. In doing so, she and her children were granted the supernatural gifts and powers of hell. They became Sagamu’s servants. For centur
ies they were believed to be reincarnations of elder gods. They became worshipped as deities by ancient cults who made blood oaths and sacrifices in fire. The offspring of the Shirakais were formed from mating female humans and Oni evil spirits. They are called Sepors.
My family hid the book for centuries to protect the world from its evil, for it was never meant for the living to see. The book had been created out of desperation to keep control over the disloyal Oni and Capa in the nether world and those on earth who plotted to destroy Sagamu. That was until a young shaman named Tovu, who was sent to Jinguko after being killed, took the book. This young man was a cunning shaman who was bold enough to deceive Sagamu in a wager; the wager was such that if the shaman could beat Sagamu in a duel of magic the shaman would be resurrected and returned to earth. The Shaman won. Sagamu was impressed with the young shaman’s skill in deception and the Dark God believed he could use the boy to deceive mortals into worshipping Him; and so the young shaman was returned to earth. The price to return was the shaman’s soul.
It was not until later that Sagamu realized that the book had been stolen. Enraged, Sagamu looked over the ages to locate the book and bloodthirsty human warlords who desired it to become immortal. These warlords had formed secret societies over time and later, before the Middle Ages, one sect became especially dear to Sagamu. Sagamu later took form as a man on earth, and had a son who he raised under the guise of a ruler of a small country in Europe. He taught the boy the art of warfare; he also taught him to hate, to kill, and that only the strong would be able to conquer the world. Soon the Dark Son of Sagamu became a great warrior. As a man, he married a woman as his dark bride. Later, he fathered a child. The Dark Son later went off to war with an unknown country and in battle the Dark Son was betrayed by Sagamu, who killed him to mock him for being human.
The descendent of Sagamu’s Dark Son was a man who became a worshipper of evil and desired the power of evil itself. Impressed by the corruption of this wicked man, Sagamu gave this man the power of armies, the state of a fallen Oni, and charged him with a mission to destroy the Christian Church out of bitter revenge, as mortals had refused to worship Sagamu. This man was Reynard Desbode.
“But how did you get the book?” asked Serena.
“In 660 BC, I was the grand master warrior for the Jimmu-tenno dynasty. Jimmu-tenno was made the first emperor of Japan. I was cursed and charged as a traitor for an assassination attempt that I did not commit on the emperor. The people envied my family and my position, and so I was judged as a traitor for high treason. The emperor ripped out my heart, replacing it with an Oni demon’s heart. I was cast out of the emperor’s court, immortal, and destined to walk the earth in shame for disloyalty for all time. Though infected with evil from the Oni, the purity of my soul prevented me from becoming insane. However, the heart from the Oni has left me with an unnaturally long life. Now the curse is ending, my power is decreasing, and the prophecy of Sagamu is coming true.
“But what of the emperor?” asked Darius.
“The emperor was driven to madness by the dark power of the Shira book, which was given to him as a gift by his Shinto shamans, who had been given it as a dark spiritual guide. It was passed down from the old shaman Tovu,” said Takai, ”and the emperor planned to use the power of the book to conquer the world. Once I discovered his mad dream, my men and I stole the book and hid it, since it is impossible to destroy. I did this to thwart the mad emperor. I then put a map inside a jade dragon statue, which I gave to my youngest son to protect the hidden location. The book was hidden deep in Mount Fuji, in Japan. The book is so powerful that it can unleash evil powers from different dark realms of the nether world, and other worlds we know nothing of. These powers, if set free, are said to be vessels of great evil. This power has the ability to raise armies of the spirits of death, open portals to different dimensions beyond time and space, and the ability to reveal the secrets and innermost desires of a person’s soul. It can prolong life.
It was not until the Dark Ages when the Dark Society’s founder, Reynard Desbode, whom my clan later encountered, learned of the legend of the book and was attracted to its promise of power. So Desbode sent his followers to search all over the world for the book. Over the millennia, I had many sons and daughters who were half-human and half-Oni, giving my children an unnaturally long but mortal life, allowing them to follow and protect the secret of the Shira book. It has been kept a family secret for four thousand years.
“Four thousand years ago! Whoa!” said Rocko.
“As the centuries passed, I adapted well to the different periods of Japan’s changing history and culture, becoming a man of many professions and skills. I was a scribe to a rich merchant for the Emperor Toba in 1140. After saving Toba’s life I became a Samurai warrior for the Shogunate military Yorimoto clan and later for the Tokugawa Shogunate government during the beginning of the Samurai order, until its middle period. Later, I became a merchant and in the present day I am a teacher of Kenjitsu.
“But how did you meet my grandfather?” asked Serena.
“When my village in Japan was raided by the Dark Society’s agents, Julius offered my clan an alliance to protect our village. In return we agreed to stand as allies to Julius and his legions to destroy the Dark Society’s agents, and to protect the Shira from falling into the wrong hands.”
“Why are you here now?” asked Scarlet.
“After a rebellion began in my homeland, the country was ravaged, so I took the statue that contained the map and fled to China and all over Asia until the early twenty-first century, when I came with my daughter Suki to America,” finished Takai.
They were all in awe from what they had learned, and all knew what must be done.
“We have to get back that statue. Forget the test. If we don’t, we’ll be dead and so will the rest of the world,” said Danny.
“I agree,” said Michael.
“It will not be easy my friends; the Triads have many allies and a hundred hideouts in this city,” said Takai.
“Then maybe I can help,” interjected a young and beautifully seductive flower of the east. They saw a lovely Japanese woman come out from the red silk curtains of Takai’s study. She was dressed in a wild sapphire kimono with a feather in her long black hair. Her eyes were as radiant as the morning sunrise and her lips were soft and red, like a rare cherry blossom. “Pardon me for not introducing you all, this is my daughter Suki,” said Takai.
“What can she do for us?” asked Serena.
“I can do many things vampire, like read the ancient translations to the statue’s secrets. I know people in Japan that have ties with our clan’s organization,” replied Suki. No one noticed a strange little creature scamper into the room. It was a red baby Chinese luck dragon, who began to beg from Suki like a little puppy.
“What the hell is that!” screamed Danny.
“It’s impossible!” exclaimed Darius in awe.
“Oh him, it’s just Pingu,” said Suki smiling. “There are more things in the heavens and on earth than your rational thinking, my friends.” Lao chuckled.
“You have a pet baby dragon!” said Serena. “Don’t be afraid, he won’t bite; he likes people,” said Suki, laughing.
“Is he safe to pet? Said Rocko.
“Go ahead,” said Suki as she picked up her pet in her arms like an infant. Rocko inched closer to it and the baby dragon gave him a slobbering kiss across the face.
“Oh yuck, that’s worse than dog drool,” said Rocko as he wiped his face.
They all couldn’t help but laugh. Then, in a more serious tone, Michael said, “I think the real question is where do we start searching first? We must stop wasting our time talking here.
We should divide into teams to learn where the statue has been taken. Marianna and Darius, you will proceed to the west side of the Oriental district, Danny and Scarlet to the south, Serena and Rocko to the east.”
“Where will you be?” asked Serena.
”I’m going
to get in touch with Kat. She paged me a few minutes ago on my cell phone; she must have gotten out of the hospital. Let’s see if she can help us,” said Michael.
“You’re not going anywhere vampire!” said Takai.
“Who says, old man,” answered up Michael boldly.
“The Triads are masters of swordsmanship. The others are skilled in armed combat with the exception of your human friends. However, if all you can do is shoot a gun, well, then you will not be a match for the triads,” said Takai firmly.
“Oh for crying out loud, I could take them on right now, snickered Michael feeling cocky.
“All right, young fool. If that’s the way you feel about it, follow me. We shall put your words to the test, besides your temper,” said Takai challenging Michael’s thickheaded ego.
Takai led Michael and the others into a large dojo room, where training mats were already spread on the floor and two saber swords were already racked in place, waiting for duelists. Takai and Michael unsheathed their swords as they focused on who would make the first strike. Michael made the first attack as he clashed his sword with Takai’s. The two battled in a series of twists and turns, until Michael was finally knocked to the ground with Takai’s blade at his chest.
“Not too bad for an old man,” said Takai as he helped Michael up.
“Fine, you’re right; I’ll stay and train,” said Michael, rubbing his head.
“Good,” said Takai.
Just then the skylight exploded as ninja assassins dropped to the ground from the temple roof.
“Who the hell are these freaks?” asked Danny.
“Triads,” said Suki.
“Take them.” Michael nodded coolly.
The room was caught up in a cutting spectacle of bloodshed as the crew unleashed their fury. Swords flew like the wind as Lao and Suki cut through their enemies and streams of blood splattered on the floor and walls of the dojo. Scarlet was knocked out to the ground cold. With Michael ducking the attacks and shooting back, Danny grabbed a shield off the wall, using it to defend himself as a black shadow ninja kicked Danny in the face, sending him head first to the floor. Thinking fast, Danny blocked the ninja’s attempt to hit him with the shield, and then he flung himself to his feet, kicking the ninja in the balls. The ninja fell to his knees with his yellow eyes crossed in pain, as Danny kicked him to the ground and knocked him out.
The Damascus Chronicles Page 21