Night soon fell and everyone was inside their homes. There was not a single person out when the bird stretched out its long wings and used its magic to make the pendant glow. Jun, who'd been waiting for the signal, quickly readied himself for what was about to come. He brought out one of his dragons and flew off, letting the glowing pendant lead the way.
*~*~*
Shin could not sleep. He tossed and turned throughout the night, eventually waking up Kenji.
'Shin … what's wrong? Kenji asked, still half asleep.
'I don't know, Kenji, but something is not right. I feel like something bad is about to happen and soon,' said a very fearful Shin.
'Why would you think that?' askd Kenji yawning. 'We have been living a great life here for years.'
'That's true, but I just can't shake this feeling. Don't you remember when we were younger? The Ujiima said we had one final battle before we could truly lay all this to rest.'
'I guess I did forget,' Kenji said. He remembered what Shin was talking about, but he did not want to show sadness or fear—that would make his lover feel more uneasy.
'Shin, we have been through so much together. You are my world and my life and I will die before I let something happen to you. I love you with all that is within me. We have a little girl we care for and we have each other. Nothing is going to tear us apart. Do you hear me, Shin? Nothing!' Kenji said.
Kenji's words comforted Shin. They embraced each other and kissed, eventually giving into their passions. As the night went on, they became one with each other. They spent their lustful nature before embracing with one last kiss and drifting off into sleep again.
They were asleep for no more than a few minutes when they woke again to the screams of the townspeople.
'What is that, Shin?' Kenji asked nervously.
'I am not sure, but we have to find out.' With haste they pulled on their clothes and rushed outside to see a dragon setting fire to all the homes and buildings. It gave Kenji a horrid flashback. The townspeople were being burned alive and choking to death on the smoke. Out of the black mist came a young man walking towards them, but though he looked familiar, they did not recognize who he was.
'My friends,' said Jun with an evil smirk, 'don't tell me you have forgotten about me.' Kenji and Shin stared blankly. 'It's me, the boy whose father you killed,' said Jun frowning.
'Jun!' Kenji yelled, realizing that he was the cause of the town's suffering.
'That's right. It took awhile for me to find you, but now I have you right where I want you, and you along with everyone else you know will die.' said Jun.
'I will stop you!' Kenji and Shin never thought about Jun when the palace had collapsed. Nor had they thought he could turn out like his father because of it.
'I don't think you will. I have a little surprise for you.' Jun said, the smirk back on his face. He revealed the staff to Kenji and Shin. The look of horror on their faces could not be described. They knew exactly what seeing that staff meant.
'I see you recognize the staff. It seems you are not the only ones around here with powerful friends. I will make you pay for murdering my father.'
'Please, Jun, I am so sorry about what happened, but if you break that staff then you will suffer as well,' pleaded Shin.
'I suffer every day of my life, having to revisit the death of my father over and over again. He was crushed under all that debris while you two got out safely. You don't deserve to live! Ujaama, come out now!'
Jun smashed the staff against a building wall. A huge mass of tarlike goo rose up from the ground. Even from where they stood, Kenji and Shin could feel the evil emanating from the forming slime. The very smell made Kenji and Shin sick to their stomachs.
The moon disappeared and the town became engulfed in darkness. The slimy tar formed a creature that was similar to the Ujiima, but was not the Ujiima. The creature radiated waves of darkness. It was pitch black in form. The only thing that wasn't dark were its glowing red eyes. As the beast walked, the earth shook with each step of its hooves.
'I am free!' said the Ujaama with a voice that roared through the land. Kenji and Shin knew that they could not hesitate. Kenji grabbed their staff and broke it. The Ujiima appeared in a celestial ball of white light. The light of the Ujiima was so great it illuminated half of the town that was previously engulfed in darkness by the Ujaama.
'My brother!' The Ujaama roared. 'I have longed for this day to destroy you!'
'I will send you back to your prison,' spoke the Ujiima.
'You are weak; your power is not superior to mine.' The Ujaama sneered. 'You get your strength from the spirit of others, but if I corrupt said spirit, you cannot harm me.'
'What do you mean?' The Ujiima questioned.
'I mean this,' the Ujaama opened its mouth and with a gust of its breath, a strong wave of corrupted wind went straight for Shin. The Ujaama started to laugh.'
'Shin! Kenji yelled frantically. 'Please, stop it! No, leave him alone!' Shin was screaming in agony.
'What have you done to him?' yelled Kenji. Shin was encased in a black orb. Kenji could not see Shin, but he could hear his screams coming from inside the orb. Screams so powerful they were hurting Kenji to his very soul.
'I hit him with my wind of weeping. He is alive, but he is in an everlasting nightmare. Every dark thought, worst fear, and sad memory are all being replayed continuously in his mind. He is seeing the destruction of his village, the death of his mother, and … the death of you. He will never wake up. He will weep for all eternity.'
'Don't let him get to you, Kenji! He is using Shin to make you weak! He will be alright, but I need you not to fall for his games,' said the Ujiima with conviction.
'No, Kenji, my brother is wrong. You are already weak. You should just die with honor. You have brought misery and pain to everyone around you: your village and now Shin. I am going to enjoy squishing you like the little worm you are!' the Ujaama charged at Kenji with incredible speed. Distraught over Shin, he was in complete shock of the situation and remained motionless.
'You've lost!' roared the Ujaama as he prepared to slam into Kenji.
'I won't let you!' The Ujiima said, ramming into his brother. The force of the two beasts at full speed colliding into each other made fissures in the earth. The homes in Yamato that were still intact sank into the cracks in the ground.
Kenji's spirit was broken. The Ujaama grew stronger and Ujiima weaker. Then they rammed into each other over and over again.
'You will die, brother,' the Ujaama said as he prepared for another charge.'
'I won't be defeated as easily as this.' The Ujiima replied, charging first. They exchanged blow after blow.
'You are getting weaker by the second brother,' said the Ujaama.
'I will fight you … till my last breath.' The Ujiima panted.
'Well then, let me make that, your last breath,' the Ujaama said, building all his strength for a final charge. The Ujiima readied himself and charged back, but the power was so great he was sent flying into the air and slammed into the ground.
The Ujaama laughed psychotically. 'You disappoint me brother. I thought you would be harder to defeat than this.' He slowly walked up to his fallen brother.'
'Pathetic,' mocked the Ujaama. 'Any last words?'
'How … how did you … break free?' asked the Ujiima. He struggled to speak.
'I used that fool over there and his hatred for your two pawns. He was a moronic child not to realize that his father's death was his own doing. Tokufumi cared so much about his empire that he would do anything to keep it, which ultimately resulted in his death. I used his son, who wanted revenge so badly that he too let his own ambition cloud his judgment, but no matter, he shall die soon enough.'
'You used me this entire time?' Jun said in utter disbelief.
'You idiot child, you really think I would make a deal and follow it through with a mere boy? You are no emperor, you are a fool.' 'The Ujaama turned his attention back to the Ujiima.
'Now it's time to finish you off once and for all, my brother.'
While the Ujaama was occupied, Jun quickly ran to Kenji who was still motionless. Jun was finally able to see that his father's death was not Kenji and Shin's fault, and that he had been manipulated the entire time by the Ujaama.
'Kenji, please. I need you to snap out of it!' Jun screamed.
'They're … gone, they're all gone. It's all my fault.' Kenji sobbed. 'I cause pain and misery to everyone around me. If it weren't for me, no one would be in this mess!'
'No!' said Jun. 'You have it all wrong. It's because of you that so many things that are good have happened. You've saved people before, and now you have the chance to save the world. Think of everything you loved and lost. Don't let it go in vain. You have so much more to give and there is so much more to you than this. Don't give up. What about Shin? He is still alive. You have to protect him. This is your life. This is your destiny!'
Jun's words filled Kenji's mind and reminded him of all he'd been through. He was reminded of his trials. He'd found everything he had been looking for through the tragedies of his life. He couldn't just give up. Kenji snapped out of his despair.
'Die brother!' yelled the Ujaama, as he reared up. As he went to deliver the final blow, he was suddenly unable to move. A blinding beam of light stopped him.
'What the … what is this?' asked an angry Ujaama.
'This is the end of you,' said Kenji in a soft voice.
'What!' The Ujaama hissed.
'All my life I have had to deal with the burden of tragedy. Seeing my family and friends murdered before my eyes, being attacked by dragons, having the people that matter to me captured and tortured. I now know that there is nothing that can't be overcome if you believe in what you are fighting for. It's okay to let your past drive you, but I won't let it drive me crazy. I am fighting for my love for Shin, devotion to Mina, kindness to the people of Yamato, and loyalty to Kyade. I will not let you win. Do you hear me Ujaama? I will not let you win!'
The Ujiima's power rose and his light engulfed the entire town. His celestial power and strength were back. He was more powerful than ever.
'Ujiima, I give you my strength to vanquish this evil,' chanted Kenji.
'Ujiima,' Jun added, 'although misguided, I am no longer a fighter for darkness. As emperor, I too give you my strength.' Using their strength from all those they loved, Kenji and Jun gave their energy and essence to the Ujiima.
'No,' said a troubled Ujaama, 'this can't be happening! I was so close!'
'My brother, as long as love exists in this world, you will never win,' said the Ujiima.
'Damn you, brother, damn you!' screeched the Ujaama.
'Your time here is done. Be gone!' commanded the Ujiima. The Ujiima gathered all his celestial energy in his horn and emitted it in a beam that struck through the heart of the Ujaama. He was pierced all the way through. The Ujaama had been defeated. His body slowly dissolved back into the slimy tarlike goo and seeped into the ground. The Ujaama, even though defeated, started to laugh.
'Why do you laugh at your defeat?' pondered the Ujiima. 'Has it not sunk in that you have lost?'
'That is not my reason at all, oh foolish brother of mine,' retorted the Ujaama. 'I may have been defeated, but I still have powers that you cannot take away. I may not be able to come back to earth in this form, but I will continue to manipulate souls into doing my bidding. In the years to come, wars, diseases, and plagues will be released by my will. I will find new minions and cause destruction and chaos forever. You may think you have won, but evil can never truly die.'
'Indeed, you are right, my brother, but I will bring about peace to combat your wars, healing for your sickness, and blessings to combat your plagues. I too will have followers, so even still, my brother, we are at a stalemate. Now be gone, you naïve soul,' spoke Ujiima with resolve.
At the Ujiima's words, the Ujaama dissolved completely into the earth. The moon reappeared and bathed the town in its gentle light. Everything that had appeared with Ujaama was gone. Kenji ran to Shin.
'Shin, are you alright?' Kenji asked. The orb Shin had been in was gone, but Shin was unconscious.
'He is fine, he just needs rest,' said the Ujiima.
'Thank you for everything that you have done, Ujiima,' said Kenji.
'No, Kenji, thank you, but it is time I take my leave,' said the Ujiima.
'Where will you go?' asked Kenji.
'I will become one with the sky so I can watch over the world. However, there is one last thing I would like you to do for me.'
'Anything.'
'Write down everything that you have seen in your lifetime and have Shin and Jun do the same, so that everyone can know of your heroism and how the world owes itself you.' Before Kenji could respond, the Ujiima's body split into beams of light and shot up towards the sky.
'Thank you, Ujiima,' whispered Kenji as he gazed into the sky.
*~*~*
"And that is the legend of how the world was saved and how Kyade was rebuilt. Of course, no one really knows the truth because it was so long ago, but because of the stories Kenji, Shin, and Jun wrote down and shared, the story has been passed down from generation to generation."
"Wow! Grandma, that was a great story, but what happened to Kenji, Shin, and Jun after that?" asked Mamaru.
"Well, Mamaru, Jun apologized again to Kenji and Shin and to make up for what he did, he helped rebuild Kyade. Kenji and Shin left Yamato with their daughter Mina and lived the rest of their lives in peace."
"That's amazing. Grandma, do you think I can save the world one day?"
"Well," she laughed," I don't know about saving the world, but if you work hard you could change it. All you need is a good heart and a little bit of courage and you can do a lot of things."
"Ok, then I will work hard to be a good person. Good night, grandma." Mamaru closed his eyes.
"Good night, Mamaru," she said, tucking him in and turning off the light.
"Wait, grandma!" he called out.
"Yes, dear?"
"What does 'become one with each other' mean?" asked Mamaru.
"What do you mean?" she asked nervously.
"When Kenji and Shin were in their home before Jun came and broke the staff, you said they became one with each other. What does that mean?"
"Umm … I'll explain it when you are a little older. Goodnight, dear."
About the Author
James is a young man from the cruel streets of Alabama. Born into a world of judgment, bullying, isolation, racism and homophobic cruelty, he learned how to communicate through his words. It took the death of parent, years of being in a wheelchair and an ongoing battle with Sickle Cell Anemia to realize that he can turn all those negatives into positives with the mere stroke of a pen. He hopes his writing can inspire as well as entertain. His stories although fictional, come from a real place.
Although young he is very educated and is wise beyond his years. His words are from experiences that most don’t get to have at such a young age, but for him, what was once a curse is now a blessing. He uses his pen, pencil, and keyboard as a sword. He makes harsh reality into beautiful fantasy. When life gave him lemons, he added tequila and salt.
The Staff of Kyade Page 4