Chapter 6:

The Legendary Pandora

Darkness… Everywhere… No, in the corner, a pocket of light… Closer, closer… Minako ran toward the light in the darkness, her heart struggling with each step. Everywhere she turned, the darkness overpowered her; her soul was weak in comparison. The supposed savior let the darkness consume her. Was this the power of the Devil? They say he lived in the darkness, calling the hearts of the wicked with his black, desolate hell. But God was the light, and called the good in the same way. Minako was between the two, so close to both she could feel the warmth and cold all at once. Did the Devil have the power to trap her within this vast hell of darkness? His hands were the darkness, his body consumed all the light, purity, and good in the world. But… He could not close his hands completely, a pocket of light shone from between them. If only… If only Minako could reach that light, then she would be free from this terror. The Devil controlled her strength, the faster she ran, the farther the pocket in his hands became. She dropped to her knees in despair and exhaustion. There was no way out. As her knees collapsed beneath her, the light ran toward her and consumed her entirely; her heart and body shone with bright light.

She found herself at her school. Cars rushed past in blurs of colors, the girls wore pink skirts, and the sun shone brightly on the green strands of grass littering the ground. This was her world! Minako’s world! Minako turned rapidly and caught blonde, bobbing hair out of the corner of her eye. “R-RENEE!!!!!!!” Minako ran toward her with her arms open, waiting to receive Renee’s warmth.

Renee turned and smiled gleefully, “Who are you?”

Minako’s eyes grew wide as she reached for Renee. Those words echoed in her mind as the darkness consumed her once more.

Who are you?

“RENEE!!!”

“This is not the place to be sleeping.”

Minako opened her eyes quickly. Her hands grasped Nick’s leg tightly; her knuckles had turned white.

He stared down at her with disdain and looked into her eyes with a cold, unfeeling stare.

Minako released her fingers and sat up next to him. Her hands folded in her lap as they returned to silence.

“Hey…”

Minako looked up. “Hmmm?”

Nick turned away for a moment, “I know I said earlier that Pandora is not a name, but merely a continuation of the title ‘Priestess’…”

Minako blinked her eyes in confusion.

“What… What is your name then? I keep calling you ‘Pandora’ and Priestess’ but…”

“Minako.”

Nick turned back to her, “What?”

“My name is Minako, Minako Mikagi.”

“Mi-Na-Ko-Mi-Ka-Gi?”

Minako nodded and smiled, “I should tell you mine… It is only fair after knowing yours.”

“Thank you, Minakomikagi.”

“Umm… What?”

“It is Minakomikagi, right?”

“No… My name is Minako, but my family’s name is Mikagi.”

“Family name?”

Minako smiled, nodding, “Many years ago, my ancestors took the name Mikagi for their family, and everyone born since has carried a piece of that name.”

“Mikagi Minako…”

“Well, yes, I suppose my family’s name would come first…”

Nick pulled Minako’s hands close to him and held them in the warmth of his chest. “Minako…”

Minako shut her eyes. An ocean swept through her heart and washed away the darkness. Being in this prison, this brand new darkness, was terrifying, but she felt more complete… less alone… She looked up into Nick’s eyes; for the first time, she saw a smile spread across his lips. How genuine it was when that demon smiled; his pain and suffering melted away and his grotesque figure vanished. Behind his exterior, a boy existed. A lonely boy searching for something precious.

“Nick…” Minako turned from him briefly, “We can’t stay here… I won’t stay here. We’ll find that box and… I will make sure that what belongs to you is returned.”

Nick’s eyes shifted across the darkness, very little was clear in this abandoned place, but it held more light than his previous residence. One soldier had been assigned to watch, and he had forgotten his post. In the darkness, he leaned against the stone wall beneath a torch. His body was limp, but his expression was at ease. In his rest, he found safety from the darkness. “Now…”

“Now?”

“It has to be now, or it will be never.” Nick put his hand to the lock on the cage and shut his eyes. His expression hardened as his wings struck out from his body. A windy flash of pale blue light pushed aside the darkness. The ruler of this hell was Nick; anyone who ignored this would be seen as a fool. “Step back.”

“Can you really break it?”

“Metal is glass, it shatters effortlessly.” Nick pressed against the lock, it began cracking. The gashes in the metal became deeper and in an instant, the metal had fallen to the ground. The pieces hit the floor with a ring like small bells.

Minako stared in amazement. How? How could metal be so fragile? Just what was this demon capable of?

“Now.”

Minako looked up at him; in her shock, her eyes shook.

Nick pushed his hand toward her, “Hurry.” It was an offering of his hope. If he could give it to her, then she would hold it in her heart and protect it forever. Minako took his hand, and they leapt through the darkness. Somewhere, a pocket of light would open for them.

~*~

The endless steps spiraled toward heaven; they eventually found a resting point in a brightly-lit corridor. The palace loomed all around them. The corridor they entered into had curved, lofted ceilings. Paintings covered the bright blue walls with golden trim. The corridor seemed to go on for miles in this same fashion: endless portraits on blue walls covered in ornate gold.

Nick let out a low chuckle, “What splendor His Majesty lives in.”

“Down this hallway!” a low voice called beyond the corridor. Though it seemed endless, there was no doubt a person could find their way through it.

Nick backed against a wall, hiding in the shadows; he hoped his form could be concealed within the darkness. No one knew quite the same way he did of the correct way to traverse the darkness. He hoped that this form of life was lost on the guards within this city of light. His heart hid in fear, only he could hear its breathing.

Minako’s seemed to wish to give their location away, refusing to hold its breath as Nick’s heart did. Minako shut her eyes for a moment, seeing only darkness, she hoped to reflect its manner and find the ability to hide within its chasms.

“This is the only place we will find them!”

Nick’s heart leapt as he heard these words. Closer and closer, the voices echoed less. The corridor did not contain them quite so well. The end was drawing near. Nick swallowed; he no longer had a choice. He pulled Minako away from the voices and ran. If they could find a way out of this endless maze of corridors, then they could escape from the king and the prison he held for them.

“There they are!”

Nick turned around and faced the king’s guards. He then continued to run at top speed; even if they were highly trained, he had run from the darkness as long as he could remember, and nothing was as swift as the black hell he had escaped from. Nick rounded a corner, an end to the endless corridor. As he proceeded down an identical corridor, hands snatched Minako from his grasp.

Minako struggled to breathe as the hands covered her eyes and mouth and pulled her further into infinite darkness.

Nick continued to run; he would not turn back, he would not stop. His feet ran on his fear and his hope that if he could escape, he and Minako could find the box.

“Get him!”

Nick stopped abruptly and turned frantically. Him? Where was Minako? Gone… Nick clenched his eyes shut and kept running. Good. As long as she was far away, nothing could harm her. And even if he never left this new prison, he could find peace in knowing that she could find the box for him, and maybe… Maybe he would get it back anyway. If he could be the decoy, then Minako would surely carry out her promise. The goal of this chase was no longer to escape, but to lead the guards away. Nick grinned, it was to become a game of cat and mouse; except, the mouse only participated for the thrill of the chase.

The guards continued to chase Nick through the endless corridors. How long would it take the mouse to reach his goal?

~*~

Minako found herself in darkness, deeper than before. It almost eerily resembled the cave in which she had found Nick. Minako looked around. She swore someone had pulled her here, but… there was no one in sight. Even in the clouded room, she found a large stone balcony with an altar overlooking an empty basin. Some sort of tapestry hung on the wall behind the basin. Minako fingered it lightly as a gentle light warmed her suddenly. She turned around briskly to find a figure standing on the balcony. They were covered in a cream cloak that shone like silk. Their firm hands held a strand of crystal blue beads, the color was so deep and the beads shone so brilliantly next to the fire, they must have been precious stones. Although the cloak covered the figure’s head, the fire shone on their face and the few strands of brown hair that peered from beneath the cloak sparkled.

“Do you know what that tapestry is?” The cloak clouded the figure’s voice, but it still resounded through the room.

Minako turned back to the tapestry. An elegant woman with a shapely figure and beautiful flowing hair emerged from within a box. Delicate ribbons flowed around her body and she shone with the brightest blue glow. Five stars surrounded her and glowed with the same gorgeous blue light. At the top of the tapestry sat a glowing, red sphere with five smaller glowing red spheres surrounding it. At the left and right were two such configurations of spheres, except one was yellow and the other green, respectively.

Minako pondered for a moment, “Is this a tapestry of the four corners of heaven?”

The figure laughed briefly, “Would the maiden be so lucky to be worshipped in such a regard.”

Minako stared up at him, her eyes filled with wonder.

The figure looked within the fire, and continued, “Though the world is often unaware, its very existence is ruled by demons. These are the four demon constellations of the heavens: Shishi, Futago, Ite, and Tenbin. Each of these constellations rules a stone, which in turn rules a country in the world. In the beginning, man ruled these countries and held his claim to them without opposition. Then, the demons emerged. Full of hatred and vengeance to the ancestors of the humans, they took over the countries and made themselves kings and authority. Long ago, the demons were merely tortured men, the ages have passed so long, that no difference can be determined. Most demons have become gradually accustomed to hiding their grotesque features, which would otherwise frighten humans. Claws, wings, tails… All of these become hidden. Of the demons captured today, only one was aware of this ability.”

“I’m not a demon!” Minako shrieked. She imagined the figure staring at her in contempt, then confusion. Water beads dripped from Minako’s face, “I mean… I’m just an innocent passer-by…” Minako laughed nervously.

“So you were among that party? I thought so...”

“You… won’t turn me in?”

“No. In fact, you intrigue me…”

Minako let out a sigh of relief, missing the end of the figure’s statement. “Then… what happened in the legend?”

“Of course,” the figure replied warmly. Minako could imagine them smiling beneath the hood of the cloak. “People used to believe demons were the consorts of the devil, but, they were bred from the constellations. Demons were the progeny of the sky. But others, of course, still believe they were brought forth from the wicked souls of men. Regardless, demons were feared, but in the end, who is really a demon? There is a special legend concerning the cardinal demons of each country. These are the ones who protected its purpose. Safaiananpou, this country, was meant to be a country that bore the scales, essentially, assimilating all the countries and maintaining peace within the resulting country. These cardinal demons were brought together at birth and something was extracted from each of them. Or so the legend is told…”

“Extracted? That means…” Minako’s heart felt agony in its tears as she remembered Nick’s desperate, lonely, angered cry…

Even if I would live, it is still mine. God… God had no right to take it!

Tears streamed down Minako’s face.

“Maiden?”

“That means stolen!” Minako dropped to her knees. How could they? How could they? “This… This kingdom… It orchestrates theft?”

The figure looked down at her, “I assure you, Maiden. It did no such thing. This is only the legend as passed down to me. There are many different versions. This version continues as follows: to the demon most desperate, a maiden appears. She is the beautiful priestess the ancients named ‘Pandora.’ What was extracted from the demons was sealed in a box. Pandora will bring them together and produce the box. Upon receiving the sealed powers back, the demons will unite and fulfill the duty of their nation. Each has been given a purpose and a priestess, and the will of everyone depends on her. Pandora is a foreigner of vast beauty and power; within her heart, she knows the names of the cardinal demons. She is the savior of each land.”

“This country stole from Nick! On purpose! How could it?!”

“Maiden?”

Minako’s eyes narrowed and she clenched her fist as she stared up at the cloaked figure in disdain. “It’s this country’s fault. If it had not stolen from Nick, I would not be here. He would be happy and I would remain in the arms of Renee.”

“Renee?”

Minako gave the same scornful look to the cloaked figure; “My best friend and I were separated when tragedy struck this awful dying place. She is in our country, while I rot here with legends of demons and tales of boxes.”

“Your country? You are a foreigner?” The figured raised their hand to their chin and recollected, “No… You dress strangely, even for a foreigner. Your world is different completely.”

“Of course it is! I would rather die than be trapped any longer in this desolate world! I want Renee!!!” Minako began to cry, tears streamed violently down her face. So swift and hard, that they may have cut her cheeks, “But… I promised Nick I would return the box to him. If you know where it is, I want it now.”

“Poor Maiden, you have not heard a word I have said.” The cloaked figure stood beside her, Minako stepped back in surprise and hit the wall. A worn latch fell from its guard and Minako fell to the ground.

As the dust around her settled, she jumped up and batted the dirt from her clothes. The cloaked figure appeared before her. Her anger rose. “Get away from me. You took me into the darkness and made me listen to an outrageously stupid story. If you are in cohorts with the king, tell him this, ‘I want that box. Give it to me now. Whatever is sealed in it belongs to Nick and he has no right to keep it.’ Tell him quickly, I won’t wait here anymore.”

The cloaked figure was silent, then chuckled slightly. “This is how you view our country…”

“There is the sorceress!”

Minako turned quickly; the guards ran toward her, followed by more carrying a prisoner. The poor soul was bound at the wrists; he must have been a dangerous criminal. The guards surrounded Minako and grabbed her forcefully. She glared at them as one rose a spear to her neck. “You will not manage to escape again.”

“Get your hands off of me!” Minako growled.

“Minako!!!” Minako looked up to see the other group of guards approaching, their prisoner was Nick.

“Nick!”

“You stupid girl! I thought you ran away!”

“But the box!”

The guard pointed the spear closer to Minako’s neck. “Is this ridiculous box all you care about? Shut your mouth or you will no longer be able to speak.”

Minako gasped and swallowed.

Nick growled, “Touch Minako and I will kill you!”

Nick’s guards kicked him in the back; he fell toward the ground as their laughter rang through the air.

The guard tightened his grip on Minako as she struggled to get toward Nick.

“NICK!!!!”

Nick glowed with a pale blue light and growled, “Touch Minako… and I… WILL KILL YOU!!!!” The ropes around his wrists shattered and the blue glow intensified.

“Enough!” The guards looked up quickly at the crystal male voice that pierced their laughter. The forceful guard that held Minako between his arms like a vice let go on command. The guards dropped to their knees.

Minako ran to Nick and wrapped her arms around him tightly. She may have been angered that he forced her on his quest for a mere box, but… He had protected her in this dreadful town and rescued her from the desolate darkness. “Nick! I was worried about you… So worried…”

“Minako… Stupid, I thought you ran…”

“No… Not without you. Let’s go get your box from the king...”

“We apologize, we do not have it.”

Minako and Nick both looked up; their eyes followed the path of the crystal voice. The man who stood before them had taken the place of the cloaked figure. His stance was proud, though his stature was small. He wore a beautiful blue silk robe with lace and other fine ornaments, even silver buttons. A blue crown rested on his head, resembling a flattened surface perched on a circular bowl. The table-like top had delicate blue beads dangling across the front. He smiled at Nick and Minako graciously with his kind brown eyes. Nick dropped to his knees quickly. Minako stood in disbelief.

“But… The cloaked figure in the dark room…”

“We apologize for our intrusion,” the king smiled once more, “We wanted to know if you were indeed Pandora. But, do not worry, you and the cardinal demon you have produced will find sanctuary in our palace.”

Minako’s eyes grew wide in surprise as she looked at Nick and then back at the king. He welcomed her and a demon into this palace with open arms? What sort of hierarchy was this? The king smiled warmly again as Minako dropped to her knees.

***

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