Part 1: [link]
Part 2: [link]
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“...And that is her story,” the old woman finished. “Do you understand now?”
“Oh, I understand,” the wanderer nodded. “I understand you’ve been sitting on a powder keg holding a lit match and just hoped it wouldn’t go off. Don’t worry, I’ve already figured out how to solve your problem.”
“You still speak freely and carelessly,” the old woman snapped. “You still criticize our choices without any understanding.”
“Nope, I’ve seen this same situation before,” the wanderer countered. “The answer is fairly clear to me. Thanks for the tea.” The wanderer finished off the small cup before leaving the old woman’s shack.
“Your words are biting and without politeness,” the old woman commented. “Yet, I still hope you are right. Let our...let her suffering end once and for all.”
~--~
The wanderer left the village, following the trail of destruction left in Kiyomi’s wake. It was not difficult to find the silver-haired woman, as she stood right where the destruction ended. The woman of famed beauty stood upon a lakebed, the water having long since boiled away. Kiyomi noticed the wanderer approach but spared her no words.
“What are you doing out here all by yourself?” The wanderer broke the ice.
“I seek the man I love, the man who has given me so many gifts over the years,” Kiyomi answered. “He awaits me in the next town, but it seems I’ve lost my way. Today’s events are so foggy in my mind.”
‘She doesn’t even recognize me,’ the wanderer noted. ‘At least that means she’ll hear me out then.’ The wanderer sat down on the remains of a tree stump and collected her thoughts. “Kiyomi, there’s something you need to know.”
“Is it word from my lover?” Kiyomi’s eyes lit up.
“Kiyomi, the truth is that man doesn’t exist,” the wanderer revealed. “The villagers have been lying to you because they’re afraid. They gathered up all the gifts and wealth to keep you appeased and fabricated the story of the man leaving them for you.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Kiyomi snapped, the air around her distorting from a sudden rise in heat.
“You’ve been lied to, Kiyomi,” the wanderer repeated. “You need to stop these rampages, or they’ll keep lying to you.”
“Hold your tongue,” the silver-haired woman gathered up her flames, her eyes seeming to glow with relentless fury.
“Tell me, Kiyomi, how long have you been following your lover?” The wanderer asked.
“I...I...Why does it...?” Kiyomi struggled for a reply. Her first instinct was to deny the question, but it was clear she had no answer to give. “Of course, it was only...a month?...a year?...how long...? Aaaahhhh!!!” The silver-haired woman clutched her head, her mind unable to recall the answer. She morphed back into the serpent of blue flame, but the beast appeared far larger and more monstrous than before.
“This might be a little harder than I first thought,” the wanderer sighed as the flame serpent crashed down on top of her. “Missed me,” the wanderer teleported away at the last moment, before conjuring up her own red flames. “Raw power is good and all, but you won’t get very far on sheer force alone.” The wanderer’s red flames and Kiyomi’s blue clashed head-on. The two forces canceled each other out and covered the area in a cloud of thick smoke.
“Lies, lies, all lies!” Kiyomi paid no mind to the wanderer’s advice and continued her relentless assault. The wanderer emerged from the smoke, having created five illusionary replicas of herself. The same kind she had used to trick Kiyomi in their first encounter. The silver-haired woman merely attacked the closest of the copies, quickly determining it was a fake.
“Acting like a mindless monster only makes you easier to fool,” the wanderer and her three copies commented in unison. The four scattered in separate directions, forcing Kiyomi to chose one to pursue.
“You think of me as no more than a mindless beast?” Kiyomi roared. “Do not think you are safe because of your tricks.” The serpent of blue flame flew into the sky before turning back towards the ground. It’s mouth opened to unleash a geyser of fire breath that consumed the landscape, quickly catching up the four wanderers. One by one, each of the illusionary wanderers vanished into the flame. “That is the fate of those who would do me harm!”
“Not bad, I didn’t give you enough credit after all,” the wanderer’s voice came from behind the serpent.
“Impossible,” Kiyomi looked up to see the wanderer standing on the back of her serpentine form. The wanderer’s feet stood firm as though the blue flame was solid ground.
“Your first mistake was taking your eyes off me,” the wanderer explained. “All five were illusions, which you have a nasty habit of mindlessly chasing.”
“Do not be so quick to demean me. You still stand within my grasp,” Kiyomi pointed out. “I shall wrap my coils around you and crush you within my flames!”
“Since you haven’t noticed already, I’ll tell you now,” the wanderer chuckled. “I’m also a sorceress who uses fire, one far more advanced than you. Fire and heat don’t really hurt me. Besides, who said this was the real me anyway?” Dozens more copies of the wanderer suddenly came into being, all around the Kiyomi.
“Perish!” Kiyomi declared as she released more bursts of flame breath upon the illusions. Yet, for every copy she destroyed, two more seemed to take its place. This pattern repeated as Kiyomi chased after the dozens of clones throughout the sky and land. Yet, no matter how much fire she called upon, the silver-haired woman could not find the real wanderer.
The battle seemed to continue for what seemed like days. With each passing hour, Kiyomi’s flames grew weaker and weaker. Finally, the serpent of blue flame collapsed and reverted back to her human form. Exhausted and defeated, the jewel of the valley laid upon the ground, unable to even lift a finger.
“Finally wore yourself out, huh?” The real wanderer teleported in from wherever she had hidden. The dozens of copies were dispelled all at once.
“It is my loss,” Kiyomi replied weakly. “I know why you are here, you are not the first to try, but you are the first to succeed. Bring your weapon down upon me and end it already. I wish to be with my parents and lover now.” The silver-haired woman broke down into tears.
“What I find truly hard to believe is that you fell for such a blatant trick for so long,” the wanderer ignored Kiyomi’s words. “You must have been suspicious of the generosity of a man who mysteriously never had the decency to wait for you.”
“Deep in my heart, I always knew,” Kiyomi replied through her tears. “But I turned a blind eye, for the alternative was too much for my heart to take. I wanted it to be true; I needed it to be true. I just wanted to be loved again.”
“Don’t we all?” The wanderer approached Kiyomi and crouched down beside her.
“I’m so very tired, please make it quick,” Kiyomi closed her eyes and braced herself for the end. The wanderer placed her hand upon Kiyomi’s shoulder, a somber look in her eye.
“Don’t worry, I know how to make this painless,” the wanderer assured.
~--~
“It’s done. Your problem is dealt with,” was the wanderer’s only words to the village leader.
“Ridiculous,” the leader naturally scoffed at her declaration. Then the wanderer presented Kiyomi’s undamaged kimono as proof.
“She was quite vain it seems,” the wanderer commented, “cast some kind of spell that kept this spotless. Not even the blood or dirt-stained it.”
“Then, the nightmare is over?” The village leader inquired.
“Yes, the problem you propagated for all these years has finally come to an end,” the wanderer remarked. “No need to thank me, I was just making up for my own mistakes.” The wanderer left without letting the village leader get in another word. She marched out of town, the kimono neatly folded up and held in her hand, ignoring the villagers' many stares as she left.
Once the wanderer finally exited the town completely, she walked on for a few more minutes before swiftly turning off the path. Hidden beneath a small ridge near the village was another woman wrapped in a cloak. The wanderer approached her before going down on one knee to speak to them.
“Sorry about that. They likely wouldn’t believe me without some proof,” the wanderer presented the kimono.
“Thank you,” Kiyomi took off the cloak and accepted her kimono. “What will you do with me now?”
“Well, you can’t stay here,” the wanderer pointed out. “So why not come with me?” She held out her hand.
“As what? Your companion? Your trophy? Your slave?” Kiyomi inquired.
“As my apprentice,” the wanderer answered. “I know how you feel. All that fire, bubbling inside you. I was lucky enough to have someone to teach me how to control it, and now so do you.”
“I care little for the ways of magic,” Kiyomi turned away.
“Who said anything about magic?” The wanderer pulled Kiyomi into a hug. “I told you, I know how you feel. It’s really lonely out there, so why not have a helping hand to guide you?”
“You...what?” Kiyomi was flustered by the sudden show of affection.
“I promise you, as your teacher, I won’t let any harm come to you,” the wanderer promised.
“I...I,” Kiyomi was at a loss for words. “Thank you, teacher,” she smiled.
“That’s the spirit,” the wanderer hoped to her feet and pulled up Kiyomi with her. “Now, let’s get out of here. The world is a vast place, and we have only so much time to explore it. We might even find that elusive man you’re looking for.”
“You’re a strange person, teacher,” Kiyomi giggled as she locked hands with the wanderer, and the two walked off into the sunset. The valley would slowly let the story of its pure jewel fade into memory. However, the wider world might soon have its own tales of Kiyomi, the Pure Jewel, and her mysterious mentor.
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A dynasty of lies can be slain by a single truth. The truth hurts, but sometimes it's what we need most.
I hope you enjoyed this three part story, I sure enjoyed writing it.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy
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