The Wrath Of the Forgotten

by Michael Ignacio

  Rayko glared at her. “I was trying to be polite. I gave him a compliment after all.”

  Nori winced, but waved them off. “It’s fine. I’m used to people thinking like that. It doesn’t bother me much anymore. I’m sorry that I’m making you all feel uncomfortable. It’s not my intention; I’m just trying to do my duty.”

  Flara walked up beside him. This time, she stared into his eyes. Her irises still waivered quite a bit, but she maintained her focus. “Y-you’re not the one making me uncomfortable. It’s the situation I dislike. I hate b-being who I am. I never wanted a life like that. Not only that, but…” Her volume shrank to a barely audible mumble. “I don’t like talking with people I don’t really know.”

  “You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to,” Nori said. “Qu-Tar are trained to be silent protectors.”

  Apisa frowned. “What’s a chew tar? Is that some kind of fancy word for bodyguard?”

  Flara stopped and surveyed the area around them, and Nori did the same. No one was within ear shot, and the people they did see moved with increased pace.

  Flara’s usually meek voice came out in an even softer whisper. “The Qu-Tar are the elite royal guards for the Empress and her immediate family. They protect the palace in Xian Ba. I seem to remember that only a hundred of them are in existence at any one time.”

  Rayko titled her head up at Nori and gently caressed her chin with a pair of fingers. “So this …rather large brute is an elite, then? I suppose that does warrant some greater degree of respect. After all, I doubt the Imperial Throne would knowingly employ an individual of dastardly morals. If Flara is any indicator of how her mother is, then perhaps I’ve been too harsh on you.”

  “Perhaps?” Apisa asked. “Let’s not sugar-coat it here. You were being down right awful to him.”

  Rayko rolled her eyes. “I apologize for my potentially dreadful behavior. Though I still detest your people, I’ll find restraint in my interactions with you.”

  Nori narrowed his eyes, but he said nothing.

  “Sorry, big guy.” Apisa pat him on the back. “That’s probably the best apology you’re going to get from her at this point.”

  “Like I said, I’m used to this kind of thing,” Nori replied.

  “Um, Mr. Nori…” Flara averted her eyes again. “Th-thank you for helping our friend tonight. It really means a lot.”

  Nori took a deep breath and gazed at her. “You’re welcome. So where are we going next?”

  “I think I w-want to go to bed,” Flara said. “I’ll see you two in the m-morning. Goodnight.”

  Flara walked down the street, and Nori silently walked beside her. Apisa and Rayko didn’t join them in the stroll, and neither he nor Flara said anything to one another. When they got to their adjacent rooms, Flara finally glanced over at him.

  “G-good night, Mr. Nori,” She said. “Again, th-thank you for helping us today.”

  Nori smiled softly. “Help you? You’re the ones who followed me, remember?”

  She blinked at him several times before she went into her dorm room. Nori went into his room as well. The sweetness of the bed called out to him, and he was more than happy to be consumed by its siren song.

  “SHHH! YOU’RE GOING to wake him up.”

  “That’s the point, darling. We’re trying to stir him. Honestly.”

  “Both of you, please quiet down. We’re going to wait here until he wakes up on his own.”

  Nori slowly opened his eyes. He let out a great yawn as he pushed himself up and gazed around. Three figures came into view, and they lorded over him with wide, observant expressions. His muscles tensed and his fists bawled. Nori scooted back so that his back touched the wall.

  Apisa, Rayko, and Flara stood over him.

  Nori opened his eyes a little wider in hopes of dispelling the sleepiness. “Whoa… what’s going on? Are you all in trouble?”

  “Not exactly,” Apisa said. “Flara has something she wants to discuss with you.”

  “M-me?” Flara whirled on Apisa. “I th-thought we were all g-going to tell him.”

  Rayko leaned up against the wall and chuckled. “You’re the one who’s been having the dream, darling. You’re also his employer. It should be you to bring this to his attention.”

  “I agree with Little Miss Prissy Britches,” Apisa said.

  “You know full well I’ve never worn britches in my life,” Rayko replied. “I’m not some uncouth farm hand like you.”

  Flara stepped between them. “Please. Don’t start arguing. We have to focus on the matter at hand.” After a brief moment, Apisa and Rayko looked away from one another. Flara sat down on the far edge of Nori’s bed.

  Nori sat up and the blankets fell to his waist. All at once, the girls gasped.

  “W-what happened to you?” Flara asked. “Your chest is so …”

  Apisa interrupted her. “I like your scars. My papa always used to say you could tell a lot from a person by the scars that carry. So what’s your story?”

  Nori absent-mindedly traced his index finger along one of the many deep etchings he had on his skin. “It’s not a big deal. When I was a kid, I got in a fight with a cave bear.”

  “A cave bear?” Flara asked. “A-aren’t cave bears enormous? How did you survive?”

  Rayko arched an eyebrow at him. “Perhaps the more interesting question is what were you doing messing with a cave bear as a child anyway? Was it some kind of primitive Onistan test of strength?”

  Apisa and Flara turned around and narrowed their eyes at her.

  “What?” Rayko asked. “I didn’t say anything mean that time. I’m generally curious.”

  “No offense, but I don’t really know you all well enough to discuss it,” Nori said. “So why are you all here? What is this is all about?”

  Flara averted her eyes, but Apisa just kept staring at him.

  “Um… I was w-wanting to ask for your h-help,” Flara said. “Y-you see, I’ve been having a reoccurring dream. It’s always been so vivid and powerful, and I’m st-starting to think it’s more than just a dream.”

  Nori shifted in the bed a little. “So how can I help you with a dream? I’m sorry, I don’t quite understand.”

  “I’d like to visit the p-place in my dream. It’s not terribly far from here.” Flara fiddled with her fingers in her lap. “It’s in a forest to the north. The problem is that it might be …dangerous.”

  Apisa placed a hand on her hip. “After what you showed us yesterday, we’d be more comfortable going to the forest if you were there. Will you come with us?”

  Nori asked, “When would we leave?”

  “As soon as you get out of bed,” Flara said. “We’ve already cleared it with Madame Hao. We have horses and provisions for travel.”

  Nori swallowed hard for a moment, but remained where he lay. “Okay, if you leave the room, I’ll meet you outside in about five minutes.”

  Rayko frowned. “What’s wrong? Are you insecure about your body? It’s not like we’ve not seen a man in his under garments before.”

  Flara wrung her hands together. “I’ll wait outside…”

  Nori bunched the blankets more around his lower body. “I’d appreciate it if you all waited outside. You see, I’m used to a colder climate, and the southern heat really makes it hard to sleep in clothes at night.”

  “S-southern heat?” Flara peeked at Nori from the corner of her eye. She lowered her gaze for a moment before she hopped off of the bed.

  In a flash, the door to Nori’s bedroom opened wide, and Flara ducked out.

  Rayko maneuvered out, but cast him a questioning glance before she disappeared around the corner.

  Apisa back-stepped out, but faced him as she moved away. “I always rather enjoyed the southern heat myself. Don’t feel bad, I tend to sleep naked too.” She closed the door behind her.

  AN OCEAN OF grass danced beneath Tov as he soared through the grey, overcast sky. Lightening flashed in the distance, and the scent of r
ain heralded what would be a great onslaught upon the land. The temperature slowly chilled with each moment.

  Tov landed on top of one of the many hills that made up this untouched hint of paradise. Thankfully, no humans were in sight. The closest city existed several miles to the east, and from the looks of it, none of their kind ventured out this far in the grasslands.

  He drew in a deep breath and smiled. Tov cleared his mind and closed his eyes. Thunder rumbled somewhere far away, but the echoes sent primal shivers throughout his core. The storm’s aroma intensified and became a delicious perfume. Long grass flapped in the gust and created a delicate rhythm that soothed Tov’s restless soul. Tov took one final breath before he opened the sack that was tied to his belt.

  A slender blue metal flute sat beside a dark wooden wand and a small rubber ball. Slowly, Tov studied each of the items. Intricate runes and symbols covered the flute, on both sides of the finger holes. The wand resembled a burnt twig or branch. It even twisted about in a curvy fashion. The rubber ball was bright red, and it appeared completely smooth.

  Tov took out the rubber ball and tossed it onto the hill. The ball whisked through the air, collided with the grass, and then exploded into a wide mess of thick, red goo. Grass sizzled and melted away. An oddly cinnamon smell coated the air and intermixed with that of the impending rain. When all of the grass had been eaten away, shapes started to arise from the surface of the goo. As the shapes took more distinct form, they began to change in color.

  A medium sized brown tent stood at the edge of the burned circle. A single old, moss covered oak log laid in front of the tent’s open entrance. Light flickered from the goo, and a fire crackling from a fire pit plopped down before the log. Tov sat on the log and set the bag beside him. Waves of warmth caressed his face.

  Violent images flashed in his mind’s eye. His spine quaked in response. Every inch of his skin felt oily and unclean. Thunder clapped across the sky, this time much closer to Tov’s camp. A single rain drop fell from the sky. Rather than collide with Tov, it splattered against an invisible, opaque red bubble that surrounded the camp. More rain drops followed. The storm sent it’s fury against the grasslands.

  Tov peered into the sky just in time to see a fork of lightening scatter across the clouds.

  An entire people, even though they were traitors to the Celestial Ones, had been wiped out utterly. Their city had been demolished and repurposed by Gayjock and his Oni. One less foe stood in the way of the Celestial One’s return. Tov should be rejoicing. His heart throbbed wildly. A great tightness had formed in the base of his throat.

  Among the mighty warriors who died, many Onistan children had been slaughtered too. No… not slaughtered. Using that word diminished the travesty that befell them. No, the Onistan children had been devoured. The weight in Tov’s gut pulsated and grew in girth. He sighed.

  The Onistans had betrayed the Masters, and they deserved death. All of the humans deserved it. Despite that, Tov’s skin crawled at the images that would soon haunt his dreams. Lives would be snuffed out beneath the unstoppable torrent that would wash over the land. In that great tsunami of vengeance, the Yaoguai would survive. They would finally thrive again and be free from the heel of the human rabble. It wouldn’t be just humans who died though. The other traitorous yokai races would have to be eliminated as well. More living things would squirm in anguish before they felt the wrath of the Celestial Ones. Each of those lives would darken Tov’s soul further.

  A darkened soul was an adequate sacrifice to bring back balance to all things, and to save his people. Tov winced. If the Masters did not return, the Yaoguai would be hunted to extinction.

  Tov reached into his bag and pulled out the metal flute. It felt icy cold in his fingers. Many of their foes would die, but not all of them. Perhaps he could take some solace in that fact. He brought the flute up to his lips and he played. Tov didn’t play anything specific, but he allowed notes to pour from the instrument, or at least, he thought he did.

  Absolute silence lingered around him, but Tov continued to play. The air vibrated with magical energies, and Tov’s soul wrestled within him. The music no doubt traveled on their air, and they would come. After about five minutes of playing, Tov stopped and placed the flute back in the bag.

  The rain continued to fall all around him. Underneath the din of its constant pitter-patter against his bubble, his heart raced in his ears.

  “THAT STORM’S PROBABLY going to hit us before we break for camp,” Nori said.

  He stared at the dark grey wall of clouds that lined the distant horizon. Bright white flashes illuminated several sections of the clouds. The storm’s perfume rode the strong wind that blasted past them.

  Nori rubbed his fingers on the leather strap of his horse’s reins. Flara, Rayko, and Apisa all rode behind him on their own mounts, but none of them regarded the oncoming storm with much interest.

  Whereas their horses were common traveling mares, Nori rode upon an older, beefier farm stallion. Nori’s stallion’s coat was dark brown, but it almost appeared red in the light. Nori referred to the horse as ‘Mac.’ Mac moved with slow but steady determination down the dirt road.

  Apisa and Rayko rode behind him about ten feet back, and they engaged in conversation. While they talked, Rayko fussed with her horse’s mane. She had already tied several bells in the white horses white hair. The bells jingled sweetly as the horse galloped beside Apisa’s light golden coated mare. Apisa had taken the time to tie a pink bow in the horse’s mane, but that had been as they were leaving Jadai.

  Flara rode five feet behind Rayko and Apisa on a brown mare, whose coat almost resembled Mac’s. Instead of being redder in the light, Flara’s mount had an almost orange coloring to it. Flara rode along, but she had an unrolled scroll opened before her. The barest hint of a smile curled at her lips as she studied the contents of the scroll.

  Nori cleared his throat. “I said that storm’s probably going to hit us before we break for camp.”

  Flara blinked for a moment, and then glanced up at him. “W-what storm?” she scanned the horizon for a moment. She pointed at the distant clouds. “You mean that one over there? I’m sure we can at least k-keep going for another few hours before we’ll be forced to stop.”

  Rayko said, “What’s wrong? Is the big Onistan afraid of getting a little damp? Even I’m not very concerned with a little drizzle, and that’s saying something.”

  “Yeah, it’s only water,” Apisa said. “I’m sure it won’t be anything to worry about.”

  Nori sighed. “I was simply making an observation.”

  Flara lowered her gaze back to her scroll, and Apisa and Rayko started conversing again. Nori shook his head and started scratching the back of Mac’s mane. He only did it for a few moments, but Mac let out a small neigh.

  Nori reached into his bag and pulled out a rather thick scroll. The softness of the paper felt great under his thumb, not for the tactile sensation, but for the profoundness of its content. As he studied it, Nori’s heart beat warmly. The visage of a large, but earthy, beautiful woman flicked in his mind’s eye. Slowly, Nori unrolled the scroll and read the all too familiar lines.

  Lords of Majesty,

  Piercing the Heavens with grace,

  Stand guard over us.

  Show us what strength is,

  And gift us with endurance,

  Fill us with courage.

  We alone stand true,

  Against the darkness of Light,

  We guard the Empire.

  Their agents will come,

  And herald the evil ones,

  To break our spirit.

  We will outlast them,

  Standing strong like the mountains,

  Onista will thrive.

  Apisa’s voice broke him away from his concentration. “So what are you reading?”

  Nori glanced up. Apisa strode beside him.

  “What? I’m sorry, were you talking to me?” Nori asked.

  “Well yeah,”
Apisa said. “You’re the only one reading something, aren’t you?”

  Nori peered behind him. Rayko and Flara talked in whispered voices, but they both grinned as they did so.

  “I suppose I am,” Nori replied. “It’s Onistan poetry. To be specific, I’m reading one of Onistan’s oldest poems, titled ‘The Unforgettable Oath.’”

  Apisa’s eye lit up. “Oh yeah? What’s the oath about?”

  A small chuckle erupted from the pits of Nori’s stomach, and it bubbled its way up through his throat. He didn’t let it reach his lips though, and he crushed it by clearing his throat. “To be honest, no one really remembers what it was an oath for. It’s still a very special poem because it exemplifies what every Onistan should strive to be like. My mother used to read the poem to me when I went to bed as a child. When I was drafted by the Qu-Tar, she gave me a copy of some of the greatest Onistan poems ever composed. She wanted me to have something of my homeland so I wouldn’t feel quite so out of place in the lowlands.”

  Apisa said, “That sounds really sweet of her. I didn’t know that Onistans wrote poetry.”

  Nori scoffed. “We produce music and art too. We’re not the beasts and savages that you lowlanders make us out to be.”

  “Lowlanders?” Apisa smirked. “Looks like someone’s pretty high and mighty about their mountain home. Get it? High? Because you’re from the mountains?” She let out a little giggle.

  Nori couldn’t help to crack a tiny grin as well.

  Apisa cast a critical eye on him. “That’s all I get? Huh, you’re going to be a tough one to crack. Challenge accepted!”

  “Challenge accepted? What are you talking about?” Nori asked.

  Apisa pressed her thumb into the center of her chest. “I pride myself on making people happy. It’s my super special talent, aside from farm work and magic. Mark my words, big guy. I’m going to make you smile.”

  “Right,” Nori replied. He stared ahead at the road winding in the distance.

  “So tell me about yourself,” Apisa said. “What’s your home like?”