The Approaching Storm (Part 1)

By Robert C. Foley

Synopsis: This is a story of consequences that unknowingly took place when the Gods created our universe, and how a vile evil from a Dark Realm, infiltrated and manifested itself into our very own universe. The evil that now exists, has an overwhelming desire to devour and destroy everything that is held sacred and good. The Gods sense

• Language: English
• Publisher: Writers Branding LLC
• Release date: Jan 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9781639458400

Robert C. Foley

Born and raised in the Greater New England area. Joined the service, and traveled throughout the Far East. Returned to New England, traveled up and down the East Coast. Live in New England with my wife and son. Nimponin.com

Book preview

Acknowledgements

To my son, William, who inspired me to write this book, and to my wife, who has been patient throughout this experience.

I would like to thank Richard D. (FOB) for allowing me to throw things off of him and get critical feedback. To everyone who has appreciated Nimponin Book I.

To all the others who might have read bits and pieces of the manuscript, at different stages to make sure the story stayed on track.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Re-Cap / Nimponin Book 1

Prologue: The Kingdom of Tonka

Book II

Part 1

Chapter 1: The Aftermath in the Dark Realm and the Desolation of the Sisters

Chapter 2: Another Crystal is Felt Somewhere on Seiyukaiato

Chapter 3: A Rift Between Two Realms and the Slaughter of the Innocent

Chapter 4: The Hunted Becomes the Hunter

Chapter 5: Kamiyobo Enters the Dark Realm

Chapter 6: The Trigarsas Caravan

Chapter 7: Victoria Francine Telmud

Chapter 8: The Wrath of a Woman Scorned

Chapter 9: Nova Finds a New Commander

Chapter 10: The Merchants Guild

Chapter 11: Reiko’s Burden is Lifted

Chapter 12: Alivia Strikes a Deal

Chapter 13: Victoria Discovers The Truth

Chapter 14: Raspit Creates the Akiraghato

Chapter 15: Victoria Finds Gerald and Journeys to the Dark Realm

Chapter 16: Brianna Ciceli Montclair

Chapter 17: Barnaby Cook and the Princess

Chapter 18: Brianna Finds Her Friends

Chapter 19: Elizabeth Rose Thill

Chapter 20: Brianna Learns the Truth

Chapter 21: A Tranquill Life is Shattered

Chapter 22: (Brianna Accepts Her Destiny)

Chapter 23: Chantelle Blu Indigo

Chapter 24: William is Forced to Still a Young Woman

Chapter 25: Elizabeth Leaves Everything Behind

Chapter 26: Alivia and Brianna go on a Mission

Chapter 27: Chantelle Learns the Truth and Her Destiny

Chapter 28: Amanda Hope Langley

Chapter 29: The Ichimon of Nangoku Tairi Kua

Chapter 30: The Clans are Formed, and Charlotte Ayn-Jhuhl is Born

Chapter 31: Amanda Recovers a Family Heirloom and Meets the Girls

Chapter 32: Charlotte Returns With a Trophy Befitting a Clan Warrior

Chapter 33: Amanda Meets Samuel and William

Chapter 34: Charlotte Flees From Samuree

Chapter 35: Walter and Charlotte Come to an Agreement.

Chapter 36: Amanda Saves Alivia and Brianna Breaks a Promise

Re-Cap / Nimponin Book 1

After the two pinpoints of light became the Eternal Gods, they combined their essences, and they created the universe comprising millions of galaxies and billions of stars and planets that slowly formed and matured. While unknowingly and unintentionally, they somehow caused a rift between two realms and brought an unknown darkness into their realm, and the darkness slowly grew.

As the two Gods traveled throughout their creation, the female God sensed something, and when they sought this feeling, they discovered that an evil, a corruption, and a vileness that could not be imagined had entered their realm. The evil that appeared before them called itself Nimponin, and a ferocious battle took place between the two Gods of Light and the one God of Darkness. The battle continued for thousands of millennia, destroying life and neither side gaining the advantage.

The advantage changed when the dark god Nimponin was captured and placed inside a beautiful crystal known as the "Shingakusha Hoseki" crystal. Once Nimponin was trapped inside, his vile evilness and corruption defiled the crystal, turning it black with pulsing blood-red veins coursing over its internal surface.

The evil, now captured, did not surrender so easily to its imprisonment and tried to make its way back through the rift. Still, the once beautiful Shingakusha Hoseki imploded on itself, causing the small rift to become a massive black hole in the very fabric of the universe.

When the crystal imploded on itself, most of the pieces were immediately sucked into the vortex’s swirling vacuum, and the severe pressure caused by the vortex’s vacuum would pulverize anything that entered it, or so the two Gods of Light thought. Three larger pieces escaped the vacuum and were thrown outwards into the Gods’ universe to travel through space. At the same time, many survived the vacuum’s pressure and were scattered throughout the farthest reaches of the dark realm, though some landed on planets in close proximity to the black hole itself.

The Gods, unprepared for this catalytic implosion, could do nothing to stop it, and the small black tendrils that once fed the Dark God his power were all severed with any connection to the new realm. Still, one tendril momentarily defied the vacuum and lashed out, striking the male god before being pulled back into the black hole. The tendril injected its vile evil into the male god, and it started to spread through his body. The Goddess had seen what had taken place and immediately binds her mate to stop the black corruption from spreading further in his body. They leave the vicinity of the newly formed black hole, the unsightly gateway to the Dark Realm, and as she holds onto her mate, they traverse through the heavens, looking and searching for a place to rest.

William James was the second Heir in line for the island nation of Tatokai Archipelago until he tortured and killed a degenerate who murdered his fiancée, older brother, and their best friend. He somehow inherited the ability to call forth the four elements of Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. He could manipulate them to bring them together and bind them with the fifth element of "Spirit," which allowed him to become a very strong and powerful mage unlike anyone had witnessed more than a thousand years ago, especially for a man who should not be allowed to wield so much power.

Samuel Miro was being groomed to become an Advisor and Protector of the next Emperor. Still, when the Empress gave birth to a baby girl instead of a boy, Samuel chose to support the new Princess, which automatically made him ineligible to become an Emperor’s Advisor. He continued in the military, excelled in everything, and became friends with Reiko Anu Takahashi and Hikaru Sato, and eventually with Carrie Barnes, whom they befriended after the battle of Shira.

The four went to Hokida to investigate the rumors of the emperor’s brother being involved with the Dark Forces, and when they discovered that he was, he murdered Hikaru and Carrie. Samuel broke the foremost Empire law and killed the emperor’s brother with his own hands. Upon his return to the capital, Samuel was stripped of his rank and was soon exiled from the empire, never to return, and Reiko Takahashi was demoted, and though she was not exiled, she was shunned and treated as an outcast.

The Goddesses search for the Champions, as Laki finds William James and appoints him as the Sendoka or High Priest of the Laki-Jutsuk Religion. Jutsuk finds Samuel Tama Miro and asks him to become the Shikakin to protect the newly appointed Sendoka and to Command the Army of the Laki-Jutsuk Religion.

William and Samuel meet, and together, they find the sacred valley and plant one of several stones, and a magnificent temple erupts from the ground and rises high above the valley floor. Soon, the City of Shinjukosuk quickly expands and flourishes to create commerce for tradesmen and skilled laborers. Many men and women who come to the valley hope to join the army or become students and teachers at the temple. Some sell their wares and prosper.

Willam and Samuel begin to travel throughout the lands to find the Gifted and are confronted on many occasions by followers of the Dark Religion, or the minions of the Dark Realm, as they wander throughout the lands looking for these particular persons, who, like William, can harness the elements, and hopefully be trained to wield their power as weapons.

William and Samuel find their first Gifted, a young girl who has lost everything to the Dark Force’s minions. Her name is Alivia, one of their four Gifted.

The High Priestess Nova has also found one of her Chosen, but Reiko slays her as she throws her body in front of an arrow, protecting her High Priestess from an assassination attempt. Reiko and her men run and are pursued by the forces of the High Priestess.

They escape but are soon captured by marauders. William, Samuel, and Alivia cross paths with the gang of marauders. Alivia defeats the Boss Benjamin Wallis, leader of the marauders, and his second, unknowingly rescues Reiko Takahashi, not knowing that she and Samuel are longtime friends.

Their friendship is re-established as Samuel Tama Miro and Reiko Anu Takahashi meet again, and she is introduced to William and Alivia.

A young princess stops momentarily in what she is doing and smiles.

Prologue

The Kingdom of Tonka

A squadron of Toma kingdom soldiers has completed their assigned orders in checking on and restocking the waystation in the Hidari Pass. They are returning to the capital when they decide to stop in the town of Acush for the night.

The Lieutenant and his men are just on the outskirts when he orders a halt to his men and calls up his Sergeant. The Lieutenant tells him. Sergeant, take a patrol of men and check out the town because something doesn’t feel right.

The Sergeant asks, How so, Lieutenant?

The Lieutenant tells him, Listen.

The Sergeant says, I don’t hear anything, and then he realizes why the Lieutenant is suspicious because where there should be revelry and normal noises coming from the town, there is none, and the town is deathly quiet.

The Sergeant tells the Lieutenant, Yes, Sir, Right away, and points to six of his men and tells them to follow him.

The soldiers enter the town square, and a young recruit sits nervously on his horse and, in a shaky voice, says, Something is wrong here. We should leave. This place is evil!

The Sergeant tells him to stow it and then says, Recruit, there is nothing to worry about because we have not received any reports of a massive army coming this way. If there was, don’t you think we would have heard about it?

The young soldier asks, Are you sure? The rumors say they will appear out of thin air and slaughter everyone in their way.

The older soldier tells the young recruit to be quiet and stop worrying about rumors.

The young soldier says, Yes, Sergeant, you are probably right, though he still sits on his horse nervously.

The others dismount, hand their reins to the nervous soldier, and walk to the well in the center of the town square. The dismounted men gather around the well, and after raising the bucket, they each take a drink. Abruptly, the soldier, who drank the water from the bucket first, starts coughing and choking and falls to his knees while grabbing at his throat as it looks like he cannot breathe. Soon, the others who drank from the bucket followed suit, and the young soldier holding the horses’ reins shouted, What is happening? What is wrong?

The Sergeant tries to crawl over to him when the young recruit gets off his horse and rushes to him. Just as he reaches him, the Sergeant collapses face-first into the dirt. He turns over the Sergeant to try and help him and gasps as he sees his face is swollen, as is with his tongue, and his eyes are bulging. He quickly checks his comrades and finds them like the Sergeant; they are all the same way, with swollen faces, tongues, and bulging eyes. He walks over to the well, and when he looks inside the bucket, he notices a slight tint of red in the water that is almost invisible to the eye. He knows this water is poison, and this is what killed his friends. He shouts out for help, but the town remains deathly quiet.

He knows he must warn the Lieutenant and quickly mounts up, leaving his comrades and friends dead on the other ground and the horses to themselves.

He is not far from where the Lieutenant and the rest of the men are waiting when he hears a distinct pinging sound. A few moments later, three beautiful women riding horses leave the woods and sit on their horses in the middle of the road.

He slows down and stops in front of them; he notices that one has long black hair and she wears it in a braid, while the one next to her with strawberry-blond hair has hers in a ponytail, though it is not as long, and the third one has almost platinum-blond color and wears her loose.

He feels obligated and tells them, Be careful, Ladies. The water in the town well is poisoned.

The young woman with the long black braid says, That is so kind of you to let us know. We thank you.

He watches her turn to the other two women who are just as beautiful, and she says, Charlotte, Elizabeth, isn’t that sweet of him?

Now, If you will excuse me, I must report to my Lieutenant and goes to pass them, but the dark-haired one moves her horse just enough to block him.

He is about to say something when he hears the roar of several savage beasts and his Lieutenant shouting orders to his men, followed by the shouts and screams of his comrades.

He looks at the three of them, and he sees that all three are smiling, and the one with the strawberry blond hair in a ponytail says, That won’t be necessary, seeing as your Lieutenant and your friends are quite busy at the moment.

The woman smiles at him, and he is just about to ask what she means when he hears a rustling in the woods. A few seconds later, a giant beast crashes through the brush, and he notices that it has something in its mouth, but he cannot quite distinguish what it is. The beast stands there on all fours, breathing heavily through its nostrils, when the dark-haired one says something in a language he does not recognize, and the beast drops to the road and gnaws on whatever it has in its mouth.

The young soldier is uncertain of what it has until he looks closer and recognizes that it is a hand, and he also sees that on the ring finger of the hand is a silver ring with a turquoise stone. He realizes that it is his Lieutenant’s hand. Unbeknownst to him, as he has been talking with these young ladies and watching the beast gnaw on his Lieutenant’s hand, several other beasts have come out from the brush and woods, and he sees that he is surrounded and that these beasts also have various body parts in their mouths.

He hears one of the women clear her throat, and as he looks back at them, the one with the platinum-blonde hair says, What is your name?

He looks at her and says, Michael, my name is Michael.

Well, Michael. How would you like a chance to leave here and go back to your king and inform him of everything that has taken place? she asks.

He looks at her and says, I would like to do that very much.

She then says, I have a proposition for you.

He asks, What kind of proposition?

The one with the long black braid says, "All you have to do is fight one of us, and if you win, we will let you go free and be on your way so that you can tell everyone what has happened here today.

Michael hesitates because he does not want to fight a girl, but he is confident that he can win and return to the capital to report what happened.

The strawberry-blond one says, Michael, and asks, Do you agree?

Michael looks at them and says, Yes.

He dismounts, draws his sword, holds it with two hands before him, and says, I’m ready.

He then watches the three of them play parchment, stone, and knife, and after three tries, the platinum-blond says, I win, and quickly jumps down from her horse. As she walks over to Michael, he hears one of the other two say, Be careful, Charlotte. The boy looks like he knows how to use that sword, and I don’t want you to get hurt, he hears the other one snicker. The one named Charlotte stands before him with only a short blade. She smiles and says, Shall we begin?

Michael moves quickly, swings his sword at her stomach, and is caught off guard at how surprisingly fast she can move; he then feels a prick as she swipes at him with a short blade. And then she stands beside him and says, Come now, Michael, you can do better than that?

He tries, and every time he does, she is not where she should be, and he feels another slash on his body. He brings his blade back and once again swings it where she should be, but again she is not there, and he feels another gash, but this time, the cut is deeper and longer as he feels the blood run down his arm, and is soon covering his hands and making it very difficult to get a good grip on his sword.

She tells him, You know Michael, I am a little disappointed. I have known little eight-year-old girls from my Clan fight better than you?

She makes him angry, and he raises his sword above his head, screams, and brings it down to try and cleave her in half. Still, before he can complete the swing, the young woman stands very close so that their bodies are touching, and she says, "This was fun, Michael, but now I must go. She kisses him on the cheek and then places the point of her blade near the side of his neck, shoves it through, and immediately severs his spinal cord. She quickly spins out of the way to not get any of his blood on her.

Michael stares at her as his sword slips from his fingers, and as it drops to the ground, so does he, and he is on his knees. Though he cannot move, he watches the dark-haired woman raise her hands, and as she does, from what he can see in front of him, the beasts are now standing and salivating. He hears her say, "Ta Ji Ko," and before he knows it, they leap toward him. His screams for mercy mean nothing as the savage beasts bite, maul, and rip his body apart.

He hears "Ka Je Sa," The beasts stop and run into the woods. He lies there unmoving and swears that he saw one of the beasts with his arm in its jaws just before disappearing into the woods.

Michael lies on the road, and though he feels nothing, he knows he is dying. As he lies there, Charlotte walks over, squats beside him, and says, Poor Michael, If only you had fought harder. Maybe you would be on your way to warn the king of Tonka what is coming, but alas, you had your chance, and you fucked that up. She stands, and as she walks away, she turns and blows him a kiss. He now sees the dark-haired one moving her hands, and she seems to be saying something, but he cannot hear her. Seconds later, he sees a red flaming ball forming between her hands. He is uncertain about what is happening when he sees her flick her wrist, and Michael, the young recruit, does not have time to scream as he is engulfed in flame, and then all there is left is a pile of ash.

Charlotte says to the pile of ash, Thank you for telling us about the water, and then laughs. She walks over to her horse, mounts up, and Elizabeth asks them if they are ready. They turn their horses south, and just as they reach the massacre of Micheal’s friends, they hear a couple of horses coming, and they turn to see General Harris and Major Potter approaching.

When they reach the three of them, Victoria tells them, "Make sure your men do not drink the water in the towns well.

Harris says, Yes, Mistress, and then asks, Can we continue with the march?"

Elizabeth tells him, Yes, and we will meet you north of Tonka when the time comes.

Charlotte opens a passageway, and as the three of them step into it and right before it closes, Harris hears one of them say, It worked! and the passageway disappears.

One thing is for certain: as each day passes, a dark evil grows stronger and darker, and it will leave a path of massive destruction in its wake, and the world will feel its wraith.

Book II

Part 1

Chapter 1

Millenia Past and the Not so Present

The Aftermath in the Dark Realm and the Desolation of the Sisters

The sisters feel the emptiness as the tendrils are destroyed, severing their bond with their Dark Lord. They do not understand what has happened and are about to panic when they slowly calm themselves, and together, they send out the black tendrils to reconnect with him again. They sense the tendrils wrapping around an object when the power of everything opposite them suddenly overwhelms them. They have never experienced such an ambiance of this magnitude of power, and a bone-chilling fear is felt for the first time since they came into existence so many millennia ago. They are at a loss and uncertain of what to do when they sense his presence again, but the sensation is not as before but feels different and weak.

They do not understand what is happening, so they send out more black tendrils through the rift to reach out to him to reconnect with him, but as they make it through to the other side of the rift, an implosion takes place, and the implosion evaporates the tendrils. They sense that their Dark God, Nimponin, is no more, and they feel fear and pain, something they have never experienced until now.

The implosion shakes the essence of the Dark Realm, and just before the tendrils evaporate, the sisters witness the black hole being born. They also witnessed in the center of this newly formed black hole, this gateway, a swirling vortex that produced an enormous and powerful vacuum capable of swallowing anything and everything that even light could not escape its grasp. However, the magnitude of the swirling vortex remained in the darkest shadows.

Three prominent pieces of the crystal that harnessed Nimponin’s essence were thrown outward into the very reaches of the realm that the darkness tried to conquer. These three larger pieces formed a small cluster and continued on a course that defied all logic.

The two Gods sensed the power of the black hole and the vacuum of its swirling vortex, and they believed that any pieces, however big or small, were destroyed from the pressures of the vacuum or crushed to become nonexistent and destroyed forever.

Due to the immense power of the vacuum in the swirling vortex, some pieces and many chips of crystal that had broken off from the implosion became mixed in with the debris from the many destroyed worlds in the other realm, allowing them to be catapulted outward into the Dark Realm at a high velocity.

Unbeknownst to the Gods and the sisters, two significant pieces and numerous smaller chips were sucked into the swirling vortex, survived the unimaginable pressures of its vacuum, and were rapidly propelled outward to forever spiral throughout the universe of the dark realm. Millenium passes as the small shards and minute crystal chips sail endlessly into the far reaches of the Dark Realm.

Several minute pieces plummet to the surfaces of dead, lifeless worlds throughout the Dark Realm. Three prominent shards, two large and one-half their size, with a cluster of minor chips, continue traversing through the Dark Realm and seem to be reaching the very outer limits of the realm if there were an end to infinity when suddenly the small cluster of dark crystals slowly began to turn as if they were being pulled back from the very essence of the swirling vortex.

Millennium continued to pass as the cluster of shards and chips continued on a course to the swirling vortex of the black hole. As they near their final destination, the cluster turns slightly for a second time and makes its way to one particular solar system with a blood-red sun. Whether by chance or destined to be, the small cluster of shards and chips plummet to the surface of the only planet in this particular solar system with remnants of life.

A multi-tiered pagoda surrounded by rice paddies in different stages of growth stands almost ghost-like as two sisters who have been completely devastated for so many millennia at the loss of their master have sat silently in the confines of a large room. The sisters, Mia and Mae, though one is slightly older than the other. However, no one could guess who the older of the two could be, as they could almost pass as identical twins other than Mae having a small beauty mark on her right temple. They do not know what to do, so they say nothing because they are unprepared for everything that has happened. The two powerful sisters who once controlled the black tendrils that fed the dark energy to their master, the Dark God Nimponin, now feel nothing.

The tendrils severed, the implosion, the black hole, the vacuum of the swirling vortex, and the complete feeling of emptiness are too much for the sisters to handle. They become destitute in losing their Dark God, Nimponin, their Lord and Master. They forever settle into a void of despair, unknowing that some portions of the crystal survived the pressure of the vortex’s vacuum and were thrown out into the dark realm’s vast universe.

Millennia pass as they finsally accept the demise of their Master, the Dark God Nimponin. Still, millennia pass slowly, and the despair continues to fester, allowing thoughts of themselves to become nonexistent, for what is their purpose if not to serve their Dark God?

As the pieces penetrated the planet’s upper atmosphere, one of the two larger crystal shards abruptly broke away from the others, taking the half-size piece with it. One other larger piece continues dragging the smaller chips while the other continues sailing over the planet’s surface. Suddenly, all three crystals strike the surface of the planet at the exact same time. One larger piece hit the planet’s surface with so much force that it created a massive crater, throwing stone and dust into the air and sending a powerful wave of dark energy outwards from its epicenter as it buried the smaller pieces. The dark wave causes a rippling effect throughout the crater and the planet, and the crater becomes saturated with the crystal’s dark essence of corruption and impurities, creating an oil-like residue that clings to specific rocks that harbor a dark metal in and around the crater. Though the residue looks wet and oily, it is dry to the touch.

The other larger shard hits the planet at an odd angle, which causes it to skip along its surface and finally come to rest beside a cluster of rocks that harbor the same dark metal. However, there is no crater or waves of powerful dark energy when it finally settles, but the cluster of rocks that the crystal stops against becomes covered in the oil-like residue. At the same time, the third half-size dark crystal falls precariously to the surface.

Suddenly, they both sense something entering the skies above the planet and feel them plummeting to its surface. Moments later, both sisters double over as if in excruciating pain as a dark wave that has swept across the planet passes through the pagoda and them. They feel the evil and corruption they have come to worship return to them, but it also feels different, as if though not as powerful. They must find whatever generates this power and retrieve it no matter the cost. They again have a purpose of living, to survive.

After thousands of millennia of desolation and pain, the two sisters are now filled with passion, realizing that after all this time, their Lord, their Master, has not been destroyed but is out there somewhere.

They call Ka-dora a member of a tribe indigenous to Seiyukaiato, the red planet and home to the sisters. They also worship the God Nimponin and the two sisters as his Maishikai or Priestesses. The sisters have many of them as servants in the pagoda, and they inform Ka-dora to gather her people and tell them they need to go on a journey.

The following day, Mia and Mae step out of the building. As they bask in the warm rays of the blood-red sun, they see a gathering of light-skinned "Shoseyani" lining the path that leads to and from the pagoda on both sides. They also see an elaborate litter accommodating two people waiting for them. They walk over to the litter, and after they get in, several followers pick up the litter with carrying poles and start walking in the direction in which the crystals have presumably fallen.

Almost four weeks later, they arrive at the location where they now feel the most potent essence of the crystals, and then they feel something more and notice that many stones have an oily sheen on them, and some do not. These stones are scattered throughout the crater and vary from small to large. A tent is set up, and they order the Shoseyani to go into the crater and find the crystals, and when they find them, they are not to touch them. The Shoseyani bow and say, "Yes, Maishikai."

On the third day, as they are relaxing and sipping some cool water, one of the Shoseyani discovers several unnatural small divots in the ground that are clustered close together. They call the sisters to inform them of what they have found. The two of them walk down into the crater, and they see the unnatural divots. They place their hands over them; they can feel the corruption and evil. They tell several followers to dig but be extremely careful not to touch the crystals.

Six hours later, they still have not exposed the crystals; the sisters are getting impatient as they sip some cool water to fight the heat and calm their nerves. Then they both feel something; what they feel is not just one or two or three, but several pinpoints of corruption.

They tell the Shoseyani to stop digging and to step away from the excavation. They walk over to a large pile of dirt that has been piling up since the digging started, and the two of them are now on their hands and knees and sifting their fingers through the pile of dirt. They continue running their fingers through the dirt while simultaneously looking at each other as they feel something. When they bring their hands out of the dirt, with their palms up, they let the soil filter through their fingers, and even before they can touch them, they feel the evil and corruption seeping out of them. They are elated because, between the two of them, they are holding twelve small black crystal chips, not much bigger than a karat, that seem to glow and feel like the crystals are living off each other. Then they sense their lord and master, the Dark God Nimponin.

Mae pulls out a small leather pouch, and the two of them place the chips inside. They can feel their master’s essence become stronger as the pieces come into contact with each other. They stand and tell the Shoseyani to keep looking and tell them that they still sense a more powerful crystal is near, and then turn and go back to sit under their umbrella. It is late, and they are about to return to their tent when they hear a commotion and a scream. Ka-dora comes running up to them, bows, and tells them they may have found another crystal.

The sisters follow Ka-dora, and as they do, they pass a young woman lying on the ground, convulsing. Ka-dora tells them that she accidentally touched the crystal while removing the dirt. The young woman starts foaming at the mouth and is still.

They ignore the woman and walk over to where the crystal has been discovered. They look in the hole and see a large piece of dark crystal about the size of a small apple with dark red lines running through it lying in the hole. Mae reaches into the hole and grabs the piece of crystal, and as she stands up, she smiles at Mia. They now have one large crystal and twelve smaller chips. She places the piece in the same pouch as the chips, and they feel the power grow even stronger and return to their tent without speaking. They are elated that they now have one large piece and twelve small chips of dark crystal. They lay them out on a table, and as they do, they feel a stronger connection with their master and now know what they must do.

The following day, as they prepare to leave, Mae picks up a small stone covered in an oily black sheen, and she immediately feels something but is unsure. She hands it to Mia, and as both their fingers touch the stone, they can feel the darkness, the corruption, and the power emanating from the metal inside the stone. Before they go, they order the Shoseyani to gather the stones with the black oily sheen and bring them back once they have collected all of them.

Eight weeks have passed, and they are sitting in the largest room in their pagoda, discussing what to do with the dark crystal and other pieces they found, when Ka-dora enters, bows, and informs them that her people have returned with the stones. They walk to the doors and open them; when they do, they immediately sense a change in the air. They can now see the Shoseyani pulling many wagons loaded with black, oily, sheened stones. One of the Shoseyani approaches them, bows, and informs them that this is all the stone they could find. Mia tells them they have done well, and Mae tells them, «Thank you, and to rest.»

A few days later, the wagons still loaded with the stones arrive at a large valley, and the Shoseyani are instructed to unload the stones from the wagons, and as they do, they are told to separate the larger stones from the smaller ones.

That night, a voice comes to the sisters, telling them to take the stones from the crater and build a Shiraka. Or sacred arch. They do as they are asked, without question, believing that this is good for their people and because the sisters are their Maishikai.

The days quickly turn into a couple of weeks, when finally, the last stone is put in place, and unknowing to the Shoseyani, the last stone is embedded with a small dark crystal chip. The Shiraka is made from larger stones with a black, oily sheen. They tell the Shoseyani to stand back as they each stand at both ends of the Shiraka. They place the palms of their hands between the third and fourth stones, place a small chip of the dark crystal between them, and chant, "Dasurifu Ti Migihate."

Mia and Mae continue to chant, and as they do, the stones begin to change, and the large crude black oil-sheened misshapen stones begin to fuse from both ends, starting at the bases. The fusing of the stones slowly works its way up along both sides of the crude Shiraka towards the middle stone that houses the dark crystal chip. When the two sides meet at the center stone with the chip, the outer layers of stone crumble away, and the Shiraka becomes a highly polished black metal with an oily-looking sheen that, like the stones, is dry to the touch.

The sisters remove their hands, then raise their arms and chant Magahari Ni Sarifuda. Slowly, ancient symbols and glyphs appear on both ends of the Shiraka. The two then chant "Kukinzo Yosikuto Kisaruse," and the symbols and glyphs glow. The Shiraka radiates with unknown darkness and reeks of evil as a gray churning mist begins to fill the inside of the Shiraka. Once the Shiraka fills with the gray mist, the sisters try to see through it, but it is too thick.

It has been two days since they created the Shiraka, and even though the thick gray mist does not allow them a view of what is inside, they can feel the power. While examining it, they hear murmurings among the Shosheyani of words like evil, misguided, lies, and betrayal.

Mia walks over to the gathered Shoseyani, and one of the older males asks her, "Maishikai, what is the purpose of this creation, and why does it feel evil?"

Mia grabs a young Shoseyani man standing beside the old man and forces him toward the arch with its gray churning mist. The young boy is taller than her, though it takes little persuasion to push him along. The young man looks scared and asks, What will you do?

She looks up at him, smiles, says, This, and shoves him into the churning gray mist. He disappears, and the symbols and glyphs on the side of the Shiraka glow. Mae is standing on the opposite side, and Mia joins her. Within seconds, a male figure steps out of the gray mist, utterly different from the young boy Mia had shoved in moments ago.

They are both looking at a dark-skinned, muscular-looking warrior with numerous tattoos. He is taller and completely hairless. They notice that the tattoos on his body are similar to the symbols on the Shiraka. He stands before them naked and shows no inhibitions as he bends to one knee, bows his head, and says, "Maishikai."

Mae and Mia smile and command their new warrior to grab another light-skinned Shoseyani and force them into the gray mist. He does as is commanded, grabs another young man, drags him to the Shiraka, and pushes him into the churning mist. Seconds later, another dark-skinned man who is just as muscular steps from the mist, bends to one knee, bows his head, and says, "Maishikai."

The sisters bind the Shoseyani where they stand and order them to grab more misguided passive Shoseyani and force them into the mist. As the ranks of the dark-skinned warriors grow more extensive, the Shoseyani people are soon dwindling.

Once all the men have been forced through the Shiraka, there only remain women and children. The dark-skinned warriors now force the women and children into the Shiraka. The sisters are a little surprised that only the women emerge, though they are not as tall but are just as dark-skinned; their bodies are toned and their attributes enhanced, and like the men, they show no inhibitions of being naked. The transformations happen throughout the night as more and more Shoseyani are rounded up and forced into the churning mist.

By morning, all Shoseyani around the immediate area have been captured and forced through the Shiraka and transformed into dark-skinned warriors. Mae counts a force of over three thousand warriors.

The sisters now have a small army, but something tells them they will need an even larger army for what will come. They command their warriors to go out onto lands, conquer villages, and bring back others so their forces can grow even more. The villages closest to the valley with the Shiraka are set ablaze as the passive Shoseyani are brought back and forced through the Shiraka. Their army continues to grow and spread outward to raid and burn villages, devastate the lands, bring back the captives, and force them through the Shiraka, and as they come out the other side, they bow before the sisters.

One night, as the sisters are sleeping, Ka-dora, one of the few servants who was not forced to go into the Shiraka but was allowed to stay a light-skin, Shoseyani enters their tent and quietly walks up to the table holding the two larger crystals and the now nine smaller chips. She hesitates and thinks back to earlier that day when she witnessed her family forced through the Shiraka and transformed into the dark-skinned warriors who now call themselves the Shomatani.

After their transformation, they walked past her, never realizing who she was. It saddened her that her sister, whom she loved and who loved her back, did not recognize her. She looks down at the chips and knows how vital the small chips of crystal are to them, and she is hoping that if she takes one, they will change her family back in exchange for the chip of dark crystal.

She stares at the crystals lying neatly on the table. Though sweating, she reaches out to grab one of the chips, and inadvertently, her fingers brush another. She screams in excruciating pain, and as she holds the sides of the table to keep herself from falling, she sees the sisters’ true persona. Everything that they have preached is lies. They are not saviors of her people but just like their Master, and she discovers that their Master is the Dark God Nim.., and before she can finish her thought, she collapses to the floor, shaking, oblivious to what is happening around her.

Her screams wake Mia and Mae, and they see Ka-dora lying on the floor with two black crystal chips missing from the table. One is beside her, and the other is in her hand. Mae reaches down, picks up the two of them, and places them back on the table. They call for two "Shomatani" and tell them to pick up the girl and bring her.

Mae and Mia walk over to the Shiraka, with the two Shomatani carrying the unconscious girl between them. Mia and Mae instinctively take the two chips that Ka-dora tried to steal, and as Mia stands at one end of the Shiraka and Mae at the other, they place their chips beside the first ones. They step back and watch the color of the mist turn a darker gray, and the symbols turn blood red.

The Ka-dora starts to come around, and when she realizes where she is, she struggles to break free. Mia and Mae look at her, and Mae says. You, stupid little girl, then Mia nods to the two Shomatani, and with no hesitation, they throw the young Shoseyani girl Ka-dora, now fully awake, into the churning darker gray mist.

They walk to the other side, expecting to find another dark-skinned Shomatani, but instead, they find a disgusting-looking creature stepping out of the churning mist, and it collapses to the ground. The two of them step closer, and they see that the creature lying before them has no body hair whatsoever, and along with no hair, it doesn’t have ears, lips, or nose. Most disturbingly, its eyes are gone, leaving dark, bloody black empty sockets. The creature stirs and starts to rise, and then it stops. It remains half-standing as if to attack, and before it can complete the thought, Mia backhands the creature across the face and sends it sprawling to the ground.

It gets up and crouches in a submissive manner. Mia says, That’s better, she then walks over to the creature, and it cringes, thinking it will get hit again, when she asks, Who and what are you?.

The creature remains crouching and says, "I am a Sutaraukaji."

Mae is staring at the creature, and she senses the blackness within it. She looks at Mia and whispers, "I think this is our young Shoseyani slave, Ka-dora."

She then looks at the creature and says, "You are a Sutaraukaji and will obey us?"

The creature bows and says, "Yes, Maishikai."

Mia tells the creature to kneel, and when it does, she ties a white cloth over its eyes, and the fabric immediately becomes saturated with its dark red blood, then hands her a black robe.

Mae says, You may go.

The creature says, "Yes, Maishikai. and is about to leave when Mia tells it to wait. She takes one of the stones with the oily sheen and cracks it open to find a dark metal inside. She removes the metal and chants, Sukenjuk Rikyu. The metal slowly transforms into a long black smoldering blade, and she hands it to the creature and says, Now go."

The creature takes the blade, bows, and then walks away without saying another word.

They know the Shiraka radiates the personification of pure evil as more prisoners are forced to walk into the churning mist. They are now determined to follow in the footsteps of their Master, the Dark Lord Nimponin, and spread the evil that has grown and prospered in this realm to the other realms as he had intended. Before they can do that, they must locate the missing crystal pieces in the realm on the other side of the Kurosagasu.

They sit near the Shiraka and drink cool water as they watch more Shoseyani prisoners being forced by their army of dark-skinned Shomatani warriors through the Shiraka, and they feel the radiance grow.

They know they must find a way to get to the other realm to search for other crystals that contain more significant essences of their master. Though the two of them are now the most powerful beings in the dark realm, they know they cannot reach the gateway to the realm where Nimponin was entrapped, especially going through the gateway. Even if they could reach it, the vacuum of the vortex could crush them as it has done with everything that it swallows and devours other than the pieces of dark crystals.

They need to discover another way to enter the realm. They can feel the essence of the Dark God here in the dark crystal and chips. They know that he is far from being complete, and to bring him back, they will need to find the other pieces of the dark crystals and allow him to fulfill the embodiment of being the supreme personification of darkness and evil.

They promise themselves and their master that they will do anything to make him whole and avenge the entities that imprisoned him.

They soon hear what sounds like fighting not far away and walk toward it. They reach the top of a hill and are surprised to see a large force of light-skinned Shoseyani trying desperately to overpower the dark-skinned Shomatani warriors. They watch the battle unfold, and though the Shoseyani have the numbers, the Shomatani have superior weapons and strength.

The sisters see the defeat of the Shoseyani unfold, and the passive Shoseyani are soon throwing down their primitive weapons and begging for forgiveness. The Shomatani waste no time and immediately start rounding up the defeated Shoseyani, stripping them of everything and pushing them towards the Shiraka to be transformed into Shomatani and learn the true beliefs of the dark realm. The Shomatani are unconcerned with leaving their fellow warriors among the dead Shoseyani on the battlefield. The fighting is complete; Mia and Mae watch the defeated Shoseyani now being shoved along with their heads low, uncaring about what will happen to them.

They hear a whisper and order to stop anyone else from being forced through the Shiraka. They approach it, and as they do, they each take a crystal chip and once again stand at different ends of the Shiraka. They place a third chip beside the other two, and the whisper tells them to chant, "Tukinzo Fosikuto Sisaruse. When they do, they see the color of the mist turn an even darker gray than before, and the symbols and glyphs glow a fiery red. They wait, and nothing happens.

Mae waves for the Shomatani to continue and the two of them wait on the far side of the Shiraka. Mia and Mae are ecstatic with delight as they see a strange, ferocious-looking beast with large, pointed, elongated fangs and razor-sharp talons emerge from the gray mist. They hear the whisper say, "Chizobutsu." Soon, another exits the Shiraka, and the beasts vary in size, with the largest one’s head reaching just below a male Shomatani’s shoulder in height.

They now know that the Shiraka decides what creatures will come through, whether dark-skinned warriors, these fanged Chizobutsu with razor-sharp talons, or the disgusting-looking Sutaraukaji. They are curious why the Shiraka has created only one Sutaraukaji thus far. However, they do not complain, for within as many days, the ranks of the dark realm army have now grown four times, both with Shomatani and the ferocious Chizobutsu.

The two of them are standing before the gray mist as Mia pulls out the larger piece of crystal from the leather pouch, holds it in her hand, and then has Mae place her hand over hers. They say together, "Ogato Nom Minus Opin Ferhosin," and they can feel the crystal begin to vibrate. Then, slowly, the churning gray mist in the Shiraka begins to thin; they hear a distinct pop and sense that something has opened inside the gray mist. Though they cannot see, they are overwhelmed by Nimponin’s presence. They are uncertain where he is, and then they sense a disturbance as they feel the crystal in their hand and four other crystals somewhere pulse once, and then there is nothing. The gray churning mist once again thickens, and the crystal stops vibrating in their hands, and it feels cold.

They are unsure but believe the power of the Shiraka, their master’s essence in the crystal, and their bond with each other are connected with what has just happened. But for now, they are both exhausted.

They embrace, and Mia says, You need a bath!

Mae starts laughing and says, how long has it been four days?"

Mia looks at her and says, No, five, they both start laughing.

Mae says, Your one to talk, as she lifts a lock of her hair and smells it. Let’s go have a nice hot bath, shall we!

Mia says, Yes, shall we, and locks her arm through her sisters, and together, they head towards their tent.

They stand before the churning gray mist and are about to begin when they notice a dark shadow in the distance. And as it comes closer, they see that it is the Ka.

She walks up to them, bows, and holds her hand in a fist.

She takes Mia’s hand, places something in it, closes her fingers around it, and then turns, and as she leaves, Mia says, I don’t believe it?

Mae asks, Is that what I think it is?

Mia holds out her hand, opens her fingers, and shows Mae another piece of dark crystal almost half the size of the larger one they have in their possession.

Mae pulls out the other larger dark crystal, and the two of them prepare to perform the ritual as they did yesterday, but this time with two crystals, one in each of their palms.

Mae says, Shall we!

Mia says, Let’s, and they hold up both crystals in the palm of their hands. They say together, "Ogato Nom Minus Opin Ferhosin," The crystals rise from their palms and slowly come together to touch; when they do, the two pieces fuse to form one complete dark crystal. The gray churning mist begins to slow, and then they hear the distinct popping sound, and the opening in the mist widens, allowing them a grander view into another realm and another world. Though the view is massive, the rift is small, but they can feel him now even more, and they are ecstatic by the presence of their Master. Then, the rift closes slowly, and the gray mist again fills the void.

Chapter 2

The Not So Past

Another Crystal is Felt Somewhere on Seiyukaiato

Now that the sisters know that their Dark God, Nimponin, is out there somewhere, they are determined to find him and spread the evil and corruption that has flourished and prospered in this realm to other realms as he intended. They realize that to do this; they need to build an army large enough and strong enough to overcome any obstacles that might arise when the opportunity presents itself for them to attack.

They whisper between themselves when they hear a commotion and see thousands of Shoseyani coming into the valley below and forced toward the Shiraka with its gray churning mist. They watch them being pushed closer to the Shiraka when the Shoseyani sees the two sisters standing on the hill watching them. Word has now spread throughout the tribes that the sisters, their Maishikai, are evil and everything they were told to believe in was a lie. Without warning, a large group breaks away from the others and charges up the hill, picking up stones and thick branches scattered on the ground and making their way to where the sisters are standing.

The sisters throw out their hands and chant, "Figo No Taris Zentope Ki Naru," and the charging Shoseyani are stopped in their tracks, unable to take another step. They see the Shomatani now coming at them, as some struggle to break free, if not to try and defend themselves, but to run. The dark-skinned Shomatani are now among them as the sisters force the Shoseyani to their knees.

Mae orders the Shomatani to slice their throats, allowing them to bleed out slowly. No questions are asked as they move quickly through the kneeling captives and do as they are told. The Shoseyani can do nothing as they remain bound, and as they slowly bleed out, they feel darkness entering their bodies. They can only guess the darkness has been placed inside them from the long black smoldering blades the Shomatani carry and cut them with. Many are now lethargic from the slow blood loss and the darkness spreading through their bodies, while others are on the brink of death. The ones still coherent hear the sister Mia say, "Take them and feed them to the Chizobutsu." Mia releases the prisoners, and the warriors pick up the dead and half-dead prisoners and carry them off toward the beasts.

Before leaving, Mae asks their warriors, Which of you allowed the prisoners to break free? One warrior kneels before them with his head bowed and does not say anything. Mae tells the other warriors, Let this be a lesson, she nods her head, and the warrior kneeling before them is now looking back at the others as his head is twisted around, snapping his neck. The other warriors say, Yes, Maishikai," and drag the Shoseyani and the dead Shomatani away. They soon hear the screams of the prisoners being devoured and ripped apart by the Chizobutsu.

The sisters go back to watching the prisoners being forced to strip where they stand, and once all clothing has been removed, they are shoved through the Shiraka one by one. Those who resist are whipped and beaten as the Shomatani show no remorse for what they are doing, even though they were once themselves Shoseyani.

Mae and Mia watch their army slowly grow one-third in size as the captured Shoseyani continue to be forced into the Shiraka when they hear the same whisper that told them to build the Shiraka and place the crystals that created the Shomatani, Chizobutsu, and Ka, the Sutaraukaji it is now telling them to each place another dark crystal chip near the other two at the base of the Shiraka.

They each take a crystal chip and stand near the bases on each side of the Shiraka. They place a sixth and seventh chip near the others and then step back. The same whisper tells them to chant, "Kasuritu Ti Nigahate," they do as they are told and watch the mist turn a shade darker gray. The symbols and glyphs begin to glow, then suddenly everything stops, and then there is nothing, as if what they just did never happened, as the mist returns to its former shade of gray, and the symbols stop glowing. Mae orders them to continue and watch the defeated Shoseyani be forced into the mist and come out the other side as a Shomatani, or a Chizobutsu. Still, they are even more surprised as new Sutaraukaji emerges from the mist.

When Ka-dora, their former servant, defied them and tried to steal a chip of the dark crystal, they forced her into the Shiraka. Though the transformation took slightly longer, they ended up with a creature known as a Sutaraukaji, and until now, she was the only one. The creature defied all pretenses but possessed an uncanny connection with the gray darkness through the dark taint within its body, and even now, Ka has the strongest bond with the darkness.

Mia and Mae walk among their ever-growing army, passing out white cloths and robes to the new Sutaraukaji and estimating they are now close to thirty thousand strong.

They now stand before the Shiraka with its churning gray mist. Mae removes the largest crystal from the leather pouch, and they begin chanting the same spell as they did before. The gray mist disappears, but something feels off, even strange.

Mae is about to agree when, unexpectedly, they both feel the presence of a different realm and then a world appears. They see massive volcanic activity and the skies filled with black smoke. The rift, though small but larger than before, allows them to smell and feel the heat of this world in another realm, and they sense him, though very faintly. The scene fades, and they now look at another world covered in ice and snow. They feel the bitter cold, and once again, they sense him, though this time more faintly than before. They try different variations of the spell, and as they do, they now see different realms with multiple worlds, some similar to theirs, others of vast wastelands, others covered in ice fields, while some are a dark black with no life to speak of. The sun is now setting, and they agree to continue tomorrow.

They are relaxing in a hot bath when Mae says, Today, we have seen many realms and worlds, but each time we saw a new realm and a new world, I sensed him, though just barely.

Mia tells her, "So did I, but I think we were shown these different realms and worlds because there was possibly a small remnant of dark crystal that had landed in these realms on these different worlds when the Kurosagasu was created, and it possibly opened up multiple gateways to these other realms, and somehow a piece of crystal was thrown into these different realms, to land on these worlds that the gray mist showed us today."

Mae tells her, "That makes sense; now all we have to do is find the realm with the larger pieces of the dark crystal we have felt before to bring back our master, the Dark Lord. Nimponin to spread his evil and corruption.

Mia smiles at her, and she leans forward and kisses her without saying another word. Soon, the two of them are on their bed, and as their still-wet