Sword of the Stars Part 23
Destiny Awaits
It was only a couple of hours later when Duo looked below and saw the island. It wasn't very large at all, a few leagues wide. However, it was shaped almost like a perfect circle.
"That's unusual," Quatre remarked as he stared down at the island. "Islands don't really look that perfectly circular."
"Magic," Yohan told them. "All Netherworld Magic. Duo, would you ask the dragon to please set us down in the center of the island. That is where the gate lies, I believe."
Duo nodded. He opened his mind to the dragon. ~Land at the center of the island. We will get off there.~
<<As you wish, Duo.>>
The great beast turned on an angle and glided down to the ground. Duo stared at the ground they were about to land upon. The island's earth was horribly rotten, and there were no plants or trees, only a few unhealthy-looking shrubs. As far as he could tell, there was no source of water anywhere, as well as no life.
"Look at that!" Wufei gasped, pointing.
Duo followed his finger and found what he was looking at. In the center of the island was a wide circle of tall stone slabs. They were black as night.
The Celestial Dragon landed softly on the rotting ground, and let them off with its wings. Duo's boots nearly sank into the weak, rotten earth. Wufei moaned when he dismounted the dragon.
"There are many lost ones here," he said sadly. He looked around with tear-filled eyes. "It's all right," he called gently. "It's all right... Yohan, how could there be so many...?"
"Many brave soldiers and men came here with the Warrior to fight the Dark Lord a thousand years ago," Yohan explained. "Before the Warrior sealed the Dark Lord. Needless to say, only the Warrior returned."
Wufei shook his head in dismay. He looked upwards. "You were all so brave...so brave..."
Duo turned to the dragon. ~Leave now...you must prepare yourself for the battle.~
<<Of course... >> There was a moment of silence, and then the dragon was gone. No fanfare, it just vanished from sight.
Quatre and Wufei blinked, but didn't comment. Quatre turned to Duo. "Well, how do we get into the Netherworld?"
Duo gestured to the stone slabs before them. "I think these have something to do with it...I just don't know what."
Wufei looked toward the mage. "Yohan?"
The old mage held up his hands helplessly. "I know nothing of this, my dear. I presumed Duo had a way." He glanced pointedly in Duo's direction.
Duo frowned. "I...I have no idea what to do...I thought maybe Yohan..."
Abruptly, one of the stone slabs turned a shimmering silver. Then, another, and another. One after the other, until they were all shining silver. Then, beams of silver light shot forth from the slabs and came together in the center of the circle. When the beams contacted, they grew into a small, silver portal.
Duo and the others stared dumbfounded at the portal. Quatre raised a hand toward it, but let it fall. "How? What?"
Duo knew the answer immediately. "Heero."
Wufei glanced at him. "What?"
"Heero did this. He knows we're challenging him. He's ready."
"Are you saying that Heero is *letting* us into the Netherworld?" Quatre asked incredulously. Duo nodded.
"The Dark Lord is insane!"
"No, he isn't. In the Netherworld, he has the advantage. He believes he will kill us." Duo clenched his fists together. "I'll prove him wrong." He blinked at his own words. Did he really mean that? Could he really kill Heero?
Yohan cleared his throat. "Whenever you are ready, Duo, we must go. Your destiny awaits you."
Duo nodded. He could feel the pulling of the Star Sword. It could feel the Netherworld's power. "Let's go, then." He walked up in front of the silver portal. "Everyone hold hands," he said over his shoulder. "It'll be safer that way."
Yohan took Wufei's hand, and Wufei took Quatre's. Duo held the Star Sword in one hand and Quatre's hand in the other. He pressed the flat of the Sword against the mark on his forehead.
"Please guide us to the source of this evil," he whispered to it. With excrutiating slowness, Duo took a step into the silver portal. When nothing happened, he closed his eyes and walked completely into it. The world around him became silver.
~*~
He stepped into a world of darkness and noise. A rushing gale struck him, the strong wind almost knocking him off his feet. He felt Quatre falter, so he tightened his grip on his friend's hand. He opened his eyes, but gasped at the burning pain of the wind and squeezed them shut. The sheer noise inside the portal was almost unbearable.
The air was filled with inhuman screams of terror and agony that made Duo want to let go of Quatre and the Sword to cover his ears. His head pounded in pain. He looked around blindly. Where were they supposed to go? Even if they could open their eyes, it was pitch black in the portal. How were they to find the way?
"...do...go?" he was barely able to hear Quatre's voice over the wind and screaming. "How...we get...of here?"
"Make...stop!" Wufei screamed from further back. "...noise...too much!"
"Calm down!" he shouted to them, hoping they could hear. "Don't panic! We'll be all right!"
The Sword pulled at him, tugging him north. With complete trust, and realizing that it was their only chance, he followed the Sword's pull and began walking. Quatre and the others followed without question. He'd been walking for several minutes when a very familiar voice suddenly boomed into his head.
PERSISTANT, AREN'T YOU? It asked. He jumped, turning his head, wondering if the others had heard it, too.
SO YOU SEEK TO DESTROY ME YET? I DID NOT THINK YOU WOULD BE SO FOOLISH TO CHALLENGE ME IN MY OWN DOMAIN. Duo forced himself to concentrate on where he was going, but in truth, he wanted to call out Heero's name. YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT ME IF YOU LIKE, DUO, BUT BE WARNED. IN MY DOMAIN, I HAVE THE POWER. HERE, I AM THE MASTER. IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE, TURN AND LEAVE. Duo ignored the threat and continued walking. ARE YOU THAT ANXIOUS TO DIE? VERY WELL. COME, *MY FRIEND*, WELCOME TO THE NETHERWORLD.
As the Dark Lord's voice stopped speaking, he stumbled and fell forward, dragging Quatre with him. He could hear the others' barely audible cries of surprise, and he was sure he'd made one, too. He fell out of the darkness, away from the screams, and lost his grip on Quatre's hand....
TBC...
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