The frosty blade like wind whipped around Rin's face, chilling his very bones and burning the edges of his wounds with pain. His arms and legs were tightly held in a vice-like grip, and he sped through the night with blinding speed—no matter how much he squirmed and thrashed, he couldn't catch even a glimpse of his captor. His mind ran with questions, but weariness took hold, and he finally succumbed to an uneasy slumber.
When he awoke, a metallic voice greeted him from a curious metal box perched on a table beside his bed—a bed far softer and more luxurious than any grainy mattress or tea leaf pillow he had ever slept on before. "Mr. Shento, we are glad that you are finally awake. Don't worry, you are in good hands."
Rin's eyes darted around the room, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings: precise edges and flat walls painted a sterile grey color—not a single window to be found. A wooden star symbol was carefully carved into the wall. Confused by his circumstances and wary of this strange place, he tensed his muscles, preparing for any unseen danger as the door silently slid open from left to right.
A young girl wearing a blue kimono entered the room with a tray of food in her delicate hands.
"Where am I? Who are you?" Rin demanded; his voice hoarse from disuse.
The girl rolled her eyes and sighed, clearly irritated by the question. "It was supposed to be those old monks who come here to serve you...but they asked me instead. I don't know why."
His suspicions piqued; Rin eyed her warily before asking again: "Why did you save me? What do you want from me?" Rin paused in shock as the young girl commanded with a confidence and power that belied her tender age. "Look at you! You are too young and foolish! You are not ready for training," she said, shaking her head sadly.
"What are you talking about? What training?" Rin asked with rage.
The girl laughed, "I think you better sit down when I talk to you." She fixed him with an intense stare that left no room for argument.
Obediently, Rin sank into a chair like a child who had found himself in trouble.
The girl's expression softened but remained authoritative. "Good. I am a lot older than you think I am. You are now in the underground city of Fumetsu. That star symbol on the wall represents our spirit—we are the ones that were cast out by heaven and hell. We know why you are here: you are the Gatekeeper!" She gestured grandly towards the stellate engraved wooden relief adorning their chamber wall, its intricate lines seeming to pulse with a hidden power that called to Rin's very soul.
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Rin was kept in the solid, airtight room for days with only meditation to break his seclusion. Every day he received three meals served by the same blue-kimono girl, Shogon, who rarely spoke. The walls of his cell were mostly empty but had holes inserting fresh air into the sealed room. And an ancient scroll with Konji characters written on it, characters telling stories of fable beings and long-forgotten lands.
As he had been lost in thought, Rin heard the metallic voice: "Thank you for your patience, Mr. Shento. Shogon will now take you on your first tour of Fumetsu. Please enjoy!"
The young girl's smile appeared like a crescent moon as she glided into the room and lead him out of the cell. When he stepped outside, Rin saw a garden that seemed to stretch eternally—trees, plants, and a pond filled with fish. The petals of flowers and the rustling of leaves danced in the breezy air as he took in the breathtaking sight. He couldn't stop himself from asking, "Where is this place? I thought we are underground. How long have you been living here?"
"Yes. We are hundreds of miles below ground. It is the city of immortals, Fumetsu. I have been here for almost one hundred and eighty years since my birth. I am considered very young compared to many others who lived way longer than I. Although they no longer live here in the city, some came back from time to time." She replied sweetly, her movement lilting like a song as she led him around the vast greenery.
"You are the immortals?" Rin read many records of this sacred tribe from many old Buddhist records, yet, never proven true. "Who are you?"
"I am the oldest that still live here, those old monks achieved their immortal status too late in life, unlike me. I was born with the talent." The young girl spoke as if she was telling a bedtime story to a child. "Our kind had have lived here since the end of the Great Flood fifteen thousand years ago; our bloodlines trace back to an ancient tribe which believed itself to be descended from gods."
"How many of you are here?" queried Rin as they explored—his curiosity piqued by her disclosure.
"Ten thousand of us remain from the ancient tribe since the Great War. Our lineage was an advanced tribe that when we discover ability beyond the gods, they became fearful of our power and outcasted us. After thousands of years, the people of our kind migrated to many parts of the world. Some live underground, some live above. Some even became powerful figures who made establishment of empires, kingdoms, religions, and corporations in the human world. Abraham Lincoln, William Shakespeare and his wife were all immortals, they died only because they hung with the wrong people and broke too many heavenly codes."
Shogon flew ahead of Rin, negotiating tunnels as if she had memorized every inch of them. Their path twisted and turned, and the air around them grew heavier with each step they took. They stood before an imposing wooden door; Shogon unlocked it with a key and invited Rin to enter. "We're going deeper," she warned. "It might get a little warm."
Rin followed her into a sixty-square meter interior that descended hundreds of feet, until they reached the bottom. The heavy wooden door opened upon a blinding light. When his sight adjusted, he marveled at the massive cave with its tall rectangular structure rising in its center and lush rolling hills. Even against all odds, wind blew through one of the dozens connecting tunnels to make this place feel alive.
"How is there light?" he asked, and Shogon replied: "That is why I brought you here. You must see what lies within this chapel for yourself."
☆☆☆
Rin followed Shogon up the grassy knoll, where hundreds of ancient stones lay scattered over the hillside like forgotten monuments. Each stone bore intricate carvings and weathered runes, hinting at a history as old as the land itself. The wind swung through the tip of the tall grass, as if carrying the spirits and its secret of the past along with it.
"These rocks have been here since before the chapel was built," Shogon remarked, her spoke soft and reverent.
When they reached the top of the hill, Rin finally beheld the chapel's full grandeur with awe-inspiring amazement. A colossal tower of granite and steel loomed in front of them, adorned with battlements and ramparts that rose three hundred feet into the air above. The stone structure seemed to merge seamlessly with the natural surroundings, as if it had grown from the earth itself. Shogon pounded three times on the small door for visitors mounted in the large gate, and an obese monk greeted them. "I have been expecting you both," he drawled, introduced them inside with a meaty hand.
The monastery hall was a marvel to behold; lofty turrets soared two hundred feet towards the heavens, and stained-glass windows cast colored light onto its stone floors. In the center of the chamber, a single column stretched two hundred feet into the air. At its entrance, a twenty-ton square slab sat atop the ground—-the legendary Arc of Law. This place was where many holy and demonic relics were hidden away from prying eyes.
On either side, statues of ten-foot-tall men stood in relief against opposing walls: one clad in Greek chiton bearing a book in his hands, and another wearing armor, who held both a book and a sword. Their faces were strong and resolute, as if they were prepared to battle the forces of evil for all eternity.
Shogon spoke up as she saw Rin's attention fixated upon them. "The books those two great men carry are our most sacred relics; The Book of Light is the source of our wisdom and illumination for the caves, while from the Book of Darkness we gain everlasting life. Every half a century, the new successors of the scripture resurface."
Rin's had heard of such divine scripture from the older priests, they claimed such knowledge were God's own wrath, gift to the worthy. He muttered, incredulous. "But why are you telling me all this? What do you want from me?" His face flushed in purple, and his lips pulled into a tight line of insecurity.
"Rin, I know that you opened the gate of heaven to save your love. But what you did forever shifted the balance of heaven and hell."
"How do you know?" Rin shocked.
"We know everything! Rin. You don't have to worry. Immortal's position is neutral. We don't stand on either side but our own." Shogon said.
"Why do you bring me here? What do you want of me?"
"Rin, there are some things I must tell you. But promise me that you will be calm."
Rin didn't reply.
"I don't know how to bring this to you. But from a believable source, that Claus was a sorceress, who was sent to you by demons. Her intention was to make you resign from your duty and open the gate. It was all parts of her plan." Shogon spoke with very low tone.
Rin was again silenced.
"Don't blame yourself too much. She was a sorceress who's good at doing what she does. The evil behind the plan is also very powerful." Shogon reached out her hand to Rin in attempt to ease his pain.
"This is not true! I don't believe you! What do you want from me? Why are you telling me all this?" Rin's face squeezed and reded.
"You don't have to believe what I said but listen to me carefully. We are giving you a second chance to right your wrong." Shogon lifted her index finger and a flame of fire ignited on her fingertip. "Don't you wish you can do what I do? Once you complete your training, you can do the same."
Incredulity overpowered Rin's rage and it melted away just as quickly. He shook his head vehemently, but the tears rolling down his cheeks betrayed the hope he'd been holding onto for so long. "I don't care about training," he choked out between sobs. "All I want is to save her!"
"I am sorry! Because of what you had done, it's your duty to right your wrongs, and you are nowhere close to battle the demons even if you found her eventually." Shogon held tight onto Rin's hands. "We will let you leave when you are ready." Shogon's grip was like iron as she addressed Rin. Her eyes held a mixture of empathy and hope, promising that he would one day find the strength he sought.