Rin leapt through the towering plumes of smoke, his boots pounding the scorched roofs below him, every muscle in his body straining with intensity. The village, once a nurturing nest of life and laughter, was now engulfed in merciless flames, lives teetering on the brink of being snuffed out like candles in a storm. Rin's heart raced as he thought of Claus, their reunion now tied to the cruel whims of fate.
Above, the heavens seemed be watching Gatekeeper's internal struggle. Should he risk detection by doing what he must, or let the innocents suffer the consequences of their weakness? He didn't have time to evaluate the lives of those he had come to care for against the balance of celestial forces. With a heavy heart, he made his decision.
In response to the Gatekeeper's summon, dark clouds swirled menacingly above, the skies churning like an angry sea. The first drops of rain fell, rapid and heavy, a cascade of moist daggers piercing the inferno. The downpour intensified, a torrential flood as if demanded by a higher power, dousing the ravenous flames that had threatened to consume everything in their path.
With urgency, Rin searched for Claus and Alice, their names a repeated mantra on his lips. His ear caught a cry for aid, weak and fading. Following the sound, he found Alice, her face streaked with soot and tears, was safe beneath the protective embrace of her brave guardian, Claus—dear, valiant Claus—had been mortally wounded. Grief threatened to paralyze Rin as the bitter truth took root: this reunion of fate had come too late.
"I'd finally right my wrong," Claus spoke softly, her breath raspy and faint. Her eyes, once bright with defiance, were now shut due to exhaustion. She offered Rin a smile, the best glimmer she could give to show her joy that she was in his arm once again. Her pain had been justified as an enforcer to recollect this special moment.
The Gatekeeper roared to rip the sky, a cry that carried years of sorrow and loss. It shook even the sturdy stone walls of the village, and with gentle reverence, he lifted Claus into his arms and soared into the clouds in the sky.
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The Kifune Jinja, nestled deep within a secluded valley, had long been a bastion for its tradition of grace and harmony. Its lush, verdant grounds were blanketed in a tranquil hush, broken only by the soft rustle of tree branches and the chirp of crow. The sacred shrine had weathered the ravages of war and the passage of time, its old stone steps and worn wooden beams seemed to have power to fix itself through the ebb and flow of history.
The legends spoke of an enchanted mountain nearby, guarded by unseen forces and shrouded by spread words. It was said that at night, strange howls echoed through the craggy peaks and dense forests, keeping all but the bravest pilgrims at bay. On this fateful night, however, the disruption came not from the depth of the mountain, but from the sky above.
A blinding explosion heralded the arrival of two figures, their forms wreathed in celestial glow as they landed from the sky. The impact of their descend sent tremors through the earth, shaking the entire mountain and woke every living thing who roosted on it.
Two young monks, with faces blended with alert and indignation, stood proud and fearless against the trespassers. His saffron robes flapped by forceful wind; his hands tightened in to fist as he narrowed his eyes at the intruders. "Who are you to trespass on this holy ground?" he spoke as the august of a temple bell. "Speak quickly or face our wrath!"
The figure before them, wrapped in the swirling steam of heat, paused for a moment before responding, his words were with a deep, otherworldly resonance that vibrated through the massive redwood trunks surrounding them. "I am the Gatekeeper, come to seek help for her," he answered, his eyes gleaming for commiseration.
A bright light erupted from his very core, illuminating the clearing with a blinding radiance that forced the monks to shield their eyes. "You cannot stop me," he continued, and spoke with pristine sovereignty, "for I am here to fulfilled my destiny."
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Rin's breaths came in ragged gasps as he powered uphill, Claus cradled weak in his arms. Her fragile form seemed to grow heavier with each step, and Rin's eyes remained fixed on the mossy stone well that was hidden beneath a tangled network of gigantic tree roots. Time was a cruel and relentless enemy, and he didn't know how much he had left.
As Rin finally reached the sacred spring, the life-giving water shined with a faint, ethereal glow, he felt an unsettling presence that had approached near.
Fluttering eyes in the dark wood gathered in thousands. Together, they howled to the already risen moon, and revealed themselves, monkeys, thousands of them.
Sunset was usually holy to the local faithful, but today the unwanted visitors had disturbed the peacefulness of the mountain.
Rin must tread carefully; he did not wish to enrage the wild simians. These animals were considered divine in the holy realm, and to harm them would be to court disaster. With great care, he began to weave his way through their ranks, his every step deliberated and measured as he sought to avoid further provoking their ire.
"I am surprised that you still remember codes of heaven. The Gatekeeper." The loud voice came from the large pack of primates.
"She brings great evil with her. She does not belong here." A simian covered with white fur that was much larger size to the others stopped Rin from getting closer to the spring.
"If she doesn't belong, so as the light." He replied, his eyes darting about as he searched for a way past the pack of primates that now encircled him.
"You have no shame to show yourself at the holy ground, you are the one who betrayed heaven!" A howl that retorted from the surrounding apes, expressing their tempest of anger and accusation.
"The holy light belongs to all. For I control all." Rin chanted the spell of the grand, with power as if infused with the very essence of creation.
The moon eclipsed into darkness; stars covered by clouds. The already lightless woods turned ever more obscure.
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The moonlight reflected on the chilly and damp rock by the mountain stream made two shadows that had merged into one visible in the early morning.
"Why feel sad?" Claus spoke near his ears, words spoken in tears held back by regret. The immortal spring water didn't serve its purpose of curing Claus of her injuries. The given time was too little.
Claus looked at the same young face that she remembered from decades ago, the man whom she dreamed all these years. "Is this real? Is it really you?"
"Yes, it's me. I am here." Rin's tears fell onto Claus' face.
"It has been fifty years since we last saw each other. You have not changed." Claus smiled.
"Yes, I am the same." Rin couldn't see anything else but her in his drained eyes.
"Don't look!" Claus yelled. Claus rushed to hide her face. A lifetime of suffering had beaten down what was once a brave soul.
"For I have seen all of you, you were only a fool to hide from me." Rin inhaled deeply and tasted sorrow from the tip of his lips.
"I've sought you for all these years, for I can't say I'm the same woman that you once loved." Claus could not look at the boy.
Rin stared into the reflected water below, saw only a coward of a monster. "For what I have complete, I am ugly."
After a break of silence, Claus was impotent to stay awake. "I am not worthy of you! Look at me now! I'm just a crazy old woman who has nothing!"
"Don't say that! I don't regret it. Especially since I am finally with you. I would have chosen to suffer once more rather than not have seen your face again. Thank you for giving me my purpose and my destiny."
"It was my fault, I am the one who have sinned, but you are the one who was blamed."
"You were right, we were too young and weak to have made the right choice, that was if we had one." Rin knew he was selfish to keep Claus unrested, so he gently lay Claus' head on the soft grass.
"Promise me you'll look after Alice. She is a special girl with an unusual fate. You need to help her realize her destiny." Claus slowly closed her eyes.
Rin was choked with sobs. "I know, she is the next chosen keeper…."
"Yes…It's funny how things turned out. Do you remember that story you used to tell me? Rin?" Claus called upon his name for the last time while she gazed into the same sky they used to share. The stars shone brightly as they always did, so too the moon. There are things that stayed forever and never change. "Tell me one more time."
Rin could only stutter his words while tears bitter his mouth. "Once upon a time, there were two lovers who promised each other of never parting even by death. They were caught stealing the immortal water from God and were punished to turn into stars of the night, where they can only see each other after the setting sun."
Claus' smile of warmth contrasted with the cold morning breeze. Dawn had cleared all the darkest memories with the possibilities for new beginning.
"You are the one who has truly complete." The Gatekeeper slowly leaned down to kiss her closed lids.
"Goodbye, Claus."