63. Why?

"Let's go."

Her black colored hair swayed with the light breeze as she took the lead. She had successfully made everyone listen to her without making a fuss of the situation. Shin smiled while looking at her, he couldn't help but admire her a bit. Immediately, she halts and turns back. Her gaze lands on Shin who furrowed his brows at her. He was slightly taken aback, but he couldn't let it show. Therefore he returned her scrutinizing gaze with a frown.

After a while she turns back and continues to lead the party of about forty seven. They had no destination but they had to move quickly.

***

"Lord Tan, I believe we've gathered everyone," the village chief said to Tanji.

Almost a day ago, hundreds of hands had descended from the sky, each dropping a person. With that came cracks in the sky, indicating the great tide was just around the corner. For the first time Tanji felt his last ray of hope begin to shatter. The great tide was coming, and the huge cracks he saw meant it wasn't going to come in waves as expected.

He ordered for the villagers to gather as many of the people as they could. Everyone who wasn't in Takita was sent out, everyone except the chief, who remained to protect the village.

The cracks in the sky kept on growing and Tanji could only sigh at it. He hadn't even made enough pills to last the second wave, but now there was a chance that there wouldn't be waves.

"Did you find the two I asked you to?" Tanji asks and turns to her.

He had asked the chief to seek out the owners of the names, Shin Tu and Zhan Mia. He wasn't worried about Hiro, but he was worried about them.

"Yes, I couldn't find them. I've instructed people to search the crowd again. If they are here we'll find them."

"Alright. Is something wrong?"

"Well, yes. We gathered over four hundred people. The problem is there is not enough huts for them to sleep in."

"I don't understand, did we gather them to provide a bed for each of them? Why did we gather them?"

"To fight the great tide."

"Then why are you bothered about huts for them? What we should be bothered about is turning the forest to a trap-field and the walls to a fort."

"A fort?" the chief muttered, not understanding the meaning of the word.

"Did you explain the situation to them?"

"Yes I did."

"Then what we should be working on is having them ready themselves for the tide. Luckily, the walls are too high, and the beasts we are up against can't fly or climb the walls."

"Even with that we need people on the walls. That's why I have stationed the newborns on the walls."

"That's good. They'll be protected and they'll deal more damage than facing the beasts head on."

"The apprentice guardians and those above will be fighting the beasts outside the walls."

Tanji turns to the wall behind. "I think I have a task for the newborns."

"Alright."

"Has any of those two reach the shaman stage?"

"No, they haven't."

"Until they reach the shaman stage, they are not allowed to step out of Takita."

"Lord Tan, look," the chief says and points at the sky.

Tanji turns to see dozens of hand drop from the sky afar off. As soon as they each dropped the individual they held, they returned to the sky.

The space in the distance cracked and Tanji gave a long sigh. "Send those at the king stage to get them."

The chief's brows corrugated at his words but she nods anyway. She turns to a few others going by and performing their duties.

Tanji on the other hand stared at the cracks. "Maybe I worry too much. The crack is a lot bigger but that doesn't mean there won't be waves. It just means the wave will be larger, right?" he thought. "Let's hope for the best and expect the best."

***

"Senior Hong Xi?" Mia called out. She stood up and frowned at the sight around her. The very space around her was cracking. Initially, she was studying the jade slips handed to her by Hong Xi and was so immersed in it that she almost didn't notice the changes to her surroundings.

"Senior!" she yelled. Unfortunately there was no response. The only thing that she heard was a little echo of her voice.

The cracks continued to increase and showed no sign of stopping. "Senior!" she roared. Her heart raced as she watches the cracks glide in the space around her. She didn't know why, but they brought fearful memories. This moment was similar to an unforgettable memory.

She was just five. A fire incident had occurred at their place. And while fleeing from the flames that threatened to scorch her, she ended up in a pit filled with snakes. It was one of her family's area for training snakes. They place several species of venomous snakes together and collected the last one standing.

Wounded, exhausted and with no cultivation base, she had ended up in there. She didn't know how she survived but the last face she saw before passing out, was Tanji's.

That day gave her nightmares. It scarred her mind and caused her pain several nights. Now here she was, placed in a situation that brought back memories of that day.

"Elder brother…" Mia called out and gulps.

Her body shivered, her eyes trembled, her skin crawled and her heart raced even more. She squats and hugs herself while staring at the cause of her condition.

"Elder brother, help… please help."

She stammered as she cried out. The scar in her mind was revisiting and the wound was opening. She wasn't seeing the cracks anymore. What she was seeing were snakes. Her surroundings had turned dark and several pairs of eyes shone in the dark.

"Elder brother… Elder brother! Please… please."

Tears rolled down her cheeks as her shaky voice called out. She folds her knees, wraps her hand and buried her head in it. Her sobs increased and her body continued to tremble. Right now, she was loosing her mind.

"Ah!"

The space beneath her shattered and Mia fell. She screamed and wriggles her hand, trying to grab onto something. However, in this vast blue sea around her, there was nothing but the wind.

"Ah!"

And so she continued to fall as she screamed her lungs out.

"Mia!" a familiar voice yelled. "Go!"

She turned her head and found Hiro some distance away. Just like her he was falling too. His entire body was covered in flames and she could barely recognize him.

"Relax Mia," he tells her as they continued to fall. But how was that possible? How could she relax? He didn't know Mia's mind was in a mess and that she had not fully comprehended what was going on.

"I'm… I'm scared…" Mia voices. She could see snakes falling after her, but Hiro didn't know this. He didn't know she was hallucinating and taking the cracks that continued to run down as snakes. The cracks were spreading down and he was unaware of it.

"Can you reach her?" Mia heard Hiro ask. She frowns wondering what he meant. "I don't know just save her!"

She heard Hiro roar and the flame on his body turned into a serpent and dived at her. Her eyes widened and she screamed.

"Ah!"

Mia screamed and screamed until everything around her turned dark. She had passed out and lost consciousness.

***

|A While Back|

"Wake up Hiro!"

The spirit flame's voice rang in Hiro's ears causing him to open his eyes. He growled and rolled…

"Stop!"

The spirit flame yelled, startling Hiro and making him halt. His eyes widened at the sight encroaching towards his body.

"What the hell?" Hiro retreats and got on his feet.

"Behind you too!" the spirit flame voiced and Hiro stopped moving back. All around him, the space cracked and Hiro was left to wonder what was going on.

However, he wasn't granted the luxury of thinking for long. The space beneath his feet shattered and Hiro fell.

"No!"

He roared as his body fell. The spirit flame covered his entire body as it spoke.

"Calm down! I may not have the strength to carry you but I can slow down the speed of your fall."

"I don't think it's possible to calm down in this situation."

"Either that or you die."

"Alright, alright," Hiro muttered. It didn't take long for his speed down to reduce. But he could feel it. The spirit flame couldn't take the weight of his body.

"Ah!"

A voice sounded loud enough for him to hear. It was a very familiar voice and it came again.

"Ah!"

This time a body fell pass him and Hiro's eyes widened.

"Mia!" Hiro roared and yelled. "Go!"

The spirit flame understood what he meant and increased Hiro's speed down. By the time he got close to her, she had seen him.

"Relax Mia," he tells her as they continued to fall. He couldn't believe himself. A moment ago, the spirit flame had told him something similar and he retorted. Here he was now telling that to her.

"I'm… I'm scared…" Mia voices. At her voice his chest tightened and for the first time he looked down. There was a large mountain on one of the clouds beneath them. On the mountain was a building and they were falling right into it.

"Can you reach her?"

"What about you?"

"I don't know just save her!"

Hiro ordered and the spirit flame shot at her in the form of a fire serpent. He could feel something leave his body from within. His body felt light and he liked it. However, he couldn't enjoy it because the next minute.

"Ah!"

Mia screamed and brought him back to his senses. He was still falling and he was doing so with greater speed. His eyes widened and he turned back to look at Mia. The spirit flame had reached her and her body was slowing down.

"Why?" he mutters.