Four Words

Chapter 10- Released

"What happened?" Tarren asked Reiko and Lady Hanabi as the left the sacred room.

"Matt got a ," Reiko said as the priestess closed the doors.

"That's pretty obvious. I mean, what went on in there to make him that way?"

"We cannot discuss that, Tarren," Lady Hanabi said. She had a stern look about her face.

"Oh, uh, okay."

"I'll go get him," Reiko said, and she walked off into the direction where Matt went.

"While she retrieves him, I need to speak with you as well, Tarren."

She motioned him to follow her, and he obeyed.

They walked through countless corridors and passageways, each as endless as the last. Both of them were silent, even as they passed the group of priests and priestesses in long white robes coming back from their daily magic practice.

Tarren looked around. It was becoming darker in the halls, the bronze not even visible anymore, as if they were being swallowed up by darkness.

Even the torches, which appeared once in a while to light their way, seemed to be getting darker. Finally, they came to a stop at a wall. It seemed like a dead end.

" me," Tarren finally spoke, "where were we supposed to go anyway?"

"Here," she answered.

"Huh?"

Tarren looked around, but there was nothing.

"I.I don't understand."

Lady Hanabi stepped on what seemed to be a tile on the floor, but it pushed in as she stepped on it.

Suddenly, the whole wall opened up, sliding to the left of them to let them through.

As Tarren looked, he saw a spiral staircase, with candles lit, floating on nothing above them, leading down into the bottom chambers of the Temple.

"We have to go down," Lady Hanabi said, and she started to walk down.

Tarren followed, still a little intimidated by all that was happening. Where was she taking him?

After what seemed like hours, they finally came to the bottom of the staircase.

Tarren was growing tired after all the walking, so he leaned against the wall in front of a small wooden door at the end of the stairs.

"This is where we enter," Lady Hanabi said as she pointed to the door.

"There?"

She nodded and pushed the gold handle that was bolted on the door.

Inside was pitch black, so he hesitated to step in at first.

She snapped her fingers and the torches inside the room lit us instantaneously, revealing what looked like another sacred room, only this one looked more like a dungeon.

"What is this place?" he said as he looked around.

Rusty chains were hanging on the walls, as well as ones on the floor, apparently to hold prisoners, but he wasn't sure. The brick walls looked aged, as if they were there an eternity before they came. The floor was a dark shade of brown, dusty from the ages of unuse.

And in front of them, stood two figures in bronze, one of an old man in a black cloak holding a wizard's staff, and one of a young man, who looked amazingly like Tarren, only with different clothes.

"You needn't worry," Lady Hanabi said out of the blue.

He turned to her, surprised. "Worry about what?"

"The Dark Lord."

He gasped. How did she know?

"The bracelet on your right wrist," she pointed to it, "is what he's controlling you with. Am I right?"

He started at her blankly.

"," he said hesitantly. He was ready to feel the sting that his Master usually inflicted on him, but nothing happened. "Huh?"

"I told you, you needn't worry. He cannot see nor hear you from inside the temple. Especially this room."

"Why this room?"

"Because this is where we banished him to the darkness."

~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, outside, Reiko was in the courtyard, looking for Matt.

"Matt! Where are you?" she called out. She was getting worried. It was already dark, and she couldn't find him anywhere.

The stars twinkled above her as she called out again. "Matt!"

"I'm right here," a voice said weakly.

She turned to see a tall tree standing before her, and sitting on the ground by the trunk was Matt.

"Matt, I was looking all over for you," Reiko said as she knelt beside him.

He didn't even look at her. He was just staring at the ground.

"I was worried about you."

"Really."

"Of course. Did you think I wasn't going to care when you stormed out of that room?"

"..."

He didn't answer because he really didn't know. His blond hair covered his eyes as he was looking at the ground.

She had a sad look on her face. She glanced to the side as she stood up again.

"I guess you really were expecting me not to care."

He looked up at her. From what she could tell his eyes were glossy with tears, but he wasn't crying at all.

Matt was confused, trying to deal with feelings he couldn't have, and feelings he knows that he can't deal with.

Loneliness.

Fear.

Love.

He stood up and wiped his eyes, trying to take the tears away. Then he noticed that Reiko had started to walk away. But he didn't want her to go.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, hugging her shoulders.

"Matt-"

"I'm sorry I didn't answer, and I'm sorry I made a scene in that room," he interrupted, "It's just that, I've never felt this way before, about anyone. And to have it taken away from you-"

She turned around to see tears forming in his eyes again.

"It just hurts."

She looked into his eyes, which looked into hers so lovingly. She felt sorry for him, because he cared about her so much, and he couldn't do a thing about it. It must be the worst for him, to actually know that the one he loves can't love him in return.

He felt his chest begin to tighten, and his heart beat faster.

"This isn't right," he told himself, "She isn't supposed to be here with me like this."

He let go of her reluctantly and stared at the ground, his bangs covering his eyes again.

"Matt," she put a hand on his shoulder, "Let's go inside. I'm sure that Lady Hanabi and Tarren are waiting for us."

He looked at her and nodded his head.

"I guess I'll just have to wait," he thought, "until we finally go home."

~*~*~*~

"You banished him here? But how?"

"It wasn't actually me. It was my ancestors, the original followers of the gods and goddess. They performed a very sacred and highly dangerous spell to send him into the pits of darkness, never to return to the light."

Tarren stood there, speechless. This was how his Master was sent into the shadows.

"I know you were sent by him to watch and send Matt and Reiko to him," she said calmly.

He looked down, ashamed.

"It's all right," she said, reassuringly, "I think I can get you out of his control."

"Huh?! You really can?!"

"I can try. And since we're in this room, there's more magical energy to help. Now, hold out you're right hand."

He did as he was told, and held out his hand. The bracelet on his wrist stared ominously at him, its big, blood red jewel sparkling.

The held out her palm at the jewel, and said, " Evil darker than the darkest night, be gone."

A strange, electric-like red light flashed out of the bracelet, causing the both of them to put their hands out to cover their eyes in protection.

When they put their hands down, they saw on Tarren's wrist that the jewel had cracked, and was smoking. Suddenly, the whole bracelet broke apart, and shattered on the floor. Tarren stood there, stunned.

"That's it. He no longer has control of you."

"I, don't know how to thank you," he said as he gripped his wrist where the bracelet had been. He was finally free.

"Just protect Reiko with your life, that's all you can do."

"Huh?"

He stared at her, not believing what he just heard.

"I know that you care about her as well, Tarren."

"But...how do you know?"

"I see into people's hearts and minds, Tarren. That's how I know."

He was silent.

"You see, its just as it was just as it was one thousand years ago."

"One thousand years ago?"

She looked to the statues.

"See that statue of the young man?" she pointed to him, "That's you."

His eyes broadened, and he lost his breath.

"This was you, one thousand years ago. Or at least the person that you have reincarnated from."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. At least I know that I'm not older than I thought I was," he thought.

"You helped out Reiko and Matt one thousand years ago to battle the Dark Lord, this man," she pointed to the older man with the wizard's staff.

"Strange, he doesn't look anything like the Dark Lord."

"That's because this was when he was human. Before he shunned the light, and before we plunged him into everlasting darkness."

He looked at the statue of the old man, seemingly staring into space, his old and wise eyes tired from years that have passed by him.

"When you helped them, you battled hard and well, but you betrayed them in the end."

"WHAT?!"

"That's right. In your past life, you saw the two of them embrace each other, and thus, embraced the darkness, ultimately leading to their deaths."

Tarren stared at her in horror. To betray his friends was out of the question, especially now that he had his bracelet off.

"We are afraid that this might happen again."

"There's no way!"

"It will be determined by your actions, and theirs, Tarren. Only you can chose whether to turn your backs on them or not."

A/N: Aaaaahhh, my poor story! I'm sorry I haven't posted for *looks at calendar* 3 MONTHS!!!! I'm sooo sorry!!! ^ ^;; Anyway, I promise I'll try and post chapters for this more frequently. I just hope this break in writer's block holds out.