~ Part 5 ~
As space and time folded upon itself in ever changing loops within the multi-dimensions, it seemed to freeze upon the former Slayer's home world as a chain of events took on far reaching results. Oz, in wolf form, bounded through the mansion's doors. He had run as fast as his preternatural body was capable; even fueled by the desire and fear to safeguard his pack from harm hadn't given him the extra speed needed to out race Willow's magic. It zoomed out ahead of him, leading the way, remaining just beyond the reach of claw and teeth. Amber eyes watched in defeat as it slammed first into the Alpha, sending him to his knees. A sorrowful howl burst from his throat when the Alpha cried out in pain.
He had started forward to offer comfort when the magic shot from the fallen leader's chest. It zoomed around the room like an angry hornet before it went chasing after Mistress. Growling low in his throat, he bared his teeth and gave chase. Mistress screamed; her pale hands pulled at her long dark hair as she ran, but the magic slammed into her back and knocked her to the ground. Her prince approached her at the same time that he did. He licked her hand, keening softly for her to get up as he shoved her with his snout. When her prince picked Mistress up, the magic jumped from her straight into him. He dropped her as it threw him to the floor. His back arched up from the ground while he screamed loud and long.
Oz-wolf joined his howls to his pack's tortured screams. His primitive mind understood one thing; his mate had injured the pack. Wolves mated for life, true; yet, the pack always came first.
Buffy carried her weapons down from the Guardian. Masters Chi and Gensai waited for her underneath the great Shadow Tree. She bowed respectfully, folding her legs underneath her as she displayed her bounty of weapons in a half-circle around her. The katana came last, receiving the place of honor at the pinnacle. Her head bowed, creating a graceful arc as she awaited the final judgment from her sensei and Shadow's Grand Master.
Master Chi eyed the cornucopia displayed before him. Few Shadow Warriors had ever returned with such a bounty. That this warrior had achieved this feat didn't surprise him. Turning to Gensai, he felt her inquisitive eyes on him. His trusty disciple wanted to question him regarding Buffy, years of discipline, and her own shadowed past kept her quiet.
"Rise, young warrior, gather your weapons, go, rest, and on the third moon rise meet us here. You've earned the privilege of walking the Path."
He watched her lips quirk at the edges before they returned to their straight repose. She gathered the weapons, rose to her feet and walked back toward the temple. Her teachers remained silent until she entered. Master Chi turned to Gensai, observing her still staring in the direction of her pupil's exit.
"Do you have reservations?"
Her head slowly turned toward the old man sitting beside her. She started to say something, then pressed her lips together. Closing her eyes, she gathered her thoughts. "I do not understand." Her smooth brow furrowed, showing more than words could the inner turmoil she was feeling.
He patted her shoulder in a fatherly manner. "Do not trouble yourself, child. Students follows the same training, yet every few generations there comes along those unique souls that follow a different path. Your student is one such soul."
Bowing her head to Shadow's Grand Master, she let the matter rest, knowing that he wouldn't expound on his explanation. "Shadow will decide her fate in three days time, whether I understand or not."
"More than you know, Gensai, more than you know." He faded into the shadows, leaving her alone to ponder over his mysterious response.
Buffy entered her room, carefully placing her new weapons beside her pallet. Crawling onto the small bed, not even bothering to undress, she fell into an exhausted sleep. The world drifted away into the calming rhythm of sleep.
Colors bursts behind her eyes in a spectrum that she hadn't seen since her arrival on Shadow. When they settled down, returning to Shadow's silvery hues, she found that she stood with her feet firmly planted on the Guardian's highest crest. Her toes curled in its warm soil as a gentle breeze caressed her cheek. She gazed down at Shadow laid out before her. Far off in the distance, a glimmer caught her eye.
Her feet moved to edge of their own violation. The glimmer grew in its intensity, burning through Shadow's outer edge. Horror clutched at her heart as she watched it shatter inward as huge claws pushed their way through. The burning consumed everything in its path, turning Shadow from a beautiful, pearlescent world of grays to a charred, blackened heap of cinder and ash. Buffy screamed in fury and anguish, leaping from the Guardian's safekeeping into the inferno, exploding in a glorious haze of silver, pearl and white.
Her eyes snapped open and her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. This dream differed from the others she had during her time here on Shadow. Each had showed her glimpses of her future, guiding toward her future goal of becoming a Shadow Warrior, pulling her along the way toward the ultimate goal of walking the Path. This dream warned of future danger coming for her, and possibly Shadow's own existence.
She had no way to find out until after she walked the Path. The next three days were set aside for inner reflection. She would remain in her room, meditating, resting and preparing for the coming trial that would determine if she became a Shadow Warrior, or went on to her heavenly reward. Shrugging a delicate shoulder, she understood that she could do nothing to change the fate that awaited her in three days time.
She stared up at the moon, holding her katana loosely in her hands. Master Chi had come to room on her first day of isolation, standing in the doorway. He requested that she allow him to take the sleek sword away for a short time, promising its timely return. She reluctantly gave him the weapon, hating that she couldn't ask him what he intended to with it. It already felt like it held a piece of her soul.
True to his word, the Grand Master returned this morning with the katana. It now had a beautiful hilt and sheath. Her eyes widened in surprise when she recognized the wood. It came from the Shadow Tree. She felt humbled by such a wondrous gift. Her fingers delicately played over the smooth wood. Decorations didn't cover its length like the sword held safely in its fold. Its beauty came from the rich grain of the Shadow Tree. The rings ranged in a wondrous spectrum from grayish green to the deepest pewter, showing the sheltering shrubs age in each branching wave.
Buffy centered her mind as she waited for the others to arrive. Tonight she would use everything she had learned during her time on Shadow. Walking the Path would take all her physical and mental skills to complete, trusting her senses to show her what lay hidden in the murky depths. A subtle shifting in the air alerted her that she was no longer alone. Her gaze lowered from the silver moon to gaze into Master Chi's obsidian eyes.
She noticed that he stood directly in front of her with Master Gensai to his right. The whites of their eyes and their heartbeats kept the other five masters that circled her from total invisibility. Their black geis and subtle use of Sha Da Kon blended their bodies with night.
"Shadow will judge another warrior this eve. She passed the levels and returned from her Sankyou with weapons worthy of any Shadow Warrior. She will either join our ranks or continue the journey that her soul delayed to tarry here on Shadow. Let it begin."
"Let it begin," the other masters echoed his final words, disappearing completely into the shadows, leaving only Masters Chi and Gensai.
The three silently stared at one another before they stepped forward, joined hands and disappeared. Landing in a deserted clearing, Buffy felt them release her hands and fade away. She saw a silver gleaming doorway standing a few feet in front of her. It stood alone in the darkness, and knew that it was here that her journey would begin.
She walked forward into the silvered light, noticing the magical entrance had started to narrow the closer she got to it. The moment her body passed through, it winked out of sight, throwing her into complete darkness. She stilled her heart to match the quiet that surrounded her. Remaining perfectly still, Buffy waited, it didn't take long. A staff, aimed at her kidneys, appeared from the darkness. She shot forward, propelling her body into a forward roll that allowed her to pull her katana free from its sheath. Her blade gave off sparks as it scrapped across the hard earth when she pulled it up to defend against another downward strike from the ghostly staff.
Knowing that the trials increased in difficulty, she decided to reserve her resources. She faced her opponents without using her own Sha Do Kan abilities. It increased this trial's difficulty. It'd be worth it later when though. Pushing her senses further into the darkness, she spun around to deflect the blow directed at her head. The katana smoothly cut the staff in two. A gently breeze passing over her was the only indication that this trial had come to its conclusion.
The doorway opened beside her, emitting a silvery light. Buffy slid the katana back into its sheath before hurrying toward the opening that had already started to shrink. She cleared her mind, preparing for what awaited her on the other side. Once again, the doorway closed the instant she stepped through it. Her eyes watered from the bright vista she had entered. Blinking several times to clear away the tears and spots, she looked around neither seeing nor feeling anyone near.
She had entered the vast open planes that lay far off to Shadow's west. Short grasses covered the hard ground, providing no cover or shade. The Guardian's brethren were several days' walk straight across the planes. Twin suns beat down on her from overhead. Beads of sweat already forming on her brow told her that standing still wasn't an option. She placed the katana in her sash, realizing that she wouldn't need it for this trial, and started walking.
Buffy understood that the Path meant to test each warrior under various conditions; pushing them, to see how they would overcome adversity, measuring their ingenuity, as well as their fighting skills. Shadow Warriors kept the balance by whatever means necessary. Deadly force was only one of the weapons available to them. The Path assured the Masters and Shadow that a warrior had the skills necessary to achieve success. Shadow Warriors fought battles that shook the dimensional folds. It was imperative that they showed no weaknesses that an enemy could use against them. It wasn't simply their lives at stake, entire worlds, perhaps all worlds, lay in the balance should they fail.
The air was hot as it passed through her nose, burning a path down her throat. She concentrated on the distant horizon. With each heated breath, she projected a picture into her mind of cool clear water carrying the life giving air to her lungs before continuing on its journeys to cool her body. Pushing the image further, she changed the water to ice, allowing it to lower her temperature further. She bowed her head as she put one foot in front of the other. Her goal seemed to move further away the more she walked. She stopped to rethink her situation because something wasn't right. Slowly turning on her heel, she spun around in a circle. Buffy narrowed her eyes as she noticed a tiny glimmer off to the left back the way she had come. The tiny speck hung in the air like a bit of lost fairy dust. Her senses went on higher alert the closer she got to it.
It caught the sunlight as it twirled in mid-air. Shafts of silver light hit her every so often as they caught the dancing mote. Her steps slowed as she reached her gleaming goal. It spun suspended several feet above her head. Buffy moved directly underneath it. She crouched down and pushed off the packed grey earth. Strong legs propelled her into the air, where she stretched skyward for the gleaming bit. She pushed through air that had thickened, forcing her literally to swim through it. Her fingertips brushed across the surprisingly sharp flake. They closed around it, blocking out the light.
The tiny shard let her know that it objected to this treatment by shooting off into the sky. Buffy instinctively clasped her hands together, locking her fingers around the angry spark, ignoring the sharp edges. She relaxed her body, and allowed it to become the tail to the spark's kite. They zoomed across Shadow's light steel blue sky, looping around and through the silvered clouds. It tried with all its might to shake her free, but she held on, ignoring the pain from her torn palms. The spark flew higher and higher, then finally stopped until they hung in mid-air high above Shadow.
It turned back toward Shadow, shooting downward, straight at the ground, picking up speed as it went. The grey earth grew closer with each heartbeat. She refused to let go, knowing that she was right. The air whistled by her ear as their speed increased. Seconds from impact with no way to stop, she still refused to release the spark. If Shadow judged her unworthy, then this was as good a place as any to die. One thing she knew for sure, she was taking her prize with her.
A single thought, such a unique and wondrous entity. Would that its owners understood the power, it had the potential to wield. It could move nations to war, ripple across oceans, create art from a lump of clay and unlock a mind to infinite possibilities with one tiny thought. Once it occurred, it couldn't be undone. There was no rewind on a thought, a divine gift that's continuously wasted, but not on Shadow, never on Shadow.
Her blood hit the ground, marking it fractions of a second before her body followed after it. The ground raced up to meet her, then it didn't. The blood soaked soil unfolded like Chinese puzzle box, which she fell straight through. Her rapid descent didn't slow; rather it sped up, shooting her through the newly created tunnel. She twisted around to ensure that she landed on her feet.
Buffy stared at a fractured prism wall. Stepping back, she brushed against solid stone. She spread her arms out to her sides where she found adjoining walls. She then withdrew her katana and used it to test above her. A solid clank confirmed that the only way out was forward. She just wasn't sure how.
She had to admit that whoever was responsible for the non-stop ride she had found herself on since stepping on the Path certainly knew what they were doing. Each trial overloaded her senses, body or mind, sometimes all three. After narrowly escaping becoming part of Shadow's landscape, she had to fight three Masters simultaneously using her Sha Da Kon abilities, only to pass directly into another confrontation where she had to determine who spoke the truth.
She stood here contemplating how to get beyond this roadblock. No seams showed that she could use as pressure points, or even enough room for her to hit it with any force. She slid to the floor, staring up at it from a different angle. The shattered prism held Shadow's beauty within the crystalline wall. She saw the grey-green grasses, silvered clouds and the Guardian's gunmetal rich soil, even the obsidian of Master Chi's eyes streaked across the subtly fractured rainbow. She sat up, with tiny smile gracing her face. Her head bowed respectfully toward those streaks, before fading from the small space.
She faded into the dark, streaks shadowing the other colors within the prism. Following the twisted, shattered path, she reappeared outside two large doors. They were huge, solid and intricately engraved and opened when she stepped forward to reveal a room lit by thousands of candles with a single white rice paper running down its center. A paper so thin it appeared transparent until the candlelight hit it. She entered the room, careful not to step on the delicate paper.
Buffy knew the last test would prove the most difficult. She remained perfectly still when the doors slammed shut behind her. Waiting patiently to see what would happen next, her eyes swept across the room, taking in every movement, no matter how small. Candles started to dim, flaring back to life, gleaming bright in the quiet room. Each flame settled into a steady light emitting a smoky tendril to mark its wake. Buffy watched as a wispy arm grew from the mist. Its partner popped free from the other side, where legs quickly joined it followed by a head. The ghostly visitor took shape as it twisted about almost as if it needed to shake itself to set its pieces properly. Once it had finished assembling, it spun around to head directly for her. Every inch it drew closer seemed to infuse the ghostly visitor with further definition in its features. Her eyes widened when she recognized the one floating mere inches from her - Angelus.
"Mmm, if it isn't little Buff. Couldn't live without me, babe? Ain't that just so sweet?"
Even without recognizing his face, she could never forget that voice. He spoke his sickly sweet poison with a warm Irish brogue. The sadistic vampire had used it to lure his victims into his web of seduction and death.
"What's the matter, Buff, not happy to see me? Don't be that way, baby, not after all we've meant to each other. I mean, after all, I wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for you."
He started laughing as his ghostly aperture swirled around her. She stood mesmerized by this demon from her past. The other ghostly bodies approached as her past came back to haunt her.
"Why did you let him kill me?" Jenny Calendar asked in an accusing tone. Her head lofted to the side from her broken neck. A delicate hand slid up her throat, drawing attention to the bruises left by Angelus' large hands. Jenny's sad brown eyes stared back at Buffy. "I loved Rupert. It must have been awful when he found me. I'll never marry the man I loved or have his children, never do anything because of you, because you're a selfish girl."
Willow's spectre floated forward. "He killed my fish. My poor fish. It never hurt anyone. He came into my house threatening and scaring me. Why didn't you protect me, Buffy? Why didn't you do your duty?"
"All you ever cared about was yourself, and what you wanted. You should've dusted Angel, as soon as he turned evil. The only good vampire's a dead vampire." Xander's dark eyes stared at her, burning her with their accusing light.
"My poor Jenny, I loved her. Why couldn't you be an obedient Slayer?" Giles pulled off his glasses, rubbing them as he sadly shook his head.
Her mother stood there tapping her toe before raising her drink in Buffy's direction. "Here's to you, daughter dear. Thanks for the memories; the memory of my once happy marriage and successful career, which I gave up because of you. Thanks ever so much."
They shrieked at her, talking over each other. Their ghostly bodies swirled around her in a dizzying dance while their accusations became harsher the longer they continued.
Buffy knew they weren't real. Their words brought up memories she believed no longer had power over her. She dug deep inside, grabbing onto the combined inner core she had created from the Slayer spark and the remaining piece of her soul. Pulling on her inner resolve, she felt the Slayer push against her chains while her original soul cringed, wanting to return to the icy grave. She wasn't about to let these ghostly memories keep her from becoming a Shadow Warrior. Buffy lowered the last wall between her shattered inner being, allowing the essences to join, creating a complete bond between her former self and her current one.
Power unlike anything she'd ever known surged through her body. It lifted her from the ground, illuminating her body in gleaming silver light, overshadowing the candlelight. Her back arched, as if the power was too much for her small body to contain. A powerful scream shook the room as she let go of the past, taking the final step toward her future. Her body floated across the rice paper carpet as her ghostly visitors faded back into the ether. It gently deposited her on the ground, fading away to leaving the room cast in soft candlelight. Shadows crept forward to lovingly wrapping her in their embrace. She spread her arms wide, welcoming them like long lost friends as they faded into each other becoming one.
She faded from sight, reappearing at the Shadow Tree, the beginning. She opened her eyes, slowly crawled to her feet, reluctant to leave her dark cocoon. Buffy expected the Masters to be waiting for her. She happily took advantage of the few minutes alone to gather her thoughts. Moving closer to the great foliage, she gracefully knelt down before it. Her palms rested on the large roots bursting through the rich pewter soil.
"Thank you for my gift. I'll carry it with honor and strive to keep the balance."
She felt the others approach as the tree's shadow reached out to brush against her, accepting her homage. Rising with fluid ease, she turned to face the Masters who must still speak the words to official conclude tonight's ceremony.
"Step forward, warrior," Master Chi requested.
She moved away from the Shadow Tree's comfort until she stood in the center of the circle they had formed.
"You've proven yourself worthy to carry the name Shadow Warrior. Let all who see you know you and all who oppose you fear you. Those who attempt to destroy you should understand Shadow lives within you, and can softly flatter or devour."
His words started softly, barely more than a whisper. They built with each word he spoke, growing in tone until they became a blaring crescendo of power and wind. It blasted over Buffy, pushing against her from every side. She stood against it immobile, the eye to his storm, unmoving, imperious. The wind died down, leaving a gentle breeze to caress her.
A tingle started at the bottom of her feet. It slowly worked its way through her body, even reaching the tips of her hair. Hair. She hadn't known she had any until this moment. Her appearance, once such an important part of her, had faded away like the dew with the morning sunlight. To tell the truth, she had rather enjoyed the freedom her shaved head gave her. Nothing happened on Shadow without a reason. Buffy knew she'd learn why she suddenly had a head full of hair. Patience. It was a foreign concept in Other for that other her. Here it had become second nature, and she found unlimited reserves to draw from when necessary.
Bowing first to Master Chi, before turning to face each Master, Buffy showed them the proper respect for their rank and participation in her trials. She returned to her starting point, facing Shadow's Grand Master. The others faded away, leaving Shadow's oldest and newest warriors alone to discuss the future.
"Congratulations, my child. I never doubted your success. I'm happy that you've proven me right. Come, walk with me, I have news of your first assignment."
They turned away from the temple's shelter to wander along a seldom used path. Buffy matched her normally quicker pace to his more sedate one. They walked along in an amicable silence until they came to an isolated clearing. A small brook ran nearby, gurgling with clear silvered water. Master Chi motioned for them to take a seat on a bench placed there for just that purpose. She sat down, turning her body to face him, waiting for him to speak.
"A threat to the balance has awakened on Autonus. You're needed to eliminate it. We fear this insurrection is part of a much larger plan which threatens many other worlds."
"How close are they to achieving their goals? Do I travel alone? How do I get there? And, when must I leave?"
She knew it unlikely they'd assign such an important mission to one person. It wouldn't matter if this were her first or fiftieth mission. Shadow Warriors often worked with partners and on rare occasions, teams.
"Kie just returned. He'll accompany you. I'm sorry that we won't have time to announce your success at temple. Upon your return, we'll celebrate you induction and success."
He gave her a gentle smile before rising from the bench. Standing over her small form, he peered into her brilliant green eyes happy to no longer see the shadows from her past. He admitted he had worried about her overcoming the final trial. The demand to keep her former name had caused endless talks among the Masters.
Master Chi's concerned regard settled over her like a blanket. It warmed her to know he cared for Buffy the person, not just the warrior. She had become something bigger today, a willing part, while remaining her own person. Though she could blend among the shadows, she wasn't lost to them. Master Chi understood this and treated her accordingly. He made her feel like an important team member rather than a weapon whose destiny wasn't her own to wield.
Buffy gathered her thoughts about her as she stood, knowing she hadn't a moment to lose. Bowing to the aged Grand Master, she walked back the way they had come.
He watched the small figure quickly disappear from sight. He wondered, not for the first time, what twist of fate had levied such strong burdens be brought to bear upon such small shoulders. Shaking his head to dislodge the negative thought, he faded from sight.
Buffy looked around the small space that had sheltered her for the last five years. It seemed strange to go about packing her weapons rather than sitting down to evening meditation. She placed her weapons on her bed and dropped the gei covering her to the floor. Stepping over to the large mirror someone had propped against the wall, she saw her reflection for the time in five years.
The person looking back at her was a far different creature than the shattered seventeen year old who ran away from her world. Her lips edged up into a shadow of the mega-watt smile that other girl gave away so easily. Buffy turned her head to the side before gazing down her front, taking in the changes marking her appearance. Stepping closer to the floor-length mirror, she leaned in to get a better view.
Intricate swirls, lines, dots and dashes in varying shades of the palest grey ran along her forehead and sweeping down her hairline continuing out onto her cheeks only to fade as they approached the gently sweep of high cheekbones. Separately, they created nothing more than a jumble of strange markings. The colors and shapes combined to make her skin seem to shimmer whenever she moved.
She followed the sweeping line down her neck. It went to the crook of her clavicle before branching off into three different directions. A branch raced straight down her arm. It stopped at her hands, leaving an individual symbol atop each finger. Another curved out in a delicate arc around a soft shoulder, only to sweep inward to cup her breast, forming half of pagan bra as it continued onward. It ran down her side, finding its way to softly rounded hips, taking a small detour inward to decorate sharp hipbones. The dancing swirls continued their journey downward along strong thighs, across small kneecaps, even to the bottoms of her feet.
Buffy turned around, glancing over her shoulder. She saw the third and final branches on each side covered her back. The markings covered her shoulder blades before joining in a straight line down her spine. They separated again at her lower back, curving over her flanks, before continuing down her legs.
She stepped away from the mirror, taking her appearance in all at once. Lifting her hands up, she let her hair down, allowing it to hang down her back. It felt strange to feel it brushing against her skin. She pulled the long strands out in front of her, staring at it even as she continued to stare in the mirror. Her hair no longer carried the pale golden color she remembered. It had changed from its stay on Shadow. The once long, luxurious blonde hair had turned into a shimmering silver mass that caught the light and swallowed the shadows. Buffy still couldn't understand how her hair had grown so long, or for that matter, how she came to have hair at all. Its shiny length reached just below her butt.
There, written for everyone to see, was her story, each trial, achievement and lesson of her journey to become a Shadow Warrior. Her eyes went back to the markings on her face. They declared her a Shadow Warrior. Let all heed the warning. Whoever challenges the balance will fall to Shadow.
Buffy centered her thoughts as she started to dress for her first mission. She didn't dress in the usual manner. Her arms went out to her sides as she placed her feet apart. Leaning back on her right heel, she slowly turned in a circle, pulling the room's shadows about her as she went. They moved forward, wrapping around her form, over feet, up legs, around hips, torso and back, down arms, even to the tips of fingers. The gossamer wisps took on hue, depth and shape as they fell in line about her body.
Loose pants traveled from slender hips to where they lay tucked safely inside the soft boots covering her feet. A heavy, leather-like bracer fit from underneath her breasts to below her bellybutton. It carried finely detailed engravings across the front of the Guardian Mountain and the Shadow Tree. Beneath the bracer, a blouse flowed, fitting closely to the upper body then flowing loosely around the arms only to gather at the wrists.
Buffy turned in the mirror, looking for improvements or adjustments needed. She flexed her arms and legs, ensuring the clothes moved with her. Slits in the sleeves and legs slid into view, allowing her a larger range of movement than a traditional gei. She nodded her head satisfied and walked over to the bed to get her weapons.
Shadow Warriors could only wear one weapon openly. This was another reason, she had designed her clothing in this manner. It would save her time from calling her weapons from the ether. She grabbed her katana, strapping it onto her waist. Placing an amber sais against her upper arm, it faded into the delicate symbols merging with into the design to become a part of it. She copied the process with its twin. Buffy did this for each weapon, placing them about her body where they were easily within reach, until only the pale blue shurikens lay on the bed. Spreading her fingers wide, she sat a shuriken on each finger and watched as they dissolved into her skin.
It was time. Without sound or thought, she faded from sight.
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