Silent Storm by Silver Eclipse

Prologue

The Prophecy
Born of light and pure of heart a maiden shall bestow upon the world an everlasting array of warmth. The Gods of four, lost with time but not in faith shall be awoken, their power given unto the Princess of Light. Many trials she shall face, and with each grow stronger, but shall she falter and be tainted the world shall be lost in a dark abyss. Yet, shall she fully walk in light a treasure she will come to obtain, its magic derived from within her heart. A single wish shall be made upon the treasure, altering the fates themselves and bringing forth an untold future to the living and the dead.


The wind toyed playfully with the long grass growing upon the hillside, causing the stems to sway in waves of green against the blue sky. Bird calls and songs echoed over the meadow, their soft tunes carried upon the wind to the young ears of the child listening to her own mother’s tale. Her ebony locks danced in the spring breeze, the daisies intricately braided into her hair loosening slightly. With her mind far away, the child envisioned the places her mother’s words painted in her mind.

“The song of a voice upon thy wind
Sounds the time for day again.
‘Listen my child’ it says to me
‘Hear the voice of history’
Answer the call and you’ll be free
For the light you shall forever see
Lost within the darkness awaits
A spirit who dared the heavenly fates.
The voice of water makes no sound
But it rests not underground.
Try to race the deer due south
And you shall find not a hungry mouth.
Overlook the turbulent sea
And there you shall find a mystery.
Hear the voice of history
And the present and the future you shall be.”

The soft voice flowed into the girl’s heart, imprinting upon it the words of the heavens. Opening her cobalt eyes she gazed wonderingly up at her mother who in turn sat smiling at her. Her mother’s blue eyes were alight with knowledge her young daughter had yet to learn, and a deep sadness reflected in their depths as she gazed upon the girl.

“The song which I have shared with you was passed down to me by my own mother, and her mother before her. It is the song of the jewel of the heavens, the Shikon no Tama, passed down from generation to generation. Promise me, dear Kagome, that you will not share this song with another. If you do unimaginable horrors will overcome the world.”

Curiosity and fear overcame Kagome, causing her to cast her gaze to the sky. With a small gulp she plucked a piece of grass from the ground and begun fiddling with it in her fingers absentmindedly. Her mind drifted with the breeze as she tried to grasp the true meaning behind her mother’s warning. ‘Unimaginable horrors?’ Left in silence Kagome drawled over those two words, her young mind unable to invision the possibility of such things ever existing. And so, biting her bottom lip, she turned her questioning eyes on her mother for answers, but none came. Instead her mother gave her a sad smile and calmly shook her head.

“You shall come to understand my words, do not worry.” Minori said softly to her daughter, resting her hand carefully on the girl’s ebony hair. “I know you will my Kagome, my song. Be strong and stay true to your heart and the answers will come to you.”

Planting a soft kiss on the young child’s forehead, Minori left Kagome to her thoughts and headed back to the village. A single crystalline tear fell from her right eye as she recalled the future she saw in her dreams. Her beloved daughter of only five years old had a marvelous future set before her by the fates, and it was that future Minori could never share with the girl. No, she would be one of the hardships set in the girl’s life to test her abilities. She would die, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. However, that did not mean she could not help her child. No, she would do all she could for the girl, even in death, and so she would send word to Keade. Her dear childhood friend would do all she could for Kagome, Minori knew it. Clasping her hands together she turned her face to the sky, her black hair whipping in the wind as it picked up. Flower petels twirled around her feet in the wind before taking full flight in the air. As the petels traveled over the hillside and towards the sun, Minori’s prayer was carried over the land.

***

The song of Minori’s heart, prayed to the sun and delivered by the petels, drifted over the land, its soft tunes spreading to the ears destined to hear the will of the heavens.

‘Hear me dawn, and the new day begun,
Bless the morning, bless the sun
Hold back the night and open the skies
Bring light to the world and open my eyes
From the first of all time, till’ all is undone
Show me the dawn and the sky and the sun.
For she is the sky, the dawn, and forever the sun.’

Outlined in the spring light a cloud floated leisurely over the hill where a young girl sat, watching her father train. Her shoulder length black hair hung loosely around her face and her chocolate brown eyes stared with awe at the dance preformed bellow. Her father’s movements rivaled the greatest dancer, so fluid were they. With a simple arch of his back and flick of his wrist the dragon-sickle which he grasped wound itself around the nearest tree, gripping to its bark mercilessly. A proud smile lit the young girls face, one day that would be her down there. Closing her eyes and tilting her face upwards she took in a deep breath. Stirred in a gentle breeze the grass caressed her legs and a soft voice echoed in her ears. Opening her eyes she looked towards the setting sun.

Grumbling under his breath a young monk-in-training glowered at the ground from his perch on the shrine steps of his home. Once again he’d been scolded for letting his mind wander during meditation, even at such a young age he was clearly a natural born hentia. Clasping his hands behind his head he leaned back against the stairs, watching the shadows the sun cast upon the clouds in the sky. His violet eyes reflected the sun’s rays and closed slowly as a voice reached his ears, carried by the wind. Letting out a slow breath he reopened his eyes just in time to glimpse a flower petel afloat in the sky.

A sharp clang of metal resounded in the all but silent training grounds of the Western castle. Shifting his weight forward a young demon applied more pressure to his sword, slowly pushing down his opponent’s. A smirk crossed his angelic face and his golden eyes glinted as he felt his opponent’s strength falter. Shifting forward once more with his weight he brought the opposing hanyou to his knees. Twisting his arm the young lord brought his sword under his rival’s, knocking it from his half brother’s hand. With the tip of his blade barely touching the nose of his challenger the young demon basked in his triumph. Looking to the sky he caught the sound of a voice drifting in the wind, and his golden eyes trailed the form of a petel outlined in the light. The hanyou, overly embarased with his defeat, muttered under his breath, almost missing the song whispered by the wind.

***

Warm rays of light stretched lazily towards the ground, outlining the figure of a woman in the doorway of a wooden hut. Her silken black hair was tied back in a simple braid, falling to her mid-back and her crystal blue eyes gazed solemnly at the rising sun. Whipping away another traitorous tear with the back of her hand Minori squared her shoulders; she could not feel remorseful at the destiny the fates had set before her. If she was destined to die then so be it, she’d face her death without a second of hesitation. Or so that’s how it was supposed to be. Turning her head to gaze at the sleeping form of her daughter, Minori felt a sharp pain pierce her heart. Yes, that was her one regret; the daughter she would leave behind. Kagome was far too young to be without her mother, but she wouldn’t be alone. Minori had been blessed enough to see her daughter’s future, and those she would share it with. All she could do now was wait for the day to play out and believe in Keade to watch over her daughter.

Sneezing as she shifted, hair draping over her face, Kagome blinked sleepily and rubbed her tired eyes with the side of her fists. The hut was quiet, suggesting that her mother was most likely in the herb garden outside. Sitting up with a soft yawn Kagome began to stretch her arms over her head before plopping back down onto her futon. The sun cast shadows on ceiling above her head and Kagome traced the designs on the wood with her eyes. As she lay there content and peacefully, the young girl had no clue what the day would bring to her.

The faint smell of smoke awoke Kagome again. Bolting upright she rubbed her eyes and looked around. Her mother still hadn’t returned, nothing in the hut had been touched. Crawling forward she stuck her head out of her open door just in time to see people running by. Widening her eyes she spotted the unusual gray clouds that seemed to cling to the ground on the distant hill and a large group of men clad in armor marching towards her village.

Standing upwards Kagome hopped down the steps of her home, looking around frantically. “Mother? Mother?!” She cried searching the faces of those around her.

Feeling a hand grasp her arm and tug her in the direction of the woods Kagome turned around to see a woman she’d never seen before starring at her in with determination in her eyes. “Come child.” the woman whispered, leading her away from the others.

“No! Stop! Mother!” Kagome cried again, trying desperately to run from the strange woman dragging her away from everything she had ever known. “MOTHER!”

With another sharp tug the woman hauled Kagome closer to the woods, ignoring her struggles. I don’t have time for this! she growled in her mind, glancing sharply back at the young girl she was there to save. This is supposed to be the Princess of Light? Shaking her head Keade stopped walking and turned to face the small girl.

“Now look here.” Keade said sternly gazing straight into the girl’s cobalt eyes with her own gray ones. “Your mother sent for me to come get ye so stop squirming.”

Kagome opened her mouth to speak but quickly decided against the idea, instead seltling with nodding her head. Taking the notion as a sign of acceptance Keade turned away from the girl and continued to pull her towards the woods and away from the chaos that was unfolding in the village.

After hiking silently through the unyielding undergrowth of the forest for what seemed like forever, Kagome finally decided to ask the woman who had called herself Keade the question that had been plaguing her mind.

“Who are you?”

Keade stayed quiet for a moment, contemplating how to answer the child. “Your mother and I are childhood friends.” came her soft reply. “And she asked me to come get you.”

“To come get me?” Kagome asked, not understanding Keade’s last comment.

“Yes child.” Turning Kagome around to gaze towards the village she used to call home Keade shook her head at the smoke billowing up into the sky.

“I don’t understand. Where’s mother?” Kagome asked, here eyebrows furrowing together.

“She won’t be coming.” Keade whispered, leaning down and holding Kagome in a tight hug.

The weight of Keade’s words bore down on Kagome’s shoulders and she took in the meaning behind Keade coming to get her and not her own mother. Even at such a young age Kagome could put pieces together to understand what was going on around her. As the tears began to flow from her eyes, Kagome tossed her head back and began to wail. She wailed for the loss of her home and her friends, for the mother she would never see again. But most of all she cried for the sake of those who stole everything from her.

***



A.N: This definately wasn’t my favorite or my best work, but I had to introduce the basic plot into my story in some way. And so I thought, how better to do just that than in a drab prologue! The next chapter will have a lot of action in it as I introduce some new characters as well as those everyone knows and loves ( or hates when it comes to some ).