I opened my eyes and found myself in a dark room. "Eiichi?" I called out, looking around. My eyes widened as I realized whose room this was. "Why am I in Dan's room? Did we return home?" No, if that was the case I would've been put in my own room.
I pushed myself up and walked toward the door. When I tried to open it, the knob wouldn't budge.
"Dad, mom? Kiara, Silas, Camila, Amun, Layla? Anyone there? Alex? Nat? Dossie?" I called out, knocking on the door. "Help me! Someone! I'm locked in Dan's room!"
The air in my lungs escaped me as the door flung open.
"Thanks..." My eyes widened as I saw a dark void beneath. The room I was in was floating in darkness resembling the abyss. "No... what happened!?"
Had the abysmals attacked while we were gone?
I stepped back and grabbed my head. "No, I must be dreaming."
Snickering echoed from behind me. "Right you are," a voice called out.
I spun on my heels. Sitting on Dan's bed was Dan...
"Brother!" I yelled, hugging him.
"Hey, let go of me, you fool!" he yelled.
That tone... "Silas?" I asked as I let go of him.
The guy dusted himself off. His red eyes narrowed. "I'm not either of your brothers."
I stepped back. "Who are you then? Wait... you said that my assumption of this being a dream was right..."
He nodded. "Right, Mr. Detective."
I grumbled. He really was like Sy... but he looked just like Dan... but his voice was that of mine.
"We met when your brother was captured by your aunt and her family."
I blinked. "Huh?"
He rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll give you another clue. Clue number two: You didn't meet me in this form."
"Didn't meet you in this form... yet we met when Dan was kidnapped by the rebels." I tilted my head, trying to recall who I had met.
He sighed. "Third and final clue: You accepted me in order to save him."
I gasped. "Wait, are you..." I reached for my necklace, but realized it was gone. "Donato?"
The guy smiled. "Bingo! Wish you had figured it out with the first clue. So much for a genius."
"Hey! Aren't you guardian angels supposed to make their protectees feel better about themselves?"
"What? You wish for me to tell you things I don't believe? Get real, I'm not going to feed you fantasies." He summoned a fan and pointed it at me. "Now, how about we begin my trial, 'Wielder of Donato'?"
"A trial? What do I get if I pass?"
He laughed. "I'll tell you my sacred name. By knowing it, you'll be able to call upon me. Through doing so, you'll be able to utilize my full power."
I smiled. "I like the sound of that. So, what's this trial."
He opened his fan, covering his mouth with it. "A tea ceremony."
I raised a brow. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
Tea? This guy didn't only have my voice, Dan's looks, and Silas' personality, but Dossie's taste for tea and father's sensibilities...
He lowered the fan, revealing a smile. "Do you refuse 'Sir'?" he asked, his eyes peering into mine as if he could read my mind. Considering who he was, he probably could.
"Nope. If this will help me get stronger than I'll do your silly tea ceremony."
He sighed. "You might have keen eyes, but what are they when they fail to see the beauty of even the simplest of things." He rose from the bed and flew out of the room like a spirit in a hurry.
I spread my emerald wings out and followed after him. As soon as I stepped out of the room, I was washed with verdant light. Next thing I knew, I found myself in a garden filled with cherry and plum blossoms. The wind carried their petals back and forth just like it carries the waters of the Grand lakes my father used to take us to for vacation.
"Come," Donato's angel said, keeping his head forward. He wore a red kimono and a black hakama, resembling a fire rising from the coals of a pit. A crimson ribbon tied his dark brown hair into a neat knot.
Dan had never considered himself very handsome, so he didn't even try to dress nicely, but seeing Donato in such fine robes made me think that he would've been rather popular with the girls.
"Come," my guardian angel repeated, walking on ahead. He crossed a small red bridge which overlooked a river dotted with floating petals.
"What's wrong?" I asked as the well-dressed angel came to a stop.
He looked over his shoulder and snapped his hands. I gasped as my red t-shirt was replaced by green robes matching those of his while my black jeans were replaced by a white hakama.
He smiled. "There, much better. Now, I trust you know how a tea ceremony goes?"
I nodded. My father made us join him in a couple. Dossie loved it the most out of us. Silas and I hated it the most. We didn't get the point of it at all. It was just some boring tradition.
On the other side of the bridge was a path made up of stone of varying sizes and shapes which led directly to a small house. Next to the tea-house was a small stone basin.
The angel walked directly to the basin and picked up the wooden dipper to wash his hands with. He handed it over to me once I arrived at the spot. Taking it, I poured water over my hands. The water represented the washing away of sins.
I glanced up and saw my angel standing by the tea-house. He slid the rice-paper door open and removed his straw sandals as he placed them on the outer edge.
My eyes shifted to the cabby. Father had us remove our angel tools and place them there like the way the dukes of the past used to do. According to him, weapons were forbidden in the hallow-ground that was the tea ceremony house.
"Hey, shouldn't you stay outside?" I asked, grinning.
He snickered. "True, but in this case, I'll go inside."
The floor of the room was made up of straw mats. In one corner of the room was an alcove with a vase filled with zinnias, Dan's favorite flower. A scroll with 'Kaze' written on it. Kaze... that was my paternal grandmother's nickname. The wind of Makkuroyama and the last leader of the Grand Duchy.
I turned to look at my guardian angel. He sat kneeling on the floor, his legs folded underneath his thighs, and with his buttocks resting on his heels. Oddly, he kept his back to the entrance.
I walked to the opposite side and copied his sitting position.
We bowed our heads to the other.
"Please, look over the decorations," he said, directing my attention to them. "Feel free to ask me anything."
I wanted to ask why he was playing the role of attendant when he was the host. Normally, the host would just prepare the tea. Or... was he not the host? If so, then who was?
The angels smiled and stood up, likely to go get the ingredients necessary for the actual tea making part.
I stood up and walked over to the scroll and flowers. 'Kaze'... why did he choose to have that written on the scroll? Was he trying to remind me of my grandmother? My eyes gazed at the orange flowers. Zinnia. 'Thoughts of an absent friend...'
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Would doing this really help me? Where did my guardian angel want us to go with this? Was I supposed to see something in all of this? I wasn't a deep person.
"Do you have any questions?" my guardian angel asked.
I opened my eyes. He sat on the floor, placing two plates of rice balls down. "Brought you something to eat. You haven't eaten, right?"
"This is a dream, so what's the point?" I asked, returning my eyes to the flowers.
"True, if this was a normal dream. Now, take a seat."
I turned around and sat across from him once again, though I didn't touch the food he had brought. Instead, I stared at the bowl next to him. Most of its surface was black but there were parts which had been left uncovered. A black-iron wash covered those untouched parts, giving it a nice contrast.
I sighed as I quietly picked up my chopsticks. I began to eat the food that he had been generous enough to provide.
As I ate, the angel took some water from a larger bowl using a wooden dipper and poured it over the black bowl. He then used a straw-whisk and gently moved it across the interior surface of the bowl. Next, he took a cloth towel and used it to wipe the bowl dry.
He picked up a thin bamboo spoon and scooped up green matcha tea out of a completely black small-cup-sized container. Then he poured three scoops of the stuff into the tea bowl. Next, he picked back up the wooden dipper from earlier and poured more hot water into the bowl. Then he used the same whisk from before to mix it together until it was frothy. Once done, he sat the whisk back down and stood up. He made his way over, bowed his head, and moved the bowl several times counterclockwise before setting it down next to me.
"Enjoy," he said as he bowed once more before returning to his original position.
I took the bowl and bowed my head. "Thank you," I said, then proceeded to move the bowl clockwise. Finally, I brought the tea up to my mouth. The taste was complex, rich, aromatic, and slightly-acidic. Yet, it had a sweet aftertaste. It was a hearty tea. I could feel the fatigue and anxiety from earlier begin to wash away from my body.
The angel grinned.
Clearing my throat, I slowly put the bowl down. "It was... adequate," I said, cleaning my mouth with a napkin.
"I will aim for better next time," he said, bowing his head. The glint in his eyes though told me he knew I wasn't being completely truthful. Of course, he had to know, he was my guardian angel.
I averted my gaze. "It was actually pretty good," I muttered. He didn't respond so I turned to look at him and saw that he had a wide smile on his face. He looked just like Dan, but I had never seen Dan smile like that. Usually, my brother would have a shy smile. It was actually more akin to Kiara's and the peasant knight; it was warm and bright.
"I'm glad to hear that, Sir Hideo," he said, bowing his head. Why was he acting all nice now? He didn't even call me out about my lie on how the tea tasted. Or perhaps, he knew he didn't have to, expecting me to admit it.
My eyes turned toward the scroll. "Why did you choose 'Kaze'?"
He closed his eyes. "Do you know what it means?"
"Yeah. It means 'wind'."
He nodded. "Yes, the wind. The power of the Makkuroyama, a group born of the union of two peoples. An ideal power for a tribe roaming the wide and open plains of the continent you inhabit."
"Wide and open..."
I thought back to the flag of our people. It was black with a green spiral in the center. When I was little, I asked my dad what it meant. According to him, the black represented the lands of our people. When our house was founded, the lands were rich in nutrients which allowed for civilization to flourish. Though this blessing doubled as a curse. It awakened the greed of the Kuroriku and the envy of the Kasai no Ki. Both struggled to take control of such a wealthy land. In the end, that land became dyed with the blood of our cousins who sought to subjugate us.
The green spiral represented the winds which howled across said lands. A relentless, unending wind. It was the heart of our people; A group of people who didn't give in to adversity and tragedy, no matter how many times it struck us.
I gasped and turned to look at Kaze. "The heart of the Makkuroyama?"
He smiled. "So, you remember your father's words, that's good," he said, staring at the scroll. "Though, there's more."
"Wind represents freedom," I said, lowering my gaze toward the zinnias. "The heart of the Makkuroyama is a desire to be free. To roam free. To not be shackled." The image of my aunt Zaki and her family popped into my head. "To be independent." I closed my eyes and saw Dan's smile in his last moments. "To not be a pawn nor a prize. To be as the wind."
"Correct. Do you share your ancestors' sentiments?"
I raised my eyes back at the scroll. "I do wish to be free. Doesn't everyone wish for that?"
"Do they?" he asked. "Ask yourself, what are people willing to give up their freedoms for?"
"Security. But security and freedom aren't opposites. I think both can co-exist together. That's what my dad wants."
"Anything else?"
"Well, there's money, but sometimes that's tied to security itself."
"Go on."
"Other times, people do so in order to fit in. Our human side... it desires to be with others. There's security in numbers. Security... it's a false sense of it people end up finding." I thought back to Silas for some reason.
"I think you're starting to understand. Though understanding itself is ever moving, just like the wind. Only the divine one can capture it completely."
Suddenly, the room we were in dissolved. We now floated in the air, overlooking a raging vortex in the dark void. Normally, I would yell, but I felt calm instead. Perhaps, it was because my guardian angel stood next to me.
The angel extended his hand outward until it was directly over the center of the vortex. Someone black rose from the vortex. It was Donato in its original form.
"I think you're ready, young man," he said, holding out the gun toward me. He leaned in and whispered into my ear. "My sacred name is..." He said his sacred name so quietly that it barely registered. He moved away and smiled. "Simply by knowing it, you'll now be able to call me forth. Though be sure never to utter it before anyone."
"So, I can't use it?"
"Nope. It's something only you and I can know. No one else."
I nodded. "Okay. But what should I call you? Donato?"
"Call me whatever you want. If Donato pleases you then so be it. It makes no difference to me as long as it's something respectful."
My right hand rose toward my chin. What kind of name would fit him? I stared at him once more. He continued to wear the tea ceremony robes. I, on the other hand, had reverted back to the clothes I had on in Munil.
I still couldn't get over how much he resembled Dan and Silas. "Dan... I smiled. How about Daniel?"
"Daniel? Hmm... I like that name," he said, flashing me another large smile. If Dan weren't shy, I was sure he would've smiled just like him. "Bye, Hideo."
I smiled back at him. "Bye, Dan. See you later!"
He snickered. "I'm always with you, Hide. Always."
**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter :). I'll like to hear your thoughts on the story thus far ^_^!**