Karma's Tale: Chapter 1

''Karma was soaked in blood; about half of it was her own. She staggered slightly and fell onto one knee. Next to her, Aran had collapsed onto all fours, gasping for air. His face was scrunched in determination, but his strength had failed him. Their attacker took his chance.''

"Die," he said, thrusting his blade toward her skull.

''"Karma!" shouted Ren, darting in front of her to parry the strike with his staff.''

''"Thanks," said Karma, stepping back. Her arm snapped erect, her palm outstretched to their enemy. From her hand burst a spear of lightning that tore through the attacker, throwing him across the room.''

''"How are you holding up?" asked Hecate, fluttering over and perching on Karma's shoulder.''

''"Your wing's bent," said Karma with concern. "Are you all right?"''

"Never better," said Hecate.

''"Same here," said Karma, grinning through the pain. "Just a minor flesh wound, is all." She reached for Aran's outstretched hand and pulled him to his feet. He nodded in thanks.''

''"Heads up!" shouted Ren. Their attacker tore at them like an arrow in flight.''

''Karma and Aran leapt out of his path; Aran tensed up, stumbling. Crying out, he gripped his leg and fell upon his back. The attacker lunged at him. He only rolled away just in time.''

"Damn, he's fast,"'' thought Karma. ''"We might not last much longer at this rate..."

''Ren held out his staff, pointing it at their enemy. A bullet of white energy fired from the ruby tip. The attacker threw himself out of the beam's path, and it smashed into the opposite wall, exploding with the force of a small bomb.''

''"Watch it, Ren!" snapped Aran, shielding his face from flying debris.''

''"Sorry!" said Ren.''

''Karma was ready. After their foe had leapt away from the blast, she moved into his path. She planted her feet firmly, and slugged him with an uppercut beneath the jaw. Grunting, he flipped back, and landed on his feet. Karma did not leave him time to flee; immediately after her strike, she moved to him and thrust her fist into his chest. He staggered, and she kicked him. There was an audible crack and their foe cried out, dropping his blade and clutching his side.''

''"Ready to give up?" Karma asked.''

''Her enemy glared with silent hatred. Suddenly, he lunged for her, with black energy crackling in his hands. Surprised by the ferocity of the attack, Karma barely managed to evade, ducking beneath his punch. He struck at her again; she rolled back and his punch cracked the jade floor.''

"I shattered his ribs!" ''thought Karma. "How is he doing ''that?!"

''"Karma, get back!" shouted Aran.''

''"Gee, thanks for the warning," said Hecate sardonically. "Perhaps you could suggest something useful?"''

''"I need a clear shot!" shouted Aran. "Move, dammit!"''

"Easier said than done," ''thought Karma, barely jumping out of the way in time as her foe's punch shattered a marble pillar. ''"He's sticking to me like a leech!"

''No matter how many times Karma dodged, he was too close, ready with another blow. He finally caught her with a punch to the cheek, then a kick that sent her sprawling to the floor. The split-second afterward that it took him to reach her body after that was all she needed.''

''"Gotcha!" shouted Karma. She placed her palms on the floor between them, and it blew apart, sending them hurtling in opposite directions.''

''"Warn me before you do that!" groaned Hecate, fluttering her tiny wings weakly.''

''"It was enough," said Karma. She couldn't pull herself up, even to her knees.''

''Aran had already begun his attack; placing his palms onto the ground, he formed a swarm of barbs, shaped from black energy. The barbs hurtled toward their foe like a cloud of missiles. Still reeling from Karma's explosion, their foe could not evade in time; several of the barbs tore through him, and he collapsed onto the ground. ''

''"My turn!" shouted Ren, brandishing his staff at their enemy. Another bolt of magic shot out, this time hitting it's target. Once the rubble from the explosion settled, he did not move.''

''"We got him," said Karma, in disbelief. "We got him."''

"Good job, guys," said Ren, walking over to Karma and kneeling down to help her stand.

What occurred next happened so fast that Karma barely had time to blink.

''"Damn you!" shouted their foe, suddenly, hurling a massive ball of dark energy at Karma and Ren. Panicking, Karma pushed Ren aside and took the full force of the blow. Her body was tossed back like a rag doll, slamming against the wall.''

''"Karma!" she heard Ren shout, before she blacked out.''

''She was dimly aware of muffled voices. Her eyes slowly slid open. Her vision was blurry, but she could tell there were two figures and a fairy stooped over her. One of them was shaking her frantically. In a moment, her sight and hearing cleared.''

''"Thank Fortuna," said Ren, exasperated. He smiled with relief. "I thought you...you had..."''

"It'll take more than a few knocks to kill me," said Karma, grinning back.

''"We've won," said Aran. "He's dead."''

''"Good-" began Karma. She tensed up suddenly, as her vision began to flash red. Her body began to move of it's own accord, as if guided by puppet strings. Terror gripped her heart.''

''"Karma?" asked Ren. His smile was wiped away by a look of concern. "Karma, what's-"''

A bright flash.

A scream of pain.

''Ren was gasping. He staggered back, clutching at the blade of light Karma had thrust into his heart. ''

''As Aran and Hecate cried out, the red disappeared from her vision. Control of her body returned to her and she reached out for Ren.''

"Ren! No! Ren, I-" began Karma.

''"This...this is not...your...f-fault..." groaned Ren. He fell, and-''

◊◊◊◊◊◊

Karma's eyes snapped open.

She was lying on her side, curled up within twisted bedsheets. She had just awoken from a vivid dream, and was drenched in sweat. Prying herself from the sheets, she sat up and vigorously rubbed her throbbing forehead.

"Hell of a dream," she muttered.

Picking herself up, she clambered out of bed, trudged past the window where the morning sunlight shone through, and peered into the mirror resting atop her dresser. A teardrop face stared back at her with golden eyes, framed with long, tangled hair of the same color. For a moment, she rested her head on the cool, glass surface, then pulled away. Stripping off her nightgown, she changed into her day clothes- shorts and a sleeveless shirt- and wrapped a violet sash around her waist. After tying her hair back with twine, she walked back to her bedside table and grabbed a necklace, from which dangled a jade magatama charm- the last gift her parents had left her. She hung it around her neck and sat down on her bed, contemplating her dream.

To her, the dream seemed real- disturbingly real. She could remember it as though it had actually happened. There she was, with Hecate and two men she did not know, though they seemed to be allies. Together, they were fighting...someone. Karma racked her brain, but was suddenly aware that she could not recall a name nor an appearance. This puzzled her; every other detail was remarkably clear. Why couldn't she remember their foe?

And then...then she killed the man named Ren.

It wasn't her fault- she was possessed. But the blade of light thrust into his chest was of her own making, she was sure of it. She shook her head. It was all becoming jumbled, but their faces- Ren and Aran's- she recalled as though she actually saw them before her. But she had no recollection of ever meeting a Ren nor an Aran in her life.

Sighing loudly, Karma sprung to her feet and made her way to the door. She decided that fresh air would be the perfect remedy for clearing her mind.

She left her bedroom and walked down the hall. Her parents hung from the walls, immortalized in paintings, watching her with unblinking eyes of oil and acrylic. She did not dare disturb them. The mansion was silent, save for her footsteps. In a deep recess of her mind, Karma felt as though she were intruding on forbidden ground. Each footstep- every creak of the floorboards- was jarring to her. She almost preferred the silence.

Then there was the master bedroom.

The oaken doors of the master bedroom stood at the head of the stairwell, and Karma always found herself passing them as she went to and from her own room. For her own peace of mind, she hurried by, glancing back to make sure they remained shut. To her it felt as though a primal horror lurked in the sealed room- as if fear itself crept from the space beneath the door, reaching for her with invisible hands.

It was the room where her mother had died.

"This is childish of me," she reasoned to herself. Still, she kept to the opposite wall and bounded down the stairs, taking two or three steps at a time.

"Safe," she couldn't help but think as she reached the last step. She glanced back up at the room. The door stood there, tauntingly.

"That old room still giving you the creeps?" asked a voice.

Karma's heart skipped a beat. She spun around on the spot and was confronted by an azure ball of light with dragonfly-like wings. She sighed irritably.

"Dammit Hecate," she growled, "don't do that again."

"Sorry," said Hecate, perching on Karma's shoulder. "But that room freaks me out too. In fact, this whole damn mansion freaks me out. Especially when I'm alone."

"Yeah," said Karma distantly.

"Well, why won't you move from this freaky house? Go live somewhere else? Like Avalon, or something?"

"I dunno."

"That's not a reason."

Karma shrugged. "I dunno," she repeated.

"Alpha damn it, Karma," grumbled Hecate. But she said nothing else.

Karma pushed open the front doors and walked out into the sunrise. Cracked earth stretched all around her, reaching for the horizon. The mansion stood alone, in defiance of the world around it- a ghost in the desert.

A tomb of white stone rested in the midst of a garden that had long ago withered away. Karma walked over to it, and placed her hands on it's polished lid. She bowed her head. Her eyes glazed over the inscription that she had read at least a thousand times:

RYOU & YAKURO

Gone, but never forgotten. May they find solace in eternal sleep.



"I never thought a man like your dad would die," said Hecate. "I knew him since before you were born, you know. He's made quite a reputation for himself, too. Never really got to know your mom though."

"Your mother was a gentle, loving woman," said a voice, familiar to Karma. A tall, slender grey-skinned woman with violet robes appeared on the other side of the casket, as if walking out of nothing. White, silky hair framed her angular face, which looked to the inscription on the coffin. She slid a long, thin hand over it's smooth lid, and said, "she healed your father's broken soul, and he healed hers in return."

"Mother told me the story many times," said Karma. She paused, then looked to the woman. "Is it time, Ithe?"

Ithe nodded. "Yes. It is time to resume your training. You are adept in the teachings and applications of Balance. Your father has taught you well. But there is much he was unable to teach. It falls onto my shoulders to fill in the gaps."

"When are we leaving?" asked Karma.

"Soon- in fact, now, if you are ready," said Ithe.

Karma glanced back toward the house. "This is the route my father wished for me to take. Yeah, I'm ready."

"Then come," said Ithe, extending a hand. "I will take us there."

After a moment's hesitation, Karma grasped Ithe's hand. The two and Hecate disappeared.







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