Chapter 10: The Cave

Alphonse walked into the cave, which had shimmering crystals on the roof, lighting up the cavern with all sorts of colors. "They're pretty! But... Unfortunately useless..." Sarah said, slightly dejected.

"I'm sure there's a use for them, we just haven't found it yet. After all, in this era, people haven't even discovered the fact they can make electronic devices." Alphonse said in response as he continued walking. Sarah looked at him, then stumbled to catch up as she realized she was standing still.

"You think so?" She asked. Alphonse nodded. Sarah and Alphonse continued for a few more minutes looking around the cave for the herb they are looking for.

"How far did it say the herb was?" Alphonse asked.

"It didn't say, but it's probably fairly close to the entrance! Relatively speaking, that is..." Sarah said. Alphonse sighed.

"Alright, let's keep going, we've already gone this far." Alphonse said. Sarah nodded as the continued further. After a while of walking, the reached an underground lake with an island at the center. The island is filled with rain flowers and has a few trees with full branches.

Under the water are several thousand crystals of varying sizes and colors. On the cave ceiling, there are various stalagmites with glowing vines coiling around them and hanging off of them. The cavern itself is very lush, with bushes on the walls and ground.

The water is crystal clear and has a faint blue glow to it. Sarah began walking towards the water and sat next to it. "So pretty~!" Sarah said excitedly with awe.

"It does look nice." Alphonse said as he crouched by the water and scooped some up with his hand. He brought the water up to his nose. "It smells like energy, but not spiritual ki." Alphonse said.

"Spiritual ki has a scent?" Sarah asked. Alphonse nodded as he released the handful back into the lake.

"It's faint, but if you practice, you can smell it, as well as other energies. Once I gained the ability to smell spiritual ki, I could smell other energies as well." Alphonse responded.

"What is it?" Sarah asked.

"I should correct myself... It is a fusion of energies. Yang energy as well as spiritual ki, it's only suitable for people on the yin yang path of cultivation." Alphonse said.

"But... How do you know that?" Sarah asked.

'I can't very well say Prism is feeding me information, now can I?' Alphonse asked himself. "Intuition, I guess." Alphonse said.

"Well, your guess is right." A cold voice said from an unseen area as a heavy pressure filled the area. Sarah and Alphonse both froze in place as they struggled to stay in their position.

"Who- Who's there!?" Sarah asked. A chuckle echoed around the cave.

"Call me Kazama." The voice echoed coldly as it snickered.

"Hey." Alphonse whispered as he looked at Sarah.

"Wh-what?" Sarah responded with a strained voice.

"That's a Japanese name." Alphonse said quietly. Sarah looked confused for a moment, then realized what Alphonse was saying.

"You're saying he reincarnated into ancient China like us?" Sarah asked quietly. Alphonse nodded with some trouble.

"Also... Something about this aura is familiar... I just can't put my finger on it." Alphonse said quietly. 'That would explain why I'm not frozen in fear...' Alphonse thought to himself.

"What are you whispering about?" The cold voice echoed again.

"W-we were debating on whether or not t-to ask you a question." Sarah said.

"Funny, so was I." He voice echoed coldly. "Why is it that you have come into my home?" The voice asked with an eerie echo.

"We... We came here in search of an herb!" Alphons said as he stood up slowly with a lot of struggle.

"Acting brave are we?" The voice asked.

'This isn't right... Alphonse isn't usually like this in these kinds of situations...' Sarah thought to herself.

"Brave? Not quite. I can just tell you don't want to harm us." Alphonse said. 'That's right, something about this aura tells me they don't want to do any harm, but also, I just kind of have a feeling, I can't explain it...' Alphonse thought to himself.

"Oh? And what makes you say that?" The voice asked.

"I'm not sure, I just have a feeling. Your aura also feels quite familiar, almost like it's me, but not me." Alphonse said. The voice chuckled.

"If you're so sure, then take this and ride across." It said as a canoe carved from a tree trunk floated across the water and the pressure from before lifted. Alphonse walked over to the canoe, then climbed in.

"Alphonse, are you sure?" Sarah asked. Alphonse nodded.

"I don't know why, but this aura makes me calm, it's like any past worries disappeared." Alphonse said. Sarah walked over to the canoe.

"Be careful, okay?" Sarah said as she looked Alphonse in the eyes. Alphonse nodded as the canoe started moving of its own volition. It wasn't long before the canoe reached the island.

Alphonse stepped off and looked around. As Alphonse's eyes began to rest on some foliage, he saw something reflect light in the branches, then, before he could react a snake launched at him, narrowly missing his head, though Alphonse didn't flinch.

"Wow, didn't even flinch!" The snake said as Alphonse turned around slowly. "Kids these days have nerves of steel." The snake said.

"Um... Are you... Kazama?" Alphonse asked. The snake nodded.

"Sure am. Surprised I'm a snake?" Kazama asked.

"Y-yes, very much." Alphonse said as a look of confusion encompassed his face.

"Man, it's been a good twenty- no fifty years since someone last visited me." Kazama said as he slithered over to a tree. "Go ahead and take the herbs you're searching for, they're useless to me anyway, since they eat up my energized water." Kazama said lightly with a sigh.

"Then... Why...?" Alphonse asked as he searched for words.

"That was just for fun, not much to do when your cultivating day and night in a cave in seclusion." Kazama said.