Spiral of Events: Eye of the Abyss

They landed on a golden brick path with fields of flowers at each side. The roses, sunflowers, and gardenias appeared to have lifted their heads at the sudden intrusion. The temple stood as if it were a grand mountain covered in gold with exquisite stained-glass windows.

The group studied their surroundings. Satisfied that there were no apparent threats, they began to relax. Silently, they all gazed at the temple's magnificent beauty.

Vincent watched the girls closely, trying to determine if they were ready to embark on this mission.

Sue and Crystal returned his look with a nod. Their young age, both barely sixteen, bothered him immensely, but he could not talk either one out of making this trip.

Vincent had almost forgotten that they were human. Sue's beauty -- long black hair, light brown eyes and pale skin made him think that she could be of Casalyian decent. And her need to rescue her friend was admirable. The other girl with the red hair and dark brown eyes reminded him of a rare Spirit of the Aura monster.

Vincent immediately glanced over to Spike, a real Spirit of Aura monster. These monsters could fool you with their beauty, he thought, but they are not to be taken lightly. They have two forms. One is a spirit. Anything you do is useless and will pass through it. The second is flesh. Indeed, they are different. Spike resembled an innocent maiden with her long white hair pulled back, allowing a small glimpse of her smooth, pale skin. She always wore a long-sleeved jumpsuit, revealing little, and cloth that covered her feet. He thought about how much Spike seemed to neglect the use of her legs just so she could float around.

His own monster, Jade, could be troublesome when it came to rain. Her shapeless water body would lose control, and trouble would ensue until she could adjust to it. Vincent quickly returned from his thoughts to observe Spike.

Spike floated ahead, trying to reach her master. She tried to pick up his scent in the air, but she could not. Spike could not even smell the Nards. The only thing she smelled was flowers. That just did not fit. She blinked. Something felt wrong as if this place were trying to warn them away. Spike slowly faded into her spirit form.

Worried about Creed, Vincent pointed to the massive golden doors of the temple. "We need to make it in there -- that is where my nightmare fully begins!" Vincent closed his eyes to be sure that there were no other occupants in the area. He could feel a faint life source, but he was not entirely sure. He opened his eyes only to find Sue and Crystal staring anxiously at him, their thoughts running wild. Curiosity made them want to ask about Vincent's past. Basically, they knew that he was Creed's brother. They figured that meant Vincent was half-Casalyian and half-Nard, like Creed.

Vincent could read their thoughts because of the Orb of Casalynn. He looked at them, explaining, "You are wrong. I am pure Casalyian. Creed is my half-brother. We have the same mother, but different fathers. Now I suggest we get moving."

Agitated already, Vincent wanted to hurry to his brother's aid and to see his wife, Mininna, again. He felt a rather sudden wet slap against the back of his head from Jade, his monster. Vincent growled angrily at her, then calmed down as he noticed Spike's actions.

Spike smelled the air. "This is wrong," she murmured. "It is going to rain, but the sky is sunny." Everyone now paid attention to Spike as she continued, "Look to the sky, something is about to happen." Spike's voice trembled.

After Spike finished speaking, Jade's body began to jiggle and move. Her watery blob was going haywire, producing tentacles that shot out in every direction. Vincent ducked, while Sue and Crystal stared in shock at the formless creature.

Crystal clung tightly around Sue.

"Master, I have no indication that it is going to rain," Jade said while spattering out water.

Vincent turned to face Jade and yelled out loudly, "Get used to it quickly."

The sky ripped open, forming a red-shaped eye. The eye opened up revealing a pupil filled with spirits. The pupil began to cry out water, raining over the flowers. The sun's light seemed to evaporate it in a matter of seconds. Branches from the roses slowly began to lose their petals and creep toward them.

Spike, along with everyone else, watched the sky, mystified.

Sue 's and Crystal's eyes widened as the shock set in.

The pupil in the sky began to watch them as if foreseeing an impending doom. The rose branches continued creeping slowly, low to the ground, toward them. The pupil appeared to weep harder at their unknown misfortune.

Sue asked, "What is that?"

"The Temple of Golden Salvation's guardian, the Abyss of former Casalyians," Vincent answered in a sharp voice.

"How is that possible?" Crystal asked, curiosity shining lightly in her eyes.

"Through multiple self-sacrifices-- In the beginning, Casalyians sacrificed themselves for this place."

Tears filled Sue's eyes. "Why?" she sadly questioned. "Why would they do something like that?"

"They hoped for a better future. That alone could be worth sacrificing yourself for," Vincent replied coldly. "Our race believes in the future--preparing a place that is safe and able to keep future generations safe, while also saving an accurate record of the past."

"Why can I not understand the Casalyian ways?" Sue held her eyes down as she cried.

Vincent snorted. "You are human-born and raised. There are differences between our races. I would not expect you to understand my race."

"But still," Sue bit her lip as the tears spilled down her face. "Why do I not like the idea of their sacrifices?"

Crystal held Sue, comforting her. "It is all right. His race thought they knew what they were doing. I would do the same for Yin. I would do the same for you, my mother and Creed. I would sacrifice myself because you all mean that much to me. You would sacrifice yourself for Creed, me, and Gin." She grabbed Sue's hand, still attempting to comfort her. "You would do the same."

"But what about the people you leave behind?" Sue asked Crystal naïvely.

"That does not matter, Sue. If there is a situation bad enough, the person does not think like that. They only think of their loved ones' safety. Personally, I would be glad if my sacrifice is used to create a place like this. It would be worth it because one day I would be able to protect them."

"But wouldn't they be sad, wouldn't I be sad?" She looked helplessly at Vincent, hoping he would say something.

Vincent turned away, finished with this conversation. He felt the need to move. He checked back at Jade, tempted to leave them all here. But something made him uneasy.

Crimson suddenly appeared from the gauntlet on Sue's arm. Instead of her usual mist, there was a young girl with long, flowing whitish-blonde hair and glacier-ice-blue eyes. Her ghostly hand embraced Sue's face to comfort her. Crimson's eyes watered. "It is okay to cry for them. They sacrificed themselves for the bigger picture. They knew that they were giving up their lives, and some of them even had children. They knew that it was for the future, that if they did that, this place would become sacred. But that has long since changed. Over the years, this place has become tainted with the spilled blood of innocents."

"But what about their families?" Sue asked tearfully.