Zodiac Circle

Chapter 97: The Tale of the Twin Dragons

"So you're telling me your friend ran away to fulfill the will of my brother?" 

Getsuryuu asked after he had been notified of the story details, including Tamie's adventures in Byakuya's conscience.

"Yes. He left this letter behind". 

Tamie handed him the letter of Byakuya. Getsuryuu ran through the lines. He then returned the paper and fell into thoughts. He observed the Sun Tribe medallion, which he had received from the Rose Cruce members as a sign of the truth of their words.

"My brother's will is vengeance, as you suspected," he looked at Edmund and Goldmund. "He is willing to take revenge on the whole Zodiac Council and mainly on that one man who sought to obtain his powers".

The friends were shocked - so, Byakuya had gone to fight the Zodiac Council?

"B... But who's that man?" Tamie asked.

"And why would he want to take away a dragon's powers?" Enya wondered.

"Millennia ago, we - the Twin Dragon Kings - were born out of the light and the darkness as the two supreme forces: the Yang and the Yin, the Sun and the Moon. Then, other stellar forces were born too, and gradually, the world was shaped. We - the twin dragons - are the supreme beings. We are guardians of the zodiac circle - the primal source of life that governs over this world. Every form of life has a fate sealed in the stars. All paths are defined, but you still have the power of choices: you choose which way to follow - the darkness or the light. 

"I, Getsuryuu, govern over the Water, the Earth, and all the elements ruled by them. My twin Ketsuryuu governs over the Fire, the Air, and all the respective elements. These four elements are the primal sources of life. Each of them rules over a certain life force: the Fire is the Spirit, the Earth is the Body, the Air is the Mind, and the Water is the Heart.

"The Fire and the Air are the Yang elements, while the Water and the Earth are the Yin ones. So you might guess - if even one of them disappears, the worldly balance will shake off. Ketsuryuu can give the supreme energy of life as he governs over the element of the Spirit - the Fire - so his powers were desirable for any greedy human. That man was just one of them. Born under the sign of the Aquarius (which also happens to be the opposite of the Leo - Ketsuryuu's sign), he was the most ambitious man ever known, thus the one to challenge Ketsuryuu. He came to take his powers with some evil tricks. 

"The zodiac circle balance was shaken. It resulted in many of the magical creatures' deaths. Many of them lost a great deal of energy, so humans were able to overpower them and hunt them down. It was unacceptable for me since I was the one to govern over natural forces, but I couldn't do much alone. I am glad to hear my brother is alive, but it shall be tough if he is locked in a human body".

The friends were shocked - who could be such a monster to take away the Sun Dragon's powers?

"But if you were good guys as you claim, how come Ketsuryuu is called 'Blood Dragon' and is accused of being a bloody deity whom the Sun Tribe sacrificed human lives to?" Kokuyo grew suspicious - such a story didn't really tie in with the legends of the twin dragons he had heard.

"It is because humans worshipped us, were scared of us, and sacrificed humans to us willingly, so they would avoid our wrath. I didn't say we were kind to humans. I just said we were holding the worldly balance. We are dragons, after all. You, humans, are low-level creatures to us. Ketsuryuu's favourite snack was human blood. That is why he gained that additional name besides 'Sun Dragon'," a vile grin flickered on Getsuryuu's face, startling the friends.

"Uhm, you're not going to eat us up, are you?" Scott asked. 

Fireball laughed at such a question. Getsuryuu laughed too, while the friends rather agreed with Scott's fears. 

"No. I've grown quite interested in this little maiden here," Getsuryuu stroked blushing Tiger's red hair. "I am willing to help you since you've given me a hope that I can meet my brother again".

"So, who's that fool who challenged your brother, anyway?" Enya wondered.

"His name was Marvin Wagner".