The Lone Vixen - EDITING

Chapter Five: Conversing With an Ancient Specimen

"You keep saying that word. W-what is it?"

"I've only said it, like, two times, but alright. We kwami's are celestial creatures that have been around since the beginning of time. What you humans call, "the big bang", is how we were created. Along with a majority of the universe, we came into existence with the initial reaction. We were dormant and disembodied. There's no real way to describe it. We were aware of our surroundings, and could communicate with one another, but we could not move. Not until we were called upon. You see, long ago, the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, ordered the finest members of the gong class to protect his thriving empire. They had no idea what to do. They were only artisans. One day, something clicked. There was a legend scarcely heard of, that spoke of terribly powerful spirits that protected the ancestors of every being. They believed that if they could conjure the power of these spirits, they could protect China," Pollen said.

"The artisans did what they did best: they created. It was tedious work. Their creations were beautiful pieces, made only from the most durable and beautiful materials. The earrings of the ladybug, which would bestow good fortune upon the friends and supporters of the holder. The ring of the black cat, to cause chaos and destruction amongst the holder's enemies. The band of the turtle, ensuring the safety of those around the holder. The pendant of the fox, enhancing the abilities to gather information stealthily from the enemy. The brooch of the moth, allowing the holder to offer abilities to others from a safe distance. Thebrooch of the peacock, protecting the beliefs of the holder, and allowing them toinfiltrate the mind and give form to their emotions, protecting themselves withthe physical embodiment. And last but not least, the comb of the bee. With it, the holder could stop their enemies in their tracks with a sting," Pollen finished with a last puff of air, slightly wheezing from the amount of speech. Chloe looked at the kwami like she had three heads.

"That sounded awesome and everything, but I have no idea what any of that meant. And anyways, you didn't even explain the end of that. What does that stuff the artisans made have anything to do with you?"

"I would get to that if you'd let me. Now then. Where was I? Oh yeah, right. To ensure their creations channeled the power of the legendary spirits, they performed a ceremony lost in time. A majority of it was sacrificing those they deemed to be quite helpful in nature to the spirit. Then, rigorous praying and chanting every day, until some type of ceremony at the Yangtze river, where each artisan together would partake in a binding agreement. They sacrificed their souls. Well, they thought they did anyways, just as much as they thought that they were calling upon spirits. Well, this lead to that, and we were suddenly on earth. We still couldn't move however. We were encased in jewel. We were inside the creations of the artisans. Each one of the beautiful pieces began glowing a magnificent bright light. They took it as a sign that the objects were equipped with the spirit's powers. They took the jewels to the emperor at once, exclaiming of how miraculous the whole ordeal was. The word stuck I suppose, and the jewels became known as the miraculous. The emperor wanted at once to test one out. He, of course, chose the band of the turtle, wanting to protect the inhabitants of his empire at all costs. Once he placed the bracelet on his wrist, a green glow came from the jewel. A kwami, much like I, was birthed from the miraculous. He introduced himself, which at that point, all of us has given each other names, and answered the emperor's questions. When all his questions were answered to a satisfactory level, he instructed the artisans that no one was to know of the abilities of the miraculous, except those chosen to study and wield its power. He then assigned the artisans who'd created the miraculous, to protect his empire. They became our first holders."

"I still remember my very first holder. He was bold, and very kind. Always a smile on his face as he walked through the streets, knowing that he was more than anyone in the empire, even the emperor himself, as the band of the turtle had been given to its creator. Yes, he was very content, which I assume is why he was so fond to go to war with others, knowing that he had more than all of them combined. Eventually, writings, written in a certain code, were made of the miraculous. Miraculous holders taught children from a young age, whether they were to be a guardian, or a holder themselves, they were taught by the riverside each day. As the great wall was built, so was the temple of mystique, the place where the book of writings and the miraculous were kept. It became a cycle of power. When a holder was lost, another with the proper training would replace them. Eventually, twelve more miraculous were created by artisan's generations after the first. These were based off the Chinese zodiac. They were not as powerful, the artistry not quite as extraordinary as those of the original seven. Even in all of that, kwami's are probably the most important. It's not just having the miraculous, or the training. It's possessing the kwami. When someone equips the miraculous, we are summoned back into the jewel, and give the holder special abilities beyond their wildest dreams," Chloe had her jaw dropped, and her eyes unblinking.

"That... was... awesome! That story was so good! I'm actually interested in something! Oh my god, Pollen, that was, like, the best thing I have ever heard! I can't believe it! I'm so inspired to go outside and act like a god. Once everyone finds out that I have a magic hair piece, I-"

"No no no no no! No one must know that you possess the comb! It will put you, and everyone else in danger!"

"Why would I care about that? Everyone has always been in danger, and all of us have been protected."

"You can't because you're a hero!" Chloe stopped and looked at Pollen. 'Did she just say hero?'. "You can't have the mindset that you do, you can't act the way you do. Be someone else! You act like you're the queen of the world, but really, you're just a wolf in sheep's clothing! I don't know why you of all people were chosen to wield my miraculous, but you were, so we both have to deal with it," She heaved more air into her small lungs before finishing. "Paris is threatened, and you must heed its call."