Spiritual Invocation

"It would seem that my sister has found herself a dog to cower behind."

Harada, who was standing behind Souta moved to stand beside him. Raising a single finger in the man's direction she said; "Brother! I demand you leave this realm. You are not welcome here."

"And you are?" he asked with a grin. "You barged into this realm on a thread of hope. By chance met a mortal that was capable of healing you, But what now?"

At his words, Souta began sizing up the man standing just a few feet away. He was tall and lean, wearing brown leather robes, with the hood pulled back. His hair was cut short. Besides the two daggers that hung at the man's belt, he didn't seem like much of a threat. Then again.. He had crashed into the world with the forced of a pile of TNT without a scratch.

"You claim I am not welcome, yet you are on worse terms with this realm than I. It is now and only now that I will ask you to come with me. Any other attempts will be more...forceful."

"Brother.." Harada clenched her fist more tightly, which Souta wouldn't have deemed possible. "What is your purpose for being here? Is father paying you off for my return? Ha! I never thought I'd see the day that you bowed to his presence."

Almost in no time after her words had been said, The man was at her throat. Literally! In a gust a wind, almost like a breeze, the man had his daggers in hand, crossed across Harada's throat in an X.

"Please, sister. Do not compare me to a dog that would kneel to any master. I kneel to no one. My reasons for your retrieval are my own." There was a long silence for the next few seconds, followed by the man sheathing his blades. "Now, let us go." He grabbed at her wrist and began tugging her away. Harada fighting of course, but things didn't seem to be going in her favor.

"I don't think you're understanding." Souta clamped the man on his shoulder. "The princess is my guest. As of now she is in my care, so I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to take her away now. She still owes me a debt."

"Souta.." Harada faced the man defending her with confusion in her eyes and blush on her face. "Why?...

"You dare?"

The man released his grip on the princess's wrist and faced Souta. "I believe it is you who is not understanding, mortal. King Diamous of the Ember Palace demands this girls presence. One of the five great rulers of Otherworld is charging this girl with treason. This matter, while it also doesn't concern you, it is much bigger than some debt."

"You're right." Souta admitted. "I don't fully understand. I don't know who this king is, I don't know who you are, but I do know that Harada would never do something terrible enough to be charged with such crimes. That is why I will defend her."

"You will stand against an entire kingdom? You are man, nothing more. I could kill you now. But..I will not. I will leave you on the note that you are oblivious and as I said..this does not concern you."

The red haired man turn to leave, and as an idiot, Souta caught his arm. "I refuse to stand by and do nothing."

He jerked away from Souta's grasp, but didn't attack like he had thought. Instead he narrowed his sight in on Souta. "Very well, If your skill is as grand as the amount of confidence you're harboring, then you should have no trouble facing me."

Souta nodded, making it clear he was accepting the invitation. Although an invitation that would certainly lead to his death. Souta mentally scolded himself, but remained confident.

"What is the princess to you? Why trouble yourself with this matter?"

He cleared his throat. "I am Souta Okada, and while I don't completely understand what has happened to me, I have been given power by the princess. I intend to use this power to defend myself and others."

"Oh?" the man gave off a devious smile. "Then I wish to see this power. We will duel. If you can stand against me for five minutes we will call it your win. If you win I will leave, and never return to bother you or Harada. But if you lose.."

"You are free to do as you please." Souta said as he clenched his fist. "But it won't come to that!"

***

"Let us begin!"

The man had lead Souta to an empty field..and he will admit that the methods of "teleportation" was something he never wanted to do over. The match began when he cast a "barrier" as Harada explained. A simple magic field that would cloak the fight from anyone outside the field.

"Now, Souta Okada show me this power that my sister has bestowed upon you."

Souta readied himself. But two things came to mind. And Souta just had to ask..he needed to know.

"Exactly who are you?" he asked.

The man raised his identical obsidian daggers in his hands. "My name is Kazami, I am the Seribral Assassin of Otherworld, and the ghost that will end you here, mortal."

"Prepare yourself. I expect to see power to some display. It is best not to disappoint." Kazami ascended forward in a dash.

"Gadreel," Souta whispered. "Earlier you described us as partners. Well now is the time to live up to those words."

[I am here,] Gadreel's words where playing throughout Souta's mind. [What is it that you wish to accomplish during this duel?]

"Keep me alive for five minutes?" Souta asked. "I have no idea how to use your power. Is there a way?"

[Indeed.]

The same golden ward from earlier appeared around Souta.

I'll probably never get used to that...Souta thought.

[It is a dangerous ritual that only few spirits can attempt and even fewer host can maintain. Knowing this, you still wish to make the attempt?"

"Yes!"

*CLANG*

Souta almost jumped out of the ward as Kazami's blades met with the surface of gold.

"A ward?!" He began slashing furiously, attempting to break through.

"Quickly!" Souta said. "I cannot afford to lose."

[Very well..]

"Coward! Stop cowering behind magic and face me!"

[Nine divines of creations, Five Rulers of the realm of spirits, I request to tap into your power. Allow me to share in your divinity and posses this vessel, to destroy all who oppose are wishes. As a spirit of life I request the powers of death!]

The irises of Souta's eye went blank, then were replaced with pupils of gold. When he spoke it was a voice that wasn't his own. "Burst." The metallic voice spoke calmly, and the ward of gold shattered, Forcing Kazami to jump back.

"Divine possession," He murmured as he twirled his daggers. "Impressive, I'll admit that much, Although I've dealt with these things before, lets see how long your body can house that spirit."

Kazami sprinted towards Souta, re-positioning his daggers in his hands. As he closed in, Souta manifested two golden orbs of energy in his palms, and without hesitation threw them at Kazami in an offensive manner. The assassin; however, was prepared, it was possible that a move of that level was predicted.

"Too obvious," The assassin ascended into the air, and landed on his feet behind Souta. He slashed across Souta's arm, causing a large gash to open up, blood pouring from the wound. "Too slow." he said as he kicked at Souta's legs, causing him to drop to the ground at the force of the kick.

"It is my win," The assassin brought both his blades down forcefully. He was surprised to see that his blades dug into the soil and not his opponents skin. Souta rolled to the side in an successful attempt to avoid his death.

"Begone," Souta's possessed body said in an unnaturally calm tone. From his palm another blast of golden energy was sent spiraling at the assassin. Kazami's reflexes however were sharp, and keen. In one elegant thrust into the air, His body was steered clear from the magical danger.

"Give up now, spirit." He landed on his feet with a smug smile. "You have wounds, and I doubt your host has the necessary capability to contain you much longer. I have won."

"If I still breath, the battle continues to rage on." Souta blinked his eyes, then came to reveal his regular blue pupils. "I need no spirit to win this." Souta spread his arms apart and began to chant, a spell he didn't understand how he knew, although the words came to his mind as if he'd spent years reciting them.

"By the power of Orthos, By the blade of Raze and the hammer of De'ern, By the lightening of Eion and the waves of Netakkin, I reveal my name to the book of Motiis and call upon the power it has shown my eyes. Dimension Shatter!"

As Souta chanted, his eyes closed and the golden seal of his palm glowed with extreme brightness. It was then that a foreign circle, with strange ruins never before seen, shined a light shade of gold and covered the area around for miles. Spreading across both ground and sky, the magic circle made its presence clear to all.

In an the next instant the area that was covered by the magic circle erupted into mass amounts of golden energy. As the landmass fused with the light everything, for a moment was gone. It was that the energy Souta had produced, had incinerated all in a mere instant. The destructive power of the spell Souta had cast was devastating on the land. If not for the unknown forces at work, a large sum of the land would have continued to remain missing.

***

"He isn't waking up!" Harada screamed. "Kazami, help me!" But as she continued to plead with her brother, he was more focused on the events that had taken place a few hours prior. Who exactly was this man, and what was his capability?

"What do you expect from me?!" The crimson haired man finally snapped at his sister, "I'm not surprised he's not awake, with that spell he cast i'm surprised he's still breathing. He probably wouldn't be without that damn spirit. I take life not give it, I can do nothing."

"Ambriel!" Harada called. From a sudden mass of flames she held a long, broadsword in her hand. The hilt containing a large ruby that glittered in the afternoon sun. It might have been a sight worth taking in, if not for the massive crater in the earth left by the unconscious Souta.

"Brother, You will help him. He saved my life and I am in his debt, If i can't save him then I will make you." She pressed the tip of her sword to Kazami's throat. "You are a master of secrets, You know of something to help him. So for the love of the divines SAVE HIM!"

Harada's words became inconsistent and her eyes began to tear up.

After a moment of being at blade-point Kazami sighed. "I never could say no to you, could I?"

"Huh?" Harada became suddenly surprised at his words.

Kazami keeled next to Souta. His face was smeared with grime, His clothes were in tatters, and his pulse, as Kazami checked, was slow and faint. The assassin really didn't know what the issue with the boy was, He'd never even seen a user cast a spell of such magnitude. It was very possible that he couldn't handle the power. But that wasn't something he understood. Magic was only supposed to be as strong as the caster. If this boy, Souta could cast such destructive magic, his body should have been able to endure.

Divine possession would have been a decent explanation, but the spirit had left his body. That spell was all his ability.

Kazami just didn't understand. Restless, he sighed. "Maybe this will make a difference." He tugged at a small amulet that hung around his neck. Breaking the leather strap that kept it placed around his neck he placed it in Harada's hands.

"But this.." The princess was hesitant to take the necklace.

"Is the Amulet of Juana," Her brother finished. "Make sure to take care of it. It's one of five after all."

Harada look down at the golden, jeweled necklace as her brother began scrying. Scrying was a rather uncommon method of magical transportation, that not many ghost used. With the tip of his finger he began writing letters of the divine language in the area in front of him. After he was finished there were several lines of floating, white text.

"Don't say I never did anything for you," With a wave of his hand, the text vanished along with Kazami with a mass of blinding light. The moment he was gone, Harada dropped to her knees and lifted up Souta's head. Quickly tying the necklace around his neck. "You'll be alright." Harada whispered. "You saved me, so I'll return the favor."

***

"Y..You fucking kid," The man was having trouble standing from the blow Souta had dealt to him. "I'll kill you!" He shouted, but became instantly nervous as he saw that he was at gun point.

"S...St..Stay away or i'll...i'll..!"

"You're going to shoot?" The man gave a small laugh seeing Souta so nervous.

Souta gave a confident yet nervous nod, and whipped away the small crystals of tears in the corners of his eyes. "I...I won't let you hurt anyone!"

"Souta.." Yuriko muttered as she kept herself close to his back.

In the next instant, Before he had time to process anything, the man was charging. Souta was backed into a corner with no other option as the man grew closer, and closer. With no other ideas, The child readied the hand gun, and pulled the trigger. In a loud echo coming from the handgun, A single bullet out of the six the gun held was fired.

The man stopped mid-step and slowly glanced down at his chest. To everyone's sight a small area of blood started to seep through his shirt, The stained area constantly growing larger. A few drops of crimson tapping against the tiled floor.

"Y...you...you shot me!"

It appeared as though the man was suddenly consumed with both fear and rage. He lashed forward again, But Souta screamed out in fear for himself and Yuriko. Raising the gun higher he pulled the trigger a second time. Followed by large ringing the firing of gun left in his ear, Souta saw the man drop to the floor. A hole from his head being the the explanation of his sudden death.

Souta threw the gun to the ground and dropped to his knees, Tears streaming down his face, his eyes wide, he looked at the man, the dead man, and a second later he began to scream.

***

[A terrible thing to live with indeed.]

Souta had the sensation that he was flying, floating, and once he used his sight, he saw that he was surrounded by an endless, empty void, the words of a deep and barley familiar voice were present with him.

"G...Gadreel, w..where am I?"

[Let's us not dread on such unimportant matters,]

"I think the fact that i'm floating through a void is somewhat mildly important."

[You are currently in the Soul's Sphere, the part of your soul that belongs to me, and that I reside in. That aside, what in the name of Oberon was that?!]

What did Gadreel mean? Aside from an incredible pain that was suddenly present, Souta didn't remember much of anything about his fight. He'd asked Gadreel for a way to win, but after that he drew a blank. Although he was beginning to recall a vague memory of an explosion.

"Gadreel how exactly can I be in a portion of my own soul?"

[That's what I'm wondering!] The spirit sounded incredibly energetic yet puzzled. [I'm not understanding why you had the capability of such an explosion. And why a mortal is allowed in the...] His words suddenly came to a stop.

"What is it?" Souta asked. "You know what's happening, don't you?"

[The most logical estimation is that you killed yourself, but that also doesn't make sense. If you'd died then your soul, the bits that still belong to you would have left this realm to be judged on the edge of Oblivion.]

Souta would openly admit, that didn't sound like something he'd like. "So what is this then? How can I leave this bit of my soul? I'd like to wake up as soon as I could if possible."

[I'm sure it is,] Gadreel agreed. Which took some serious stress off Souta. There was hope yet. [But I can't say how to do it.] Gadreel finished. There went Souta's hope, at his words it vanished into nothing.

[Your best and possibly only hope is that someone on the outside wakes you. Until then..] A phantom formed chess board appeared in front of Souta. All the pieces already set in place. [A game of chess to pass the possible years of your waiting?]

Souta pouted, But, reluctantly moved his first pawn up two spaces. "Very well," He agreed. "I don't have many options while I'm here." An invisible force moved the opposing side's knight out onto the field.

"Will you explain how all this is possible?" Souta moved his knight forward in a L fashion. "Like spirits and other worlds and magic.."

[I'm not as knowledgeable as some spirits, Motiis for example could do a much better job, but I will explain what I can.] The opponents pawn moved forward.

[There are four plains of the universe. The Mortal Realm, your home. Otherworld, the housing of Ghost and spirits. Then there is Oblivion, where the dead are judged by their lives and then allowed into the next, which is the Netherworld..]

"But how is it all possible?" Souta asked. His bishop taking Gadreel's pawn.

[Getting to that.. You see the seven gods of Utopia created everything except for us spirits. Our existence is thanks to the Ghost of Otherworld. Several hundred years ago, The five kingdoms declared war upon each other for reasons still unknown. At the time, as odd as it may have been, each individual kingdom was working on a new and powerful weapon for the war. Each kingdom was creating their own advantages, They were creating Spirits. So each kingdom with their new spirits went to battle, and to everyone's surprise they all had new methods of magic. The deaths numbers in the millions, and after sometime, they all retreated. Soon after establishing the Five Spirits Pact. Which stated that once everyone ten years a royal member from each kingdom, housing a spirit all gather. It is then that they hold a peaceful conference and attempt to meet every kingdom's needs.]

"That doesn't seem like a very effective method," Souta said. "It just seems that one kingdom would soon become selfish and restart the war."

[That is true, and the reason that hasn't happened before is because of you,]

"Me?"

[Well not Souta Okada, rather the Aalok.  For the most of past conferences, there has been one present. To please each kingdom, offering a portion of their soul to each of them. Resulting in their slavery or death.]

"That's absurd!" Souta said. "They give their entirety up just to stop a war?!"

[A necessary action. Tell me, would you rather one death occur, or millions, possibly billions if the war raged long enough.]

Gadreel had him there, He'd much rather kill himself if it meant saving other people.

[It would appear our time together is over for now,]

"How do you--" Souta's question was answered as the phantom chess board vanished, and the void of darkness was filled with a bright, white light.

[I'll be watching,] Gadreel said. [But in your current physical state don't expect much. Do us all a favor and refrain from getting into trouble,]

Souta took in the last of Gadreel's words as he vanished from the Soul's Sphere. Hopefully returning to his plain of the universe.