Welcome to Gaia! ::

*the power of the crystal makes their desires into reality, and the Shitennou (Four Heavenly Kings) are summoned*



*Byakko's white light crest of a tiger appears in the air, and she exits from it. Apparently the crests are portals*



I knew we'd meet again, Kyla. Thanks for calling me. Do you recognize me? ^^;



*Next is Suzaku's glowing red crest of a bird appears, and he exits.*



Hmph, I knew you'd need me. Is it that time already?


Oh? So you're wearing your campaign armor.





Of course. We're going to conquer Yokoshima's castle after all.


*Seiryu's azure dragon sigil appears next and the King of Aquatica exits*





Thank you for summoning me, Sir Kokujo. I shall repay my debt any way I can.

*he pulls some snacks out from under his cape.* These are for Sir Corbenik, as requested. *he hands Corbenik Fish & Chips flavored crisps and some Squid Tarts*


*Last is Genbu's. A black tortoise & snake crest appear and Maritime exits*


There you are Tyrian. Have you been training daily?

*Kyla blinks at Brimmstone a few times, still a bit in shock at his status, then she smiles at Byakko, crosses an arm over her chest and gives a polite bow*
Mew mew, of course Lady Byakko. Though your appearance is different, I am certain that you are the same Lady Byakko we met back in the temple. I am in your service.

(("Shitennou" means"Four Heavenly Kings".))




*Byakko shakes her head*

No no, this time I'm here to help you. ^^


*Prometheus clears his throat and says*

Nice to see everyone here. Shitennou, please begin the "Emperor Selection Ritual".

*the four of them murmor amonst themselves, then stand in a + pattern. Genbu at the north, Suzaku at the south, etc. The Four Heavenly Treasures glow and spin in a circle, then merge into one. They become a large yellow dragon with enormous spirtiaul energy. The dragon roars and a gate appears in the air. All that remains is to open it and go inside*

This ritual to enter Horizon was originally intended to be a test of the 5th Heavenly King, who would rule over the other four . The King would have to face a final trial in Horizon, where the Angels of Death once resided. If he could pass the test and reach the top of the temple where Azrael was, he would be deemed worthy to rule over Gaia as the supreme ruler. However, whenever there’s an opportunity for great power to be gained, mortals have time and time again been overtaken by greed. Eventually this ritual was abandoned in order to stop the chaos and power-hungry mortals from trying to claim it. Compare it to this. A parent’s eldest child dies who would have obtained the inheritance, which is a vast treasure trove. The wil states that if any of the remaining children can pass a series of tests, they can have everything. Well as you can imagine that would create competition and greed amongst the children…maybe even leading them to kill each other for it. A better system would have to be put in place in order to stop the children from bickering. So yeah, that’s how it is. smile

Before I explain the new system, let me talk about the old one. Genbu, Byakko, Seiryu, and Suzaku were initially sacred beasts from Heaven sent to protect the King. The four beasts were sent from Heaven to Gaia as a means of reminding the people that the King’s position is sacred and to obey Heaven’s rule. Because in its purest sense, a King is a figure chosen by Heaven to rule over the people. However as I have told you, it didn’t work out so well all the time. When the opportunity of supereme rule left them, people eventually created their own kingdoms and deviated from this main path. There’s no need for a babysitter anymore.

*he turns to the group* That’s great, isn’t it? People are too different to be ruled by one person…so there are now many governments to care for each specific nation.

So the Seraph of Humanity changed Genbu the Black Tortoise, Byakko the White Tiger, Suzaku the Azure Dragon, and Suzaku the Vermillion Bird from physical beings into Sacred Energy. A small fraction of this energy is bestowed upon the human that Heaven deems worthy of it, since mortals’ bodies can only withstand a little bit. The remainder was placed into objects in order to keep the energy dormant and hidden. That’s where the Retsurugi, Autumn Greaves, Rein Helm, and Phoenix Crest come in. You all had to come in contact with the Four Heavenly Kings to activate them. That dragon of energy you saw was the remainder of that power.
So basically, you all went through trials to get those artifacts as if you were trying to become the 5th Heavenly King. Nice loophole, right? Just know that when you succeed, you won’t be a ruler of anything. XP

Once you open this gate, your souls will be sucked inside. I'll make sure that your bodies are safe during your time in Horizon and will help you return to normal once you come back. Good luck.

*Kyla gazes up at the gate. Her hand reaches out for Kold's. Despite her strong desire to end Yokoshima, there are pangs of fear in her heart. The fear of the unknown behind the gate. She says nothing, and takes deep breaths to steady her nerves*

*to Calm* Don't worry, all of your abilities will be intact. In fact you'll form a "Soul Body" as if you were in the afterlife.

*to Kokujo* I knew someone was going to ask me that eventually. As I said before, all I want is to maintain balance. Yokoshima's side has unbalanced things, and he needs to be taken down.

*he looks to Calm, Kold, Kyla, and then back to Kokujo*

However, even if I killed him...would you really be satisfied? This is your fight, not mine. I have no business interfering with people's personal affairs. I am only here to aid, not to take care of your problems. There can be no spiritual growth or true satisfaction that way.

Alright. I'm going with you. Things back at the Temple are well in hand, so there's no worries. Besides, I have to pay him back for using me for so long.




Unfortunately, I can't go. Eoroe and I are still working on rebuilding Xeris. Good luck!




I must return to Aquatica to take care of some things. I owe my subjects my participation, especially after Umika has taken so much on herself already.



It seems that there's a big battle coming. Tyrian will help you on your way, but I cannot go. Good luck guys. ^_^

All right, I'm ready to do this. Let's go, mao!