Nine Lives

Chapter Four

For what seemed like an eternity, I saw nothing, the black void that obscured my vision making it impossible to see. I remember seeing the man with the gun, and then... then there was nothing. Was I dead, and this was just the eternity I was to find myself in? A never-ending night?

But then, when I thought all hope was lost, a speck of light appeared, and the world around me started coming to. I could again feel my limbs, and found my arms and legs strapped down on some sort of bed. The air around me was cold, and smelled of sulfur and bat droppings.

Complete vision was finally restored, and I found out the source of the smells. I was in a cave, the sounds of water dripping and muffled voices echoing around. The roof was rather high up, with massive stalactites jutting down in odd angles and lengths.

I heard footsteps to my right, and turned my head as much as I could to see the figure. Yuki was leaning against a stalagmite, her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn't wearing the jacket that I had last seen her in, but instead wore some sort of black armor, and sported two long daggers at her hips.

I try to talk, but find my mouth dry, and only managed to let out a croak.

"Don't try to speak. There's too much you need to know, and not enough time. Nod your head if you understand."

I give her a wary look, unsure if I could trust her because of recent events, but eventually nod. She sighs, then looks over at someone out of my field of vision and nods, then looks back at me.

"As I said, there's not enough time to tell you everything, so I'll give you the shortened version.

"Many centuries ago, there was a great warrior that fought a war against demons. This warrior had battled since life on this planet had sprung up, and even founded the lost city of Atlantis.

"This warrior, while content with fighting demons, had grown weary of fighting, and asked to have a normal life. He begged to get his memories erased and replaced, and understanding that there would be a time when he would need to be brought back, had requested that his memories be restored only as a last resort," Yuki stops for a minute to let me get a drink from the flask that was being held out to me.

Once I had drunk my fill, I cleared my throat and looked at her, "So, what does this have to do with me?"

She takes a step forward "Well, let's just say that the last resort is being used, and we need to restore your memories."

"That still doesn't... wait... 'your memories'?"

Yuki nods, "You are that warrior, Tats. We need you again."

She gives me a confused look as I start laughing, "Oh, this is great! How long did it take to plan this clever prank? Who's idea was this anyways? I bet Principal Jordan is the mastermind of this."

"Tatsuya, if this is a joke, then how are the straps that were holding you undone, and how come you still have the claws you used to defend yourself?"
I sit up and point at her, ready to argue, then stop and look down, "How the..."
"Magic," she says simply, "that jacket of yours is an old artifact, and has an endless supply of the stuff, in which you've trained yourself to use. However, the claws can't come off while they're out, which is why we couldn't take them from you."

"So, how would I put them..." my sentence is interrupted as I flick my wrists back and the claws retract back into the gloves, "whoa."

"We need to get going," Yuki turns and starts walking, motioning for me to follow, "it's a long way to Atlantis."

"Atlantis? Isn't that a myth?"

"No, it's not. You founded the place."

I shake my head and put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her and turning her to face me, "So, if what you say is true..."

"Which it is."

"If what you say is true, then that means that I'm four point three billion years old."

"Yeah, give-or-take a few thousand years."

"I find that hard to believe. I'd be dead."

"Not necessarily," she turns and starts walking again.

"Yeah, I would. There's no way someone could live that long."

"Yes there is," she motions to my jacket, "you have magic."

"Ugh," I put my head in my hands, "you're making my head hurt."

"Well, I'm sorry if y..."
A loud boom cuts her off, and we both look at each other, then run towards the source. In the middle of a massive cavern was a swirling black portal, creatures with black skin and glowing red eyes swarming out and screeching an unearthly and horrifying noise.

"What on Earth are those?!?!"

Yuki draws her daggers and growls, "Demons."

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 Hey, sorry it's taken so long to finish this chapter. I've been doing my best to get writing and post as soon as I can, but sometimes I'm unable to. Usually I'm feeling too depressed, or my parents are having me to something else, but I'll try my best to get the next chapter out as soon as I can.

 Also, I'm in the process of writing two other stories. Once I start publishing them, I'll put a note on here so you can check them out if you want. They're both not ready yet, but I'll get them out as soon as they're ready for viewing.

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading. Until next time!