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Part 45: Lying and Telling the Truth

Info

Writer

Acrocat

Character Introductions

Afrain

Character Deaths

-

Arcs

Hikari Crystals Arc

Kyen Koh's Identity Crisis Arc

Timeline Entries

The Story

Endless Rain

Part 45: Lying and Telling the Truth

© Acrocat

Baku was in a locked carriage in the middle of the Sendo army, which was moving to attack the Mikomi who'd fled to the Chi village. Lana thought that, if Baku would witness the downfall of the Mikomi, he would relent and help her. Baku was confused. His discovery of Kyen Koh's heritage had only made it worse. He wanted to believe that his sister was lying, but so many things had happened, that he'd trouble to distinct truth from a lie.

He thought about the story a rather bright historian had written down long ago. The story was very simple at first. There was a endless war, just as endless as the rain, going on between the three great tribes. The Mikomi, the Sendo and the Chi. However the biggest feud was between the Mikomi and the Sendo tribes. These three were the tribes Baku's brother and sisters had founded.

Although they first lived in peace in the valley, Sendo soon began to hunger for more land and power. To gain more land he first decided to attack the smallest of the four tribes in the valley. The mountain village of his little brother Tiko. When word of this reached the ears of both Mikomi and Chi they decided to stop their insane brother. Chi would go to the Tiko village to help her brother in his defense while Mikomi would come from the other side to attack the Sendo at the rear. With the mountains at their advantage the allied tribes soon conquered the Sendo.

During the battle the mortal god Sendo had been killed by the hand of Mikomi herself. Tiko was so outraged of this that he declared that he and his tribe would become pacifists. He retreated further into the mountains, and nobody ever heard from him again.

The Sendo Tribe, outraged that their great leader had been killed, went home, but swore that they would never make peace between the other tribes. It didn't take very long until a new leader was chosen and the Sendo attacked their greatest enemy, the Mikomi. Again the Sendo suffered a defeat since Chi and her tribe came to aid her sister Mikomi.

After years of meaningless battles Chi had had enough. She always had to come to the aid of her sister, but never did Mikomi do something back. One time, when a messenger from the Mikomi village came to plead for help, Chi send the reply that she wouldn't come to help this time. The Mikomi won the battle, but barely, and Mikomi herself lay on her deathbed. Chi, who was shocked when she heard about her sister's condition, went to the Mikomi village as fast as she could. There she made a promise to her sister

"Whenever the Mikomi need me most, they can call upon the aid of the Chi." When she had spoken these words her sister smiled and died.

Up until now the Chi haven't fulfilled the promise. The new lord of the Mikomi was just as bad as Sendo had been. Soon Chi had no choice but to attack her sister's tribe. It was a fierce battle, and Chi didn't survive long enough to witness her tribe's victory. Just before she died she called upon her wandering brother Baku, and told him the entire tale. Baku promised his sister that he would make sure the Chi would one day fulfill their promise to the Mikomi.

The Chi, however, never got the chance as many years later the Sendo made a surprise attack on the village, and killed all the tribe members. Although the tribes never knew why they were fighting, they just went on with the meaningless war in the endless rain.

Since Baku couldn't help the Chi, he'd decided to help the Mikomi. During his years of wandering through the valley the tribe had gotten a special place in his heart. Mikomi always was his favorite sister, and his father's favorite daughter. Eventually he even went so far as to tell the Mikomi about the five Hikari Crystals, with which they could leave The Valley of Endless Rain through The Passage of the Rainbow. At that moment he was sure his father, Afrain, had been with him in his decision, but now he didn't seem to care anymore. If Afrain still wanted the Mikomi to leave the valley, then why wasn't he helping? Was Lana speaking the truth?

Baku shuddered at the thought in his locked carriage. So many things had happened. The past he'd just reviewed was simple, but now that his sister Lana and her half breed child Kyen Koh had turned up, he wasn't so sure anymore. Perhaps his own father was also confused. Baku knew he was only trying to find an excuse for his father's lack of involvement after he'd made the cave on Hiyou Lake appear.

Suddenly he heard a gentle voice in his mind, "My son."

"Father?" Baku replied out loud.

"Yes my son, I am here."

"Why have you come to me father?"

"My son." His voice had a grave hint about it, "It didn't come to you before, because you and you sister Lana are both lying and telling the truth. I didn't know whether you still had a good heart, or if you'd become just as evil as you brother Sendo and your sister Lana had become."

"Father, how can you say that of me?!"

"Like you already thought, my son, it all seemed so simple at first, but now it has become very complicated. The reason why you can't distinct the truth from a lie anymore is because you are both lying and telling the truth.

You see, when you and your brothers and sisters had eaten from the poisonous fruits, and thus became mortal, I became devastated. Lana proclaimed that she hadn't eaten from the evil fruit, but in fact, when Sendo placed a few grapes in her mouth, a bit of its poison did come into Lana's body. It wasn't enough to make her mortal at that moment, but little by little the poison would drain her powers away. I knew of this when I retreated to The Clouds Before the Sun, but I still took her with me. I did this so I could keep an eye on her, since I had some suspicion about her and Layou.

When you came back to us through The Passage of the Rainbow I was afraid that mortal life had rotten you, just like it had your brother Sendo. I wasn't ready to take the risk, so I didn't have the intention to let you succeed me. You proved otherwise when you decided to go back to the valley to help your sister Mikomi's tribe. All I could do was give you a bit of your powers back, but that was all I could do.

I was so busy with observing you that Lana saw the chance to betray me by searching for the five Hikari Crystals to free Layou. I was there fast enough to prevent Layou from escaping his prison, but still Lana had a brief contact with the evil lord, thus giving her a bit of her powers back.

You see, my son, that you and your wicked sister are both lying and telling the truth. Therefore I decided not to interfere anymore. I'm sorry, my son, but I cannot help you anymore. You are on you own, but at least you know the truth now."

"Father? Father?!" Baku shouted, but his father had already left.

At that moment his carriage was opened and Tebok stood before the door.

"Your father can't help you now, your cries are in vain." He said with an evil smirk, "Come on, empress Lana wants you to witness the downfall of the Mikomi brats who are hiding at the Chi village."

Baku was dragged out of the carriage. They were at the banks of the small river leading to Hiyou Lake. From there the Sendo would launch their attack. Baku could only hope that the Mikomi had already left.

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