The Final Test

"Finished." The words are more of a sigh of relief than a proclamation, as the twelve-year-old girl rises out of her seat and walks to the front of the room. She looks into the eyes of her teacher, a young man with streaks of blonde in his sandy brown hair. He takes the paper from her hand and sends her back to her seat. Her black hair trails behind her, and she sits down, right in front of Tai, like always.

Her name is Maddy, and she is not the main character in the story.

The main character is out of school for one reason. Her father has disappeared.

Torika sits in her bedroom, crying. Her long brown hair is hung out over her face, and she holds a picture of him in her lap. Her father is gone. He disappeared on an architectural expedition. He has been gone for two days.

A small plushie-like creature floats next to the main character, in sorrow as well. He is called Kero, and he is Torika's guardian. "Don't worry Torika. Your father will be okay. He knows magic, and he can get out of any bind." Kero tries desperately to comfort Torika, who has been crying for two days straight. It has been maybe a month that her mother has been out of a coma, and now her father has left her. It is a terrible time.

Kero has contacted Yue, Torika's other guardian, for a meeting after Tai and Maddy have school.

They arrive, wet from the rain outside. There are four of them: Maddy, Tai, Hana and Natsume. Maddy's black hair glistens, wet from the torrents. Tai sits down with Natsume, and he suddenly transforms from Maddy's twin to a winged beast. Natsume stares in awe, her pink hair now long. Hana's eyes glow. Her black hair is tied into a Chinese-style ponytail, and she is the only one smiling, but only for a second, as the wisps of sadness tie around her mouth and bring it down into a solemn frown.

"As most of you know," Kero starts, assuming the role of leader, which he should be, for he knows most on this subject, "Torika's father has disappeared. I, for one, think it is because of a magical cause."

Yue, formerly known as Tai, nods in agreement and speaks. "I have been sensing a magical disturbance lately." If Yue senses a magical disturbance, something is very wrong.

Torika tries to stop crying, but tears still run down her flushed face. She knows she has to save him, but she doesn't know how. "What kind of cause? What kind of disturbance?" She believes that getting involved will take her mind off things. She is correct.

Kero and Yue look at each other simultaneously. Something is going on, and the four girls know it, but they do not ask. They most likely won't get an answer. "We don't know for sure," Kero replies, his face pale, almost as if he is a deer caught in the headlights, a thief caught red-handed. In truth, he is someone caught in a terrible lie.

"What is your theory?" Natsume presses on. She has matured in the past two years, and has become much less rash and more like Sakura, thinking things out when they need to be thought out. Sakura is Torika's mother.

"We do not wish to tell you until we are sure." Yue still does not give a straight answer, and looks at Torika forlornly. His powers run off her emotions, and if she is so sad, his power is depleted. He can barely stay together.

"We wish for you to go to school tomorrow, Torika, while we discuss this." Kero is gentle and subtle, but it is a command. When Yue and Kero need to talk, they need to talk alone, even if it is other people's business.

Torika nods slowly. Something in her mind tells her that this is not the best idea, and she is torn, but she thinks it is wise to listen to Kero, even though he has been wrong before.

She goes to school the next day.

It is recess, but no one plays, for it is raining outside. The rain is heavy, strange as Torika thinks. It seems magical. "Is this what Yue was talking about?" she whispers to herself, looking out the window. A face appears, but only for a split-second. Or maybe it is just an illusion, a trick that the rain has played on her.

There is much talking in the cafeteria, and the rain only makes it echo. She remembers the time that music was playing. The time that she discovered the Clow Cards. She does not know why the two events are related, but she will soon find out.

"Ms. Torika, do you hear that?" The voice is barely audible in the noise of the crowd, but she knows that it is Hana's.

"No," Torika replies. A lot is on her mind. She has no time to dote upon such trivial things.

"That music…" Hana drifts off into a woozy voice, as if she's been hypnotized. Torika watches worriedly as Hana walks off, stupor taking up most of her manner.

Careful not to be spotted, Torika follows. As she edges out of the cafeteria, she can hear it too. It is not music but it is music. It is the beat that life thrives on, the pulse that keeps everything where it should be. "Hana. I have a bad feeling about this."

The girl with the black ponytail walks on, drool dripping from the side of her mouth. She is entranced. Now Torika is more than worried.

They come upon something unnatural. It is a swirl of color in the middle of the hallway. This reminds Torika of the time she was trapped in the likes of the LOOP card. Hana stomps toward the strange vortex at a steady pace, no faster or slower than before. Torika walks in front of the spellbound girl, holding her arms out to stop her. "Hana, do you even know what that is?"

"Ms. Torika. The music. We must go toward the music." Hana is beginning to sound like a zombie.

Torika's face grows pale. Hana is under the influence of magic. She tries desperately to remember the spell…"Demonic influence, desist!" Torika shouts forcefully, pushing the palms of her hands into Hana's chest.

Hana wakes up, for that is the only way to describe her coming out of her former state. Something was possessing her, something bad, with evil intent. Torika was somehow able to push it out. Her magic had grown again.

"Oh, thank you Ms. Torika! Thank you for saving me again!" Hana exclaims, hugging the other girl with a crushing force.

"Something still isn't right. Let's go back to the cafeteria and warn the others." Torika starts to walk back to the cafeteria, but is held back by Hana.

"No. It can't be. I thought we got rid of all of those things already." Hana's voice is shuddering, and Torika whirls around to find a horde of creatures, crawling all over the walls. Their eyes glow with contempt, and as small as they are, they are fierce.

"What?" Torika asks, stunned, for there is nothing else to be. She is confronted with too many things at once.

"These, these things. We had a whole invasion of them at the shrine a while back. But I thought we eliminated all of them. They are dangerous," Hana informs Torika. The creatures start to crawl toward the two girls in one movement. It is as if they all tick on the same clock, have the same heart beating in each of their chests.

"Magic." The last word Torika utters before her true ordeal begins.

The creatures attack.

To be continued…

Part Two: It Comes True

"Well? You aren't just going to stand there, are you? Get going! We've got work to do!" The sorcerer's voice echoes through the alleyway as the cards begin the first parts of the test.

The rhythm is hard not to notice. The black creatures fall and rise at the same time, rapidly yet carefully, as they move in for an attack. "Ms. Torika, we need magic," Hana says, "but I don't have my staff with me."

Torika feels up her neck for the key, but is surprised to find an empty space. She searches her pockets, watching the steadily advancing group of creatures, but feels only a wad of lint. "I must have forgotten my key at home after I used the TWIN so Tai could be with Kero and at school!" she screams, slowly backing away.

"We can't just let them invade the school. We have to fight. You know martial arts, use it!" Torika has never seen Hana so rude, but in this situation, it seems right, it seems as if Hana is now her mentor.

The creatures rush now, coming on in a wave of black, dots of yellow filling in the spaces. "What's going on?" Hana asks aloud, "I've never seen this before."

The tsunami-like formation moves down the hallway at a breakneck pace. "Run!" Torika shouts, but it is too late. It is impossible.

"Shaft of Stone!"

An arrow shoots across the hallway like a star across the sky, puncturing the wave. A single black creature falls out, harmed, onto the cold floor.

"Natsume!" Torika cries in relief, as the black creatures fall apart, dissipating into nothing more than thin air.

"That's right, I forgot. If you separate one from the pack, they all disappear," Hana whispers to herself, sitting down on the floor in thought.

"Akki, Akki, if they're here, this can't be good," Natsume mumbles, pacing up and down the hallway, her face pale.

"Akki? What are you talking about Natsume?" Torika asks, picking up the arrow that lies lifeless on the ground.

"Akki means evil spirit in English," Natsume replies, leaning against a wall, "they only appear when something really bad is going to happen. I think all of these recent events are connected. We really need to talk to Kero and Yue." Her pink hair shines in the bright light on the ceiling as she talks; her eyes are wide.

"We will, don't worry," Torika tries to calm her friend down, not realizing the danger.

"No, Ms. Torika, she means bad omens. World domination, possession, death." The last word is soft and breathy, floating into the air and turning it a darker shade.

"I understand. We'll talk to them. Tell Tai and Maddy to come to my house after school," Torika instructs the other two.

They nod, and they go back to the cafeteria in silence.

Dark eyes follow a group of five kids as they leave school in a rush, eager to get home. He leaps from tree to tree, inconspicuous, in pursuit. Anxiety burns like a fire in his heart and in his eyes.

He watches them disappear into a yellow house, closing the door behind them. His eyes start to water. It is his final chance.

Shaking the thought from his mind, he goes back the way he came, and disappears into the forest.

"We're home!" Torika calls, slipping off her shoes and springing up the stairs, her four friends behind her.

"Hi honey! How was school?" Sakura greets her daughter with a hug before her friends can see, and smiles brightly. The only sign of worry is in her eyes.

"Well, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you guys about," Torika responds, looking at the door of her room.

"You mean Yue and Kero and me?"

"Exactly."

Sakura nods and all six of them walk in to find Kero sleeping, and Yue watching the door expectantly. "Come in, come in, we have much to discuss," he beckons them, and they all sit in a circle on the floor. The Book of Torika lies in the middle, a majestic purple, the same color as her Heart Cards.

Kero groans and sits up, wiping the drool from the side of his face. "It was such a good cake too," he mumbles, as he flies to the middle and sits on the book.

"We have something to tell you," Torika solemnly informs the guardians as Kero pulls the TWIN card out of the deck, hidden inside the covers of the book.

"Oh, right." Torika takes the Heart Key off her desk and holds it in two cupped hands. "Key of my heart: with the power of love and light, unveil the scepter and unleash my might!" Blue walls glow yellow as a circle forms around the base of the room. A wind starts to blow, and Sakura covers her eyes. What was once a small key is now a mighty staff, capable of performing magic some only dream of.

"TWIN, return Tai and Yue back to normal!" The call rings throughout the room as Torika throws TWIN into the air and slams it with her staff, and the same wind occurs, only this time a stringy presence enters the room, forming itself into playful critters that are the TWIN card.

Both separate, and one grabs Yue by the arm, the other Tai. Slowly they trudge to the middle of the room, and after trading nods, magically put the two they hold back together. Yue is winded, but he alone sits in the middle of the room. With that, TWIN starts to dissolve, and soon lands gracefully on the floor in the guise of a card.

"Now that that's done with, what happened at school?" Kero asks, taking TWIN and putting it back in the deck.

"Akki attacked Hana and me, and Natsume saved us. But that means that something bad is going to happen, right?" Torika twiddles her thumbs nervously as Hana nods, and all look to Kero and Yue.

"Not necessarily. It just means something big is going to happen. This big thing is often bad, though. They attacked you? Normally they don't contact humans, much less attack them. They really only steal magical objects." Yue puts his hand to his chin.

"Yue and I think it would be a good time to some fortune telling. Remember, with the cards?"

Torika thinks back, and remembers the time she predicted the comings of the DARK and LIGHT cards. "Oh yeah. I think I remember how to do it."

"No, this time it's different. You've passed the Final Judgment, so it's totally different now. Here, just do as I say." Kero floats above Torika's head as she takes the deck of Heart Cards from the book.

"Okay," Torika sighs, but not in disappointment, more in focus.

"Shuffle the cards with your dominant hand. Now, after you've done that, place the deck on the floor, and repeat this chant: Ancient spirits hear my call, answer this question, one is all: What has caused my problems here, and problems in future near?"

"That's weird," Sakura says, "that doesn't sound like a good chant."

"That's because I made it up. You have to make up a chant based on a specific question. I've never been very good at it," Kero responds, as Torika finishes up the chant.

"Now you must lay all the cards in a pyramid, one on top, three in a row below it, and five in a row below that. Once you have done so, lay the deck down, and we'll be ready to begin."

"Do I have to pick them from the top?"

"No, they can be any of the cards from the deck." Kero watches Torika worriedly.

"Okay, let's see what her fortune holds," Natsume whispers, leaning over to the middle. They are all watching, intrigued and scared at the same time, not wanting to know what the future may hold.

"Now, flip the top card."

Torika does so slowly, and FIREY is revealed. Kero's eyes widen and Yue looks down. "This card shows the personality of what you are facing, or the gist of it at least. Because it is one of the higher magic cards, what we're dealing with is strong in the sense of magic. Whatever it is also has a temper, and often does things without thinking. That could work to your advantage."

"Why do you guys look so worried?" Torika demands, looking around the circle.

"It's just…when an elemental appears, it means that whatever you're facing is really strong, and difficult to overcome. It's not good, in other words. Let's just hope that no more show up," Kero responds. "Now, flip the next three cards, all at the same time. These will describe the intents and motives of your opponent, as well as its magical background and ability."

Torika gulps and flips over the next three cards. "DARK, TWIN, and BIG," she whispers to herself.

"That's almost what I thought. DARK is another higher magic card, but not as strong as an elemental. Now, it doesn't mean your opponent has bad intent, it just means what you're facing uses magic under the sign of the moon."

"So Ms. Torika's opponent isn't evil?" Hana asks.

"I didn't say that. I just said that he uses magic under the sign of the moon, like Yue. TWIN is another misleading card. It can mean that you're facing two people, but because we've seen an elemental, I think it means that your opponent has two motives for doing what he's doing."

"So basically he's attacking Torika for, maybe, his personal gain and someone else's," Maddy suggests.

"That's definitely possible. In fact, that's a pretty good guess. Anyway, the BIG card is confusing to me. It could mean that he has a lot of magic, but it could also mean that this is an important thing he's doing. It could mean both." Kero looks at Yue, who shrugs, and then looks at Torika. "That's for you to decide."

"I don't know. This is all a bit strange to me. Why would someone so powerful want to attack me?"

"You are the owner of the Heart Cards now. You are a powerful sorceress. Things like this may pop up from time to time. They did for Sakura."

Torika takes a glance at her mother, how her auburn hair sticks up in just the right places, and her light complexion glows but stays fair. She doesn't look like she has an ounce of magic in her.

"Now flip the final five, but not at the same time. Flip them in order from left to right. Each of them will give clues as to what will happen in the future," Kero states, as Torika flips the first card.

Everyone's face goes pale. "EARTHY," Natsume whispers.

"Your opponent is strong Torika. Be very careful. This means that attacks will occur, battle will ensue, whatever you want to call it. You are in great danger."

Torika stares at EARTHY for a while, and then flips the next card. No one dares to say anything.

"WINDY increases the risk of danger. Whoever is doing this doesn't want to hurt you, but may have to. This is really bad. I don't know if you have an idea, but for each elemental that shows up, this is more life-threatening. And I don't just mean your life," Kero warns Torika as she reaches for the next card.

"It's about time," Yue sighs as Torika flips the next card.

"Have you been having strange dreams lately?" Kero looks at her sincerely.

"Yeah. Two types. One is where you guys are with Clow Reed, and the cards all go berserk and disappear, and you guys are really worried, or something. The other one is where all my friends and you guys just disappear, right into thin air."

Kero's face grows whiter again. "DREAM probably means that your dreams will come true, somewhat. It means that they're prophetic."

Torika nods, and is afraid to flip the next card. Reluctantly she does though, and everyone looks at the card strangely. "CLOUD? That doesn't look like it makes any sense," Maddy points out.

"It does. It means your magic has no limits, Torika. Do not be afraid to try new things. That's just about the only good thing that's shown up in this fortune so far." Kero's lips curl into a small grin.

"Don't flip the final one yet, Torika. Now you must take the card from the bottom of the deck," Kero instructs her, and she does as told.

"TIME. What does that mean, Kero?" she asks.

"That's for you to figure out. It will come to you. If not now, then later. It could be really obscure, or so obvious that you'll be kicking yourself for years. Now, flip the last card."

Torika looks at it, and thinks that some things best remain a mystery, but she puts her hand to it. Her heart starts to pump. She flips it, but doesn't look at it. She doesn't hear anyone talking.

"Torika, this is going to be the hardest thing you will ever have to do in your life. And maybe the last."

Torika slowly opens her eyes, and looks down to see the final card. Her heart skips a beat.

WATERY.

To be continued…