The Final Test

"Earth and soil of centuries past, come to my aid, and fast!" Clow chants, raising his staff up to the huge dragon looming over him.

Torika looks ruefully at the spot where Kero once floated, and then turns to Hana. "He's disappeared too. I don't know what to do now," she sighs, sitting down against the trunk of a tree.

"Don't worry, we can always have Tai change back to Yue."

"Tai! Maddy and Tai took a huge fall and I totally forgot about them!" Torika realizes, jumping up suddenly. She rushes over to the two bodies limply resting against another tree. "Are they-are they-" Torika tries to ask, but she cannot finish the question. Tears well up in her eyes.

"No. Kerberos caught them as they fell, one of his last actions before he disappeared," Hana says, and Torika sighs in relief.

"But what are we going to do with them unconscious? And they're really beat up too. They probably won't wake up for a few hours, let alone minutes." Torika gets up and looks to Hana. "If I had HEAL with me, maybe, but I don't, and even if I did summon WOOD, I have no idea how I did it, so I probably won't be able to heal them anyway."

"And that's where I come in, Ms. Torika." Hana pulls out another paper from her pocket.

"How many of those things do you have?" Torika asks, but Hana doesn't respond, instead putting the piece of paper on top of Tai's head. She takes another one out and places it carefully on Maddy's black tufts of hair.

"This may not work, but I'll have to try." She raises her staff and starts to twirl it in the air. It reminds Torika of her mom, and how she was a cheerleader. "Ancient spirits of the art of curing mind and curing heart, practice your art upon these, they are in need, so spirits please: heal!" She touches her staff lightly to each of the papers, and a blue light forms around them.

"Let me guess, you just made that up off the top of your head."

Hana nods as the blue light glows brighter. The blood starts to recede back into the skin, and bruises slowly fade. Both of them begin to stir, as if in a deep sleep, a nightmare, and Torika looks at Hana with approval. Finally something has gone right.

Maddy opens her eyes, at first squinting, and then wide. "Am I dead?" she asks, rubbing her head with her hands. "No matter where I am, I have a massive headache."

"No, you're not dead, thankfully," Torika responds, just as Tai awakens.

"To-Torika? That's your name, right?" Maddy asks again, attempting to stand up. She sits back down again. "Whoa, I'm dizzy. What's going on?"

Torika looks at Hana, who shrugs. "I'm guessing this migraine is a side effect of my healing charm. I've never actually used it on anyone before, so I was expecting something like this to happen. I'm terribly sorry, Ms. Torika, but it may not last long-"

"-WINDY!" Maddy and Tai both shout suddenly, "Did you capture it successfully?"

"Yes. So, you remember everything now?" Torika asks, and both of them stand up as if nothing had happened a few moments before.

"Sure do. Where's Kero?" Tai looks around, but can't find the floating guardian. "Is he hiding again? He played a prank on me last week. Scared me pretty well."

"Kero disappeared, just like Natsume," Hana says softly as she looks down to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry. We seem to have missed out on a lot. Anyway, we should be heading over to find the next card! Oh, just curious, how did you save us from dying, perchance?" Maddy asks cheerfully, starting to take a step in another direction.

"Listen, about this test. I don't know if I can do it. In my dream, the one that is kind of coming true, the first part, and the longest part, ends with Clow giving up on this test. And I think that's what I should do. I should give up until I become stronger." The auburn-haired girl leans against a tree and looks at the three who are still with her.

"Give up?" Maddy exclaims, raising her arms into the air. "After all that, you just want to give up? Throw it all away and make the best of what you have left? Oh no, little lady, I won't-we won't let you! There are high stakes here. Remember, you don't have the Clow deck, your father and friends have disappeared, and you have the obligation to save them. Besides, I know you can do it! Even though I don't know how you managed to defeat WINDY yet! What more could you ask for?"

"Yes, Ms. Torika! You were able to use WOOD without having it with you! That is more than Clow could do!" Hana encourages her friend.

"No, it's not about if I'm able to defeat the cards. Maybe I can. But, I can't do that and keep you guys safe at the same time. Maddy and Tai almost died because of this test. I don't want to risk your lives for the sake of me. If it weren't for Natsume and Kero, who are both gone right now, we would all be dead."

"You mustn't worry about us! This is about you! You can't abandon all that you've accomplished!" Tai tries again.

"No, Tai, all of you, you don't understand what I'm going through. I've endangered you all enough, and I give up. Yue can make me stronger, and maybe a few months from now, I'll try again." Torika looks up at the sky. Clouds have gathered, as she can see through the gaps in the trees, and the sky is getting darker, closer to nightfall.

"No, Ms. Torika, I think it is you who doesn't understand."

"Enough. I have made my decision. Now, how are we going to get back home?" Torika looks around, but there is no method of transportation.

And then it starts raining, at first a few unsteady drops, then a full-on downpour. All of them seek cover under the trees, and they do find on tree big enough to shield the four of them, but not fully. "Great. It's like someone's out there, and they're trying to keep me here," Torika complains.

"You know, that very well could be," Maddy comments, flitting her hair this way and that, trying her best to air it out.

And then Torika feels it again, that same creeping feeling that she felt back at school earlier that day, while it was raining. It is as if someone is watching her, but not quite, more of in a magical sense. "Someone's here. I think." Now all four of them are vigilant, ready for someone, or more likely, something, to strike.

Torika sees something through the mist and the rain. An outline. A face. A familiar face. "That face…I've seen it somewhere."

The other three follow Torika's gaze and gasp. They see a glowing, smiling face. "I know who that is! It's Clow Reed!" Hana shouts excitedly.

"That's right, I saw him outside the cafeteria window. But I thought it was an illusion!" Torika realizes, as Clow Reed begins to move.

"Yes, I am the famed Clow Reed, and I wish to speak to you, Torika. You are related to me, my descendant. Do you know exactly how?"

Torika smiles at the sound of his voice. It sounds a little like her mother's. It is soothing and soft, and airy and playful. Suddenly a wave of homesickness washes over her. She yearns to go back home, to see her mother and her father and all of her friends. "Well, my father, Li Showron, is your descendant," Torika replies.

"This is true, but not quite. There is a reason you have so much magic, and that you are more powerful than even I am. Magic can only be gained in two ways. One, it comes from a special source, one that is rare and not often found on this world. Two, it can be passed down through genes. This is true, correct?"

"Yes." Hana speaks now, eager to join in the conversation.

"You know that your father received his magic through his genes, but have you ever considered where your mother received hers?" The image of Clow smiles faintly, looking at Torika's confused countenance.

"Well, Grandma and Grandpa didn't have any magic, and Mom never told me of any source," Torika reasons, shielding her eyes from the few drops of rain that fall through the cracks in between the leaves. "So, was it just a fluke or something?"

"There are no flukes. It is either there, or it is not there. You know that dream you were talking about, where you saw me give up on this very test, right? I told Kerberos and Yue that I would come back in future years. And I did."

"You mean now?" Maddy asks, scratching her head.

"No. I mean earlier. Think about it. Who do I remind you of?"

"Mom," Torika whispers into the rain. "You came back as Mom?"

"I'm afraid not. It is impossible for someone to reincarnate themselves into someone of the opposite gender."

"So, that means…Grandpa! You reincarnated yourself into Grandpa!"

"That is correct. I'm glad to see my descendant can think clearly!" The sorcerer shows a bright smile before continuing, "And, because you received magical powers from your father and mother, both sides being quite powerful, you have become more powerful than me."

"That makes sense," Hana says out loud, putting her fingers up to her chin. "So, will you help us with the test?

"Ah, Master. It's been so long. How come you took so long anyway?" Four heads whirl around to look at Yue, standing in Tai's place, his silver locks of hair encumbered with rain.

"You have no idea how much paperwork they make you do before you can be reincarnated. And the countless tests! Oh it was like being in school and a hospital waiting room at the same time!" Clow grins again, looking up at the sky.

"Figures. You really are a spirit of the rain, aren't you?" Yue holds his hand out and it is drenched within seconds of impact with fresh air.

"I suppose so. It's also easier to project myself here. You see, the only reason I can do this is because I'm half dead and half alive. Quite an interesting predicament, I have to say."

"Half dead and half alive?" Maddy demands, almost appalled by the thought. "Like…like a zombie?"

"No. I reincarnated myself into two people. Made the paperwork go much faster, actually. One was Torika's grandfather, and the other was Eli Moon."

"Jeri Moon's dad? No wonder he's so powerful!" Torika looks down at the ground, remembering her encounters with the Emperor of Nightmares.

"Either way, Torika, you must know how powerful you are. I've watched you in my state, and I can see that you are very powerful. I personally believe that you did use the WOOD card back there, but you are free to think what you want. I will only say that, and that may convince you not to give up just yet. I see potential in you, Torika, pure potential."

"I still don't know…"

"Let me put it this way. If any of your friends were in your position, what would they do? Would they leave you in the hands of the enemy, putting you in danger, or would they try to save you?"

"Save me. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm very sorry." Torika hangs her head low.

"I know. Surprisingly, I kind of understood your way of thinking."

"Mister Clow Reed, sir." Hana speaks up, finally getting the ancient sorcerer's attention. "I asked you something earlier, but you didn't answer. Will you help Torika with her test?"

Clow looks up in thought. The rest stare silently. Clow has a regal manner, almost as if he draws your attention, and it is quite interesting to watch the way he does things. He has a certain aura, a certain way of movement, something indescribable. "I think I can. I can show you the one who is your enemy. The one who has caused the possessions and disappearances."

"That's great!" Torika cries. Clow does nothing, and Torika waits patiently. After a few moments, she looks puzzled. "Well, aren't you going to show me?"

"Not you, my little descendant. You must choose one of your friends to see the enemy. I can not help you on your quest, but any of your friends can. So, who will it be?" The sorcerer smiles at the young magician. She has so much to learn, yet she is much more powerful than even a famous and strong magician, the strongest of his time. What good is magic without the knowledge for using it?

"Hana. You've been such a good help today. I think that you should be the one to see the enemy." Torika nods, and Hana's eyes widen and sparkle.

"Are you sure, Ms. Torika?"

"Absolutely."

Hana takes a step forward, unsure of what to do next. Suddenly, Clow's image blurs, and the light shines brighter. The other three look away, blinded, but Hana is dazzled, able to look on. "I know that man…" she starts.

The lights fade. "Who is it, Hana?" Torika asks curiously.

All three of them turn around simultaneously to find Clow gone, but that is not what they gasp about. "Oh no."

Hana is gone too.

To be continued…

"What's this?" The girl rubs her head and stands up, trying to figure out where she is. It is darkness. Pure darkness.

"What have you called us here for?"

The rain falls steadily as two dark eyes pierce three figures staring dumbly at empty air. He shakes his head, putting the hilt of his sword down to knee level. Water runs down his face, but he cannot tell if it is a raindrop or a tear.

"This may be my last look," he whispers so softly that he himself thinks it is only the feeble breeze blowing through the storm, weaving its way through the heavy raindrops that fall from above. His eyes stare at the girl in the middle. She looks awful, the results of battle etched on her tiny body. She has much to learn.

The man closes his eyes again, hoping for the best. "It's only going to get harder from here on in, Torika. I want you to do your best. I'm sorry, but you can't know yet. Not until the very end." He wipes the water off of his face and puts the sword back in its sheath. He takes one final look at the three of them, and then puts his hands together.

Within seconds, he is gone.

The three of them don't know what to say. It is the last thing any of them expected.

They just stand there, letting the rain fall down on them in steady heaps, in torrents. They let the rain fall down in place of Hana.

"She's gone." Maddy is the first one to speak, holding her hand out from the shelter of the tree.

"That's okay," Torika sighs, walking out into the rain. It drips down on her, surprisingly cleansing. The steady beat of the rain on the grassy floor soothes her. It clears her mind of all her troubles, and allows her to realize what truly matters. "I know she's watching us in spirit. If we want her to come back, we're going to have to go right away. There are still two more Heart Cards on the loose, and we need to capture them."

"Torika's right," Yue agrees, and he steps out into the rain. "If there's anything I hate, it's waiting."

Maddy changes back into her magical form, flicking a silver needle into the air. Torika nods, and Yue lifts her into the air. The rush of flying without wings returns again, but Torika is still unsure. "Maddy, how'll you keep up with us? You can't fly!"

"This is how." Maddy shoots thread from out of her hand, and it latches on to Yue's foot. She's ready to travel, to fly through the air at a breakneck pace.

"Like Spiderman," Torika laughs, and they set off in search of the two Heart Cards.

"You've done good, Clow. You've got her going again." A silhouetted figure shifts in the mist.

"Well, I just think she needs a little more willpower, like Sakura had. She's still got some self-doubt resting in that heart of hers, and with her kind of power, that's hard to get rid of. If she could expel that, she would be more powerful than me."

"Either way, I just want her to pass. I want to see her in the final battle, at least."

"Bet on it. The cards may be clever, but Torika is cleverer still."

"And she's got her friends by her side, at least for now. Once Maddy and Yue disappear, Torika had better hope she has the rest of the cards. It seems she can't really get through this without them."

"That was my primary mistake, you know. Maybe I would have been able to pass if I had friends. But, of course I was anti-social, so I had to deal with it all on my own. Torika has no idea how lucky she is to have all of those friends, and what friends she has! Not only do they have magical powers, but they're like an automatic confidence-booster. I only wish I had friends like that!"

"Well, Torika still needs two cards, and I can't wait to see her here."

"I can't wait either, little one. I can't wait either."

The rain has stopped. The night has taken over.

Yue and Torika search the skies with adjusted eyes, while Maddy takes the ground, but they haven't found anything. They are out of the forest now, remembering that when the cards scattered, two headed over to the east as well as the west. So, they search the fields bordering the east side of town.

"I don't sense anything," Torika moans for the umpteenth time that night, looking around again.

"They're hiding. Why are they hiding?" Yue asks impatiently, doing another sweep of a row of hills.

"Torika!" The voice cracks through the phone, but Torika can tell it's Maddy's. "I've found something. Come take a look."

Yue swoops down to where Maddy stands. It is just on the border of the field and the town, and she is sitting down atop a grassy hill, smiling. Yue and Torika get to their feet again, and Maddy stands up too. "This way," she beckons, leading them across a couple of hills.

As they walk, Torika senses a tension in the air. It is almost a presence, although not that of a Heart Card, but it is magical. Something's been here.

"There," Maddy says as she points to the bottom of a particularly steep hill. There is a simple black scorch mark, one you would expect to see after a fire. A fire.

"FIREY! It's been here!"

"You bet it has," Yue says, looking around. "I feel like we're being watched. It's that tension in the air, isn't it."

"Yeah, I feel it too. I wonder if FIREY's still around here."

The three of them stand in silence for a few moments, listening for any signs of something being there, other than the three of them. The stars look down on them through cracks in the clouds, as if watching to see what they will do next. Buildings mock them, standing high and mighty and knowing all. These buildings have seen things, they have not withered and fallen like so many others in the history of the world. Torika stares into space for a second, wondering if her father is watching from somewhere, from a cage or a glass case. She wonders where her friends are, where they have gone after they disappeared. She wonders when Yue and Maddy will disappear, and she wonders if she really did call upon WOOD without her staff or the actual card near. She wonders and wonders into the night.

"Torika, duck!" Yue calls frantically.

She ducks.

A fireball whirs past her head, going on until it spins into smoke, rising up into air.

FIREY is there.

Maddy is the first to react, shooting thread from her fingertips. They quickly tie around the body of FIREY, but he smiles, even when they tighten around him. Slowly, they begin to burn, and all of a sudden they flare, startling Maddy enough to make her let go.

Immediately FIREY begins to fly away, across the field. Torika leaps into Yue's arms and Maddy latches onto Yue's foot. He flies in pursuit, chasing FIREY as it curves and flips through the air.

Eventually, the ground turns from grass to mud. Maddy's outfit becomes a little dirty, but she is too preoccupied to notice.

"Something weird is going on around here. I know it. FIREY wouldn't run," Torika screams above the rush of the air.

"FIREY may be aggressive, but it has to do things differently in the test. Unfortunately, I have no idea what it's going to try, because Clow never faced it. Still, you are right Torika. The presence of everything seems…warped." Yue continues to fly after FIREY, but he secretly keeps an eye out for something else. Something that is there, but is trying to conceal itself.

Torika's ears wiggle as she hears a strange sound. The sound of string snapping.

"Maddy!" she shouts, looking back. The girl dressed in pink is caught in a snare of mud, slowly dragging her under a huge ocean of it. She only keeps herself above the mire with a string holding onto the branch of a tree, which is becoming tighter by the second. Soon it will snap, just like the one before it. "We have to go back for her!"

"But FIREY," Yue weakly retorts, stopping in mid-air and turning around.

"No. The only reason I'm even doing this is to save my friends. I can't just let Maddy sink! I have to help her!" Torika pushes forward on Yue's body, trying to somehow will him to aid Maddy. Reluctantly, he accepts, gliding to where Maddy's muffled yells emanate.

The mud is wrapped around her in a vice-like grip. This is no ordinary magical trap, they can all tell, and definitely not one set up by FIREY.

"Maddy, grab on!" Torika screams, holding out the Heart Staff. Immediately, her hand clutches the wand, letting go of the string that held her up for so long. She pulls herself up and into a tree branch, letting go of the wand. Just as Torika begins to swing the staff back, the mud makes a grab for it, and pulls it into the deep muck. They watch in dismay as it sinks into the goop.

"That's bad." Maddy cringes as the mud gives a gargle, somehow.

"EARTHY," Torika whispers as she narrows her eyes. Yue lifts her up onto a tree branch, and he himself perches on one.

"That is correct, master. What will you do without your precious wand?" The voice is surprisingly calm, almost motherly. Torika knows that EARTHY is supposedly the strongest of all the Elementals, but strangely, it does not seem that way.

"I don't need my wand to beat you," the auburn-haired girl says breathlessly, trying to keep herself together.

"Well, if you're going to get EARTHY, it has to be fast. The trees are all sinking into the mud. And, I can't fly us out of here, or EARTHY will make a grab for us, and it will be an even faster demise." Yue looks down, trying to come up with some way to gain control.

"Then why doesn't EARTHY get us up here?" Maddy asks as she shoots some string into the mud.

"Because of the Chinese order of elements. EARTHY wouldn't dare hurt anything in WOOD's power realm, and that includes trees," Torika remembers. "So, I think I've got a plan to beat this thing. All we've got to do is spread the mud out enough so that Maddy can fish my wand up," she says in a hushed tone, "And all I have to do is summon the powers of STORM to do that."

"I'm afraid it's not that easy, Torika. STORM isn't nearly powerful enough to spread the mud of EARTHY. It'll need an extra magical boost, one that not even I can supply." Yue shifts on his branch as he watches half of his tree's trunk submerge under the sticky mud.

"Then what are we going to do?" Torika asks, as Maddy's string becomes taut.

"I've got the wand. All you've got to do is spread the mud, and the wand is mine. Or Torika's, actually."

"Yue, why don't you think of something for now. I've got some talking to do," Torika says, as she looks down into the pale brown mud. "EARTHY, you seem reasonable and smart enough. Could you please tell me why the heck you guys are trying to kill me, but you want me to defeat you? Can you divulge the information that I seek, the reason that you are doing two opposite things?" She tries to sound smart to get on the Heart Card's good side.

"Well, I can tell you one thing. Not only do we want you to win, Master, but the person behind this wants you to win as well. Consider the "puppet-master," or the person behind this, a teacher. He gives you a test, not for you to fail, but for you to pass." EARTHY's sound logic doesn't fully satisfy Torika, but as she goes into another question, Yue calls out in surprise.

He is fading.

"Okay, Torika, I think I have an idea. You're going to have to put all of your emotion and power into releasing STORM, and I can send some magical powers to aid you as I disappear. Even though I won't be there for later, I'm going to do all I can for now," Yue says, as his outline glows faintly blue.

"Fine," Torika replies, nodding. She understands the dire situation, how the magic not only has to be executed well, but it has to be done precisely due to time constraints. She closes her eyes and thinks of everything she has felt on the roller-coaster of this test. The loss of her father and friends. The self-doubt. The relief. The disbelief. She pours it all into her fingers, immune to the world around her. She is her own power. She is herself.

When she opens her eyes, great winds thrash about. She can see a blue glow, and she notices that Yue is gone, disappeared. The storm enters the sea of mud, not fazed by its stickiness. Slowly, it twists and turns the mud, shooting it this way and that. "It's working!" Torika calls, her elation empowering STORM even more.

"Got it!" Maddy shouts with joy as she fishes the Heart Staff from the strange scene. Torika holds it in front of her, despite the fact that it is covered in mud, and a yellow circle appears beneath her.

"Reseal to your true form confined! EARTHY!" The winds swirl even harder, and a rectangle appears before the sorceress. The mud and winds are gone within seconds, and the Heart Card floats to the now dry ground.

The two girls jump down, and Torika picks up the card as it disappears again, along with STORM. She doesn't notice exactly how draining that magic was, and she is dizzy for a little bit. "Torika, are you okay?"

She nods, not wanting to worry her friend. "One more card," she assures herself, trying to keep steady. Trying to stand.

Torika passes out.

To be continued…