"As you knew we would? But you sentenced us to death!" Ryu yelled angrily.
"In the place where the Sword Of Rai was hidden. It was no coincidence Ryu, they knew. They knew we would find it" Rokkan said.
"And we sentenced you to death to help you get rid of the darkness in your hearts. In essence, it was a kind of baptism to rid you of your old selves. Now, you are going to become the people fate has chosen" Master Hiroshi said.
"In that case…" Ryu bowed respectfully, "…will you train us…masters?" he requested.
"Hiroshi, I will train Ryu, I leave Rokkan in your hands" Master Hiruko said.
"How do you…?!" Ryu was about to exclaim when Rokkan interrupted him.
"They looked into our souls Ryu, names are just a small matter" Rokkan said.
"Oh, I see" Ryu sighed in relief.
"Follow me Ryu" Master Hiruko beckoned.
Master Hiruko took Ryu to the Temple of Light. Master Hiroshi and Rokkan were right behind them. Ryu noticed that there were two dragon heads in the wall behind the altar. Master Hiruko pushed one head and Master Hiroshi pushed the other into the wall. Two separate passages opened below the altar. They seemed to lead underground.
"See you later Ryu!" Rokkan waved.
"See you later Rokkan" Ryu replied.
Master Hiruko took Ryu underground to a huge hall beneath the Temple.
"This is where all your training will take place" Master Hiruko said.
The Hall was dimly lit and was supported by countless huge pillars. The roof seemed so high up, it was covered in darkness and there was at least one lantern on each pillar.
"COOL!" Ryu exclaimed in awe and joy. "So where do we start?!" he asked eagerly.
"First I will tell you a story, a story about a man…and a demon, a story of two personalities that nearly decided the fate of the world. Shut your eyes and open up your heart and mind and the story will become clear to you" Master Hiruko said.
Ryu obeyed.
"Listen carefully Ryu and learn the lessons this story teaches" Master Hiruko instructed.
"I'm all ears" Ryu said eagerly.
"This story began long ago, before the birth of the man, in an age before even the birth of the ryu and ninjutsu itself" Master Hiruko said.
Ryu began to see images within his mind.
"Long after the Dragon Saints had created the world, a little after the fall of Ryuujinn and longer yet before the birth of the ryu, there was an age of great magic and sorcery, an age where the inter-planetary alignment decided the course of magic and fate. During this age, the world was ruled each five centuries by a different dragon saint. They moved man's fate as they saw fit from above, without directly influencing man's life. First to rule was Crystal, then Melody, then Torpedo, Hurricane and Tornado. There was great peace during their ages. And then finally, it was the turn of the eldest dragon saint, second in age to only Ryuujinn himself, the one called Tristran. Tristran ruled with tyranny and cruelty, however, it was not in the place of the other dragon saints to intervene. After Tristran's turn to rule was over, Molten's turn came to rule, however, Tristran refused to abdicate power. To ensure that his rule remained perpetual, Tristran created six moons to become the power source and to amplify his evil powers. In so doing, Tristran became invincible. Many lives were sacrificed and many dragons had their souls sucked dry by Tristran. Those dragons became what you know now as Dark mongerers. In essence, they are neither alive nor dead. They have no will, only sorrow and the instinct to destroy" Master Hiruko narrated.
"That's so sad" Ryu said sadly.
"Unknown to Tristran however, Molten had teamed up with a warrior. A mysterious warrior who wielded the powers of the combined energies of body and spirit, a warrior not of that age, a warrior that possessed a strange power, quite similar to that of a dragon. Tristran was immune to all forms of magic but not magic that combined human fighting techniques with spiritual power. Molten and the warrior defeated Tristran and sealed a sixth of Tristran in each of the moons he created. The warrior became the founder of ninjutsu and the first two ryu were created, the Fire ryu and the Flame ryu. These two ryu were known back then as the Fiery ryu, a united kingdom. Peace emerged once more and more ryu were born. Soon Tristran was forgotten and magic was abandoned for ninjutsu. The Fiery ryu came under the leadership of its most powerful ninja, the Shadow Of Fire or Hokage, and so became the practice of all the ryu, to be ruled by kings or Shadows Of Their Elements. And finally, after many ages, the man was born, born to the Flame ryu. He was the only ninja ever to be known as a Samurai warrior, the genius swordsman…Shekan. A proud, kind and powerful ninja who was willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of his ryu" Master Hiruko paused his story.
"Okay, hold it right there! Shekan as in…Gaiden's archenemy? The same Shekan who sought to destroy the ryu?! What history have you been reading?!" Ryu exclaimed in disbelief.
"What you know of Shekan is all history says of him. Shekan was a person" Master Hiruko said.
"It's a little difficult to believe because…anytime I'm in the Chaos State, all I feel is an intense rage and hatred unlike anything possibly human. That kind of hatred is impossible for a human being and that…is the spirit of Shekan within me" Ryu said.
"I have not ended my story yet. Unbeknownst to everyone, Tristran had created a seventh of himself but being divided so many times, this seventh was nothing more than a spirit, a presence. It dwelt in this part of the Temple all that while waiting patiently for its next victim. An evil as relentless as Tristran would never give up, not until he is completely extinguished. Shekan accidentally discovered this part of the Temple. He was deceived and possessed by Tristran. Tristran amplified his fears and fed on his insecurities regarding the present state of the world and finally made him believe that the world would be a better place if the dragons were to be overthrown. I don't need to tell you how a human is easily deceived into thinking that he can act completely independent of the spiritual forces surrounding him, especially if fate becomes a concern. Thus began Shekan's quest for vengeance. The spirit of Shekan within you is innately a good spirit however, it is gradually coalescing with the spirit of Tristran. For now, the merge is not complete yet and I believe Shekan foresaw this. That was why he created a statue carrying a portion of his spirit and transferred a bit of his powers into you. He chose you, one with the blood descended from light and darkness yet bearing the understanding of both, just like Crystal. You've known love and you've known hatred. You have kept the hatred at bay and allowed your love to grow. Ryu, your fate is a heavy one, unlike Gaiden's or any of the past heroes. They were merely emissaries, preparing the way for your birth, for the hero that will become the final Saint. Tristran and Shekan are still merging. You may have noticed that your hatred is growing too but you cannot let it overwhelm you. There is another prophecy, a very ancient one. It says;
'A Day will come when the world will unite,
A Battle will be fought by the Sons Of The Light,
A Darkness will rise, A Darkness will fall,
But the Shadow Of Light will be mightier than all'
Tristran knows this prophecy well and that is why he took another pre-emptive move. He decided to invade your body using Shekan's spirit" Master Hiruko explained.
"That's scary. It explains a lot of things concerning the Chaos State and the missing pieces of history's puzzle. I didn't want to believe it but now I know for sure, Shekan is just a diversion. The real threat we're facing is the revival of Tristran. To think Tristran could be so conniving!" Ryu muttered in disgust.
Master Hiruko nodded.
"The others must know about this once I'm done with my training" Ryu said with determination.
"No! They must not know until Tristran is vanquished. Knowledge is power, but when it comes to Tristran, knowledge is danger. The mere fact of even knowing his name can open doors to an unimaginable world of manipulation and spiritual torment. Knowing more about Tristran will only endanger your comrades. Even the present state of this world, the ryus' growing suspicions of one another and their isolation from one another had already been planned by Tristran even before Gaiden defeated Shekan" Master Hiruko warned.
"What do I do? Tristran is a really scary existence" Ryu thought to himself.
"Don't be afraid. Believe in Ryuujinn's Dragon Zone. The Light will balance out the darkness" Master Hiruko assured Ryu. "You are the only person in existence that can overcome Tristran. You have shared Ryuujinn's pain even without full knowledge of the feelings you have been experiencing. You have Gaiden and Shekan backing you, the Light Of The Samurai and the Darkness Of The Ninja as well as some very good genes" Master Hiruko said with a laugh.
Ryu smiled.
"To defeat Tristran, you need to master magic and the power of flame, more importantly, I will personally teach you swordsmanship and most importantly you will master the ultimate Dragon Art, The Power Of The True Soul" Master Hiroku said confidently.
"I'll do my best master!" Ryu declared.