We have seen what happened to Harry after the shipwreck. Now it's time to explore Josec and Buern's experiences since then.
ONE WEEK AFTER THE SHIPWRECK
Buern stood at the seashore staring into the horizon.
"We managed to survive thanks to Marina. I honestly never imagined that she'd appear and save us with her own will. This is where Josec and I were found by the villagers of Coatl. Up until now, Josec has still not regained consciousness. He sure is a handful. I wonder if Harry is safe" Buern thought silently.
"Buern! Buern! Come quickly! Josec is…Josec is waking up!" a girl called excitedly.
"Really?!" Buern exclaimed excitedly and rushed towards the hut where Josec was resting.
The village of Coatl was located quite far south from the capital of Imperium. It was an isolated village hidden by a few mountains. The villagers of Coatl had escaped from Imperium during the attacks of Asmodeus since they knew that Asmodeus' attention would be focused on the big towns and cities. Fortunately, their guess was right and they were thus able to live in peace. The reason they risked living so close to the sea was because majority of them earned their living through fishing and marketing of sea goods. The village of Coatl had vast fertile lands thus farming was also possible on the highlands. The people utilized irrigation by directing some nearby rivers towards their farms. The villagers of Coatl preferred to live their lives in simplicity thus they lived in straw huts. The chief's hut was a bit bigger and surrounded by a fence to distinguish it from the ordinary villagers'.
The chief was a kind man with a single daughter whom he valued more than his life. Most of his sympathizers also had daughters thus the village was overflowing with young girls and women. Some of the king's knights who were strongly against the king's act of surrender followed the chief to this new area where they worked tirelessly to build their new settlement. It was the chief that volunteered to take care of Josec and Buern while they were unconscious.
Buern had regained consciousness three days after the shipwreck. She didn't have any serious injuries to deal with so she volunteered to help the villagers with farm work and trade. Most of the young men from the village were amazed by her strength and dedication and she had already begun to receive letters from secret admirers and declarations of love. She turned them all down with a straight face thus the young men began to feel intimidated by her presence and tried as much as possible not to talk about matters of the heart in her presence.
Buern finally arrived in the part of the hut Josec was supposed to be resting in. She found him sitting on a mat with a blank look on his face.
"Josec" she called with a smile as tears of joy streamed down her face. Josec stared at her.
"Do I know you?" he said in an expressionless tone.
"Don't tell me you've lost your memories of me! Josec, it's me Buern! Don't you remember?!" Buern called frantically.
Josec smiled mischievously.
"Just kidding, of course I remember! How could I forget you?!" he laughed. "You should have seen the look on your face!"
Buern clenched her fists tightly at her sides as her body began to tremble with rage. Josec noticed tears streaming down her eyes.
"Josec you idiot!" she screamed as she ran out of the hut.
"Buern wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" Josec called as he tried to get up and ran after her but his body was crippled by pain!
He fell to the ground.
The chief's daughter entered the hut. She was a teenage girl of about Buern's age with long silver hair and emerald eyes.
"That wasn't very nice Josec. Buern has been worried sick about you ever since she regained consciousness! Boys who can't appreciate girl's feelings deserve to get run over by an elephant and die!" she yelled and left the room.
"Hey, hey, I feel like I just became the worst enemy of all girls. How did a silly joke get me into this mess?" Josec wondered.
"I guess I'd better apologize to Buern and find Harry. He must be around here somewhere" Josec said as he struggled to stand up.
When he stepped out of the hut, he was amazed by the beautiful scenery. He could see the sea stretching far out in front of him so calmly. The skies were also clear blue and the sun made the sand shine like gold.
"Wow!" Josec exclaimed in awe.
"I must find Buern" he suddenly awoke to the present situation.
He walked around the village asking everyone if they had seen Buern. The angry girls who by now had heard of the incident snubbed him and the jealous boys who were angry that Buern had actually shed tears for him ignored him completely.
"I've become the enemy of the entire village" he thought to himself.
Josec searched the entire village for Buern but couldn't find her. He didn't know what else to do and he began to feel very desperate. The sun was setting by then. He felt very hungry too so he headed back to the chief's house. There he met the chief and his angry daughter.
"Josec, I see you're well now" the chief said.
Josec nodded.
His stomach was growling very loudly though.
"Aria, bring Josec some food" the chief said gently.
"Men who don't value women's feelings deserve to suffer the worst kind of fate…death by hunger" Aria said with an angry glare.
"Aria! Don't speak so loosely about death! You do realize how many people have lost their daughters to Asmodeus! Do you remember the feeling?" the chief asked Aria.
Aria nodded sadly.
At the mention of the name Asmodeus, memories of the shipwreck flooded Josec's mind.
"Asmodeus!" he growled angrily.
Aria handed him a plate of roasted plantains.
"Here, eat this" she said plainly.
Josec was surprised at first but he took it.
"Thank you" he said gratefully and began to eat hurriedly.
Soon he was done.
"Aria, can you please tell me where Buern is?" he asked.
"Who knows?" Aria snubbed him.
"Don't worry Josec. Maybe she went to sea with some of the young fishermen. They should be heading back by now" the chief said kindly.
Suddenly, a man ran into the chief's hut.
"Chief! We've got a serious problem! The fishermen that left this morning were attacked by stray Psychorages from the six nearby islands! Some of them have returned unhurt. The rest were taken captive!" the man reported frantically.
"WHAT?! Round up the remaining men and prepare for a rescue operation!" the chief ordered.
"Buern! What of Buern?!" Josec screamed.
"Unfortunately, I do not know of Miss Buern's whereabouts!" the man said.
"Wh-what? N-No way" Josec muttered as he ran out of the hut.
The chief and Aria followed him.
"Th-This is all my fault. I never meant to hurt Buern's feelings…" Josec dropped on his knees.
"BUEEEERRRRNNN!" he screamed at the top of his voice.
He frowned very seriously.
"Where are the six nearby islands?" Josec asked seriously.
"They are straight ahead. They form a crescent but it's too dangerous to head out there. None of us are going to take you there in your present condition so just go back to the hut and rest. Leave everything to us" the man who had reported the situation advised Josec.
"No, you leave this to me. I promised to protect Buern…but rather, I ended up hurting her. If anything happens to her…I'll never forgive myself!" Josec declared as tears ran down his face.
"Josec" Aria called silently.
"I know I am weak…and this might probably shorten my lifespan but listen to my heart phoenix dwelling within me and once more…SHARE YOUR STRENGTH WITH ME!" Josec called.
There was a huge outburst of energy from his body. The villagers shielded their eyes. When they looked again, Josec had disappeared. They heard a loud shriek! They raised their eyes to the skies and saw a huge beautiful bird.
"Is that…?!" the chief exclaimed in surprise.
"A silver phoenix!" Aria was even more shocked.
Josec flew towards the sea searching around for six islands forming a crescent. He found them just as the village disappeared from his sight.
"Impossible! Could these be…the Lunar Islands?!" he exclaimed as realization hit him.
He descended on the central island and looked around. Beautiful white flowers spread across the islands. Josec smiled as a single tear flowed down the eye of the silver phoenix and hit the island. At that moment, the sun set and the moon slowly came out. The flowers began to glow with an incredibly bright light and the entire island was transformed to become like the surface of the moon. At that moment, a beautiful song was heard and a beautiful maiden appeared amongst the flowers. Her hair shown like the stars. Josec stared at the woman in awe. Josec shut his eyes and slowly transformed into himself. He opened his eyes and smiled. Then he ran towards the woman.
"Mother!" he called as he leapt into her arms.
"Josec my son, how have you been all this while?" she asked.
"H-How is it possible that you are here? I thought Innovain captured you" Josec exclaimed happily.
"He may have captured my body but my soul belongs only to two men, you and your father" Josec's mother said.
"Are you alive? Are you alright mother?" Josec asked.
"Yes, I am alive" Josec's mother answered his question.
"How are you here then?" Josec asked.
"Phoenix tears. They are like a beckoning to me and this time they felt stronger because they were intertwined with the tears of a dragon" Josec's mother said.
"Buern" Josec muttered.
His mother nodded.
"Your hair is really beautiful in the moonlight mom, like those days" Josec said happily.
"You never asked me why my hair changes colour whenever the moon falls on these flowers" Josec's mother said with a smile.
"I've always thought about it. The only conclusion I could come up with was that… 'my mother is a maiden of the heavens'. I really miss you mom" Josec said happily.
"I know. I miss you too…and your dad. But Josec, it is imperative that you find Fencer as soon as possible" Josec's mother said.
"Mom, who is this Fencer you want us to find so badly?" Josec asked.
"He is your father's friend, one of the seven Jo-lan Masters who defeated Souryu's seven generals" Josec's mother informed him.
"The seven Jo-lan Masters? I've never heard of them. Neither have I heard of Souryu's seven generals" Josec said.
"I don't have much time. Fencer will tell you about them however Josec, I never want you to take Buern for granted like you just did" Josec's mother said seriously.
Josec frowned.
"I meant it as a joke but…it was stupid of me to act like that" Josec admitted.
"Josec, you lost your father but you still have me and all your friends. Buern never had anyone to depend on from the day she was born. Lately, I feel she has come to depend on you with all her heart. To say something like 'you forgot her' was a very painful thing for her to endure. If she loses you, all she will have is solitude. Take good care of her" Josec's mother said as she began to fade away.
"Mom?!" Josec called.
"I'll be watching over you, my foolish precious son" Josec's mother said as she disappeared.
No sooner had Josec's mother disappeared than Josec found himself surrounded by about thirty stray psychorages.
"The power of the phoenix! If we devour you here, all that power will belong to us!" they ranted.
"Where are the villagers and Buern?!" Josec demanded.
"Like we can remember which of our many victims is called Buern or from any village" a giant crab psychorage sneered.
"I'll ask you one more time…where is Buern?" Josec growled angrily as his pupils turned into silver slits.
"Why don't you ask that pathetic question after you have defeated us?!" the psychorages declared.
Many of them looked like sea creatures.
"You'll regret making me so angry!" Josec roared as he burst through their ranks overwhelming them with intense speed and brute strength.
In a matter of minutes, he had defeated them all. He walked to the crab psychorage. His intense gaze struck fear into the hearts of the defeated psychorages.
"Please…tell me where Buern is" Josec said as he began to shed tears.
The crab psychorage stared at him with sad eyes.
"The depth of your care has touched my very soul. Buern is…" the crab psychorage turned away.
"Yes?" Josec asked.
"PSYCHE! Like I'd know where some foolish human is!" the crab psychorage roared as it slashed Josec with its pincers.
Josec felt an overwhelming pain. He stared down at himself and saw blood streaming from his chest.
He frowned angrily.
"Who knows? Maybe that Buern you're talking about is already in my entrails. She sounds delicious, like some kind of dish. I'm thinking Buernvita" the crab psychorage mocked Josec and the other psychorages began to cackle in glee.
"He said Buernvita!"
"Or maybe…Buern à la carte!" the crab psychorage mocked some more.
Josec clenched his fists angrily.
"Buern à la carte? Calm down Josec, calm down, calm down…LIKE HELL I'LL CALM DOWN AFTER HEARING THAT!" Josec roared as he released huge bolts of electricity from his body.
"He is not a fire phoenix?!" one of the other psychorages exclaimed in horror.
"Let me see, in the elemental balance, water is weak against…IMPOSSIBLE! HE IS A LIGHTNING PHOENIX?!" the crab exclaimed in horror.
"Looks like you like to use French expressions…so can you translate this expression for me…BON VOYAGE" Josec growled angrily as his eyes took on a sinister glow.
"SACRE BLEU!" the crab psychorage exclaimed in horror.
Josec charged towards the crab psychorage with a sparking fist.
"PARDONNE MOI!" the crab psychorage screamed.
Josec paused his attack.
"Fine, I'm not so ruthless I cannot forgive a rogue psychorage" Josec said with a smile.
"Really?" the crab psychorage asked.
"PSYCHE! FLY TO INFINITY!" Josec roared as he gave the crab psychorage a massive punch.
The crab psychorage flew into the sky while screaming. "SACRE BLEU!" till it eventually landed in an uncharted area of the sea.
Josec turned to the other psychorages.
"Well?! Does anyone else want some French lessons?!" Josec roared.
"No! Please!" the other psychorages pleaded.
"So much for psychorage pride" Josec said.
"We are not psychorages! We are just mutated animals. Please, we only wanted to protect our island. We already released our captives" a giant turtle spoke.
"Was there a girl among them?" Josec asked.
"No, I don't recall seeing a girl. Earlier this afternoon, this part of the sea was attacked by Asmodeus. If there was a girl around, Asmodeus probably has her" the turtle said.
"Thank you very much" Josec said as he spread his wings and flew into the sky.
Silver Phoenix wings spread across his back as he flew towards Coatl.
As Josec approached the land, he saw thick smoke rising in the distance and orange flames dancing across the shores.
"Coatl? It can't be!" he exclaimed in horror as he quickly assumed the full form of the phoenix.
He dived towards the sea and tilted his wings upwards. The force of his speed coupled with the strength of his intentions caused the waves to rise. As he approached Coatl, he could sense a presence behind him. He looked behind himself and saw a semi-material image of his mother raising the waves above him.
He smiled.
"Thank you mom" he muttered as he directed his wings forward with such force that the waves fell on Coatl and quenched the flames.
When the waves returned to the sea, Josec was glad to see that the villagers were safe. They had left the village for the highlands. They waved to Josec happily. Even Aria seemed overjoyed.
Josec began to feel weak. His vision began to blur. His wings felt heavy and the pain from the wound on his chest felt intense. As his vision began to fade, he saw Buern at the highest point of the highlands staring at him with a worried look on her face.
"Buern? Am I dreaming?" he asked himself.
"JOSEC!" Buern screamed as she raced towards the village.
"I'm not dreaming, she is safe. I'm so…glad" Josec mumbled as his strength faded away.
He began to lose his psychorage form. Finally, his wings disappeared. He lost consciousness and began to tumble headfirst to the ground.
"If he falls like that…he'll die!" Buern exclaimed in fear.
She created a stream of water below her feet and used it to surf as fast as she could towards Josec.
"JOSEC!" she screamed as she forced the wave beneath her to move faster.
Just as Josec was about to hit the ground, Buern put in the greatest of her effort, caught him in her arms and stopped moving. Josec was unconscious and he looked badly injured.
"Josec" she murmured.
TWO WEEKS LATER…
Buern sat beside Josec watching him.
"This is all my fault. It's my fault that Josec is injured. I should have realized by now how reckless he is…when it comes to my safety. Why did I take his joke so seriously?" Buern thought sadly as she hugged her knees.
She stared at Josec.
"Why do you try so hard for me?" Buern wondered as she stared at Josec.
She crawled towards him slowly, uncertain of herself. She held Josec's hand when she was close enough. She smiled as she placed his hand on her cheek.
"Your hand feels so warm" she said silently.
Then suddenly, she felt a terrible wave of fear. It was so chilling. It felt like she was trapped in a world of darkness and emptiness. She stared around but Josec had disappeared. The hut had disappeared. She stared at the ground. It seemed to be covered in thick ashes about shin deep.
"Hmmph! So you really decided to abandon the darkness didn't you Buern Vane? You are just like your father who forsook me because of love. You are a WEAKLING!" a familiar sinister voice spoke to her.
She frowned and looked behind her.
"It's you isn't it? SOURYU THE BLACK DRAGON!" she roared.
She saw the terrifying form of that terrible dragon that had plagued humanity for millennia. Those horrid black scales that could repel any attack, those horrid fangs that killed many, both human and psychorage, those evil eyes filled with contempt for humanity and those heads that were only filled with evil thoughts.
"Indeed, it is I. I am disappointed in you Buern! Truly I had thought you were the one that could actually gain ultimate power but now…you have a soul filled with light!" Souryu roared.
"I do seek power Souryu. The power to crush you!" Buern roared.
"That is what I call vain dedication. You think you are growing stronger when in fact you are growing weaker…just like your father was in the past. He grew so weak that he couldn't even protect your mother" Souryu taunted Buern.
"SHUT UP SOURYU! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TALK ABOUT MY PARENTS!" Buern roared.
"Can't handle the truth can you? Well then let me ask you a question. If you can answer it correctly, I will take back my influence over your father but if you cannot answer it correctly…I WILL KILL JOSEC!" Souryu threatened.
Buern began to shiver uncontrollably.
"I…I can free my father…here?" she thought.
"Only if you can answer my question correctly" Souryu said with an evil smirk.
Buern thought deeply.
"This is too good to be true. If I get this wrong, Josec might die…but wait…Souryu is an immaterial being right now. He needs a host to live in this world. He is not at full power. Even if I get the question wrong, he cannot hurt Josec!" Buern thought excitedly.
"Ask your question!" she demanded.
Souryu smirked.
"Buern Vane, this is my question. You claim you've gotten stronger but…how many times have you been able to protect Josec? Or rather, I should ask…how many times has Josec been injured trying to protect you?" Souryu asked.
Fear struck Buern's heart. She knew the Black Dragon to be a liar but she knew in her heart that this time, Souryu was telling the truth.
"First, Josec ended up cursed protecting you from me, then he hurt himself to save you from kidnappers. After that, when you fell into the River Of Recollection, he believing that you were alive risked staying in the same place resulting in him getting hurt once again to save you. He protected you once again from that so-called new power you chose to bond with and finally, because of your anger towards him, he fought numerous stray psychorages in his wounded state and nearly died. Face it Buern, everything you have done since you decided to accept the light has put Josec in danger. You are the reason he gets hurt so often, the only reason. You say you've become stronger but in the end, every time Josec has psychoraged for you, he has made my curse on him stronger. His life span has been considerably shortened already and he does not have much longer to live. Face it Buern…YOU ARE WEAK!" Souryu roared.
Buern fell on her knees as the weight of Souryu's words crushed her.
"Josec is…dying. YOU ARE LYING SOURYU! I WON'T BELIEVE IT!" Buern screamed as tears fell down her eyes.
"Haven't you noticed it already Buern. Whenever Josec psychorages, his form is weaker than his previous psychorage and he ends up losing consciousness. There are three stages to my curse. The first is…the joki of the victim becomes poison that slowly eats away at his life force. Josec is currently at the second stage, frequent loss of consciousness. The final stage will manifest soon. His internal organs will begin to age and corrode and eventually…he will die. Josec has a few weeks left to live thanks…to you. Just as your father's weakness cost him the life of your mother, your weakness will cost you the life of the person you value most. Look, one of your friends is already dead. He thought he was sacrificing his life to save everyone but rather…he surrendered himself for nothing" Souryu said as an image appeared behind Buern.
She turned around to look and saw Harryu lying dead in a dark gigantic room.
"HARRY! NO! THIS CAN'T BE! NOOO!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Buern screamed.
Souryu laughed at her.
"I guess I'll be taking your father and another prize. I will be watching to see how you will despair" Souryu said.
Buern shut her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she was back in the hut holding Josec's hand. Tears were streaming down her eyes profusely.
"Josec, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault" she wept.
Josec slowly opened his eyes and saw Buern's tear stained face. Her eyes were shut so she didn't notice him.
"Why is she…crying? Is it because of what I said? Am I the one who hurt Buern this badly?" Josec wondered sadly.
"Buern, why are you crying? Is it because of what I said? If so, I'm so sorry" Josec apologized.
Buern opened her eyes and stared at him. She wiped her tears and smiled.
"J-Josec, I'm okay. These are tears of joy" Buern said with a forced smile, then she turned her back to Josec so that he wouldn't see her cry.
"Those don't look like tears of joy. Are you still mad at me?" Josec asked.
"No, I'm not" Buern said with a trembling voice.
"Then what is…" Josec was asking when Buern interrupted him.
"Please don't ask okay? Please, I'm begging you" she said as she wiped her tears and turned to face him.
"Are you hungry?" she asked him suddenly.
Josec felt sad. Buern seemed so desperate.
He smiled, "yeah, I'd love to eat some of your cooking right now. Lots and lots of it so please do your best" Josec said with a playful voice.
It only made Buern feel worse.
"He seems so oblivious to the fact that his life is in danger. He always seems so innocent. I can't make him worry. I'll do my best to make sure he is happy" Buern thought as she headed towards the kitchen.
Josec lay down on the mat with a sad look on his face.
"That look, those tears. I can't bear seeing that again. I'll never make Buern cry again!" he thought with firm resolve.
A few hours later, Buern was back with some food. Josec got up.
"Mmm, smells delish, I'll gobble it all up in an instant!" he said as he was about to fetch some of the food with his hands but Buern glared at him.
"Wash your hands first!" she scolded him.
"Yes mother" he pretended to be offended and headed to the kitchen.
He washed his hands and quickly headed back to the room.
"Time to…" he was about to say when he saw that sad sight again.
Buern was weeping uncontrollably.
"Buern, are you sure you're alright?" he asked worriedly.
Buern nodded.
Josec remained silent after that and ate his food.
"How is it?" Buern asked.
"It's salty…like tears" Josec said.
Buern turned away from him.
"Buern, are you sure you are alright?" Josec repeated his question.
Buern didn't respond this time. There was an air of gloom. Josec began to shed tears as well.
"Buern, are you this unhappy around me? Do I really make you feel that sad?" Josec said sadly.
Buern was surprised by this question.
"You are acting like you're mourning for a dead man. Am I really that pathetic? So pathetic that…" Josec said but the words that followed made Buern speechless.
"Josec…you…" she murmured in shock.
"If my presence makes you unhappy, then… Buern I think it would be better…" Josec was about to say when Buern yelled.
"DON'T SAY IT! NEVER REPEAT THAT IN YOUR LIFE BECAUSE IT IS NOT TRUE AND YOU KNOW IT! YOU KNOW HOW HAPPY I AM WHEN I'M AROUND YOU…I just…don't want to lose you" Buern said sadly.
"Lose me? Heh! You won't lose me so easily. I won't die without defeating Souryu first!" Josec said.
"Promise me! Promise me that you won't die no matter what happens!" Buern said desperately.
"DO I really have to say it? I won't die. I know how much you've come to depend on me. I won't let you d-" Josec was about to say when he began to feel like he was choking.
He coughed violently.
:"W-Water" he struggled to say.
Buern wasted no time in bringing him water. He quickly drank all of it. Then he put his hands behind him. Buern noticed this.
"Josec, let me see your hands" Buern demanded.
"Why? There's nothing wrong with my hands" Josec said.
"Then why are you trying to hide them? Let me see them!" Buern demanded firmly.
Josec avoided her eyes. Buern charged on him before he could react and pulled his hands forward.
"No, no, no, this can't be happening!" she exclaimed in fear.
"Told you so" she heard Souryu's dark voice within her mind.
On Josec's hand were a few droplets of BLOOD!
Buern clutched her head tightly.
"This can't be happening. It can't be happening. It can't be true!" she exclaimed in fear.
"Buern, it's nothing. I had a deep wound from a mutated crab, that's all" Josec said.
Buern buried her face in her palms and cried.
"I can't Josec. I can't live…without you" she said.
"I'm not going to die Buern! I just promised you that didn't I? Can't you believe in me? Can't you trust my words?" Josec said sternly.
Buern stopped crying and stared at him.
"Buern, have I ever failed you?" Josec asked.
Well duh! Didn't he realize he just failed her that morning?! Guys can be so clueless at times don't you think? I know because I hardly know what I'm thinking most of the time.
Anyways, Buern shook her head.
"No Josec, you've never failed me before" Buern said.
Josec smiled.
"I know this may sound selfish Buern but will you help me…fight for my life?" Josec asked as he stretched his hand towards her.
Buern held his hand.
"I'll do my best" Buern said.
Then she shut her eyes and returned to the dark world in the deepest part of her mind. When she opened her eyes, Souryu stood before her.
"Do you realize now how right I am Buern?" Souryu asked.
Buern pointed at Souryu.
"You wanted an answer didn't you? Well here is my answer! Just as Josec's light outshined the darkness in my heart. His light…his will will conquer all the evil you have placed in his path and I promise you Souryu that one day, Josec, Harry and I will stand in your presence! Better be ready then Souryu because that will be your downfall!" Buern declared.
Immediately, a bright flash of light appeared and Buern saw Harry cloaked in magnificent silvery white armour.
"Harry!" she exclaimed joyfully.
"Wherever your poisonous fangs strike Souryu, the phoenix's beak will strike back! Where your evil claws bring death, the phoenix's talons will bring salvation and where your black flames bring decadence, the crimson flames of the phoenix will bring justice! That, Souryu, is my answer!" Buern declared.
"Sounds like a challenge" Souryu said as he shut his eyes.