Ryu and Reis walked into the Passage. It was a slightly darker passage than the part of the cavern that had the Limelight devices mounted.
"From here on out, at least until we reach the Cavern Of The Jo-lan Masters, you can just follow me Reis" Ryu said.
"You know the way?" Reis asked.
"Yup, I've been there a few times" Ryu said.
"It's interesting to note that you've been silent about that as well" Reis said.
Ryu laughed.
"Master Raygaard's test was for us both. Doesn't help if you couldn't figure out how to overcome it on your own. Besides, the test of resourcefulness was necessary if you are to understand anything that comes our way from here on out" Ryu said.
"I won't comment on the fact that you seem to have an idea concerning what it is we're about to discover" Reis said.
"Like I said Reis, the quest…not the solution. Besides, everything we've already faced is a prerequisite for comprehending anything we're about to face" Ryu said.
"Fine, I won't push the matter" Reis said.
The companions walked through the Passage and eventually arrived at a slope leading upwards into yet another entrance. Standing just in front of the slope was a silver haired boy wearing a crimson headband.
"I believe this slope leads somewhere safe" he said with a smile.
Ryu and Reis nodded and walked up the slope into another bright cavern. The walls of this cavern appeared to be made of luminous rocks.
"We've made it into The Cavern Of The Jo-lan Masters" Ryu said.
"How can you tell?" Reis asked.
"This cavern is slightly brighter than the Passage. That's because its walls are composed of a rare mythical ore called mythril. It's an ore that's quite easy to work with but once hardened it's almost impossible to break. I am told its unbreakable property goes beyond a simple concept of hardness. The mythril that compose these walls seem to be of a luminous variety" Ryu explained.
"Mythril? I've heard of it. Remember the twin heirs to the kingdom of Saggeese I told you about before? Their twin blades are made of mythril too" Reis said.
"Hey Ryu! What are you guys doing here?" a familiar voice called to them.
"Buern!" Ryu and Reis waved.
Buern was standing with Josec, a boy and another girl.
"You know Buern?" Ryu asked Reis with a mischievous smirk.
"Let's just say she got me to tame thunder and leave it at that" Reis said.
"Hello Josec" Reis greeted.
"How're you doing Reis?" Josec greeted.
"Looks like you four know one another. Why don't you introduce us?" the boy said.
"This here is Harry. He's a bit of a loudmouth but don't let that fool you. He is the mythical eighth Jo-lan Master who defeated an evil psychorage called Anubis that enslaved an entire continent through fear" Josec introduced the boy.
"And this here is Estelle, princess of the continent Harry saved, also his fiancée" Buern introduced.
"What's a psychorage?" Reis asked.
"They're mythical beasts from our homeworld. The equivalent of the Dragons from your homeworld. That's the simplest way to explain it. A psychorage is also a special fighting technique that merges the consciousness of a psychorage with that of a human" Harry said.
"Josec's here. We might as well ask him" Reis said.
"Ask me what?" Josec asked curiously.
"Do you know anything of mythical twin swords, twin elements…" Ryu asked.
Reis interrupted him.
"…or any special songs?" Reis quickly added.
"Well, there's the History Of Jo-lan. But for you to understand anything we could tell you about it, you'll probably need to speak with Master Fencer first" Josec said.
"However, I could tell you of a certain special song I have knowledge of" Harry said.
"Really?" Reis and Ryu looked excited.
Harry nodded.
"Right around the time I prepared to confront Anubis, the psychorage that enslaved Estelle's continent, I often got glimpses of a psychorage called Hieron. He was often singing this song;
Born of wind, free as air
Not of hate, nor of fear
Visible, yet intangible
Like a dream long lost I wait
I await the one who listens to the wind
My sole purpose is to obey him
Who lost his past yet clung to the future
He calls, I hear but cannot obey
Not until Life meets Death
And Destiny triumphs
Only then shall I wear my pride
As the King Of The Air"
Harry sang. Reis and Ryu recalled Zan's song and his words.
"Trapped in Darkness, Light will lose
Together with Darkness, Light will fuse
Truth was cloaked in Darkness
Light and Darkness fused.
I am told it is a song about purification, purification by trials. These two elements, water and fire, represent a joyful and painful purification. You could consider them a purification by both Life and Death however, the mysteries surrounding this purification are hidden, like Truth cloaked in Darkness" Zan's words rang within their minds.
"Jo-lan said something once. 'Only when Life meets Death and Destiny triumphs shall a path open to Souryu's defeat.' Souryu you may infer from what I said is the darkness of my homeworld" Harry explained.
"Go speak with Master Fencer. He is in a cave east of where we are right now. Once you've spoken with him, return to us. We'll tell you all you need to know" Buern said with a smile.
The others nodded.
Reis and Ryu nodded and headed east. Soon enough, they arrived in the cave Josec's crew had told them about. On the walls of the cave were many images. Ryu noticed one in particular. It was an image of a man with crimson wings surrounded by a multitude bound together by a crimson cord. The multitude in the image were presenting the crimson winged figure with gifts and in the next image, all the people had disappeared. The image of a phoenix battling a Black Dragon was depicted next.
"This image is synonymous with the events surrounding the forging of the Aurora Sabre" Ryu noted.
"This image seems to portray a multitude bound together by fate. I am willing to bet that the phoenix in the next image is a symbolic representation of this multitude and the crimson winged figure in the previous image" Reis observed.
Suddenly, there was the sound of applause from behind them.
"An interesting deduction and quite accurate as well" a voice said.
Ryu and Reis turned around to see a man with bright golden hair and blue eyes.
"I am Edgar Fencer, one of the Seven Jo-lan Masters" the man introduced himself.
Ryu and Reis introduced themselves as well.
"We would like to know a bit more about Jo-lan" Ryu said.
"I will tell you anything you wish to know concerning the Seven Jo-lan Masters, Souryu's Seven Generals and Souryu himself" Master Fencer said.
"First tell us a bit about the Jo-lan Masters" Ryu asked.
"Each Jo-lan Master represents a single lesson and each has triumphed over a general of Souryu. Everything the Masters are is contained within this riddle;
Seven Canons,
Seven Masters,
Seven Stones
The Seven Canons and Seven Masters
Are One and the same
If this Mountain is my home
Then each have their own
The Mountains are separate but only geographically
They are tied together by the same History
But that is not all for there are Seven Stones
What is it that makes each Master unique?"
Master Fencer said.
Reis and Ryu recorded this lesson with their crystal keys.
"Tell us about Souryu's Generals next" Reis asked.
"The Seven Generals Of Souryu are seven fragments of his power containing the greatest amount of his power out of all dark psychorages and each is at the top of its element making them at the class of a cataclysmic natural disaster. To defeat the generals takes a lot of preparation and also to some extent, the power of fused psychorages. Each of them were assigned to one of the continents of our homeworld, and they coordinate the lesser evil psychorages under them. For centuries, they plagued the continents with all sorts of disasters, breeding mistrust amongst the continents and boxing them into isolation thus trapping our homeworld within a slow state of decline. It is said that once these seven generals are defeated, the power Souryu delegated to them returns to him and he becomes as powerful as the entire army of psychorages he commands making him the insurmountable obstacle our lessons exist to overcome" Master Fencer said.
"Tell us a bit about Souryu" Ryu asked.
"Souryu is the darkness of our homeworld, the ultimate incarnation of evil from our homeworld. Jealous of the souls humans possess, he consistently plots our destruction. He was however defeated once in our history by the birth of four elements from our homeworld and the Crimson Phoenix" Master Fencer said.
"From what you've told us so far, there should be seven Jo-lan Masters however, we recently encountered an Eighth Jo-lan Master" Ryu said.
"You must be speaking of Harry Bane. Yes indeed, he is also a Jo-lan Master but he is quite an anomaly in that regard. As young as he is, he triumphed over Souryu's third general Anubis. He is also a Bane, a descendant of one of the three founding families of the Phoenix Clan. The Bane Clan are the inheritors of the Phoenix's Mind which coordinates the entire body of the Phoenix. They possess great problem solving abilities and the ability to repel all curses. It was through this ability that Harry Bane triumphed over Anubis who is well renowned for his death curses" Master Fencer explained. "If you want to learn more about Jo-lan, you should probably speak with my students. I'm certain they would be less reluctant to tell you more about Jo-lan now" Master Fencer said.
Ryu and Reis nodded.
"Thank you Master Fencer" they said and headed out to seek Josec's crew.
They found Josec and crew right where they had left them.
"Looks like you spoke to Master Fencer" Josec said.
"We certainly did" Ryu said.
"Did he tell you about the riddle concerning the Seven Jo-lan Masters?" Josec asked.
Reis nodded.
"Did you see the images within his cave?" Harry asked.
"Yup, we did" Ryu nodded.
"Then you should also know that the images within his cavern recount Jo-lan's History. You remember the lines in the riddle that say;
'The mountains are separate but only geographically,
They are tied together by the same History?'
If you consider the images you saw in his riddle and the elements of the riddle with relation to space, you will come to realize that the elements of the riddle and the history you saw are disjoint, separate. This geographical separation with relation to space signifies Jo-lan's Unique History. However, if you consider the elements of the riddle and the images you saw with relation to time, you will come to realize that they form one whole. This historical oneness represents Jo-lan's Common History" Josec explained.
"History interpreted from two perspectives; a geographical perspective and a historical perspective. It almost reminds me of the Code Of Heart And Hate" Ryu said.
"Is that something you're willing to share Ryu?" Reis asked.
"You'll find out about it when we arrive at our next destination. For now, let us focus on learning more about Jo-lan" Ryu said.
"I'm certain Master Fencer would have told you about the Seven Jo-lan Masters, the Seven Generals Of Souryu and Souryu itself. So we will tell you about Jo-lan, the Three Founding Families and the Crimson Phoenix" Buern said.
"We will begin with Jo-lan. Many centuries ago in our homeworld, the Black Dragon arose to bring mankind to its knees. It was a force of great destruction. Mankind battled the Black Dragon feverishly but mankind was overwhelmed. During that time, mankind prayed ceaselessly, unrelentingly and at the same time, mankind sought weapons to battle the Black Dragon. Somewhere along the line, as though triggered by interference from some Divine Force, Jo-lan was unleashed into the world. Jo-lan equipped mankind with the knowledge needed to battle the Black Dragon. The word 'Jo-lan' is derived from an ancient word in our homeworld which means 'to give life to'. Jo-lan brought mankind's creative abilities to life and mankind continued to battle the Black Dragon however the Black Dragon proved to be an overwhelming foe. It was not until God created four elements, the elements of Light, Love, Courage and Hope, that mankind finally stood a fighting chance against the Black Dragon. When the four elements were brought to birth, mankind's strong feelings to protect the future and the kinship they felt for one another created the miracle called the Crimson Phoenix, the manifestation of the collective righteous will of mankind" Josec narrated.
"Josec has told you about Jo-lan and the Crimson Phoenix so I shall tell you of the Three Founding Families. During the battles against the Black Dragon, there were many times mankind was on the verge of losing hope. Three people however kept the hopes of the people alive, inspiring them to persevere and uniting them in their confrontation of the Black Dragon. As a reward, these people were gifted with the Heart, Mind and Spirit of the Phoenix. Josec's ancestor inherited the Phoenix's Heart, Harry's ancestor inherited the Phoenix's Mind and my ancestress inherited the Phoenix's Spirit. Around these three, families were born and the Three Founding Families eventually became Three Great Clans. The Fenix Clan, Josec's Clan, inherited the Phoenix's Heart. They embody the emotions of the Phoenix and have the power to see beyond the natural. They are also responsible for dealing with the grudges between man and nature. You may have learnt of the Bane Clan from Master Fencer. They inherited the Phoenix's Mind thus making them the coordinators of the entire body of the Phoenix. They also have the power to repel all curses. Then there is my Clan, the Vern Clan, the inheritors of the Phoenix's Spirit. We have the ability to suppress the sinister will of the Black Dragon. We are also the ones that decide which battles are worth fighting and it is our duty to ensure that the body of the Phoenix make it through every battle with the least possibility of casualty" Buern said.
"However, due to the fact that Jo-lan mainly expresses itself through combat, over time, many forgot the true essence of Jo-lan and came to interpret it as the power 'to fight'" Harry explained.
"That's all we can tell you for now" Josec said.
"Whoa! That's really amazing!" Reis exclaimed in awe.
"I know right? Thanks for everything. We've got to leave now" Ryu said and he and Reis headed back into the passage and towards the Cavern with the Limelight Devices.