Blast from the Past:

It had been three days since the eventful search for Akari had unfolded. Although Elise's hand had recovered, and her shoulder felt as good as new she was still not allowed to participate in the daily training exercises of the dojo. Perhaps it was for that reason the young woman was currently trying to sneak in some exercise by doing push-ups in her room. She was working pretty diligently all things considered. Initially she did regular push-ups, but soon started to use only one arm in the hope of strengthening the muscles in it. One of the important things she needed to focus on during training was the development of the muscles in her arms and hands. The Ryuujin no Budo often employed those muscles into their throwing and grappling techniques, so it was of incredible importance that she continued to strengthen those.

"I see that you are keeping yourself busy Cricket?"

The sudden arrival of her master caused Elise to lose her balance, tumbling sideways onto her back and yet when she looked up at the elderly man it seemed that her disobedience didn't cause him to feel angry, but in fact amused. He gestured lightly with his free hand, the other supporting his body under his cane while he spoke in the same gentle tone as usually.

"You remind me of myself when I was your age. Follow me Cricket, I got a special lesson for you today."

The young woman nodded her head lightly in response, soon getting back onto her feet as she walked after her master. The two of them seemingly went further into the dojo than she was used to, in fact it seemed that they had entered an entire different section of the dojo! Now she thought about it, from the outside the building did seem huge, to the point it even housed different floors and wings. They had moved up a staircase, and then entered a small room that curiously enough didn't hold any windows. Lanterns were the only source of light that illuminated the room, and various urns and mysterious statues that shown various men and women were lined beside each other.

"This room is the 'Chamber of Memories' Cricket. But first... Do you see those statues over there? They are the former masters of the Ryuujin no Budo."

Elise entered the room, watching the door slide shut behind her, and yet when she approached the statue there was one thing that caught her attention. One of the statues looked a lot like her! The figure might had been a bit smaller, and she was wearing the dogi of the Ryuujin no Budo, but that hairpin was clearly hers!

"Master Ryuujin, there might be a mistake, there is a statue of me among them?"

The elderly man laughed softly as he stepped beside her, looking up at the statue with a grin.

"No Cricket, that statue isn't you. That is Master Elizabeth V. Drachenberg."

A Drachenberg?! Elise's eyes widened at the statement, to the point she staggered lightly backwards shaking her head in disbelief.

"You mean..."

The master nodded his head gently in response, stepping backwards and after taking a seat on one of the cushions that was at the center of the room replying in a calm tone.

"That statue is of the woman who became the youngest master since the foundation of our teachings, and she is also your mother Cricket."

Her mother was a master of the Ryuujin no Budo? No, more importantly the master knew her mother? Her eyes almost teared up from the emotions welling up inside her, but before she could speak her master raised a hand to silence her.

"All your questions will be answered in due time Cricket. Before I'll tell you about you mother I need you to pass a trial. Although I heard from Akari how you valiantly helped her defeat those thugs, I can easily see the chains that bind you."

The chains that bind her? Looking at herself she could clearly see not a single chain restrain her, so she wasn't even certain what the master was trying to tell her.

"Mental chains Cricket. Sometimes the past can become like a prison. It can make you despair, restrict you like the coils of a snake, and if you're not careful it might poison you and slowly kill you like the venom of a serpent. In order for you to truly begin your training in earnest I need you to overcome those chains."

As the master spoke he gestured toward the nearby urns, each of them being lit to life as some sort of smoke started to rise from it. The past could become like a prison? What could he possibly mean with that?

"Break free from the past that haunts you Cricket, only then will you be able to take flight."

As the elderly man provided his advice Elise found the cloud with the herbal scents having filled the room, and to her surprise her vision became blurred! Still, there was no way she could deal with the smoke, for whatever was happening, her body had started to refuse any commands. It was almost akin to being paralyzed, but the only thing she did feel was a certain drowsiness overtake her, and moments later the darkness consumed her...

"Elise... Elise..."

A voice resounded in the distance, an oddly familiar voice, and upon opening her eyes Elise found herself standing in a room. The first thing she noticed was the teenager standing before her, dressed in a fancy summer dress while her own suit had been replaced by a simple pair of rags that covered most of her body. Still, it took her a few moments to realize one vital detail.

I'm a child again?

Elise could easily see the reflection of the blond-haired child in the window, her own reflection... Did she travel back into the past?!

There was no mistaking it, this room... A short glimpse of her surroundings shown that she was within the luxurious chambers of a noble, and the owner of the room stood before her. A teenager with obsidian-colored locks, the one she commonly referred to as 'Princess'. It was a pretty understandable title to give her, especially considering that she herself was a servant of the girl, or rather, her 'whipping girl'.

The term actually was a bit dirty, but it did make sense. Due to the girl's social status it was unheard of for anyone to actually punish her, and with a dotting father any type of punishment would have been ignored, if not for Elise's existence. A whipping girl was meant to endure those punishments, for example when the Princess misbehaved. Fortunately for her those times rarely happened because the girl was rather well-mannered.

But why did this memory return to her mind? Elise noticed that her body moved without any instructions, almost as if someone else was controlling her movements. She had left the room, following behind Princess toward the entrance of her home, and soon she found the memory turning toward a rather peculiar location: a small plaza within a town nearby the base the princess lived at.

"No..."

The sight of two young boys approaching her and the Princess caused Elise to instinctively shiver lightly. Of course she remembered that memory, it was one of those dark moments of her past.

"It's Nadia and her pet again!"

The princess sighed in annoyance, seemingly wanting to say something but the two boys had already surrounded her and Elise.

"Aren't you worried about getting sick Nadia? That rat might carry a plague or something!"

However, at those words the princess whispered meekly.

"She isn't a rat..."

The taller of the duo seemingly took a closer look at Elise, and then without any warning tried to push her onto the ground, his eyes narrowed in a look of disgust.

"It's even a clumsy dirty rat!"

It was a common event to witness, in the end slaves were the lowest type of living being one might find, even lower than dirt. Having no rights obviously also made them the target for bullying like this, and with none to defend her it usually ended up with her having to endure the harassment, or else she would get punished once word of her defiance got out.

Is it really fine like this?

Tears had gathered in the child's eyes, and yet something odd happened, something that didn't happen in the past. For a moment it felt like something... or someone was there. A shimmering image started to manifest behind the boy that was bullying her, and soon she realized who it was. It was herself, or rather her older self.

Why are you letting others trample on you?

Wasn't that obvious? It was because she was afraid of the consequences of taking action! What if she did start a fight? Then she would be the one to get punished!

Then again, what is the worst? Punishment or your broken pride?

The question somewhat stirred something in her. What would have been the most painful? Physical punishment, or being constantly ridiculed and bullied because she was too scared to act? It seemed the child had made a decision, for the tears stopped and instead she glared at the boy, lunging forwards with a raised fist, and upon landing it against the bully's cheek her vision became engulfed by darkness.

She had enough... While people could lash out at her in anger, she refused to continue letting others ridicule her. She was done with letting people trample onto her pride! They might break her body, but she refused to let them break her spirit!

The memory continued onward to a different scene, but this time it was a much darker one. She still remembered it in detail: The princess had been playing near the balcony, seemingly discarding her warnings about not fooling around on the railing, but a sudden gust of wind had knocked the girl off-balance, causing her to trip and tumble toward the ground.

Of course she had tried to save the girl, rushing toward the railing, and while her hands grasped those of the girl, she found herself incapable of holding her weight, and in the end...

"If only I could have been faster..."

Her attempt to save Princess had failed, and as a result the girl had been severely injured. She still remembered how initially she had been struck by disbelief, shock even but soon that feeling turned toward guilt. Princess was one of the few who at least acted tolerable toward her, and she nearly let her die!

"I nearly killed her..."

The gloomy thoughts started to assault her one after another, to the point they manifested physically as the same memory from before, but this time she was forced to see the girl repeatedly slip through her grasp and fall toward the ground.

You can't save everyone...

Why! Why couldn't she save everyone? Who was it that decided whether someone could be saved or not?! It was such an unfair decision to make, and she hated it!

Because nobody is strong enough to save everyone...

Was that really the case? Perhaps she should find her comfort in the lives she could save? Like that of the fisherman she helped escape the other day? Or maybe she wanted to become strong enough so that nobody else would need to be sacrificed... No more guilt at failing to save someone.

Be careful Elise, being a hero to everyone will slowly end up destroying you...

And with that ominous warning the darkness consumed her once more, seemingly pulling her toward another memory within her childhood. Still, to think 'that' memory would be the one to confront her...

It was a place she would never forget, in the end how could she? The courtyard she found herself regaining her consciousness in was the same place her father had laid down his life in a desperate attempt to save her. She could still remember it in detail, of how the subordinates of the slave master, some wicked marines had forced her onto her knees, her hands tied together onto some sort of wooden contraption that forced her to lean forwards, her bare back exposed to the large man that stood before her. The man, who was wielding a large whip raised the weapon high into the air, and then lashed harshly with it against her, the impact causing her to let out a scream that stirred a reaction from the slaves that were working nearby. Her father and his friends heard her cry, and in turn looked with a look of disbelief at the slave master. A child of only twelve years old was being tortured for something she wasn't responsible for.

Disbelief turned into anger, and that anger turned into blind rage as the slaves broke free from their restrains, rushing like Berserkers toward the slave master. The second scream that followed wasn't from the whip, but the sight of the marines raising their muskets and firing them at the approaching slaves. Some of them fell on the spot, others like her father endured the pain and attacked the guards that were protecting the slave master. Of course the second volley of shots was enough to take them down, and Elise could only watch in despair as her father collapsed before her.

Why... Why did her father and his friends die?

If they didn't defy the slave master they might had still been alive that day. But what about her? Would she still be enduring the harsh treatment, the life where she was bound in those cruel chains?

They sacrificed themselves because they loved you. They wanted to provide you the opportunity to enjoy the freedom you deserve.

And how did she repay them? With hesitation and doubts... She was grateful for their love, but for a long time she had been haunted by the feeling of guilt and regret, to the point that it chased her like a ghost. Why didn't she die, instead of her father or the other slaves? It was her fault that they perished...

Then live your life to its fullest? Become who you want to be, do what you want to do. Isn't that the most beautiful way to honor their sacrifice?

The words ringed in the back of her mind. She wanted to be a guardian of the weak, someone who was strong and brave enough to judge the wicked and the corrupt, even if their influence or power was greater than her own. She wanted to be a hero!

The whip was about to lash a third time, the time that her aunt normally came to save her, but this time it was different. There were no revolutionists that came to save her, instead a young woman wearing the dogi of the Ryuujin no Budo had shielded her, one hand raised to grasp the whip's end in her hand.

If she wanted for things to change, then she needed to become the catalyst for that new dawn. To rebel against the destiny that was forced upon her. To defy the World Government and to become a real hero!

The slave master staggered backwards in surprise at the emergence of Elise's determination, for the child had disappeared, and in her place stood the confident warrior who was ready to decide her own future!

The slave master gestured angrily at her, causing the two nearby marines to come rushing toward her. The first one seemingly was someone who favored brutal strength, something she could easily predict not only from his large muscular frame, but also the violent swings of his arms. The first attack was deftly dodged, a simple backwards leaning of her body allowing her to dodge the first swipe of his arm, while the second attack came in the form of an uppercut.

There was obviously no need for her to dodge such a slow-moving attack, for she was easily able to pull the man's arm, twisting it into a lock under her arm and with a violent twist she send him off-balance, staggering against the other marine that approached her!

She finally understood the meaning of those trials. They weren't meant to make her relive the past, but come to terms with her insecurities. Her determination to fight, to let nobody trample upon her pride! The decision to not feel guilty about a life she couldn't protect, but feel relieved about those she could possibly save.

Then finally the determination to become a hero, to no longer allow herself to be swallowed in guilt and regret, but to take the sacrifices of her loved ones as a opportunity for her to experience the life they prayed that she would experience.

There was no denying it... The chains of the past that bound her, were starting to crack. Although it was figuratively it almost felt like a powerful pressure that had been restraining her, chains that were coiled around her heart had started to crack and finally broke entirely. It was exactly at that moment that Elise found herself regaining consciousness, and to her surprise was seated in the meditation chamber once more.

"Welcome back Cricket."

Master Ryuujin smiled calmly at her, and she could clearly notice the smile on his lips. Was he aware of the things she experienced? Perhaps he was, but right now there was something else on her mind...

"Master Ryuujin, please tell me about my mother..."

The man smiled briefly, seemingly amused by her request, and after a moment he finally nodded his head calmly in response.

"You did succeed in my task. Very well Cricket, then stay a while and listen..."

With secrets about to be told... What type of past is concealed in the relationship between Elise's mother and the Ryuujin no Budo? Read it next time in the Legend of the Ryuujin!