Nick sat on his knees with his hands tucked into the opposite arms’ sleeves. He bowed as a sign of respect, but his heart seemed to hide from the light. His expression was sadder than it had been these past few hours.
Minako blinked as she rested her hands on her knees, her seated position was similar to Nick’s stance.
How strange it must be for a creature who has known nothing but darkness to suddenly be bathed in light. No… Not strange, frightening… What is sunlight? It reflects to everyone from the Heavens. Does God bring it? Of course. Why? It is a blessing to all these people in his hopes that they can live peaceful lives. Sunlight is a wish for life? Yes, and peace. And darkness… Is that a wish for death? No… Maybe not… death… More likely, a wish for devastation and destruction. Is that how Nick’s heart felt? Devastated? Destroyed? Left all alone in the darkness, while another man… A king, but even so… The light of God still smiled directly upon him. Why does one receive love in abundance when the other is shunned indefinitely? Who decides which receives such feelings? Is it God? If so… The method is really unfair.
Minako’s face fell, her eyes felt overcome by impending tears. Nick...
The king bowed his head slightly. “We apologize for our intrusion. We did not mean to frighten you. We only found it strange that two demons would travel to the capital of Aohouseki.”
Nick bowed deeper, “It was unintentional, Your Majesty.”
The king seemed to smile, “We also wanted to disprove our council’s assertion that you were sorcerers…”
Minako lowered her head. So, that strange light is seen as a form of sorcery… I guess it would seem strange… even in my own world… She looked up to the open ceiling. Renee… I want to see you…. How many days has it been in our world? Is everyone worried? Do you miss me too? She looked to the king’s throne, “Does that mean you’ll let us go?”
The king smiled, “Of course, our intention was not to execute you.”
Minako breathed a sigh of relief. Then Nick and I can keep searching for the box, and then I can go home. Isn’t that good news, Renee?
The king laced his fingers. “Even so… Maiden, do you remember the legend you heard in our shrine room?”
“Legend?”
The king nodded, “The legend of the Priestess Pandora…”
“I just remember that God created demons, so they’re not bad people, but…”
A few mummers could be heard from the crowd. The king seemed to stare beyond Minako and Nick, then the murmuring ceased.
Minako lowered her head. They would be seen as evil if they destroyed cities, wouldn’t they? But Nick has protected me so much… And he saved me from that dark place… He’s been very kind to me… And… he held me very gently… His smile... She felt her cheeks grow warm and a few tears fell down her cheeks. She blinked them away and looked back up at the king, “But I knew that already…”
The king looked at her with his kind eyes, before glancing at Nick. He then glanced back at Minako as he leaned forward slightly, “We have cause to believe you are the legendary Pandora.”
Minako lowered her head as the tears she held back began streaming down her cheeks, “There’s nothing legendary about me…”
Nick turned to her slightly, “Minako…”
“I always do badly on my exams… I can never finish my homework by myself… I’m always late for class… And I eat too many sweets… And watch silly television shows… I like to spend time with my friends more than I like to study…” She raised a hand to her face, “I’m really just a small, unimportant human being… I’m not good of anything in particular and… I can’t do anything worthwhile…”
Nick’s face dropped in concern, “Minako…”
“Maiden… The legendary priestess is a human being filled with love and kindness… She only needs to understand the human condition and welcome the cardinal demons into her open arms.”
She put her hands to her heart. “Welcome them… with open arms…” I did that with Nick already...
“Maiden, do you understand the full extent of the duty of the Priestess Pandora?”
“Not entirely…” Minako confessed, “All I really know is that I need to get a box that was sealed away…”
“The Priestess Pandora who appears within this realm is supposed to save Safaiananpou. By outsiders, she is often called Safaia Pandora, or Pandora of the sapphires. This marks her special duty to Safaiananpou alone.”
“Save Safaiananpou? Is… there really something that terrible happening to it?” She put her hand to her mouth. I had no idea… This walled city seems so peaceful…
The king turned his head. “There is a great threat from our neighboring nation, Emeradotouhou. War is ensuing.”
“War?” Minako’s eyes grew wide.
The king nodded. “They are in economic depression. We have sent diplomats, but their king refuses them. Or, rather, he claims they were never sent. He is jealous of our prosperity and rule of peace… So you can see the situation we are in at this moment…”
Minako put her hand to her head. The royal “we” is it? It was almost nauseating…
“However, Pandora can rescue Safaiananpou from this fate. She is a woman from another world who can coexist with the cardinal demons. They do not trust humans, but they will gladly hold on to Pandora, because she is their beloved partner.”
“Why… Why don’t they trust humans?”
“I don’t like them… They’re too cold…”
Minako turned to him briefly. Nick….
“It seems they were mistreated… even tortured by them…”
Minako’s heart shuddered in pain. Was this what Nick had to live with? Did he always live in fear that they would hurt him? All alone in the darkness, he was safe… But there was no doubt. The display in town confirmed it. Most people who saw what they deemed to be a monster would run for their lives. But these townspeople had hurled objects as Nick, hoping he would be the one to run. It was too cruel… It was too cruel to treat the kindhearted Nick that way… She swallowed as she lowered her head. “And the box… Who sealed the box? And why?”
The king rested his chin on his hands, his fingers still interlaced, “That is a conundrum…”
Repeat that again, please… With about half the syllables… Your manner of speaking is even worse than Renee’s… and I don’t understand her half the time either… Minako put a hand to her head as a blank expression crossed her face.
The king chuckled to himself, “Such an odd woman… We are unsure who sealed the box. Why they did it is even less clear… Perhaps it was feared the cardinal demons would take advantage of their powers and reign over the world in perpetual chaos. But regardless of who or why, immensely important powers were sealed within the box.”
“What happens when I retrieve the box?”
“The powers of the demons will be released and God will grant the Priestess three wishes.”
“Three… wishes…”
The king nodded.
Minako clenched her fist lightly as she stood, “Any three wishes?”
The king nodded once more.
“Three wishes…” Minako’s thoughts flew like missiles, each about to crash if she could not contain them. A smile spread across her face. Three wishes… I could go to any college I want. Ooh, or have my pick of all the men. Gourmet meals every day with delicious sweets for dessert! A mansion full of clothes! No more homework in school! Or passing grades! Any television show I wanted to watch at any time!
The king chuckled to himself once more, “Has it crossed your mind yet that you could even rule the world?”
Minako blinked. But most importantly… I could return Nick to the loving arms of God. I… I want him to be bathed in only light… “I’ll do it!” Minako clenched her fists. “I’ll do it! You can count on me!” A large grin spread across her face, “I’ll become the Priestess Pandora in the realm of sapphires and save Safaiananpou!”
Nick put his hand to his face, “I feel sorry for the world once she gets that box… She’d be a terrible God…”
The king stood abruptly. “Everyone!”
Nick flinched briefly and tucked his hands back into his sleeves. He then bowed deeply once more.
The king thrust his arm out, “This young woman has accepted her position as the Priestess Pandora! She has vowed to save Safaiananpou!”
The entire room bowed deeply to Minako, even Nick. “We thank you, Safaiananpou Pandora. Please save our country.”
Minako stepped back slightly, “Nick…”
And the king himself bowed to her as well. “We thank you, Priestess.”
Minako turned to him and blinked. What have I gotten myself into? These people are treating me like some kind of goddess… But I don’t have any sort of special power… I’m just a student… She shut her eyes. The Priestess Pandora… I had had no idea that this woman was above the law… No… that she was closer to God than the king…
From that moment, her mission seemed a larger task than she imagined. But there was no backing out. She would perform her duty without fail. Peace would certainly come to Safaiananpou because they had a priestess that truly loved them.
~*~
The congregation had been dismissed and as ordered by the king, only Minako and Nick remained with him. The three of them had walked through the corridors to a chamber within the king’s inner rooms that resembled a study. The walls were lined with shelves of scrolls and books and decorated with large maps of the country and the other territories. A large table sat in the middle of a raised platform. Nick leaned against the door frame. Minako sat on the floor next to the table where the king sat. The king had pulled out a scroll and was studying it immensely.
“The Priestess must set out and find the cardinal demons… That is the only way to gain the box and its powers…”
“Find?” Minako stood and leaned over his shoulder. What was this? Hide and Seek? “Can’t they just come to me?”
The king shook his head, “According to this scroll, passed down from the Heavens to the first king of our dynasty, that is the duty of the Priestess. If she does not find them herself, their powers shall be weakened.”
“How? How am I supposed to find them? It seems impossible...”
“If it were impossible, then you would still be looking for all five, would you not?”
Minako turned to Nick and raised her hands to her heart, “That’s different… Nick… Nick found me…”
“But, how did you know he was indeed a cardinal demon?”
Minako lowered her head, “You told me he was…”
The king shook his head, “Are you certain that is all?”
Minako closed her eyes, “I was… afraid… afraid of being all alone…” Tears started falling down her face.
Nick turned toward her, “Minako…”
Minako put her hand to her face. “No… the tears keep coming no matter what I do…”
Nick stepped forward and reached out to her, “Minako…”
Minako lowered her head, “And…”
“I… I don’t know… what… to do anymore… I… just… don’t know… I can’t… do anything… on my own… By myself…”
“I know there’s a difference between being alone and being lonely… But… Being by yourself is scary… Being alone… is a very frightening way to live…”
“How warm… Your embrace is… so much… like a current… flowing through me… My name…”
“What?”
“Pandora… the priestess… she knows… knows my name… Maybe not… on the surface… But… but… her heart… will react to it… Nickolas…”
“Nickolas… No... Nick…”
“Nick?”
Somewhere, so long ago, I remember that name deep in my heart…. Nickolas… "No… Nick…"
Nick stepped backward, an alarmed expression crossing his face.
She wiped a few stray tears, “He told me his name was ‘Nickolas’ and my heart seemed to shake its head and say, ‘No… his name is Nick…’ But…” Nick…
“Nick…”
“Hearing that name…”
“I’m sorry… It’s ‘Nickolas,’ isn’t it?”
“No, it’s fine…” He swallowed, “It’s painful to hear, but… It makes me happy…”
“Nick…”
“I’ve been waiting… I’ve always been waiting…”
“But when I thought that… My heart shook and my body cried out in pain… It was like my memories knew something secret… Something so secret that even I didn’t know it myself…”
“Pandora knows the names of the cardinal demons.”
“But I…”
“The way your heart called to you… That is a distinct quality that only Pandora possesses.”
“And I use that to find the demons?”
The king nodded.
Minako looked up at him, “So I have to go around asking everyone their names?” She grumbled in annoyance, “Isn’t there an easier way? Do the demons have some sort of marks on their bodies? Or do they all have some common trait? If I yell ‘ollie ollie oxen free’ will they come out?”
The king shook his head. “It is not that simple. That is why you need to find them.”
Minako walked over to Nick briskly and stopped an inch in front of his face. “It has to be easier than that.” Minako examined Nick’s foot. “No mark there.” She proceeded to pull up his other foot.
“Hey! Let go!”
“No mark there either!” Minako began pulling at Nick’s clothing randomly, such as pulling apart the neck of his tunic or lifting his pant legs, as she inspected every inch of his skin. In the bright sunlight, it appeared pale and sickly. All the years in the darkness had made him weak in appearance, fueled only by his rage and distrust.
Nick shouted each time she pulled at a piece of his clothing. “Quit it! Let go! Stop, it’s cold! STOP IT! HEY! MI-NA-KO…” Nick growled as his wings shot from their resting position. His eyes narrowed and his teeth protruded as fangs. Even as light shined on them, his eyes glowed almost pale blue. He lashed out his claws and pulled Minako up by only her shirt’s collar.
Minako covered her eyes. His strength was unnatural… Obviously it was wrong to say it was inhuman, but… Was he going to shatter her just like the lock in the dungeon and the bars on the cage?
“I am not your personal one-man harem…” Nick growled, “Don’t assume I am so easily swayed into action…”
Minako blushed violently as he set her back on the ground gently. The people, or rather demons, here certainly did not understand subtlety.
The king gave them both a blank stare, “If you two are quite finished…”
Minako nodded. She was still stunned. Even while looking at the king, she glanced back at Nick as he proceeded to put his clothing back together. Did he have barbells back in his cave? His muscles were toned despite his pale skin… Minako hit her head. Barbells wouldn’t exist here… She groaned. I need to stop thinking of him that way… He’s only some demon that’s using me to retrieve a box and that’s all. When this is all over, I’m going to return to Renee and go back to life as usual. I’ll go to school… And get ready for college… Everything will be just like it was before… I’ll have to forget him… It’s the only way things can be… It’s best not to get involved… Even though he...
Nick looked at her staring at him. He turned his head away as he retied the ribbon at his waist. She’s not being subtle at all… Why does she… always stare at me like that? Like she wants to say something, but won’t...
“Would we be a cardinal demon?” The voice rang through Minako’s and Nick’s thoughts.
Minako and Nick turned toward the king. His chin rested on his hands as the scroll lay across the table.
“Your Majesty…” Minako started as she walked toward him, “Why would you think such a thing?”
Nick grumbled, “I feel like I’ve been insulted.”
The king blinked, “You do not know?”
“Know what?” Minako blinked.
“In her defense, she doesn’t know much to begin with.” Nick walked toward her and knocked his fist against Minako’s head lightly.
She turned to him slightly, “Nick… That’s mean…”
Nick gave her a small smile. “But you said…”
Minako could not help blushing at his smile.
The king put his head down slightly, shaking it as he did. “The royal family is descended from demons. Therefore, we are descended from demons.”
Nick stepped back in alarm. A clan of demons held the most trusted position in all the country, no in the entire world? He crossed his arms and grimaced. What a disadvantage it is to be born as a shunned, darkness-dwelling demon.
Minako walked toward the king again and put her hand on his shoulder, “Your Majesty, what is your name? If you are one of the box-seeking demons, I should know it in the depths of my heart, like you said…”
The king chuckled slightly, “Our name, certainly that is something we have not heard in quite some time.”
Nick groaned a little. Our name? What is this? Shut up and say your name. Our name… ahem, my name is Nick. Why can’t you speak in the singular? He put his hand to his head. On second thought, royalty is really annoying….
The king smiled slightly, “Well, our parents called us Howard.”
Minako thought for a moment, searching her mind. Howard? Howard? Such an unusual name… Howard? She clamped her eyes shut. There in the darkness, something resonated. It was so much like, but… How… Howie… A sudden shock pierced through her. Howie… Howie… She dropped to her knees and held her sides, afraid she would burst if she loosened her grip. The thought stuck her so sharply, her whole body cried out in pain.
“Minako!” Nick ran toward her and kneeled down. “What’s hurting?”
Tears began to stream down Minako’s face, “How…” she choked on the words.
“How? I don’t know.” Nick pulled her closer to him and put one hand on her head. “It’s okay to cry if it hurts.”
“Howie,” Minako called through her tears, “Howie.”
The king stood up as well, “Howie?”
Minako smiled slightly, “Thank goodness, outside of the darkness, they’re easy to find…”
Nick stared up at the king, “You mean… His Majesty… He is… one of the demons?” Nick blinked in surprise.
Minako’s smile grew, “Your Majesty, may I call you Howie? It’s a very nice nickname.”
A smile slowly spread across the king’s face. It has been so long since we have heard our own name, but to be given this nickname… Howie... That is such joy. Slight tears began to form in his eyes. Our body is encased in light. Is this true happiness? “Yes…” His smile grew, “Yes… Call us… Howie.”
