"I could never understand why I was given this chance. I killed so many innocent people. I massacred. I was an outcast. There is no reason I should be living. The door is closed anyway. There is no logical explanation of my existence on this plane." The shaman sighed and rose from his seated position. He walked to another end of the room and stared at a small necklace on a small table. It had an amethyst jewel inside it. The jewel shined a tinted light into his eyes. "Mother, you would know." The reminiscent view tantalized him. He knew that he could never return to the other side, at least not yet. His mother would not want that, and neither would Kirol. He set the necklace down on the table, tossed his cloak behind him and walked out of the room.

"Hello, Exile." a girl said, as she was cooking in the kitchen.

"Hello, Kirol." he said, as he sat at the table. He dropped his arm on the table.

"I made your favorite." Kirol said, as she walked to the table with a plate full of food. "It’s curry." Exile laughed a bit and smelled the aroma of the food. He then began to eat.

"Delicious, as always." he said, with a mouth full. A faint figure emerged behind them. "Greetings, Lord and Lady." it said.

"Hello, Suke." the two replied. Exile continued to eat and Kirol continued to smile. Suke hovered beside Exile.

"So, is everyone okay?" Exile said, still eating.

"All is fine, Lord." Suke replied in a militaristic fashion. Exile laughed a bit again and finished the last of his food. Exile reached for a bottle of sake and took a drink before leaving the table.

"Where are you going, Exile?" Kirol asked.

"Just to the spirit chamber."

"But Lord, everyone is fine." Suke said.

"I know, I just want to see for myself. Nothing personal, Suke."

"Yes, Lord." Suke replied. Exile left the room and walked down the hall to the spirit chambers. Thoughts rushed through his mind. ‘I hope it works.’

He arrived in the vast chamber. His footsteps against the floor echoed throughout the room, ricocheting off the vibrant, stain-glass windows. All of the spirits were sleeping inside of their memorial tablets. He walked down the aisle leading to a statue of what was depicted as the Great Spirit, although nobody knew if it was accurate. Exile knew that only the Shaman King could know the Great Spirit’s true form, and he respected it. It was probably best for him not to know. He slowly walked towards the statue. He then kneeled in front of it and placed his hands into a praying formation.

"It’s so unclear..." he said, quietly. "Why am I still alive? I closed the door. The flow of furyoku and spirit energy should be broken." The statue began to emit a flicker of light. Exile looked up. The light moved from a flicker to a shine. A faint voice could be heard.

"Exile....coming...." it said. The voice was unknown, but Exile felt an odd connection to it. The statue began to crack. Pieces of rock shook off from it. The statue then exploded, covering the room in irregular pieces of stone. Exile shielded his face from the explosion. Memorial tablets were shaken in the blast and spirits emerged. Clambering in wake, the spirits complained of their rude awakening.

"Master Exile, what happened?" one said.

"Why is there all this gravel on the floor?" another asked. The spirits conversed in confusion until Exile broke the pandemonium.

"ENOUGH!" he yelled, raising his hands. The spirits were silenced. "Nothing happened. Return to your sleep." The spirits immediately returned to their sleep. They dared never to challenge Exile, especially when he was in a bad mood. Exile walked out of the room, as if nothing happened. Although, he couldn’t help but wonder about the voice. It pierced his mind with its familiarity, but cooled it with its mystery. Exile began to cringe at the sound. He had to know who or what it was.

Exile entered the kitchen. Kirol was still cooking and Suke was hovering beside her watching. Sweating from the strain, Exile sat down at the table again. Kirol, with a look of worry, walked over to him.

"What’s wrong, Exile?" she said.

"N-Nothing." he said.

"It’s never nothing." she sternly replied. "Tell me." With a sigh, Exile opened his mouth to speak.

"I can’t tell you yet. All I can tell you is that we’re leaving on another trip."

"You never tell me anything." Kirol said. "I’m not gonna be left in the dark this time." Exile knew she was right, and he couldn’t stop hiding. He would have to tell her eventually, so why not now?

"I heard a voice...coming from...the statue." A thin gasp was heard from Kirol.

"What was that explosion?" Exile realized that she could hear it. She was only in the other room.

"The statue exploded. I don’t know why. It shined and exploded. But that’s not why I’m upset." Kirol sat down.

"Tell me." she said.

"The voice...it seems familiar. I can’t tell why, but...I feel like I’ve heard it before." Kirol stood up.

"I see." she quietly replied.

"I just don’t understand it." Exile tensely spoke. "I’ve never heard it, but it seems familiar." Exile walked to the doorway.

"Where are you going?" Kirol asked.

"To bed." Exile said, as he left the room.

That night Exile could not sleep. Each time he drifted into subconscious he heard the voice. The sound became a chant, a familiar chant. His own name echoed through his mind. The sound gradually got louder before he quickly woke up. Drenched in sweat, Exile sat up in his bed. His head pounded and continued to chant.

"Damn..." he said, rubbing his temple. "Who are you?" The chanting in his head slowly began to weaken. Exile grabbed his cloak and decided to take a short walk to clear his mind. He slowly walked to the room he was in the night before. The table still held the beautiful, amethyst necklace he gazed at before. It still had the brilliant glow that made him remember its owner, even though he had never seen her before. As he continued to stare into the gemstone, he didn’t realize the young woman standing behind him. She was dressed in her traditional kimono. It gently brushed against the floor as she walked over to the shaman.

"Still awake?" she said, smiling. Exile was startled by her appearance, but he didn’t jump. He just turned around.

"Yes." Kirol noticed the necklace in his hand. "It was my mother’s." Exile said.

"It’s beautiful." she said, peeking her head over Exile’s shoulder and gazing into the gem.

"My mother told my father to keep it safe for her when she went to the Dividing Area. But....she never got it back."

"Did you know your mother well?" Kirol asked.

"No. I never even knew what she looked like. My father said she...went into the Dividing Area while young." A long pause rushed through the room. Exile decided to speak a while after. "I’ve still been wondering why I’m still alive." Exile knew that Kirol never wanted him to question his life, but he knew that there was no answer.

"I have too." she said. "But I don’t want to worry, and I don’t want you to either." Exile sighed in reply.

"I know, but there are so many mysteries unsolved. As much as I enjoy and treasure my life, I can’t help but wonder."

"Stop worrying. We will find the answers. Worrying about them isn’t gonna make them be revealed any faster."

"You’re right." Exile calmly said. He set the necklace back down and began to walk out of the room. "We should be getting to sleep. Tomorrow’s a big day."

"Why?" Kirol asked.

"Tomorrow we leave for my home village. I believe the answers I seek are there." Kirol smiled and nodded in agreement. They left the room together and traveled to Kirol’s room.

"Good night." she said.

"Good night, Kirol." Exile said, with a small smile. Kirol closed her door and Exile traveled back to his bed, ready to fight the messages in his dreams. The battle was short-lived; Exile fell sound asleep quickly.