Piercing Light
Resda and Laine stood opposite each other in an open field, neither one moving. The wind brushed against the grass and faintly whistled in their ears.
With a start, Laine fired three arrows in quick succession. Resda, unable to see the arrows, tried to listen for them.
One. Left shoulder. Resda dodged the arrow by leaping to the right.
Two. Straight on. Resda turned in the air, the arrow whizzing past.
Three... can I do this? What if I can't do this? Resda panicked, and the arrow hit its mark.
Damn. Resda fell to the floor. He got up slowly, and pulled off his blindfold in frustration. He checked his arm. The sleeve was torn. And I liked this armor too.
"You aren't getting it," Laine said. "The first step is to clear your mind of all distractions. Worry not about the trouble in the world. Your focus is on the battle, and on your opponent. Nothing more."
Resda remained silent.
"Are you ready to continue?"
"Fine," Resda said, putting on the blindfold.
Laine nocked her bow again, holding three arrows. She let them fly.
One to the left. Resda moved right.
Another aimed at my feet. Resda jumped up.
Okay, good start. The third one... where is it? Unable to locate it, the arrow managed to hit once again, this time glancing off of Resda's armor. "Son of a bitch! I'm focusing so hard that my head is going to explode!"
"You still don't have it right. To focus on your opponent, you have to see as they do. Your presence must be in every part of the battle - attacker, defender, and the attack itself."
"You're asking for something nearly impossible!" Resda said, replacing the blindfold. "But... I guess I'll try it anyway."
"That's the spirit!" Laine replied, before nocking her bow once again.
Come on, concentrate, Resda, he mentally asked himself. You can do this, man. He took a deep breath, and attempted to block everything from his mind. He forgot about his lack of sight, instead sensing the world through his other senses. As he concentrated further, his perception sharpened. And suddenly, he saw. He could see everything, even without sight. He smiled, and shifted his weight, hearing the grass crumple beneath his feet.
He got it, Laine thought silently. She too grinned, as she fired several shots.
Without thinking, Resda dodged around every single one. Leaning to his left, he dodged two arrows. He leapt into the air to dodge another pair of shots. As he was about to land, he allowed himself to land prone, ducking right underneath a fifth arrow. As the last three came, he stood firm, drawing his crossbow. One by one, he swatted them from the sky. Soon after, Resda snapped back into reality. Did I do it? he asked himself. Tearing off his blindfold, he saw Laine inches from his face, grinning madly.
"That was amazing! Much more than I expected you to do on the first try!" She hugged him, nearly crushing him to death. "Helena definitely knew what she was doing when she chose you!"
Resda said nothing.
"Aah!" Laine released Resda from her death grip hug. "I'm sorry if I hurt you there, it was just so amazing!"
"That's not it," Resda said, turning her around to face the tower.
A pillar of darkness had erupted from the tower, clearly visible even in the dark sky. Wind started to blow, whipping the two archers in the face. Laine's face became solemn. "Let's go. We have to stop this." Resda nodded in assent as they approached the tower. As they drew nearer to the entrance, waves of arrows cascaded towards them, just as before. This time, though, Resda and Laine were ready. Laine effortlessly weaved through the arrows, as if it was choreographed. With his newly acquired skill, Resda did the same, opting to bat away some of the arrows instead of dodging around them.
Eventually, they reached the entrance to the tower. In the center of the room, on an ornate pedestal, lay the Black Orb. At least, that's what they could see. For from the Orb irradiated an inky blackness, which left light enough just to barely make out the Orb itself, the pedestal, and the dilapidated pillars circling the perimeter of the room.
Resda pulled a bolt from his quiver, loading it. He fired at the Orb, but it bounced off with a hollow noise. "Hey, Laine," Resda said, feigning humor, "You were right about that whole 'can't break it with arrows' thing."
Laine sniffed. "Of course I'm right," she replied. A sudden noise startled her. "Now get down. He's coming."
The two of them scrambled around the room, searching for an adequate hiding place. They crouched down across from each other, hiding behind pillars. At that very moment, the Demon Archer walked in. His hulking form filled the doorway. He was less of a man and more like a lycanthrope in his appearance. His ears twitched as he strained to listen for possible intruders. As he walked, his footsteps crunched on the gravel-covered floor. He paid no mind to the rats scurrying about.
Resda, unfortunately, did. Rats! was the only thought in his head. He squirmed away. The rustling of his clothing caused the Demon Archer to turn towards him, growling.
"Damn! You blew it!" Laine blurted out, before clapping a hand to her mouth. The beast immediately leapt over, smashing the pillar she hid behind. Laine picked up her bow and made a break for it.
"You should talk," Resda said, causing the Archer to turn and swipe at him. Resda ducked underneath.
Laine shot a glare at Resda as she shot an arrow at the Demon. It got out of the way effortlessly, flowing directly into an attacking pose.
"Ooh, he's good," Resda said.
The Demon, which by now had a good idea that there were intruders standing in front of him, quickly fired a volley of arrows at them. Resda and Laine danced around them avoiding them easily, but the attacks kept coming. After what seemed like an eternity, there was a lull in combat as the Demon recast his Soul Arrow. "That's it! Attack now!" Laine cried out, as they proceeded to attack. Laine fired as many cover shots as he could while Resda followed up with Double Shots one after another.
The Demon, however, went around every single shot, as if it was ethereal. Soon it was back on the attack, and Resda and Laine resumed their dance. Resda and Laine were so tired they were moving their bodies solely by force of will. The Demon Archer, however, showed no traces of fatigue.
"I can't keep this up," Resda panted, as the Demon kept firing. He called out to Laine, who was off to the side, but still dealing with the Demon's impossibly fast attack.
Suddenly, Laine screamed. She slipped on a patch of gravel, bringing herself to her knees. The Demon immediately fired a single shot. Laine twisted her body around to try to get out of the way, but the arrow managed to graze her leg, leaving a bloody streak. With Laine unable to move, the Demon lunged forward. Red energy erupted from his bow as he slammed into her with it. Laine skidded violently across the floor, slamming hard into the wall. She tried to sit up, but eventually her will gave out and she lay sprawled out in the corner of the room. The Demon aimed a single shot - the killing blow.
Without a thought, Resda leapt in between them just as the Demon fired. He deflected the arrow off into the rafters. For once, the Demon was caught by surprise. "And now you're finished!" he yelled at the monster, aiming for the beast's chest and firing before he could make a move. The arrow, to everyone's amazement, began to glow, streaking through the air extremely quickly. It pierced through the Demon's chest and struck the Orb behind him. Upon impact, the Orb slowly cracked, then shattered, and an explosion filled the room with blinding white light.
Moments later, the light faded. But it remained; the room for the first time was illuminated, a column of light coming down through the dusty air. Resda squinted - it was the first real light he had seen in what seemed like forever. His eyes finally adjusted, and he ran to Laine, who was only beginning to move after the combined force of the Demon's last strike and the explosion that followed.
"What did I tell you?" Laine said weakly.
Resda helped her slowly to her feet. "But what was it?" he asked.
"Beats me," she replied. "It's not something I'm familiar with." Laine tested her wounded leg, stepping gingerly. A look of concern crossed Resda's face. "I'm alright. I can walk on my own," she insisted. "We should get back, let Helena know what happened."
"Right," Resda said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. Hearing Helena's name reminded him that she was supposed to have told him about his destiny. This feeling vanished a few moments later, when a groan reached their ears. They turned back to the center of the room, towards where the Demon had fallen.
In his place lay a smaller body. The stranger, dressed in a black cloak, picked himself up from the ground slowly. "Ungh..." he said, "What happened?" Resda walked over to steady him as he got to his feet, but he pushed him back. "I've got it." He stared at Resda. "Now, who the heck are you?"
"Hawk?" Laine said in wonderment, before Resda could get in a word. "You're alive?"
"Laine?" Hawk said, equally amazed. "What happened? Why is the room so bright? What happened to the Orb?"
"You don't remember anything..." Laine thought aloud.
"Remember what? After I touched the Orb, I suddenly woke up on the floor."
"Hawk... you've been gone for four years," Laine said, Hawk's eyes wide. "After you touched the Orb... a beast named the Demon Archer appeared in an eruption of energy. The shockwave from the blast knocked me out of the tower, and I was unable to return to for you. I naturally assumed the worst."
"Four years..." Hawk repeated, trying to grasp it.
"Yes," Laine reiterated. "Resda and I returned finally to finish what we started."
"So this Demon... you killed him?" Hawk asked. "And what about the Orb?"
"I think you missed the point," Resda began.
"What?" Hawk thought. "Wait... a four year lapse of memory, waking up in pain... are you saying that..." Resda nodded, solemnly. "Then I must have tried to..." Hawk choked on the words.
"You almost did," Laine replied.
"Wh... what about the Orb?" Hawk said, in a calm voice.
"Resda destroyed it," Laine said simply. "With the same shot that defeated you."
"What?" Hawk said again. "But that's impossible!"
"What? Because the Orb was unbreakable?" Resda asked. "Yeah, that was wrong."
"NO!" Hawk yelled in frustration. "You shouldn't have done it! I should have!"
Resda was taken aback. "What gives you that idea?"
"I'm the champion, that's what!" Hawk barked. "It's my responsibility!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Resda said. "I'm the champion."
"Laine!" Hawk said. "Tell this joker he's mistaken!" Laine looked down at the floor. "Come on!"
"I'm sorry, Hawk," Laine intoned sadly. "Look, it's my fault you got into this. I assumed too much." Before Hawk could complain, Laine continued. "I was wrong to think that you were the champion; it was just taking so long for Helena to make a decision that I felt I needed to take matters into my own hands."
"So, what?" Hawk spat, "I'm a mistake? I just get pushed aside while this loser comes out of nowhere to claim what is mine?"
"Now wait just a second!" Resda argued.
"I challenge you, here and now, Resda."
"No," he replied emphatically. "There are other, more pressing concerns right now." At that moment, Laine's leg gave out again, and Resda rushed over to help.
Hawk calmed down slightly. "Hmph. We'd better get back to Henesys then."
"Right," Resda agreed. He extended a friendly hand. Hawk didn't take it.
"But, when we get Laine to Helena's place, I'm out. I'll prove to you, Resda, that I'm the only champion around here."
"Do what you want," Resda replied. He turned to Laine. "Laine, if you could..."
"Of course." She pulled another charm from her pocket. "We'd better just warp directly to Helena's house." She handed the charm to Resda. He tossed it at the floor, and the three entered the portal.
Just as these events transpired, a lone figure stood atop the scaffolding in busy Kerning City, facing the orange light of the setting sun. His dark disheveled hair blew in the wind. Raising his weapon, a uniquely colored Gephart with an ancient inscription on its blades, he thought to himself. The Nazo, he thought, such a unique weapon. And such a unique purpose to it, as well. He lowered his weapon, grasping it tightly in his left hand. I still don't know what I have to do. But this I vow: I, Twilight Sea, will not fail. And any who stand before me will feel my blade. After standing in silence for a moment, he retrieved a scroll from his bag. He opened and read it as a rushing wind surrounded him, whisking him away to his next destination.
