The Darkside of Legend
Chapter 28: Desert of Mirage
Zelda spends her time during that afternoon by teaching Anna about their work. She had learnt that Anna, unlike other female team members, she can't use any kind magic. But she is a very strong fighter. She is even stronger than Jedi, Ordin, Scarley and Dyabolt.
"Where did you learn those fighting skills?" Zelda asks.
"… We have no need to learn it from anyone. Our god gave it as a present since we were born." Anna says.
"The god? You mean Arceus?" Zelda asks.
"N…" Anna says before she decides to say nothing.
"Anyway, I asked Glacier to prepare the room for you. You are lucky that we have four empty rooms left in our base." Zelda says.
"… I care not for the place where I will sleep. I can sleep even in the graveyard." Anna says.
"Oh…" Zelda says.
"And then… You said that everyone in your team has a work to do… What can I do for you?" Anna asks.
"… Well…" Zelda says.
"… By looking at our teammate, I can tell that no one in our team has a good skill in the bandaging." Anna says. It is true, everyone has scars on their skin from the battle.
"We don't need that skill since I can use magic to heal everyone." Zelda says.
"… You can't rely on your magic forever. If you are in the anti-magic area, your magic will be useless. So let me be the nurse of your team." Anna says.
"As you will." Zelda says.
That night, Link tells everyone about The Sword of Justice's word. He even tells Anna that he and Zelda are actually human. At first, Anna is very shocking. But after that, she mumbles something that Link and his friends don't understand. Then Link tells everyone that tomorrow they will go to Sandust Town in Beta Province to investigate about The Distortion of Time and Space. After their meeting ends, they quickly go into a deep sleep without any dream. (Include Link's nightmare)
The next morning, Link and his friends wake up very late because they were tired from their journey from Gamma City. But Anna wakes up early. She looks very much better after she had a meal last night. After a little preparing, they start their journey to the Sandust Town, the town of the gemstone.
From the Frostdrop Town, there is a little road that leads to Beta Province, which is the largest province of Land of Origin. After they reach the Beta Province, they continue walking until they reach the Sandust Town.
"… I hate this place…" Glacier mumbles. Because this town is located near the Sandust Desert, so the temperature in this area is quite high.
"But I like it. I hate the cold place like Delta Province." Anna says.
"Link, do you have any clue more about The Distortion of Time and Space?" Link asks.
"I have." Jedi says and shows his watch to everyone, now the time is afternoon, but from the location of the sun above the Sandust Town, it tells them that now is just morning.
"Cobalion was right. The time is distorted here…" Link says.
"Not only that, I have checked the length between the Frostdrop Town and Sandust Town. It appears that the location of this town is further from it should be." Scarley says.
"Space is distorted too…" Zelda says.
"Who has done this?" Iris says.
"WAZLFK UJVTCV VYU BVTRJV MJTT YQL UQ ZQWFLXJYC TJRF LXJZ." Anna says.
"Hm?" Everyone looks at Anna.
"When is the last time that I heard the Wyrm Language?" Ravenoir says.
"What?!" Everyone says.
"MXQ VKF NQD?! NQD VKF YQL VY QKJYVKN BQRFWQY!" Anna says.
"I am just a sin, Anna." Ravenoir says.
"What is that language?" Iris asks.
"SQKQVKR! UQ YQL LFTT LXFW! LXFN UQ YQL UFZFKAF LQ RDQM!" Anna says.
"It is a lost language, nothing more." Ravenoir says.
"Really?" Scarley asks.
"Do I have to say it by myself?" Anna asks in an unpleasant voice.
"Um…" Link says.
"There is something in this world that you shouldn't know." Ravenoir says.
Link and his friends spend their time in the Sandust Town by finding clues and buying more supplies for their team. (Link forbids Zelda and Anna to buy the very expensive jewel in the town's shop. And Anna decides not to go into the town because she wants no one to see her.) But they find no clue until they enters the Sandust City Guild.
"Hi! Exploration Team!" An Eevee greets when Link and his friends enter the guild.
"Hi! We are Team Legend from Delta Province. May we speak with the Guildmaster?" Link asks.
"You are speaking with him now. I am Evan, the Guildmaster of Sandust Guild." Eevee says.
"Hm? But you are still an Eevee…" Dyabolt says.
"Does this matter?" Evan asks.
"Not really…" Dyabolt says.
"By the way, what business do you have with me?" Evan asks.
"Can you tell me about the strange thing that happens with time and space in this area?" Link asks.
"Hm… I really don't know much But all I can tell is the time and space are most distorted is the center of Sandust Desert." Eevee says.
"Thank you, that's helped us a lot." Link says.
"But don't dare to go out that area. That desert is cursed." Evan says.
"Thank you for warn us." Link says and walks out of the guild with his friends.
"Such a restless Lucario…" Evan mumbles.
Link and his friends quickly walk out of the town to meet Anna, who is waiting at the Oasis in the desert.
"Found something?" Anna asks.
"Yes. We must go to the area in the middle of the Sandust Desert." Link says.
"I don't think so. Your team will die before we get there. This place is too hot for your team." Anna says.
"Why do you say something like this?! We are stronger than you look!" Link says.
"PFGVDZF LXQZF BQRFWQY MFKF RJTTJYC WN LKJPF!" Anna says. Her word makes Ravenoir looks at her with a strange-looking face.
"What does she say?" Iris asks.
"None of your business." Ravenoir says.
"Why do you two always keep your secret from us?!" Ordin says.
"Then what will you do?" Anna asks.
"You do not trust us, you are not our friend." Scarley says.
"Have I ever said that I am your friend or you are my friend?" Anna says.
"Why you?!" Jedi, Ordin, Scarley, Dyabolt and Glacier say. Then they surround Anna.
"Hey guys! Stop that!" Link says.
"I fear not!" Anna says.
"Then come on!" Ordin roars.
-Five minutes later-
Jedi, Ordin, Scarley, Dyabolt and Glacier lay down on the ground. Anna defeats them very easy.
"Why you?!" Scarley says.
"…" Anna says nothing.
"Well, look like we should rest a little bit after the fight." Zelda says.
"But first…" Anna says. Then she starts bandaging the losers.
"!" Five losers look at Anna.
"That should do it." Anna says.
"Why do you help us?" Jedi asks.
"No real reason. I just don't want you to die from my hand." Anna says.
"…" Everyone looks at Anna. She is sure to have a strange thought about everything.
They quickly have a lunch without saying anything. Jedi, Ordin, Scarley, Dyabolt and Glacier start to fear Anna. Although she is gentle, but something she is headstrong and is very fierce toward her enemy.
After the lunch, ten members of Team Legend start their journey to the middle of the desert. Although they don't know where to go, but with a strong mind, they dispel their fear from their heart and walk through the sand that burns under their feet.
"… Living in the desert isn't easy…" Jedi says.
"But how irony, this desert is the hottest place in Land of Origin, but the area west of this desert, the Frostdrop Snow Field, is the coldest place in the Land of Origin." Glacier says.
"But I quite love this place!" Dyabolt says.
"It's because most Heliolisk are living in the desert…" Scarley says.
"Yeah… But I don't like to live in the desert much. Because the desert is the home of most ground type, which is my nemesis." Dyabolt says. But then…
"Hey guy! Look that!" Iris says. Everyone looks far away. They can see a ruin of something not so far from here.
"What is that ruin?" Zelda asks.
"That may be the mirage of the desert." Ravenoir says.
"But it may be the place that is our destination, let's go." Link says.
Everyone quickly walks toward the desert, and finally, they reach that ruins.
"It isn't the mirage, it is the true place!" Zelda says.
"But what is this ruins? How can ruins stand in the middle of the desert? And I haven't heard about there are any ruins in this desert before…" Iris says.
"LXJZ WDZL PF LXF KDJYS QE WVZLFK UJVTCV! J VTMVNZ MVYL LQ AJZJL LXJZ BTVGF!" Anna says.
"By the way, this is a huge discover of our team!" Scarley says.
"No! You can't reveal this to everyone!" Anna says.
"What?!" Scarley says.
"WVZLFK UJVTCV! The god will punish you!" Anna says.
"… Fine." Scarley says.
"Link, what should we do?" Zelda says.
"Hm…" Link says.
"Hey! Link, the time from my watch shows that now is midnight!" Jedi says.
"What?!" Ordin says. Because according to the location of the sun, the time is now noon!
"So, the time is distorted here…" Iris says.
"We should go and investigate here…" Link says.
"GDKZFU YQY-UKVCQY!" Anna says. Then everyone enters the mysterious ruin in the middle of the Sandust Desert.
To Be Continue…
