My computer is still being buggy. So far the just a quarter of the keyboards are acting stubborn.
Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter~!
P.S might want to re-read Chapter 81 and 83 so you won't get too confused with this chapter. It's been a while so I can get if some folks here would forget a few important points . ^_^
PART FIFTY-THREE - THE SHADOW OF MY KIN
Grey could hardly breath in this air. His scabbard slapped his leg as he ran. He cursed when more shadows rose from the ground, as if waking from the dead. The bruises and cuts on him still burned. He was lucky to even be alive.
It won't matter. We're all going to die.
Why keep fighting then? Why resist it? He didn't know. He's always been fighting his whole life and he made it out of a few tight spots. But this? A catastrophe to this degree? It felt ridiculous to think he would be making out of this one. Link obviously couldn't stop the king; the boy had the right senses to not get involved. And the twins…
The thought of them somewhere dead brought forth a crippling despair that almost took him to his knees. Everything he'd ever done was all for nothing. He couldn't even protect his charge. He told Silas to sit still and found the lad gone.
He went to sister. Shouldn't have left him alone.
Grey stumbled into a corner, shoved back against the mass. He couldn't calm them if he wanted to. His own head could barely register the chaos. Instead, he stood, dumbed as people rushed around him, screaming. The shadows would quickly scramble any sense of order Grey could muster.
Why should he bother fighting? They'll be dead before the morrow. Each and every single one of them.
Growling at the obvious fact, Grey helped a young man up after he tripped. He told the lad to go someplace safe but doubted he was listening.
This part of Desmera held wagons on the side, a place where merchants would have their goods checked before moving uphill to the markets. Now the wagons were tipped over, their contents smashed to bits.
The captain's pace slowed to a stop when he saw a particular bar. He loved that bar. The bartender would give him drinks of the house. There'd be men laughing with him, friends to play cards, a toast to the fallen and the fortunate. The joyous air would've been a satisfying closure to a long day of hard work.
The bartender now sat outside his shop, staring at the sky unblinkingly. His wife right next to him, and Grey could only wonder where their daughter was.
Why keep fighting? What's the point?
A soldier must always have a reason to keep fighting. That was something Grey learned when he worked his way to becoming a captain. A man needed to know what he was training for, what he was risking his life for. Whether for family, money, land or Lord. There had to be something.
Though that didn't apply to him, first a soldier then a mercenary and then an assassin. He learned to just keep fighting and don't stop to think for a reason behind it; you'll find one eventually, but till then focus on what you're doing now.
So despite the shell above their heads, despite the number of shadows, this captain kept fighting for his town. He would take any soldiers that would listen to him and made them escort those to the alleyways were it was noticeably emptier.
The streets were nearly emptied, and Grey could see shadows chasing people away. One came for him specifically and he dodged the whishing claw. The shadow's eyes brightened, faltering his bravery.
Demon. These things are demons.
He took out his sword and it felt much heavier in his shaking hands. The blade easily slipped right through the shadow, not even disturbing its form. It did anger the entity and it hissed at him so aggressively that Grey tripped back. His back slammed against the wall, his head crashing, and black dots exploded in his eyes. At his feet, his sword clattered.
The shadow wasn't just thin but emaciated. A skeleton's figure with no rips sticking out, no skin to cover them. Just a drooping mouth hanging wide enough to chew a man's head off, large red eyes pointed downwards in fury.
Grey had never been more scared in his whole life.
Then something metal protruded out from the shadow's chest. It paused and before it could turn, the glint of metal ran up from chest to neck, splitting the creature in half. It vanished, revealing the slayer. For a moment, Grey thought it was Sophia.
Oh…Din.
That can't be possible.
"On your feet!" Lawrence snapped.
Grey, stupefied, couldn't register the command. That stern grey eyes, the posture that demanded reverence. Back when Grey was forced to be his bodyguard, even he had to admit that Lawrence did deserve respect.
"Captain, I really don't like repeating myself."
Grey got up instantly, almost tripping over his sword.
"Which district is most prevalent with shadows?"
Grey stammered, "Th-the west, my Lord, but—"
"Round up anyone you could find and get them to gather weapons, anything from axes to sparing swords, even non-combat weapons like broom or even a stick. I want them brought to the west. I'll meet you there. I've finally figured out how to beat these things."
"Shouldn't you be dead?" Grey blurted out.
Lawrence snorted. "Not yet I'm not."
Someone came from above, landing as swift as a cat. It was incredible that Sophia could fall from such a height and not even stumble. A normal person would break their legs.
"I just found out there are…" She paused and spoke more slowly. "The shadows. They're over by the…"
"The west," Lawrence said with a nod. "We'll fight of the shadows, show people that they have nothing to fear. This will work."
"Grey, are you coming?" Sophia asked.
It took a while for Grey to speak. It also took him a while to realize that Lawrence wasn't here at all. Silas looked at him expectedly, a small warrior armed with only a lame blade.
"I have my orders," Grey finally spoke. "I'll meet you two at the west with any arms I could find."
"Don't show fear," Silas stressed. "Don't let it overwhelm you. That's how they become stronger. If you fight against it, then these things have no control over us."
"They actually become afraid of us," Sophia added.
Silas gave the captain a firm look, a look so akin to Lawrence that Grey winced a little. "Don't be afraid of them, Captain. That was how Louis took power from us, and now we will take it from him." Silas turned to his twin. "Let's not waste time."
Sophia nodded. "Right."
The captain watched the two leave, hand in hand, blades at either sides of hem. The two suppose bastards. They didn't own anything in this town, not even a rupee. And yet, they were more true than any real full blooded nobles in all of this country.
"You really knew what you were doing, Lawrence," Grey whispered.
He snapped out of his daze and started to move.
Silas never thought he'd ever participate a fight. Oh sure, he did participate…at the sidelines. A nice and safe distance away from the pain and blood. His illness tended to complicate things, you see.
Now, as he entered a battle, he experience what was called pre-battle anxiety. Though he'd read it from several biographies of war veterans, all of it just vanished from his mind. It was much, much different in experimenting it himself. A whole composition of emotions and thoughts raced through his mind, a small voice nagging at him to turn back around or lag a little further behind his sister.
It was worse since the area was familiar to him, from a time when it wasn't swarming with shadows, and blackened with death and despair.
Apprehension tensed over his shoulders. Link dealt with his problems either with rage or rocky confidence, Grey faced it with a firm resolute, Sophia carries herself with taciturnity and ruthless precision. Silas knew he had to be different. This town, regardless of his birth, had been given to him to protect.
But there was no such thing as protecting a castle with one man, and so he couldn't protect this entire town with just him and his sister. He needed his people, and for that to happen, these shadows needed to back off.
The west side of the town looked like it came out from those war paintings. A mess of shadows slashing and gliding over the ground, mouths wide in a snarl, claws spraying with blood.
Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid.
No, he had to be afraid. "It's okay," he gritted, taking in a deep breath and clenching his dagger. Being afraid will prevent him from doing something stupid.
When he had first killed that shadow, he was amazed to see a great deal of shock over its face, which proved that these entities…they weren't exactly mindless. He might be wrong, since these things were supposedly the negative aspects of a person's soul, all the energy stripped from them, leaving them as backup power.
Link had to win before dawn. The people who'd been the first to sacrifice would turn into those things, and Silas would rather not cut down his own people anymore than he had to cut down creatures who'd been Hylian once.
Holding his sister's hand might seem childish, but at times like this, he felt himself getting stronger. It was as if she held both their strength, and would lend it to him whenever he needed it. Maybe that was why she trained so hard, so that she will be strong enough for the both of them.
He tried to emulate her bravery after letting go of her hand, nodding to her before separating. The shadows were on either side of the street. This west of Desmera was more of a crossroad, crowded with markets and bars, making it one of the most attractive areas.
The crowd here was so thick, he had to stick to one side in order not to get crushed. People used their elbows and shoulders to get through. The shadows were at the back, claws splayed out but with no blood on them, as any materials seem to get passed them.
But they aren't insubstantial, Silas thought, fanning his anger and letting it riot over his fear. Not too much, or else he'll be susceptible to the influence. Instead, he fixated on the thought of his home, remembering it how it used to be.
He cried out, going after a shadow that was close by. It threw down its claws at a woman who seemed stuck in her place. Silas shoved her to the side and the claws went straight through him, tearing at nothing.
Only a slight chill crawled through Silas, as if he'd gone through a cold bath.
The shadow paused, red eyes going from narrowed arrows pointed down to round circles, confused. Silas didn't hesitate. His dagger tore at the shadow as if it were a curtain. It cried out before vanishing.
The woman he saved stared up at him, dumbfound.
"Don't be afraid of them," he told her. "We're stronger than them."
Of course she wasn't listening and so he turned to start killing as many as possible. From the far side of the street, he saw his sister at work, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't envious. Good Din, but he never did praise her for her skills. She moved as if she were a part of the wind, her attacks landing with such accuracy that even the other shadows flinched back.
Her silky hair whipped behind her, black daggers in each hand. Thankfully, she had the sense not to stop mid-way to check up on him, as she often did. With most of the shadows on her side, Silas worked with the remnants of them.
He made sure not to exert himself. It wouldn't do if he had to sit down from exhaustion and be forced to watch his people get ripped apart. Sophia told him not to exaggerate his blows, just simple swings. Goodness, she even told him that the way you move your shoulders were important.
At least these shadows were like smoke. Despite their savagery, they don't seem to have a solid form of their own.
Bit by bit, the crowd managed to get under control when the shadows turned their bloody eyes to the twins. Silas banished the fear from his heart the more he grew into the momentum. So this was how it felt. The thrill of the battle. The sureness of winning. No wonder Link seemed drunk on it.
Words cannot express the satisfaction he felt when removing these stains from his street. He glimpsed Grey and his men arriving with weapons, but they didn't interjected. For once, the captain didn't insist on taking him to someplace safe.
Sophia was soon by his side as the shadows started to surround them. This could've wavered his confidence, but Sophia didn't seem the least bit winded out.
"You tired?" she asked. "Catch your breath."
Silas swallowed, his throat dry as he eyed the snarling shadow. They were wary. Despite what his initial assessment of them, they are capable of some thought. "Can't very well let you take all the glory."
Sophia snorted. "I've been taking all the glory since I first got my shurkin. I just kept quiet about it. You sure you don't want to rest first?"
The shadow in front of him moved, giving him no chance to speak. Somewhere in the background, Grey shouted his name. Silas didn't waste time, bringing his dagger and cutting his adversary in half.
"I'll rest when we win!" he snapped as the other shadows all attacked at once. Sophia moved before he could even blink, taking two steps at a time, leaping from one side to the other. Whenever she moved forward, she left a shadow behind, split right in half before fading.
Silas grinned. If he didn't know his sister, then he would've thought she was showing off on purpose.
People started to cheer.
A shadow thrust its speared arm into his belly, coldness numbing the skin there. Silas blinked, staring at the shadow who hesitated. Two more claws and one spear made their way into him, and he nearly stumbled to his feet by how cold they were.
Scoffing, he brought them all down, contrails of mist streaming from his dagger like ribbons. It was an incredible feeling, to be fighting by his sister's side. No shadows took him by the back. None of them overwhelmed him too much.
After a few minutes later, he realized that there were no more shadows left anywhere in the area. His breath rasped in and out, sweat beading down his face.
Good Din, he thought, breathless. We…we must've killed a little more than dozen…
Well, Sophia did anyways, but Silas was proud of himself.
He stood on top of a wagon still on its wheels, overlooking the crowd. "My people, I need you to listen to me!" They stared at him, as if seeing him for the first time. Their sick Lord actually fought? That was possible? "These shadows have a weakness! This weakness is us!"
He raised his dagger in the air. "This blade is nothing like the holy blade! It is dull and brittle, and yet you see me slain with this! But it's not with this that I kill them.
"For months, Louis exploited us for his own malicious goals. He was the man behind the odd weather pattern, and the constant monster attack. He used our fear to become powerful! All of it came from us! Our fears!"
"That's right." The crowd parted to let Sophia through. Though hundred pairs of eyes were on her, she walked with a clear posture and confidence, joining Silas. "Louis is nothing more than an arrogant prick."
"All of this—" Silas gestured to the area, where some poor villagers had fallen. "His power is from our fear!"
"They will kill us," someone cried out and a few began to stir, panicking.
"Not if we fight back, they won't," Sophia said sharply, her voice cutting through their voices. "Louis can only control us if we let him."
"If we show no fear, then he has no way of getting power." Silas's eyes swept over the frightened villagers. "Louis, the King of Shadows, is nothing but a sham! He plans to use the grounds of Desmera to settle an old score and I'll be damned if I let him get away with it! We can't hope to defeat him if we ran about as if our heads were cut off!
"Though I am a bastard, I am still your Lord for this night; therefore, I will lead you and defend you to my last breath. I know how frightened you are, many of you have lost your loved ones, but you could still avenge them! You could still take back you town, but you must fight for it first!" Silas lifted his dagger. "It doesn't have to be metal. Find anything you can use to fight back. Banish all fear from within you, grab pitchforks, brooms, even a sparing sword!
"You will defeat them, not because of the weapon you yield, but because of your bravery!"
Fresh shadows started to come up from the ground. First, in long streams of mists, like steam curling from a bubbling pot. Then they melded, shaping into narrowed figures with beaming eyes. This disturbed the crowd, threatening to break it apart like before, but Sophia was already moving. She jumped, cresting over the crowd, and landed on the ground, lunging at the shadow. It stopped when she slashed her dagger through its torso.
More shadows started to appear.
"This is our town!" Silas shouted. "Are you going to let these things take it away from us? They're afraid of us!"
On cue, Sophia snapped a look at the shadow, the very same hard look that often clamped Silas's mouth shut. It had the same effect on the shadow as it stopped mid-swing, hesitating, red eyes dimmed. It even stumbled back.
Grey was the first to attack. Silas watched him lunge out, no falter in his step. The captain had always played a big role in Silas's life, and he proved to do the same for the crowd, showing them first hand on how little the effort took to defeat these things.
"Hand out the weapons," Silas ordered his guardsmen, waving his hand. "Everyone, grab something!"
Some had chosen to flee, but there were those who did heed his words, and began arming themselves. There were a few scuffles over who gets the better, sharper blades, making Silas wish he'd chosen something aside from swords.
Grey and his gathered retinues led the primal attack, with Sophia in the lead. A true noblewoman. Silas also joined them. If he wanted people to fight, then he needed to put himself there and show them the way to victory.
Agnes is DEAD!
She's gone!
You're all alone!
"Focus!" Katie shouted, her voice tearing through the ones running in his head.
Link realized he wasn't breathing right. Black spots scattered over his eyes.
Louis chuckled. "What's the matter, hero?"
Link closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. His mind seemed to work it through, pushing through the words that tried to drag him into truculent fury. The wind changed and he snapped his eyes open, whirling and nearly catching Louis by the arm.
The king flounced back, yelping.
"You're not fooling me," Link said quietly, going forward to thrust his sword, and met only air.
Louis reappeared, fuming. Link could've taunted him, but in his state, he knew he couldn't risk it. He was far from his center, as if someone pulled the rug under him.
Katie took the role of being his voice of reason. No logic or rationality seem to exist in his head. He had his instincts left, and even that was pointless.
Rage built inside of him. He was so done with this little magic vanishing trick, fed up of the voices in his head, tired of Louis's knowing smirks. Link's focus muddled with images of tormenting this bastard in the most horrific way.
Link couldn't even try to summon the will to calm himself down. He had to leave that part to Katie, surrounding all control.
"Don't attack now," Katie told him. "He's going to fire something."
Those spears reverted back to arrows, skimming through the air. After being hit through the heart with one of them, Link took extra caution around those. He shuddered every time he remembered that, the mists that had swallowed him, sequestering him from the world. The inside was filled with such incredible pain that he couldn't even remember it.
Link didn't attack, although his body twitched forward with the impulse to do so. It didn't take long for Louis to disappear.
"He'll show up," Katie promised, when Link started to growl as he started to look around.
Louis showed up eventually on the side, trying to grab Link's face with a hot hand. With the stump ending on his dominant arm, Louis needed to get more creative with his fight. The massive, dark blade rested far away from them, useless.
Link twisted away from the hand, feeling heat fanning on his face. He steadied himself, bringing his blade up. Without a sword of his own to counter it, Louis stepped back with inhumane speed. Contrails streamed from his figure whenever he moved quick.
"Don't go all out," Katie warned. "And don't put all your energy into your sword."
Link blew out air sharply, knowing that she was right.
"So you'll let a fairy tell you how to fight?" Louis mused. "How adorable. You need her to hold your hand as well, hero?"
Blood filled Link's mouth when he bit the inside of his cheek in order to prevent himself from speaking. This anger in him…words and days, this anger wasn't normal.
Sure, he'd been mad before but this felt like chains tying around his neck. It wasn't even hot; it so very cold, like someone froze his insides. The frost steamed from within, trying to find an outlet. He kept his mouth shut and felt it tumbling inside of him. Any longer and he'd explode.
"Don't think about anything else," Katie snapped. "Nothing. Perish all your thoughts and follow only my voice!"
Louis chuckled. "How does that make you feel, boy? Aren't you a survivalist? How did you manage to live this long if you required someone to carry your brain?"
"Asking for help is better than enslaving people!" Katie retorted. "Look at you, talking about survival! You would've never gone here if it weren't for Tristan!"
It was nice to see Louis losing his smile.
The only reasoning Link had left was his trust in her. It was…the only other thought he had left.
He wasn't just fighting Louis, but a force. This force was something he'd never been exposed to before, not since he came here to Desmera and went though its catacomb. Mathilda fell to it at the final battle, her blue eyes bled to red, hair flowed up her head like her snake Gilly. It wasn't just her, but also Beckward, Ruto's once loyal adviser.
After feeling this power first hand, after witnessing Tristan's transformation, Link finally understand that Beckward never really hated his princess or the family or the kingdom. He'd been nurtured to feel that way, convinced that he wanted their downfall. No wonder Ruto had been obstinate in defending him…
This unseen force would take Link away if he let it. It knew him better than he knew himself. It knew what made him tick, it knew what he held dear. And it very well knew what he feared and what he loved.
Sophia faced through it with metal fortitude alone. Link thought of her ribbons, of how she looked at them so fondly and whenever she remembered or tried to, her hand brushed past them. He had to try and think like her.
Link faced Louis, his eyes hardening. "You're a piece of shit, you know that?"
"Really now, just where have you gotten to be so vulgar?"
Link grounded his teeth. This thing had once been Hylian once. Rather than being consumed into this force, Louis managed to find a way to manipulate it. But Louis wasn't entirely immune to it, otherwise he would never go this far, driven by greed for more power.
Louis grinned an ugly smile, two pints of red stabbing through black eyes. Katie whispered into Link's ear, her warmth on the side of his face. "Don't go to him; let him come to you."
Link managed a nod, a part of him screaming that he shouldn't take orders from a sprit. He took in a deep breath, holding his sword in two hands. Oh hell, all these emotions were making him so sick. He didn't think it would be possible for someone like him to feel so much.
"We'll win this," she told him, color shifting to an assertive yellow. "You can beat him!"
Louis stared at Link, smile melting when he saw he wasn't getting to him. There was so much bright hate into those eyes, it hurt to look at directly. They left burning after images when Link closed his eyes.
At least now that they were both belligerent, they walked on the same path. And there was one thing Link had that Louis didn't.
"Tell me what to do," Link whispered.
"He should teleport any minute now." Her guess was right as Louis vanished in a churn of puffed up smoke. "Let him expose himself. If you run to him, you'll act up."
Link breathed out steadily, some of this thoughts returning to him. "Alright then, but this will take time. He's got more energy than I do."
"Then reserve you energy and be smart with it. You didn't put that much effort into cutting off his hand, right?"
Link chuckled darkly. Oh, nothing, not even sake or women, had given Link that much pleasure than shearing Louis's hand clean off. Now that he thought about it, it really didn't take much effort. It was like Louis was made of clay. Looks solid at first, but when you nudge a spoon at it, he starts crumbling.
Everything about him is a lie. His power, his rule, everything about him—he's full of bullshit.
If Sophia hadn't taken off that crown, then Link would've done it himself, with pleasure.
He backed away when Louis materialized, large fingers inching away from Link's collar. Smoke hissed through as fire sparks. There was an opening. Link changed his grip; his sword went up into a curved upward attack. Louis stumbled back from it.
Link waited till the king reappeared once more, regaining some of his composure. "Come on then," Link growled. "You want this town? You want to go dance with Charles? You get through me first, coward!"
That's all Louis really is—a coward.
Sophia didn't know what she felt about people fighting alongside her. Normally, that was the soldiers and her doing that, but maybe she could make an exception just this once….
Fire roared from a nearby wagon, blazing the foggy night and bringing luminance to the streets. Broken glass glittered over the cobbles like a thousand diamonds. The villagers each held a grim look, armed with either a soldier's weapon, or a household item. She was pretty sure she saw someone with a stick. It didn't matter; big or small, sharp or dull—just about anything can get through to these shadows.
Sophia took the lead, the fire in the wagon like a hot furnace at the side. Two shadows stood in their way. The girl near her tried to attack but flinched when a shadow growled at her. Sophia pulled the idiot back, her wrist swift as she eliminated the shadow.
"If you can't fight then find somewhere tot hide," Sophia said, and as she said it, she was pretty sure this was not the first time. The guy, whatever his name was, took down one of the shadows, shouting out angrily.
Seeing that, Sophia sighed before smacking him upside the head.
"What—" He shut his mouth when he saw her.
"Honestly," she said, hands on her hips, feeling like a mother with children. Meanwhile, soldiers ran up forth, dismissing the shadows quickly. "One's too afraid and the other is going about with his head loosened."
The man flushed. "But—"
"You are not fighting because you hate them," she cut him off. "That's just as bad as being afraid of them. Your anger will get the better of you.
The girl looked down in shame. The guy rubbed his head, irritated to be chastised by someone young enough to be his daughter.
"I have every right to be mad at them!" he argued.
"You do, but you don't," Sophia said simply. The man blinked, but to be fair, it made much more sense in Sophia's mind. "Louis is the one who deserves your anger, not his vile servants. So do you plan to stroll up to the king himself?" The man didn't say anything, though he did give her a churlish look.
"Good." Her eyes narrowed. "And continue to speak to me in that tone or even look at me like that, and I'll dox your ears, understand? Quit thrashing about like some wounded boar, and you—"
The girl squealed a bit when Sophia whirled at her.
"Stop shaking and find somewhere to hide. You aren't fighting them out of hatred, but to save your home. Never forget that."
"Everything okay here?" a soldier stopped by to ask him, holding up a halberd.
"Keep an eye on these two here," Sophia ordered. "And—" She frowned when the next words seem to have dipped out her mind. They looked at her expectedly. "Just keep an eye on them. Don't be afraid of the shadows." That sounded lame but the soldier nonetheless nodded.
The girl, one roughly her age, clung to her small, rusted mace. For a moment, Sophia didn't see her but Irela, with her curly hair and small posture.
"M-my Lady?"
Sophia blinked. "What?"
"I-I said I want to fight," the girl insisted, looking up at her.
Sophia paused and sighed. "If that is what you want, then you must be brave for it. You're allowed to be frightened but do not let it consume you, do you understand?"
The girl nodded. "Yes, my Lady. Can-can I accompany you?"
What am I doing again?
Sophia can't very well ask them that. They were looking for guidance and bravery. "I'll move too fast for you to follow but if I see you in danger, I'll help as much as I can. Just don't be afraid."
With the flames raging in the back, the girl's face appeared red. She nodded, mustering bravery and followed the guard alongside the man, who Sophia now remembered was the brother of that girl.
Sophia sighed. She didn't know what to do with this leadership stuff. Things like this should be left with Silas.
The thought of her brother caused her to gasp. Now she remembered. She had to check up on him!
But there didn't seem to be anything to worry about since he was just where she had left him. For a minute, she nearly cried out his name as a shadow lunged out from behind but Silas turned, cutting through it. That look in his eyes reminded her of someone very dear.
Father?
Sophia touched her ribbon, and at once, the memories came pouring over. She smiled. Her brother's guard was a little off, his feet weren't proper and his swings were too wide. He looked so much like a clumsy boy, but so brave and inspiring. She looked at him with pride.
Sophia stiffened when a woman, large by the waist, small beady eyes and big nose stalked over to the side. She carried an axe, cutting through the shadows better than any villagers Sophia knew. That wasn't what Sophia found disturbing. This woman seemed to be making her way to Silas.
It shouldn't be so strange though. People often congregated Silas, staying by his side until he arranged some soldiers to lead his people to either fight or go into hiding.
This woman went towards him with a different kind of need. Sophia didn't wait to find out. This is what makes the twins different. Silas asses a situation in a theoretical way, using notes and facts. Sophia on the other hand, didn't need a reason to cross the street to reach her brother before the woman did.
Only two hand-held daggers were left on her belt. All blades from throwing daggers and kunais were gone. These ones were not meant for throwing; they were too thick, and so when she threw one, it did slow down in the air but it gave the woman a pause.
Silas was, of course, oblivious. If only she could smack his head so he could pay some attention when someone's trying to kill him.
The woman snarled at her before turning to Silas, axe ready.
"Silas!" Sophia screamed, too far to reach him.
Silas turned and paled, tripping away from the arc of the axe. Stumbling, he neared the wagon that was brought into flames. The fire backlit him, haloing him in orange.
Sophia ran just as the woman kicked him down and raised her axe. A shadow waylaid Sophia, seething at her. Sophia cried out, cutting the insufferable thing with her bare hands and didn't wait for it to vanish. She tore straight through it, trails of smoke steaming after her.
Silas backed away, one side of his face muddied from when he'd fallen. The woman kicked him again, raising her axe. She saw Sophia just in time to change the way of the swing. Sophia ducked beneath it, stepping up to the woman and punching her right in the face.
At the same time, Sophia buried her dagger into the woman's gut.
The assailant paled, falling to her knees with a weak cry. Soot fluttered from the wagon that stood a few strides away, heat waving over them. The air choked with smoke. Silas shook slightly, staring at the old woman who squirmed, trying desperately to plug the wound with her hands. Sophia grabbed his shoulder, lifting him up to his feet all while keeping an eye on the woman.
The old frog had the nerve to look at them in defiance. "Bastards."
Sophia raised her dagger to end her but Silas grasped her shoulder. "Don't."
"You know this bitch?" Sophia sneered at her.
"Don't call her that." Silas seemed enervated, which alarmed Sophia. When did he take his medicine? He approached the woman, giving a look when Sophia forbad him from taking a step any closer. "You're the sister of the man who raided my manor, aren't you?"
Sophia nearly choked on her spit. "Raid? What raid? When was this?" She searched through her mind, but found nothing.
"It was way back before we went to the catacombs. You weren't there."
She gasped. "I wasn't? Where was I? Did this woman harm you?"
The woman tried reaching her axe, and Sophia kicked it away. It skidded over the cobbles, vanishing into the dark. "I dare you," Sophia growled.
Silas shook his head, almost in disdain. "You think attacking me will make things better?"
"You had my brother killed!" the woman shouted.
"You brother tried to kill me!" Silas shot. "Murder and assault? There is no forgiveness for that! Your brother committed treason!"
"Treason? Treason? This, from some son of a whore?" The woman hissed through her teeth when she got up, woozy. Blood soaked her apron. That kind of wound should've kept anyone down, if only Sophia twisted her dagger in deeper. "You were bastards the whole time!"
"I didn't know."
"Bullshit!"
Sophia stepped forth, but Silas grabbed her arm. "You watch your mouth," she hissed. "Say what you want, but I'll be the one to cut you right open!"
Silas gave her a disapproval look before stepping forward, telling her to let him handle this.
"Silas—"
"Violence won't get us anywhere, Sophia!" He looked towards the woman. "You may never forgive me for what happened, but what's done is done. You can't let yourself be ruled by your emotions. That's how he—"
The woman lunged at him without warning. Flames burst when Silas was slammed against the wagon's burnt side. Sophia was at the woman's back just as she pinned Silas by the throat.
A shrill choked from the woman when Sophia's dagger ripped into her heart. Like a wild boar, the woman thrashed, slamming Sophia against the wagon where fire spat out, a spark catching on her arm and growing rapidly.
Sophia had to let the woman go, screaming as the fire flickered over her arm. Silas got over his shock, grabbing a handful of dirt and patting it on her arm, but by then it was too late.
"No," Sophia whispered, staring at her blistered skin. "No, no, no…."
Her ribbons, the very key to her memories...
They fluttered around her in small bits of ash, each faded color blackening. At the same time, she felt it in her mind too, something hot burning away a part of her.
"Sophia, Sophia, it's okay!"
Panic bloomed in her mind. "No…nononono—"
Without these, she can't remember. Without it, she would forgot. She never ever took these off. They've given her a center all these years. Fear overtook her, prickling her skin, speeding her heart.
She can't remember. She tried looking through her mind and found a numb white.
"I-I don't remember. I don't remember!" she screamed, her hands in her hair. "I don't remember!"
Then something horrible dawned to her as she found a very crucial part in her missing. A key element. One that defined her.
The worst thing she could ever forget.
"My name…" she uttered breathlessly, staring up at a place so unfamiliar to her. "M-my name—"
The air thickened with the rest of her memories shattered. No, that made no sense. Of course she'd know her own name. But…but where was it? It wouldn't come to her. This wasn't a moment where a word would dangle on the tip of her tongue. Nothing remained of this memory, no trace of it to be found. As if it was never there to begin with.
Who was she? What was she doing here?
No matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find anything. The library was empty, the books burnt down, the hallways caved in on themselves, the oceans went dry. The answers had been on her arm, a soothing gateway, a key to the mind, but now…where are they? What was she doing?
She could see monsters everywhere, monsters in the shape of shadows with red eyes and black teeth. While they had no faces, she could sense their exuberance.
Someone stood before her, someone…familiar, but they stood too far away, swallowed by something thick and black that surrounded her from all sides. It weighed her down like bricks and she stumbled helplessly to her knees.
That single voice in her mind kept screaming out. "My name. My name. My name!" the nameless girl cried out. Scenes moved around her, a little girl in the gardens, a little girl falling down the stairs. Then that little girl grown up to a young woman, fighting. It was right there. A wealth of memories all for her, and yet it felt so much different, alien, like fitting a piece into an entirely different puzzle.
What's my name? Who am I? WHO AM I?!
Shapes around her spun. The girl started to scream. She couldn't even close her eyes for the shapes of a different life played out. It hurt to think. It hurt to reach out. There was nothing. Nothing at all.
It was so cold.
Long before when Katie and Link were learning to tolerate one another, Katie had realized just how little she knew of swordplay. Sure, she read all kinds of books related to the matter, its history, the minerals needed for steel, the names of all the greatest swordsmen in the world.
Her time with Link showed her how to think like a fighter. Statistics, scholarly quotes—these things seemed meaningless to her. She had to learn to be quick, fluttering away before Louis struck, and then she quickly rejoined Link's side to give him an assessment. She counted down and got an estimation of when Louis will vanish, and what kind of projectiles he will unleash. Without his sword hand, he didn't have much going for him.
Link listened to every word without question. If you told her something like that was possible, then you might as well tell her that the oceans have dried up. Well, she was extremely happy either way.
And she was starting to get frustrated.
"Is that all you could do?" Katie demanded when Louis turned to smoke. She could feel his powers working to enflame her annoyance. "Seriously? You just want to keep doing this all night?"
Louis showed himself, looking just as vexed as she was. If she didn't know any better, she could say that he looked exhausted. His dark face was slick with sweat, his breath shallow. His attacks even grew a bit hasty, clumsy with fireballs missing by a mile. Because of this, Link had caught him several times. Louis bore it over him as proof, several close-calls, inches from death's embrace.
Louis went rigid for a moment, black blood spotting the ground beneath him.
"Now's our chance," Link whispered.
Katie didn't give him her approval. No, something didn't feel right. Why were the mists on the ground suddenly growing larger?
Her premonition turned out to be true when Luis chuckled a little, as if in disbelief. Then his head tipped back as laughter burst out of him. "YES! AT LONG LAST YOU ARE MINE!"
Around the outside rim of their inner dome, mists grew from the ground, materializing into solidified shadows, much taller and narrower than an average shadow, who eyes sunken in deep into their faces. The red eyes flickered.
Louis laughed vehemently, his arms spreading out as he was filled with vigor. The mists at his feet flared at his might, his eyes once dimmed were bright like flames. Even more shadows began popping up around the inner dome, standing outside. Their silhouette figures stood ominously, eyes glinting like distant fire. There were…so many of them…
Link cursed, breathing heavily as he held his sword out in front of him. Katie swayed by his side, glinting a bright white color. Seeing Louis standing there, poised and replenished, meant only one thing.
"The Lady of Shadows," Louis said, "has fallen!"