Chapter 20: The Guardian of the Ocean Realm
"Ugh!" Tetra groaned. "If you don't stop, I'm going to take that stupid thing and throw it into the sea!"
The deep note Anjean had been holding abruptly cut off, and she lifted her head, settling her gaze on Tetra. "No, you won't."
"Try me," Tetra growled.
"Tetra, leave her be," Zelda advised her counterpart.
Tetra whipped her head around to glare at the princess. "No, you can't say it isn't annoying!"
Personally, Kid wasn't bothered by Anjean's performance. Sure, it was strange that she insisted on sustaining one note for an extended period of time, but she wasn't harming anything by doing it, and all the notes were in tune.
"There isn't even any point to what she's doing," Tetra griped, returning her glare to the purple-haired girl who was currently sizing the pirate captain up with her round eyes.
"There is a point," Anjean refuted evenly.
"Then share it with us," Tetra invited her.
Anjean hesitated a second before saying, "I'm trying to contact the guardians of each realm." She lowered her eyes to the instrument in her hands. "But none of them are answering me."
"How can an instrument contact people?" Kid wondered, genuinely curious. He knew that instruments could contain magic, but usually that magic was reserved for tasks like opening up locked doors and powering up ancient swords.
"This is a sacred instrument, the Spirit Flute," Anjean explained, holding up the pan flute so they could all see it. "Each Realm Guardian has a sacred instrument of their own, and playing it opens up a telepathic link. Each pipe on the Spirit Flute correlates to a guardian so whichever one I blow into, that's the guardian I open a telepathic link with, provided I hold the note long enough. But…I've tried them all and nothing."
"Maybe they're ignoring you." Tetra smirked. "You're certainly annoying enough."
Kid expected Anjean to react in some way to Tetra's jibe, but she didn't. She simply continued staring at the Spirit Flute as if willing it to give her the answers she sought. "They wouldn't do that."
"Anjean, if you have a sacred instrument, then are you a guardian?" Link asked.
Anjean gasped as if someone had dumped cold water on her. "Eh!? N-no. I'm not."
The Lokomo girl's response was too hasty to not be suspicious, and Tetra was quick to call her out on it. "Then why do you have a sacred instrument?"
Anjean shook her head furiously as if shaking off Tetra's question. "Tell me, have any of you heard anything about the Guardian of the Ocean Realm?"
"No, but it seems like you know a lot about the guardians, so you should start explaining. What does it even mean to be a Realm Guardian?" Tetra returned indignantly.
"Realm Guardians are responsible for protecting the people in their assigned realms and ensuring that everything runs smoothly," Anjean supplied.
"Then the Ocean Realm Guardian is doing a crappy job. There were a bunch of monsters in the water earlier," Tetra pointed out, causing Kid to glance uneasily at the nearly black waves. They hadn't seen any sea monsters yet, but that didn't mean they could let their guard down. Monsters were always more active at night.
"That's why I'm worried," Anjean confirmed, a crease of concern drawing her brows together. "So…let's go to the Ocean Sanctuary to check on him."
"No way," Tetra refused, crossing her arms over her chest to signal that she wouldn't be swayed on the matter. "We already wasted enough time helping you get that instrument of yours, and I'm already regretting that. We are not making any more detours. We're going to Papuchia Village, and that's final."
Anjean blanched, a feat that was quite impressive considering how pale she already was, and shot to her feet. "Not Papuchia! You can't take me there!"
"Why not?" Tetra wondered, raising an eyebrow in faux interest.
"Because…because…" Anjean clutched the pan flute to her chest, and Kid was surprised to see the beginnings of tears shine in her eyes. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. "You just can't!" Her expression turned pleading. "The Ocean Sanctuary is just beyond Papuchia. It isn't far, honest! You don't even have to stay. Just drop me off."
Tetra didn't even contemplate the Lokomo girl's offer. "No."
"Uh, we can take you there in the morning, though," Kid piped up hastily upon seeing Anjean's face crumple in a tearful, pouty fashion that wasn't unlike his little sister's whenever she grew upset.
"No, no. I need to go there now," Anjean insisted.
"What's so bad about Papuchia?" Link questioned her. "The people there are nice enough."
"I don't know anyone there!" Anjean cried.
"You barely know us," Tetra pointed out.
"I don't have anywhere to stay," Anjean added miserably.
Tetra released an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes. "You can stay with us for the night. And as Kid said, we'll take you to the sanctuary place in the morning, so don't worry about it."
By looking at Anjean's distraught expression, Kid could tell she was worrying about it anyway. He didn't blame her. He'd been just as distraught earlier when Tetra had disappeared.
He glanced at his best friend. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost her, and not being able to look for her would have crushed him, so he could understand Anjean's plight. Besides, she'd lost so much already. The prospect of losing any more must have been torture.
Though Kid knew it wouldn't mean much, he did his best to reassure the upset girl. "I'm sure the guardian's fine."
"Then why isn't he answering me?" Anjean asked, her voice practically begging him to provide her with the truth.
Unfortunately, he didn't know the truth. He could only guess. "Um, well…it is kinda late. Maybe he's sleeping?"
"That shouldn't matter," Anjean whispered, dropping her eyes to the ground. "He should still hear me."
Kid dropped his eyes to the floorboards as well, wishing that he knew what to say to cheer her up. But sometimes there was just nothing to be said.
The rest of the ride passed in relative silence, which was preferable to screaming, and, to their fortune, no sea monsters or pirates disturbed them. That fact should have made Kid happy, but it didn't. No matter where he looked, his eyes always drifted back to Anjean's dejected form, huddled against a post, her face buried in her knees, and guilt wrapped around his heart and squeezed. It was their fault she was homeless and alone right now.
As they drew closer to the dock at Papuchia, the transformation night had brought to the seaside village momentarily distracted Kid from his guilt. Tall poles that harbored fire at their tips burned at regular intervals among the many isles that made up the village, brightening the night and reflecting off the water, making the village seem almost otherworldly. It was lively too, or at least, more lively than he expected it to be at this late hour.
People were out and about for, Kid could only assume, a nightly stroll. There were even people on the docks, though that wasn't so strange. Tetra's crew had to be worried by now. However, when they dropped anchor at the docks, it wasn't Tetra's crew that were waiting for them, but some of the men from before, along with some women.
Kid shared an uncertain glance with Tetra as the gangplank was lowered. What did these people want from them? Maybe they didn't recognize them or Linebeck's ship since it was dark.
But as he disembarked the S.S. Linebeck with Tetra, Link, and Zelda, it became apparent that the welcoming party wasn't for them.
"Anjean!" the men and women called, their tones frantic, yet hopeful. They surged forward, the group of them instantly overwhelming the small girl who stood rigid at the top of the gangplank, her hands folded together and hidden within her sleeves. The only motion came from Anjean's eyes, which were blazing with violet fire, assessing the people before her as they fired question after question her way.
"What's happened?"
"Why are there monsters in the sea?"
"What's going on?"
"Why are you here alone?"
"Are those people safe?" Uncertain glances were shot their way.
"Never mind that!" another voice shouted above the rest. "The guardian needs you, Anjean."
Suddenly the tone was very different, urgent, and there was a large wave of agreement. "Yes! Come with us!"
"Quickly now!"
"Hurry!"
In a matter of seconds, Anjean was enveloped within the center of the villagers' group and whisked away from the docks to goddesses only knew where.
Kid and his companions were left to stare after the retreating forms in bewilderment.
"For not knowing anyone here, those people seemed to know her well," Link commented, and Kid nodded in agreement, his eyes glued to the figures moving farther and farther away.
"And since that's the case, she'll be fine," Tetra concluded, turning on her heel to head towards the pirate ship.
The rest of them followed her in mutual agreement, though Kid couldn't help but wonder if Anjean really would be fine with those villagers. As Link had said, they seemed to know her well, but if that was the case, then why did Anjean lie? Did the people here abuse her? That seemed unlikely. From what Kid had witnessed, the Papuchians hadn't been hostile towards her at all, just worried for her well-being and strangely insistent.
As Kid stepped foot on the pirate ship, his worries quickly faded to the back of his mind, replaced by the priorities of food and sleep, as well as the need to explain to the heckling pirates what had happened on their little excursion to the Forest Realm.
By the time he did settle into his bed for the night, Kid had almost erased the image in his mind of the homeless girl huddled against a post. Almost.
"You have been summoned by the Guardian of the Ocean Realm. Please, come with us."
Tetra peered down at the three men standing stiffly on the dock below, spears held like soldiers' staffs at their sides, and simply raised her eyebrows as if she believed them to be pulling some kind of prank, which, considering that the sun had barely risen, was a very real possibility.
The spokesman of the group cleared his throat. "Now."
A scowl settled itself onto Tetra's face, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not going anywhere."
"You must," the spokesman insisted.
"Says who?" Tetra snapped. "The guardian?"
"Yes."
"Tell him that if he wants to talk so bad, then he should come to us," Tetra declared with finality.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kid saw Princess Zelda open her mouth to interject, but the man spoke up before she could, struggling to maintain a polite tone. "He is incapacitated at the moment, Miss."
"Likely story," Tetra scoffed.
"Please, if you will, give us a moment," Zelda implored, stepping forward.
The men exchanged looks but didn't openly protest, and Zelda took that as her invitation to usher Tetra away from the rail, and Kid pulled back along with the only two pirates who were up at this early hour.
"I do not think visiting the guardian is such a bad idea," the princess said. "He must know more than most in this realm and if so, he can help us decide our next course of action."
"We already know what our next course of action is," Tetra shot back, surprising the Hero of Winds because he certainly didn't know what they were doing next. "We're going to find Ghirahim and kill him. We don't need to waste time talking to some guardian."
"May I remind you, we are not prepared to meet him in battle, and we have no clue as to where he is," Zelda countered. "Besides, getting to know the locals wouldn't be a bad idea."
"How does this guardian even know about you?" Nudge interjected, his cautious tone suggesting that he did not completely agree with Zelda. "You didn't meet him before, did you?"
They all shook their heads and lapsed into ponderous silence.
"Anjean?" Kid ventured after a moment. Though last night was very much a blur, Kid did recall the worried villagers saying something about a guardian.
"Oh, I'll kill her," Tetra seethed. "If she-!"
"One thing at a time," Zelda advised sagely. "Let's go meet this guardian and hear what he has to say."
"Is it safe?" Niko worried.
"Why do you care? You're not going," Tetra snapped. She turned to Kid. "Go get Link up, and make it quick. I want to get this over with."
Kid nodded and left to do as he was told. As he strolled hastily through the lower levels of the ship towards the crew's sleeping quarters, Kid mused that it was funny how his counterpart was the one sleeping in this time. Usually it was him. Then again, most of the pirates weren't awake yet either, and Kid himself was only awake because he'd had trouble sleeping.
Upon reaching the sleeping quarters, Kid quickly roused Link and filled him in on the situation. The Hero of Twilight met the summoning with the same skepticism as Tetra but got ready to go nonetheless.
A handful of minutes later, Kid, Tetra, Zelda, and Link found themselves being escorted to the guardian by the three men that had been ordered to fetch them. As they marched off of the docks and into the village, Kid instantly knew something had changed.
The atmosphere was vastly different. It hadn't exactly been welcoming to begin with, but now it was almost…ominous. There were very little people roaming the village, and those that were outside stared at them openly. Perhaps in awe. Perhaps in distrust. Definitely in something that Kid couldn't put a name to.
Whatever it was, it encouraged him to bow his head, scoot closer to his companions, and walk faster. He could tell that Tetra felt it too, for he caught her hand straying to her crimson bandana, seeking comfort from the shard of wisdom hidden beneath the cloth.
By the time they reached a dwelling, no more or less remarkable than the others, and their escorts stepped aside, motioning for them to enter, Kid all but ran up the wooden steps and inside, if only to escape the uneasy feeling that seemed to hang like a pall over the entire village.
"Ah, about time." Kid jumped, having momentarily forgotten that they were here to meet someone. His gaze whipped around to rest on a relatively young looking man lounging on a sea green couch. The first thing Kid noticed was the man's hair. It was blue. Not blue like the sea, or even the sky, but blue like a robin's egg, and it stuck up straight atop his head, like a dollop of cream.
"Look, here's the deal," the blue-haired man began, straightening and putting his hands on his knees. "I'm not good at introductions. The name's Carben, and I'm the Guardian of the Ocean Realm."
"You're a Lokomo," Tetra observed, taking a cautious step closer to the guardian.
"Of course I am. All guardians are Lokomo. Didn't Anjean tell you that?"
They all shook their heads. Anjean hadn't told them very much about the Lokomo at all. If Carben was a Lokomo as well, though, Kid could identify some key traits. One seemed to be oddly colored hair, coupled with a particularly long pointed nose and round, almost owlish, eyes. Lokomo were short in stature too. At least, from what he'd seen of Anjean and Carben. Anjean was even shorter than he was, and though Carben was sitting at the moment, Kid didn't see the man being any taller than Link when standing.
It also seemed like the Lokomo favored long, billowing sleeves, for Carben sported a sapphire blue tunic with sleeves much like Anjean's, except that the ends of his were splashed with wavy white, like the surf of the sea licking the shore. Unlike, Anjean, though, he wore cerulean capris, knotted with white rope at the ends, and white sandals on his feet. Kid also couldn't help but notice the buckle of his belt. It was a circular wheel, much like the clip Anjean wore in her hair, but it was a steely blue and grey with a dot of teal in the middle. Kid wondered if it was some sort of sacred symbol for the Lokomo.
Carben threw an irritated look at the ceiling as if silently cursing the heavens for his fellow Lokomo's incompetence. He lowered his gaze, squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his long nose. "Tell me she at least told you who she is."
"She told us her name…and that she's a Lokomo," Kid spoke up helpfully.
Apparently, this wasn't what Carben wanted to hear, for he flung his hands to the sky in exasperation. "Unbelievable!"
"Who is she?" Tetra asked.
"Believe it or not, she's the leader of the Lokomo," Carben informed them.
Kid couldn't mask his surprise. It wasn't that he didn't believe that kids his age could be in such positions -just look at Tetra!- but Anjean didn't strike him as the type. Sure, she had soul-seeing powers, which was freaky, yet intriguing in the same breath, but he hardly saw how that had any connection to leading an entire group of people, especially if other people had the same power as she'd claimed.
Tetra couldn't seem to believe it either. "She's the leader?"
"That's what I said," Carben said, sounding bored.
"But we found her at a burned down village in the middle of a forest," Link protested. "Shouldn't the leader of the Lokomo live in a more…secure place?"
"Oh, she does," Carben assured them.
The Hero of Twilight furrowed his brow in confusion. "Then what was she doing at that village?"
"I'm still waiting on that explanation myself," Carben returned.
"Where is Anjean at the moment?" Zelda inquired, and Kid couldn't help but glance around the house, almost expecting to find that the Lokomo girl was hiding somewhere.
"She's doing some soul-checking for me," Carben said casually as if they had any idea what that was. "I plan on asking her about her whereabouts when she returns."
"Well, I'm still waiting on the explanation for why you brought us here," Tetra scowled, evidently unimpressed with Carben's intentions.
"Anjean told me about you, and I wanted to meet you." Carben cleared his throat and muttered his next words as if they brought him great embarrassment. "And also to thank you for looking after our troublesome leader."
"She told you about us? What did she say?" Tetra pressed, completely ignoring Carben's ill-expressed gratitude.
"She said that there's six of you, and since I only see four right now, that's a bit rude, wouldn't you say?" Carben shot an expectant look at Kid, and for a moment the guardian Lokomo's intense gaze made him uncomfortable. Then he realized that the Lokomo man was not looking at him but the sword on his back.
"Fi," Kid said, calling out the sword spirit. She came to float beside him and Carben nodded, satisfied, before turning his gaze to the ground, where their shadows lay.
Reluctantly, Midna edged out of the shadows, arms crossed over her chest.
"That's better," Carben proclaimed.
"What else did she say?" Tetra asked, her tone suggesting Carben continue before she lost her patience.
"Just your names and that you four," he looked from Kid, to Zelda, to Tetra, to Link, "share souls and that four of you are from another world. Also that your souls are cursed and that yours," he looked pointedly at Tetra and Zelda, "have traces of divinity in them, as well as a copious supply of magic, which is an impressive feat for anyone, truth be told.
"She also told me that all of you are the ones responsible for what's befallen our land."
Kid cringed inwardly at that. Was Carben intending to punish them for it?
"We didn't do it on purpose!" Tetra cried defensively, and Kid nodded vehemently in agreement.
Carben smirked. "Never said you did."
"Then why-"
The Guardian of the Ocean Realm cut off Tetra with a wave of his hand. "You intend to right your wrongs, do you not?"
"Yes," Kid replied automatically as Tetra chimed in with a very blunt "Of course!" and their elder companions nodded.
"Then you're forgiven, and I'm sure Anjean wouldn't mind relinquishing the Realms to your care when all is said and done."
"Wha-" Tetra's breath was momentarily stolen from her lungs. When it came back, Tetra wasted no time using it. "What?! She told you I -!"
"Carben!" Anjean's call pulled their attention to the entrance. The wooden door slammed shut behind the young Lokomo leader whose face was twisted into a look of hurt. "You said you wouldn't talk to them without me!"
Carben ignored Anjean's protest and struggled to his feet, striding stiffly over to the purple-haired girl with purpose. "So?"
"You shouldn't be up and moving around yet, dear," Anjean said, concern coating her words like honey does a bee hive.
Carben placed his hands on Anjean's shoulders and peered into her eyes, the epitome of serious. "Tell me, did you find anything?"
Anjean expelled a sigh. "No. Everyone checks out. Now, what's this about?"
"Are you positive?" Carben pressed.
"Yes."
"Absolutely certain?"
"Yes!"
"And you checked everyone?"
"Yes." Anjean stressed, reaching up to grasp Carben's wrists and gently push him off of her. She clasped the Ocean Realm Guardian's hands in her own. "I did just what you told me to, and I promise you, there's nothing-"
"Good." Carben freed himself from Anjean's grip and grabbed the girl's arm, marching her to the door as fluidly as he was able. "Come, quickly."
Kid shared uncertain looks with his companions, and in seconds they came to the mutual agreement to follow the two Lokomo out of the house, Midna and Fi concealing themselves from the naked eye once more.
There were many more Papuchian villagers outside now than there were earlier, but that wasn't what commanded Kid's attention and the attention of every other person in the vicinity. It was Anjean and Carben that were the attraction. The two Lokomo stood completely still, facing one another with a respectable distance between them. Both held instruments, Anjean her pan flute and Carben a rod-like instrument painted a navy blue.
With all eyes fixated on him, Carben raised his instrument to his mouth and began to play a relaxing melody that flowed as easily as the breeze over the sea. Anjean chimed in a simple procession of ascending notes with her own instrument, but its low tones tied so well into Carben's trill-like playing that it seemed as if the tune was composed of one part rather than two.
The song was pleasant to the ear, though Kid had no idea why they were playing it. As the two Lokomo continued to perform, a shimmering light swirled above their heads, growing larger and larger until it burst, like a blossom opening its petals. The shimmering light fell like millions of stars, encasing the entire village in a dome of iridescence.
Cheering and applause arose from around them as Anjean and Carben completed the song, holding out their final notes and letting them taper off into the ocean air.
"Please, go about your business as usual," Carben invited the villagers, his voice strong and commanding, yet gentle. "Be wary of the water, though. The protection Anjean and I have just cast is limited to this village. Outside of it, the danger is still very much present."
The villagers smiled, and Kid couldn't help but smile with them. The atmosphere itself was much lighter than it had ever been. A healthy chatter started up among the adults, and the children took that as a signal to leave their parents' sides and play amongst themselves, adding their chiming laughter to the air.
"Come inside, all of you," Carben ordered, strolling past them towards the house. "We have much to discuss."
As soon as they all reentered the abode and the door shut behind them, Anjean spoke, nervously clutching the Spirit Flute. "Carben, really, what's going on?"
"That's what I'd like to know," Tetra glowered, placing a hand on her hip and staring down the two Lokomo, one of which looked frightened, the other bored. "What's up with not telling us you were the leader?"
Anjean gasped, stricken, and whirled around to face Carben. "You told them?"
"You should've." Carben shrugged, unsympathetic.
"Exactly," Tetra added, equally unsympathetic, "so why didn't you?"
The leader of the Lokomo directed her sorrowful gaze to the floor and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to make herself as small as possible. "I…wanted you to be my friends. I didn't think you would, if you knew."
Kid had no idea what her being the leader of her people had anything to do with them being her friends.
Tetra didn't get it either. "Why?"
"Because everyone else…they know who I am, and my status blinds them. To them, I'm a leader, someone to be protected, or feared, or revered. But not a friend. Never a friend..."
"I don't care about status," Tetra scoffed. "Why would you think any of us," she gestured to Kid and the rest of them, "would care about status considering who we told you we were?" Never mind that they'd told her about their own identities as heroes and princesses somewhat reluctantly and in confidence that she wouldn't tell anyone else. Or that if she did, no one would believe her.
Anjean raised her head to study them and the warring emotions on her face told Kid that she didn't rightly know why she had lied. Kid thought he knew, though. She saw a chance to make real friends for once and took it. Giving them the information that had stolen away countless friends before was a risk she hadn't been willing to take.
"I'm sorry," Anjean apologized finally. "Can you forgive me?"
Her miserable expression coupled with her story of woe gave them all little choice, or at least it gave Kid little choice, but to forgive her. To be fair, if she hadn't been able to see souls, they probably wouldn't have told her as much as they had about themselves.
Tetra was somewhat more reluctant to forgive and forget. "Fine, but don't lie to us anymore."
"I won't," Anjean pledged, a smile brightening her face. "I promise."
"Good, then start by telling us what's going on," Tetra ordered her. "What was that thing you two just did?"
Anjean's hand went to her pan flute, as if in remembrance of the music. "It was a sacred duet. Performing one requires at least two Lokomo with sacred instruments, like my Spirit Flute and Carben's Seishin Flute. It generates energy which can then be directed into a spell. Carben directed it into a spell to protect Papuchia Village. I don't know why, though." At this, the lavender-haired girl's gaze drifted to Carben, who had reclaimed his seat on the couch.
"There's a traitor amongst us, that's why," Carben declared, taking the hint from Anjean to explain his actions. "The spell specifically guards against evil spirits, which is what we're dealing with."
Anjean furrowed her brow. "But…that's impossible. I haven't seen or sensed any evil spirits. Well, not vessel-less ones, anyway. Are you trying to say that there's been a breach?"
"No, I'm saying, it's deliberate," Carben returned. "Vivian, for whatever reason, is sending evil spirits to possess the other guardians."
Anjean gasped. "No. She wouldn't."
"Who's Vivian?" Kid wondered.
"Vivi's the guardian of the Dark Realm," Anjean explained, sparing him a glance. "She's supposed to guard the gate and ensure the evil spirits and demons stay where they're supposed to. If any escape, she's to send it back to the Dark Realm, or alert the rest of us so that we can help her remove it."
"There's a Dark Realm? Why didn't we hear about this before?" Link interjected.
"Because many don't know it exists," Carben answered him. "And we like to keep it that way for obvious reasons."
"If such a realm does exist, it must emit some negative energy, correct?" Zelda added. "And if so then perhaps Ghirahim was attracted to it and corrupted the guardian there." Kid nodded in agreement along with Link and Tetra. It was plausible.
"Yes! He must have!" Anjean agreed. "Vivi wouldn't do anything bad like that of her own free will. She's good. I've seen her soul."
"That doesn't mean anything," Carben muttered. "Good souls can be corrupted."
"Have you seen her soul lately?" Anjean challenged him.
"No, and I don't want to. If you see her, don't engage. Get as far away from her as possible," Carben advised her.
"How do you know she's the one that's been sending evil spirits to possess the others if you haven't seen the condition of her soul?" Anjean pressed, seeming to ignore Carben's warning.
"Because Rael managed to warn me before he was possessed. He told me not to trust her, and that's what I'm doing. If she reaches out to you, don't say a word back. Ignore her, Anjean."
"But-"
"Ignore her," Carben reiterated, and Anjean hung her head.
"Why is this lady possessing people?" Midna asked, floating up from the shadows. "Who gains anything from that?"
"If we guardians are possessed by evil spirits, the Force Gem in each of our realm's temples becomes corrupted with negative energy," Carben stated gravely.
"And Force Gems are…?" Tetra asked, her tone suggesting Carben finish the sentence for her.
Carben sighed, obviously irritated by their cluelessness, but complied anyway. "Force Gems are generated by a soul's positive energy. When a soul is touched by happiness and gratitude, energy is created and that energy manifests into a Force Gem. Ordinary Force Gems are a symbol of a soul's contentment and often serve to make other people happy as well. The Force Gems that lie within the temples are special because they reflect pieces of each realm guardian's soul and provide positive energy to the Tower of Spirits, where the rest of the Lokomo live.
"Aside from us Realm Guardians and our leader, Lokomo draw the majority of their power from the Tower. But with the Force Gems in the temples corrupted, every other Lokomo no longer has access to much of their powers, which would make Vivian the most powerful Lokomo of us all."
As Carben paused to let his words sink in, Kid couldn't help but think back to the magnificent tower he'd seen in the Forest Realm. Could that be the tower that Carben was talking about? It didn't hurt to ask. "Is the Tower of Spirits visible from the Forest Realm?"
"Yes, it's visible from every realm in some way since it's situated in the exact center of the Realms," Carben explained. He turned his attention to Anjean. "And it's where you're supposed to be right now, so why aren't you?"
Anjean raised her head and this time her eyes weren't filled with hurt or hope or joy, but fear. When she spoke, her voice was hushed. "Because the demon is there."
"Ghirahim?" Link asked, shocked just as much as the rest of them. Kid certainly didn't think it'd be quite so easy to track him down.
Anjean nodded solemnly, her hands clasped under her chin as if holding it up herself was too much work. Kid knew that his head felt heavy with that news. The tower was far, but not far enough. They weren't ready to face Ghirahim yet. He wasn't ready.
"Could you tell us how he came to be there?" Zelda requested gently.
"And how you ended up at that village they found you at?" Carben added, not quite as gently.
Anjean drew in a deep breath and held it for a second before expelling it in a whoosh of air. "Four days ago…I got a bad feeling, and at once I knew that something was wrong with the tower. There was less power than before. I tried all I could to figure out what was going on, but then…two days later, I felt something evil enter the tower." Anjean shook her head as if trying to discard the memory. She couldn't get rid of it, though, so she continued to talk, her voice tight. "The phantoms turned against us first. Then all kinds of soulless showed up, and it was like… a war.
"Everyone was fighting, and I set out to find the source of all the chaos. His energy…it was so strong and horrible that it was easy to find him. But… he didn't pay any attention to me. He was calling for our leader, and…I was going to let him know it was me, but the others didn't let me. Not even when everyone found themselves with very little power, and we became prisoners in our own home. Or when he started threatening to kill Lokomo until I came forward. Or… when he did start killing people.
"They wouldn't let me say anything. They just conserved the little power they had left and used it to help me escape the tower.
"Then I ran to find help. But first I had to hide because the demon was sending an army of soulless out of the tower. I didn't realize it at first, but I dropped the Spirit Flute when I ran out and a soulless picked it up. When it was safe, I tracked it to a village. But by the time I got there, it was all burned and gone. No one was left.
"I figured out where the soulless had dropped the Spirit Flute, but I couldn't get it back on my own. Then I heard all of you." Anjean's teary gaze went to them. "And I hid, and I watched, and I was so scared. I wasn't sure if I could ask for your help because of what I saw in your souls. I'd never encountered anything like that before, so I didn't know if I could trust any of you. And…well, you know the rest." Anjean finished, dropping her tear-filled eyes to the floor.
Silence invaded the room like an unwelcome guest. Kid felt numb. Ghirahim had actually killed people. And the Lokomo had let it happen. All for Anjean.
"What did he want you for?" Midna wondered, her tone hushed, but suspicious.
"I don't know," Anjean whimpered. "I don't know. But I have to fix it. I have to stop him. I'm the leader… so it's my responsibility, but… I don't know how."
"We'll help you," Kid assured her, determination to make things right swelling in his chest. He couldn't fix things he'd messed up in the past, but he could fix this. He would fix this.
Anjean raised her head and met his eyes, her own eyes still shiny with tears. "Really?"
He nodded, and Zelda chimed in, "Of course."
"Yeah, it's kinda our fault he's here anyway." Tetra sighed, folding her hands behind her head and stretching as if she was loathe to admit it.
"Don't worry, we'll get rid of him for good, and we'll return peace to this land," Link added with a reassuring smile.
"Not like we have anything better to do," Midna teased with a wry grin.
"Oh, thank you!" Anjean exclaimed, beaming through the tears dripping down her cheeks.
"If you really intend on helping us, then you'll need a plan, won't you?" Carben interjected.
"Uh, yeah," Link agreed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "We're working on it."
"Let me help you with that," Carben said. "See, by what Anjean just told us, I'll bet this demon has placed a barrier around the tower." He threw a glance at Anjean. "Correct?"
She nodded, wiping at her face with one of her blue sleeves.
"Which means no one's getting in or out easily. To get in, you'll need to break the barrier," Carben informed them.
"So how do we do that?" Tetra asked.
"Be patient, I'm getting there," Carben snapped. "I can only talk so fast, and it doesn't help when you interrupt."
Tetra crossed her arms and harrumphed but said nothing more.
"You'll need to free all the guardians from the evil spirits possessing them. Once that's done, the barrier surrounding the Tower of Spirits should be broken by the influx of positive energy, or at least weakened to the point where you can break it yourselves.
"How you defeat the demon, however, is entirely on you."
"Don't worry, we've got that part covered," Link assured him.
"Where can we find these guardians?" Zelda queried.
"Each guardian has a sanctuary," Carben replied. "They should be there. If not, try the temples."
"Do you have a map, perchance?"
Zelda's latest question gave Carben pause, and his gaze roved around the room, delving for an answer. "Not at the moment, but I'm sure we could find one."
"You don't need a map. I can come with you," Anjean interjected, drawing their attention back to her. Her eyes and face were now mostly dry and clear of tears. "I know the land well."
"Absolutely not," Carben objected. "You're staying here."
"But I can help," Anjean insisted, stranding straighter.
"You can help by staying here and staying safe," Carben countered sternly.
Anjean furrowed her brow in a new emotion that Kid hadn't yet seen from the purple-haired girl. Anger. "No one ever lets me do anything. Why?"
"You know why," Carben returned, rolling his eyes in exasperation as if this was an argument he'd had with the young girl often.
"No, I don't," Anjean protested. "As leader, I am the most powerful Lokomo, and yet I'm not permitted to use my powers to their full potential. It makes no sense!"
"Say you were permitted to use your powers. How often would you use them?" Carben interrogated her, catching Anjean off-guard.
The young leader regained her bearings quickly. "Everyday. All the time. For whatever I needed them for to assist others."
"Exactly," Carben declared, snapping his fingers. He jabbed a finger at Anjean. "And that's the problem."
"Why… is that a problem?" Kid ventured. Helping other people didn't seem like a bad thing to do.
Carben's dark blue eyes flicked to Kid. "Because the more a Lokomo uses their power, the more it takes out of them. Magic requires a trade-off. You can't get something for nothing. So, though we are powerful and have the ability to live for hundreds of years, the more we use our powers, the quicker we'll expire."
Kid's surprise must have invigorated Carben, for the guardian continued, "Let me tell you a little story. Our leader is a terribly kind and selfless soul. For generations, our leader has lived for hundreds of years, and at some point in our history, we Lokomo began to take advantage of our kind and selfless leader. We allowed her to use her power for little things. Frivolous things. Ridiculous things. In fact, we didn't just allow it. We encouraged it. After that, she expired rather quickly. As soon as our leader was reborn, we did the same thing. We sucked her dry for our own selfish ends, and she let us. She was delighted to help us. She wanted to. So she did, and it killed her. Over and over again. Until we came to our previous leader. She lasted a mere twenty years before dying, and by the time Anjean was born two years later, we Lokomo decided we needed to make a change. We needed a leader that would last centuries. And so," Carben looked to Anjean and Kid found his gaze drifting towards the lavender-haired girl as well, "we all took a vow to protect and cherish Anjean and to ban her from using her powers except when absolutely necessary."
"I don't see what the big deal is," Anjean said, adamantly sticking by her position. "I'll reincarnate when I die anyway, and what use is living a life doing nothing?"
Carben pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. "Spirits help me." He let out a breath and met Anjean's round eyes with his own. "You are not doing nothing. You are helping people."
"Not as much I could be if-!"
"You are helping people," Carben repeated. "Every time you die and reincarnate, you must be retrained. I'm getting really sick and tired of retraining you."
"Wait, I thought you said the leader reincarnated a bunch of times before. You can't be that much older than Anjean to have had to train the previous leaders," Tetra interjected.
"Oh, but I am that much older than Anjean," Carben told her.
Kid squinted as if that would help him make out the wrinkles that would signify age but could find none. All he could find was blue stubble on the man's chin.
"Go ahead, guess my age," Carben invited them flippantly, waving a hand to welcome their guesses. "Bet you can't."
"You look like you're in your late twenties," Tetra surmised, and Kid nodded in agreement.
"You are very wrong."
"Fifty?" Midna wondered.
"You're too kind," Carben quipped.
"Eighty," Link stated.
"Not even close," Carben declared, smiling as if he was enjoying the game.
"One hundred fifty," Tetra guessed.
"More audacious," Carben nodded appreciatively, "though you are still wrong."
"Two hundred, perhaps?" Zelda suggested.
"Nope," Carben denied, popping the 'p'.
"Two hundred fifty," Kid proclaimed, feeling like he was bidding at the Auction House on Windfall instead of guessing someone's age.
"Closer."
"Three hundred!" Midna exclaimed confidently.
"And twenty," Carben added proudly, "but close enough."
Kid exchanged incredulous looks with his companions.
"So how old is…" Link's gaze drifted to Anjean, and so did everyone else's.
"She's thirteen," Carben said.
"But…how?" Tetra voiced Kid's thoughts for him.
"It depends on how a Lokomo uses their magic," Carben explained. "Use it sparingly and you age slowly. Use it frequently and you age quicker. Simple, really."
"So, you do not use magic much," Zelda observed.
"Nope, as I've said we've been using our leaders for quite a lot over the centuries. I haven't been required to use my magic for very much, though that is changing," Carben nodded to a rectangular window to indicate the protection spell outside.
"You have to let me go with them," Anjean declared, her tone much more confident than before as if it were a fact, rather than a plea.
"No, I don't," Carben disagreed.
"You're right, you don't, but you can't stop me from going either," Anjean returned, smiling victoriously. "You're the one that cast the protection spell. I just gave you some of my energy to use. So you have to stay to maintain the spell. But I don't. I can leave Papuchia without breaking the spell. You can't."
Carben frowned. "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."
"Anjean, he's right. This is dangerous. You'll be safer if you stay here," Link interjected.
"But I want to help!" Anjean insisted. "I need to. They're my people."
"I understand," Zelda said, and Kid had full faith that she did, considering her position as ruler of Hyrule. "However, if you do not know how to fight, you cannot accompany us."
"I know how to fight."
"Then why weren't you helping us fight the Cursed Bokoblins or the Furnix yesterday?" Tetra challenged her.
Anjean dropped her eyes to the polished wooden floorboards. "Because I was scared."
"Well, you can't be scared out there," Tetra informed her, throwing a hand in the general direction of the Forest Realm to indicate the wider world. "You balk like that alone, and you're dead."
"I know. I just…the soulless scare me. If they have souls, though, I can fight them easily. And you'll need me to help you with the evil spirits possessing the other guardians," Anjean claimed.
"And why is that?" Tetra asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Because we Lokomo are far stronger than you. We're not only trained for combat, but our bodies are built for it. You'll be hard pressed if you don't have a Lokomo like myself on your side. Trust me."
Though the rest of them were still skeptical and reluctant to accept her aid, Link wasn't. "That knife you have…it isn't enchanted, is it?"
"No."
"So yesterday, you hitting that monster with it was…all you?"
Anjean smiled wanly. "Yes."
Link nodded in acceptance. "Yeah, she's telling the truth. We're going to need her."
"What did she do yesterday?" Kid wondered, curious as to what had convinced his counterpart to trust Anjean since he seemed, much like Tetra, the most reluctant to do so.
"She hit a Cursed Bokoblin with her knife and sent it flying across the room and into a wall," Link explained.
Kid couldn't deny that that was some serious display of physical strength. Those Cursed Bokoblins were incredibly steady on their feet. It was difficult to push one anywhere, much less shoot one into a wall.
"All Lokomo are trained to be warriors from the time they can walk," Anjean added as if they needed further convincing. "The Realm Guardians are especially skilled, even stronger than I am, at least physically. Just one hit could cripple you. Plus, they all have special weapons." She looked meaningfully at Carben, and the guardian reluctantly extracted what looked like an orange snake out from one of his sleeves, slinging it over his right shoulder. Taking a closer look, Kid found that it wasn't a snake at all. It just looked like one.
"It's a whip," Carben supplied, catching their perplexed expressions. "Though I can turn it into a live snake if I so choose. Don't let that intimidate you, though. My weapon's the scariest one you'll see."
"The others are powerful too," Anjean refuted.
"So you want us to let you come along so you can fight them for us," Tetra concluded, her tone suggesting that she was insulted that Anjean was implying they wouldn't be able to handle it on their own after all they'd been through.
Anjean shook her head. "No, I couldn't beat them on my own. I'm just saying that I could help you fight them, and if any of you did get hurt, I could heal you."
"You can do that?" Kid wondered.
"Yes," Anjean confirmed with a smile. "Last night I came here and healed Carben because he was terribly wounded."
"From the traitor Lokomo?" Link guessed.
"From sea monsters," Carben corrected him. "I was trying to do my job and get away from the Ocean Sanctuary in the same breath since I knew that's the first place Vivian would expect me to be but…"
Kid was barely listening to Carben's recount of the previous days. His left arm throbbed a reminder that he was still wounded himself, and it gave him an idea.
Impatiently, he waited for Carben to finish explaining how he'd been fighting sea monsters with the help of his bird friends and how, gravely wounded, he'd just managed to reach Papuchia yesterday morning and everyone was sure he'd expire when Anjean showed up out of the blue, and the villagers took her to him to heal him.
Once the guardian Lokomo was finished, Kid blurted out, "Anjean, can you heal anything?" Based on Carben's story, Kid thought he knew the answer, but there was no harm in checking.
The purple-haired girl cocked her head to the side and tapped her chin with a finger, considering it. "Most physical ailments, yes. Mental ailments…not so much. Why?"
"I was injured a while ago, and it hasn't really healed," Kid explained. Of course, picking up training again and fighting yesterday hadn't helped that process along either, but he wasn't going to mention that. "I was wondering if you could heal it for me."
Anjean's ponderous expression turned sympathetic. "Oh, of course, dear! I'll try my best."
"Why don't you two go in the other room and do that," Carben suggested. "The rest of us can start looking for a map in here, and when you're done healing him we can discuss the plan in more detail."
"A map?" Anjean said, perplexed. "But I'm going with them, aren't I?"
"We'll discuss that after you heal him, now go," Carben shooed them off with a wave of his hands.
Anjean frowned, evidently displeased, but chose to gently grab Kid's hand and pull him in the direction of a door instead of argue with Carben over the matter.
"Why do they have to go into another room for her to heal him?" Link wondered, obviously skeptical, though Kid didn't see why. Anjean was on their side, and it was evident that she wanted to help them as well as her own people.
"The quieter it is and the less people there are around, the better. At least, as far as Anjean's healing magic is concerned. It's a delicate process, after all," Carben explained as Anjean opened the painted wooden door and led Kid through.
Anjean dropped his hand and the door swung shut behind them. This room was much smaller than the last, but judging by the made-up bed set against the back wall and the carved dresser to the right, Kid concluded that it was a bedroom.
"Sit here, and show me your wound," Anjean ordered him kindly, patting the pristine white bedspread.
He sat and obeyed, rolling up his sleeve to expose the wound. It was currently wrapped tightly in a white bandage, and Anjean immediately sat beside him and set to unwrapping it. Her touch was light and gentle, yet even the removal of the bandage caused him to wince.
Kid expected Anjean to examine the angry-looking wound after removing the bandage, but she hovered her hands over it instead and instructed him to stay still. He gave a barely perceptible nod to show that he understood and watched in fascination as her pallid hands were bathed in a golden glow, like embers in a fire. From her fingertips, lavender sparks floated down to land on his arm, and he couldn't help but hiss in pain as the first struck his wound, then the second, and the third, and the fourth and fifth, and by the sixth the fire in his arm was so prevalent that Kid had to bite his lip to keep from crying out.
Suddenly, Anjean's hands lost their celestial glow and the fire in his arm dissipated. He let out a shaky breath, imagining the remaining pain leaving with the air. It kind of worked.
"I'm sorry." Anjean apologized, sympathizing with his hurt. "I don't know why it's not working. Let me try something else."
This time, she touched him, and he flinched at the icy coldness of her skin. She didn't say anything, though, so he didn't either.
The purple-haired girl bowed her head and closed her eyes, and Kid held his breath, expecting pain to come, but the only sensation was Anjean's cold hands resting lightly on his wounded arm.
Then came the warmth, spreading from the Lokomo girl's palms to her fingertips, her pale hands lit in a lavender light. It hurt, but not as bad as before. Still, Kid decided it'd be better not to look, so he didn't. He turned his head the other way and stared out the round window at nothing.
They sat that way for what felt like an eternity, the tension in the room tight, before Kid felt Anjean's hands cool and finally release him. He turned to look at his arm only to find the wound still there. Though not bleeding, it glistened red, silently mocking him. His puzzled gaze flickered up to Anjean for an explanation as to why it wasn't healed yet.
The expression the girl wore sent shivers down his spine. Her mouth was slightly open in a soundless gasp, violet eyes wide with some emotion he couldn't identify. Disbelief? Horror?
"What?" he asked, his voice coming out as a whisper because anything louder seemed inappropriate for the borderline suffocating tension in the room.
His inquiry snapped her out of her stupor, and Anjean set her jaw, eyes searching his, for what, he didn't know.
"How did you get this wound?" Anjean questioned him, her voice just as soft when she spoke.
"In a fight," he answered slowly, not sure why that mattered.
"With who?"
"Ghirahim."
"The demon that took over my home?" Anjean queried quietly, sounding immensely sad.
Kid swallowed nervously. "Yes."
Anjean's eyes drifted away from his own, and he let his own gaze follow hers to the floor but there was nothing there. He looked back to her, perplexed. What was going on?
"…Yes," Anjean murmured, her tone distant.
Kid furrowed his brow. "What's wr-"
He was suddenly tackled onto the bed, the sword and shield on his back making an otherwise soft landing quite jarring as he struck the flimsy mattress. But that wasn't the startling part. The startling part was Anjean, who was looming over him, a gleaming knife raised in her right hand.
Before he could utter a sound, she plunged the knife down towards his heart with deadly accuracy, and a bloodcurdling scream was ripped from his throat.
