With the lantern's light diminished, a shadow fell over the room, highlighted by the streaks of lightning flashing through the trembling windows. A roar followed, but neither occupant moved from their position at the table, none except the child perched on Kagome's lap.
Link's breath ceased, his hand tightening upon the hilt of his blade. Faintly, he surmised it was another ambush. But why did it seem different this time? Beyond the eeriness of the downpour, silhouettes towered outside the window, and in the flashing lights, steel glinted.
"Kagome… Shippo…" He said, his voice below a whisper. "On the count of three, move from the table…" Across from him, he noted the young girl's discontent, the child trembling in her arms, and he unsheathed his blade. "One…"
The shadow of one of the monstrous figures loomed, a scaly clawed hand flat against the glass. From his position, he recognized the elongated heads and slender builds belonging to a familiar reptilian species. Lizalfos. Armored, too. It tapped the glass with its claws rhythmically as it peered into the house.
"Two…"
Link heard a slight rustle of fabric, the young maiden shifting her body sideways from the chair, and beside him, he heard the half demon click his tongue. As for the others, Sango shifted her weight closer to Kagome's side, inch by inch with little sound. And the monk held a hand on the rings of his staff, preventing any noise.
Another figure drew closer to the glass until another streak lit the skies. In an instant, those golden-amber eyes locked onto them. Several more eyes glimmered behind, and Link realized they surrounded the house in masses. The shadows of the night failed to disguise them any further, and those beasts launched forward. Weapons raised.
Without thinking, he tossed his sheathe, the object clamoring when it struck the floor. "Three."
Fragments of glass shattered when a giant halberd swung inside, ricocheting off the table and splintering the wood. They moved away, and Link held his ground, following the figure of the girl and child as they crossed the room beneath the loft. Despite knowing she was a priestess in training, unlike her friends', she was without a means of self-defense. And so, it was only right that she remained in the back.
Several lizalfos slithered inside, undaunted by the broken shards of the window, and without missing a beat, they lunged. Those bipedal lizards knocked over chairs and other furniture and launched their blades at them, but the group maneuvered with ease and countered the attacks. Sparks ignited against the clashes of metal.
"What the hell are those things?!" Inuyasha asked, smashing his sword against the offending beasts one after another. "Piss off!"
Barely avoiding a swipe of one's tail and another's jab at his side, Link staggered back and held up his shield. "They're lizalfos! If we linger any longer, the others will flood the room! We can't fight them here!"
Not to mention it was too dark to see anything. Fortunately, Serena offered him guidance with her pink light as she fluttered around the room. Across the way, he watched the slayer and monk's nimble footwork, the result of their teamwork driving two lizalfos against the wall.
"Evil demon, begone!" Miroku said, raising his shakujo staff.
And to Link's amazement, a blast of spiritual energy lit the room in a wash of blue, electrifying the enemy until they dissipated into nothing. The sight hindered the other lizalfos, and he wasted no time driving them back. But two more jumped through the window and leaped at Link, exposing a mouth full of fangs and forked tongues.
"Hey, watch out!"
Once more, he staggered back, allowing Inuyasha a chance to intercept the attack, and as he did, he tripped over something, and landed on his side. A stool. That much he noted from Serena beside him.
"Are you okay, Link?"
"I'm fine. This makes no sense. Why are there lizalfos here, of all places? And in huge numbers?"
They inhabited the areas near Ikana and Great Bay. Seeing them near the plains of Termina and so close to Clock Town was unusual. Then again, the masses of other monsters had increased as of late. But why? Perhaps Serena was right. And maybe the Great Fairy had the answers.
"Damn it!" Inuyasha said, cursing. "Why won't they let up?!"
"It's no use fighting them when we can't see!" Sango said at a distance. "Let's take this outside!"
"I agree," Said the monk.
"Fine by me!" Inuyasha said.
Before another could jump into the room, the half-demon lunged forward and wrapped his claws around its neck. From there, he forced it outside and disappeared into the storm, with the others following suit. Link wondered if they would prevail against the throng awaiting them, and he regained his standing, searching the room for the lantern and matches.
"I can't see anything!" Link said, squinting his eyes.
"The matches are here!" Serena said, guiding him toward the fallen box by the table's leg.
With the lantern in hand, the familiar orange flame returned, and the space brightened. He sweat dropped at the disarray and accessed the other two occupants inside. Both Kagome and Shippo huddled beside the bookcase and shelves with Kirara standing guard in front of them.
Something glimmered near the two, something shining within Kagome's white blouse, and she pulled the chain of her necklace higher, revealing a pink gem. Was that the Sacred Jewel she and her friends' spoke of earlier? Incomplete in its rounded shape, the half presented to him and Serena left him mystified. But its sparkle soon faded, its chaste color replaced by a muted gray.
"What's wrong with the jewel?" Shippo asked. "It's never done that before!"
"I-I don't know—"
A blast of energy rippled outside the house, and Link turned away from the object of his musings and witnessed an incredible sight. From the window, he saw a thunderous light illuminate Inuyasha's sword, tearing through the lizalfos piece by piece. Until nothing remained but their carcasses.
Incredible. How did he do that?
"Well… that was easier than I thought it'd be…" Serena said beside him.
Link agreed, but before a word escaped him, a mess of ebony flooded his vision, and Kagome stood beside him. Worried. And she clutched the jewel. "Inuyasha! Miroku! Sango! Something's happened to the jewel!"
The half-demon's head turned at this, followed by the others. "What?" Inuyasha said, sheathing his sword. And without a moment's pause, he charged forward, and as he and Kagome stepped away to allow him space, Inuyasha jumped inside. "What do you mean something happened—What the hell?!"
The door opened across the way, and Miroku, followed by Sango, stepped inside, drenched. "What's wrong, Kagome?"
"The jewel!" Sango said, gasping.
Serena fluttered around him and inspected the necklace the others surrounded. "What about it? What's wrong?"
Kagome held it up. "It was pink moments ago, but now it's tainted. When this happens, it means something corrupted it. But I don't understand why…"
"But why isn't it turning back?" Sango asked.
"I-I don't know…"
"Damn it! Was it because of those weird lizard demons?"
Kagome looked up at this. "Do you think… they sensed the Sacred Jewel?"
"That would explain the masses that ambushed us," Miroku said. "Strange… I didn't sense any demonic aura."
"Neither did I. What about you two?" Sango asked Inuyasha and Kagome, but they shook their heads, frowning. "But those creatures were demons… Weren't they?"
"What do you mean by demons?" Serena asked. "Never mind! If those monsters attacked us because of that jewel, then more of them will show up! Let's head to Clock Town and meet with the Great Fairy!"
Kagome blinked. "You mentioned that before. This… Great Fairy. Do you think she can help us figure out what's going on?"
"Yep! Before all this happened, I was on my way to fetch Link! The Great Fairy summoned him, but someone didn't want to get his clothes wet! Come on, Link! The sooner we can speak to her, the better!"
"Hey, it stopped raining!" Shippo said, pointing.
Inuyasha turned his head and sniffed the air. He grimaced. "It's that scent again…"
"Scent?" Kagome asked. "Oh! What you sensed earlier?"
He nodded, approaching the window, and again, he made a face. "Ugh! This damned forest—" He fell short, staring at something unseen to them, and without a word, jumped out the window.
"Hey—What are you doing?" She asked, but he ignored her.
The sight of Inuyasha on all fours sniffing the ground reminded him of the canines in town, and he would have laughed were the situation anything but grim. "Is… he normally like this?" Link asked.
"Yeah," Kagome said. "Something is wrong. It's been a while since I last saw Inuyasha so serious… And I'm a bit worried about what he said. Let's go see the Great Fairy. Who knows, she might help return us to our world?"
With their minds made up, Link followed the others outside, but as soon as he did, he noticed a thin cloud rise from the ground and encase the entire forest in a smoky-haze. And beyond the white and gray mask of twilight, a chill swept through him, of one he hadn't felt in five years. Something was wrong, and without a second thought, he glanced up.
A blood moon.
Not a harvest moon. Not any he'd encountered in his lifetime. This was different. Unlike the pale-orange color associated with planting season, this one reflected an eerie red-black glimmer of bleeding crimson. It unsettled him, and he wrapped his arms around himself.
Coincidence?
Blue orbs traveled back to Inuyasha on all fours. Still and quiet. It was difficult to discern his expression as his silvery hair concealed his face, but something warned Link not to step closer. He grasped the hilt of his blade at his side.
Something was wrong!
"Where is Clock Town?" Kagome asked, hefting her backpack onto her back.
"East of here. It's not that far," Serena said, fluttering by.
"There's six of us now, but there should be enough room on Kirara," Sango said, musing.
"You mean the feline?" Serena asked. "But it's just a kitten!"
Kagome laughed. "Oh, just wait! Kirara's no ordinary feline!"
"Hey, Inuyasha! What are you doing? Let's go!" Shippo said, but when the half-demon remained crouched, he stepped forward. "What's wrong—"
"Don't move, Shippo!" Link said, and from his peripheral, the others noticed the alarm in his voice. He noted Shippo's wide-eyed stare, and he tightened his grip on the hilt of his gilded sword. "Something isn't right… Don't get any closer."
A short distance behind, Kagome gasped. "I sense a demonic aura!"
"As do I," Miroku said. "It's close!"
"I-Inuyasha?" Shippo said. "Hey! What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?"
A warm sensation tore his attention from Inuyasha and to the bandages wrapped around his left hand. Bandages which concealed the Triforce. It resonated, it's dim golden-light muted beneath the wrappings. Link recalled a similar experience during his past encounters with Ganondorf and Majora years ago. Since then, the mark had remained quiet.
Until now.
The face of a demonic possession turned, its sight buried beneath a pool of crimson and sin. A clash of byzantium and alabaster replaced what was once a familiarity, and emptiness greeted them at a distance. All traces of humanity ceased in its stillness, and left behind was an animated doll, controlled by the looming blood moon.
Crimson pierced through the cloudiness of twilight's dawn, and the figure of a demon stood erect under a foreboding moon. An eerie-black aura surrounded the demonic entity, a wry smile aglint and looming. The person they once knew as Inuyasha was no more, swallowed by the madness of an unforeseen shadow. He laughed with raised claws and peered up at the looming blood moon.
Whatever had possessed the half-demon, it was clear he was no longer a friend, but an enemy. Link remained grounded, awaiting any signs of evil intent, but there was nothing. Inuyasha spared them little interest, caught up in the amusement of his surroundings.
"Hey, something's wrong with Inuyasha!" Shippo said from beside him. "His eyes! H-he's—"
"A demon!" Kagome said, gasping. "What's going on? Why did he transform? Inuyasha?"
"But he's carrying the tessaiga!" Sango said. "Why isn't the sword countering it?"
Before anyone could discern the reason behind this unexpected transformation, Inuyasha turned and darted through the forest. They watched the sight of silver and red dissipate in the distance until he was no longer recognizable.
"What just happened?" Serena asked. "Dog boy went berserk!"
"Not good! We have to go after him before he hurts someone!" Kagome said.
The urgency in their countenances spoke volumes, and despite his initial confusion regarding why the half-demon had transformed, it was clear something corrupted his senses. Before Link could inquire anything further, his words died in his throat. The small feline of the group—who had remained quiet since their first encounter—transformed into an inferno of flames.
It grew in size, transforming into a ball-like-shape and exceeded an enormous height. The flames dispersed at the ends of its paws, revealing a giant sabertoothed feline. It was no longer a cute kitten but a menacing predator, with two curved fangs and a build strong enough to crush someone.
"Whoa! How did that happen? Your cat got bigger!" Serena said, fluttering around it. "I-is it… still friendly?"
Unabashed, the young slayer hefted herself atop Kirara's back, with Miroku settling behind her, as though it were a normal occurrence. "Of course. Don't let her height frighten you. She'd never turn on anyone without reason."
"That's a relief!"
"Shippo. Would you mind transforming?" Kagome asked. "Into something that can carry the two of us?"
The child turned at this, his eyes shifting between Kagome and Link, and he nodded. "Oh, right! I almost forgot! Leave it to me! Transform!"
A cloud of pink smoke filled the air in front of him, and he stepped back. A yellow-beaked bird, adorned in a blue bow with familiar auburn hair and forest green eyes, appeared in front of him, flapping its white feathered wings.
Many questions surrounded the group of travelers, and Link wondered if magic existed in their world. Then again, maybe not. Kagome mentioned earlier that fairies didn't exist in their world, and without fairies, how could there be magic? Still, he never expected the small child could shape-shift.
So, instead of fairies, there are demons... Magical creatures from the looks of it…
He stood there in a daze, watching the young priestess maneuver herself onto Shippo's back, all the while adjusting her blue pleated skirt, which had risen. When her blue orbs looked at him, his face grew hot, and he glanced away.
"Aren't you coming, Link?" Kagome asked, offering him a hand. "I know this might seem weird, but we can't waste even a minute. There's no telling what trouble Inuyasha will get himself into."
Go with them? Him? Given that they were only acquaintances, he figured they would have taken off without a second thought, but they wanted him to tag along. Whether they felt indebted to him, he wasn't sure, but he took her offered hand and climbed behind her. "Are you sure it's okay I come along?"
Kagome glanced back and smiled. "Of course. Just hold on, okay?"
When she said that, Shippo shot off into the sky, and nearly losing his balance, he wrapped his arm around her waist. In front of him, he heard Kagome laugh, and his cheeks warmed. Strands of ebony clouded his vision, and peering away, noticed Kirara below them with Sango reclaiming her massive boomerang from the crater they flew over.
"First time flying, huh?"
"Yeah. I guess this is normal in your world?"
"Sort of…"
Beside him, he noted Serena's unusual quietness as she clung to his shoulder. "Serena?"
"Something is wrong… The air is different," She said, earning not only his stare but also the others. "Don't you sense it, Link?"
From where he sat, he watched the scenery pass him in muted colors of gray and black, and the air was cold for this time of the year. But besides the blood moon looming overhead, nothing else seemed out of place. Nothing except the fog rising below them. "I do. But I don't know what it is…"
"I sense it too," Kagome said, looking back at them. "I don't know if it's the same as what Inuyasha sensed before, but there's something ominous in the air. Like a demonic aura. I think we're getting closer to it…"
"It's probably Inuyasha!" Shippo said.
Kagome shook her head. "No. It's different. It's something else…"
That unsettled him, and he shared a look with Serena. If it was something other than Inuyasha, then it could be anything imaginable. Link glanced at the bandages around his hand, the muted golden color remaining. The Triforce resonated.
"Link," Miroku said, calling out. "By chance, Clock Town wouldn't be ahead. Would it?"
"It is… Due East of here. It's not that far from the forest," He said. That's right. Serena mentioned earlier that we need to see the Great Fairy. That's why Kagome asked me to tag along…
"I suspected that was the case… If we don't catch up, I fear what might happen to the town."
"Let's hurry, Kirara!" Sango said, urging the feline on.
The flames at Kirara's feet dispersed in flying embers, and the fanged tooth canine flew ahead of them through the trees. Shippo gained speed to catch up with them, but it was clear from his countenance he was getting tired.
As they drew closer to the plains, the trees becoming sparse in numbers, the small child warned them he couldn't maintain his form for much longer. Before long, they lost sight of the others, and Shippo's momentum lessened. But with encouragement from Kagome, he persevered, and he flew over the plains with exhausted breaths, until they caught up with their friends.
When they paused in mid-flight to regain their bearings, Link's eyes widened at the dreadful sight ahead. Unfamiliar structures towered in the plains of Termina, ones which had materialized from thin air.
Sure enough, Clock Town remained, but it was different. The walls remained, but they towered over the houses and businesses with great height, a deeper contrast of black than its beige counterpart. But it wasn't just the town that drew his horror, it was something else.
Something ominous.
Enormous skeletal arms had risen from the ground from both sides of the town and suspended a platform of uneven soil and rock above with its bony fingers. It cast a permanent shadow over Clock Town, encompassed by demonic fortitudes with beasts patrolling every perimeter. A towering palace of onyx stone gleamed in a crimson-ashy glow, the cylindrical and winding walls standing mute as a waterfall of fog rolled from the layered roof and onto the plains in a cloud of ocean.
"W-what is that?" Shippo asked. "That looks terrifying!"
Link furrowed his brow. What happened to this place? "It wasn't like this earlier this morning," He said, trying to make sense of the situation. It was as if he had stepped into an alternate reality cloaked in shadow. And why was there a castle? What were those skeletal arms?
"It's worse than I thought! Something bad has happened to Termina! Oh, Great Fairy! I hope she's okay!"
"Look! It's Inuyasha!" Kagome said, pointing.
Just as they feared, the half-demon sped towards the town, but on account of sensing Sango's giant hiraikotsu flying towards him, he evaded with ease, leaping into the air before landing. Crimson orbs flashed in their direction, and he growled, flexing his claws.
"Inuyasha! Come to your senses!" Kagome said, cupping her mouth. "Snap out of it!"
But he didn't answer and instead leaped into the air, the momentum spurring him towards her, Link and Shippo. Inuyasha thrusted his claws forward and bared his fangs, and had Shippo not maneuvered out of harm's reach, the half-demon might have struck them without mercy.
The moment they evaded, however, Shippo lost control of his transformation and a cloud of smoke filled the surrounding air. They fell from the sky, and Link reached for the young girl, wrapping his arm around her waist to break her fall. As he expected the worst scenario to befall them at the bottom of the hazy mist, Shippo caught them, this time transformed into a giant pink balloon.
It didn't last long. The momentum of their fall ricocheted the fox child onto the ground with a bounce, springing Kagome and Link off. The result ended with them lying beside each other, with Shippo reverted into his original form.
"Link! Kagome! Shippo! Are you all right?"
He sat up, rubbing the back of his head, and nodded. "Kagome, Shippo, are you both okay?"
"I'm fine… Shippo?" When the child didn't answer, Kagome crawled to his side and swept him into her arms. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked.
He opened his eyes and closed them. "I… used up too much… energy…"
"Don't push yourself too hard," She said.
As the priestess fussed over the small one in her arms, Link regained his standing and locked eyes with Inuyasha beyond the fog. What in the Goddesses was going on? "Stay behind me."
"Wait! I have an idea! Inuyasha!" She said, moving beside Link and cupping the side of her mouth. "Sit, boy!"
The command she shouted over the long distance to reach the half-demon had no effect. In fact, it only resulted in him glaring at her, the beads around his neck glowing. That caught his attention. Kagome said it again, accompanied by several more sits, each more impatient than the last. And again, nothing else happened.
Inuyasha growled and grasped the beads with a clawed hand, and with little effort, he yanked them off, and the beads scattered onto the ground, lost forever. Beside him, he heard the priestess and boy gasp. They no longer had control over the situation surrounding Inuyasha. But if not them, then who?
"My command won't work!"
Shippo grasped her blouse. "What do we do?! The last time we saw him like this was inside that mirror with Kaguya!"
Mirror? Kaguya? No doubt something to do with their previous adventure, Link assumed. "Is there no other way to subdue him? Or is battling the only way?" He asked.
"I—"
"He's coming! Run!" Shippo said, pointing.
"Wind Tunnel!"
Just as Inuyasha charged, something else unexpected happened. A gale of wind pulled him and Kagome forward, but it wasn't strong enough to knock them off their feet from their position. In the distance, he saw a byzantine light accompanied by a black hue emanate from the monk's outstretched hand. The strange wind came from him, but what was it?
How was he doing that?
It dragged Inuyasha backward as it swallowed the surrounding fog from existence, but he retaliated and drove his blade into the ground, preventing the wind from consuming him. And then, the wind stopped, and Kirara flew forward as Sango lifted her hiraikotsu and flung it at the half-demon.
The distraction worked, and Inuyasha forgot about them, but as he dodged its spinning assault, something strange occurred. That ominous feeling returned, and Link eyed his surroundings. Something was coming! Beside him, he noticed Kagome turn and look around as well, likely sensing whatever it was.
"I sense a demonic aura! It's coming at us fast!"
Link unsheathed his sword and searched through the mist. Where was it? Where was it coming from? A thought surfaced, and he glanced behind them towards the town. But beyond the fortitudes and walls guarded by beasts, nothing seemed amiss, and then he looked at the looming island overhead, those skeletal hands suspending an unusual fortitude.
"Look! Do you see that?!" Kagome said, pointing at the same location.
"See what?"
An unusual reddish-black cloud formed around the tower's base and rose until it encompassed the surrounding area. It transformed into a transparent barrier that gleamed like glass, cloudy in its color, and circled the structure. And then it rippled, like water, as though something pressed up against it from the other side.
And something did.
Miasmic tentacles shot from the barrier like a thunderous cloud of smoke, and without warning, it separated the distance between Inuyasha and his battle with the others. It spared them any mercy when it ensnared Kirara, consuming Miroku and Sango before dragging them into the barrier from where it appeared.
A frantic scream escaped the priestess and boy, and Link backed away. What was that? I've never seen that before! But why didn't it take Inuyasha? Unless… At this revelation, he grabbed Kagome's hand and pulled her away, guiding her and Shippo back to the safety of the woods.
"That thing swallowed them!" Serena said, holding onto Link's tunic. "There's no way we can outrun it!"
"W-wait, Link! We can't abandon them!" Kagome said, struggling to pull free.
"If we linger any longer, it'll take us as well! Trust me on this. I've had my share of battles, but nothing compares to that!"
"What will happen to them?" Shippo asked.
Link wasn't sure, but from the short time knowing the group, they seemed capable enough. No doubt they were fighting it out against whatever drug them into that towering lair. But he couldn't say the same about Inuyasha. As strong as he was, something had subdued him, enough that the beads of subjugation no longer held any effect on him.
Link counted off the likely enemies he had battled years ago, hoping to find some connection to the tentacles, but nothing came to mind. Nothing except Majora, but even then, it had wished for world annihilation. What use would the evil spirit have in securing Clock Town and creating an island fortitude?
Something else was at play.
Beyond the fog, trees appeared, but before they sought the safety of the woods, the demonic cloud blocked their path. It surrounded them from all sides and enclosed the remaining distance, and Link pulled Kagome and Shippo closer. There was no escape. If only he had his other items with him, but they were back at the house.
A golden light shot from his bandaged hand, and his blue eyes widened at the sight, drawing the curious stares of the others. It reacted against the darkness and dissipated the fog at their feet. The cloud reacted violently, the veins of lightning and crimson pulsing, and its tail loomed overhead and shot at them.
A hand grabbed his shoulder, and he heard the priestess and child gasp, followed by a rush of faded gray material shrouding his vision. A voice spoke in his ear, and he turned at the sight of an unfamiliar silver-haired man with crimson eyes. "Eh?!"
"Seems I'm a bit late," He said with a move of his hand.
The ground shifted beneath him, and fearing Kagome and Shippo might fall into the unknown, he wrapped his arm around them. At first, he thought the cloud of miasma had swallowed them, but peering closer, he realized that wasn't the case. But no sooner had the ground vanished did it reappear, and the cloak fell away, revealing a familiar chasm of glimmering lights.
Golden-white gems sparkled from the cavern's walls, reflected by an enormous spring surrounded by cherub pillars and white marble. A pale diaphanous fairy lingered in the middle of the spring and greeted them with a solemn smile from where they stood. This beautiful creature was none other than the enchantress of all fairies.
The Great Fairy.