Fires blazed throughout the eastern capital, leaving a haze of smoke to fill the air. Every water mage in the revolutionary army was tasked with putting out the fires. Sadeena had elected to help with her Gyarados, Gastrodon, and Lapras.
Meanwhile, the Knights of New Hyrule were searching the castle.
BGM: Skyview Temple - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
In one particular room, they happened upon a sea of corpses, some clad in soldier's uniforms and others bearing the garb of nobility. One entity, however, was not a corpse; a youthful-looking nobleman cowered at the sight of the Knights, shuddering as he pleaded with them. "P-Please, save me from this...this nightmare! I-I don't want t-to d-d-die! I can't face this again! Please!"
Aris rushed over and grabbed the noble's shoulders. "Hey, relax, we're not gonna kill anyone unless we have to. Now, what the hell happened here?"
The first part of the boy's response was so muddled with stutters and blubbering that Aris couldn't understand. "...s-suddenly appeared i-i-in the c-castle, with s-some sort of terrible power! K-Killed everyone here e-e-except me! I-If we don't leave r-right now...we're...we're dead!" He suddenly noticed Raphtalia, gasped, and fainted.
"Check out the corpses," Joker suggested. "Maybe they'll tell us more."
After some quick examination, the Knights gathered their findings. "All the ones I found had slits in their throats," said Sora.
"I found some with big sword cuts," Filo added.
"You guys didn't notice the noble's body with its upper half completely smashed to mush?" Loretta remarked.
"There's nothing on top of it," Dante pointed out. "Which means it was some kind of blunt weapon."
"It couldn't have been a mace or anything like that," Raphtalia stated.
Rishia chimed in, "Maybe it was some sort of big hammer?"
Aris analyzed the smashed cadaver, noting that there was a large, square dent in the floor under it. "That's probably it. Everyone, let's move further in. Stay frosty."
The Knights followed the trail of corpses like Hansel and Gretel following bread crumbs, finding themselves in what looked like an outdoor training floor. The surrounding walls were lined with dummies, which were equipped with various weapons. Some of the dummies were dressed in dirty miko outfits, similar to the one Raphtalia wore.
"End of the line!" a voice cackled. It didn't quite come from one particular direction, as if there were invisible loudspeakers in the room.
In the center of the training area, the floor gave way to a burst of what looked like blood, leaving behind a large hole.
A figure stood there, in front of the hole. She wore an outfit similar to Raphtalia's and carried a large hammer.
She even looked like Raphtalia, bearing the same tail, gorgeous long hair, and features just as beautiful (if not more beautiful) than her katana-wielding doppelganger.
"How foolish," Raphtalia's doppelganger chuckled. "She was the vanguard of this nation, yet she was no good as a person."
Raphtalia's sister? Aris thought. Is that who this is?
"Are you the Heavenly Emperor?" asked Dante. "Didn't take you for a cross-dresser."
"No, I'm not," replied the doppelganger. "At least, not the girl you see before you." She shouldered the hammer.
Aris took the strange card out of his pocket. "Shildina? Is that you?"
"I've taken out the corruption at its source," replied the strange figure. "I have defeated Makina. Of course, the owner of this body didn't exactly give up without a fight. The descendant and he who holds the Spirit Implement should understand."
"Uh, we don't," Aris deadpanned.
"Seriously?" replied the figure.
Aris reached into the depths of his soul, closing his eyes. "Spiritual Sight."
He opened them, looking around to find he could see wisps of greenish light where his friends stood. Joker's had a bit of blue; Dante's only had small sparks of green whereas the majority of his soul burned a demonic orange. Of course, Shildina's was the same green as Aris's, but her soul had a hole in it.
Suddenly, Aris noticed something behind the punctured soul of Shildina. A wisp rose from a mangled corpse, but this wisp burned with abyssal black and sanguine red.
Malice, Aris realized.
The Malice wisp suddenly lunged at Shildina from behind.
"Watch out!" Aris exclaimed, quickly disengaging Spiritual Sight to see the woman who possessed the Malice-filled soul.
Shildina's markings began to burn. "Gah! You-You're stubborn! I already...defeated the caster!"
Shildina strained as she spoke. The hooded woman was relentlessly clawing at Shildina's chest.
"There's...still...some patterns...left!" Shildina strained.
"I never thought you would resist and make an attempt on my life," replied the hooded woman. "But that won't be enough to stop me. I prepared you - my spare body - for this exact event."
"You twisted hag!" shouted the hammer girl.
"Look who's talking!" Sadeena had arrived on the scene.
The dark woman ignored her. "You speak of your powers as an Oracle like it's something to lord over others, but in reality, your very being is nothing but a vessel for my decaying soul. You're the perfect candidate for me, especially since you're friends with that little piss-drinking brat."
"I won't let you take her!" the hammer girl exclaimed.
Vengeful Malice Hollow
MAKINA
"Take her?" Makina laughed. "I'm reclaiming what's mine."
"It was never yours in the first place!"
"Uh...what's going on here?" asked Loretta.
BGM: Forze Del Male (Dark Riku) - Kingdom Hearts 3
"One of the deceased's souls is trying to possess Shildina," Aris explained. "It's Makina!" He drew the Master Sword, channeling his Soul Energy into the blade. Raphtalia equipped her Soul Eater Katana, which was effective against enemies which didn't have a physical form. Sora called his Keyblade, Dante summoned his Devil Sword, Joker and Rishia summoned their Personas. Aris charged, soul-fueled Master Sword ready to strike.
"Stay out of this!" Makina roared, sending out tendrils of churning Malice. Aris sliced through them with the Master Sword, narrowly avoiding their clutches. Raphtalia, however, was not so lucky.
Pools of Malice formed on the ground surrounding the Knights. The Malice came to life to form demonic apparitions of some of the dead people in the area. Loretta, Dante, Sadeena, Filo, Sora, Joker, and Rishia began battling the horde.
"Useless, useless, USELESS!" Makina howled. "You seriously think your little blade is enough to stop ME?!"
Aris pointed the Master Sword at Raphtalia, sending a small blast of Soul Energy in her direction. The projectile connected, and Raphtalia's eyes widened. "I see her!"
Aris nodded. "Then work your magic!"
A burst of Soul Energy sprang forth from Raphtalia, expelling the tendrils of Malice that restrained her.
Aris sent out a bolt of Triforce Judgement, shocking Makina right in the forehead. "CURSE YOOOUUUU!"
Makina charged him with a deafening, blood-curdling scream.
Aris reached forward, his left arm engulfed in Soul Energy and light from the Triforce. Makina roared as the Soul Energy burned away her very being.
End BGM
"You know what that was?" asked Dante. "That stuff you and Lorie cleansed?"
Aris nodded. "Malice. An energy that originates from powerful demons who once tormented Old Hyrule."
"Like the Calamity," said Loretta.
"Exactly like the Calamity," Aris agreed.
Someone cleared their throat.
The hammer girl had approached them and jutted her index finger at Aris. "You. For saving my life, I will free Shildina's body. But first...she gave you a card, did she not?"
Aris nodded, showing her the card Shildina had given him.
"That is the fragment of her soul that once filled the void within it," said the hammer girl. "It also contains a small piece of her heart, but it is mostly her soul. If you give it to her, she will be safe from possession, but at the cost of her Oracle powers."
"Okay," said Aris. "Do you want me to?"
The hammer girl nodded. "Yes."
Aris handed the card to the hammer girl.
The girl's body suddenly burst with Soul Energy, dissipating and ascending skyward. Shildina was left behind, panting and lying on the ground in her Demi-human form.
"Wh-Who's there?!
A young boy - not even ten years old - cowered in the corner of a bedroom filled with Filolial posters, small bronze Filolial statues, and other Filolial merchandise. "He's like Futaba," Joker said quietly, "but way more of a wuss."
Aris noticed books on a nearby shelf, most of which had covers depicting Filolials that looked strikingly similar to Filo.
"Wh-Where's Makina?!" the boy cried. "Sh-Shildina! Makina! Anyone! Someone! Help me!"
He opened his eyes, noticing Raphtalia's miko dress. "H-Hey!" he shouted. "I'm the only one who can wear that!"
"Not anymore, you're not," said Dante. "Things're changing here. You're no emperor anymore. There's a new sheriff in town."
A look of realization formed on the child's face. "O-Oh...it's you."
He continued. "M-Makina said she'd be right back a-and left me here. She still hasn't returned yet. A-And while I was hiding in here, I heard people saying some...not very nice things a-about me. But...B-But I still believed in them. I believed that they could find it in their hearts to end this chaos and come back to me."
"Well, news flash," said Aris. "No one's coming back to you anymore."
"Hold your horses," Raphtalia chided. "He's just a boy."
"I know," said Aris, "but that boy is the one who sent multiple armies to bring back your head on a stick."
"He wasn't really in control at that point," Sora mentioned.
"Well, yeah," Aris agreed. "I guess we can cut him some slack there." He turned to the boy. "Hey...kid. If Makina hadn't told you to do so...would you have sent out those assassins? The ones trying to kill Raphtalia?"
"Assassins?" The boy seemed confused. "Wh-What assassins?"
Aris sighed. "He doesn't know."
"W-Was that what Makina was doing a few weeks ago?" asked the boy.
"You never answered my question," said Aris. "Would you have sent them or not? If Makina hadn't told you to, I mean."
The boy hesitated. He seemed to gather his courage, exhaling as he stood to his feet. "We...would not have sent them," he said in a more regal tone despite his body still slightly trembling. "We are aware that...um, please allow us to rephrase. We are aware that we said we are the only one important enough to don the royal garb, but had Makina not told us to send the armies, we would not have sent them. Alas...t'is merely a set of garments, and you did not know of its meaning in our country."
"Okay," said Aris.
"So..." the boy trailed off for a moment, "...what art thou going to do with us? We are defeated, no? Then...take us where thou wisheth to take us and put us to death if you must. But...alas, those who hath followed us are without blame in all of this...chaos. Prithee see right by them..."
"On the contrary," said Sadeena, "those who 'followed' you were actually controlling you. Makina, mainly."
"H-Hogwash!" the boy cried.
"Reality," Loretta shot back. "That demon used you for her own personal gain. She might've been all sweet on you, but that sweetness couldn't have been any further from the truth."
"Anyway," said Aris. "First order of business, you're not the Heavenly Emperor anymore. What happens after that...well, give us a moment here."
The Knights of New Hyrule grouped together outside the room, huddled up like an American football team before a big play.
"What do we do with him?" said Rishia.
"We can't just kill him," said Dante. "He's just a kid. I...I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I was an accomplice to the death of a child."
"We're not killing him, don't worry," Aris assured everyone in a hushed whisper. "But the people of Q'ten Lo might not be too happy if we leave him alive."
"So, what, we fake his execution?" asked Loretta. "People might want to see it for themselves."
"And they will," said Aris. "All thanks to crystal balls."
"But, how will we fake the execution?" Sora inquired.
"Easy," Aris replied. "We can kill two birds with one stone. Or, rather...two birds with one stone. Filo?"
The Filolial Princess looked at her surrogate father.
"You'll play a big part in this."
"What do you mean, dad?"
Aris smirked. "You saw all that Filolial merchandise in his room, right? All that stuff gives me a feeling that he may be a Filolial fan because of ones he may have seen in captivity, but something tells me he's never seen a wild Filolial before."
"I'm not a wild Filolial," said Filo.
"Ah, but he doesn't know that, now does he?" said Aris. "He's only seen you in the form you're in right now, so he thinks you're just another Demi-human."
"So I have to pretend to be wild?"
Aris nodded. "What you have to do is change to your Filolial form and then go in there. Don't say a word. Stay completely silent, and just...stare at him. Stare with the most ravenous, hungry, but emotionless eyes you can. Oh, and start salivating if you can. If it helps you salivate, I'll inform you that I'm making extra apple pie for dessert tonight."
Filo was salivating already.
"Just like that!" said Aris. "Imagine that instead of staring at him, you're staring at one of my apple pies, fresh outta the oven."
Filo nodded. "Okay."
Once the Knights had been informed of Aris's plan, and once they'd obtained a crystal ball, the false execution could begin.
"A Filolial!" the boy said happily, running over to stroke Filo's feathers.
Filo looked the boy dead in the eyes. Her gaze was fixed on him and him only, her eyes filled with ravenous hunger.
Before long, the boy's smile gave way to terror.
"A-Ah!" the boy cowered away from Filo, who continued to stare and salivate.
The boy's knees began to quiver, as though about to give out under him.
Aris subtly winked at Filo, who, understanding the signal, slowly crept towards the cowering boy.
"S-Stay back!" the boy cried. "Please...d-don't eat me!"
"You love Filolials, don't you?" Aris said in the coldest, most ruthless voice he could fake. "Well, my friends and I decided that being eaten alive by one of the birds you hold so dear would be the perfect way for you to go out. The irony of it just makes me laugh every time!"
Filo reached the boy, who'd backed himself into a wall. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt with her beak, like a mother cat carrying her kitten by the scruff of its neck.
Aris nodded to Pit, who stopped the crystal ball recording without hesitation.
"Filo, you can put him down now," said Aris.
The boy whimpered as Filo set him down. A darkened stain began to form on his pants.
Filo ran back to Aris. "Okay, now I feel mean!"
"It was just an act, I wouldn't actually make you eat him," Aris assured her. He turned to the boy. "Alright, kid. You know what could've happened if she was actually wild, right?"
"W-Would she have...e-eaten me?!" the boy sobbed.
Aris nodded firmly. "Monsters can be violent, vicious, feeling nothing but thirst for blood. You understand that now, right?"
The boy nodded.
"And that's why people hated when you decreed that ban on monster-slaying," Aris told him. "A ban on slaying emissaries of the Water Dragon, I can understand, since the Water Dragon is so important here. But regular old monsters? Utter stupidity."
"W-We understand now," the boy stuttered, trying his hardest to compose himself (and conceal the very obvious urine stain on his pants). "We are...completely unfit to be Heavenly Emperor. Thy lady Raphtalia...everyone hath falsely referred to her as an impostor, but, alas, t'is as thou speaketh. For one who serveth the Heavenly Emperor, we shall bequeath the throne unto her."
"Good," said Aris. "And, since you're not Emperor anymore - and you're still alive - maybe you should come with us. See more of the world, y'know?"
"But what of our execution?" asked the boy. "Surely thou dost not intend to spare us for our horrific acts."
"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I killed a little boy," said Loretta. "And no brother of mine would, either."
"U-Understood," replied the boy. "We...We will join you."
"And cut out the whole 'we' thing, would you?" Aris requested. "It's...kinda weird."
"You...what?"
Sadeena nodded. "I want you to remain as the Water Dragon's priestess, sister. After all, Dante and I...we're going on a little journey of our own."
"We are?" Dante's eyes widened.
"You bet your sweet ass," Sadeena replied flirtatiously. "Don't think I'll let you have all the demon-slaying fun without me."
"But...what about Raphtalia?" asked Dante. "You...You still care about the kid, right?"
"Of course I do," replied Sadeena. She wistfully looked out the window, admiring the view of a parade flowing through the street. "But...she has someone else to watch over her now."
BGM: Chains to Bonds - Kingdom Hearts 3
"Oh, there you are. I was looking for you."
Raphtalia looked over her shoulder to see Aris approaching her. She smiled warmly. "Hi, love."
Aris joined her atop the terrace overlooking the old city. A festival was in full swing, celebrating the arrival of a new Heavenly Emperor.
"So..." Raphtalia hesitated. "What now?"
"Unless you want to do something else," said Aris, "we'll probably leave the country to Raluva and the others and return to New Hyrule. Course, we'll be taking the kid with us."
"Yeah, good plan," Raphtalia agreed. "And, thanks to my ability to use Return Dragon Vein with the Vassal Katana, I can return here whenever I'm needed."
"Not only that," said Aris, "but...you learned more about your parents, and you're the leader of a whole-ass country!"
Raphtalia's face turned wistful. "I...I don't really feel the need to rule over an entire nation to be happy, though. I'm perfectly content to just live in New Hyrule, with you, Filo, the others...that's all I'll ever need."
"And you can wear that dress whenever you want," Aris added.
"Is that really all you're worried about?" Raphtalia teased.
"Well...no," said Aris, "but...I mean, you just look drop-dead gorgeous in it, alright?"
Raphtalia blushed. "Oh, stop it, you..."
The lovers remained silent for a few minutes, taking in the view.
"Hey...dear?" Raphtalia asked.
"Hmm?"
"I...I wanted to ask you about something," said Raphtalia. "I...I've wanted to for a while now. Ever since we left Siltvelt."
"What about?" asked Aris, meeting her gaze.
"It's...about what you said to Jaralis," Raphtalia replied. "Before that duel. You...You said that...you'd already found the...the woman you wanted to...be your w-wife. Were you..."
"Referring to you?"
Raphtalia nodded.
Aris exhaled. "I...knew that would come up eventually. A-Admittedly, I...kinda just said it in the heat of the moment...but that doesn't mean it wasn't true."
Raphtalia gasped. "So...you...want to...?"
"When we're older," said Aris. "Once all this is over. The Waves, the Phoenix...all of it. When this world is at peace, and when you and I know we're ready...I would love more than anything to marry you."
Raphtalia practically leaped into Aris's arms. "I-I never thought you'd say that...but...yes! I...once the Waves are over, we'll...we can get married. To...To be your wife...I-I can't think of anything that would make me happier."
Aris lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "And I can't think of anything that would make me happier than you, my dearest."
I didn't want to leave Aris's sudden dialogue back in chapter 74 about wanting to marry Raphtalia unaddressed, so I threw in that little scene at the end there.