Generations
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Chapter 8: Nightrise
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It's been pretty quiet since that whole...weird... shadow clone thing
went on. Did I do it, already? Was he what was behind everything? ... Nah.
Can't be. It just seems... too little. No, and didn't he say...
Urgh. My head hurts. (At least everything else stopped hurting, though.)
Idly, Link stared into the empty space above his bed. There wasn't much
he could decide on in his life at the moment. It was strange, he thought.
He would have given anything to get his old life back only days ago. But,
in a way, he was already missing the excitement. If by 'excitement' I
mean life-threatening super-crap... just wish I knew what was going on
now...
The day after the attacks had been a strange one. It had been like no one wanted to be the first to say anything in school. The teachers had had to be satisfied with 'I didn't feel so good' as an excuse for their absences, and although they had attempted to ask Link about the injuries he had acquired he had only been able to come up with 'I had an accident, OK, sir?'. Between the group who had been caught at the warehouse, only meaningful looks and loaded cryptic comments indicated that anything out of the ordinary had occurred. Unfortunately for Link, his old adversary had shown up again, but even he seemed preoccupied. Almost like he was involved too, Link thought with a shake of his head. Good job I never saw him. There's one person I wouldn't save from a dark alley.
It was quiet. The television was barely audible downstairs. A faint hint of music came through the wall from Zelda's room. Other than his sister and himself, there was nobody home. His mother had gone to visit family out of town. And as for his father... Dad - where are you? Okay, it's not like we get on, but if you at least rang home... Silently, he shook his head, settling his mind again.
Something caught his ear as he lay back down. Soft of rumbling sounds seemed
to be coming from outside. He quickly dismissed it as a passing truck, though
he couldn't imagine why one would be coming through the suburbs.
He barely had a chance to relax again before an ear-rattling pulse of sound
shook the windows. His heart began to race. Quickly, he leapt off the covers,
pelting onto the landing and downstairs. The rumbling and roaring sounds
outside were becoming louder by the second.
Over the explosions, he could hear a more familiar sound. "Whoa! Link! Wait
for me!" Zelda yelled, chasing him down the stairs. "What's going on?" she
asked, fear starting to touch her voice.
He paused by the front door for a moment. "You can hear as well as I can..."
he said, worried himself. "I don't know either. I was going to look..."
"Something tells me that's not fireworks," Zelda murmured, almost inaudibly
over the rising noise. "It's just... I..."
Link sighed. "We've got to see what this is..." he remarked anxiously, pushing
open the door and stepping outside.
It hadn't been fireworks.
Link couldn't tell what it was. In pure shock and fear, a shout of "What
the hell?" was the only response he could come up with. What... what is
that? Looks like... sort of a...
Zelda ran out alongside him, and stopped. "What's... my gods, what's that..."
she whispered, spotting what her brother had.
The source of the explosions was clear. A strange shockwave, somehow tinted
in green light, roared up the street. At the moment, it was still a distance
off - but if it could be that loud, that far away, they could imagine the
destruction it would cause as it drew nearer. She found herself shuddering
with shock.
Link looked at her face. "Come on, Zel'! We've got to get out of here!" he
said, trying to pick her spirits up. "You want to stay here and get crushed?"
As he spoke, a fireball was flung past them. Both heads turned to follow
it. "You heard me! Run!"
This time, no prompting was needed. Together, they started to sprint down
the road. Neither had ever thought of themselves as a good runner. The phenomenon
that was gaining with every step was all that they needed to potentially
break a record.
In the mad dash, there was no time to look where they were going. Link didn't
realise Zelda had fallen until he heard a shout behind him. He turned back
to see his sister sitting on the ground, looking a little dazed. "Zelda?"
he yelled. "What's up?"
"Just... I'll be okay. ...Yeah. I'll be fine." She got back to her feet with
a number of faint 'ouch' sounds. "Better not hang around, right?"
"Right!"
Their brief pause had lasted a little too long. The shockwave was gaining quickly. While the Hunters started to run, they couldn't outrun it much longer. The air itself seemed to have become their enemy as it lifted them from the ground.
The last thing Link or Zelda could remember clearly for a time was the ground approaching. The next was total nothingness as they hit it. For a while, all was quiet.
-
Slowly, Link came around. One eye crept open. Zelda was crouching down by
his side. "Wh... what happened?" he croaked.
Zelda wiped a tear out of her eye. "You're alright!" she managed to laugh.
"When the shockwave hit... I woke up pretty quick, but you... you were out
for ages... look around..." Her words tapered out.
Link took her advice as he got to his feet. For a second, he wished he was
still unconscious. The houses around them had been ripped to shreds. The
ones that had any walls standing were the lucky ones. Bits of debris were
still falling out of the sky.
Even worse, there were no signs of life - Either everyone had already escaped,
or - Link put a hand gently on his sister's shoulder as the other option
preyed on his mind. Zelda's eyes were screwed up, as she tried to ignore
where she was. Unknowingly, the same thoughts were running through both minds.
This can't be happening. "Come on," he said softly. "We'd better get
somewhere a bit safer."
"Define 'safe'," Zelda muttered, following Link's footsteps. She attempted
to ignore the scenery around her, staring at the floor. She could see enough,
however, to glimpse something amid the rubble. Her heart leapt in shock.
She froze for a second, but managed to summon enough strength to tap her
brother on the arm. "Look..." she nearly whispered as he turned to look.
It seemed to be someone almost hidden by the rubble. Only the face was exposed.
Nervous, they moved in closer. As they did so, it started to look less like
a human face. The angles were wrong, the eyes looked darkened, and who would
have... Link stopped. "What's that doing here?" He thought for a second,
realising what the implications were. That was lying on my shelf... to
get here, must have been blown out... the house must have been just as ruined
as everywhere else! I never stopped to think about it... oh, gods... this
is not happening...
How the heck could something have been thrown all this way, anyway? Looks
in perfect condition, too! Something else to rank on the list of Strange
Things In My Life. One thing comes out okay from all this, and it's a weird
present. He shook his head and picked the mask off the floor. It was
in just as good condition as he'd thought from a first glance.
Zelda walked up. "That what I think it is?"
Link nodded. "Yeah. You know how it is, things turn up everywhere..." he
tried to joke, but his heart wasn't in it. "Come on. Let's go."
-
Their path took them past a trail of devastation. The sounds of destruction were faintly audible in the distance, but by this point they were no louder than fireworks and fast cars. The air was still unfriendly, however. The way was strewn with rubble, and the remains of more than one crashed car. With every step, dread forced its way deeper into both their hearts.
Link slid to a halt as he rounded a corner. No longer paying attention to
her surroundings, Zelda almost ran into his back. Silent, he put out a shaking
hand, pointing to the scene in front of them.
The area was devastated. What had been buildings were just ruins - and their
occupants were just as ruined. Lifeless figures lay on the ground. A group
of monsters - some cyclopean, some pig-like, some resembling nothing more
than balls of slime - were scouring the area for victims.
Zelda, shuddering, turned pale. "Dear gods..." she whispered, screwing up
her eyes to block out the carnage. "This... this can't be happening..."
One of the creatures' heads snapped round. Determined, they began a charge
towards the horrified pair. Zelda shot a terrified glance to her brother.
"Get out of here!" he snapped. "Go on! Go!"
She span round and began to run. "But what about..." Any answer of Link's
was broken off by a monster's mad leap on top of him. Yelling in shock and
pain, he kicked wildly to get it off.
As he finally shook off his attacker, he yelled back to his sister. "Don't
worry about me! Just save yourself!" He struggled slowly to his feet as Zelda
took to hers, not caring where she was going.
Link's mind spun. What do I do now?... he thought. With an icy certainty,
the answer came to him.
He began to scan the ground around his feet to see where he had dropped the
mask. His enigmatic visitor's words came back to him swiftly. Don't use
it unless you've no other way out...
Two of the pig creatures advanced, menace in their movements. Right now...
I don't think I do.
Slowly, Link's fingers closed in on it. He could almost feel the energy that
came pulsing through even before they made contact. What do I do? Am I
supposed to put it on? he thought, lifting it hesitantly towards his
face. Its first touch to his skin was smooth, almost warm. Yet within a split
second, that comfort turned to almost an agony. A feeling like an electric
discharge tore through his body. Unable to stop himself, he screamed out
loud.
Zelda stopped for an instant in her flight, and watched.
-
Half way across the city, running through a deserted street, a figure in black paused in his tracks, screwing up his eyes and letting out a gasp. A pulse of raw, foreign emotion flooded through his mind. Something was touching his soul. It didn't take him long to work out what was happening.
So, Oni'kara thought. Things are bad enough for you to call on the powers you were lent, Link? I just hope you understand what you are doing, young hero...
-
Link seemed to be imprisoned in a cloud of energy, which swirled around his
location. In its heart, he could just be seen, wrapped in shadows. Even as
Zelda looked on, the figure that seemed to be her brother was changing, growing.
In a flare of light around him, the electric prison that held Link collapsed
and imploded. In its centre, a human shape, but not that which had stood
there before.
Link stood, stunned, his mind slowly catching up with what had just taken
place. Slowly, he looked around, his hair blowing in front of his face. He
instinctively raised a hand to brush it away, before noticing. White?
Since when have I... what am I wearing? Armour?
Quickly, he glanced down to see what had become of him.
What's... what's happened to me? he thought, in a complete state of
shock. It was hard enough seeing everything around him change, without being
changed himself. With a wrench, he pulled his attention away from his own
transformed body to everything he could see around him, though his heart
was still racing with emotion.
The monsters, themselves distracted by the recent light show, had begun to
move in again. Link stared back for a moment, plotting his next move. It
felt like something had just been unlocked inside him. Letting impulse guide
his movements, his hand went to his shoulder, drawing a strange sword from
his back.
All right, he thought, a grin spreading across his face. This should
even the odds out...
With a hoarse yell, Link charged forwards, feeling energy coursing in his
blood. His first wild lunge took three of the monsters down without even
thinking. On the corner of his vision he could make out Zelda, watching,
at the same time both admiring and terrified. There was no way he could let
his enemies get any further.
If I'm a Hero - a warrior - this is what I am here for...
Two cyclops approached him from either side. He lashed round in a vicious
circular swing, before lunging at a smaller target behind him. Every sense
was attuned to where his next opponent was coming from. None of them stood
much of a chance. None of them had counted on this sort of resistance in
their animalistic minds.
Within a matter of minutes, all had fallen, their bodies turning to dust.
Link stood, dazed, staring into space. The mist of adrenalin cleared from
his mind, and he sank to his knees. "Wh... what just happened..." he murmured,
trying to make sense of what he had just done.
Zelda walked closer, unsteadily. "You tell me," she remarked, shaking her
head softly. "That's you... Link... isn't it?"
"Yeah..." he remarked, looking away, a little unsure himself. Of course
it's me. But - who am I, now?
His sister blinked. "Of course. But... how?" she asked. "Was it... that mask...
you put that on, didn't you?"
Link nodded slowly, not sure of what to say. Unconsciously, he ran his fingers
under his jaw and chin. It didn't feel like there was anything there.
The only thing he could feel was Zelda's sympathetic hand on his shoulder.
"It's not so bad, I guess. I just... don't know what's going on..."
"What do you mean?" a surprised Zelda asked.
"This," Link commented, gesturing. "I don't mind this - new look, least for
now... but it's just got me confused..."
"Me, too." Zelda paused, thinking. "I mean, how could you end up like
that?"
He shrugged. "You said it yourself. Guess it must be that mask."
"I thought it might be..." Zelda said, nodding as she looked at the changes
to her brother's face. "But that still doesn't make any sense. It was just
a... a thing. Some bit of wood. It shouldn't have..."
Link thought for a moment. "Should, shouldn't... I think this was what
should have happened. I remember, he said, I was only to use it in
a time of need..."
"...I guess you don't get much needier than this. But..." Zelda trailed off.
"Oh, Link..." she said, smiling softly, trying to reassure herself by reassuring
her brother.
For a moment, there was silence. "What's next, then?" Link remarked, starting
to get to his feet.
Zelda closed her eyes. "I... I don't know."
They began to walk on. The explosions had stopped, now. No more monsters
were to be seen. The city was desolate and silent, except for the sounds
of the wind and two pairs of feet.
Suddenly, Link stumbled, snatching at his head and letting out a yell. Startled,
Zelda felt herself following suit. "What? What is it?" she asked, shocked.
Link's answer sounded incoherent. "I don't know - there's... someone's...
Someone else is in my head..." he groaned, screwing up his eyes. He staggered
for a moment before collapsing to the floor.
"What do you mean?" Zelda almost yelled, her jaw dropping as she crouched
down beside him. "Wake up! Come on... this isn't funny..." She only began
to relax as he rolled over onto his back, breathing heavily, but apparently
unhurt.
With a yelp, he sat up. His eyes flew open, blazing a furious white. Zelda
jumped back with a start.
"What was that?" Link croaked. "Did I..."
"You passed out. Had me worried. But... I think you'd better tell me what
happened, instead..."
"I heard a voice..." he whispered.
Zelda looked at him strangely. On top of everything else, this hardly rated
on the scale of today's strangest events, but it was no less disconcerting
for that. "What sort of voice?"
Link paused. "It sounded... I think... like the person who gave me the mask
in the first place."
Zelda took her time before responding. "Really?" She blinked. "What was
it?"
Her brother glanced aside. "It sounded like some sort of a warning. There's
worse to come. That's what I was hearing." Silently, Zelda closed her eyes
and shook her head. Link picked up on the motion quickly. "What's wrong?"
"Everything," she replied softly. "This... this just doesn't feel good. For
all we know, everything's been ruined, you've been transformed into some
sort of..." she stuttered, trying to think of the word.
"I told you already. I don't mind it."
"...That's not the point. Out there, you looked so, so - I don't know, fierce,
terrible - and that was one thing, but now you're hearing voices, too? If
we're going to be trapped in the middle of something even worse than this,
we might as well know what sort..."
By this point, Zelda's sentences had degenerated into random gasps. Quietly,
Link put his hands on her shoulders. "Calm down, Zel'. It'll be okay."
She closed her eyes, talking deep but choppy breaths in an attempt to steady
her nerves. "Fine. Fine. But... now what? What do we do now?" she asked,
not really expecting any answer.
Link shook his head. "I - I don't know. Think we'd best keep moving, though.
I get the feeling we're still not safe here."
"You think we'll be safe anywhere?" Zelda responded.
Link merely shot a moonlight glance back at her and kept walking.
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A/N: The last chapter took months. This one took days (well, first draft did anyway). Strange... and I still manage to take ages uploading!
And an artwork update... (Note: take the spaces out of the addresses.)
For a picture of our new F.D. Link:
members.aol.com/ dragonheart360/ fd-hunter.gif
Our hero in a more classic style:
members.aol.com/ dragonheart360/ linksketch1.jpg
Another view of this chapter's beginning:
members.aol.com/ dragonheart360/ gen8comic.gif (I intend to do a few of these.
Any suggestions for scenes...)
Credits: Thanks to Link0273, Huck and Maniac Mosli for the reviews. Also, thanks to Naela for the beta read, and to another AIM-based friend of mine for kicking me into writing this. (You know who you are.)