Day XI
The beast and the girl.
'Why does the water ripple…' the keaton thought, '…if there is nothing to make it do so? …This place…it's cold.' He sighed again, and stood up, stretching his legs a bit. He surveyed the area yet again, then looked down at the ground. Suddenly, a noise. Kaysho's ears stood strait up. It was merely the sound of a droplet of water falling into the large body of water, only a single drop. But it echoed throughout the emptiness and through his ears, and almost seemed to make the ground beneath his feet vibrate. "Who…who's there?" He turned around to face the water, and stared at it. No more than 10 feet from the surface, the water started to ripple, then bubble. From that it grew, a raging parasite from the surface of the quiet sea.
"Don't be foolish." It said, all at once. It was a soft voice, calm, but a deceiving. It was a sound that was soft, but so cold it made Kaysho shudder. The voice from the pillar and the mirror.
Kaysho stared at it, and pressed his paws closer together, nervously. 'Again?' He thought, "What…?" He shuddered, and lowered his head, "O Spirit! …Who are you?!"
More and more it grew, surrounding itself within water. "You know...who I am." It replied simply. The embodiment from which the spirit's voice came had forced itself to rise far above the rest of the water. Then…it's waters started to fall, fall back into the sea below it. And the remains started to etch a figure in the water. A skinny young man, not very tall, not muscular, almost sickly thin. Long ears, and hair…long, gorgeous hair that fell beneath his feet and covered his face. This time, not tied back, and he wore nothing, and at the same time, there was nothing that needed clothing to cover. It's image was complete, in the water, as it smirked at Kaysho, and ran it's hands through it's own hair.
"…You…" Kaysho whispered, wide-eyed, as tried to step away from the water's edge, but his legs would not obey.
The spirited smirked, rose it's head, and looked down at Kaysho, his eyes alight. Burning red, orange, the golden yellow of a wolf's eyes, and the color of blood. The pupil smaller than the slit of a snake's eye. The beast in it's truest form.
Ganondorf remained perfectly silent as he re-entered the room where Kaysho lay, on the rug in front of the fire. The words repeated themselves through Ganondorf's head, the words written on the scroll. He looked down at Kaysho, and at his wounds. 'Destroy the world….Kaysho? …Never…' He made a face, 'He's so little…heh, and naive…Kaysho can't……he won't.' He looked over at Kaysho, 'I won't let him know…that's it…I won't.' Ganondorf stood up, then looked out the window, "Of all people that should discover this secret…this stupid prophecy…Kaysho shall be the last." He seemed to glare at the starry sky, "I'll do all I can to see…that Kaysho will never know. Kaysho shall be the last."
"Heh…" The spirit , and looked down at Kaysho, then went to him.
Kaysho stared at the figure coming towards him…there was something different in the beast's eyes now, but he couldn't taste what it was.
"Welcome." It said calmly, as it stood before Kaysho, glaring down at him with fangs barred. The demon moved his hands towards Kaysho, oddly groping the air for a moment, "Kay…" the demon's flesh met his the fur on Kaysho's tender cheeks.
A shiver ran from the tip of Kaysho's ears to the ends of his tails. This was no ordinary spirit; for it could take a tangible form. It's hands were cold…but smooth, seductive. It stopped. All was silent, and the water stood still. The demon's pupils grew thin and it's eyes wide. It's quivered, and it started down at the keaton in utmost loathing. "….get out." It whispered, a shrill hiss.
Ganondorf sat down next to Kaysho, staring blankly at the fire. From next to him, he could have sworn that he heard a shiver. He whipped his head around, and looked down at Kaysho.
Kaysho shook with freight, "….What…? Who…what's happening-"
"GET OUT!!!" It shrieked, a sound so horrible that blood spew from Kaysho's ears and he cried out in agony. But the beast didn't care; he roughly pushed Kaysho away from him, then held out his right arm. The demon hissed, and all at once Kaysho was thrown back by an unseen force, without the demon even having to touch him.
"Acch!" Kaysho smashed into one of the crystal structures, shattering it and sending the pieces floating through the unstable air. They dug into his skin, all across his back and on the pads of his feet, as he tried to get back to his feet.
The demon glared at Kaysho, the fires of hell alight in his eyes. He screamed, then sent Kaysho flying away again, hitting a large rock and pushing the crystals further into his body. "Where is he?! WHERE IS HE?!" The spirit demanded of Kaysho. It disappeared from sight, then reappeared directly in front of him and nearly touching noses with Kaysho, delirious with rage. "Why are YOU here?! Where is he?!" It screeched, "Where is the Morning and the Evening Star?!"
Kaysho gaped at the beast, completely bewildered. "What are you talking about…? Star?"
This seemed to only make the demon angrier. He wrapped his hands around Kaysho's neck, then rose him high into the air, and in his anger, he violently shook the keaton. "Stupid Keaton! STUPID KEATON!" It shouted. He screamed out in the painfully shrill voice, then screamed and screamed again. Anger overtook the demon's whole being. From his hands; on each finger, the delicate finger nails started to grow. They slid along Kaysho's fir, and pinched his neck. They grew, longer and longer, then wider, thicker, black. The grotesque claws tightened around Kaysho neck, spewing the keaton's pure blood all over the demon's body: down in arms, in his hair, on his face.
Kaysho screamed out in pain, pain so much greater than any he'd ever felt before. He could feel himself dying, his body going numb, the world slowly turning a dark shade of gray. He cried and screamed and tried to breathe, and tried to look away from the horrible evil before him.
But no matter how much Kaysho cried, the beast would not cease. "WHERE IS THE MORNING AND THE EVENING STAR?!?"
Ganondorf gasped down at Kaysho, who's wounds had started to bleed again, and it started to soak through the bandages. "What in hell…?!" Ganondorf whispered, then got to his feet. The keaton suddenly started to convulse, fresh cuts appeared across his back, and his from his neck blood flowed anew. "Shit…shit…" Ganondorf mumbled to himself, trying to think faster. 'Kaysho...good god, what's happening to him?! …I can't help him alone…I need help…he needs help! Who….Who?!' He looked upwards, then quickly back down, 'No…Koume, Kotake…..I don't trust them. Who.…who else knows about Kaysho…' he looked down at Kaysho, hesitating, '….Nabooru…she saw him. He spoke to her. She's smart……! Her Mother!' Ganondorf hesitated again, but then quickly grabbed his blood-stained cloak and scooped Kaysho up in it. He carried the keaton outside, then hailed down his horse and set Kaysho carefully on the saddle, then jumped on and picked Kaysho up again. With one arm he held the keaton, and with the other the reins, as the horse sped off into the desert. Which, besides a warm, light wind, was for once very still.
'I'm dying…' Kaysho thought, looking at the foggy black world around him, everything blurred into strange shapes.
The spirit stood beside him with his arms crossed, now very calm. Watching Kaysho die seemed to soothe his rage.
Kaysho lay on the ground, now no longer in the strange world. Everything above him was black, and empty. The spirit was standing on top of dark waters, as if it were as solid as rock. Kaysho, too, he lay upon it, but was slowly sinking. He rolled over and looked up at the spirit, gaping for air as he spoke. "…I am…aren't I?"
The demon's mouth curved into a smirk, "Yes. You're dying, keaton. Your beloved master…he's trying to save you. But I doubt you'll make it."
Kaysho listened to his words, and they brought a small tears to his eyes. He sunk lower into the waters, half drenched. Half dead.
Ganondorf rode on, not stopping for anything, praying that Kaysho would make it. Why hadn't he thought of it before? Nabooru's mother was Nefyret, a healer. Though they'd never met, if anyone could help, it would be her. With that one ray of hope, Ganondorf rode on, praying, praying.
The spirit again seemed calmed from watching Kaysho crying, while he slowly slipped into death. "Do you know what these waters are, little keaton?" he asked Kaysho. "It is the Sea Beneath the Earth, a vast and endless water underneath your worldly realm. This water," the spirit grinned, "every time a mortal sheds a tear, it falls to the ground and sinks beneath the earth, and ends up here. Beneath is the Land of the Dead, and all who die pass through these waters, made of every tear every mortal has ever shed."
Kaysho listened, but remained quiet. After a long silence, he looked up at the demon again. "…Tell me…" Kaysho thought aloud, his last whim, "…who are you?"
Ganondorf rode through the gates and into the fortress, then abruptly stopped his steed. He dismounted and took Kaysho, now with both arms, and dashed towards the pueblos, and to the lights coming from the open frames that served as windows. He dashed up a hill, unsure of which house it was…a guard was still on duty. Ganondorf ran over to her, and blurted, "Which house is Nefyret's?! Lady Nefyret's, which one?!"
The bewildered woman blinked and pointed towards one of the larger pueblos. Three stories high, and built into the cliff itself. "Uh…that one, Prince…" She answered, confused.
He darted in that direction with Kaysho, then skidded to a stop in front of the door and banged against the door, not taking time to even calm down. After a short moment, which seemed like forever to him, he reached to bang on the door again. But before his knuckled could hit the wood, the door slowly opened, and light from inside poured out. The door stopped halfway open, and a bewildered Nabooru stared at Ganondorf.
The demon paused, then his smirked widened; he seemed amused. He stood tall, then completely disappeared. And after he did, a left behind voice answered, "I am…The Beast of Deceit."