This is kinda a long chapter, so let's make it longer with REVIEW REPLIES!
JMG: Heh, nice interpretation of the bad guy… No, he's a he and he's a bad guy.
MOMO1: (The Legend of Advertisement!) Heh, Yo Quiero Taco Bell, meet Yo Quiero Hero of Time! Glad you liked it.
Dragon-Charmer16: WHAAAAAAAAAAT! I will not permit you to spend money just to review my story! Don't do that! Just keep re-mailing! It works well like that!
Dragon-Charmer16: Heh, I do my best to make my characters as awesome as possible.
Dragon-Charmer16: I thought the lyrics were incredible as well, but she denies it, saying she could have done much better. -.- Bloody whiner, she is. Oh, hi there! You're reading this? …whoops. (Just kidding, my friend!)
Dragon-Charmer16: Kaze seems to have masculinity issues… Heheh… Kaze, I didn't know you were here! …I didn't say anything! And don't worry about Drakar. Read Chapter 16 about the power of the Staff of Dreams… OH CRAP! I can't believe I just gave away a spoiler! -hits self-
Dragon-Charmer16: Now that Hieke's back to herself, we have room for humor! YAY, HUMOR! Yup, new pictures comin'. Always new pictures comin'.
Dragon-Charmer16: Linky and Kazy… that's still evokes a chuckle at the least!
Dragon-Charmer16: OO; No worries, I promised a happy ending this time, remember? It's only a story… People get so attached to my characters and so involved in my plot! It's scary…
C.A.D.W.O.: (The Legend of Advertisement!) I have some serious stories that still have a certain aspect of humor to them if you wanna read those. Rejoice for the seriousness! While it sounds funny, 'seriousness' is still a word!
Mxedcherub: You always say that… -.-
Mxedcherub: See? 'Awesome' again. You always say that!
Mxedcherub: What, no 'awesome' this time? What's an aslyum? You mean asylum, an institute for crazy people like you and me? …and my brother…
Mxedcherub: Only an idiot would like Wythe…
Mxedcherub: No, the battle scene sucked! I can't write battle scenes for the life of me!
CheeseFromJupiter: That was fast! Mere moments after I reviewed your story, it's like BAM! Nice to see you again! -dances-
Lots of reviews, sixteen total! YESSSS! I love reviews! But here's the next chapter, and it's a long one!
Chapter 17: Castle
"Wh-what is this!" Kuro demanded, holding the Staff gingerly, as though in disgust. "I did not waste away my life in purity for this!" He raised his prize above his head and made to throw it to the ground, but he stopped himself. Kuro eyed the Staff of Nightmares, lost in his thoughts. A wicked smile spread on his face.
"What are you plotting?" Kaze inquired fiercely. "I can take the power I have, can I not?" Kuro said aloofly. "After all, I worked so hard to get to where I am today."
"Where you are today?" Hieke interrupted. "You're a heartless tyrant who hid behind a curtain of white, banishing your minions to the darkness outside and leaving them to fulfill your evil wishes! But all your plans failed and all your servants died, even the ones that didn't want to serve you in the first place…" She broke off in a shuddering sigh as she remembered Drakar and all he did for her.
"Hmph. Those are some colorful metaphors you're using, little lady," Kuro smirked. "Do you want to know what I am? I'll tell you, whether you care to know or not. I am a demon, raised beneath a sheet of white light. I am what happens when someone such as Kaze or Link bottle up their dark thoughts long enough. I could show you my true form, but you don't deserve to witness it." A black light enveloped the hand which held the Staff of Nightmares. Gradually the glow transferred from the Staff to Kuro. When it seemd he had absorbed the whole of his prize's energy, he tossed it aside.
The colors shifted once again. The Staff of Dreams clattered to the ground, devoid of its magnificence. "Since the Staff is less powerful in its dark state, all the light power is still within it," Kuro shrugged. "But I've taken nearly everything it had. It's just a useless stick now. Unless someone awesomely strong wields it, that is. Which reminds me…" He pointed a hand at Hieke and muttered something, apparently an incantation of some kind. An ink bracelet of alien characters appeared around her wrist. The Spirit winced.
"He's sealed off the Spirit of the Celestials," she murmured, falling to her knees. "I'll adjust to it, but I can't use my Celestial power anymore…" She reached for the Staff of Dreams and clutched it in her hands, sighing deeply.
"If you think you have the courage to face me, why don't you come to my castle?" Kuro sneered. He was beginning to vanish. "I'll put it in this dimension, just for you three." His semblance faded away with a ghastly laughter.
There was a thunderous rumbling somewhere nearby. Link, Kaze, and Hieke ran outside to see a terrible structure rising where the Gerudo fortress was. The fastest way to reach the Valley was on foot, so they all ran as quickly as they were able to their destination. Hieke had a bit of a harder time, being encumbered by the heavy Staff of Dreams. However, she refused to leave it behind. While her Celestial magic might be bound, she reasoned that when she recovered her power, she would require the Staff to bring back the fallen.
Kaze gasped when they reached the Valley, and the Staff of Dreams slipped from Hieke's paralyzed hands. Kuro's castle had been erected in the very center of the fortress, and dead bodies were everywhere. Prominent among the rubble were the faces of Linna, Dikai, Lea, and even Nabooru. Looking into the distance, they could see a black mist settling upon the land. It was death… Everyone who breathed the substance would die. Through the dark fog upon a pair of horses were four recognizable characters: Queen Zelda on one horse with Navi bobbing along behind, and James and Malon on the other steed. To Link's relief, they had their faces covered from the poison.
"Link!" Zelda cried, leaping from her horse and landing on her face in the dust. She stood up and looked around to make sure no one besides her friends had seen, then she brushed her dress off and ran to Link's side. "What are you doing here? You know it's too dangerous!" Link scolded. "You all go back to the castle! Hurry!"
"If you're going into danger, so are we!" Navi protested. "Anything that can hurt us can hurt you too!" James had one of his jewel-studded daggers in hand, and Malon was holding her breath against the terrible evil in the area. Zelda nodded to her three followers and turned back to Link. "So good luck trying to make us go back," she smiled.
"Impertinent fools!" boomed Kuro's voice. "Man-woman speaks," Kaze muttered, invoking a stifled laughter from Link and Hieke. Thunder crashed around them, almost as though Kuro had heard the comment. A bolt of lightning struck Zelda. When the flash cleared was trapped in a black crystal much like the pink one in which Ganon once imprisoned her. The same fate soon befell James, Navi, and Malon.
"What are you doing!" Hieke demanded, feeling more helpless than ever with her Celestial magic sealed away. She touched the dark crystals, but her slight touch was met by a powerful surge of evil magic. The girl withdrew and fell into rank beside Kaze and Link. The thin, dark mist that appeared before a transportation rose around their entrapped friends. It was mere moments before the three were left alone.
"Enter my castle if you wish to free your companions," Kuro taunted as the drawbridge covering the entrance lowered. Link glanced swiftly to Kaze and Hieke, then drew a deep breath and proceeded into the infinite shadow that dwelled behind the doors of the castle.
"It's dark," Kaze commented blandly. "I'd illuminate it if not for this blasted seal," Hieke apologized, rubbing the ink marks on her wrist. Link ignored the two, allowing his instinct to lead him through the darkness. They stepped into a long corridor and torches quickly lit by themselves. Link narrowed his eyes but continued onward nonetheless. There were lives at stake… Zelda, Malon, Navi, James, Kaze, Hieke, and himself were the only people left alive in Hyrule. The Staff of Dreams was drained of power and Hieke's magic was sealed away, so there would be no revivals until Kuro fell.
Soon they came upon a split in the hallway; it branched off into three separate paths and everyone wanted to follow a different direction. "This way is best!" Hieke said, pointing to the left passage. "No, it's definitely this one!" Kaze persisted as he walked towards the right. "You're both wrong. The center hall is where we need to go," Link stated firmly.
Somehow they knew in their minds that all the paths led to the same place. Perhaps Kuro wanted them to split up… Regardless, since they couldn't come to an agreement on which path to take, they decided to go their own ways. This was the single worst decision Link ever made, worse so than when he resolved to just tell Zelda that he didn't like her.
Kaze swiftly proceeded down the corridor to the right, surveying the floor and walls for any traps. A gray fog soon filled the hall, but it wasn't obstructive in the least. After a short while, it became evident that the mist was once of Kuro's mind tricks. Images filled his head, the worst possible things he could ever imagine appeared before him. He gasped when he stumbled upon Linna's body, mangled and mutilated.
"It's a vision, nothing more," he muttered to himself as he stepped over the body and continued along at a much faster pace than before. Next he came upon Link, standing in front of him with lumps of flesh missing from his arms and face, tears of blood trailing down his face. Kaze drew a shuddering breath, reached out, and pushed the hallucination away. He was now sprinting down the hall, his eyes tightly shut. Then he bumped into something…
Meanwhile, Hieke was taking small, tentative steps down the corridor she chose, her eyes closed and her breathing steady. She put one hand against the wall so she would stay on course. Hieke had seen the haze descended and, having spent a while in Kuro's company, knew exactly what it was and immediately took precautions against it. What you could not see would never appear to you.
She thought she felt a wall in front of her, for she could proceed no more. She opened her eyes and fell backwards with a shriek of terror. Instantly Hieke picked up the Staff of Dreams and began fiercely pummeling the image before her.
"Mouse!" she screamed, beating the living daylights out of the vision of a rodent in front of her. In her defense, it was a very large mouse. When the creature was dazed, bruised, and beaten, Hieke stood and began savagely kicking it. "And don't come back!" she called over her shoulder as she advanced past her conquered fear and moved further down the hall.
Kaze, on his chosen path, backed slowly away. An image of Hieke stood before him, a gentle smile upon her lips, but she held her sword as if to attack at any moment. The thief tried to steady himself and drew his own blade. The vision giggled and began her assault. Kaze knew this could not be Hieke merely by the way it attacked. It was thrusting with the sword like it was a spear while the real Hieke slashed and spun with her weapon.
"You're no Hieke. Not even close," Kaze smirked as he skewered the illusion on his sword. The false Hieke choked and coughed blood, then fell to its knees. It looked up with tear-filled eyes and reached towards him with a bloodstained hand. Kaze felt his strength draining along with the color from his face. Maybe it wasn't Hieke, but it did a believable impression of her.
"Ka…ze…" the image sobbed, then collapsed to the ground. Kaze shut his eyes tightly and tried to run, but his feet wouldn't allow it. "It wasn't real!" he whispered. "Not real… Not…!" Tears came unchecked, but he made no move to stop himself. Kuro's magic was great, but he would not fall victim to his demons. With this in mind, Kaze was able to force himself to continue, but he moved at a staggering gait instead of running as he would have liked.
Link, moving steadily along the center corridor, had already fought off dozens of painful illusions, one of which was a wedding to Princess Ruto. His hands were clenched tightly into fists and trembled slightly. He would not surrender to his demons, and he could only hope his companions were faring as well.
"We shouldn't have split up," he sighed, relaxing himself. There was no reason to be so high-strung. After all, they were just illusions. None of it was real. And none of it could hurt him. As long as he told himself this every time a new vision rose from the fog, he would fine.
In her hallway, Hieke was running headlong through the mist, ignoring anything she saw, heard, or even touched. Until she crashed into the stone wall. This time she was sure it was a real wall and not just a manifested illusion. She ran her hand along the wall, not daring to look up, until her hands found a doorknob. She twisted the cold metal and went through. Hieke found herself in a circular chamber. There were two other doors and she knew that this was the room in which the passages met. But why did they bother splitting in the first place?
The next door to the right, the center door, opened and Link came through. His eyes were dark and his expression grim, but he seemed to have fared all right. Finally Kaze, having slowed his pace to a crawl, arrived. His spirits seemed to lighten when his eyes met Hieke's.
"Where to now?" Kaze asked, turning to Link. The green-clad warrior pointed in front of him to a large, heavy door, framed in gold. "Through that door… is where we'll find Kuro. Then we can end this once and for all."
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The Demons have been faced! Next chapter is a good one, so don't miss it! Yipes! Tomorrow is high school orientation… school starts September 6 (not ninth, as I previously thought). GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! This story should be finished by the time school starts. Actually, it should be finished three days before that! YAY! Okay, review now? Yes? Okay, thanks! n.n
