Finally! Chapter 22! Once again, you have Angel of Atonement to thank for this one. His comment about not being able to wait to read this chapter make me sit down and finish writing it instead of sitting down to play Final Fantasy VII, which I recently ascertained. Before you read this, you need to know the difference between Hylian and Hyrulean.
Hylian: Someone of the Hylian race
Hyrulean: Someone from the land of Hyrule
I actually found that on a highly-accredited Zelda website, though I forget which.
Also! I've finally managed to get a blog, so I'll be doing review replies there from now on! HUZZAH FOR BLOGGISHNESS! The link is in my profile, in the very first sentence. Here's the chapter!
Chapter 22: Origins
The cheers of the crowd were deafening. Lor and Kaze stood on the stairs of the castle wearily, smiling at the Sky Clan. Link soon emerged from the doors with Hieke's body cradled in his arms. The masses fell silent in reverence. The green-clad boy, a hero five times over, didn't pause for a moment as he descended the steps. The crowd parted to let him past, many turning to observe.
Drakar stood at the very back, and Link stopped before him. Beside the Skybound prince was a tall, imposing man with an ebony crown set with onyx. His massive sable wings were folded behind him like a cloak, and his clothes were buttoned with black glass beads. His dark hair fell to his shoulders and framed his pale face.
"Link, Hero of Hyrule, the kingdom of Skybound is forever indebted to you and your companions," he began in a regal voice. "My name is King Ralean, ruler of Skybound. My son has told me of your deeds throughout our neighbor kingdom of Hyrule. If all Hyruleans were as good-hearted as you, perhaps we could descend from our perch in the clouds. Link, tell me: Did you protect my daughter?"
Link glanced over his shoulder to find Kaze missing. He appeared from within the castle moments later, Aiko at his side. "Brother!" the princess exclaimed as she stumbled down the stairway and into Drakar's waiting arms. Ralean heaved a sigh of relief. "My daughter… Little One, why do you insist upon exploring Hyrule? Our kingdom suffered dearly in your absence."
"My most humble apologies, Father," Aiko muttered as she buried her face in Drakar's shirt. "You just don't understand how the land tempts me down from the clouds… I cannot remain here for all eternity. I wish to live in Kaze's world, even if only for a short time."
"It may be shorter than you'd like, Princess," Link informed pessimistically. "The Sky Clan would be a curiosity to most Hyruleans. I'm not sure if the established kingdoms would be so accepting of you and your kind."
"This is exactly why we remain in the sky," Ralean explained, shaking his head remorsefully. Kaze frowned. "Link, what exactly are you going to do with Hieke?" he inquired, changing the topic. Link's expression grew more solemn than it had been as he turned his gaze upon the girl in his arms. "Purgatory," he said simply.
"But… Lilith said you had to give up your own soul to retrieve one from the Purgatory," Lor reminded. Link nodded. "I know full well what she said," he murmured. Ralean narrowed his eyes. "You intend to sacrifice yourself in exchange for the life of the woman you love," he concluded.
"Wait… Did you or did you not bring the Dark Crystal back with you?" Drakar asked. Link nodded and dug the small orb out of his pocket. The winged man examined the trinket curiously. "Do you know what this sphere does?" he questioned after a bit of time. Link shook his head and returned the Crystal to its place.
"The material it's made from is ideal for containing souls," Aiko said. "Kuro used the same kind of glass when he had Hieke's soul in bondage. The only difference is that glass was blessed so that it was more suited for containing good souls. Dameus' Dark Crystal was damned when it was made so that it could easily hold even the evilest of souls."
"But who's making these things?" Lor said, vocalizing the unspoken thoughts of everyone the words were reaching. "It's a real shame you don't still have your memory," Kaze sighed. "That way we could just ask you who you got that bottle from when you had Hieke's soul."
Lor gasped and struck his right fist into his left palm. "I have an idea! I'll ask Kuro!" he grinned. He closed his eyes, not waiting to spare his comrades an answer to their curious eyes.
"What do you want?" Kuro snarled.
Lor twitched. "Why the bitter tone, Kuro?" he asked sweetly. "We just defeated Dameus. Hyrule is safe again. Hieke is… dead… But you didn't care about her. So what's up with you?"
"I'm trapped in a closet in the darkest recesses of your mind," the demonic man reminded.
Lor bit his lip. Lately, Kuro didn't seem all that evil. It wouldn't hurt to just let him out, even if only for a minute… No, no, Lor thought. I'll regret it in the end. Just like I regret everything else about my life... "Listen, we need to know something. The bottle that you kept Hieke's soul in. Where did you get it?"
"Someone gave it to me," Kuro replied stubbornly. Lor indicated he elaborate.
"A glass maker," he added. Receiving a contemptuous glare from his purer self, he sighed and decided to just tell. After all, neither of them were getting any younger. "In the back of Lon Lon ranch, there's a tower. Inside the tower is a maze of boxes. Behind the boxes is a hole. Through the hole is a pile of straw. Under the pile of straw is a basement door. Through the basement door is a basement. In the basement is the glass maker you're looking for. Now leave me alone!"
With that, Kuro forced Lor to return to the conscious world. "Wow… that's kind of complicated," the boy muttered, thinking about everything he was just told. Carefully he repeated the instructions. It was agreed that Lon Lon Ranch was their next destination. This glass maker had now been the cause of two major battles.
"You majesty, is there any way we'll be able to return to Skybound after we've found the glass maker?" Link inquired. Ralean nodded and pressed an inch-long tablet on a silver chain. The tablet was carved from ivory and bore the emblem of Skybound on its surface, embossed in silver. "When you wish to return, just hold this talisman in your hand and envision yourself standing on our streets," the elderly king explained.
Link nodded his thanks his thanks and turned to go, then stopped and turned back around. "Can I leave Hieke here…?" he asked. "I don't want anything to happen to her."
After receiving the assent of the ruler, Link and his friends returned to Hyrule with the assistance of a pair of powerful Sky Clan mages. Their homeland residing in peace was a welcome sight after the horrors of battle, especially for young Lor who had never experienced real combat before.
Conveniently they found themselves standing outside the ranch. "Let's go," Link said as he walked through the decorated gates determinedly. Kaze and Lor followed closely behind.
"Oh, hello, boys!" Malon greeted cheerfully. "You'll never guess what I did in Termina! I had the best time ever!"
Link and Kaze stormed past the girl without a word, but Lor gave her an apologetic bow and a rushed explanation. He then hurried past a bewildered-looking brunette boy to catch up with his friends. Instead of following the long, curved road, they cut straight through the corral and jumped the fence at the other side.
Link thrust open the door and looked around the small chamber. There were the crates, exactly as they should be. He pushed them out of the way and set a bomb into the small tunnel. He shooed Kaze and Lor out no sooner than they arrived. The explosion was deafening.
Lor touched the door knob and the entrance collapsed. Link looked past and saw that the tunnel had, as he had planned, been enlarged. The pile of straw had been blown away in the blast, revealing the basement door where Kuro said it would be. Kaze pulled the door open on rusted hinges and descended down the narrow staircase with Link and Lor on his heels.
"Glass maker!" Link called. There was the sound of glass shattering, followed by repeated curses. "What, what, what, what, what!" spat an old man as he came into view. A fray of gray lined his head and brow. His eyes were as cold stones and framed by a pair of spectacles. He was clothed in a black alchemist's robe. "Who are you?" he demanded as he narrowed his eyes.
"My name is Link, the Hero of Time. This is Kaze, who helped me to vanquish Kuro. This is Lor who helped me just recently in the fight against Dameus," Link introduced.
A shocked expression crossed the glass maker's wrinkled face. "Kuro?" he repeated. "Dameus? They were two of my customers. Both came for soul-sealing bottles. They offered a hefty sum and, being the beggared old man I am, I agreed to make the crystals for them. One wanted one forged of blessed glass, the other one of cursed. I didn't question their intentions, for fear they would repeal their generous offers."
Lor shook his head. "Where did you even obtain the skills to craft such a glass?" he inquired. The glass maker shrugged. "It was a trade of my family. I come from a long line of glass makers. I see there in you pocket, Link, is one of my works. Only my fine vials could hold those pesky fairies to one place."
"You're changing the subject," Link commented.
"My name is Wilson. Wilson the Glass Maker," the elderly man informed, "and everything I've told you is the honest truth."
"If that's true, then just how are you getting the food to eat?" Kaze questioned suspiciously. Wilson gestured the far wall, enshrouded in darkness. "There's a door over there that leads to a long hall. That goes to Castle Town. My friend Sinsha runs my errands for me. I give him some of my sparse amount of rupees and he buys me food and supplies. Sometimes I think he uses his own rupees to buy me a little extra, Goddesses bless his soul."
"Why don't you just come out from under here and live in public?" Lor suggested. Wilson shook his head. "And leave all this?" he replied with a flourish towards his many tables and bookshelves and cabinets brimming with research and data. Link shook his head. "Fine… But you better not sell anymore soul-sealing bottles. You've nearly been the cause of Hyrule's downfall twice now."
"Now, tell us about the Dark Crystal," Kaze commanded.
The man explained that that glass was one of his finest works. It could contain souls for an incredibly long span of time with little to no chance of escape. If it ever became fractured, it would suck in the soul of the nearest deceased person and use that energy to repair itself. It was compact for ease with carrying. It's particular purpose was to contain souls to use as an offering at Purgatory.
Satisfied, Link turned to go. With many a word of goodwill from Wilson, he and his comrades left the way they came. How could they ever feel safe with such a man in Hyrule? Later, I'll find Sinsha and give him a couple hundred rupees for Wilson, he resolved. For now, he had to return to Skybound. A smile played across his lips. Perhaps he'd be able to see Hieke again after all…
And there you have it! The origin of the Dark Crystal in a nutshell. Well, in some 2000 words anyway. There, I've been good! Can I play Final Fantasy now? Not until I finish the ending note? Okaaaaay…
There's a new fanfiction brewing on the horizon. It's called The Tragedy of Link and Zelda and is a parody of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which we've been reading in English class lately. I'm currently writing the script for it and will write the actual fanfiction in due time.
Don't forget the contest! How could you forget the contest? I only remind you every stinking chapter! Oh, and Sinsha is the bald dude who wears blue pants and carries a red bag on his shoulders all the time around the market area. In Majora's Mask they call him Sakon. Just so you can get a visual reference.
Ending note done? YAY! Now I can play Final Fantasy! What? What do you mean 'the next chapter' needs to be written! What are you looking at me for!