Chapter 10: Face to Face
Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.
Francis Bacon
Zaku was stalking what he was hoping would be tonight's dinner for him and Paul Grimm. Since the ordeal with the gods Obelisk, Slifer and Ra in Noma, they had retreated in being vagabonds and taking care of their own matters. They knew nothing of the trials currently happening in Noma. The only thing Zaku cared about at this point was killing that animal for stew tonight. He got into position and used his powers to trap the animal in the now moving shadows. He was just about to deliver the final blow when all of a sudden a letter dropped into his face, startling him and making him lose his balance and concentration, resulting in the beast escaping. In rage and reflex Zaku shot dark energy in the direction of the projectile, but then stopped when he noticed it was only a letter. He looked at it. "A letter for me?" he asked himself confused and opened it. Zaku grumbled after reading it. "Stupid girl" was his response to it as he sauntered back home, bracing himself for a possible scolding from Paul.
It was a lovely sunset in Noma that evening, but no happiness could be drawn from it, especially the king. The funeral of the late Jacob Chambers and Demetra Novaxhad just finished. The citizens of Noma were returning back to their homes to allow the king to lament in private. Priestess Ayane and Alice joined him in front of Jacob's grave. "Why?" asked Danny while looking at the grave with anger and disgust. "Danny, don't be angry at him" said Alice. "It's not that! Why the hell do these things keep happening to me! How did Terrall get out of the shadow realm! Who attacked Demetra? Why was Jack killed! WHY ARE ALL MY LOVED ONES DYING!" screamed Danny while falling his knees and was pounding the ground. Ayane lowered her head, at a loss to what to tell the king. "My lord, perhaps you should take it to Shinato in prayer" Danny snapped at hearing that. "Shinato! Shinato! Shinato isn't doing crap to help me out. He knows something and he isn't telling me and you know what? I think it's about time he fessed up!" Both Ayane and Alice gasped in shocked at started to restrain him. "Don't be stupid Danny. You're trying to go against your god for crying out loud!" "Yeah, some god. He couldn't do anything about Demetra and Jacob. If he's such a great god, why the heck can't he defend us!" The skies started to darken and then thunder. "Ayane! Alice! Leave us! It's time I had a word with Paladin Chambers!" boomed a voice from heaven. "Shinato?" yelped Ayane. "Alice lets go. He sounds really mad" Ayane started to drag Alice away at her. Shinato, in a bolt of lightning appeared in front of Danny. Danny looked into his eyes and for the first time, he saw rage in his eyes.
Back in the Spirit temple, Lindsey was faced with the legendary guardian monsters. "What is your name?" asked Airtos to Lindsey. "My name is Lindsey" "Lindsey, that's a very beautiful name" said Airtos. "This is my family, Guardian Grarl, Guardian Kay'est, Guardian Elma, Guardian Tryce, Guardian Ceal and Guardian Baou. Lindsey looked around. Despite the fearsome appearances of Ceal, Baou and Grarl, they had kind looks in their eyes. And Tryce, Kay'est as well as Elma look at her with instant friendship in their eyes. "This woman won the phoenix blade." announced Airtos "Oh is that so?" said Airtos as she looks Lindsey all around. "My, we are so lucky to have such a beautiful woman to serve. "Serve? What do you mean? What does that mean Nephthys?" "Well, that means that you have some new friends. By you getting the Phoenix blade and coming here, you are now destined to protect these guardians and they are now bound to you. "What? Wait just a minute. I want no part of any of this. I'm here to help my king, not to inherit some legend. "You are here questing? Then let us help. We are legendary spirits for a reason" said Guardian Graal. Lindsey thought for a moment. "Look like I have no choice. Come on, let's go" said Lindsey with a smile. All the Guardian monsters cheered. Then they all walked back to their weapons and disappeared in them, expect for Airtos. "Hey, where did everyone go?" asked Lindsey confused. "Don't worry. Take the weapons with you. We will be here for you Lindsey. We'll always be here for you" Airtos then approached Lindsey, embraced her and to Lindsey's horror, Airtos quickly absorbed into her body. Lindsey screamed and started to beat her body. The experience didn't hurt but it was startling for something like that to happen. "Nephthys, what the hell did she do to me!" yelled Lindsey. "Nothing at all child. Look at your back." Lindsey felt her back and toward her upper middle back, she had now sprouted two wings. Lindsey gasps and looks into Grall's axe handle and saw that he now had two wings coming out of her back exactly like Airtos. "What happened to me?" asked Lindsey, very confused and scared. "Don't be alarmed Lindsey. Guardian Airtos and the others are bound to you, down to your very soul. You will be their protector and they will be yours as well. Those wings are a sign of this contract and also the sign of Airtos everlasting love and affection" announced Nephthys. "The other's are not going to become part of me are they?" said Lindsey while looking to the other weapons. "No, they will accompany you in the weapons. As their protector, you must always make sure that none of them break. If you do, the guardian inside will perish. But as so long you are with these artifacts, their power is at your disposal and the guardians will obey with unquestionable loyalty. "Lindsey, its time for us to go. Bring the artifacts with you and let us meet Zelda on the surface." Nephthys placed a caring hand on Lindsey's shoulder. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine. You are in very good hands. Nephthys burst into light and flew into Lindsey's deck once more. Sheaths magically appeared all over Lindsey's body, each looking like it was made for each item. As Lindsey approached the artifacts, a warm feeling started to build up in her. It was a feeling exceeded the positive feelings she had when she was around Noma or the king. It was a feeling of love and passion never before experience by her young heart and the feeling now flooded her entire body. "Airtos…" said Lindsey to herself, "You really are going to be with me. As Lindsey passed the artifacts and put them on her, she felt similar feelings entering into her body. As soon as she got all seven, she left the chamber, taking the Phoenix blade and thus completing the collection.
"Shinato, so nice of you to attend my brother's and Demetra's funeral" said Danny sarcastically. "Hold your tongue Paladin Chambers" said Shinato sternly. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to? I am not your enemy. If you truly knew what was going on, you're heart would be destroyed. I'm trying to protect and help you. "THEN HELP ME BY TELLING ME WHO DID THIS? DEMETRA DESERVES BETTER AND SO DOES MY BROTHER!" At that moment, Shinato got a shocked look in his eyes. Shinato let me take care of this. I will be arriving shortly to speak to Danny personally said a voice in his head. Shinato wasn't quite sure who the woman was that just contacted him, but he knew that whoever it was, something other worldly was about her and that her power matched his and perhaps even exceeded it. "Shinato, are you going to answer me or what!" snapped Danny. "This is out of my hands" said Shinato with a look of apprehension in his eyes. "What does that mean? If it's out of your hands, how the hell do you expect me and the other Divine Right to do anything about it? If it' something that bad, you better start talking quickly!" "You'll get your answers sooner then you might think Danny. The only thing I can tell you is to keep your eyes and heart open. The source of these answers itself might be too much to bear." With that, Shinato disappeared in a beacon of light. Ayane and Alice came shortly after that and accompanied Danny home but from the moment on Danny isolated himself, leaving Alice, Lily, and Ayane unable to comfort him at all.
Lindsey finally surfaced from the spirit temple and Zelda immediately greeted them. She took notice of the Phoenix blade as well as the seven other weapons all over her body as well as the wings on her back. She was confused how a young and petite girl like herself can carry so much weight, but the presence of the Phoenix blade was her only concern at the moment. "Good you returned and I see you were victorious. I'm very pleased" said Zelda in a pleasant manner. "Now what?" asked Lindsey. "For now, I'm going to take you home" When I'm ready for you, I'll be in contact with you" "Hey wait, you haven't told me everything yet!" cried Lindsey. "Goodbye for now child" said Lindsey as she created a portal beneath Lindsey, which she fell through. Lindsey fell out the other end on her feet in her room in the palaceconfused. Back at the spirit temple, Zelda witnessed the temple starting to crumble to dust. With all the weapons and guardians gone, their destined revealed, the temple had served its divine purpose. It was now no more. Let us go now Sakura. We don't want to keep our guest waiting Zelda morphed back into Sakura. Sakura then climbed on her wand and rode it magically across the skies back to Noma.
Danny Chambers was sitting slumped in the upper most tower in his palace. Old dried tears were across his face and pain from the deaths of his former apprentice as well as his brother was still haunted him as well as a feeling of betrayed from Shinato. He rose up as he felt someone else was in the room. Danny started to turn…