Chapter 19

Just beyond the horizon was the place they needed to get to. A measly three minutes away. Link wanted to get there as soon as possible, yet he found himself stopping.

"What's the matter now?" Xanath queried when he finally caught up with him. "You had such a good pace ahead of us." Link motioned at the three standing guards. Dante cracked a smile.

"Security seems rather lax doesn't it?" he said, still grinning.

"Vonndrake wants us in, but not without a fight. I guess it's his way of welcoming us," Link muttered. "Xanath, give me your sword." The bearded man gave him a glance.

"Give you my what?" he questioned. Link clenched his teeth.

"You're...you're just human. You can't stand up against them. Your eyes are too slow to track their movement, and you can't possibly survive one of their attacks," he muttered. "Stay with Malon." Xanath felt terribly insulted. To be called useless was the worse. And Link had called him a human...

"So that's it. Why did I fail to see it the first time round?" he said, tossing the sword over. "You're one of them now aren't you? I would have never imagined that you would actually side with what you've been trying so hard to fight." Link turned, his eyes firmly set on Xanath's.

"I've been running away for too long. No matter what I did, no matter how many times I told myself I was still human I knew I wasn't. My humanity was lost that moment Nisih bit me," he said. The two remained silent for a moment. Xanath's eyes dropped to the ground.

"I'm disappointed, but regardless of what I say it won't change your mind," he said, then smiled. "Anyway, don't you have some werewolves to fight?" Link nodded once and immediately turned to his assailants. Dante looked slightly bothered.

"What's the matter," Malon asked. "Is it what Link just said?"

"If I told him the truth, will it matter? Will he lose the heart to fight?" Dante muttered.

"The truth? About what?" the girl asked quietly. Dante's fists tightened at his sides.

"There is no cure..." he breathed. Malon's eyes widened in shock.


The world became clear once Nisih's body had finally merged within her own. And she felt sick from it. Her body resented this strange intrusion. She felt like passing out, but a little voice in her head prevented that from happening.

"Just relax okay?" It was Nisih's voice, reassuring her. "I won't hurt you, I promise. But in order for me to help you I need to use your body." Zelda nodded her head despite her dazed condition.

"So what do we do now?" she wondered. "I'm still stuck here on the floor." She could hear Nisih chuckling.

"Break the ropes. As long as I am in your body you have my strength," Nisih informed. Even though Zelda thought the idea seemed a little hard to believe, she tried it out anyway. Then again, seeing Nisih and having her posses her body made anything seem believable. As told, she strained against the ropes bounding her wrists first, and with barely any effort the ropes fell away from her. 'Goddesses, is this for real?' She stared, dumbfounded, at her freed arms.

"Quickly, someone is coming," Nisih urged. Zelda's legs were freed just as easily as her wrists, and as she rose to her feet (rather unsteadily as she had been bound for so long)Vonndrake walked into the domain. He found himself frozen after a couple of steps. It was Zelda's turn to smile at his shocked face.

"How did you..." he quickly checked his surroundings, and found no weapon that could have aided in her escape. Zelda could see his anger growing. "What is the meaning of this!" The princess laughed light-heartedly, yet the voice that came out didn't belong to her.

"Have I upset you?" Nisih questioned a very shocked looking Vonndrake. Her father's lips began to tremble. "Are you surprised? Thought daddy's little girl couldn't come back?"

"You've come back?" Vonndrake choked. His eyes held a tenderness that Zelda had never seen before. Nisih, on the other hand, seemed angered by his expression. She could literally feel her insides tense.

"Did you think I would return after what you did to me?" Nisih shouted, spittle falling from her lips. "You left me to those forsaken monsters. You didn't even have the time to bury your only daughter. Why daddy? Do you still think of me as being worthless?" The tenderness disappeared from Vonndrake's eyes. Instead, a cold hard look had taken its place.

"You were always worthless, ever since the time of your birth. You were never what I wanted. You may have my eyes, my hair and even my blood, yet you carried your damn mother's peace-loving nature," Vonndrake snarled, now advancing towards them. "I cursed the very day you were born, cursed your damned mother. The same way I killed her will be the same way I kill you." Zelda and Nisih reeled.

'He killed your mother?' Zelda thought, shocked and appalled. Nisih was mortified. She could barely move, let alone think now. She failed to react as Vonndrake rushed towards them. It was Zelda who helped her escape her shocked state. 'Nisih! Do something, move!' They barely avoided Vonndrake's swinging arm. And as Zelda evaded the swing, she became aware of a terrible pain beginning within her body.

"You hateful bastard! You always told me my mother died because of some illness," Nisih growled, the pain growing worse and worst. "All you've been feeding me is lies, and I was ignorant enough to believe them..." Zelda felt tears stinging her eyes. It was Nisih's agony and anger, but more so the pain in her body. 'Nisih...why do I hurt so bad...' Zelda nearly doubled over, yet she managed to keep her balance. Again Vonndrake was moving towards them.

Was this her plan all along? Was it Nisih's intention to provoke her father into beating the hell out of her? It was only natural for Nisih to seek revenge, especially what Zelda had done to her. And then what? Possess others and let them meet the same fate? That must be it...

"First time changes...they hurt a lot," Nisih finally muttered. Zelda's eyes widened. She didn't have the chance to speak when her knees suddenly crunched. Then it were her legs, her spine...her whole frame.

"Don't fight it," Nisih told her firmly. "I have to make this quick if we stand a chance to escape out of here alive." Fear stabbed in Zelda's heart. Goddesses, wasn't there another way?


Note: Aww I am so sorry this chapter took so long to come out. I was too preoccupied with University and other stuff, like my Deviantart gallery. And come to think of it, I should have left this chapter as the cliffhanger rather than the other. Oh well, lesson learned. After months of neglect I hope it doesn't sound too awkward.