Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews! There's nothing more to say except enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Link or anything else from the games. Nintendo has the honor to own it. I also don't own the quote. However, I own Celestria as well as my OCs.
----
"Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary delay, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing."
-- Denis Waitley
Chapter 8: Old Books
After dropping Link off at Veiviser's house, Midna and Vei headed towards the castle. They were greeted by one of the few vigilant guards left. He had hurried off to fetch Aleron, leaving the two of them outside to wait.
The castle loomed in front of them. It had a large stone wall around it, built to ensure the safety of the nobility if the outer walls should fall into enemy hands. Guard towers were spaced on the four corners of the castle as well as two towers on either side of the gates. There was another moat as well. The mahogany bridge was currently drawn up.
The castle itself was a large structure. It was made of black stone bricks. There were a total of 5 towers, each topped with a spiral. Most of the windows were large, allowing light to flood into the rooms. However, there were smaller windows as well. These windows were merely slits in the walls, meant to fire arrows through if the enemy breached the inner walls. As with all Celestrian buildings, there were red patterns moving on the walls.
The gate began to fall slowly. It landed on the ground with a thud. Aleron was on the other side, beckoning Midna and Veiviser over to him. Their Messengers loped over to Aleron.
"Dad!" Veiviser greeted his father cheerfully. The Twili stood still as his son hugged him. Veiviser backed away with a sigh. "We didn't find Kamaria."
Aleron's expression didn't change, but Midna could see that this news wasn't unbelievable to him. He had expected failure.
"I'm sure you'll find her sometime." Aleron patted his son's shoulder. "Now, I thought Midna was the one who wanted to see the library. What are you doing here, Veiviser? Don't tell me you have a sudden interest in books."
Veiviser shook his head roughly. "Nah, I still don't like reading. I'm here to search for a possession of Kamaria's, so we can track her down better. We found the town she's in, but it's proving tough to find her exact location."
Aleron shook his head. "The king got rid of everything owned by her."
"Maybe he missed a spot." Veiviser smiled. Eclipse nodded his head. "It wouldn't hurt to look."
"Very well. Just don't disturb anybody who's working." Veiviser took off, running across the trimmed lawn. "And if you find anyone sleeping, wake them up!" Aleron hollered after his son.
"Now then, let's get you to the library." Aleron motioned for Midna to follow him. He glanced at Sleipnir. "Twilight Messengers aren't allowed into the library."
"Sleipnir, stay out here." The Messenger growled unhappily. Midna shot him a glare, making the Messenger sit down on the ground. He watched Midna's back loyally.
"How have things been?" Midna asked. She was curious as to what was going on in the castle. Were things worsening since yesterday?
Aleron sighed. "Bad, as usual. One of the larger stores in the marketplace got broken into last night. We've been working on repairing the damage and finding the criminal, but it's proving hard. Not everyone wants to work and those who do are spread thin enough as it is."
"How long until everyone quits?"
"I don't know. Some of us are devoted to the kingdom, but others aren't pleased without payment. It's getting hard to buy food. Even those of us who wish to continue working won't be able to." Aleron shook his head sadly. "I'll have to desert the post in a week or two."
"Don't worry. We won't allow it to come to that." There was no change in Aleron's gloomy demeanor. Midna sighed before another idea came to her. "Why don't you and the other Twili just deal out payments? You don't need a king for that."
"That is impossible. The treasuries are locked up. The only ones who can go into them are those with special permission or those of royal blood."
Midna crossed her arms and shook her head disapprovingly. "The Celestrian monarchs didn't really think that they would die without heirs, did they?"
"It never dawned on them." Aleron agreed.
They had passed the gardens and now stood in front of two large doors. The emblem of Celestria was engraved on the doors in red. Other abstract designs decorated the rest of the door. The obsidian knobs were twisted with dragons twined around them.
Aleron threw the doors open, allowing Midna to walk into the Celestrian castle. It was a large foyer. Stairs sat at the end, branching off in two directions. Multiple hallways allowed access to the rest of the castle. Sconces in the walls held flickering flames which provided light to the room. Paintings covered the walls of past kings and queens. There was a statue of a Twili in a flowing cloak and a sword at his side. His red runes were glowing brightly. Rubies in his eyes sparkled and looked down upon those who entered.
Seeing Midna observing the statue, Aleron explained, "That's our founder, Jericho. He was a good king though he was known to have a wicked temper at times. Without him, Lunaris would not exist."
Midna nodded her head. She recalled Jericho from his history lessons. He had been the son of Gavin, the traitor. Jericho hadn't been as treacherous as his father, at least to Midna's knowledge. The king had maintained reasonably good relations with Lilith, the daughter of Devincha. However, there had always been tension between the two.
Jericho and Lilith had been the ones to create the amulet that Midna currently wore. She fingered the star-shaped amulet. If she had to, she would use it despite Devincha's warnings. Perhaps Jericho had not been as kind as he had appeared in history. Perhaps there was a curse on the amulet. Midna glanced down at it before noticing that Aleron was already moving into a side hallway.
The Twilight Princess hurried after Aleron. The hallway's walls were relatively bare other than the occasional torch and the red Twili patterns present in all architecture.
"What town do you believe the Princess to be in?" Aleron broke the silence that had settled over them.
"Honap. It's a secluded town-" Midna was cut off by a nod from Aleron.
"I know it. So you think she's hidden in Honap…" Aleron mused. "It's certainly quiet enough. Few ever travel there other than merchants. The king's men never go there unless it's a messenger to bring news of the outside world to them. On top of that, the townsfolk wouldn't know she was the Princess. It would be a strategic location to hide." Aleron nodded his head.
"Have you ever been there?" Midna asked hopefully.
"A few times when I was taking messages over to their mayor. I've never seen anybody who looked like the Princess while I was there, but I wasn't looking for her then."
"Do you have any ideas of where she could be hiding there?"
"No." Aleron shook his head. Midna hid his disappointment. "There's no place in that town that would make the very best location out of all the others. You'll have to stick with searching everywhere."
Silence lapsed over them once again until Aleron broke it with an announcement, "The library is through this door." He tapped the door, causing it to slide up. "I've got to attend to other business. If you need any help, ask Zeroun, the librarian." With that, Aleron disappeared.
Midna walked through the door into the library. Instantly the musty scent of aged books enveloped her. It was a large library with shelves that reached up to the ceiling. Books with a variety of bindings were stuffed into the shelves. A few simple wooden tables were scattered around the library. A fireplace surrounded by some comfy armchairs seemed to be the sole light other than the candelabras on each table and the glowing runes on the walls.
The size baffled Midna and she stood staring at the vast collection. If she tried doing anything by herself, it would take eons to find the correct book. Remembering Aleron's advice on seeking out the librarian, Midna called softly,
"Hello! Is Zeroun there?"
There was a crash as something hit the floor. Midna looked alarmed as a stream of curses echoed in the library. A few moments later, a fellow came out from behind one of the shelves. He was holding a large tome in his hands and Midna presumed that it was the object that had fallen.
Zeroun was an old Twili. He had white, wispy hair that flowed around his face. There were more wrinkles on his skin than there were on an elephant. His teal runes glowed softly, as if afraid to emit too much light. A pair of golden spectacles sat lopsided on his nose and he kept on pushing them up. Behind his spectacles there was a pair of shining orange eyes. Zeroun was dressed in black robes that looked a few sizes too big on his shrunken body.
"Yes, yes, I'm here." Zeroun's voice was friendly as he hobbled over to Midna. When he spoke, Midna noticed that many of his teeth were missing. He smiled as he saw Midna. "Hello young ma'am. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"
"I'm Midna." Midna smiled at Zeroun. He was likable enough. "I was wondering if you could help me find a book."
"Oh yes, I suppose I can help you find a book." Zeroun nodded his head. "Zeroun is at your service. What are you interested in? History? Botany? Or perhaps you'd prefer to read one of the epics written by an acclaimed author?"
"None of those." Midna shook her head. "I'd like to find some…"
"Aha!" Zeroun crowed in victory, interrupting Midna's request. Seeing a look of annoyance flash briefly on to her face, he raised his spindly hands up in apology, "I'm sorry. I just thought your name was awfully familiar and I just remembered who you were. You're the Twilight Princess, current ruler of our neighboring kingdom." He smiled, pleased with himself.
The smile was contagious and Midna couldn't help but smile back at the librarian. "That's right. But I'd much rather be called Midna. Now about my request…"
Once again, Midna was forced to stop as Zeroun muttered, "This is amazing. Never before have I had someone from your kingdom enter my blessed library. This is truly a sign that the world is changing for the better. As I'm sure you know the history between our two kingdoms has not always been peaceful and even when it was at peace, neither ruler allowed access to the library. The library is the source of a capital's knowledge and if a potential future enemy was allowed inside, there could be trouble. But now, you are allowed to step in here as any other Twili from my realm."
Midna tapped her foot impatiently against the ground as Zeroun rambled on. He coughed once before adding, "But I digress. Now what was your business here?"
Midna smiled; glad to finally be back to business. "I'm looking for ways to get to the Light Realm. The Mirror is shattered behind repair and I desperately need to get someone back there."
Midna didn't even have to ask Zeroun to find her a book before the old man tottered off. The Twilight Princess strolled after Zeroun. He wound his way through many shelves before coming to a halt beside a large shelf.
"Bring me a ladder." He commanded. Midna stared at him for a few seconds, amazed that he was ordering her around without a second thought. It brought a small smile to her face. Obviously Zeroun believed himself to be the boss of his library. Had he ordered around even the Celestrian rulers? "Are you still there? Didn't I ask for a ladder?"
Midna soon returned to Zeroun with a ladder. The old man took the ladder from her hands and positioned it against the shelf. He pulled himself up, stopping once to cough into his sleeve.
"Are you sure you don't just want me to go up there? You can just point out the correct book to me."
"Bah, I'm not that old." Zeroun waved his hand before sighing happily, "There we go. I believe this book could offer you some help."
Zeroun clambered back down, toting a heavy tome along with him. The cover was cracked black leather. There was no title, only a pentagram in the center. The pentagram was drawn in dark red ink, or possibly blood. The volume smelled ancient and from the layer of dust on it, Midna could see that no one had touched it for a long time.
"This is Crepusculum ut Elucido. It's very rare and this may possibly be the only one left." Zeroun smiled proudly. "The book's exact author is unknown. I believe there wasn't just one author, but many. The only thing they had in common was that they were all of the Blod-Demring."
Midna stared blankly at Zeroun. She had never heard the name of such a clan. Did it even exist anymore? She had a feeling that it was long-gone, this book one of their few artifacts.
Seeing her expression, Zeroun shook his head sadly, "The Blod-Demring dappled in many magics. In fact, because of their obsession with such magic, the other Twili ostracized them and banished them from their kingdoms. Apparently it was too much of a reminder of the magic our ancestors practiced while in the Light Realm. Speaking of the Light Realm, one of their many goals was to reach the Light Realm and they achieved it."
"Were they evil?" The question slipped out.
Zeroun sighed. "They did not attempt to conquer any worlds or kill anybody. All they seeked was knowledge. I believe that they wanted to continue experimenting with magic even if it was the reason the ancestors of the Twili were banished."
"What happened to them?"
Zeroun shrugged, "I don't know. No one does. Every member of the Blod-Demring was sentenced to death. However, a few of them may still exist. They might practice their magic in the hidden corners of this world. I would love to know what exactly happened to the clan, but they ceased to be in our history." He sighed. "If we had not hated them, perhaps our kingdom would be made better by their magic.
"Anyway, there should be a ritual somewhere in this book. While this is the original, there are translations written on spare papers. They should be a packet in the back of this book. However, I recommend that you look through the book anyway. They provide diagrams that could help explain things. I would like to know what you find. It's been a long time since I've looked at this book."
Midna accepted the heavy tome from Zeroun. Her mind was spinning with questions. Who exactly were the Blod-Demring? What had they done? Did any exist today? However, she would have to wait until later to find the answer to her questions. Right now, she had to focus her attention on finding the ritual to get Link back to the Light Realm.
Sitting down in one of the chairs around a table, Midna opened the book. She withdrew the packet of papers that would serve as her guide. Then she flipped open to the first page. The writing was done in the same red ink that had been on the cover. All the pages were yellowed with age, but fortunately the writing was dark. The only downside was that the language was completely foreign to Midna.
After staring at the script for a few moments, Midna looked at the translated papers. There was no table of contents, so Midna had to flip through the pages and skim for any promising titles. Finally the words, "Reise igjennom Virkelig- Travel through Realms" caught her eyes. It was a promising title and Midna decided to flip to it. The page numbers were in brackets and Midna began flipping eagerly through the tome.
When she had reached the appropriate page of the book, she whispered the title aloud, "Reise igjennom Virkelig." Her hand traced the large, bold letters. Traveling through realms, it certainly meant getting to the Light Realm.
There was a diagram on the page. Midna didn't bother looking at it for long. Instead she turned her attention towards the translation of the page. She began to read:
Reise igjennom Virkelig- Travel through Realms
This ritual is meant to construct a portal between the Twilight Realm and the Light Realm or vice versa. Everything must be done perfectly, or the portal will fail. An important thing to note is that the portal shall only exist for 24 hours and then it shall close. A strong magic user is required to open the portal.
1. To begin with, the ritual must be done on an eclipse. The type of eclipse (solar or lunar) does not matter. This is vital as the magic between the realms is strongest during this time. As stated above, the portal shall stay open until 24 hours pass.
Midna paused in reading. She stared at the page with a baffled expression. How was she supposed to know when there would be an eclipse in the Light Realm? There were no celestial bodies in the Twilight Realm that would help, so it was impossible to tell. She peered back at the notes where the translator had wrote something.
Translator's Note: Consult the Astra Libri for exact dates on eclipses. The Blod-Demring were very accurate in their predictions.
2. Next you must choose a place of magic. A sacred shrine will work well. If in the Light Realm, the use of one of the sacred springs or the Mirror Chamber is recommended. As for the Twilight Realm, there are many sacred spots that can work well. If needed, look at the map located in the back to find these spots.
3. Once at your location, draw a pentacle similar to the one pictured below (T/N: flip to page in real book for illustration). The pentacle must be large enough, so that you can fit in the center of it. The pentacle is to be drawn in salt only.
4. Put a stone tablet (preferably obsidian, but other stones are fine if there is no obsidian) in front of the pentacle. It must be able to stand on its own, or have something supporting it. Mark this tablet with the symbol illustrated below. This is to be done in blood (it can be from any creature).
5. As the eclipse starts, you must mutter the following incantation while visualizing the spot you wish to have the portal open to (if no specific location, the portal shall form in the Mirror Chamber of the Gerudo Desert):
A skummringen
A dagrenningen
Vi far se reise
A mᴓrke
A sol.
6. This will summon up powerful magic from within. The tablet will transform into a portal that will allow you access to the Light Realm or the Twilight Realm. It does not matter what size the tablet is as the portal shall be large enough for you to fit into.
7. Make sure to return to the realm you wish to stay in before 24 hours are up. Once the day passes, the portal shall close and you will have to wait for the next eclipse before opening up another portal.
Midna stared at the page for a few moments before looking over at the illustrations. The pentacle was similar to the pentagram on the cover. It had the five-pointed star though it was inside a circle rather than a pentagon like the one on the cover. Another difference was that in the center of this pentacle there was another five-pointed star drawn in the center. It would take a lot of salt to create a large enough pentacle.
She then looked at the other symbol, the one that belonged on the tablet. It was remarkably similar to the Triforce except for a few key differences. For one, the symbol was drawn upside-down so that the single point was pointing down. There was a leering skull in the center of the Triforce.
"Certainly looks pleasant." Midna murmured aloud.
"What have you found?" Zeroun's voice boomed from the labyrinth of shelves. He came out a few seconds later. "Is it helping?"
Midna sighed. "I'm not sure if it'll help yet, but it's… interesting. The ritual to get into the Light Realm is called the Reise igjennom Virkelig." She stumbled over the foreign title before looking up at Zeroun.
"Ah, how interesting." The librarian bobbed his head in agreement.
"Do you have the Astra Libri?" Midna asked, recalling the title of the book. Hopefully there would be an eclipse soon.
"The Astra Libri! Wait right here." Zeroun hurried off. He soon returned with a white leather book. There was a crescent moon on the cover.
"This is the Astra Libri." Zeroun handed the book over. "It's a much more common book than Crepusculum ut Elucido. Many copies of this book have been made and translated. You see, this book is a compilation of all the observations of the cosmos that the Blod-Demring made. It's got star charts, predictions of various events, and even some legends about them. One of those legends is about a moon falling from the sky in a kingdom in the Light Realm. Isn't that ridiculous?" Zeroun chuckled.
"Nonetheless, some of the legends are rather far-strung. However, the information in the book is solid. You'll find it a wonderful read. May I entreat as to your purpose of perusing this book?" Zeroun smiled widely at Midna.
"I'm looking for the date of the next eclipse. It's the only time the Reise igjennom Virkelig can be performed." Midna was already flipping through the pages of the book. The paper was not as yellowed as it had been in Crepusculum ut Elucido and the script was written in the modern language.
"And may I ask why you wish to travel to the Light Realm?" Zeroun sat down in the chair across from Midna. "I hope I am not prying into any private business of yours."
Midna debated on whether or not to tell the man. He seemed trustworthy enough and he had helped her out a lot already. Telling him could not lead to harm especially since he practically lived in the library.
"I have a friend who has Viduata Solis." For once, Zeroun's face was clouded with confusion. Midna explained, "It's a disease that occurs from lack of sun. He's a light dweller and we have less than a week before the disease kills him."
Zeroun nodded his head sagely. "Then I wish you luck in your quest." The Twili stood up and said, "I'm going to get some food. Please do tell me how things turn out."
"I will. Thank you for showing me these books."
"It was my pleasure." Zeroun strode out of the room.
Midna watched his retreating back before peering back down at the page. She had finally flipped open to a chart of predicted eclipses. A few pages later she came across the date for the next eclipse. It was in three months.
--
"Well this has been a complete waste of time." Veiviser leaned against the stone wall of a hallway. "Galathron really did throw all of Kamy's belongings out." His head fell.
Eclipse gave the boy a reassuring nudge. Vei grinned at Eclipse.
"You think we'll find her anyway." The Messenger nodded. "That's the spirit! Just because we don't have any items to pinpoint her exact location, we can still find her! We don't need any more magic to help us find Kamy!" Veiviser's triumphant voice echoed across the walls.
His ears fell as he frowned. "But what if she's hidden so well that we can't find her? We'll fail and it's all because Galathron threw out all her possessions."
"Don't be so downhearted."
Veiviser looked up in surprise. There was an elderly man hobbling over to him. Vei thought the man looked familiar, but he wasn't sure. Chewing his lip, Veiviser looked at the man.
"Who are you again?" He finally asked.
"And they say I'm forgetful." The man huffed before adding, "I am Zeroun, the librarian."
Veiviser grinned and nodded his head. "I remember you! You threw Kamaria and me out of the library once because we were disturbing the other scholars. But you did give us some candy afterwards."
Zeroun agreed before saying, "Now explain what you were looking for."
Veiviser quickly explained the search for Kamaria to Zeroun. He then added, "But I can't find anything that can help us track her down any further. We're stuck at a dead-end." He frowned.
"Now that is where you are wrong!" Zeroun crowed cheerfully. "Galathron did not eliminate all of the Princess' possessions."
"He didn't?" Veiviser cocked his head. "What else is left?"
"I'll let you find it on your own." Zeroun winked. He added before Veiviser could complain, "I'll give you a tip. It's in one of the deepest cells in the dungeon. You can't miss it."
"Thanks Gramps!" Veiviser grinned. He gave Zeroun's hand a big shake before running off. "Come on Eclipse! Let's find it."
Zeroun chuckled as he watched Veiviser walk off. "Kids." He shook his head and continued off towards the kitchen to retrieve a calming cup of tea and a sandwich.
Meanwhile, Veiviser was running down the stairs of the dungeon. Eclipse ran beside him. Near the bottom of the steps, Veiviser slipped on a puddle. He crashed down the remaining steps and landed in a pile at the bottom.
"What are you doing here, kid?" There was a guard sitting in a chair. He had been leaning back, but the legs of his chairs had come crashing down upon the sight of Veiviser. "This is a restricted area."
"There's something of Kamaria's here that I need to get." Veiviser smiled hopefully as he stood up.
The guard's eyes narrowed before he shrugged. "What the hell. There are no more prisoners in here other than that raving mad Messenger. Go ahead."
"Thank you." Veiviser was about to run through the door that led to the cells before pausing. "What Messenger?" He asked, head tilting in curiosity.
"Arion. He went crazy after Kamaria disappeared. Rather than killing the beast, Galathron threw him away into the dungeon with orders to keep him alive." The guard shrugged. "If it was up to me, the beast would be dead by now."
Arion… Veiviser glanced over at Eclipse and nodded his head. He remembered Arion. Kamaria and Vei had often raced each other on their growing Messengers. After she disappeared, Veiviser had always assumed that Arion had either ran away or been killed. The idea that he was still alive excited the boy.
"Thanks." Veiviser waved to the guard before hurrying off into the dungeon.
It was very dark since the only light other than the runes was a single torch that Veiviser had been given by the guard. The stench was horrendous and Veiviser instantly wrinkled his nose in disgust. Puddles of fetid liquids stood stagnant in the cells. Hurrying across Veiviser finally paused at a cell.
There was a gleam of red from the back of the cage before a creature hurled itself against the bars. The mask on this Messenger had a long, thin crack across it. Its mane had tattered edges that groped at the air. To be frank, the Messenger stank and its red runes could barely be seen underneath the dirt that coated him.
"Arion. Long time no see, buddy." Veiviser attempted a weak grin.
The slavering Messenger unnerved him a bit. It was a lot different than the playful Arion from the past. For one, that Arion had been smaller. He had been a nervous Messenger who only played with those he knew. When strangers came, he would duck behind Eclipse or Kamaria. This large Messenger was clearly unhinged as it growled at Veiviser.
"Do you remember me?" Veiviser begged the creature. Eclipse barked a greeting to his old friend.
Arion sat down. His head moved, looking first at Veiviser and then at Eclipse. One of the tentacles that formed his mane trailed out through the bars. It hung tentatively in the air. Veiviser smiled and nodded at Eclipse who extended his own tentacle. The two Messengers sat like this for a few moments.
Veiviser waited as long as he could before asking, "Arion, we need your help." The Messenger looked over. "We need to find Kamaria." A growl rose up from the throat of the Messenger. "You probably think we're going to do something bad to her, don't you?"
Arion nodded his head. That was exactly why the Messenger had never allowed anyone to use him as a tracking beast.
"Galathron is dead. There's no one here that can harm her. The only reason I want to find her is that we need her. The kingdom needs her to restore order. Celestria is falling into chaos." Tears glimmered in Veiviser's eyes. "And I miss her. I want to see my friend again, but to do that, I need your help. What do you say?"
---
A/N: End of chapter! I don't think it's that bad a spot to leave off. Don't think too much about the Blod-Demring. Anyway, the next chapter will have a bit more action in it. Reviews are appreciated as always! I shall treat you with baked Alaska (an awesome desert, look it up on Google) if you review xD
Twilight Phantom Dragon