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CHAPTER 19
DAWN OF THE SIXTH DAY
Tests of Fate's Past
The night's horrors were fading and the morning's light was easing upon the horizon. The songs of the tropical island's wildlife sang through the brisk morning air, mostly birds. Since they fled from their attackers, Jace and Iris rested where Valous had landed them. They were left off at a spot further beyond the village outside of danger's view, which was at the foot of what seemed to be a volcano. Valous had left shortly after dropping them off, having explained that he was ordered to wait on Ilye to arrive. How he knew she was on her way, was something foreseen by Nishi himself.
Standing at the front gates of the temple, which seemed to be built into the volcano, the group wearily prepared themselves for one final journey before being able to leave the island. Iris was currently mad at Jace, and was off by a tree a ways from them all trying to regain herself. Terror still ran through her, and she had blamed Jace for the events once she was actually able to talk. This only weighed on the blond boy's shoulders more. Just as they'd landed a while ago, a huge argument broke out between them; and it was not light either. The argument was fueled mostly by Iris and her pointing fingers though, before she stormed off and left Jace's feelings broke in two.
Jace stood at the temple gates and nervously ran his hand through his leaf hair, sighing deeply. His right arm where the arrow wound was stung horribly, but he was out of supplies and couldn't tend to it. He still had the medicine he bought at the keaton village, but he'd prefer cleaning it before just slapping medicine on it... If he were to remove his sloppy bandage, it was a horrible looking gashy-hole in the side of his arm. At this rate, he was starting to feel like a slice of swiss cheese, and this feeling would continue if he kept getting caught by Skreemin like that. He knew his luck would run out eventually and he'll get kabobbed in the wrong place, and that'll be all it'll take. He lowly swore at their pursuers for slowing down the mission the way they have.
Ilye walked up to Jace, seeing how physically bothered he was. He was fidgeting and mumbling to himself while every-so-often glancing off at Iris.
"Jace?" Ilye asked. Jace turned to her with a surprised look, almost forgetting she was there in his worry.
"Uh- yeah?" he responded.
Ilye had heard what had happened just after Iris blew up at Jace earlier. She knew about Jace wandering off onto the trail and how the events happened at this point. "... Are you okay?"
The lad glanced at Iris again, then looked to Ilye. "Well... No, not really... Ugh, Ilye... I can't forgive myself, gods."
Iris left Jace feeling like a whipped dog- which had been followed by brutal wagon road-kill. She internally worried about how they'll do in the temple if they're arguing this way. It had been a long time since Iris had outright blamed Jace for something so horrible, and it had been even longer since she'd gotten to the point that she didn't even want to see him. Jace himself worried deeply after seeing this side of her.
"It was an accident, you didn't know that was going to happen..." Ilye uttered to Jace.
The Terminian deku knew very well that it was an accident, but it didn't stop him from feeling so responsible. "I did this to her, now she wont ever forgive me. She wont even look at me..."
"You guys need to make up quick, because this isn't going to fly well in the temple." Ilye spoke out loud enough for Iris to hear.
Iris scowled at the ground, her eyes still glassy. Her mind was too clouded with remembering that it was Jace who decided to go up the cliff. In truth, it was Iris' idea to use the flower, but she was being blind to it. Jace could connect this with another moment about three years ago. When they danced in a clearing after getting lost in the woods... Iris leaned against Jace, but got angry at him for feelings that were her own, blaming him for making her feel strange. She went as far as to tell him he makes things worse, leaving him feeling guilty for something he didn't do. Except in this case, the cause of the problem was far more severe than arguing with oneself about feeling love; just anger and trauma.
Ilye groaned, having gotten no where. "If you guys don't come, I'm taking the freakin' vessel in myself. We don't have time for this! You got scary people hunting you, Twilight is coming, rogue pirates are now after you-"
"Wait, what?" Jace jumped and looked to Ilye on her last bit. This even made Iris' eyes widen.
"Yes! That old base was crawling with rogues! Some of the docile pirates have disappeared and have been replaced by rogues. And for what ever reason, you guys are HUGE targets. Mezra and a few others are the only trustworthy pirates there!"
"Gotdangit!" Jace exclaimed, throwing his arms up. "Well that's just lovely!"
Iris stayed where she was, continuing to think on what was said. Jace was no longer up for more island dangers; he wanted to move on. While that guilt was still fresh on his mind, he knew Ilye was right. Though he did worry about Iris' cooperation while she's in this weird "emotionally confused" state. It was a hinder three years ago, and here it is again. As he waited for this info to sink in for Iris, he looked to Ilye.
"So... I'm guessing Keaton had something to do with you're being up and around?"
Ilye nodded. "Yeah, the Great Fairy of Clocktown sent him here with a fairy. She knew you guys would need my help, so he got me up on my feet, gave me the info I needed, and brought me here."
"And I have now returned!"
Jace and Ilye jumped, seeing Keaton trotting up. He still had an arrow in his shoulder and was limping a bit. He turned, showing a broken arrow shoved in his side as well. Part of his silver pelt was smeared in blood, and this concerned the duo.
"Keaton, my gods! Are you okay?" Ilye asked.
The fox waved his paw. "I'll be fine, I heal quickly... Those two... I couldn't defeat them, I had to vanish and leave. They're still looking for you guys, so you need to hurry and enter the temple." he looked to Jace and added. "You need to be on your toes from now on, enough of that careless adventuring here. You could've gotten yourself killed." he finished with a growl.
Iris voiced out finally, "Don't bother, his head is too thick to learn from it anyway..."
That just made him feel worse, and Ilye told Keaton to back down.
"Hey, Iris already got onto him, be easy." Ilye muttered.
Silver read through all three's memories, seeing the fight prior. He agreed with Ilye that this would cause an issue. Keaton sat down and boldly tore the arrows out of himself, leaving the two watching to shutter- especially Ilye. He soon dropped the bloody arrows onto the ground. It was painful since his wounds had tried healing over with the arrows in there, so they'd have to reheal. He quickly dismissed the pain and limped to Iris. He motioned for Jace and Ilye to wait by the temple gate, and they did so.
"Iris, dear." Keaton began. "I know you went through a traumatic ordeal and you suffered. You had to relive a horrible childhood memory in that flower, but you can't let that one thing stop you. It is the one memory from Hyrule that hurts the most, but that was a long time ago."
"I know..." Iris uttered lowly.
Silver nudged her. "Then get up, now's not the time for sulking. You can think on this after we're through."
Iris glared at Jace upon standing, but he did not see since he was speaking to Ilye. Skits had been sitting next to Iris, and she picked him up.
"Don't give him that look..." Silver added. "He may have wandered off, but you jumped into the flower. You could've easily walked back to the village. What happened back there was no one's fault. If you're looking for something to blame, then blame chance. That whole set up was a trap, and you guys walked into it."
Iris sighed and looked at Keaton. She didn't know what to say, or who to be angry at. She just knew she felt angry, confused, and scared.
Silver began walking away, but stopped to brush a tail across her face just as a tear rolled down it, catching and wiping the tear. "You owe Jace an apology. He took a beating trying to get to you, and even took an arrow to the arm fighting. He's hardly going to be up for this temple, so he's going to need your team work; not a guilt trip."
Keaton walked away toward the temple, and Iris begrudgingly followed while staring at the ground. Jace, feeling awkward, said nothing to her when she approached. She didn't even stand next to him, she stood by Ilye. Keaton opened the gate, and they all entered for their final adventure on the island. Keaton shut the door after them, the old stone gates scraping shut.
Upon entering the temple, the inside was not what they expected. While the outside was pretty plain, the inside was grand and elegant. The first room looked safe and inviting; though ancient. The walls were built up to the roof in stone blocks. It was squared from the front and was rounded at the back with several pillars lining the back round wall. The first thing in sight was a large stairway built out of stone with fancy and aged railing. Standing protectively at each side of the stairway were statures of a hooded snake-like creature. Both statues were also aged and cracked, appearing wise and judging. They looked straight to the entrance.
Running along the left side of the room's floor ditched partially under the wall was the glow of a small lava river which was surely connected to the base of the volcano's lava. At the opposite side of the room in the same fashion was the soft and soothing sound of water running.
Keaton swished his tails and looked around. "This is Nishi's temple. There is only one challenge in this temple once you've gone beyond the next few rooms. Be prepared and keep your wits sharp. Nishi does not hold back upon judgement. He'll truly test just how strong and right for the journey you are. What Hokubu and Minami had you go through is nothing compared to this."
Iris didn't like the sound of that, and Jace cringed. He spoke, "What exactly is it he does?"
"It highly depends on the individual." he simply said. Giving no further information, he began up the stairs without hesitation. The deku scrubs were left standing at the entrance to think about what was told, before they all followed. Skits was still in Iris' arms, but he wished he could fly.
Jace found himself admiring the temple interior. It was beautiful and looks to have withstood many generations.
"Long ago, Nishi wandered the oceans to protect the light of the Western sea. He also gave aid to those who needed it upon the wide oceans. But over time, they became greedy; searching him down for selfish desires. He moved to this island and had his temple created. From then on, the only one's to be granted any power from him would have to undergo his tests. Most often failed, and Nishi became pages in history as he waited for more challengers on his island. Many of the islanders have never even seen Nishi for as long as they've lived- their ancestors being the only ones, for they helped build the temple. Though while he remains secluded far from civilization, he still remains faithful and in tune with Minami and the gods. He knows very well of your coming, and has waited for each of you."
"How do you know all this, Silver?" Ilye asked curiously. Keaton glanced back at her, before telling her he has connections. Again, he was vague, and this irritated her greatly.
They all stopped at a doorway at the back of the room after reaching the top of the staircase. He pointed them in, and in they went. They entered only to see a simple square room. At the back of the room, giant text in ancient Terminian covered the back wall. Then on the left side of the room was text in red, and text in blue on the right. The deku scrubs were puzzled, and Keaton was forced to read it for them.
"Believe in your Strengths." was what was read at the back wall. He continued to the left. "For hearts as thick and guarded as magma; clarity is your savior."- then to the right. "For hearts as misleading and mirrored as water; You are your own guide."
The scrubs looked to one another in confusion, but kept the words in mind...
Jace walked ahead and threw his gaze around to look for what to do next. He didn't quite know what to do, and there didn't seem to be any doors around. Ilye walked up to him, also examining the room. Again, there was lava at left side of the room and water on the other. But this time, they were huge square pools. Ilye walked up to the pool of water and looked into it. It was crystal clear; so clear, that her reflection looked like she could reach in and pull herself out of it. She could also see that the pool was a good possible eight feet deep, and there were clearly bones at the bottom of it... She assumed the lava pool was the same as far a deepness goes.
Jace gave a curious "Hmm..." in thought. He didn't get too close to the lava pool before walking around the room. Iris was so quiet, it was almost like she wasn't there. And typically, she avoided both pools. The silver fox stayed by Ilye's side, and he sniffed the air. It was still and full of many mixed scents.
The blond boy held his aching arm and rubbed it before looking to Iris. "See anything that could be of use?"
She silently shook her head no, and he was let down by the silence she gave.
Keaton knew the answer to the test, and just waited for one of them to see it. And Ilye was the first. She gave a startled squeak when she saw her reflection in the water moving on it's own. "Guys!"
The couple perked up and looked to Ilye, then ran to her in haste. Jace never got to ask her what startled her before he saw Ilye's reflection standing and staring at Ilye- while Ilye was kneeled down. The reflection left them all frozen. It turned and began walking along the water's surface in a pattern. Ilye was awestruck and had no idea what to make of it. What was even more freaky is that Jace, Iris, Skits, and Silver Keaton didn't even have reflections. After they waited long enough to watch it, the reflection reset back to Ilye, startling her again.
Keaton, having the powers he did, he tip-toed along the surface of the water. It looked like he was walking on it, but he was levitating himself over it. He looked to be examining the reflection in wonder, before glancing at Ilye. She didn't say a word and stood to her feet. She waited again for the reflection to reset back to her, and watched it walk the pattern over and over again. Upon seeing Keaton, she decided to try something.
"Wait, Ilye, what're you doing!?" Iris exclaimed just as Ilye rose her foot over the water. The girl only took a deep breath, then went to step onto the surface of the water. To Jace, Iris, and Skits' pure surprise, Ilye's foot remained solid on the surface of the water. It rippled, but it was like there was a solid surface just below the clear water. Her reflection finally stopped and waited for her to meet up with it. Ilye was terrified when she looked down and saw herself standing over an eight foot deep pit full of water and corpses. Many had tried this in the past and died. There had to be something deadly in the water or some magic force perhaps that'd keep people from swimming out. When Ilye caught up to her reflection, it began walking again. She watched it carefully and continued walking across. Jace went to test this and gently dipped his foot onto where Ilye first stepped, but his foot sank right through the water. When he tried to pull out, his foot was stuck submerged. With a frantic, "Crap-!", he forced his foot out, falling back on his rump. It is confirmed; the water is NOT normal. He looked to Iris and muttered, "It's only Ilye who can make it across..."
Ilye made it to the end of the pool only to face the wall. She glanced upon her reflection and saw it reach for a doorway that was only in the water's surface. Ilye followed along and touched the wall. A light drew itself in the shape of a door, before the stone wall inside the drawing faded into grains of glimmering sand. She was taken aback and nervous as she stepped into the door. Ahead of her was a stairway that lead downward. She looked to Jace and Iris, only to see that they hadn't followed. Keaton entered the doorway with Ilye. "They cannot come this way."
At this point, Jace already knew what they needed to do... There had to be a door across the lava pit. Iris as well had connected the dots, but she was not as willing to take that test as Jace was. The couple turned to face the pit from across the room. The blond boy glanced back at Keaton, and Keaton urged him on with a gesture of the head. The fox and their companion waited for them to pass their tests before they would move on.
Jace lead Iris over to the lava pit, trying hard to remember what this wall said. Jace stared at the pit, and Iris did as well. Each time a magma bubble popped, she became even more uncertain. Iris heard Jace muttering to himself about the text, and she pondered to herself. She then spoke up. Her being so silent all this time, it startled Jace.
"Clarity is your savior." She spoke. Jace gave her a wide-eyed glance, then smiled. He looked back to the pit and examined the laval closely. It wasn't until he noticed a small area which looked slightly different inside the pit. One square of lava was rid of bubbles and looked slightly more watered down, while the rest of the lava boiled and burned, thick as mud. It was clearer than the rest of it. Iris wasn't seeing it there however, she was seeing it at another side of the pit. Hoping he was right, he walked over to the square he saw. Regardless of what fear was telling him, he hesitantly went to step down on the square. When his foot touched it, it remained fine on the surface. Iris saw this, though she was seeing him walk on regular lava, and it pushed her into a momentary panic. She looked down at her square, trying to make herself have that same boldness. It took her much longer, but she eventually stepped down. Skits leaned his head against her chest, for he could not bare to watch.
Jace followed new squares as they appeared, but he was becoming miserable from the heat of the magma around him. For lava, it was dumbed down quite a bit. But still, had he stayed in the pit much longer, he wouldn't make it. He made it to the end of his path and looked for signs of where to touch to open the door. The lava right at the foot of the wall a bit to the left of him glimmered, and he touched the wall there. The doorway appeared before him, and he was very quick to jump to the door and away from the lava. He leaned on the wall and panted, but was quickly brought back to the pit and waited on Iris. Iris trembled and stepped slowly. But he could see the heat was getting to her too. Though she was handling it a slight better, it still was too much for her to take.
"C'mon babe, you can do it." Jace assured. She made it to him and he pulled her through the doorway.
"Oh gods..." she panted. "I... Made it..."
Jace looked across the room when Keaton spoke up. "You two go on, we're heading up."
"Alright, you guys be careful." Jace replied, hoping they'd be okay.
The groups officially began walking off down their own paths and down the spiral stairs they were faced with.
Jace and Iris' walk was tense and quiet, and Jace didn't know what to say. He wanted to spark conversation, but it was hard when he thought Iris didn't want anything to do with him at the moment. He couldn't let go of his guilt. Iris was dead silent and made no attempt to speak to her significant other. Skits did not like the tension and groaned. It was such an easy thing to put behind them, and even he knew no one was to blame for the night's events. He looked up at Iris and cawed softly. Her flaming orbs looked to him, but she didn't respond. And just as Jace did when he believed he was of no help, he didn't even respond; he only flicked a leaf to show he heard Skits.
He ran his hand along the wall as they walked down the stairs before the silence began to drive him mad. "I understand if you're still mad at me."
Iris took a deep breath and flicked a leaf while glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
"I don't want to be the thing that causes you trouble and pain. I just fear your trust in me is wavering a little right now." he had a depressed sound in his voice, which is rare for Jace. "I... I didn't know that was going to happen. But I almost got us both killed. I can't forgive myself for what I made you go through, I don't think you can even forgive me. I really do make things worse."
Iris moved her head a little and looked at him. He wasn't looking at her when he talked, out of fear that she was giving him a look. His hand continued running along the wall, sand dropping from them. The stairway was so quiet, you could hear the grains hit the stairs.
She finally reached for his shoulder and ran her hand down it. This made him pull his other hand away from the wall and look at her. She looked very upset, though not angrily. She reflected on everything she said to Jace when Valous landed them. She recalled telling him that he's a trouble magnet and that he makes things worse. She remembered telling him she didn't want to see him for his idiocy- among saying other hurtful things. She did recall doing this sometime ago, and realized this morning was a repeat of what happened in the woods when they danced three years ago. But only this time, she knew how she felt. Regardless of how angry she got and how much she pinned blame on him, she'd never just flat-out not trust him anymore.
"It... wasn't your fault." Iris finally said. "I'm sorry for this morning. I really hurt you, didn't I?"
Jace didn't say anything in response to her last question, his expression was answer enough. She looked him over, and he was covered in hard-to-see bruises. Hard to see, because of his skin. He had a bandage on one arm and was missing a big chunk under it, and a bandage on his shoulder. His face and body was littered in cuts, scuffs, and wounds. He really did look like he was used as a punching bag. His expression was not adventure-ready and excited for once in his life; he just looked hurt, depressed, and far too weary. It was easy to put him down with how he felt both physically and mentally.
"I shouldn't have gotten mad at you, it's not your fault I'm all messed up, haha..." Iris commented lowly.
He tilted his head a bit. "Eh, I guess we both are... It's been a long time since we argued like this morning though."
Iris felt stupid knowing that what he said was true. Sure, they argued, but not so horribly. If anything, she beat up on him and he didn't even fight back; he just rolled over.
Her hand ran down his arm to feel of his bandaged arrow wound. "The next arrow is on me, just so you know. I'm being kind of left out here." she said with a weak chuckle. He gave her a tiny smile through his eyes. Her hand finished moving down till it reached his hand.
"If you can forgive me for being rash, please do. I'm just shaken, it wasn't you." Iris finished. She leaned against him, and he gripped her hand.
"I forgive ya." Jace replied. "I'm sorry that all had to happen..."
"As mentioned, it wasn't you... I think we're all a bit nutty after being on this island for so long." Iris replied lowly. Her and Jace both were ready to get off the island and felt equally miserable from it.
Meanwhile, Ilye and Keaton were walking down their staircase and had been talking among themselves. Ilye, while concerned about Jace and Iris, knew that nothing too horrible was happening. She knew they'd be fine. Her only concerns now were what lies ahead at the bottom of this staircase.
"Are you prepared for what lies ahead, Ilye?" Keaton asked. The fact Keaton had to ask made Ilye nervous, because she didn't know what was ahead.
"I think?" she answered lowly. "I'm not sure... What's ahead?"
The silver fox was limping less now. He was right before when he said he healed fast. His wounds were nearly shut and he was aching less as well. He gave her a glance, "One of your final tests before the gods truly decide you are worthy for this journey."
"Oh, that's comforting." she scoffed.
Silver Keaton smirked. "You'll do fine, I believe in you."
"What about Jace and Iris?" she asked in concern.
Keaton replied right away. "You'll see them after the test."
On both sides, both groups finally reached their own destinations. The groups were in twin rooms apart from each other. At the back of both rooms sat a single mirror.
Jace and Iris looked to one another, then Iris looked down at Skits. The poor bird looked scared and uncertain. Of course, he felt more vulnerable not being able to fly. Ilye and Keaton were in their rooms also facing the mirror. As both parties came close to the mirrors, another area appeared in the mirror and their reflections faded away. Jace and Iris were taken aback. But if they learned anything about reflections today, it was you have to go near them. Iris was the first to reach out to touch the mirror. Instead of stopping on a hard surface, her hand went through. After some assuring glances, the couple stepped through. And Ilye stepped through, leaving Keaton to wait on her. He was not permitted to help her in this challenge.
Both areas which they'd stepped into were exactly the same. Odd thing is, the areas did not look like rooms from the temple. There was a monochrome-blue sky, faded eerily but bright enough for it to look like day. It could be reminiscent of a cloudy afternoon. The floor was not stone, it was water, which could easily match the color of the sky thanks to reflections. Ilye stepped forward in her strange realm and saw a single faded green-hilted sword which was stabbed into the ground at the foot of a dead tree on a small circular island. Jace and Iris' room had nothing in it. The two separated to explore to see what they needed to do next, but there really was nothing. Skits was down following Iris by now. By this point, all three had noticed that their entrances to the room had disappeared.
Upon finding nothing, Iris went about walking back to Jace, but was stopped when an energy wall rose to cut the room in half! Skits was over by the wall cawing.
"Jace! The room!"
Jace looked to his fiance to see her trapped behind the energy wall. He ran to her, trying to find whatever may have done it, but there were no signs of any creature or object creating it. In their moment of confusion and panic, a dreadful feeling soon fell over both of them. They stared at each other, before slowly turning to look behind themselves at the center of their now two rooms. There were lone islands which were quite small at the center of the rooms. Jace's side had two dead trees which were crossed over each other in the shape of an X. Scary thing is, the room was blank before! A deep fear filled him at not only the the X-crossed trees suddenly appearing, but their shape as well.
On Iris' side, when she turned, she was faced with something that would personally fill her with dread just as Jace's had him. On the lone island was a single pale deku flower. It looked to have been sitting there for a while, as it was covered in cobwebs. Around the flower laid spread about was barbed wire. It was spread around the small island as if it was either to be used in the flower or was cut up from wire that was already in the flower. Iris looked up to the pale sky and uttered, "Why these chances, Hylia?"
Poor Skits looked worriedly to Iris. The bird knew not how to respond, and backed up against Iris' leg.
As for Ilye, she stared in mere confusion. Why was it there? What did it mean?
All three approached their islands- Iris being the most hesitant. Jace examined his. He ran his hand along the dead trees, their sign filling him with a mixture of sorrow and fury.
Iris approached hers, not even stepping foot on the island. She stared in horror at the things on the island. The flower, the webs, the barbed wire... It all connected for her. She could only assume there was barbed wire stuffed into that gross flower, just waiting to cut up an unaware deku to death. Or a hungry spider. She found herself backing away upon impulse, and she whimpered slightly. What made it even worse, was it was the only thing in the room with her.
As for Ilye... She walked toward the old beaten blade and ran her hand atop the blade's hilt. She didn't look disturbed or frightened like Jace and Iris though. She looked at it with mixed feelings of melancholic reflections. Though she was confused still. It was the only object in the room aside from the dead tree it sat stabbed at the foot of.
Iris, being the first to walk away from her island, she looked to Jace to see his island, seeing that he was also walking away. It strung a bad chord for her, seeing the X crossed trees. Their islands were clearly symbolic to their inner demons; the things they just can't let go of, the things they fear bringing upon themselves again. They both feared ever returning to how things were. Iris was afraid of returning to her wrong doings and bringing about the hunters and guards again. Jace feared becoming a cold-hearted selfish person full of greed and bringing the curse back, he feared knowing he had a dark side. Yet, they both felt these sides were still there, scratching their ways to the surface. These feelings became heavier and heavier, until the feeling overwhelmed them. They had to look back. They were terrified of looking away from their demons, scared to show their backs to it.
They both turned, only to be left petrified. Standing at the front of their islands... Were themselves. Reflections, shadows. These look-alikes were pitch black from skin to clothing. Only other color on them were their blood-red glowing eyes. And these weren't red glowing eyes full of life. They were eyes of misery, anger, resentment. All dead and full of pent up rage. They never even looked to each other, too afraid to look away. And poor Skits; at this point, he wanted out of here! Iris never took her eyes off her double, but yelled for Skits to run and hide. The black bird was hesitant, but eventually did so, running as far as he could.
Just as this was happening, Ilye had walked away from hers. She was feeling sad and scared. What if she was to fail on this journey? What if she let her village down? Her friends and family? To know everyone is gone forever was a thought she couldn't live with. She turned to get a glance at the sword again, but jumped in shock when she saw a figure standing kneeled at the sword. It was black and had it's eyes closed and was leaning on the hilt as if saying a prayer for the deceased. Ilye's eyes widened in horror, when this being opened their eyes. They looked sad however, rather than angry. They continued to kneel remorsefully. But they slowly looked to Ilye, and that face of sadness slowly went to an expression bent with blame. They stood, and Ilye could clearly see that it was a shadow of herself. The red eyes, as described with Jace and Iris' shadow-selves, glowed with blood. The shadow did not stay unresponsive like Jace and Iris though. Upon seeing Ilye, Dark Ilye drew her bow- which looked completely different from Ilye's- and she shot an arrow at her. Ilye managed to respond before the arrow was let go and she went running to become a moving target. The arrow hit the water and vanished into a dark cloud, reappearing back in Dark Ilye's hand. This left Ilye at a loss. What was she to do?
Ilye stopped after another arrow missed her, giving her the chance to draw her bow. She had five arrows, she needed to make it count! Fighting herself was the only solution she saw to this. She quickly let an arrow fly, but Dark Ilye deflected it with one of her own arrows, snapping Ilye's old kiddy arrow.
"No!" Ilye grunted. She was afraid, this challenger was just as skilled as her, and they knew every move she had learned.
Just as this fight was going on, Dark Jace had made his first move, sending in a fast slash after sprinting at Jace. This left the blond boy shocked, catching him dumbfounded. He managed to dodge, but just barely. He made a low slash at the dark entity, but it knew what Jace was going to do and blocked it effortlessly. With every move Jace made, he was blocked over and over. It soon began using the same moves Jace had just used. Jace, being weak and tired, blocked them poorly, a few nearly hitting him. Problem was, he knew how to block them, and so did Dark Jace. He knew every move he'd make.
Jace sent a downward slash against Dark Jace. Dark Jace rose his blade and weaved around the attack. He not only deflected it, he sent Jace back a ways into a slide. Jace's feet splashed against the water, the sounds catching Iris' attention long enough for Dark Iris to make a move toward Iris. She shot an exploding nut at Iris' head, making Iris squeak in shock. Instead of a flash, it was pure darkness. Her view darkened long enough for Dark Iris to come running in throwing a slash at Iris. It sliced across her cheek and she flew back with a cry. Iris was quick to draw her sword and begin fighting.
"Jace, what's going on!?" Iris cried out as she held off an attack.
Jace grunted, taking a rough hit to the side with the broad side of Dark Jace's sword. "I don't know!"
Iris made a diagonal slice toward Dark Iris. She managed to make a slice at the dark being's stomach, but she quickly retaliated with the same attack. Iris screamed and stepped back after taking the attack. She held her stomach in pain, but was quick to stand her ground again. "How do we beat them!? They know everything we do!"
"I'm still thinking on that- Ugh!" Jace got sliced at the leg with a low swing. He growled and uttered a swear, before going back in to attack. He was tired and weary- he was afraid of how this would end for him. He jumped and danced, his counterpart doing the same as their blades collided in a beautiful yet fearful song of clangs and show of sparks. Water flew rapidly at their feet. Jace had never had to sword fight like this, but it was good he at least knew his moves... But this was also bad, for this would go on forever at this rate.
Iris was rather scared, but she was trying hard to think of a way to take her doppleganger down. She was unfortunately suffering the same fate, and she was getting no where. Both fighters were always hit once they got hits in; it was unavoidable. Jace tried using moves he hadn't used in a long time or moves he was still trying to teach himself to throw his dark self off, but it never worked. His dark self rolled out of the way and came shooting up with a deadly strike. Jace had to move fast, or the sword would have gone straight through his face!
Ilye was still having little luck. She was having a showdown of who's arrows could hit who first. Each arrow she sent flying would just get deflected, regardless of the angle she came from. She'd retrieve what arrows she could, while so far two had broken. She was down to two now, and it was looking bad. Dark Ilye had an unlimited supply. Ilye decided it was time to pull out her sword, but Dark Ilye was quick to put a stop to this. She shot an arrow with pin-point precision across the strap of Ilye's sword sheath, and it dropped off of her. She tried desperately to catch it, but to no avail. Hope died when the sword sank into the water upon hitting the watery surface! It sank like a rock. Ilye dropped to feel for it, but the water was shallow for her, and the sword was gone.
"No! Crap! No!" She panicked. Dark Ilye shot another shadow arrow at Ilye, and it pierced her side then promptly vanished, only leaving the bloody wound. Ilye screamed then dropped to the water on her knees and hand. Her free hand held her side. She looked over the wound, seeing that it wasn't as bad as the old wound was. She soon began running. The wetness of her shirt after dropping down to the water like that offered at least some comfort on the bleeding wound and she tied one side of her shirt to tightly wrap around the wound. But she made a mental note to avoid those arrows at all cost.
The girl was still lost. She drew her bow again while Dark Ilye was loading an arrow and shot her second arrow. Dark Ilye was inhumanly fast at pulling her bow up and blocking the arrow. It knocked against the bow and landed in front of Dark Ilye. Ilye soon found another arrow being shot her way, and it scrapped her cheek directly under her eye.
Jace and Iris were still having little luck. Their counterparts had gashes in them, but not without getting revenge on their true selves. Jace was to the point of dodging over attacking. It was the only thing he COULD do! He managed to trip his counterpart, but he was again deflected when he tried to stab down on Dark Jace. Dark Jace soon managed to lock Jace's blade in a weird position, and flung the sword out of his hand. His dark self threw the sword far from the battle, and Jace was caught weaponless... Or rather, he would be, until he remembered that he had daggers in his rucksack. He low-sept his dark self to trip him long enough for Jace to grab his rucksack which was sitting by the island. He pulled out and unsheathed his daggers, only to notice that his dark self did not have any on him.
"It's all I got..." was all Jace said before dashing in. He slashed right at Dark Jace's chest, and it hit! Dark Jace, having only come prepared for this fight with a sword, did not have a dagger to counter with. He couldn't copy Jace! Jace dodged a sword swing from his dark self then slashed upward at his dark self's arm, leaving a nasty dark liquid-spilling gash. It was the left arm, and dark Jace quickly jumped back and switched his sword to his other hand. Dark Jace did a downward slash at Jace, and Jace caught the sword between the daggers, holding them crossed with each other. Something about the position seemed familiar. These daggers were used by his evil ancestor in times of old just like this, and Jace had the skill to use them. The moves were passed down the Leavance line, but Jace had never quite used them so fluently because he never needed to. His cursed ancestor used them to spill innocent blood, but Jace knows well that he can atone for the dagger's sinful usage by fighting for the right things.
"Aghhh!" Jace cried out with determination. His arms and legs ached and burned from the ongoing battle. He had to know himself to take himself down, and he was breaking through slowly and accepting everything he had and knew. While Dark Jace was able to still dodge and block, some of Jace's attacks caught Dark Jace off guard. Dark Jace knew how to block well enough, but Jace's advantage now was that Dark Jace couldn't copy his every move; leaving Jace's moves to be more on the surprising side.
Iris only got a glimpse of Jace's battle, seeing the beautiful moves he made. He fought with every fiber of his being, and she had to find her edge, she realized. Her sword was not getting her anywhere either. Nowadays, she only relied on her sword unless desperate, and that's exactly the fighting style her dark self used. She had to find that tide to turn. Their fight was growing close to the island. She walked around barbed wire as it grabbed at her legs, but she kept fighting. She knew if she stopped, she'd die here. Iris flung a defensive horizontal slash, whacking off a bit of Dark Iris' leaves as she dodged. Dark Iris was purposely pushing Iris into the barbed wire, and it was starting to become too much. Iris didn't know what to do. She needed to hide, she needed to be lost sight of, even if just for a second. That was when she glanced at the cobweb-covered flower. It was disgusting, and probably a trap. She thought the idea to hop in it was ludicrous. But at the same time, her current battle style was getting her nowhere!
She inwardly went "Eenie-meenie-miney-moe" with Dark Iris or the flower while trying to hold her ground. She finally decided that, she was for sure dead up here, but there was a chance that the flower was empty. She whimpered upon looking at it. She'd have to jump through the cobwebs covering the hole. This made her uneasy, but she did the unexpected- as far as Dark Iris was concerned. She shot a nut right at Dark Iris' face to create a diverting flash long enough for Iris to hop in the flower. When the flash faded, Dark Iris looked around in a puzzled manner. Dark Iris would never hop in the flower, so the real her hiding in it was the last thing on her mind. Time passed, before the Hyrulean deku shot out of the flower, quickly swiping the sword roughly upward, leaving a deep slice across Dark Iris' face. Her evil reflection fell back and held it's face in pain, and Iris dropped down in front of Dark Iris. She took advantage of this moment to roundhouse kick Dark Iris in the gut, knocking her back into the water.
Iris felt proud; she did it! Though it wasn't over yet! Dark Iris stood back to her feet and ran at Iris with the Hyrulean deku fury Iris was known for. Dark Iris' attacks became aimless and frantic; just as Iris would do when at the end of her rope. Iris saw this and knew herself well enough that when like this, she didn't fight strategically in this state and paid little attention. She kept her distance from the aimless swings and ran around Dark Iris. She ran right at the side of Dark Iris and slugged her right at the side of the face full-force, knocking Dark Iris dizzy. And given her dark self's permanently set battle style, the sudden punch was hard to predict. The cracking smack caught Jace's attention long enough for him to proudly see Iris handling her own quite well. She threw punches and was pulling off beautiful close combat that her dark self was not prepared for.
"Attagirl, you get 'em babe!" he cheered her on, and this caught Iris by surprise. She blushed, giving a final whack then backflipping away to dodge more crazed attacking and breathing hard.
"Thanks! Keep your eyes on your fight, Goldilocks! You got him!"
Jace chuckled, but was nearly sliced across the snout for not watching. He put his attention back on his dark self and answered. "Goldilocks? That's not even your line! You quote thief, you, haha!"
"Thief?" Iris uttered. It finally clicked; she knew the perfect way to turn the tide! She got Dark Iris tired and beaten. Iris came up and held Dark Iris in the best choke hold she could do, giving her a good enough chance to catch Dark Iris unable to attack, enough for her to release her then snatch her sword. She had the ability, and she was going to use it to win this!
Ilye was still stuck in a rut. She was down to her last arrow, and her sword was gone! She rolled along the watery arena to dodge another arrow. Soon, she found a good opening and shot her final arrow. It stabbed her... Right in the heart... Dark Ilye flinched and held her chest. She was still fighting though, and painfully shot another arrow. Ilye was completely astounded that Dark Ilye was still putting up a fight with that arrow piercing her in a vital place. While she wasn't real, it was still made clear to Ilye that Dark Ilye felt pain, and that alone should be pain enough.
Ilye was at her last resort. She was weaponless and had no chance. She was now dodging shots with no hope of succession. Ilye ran up close to Dark Ilye, still zig-zagging to make herself a harder target. She tried snatching an arrow from Dark Ilye, but Dark Ilye was very quick to stop Ilye, swishing the arrow down at her. She sliced it down Ilye's lower right arm, causing her to cry out and recoil away. Ilye retaliated and smacked Dark Ilye across the face with her bow, surprising her dark self well enough for her to be left dazed. Dark Ilye again tried striking Ilye with the arrow, forcing Ilye to step back and block with her bow. It clicked and scraped, and the poor bow was getting beaten. Sad to say, this child's bow was not ideal for this fight. Ilye was being backed up to her island. She soon saw one opportunity to attack, and she swung her bow with the greatest force she could muster at the side of Dark Ilye's face. A cracking snap echoed throughout the battle field. Dark Ilye held her face, a broken piece of the rough carved wood bow left a nasty-feeling scrape. Ilye of course swore loudly upon her bow snapping into two.
"That didn't last long!" she complained. "Great, now I'm screwed!"
The dark entity gave Ilye a look of pure rage. Her dark self stabbed forward with the arrow, slicing it directly across Ilye's chest right over her heart. She was knocked back, the only thing keeping her standing was having landed to lean against the old sword stabbed at the foot of the dead tree. It struck her that she did have a weapon. It pained her, but it was her only choice. She frantically grabbed the beaten hilt and began pulling on it. Dark Ilye was regaining herself and was preparing her bow. Time was running thin, and Ilye was losing it.
Just as the sword left the ground with a shink, her dark self shot the arrow. Ilye managed to block the arrow with the sword, the arrow dissipating into a dark poof.
"Alright dad, let me really test out those skills..." Ilye whispered. She swung a solid slash at her dark self, easily dicing across her torso. Dark Ilye was not even fighting back at this point, and Ilye pushed her way toward her foe with a sure win. The tables were now turning! Her dark self was becoming beaten quickly.
Dark Ilye was suddenly caught still and she stared at the sword once she was away. She looked scared, and this puzzled Ilye. Dark Ilye's form began to slowly change, but Ilye didn't stand around to see what Dark Ilye transformed into. She slashed horizontally toward Dark Ilye, cutting her viciously across the arm. This caused Dark Ilye to stumble back without a fight. Ilye yet again sent in another slash, but vertically. Dark Ilye managed to move for that one, but she still seemed scared.
Dark Ilye's feet began changing. They were no longer large and bulbous. They became small and dainty. Her snout got a little smaller, and her braid began to fade into a short haircut. The shape of her bangs changed drastically, having three extreme curled bangs hanging from her forehead. Her attire even changed! She went from her petal-style and skirt garb to a shortened shirt lined at the shoulders with chainmail. She had a tiny skirt with chainmail wrapped around the top. Below the skirt were short poofed out pants which ended just below the knees. She had decorative chains hanging from her skirt at the belt. This transformation left Ilye frozen and unable to comprehend it's meaning. Soon, the figure shouted at her in an echoey voice, startling Ilye greatly.
"Come at me, Ilye! If you can take me down, then you'll seal your fate! Accept it or fail! Just know you may no longer exist if you are victorious!"
Ilye shook her head in horror. She could already see what had happened, but she was too awestruck to move. Dark Ilye, now with a changed form, no longer spoke. She drew her bow again and began shooting an arrow at Ilye. It got jammed into Ilye's hip then dissipated. The poor frightened girl cried out in pain, and knew what she had to do! Now in pure pain, she limp-ran around, going in to slash at Dark Ilye. Dark Ilye retained a cocky smirk which resembled one Ilye knew well. Dark Ilye used her sturdy bow to jam the sword between the bow and tried twisting it out of Ilye's hands. Ilye shouted a battle cry and pushed Dark Ilye away. She knew what the entity was trying to do, she knew that trick! She did a low kick at Dark Ilye's feet and tried tripping her, but Dark Ilye knew that one as well and grabbed her true self's leg and flung her. Ilye landed on her side roughly, but used the sword to pull herself up to her feet.
"She looks different, but she still knows all my moves!" Ilye complained. "I know that... If I succeed in all this. I may not exi-... No! I have to! I have to do this! For Termina!"
Dark Ilye shot another arrow, which nearly hit Ilye. It whipped a hole through her braid, as frighteningly close as that was. "... I'll have to." Ilye said under her breath. Her dark self watched with a confident smirk in her eyes. Ilye went running toward the dead tree. It was slanted enough, she could run up the side. Dark Ilye was pelting the air with the whooshes of arrows. Ilye got shot with another right in the chest just as she leapt off the tree. She managed to toss the sword right at Dark Ilye.
Whoosack!
Both girls hit the water. Ilye was gasping for breath and holding her chest. Dark Ilye had the sword stabbed right through her chest, and it earned Ilye the win. Though she was not sure she truly won, seeing as she was hit fatally. She collapsed against the water, watching Dark Ilye and the sword fade away. She soon found herself shutting her eyes. She was weary and tired...
While laying on the surface of the water, she slowly began sinking into the water. Her eyes cracked open. She'd be in panic if she didn't feel so weak... She watched as she submerged, the surface growing further away.
"I tried..." she spoke.
Soon after, her eyes widened a little... How did she speak!? She was under water! She drifted further in, and her wounds which she'd gained during this battle began healing. She looked around. Her gaze soon fell on a blinding light. Said blinding light formed itself into the shape of a large golden serpent with beautiful twisted horns, with a hood reminiscent to a cobra. In two holes on the hood were two balls of light. Her eyes widened more in wonder, and she was in awe. It swam close to her, it's gold wise eyes looking over her softly. Ilye kept drifting down into the water before finally landing on a hard surface gently. She looked down to it then up. She was underwater but still... On land? It was Nishi's domain. The serpent drifted down to her to coil up and rest before her with his head lifted.
"Thou hath conquered thy last fear, thy are now truly worthy of my blessing..." Nishi spoke softly, amazed at her victory. "Well done, Ilye Leavance..."
Meanwhile, Jace and Iris were getting close to finishing off their doubles. Jace was huffing and puffing and was feeling faint. Though his dark self was in just as bad a shape. Iris as well was becoming warn and tired, fighting with all her might against the entity. The couple fought and fought, before Iris called out with a victorious battle cry. She threw Dark Iris' sword away, and made a finishing swing right across Dark Iris' chest. The blow was too much, and Dark Iris finally was down. Her dark self landed along the water, and Iris panted and huffed as she watched Dark Iris vanish. She glanced to Jace to quickly watch him finish his battle.
Jace had fought himself over to the island again, his dark self backed up against the trees. Dark Jace tried everything he could to block Jace's moves. This made things hard for the blond and bloody lad. Jace had no choice but to move aside from most of the attacks. But his daggers gave him an advantage. He crossed his arms and made a devastating cross-slash at Dark Jace's face. The result was a nasty X shape across his dark self's face. Jace paused for only a moment to realize what he just did. The X wound across his dark double's face strung a nasty chord for Jace...
"Jace, don't stop, finish him!"
Snapped out of his dumbfounded stare, Jace heard his fiance and slammed Dark Jace against the trees to knock the breath out of him. His double dropped his sword from the force, and Jace whipped a dagger at Dark Jace lightning fast. With a final slash across the neck, that was check-mate. Dark Jace leaned weakly against the trees and held his neck, then slowly fell. Jace backed away to watch his victory. He was still a bit surprised at how vicious he truly was with the twin daggers. He looked down to one, it's scuffed metal reflecting Jace's beaten and tired face. The blood of a killer runs through Jace's veins, and they were there to unlock when ever he so desired. Except for him, these abilities and the knowledge of battle was not passed down for Jace to be a cold hearted demon. They were not for him to be a killer of selfish money-lust. They were for him to make a difference, to help the lives who needed him; to protect and truly give his all to be the man his father wanted to raise him to be. That was the gift of having the blood of his ancestor was his adamance and strength. And Jace mustn't push that aside over a petty fear. He was beginning to realize this...
Dark Jace gave his real double a look of honor and approval, nodding at his own defeat. Jace nodded in return, and the dark entity vanished. Jace backed up a ways, before dropping his daggers into the water and collapsing to his hands and knees. Iris cheered him and congratulated him as she ran over, not being blocked off from him anymore. She slid to her knees in the water and checked on him. Jace stared at his face in the water, then rubbed his forehead and uttered a small thank you to a person who was not there. He soon sat down then flopped down back-first into the water. Iris merely watched him, her fiance so tired and achy, he didn't feel like moving anymore. She leaned over him, smiling weakly at him. He cracked his eyes open.
"You did really great out there..." Iris complemented. She placed her hand at his face and he smiled at her.
"You did, too... You have so much skill in what you do, haha." Jace responded. "I can't... Believe what happened... I feel very... Accomplished and relieved. Am I the only one who feels so light?"
"Aside from light headed? Haha... No, I feel it too." Iris answered lightly. "I think we reached a milestone here. We learned a bit about ourselves, safe to say."
Jace could only agree. He inwardly opened up to his heritage, and Iris... She began to realize that having sticky fingers wasn't all that bad, and that the past was... In the past. She trusted what she knew she needed to do, and walked through barbed wire and soared. The couple rested in the water, not even bothering to find a way out yet. All they wanted was to rest. The fight wore them completely out. And Jace knew he'd later feel this; this last battle pushed him to a limit. The couple were soon met by Iris' brother, Skits. She held him close, and Skits cuddled against her. He looked to Jace from Iris' arms and gave a congratulating caw. Jace chuckled weakly and reached up to pet Skits.
Currently, Ilye was conversing with Nishi. The girl, having succeeded in her horrific battle, was being congratulated by Nishi. By now, he had given her her sword back, as well.
"Ilye, thy hath come quite a ways. I apologize that thou had to be called this way, however. The goddess of time was not wrong in sending you after seeing what transpires in future times."
Ilye looked down, before looking back up to Nishi. "I now know what I am needed to do, and I've tried my best so far."
"Thou changed time well enough to bring about better chances. I am proud to be in the presence of such a strong and determined young woman. Thou have earned not only my blessing, but thy respect."
"I was afraid I was doing something wrong by coming back here. But it seems not. The future, it... Twilight eats everything. Only way to fix it was to come back in time and stop it from the core."
Nishi looked up with a deep breath. "Jace and Iris have needed thee. And thou have done well to conceal thy identity. Jace and Iris were not meant to be forced onto this journey. In the ruined time, that is why they fail. As thou have told me, they did not make it passed this island, for Jace lost his arm and had to flee to the wildlands with Iris. Thy legend was forced to occur early, and ye were not able to exist. Time travel is a delicate thing, and risky. If the wrong people learn the truth, it could damage the very fabric of time. I commend thee." Nishi paused to lower his head to her. "We were told that a Hyrulean and Terminian would be the one to save Termina from darkness. We were not told whom. That is why we turned to Jace and Iris. What we did not expect, was that the legend was speaking of one person. A single person with the chosen hero's soul. That would be ye; Ilye Leavance. It is why the presence of thou in this time has turned the tide. You have one more journey to make. Even Minami himself tested thou back at his temple. That Twili Dragalfos you battled back in the shrine room was not real. But thy managed to break free of it's hold. Minami saw promise in thee. As for Hokubu... Well, he has been distant from us and the gods for quite some time now... I apologize for his doings back at his temple. What is important, is that he learned the truth before making any further rash decisions."
Ilye jumped, the Twili Dragalfos wasn't real? She was relieved, knowing that none of those creatures were here yet as far as she knew. "Haha, yeah... That did get kind of ugly with Hokubu... I was scared he was going to drop the bomb in front of mom and dad. Ooh boy, THAT wouldn't have been good... But still, I'm... I'm the hero of the legend? But... So that means... Mom and dad never had a reason to feel the shame they did... My gods, it was out of their hands." Ilye responded sadly, looking down at her feet. Nishi used his finned tail and rose Ilye's head up to look to him.
"Do not feel sad... It is because of thy courage that they may very well get a better chance. It can be hard, but it is destiny."
Ilye sighed. "I know... I may not ever exist again either. As hard as that is to know, it is something I'll have to finish my mission knowing and accepting. Just as my shadow self said, I've now sealed it."
Nishi gazed upon Ilye proudly. The spirit of light knew well the fear she held, but it was that last battle of hers that proved how adamant she is about fulfilling her new destiny. Though, it was a gamble, it was hard to say if the hero's spirit will ever be needed again after this. At least, not within Jace and Iris' time. So Ilye may not ever exist again if she changes the future drastically.
Just then, Nishi halted Ilye as she was about to speak. Being submerged into Nishi's safe realm was Jace, Iris, and Skits. Ilye stopped once she heard Iris panicking from above.
"Jace, what's going on!?" Iris asked frantically.
Jace looked around himself. "I'm not sure! We're underwater, how're we even speaking!?"
"How're we even breathing?" Iris finished. Skits floated down with his eyes cut. He was done being surprised at this point...
The couple continued to speak amongst themselves, before softly landing in front of Nishi. Jace noticed all the wounds he gained in the battle with his double were healed, though he was still tired and achy; that didn't change. Iris gave a sigh of relief that the damage dealt was reversed physically. The two turned to look up upon the mighty light serpent.
"Oh-! You must be Nishi." Jace asked, "At least I know there isn't more battles, haha." He bowed, though with audible pain. Iris bowed with her fiance, before seeing Ilye.
"Ilye! You beat us here? Dang!" Iris chuckled. "You did better than we did, haha."
Ilye chuckled lowly while rubbing the back of her head. This was a habit she'd received from Jace. "Hehe, I guess?"
Nishi did not hesitate to get to business. "Now that all three have passed their tests, I deem thee all truly worthy of the gifts I have for thou."
"Wait, did I hear that right?" Iris asked suddenly. "Gifts?"
Nishi dipped his head slowly. "The journey has been long. Thy next destination will be the last. But to get in, thou will require my assistance. I fear Brother Higashi of the East will be harder to reach. Brother Higashi... He's no longer of single form, and hasn't been for generations. Ever since his destruction, all us spirits had grown distant. Hokubu locked himself away and we lost touch with the gods. Higashi was foolish with his strengths; which was his downfall. It is because of his missing form that all of Ikana is eaten in Twilight. Thou will need help getting in, help of a Light Spirit. I suggest after this, thy plan a travel South and visit Minami as well."
"Well that's really making me feel hopeful..." Iris muttered. She soon lifted Skits into her arms while Nishi spoke.
"Jace, if thy please; hold out thou weapons of choice."
Jace was surprised and began rummaging for his sword. He stopped himself then grabbed his daggers instead. "Hmm... Will these do?"
"I grant thy weapons with my light. Use them wisely, as they only have one slash for each before the light is used up." Nishi opened his wide mouth, his fangs ejecting from the top of his maw. He sank his energy teeth into the weapons, injecting them with a holy light. Jace felt the energy and he wowed under his breath. Nishi moved away, then looked to Iris. "Now for the Hyrulean. Give me thou weapon."
The autumn leaved girl unsheathed her sword and held it out to Nishi and he repeated the process. He lastly put his golden gaze on Ilye.
Ilye went about unsheathing her sword, but Nishi stopped her. "No Ilye, hand me thy bow."
"M-my bow? But it's broke..." She answered, reaching for the bow which was thrown over her shoulder by it's string. She handed him the bow and he lifted it with his magic.
Nishi did not answer Ilye. He chanted something in ancient Terminian and the bow began to repair itself before the group. Upon repairing, it began completely changing shape. Ilye's side glowed, and she noticed her quiver also glowing. Once the flash subsided, the bow and quiver were no longer made as a child's plaything. Her quiver was decorated in a soft indigo-blue velvet and was decorated in gold runes. There was one arrow in the quiver with a beautiful curled, feathered tail. The bow was now a pearl white with gold-painted wings at each end and was made of metal. One small detail was the three sacred triangles on it. A triangle decorated both wings and the center of the bow where one would place the arrow.
"I grant upon thee, the Goddess Bow. For thy have proven thy have the courage required for this legend. The bow shall aid you. It's string will never break. The one arrow in your quiver is a light imbued arrow. Just as mentioned, use it wisely. Jace, Iris, to activate my light, merely call upon my name. Now Iris, please hand me the vessel if you may."
Ilye was marveling at her new beautiful bow and grabbed it out of the air whilst Iris handed over the vessel. Nishi took it and placed it within his statue at the back of the room. Just as with all the other spirits, a light pulsed through the room and surely across the island. The job was done and Nishi's full power was ensured. He looked to them all thankfully.
"Godspeed, heroes. Hurry now, thy must leave. Rest thy weary eyes and bones so that thee may continue. On the way, visit Minami, for he may have more to say."
The group had no say and were beginning to be teleported out of the room. Ilye was left last so Nishi could speak to her. "And Ilye... Take the bow to Minami; be sure to remember."
Ilye had a confused look on her face. She was still shaken and down from her last battle and her realizations... But she understood. She dipped her head in response. "I will remember. Thank you, Nishi. Thank you for putting your faith in me; I'll do my best." and with that, she vanished with her comrades; her family.
To Be Continued...