A/N: Rating has gone from K+ to T. Sorry for any inconveniences this may cause.
The Light that Shines in the Darkness
Link's ears pricked at the melody being sung softly by another in the magical realm of golden light. He was blinded; he could not see the singer but he recognized the voice and it belonged to Pipaya. The Celestial Spirit was guiding him to his next destination once again, beautifully singing each note of her Sun-warp song as the wolf and his companions soared like birds within the falcon's magic.
The final note resonated within the hero's chest before he felt the cold ground beneath his four feet. The great spirit's presence and her light vanished a second later, leaving Link and his companions in a dark, silent room.
Link's nose was suddenly assaulted by the stifling odour of sweet incense. It was as if a handful of those fragrant, burning sticks were shoved right into his face. He sneezed, snorted, and grumbled in discomfort, wishing he was back outside in the fresh mountain air. Unfortunately, this was where he needed to be – or so he hoped that they were in the right place. He rapidly blinked his eyes to adjust to the dimmer light provided by Pipo's shining pendant and checked his surroundings.
Although the wolf was gifted with a light spirit's blessing, the mages were not.
"H-Hey, what happened? Where are we?" Alzack was first to ask in a panicked whisper, trying his best to hide the quiver in his voice, "I can't see anything! Have I gone blind?!"
"Al, calm down," said Bisca in a quiet but stern tone as she reached blindly towards her husband and found his arm. "I think we're in the right place… It smells about right…"
"Don't worry, I got this," said Romeo bravely. He held up a hand that instantly ignited with bright orange fire. The boy had excellent control over his magic for the bandages that covered his scraped palms did not singe or burn. Shadows receded to reveal the large chamber they now occupied.
During the time it took for the humans to adjust their eyes to the new light, Link looked around, recognizing the magic circle beneath his feet and the crimson markings on the lone pillar situated at the circle's perimeter. Firelight reflected off the strange, smooth, black stone that made up the floor, making it seem like they were standing on onyx glass.
The wolf glanced up, no longer seeing the moon and stars but a glimpse of a domed ceiling, the details obscured by shadows. There was a small altar carved into each of the three walls while the fourth opened up into a dark hallway.
The room was empty, much to their expectations.
Link flinched at the sharp sound of Bisca's heels clinking on the floor when she stomped her foot down a few times. "Yup. We're definitely in the right place," she said, "This is the Lower Shrine of the temple." Flashing a wide smile, she kneeled beside Link and hugged him tight before pecking his cheek. "You did it! You cease to amaze me, you know that, little guy? You're so gosh darn incredible."
"He's a sky wolf after all," commented Alzack humorously, giving the furry beast a friendly pat on the head, his hand harmlessly passing through Pipo. "No holy barrier can keep you out, right, buddy? Not when you're friends with the ghost of the Light God."
That's right, thought Link smugly. He secretly enjoyed the praise and attention and tried to pretend he was annoyed by the couple's touch, but his wagging tail betrayed him. Never had he felt so excited before; knowing he was one step closer to his goal made him undeniably happy. He was so close now – somewhere within these mountain walls was the sword that could free him of his curse.
Bisca playfully tousled the wolf's mane as she stood up and diverted her attention to the room itself. "Now, why's it so dark in here? Did they turn off all the Light Lacrima before they left?"
Erza scoffed and crossed her arms. "When they said all Lacrima turn dark at night, I didn't think it included the ones inside this temple," she remarked, her displeasure visibly highlighted in Romeo's flame.
Alzack shrugged and said jokingly, "Saving magic power probably. Or, thinking along their religious reasons: thy holy Light God sleeps from sunset to sunrise, thus why it is dark." He spoke the last part whilst copying Priest Jarron's tone of voice and mannerism, bringing amused smiles from his teammates.
Meanwhile, Pipo seemed quite distressed. She hopped frantically around on Link's head and chirped worriedly, "Mom's light… Why has her power gone out?"
"Could it be the demon your mother spoke of?" Link questioned, "Or what Alzack has said is true?" As he spoke, he scanned the shadows warily with his eyes and ears. His superior sense of smell was rendered useless by the incense smoke lingering in the air. Not being able to use his nose made him feel vulnerable at the moment.
"I'm not sure," Pipo replied tentatively. She started to shiver – out of fear or cold, Link wasn't too sure.
"It's been too long since I've come down here," she continued in a quiet voice, "It doesn't feel like home anymore… It's so dark and cold! I don't like it!"
The wolf looked up to meet her frightened stare. "Stay close to me," he told her.
The sparrow hopped up and down. "I will, Master! I won't leave you!"
Link gently nodded and listened to the mages as they discussed their next course of action.
"… nothing suspicious down here in this shrine," noted Bisca.
"We should start searching the rest of the temple," said Erza while making her way to the only exit. "We need all the time we have to search every room before dawn."
Everyone started to follow her, their footsteps ringing loud against the strange, glass-like floor in the vast chamber.
To Link, the clean, polished stone was as slippery as smooth ice, forcing him to tread carefully to avoid stumbling over. He prayed every floor of the temple was not made with the same black stone as he stepped behind the group.
Alzack heaved a sigh and grumbled wearily, "This place is huge. We'll have to split up to cover as much ground as possible."
Bisca gave her husband a worried look as she strolled alongside him. "Splitting up might be a bad idea. It's easy to get lost and not to mention the demon that may be lurking around. Erza, do you sense anything out of the ordinary?"
Erza shook her head. "Not at the moment. We could split into two groups."
"I suppose that's best. How about the boys and Links form one group and me and Erza the second?" suggested Bisca, "That way I can keep track of where you guys are."
"That'll work," the other woman agreed with a curt nod.
Alzack pouted soon after and leaned right into his wife's ear. He started to whisper loud enough for Bisca to hear and Link to accidentally eavesdrop; "Aww, I want to be with you."
The green-haired mage shot her husband a teasing smile and murmured back; "Remember your promise to Macao, Al. Wouldn't be safe to leave Romeo alone with you-know-who."
Alzack quietly snickered. "Guess you're right. Only you can rein her in."
Link glanced between the pair, curious to know who and what they were talking about. Unfortunately, he couldn't ask, but only listen.
They began their journey up the spiraling stairs that were thankfully fashioned from the coarse mountain rock. Hanging down the open centre was a thick, heavy chain that gleamed in the flickering flame in Romeo's hand. Attached to the links were metal birds and clutched within their talons were unlit Lacrima that sparkled like jewels when caught in the passing firelight.
Link craned his head, his blue eyes tracing the length of the chain where it disappeared high in the darkness above them.
Bisca groaned shortly after taking the first few steps up the stairs. "Ugh! A million more stairs! Why did they build it five stories high?"
"Uh, Bis?" Alzack began while giving his wife a teasing smile, "A million stairs is more than five stories high, just so you know."
Bisca lightly slapped her husband on the shoulder and growled out, "Oh, you know what I mean."
Alzack chuckled while Link couldn't help but grin at their playful behaviour.
As the mages continued to chat amongst themselves, Pipo diverted Link's attention. "Look, Master! On the wall! That's my brother, Papo!" she exclaimed right into his ear as they strolled past a carving of a sparrow soaring in the same direction they were heading.
The wolf raised his brow in surprise and paused for a better look at the carving that was lit up by the sparrow's pendant. "You have a brother?" he questioned.
"A long time ago…" The excitement in the little spirit's voice instantly died, replaced by sadness. "Six brothers and five sisters… They're all gone now though, but you can find them forever on these walls and as statues in this temple. Our old master made all of this for us. He built this whole temple. Every room and hall, every statue and pillar, he made them all by himself."
Silently, Link resumed climbing the stairs and rejoined the others, his mood now as somber as Pipo's. It wasn't difficult to understand that Pipo's siblings were no longer around due to some tragic reason. Asking what happened would no doubt dampen the mood further, so wanting to cheer up his companion, he said instead, "By himself? It must have taken your old master a long time to build this entire place!"
His comment brought a cheery giggle from the sparrow. "Only one-hundred and sixty-seven Earthland years!"
Link balked, his jaw dropping wide in genuine surprise. He looked up to meet the sparrow's beady gaze. "H-How is that possible? For your master to live so long, laboring away at this temple?"
Pipo laughed again. "One-hundred and sixty-seven Earthland years does sound very long to mortal ears, but to spirits and dragons, that's not very long at all! Only a fleeting moment!"
"Wait… You're old master was a dragon?"Link had never thought his eyes could go any wider than they already were.
"That's right! Beast Dragon Otharo. He was the greatest. Truly the greatest! Just like you, he could speak the language of beasts, but he could also change his form into any beast too!"
"Links? Is something wrong?" Bisca called when she noticed the wolf frozen on the steps.
Link shook his head and quickly caught up to the woman and her husband who had stopped to wait for him.
"Let us know if you find something," Bisca told him as she gave him a little scratch behind the ear. "The faster we find your master's sword, the faster we can get you home. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
The wolf nodded in silent agreement. You have no idea, my dear mistress.
They continued up the winding stairs, this time in walking silence. Footsteps, the rhythmic clanging of armour, and the steady clicking of claws were the only sounds that echoed throughout the hollow stairway. Even Pipo had fallen oddly quiet.
Link looked up at his feathered companion, seeing her staring forlornly at another one of her siblings etched on the wall. Feeling sympathetic, he let the little sparrow have a moment to herself while his thoughts wandered to the surprising identity of the light spirits' previous master.
"You remind me of him except you are more hairy while he was scaly. And he was much bigger and more intimidating in appearance," he remembered Pipayo saying back at the mountain peak.
Link was still in shock over the discovery. Every dragon he had encountered in Hyrule were fierce, dangerous, fire-breathing fiends that wanted nothing more but to stab, bite, and burn Link to a crisp.
After battling the armoured Twilit Dragon Argorok high up in the stormy heavens of the sky city of the Ooca, Link was convinced that all large dragons were downright evil.
"You share my old master's kindness…"
So there were kind, friendly dragons in the world as well. And Link did not need to meet Pipo's old master to believe that fact to be true. The light spirits spoke fondly of their old master and they themselves were kind in heart.
By the time they reached the seventh sparrow, Pipo said, "I wish my brothers and sisters could meet you, Master. They would have loved to play with you."
Link mentally smiled. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to have twelve energetic sparrows riding on his back, all twittering and begging for fun. Noisy for sure, but to have the whole family together, it would have definitely been a happy moment.
"I would have loved to meet them as well," the wolf replied softly.
"We Celestial Spirits are immortal beings," Pipo continued, "When we die in Earthland, we are reborn in the Celestial Spirit World. But that is not always true… There are some demons that can absorb the souls of spirits… Powerful, evil, demons…"
She shuddered and her voice dropped to a murmur. "Over a thousand years ago, a terrible demon appeared in these mountains – an enormous, ugly, and frightfully strong demon! It smashed apart mountains and flattened forests with ease. It threatened to destroy our home and everything around it. We battled against the demon – our master and every Celestial Spirit still under his command – we fought together for seven days and seven nights until the fiend was defeated. However… H-However…" she started to choke on tears and Link could only frown.
"M-My brothers a-and sisters…" the sparrow sputtered between sobs, "They were eaten by the demon a-and Master Otharo… H-He suffered a fatal wound… and… and…"
Link tried to hush the little spirit but it was impossible to do as a wolf. The only noise he could make was a sad whine that caught Bisca's attention. A slight shake of his head was enough to convince the green-haired woman that there was nothing wrong when asked.
Shrugging, Bisca went back to complaining about how the steps were never-ending while Link spoke quietly to Pipo.
"Your master was truly the greatest," he said, bowing his head out of respect. "A courageous, unyielding, strong-willed and caring dragon of might. He and your siblings fought bravely to protect what they loved. Do not cry, but be proud for were it not for their sacrifice, this temple you call home may not be here, nor would you and your mother."
To battle against a powerful, evil demon for seven days straight, both dragon and spirits were undoubtedly the strongest, bravest individuals Link could admire. He had nothing else to say that could make the sparrow feel better. He was never good with words when it came to helping others through pain and sorrow; he was a man of action. It was usually Ilia who could comfort the heart-broken and depressed with a few choice words.
"'Be proud'…" Pipo echoed, swallowing her tears. "That's what Mom always told me. She said they died as heroes… and I should be proud of what they did. You're right, if… if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here talking to you…"
She fell silent as they approached another sparrow carved into the wall. Link had lost count at how many sparrows they had passed so far, but he knew it was only a few more before they reached the top of the stairs.
"Thank you," said Pipo with newfound happiness, "for coming to this temple and becoming my new master, Link. Mom and I have been waiting so very long for someone like you. Please promise you'll be our master forever!"
The wolf snorted in laughter and peered up at the pleading bird looking down at him from her comfy perch atop his head. "Although my lifespan is not as long as a dragon's, I promise you and your mother that I will be your master and friend for as long as I live."
"Thank you! Thank you!" Pipo sang cheerily and nuzzled her tear-soaked cheek lovingly against the wolf's forehead, making the beast mentally smile. "I can't wait to tell Mom. She'll be so happy!"
With the sparrow back to her normal self, climbing the rest of the stairs didn't seem so tiring, (although the same couldn't be said for poor Bisca as she huffed her way through the final stretch). Waiting before the heavy door made of wood and iron was the holy image of Pipaya and the radiant sun, as if welcoming the mages and wolf into the main temple.
Erza carefully pried the door open ajar and peered into the dark hall on the other side. Once deemed safe, she stepped out with everyone else close behind her.
Once on the other side of the door, Link could breathe a lot easier for the smell of incense was not as sickeningly strong as in the Lower Shrine. The scent of stale smoke mingled with the faint traces of perfumes that the people of the temple had worn that day.
Blue eyes glanced around the long, empty corridor they stood within, marveling the polished stone that palely gleamed in the light of Romeo's flickering fire. Link questioned how a dragon could have laid these stone brick walls so perfectly and how it could fit in these halls that appeared to be designed for humans.
Beyond the boundary of light was nothing but the darkest shadows down the hall, cold and unwelcoming, quite the opposite of the temple's name.
"With all the lights out, it's rather spooky in here," said Alzack in a hushed tone. "What? I'm not afraid of the dark or anything," he quickly added when he saw the look on his wife's face.
Bisca giggled and said, "Well, if you feel a little scared, just stay close to Romeo and Links. They'll protect you, right, guys?" She looked between the boy and wolf and received amusing nods from both and a pout from her husband.
Her face became determined as she turned to towards the dark hall to their right. "Erza and I will search this way and you guys search that way. If you guys find the sword first, grab it and come find us. Links," she held out her hand in front of the wolf's nose, "you got my scent?"
The beast nodded. He had imprinted her scent to his memory since the first day she had introduced herself.
Smiling, she gave the wolf one last pat on the head and joined Erza's side. "And if we find it first, we'll come looking for you guys. Don't wander away from each other, understand? And try not to break anything!"
Alzack grunted and crossed his arms. "Hey, we're not all children here. No need to tell us these things."
"Sometimes you need a good reminder, Al. Remember what happened last year? With Mrs. Falleon's heirloom vase?"
Ignoring the man's grumbled retort of, "I only shot it by accident…", Erza gave a stern warning, "Remember, we are not supposed to be here. Make sure to keep everything in place."
"Understood," said Romeo and Alzack at once, not risking any argument with the scarlet-haired woman.
Grinning, Bisca snapped her fingers. "Now, let's get to work."
With wishes of good luck and warnings to watch out for demons, the two groups went their separate ways. While the males had Romeo to light their path, the female pair relied on a shard of Light Lacrima that Erza had with her.
Link trotted ahead of Alzack and Romeo, far enough that they could still see his tail in the boy's firelight. Pipo's pendant shone within the darkness in front of the wolf, partially revealing what the long, empty corridor had to offer. Compared to what Link had seen in the temple so far, the hall was dull and lacking in decoration.
Link found a plain, wooden door down the next hall in which he needed to wait for Alzack to open. Inside was a large room containing rows of ceiling-high shelves filled with thousands of old, dusty books and musty, yellow scrolls. The group searched every corner and found nothing that could hide a majestic sword of light.
Over the next hour, they entered one room after the next, each one ending with the same disappointing result. From old junk to dry foods, none of the rooms they searched held anything suspicious or any clues.
During the whole time, Pipo told stories about each room and what they were used for in ancient times.
"The humans have taken good care of the temple over the centuries. If it wasn't for them, this place would be dusty old ruins by now," she commented.
Link had been listening to the chatty bird with only half an ear as he fervently searched every nook and cranny. Growing frustrated, Link dashed out of the current room only to skid to a halt when Alzack shouted for him to wait.
The wolf growled and glared at Alzack in annoyance, making the man flinch back and hold his hands up in defense.
"Hey, easy there, buddy," said Alzack in a calming tone, as he carefully approached the impatient beast with Romeo right behind him. "I'm just as frustrated as you are. I know you want to find your master's sword as quick as possible, but searching every room isn't going to work, it'll take forever and that's time we don't have." Furrowing his brow, he leaned against the wall and rubbed the side of his tired face. "I've been thinking, if I were a thief who stole something very important to these people, I wouldn't hide it in a place that's easily accessible to anyone. I'd hide it somewhere secret that no one else or maybe only a few would know."
"It's possible there could be a secret room somewhere in this temple," Romeo chimed in, setting his attention on the wolf. "Links did find that hidden path in the mountain. What do you think, boy? Can your ghost friend help us?"
"I'm not a ghost!" Pipo squawked angrily while hopping up and down on Link's head.
"Nor am I a boy," the wolf grumbled with a snort as he turned away from the humans for a moment. "You are invisible to them so they perceive you as a ghost, Pipo," he explained to the bouncing sparrow, "But never mind that. Can it be true? Is there a sealed door within this temple that only a few can open?"
The bird paused and began to ponder, tilting her head this way and that. "Hmm… Let's see if I can remember… Oh! I know! Izazza's Sanctuary! Come! Follow me!"
The sparrow was already a glowing speck at the other end of the dark hall before Link could even say, "Iza-who?"
Link quietly grumbled to himself before looking over his shoulder to meet Romeo's curious stare and Alzack's look of disbelief. Before they could even question him, he bolted away to chase after Pipo.
"Hey!" exclaimed Alzack out of surprise.
"I think the Light God is showing him the way!" said Romeo, "Let's go!"
"Uh, alright…" the other muttered hesitantly.
A pair of footsteps soon followed the wolf through the dark corridors. Although the light spirit was far ahead, she made sure to wait for Link to see her before she would disappear around corners. In turn, he had to patiently wait for the Alzack and Romeo to catch up before sprinting off again. Left, right, around a number of bends, Pipo led the hero and the two mages of Fairy Tail through what seemed like half of the entire temple until finally reaching a large, domed chamber. It appeared to be a grand hall for ceremonies and gatherings with pillars marked with crimson suns and falcon-head sconces lining the central walkway and a raised altar at the far end.
Pipo was spiraling in the air above the altar, appearing like a magical fairy in the darkness. When she spotted Link quickly approaching, she dropped down to land on something that sparkled like diamonds before it suddenly flashed with blinding white light.
Grunting, Link stopped in his tracks and shut his eyes from the sudden brightness.
"It's here, Master! It's here!" Pipo sang merrily. "Right behind this big white blanket!"
Blanket?
The wolf blinked rapidly to adjust his sight, finding most of the chamber lit up by the Light Lacrima Pipo had activated from her touch. It was a crystal statue of the spirit's mother, carved into a majestic form with her haloed head raised skyward and her wings spread out as if preparing for flight. Perched on a tall podium upon the altar, Link could see why the falcon was perceived as the temple's holy 'Light God'.
Behind the podium was the 'blanket', a giant, white, gold trimmed drapery that covered the middle of the wall from ceiling to floor. Golden tassels hung from the bottom edge and in the centre was the famous mark of the falcon and sun in crimson thread. Words written in gold, black-outlined text surrounded the crest. Of what they spoke of, Link may never know since he could not read the written language in this land.
Panting with his tongue lolling out of his mouth, the wolf climbed onto the altar just as Alzack and Romeo stepped foot into the chamber. The pair soundly gasped when their eyes saw the crystal statue alive with magic.
"Oh, praise these Thirteen Gods, they actually do exist…" Alzack murmured in between breaths.
Romeo laughed at the man's bewildered reaction. "I told you," said the boy as he joined Link at the altar to gaze upon the shining statue, "The Light God is really guiding us. So… where is this secret room?"
Pipo flew back down to perch on Link's head and happily chanted, "Behind the blanket! Behind the blanket!"
To answer the young mage's question himself, the wolf crawled under the golden tassels to find a foot of space between the drapery and wall. His nose immediately picked up the fresh scent of someone's perfume, spicy with a hint of musk. Link could taste the fragrance, which was a good indication that it wasn't too long ago that this mysterious person had passed through here.
It was undoubtedly the thief; there wasn't supposed to be anyone inside the temple at night let alone in a hidden sanctuary.
Invigorated by the discovery, it only took seconds before Link found a narrow doorway. Inside was a small, empty square room that smelled of melted wax and spicy perfume. Pipo's pendant shone upon the far wall, revealing a carved image that was surprisingly not of a falcon, but of a fox; it sat facing forward and had diagonal slits for eyes and instead of a sun, it was superimposed over a large flame, making its tail appear like actual fire.
On either side of the carving were five black iron fox heads positioned in staggered horizontal rows and dangling from their metal fangs were tarnished, silvery chains attached to small holders that contained old, red lumpy candles. The blackened wicks still smelled burnt; it was likely over an hour ago that they had been lit.
"This is the sealed door?" Link asked his spirit friend just as Romeo and Alzack made their way inside.
"A hidden room!" Romeo exclaimed, dark eyes scanning what little the room had to offer. Confusion crossed his face when he saw what was on the wall. "Is that a fox? Isn't the Light God supposed to be a falcon?"
Alzack raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was… Maybe…"
While the two mages went on to discuss the topic of different gods, Pipo cheerily answered Link's previous question, "Yes! Behind this door is Izazza's Sanctuary. Izazza is the Celestial Spirit of fire so you need fire to open it. Good thing one of your humans can use that element!"
"Our thief has passed through this door," the wolf replied, an angry growl in his voice. The trail of perfume ended right at the wall with the fox. He approached the closest candle that dangled one head higher than his current height. "These candles… The key is to light them in a specific order, I presume?"
The sparrow flew onto the nose of the same iron fox and peered down at the beast. "That's right! Just like with the Pipapo! Except these candles only need to be lit once and there are only ten of them, so it won't take as long or be as fun to activate the magic switch."
Link wanted to sigh at the bird's remark and ended up shaking his head at her old master's way of thinking. "Why did your master implement such complicating measures to seal a door?" he muttered under his breath.
"Oh, Master Otharo didn't place these magic seals; we spirits did!" the sparrow answered, having overheard him. "We did it mostly for fun, but it was also for keeping unwanted guests out. Although, that doesn't always work… Humans tend to figure things out when given enough time…"
That fact was true. The most difficult of problems could often be solved with patience, wit, and time. Unfortunately, Link was running out of two of those factors. Urgently, he asked, "Will I need Izazza to show me how to open the door?"
"No need, Master! Izazza is stuck in the Celestial Spirit World but I've watched him open the door a few times way back when we were all still together. I can open it! Let's see… I think it went like this…" The sparrow flitted to the farthest candle on the left side of the hidden door and chanted for him to come to it.
Nodding, Link then turned to Romeo who was busy tracing a finger along the etched lines on the wall out of fascination. The wolf circled the boy and, using the top of his head, started to push the mage.
"Whoa. What is it, Links?" asked Romeo as the wolf positioned him in front of the first unlit candle.
Link barked and used his nose to nudge the boy's arm that carried the magical flame towards the candle.
The young mage was quick to figure out what the beastly hero wanted him to do. Smiling at the wolf, he said with excitement, "Oh! I see. You want me to light this candle? Do they need to be lit in some kind of order to open this secret door?"
What a smart boy. Link nodded vigorously and received a wider grin in return.
The wolf followed the invisible sparrow's lead while the boy followed the wolf. Back and forth the three of them went and one by one, the red candles began to burn, filling the little room with warm flickering light. After the last candle was lit, the lines that formed the fox and flame flashed a bright orange. Alzack, who had been silently watching at the back, let out a quiet sound of surprise.
The fiery light in the fox's slanted eyes remained a second longer before the symbol turned back to stone gray. The whole temple seemed to tremble as the two halves of the square door slid apart to reveal a dark, unwelcoming hall.
Wafting from within the black abyss was the unpleasant aroma of stale, earthly air mixed with spicy perfume and mildew.
The thief was waiting beyond the doorway and knowing this made Link angrily snarl. He was riled at the thought; the fur on his back stood on end and his throat deeply rumbled as he eyed the shadows like a starving predator.
"This door won't close after you enter," said Pipo as she reunited with her master's head, not minding the wolf's dangerous mood. "As long as the candles burn, it will stay open. It can be opened on the other side too by lighting a candle switch."
"Good," the wolf grunted. Without wasting another moment, he dashed into the secret passageway, ignoring the humans' cries of protest and Pipo's squeal of joy.
The passageway was unlike the halls of the temple; the walls were dirty and spotted black with mold and the floor covered in dust. There were footprints leading to and fro, both fresh and old, and all belonged to the same person.
The path gently sloped downwards after a short while and it wasn't long until Link and Pipo entered what was supposed to be a sanctuary for a Celestial Spirit of fire. However, what they found instead was a warm chamber filled with large machines that hummed with electrical power and blinked with colorful lights in the darkness. They ranged in sizes and shapes, from stout and blocky, to tall and cylindrical, and all were constructed from metal.
"What are all these things?" Pipo exclaimed in awe. She flitted towards the closest machine to take a closer look at a panel of knobs and flashing white buttons. "These were never here before! They're so pretty to look at!"
"Pipo, stay with me," Link warned quietly as he prowled around the strange machines, trying to figure out where the thief could be hiding about. It was possible for the thief to have heard the sealed door open, giving the scoundrel plenty of time to hide somewhere. While Pipo hopped restlessly around his head to look at all the blinking lights, the wolf tuned his ears, hearing nothing but the strange murmur of the metal contraptions and the rapid whirring of fans inside them.
The room was oddly dark, making it seem like no one was here, but there was no hiding the truth from Link's nose.
Blue eyes flickered from one lit up machine to the next, curious and wary as to what they were all for. Link didn't pay too much attention to where he was walking that he ended up stumbling over a bundle of thick, heavy, crisscrossing black cords lying on the floor. They snaked between the machines, connecting one to the next in some sort of electrical network.
His ears pricked at a loud beep coming from somewhere further in. He stiffened and turned his head, listening intently for any movement. A few rapid heartbeats later, he heard it again.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"It's coming from behind that metal thing with the red and green lights," Pipo pointed out, curious to find out what the noise was.
Link carefully made his way around and spotted something shining white from within a large glass case set atop a slightly raised platform that steadily pulsed with a deep purple light. Located in the center of the room, multiple, long cords were attached to the platform from all sides, connecting it to a number of surrounding machines. The beeping sound was coming from one of those metal contraptions that also had a glowing, magical, square display showing strange symbols and scrolling foreign text.
Link's attention didn't linger too long on the flashing display but was instead drawn to the light inside the glass case. He drew a sharp breath the instant he recognized the radiant object encased within.
"Master! There's your sword!" Pipo cried in excitement.
The wolf sprinted towards his holy blade and screeched to a halt before the solid pane of glass barring his way. He gazed upon the magnificent sword, seeing the blade unmarred from its journey from the sky and into the solid stone of the temple's altar. The shining sword was held up by an unseen force; levitating above the pulsing platform with its sharp tip pointed downward and its flat side facing Link, baring the emblem of the sacred Triforce.
Link wanted to cry in relief. The Master Sword was here and not taken somewhere far away as he had feared. He raised his right paw to touch the glass that was in the way, wishing he could reach inside and grab the purple handle. It was so very close! He needed to figure out how to open the case or somehow break the glass.
"A mutt?" a man suddenly uttered in disdain, making Link turn sharply towards the speaker who reeked of spice.
Overwhelmed by the discovery of his lost sword, Link had momentarily forgotten that he was in the thief's lair. He saw nothing but the faint outline of the man who stood before one of his lit up machines.
"How did it get in here?" the man continued, speaking seemingly to himself at first, but then Link detected the presence of another being that had suddenly appeared as if summoned. "Get rid of it."
"Master! The shadows! They're moving!" Pipo shrieked in panic.
Indeed, the shadows were stirring beyond the boundary of the Master Sword's holy light. A giant, mysterious creature capable of manipulating the darkness slithered towards the wolf and spirit, its heavy body soundly dragging on the floor. It smelled like earthen clay as if it had emerged from deep beneath the ground.
It released a drawn, throaty hiss, its putrid, sour breath burning Link's nose.
Growling, the wolf bared his teeth in a vicious snarl, ears flat against his head and his body hunched, ready for battle. Staying in the holy light of his blade, he eyed what he believed to be the head region of the shadowed creature as it started to circle its target.
A pair of footsteps rushed towards Link's location, accompanied by warm firelight.
"There you are, Lin – ack!"
"Get back, Romeo!" Alzack shouted, yanking the boy away from the danger hiding in the darkness.
"Mages of Fairy Tail," the man spat quietly to himself before whispering the command, "Kill them first."
The creature hissed and quickly redirected its attention towards the two mages poised a short distance behind the wolf, both prepared for a fight. Alzack stood protectively in front, armed with twin, hand-sized, firing weapons drawn from their holsters while Romeo held blazing orange fireballs in both hands.
Link was faster than the slithering monster and managed to dash ahead and position himself before the mages. He didn't want to risk attacking what he couldn't see in fear of breaking his teeth on tough bony plating or hurting himself on spines. He barked and snarled at the approaching fiend and received a furious hiss in return.
"Links," Alzack began, his weapons clicking, "Is this the demon?"
"It must be it," said Romeo, a nervous quiver in his voice, "Look! My fire doesn't even shine through its weird shadow!"
It was true; the boy's bright burning flames did not penetrate the darkness shrouding the monster. It appeared like a giant, living mass of black mist with a pair of arm-like limbs.
Pipo chirped, "A demon! This must be the one Mom was talking about!"
When the monster was upon them, Alzack fired his weapons, producing an ear-deafening bang-bang that made Link jump away in alarm. Golden beams of energy were launched from the silver barrels of the man's weapons, each one sounding like exploding bombs to the wolf's sensitive ears. The beams struck the darkness, but didn't appear to do any damage.
Alzack cursed. "What happened? Did it absorb my magic?!"
"Let me try!" said Romeo, stepping in front with a determined face. He flung both of his fireballs at the wall of black mist, but the magic was immediately swallowed by the darkness and soundly fizzled out.
Unharmed by their attacks, the demon raised one arm and swiped downwards at the wolf and mages. Link leapt to the side while Alzack and Romeo dodged in the opposite direction. With a loud bam, the monster's hand slammed into the floor, its fingers impaling the stone underneath and blowing a wave of dust aside.
Pipo chirped and flapped frantically to stay on Link's head. "Master! Master! Don't forget Mom can help you!" she reminded, giving the wolf a little bite on the ear.
While the demon was busy freeing its hand, Link nodded. "Sing for me, Pipo, and I shall call for her aid at once."
"Yes, Master! Listen closely: Pipo-pipo-peeta-po!"
The wolf breathed deep, raised his nose to the ceiling and sang along with the light spirit. His howling notes filled the chamber, drawing everyone's attention.
After the last note was sung, Link felt power surge from the silver key around his neck. Bright golden light flashed right above him, appearing as many glowing particles. The particles gathered to take on the form of the majestic falcon whose body shone as bright as the sun and whose voice was as beautiful as a maiden's. Singing the same melody, Pipaya, the Celestial Spirit of light, hovered in the air with her wings gently flapping and her long tail and head feathers flowing like silk ribbons in the wind.
Even though the falcon was not truly a deity, she was one in appearance and literally the sign of light and hope.
Pipo flew happy circles around her mother, tweeting in joy.
It only took one short second for the falcon to assess the situation. "Master Link, allow me to chase away this wicked darkness! Shine!" Her body shone brighter, so bright that Link couldn't look at her without going blind. Even when he shut his eyes, he could still see her light behind his eyelids. He could feel it too, warm and welcoming on his fur like the morning sun after a cold, miserable night.
There were sounds of surprise followed by startled yelps when the surrounding machines suddenly began to beep erratically, spark with electricity, and pop, zap, and spew acrid smoke.
"What?!" the thief roared and that was the moment Link opened his eyes to find out what was happening.
He was met with light coming from all directions. Every Light Lacrima mounted on the walls and hanging from the ceiling in black iron chandeliers were now imbued with Pipaya's power, revealing every corner in the chamber as well as the demon's true form.
A growl escaped Link's throat when his eyes fell on the monster hissing in the centre of the room. It was a giant, reptilian beast covered in smooth, glossy black scales mottled with dark gray and striped with crimson. The lower half of its body was that of a snake's; long and slender and coiled around itself, while the upper half was that of a lizard's with two muscular arms that ended with terrible clawed hands. Upon its reptilian head was a horned mask made of ancient stone that was a mossy-green and hid the creature's eyes, hence why it did not react when the room was lit. Its forked, black tongue flicked out of its fanged mouth a few times, tasting the air and sensing its targets.
"Master Link," Pipaya began, swooping down to land beside the wolf. Her gold eyes narrowed at the creature before them. "The great evil I had mentioned earlier stands behind this vile fiend."
"Is it the man?" Link questioned, watching the snake-beast carefully. The monstrosity was blocking his view of the thief so the man's identity still remained a secret.
"He is no man," the spirit replied with a shake of her head, "He is a wicked demon in disguise. I'm sorry. My power is not as strong as it used to be… My light cannot show his true face."
"Do not worry," the wolf assured the spirit, "Your light is helping us greatly. Evil can no longer hide in the shadows."
He flinched when Alzack started to fire his weapons, launching a barrage of fiery bullets at the reptilian monster. Each bullet exploded in hot, searing flames on impact, but did little to scratch the demon's tough scales.
Blue, red, and purple fireballs pelted the monster's chest soon after, but the serpent appeared more annoyed than hurt by Romeo's colourful flames. Magic was proving to be ineffective against the serpent-beast and Alzack and Romeo were quick to realize that fact.
Letting out a throaty snarl, the scaly demon shook off the mages' combined magic and lunged at them, swiping its claws at the anxious pair.
"Pipo! Stay with your mother!" Link commanded as he ran to help the mages.
"Yes, Master!" the sparrow chirped.
The wolf leapt at the monster's attacking arm and latched onto its elbow with his teeth. Link bit with all his might and, to his surprise, was able to sink his fangs through the demon's scales and into its flesh. He jerked his head side-to-side, savagely tearing muscles and tendons and making the monster cry out in pain. Hot, disgusting blood filled his mouth, but he refused to let go, even when he started to choke on it.
The creature thrashed its injured arm and eventually threw Link off, losing a fleshy chunk of its arm to the hero.
With a grunt, Link landed on his side and quickly rolled onto his feet, his fierce blue eyes glowering at the fiend whose blood was tainted with corruption. He spat away the awful meat and licked his bloodied teeth, recognizing the foul taste in his mouth. He now understood why Fairy Tail's magic was harmless against the demon; the creature was a Twilit monster.
There was no mistaking it. Although the creatures corrupted by Twilight had different scents, they all had the same tasting blood; salty, bittersweet, and rotten. Link was repulsed by the taste of their blood the first time he was forced to fight Shadow Beasts as a wolf. Eventually, he had grown tolerant of it, having no choice but to kill the creatures with his fangs every time he was attacked in the realm of Twilight.
"You're a beast now, so fight like one!" one particular Twilit imp had scolded him when he had trouble defeating his first Shadow Beast. "You either kill them, or they kill you."
"Go for the throat," she had told him one other time, giving him her trademarked one-fanged sneer, "You'll kill them faster that way. You don't want to drag battles out too long, right?" Her sneer became solemn when she had added, "Put these dumb monsters out of their misery."
Go for the throat. Those four words repeated in his head like a mantra.
Link eyed the demon's jugular like a hungry wild animal, snarling viciously to match the angry hisses coming out of the monster's mouth. He wasn't sure how a Twilit monster could exist in a temple that was deemed holy or why it obeyed the thief, but he knew for certain that he was the only one who could defeat it.
The Twilit beast ignored the harmless mages and sought only the wolf that dared to wound it. It raised its good arm and brought it down in hope of crushing the hero under its large palm.
Link easily dodged the slow attack by leaping to the side. The monster smashed one of the machines in the process, making pieces of metal fly and the thief cry out in horror. Link went in for the kill by jumping on top of one of the machines to gain enough height to leap at the monster's thick, exposed neck.
The moment his fangs snapped around scaly flesh, the giant serpent-beast screamed and twisted around, almost throwing Link off. Before the wolf could rip out the fiend's neck, he was suddenly struck down by what felt like a searing hot blade slashing into his right shoulder and side.
With a pained yelp, he felt himself soar through the air for a brief moment before his back slammed into an immovable wall.
"Master! Master!"
"Link! Hang in there!"
Stunned, disoriented, and sore all over, it took Link a little while to recognize Pipo and Pipaya's voices amongst the yelling and shouting that seemed to have erupted within the chamber. Lying on his side, he cracked one eye open and found the spirits looking down at him with worry.
Pipo dropped onto the wolf to stare right into his eye and shrieked at the top of her lungs, "Are you okay, Master?! Are you okay?!"
Link grimaced and let out a groan at the sheer volume of her voice. He shook the dizziness out of his head, accidentally throwing the sparrow off, and moved to stand. "I am fin–" he cut himself off when sharp, throbbing pain lanced through his right shoulder and side, forcing him to stay down and whimper. He didn't need to see to know he was bleeding; he could smell it.
"It was the man in white who hurt you!" shouted Pipo, showing a rare case of anger. "He shot holy energy at you!"
"Holy? Is he not a demon?" the wolf grunted. Baring his teeth in effort, he tried to ignore the pain to stand. It wasn't just his wounds giving him trouble, his whole body felt sore and bruised.
"He is," answered Pipaya, "However, he is somehow granted with holy magic. It might be the staff he wields."
A man in white who wielded a holy staff... if it was not Priest Jarron, it was the High Priest Owen. And Link was certain it was the latter since he already knew what Jarron smelled and sounded like.
Up on four feet, Link quickly looked around, finding that he had been thrown across the room to crash against one of the stone walls. Nonfunctioning, smoking machines blocked his view from the Twilit monster and the others, but he could hear everyone's voices echoing in the chamber, including Bisca's and Erza's, much to his surprise.
Did the sounds of battle lure them to the entrance to the secret sanctuary?
Warm blood trickled down Link's front right leg as he limped towards the voices with his spirits following closely in the air above him. He listened as the mages of Fairy Tail finally confronted the perpetrator responsible for taking his sword.
"… you figured it out even when I dropped that 'hint' on Zanna being the likely culprit. You Fairy scum shouldn't have come here. I don't care how you entered this temple or how you even found my laboratory, you foolish lot will not leave here alive!"
"You will pay for this," Bisca seethed, clearly on the verge of screaming at the thief in rage, "You lied to everyone, you deceived all these faithful people!"
The man guffawed, his mockery ringing loud within the chamber. "These people are idiots," the thief retorted in scorn, "They themselves follow a lie, they worship an imaginary god. This temple means nothing. There is no Light God – there is no Chosen One and this sword did not fall from a place called heaven! The people here are gullible fools, Lady Bisca. They believe in fake gods and stupid prophecies.
"You had me afraid for a moment when that damn mutt of yours somehow did all of this, but," he let out a smug laugh, "Good riddance it was no godly beast. Gods do not bleed after all."
"You–" Bisca cursed at him. She would have attacked in a blind rage if Alzack hadn't interfered.
"Careful, Bisca! Careful!" her husband warned, soundly holding her back. "His monster is immune to our magic!"
"What you did was unforgivable!" she screamed at the thief. "If he is dead, nothing will stop me from shooting that smile off your fat, ugly face!"
"Why are you doing this?" Erza demanded, calmer in manner, but her voice held a dangerous edge, "Why join this faith – why did you even become the High Priest if you do not believe in it? What is your reason for being here in the first place?"
The perpetrator soundly smirked and spoke with arrogant pride, "For years, I lived among these idiots to ensure there will be no obstacle in the future when the one True Lord returns to us. And that is Lord Zeref!"
"Zeref?!" the mages exclaimed as one, each one expressing a different emotion towards that name.
Link didn't hear the rest of the conversation because Romeo suddenly appeared in front of him after he rounded a corner.
"Links! Thank the Light God you're still alive!" the boy whispered in relief, rushing towards the wolf. He frowned in concern when he saw Link's injuries. "Oh no… You're hurt bad. You should stay here and hide."
Link grunted to disagree and pressed on only to have Romeo block his path.
"Wait, boy! It's okay now. Erza's here. She can defeat that monster. She's crazy strong – Links! Stop!"
The wolf tried to limp around the young mage but the boy stepped in front of him.
"Perhaps it's best to heed your human," suggested Pipaya, giving her master the same look of concern. "If there is a magical human as powerful as he says…"
"No," Link snapped, "That snake-fiend is a Twilit monster. Only I can defeat it." Not only that, he was enraged at the thief who called himself the High Priest; stealing the Master Sword, living in deceit, attempting to kill Link and then threatening to kill Bisca and her companions – there were good reasons for the wolf to sink his fangs into the wicked demon in disguise.
"Child, please move!" He barked and snarled at Romeo, making the boy gulp and immediately jump away in fright.
"But Links–"
Another angry bark silenced Romeo and kept him out of the way.
Link continued on towards the centre of the room. The light spirits circled above while Romeo trailed a safe distance behind. By then, the heated argument between the thief and Fairy Tail had turned into a battle between good and evil.
There was shouting, hissing, and explosive shots fired before the sound of blades clashing against solid scales joined the chaos. Metal screeched and stones were cracked and broken as the surrounding environment was caught in the fray.
Link broke into a painful trot and made it just in time to see the giant Twilit beast get thrown aside, its huge body crashing into rows of machines, breaking them apart and turning the room a mess. He spotted Erza soaring towards the fallen creature in a new, impressive suit of armour that was black and winged. She was armed with a double-edged blade that shimmered with magical power.
Snarling, the serpent-beast whipped its entire tail at the scarlet-haired warrioress who, in return, swung her silvery sword. Sparks flew as her blade noisily grinded against the monster's mottled scales. Unable to cut through, she was knocked back from the heavy blow.
The creature's tail continued to lash out, sweeping across the room and destroying everything in the way, including the glass and metal case that held the Master Sword.
Link watched with bated breath as his sacred weapon was tossed into the air in an incredible arc, spinning seemingly in slow motion alongside glistening shards of broken glass. The Master Sword banged off a machine, clattered on the floor and skidded to a final stop against a pile of crumpled metal, only a short distance away from Link.
Blue eyes were wide and transfixed on the legendary blade softly glowing on the floor. Link was mesmerized by its light, his mind screaming at him, "The sword is free! Grab it!"
He took a quick glance at the ongoing battle, seeing Erza busy tangling with the serpent-beast that refused to stay down, and Alzack and Bisca exchanging magical projectiles with a plump, bearded man wielding a shining staff and dressed in a flowing white mantle and robe.
None of them noticed the Master Sword or the wolf sprinting towards it.
Link could barely breathe when he stepped up to the Master Sword, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. Holding his breath, he touched the purple hilt with his front left paw and immediately felt the effect of his curse lift away. Transforming from beast to man was not painful, but the most uncomfortable sensation he had ever felt. Starting with his front left toes and spreading up his leg and throughout the rest of his body, it was like his fur was being peeled away by tingling, prickling needles to expose the naked skin beneath.
He gasped when the transformation was complete and opened his eyes to see his gloved hands instead of furry paws. Fingers – oh blessed, dexterous fingers that Link had dearly missed – clenched and unclenched before he grasped the metal hilt of the Master Sword. Slowly, he rose onto his two legs, standing upright and tall. After being a wolf for so long, it felt strange to be a Hylian again, as if he was in a different body that was not entirely his own. All his senses have changed, especially his sense of smell; no longer could he recognize every different odour present in the chamber or detect where they were coming from. Colours were more vibrant with Hylian eyes and his hearing, although still as sharp as a wolf's, could not be directed for locating the origin of sounds with pin-point accuracy.
Despite the differences, Link couldn't be happier to be his true self. Wearing an uncontrollably joyous smile on his face, he took a deep breath to fill his lungs with the stale, smoky air of the sanctuary for the first time as a man.
He looked himself over, seeing Pipaya's silver key still hanging around his neck and his green tunic and chain mail in the same dirty condition he had last worn them. With his free hand, he double-checked to make sure his leather sword and quiver sashes were buckled tight across his chest and then triple-checked to make sure his rupee and equipment pouches were still around his waist. Upon his back, he could feel the familiar weights of his Hylian Shield, his quiver full of arrows, and his empty sheath. With the Master Sword in his hand, nothing was missing anymore.
There was happy twittering right in his left ear. He turned his head to find Pipo bouncing on his shoulder, gazing at him in wild astonishment. Pipaya was hovering nearby, her eyes gleaming with a smile. She trilled and sang, but sadly, Link could no longer understand what his spirits were saying.
He spoke quietly to them, his own voice sounding strange to his own ears; "Both of you, stay back. I will take care of this."
Chirping, Pipo nodded and joined her mother in the air.
"L-Links?" someone squeaked from behind the swordsman.
The hero glanced over his shoulder and found Romeo gawking with eyes so wide, Link was afraid they would pop out of their sockets. The boy's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but no sound came out. Since their arrival to this temple, the young mage was bewildered by every new thing Link had done, but this level of surprise, which had Romeo stunned and speechless, was beyond all those instances combined together.
Link gave the boy a confident smirk before turning his focus on the Twilit beast, eyes narrowing. The monster's back was facing him for it was busy swatting at an evasive Erza as if she was an annoying insect. She was now dressed in a suit of pink armour decorated with wing-like ornaments and a flowing, purplish cape. She used twin blades instead of one, slashing and moving with amazing speed and grace. But even with her new weapons equipped, the serpent-beast was unharmed by her attacks.
Link was driven to help. He stumbled after his first step due to the sudden pain coming from his forgotten injuries. His right shoulder and side were throbbing again, but that didn't stop him. Jaw clenched and hand taut around the hilt of his blade, Link steeled against the pain and charged forward.
Running on two legs was a lot slower than he remembered, but nevertheless, he reached the Twilit beast in a short number of strides. The hissing monster was raking its claws along the floor, tearing the stones where Erza once stood a second ago, too occupied with the mage to notice the hero's approach.
Link hopped onto the reptile's coiled tail for a boost before leaping high enough to plunge the Master Sword hilt-deep into its back, right between its shoulder blades. The sword pierced through tough scales, tissues, and bones like a hot knife through butter. The Twilit beast reared back from the pain, its furious hisses suddenly cut short. It attempted to reach for Link, to pry away the source of its agony, but its strength gave out when its claws were only a foot away from the hero. Turning completely limp, the monster fell forward and its huge upper body hit the floor with a loud, trembling thud with Link kneeled on top.
Rising, the swordsman slid his sword free from the lifeless creature whose body began to disintegrate into floating black particles of Twilight that disappeared into nothingness shortly after. He hopped off moments before the dead beast completely vanished where it left behind only the damage it caused.
Link didn't notice the silence that had fallen in the chamber until the man in white demanded furiously, "Wh-Who are you?!"
Link looked up to find everyone staring at him, each person wearing a different expression. Erza was wary, still poised in a fighting stance, while Alzack appeared confused, brow furrowed and one eyebrow raised. Bisca, on the other hand… when Link's eyes finally met hers, she instantly recognized him. Her reaction was the same as Romeo's; her violet eyes grew so wide and her lower jaw fell to the floor in utter shock. She dropped her large, two-handed firing weapon and brought a trembling hand to cover her gaping mouth as she slowly shook her head in disbelief, never blinking.
Link gave her a grateful smile and a meaningful nod of his head before shooting a hateful glare at the demon impersonating a fat priest.
The man flinched from the hero's fierce gaze. "Who are you?!" he demanded again, pointing the crystal end of his staff at the swordsman. His pudgy face was flushed with anger and yet his eyes quivered with unease.
The hero slashed his sword to the side just as he fully turned to face the priest, soundly cutting the air. He brought the Master Sword before him and held the point skyward in both hands, baring the sacred emblem of the Triforce for his foe to see. "I am the one destined to wield this legendary blade," he answered valiantly, seeing fear flash in the man's eyes. "And I am the one to bring you down, demon!"
In one fluid motion, Link lowered his Master Sword by his side and lunged at the fiend.
The fear that overcame the priest only lasted half a second. Seething in rage, he swung his staff downwards and roared, "You are no god! Divine Scythe!" The crystal on the top of the staff flashed with light as it unleashed a wave of energy that was white and pure and in the shape of a crescent blade. The magic soundly cut through the air towards the rushing Hylian.
Link gripped the Master Sword's hilt with both hands and slashed at the magical blade of holy energy. There was barely a sound when the swordsman's sacred weapon easily cleaved through and dissipated the priest's magical attack.
"What?!" The man was terrified at what Link had done and it showed on his pudgy, bearded face. He stumbled backwards as the hero continued to rapidly close the distance between them. In a panic, he screamed, "No! Imp! Stop him!"
His shadow suddenly came to life. It shot out from beneath the priest and instantly materialized into its own form right in front of Link, becoming a small, shadowed, humanoid being that hovered in midair.
The hero froze in his tracks when he saw a familiar face staring back at him with one vacant red eye that was not hidden under the stone, horned helm of an old relic.
"Midna?" Link whispered in disbelief, his enthusiasm gone in a single breath.
The Twilit Imp didn't respond to him; she only stared forward, focusing on nothing, as if caught in a trance. An endless number of questions raced through Link's head, but none would form on his lips. He didn't realize he had dropped his guard until someone screamed at him to look out for something.
He was too slow to react and could only watch with gut-wrenching dread as Midna threw a large orb of black, twisting energy at him with her extendable, arm-like hair. The energy struck him square in the chest and exploded like a bomb. It was like getting hit by a solid, moving wall rather than a hot, fiery blast, but still equally as painful.
Ears ringing and mouth tasting like copper, he felt his body fly far and fast through the air. He couldn't remember the landing or the number of voices crying out his name; the only thing he could remember, before losing consciousness, was the pang in his heart from being betrayed by his dear friend…
A/N: Was hoping to update before Christmas, but sadly, that didn't happen. Before New Years will have to do.
Will Link ever get a break? Haha! The answer is never.
For those who made assumptions it was Midna behind the theft, thanks for the inspiration behind the plot twist! Didn't originally consider having Midna play that kind of role, but thought otherwise after hearing some of your ideas.
And Izazza's a fire fox. Get it? Like the internet browser that some of you are using? Been waiting a long time to say that...
Hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter. Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!