And here is the second half of the previous chapter. Questions will be answered, mysteries will be solved (maybe), and the earth will tremble.
Wait, what?
Chapter 17 – Bright Souls
"W-what!" Link sputtered, instinctively reaching for the Master Sword. "Why does he want Zelda, besides an attempt to hurt me?"
"It's about the souls. It's always been about the souls."
"What does that even mean?" Link asked through gritted teeth. Lucario knew all of this time and he let Zelda go off back to the castle when they could have been watching over her.
"Calm yourself," Lucario said so low that it was almost a whisper. "Kneph does not realize that Zelda is his target."
Link released his grip on the Master Sword and let it slide back into the sheath on his back. He took a deep breath and looked up to the bright half-moon in the sky. A wall of clouds made their way across the sky and threatened to shroud the moon in minutes.
"Allow me to explain the situation more thoroughly, but to do that we must go back to earlier today. Did you not wonder how I found you in Centropolis? A schoolboy that was a reincarnated hero with only fleeting memories of his past life."
Link actually had wondered, and it was something Freddy had mentioned.
"Among a spirit elementalist's repertoire of powers is the ability to see and read souls. I located and identified your soul because it's special. You have a Champion Soul, and so does Princess Zelda. And though I've never encountered him, I'm sure your nemesis Ganondorf has one as well."
"Soul of a champion, huh?" Link replied with bitter cynicism. "Some accolades if they're even handing them out to Ganondorf!"
"Champion Souls burn brighter than normal souls. They represent a being with the will and power to greatly impact the future of their world – but not necessarily a pure soul. Simply put, one in possession of a Champion Soul is not to be trifled with."
"So I take it Kneph is going after everyone with Champion Souls? All of this time and he didn't connect any dots to Zelda?"
"Kneph is a brash, murderous fool. Demons are soulless creatures composed of the worst of humanity while harboring disdain for the best life has to offer. They don't have consciences and don't understand concepts like love, loyalty or compassion. At their core lies what I like to call an anti-soul for lack of a better name.
"The way they locate souls is to get close to one. It gives them a feeling of revulsion, and it's greatest around Champion Souls. Since Kneph has never engaged the princess in battle..."
"He never got close enough to realize the truth," Link murmured. "He's been killing random people, probably hoping that along the way he'd run into another Champion Soul...me being the hero that I am, I couldn't let him get away with the killings, so I basically outed myself the first time we fought. It explains why he was so happy to see me when we met in the castle town."
Lucario scratched his chin in thought. "When you defeated Kneph and passed, Azazel must have realized there was at least one other Champion Soul here. I don't know how he can sense souls, but he seems to be able to do it even within the depths of The Void. He knows when the Champion Souls are removed from a world so that he can consume it with little resistance."
'Consumed' made Link imagine a giant monster taking a bite out of the land, but something as dangerous as Azazel couldn't possibly be that ridiculous.
"What exactly happens to a world that's consumed?" he asked, shifting uncomfortably on the tree stump he was sitting on.
Lucario sighed and said, "Do you remember how you felt in The Void? Azazel engulfs a world in a suffocating ocean of darkness that feeds off of your very life force, paralyzing you as your humanity is slowly eaten away and your mind is filled with fear and despair. You live a torturous existence until you give up or burn out, leaving simply your core, but it never truly ends, for those consumed in Azazel's darkness cannot truly die, and thus their souls are trapped in their fallen world."
"Death would only be merciful in that situation..." Link murmured, almost in disbelief of his own words.
Lucario suddenly stood and began to pace as he explained further, "Not only is what Azazel submitting worlds to a fate worse than death, it is severely disrupting the flow of the universe. The reason worlds like Hyrule surround Centropolis is because they are connected by spiritual corridors. When a life is extinguished in its world of origin, the soul travels to Centropolis and is reincarnated. When that life is over, the soul returns to its origin world and starts the process again."
"Wow, who knew? So if I died again I'd be reincarnated here?"
Lucario nodded. "The raccoon boy. You have noticed that there is no one like him in this land, correct? His soul originates from Lylat, and will only travel between it and Centropolis."
Link leaned back on the stump. "I guess that explains the gorons in the Ruffleton district and the zoras in the Sharya district."
"It's a delicate process and you'll notice its work the more you think about it," Lucario said.
"So souls never cross over to a world they're not supposed to?"
Lucario hesitated for a moment before he said, "It is extremely rare, but it can happen. But it won't matter if Azazel has his way. Souls trapped in his web cannot move on and become reincarnated. Life in the universe will completely stagnate and cease to exist if he consumes all the worlds."
"This is a battle for life as we know it..." Link murmured, letting the gravity of the situation weigh in on him.
"It seems that you understand what we're up against..." Lucario trailed off and a short silence ensued before he broke it, "I...may have been hasty in my decision earlier not to return to Centropolis."
Link looked up suddenly and noticed Lucario's demeanor change.
"I am not guaranteeing anything," he added on quickly. "I will consider it in the morning after surveying the situation with Kneph. For now, it is best to rest up."
Lucario suddenly leapt towards Link's house and entered, and the moonlight seemed to leave with him. Link watched to moon disappear behind the wall of clouds and couldn't stop from thinking about the worlds Azazel may have already consumed. What would he do if Hyrule met the same fate as Roy's world?
A rustle in the bushes caught his attention, far more active than what the small breeze of the night could have provided. His instincts kicked in and he jumped up with his shield raised just as a figure exploded from the foliage and slid towards him in a blur. The shield blocked the impact of a massive sword and Link jumped away from the caped man.
"Who are you?" he demanded of the stranger. "Why are you attacking me?"
"Prepare yourself!" his assailant replied.
The moon broke through the clouds just long enough to illuminate the area once again. Link didn't recognize the blue hair, green bandana, red cape or golden sword of his opponent. Was this man working for the demons? Would they even cooperate with a human? He wore a cold look on his face that was nearly impossible to read.
The blue-haired swordsman followed up by attacking Link directly. He wasn't particularly fast, but he was strong enough to wield the massive golden sword with one hand. Link found it more efficient to dodge the incoming attacks entirely than block them based on the power behind each swing – he might tire out before this guy did!
Link broke off the fighting again and made some distance for himself; he couldn't put his heart into a real battle without knowing the reason behind the stranger's attacks.
"This is pointless!" he pleaded one last time.
"Where is your fighting spirit!" the swordsman called out in disappointment. "You are not worthy!"
The golden sword flashed in the moonlight as the swordsman drove it into the ground, generating a shockwave that ripped through the earth in a straight line for Link. It was canceled out by the green barrier which Link summoned immediately. The swordsman stopped briefly, admiring the sight.
"Maybe I underestimated you," he said, though the grin on his face was more condescending than impressed. He lifted the sword in the air again, pointing the blade towards the ground, and held it in that position until it ignited in flames.
Fire surrounded him when the sword pierced the ground, but most alarming was the quaking at his feet. Three large pieces of earth were upheaved and rose into the air by his will alone. They hovered in the sky before bursting into flames and hurtling towards Link.
"This is ridiculous!" Link cried out, knowing that he couldn't escape the impact of the molten rocks on foot. He expanded the magical barrier, hoping it wasn't a futile measure, but the collision he braced for never came.
"Ike! What is the meaning of this?"
Link looked up to find the rocks extinguished and covered in a thin layer of aura. They were slowly lowered to the ground. Lucario stepped between the two combatants.
"I was testing his skill...to see if he was worthy of wearing the brand," Ike explained, immediately lowering his sword. The bravado he had before practically vanished under the gaze of Lucario.
"That is for me to decide," Lucario stated harshly. "Is testing Link your way of saying that you think I chose poorly?"
"Not at all!" Ike said quickly with a bow. "I apologize if it seems as if I was second guessing your decision."
"Link is our ally. You should do nothing to betray his trust."
"Yes, master."
Master? Link thought, sheathing the Master Sword. Well, Ike was acting like a student being reprimanded by his teacher after all. And Lucario couldn't be a worse teacher than Mr. Vaughn, could he?
Ike suddenly bowed towards Link, "I apologize if my behavior offended you."
"Um...yeah, sure. As long as you don't try to drop meteors on me again."
"Ike! Come, tell me of your findings," Lucario told his 'pupil,' motioning for him to follow. "We can discuss them with the team in the morning."
Ike bowed again before following Lucario, though Link did catch a glimpse of the man that challenged him only minutes earlier.
"That guy might be more dangerous than Kneph..."
That's the most times I've ever written the word "soul" in one instance.
Ike finally makes his debut, and seems to have something against Link. Did you guess his identity before it was made obvious?
The next chapter marks the start of a new day, and that day will be one Hyrule will never forget.