Tribulations of Twilight
Chapter 10
Two figures stood opposite the other in the Throne Room of the Palace of Twilight. One clad in the Councilor uniform, one with yellow designs and runes, and the other in the High Councilor garb with white designs and runes and white shoulder plates. The one in the Yellow designed garb's roan eyes shined with malice. The opposite's eyes hard a dark look about them, questioning, and yet completely knowing of his opposite's intent.
The Councilor brushed some of his wiry bronze hair from his eyes back, taking in a deep breath and trying to hold a civil look about him, and smiled. Though this smile twitched, as if in his mind the darkness took over and completely destroyed this being's mind, leaving nothing but the demented and haunting shell.
The golden eyes of the one in the High Councilor's garb wandered around the encasing room they were in. It was tainted and littered in red markings and circles, however in the middle there was a rather large circle with intricate designs about it – written in the ancient language of the Twili.
"Like what you see?" The one in the councilor's garb spoke. The bronze and crazed eyes wandered about the room, a deep sense of vanity in presence.
"How could you, Councilor Lienosus? This is Taboo!" The one in the High Councilor's garb took a step forward, "how far have you fallen? Why have you let the darkness consume you and form like moist velvet around your mind?" He was entirely solemn.
Lienosus sneered, raising up his head as if he were now above the the one opposite of him. "I didn't let the darkness consume me, Cerebrum... I embraced it!" Cackles of laughter filled the throne room, as the once proud councilor held out his hands and looked at them. They twitched more than once. "With these hands... With these hands... I can... I can annihilate those whom opposed us! Banished us.. And.. I can do it with the Darkness!"
The one in the Councilor garb fell to his knees, running his hands along the dried markings. He laughed, dementedly. He then stopped all of the sudden, making Cerebrum retract slightly from the abruptness of Lienosus.
Lienosus stood. His eyes were different, holding a sense of self-glorification and extreme vanity. Some of the wiry hair fell in front of his eyes, which he quickly slicked back with the sweat that was already present and grinned with spite. "I envisioned it. After years and years of study, and with the benefits of being a Councilor, I have found a way. Found a way to the Word of Light."
Cerebrum scowled, his mouth a thin line; animosity running through his veins. "Explain your actions, Councilor Lienosus." The scent now had clarified itself. The miasma of the room. The malaise it brought to Cerebrum. It was the dried stench of Twilit blood.
Lienosus scoffed, folding his arms. "To completely enslave the Light Dwellers. Make them our dogs while the Twili rule supreme! It's retribution for what they had done to us.. To me. Make me live short, when I deserve so much more!" The councilor sneered.
Cerebrum felt no pity for Lienosus. After all, there was nothing left of this shell to pity. "How dare you bring shame to your own tribe, Councilor Lienosus! These ideals are meaningless! They hold no ground to the rest of the Twili. Your ancestor Lagneris helped to make us become exiles, and now with your vile intents the Goddesses won't be so lenient as to exile us. We can only be exiled so many times, Lienosus! The next exile won't be from a realm, it will be the exile of our right to live!"
Lienosus growled, baring his teeth. "How dare you disgrace my ancestor so, High Councilor Cerebrum! You cretins wouldn't know what we could achieve if we captured that vile Light Dweller, and harnessed his mark!"
Cerebrum clenched his hands. "What have you become..." He muttered, raising up his clenched fists and unclenched them as his golden eyes shimmered with ambition and advocacy. "As High Councilor, I will uphold my honor and my duty to my people. I cannot allow the souls you have sacrificed to taint this room with their blood to go unavenged. I will not stand for the bloodshed and meaningless death that will follow your ideals!"
High Councilor Cerebrum of golden eyes closed his sight and took in a breath. Great disgrace had befallen Cerebrum the day Zant brought upon a Coup d'état. Not from the Twili, but from his own self. He had been powerless to stop Zant from exiling their own Twilight Princess, whom Cerebrum had looked after since the death of mighty King Noctis and fair Queen Mitjanit many years ago. Midna was like... No, she was the granddaughter he never had.
And that same granddaughter saved their realm, and with the help of a Light-dweller. No, he wasn't a mere Light-dweller, he was Link, Hero of Light and Twilight.
He reopened his eyes. "Like the Hero and Princess before me, with the power I hold; I will put my life on the line to save this realm and its people from your disgrace! I will not allow you to bring us back down to what we ascended from!"
Link and Midna finally reached the base of the mountain. Saion's magic had faded, so the stairs they used to ascend were no longer in existence. Using a little of the magic they had left, they descended to the bottom.
Both were completely exhausted, and sat across each other. It was night in the Realm of Twilight, the exotic moon shining down onto the land through the bronze night skies. Link felt the soft chill of the darkness in the Twilight Realm around his body. He yawned, his eyes watering slightly before he wiped them and looked at the slight fire they had before them. He glanced up at the equally tired Midna, and smiled slightly. "Looks like another adventure is over, huh?"
Midna looked from the fire and into the sapphire eyes of Link. "Don't get all nostalgic with me just yet, wolf boy. I'm absolutely exhausted and we're not even close to Medietas yet!" She threw her arms up in frustrated and fell back onto the exotic grass, a grunt of dissatisfaction escaping her lips.
Link rolled his eyes and rested his elbow on his knee, and his head on his hand. "Like you physically exhausted yourself on the journey here, anyway. All you did was laze in my shadow."
Link could feel the impish smile that spread on Midna's lips, cold chills being sent down Link's spine. "Why walk when I have a servant to do my bidding?"
A challenge, eh? Link reflected, "the same servant that saved your realm twice? You owe me big time, and I might collect on that debt soon enough." Link had a wolfish grin.
Midna rose up slightly and leaned on her elbows, raising a thin ashen eyebrow. She thought of a comeback to that statement, pursing her lips into another famous impish smirk. "Oh? And what would you want? Money? Wealth? Power?" She rose up a hand and conjured up a small ball of energy to empower her statement before dispersing it. "Or..." She rose up a leg, the cloak parting to reveal her slender cobalt appendage. Inwardly, she was grinning snidely, openly teasing Link. Outwardly, she had a straight face as if the situation was entirely business.
Link felt his cheeks turn rosy, as he felt his mouth run dry and his palms start to sweat before he shifted. Despite her sexual appeal that the more wolf side of him would've loved to take her up on the offer, he wasn't going to back down from the challenge. No matter how much the lump in his throat grew.
He swallowed it, and put on a straight face with a slight smirk. He relaxed himself, "Unfortunately for you, my dear Midna, that's not how I want the debt to be repaid." He thought he played off her tease quite well. Maybe.
Somewhere in Midna's mind she was disappointed, and her curiosity was at its apex. What exactly did Link want? She lowered her leg, and shifted. "What is it you're after, then?"
You. Link thought without missing a beat. His sharp eyes lowered, knowing he couldn't say that quite yet. He thought of what he wanted next. He looked back up at her. "A title. I want to explore this realm." Might as well come flat out. "...I can't get back to the Light world. It was a one-way trip. So, I want to venture around this land."
Midna felt her heart rapidly speed up. "W-Wait, you can't get back?" She asked, flustered. "Why did you cast aside your realm for mine?"
Time to lie again. The hero thought. "I didn't cast my realm away. The Goddesses cast me away. Sort of like a guardian role here." He raised up a hand and rolled his wrist as if it were business.
Midna didn't understand why Link sounded so casual about this. She sat up, hugging her knees as she curled up into a ball, rocking slightly as she thought. A secret objective of hers was filled for her; making Link stay in the realm. Now to add-on to that. Making him stay within sight.
Link lay back, feeling diminished inside as he stared up at the Twilit sky. "Let's get some sleep, Midna." He said, closing his eyes. His mind was full, and his stomach was empty. Sleep wasn't going to come anytime soon.
Midna sighed, and lay back curling up into another ball. She missed it when she was smaller. Oh goddesses, am I seriously lamenting how I'm bigger and can't nestle up to.. She shook her head, clamping her eyes shut.
His vision a haze, as he watched his orange-red blood spill onto the ground passed his clenched hand that were pressed to his chest. He was acutely outclassed. His vision focused, the searing pain of his marred chest forcing his mind to work. His magic was diminished, and his arms felt weak. But his will left him crouched, his weak fury keeping him strong. In his peripheral vision, he saw his unkempt alabaster hair hang. His right shoulder plate was cracked, the left one in half. He felt his high councilor garb become wet with his blood.
"Cerebrum, I praise you only for your determination. All of the other Twili died with that attack." Lienosus's voice rang out, as steps were heard. Cerebrum's sharp golden eyes looked up to the approaching twili.
Is it... ending here? Am I going to die? Have... I failed? High Councilor Cerebrum closed his eyes. He disparaged his title of High Councilor. He was no longer fit. He wasn't strong enough.
"That's it, you old fool.. Accept your demise." Lienosus raised up his hand, matter seeming to haze around his hand as black energy began to form.
Cerebrum felt the energies' taint of pure evil, the cold that made him shiver. Without even feel it being released, he felt immense burning pain course through his body, and he knew he'd been hit. He began to convulse from the pain, as his arm applying pressure to his chest wound fell to his side, as his knees weakened. He slammed on the marble floor of the throne room, his alabaster hair shielding his face.
Contemptible.. I'm loosing all feeling... My eyes... They no longer see.. My throat.. I can't breathe... My ears... They clanger...
His thoughts ran, as Lienosus neared and held a hand over the aged Twili. His heart is losing its beat. He analyzed, turning around. He would add Cerebrum to his ideals. He was a strong Twili.. just not strong enough.
I feel... light-headed.. Am I fainting? ...Am I going to succumb?
He thought of his life. Raising Midna... Pointless and important council debates... Executing criminals.. But he kept most to his heart, his first day as High Councilor under King Noctis and Queen Mitjanit. He was fresh out of his classes, and magic training. He had fair judgment and he excelled in his classes and in the magics of the tribe. When he first talked to King Noctis... if Cerebrum could have smiled, he would have. He was stammering all over the place, his palms were sweaty under his gloves, and he couldn't stand up straight for the life of him.
Then... the day came when King Noctis and Queen Mitjanit died. Noctis succumbed to death by an illness, and Mitjanit followed. Rumor has it she died of complete heartbreak and the will to carry on was gone. Only, it wasn't a rumor. Cerebrum knew she died of misery.
He remembered little Midna tugging his garb and asking why they were dead. His heart was sinking when he unveiled the truth. She was old enough then. But not old enough to carry on her own. He took the little girl under his wing. And she grew up to have quite a nerve. Though... Cerebrum never minded. It just showed her strength and conviction.
Her independence.. Her fortitude... Her backbone.. Who did she get it from? ...Me? Did I ever have that much willpower...? Did I have... that much strength?
He forced himself to breath, ignoring the reluctance of his lungs and he compelled his eyes to see. If I gave her that much coercion.. I must have no qualms!
He clenched his fist, ignoring the pain of his muscles. Die as I may... I will not go mutely! She.. she would keep on talking, throwing cynical insults to her enemy while putting up a fight... That's what you would do, right.. Midna?
He rose up his head high as he forced himself to stand, sanctioning his title as High Councilor. "Lienosus!" Cerebrum called, bracing his fists that lay to his sides. He felt no pain from his wounds, as his nerves were destroyed in the attack.
Lienosus abridged his step, abashed. He slowly turned around, his roan eyes encasing a morbid curiosity.
High Councilor Cerebrum stood tall, slowly raising his hands. "I will not be quelled just yet!" He pressed them together and drew the remaining power he had left, throwing all of his life and being into the attack.
Cerebrum smiled impishly. Though, it wasn't like Midna's impish smile, it was something all on its own.
The energy compressed into a black ball, gold in center as Cerebrem barraged it at Lienosus.
Lienosus held out his arms, drawing out what dark energy he could before the ball hit, an explosion following suit.
The shock wave impelled Cerebrum to fall back, landing on the marble once more. However, he felt more accomplished. A ghost of his last smile was still upon his features, as he law sprawled out on the ground.
The explosion subsided, as Lienosus still stood encased in a black ball that soon dispersed, revealing the top half of his cloak to be no more, it being blown off. Lienosus protected himself just in time; if he hadn't drawn up the energy when he did he wouldn't be of the living.
A pulsing black crystal lay center in his chest, pulsing veins popping out of the skin closer to the crystal. Unbeknownst to Lienosus, it began to crack slightly; but it still held its form.
Lienosus sneered at Cerebrum's body. It held no more power, and was completely diminished of anything. No use to absorb it and add it to his power, it'd only take up space. "What a qualm you were, you old man." Lienosus spat toward Cerebrum. Despite that sign of disrespect, Cerebrum was a Twili worthy of respect and merit. "If only you were on my side, you poor old fool.." Lienosus folded his arms, and shifted his weight to one leg.
"Now.. To begin preparations."
A/N: As a fun fact, Noctis in Latin means Midnight, and in Catalan; a language of romance, Mitjanit means Midnight as well.