Chapter 2: Mysteries of the World

Hello! I don't have a lot to say today, so read the fic.
I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!

Mewtwo slowly opened his large, purple eyes. The way was clear, the truth laid out before him. If only he could find the key to the knowledge . . .

Knock! He growled to himself at the intrusion. The door flew open without his consent, a very harassed looking Bowser stood in the doorway.

"Mewtwo, I'm sorry to bother you, but it's time."

Mewtwo nodded sharply. Before they find out, you must leave. Quickly. Alert the others before you leave.

Bowser agreed and stomped down the stairs, leaving Mewtwo in peace. A brightly shining aura appeared in his mind's eye, another Spiritually Aware wishing to talk with him.

Mewtwo . . . we're close.

Good. How fares our destiny?

Not so well. Legacy has disappeared.

If Legacy is gone, then the Seal . . . .

I know. I am afraid.

You needn't be. Everything will work out.

I pray.

Mewtwo said nothing, but ended the connection. With Bowser gone, the Ring might believe them . . . .

--#--

Master Hand? Help.

What is it, my dear?

. . . We're close. But I feel Silas's distress signal.

I know.

Shad gazed at the wall without really seeing it. At midnight the night before, Silas Hand's distress signal burned fiercely into Shad's tattoo, a Smash symbol wrought in black and blood red on his right shoulder. Worried and afraid, Shad could do nothing but pace and sit. Only Silas knew where to look for the Chosen ones.

Who is in your party?

There was silence.

Hello? Have you gone already?

"Master Hand . . . ." he jerked to attention. Zelda stood in the doorway of his private office, long, blonde hair hanging limply around her, eyes dull and skin pale. When she attempted to take a step into the room, she fell. Master Hand caught her and gently helped her back up. "I don't feel well," she said hoarsely. "I . . . it's some sort of spell. It's hurting everyone. Marth can't even get out of bed; he's s-so sick . . . ."

"I think I know why," said Shad grimly. "And it's not good at all."

--#--

Twenty smashers sat in a silent circle, waiting for Master Hand to fill them in. There was an air of tense excitement in the room, an eagerness that emanated from those who loved to fight. Roy absently played with a lighter in a corner instead of sitting with the others. Zelda was too ill to sit up, so she lay on the couch.

The room itself was enormous and beautiful, with dark wood paneling and soft, thick crimson carpet. Graceful golden chandeliers hung on slender chains from the vaulted ceiling. The stained-glass bay windows depicted famous symbols from various worlds, such as the Triforce, the Mushroom symbol, and a Metroid. The vaguely perfumed room usually had a peaceful atmosphere, but not today. The eager tenseness intensified with every passing moment, tangible to anyone sensitive to it.

"Smashers." A few people jumped upon hearing Master Hand's voice. He stood in the doorway, in his human form, an ebony staff held in one hand. His normally cheerful green eyes seemed troubled. "We need to talk."
"We noticed," commented Falco, leaning back in his chair.

Shad gave him a death glare. "We're missing a few," he murmured, looking around distractedly. Marth and Dr. Mario are in the Infirmary . . . where are Mewtwo, Bowser, and Ganondorf?"

"Who knows?" muttered Link. Mario scowled.

"The villains are gone?" he said in his customary Italian accent. "That's not good at all . . . ."

"All right, forget them," snapped Shad impatiently. "Now. I need to talk to you about many things. But first, about Legacy." His voice became weary. "Legacy is the final Guardian of the Seal, a protection against evil." A book appeared in his hand. "Let me read to you."

"Wow, story time," muttered Falco.

"Lombardi, SHUT UP! Anyway . . . ."

Master Hand read to them, words that echoed across the void and seemed to awaken ancient spirits. They stirred restlessly in their homes, the nothingness that existed nowhere, and yet existed everywhere. The words were well known among them, and as Master spoke, thousands of spirits remembered the words, and many spoke along with him.

Many centuries ago, soon after the creation of the worlds, a great, nameless plague swept across the Center of the Universe, poisoning the realms with evil. The curtains of Dark magic infected the fledgling universes. Because of this, many realms did not survive, condemning whole planets to destruction. Many brave heroes fought it valiantly, and failed. The shadows grew strong upon the souls of those they slaughtered.

At last, when evil reigned everywhere and everything seemed hopeless, a mysterious magician appeared. Armed with the power of the Gods, the magician defeated the Source of the evil. However, he was grievously wounded in the battle. He sealed the Source away in a sacred Temple, then departed from this world. In his place were ten Women, his daughters, Guardians of the Seal. They, each to an Element, watched over their father's Seal. At their deaths, they Chose someone to continue their work. Their spirits watch the Seal, and the Chosen Ones sleep until they are needed. When that day comes, they will awaken to combat evil once more.

Master Hand closed the book. "That's it, then," he said wearily. "The Seal is weakening. The cataclysmic day when the Seal breaks is soon to arrive. If it happens, Hell will literally break loose."

"What exactly is this nameless plague?" inquired Ness.

"Some sort of Demon Lord or something. I'm not sure. I was born a little late to meet the first Guardians." A sad smile appeared on Shad's face. "About three thousand years late."

"Oh." Ness frowned but let it go.

"Anyway, I need a team to help me find Crazy Hand. He's vanished without a trace in his quest for the Chosen Ones. We need teams to actually find the Chosen Ones, too. I've enlisted the help of some of my friends. Ila Green, Aura Miari, Siegfried Schtauffen, Ingus . . . I have no idea what his last name is, Alani Wyra, and Ryar Lykas. Ila is from Erea, Aura's from a place called West, Siegfried is . . . isn't he German? Yes, well, anyway, no one knows where Ryar and Alani are from. Ingus lives in King Sasune's castle."

"Wait," interrupted Roy. "I'm still a little confused about the Seal and stuff. Who are the Guardians? Where's Crazy Hand gone? How does it impact us? When's breakfast? How are we supposed to help?"

Shad sighed. "I can't answer that," he admitted. "Most of the knowledge was lost many years ago. Silas and I took the books we had and put them in a safe place. It's in a pocket dimension."

"Great," said Captain Falcon sarcastically. "What'll we do now?!"

"There are three Trials you have to overcome in order to reach the library," explained Master Hand. "I'll take a few of you with me, just in case."

"What are the Trials? The River of Sand, the Flags, and the Spirit Guide?" asked Link jokingly.

"No, not a Gerudo Spirit Temple trial. The first is Fear, the second is Evil, and the third is Shadow."

"I'm coming." No one had noticed Marth enter. His face, paler than ever, appeared determined, his jaw firm and his eyes hard. He wore his armor and sword belt, a sure sign he wanted to fight. "I'm fine now," he assured Shad, "Dr. Mario had me take some potions. He said I'm strong enough to travel."

Shad nodded gravely. "Anyone else want to come?" he asked.

Twelve people solemnly raised their hands. Shad nodded again. "Link, Marth, Fox, Mario, Kirby, Samus, Falcon, Pichu, and Zelda, come with me."

The aforementioned smashers stood, some eagerly, others uneasily. Link supported Zelda, who stubbornly insisted that she was perfectly fine. Nevertheless, she leaned heavily on Samus until she was out the door.

"Wait!" Shad paused. Ness looked up bravely. "What do the rest of us do?" he asked.

"For now? Wait for my friends, watch for approaching danger. And clean up the mansion for when they come, ya pigs!" he slammed the door.

--#--

Shad took them deep into the heart of the Manor, down three floors underground to a place none of them even knew existed. The party remained silent the whole time, each occupied with their own thoughts.

Link hid his apprehension by forcing a Red Potion into Zelda. Needless to say, she could walk on her own after drinking it. He prayed to Farore and Nayru for Zelda's safety.

Zelda herself mused on Ganondorf's disappearance, and what it could mean for Hyrule. She made a mental note to ask Impa if everything was all right.

Falcon carried Pichu in one arm. The tiny electric mouse trembled, but from fear or excitement, he couldn't tell. Silently, he vowed to protect Pichu from harm. The mouse could fight, true, but against a ten-foot-tall monster made of solid stone, she was defenseless. I won't let anything happen to you, he thought.

Marth strode down the hall with grim consideration, thinking of the mysterious illness that struck him without warning, bringing dizziness and various aches, as well as an overwhelming sense of dread. He always knew that he was more susceptible to great magical workings (and secretly believed he possessed some abilities himself). What exactly were they facing, that could make him so ill?

Fox played absently with his blaster, mind clearly elsewhere. While Shad read to them, his keen ears picked up tiny voices, no more than whispers, as soft and swift as the beat of a moth's wings. Who were they? Were they evil? And why did they only become audible when Shad read the legend?

"We're here." Master Hand opened the door, leading them into the pitch-dark room. After a few seconds, it became apparent that the floor sloped downwards, to a flat circle about five feet in diameter. Other features of the room were concealed behind a cloak of darkness. The only light came from a strange series of runes that glowed in the circle. The light formed a seamless wall around it.

Master Hand passed through the wall of light and into the circle without a word. Silently, everyone else followed, grouping close together, afraid of being left behind or separated from their friends. The bluish walls shot up around them, full of tiny, shining runes that spiraled up to the ceiling. Their forms wavered, grew light, faded.

--#--

"We are close."

Aura peered into the dark. "How long?" she asked.

Alani bit her lip. "Four hours or so," she said. "I am not sure."

Siegfried snorted. "You, unsure? Never happened."

Ila cuffed him impatiently. "Shut up," she growled. "Even Oracles and Seers can be unsure, even wrong. It's happened before, usually with catastrophic results. This, however, is not catastrophic. So we don't make it in time for a midnight snack. We'll get there for breakfast."

"But I'm hungry," complained Ryar. Ila cuffed her too.

"Guys!" it was Aura's shout. Alani broke into a run, silvery-white hair glittering in the moonlight, thin, white legs flashing under her white dress. Aura followed swiftly, followed by Ila, Ingus, and Ryar. Siegfried took up the rear, muttering about Oracles and their mysterious ways.

When Aura finally caught up to Alani, the girl knelt before a massive tree in the center of the forest clearing. Each limb was thicker than Aura's whole body. A path worn in the middle of the tree ascended to the very top of the trunk, where it became lost amongst the multitudes of branches. Vines wrapped around the branches, seemingly dead, and the thousands of leaves rustled in response to the slightest puff of air.

"Why are we here?" asked Aura.

Alani closed her eyes. "To find something," she said evasively. She stood, and walked up the path into the tree's branches. Aura waited impatiently for her to come back down, knowing that nothing could change the young Seer's mind.

"Where is she?" Ila and the others finally arrived, panting Siegfried appearing moments later.

"Up in the branches." Aura twitched her head in the general direction the Seer had taken. "Says we need to find something."

"I found it!" the trilling voice definitely belonged to Alani. Nimbly she dropped to the forest floor, holding something in her hands. "The Forest Spirits told me where to find it," she explained to the thoroughly mystified group. "It will help revive the Chosen Ones."

"It" was a glass orb no bigger than Siegfried's palm. Shifting colors and mists writhed about inside, seeming to take on a solid shape for no more than a moment before dissolving into something completely new. Alani smiled, the first emotion anyone ever saw on her face, and tucked it into the pack strapped to her waist.

"Let us go," she said, and calmly disappeared back into the thick forest growth.

How long has it been? Never mind, don't tell me. I might shoot something. Anyway, special thanks to Shining Riku for Faving my story. Because of you, I've received several new hits and other Fav-ers. This is what comes from Faving someone's story: They see your profile and decide to read stories based on your personal favorites. Chapter 3 coming soon!
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P.S. Check out my forum: SSB Discussion. Very unoriginal title, but I couldn't think of anything. See ya!