With every step, the figure was slowly getting closer to the alarming color, which was screaming for help. A step away from the panicked hue, the figure was about to reach, grab the color, and hurry away before the hands got to him when suddenly—
A sharp, clawed hand grabbed him by the ankles and pulled him face-down into the water.
Struggling wildly and gulping water, the figure quickly rose his head out of the water and coughed hysterically for air. From the corner of his blurred eyes, a few hands plucked the red ball out with his fingers and took it away. The burning red slowly died down and turned into a lifeless brown.
"No!" the figure cried as he tried to kick the hand holding his ankle away. He missed, and several more hands grabbed him by the neck, arms, legs, and head. Helpless, the figure could only struggle against the hands iron-hard grip.
A pair of navy blue eyes shot open as Eliwood jolted out of his nightmare. Setting a shaking hand on his beating heart, the redhead looked around his office. His breathing slowly ceased as he calm down. He fell asleep in the middle of his work.
"It was just a dream..." Eliwood said to himself, sighing softly.
Eliwood's relief eventually turned into depression. With a sad luster in his blue orbs, he looked at a small picture frame sitting on his messy desk, which was piled with papers. It contained a picture of him holding Roy, who was only five-years-old, in his arms. The two identical males were smiling joyfully at the camera, free from worry and loneliness.
Ever since Roy left to aid Ike and his friends on his journey, Eliwood felt dreadfully lonely. Because his dear wife passed away about a decade ago, he was left with no one to talk to. The only people he spoke with were his coworkers and assistants.
Every morning, Eliwood would get up and hoped that his beloved, only son was waiting at the doorsteps of the hospital, just in one piece. He did not want to see Roy missing a precious limb! However, as time gradually passed, Eliwood's hope diminished. His sixth sense told him that Roy was in a better place. Which could either be Link's world, or worse; the afterlife itself.
A small knock on the door snapped Eliwood out of his thoughts.
"Come in." he quietly said, quickly putting on his neutral mask.
An officer with dark, indigo hair and deep, blue eyes entered the room. His bronze badge, which was pinned to his dark blue shirt, indicated that he held a high rank. Sitting in his black pant pockets was a small handgun. Following him was a fifteen-year-old girl dressed in a red skirt, white collared shirt, and a matching hairband. She shared the officer's physical appearances.
"Hello, Hector." Eliwood greeted with a small smile.
"Hello Eliwood!" Hector said loudly. He went to the redhead and gave him a large pat on the back. "Long time no see, huh?"
"Yes."
The girl restlessly approached Eliwood. "Mr. Eliwood? Do you know where's Roy?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, Lilina." Eliwood apologized. "Roy isn't here. He's... Somewhere else. He's really busy." Eliwood hoped that his answer did not cause suspicion.
"I understand." Lilina just replied. "I just really wanted to see him because I miss him."
Eliwood nodded.
"So Hector, how is it in Technol?" Eliwood questioned to Hector.
Hector's smile fell to a stern look. "Very unsteady." he answered. "The power company is strangely having trouble producing energy. We recently had several blackouts."
Eliwood swallowed uneasily. "I see..."
"We are suspecting suspicious activity going on in the company." Hector continued. "A few officers sent here noticed several men sneaking into an abandoned, private building. However, when we tried to gather information from workers, they refuse to answer our questions! This is a dire situation. We really need to know what is going on in the company! It's affecting life in Technol!"
Eliwood paused for a moment before saying, "Actually, I have some information regarding the power company in Technol."
Hector's eyes flickered with awe. "Really?!"
"Yes." Eliwood began his explanation. "Several days ago, a group of travelers..."
As he impatiently waited for his men to return with his precious energy source, Bowser irately glared at his computer, which was turned off. It had been countless days, and still no news from Wolf. What happened to him? Did he decide to ditch him? Or maybe... No, Wolf could not be dead! He was skilled in speed, which made him difficult to kill.
Bowser was unable to wait for another long yet short second. With a growl, he turned on his computer and activated a webcam.
"Ganondorf? Are you there?" he asked, snarling angrily.
Ganondorf instantly replied. "Yes. What do you want?"
"Where are Wolf and his men?" Bowser asked, unable to hold in his rage. "It has been days ever since they went to the Surface!"
"A few scouts just reported back." Ganondorf answered. "They said that Wolf was killed in battle with Ike and his allies."
Bowser sighed loudly. "Oh great..."
"Don't fret." Ganondorf continued. "We are now preparing to enter the Surface. This time, we are not going to hesitate to attack. We—"
Before Ganondorf could finish, a patrolling man suddenly arrived. "Sir! We have trespassing intruders entering our base!"
"What?!" Ganondorf exclaimed, before turning to Bowser. "I'll talk to you later."
With that, the computer flashed shut.
Bowser grumbled and set a palm on his face. This was not going according to his plan.
At that moment, Roy, Fox, and Falco were hiding being a building in the underground base. A few moments ago, they were spotting by a few patrolling guards. They managed to flee, however with the growing security, their plans to get the tonic had dropped from a hundred percent to a fifty percent. The exit was just in front of them, yet men armed with tasers and guns began to surround it.
"What should we do?" Roy nervously asked. "Should we wait for them to go?"
"We can't wait!" Falco whispered back. "You know how disciplined these guys are? They are nearly programmed to obey every command!"
"How about attacking them?" Roy suggested.
"We're outnumbered." Fox sighed and shook his head in frustration.
"If we only gathered more people..." Roy said hopelessly.
All of a sudden, one of the guards looked up and noticed the trio hiding in the corner of the building.
"I see them!" he shouted, pointing at the teens. "After them!"
"Hurry! They spotted us!" Fox quickly said, getting up with Falco and Roy.
"Let's split up!" Falco spoke up. "Roy, Fox and I will try to lure away the guards. When the coast is clear, go! We'll catch up!"
"But, what if—" Roy started.
"Let's go, go!" Fox ordered quickly.
Still hiding in the corner's shadows, Roy watched Fox and Falco hurry away from him and the furious guards chasing after them like a pack of wolves. The redhead bit his lips as he waited for all the men to pass. Once when they were gone, Roy anxiously slipped from the corner and hurried towards the entrance. His pounding heart rate increased with the adrenaline rush that zipped through his veins and his lungs, which were pushing themselves to supply precious air for the entire body. What seemed to be a minute felt like an hour as Roy dashed towards the exit from fear.
Unfortunately, there were a few guards sneakily hiding just outside of the exit. When they spotted Roy's foot stepping into the the area, they immediately pointed their laser guns and tasers at the redhead. Roy's navy-blue eyes widened as he froze like a statue. As he frightfully gazed at the armed men, time seemed to stop for him.
"Now, little boy." one of the men said, as he and his allies cornered him against a stone wall. "Just follow our orders and everything will be fine."
Roy jumped as his back came in contact with the wall. "No, I-I won't... Please, just let me go. I really need to— AAGH!"
Roy's sentence was sliced off when the man grabbed him by his cardinal hair and shoved him face-first into the wall, leaving him helpless. Roy screamed loudly and cringed as he felt the barrel of a gun slam violently against the back of his head. Tears filled his wide eyes as he only helplessly listen to the man's terrifying, growling words.
"You follow us, or us!" he boomed angrily. "You get that?!"
Roy trembled nervously at the words. He began to think about the others on the Surface, who were waiting for him, Fox, and Falco to return with the tonic for Marth. He pictured Marth lying in his deathbed, pale and weak, waiting desperately for the help as his life slowly drifted away from him...
"Halt!" a new voice suddenly exclaimed. Bowser's men turned to the sudden source of the voice. "Neo Pork City Police! Drop all of your weapons or we will fire!"
Roy looked up and spotted men dressed in jet black police uniforms surround the henchman. Behind them were... Ordinary citizens armed with beam swords, tasers, and guns?! What was going on? Roy also noticed that his captor's attention was turned away from him, allowing him to slam his elbow into his stomach in defense.
"Gaah!" the man screamed, releasing Roy as he clutched his sore stomach.
The henchman began to peacefully surrender. They dropped their weapons as some of the policemen quickly hurried into the abandoned city-like base to catch the other henchman. Others interrogated the captured men.
"That was close!" Roy thought to himself as he went away from the men. "But, what's happening? Why did the police suddenly come?"
Looking at the citizens, Roy recognized a familiar redhead and two bluenettes, one a man in his mid-thirties, the other a teenage girl his age.
"Dad! Lilina! M-Mr. Hector!" Roy cried as he hurried towards the three.
"Roy!" Lilina exclaimed as she rushed towards the redhead.
Roy and Lilina threw their arms around each other and gave their partner a tight hug.
"I missed you..." Lilina whispered in Roy's ears.
"Me too..." Roy whispered back, peacefully shutting his eyes.
Once when he was released from the embrace, Roy turned to Hector and embraced him.
"I hadn't been hearing from you for a while." Hector said, giving Roy a noogie on the redhead. "What happened?"
Roy softly chuckled in response as Hector released him. "I was wondering the same thing. Why is the police here?"
"There was suspicious activity occurring in Technol's power company." Hector explained. "If it weren't for your father, we wouldn't be here!"
"Dad..." Roy noticed Eliwood, who was trying to hold in his years of joy.
"R...Roy." Eliwood could only say back.
Like if they didn't see each other in a thousand years, Roy and Eliwood rushed towards each other and gave each other a loving embrace. They hadn't been hugged so tightly before. After many countless days, they finally know that their other half was doing fine.
"D-Dad! I... I missed you very much!" Roy said loudly, unable to hold in his joy.
"Roy, I'm glad that you are still in one piece..." Eliwood softly said. Unlike his son, whose joy was expressed in his voice, Eliwood's joy was expressed through the years that rolled down his face. "I was so worried that something happened!"
"Don't worry, Dad!" Roy piped up, looking at with hopeful, sparkling eyes. "I'm ok, see?"
Eliwood smiled back as he wiped his tears.
"Roy." Fox and Falco said as they arrived at the heartwarming scene.
Roy felt a sense of seriousness drain away warmth and relief. "Oh yes." he said, releasing Eliwood from his hug.
"Oh, you're Fox and Falco..." Eliwood said quietly. "Why are you two here? Did something happen?"
"Yes.' Roy began to explain.
Roy told Eliwood, Lilina, and Hector about his experiences on the Surface. He mentioned that Link was finally reunited with his family, Ike's and Marth's connection with the world, and Marth's deathly plight.
"I remembered that you had some kind of medicine that could treat Marth's sickness." Roy finally finished. "Do you still have it?"
"Yes, I do." Eliwood replied with a small smile. "In fact, I have it with me."
Hanging loosely on Eliwood's shoulder was a small pouch. He opened it and carefully took out the bottle of tonic, which was held in a plastic bottle.
"That's great!" Roy said. "We can now take it to Marth! Soon, our problems will be over!"
"Roy, may I ask you something?" Eliwood suddenly asked.
"Yeah, what is it?" Roy replied.
"Is it ok if I come along with you to the Surface?" Eliwood asked.
"What?! Why?!" Roy exclaimed in shock.
"I don't think it's a good idea." Fox warned. "There are many dangers above in the Surface."
"But, I would like to explore it and help you three." Eliwood calmly protested. "I don't care if something happens to me. I want to help!"
Fox and Falco paused for a moment. "Well, ok. If you say so." Falco replied.
"Can I come too?" Lilina asked with begging, deep blue eyes.
"No, you can't." Hector replied. "I'm not going to let you."
"Why?" Lilina asked her father.
"I don't want anything to happen to you." Hector explained. "Besides, I think Roy and the others are ok, right?"
"Yes!" Fox replied.
Falco nodded.
"I understand." Lilina said, turning to Roy. She stepped towards the redhead and embraced him tightly. "Roy, please be careful, ok?"
"Don't worry, I will." Roy coolly said.
"Hey Eliwood, don't die ok?" Hector asked, giving a large pat on Eliwood's back. "If you die before me, I'll kill you in the afterlife, ok?"
Eliwood felt a large sweatdrop roll down his face before answering, "Yes, I promise that I'll come back alive, ok?"
"You promise? I'll remember!" Hector boomed.
"Alright, everyone." Roy said sternly. "We need to head back to the surface as soon as possible. Marth's life is in our hands."
Ike was awoken by a sudden jolt of fear. As sweat rolled down his pale face, he warily looked around the pitch-black library. The only thing that illuminated his dark surroundings was a small candle. Its tiny flame shone on the sleeping Link's face, who was resting the side of his head on a table, and a few thick-covered books.
"Something is wrong..." Ike said to himself uneasily. He rose from his seat and head towards the door. "I sense something behind this door..."
When Ike stepped out of the library, he looked around the hallway nervously.
"It is emitting somewhere..." Ike mumbled to himself uneasily. "Could it be...?"
Although it was dead silent in the hallway, a high-pitched screeching noise screamed in Ike's ears for help. After uneasily glancing around, his eyes wandered and stopped at a door leading to a certain azure-haired friend's room.
"No, please be ok, please be ok, please be ok..." Ike anxiously said as he hurried towards Marth's room. His shaking hands grabbed the doorknob.
"Marth, stay with me, ok?!" Ike hissed as he pulled the door open.
Once when Ike pulled the door open, he was greeted by a terrifying sight. Ike's eyes widened in panic as he looked at Marth. Marth was lying in his bed, wheezing loudly and desperately for cool air. He trembled violently as he tightly clutched his blanket. Ike was not sure if Marth was trembling; either he was cold or having a seizure. Either that, that made Ike flash his blaring horns and turn on his alarming, red lights.
"Marth!" Ike shouted in shock, rushing towards his friend's bedside. "S-Stay calm!"
"I...Ike..." Marth shakily said as he weakly opened his cerulean eyes. "It's...s-s-so cold..."
Wrapping Marth in bed sheets, Ike hurriedly picked him up bridal style and carried him out of his room. Marth was cold to the touch, which set the fuse to Ike's panic. What was happening to him?! Was he dying?! Was this a dream?!
"Help! Somebody!" Ike called panicky. "Marth needs help! Hurry!"
Link instantly hurried out of the library. "What's wrong?!" he asked, trying to stay calm.
"Marth— He's wheezing for air, and he's really cold!" Ike quickly explained.
Link quickly glanced at Marth, who was shivering violently and loudly wheezing for air. That was a red light for the Hylian. Without wasting a single minute, Link nodded and hurried down the hallway to get help.
Author's Notes: Gosh, I said that Marth was going to kick butt in this chapter. Yet, I broke that...
Here's chapter 14!
I'm happy to announce that I'm on summer break! So, expect quick updates! Also, for those who are reading the fanfic "The Price of Respect", I'm going on a brief hiatus on it. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but I seriously don't know how should I continue the story. So give me a chance to think about it!
Judging from the webcomic poll, people want me to base my webcomic on "Lone Flame". So when I'm in the mood, I'll get started on the comic! When I submit the first page on my deviantart account, (See my profile), I'll announce it.
This may seem annoying, but I opened a new poll. It's asking which pairings should I write about. The choices are LinkXZelda, EliwoodZNinian (FE 7), and ChromXSumia (FE Awakening). So check it out!
Story Questions:
What do you think is going to happen in the next chapter?
Should more characters from Hollow appear in future chapters? If so, who? (Sorry if I asked this already.)