VOLUME II: The Revenge Of The Forsaken
)) Chapter 2: They Who Watch The Watchmen ((
Inside the Clock Tower, Termina, 7:45 pm, First Day -
What humans would have glimpsed at first sight was a child innocently playing with a rotund and featureless mask while she was chanting an innocent song. She lifted the mask up to the air, waved it around, then placed it back on the wall, alongside the several other masks and hoods she herself had crafted, then sat down on a seat where behind there was an immense organ which she occasionally practiced at. Upon a closer look, people would have noticed that despite her long and flowing pink and red dress, on her innocent face, decorated with red colored body art shaped like crimson tears running down her checks, framed by her brunette hair, that her eyes were of a bloody red color, typical of the race known as Sheikah.
And even despite such belonging to a race could have already been considered somewhat stunning to commoners, only few were selected to know Aria's nature, the main guardian of Termina. As she was about to try and play with the organ some cheerful melody, she felt it: a new presence, the second in less than a week, coming exactly from the same entrance, to boot. It was weird, and most likely both apparitions were connected somehow.
She glimpsed at the newcomer. It was a boy even shorter than her clad in blue flowing robes and a black jumpsuit of sorts, and a large blue colored bird was following him. She remembered of having heard of those Loftwings, but she thought they were supposed to be all in Skyloft to guard over Hylia's children alongside the Sheikah and the Ancient Ones…
She held one of her favorite mask, a unique hood which had a pair of floppy bunny-like ears, as she mused: 'Another rabbit fell into the hole of Wonderland'
Yes, there was something weird. From the expression of the child, he seemed to be lost, though… still, could such a new variable somehow mess up with the unique balance of Termina?
'I am not going to miss this', the Guardian of Termina thought with a big smile on her lips. After all, there was already her assistant to take care of the masks and the entrance in the clock tower, so she could cut some slack and follow him.
As Aria walked, she used a technique akin to the Shadow Folks she could be mistaken for as she hid in the shadows. But her technique was somewhat different than the one of Hylia's protectors, for they blended in the shadow… she became the shadow, slowly melting into dark energy and hiding wherever light did not seep. Slowly, her essence quickly reached Ankoku's and latched onto it, giving him a small impulse of energy which helped him slamming wide the door of Clock Town. Aria smirked, amused by his reaction. She rarely left the Tower due to her duty… on the other side, there were bigger problems, related to the very reason she had been guarding Termina in the first place.
Observing… and waiting. This was her task given by the Golden Goddesses. And watch over the world hidden in the shadows, spying on the light, only to reveal herself at the moment those two opposite united, like at that moment, in the twilight… this was one of the countless aspects of the nature of Aria, Goddess of Shadows.
North of Clock Town, Termina, 8:00 pm, First Day -
Ankoku, not noticing at all his shadow had become a bit darker, hesitantly stepped out of the clock tower and let the twilight of Termina's sun cover him with its orange-ish tint, holding Dodo close to him, as much as bewildered as his master. They had been walking in fear through the new city, his bird by the side, both of them scared and confused. Where were they?
The only thing he was sure was that it was not the place the Kikwi Elder had suggested him… mostly because they were an awful lots of adults for being a village where only children were supposed to live. And they dressing code… so different from what he was used to. They looked to have a relatively simpler design of clothing and overall there seemed to be… a quite simpler life.
And it was not just their appearance, but their behavior. Their emotions were kept so low key, to Ankoku there seemed as if there was something a rather large gap missing… it was unsettling to the youngling, to say the least
A glaring example? A young boy like him dressed unlike any other walking with a giant blue bird with a color scheme identical to his master's coming from the center of the city… how did people react from such sight? Not even a flinch. A few people who noticed he was looking at them just stared back and waved at him, a thing he kindly replied to due to the etiquette he had strictly taught himself. To unsettle him the most, though, was the lack of any holy symbol in the place. Not a glimpse of Holy Triforce, no mention of Master Swords or of the Crimson Loftwing. Not an effigy to Her Grace? It seemed Termina had no deities at all. How in the world it was possible?
How can a godless world exist?, he wondered inwardly panicking at such prospective, fearing what it could have meant. On one side, he wished to get back… and yet thirst of knowledge was leading him to explore this place. One of the biggest quirks was the moon. It was as distant as it was from the Surface, yet it seemed to have … a face? Oh well, at least it looked to be a genuinely bright smile.
But as he reached the North Area, he could not help but flinch at what he saw. Was that a … man dressed in a green skin right jumpsuit… floating atop a balloon. This was too much to Ankoku. To worsen the situation, the man's appearance reminded the Skyloftian too much of Link: considering how that man was fat, horribly built, had a red nose like a drunken and some atrocious facial air, could not help but remain aghast in terror.
Had Ankoku known of the certain last words of a Demon King, he would have defined that thing the very reincarnation of the purest hatred. Still, the bizarre individual had gotten him too curious and could not help but try to get his attention.
As his master's yells failed, Dodo let out a loud yell which startled the floating man to the point and popped his balloon by waving too much his pen, making himself fall down with a light thud to the ground.
Quickly dusting off his own clothes, the green glad man greeted the younger Skyloftian, noticing the Loftwing at his interlocutor's side: "Hello there… Oh my, are you are a Skyloftian like me? What are you doing in Termina?"
The younger man blinked at the mention of that name: Termina? Is this the name of this unique land?
Ankoku, feeling a somewhat weird sense offamiliarity with that individual, narrowing his eyes, nodded as he recognized the individual and unwittingly switched topic: "You are… the map seller from the Bazaar, Mr. Tingle, aren't you?"
At this Tingle, realizing the puzzled expression on the now, caught the opportunity to get a costumer and nodded with a big grin while stating: "You got me. I see you are here to buy any map, aren't you? I have drawn areas of all this world… "
He finished the sentence nervously muttering something about the further corner of Ikana Valley and a 'those damned ghosts', but quickly returned to his creepy grin as he faced the young Skyloftian again who, shrugging resigned at the weirdness of the place, and bought a map of Clock Town as he further asked him: "So… Mr. Tingle, might I know how did you end up here?"
Tingle looked at him suspiciously, looked first at his left, then at his right, then placed himself uncomfortably close to Ankoku and whispered him: "I have been looking for fairy boys"
At this, while some could have gotten this wrong, Ankoku yelled aloud in surprise at having something in common: "Fairy boys?"
"Yes, Fairy Boys. Surprised? I am supposed to be a fairy boy as well… but no fairy came for me" - Tingle stated sadly, while his interlocutor did his best to keep a straight face before him – "it's weird, I even dressed up like them"
As Ankoku was given a vision which would have scarred him for life, hecould not help but muse at how striking was the similarity between those fairy boys and the Hero's clothing. Could there be any relation? How many speculation he could make up? Everything not to focus on that creepy man in front of him.
"I … see…" - the Skyloftian quipped back with a nod and a frozen face, quickly piecing together what had happened to the map seller– "And I suppose you have ended up here from the Lost Woods as you had been looking for the fairy boys, right?"
Incredibly enough, at this the young man could not help but feel a bit gloomy for how that bizarre map seller had been stranded in this godless world. Leaning on a thick and tall pole, he waited for Tingle to answer, and got a nod.
"But I am not that sad about this. I left that place by my own will. Plus here they are more willing to get map at higher prices… and I found a wife, my beloved Pinkle. We even have a nice condo near Ikana Valley, think of that", Tingle mused with a few wide gestures and making a funny face at his wife's mention. Ankoku genuinely wondered who in the world would marry him, a thought Dodo shared, as it got clear when steed and master crossed their stares, then finished his endless flow of thought by scratching his head and sighing.
There was only one more thing he could ask.
"So… As I am a newcomer in this land… what would you suggest me to do to…?", the younger boy questioned. As he was about to further ask if he knew a way out, Tingle cut him off.
"Ask one of the Four Giants", the man in green blurted out. Without waiting for a further reaction from the blue-clad interlocutor he pointed up at the pole the Skyloftian was leaning against.
It was not a pole at all… it was a leg. An infinitely long leg with a huge foot. At this Ankoku stood back, making sign to Dodo to come back as if he wanted to see the creature's full size. The more he looked, the more he could not help but feel intimidated by such size. And those freakish proportions, with those long and spindly limbs all attached to a relatively small triangle shaped head with thick mustaches covering his mouth, and yet deep round black eyes whose depth of knowledge and wisdom reflected Ankoku could not help but change his mind: THIS had made his day.
Ankoku looked at him, and, to his surprise the giant was looking back at him, although, had he been more attentive, he would have noticed that the imposing individual was staring at his shadow, recognizing his superior's presence. A weird roar, somehow not threatening at all, echoed in the air, and, even more weirdly, maybe due to some kind of magic the Skyloftian could not fully grasp, it was perfectly intelligible to human ear.
"Greetings… you … too", the boy responded with a light bow, at which the Giant let another clear verse, which his interlocutor fully understood. In the meanwhile, Tingle had taken a balloon out of nowhere and was about to float again.
"My name … is… Ankoku Yami", the young man stated as he kept speaking to the giant who had kindly offered him a hand so that the young man and Dodo could stay at the Giant's eye level. Ankoku's amazement only rose as he saw, from the corner of his eye that behind the giant there were other three of that kin, pretty much identical except in maybe some light shade of the colors, all of them guarding Termina from every direction and, occasionally, between them, a small… red figure came up and looked alongside them. Before he could focus more on it, he decided to switch his attention to the bigger figures immediately.
"Oh… I see… such unique land… protected by you, your three brothers… And your superior… I understand…" - he answered, then looked at the direction the immense guardian, towards the east, and interrupted him – "what's up in that land?"
Tingle, who was again floating said: "These are the lands beyond Ikana too hostile, ever since those ninja had been infesting it. And I hate this, as I can't make maps of that place… plus, I heard there might be a Fairy Boy with them"
Ankoku turned at the green-clad man, not paying attention at the last statement, asking aloud: "Ninja?"
"That's how they define themselves" – Tingle further explained – "their name seems to be Garo, a race who comes neither from this land … or ours"
The Skyloftian understandably widened his eyes in surprise. He had barely seen another land, that there was a mention of another? Just how much vast was the world the Goddesses created?
The giant continued with his almost melodic roar, explaining Ankoku how that mysterious tribe had been in a so far silent and unarmed but sharp conflict against the King of the Valley, and how much he seemed to fear war. Ankoku seemed to be about to ask why the giants didn't deal with such themselves, decided to take a quick course of actions, hoping that, by exploring that place and aiding the Giants alongside all of the Terminans, he could have found either ways to heal Dodo or to get back Hyrule, possibly both.
Dodo looked at his master, who glanced at him with a concerned look, and petted him: "Don't worry; we'll get there in time"
"If you… don't mind… I will … go there… to … investigate", he stated kindly. The Giant seemed at first rather hesitant at doing this, but then glimpsed once more at Ankoku's shadow. While the boy had been bowing, the shadow he casted down the Giant's hand had not matched his movements. It was more giving the guardian a thumb up, a thing which made the observer widen his eyes. Had she been here all along?
With a roar the North Giant approved such, making the young child of Hylia's cheer in joy at having for once the course of his actions run smoothly.
"My infinite gratitude, sir, I shall do my best", Ankoku thanked the lesser deity with a broad smile which quickly faded he saw, much to his surprise, that Tingle had ended up floating next to him, looking at him with an unsettling grin.
"As you are there already, can you make a map of that place?", the green-clad man asked with a wide grin which sent Ankoku shivers down his back, to the point that was about to tell him that he would have done anything just in exchange of him stopping smiling. He just nodded which ended up Tingle giving him a long scroll, a brush and some ink.
"Good luck, blue boy. I hope these words from a fairy like me will bring you good luck" – Tingle said with a dance – "Tingle, Tingle! Kooloo-Limpah! ...These are the magic words that Tingle created himself. Don't steal them!"
"I promise not to", the younger man stated while exchanging looks with Dodo, who seemed to be lightly horrified by that bizarre man-child.
As the map maker disappeared up in the sky, the other Skyloftian and his steed were gently set down by the guardian god and after kindly greeting him goodbye, set towards the east, on the mysterious land of the Ikana Valley and beyond. And yet it was neither the boy's enthusiasm nor his visual quirks what was lingering on the mind of the Giant and his brothers, who had silently looked on for all the time. It was that shadow, possessed by their superior. After all, if they all controlled one of the four cardinal direction, there had to be one checking the center and supervising them, right? Well… their superior happened to be a mischievous yet well-meaning goddess who had been hiding inside the shadow , clearly enthusiast about how the youngling had been so eager to go to Ikana Valley himself.
But why? Did she have a plan?
… Of course not. Aria was a quick thinker who loved to be guided by emotions rather than cold reasoning of sorts, she would have prepared in case of some given scenario, but never would have laid out a plan. Usually such approach had been working for her, but the Giants were still worried, hoping she knew what she was doing.
After all… there was a common say among the deities, one used both as a motivator to remember never to yield at difficulties and as memento for a time, hopefully forgotten, which still inspired fear among who was ancient enough to witness it.
There are far greater horrors in the Stone Tower Temple
DISCLAIMER:
The hystory of Zelda, Skyloft, Hyrule and Termina, alongside its characters and setting are (c) Nintendo
Aria is (c) LuvIsAThing
Ankoku Yami and the story are all (c) Xantospoc
Thanks you all for having read this fic, read and review please. See ya for the next chapter :)