CHAPTER 9: A Celestian's Legend

Fox and Falco made themselves comfortable upon the carpeted surface of the tent while they prepared to be told a great chronicle from the kind lynx. It was nighttime outside the thick walls, and a few flurries had begun to pick up, so Sky had lit an extra candle inside to keep the temperature from lowering.

After Sky had introduced the topic of his own life's story, Fox was too intrigued to deny the offer. He excitedly nodded his head and replied almost the instant after the question was finished being asked, "Of course! I'm pretty curious, you know."

Seeing as the two foreigners were enthusiastic, the lynx gave a small chuckle and cleared his throat, taking time to mentally gather his own chapters together. The lingering aroma given by the flickering oil lamps provided a setting ideal for such a moment…

He started almost from the very beginning.

…

"First, I need you both to close your eyes." Sky had already drifted into some form of meditation as he advised the vulpine and pheasant to do the same. Confused, the two looked at each other one last time to confirm that they would trust the kind soul with whatever method he chose to give his tale.

They suddenly found themselves under a trance… Their eyelids involuntarily fluttered shut, yet their bodies remained completely still. They were still conscious of their surroundings, but it was as though their minds had been gripped with an inexplicable power. It was somewhat… sleepwalking. A soft voice, able to be heard only in the deepest dimensions of their minds, resonated and grew with volume…

I find this to be a more effective way of properly conveying my emotions. Allow the great Celestian specters be your guide into my subconscious…

Immediately after the words had finished resonating, brilliantly vivid patterns of light stirred and shimmered across their vision in fluorescent hues while the two floated into an incredible void while their sensory receptors anesthetized completely. Bewildered and awestruck, Fox and Falco seemed to have been attracted towards a white flash at one of the cosmic centrifuge's hiatuses. It was as if they were zooming through the spacial gap that existed between Sectors X and Z of the Lylat. They soon realized that they were to experience various bits of Sky's most prominent memories for themselves in first-person…

It began with the lynx's fondest childhood memories. Year after year, he had grown up peacefully in the boundaries of an incredibly bustling village known as Zelenoa. An entirely new culture was introduced, and the two-man squad had never heard one word of Celestian dialect, therefore they proceeded to take hints of what happened based solely upon body language along with phrase and reaction… They could make out a few situations rather clearly between Sky and his family, but the newly towering language barrier had yet to be broken by the Lylatians.

The lynxes were quite interesting and, not to Fox's and Falco's utmost surprise, very sociable and extroverted… The village held many incredible wonders, too. Not just one, but two burning suns were present in the atmosphere and relatively short distances apart. The moon, quite spooky in its appearance, had a larger mass than the sun and only revealed itself every so often during the week… A new species of animal thrived within the forests of Zelenoa as well as its village, the pterolark. The huts and structures inside the village were made from a transparent crystalline substance.

Fox could not have been any more excited to steal a glimpse at a civilization completely unknown to the outside. Its lands were absolutely beautiful… even more striking than Cerinia, he could venture. Bit by bit, Falco was also enthralled by the amount of diversity Zelenoa held. Everything the pheasant had seen, however, could not be compared to the grace and magnificence of the pterolark. The friendship held between Sky and his wise companion, Kuna, fascinated him without end.

The two determined early on that Sky was very intelligent for someone so young. He was a problem solver, an extremely dedicated reader, and such a curious soul. The village elders seemed to worry about him often as he discovered truths that no one else would dare to contemplate. He would further discuss new theories over with Kuna, who would always manage to steer him in the best direction in order for the inquiring lynx not to get into trouble.

Side by side, Fox and Falco absorbed every strikingly majestic landscape presented before them in Sky's memory bank… They felt as though they had become a part of the lynx species at one point, and their amazement gradually elevated as the unfolding chronicles progressed.

"Hey, Falco…"

"Yeah? What's up, Fox?"

"Why haven't we ever been outside of the Lylat before?"

"Beats me. ROB needs to update his GPS coordinates."

At long last, they arrived at the point where Sky had traveled quickly through the Zelenoan wilderness as an elated ten-year-old. As they all went deeper into the woods, the darkness increased until Fox was unsure if the end result would be pleasant or not… Instead, they came to an ancient stone temple with a rather sinister-looking entrance. As was predicted, the nervous lynx took the plunge and began his descent…

Falco was mystified by the crystallized torch lights in the hall, but he almost gasped as his eyes widened at the gigantic dome at the corridor's exit with the shining blue crystal in the direct center.

"Whoa… Zelenoa's really got it going on, even underground."

Fox and Falco suddenly flinched as Sky's body was forced backwards slightly… The crystal had shattered in midair, and the inside of the dome had moaned and roared into life almost. The walls gleamed with azure beams that radiated from the gem's essence, which was engulfing Sky's body at that moment.

The two experienced a rush of raw power while their senses synchronized with those of the awestruck lynx. It was too much for the capacity of their bodies, no matter how much strain was put into containing the incredible force. A concoction of different sensations flowed steadily from the brain: intense headaches from apparent spikes of knowledge, boiling rage that fueled the muscles with Herculean strength, crackling sparks of searing heat and glacial coldness from elemental specters, soothing sensual warmness that spread deep into the heart, and a multitude of other effects.

Sky stumbled about, struggling about while Fox and Falco tried to gather their bearings, and he finally stood up after a few minutes. Everyone had expelled their dizziness, and the shivering lynx proceeded out of the temple. Falco exhaled heavily and held his forehead.

"Holy hell… Any idea what that could have been, Fox?"

"It could have been some sort of spirit, or a group of them… Sky was talking to the gem like he was frightened, then the gem's light became a part of him."

"Jeez laweez…"

"You're telling me. This is probably one of the coolest things that's ever happened to us."

The next chapter of Sky's story was one they were unprepared for. Sky was thrown into painful convulsions during his journey back to the village, and the once beautiful landscape had turned into something dreadfully horrific.

Fox and Falco were both stricken as they took in the violent scene of Zelenoa being laid to a fiery, destructive waste. There were no villagers left after the billowing flames took an enormous toll upon the whole expanse, and the vulpine and pheasant shook with fear at the very sight of the black warriors as they pillaged all that was within the borders of Sky's doomed civilization. Falco broke out into a cold sweat and gagged while Sky's mother and father were brutally murdered, and Fox shed a small tear as he endured a miserable stab of grief… It seemed as though the fallen lynxes were tugging them all into the mire. Their cries of despair that had echoed across the dead plains were ceased, and silence ensued once everything had cleared out.

There was simply nothing left… Falco closed his eyes and turned his head away from the view while Fox wiped his face and continued to mourn quietly at Sky's excruciating sorrow and anguish. What had been so peaceful and heavenly before was now reduced to ash, and Sky was the only survivor, abandoned and heavily scarred as he longed to die with his brothers and sisters… Where the village once stood, only a barren hell remained.

As the lynx's body dematerialized and faded into space, Fox and Falco heard a certain name that lingered for a minute or two before the memory faded into a black nothingness… Siva.

…

The vulpine's eyes were slit open very slowly, and he forced them wider until he at last emerged from the realm of Sky's mind back into the real world. His vision was blurry, and he found as he rubbed his eyes that he had been crying from his experience during the lynx's final snapshot. Falco stared at the ground solemnly and didn't blink. The inside of the warm tent was noiseless.

The two were suddenly forced to look up when Sky had fallen over on his front, clutching his head and breathing at a quick rate. Fox laid a hand on his shoulder and worriedly exclaimed, "Are you alright?!"

The lynx remained on the ground while trying to regain his own strength and expel the pain, his voice muffled by the carpet as he was face-down, "Y-Yes… I shall be okay, I believe. You see, I have never transferred any of my thoughts telepathically to anyone else… and I just finished synchronization with two bodies, and it burned almost every bit of mental energy I had to share with you my full memory…"

Falco replied calmly, still saddened, "Cool… So you just made yourself extremely tired."

Sky confirmed with a nod as he sat back up, and Fox went back to his original position on the carpet across from the lynx. He cleared his throat and asked a question.

"So… how long ago was that hellish occurrence?"

Sky blinked at the vulpine and rubbed his temples, "Thirteen years ago."

"You're twenty-three years old now?" Sky muttered a positive confirmation, and Fox continued, "And what's been going on ever since the genocide?"

"Once my homeland was obliterated totally, I was transferred here by the great Celestian spirit, Dobriduh. I've lived on Div Sablast ever since."

Falco joined in, upping the volume in his tone just barely, "Does that have to do with the name of Zelenoa's planet?"

Sky smiled and closed his eyes as he lowered his head to the ground, "Its name was Celestia, and it wasn't a planet… It was a moon."

Fox stuttered out, "A moon?! How is that possible?!"

"It's always been a topic of heated scientific debating. No one knows how it came into the orbit of Div Sablast, but it has a widely elliptical path around this planet… That was the reason why it disappeared from view every few nights."

Falco raised an eyebrow, "I don't buy it. Moons are rocky and asteroid-y. How is something that awesome and full of life considered to be a moon?"

"Simply because it orbits a larger object with a stronger field of gravity. It has attributes like a planet in a system, but it also behaves as an asteroid would once it enters the range of a planet where its attractive force is present."

"Well… I'm officially mind-blown," Fox relaxed and exhaled again, "And pretty depressed from what I saw from your memory. Speaking of which, I'm really sorry that happened to you…"

Sky held up a hand and smiled, "No need to apologize, friend. It was prophesized by the spirits from the very beginning… My village has barely lasted over a millennium."

Fox raised both eyebrows at that thought, "Is that so?"

"Indeed. I was born during the thousand-year marking… and so I was named Millennia Sky."

Falco chuckled a bit and smiled, "Hah, wow… Sweet name!"

At that instant, the lynx's expression lowered to a more serious frown, "No… I believe the name to be cursed."

That was also the moment in which Falco stopped smiling as well, "Wait… a cursed name?"

"A valid reason is that I never asked to have the entire Zelenoan race to be abruptly dropped upon my shoulders, and even my spirit abilities, the situation was hopeless… Now I could possibly never be able to revive it."

"So what are you doing here?" The pheasant crossed his arms and leaned back slightly.

"Training," Sky responded quietly. "I had risen from this same snow when I teleported away from my destroyed village. Seeing that I had nowhere else to go, I decided to travel wherever the wind blew me. After a few days without food, I fortunately arrived at a strange mountain… Upon the summit rested the Wind Kingdom."

"That must have been ridiculously hardcore."

"You are correct, Falco. 'Twas indeed quite arduous to cover such a distance… As I entered the kingdom gates, and keep in mind this was a very tiny mountainside empire, I collapsed at its front gates and was rushed to the infirmary. They thankfully spoke my native language as well as their own tongue, so they were able to effectively assist me in my recovery and consolation.

"Their race consisted solely of the tiger… And they were ascetically somber almost all the time. As in Zelenoa, equality dominated the ranks, yet there was still an unofficial monarch whom everyone gave a decent amount of respect to… The king's name was Bright, and his daughter's name was Lady Zephyra. The noble warriors that protected the royalty in their golden armor were strong and well-built, and at that moment, I had decided to become a Wind Knight.

"I had neither any of my possessions nor food to replenish myself at the time, so the tigress who treated to me at the infirmary vowed to house me and take care of me. I was very lucky to receive a gift like that after such a disaster, and I was blessed to be given the opportunity to train with the other apprentices… However, it didn't go as well as I thought it would.

"I was the bare definition of an underdog… A weakling, an embarrassment, a speck of dust among titans. And so, I was repeatedly singled out by my mentors as well as being ganged by the other apprentices. My work was the most difficult to complete, but… for some reason, I could sense that Princess Zephyra was watching me. Adding to that, there was a very sacred katana which was encased in a heavily secured, jade trimmed chest… Aegis's Tail. Its presence was felt by me more than any other tiger to approach it, yet they would abstinently refrain from allowing me to be remotely near the blade.

"I continued my training, built my own body strength and agility, and tried to become equal with the golden knights themselves… I could never fully succeed in that, but my skills in combat had become considerably decent. My masters were relatively pleased with my decade of progress, even though I was still very insignificant and feeble compared to the other apprentices as they had already been knighted. I had yet to achieve that ranking…

"However, Lady Zephyra and I began conversing more often. Note that the princess was two years older than I was. She was absolutely divine, exquisitely beautiful and desired by every male citizen of the Wind Kingdom… Her fur was a very bright orange, and her magnificent eyes resembled shining emeralds. The way she expressed herself with her well-shaped body and with the thoughts from her wonderful mind could captivate any soul she pleased. We became closer to one another… best friends.

"It was then that she had taken me deep inside the kingdom's palace one day… What stood before us in its centermost room was the sacred weapon chest. She had excessive knowledge of the Celestian spirits sealed within me, and also told me they could help me to be its rightful wielder… As out of her mind as I thought Her Majesty was, she quickly turned things around by giving me a good luck kiss. After that, she told me to steal Aegis's Tail and run."

"Hm… Sounds like it could have been more than just a friendship." Fox then inquired once Sky had finished that part of his anecdote, "But what did you decide to do?"

In response, Sky reached for his belt with a small visible grin on his face, gripping the handle of his own katana and unsheathing it very slowly. He held it before the astounded vulpine and pheasant, letting the candlelight brighten and reflect off of its long, polished curve. Its handle was adorned with several small emeralds in a neat pattern, and the grip consisted of thickened flat strips of woven string, shining with colors of gold, crimson, and jade. The silver and chrome blade looked sharp enough to pierce a steel plate without any effort.

The lynx beamed with pride, and Falco let out an amused laugh while closely observing the sacred katana, "Well, well… A sneaky bastard, aren't ya? This thing would resale for at least millions of credits back in the Lylat!"

Sky laughed in return and grinned wider, taking the katana and sheathing it back in its place, "I guess you could say I am that. I learned the secrets of invisibility and espionage as a part of the Wind Knight's technique… And this blade is valued worth more than any amount of credits can suffice."

Fox couldn't help but think to himself in the meantime. He sat back, rubbing his chin gently while questioning.

So… What is he training for? Why would acquiring such a prize help him with whatever his cause is?

The lynx looked down and let out a sigh, then fixed the two with a more solemn look, "Do you remember Siva?"

He was the one that caused Sky to black out during the genocide, if I remember correctly… I wouldn't have wanted to tangle with that menacing creep.

"Well… I plan to travel throughout the galaxies in search of his army's black energy traces. Once I can locate my target and corner him, I plan to make him suffer very painfully for his disgraceful deeds. Every weakness, I shall exploit. Every flesh would, I shall exacerbate. Every part of his body, I shall inflict the agony felt by the tens of thousands of souls he and his men sent to hell…"

Falco swallowed and tilted his head a bit, "Then what?"

"After I have eradicated Siva and his forces, I shall proceed to rebuild Zelenoa for the rest of my life."