Chapter 11

"Eivie?" he called again.

It was then I remembered what Vaati had said.

"Monsters and humans will never be accepting of each other."

"Everything will be fine," I told myself, though I could not believe my own words. "It will be okay…" I dropped my hands to my sides, disgusted with the monstrous nails and graying skin.

"Eivie, are you all right?"

I heard footsteps drawing nearer, causing me to fidget nervously. How could I avoid him seeing me? If I ran away, he would likely follow out of concern. He put his hand on my shoulder, gently attempting to turn me to face him. I shrugged him off by taking a few steps forward.

"Are you hurt?" He tried to step in front of me, only to have me turn my face so my hair hide my eyes. "Is something wrong? Eivie, talk to me, please."

"I am… I am fine," I muttered, fearing my voice had given away my distress. I took a few steps away, hoping to escape the situation.

Link caught my arm, unfortunately brushing the wound from Gomess' scythe. When I yelped, he quickly released his hold and apologized. "Where are you going? You're hurt! You need to have those cuts looked at!"

"No!" I shouted, before gulping. "I will be fine," I whispered. "I need to go speak with the Poe Sisters. I need to leave the city."

"You can't! What if you're attacked again?" He shouted. "You're hurt. They could kill you," he lowered his voice. "You don't have to leave. We can help you. Please stay," he nearly begged.

I bit my lip in a poor attempt to control my emotions. I turned away from him so my back was to him and my face was completely hidden. "I need to go or they will continue to attack Castle Town. The Sisters may be able to help me. I will be fine."

"Eivie, you are completely covered in scrapes and blood, and you look ill." He took a step forward. "Just please, let us help you."

"Yes, Eivie, you are in no condition to travel anywhere," Zelda added.

There was silence as they waited for me to respond. For a time, I stared at the ground, trying to avoid having tears slip from my eyes. They were so concerned, but, the moment they saw me, they would cringe. I knew they would. There was no way they would brush away my appearance, especially after all they had seen and heard when I fought Gomess.

For some reason I chose to giggle through my sobs when I decided what to do. I wiped my hand across my face in attempt to remove my tears. When I knew my efforts were in vain, I turned around. At first, I avoided their attempts to look at my face, still unsure if I wanted to show them.

But I did. I tilted my face and brushed my hair out of my face. They froze up, eyebrows coming together in obvious confusion. While they were focused on my glowing eyes and at a loss of words, I attempted to become a ghost. After a few seconds, I had managed to slip into the incorporeal state and quickly moved past them.

I took physical form after only a few steps, growing more exhausted the longer I stayed in the ghostly state. Despite my tiredness, I began running. I needed to get away from them before they chose to stop me.

"Eivie!" Zelda shouted.

I heard Link sprinting after me, calling for me to stop. He was quickly catching up with me. If I wanted to get away, I would have to do something. I swallowed hard when I had an idea. His footsteps were loud and he was almost close enough to tackle me. I had to act or let him catch me.

Without looking back, I cast a jinx spell at the ground. I heard Link yell in surprise, followed by the sound of him falling, his shield and sword clinking against the cobblestones.

"I am so sorry," I whispered as I continued to run.

Once I had gotten away from Link, I made my way to the south gate. I arrived and was met by a guard manning the gate.

"Open it," I ordered from a distance. "I have business to attend to."

"It is past the curfew and we have explicit orders for the gate to remain closed," he answered. "Return home, young lady, before I have to report you."

I sighed, holding back a whine. "Open it," I repeated forcibly. I closed the distance between us and stood straight with my hands clasped behind my back. I tilted my head to the side, waiting for the wide-eyed guard to respond. "If you do not wish to be killed, I suggest you do as you are told." Just for effect, I cast a jinx spell to surround me in flames briefly.

The guard stuttered as he backed away. He reached for his sword, clumsily taking it from its hilt. His arms shook as he pointed the sword at me. "G-get away, monster."

"Monster," I mouthed. Suddenly I fell into a fit of hysterical laughter. "They knew all along. The villagers had known exactly what I was. How stupid I had been not to believe them!" I shouted, throwing my hands in the air in defeat. I am a monster. I have been all along. I am not human at all. I cannot stay here; they do not want me here. A stray tear ran down my face before I returned my attention to the guard. "I will ask one more time: open the gate. Refuse and you will be nothing but a corpse." It took everything I had to keep my voice from cracking, to maintain a strong exterior while I broke on the inside. To appear simply insane rather than absolutely pathetic.

He took my threat and scrambled to the gate, almost tripping over his own feet in his haste. It took a few moments before he had the gate open. I walked past him calmly, my back straight and hands still clasped together. Once I stepped outside the gate, it quickly closed behind me, the guard eager to keep me out of town.

I glanced over my shoulder, taking a last look at the town before I made my way to the forest. After a moment, I collected myself to begin the tiring trek to Faron. It would likely be noon when I arrived to the woods, judging by how the sun had set not too horribly long ago. I somewhat regretted not taking a sword or some other weapon with me; using so much magic had made me tired. I doubted my ability to rely on it for protection, especially if met by another powerful monster like Gomess.

I started walking, trying to focus on my surroundings rather than my own thoughts and emotions. It was the only way I could manage not having a complete meltdown.

I rolled over, the sun warm against my skin.

My eyes shot open, my body jerking into a sitting position. I had fallen asleep in the middle of the field, which I had no recollection of doing. Had I simply become so tired I fell asleep while walking?

A movement caught my attention. Nearby a large human-like creature wearing dark, heavy armor stood. It had a sword and shield at its side. It wore a helmet that hid its face, but it appeared to be surveying the area judging by how its head moved from side to side. It was a Darknut, one of the most feared classes of monsters Hyrule had. I slowly got to my feet and tried to move away undetected, but it noticed me. It gave a low grunt and the armor clattered as it turned its attention to me. For a few moments I waited for it to charge at me, but it did not move, only looked at me curiously. I slowly backed away, amazed that the creature never choose to attack. It did not intend to harm me, I decided. I turned my back to it, walking at a decent pace, but being sure to listen extra carefully if the monster changed its mind.

Once I was a good distance away, I paused to glance up at the sky. It was afternoon now; I had been sleeping for quite a while. In the distance I could see the beginnings if the forest. If I sped up a bit, I could easily reach the woods by dusk.

Next I glanced down at my arms, taking stock on how bad my injuries were. What surprised me was that the small cuts had already begun to close and the large gash had greatly improved. I was happy to see that my skin had also returned to simply pale rather than gray. Upon seeing that, I glanced at my nails, seeing that they had returned to a normal length. I could only hope my eyes had returned to normal as well.

Last night must have somehow triggered the change. Had it been because I feared for my life? That was how I had discovered the jinx spell, so perhaps the other abilities appeared because of the threat of death. I shook my head, hoping the Poe Sisters could tell me more rather than me thinking in circles for hours on end.

Despite the soreness in my legs, I forced myself to jog, hoping to reach Faron quickly.

The sun had just begun to set when I arrived to the tree line of the grand Faron Woods. Without much thought, I wandered in, not wanting to waste time looking for a path. I had been through the woods enough to find my way to the village eventually.

I scoffed at that. I was deliberately looking for the village. How enthused they will be at my return. From the village, I would first check the graveyard and then head to the temple in my search for the Poe Sisters. They would not have to see me and I would not have to deal with them if I stayed out of sight.

After walking through the woods for some time, I could see the swaying shadows and light cast by torches ahead. I would have considered it a group of hunters if I had not noticed that the light happened to be green, blue, yellow, and purple in color. They had been as considerate as to meet me it seems.

I stepped out into a small clearing in the trees, the Sisters all turning my way. We stared at each other for a moment, giving a silent greeting of sorts. Meg drifted toward me slowly, the other three falling behind her in a neat line.

"What am I?" I asked her, almost in an accusatory way.

"How much need I explain to you? Give me more specific questions."

"Who is Jahalla and why does he seek to kill me? Why did my appearance change when I battled Gomess? Why do I have the abilities of a Poe?" My voice rose with each question. I could not contain my desperation and confusion. Or my anger at the Poes that likely knew what I was from the start.

"Lord Jahalla is the leader of our kind; the strongest Poe."

"Our kind?" I interrupted, feeling that she had included me in that statement.

She glared at me, not amused with my rudeness. "Yes, our kind. You are but a Poe trapped in a mortal body."

"W-what?"

"Yes. Eivie is not human. Eivie is not monster. You are an abomination formed when a Poe has been trapped in living body by possessing a person for too long. The body you have now had once belonged to a human and the soul you have once belonged to a Poe. Eivie is the result of the memories being mixed and twisted together."

"Why would a Poe take possession of a body and choose to stay in it?"

"Usually we take control of the dead, becoming ReDead and Gibdo. Sometimes we possess the living, but often only briefly or we will lose to the living soul. Only a powerful Poe can take control of a human and maintain control, only suffering memory loss after a long period of time, but also still retaining a Poe's abilities."

"I asked why a Poe would use a body," I stated in mild frustration.

Amy giggled but ceased when Meg turned to give the green Poe an angry stare. Joelle rolled her eyes.

"We do not. It was your foolish choice to trap yourself. Other Poes know better," Joelle answered.

"Joelle," Meg warned. When the yellow Poe rolled her eyes again, Meg sighed and returned her attention to me. "You choose to hide in body when you lost to Jahalla, knowing he is too pig-brained to consider the idea. Even now he doubts your return. Word of Gomess' defeat has not yet reached him, we made sure of that."

"When did I fight Jahalla? You have to be more specific than brushing a subject and expecting me to remember it!" I shouted, losing patience with the cryptic Poes. "Have I not made it clear that I know nothing?"

"Fine, you dull-witted creature," Joelle snapped. "We will show you exactly what you did and how much chaos you had created with your foolishness."

"We may have respect for your former self, but this human before us is irritating," Meg added, glaring at Joelle. "Despite our apparent dishonesty, we have remained quite loyal to you. Remember that before you act rashly upon hearing this, should Death Sword's personality make an appearance, that is."

"Death Sword?" I whispered, the ridiculous name sounding remotely familiar.

"Yes, what is now Eivie used to be called Death Sword," Meg answered as she moved out of the way for Beth to come forward. "We have a potion that had been given to us by a powerful demon. He said it would show you exactly what you wish to know."

Beth offered a small vial, the glass twinkling in the light of the torches. I reluctantly held my hand out and accepted the potion. Before I dared drink it, I examined it, trying to make out anything significant.

"You… got this from a demon?" I sloshed the liquid in the bottle around. A demon was worse than a monster. Much worse than a monster. Demon was a name reserved for a select few monsters that had proven to be the most foul of creatures. Should I dare accept a mysterious potion from one?

"Yes. He seemed truthful enough, and mentioned he had a personal liking for you," Meg answered. Joelle rolled her eyes at the last part. "He is also on poor terms with Jahalla. He would benefit from Jahalla's rival returning." Meg sounded like she truly believed in the so called demon's reason to give me such a gift.

"All right then," I whispered, turning the vial in my hands. As hesitant as I was, I still wanted to know what memories the potion would drag up. If it did not kill me, that is. I popped the cork top off, sniffing the brew. My nose scrunched at the harsh, rank odor of the liquid. I swallowed nervously before bringing the vial to my lips, tilting my head back, and downing the foul potion.

For a moment, I gagged and coughed, the taste probably worse than eating rotting flesh with spoiled milk. I considered it may have been a poison, if only for disgustingly bitter it was. Then the world around me seem to spin, the trees flying by with such speed I felt even more nauseous. I was still conscious when I fell to the ground, landing flat on my back and knocking the air from my lungs. As I struggled to draw in more air, I began to feel like I was falling asleep, the world slowly blurring and fading into nothing.

It was dark outside, the stars and moon hidden behind clouds. The only light came from the burning houses and the lanterns and torches of the accursed monsters that had suddenly emerged from the forest. The screams of ReDead and people pierced the otherwise soundless night, causing her skin to crawl and tears to leak from her eyes.

No matter how hard she tried to keep quiet, her pounding heart and shaking breathes seemed as loud as the pained screams of the other villagers. She was hiding on the edge of town amongst the snarled limbs of a tree. While she was out of sight, she knew she was not safe from the horrifying ghosts. She could not escape either. She did not know the forest and was much too young to travel it alone anyways. A stray monster could easily devour her in a few bites.

Her parents were nowhere to be found. Her father had left the house to help the other villages when the Poes arrived. Her mother had distracted them when the ghosts ransacked the house. She was alone now. Alone with no idea what to do. She was a lost child in the middle of a massacre.

A sudden crash and nearby screech made her head jerk to the noise. She was just in time to catch sight of a massive black sword with red markings cleaving a person in two. Despite how hard she tried, she could not hold back a horrified shriek.

The tree lite up with blue fire, scaring the girl out from underneath. She froze when she saw the creature wielding the weapon. It towered over her, its body skeletal having a thin layer of graying skin stretched over top. The horns protruding from the sides of its head only made it more terrifying. Its glowing yellow eyes narrowed, its mouth showing a wicked smile rowed with sharp teeth. The monster's long gray robes flowed in the slight wind.

The girl stared at the monster, too overcome with fear to move. The creature stared back, seemingly analyzing the girl. Before she got the chance to flee, the monster dropped its sword. It flew forward, changing from a physical to an invulnerable state, and went straight into the girl, fusing itself with her body.

A Poe clothed in purple, holding a flame of the same color arrived next to the girl.

"What are you planning to do with that?" the Poe inquired with a hint of disgust.

"It has magic in its blood," the girl said, despite the words not being her own. "It may be useful to hide in for the time being, while I recover from the wounds Jahalla has inflicted upon me."

"Do you not worry about losing your memories to it?"

The girl scoffed. "To such a pathetic little human? Even years from now this human will have traces of my memory, my habits, and my abilities. I will need but a reminder to reawaken."

"And I will be that reminder?" The purple Poe did not sound enthusiastic.

"Of course, Meg. Or I will remember on my own, hunt you down, and make sure to completely obliterate you." The girl grinned. "In the most painful manner possible, of course," she added.

Meg gave a slight tip of her head. "Your will shall be followed, Death Sword."

I lay in the dirt, my body tired and numb. My eyes are closed as I listen to them.

"Is she all right?"

"Of course not! Look how pale she has become."

"And her nails, they are a strange shade now as well."

"Is it a monster in disguise?"

"Should we kill it before it wakes?"

"But… what if she isn't a monster? Then we would have murdered a defenseless child."

` "True… but this is not how she looked before. It makes sense that it is a monster."

"Are you sure about this? Maybe we should try to wake her before we jump to conclusions."

The group grumbled in agreement. A few seconds later I felt a shoe prodding my side lightly. I must had made a noise because a few people gasped and stepped back. I forced myself to sit up and slowly opened my eyes. When I looked up at the group of villagers, they all stepped away, looking mortified.

"Her eyes!"

"Yellow like the Poes."

"They have changed color! A sign of possession!"

A man stepped forward, threatening to stab me with a sword. I screamed and covered my face. I heard another person shout, followed by the sound of people shuffling out of the way.

"What do you think you are doing?" An older lady hissed, pulling the man with the sword by the collar. "That is a child!"

"B-but," the man stammered.

"Does she look like a threat to you?" The old lady pointed a boney finger at me. "No. She is only a frightened child who just lost her parents."

"She has the eyes of those horrible monsters!"

"Clearly it is a monster trying to trick us!"

The old lady sighed and threw up her hands. She shoved the man out of her way, making her way to me. She crouched down and gently placed her hand on my shoulder. "My name is Syrup. Would you like to come to my home to clean up, to get something to eat, or rest, deary?"

I weakly nodded. I was confused as to what all of these unfamiliar people were talking about. I could only tell they were upset with me for whatever reason. Syrup seemed the only nice one, which is why I wanted to go with her, to get away from all of the angry people.

I held my head as I slowly sat up. The colored flames of the Sisters' touches moved closer. Once the world stopped swaying, I stood up and faced the Poes.

"What did you remember?" Meg asked curiously.

"I remember taking this body over and the day following."

"That is all?" Joelle cut in. "You've been out for hours and that is all you remember?"

Meg hissed at Joelle before saying, "With time more will return to you. The matter with Jahalla will likely cause you to remember more of the Death Sword. Your rage had been the cause of your appearance change; Death Sword will not allow for your defeat. Death Sword is intolerant of the weak and refuses to admit defeat. Until the time you remember all, you will have to remain hidden. Jahalla resides in the Forest Temple we guard. Our disobedience, if discovered, will lead to our final deaths. Death Sword, we have been your allies. We have fought beside you since the day you challenged Jahalla for leadership. Remember that when you confront Jahalla once more."

I nodded, not sure if she was meaning to address me or the creature I apparently was. I felt no different knowing that Death Sword and I were supposedly the same. I still felt like Eivie, the human that had a strange connection with the Poes. The answer I had thought would bring me peace had brought nothing to quell my fears, only more confusion.

I was a monster, but I felt human. I had the abilities of a monster, but the mentality of a human. What was I?

"Where will Jahalla be unable to find me?" I needed to think of the present, on living until a solution to Jahalla was reached.

"Far away from Faron." Meg looked to the sky, perhaps thinking. "You had been from the desert, retuning there may be an option."

"The Gerudo Desert?"

"Yes, the Death Sword had originated from the prison, if I remember correctly."

I was about to ask more, seeing as how chatty Meg now seemed, but was interrupted by a powerful gust of wind that blew dirt into my eyes and mouth. I was forced to close my eyes. The winds were raging, stirring up rocks, dirt, leaves, twigs, and whatever else rested on the forest floor. At some point I may have heard a tree crack as the wind tore the area apart.

The moment the wind calmed, something powerful wrapped around my stomach, latching onto me tightly. With what sounded like the flapping of wings, the whirling gusts returned. My feet left the ground as whatever had me rose up. I looked down, seeing a large black claw clutching onto to me. I tried to pry it off, finding it much too powerful. The creature tightened its grip, perhaps sensing that I planned on trying to escape. With the crushing pressure, I had to fight to breath; there was no possibility that I could try using a spell.

The ground seemed hundreds of feet below me, and the creature was bringing me even higher. Between the quick change in elevation and tight grip of the monster, I began to slip into unconsciousness. My eyes fell closed, but, before the world went completely dark, the creature landed. Then I felt as if I was being carried in someone's arms.

A/N- I hope you all enjoyed this chapter because I have been waiting to get to this part for ages! Eivie is the Death Sword seen in Twilight Princess, or, I guess, possessed by it. I feel like I could have explained that better, so if anyone has questions feel free to ask. I sort of thought of the idea because Wind Waker Poes could reverse the controls for a short while when they possessed Link. I thought maybe they would leave before they got stuck forever. I also mentioned the ReDead and Gibdo because they are also undead creatures, so why could they not be dead bodies possessed by Poes? The first flashback was the human Death Sword found and the second is the following day and marks the start of Eivie's memories. I feel like this may be confusing as well… Because it is such a small detail, I will share that the Death Sword has purple nails which is why Eivie does as well. The jinx spell was my own addition and is based off Bubbles, being invisible and invulnerable is actually used by the Death Sword in-game. And just because Eivie knows she was once the Death Sword does not mean stuff will be all fine and dandy for now on, far from it actually. Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting! It means a lot to me. I hope you all stick around for the craziness.

Miss Ominous- I don't think I've thanked you for saying "great chapter" nearly every chapter. I really like that, makes me feel successful. So, yeah, thanks! And spring break, I wish mine would have been about now instead of earlier, like a month ago. My brain decided to stay on vacation and being productive is a struggle. I hope you're having a good break, though! Whenever you review is fine, seriously, it's not like there's a due date on them. I am just happy you do take the time to review! So thank you for being here for so long and continuing to read and review!

Awkward Passerby- I don't think it's weird to read the other responses. I usually read authors responses to reviews too because the authors will answer questions, explain something, or say something funny. You also get to know the author better too. And I left you with another cliffhanger. I have become that writer, and I sort of want to apologize, but, at the same time, I know it is a good way to keep people's attention. Hope it doesn't drive you too insane! Thanks for sticking around for so long and continuing to read and review!

-AwkwardBlackCat