"This hurts. C-Can I just stop."
"You have to cool it down with water or else it'll hurt later."
"I've never been burnt by lava."
"Oh it shouldn't be any different! Now sit still."
Roy poured another handful of water on my thigh. The tips of my toes felt tingly and the burn wasn't feeling any better. I had many minor injuries here and there, but all of my nerves were concentrated on the one spot of my thigh where the lava droplet fell on me. The pink surrounding the black circle was starting to go away, but it was still excruciating.
The two of us back-tracked our path a little to get to a small stream. We could have walked back to the lake where I first met Roy, but I didn't want to have to walk that far back. And we didn't want to travel far from Link and Ike while they tended the new people.
We found the figurines of Kirby and Zelda. Once Link touched the golden platform, the two came back to life instantly. I only had time to say hi before Roy pulled me along to find a water source to cool my burn off. He acts like a mom to me a lot. So we've been sitting here for quite a while, dousing my leg with lukewarm water. The stinging started to disappear and I sighed.
I thought about the phantom and how he spit out lava. I hated having to fight Roy's phantom but the kid is a whole lot worse. He was a portable, compact volcano.
"How am I going to fight him?" I muttered.
"We'll need to find his weakness first." Roy replied.
"Yeah, before I melt into meat stew."
"What did I tell you about believing in yourself?"
"I'm believing. I'm just questioning. And who knows, I might have to face him alone. It's good to plan now..."
I saw Roy frown from the corner of my eyes. He wanted to argue, but a phantom could turn the lights off and separate all of us again at anytime. And now that the second phantom has found me, it would only be a matter of time before we were separated and the cave would be covered in darkness.
"I wish I could fight with you. You should not... No, nobody should go through this alone. Nobody should suffer through all of this. This is all so cruel." Roy shook his head.
The water felt cold. To think that I may be the only one that can solve the puzzle was too heavy of a burden. Not that I wanted someone else to carry this, but I'm not adventurous as Link, I'm not as helpful as Marth, I don't remember vivid nightmares like what Ness and Lucas experienced, and I can't fight bravely like Ike and Roy. Why did it have to be me? Who chose me, of all the people, to solve this riddle?
"I missed you."
I turned around to find Kirby hanging onto my right wing. He had a big smile stretched across his face as he proceeded to climb up my wing. Once he reached my shoulder, he tumbled down my chest and into my lap. I had to catch his miniature body before it fell in the water.
He grasped onto me but I guessed it was a hug. He buried his face in my toga and muffled out: "I missed you!"
"I missed you too, Kirby. Did you hear what Link and Ike had to say?"
"Mm-hmm. And we found this. Link told me to give it to you." Kirby presented a piece of paper from his mouth and patted his hands together, anticipating me to read it. Roy snickered as I wiped the drool off the paper.
I cleared my throat and recited it: "Quietus arrives with swift wings. He arrives on nobody's impulse and it's not always you."
The three of us fell silent. Quietus means death. It's fast and comes at random. Sure, I understand that. But if death comes to me and it's "not always me"...
"I don't get it." Kirby pouted. He looked so upset I had to crack a smile. But neither I nor Roy shared our thoughts about the entry.
Ike and Link were talking to one another and Zelda was quietly listening to the two. As I sat down the three of them inspected my burn and nodded approvingly. A dull pain was still there and it was hard to ignore it, but it wasn't that bad.
All of us sat in a big circle and discussed about the new phantom. I was surprised to find Zelda, being a princess nevertheless, sit on the ash-covered rocky floor in her beautiful pink dress. I imagined princesses to be more careful about cleanliness.
"And this is the second black figure we've encountered so far?" Zelda asked.
"Yes. And I'm an ex-phantom, so to speak." Roy raised his hand. He looked proud for some reason. I rolled my eyes.
I started to talk about the five black monsters Lucas had mentioned and Kirby jumped up and down on my lap. "I remember, I remember! There were three people, and two that didn't look like a person. One of them looked like Roy but in all black!"
Link leaned in closer and asked, "Did one of them look like a kid?"
"Yeah, he looked like you."
"Me?"
One person came to my mind immediately. But that tiny swordsman was a lot smaller than the lava-spitting phantom that we saw. As I remember, the figure resembled more of a human boy a little shy of my height than the swordsman I know.
"Well whoever this kid is, he's one of us. All we need to do is save him." Ike said. Everyone nodded in agreement.
I almost wanted to make a comment on how if we could meet up again. Now that the phantom is aware of our presence, he can shut the firelight off and separate all of us at any second now. I didn't know if we will all be separated or if groups of us are blown off to a random area.
"Is something bothering you?" Zelda asked warily. I went to shake my head but I stopped.
"Peek-a-boo," A voice giggled. I couldn't make out where it came from.
The candle lamp above us flickered. It was time. Link met my eyes and he nodded.
"Guys, the phantom is separating us. But we'll all meet again someday, somehow. Stay safe, find others, and fight back whatever may attack you. …Okay?"
I was relieved to find not only my swordsmen friends but Zelda and Kirby nod also. Roy stuck out his hand. I shook it firmly and held onto it.
"I'll see you soon." He said.
"Soon." I smiled.
And the cave was casted with darkness once again. Roy's hand slipped out of mine. My bow glowed. It didn't light anyone but the intricate features of the dark rocky walls. I was alone once again.
"Soon," I whispered again. The word escaped from my mouth just as my friends did. Hopefully, they'll be all together. I was the only one that needed to travel alone. I need to be stronger.
I've tripped once, when I slipped in the muddy floor going after Ness and Lucas, but the number of times I've almost tripped was starting to skyrocket. By the time I've caught my foot on the railcar tracks for the seventh time; I gave up and started to walk as slowly as I can manage.
These tracks weren't made for walking on. I almost wanted a train to pass by so I can hitch a ride, but I didn't want to know who was going to operate the train. I haven't seen a single living soul except for my friends yet.
The tunnel opened up to a bridge. Below me, a dark turquoise river snaked along perpendicular to the bridge. There was an old crane-like structure that held up a wooden crate. A couple of desks and wooden boxes full of mining tools lined near the crane. Were there precious rocks in the river?
I stood there for a while listening to the gentle stream. The gurgles and hisses soothed me and sent pleasant chills down my arms and shoulders. Right now it's quiet, but I wondered how this place was when people worked here. I could almost hear the miners mumbling to one another and the metallic sounds the tools made when they were excavating rare minerals.
And what's left behind today are tools and technology decaying and melting into the dark atmosphere free from human influence. But maybe in the dead of night, the tools move on their own to reminisce the memories of the days they were used. I smiled a bit on that thought. It wouldn't be too weird if this cave was haunted after all that I've been through.
The crane seemed to twitch.
Or it could have been my imagination. But there was a foreign sound aside from the river. I tried to stay perfectly still. A series of dragging sounds with frequent chinks. The crane had large chains that supported the heavy crate and rocks but the sound was lighter, faster, and closer.
A low carnivorous growl was the last thing I heard before I dodged a brown serpentine beam that lashed out from the end of the bridge. The rusty chain dragged back into the mouth of the tunnel. I turned around and held a good grip of my bow. Someone was coming.
The chain whipped out again, but this time I was able to intercept it. I pulled on it with all my might but the figure on the other end easily overpowered me with one strong pull. I lifted off the ground but I rolled roughly to soften the impact.
I tried not to flinch when the monstrous creature of a man emerged from the darkness. He held a small lamp and he squinted to see who I was. A wide smile spread across his face to reveal a carnivorous set of teeth. I didn't know if the smile meant he found dinner, or if he was exclusively looking for me.
It was hard to tell if the creature was once a human. He wore no clothing and his pale, white-washed skin made me guess he's been here for a while.
I dodged the third lashing and managed to cut a part of the chain off. The rust made it easier for me to cut it. The creature looked genuinely confused on how I sliced off a good part of his chain. He grunted annoyingly. I eyed the river.
The creature produced another rust-covered chain and brought it up high. I rolled sideways and off the bridge. My body spun in air but I had more than enough time to unfold my wings to land on a nearby rock on the wall. The beast growled and whipped at the air but he was out of reach.
I took my time to target my arrow. A brilliant cyan light engulfed the creature's face and he roared. He clawed at his eyes and stumbled to the ground. As I fluttered my wings to set my feet on the bridge again, the creature swung his arms around in a vain attempt to catch me blind.
Should I kill him? I should. He may go after my friends. He may recover and attack back even more fiercely. He may even call for help. I should kill him but my arms didn't move. What if I didn't gather enough power to kill him? The thought of cutting into the creature's body again and again to kill it made my stomach turn over. Was I apathetic enough to kill this?
My hesitation was my biggest mistake.
An icy chain wrapped around my neck and I was yanked down to the ground. My dominant hand bent awkwardly from the impact. The creature squealed with enthusiasm.
"Crap," I reached for my bow with my other hand, but the creature kicked it away. A dry, sour taste in my throat made me gag as I was lifted off the ground by the chain around my neck. A chain was the size of a fingernail and each and every one of them dug right at my Adam's apple.
The creature smirked. His teeth were so yellow; his gums were stained brown and bled constantly. Blood dribbled down his pale white chin. My head slouched back. I felt him breathing on my throat. The stench was unbearable but I was running out of air. Black spots danced in my eyes as if to mock me. I couldn't feel my limbs.
Can't I do anything without the help of my friends?
In the corner of my eyes, a blue orb hovered just below me. A voice rang in my head. I didn't hear it with my ears, but with my mind.
"Let him go."
Author's Note: He'll grow strong. Someday.