Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

Chapter 21

Okam was giving Cleo a very disconcertingly pleasant smile. "So you're back... Good, I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't return. You certainly took your sweet time... But no matter... I trust that you collected the last two Essences of Light?"

"Yeah, I did... but I don't have them. In fact, I didn't bother to bring any of the essences."

Okam wasn't pleased. "You don't have the essences? Why?"

"Because I'll only give them to someone I can trust. The Twilight Princess. So where's Midna?" Okam didn't answer. "Where is she?!" she demanded.

"As of now, Midna is no longer the Twilight Princess." Cleo pulled out her sword in a quick flash. "Now really, do you intend to challenge me?" he laughed. The laugh sounded familiar. "Tell you what, I'll give you an open shot. I'll even expose my back." Okam turned around, Cleo glared at him. "Well go on, this is your perfect chance. You know you have to kill me if you are ever to save Midna or the Twilight Realm. So what are you waiting for?" Cleo's sword hand shook, her knuckles white. "What's the matter? Can't attack an old man while he's vulnerable?" Cleo still didn't move. "Tell me... besides a few bugs... have you ever killed anyone?" he asked in morbid curiosity. She could see a mocking smirk forming on his lips.

Then, with an angry cry, she finally charged at him, sword raised, about to strike him down... she stopped... the blade just an inch from his head... she fell to her knees. She couldn't do it. She couldn't kill him. "Cleo..." Jack started, but he was at a loss of what to say to her.

Then they heard rushing footsteps and, before Cleo could react, someone else came, grabbed the Skribal Sword right out of her hand, and ran Okam through. "At least I'm not afraid to do what it takes, bastard."

"Finn?!... You... you..." Cleo stared wide-eyed at her brother and then at Okam, whose shocked look became frozen... and then he fell on the floor. "Finn, you've never killed anyone either!"

"I know... I-I gotta protect you, somehow." His voice was shaking. He had been dreading that action too. "Someone's gotta do it."

"I know it was not easy... you did the right thing for your sister."

"Thanks Jack."

"Where are the essences?" Cleo asked.

"I gave them to that pirate, Scervo. They're safe with him."

"Are they?..." Both Finn and Cleo slowly turned to Okam's limp form. The old Twili lifted his head and his eyes lit up. As though walloped by a giant invisible hammer, a shockwave sent the whole team flying. They crashed on the walls and floor, and when they tried to get back up, they saw Okam standing once again, with the sword still stuck through his body, grinning like a madman. "Thanks for the info, fool!" He pulled out the Skribal Sword. "You won't be needing this anymore." He held each end in a tight grip and, in a horrifying instant, snapped it in two. Cleo felt numb as she watched the two broken pieces clatter to the floor.

"H-how... What the hell are you?!" Finn moaned.

"I am the true king of the Twilight Realm. The master and ruler of all!"

"It was you..." Cleo gasped. Okam turned his intimidating gaze on her. "It was your voice at the volcano! You're not a Twili at all! You're... you're..."

"... ...Aku!" Jack finished.

"WHAT?!" Finn burst out in a higher voice.

Okam threw back his head and let out the terrible cackle Cleo knew was Aku's. "Finally caught on, have you?"

"How did you get here in the first place?" she interrogated the Twili pretender.

"It was chance really. I actually would never have discovered the Twilight Realm if it weren't for the samurai and his fruitless quest to return to his own time in the past."

"That's a total lie!" Finn assumed.

"Oh really? Well why don't you ask him? He'll tell you, if he has got his memories back, that is."

Cleo looked at Jack. "Is it true?... You brought him here?"

There was a sigh of defeat from the lost spirit. "Yes... what he says is true..."

"And I thank you, samurai. Because of you, I will take over this Realm of Shadows as soon as I have all of the Essences of Light... starting with the one still sustaining Cleo's existence here."

Finn quickly jumped to his feet and grabbed Cleo's hand. "C'mon, let's go! We're way outclassed here!" Finn tried to drag her out of the room, but Okam (his eyes glowing again) raised his hand and the teen's body was lifted in the air, shaken wildly and tossed like a ragdoll into a corner.

"FINN!" Cleo ran to her brother and crouched next to him.

Finn couldn't get up. "Cleo run, RUN!"

"I'm not leaving you Finn!"

"Cleo, look out!" she heard Jack cry. She turned around and saw a massive black shadow slithering over the walls and floor, heading right toward them. Should she move out of the way, it would be Finn who would suffer. She used the only equipment she had left and held her shield steady, braced for the impact as the shadow fast approached.

What happened next, she could barely remember any of it. All she remembered was pain, pain in every part of her body as if from blunt hits, sharp stabs, and tight twisting of limbs. All else was blackness. She screamed out in agony...

She was lying on the ground, bruised, battered, and lightly bloodied. Okam stood over her with a look of triumph. "No matter your bravery and your stubbornness... you never stood a chance against the almighty Aku!" Jack was approaching to her aid when Okam smacked him away. "You will do nothing for her now, samurai!" Both Cleo's body and breath were shuddering. "Do not worry for your life. You won't die... you'll be worse off." He used his telekinesis, to unzip her backpack and remove the Moon Pearl.

"NOO! NOO!" Finn hollered. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" He still couldn't get up, all he could do was watch as his sister began to fade.

"Say goodbye to your sister!" Okam mocked. Cleo's turning to a lost spirit was almost complete when Jack saw an opening while Okam was turned away toward Finn. Jack zipped in and collided with his fading friend. There was a sudden blast of light, knocking the momentarily blind villain back. The next second the light and Cleo and Jack were gone completely. Okam rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. He stared. "Where... ...where did they go?!"

She was falling... falling... falling... Memories were fading... She no longer knew anything... All was nothing to her... she felt lost... alone... ...Then she heard a voice... calling her name... She looked up and saw someone falling with her... But all she could see was his silhouette... A man in robes was coming closer... reaching out his hand to her...

... ... ...Cleo opened her heavy eyelids. The first thing she saw was an arctic blue sky. She was lying on the ground still, but she was no longer in pain. She rolled over on her hands and knees to get herself up and the second thing she saw was what she had been lying on. It was a glowing spell circle, but it was different than the ones she had used in the past, the one she was on was in the shape of a flower surrounded by ancient Hylian text. She stood up without difficulty and looked around.

The place was familiar, a town looking a lot like the Twilight Castle Town where she had used the various warps... in fact it looked exactly like that town. Then she realized it is the same town. Yet there were noticeable differences. Once, it was bathed in a twilight that was alien in nature, now it was covered in a calm peaceful blue atmosphere like that of an early dawn. Dotted around the area were suits of white armor with three-eyed masks.

"What happened here?..." She looked at herself. Her body was no longer damaged in any way and was edged with what appeared to be reflected light from water. And she noticed her backpack was missing. "Is this what it's like to be a lost spirit?" Cleo looked around some more. "Where's Jack? Shouldn't he be here too?" But there was no visible sign of him, in spirit or human form. "JACK?... JAAACK!... ...FINN?... ... ...IS ANYONE HERE?"

"... ... ...Cleo... Hayster," answered a new voice. She gave a faint gasp, her heart pounding. It was soft and gentle yet booming and powerful, a voice that seemed to belong to a divine being.

"W-who are you?"

"You will know soon enough... What you see before you is not the Twilight Realm, but a mirrored dimension where only the spirit can enter... the Silent Realm..."

"So I'm a lost spirit now?"

"Not quite..."

"But... how-"

"You have a friend to thank... because of his fearless actions to save you Cleo, you have been spared from a terrible fate."

"I still don't understand. What happened to Jack?"

"He is within you. His spirit has become a part of you now."

Cleo's eyes widened. "Jack is... inside me?"

"Yes... and he will remain so until you can pass the trial."

"Trial? What trial?"

"If you are to return to the Twilight Realm, you must gain spiritual growth. To complete the trial set before you, fill your Spirit Vessel by collecting Sacred Tears. I shall be guiding you." Then a soft glow came out of her chest and took on the form of a white flower with fifteen berries on its long stem. It looked a lot like the Vessel of Light. "Be warned, the Guardians will try to stop you and you will be unarmed. Once you step outside the circle, they will awaken and give chase."

"What happens if they catch me?"

"... ... ...It would be best that you should never know."

Cleo gulped. "Oh great... Well... ...I guess I'd better get this over with." Just as the mysterious voice had said, Cleo barely touched her toe on the outside of the circle when the whole atmosphere rapidly changed from a cool blue to a fiery orange, all the petals on her flower fell off. The white guardians' eyes lit up, they all turned toward her. "Uh oh... This isn't good!" She bolted and already felt them in hot pursuit.