Chilled by the ominous wind, her hands interlaced with Midna's, her aqua gaze followed the shadows dancing on the walls and ceiling and leaned frightfully close to the princess. Something was dreadfully wrong, her instincts warning her to flee someplace safe, but she remained rooted to her spot.
The sound of something loud bounced off the walls, resonating loudly in the Main Hall, and realizing it came from the second-floor balcony, Celeste's eyes turned upwards. And yet, in this darkness, it was difficult to discern anything at all, besides the little light of Twilight shining through the quaking windows.
Soon after, heavy footsteps reverberated loudly in the room, the likes of which immediately quieted the people. Tension filled the throng gathered beside her, and she felt Midna's hand tightly squeeze hers, but just as quickly as those ominous footsteps came, they soon fell short and an almost numbing silence followed after.
There was a noise, a peculiar sound which thumped in the darkness, a sound of something falling repeatedly upon the ground, though as she and the guests listened, she realized that with each impact it drew closer and closer. What was that sound?
A light from beside her drew her curious stare, and realizing Zant was calling forth his powers, it wasn't long until the entire room was lit once more, the blue flames of the swaying candlelight revealing the horrors which hovered before them.
From the rafters and walls, terrifying black and gray entities loomed, their misshapen mask like faces peering back at them. Much like themselves, they were built and lean, though more massive than those of the Twili. Long black tendrils fell from behind their misshapen faces, several more falling just beneath their hidden mouths. It was an ominous sign, one which Celeste learned from her history books years prior.
"Shadow Beasts!" Midna gasped. "How is it possible? They were banished from our kingdom long ago!"
A stir rumbled through the crowd, the panic-stricken faces of the guests huddling close together, and as the crowd moved around her, Celeste pressed herself closer to Midna, her eyes quickly looking away from the creatures. What was going to happen to them?
There was a shriek somewhere close in front of her, and when her eyes fell upon an older and more stoutly woman, it wasn't long before the crowd turned their curiosity ahead. Kicking and screaming, it took little effort to pull the woman away from the ground, but when they looked at the source of her fright, they stepped away in shock, the murmur in the crowd growing louder and more frightful.
"What is it? What's going on?" Celeste asked, following closely behind Midna towards the staircase, but she didn't get far before another gasp fell from Midna, her gaze stricken with fear and grief. "Midna?"
"No…"
Bemused, she pushed forward to peer ahead, but she soon regretted that decision, and fell back into Zant, a startled gasp falling from her lips. The sight which greeted her and the hundreds of guests in the room was surely just as terrifying as the monsters looming above them, and worse of all, Celeste felt incredibly vulnerable and shaken. "No! No!"
It was his Majesty, the King.
No. It was his severed head.
Petrified by the sight, tears welled in Celeste's eyes, and she clung to Zant, burying her head against his chest, her eyes turning to Midna beside her. From her stance, Midna was practically frozen, rooted to her spot, silently and fearfully staring at her father's severed head mere feet from them. "Midna…"
"No … father…"
A chuckle unexpectedly sounded, echoing within the room, and it wasn't difficult for those of Twili to locate its source. The shadow of a towering and giant individual loomed overhead, leaning against the railing of the balcony. Dressed in heavy plated black armor with gold trim and maintaining a menacing appearance, he accessed the guests with an almost amused and beguiled stare, one of which certainly uneased Celeste.
The distinct difference between this person and themselves was surely noted by the color of his green olive skin. Auburn hair, nearly red in its distinct color in contrast to theirs, was combed back with a golden styled spiked crown with various sapphire and amber gems inlaid in gold, the beaded small chains falling eloquently upon his forehead where a large topaz dominated the spot just above his frightful eyes.
Feeling Midna's aura flare up unexpectedly, Celeste watched as the young woman stalked towards the staircase, her intention loud and clear; she sought vengeance for her father's murder, but before she could approach further, she was seized by a few palace soldiers, two holding her still from approaching the danger looming above them.
"No, Princess. You mustn't!"
"It's too dangerous!"
"Release me or face the consequences!" She threatened, struggling until their hold slackened.
"Wait, Midna!" Celeste cried, hoping to reach out in time to stop her, but it was too late. She watched the Princess tread up the carpeted and bloodstained stairs towards the unknown assailant above, and fearful of what would surpass, she pushed away from Zant's embrace. "Wait!"
But it was too late to do anything. Midna was halfway up the stairs, her powers flaring with anticipation. Yet, before she could reach the final step, a wave of dark energy sent her tumbling down the stairs until she laid sprawled unceremoniously at everyone's feet.
"Midna!" Celeste cried.
"Princess!" A chorus of fear resounded.
While Celeste attempted to help Midna stand, trying to pull her away from the staircase and into the safety of the crowd, Midna remained unmoving, her scowl turned upwards. Around them, Celeste noticed the crowd quickly gather, many standing protectively in front of the Princess, though it was clear they were clearly terrified.
"Who are you?! Why have you murdered the King?!" Midna bellowed. "What do you want?!"
Just as those questions fell from her mouth, the doors behind them burst open, and more monsters swarmed in. Despite this ominous interruption, they were relieved when an army of soldiers enter the room just as quickly, immediately taking their places around the guests, their blades drawn and arrows nocked.
The intrusion of soldiers merely spurred a smirk from the strange man, still leaning lazily over the railing, and with a wave of his hand, the door behind him also fell open, clattering noisily against the walls before an unexpected stampede entered the room. At first, it was difficult to discern what else had entered, but soon enough, they saw several small creatures emerge, many standing above the staircase.
Bokoblins.
A hysterical cry bellowed somewhere close to her ear, and soon after, Celeste felt her body pulled and pushed with great force. Despite the soldiers' warnings to remain calm over the chorus of shrill screams, their warnings fell short and the sound of blades clanging against metal soon sounded within the Hall.
As Zant pulled her and the Princess behind him, despite Midna's protests, those monstrous shadows fell from the rafters and walls, many scurrying nimbly across the polished floor, cutting off the guests exits, including theirs. Three massive Shadow Beasts stood in between their escape, their menacing forms stalking towards them intimidatingly.
"You foul beasts!" A soldier cried.
"You'll not have your way!" Another bellowed.
Squeezing Zant's arm, she watched those two brave soldiers rush at the beasts, followed after by a dozen more, but their efforts were in vain; the first two were caught, their bodies no more than rag dolls trapped by their enormous hands. Before the other soldiers could raise their blades, three more Shadow Beasts appeared, lunging from behind two pillars with great velocity, trapping their heroes beneath their enormous weight until they laid unmoving, bones crushed.
The speed and force at which the monsters lunged pushed one particular pillar off balance, the sheer height and mass of its size unexpectedly falling towards the crowd and themselves. Fortunately, the stone pillar fell short of its impact when an incredible barrier ceased its fall. Zant's aura had flared, the barrier his own doing, and with his control over his powers, he hurdled the pillar back at the beasts.
"Zant…" Celeste breathed.
"Stay back," He warned to her and Midna, but despite his warnings, a few of the guests failed to abide by his wishes, overcome by extreme terror, and rushed forward towards the exit, towards those monsters. "No!"
Before one of those creatures could reach out and snatch them, Celeste watched as Zant charged forward, a mighty beam of light spiraling towards the Shadow Beast head on. Several more beams flew from his outstretched hands, the remainder of those blocking their path immediately lunging to the walls and scurrying like roaches. The distraction was enough to allow the few innocents to reach the exit, but to Celeste's dismay, the door would not budge.
"Is it locked?" Celeste cried.
"Just knock it down!" Someone cried.
"Impossible. It's made of strong mineral, meant to keep out intruders! We'll have to find another way!"
"I don't want to die!"
Shadow Beasts lunged at Zant once more, and managing to keep the barrier erected around the guests, he leapt out of their path, turning his body in a repetitive fashion. With his arms outstretched, the aura of his power flared once more, large beams growing from his palms, and which each spin, the orbs transformed into a spherical blade around his body. Two of the creatures fell upon impact with the blade, their bodies nearly severed with only one losing its arm.
Both fell noisily upon the floor, the remainder of those untouched pausing in the rushed attack to survey the damage of their brethren. For a moment, all that was heard was the continuous sounds of blades and screams from those outside the barrier, and believing they might actually prevail against these monsters, Celeste released a breath, but no sooner than she felt this relief, a horrid and deafening shrill resounded in the Hall.
Celeste covered her ears, those around her doing the same. "What's happening? Why are they doing that?!"
"It's no use!" Midna cried from beside her.
Although baffled by her words, Celeste was about to ask what she meant when the room fell silent, the noise diminishing just as quickly as it had come. Looking back towards Zant and the monsters, she gasped when she saw the two fallen Shadow Beasts regain their standing on all fours, the one who'd lost its limb attaching itself once more before stalking towards them.
"How…" Celeste breathed, eyes widening at the sight. "They revived…"
"In order to defeat them, you must eliminate them all at once. Should one remain standing, it will sing the song of death to revive its comrades," Midna answered. "It's no use. We don't have the means or the time to do this right now!"
"But what about your powers, Midna? What if you—"
"My power isn't enough to defeat these. The only other person who possessed such powers was father, and now…" She trailed off, clenching her hands as she fought to control her emotions, her eyes glistening as tears threatened to fall. "Without him, we have no choice, Celeste. We must run."
"I'll distract them!" Zant exclaimed, likely overhearing the conversation. "Find a means to escape while you can!"
"But Zant!" Celeste cried, but on account of Midna's hold upon her hand tightening, she looked at her worriedly. "But…"
"Don't worry. Zant can handle his own; he proved that in the tournament, didn't he?" Midna asked, easing Celeste's worries. "Let's find your mother and escape from here."
The barrier soon dissipated from around them, and while the remainder of the guests grew more frightened by this, it was obvious from their gazes they were relying on their Princess to bring them to safety.
"Let's go, Celeste."
"Right."
While Zant fought the monsters, it was thankfully enough to allow them a moment's pause to determine their situation. On the other side of the room, another battle took place, though it seemed more futile if anything. The castle guard, led by Jo Ho looked nothing more than a call for help; he struggled with his men, their blades doing nothing more but deflecting off their bodies; even arrows were pointless. A small number of the soldiers laid unmoving upon the polished floor, while the remainder of the guests fled in scattered groups around the hall, chased by the small Bokoblins.
One particular family, not far from where they stood, were trapped between the wall and multiple tables, each holding up tupperware as a means of defense while those Bokoblins approached, cackling with their mallets raised, another with a long coil of rope held tightly in its grasp.
Displeased by the scene, Midna rushed forward and gathering her own powers, she threw multiple small beams of red light at the troll creatures, their clubs flying from their hands the moment they were hit, and soon, they laid twitching upon the ground, their bodies scorched.
"Hurry, this way!" Celeste cried, ushering the fear-stricken family towards them.
"Where do we go?!"
"The only other exit is upstairs!"
Midna's gaze turned towards the upper balcony, the sight of that stranger still looming and ever so watchful; it seemed his eyes were focused intently upon the battle with Zant and the Shadow Beasts, and biting her lip, she mused. "I'll never forgive him…"
"Midna?"
"There's no use going that way; the entire staircase is blocked off by those monsters. We'll have to find another way."
With the chaos unleashing around them, it seemed almost and utterly impossible, the small crowd gathered near them fidgeting uneasily on their feet. Unexpectedly, a gasp fell from Celeste's lips, a sudden idea surfacing as her eyes shot wide, and Midna quickly leaned close.
"I know of a way," Celeste began, loud enough for everyone near to hear. "There's a secret passage the servants often use, especially when they've fallen behind in their duties. This passage leads out into the main corridor!"
"Then," Midna began, relief immediately flooding her at the mere thought. "there's still hope. Celeste where is thi—"
"Help me! Please, someone!"
"Sophia, help!"
"I don't want to! Stop, it hurts!"
The sound of three familiar voices shrieked somewhere close, and turning her eyes to survey the scene, Midna spotted four maid servants a short distance away, a number of Bokoblins swarming them. A poor girl, caught in a terrifying ordeal, was cornered by two of the creatures while two others were dragged by their hair in their desperate struggle to escape. Celeste's mother, Sophia, was upon the scene as well, fighting one of the creatures with nothing more than a broom, but to no avail, she soon found herself flat on her back, the creature lingering close with its mallet raised.
"No! Mother!" Celeste cried.
Before Midna could stop her, Celeste had quickly fled past her towards the scene, hiking her dress as she ran to stop the impending catastrophe. Realizing there was no use abandoning the servants, Midna reacted fast, following just as quickly behind Celeste, extending her palm.
A beam of light shot the offending wrist wielding the weapon, the mallet clattering upon the floor seconds after, and the beast turned its glower towards them in an instant. The moment he turned, Celeste closed in with a pot raised high, one she'd quickly swiped off the tables passing by.
"Get away from mother!" Celeste cried, throwing the vase into the beast's face, and as pottery fell in fragments to the floor, the creature swayed on its feet before ultimately falling unconscious.
The Bokoblins, who'd been distracted previously with their hostages, turned on account of the attack, and dropping the girls for the briefest of moments, they ran at Celeste, but before they could lay even a finger upon her, Midna interfered, her powers enough to send them scattering to safety.
"Mother!" Celeste cried, falling to her knees to embrace her.
"My child, are you hurt?"
"No. I'm fine, mother," She sniffled.
"Thank goodness you're safe, but we mustn't linger, my dear."
"Can you stand?" Celeste asked, and at her mother's nod, she reached for Sophia's hand.
With Sophia safe and in the embrace of her daughter, Midna glimpsed the hall, surveying their surroundings warily, but fortunately, most of the Bokoblins in the area had fled on account of her magic, and with the three servant girls saved, she quickly helped them to their feet.
A shriek resounded a distance away from them, and turning to the source, Midna noticed an intense light radiate off Zant, his arms extended outwards towards the Shadow Beasts, and with precise control, the monsters fell, one by one, until only two remained standing. While this wasn't the time to verbally insult him, she was thankful for his help and determination to rid those creatures from the palace.
The sight of something fast flew in their direction, and quickly pivoting her body, her eyes widened when she saw two large Bokoblins rush at Celeste and Sophia, their weapons raised. "Watch out!"
Celeste and Sophia barely managed to avoid the attacks, each pushing the other out of harm's way in the last minute before rolling away from the thunderous strikes upon the floor. Before Midna could raise her arm to deliver a blow to those creatures, a surprise intervention stilled her intentions, the sight of a large blade circumventing the mallet's plunge towards Celeste a second time.
"Jo Ho!" Celeste cried, obviously surprised he managed to pull himself away from his previous battle.
Although Celeste was crouched behind him with her mother, Midna caught Jo Ho's stare, a weak smile splayed upon his countenance as he countered with his sword. "Don't worry, I'll handle these guys. You should take this opportunity to escape," He exclaimed, nimbly sidestepping an attack before upper cutting the enemy with a thrust of his blade. "But before you go..." He began, quickly evading a flying swing of the Bokoblins mallet, he sent the young girl an apologetic stare, accompanied by a weak smile. "There was no excuse for my actions earlier. I understand if you can never forgive me, but I want you to know how much your life means to me, Celeste. Wherever you go, be safe."
"Jo Ho…" Celeste murmured.
"Princess! Celeste!" A familiar and masculine voice shouted over the chaos in the room.
Looking away from Jo Ho's fight, Midna noticed the swift approach of a familiar Magic User, and his battle earlier with the Shadow Beast surprisingly over. Looking past his approach, she saw the remains of the beasts lying in a pool of its black substance, the very sight alone enough to bring her relief.
"Zant!" Celeste cried, helping her mother regain her standing before running into Zant's open arms. "You're alright. Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine. What about all of you?" He asked, his eyes surveying the crowd of onlookers surrounding them.
"We're fine, but we should really be leaving right about now," Midna's voice interrupted. "Celeste, where's the passage?"
"This way," She exclaimed, waving them after her as she led everyone towards the end of the room behind the large dining tables. Pressing her hand against the smooth stone, there was a noise which followed, a click which prompted some sort of mechanism which revealed a secret door. With a little force, pushing her weight onto the exterior of the wall, the door gave way and the passage was revealed. "This way. Hurry."
Nodding, Midna slid her eyes to the guests, who were anxiously waiting to go in. "You heard her. One by one. Let's go."
And at her command, they swiftly stormed through the passage, and while Midna counted each person individually, she soon raked her eyes towards the balcony, but to her surprise, that menacing man was no where in sight. Where had he disappeared to? Wherever he'd gone, there was no time to ponder. As soon as the guests had quickly fled through the door, her eyes noticed the sight of a small child racing towards them, two large Shadow Beasts following.
"Wait! Don't leave me behind!" The little girl cried, clutching a small Twili doll in her possession, her parents likely dead.
"We'll never reach her in time!" Celeste cried.
"I got this!" Midna exclaimed, raising her hand along with Zant, and together, they sent a large beam of magic at the creature, but it evaded the attack, closing in on the child and lunged at her.
It was too late. The monster's tendril had seized the little girl's leg, dragging her towards her imminent end, her doll falling out of reach. Once more, Midna shot the creature with another beam, and this time, it immediately stilled the creature, paralyzing it for the briefest of moments, and the distraction was enough for one of their own to rush in and save the child.
Sophia, despite Celeste's warning, had rushed forward, accompanied by Jo Ho moments after delivering a final attack to the Bokoblin. Together, they untangled the tendril around the little girl's ankle.
The sight alone relieved Midna, her eyes surveying the room once more as the two made their way towards them with the child, but upon hearing Celeste's startled gasp followed after by Zant's curse, Midna's eyes slid back to Sophia and Jo Ho. They'd only gotten a few feet away before pausing, Jo Ho's eyes focusing on Sophia's back.
"Mother! No!"
A tendril had pierced Sophia from behind, the Shadow Beast no longer paralyzed by Midna's magic as it loomed menacingly closer towards them. Jo Ho wasted no time raising his sword to cut off the offending tendril pierced through Sophia, but before his own blade could do any damage, his wrist was caught by another, followed by another until a horrified scream fell from the young knight.
Celeste screamed, Midna staggering back just the same as her eyes took in the horrid sight of Sophia and Jo Ho's terrifying end. The tendril, that had struck Sophia, slipped out of the open wound from her body, and the older woman collapsed onto the polished floor unmoving, followed moments after by Jo Ho.
Frantic, Celeste reached out, but Zant held her back. "Mother! Mother!"
The moment their bodies fell, a shrill noise resounded throughout the entire room, and with it, immediate silence befell them. The remainder of the guests who'd once been caught up in the terrors of their nightmare, all except the few who'd managed to escape, were no longer screaming; in fact, all that remained standing were Bokoblins and Shadow Beasts, their numbers outranking there's by over a hundred.
"Mother!" Celeste's sobs remained. "Mother, no!"
"We need to leave…" Midna quietly replied, backing away as her gaze swept the creatures of darkness who were now stalking towards them. "Celeste…"
But just as Celeste pulled free from Zant's grasp, she fell to her knees, sobbing loudly as she held her mother's hand. "Mother. Please. Don't leave me…"
"Celeste! It's too late!"
Just as Zant reached out to take her elbow once more, the unthinkable happened; the bodies moved of their own volition, turning and twisting until their bloodshot eyes opened and a howl of pain vociferated from their lungs. One after the other, their arms and legs twisted, their spines distorting as a shadowy hue overwhelmed their entire existence. They were no longer human. The very beast which had killed them had turned them into monsters.
"We need to leave now!" Midna's voice grew louder, the monsters closing in on them from behind the Shadow Beast.
At her warning, Zant quickly pulled Celeste behind him and into the passageway, and without another thought, Midna followed, not once looking back before pulling tightly onto the copper handle of the door. With all her might, she pulled, the monsters on the other side drawing closer, and with enough effort, she managed to secure the door in place, the mechanism immediately locking. What followed were the immediate sounds of the creatures banging onto the door, their howls and shrieks dulled by the stone in between them, and Midna could have sworn she heard one foul creature murmur threats.
"That was too close," Zant exclaimed, his eyes shifting to Celeste beside him. "Celeste…"
She all but fell into his embrace, the tears falling as she clung to his shirt. "What do I do? I can't live without mother…"
"I'm sorry…"
"She … turned into those…"
"I know, but this isn't the time to mourn. We must leave. There's no doubt those that we've rescued have already managed to escape."
Celeste wiped her tears, her eyes lingering on Zant's face. "But … where can we go? All that surrounds these lands … are wastelands and deserts. There are far more terrifying monsters out there, Zant."
With her back pressed against the wall, Midna sighed. Celeste and Zant were right, and as much as she wanted to console her, there was simply no time for it. The continuous poundings behind her eventually ceased, and relieved and concerned, she pulled her weight off the door. "Whoever that person was, he is by no means an ordinary man, he wasn't even of our descent. Whatever his intentions, it's clear that our kingdom has fallen to ruin. We cannot stay here."
"I … know…"
Pitying her sister, Midna stepped away from the door and reached out to console her, but she cried in surprise when something hurdled into her from behind, nearly knocking her off her feet. A surprised yelp fell from her lips, five large monstrous fingers coiled around her body tightly and without relent, she struggled to free herself.
Peering over her shoulder, she realized these fingers were nothing more than a monstrous hand, one which had fazed through the passageway door, and realizing she could not muster her powers directly at the fiend, she cried out, her voice echoing through the slightly narrow passageway.
"Midna!" Celeste cried, immediately reaching out to pull the giant fingers off her. "Let her go! Let her go!"
"Forget about me, Celeste! Go with Zant and escape!"
"No! I won't leave without you! I can't lose you as well!" She cried.
Striking Zant a look, it didn't take long for him to understand Midna's meaning, and he quickly pulled Celeste away and to safety, despite Celeste's protests. Pleased by this, Midna weakly smiled, the heels of her feet dragging onto the ground as she was pulled backward into the shadows of the door. This was the end for her, she was certain, and the last thing she wanted was for Celeste to be dragged in as well. "Protect her, Zant. Keep her safe…"
"Midna!"
