Here we're finally meeting some of our last main characters for the story! To think I've only written one story involving them, yet now they're going to be here with the rest of the team is kinda wild to me, but hey, it's my story. Some of you may know the two introduced here from a certain birthday present to a friend last year… But anyways, enjoy!
-Joost
Shattering the Stars
Chapter 14: Overture
Link found his inability to sleep an incessant pattern. As the rain pelted the bedroom window, he lay on his side, staring at the water dripping down the glass.
He looked at his hand, still thinking about the image that boy, Freddy, showed him on his little device. 'The Legend of Zelda', it said. He remembered distinctly. His mind longed for answers, but his soul wanted the secrets to remain. The conflict within wouldn't end until everything was explained in detail, but it wouldn't happen right away, that much was obvious.
Then, a flash of lightning illuminated the room for a split second. Link waited a moment, and finally, the thunder followed. He estimated that the heart of the storm was a few miles away. Still lying in bed, he reached into his pocket and grabbed the photo of Romani. Each time he looked at her, he felt reborn in a way. The motivation he needed to keep going surged through his soul.
"I promise," Link whispered aloud, plowing through the deafening silence. He felt some emotion gather in his eyes as he thought about Termina. "I'll come home… No matter what, alright?"
Link was met with nothing. No soothing words to calm his restless soul, no comforting embrace to let him melt in, nothing. Loneliness encroached like a predator closing in on its clueless prey, waiting for the perfect moment to lunge out and attack. He remembered Gomess's warning, the one from so many years ago. It just occurred to him that this was the second time he was recalling that simple statement. When the reaper first said it, it was in reference to the Garo, but now, it took on a new meaning.
"Link…" Gomess had practically hissed. "You are a kite… flying into a hurricane," It still baffled Link how the demon knew his name, but that wasn't important. The spectre finished by saying cryptically, "The winds will tear you apart."
Deep down, Link felt like he had been physically torn to shreds. He reluctantly fell asleep while drowning in an infinite ocean of his own sorrow. Moister welled up in his eyes as he tried not to think about the things still haunting him. Shatterhand, the icon, even those strange vines. Right before he dozed off, he muttered to himself, "I just want to go home…"
Meanwhile, far beyond the constraints of space and time, two legendary beings were making their journey to a certain world to enlist the help of some very powerful allies. Landia and Empyrea, wings flapping powerfully, soared across the precipice of reality, invisible to the naked eye. Eventually, their incredible speed faltered and came to a halt, giving them a splendid view of a verdant land, bathed in a glorious sunrise.
"So where are we?" Landia asked, inspecting the land carefully.
"The land of Trodian," Empyrea said, admiring the scenery with a respectful gaze. "This place was once under siege by a terrible curse, however, the adventurer we've come to enlist put an end to it some time ago. Since then…" Empyrea chuckled to herself, "He's made quite the name for himself, that boy."
Empyrea swooped down and let the wind take her towards the castle far off in the distance, Landia not far behind. While it was distant, the castle exuded a wave of everlasting pride than even the uncaring dragon somewhat respected. A bout of awkward silence fell between the two as they traveled, however, the question of who exactly the Godbird was speaking of. If he was so essential to defeating Shatterhand, Landia thought, why the mystery?
"Who is he?" Landia promptly asked, a certain bluntness accompanying his words.
"Hm, funnily enough," Empyrea smiled, "His name is more so a number than anything else. He likes to go by 'Eight', oddly. Not many people know why, even me, but it's just what he prefers to be called."
"Huh, 'Eight'?" Landia repeated with a bit of humor. "Interesting. I suppose it's no different than a name like 'Link'," The dragon snorted as he and Empyrea finally neared the grand castle. When seen up close, even he had to admit that the structure was beautiful. There were even some people walking below, yet they didn't notice the visitors flying through the sky.
Down inside the walls of the castle, on the second floor in the furthest hall, a man dressed in casual clothes wandered around, seemingly looking for something. He was wearing a distinct orange overcoat and blue tunic, vibrant red bandana, and plain grey trousers with brown boots. His eyes scanned the corridor before heading down a spiral staircase, placing his steps quietly, as if he were taking care not to be caught by something or someone. Once he reached the bottom, he walked down an identical hallway and came out into the central chamber, moving past two thrones. Finally, his view landed on a cupboard sitting by a nearby table. A smile formed across his face as he tiptoed towards the furniture.
Sneakily, the fellow removed his bandana and held it, before kneeling down when he was just a few meters away from the cupboard. He lashed his arm out and whipped the bandana, the cloth wrapping around one of the handles of the little door. There, he pulled gently, opening the cupboard.
"Gotcha…?" The man first spoke with pride, but then disappointment creeped along his tone when he saw that the cupboard was empty. Standing back up, he put on his bandana and placed his hands on his hips. "If he's not there, then where could he be hiding…"
Then, the gentleman's ears picked up on something. Turning around, he caught two large shadows by the magnificent flower-shaped window looking over the main chamber of the castle. As quickly as he noticed them, they moved out of sight, and a small groan came from the man's lips, "Oh no…" he said.
Coming out of the castle by the first-floor entrance, the man sighed as he walked up the nearby stairs and stood on the upper balcony, arms crossed. "Alright, come on out."
Empyrea found it pointless to hide from Eight. While the wind blew briskly through the hills and trees rustled, a sign could be heard from her beak, for she knew the hero was always perceptive of the things around him, and the place where he now lived was no exception. Landia just looked confused for a second before the blue phoenix flew from her hiding spot and landed on the balcony, just across from Eight.
"I'm terribly sorry, my friend, I didn't want to just present myself so abruptly, just so there would be no alarm…" Empyrea explained, feeling foolish for trying to keep away from Eight's acute eye. Landia flew down and sat beside her, yet the man didn't seem bothered by his presence in the slightest.
"Well, last time you visited me, you needed to bring me along to another realm in order to help a fellow hero, so don't hold it against me for being superstitious," Eight said, keeping a smile off his face. Truthfully, he found it amusing, but now that there had been a certain development in his life, he found unexpected arrivals to be somewhat of a nuisance. "Who's your friend?"
"This is Landia, he comes from another realm," Empyrea introduced the dragon beside her. Landia's eyes didn't change from their usual disinterested glare, but when Eight's eyes appeared unimpressed whilst looking at the four-headed beast, some of that stone-cold emotion inside the crimson monster weakened.
Eight just put two of his fingers on the bridge of his nose and shook his head. The moment Empyrea mentioned that this Landia came from another realm, the apprehensive feeling Eight had in the pit of his stomach rose up and festered in his throat.
"Alright, what do you need?" Eight asked with annoyance.
Empyrea was taken aback by the hero's attitude. "Well, Eight, there is something foul looming above all of reality. A man by the name of Shatterhand. He has unbridled power with traversing any world he pleases, and he may-"
"It'll be a no, Empyrea," Eight said without hesitation.
"Excuse me, hero?"
"I'm sorry, but I… I don't want to get involved," Eight walked over and leaned against the railing to the balcony, averting his eyes from the phoenix. "Things have changed for me, and I simply don't have the time."
"Eight, what is the meaning of this?! Such words are uncharacteristic of you," Empyrea sounded shockingly offended. Landia stepped forward and growled, bearing his teeth in front of the hero. Once again, the man just looked unimpressed with the red beast.
"You know, Empyrea didn't bring me here just to be let down by a little punk like you," Landia said, his thoughts projecting into Eight's mind. "We are here on a matter of extreme importance, tiny human!" In all his existence, he had never seen such disrespect towards a being of such high power. For a split second, the dragon considered opening his mouths and exhaling a fiery storm upon the boy in the bandana.
"Daddy!" A young child's voice broke the tension, coming from the castle's second story entrance. A little boy appeared, pushing the door open and running out towards Eight.
"Eleven!" Eight's face instantly brightened up as he knelt down and held his arms open. The child ran up and swiftly hugged the hero, Eight hoisting him up and making sure he stayed put in his grasp. "Hey, I thought you were hiding with Munchie, hm? Why'd you come all the way out here?"
"Well, I was hiding, but Munchie got bored, and then I did too! He told me he saw a big dragon, and that you were talking with them!" The little boy spoke with a slight lisp, but other than that, he was practically a smaller version of Eight. He even wore a similar bandana, although he wore a red and white tunic, similar to his mother's dress.
"Aw, you didn't need to come all the way out here," Eight rubbed Eleven's cheek and then turned back to face Empyrea. He gave a knowing look to the Godbird, and she finally understood why he was so ruffled by her and Landia's arrival in Trodian.
"Eight…" Empyrea stuttered. Landia was surprised at the sheer embarrassment in her voice. "I-I was not aware that you had fathered a child with Medea. Please, forgive me."
"No, no, it's alright, we just…" Eight despised thinking about his own past, the pain of it all, but he also realized that he was being unfair, dismissing Empyrea's plea for help on a whim. "We wanted to keep his life private for now, Medea and I, especially after the whole debacle with my own family. He doesn't know of his or even my own heritage. The two of us thought it best to expose him to it gradually."
"I see…" Empyrea found it difficult to talk now, her beak dry as an arid desert in the middle of the more damning summer. Almost a minute passed as she thought about what was right in front of her. Eight had apparently mastered the arduous task of settling down, something she feared the most. "Well, I'm very sorry to have disturbed y-"
"Now hang on, Empyrea," Eight adjusted Eleven in his arms and looked fiercely at the Godbird, passion in his eyes. A lick of determination in his soul had hardened into glory. "Who's the one by the name of… 'Shatterhand'?" He asked, an unwanted chill going down his spine.
"Now you care?" Landia remarked.
"Yes, I do. I was only surprised to see you again, and my mind went only to selfish thoughts, and I apologize," Eight leaned back against the railing and pondered why he would even do that. "The easiness of life lately… I guess it got to me in a way. But I am at least willing to hear you out. If you're here, and you brought someone from another realm, then this must be important, right?"
Landia was again surprised. At least this man, however critical to Empyrea's plan to stop Shatterhand, still held a noble soul. A bit of what Eight said resonated with some hidden part of the dragon. He too wanted an easy life, especially after all he'd been through.
"Thank you, Eight, for reconsidering," Empyrea bowed briskly, but then a small desire filled her mind. The name of Eight's child sounded very familiar. Without needing to ask, the hero recognized the phoenix's curious complexion.
"Ever since I met that boy from the other realm, the one you asked me and those other fellows to help… I couldn't take my mind off him," Eight smiled at the fond memory. "He was as troubled as I once was, and it truly warmed my heart to help him. Medea was against it at first, but I wanted to name my boy after him out of respect." Eleven smiled cheekily at his father. The origin of his name happened to be the first bedtime story Eight ever told him.
"I'm certainly glad it made such a difference to you, Eight," Empyrea commented, "I wonder if the others were as moved…"
"Not to be rude," Landia blurted curtly, looking out at the gathering crowd by the castle, "It seems we've garnered some attention. Should we head someplace else to discuss what to do?"
"Yes, Landia, that'd be splendid," Empyrea said.
"You've got to go back with mommy, alright?" Eight told Eleven, setting him down on the floor.
"Okay, daddy…" Eleven looked glum as he walked back to the door and disappeared into the castle. Eight watched with a smile as his son left before turning towards Empyrea and Landia.
"Shall we?" Eight smiled lightly, extending his hand.
Flying to the Farebury Region, Eight rode upon Empyrea's back as Landia followed close behind. The lush hills glistened in the early sun, the fresh morning air weaving through the trees with a sound that echoed through the entire area. There was a strong scent of petrichor, the smell of rain, lingering about the fields. Landia even saw some storm clouds rolling away through the sky, confirming that it had poured during the night, only just ending before dawn.
"I haven't been here in some time," Eight though aloud as Empyrea scanned for a suitable clearing. Once she found one, the amazing speed she held dissipated, the wind fleeing as she flapped her wings, touching down in the middle of a flower patch.
Eight was able to see a number of places in the distance, namely the waterfall cave and the little dingy shack just close by to it. More memories returned as he dismounted from Empyrea and stood tall in the clearing. It was almost humorous, being there with his old attire. It was pure coincidence that he wore his tunic, coat, and bandana today, but he guessed that the strings of fate lead him to do so.
"Shatterhand is his name, right?" Eight asked. Empyrea proceeded to discuss the nature of the man and his endeavor to hunt down various people across the multitude of realms.
Several minutes later, after Empyrea finished, Eight kept silent. He processed everything carefully, his eyes narrow and hand to his chin. A soft 'hm' came from his mouth as the phoenix looked at her dragon companion worriedly. Landia didn't know what to think while Eight walked a bit away from them and gazed out at the rural scape.
Eight couldn't help but gain a sense of déjà vu when he heard about Shatterhand. It disgustingly reminded him of Lord Rhapthorne, that demon of unstoppable ambition that was scarily aware of his enemies and how they worked. From Empyrea's description of the fiend's activeness against the ones who opposed him, that team of heroes from beyond the stars, Eight knew that this man was ruthless, perhaps having some personal vendetta of some kind. But how, how could a man have something against people that he killed seemingly on a whim? There was something missing, something important.
"Do you know what links this man to the ones trying to stop him? Link, Kirby, the plumbers, and those teens?" Eight faced the two legendary beings, yet somehow didn't feel small compared to them. "It feels like there's a piece of the puzzle that's missing."
"If there is any prior history to Shatterhand and the ones he hunts, then I don't know. The only thing that connects them is that he's murdered many variants of them before," Empyrea exposited with a not-so-hidden displeasure. She wanted more than anything to stop Shatterhand the moment he had started his rampage, but she was too preoccupied with her own matters to intervene at the time. "Although the Inklings, the teens, aren't on his radar."
Eight's concern grew a little from that comment. If those kids had nothing to do with this, why were they involved. Staring with a critical eye, he wondered if Empyrea had a plan unknown to them, him, and even Landia. She had always been considerate, so it wouldn't be beyond her to have an all-encompassing strategy in the works, or even already in motion.
"How do the crusaders fare against Shatterhand on their own?" Eight wondered if any of them alone were able to stand up to the madman.
"If I may," Landia felt like he could provide a good enough answer. Meta Knight had personally seen the remains of one of the people in question, and he still thought about the strained gaze of fear beneath the knight's mask. "They never stood a chance. The Link I know told in great detail just how damaged his variant was, and a friend of mine himself saw what was left of another…"
A small grunt left Landia's maw as his words within Eight's mind trailed off. It nearly slipped the hero's mind that the voice he was heard from both of the powerful figures were only telepathic. While their tones existed only within the mind, he could feel their tired, sorrowful resonance so clearly.
"Then it sounds like…" Eight finally realized why Empyrea came to enlist his help. Specifically him. He, along with three other individuals, were the only ones to have experience with traveling across the dimensions. A part of him grew warm simply thinking about those three again. "Do you plan to seek out the others and ask them for help?"
"Yes," Empyrea said without a second to lose.
Eight held his tongue for a moment. He almost agreed to the whole plan right then and there, but watched himself before he could say anything. Fate had apparently laid out a trap for him, that being either stay and make sure his family remains safe or risk his life on this journey with the ones he missed and hopefully rid reality of this overarching menace.
"Eight, I know this would be a difficult decision for you, along with the others. However, you, along with the other crusaders already out there in the darkness of this predicament, are the only ones capable of paving the path for the future," Empyrea stepped forward and locked eyes with the hero, both their gazes bearing a solemn look. Responsibility weighed down on their shoulders as Eight considered everything he had been told. "It truly is a cruel destiny, but I have tested your strength once before, correct?" Eight just nodded, "Then consider this another trial, only not in service to me, but to everything you hold dear."
The wind bounded through the hills and insects danced among the weeds. A long silence forced itself upon the trio as the hero simply reasoned with his own conscience. He thought about 'destiny', that quaint little word that dictated most of his life.
"Forgive me for asking, but you are a god, right?"
"I am, why?"
"Then do you know how all this ends? If we are to come into conflict with Shatterhand, do you know what would become of us?" Gods were bathed with knowledge and divination, so Eight openly wondered if Empyrea knew what would happen.
"I do, but my design cannot be discovered just yet, or else it's certain to sway," Empyrea tilted her head, "My influence extends to Link, Kirby, and everyone he's met so far. They are still unaware of this."
"Then I guess it's your duty to keep it like that… For now," Eight walked over to Landia and stared at the dragon, thinking about the prospect of working together. After a quick sigh, he turned back to the Godbird, "Fine, let's do it. I just want to ask two things."
"Of course, what will it be?" Empyrea said.
"First, may I return home for a moment and bid my family goodbye?"
"Absolutely, hero," Empyrea smiled a little.
"Second, could you tell me where we'll be heading first?"
"Ah, that's easy," Empyrea stepped closer to Landia, extended her wing, and let Eight climb onto her back. "Our first destination will be the land of Aliahan, in search of the man under the title of Erdrick."
Eight finally smiled wide, knowing exactly who Empyrea planned to find. "Wonderful," he said with determination.
With that, Empyrea and Landia took off, flying through the sky and back to Trodian to allow Eight to give his loved ones a farewell. They, along with the hero, hoped that it would only be a temporary goodbye, but a small sliver of them feared that Shatterhand, as powerful as he was, wouldn't be so kind to let all who opposed him survive. Regardless, there was now a speck of hope in the Godbird's eye.