I think a certain friend of mine will be overjoyed to read this chapter. Here at the start, we see another Hero from the many worlds of Dragon Quest, however, this one's ending differs a bit from the game he originates from. Oh, and for Wattpad users, you guys have a little something special! Enjoy!
Shattering the Stars
Chapter 17: Heaven's Pyre Knows Their Names
Deep on the edge of a small, unimportant forest, tucked between an unnamed village and a prestigious castle, was a cabin. It stood quietly, innocently, almost, a flock of birds gathered on the roof being undisturbed by the home or the nature neighboring it. Suddenly, the sound of a chop and then wood splinter in the distance setting a flock of birds into the sky. Cracking resonated before the upper leaves of a tree making up the strong, green canopy fell. Once the dust settled, a pair of boots walked up to the fallen trunk, the person they belonged to bending over to inspect his handiwork.
The onlooker sighed, placing the head of his axe hitting the ground, the handle pointed skyward, before leaning on it. He waved his hands around, channeling magic, and then cast a spell on the chopped tree, sending it flying into the air and towards the cabin that rested just beyond the forest. It slowed down as it soared, landing gently outside of the cabin, just a couple footsteps away from the door.
"First of many," The man mumbled to himself, holding his axe properly and looking around, inspecting the trees. His grandfather, randomly out of the blue, sent him a letter asking for him to gather up some trees to help him get a head start on woodcutting for the month.
It felt odd, being sent a letter at such a random time, but the man only guessed that his grandfather, in his old age, was simply in need of some assistance if he was to keep up with the demands of his customers. It didn't really matter anyways, as it was a good excuse for him to get some fresh air. For a while he had resided at home, alone. While the solitude was self-imposed, it was pleasant to be called upon for something.
Over the course of an hour, three more trees were felled, each one being sent into the sky and to the cabin. There, an older fellow, the grandfather of the man tasked to the wood, came out and used his tools to chop up the trunks into chunks, bringing them inside so he could manage them easier.
However, before the man could start work on another tree, he felt a peculiar presence make itself known to him. It had been a while since he had felt as if he were being watched, and the hairs on his neck stood on end, alerting him. Letting the axe fall to the ground, he reached behind his back and unsheathed his sword, gripping the hilt tightly and turning out. In front of him was just a barren field, nothing of note.
The wind had picked up, flowing across the valley, and making the man's seafoam green hair get in his face. He brushed it aside and walked slowly out of the forest, his eyes darting in every direction possible until they looked up into the sky. What he saw made his legs turn to jelly.
Above him was someone he recognized, how with another companion by her side. Empyrea, that legendary Godbird that asked him, along with a few other fellows, to help another hero in need. At the time, he thought it was merely coincidental, but now that he was seeing her again a few years after, he felt as if his very soul had been lifted up and dusted off, given a serene smile by a loved one.
Empyrea swooped down and landed in the field, prompting the hero to approach. She let her wing touch the ground, and from behind her back, two men hopped off, their feet settling onto the grass with an air of confidence.
"I hope you've been doing well, Solo," Empyrea said as Eight and Erdrick got their bearings, looking around before resting their eyes on their old friend. Even in the little time they spent together, they still remembered that distinct hair and determined face.
Landia didn't introduce himself, electing to keep silent so that the reunion between the heroes wasn't uncomfortable. For once he was pleased that the hero Empyrea had chosen didn't act alarmed by his appearance as a dragon or multiple heads. That seemed to be something that set these men off in one way or another.
"Hey, Solo," Erdrick said, a smile along his face. Eight followed up the greeting with his own.
"Hey," Solo replied, putting his sword back into his sheath. His eyes displayed a strong exhaustion even though he hadn't been working very hard. Eight and Erdrick were quick to discern that something else was eating at Solo's soul, something that they both inwardly agreed to discuss when the time was right. "It's… It's really good to see you guys," He said while sighing.
"It's good to see you too," Eight smiled, unknowingly repeating what he said to Erdrick when they prepared to leave his realm. "We're sorry to ask this of you so suddenly, but we need your help. There's a man-"
"Sure, I'm in," Solo cut Eight off as swiftly as he could swing his own sword. Eight blinked for a moment before turning back to Erdrick and Empyrea in surprise.
"What?" Eight asked when he turned back.
"Whatever you need me for, I'm down," Solo said calmly and without any resistance to speak of.
"B-But- Wait a second, really?" Eight voiced his and the rest of the groups' confusion towards Solo's willingness to join.
"Yeah, let's go, you can explain everything to me on the way," Solo said casually, walking up to Empyrea. Something was terribly off about Solo's mannerisms, but they all could sense that it was him. It wasn't some kind of imposter or a minion of Shatterhand. It was Solo in the flesh; the aura was enough proof on its own.
"Solo," Empyrea stopped the hero from getting any closer. She bent down to inspect him, using a power above Erdrick, Eight, or even Landia's understanding to analyze him. It only took a second, and the signal she received from Solo's Wave Energy didn't disappoint. "Is everything alright?"
"Mhm, I'm fine, I've really got nothing better to do," Solo said confidently, extending his hand for Empyrea to feel. She nudged her beak against his palm, her trust only enforced by what she felt. However, something still felt off.
"Very well. Let us depart," Empyrea said, letting Solo climb onto her back, followed by Eight and Erdrick. She flapped her wings and took off into the sky, Landia close behind.
As they rode along the Godbird, Eight and Erdrick spoke with one another, keeping their words a secret from the telepathy of Empyrea, Landia, and Solo.
"Something's wrong, I can feel it," Eight said to his friend.
"Me too, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is exactly…"
"Agreed. I saw that look in his eyes, he seemed very… downtrodden."
"But by who? Everything about the land was fine! He only pulled out the sword because he didn't know we were watching him at first," Erdrick became immersed in thought, wondering why Solo was acting so strangely. As Empyrea summoned a portal to another realm, the pair of heroes worried about their ally.
Link didn't even notice that Kirby had left his lap for a while. He snorted occasionally, but after a dozen minutes, his hand, which had been gently patting Kirby's soft, pink head, realized that nothing was there. His eyelids slowly opened, and he looked around the room, his mind a little hazy.
"Hm…" Link grunted as he sat up, eyes gravitating towards the window across the room. It was dark out, the rain having slowed down to a drizzle, a few breaks in the clouds allowing moonlight to shine through.
After another inspection of the bedroom, Link scooted over to the side of the bed where his tunic now lay. Someone must've returned it to him during his nap. He grabbed it and sniffed, just to make sure the smell of dirt was gone. It certainly was, now replaced with a pleasant scent akin to an ocean breeze. Those washing and drying machines truly were a wonder.
Link dressed himself and left the bedroom, being drawn to the faint sounds of excitement echoing down the hall. The voices belonged to the Mario Brothers; something clearly having gotten their attention in the best way possible. Once he entered the living room, he saw the pair of plumbers sitting down on the floor, a large basket of strangely shaped food placed in between them.
"Man, this is great!" Luigi exclaimed, reaching over, picking one of the foods from the basket and basically shoving it into his mouth impolitely. Mario nodded with agreement, his own mouth already full.
"What's all that?" Link asked, tilting his head.
"Oh hey, Link! Look at this! Those kids went out and ordered us some food that they hoped he would like! Here," Luigi picked up the basket and held it out towards Link as he sat down on the couch. "They call it a 'Deep-Fried Super Shwaffle!"
"Huh, alright," Link didn't think much about it and reached for a piece. First he inspected the 'shwaffle', eyeing it carefully. It wasn't very natural-looking, but he chopped that up to the general way food must've been made in this realm.
Link opened his mouth and took a bite of the food. Instantly, his eyes widened, astonished at the heightened taste of whatever he was eating. It had just occurred to him that he hadn't eaten in days, the last thing he remembered being the pizza Mario and Luigi had treated him and Kirby to before Shatterhand arrived in the Mushroom Kingdom. Speaking of which, there was a notable lack of the pink puffball.
"Hey," Link said, words muffled by his enjoyment of the treat, "Have you guys seen Kirby?"
"I haven't," Luigi said.
"If I were to guess, that purple girl, uh- Violet! She probably snuggled up with him again to show him those things on that phone of hers," Mario surmised. That Inkling girl seemed to be infatuated with both Kirby and Link. It didn't really bother the plumber, but he just found it strange.
"I'll look around," Link said, wiping his lips and starting to walk off. "That is good, though," He pointed to the basket.
Leaving the living room, Link proceeded to peek into each door he came across in the hallway, scanning every room in search of Kirby. He didn't need the Star Warrior for anything, he simply thought it was odd that the pink boy would leave him whilst enjoying a rather comfortable nap. There wasn't any hint of suspicion in Link's mannerisms as he checked one room before the next, that was until he opened a particularly interesting door, the one leading to Violet's room.
The bedroom was shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from a lamp that was sitting on the nightstand just beside the bed. Violet was standing in front of the edge, watching over something that her own body obscured from Link. Pushing open the door further, Link leaned forward and finally caught a glimpse of a familiar pink nub.
"What's going on?" Link asked with a slight demand in his tone as he entered the room. The tint in Violet's hair grew pale for just a moment before she turned around, blushing and not looking Link in the eye.
"He was, uh… He was having a nightmare, so I wanted to let him rest someplace quieter, without all the sounds of the rain," Violet explained meekly, clasping her hands together and tilting her head so that Kirby was still in view out of the corner of her eye.
Link finally got a good look at Kirby, and the sight concerned him. The Star Warrior, who normally slept with a smile, was frowning, his brow furrowed. His breathing was erratic, occasionally taking gasps before letting go of the air way too quickly. Lastly, the sheets were greatly ruffled, a sign of tossing and turning. Everything wrapped itself into a neat present of worry for Link.
"Have you tried waking him up?" Link asked, stepping closer and looming over the bed.
"Of course! Nothing I try will work. I've even screamed at him, and nothing…" Violet was ashamed of herself for admitting that she had gone to such lengths, but she found it impossible to lie to the man before her.
Link didn't make another comment. He only stared carefully at Kirby, waiting.
Deep inside Kirby's dreams, he kept witnessing terrible, awful events. It was as rare as an eclipse for him to have a nightmare, and the one he was trapped in was far too vivid. An assortment of scenarios, like a slideshow of moving memories, repeatedly set themselves to assault him. As Link towered over the bed, watching, Kirby whimpered and turned over in the sheets.
"P-Poyo…" Kirby mumbled, not wanting to be shown the bizarre horrors that kept flashing before his eyes. He was, unfortunately, powerless. No matter how hard he wanted to wake up, something wasn't letting him. It was like he was being forced to stay in this purgatory.
First, a sword fell to the earth, and when it hit, the grass and dirt transformed into his mentor, Meta Knight. The swordsman crumpled to the floor and then everything changed, now resembling the metallic laboratory made of greenish-blue hues that he remembered Elfilin being placed in. Elfilin remained trapped in that terrible test tube, before it shattered, liquid spilling everywhere. Things focused on the jelly-like fluid until it became Aqua Star, one of the many planets Kirby, Ribbon, Bandana Waddle Dee, Dedede, and Adeleine visited on their quest to vanquish the Dark Matter.
It was as if Kirby himself was floating through space, eyes on Aqua Star. Suddenly, a hulking mass of glimmering darkness soared from beyond the cosmos and crashed into Aqua Star, completely obliterating it. Then Kirby turned towards Neo Star, it too being swiftly destroyed by the same dark force. Finally, his view landed on Ripple Star, and he nearly burst into tears as he watched it be annihilated.
Lastly, a brief glimpse of a silhouette appeared, basked in light. Then it all repeated. The sword, Meta Knight, the lab, Aqua Star, Neo Star, Ripple Star, and then the silhouette. The only difference was that the silhouette was a bit more defined. Then once more, the cycle went on, going by even faster, the ending image again being just a bit clearer.
"Kirby!" He heard a voice call his name. He wanted to answer, chirp out his trademark word, but he couldn't. The visions wouldn't relent.
"Kirby!" The voice called out again. It only made the visions go by faster.
But then, Kirby saw the final scene of the nightmare. The silhouette appeared one last time. It was perfectly clear. A hand, outstretched, reached towards him. It looked so real, like he could lean forward, with his paws up, and touch it. There was even a ring. Coiled around the palm and along the arm was a set of vines, deep-blue in color and glowing vibrantly. The light behind the hand then grew much, much brighter. His last thoughts were about how he recognized those plants.
"Kirby!" Link said, having a feeling that his third cry for his friend would end the nightmare the poor Star Warrior was in. He was correct, as Kirby slowly opened his eyes just a second after Link said his name.
"P-P-" Kirby sputtered, tears in his eyes. His irises sparkled in the lamplight, the moisture of his fear reflecting brightly. "Poyo!" Kirby cried, hopping up from the sheets and into Link's arms.
"Kirby?" Link whispered, not knowing what to do for a second. Then, without even thinking, an instinct took over. It tugged at his heart, and Link gently put his arms around Kirby's round form, slumped down on the bed, and started cradling him. "Shhhhhh… it's okay, don't worry…" Link said soothingly.
The pink puffball just cried and cried, hating how vicious his nightmare had been. He never wanted to sleep again after such a frightening experience, yet his body was still tired. Sniffles were audible, but muffled, Kirby's sobs soaking Link's freshly dried tunic. Link didn't mind. He simply cooed and rubbed Kirby's soft head slowly.
Violet was almost too surprised to say anything, at least until the door flung open.
"Is everything alright?" Mario asked, his voice broad. He and Luigi had heard the cries and quickly came to investigate. Once they saw Link, sitting on the bed, a blubbery Kirby in his arms, they carefully walked over and joined in with calming the poor Star Warrior down.
Empyrea hated doing that. She hated how reentering the atmosphere felt on her body. Landia was unbothered. He was a space-faring being, after all, so his body was adept at soaring at high speeds and withstanding the burnout that came upon reentry. Erdrick, Eight, and Solo were perched on Emyprea's back, protected by her impermeable shield, but they didn't acknowledge the Godbird's annoyance. They were floored by the sight of outer space.
Empyrea had to take a different path when travelling to the next realm that she had to. Since the horizons were more closely monitored than other worlds, she had to both leave the previous dimension and then arrive in the next entirely in space, unless she wanted to be detected by any stargazers.
Now, with her power not being used by any other sort of magic, she could dedicate it to cloaking herself, the Heroes, and Landia. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to hide from any curious onlookers as she entered the realm closer to the ground.
Time in this realm passed just ever so slightly quicker than most. It was night now, the sound of crickets chirping filling the air. Fireflies were even out, each blinking in their own special patterns, trying to attract mates. One firefly was drawn to another, its lightshow almost hypnotizing, but then a grasshopper's song caused the firefly to quickly fly over to it instead. Such was life.
"Erdrea," Empyrea thought as the party touched down atop a mountain. The Heroes disembarked from her regal feathers and looked around. The Godbird didn't express it, but she was somewhat nervous about being in Erdrea. It was a matter of the very tree that Erdrick's eyes happened to lock onto.
"Is that…?" Erdrick stepped forward without checking his ground, almost slipping on a rock that had been hiding beneath a thick patch of grass. He easily regained his footing, however.
"Indeed it is, Arusu," Empyrea began, "The World Tree, Yggdrasil, just in the distance. I presume you never thought that it persisted in other realms, correct?"
"Back home," Erdrick stuttered, "It was the grandest thing I had ever seen. We found it at the epicenter of an odd mountain range, far northwest of Jipang. It gave me and my allies one of its leaves, but that's all." Eight and Solo were equally surprised, more so Eight. Both had their own variants of the World Tree, each with drastically different appearances.
"So where are we going to find our next… 'helper'?" Landia asked.
"A small village named 'Cobblestone'. The one there is our last recruit, if you wish to see it like that, Landia." Empyrea's gaze was dead set on the place she had spoken of, her resolve unwaveringly strong. She had come so far in guiding her crusaders, now she was on the cusp of bringing them all together.
As the group made their way over to the outskirts of Cobblestone, Empyrea remained lost in thought, staring out into the fields blankly while she and the others walked. Countless worries about Solo came to mind first. Then she wondered how Link, Kirby, Mario, Luigi, Amy, and Crystal were doing. Finally, her noble wishes turned dark as she lingered on Shatterhand. A tinge of hatred and resentment corrupted her soul, something that didn't go unnoticed by Erdrick.
"Is everything alright, Ramia?" Erdrick asked, glad that his natural punctuality didn't forsake him. He, like Link, was almost always scarily aware of the things around him. To some, it was just him looking out for others, but to his enemies, it was almost akin to a sixth sense. But sometimes, he slipped.
"Yes, I'm fine," Empyrea replied robotically. Erdrick raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, knowing better than to question his idol. Even though he was technically her senior, Empyrea had thousands of years of knowledge and experience.
Silence resumed, only the sounds being the shifting of grass beneath each of the travelers' feet and the faint resonance of fauna. While they marched through the fields, it was Landia's turn for some introspection. Despite hiding it so expertly, he was secretly astonished at how far from home he was. A part of his past-self longed for the breath of fresh air that this journey granted, however his present-self wore just a hint of distress and something others would call anxiety.
Then, a new pair of footsteps could be heard. The group halted, with the Heroes bringing out their weapons just in case their visitor was a foe. Solo didn't do the same, however. Just beyond the slope of the hill they stood on, in front of the shimmering light of the torches brightening the sleeping Cobblestone, a man appeared. Empyrea's complexion instantly brightened, not expecting to see her final crusader so soon.
A man with dark, dirty blonde hair style in a bob cut approached, armed, but not wielding his weapons. The shadows of the night hid his appearance for a moment, before he put out his hand and snapped his fingers, creating a spark that the other Heroes recognized as the spell Frizz. The flames lit up the surroundings, letting his sparkling, ocean blue eyes be seen by the others.
"I thought I had sensed something just a little while ago," the man said. His voice was a bit deeper than Erdrick, Solo, and Eight had remembered, a sign of how much time had passed since they had first encountered him. He wore a bright smile, softening the hearts of his dear friends.
Erdrick and Eight put away their weapons, and alongside Solo, walked up to the man dressed in a vibrant, purple tunic. All four of them put on matching smiles, the mystic air of old friends emanating from their combined auras.
"So how long has it been for you since we last saw each other?" Eight asked, putting his hands on his hips.
"What, do days go by differently for you guys?" The man answered with a question of his own.
"Just a little bit, yeah," Erdrick said.
"Heh, well then, it's been about seven years for me," The man replied.
"Five for me," Eight said.
"Five," Solo added.
"Just three…" Erdrick concluded, feeling strangely older even though by the logic that he understood, it had been the shortest amount of time since Empyrea last called upon him and the others.
The squad of boys all caught up without a care in the world. Time seemed to be at a standstill for them, all that mattered at that moment being just their reunion. All the while, Empyrea and Landia watched, a smile creeping onto the four-headed dragon's face.
"So they all know each other?" Landia asked.
"Yes. A long time ago, the man in the purple was in dire need of help. Unlike many other versions of himself, he was particularly distraught by a certain part of his journey. I enlisted the help of the three we've gathered before and brought them to him," Empyrea explained, the whole endeavor bringing about memories she now classified as pleasant. "I truly didn't know if I would ever need their help again, but fate seems to be in favor of their friendship. No matter how long it's been for each of them."
"What's his name?" Landia wondered aloud.
"The entire world knows his name, as do our three companions," Empyrea smiled enjoying being a little mysterious as she delineated everything to the clueless Landia. "Some call him 'The Luminary', but he likes to go by 'Eleven'."
"Eleven, huh?" Landia remarked, "It seems they like to go by numbers."
"Yes, some do. But now is not the time to dwell on that. We must hope that this Luminary agrees to join us. Then, we can finally bring all of our friends together," Empyrea's thoughts were filled with valor and determination.
"So you can grant them your gift?" Landia wondered.
"Indeed."