{FF} Legacy's Dawn

Before I begin this, I want everyone to be aware some facts beforehand. Now, this fic is a story inside the Zelda world created in the Shattered Sword. The story itself begins in New Hyrule, though depending on where it goes after that, it will cross paths with Earth. This story begins in the middle of a conflict that has destroyed New Hyrule under the influence of Shadows One. That's all I'm going to reveal as of right now.

And with that, I begin. Comments are welcome.

Legacy's Dawn

Part One

The boy’s ears perked up, glancing over the hedge of brush he was clearing away. A wolf howled in the distance, and his eyes lit up at the prospect of fresh meat. It had been several weeks since he had heard another creature’s cry, and he was beginning to run low on the salted beef that usually sustained him, stolen from the farmers that lived several miles off. He set down both his long knives, directing his attention to where the call had issued from. He could just as easily send Link, but it would be better training to fetch the beast himself. The boy had been training for many years, and was not afraid.

“Do you hear it?” a voice asked on his left, prompting the boy to turn to the shadows. The disembodied voice of Link he knew well sounded eager, Link wished to hunt once more. “Do you hear it, Xander?”

The boy named Xander nodded, sheathing both of his long knives, Orca and Balmung, into the holsters on his belt. Readjusting the headband that held back his short mane of red hair, Xander peered through the dim light of the winter’s day, his crimson eyes gazing intently in the direction he had heard the wolf. His brisk traveling garb, while different from the outfit he had worn on Outset, consisted of the furs of the animals he had trapped and defeated over the two years, with Link’s help. It was his task to look after Link, just as it was Link’s to watch over Xander.

“Let’s hunt,” the boy answered, rising from the stump he sat on, snow falling from his pants. He had been sitting there for some time, training his body to fight against cold. “Come.” Link’s long shadow fell into stride against the boy’s, and together they descended into the dark forest they lived in.

Xander had grown past the age he was now, which couldn’t have been more than twelve, becoming a warrior worthy of Master Fangor’s training. It had been almost two years since he had been abandoned, to train and grow with Link, until the time was right. Until they could defeat Shadows One. Xander barely thought of life before the forest, it seemed like a warm dream. He shivered, not because of the cold, but rather because of the memory. Orca’s death, and Master Fangor taking him in. The Gilla Blade. Everything he had was taken away in the blink of an eye, and he had traded his life as apprentice under Orca for the adventures of his Master. He had only been ten, his face bronzed by the sun of the Great Sea. Now he was twelve, and already a man, if not physically, then mentally.

Link wasn’t much better, he was only two, and he had had to grow up even quicker. Because of who, and what he was. Still, he was the only friend Xander had, and that was worth something. He heard Link panting with anticipation, waiting for the hunt to begin. He knew that Link could smell the wolf, even though he couldn’t exactly see Link. He liked to hide a lot in the shadows, until the time was right to attack. Xander understood, and they had founded a very good system for catching animals who thought that Xander was alone. The boy drew Orca and Balmung, feeling their cold, glimmering steel against his gloved hands. He walked out of the shadows, wandering into the clearing he knew the wolf was in, and would enter.

He didn’t have to wait long, and was soon rewarded with the wolf wandering into the clearing, leaving the confines and safety of the snow-capped trees that stood around them. It grinned a wolfish smile, baring all of its stained teeth in challenge. Xander looked down on it, thought it was almost as big as he was, holding up his knives. “Let’s see what you got,” he muttered. The wolf growled.

Orca and Balmung flashed, just as the wolf’s face bared itself, and the beast reared, charging at the boy. Xander deflected the first set of claws, scoring a deep slash along the flank of the beast’s left side. The animal moaned, and Xander grinned, lending himself and his talents to the task at hand. The wolf was still standing, though Xander saw he had pierced some major organ along the cut. Blood tricked from Orca’s blade, and Xander swung Balmung around as the wolf attacked again, howling with dark lust. Xander dodged the beast, goring the other side of the wolf. It howled again, whining in pain.

“Now, Link!” Xander ordered, lowering his weapons.

The wolf never saw the dragon as he descended, jaws wide open. The emerald beast chomped down on the wolf, wings beating loudly. His fangs met the wolf’s head, gripping roughly on the neck, and twisting until Xander heard the hard snap of the neck bone severing, and the wolf’s body went limp, dead.

Xander looked up at the dragon, who was almost as big as his Master Fangor. With a look of mild amusement, Link the dragon removed the body from his fangs with the scaly claws that were his forehands. His jade eyes glinted intently at Xander, who picked up the carcass from the snowy floor of the forest. Link beat his wings, shrouding Xander in shadows.

“That should last us a day or two,” Xander said, examining the corpse. It was a heavy wolf, with plenty of dark meat inside the hulk. “Three, if we start that diet of yours.” Xander grinned, looking at the slowly-expanding girth of Link’s pale underbelly. Link chuckled, light steam emerging from his narrow nostrils.

“Let’s head back home, Xander,” he retorted, leaning forward to walk on all four of his limbs. All three toes on each of his legs crushed deep into the snow below. “It’s getting cold, and I hate this freezing climate.”

“But you hate it when it’s warm too,” Xander pointed out, beginning to drag the carcass of the defeated wolf to the place they called home, nestled deep within the woods.

Word Count- 1020

Part Two

Tobias Fangor stood alone, overlooking the village he had come upon. He saw people walking to and fro, living their lives as though nothing was wrong. He tucked himself further into his greatcoat, the Shadow Armor clinging roughly to his body. His long brown hair stayed where it was, even though a fierce breeze blew threw the landscape. Two years ago, it had been cropped short, now it was long, almost below his shoulders. His golden eyes took in the scene, before he shuffled his feet, and began walking down the snowed upon slope that led to the village. The dark tunic outlined his muscular body nicely, his hands covered by shadowed azure gauntlets. His hands were clenched, one resting upon the hilt of his giant katana, which rested on the belt he wore on his hips. Another belt, draped over his shoulder, housed a massive great sword. Both had golden hilts. On his neck, a small trinket jingled. A golden-brown medallion with the image of a stone carved into the surface, unhidden across the black tunic.

Tobias summoned the Horus, willing the dark demon within his right arm to life. The Horus snapped back, eager to be of use. Over the two years, he had learned how to control the Horus, rather than the demon controlling him, as it had once or twice in his travels. He twisted the shadow to lift, altering his appearance as fluidly as a ripple of water. One moment, and Tobias was gone, replaced by the tramp disguise he wore when he encountered the Hylians that lived in his new country. He walked into the small village, and could not help but feel the sense of sinking as he looked upon the pitiful life forms.

Shadows One. He cursed the name silently, looking at the slaves that were once free men of New Hyrule. Ever since he had defeated the possessed body Shadows One had taken those two years before, the dark spirit had made life a living hell. Inside his own corporal body once more, Shadows One had destroyed free will in New Hyrule, binding all the men, women, even the children, to his will. They were little more than slaves now, their eyes lifeless and dulled. And the Crests, the supposed sacred Crests of Aurias, hadn’t been enough to defeat Shadows One. He had three, and the other was in parts unknown. That’s why Shadows One had escaped, that’s why the world was hell. All on his head.

Tobias walked amongst the servants of Shadows One, masked in the shadow magic that he himself had control of. They didn’t even lift a brow in his direction. He passed through the town square, for the most part absorbed in his own thoughts. It had been two years, practically, since he had last seen Hailey, Ne Ella, or Kor. He knew where Xander was, though how the boy was doing he couldn’t guess. He had left the dragon to the youth to raise, which had hatched shortly after destroying the possessed form Shadows One had taken, and purged, for sustenance. Two years, in which nothing had been done to stop him. Tobias waited every day for the sign, the signal, but nothing had come from Kor. The only person who he had with him was Dark, and she was hidden in their cottage. He had been away for several weeks, he hoped she was well. He continued along the path before him for a half-hour, before he found himself at the outskirts of the village, traveling once more towards the mountains where his cottage was hidden.

Two years before, Tobias Fangor had come to New Hyrule, and had instantly afterwards embarked on a voyage across the world. With Kor to guide Tobias, he, Hailey, Ne Ella, and Dark had gone by airship to recover the Crests of Aurias, the Night Rider. Guided by Kor, they had searched for them. And now, they were spread out, scattered in the numbers that were controlled by Shadows One.

Tobias remained silent as he began to climb that cliff that led to his cabin. Even though he could fly, he chose not to, refusing to alert the dark one to his presence. His shadow magic was undetected by Shadows One, too similar to the shadow’s one. The superhuman powers that laid dormant in the Dragon Gauntlets, on the other hand, did not fall under that classification. It wasn’t very hard, anyway, the thing he called his body wasn’t very heavy. Tobias continued, until he reached the top, and hoisted himself to level ground.

Tecalla had called him the Dark Knight. Xander had called him Master Fangor. He called himself a failure. He shoved his gloved hands in the pockets of the dark greatcoat as he continued, seeing the cabin he and Dark lived in, or spent their lives hiding in. It was a small dinky thing, made of wood chopped from the forests on the other side of the mountains. The ground beneath him was practically iron, harder than stone. Ahead of him, he thought he saw Dark preening on her rocking chair.

Tobias felt something strange within his coat, his hand brushing against something warm. He looked over his shoulder, withdrawing the gently burning object from his coat. It was the smallest thing, a minuscule little pendant in the shape of a blue tear. It was glowing, for the first time in two years. Tobias lifted it to his face, making sure what he was seeing was real, or illusion. There was only one person who could make the Aurias Charm illuminate. That person was Kor, who held the other pendant.

As he walked up to the cottage, he could see Dark resting comfortably, one winged arm resting on her grappling hook. His partner for the last few years, her strange nature was almost a godsend to him, something to keep the days interesting between his training, when he would vanish as he had for the past month.

For the first time in a long time, Tobias smiled.

Word Count- 1011

Part Three

Kor Hawkeye leaned his head back, his hands whizzing over the brailed text before him. It was the thousandth time he had gone through this particular volume of the Madra Chronicles, a collection of books that he and Tobias had owned for years, longer than they could remember. For years, he had left them idle, having read through them once. But now, they were his lifeline, the only keys he had to explain the circumstances that had led to Tobias being in Hyrule, and Ne Ella and Hailey arriving in his world, and living in the small apartment he had once shared with Tobias. Ne Ella wasn’t a problem, aside the ears, which were apparently pointed at the tops. To solve this, Ne Ella needed to wear a hat everywhere. Hailey was another story.

Kor was a middle sized man, taller than both the women that lived with him. His black hair was short-cropped, and the black glasses he wore were of a decent size, even though they kept slipping down his nose if he leaned too far. His eyebrows were thin, and so was the rest of him, unlike the bulging biceps of Tobias’ body. Ne Ella was a Hylian, with flowing blond hair and azure eyes, and a muscular build. Though Kor only had her word on that, as he had never seen her before in his life. Still, he thought absentmindedly, she had a beautiful voice.

Hailey was propped opposite him, staring at the books with absolutely no idea what they said. They were written in ancient Madra, which only Kor could read. Kor didn’t see, but rather heard, as she lifted her leg behind her head, and began to scratch the ears that grew out from the top of her head. She called herself a Catling, thought she was more human-like than some, she had said. Catlings ranged from pointed ears to all-out furry bodies. Hailey was a mixture, with fuzzy honey-blond hair and long ears that extended from the height her eyebrows were on both sides. Her hands and feet had claws, which were fortunately retractable, and her eyes were yellow, and catlike, with slits rather than round irises. She was short, little more than five feet in height, so she had to pass as an otaku when she went out, wearing a giant beret to hide her cat ears, and Kor’s spare glasses to hide her eyes. She used to wear gloves, but stopped when she started shredding them.

“I think you should relax more, nyaa,” Hailey said, looking through the barely lit room, which had light only because Ne Ella needed it to find her way around. “You’re gonna burn out.”

“I know.” Kor sighed, his hands continuing to move. “But we’re close, I can feel it.”

“That’s what you said two years ago,” Ne Ella pointed out, setting down two cups of coffee on the table Kor was working at. She took Kor’s left hand, and guided it to the warm liquid. “I think Tobias can wait a day or two more. You have needs as well, remember?” Kor thanked her, and she rose again to continue her cleaning. Out of all three roommates, Ne Ella was the only one who could not live in clutter. Hailey normally caused a lot of it, and Kor’s books sometimes got in the way, but she got by, earning a little money in a maid service. Hailey worked as a delivery girl, and Kor didn’t do anything, because of his blindness.

Kor raised the boiling cup to his lips, taking in the bitter taste of the liquid. Ne Ella’s was good though, he enjoyed it. It soothed him, calmed him. Under the politeness he exhibited for their sakes, he was almost ready to snap in frustration.

Two years before, a strange medallion had been found around Tobias’ neck after a drinking binge, he had sent his one and only friend through the Teleport Dome, never to return again. No sooner had he done so Tobias contacted him through a strange Aurias Charm that had formed one day out of his beer mug, identical to the one Tobias had taken with him. Kor, with his wisdom, had aided Tobias in his mission across the foreign land of Hyrule, obtaining the Crests of Aurias, the Night Ranger. But when they had found three, they had been unable to locate the fourth. And when Shadows One found them, and Tobias defeated the body the shadow lord had possessed, Tobias had transported Ne Ella and Hailey to the relatively safer world of Earth, until the last Crest could be found. He had then ordered Kor to not contact him until a solution was found.

That had been two years ago, and now, he had no idea if Tobias was even alive in New Hyrule, no way of knowing without using the Aurias Charms. Kor rested his head in his shoulders. “Where is that Crest? It’s nowhere, not a single mentioning of it even being in Hyrule!” He slammed a fist weakly against the book before him. “If it isn’t in Hyrule, where could it…”

Kor mentally slapped himself. “Ne Ella,” he said, turning to where he had heard her making noise last, “would you please bring me the Madra Chronicle on the far right of my collection, the one which talks about Earth?”

Ne Ella nodded. “Of course, Kor.” She walked back into the small bedroom that she and Hailey now shared, and grabbed the last volume of the Madra Chronicle. Treating the old book with care, she handed it to Kor, taking the other book away from him.

Kor started instantly, his hands skimming the surface. The imprints on the surface of the books made it a simple matter to read, and it wasn’t long before he discovered the answer he had been seeking. His face lit up when his fingers found the passage, read the words.

“Tobias, you’re coming home,” he breathed. With a start, he bolted up, feeling his way to the bedroom. He dropped to the floorboards, prying them open to locate the Aurias Charm. He felt a small tear come to his eye. “You’re coming home.”

Word Count- 1032

So far, I find this one of your more complex stories to date - then again, I haven't kept up everything you's written (it's a goal, though! =P), and the preponderance of names and titles already present in "Legacy's Dawn" perhaps gives me this impression of complexity. All three installments have been a fun read, and having mentioned names, I must add that your method of beginning with each primary character's name is a capital one - I like Tobias's and Kor's appellations especially. They fit the atmosphere of your story very well. (I have to blink whenever I come to Ne Ella's name, as I keep forgetting both words formulate one name.) I liked the conciseness of Xander's history in Part One, the descriptions of Two, and the peculiarities in Three. Fine work! ::sits back in expectation of Part Four:: =D

Part 4

Dark caressed the grapple hook in her feathered arms, watching as her best friend and ally emerged from the freezing cold after what felt like months. She didn’t have a calendar, so the days just sort of blew by with the harsh winds of the surroundings. She shivered in her feathers, her long beak clattering under the folds of her blanket. Her head feathers, arranged into a sort of afro-like design on her head. Her deep hazel eyes blinked at the cold, as the Dark Knight stepped onto the doorstep they shared.

Even after all the time, Dark was still amazed at the presence Tobias could generate just by standing still. His golden eyes looked down on her, drawing her in. “Welcome home, Tobias,” she chattered through her frozen beak, standing up from the small chair she say in. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Ladyfeathers Dark,” he answered politely. Dark flushed at the mention of her first name, something she normally forbid, but understood was a habit that Tobias would not change. “Have you eaten?”

She shook her head, and walked through the door the Dark Knight had opened for her. Tobias followed shortly after, shutting away the searing cold of the outside. Dark walked through the atrium to the small kitchen that Tobias had outfitted for her. “Has your armor taken any damage?” she asked, busying herself with the food.

“A little on my right arm,” he said, showing her the tear that he had made during his training. “Where have you put my sewing kit?”

“Back drawer,” Dark answered. “You know you need to take that kit with you, Tobias. Don’t leave it here next time you take off. You need it.” Tobias shrugged, dropping the giant sheath he carried to the ground, unbuckling it from its resting place. The second sword followed, and he discarded them to the wooden floor, turning his attentions to the sewing kit. Without a pause, Tobias removed the greatcoat and Dragon Gauntlets, leaving his arms bare save for the Shadow Armor.

The Dark Knight removed the belt he wore round his waist, pulling up the midnight black tunic he wore. Dark watched in amazement, as she always did when Tobias mended the Shadow Armor, as his bulging biceps emerged. Dark’s hawk eyes trailed to his right arm, the dormant home that housed the Horus. In fact, when Tobias had confided to Dark, she had wondered how the world she lived in could condemn a person like Tobias to the fate he had resigned himself to. Tobias didn’t breath, focusing in repairing his tunic. Tobias Fangor never breathed.

He was a cursed being, he had told Dark, when he came to grips with what he had sacrificed. Transported to New Hyrule against his will, by his enigmatic friend Kor Hawkeye. When he had passed through the worlds, something had gone wrong.

“Are you the Chosen One?” the dark voice asks, as Tobias Fangor sits in limbo, unable to pass between the two worlds.

“How am I supposed to know that?” he answers to the disembodied voice that calls to him. “How do you know when the Chosen One is to come?”

“You are the first to come here in a long time,” the voice says. “I am the Horus.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means…I’m a demon.”

It was a deal with the Devil. That was how Tobias had described it. In exchange for passage into Hyrule, and freedom from the limbo, the Horus had bound itself to Tobias’ right arm, making it for all practical purposes invisible to the naked eye. From the shoulder to the fingers, there was nothingness. Only the gloves that were given to Tobias when his body became unusable allowed him to touch anything. For when the Horus had bound itself to Tobias, it had given him the powers of shadows. Possession, invisibility, cloaking, and other kinds of shadow-powers were his to command. But in exchange, Tobias had sacrificed his body unknowingly, creating a Shadow Armor that allowed him to touch things. Tobias Fangor was worse than dead; he could not breath, or eat, or sleep, or touch another person. Which made what Hailey had felt for him all the more tragic, even after the Crest of Love.

“Why are you staring at me?” Tobias asked, waking her from her thoughts. Dark found something else to be interested in as the Dark Knight finished the repairs to his garb, his body shimmering in and out like the flicker of a candle. He slipped it back on, satisfied of his handiwork. Sure, needlework wasn’t the most masculine of abilities, but it was essential in his being. There was no telling what would happen if he didn’t have his Shadow Armor, he could very well phase through the ground, his own body unable to survive on its own.

“I’m not.” Dark got up from the chair, heading to the small storage unit she used to keep the food she ate cold. Tobias watched as she removed some of the dry fish that he had saved up for her, the last time he had been home. She wasn’t able to survive in the terrain he had chosen like he could, but the mountains they lived in were the last places Shadows One would come in search of them. She took a bite into the dry fish and tasted salt. “Was your trip productive?”

“Yes, and no.” Tobias’ voice was level, even, completely separated from the pervert he had been when they had first met. His transformation, and the responsibilities that came with them, had changed the once lecher into a hero, someone who could be looked up to as a hero. “I have something I need to ask you, Dark. Something important.”

“What is it?” she asked, raising a feathered brow.

“You remember my apprentice, Xander, right?” he asked.

Dark remembered all right. The poor kid Tobias had taken from Outset as a last favor to the master there, Orca, who had died seeking the Crest of Courage. “Yes,” she answered.

“It’s time to find out if he’s still alive.” Tobias grinned. “We’re leaving.”

Word Count- 1023

Part 5

Link heard the trespassers before Xander did, his horned head lifting from the hovel they had made their home. Emerald smoke blew from his nostrils, and Xander nodded. It had been several days since the wolf hunt, they were going to have to go out again soon. The young boy rose from the small stump that served as his seat, and Link crawled out from the hovel’s hole, squeezing through the narrow opening as he always did. Used to the sulfur smoke of his breathing, Xander followed his partner outside into the freezing cold.

Feeling the stiff breeze against his face, Xander clung sharp to the steel blades. Link breathed deeply, getting a good lock on their scent.

“This smell,” he muttered, his jade eyes flickering to the left. “I’ve smelt these people before.” The dragon breathed again, turning his whole body in the direction the aura was coming from. “A Bird-woman and something else.”

“Man or shadow?” Xander knew Bird-woman meant Rito, Link was still too young to remember most of the things Xander had taught him about the world.

“Neither. Something in between.” Xander breathed, was it some new weapon that Shadows One had created to battle him? The monster already had the whole of the world under his sway, why he needed to turn others was beyond the boy’s understanding. It didn’t matter, because there was only one creation in the whole of the world that would travel with a Rito, and was neither shadow nor man.

“Is the Rito possessed?” Xander asked suddenly.

Link sniffed. “No.”

“Let them come,” Xander sighed, sheathing his blades. “They are friends.”

Link was suspicious. “Who are they, Xander?”

“My Master,” Xander answered. “Master Fangor, and Mistress Dark. They will be coming from the air, correct?” Link nodded, pointing his head upwards. “These are the people that gave you to me when you were nothing but a little baby dragon. You’ll recognize Master Fangor.”

Link sniffed. “I smell dragon on him.”

As if in response to this statement, two shadows emerged above both Link and Xander, sweeping over the snowy field. Xander shielded his eyes as a very familiar figure fell to the ground, his dark boots sinking into the snow. Xander fell to one knee.

The Dark Knight looked him over, his piercing golden gaze never faltering. His dark auburn hair did not stir, despite its growth over the past two years, nor did the threatening-like swords that he wore; the Gilla Blade, the azure katana of water that hung on his side, and the mighty Toraero Sword, a great sword which housed the mystical Madra Medallions of Earth, Fire, Wind, Spirit, Shadow, and Forest upon its blade. The Water Medallion, the reason all of this had began, was embedded into the hilt of the Gilla Blade, along with three Aurias Crests, one for Courage, Honor, and Love. But it wasn’t his weapons that made Xander and Link gasp in awe, or the fact that Master Fangor’s skin seemed to shimmer in and out like a light. It was the wings and claws.

The Dragon Gauntlets. Xander had been by his master’s side on Dragon Roost when he had been given them by the dragon deity that sat upon the volcano, along with the instructions that they were to be taken care of for an enigmatic reason. They had learned later, when the luck charm Hailey’s father had given them hatched into a baby dragon that Master Fangor had dubbed ‘Link’ then unloaded on Xander to raise and protect. Now, the Master’s dragon wings glimmered in the sunlight above, stretched to their full span of almost twenty feet each. The Dark Knight’s claws were formed as well, massive scaly talons that ended in black knives that were the nails. Fortunately, he was not fully transformed, or else there would definitely be trouble.

“Master Fangor,” Xander said with reverence, bowing his head.

Tobias Fangor nodded. “Rise Xander,” he muttered, waving a hand. As Xander stood to full height, the dragon-like features vanished, leaving only his master there. Link stood off, looking over the Dark Knight. “And you must be Link.” Tobias turned from Xander, looking over the dragon himself. Link was almost as big as he was now, even though only two years old. The wings were broad, and the horned head was still surveying him with a mindful gaze. “I will not harm either of you,” he said to the dragon. “I am Tobias Fangor, the Dark Knight of Madra.”

“Titles don’t mean anything,” Link hissed. “But Xander trusts you, so I will as well.” Master Fangor nodded his head, and turned his attention towards Xander, his apprentice. “Who is this?” Link raised a giant claw, pointing at Dark.

“My ally, and scout,” Fangor answered. “Ladyfeathers Dark.”

“Just Dark,” the Rito muttered, rolling her eyes.

Xander felt the ever-present gaze of his master as Tobias looked him over, the boy he had taken from Outset long gone, turned man by the way he had lived. When they had met, Xander had been a short, but scrappy, child of ten, with short red hair and red eyes, with tanned skin. Now, he was still those things, though his hair was longer, he was slightly taller, almost half the height of his Master’s hulking frame, and muscles were beginning to grow along his body. “You’ve grown up,” he said.

“Yes, I have,” Xander answered, nodding his head. “I’ve trained and raised Link just like you asked me, and stayed alive for all these years.”

“I’m very proud of you,” Tobias replied. “But now we have a mission to undertake. Kor has found the location of the last Crest, and a way to travel there.”

“Where is it?”

Tobias chuckled, sensing that his apprentice was already eager to leave. “A little town called Earth, Xander,” he said. “Where we sent Hailey and Ne Ella a little while back. Where I came from.” Tobias smiled. “Kor figured out a way for you three to travel to Earth, and me as well.”

“When are we leaving?” Xander asked.

“We are first going to New Beginnings, where the Teleport Dome that brought me here is. Then we need to wait for Kor. He says he needs something before I can be transported.”

Xander lifted both his knives. “Let’s get going, Master Fangor.”

Word Count- 1056

Part 6

The Yea Medallion.

In the annals called the Madra Chronicles, there was something left behind on Earth. That something was a special talisman, a device, remnant of the Madra in case it was ever needed once more. Kor had studied the Madra book specific to Earth, learned the history of the Madra race, before they had come from Earth to Hyrule, discriminated by the race of Man. Aided by the Zora race, the fish-people, they had channeled magic into the rifts between both worlds, and had been granted the powers of freedom.

The Knights of the Races. The Zora Knights, Balmung and Orca, and the Madra Knight, Tobias Fangor. When the Madra had given him the powers of Knighthood, it had amplified the magical force given to Tobias by the Horus, as well as given him the Aurias Charm needed to communicate with Earth. But while the Knights of the Zora were bound by wind and water, to continue life on Hyrule, and to maintain the balance, the Knight of the Madra was created solely to destroy enemies. That was why Tobias had been so suited to becoming a Knight, because of what he was. Part of the Horus, part dragon, part Knight. Whatever was left must have been human, but Kor no longer knew how much that was.

That was why Kor Hawkeye, Ne Ella, and Hailey were walking down the street, towards the museum. Kor tapped the surface of the road with his white cane, his left arm locked with Ne Ella’s so as not to lose his way. Hailey skipped ahead, prancing around in front of them, grinning in the cold winter’s day. Kor chuckled despite himself at her enthusiasm, Hailey never seemed to run out of spirit.

“You guys look like a couple!” she chuckled, pointing at the two of them and grinning. Ne Ella blushed, while Kor shuffled his shoulders uncomfortably. He had no idea of how a couple was supposed to look, much less how he and Ne Ella looked. He felt a tingle on his face, and felt Ne Ella’s arm tighten around his own. “I hope me and Tobias looked as happy as you do right now.”

Ne Ella offered her a slight smile. “Hailey, me and Kor are not like that. I am simply his guide, after all.” Though even as she said that, Ne Ella could feel the burn of red across her cheeks, and not from the cold. “How far are we from the museum, Kor?” she asked, changing the subject. Kor looked up, as if lost in his own thoughts.

“Huh? Oh, not too far from here.” Kor tapped the pavement again. “Turn left here.” They did so. “I’ve learned some new things about Hyrule and Earth that I think will let us bring our friend Tobias here to obtain the Aurias Crest that was hidden in the city. Some things about our friends, the Madra, and how they left Earth.”

“What have you discovered?”

Kor smiled. “Well, you see…”
***
Tobias Fangor holds the pipe in his hands, as blood drips freely from its surface. He stands in horror at what he has done, looking into the smashed visor of the biker before him, the woman he has just killed. He sees her face, replaying the moment in his head as the light leaves her eyes. He tears off his helmet, throwing it to the ground. The fighting around him has suddenly halted in response to his sobs. He is only eighteen years old, and he has killed someone. Cursing, he tries to throw away the pipe he has used, but it refuses to leave his grip, the blood from it trickling onto his fingers, his hand, his arm.

“Tabby!” he shouts, though he knows there will never be an answer. Kor is at his side, but the giant man pushes the blind one away, cradling the dead body of his love within the grip of his massive arms. “Tabby!” He roars in anger, furious at fate, enraged at himself. Tobias Fangor looks around, seeing that the biker fight has indeed halted, and now look upon himself and Tabby like some rehearsed scene of Romeo and Juliet.

He roars again, letting his anger take over his body, spreading over him like a plague of death. He raises himself from the ground, clutching the bloodied pipe with his hands, his knuckles white. Kor wisely chooses to leave, but the rest of the gangs aren’t as lucky. Kor knows, when Tobias is enraged, nothing can stop him. Kor weeps for his friend, the monster that the gangs have created.

With the precision of a warrior, Tobias Fangor attacks, scattering the ranks away from his dead love. His teeth are bared, and the gang he and Kor are a part of stands away as he decimates the rivals, breaking them apart, destroying them with a lust for revenge that none have ever seen. Several fall in the brief period of time it takes to annihilate the gang, others flee in terror at the demon Tobias has become. It does not take long, and soon the gang has been destroyed. Some are dead, others are fatally wounded. The gang Tobias and Kor belong to, the Zeros, begin to celebrate, until Tobias turns around, and they realize he has not finished his vendetta. The destructive nature still lies within his eyes.

The screaming began shortly after.

“Master Fangor?” Tobias snapped out of his daydream, and looked over to where Xander was sitting, riding on Link’s back, as they soared through the sky. Tobias spread his dragon wings, Dark struggling to keep up with the dragon wings of both Tobias and Link. The scene below them had changed from the snowy landscape to grasslands of the plains. Tobias looked to Xander, whose hair was blowing everywhere in the winds. “Is something wrong, Master Fangor?”

Tobias heard the scream echo through his head, hearing the cry of remorse, and destruction. “Everything’s fine, Xander,” he answered, trying to smile. “I’m just thinking about my home.”

Word Count- 1010

Part 7

“Down there,” Tobias said, before swooping downwards towards Zora Lake. Xander and Link followed, and at last Dark dove down to the fragile lake that had once been home to the Zora, but know held nothing but destruction and pollution. The waters, Tobias had been told, were once blue, and so clear you could see the bottom. Now, the lake was a tainted green, the waters murky and dark. Even the Knight of the Zora who lived there could only do so much, and he appeared to be failing.

When Xander had dismounted Link, Tobias began walking towards the polluted lake, his dark boots crushing the coarse grass beneath his feet. The Dark Knight drew closer to the water, before halting at the water’s edge. “This is where we part,” he ordered, raising his hand. “I must go to the Isle of Beginnings alone, to speak with the Spirit. You three will wait here, until I come back.” Without waiting for a response, Tobias drew the Gilla Blade from its sheath, the azure katana blazing in the darkness of the night’s air. Tobias called on the power of the sword, bidding the waters to part before him. The lake stirred in front of the sword, before the bank began to extend, the water swelling on either side. Tobias gave them one final look, before proceeding to touch the water’s bottom, and continued to walk across the rift, towards the Isle of Beginnings.

He needed to speak with Orca, the legendary Spirit that resided on the Isle, protecting the waters of the world. Once, Tobias had been told by Tecalla, he had been a servant of the Royal Guard, and protected a princess of the Zora. He had even accompanied the Hero of Winds on the journey to revive the sword strapped to the Dark Knight’s back. He had never seen the Spirit before, as Tecalla had told him that, out of all the fellowship, he was the one destroyed most by the events that caused the rise of Shadows One. Still, Tobias continued, halfway across the water that led to his dominion. He didn’t need to ponder what he would say to the Spirit, only that he needed guidance on how he would find the final Crest, and even if he did, what would he do with it. The Dark Knight stepped onto the sacred Isle of Beginnings, and began to walk through the dying forest that sat upon it. Every now and then, he saw various tarnishing to the trees, even seeing a giant spear hole cut into the trunk of one tree. He directed himself forward, knowing that the Spirit was in the center.

He found the Spirit sooner than he believed he would. The trees began to part, and a clearing formed before him. Tobias looked around, before spotting the statue that was the Spirit, standing perfectly in the center of the Isle. The statue was perfectly azure, the image of a lean, muscular Zora warrior. Tobias sank onto one knee, sensing formalities would assist him in his endeavor. “Knight of the Zora,” he chanted, closing his eyes. “I summon the Spirit of Water, in the name of the pact between the Knights of old.”

Tobias raised the Fang of Water, the Gilla Blade, towards the Spirit. Without hesitation, a strong arm lifted and gripped the katana edge, cutting into the flesh of the Spirit’s blue skin. Dark, azure blood trickled from the blade, and Tobias lifted his face to see Orca staring down at him.

“The Knight of the Madra,” Orca whispered, his voice echoing along the forest he lived in. “The Dark Knight of Destruction.” Tobias rose from the ground, and the Spirit walked down from the pedestal he stood upon. Orca was shorter than the Dark Knight, though he seemed to have more muscles. Tendrils were spouted from the top of his forehead, falling over his face like hair. “Why have you come here?”

“I needed to speak with you.” Tobias lifted the Gilla Blade, and showed it to the Spirit. “I believe you know what this is, correct?”

Orca of the Azure Sea nodded, though no tears came to his beady eyes. “My wife,” he whispered. “Her soul lives on in that sword. I was told about you, Madra Knight, and the responsibility you carry for this world. You are to carry on the legacy that the Azure Sky began, to forge the Master Sword to its completion.”

“I carry what your Sages have given me.” Tobias sheathed the Gilla Blade, and grabbed the weapon on his back, a giant sword sweeping out of the sheath. “To carry the Gilla Blade, which holds the Water Medallion, and the Toraero Sword.” The Toraero Sword gleamed, its pale steel studded with six medallions, a hole in the blade as large as the Water Medallion. “The Dark Sword was purged, and returned to this form. I have not, however, been able to fuse the blades into the true Master Sword. That is why I am here.”

Orca nodded. “Sheath your blade, Madra Knight.” Tobias did as the Azure Sea asked. “When Balmung passed, he was taken by the Draken, one of the sacred trees that are the medium between this world and the next. He was then taken by the figure of a Hero. I was told this by Tecalla. That was two years before, but I remember the visit the Draken gave me, the sacred tree that resides on this island, after Balmung passed.” Orca beckoned Tobias forward, and both began walking through the forest.

“I presume you know what we need to do, Madra Knight,” Orca stated.

Tobias nodded. “We need to summon the his shade, don’t we?”

Orca smiled. “Good. Your title suits you, Madra Knight. You may be a force of destruction, but you are smarter than you appear. There has not been one of you for almost a thousand years.”

“I am very unique,” Tobias answered. “I still don’t believe I deserve the title.”

“Here’s your chance to try.”

Word Count- 1008

Part 8

“Summon your Knight Spirit.”

Orca had led him to the sacred tree, the Draken of the Isle of Beginnings. The mighty oak loomed over him, casting them both is shadows. Tobias looked into the dark hole, the entrance to the netherworld he had given the possessed body of Shadows One two years before. He had sacrificed the man in the forests, but it was impossible not to feel the overpowering effect here as well. Tobias nodded.

“Normally, a person needs a Triforce to be able to summon the Draken,” Orca explained, looking over the tree. “However, since the Triforce has not emerged in over twenty years, we must rely on our own powers to get the job done. I presume you have used you true form before?”

“Once," Tobias answered.

“Can you do so again?”

“I can try.” Truth be told, Tobias had only unlocked his Knight Spirit in a fit of rage, and his charge had required it. Plus, the Horus had helped him through it. “Give me a minute to channel the energy, and I should be fine. My powers…are fused together from three different parts: the Horus in my arm, the Dragon Gauntlets the dragon god gave me, and my dormant Knighthood that Tecalla gave to me. It takes some time.”

“Then try doing what you can,” Orca answered, and smiled for the first time. Tobias nodded, and called forth both sides of his magic.

He raised both his arms into the air, bidding the Dragon Gauntlets to change him, to purge him of all that was left of his human guise. The gauntlets sprung to life, wrapping around his shadowy body, melting his hands into giant talons with three massive fingers, with black knives for nails. The changes continued along his outfit, the Shadow Armor melding into diamond hard scales. Tobias’ coat changed, forming into dark sapphire wings that spread like a bat’s. His feet split apart, forming into talons similar to his hands, increasing in size just as his hands had. A giant, spiked tail formed from the seat of his pants, and he hunched his back and grew taller.

Then the Horus kicked in. The dark magic laced from him, so similar and yet so different to the powers of Shadows One. The vortex of darkness surged rounded him, like a miniature tornado. Tobias’ shadowy body hardened with the scales, building on the shadow power. Tobias unlocked all his powers, binding them to the Knight of the Madra, the Dark Knight that he was, created solely for destruction. His skin was darkened, like the bottom of the ocean, where no light could penetrate.

Orca followed the Dark Knight, forming himself into the true form of the Azure Sea. His eyes glowed a deep azure, before his skin began to change, forming into hardened water rather than flesh and blood. His joints were as fluid as a river, while his muscles were as hardened as ice. Orca began to emit a blue aura, just as strong as Tobias’ dark force.

“Ready?” the Dark Knight asked. The Azure Sea nodded, and both raised their arms towards the tree. “Let’s summon the Draken.”

They began immediately, showering the Draken’s entrance with darkness and light, life and death. The Dark Knight’s dragon flare combined with his shadow magic, dark flame bonded to dark waves. At the same time, the Azure Sea threw water into the portal, channeling the life-giving energy of his powers, as the Dark Knight did his destructive force.

From deep within the tree, something began to give. The Dark Knight and Azure Sea drained their respective energies into the Draken, bidding it to summon the shade of that already dead. The tree moaned in protest, unwilling to yield. The Dark Knight clenched his golden eyes, burning for the answers he sought. The Azure Sea continued, his face neutral in contrast to the Dark Knight’s fierce expression. While the tranquil sea was calm, even throughout the darkest of storms, the Dark Knight’s powers required anger and motivation. The Knight of the Madra fueled all of his hatred of Shadows One into his summoning, forcing the shade to appear.

From within the tree, something snapped, a darkened rumble echoing through the forest. The Dark Knight halted his attack, the magic flying from his claws returning to his body. The Azure Sea mimicked the action, both Knights watching as the sacred tree began to shake, the mouth of its entrance almost widening. The ancient oak shook one final time, before something began to emerge, floating in the air.

“Kneel, Knight of the Madra,” the Azure Sea commanded, and both did so, as the shadowed figure emerged.

In times before he became the Spirit, and was just Skate-kun, Zora Knight of Water, Orca had once spoken to his bond brother, Balmung-sama, about a Draken they had encountered in the Forests, while liberating the Deku. A spirit had come to Balmung, the shade of the Hero of Time. Balmung had told him that, when he had felt the shade’s presence, it had been scarier then when he had battled Ganon as a child. The sheer presence of the shade almost made him flee.

Now it was Balmung that emerged from the tree, his tall frame covered by a dark emerald cloak, his face covered by a hooded cowl. Tobias looked up, seeing the shrouded expression of the shade he had taken into the Draken. He hadn’t even known who the man was until he had expelled Shadows One from his body, purged his system of the evil. He had just assumed the man had been a casual fool whom Shadows One had taken until his corporal form could return. That was all he had been told, when he had slain the man in the name of Hyrule. He had known nothing about who the man was, who he had been, and what he had become in the strange game of fate.

-Speak my name- the shade whispered, its voice floating through their minds like the leaves that fell from the trees as it approached. Orca looked over at Tobias, and nodded his head. Tobias gulped, and looked into the hood.

“You were Link, the Hero of Winds,” the Dark Knight answered, his throat dry. “Balmung of the Azure Sky, and the Sage of Wind.”

-What is it you want, Madra Knight-

Word Count- 1061

Part 9

The voice was laced with death, entering their minds rather than their ears. Orca and Tobias both shuddered, feeling the shade’s thoughts rather than words. Still, Tobias would not falter, determined for answers that only the Draken shade could yield. “I wish to know what you want me to do, Draken shade,” Tobias answered. “I took the Toraero Sword from Shadows One, and sent Ne Ella and Hailey to Earth. Now I must know what you want of me, and what I’m supposed to do to end this.”

The shade was silent, looking down at him. -You already know what you must do, Madra Knight. Nothing has changed in the time that has passed since I left this realm. Your duty still remains the same, to destroy Shadows One, and return the Master Sword to its former glory, as the blade of evil‘s bane-

“How?” For everything Tobias had been told about who and what he was, and his responsibilities, he had not once been told how he was to forge the Master Sword anew. The Crests of Aurias and the Madra Medallions were needed, but the Toraero Sword refused to accept the addition of the Water Medallion, and he didn’t even have the fourth Aurias Crest. “The Gilla Blade and Toraero Sword refuse to reunite, no matter how much magic I pour into them.”

-They are not yet complete. Only that which the Goddesses left behind can make your wish come true-

Tobias was preparing to protest from the lack of information, but Orca raised his palm. “Balmung-sama,” he whispered. “Your hand…she…”

For the first time, the shade’s presence lessened, as though the warrior that the Hero of Winds had returned, rather than his shade. -I could not stop myself, Skate-kun. You are protected from his darkness, but I was not as lucky- The shade bent its head, the shadows over its face looming ever more. -Know that if I could have, I would have given my life for her. But the pact made with the Draken had different plans-

“I know, Balmung-sama,” Orca answered. “Since her passing, it has been…so hard for me…”

-The boy by your side carries her spirit in his sword. She gave herself to save the world- The shade lifted its head. -You wish to know, Madra Knight, why you cannot forge the sword? The two pieces you have are naught without the force that created them. Both were part of one sword created by the deities, now they are two swords made by Hylian hands. Only when the Aurias Crests are returned can the Goddesses aid you. Protect the worlds, Madra Knight-

The shade began to recede, its time in the world almost over. Tobias understood that; it had been the same when the Hero had died. The Hero of Time had been summoned, with the Triforce of Courage, and had taken the Hero of Winds away, into the dark void of the Draken. It was that day that the Horus in his arm had stopped speaking to him, leaving the shadow power behind. Tobias had sought for an explanation to this, and had come up with the simple truth that the Horus had been Link’s soul, banished to the ether-world between Hyrule and Earth, which had stolen enough of Shadows One’s abilities that a new Hero wouldn’t be corrupted again. The powers the Horus had given him, along with its instincts, were there, but there was no longer a voice to guide him.

-She misses you, Skate-kun- the shade said, as it vanished into the void. -I shall send your love to her in the nether realm-

The figure vanished, and the overbearing presence disappeared.
***
“Her name was the same as your blade, Madra Knight.”

Orca sighed, resting his muscular frame against one of the trees, his long head fin slinking across his chest. “Once, I had a wife. A woman who I loved so much it ached me. When we were married, it was the happiest day I can ever remember, even though we traveled with Balmung-sama. When it ended, me and my wife returned to Zora Lake, where we lived happily.

“One night, several years later, she awoke after a horrible nightmare. She decided that she would travel into the far north, above the mountain of the Rito.” He took a deep breath, looking down at the ground. “That was the last time I saw her or Balmung-sama, until now. Even though I am not a Sage as they were, I still wish I could have…done anything.”

“It’s not that simple, Orca,” Tobias replied, resting a hand on the Zora’s shoulder. “Sometimes, things just happen that we can’t prevent, no matter how much we want to. And even though those things happen, life has to go on, right?”

“That doesn’t make the pain any easier.”

“But that’s what makes us human, isn’t it?” Tobias lifted his hand, and touched his face. “You still have a body, and a heart, left. You can still feel, even if it is sadness. I’m sure that, wherever she is, she still loves you.” Tobias unsheathed the Gilla Blade, its azure steel glittering in the night’s sky. “She’s still trying to save this world, just like Link.” He held out the sword, and Orca took it in his transparent blue hands.

“This sword cannot even begin to match her beauty, Madra Knight,” Orca sighed, looking the blade over. He saw the studded hilt, the four oval holes that were supposed to hold the symbols of the Crests. Only three were filled, golden for Courage, green for Honor, and crimson for Love. The last one was vacant, a dull pearly white. “But it was made from her hands, all the same.” He gazed over the Medallion of Water on its blade. “Avon constructed this, didn’t he? The Sage of Death?”

Tobias nodded.

“Aye, he is a good man.” Orca gave the weapon one final look, before handing it back to the Dark Knight. Tobias took it, and sheathed it once more. “You are too. You can do a lot of good for this world, even after everything that has happened. The Knight of the Madra is a destructive weapon, but he was made to be an instrument of good, like the Zora Knights. Remember that.”

Neither moved until the sun rose hours later. Tobias enwrapped in the memories of his adventures and of his friends, Orca of a very beautiful Zora who he had loved once, and still did, no matter how much time would pass in this world.

Word Count- 1094

Part 10

“It is here.” Kor’s voice echoed through the empty museum hallway, his walking cane clacking against the surface of the floor. Hailey pranced around in front of him, though he could only tell because of his hearing, and Ne Ella remained by his side as always, making sure no harm came to him. Sometimes Kor wondered why she was so protective of him, but put it out of his mind for right then. It could wait, because Kor was certain that it was inside the museum.

For reasons Kor Hawkeye did not understand, the city he lived in was a strange center of magical items, namely the Teleport Dome he had found, along with the Water Medallion. The Aurias Charms that both he and Tobias had allowed passage between Hyrule and Earth, though Tobias could not return without the Yea Medallion. And because Tobias could not give up the Gilla Blade across the vortex that sat between the two worlds, they needed to bring Tobias to Earth again. This required a second catalyst of Madra and Zora magic.

“Turn right here.” Kor knew the placement of almost every room in the museum, having forced Tobias to show him around until he could walk around on his own practically. “There is a room here that cannot be opened, or at least Tobias couldn’t when we were young. The Madra Chronicle might not be able to tell me exactly what the Yea Medallion is, or where it is, but I can feel magic when its around. When you guys came to Earth, I felt the surge of magic. It was the same as the feeling I got when I got around this door. It always made me sick as a kid.”

“Won’t it make you sick now?” Ne Ella asked, her usually cold and indifferent voice full of concern. Kor felt the pressure on his arm increase.

“I’ll be fine.” Kor smiled, or imitated what he was told a smile looked like. “After all, I’m a lot bigger then I was as a kid. Plus, if we have problems, the Aurias Charm should be enough to keep me upright.” And, as if on cue, the fit hit him, an overbearing feeling of illness, as they kept walking. Kor pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose, and continued. He could handle it long enough, and wouldn’t keel over yet. “We’re getting close,” he muttered. The light was getting dimmer, judging by how little he felt on his skin. “Ne Ella, help.” She gripped his hand, throwing his arm over her shoulder. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing,” she answered, and they continued. Hailey began to sniff around, her highly trained nose, making sure they would not be bothered. According to Ne Ella, it was a habit she had picked up under the reign of Shadows One, though it wasn’t one that the Hylian found complaint in. Neither did Kor, he didn’t want to be caught stealing from the museum. “It’s here.”

They stopped in front of a door, which was no different from the thousands of others that were in the giant museum, save for the fact that Kor could practically see the aura emitting from it, stronger than he remembered, as if the force had multiplied during the years he had left it alone. Tobias removed himself from Ne Ella, and grabbed the handle of the door, fighting away the feeling, and twisted the knob, breaking it with the force of his grip. The locked door yielded to him, swinging open to admit them. Kor and the women could not see beyond the haze, so they hurried inside, unwilling to be spied by security. Ne Ella closed the door behind them, and Kor collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily.

“Kor!” Ne Ella turned to Hailey in the dark. “Find the light switch.” Kor guessed the Catling must have nodded, because two strong pairs of arms suddenly gripped his shoulders, and forced the blind man into a sitting position. “Are you all right?” Kor sensed concern in her voice again.

“I’ll be fine, Ne Ella,” Kor groaned. “It’s just a strong magical aura. I’ll be fine once I touch it.” He took her hand, and lifted himself to full height, leaning against the wall. He heard a click, and the light touched his skin. Hailey must have found the lights. “Describe the room to me.”

She did so. It wasn’t the typical room, that much was for sure. Even the fact that Kor could open the door was staggering, because the gravity in the room was intense. The only object in the relatively large room was a glass case, inside which was a round, white coin about the size of his palm. Kor grinned, he’d found it all right. “Take me to the case,” he whispered, trying to move. Ne Ella showed him the way, while Hailey stood guard at the door, waiting for any uninvited company. None came.

When he touched the case, Kor felt a wave of power, unlike anything he had ever experienced. He took his hand away, but only to raise his stick to the glass case. “Let’s see what this Yea Medallion is.” He raised up his staff over his head, before the white cane came shooting downwards, piercing through the glass in a perfect hole, without cracks or anything. The staff was only halted when it touched the pure-white Medallion, the edge touching its surface.

In response to the intrusion, a powerful light force erupted from it, throwing Kor backwards. Even in his weakened state, Kor still landed, crouched, after being flipped upside down. He groaned, as the power increased before him. Ne Ella ran to his side, and any thoughts of intruders left Hailey’s head, because she rushed to join him as well. He heard a sharp click, and knew that Ne Ella’s Colts were out, gifts from Zeke. He then heard blades being withdrawn, Hailey’s claws extending from her fingertips. Kor lifted his staff to the unknown threat.

“What is it?” he asked sharply, placing himself in between the Yea Medallion and the two women. Before Ne Ella could answer him, the Medallion did the answering.

-Kor Hawkeye- a deep voice answered, full of darkness. -I’ve come for you-

Word Count- 1044

Part 11

“Stand back.” Kor walked forward, against the voice of darkness. He didn’t fear anything dark, he lived in eternal darkness. Both women followed him regardless, terrified beyond belief at the specter before them. Ne Ella’s hands trembled, barely able to hold onto her guns. Hailey’s fur stood on edge, she was hissing frantically. Kor levered the staff in front of him, assuming a defensive stance against the unseen threat that had emerged from the Yea Medallion. He tapped the ground with his feet, the vibrations giving him a decent amount of knowledge about the room, and the figure before them.

It was tall, about as big as he was. The magical aura around it made it dark in his mind’s eye, like everything else, only even more noticeable. In one hand, a small katana hung limply in his fingers, detectable through the wind currents it made as the figure swished it. Other than that, Kor had no idea what stood before him, waiting for his attack.

Hailey and Ne Ella, on the other hand, saw its hooded body, the white-and-black tunic it wore, and the shrouded hood that covered its head, leaving only the grinning mouth exposed. The teeth flashed, and the warrior within the talisman chuckled, the voice echoing in Kor’s mind, vibrating inside his cranium.

-Son of Madra- the voice commanded. -Why have you summoned me-

“I am here for that Medallion,” Kor answered, though he was slightly confused. The Medallion spirit had just named him a Son of Madra, something he was not. He was a child of Earth, just like Tobias. “And there’s no Madra here, just Kor Hawkeye.”

-Nonsense- it whispered. -I know Madra scent when I smell it, though yours is tainted with something…is that Shana- The grin increased in size. -Ah, it doesn’t matter. Only a descendant of Madra can summon me, so that must mean you need my precious Yea Medallion…-

Kor nodded. “I need it to return a friend from Hyrule. And you’re not going to stop me.” He heard the figure laugh, but did not lower his walking cane. “Relinquish the Medallion to me.” The specter continued to laugh, taking a step forward.

-Tell you what, Son of Madra- the specter said, its voice growing louder in Kor’s mind. -If you can defeat me, blind as you are, you can have it-

“Deal,” Kor answered, crouching into his normal stance, preparing for combat. He hadn’t fought since Tobias had left, but he still remembered how to battle. The blind man summoned his strange senses together, the balance that was due his blindness. His scent picked up the blade’s steel, his hearing perked with each step and motion. He even felt every movement in the air. He didn’t call his blindness a skill, but it sure came in handy in facing the unknown. At least he never knew what it looked like.

“Kor!” The blind man turned around to Ne Ella, and smiled.

“I handled myself before you guys came,” he said softly, so she would understand. “I can do it again if I have to.” He didn’t know if that would make her less protective of him, but was fairly certain that she would understand. He brushed Ne Ella out of his mind, his ears searching once more for presence, for the specter that had emerged from the Yea Medallion. Kor’s arm blurred.

The katana clanged against the walking cane, just at the precise moment when the blade spun down. Kor relaxed, it was just another sparing session with Tobias. The katana was the metal pipe, the museum room was the Academy’s training center, and the feeling in the pit of his stomach was nothing more than the thrill of battle. Kor parried, then delivered a kick to the windpipe of his opponent. The shade was thrown back, flipping calmly onto its feet.

-Not bad, Son of Madra-

Kor ducked immediately, sending a build up of magical energy. He bent himself backwards, just as something went whizzing over his chest, slamming into the wall behind him. Kor snarled, rushing in the direction of the blast, and felt the katana against his staff, vibration jarring him. With his fist, the specter was grabbed by the hood it wore, and was pulled back, flipped onto its back and slammed against the ground. Kor hammered the stick down hard against its chest.

“Surrender,” Kor commanded, lifting the butt over where he heard the specter’s head. “I do not like fighting, but I will if you force me.”

-Never-

“Ne Ella! Colts!” Kor dodged, twisting his way out of the specter’s reach as it came up from behind him, the breeze it generated warning the blind man. On his order, two metal items whirled into the air, landing firmly in Kor’s arms. Cocking both guns, Tobias parried the katana edge with one of the handguns, and fired the second where he thought the stomach was, blasting a hole through the shade as he did so. Kor didn’t miss a beat, but neither did the shade, and both continued, blocking and striking with their respective weapons. Both shade and man lunged, Kor holding the upper hand only by a small inch.

That was when the shade really kicked in, stabbing through the blind man’s shoulder in an attempt to disable him. Kor grunted, and Ne Ella shouted in protest, but he kept going, tossing one of the used guns away to the Hylian, and picking up the staff against. Kor dropkicked his opponent, blood flowing freely from his shoulder. The sting was annoying him, something he didn’t need. The pain he could take, the distraction in his senses he could not.

Ne Ella, who could take it no longer, watched as the blind man battled, growing all the more tired as the battled continued. The wound from his shoulder looked bad, cutting deep into his flesh. Kor moved a second too late, and his weak shoulder caved in against the power of the shade. He fell, just as the specter raised its hand upwards, the katana slicing downwards.

Ne Ella rushed forwards, her gun reloaded.

Word Count- 1020

Part 12

Why does she protect me?

When Kor had learned of Tobias’ adventures, he had spoken sometimes to an enigmatic voice that used the Aurias Charm whenever she could get it from Tobias, whose name he had been told was Ne Ella. They had talked every now and then, though there normally wasn’t a lot of time, given the mission they were on. But whenever he could, Kor would ask about her from Tobias, who calmly explained to him Ne Ella and her strange need to protect Hailey.

When she came to Earth, Hailey had noticed a change around the Hylian, who had so much time for Kor now that she began to protect him just as she had done Hailey. Kor never noticed, he was just curious as to why. Now, Ne Ella was running towards him, and there was nothing he could do to stop the woman. He shouted, hearing her footsteps coming closer towards him, but nothing he did was going to halt her.

Kor Hawkeye fell to the ground, raising his cane as the katana fell.

“Ne Ella!” The command echoed through the room, rooting her to the ground. Kor struggled, using only one arm to prop up the staff against the sword blade. Kor’s face was twisted in concentration, fighting to keep control of his senses and his body. The blind man kept up, forcing himself from the floor. “Get back! I don’t want him to hurt you!”

Kor roared, striking against the specter, his back hunched like an animal’s.

The shade within the Yea Medallion just smirked, dodging and slashing against Kor’s handgun and staff. The blind man was good, the shade would give him that, a warrior in every right. Even his own disability had not stopped him, forcing the woman who had rushed forward to halt rather than be injured. He was still attacking, refusing to back down. He had a noble heart.

-Why do you fight so hard, Son of Madra- it asked, as Kor parried another of its blows. -Why must this fight be your fight-

“Because,” the man muttered, twirling his staff into spirals, “I’m not going to let anyone, anywhere, stop Kor Hawkeye when he has a duty to perform!” Kor bent downwards, sending the specter flying with his spinning weapon. Kor raised the Colt high, aiming it exactly where he knew its face was. “Eat bullet.” He discharged the weapon, unloading the rest of Ne Ella’s gun into its grinning mouth, pummeling it with whatever Ne Ella put into the gun. The shade suffered, its magical aura weakened.

“You’re not getting up.” Kor slammed his staff into the ground, breaking through the hooded skull of his opponent. He placed his foot on the specter’s chest, his face harsh. “Give me that Medallion. Now.”

The shade grinned. -Fine, Son of Madra-

Ne Ella shouted in warning, but it was too late. With an ethereal scream, the shade splintered, reverting into the pure white Yea Medallion, a coin-like token as big as Kor’s palm. Kor had precisely one moment to consider himself a victor, before the Medallion he had come to claim raised itself from the floor, and slammed straight into his chest, burning through the rough clothes that the blind man wore, and forced itself onto his chest.

Kor gasped, his glasses falling from his face. His eyes clenched shut, he grabbed his chest, trying to pry the white Medallion from himself. Hailey and Ne Ella shouted, diving towards their defender as he fell. Kor groaned, feeling something beginning to invade him roughly, sinking into him with all its force.

-Now we are one, Son of Madra- he heard the voice hiss deep inside himself. -You are worthy of the heritage, of the title, of the Yea Medallion. Save your world, the forces of darkness will come. Go forth, my Night Ranger, and use my power-

He felt a burning sensation across his chest, before everything stopped in front of him. He could hear Ne Ella’s voice in his ear, raising him to a half-sitting position on the ground. He felt something cool against the skin on his neck, a metal chain attached to the Yea Medallion, the image of an eye carved into its white surface. Kor groaned, trying to rise up from where he was being cradled, but Ne Ella’s firm grip kept him down.

“Kor, rest,” the Hylian commanded, her tone a direct order for the blind man. Too tired to move anyway, Kor relaxed a little, his head resting on Ne Ella’s lap. “You stupid fool. You don’t need to exert yourself like that for us. We could have helped.”

Kor smiled. “I have to protect you guys after all, even if I am blind. That’s why I couldn’t let you fight. Besides,” he chuckled, raising his hand to touch Ne Ella’s, “that guy was a pansy.” He felt her fingers, and was reassured by their warmth.

“Just don’t try so hard to defend us,” Hailey muttered, looking over his wound. “Nyaa, you’re lucky its not broken. We’d better just let him sleep it off, human hospitals are worse then Catling sick bays!” She scampered away, probably to check if the coast was clear, leaving Ne Ella alone with Kor.

“She’s right, you know,” the Hylian whispered. “You know that you can’t do things that…normal people can’t, even if you have pushed yourself like I know you have.” She looked him over again, making sure that he wasn’t dying. There was a spot of his blood on her clothes, but she didn’t care.

“I’m not normal, Ne Ella,” he answered softly, looking up at where her voice was coming from through his closed eyes. “I never have been and I never will. But just because I’m not doesn’t mean that I can’t be a warrior. That was what Tobias always used to say, even when he watched my back. We fought each other, but we always knew where we could rely on each other. You can trust me when I say I can protect you, okay?”

She smiled. “Okay, Kor Hawkeye. I trust you.”

Kor smiled, and opened his blank eyes to her, forgetting that he had lost his glasses. Ne Ella’s eyes widened, seeing the dull green of their gaze, searching, but never seeming to find, her face. But unlike human or Hylian eyes, they were different, without the dark pupils in the centers of the irises.

Madra eyes.

Word Count- 1075

Part 13

“He’s going to be fine, right?” Ne Ella’s icy blue eyes were bordering on violent, as Hailey sat on the edge of Kor’s bedside, patting his face with a damp cloth. The blind warrior was sleeping, resting off the wound he had gotten from the Yea Medallion earlier that day. It was bandaged now, the blood had ceased.

Hailey nodded, standing up from the bedside. “Let’s let him sleep. You won’t be doing anyone any favors by staying by his side. When he wakes, you can see him. Okay?” The other woman nodded, she understood, and both walked back into the living area, leaving the door open in case Kor would need them. Both sat on opposite chairs at the folding table, the Madra Chronicles neatly folded away in the bedroom. Ne Ella cupped her hands while Hailey looked her friend over, wondering what was wrong with the normally calm, fearless Ne Ella.

“So, you’re in love with him?” the Catling asked, making the Hylian jolt. Hailey raised a brow. “I figured it out a while ago. There’s no need to be surprised or anything. You don’t hide it particularly well.” Her eyes widened when her friend blushed, something she never did, looking at the ground. “Why are you blushing? You should be happy you found someone like Kor!” She giggled, leaning in her hair to rest the back of it against the wall.

Ne Ella sighed, throwing her head back. “I do not know what I feel for Kor,” she admitted. “He is kind, he never complains, and always looks out for us even with his condition. He barely accepts any help getting around, and always has a smile for me and you.” She smiled, the thin line of her mouth breaking its usual rigid form. “I wish he could see how hard he works. I wish he could see me.”

“I’m sure he wishes he could too.” Hailey smiled, and cupped her friend’s hands. “Be happy, Ne Ella. At least you have the man you love with you. You can touch Kor, he can feel your warmth. Tobias can’t do that for me, even though I know he would try, if he were here.”

“Thank you Hailey,” the Hylian answered. “I know how hard the separation from him as been for you.” Hailey just waved it off, grinning.

Ne Ella waited for about an hour, before she needed to see him again. She couldn’t explain the ache in her heart that presented itself whenever Kor Hawkeye was in trouble, or when he smiled at her, or when they talked. She had never given it a second thought, until Hailey had said those words, asserting that she must love him. Now she was concerned, wondering what was wrong with her, to make her feel this way about someone, to want to watch over them. She wanted to be Kor’s eyes, the part of him he was missing, and he her heart, the part she had been missing.

“I’ll just take his temperature,” she said softly, standing up from the chair. Pulling her coat over herself, Ne Ella walked back into the small bedroom, grabbing the thermometer from the table. She leaned into the room, and screamed loudly. Hailey rushed to her aid, and found to their surprise that Kor Hawkeye was not in the bed, and the window was open.
***
Kor Hawkeye stood alone atop the building, the Medallion on his chest glowing with ethereal light. His shoulder was healed, a small scar that would fade away shortly. He adjusted his glasses, concealing his eyes just as he had always been told to do. Clutching the white cane in one hand, he tried to remember how he had gotten to the top of the building, and what he was doing there.

He had sensed something strange about himself, in the Yea Medallion which hung round his chest. He felt like it had something to do with him, something he couldn’t ignore. He would need Ne Ella and Hailey to locate the Teleport Dome that led to the outside world, but for now the Yea Medallion had led him up towards the roof of the building, moving his body.

“What has happened to me?” he wondered aloud. He didn’t feel all that different physically, the change felt more mental. Something was urging him to this spot, the winds blowing through his short-cropped hair, the dark strands fluttering. Kor Hawkeye considered the events, judging what the specter in the Yea Medallion had done to him.

Learn to enjoy the power, he heard a dark voice say, creeping around within his mind. I have granted you what you want.

Unafraid of the shade, Kor boldly answered. “What is it you want from me, shade?” There was no answer. “What have you granted me?”

The thing you want the most, Son of Madra, the specter hissed. With the Yea Medallion, you will be able to bring back your allies from Hyrule. You will be able to defeat evil, find the Aurias Crest, and save fair lady…whatever you want. There’s just one condition.

“What’s that?”

It’s really quite simple, the specter answered, chuckling. You will have to bond with me, the spirit of the Yea Medallion, whenever you do. Your body will change physically, and mentally whenever you transform, Son of Madra. Do you accept that?

Kor nodded. “If it will help Tobias and the others, I can do that.”

That’s not what I meant, Son of Madra. To transform, you will give up your identity to fuse with the Yea Medallion, and become a living talisman to bring Tobias Fangor into this world, with his allies. Your mental state will be affected as well.
“How will my mental abilities be changed?”

He could literally feel the specter sigh in his head. You will lose your memories. Slowly at first, but transforming can result in permanent amnesia. The first Night Ranger, the King Aurias, was able to seal away Shadows One in a short time, and lost only a few. I could not say if you will be the same, Son of Madra.

Kor fell silent.

I would not force this upon anyone, Son of Madra. But the fact remains that you are the only person that can use me. Will you become the Night Ranger?

“…I will,” the blind man said, bowing his head. “There are more important things in this world then what becomes of me. I will sacrifice, just like everyone else.”

Word Count- 1082

Part 14

Kor remembered the place well, even if he had never seen it before. The Teleport Dome, the place of refuge and peace, which had taken and given the blind man so much over the years. Taking Tobias from him, giving him in exchange Ne Ella and Hailey. The azure cave illuminated itself when he, the Hylian, and the Catling walked inside, isolating itself from the rest of the world, just as it had before. The cave’s entrance darkened as they walked through, giving the impression that Earth had been closed off.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Kor?” Ne Ella asked, keeping a firm grip on his arm. “You could rest for a few days.” Kor had wanted to open the Dome immediately, as soon as he had found his way down from the roof.

He nodded. “I’m sure, Ne Ella. We can’t delay this any further. Just make sure to stand back a little.”

She smiled. “Okay.”

The three passed through the arches, the circular cave lit up with sapphire light. Kor wasn’t able to tell, but just by his being here, stone runes on the floor began to glow, spreading into a pattern that Kor could have read, had he been able to see. Madra runes carved together with strange symbols that could only be Zora. Kor walked until he was in the direct center of the runes, before he lifted the tear-shaped Aurias Charm to his face.

“Tobias,” he called, activating the sacred talisman, “Are you ready for transport?”

The charm glowed, before a disembodied voice answered him. We’re ready…bring me, Dark, Xander, and the dragon through now…

“All right. Get your Charm ready.”

Done…

Kor began his recitation, a calling he needed to invoke the portal. The Madra words rolled off his tongue, his body charging with magical energy. The blind man lifted the Yea Medallion off his chest, its pure white surface crackling with power. “Open the portal,” he commanded. “In the name of Aurias open this door between worlds!” In response, the chamber surged, glowing with ethereal light.

“Rasha nala nori el! Fangor Tobias, Dark Ladyfeathers, Xander, Link!”

Kor exploded, a vortex of white light covering his body. It spiraled around him, kicking up his clothing with the wind. His glasses went everywhere, like his hair, and he transformed, bonding to the spirit of the Yea Medallion. Kor opened his pale green eyes, panicked as he transformed, but unable to stop the change.

His body changed, turning skinny yet muscular, thinning out in just the right places, and hardening to muscle. A dark jumpsuit covered his body, with a pure white tunic covering his chest. Snowy boots and gauntlets shrouded his hands and feet, and a hood formed over his head, attached to his tunic, and of the same color, covering the top part of his face, and leaving only the mouth exposed.

In his hand, instead of his walking cane, was a much, much bigger weapon. The staff portion was still there, a pure white weapon, though attached to each end was a massive blade, curving upwards. A scimitar staff. Kor Hawkeye lifted his head, staring directly at Ne Ella, before he opened the portal, striking the scimitar staff’s left blade to the ground.

“Rasham Senpar!” the Night Ranger roared, the black blade piercing the rock. A crack issued in the air, before the seal became undone, and the blinding force of the Teleport Dome emerged.
***
Dark went first.

That was the most of what Tobias would remember on his pathway through the Teleport Dome. One minute, Ladyfeathers Dark was standing right next to him, watching the pillar of light before them grow, and the next minute she was gone, vanished through the tube between worlds, one of the only connections between Hyrule and Earth.

Xander and Link went through next, the dragon connected to the boy, leaving Tobias standing alone in front of the gateway, wondering if it would let him through this time. The Aurias Charm was in his hands, keeping the gateway open for the others, so they could travel between the planets and universes, until finally he felt something he thought he would never feel again, and vanished in a flash of light.

The force spiraled around him, feeling every part of his ethereal body. As he passed, he wondered if it would happen, the thing he dreamed of most. What if my body is waiting for me here? He didn’t want to think about it, because he was never going to see his body again. It was gone, sacrificed to bind the Horus to his arm, and travel to Hyrule. In its place was the Shadow Armor, the only presence that allowed him to touch and fight things, though he would never be able to have physical contact. The colors of dark sapphire flew in front of his eyes, sending wind whizzing through his translucent, shadowy skin.

When the sensation passed, and Tobias had the belief that he was still alive and well, he opened his eyes, noticing he was standing on both feet. Before him stood a person he had never seen before, but knew perfectly well. The Night Ranger grinned, nodding his hooded head. “It’s good to see you again, Tobias Fangor,” he said, in a voice that, not only did Tobias know, but put a smile on his face. “Welcome back to the little town called Earth.”

Tobias chuckled. “Am I really home?” he asked, looking around. It was the same Teleport Dome, no different from any others aside from the Madra runes that accompanied the Zora device. Kor looked him over, and clasped his hand roughly.

“It’s for real,” he answered, bowing his head. “The Night Ranger abilities I have, like your Madra skills, let me do a few things that can help us.”

“My body hasn’t returned,” Tobias noted, unable to feel the winds that were blowing around the others’ clothing. “But I’ll settle for home for now.”

Kor started to laugh, but before he could, Hailey tackled, pouncing on the Dark Knight, and sobbing. Ne Ella offered a light chuckle, and took Kor’s hand, as they watched Tobias struggle in vain against the superior grip of Hailey’s claws. Xander, Dark, and Link just looked at them in confusion.

Word Count- 1049

Part 15

“Hailey…”

Tobias didn’t breathe, but he was certain that if he could, he would not be able to from the way Hailey had latched herself to his chest. He had to shift the Gilla Blade to protect her from hurting herself on the hilt, she was gripping so tight. Normally, Tobias would not have stood for this, but he was no longer standing, thrown to the ground by the Catling. He had the distinct impression she was crying, giving the fact that his Shadow Armor was beginning to grow damp.

“Would you like us to leave?” Dark asked dryly, covering both Xander and Link’s eyes with her wings. “Hailey, I understand you haven’t seen him, but release him so we can leave this place. We came here for a job, not to cuddle.”

Kor chuckled, releasing his abilities as the Night Ranger. The strange power faded, along with the memories of how he had done what he did. Kor accepted it, it hadn’t been a bad exchange. He was pretty sure he knew what he had done.

“Shut up,” Hailey mumbled, as Tobias rose, still firmly attached to his chest. She just barely up to his pectorals, short for a Catling, while Tobias was giant even by human standards. Her hair was standing on ends, and her ears were twitching.

“Kor, how about we go home?” Tobias asked, awkwardly putting his arms around Hailey. “I assume you still live in our old apartment, right?” Kor nodded, grinning broadly. “Then let’s go home, then.” Hailey scampered up onto his back, latching onto the Shadow Armor with her claws, just like she had when they were in Hyrule, and started laughing.

“Toby’s here!” she proclaimed, trying to plant a kiss onto Tobias’ cheek, but her lips just went straight through the Dark Knight’s face, chilling her lips. She giggled, and refused to be dislodged from Tobias’ body. “To the apartment!”

Tobias smiled, but shook his head. “Before we go, there’s something I need to do.” He chuckled, then pointed to Dark and Link. “They can’t go out in public like they are now…Kor, how’s the Academy doing?”

The blind man nodded. “Still a strong following, they’ll be happy to know you’re back.”

“We’ll hide them there, and stay there until we find the Crest.” Tobias walked towards the two, and placed one gauntleted hand on each, channeling his shadow magic. One minute they were there, and the next instant they vanished again, shrouded by Tobias’ dark magic in a haze of shadows. “Let’s go, everyone.”

Together once more, the fellowship proceeded from the Teleport Dome, the glowing light of the cave fading the moment they left.
***
The Academy, which was what Tobias and Kor had called it, was the school they used to run before the Water Medallion ever came into their lives. Downtown, there was an abandoned factory, right next to Zeke’s illegal emporium, which he gladly rented to the two at a lessened price. Zeke wasn’t, after all, a bad person. He normally just sold things to the feds, like information and spare arms.

Kor had dispelled the Academy a week beforehand, telling them to search for a thing called the Aurias Crest. After seeing Hailey and Ne Ella, the Academy hadn’t found it hard to believe in magic, and the other world of Hyrule, though they were all quiet about it. They trusted “Master Hawkeye,” just as Xander trusted Master Fangor, with their lives. Tobias and Kor showed Dark and Link to special training rooms separate from the main dojo, where they would be spending the next two days, because Tobias didn’t have the time or the capability to continuously keep them shrouded in dark magic. Xander stayed with his dragon, as he and Link did better sparing together in any event, and the boy wanted to get training done to adjust to the new world. After bidding him away, Tobias wandered back to where he had once trained, the Academy main dojo. Kor and Ne Ella took a different path, at the Hylian’s suggestion, to let Tobias and Hailey have some alone time.

Tobias still couldn’t believe he was back, in his old factory, in his old world.

“I’ve been thinking about you a lot,” she said, trying to find some way to talk to him. Even after two years, he was as unattainable as ever, lost in his own world. “Ever since you took us from Hyrule, I thought about you, every single day.”

He smiled. “Sorry about that. It’s just…you guys could hide here. Dark couldn’t come here until now, and I wanted to train Xander. It was the best option for everyone.” Something touched his fingers, and Tobias saw that the Catling was holding his hand. Tobias found it strange that, even without a physical body, he figuratively felt his heart skip a beat or two. “Hailey…what are you doing?”

Her eyes…Why does she have to have such captivating eyes? She looked up at him, smiling in that innocent way that assured Tobias that absolutely nothing innocent would be following it. “Something I should have done a long time,” she answered, grabbing him by the scruff of his Shadow Armor tunic, and lowering him down to her level. “See, I thought about the Shadow Armor, and how you don’t have a body, and…I don’t think that should stop me.” She looked him straight in the eyes, directly through where his body would shimmer every now and then, to see the Tobias Fangor behind the Shadow Armor. The man she loved. “I’ve figured out a way to touch you.”

“How?”

She grinned, flashing him a dazzling smile. “Like this, Tobias Fangor.”

Hailey tore off a strip of the Shadow Armor from the portion she was holding, and shoved it onto Tobias’ mouth, creating an impression just like the Shadow Armor normally created. She had had two years to think it through, and had decided using a piece of the armor would let her touch him. Before he could stop her, not as if he could, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him for the first time, pressing her lips full against the cloth over his.

Word Count- 1036

I enjoy your writing style. It lacks the barrier of surreality, allowing the reader to get a deeper connection with the character. The writining pulls you in and keeps you there. I am looking forward to reading the completed work.

Part 16

Kor smiled, when Ne Ella told her Hailey’s plan, and chuckled with her. The Catling had finally figured out a way to cut through Tobias’ heart, even if his body didn’t have one. The blind man, guided by the Hylian, found his way to the offices that he and Tobias had once occupied, which were basically small rooms with a table and a few seats, all that Zeke could spare. There were also futons, in case they needed to disappear from the law for a little while, a precaution that Zeke had taken, even if it wasn’t needed.

“They really are a nice couple, aren’t that?” he asked her, and she voiced her agreement. “You think she’ll be okay with him like this? I mean, having to use the Shadow Armor to touch him?”

“No,” Ne Ella answered quietly, as he opened the door to his office. “If there’s one thing I know Ne Ella for, it is that she is very determined, and once she makes up her mind, that’s it.” Both shared a laugh, and sat down onto a sofa that Kor hadn’t remembered being there before. Zeke must have brought it, he thought, while he had been out. “Besides, I suppose it’s nice to see something like that, love overcoming and all that.”

Kor nodded, wincing slightly at the seeing reference. “I guess it is,” he agreed, resting the back of his head on the sofa cushion behind him. “So, is there anyone like that in your life, Ne Ella?” The instant he said it, he regretted saying those words. It wasn’t his business, she wasn’t his… “Sorry about that, it was rude of me,” he apologized, absent-mindedly touching his cane. “It’s not my business.”

He felt something warm touch his face, Ne Ella’s fingers brushing softly against his cheek. “It’s okay, Kor,” she whispered, even though there was a tear in her eye as she looked at his smile. “You can ask me things like that. Are we not friends, confidants?”

He nodded. “Sorry, Ne Ella. I keep messing things up, don’t I? Of course you’re my friend. How could you not be, after all you do for me?” He heard a sob, and felt the hand pull away from his face. “What’s wrong?” he asked, shifting himself so he was closer to her.

“It’s nothing, Kor,” she answered, rather unconvincingly. She tried to force down the tears, but they kept coming.

“Ne Ella, why are you crying?” he said, concerned. “Was it something I said?”

“No, it’s something I cannot say.” Kor felt the air leave his body, as Ne Ella grabbed him, almost exactly like Hailey grabbed Tobias. He felt her face on his shoulder, tears soaking through the plain shirt he was wearing.

“Just…tell me, Ne Ella,” he whispered, trying to soothe the woman. “What is it that you can’t say?”

She sniffed. “I…I…”

“Do you want to hear a story, Ne Ella, about today?” The Hylian looked up, confused. “About the Yea Medallion, and what I discovered it could do?”

“It transformed you, into that thing, the Night Ranger, correct?” she asked, and he nodded. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, when I transformed, I…” He scratched his head, trying to figure out what he was supposed to say, “I sort of remember what happened, but not much. There is one thing I can say I remember, though.” His glasses looked directly at her, and he smiled. “I was able, for just a few minutes, to see. When I become the Night Ranger, I was granted sight, so I was able to look at the world for the first time.”

Ne Ella was shocked, remembering the look he had given her earlier, the eyes masked by the hood. He had been looking at her. “I saw you,” he said quietly. “I can’t remember the change, or what I did while I was transformed, but I remember your face.” He smiled. “It was the best thing I could have had for a first sight.”

Ne Ella pressed herself closer, tightening her grip on his shoulders. “How can you be so cheerful to me, when I’ve never been like that to you.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked. “You always help me around, even when I say I don’t need it. You always help out around the house, you’re always looking out for me. You know I don’t need that kind of help, but you do it anyway because you have such a good heart.” He awkwardly patted her head. “You didn’t have a single reason to do it, but you help me and Hailey anyway. And that, Ne Ella, is why I can’t be unhappy with anything you do, because you’re so patient with us.”

He was going to say more, but couldn’t, because just as he opened his mouth, Ne Ella lifted a finger to his lips, silencing him. “Kor Hawkeye,” she whispered, inching his face closer to his, Kor able to feel her breath on his face, “I care about you more than you will ever know.”

Kor did not understand the feeling he had in the pit of his stomach, but was fully aware of the fact that Ne Ella lifted her head to press her lips against his, her hands cupping his cheeks. Kor’s eyes bolted open, even though they weren’t going to see anything, in response. Within a few moments, he wondered many things: how he could have been so stupid, the fact that Ne Ella’s tongue was presently engaged in his mouth, and the fact that he considered himself the luckiest man alive. He then decided to stop wondering, and put his arms around the Hylian’s body, drawing her closer into his embrace.
***
The moon shined above the factory’s metal ceiling, the brilliance of thousands of twinkling stars painting the starry canvas above them. Within the darkness of the night, across town, a small pool of darkness formed in the alley way, followed by shadows that seemed to flicker and move as they went. The pool of darkness changed, forming into a small, stout body covered with a dark emerald cloak. The man who emerged rubbed his palms together, eager to please his master as an apprentice would.

With a sinister grin, Tingle stroked his thin goatee, and beckoned the shadows that his Master Shadows One had given him, and began his hunt for the Dark Knight.

Word Count- 1075

Part 17

“Master, I have come,” Tingle whispered into the night, chuckling as he curled his goatee with his fingers. The little man giggled to himself, exiting the alleyway as he did so. The moon above him illuminated the pathway he walked, shadowy body flickering to and fro around the brick walls. “We shall begin what you have asked, and bring you to the Dark Knight.”

From within his mind, the once-Elf heard the demon speak, its voice traveling through the night’s air, its voice filled with malice and evil, darker than even the most horrible nightmare. -Seek to activate the Yea Medallion, and the Dark Knight’s powers. That will lead me to you. I cannot leave this world without it-

“You will have this world called Earth,” Tingle promised, rubbing his palms together. “As long as I have my revenge.”

-You will, young apprentice, you will-

Tingle nodded, turning a corner as he went. It was so simple to wait for that foolish Fangor to make his move, and follow him through the world rift in the Teleport Dome, when he and Hawkeye opened the gate. Sure, the once-Elf could have gone earlier, when Fangor had first opened the passage, but Shadows One, his master, had bid him to wait, to prepare, and to train, for when Fangor would go to retrieve the final Aurias Crest. Now, Tingle walked down the streets with confidence, his footsteps echoing across the empty road, grinning from ear to ear.

Yes, Tingle thought, his dark eyes looking at the flickering monsters he had brought with him, he would have his revenge.

As he passed a strange, concrete building with glowing numbers on the sides advertising words he did not understand. What were Oreos? Tingle brushed it out of his mind, as a man came up to him, a shabby man who looked like he hadn’t bathed recently. He stuck out a grubby hand, looking down at the once-Elf.

“Got any spare change, man?” he asked, coughing at the end of his sentence. Tingle smiled, and nodded his head.

“I do indeed,” he cackled. “Follow me.” The tramp obeyed, lured by the prospect of money, which led to the prospect of drink. Tingle turned a corner, and showed the tramp into a darkened alley. “How much would you like?” he asked, turning around to face the other.

“As much as ya got,” the mooch answered, his pale eyes widening. “Thanks mister.”

“It is my pleasure,” Tingle answered, snapping his fingers. His eyes glinted when the tramp tried to lower his hand down to him, but discovered that he wasn’t moving. “Now then, all I have is nothing, which is all you have now. Nothing to pay me back with.” The man screamed, feeling an invasion in his head, like something was sticking needles into his skull. “You will be mine, the first of my Earthling slaves.”

The man stayed standing, until his body began to contract, shrink, and bloat, until he was a mirror image of the original Tingle himself, though instead of the emerald cloak and dark clothing, he was wearing a plain black jumpsuit with an hourglass on the front. The tramp even had the same goatee, and same face, of the dark one.

Tingle, the Puppet Master, nodded in satisfaction, as his army came to him, the flickering shadows forming in the alley as his carbon copies, an entire army of Tingles. The Puppet Master grinned, spreading his arms wide to the whole troupe. “Find the Academy,” he commanded, looking over his army of puppets. They cackled and grinned, their flat eyes staring at their master.

Tingle grinned. He loved being evil.
***
“Hailey…”

He could tell Hailey was running her hands all over his Shadow Armor, and that his own hands were refusing to listen to his commands, touching her back in ways that Tobias was unaware they could do on their own. He closed his eyes, feeling his back press against the floor, shoved downwards by the Catling.

“We…can’t…” he tried to say, but she pressed her lips against his once more, silencing him abruptly inside the cloth that was fastened to his mouth. The Dark Knight felt weak, unable to halt her advances. Why was she doing this? How was she doing this? By rights, she shouldn’t have been able to touch him, he would need to repair the Shadow Armor later. “Hailey, please…”

“Shut up.” She pressed him down, dominating him with her small, yet incredibly flexible, body, which seemed to keep him immobile without any effort.

Tobias’ mind froze, terrified beyond belief at what was happening. He panicked, it was happening again, and controlled his dark powers, summoning the Horus in a fit of horror. On his command, he became see-through, and phased through Hailey’s body, causing her to crash to the ground underneath where he had been. He stood straight up, hands on his head, bombarded by images.

Tabby dead, Tabby dead, Tabby dead. He saw the smashed visor, her blank eyes staring up at him, as he cradled her body, having killed her himself. He saw himself bring down the pipe, saw it as the helmet cracked, scattering its pieces to the floor. He saw it replay itself in his mind, and then the slaughter came to him, the gang’s destruction. The same rage he had felt there, that night. He had only felt that way twice in his life. After Tabby’s death, and to protect Hailey from Shadows One. Both times, he had barely survived the experience mentally, because both times involved killing innocents. The Hero of Winds, whose only crime had been protecting his land. Tabby, whose only crime had been loving him.

“I need to go.” Tobias stuttered, vanishing altogether from the gym, blending into the darkness of the night. He heard Hailey shouting, begging him to come back, but he didn’t listen, running through the walls of the Academy factory, seeking escape from what had just happened. He walked through the room that was Kor’s, noticing that he was with Ne Ella, but continued to run, invisible to everyone in the building.

Why? Why can’t memories stay where they’re supposed to?

Word Count- 1029

Part 18

“Who are you?”

Sal Perkins looked over the strange new boy who had just joined the class, forming in with the Academy’s line as though he had always been there. Her green eyes looked him over, trailing upwards to where his head was. The long brush of crimson locks, and the tanned muscles on his body gave her the impression that he seemed older than he really was. He was easily three inches taller than she was, with fierce red eyes. I didn’t know people could have red eyes. He was dressed rather badly, but then again, so was she, though he carried himself more carefully.

“Xander,” he answered politely, keeping his voice even. He did not avert his gaze from the Academy entrance, where Master Hawkeye normally came out when the Academy was assembled like this. The blind master had asked the members of the Academy to search for the name Aurias Crest, whatever that was. Sal thought it was something magical, like Ms. Hailey and Ms. Ne Ella. She pushed up her glasses to the bridge of her nose, and shook the giant bushy brown mesh that was her hair, her other arm carrying a dart.

“That’s a pretty name,” she answered, giggling. “What’s you last name?”

Xander blinked. “Last name?”

She laughed. “Everyone has a last name, silly. Like my last name’s Perkins, but my first name is Sal.”

“Your name is Perkins?” Xander asked, finally turning from the door to look down at her. She was shorter than he was, though she had always been small for fourteen. Her eyes trailed down to his highly toned arms, whose hands rested upon knife hilts, waiting for action. “That’s a weird name.”

“My name’s Sal!” she replied.

“Then why did you say Perkins?”

She sighed. “It’s my last name, my family name.” She looked up at him, and smiled. “Do you have a family name, Xander?”

He shook his head. “I don’t have a family. The only person I have is Master Fangor, and Link.”

“Sorry, Xander,” she said, staring at the floor. “I don’t have a family either.” He nodded, understanding. “Hey, how about I give you a name, Xander!”

“A name…” Xander trailed off, noticing that Sal was already studying him over, finger in her mouth. “I don’t think that’s a wise choice, Master Fangor might not like me having two names.”

“Meh. Have a little fun, Xander.” She clapped her hands together, a grin on her face. “I’ve got it. Jon. My little brother was named Jon, so I guess that’ll be your last name. I like it.”

“So, is my name now Jon?” Xander was confused. “I don’t get this, Perkins.”

“No, no!” Sal waved her arms, almost in fits of laughter. “You’re name isn’t Jon, that’ll be your last name. Your name is still Xander, but now it’s Xander Jon. Okay?”

“Xander…Jon?”

She nodded. “You’ve got it,” Sal said, grinning. “So, Xander Jon, where are you from? Are you a new student?”

He shook his head, glad the conversation was somewhere else besides his name. “I’m a student of Master Fangor’s. I got here yesterday.”

Her eyes were quizzical. “Who’s Master Fangor? There’s just Master Hawkeye here, he’s the only teacher.”

Xander smiled. “Not anymore.”

As if on cue, a giant gong issued, and the entire room snapped to. Sal and Xander looked to the entrance with the rest of the students, almost a hundred in number, as two dark figures walked into the dojo, Tobias Fangor and Kor Hawkeye, both clothed in dark cloth. Tobias wearing the Shadow Armor, and Kor with his martial arts attire, a loose fitting shirt and pants, with bare arms, leg guards and gauntlets. Both had Medallions on their necks, though for different reasons. Hailey and Ne Ella followed them, the former with red eyes, and the latter with a look of relief.

“Everyone, I have some people I’d like you to meet,” Master Hawkeye said carefully, as the whole dojo bowed before him and Tobias Fangor. “The older of you know this man, Tobias Fangor, as my friend and a former teacher here. Many of you know that he was lost in the void between Hyrule and Earth, and remained in that other world for over two years.” He took a deep breath. “He has returned, for the same reason, which is why I asked you to find the Aurias Crest.”

“Thank you, Kor,” Tobias Fangor said, raising a hand. “Members of the Academy, your sensei here has trained you well, and now it’s time to see what you are made of. From this day forward, you are defenders of Earth.” He felt the eyes widen as they watched him, disbelieving him. “Dark and Link, enter. Xander, come here.”

At his command, two winged creatures, a bird lady and a dragon, entered the dragon from the doors behind the Masters. There should have been screams, and panic, but the students stayed where they were, heads looking straight forward, as Xander walked to take his place by Master Fangor. The fellowship looked out to the Academy.

“People will die,” Tobias said softly, “because of what we must do. You all are trained to battle, trained to protect those who cannot protect themselves, sworn to fight the injustice of the city and to defend its people. I ask this of you all, because if we don’t, this whole planet will fall, and us with it.”

One of the members, a tall man by the name of Hunter, stood up before the ranks, one of the older members, an Academy student from the times of Master Fangor. “You don’t even have to ask, sensei.” He bowed. “We will follow you both, because you are always there for us.”

Tobias nodded. “Thanks, Hunter.” He faced the rest of the Academy, considering his students carefully. “Master Hawkeye has taught you well for this, and I know you have it in you.”

Kor Hawkeye grinned. “So, did anyone manage to find out anything about the Aurias Crest I mentioned a week ago?”

A tiny voice answered, “I did,” in a mousy voice, followed by a small hand rising into the air. Both Masters watched as Sal Perkins walked from the line, bowed to her waist, and stood in front of both, her eyes trained on Xander. “I mean, Masters Hawkeye and Fangor, I was in the city the other day, and I heard something like that. It’s one of the gangs downtown. It’s called the Aurias Fangs, or something stupid like that…”

Tobias Fangor smiled. “Then let’s head for Zeke’s.”

Word Count- 1098