Tales of Link
Starlight Sinking Into the Blue
Chapter 4: The Grasping Darkness
Scene 6: Creeping Darkness, End
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In the center of the melee, Velvet fights against the sword monster and the bow monster.
She's pushed to her limits by their coordinated, relentless attacks, without the chance to strike back.
Velvet: They're… strong!
Compared to that, the monster we face aren't nearly as amazing.
There's just a lot of them.
Link: (First we'll save everyone, then defeat the sword and bow monsters and get out of here as fast as we can…!)
The Seed production facility--
The barracks full of monsters--
The enemies that overwhelmed Zephyr, Yuri, and Sara--
I don't understand any of it. But I've had a bad feeling for a while now.
I've almost reached Sara.
It looks like she's just unconscious.
I wonder how Lippy and Kana are doing?
Kana: Haaaaaa!
Lippy: We've defeated nearly all of them…!
Kana: Zephyr! Yuri! Are you okay…!?
Yuri: … …! ...you guys…
Zephyr: ...Kana… Lippy…
Kana: …! Good…!
Lippy: What a relief! You seem to have several deep wounds, but once we leave here, a healing arte should be enough to--
Lippy: --!? Master Yuri… what has happened to your left arm…!?
Yuri: ...it was… stolen...
Zephyr: ...it's hopeless… leave us… we'll cover for you…
Zephyr: This… split… it was so we couldn't join back up… it's his… trap…
Lippy: A trap...!?
Who will he target?
There are many fewer enemies than before.
Just a little bit more and I'll reach Sara.
Link: (How's everyone else doing…?)
I survey the room out of the corner of my eye.
Velvet: Haa!
Velvet is attacking and defending against the sword and bow monster. They're at a stalemate.
Link: (Good…! The others are okay now…!)
All that's left are the numerous monsters in front of me--
And the two that Velvet is fighting.
"That's all"--
Then I feel a strong power swirling about Velvet.
Velvet: You're irritating… I'll finish you in one hit!
Feeling her fighting spirit, the sword monster and bow monster prepare their own attacks.
--But it looks like she plans to cut straight through their attacks.
Velvet: Haaaaaaaaaaaa! Take this!
Velvet jumps high.
"Now."
At that moment, a malicious aura explodes from beneath Velvet's feet.
Velvet: --Wha!?
The malice is from a new opponent.
The top half of a monster suddenly protrudes from the floor and throws a spell at Velvet.
No, with that much malice, it would be more accurate to call it a demon.
Velvet: Ugh!
She's thrown off balance by the unexpected attack.
Velvet manages to twist her body, avoiding the arrow and the spell.
Next, she blocks the arte from the sword monster with her blade and avoids taking a fatal wound.
--But that's all she manages.
In the next instant, a strong light appears next to Velvet. It's the light of a translocation spell.
The light takes the form of a person and touches Velvet's left arm as she's vulnerable.
Sesque: I'll help myself to your power.
Velvet: --!? ...Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?
Velvet screams, her body writhing. She hits the ground hard, unable to control her landing.
In the center of the suddenly silent room--
The sword monster and bow monster, the demon with the overwhelming aura of malice, and the remaining monsters all gather around their leader where he stands.
Sesque.
Velvet: --! What… is this…? My arm...
She clutches her left arm, which seems to have some sort of magic seal on it, as if in pain. Sesque looks down at her and opens his mouth.
Sesque: When someone with a strange ability appeared on the island, I decided to use the ruinators to engage her for a while.
Sesque: I wanted to claim that ability for myself if it turned out to be strong.
He grins broadly as he looks at the shining ball of light in his hand.
Sesque: The ability to devour a monster's power and turn it into your own, huh… and it's very powerful.
Sesque: Well, I have the general gist of it. I'll study it in more depth later.
This -- man--
Zephyr: He's… the enemy, Allen!
Now awake, Zephyr shouts, and I grasp the situation.
Everything that's happening on this island is a stage set by this man.
Sesque: ...hahaha…
He throws the orb in his hand at one of the nearby monsters carelessly.
The monster's left arm bulges hugely and begins to emit a strong feeling of malice.
Lippy: ...its magical power suddenly increased!
Zephyr: That spell steals someone's power! If we don't get that ball back… we can't dispel it.
Velvet: ...how laughable. My power to steal was stolen from me instead.
Accompanied by the newly made "arm monster," Sesque faces us again.
I stand against him, even as I cover Sara behind me.
Sesque: ...and now, my preparations are complete.
Preparations…?
For what… no--
Link: Who… are you!?
Sesque: Who, you ask…
The man appears to be lost in thought for a moment.
Sesque: I wonder… who am I? What do you all think?
Lippy: You created Seeds of Ruin, used spells of the highest strength, controlled monsters, and attacked us.
Lippy: You're extremely cautious… at the very least, I do not believe you have no connection to us.
Sesque: We are connected. But it's been a long time for me too…
Sesque: I'm another who has lived through eternity.
In the next moment--
The man's face distorts like a ball of dough.
Sesque: My face, voice, body, name… I've changed them so many times I don't remember anymore.
This feeling--
I sensed it, somewhere deep in my heart, but I thought there was no way…
Sesque: Was this the face I wore the last time I met you in person…?
Kana: …!? No… no way…!?
Zephyr: --! You bastardddddd!!!
????: Call me by whatever name you'd like.
Zephyr: You're… Feil!!
Feil: Oh, right. I've been called that before. That's fine.
His cruel smile is the same as before.
Link: You… lived…!
Feil: ...My child Nidhogg opened a hole in the barrier around the other world.
Feil: Most of the power of the dark dragon that leaked out from there poured into Lilium.
Feil: But a little bit of the power came free and gave birth to a small snake.
Feil: It crept around Liafyse, a being born to fulfill Nidhogg's desires in a different way than Lilium.
Feil: That was the role that was given to me inside his stomach.
Feil: That's right. I passed my time in the spiral just as you did.
He faces Zephyr and spreads his hands, as if indicating that this makes them the same.
Link: But… we destroyed Nidhogg.
Feil: That's right. Now that I've been cut off, I have to sustain myself.
Feil: So I took shelter in Clariye and began to secure dark magic so I wouldn't lose my strength.
Feil: Luckily, this land has long had had connections with my family's technology.
Feil: The various magical tools we had supplied had been safeguarded and lay dormant.
Feil: I used those to gather dark power. I waited until I had gathered just enough power to stabilize my body.
Feil: With that, I progressed in taking control of Clariye, and I was able to store a large amount of magical power.
And so I put everything in motion.
Feil: The complete destruction I wish for that I wasn't able to carry out before.
Zephyr: Complete destruction… you're going to make overpowered ruinators and throw Liafyse into chaos again!?
Feil: Liafyse… I'm no longer interested in that.
Feil: You are the star players of this complete destruction.
This series of troubles was aimed at us…
Feil: I dropped the barrier that had hidden me while I gathered power and allowed you to detect the Seeds.
Feil: You strolled right into my territory, just as planned.
Feil: Some uninvited guests showed up too, but I was able to control them well enough. Actually, I've gained more pawns thanks to them.
Link: You wanted… revenge on us...
Feil: Hahahaha. Call it that if you want.
Feil: In all of eternity, you've never been able to understand what I'm thinking.
Looking thoroughly dumbfounded by Feil's behavior, Lippy spits out,
Lippy: As if we would want to understand the thoughts of a madman. You are evil to the core.
Zephyr: ...It doesn't matter how you're alive now.
Zephyr: We'll just have to send you to Hell again!
Feil: Whoa now… stop right there, Zephyr.
--he says.
He shows us the sphere of light in his hand like it's a warning.
Link: (That's…)
It must be someone's stolen power, just like before.
…?
But… whose is it…?
Feil: Hahaha… I did say I'd completed my preparations.
...And then I notice something behind me.
Sara: Where… am I?
Link: Sara! ...thank goodness…! You're awake!
Link: Sorry, I'd like to explain, but right now we don't have time--
Sara: ...Link…?
Sara: Huh? What's… going on?
A chill runs down my spine.
When I turn around, I see Sara's dazed expression.
Sara: I can't… see anything…
The curse seal spins in the depths of Sara's eyes.
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