Ah, hello again. I must apologize - my slow updates must be irritating. I'm afraid that my high school is being extremely unagreeable, having given multiple projects and essays to complete throughout the past two months (actually, I still have one to do, as of today). Also, I do not typically plan out these chapters individually; I improvise as I go along, which, admittedly, is an incredibly stupid way to write. Lastly, my family makes writing very complicated - my parents in particular are a bit...nosy. Again, I'm sorry.
To readers who have played the actual Phantom Hourglass video game, I hope that you are satisfied with this. To readers who have yet to do so, I hope that you, in the very least, somewhat understand the general plot through my words, and are not too confused.
Additionally, to the few of you who contribute by reviewing and supporting this poor novelization, I thank you.
Please, enjoy this (slightly longer) chapter.
Chapter Five: Within the Volcano
"Hurry up, slackers!" Linebeck called from beside the steamboat as Link and Ciela exited Astrid's hut.
"Quiet, you!" Ciela snapped venomously. She and Link proceeded to venture towards the eastern side of the island – there were no other homes there, but monstrous creatures swarmed the area. Near the edge of the land, a tall stone gate stood, magically bordered by harmful sparks of lightning. Behind it lead the winding pathway up the volcano. Link attempted to poke the door with his sword, but the electrical charges immediately sent him sprawling backwards.
"Well, I guess that means I don't have the authority to pass," he said sheepishly, picking himself up. Ciela, however, was not listening to him. She had approached a risen piece of the island, which was as barren as the rest of the island. There was a skeleton lying on the earth, not much different from those of the Temple of the Ocean King. Then again, perhaps that was to be expected.
"Hey, look, Link… It's a fallen adventurer…"
Link climbed onto the platform, nearing Ciela and the skeleton. As he did so, blue flames rose – not unlike the experience on Mercay Island. Unexpectedly, a translucent form of a male human formed, hovering above the bones eerily.
It spoke in a raspy voice, "Brute force…will get you nowhere…""Aaah!" Ciela shrieked. "I-it's a ghost! Don't just stand there, Link! Get him!"
"A ghost?!" Link cried, drawing his sword and shield, and the supposed ghost began waving its arms wildly.
"Agh! Wait! At least give me some kind of warning before you come at me!" it cried. "I must look really bad! But, I swear! It may be so that I am a ghost, but I'm not a bad ghost…"
Link studied the vague figure before him, sheathing his weapon. It donned foreign violet clothes and bronze-colored pants, hooked by a lavish golden buckle. Its drowsy eyes were half-hidden by a mass of smooth red hair.
"Well, he doesn't necessarily look like an evil ghost…" Link pointed out.
The ghost sighed in obvious relief. "I am Kayo… I used to work for Astrid, the fortune-teller…"
"Oh, just look at what's become of you…" Ciela brooded. "Poor thing…"
Kayo shrugged. "If you believe in fate…it's really not so bad. Actually, I do feel much lighter!" he added good-naturedly. "Of graver concern, though, is what has become of Astrid… It haunts me!"
"We've just been to see Astrid!" Link said. "She's been locked up in a room, and she's asked us to try to open the door!"
"I-indeed? So Miss Astrid is all right? Well then, please open the door for me! I'll tell you the secret… The three torches scattered on this very island is the key to understanding… Keep that in mind, and you may be able to open the door…"
Kayo pointed to his left; nearby was a lone, tiny islet with a wooden torch, a flame crackling softly within it.
"As you can see, one torch is right there. You might want to take note of that, lest you forget…"
Link promptly whipped out the map and the Feather Pen from Linebeck, scrawling upon it quickly. He'd marked a small triangle around the corresponding location on the paper. As with the sea chart and the sign within Oshus' storeroom, the marks were magically embedded. "I guess that we'll have to find all three torches, then?" he asked. Kayo nodded.
"Please take care of…Astrid…"
And he disappeared.
It was several hours later when Linebeck saw the "treasure monkey" and "Sparkles" again since they'd left him to his musings. By which time Link was covered with dirt and blades of grass. Monsters, he assumed.
"Hey there, kid! How's it going?" he called from beside his steamboat, safe from any hostile creatures. "Find any treasure?" he added hopefully.
Link merely smiled and waved at the man. He brushed off the grime from his green tunic and re-adjusted his identical long hat. The blasted thing. I don't care what he says; that's not a hat, that's a sock.
"Things are well, Linebeck." Link finally said. "We came back to free Astrid from her basement."
"No thanks to you." Ciela said flatly.
"Again," Linebeck spoke loudly, "I was repairing my ship. But I'm nearly done – I should have it ready for departure in a minute or two."
"Great," Link said. "Then you can come with us."
Crud.
"…Well, you see, kid; repairing a ship is not that easy. First of all, you've got to run some tests on it, to make sure it's still moving properly. Then you take a nice, long break. And then you re-check it, and then there's lunch breaks, and-"
"Just come with us!" Ciela shouted, and fluttered off to the fortune-teller's home, fuming.
Link rolled his eyes and followed, pulling Linebeck along by his long coat sleeve; the latter trudging behind him indignantly. For a moment, a moment, neither spoke.
"You don't need to be afraid of the world other than the sea, Linebeck," Link eventually said.
"Who's afraid?" the man snorted, pulling his arm away, brushing the sleeve with his other hand. "And you never answered my question, kid. Did you or did you not find any treasure so far?"
The boy smiled. "Actually, I did. Here you go!" He dug through his pockets, drawing out two small red rupees – a total of forty rupees – and stuffed them into Linebeck's palm.
The sea captain blinked, uncertain of what to say. He then coughed loudly, placing the currency into his pocket. "…Well, I wouldn't call this treasure so much as money, " he said slowly, "but I will accept your offer, anyway. But only because I'm nice."
Link grinned. "I thought so."
The two entered Astrid's house, where Ciela was waiting for them, albeit impatiently. Ignoring her rants involving punctuality and lack of courage, as well as Linebeck's enthusiastic observations of various valuable objects around the room, Link led them into the lonely basement. The fortune-teller, as expected, was still behind the unmovable door.
"We're back, Astrid," the boy called.
"Have you the answer to opening this door?" The female voice called.
"Yup; don't worry!" Ciela said brightly. She flew over to the map of the island beside the blockade. "C'mon Link! Mark the three torches' locations on the map!"
Link brandished the Feather Pen once more ("Ha! I knew that my quill would come in handy, right, kid?"), along with his own map of the Isle of Ember. Glancing at it, he touched the worn parchment hanging from the stone walls.
"One torch," he said aloud to himself, "is in the far north of this island." He marked the corresponding area.
"Another is in the southernmost hut."
"The last is on the small island beside…" Link hesitated, lowering his voice, "Kayo's body and spirit…"
The door slowly slid open, and a gentle breeze could be felt. And out stepped a tall red-haired, veiled woman with a silky amethyst dress. She held valuable jewels and accessories – her eyelids were highlighted with teal color. It was the fortune-teller, Astrid.
"Thank you for opening the door. I'm finally free to go outside again!" She smiled graciously. "You bested the monsters who guarded me… you are clearly no ordinary travelers. May I ask your names?"
"Ah…" Link hesitated slightly.
"Oh, don't be so modest!" Ciela laughed. "This here is Link, and I'm Ciela! Nice to finally meet you, Astrid! Oh, and that guy behind us is Linebeck." She added with less enthusiasm.
"'That guy,'" Linebeck said disapprovingly from the rear of the room, "is your respectable captain."
"A pleasure." Astrid said. "'Link?' It evokes kindness and strength in the same breath. A lovely name. But tell me. What brought you to this lonely island? I highly doubt you came on a vacation to such a barren place."
"A ship-" Link began.
"My ship," Linebeck corrected.
"Yes, Linebeck's ship-"
"Generously loaned by Captain Linebeck-"
Ciela interrupted. "Link is looking for his friend, Tetra, who was taken by the Ghost Ship. Astrid, we were hoping that you might have some insights…"
"Is that so?" Astrid replied. "Strange… The Ghost Ship came to our island a few days ago. That is why I was hidden away, to escape its ruinous reach… Speaking of which… I haven't heard from Kayo since then…"
"Astrid, about that…" Link paused. "Well, Kayo is…"
The woman's majestic eyes shut lightly. "…I see. I sensed it… Just as I foresaw… But… It was destiny…" She opened them once more. "Well, life has little use for mourning, as Kayo always thought… Had thought…
"Shall I tell you your fortune?
"…All right, then."
"Very well. Please wait for me upstairs while I make preparations."
Quite a while later, the group of three were waiting for the fortune-teller's appearance. Link was watching the mysterious crystal ball before him, sitting on its purple cushion on the table. Linebeck stretched his arms, yawning.
"Confound it!" he scoffed. "You'd think that someone who sees the future would at least be on time! Where is she?! Let's just get this over with and go after the Ghost Ship! Not to mention the treasure!"
"Shush!" Ciela said, and Astrid came from within the basement. She stood opposite them, behind the table.
"Greetings. Now, if everyone is here…we can begin."
She closed her eyes and held out her hands, her palms facing the "sides" of the crystal ball. With a smooth, fluid motion, her arms gyrated around the sphere, which had begun to emit a brilliant flash of white light. She spoke with enigma, as if in a trance. Her voice became deep and resonating.
"…Open my eyes…to the future… A sinister darkness… The mighty sea…and the voice of sacred light…"
Link and Linebeck glanced at each other. Sinister darkness?
Abruptly, Astrid's eyes flew open, and she held her hands in place,
hovering above the shining crystal ball.
"I see it! I shall
speak! Listen with your hearts!"
The light dimmed, and the crystal ball shone no more. Astrid lowered her arms. She spoke calmly, "If you really wish to find the Ghost Ship, Link, you must be ready to clash with the very darkness itself! Knowing that, do you still wish to rescue your friend, Tetra?"
Link stood up straighter. "Yes," he said firmly. "Without a doubt!"
Astrid smiled, nodding in approval. "Very nice. I see the honesty in your eyes. Clear as crystal… But now, you must make haste to the Temple of Fire on the summit of this island. There you must overcome the power of darkness that haunts that place… It is then that you will find what you need to open the path that lies ahead of you… You have the ability within you to alter our doomed course of events, Link. However, the light that seeks your help is growing faint. You must hurry."
"The light that seeks my help?" Link repeated. "'Growing faint?'"
Tetra…?
Linebeck was clearly thinking carefully. "Power of darkness, eh… Hey, kid! I, uh…just remembered I have to go polish the, uh…ship's rudder."
Ciela protested, "Linebeck, wait-"
"We'll split jobs! How about I take care of my boat, and you take care of the monsters, eh? Sound good?"
"Not really-"
"Good! Later, kid!" And with that said, Linebeck promptly spun around, retreating from the hut.
Link frowned. "Well, that was cowardly." He turned back to the fortune-teller. "So, how will I reach the Temple of Fire? I've seen a door along the way here, but it's been sealed by this sort of magic lightning."
Astrid nodded once more. "Indeed, that door is the way to reach the temple. I myself have set that seal on the door; it is now lifted. And, also…" She handed Link a map of the Temple of Fire. All details were, hopefully, accurate. "Make use of this. I'm sure it will help."
"Thank you, Astrid!" Ciela said gratefully. "Thanks a lot!"
The woman bowed. "I wish you well for the battles soon to come. Be safe…"
Unbeknownst to the fortune-teller, the crystal ball resting innocently on its violet-colored cushion twinkled softly as the two companions turned to leave.
Admittedly, Link had not expected the journey up the summit and into the Temple of Fire to resemble this. While it was true that the volcano had unexpectedly become alive recently, spraying heated falling rocks everywhere, this was been far too simple. The temple's door, for example; like Astrid's enchantment upon the previous barricade, this door had been sealed, though without the lightning. The exterior of the shrine was made of simple stone – perhaps sandstone – and the doorway had been set between two ridiculously large wax candles, which he had simply blown out in order to lift the spell. The monsters seemed weaker and less plentiful here, as well.
Link was accustomed to such suspicions. Due to his prior adventures, he'd quickly learned that one could not simply run through a dungeon, claim the prize, and prance back out safely. No, surely not. This was the belief of the naïve.
Rather, one would have to step into the dungeon, get barraged by monsters, defeat them, continue through the dungeon, fight again, become injured, claim the prize with much difficulty, and return to the entrance, covered with scars and bruises after having fought their way through. It was not easy.
This was why Link was not at all surprised to see tall, but stationary, flames within the Temple of Fire. Not to mention the fact that he was currently in an active volcano. Nevertheless, it was still extremely torrid heat.
"Agh…" Ciela moaned, "It's so hot…" The little fairy cautiously approached the fiery blaze, her white glow turning bright red. The tip of her wing skimmed across the fire, and she yelped, jerking back. "Ouch! Watch out, Link. These flames are hot!"
Link couldn't help but roll his eyes slightly. Ciela had a tendency of occasionally stating the obvious. Perhaps this was a consequence of her amnesia?
He glanced at his map of the temple. Evidently, he was now in the center of the room. To his right was a large pool of lava several feet below, resting between him and another division of the floor (1 F). However, tall platforms made it possible to cross. To his left was another division, but tall flames stood in his way. Before him, directly in front of him, was an invincible door.
Naturally, he turned to his right. Leaping onto the thankfully sturdy platforms, he came across a locked door, and nearby was a slightly burnt map of the same floor they stood upon. It displayed the room beyond the locked door, and also had a long, winding arrow marked upon it, making a pathway to the other side of that room.
"Hey, what's this?" Ciela wondered aloud. "You might want to take note of that. Might be important." Thus, Link took out the Feather Pen, drawing an identical indication.
As he continued on, he reached a small room holding a silver key – he'd claimed it after a simple duel with the bat-like Keese monsters.
"Why would the makers of a temple hide keys anywhere but near the corresponding door?" Link asked as he fit the twisted metal into the similarly-constructed lock. "Wouldn't that make things problematic if they needed to get inside themselves? Not to mention all these pits and traps."
"Dunno," Ciela said as the key snapped in half and they entered a somewhat empty room. "Grandpa once told me that they wouldn't go back, anyway, because there'd always be this giant obstacle somewhere. He never did tell me what that meant, but – look out!"
Link froze as a tile of the floor in front of him immediately dropped and fell into the lava below, which instantly melted the tile. Had he taken another step, he would have met instantaneous doom, as well. He sighed in relief.
"Thanks, Ciela." The fairy released his collar, which she had somehow been tugging on. He took out the map, recalling the indication he'd made. Following the arrow's path, he carefully made his way across the room. Occasionally, another floor tile would drop, but Link, now aware of these dangers, avoided them by consulting the map. At the end was a group of four crystal switches in the formation of a square.
Remembering past experiences, he stood between the switches and performed his signature "spin attack." Simultaneously, the spheres flashed emerald, and he heard a steady rumbling in the center of the first floor. The unmovable door in the center of the room had opened.
"All right!" Ciela cheered. "Come on, Link – we can take on any challenge at this rate! Give it all you've got, you stupid temple – we can handle it with ease!"
"Perhaps I may be wrong," the fairy said feebly several hours later. Unfortunately for them, spending an hour within a blazing temple filled with fire was very arduous. Ciela was having increasing difficulty in beating her frail wings, and Link was attempting to ward off the endless swarm of Red ChuChus, Keese, and other small but menacing beasts.
"It'll be worth it," Link panted, "when we find whatever Astrid said was at the end of this place. Hopefully soon."
They had stepped into a large, empty space – a wave of fire spouted deliberately from openings in the floor on the opposite end of the room. Small green blobs sat still on the floor. The boy was dubious.
"What are those things?"
But before Ciela could answer, said green blobs suddenly jumped high and latched onto Link's tunic, soaking it in a green jelly-like substance.
"Urgh!" Link squirmed and twisted violently, and the creatures peeled off – they were immediately stabbed with Oshus' sword. "That was disgusting! Now my clothes are all slimy and gooey…" He shook his long sleeve mournfully. "My favorite tunic, too…"
"Well, I don't think that substance was poison…" Ciela inspected the floor, now splattered with the emerald goo, shining ruby against the flames of the temple. "At least you're not hurt. Hey, what's that?"
Ciela flew over to a white treasure chest that had recently appeared in the corner of the room. "Ooh, look! Come on, Link! Open it!"
Link rushed over and lifted the head of the chest. "A boomerang!" It was a beautiful shade of yellow, like a midday sun, trimmed with silver and with an encrusted red jewel on the boomerang's "elbow." However…
He frowned. It reminded him of the one he'd used in the past. That had been one of his most prized possessions; where had it gone? He was sure that he'd brought it along when he traveled with Tetra and her pirate crew. Come to think of it, his other old items – his grappling hook, his iron boots, his bow and arrows – they were all gone when he awoke on Mercay Island.
"Link!" Ciela's voice brought him back to his senses. "Hey, Link!"
"Sorry, Ciela," Link said sheepishly. "What were you saying?"
"You might want to practice with that boomerang, just to get used to it. Hey, why not hit that switch over there? That one behind you."
He turned to see a platform holding a crystal sphere – it was separated from the floor he stood upon, and he could not jump so far. He held his newly acquired weapon and aimed. He threw it, and the boomerang flew across the room. As it began its return trip, it skimmed the surface of the switch, which changed color. The item flew back into his waiting palm, just as the flames in the room were extinguished.
"Whoa, nice aim." Ciela complimented.
The pair continued their journey in the ever-burning temple – Link's hat nearly caught fire on a particularly hot torch. Thankfully, with the new boomerang, Link could now defeat monsters much faster – first by spinning the weapon in tight circles around one to confuse it, and then stabbing it quickly. It was also quite helpful in snatching up rupees or small keys. Eventually, Link found himself beside a huge marble-like stone – purple with a penetrating crimson eye – that he could not climb over. There was a giant keyhole on the top of it.
"That's so creepy…" Ciela said as they passed by. Link silently agreed, hurling the boomerang at a red Bubble, a floating skull engulfed in flames. He quickly made due of it, and crossed the room, opening a white chest. Inside was a big purple key, with a similar eye as the heavy stone.
"Hm," Ciela wondered aloud, "You think it'll fit in that block?"
"Only one way to find out, right?" Link stuck his arms into the chest, pulling up the object. "Oof!" He hoisted it above his head, nearly falling backwards under its weight. "It's heavy!" The red eye stared unblinkingly at him, as though peering into his soul. It was quite unnerving, really.
"Well, then, don't hold it over your skull!" Ciela huffed. "What if it falls? What if you injure yourself?!"
"It's all right, Ciela." Link took heavy trudges back to the stone. Along the way, another group of Bubbles attempted to attack him, but he merely threw the key at the floating heads. Instant knock-out. "Well, that works," he shrugged, raising the key once more.
Upon reaching the huge purple stone, the blood-red eye of the key began to flash menacingly. Without warning, it floated up into the air, and neared the opening of the stone. It rested within the keyhole – a perfect fit. The key turned slowly; its eye blinked once, and then vanished without a sound. The stone sank into the hot floor, revealing a staircase behind it.
"All right, Link!" Ciela cheered. "It looks like we're getting closer to the finish line in this temple! I'll bet we'll find whatever it is that Astrid told us to find beyond these stairs!"
"And a big, ugly monster waiting for us." Link added glumly, beginning to climb the staircase.