Spectres of the Past

Spectres of the Past is the 9th chapter of IW Season 2.
== Mirra, Mirra ==
Mirra / Castle Rooftops / Night 5
Mirra stared out over the spires of Hyrule Castle, through the sapphire Wall of Faith and the stone gray snowclouds that buffeted against it. It was an uneasy oasis in the midst of this arctic chaos. She introduced herself to the woman who had offered them safe passage into the Castle grounds.
"Thank you, Laynnei. It was truly an act of providence that you were in that tent when we needed you. This child is at death's door; we must find his family. I would not ask you to transport all six of us again. Once one of us finds the infirmary, could you deliver him yourself?"
Mirra handed the child over to Laynnei, then turned to face Polaris. She reached behind her ear, and handed a green feather to each of them.
"These will help you keep your balance on these rooftops, as well as quicken your step and lengthen your leap. I pray that they keep both of you and this child safe."
The tall Zora was at eye level with Mirra, standing on the beam of a rooftop while Polaris kept his footing on the shingles.
"Polaris, you have fought valiantly on this night, and my debt to you is great, but this child's life is still in danger. Please, seek out the infirmary within these halls, and guide madame Laynnei's mind to its whereabouts. Once she has arrived, we shall gather in the Castle Courtyard below."
As she spoke verbally to Polaris, her mind conferred with Laynnei.
Please, Laynnei, do not leave this child alone with Polaris. Our Zora companion struggles against a mysterious evil of the mind. His heart is just, but he may succumb to this evil influence once again. See that he does not have occasion to unsheathe his knife, for I believe it to be cursed, and somehow a part of the evil.
The Rito/Night 5/Flying above Castle Roof
There were six of them in total, not counting the two arguing above him. They were talking, something about a child; whatever it was was unimportant. He was intrigued, for certain, but found whatever was happening above far more interesting.
But one of the group seemed to sniff at the air furiously, a strange habit for a human considering their weak noses. But even more surprising was that the man revealed wings, and started coming at him.
This is bad. He suddenly regretted ever entering the blue wall in the first place. What had he learned here anyways? Nothing. He had simply put himself in constant danger for a master he hated and was possibly dead. He prepared to fly away when a violent seizure overtook him.
He flashed between reality and delirium, arms and legs shaking in the process. "One of your own has found you...how fun!" He lost control of himself, undoing his invisibility in the process. And then something happened that he had never experienced before.
He fell.
Horus/ Night 5/ Flying above Castle Roof
As Horus ascended towards the Rito scent high above, he suddenly could hear a pained gasp. He slowed to try and locate the noise, but his investigation came to a sudden halt when something heavy landed on top of his back. Horus groaned in pain, for the mass had hit him with quite alot of force, as if it had been falling for some time. 
"...That's what I get for ascending so quickly." Horus croaked to himself, jokingly.
He grabbed the ankle of the thing that had hit him, and pulled it forward to inspect what had fallen on him. It was dark, and he could only make out a human-like shape. 
"Hmmm..."
Horus faced the moon, the only source of light in the sky, and held away from it, revealing its identity.
"Another Rito! Well now, it seems my kind isn't too close extinction after all."
Horus corrected the Rito so he was holding the Rito tightly by the shoulders, as if to shake him awake. As his eyes met the Rito's, he found that it seemed to be recovering from something very unpleasant. Horus said the first thing that came to mind.
"It is a pleasant suprise to see my bretheren are still around...are you alright?"
Mirra Lemeris / Castle Rooftops / Night 5
Mirra gave a start when the Hylian man, Horus, who had accompanied them to the Castle suddenly sprouted his wings again and took to the air after sniffing about. He seemed to have a bad habit of doing that right when he's needed, Mirra observed, having hoped to transfer the orphaned child to Horus rather than risk another incident with Polaris.
As she followed his ascent into the night sky, she noticed two men silhouetted in the air against the bright blue light of the Castle's enchanted barrier. By the sound of it, they were having some sort of confrontation, and Mirra could sense an electricity in the air like to some titanic battle of old. In the strange light of the barrier, she could not make out either man's features. Standing in the presence of such power made her wish Rukh were with her. She tightened her grip on the Dominion Rod.
Suddenly, a vision from earlier that night flashed through her memory, the sight of a tree seemingly incandescent with its own rays of sun. "Jaden!" she cried, bounding from the rooftop on which she had landed to the spire on which she saw her friend, "Do you remember what we saw in our minds, where our destinies were intertwined?"
With a nearly joyous grin on her face, wiping away the fatigue of the night's earlier trials, Mirra dashed around the spire they stood on and began skipping from tower to tower. "Here, take this!" she shouted over her shoulder, casting a glance back at him. Right before Jaden's nose, a large, green feather floated in the air where she had stood, drifting down to land between his feet.
Rukh / Lake Hylia / Night 5
Rukh sneezed compulsively at the cloud of dust that clogged his olfactory vents. His eyes were blurred shut by the sting of Deku spice. When he could see again, the Sheikah was gone.
He cursed to the heavens, then spread his wings slowly to clear the layer of clouds he had gathered earlier. The moon shown down in a pale column, glistening over the still waters. Where is she..., Rukh searched methodically. In the distance, he could see a great stormfront gathering above the Castle, seemingly lit from within by the bluest light he had ever seen.
And on that northeastern rim of the Lake, Rukh could see that the tributary waterfall had been frozen. Where there's ice, there's ice mages, Rukh guessed. Perhaps she had regained a measure of her cryomancy, and had frozen the waterfall to climb to her escape? The Sheikah had exhibited the same weird behavior as earlier in the night, before the combustion of Garo's Blessing, cringing and wincing as if in a great inner turmoil. Something was at war within this Sheikah, and Rukh had a hunch it was the same thing at war within the Zora that Mirra met. He suspected the Interloper that Mirra had mentioned before, the ice mage more terrible than either the Sheikah called Lynn or the Zora called Polaris. Rukh resolved to find the one called Quell.
He preened his feathers of any lingering Deku powder, then set off for Zora's River, up the waterfall that seemed to be have frozen by the Demoness, Agent Annei.
Mirra Lemeris / Castle Rooftops / Night 5
Laynnei's teleportation spell had landed the party on the Castle's southern face, overlooking the town, having expended most of its force transferring six bodies through the barrier. Mirra had hopped from tower to tower until reaching the northern face of the Castle, which overlooked a wide stream that flowed from a small cave in the near distance. To her surprise, the stream seemed to be frozen solid. Apparently, the Twili's ice magic was spreading into the water supply. She would have to tell the others at once.
But all thoughts of the dread of ice evaporated as Mirra stepped round a column, and before her there stood a monumental tree whose boughs seemed to drip with a coating of pure sunlight. Instinctively, Mirra rushed to the tree's trunk, and placed her right hand to touch it. She could feel such warmth emanating from its bark, and when she touched it, her own light seemed to respond to it in kind. A soothing heat began to flow into her arm and body, and in her invigorated state Mirra glistened with a green aura. She brought both arms around the tree in an embrace, barely able to reach even halfway around its enormous circumference. With her chest and cheek pressed up against the tree, its light and warmth billowed into her in a cascade, until her aura began to glow in shades of gold and green. "I've been waiting for you," she whispered into its side.
Looking up into its branches, Mirra could see that its sap of light came from a great orb in its canopy. A most powerful inspiration, sparked in the base of her spine, willed her to ascend the tree gather its light into herself. As her pupils widened from the golden rush of light, all the world seemed to become flooded with a heavenly purity. She laid her rod to rest against the tree's sturdy trunk, then leapt the man's height to the lowest branches. Even with her enchanted cape and feathers, the tree's colossal height was a trial to surmount, but with an abundance of caution she eventually crested the top of the tree without a scratch or misstep.
At this height, the tree gave off a faint, ethereal hum, like the echo of a distant bell. Its branches parted into a kind of bowl at the top, and in the center of this nest there lay the runic sphere of light that so inspired her. Mirra carefully wedged herself between the sphere and the branches, wrapping her legs around it where the bottom met leaves. She had to close her eyes to get this close to it. She lifted her hands from the branches tentatively, but found that the orb seemed to exert its own gravity, lifting her up atop the branches. Mirra laid her hands upon the glowing sphere, and gasped at the sensation of a pulse. The sphere was alive, vibrating in a steady, syncopated rhythm. Was this the tree's...heart?
Slowly caressing the length of the sphere, Mirra's fingers chanced upon a thin fracture running along its surface. She followed the fracture as it spun around the orb, then traced it to a sharp, pointed shape that had gotten stuck in the orb's center. Shielding her eyes with one hand, Mirra could just barely make out what looked like a thick shard of glass that had pierced the spherical heart, before the intense light made her shut her eyes again. It pricked her finger at the touch, producing a single drop of blood. Mirra brought her fingers into her mouth, but she did not taste blood. Somehow, this shard had gotten wedged into the orb, and now, like a heart of light, the orb was bleeding sunlight down its own branches. On her fingertips and tongue, Mirra tasted sun.
She looked down through the tree's branches, and saw the streams of sunlight slowly gushing through them like a sap. "It's alright, your excellency," she said, looking back at the heart, "I shall always help a being in need." Fearing not for injury, she grasped the edges of the offending shard in either hand, and began to squeeze tightly. She could feel the sharp edges slicing into her flesh, opening thin lines of blood across her palms that deepened as she squeezed tighter. Mirra drew in a breath, held it, then ripped the bloody shard from the tree's orb and let it sink away slowly, where it too seemed to float in the air a few inches above the ground by virtue of the splendid tree's gravity. Blood seeped down her wrists to her elbows, but as she let out the breath she held, she embraced the sphere of light fully, and her injured hands were renewed, their trickles of blood cleansed.
Her arms wrapped easily around the sphere as she leaned into the embrace, but to her surprise, though its light had healed her own injuries, she found that the fracture still stretched across the sphere's surface. "'Fear not," she whispered into the sphere, "'I shall not rest until thou art made whole." She detached her cape from its broach, then carefully wrapped it around the floating sphere, and nestled it under her arm. "And I know exactly where we must go."
Mirra descended from the tree with a jump, again finding herself supported by the tree's benevolent presence. A new tone seemed to ring out from the tree as she looked down at the dislodged shard, itself seemingly spun from the stuff of the sun as well. It were as if the tree were thanking her for removing it, with its own pulsating song. She tied the wrapped up orb to her waist, then took a few steps back so that she could see all of the tree, a viridian monolith in a corona of gold, then fell to her knees and bowed to it deep and low. "O great tree of heaven, I humbly thank thee for allowing me to do this kindness unto you, and it is with gratitude I accept this fragment of the light with which thy heart runneth over." When her prayers were through, she picked up the Sun Shard, then rose and retrieved her Dominion Rod.
As she turned around, Mirra was glad to see the shadow of someone waiting at a respectful distance while she prayed. Her eyes were still much too sore from climbing the tree to make out who it was, and they stood just past the tree's light. "Jaden, is that you?" she asked. "I have excellent news," she went on before he answered. "I believe I have found the Sun Shard! Does this resemble the element you described as part of the Daybreak Sword?" She raised the Sun Shard into the air between them, casting a blinding glare from its surface that blocked her from seeing him again. "My hope is that this shall be an immense help in restoring Polaris to normal. We must head to the Courtyard at once and prepare to meet him!"
Rukh / Zora's River / Night 5
As Rukh raced through the narrow caverns and canyons of Zora's River, he caught no sight of his Sheikah adversary. Agent Lynn Annei had evaded him at last, after pursuit from the Gerudo Desert to Lake Hylia. But Rukh had much to report upon returning to Mirra, information he could not relay to her telepathically without the Dominion Rod in his possession. He ducked under a low arc of ice hanging from the ceiling, then barrel rolled through a chasm that swerved around one of the river's bends.
Just where is this ice coming from? Rukh wondered. It was too much to have come from Lynn, whose powers Rukh had watched diminish--not in the short time that he had been stunned by her Deku Nut. What's more, this river seemed to have been frozen in place, as if a powerful curse had been laid on the waters in the midst of their tumbling current. Plumes of jagged ice ripped into the air in fearsome spikes, snatching at Rukh as he dipped and twisted through the contorted tunnels.
The Demon Thief was free, and the Demoness had freed him. She had frozen over the Arbiter's Grounds and murdered its Gerudo inmates down to a woman, leaving only Telma, whom Mirra had saved from hypothermia. Now Telma was the last Gerudo woman alive, and they had left her with Ganondorf, fully healed to wander the desert. Lynn had deceived the Light Spirit of the Desert, Garo, into giving her his Blessing, but upon using that Blessing she inadvertently blocked her own powers of cryomancy. And judging by her reactions during this first round of questioning, she had lost her memories of the incident as well.
Rukh still had many unanswered questions about the nature of this Sheikah's power. Why had the Blessing of Garo had that effect, cutting Lynn off not only from her magic, but from her memory as well? Hopefully, when he returned to Mirra, she would have some answers. He began to concentrate on the signal of the Dominion Rod he had returned to her, and used that to guide himself through the stalactites and columns of ice that had formed over Zora's River. He could see a light at the end of the tunnel.
Polaris/ Castle Rooftops/ Night 5
Polaris gave Mirra a quick nod, and started off in the opposite direction of the group, pausing momentarily to cast a sideways glance at Laynnei, "The infirmary isn't far from here, I'll be there pretty quickly." The woman unsettled him, for reasons he could not ascertain, she made his skin crawl and his head ache. "Psychics.." He muttered the word under his breath almost like a curse, he knew he was marked, no matter what Mirra said, thankful for his deeds or not, she didn't trust him, especially not around the "child". Her fears were not unfounded, Polaris disliked the little wretch. The sooner he got to the infirmary and ditched the kid, the better. He didn't want it to be his responsibility any longer than it had to be. Something wasn't right about that kid, and it made his skin crawl even moreso than the psychic, it reminded him of the grave. 
Polaris dropped in through a window and began to navigate along the corridors, quickly making his way to the infirmary. It was surprising how few guards there were, probably off running errands for Phoenix or one of the other higher ups. After some time, he found himself in front of the infirmary doors. Pushing them open, he entered the room to a multitude of heads turning to face him in unison. A very frazzled looking doctor hurried towards him, "What is it that you require sir? I didn't believe you to still be in the castle."
Polaris brushed the man aside, I require nothing of you, so don't fret. However, in a few moments, several others who do need your expertise will be arriving here via teleportation. Don't ask questions, it's complicated. But they will be here shortly."
Polaris paced about the room, taking in the sights, there was a multitude of peoples here, some injured, others seeking refuge from the batlle raging in the streets. It was a gruesome sight to behold for sure, several blood spattered linens were piled haphazardly in a corner near a gore covered operating table. These men and women, the nurses, medics and physicians had been doing their due diligence to tend to the wounded nonstop for countless hours. Ever since Quells initial attack with the glacier, he had to commend them for their efforts.
Feeling that he'd spent more than enough time for Laynnei to get a lock on the infirmary, Polaris set out for the courtyard. After several uneventful minutes of walking in silence, Polars was nearing the exit he'd been seeking, when, rounding a corner, he was taken aback by the sight before him. A man, whom he did not recognize, and one whom he knew without question.
Kinslayer.
Twilit Giga/Night 5/Alleyway
Gorons? How could he possibly know?
"I'll ask you again Twili scum, where are the gorons."
This didn't make any sense. He was a Twili now, and this dog should have never have found him in the first place. It stood over him, making every second a frightening hell as it barred its teeth in anger.
Obviously he couldn't tell the truth, there was something about this man that made it obvious he was not looking to assist any of the gorons he was so badly searching for. But any feasible lie wouldn't make much sense either.
His question was answered for him though, as the dog took a sharp glance at his calf. He bolted his nose there and sniffed furiously, followed by an unexpected attack. It tore at the patch of goron skin Giga had forgotten he had, trying to eat away at the hard surface to no avail.
"Volvagia, cease! Now then let's see what we have here." The man bent down to observe his calf and ran his finger over it. "Well well well, this is interesting. It is surely your skin, fully entwined with the rest of the body. But this is no Twili skin. You best not lie to me, how exactly have you come to these...circumstances?"
"I...um," he said the first thing that came to his mind. "I was...uh...raised by gorons and...and they tried a technique to...transform me. But it failed, so I was left with this patch."
It was hardly a believable story, and it was likely that the man thought him for a liar. The man grinned menacingly, "Very well. You're coming with me, you friend-of-the-gorons. Volvagia, off of him. And I'll take this hammer off your hands as well. 
Now then, we both seem to be in the same predicament. We are trapped, it seems. Luckily, I have a friend who can assist in that matter."
[b]The Rito/Night 5/In the air[/b]
The Rito was shaken back into consciousness by some man holding him. He felt the familiar sensation of flying, but was distinctly aware he was not flapping his wings. Suddenly, the events of the last minuet rushed back to him. The teleportators, the strange vision, the seizure, and the man who had...[i]Damnit, this is him.[/i]
He opened his eyes and looked into the face of the man who just saved his life. He had wings, and smelled much like himself, surprisingly enough. He said something to him, but it was mostly indistinguishable due to his still hazy awareness.
"....my bretheren are still around...are you alright?"
[i]My brethren? That...that can't be right.[/i] He had never seen another Rito in his life as far as he could remember, and this man definitely didn't appear like himself.
He was mulling his next move when another message came to him, this time it was a familiar voice talking. 
[i][color=white][hl=blue]"Rito! What are you doing inside that wall? Get out here now, we have a visitor."[/i][/color][/hl]
[i]Terribly sorry, my master, but I believe I am trapped in here for the time being. But I believe I have uncovered some useful information. I need my thoughts for the moment though, I shall return to you as soon as possible.[/i] It wasn't true, but he figured it would buy him some time.
Going back to his present situation, the Rito figured he might as well play this off best as he could. Besides, he was curious.
"Forgive me, but you appear before me as a man. Why do you consider us to be brethren?"
Horus/ in the air/ Night 5 
Horus considered the question, then realized just how little he looked like a Rito. He decided the truth was the best thing to share. He wasn't one to lie to a fellow Rito, and wasn't going to start today. Horus adjusted his grip to the Rito's shirt, freeing his wings so he could fly on his own accord. The Rito was conscious enough to speak, he was conscious enough to fly.
"Well, actually, I'm only half Rito. My mother was a Hylian...' Horus hesitated.
'...but that no longer matters. What matters now is the Rito that is actually breathing before me. It's excellent to see people whom have the same blood running through thier veins as I, but I've never seen you before. What is your name?"
Eddard Langston/Night 5/Alleyway next to the bottleneck
Annoyed, Eddard cut himself out of communication with his servant. Damn Rito, why the hell did he go and get himself stuck in there. He sulked silently thinking of the pleasant punishments he would hopefully doll out later tonight.
Returning his attention to the Twili, Eddard considered his options. It was obvious he was lying, but there was no mistaking the distinctive feel of goron skin. Hell, that one little patch could earn him near 400 rupees in other countries. But he was after the big fish, and he needed information.
"Don't go getting any funny ideas about running, either. My dog won't think twice about making you his next meal."
It was remarkable how fast the dog had taken to obeying him. Everything he had said so far was carried out, dutifully and without complaining. A much better companion than that damn Rito, he thought wistfully.
"Most of the major fighting has subsided it seems, at least this far into the city anyways. I need to get to my companion, and no matter what you say I'm taking you with me."
They made their way out to the bottleneck, where ahead of them some sparse fighting was still being done. Likewise behind them at the wall, arrows could be heard flying towards their targets on the ground. But they at least seemed safe.
Not 100 feet ahead of them was a giant hole, somehow made from the previous fighting. Eddard bent over its surface, and then turned his attention to the Twili, silent and defeated.
"Go in there first, if anything's amiss, I don't want to be the first to experience it."
The Twili gave him a disgruntled look, or was it hatred? Whatever it was, it was rebellious, a quality Eddard could not tolerate. He snapped at volvagia, causing him to jump the Twili, knocking him back and into the hole. It did not take very long for the thump of the body to be heard.
A few seconds passed, and then, "It's...it's OK. Everything seems safe."
Eddard jumped into the unknown darkness, followed soon by his dog.
[b]The Rito/Night 5/Above Castle Roofs[/b]
"My...my name? I...well, I..."
His name, he had almost forgotten of the possibilities of that. He was fairly certain he had had one once, but in years past it had completely gone from him. "The Rito" was all he had ever been known as. It was his only identity, vague yet precise. 
He had only been asked this question once before, by Eddard, many years ago. His reply was simply that he did not know. Thus "The Rito" was born. It was his own fault, he could have made up a name back then, or at least said [i]something.[/i]
He was not prepared to make that mistake again.
"Well, you see. My name is, uh." [i]Think, come one think![/i] He had found a book once on the history of the Rito people. There was one character he had found particularly interesting, the great Rito king whose namesake was eventually passed down quite often in the royal family.
"My name is Komali."
Horus/ in the air/ Night 5
Horus furrowed his brow at the name. He certainly didn't study much in his childhood, but he knew enough to recognize a King of the same species.
"Shenanigans." Horus stated, chuckling.
He could tell that the Rito before him lived an unhappy life. Everything about him screamed it. He needed to address it.
"Everything about you worries me. Your posture, your smell, your clothes, your lack of name...it's...' He cut his sentence short and thought about what he was about to say before he finished, '...comrade, do you live...a happy life?"
IC: Felina - Castle Town - evening 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsxsJ2qGCvs
Flying over the town Felina felt very much alone, despite the small skirmishes happening in the various cutoff sections of the city the main forces had more or less been cut off from one another. Worse was that most of the heroes of either side seemed to have vanished. Quell and the summoner had bolted before launching this latest curse upon Hyrule, and most of the other light warriors had seemingly vanished.
Worse still was the subtle danger of Quell's spell. Although the immediate effects of people freezing when they hit the lines and the towns water freezing over were obvious, it was also getting colder. The air itself was being chilled by the spell, it wouldn't be long before it became a serious problem. Even with the barrier around the castle it wouldn't do much good if the air temperature dropped far enough down to start killing people.
Spotting a group of Hylian soldiers near a pillar Felina descended down and spotted Seishi.
"Hmph, about time I found somebody else. Everyone else seems to have scampered off somewhere." She spoke as she reverted to normal and walked up to Seishi, his subordinates seemed to be uneasy at her arrival.
"Calm down, I'm an ally. So I'm assuming from the fact that this pillar is still standing that you don't have any techniques strong enough to take it down on your own." she spoke as she began to consider countermeasures. She herself had nothing that could rival Seishi's firepower, and Polaris was nowhere to be found so using the full power of the Lightning Rod wasn't an option.
"Hey! Where is that jackass son of yours? If he used that anti-magic ability of his it could probably weaken the pillars protection enough for normal attacks to work!" Felina asked with a triumphant tone.
Unfortunatly she was met with silence from Seishi and his eyes seemed to turn away at the mention of Senshi. A look of frustration and dissappointment fell over Felina's face.
"You've got to be kidding me... Again?" She responded rhetorically shaking her head.
Kinslayer - Hyrule Castle Corridor - Fifth Night
Kinslayer opened his mouth to respond, but felt a chill wind at his back. How fortuitous, he thought, that a cryomancer should come forth now of all times.
"Sheikah are quite real, and I've seen my share. In fact I too have been looking for a Sheikah girl that has been eluding me, a Sheikah girl that was snatched away before I could be done with her." he replied, giving himself time to enjoy his present circumstances. "But no, I've not seen her here. I just arrived not long ago myself, and the circumstances of that arrival are still hazy."
It was then that he craned his neck around, turning his dark grin upon the arctic Zora who stood some distance behind. Great, swirling and slashing tattoos covered his otherwise typical bluish Zora flesh. The markings of death.
"It's a strange thing that most if not all masters of rime and hoarfrost seem to come upon their powers in the afterlife" he puzzled, quirking and eyebrow at the undead Zora ice mage, then turning his questioning expression back to the psychopath, Whie. "Don't you think?"
He turned fully toward to Zora now, looking him in the eye. "I was just telling my associate here of your predecessor amid the consecution of undead ice mages. Your appearance seems an amusingly appropriate way to punctuate my point."
Tobias Pepperwhistle/ Castle Town/ Evening 5
Tobias frowned when Harken spoke of how winded he'd become, but brushed it aside and wiped his visage clean when Zeiss wrote it off as being battle related. It was a bit of a double cross on his part, using his old friend as the main well of energy that Taur's regeneration drew upon, but one had to keep his own best interests in mind, even when dealing with "old friends," especially when said compatriot would seize any opportunity that presented itself in order to get a leg up. Besides, no one ever said a crook had to possess any measure of nobility.
Tobias' usual, cordial, toothy grin spread across his visage when Hark said, "Damn near miraculous, eh, Pepperwhistle? Wouldn't you say?" And replied in kind, "Miracles seem ta be prevalent t'day frien', but this, this 'ere? Is much more than a mere miracle, this lass, she's downright vicious. An' pow'rful too boot. I wouldn' wanna cross her." Tobias shrugged and turned back to Kae, waiting for the Scion to respond in kind. 
Polaris/ Hyrule Castle Corridor/ Night 5
Any thoughts of a quick exit were dashed when Kinslayer turned to face him momentarily, Polaris' own frigid aura had betrayed his presence once again. Resolving himself to a fight if need be, Polaris listened as the pyro chided him, alluding to Hothnight and ice mages of days gone by. "It is an unfortunate truth, the element seems to prefer the non-living over the otherwise. It's the tit, for the tat of fire mages, whereas most of them are cocky, arrogant, loudmouthed...the adjectives are numerous really. But honestly, comparing myself to Taden? Please, your effort must reach beyond that, friend, for I am both."
Polaris' vigilant war against his own possession faltered and the demon from another realm rushed to the fore, "Really, it's rather amusing when you ponder upon it, two arctic masters, one, innately good, the other, oh so bad...the Zora General from centuries gone by and wars long ago and yours truly, all crammed into one. Now THAT, is a point punctuated." Polaris did his due diligence to once again overtake his own thoughts, to call himself master of his mind, but as it was, a torrent of hatred mingled with one of benevolence, the two threatened to meld into one, Polaris and Taden were growing ever closer to being one and the same on certain planes. Even if a cure for this blight of the mind was found and thus utilized, Polaris would be forever changed.
== The Epic Return ==
Ten's Apartment/Night 5
The day had been pretty uneventful since Habiki had left his reunited makers to continue his travels. After Sol was released from the infirmary for his injuries, he had spent the afternoon cleaning up the mess left by the battle that had taken place in the cavern beneath the house. Ten had spent a good portion of the day down there, working on some project or another in his workshop, occasionally glancing over at the spire of rock that encased the morning's attacker. The estranged friends then spent the rest of the day catching eachother up on the last 4 years. 
The sun had gone to bed for the night, and now they sat quietly at the coffee table sipping mugs of a bitter tea. A few feet away, the gaping hole Habiki had blown clean through their floor and into the ceiling from the caverns beneath still sat there, completely at odds with the mundane nature of the rest of the scene.
They began to settle in for the night, unlighting lamps around the house.
Ten gestured awkwardly to an old sofa in his living room.
"You can sleep there tonight," he said uncomfortably. "Look, I know it's not much, but I didn't exactly expect you to show up all the s-"
"After 4 years in that asylum," Sol interrupted, patting the cushions on the couch and laying down gingerly, still sore from the encounter this morning. "Sleeping on concrete, this is a drastic improvement," he smiled. "It's good to see you, old friend."
Ten nodded his approval, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah well, - the gods damn it!" he suddenly exclaimed, running over to the hole in his damaged floor, looking up at the ceiling, rain pouring in. "When did it start raining?"
He frantically waved Sol over. "Get over here and help me plug this up. All my projects are going to get flooded down there!"
Sol sat up slightly from the couch. "Honestly, I'm exhausted. It's just a light sprinkle, Ulysses. Nothing that can't wait until morning." 
As if taking his comment as a challenge, the rain quickly increased into a downpour.
"Huh, spoke too soon," he shrugged.
"Will you come over here and give me a hand?!" Ten practically barked.
"Alright, I'm up, I'm up," Sol said calmly, pulling himself up off the couch.
Suddenly a bolt of lightning erupted over the hole, snaking its way down into the caves below. There was a crack of thunder, and a voice bellowed up from beneath.
Sol caught Ten's gaze. In the glow of the storm overhead, the terror in his wide eyes was amplified.
Twilit Giga/Night 5/Sewers
The tunnel was cold, dark, and smelled distinctly of old cabbage. The cobblestones beneath their feet clacked with each stepped, setting off an echo in the unforeseeable darkness.
"Odds are, we're heading the general direction of the castle. Don't think about trying anything stupid, dog's senses far surpass our own, I've heard, especially in the dark."
Giga was getting tired of this guys threats. He was in the tunnel already, weaponless and armor-less, and he was utterly exhausted. Sleep crept heavily into his eyelids, lulled into a false sense of security by the darkness. 
The darkness made the next few seconds all the more frightening.
The man, walking ahead of him, suddenly could be heard crashing to the ground and cursing. Giga stopped, unable to see the cause of the fall.
"It's, it's ice!
Giga took a few tentative steps forward and knelt down to feel the floor. He was right it seemed, as ice could be felt where one would expect water to be. The situation began to make sense to him suddenly.
"We must be in the sewers. And it seems the water system has been frozen. Though I didn't know magicians were capable of such feats." 
"You don't get out much, do you? The sewers you say? Yes I suppose that makes sense, but shouldn't there be torches or something?
Giga grunted his response, unsure to the answer, and continued feeling along the floor.
"Here, on the side. There's a pathway unfrozen. We might as well continue on, there's not much chance of us getting back up that hole."
The next several minutes were complete silence. How this man decided where to go Giga was unsure of, but to him it felt like they were walking in circles. The sewers seemed endless, and their only reminder that they weren't dead was the occasional sound of a rat.
Then a sound broke the silence.
"What in bloody hell was that!" the man exclaimed, entirely too loudly. 
The next sound wasn't so soft. A roar broke loose across the sewers, followed by the slow and heavy footsteps of an unnameable creature.
"I think you better let me have that hammer back." But there was no response. The dog could be heard barking, followed by the patter of paws in a full out charge. Something very heavy hit the wall, followed by more barking and growling. Next to him, Giga heard the whimper of the man who had taken him captive.
He's scared, Giga realized. Not wasting a second, he forgot about his tiredness and ran. To where he didn't care, as long as it was away from whatever that creature was. Walls and ice slowed him down, sometimes taking him by surprise, but he never stopped until the sounds of the fighting were gone. 
He turned in circles, realizing that this situation was no better than his old one. He was completely lost in the darkness. Well, almost in darkness, ahead of him coming from down a tunnel was the faintest hint of a light.
[b]The Rito/Night 5/Above Castle Roofs[/b]
[i]Shenanigans? Really? Great, the only Rito I've ever met and he has the gull to use a word like that.[/i]
The Rito (or was he Komali now) was liking this situation increasingly less as it went along. Or at least he was until he heard this man's following question. It was an odd feeling being asked such a thing as whether his life was happy or not. There was no hatred, no animosity in such a question. No, the attribute here was compassion, something he had almost forgotten existed.
But regardless, he was a slave, a servant, a transportation device, eternally bound to his master. Whether or not this man's intentions were pure was irrelevant. He had a job to do, and that did not involve becoming sentimental with strangers. He would have to lie his way out of this one.
"A happy life, you ask? Well no, I suppose one would not typically call my life happy. But with so few Rito around, it can be hard to make a decent standing with townsfolk and such. And I've been thrown in jail on more than one occasion for stealing, but it's nothing I can't handle. I thank you for catching me, but I really must be going now. My presence among such people I see around me is likely unwelcome in such hard times."
He nodded curtly and flew away towards the ground, afraid to look back.
[i]That one has a nose like a...well like me. I can't let myself be caught like that again.[/i]
He flew around the castle silently, looking for a patch of flowers to roll in. 
[i]Or perhaps some sewage would work better,[/i] he thought grimly.
Horus/ in the air/ Night 5
Horus sighed as the Rito disappeared in the dark of night. He stared in the direction the Rito went for a few moments, hovering almost unmovingly.
"That Rito...' Horus thought, '...He's too troubled to speak the truth..."
Horus visualized the Rito as that thought finished itself.
"...I just hope freedom is the only thing taken from him..."
Horus sniffed, and looked for the team he had just left, descending down swiftly but gently.
Laynnei/Castle Roof/Night 5
Laynnei examined the feather briefly before putting it away, "Well I'm sure one of my children will get a kick out of this. Speaking of which," She switch her attention to the commotion Senshi and Phoenix were causing. "Just what is that boy up to now."
As usual any attempt to ready Senshi's mind proved futile and before she could leech information from Phoenix her thoughts were drawn to a telepathic message for the other women. "<Please, Laynnei, do not leave this child alone with Polaris. Our Zora companion struggles against a mysterious evil of the mind. His heart is just, but he may succumb to this evil influence once again. See that he does not have occasion to unsheathe his knife, for I believe it to be cursed, and somehow a part of the evil.>"
"I see, that really does seem to have become a bit of an epidemic. I did suspect something was off about him I suppose this confirms it. I guess I'll have to keep a careful eye on him."
Seishi/Ice Pillar #A/Night 5
The Owl girl from early approached Seishi and his troops in a purely Hylian form. "Hey! Where is that jackass son of yours? If he used that anti-magic ability of his it could probably weaken the pillars protection enough for normal attacks to work!"
Seishi was in no mood to think about his sons recent actions and blew off the question. Oddly the girl seemed to under stand the reasons for this all to well. "You've got to be kidding me... Again?" 
"Again? How could you know of any 'Agains' that Sen's up to. No **** that, my kid's got a habit of staying tight lipped about who he is a sure as hell doesn't tell people about his family. Just who the hell are you?"
Senshi/Castle Roof/Night 5
"It seems there's a surprising amount of commotion up here. And here I flew up her for some peace and quiet. More over why is there a tree up here." Senshi noted having watch the newcomers run around.
"If I didn't no any better I'd say your mother brought them up here a distraction to help you. Regardless I can't help but wondering why you keep changing the subject. You know you can't fight me like this but instead of running away it looks like your stalling for time. Why?"
"You don't really expect me to give you a strait answer. By the way it looks like its raining again outside the barrier. Pretty hard to, that's becoming disconcerting don't you think."
Kae/Castle Gates/Afternoon 5
As her spell connected with the abomination that had given Meado and everyone else so much trouble, she could hear his damning declaration right before it hit. If it could return from that, she'd be impressed. In her mind, the words were empty, just like the space he occupied would be momentarily.
It was as she thought. She could feel its energies descend, and her insatiable bloodlust prevented her from digging deeper. 
Pepperwhistle and the former giant. Maybe they were doing something to clean up amidst the chaos. In either event, it was better than having to deal with more delays. These men needed to move and Jaden's condition wasn't improving.
She ran to Meado's side and acknowledged what Pepperwhistle had said.
"Nothing is out of the question today. This battle's far from over, and prisoners will bog the process down. But thank you, Misters Pepperwhistle and Harken. I can take credit for some of this, but to Nayru the honor and glory. Those who stand against Hyrule stand against its creators as well, and I intend fully to share that beast's fate with as many Twili as possible this day."
Felis materialized from the wisping energies of her anima, nuzzling her ankle before peering at the situation around him.
"Miss Kae, I'm glad this is resolving. What are the next steps?"
The Scion knelt and let her celestial feline companion climb up onto her shoulder before rising to her feet once more.
"My brother still suffers out there, and the men need relief. But that is up to Meado. Whatever the decision, we need to make it together!"
She did not conjure a restorative, but she did offer Meado a potion from her summoned cache as they gave some thought. The environment, however, was going to drastically change soon...
Summary: Kae gives further approval of Taur's demise, praise to Nayru for her gifts, and gives her not-so-hidden intentions of what she wishes to do. She defers to Meado for further instructions, and Felis shows up to rest on her shoulder.
Jaden/Castle Town/Dusk 5
Now it was more Freezards. Luckily their Rito ally had done his part to get Mirra to safety and they rushed toward the medical tent. Polaris also helped out greatly, but Jaden still had his enemies to deal with. More bobbing and weaving were to ensue, but he noticed as he made these graceful movements that he got closer to the walls of freezing light. He left his feet and slammed them down very hard, cracking the ice. They trailed into the bases of what few enemies remained at the time.
He couldn't stay here; this would be happening all night. Before the battle broke out they were able to save who they could. The unfortunate ones still left out here would have to do their best. At least there was still the undercity if it hadn't frozen completely over.
Jaden's shield was rimed up even more than before, and the arm holding it was starting to suffer from frost nip. Subversion prevented frostbite from breaking out, and he was thankful for that. Reaching into his satchel once more, he had a small alchemical arson flask meant to breach doors. Basically, a fancy version of a standard bomb with a bit of after-burn.
One light vertical toss and tap with the handle of his morningstar, and the remaining Freezards were puddles. As was the area he'd hit, which looked to be about a six-foot radius. It was starting to fill in though, as this magic was very powerful. He could feel it, and he understood what Kae meant by opening up his inner senses to be sensitive to the supernatural...
Getting a mild start, he used his shield for balance and skidded across the ice to that medical tent, catching up to the others just as a woman was casting a spell. He could recognize the incant. They were going somewhere. Somewhere he didn't feel right about letting them go without him. After all, everything in their area was dead and it was cut off from further infiltration. He felt comfortable with this, and became a willing target of her spell.
The Aether (Distorted time and space)
"You know where you're going, right?"
Jaden could see a celestial feline in front of him. As he traversed through the aether, he wasn't sure who or what it was.
"I'm your sister's celestial advisor, Felis Minor. She calls me Felis. You may do the same."
He was scratching his chin, thinking the rote had gone wrong.
"She has so many advisors I can barely keep track. Hopefully she's making her own choices in this battle, because she's easily manipulated if people pull the right strings. And Nayru help them if she goes out of control, because her heart's too big to stop once it takes over."
"Jaden, she's pretty angry right now. I haven't been in contact with her since the Cathedral, as others were watching her and I had pressing matters elsewhere."
Jaden put his hand out for the cat to climb up on. His incandescence was otherworldly, but his intentions were very transparent.
"Fate has kept the two of you apart for various reasons. Should you work together, I will need you to be very aware of how much she taps into some of her gifts. As you know, she is suffering from a divine disease known as Celestial Blood Corruption. You bear the mark of a Lunar practitioner, so you are aware of what it does. Don't let her kill herself! Sometimes she does not listen to me...as you said, her heart is too big. And your role in this conflict is only beginning to grow in size, Jaden. Do as you know best, and that fear of being in Kae's shadow will go away."
"I look at it as an opportunity to get more done, be less of a high-value target, and a chance to prove myself as the rightful heir of my people, as Nora and others believe me to be. I admit, it is a slight concern, but as long as we win and as long as I have a people to lead after this war, that is fine."
They continued toward whatever destination the woman named Laynnei had charted, and spoke more of Kae and future plans.
"Jaden, you need to seek out the sources of your gift. Nora branded four Major Arcana onto your arm, and while you bear traits of all four, you will need to commune with them to fully realize your abilities. As you adventure, their Loci had best be on your list of places to go."
"And where would they be?"
"Where's the fun in that? It varies by lunar phase. Trust your inner senses and you might find one. If not, ask your sister to teach you how to conduct a divination. Because I don't want to give you bad information! If I told you the Defiant was at the caldera of Death Mountain two nights from now, it might be in Hidden Kakariko the very next evening!"
Light began to intensify. They were reaching their destination...
Castle Rooftops
"I must go to your sister. But I wanted to talk to you too. Be safe, and may the Three walk with you!"
Jaden gave the cat a good petting on his head and released it into the aether as he was surrounded by smoke on the other side...he was inside the Wall of Faith. But why would fate place him here? What needed to be defended? He heard Mirra calling to him...and saw a glowing feather fall at his feet. Its energies caused him slight discomfort. Solar. One of his few weaknesses. If he didn't touch it, it wouldn't hurt him too badly, so he pulled a bandage from his satchel and wrapped it carefully, placing it in a compartment with other key items.
"Jaden, is that you?" she asked. "I have excellent news," she went on before he answered. "I believe I have found the Sun Shard! Does this resemble the element you described as part of the Daybreak Sword?" She raised the Sun Shard into the air between them, casting a blinding glare from its surface that blocked her from seeing him again. "My hope is that this shall be an immense help in restoring Polaris to normal. We must head to the Courtyard at once and prepare to meet him!"
The heir to the Sheikah emerged from this mist, hurrying to Mirra's side and nodding.
"Yes, that's what we're looking for! The Three be praised, and I'm with you on that. But what's going on here? And what's that angel doing up there? Is that my sister?"
He feared the worst. It was a bittersweet moment...
Kinslayer - Hyrule Castle Corridor - Fifth Night
Kinslayer looked into the cold eyes of the Zora General as he spoke of two minds, two awarenesses sharing the same flesh. As he observed, he thought that perhaps he could see a bit of Hothnight in the tattooed fish.
"This is your shtick? Aside from your story being cliché, now you present yourself a victim of circumstances that have also become cliché? You've been around here long enough to know that Hothnight has already wormed his way into your Sheikah friend's soul, even I have heard enough to know that." He wondered if the Zora was in possession of a large piece of Taden's disjointed soul, or if it was more of a sliver, a pittance. He had no fear of Hothnight, he never had, but he had a grudging respect for the ice master's uniquely innovative lethality, at the very least. Still, he wasn't here to challenge this sad incarnation of the Light Warriors. Not at present, anyway.
But he found the current situation intriguing, and thus did not retreat from their verbal tête à tête. Instead he squared up, baring his naked chest and stomach to the frigid Zora.
"Your speech is not greatly affected, so I think perhaps you've not imbibed so much of the Hated as she." He said, relaxing a bit and leaning on his glaive as he considered his passive adversary. "Was it envy or appreciation? They do, after all, say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and it seems to be an area in which you excel."
Mirra Lemeris / Castle Rooftops / Night 5
Mirra felt a warm glow just below her navel coming through the cloak she had wrapped around the orb and tied against her stomach. She cradled it fondly, feeling its warmth spread into the white scars in her palms from where she had removed the Sun Shard by its thin, jagged edge. She swung her hips to shift the cloaked orb behind her back, and tightened it to hide the seams of sunlight that had been peeking through. In her right hand, she held the Dominion Rod. In her left, she held the Sun Shard.
When her vision finally returned after being blinded by the tree's light, Mirra saw her protector, Jaden, gazing into the sky. Two men were conversing high out of earshot, but with the Dominion Rod at her command Mirra could sense an absurdly dark presence hovering in one of the men. Ironically, this was the man sporting numerous wings of pure light. "I do not know who this angelic Hylian is," Mirra sent to Jaden, "but appearances can be deceiving. Can you not feel the darkness within him? Come, we must proceed to the courtyard by shadow."
Mirra slipped the Sun Shard into her boot to obscure its light, then slipped into the stark shadows left by the great tree she had darkened. Looking back, she noticed that Jaden's eyes were still fixed on the skies, and that a second winged Hylian flapped in the air with a Rito, who soared away beneath a plane of the blue barrier. She carried on the mental exchange she had begun with Jaden after healing him in the town square, even as her feet carried her stealthily away.
"Jaden, you shepherded myself and an innocent child to sanctuary tonight, and for that I am doubly grateful. A healer does not choose who shall receive her gifts, but is guided by the hand of fate. I believe the goddesses brought me to your aid for a reason, and that this reason relates to your sister, Kae.
'When I healed your wounds, I felt a shadow over your heart. Now I know it to be the shadow of your sister, a brother's dread for the doom visited upon her. If you will let me, I believe I have been sent here in part to help you lift this shadow from your heart, that your healing may be complete. 
'Tell me, when I mended your arm of the wire that mangled it, I beheld four sorcerous runes inscribed on your flesh. What is the meaning of these runes? What have they to do with the fate that has led you to this rooftop sanctuary tonight?"
Coming from the north face of the Castle, Mirra found herself exposed in the low light of Quell's curse shining from the city to the south. She backed up against a wall, in the lip of shadow cast by hanging leaves on the high wall, and sidled towards a tower along the eastern wall of the courtyard. Just as she was about to hop from the shadows into the courtyard, brightly lit by the blue barrier's light in the prism of the frozen fountain, she heard voices.
Polaris was speaking to a man she had not met, but whose voice was heavy with the fat of pride and coarse with the gravel of anger. His every word was an act of violence, and Mirra's thighs ached for the saddle of her warbird, his iron strength elsewhere, preoccupied by the Sheikah cryomancer.
To her surprise, the stranger seemed to mention Lynn, though not by name, in his repartee with Polaris. And someone named...Hothnight?
Mirra resolved to listen closer. She saw a small window on the eastern tower lit from within by torch light, just large enough for her to crawl into. She found a crate around the next corner, and pushed it directly under the window. Then she climbed the box, and made her way up a trellis vines, slinging the Dominion Rod behind her back. She dropped through the hole and floated delicately to the ground, landing on the toe of her boot without a sound, and darkened her aura. Pushing aside a barrel, Mirra found a small grating in the floor, above and behind Polaris and whomever he was speaking to. From here, Mirra could also see a small figure crouched in the shadows directly beneath her, and this small figure reeked of alley filth. His voice was small, squeaky, and quick, more like a simian chirp than a human tongue, even that of a small boy.
Mirra slipped inside the barrel just as Polaris began to speak. Mirra's heart shuddered as the now-all-too familiar chill ran up her spine, and Polaris's voice sank into the hoarse groan she had heard earlier. And this cold voice, the fiery stranger named Hothnight. The stranger's voice was like a fuming furnace, but when he spoke that name, the furnace seemed to fade under a frosty gust, if only for a fleeting moment. 
Mirra slipped the Sun Shard from her boot discretely and clutched it to her chest, her harried breath collecting in a mist inside the dark barrel. Goosebumps ran down her arms as an unnatural chill seemed to lay into the Castle grounds, arctic radiation from the Interloper ice mage's curse. 
As she listened to the three audible voices in the hall below her, Laynnei's thoughts drifted up to her from the hospital wing. The generous sorceress offered to keep an eye on Polaris for her.
"Good Laynnei, you have been most gracious in your assistance on this frigid night. Truly, my duty as a healer is with you, healing the wounded in the Castle infirmary, but tonight I have sworn to help the Zora General whom we see blighted with this unholy curse. As he beseeched me in a lucid moment back in town, now I beseech you, be the healer I cannot tonight, and give aid to the injured townspeople before you in the infirmary. I will attend to Polaris, as I have obliged myself." With that, Mirra reached two fingers into the Light Heart at her waist, and brought a thick dab of its syrupy sunlight to her forehead, where it traveled through her third eye to Laynnei's, to be meted out among the sick with a healer's judicious touch. "Watch over them, Laynnei. Please tell me if the child we evacuated finds his parents soon.
Mirra resettled herslef in the large, empty barrel, and continued eavesdropping on Polaris and the two people he had encountered. "Fear not, your excellency General Polaris,"she thought to herself, meditating in the freezing barrel,"soon I shall fulfill my promise." Mirra ran her thumb along the Sun Shard's clean edge, watching as the stripe of blood its serated teeth drew almost instantly healed over in the shard's golden aura.
IC: Felina - castle town - evening 5
Felina smirked a little at Seishi's outburst. "Heh heh... Guess we forgot the formal introductions. My names Felina Xiphias, so I'm sure you'll understand why I'm informed on a lot of the more obscure history of this land." she replied with a smirk. If even half the stories were true the simple mention of her families name should be enough to get him to at least roll his eyes in disdain.
"So then, back on topic... What are we going to do about these pillars?"
Laynnei/Castle Town Pokémon Center/Night 5
"Good Laynnei, you have been most gracious in your assistance on this frigid night. Truly, my duty as a healer is with you, healing the wounded in the Castle infirmary, but tonight I have sworn to help the Zora General whom we see blighted with this unholy curse. As he beseeched me in a lucid moment back in town, now I beseech you, be the healer I cannot tonight, and give aid to the injured townspeople before you in the infirmary. I will attend to Polaris, as I have obliged myself.>" Mirra spoke to Laynnei's mind while sending some light based magic through there mental link to boost her healing abilities. "Watch over them, Laynnei. Please tell me if the child we evacuated finds his parents soon."
"I suppose I have no choice at this point. Anyway do be careful with that Zora. I've already figured out the problem with him and I'm becoming concerned this his condition is spreading like an infection."
Summery: Laynnei is the Nursey Joy form hell. 
Seishi/Ice Pillar #one of them/Night 5
"Xiphias... Funny you don't look like a fish." Seishi mocked the girl now that her ancestor had become apparent. Oberon rolled her eye's knowing Seishi's the last person who should be making a joke about Purin. "Oh well, your ancestor was a pain in my ass, but I owe him one and the girls in his family were good kids so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
"You owe Syzan one?" The fairy chimed in having always found the inter locking history of the two families to be entertaining.
"Ok I owe him couple, now shut it."
"So then, back on topic... What are we going to do about these pillars?"
Seishi let out a heavy sigh, "Damn good question. I already hit it with my best shot, several times. I put a pretty big crack in it and my daughters up there now trying to make it bigger but it won't be enough."
"Hey not so loud with that daughter stuff, we've still got that pool running." Dren called out reminding Seishi of the bets most the squad placed on how long it would take Harkin to figure it out. For the sake of prolonging the fun they let Seishi and Ayala in on it. "Any I've been thinking. The bombs have been tearing up the ground and there should be tunnels below us. If we can collapse the roads maybe that things will topple over."
"Yeah and crash into the city and all the people below. Plus I think these pillar go below the ground so we'll just be wasting munitions. Damn it why are all the fire mages always insane idiots or homicidal dosh-bags? Anyway I'm open to suggestions."
Polaris/ Hyrule Castle Corridor/ Night 5
Polaris crossed his arms and leaned against the wall as Isaac bared his unclothed chest to fully show the serpentine dragon that wound its way around his torso. Polaris gazed intently as the color returned to his pupils while listening to the pyro accuse him of claiming a faux infirmity. Before he was given opportunity for rebuttal, a verbal slap in the face struck him like a ton of bricks. This man was trying to get under his skin, and was doing a damn fine job of it. Polaris bristled at the accusation, and although he longed to cool the fiery tongue of Kinslayer, his visage remained calm, and when he spoke, his words came with the same measured calculation that he'd been accustomed to when dealing with any of the countless arrogant pricks that he'd crossed paths with over the years.
"Hmph, imitation? Please. Save me the patronization, I didn't choose this. Even if I had, I was none the wiser of Hothnight when I was...changed." Polaris' hand tingled and an overwhelming urge to grasp the hilt of his majestic dagger flushed over him. It would be fitting to end the legend of Kinslayer, to introduce him to deaths final embrace with such a glorious weapon. He longed to bury the blade in the head of the dragon that rested upon Isaacs chest. Yet he hesitated. Not now, things were entirely too interesting to attempt something like that just yet. Besides, the possibilities, oh he imagined all of the possibilities as they swirled through his head, what good would killing the Kinslayer do him? Issac wasn't bothering him. As a matter of fact, the pyro possessed a great deal of usefulness..Polaris' head twitched slightly as he cleared his thoughts, Lynn, Hothnight, where ever the blame lie, the source of his malady had gone too far. Even in his current state, Polaris couldn't digest the thought of befriending the foul man.
Hoping Isaac hadn't noticed his momentary lapse, Polaris tried to cover it up by adjusting the Thunder Rod that was slung across his back, repositioning the head of the staff so that it wasn't pressing on his spine. Once comfortable, he hurried to pick up conversation again, "Your assumption that I imbibed any portion of The Hated, or his soul is unfounded. Lynn, the Sheikah in question, very well may be the source of my blight..."
As the temperature in the castle, and undoubtedly the whole city continued to drop, courtesy of Quells magic, Polaris cocked an eyebrow before adding, "Do not find yourself mistaken though, for I excel in far more than flattery and imitation, there's no need to worry your little head...Nor is there call to consume your time with thoughts of my whereabouts. Fret not upon the how or the why of things, just know that they are so. You could infer that I've begun to branch out in a manner of speaking. A scheme cogitated has been set in motion. For what quagmire more exquisite could there be? Not one, but two manifestations of The Hated to wreak havoc concurrently. This one however, possesses a great deal more resolve than the Sheikah did. 
Kinslayer - Hyrule Castle Corridor - Fifth Night
Plunging temperatures threatened to quell his voracity as the Zora General sermoned unto him in lofty speech but a cold demeanor that bespoke the state of his arctic soul. Taden Hothnight was without a doubt seeking refuge within the aquatic commander, even as he had in the Sheikah huntress. His tone and diction were not wholly Hothnight, but a bastardization of two undead cryomancers who had become enmeshed.
"To think, in his death I'd thought myself rid of Hothnight. I should have known better." He said, glancing back over his shoulder at Whie, who still clutched his simian aspect as he looked on, then back to Polaris. "In all the wars and trials of days gone by, I might have been the most acclaimed Dark votary but for the incessant deaths and revivals of the Hated, Taden Hothnight. An ally at times, an enemy at others. There were other warriors of the dark, or of chaos, but their lives were fleeting, transitory. Their names and impacts were equally limited. Taden, like I myself, transcended time and the fetters of age. A villain who engendered the hatred of all against whom he stood. Infantile in stature, but titanic in reputation. I should have suspected that this most recent death would be no more final than all those that came before."
Polaris was twitchy, overeager even. He wanted to pull that dagger, that oh-so-familiar weapon, the blade that Isaac suspected was the source of the infection. Taden Hothnight, it appeared, had been calculating even in his fall. Still, even that blade was no greater than Kinslayer's glaive. If it came to blows, the growing cold would hamper his effectiveness, but he would make do as ever he had.
"And for the record, I've seen two, three, probably even four Hothnights running rampantly about through the alleys and valleys of Hyrule more than once, so a handful of miserable wretches bearing the tattered remnants of that frigid ghost is sadly unimpressive. I expected little of the Sheikah bitch, and even less from Mr. Crazy back there,"He said, jerking a thumb back toward Whie and the mask that had once belonged to Hothnight, "but to think that a decorated warrior of the Light such as yourself could be so easily possessed and manipulated by a specter... Well it's sad, quite frankly."
Polaris/ Hyrule Castle Corridor/ Night 5
Polaris had held his temper in check up to this point, but Isaac was attacking where he'd already been weakened, the mental plane was a slippery slope for the General at the present. The deep seeded roots of Hothnights consciousness were melded with his own, and he'd begun to switch back and forth between the two regularly. It'd become involuntary, the transferences of power took place quickly and were so fluid that it now occurred almost without him having full knowledge of it. Those on the outside could tell easily by the tone of his voice and even the color of his eyes, for Polaris however, these rotating traits were unbeknownst to him.
After Kinslayers latest volley had Polaris seething, it'd only been a matter of time really, ever since his return to Hyrule, it was as if Polaris had been on a predestined path to this very moment. When he joined up with Kae and Lynn several days back, he did so knowing that a powerful pyrokinetic had ravaged the city. He accepted their invitation to hunt this man and accepted fully the task he knew that would be his. The oddity of it all is not that he'd ran into Isaac, but where the chance meeting had happened. In the corridors of the jewel of the city, the figurehead of the Royal Family's might. Here in the Castle, things were about to get hairy.
"You speak with a finality not befitting the situation, the manipulation of our dear General is a work long in progress. I laid dormant for decades countless, waiting for his armor to betray its *****." Polaris audibly groaned as he fought to bring himself back to the drivers seat of his own will. "I've not yet succumbed to the blight that is Taden Hothnight, nor will I ever! I've had enough talk,"
A crazed look, like a starving man before a full buffet came over his face as Polaris pushed away from the wall and pulled the accursed dagger from the sheath in his boot. Pointing the tip of the blade towards Kinslayer, a menacing scowl came over Polaris' face as a roiling torrent of arctic magicks engulfed the knife from the grip upwards as the blade grew and expanded to it's full length. The edges blurred and the surface of the blades flat twisted and writhed from hilt to tip, like thousands water droplets streaming down a glass. 
With the now hand-and-a-half sword held erect Polaris stepped a few paces towards Kinslayer and away from where Mirra hid unbeknownst to the corridors occupants. "I'll deal with Hothnight later, you happen to be my only concern right now."
Somewhere deep in the depths of Polaris' mind, whatever portion of Taden Hothnight that was present would undoubtedly be overwhelmed with glee, he'd got what he wanted.
Jaden/Castle Rooftops/Evening 5
This confrontation did not concern him, and his presence would only exacerbate what was going on. His destiny led him elsewhere, but he also realized that Elly and Kae were in the castle somewhere. He decided to try to find them. He also conversed with Mirra on the way. 
It was a funny feeling, all of this speaking through the mind. 
"You're right. There's a lot of inner turmoil here, especially with my sister's recent imbuing and the new training I'm undergoing. Those Arcana are a new addition to my repertoire. While my sister was fully immersed in the arts of lunar magic and mysticism, I had innate ability that I dabbled in because of my skill in battle and tactics. Both of us were born under unique lunar phases. Our mystic called Kae and I moonchildren due to our uniqueness, and she was very right. Nora unlocked those abilities by the Pact and the safeguard against what Kae suffers from now. Starmetal pigments in my flesh, representing four Major Arcana that I share some sort of bond with."
Hanging from the shingles and slinking into an open window, Jaden made his way through the corridors and kept an eye open for any Sheikah or signs of the girls.
"The Defiant. The Vigilant. The Subversive One. The Mesmer. All four represent me in one way or another, even if I'm not nearly the mage Kae is or as resilient as my ancestors, there's potential. And in that teleportation, Felis Minor intercepted me in my path through the aether and gave me a quest of sorts. I am to find and commune with the Four to truly unlock that potential. To understand what power the Three have really bestowed upon me as the heir to my people. And finally, I see it as a way to turn the tide in this war. The Twili fight pretty dirty. Even with less numbers they cause this much havoc, steeped in profane powers. We won't take it lying down. Felis Minor is also Kae's advisor in a fashion similar to that of a Faerie...at least from what he implied. She suffers from Celestial Blood Corruption and is seeking a cure for it. With her role in this war growing rapidly she may not be able to do that. So my goal is to end the war the right way so she can have the time she needs to find it. She told Elly, my betrothed in a manner, that she needs the Light Medallion for something. I can only assume it's a catalyst in her cure. But the divine transmogrification is going to banish Kae to the lowest tiers of the Sacred Realm if it fully consumes her; her deeds as a Scion rendered irrelevant in the judgment. I won't let that happen to her!"
Soldiers were wondering how Jaden got through the barrier when they saw him storming through the halls like a man possessed. He simply told them that today was one where no sense should be made of anything. Whatever was to happen was to happen and that everyone should hold fast amidst the frozen chaos ensuing.
"Elly's informed us that spies have somehow infiltrated the castle. She's killed a half-dozen so far today. But heck if we know where she is...and bad news about your sister, sir."
Jaden stopped in his tracks and got in the soldier's face.
"Spit it out, soldier!"
"Lord Phoenix deployed her as the commanding officer of Wave Three. She's outside right now with the 300 men in your clean-up crew. Because chaos befell Meado out there, he needed the best we had available."
"I told him to leave her out of this! How is the Wall of Faith still standing?"
"An old Sheikah woman appeared in the sanctuary and took the ritual over. She transformed into this being so beautiful..."
Jaden cut him off, stepped back, and let loose a roar of anguish, slamming his fist into the wall. Cracks traveled quickly from a small crater he left, and the man took a few steps back out of fright.
"And so someone had to keep it up. She would do something like that...damnit!"
His eyes welled up a bit. After finally understanding why she cared about him so much, their relationship was finally starting to flourish. And now she'd die when the ritual ended. But she'd sacrifice herself for her apprentice. It was the closest bond she could have since she had no children of her own...
But why would Kae agree to this?
It started to fall into place for him. She was full of sorrow and anger, and her temper was something more dangerous than ever now that she was a Scion. Of course she'd go out there. It was a sacrifice that she'd not want to be in vain, and thus she'd pull out all the stops to slaughter every single Twili out there. Plus, she wanted to help big brother. Of course she'd volunteer, even with no experience leading troops. She had Nayru on her side. She could put her hand to anything and if her men would follow, it'd work. Faith was every bit of a motivator as superior military tactics and leadership. 
"Thank you, soldier. At ease... 
He continued his search. Elly wouldn't go out there, at least. He had to find her. Even as much of a man as he was, he needed her. If it weren't for Mirra, he'd probably be dead. So he wanted to find her too, and continue to protect her. He owed her more than he could know.
Mirra Lemeris / Castle Courtyard Corridor / Night 5
Crouched inside the barrel in the room above Polaris and Isaac, Mirra tried to readjust herself as the Light Heart pressed into her back with the Dominion Rod. Then, she heard Polaris's tone beginning to change rapidly, shifting back and forth between himself and this voice called Hothnight with only the briefest interval. Apparently, the same dark influence had taken hold of Lynn, the Sheikah whom Mirra and Rukh had met earlier. Her atrocities at the Arbiter's Grounds began to make sense.
Mirra's fingers clenched around the Sun Shard as she heard Polaris draw his sword. She had to act before the Hothnight demon forced him to kill once again, but she did not want to reveal herself to the pyromancer Isaac Kinslayer. Without Rukh to protect her, Mirra was frightened of his power, and without an innocent life in need of her protection, that fear was hard to overcome.
As she hesitated, she felt the thoughts of Laynnei and Jaden enter her mind simultaneously. Laynnei agreed to tend to the injured in the infirmary, and entrusted Mirra to resist the evil infecting Polaris herself. "I begin to understand why you call this an epidemic, Laynnei," Mirra replied. "It was only a few hours ago, when the sun was going down, that I encountered a Sheikah assassin likewise infected with this ice lich, Agent Lynn Annei." With the stakes this high, Mirra could not afford to cower in a barrel.
Jaden informed her of the mission that was slowly becoming clear to him, and in the light of his intentions Mirra could sense an unshakeable devotion to his sister. "Jaden, the fate of this war may hinge in great part on the intertwined destiny of you and your sister. As a servant of the Sacred Realm and an enemy of the Twilight, I will do my best to ensure that the sacred missions of the Bryseis family are fulfilled." Feeling Jaden's readiness to sacrifice everything for his sister, Mirra's own heistance slowly began to fade.
But unbeknownst to Mirra, the barrel in which she hid was one of several casks of lantern oil stored at the bottom of the Castle's eastern belltower. Far above her head, a mighty bronze bell hung suspended, a long, thick rope hanging down from its clapper to the barrels where Mirra sat several stories below. As she struggled with fear and strained to listen, she did not notice the oil splashing against her crouched legs, from ankle to thigh. As she scooted closer to the grating that allowed her to eavesdrop on Polaris below, she displaced a puddle of oil sloshing at the bottom of her barrel, and it began to leak across the tiles in the floor, through the grating, along the ceiling, only to drip drop by drop onto Isaac Kinslayer's head.
Rukh / Upper Zora's River / Night 5
Ducking and diving through the cavernous waterways of Zora's River, Rukh had finally arrived at the northern bend in the river where the current split into a small estuary leading southwest to the Castle. It was along this path that Rukh saw the ice flowing, and he began to feel the presence of the Dominion Rod as he entered the cave. This must be the route that Lynn Annei took, to the Castle, he reasoned. Small torches lit either side of the frozen cave at wide intervals, their embers faded to a low gleam in the cavern's frigid air.
Soon, he would be reunited with Mirra, and learn what she had found in Castle Town. As he came out the other side of the southward stream's cavern, he beheld the towering might of the Castle encased in a brilliant prism of sapphire. He sent a fervent message to Mirra as the Dominion Rod's aura drew nigh. 'Courage, Mirra!'
And then, before he could think, a thunderous explosion rocked the earth and a ball of fire shot up from the Castle's center, right where he had sensed the Dominion Rod a moment before. Suddenly, the signature of the Rod went dark. And Rukh's heart began to burn.
Mirra Lemeris / Castle Courtyard Corridor / Night 5
Like a bolt of lightning, words of encouragement shot through Mirra's mind from her companion raptor, drawing ever closer. 'Courage, Mirra!' With a renewed sense of resolve, she pushed herself out of the oil with a jump and landed looking down into the grating. But when she leapt into the air, the barrel was knocked back to the wall, and an iron lantern hanging from a hook was knocked to the floor with a small spray of sparks. As she lifted the grating from its hinges, a wave of heat suddenly blasted into her back and thrust her forward, tumbling headfirst through the opening.
With her oiled legs still in the belltower's storage closet and her torso hanging through the grating below, Mirra's eyes met Polaris's for a midair moment before their entire world was consumed in fire. An explosion ripped through the masonry of their secluded corridor, and the base of Mirra's spine was smashed directly into the stone rim of the hole through which she hung before the entire structure collapsed around her and swept up in the ball of flame. All four occupants of the hall were thrown to the Courtyard amidst a blast of rubble, all while the eastern bell tolled in a pool of flame, the fires leaping up its clapper rope with the avarice of the inferno. The Dominion Rod, Light Heart, and Sun Shard flew from Mirra's person, and the shapeshifting blade in Polaris's hand was thrown aloft, reverting to its normal form once his grip had released.
The oncoming explosion ripped towards the fountain in the center of the Courtyard, carrying the Light Heart and Taden's Dagger with it. The explosion obliterated the mound of ice that had formed over the fountain, incinerating it into a plume of steam that scraped into the sky before the bewitched air froze it again. At the top of the spire, sealed within its peak, lay the Light Heart, that Hated Dagger plunged into its open crack up to the hilt. The holy luster of gold that had so lightened Mirra's soul now converted into an ominous shade of vile, luminous black. The iron lantern that had caused the explosion lay shattered inside the spire, just below the blackened Heart.
The explosion drove the Dominion Rod up to its head in the far wall, and Mirra was buried under a pile of rubble on the near side of the yard. Her spine was crushed by the collision with the collapsing wall, her legs scorched to the bone by the explosion's searing heat. Losing consciousness quickly, she reached out one blackened, bleeding hand to Polaris, who lay prostrate in the frozen grass just beyond her reach. With her last ounce of strength, she cried out to him with her mind in a telepathic gasp."Polaris...please...," her mind began to fade, "...Rukh." She fell unconscious before he could come to, lying stunned next to the pyromancer Kinslayer, who lay stunned across from him as well, his dingy hair on fire.
Her hand fell limp, mere inches from the Sun Shard whose touch could revive her. Everything went dark as the burning pain in her legs became numb and far away. The flaming bell rocked in its tower, equal in height to the dark spire of ice that had shot up next to it, as if to challenge the brazen wrath of its infernal peal with the black silence of its own arctic pall.
Rukh / Northern Hyrule Field / Night 5
Rukh flew to the top of the blue prism encasing the Castle as fast as his wings could fly. The sudden loss of the Dominion Rod's aura nearly threw him into a frenzy. He landed on the tip of the towering barrier, where its gossamer panels met in a delicate point, and howled his avian war cry into the night. The howl clashed with the echoing thunder of the bells burning below.
To his great relief, he saw two men floating above the Castle fray, nearly close enough to the barrier's ceiling to reach up and touch it. Leaping down from the prism's peak, he spread his wings to stop himself at eye-level with the two men, and felt the unmistakeable ki of a familiar Oni on the inside of the wall that currently blocked him from his Mirra.
"Commander Phoenix!" Rukh cried, recognizing his ancient compatriot at once, "Truly it is an act of providence that we meet again here! My charge and I have pursued a Sheikah defector called Lynn Annei to this point, and I believe she has caused this untimely freeze. Did you order this Wall of Faith erected? I beg you, grant me passage through its barrier at once. I believe that Mirra Lemeris, my charge and the bearer of the Dominion Rod for this Age, is in danger within its walls." Rukh's metallic eyes flashed in the firelight as he met the wizened officer's gaze. Then, in a fit he flung himself against the barrier and slashed at it with his claws. "Please, Phoenix! I know she's down there!" he pled, panic and rage beginning to take hold.
== I Ain't Afraid Of No Ghost ==
Taden's Ghost / Hyrule Castle Courtyard / Night 5
The spire of ice containing the Dagger, and its newfound Heart and Lantern, loomed large over the devastated Courtyard, defying the belltower that burned beside it. Its wild flames were kept at bay by the arctic aura that flowed from the ice.
With the hilt of the Hated Dagger still protruding from the Dead Heart, it began to rotate within the ice until it pointed down towards the Phantom Lantern, its glass bulb shattered in the blast. From inside the spire, a thin crack began to spread along its vertical axis, seeping from the Dagger's hilt down to the shattered Lantern's handle. Then, the Dagger began to press upward, moving the Dead Heart through the ice, and taking the Lantern with it. Just before it reached the tip, the cracks flashed into a thousand fractures and the spire burst into shards of jagged, crystalline ice that flew into the air and then froze, perfectly still around the Hated Relic in a suspended glacial maelstrom.
A low, guttural laugh began to echo through the Courtyard, glancing off the frosted walls and piercing the minds of the wounded warriors, pricking them into consciousness from their stupefied slumber. "Ah...ha...ha...."
The chortle gasped and wheezed like someone woken from a dream as the Hated Relic floated higher, raising the Dead Heart and Lantern with it. The shards of ice suspended in the air fell into a steady orbit that revolved slowly around the Dagger, and followed it into the air. When the Dagger reached the precipice of the Wall of Faith from below, it came to a stop, and cast its nullifying pallor of darkness against that cerulean shield. The darkness began to spread, like a cloud of mist expanding and slowly taking shape.
A hand protruded from the fog of darkness, the bones of thin fingers vaguely visible under a layer of gray, ethereal skin. From beyond the Wall of Faith, an avian warmachine looked on in horror as the cloud of darkness took form. The dead hand slowly drew the Hated Dagger out of the black orb that held it, and the iron bird's eyes flew wide as the blade was held aloft and illuminated by the Wall of Faith. "The Maskmaker's Knife!" it barked, letting forth an ear-splitting raptor's screech. As the metal raptor protested, the dark laughter grew louder, more fierce. The blade of the Dagger glistened in the cold, nocturnal light. "AH...HA...HA..."
"It cannot be!" cried the raptor, its screeching muffled by the Wall of Faith. "It was meant to be sealed away, for all of time, by the--"
That gray hand then stabbed the Dagger deep into the black orb of the Dead Heart, and a brilliant flash of light burst from its center within the Wall of Faith. The light flooded the raptor's eyes, and he was instantly frozen in necromantic ice, his enchanted wings no longer able to hold his iron girth aloft. Without a word, the raptor dropped onto the surface of the barrier, then slowly began to sink down its slope with a grinding, metal scream. When it reached the edge of the Wall of Faith, it rocked for a moment at its prismatic equator, then toppled. The avian automaton plummeted to the ground with a crash, landing in the frozen folds of the stream on the north of the Castle. It was petrified in ice, its eyes and beak still open wide in a horrified, and horrifying, scream.
When the light of the arctic blast had cleared, the Dagger could be seen suspended inside the Dead Heart, an orb of crystal now containing a swirling blur of wind and darkness, not warmth and sun. And the gray hand held the Lantern out to the side, while a second limb began to fade into view alongside it, followed by a torso, two legs, and a face, all coming into view only as the Lantern's light touched them. The face was made of the same gray, ethereal flesh as the hands, and the eyelids were coated with a black rot, as if they had sunken into decay after centuries in the grave. When the black sockets opened, their eyes were white and without pupil.
"AH! HA! HA!"
The ghost flew down from the peak of the Wall of Faith, carrying the Hated Dagger in its Dead Heart and the Phantom Lantern in its fist. It flew past the men who had floated in the air beneath it, flew past the pyromancer and Zora warrior who lay unconscious on the ice, and flew past the green-haired woman who lay defeated in the pile of rubble below. It came to a halt over the body of a young man with tattered leather clothes who lay with his face down in the ice.
"You...," it whispered, its voice an icy hiss. Lifting up the Lantern, a chill light sprang to life where its shattered bulb had once been fastened, and its cold ray fell on the Hylian weakling like a moonbeam. The Phantom Lantern bent the young man's shadow at a downward angle, and as its victim tried to lift his head, a twist of the Lantern brought his shadow and his face back down into the frozen mud with a thud. The ghost whipped the Lantern through the air, and the bewildered boy was lifted off of the ground by his shadow, then slammed into the adjacent wall with another flick of the evil lamp. The ghost fixed its white eyes on the boy's pained expression.
"You have...a mask," it said. The man was awake now, and breathing raggedly.
"Tell me...," the hiss continued, "Do you believe in...Power? Will you...give me...the mask?" With a roll of its head around its shoulders, the ghost swung the Phantom Lantern around to the far wall, and the helpless man was flung by his own shadow across the Courtyard into it. His gut collided with a marble rod embossed with precious emerald stones, and when he fell to the ground below, the emerald rod fell with him, buried under a small heap of bricks.
The ghost glided across the Courtyard smoothly and raised its Lantern again. He slammed it downward, and the man's gaunt face was pummeled into the rimeladen ground. "Tell me...," it said, "Do you have...a choice?"
Isaac Kinslayer - Ruined Courtyard - Fifth Night
Distorted senses began to return to him in the wake of the tumult. His vision swam, his ears ran, and the top of his head felt unusually hot. It wasn't painful, just peculiar. Still, the explosion and ensuing destruction was enough to force his focus, enough to demand his attention.
Already bare from the waist up, Isaac Kinslayer began to realize as he rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself up to his hands and knees that his pants were seared and tattered. His muscles ached, fought to respond at all as the bitter cold gripped him in his vulnerable state. Still, he refused to be cast down in such a manner, refused to relent. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to rise.
Standing once more, and counting it a victory that it was so at all, he brushed himself off. The Brand still burned a dull reddish black upon his taut flesh as he looked about. The entire side of the castle had been devastated by the blast, and the remnants of its ruination had been cast into the courtyard below. Rubble, bits of rock and wood and iron, lay strewn about the once immaculately groomed gardens. Still, it was not this result that most drew his eyes. It was the great arctic spire and the evil spawned thence, that gave him pause. Though the figure was decayed and dark, withered and immaterial, it bore a familiarity that struck him as if he'd been struck a blow. That lupine mane, that frigid gaze, all bespoke the creature that once more, against all odds, stood in their presence.
"Hothnight." 
The Hated, scourge of Hyrule even as he had been, dark and chaotic warrior without peer. How could it be so? It was clear enough to him that this Taden Hothnight was a specter, a shade whose strength came across the great divide, reaching through the barrier between life and what lay beyond its end. The items that it wielded anchored its essence, but the how was so much less important now.
As Isaac Kinslayer approached the place where Hothnight abused the bearer of his primate façade he realized why his head had felt such a strange sensation prior to his rise. Somewhere during the course of the events leading up to the explosion, oil of some manner had dripped into his raised and pointed hair, and the ensuing blast had brought that fuel alight. An amusing coincedence, and exactly what he required in the wake of such trauma. In the shock of the explosion and its aftermath, and in light of the plunging temperature, he was not sure he would have been able to summon the strength he might otherwise have clung to. Now, however, he was provided a spark. Miniscule though it may have been, it was all that he would require. From that singular, minute flame that danced between his locks, he would multiply it to far greater heights.
No longer caring for the internal turmoil of the Zora General, no longer interested in the lunacies of the depraved lightning caster, his gaze was focused upon the ethereal form of the Hated. He held aloft his right hand, and the flames atop his brow leaped into his palm. He held out his left hand, and from whence it had fallen the glaive returned to his grasp. Girded in flames and fearlessness, he approached.
"Is it fate or foolishness that has brought you hence, Taden Hothnight? Brazen as ever you might be, but you lack the strength and stature of days past." He called into the teeth of the bitter cold, his sheer audacity bringing alight the Brand, which had all but gone dormant. The heat from the tiny, dancing flame in his hand began to grow, and the flame itself followed suit. Isaac's gaze, seemingly a constant expression of dark mirth, showed no humor now as it sought the cold eyes of the Hated. The fires that raged high atop the bell tower began to creep down its sides like unto metal pulled by a magnet, drawing ever nearer the infernal Isaac Kinslayer. "I'd not thought to see you again, save for these pale imitations, these sad echoes.
"Perhaps it is a fortune that you've now come, and certainly I should not be surprised at such an event, given your history. These pitiful imitators could use an image of the idol after whom they model themselves, if only to bring to their eyes the truth of how far short they've fallen."
Senshi/Roof/Night 5
Senshi briefly gazed out pasted the wall of faith to see the battle was still waging on with little sign of slowing down. He turned his attention back to Phoenix who show no chance of backing down. With no other option Senshi drew his flaming sword, preparing for a fight he knew he couldn't win.
"You know you can't win this Sen, give up before you make me do something I'll regret." Phoenix drew his blade and charged it with his demonic power.
"I never said I had to win." Just before the two made there opening strike a strange creature called down from above the barrier.
"Commander Phoenix! Truly it is an act of providence that we meet again here! My charge and I have pursued a Sheikah defector called Lynn Annei to this point, and I believe she has caused this untimely freeze. Did you order this Wall of Faith erected? I beg you, grant me passage through its barrier at once. I believe that Mirra Lemeris, my charge and the bearer of the Dominion Rod for this Age, is in danger within its walls." The beast called out apparently knowing Phoenix from some timed passed, though Senshi had no idea who or what it was. "Please, Phoenix! I know she's down there!"
"I'm sorry Rukh but I have no control over this barrier, but I'll-" the Oni's was cut off by suddenly agitated Senshi.
"You found Annei? Where, when, where is she know!?" he barked anxious to deal with her once and for all.
"Lynn is not important right now. I need you to go find Mirra and help her. Do that and I'll leave you to play your games."
"Not important!? She's all that matters right now. Besides who don't know who this Lemeris is and I don't care. Besides what makes you think I need your damn blessing?"
"You're trapped in here and injured. You can't beat me in a fight when your at your best. The only reason I haven't taken those coins from you yet is because I didn't want to hurt you."
"Trapped my ass, we both know I can escape when ever I want to."
"Oh, they why haven't you yet." Phoenix questioned in a belittling manner. He'd had long ago realized Senshi had something forcing him to stick around at the castle. Otherwise he would have use the Ocarina of Time to leave the second he stole the Star Coin. 
"I had my reason and they no longer matter. Now I'll ask again, where the hell is Annei!"
Before the avian monstrosity could give a response a pillar of ice agree and froze the beast just after he muttered something about a knife. A second later a wraith darted past the two the ground below causing the Scythe of Shadow to form of its on volition in front of its on owner. 
The ice display and the scythe's familiar warring was more then enough for both of them to figure out what just happened, though neither could believe it. "That's impossible? How could that be..."
"He split must of split again. You were barely walking last time so it's no surprise you don't remember." Phoenix paused as he noticed Senshi's brief confusion turn back into a focused anger. He knew he'd have to take control quickly if he wasn't going to prevent a complete disaster. "Senshi, where's the Storm Coin. All things considered I can't help but think you have it."
"Give me some credit," he said as he walked to the edge of the roof barely paying attention to Phoenix. "I took care of that the second Annei was possessed."
"For some reason that fact that your being vague is actually reassuring. Ok now look I need you to-" Senshi jumped down before the Oni could finish he's sentence. "Son of a..." he cursed quickly following after.
Senshi landed hard on the ground below having only using his scythe to slow his descent at the last minute. His hood and clock fell back forward as he landed once again obscure his appearance and hiding the fact that he had removed his necklace mid fall. He dropped his mental barrier back down to its normal levels allowing his to quickly scan the minds of everyone present. Polaris condition became quickly apparent and confirmed Phoenix early claim simultaneously crushing any hope that Lynn was free from her affliction. Hothnight's ghost seemed preoccupied with the monkey who was now clearly someone where the ice mage's old mask however Senshi wasn't inclined to simply remain a spectator. After spending the past to days working to save his newest incarnation he finally had one he could kill, and he was damn well gonna enjoy it. "Well another Hothnight, and Kinslayer too. Alls we're missing is a Spark Wizard and Chiaria and it would just like old times."
"You we're a child in the 'old times,'" Phoenix said and he slammed down in font of Shinigami. "Now go help Mirra before I take back that gauntlets you stole as well."
"I can't steal a family heirloom and I've earned this fight. Do you really think I'm going to go play search and rescue while steal this from me?"
"You know, I remember a time when you wanted to be a hero. I also remember you falling off that path because your priorities were screwed up. Now Go!"
Shinigami begrudgingly agreed and hurry over to the trapped priestess. The Golden Gauntlets made short work of the debris that had landed on her but she was still badly injured and unconscious. Lacking any proper healing magic and knowing his mother, while near by, was preoccupied he realized his options for actually helping the women were minimal. "Death, can the scythe be used to preform any other forms of necromancy besides basic corpse animating?"
"Few of my hosts have used it for necromancy at all so it's hard to say what it can do in that regard, but in theory its only limited by the creativity of its owner."
"Well, lets just hope this works than. Assuming it doesn't kill me." The blade's purple aura began to spread slowly oozing its way over all of Senshi's body. The self inflicted miasma began sucking away at Shinigami's life force until it had taken as much as the Shadow Knights skill would allow. The Violet-Black smoke slid off Sen's body as he fell to one knee and slowly spread over Mirra's unconscious form. The essence it had taken from Shinigami began seeping into the woman's wounds healing her in what small ways it could.
Polaris/ Castle Courtyard/ Night 5
What the hell had just happened was still somewhat of a mystery to him. Kinslayer, hadn't caused it and neither had he. He'd heard Mirra's screams as he tumbled through the air, end over end and smashed into the ground with a resounding thump. Rolling to a stop some ways away from where Mirra herself had landed. A small shard of some orange-ish metal fell clinking from her hand. It was mere inches from her reach.
That wasn't the worst of it! He'd lost his dagger, where, oh were could the glorious weapon had gone?!? With some measure of hesitance, Polaris heaved himself up and to his feet. He was frantic, eyes glazed and with a crazed look upon his face he ran one way and then the other desperately searching for his blade, it was not to be found anywhere...
"Why!!!!!!!
He cried out to the heavens in mourning of the loss of such a magnificent weapon, one that'd been with him through thick and thin, one that'd survived countless centuries and countless battle. It had never failed him. Not once, and now, he had failed it. He was distraught...until, as if some other instinct, foreign to him, called his gaze to the heavens above once more, and to his astonishment, there outside the Wall of Faith, flapping his wings and begging entrance, was Rukh, Mirra's magnificent mechanized War-bird, how Polaris knew whom or what it was, he didn't know, but assumed it had something to do with the mental connection the two had made earlier in the evening. All that the beast had said died out on the wind aside of one thing;
"The Maskmaker's Knife!"
Polaris gasped, anger welled up inside of him and he frantically looked from side to side, it could not be! Hothnight, incarnate again? How...where? The question was answered as Polaris peered skyward and beheld a gray mottled specter, holding a cracked orb and...HIS DAGGER! He was ready to launch himself skyward and wrench his beloved blade from the grasp of the ghostly Hothnight. The liquid in the air surrounding him gathered forth to him, coming at his volition. Milliseconds before he was going to launch skyward, a ghastly realization dawned on him..his Silver Dagger...The Maskmakers Knife...they were one and the same, this, this was Hothnights portal to his mind and soul.
Polaris was absolutely appalled to think that he'd so cherished an artifact of such great evil. This wrong, one centuries in existence, must be righted. First things first, he needed to get to Mirra, to save her, most valued of all in this place. As he started to her, Shinigami sprinted towards her and began some ritual, some dark work of which Polaris was not familiar. A purple-ish energy seeped from Senshi onto the body of the limp servant of the Goddesses. Polaris leapt towards them and covered the distance in a few short strides, "Shinigami, it's good to see you." Distracting him as he swept up the Sun Shard, concealing it in his pouch. "I've a long, LONG story for you, but first,"
Still facing Senshi, Polaris picked Mirra up and slung her over his shoulder, "We need to get Ms. Lemeris away from the fighting..." Gazing over at the apparition and Kinslayers companion who, were currently being joined by Isaac himself. "And you can bet your ass a fight is coming." Polaris leapt into the air, leaving a trail of ice and vapor behind, he shot across the gap between himself and Mirras new protector in seconds, "Watch her well. I'll be back." Not waiting for Phoenix to respond, Polaris blasted off again. As he came to the center of the courtyard, his emotions were running rampant, Kinslayer was right, and he hated him for it. Hothnight had duped him, and he hated him for it as well. Senshi, may, or may not, have been trying to harm Mirra, but his magic reeked of death, just as it always did. If his intentions were to injure her, Polaris also hated him for that. Slowly Polaris descended to a few feet above the cobblestone streets, Polaris' black eyes shone with a righteous fury that they'd long been missing, the snow below him swirled up and around him, partially obscuring his lower torso from view to those in the courtyard. As he hovered there, it was his tattoos this time that flashed white, not his eyes, this white however was of divine purpose, pure in intent. Polaris opened his mouth, allowing a deep sonorous boom, so deep and bone shaking that the Thunder Rod could do no better, at the same time, a spine tingling, screeching roar shot forth before Polaris, with outstretched arms and glowing Tattoos, he wretched upwards, and a torrent of cold burst into the air.
This great mass of arctic magics swirled high above the Frigid General as he gently set down upon the cobblestone, landing in a kneeled position, chin resting upon his knee, the General surrounded himself in a dome of impenetrable red ice, inside, the glow of Polaris' tattoos was blinding, the source of this light, was, unbeknownst to Polaris, a little orange colored shard he'd place in his pouch only moments before.
The frosty mass writhed in a serpentine motion, the dance, almost graceful enough to entrance any who gazed upon it, until finally it took shape, a fierce looking dragon, not unlike the one branded upon Kinslayers chest began to take shape. As the majestic beast rolled and banked towards the ground and the glowing red dome, which exploded into a hail of reddish ice, that pelted those in close proximity. Seconds before the beast smashed into him, Polaris leapt into the air and landed atop its back, fixing himself snugly between two of the larger spikes of the dragons neck. As it wheeled back around, it let out another of the screeching roars, and a jet of burning cold, a crimson plume of ice shot into the sky and painted the dome overhead. Projecting his voice high above the din, in a manner that he knew all would hear, yet was unawares as to how he possessed the knowledge to do so, Polaris triumphantly proclaimed, "It's good to be back."
He and the dragon hovered there, it's massive wings flapping and holding the duo aloft. The beast itself, was of a light blue hue, not unlike the hue of Polaris' flesh, except that it did not possess any flesh at all, but steel hard scales that blinked in the skewed sunlight, causing a kaleidoscope of blues and whites to dance across the ground. Darker, almost blackened spikes protruded from the base of it's skull to the tip of the powerful tail that it whipped violently to and fro through frigid air. Corded muscles writhed and flowed over each other with such beauty that one could be fooled into believing them to be only that, a thing of beauty, but their power was immeasurable and the force with which they were to come down, unquestionable. Claws, each as long and sharp as any good longsword spread across each paw, the appendages could easily slice any man to ribbons. All in all it was a fearsome sight. The ferocity redoubled when the grizzled ice magus, the Zora General who was possessed by the demonic lich who at present was in spectral form, yes, when Polaris stood up tall on the back of this mighty frost beast, he drew the Thunder Rod and raised it skyward, before bring it down like the blade of a guillotine id dropped, once Polaris halted it's descent a great cyclone issued forth from it's broad flat head, it went twirling wildly towards Kinslayer and his group. Afterwards, he turned towards Shinigami, "What pray tell, were you doing to Mirra earlier, huh Sen? Surely you're still on the side of Light, yes? The blinders have been removed from my eyes friend...or is it foe?"
IC: Felina - castle town - night 5
"Hmm... this really is problematic. Very few of the current light warriors can match anything you and Ayala can dish out in terms of raw firepower. We're going to need to get creative on this..." Felina spoke as she looked up at the impaled ice creature on the top of the pillar.
Oddly the pillars glow seemed slightly brighter where the beast was touching it. Turning back into her owl form she flew up higher and glanced at the other pillars, using her enhanced vision to take note of similar auras on the other pillars.
"I wonder... do they draw their power seperatly or are they joined..." she whispered to herself as she readied a feather knife and threw it at the top of the pillar, watching the nearby pillars for any reaction. As the blade impacted it simply shattered with no visible changes to any of the other pillars auras.
"Hmph... I'm going to need to go bigger..." she spoke as she pressed her palms together and began slideing outward with each arm. As she did the thick shaft of a quill began to form. Spreading it out she continued forming it until it was the length of a javelin, then capping it off with a blade-like feather tip on one end. 
With her makeshift spear in hand she chucked it at the pillar, only this time it held together well enough lodge in barely half an inch. As it did Felina noticed the aura of the nearby pillars dim slightly.
"Heh, so that is the trick." she laughed to herself as she landed next to Seishi.
"I think I've got a plan. These things are powered by the same magic source, they increase the strength of their defensive aura upon impact, but it comes at the cost of weakening the others. If we launch simultaneous strikes on multiple pillars it should weaken each one enough that at least one of us should be able to cause some decent damage.
"Your men can handle this pillar with their bombs, you said Ayala is already working on another pillar, the two of should be able to fly to other pillars, which leaves us just a man short. I think I saw that sheikah guy Jaden in command of some troops earlier, he should be useful... assuming we can find him." Felina spoke as she rose up again and began scanning around the battlefield. With all the chaos it was very difficult to make out very much.
"Huh... No Jaden, but I think I saw his sister. This might actually be better, she has more fire power than her brother and is an even more devoted lapdog to the kingdom than most shiekah." Felina called out to Seishi as she glanced back down. Suddenly a loud explosion rang out from the direction of the castle.
"What the..." Felina spoke in surprise as she saw a thick smoke cloud gather inside the wall of faith. It looked as if there was an explosion inside the castle. As she strained her eyes to see what was going on she noticed a strangly familiar aura of a figure inside. It was definetly the aura of a spirit, but this one looked strangly familiar. It seemed very much like one of the sketches left in Ryuna Xiphias sketchbook from the age of the second gathering of the Light Warriors. Finally it dawned on her.
"Oh you've got to be kidding. So we've gone from pretenders to the real thing... I can't tell Seishi right now or he'll go running off for revenge." Felina thought to herself as she quickly landed. With the explosion it would be difficult to lie to Seishi, but he hopefully wouldn't notice Taden's spirit unless he was much closer to the castle.
"It looks like somebody has successfully attacked the inside of the castle so we don't have any time to waste. We need to bring down these pillars now! You go tell Ayala the plan and I'll handle Kae." Felina spoke with a strong sense of purpose and urgency. Turning to Seishi's men, "When we're all in position we'll launch some manner of signal into the air, most of us can use some level of magic so just look for something bright to shoot up in the air. When you see the 4th signal go up that will be the time to set those bombs and hit these pillars with everything we got."
With a simple nod she took back to the air and head towards the area near the castle where she saw Kae.
As she came down to land she called out to the scion, "Kae!"
Twilit Giga/Sewers/Night 5
Cold, tired, and hopeless, Giga trudged on. Every muscle in his body ached, and the darkness was ever coaxing him to sleep. But sleep would mean death, and he was not ready to die.
The distant sounds of the golem and that strange man who had abducted him could no longer be heard. He dared not turn around to check, because behind him was nothing but ice and darkness. But in front of him, what little hope he had was materialized by the small hint of light. It called to him, an enemy of the darkness, a vanquisher of the cold.
And so he followed.
Time no longer existed it seemed. What felt like a minute could have been an hour for all he knew, and vice versa. But eventually the light became more prominent. He had no idea where he was in conjunction with the city, or if he was even within the city at all.
When at last he reached the source of the light, he saw it was nothing more than moonlight streaming in through a hole. The hole itself was larger than anything he could hope to have to encounter when he went through. Even if he had still been a giant, this creature would not have proven easy.
He climbed up to the tip of the hole, leaving the dreaded cold behind, but halted before the top after hearing voices. Cautiously, he poked his head up over the top, and immediately recognized the place. It was the fountain, the same fountain the he had been to multiple times today. Only now, it was in ruin.
The next thing he realized was not so positive. He was surrounded by 300 elite Hylian soldiers, all of whom were itching to kill the next Twili he saw. And in the middle of them was the worst one of all, his patriarch, Daurubia.
Senshi/Hyrule Castle/Night 5
Polaris head strait for Senshi once he regained his bearings seemingly out of concern for the women he was healing. Senshi pulled himself back up using his scythe as a crutch. He'd picked up from the others that Polaris was seemingly possessed as well and was not about to be caught off guard. "Shinigami, it's good to see you. "I've a long, LONG story for you, but first we need to get Ms. Lemeris away from the fighting and you can bet your ass a fight is coming."
The Zora took off to unleash an ungodly assault against Kinslayer. The seer awe striking nature of which securing the opinion in those around that the General was in dead on par with many of the dark mages they'd encountered through history. With the construct generated by his show of power on a collision course with Kinslayer Polaris once again turned his attention back to Senshi. "What pray tell, were you doing to Mirra earlier, huh Sen? Surely you're still on the side of Light, yes? The blinders have been removed from my eyes friend...or is it foe?"
Senshi adjusted himself to hid that fact that he was only still able to stand by resting his weight against he weapon. "I was ensure she didn't die. Hopefully I was successful but it will take a moment to be sure. As for my allegiance, when have a ever suggested I was on the side of light. My soul goal since Annei found that damn rag two days ago has been dealing with Hothnight. Any action I take if for that goal, how that effects this war is irrelevant to me. Now I have questions of my own. I'm getting a clear imagine from everyone's mind that you're in the same position as Annei. So it that wraith was was in you, or are you still possessed?"
Summery:
Senshi maintains on his standard faux a-moral tough guy Shinigami persona despite barely being able to stand.
Seishi/Frozen Pillars of Hell/Night 5
"Hell, good a plan as any. Oberon go fill in Ayala, the rest of you get set up."
Seishi started running his way to the next pillar over cutting his way through hordes of Twili and for some reason that only irradiated him a number of undead. In the distance he saw a light sword beam from Ayala who was fortunate enough to had already been in place once Oberon filled her. He started picking up the pace knowing he still had to run a fifth of the way around the town while he pride demand he get there before Felina in the 4th heavy hitter were ready. 
Finally getting into place he once again tapped into his demonic form and enchanted his sword with fire for a bit of an extra punch. He fired a flaming sword beam into the air to signal the others and then waited hoping they'd be ready before he ran out of power.
Taden's Ghost / Castle Courtyard / Night 5
The misty spirit looked down on the stunned peasant at its feet. It lowered the black lantern in its hand over his face. "Listen...," it whispered, "...can you hear it?"
A shirtless pyromancer began stomping through the icy grass of the courtyard, pulling the surrounding fires to him as he approached. The sudden movement of flame created a buildup of heat in the peak of the prismatic prison encasing the Castle. The ghost felt the freezing air in the basin of the Courtyard give way to a narrow cone of heat spiraling down to the fire mage.
"...It is your destiny."
The pyromancer flared the serpentine brand on his torso, and called out to them in low, menacing tones. "These pitiful imitators could use an image of the idol after whom they model themselves, if only to bring to their eyes the truth of how far short they've fallen."
The spirit's long ears perked at the familiar voice, though his dark eyes stayed trained on the dazed thief before him.
"Wherefore fate, folly, and fortune are in common purpose made," the spirit spoke to Kinslayer, slowly, "therefore the Prince of the Ice and the Air casts his shivering shade."
The ghost moved its eyes to glare at Kinslayer without turning its head. Behind the fire mage's back, the Zora commander rose and summoned a dragon as from the molten core of an arctic volcano. But Kinslayer did not look away from the ghost, keeping his back to the waves of wind from the wings of the wintry wyrm.
"An idol am I, Isaac Kinslayer? Aye, an idol I am, and no more. But what matter whether the idolator pray to the idol, or to Him for whom it is made?"
Riding atop the monster, the Zora swung a rod crackling with energy to call a thunderous whirlwind down on them. Taden's Ghost raised its Lantern as the Zora's whirlwind neared Isaac's cone of heat. "For as the ancients used to say, emptiness is form..."
Mirra Lemeris / Castle Courtyard / Night 5
Mirra lay unconscious in a crumpled heap at the feet of the very warriors she had evaded on the rooftops. The cloaked necromancer's dark magic worked its way through her system. The shadow spread like fluid through her veins, but came to a halt before reaching her heart. The last ounce of Mirra's strength went into preserving her own heart, after the feeling in her spine had darkened and her mind began to fade, and with that ounce her heart began to shine a brilliant green.
"ACK!" Mirra convulsed on her back and leaned over on one elbow, hacking black vomit and spittle on the boots of the heavily armored man Polaris had dropped her near.
With supernatural strength, Mirra clawed her way through the frosted dirt, black drool trickling from her lip and coating her neck in its grime. As the Shadow of death drew closer to her heart of Light, her vision began to fade, and the figures around her became ghostly blurs.
Then, strangely, she saw a ball of light begin to glow in the hearts of all in the Courtyard, but as if it had been there all along. She stared through eyes caked with tar at the cold spectre whom Polaris attacked. She saw an orb of mist and shadow hanging in its chest, the Light Heart perverted into an evil carcass of itself. The crack that had been formed when the Sun Shard was stabbed into it still ran across its face.
Mirra dug her nails into the earth and lunged herself towards Polaris. Her veins shone with a sickly green light in time with her struggling heart, glowing brightly in her fingers as she reached out a hand towards the Zora and his draconic mount. Seeing through him with her heightened awareness, her eyes found the Sun Shard glimmering inside his satchel. She called out to him with black tears running down her cheek, before collapsing once again a few feet from the two Hylians.
"Polaris...," she pleaded through blackened teeth, her voice a trembling croak, "...the Sun Shard..."
Then, Mirra's heart stopped, overtaken by the Shadow that was bane to the Light of her soul. But not before her mind sent one last, desperate message to the Light Warriors whom she had come to call her friends, and all those whose hearts were open to the Way of the Light.
"The ghost inside of Polaris's Dagger has used the Light Heart to resurrect itself. When I discovered the Light Heart, its power was sealed by the Shard of Sun that I recovered from it. Polaris, you must give the Sun Shard to Isaac, for he is the only one who can use it to create a Solar Flare that will destroy the ice lich's spectral form. Isaac, once you have stunned the lich, you will only have a short time to drive the Sun Shard into the crack of the Dead Heart, sealing the demon away before it can project itself again. Polaris, once the lich is sealed inside the Dead Heart, you must entomb it in a block of Red Ice, the only substance that can break the lich's hold over the elements. I cannot foresee how the Sun Shard will be recovered from the Red Ice, but this is the only way to stop the lich before he kills again and grows closer to his true strength..."
Mirra's body shook violently, black bile spewing from her lips, then she fell limp. The pale green light shining from her veins grew faint, before finally fading into thin lines of black crisscrossing her skin. The Shadow had pierced her heart. Mirra died.
Rukh / Northern Hyrule Field / Night 5
Outside the Castle, Rukh lay on his side, frozen in a contorted tangle of wings upon the stream that fed into the Castle, also frozen. Then, a pillar of green light blasted from the sky above the Castle, spearing through the apex of the Wall of Faith and into the Courtyard below. A rolling front of the blackest clouds swirled out from the emerald column, and when they passed over Rukh's frozen body his eyes beamed through the frost with a brilliant green of their own.
Mirra Lemeris / Castle Courtyard / Night 5
Mirra's limp body began vibrating in every limb. Her hands shook, her legs rattled; she began to float into the air. Her body rotated onto its back, and the vibrating slowed until she hovered in stillness, her arms outstretched by her sides. Mirra's entire body was scorched, her clothes burned to tattered rags that exposed the charred flesh of her body to the cold air of the night. Her mouth hung open loosely, black bile trickling down her chin and over her ears as she lay out as if presented on a funeral pyre.
Suddenly, a beam of light shone down from the heavens, and Mirra's wasted form was encompassed in its emerald glow. The Dominion Rod sprang from its pile of rubble in a flash and shot under her with lightning speed, lining up horizontally to support her at the shoulderblades, her hands resting on the jewels in the butt and head of the Rod. Then, high above the levitating corpse, from the apex of the great blue prism, a horrible roar boomed down into the Courtyard with all the thunder of a monsoon.
"Rukhurukhu! Rukhurukhu!"
Rukh / Northern Hyrule Field to Castle Courtyard / Night 5
A bolt of lightning splashed down from the sky to strike Rukh's armor where he lay frozen in the stream, and cracks of light flew across the surface of the ice that coated his metallic body. More green lightning struck, feeding into his heart and spreading the cracks of light further. The feathered plates of armor began to glow under the breaking ice. When the ice on his wings began to snap and fracture, he threw them wide into the sky and the cage of frost flew off in shards with a deafening thunderclap from on high. Lightning poured into Rukh's beak directly, and every joint in his armor sprayed streams of green light in all directions while his widespread wings convulsed from the surging blast of raw power.
"Rukhurukhu! Rukhurukhu!"
The clouds of darkness rolling overhead shook with the thunder of Rukh's avian roar. He propelled himself up into the air with a crushing downbeat of his incandescent wings. Emerald lightning shooting into his armor expanded his wings until they spanned the entire length of the storm, two great green flares under the rolling thunderstorm that filled the horizon. He lifted himself into that stormy sky and soared towards the Wall of Faith, then dove upon its peak with a bolt of lightning in his luminous beak.
The Bird of Thunder ripped into the point at the peak of the prism with a savage howl that would be audible for miles.
"Rukhurukhu! Rukhurukhu!"
He tore into the Wall of Faith with talons, beak, and fury. Thunderbolts rained down in droves and pummeled the Wall's blue barrier. When the bolts of lightning were repelled by the barrier's magic, their emerald light turned sapphire and slashed back up into Rukh's plated beak and head. His armored helmet shattered on one side, revealing the right eye of a humanoid face burning red in the barrier's blue light. The face's mouth bit at the air furiously, opening Rukh's beak and clamping it down on the Wall's apex. 
When he ripped his beak from the Wall this time, the corner he bit into flew up in electrified strips of energy that shocked Rukh's face before dissipating in the air. In a blind rage, he tore through the jagged hole he had opened with his talons, and dove down into the Courtyard below. He beat his tremendous lightning wings with all his strength to plow through the torrential winds swirling in and out of the Wall. He found Mirra hovering in the air a few meters off the ground, just high enough for him to stand beneath, and he swooped beneath her and spread his wings out parallel with the line of the Dominion Rod. He gingerly caught her body in his saddle, then flapped himself back above the Courtyard's blasted walls, circling once before flying back out through the hole he had made in the barrier.
The green pillar of light from the heavens drew back up into the thunderous skies, but the hole in the sacred barrier remained as an emerald streak disappeared into the night, headed towards the South.
Taden's Ghost / Castle Courtyard / Night 5
"...And form, emptiness."
Taden's Ghost gathered a cold light into its open hand as it turned to face the pyromancer. It flung the light up to bend the cold air surrounding Kinslayer's cone of heat into a wider column. As the Zora's meager whirlwind met the cone of heat from Kinslayer's magic, Taden's Ghost flushed the cold surrounding it away to turn it into a towering gyre that reached from the Courtyard up to the peak of the blue prism encompassing them. The ghost of the cryomancer folded the Courtyard's cold air in towards the gyre, focusing it into a violent tornado that ripped into the center of the yard and the mound of ice where the fountain had been.
Then, the ghoul turned its whole body towards the pyromancer and flung itself towards him in a lunge. It passed straight through the burning tattoo of the mage's chest, and froze the moisture in his lungs before coming out on the other side. As the ice lich vanished inside the winds of its tornado, tiny needles of ice stabbed through Isaac Kinslayer's esophagus, shooting from his mouth in a plume of powdered frost. A spear of cold shot through his spine where Taden's Ghost had passed through him, stinging his mind with the concentrated numbness of instantaneous hypothermia.
At the exact moment that the ghost entered the windless eye of the cyclone, streams of emerald shot down the seams of the prismatic barrier above it and a hail of lightning poured in from its sapphire apex. The avian warmachine whom the ghost had frozen earlier burst into the Courtyard with a howl, forging his way through the tumultuous winds to retrieve the green-haired Hylian woman. He flew away in a flash, but the storm of heat lightning he had summoned remained over the subzero atmosphere of Hyrule Castle Town. And the hole he had carved in the Castle's barrier remained exposed as well.
Taden's Ghost smirked as it threw both hands into the air, stretching the tornado ever higher until it reached out of the barrier through its newly created hole and merged with the lightning storm thundering above. The ghost laughed maniacally as it floated above the demolished fountain, standing poised in the tornado's motionless eye, a column of stillness unperturbed within the chaos. The rags of its ethereal raiment and the white locks of its hair flowed wildly, though its faintly visible body stood in place. The spectral lich glared through the swirling gusts of his funnelcloud at the Zora in the Courtyard, struggling to keep his massive dragon steady in the raging winds.
"It's not every day that one sees a fish trying to ride a wyrm," the ghost called out over the howling storm, its twisted laughter echoing through a vector of cold, "but I must thank you, whatever you are, for providing me with these favorable winds!"
With that, Taden's Ghost lifted its Lantern, and the young peasant was hoisted into the air. It yanked the Lantern towards itself, and the peasant flew directly into Kinslayer's smoldering brand, knocking the wind out of him in another plume of frost as the two flew into the cyclone. The lich rose into the air and began spiraling up through the gyre, trailing the peasant who had stolen its Relic behind it with the fire mage pinned on top of him.
Its maniacal laughter echoed throughout the Courtyard, and when the ghost rose above the sapphire barrier to overlook the town, its laughter shrieked out across the rooftops like a cold snap. The ice lich flung the peasant and fire mage down on the steep slope of the barrier's exterior, watching with eyes alight as they slid over the southern edge and fell into the streets below. With a wave of its hand, the ghost cleared away the tornado that had carried them thus, and looked out upon the ravaged spires of the town below.
Wasting no time, the ghost flew out past the broken barrier and carved a wide circle around the full expanse of the townscape. Its course tracked the rim of a beautiful cryomantic runescape that had spread throughout the whole town, and when the ghost came to a stop, it was directly over the wide fountain in the center of the pentagram. It raised its Phantom Lantern, filling it with arctic energy, then thrust the Lantern down over the fountain to fire its beam into it. The energy fed into all five pillars, and the ghost smiled as the light of all five intensified just as flares of different colors shot up from a few of them. The walls of light connecting each of the pillars began to crackle with the cold electricity of Twili cryomancy, and infused with the power of Hothnight's Phantom the five pillars shot five beams of cerulean light into the starry expanse of the frigid night air.
Kae/Castle Gates/Early Evening 5
"We're stuck here for the time being it seems. I've got an idea on how to get rid of this, but my power alone may not be enough. I need everyone to channel their faith. If the castle can stay safe because of our appeal to Nayru, she surely can provide us with another piece of salvation."
It was as Kae finished this statement that Felina flew over the beams of freezing light.
"Who might you be? And bless the Three that you can fly. We've got 300 men and a handful of Light Warriors here...and I've got an itch to smite one of those pillars. Any ideas on how we can do this?"
She conjured a few more star shards, making her total six. They began to charge with cosmic energies, hungry for action.
Summary: Kae greets Felina and sees an opportunity to get around whatever is holding her and the others back.
Jaden/Castle Corridor/Evening 5
The castle's very foundation shook as Jaden marched on a warpath to find answers. Little did he know the answers would find him, and he was not going to like them.
"The ghost inside of Polaris's Dagger has used the Light Heart to resurrect itself. When I discovered the Light Heart, its power was sealed by the Shard of Sun that I recovered from it. Polaris, you must give the Sun Shard to Isaac, for he is the only one who can use it to create a Solar Flare that will destroy the ice lich's spectral form. Isaac, once you have stunned the lich, you will only have a short time to drive the Sun Shard into the crack of the Dead Heart, sealing the demon away before it can project itself again. Polaris, once the lich is sealed inside the Dead Heart, you must entomb it in a block of Red Ice, the only substance that can break the lich's hold over the elements. I cannot foresee how the Sun Shard will be recovered from the Red Ice, but this is the only way to stop the lich before he kills again and grows closer to his true strength..."
Mirra sounded weak. And these terms, they didn't make much sense. He must have missed a lot. He wasn't quick enough to get to where the action was, and he beat himself up over it a good bit. Had he only been there, whatever happened may have turned out differently.
"Mirra! What's happened!
And if Polaris was capable of harnessing the power of Red Ice, that would be one surprise he'd have to see. The deaths of his men were also explained. Murder the Twili, and then find a way to stop the lich. It seemed this primordial pest was more trouble than the interlopers were. This war was officially a two-front campaign in his mind as of now.
Jaden saw the hell unfolding shortly after the Thunderbird flew into the skies carrying a withered divine shell.
"Excuse me, but I'd like a short refresher on what just happened. I'm here to assist in any way I can, and Polaris, welcome back. It will be an honor to fight by your side once more. What of Mirra? She sounded weak with that mental broadcast..."
Summary: Jaden arrives way too late to do much of anything to help, but asks for a recap and if there's anything he can do.
Vykos/Castle Town Streets/Night 5
After breaking through the wall, his forces were cut off inside a frostlight barrier. This irked him. But there was something underworld undead would do when at an impasse.
"Soldiers of the damned, at ease! We shall wait this out, and when this bitter chill subsides, we will reveal ourselves while they celebrate the survival of this crisis. Your hunger will be far more motivating then..."
Time passed differently for Vykos. Day and night were foreign concepts in the dead realms. He could sit here for years and it'd only make the imminent carnage all the more enjoyable.
Daurubia/Night 5/Fountain
And the waiting continued. Daurubia had waited for some damnable forcefield to drop earlier, only to get no chance to join the fighting. He had waited for some action, only to have these enemies decide to get diplomatic. And now he was waiting because some shiny light walls had popped up, none of which had even had to attempt to stop penetration.
And to make matters worse, it seems they were going to be taking orders from a bird.
Daurbia spat, "Lady Scion, before we start trusting some half-witted bird-woman, I'm gonna take matters into my own hands."
He started forcing his way through the soldiers, heading in the direction of the nearest light wall, determined to use force to destroy it.
Damn, it's cold.
[b]Twilit Giga/Night 5/Megagolem's hole[/b]
It seemed bird-people were common outside of the mountain. While this one lacked the distinctly human appearance of Horus, it was clear it was no normal owl either. But whatever it was, Daurubia was not taking a liking to whatever plan it might propose.
[i]Matters into his own hands? He can't possibly be that thick, can he?[/i]
But it seemed he was. Daurubia was on a rampage, and had that determined look he got when he would refuse to be wrong. Without thinking, Giga sprang up and out of the hole, sprinting towards his patriarch. [color=red]"Stop! Stop him!"[/color] The soldiers were more surprised than ready when a lone Twili came barraging through them, and none drew swords.
Daurubia payed him no mind though. He bent over and prepared his charge into the wall, unaware of the freeze that would be stricken upon him in a mere seconds. Just as Daurubia was about to make contact, Giga dove in-front of him, taking the force of the blow and being sent into the wall.
[hr]
[b]Daurubia/Night 5/Fountain[/b]
[color=red][hl=black]"What in Din's name was that!"[/color][/hl]
Daurubia took a step back to see what had struck him, prepared to smash whatever had stopped his charge. But when he looked down, he saw nothing but a humanoid shaped block of ice. Understanding came slowly, but it came all the same. He outstretched his hand to feel the intense cold of being near the wall, then reached down to pull the block of ice away.
[color=red][hl=black]"Who, what? Which one of you did this? Please, I must know his name,"[/color][/hl] he demanded of the soldiers. But their faces were blank, each one staring on with curiosity and confusion. One of them stepped forward, "Sir, I-I don't know how to say this. That was no Hylian, sir, that was a Twili."
[color=red][hl=black]"A Twili? But...why?"[/color][/hl] No one answered. No one knew.
Daurubia bent down to further inspect the ice. Yes, he could see it now, a distinctive black beneath the blue. Or was it brown? Or tan? [i]Wait, what the hell is happening?[/i]
Before his eyes, the shape in the block of ice slowly went from a black to a much lighter brown. As this was happening, the ice began to crack, slowly at first, but then more rapidly. The speed and pitch of each crack began to rise as the now completely tan shape inside began to grow.
Suddenly, the ice shattered into a hundred pieces, leaving a panting goron in its place. [i]I know that face,[/i] Daurubia thought. Though the last time he had seen it, it had been much larger.
[hr]
[b]Smaller Giga/Night 5/Fountain[/b]
[color=red][hl=black]"Giga? Is...is it really you?"[/color][/hl] Giga nodded his answer, still to weary to speak. [color=red][hl=black]"But...how?[/color][/hl]
Giga tried to speak. [color=red]"My...it's my f-f-f."[/color] His lungs felt so cold. [color=red]"It's my fault. But...I can't explain right now. Please, just...just get me a hammer. I think...think we should listen to what this bird has to say."[/color]
Isaac Kinslayer - Hyrule Castle Town - Fifth Night
The spectral flash freeze brought on as the ghost passed through his body numbed body and mind alike. He was less than coherent as Taden Hothnight, the spirit of the Hated, utilized his arcane abilities to hurl Isaac Kinslayer and Whie into a tornado, out through the previously impenetrable Wall of Faith, and out into the city. His body was petrified in ice from the inside out in the initial assault, and had he been a normal man he might have succumbed to the likely warmer embrace of death. Isaac Kinslayer, however, was far from normal. Amid the ice coated rubble he lay, seemingly preserved in arctic death but for the gleaming mark upon his chest.
The Brand, its inimical heat temporarily tempered by the sudden cold, came alive once more, coursing hot flame through his veins. The rime that coated his flesh melted and turned to steam, rising off of him in a cloud of vapor as he was brought to consciousness once more.
The Brand, glowing dully as his eyeballs unfroze and his senses returned, burst alight all the more intensely as his returning awareness turned to incalculable rage. He knew Taden Hothnight, knew him for who he truly was, and he'd allowed such a blow to be struck. He'd left himself so susceptible because it had been so long that he'd nearly forgotten.
That would not be the case again. His connection with the heat and flames from the bell tower hadn't been broken entirely. Jaw clenched and eyes burning with murderous intent, he looked to the breach in the Wall of Faith, the hole through which he'd been thrust, and pulled the heat through it. To those who looked on it would seem as though a distortion in the air went rushing through. Taden was separated from him by pillars of ice, he could do naught to stop him from taking into himself all that heat and flame. It funneled down upon him, absorbing into the head of the serpent marked upon his flesh. Feeling the fires, smoke, and heat rush into his flesh, he rose up into the air, higher and higher, until he stood adjacent to Taden Hothnight, which one frigid pillar standing between them.
There was only one course of action, to his mind. Thus, he opened his mind and projected his message to the Light Warriors.
"Whosoever plots to destroy these pillars, you'll have my strength lended to yours for the endeavor. The woman, Mirra, has a plan. Give me the Sun Shard, destroy this pillar, and then get the hell out of my way."
Polaris/ Castle Courtyard/ Night 5
Senshi arrogant as ever, was propping himself up with his scythe, presumably it was his only means of remaining upright, but Shinigami hid his pain well and Polaris wouldn't be troubling himself to ask a question that'd be batted away without a second thought. Gazing down on him from above, Polaris answered Shinigami's query, "Ah, indifferent as ever I see. Annei needs a savior, but that doesn't mean she wants one, she'll need to be forced to comply. As for myself? Well, up until the explosion yes, that was what my problem was, apparently I've been under that bastards influence at least subtly for centuries. Ever since I picked up that dagger...my Silver Dagger, also known as The Maskmakers Knife. Hothnight inserted a portion of his soul in that blade the last time he died. Used it as a phylactery of sorts."
"The ghost inside of Polaris's Dagger has used the Light Heart to resurrect itself. When I discovered the Light Heart, its power was sealed by the Shard of Sun that I recovered from it. Polaris, you must give the Sun Shard to Isaac, for he is the only one who can use it to create a Solar Flare that will destroy the ice lich's spectral form. Isaac, once you have stunned the lich, you will only have a short time to drive the Sun Shard into the crack of the Dead Heart, sealing the demon away before it can project itself again. Polaris, once the lich is sealed inside the Dead Heart, you must entomb it in a block of Red Ice, the only substance that can break the lich's hold over the elements. I cannot foresee how the Sun Shard will be recovered from the Red Ice, but this is the only way to stop the lich before he kills again and grows closer to his true strength..."
Their conversation was cut short with Mirra's mental shout, nodding, Polaris looked again to Senshi, "I am, to put it plainly, myself, fully. For the first time in longer than I care to discuss." To press his point even further, Polaris tapped on the side of his head with his forefinger, "I'm all alone in here. Just me." The spectral Hothnight floated past them, and thanked Polaris for conjuring the cyclone upon which he now rode, along with Whie and Kinslayer, tightening his grip on the Thunder Rod Polaris begrudgingly spoke to his former tormentor, "You're welcome. Use it to go find a nice quiet place to ffff yourself." Each word escaped through clenched teeth. Polaris stared at the ghostly figure as he drifted up away slowly through the hole that Mirra's war bird had rent into the Wall of Faith. Polaris had no other thoughts at the moment, only one goal, he was intent on killing the bastard Hothnight. 
"Excuse me, but I'd like a short refresher on what just happened. I'm here to assist in any way I can, and Polaris, welcome back. It will be an honor to fight by your side once more. What of Mirra? She sounded weak with that mental broadcast..."
Polaris quickly filled Jaden in on the specifics of what'd just happened, and outstretched his hand to his Sheikah compatriot,"Oh, and I almost forgot, it's great to be back. Looks like I've a date with Kinslayer, come along if you wish. Once that hole in the Wall closes, you may not have another opportunity to get out of here until the fighting is done. Lets go kill that bastard. Both of them. Then we'll find your sister."
Polaris' glacial mount reared back on it's haunches and screeched into the night air, calling out it's challenge to any and all in the area, none would master the two of them. The ground rumbled and dust and snow swirled as they leapt from the ground below, Senshi was buffeted by the gale force winds created by the flapping of the beasts massive wings and was forced to cover his face to keep from being blinded by the snow and debris that were blown into it. Their ascent was as if they were shot out of a canon, up and through the opening they rocketed, drawing level with Kinslayer the dragon began to tread air to keep them at eye level. Polaris stood from his resting place between the spikes on the dragons neck and walked the length of the beasts neck, standing on top of the enormous head, Polaris nodded to Isaac, "I guess I'm still just an imitation huh?" He tossed the shard to Isaac, not worried about the chances of him not catching it. "There's the Sun Shard, do your part and I'll be ready on my end. Don't ffff it up okay?"
Senshi/Hyrule Castle/Night 5
"Ah, indifferent as ever I see..." Polaris' comment struck a nerve. If he had been indifferent he wouldn't be trying to help Lynn. He won't be worried about Misha or bothered helping this women. Hell he would have joined the twili from the start if he had been indifferent. He couldn't fault Polaris from thinking as much though. After all he didn't exactly have a warm demeanor.
"Annei needs a savior, but that doesn't mean she wants one, she'll need to be forced to comply. As for myself? Well, up until the explosion yes, that was what my problem was, apparently I've been under that bastards influence at least subtly for centuries. Ever since I picked up that dagger...my Silver Dagger, also known as The Maskmakers Knife. Hothnight inserted a portion of his soul in that blade the last time he died. Used it as a phylactery of sorts." 
"I don't care if she doesn't want one, she doesn't get a choice. She's too stubborn and immature to realize she's ever her head. She can't control Hothnight and her refusal to admit it is making it worse. If things go on like this much longer she'll end up dead and I'm not about to let that happen. On the other hand if it was you I'd give you the choice us letting us help you or ending it quickly. I figure you'd be able to decide rationally. I suppose that's a moot point though."
There conversation was interrupted by a desperate call to arms by the women who he just saved, "The ghost inside of Polaris's Dagger has used the Light Heart to resurrect itself. When I discovered the Light Heart, its power was sealed by the Shard of Sun that I recovered from it. Polaris, you must give the Sun Shard to Isaac, for he is the only one who can use it to create a Solar Flare that will destroy the ice lich's spectral form. Isaac, once you have stunned the lich, you will only have a short time to drive the Sun Shard into the crack of the Dead Heart, sealing the demon away before it can project itself again. Polaris, once the lich is sealed inside the Dead Heart, you must entomb it in a block of Red Ice, the only substance that can break the lich's hold over the elements. I cannot foresee how the Sun Shard will be recovered from the Red Ice, but this is the only way to stop the lich before he kills again and grows closer to his true strength..."
Something wasn't right why was she coming across so weak. Senshi finally turned his attention back to women after Polaris has distracted him to see she was reacting negatively to the shadow magic. Some how it was killing her, but it didn't make sense at all unless she was allergic to Shadow magic like a spirit user would be. He desperately tried to pull the power back out of her but it was to little to late, she was already dieing. "Every time I try to be a hero, something like this..." he spoke quietly to himself.
Polaris seemed to play little mind, instead focusing on the goal the women had put out for them. "I am, to put it plainly, myself, fully. For the first time in longer than I care to discuss. I'm all alone in here. Just me," he tapped on his fair head helping to illustrate his point.
"Than I envy, such a thing is rare for us, but in the mean time I've just about-" He was interrupted by a new player showing up looking for an explanation to the cluster **** what was this current battle. Polaris filled him in but also mention the man's sister. The advantages of being a telepath help Senshi fill in the blanks to find out Kae was this guys little sister. "Hold on a second, you're Bryseis older bother. Oh do you and me need to talk."
Before the conversation could go any further the bird creature smashed thought he barrier in a berserk rage and swooped up the women's corpse. In the middle of the chaos Polaris took off the follow through with the plan she gave with he dieing breathe. Which is when Senshi finally reflect on what was said. Not only we're they going to power up Kinslayer, which was an all around bad idea, but she mentioned Taden's current for was only made possible by Habiki's Light Heart. In other words the golem really had died and the Storm Coin was now missing. He wasn't sure if it was things going to hell with the coin and Kinslayer or regret and self blame over Habiki that was bothering him more but either way he what he had to do was becoming clear.
"To hell with this!" He press on the mark Nabooru had placed on his left shoulder filling him with a burst of spirit power as was half of the sage symbol blacked out. The effect charged him with raw energy that felt like a caffeine high rolled in with an adrenaline rush but he wasn't healed, nor was his life force restored. He knew all to well what the could me from him but one more many failures had kept him from caring. He once again turned to the power of the Wing Light Coin to fly up to the others but was only able to muster up two pairs of wings in his current state. 
Catching up with the others he wrapped the Sun Shard with his Dark Power hoping to keep Kinslayer from using it. "Words can not express how stupid of an idea that is. The last time someone did something like that Livarius reduced the old Castle to a pit of lava." Knowing he'd need what ever power he could muster Senshi dropped the last of his mental barrier giving him full access to a level of psychic and mental potential he really used. He let loose his anti-water in its full fury some how keeping the other powers suppressed by pure force of will.
"You're all damn quick to use the most insane plans, well you forgot to very important things. First, this bastard is weak against light and if someone would go get that Raki kid with the Light Arrow we could end this is three seconds. Second..." he pointed his scythe at The Hated with one good hand, releasing its power and surrounding the wrath in shadow. "...I can command the undead. You should have none better to show up around me with out a body Hothnight. Even if you are strong enough to keep me from controlling you, you had to realize I could at least keep you from moving."
Jaden/Hyrule Castle/Night 5
"Mirra...horrible...can't believe it! We've got to avenge her, and your invitation is one I'd take in a heartbeat. It's good to have you back!"
He looked over at the fellow clad in reaper garb before the man went skyward and thumbed his chin for a moment, looking very morose.
"Probably better that he doesn't quite know me. All of the Light Warriors know a little bit about one another, but I do wonder what Kae has told them about me. Sis has quite a big shadow to hide in, which is perfectly fine."
Jaden joined Polaris and went skyward, seeing the chaotic events unfold. It appeared as an instance where too many chefs were adding things to a recipe and running the risk of spoiling it. There were no tactics here beyond what Polaris had recommended. Even if he didn't like the fact that the catalyst in this plan happened to be the man who nearly killed his sister and was a strong contributing factor to her affliction. 
He was willing to let a short truce occur and then settle the score after disaster had averted. Normally when one is out for revenge he digs two graves. One for the person he's after and one for himself. If Jaden were to let his personal convictions get in his way right now, he realized he'd be digging a grave for all the people of Hyrule. It'd be just what the Primordial Ones would savor, in one sense. He was better than that.
"With no cohesion, this whole thing is going to go to hell! We have to work together!" 
Isaac Kinslayer - Hyrule Castle Town Skies - Fifth Night
Several new additions began to crowd the skies all about, clustering the area with their uselessness, refusing to accede to his demand that he be left to do this alone. Polaris, the Zora General, rode his arctic summon up, drawing level with him. At least he had the good sense to do his part and toss him the Sun Shard, which Isaac caught in his free hand. The Zora spoke words of challenge, but Isaac wasn't really listening. He was considering the prismatic crystal he now held in his hand. Contained therein, gleaming beneath the surface, was all the power of the brilliantly burning sun. How ironic that he was about to harness it in the deep depths of the twilight hours.
"Words can not express how stupid of an idea that is. The last time someone did something like that Livarius reduced the old Castle to a pit of lava." It was Shinigami. Isaac let out an audible sigh as he rode up into the sky upon wings of light and energy.
"You and that General couldn't have just killed each other and saved us all the trouble?" Shinigami was already shouting his challenges and declarations of undying enmity to Hothnight's spirit, who even then was pouring more power into the pentagram of arctic power in which they found themselves ensnared. "Guess not."
He was about to call back out to those on the ground for confirmation that they had a plan in place when all of the sudden a Sheikah roared up into the air to join them. Sun Shard held firmly in his grasp, he let out an exasperated groan. 
"With no cohesion, this whole thing is going to go to hell! We have to work together!"
"Oh what the hell! Can everyone fly? Good Goddess just get the hell out of my skies and let me work!" He shouted, finally getting sick of all of the interruptions. His grip tightening around the Sun Shard, he floated a bit closer to the Sheikah that had just then joined them. He bore a striking resemblance to another Light Warrior with whom Isaac had had a recent dust up. "You're a good soldier. I can read it on your face, the conflict threatening to tear you up inside. You know who I am, and what I can do. More importantly you know what I've done, at least the most recent parts. Here you are, with naught but a desire to move against me, and yet forced to place your trust in a plan that places me at its epicenter. That must really piss you off."
The Brand burned ever brighter as he spoke, glancing over at the Zora, standing atop his icy steed. All of these, the Light Warriors of times present, were really not much concern to him, and this Sheikah least of all. 
"And for the record, Shinigami." He called out, raising the Sun Shard which had been stealthily enshrouded in the necromancer's dark power in an attempt to keep it from the Kinslayer's use. "I am so much more than Livarius could have ever dreamed of."
And in that moment, as the words left his lips and carried off on the howling winds of Hothnight's gale, he turned the sharpest end of the Shard in like a dagger and drove it into his heart, right through the head of the serpentine Brand. His mouth opened in a silent scream, his telepathic energies radiated outward in an invisible field of mental energies that blanketed the area. The Brand, which had burned before upon his flesh with its profane, hellish flames, exploded outward from his flesh in an extirpative corona of brilliant and sinister light and heat that, first bright as the sun, turned a darker cast as the dark magic variable introduced by Shinigami's misguided interference produced results that even the greatest minds of magic wouldn't have conjectured possible. A storm of unholy, dark sunfire raged all about as he joined the power of that corrupted Sun Shard to his corrupted, infernal soul. His glaive of the inferno, a part of his being that imbibed all of the powers that he possessed, mutated and warped into a twisted version of itself and became the Black Sun Glaive.
"Let's get it on." He said at last, his voice reverberating with the sheer weight of the power that surged through him and around him. In mid-air he rotated, ignoring the others all around him now. They were inconsequential.
He raised his arms, held aloft the terrific weapon which he had always carried. They had transcended to another state of being, they were the vessel of the sun's power in the deepest dark of the night. From the point of that weapon, directed against the nearest pillar of enchanted ice, he brought to bare a dazzling, radiant, enormous blast of dark sunfire. As it struck the great frigid spire and erupted, it cast off incredibly potent ultraviolet rays in every direction from the blinding, glaring blast.
All the while, the echoing laughter of Isaac Kinslayer could be heard ringing out from the middle of it all.
Kae/Castle Gates/Night 5
The Scion gritted her teeth when she heard his voice. If it weren't for what transpired yesterday, she wouldn't be in her precarious situation of having to walk such a fine line with her energies. At least when they were powered by consensual prayer, there wasn't as much of a problem. It was in a way, the will of the faithful that kept the castle protected. 
These 300 men and others who chose to lend their support could also contribute to what Kae was about to do. 
She looked up in the air to see what was transpiring. It didn't appear to be good for anyone except Kinslayer...and she could see her brother up there too. She called out to him through her mind.
"I pray for your safety, brother! In turn, pray also for us below and for my contribution to this. I do not like it any more than you. But our vengeance will come in time, Nayru willing."
Crisply, she shouted before beginning to channel a furious amount of cosmic energies.
"There's no time to prepare. It appears I'll have to do this now. Faithful, lend me your prayers. I shall call down a bolt of divine judgment upon this heretical machination!"
Six star shards shot up into the air and flew toward the pillar with utmost haste. When they were in position, they began to fire etching beams to mark the pillar with Runes of Unmaking and Words of Judgment. Three each. Cacaphony. Discord. Entropy. Retribution. Damnation. Purgation. 
Violet-white steaming light wisped around her frame with such intensity that it turned brick and mortar to sparkling celestial glass beneath her feet. As she weaved her hands to include the proper somatic gestures and uttered haunting Power Words, the 300 had their right hands stretched toward Kae, contributing with their faith just as much as those inside were with the Wall's ritual. 
The sky began to open up around the pillar after the Runes and Words were etched. Six shards ascended above it, and they began to focus a coruscating blast directly down upon the Scion's intended target.
"Receive Heaven's punishment!"
A rumbling emanated from the Scion's six sources of power as they channeled this incredibly powerful spell. The most powerful bolt of Moonfire she'd ever unleashed was set forth to free Castle Town from a frigid heresy.
She stood fast while her body was writhing in pain to the point that two of the 300 held up her arms. They were not harmed by her energies, as they were part of her ritual. 
"We're in this just as much as she is! That pillar is falling today!"
Blood began to seep from her eyes, nose, and mouth, and it felt like her head was clamped in a vice. This was a costly rote in and of itself, and she knew it too well. At least with prayer support it hurt far less than if she'd attempted it alone...
Moonfire met ice and detonated, with the wishes of at least three hundred and one behind it.
Summary: Kae realizes there is no time to prepare and sends what she has ready up to blast the pillar. It takes a toll on her for channeling such a large amount of celestial power, but with prayer support it took far less a toll on her body than it would have.
Jaden/Castle Skies/Night 5
His blood boiled when Kinslayer spoke. Primordials had been around a long time. Thought patterns were predictable. And he prayed to the Three for a chance to achieve retribution for what had been done to his sister someday. 
"Damn straight it does. Ends justify the means today. But don't expect me to be this civil next we meet."
What he saw as his sister called to him through her mind shocked him. And he whispered up two quick prayers: one to protect he and Polaris, and one for Kae's ritual.
"Blessed Three, guide her hands!"
A healthy dose of Subversion would shield him from some of this profane radiance, and as with his sister, he shared in more potent abilities under a violet sky. Polaris also would benefit from his aura. It still was going to hurt, however.
It seemed everything was going down at once, because he saw Kae's crystals go to work. And the power of her blast was unlike anything he'd seen her do before. He believed before. It was etched into his mind forever now. And he grabbed onto whatever he could hold onto to keep himself steady through whatever was coming.
== SHIT HAPPENS GM POST ==
IC:
The crack in the Wall of Faith fizzled and sparked as profane swirls of energy tore at the tattered edges. Slowly, as the waning tide, the light of the divine that enshrouded Hyrule Castle began to peel back from the desecration. Inside the Cathedral, there was only panic and abject terror. The power of The Ghost, confined and concentrated by the Wall of Faith, had dropped the temperatures inside the barrier to unbearable levels. Rime ice spread over the stones and bricks of the castle, from it highest peaking rooftop to the depths of it subterranean dungeons. The people were losing their faith. The Goddesses, they professed, had abandoned them.
Priests appealed to the masses, begging they hold strong and pass this test. They offered up loud, vocal prayers to lead the followers, to renew their vigil. The first was caught unprepared, cajoling a group of peasants to resume prayers to the Avatar, the angelic remains of Nora Larisse. A man in this group, old and cynical, had finally had enough of the Goddesses. Reaching aside he took up a candelabra and struck the priest, cracking his skull. The sound broke through the wailing of the women and children. All turned to look at the murderer and victim.
Scowl plastered to his face, the man stood defiant. "What?! They have us trapped in here, to freeze to death! The Goddesses have abandoned us! If they do not stand for us, we must stand for ourselves!"
A murmur spread through the room. The lead clergyman attempted to regain control. "No! No, my children, we are not abandoned, but tested! If we fail now, Hyrule will fall!"
The cynical old man hurled his makeshift weapon at the man, striking him in the face. "If we do nothing, we will die!"
He and others stalked forwards to the clergyman, laying bleeding on the altar. The other men of the cloth moved to stop them. As soon as contact was made between the two groups, an all-out brawl erupted. In minutes, two dozen were dead, most priests. With the loss of all order and faith, the Angel could not longer sustain itself on the plane of reality. The glowing figure faded, falling through the cracks of existence to live among those it had served with its entire life and being. Where it floated stood an intricate statue of purest white marble, a pristine figure of beauty that would inspire faith in all those who believe in the love and power of the Goddesses. Carved upon its cheeks were two tears; one for the child it had raised but never had, the other for the people it had served but could not save.
The raging heretics defaced this beautiful monument, leaving a chipped marble figure in faceless in its place.
The Wall of Faith continued to melt away until the flaring expanse of Dark Sunfire melted away the remains. But in this failing there was hope. Where once had been a Twili frostrune tower there remained only a boiling puddle. Lines of pearlescent aquamarine that had spread through the town disappeared, leaving what was once a pentagramic rune less-so. One fifth of Quell's parting gift to Hyrule Castle Town had been destroyed. As the last of the umbrose sunlight faded away, another source of illumination brightened the darkest of Hyrule's nights. Mere moments after the first tower fell, moonfire exploded against another, with the same result. Lines of magic ceased to be, and a tower was replaced with a steaming puddle.
Amidst the three-hundred, Kae Bryseis bled crystalline blood.
Polaris/ Above Castle Town/ Night 5
The gleam in Isaacs eye was enough to unsettle Polaris to no end. He'd been hesitant to hand over the shard to him, knowing what it could potentially make him capable of, but what transpired with the mixing of magicks was beyond the wildest of wild dreams, black sunfire, hotter than the lava pits beneath Death Mountain, radiant to the point that it was blinding. 
No good could come of this.
When Kinslayer moved to attack the pillar, Polaris did the only thing he could think in an attempt to absorb the brunt of the coming fiery onslaught, he spun and sprinted the length of his frigid mount, landing snugly in place he yanked back on the ice laden reins and the beast screeched excitedly. Opening it's giant maw, the monstrosity unfurled a maelstrom of hoarfrost, the ice and supernova-esque reverberation from Kinslayers blast met in a swirling mid-air torrent, the frozen sizzled and turned to steam as the immense heat blasted through. Before he could make a move to counteract what was to come, Polaris was forced to shield his eyes and merely pull Jaden down into a huddled position with him, within their own mini dome of Red Ice conveniently enough, Polaris managed to place his dome in between Senshi and the incoming heat wave. Shinigami had been out of his reach, so this is the best protection Polaris could provide him. 
He felt Jaden's aura brushing against his own, some sort of magical enhancement, whatever it was, Polaris was thankful. The icy dragon upon which they stood, dissipated into the atmosphere as the heat of the dark solar flare roiled through the night skies. Their spherical safe haven began to plummet towards the Wall of Faith, with milliseconds between them and a bone jarring impact, the sphere exploded outwards and Polaris, still clutching Jaden slowed their descent until they finally, gently touched down on top of the castles protective dome.
Almost immediately Polaris started scanning the air for Isaac and/or Senshi. Kinslayer wasn't hard to spot, and Polaris hoped against hope that he wouldn't be forced to fight him in this current state. The out come may not be all too favorable. As he pondered this and his next move, Polaris was forced to launch both himself and the Sheikah commander back skyward as the Wall of Faith began to crumble and melt beneath him. The castle would soon to be exposed and open to assualt once more.
Lynn Annei/Night 5/Lake Hylia
Lynn plunged beneath the surface of Lake Hylia, stinging at the slap of the water from such great height. Her body sliced into the depths, and she became disoriented. Struggling for a sense of direction in the darkness, she flailed her arms and legs. There was no means of navigation. Seconds passed, and panic tempted her with a struggle for life. She refused to give in, knowing the fallacy of such promises. Her lungs began to burn.
She felt something, and began to worry. It was hard. Had she indeed swum downward and reached the bottom, to drown? It was cold, as well. Cold as ice. She slammed her fists into it, again and again, as the air in her lungs grew more and more stale. Then, miraculously, the ice broke and her hands stretched up into open air. Frantically she pushed her face to the hole she had made, greedily attacking the air with her breath. After recovering enough, she began to widen the hole she had made and pulled herself onto the frozen surface of Lake Hylia.
Only as she lay shivering, but recovering and alive, she finally allowed her mind to wander. What the hell is going on? Why... No, how is Lake Hylia frozen like this?
She looked around her. The ice was spreading across Lake Hylia, fast enough to have noticeable speed. And it spread from the Source, from toward Zora's Domain and the Castle tributary.
"Shit! The Castle! The Twili! If they cut off water supply during a siege... Shit!"
With a renewed sense of urgency, Lynn Annei scrambled over the ice, deigning to walk the length of the tributary straight past the Twili siege into the Castle.
Some Time Later
Lynn gasped. Adrenaline could only do so much, and the climb from the tributary and reservoir to the Castle proper was nearly too much for her ragged body, after all she had been through that day. But, somehow, her Sheikah training and brute obstinance had brought her to rest at the top of the climb, looking at the Castle.
It was far worse than she could have feared or imagined. They had deployed some barrier around the Castle to keep it from harm, but during her climb she had heard an explosion, and flames were clearly burning somewhere near the courtyard, though he defenders seemed to have a handle on it as the light was waning and the flames dying. However, the large ice pillars worried her. They were no doubt the cause of Lake Hylia's, and the tributary's, frozen state.
She ran, with a limping gait, toward the ethereal Wall. When she reached it, it disappeared with a flash of unholy darklight that left a pink burn on her exposed flesh. Blinking and stunned, she stumbled forward. Another flash lit the night as multiple explosions, from raining stars it almost looked, tore into and destroyed one of the icy obelisks.
"KAE!"
Her hoarse voice erupted with strain from her throat as she made her destination and stumbled through a doorway, falling to her knees in the castle's courtyard.
[b][color=yellow][hl=darkblue]Whie Malreaux[/hl][/color]/Night 5/Hyrule Castle Town[/b]
Whie blinked at the sky, wondering about how something could be so bright and so dark at the same time. It was something he felt it best not to dwell on, much like his last day in Ordon...
[b]Three Years Before the War, in Ordon[/b]
Whie scratched his scalp as the first sun's light reached down to caress his sleeping face. He groaned and squinted at the brightness, pulling his hand down to cover his eyes. He began to roll over and almost fell to the ground. Catching himself, barely, he widened his eyes at the ground ten feet below, past the branches of the tree. Right, he had perched himself up here after last night. They had chased him back into the depths of the forest, almost to The Cave.
Even if it wasn't there anymore, he could remember where it should have been.
Whie pulled himself back onto the branch. His hands were still stained with blood. It had been a good night. If he closed his eyes, he could still feel the slowing of the pulse under his fingertips, and see the bulging eyeballs and the reddening face. Almost hear the faint gurgle. A half-smile tugged at the corner of his lip, and he leaned back against the trunk of the tree. That took his count up to twenty-three. But excepting than the three from last night, he could only remember four others. And after tonight, he was sure he would remember only four.
He closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the dawn and the memories of the night. He didn't know how much time had passed, but the sun had fully risen when he woke for the second time. Something had grabbed his foot and he found himself being pulled down. Too late he heard voices as they broke their sneaking silence and let loose a victory cheer. Whie growled, and dipped his thoughts to that part of his mind that had been unlocked in the past three years. There was a soft buzz, and the grip on his ankle was released with a discharge of static. Frazzled, slightly intimidated, his assailants circled around the tree below. Looking down, Whie counted them. There were far more than he expected. It was a lynching mob.
"[color=yellow][hl=darkblue]Bastards![/hl][/color]"
Whie's left hand jerked upward, and a bolt of lightning flung from his hand and burnt a hole down through the shoulder and into the chest of one of the men who was reaching to grab him. The man dropped instantly. [i][color=yellow][hl=darkblue]Twenty-four.[/hl][/color][/i] The rest learned caution, and paused around the base of the tree. Frantically, Whie's gaze turned from one to the other, skimming the circle. He was trapped up there. Even with his tapped potential, he knew he was in trouble. There were too many of them to escape below.
Nearing panic, he tried to climb higher into the top of the tree, to escape the view of the group that had come to kill him. In his frenzy to flee he slipped, and watched with regret as the branch he had been reaching for grew further and further from his outstretched hand. Then his backed slammed into the ground, hard, and he was winded. The mob wasted no time in pressing the advantage. He saw two final things: a shovel careening toward his face, and Leo running toward the group with tears pouring over her cheeks.
He woke in a shed, locked in the darkness, with no frame of time. His arms and legs were bound and tied, and he'd been gagged. His face was swollen and crusted with blood, but still he struggled against the ropes to no avail. He tried to reach into his powers but it was useless effort. A headache thumped in his head and he could not concentrate enough to exert his influence. He couldn't even properly groan in pain. There was no telling how long he laid in that dark shed before the door opened, but no light aside the stars and a single lantern entered with the man, whom Whie recognized as the Mayor.
"You damn freak!" With no further preamble, the Mayor let fly a kick to Whie's ribs, with force enough to lift him from the ground. "You piece of shit!" Another kick, another bruised rib. "After all you've done, she still defends you?! So many of my people! How many were your doing? I should have you killed, here and now!
"Damn piece of shit..." The Mayor seemed to have calmed, this insult was not emphasized with a kick. "You're a lucky little bastard."
And then the Mayor left Whie to wallow in his pain and anger, to attempt his escape with bruised ribs and broken nose. Almost he pulled himself over to prop against the wall, but he fell face-first onto the ground. Stars of pain exploded across his face and he succumbed once more to the darkness. An indeterminate amount of time passed once more.
When he awoke again, his attempts were less energetic. They had not fed him, had not brought him water. His sleep had been pain wracked and full of nightmares. A day passed in that locked shed. Then another. On the third he was sick and weak, parched and dehydrated, when the door finally opened again. Two men wearing white entered. They said nothing Whie could understand, but they removed his gag and brought him water which he sucked down with gusto. They lifted him and carried him to a specially padded carriage.
Whie saw Leo from the corner of his vision as they carried him away. Her eyes bored into him. Her judgmental gaze, he could feel it. He tried, tried so hard, to summon his electricity, to explode and kill them all, but with his limbs tied he could no more do that than ride a horse. It was all over. They were taking him away from Leo, and she hated him.
"[color=yellow][hl=darkblue]You did this to me! It's your fault! Leonora! Leo! Why?! I loved you and you destroyed me! You bitch, you bitch! It's your fault! The Cave![/hl][/color]" His ranting continued until they replaced his gag.
They hefted him into the carriage and threw the monkey mask in after him. No one in Ordon wanted anything left behind to remind them of Whie Malreaux. As the two white clothed men closed the carriage's door he saw Leo for the very last time. She was crying, and turning to run away from the pitiful creature that had once been her friend.
[b]Night 5/Hyrule Castle Town[/b]
It was true. Some things were best never to think of again. Surprised, Whie wiped a tear from his face. He had become lost in that memory. In the expression on Leo's face. It had haunted him all three years in the Saint Saria Home for the Criminally Insane, and it still haunted him now. She had never forgave him. She could never forgive him.
The sound of a series of explosions drew him back to the present. His fingers tightened around his mask. If the ghost wanted it, he'd have a challenge to take it. This mask was [i]his[/i], a symbol of everything he'd been through. And now that it had been unlocked, it was a precious possession even moreso. Gritting his teeth, Whie let his anger and rage focus. [color=yellow]It fed him, and he drank it up.[/color] The clouds, frozen as they were by the immense focus of arctic energies, broiled with a forming storm. Thunder echoed from the heights above from hidden stretches of lightning.
And then, a huge finger of lightning, a discharge the like of which had not been in Hyrule, shattered the very air of Castle Town. It forked into a myriad of thick lines of energy, striking down in a vigorous assault. One tongue licked at the ghostly apparition that threatened Whie; another found its way toward the man on fire; a third barreled down on the ice-dragon, splitting to strike also at the beings on its back; yet a fourth struck with no apparent target yet hit something; the fifth colliding full-bore into the burning belltower, which exploded in a shower of sparks and shrapnel, sending hot metal death flying out into the castle courtyard.
The main beam of lightning, the thickest part of the strike, dropped in a near straight line directly onto Whie, and the power of the impact sent him into the air. This main lightning strike turned into a continuous beam of electrical energy, connecting the cloud cover to the ground, and in the middle of the beam Whie began to hover, floating higher until he matched level with all the others in the air.
Whie spoke, and through the thunder his voice reverberated. "[color=yellow][hl=darkblue]If you want the mask, come and get it![/hl][/color]"
In taunting defiance, he lifted the object of contention and placed it over his face.
Polaris/ Above Castle Town/ Night 5
Mere moments after narrowly escaping the rapidly liquefying Wall of Faith, Polaris once again soared high above the Castle Town of Hyrule, with Jaden situated to his rear, the trio took in the destruction of not one, but two pillars and resulting decimation of the castles protective bubble. Polaris' attention was gained when thunder reverberated throughout the night sky riling his draconian construct, the beast bellowed it's screeching roar challenging the very elements to dare and try to best them. The vociferation however, was cut short and died out somewhere deep within the dragons throat as a crackling bolt of pure electricity struck it directly in it's open mouth, the construct reeled and bucked it's passengers, Polaris went hurtling through the night sky one way, Jaden the other. Jaden, towards the rooftops of a nearby building, Polaris not so fortunate, went spiraling into the abyss of the night. Two more bolts of lightning, undoubtedly aimed for it's former passengers, collided with the dorsal regions of the arctic beast which in turn exploded in a hail of icy shrapnel that threatened to impale all that looked on.
As Jaden slammed into the rooftops, the multitude of boreal spear like shard that trailed him, froze in place, halting inches before him, just as each and every other dragon fragment had before impacting with any object. All the pieces zoomed back together, re-forming the glacial beast. Once whole, the monster folding its' wings in to it's sides and dove into a helical dive, picking up speed as it went, the dragon zipped beneath the fabled Frost General, catching him, just moments before his limp body collided with the unforgiving cobblestone streets.
A measure of disorientation clouded Polaris' vision, but he was able to clearly make out the outlines of Jadens form, coming to his senses atop a nearby building as he and his beast circled the castle and broke into a death sprint towards the source of the lightning attack. Picking up the Sheikah warrior would have to wait, as it was, Polaris was going to match the challenge of the lightning mage, who earlier had seemed no more than an insignificant sidekick to Telmar, that first assumption proved to be deathly wrong. This man possessed immense power.
Polaris cared not for the mask he spoke of. There was only one thing on his mind. Vengeance. A short ways away from the crazed looking Hylian, the beast reared and pulled up, revealing its' glimmering, rime laden underside, and before any attack was made, Polaris called out to him, "If I had a face like that, I'd hide behind a mask as well! Anything is an improvement from such a horrid excuse for a child of the Goddesses. They really broke the mold with you! And for good measure." Polaris followed the verbal assault with a barrage frozen darts, too innumerable to count. As the razor sharp projectiles tore through the night towards their target, Polaris readied himself to parry any counterattack from the lightning mage.
Daurubia/Night 5/Fountain
Daurubia scowled. "You know I never liked flying things Giga. Besides, it seems this Hylian woman has another plan.
"Woman?" Giga replied in the typical goron hatred for females.
"Giga, she's a bloody scion. Listen to her, she wan-"
At that moment, the brightest and darkest flash Daurubia had ever seen flashed across the sky from somewhere over the castle. Daurubia shaded his eyes, but Giga stared on with unceasing awe. "Did...did you see that?
"Whatever it was, it can't be good."
But Giga didn't seem mind it. His gaze never averted from the flash.
"Come on, listen to the scion! She's right, we need faith for this, so stand up and pray dammit!"
[b]Smaller Giga/Night 5/Fountain[/b]
What had Daurubia just said? Something about praying, he thought. But every time he wanted to comeback to the situation, his eyes went back to the solar flash above the castle. It was magical, majestic even. But then more happened.
Suddenly, a bright beam of light struck one of the pillars, destroying it completely. A few happy cheers could be heard from the group of soldiers, but Giga never heard them. He was entranced, lost in a wave of wanting and nostalgia. And when he looked next, the wall of faith from earlier in the day had dissipated into nothing, undoing the mixture of blue and red from the solar flash. Mere moments later, lightning filled the sky above the castle, striking off in various directions.
[color=red]"It's...it's the forge, death mountain, the heat, oh my can you feel the heat?"[/color]
Daurubia came over again, [color=red][hl=black]"Giga, are you bloody insane, it's just as cold as it was five minutes ago."[/color][/hl]
But Giga seemed not to hear him, he was staring unceasingly into the sky at the lights, at the imaginary warmth, at the [i]fire.[/i] 
[color=red]"Daurubia, this is the happiest I've felt all day. I don't know what it is, but, all these things happening, they remind me of the forge. Of Death Mountain crater. Of [i]home.[/i] I need to make a sword."[/color]
[hr]
[b]Daurubia/Night 5/Fountain[/b]
It was poetic almost, he supposed. Giga's undying devotion to his art, that even in these most dire of situations he wanted to forge. But such things would have to wait, when Daurubia looked over at Kae again, he noticed that the spell had obviously weakened her. He rushed over and prepared to catch her if she fell.
[color=red][hl=black]"Lady Scion, you look ill and..."[/color][/hl]
He stopped suddenly after seeing her skin. She was bleeding, and this was no ordinary blood.
Night 5/Ordon Protectorate
Cold sweat dripped down into Jacob's eyes. The powerful exertion of bending the shadows in the warehouse tired him, but he was at a critical juncture. To stop now would spell doom for himself, and half the living beings within a twenty mile radius. The shadows cast by his strategically placed lanterns and other objects had been twisted and combined in the center of the building. They swirled in a milling ball of semi-darkness, which in turn cast its own unhealthy shadows through the room. Even with Jacob's training, inuring him to the sickly bending of reality caused by Shadow Magic, it was still uncomfortable.
But this was the real test. He had to use the Shadows to punch a hole through reality itself, into the realm from which the Shadows came, where they were formed before being called out by the Light, or by mages of his kind and caliber. Grunting and gritting his teeth, his muscles tensed as he clamped down, mentally and magically, on the ball of Shadow. It compressed, shrinking and shrinking into a super-concentrated pinprick. The most dangerous part of the ritual was now. A simple mental nudge, and the heavy concentration of shadow magic would tear asunder this world of light and open up the Dusk. He had to be quick, after that, to throw up the proper wards to keep it from spilling out. And then it was merely a matter of waiting for the mages back in the kingdom to tear their own hole, before connecting the two into a proper, and permanent, Shadow corridor.
Jacob nudged the speck of Shadow. It ripped through into the Dusk as the words to summon the ward were already forming on his lips. He heard a sharp, cruel laughter, a woman's cackling screech. The Dusk exploded, and Jacob, along with the warehouse, disappeared from Ordon.
Senshi/Night 5/The Hell Mouth
"And for the record, Shinigami, I am so much more than Livarius could have ever dreamed of." Kinslayer said showing his full attempt to use the shard despite Senshi's attempt to seal it.
"I know, that's what I'm afraid of." Senshi said a second before his concerns took form. For some reason he didn't have time to figure out the Sun Shard reacted strangely to the dark power. Instead of temporarily stunting its radiance it enhanced it though in a tainted form making it more suitable for the pyrokinetic sociopaths use. Before he had time to react Kinslayer let loose his unholy fury. Senshi tired to protect himself with that sage wings but ultimately its only losing his concentration allowing his other anti-powers to slip out that saved him.
He had fallen several feet from folding his wings losing his grip on Taden but with the level of magic flying around up there he knew it was for the best. He readied himself for one last desperate charged knowing he'd taken out of the fight in a mater of minutes now that his powers were out of control but the moment her started to regain altitude a flash of lightning from the monkey struck him in the chest sending him spiraling down to the ground. 
Now unconscious his telekinesis kicked in at the last moment to slow his decent allowing Phoenix to catch him and set him down lightly. The Oni reached into Senshi pouch from his charm and placed it back around his neck before he was killed by his own power. "Wake up!" he slapped Senshi trying to rose him back to the world of the living. 
"You know there are nicer ways to do that." Senshi mumbled as he came to. 
"Right now you don't deserve nicer."
"Don't give me that bullshit, I've spent the past three days trying to be a damn hero and 90% of the screws that have happened as a result are partially because of your schemes." He let out a pain for groan as he got back on his feet. "Arg, I hate lightning magic. Oh well, if I die stopping this mess maybe it'll make up from everything else." He said with a formed smile as he once again drew power from the Winged Light coin only for that power to dispel as his keeled over an coughed up blood.
"That has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say!" Phoenix yelled being naturally concerned with Senshi's suddenly self destructive attitude. "First you getting yourself killed isn't going to stop those three. Second I read into your hints well enough to know you've got a hostage to save."
"Yeah take care of that for me..." Not far behind them Lynn's voice called out for her old friend giving Phoenix the perfect opportunity to talk Senshi out of what he was about to do.
"And what about her, now's your chance."
Sen let out a pained laugh, it seemed like fate was screwing with him. "I can't do anything about that right now."
"You're damn near dead kid, you can't do anything about anything right now. The best option is the wait here and let them kill each other then take out whose ever left."
"And how many people will die before that happens. You know since Hothnight first showed up my soul drive has been was too keep Kae from ending up like Ayala and Lynn worse off then me. More then anything I can't bare to see more people suffer the way we did because of these wars. I'm tired of seeing ever last Light Warrior suffer time and time again and I sure as hell can't sit buy and watch the same torments play out verbatim with these new kids. But I screwed it up again, I just couldn't help wearing my mask so they rejected my help and everyone just assumed I was a selfish asshole with a vendetta. You know that's not the truth, I've never gone after Hothnight. I only blamed myself for what happened and I blamed everyone else when I couldn't direct it at myself. So here I am, half dead because he had to find another way help them but now I can't. It's ok though, because I'm sure the rest of you will pick up the slack. At the very least you can tell Kae's brother everything and he can pick up were I left off. In the mean time those three are tearing the heavens apart and if they're not stopped everyone in the castle and maybe everyone around it will be killed. It may cost me my life to do it, but so be it. I've always wanted to be a hero anyway. Maybe this time I'll get it right. In the mean time try to save everyone in that castle, my heads a bit foggy but I think something horrible is going on in there. Oh and clean up my lose ends would you." Senshi removed his charmed and with the help of what was left of his spirit boost and pure force of will he reformed to pairs of wings.
"You dumb ass! You better survive this, I don't want to have to put up with your father!" Phoenix yelled as Sen shot up into the air.
"You know I'm surprised neither of you have said anything."
"Meh, as beat to hell as you are I couldn't take over anyway."
"I do not believe this will kill, and beyond that I have had nothing to say."
"Good to know." Senshi picked up speed and he flew higher into the air, his eyes locked dead on his target to whole time. He flew strait into the maelstrom protected from all but the lightning by his out of control powers. He only hoped he could make it before he passed out of the lightning hit him.
Just a few feet from the target his dispelled two of the wings and formed the dragon claw on his remaining good arm and reached out in a desperate strike for the Corrupt Sun Shard in Kinslayer's chest.
Dusk/Night 5/Ten's Basement
Dusk wanted deeply to struggle against the stone prison inflicted by the Earth Mage, but there was nothing to be done. The stone chamber was air-tight, and his body was mud, devoid of form, structure, or force. He could not even make an attempt to move. He was ash and rain, and he could leave no sign even of his consciousness, no whisper of his existence.
Anger and disappointment flooded his mind. He was awake! After eons of waiting, he was awake! Ready to leave his mark, to devastate the Hylians and Twili alike, to show the Gods their folly! He was powerful again, or nearly so. Yet already it was time to resume his slumber. After mere moments of resumed life, he was resigned to once again become one with the dust.
"Curse you, Habiki Sol! Curse you, and your makers!" He began to scream with all his might, but there was no sound. He had no lungs, no voice. He pounded the stone with imaginary fists and bit at the air with imaginary teeth, crying imaginary tears. He’d been robbed of his legacy. Cheated from his destiny.
"My plan was perfect!" as he screeched this sentiment at himself, the irony was not lost on him. He had manipulated these mages into crafting him a vessel, and fueling it with that which would free him from the shackles that the Gods, in their unending blasphemy toward the Father, had placed on Dusk and his kind. The mages had done everything he had desired...and the vessel had risen up and destroyed him before he could claim it.
He sighed internally. Perhaps in another millennia he would have another chance. For now, he would rest. He began to retreat into himself. His thoughts began to fade.
*~*~*~*
He continued his retreat into unrestful slumber, slowly unlighting his mind in preparation for the long wait that was to come.
The anger had faded. The pain had faded. All that remained was a dull quiet, a growing void.
But then, in the corner of his mind’s eye, there was a glint of light.
Dusk grunted within himself. 
“Leave me be!” he hissed at the Light. “This is no place for you!”
But already, unwittingly, he felt his mind’s eye turn toward it hungrily. It was a dazzling orb, familiar and yet, unlike anything he’d seen before.
He stared at it, it’s brilliance. He wanted it. He thirsted for it. What was it? And then he remembered. He was awake.
His mind cackled at the sight of it.
“So soon, Habiki?” he laughed. “So soon you have left me your gift?!”
The mud began to stir from within his prison. At first quivering, shaking, then bubbling, boiling, a seething mass of blackened wet earth, yearning to burst forth. Within him there was a disk, he had felt it before when Habiki had left his body. He didn’t know what purpose it served, but he wrapped himself around the disk, using it to give his form something to cling to.
“So soon it has been born! The tree of Sol has bore it’s fruit, my prize to claim!” 
He continued to struggle against the enclosure, even as it accomplished nothing. His frustration built, even as did his excitement.
“I will not let my prize be denied to me!” He gave a tremendous heave against the rock, and it did not budge.
He halted his efforts for the moment, exhausted. He had no means of escape. Yet he could not give up now, just when his plan seemed to be getting back on track!
Then…a dagger…it descended upon the Light Heart, the last remnant of Sol. Slowly the heart went black.
Unbridled rage coursed through Dusk, and the ground beneath him began to rumble. The disk grew hot. In the distance, a sound of thunder.
In his mind, from behind him in the shadows loomed a man in a livery coat. He wore an impish simian mask. The face of it, eyes wide, reeked of impudence. And at this man’s side, a dagger, the dagger that had pierced the Heart of Sol. He saw this in his mind, though he felt it behind him.
He looked hungrily at the knife, wishing he could ram it into the man’s throat. But none of this existed in this space.
"You've killed it!" he shrieked at the man, though he knew it would go unheard. "Do you realize what you have destroyed?!"
Another thunderclap, yes, it was thunder, he was sure of it now, rang out, this one much closer than the last. The rock around him grew hot, there was a white hot flash of lightning…and his prison gave way, bits of rock flying every which way, sizzling and smoking.
He oozed from the open sore that had been his prison, leaking and spreading all over the floor that surrounded it, like an enormous egg had been cracked, its yolk black and rotted.
He felt the rain pounding against him, threatening to dissolve him, make him dissipate. Yet he forced himself to work through it, clinging tightly, desperately to the disk he held within him, moving into the shadows away from the hole Habiki had burned through the ceiling. 
He pushed himself into the corners of the cave, and then pushed himself up, together, his mass growing denser, squeezing the moisture from himself, ever holding onto the disk, that blessed disk that even now was granting him his freedom.
He oozed upward, a slimy arm forming, then a face and head, mouth opened, teeth gnashing in pain and ecstasy, he pushed himself up with this arm, seemingly pulling himself out of the ground.
His form solidified and he stood up on two awkwardly forming legs. Everything refined itself, taking shape. He touched his chest with his new arms. He held his hands out in front of him in the dark, examining them.
Lightning flashed again, and in the resulting brief illumination, in the mirror Ten had hung up in his cave workshop, he saw reflected a face, his face, the face of Habiki Sol.
Dusk grinned, finally a grin of the body, not only the mind, a toothy, malevolent smirk that Habiki would never have worn.
Kae/Castle Gates/Night 5
Her heroic yet vulgar display of divine power took its toll on her body. A pain worse than anything she'd ever felt surged throughout her body as her blood started to become a fine crystalline slurry in arteries and veins. This was not expected, even with making a second gesture to save Hyrule from its enemies.
The two soldiers holding her arms up were knocked back as her body began to convulse even more violently than before. She could see her Wall of Faith dissipate. Palpable heresy she could choke on hovering above the castle. The will to live was not lost, however, because there was still a land to save.
She vowed that regardless of popular opinion she'd do her part to win this war or die trying. If she became a pariah, history would still remember her if there was victory. Her legacy would vindicate a lack of faith among the Hylians.
But she had to get the Light Medallion now. Her affliction was entering an advanced stage. An end-stage of sorts. It couldn't wait until war's end. With the pain she was in, it wasn't going to get any easier. She'd need to take a day or two and go her own way, provided the pain didn't take her now...
Kae's body levitated a few feet off the ground as she arched her back and limbs spread apart. Blood was seeping from her pores and immediately crystallizing. Her arm of clay visibly had deep violet ichor seeping from its starmetal etchings.
Din wasn't kidding around. Even in the face of Hyrule's ultimate destruction she held to her word. Even with the Wall of Faith and everything Kae had done today, the Goddess of Power did not budge an inch. 
The Scion could hear Lynn calling to her. But it wasn't the calculating voice of that hated primordial lich that had merged and contaminated what she loved. It was Lynn...was she hearing things? Her vision blurred out before she could look over to check, and a higher surge of pain forced her to shriek in absolute agony before she finally passed out from all of this, falling into Daurubia's arms.
Isaac Kinslayer - Hyrule Castle Town Skies - Fifth Night
The blazing incandescence of his power had barely begun to fade before the necromancer, Shinigami, raced back up through the air below and dispelled a pair of his luminous wings in order to conjure forth great claws of power. Jaw set, eyes intent on their goal, he brought those terrible, ripping claws about in a wide arc, seeking to rend from his impaled chest the darkly gleaming crystal Sun Shard, even now protruding from his heart through the head of the Brand.
Isaac, grimacing in frustration at the misguided attempt, swept his Black Sun Glaive about just in time to catch those terrible claws before they could dig into his chest and pull out the source of his new-found power. Gritting his teeth he tried to telekinetically shield himself from the radiating auras of anti-magic that rolled off his ages old acquaintance.
"You're really a pain in the ass, you know that right?" He asked, glaring into the face of the black clad necromancer as he held him at bay. The power of the corrupted sun surged in him, he should have incinerated this worm. And yet, for the time being, he hadn't. "Maybe the concept of 'enemy of my enemy' is beyond your comprehension skills..."
Isaac paused mid-sentence and took his left hand off the long haft of his Glaive, holding it out toward Shinigami's chest as he held off the claws, those powerful, deadly claws, with the blade. He could have turned him into ash and then obliterated even those, but instead he unleashed a wall of force, like a barrage of compacted force, fully into the front of his attacker. He could have killed him. Instead he chose to simply force him off.
"But when I say give me the Sun Shard and get out of my way, do you really think I'm ****ing around?" He watched Shinigami fall away a bit, but not out of the sky completely. That wasn't what he wanted. "Next time do what you're told. If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead. So, why don't you put those fancy claws to better use instead of testing the limits of my mercy?"
Senshi/High Way to Hell/Night 5
"Maybe the concept of 'enemy of my enemy' is beyond your comprehension skills..."
"Coming for you that's crap! And I'm not about to wait and see what you do with that after Hothnight's gone."
Kinslayer pushed Senshi back with directed force of power, "But when I say give me the Sun Shard and get out of my way, do you really think I'm ****ing around? Next time do what you're told. If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead. So, why don't you put those fancy claws to better use instead of testing the limits of my mercy?"
"In case you forgot..." he rushed back up, charging in for one more shot, "you're little match tricked don't work on me!" As he reared his arm back his body reached it limit, dispelling the wings and claw. Even if he had time to reform them at this point the sage power would tear his body apart. At the seem time he could feel the last of Nabooru's blessing fading away and he knew the second charge wouldn't change the outcome. Has it stood he had not chance of stopping Kinslayer.
Time seemed to slow down as his momentum kept him flying towards Kinslayer's chest. He knew he couldn't use his fire sword on Kinslayer and his Scythe would be to awkward with one hand to make a hit that would count. Having no other choice he pulled out his hookshot and fired it his enemies heart. He knew it wouldn't destroy it, but at point blank range he figured the rare force behind the shot might at least chip or even crack it. For all he knew it wouldn't do a thing and Kinslayer would just kill him with his glaive, but he already came into this expecting to die and if he could at least weaken the thing that would be something. A limit on control or how much he could draw from it. Maybe even a time limit or freeing the mutated dark power that was trapped inside. Anything..."
Dusk/Night 5/Ten's Basement
Dusk stared at the mirror in the darkness, still admiring the subtly visible reflection of Habiki.
Suddenly the trap door burst open, Sol and Tenturi rushing down the stairs, their arms at the ready. Sol held in his right hand an orb of Light energy, dispelling the shadows in the room.
Dusk skulked from out of the corner, grinning his toothy grin at them. "Hey, pops!" He nodded at each of them. "What's up?"
The two of them were glaring at him.
"Why are you two looking at me that way? You look like you don't even recognize me! It's me, Habiki!" he chuckled.
"You shut your mouth, demon! You’re nothing but a beast hiding in a cave for fear the Light will find him."
“Perfect! Habiki’s quest was set in motion in a cave, how fitting that mine should begin the same way!”
Tenturi lunged toward him, but Dusk caught him by the arm and flung him over his shoulder.
Ten slid across the floor, turning and aiming his palms at the floor. Instantly a spire of rock sprung up to catch Dusk. But this time Dusk was prepared. He leaped the height of the spire and landed, crouched, atop it.
"Really, pop? Is that how you greet your own son? And with the same trick as this morning. How uncreative of you!"
He leaped from atop the spire toward Tenturi, slamming his fist down on the ground as he impacted, the floor beneath him crumbling. Ten had rolled away with only the back of his jacket grazed. But as he stood, Dusk's other arm already had him by the back of the neck.
Sol rushed to help him, flinging his orb of Light at Dusk, but Dusk caught it in his open palm. Dusk closed his eyes and shuddered with delight as he slowly absorbed the energies. He opened his eyes and his grin disappeared, becoming suddenly serious.
"That was foolish, Quentin," he said with the orb still in hand, his tone no longer conversational. "You should have known better. You know your power can only increase my own. You attacked without thinking. That mistake will cost you." 
The orb seemed to fill with ink, turning jet black, growing, pulsing. He flung Tenturi across the room with one arm, then with the other flung the orb of darkness back at Sol.
Sol leaped sluggishly out of the way, but the orb impacted the wall behind him, sending debris flying and causing him to stumble and hit the floor, his back burned by the magicks. Ten slammed gracelessly into the wall and landed with a thud on the floor.
Dusk stepped through the debris, crushing Sol under his right foot and stepping between the two mages who found themselves so easily defeated.
“Rather pathetic that you two should go down so quickly,” he said with disdain. Tenturi tried to lift his head, in response to which Dusk grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed his face into the ground, breaking the bones in his nose. “Were you always this weak, or have you just grown old and out of practice?”
He paced back and forth between them. Sol made to stand. Dusk didn’t stop him.
Sol panted as he kneeled on one leg.
“You think you’ve won, but Habiki will stop you,” he said.
Dusk knelt down beside him. His face grew stern.
“I pray you’re not that naïve. Habiki is dead. Are you telling me you did not feel it?”
Sol flashed him a puzzled and angry look. “What are you talking about?”
“Hahaha, oh, this is entertaining!” he said completely without mirth. “Your powers have surely dwindled if you failed to even feel the true birth of the Light Heart.”
Sol’s eyes grew wide. 
“No! It’s too soon! Without the influence of Dawn he couldn’t possibly-“
“It happened!” Dusk cut him off angrily. “The Light Heart bore its fruit from a tree atop the Castle. I’ve been one with Habiki since his birth, I felt it! How sad that your creation called you his fathers, when you manufactured him only to die, only to birth that which would have brought me to my true power. And you call mecruel!” 
He backhanded Sol, almost casually, sending him back into a heap on the floor.
Ten looked up at him with disdain.
“Do not tell us our intentions, demon! Created him to die? That is not how we view the tree, as a death. It is a rebirth! And he shall use this rebirth to put an end to you!”
The demon threw his head back and cackled. But as before, his laugh showed no mirth. He wasn’t amused. He was angry. This was a laugh of desperation. Something was wrong.
“I have always told you your intentions. You have made such excellent puppets throughout the years. And I don’t mean your creations! You have done everything as I desired. You created a body created of Earth infected by my Blight. You seeded it with the Light Heart, that which could sustain me. You’ve been the perfect unwitting minions!”
Suddenly Sol seized on what he was missing.
“Wait…before, you said, that which would have brought you to your true power, and just now you said, that which could sustain you. What’s happened?”
It was probably a poor choice to have said this. A fire seemed to light in Dusk’s eyes, and all traces of feigned amusement vanished.
“You created my ultimate talisman. And thanks to your negligence, you inability to look after it, it has already been destroyed! A dagger plunged into the last remnant of Habiki Sol! Just as I seemed about to claim my prize, you two had to so suddenly become incompetent.”
Ten turned over on his side, his face bloodied, sputtering.
“The demon tells lies! Habiki can’t be dead!” he choked through tears.
Dusk’s whole body had grown tense. “I grow bored of this. You’ve outlived your failed purpose.”
He plunged his hand into Sol’s back, and began to drain him dry. Light poured from Sol into Dusk. Ten made one last concerted effort to stand and rush Dusk in defense of his friend. Dusk wrapped his open hand across Ten’s face, and black smoke began to seize the now defenseless Earth Mage.
And so this ghastly circuit was complete, the Light being slowly, painfully ripped from Sol, and the resulting darkness poured into Ten.
He lifted the two of them off the ground and delighted in their screams, the death of Sol fueling the death of Ten. Dusk delighted in knowing that Sol would feel this, in his last moments, his own power used to kill his comrade.
And then, the two aging Twili went limp in his hands. He dropped their smoking corpses to the floor without ceremony.
He knelt down and removed the clothes from the corpses. He couldn’t go out into the rain without proper cover or he would melt.
He layered himself in both their outfits. He took Sol’s “cloak”, which only earlier that day had been a long-armed straight jacket. He threw on Ten’s jacket as well, throwing up the hood to sheild himself from the torrent outside.
He walked slowly up the steps out of the cave into the study, opened the front door and walked out into the rain.
He had business to attend to. He had business with the hand that had thought it wise to stick its dagger in the closest thing Dusk had to a heart.
Whie Malreaux/Night 5/Hyrule Castle Town
In the constant beam of lightning Whie was overcome with torpor, soaking up the power that he fed back into the atmosphere so it might empower him more, a feedback loop building himself to a potential he never previously imagined possible. All the hair on his body stood on end, charged by the electricity around him. He let out a slow, languid chuckle, the thunder acting as his laughter. Then, the power was too much.
Herein lies that inhered, destiny. The Master of his domain demands tribute, no more of mutiny. You are thus tasked, to the potentate is all owed. Leave give the mask, empower him with freedom in simian mode.
"Enough of you! I am fed up with your incessant babbling! The mask is mine, and none other! You exist in me, you are me, and you serve my interests! Cooperate or be quiet!"
Whie's glare turned to the ghostly apparition, knowing this to be the cause of Whisper's insistence and meddling. The voice was a constant pest to Whie, but he knew it now not as an outside force, but his own thoughts. To have rebellion from his mind only served to anger him more. He stopped feeding the lightning storm around him and sucked its power into him, absorbing every last iota of its power. His eyes glowed with the power stored in his body, his skin had a sheen of unnatural brightness. And he remained hovering by expelling the energy, slowly, in sparks behind him.
His trajectory toward his opponent brought him past two other combatants: the two men he had met in the corridor, both the cloaked and the shirtless. The cloaked was attempting to pierce the heart of the shirtless. Whie stopped his forward momentum and raised his arms to the sky, releasing energy into the clouds. He shot a wink at the two before continuing his assault on the revenant.
Behind him, the skies unleashed their fury, seeded by the electric energy. Rain began to fall, the third or fourth time that day, and as it approached the ground it met with the resistance of utterly frigid air caused by the remaining pillars and the arctic poltergeist. Hail slammed down over the remaining rooftops, colliding with rubble strewn streets, and beating down on unprotected bodies. Slowly the power Whie released coalesced, becoming a massive thunderstorm that would, if his wishes were met, force all flyers from the sky when it broke at its apex.
== The Sky Is Falling! ==
[b]Jacob Hewlitt/???/???[/b]
Jacob felt his body torn apart by the demons of the Dusk. They savored his grey flesh, drank marrow from his bones. His screaming was silent and eternal. His torment was unlike any he had known possible in any imagining. Time was lost to him in his suffering. Was it seconds or centuries before it stopped?
But stop it did, and he saw a being cloaked all in the essence of his prison. It reached forward, stroking his cheek with surprising tenderness.
"[color=#BA55D3][hl=black]Hello, love. I've been waiting for you. This place has chosen you, and I now claim you.[/hl][/color]"
The dark figure drew him against itself. The embrace felt cold like the clutching darkness, inviting like the inevitability of death. He leaned into it as it numbed the pain of his destruction at the hands of the dusk demons. The numbness healed his burning nerves. Then, with lips formed of the night, the thing kissed him. His surprise was dulled by the weakness of his grasp on life and reality, his resistance was nonexistent. He returned the kiss and the loving embrace.
She drew back from him."[color=#BA55D3][hl=black]Good, Jacob. So receptive. You are the one needed.[/color][/hl]" The Shade peeled away revealing her perfect nudity. He leaned forward, tenderly caressing her. "[color=#BA55D3][hl=black]Give me your strength,[/color][/hl]" she said with a husky voice, stroking his hair as her ministrated to her body, pulling his face into her bosom.
He obeyed, copulating with the dark woman in dark, cold passion. They twisted around each other, joining together in ways more than just physical. As he entered her, so did she enter him, and their essences comingled. When they were done, they remained entwined and she explored his flesh with her fingertips as he stared at her beautiful, frightening face. He could find nothing to say. She was everything he had always loved about the Shade. She was the alluring enticement of the Dusk, the promise of power from the Shadow. She was this place, the very thing to which he had devoted his life.
And now, she was his as much as he was hers. In a way, they were both the same. He could not leave her had he wanted to, and she was not letting him go.
"[color=#BA55D3][hl=black]This is the Dusk, and I the Umbra. You are my Penumbra. Go to Hyrule and spread my love, the love of my Father.[/color][/hl]" She left a brief osculation on his lips before pulling away from him. "[color=#BA55D3][hl=black]Do not frown at me, Jacob Hewlitt. We are one now, I am never apart from you.[/color][/hl]"
Penumbra stared at his sole devotion as the Dusk faded into night. He saw only Umbra until he saw nothing more, and then her eyes melted into twinkling stars.
[b][hl=#BA55D3][color=black]Penumbra[/hl][/color]/Night 5/Shade Warehouse[/b]
Penumbra, the man who, in a previous life, had been Jacob Hewlitt, found himself in the warehouse that had been planned to house the Shade Portal Jacob Hewlitt had been crafting a lifetime ago. He looked around himself at the sharp definition of reality, and despised the darkness of this room. It was not the Shadow he wanted. It was not the Dusk he served. It was not the Umbra he loved. He also realized, belatedly, that it was not even attached to the ground.
He felt the same weightlessness of existence in the Dusk as he, and the warehouse around him, fell through the air. Two distinct thumps reverberated in the floorboards before the warehouse finally collapsed on the ground. Penumbra shielded himself with an empowered Shadow Shield, for the first time tasting the pure power of the Dusk, a gift to him from Umbra. Laughing, he released the shield to explode outward, tearing apart the warehouse in splinters. Under the shattered floorboards were revealed two men, the sources of the thumps.
"[hl=#BA55D3][color=black]Have you heard the good news of the coming Dusk? Your world will languish no longer! What you see now is but the Penumbra, and soon shall come the Umbra to usher in the Fall. Embrace the coming Dusk, and receive its love![/hl][/color]"
Ayala/Pillar #one of them/Night 5
Ayala watched the battle going on over Hyrule castle from a distance as she waited for the signal. Though she was to far away to make out what was going on she could at least tell there we're one or two ice mages, what had to be Kinslayer, and oddly enough glowing winged figure. She knew it was more then likely that one of the ice mages was the one that created these pillars and the other was probably the Zora Light Warrior Phoenix had told her about on the ground that she could not tell her father about him, but she couldn't help but wonder if that was really the case. The level of power being thrown around and the fact that she knew Senshi and Phoenix had been keeping something from her couldn't help but make her wonder about another person that could be responsible. Furthering her torment was her mind still being fragmented, had she give her mother the chance to heal her she'd be able to look through the eye of someone over there and see what was really going on. 
Any time for pondering was quickly cut short was two of the now six pillars were suddenly destroyed in a brilliant show of power. "[Alright it's about time. TRUE LIGHT BLADE STRIKE!]" She fire the destructive wave strait down from above the pillar splitting it clean in two. The two have began to crack apart as the fell away from each other, shattering as they hit the ground.
Seishi/Pillar #a different one/Night 5
Seishi hoovered impatient over one of the pillars in silver haired form. With Ayala using the Sword of Light he need to use he demonic power to fly and to enchant his sword with fire magic for an extra kick. This put an annoying time limit on how long he could wait before he made him move since he'd used up most of his stamina attacking the first pillar. 
He watched the battle in the distance to pass the time but it only made him more anxious. There was more ice magic flying around and the scoop seemed far beyond what that other guy had pulled off. Plus it had started from within the barrier before it fell. There was no way that guy could have made it in there.
In the distance he saw what could only be interrupted as the signal fire off. Not wasting another second hit face down at the pillar and made his move. "TRIPLE BLADE STRIKE!" A slightly flame enhanced True Blade launch out for this sword then split into three spreading shots as it cleaved through the pillar. The segments began to crack and shatter as the fell into each other while crashing to the ground below. 
In the distance he could see the men had set off their explosives causing the cracks the join up allowing the pillar to slowly crumble. It would take a few minutes but it would fall soon enough. Now all the was left was for Syzan CCXV to take care of her's, but in the mean time he need to land a recharge in hopes of finding out what was really going above Hyrule castle.
Daurubia/Night 5/Fountain
Being a Patriarch was much harder than he had ever anticipated. He had been the leader of the gorons for roughly 24 hours and already, he had been through more struggles than most would encounter in a lifetime, it seemed. He had always felt confident with bearing responsibility, but now, faced with the life of another, especially one so important, he felt distinctly scared for one of the few times in his life.
The Scion's intense display of power earlier was frightening, as was the command she demanded from those surrounding her. Hyrule's hero, and possibly their only hope, was now lying in his arms, passed out and clearly growing to a possibly worse situation. Whatever happened, the castle was now the safest place for her, and luckily (or perhaps not so lucky) the wall was now fallen.
But he was still unsure of her condition. "Is anyone here a healer?"
At first, no one called out, but a war-battered soldier approached apprehensively. "I'm no healer sir, but I doubt she can be helped by normal medicines anyways. I've been fighting for most of the day, but came back after all the commotion. Earlier, Captain Jaden was in pretty bad shape too, until some woman came and damn-near saved his life I'd say. She called herself Mirra, if I remember correctly, but she vanished soon after that. Odds are, I'd say she went back to the castle, you might want to check there."
Daurubia nodded, "Good, you, you, and you, give me an escort back to the castle. We don't want any unexpected surprises. We must keep the scion safe! No matter what!"
Daurubia had to hurry. If this Mirra was as good a healer as that soldier had said, then she might be the Scion's only hope. A sudden pang of doubt crossed his mind as he made his way towards the castle and he looked up in the sky. It seemed he was heading towards trouble instead of away from it. But his determination had to be solid. This was the fate of Hyrule, and he needed to be careful.
??? / ??? / ???
A pool of light danced within a pitch black field of darkness. In its center stood a person made all of lightning, his thundering heart the source of the dancing pool. He could not see but an armslength before the pool of light began to fade into the darkness.
A bolt of thunder clapped down in the distance, and in its column of light the person saw a small figure in a wind of ice and snow. In the darkness where he could not see, a blizzard raged around the person. Another bolt of lightning showed him that the small figure drew closer.
The person lowered into a fighting stance, ready for whatever adversary came his way. When a third flash revealed the small figure in the near distance, he saw that it was an ape charging at him on all fours. He heard the ape leap into the air, and let rip his own thunderbolt to bash the assailant's skull. The ape was thrown back into the dark, and the person rose to stand at ease.
Taden's Ghost / Hyrule Castle Town / Night 5
Taden's Ghost grimaced as the cloaked sorcerer's shadow magic coated the Dead Heart. He had only time to regard how familiar this sorcerer's magic felt before his spectre flickered, wavered, and finally faded, along with the Phantom Lantern in his fist. The sorcerer's dark power coated the Dead Heart in blackest oil, and it fell to the ground with a heavy boom, motionless in the icy Square.
Taunting his opponent from the beyond, Taden's voice swept through Senshi's mind as if borne on the prevailing winds. 'Command the undead, can you, Shinigami? I must admit your mastery of the dark arts has progressed these many years. Your father must be so proud! But take it from someone who knows. Too much necromancy can spoil a boy's destiny.'
At that moment, Isaac Kinslayer plunged the Adumbrated Sun Shard into the Brand on his chest, and a torrent of Dark Sunfire flared from the Brand's serpentine head. The venom of fire speared into the pillar at Kinslayer's feet, and Taden's spire over the fountain erupted into a black firestorm that seemed to consume light itself into its cosmic inferno. A monumental supernova encompassed Hyrule Castle Town in a blinding roar, incinerating the architecture of the Town into a field of molten rubble with only the original five pillars standing in its wake. The dark arctic power shared by the Twili obelisks had sustained them through the blast.
And in the crater of Central Square lay the Adumbrated Dead Heart, held in place by the weight of its own mass in the epicenter of the Equinox Pyre. The black tar coating its surface had shielded its contents from the blast, but radiation from the molten crater still bled into the Dead Heart slowly. The film of Shadow began to burn away in smoking cinders on the wind. Trapped in a cocoon of darkness, Taden's Ghost turned inward. How was it that the Dead Heart had inverted Senshi's wave of Shadow? The Maskmaker's Knife pierced deeper into the dense orb, penetrating the innermost Mystery of the Dead Heart. Wherefore had this dark night of the soul spared the Hated from the inferno?
The last rivulets of Shadow were wiped from the Dead Heart's surface when another blast of cosmic energy erupted from the northern district. The Dead Heart was caught in the radius of the lunar blast and thrown back into the intersection of the four remaining pillars' barriers. The exposed orb was frozen into the bewitched barriers, magnetized above the ground by their subarctic aura. Bringing the energy of the cold obelisks into itself, the ice coating the Dead Heart emerged into a disembodied head of snow. Blue rays of light shot from the eyes and mouth of the floating head as its face began to speak the Ancient tongue to the cloaked mage.
"Dost thy destiny still bend to the stars of thy birth, or hast thou wandered too far into the Abyss? Remember this, Shinigami. Emptiness is form..."
??? / ??? / ???
The person in the pool of light clenched his fists in anxiety as the sound of the monkey's slapping paws reverberated in the darkness. His wild hooting seemed to roll in from every direction, and lightning began to spark from the man's brow as he turned this way and that. Suddenly, a cold voice sprang from the base of his spine into his brain.
'Whie, O Whie...come out and play...O Whie, Whie, Whie...come out and play...'
The monkey suddenly leapt out from behind the stumbling man of thunder, and dug his icy claws into his electrifying neck. Electric needles fried into the hooting monkey's skin as he sank his fangs into the base of Whie's skull.
Monkey Taden / Castle Town Ruins / Night 5
"...and form, emptiness."
Blue rays of light suddenly shot from the eyes and mouth of the thunderous monkey mage who had called down bolts of lightning on the demolished city.
Senshi fired his hookshot into the Brand on Isaac's chest, and just as its toxic spearhead ripped into the charred flesh Taden called down another bolt of lightning that electrocuted the hookshot's chain. Wave upon wave of electricity jolted into Senshi's body through his arm, his fingers paralyzed in their grip around the hookshot's handle. His cloak was blown back, allowing Taden's primitive eyes to glare into those of the spawn of his nemesis. His furry muzzle curled into a wicked grin as he began to cackle with glee.
Taden lifted up his hands and bent the electricity around the chain to lift both mages into the sky, the higher altitude attracting ever more lightning bolts into their seizing bodies. The monkey hooted wildly as lightning circulated from him to Senshi to Isaac in a circuit he controlled. Chords of lightning whipped from their electrocuted limbs, and trailed behind them as Taden thrust down his palms to slam the chain and his two victims into the smoldering ruins of the town. As they crashed down, two plumes of light and an explosion ripped apart three of the remaining four pillars in the Castle Town ruins, and a wall of dust swept through the ashen smoke and frigid mists that hung over the wastes.
Taden touched down and clenched his fist, retracting the magnetized hookshot back into the gears of its chamber. As it returned, the hookshot ripped the Adumbrated Sun Shard out of Isaac's Brand, leaving a bloody gash in the infernal serpent's eye that quickly cauterized. Taden dove down and plucked the Shard from the hookshot with his leathery foot, protected from its solar energy by the Shadow that Senshi had wrapped it in. Standing on one foot, with the Shard gripped in the other, he spoke to the stunned wizards in a high simian squeal.
"How tired you must be of having your attacks backfire, Shinigami! And Kinslayer? It didn't even cost me a Relic to tug on your puppetstrings. Pathetic!" 
Taden spat in Isaac's general direction, and a spurt of electricity zapped from his lips to the pyromancer's scalp, setting his hair on fire again. Both self-righteous mages lay prostrate in the crater of Central Square, bowing at Taden's prehensile feet. He stuck the Adumbrated Sun Shard between his teeth, then dashed away into the fog of mist and smoke that had veiled the ruined landscape in the wake of so much magical chaos.
When he reached the shadows at a safe distance, Taden looked back to see a rift of darkness tear through the aether above Isaac and Senshi's stunned bodies. A large black cube coalesced over their heads, then expanded into what Taden could only identify as a treehouse. But this treehouse seemed to have lost its tree! Taden shrugged his shoulders, then galloped away as the building crashed to the ground, joining the ranks of all the other buildings that had crashed to the ground that night. He considered the possibility that Isaac and Senshi were still too numb from the lightning attack to feel the full force of the collapse. Had they been spared that tremendous pain?
He sure hoped not.
The Snowy Head of Taden's Ghost / Castle Town Ruins / Night 5
The head of Taden's ghost hovered where the obelisk barriers had fallen. Only one pillar remained of the unknown Twili's masterful runescape. He was sorry to see such a work of art torn down by unappreciative hands. "Phillistines," he spat, a streak of frost flying from his lip.
He gauged the distance to the final obelisk. As a floating head, he had to propel himself accurately. He focused on the crystal at its apex in the distance, and began to discern a feminine figure floating above it. She seemed to be preparing a magical attack, in an attempt to destroy the last remnant of the Twili summons before its true power could be unleashed. It seemed such a waste to let that happen.
Taking in a huge breath, the clouds of mist hanging around Taden's head suddenly spread out in a spiraling funnel, and he shot into the sky until he was midway between the ground and the thundering firmament. Lightning danced all around him as sorcerers warred behind him in diverse and fantastic duels, but Taden's eyes were fixed on the silhouetted mage above that pillar, inhaling through his nose all the while.
Light, Shadow, Ice, and Fire swirled into a raging torrent below him, deadening almost rhythmically into a pallor of smoke, steam, and mist as the battles ebbed and flowed. This was the billowing heart of chaos in which Taden thrived. Breathing in and out at a faster rate, Taden's nostrils flared as the light inside his head began to blink through his tightly clenched eyelids and lips. He breathing intensified, eyes and mouth shut, inhaling the chaos and exhaling the cold.
When the air surrounding his head of snow reached a depth turned his cranium to ice, Taden tilted his face downward and opened his eyes and mouth wide to blast the final obelisk with a luminous funnelcloud of winter's fury, channeling the storm and the mists around him into a cylindrical blizzard that fed its light directly into the pillar below. The woman who had been about to attack the device was caught in the pummeling arctic cascade, its sheer force more than enough to impale her atop of the spike of the pillar's magic crystal.
When the glowing funnelcloud touched down on the fifth and final pillar, it began to glow from within. Then, the smoldering wasteland of Castle Town was consumed in a flash of sapphire light. All the smoke and vapor tumbling in the air suddenly sublimated into the fine curtains of an evening's powdery snowfall. When Taden's head lowered back down to the ground, it was behind a veil of frost carried softly on the breeze. The horrible storm had dissipated, redirected into an arctic shockwave.
Taden looked about himself at the aftermath of the Twili pillar's true power unleashed. The icy landscape was dotted with numerous figures in various mythological poses, every mage and warrior who had been driven to the ground by the storm having been cast into a thin coat of ice when the pillar erupted. For a moment, all the strife and fury of the Battle for Castle Town was silenced by ice, and the sorcerers were as still as the pieces on a chessboard. Where the last pillar had stood, there was now only the frozen figure of the woman who had floated above it, her arms still raised in the posture of the attack she had hoped would destroy it.
Taden had taken care of that for her.
Monkey Taden / Hyrule Castle Town Ruins / Night 5
Taden was surprised to find himself coated in ice all of a sudden, after a large beam of light shot down from the skies in a blizzard and obliterated the final obelisk. All the cold in the air and ice of the ruins had been converted into energy fired into that pillar, and its eruption had sent that energy all over the wasteland, freezing everything in its path. Taden readjusted the Sun Shard between his teeth and blinked frost out of his eyes as he counted the many figures who had been frozen by the arctic blast.
But there were too many to count.
Glancing up at Hyrule Castle, its arcane barrier now demolished, Taden marveled at the fragility of the Hylians' faith. What had taken centuries to build had been demolished in seconds. The faith of Hyrule and the city that had been founded upon it had both vanished like so much evanescent dust.
He looked up at the detached head of his ghost, who floated high in the sky above the frozen fray below. With the last pillar gone, the only light in the sky was Taden's head, shining like the moon against a backdrop of stars and snow. The frosty head didn't speak. It didn't have to. Its empty, glowing eyesockets pointed towards the Castle Gates. Taden followed the ghost's gaze, and spotted a large Goron lumbering up the steps towards the Castle with a team of three soldiers at his heels. In his broad, masonic hands, he carried the limp body of a lunar mage. And the lunar mage appeared to be bleeding a silvery ichor.
The Goron and soldiers had broken free of the layer of ice that had stalled them, and were making their way towards the archway that preceded the Castle Grounds. The archway wore the scars of the night's battle boldly, still holding its scorched ground under a heavy layer of ice. But if the ice were not thawed soon, it would gradually seep into the core of the masonry, until every stone in the Castle collapsed under its own frigid weight.
Taden darted into the shadows under the arch. To block the light emitted by the Sun Shard in his mouth, he stooped behind the wreckage of an overturned applecart. As the three knights and the Goron carrying the woman drew closer, he held his arms out straight and clasped his fingers together. He cocked up his thumbs, and began loading electricity into his straightened index fingers, the static causing the fur all over his body to stand on end.
When the first guard set foot under the shadow of the archway, Taden fired a ribbon of lightning over the applecart into the guard's armor. His eyeballs and brain were immediately burnt to a crisp inside his electrocuted helmet. When the next two guards ran over to the applecart to see who had fired, Taden flipped into the air and pointed his paws out to either side, shooting both guards' directly in the face before landing at the top of the archway's steps. At the top of the short flight of steps beneath the archway, his simian stature set him at eye level with the Goron, who stood at the bottom of the stairs.
Taden clapped his hands back together and fired at the brute, but his static charge merely bounced away from the Goron's granite forehead. He settled for a more direct approach. Plucking the Adumbrated Sun Shard from his teeth, he leapt into the air and stabbed down at the mage in the Goron's arms, the black aura of the corrupted Shard once again sucking all light out of the area. The celestial light from her bleeding wounds seemed to bend around the edge of the Shard. Everything went black as Taden leapt at the lunar mage.
IC: Felina - northern area of Castle Town Ruins - night 5
Much was happening as everyone raced about. The destruction of the castles barrier, Taden's spirit amplifying the power of Quell's ice rune, Isaac and Kae each obliterating an ice pillar.
Felina was in a mad scramble to make it to the nearest pillar and do as much damage to back up Seishi, Ayala, and his motley crew of soldiers. Thankfully Isaac and Kae's attacks were more than enough to signal it was time to attack. With the destruction of the 2 pillars the other 3 fell quickly, leaving only a single remaining pillar. Unsure of how to properly attack it Felina's brief pause was interupted by Hothnight. Using his mastery of ice magic the specter caused it to become unstable and explode in a massive display of power, flash freezing everything in a thin layer of ice.
Crashing to the ground the ice around Felina shattered, leaving her clutching her side in pain and shivering. For a moment there was only silence, then the stirring of the survivors began to fill the air again.
Rising back up in the air Felina quickly scanned the area to get an idea of what was happening. The twili forces within the castle towns walls had been fragmented and dramatically reduced in number. To her shock the main body of the Twili forces outside the town seemed to have dramatically thinned as well. It was clear that this wasn't due to taking casualties either.
"Gah, so that was his plan." Felina spoke aloud in shock as she realized part of Quell's true intentions. Not only did the massive ice rune serve as a way to attack the entire Hylian defense force, it also served as a way to provide cover to the twili's forces as they withdrew. With everyone bound inside the ice barrier the Twili's army was able to withdraw the bulk of its weary troops without having to worry about a costly counter attack. They were no doubt heading back to either their foothold near the forest in the south or the Twili's main army in the desert.
"No sense trying to chase them down at this point..." Felina sighed to herself as she looked towards the castle and its failed barrier. "Looks like the locals finally realized that the gods aren't going to fight their battles for them. Now they just need to decide if they are going to suck it up and take this seriously, or... give in and surrender."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExzBT0rsy88
Spotting the goron that had been with Kae earlier Felina began to fly over, it seemed Kae was in bad shape from her last attack. "Guess she reached the limit of how much power the Gods would let her use..." As she neared she spotted a strange monkey racing over to them. To her shock the monkey lept up and killed the soldiers escorting Kae.
Unable to take down her goron protector the monkey unleashed some manner of magic absorbing all the nearby light. Landing in their vicinity Felina switched to her dolphin form and using echo location to keep her bearings ran up just in time to swat the monkey back with the Lightning Rod.
"It might not have much range, but my sonar should have the advantage over that chimps nose." Felina thought to herself as she positioned herself to defend the goron and Kae who were still blinded.
Dusk/Hyrule Castle Town/Night5
Dusk stepped out into the storm, his hood drawn low over his face, long sleeves hanging well past his hands, to protect him from the hail that was pelting his body.
The town was deserted. There was nobody to bother him as he walked down the quiet streets through the night, the few stubborn lanterns that had remained ablaze through the storm and battles unlighting as he strode past them, their light giving way to his shadow. An eerie, haunting calm had fallen over the town.
How strange to think that the day before, when he was still under Habiki's thumb, he had stepped into the apartment with the Town intact. The state of the town had changed in the time it took him to blink. Buildings were in disrepair, more resembling ruins then the bustling town he had left yesterday. Had the Hothknight girl done this?
...clearly he'd been missing all the fun.
No sooner had he thought that that the wind began to pick up. The ground rumbled beneath him. The air grew colder and the wind began to whistle in his ears. He turned around to see a wall of wind and ice advancing in the distance. He turned from it and ran, attempting to outpace it. He turned down another street, then out onto another main road, but the wall was barreling down the road there too. It seemed the entire city was subject to the barrage.
The wind was upon him. It had grown into a whining, high-pitched roar. He turned to face it, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth to prepare himself for the pummeling he was about to take.
...but it never took place.
Dusk/Night 5/Castle Town Ruins
He opened his eyes, and saw that the column of ice was side-stepping him completely. It was splitting a few feet in front of him, gliding past him, and reforming on the other end.
In an instant it had past. He examined himself, looked up in the air and realized even the hail no longer touched him.
It was the disk. He'd figured that out by now. He'd realized when the lightning had struck the stone that imprisoned him, freeing him. It was special. It was helping him.
He looked out into the street, where the disaster had come from. The Town was truly broken now, the buildings torn apart by the wave of frigid shrapnel. The streets were paved with a smooth slick of ice, and a fog had filled the air.
He lifted his left hand casually, and pointed his index finger toward the depleted attack's epicenter. The wind responded, whipping up around him, billowing his clothes, and exerting its force against him. He folded his arms and looked out, letting it slide him across the ice toward whatever had caused the disturbance. He had a feeling if he followed the destruction, it would take him where he wanted to go.
Harken Zeiss/Night 5/Hyrule Castle Fountain Courtyard
The ice formed around Harken in the midst of the horrid onslaught against the town. It was too fast to react, the shockwave roiled over them and encased them in a shell before they even saw it coming. Harken's skin tingled with the utter chill. But even as he felt the air grow stale in his lungs, he noticed the ice melting where it touched the shards of crystal in his flesh. Within seconds he was coated in a film of cold water, enough to allow him move and slowly crack his prison. Finally the frost sloughed from his body like a hardened skin, exposing him to the deathly air outside, which he drew into his lungs to relieve the burning there with pinpricks of icy pain.
He turned around the courtyard, absorbing the view of desolate destruction. The three-hundred, including Meado and Pepperwhistle, had been similarly encapsulated in ice. As he watched, though, Pepperwhistle employed the Bomb Gauntlets to free himself with an explosion of crystalline shards. Immediately, Harken addressed his compatriot.
"Free them! Before they're killed!"
And so the two went to work rescuing the three-hundred. Pepperwhistle's Bomb Gauntlets set a far faster pace than Harken could muster with the arcane power of his Focus Shards, but in time they freed many with limited casualties. Meado had pulled through, a bit to Harken's ire.
Moving close, Harken lowered his voice to Meado. "Sir, this is.., this is bad. I don't want to alarm the troops, but look toward the Castle."
Meado turned and saw what Zeiss had noticed during the mayhem of prayers and moonbeams. The Wall of Faith was no more.
"Tell you what, Commander. Tobias and I will take these remaining troops and mop up what Twili we find, give them a task to keep them from seeing the Wall is gone and destroying their morale. You should get back to the Castle, find out what's wrong, see where you're needed, maybe help in the defense against the Twili ice mage that just blasted us?"
Meado nodded, and took off toward the castle. Zeiss smirked, his plan was coming together so much better than he had hoped. He waved to Tobias, signaling the psychic strong-arm to follow his lead. Once Meado was out of earshot, Harken rose his voice.
"Alright, boys! This is a shit situation, but we've overcome worse, Tobias and I have! Stick with us and we'll see you through!"
[b]Lynn Annei/Night 5/Hyrule Castle Courtyard[/b]
As the shockwave of ice and death exploding out to encompass both the Castle and the Town, Lynn lay collapsed in a doorway leading to the Courtyard. Her limbs burned, her wounds stung, and her breath came short. Seeing the shochwave, she closed her eyes and prepared for death. Again. For the countless time.
At her hip, the Blessing of the Light Spirit Garo increased its glow, shining out against the influence of the snowstorm. It shielded her, and she was thankful for it. After the wave passed her she was left in a small circumference of untouched stone, around which was an endless expanse of frost and snow. She laid there for a while before seeing a goron marching past. A goron carrying Kae!
"Kae..." Lynn's voice was deadened by the snow.
And from seemingly nowhere came a monkey, killing the goron's escorts and attacking the goron before enshrouding all three in a cloak of darkness. This was enough for Lynn. She clawed her way to her feet just as a bipedal dolphin ran into the adumbral field.
Sucking in breath, Lynn released a hoarse scream, "KAE!!!"
And then she charged recklessly after the strange dolphin-like creature.
Senshi/Castle/Night 5
It was as if the wrath of heaven was pulsating though his body as the simian's lighting traveled into his very core. The raw power explode out from within leaving large cuts all across her body. As he began to fall lifelessly to the group one final though manged to pass a whisper through his lips, "And still, this is only fraction of what she..."
He feel, his consciousness slowly slipping away. The last of his coherent thoughts being over Hothnight's parting words. "Dost thy destiny still bend to the stars of thy birth, or hast thou wandered too far into the Abyss? Remember this, Shinigami. Emptiness is form... ...and form, emptiness." He was trying to mess with his head again but it only made Senshi laugh. He asked himself this every day, Hothnight trying to make a point out of it just seemed half-assed. Hell the Annei hybrid was better at messing with him then the real one. Hothnight must has lost his touch."
His mind gone, his body not far behind and hitting the ground would take care of that. However just as he slipped away a massive building fell from the sky and crashed down on his body. His telekinetic powers flared up and in a show of force far beyond what it and displayed before it held the build back as the underside was coated with psychic energy so think it could be seen by the naked eye in the form of a green aura. The seemed aura cushion his decent and would have thrown the warehouse back in the air had the world not suddenly frozen over.
A brief moment of still engulfed the once chaotic battle. The was noise save for the cracking and settling of ice and snow. No life save what flew above. All there that was, was a field of white. For a moment there was nothingness.
Suddenly an explosion brought motion back to the world as an unbridled eruptive force like that of a fire birds rebirth flared up from under the frozen building. Senshi's body flew out, shattering though floor and ceiling. He hover over it, his body covered in a green flame like aura and his eye remained cold and his expression lifeless. Then, as suddenly an unexpectedly as he had risen up, the power faded and his body once again lay flat on the earth.
Ayala/outer rimmed of the field of white/night 5
Ayala was lucky, her armor was some what resistant to ice and she was at the very edge of the wave. Only a very thin coat of ice was able to cover her and the Sword of Light's radiance melted that as quickly as it appeared. For a moment she attempted to take in the image of hell frozen over, for a moment she was concerned for the others, but her attention was ripped away by a a presence she could feel pressing against her very soul. It was something she couldn't ignore, something malice, something against nearly every fiber of her being. What worried her was her psychic powers were still fear, so for her to feel this could only mean one thing. "[Oberon!]"
The fairy flew out from Ayala's breast plate. Shivering, but no worse for wear. "[Wow, I mean wow. The last time I saw something that could do this was when Temp-]"
"[That's not important right now. Look I need you to go check on dad and every one else for me. I have something I need to do.]"
"[Oh no, I'm not falling for that. One that's way to cryptic, and two this sounds like a fight I don't want to miss.]"
"[Oberon, go!]" Ayala by her nature was not one to yell a family like that. Oberon knowing the girl well took the the hint and flew off.
"Hikari no Tsubasa!" She slammed the the sword of light into the earth creating a geezer of light magic to burst in the air then descend onto her back and take the form of two large energy wings. "[How the hell did this happen?]" She took to the air and speed towards the presence as fast as she could. "[I'm with out us know how could there be...]"
-
"A Ma." Senshi was back on his feet alive and awake, but he was different. His armor seemed new and pristine, his hair darker almost jet black. His wonder were gone not just his recent ones either. Every scar on his body had faded, signs of his sword forged life were gone from his face giving him an almost holy appearance. Most notably of all, two glossy back wings had grown from his back. Death Angel had once again taken from in the world.
With a single flap of his wings the angel lifted of the ground. With speed beyond that was a mortal could fly he made his way towards his target, uncaring of all else around him.
Polaris/ Above Castle Town/ Night 5
The meager attempt to assault the spark mage who was growing in power was swallowed up. Every last frigid projectile turned to steam in the wake of the electric storm surrounding the simian foe. As Polaris' attacked sputtered out, the chimp-like man wafted by on the wind. When he passed, Polaris sensed a familiar, otherworldy presence about him, there was no mistaking it, Hothnight. It seemed that Taden had set roots in everyone, he'd seeded his way into the consciousness of yet another. For the time being, Polaris was content not to follow, he rested upon his icy draconian mount taking in all that was happening. After a few moments he observed the disembodied head, yet another incarnation of The Hated, floating towards the final remaining pillar from Quells unholy summons, Polaris was intrigued, even more so when he realized that the figure hovering above said pillar was none other than his former compatriot, Felina Xiphias! Outraged at what was about to take place, Polaris urged the dragon forward, breaking into a spiraling dive, he shouted, "Felina! Watch out!" he called out in an attempt to warn Felina as he raced to her aide. 
His warning however, was too late, she'd noticed Hothnights presence, but there was naught that she could do stop him as the specter assaulted both her and the pillar with a majestic display of a wintry blizzard. As Polaris neared the site, and Felina plummeted towards the unforgiving ground below, he broke into a dive, hoping to at least catch her before impact. That was not to be as the pillar reached critical mass it exploded violently unleashing a hellish barrage of frigid air. So cold that, for a moment, Polaris himself seemed frozen in place atop his beast. The dragon, thinking of it's own volition now, pulled up and spiraled into the skies above. As they continued to draw high above the city, and Polaris once again started to get his wits about him, he attempted to halt their ascent, only to be rebuffed by the dragon. Confused, Polaris redoubled his attempts to regain control of the beast of his own creation. This steed of his was created by his own magicks, and therefore was not intelligent in the least, it was his to command...right? Why then could he not regain dominion over it? This puzzled him to no end, fearing that his construct had been corrupted, Polaris vocalized his concern, "Construct!! Heed my wishes, lest you forget your master and creator! I could just as easily destroy you as I made you, formed you of my own aura, you are of me, and therefore you are me and mine!"
For a long moment, Polaris and the dragon continued to draw ever higher, so far up now that the buildings of Castle Town and the Castle itself were merely dots on the landscape below. Finally the beast leveled off and craned it's neck around to face the General. As it did this, Polaris felt a strange and vast consciousness lightly brush against his own. Polaris tentatively let down the mental barriers around his mind and opened himself to the thoughts that were hammering at the doors of his innermost thoughts. "Polaris" His very name was all that he heard, nay he heard nothing with his ears, he felt his name. Or did he think it? Again, this time distinctively, "POLARIS."Finally he shot back, the only thought that made sense, "WHAT?! As if on cue, he felt again, "It is true that I am formed of your very essence, but that does not mean that I am not able to think freely when the situation calls for it. I, and my ancestors, have served many of your line. I think it best that when this battle is ended, you must travel back to your homeland, to the Domain of your peoples, the proud Zora nation. All will be made clear there. There is much that you do not know of your family and yourInheritance. Until that time, I will once again fall under your rule, be wise in your actions General, for it is imperative that you do not fall victim here." Polaris was in awe of just how freaking nuts he was, this, this thing, this embodiment of his own arctic aura had just spoke with him. Or at least that's what he thought, how it could've done so was beyond his understanding. 
Polaris brushed the development aside for the time being and without hesitance, the beast did as he wished and rocketed back towards the city, all was in chaos, snow fell to the ground as if it were winter. Each and all of the combatants, be they Light, Dark or otherwise had been frozen in place by the massive blast that came from the overpowered pillar. There was no sign of Felina, the disembodied head, or the simian. Polaris had resigned himself to checking on Jadens well being when he heard that voice, the unmistakable voice of Lynn. The Lynn he knew before her possession, something was changed in her, she was once again Lynn Annei. But how? This was a question that needed answering, and bringing Jaden along would only increase the likelihood of him not gaining the information, so he veered away from the building that Jaden stood motionless atop and swooped towards where he'd heard her voice. Just in time to see her charging into a void of darkness behind the dolphin formed Felina. Polaris leaped off of his dragon which immediately dissolved into nothingness and reabsorbed into Polaris. Hitting the ground running, he sped after her. "Lynn! Lynn Annei! We need to talk! There is much explaining to be done!"
Unbeknownst to Polaris, he was heading straight towards the simian foe he'd encountered earlier. 
Chamdar Taliesin - Castle Town Ruins - Fifth Night
Too long he'd spent sitting atop the fence, hedging his bets. Darrel Mytura, captured. And Telmar... Too much was happening too swiftly, the balance was threatened. The return of Hothnight, coupled with the presence of Kinslayer, created a confluence of chaotic events that had rendered the shining center of their nation, the pinnacle of Hyrulean civilization, unto utter desolation. The Twili were annihilated, but their meager assault was nothing, and Kinslayer had been correct in his assessment. They were all dead, or fled away back to the core of their forces.
He stood some distance off, near enough to the specter's simian host and the throng of others milling about around it. It was utter chaos, and that was in a way both a good thing and a very, very bad thing.
Still he made no move yet to intervene. It was not his way. Instead he stood aside and reached into the pocket of his long, white cassock and pulled forth a pocket watch of pristine silver, inscribed with runes and symbols, and popped it open.
[b]??? - Castle Town Ruins - Fifth Night[/b]
Devastated. So much ruin, so much death, but none more potent and more significant than this singular loss. Stripped of the Sun Shard, that incredible power of the sun robbed away by the depredations of the arctic phantom. Crushed beneath a structure that appeared as if from nowhere, but in truth came from a place outside of time and space. A backwards place.
Rubble covered overtop, pinning down the broken body. It was useless now.
The markings seared into the flesh, those sinuous symbols, began to gleam all the brighter, though the figure did not move. The shattered planks of wood and bits of mortar and stone that had crushed it began to smoke and turn black, warping and curling in the face of such incredible heat. All others had gone to fight their battles elsewhere, but the terrible cold that had pervaded the city gave way to a great wave of warmth as, at last, the great mound of destroyed materials that had once been a warehouse erupted into a great, towering funeral pyre. Licks and whorls of flame rose high up into the night, casting all who remained in their devilish glow. Higher it rose, into the storm clouds overhead, which became suffused with its sickening, suffocating smoke.
[i][hl=black][color=darkred]"Emptiness is form..."[/color][/hl][/i]
That great, towering pillar began to waver and keen less chaotically, and more by design. So bright was it, and so tall, that as it began to take shape into a serpentine silhouette, it was evident for all to see. The flames grew darker, and grew harder, as though forming into a physical body, but just compacting, growing more dense. The Brand, which had been marked upon the flesh of Isaac Telmar, the Kinslayer's body, now rose above the earth, coiling itself about in the night sky as it turned its great attention upon the arctic specter that had brought it forth.
[i][color=darkred][hl=black]"Mayhaps, Hothnight, thou shouldst think better of thy scathing diatribe, for thou art no longer the greatest phantom to ride these turbulent skies. We shalt see thee brought unto thine utter end."[/color][/hl][/i]
[hr]
[b][color=white]Chamdar Taliesin[/color] - Castle Town Ruins - Fifth Night[/b]
Chamdar snapped shut the silver watch and tucked it back into the pocket of his long white coat.
[color=white]"Right on schedule."[/color] He muttered to himself, with neither a hint of pleasure nor displeasure in his tone.
Elly/Castle Gates/Evening 5
Eight dead spies was a good day's work. She felt confident enough even with the chaos swirling around her that she'd done one of her jobs well. The other one was out of her league. At least until she heard a familiar voice outside yell the name of the other person she'd been sworn to look out for.
Kae was supposed to be able to look after herself. With the Wall of Faith dispelled, that most likely was the causation of whatever she did to herself this time.
The girl was a Scion and a hero for sure, but her heart was indeed too big. Her timing for laying it all on the line was always piss poor, but her hand was always forced. Elly realized that if Kae wasn't forced with dilemma-scale decisions that she'd come out of it without a trip to the infirmary or dead.
Elly ran at full speed to the source of Lynn's voice. She was aware of Hothnite's merger and also that for reasons unknown, the Hated wanted to make Kae's life so unmanageable and frustrate everyone connected to her. Or just to kill her and piss off every single Light Warrior, possibly decentralizing them. It was a divide and conquer that Jaden and she talked about the evening before. It started with Lynn being possessed by the lich. It all started with the cloak. It wanted to be found and the perfect person to find it was the one that had such a need to prove something even with an elite status.
Then again, being surrounded by living history and a newly-imbued divine champion may have triggered something else.
But that was neither here nor there. Where Kae was, Lynn would not be far behind. What she saw when she got out there almost made her jaw hit the floor...
A very large Goron was holding Kae's severely battered and damaged form while a monkey-man holding Kae's critical weakness was diving at her. A funerary-tattooed Zora and a bipedal dolphin were rushing to intercept. She had an idea to help, as she could see celestial vapors reacting violently to whatever the monkey was holding.
"You will not touch her again!"
Normally she'd use the element of surprise. Elly was so angry that it didn't matter at this point. Kae laid it all on the line to end up the way she did. It was time to take a page from her book. It's what the Scion would do.
Taking a handful of familiar needles, she flung them all at the monkey's hands and what it was holding, and then slammed her fist into the ground to go into her fluidic shadow kata. If there was magic being flung about, she'd need to mitigate as much as possible now that her presence was known.
After that, she ran to the fore as well, standing alongside the other three folks trying to protect Kae.
"I'm standing with you. This monkey's going back to the zoo!"
She could see Lynn, and kept one eye on her, but there was a more crucial need to address at the moment.
Summary: Elly enters the fore and chucks a fistful of sheikah needles at monkey-Taden's hands and his shard. She then uses what defensive abilities she has and rushes to the fore as well. Over her head or not, she's taken a page from Kae's book and acted with her friend's interest in mind first.
Kae/Castle Gates/Evening 5
Cradled in the Goron Patriarch's arms, there was only so much protection he could offer. From lightning she could be shielded. From her ultimate weakness she could not. And it was amplified with primordial power never before seen in this generation; it would take her life if she was exposed to it for too long in her state.
At first it appeared the Scion's flesh took on a bad sunburn. Then her starmetal pigmented tattoos began to flare up uncontrollably with celestial blood vaporizing from an alchemical neutralization reaction. Daurubia did his best to keep as much distance between Kae and the monkey-man as possible. But it would be hard to attack while carrying a critically wounded Kae Bryseis. Not to say his footwork was bad; in fact he did very well in backing away and turning to the side to keep direct exposure to a minimum. The magic had an effect on him regardless but not as bad of one as it could have been either, also based on his positioning. 
And when backup arrived, he was able to back off even more. 
But he looked down at her briefly, and she looked far worse than before. Her skin was badly irradiated with sunburn, and constricted, blackened veins became visible at her temples and neck. Her bleeding also quickened from her eyes. If anything else were to happen to her, she'd probably die. He had to get back to the Castle and find that healer. If she was able to bring Jaden back from what he'd gone through, she'd at least be able to stabilize this.
He whispered up a prayer to Nayru, who undoubtedly was inundated with requests from the remaining faithful. She wouldn't just let her Scion go out like this.
Summary: Daurubia does his best to mitigate Monkey-Taden's lunging shard attack before backup arrives. Kae looks really bad. Yesterday was nothing compared to this at this point, as she was exposed to her ultimate weakness: Solar-attuned energy. Since it was amplified by primordial means, it exacerbated the situation. Further damage to the Scion could be fatal without medical or supernatural healing attention.
Jaden/Castle Rooftops/Night 5
He saw it all unfold so quickly. Polaris in his new state was indeed every bit of the role model Jaden had studied since he ever took an interest in the history of war and tactics. And with things in the air the way they were, things on the ground would be heating up soon enough. And they were. 
There was no way he'd get to his sister in time. So many threats to address. Some were answered, and some were not. But what was the most trying situation? Naturally he'd want to tend to Kae. She had four very powerful allies assisting, but he couldn't make out who the dolphin was. The Goron was solid and would act with her best interests in mind. Polaris was absolutely awesome. The dolphin, he didn't know. Elly?! She wasn't ready to handle this. She was good, but not on the level of Polaris or Kae. 
Kae would do the same for any of them, Scion or not. Over her head or not. There's no greater love than to lay it all on the line for a friend. And he realized what he could do to help. Running down the side of the castle and skipping from wall to wall to slow his descent, Jaden began to make his way to the gates. He had potions. They'd at least stem the tide. They were meant for him, but Mirra's gift renewed him and she needed them more. And if that didn't work, he still had one more trump card to use...
He understood that her survival was too important to hold anything back for, but he needed the element of surprise. If he were noticed, he was also a high value target that Hothnite in whatever incarnation was manifest would love to take out. If he was lost, Kae would lose another piece of her support system. Those pieces were falling off left and right. 
As Daurubia turned to the side, Jaden stayed fairly stealthy but tried to get his attention somehow.