Luminescence

Sunset

Heya! Here's an early update along with a reminder that tomorrow is the last day you can get free copies of my published works! Just search up 'T.S. Lowe' on Amazon, you'll find them! in the meantime, enjoy the beginning of the end. O.O

He stumbled out. His boots shuffled into normal dirt and grass. Warmth returned. The smell of trees and fresh air came back as well. Birds twittered.

His heart pounded a drum roll in his ears as he swiveled around, drawing his sword. He couldn't stay out here. He couldn't let her—

But any trace of a portal was gone, as though it had never been there.

And then it began to grow hotter. The evening colors of the sky burned away. Birds screamed in fright and it was growing brighter and brighter.

"No!" he shouted at the sky. "Don't come down!"

"I will not be commanded by a mere mortal!" shouted a familiar booming, burning voice. "Why are you—"

Midna began to sing. It broke his heart how much she sounded like Luna, and yet not quite. The heat dimmed as the sun turned its attention away, and Link could almost feel his confusion. Everything was moving so fast. Everything was just too bright. He couldn't see! He was going to go blind! But he had to do something!

"Go back!" he screamed.

But even as the music filled the area he could begin to see again---and see the change. The light didn't dim, but somehow he could see without being blinded, and in the midst of that brilliant light he could see a man clothed in white flames, looking into the direction of the music. His hair burnt like white-hot iron, and his skin was a purer white than snow. Wings of fire blazed upon his back. But his eyes were bright, bright blue, so much like his sister's, and they were wide with bewilderment beneath a small clear gem on his forehead. Then, the sun spoke, and his voice had lost its overwhelming quality, turning soft and childlike.

"Big sister?"

And amidst the light a line of darkness appeared, digging itself into the white chest of the sun. His mouth opened in surprise, his hands fluttered to the wound, and Link watched as the sun slowly, tremulously, fell. The brightness dimmed. The heat dissipated. The wings of fire shrank against his back to meld in with his clothes. Link could see Hyrule Field again, except this time there were no colors across the sky or sunset to light the land. As the sun grew dimmer, the stars up above poke out one by one.

Midna was laughing. She sounded delighted and it didn't sound evil, cold, or unnatural. It sounded like normal, healthy Midna. Somehow, that was worse.

"Ha!" she said. "Teach you to burn a revolutionary. If you had only not been so narrow minded and judgemental, it wouldn't have turned out this way."

The white man was on his knees, hand to his heart where a black dagger had bitten in deep. Hot fire dripped from his chest, sizzling the grass away and melting the dirt. His clothes of fire hung on him limply, burning a dull blue.

Link fell to his knees. His sword clattered to the ground.

"Midna..." he croaked.

"How funny that miss Luna had the key all along, hey?" she said down to the sun, whose arms were shaking. "The voice to reveal the true nature of things. Never thought I'd piece it together, did you? That I'd figure the way to kill you is to bring out your true nature—your very soul? But I'm not killing you. No, that's something only mortals can do. Immortals simply...what's the word? Cease to be in a rather painful fashion that is a lot like dying?"