Star Fox: Echoes

Chapter 8: Night Whispers

Krystal took a step backward, turning to flee from the library only to find that the entryway had sealed itself behind her. She cast a glance back at the figure standing before her, panicking as she threw her weight into the ancient wooden door in an attempt to force it open. Realizing there was no escape, Krystal spun and raised the metallic hilt of her laser sword, threatening to activate it.

"Who are you? What are you doing in the library?" Krystal focused her sixth sense and trained it on the intruder's mind, but she found herself unable to detect his thoughts. A veil seemed to linger over her target's mind, rendering her telepathic abilities useless. This was something similar to what I sensed with Revan! Could this be him? The trespasser appeared to be a fox, but most of his face and body were concealed beneath a dark blue hood and cloak. The little of him that was visible was indistinguishable in the darkness of the library, closed and off limits during the late hours of the night.

Fighting back terror, Krystal activated her laser sword and swung for the mysterious character. "Identify yourself!"

As the vixen's glowing blade stretched forward, a rod-like object emerged from the fox's robes and the two weapons clashed, showering the air with sparks and lighting up the space between them. As Krystal held her position firmly, she lifted her blade to gaze into her enemy's eyes. The two crystal blue irises reflected her own in their depths, and at once the vixen drew a pace backward.

"Father? What are you doing here this late at night?"

The cloaked figure lowered his weapon, lifting the hood over his head to reveal a crown atop his head. This 'intruder' was in fact the King, Krystal's father. As he relaxed his defensive stance and approached his daughter, Krystal couldn't help but return his smile with surprise.

"Were you here, waiting for me?" The vixen questioned, lowering her laser sword and looking him up and down. "Why did you hide your mental trace from me?... And what's with the cloak? Why all the secrecy?"

"I'm sorry to have scared you by hiding myself the way I did," the King apologized. "I have been awake most of the night, monitoring the mental activity of the villagers and guards until yours in particular caught my mind's eye."

Krystal gasped in alarm. "So you know about my vision? You saw it too?"

Her father nodded. "Yes, I saw nearly everything. It was then that I knew I had to come here and wait for you; I disguised myself because it was you, and you only that I wished to see here. I safeguarded my mental trace because I knew you wouldn't come unless you knew you were alone." Before Krystal could ask any more of the questions that burned in her mind, the King waved his hand and beckoned for her to follow him. "Come, let us walk."

The vixen hesitated before taking her first step toward her father, gradually giving in as he was nearly lost in the darkness again. Racing to catch his pace, Krystal glanced around at the library's interior, hardly visible in the lingering darkness as very few torches burned dimly along the walls. Her memory of this place was rather faint, as she rarely visited the vast wealth of knowledge hidden among the many ancient tomes and scrolls hidden inside. She thought she and her father had passed the main lobby, located just at the entrance, but she was starting to become lost among the many twists and turns as she followed blindly in the dark.

Krystal raised her laser sword, hovering it over the many shelves and tables she passed trying to identify some of the names of the works with little success. Most of the books appeared to be old and worn, collecting dust as if they had not been touched for entire lifetimes. I hope Father even knows where he's going, the vixen thought as she honed her mind in on his. The wall barricading his mind from her sixth sense was beginning to fade, allowing her to sense his thoughts as she usually could.