A True Hero

42 - I'll Wait For You

Meta Knight

"Nicolette?!" I cried out, using my voice and my thoughts. Where was she? Why was she not responding?

"Meta Knight, move!" Arthur cried, grabbing my arm and yanking me out of the way of a wall of the castle collapsing over me. The boulders and debris crashed to the ground behind me as he pulled me away.

"Focus, Meta Knight, we will find her later!" The Sage ordered, raising his hands and shooting lasers at some oncoming monsters. I caught a glimpse of Falspar and Dragato fighting back-to-back behind the monsters. So there were still some warriors alive. "We must find Nightmare and try to defeat him!"

"He had to escape the castle before it collapsed," Arthur said. "Which means he's somewhere out here with us."

When we got inside the castle, we had run straight to the throne room. From my time with Nightmare, I knew the coding commands to input into the software that would halt his entire galactic delivery system. Then I had taken apart the wiring and machinery on the platform, and Arthur and The Sage had helped destroy it with sword beams. The task had proven very difficult, though, as several monsters had gotten through the delivery system before I was able to shut it down. They had fought hard, and I recognized some of them as Nightmare's best monsters. We had managed to defeat them and complete the task, but we were rough and ragged from the skirmish. My cape was tattered from where several monsters had clawed it, and I knew it was impossible now to use my wings. Thinking about my cape, I suddenly remembered something about NME.

"Nightmare has a dimensional cape," I said suddenly, and both Arthur and The Sage turned to stare at me. "He can teleport places and hide in thin air. We must be careful."

"How many soldiers are left to fight with us?" The Sage asked, then jumped into the air and shot his hands into the sky, creating a kind of beacon. It attracted some monsters, which we quickly killed, but the remaining soldiers, at least a hundred, ran to meet us. Among them were Falspar, Dragato, Nonsurat, and Vul and his knights. Everyone had a torn cape, and their faces were covered in blood smeared with dirt and dust. They panted heavily and some put their hands on their knees to catch their breath as Arthur stepped into the midst of them, bleeding from several cuts on his arm.

Monsters howled around us as Arthur quickly ordered, "We must use the forces we have left to find NME. The transporter has been destroyed, and NME is stranded here. We must defeat him while we still have the chance."

"We will circle the remains of the castle," The Sage added, igniting his clenched fists in a blaze. "Come, we must move quickly. The monsters that remain here will find us."

I turned to move with the group when a sudden sharp pain stabbed my head right in between my eyes. White and gold swirls filled my vision, and I heard voices, some Nicolette's and some mine, echoing in my head. The pain grew so intense, I cried out and fell to the ground, holding my temples and shouting above the sudden noise.

Then it suddenly grew quiet, and I saw Nicolette's body, bloody and lifeless, on the rocky ground, surrounded by glass shards. As it blurred away, I called her name over and over in my head, but each time I tried to connect with her, the pain throbbed even more.

Then I was staring at the ground I was hunched over, thinking her name and not reaching anyone. I searched the atmosphere for her aura, looking for her, but it suddenly seemed our bond had severed. This was more than her just blocking me out. I could not find her.

"Something's happened to Nicolette," I gasped as Arthur pulled me to my feet. The small band of soldiers looked at me in shock and confusion. The Sage grabbed my arm and looked me dead in the eyes. He searched my eyes and feelings, and I suddenly felt like he could see everything, like I wasn't even wearing a mask. I felt naked and ashamed.