*From the South Town*

A wagon rolled in, and Miathan, along with the other men he had met, stepped out of it. The mage saw the cozy-looking in and smiled. This would be perfect for him! He had traveled to Hyrule, and it wasn't too far away from what had before been castle town. It's dissapearance was most fascinating, and he'd have to study the result from afar, which reminded him that he would need to buy a telescope. He lazily moved towards the inn, having no troubles in the world.

*To inside the inn*

*from the Faron Woods*

((A grand post giving a very deep insight on Cody's inner struggle. I know not whether that was out of sarcasm or inspiration, but I must take off my hat to you, SSBB. It was a masterfully done job. I knew you had it in you.

And I give your twist a twist in reply ^_^))

Syndellius looked back at Cody. The boy had surprised him, to say the least. He was quiet, innocent...and now he had a spark, a wish to move the world regardless of his weak state.

'Just like Amy...' he thought to himself. It was in the blood, in the end. She went to war, and separated herself from the family. She raised a family with that paladin...oh, he could picture his armor clearly in his mind...he never forgot people he despised. He did once his most noble sacrifice, and that paladin swiped the ungrateful brat of a daughter he had--!

And yet, even in death she still held an invisible hand over him...visions, dreams, last wills. Perhaps...not a hand, but rather a conscience. Keeping him from doing foolish things like he did in his past, such as getting involved with Ganondorf...and his Dark Army. Yet, he, Syn-- no, Aethelnoth, was throwing himself again at an attempt to gain powers untold from darkness itself. To strive his position of Demon King, well, it wasn't a problem. But to let himself be consumed by Malladus' gifts so quickly. The army, the Regent title...he had to wake up.

The black knight never thought himself as an evil person. He never killed or destroyed for entertainment, at best he would taunt his rival, but kill him, he never truly did. He wasn't a good man either. He couldn't stand the blind devotion of the light, much less the world order they liked to maintain. He knew his place was, is and will always be between those two, a perfect balance. However, such was hard to keep at all times.

In a moment of weakness, he was consumed by blind vengeance against Ganondorf, then he was forced into redeeming himself for his daughter, and now this long quest to become the ruler of an entire race. In the previous two, after accomplishing them, he felt...unlike himself. Surely, he had never lost his attitude on neither occasion, but...there was this emptiness inside. Power without having the least bit of common sense is just being another of those common villains, and selflessness, sacrifice...too much of it made Aethelnoth feel shackled, bound to someone else's will.

Right now, he needed a bit of light to counter so much darkness. But in this form it'd be pointless. He'd seem like a madman trying to relive his days of glory by making empty promises. If he was going to help those heroes, this facade had to end.

"Hold your horses now, kid. You'll be only getting yourself a cold, cold grave." His voice tone changed from the cheery inn keeper tone to his original one. He wouldn't hold back, and he didn't care who saw. He is Aethelnoth Thorodan Maelyss, and if anyone doesn't like it, they can just try and stop him. His form slowly distorted, revealing his true form. He cared not if the Kokiri or the Spirit Warrior started to sense his dark presence.

Quinn, that had been looking at Cody with a surprised look in her face ever since he grew some guts and stopped being pushed around, then glanced at her contractor...that just got a little creepier by the minute. She felt the darkness pulsating from him. Her first instinct was to get off the carriage and prepare to summon Raymond. She looked again at the Ordonian boy with a look in her eyes that he would take another million years to see. She was waiting for him. For a signal for her to take action and just start beating up that dark knight.

"Dropping this...Syndellius mask...let me tell you something. You brought me a note, a last will, coming from my daughter, Amy Thorodan Maelyss, later to be known as Amy Hillbrand. I was a so-so father...but I never dared deny my little girl something she asked of me." He approached Cody slowly, his voice meaning serious business. "...so, if she wants me to train you....oh, I'll train you. Not even if I have to bring the world down to do so."

He then stepped back, to get a better view of the three that had been traveling with him. "But enough of that for now. I suppose you're all thinking 'oh, you're just a monster that has been pretending to be a nice, humble man'. I wouldn't say you're far off the mark, but...I mean no harm to any of you in particular. I merely found my true form to be more...adequate for the turn of events. As Syndellius, I couldn't go as far as to offer you some half baked training techniques and a place to stay." He kept his hands busy by expressing himself at all times, never closing in to his blades, specifically to stress the point of not wanting to opt for hostility.

"You...or even beyond you...Hyrule...has no right in choosing their allies right now. The Chaos Lord has made his home in the heart of your realm, and seeks to destroy it all. So far, running unopposed. In Termina, Ganondorf has risen, and surely seeks to end light's reign as well. And the demons...that the Twili informed you all of. Oh, trust me...you wouldn't want another enemy. No, you want, you need more allies on your side. And that...is why I am here. Choose wisely, heroes. Think for yourselves and come with me...or mindlessly grasp to your biased concept of Light and Darkness, and by all means, do strike me first, all of you." He crossed his arms, still demonstrating no will of starting a battle. If they were to fight, the heroes would be the one to start it, not him.

((A little of both, to be honest, but it made me reconsider stuff in the process to the better.

And this song is very inspirational. It's now officially "The Plot to overthrow Sartor"-theme of hope. And the Skyward Sword part is Cody's theme. =D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FWqG7AUntM))



*From Faron Woods*

Everything had changed. Once they stopped, Aethelnoth revealed his true form, something that took everyone by surprise. Even without the gift of sensing, Cody got shivers down his spine once the monstruous armor took form.

Cody got frozen in place. His eyes glared at the dark plate armor, and they were then forcingly moved upward to the empty sockets of the helmet as if they called for him. Deep in that dark void of madness lied the little life of someone who was once a man. He knew this was something out of this world. The words spoken to him entangled his mind against his will. Many names and places were mentions, subjects that he had never once heard of before. But somehow, he knew their importance and it was very serious.
Once this demon of a man was done entrancing him, Cody began to think and wonder. He was not so sure what to do. He didn't even know who he was, only knew that they were apparently related.

Cody jumped off the caravan and faced the black knight. He was much shorter than him and he was scared, but Aethelnoth had dropped his guard which made him calmer.
"I do not judge by the concepts of light or darkness. Light for me is the sun's power to birth life, and darkness is the harvest of death. It's a beneficial balance of order, and it's a part of who we are. It doesn't decide for us what we are, though..."
This felt odd... Cody didn't feel like himself at all of this moment. His words seemed to speak intellectually like he was possessed by a supernatural force. Maybe it had something to do with his connection to Aethelnoth, and the Nexus' critical point approaching. He could almost hear the planet cry.
"...It's if you're good or evil. I am not a philosopher, and there are stories of evil deeds done for the better, or good deeds turned bad... But to me, this is enough. You are either a good person or a bad person, no matter if you're a spirit coming from the light or the darkness."

The young boy dared to take a few steps forward. Would he attack now like Aethelnoth had taunted them?
No. With much hesitation, he placed a gentle hand on the Demon Knight's shoulder and stared back at the void. The very same eyes of his daughter reflected from her descendant's eyes.
"I beg of you to help me. I will follow your instructions but there is no more time for training. The world cannot afford to wait much longer for heroes to act. We need an army to fight Sartor, and I will gladly sign myself into a mere trooper for the sake of us all, if you are willing to lead us. We will need the Gorons and the Zoras, and everyone, if we are to succeed."

He let go off his hand and looked at Faron now.
"I know you are afraid. Do know that I am scared to the bones. But this is no longer a fight for glory or fame, as I depicted a hero to be. It's a battle for survival; and sacrifices must be made of good men and women. We live in the same land and we have to fight back for it now. What do you say? Will you come with me as well?"

Cody looked up toward the wagon at Quinn, too.
"How about you? I can't offer you money, but I really need your experience and blade. Money will do no good if there is no world to spend it on, right?".

Quinn didn't like her contractor back when he was that happy man...and now she didn't like him the same way, although his attitude was a little better. But...he and Cody were right. She kept her distance just in case but decided to throw in her opinion. "I do see some things beyond money. So yeah, I'm with you two on this. However...no matter how much you and Mr.'Syndellius' may be good at fighting, I don't see us standing a chance against that freakish thing in the fields. It even has an abyss to keep any ground force away from it."

This was all going smoothly now. Good. They would help him convince the rest of the light when the time came. "Oh, do not concern yourself, Cody. You have chosen the best of all outcomes. There will be plenty of time for training after this threat to the world is no more." The black knight then listened to the girl's words. "Oh, you are underestimating our resources severely. We do have more than we need to bring Sartor down."

Aethelnoth snapped his fingers, and a little further from the group, a metallic claw burst out of the ground and opened up. "Come with me." He said, stepping into the platform in the middle of the claw. "We must go to a place where we can discuss the more...specific details of everything without someone overhearing our conversation. I once again remind you that I mean you no harm, so this isn't a trap. I too do not seek the end of the world."

Although her natural reaction would be to stay away from that man, much more when he summoned something and now asked them all to stand so close to him inside that thing...but, she had a feeling that he did have similar goals to them. Even if she also felt something was outworldly with this man...the way he spoke, it was soothing. Surely magic was at work. Was she in her right mind to trust her thoughts on the black knight?

Cody surely seemed convinced...and...perhaps if he was going as well, they'd both be able to deal with that guy in the worst case scenario. So, she made her way into the platform inside the claw and waited for Cody and that little Kokiri kid.

*from the forest*

Faron was hidding behind Cody during all this and he did not know what to think, hey he was a kid so of course he could be scared and someone changing to something else just like that did not happen often....he had never seen it before. Cody could feel the little child grasping his clothes, almost as if he was seeking a safe place. He did it because Cody was the one he trusted most of these people so of course he did like any child would do...keep close to the source of security.

A small yelp escaped his mouth when the iron claws bursted out from the ground, he watched them and he did not like the idea to stand on that thing anytime soon.

"It does not look very safe, I do not like it...."

He swallowed loudly and glanced at Aethelnoth, but the gaze quickly moved away if the large man looked at him...or he was hidding behind Cody. Hey Aethlnoth did look scary alright....not the kind of man that walked out giving away flowers.

------

It was then that something odd happened! A shard of green light moved down between the tree too stop floating in front of Cody, Aethelnoth and the others. Taking shape was a small golden orb, simple in shape and decorated with runes of unknown kind...someone like Aethelnoth could see it as an odd mix of ancient shekiah and something else.

"...."

There was no voice and no sounds, yet the feeling spreading as the light appeared was amazing. It was not power, but yet whatever it was remained out of reach to their understanding what power really was.

Cody acknowledged Faron's mistrust of going onto the claw-thing. He put a hand on the boy's back and tried to motivate him to walk with him on it. But before they reached it, a sudden burst of light blinded the lot. A magnificent object of unknown origin floated before their very eyes. Cody had no idea what that was but he could feel its positive energy. Without thinking, he stepped towards it and looked at it.
"This light ball.. I wonder what it is", Cody asked himself. He decided to examine it closer once they were in safety. He looked at Faron. "Let's go together."

He stepped aboard Aethelnoth's weird ride together with Quinn and the said dark lord, and invited Faron on. Cody kept his curiosity on the orb and wondered if it had something to do with this crisis. It sure didn't seem to be a very large acorn for sure.

Aethelnoth was pleased with their trust. "Now...we'll be off to--" However, before he could order the claw down to his lair, an orb with ancient writings appeared in front of them. Well, this surely piqued his curiosity. Unlike the others, he had the courage to try and grab it. He didn't have the time for games. "This is something from a lost era, that I can tell." The black knight said, answering Cody. "I'd be very surprised to anyone alive write this unless they had a very good reason." He said as he moved the orb around in his hand, trying to decipher and perhaps seek any sort of mechanism to activate it so he could know what this was all about.

Faron looked up at Cody, he swallowed a little and looked to the weird platform....the idea to ride that thingie...from what it seemed underground. The kokiri was not a large fan of going underground. The arrival of the strange ball and the odd green light added to the confusion, but the light actually made him feel a little braver for some reason.

"Ok..."

He decided to be brave. He stepped onto the platform....thingie with Cody and the strange lady, he did not remember her name...or he had never heard it, hard to figure what was what.

------

Aethelnoth could feel the orb in his hand, it was magical alright and he could hint something familiar about the energy coming from it. Of course it was many years now since the last time he had to deal with this energy, but it was...someone he had taken care of when he was very young.

"Hello sir"

A humanoid shape appeared from the orb, it was just an image because the area behind it was clearly visible though the body. He was adult now, but Aethelnoth could see that this was Helios, the eyes was still the same. Making a wild guess could show that the orb was activated when the right people touched it...or Aethelnoth had just rubbed it in the right way by accident?

"It would seem the gods sent me to...uhm..you, my this was a twist to everything. You look...healthy?"

The black knight felt the presence of the image inside the orb. It took him a while, but the voice let Aethelnoth recognize his first apprentice. "Helios." He then remembered then another thing...an event...in the distant past. The Great Wars were ravaging the land...and Helios ruled the Remnants of the Crusade in his stead.

However, this was no reason to be alarmed if what the boy said was true. "I am no follower of the gods, Helios. That you should know. But I assume you meant fate, in which I believe. If fate sent you, then please, do enlighten me with any information you bring." He noticed his apprentice still had a bit of the insecurity from the first days they met. It made it altogether more likely that he was truly deceased, as he doubted the young man would remain with that attitude after 200 years.

"I know what you belive in, we all belive in different things and now the gods have decided to step in...seeing as the end of reality is coming closer and pretty soon there wont be anything left. You have yourself had the power of the goddesses in your hand, but now it rest with someone more dangerous then you. But this is not the time or place to reflect on such things"

The image of the young man made a pause to let his words sink in, his eyes examined the dark knight in silence and it was hard to imagine if he was thinking or if he even could think? Was this the real Helios or just a magical image created to look like him?

"It is just a matter of days now before Hyrule will be swallowed by the nexus and then chance are slim you will make it. The only way to stop the nexus and the chaos lord is to use the orb of order."

The black knight listened patiently, but getting to the Underworld now was crucial, they had no moment to spare. "I know time is a precious resource as of now, Helios, and I am aware of the power of the enemy. Then, please be brief. I see that you bear the knowledge of how to bring down Sartor, so I ask you, where we could acquire such...artifact. Despite it sounding like something my old enemies would have made, I assume it is way more powerful and ancient than anything those knightly morons could have come up with. But enough of this, I do not want to know of its origins, just where or who to seek to have it in the hands of the Light when the final battle comes."

((The curse of inactivity has now been tossed on us? Blaaargh...

Can we please just get this over with before the skip?))

"It is no longer an object, but a person. I was able to take the last orb and use magic to hide it in a place where Sartor would not be able to find it."

The image of Helios explained slowly.

"You have meet her before, I'm sure the name Circe rings a bell does it not? Of course the girl is very much unaware of her own...state. Neither can the powers in her be used or awaken unless she accepts them, might be a problem if she wish to ignore the truth."

He sighed.

"As to where she might be I do not know at all, she could be anywhere now and being just an image I have little power to find out."

Aethelnoth smiled under his helmet. He chuckled at first, seeming very pleased by the information he was given. "Circe, eh?" This was good...the key to defeating Sartor was something he could easily predict, as he knew her all too well. "I know she will come when the final battle is due. And by then...I'll be prepared. I thank you for that information, Helios. Once again you haven't failed in surprising me with your usefulness."

He then ordered the claw in which everyone stood to start closing. They had to get to the Underworld now. "Farewell, my apprentice. Perhaps we might meet again someday..." With that, the claw was fully closed and dragged everyone down to the kingdom below the Lost Woods.

*to the Underworld*

*Cody to the Underground as well*