~~~
I abruptly wake up. I find myself in my room, laying on my bed. My room is just how I remember, dark red and black walls, dark red bed sheets and black curtains over my window darkening the sunlight as it enters through them.
"Star!"
I turn and see my father rushing over to me then embracing me in a hug. I wrap my arms around him and bury my face into his armor over his chest.
"Oh, father, how I’ve missed you," I say softly, "Father, what happened?"
His grip tightens on me as he lets me stand up off of my bed to stand before him, "Star, how did you get here? I was so worried! I was glad I found you before that demon did anything else to you! Once I arrived on the scene, the demon vanished into thin air. I quickly scooped you up and brought you here. Star, how and why are you back? It is too dangerous here!"
I can see the worry in his eyes as I stare back at him. I fall back into another hug and bury my face into his chest plate again, wrapping my arms around him tightly, clutching his shirt with my fists. My hood falls down onto my shoulders and reveals my dark red hair. I feel his hand rest on the top of my head. I cannot stop the slow tears from reaching the surface of my eyes.
"Father, I saw mother, in my dream. She approached me there. She told me she did not know she could not fight that alone. Mother brought me back here, father. She said I had the power before I could not hear her anymore. That was the last thing I remember before waking up here," I say, between fighting back tears and stopping my voice from cracking. I feel my father brush my hair with his hand as he stays silent for a moment, before breaking the silence.
"Star, the demon sealed up the castle, searching for you. For now, we are safe here. Back to what you just said, your mother mentioned that you have the power. I wonder if she meant you or something you possess," He goes silent again, like going into thought.
Then after another moment, he slowly releases his grip and turns towards his right. "Star, your friends are here,"
I open my eyes and see Ike, Roy and Lucina standing and sitting on the other side of my room. They look over at us and smile at me. "Oh, I am glad to see you!" I tell them, with a small smile appearing on my face.
"Your friends are very interesting. They told me most of what happened once they met you. They followed you here, wanting to help," Father explains to me, "They tell me they are surprised how similar this place is to their home and have been surprised by you ever since day one,"
I turn and see a smile on his face, "I am proud of you, Star. You have become stronger with more confidence, I can see it resonating inside of you,"
I smile even bigger, "Thank you, father!"
He glances to my friends again, "That armor matches you and your personality very well, too,"
I look myself over, "I think so too,"
Unexpectedly, sounds of the demon appear out of nowhere, startling everyone in the room. The room goes unsettlingly quiet as we listen. Snarling and shrieking are heard from down the stairs leading up to my room. My father pulls me close once again as he listens. My friends keep their gazes on my closed door.
That demon is in the next room, searching for me.
I lean against my father, my face pressing against his chest, knowing it is impossible to hide from a demon. The demon encircles the giant and tall room below, grunting, while sounds of muffled whispering for the young child to come out from hiding is faintly heard.
"Oh, young child, you cannot hide from your fate forever, listen to your mother,"
I silently remark, "You're not my mother..."
The castle rumbles and my father's grip tenses around my waist. The sounds of the demon grew louder as it grows closer and becomes more restless.
"I will find you child, I sense you are near,"
I tense up when the demon says this, feeling the vibration from its profound voice.
"Star," My father says quietly, "Are you ready?" Sounds of the demon grow nearer. My eyes grow dark, as the orbs appear around my hands.
I nod, "I need your support, father, I am not afraid anymore," I respond quietly.
The demon's steps grow closer. "My child, you will join me soon," The shadow appears below the door, and it slowly encircles it entirely, "I am here for you my child,"
Then, the demon destroys the door, and those deep red eyes are staring right back at me.
Ten
The demon locks onto me and surges forward at a high speed, shrieking and leaving a cloud of blackness where it once stood less than a second ago.
I quickly throw my left arm out creating a magic shield, while holding onto my father with my right hand and I put it around us right before the demon crashes into my father.
"Father, stay behind my shield!" The demon attacks the shield, shrieking, but it cannot break the force. My father looks down at me, with a stern look, "Star, listen to me. My sword, I think it is somehow linked to this. It has the ability to absorb your magic. That is what I believe your mother was referring to in your dream,"
I look up and nod, "I understand, father,"
The demon chuckles, "Did you like the surprises I left for you in the other world?" The demon continues its chuckle out of amusement from its previous statement.
What it is talking about? Is it referring to the soulless guardsmen that ferociously attacked me in the other world? The same guardsmen who did not respond when their princess ordered them to?
"Young child, you do not need to fear your destiny," The demon hisses, breaking me from my sudden thoughts.
I push the demon back with my magic shield, "No!" I shout, and I shove my left hand forward, shoving the shield forwards. The force slams the demon back, it shrieks in return, pushing against it. I immediately encompass the demon again with a magic shield but the demon is quick and destroys it. That sudden burst causes me to flinch and lose control for a moment, before I refocus my thoughts. I constantly pick up and throw debris lying about towards the demon, slowly levitating closer to it, causing it to have to shield itself from harm.
With one of the times the demon leaves itself open in order to shield itself from my attacks, my father charges past me and slams into the demon with his sword, a different one than the one I have from him, so it only slows the demon. I shield my father from harm and lift my left hand. My sword slowly fades into view from underneath my cape. I begin to power it up, but the demon seems hasty to allow that to happen. It disappears then reappears next to me within a second of time and knocks it out of my clutches, causing the sword to clang and slide to the far side of the room. Then the demon uses its arm to knock me back causing me to grunt. I flip in mid-air to stop myself from falling any longer. The demon locks sight with me as we both glance towards the sword.
We both dash towards the sword, disappearing and reappearing around the room, knocking one another back when they get close. I glance around, to see where my friends are. My father has them at a safe distance from us.
Good, thank you father.
Then I realize the sword can be obtained by one of them, to help me get it before the demon does. "Father! Get the sword!" I call out, while blocking the demon with as many shields as I can. However, the demon breaks each and every one of them I throw at them. The demon is constantly shrieking as I do this, causing me to have to completely focus on my attacks and shields. I cannot watch to make sure my father reaches the sword in time, so I turn towards the demon to keep blocking its advancements. I finally manage to get a shield up before the demon can break it, so I focus on the center of the shield to send out blasts of energy and strike the demon, causing it to shriek and fall back from each blast.
Enraged, the demon shrieks and lifts up one of its hands towards me. I do the same, lifting my hand as well. The demon shoots out a black, glowing energy ball and commands it to fly full speed towards me. I quickly counter it by focusing my emotion on my left hand and then doing a swiping motion with my hand, creating a small shield where my hand just was causing the energy ball to dissipate
once it hits it.
By this time, I see a glimpse of my father reaching the sword behind me. He is now facing me, waiting for me to be able to turn my attention to him.
I turn my head towards him, "Father! Throw it!" I prepare my left hand and watch my father throw the sword into the air. I throw myself slightly away from the demon, closer to the sword in the air, lift my hand towards it and focus my emotion on the sword. The sword begins shining with the blackened light surrounding it. I quickly command the sword to take its place beside me, my left hand lifted and ready for the next command.
I lift my hand, the sword follows my command, angling its tip towards the demon. The sword begins to light up and glow red with fire magic. I quickly mumble the phrases of nonsense and the sword all of a sudden erupts with darkened energy, flickering violently and lighting up the room. The sword hovers around my left side, moving where I tell it to with my hand. I quickly lift my left hand and the sword points upright, in the direction where the demon stood.
Darkened dark magic pulsates around my body, my eyes emerge darker than before, no longer transparent. I feel like I am in my complete focused state and all of my emotions are being focused on the demon who stands there before me. The room around me goes fuzzy and dark as I lose connection to it. The room disappears out of my conscious.
The only thing I see is the demon. I levitate in a stance with my left arm stretched outwards in front of me, with the sword hovering within my hand's reach and my right arm is angled by my side, fist clutched closed with a black orb around it.
"You will release my mother, I will banish you back to the underworld where you belong, demon!" I say the word banish angrily while increasing my tone of voice.
The demon chuckles, "Child, I rest within your soul, you banish me, you banish yourself. You stand no chance. You do not understand, as I do not hold your mother for she is inside me, she is my soul...All it takes, one slip up of your control and I shall breach within,"
I stay motionless, facing the demon, acting unaffected of the demon's words. My father and my friends stand motionless, trying not to break my focus or to break my emotionless state.
The demon laughs, then disappears. Before I can find where, I can see a glimpse of a cloud of darkness encircling Ike and he starts disappearing right before my eyes. I suddenly feel my emotions swirling out of control.
"Star!" I hear him yell. I quickly spin around and find the demon above Ike taking him away from me.
"IKE!" I scream at the top of my lungs, but I cannot stop the demon.
Ike is gone.
I begin to feel my emotions start to slip and the black flame around the sword begins to flicker and dim. It is starting to lose power.
Ike...no! Please no!
"Star, you must keep it together, concentrate! I believe in you!" I hear my father call from behind me, but it is all too much for me. The sword flickers faster as the demon is echoing with laughter filling the room. The demon swoops in and grabs the sword from my grasp.
I have to run. I'm going to lose control. Father, I'm so sorry. I can't.
I glance back towards my father then I quickly flee down the stairs, down the hallway and through the courtyard. I hear my father yelling my name behind me in the distance. I disappear into the darkened part of the castle. I fly as far as I can, to find the most hidden place possible within the castle walls. I keep looking out, hoping my father will find me.
Oh my god, I feel faint.
The world around me keeps phasing in and out while my vision is darkening. My vision begins pulsating in redness and my head is spinning. I fall down to my knees and I reach up and clutch my head as it begins pounding.
"Oh, my child, come to me. I can feel you rapidly approaching me. Good, my child,"
The images of Ike being taken from me keeps popping into my head, "No! This is my fault. I knew it was too dangerous here for you! I should have been able to protect you, but I failed!"
Sweat is already pouring down my face. I feel my energy draining from me very quickly. I fall from my knees onto my side, covering my face and head with my hands. My entire body will not stop shaking and those images keep haunting my mind.
"Star? Where are you?" I hear my father's voice and I cannot help but cry out in agony, "No, father! I failed! I lost him, he's gone! I cannot do it, I lost!" I feel my father place his hand on my side as he kneels down next to me. I feel his other hand touch my forehead.
"Oh my god, Star. You are burning up! Are you okay?"
"I failed father! I could not protect him! I lost!"
The world surrounding me fades away into darkness. My father's voice slowly disappears. His touch is no longer there. I hear nothing. I feel nothing. I see nothing. I feel my mind descending into darkness and my mind is slowly being consumed. It feels as though it is an eternity. I start to feel less and less, then my emotion is completely gone. I remember nothing.
I open my eyes. I see nothing. The edges of my vision are red and fuzzy. There is a black figure standing before me, and is smiling with a shrieking laughter filling the air.
"There you are, my child,"
"I have arrived, mother,"
I am now a demon lord, summoned from the depths of hell.
Eleven
"It is good to see you again, mother. I thought I would never get here, I can be very stubborn you know," I look around and see the castle still standing there while everything is shaded deep red.
My mother chuckles, "I know child, you got it from your father," I am still where I was before I became corrupted. My father is nowhere to be seen. I must have been out for a while then, or my father would have been there still.
"So you captured one of the demon child's friends and then the corruption started taking control? Interesting,"
I move my gaze back over to her, "Very well done, my child. You have finally joined me here. Once you are ready, we shall begin the ritual to combine into one being," I nod. I look myself over. I have long sharp claws and is cloaked in a deep dark magic veil. My vision is a deep red and I can sense many different things, different types of emotion, mine and those near me.
But something feels incomplete. That is why my mother requires this vessel, it will complete the demon lord. Soon, we will combine and corrupt this land and become the ultimate demon lord. Not even that annoying blade can be powered up to stop me now. Those pesky friends of the demon child are no match for us once we become one. I feel so much power with this body. There is so much more power to be obtained!
I look over at my mother, "What do we need to complete this ritual, hmm?"
My mother sharpens her gaze towards the castle, "We must go to the chamber where I have trapped that pesky friend of the demon child and there I can obtain the energy required, my child. Come, this way," My mother phases away, so I follow.
Right away we enter the chamber where the demon child's friend sits over in the corner. Once he sees us, his expression says it all, useless.
"Star?"
I chuckle, "Silence, I have no use for you anymore. Behold, you shall witness the creation of the ultimate being!"
Behind me, my mother is preparing her dark magic spell, standing on the pedestal in the center of the chamber. Energy is being collected causing a tornado of winds flapping around the room. My hair is swirling around my face. You can still see my figure inside the dark magic veil surrounding me.
My voice is still the same, just has the demon-like deeper voice echoing as I speak alongside it, like two recordings are playing at once saying the same script.
The demon child's friend goes silent then, his emotion is plastered across his face. Even then, I can sense emotion in this form, I am the demon within my soul, the dark magic consumes me. The mortal can not take his gaze from me.
I let out a shrieking laugh, then turn to face my mother. I slowly approach her as she starts to speak the nonsense spell. I reach the location on the floor where I need to stand, hold my gaze up towards her and
hold out my arms on both sides of me, palms facing her.
Swirls of dark magic blackened light are surrounding me as they slowly lift me higher into the air. The castle grumbles around us as the spell continues, with sounds of falling debris in the background.
I hear behind me small cries coming from the mortal as he suffers, "Star, no!"
I let out another bone-chilling cackle, "You shall never see this demon child ever again, as the ultimate demon lord is born!" The swirls of dark magic speeds up circling me as my mother's chants become faster and more complex. As I reach the maximum height, hovering right in front of my mother, who stands on the high pedestal, the spell is reaching its end.
My vision begins to flicker from red to black, then I feel my body being pulled towards my mother's body. Once I reach her, my vision goes black and everything stops around me.
I hear nothing. I see nothing. I feel nothing.
Blackness. Emptiness. Silence.