?So what?s first??
Midna flipped through the book, looking for descriptions of the Twilight Warrior?s spells. Thankfully, they were near the front of the book. ?Found the first one,? she said. ?And what a coincidence! It?s the transformation spell.?
?Really?? Alex asked, with a hint of hope in his voice. If he could perfect this spell, he would not be constrained to the night as the time he could remain a Twili. ?What?s it say??
Midna squinted her exposed eye to read the text. ?It says you can perform this spell as you are, but it will require a lot of concentration to do the first time. If you can perform it at least once, subsequent times will become easier??
?All right then,? Alex said. ?Let?s do it.?
?Give me a second here,? Midna replied. ?It says and I quote? ?Should the Twilight Warrior not exist as Twili pure, a spell can be cast that can allow him to return to his former self, and vice versa. While a relatively simple spell, the Twili Transformation can be difficult for someone not previous exposed to the Twilight magics to perform. If he can successfully transform once, later transformations will become progressively easier to the point that he can transform by giving it a fleeting thought. To perform the Twili Transformation, clear the mind, filling it only with thoughts of the form you wish to become. The intensity of these thoughts may vary, though usually the level of undying desire is enough.??
?Undying desire?? Alex mumbled. ?He writes it like it?s something I can do easily. Regardless, here I go.?
He forced all other thoughts from his mind. Thoughts of his home at Glacia, his lust for vengeance against Damien, his concern for the Asgarnian rebels, all gone. He just wanted to be human again. His natural-born form. Before he knew of his Twili self. With some concentration, a glowing black ring circled his midsection, traced over in blue Twili patterns. The ring split into two, one going up his body, the other going down. As the rings traveled over his body, they left his human form in their wake until they ended at his feet and the top of his head. When the ordeal was over, Alex had only the strength to fall to his knees. Midna watched in silent awe.
?Alex?you did it! You?ve returned to your human form!? she floated down to him and embraced him. ?This is just the first step! Imagine what more we can unlock!?
Alex opened his now blue eyes, seeing the tan jacket he treasured so much, his blue slacks and leather shoes. His skin had returned to its normal color, no sign of glowing markings.
?My God,? he said. ?That was actually sort of easy. I wonder if I could transform back.?
?You might as well,? Midna said. ?You can?t practice Twili magic as a human, now can you??
Alex shunted his thoughts away again. This time, his mind swam through the thoughts of the Twilight. The people he had to save, the people he could not let down. Midna. Before long, the rings emerged again, returning him to his Twili form once more.
?This is amazing!? Midna exclaimed. ?Never before has someone mastered the transformation spell so quickly! Alex, now there?s no hurry. We can take all the time we need to ensure that you are at your peak when we strike back.?
?That time it required even less effort,? Alex said. ?Though I?m sure there?s far more difficult spells in that book. Let?s move on to the second spell.?
Midna consulted the book again. ?Here it is. Spell number two is the Solburst. It?s a light magic spell, one of several included in here. ?The Solburst is a powerful, but slow moving, sphere of pure light that detonates several seconds after being created. The light is intense enough to burn creatures of the shadows, as well as various flammable materials. Experience in fire magic is recommended for the casting of this spell. To cast the Solburst, begin with forming a sizeable fireball, preferably a meter or so in diameter, and then applying Twilight magic to it. Upon this, the fireball should change color from red to blinding white. Continue charging as needed until desired size is reached. Launch like a normal fireball. Repeat until target is completely combusted, if necessary.??
?Nice,? Alex replied. ?Let?s give it a go.?
Alex proceeded to form a flaming sphere in his hands, pouring the power on until it reached the desired size. Quicker than normal the fireball expanded to full size.
?Okay,? Midna said. ?Now it says apply Twilight magic to it.?
?How would I do that?? Alex asked, straining under the power it took to maintain the fireball.
?That?s where your instincts as the Twilight Warrior come in, according to the book. Each Twilight Warrior in the past has had various ways of empowering the fireball. You?ll just have to find your own.?
?Okay?? Alex said. He allocated his thoughts a third time. He thought once again of the Twili. They were counting on him. They needed his help. Without him the Twili race would crumble. But mostly, he thought of Midna. She was always there for him, always helping him. She was the Twilight Princess, after all. With those thoughts, the fireball changed its hue to a bright white, as bright as the sun.
?Now, Alex!? Midna shouted over the roar.
With all his might he hurled the sphere from his hands. It traveled slowly across the arena until it exploded in a blinding flash of light. Even the Twili up in the stands seemed impressed.
?Alex, you?re making excellent progress,? Midna said to him. At this rate, you might be able to face Damien yet. On to the third spell, which is the?what the? This is strange. The page is missing.?
?So? We can just skip over to the next one.?
?No can do,? Midna replied agitatedly. ?All of the remaining pages about the Twilight Warrior are missing!?
?Great,? Alex sighed. ?Now what do we do? I can?t take on Damien with one spell. We need to find those pages.?
?But where could be?? Midna drifted above Alex and pondered. ?We?d have to consult the elders about this.?
?You think they?d know??
?Of course. They know all there is to know about the Warrior. Surely they know where the missing pages are. If not, hopefully they can point us in the right direction??
Sure enough, the two soon found themselves before the elders once more.
?So, you say this book is missing pages?? Equinox asked, thumbing through it, coming upon the areas where pages had been torn out. ?You?re right.?
?Any idea what happened to them?? Midna asked.
?Before Alex was revealed as the Twilight Warrior we?d be afraid that this book would fall into Kandarinian hands, and they would learn to counter the Warrior?s powerful spells. So we removed the pages and hid them all across the realm.?
?Can you show us where they are?? Alex queried.
?I?m afraid the exact locations have since been lost to time,? Solstice muttered. ?However, I think I remember the general spots where we hid them.?
Alex?s eyes widened. ?All right. Shoot.?
