Masked Twilight

Water Fight

Watching her is my fatal mistake.

While I'm distracted, a dozen Shadow Mites jump me. They climb up my torso and pinch my skin. I'm so startled by it that I stumble backwards and off the edge of the floor. I crash into frigid water, my arm hitting against something hard I can't see. Luckily, the mask is still over my mouth and I can breathe, but fighting while submerged is difficult. I kick and punch at the relentless Mites, panick growing in me as I start to sink into the murky darkness. The salt water stings my eyes.

I quit my futile fight and focus on swimming up. This only gives the insects a better chance at attacking me. They stab at my body and bite my limbs, slowing me down with the pain they're causing. I hear the water splash as Time jumps in to save me. He does the best he can while in the water, but he can't get close enough to help me.

I gasp as a Shadow Mite suddenly appears in front of my face. I try swatting at it, but it easily dodges my slow movements and hooks a slim leg on my mask. I manage a tiny gasp of air before the water rushes into the free space. With all the chaos around me, I can't pull it up. My only hope is to break the surface now or get rid of the Mites and get out of the water.

Neither seem possible anytime soon.

My heart pounds in my ears and I feel my chest beat with panic. My lungs start burning after a minute. What vision I have turns blurry and black creeps in the corners.

Frantically, I try to swim for Time, but I can't manage the movements through the tumult around me. I see Time fight his way down, but he still can't get close enough.

Bubbles escape my lips. My arms feel like putty. I remotely feel a Shadow Mite crawl on the back of my head.

Is this the end? Will I really die here, struggling for my life, trapped in an abandoned temple and fighting to save myself from metal bugs? Will I be unable to protect Midna and do what I vowed to do? Will I never see Rusl, Uli, and Colin again? Will I never go to school with Ilia again? Will I ever make up for what I did to Darpa, Rioma, and Zeu by disappearing? Is this the day I meet Dad?

As these questions consume my mind, I feel the water push against me as something else falls in. I look through the hundreds of bubbles produced by the swarming Mites to find Midna swimming toward me. She breaks through the crowd, helping me push away the relentless bugs. Her hair looks like a growing fire in the darkness of the water, angry and bright.

Ignoring the bites and attacks on her, Midna reaches for me, ripping away the bug attaching itself to my head and pulling up my mask. Air is pushed in and the water is forced out. I gulp in the sweet taste of oxygen, my lungs expand. I give her a grateful look of thanks.

"Don't die on me now!" she exclaims through the scuba mask.

Together, we kick our way up to the surface where Time is still fighting. He holds the Mites back as Midna and I climb onto the sliver of floor to the left. Ralis still fights valiantly up where the floor is a little more level.

Now that we're on almost-solid ground, it is a lot easier to fight. The Mites have to come up out if the water, which gives us more time to smash them as they come. Time protects our backs, saving me on multiple occasions when a sneaky bug lunges for me. Soon, there are only a few left, and we quickly dispose of them.

Time snaps the last one between his teeth and gives a triumphant huff. He comes to my side and examines me for injuries.

I bend down to face him, affectionately petting his coat. "I'm fine. Thank you for helping us. And thank you, Midna." I move my eyes to her. She snaps her gaze away and crosses her arms over her chest. Her cheeks are a little pink. I'm worn out, too, from all the fighting and almost drowning, but I think there's something more to the color spreading up her face.