Welcome to the first multi-chapter adventure story of the Nextgen Series! This story will be themed around the Zelda game, Majora's Mask, and will be written like a full Zelda game with dungeons, bosses, and the like! But to be clear, you don't need to know the original game to understand this story: trust me, I'm gonna be taking some very unique creative liberties with these crossovers.
Prologue: Majora Awakens
They say there are many dimensions that intersect with our own. An endless array of universes that come in the same or many different ways. One example is the Twilight Realm. The Realm of Shadows that exists between our own world and the opposite Negaverse. For a long time, people have feared what may lie in wait deep within the Shadow Realm. I never understood why. I heard it was always a peaceful place. A serene beauty, where the sun always sets in the vast expanse, and the shadows of the world lived in peace. People always believed it was a cursed place. And now, I understand why. Centuries ago, when wars still reigned over the world, the Shadow Realm was a place of cursing. Beings who sinned within that world were met with cruel punishment. The price… could never have been worth it.
The realm between worlds that existed in beautiful twilight seemed ever darker today. As shadows drifted blissfully, heavily armed guards guided a cuffed prisoner into a dark palace. The prisoner dressed in pitch-black robes with glowing green stripes, brownish-yellow shoes, sleeves that covered his hands, and wore a metal helmet designed like an eagle. The guards led him into a throne room, where the Firstborn of Shadows, Midna watched from the side. Sitting upon the throne was a black-skinned queen with a huge crown and dark-purple and blue sparkling robes, and no eyes. The guards stepped away from the prisoner as he fell to his knees.
"You stand accused of an attempt to kidnap our beloved Firstborn Deity in a bid to dethrone your ruler. Minister Hant, how do you plead?"
"I was right to." The being called Hant stated coldly. "Your rule has led us nowhere. We must take revenge on the overworlders for forcing us to live in this darkness. Why wait here, when those demons are up there, partying away and laying waste to their precious world?"
"Each race must exist in its realm to help preserve the balance." Midna stated. "The demons are a savage race that have been ruining the balance for ages. To be anything like them would be to-"
"Still your tongue, Midna." The queen spoke. "The demons have their reasons for doing what they do. As do the Nightmares. Why, even our little friend here provided valid reasons for his actions. However, it was not his place to try and overthrow his queen. He will have to be severely punished. We must ensure that he never tries something like this again."
Midna's eye widened. "Queen Malevolous… you don't mean-"
Malevolous stood and turned, reaching for a stone box behind her throne. The lid slid off, and the queen pulled out a dark, heart-shaped mask with spikes around the edges, and bright, yellow-green eyes. Midna's eye widened further as the queen held the mask high in both hands.
"No! That mask wasn't meant to be used 6 times-" Midna tried to speak.
"Spirit of the Mask! Hear my words: execute this soul in the name of your glory! Let his soul be banished to reaches that far exceed the darkness of the Underworld! Make sure he knows the severity of his crime…"
Silence overtook the throne room. All of the guards watched intently, awaiting what may. Midna felt nervous about what was to come, Queen Malevolous wore a wicked grin, and behind his helmet, Hant only glared at the object in the queen's hands. Suddenly, the eyes of the mask flashed, and Hant's body immediately brimmed bright. Everyone shielded their vision as the room grew brighter. Hant's maniacal laughter echoed as the light eventually swallowed the throne room. Finally, the light vanished, and everyone could see again. All that remained of Hant was his metal helmet, which fell to the ground.
"Thank you, Majora." Malevolous spoke. "Your powers are-… Huh?" Suddenly, the mask exploded with dark energy, blowing the queen and everyone else against the wall.
Darkness quickly engulfed the mask in a cloud. In just mere moments, four arms were extracted from the cloud, and a hideous, gargantuan demon made its appearance. Malevolous and Midna gaped in terror as the entity grew larger. The entire Realm of Shadows was soon smothered in dark once the demon emerged beyond the roof of the castle.
"Heeeh heh heh heh heh hah hah ha hah ha ha!" Its dark cackles echoed across the realm. "Foolish shadows… if only they knew: the face speaks more than the heart. Now is my chance… to consume… everything…"
It didn't take long before the demon's arms were seen rising above the ground of the mortal world. It hovered into the air, dark storm clouds spiraling around his figure and drawing the attention of several demonic hordes. "LISTEN to me, my demons! The worlds will soon fall under a new cloud of darkness. No one will survive. But if my plans are to proceed, you will assist me in reaching my dimension of origin. Either you agree to serve me… or die a horrible death. And furthermore-" The demon silenced himself. Off in the distance, a white, heavenly light was shone. The light revealed the black silhouette of a fierce-looking figure with a mighty sword and a pointed hat. "NO! You… IT'S.. NOT… POSSIBLE!!"
"Eaaaaaahhhh!" The other entity gave a cry and charged at the demon. As both powers clashed, they vanished into an explosion of light.
Now loading…
Kids Next Door mission…
Dim rays of sunlight shone onto the dark mask as it slowly fell to the ground. The evil that had just emerged from the mask seemed to have faded, and it once again had the form of an ordinary object.
Operation:
M.A.S.K.E.D.
The mask hit the ground with a light bounce and a light sound before it fell into silence and motionlessness.
Masked
Avatar
Seeks
Katastrophic
Evident
Destruction
A pair of soft, gentle hands scooped the mask from the ground. The sun shone brighter onto a shadowed being who held the mask up in the air, and looked at it with a gentle grin. "Ho ho ha ha ha!…"
Loading transmission…
The one telling the prologue was Cheren Uno, since he's the main character. And you may recognize Malevolous from other Gameverse lore, and yet you may not, but we'll get into that. The following segment is a one-shot meant to be a prelude to the story, introducing the major characters.
Miyuki's Sadness
She heard them laughing. She heard them sharing exciting stories. She heard them happy. But those same people only looked at her with disgust or fear. Even now as she walked through the Moonbase, operatives spared creeped glances at her. The Murphy kids, along with some Decommissioning Troops, whispering, as did many others who caught a glance of her her cold, lifeless eyes.
Miyuki Crystal wore a flowing dress that was grayish-black on the upper half, and the skirt was pinkish-orange. She wore a white ribbon on her chest, long black socks, black shoes, and had long white hair, which was somewhat spiky. The sleeves on her shirt had white cuffs around her hands, which were barely visible except for the fingers. She had big eyes that were a gradient of orange and white, free of any emotion.
Eventually, the white-haired child reached the office of Cheren Uno. She closed the door behind her and stood before the desk as the Supreme Leader faced her. "You wanted to see me, Sir?" she asked, her voice lacking as much emotion as her eyes.
"Yes. Your sector's been telling me you haven't been pulling much weight on missions lately."
"Figures they would speak of me when I'm not around."
"Yeah. They said it might be because of a few… 'emotional' problems."
"If one is to blame, it is merely them."
"Right. Anyway, Miyuki, the reason I brought you up here today is because I was hoping to help."
"And what business do you have with my life?"
"Well, I'm Supreme Leader. And part of my job as Supreme Leader is… being able to help fellow operatives with problems. It's what my mom did; and my dad. If I'm going to be as great as them, I have to be able to listen."
"Fascinating. But tell me something: why do you wish to hear my woes? Is it because you would like to be my friend? Or do you just take pity on me, and your job requires that you speak to me nonetheless. Or maybe it's just in your own desire to follow in your mother's footsteps…"
"Miyuki…" Cheren sighed. "If an operative is troubled, I want to do everything I can to help them. Whether it's 'pity,' my desires, or otherwise, I just want everyone to be happy and make the best of things. So… I'd like you to talk to me."
Miyuki kept her blank, emotionless stare as she spoke. "I see things that no one else sees. I see… dark things. Very dark things. I see Maddy drowning. I see her leaving dog droppings by benders' houses. I also foresee her bones getting broken."
"Umm…"
"I see Haruka ripping one in the school hallway and blaming it on Mason. And I foresee her crying over a dying child. I see my teammate, MaKayla witnessing death… and I foresee her own death. Because I see so much, they fear me. They whisper things… and I see their darkness."
"Oh yeah… you're a timebender, aren't you?"
"Yes. My timebending allows me to see what has befallen them. My power is not very good… but I can use it… to make people relive those memories. So, anyone who taunts me, rues the very moment not long after."
"Miyuki, you shouldn't use powers like that. It gives people reason to fear you."
"I can see your memories, too, Cheren." Miyuki spoke with a more creepy stare. "I can see you frightened. Very frightened. Soooo helpless as you cowered from the giant spider."
"Eh, hehe." Cheren nervously chuckled. "O-kay, let's not go too far…"
"AM I creeping you out, Cheren?" Miyuki asked, shooting over to Cheren's desk to stare in his face.
Cheren shook this off and said, "Miyuki, whether you can control your powers or not, you shouldn't use peoples' pasts to get to them. And you may not think it, but some people do care about you. Like your sector. The reason they called me was so I could help you, because they care. You do have friends that care, Miyuki."
Miyuki stood in place, still up close with Cheren and keeping a blank stare. "This Halloween… I heard them. I heard the darkness… calling to me. Crystal clear. It spoke to me… it wants me… to be its friend."
"You shouldn't befriend the darkness, Miyuki. It'll only lead to disaster. You need to open up and trust people. Like your friends and family. Your family cares about you, right?"
"My mother says I'm named after an Irken Tallest. She didn't like the person… but she had a nice name."
"Hehehe." Cheren chuckled a little.
"So, you laugh at me after all."
"N-No, I was just…ugh." Cheren sighed again. "Miyuki, please. I'm just trying to be a friend. I don't want any of my operatives to have a bad time. Please, Miyuki. Give me a chance."
"Why, when all I have is sadness."
"No you don't, Miyuki. I know your friends care about you—your family, too. Now, I have other work to do, but just remember… I really would like to be your friend." Cheren assured, touching a hand to her shoulder. "And I'm sure other people do, too. And instead of using their past to scare them, maybe you can comfort them. Like how Drake Puncture lost his hand, or how Maddy almost got hurt by those Teens."
"Perhaps…"
"Great! Well, good-bye, Miyuki. Hope to see you soon." With that, the white-haired girl stepped out of the office.
As the door closed behind her, Miyuki stood in place, looking in both directions. Seeing no one was around, she reached into her dress and pulled out a dark, heart-shaped mask with spikes around the edges. She held the mask and stared into its round, red eyes, which seemed to be staring back at her. Miyuki shut her eyes tight and clutched the mask to her chest. Looking both ways again, she hid the mask down her dress and proceeded to walk out of Moonbase.