Inky black blotches swirled across Link's vision and gradually pulled him from his state of unconsciousness. His entire body ached as if every part of him had been beaten and bruised mercilessly without cease. For the briefest of moments, Link wondered why he had awoken to absolute darkness, until he realized that his own eyes were closed. He tried to recall where he was, how he first became unconscious. Suddenly, memories came flooding back in flashes: Colin... a Twili named Zant... the shadows beasts in the spring... crimson blood spilling into the water...
His eyes snapped open in alarm. Above him, he saw puffy white clouds rolling in a sea of blue. Attempting to sit up, he winced in pain from the ache in his back, every muscle feeling much too tender. He slowly eased himself into an upright position and up to his feet, wobbling slightly until he gained his balance, barely able to avoid collapsing from the weight of his heavy limbs. Once he managed to stand straight up as the pain gradually subsided, Link began to take in his surroundings.
It took only a quick glance to realize he was not in Hyrule but in a realm altogether foreign and unknown. The clouds moved in constant motion with no breeze to carry them on and the surface beneath his feet mirrored the skies, creating the illusion of walking in midair, yet it rippled with every movement like a stone skipping across water. The vision before him stretched far beyond the eye could see as if it were a world unchanging and untouched by time. Being trapped in this realm, any Hyrulian would believe they could walk a thousand miles without reaching an end or rest for an eternity and never awaken.
A sharp stinging sensation in his left ear pulled him from the beautiful scenery. His hand flew up to search his ear, gingerly running a finger along the edge of his ear. Link winced as his finger passed over his earlobe in the place of the wound. Where had once been a blue earring was a split in the lobe, not a fresh wound but not entirely healed either. Link knelt down on the glassy surface and observed his ear in the reflection before he gasped in horror. A deep gash, encrusted with dried blood and black dirt, split the bottom of his ear from the inside completely through his earlobe. As Link continued to carefully inspect this injury, a faint ringing sound reached his keen elfish ears, hushed whispers chanting along in rhythm. The noises grew so loud that the ringing pierced through Link's mind, his hands reflexively covering his ears in a futile effort to block out the overwhelming sounds. The muffled voices, as if speaking in an ancient tongue, barely registered to Link as he tried to escape the noise, until one name became unbearably clear: "... Demise"
All at once, the whispers became bloodcurdling screams that resonated through the entire realm and a scorching heat overcame him, his hands clawing at his ears as blood trickled down his neck, bringing him to his knees, every fiber of his being burning like fire. Around him the skies blackened and lightning struck the ground mere centimeters away, but Link hardly took notice as he writhed in agony on the glassy surface while icy rain poured all around him. Soon, his own cries of agony joined the throng of screaming voices. Amidst the surrounding storm, he gathered enough strength to force his eyes, the new vision making his eyes widen in horror. Before him a demon appeared which aroused a deep sense of formality, as if stirring memories from a past lifetime. With a mane of fire and hard skin like liquid metal, the demon glared down at the pathetic Hero of the Goddess with such ferocity in its glowing white eyes. Link met the monster's intense gaze and he sensed its seething hatred behind this demon's glare. An invisible vice closed around his heart as their gazes locked. Link felt something deep within being torn, ripping him in half and tearing at the seams. The pain escalated and intensified until Link collapsed entirely, slumping to the ground in a heap of agonizing despair, until blood gushed out of his ears from the sound of his own screams. But, like centuries of torture gone by much in an instant, the sensations peaked and ceased altogether, leaving a hollow emptiness in its place. His hands searched expectantly for a wound somewhere on his chest yet they found none. Once again, Link lifted his head to face the demon but it had totally transformed. In the demon's place stood a mirror of himself hovering over him; it had the same dirty blonde hair, muscular build, and pointy ears. This copy matched him down to every single detail except the expression it wore. Link stared into blank white eyes while his own mouth twisted into a sadistic, toothy grin. The world abruptly melted away and Link tumbled back into darkness, the whites of his doppelgänger's eyes still etched in his mind.
***Author's note***
Readers, you may have noticed that this was posted over a year ago and I still have not put up the next chapter. Well, I have an excuse… I literally just stopped writing. That is my excuse. However, now I am back (again) and I'm going to try my darnedest to have the next one up by August 1st. If there is nothing by then, assume that I have once again vanished off of the face of Fanfiction. But! If you wish to get my attention, message me or review. I will definitely see you as I check my email often. Thank you for reading!
Jiggly… PUFF!