This story is the sequel to a previous story known as Children of the gods. You may want to take a look if you intend to read this story, but I will do my best to write this story so that new readers will not feel impossibly lost.

The usual characters are copyright by Nintendo, whereas the Gods (save for Din, Farore and Nayru) and their personalities were created by me. Do enjoy.

Blackened Dawn

Chapter One

The stale air was filled with the scent of blood. No light was shed into this room, save for what filtered in through the cracks around the door. The room itself was cold, being in the underground regions of the castle. It was a holding cell for prisoners, although there were several instruments laying about that suggested this room to be a torture chamber as well.

The only person in this room was a young man, possibly in his late twenties, early thirties. His shoulder-length hair appeared to be blond, although it was stained with blood and dirt, much like his tattered green tunic and white leggings. His boots were scuffed and covered in dirt, apparently having endured many years of travel. He was standing, although it looked as though his legs couldn't support his weight. His arms were stretched outwards, held firmly by chains connected to the walls, pulled tight so that he could not move much without feeling like his arms would be ripped from their sockets. The shackles on his ankles were much looser, the chains possibly two feet in length. His head was hanging limply, his untidy hair hiding much of his face. He did not move, and he was silent as death.

The sound of approaching footsteps could be heard, and his body tensed painfully, although he otherwise did not move. Perhaps they would pass him by. Perhaps he would be left alone. Perhaps he would finally get to sleep. He would have grimaced, but he no longer felt like he could control his face any longer. He couldn't smile, frown, or scowl. He could barely talk, and it was almost too much for him to keep his eyes open. It had been this way for a week now. It might have been more, it might have been less. He didn't know anymore. He didn't know how much time had passed since he'd been brought here. All he knew was the pain he suffered almost unendingly.

The footsteps stopped, and the door creaked as it swung open, unleashing a blinding flood of light into the room. The man cringed, the chains rattling as his body shifted ever so slightly in his instinctive urge to flee, to hide. He heard laughter, that same cold harsh laughter he'd heard every day since he'd been brought here.

"Pathetic. But then again, I'm not sure I'm surprised. You're weak, boy. You always have been."

He felt a large hand grab him by his hair, yanking his head back. The man cried out, feeling a knife against his back. He gritted his teeth, inhaling sharply as he felt the blade cut through his tunic into his flesh. He felt warm blood trickle down his back.

"Just think..." the voice said again, releasing him, "If she'd just come for you, you wouldn't have to suffer like this. Because of her, you are forced to endure this every passing day."

"She's smarter than you think..." the man replied bitterly, "She probably suspects your true intentions... She won't come..."

"Perhaps..." the voice replied, and the man felt the cold kiss of steel run along the back of his neck, "But I grow impatient... She will come to me... by her own free will... or by force."

The man's hair was pulled again and this time he was stabbed in his side, and he shouted with pain. The blade was twisted in the wound and forcefully withdrawn, causing blood to spill down his body. There was the laughter again, cold and blood-chilling in his ear. He shuddered, and his head sank as he was released.

"You are nothing, boy, you never were, and never will be. She will come. And she will belong to me."

The door slammed shut, casting him into the blinding darkness once more.

~'*`~

She sat by the window, staring out into the night. Her blue eyes were calm, and her hand brushed her golden hair, which had been cut to chin-length just moments ago. She was dressed plainly, wearing a simple white blouse and blue skirt, a turquoise sash tied around her waist. She pressed her forehead against the glass, closing her eyes. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't find the strength to start, or, if she did, to stop. Instead, she just sat there in silence, her body trembling slightly.

"...Zelda..."

Zelda opened her eyes, turning her head to look at Impa, who was watching her closely, her usually stern red gaze seemingly weary and concerned. Her white hair had grown possibly an inch or two over the past year or so, and she no longer had it tied back at the base of her neck, instead letting it hang freely, giving her a surprisingly gentler appearance. She was also dressed much more casually, wearing a long tunic and pants, and boots that came up to mid-calf.

The two had fled Hyrule Castle when Ganondorf had somehow escaped into Hyrule, and they had managed to make it to Kakariko. Surprisingly, neither the Sage nor the Princess was Ganondorf's target. They stayed at Impa's house in Kakariko, and they had been there for possibly two months, almost expecting Ganondorf's henchmen to show up at their front door and take them to the castle. After two months, they finally decided that Zelda had to change her appearance, take on a new identity, because she was the one whose life was at a greater risk.

"Impa..." Zelda breathed, turning back to the window, "...I want to be alone for a while..."

"Zelda... I've found out why Ganondorf hasn't come after us..." Impa said softly, not moving, "...He's taken Link captive... He's been torturing him for the past several months..."

"Link...!" Zelda echoed, her eyes widening. She grimaced, clenching her fists so tight that her knuckles all but turned white. "...Ganondorf never fails to prove just how low he can sink... Why would he make Link suffer like this... and for so long...?"

"I don't know," Impa replied, "But if we are to do anything, we need the other Sages..."

"...I know..." Zelda closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against the glass again. "...I want to be alone for a while...okay...?"

"...I understand." Impa bowed her head, and left the room in silence. Zelda sighed.

'...Link... Be strong... We'll help you... Just as you helped us...'

She felt herself separate from her body, breaking free of gravity and the laws of the world. She felt light, lighter than a feather, lighter than the air itself. She felt something splinter, shattering into many pieces. She was soaring, everything a blur beneath her. She could see the temples of Fire, Water, Forest, and Spirit, all at once. She could see the sages inside, confined to the rooms where the 'bosses' Ganon had assigned to the temples use to dwell. They seemed to react to her presence, though, immediately looking around trying to find the source of the energy they felt.

"Darunia… Saria… Ruto… Nabooru… your powers as the sages are greatly needed… Link, the Hero of Time, has been taken by Ganondorf, and has been held captive for at least two months now… if we are to help him, we need to work together…"

She paused, and all the sages seemed to nod in assent, each visibly worried at the information.

"If we are to seal Ganondorf away once and for all, we may need to call upon the very Gods to aid us… We need to make sure there is no way he can escape this time."

She lingered a moment longer and finally pulled back into her body. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking them a few times to make sure she was where she was supposed to be. She sighed again, pressing her forehead against the window, the glass cool against her flesh.

"…Zelda…"

Impa was back again.

"Did you call them?" she asked softly, walking forward slowly, putting one motherly hand on Zelda's shoulder.

"…Yes, I did… But I'm starting to worry that it might not be enough…" She turned her head slightly to look at Impa. "We may need to call on the powers of the very gods to banish him completely…"

"…Then we Sages would need to commune with the Gods… ask them for help…" Impa's voice remained soft, almost inaudible. She tightened her grip on Zelda's shoulder a little. "…Will you be all right by yourself for a little while?"

"…Yes. Go do what you have to. I will be fine waiting for you." Zelda reached up and lightly squeezed Impa's hand. "…Be careful, Impa… I can't lose you, too…"

"I will be fine." Impa smiled, patting Zelda's shoulder. "I have endured much in my life. A brief trip into the Shadow Temple won't kill me off that easily." She pulled Zelda into a motherly embrace. "Take care of yourself while I am gone."

"Alright. Thank you, Impa."

Impa smiled, pulling away from Zelda—albeit reluctantly. After maybe a moment's hesitation, she turned and left, heading straight for the Shadow Temple, wanting to commune with the Shadow God as soon as possible so she could return to Zelda.

~'*`~

He stood by the window, staring out into the darkness, his hand pressed against the side of his head, his other hand braced against the wall to keep himself standing. He was starting to look pale, or, rather, paler than usual, his silver hair hanging limply as it framed his face. Silver eyes stared out into the darkness, as though to expecting to see monsters leap out from the trees, ready to devour them whole.

"Seiryu…?"

He started, jolted out of his reverie.

"Seiryu, please come away from the window… please tell me what's wrong…"

Seiryu sighed, managing a weak smile as he shook his head, to clear away those wild, fearful thoughts. He was, for once, thankful to hear his name, his given name. He had been hiding from it for so long, up until maybe a year after he'd been wed to his beloved, to his friend of many years. Of many centuries, in fact.

He was what one would call a God, or, rather, he used to be. He had once been an immortal, the god of the Sheikah, of the very Shadows, the illegitimate son of the God of Death and the Goddess of Life, the demon child born of such a union. As a result, he bore the silver hair and eyes, the marks of the demon. His hair, which used to just barely hang past his shoulders, now reached past his shoulder blades, reaching the middle of his back. He made a habit of dying it black to keep up his usual appearance, kept it tied back at the base of his neck, and he let his bangs—which easily reached about half and inch below his chin—frame his pale face, never bothering to cut them or even tuck them behind his ears. He had long since set aside his kimono and hakama, wearing a simple blood-red tabard, black pants and a black shirt, and boots and gauntlets made of black leather. He still had his old clothes, as well as his father's haori, but he only wore them on special occasions, celebrations, and get-togethers with the rest of the family. He had undergone quite a few changes. Perhaps the biggest change of all—and the most important one, no doubt—was his willingness to get rid of the nickname he'd hidden behind for so long, and accept his true name, his true self, which had taken him thousands of years to do.

He was no longer Kage, but—

"—Seiryu…"

Seiryu turned around obediently, giving his wife a gentle smile to show that he had acknowledged her worries. Shiori had changed quite a bit since they'd first met, eons ago. Back then, she was very tomboyish, keeping her hair really short, the black and silver of her hair mixed and unkempt, and she always wore black robes, and a scarf over her left eye. Now, she was starting to look a little more feminine. She'd let her hair grow long, the silver of her hair only framed her face, never straying beyond her bangs, and she was starting to dress a little more ladylike, and she had rid herself of the scarf completely. She, too, was a demon, although a lesser demon compared to Seiryu. Only her bangs were silver, and only her left eye was a piercing silver. Now that the color had dulled, somewhat, due to her becoming a mortal—the one choice that had actually led the two deities to finally come together and admit their feelings for one another—she didn't have to hide it behind the scarf, although the scarf had indeed held a much more important task. Shiori's left eye held the power of a second sight, and she was able to see beyond, viewing past, present, and even the future, as well as into other realms. Because of that, she often saw horrors that could easily scar or break one's mind, and so, to avoid that, she rendered herself blind, blind to this second vision, by shutting it out unless she called upon it. Again, mortality had caused that to dull, to ebb away with the ravages of time. Now, she had no need to fear such horrors. Especially because she had Seiryu with her.

"I heard you, Shiori, I wasn't ignoring you. I just… had something on my mind."

He walked over to where Shiori sat, bending down to kiss her cheek gently before sitting in another chair, pulling it over so that he sat next to her. He then couldn't help but turn his attention to the tiny bundle in her arms, the sleeping silver-haired infant swaddled in a light blanket. Their son, given the name Shale, who had been born into the family maybe six months before.

"…If you want to hold him, you can. You're not going to break him, Seiryu."

Seiryu blinked, starting slightly as he turned his attention back to Shiori. Before he knew it, Shale had been placed in his arms, and he was cradling the infant close, smiling down at him adoringly.

"…He's just like you were when you were young," Shiori commented with a smile.

"…Maybe. At his age I was always hiding under my bed because people were always mean to me." He laughed at the memory, but he fell silent as he heard the fifth step from the top of the stairs creak under the weight of a tiny foot. Seiryu smiled, lifting his head slightly, turning to glance at the interruption. "Come on down, Aki. You don't need to hide."

Ah yes, Aki. Aki was a young child, and Seiryu's son through a different relation with the alpha female of the Ghost Dragons, one that he wasn't proud of or happy about, and the only thing he was willing to accept from the forced relationship was his son, whom he cherished. Aki was fond of Shiori, and the feeling was mutual, but when Seiryu and Shiori were expecting Shale's birth, things became a little uneasy. Aki had been starting to feel afraid, afraid that the birth of a new child would make him unwanted, the 'red-headed step-child.' But, in spite of his fears, Seiryu and Shiori still held him close, if not closer than before, and Shale and Aki were quick to bond.

Aki was soon at Seiryu's side, staring curiously at Shale. Because of his dragon blood, he aged slowly, and still maintained the height and countenance of a six year old, even though he was several hundreds of years old, and it had been about five years since he and Seiryu had first been introduced. Seiryu smiled and handed Shale to Aki, and the boy grinned, taking his younger brother carefully, grinning from ear to ear in excitement.

"Seiryu… what's on your mind?" Shiori's voice cut into him like a knife, and Seiryu shuddered, closing his eyes.

"…There are voices in my head, Shiori… prayers… someone is seeking my aid… my guidance…" He held his hand to his head. "It is almost maddening…"

"…You are not the God of Shadows anymore, Seiryu," she said softy, placing one hand on his cheek. "You can not be expected to suddenly rise up to smite the evil that threatens Hyrule, especially not now."

"I know… but I don't know how long I can last. These prayers are strong. The voices won't leave." His hand was gently placed on her own. "I may need to respond eventually." He hesitated, smiling. "You don't need to worry. It'll be all right." He leaned forward and kissed her gently. Shiori smiled, and nodded, and turned her attention to the two children.

"All right, Aki. Bedtime for you both."

Seiryu couldn't help but smile as he watched her lead Aki up the stairs, taking Shale from him only because the infant had woken up and was beginning to fuss. When they vanished from view, his smile faded, and he looked out the window.

'…I am not the God of Shadows anymore… but I still owe it to Hyrule to act as its guardian…'

Author's Notes: YAY! New Zelda story! and this is a sequel to Children of the Gods so if you're confused... TOUGH! Go read it now! Whee... lots of foreshadowing and angst... enjoy!

Edit (8/24/09): Touched up a bit to better separate the story segments.