Darkness. That is all I see.
Shadows. Night. Black.
Am I alive?
I feel a breeze. Wind blows my hair and ruffles my clothes. I feel the ground beneath my boots. My sword and shield are heavy on my back.
I breathe. That simple movement. In and out, in and out.
I am alive.
I open my eyes, see for the first time. I am standing in shadow, peering out into a world of color and white.
…Is that light?
I do not like it. I shy away, pulling myself further into the familiar and welcoming blackness.
A thought comes to my mind.
Who am I?
Link… Dark Link. That is my name.
The thoughts are answered for me by a voice… is it mine?
No. It is not.
What is my purpose? What am I?
I am a shadow, a shadow of the light. I am here to fight. To kill my… copy? I am a copy. What kind of a half-life is mine? I am a puppet. A puppet of evil.
The voice whispers in my mind. You must obey.
I must obey. I will obey. What is my task?
Kill the boy… he approaches… it whispers.
Kill the boy. I do not want to. He has done nothing to me. Why do I feel the desire to harm him?
I speak. My voice is low and deep.
"Yes," I agree. Why am I doing this?
A young man enters the room, water rippling where his boots touch. He is wearing green. He looks just like me, but not. While he is full of color and light, I only emanate blackness and shadows. I am a reflection.
That is the boy… the voice whispers.
That is him. I must kill him. I must obey. I don't want to. I try to fight the voice. I can't. It is too overwhelming. It overtakes my senses. Why do I have to murder him? He looks like a good person. …Am I good?
No. The voice whispers. You are not good. You are evil. A shadow that darkens the light.
I am evil. I am a pawn of evil. But… why does it feel so wrong? I am a shadow… shadows belong in the dark. The bad. The good. Why do I want the light? It burns. It hurts too much. I feel so wrong.
I leave the comfort of dark, stepping in front of the boy. Same clothes, same weapons, same shoes, same face. I am… him?
He looks down at the water covering the floor. I look down too. I see myself. A figure of darkness. That is what I see. Gleaming red eyes. Emotionless. That is… me? The image I see is scary. I do not like it. Why do I look like this?
I told you, you are a shadow. The voice echoes in my mind. Merely a reflection told what to do. You will kill the boy.
I am a shadow. I will kill the boy. I watch my eyes harden, my face become full of determination. Death. I cause death.
I look up. The boy sees me now. He pulls out his weapons. I do the same. After all, what am I but a copy? His copy.
We fight. He swings, I swing. He blocks, I block. I can do anything he can. We are an even match.
Part of me enjoys the fight. It is determined to do its job. To kill. My other half is screaming. Why? Why am I doing this? What is the point? This is wrong.
I falter. That one second of hesitation. The boy hits me. It is a deadly blow.
I collapse. Pain. That feeling takes over my senses. I cannot get up. I scream. I feel myself fading away.
You failed! You are worthless! The voice yells.
I am… worthless? Is that all I am? A worthless puppet that can't even defeat its own duplicate?
The boy looks at me. Our eyes meet. His are strikingly blue, not that horrible red mine are. His eyes are full of compassion and sorrow. My eyes are reflected in his. They are full of hate and despair. Why do I feel hate? I am a tool. I have no control over myself.
Against my will, I swing my sword at him in a last attempt to harm him. He stops my blade, taking it from my hands and watching it dissolve once it leaves my contact. I am defeated.
He kneels next to me. He sees something in my eyes. Regret. He knows.
"I am sorry," he whispers, "Be free."
He swings his sword. There is a sharp pain. Then it is gone. Everything is gone. All but my thoughts. I am alone with nothing but myself and darkness.
Where am I? I wonder. Is this death? What am I supposed to do? What is my purpose here? What am I?
The voice is silent. Gone. There is no strange presence in my mind. I am relieved. I feel… happy?
I know what I am now.
I am free.