Blind Sight
Chapter 1
The room was blindingly white—Link squinted against the intensity, glancing around. Wherever it was, the room seemed to stretch for miles in every direction, barren except for a huge sword sticking out of the ground a few feet in front of him. Curiosity struck him, urging him to come closer to the blade. He scratched his head as a gentle breeze ruffled his vibrant blonde hair and forest-green cap. The wind seemed to come from the blade.
Link took a few steps forward as the sword's design materialized. It had to have come up to his waist, though it appeared to be halfway stuck in the ground. Two pieces of different-colored metal spiraled down in a double helix from the embellished hilt, disappearing into the snowy floor. He wondered where Navi was—he didn't sense her anywhere near him. His eyes narrowed as his arm extended to grasp the hilt; he tried to pull the sword from the ground but, instead of touching metal, he felt flesh as hard as diamonds under his hand.
He back flipped and unsheathed his Master Sword from his back, holding up his Hylian Shield on his right arm, his cerulean eyes bulging as he registered what he had touched.
A man with stark white hair stood beside the sword, his hand resting on its hilt. He dwarfed Link, standing at around seven feet. He appeared to lack pupils and irises; his eyes were pure white. Two slashes of red under each eye and a diamond blue mark stood out from his alabaster skin. He wore a tunic much like Link's under his armor, except it was white. He pulled his blade silently out of the floor and faced Link, his expression blank.
Link cleared his throat to speak. "What is this place?" he wondered aloud, his voice reverberating around the room.
"A dungeon," the deity answered plainly, his voice deep and clear. "Defeat me… and maybe you'll make it out of here alive." He pointed his sword at Link before he broke into a run, closing the distance rapidly between them. He raised his blade and slashed as Link threw himself into a roll, barely dodging decapitation. The blade run in the air as it swung. Link dashed behind the monstrous man and thrust the blade into his back; the deity gasped as unexpected pain blossomed near his spine. "Who are you?" Link called defiantly, quickly backing away from him.
Thick, silvery blood adorned the edge of the Master Sword as it stained the back of the giant's tunic. "Oni," he replied, pivoting to face Link. "I've been waiting for you, Hero of Time."
Oni charged again, this time feinting to the right, tossing his blade aside and seizing the front of Link's tunic. He lifted Link a few feet off the ground, his free hand morphing into a fist and ramming it into Link's stomach. He coughed, tasting the familiar metallic taste of blood. He struggled to pry Oni's fingers off of the handful that suspended him as Oni examined his features. The demigod's expression softened inexplicably, his mouth forming an evil grin. He threw Link to the ground as if he were a ragdoll, pinning him to the ground with his foot. A yell of pain escaped Link as he hit the floor, squirming frantically to snap up his sword; it skittered away from him from the forceful impact of hitting the ground. He felt pressure on his chest and stomach as Oni leaned on his foot. Link knew that he would be crushed by this deity if he didn't react soon.
A dark, haunting chuckle echoed around the room, the new voice slightly higher-pitched than Oni's. Link scanned his surroundings, searching for the newcomer as a rib popped against his chest. "I think you're stepping on my territory, Oni," the voice said as a flash of black appeared at Oni's cheek. Oni tripped backward, freeing Link as his alter ego landed over top of him, his boots slightly touching Link's sides.
Pain gripped Link as he rolled out from under Dark, retrieving the Master Sword from a few feet away. His chest ached; he took a few steps forward, coming to stand beside Dark. Oni growled, "You weren't supposed to interfere, you goddamn shadow."
Dark's ethereal, crimson eyes narrowed as he replied, "I'm not going to stand here and let you break my toy. Would you?"
Oni yelled in frustration as he barreled toward his enemies, sword raised. Dark sprung a few feet upward, wresting his black-bladed Master Sword from its sheath as he spun with it, the sharp edge colliding with Oni's double helix. Link dashed in while Dark distracted Oni, slicing the deity's chest and stomach, rolling away before he could get hit by Oni's blade.
Dark landed gracefully on his feet, deciding to do something insane to bring Oni down. As Oni's blade slashed horizontally at him, he leapt lithely on top of the sword, drawing his own in front of him and stabbing it downward with all of his strength, tacking Oni's hand to the hilt of his blade. Oni grunted as vibrant argentine blood spilled over his sword, dripping onto the ground. As he lost control of his sword, Dark vaulted skyward and kicked out, his boot jarring the demigod's jaw. Oni stumbled backward, trying to regain his balance but failing as he crashed into the ground.
The wind escaped his body as Dark grappled Oni's sword by its blade, dragging it over to the deity's chest. Bright scarlet blood cascaded down Dark's arms as he studied the demigod's emotionless expression. "What happened to you, Oni…?" Dark wondered despondently.
Oni sighed, coughing to mask the immense amount of pain he endured. "The power went to my head," Oni replied simply. "I had never had this much power in my life. That's why I changed. I couldn't help it, couldn't fight it."
"I don't want to kill you…" Dark murmured, glancing above his head at Oni's blade, then to Oni himself. "You mean a lot to me, you know."
Dark tossed Oni's blade aside. He dropped to his knees beside the demigod, tracing his iron-hard face. "Do you remember anything from before?" Dark asked softly, caressing Oni's features. "Before you had all this power? Before we were trapped here?"
Nearby, Link strode slowly over to Dark and Oni with a confused expression. He stood beside the fallen warrior, listening to him speak. "No," he replied to Dark, "my memories begin with our inception into this dungeon."
Pain shadowed Dark's features as Oni continued. "My earliest memory is of the Princess leading me into this room, unchaining me, and telling me that the only way to get out of this dungeon is to destroy the Hero of Time. I existed without this much power before this dungeon… I can sense that, though I have no recollection of that time."
"You were with me when she found us," Dark spoke. "We were at Lake Hylia… right after you took me out of the Water Temple. I'm indebted to you for that… you gave me freedom."
Oni chuckled darkly then. "If that's the case… let me kill the Hero." He flipped over, pulling Link to him as he grunted, raising his injured hand and sword.
"No!" Dark cried as he pushed Link out of the deity's grasp as Oni's sword pierced his side, leaving a gash underneath his black tunic. Blood oozed from the wound, speckling Oni's tunic as it dripped.
Oni shook his head, chucking Dark to the side as he got to his feet. A million thoughts buzzed in Link's head—Princess? Does he mean Zelda? Why would she want me dead? Why did Dark try to save me? How did I get here? All he knew was that he had to dispose of Oni and keep Dark alive.
Oni growled, "Why did you do that, Dark? I didn't intend to hurt you. Don't interfere!"
Link raced over to Oni, slashing at the leather straps that bound his armor together. It clanked and fell to the ground as he swung his blade toward Link—the tinny sound of metal crashing against metal resonated around the room as the double helix tasted Link's Hylian Shield. The muscles ached in Link's right arm from the raw force of the impact; he shook it off and thrust his blade into Oni's rocklike stomach as soon as he perceived an opening, piercing the marble flesh. Oni howled as Link drove his sword deeper, until he felt the tip of his blade part the flesh on Oni's back. Liquid silver spurted from the major wound, pooling underneath the deity. Only the cobalt hilt of the Master Sword was visible from Oni's front, the rest of the weapon skewering him.
Dark staggered over, a few shades paler than before due to the blood loss. A trail of his carmine-red life force followed him. He laid Oni down, sliding Link's blade from his stomach; the blade dripped with scarlet instead of silver. The once silver pool underneath Oni slowly faded to red. Dark remarked, "His power is leaving him… he'll be gone soon."
Dark knelt beside Oni, cradling his head in his lap. He bent over Oni, touching his cheek as he kissed him. Oni reached out shakily and grasped Dark's arm weakly; he felt as if a sheet of ice had suddenly formed over him, encasing him in cold. "Thank you, Dark… you are the only one in this world… that ever really cared for me… I haven't been myself since I gained that power… I see that now… finally, in death, I remember…"
Clear liquid splashed against Oni's forehead; he glimpsed up, memorizing Dark's face. He could see Dark's crimson eyes swimming in held-back tears. Memories of trekking through the Water Temple flashed across Oni's eyes; how forlorn Dark had looked when they had first met… he smiled, remembering how happy and full of life his shadow had been in a time that felt like ancient history…
Oni returned to the present, reaching up to stroke Dark's cheek. "Smile, my shadow… I will return somehow. Wait for me… I have it good with the goddesses…"
A hopeless smile upturned Dark's lips. "I've always waited for you, Oni… I don't mind waiting longer."
Oni leaned up to Dark with the last of his strength and kissed him softly before his head fell back into his lap, shutting his empty eyes as his breath escaped him.
Oni's body began to shimmer with an incorporeal light. He slowly disappeared from the realm of the living, guided by a glimmer of the goddesses.
Dark stood then, pacing over to Link as the clang of swords clattering to the floor reverberated around the room. A door manifested at the far end. Dark pointed toward it, holding his side. "There's the exit," he said. "We can finally leave this forsaken place."