Darkness curled and wafted, drifting in a nonexistent wind. But the woman felt it against her skin, as if she wore no clothes… and yet, a smoky cloak clung to her, protecting her… hiding her. She was nothing, a ghost, a specter to this strange place.
It was a place of darkness. Deep within, the woman could feel darkness all around her… terrible things were coming… terrible—
You should not be here, master.
The woman spun, heart pounding.
This was new.
A golden beast sat behind her, the wolf's molten red eyes seemed to pierce her very soul, with their ruthless intelligence.
It was also quite large… as tall as she was… and it was still sitting… with its massive muzzle resting on its paws.
Why do you call me master? The woman asked, curious. She could not be harmed here.
You made us, the golden wolf panted, amused. The teeth were also quite large, the woman noted nervously… and began to wonder if she was quite as invulnerable here as she thought.
Us?
The woman's eyes widened… as she saw other shapes prowling in the dark… wolves of various hues and sizes… their eyes also aglow and representative of the rainbow in their variety. The woman realized they had been there all along… and would have remained hidden, if they had not chosen to be seen by her.
Except for one. One sat beside the golden wolf… and although smaller in size, he was no less striking… for shadows clung to him. The woman had not noticed him, next to the splendor of the golden wolf… but she sensed that might also be part of his power. To be overlooked. His eyes were not orbs of burning fire, but cold, icy sapphires. There was a strange quality to his gaze. It took the woman a moment to perceive the exception. All of the other beasts, their eyes looked at her… filled with hunger, repressed violence, and absolute loyalty. They were hers… had always been hers… and had served her, whether she remembered or not.
But this one… this one was undecided. He would wait, and see. He did not belong to her.
Something sent a tremble through this world of darkness, and the pack raised their heads, except for the shadow wolf, all turning to gaze upon the source of the disturbance.
But the woman could not look, could not break her gaze from the blue-eyed killer.
Hatred and violence filled the air, pouring off of the unnatural pack, almost smothering her with its stench.
He is coming, the pack howled in unison… except for the black wolf. He did not seem able to hear the pack, or perceive the approaching threat. He simply watched her… curious.
The golden wolf spun, to gaze upon her once more, this time afraid.
There is little time, master. The threat is greater in this cycle than those that came before. The Enemy has found those that do not belong. He is—
Then the world exploded in shadow and pain.
((()))
Princess Zelda howled in agony, as she rolled from her bed, cracking her elbow painfully on the hardwood panels of her chamber floor.
A moment later, there was a flash of trailing shadows and sudden pressure within the chambers, as a man burst into form, weapons ready.
Then Sato knelt beside her, worried.
"Milady?" he whispered, concerned.
"It was a prophesy," Zelda hissed, clutching her head.
"Not a dream?" the sheikah asked.
"A danger draws near… and… it hurt me," Zelda admitted.
The man's pale face grew paler. No Seer had ever been harmed during a seeing. It was… unheard of.
"Let me convey you to the court physician," Sato said, sheathing his blades about his black clad body. Even with the concealing face-wrap, Zelda knew her bodyguard was frightened. The man had protected her for twenty years, ever since she was a babe in her mother's arms.
Zelda did not know how long the Shadow-clan lived… but in that time Sato had only appeared to age a few years… and still moved and acted like a hylian man in his early forties. In all that time… she had never seen fear in his red eyes.
Something shook the world, and Zelda flinched.
"There is no time. It is here," the princess hissed, rising to her feet.
"I will—" Sato began to say, before he broke off, frowning.
Zelda felt it too… an oppressive weight…
"You cannot teleport me to safety. That power has been disrupted," Zelda said wryly, reaching for her sword. It was a thin, light thing of terrible keenness. Many who saw it mistook it for a prop of royal station… but beyond a golden hilt and purple leather bindings, the weapon had no ornamentation that did not lend to functionality. It was a beautiful piece of smithcraft… but it did not attempt to impress, or awe with jewels and gaudy baubles. It was quite long and thin, appearing to be too frail and whimsical for anything but display. However, because it was so light, it could be wielded in one hand, or two… for it was a device of murder and death.
"It feels like… Shadow magic… but different…" Sato said, confused. He was the only one of his scattered clan within Hyrule Castle.
And the princess was correct. There was some kind of magical disharmony blanketing the castle and much of the nearby city. It was interfering with his abilities… a chaotic, fluctuating nebulousness… like trying to move within a windstorm.
"Prepare the Guard, assemble in the throne room," Zelda commanded, as she reached for her armor. To the naked eye, her armor consisted of only a pair of segmented golden pauldrons. They were beautifully worked to be sure… but hardly sufficient armor for going into battle. Those who could perceive magic though, would see the true strength of the artifacts… as nearly invisible bands and braces of power spread across her body, armoring her from head to toe more completely than anything of even Goron make.
"Should not the Queen be the one to order the muster?" Sato asked quietly.
"My mother already knows. She will meet us there," Zelda said softly, "Now go. Muster the Guardsmen!" Zelda snapped.
The sheikah man turned, and faltered, before taking off down the winding stair on foot. Clearly, he had attempted to teleport… which was second nature to the Shadow-kin.
More ominously, Zelda could not feel the strands of destiny. Normally, they sang softly on the edge of her perception, hinting at the consequences of her actions… a great strength to the Royal Family when ruling fairly and justly… but now… Zelda was uncertain of what to do. She was blind to the future… the castle shook, as the wards and enchantments within the walls activated… but Zelda could taste the magic on the air… and knew that the defenses would not hold for long against this threat.
((()))
Queen Visas knew death was near. Death for many… but even with her years of experience, the future was almost completely hidden from her by this fell power. King Oras was grumbling softly about the state the royal armorer had let his armor deteriorate too, about hinges and straps not fitting correctly anymore. He should know, he had been a blacksmith by trade, living in Castle Town.
The queen smiled softly… for her husband had not worn the armor in nearly ten years… and had grown slightly larger around the middle. But he was a kind man… so although given to vanity, he would never take food from the people's plates to support his own tastes. If he had been that kind of man, Visas never would have married him, nor let him anywhere near a throne.
Nor given him two daughters.
Visas felt her eldest child enter the room, swathed in power.
Next to the sea of darkness that crashed against the gates… it was but a flickering candle.
But there was something off about this attack. Almost as if the darkness was… playing… with them. Sato entered the chamber as well, at a dead run, trailing the last of the soldiers from the reserve barracks.
"Form up with the others," King Oras called. The panting men nodded, and brushed between their fellows, chainmail and canvas tabards brushing mutedly. The throne room was a hundred meters long… but because it also served as the banquet hall, the excess served a useful purpose. The long, heavy trestles that had once held food and drink for the castle inhabitants were overturned without ceremony, and repositioned as barricades and choke points, acting as funnels for any invader that breached the main hall's great doors.
Dust drifted from the vaulted ceiling, as something shattered.
"The outer wards have failed," Sato said calmly, arms folded.
The enemy was within the castle grounds.
There was silence, for a time… then black smoke began to drift through the minute cracks and spaces around the doors… like water, almost. The closest torches flickered wildly, as if terrified… before the heavy wood of the doors exploded.
Darkness poured into the room, like cloying fog, extinguishing torches whenever encountered.
"Hold fast!" Oras shouted, his voice piercing the din… for men had begun to scream in pain and terror… as well as death. Things moved within the darkness, great, misshapen monsters, Sato saw… for he was Sheikah, and of the Shadow. Men stabbed blindly, trusting only in their fellows that they could touch around them, thrusting out ahead of their formations, hoping to strike the unseen foe.
Some were lucky, and their swords or spears struck enemy flesh. Most found empty air… and the rest found violent, rending, bloody death.
But these monsters were only a symptom. The true threat had not yet come forth.
So Sato did not leave Zelda's side. All were sworn to the defense of the Royal Family. The men below were simply fulfilling their oaths. Sato would do likewise… but he would spend his life as efficiently as possible.
But beside him, Sato could feel Zelda crying out, in helpless rage… blind in the darkness.
"Enough," a voice said sharply, and the darkness cleared within the hall, driven back, its power annulled. Queen Visas left her hand outstretched, as she channeled her power.
Men rallied, and took heart, their weapons drawing black blood from their enemies, the survivors falling back, and tightening their ranks, leaving half their number broken and sundered… the men redressed their ranks around the dais of the Royal Family with grim efficiency. The time to flee had long passed. All that was left, was to die well, or triumph.
"Impressive, mortal," a voice simpered from the roiling darkness, at the edges of the massive room. With each beat of Zelda's heart, the darkness crept closer once again, as her mother's power waned… closer and closer to the waiting men.
"How long can you endure?" the darkness wondered idly.
And then it came for them. And there was no escape. Nor triumph… and none died well.