Snow fell from the heavens silently on that cold night. A person lay there in the snow that was pigmented red with blood. The person was a woman, shivering uncontrollably while hacking and coughing up the blood that surrounded her. The winds howled and groan with their icy breath, just like the wolfoes that attacked her. Her heavy, warm garment was now reduced to shreds of fabric that covered her now deformed body. She looked up at the snow banks that glistened a pure white under the pale moon. She tried to lean on her nearly frozen hands to see whatever she could in the frosty wind. The falling snow became heavier, decreasing the visibility in the SnowPeak Mountains. She coughed again, feeling a spurt of warm blood come out of her mouth. Looking to the banks again, she saw a dark figure emerge.
She lifted herself up again and tried to yell out in her raspy, almost inaudible voice.
"Hey! O- Over here!"
She quickly stopped yelling, feeling a horrible sting that sapped at her energy. The form grew larger, getting closer to the girl. The girl found herself incredibly weak and fell back to the ground. She shivered again, starting to lose herself in the snowy void. The pale form of the other person, a male, knelt down beside the shivering woman. A light, feathery voice sounded from the man's lips.
"Do you want to live, miss?" His crimson eyes glared down to the woman whom nodded weakly. "Will you do anything to earn your life back, whether the deed is good or evil?" A small grin curved from his lips. The woman nodded again, feeling herself continue slipping into sleep. The man picked her up and chanted in the Hylian language. Both of their bodies started to turn into hundreds of specks that floated up into the mysterious void above.
The man and woman finally came to solid ground after traveling through the void. They ended up in front of a great ancient palace. The man yelled out in the Hylian language, the gate of the palace opening to his words. He turned to face the woman once again.
"This is my palace. I am the great Wind Sorcerer, Vaati. I use to be one of the Minnish. or how you would say, Pictori. Now thanks to my awesome power, I have managed to take on human form." He nodded to the woman in his arms who was now awake. She looked at the palace doors and then to Vaati. "T- Thank you, Sir Vaati." The girl's voice shivered along with the shivers of her own body. Vaati tightened his grip around the girl, carrying her into the palace.
They wandered through the halls that seemed to be a labyrinth. Long draperies were hung from the walls and candles lit the dark passageway. Even though this palace looked old, it seemed to be well taken care of, being there was no sort of dust, residue, moss, mold, or anything that was not clean. Vaati turned down one of the halls that lead to a single door. He still kept silent, kicking the door open. Inside was a single altar with four candles, one in every cardinal direction. A small wooden chest with elaborately carved wood sat in the edge of the room, tuck away against the wall.
Vatti set the girl down on the altar, covering her with his cloak. "Do not worry, miss. I am going to heal you." He set his hand above the shivering girl, light glowing from beneath his palm. The energy floated downward into the girl, mending her bones and bloody wounds. It seemed as if she was being reborn, no longer suffering in purgatory. The wounds were no longer seen on the surface of her body, but the mending within was still needed. Vatti kept the energy flowing for a little longer, letting the girl fall asleep. Once the healing was finished, he withdrew his hand and left the room. His voice spoke once again in the Hylian language to another dark form. The dark form fled into the shadows for a moment, returning with a long dress-like tunic and a long robe in its hands. The form entered into the candle-lit room, revealing his true form. A boy, age 16 or 17, entered the light. His shadow-black hair glistened under the light of the candles.
The boy set the clothes next to the girl and quickly left. The girl woke up several hours later, no longer feeling any pain. She looked hesitantly around the room, seeing the clothes that next to her. She quickly put the robe and tunic on, discarding the torn scraps that she had. After, she walked up to the doorway, trying to peer out of it. As she did, the candles in the room lost their glow, running out of wax. A voice emptied into the empty room.
"Ah. You're awake now." The voice chuckled softly, the voice reverberating into the room.
The girl looked around the room, seeing Vaati sitting up on the altar. "Ah! Sir, Vaati! Thank you for saving my life. I am gratefully in your debt." She bowed before Vaati who waved her off with a motion of his hand.
"Now, now... No need for that right now. Tell me, miss. What is your name, anyway? I don't think I have seen you here in Hyrule."
The girl gave a weak, nervous smile. "My name is Aesri." She waited for Vaati's response.
"Aesri? Sounds like a name that one would hear in Labrinia. Are you from that region? Never mind. Anyway, let's get you to a room. I will give you a tour of the palace tomorrow." Vaati started to walk out the door, signaling for the girl to follow him. They headed down the passage to what seemed like the main hall. Vaati took a swift turn, climbing up the main staircase. He led Aesri through more winding passages. They came across a candle-lit passage with a single door at the end of the hall. "Through there will be your room. I'm afraid that dinner has passed already, so we will have to wait until morning to eat. Pity, really… I was looking forward to a good meal. Anyway, if you want to take a bath, go to the main hall way and enter the opposite passage. If you get lost, Shadow will help you out." Aesri looked confused.
"Shadow?" Aesri said curiously. Vaati blinked for a moment.
"Ah. You haven't met him. He is a person that I forged from the shadows along with a bit of blood from the tarnished armor of the legendary hero. It has been over a hundred years. He should be alive soon if not now."
"The legendary hero? You mean the one who vanquished the Dark Lord, Gannon?" Aesri blinked, utterly confused now. She pondered, trying to remember the name of the hero. "L... Link was his name, right? I met a boy with that name before. He lives in one of the forests." She spoke hesitantly. Her eyes focused on Vaati's pale face, seeing him lost in though.
"Yes. He must be the incarnation of the hero from lore. No wonder Shadow is becoming restless. Link must be of age if not close. We will need to keep a lookout if Gannon has resurrected." Vaati turned to leave. "I anything is needed, scope out one of my servants. Don't fear their grotesque form. Some of them are Moblins and Stalfoes, so some may have some unappealing looks." He left the hall quickly as if the winds carried him. Aesri gave a bow, her hand reaching for the old brass handle of the door. She entered the dark room, trying to examine everything. There was an old bed made of metal and wood where some sheets and a body-sized pillow lay. Next to it was a small table with a pitcher of water and basin lay. Her eyes moved about, seeing the chairs, bookcases and tables and everything else was. Her eyes focused back to the bed again. The sheets looked darker with some sort of dark cloud floating above it. Two red orbs peered out of the fog, staring straight at Aesri.
A tall, sitting figure materialized on the bed, the form letting out a chuckle. Aesri stepped back letting out a small yell. "Who are you?!?" She stumbled backwards, falling on her back. The form loomed over her with a white grin.
"I am Shadow. I am sure Vaati has told you about me." He gave a quick gesture, almost like a simple bow of respect. His body was now fully materialized, wearing a black tunic, long white pants tucked away into large boots, and a hat. The entire garment looked like the one that the hero of legend use to wear except it was much darker. Aesri was shocked, not use to seeing people just materializing out of nowhere.
"Umm… Nice to meet you? " Aesri gave a nervous smile, still shocked. She took a second glance at Shadow. She noticed a dark aura emitting from the boys body. Shadow gave a shrug and stepped to the side, examining the new person that entered their realm. He looked away with a snobby look to his face.
"I am curious. Why did Vaati let some random outsider like you enter this place? Why did he even heal you? I must say, Vaati isn't the kind of person who would show his kindness to a stranger." Shadow folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the wall. Aesri frowned, trying to recall anything.
"I do remember agreeing to do anything he wants me to do in exchange for my life. I guess I will be a servant?" She looked to the floor and back to Shadow, not knowing what to do. Shadow gave out a huff of breath, seemingly to catch onto Vaati's plan.
"Oh boy… Looks like one of two things. You will either be his errand-boy or his… Well, Hell I don't even want to think of what he could do, knowing him." He speaks with a teasing tone in his voice. He phases through the wall, letting out a loud laugh. Aesri grimaces at what Shadow said. Well… I did agree to do whatever Vaati wants me to do. She cringes and shakes her head, standing back up. "Well… This is a pleasant start to my new life." She sighs deeply, walking up to a window and looking at the nightfall casting its shadow over the forest and the whole land of Hyrule.