Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda,Nintendo does.

A/N: Read, review, and (hopefully) enjoy!

Prologue

The explosion annihilated half of his opposition before his feet even hit the ground. The hooded figure charged the remaining guards, drawing his long sword and swinging his shield from off his back. They shot at him, but their bullets ricocheted harmlessly off of the blue crystal which encased him. They were brave soldiers, and dead within half a minute. As the warrior dislodged his blade from one of them the crystal vanished. A pink, winged sphere emerged from out of the folds of his cloak.

"I don't like killing men like this, Esper." Groaned the man as he threw back his hood, shaking blood red locks out of azure eyes. He looked at the fallen bodies around him and grimaced. "It's butchery, not battle!"

"And if you didn't use your magic," responded the sphere, Esper, "then they'd make short work of you with their guns. It's not a fair fight either way, but your mission is more important than their lives." The fairy, for that is what the sphere truly was, circled the man. She considered him for a moment. Many thought he was Hyrule's last hope, which meant he was the last hope for her race. There were few fairies left, and without a return to the old ways they would soon fade. The long eared Hylian before her might be the last warrior to have a companion fairy. She cringed at the thought. "I understand your feelings, Jared. It's those feelings that make me think that you are the hero. Your sense of honor… it's a good thing Jared, but if we're to kill the tyrant you can't let it get in the way. Remember you're mission is to bring honor back to Hyrule. You must put moral qualms aside and give Hyrule her name back."

"Your right!" roared Jared. Shaking his head the cloaked man approached the door the guards had been protecting. It was a strange door, perfectly flush with the wall, with no visible knob or key hole. Jared tried to push it open, to know avail. Esper searched the door and the wall around it, looking for some mechanism which would allow them to open it.

"Should I blast it open?" questioned Jared.

"Save your magic, they wouldn't have made a door they couldn't open." She floated, silent for a moment. "Just try the key, tap it on the door, it may be enough." Jared reached into a small bag at his waist, drawing out a golden key. He tapped the door with it. Suddenly the wall ten feet to the right of the door glowed a brilliant yellow. Jared and Esper approached the glowing patch of wall. It was a small square, maybe a quarter meter by quarter meter. Beneath it was a small keyhole. Jared's key was much to big for it, but no matter, he simply touched the tip of the key to the hole and the square receded into the wall, revealing a number pad. The wall stopped glowing and the street was plunged once more into darkness. But Jared didn't need to see. He simply touched the number pad with his key and, ten feet to his left, the door slid open.

Entering the door Jared was shocked. The room was completely empty. It was a huge cube, devoid of furniture and, more surprisingly, people. The door slid shut behind him.

"I don't like this, Esper. I thought there'd be… something here."

"But why would I leave my guards here, when I saw how easily you dispatched them outside?" Asked a deep, cultured voice. On the other side of the room another door had opened. In stepped a short, tuxedoed man, the owner of the voice. He smirked. His name was Xavier Tortun, Generalissimo Xavier Tortun, military dictator of Genost, the land once known as Hyrule. Physically he was Jared's opposite. Where Jared was young, tall, and lithe Tortun was in his early sixties, very short, and stocky. Jared's long red hair fell into his eyes and around his long, pointed ears, Tortun's white hair was shaved close to his skull and had never touched his short, rounded ears. Jared's azure eyes stared into crimson ones. Jared drew his sword, this was the man who had killed the great fairies, who had sucked the life and magic out of all Hyrule. And now he was to die.

Xavier Tortun chuckled, then threw his head back and laughed. Smiling, he said, "You interrupted quite a nice party, you know. We knew you were coming, but we didn't know when. This room has been like this for two weeks, waiting for you. Most annoying. The rest of you're terrorist cell is being eliminated as we speak. Oh, don't worry, they won't massacre my soldiers like you did. I've sent bombers to blast them out." Jared gawked in horror. "Don't worry," continued the Generalissimo, "you'll soon join them in the Sacred Realm, or wherever you people go after death. Or maybe my people are right. Maybe there is no life after death, and all that is left of you will stay in this world and rot." He laughed, a horrid cruel laugh which reverberated around the chamber, sounding like a pack of jackals.

"Kill him now!" cried Esper. Jared didn't need to be told twice. He bounded across the room, blade ready to strike. But he never reached Tortun. Halfway across the room he collided with something. Suddenly Jared found himself on his back with a sword to his throat. The blade and its bearer were both ephemeral, Jared could see strait threw them both. The figure seemed like some kind of shadow. It had glowing red eyes, eyes exuding malice.

"Normally, as you know, my people don't use magic." Tortun said calmly. "But in the last decade alone there have been seven attempts on my life, all from terrorist groups such as yours. This creature is supposedly the shadow of one of your ancient heroes, his opposite, his great foe. He has defended me well for the last fifteen years or so. Now he claims another life. Well, I have a party to return to. Goodnight." And with that Tortun turned and exited, the door slid shut behind him.

The shadow smirked, and pressed its sword into Jared's neck, slowly so it could watch the horror in Jared's eyes. But there was no horror. Jared was in a state of deepest calm. Suddenly a huge sphere of fire blossomed out of him. The shade flew back, gasping in pain. Jared was on his feet in an instant, sword and shield ready. Esper glowed yellow and started circling the shadow's head. Jared and the shadow each gave a great yell and charged one another. A thunderclap of steel began their duel. They were two living blurs, an ordinary man would not have lasted a moment facing either of them. At first the fairy thought they were equals and that the Hylians had found the true hero at last. But it became clear after only a few more seconds of fighting that the shadow was by far the superior duelist. Though it had a shield across its back it used only its sword to attack and defend, it was all it needed. Jared had to use sword and shield, as well as a great deal of dodging, to keep himself alive. And even that wasn't enough. After a minute or two of toying with him the shadow swung its blade in a swift parry and disarmed Jared. It then started a downward slash towards Jared's head. Jared raised his shield in defense. He was very surprised when he did not feel the weight of the blow crashing down on him. It was the last surprise he'd ever have. He didn't have time to register the surprise of the horizontal slash which came in under his shield and struck his head off of his shoulders. The shadow cackled and dissolved into nothingness, leaving Esper alone. He knew the ways of fairies. This one was weak, too weak to revive her friend. She would lay down next to him and fade away. If he'd stayed it would have been his turn for a surprise. True, she was much too weak to revive Jared, but she wasn't so weak that she would just die. Holding back tears she went to his waist and drew the golden key out of its pouch. She then flew up to the room's roof and out through a ventilation duct.

A/N: If you like this story and want me to continue, just review.