Chapter One: The Beginning
It was the last few days of the spring season, the kiss of warmth the sun drew down to the kingdom of Hyrule was welcomed after the biting winter winds finally died off to the north. In the far land of Calatia a festival had been held to introduce their new monarch to the Line of Kings in all the populated territories. Named quite simply by its season, the festival welcomed and naturally obligated royalty from all afar to attend to the coronation, it was a splendid night of celebration, and Daphnes hadn't had that much entertainment for years gone by.
The trip to and returning were always the parts he hated, long nights and foul weather impeded any hopes of resting, he couldn't wait to make peace with his bed at the castle. Hyrule was somewhere out in the darkness he now found himself in. The king rested within his large royal carriage listening to the hard pounding rain from the outside, the wonderful spring storm had been covering the landscape for days, and he wouldn't be surprised if they wound up finding a river that hadn't been there the week before. For years he had used this carriage and the way things were going, especially with the replacement of all of the wheels twice, it seemed that this would be its last trip out in the vistas of the world.
Thunder cracked far off, the cutting lightning silent through billowing clouds. A serene peace had been brought by this torrential downpour, as funny as it felt and sounded to him, it felt absolutely true. Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, king of the most powerful country in known existence, imagine what they would say if he ended up having to walk if the carriage broke once more. It was jostling viciously, the horses were certainly putting their distress to the driver, maybe he should have told James to stop and join him, to get out of the rain.
Daphnes could hear the slick mud against the wheels and the rattling of probably one of his cases on the other side of the coach, how would he ever sleep? The shadows of the night plastered his windows and the flickering lamplight died away as the vehicle began to slow and the rain began to pound hard against the wood. Leaning forward he slid open the small viewer to speak with James, but all he could see was a heavy blackness; one of the side doors was pulled open in a frantic manner.
"Please accept my full apology, Sire." James pulled himself into the carriage drenched to the skin in his royal blue robes; they clung to him like heavy weights. "But the horses are exhausted, I'm exhausted. I know you wanted to make it to the kingdom by daylight, but we can't do it, not in this storm of all blasted things." It was amusing to see the concern in his face.
"That is of no concern, James." Daphnes smiled wryly and scratched his head feverishly. "The wait will only make the outcome all the better. Here, rest in here for the night, out of the rain. There aren't any stars out to gaze at now." He winked and watched his vassal look about the carriage; he was going to deny the hospitality, what a shame. The thunder echoed loudly, pressing itself down on the wood, and that was decided. Snuffing out the last flame in the oil lamps, Daphnes slowly lowered himself into the cot, listening to the heavy drops, lulling him almost into sleep.
A knock on the carriage door woke him immediately, the wind was deafening outside. Who could be out there? Daphnes strained his eyes through the darkness, tightening his body against the wall and his woollen garments, the windows were streaked with moisture. Lightning flashed maliciously outside, illuminating the cart and the window, a hooded, faceless figure was gazing into the carriage, a scabbed hand resting against the glass. The thunder beat a drum and a second bolt of light wiped away the evidence…
Looking over with wide eyes to see that James was still in his proper place, he met the lump that was the driver, knowing he was asleep. A trick of his sight, that's all it could have been. The foreboding feeling he had felt back in Calatia, the one that seemed like eyes were boring into him at the feast, it had returned. Daphnes did not sleep the rest of the night.
Thomas sat half asleep within the small guard tower, why was he even here anyway? No one in the right state of mind would even think of coming to the castle at this hour; control the entrances and exits of the royal grounds, yeah, right. Up in the loft above his competent partner William was fast asleep, his heavy breathing echoing down into the main chamber ensuring that he wouldn't get any sleep this night. The storm was certainly one that hadn't come in decades; the rain was relentless, smashing with contempt against the stone parapet.
Leaning against the back of the wall in his chair, the knight entertained himself by throwing daggers at a small flier on the wall. Apparently a new attraction was in the capital city, a new game house of all things, there had to be half a dozen already, and everyone knew they were scams. It reminded him of the time he had made it so far in the treasure chest game, how he hated it when that last chest in the last room turned up to be empty…Normally he wasn't much of a gambler, but he hadn't much to lose other than a few meals, he had no family to worry over, this was his only true calling in the run of a day. Thomas looked about the room illuminated by a sickly little fire.
"This is definitely a lot better than what I could have…isn't it…Who am I kidding?" The knight knocked the empty candleholders off the small table and struck his last dagger into the worn wood. Out of the corner of his eye he watched, through the single grainy window, a small figure approaching the gatehouse. "How lovely, an idiot to take care of. What a night to be guarding the damn gate." Pushing himself with considerable effort to actually make a move, Thomas threw a tattered cloak over his shoulders and drew his sword.
The figure was cloaked in a heavy black travelling robe; a good choice if one felt like having their body crushed under the weight, what an idiot. Rain pelted his exposed face when he threw open the plank door, realizing it hadn't been locked only afterwards.
"What do you think you're doing?" Calling out at the top of his lungs it was left up to luck that the man, or woman, he had to give that credit too, had heard him. The cloaked figure stopped its slow trek and tilted its head up to see him, for some reason a chill ran down his spine.
"Well now, what do we have here?" It was a man, the droll, deep and wheezing voice gave that away, and he had come to an abrupt halt, had he really thought no one was going to be out here? "I was not aware that your superiors around here would be so foul hearted and cruel, though I am impressed." He chuckled. Nevertheless, I have brought your king, a gift. Please make haste and open this gate, it is of utmost importance that I deliver this to him, I run on a deadline just like the rest of the foul land." The man slowly relinquished a tiny flask from within his billowing cloak, holding it delicately in his hidden hands.
"I can't let you do that." Thomas slowly approached the figure and noticed the rain was getting cold; he pulled his own garments tighter around himself. "Firstly I have to see that before it goes anywhere past here and second, it's the middle of the night, the castle is asleep. You chose a bad day to think about getting in."
"Oh." The man certainly sounded genuinely disappointed. "Ah well, can't you show me some sympathy my dear fellow, I have travelled quite far in attempts to get here, I need to leave immediately afterwards. You know how it is for a merchant." Reluctantly the cloaked man passed the small vial into Thomas's waiting hands, it was a sight to see, definitely a gift for royalty. The flask was made of stained glass and covered in several precious stones.
"Pretty." Slowly looking back up to his visitor, he pulled out the diamond stopper and smelled the foulest thing he ever had come across, beating out even the damn sewers. "What is this…some kind of potion?" The hood lowered in compliance. "Tell me, what is your name?"
"I have no name my dear friend. I am just a mere merchant, I came across this most spectacular bottle and I thought that as a gift to the king, I would be granted something for my troubles. You see, that potion inside is extremely rare at that, it will cure any ailment with just the tiniest sip." He grabbed Thomas and spun him around to face the castle, sweeping his sleeve across the streams of rain. "Imagine, knight, to give such a gift to a king, imagine the reward! This potion will no doubt remove that limp the poor fellow has, if he gets a cold all he has to do is take a drink and it will bother him no more." The very touch of the visitor continued to give Thomas a sick feeling in the pit of his gut, it was unnerving the way this man spoke, it couldn't be true. "Imagine, Thomas, what gift will a man receive for providing a potion that could prolong life for as long as you wish, a cure for death?"
"If it's true, then you won't mind if I try to 'cure' this headache of mine, would you?" He knew he said it a tad too sarcastic, testy, but that's what he had to do, it was probably poisonous… "You can disagree if you want, but by royal decree I am forced to try it no matter your answer." Sure this was probably suicide, but his duty was his duty, his duty was his life. His life was nothing when he really thought about it. Thomas waited a few seconds to be denied, and when the fellow didn't speak, he raised the bottle into the rain and swallowed in anticipation for the potion. "I had so better get a raise for this…" Without any more seconds of hesitation, he downed part of the concoction; it slithered down his throat rather than flow… His headache suddenly disappeared.
"Interesting, I guess when you come in the middle of a storm, in the middle of the night, dressed like that." The knight smiled and placed the stopper back into the neck of the bottle, his head began to pound once more… "Almost anyone would guess that…" White streaks blurred his vision without warning, blinding him almost yet everything in the background was black as midnight. A high-pitched buzzing filled his ears. "You bastard, you were…" The muscles in his legs cramped painfully, Thomas let go of the bottle and heard it smash against the cobblestones, the man finally decided to speak.
"Apparently intelligence is a virtue that Hyrule still hasn't learned to muster up in its people… You ignorant fool, that's all I can spare to call you."
Thomas collapsed to his knees and clasped his beating head, the pain was overwhelming him, he felt like he was on fire, like he was covered in biting flames, he cried out for help but his voice was nothing but a mess of guttural noises. What was happening to him, he was losing all grips on his conscious, something was pressing him into the darkness he knew to be death.
"It pains me to have done this to you, but you persisted…you were here, Thomas." The voice was cutting into him like a knife, he was angry, the bastard was actually angry at him for breaking his poison flask. An instinct was befalling him; Thomas no longer felt in control, he gazed up with no focus to see pale gnarled fingers filling his sight. Darkness grabbed him and that was all he seemed to know.
Calvin was outback in the storage room when the cheers of the people began to erupt out in the streets, he placed the barrel of bombs back down and made way to get out and welcome him back. The shopkeeper moved delicately around his Bazaar cramped quarters, his girth didn't make it any easier for him. The rain had finally let up from the night before and a blazing sun had done a perfect job of draining the land in such a short time, sweat was beading on his bald head, his beard heavy with it already.
Moving out into the warm sunlight, Calvin watched the royal red and blue carriage spin its way into the central square, Daphnes had been gone for over two weeks, and they would celebrate tonight for his return. There was James out front striking the two work horses with the typical blue leather reins that everyone desired to have in their possession, the tailor had really outdone himself with those, such impressive work. Normally Daphnes would have him stop, and he'd walk about shaking hands with the people and walk to the castle instead…the carriage sped by without a hint of slowing down, at least until the castle road entrance from town.
"Close the gates by the King's request." James was heard calling out to the half conscious Benjamin of the town guard. The coach sped back up, leaving dust in its wake; the iron wrought entrance was immediately shut behind them. Perhaps Daphnes was sick, but it wasn't necessarily too suspicious, it wasn't the very first time that he had ever ignored the people… Calvin scratched his brow and sighed, looking at the clock just inside his dusty, run-down store; he immediately gathered himself and locked the door behind him.
Daphnes looked all about, the previous night still spooked him, the sleepiness tugged at his eyelids, but he wasn't sure if he could even keep a slumber going. He thought of the people for a moment, would this look as strange as he felt it would be? Of course not, it wasn't the first time he had ever 'snubbed' his town. They wound around the few turns of the trail, the way it was being conveyed made it feel like there was a useless urgency, and James hadn't seen what he had the night before…
"What's the matter, James?" The king felt the carriage come to a slow stop as they finished the last turn to the gatehouse. Pulling open the viewer to see yet another empty driver's seat, the door didn't open immediately this time. "What imbeciles." Daphnes rolled his eyes when he saw the still closed castle gates leading up to the far away white bricked escarpment. "If I've told them once, I've told them a thousand times!" He slid himself over to the left door to get out, it was so damn annoying to come and be forced to wait, and he was enthralled to sleep somewhere protected, to see his daughter after these long weeks. The back of his neck tingled.
"Sorry for the delay, my Liege." Opening the door to aid the ailing king from stepping down from the vehicle, James looked tattered and worn, the smile on his face contrasting his shabby condition. "Sir William had a long night; he's going to open the gate in a few moments. There he is now." Up over the tower the silhouette of the night traced itself to the rotating chains to lift the huge defence unit up, he certainly seemed groggy. Out of the corner of his eye Daphnes could have sworn he had seen another shadow flicker across the rising sun, he really needed to rest it seemed. "Dear Gods!" The king immediately snapped his attention back to the viewer and cried out in surprise.
A second silhouette came leaping through the brambles of the trees, straight for the knight pulling up the gate, he didn't see it! The chain locked in a screeching position and the way through was open.
"William, look out!" The driver shuffled forward and drew his blade only to watch as the foe grabbed the other knight, lifted him into the air and sent him tumbling over the side of the gate with malicious force. It looked down at the carriage and dove down toward it. James came bounding up the edge and upon the top of the coach, catching the creature in the chest, it reeled back in pain. The horses were spooked and started to gallop in fright away from the monstrous thing. Surprised by the tug, the driver stumbled and was knocked dozens of feet behind by the force of the attacker upon the carriage. A guttural laugh filled the air; Daphnes recoiled in fear back against the second slide-away door as a hideous sight filled the other open one.
A man no taller than he hung limply against the blurred background of the cliff edges, his eyes completely white and flashing to red with every blink. The skin that he wore was a grey-yellow colour, like that of rotten flesh, he was dressed in mail at closer observations and Daphnes suddenly recognized the mutilated face.
"Thomas, what has happened to you?!" The king barked fearfully as the creature clomped his way across the lush carpet, a foul smelling yellow liquid dripping off of his hands, off of his entire body. It stuck in clumps against the bottom of the carriage and burned holes throughout the floor, showing the speeding path beneath.
"The king…he is here, do you see him?" Thomas whispered these words in behind his small moaning; his robes were being stretched by his body… "Yes, look at him cower. Will we take him?" The carriage skidded and smashed against the right cliff edge, buckling the wall in against Daphnes' back. "It is our purpose, is it not?" Lifting his grey arm, a small slit opened up inside, exposing a steady stream of the strange liquid that continually singed the wooden carriage. "The Infection, it is yours Nohansen. Share in it; you will desire it now better than later." Within his hand the opening twisted and opened further, there was no where to go to get away from him, Daphnes was out of options. "Infectious!" A small eye shaped orb filled the gap in his palm just as the royal vehicle slammed again into the narrow sides of the path, Thomas lost his balance and the foul liquid splattered against the area around the king.
Daphnes ripped a bronze candleholder from the wall and jammed it into the knight's chest, green-violet blood issued forth across the carpet. The attacker stumbled back against the door. His girth must have been substantial for the side splintered forcefully outward, sending him down against the dirt. A flailing hand reached up from the gold rails on the outside and clawed into the thick wooden bottom, long dirty nails. Thomas attempted to heave himself back up.
"He fights back, how wonderful that is." The knight ripped his way back into the carriage, the trees and the rock a mere dashing shade behind him, the warm spring air blasted across the inside of the cab and ruffled the king's robes. "A spirit that is strong and defiant, He spoke true of how the king would act." Thomas was about to regain his footing when the black leather of a travelling case bashed across his face, sending him wheeling into one of the cots, the horses were speeding up. "You are not helping the situation at hand!" Trying to keep his balance on already weak legs it appeared like the enemy was going to leap at him, he wouldn't need to.
For the third time against the trail edge the coach made little of the distance behind Daphnes, the weakened door buckled for a split second and fell away in timbers, into the flowing dust. Catching the golden support bar the king thought about trying to slow the horses down, he could never climb over to the driver's seat, no matter how dangerous a situation he was facing.
"Stop being such a fool." Again he spoke in that horrid voice, did he enjoy hearing himself talk so much? "You will only make this that much more complicated and more entertaining to tell." He lunged again, apparently the intelligence factor wasn't one amplified in this case. Daphnes rolled over into the cots and kicked the knight in the back, watching in hopes to see him falter in his footing; he never. Thomas laughed and belted Daphnes in the stomach with his foot, knocking the wind out of him and making his eyes water, blurring his focus. Without a chance for redemption, the king watched that same hideous hand open up across from his face. "We are the Infection, you are the king. You are to be with us, which is all we know and all we will attempt. Welcome."
The knight stopped and titled his head upwards, sniffing the air and looked about with those blind eyes. Growling maliciously, Thomas turned to the rising sun, showing his back once more to the flailing Daphnes on the floor below, watching in disgust as the bronze holder was being forced out by a self-healing factor. Only to receive another shock as a flint arrow head burst through the thick skin from the other side. Crying out in pain the creature stumbled backwards, tripping over the fallen trunk and cursing in inaudible words. Snapping his eyes to Daphnes, he yanked the shaft from his chest and messed up his face in anger.
"You will come after." Thomas rocketed up through the thick ceiling of the rattling carriage sending several chunks of wood flying in every direction, the mid-day sun shone through in small streams. They danced with the moving carriage, the horses bellowed in more fright, perhaps they'd drop dead before…
"No…" Daphnes struggled back to his feet and looked up in earnest to see the castle fast approaching, the gate half up in preparation for his arrival. They would never get it down in time, even if they did… But that was not the only thing that interested him, another shadow was flitting up the right side of the cliffs, taking away their distance of the carriage at unprecedented speed. Blotting the sun in darkness, the character was heavy laden; landing hard against the top of the coach, the sound of metal scrapping a scabbard filled the noisy air. A new knight had just accepted the mission.
"You are a brave one." Thomas glared into his new foe's blue eyes, watching the wavering blade in his hand. Another idiotic fool to deal with, yet, he seemed different, a disposition he could not recognize. "Show your true courage." He removed his own blade from his side; it had jostled there useless until now.
"Gladly." The man leapt forward with his swing, taken off guard by the strength behind the defence. Pulling back he too noticed the frailty of time remaining, gritting his teeth he kicked in the infected man's stomach and smashed his shield against the back of his head. "That was fun, don't you think?" Thomas looked frantically upward to the sight of shining steel, it cut through his vision, he watched his own blood pulse out of him, a gruff hand grabbed his mail shirt. Heaving him back across the carriage, the man threw him out and over the side of the trail; the air was filled with the poison and his blood. Roaring water claimed him and he saw no more of the king.
"Grab my hand!" A gauntleted arm stretched down to the king, he tried to see who was his saviour but made out only the shadow of his face. Without further thought he grabbed the waiting hand and was drawn up and out to the top of the carriage. "Hold onto my arm, Sire." The man garbed in green squeezed tightly on a small pale magenta crystal, a thin membrane surrounded the two of them. As the coach reached the drawbridge the reins snapped and the horses ran off into the twisting waters of Zora's River, they weren't quite as lucky.
They bounded off from the top of the wooden vehicle and landed with Daphnes by the stream edge, watched the cab hit the rise and tilt off to the right. The castle doors had just been opened to a wide-eyed man who immediately closed them after running off into the corridors. In a splitting crash the carriage was ripped apart against the ramparts of the castle, spokes and timbers flew off across the landscape, drowning in the rushing water. Daphnes stood up gasping in pain from his back but all he had was a grand smile stretching his face; his eyes were twinkling in delight.
"You have no idea how much I'm glad to see you, Link."
"Are you certain?" He looked keenly over at his comrade. The man smiled and rubbed his chin, sighing and gazing at the sunrise. "I mean, what you speak of, it can't be real can it?" Jon still watched his Father for a reply, hoping to hear that gruff voice finish his story. "A Black Sun, that can't be true. Why haven't I heard of this before?"
"It is a part of a legend you see, my dear boy." Rauru blinked tears from his eyes, why had telling him hurt him so much? "You hear them all the time in the world you live today. Would you believe there was a time where no legends existed, where they were made by the people of the day? Those days died off quickly, people were renowned for actions, the world never used to be this peaceful, not at all."
"The peace thrives now doesn't it?" The teenage boy brought his legs up to his chest, feeling the warmth of the sun washing over him, it was beautiful. "Was there really a time where things weren't like this, I can't even imagine war."
"War is what made this kingdom, Jon. War is really the only thing to settle in peace of all souls, even if they cover the land in bloodshed and hatred, it is the combination of which that brings us happiness. I personally believe that a land is no land without its soil at one time covered in fire and the liquid of life drained into it. Hyrule was never as peaceful as it is now." Stretching he turned back to the church, its windows glittering in spring dew. "This land is built on legends; it had none to rely on in the days of Imprisonment, or even the days before that, the time from Creation to Creation. There are no stories left of that place, all the plaques in all the kingdoms have been dashed with rage, but there was something before Hyrule."
"You know, Father, I hope Hyrule stays this way forever. No more wars, no more fighting, wouldn't that be the greatest thing of all?" Neither said anything afterwards for a long moment, all they did was stare at the rays spreading like fire in the sky, perhaps it was better this way. "I think it would be…" Jon smirked his awkward smirk, those blue eyes of his twinkled like sapphires, it always looked like he was curious, and Rauru loved it.
"If I told you it would, would you believe me?" The priest pushed himself up and off the grassy plain, the hills rolled down for miles, ending off by the tiny village capital. Small wisps of smoke billowed lazily from the rooftops, everything but nature was silent today. He looked down to wide eyes, to fascinate him was his only entertainment these days, age was drawing through him and out of him. How long would he have to live, it seemed like maybe the next minute and all his pain would dissipate.
"Of course I would, Father." Sitting there and drawing back to the quiet village and the grand castle overlooking it with empty windows. "'In a Realm Beyond Sight, Where the Sky shines Gold not blue, the Triforce's Might makes Mortal Wishes come true.'"
"Evil's Wake." Rauru closed his eyes as a small breeze glistened across the fields. "There is more than the promise of a wish in those four archaic lines. People never see it, but of course they don't, for it means nothing even to me. Why that original tablet does that to certain words, capitalizes only specific ones, what is it trying to say, no one really knows. Some people say it is talking about Evil's Wake, the letters, they coincide with other legends, older legends that not even I have heard of. The legend of a Black Sun is one of them, all I know is that it replies to the Golden of such that rose after Creation, an omen of apocalypse."
"Some also like to say that that is not the entire poem, that when used together they will grant passage into the Land without Legends." Swiftly he climbed the worn steps, better he stopped talking soon; he had to keep things from the boy. "I think you should return home before your parents wake up, Jon. We can talk more about these original legends."
"If I ever found the Golden Land and touched the Triforce, I would wish for peace to remain here in Hyrule." The boy wasn't getting the message, but his statement got through to him, it was lovely to hear. Slowly the priest approached him to wish him well with his goal, the smile on Rauru's face started to fade, all energy was leaving his body, and he collapsed. All he heard was the cries of his visitor for him to get up. He realized he was yelling gnarled hands were clawing through a cold darkness, tearing at him, chanting inaudible phrases, ritualistic, satanic words that stung his very flesh.
The Sage awoke with a start within the chamber. Faint lights floated among him as tiny dots, some dashing with those of his sleep, his memories. Jon's taunt face faded from the rim of consciousness, he forget him again, all those days, all those years, the poor child killed in the fighting that had sprouted just a decade after that morning. The chamber was empty, like it had been for years, he felt strangely cold. He hadn't had this dream in so long, it was fresh, why did it happen?
"'In a realm beyond sight, where the sky shines gold not blue, the Triforce's might makes mortal wishes come true. But throughout fighting and quarrels, there is but one name that is victim to fate, he who brings evil, he who begins the descent of Black Suns. In Darkness he reigns and peace shall cease. Evil's Wake will be his calling.'" Rauru gazed out of the frameless windows of the temple. It was true, why were legends so damned accurate in this age?
"You know, Father, I hope Hyrule stays this way forever. No more wars, no more fighting, wouldn't that be the greatest thing of all?" Jon's words hung with him still, even if his face had all but disappeared from memory. Back in those days he wished he would have told him the answer, that the answer was no, no it wouldn't stay that way forever.
Chapter One Completion