Do to my absolute loathing of the writing I used for chapters 2 and 3, I've re-written them. I'll probably rewrite chapter 4 before I actually finish this story, and as I've been on a roll writing "Playthings", it will probably take even longer to finish this fic.(Oh, I can see the torches and pitchforks now…) Other then that, I'm changing the title. Why? Because I DON'T LIKE IT. I apologize for all the waiting.


By the time I had gathered the money for the potion, seven years had passed. Seven years of being shunned, of being alone, of stealing and honest work, of wondering how much longer I had to wait before I finally could create my own people. Simply stealing the potion had crossed my mind, but as I lacked the knowledge to identify the potion and the ability to read, the plan had to be ultimately abandoned.

I no longer had to wait. As the dawn rose on Lake Hylia, I prepared myself for the trek across Hyrule field. I took with me nothing more then my sword, the money, and the clothes on my back.

I glanced back over the lake, the only home I had ever known. The zora were all long gone, and I recalled that Link would be there soon to brave the dangers of the water temple. I smiled to myself as I realized that the only difference this time would be that I would no longer be there to battle him.

With that thought in mind I strode out past the gates and into the field.


It took me about two days to make it to Kakariko Village. It had been years since I had been here last, but I remembered exactly where the store was.

The lady was ancient when I met her last, and she hadn't changed at all. Her failing eyes still squinted, her gnarled hands still stroked her ratty old cat, and her abnormally large nose still sniffed at the thick, scented air.

I sneezed, and she turned her snout towards me. I cleared my throat. "Do you remember who I am?"

"The Shadow Man, I remember you." Her voice creaked. "Looking for the potion that created you, I suppose?"

"Yes."

I hadn't thought it possible, but her eyes squinted at me even more, so that the tiny black dots shrank to an impossibly small size. "I'm not inclined to sell it you know." She said irritably. "Shadow people… they aren't natural. It'll upset the balance of Hyrule."

"You told me you'd sell it if I met your price." I tossed my swollen wallet onto the counter. "Count it if you will. A bargain is a bargain."

The crone pawed through the shining glass currency. She sighed in a mix of disgust and satisfaction. "I have two bottles."

"Give me the largest one."

The crone creaked to her feet and shuffled toward the back of her shop. She returned with a glass bottle shaped like an onion with an elongated tip. The plug was topped with a rubbery bulb.

She pushed the bottle across the counter, the black, sparkling liquid sloshing against the sides. "Take it and go."

I shoved a man out of my way in my hurry to leave. I didn't really notice. I didn't really care.

I made my way to the Kakariko Graveyard, to the Shadow Temple.


The man hadn't lost his composure by being shoved aside. The old potions lady doubted he would lose composure if his grandmother's throat had been slit in front of him. She knew him well. He was a frequent customer of hers.

He was large, a behemoth among men. His black-clad form was pure muscle. A red cape added to his formidable apparel. Browned skin, flaming hair and an ostentatious jewel attached to his forehead declared to all from whence this man had come. The Gerudo Desert.

"Welcome, Lord Gannon." The old woman's voiced creaked as it imitated a pleasant tone and greeting.

"Spare me, witch." The Gerudo King replied. "What was that leaving just now?"

"A Shadow-Man, Lord Gannon. Never mind him."

"A Shadow Man…" Gannon mused, glancing out the door. "I don't suppose they're created by a potion, are they?"

The potions lady raised an eyebrow. "Indeed they are, Lord Gannon."

Gannon turned back to the woman. "I want this potion."

"Lord Gannon, if I may give my opinion-"

"If I want your opinion I will give it to you." Gannon snapped. "Do you have this potion?"

"Yes, sir, but-"

"Give it to me."

"Lord Gan-"

The King of the Gerudos drew his sword and swung it with ease so that the point rested at the potions lady's throat. "That wasn't a request." His cold voice froze the air between them.

The potions lady leaned back, away from the sword. "Of course Lord Gannon." She choked.

"I only need enough for one." His eyes glittered in the light.


I sat precariously on the fence that separated the temple from the final resting place of the dead, scrutinizing the bottle in my hand. The liquid inside was constantly shifting, though I held the bottle perfectly still. Speckles and splatters of dark purple sifted through the otherwise pitch-black contents.

I unscrewed the top, holding the rubbery bulb carefully. It wasn't so much rubber as a peculiar type of plant, probably from the forest across Hyrule Field.

I wondered briefly at how much it would take to create a person. One drop? Two drops? How many possible lives did I hold in my hand? Did it only work on people?

I screwed the cap back on the bottle. I searched my pack for a spare tunic. There was hardly anything there, so I found it easily. Removing it, I wrapped my treasure with it, before placing it back in the pack. I hesitated, then took it into the Shadow Temple and set it carefully against the wall.

I returned to the open air. It should be easy to kidnap a cucco for experimentation.

Oh, I was wrong.