Chapter 8: Dark

What are you doing Hero?

Link felt Dark's angry screech in his head as he propelled himself forward, each second requiring double the effort the last one had taken.

Get back there and kill that woman!

He wasn't sure how he knew. He wasn't sure why. But all he knew was that at the end of the corridor, in the largest section of the palace's library, was where Hestial was standing. And Link couldn't be sure how or why he knew, but he did know, that she was waiting for him, and she wasn't alone.

KILL HER!

Link resisted the urge to respond and he felt his body slow, breaking down as he continued to push it past all levels of resolve, his insides quaking as if he were repeatedly running into a brick wall.

But he was almost there, he was within reach of his goal. His Triforce was glowing, Dark's voice in his head was screaming, but all Link could see, all he made himself see, was that open door ahead of him where the soft glow of a deadening fire could be seen flicking itself across stacks and stacks of books and scrolls.

Do not defy me.

Link felt it then, it was unmistakable. Link's body, both mental and physical, slammed into a wall. It was a wall of darkness, it appeared like a haze, but Link knew it wasn't, it was something else. Link fell backwards as his insides rocked, he was sure he'd heard something crack.

"Why do you insist on resisting me?" Link looked up to see Dark, his eyes like liquid fire, only without the reassurance and the warmth. His body was misty, almost as if it were caught somewhere between nowhere, and here. Link saw the muscles tighten in his Negative side's arms, saw him lift his hand and recreate his dark replica of the Master Sword. Link swallowed.

"I cannot allow you to enter that room Hero. So, you have two choices. You can either get up, turn around, and finish what we started, or, you can try another half-witted and feeble attempt at freedom." Dark flicked his blade so that it pointed itself directly at Link's heart. "Decide."

Link swallowed the fear and pain in his throat, and pulled himself up to his feet. His body wavered with the effort, pieces of it undoubtedly broken. But Link refused to back down, not this time. This time, he would win.

"I'd like to think you chose the first option, but I'm not that deluded." Dark swung his blade up and back, readying himself to fight.

Link unhinged his own Master Sword from his back, feeling his muscles popping and his ribs cracking as he bit his bottom lip to prevent crying out in pain. Dark laughed.

"Wow Hero, I can hear that from over here. You must be a real mess right now." Dark smirked openly at his Light side, as he bent and moved to strike, "Let me end your pain."

"No, let me end yours." Link prepared himself as he felt Dark's blade hit his own, the attack sudden and predictable. It was the same opening Link used, a left side swing to the hip. Link received the blow and shoved Dark off, before taking one of his own. Dark anticipated the move perfectly, and the two ended up in the same position, only in reverse.

"Why do you even bother? We're perfectly matched." Dark swung at Link again, and Link retaliated the blow. The two stood there, locked together, their twin Master Swords scrapping each other in an effort to gain ground, but neither prevailed. Neither ever would.

Dark smirked at his Light side, "The only way you'll ever beat me is if you can rid yourself of all the darkness in your heart, but we both know that's an impossibility."

Link glared at his Dark half, he could feel the misty waves of darkness as they slid their way up his body, clawing at his sub-conscious. Link refused, he refused with his entire mind, his entire body, his entire heart. But he was very tired, and he could now feel the physical effects of his damaged body, Dark had certainly broken it.

"Why not strike when I say? I don't see why you feel this need to fight me so dauntingly." Dark lowered his blade, and backed away from his fairer half. Link looked at him, a mixture of bewilderment and suspicion, what was he up to?

"I wouldn't kill you, you know. It's not worthwhile, a total waste of your talents." Dark waved his blade and it disappeared, fading back into the unyielding gloom that filled his end of the corridor, and was slowly inching its way across towards Link. "I never planned on killing you."

Link held his sword up defensively in front of his face. "Your tricks won't work Dark, so just give it up already."

"I'm not lying." Dark spread his arms wide, as if he weren't trying to coerce his Light side, but rather welcoming a long lost friend. "This is what I want."

"Forget it!" Link could feel the shimmering of his Triforce waging a war with the darkness that sputtered as the light hit it. Link took a step forward, "Move Dark, or I'll cut a path right through you."

Dark ignored the comment and kept right on talking. "I only ever wanted what was never mine to have, only ever wanted what you got the pleasure of having just because everyone sees you as the Hero." Dark's face turned into a nasty scowl, his steely skin darkening a bit in his anger, "And me as the villain."

Link froze.

" All I was ever dealt was the bad hand, the darkness, the negative emotions that wage inside of you, tell me, how is that fair?" Dark leaned forward; his hands still outstretched signifying his determination, his desire, and his total lack of understanding at what separated him so much from someone who was so like him that he could never best him. Link realized then what Dark saw through those glittering eyes every moment he was conscious, Dark was jealous.

Dark stood up straighter, peering out at Link through one eye just as he had that first night Link had been reunited with his other half, back when this whole mess began. Link lowered his blade.

"We can still do this together Link." Dark smirked at Link reassuringly, with only a hint of his usual malice playing about his lips, "Think what we could do, once all this," Dark indicated the surrounding castle, "and all that," he pointed outside indicating Hyrule, "is ours."

Link. Do not let him corrupt your soul.

Link started. Who?

He is trying to corrupt you, he seeks to regain control and nothing more, you cannot trust him.

"Link." Link looked up. Dark had moved closer, his hand was outstretched, reaching for Link. Link felt the fingers touch his skin, grasping his hand, their touch cold as death. "Brother, won't you help me be free too?"

Link opened his mouth, he felt torn. Torn between doing what he knew to be right, and his connection with Dark. Because Dark was many things, not the least being dishonest, but he was still part of Link, part of his mind, part of his soul, part of his heart.

Link! Hurry!

"I'm sorry." Link pulled himself from Dark's grasp, and instantly felt the pressure from the darkness double, like all of the weight of Death Mountain was being dropped on him at once. But Link didn't wait for Dark to respond, he raced past him, hitting the darkness like a solid wall. Link felt his body crying out, his bones felt like they were being ripped apart, his skin breaking, he smelled the scent of blood. But Link powered through.