The feeling nearly struck Umro unconscious in the beginning. He had imagined what the world of light would be like, but he never would have thought...

The scout who was sent to lay the shard down within the sand committed suicide upon his return to the Twilight; now Umro finally understands why. It is as if the nectar of life itself is being poured into you, and to leave that land after only a glimse would be unbearable.

At that thought, the familiar, cold hatred began to snake its way up his spine. The light dwellers' very existence is an affront to his people's suffering.

So many centuries, locked away in that soul-sucking nightmare, burns Umro's thoughts. So long we have choked, denied true air. That poisonous realm tainted our minds and bodies so deeply...

They will pay. From beneath his deep, black hood Umro cracks a savage smile.

We will retake this land and beyond. We will grow in power and numbers until the Goddesses themselves are humbled.

I will not forgive.

He draws his sword, momentarily admiring the sharp, defining glint of the sun on its keen, black edge.

I will not forget.

But first, of course, comes the reconquering of this land of Hyrule. Zant's invasion gave Umro an idea of what he will be dealing with, and he is not impressed. In fact, now would be the best time to strike. Surely Princess Zelda is unprepared, not expecting the return of the Twili so soon.

But... Umro surveys the Twili already through the portal; most of them are sprawled over the ground, overcome by the sheer power of sensation emanating from the world of light. Those that were able to withstand it simply sat dazed, evidently in no condition to fight.

No. I will have to give them at least a few days to settle into their new home, if they are going to be at all effective in the coming conquest. Besides, it appears we already have a vacant fortress at our disposal; with a few thousand hands, it should only be a matter of days before we have this dilapidated wreck fully functional again.

Umro turns around, watching the progress his men are making; already, over a hundred Twili have left the portal. The first few dozen are also waking up from their stupor. It's about time, thinks Umro, utterly impatient. Every second wasted is a boon to the Hylians.

"You all," he commands, "gather yourselves. I want this fortress cleaned and rebuilt, top to bottom. Report to me any structural weaknesses you observe. If anything obstructs your path, destroy it and move on. When these men sober up," Umro gestures to the remaining Twili still in shock, "brief them on my orders."

Immediately, the soldiers comply. "Yessir!"

That is interesting. Umro had never been given a reply before; the Twili had simply obeyed, moonstruck as always. But in this case? Freedom from that nightmarish cage seems to have strengthened their resolve, Umro observes. Perhaps there is hope for our race, after all.

Perhaps. But no hope for you.

"Who said that!" Roars Umro, his head darting left to right, hunting the source of those words.

"My lord? Are you al-" The twili who spoke finds himself suspended above the ground, choking in Umro's deathgrip. "Was it you! ANSWER ME!" His eyes are ablaze with ferocious alarm, his hand holding Harbringer poised; the oil black blade is begging for slaughter.

The twili gives him a bland, confused look. Evidently the Twilight's numbing curse has not completely left him.

Relenting, Umro slowly releases him. "My mistake. Carry on." And so he does.

What was that voice? He knows none in his entourage would be suicidal enough to speak to him like that.

Could he have imagined it?

... I must have, he hastily concludes, refusing to indulge his paranoia. A trick of the wind, that is all.

He sheathes his blade and walks toward the protective railing at the edge of the mirror room. His eyes turn to the south. Curious. A life form he did not expect in the least is making her way through the still desert haze... Why would that be, Umro wonders. No matter; he welcomes the distraction.

Their passage is soft and fleet. Midna has taken to hiding in Link's shadow as they make rapid progression toward the desert fortress; the desert heat is brutal, true, but that heat is not her only worry. As always, the ebb and flow of this world leaves her... Unsettled. Retreating to that warm, dark haven displaced by Link's presence is almost second nature to her, and certainly a hard habit to break.

But she mustn't forget the urgency of the situation. If Umro Krasus is on this plane... Well, it'd make for a whole new game plan, wouldn't it? She pulls her own shadow forward to inspect their progress, taking note of the sun's position. At this rate, she figures, we'll be at the mirror chamber by dusk.

She just now realises that they haven't spoken a word since their departure for the Gerudo desert. In fact, this whole fiasco has given them next to no time to catch up; Midna is doubtful she's even gotten over the fact that she's returned to the world of light.

And now? She's not only back, but in the exact same situation they were in not months earlier.

And... I couldn't be happier.

Wait, what is she thinking? This is the second time she's been usurped! Barely over half a year and she's already suffered two coups!

Once again tucked safely under the Hero's shadow.

Once again off to save Hyrule, this noisy, bustling world of light. Away from her people, away from where she needs to be-

Away from despair.

Shut up!

"We have sentries!" Shouts Link, bringing Midna back to her senses. And, surely enough, two watch towers overlook the abandoned Bulblin encampment where they faced off with King Bulblin. Though, this time, the towers are manned by what appear to be pale, distorted humanoids with glowing red eyes.

Unmistakeable. Those are Twili, if Midna's ever seen them. Which, of course, she has. "On it!"

Well, this gives her the opportunity to try one of her more difficult powers, at least.

Arching over Link, Midna distorts and transforms nearby shadows to release a thick, black fog. She then coils this dense smoke around her unfortunate kinsmen, rendering them completely blind for at least as long as is needed.

"Sorry guys," she mutters under her breath as she returns to Link's shadow.

Umro toys with the idea of chasing Midna down on his own; though she likely has the boy for a companion, even the two of them combined are no match for him. But that would make things far less interesting, now wouldn't it?
Besides, such an action is against the plan. Umro needs Midna alive, at least for the time being, if only to give adequate reasoning for his invasion plan. As he observed, the twili are already beginning to shake off their numbness; he will need to tread carefully if he is to keep them under his command.

Though, if they knew the true nature of the Royal Family, he is certain they would stop at nothing to exact revenge...

... But no, it is too risky; given his proximity to the Royal bloodline, it could potentially provoke a backlash and threaten his authority.

It would be best to continue his present course of action. Simple, yet so terribly effective.

If Midna understands the exact nature of his plans, she will doubtlessly try to warn Zelda. And Zelda, in turn, will have no choice but to mount an offensive. At that, Umro will have the ammunition to mount his own offensive. Of course, Zelda's paltry forces will be as nothing to his military might. When the twili reawaken, so should their magical abilities; with the potential of the twili finally realised, nothing will be able to stop the conquest, not even the Goddesses themselves.

And, even if all this would somehow fail, he hasn't forgotten his champion. Though the champion's body is weak and frail now, the Lord of House Krasus is not without his tricks.

In fact, now is as good a time as ever to prepare him for his esteemed guests-to-be.

Link scans the sky. The sun is closing in on the eastern rim, bathing the sands in a faded yellow glow; twilight will come soon. "Hey Midna," he says, "how exactly are we going to do this?" Now that they are certain Umro's come over to the other side, they need to find a way to send them back, or stop their numbers from flooding into Hyrule at the very least.

"Don't worry about the details," she responds confidently, "I'll handle the iffier bits. You just worry about what I tell you to, alright?"

Works for him. "Aye-aye."

Just in time too, as they are rapidly closing in on the front steps of the old fortress. Surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be any activity outside the towering building; in fact, it seems just as abandoned as it has been since Midna shattered the mirror. Link slows Epona down to a trot as they approach the first set of broken steps; Midna reforms beside him as he dismounts.

"Now, this is where it gets a bit tricky," she whispers, a steely glint sparkling in her eye. She lifts her right hand above her head, and grabs hold of Link's arm with her left. "Close your eyes."

Expecting something significant, he closes his eyes tightly. A minute passes, with nothing out of the ordinary that he detects. Probably just need to be patient-

"There, done. You can open your eyes now," she says, clapping dust off her hands. His eyes open to...

He blinks. "Um, what exactly did you do?" He sees nothing out of the ordinary; Midna is standing near Epona, her arms behind her back.

"You'll see," she winks. "Just get moving, and keep quiet."

I hate when she does that, he mentally grumbles to himself. Why does she always have to be the sneaky, secretive type?

Link makes his way up the steps, soft and quick as a shadow. He is about to slither through the front door when he spots a heavily armored twili to the right of the door, hidden by the shadows.

Staring right at him.

He freezes, his hair standing on end; he's faced monstrosities and horrors, beasts and demons, but the only thing that really gets to him is being caught while sneaking.

Of course, he has bigger problems now. "Midna," he breathes as quietly as possible, "... help?"

She walks up behind Link; completely ignoring the guard, she swats him gently on the forehead, an expression of mock exasperation on her face. She then walks right up to the twili, eyeing him in the face.

Now I get it, thinks Link, feeling like an idiot.

For good measure, Midna gives the twili guard a sharp prod between the eyes; he falls to the ground as if hammered over the head with a rock. "Sleeping like a baby," she coos. "Told you not to worry, didn't I?"

"Yeah, yeah," he sulks.

"I cast an invisibility spell on us," she elaborates, with great pride. "As long as I'm focused on what I am doing, we're completely invisible."

Link's eyebrows raise. How convenient. "And why not mention that to me beforehand?"

But she's already back at the door, gently sliding it open. "C'mon," she beckons. "No time to lose."

They enter the large corridor quietly, both of them keeping to the walls and corners. It appears there was a renovation going on; several racks line the sides of the walls, holding typical twili weaponry, with several large, rectangular tables arranged neatly in rows to the back-right corner of the room.

But the most striking feature is the large, imposing stone throne, curiously positioned in the middle of the room. Well, not the throne itself, but rather it's occupant; a massive, black suit of armor is sitting in it, full plated hands curled over the arms of the throne. Though it looks lifeless, Midna isn't so easily fooled. "Whatever that thing is, it's definitely not just some suit of armor," Midna whispers into Link's ear.

"Well, that's obvious," he quietly responds. "And I think we both know why it's here. To keep us busy, like some sort of watchdog, maybe."

Midna nods gently, giving the room another quick scan. "It could be a Darknut, though that isn't any type I've ever seen." The armor that the thing is wearing is foreign to Midna, though she recognises some of the patterns in the design as twili-based.

"Well, he's in our way, and I have a feeling he won't let us get past without a fight, invisibility or not," he concludes, walking over to one of the weapon racks. "So I'll tell you what. I'm going to keep him busy, while you go up and get rid of that shard." Before she can object, he continues. "No arguments. This is the only way. Sides," he straightens his posture, cracking his neck muscles. "I'm the Hero here, remember?"

Seeing that she can't convince him otherwise, she resigns. "Fine," she responds with a sigh. "But be careful. I'll be back as soon as I can." With that, she bursts into smokey shadow, blowing across the floor and past the throne, into the next room.

As long as my invisibility holds up, he should be fine.

I hope.

As he thought, the plated being twitched as Midna passed by him. Any closer, and he's sure to detect Link.

"Better get this rolling," he says to himself, grim with anticipation. He grabs two of the more normal looking blades from the rack, testing their weight.

The creature's hand twitches again.

We'll see how long you can last, he thinks, for the both of them.

The creature draws itself up to it's full height, over 7 feet (2.15m) at the least.

Link makes a running dash at it. The bigger they are...

He dives between its legs, slashing at the segments connecting its sabatons and leggings with both blades. The harder they fall.

And fall it does, or so Link thought; it pivots on its arm, shifting its bulk like a gymnast, landing squarely on both massive feet. It makes a full charge at Link; missing him by inches, it crashes into the throne, shattering it in a shower of explosive shards.

Wait a minute, I thought I was invisi-

It then extends its arm. Another explosion is heard, and a massive, two handed sword falls into its closed fist.

As soon as the blade is firmly in its grasp, it charges again, sword at the ready. Link rolls, once again nearly losing his head.

For a minute there, he nearly became desparate. Then he saw it. Right on it's back, between the shoulderblades, a small, glowing ruby is inlaid. That's gotta be important, he thinks. And far from unintentional. If only he can hit that... Charging again!

But this time, Link goes straight for it. Diving once more, he rolls between the giant's legs, coming back up behind him. Immediately, he throws one of the swords like a dagger, striking the ruby dead center.

He expected the thing to collapse. Instead, it begins to shake.

And shake it does.

Every segment begins to vibrate, as if the whole thing transformed into a gigantic tuning fork.

Link wastes no time; while the creature is stunned, he grabs the sword and sprints in Midna's direction.

Gliding like dust, Midna keeps as low to the ground as possible; ultimately unnecessary, as she is still technically invisible. But it never hurts to be cautious, she reminds herself.

She soon finds herself in the mirror chamber. Reforming, she takes a quick look around; coast is clear. And right there, exactly what she needed; the mirror shard. This little thing is actually powering a portal? But indeed it is. Albeit a very misshappen portal, it is still strong enough to guarantee a passage to the twilight realm. Assuming you survive the tight fit, that is.

Wait a minute... Something is amiss. There were scouts as far out as the edge of the compound. Why is it there were no twili on the way up? Or here, for that matter-

WHAM!

Incredible force hits her from behind, knocking her off her feet.

"Hello, my queen. You are looking much healthier."

She knew only one person with such a smooth dialect.

"Umro!" She scrambles to her feet, turning rapidly to meet the aggressor.

Indeed, it is Umro Krasus; his robes ever flowing, the hooded figure towers over Midna.

"So, Zant-the-Second decides to show his face." At this, she drops into a combat stance, ready for his next move. "I won't let you drag this world into chaos to satisfy your own lust for power."

"You think all of this is simply for power's sake? You are one to talk, royalist. The Royal Family's bloodsucking line ends with you, race traitor," he growls, drawing his blade.

"You're the traitor!" She lashes back, unfazed by Umro's absurd conclusion. "We rule by divine right, and only for the good of our people; you stole that right for your own, to satisfy your own greedy desires."

For a moment, Umro almost seems confused, unsure. Then it dawns on him.

"You really don't know, do you? Tsk-tsk-tsk," he tuts in mock disapproval, a malicious grin slowly spreading across his pale face. "Did you ever wonder what separates us from the common twili? Why we can do magic, yet they can at best levitate?"

Before Midna can respond, he continues. "Have you ever wondered why we, of the upper caste, are the only twili to maintain proportionate bodies, while the rest of the twili become mishappen and deformed?"

Midna tries to stammer out a response, but is once again cut off by Umro. "Know this, royal parasite. Nothing was free in that forsaken dimension. Not even life itself." His face once again masklike, Umro's voice dulls to a dusty monotone. "Our ancestors, the great Interlopers, made a deal with death itself, a deal of self preservation. Their health, for ours. Their minds, for ours. Their spirit, for ours." Umro's tone once again grows defiant; his deep, red eyes seem to glow like coals inside his hood. "We unconsciously sap their very essence to feed our own spirits. We have done so for centuries."

No, recoils Midna, at a complete loss for words. This can't be true!

"Oh, but it is, girl," he replies, as if reading her thoughts. "They did indeed fear your morality, that I now understand. It is secret knowledge passed down the royal line for generations; I only found out by chance. Why else would they keep you in the dark about this?" Umro lifts his sword arm and slowly walks toward Midna. "Tell me, do you still wish to be princess? To rule over your loving subjects, the very same you and your line have been slowly consuming over the centuries?"

Strength leaves Midna's body; she crashes to her knees, overcome by shock. It all makes sense now. Zant's power within the Twilight Realm... My own, as well... Throughout our history ... All this time...

She is lifted bodily from the ground, her soft throat firmly in Umro's iron grip.

"Don't worry," he whispers. "I cannot promise you a painless death. But it will be quick." He readies his blade, preparing for the final stroke.

"OOMPH!"

Before he can react, a force slams into him hard enough to knock him off balance; he releases Midna, who crumples to the floor. That damn brat again!

Link stands in front of Midna, blade in each hand. "I don't think so," he pants. He is covered in sand and dirt, his tunic ripped in several areas.

There is only one way he could have gotten this far without being detected. Her invisibility spell was unusually weak, allowing Umro to see her rather easily. Yet, all the more likely, she was conserving her power to use on the boy. "All this time, Midna? You clever little witch." Lip service, of course. He imbued his champion to see through even the strongest of such spells; the twili are akin to the shadows, and stealth is their most favoured tactic.

He did not expect Link's sudden entrance, but he knew the two would travel together; he simply used the boy to test his creation. Obviously this boy's survival indicates there is still much work to be done on his pet abomination. No matter, he concludes. He is more than a match for the two of them.

They know this is a battle they cannot win. The boy will fight to the death, of course; Midna might yet prove to be a more interesting foe. Assuming she wakes up from her timely slumber, that is.

Upright once more, Umro flourishes the Harbringer and prepares a vertical upslice.

Link barely catches it in time; his left sword shatters, as does his arm. "Augh!" He screams, flying backwards, unable to contain the jagged pain blasting through his nerves.

"Good night, child." Umro raises the Harbringer; it is most displeased at being denied its kill.

But it does not fall.

What?

A thin, lithe hand stops his arm with uncanny strength.

Umro smiles. Now it gets interesting.