"Get back!" Hilda called, using telekinesis to force the Hylian Soldiers and the Zora onlookers back. "Just get the Zora away from here!"
The serpent lowered it's head, ignoring the soldiers and the Zora that fled, focusing on her.
Hilda raised a shield around herself as the creature cocked it's head back before jutting it forward, a green, thick liquid streaming from it's mouth. The Princess channeled more energy into her shield as it struck her, lowering it as soon as the stream came to an end. She quickly glanced at the ground, watching as the liquid melted away the grass and the top level of soil. "Acid." she remarked.
The serpent coiled, setting it's eyes on her before lunging, Hilda teleporting to the side as it slithered passed her.
The Princess cried out as she pointed her staff at it, a blast of energy striking the beast in the side and knocking it onto it's back, it was quick to recover, however, shooting another short burst of acid at Hilda, the Princess deflecting it telekinetically before shooting a ball of flame at the monster, the serpent hissing as it was struck head on by it.
Hilda readied another attack, carefully aiming as the Serpent slithered back into Lake Hylia. "Come on, show yourself." Hilda breathed. Suddenly the beast's tail whipped from the Lake, Hilda inhaling sharply as it struck her, knocking her onto her back. She opened her eyes in time to see the Serpent position it's head above her, opening it's mouth as if to strike, acid dripping from it's fangs. Hilda cried out as a drop fell onto her glove, the Princess quickly pulling it off before it could cause too much damage to her skin. The monster pulled it's head back, readying to strike, Hilda desperately looking to her side, extending a hand and uprooting a tree telekinetically, promptly smashing the Serpent in the head with it.
The Princess staggered to her feet as the beast shook it's head, hissing as it settled it's eyes on her once again. She readied a blast, only to feel the dull ache in her stomach return, she fell to her knees as she felt faint, her eyes blurring as she saw the creature heading towards her.
"Come on, men!" she heard a voice call, turning her head to find the Hylian Soldiers returning, dozens of arrows pelting the monster.
Hilda was roused as a soldier ran to her side. "Here, take this." he said.
The Princess looked down at her hand as the man placed a bottle in it, her eyes focused as she clenched her fingers around the red potion.
"Easy." the Soldier said as he helped her to her feet, the Princess quickly uncapping the bottle and gulping the potion down.
"Feeling better?" the Soldier asked carefully.
Hilda stood, feeling the rush of the potion's effects on her body, she couldn't afford to be careful this time around. "Yes, now go and make sure your men move away." she said.
The man quickly nodded before hurrying away.
The Hylian Soldiers attempted to duck as the monster scattered them with it's tail before turning, tilting it's head back as it readied a burst of acid.
The men raised their arms, looking up in time to see a large barrier of stone rise in front of them.
Hilda glided down to the ground as she raised the wall, taking one last look over as the Soldier who supplied the red potion guided them away.
The Serpent looked at the wall as if agitated, it's acid slowly melting a hole in it. The beast screeched, shooting a jet if acid at her, Hilda raising her staff and fired a blast of flame at it, easily burning away the material.
"Away with you!" Hilda shouted, raising both of her arms and shoving them sideways. An enormous chunk of earth ripping free underneath the serpent and sending it flying into the lake nearby. The Princess raised her staff, clouds materializing in the sky, swirling over her as blue flashes went off, multiple bolts of lightning striking her at once, the electricity arcing over her, her eyes glowing gold as she called upon her part of the Triforce.
The Serpent hissed as it rose from the Lake, setting it's eyes on her.
Hilda swung her scepter downwards as it lunged, the electricity striking the monster and sending it back into the lake, the water conducting the electricity, the lake flashing blue before the Princess ceased her attack, steam rising into the air.
"I've defeated monsters stronger than you." she said, breathing heavily.
oOo
Ravio paced back and forth across his room, trying to understand, if one thing had become clear to him, it's that Ryla was no simple orphan girl, not in the slightest.
The Hero breathed deeply, taking a seat on the floor and crossing his legs, calling upon the Triforce, he felt the the familiar energy begin to spread throughout his body as a golden glow began to fill his eyes. He concentrated, calling out to the one being that would have answers. Suddenly, the Golden glow faded, Ravio stood up as he opened his eyes, a glowing white landscape lying around him, the place he found himself in not looking unlike the the ruined city he found the Master Sword in.
"Hero." a voice called out.
"Shade." Ravio responded as he turned around.
"You've summoned me." the Hero's Shade commented.
"I have a question, one I figure you'd know the answer to." Ravio responded.
"You wish to ask about the girl, Ryla." the Hero's Shade replied.
Ravio simply nodded his head, the Shade's single red eye resting on him.
"Long ago, during my time as the Hero in the living world." the Hero's Shade began. "The Royal family destroyed the Triforce to end the countless conflicts begun in pursuit of it. With it's destruction, the death and decomposition of Lorule began, Nobles and commoners alike began to flee in an attempt to find somewhere that hadn't been affected by the destruction of the Triforce...but those that remained, they believed there was a way to restore it. These individuals decided that if they were to take the elemental energy from the Sages and the light energy from the Princess by removing their hearts, they could use the combined power to reconstruct it, but this would only end in the death of the Sages. You see, earlier in this period when I and the Princess were younger, we had defeated and sealed away Demise in a prison he could not escape, the energies of the Sages and Princess were the only things keeping that seal intact, so if they were to be lost, he would rise once again, and this time we wouldn't have our parts of the Triforce or the Master Sword to stop him. As this group that sought the restoration of the Triforce formed an army and laid siege to the capital, we were able to send the Sages off to seek refuge with the Gerudo tribes in the desert. Once there, to save their powers from being misused, they found a young woman, Ryla. She had been Demise's host body before he was exorcised from her by the Sages and Princess, you see, Demise had already strengthened her body while inhabiting it so she could contain his spirit and his part of the Triforce, to prevent the loss of the Sages powers and the reemergence of Demise, she agreed to allow the Sages to transfer their powers into her body, being reborn throughout the ages as the only Sage, containing the power of all of them."
Ravio looked on in astonishment, thousands of questions filling his head. "But...the Triforce outline on Ryla's hand." Ravio responded.
"Her status as the sole Sage did not cancel out her ability to carry a part of the Triforce, Demise made sure of this." the Shade answered.
"In the event of his defeat, he planned on her being reborn so he could possess her again." Ravio said. "But why?"
"Demise's body is composed completely of Dark Energy, making him very susceptible to attacks by light energy and weapons that can channel it, such as the Master Sword, having a physical, human body provided him with more resistance to such things." the Shade answered.
"So, Ryla, Hilda and I...we weren't reborn to fight Ganondorf, were we?" Ravio asked.
"In way you were, Ganondorf has released Demise from his prison and merged with him." the Hero's Shade replied.
"They...merged?!" the Hero asked in alarm.
"They're power has more than doubled in this form, you must find a way not just to retrieve Hilda from Hyrule, but also find a way to bring Zelda and Link here." the Hero's Shade answered.
"But how do I-?" Ravio began, the landscape around him quickly fading away as he found himself in his bedchamber. "Great." Ravio sighed, a knock on the door gaining his attention.
oOo
Ganondorf's eyes glowed a bright red as he hovered in the middle of the room, his hands held before him, a small space between them.
Verik and a few other Soldier's watched as a glowing blue orb he held telekinetically flashed.
"Can you tell what he's doing?" one soldier asked.
Verik leaned in. "He's found the Princess, she's tried to escape to another world, now be quiet." he warned.
Ganondorf grimaced, flexing his fingers before letting out a roar, the orb shattering between his palms.
"Are you alright, my Lord?" Verik asked as he and the other Soldier's ran over, Ganondorf kneeling on the ground before them.
"I'm fine." Ganon said, waving off their efforts to help him up. "The Princess is stronger than I anticipated and I had forgotten what pests those Hylian Soldiers can be."
"What happened?" Verik asked.
"I created a monster in Lake Hylia centuries ago but I was defeated before it awoke, I merely reached out through the crack in the Sacred Realm and took direct control of it...but it wasn't enough." he said with a grimace. "It matters not, because in due time I will stand with one foot in Hyrule and the other here, both Heroes and Princesses lying dead at my feet, both realms on their knees before me." he said.
"A glorious vision indeed, my King." Verik answered.
"With my new power, I've decided; why wait any longer? The Castle will be ours on the morrow." he said with a laugh.
oOo
Hello everyone, thank you for reading! Darkness Rising has finally made it into the double digit chapters! Thank you for your encouragement along the way!
Gerudospirit: You are excused, of course! Ravio has yet to contend with a very serious threat, his newfound strength and status as the Hero are still things he's getting used to, but he know's Ganondorf better now. I feel as if Hilda's disguise failing is going to lead to a few issues, one of those being a confrontation with the Sages, especially since, before her disguise failed, they were the only others aside from Link and Zelda who knew she was in Hyrule. Demise of course likes to be in full control and some alternate universe version of himself simply using him as a battery did not appeal to him very much. Speaking of Demise, I hope this chapter shed some light on his past! Thank you for the review!
Thank you to everyone who clicked follow and favorite on me and this story, the support is awesome!
Please tell me what you think, all comments and criticisms are welcome!
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!
-Prometheus17