Hey y'all! I just want to tell you guys how sorry I am that I took such a long break from this story; surgery and homework gave me serious writer's block! But I'm back, and I promise I'm gonna continue this story! And sorry this chapter's on the short side... I'm just getting back into the groove of this story so I didn't make it very long. But the next chapter will hopefully be longer. Thanks for all your support!
~Chapter Nine~
This shadow me continues to stare at me with unblinking eyes. I don't think I've ever been in a more terrifying situation.
"Wh-what... who are you?" I stutter.
He laughs again. "I am all the bitterness, anger, resent, sorrow and darkness that you've ever experienced in your life." His mouth never moves. It's like he's speaking into my mind. "I am your shadow. Master Ganondorf has created me to kill you. You may call me Dark Link.
Dark Link. A dark me. This is the weirdest thing yet!
"Now hero," Ganondorf says from behind the metal bars that cut off him and Zelda from me. "If you are able to defeat Dark Link, I'll be convinced you really are the hero of legend. After all, the Hero of Time fought his shadow. If he did it, and you're his reincarnation, then this should be easy for you." He gives me a wicked smile. "Prove that you are Farore's Chosen."
"Link, be careful," Taylor yells from above. "I read about shadow people in the ancient scrolls. He knows you because he is you. A form of you. Do something unexpected. Something you wouldn't normally do."
Dark Link gracefully jumps off the hilt of his sword, taking it with him and landing in a crouch.
"What if I don't know what I would normally do?" I yell back, clumsily unsheathing my sword and jerking my shield in front of me. All the skill I had when I attacked Ganondorf is completely gone. I feel utterly defenseless.
"Well then just wing it!" He says.
"Wing it? You're telling me to wing it when there's a crazy shadow person trying to kill me?" Now I know for sure he's my father, I probably would've said the same thing...
"It works for me when I get in fights." Taylor shrugs.
"Okay, wing it." I mutter. "I'll wing it."
Dark Link's head whips up again and he gives me that crazy grin.
"Shall we begin?"
"Um... begin what?" I ask clumsily.
Faster than I can follow he brings his sword down to split me in half. Zelda screams and Taylor yells, mirroring my emotions. But that same instinctive knowledge of how to use my sword comes back again and I'm able to counter him. But it's like he knew I would do that. Like lightning, he goes to slash my chest. And somehow with the same speed I counter him again. The same thing happens again and again, my heart pounding in my chest the whole time. How am I doing this... and actually doing good at it?
But I'm getting tired. And Dark Link is just as fervent as he was at the beginning. I'm vaguely aware of everyone cheering me on, but my pounding heart is drowning them out.
He rams me hard with his shield, knocking me down on my back. It knocks a little of the breath out of me. I groan as I sit back up. Dark Link cocks his head and smiles mockingly. "You are not nearly as skilled as I thought you would be. This will be easy."
"I'm made of more than you think." I say through gritted teeth. I shoot up and attack him again, putting the rest of my energy and all my frustration into the thrust towards his chest. And against all odds, I strike him exactly where I was aiming for.
I stare in shock at the macabre sight I've just caused. My sword slid right through his chest and out his back. Blood so dark it looks black weeps from the wound.
Dark Link stares only with mild interest. Then his scarlet eyes lock with mine, full of hate and a weird emptiness. His creepy smile returns.
"Do you really think your silly little toy sword is going to kill me?" He hisses. "My soul will simply go to the Underworld again for a short time. Then I'll return. Your sword cannot kill me. Only one sword can destroy me, and you do not possess it." He takes a rattling breath and slides off my sword. Unnervingly, he doesn't stop smiling. His smile reminds me of a wolf: predatory and cold. Disturbing, considering he shares my face. "I will find you again hero. And next time we meet, our current positions will be reversed." He takes a shaky breath, his crimson eyes roll back into his head, and he goes still.
I shiver and put my hand over my heart, the same place where I stabbed Dark Link. I killed him. I don't like the feeling of knowing I just took someone's life, even if it was some crazy psycho shadow person who wasn't technically alive.
Clapping echoes through the still room. I slowly turn to face Ganondorf, who is walking towards me. Apparently he's called off the bars between us. Hopefully that means that I can punch him into the next country now. My mouth curls into a snarl as he gets closer.
"Well done Link," He says. "You did much better than I thought you would. Quite impressive if I do say so myself."
"Shut up," I snarl. I can't help it. I'm so sick of Ganondorf. I just want my life to go back to the way it was when I was four. "I defeated him. Now let my friends and I go."
"When did I ever say I was going to let you go?" He asks. "I said that if Dark Link failed to kill you I would, and that is exactly what I intend to do."
I didn't notice the sword he has in his hand. He swiftly takes it and slides it through my abdomen.
I yell in pain and shock as he twists it inside my stomach and wrenches it out. I gasp and fall to my knees. Zelda and Navi scream. Cody and Taylor yell. Jakob and Aiden shout and bang against their cages. But they all sound like they're underwater. And there's an annoying ringing sound in my ears. I stare at my stomach in shock. It's obviously a fatal wound, I don't think a red potion will heal it. I'm dead. Ganondorf has just killed me. After all Mom and Dad have sacrificed to protect me I've gone and gotten myself run through.
Which kind of sucks since I actually did good with Dark Link.
Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse.
As I fall backwards someone is there to catch me before my head cracks against the marble floor. I look up and see the hazy outline of my father.
"Dad?" I say through the dizziness. It's like my mouth is stuffed with cotton.
"Link," His voice still has that strange echo sound to it. But I can hear the fear cracking his voice, and it scares me as well. A single tear falls on my cheek. I don't want him to cry for me... "Link, hold on. We're getting help. You're going to be okay, just hold on. Don't leave us..."
"Cody," I whisper as my breath rattles in my lungs.
"I'm here bud, I'm here..." He says from somewhere off to the side.
At least they're here. If I'm going to die, at least I have them with me.
His words slowly fade off as the world goes silent around me. My vision flickers. I can almost feel my heartbeat slowing in my chest, my blood congealing in my veins. I may just be imagining it, though. Or am I? Is this what death is like? It's less painful than I thought it would be. It's almost peaceful.
I let my eyes slowly drift close and allow my mind to go dark. Why fight death? Pointless. It's inevitable now. I take one last shaky breath, and then my heart stalls.