Alaia Skyhawk: It Impa's turn now to torture... I mean 'test' him. He he, time for some more fun XD

I don't own the Zelda series or anything associated with it. I do however own this story and any OCs, so please don't steal them.

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Chapter 10: Shadow's Village

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Kakariko, Village of the Shadow Folk. Home of the Sheikah Tribe since ancient times, this place stood as a monument to the dedication of that race to the Royal Family. Buildings had come and gone, crumbling with age only to have a new one built in its place, but still the people remained here, through all that history had thrown at them in the three thousand years since Impa had founded the village close to the graveyard where by tradition those of her people were buried.

Entering the village, though in size it was more of a town, Arkai led Anami alongside him as he gazed up at the settlement's most famous landmark; the windmill. Like the other buildings here, the windmill had been rebuilt many times over the millennia, but always to the same design. As long as the village was here so would that landmark also remain... It was just the way Kakariko was.

He continued down the paved road from the gate, following a set of discrete signs which pointed the way to the village's sole inn and associated stables, tucked as it was behind a row of shops climbing the hill towards Death Mountain Trail. Quite a few curious people watched him pass, many having the red or purple eyes of the Sheikah, and the typical blond, black, or white hair. Their numbers had increased a great deal over the past five hundred years, though truth be told apart from Impa you'd be hard pressed to find one that didn't have a few Hyllian ancestors in their family tree. Almost everyone living in the village now was registered with the Hyrule Census as being of the Shadow Folk, and for a race that in ancient times barely rose above a population of fifteen hundred, to have a registered population of almost three times that was quite the achievement.

The inn was small, and by the looks of it the innkeeper also owned the shop built between it and the street, as evidenced by an obvious connecting door in the main room of the guest house. Showing his Queen's Writ got him a room and a meal right away, the owner taking advantage of Arkai being the only guest, and it being past closing time of the shop, to sit and chat to him for a bit.

Red eyes looked out from beneath short black hair, the man placing his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his hands.

"So what brings a young man here with a writ from the queen? We don't get many visitors up here, hence why I run a shop as well as the inn, so you're quite the oddity."

Swallowing his mouthful of food, Arkai tapped the edge of his plate with his fork; the quiet calm of the man putting him at ease.

"Pilgrimage of Sages... I saw eyes in the Dark Mist when it struck Nae Lanai, and like a gung ho idiot charged off to Hyrule City to tell the queen after everyone back home said I'd been seeing spots from sun glare. I got chased away from the Castle Gates after I got there, and twenty minutes later as I'm standing down by the docks I get tapped on the shoulder from none other than the Queen's Champion. She'd spotted me from her study window and the Triforce of Wisdom resonated when she set eyes on me. So I get dragged up there, tell her what I saw... and five minutes later I'd ended up agreeing to try and save Hyrule from Malice. I really got thrown in the deep end, with her and all the Sages thinking I could be the one the Sage of Courage was talking about."

He sighed somewhat self depreciatingly... After all he did just portray himself as a guy who accidentally threw himself into a whole heap of trouble. The innkeeper smiled.

"So you're the one Lady Impa said to keep an eye out for. The Temple is too close to the village for her to avoid us entirely without disappearing into the depths of the place, and she's been hanging around near the temple entrance a lot for the past few weeks. I've seen her on top of the windmill a couple of times too, staring south towards the road to Castle Town." He tilted his head, his chin still resting on his hands. "Sounds like you've had a rough time though. The road give you any trouble?"

Arkai shook his head.

"Not really. I've gotten used to riding after doing it for over a month, and none of the bandits I've fought could compare to the fracas I caused back home in Nae Lanai when I passed through." A raised black eyebrow implied a question, and the potential hero answered. "I uh, was a bit of an idiot before I left there to see the queen; the kind of guy who likes to have a bit of fun but also tends to get himself into trouble. When my family found out what I was doing they flipped and tried to stop me from leaving again... and I ended up disarming several of the town guard, knocking out four sailors, and broke the noses of two of my cousins and one brother when I punched them in the faces with my shield..."

The ebon haired man began to laugh, thumping his fist on the table.

"Now that would have been a sight to see, and if you don't mind me saying you don't seem that bothered by it."

Arkai cracked a smile now, thinking back with amusement.

"Well ok, I admit I enjoyed seeing the looks on their faces. I was just so sick of them treating me like I was useless after I'd already been to two Sages. Impa will be my third, and I have to go up the mountain after that. After Lady Ruto threw huge balls of water at me, I just have to wonder what the others will do."

The innkeeper began to tap his fingers on the table.

"If it's any consolation we Sheikah aren't the type to engage in direct combat. We're masters of secrecy, of concealing out actions and movements. Most likely Lady Impa will do something involving deception or illusion. You'll just have to see your way through it."

Arkai shrugged.

"Well it could be worse, I suppose." He sighed. "Anyways, I'd best get some rest if I'm going to go see her in the morning."

The innkeeper watched him get up, before commenting as the youth headed for the stairs to his room.

"Give yourself a lie in... The Graveyard is no place to go when the shadows are long."

Arkai stopped in his tracks, a feeling of dread descending on him as he looked back over his shoulder.

"I have to go through the graveyard?"

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Eyes flitting from one tombstone to another, Arkai hurried down the twisting path which wound through the vast field of monuments to the dead. The place was easily a quarter of a mile long and just as wide, and the innkeeper had informed him that the temple was right at the back behind the tomb belonging to the Royal Family... Oh joy...

Heart pounding as every little noise make him flinch, he kept reaching for his sword only to resume biting his fingernails... That is until the sound of creepy giggling came from behind him.

He slowly turned, looking back to find a trio of poes sneaking towards him with obvious intentions.

"Yeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

He took off across the graveyard at a speed any foot race enthusiast would have been awed by. Sprinting madly towards the huge Triforce emblazoned monolith he could see two hundred metres away, he didn't stop until he'd skidded to a stop and ducked behind it, the poes muttering in disgust once they realised he was too close to the temple to 'play' with now. He heard them leave and sighed with relief, before taking a look at his next obstacle... the cliff at the rear of the graveyard.

Rubbing his hands together he prepared to climb, jumping up as far as he could and grabbing on to the first hand hold he could... or at least that's what he tried. Like a snail he slithered down the flat rock and earth, landing on his rear with a thud when he overbalanced backwards and tipped away from the wall. With a frown he got up and tried again, not jumping this time and instead just starting off in a slightly less speedy manner... Six tries later he actually made it up...

Nursing several scrapes and a dozen bruises, Arkai stumbled over to the consecration stone and stood on it, Impa walking out of the tunnel that descended into the ground a short distance away.

She regarded him for a moment before speaking.

"Welcome... I am Impa, the Sage of Shadow."

The potential hero looked at her over his bruises, far from amused.

"Haven't you ever heard of stairs?"

She glanced past him, to where the earth they were currently standing on ended in a fourteen foot drop to the burial grounds below.

"Yes actually, I have... I never bothered adding any since besides my fellow Sages no one usually tries to come up here. The redeads and poes in the temple put them off." She paused. "Those and the giant walking hands... The Hero of Time always did hate those things with a passion. Especially when the little ones would latch onto him and try to squeeze the life out of him. It got so bad that he'd blast them with Din's Fire as soon as he saw them."

Arkai was now seriously creeped out and staring at her like she'd lost the plot.

"Um... test... You're supposed to give me something now that I've got here, and test me so I can earn the right to leave with it..."

The white haired Sage regarded him blandly.

"Very well, if you're in that much of a rush." She tossed him the item that appeared in her hand... What looked like a magnifying glass but for the fact it was purple with three extra prongs on top, and the lens looked like a slit pupiled eye. "That is the Lens of Truth... This evil that corrupts, the master as yet not seen in its entirety in the black mists, deception and concealment are two weapons it clearly wields. That lens, when looked though, will show the viewer the truth of what is before their eyes, though it will consume some of the user's magical energy as they do so."

Arkai seemed to freeze, before going into a panic.

"But I don't have magic!"

She continued to stare at him blandly, the fingers of her right hand tapping her left arm as she stood there with her arms now folded.

"All people have the potential for magic, though only those with the will ever find and master it. That is what you are here to do, find the magic within... for without it you cannot use the arrow powers that Rauru gave you."

Arkai's jaw dropped open.

"You have got to be kidding me!" She shook her head and he began to curse. "Crap, I thought that sounded too easy when he just handed me that bracer!"

Impa gave him a small smile.

"When you can see though my illusions and hit me, only then can you leave with the Lens of Truth. Time to start searching for that magic."

She uncrossed her arms and flung something at the ground, a blinding flash making him squint before with shock he found no less than ten of her circling him. Still cursing he brought the lens up to one of his eyes, peering through it desperately as the many images of Impa kept darting about making it impossible to keep track of them all. One of them darted at him from behind, delivering a push that sent him stumbling. He turned to try and see where it went, but lost sight of it when one of the others ran at and passed right through him. In the minutes that followed he got thumped and pushed several more time, and even got a sharp flick to his ear which had him swearing.

Muttering under his breath he kept trying to draw out the power Impa insisted he should have, a burst of irritation as the copies continued their dizzying dance suddenly caused his view of them through the lens to flicker. His eyes widening, he grasped at the feeling that had gone through him in that moment, managing to call it up again although it was far from completely stable. He used his madly flickering view of them to check the figures surrounding him, finding that not one of them was real. Searching his surroundings as the pull of the lens on his just awakened magic began to make him sleepy, he finally spotted Impa just before she used her power to give him another illusory shove.

Glaring as he lowered the lens, he stooped down to pick up a piece of loose rock and threw it at the point where he now knew the invisible Sage was standing. The rock stopped mid air, Impa appearing with it in her hand.

He waved the lens at her.

"Happy?!"

She jumped down and dropped the rock, regarding him.

"Yes, that will do... Although unless you practice with that thing you're magic reserves will remain too small to be of much use."

He tucked the lens inside his tunic, to where a previously baffling pocket with a rounded bottom lay. After holding the lens, it was pretty obvious Queen Zerana knew what sort of things he might find himself possessing, and had his clothing made with them in mind, like the row of clips on the back of his belt which one of currently had his clawshot hung from it.

"Why am I not surprised?" He sighed. "Well then I'll be off... That damn lens has made me feel like I haven't slept for a week."

That solemn expression didn't so much as flicker as the next words left Impa's mouth.

"That's fine... Though you do realise though that you have to go back through the graveyard to return to the village, don't you?"

Arkai went pale before turning slowly to look out at the sea of stone monuments... several poes waving at him in the distance.

"Um... Would you mind walking me back to the village?"

Again a tiny amused smile... The Sage of Shadow it seems having a strange sense of humour.

"Certainly, I don't mind that in the least."

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Alaia Skyhawk: Hehehehehe, Arkai running away from ghosts screaming like a little girl XD