Chapter 11: Battle of Inversion
Link's Master Sword slashes through the last Tektite, and the path to the Goron Village officially becomes monster-free. For the last month, he has been reclaiming old Temples and driving Ganon's army back into the outskirts of Hyrule. Nearly three months have passed since he escaped Ganon's clutches. That was also the last time he saw the Dark Lord. Link looks forward to their next meeting... but each time the Sages find a lead to Ganon's whereabouts, it leads to a dead end. The Dark Lord is hiding like a coward.
Link sheathes his sword. From behind him, he can feel two eyes watching him closely. They have been watching him this entire day, ever since he set foot into Death Mountain Trail. He knows the stare's source – someone hides behind a large boulder, some distance from him.
Link turns, and smiles. "They're all gone, so you can come out now," he calls.
A pair of blue eyes peeks behind the bolder. Hesitantly, a small goron, about half of Link's size, steps out into the open. Link knows this Goron. The Sage Darunia has a son, whom he named after the Hero of Time. This Goron also shares the name of 'Link.'
Once in the open, the hesitant Goron has a change of heart. "Link!" He cries excitedly. Tucking himself in a tight ball, he rolls himself until he reaches Link's position. "You took out all of those monsters like they were nothing! You've got to teach me how to fight sometime, too!"
Link laughs. The little Goron has yet to reach the double-digits for his age, and is far too young to consider fighting. Granted, Link started when he was twelve, but... well, children shouldn't be fighting to begin with. "I'm glad to see you're doing well. But it's dangerous – you shouldn't be out here alone."
"I-I know..." Goron Link's face wilts. "I saw you talking with Dad, so I had to follow you. I'm sorry." He looks down, as if in guilt.
"Well... just be careful in the future," Link scratches his head. He can't really bring himself to scold the young Goron too hard. "But actually, since you're here, can you do me a favor? Tell your father that I cleared the trail for Death Mountain, okay?"
"Of course!" The child Goron agrees, back to his animated self. "But then, next time we meet, you owe me an autograph!" He starts to tuck himself into a ball, preparing to follow Link's request.
"Wait just a moment – one last thing," Link stops him. The other waits expectantly. "You haven't... seen me around here or Goron City, except for today, right?"
The Goron child looks up at Link, clearly confused. "What do you mean? The last time I saw you was before you beat Volvagia. Did you visit some other time?"
"No," Link shakes his head. He doesn't want to scare the child, but he figures it best to warn him anyway. "But... there's someone out who looks just like me. I was wondering if you had seen him."
"A bad guy?" Goron Link is alarmed. "Like... an imposter Link? No, I haven't seen anyone like that."
"A bad guy," Link decides to simplify the matter. "Just be careful if you happen to see me again." The Sage Darunia had originally called Link not just to clear out some Tektites. Apparently some villagers from Kakarico had spotted Link a few days prior. Just one problem: Link wasn't there that day. That meant it had to be his doppelganger shadow.
The Goron nods, his eyes wide. "Okay. I guess that means you'll have to bring me an autograph for sure next time – that way, I'll know it's you!"
"Okay, okay," Link laughs. "Next time, then."
The Goron grins back, put at ease by Link's own attitude. Scrunching his body tightly, the Goron rolls back towards Goron City.
Link turns back and enters Kakarico Village. The small town seems peaceful enough. Some cuccos graze on a nearby farm, while a great windmill turns at Kakarico's center. There is a chance that his shadow could still be in town. But if he is, the shadow isn't making trouble. Finding the shadow will be difficult, but at least the village life remains uninterrupted.
If the Sages have deemed Link's shadow a threat, then it must be dangerous. Also Link would prefer for his missing part to return to himself; already a few Kakarico villagers are staring at him oddly... or rather, they are staring where his shadow is supposed to be.
Link enters the local tavern. The tavern has a few customers inside, mainly farmers from Kakarico or the occasional Hylian or Goron visitor. The bartender is a pious follower of the Goddesses and Sages. Link only knows him as a casual acquaintance, but the owner would undoubtedly help Link with information.
Link heads straight for the counter. The bartender is a middle-aged human, whose hair has begun to thin. In his hands, he holds a few drinks. After giving a few drinks to customers, the barkeeper's eyes meet with Link's.
"Link?" the bartender seems flustered. "I thought you were- never mind, something wrong with your order?"
"My order?" Link repeats, a frown growing on his face. "I just got here..."
Before his mind can process the information, a crash breaks through the tavern's ambiance. Simultaneously, a chair clatters backwards onto the floor. Pieces of glass skitter across the wood, alcohol seeping into the ground. Standing above it, back to Link, is a dark figure. The humanoid figure's muscles are taught, as if it had just jumped to his feet. Any distinguishing features are impossible to make out; the figure is completely grayed out.
The facts click into place.
"Hey!" Link shouts.
The figure tears out of the tavern. It knocks down another chair in its haste, and shoves away customers in its way. Link reacts at the same time. He dashes after the figure, chasing it out of the bar.
Still the figure continues to run, sprinting all the way towards Kakarico's exit; towards Hyrule Field. Link remains hot on its heels. He's close enough to follow, but not enough to stop the other yet. The villagers take notice of the chase, but no one dares to get in the way.
The chase continues into Hyrule Field. Link expects the other to continue fleeing, but once they are out of the town, the other figure slows down. It slows down when it reaches a river, until eventually coming to a complete stop. Then it turns, facing the other, and waiting for Link to catch up.
Link slows down when he sees the figure stop. He uses the time to catch his breath and save his energy. And for the first time since the Water Temple, Link faces his shadow again.
While the shadow certainly resembles Link's Hylian outline, their similarities end there. His shadow has no color. It is a washed out gray, like the color of polluted rain. Although it has the raised appearance of clothes, its skin is the same color and the same make. It is made of one continuous, inhuman substance. Through its murky form, the only visible color is its red eyes. They cut through its inky form, glaring straight at Link. In its hands, it holds a sword akin to Link's Master Sword. The shadow's sword is also a one-handed sword, but the blade is pure black, forged from some unknown and undoubtedly magical material.
Link walks slowly up to his shadow, regarding his inverted form warily. Already Link's sword is unsheathed, ready to react in case the shadow makes a hasty move. Now that they are outside of Kakarico Village, Link has no fears about involving the villagers.
"What were you doing in Kakarico?" Link remembers the Princess's words. She wants them to 'talk;' to find a peaceful solution. Link thinks the Princess is naïve, but decides to honor her wish and attempt a peaceful solution. At least the shadow hadn't gone on a murderous rampage in the village.
The shadow continues to glare icily at Link. Link returns the glare. But his shadow does not answer the question.
"Goddesses, how can anyone mistake me for you..." Link sighs in exasperation. True, their forms might be similar, but the shadow is clearly inhuman. Link is truthfully offended that someone could mistake the two of them as being the same. Aren't they clearly different?
Link waits a little longer, but the shadow continues its silence. "Cat got your tongue? You're not scared of me, are you?"
His shadow raises its sword, poised in a fighting stance.
"That's fine, I don't need words to understand that," Link settles into an identical stance.
They move simultaneously. Link slashes horizontally, testing his opponent's speed and reaction. At the same time, his shadow makes the same move. The Master Sword's white blade and the shadow's black blade clang against each other. A few stray sparks fall, but both swords are pushed away by each other.
Both Link and his shadow take a step back, evaluating each other. Link clearly remembers their last fight. It was one of the most frustrating enemies he had faced.
Link steps in again, as if to swipe horizontally again. But at the last moment, he veers to a different side, and strikes from a completely different angle. But the shadow tries the same maneuver. He feints his own attack, and the two's swords fly off each other again.
In the Water Temple, his shadow met each of his attacks with the same attack. Obviously his opponent relies on the same past strategy. Or maybe it's not a strategy at all. Perhaps their thoughts are on the same wavelength. If Link thinks, 'I'll make a feint attack,' his shadow will decide to do the same at the same time.
Link plans to make another false attack. But at the last moment, he decides against it. He instead throws all his power beneath his sword. He sweeps in a large arc, deciding to overpower his opponent rather than outsmart.
His shadow does the same. The black blade slams into the white sword. The swords tremble, each vying to overpower the other. Their hands shake, pressing more power against each other. For a moment, their fight pauses, and Link's blue eyes meet his shadow's glowing red gaze. Link grits his teeth. Neither sword budges.
"Stop copying me!" Link hates it. Every fast swipe is met with the same speed. Each powerful strike is met with the same power. His fake self loves taunting him with the very moves Link has dedicated himself to learning.
Link pulls back, panting. Neither have landed a single hit. His shadow appears immune to fatigue. It must be a bonus of being inhuman. But unlike his shadow, Link cannot continue fighting forever. He must calm down; he must think. Link won in the past, and he can do it again.
A desperate attack. He lunges directly at his opponent, who is still a fair distance. The attack is terribly telegraphed. The other can see it coming a mile away. The shadow reacts; hopping nimbly onto the flat of Link's own blade.
And with that, the mirror ends. Their path has been split. Link flips his sword, twisting to remove the other off his blade. The other jumps back to the ground, his sword poised to attack. Link's arm is still following the sweep in the air. The other has the perfect opportunity to attack, which it takes.
A match of reaction. Link has forced his other self to the offense. Conversely, Link is forced on the defense. He has given his other self an opportunity that Link would never pass up. From here on out, their actions will differentiate from each other. Link believes that one of his greatest battle skills is the ability to turn a bad situation into an advantage. He trusts that he can outsmart the other's offense, even while on the defensive.
Link pulls back just in time, his shadow's sword clipping the edge of his tunic. His shadow presses his momentary advantage, moving in for another swipe. The black sword sweeps at his feet-
Link jumps over the blade, his own Master Sword raised for an attack. In just a split moment, he changes his poor position into an advantage. The other has overextended himself while attacking. Link brings down the Master sword against his foe-
It cuts through the magical being's arm. It twists away to avoid being cleaved in half, but the damage has been done. The gray fibers distort. Now separated, they already seek to reattach themselves to its body. A few drops of dirtied water splash to the ground, but this thing cannot bleed. His darker self shudders, but still no cry or sound leaves his lips. It pulls back, and the two are momentarily at a neutral state again.
The two wait, their eyes staring at each other again. Link is still unharmed, but the shadow clutches its injured arm. Raising his sword again, Link prepares to continue to fight, and expects the other to think the same.
Yet instead, the shadow backs away. Its feet touch the shallows of the river. And then it begins to melt.
"Wait!" Link realizes what is happening too late. He runs to the river, but the other is almost already gone. The last of its form has melded into the river. Link can still see it, like a dark splotch of oil that has polluted the river. It runs with the current.
Link knows where it leads: Lake Hylia. Without a moment's hesitation, he runs toward the Lake. Now that he has the upper hand, he can't just let his shadow escape.