Thanks for all of the feedback over the last couple of weeks. It's confirmed a few suspicions of mine and given me a good understanding about how this story is developing.


Chapter 12: The Silent Village

"Look out!"

Link saw the danger the same time Midna's warning came. As shadow beast shot out from behind the ridge, he jumped out of the way, snarling as its claws raked him on the hind leg. Ignoring the bleeding gash, he turned completely around and lunged at his attacker, ducking under its pursuing arms before closing his fangs around its neck. In one quick tearing motion, the beast fell dead. Link looked away to scan his surroundings. There would be others close by.

And he was right. More black horrors burst from the crevice above the spring with bloodlust driving their stampede. There were three of them, adding to a total of four; a larger pack than Link encountered thus far. What did it matter, though? The extra was already dead, so the remainders were no greater threat unless they revived their sibling, which he would not allow.

Fearsome as they were, the shadow beasts made the critical mistake of charging close together, making them easy targets for Midna's restraining magic. Once Link brought them all the peace of death, she worked to make it last. The pair then approached the mountain spring, where a golden wisp mourned above a stone owl statuette. It may have been by accident, yet they had found the light spirit of the Eldin Province.

"Blue-eyed beast..." it wheezed. "I am the spirit... that protects these lands... My light was stolen from me... and is now possessed by an insect... that dwells in the twilight... O noble youth... retrieve my lost power... and store it in this..."

Link blinked from the bright flash and watched a new crystal vessel float towards Midna's arms. This was all now familiar to him, and Link saw no reason to linger. As he turned away, the spirit spoke after him.

"Beware, hero... The darkness... now hunts you..."

The warning unnerved him, though Link wasn't surprised. Really, it was ridiculous to think that his efforts to remove twilight would go unnoticed. And if the increasing number of shadow beasts was anything to judge by, things were going to get harder from here on out. He tried not to let that panic him.

Link looked around. Kakariko Village was a ghost town. There was no other way to properly describe it. Every house appeared abandoned with their lightless windows and doors swinging open in the wind. Almost no plant life grew anywhere, and even the few trees that dotted the dusty thoroughfare were bare-branched. The entire place felt dead. Link shivered as a chill washed over him. Was there anyone still alive here?

Talo's trail was strong now, despite being obscured by dust and the stench of shadow beasts. The boy's scent led Link to the door of a large stone building resting nearby the spring, and his heart began to beat a little faster. He circled around to one of the first-floor windows, where he saw a soul shimmering behind the wall inside. He hoped to see one of the children, but was disappointed when the wraith appeared to be a man wearing a metal welding mask.

"Cripes," the man whimpered. "How the heck am I supposed to babysit someone else's brats when I oughta be saving myself?"

'Brats?' Link frowned. He couldn't the kids, could he?

He debated whether he dared to look through the window or not. Link knew that he was invisible to people transformed into spirits, but he wasn't sure if Midna was as well. From what Coro had told him, he had been able to see the shadow beasts. Link then assumed that people could see all beings from the twilight, and that should include his companion.

But Link also remembered back in the dungeons of Hyrule Castle. Some of the other prisoners had looked straight at him, though never indicated that they were aware he existed. They should have at least taken notice of the imp sitting in plain sight, yet they only seemed to stare at nothing as they cowered. Was Midna an exception, or were those spirits so far gone that they were blind to everything around them?

The man with the mask didn't make any sign of alarm as Link inched further out of hiding. Deciding to take the risk, he reared onto his haunches and hopped onto the window pane to peer inside. He and Midna were clear in the open, yet no scream or shout followed their appearance. It made absolutely no sense to Link, but who was he to complain?

The building's interior looked something like a shrine. A large wooden owl stood in the centre of the room with its wings spread wide. Before the carving sat an unlit brazier and a woven rug, both likely intended for religious practices. The simple, yet elegant design of the rug matched the tapestries covering the walls, projecting a sense of welcome that felt rare under the perpetual cloak of twilight. Over at the far end of the room, Link spotted six more spirits huddled together. He grinned as he saw the children among them.

Beth and Talo sat beside a man and a young girl that Link didn't recognise. Colin and Malo stood in front of the rest of the group like statues, silent and unmoving. All of them looked anxious, with the former two children clutched at the man's brown robe as if for protection. Link did not see Ilia anywhere and his heart fell as he concluded that she wasn't here.

The tall stranger wore his long, black hair in beaded dreadlocks over a face with tanned skin, a prominent nose and thick lips. He appeared much calmer than everyone else, as did the girl who looked remarkably like him. Her dark hair was cut short like a boy's, with her true gender revealed only by the slight, delicate features of her face. She sat almost a head taller than Talo and appeared to be about fourteen years old.

"Cripes, I don't see those black things anywhere..." the masked man said. He was completely oblivious as Midna waved her hand and poked her tongue out in front of his face.

"They've gotta be hiding somewhere, waiting for us to come out. It wouldn't that long. We've used the last of our food, so sooner or later we'll have to go out to find more. And when we do, they'll feast!"

Talo flinched from the metalworker's mutterings. He looked more terrified than when faced with those bokoblins. The man in the robe turned to the boy and placed a soothing hand on his back.

"Be at ease, child. We are safe so long as we stay inside the sanctuary. Nothing will harm us here." His voice was deep and composed, empowered by a wisdom that made even the wolf outside feel reassured.

The other man turned to look at him, lifting his mask to reveal a short, red beard and a pair of glasses. "Oh yeah?" he scoffed. "I wonder if the monsters out there agree with you." Every eye shifted towards him.

"They sure didn't seem too impressed by my bombs! Knocked down a couple with one blast, but they were up and movin' again after the rest started shriekin'! I swear that's not normal! How long do you think we can hold out if we're up against beasts that strong, huh? As soon as they bust their way in, it's over!"

The children inched closer to the robed man while the metalworker proceeded with his rant, the terror growing on their faces. "Remember Ranerva from the general store? Those things attacked her first, and the whole town went to save her! And what happened? She was already gone, no body or anythin', and those beasts were waitin' for them! Now everybody's disappeared, too!

"You seein' a pattern here? It means if we get attacked by those things, we'll all be-"

"BARNES!" the robed man shouted, his level demeanour cast aside as Barnes flinched into silence. The tradesman lowered his mask to hide his face and slid to the floor.

The boys all quivered in place and Beth began to cry. Link growled at the coward.

"Look, Renado..." Barnes spoke sheepishly, "All I'm saying is that it's risky here, too. Ain't you some place we can hide?"

The man named Renado lowered his head as he consoled Beth. "There is... a cellar," he stated in a contemplative tone.

Barnes crawled quickly across the room. "You have a cellar?! Where's the entrance, man?"

Renado shifted his gaze over to the owl carving. "There is a switch hidden inside the statue that opens a passageway underneath. However, I would not advise opening it. Luda told me that she saw monsters inside the cellar; not as large as the ones outside, but nonetheless, I don't want to risk someone being attacked by them."

Barnes fell back onto his rear, slumping in defeat. "I guess there's nothing for it then... We're doomed..."

As silence fell upon the others, Beth continued to sob. Colin approached her slowly and touched her arm. "Don't cry, Beth. It'll be alright." He tried to sound strong, yet the girl only shook him away. Despite this, Colin refused to leave his friend in tears. "Link is coming to save us all!"

Link started at his name and everyone turned to the blonde boy. Beth's crying came to a pause as she looked up with uncertain eyes.

"How's Link supposed to save us?" Talo argued dismally. "He couldn't even save me on his own back then. You heard him, yourself. Those monsters out there look way stronger than those other ones, so what could he do?" Malo mumbled in agreement and Beth looked as though she would start sobbing again.

'If only you could see me right now,' Link wished. 'Then you'd know.'

"Link is coming. And he will save us!" Colin repeated, stronger this time. "I can feel it!"

Link's heart grew at those brave words and a smile touched his muzzle. He dropped down from the window and walked away. His brother's confidence had sparked a fire in him, one that had been waiting to be lit for too long already.

'Don't worry, Colin. I'll prove you right and get you out of this mess. Just hold on a little longer.'

"Awww, that boy knew you were going to save him. How sweet," Midna mocked. "It's so sad that they can't even see you and have no idea what you've done. You'll probably be doomed to live in obscurity forever."

Link ignored the jabs. He didn't care if people never knew what he went through to make it this far. He wasn't in this for the glory. And if he told people, no one would probably believe him anyway. All that did matter to Link was ending this nightmare that he and his friends were trapped in.

Small clouds of dust rose with each step as the vessel guided Link down the empty thoroughfare. Dread spread throughout Link like frostbite as he imagined the entire village being slaughtered by shadow beasts. Men, women, the elderly, and possibly children; they never would have stood a chance.

The silence of the town unsettled him greatly, and Link found himself snapping his head toward every minor sound he heard, whether it were door hinges creaking or monster bats flapping above him.

Link eyed the creatures carefully. He considered dealing with them to make the children safer, though he quickly dismissed the idea. They were too high for him to reach and so long as the children stayed inside the sanctuary, nothing should trouble them. If he hurried and restored the light spirit, the twilight beings would disappear, anyway.

The path split in two directions at the end of the lane. The vessel indicated to the right, leading up the pass into the mountains. Link was about to proceed when his ears twitched. He stopped. Something wasn't right. A second later, he became aware of a faint hissing sound and dashed out of the way in a panic. The ground behind him exploded with a force that threw him forward.

Link glanced back to see a large crater where he'd been standing. Looking up where he thought the sound had originated, he spotted another groblen up on the cliffs next to a tall watchtower. This one looked bigger than the last two, with more bulk and larger horns. It held a bow in one hand while the other nocked another arrow tipped with a strange metal ball. Something sparked around the arrow's head and Link then heard the same hissing sound again.

"Move!" Midna screamed as the creature released the shot, but Link was already running towards the nearest shelter; a sturdy metal building underneath the ridge. Another blast obliterated the earth behind them.

"Bloody shadow beasts!" the archer roared. "You won't have me, you hear? I'll kill every single one of you first!"

Link exchanged a look with his companion. She was just as bewildered as he was. What was that troll doing here alone in the village? And why did it hate the shadow beasts so much? The alliance between the two species seemed to be getting more and more questionable.

"I don't know what that guy's deal is," Midna said, "but I don't think he's going to let us waltz on through."

Link nodded in agreement. Something needed to be done, though he had no idea how he was going to reach the monster without being seen. Even if it was possible, the only way out of his current position was to run out into the open, and he wasn't about to do that.

Midna leaned closer to his ear. "Wait here. I'll be back in a minute." She then left his back and dived into the shadows. Link's eye caught something dart across the ground before he found himself alone. He waited with muscles tensed for Midna's return, counting the seconds that passed.

Meanwhile Midna weaved through the shadows along the mountain wall, cutting underneath the raised floor of the steel-built house. Reaching the opposite side, Midna then flew over the cliff and hid behind a large rock. The earth ahead sloped upward in a series of alternating, parallel ramps.

The watchtower was situated at the highest level, with the hulking archer standing watch at its base. He scanned over the ridge with a sneer on his lips, his fingers holding a fresh bomb arrow at half-draw.

There weren't enough shadows large enough to hide in, so Midna resorted to a more conventional method of sneaking up on her target. Moving quickly to the carved stone ramp, she hugged the wall and crept alongside until she reached the archer's level. From there she levitated slowly and quietly, travelling in a wide arch to around a small storehouse to avoid detection. Then Midna moved in for the kill.

Just as she was but fifteen feet away, the groblen suddenly turned its head towards her. "What the fu-ACK!"

Midna shot a rushed blast of magic. The monster evaded the poorly thrown orb, which carried on and blew a hole in the tower wall.

"You little shit!" A fire then sparked to life above the groblen's right hand, igniting the bomb arrow. His aim was no better as he quickly fired at Midna, who shifted into her shadow form. The arrow sailed right past her, instead breaking through the storehouse window.

As Midna charged another spell the bomb exploded, but with far greater force than before. The sound blasted her ears, and something shot through her and knocked the troll off of his feet. When her senses returned, Midna stared in horror at the shards of wood and metal embedded in the monster's bleeding chest, head and limbs. He was dead, and it chilled Midna that that could easily have been her as well. Being intangible was a pain when she was trapped as a shadow, but after this Midna vowed to never complain about it again.

She then turned around to the devastation behind her. Nothing remained of the little shack except for a broken, smoking frame where the walls had once stood. Midna had to wonder what had been inside the shack to have caused such an explosion. Whatever it was, there must have been a lot of it.

Midna shook her head clear. She had done what was needed, even though someone's property was destroyed in the process. A touch of guilt panged her heart but she quickly quashed it. There was no way to change what had happened and collateral damage was to be expected in war. Sagging her shoulders with a sigh, Midna turned her back on the ruins and drifted away.

She rejoined Link as he crept out of cover tentatively. His head was raised as if he was searching the sky. When he spotted Midna floating towards him, his body relaxed and she caught his tail swishing slightly behind him. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Link walked up a little too close for Midna's comfort.

"Back off, you idiot! I'm fine!" she said, shoving at his muzzle. The wolf's gaze held a question, and Midna had a hunch about what it was.

"Stupid monster spotted me," she explained irritably. "It tried to shoot a bomb arrow, but it hit this storehouse behind me, instead. That's what the explosion was. The whole thing was blown apart."

The wolf's eyes narrowed in what could have been a frown. "Don't look at me like that! It's not like I planned for that to happen."

Link's expression did not soften, though Midna didn't really care. "Anyway, the road's clear now. So let's get going."

She leaped onto the wolf's back and grabbed his chain. For a moment he didn't move, though he soon began to walk towards the mountain pass. Midna was no expert on animals, but she could tell from Link's flattened ears that he wasn't pleased. She huffed to herself. She didn't need his or anyone else's approval. She did what was necessary, even if it meant making sacrifices.


'Now how the bloody hell am I supposed to get over this?!'

Link stared at the sheer, seven-meter-tall cliff in front of him with fierce annoyance. The road hadn't split since leaving the village, meaning that the only possible way up to the mountain was forward. It wasn't really a dead end since there was ramp built against the side of the pass. The only problem was that rubble had crushed the wood into splinters, rendering it unusable. Link saw that a metal grating had been fastened to the cliff wall. The gaps between the thin bars would be ideal for climbing... if he had hands!

"Gods damn it!" Midna swore for him, growling lowly. "I'm going to have to lift you up. Go over there."

Link moved to the remains of the walkway where she pointed to. When he stood at the very end, Midna hopped off and floated above him near the wall.

"Alright, if this is going to work, I need you to jump as high as you can to me. I'll catch you and try to pull you up. Got all that?"

A hesitant moan rumbled in Link's throat. Midna's feat with the bridge dispelled any doubt that she could hold his weight. Still, the thought of jumping high from a broken walkway over a pile of jagged rubble didn't make Link feel all that eager.

Impatience soon grew on the imp's features. "We don't have all day! Just jump!"

Groaning softly, Link tensed the muscles in his rear legs and kicked off the walkway with all of his strength. His innards turned to mush as he felt gravity take effect and watched the ground rise to meet him. Then something wound itself around his middle and everything stopped.

Opening one clenched eye, Link saw himself moving upwards slowly. He turned his head towards the strained grunting above him. Midna's face was screwed with exertion as she hovered higher into the air. A dark aura encompassed her hands, its edges glowing with vibrant orange power. The same veil was wrapped completely around Link's body.

"Shit, you're fat!" she complained. Link wanted to protest, but figured that she had half a mind to drop him already. So he stayed silent and kept his movements to a minimum. With one last almighty grunt, Midna hoisted the wolf over the ledge and collapsed onto her rear beside him.

"From now on," she panted. "I'm putting you on a diet."

Link wondered about her exhaustion. He wasn't anywhere near as heavy as a wooden bridge, but perhaps Midna was still weary from yesterday. Then there were the fights back in town that she'd taken part in. All that work had to stack up on the little imp.

He was on his feet already, looking back over the cliff and taking in how high they now were. If he fell, it would seriously hurt. He took an unconscious step away from the edge and turned the other way.

A surprised yelp escaped him when Link noticed the spirit of a strange creature standing two metres away. It was humanoid and appeared to be male, judging from its flat chest and large muscles. The only form of clothing the being wore was a white loincloth.

Link never felt so small, as he only stood as tall as the giant's hip. Rugged, brown rocks encrusted his back, forearms and chin over tough, yellow flesh, tattooed with pale tribal patterns. A look of worry occupied the giant's face as Link was only able to construct a single thought.

'It's a goron! Holy Din, I'm standing next to a real, live goron!'

"Urrrgh! Sentry duty is so boring!" the goron groaned, his voice resembling the sound of grinding stone. "Why did the elders order us to keep all humans out, anyway? Such a depressing job. If we have a problem then maybe they can help. Asking them would be better than suffering for the sake of pride." As expected when one was talking to himself, no answer came. The goron groaned again.

Link titled his head. What was happening to the gorons? He'd have liked to continue listening to the rock giant, but at that moment Midna returned to his back, looking somewhat recovered, and urged him on again.

As they walked, Link's thoughts wandered in a different direction. He still couldn't believe he had seen an actual goron up close. He heard that they were arguably the strongest civilised race on the continent, having hides made of impenetrable rock and fists that could crush boulders. If his parents hadn't told him that they'd seen gorons themselves, Link never would have believed those stories. It sounded too incredible for one race to be that strong.

That, of course, led him to worry about what his goron had said. What problem could such a powerful people have to make them suffer? Was it shadow beasts, or the dark insect he and Midna were hunting? Or was it something else entirely?

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Midna yelled. Her outburst grabbed Link's attention and brought it to a second cliff blocking the route.

"I hate these bugs," she sneered, expecting to heave the heavy wolf up and over again.

Link felt some sympathy for her and looked around for another way up. To both their luck, there was a stack of large metal crates against the wall that looked scalable. Midna sighed her relief as Link walked over to the first box.

He hopped up and grabbed the edge with his front paws, feeling Midna grip his fur tightly for balance. His hind feet scratched the iron for purchase until he finally pulled himself over. Then Link began the same process on the next crate. Now he knew how it felt to be Talo's puppy trying to jump onto the family's couch. It was harder work than he realised.

Another two crates and he had conquered the obstacle at last. Link stopped to rest, but Midna wouldn't have it as she kicked his sides. He growled his annoyance.

'Come on! You got to take a break last time!' Not surprisingly, she didn't acknowledge the glare he gave her. That left Link with no other choice but to keep on walking.

Twilight rodents and bats ambushed them from behind corners, though Link's strong jaws took care of each pest swiftly. While they were hardly a real threat, their presence did keep Link focused and broke up the monotony of the trek.

Soon the passage widened and Link thought they had reached the summit. He was sorely disappointed, though, to see that there was nothing but a bunch of holes dotting a small clearing. Two more goron spirits waited at the far end, entertaining themselves by lobbing stones in some form of game. After snapping his teeth on a bat trying to sneak up behind him, Link approached the bored souls.

Suddenly the earth began to shake and Link halted in his tracks, alarmed and confused. His terror was matched by the gorons as they straightened into alertness. "Another eruption!" one exclaimed. "Watch out for fumaroles!"

"What's a fumarole?" Midna asked worriedly as she and Link watched the gorons curl into balls. The shaking intensified, making it difficult for Link to stay standing. Midna screamed as hot steam shot out of the hole right behind them.

"Never mind, I just found out! RUN FOR IT!"

Link didn't need to be told twice. He made a mad dash through the clearing, steering around the vents as more steam blasted from the ground and created new holes.

"FASTER!" Midna screamed. Another vent exploded mere inches from them, scalding Link through his fur with boiling water.

'I'm trying!' he wanted to shout back. Keeping his balance while running in the middle of a quake took every ounce of his concentration, and Link nearly tumbled halfway across. A pillar of hissing vapour then appeared in front of him suddenly. Link veered sharply to the left, barely avoiding being boiled alive. The exit was in throwing distance when the largest geyser of all erupted under his tail. Link's paws left the ground as the force pushed him forwards.

His body ached from the hard landing. Link attempted to get up but the tremors made him too disoriented to manage. Midna pounded his shoulders and even tried to help him stand, yet the wolf collapsed each time. Link resigned to closing his eyes, praying for his life. He was doing that a lot lately, a part of him reflected.

After what felt like forever, the quaking finally ceased. Link stood as his legs quivered like tree shoots, making him reluctant to take a single step. He became aware of a prickling sensation on his tail and twisted around to examine it. The tip was damp with water and stung awfully as the appendage moved.

Link whimpered in pain. Unconsciously, he reached his head forward to lick the burn. His tail joined the rest of his body in following him and Link began walking around in a circle. It wasn't until he heard Midna laughing that Link realised what he was doing. He mentally kicked himself.

'Great! I'm hurt and I've made a bloody fool of myself! Again!'

Despite his annoyance, though, he supposed he could see the funny side in it. He imagined being in her position, watching him chase his tail like a real dog. The thought of it made him laugh as well, although it came out more like a broken rumble. It felt good to laugh for once. After nearly being steam cooked on top of everything else, he needed it.

"Come on, you dolt," Midna giggled. "Let's find that insect before something else happens." Agreeing with her completely, Link turned up the slope to resume their climb.

There were more fumaroles dotting the narrowed pass, although they only belched brief streams of vapour that were easier to navigate. Link's tail irritated him constantly, and he wanted nothing more than to stop and scratch the inflamed skin. He had to remind himself numerous times that it could have been much worse.

An hour after beginning their journey, Link let out a sigh when they reached a settlement near the top of the mountain. The only way he could tell it was a settlement was because of the metal structures built into the peak, though there was nothing resembling a house to be seen. More gorons kept watch at each level while others went about performing various other tasks. Link hopped down a natural staircase of rock to the clearing below.

No sooner had his paw touched the bottom, a new portal opened over the peak. Gorons everywhere turned and shouted as four new shadow beasts appeared. The pack rose with tentacles writhing before their gazes locked onto the wolf and imp. Shrieking in unison, the monsters charged.

Midna flew into action and froze the beasts in a pool of black. Immediately, Link pounced on his first target, killing it with one quick snap on its throat then moving on to the next. When the second died in his teeth, he leaped to the third with haste.

"Wait! Stop!" Midna suddenly shouted.

Link barely heard her in time before he crashed into the shadow beast's chest, sending them both to the ground. Midna's hold on it broke and the monster glared at Link with a vicious snarl. It struck him off with the back of one arm, sending him rolling across the dirt.

Groaning from a dull pain in his ribs, Link looked to the monster, wondering why Midna had stopped him. It was then that he saw the fourth beast standing in the same place it had originally landed, watching the battle as a silent observer. Link finally understood; if he'd gone through with the kill, the last shadow beast would have revived the others.

"Shit!" Midna cursed as she floated to his side. "These things are getting smarter. We'll have to attack one each at the same time, together."

The closer of the two monsters lurched towards them while the other kept its distance from Midna. She glanced at Link. "On my signal. You ready?" Without taking his eyes off their enemies, Link nodded.

Black sparks crackled in Midna's palms as she waited for the right moment. Link saw her focusing her attention on the beast furthest away. With her abilities, she had a better chance of killing it quickly than he did.

"Now!"

Midna zipped forward as she gave the order, closing in on her target with fangs bared. Link lunged as well, feinting around his shadow beast's claws. Once he had a clear shot at its neck, he struck quickly and tore at the flesh as spindly fingers fought desperately to pry him off. Hearing the crackling of powerful magic being unleashed, Link kicked off the struggling monster with a bloody part of it clenched in his teeth. He waited for a demonic howl to arise, yet, to his relief, none came.

Link turned to where Midna floated sullenly over her foe. As the body burned, his gaze fell on the gaping hole in the centre of the shadow beast's head. From the angle of semi-broken pieces of its mask, he saw that she had attacked from behind the creature's head. The efficiency of the kill left Link impressed, as well as a little scared of his companion.

The gorons stared down at them with fear in their expressions. Some had climbed down to neutralise the invading monsters, only to stand confused as the beasts died and burned from unseen causes. None of them saw the red highlights of the portal above them turn green, and it was likely that none would ever notice the difference, either.

Link left the rock giants to wonder what to do as Midna guided him further towards the peak. Fortunately for her, many ledges of varying heights made it possible for Link to climb up like a mountain goat, requiring her only to locate stable footing.

The ground was warmer under Link's padded feet; which he found most curious. While trying to think of why that was, he thought back to the tremors from earlier. They had started during what the gorons had called an eruption, and the latest of several from what he could tell. That word pricked something in his mind; a memory that somehow felt important. Eruption...

Link could come up with only one thing that matched with these events. It was something he remembered Bo mentioning once when he was younger. Link froze when the realisation came to him. He was standing on a volcano; an active one! Oh shit!

He picked up the pace, anxious to finish what he came to do so that he could get the hell out of this place. Bo had said how volcanoes could spew destruction with explosive force. The magma from the mountains' bellies was hot enough to melt stone and metal, and was capable of wiping out anything standing in its way. And Link was running right up close to the volcano's top!

The earth began to shake again and Link ran faster. Sharing his urgency, Midna held the spirit vessel out at arm's reach, moving it around to coax the strongest light from the crystal. Steam hissed from the ground and walls, creating a deadly challenge of balancing haste with caution. They ran along the mountainside, dodging the fumaroles until the vessel's light began to fade.

Noticing the change, Midna steered Link back to where they came. The light brightened then dulled once more. Confused, she waved around in every direction, yet the vessel showed no response.

"This doesn't make sense!" she cried over the volcano's rumbling. "It should be here! There's nowhere else that bug could be hiding!" After an agonising pause, the frustration suddenly vanished from her face. "Unless..."

Slowly, she lowered her hand so that the vessel was pointing downwards. The ethereal light within intensified into a small sun.

"...It's right under us..."

The shaking instantly grew more violent. Barely able to stay on his feet, Link dashed away as the ground beneath them exploded. From the shattered stone, a massive body of spiritual light shot out and raced straight after the pair. Link glanced back to see what was chasing him and immediately wished that he hadn't.

The light took the form of a giant centipede, clad in a hard exoskeleton from its tail all the way to its snapping mandibles. A shrill shriek pierced his sensitive ears; and yelping, Link increased his speed to outrun the multi-legged menace gaining on him.

His luck turned from bad to worse to downright terrible when Link saw the path coming to an end. His paws skidded on loose gravel and he barely stopped before running off the cliff. He peered down to see small rocks bouncing to the base far below them.

With his throat as dry as sand, Link turned to the centipede charging up the only route out. The behemoth slowed as it drew near then raised its head over him and Midna. Its blood red eyes glowed with ravenous hunger as its front legs twitched in anticipation. Link could only stare back in blind terror. He collapsed as his trembling legs submitted to the ferocity of the earthquakes.

"We're dead," Midna said hopelessly. There was no possible way to fight or flee, and she had no energy left to warp herself to safety, never mind the wolf. They both shut their eyes tight and waited for the inevitable.

The shadow centipede hissed with glee at its prey's despair. Losing its balance momentarily, it repositioned its many legs to compensate for the violence of the tremors. The danger of being exposed during an eruption was great, but the chance to eat fresh meat was too sweet to pass up. Rearing back, the centipede lashed at the meal before it with mandibles wide.

At that same moment, the tremors peaked and a geyser exploded under the colossal insect. The creature's attack was thrown upwards by the blast striking its head, the intense heat causing it to shriek in horrible pain. Sulphurous steam burned at its shell, cooking the flesh within and killing the insect slowly.

Link's eyes flew open alongside Midna's and they watched the monster thrash about in utter astonishment. When the beast finally died, its body vanished in a blinding flash, leaving behind a soft golden light where it once stood.

"Holy Din," Midna whispered distantly. "You can't get much luckier than that." Then she remembered where they were and flew up to the spirit's light with the vessel in hand. "Alright now, let's get the hell out of here!"

After that hair-raising experience, those words were music in Link's ears. His heart still pounded like a thousand hammers as the trembling world vanished in a bright flash.


Warm light bleached the Link's vision, causing him to shield his eyes with his newly restored hand. The water lapping around his boots was crystal clear and reflected the blue sky like a mirror. A sense of calm washed over the lad as he looked around to see Kakariko Village in its natural state. There was no monsters; no dark clouds; no eerie chill to haunt his waking moments; just pure, peaceful silence.

Yet, that same silence quickly reminded Link that although he had banished the twilight from the province, there were too few people left to rejoice from it. Kakariko was nothing more than an empty husk with the loss of its denizens. Despite his best efforts, there was no possible way that Link could bring back those people who had been lost, and he felt a great sorrow welling inside of him.

He should have been there to save them, but deep down Link knew that was impossible. At the time, he could have been escaping through the sewers in Castle Town, or running through Faron Woods, or retrieving the Fused Shadow from the temple; he didn't know. He'd been working almost non-stop to try and rescue his brother and friends, yet there had been others who needed someone to rescue them as well, and no one came. After having the duty of protecting the world thrust upon him, Link felt responsible for the townspeople's deaths. He wasn't just a pathetic hero. He was a failure, as well.

An intense light shone from behind him and Link turned to watch the spring's spirit rise above him. From the golden sphere, a pair of featherless wings protruded outwards, soon followed by the magnificent body of an owl. The spirit's heart-shaped face dropped to gaze at the solemn youth before speaking with its unmoving beak.

"My name is Eldin." Like Ordona's, its voice carried a vaguely feminine tone. "I am one of the four light spirits that watch over this world. O great hero chosen by the gods, I thank you for restoring my lost power."

Link shook his head at the title. "Don't," he said tersely. "Don't call me that. I'm not a hero... not the one you think I am."

Eldin stared at him as patiently as a mother to her stubborn child. "Your role is without doubt or question, for your deeds thus far have proven your worth."

"Is that really what you think?" Link asked, voice raising. "I didn't get your light back because I killed that giant insect; it died in a freak accident! And what about the town, huh? If I'm supposed to save the world from evil, why couldn't I save the people who lived here? Tell me that! Because I would really like to know!"

"And what of the people that you did save?" the spirit replied, her voice as tranquil as ever. The lad looked to her in confusion. "There are those within the town that survived, and thanks to you they may now live without fear of the twilight."

As Link struggled for a response with his mouth agape, Eldin veered her head towards the mountains. "I do not approve of Faron entrusting the dark power to you, but I understand his reasons. You will find the next fragment you seek within the sacred grounds of the proud mountain dwellers." Link followed the spirit's gaze to see the black plumes of smoke spewing from the volcano. It's rumbling was still audible despite the distance. "But already those grounds have been defiled by darkness, poisoned by its corruptive influence, and transformed into the breeding place of nightmares."

Eldin returned her gaze to Link. "You must go to these sacred grounds and cleanse them. Farewell, hero. I wish you good fortune."

"Wait!" Link shouted as the spirit faded into nothingness. Alone with only the sound of trickling water for company, Link fell to his knees and struck the pool's surface with an angry fist.

Why? he kept asking. Why did the gods choose me? Why do they expect me of all people to do the impossible? It doesn't make sense! It's not fair! Why can't I at least get a straight answer for once?" His shoulders shook with frustration.

"Link?"

Link's head shot up at the nervous voice. Tears began to well at the familiarity of the sound. Holding his breath, he turned his head to see the straw-blonde head of the boy who had called to him. A single, shuddering word escaped Link's lips.

"Colin..."


Perhaps another round of Link being overdramatic, but as some people have pointed out in the reviews, it's expected when our protagonist here is still adapting to the hero life. When I started this story, I figured I'd have more to work with if Link began his quest at the very bottom personality-wise. So far, I feel it's working.

I've always thought that Eldin looked more like a moth than an owl, but it's really hard to tell even with the one close-up on his/her face in the game.