The Legend of Zelda: Time Gate
Chapter 14: Saved by the Darkness
I held my arms around Zelda, rubbing her head with my hand.
"It's good to see you too," I said softly. She released her arms from me, and tilted her head. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"You look terrible." She pointed out the small bits of dirt on my face and clothes.
"Sorry if I got dirt on your dress. Things have been kind of rough."
Impa walked up to me. "Would you like me to get you a bath ready?" she asked me.
"That would be great, Impa." She left the room and walked down the staircase, leaving me and Zelda alone.
"Zelda, I need to talk to you about something important," I muttered.
"What is it?" she asked.
"What happened to the people? Do they know about the Reaper's attack?"
"No, they've forgotten all about it. You know that guy you introduced me to the last time you were here? Mitsuhiro? About a day ago, he and his friends came up to Hyrule, and they got rid of the twilight around the castle. Then, the other boy erased everyone's memory. Only me and Impa remember what happened. The tall girl with the black hair got rid of the dead bodies, and the shorter girl put the castle back in order. Everyone doesn't know what happened, and I don't think they ever will."
"I see. Have you stepped foot out of the castle since then?"
"No, I didn't. Impa won't let me. But I have been able to watch the borders between Hyrule Castle and the market."
"Have you seen any suspicious people? Anyone with silver hair and wearing a black robe?"
"I saw a man with silver hair and another man all dressed in black. Does that help?"
"Do you have any more information than that? About these two men?"
"They were standing near the first gate to the castle, and they were arguing about something. After watching them for a few minutes, the black-clothed one disappeared, and the silver-haired one stayed. After a while, he disappeared too."
A silver haired man. Another man wearing all black. Both of them arguing over something.
The Deity and Dex.
I smiled at Zelda. "Thanks. This is a huge help."
"I'm glad I could be of help," she said, and smiled back.
"By the way, Zelda, do you know about something called the Mirror of Twilight?"
She gasped and tightened her hands into small fists. "It's a relic, used to transport people between our world and the Dark Realm. You don't plan on going back there, do you?"
"Well, I gotta return Miu back to her owner."
"Miu?"
I opened my bag and pulled Miu out from her slumber. Zelda giggled and pet the kitten.
"I have no idea how she got in there, but I plan on returning her. Shuto must be worried about her by now. He's probably tearing the house apart looking for her..."
"Hey, what's this?" Zelda said, and poked the collar on the cat's neck. She placed her finger on the small blue gem. I held up Miu to examine the jewel.
"You know, I never noticed that before," I mumbled. "She spends so much time sleeping, I never really get a chance to look at her." I pulled the collar of Miu's neck, and held in close to my eyes for examination. I scratched the side of the jewel, and then it got real hot. I dropped it, the heat nearly burning my finger. It fell from my hand, and just as it reached the floor, it began to hover. It shifted itself upwards, and then floated up to my face. It began to glow blue. Suddenly, a thin beam shot up from the tip, and from it, a round circle of blue static appeared. Shuto's face appeared on the circle.
"Hey Yashiro! I got a connection!" he yelled.
"What in Goddess's name?" I muttered to myself. I wasn't sure if Zelda heard me. She was staring blankly at the image.
In the image, Yashiro walked up next to Shuto.
"Wow! I didn't think it would work! Hey Link!" Yashiro smiled and waved at me. I stared at her dumbfounded.
"Uh, hi? Shuto, what is this thing?" I asked him.
"Sorry for not telling you about this, I never thought it would work!" Shuto laughed. "It's a communication transmitter! C.T. for short! We have a bunch of these things in the Dark Realm, but I didn't think it would work in your world! I simply attached it to Mr. Mew's collar, and then I snuck her in your bag!"
"I thought she snuck in herself! You put her in there?"
"Yep! You can hold onto her a little while longer. She might be of help to you."
"Yeah, she's already saved my ass once."
"Good girl!" Shuto said to Miu. She meowed gleefully.
"By the way Shuto, what is Miu anyways? She kinda defies the way of a cat."
"She's just an evolved protozoan. No big whoop. We have a few of them over here. I'll tell you some other time, but right now we need to discuss something important. How's your training going?"
"It's good, I've mastered throwing the different types of shurikens. I just need to train in hand to hand combat."
"That's... gonna take you a while to master. It'll be a long time before you are truly a strong fighter."
"I'll do whatever it takes to become stronger. You'll see. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss with me?"
"Did you find the Mirror of Twilight yet?"
"No, I'm working on it though. Anything else?"
"Well, Mitsuhiro said you two ran into a monster at the Mirror Sanctuary. What was that all about?"
"It was Queen Gohma. It's weird, because I already destroyed her in my previous adventures. She looked like she had been resurrected."
"That can't be good. We'll contact you again later, so get as much information as you can possibly get."
"See you later, Shuto." The static field flickered a few times, and then disappeared. I attached the jewel back to Miu's collar, just in time to see Impa come in the room.
"You can go have your bath now, if you wish," Impa said.
"Thanks."
After I had taken my bath and changed into a new tunic (it was pretty much the same, but had a chain mail underneath), Impa allowed me to stay in a spare room on the second floor. It was rather large, with a huge window with velvet curtains. A small bed was placed in the corner, and a desk was against the wall. It looked similar to Zelda's room.
"You don't mind me staying here for a while?" I asked Impa.
"Of course not. You have all the right to stay here," she replied. "There's also a training area in the backyard, if you wish to try out your sword skills. I'll show you the place tomorrow."
"What time is it anyways?"
"Around six in the evening. Is there anything you wish to do before nightfall?"
"I think I'm just going to take a walk through the market, and think things over a bit. I'm still not so sure what I'm going to do yet."
"Is it alright... if I come along with you?" Zelda asked, her voice soft.
I looked at her, concerned. "I don't know if that's such a good idea. It's not safe for you to be outside the grounds."
"I have you to protect me."
I sighed. "If it's fine with Impa, then sure, you can come along."
Zelda turned to Impa. "Please?"
"I know I'll regret this later, but... sure, go ahead," Impa mumbled.
"Thanks Impa!" Zelda laughed, and hugged her.
"Just stay out of trouble, you hear?"
"I will!"
I opened the bedroom door and walked down the stairs to the throne room. Zelda followed close behind me. We left the castle grounds, the guards keeping a close eye on us as we left, and once we were out of the guards' gaze, I turned down a street. Houses were surrounding this entire area, leaving only one road to walk down. Zelda walked beside me, her steps graceful and soft. We just talked amongst ourselves, asking each other how our lives had been for past three years. Zelda's life hadn't been much different than mine. She didn't do much in a day, but she worked hard to support her kingdom whenever she had the chance. But her story was like mine: dull. No adventures. Nothing amazing to talk about. We just had regular lives. It was times like these, with the Time Keepers, that made me crave adventure. Sadly, the only "adventures" I had so far was the trip to Kalasia. But those three Reapers who tried to kill me, or whatever they were trying to do, that counted as an adventure, right?
"What's it like? Being as free as a bird?" Zelda asked me.
I was thrown off guard by her question. "Um... it's okay, I guess. Not as exciting as I had hoped, but I guess my adventure hasn't found me yet."
"You're always looking for adventure, huh?" she laughed.
"It's too boring when there's nothing to do. It's not fun when your life is on the line, but I like being able to journey to places, finding new things and new cities to explore."
"Lucky. I'm trapped in a castle all day. When I get older, I want to go discover new places. I've always wanted to travel to other kingdoms, to see what their customs, languages and traditions are."
"Then, I'll take you to Kalasia someday," I offered. "When we're older, I'll take you there, and introduce you to Princess Kurenai Kai and her brother, Matsuda Kai."
"You'll take me there?" Zelda asked.
"Promise. Their kingdom is a sight to behold. It's kind of hard to explain, but its almost what I'd picture the land of the Goddesses to look like."
"That sounds amazing. I can't wait to go there with you."
I smiled at her, and put my hands in my pockets. The moon was already halfway in the sky, and dogs were roaming the streets, as usual. Things hadn't changed much here, even after three whole years. Zelda hadn't changed much either: she was still the happy, energetic princess that I knew as a ten year old. And she was always striving for freedom.
"So what do you plan on doing next?" Zelda finally asked.
"I have to find the Mirror Sanctuary in this world. Do you happen to know where it is?"
"There are three Mirror Sanctuaries in Hyrule. One is out in the Gerudo Desert, in the Haunted Wastelands. The second is near Lake Hylia. The third one is the Temple of Time itself."
"The Temple of Time... could you show me the Mirror sometime?"
"Sure thing." She smiled and lowered her head. "It sure is hot outside, and it's nighttime too."
"I know, weird huh?" I continued to walk, and I jumped over a mud puddle that was on the brick ground. I clenched my hands into fists.
I grabbed Zelda's arm and pushed her to my right side.
"Stay on this side...," I hissed to her.
"What? What do you mean?" she asked, confused.
I held my finger to my mouth, signaling to her to be quiet. She shut her mouth. I stopped walking, and pulled Zelda to a halt by her arm. I released her arm, and reached for one of the kunais in my holster. I readied it in my right hand, but kept it hidden under my palm.
I quickly spun around, catching the arm of a Reaper. I swung the creature to the ground, and threw a shuriken at him. It stuck into his shoulder. It was the guy with the robot arm. He scowled and wiped his face. He stood up from the ground.
"Dammit! You idiot! How the hell did you see past my Water Illusion?" he asked me. He pulled the shuriken from his shoulder, the iron stained with blood.
"I may be an idiot...," I mumbled. "But I'm not that stupid! There hasn't been a drop of rain in Hyrule for days now! So why the hell would there be a puddle on the ground? You really need to think things through better."
"You got some nerve, talking like that, you little brat!" he screamed, and thrust his mechanical arm at me. I pushed Zelda out of the way, and dodged the claws at the end of his robot fingers.
"Too slow!" I yelled, and slashed my kunai against the metal. All that was inflicted on the metal was a thin scratch.
"Weakling!" he hissed, and grabbed my wrist. He pulled me forward, and kicked me hard in the chest. I fell backwards onto the ground. He stuck his foot against my torso, pushing me into the asphalt and brick. I could feel pain surging through my spine and body. I could hear Zelda screaming. Eventually, my head was hit so hard against the pavement that my vision began to blur. I could barely see what was happening above me. My hearing became fuzzy, and all I could hear was the muffled sound of the Reaper's foot pounding against me, and Zelda's screams. Was she alright? I began to cough up blood.
I eventually just started to wait.
Waiting for anything, for someone to come and save us, or for me to fight back. But I couldn't. I could feel my blood escaping me, and I was too weak to move anything. My arms were trapped inside the pavement, as were my legs and neck. I felt like all my bones were broken. Then I heard more screams. Zelda's and the Reaper's.
I tried to open my eyes, but when I did, I only saw a blurry vision of black and white. I could hear a soothing voice too. It was Zelda's. But it wasn't Zelda looking down at me from above the hole my body was trapped in. I tried to make out the image, but it was still too blurry for me to make out.
"Is he... all right?" I heard a voice say. It was definitely Zelda's voice.
"He'll be fine. He just needs a bit of rest, and time to heal. I fixed up all his major wounds, the rest are scratches and bruises that will heal on their own." Who's voice was that? It sounded so familiar...
I felt my body being lifted.
"I'll take him back to the castle for you, okay?" I heard the voice say. "Stay close to me, and follow me back to the castle."
"But wait, a person like you isn't allowed entrance to our castle," Zelda said.
"Leave that to me." I felt my hat being taken off my head. "There! Can't tell the difference, can you?"
"Actually, I can tell a huge difference. And how are we going to explain this one to the guards? You're carrying a nearly-unconscious body. And you're carrying Link's body at that. You can't pretend to be him if you're carrying him around."
The guy who was carrying me sighed. "You just had to make things more complicated, huh?" What in Goddesses' name was going on? Who was carrying me?
"So do you have a different plan?" Zelda asked him.
The man was silent, and then he snapped his fingers. "I got an idea! Zelda, I want you to head back to the castle, and then I want you to distract Impa. Take her to your room, or any other room besides Link's. Tell her that Link will be back soon, and that he just had to finish a few things. Meanwhile, I'll open a shadow portal, and I'll transport his body back into his room. Distract Impa for a while, just to make it look like Link came back while you were talking to her."
"That's pretty good thinking. It just might work."
"I get my thinking from Link." He began to walk.
"You know, Link seemed really suspicious about you, but you're not such a bad guy."
"Don't judge a book by its cover, Princess. As much as I want to kill this kid, I can't. If he dies, so do I."
"What do you want with Link anyways? Is it revenge?"
"All Link ever uses is the power of light. Everybody has a dark side, even you, Princess. I'm an awakened shadow though, one that is able to interact on its own. I consider myself lucky, but my power is also limited. If I want to release it all, I need this little guy here. But he never turns to the darkness inside of him. Only the light. The Deity. And when he did use the light, it was with a mask, and not all the powers were released. I want my strength to be freed. The only way I can awaken the darkness inside of Link's heart is to threaten him with the powers I currently have. If his life is threatened, he'll use my power for sure."
Now I knew who it was.
It was Dex.
"I can understand your desire for power," Zelda said. "But you mustn't let your will for revenge against the Deity overtake you. The way I see it, you have a heart all your own. And if you let hatred and revenge fill it, you will become blind of your true meaning. Your purpose is to be the evil side of Link, as his dark side. And I can guarantee you that you and I will soon become enemies. Because we live on different sides of the coin of light and darkness."
"You haven't changed a bit, Zelda. You're still the same from the time I was first released. You can be childish at times, and yet very wise."
"When were you first released?"
"The Water Temple, on Link's journey to stop Ganondorf. He was... an adult then. That's why I look more like the adult than the young. The Deity is one guy I don't understand. He was first released when Link was a child, so why does he look like an adult?"
"Maybe it's because... the Deity is a small part of you too?"
"Maybe. But we can't live in harmony, that's for sure. We're too different." He stopped walking. "We're at the castle. Ready for our plan?"
"I'm ready. So, what should I call you by?" Zelda asked.
"It's... Dex," he replied.
"Hm, that's a different sort of name, but it was a pleasure meeting you, Dex. I'm hoping to see you again soon."
"I don't think that will be anytime soon," he mumbled.
"Why not?"
"I have to lay low for a while. I'm not on the Reapers' side, but they'll probably come after me after they hear what I did to Mikumo. I'll probably end up staying at the Mirror Sanctuary in the Dark Realm. That's the last place they'll look. I probably won't see you or Link for a long time."
"I see. Then, goodbye for now, Dex Nohansen Hyrule."
I could hear the sound of running feet. Zelda was leaving for the castle. Dex remained still, then he began talking to himself.
"It's been a while, huh? Since you've had an adventure like this? I guess it might be a little out of your league, but you are the Hero of Time." I felt a sharp poke on my forehead. "Wake up, kiddo, I know you're not really unconscious. Open your eyes." I opened them slightly, but the vision was still blurry. I blinked a few times, and then the image became clearer. I saw Dex's face, blood running down the side of his jaw, and a thin cut across his nose. His expression seemed more concerned.
"What happened to you?" I tried to ask, my throat dry and sore.
"I had a bit of a fight with Mikumo of the Reapers. No big deal though. But I don't think you're in any position to ask me that question. You had quit a few shattered bones, you're lucky I was able to fix them. You might be a bit sore when you sleep tonight. Get some training in tomorrow, if you can, and whatever you do, avoid leaving the castle. You're not the best fighter."
"I have skills with the sword. It's just speed and hand to hand that I have trouble with."
"I say it'll take you four years at most to learn all the skills you need to become as strong as you desire. Maybe longer. It depends on how often you train, and how much work you put into it."
"Four years, huh? At this point, I don't really care how long it takes, as long as I can get back at that Mikumo guy for smashing my head into the ground." I laughed.
"I'll give you some info about the Society then, considering you're so determined. There are a total of six in command at the Society. The leader is Iwata Hashimoto, and he's also the strongest. The next is Jun Kaniji. Mikumo is the third. I don't remember the rest of the names, but the fourth is another guy, and the fifth and sixth are these girls who happen to be twin sisters. Watch out for the girls, they're pretty demented creatures."
"Why are you looking out for me like this?" I asked him.
"You kidding? You'd probably do the same thing for me, because you're too soft. But you and I are the same person, pretty much. I can't let you die, because if that happens, I'm in for death too. But Link, the next time you and I battle, I won't go easy on you. So you'd better be ready."
"I will. I'll become stronger, no matter what. And I'll defeat you someday."
"That's the Link I know." Dex looked at the castle. "By the way, how's Zelda doing? You two seem to be getting along real well."
"She's... good. The same as always," I muttered.
"Take good care of her for me, alright?" he asked. What a strange question.
"Uh... sure."
Dex waved his hand in the air, and a shadow portal formed against a brick wall. He stepped through it, and he walked through darkness, until we were in my room at the castle. Impa was nowhere to be seen. Dex set me down on my bed, and then he made his way to the window. He sat on his toes on the windowsill.
"We're not going to see each other again for a while, you know," he mumbled.
"Yeah," I replied, and sat up in my bed. My back began to hurt.
"From now on, we're enemies. The next time we meet, you had better be stronger." His body began to disintegrate into twilight, and the twilight bits floated up to the sky. I pulled myself back into my bed, and wrapped the blanket around my body.
The war between me and Dex was on.