The Legend of Zelda: Darkness Orb

by AllaBlakeovna

A girl raised in Kakariko Village is told that she is actually Princess Zelda; a bounty hunter with a mysterious past must choose where his loyalties lie; a young man from a strange world is told that he is Hyrule's Champion. Can these three work together to save Hyrule from the mysterious Darkness Orb? (Major characters are OCs, but many characters from the games appear)

21. A Conflict of Interests

The next stretch of the hike up into the mountains proceeded without incident, though Hylia was now paying more attention to their surroundings. She repeatedly scanned the pathway ahead as well as the cliffs on either side of them as her ears strained to pick up on any out-of-the-ordinary noises. For now, defending the adventurers was her top priority.

"Zelda seems on edge, doesn't she?" Link quietly asked.

"She can hear you, you know." Kyoshiro pointed out.

"Maybe it's a good thing that she can hear us. This way she will understand that we are worried about her." Zukto stated.

Hmph, you think I do not realize that already? Zelda thought to herself.

We must keep up our ruse for a while yet: let us ignore them for now.

Yes, I leave it to you.

"We are getting higher up into the mountains. We might be able to spot some dens before long." Ricando stated, still speaking in Charcaian.

"I'll lead the way from here. The wolves are likely to get aggressive if we get too close." Link warned.

"Ricando! Stop right there!" A female's voice suddenly cried out. Everyone looked at each other in surprise.

"Who said that…?" Hylia muttered, concerned about why she had not detected anyone's presence.

To everyone's amazement, Zelda stopped in the middle of the pathway ahead of them. Zukto looked at the Zelda up ahead and then back at the woman under the cloak. How could Zelda be standing in front of them if Zelda had been walking with them the whole morning?

"Nice disguise. But if you really wanted to pretend to be me, you should not have made it clear to everyone that you have business with Ricando. We encountered someone just yesterday who seemed to be after him. If you are, too, then it stands to reason that you work together. Am I wrong?" Hylia surmised, feeling smug.

"Hmph. I did not take up this form specifically to trick you all, although that would have been a good bonus. No, this is more of a defensive strategy."

"Oh, I see. You assume that no one will attack you if you and I get locked into a battle because they will worry about hurting the wrong Zelda. Let me tell you something, though: the men with me are not who you should concern yourself with. I am more than a match for you; let us settle this one-on-one." Hylia ran straight towards the copycat Zelda when she finished speaking, not wanting to give the girl any time to react.

Alright Princess, let us see how your powers work! Hylia thought, feeling invigorated.

This should be easy for you, but my trick is to feel the shadows. When you can feel that they are an extension of yourself, you can manipulate them at will.

Hylia took a moment to do as Zelda instructed. To her surprise, all of the shadows surrounding them suddenly took on a life of their own. Before, they just seemed to sit lifelessly against the ground. Now, they almost seemed to pop out of the ground straight at her.

With a flourish, Hylia extended her shadow in attempt to immobilize the girl pretending to be Zelda. To everyone's surprise, the copycat Zelda did the exact same thing! The two shadows met in the center, grappling one another in an attempt to gain the upper hand.

"Wh-what in Farore's name is going on here?! They both have the same powers? How is it that possible…?" Link was too stunned to know what to do.

"Well, we know one thing: one of those Zeldas is not actually Zelda. We need to figure that out first, and then…" Kyoshiro muttered, looking equally lost.

"You think you can over take me just by copying one of my moves? Underestimating me will only end badly for you." Hylia warned, smiling to herself under the hood of the cloak. The Triforce on the back of her right hand lit up, and a large Triforce glyph appeared on the ground under the other Zelda. Since the other Zelda was locked in a struggle against Hylia's shadow, she did not have enough time to react. The glyph shone brightly, and the other Zelda's shadow dissipated for a moment.

"What?! How did you…?!" The other girl was caught off guard. Taking advantage of her confusion, Hylia once again extended her shadow and used it to pin the woman down.

"Did you see that?!" Kyoshiro asked, clearly in awe.

"Come on! We shouldn't just stand back here and watch!" Zukto quickly ran after the two Zeldas. Link and Kyoshiro quickly followed suit.

"Who are you, anyway? You cannot be Zelda, because I am Zelda." Hylia demanded, standing over the strange woman.

"Heh. You are certainly a tricky opponent. I admit that I underestimated you, but I will not make that mistake again. How about we go to round two?" The woman asked, looking smug for some reason. Hylia suddenly looked taken aback. The copycat still thought that she had a chance? In the brief moment that Hylia was debating what to do about the girl, her opponent's body briefly shone with a strange light. It twisted its shape, and suddenly Hylia was standing face to face with Kkladekk!

"Brother!" Zukto declared, surprised to see that the woman Zelda had been fighting was now his brother.

"Did you miss me, my brother? As much as I would love to chat with you, I have important business to attend to. I have been searching for our mutual friend Ricando Raffiech for quite some time, and now that I know where he is I cannot let him escape me."

"Why are you after him, anyway?"

"I am afraid that my reasons cannot be freely disclosed. If you promise to stay out of my way, I will not hurt you."

"Ricando says that Darkness Orb must be stopped at all costs. Since you are the leader of Darkness Orb, I am afraid that I cannot promise you anything."

"I expected as much. The time for diplomacy is long past, after all. We have already chosen our paths, and now we must fight for our ideals with our entire beings. If I fight well here, I may even accomplish two of my goals in one fell swoop!" Kkladekk's mysterious book suddenly flipped open, and a glyph appeared on the ground underneath him.

Hylia quickly invoked the power of the Triforce of Wisdom, surrounding Kkladekk with another glyph. The Triforce appeared underneath him, shining with a brilliant light. Kkladekk's own glyph was swallowed by the Triforce, and suddenly the book closed itself.

"Zelda, you already have this much power…! I am thoroughly impressed!" Kkladekk laughed.

"You are not Kkladekk, either. Who are you?" Hylia demanded. Surely the real Kkladekk's magic could not be so easily dispelled, she reasoned.

"Hmhmhmhm… I am everyone and I am no one. Strictly speaking, my identity does not exist because I am whoever I must be. Everything about me can change at will… but if you really must refer to me by a name you can call me Ruellian Motiss. Just Ruellian for short is fine. But should you really be so concerned about my identity?"

"You have yet to establish yourself as a threat, so I see no need to be concerned about fighting you." Hylia pointed out, confident that she was more than a match for their newest Darkness Orb acquaintance.

"Perhaps, but…" Ruellian, still in Kkladekk's form, deliberately flipped back through her book.

"Let's see what you really are!" Ricando suddenly declared, joining the fight. His staff glowed, summoning a glyph under the Kkladekk copycat.

"In the name of Charcai, reveal this person's soul to me!" The glyph flashed briefly, and Ruellian completely disappeared!

"Wh-what just happened…?" Zukto asked, wondering if Ricando meant to send their opponent away. Ricando was caught off guard momentarily, not expecting his magic to have that kind of effect on his target.

"It appears that we were fighting with an illusion." Hylia observed after a moment's pause.

"Hm, an illusion. That would make sense. An illusion has no soul, so that is why my target suddenly disappeared." Ricando mused.

"Well, um… I guess that means we are free to continue?" Kyoshiro asked, feeling like the fight he just witnessed was one big mess.

"Zelda, before we get distracted with other business you must tell us: how did you learn to invoke the Triforce's power like that?" Link asked in amazement. Zukto had to admit that he shared in Link's curiosity.

"Hylia is instructing me. Lately, she has been speaking to me more." Hylia lied.

"Is that why you have been quiet lately? You two are talking?" Zukto asked.

"Yes."

"You could have just come out and said that. But even if Hylia is speaking to you, I'd like to remind you to not forget about us."

"Yeah, I guess. Anyway, we should continue." She abruptly changed topics, not wanting to talk more than was necessary. Link took the lead finally, leading everyone up out of the mountain pass and into highland. After a while, he slowed his pace.

"I see tracks here: some of these are fairly recent, I believe. We are definitely in the right place." He observed.

"Now, how do we get the wolves to talk to us as opposed to just attacking us?" Zukto asked, slightly worried that they were in over their heads.

"I think that you guys need to stay back a bit. I will try to approach them first. They will feel less threatened if it is just me."

"You really trust a wolf not to take advantage of the fact that you will be outnumbered?" Kyoshiro asked incredulously.

"The greatest feats of man and beast are accomplished when we let down our guard and place genuine trust in those around us. Nothing great is ever accomplished when everyone fears each other. So yes, I will trust these wolves." With that, Link slowly approached the nearest den.

"Gods, protect Link…" Hylia muttered to herself.

Noticing that no wolves were prowling about the entrance, Link decided to enter the den proper. There were some bones scattered about the floor of the cave, the leftovers of meals past. A couple of wolves appeared to be sleeping, but Link could hear snarling coming from somewhere within the den. When he looked around, he could see a pair of glowing eyes. The wolf was crouched low to the ground, warning Link to leave their territory.

Link crouched down to the ground as well, trying to display non-aggressive body language. The wolf kept growling and snarling, and it did not take long for another one of the wolves to wake up. When it realized that Link was in the den, it also went on the defensive.

"I am not here to hurt you. I would ask your help." Link calmly stated. The wolves continued their aggressive behavior, seemingly unconcerned with Link's request. Just as Link was considering leaving the den, his ears picked up on the soft sound of a wolf's padded feet walking in his direction. Before long, the new wolf revealed itself. When the wolves surrounding Link saw this other wolf, they stopped snarling. It walked right up to Link.

Mortal, I can sense your soul. Your soul is not unlike that of my brothers and sisters, though your skin is that of man; I am intrigued by you. What brings you into our territory? It was obvious that none of the wolves were actually speaking, but Link could plainly hear a voice inside of his mind.

Thank you for speaking to me. I come to ask for your cooperation. We have need of your keen senses.

Before we assist you in any way, I would ask for you to perform a task. Should you succeed where we cannot, we will help you.

What do you require of me?

Follow me. The wolf began to leave the den. Link stood up and followed closely.

There was a spring here some time ago, but a rockslide plugged it up. Man has many tools at his disposal to shift rock, does he not? Clear up the rockslide and reveal the water to us, and I shall assist you. The wolf explained.

I shall see what I can do. Link nodded before running back to where his friends waited.

"Okay, that wolf asked for our help. If we can clear up a rockslide that is blocking access to a spring, they will help us. We need to figure out how we are going to clear all that rubble, though." Link looked a bit puzzled.

"You know, um, I've been holding onto these for a while…" Kyoshiro started, pulling out a pair of gauntlets. Everyone stared at them in amazement.

"H-how long have you had these things? I've never seen you use them." Zukto pointed out.

"O-of course not! We got them back in the Shadow Temple." Kyoshiro explained. Zukto fell silent for a moment, briefly allowing his mind wander back over everything that happened since then…

"Why don't you at least try them on and test them out a bit? We need to figure out what they do, after all." Link's interest was piqued.

"S-sure. Here goes nothing." Kyoshiro slipped both of his hands into the gauntlets, and could feel a strange sensation in both of his arms. He slowly clenched and unclenched the muscles in his hand, trying to adjust to the feeling of the new armor. They were surprisingly lightweight, though Kyoshiro reminded himself that they were most likely enchanted.

I hope they are enchanted to boost my strength, or something. Guess there's only one way to find out. He approached the rubble, eyeing it to size up some of the boulders.

"We should all help. Zukto and Link, see if the two of you can work together to remove some of the medium-sized rocks. That will give Kyoshiro more room to deal with the large ones." Hylia suddenly directed.

"What about you?" Kyoshiro asked, raising an eyebrow at his adoptive sister.

"I can move objects too, remember?" Hylia pointed out as her shadow extended towards the rubble. Shadowy arms began to jump out at the rockslide, grabbing sizable, loose chunks of debris. The shadowy arms deftly maneuvered around one another as they began to form a pile of the relocated rock.

I saw her do something like this back in the library… she used her shadow to grab some books from a high shelf. But her shadow only grabbed one book at a time back then; how is she controlling so many separate arms like that? Zukto furrowed his brow, trying to figure out what was different about the princess. She was not being controlled by Demise, was she? Though she had been quite distant the entire morning, nothing about her behavior at the moment was comparable to Demise's when he had taken control of her in the past. Zukto decided not to say anything, though.

Knowing that Zelda would scold him for not participating, Zukto got Link to approach a sizable boulder with him. Both of them bent their knees closer to the ground and positioned their arms on each side of the rock.

"Got a good grip? We are going to have to lift together to move this thing." Zukto looked across at Link, who nodded silently. The two men pushed up with their legs into a standing position, and they were able to lift the rock off the ground.

"Gods, this thing is heavy." Link groaned as they slowly maneuvered away from the rubble pile with the large boulder in tow. Hylia stopped what she was doing momentarily to watch them, wondering if she should use her powers to help them. The two of them stopped a few feet away from the rockslide and stared at each other, trying to figure out how to lower the rock without hurting themselves. Hylia ran over to them.

"I will help. Just hold on for a second." Her shadow extended and grabbed onto the boulder.

"You two may let go now." She directed. Both Link and Zukto let go of the rock and stepped away. Hylia's shadow still kept the boulder suspended on its own for a moment, but she quickly recalled her shadow. The rock fell, and left a bit of an impression in the ground upon impact.

"Kyoshiro, you should be able to get to the biggest boulders now." Hylia observed.

"Y-yes, but…" Kyoshiro paused.

How can I destroy these things without destroying my hand in the process? He thought, feeling concerned.

"Is something wrong?" Hylia asked.

"Er, well, you don't have to worry about your hands when you use your powers. But um, in case you didn't realize it, asking someone to punch through rock is kind of a crazy request: I could seriously injure my hands." Kyoshiro looked incredulous.

"Oh, I see. But you need not be concerned about such things. I see that the gems on the back of those gauntlets have Din's insignia on them. Those are often referred to as Din's Pearls. Seeing that symbol, I am positive that these gauntlets will allow you to invoke Din's power to remove large, earthen obstacles from your path. Remember the old stories? Goddess Din used her flaming arms to carve out Hyrule's very mountains and valleys. I believe that you have that power now." Hylia explained. Kyoshiro looked pretty intrigued by the time she finished.

"Wow, I can carve out mountains like Goddess Din?"

"I suspect that no, you will not have that kind of capability. After all, using such a power on such a large scale would require massive amounts of magic. I can only assume that your magic power is nowhere near as potent as Din's."

… Do I even have any magic power at all? Kyoshiro thought in a panic.

Hm… does this one have any magic power? I do not sense much; perhaps I should lend him some of mine. But I will not say anything, lest his suspicions be raised about my identity. Hylia focused her power briefly, releasing some of it directly into Kyoshiro's body.

Wait, I feel… different all of a sudden. Like I have extra power? Hm… Suddenly, the gauntlets Kyoshiro was wearing cloaked themselves with fire!

"Whoah! Heh, look at that. Now this is cool." Kyoshiro remarked, chuckling. Hylia smiled wryly.

"Dang, now that's something else." Link commented, looking amused.

"Is it really so different from the ring you have?" Zukto asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I believe so. The ring releases a blast of magic in a radius around the wearer, but these gauntlets use a combination of magic power and physical strength to punch through rock. Show us how it's done, Kyoshiro."

"With pleasure!" Kyoshiro closed in on his target and thrust his clenched right hand straight into the largest section of rock. The cloak of fire softened the rock before his fist made impact with it, allowing his fist to push through more of the rock. When he pulled his fist back out, the rock fractured into several smaller sections.

"Very nice, Kyoshiro: that is just what we needed. How is your hand?" Hylia asked.

"I feel pretty good. It didn't actually hurt at all." Kyoshiro pointed out, wanting everyone to understand that he was perfectly capable of handling their newest artifact.

"We can lift the rest of this out of the way now, I believe." Hylia observed as her shadow hands returned to carry off sections of rock. As the group removed more and more rock, water began to seep up from the ground.

You are doing a great job. Be careful now, as the water may surge up soon. I recommend that you all stand back. The wolf spoke into Link's mind again. Link jumped slightly, as he had forgotten about the wolf's strange abilities.

"E-everyone, the wolf tells me that we need to get back!" He stammered. Everyone looked at him quizzically but they heeded his warning. Within moments, a large column of water shot up into the air and sent the last few pieces of debris flying. Zelda quickly erected a barrier to protect everyone from the flying rocks. The column of water steadily shrunk, and water began to fill the basin they were standing near.

To begin, I must thank you for fulfilling my request. Seeing your teamwork was interesting, as well. Humans are pretty intriguing beings. The wolf spoke into everyone's minds this time.

"You are quite intriguing, yourself." Hylia observed.

Ah yes, you are referring to my ability to speak into your minds. Well, I myself am no ordinary wolf as you may have guessed. I am an ancient wolf spirit who guards these lands. I believe that it was no coincidence that our paths crossed today; seeing as you upheld your end of our bargain, I now must repay my debt to you. What do you ask of me, young adventurers?

"We are seeking any location that is somehow connected to my brother. I should explain though that my brother is no ordinary person: he is quite powerful thanks to an evil spirit which we believe is controlling him." Zukto explained.

What kind of evil spirit are we talking about?

"The spirit of Krandses."

Charcai preserve us. Your brother is the one Krandses chose as his vessel? Yes, I know Krandses' soul well: it is one of greed and malice. Boy, your friends seem strange to me; I assume that they are not of Charcai? The wolf directed this question to Zukto.

"Correct; we are of the ancient Kingdom of Hyrule." Hylia answered.

Hyrule… so that is indeed why your soul seems so familiar to me, stranger. The wolf directed this comment to Link.

"If you do not mind, I would be grateful if you explained what you mean." Link replied.

It is no trouble. Long ago, the strongest and most evil man to ever walk Hyrule's sacred lands joined forces with a being from a parallel dimension. The two of them conspired to turn Hyrule into a place of shadows.

I do not know if you know this, but Hyrule has several sister worlds and dimensions. One such place is referred to as the Twilight Realm. Beings from the Twilight Realm can only exist as shadows in Hyrule proper, and reversely beings from the realm of light exist as spirits within the Twilight Realm.

The two villains succeeded in blanketing several provinces of mainland Hyrule with Twilight, thereby causing the denizens to become as spirits. Their intention was to rule over the two worlds uncontested, as almost all of the beings from the Twilight Realm had become mindless beasts. They cast a denizen of the Twilight Realm out because she would not submit to them, forcing her into Hyrule proper; that was perhaps one of their biggest mistakes.

There, in a province already blanketed by Twilight, she found a Hylian youth who had been captured. Instead of becoming a spirit within the blanket of Twilight, like everyone else, a divine power allowed this youth to instead change into a divine beast. The form the youth took was that of a wolf.

The denizen of the Twilight Realm joined her power with that of the youth protected by the Gods. The two of them were able to defeat both of the villains and return both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm to normal.

Young one, your soul is so familiar to me because once upon a time I believe that you were that very same youth who transformed into the divine beast to drive back the encroachment of the Twilight Realm.

"That is an incredible story, and I thank you for sharing it. It makes me feel rather insignificant, knowing what my ancestors have managed to do." Link smiled somberly.

Boy, do not be discouraged by great deeds of the past. You must remember to honor your past, and part of honoring the past is dutifully playing your role in the present. You have inherited a great legacy, and whether you like it or not someone one day will be looking to you for inspiration. Make sure to be the man you would want a new generation to emulate.

"Your wisdom is more than I deserve."

I must dutifully play my role, hm? Is that all I am good for? Hylia, are you sure that I am actually the right person to be Hyrule's Princess? I have had just about all I can take of all of this. Zelda projected her thoughts to Hylia. Hylia immediately picked up on how annoyed Zelda sounded.

I do not understand why you have a hard time accepting your role. None of the Zeldas before you hesitated to assume the title of Princess of Hyrule: they dedicated themselves to their Kingdom and to their people. Hylia answered matter-of-factly.

But what does something that some girl did hundreds of years ago have anything to do with me?

Zelda, we are all one in the same; your soul is my soul. You cannot be anyone except the heiress of my legacy. You, and your entire Kingdom, exist thanks to me. It is my divine duty to guide my people to peace and prosperity. Since you and I are one now, it is also your duty to guide my people—no, our people—to peace and prosperity. I made the decision centuries ago to be reborn as a mortal woman; there is nothing you can do about this fact.

I am so sick of being told what to do and how to live my life. If I do not stand up for myself now, I will lose the chance to make my own decisions. When we find wherever Kkladekk is hiding, I am taking my body back. I, and I alone, will fight him. And then when he is out of my way—

By the Gods, why are you so fixated on yourself? You are the most selfish Princess I have ever had to work with. Hylia cut Zelda off impatiently. Zelda was taken aback by Hylia's thoughts.

I do not think that your parents raised you that way; they would have expected better of you. Hylia continued when she noticed that Zelda was not responding.

Wh-what the hell do you know about them?! Do not talk as if you know them! Zelda shot back angrily.

You forget that I am you. I have access to all of your memories, your fears, your darkest secrets… so yes, I believe that I know just as much as you do about your foster parents, if not more.

You and I are nothing alike. Zelda thought bitterly.

Perhaps you are right. My main concern is not with myself but rather for my suffering people. You very well cannot say the same.

Why do you even need me in the first place? Just go help your people yourself! Leave me be. I never asked to be involved with any of this. I was quite content to stay with my foster parents back in Kakariko.

Zelda, pay attention to what I am saying for more than two seconds. I am you: I cannot up and leave your body. I left behind my immortal form ages ago to become a mortal. We must work together to stop Demise, Ganondorf, and Kkladekk. Whether you like it or not, we are partners for life. Besides, might I gently remind you that you realistically have no choice in the matter because my powers far exceed your own? What could you possibly do to stop me?

Why do you defy me so much anyway? As I recall, you genuinely respect the Golden Goddesses. Why do you then protest so much against me, the Goddess to whom the Golden Goddesses entrusted the protection of the Triforce so many ages ago? The Goddess who protected your ancestors? The Goddess who sealed away Demise?

That is great and all, but might I remind you that you are no longer a Goddess? Zelda retorted.

The reason I chose to become a mortal was so that I could use the Triforce myself. Having you as a vessel is quite convenient. You must have noticed earlier that Wisdom is potent on its own, though you have no idea how to use its power like I do. I may no longer possess a body with the immortality of a God, but I still have the power of one. My soul continually reincarnates, so not possessing an immortal body is honestly not a huge concern of mine. You would have died a while ago without my power: remember that.

Oh, so you are threatening me now? You certainly are not trying to get on my good side.

My priority is not to get you to like me. But I ought to remind myself that you will continue to behave this way thanks to Demise's influence. Of course you defy me while he is influencing you: Demise hates me with every fiber of his being. His hatred and malice have penetrated your very soul. One day soon, I can only hope, we will release you from his grasp.

How about this? Leave me out of your personal matters. If Demise hates you so much, then I feel like I ought to let the two of you finish each other off. That would solve all of my problems.

Your short-sightedness is appalling, Princess Zelda. I can see that you are simply being obstinate to get on my nerves; the last thing I need right now is you running off on your own. Rest assured that I will not allow you to regain control of your body should we locate something related to Darkness Orb. You are bound to behave rashly, and I cannot have you ruining my plans. With that, Hylia stopped communicating with Zelda.

"Zelda? Is everything okay?" Zukto asked, furrowing his brow. He had been trying to talk to her, but she had been utterly unresponsive.

"Ah, I apologize: I was having an important discussion. Are we ready to leave now?" Hylia casually asked, seemingly unconcerned about whatever had been happening during the conversation she had with Zelda.

"S-sure." Zukto was still bothered by her behavior, but he knew there was nothing they could do about it.

If you would, follow me. I believe I can lead you to a location with a connection to Krandses. But I know not what kind of dangers may await you there; I recommend that you steel yourselves. The wolf spirit warned them before leading them back down the mountain. The group silently followed its new companion.

… I didn't really question it before, but I am having trouble remembering some stuff. My time working at the BH… why are my memories about it so incoherent? At first I had trouble remembering how I even got there; I mean, for a while I had completely forgotten that Zelda and I met so many years ago. I was brought to that hospital, and she was there… she was told to look after me… but then after that… let's see… the Warden brought me to the BH, didn't he? Kyoshiro tried his best to concentrate, taking advantage of the fact that no one was saying anything.

Something is not right here: Zelda is even more distant than she's been in the past. I need to figure out what is going on. It's not just that she's being even more aloof, but there's also the matter of the inexplicable heightening of her magical powers. We have been together this whole time, and yet she suddenly is much more powerful than I would have expected her to be in such a short amount of time.

She is being too calm for this to be the work of Demise, I think. Demise certainly would have the capabilities she has been displaying thus far: after all, she called on the power of the Triforce back there. None of us saw how she actually did it… we know that she possesses the Triforce of Wisdom, but Demise has a piece as well doesn't he? What if the Triforce earlier was his, and not hers? But again, there is the issue of her behavior… Demise tends to insult everyone around him, and I feel like he would have tried to take advantage of us being alone in the mountains together. He has attacked us before, and it would be easier for him to deal with us if there was no one else around. There is that other one… Hylia… could it be that Hylia decided to do what Demise has been doing, and took control of Zelda's body?

This must not be easy for Zelda… always having someone else tell her, or worse yet, force her, to do what they want her to do. She probably feels hopeless, not being able to make her own decisions. Impa said before that we can trust Hylia, and I of course trust Impa to know who our allies are. But that still does not invalidate Zelda's feelings. It's not a bad thing to want to feel like you are in control of something. Based on what Zelda said earlier… she has not really been in control of anything since day one. That's why she is quick to lash out at others. Whenever she feels her freedom being threatened, of course she would get defensive. Wouldn't the rest of us feel the same way? Zukto felt uneasy. He did not know much about Hylia, besides the fact that she was Demise's counterpart. Clearly, her powers were to be reckoned with. If Hylia really was controlling Zelda, did that mean that Demise was no longer a threat to them?

I wish I could have brought Epona with me. I made sure to leave her at the Palace, so at least I know that she is being cared for. But she does not know any of the horses there, so I doubt she feels much at ease. And of course, no one is around to sing her favorite song. Sorry, Epona… I don't like leaving you on your own, but I didn't have much of a choice. I'll try to make it up to you whenever we finally get back…

Speaking of, I wonder how we will be able to return home. None of us have made any headway in regards to that predicament. There has to be a way back, right? After all, Kkladekk somehow found out how to travel back and forth between Charcai and Hyrule. Was it merely thanks to Krandses' power? If so, we just need someone on our side with considerable magic strength as well. I admit it's easier said than done, though, to find someone with the necessary magical power. I wonder if we might find any clues when we finally find where the members of Darkness Orb are hiding. Link sighed, pulling out his ocarina. It was too quiet for his liking, so he put the instrument to his lips and began to play his favorite song.

Everyone looked over at Link with a start when they heard the melody from the instrument. The sound startled them from their thoughts, but no one said anything. The melody was soothing, allowing them to return to their thoughts.

Zelda started to hum along in her head.

What are you doing? Hylia questioned.

Eh? Oh, sorry, I do not know. This song suddenly sounded familiar to me. Link played it before, but it did not mean anything to me back then. Now, however… I remember it. I heard this song several years ago.

This means that you met my champion before. Hylia observed.

Your champion? Do you mean Link? Well, I suppose he must be related to the other legendary heroes. I know that no one at the Palace ever played a song like that, so the assumption that we did meet previously seems fair. I do not quite remember the details, though.

Your destiny is certainly intriguing. Hylia mused.

Hmph. What is so great about not being able to create your own path?

Princess, what exactly is it that you wish to do that you cannot do? You do not actually have any ideas, do you? Hylia retorted.

Well, I—that is… Zelda's thoughts trailed off. She realized that Hylia had a point: what would she do—further, what could she do—outside of assuming her destined role as Hyrule's leader?

I just have not been given a chance to explore that question for myself. Zelda finally thought, grumbling a bit.

You sure are a stubborn one. Your stubbornness certainly causes me some problems, but at the same time I must admit that it can be quite useful.

There has to be something I can do that my fate has not already decided for me. Just watch: I will figure it out. I cannot be satisfied with only doing what someone else wants me to do.

I do not much care what you do, as long as you cooperate with me when I need your assistance. For the record, I do not think it is bad that you wish to make choices for yourself. However, I will not allow you to so casually make decisions that could endanger us or your friends. Everyone you have met thus far plays a role in your fate, and I will make certain that my goals are realized by using everyone and everything to my full advantage. If I fail, nothing short of the destruction of your Kingdom and Hyrule's people will follow. You cannot very well control your own fate if Demise is controlling you… am I wrong? It seems to me that you have a better chance at finding your own answers when I am around, as opposed to him.

As much as I wish I could make you be quiet for a while, I admit that you are the preferable partner. Zelda thought.

Get used to it. Maybe if you were more cooperative, I would not need to try to redirect your attention all the time.

Is that a euphemism now for lecturing someone? That is what it seemed like you were doing to me.

I have nothing but pity for your friends. How difficult it must be for them to have any kind of productive conversation with you: your words often drip with sarcasm, and you are so morose. It would tire even the most patient of souls.

Being a mild-mannered, dainty, quiet, obedient, little girl is so pathetic. And it is not like I am always confrontational: I mostly act like this when I cannot stand someone. I honestly cannot stand you, Hylia.

Why, because I do not let you walk all over me like everyone else does? I am frankly shocked that your father, the King of Hyrule, puts up with it the way he does. He is far too forgiving of you.

I do not give a damn about what he thinks. I do not need his forgiveness, acceptance, or anything.

What did His Majesty ever do to you to deserve this kind of vitriol?

I cannot stand him. He ignored me for fifteen years of my life; even when my foster parents were killed, he continued to hide our relationship. And then when he finally revealed himself, he was foolish enough to believe that I would willingly run into his arms and listen to his every desire… yeah, right. I would rather join Krandses' strange cult than listen to a man who left me on my own for all of those years. It does not matter to me if we are connected by blood… family is not supposed to abandon one of their own. Since he seems to think it is okay, then he should be fine with one fewer family member. Besides, he has another daughter. I say that that they should just leave everything to her. After all, she actually grew up in the Castle. Everyone knows her as the Princess; me, I am absolutely nobody. I truly prefer it that way: allow me to remain anonymous like this for the rest of my life.

I thought you wanted to reconcile with your Father?

Well, but… Zelda trailed off, realizing that she had indeed said something to that effect.

What, was that a lie? I really do sympathize with those who must deal with you. You are going to push everyone away if you keep this up. Just drop the act, be honest with yourself, and embrace your destiny. You act like you do not want to be close to people, but I know that you are only trying to convince yourself of this; there used to be much more love and compassion in your heart. Your Master would agree with me.

…. Master Impa…? She… oh Gods… I finally remember that day, when Ganondorf put this God-forsaken symbol on my face… I know that she truly feared me when she looked into my eyes. She could immediately sense that the mark was of dark magic, and it did not take her long to figure out that the evil magic was altering my memories as well. Despite how terrifying I had become… she still stood by my side. She still acted like the mother I had been so desperate to get back from the dead.

And yet… all I ever did was talk about the woman who was told to adopt me. That woman did not choose me, did she? My Father chose her, rather. But Master Impa… she took me in when I had nothing. She devoted the last ten years of her life to me. And what have I done for her in return…?! Shit; I really am such a fool, such a pathetic fool.

Heh. I always recognized that the dead cannot come back to this world. Instead of focusing on what I had all of those years… all I ever did was wish for the impossible. Is there anybody out there more foolish than me?

I can agree with you, I suppose, that my heart is not always in the right place. However, there are a few things that no one can dissuade me from. Getting my revenge is one of those things; remember that. Zelda went quiet after leaving Hylia with that warning.

Color me surprised; tough love really does work with her. I had hoped that bringing up her teacher would elicit some kind of reaction from her, but I honestly did not expect that reaction. So Zelda has not completely lost herself, yet. I will have to be satisfied with that for the time being. Freeing her from Demise's grasp will take time, after all. I can only hope that my efforts are not too late.

Wait a second… now that I am thinking about it… how did… how did I learn to use this sword anyway…? Kyoshiro, with a start, stared down at his sheathed weapon as he walked. He had instinctively drawn it so many times already, went after creatures that were much bigger than himself… but where and how did he learn to use it? The foster home did not permit fighting, of course, so he could not have trained with a weapon at that point in his life.

I… I had never even questioned it before… but when did I learn swordplay? I… did I teach myself? How? Wh-what in Din's name is going on?! Why can't I remember something like that?! I didn't just up and start fighting with this thing one day; that's just too ridiculous. There's something wrong with me! I'm just like Zelda: there are these inexplicable gaps in my memories! Kyoshiro could not control the look of panic spreading across his face.

You seem troubled about something. A voice interrupted his thoughts. Kyoshiro reeled, not expecting the sudden interrupted.

Wh-wha-who-? He mentally stammered.

Boy, calm down. You are among friends and are safe. Is there anything I can help you with?

Oh, for the love of Farore—you are the freaking wolf spirit from before. I forgot you were here. Kyoshiro tersely thought, hoping that everyone else was too busy to notice his mini panic attack.

Your heart rate was rapidly rising, and I could see that you looked rather terrified. I grew concerned for you.

Uhh, well, uh… wait a second, this is ridiculous. I cannot be exchanging weird mind messages with a wolf. I'm sorry, this is just… Kyoshiro was starting to feel uncomfortable.

I thought your discomfort was due to something that you have been quietly contemplating, but perhaps I misread the situation. Is your discomfort actually due to my presence? Do you hate my kind?

I, er, well… I guess I am not fond of them. I got fatally attacked by a Wolfos when I was nineteen years old. The only reason I survived is because someone was in the area and helped me out.

I am sorry to hear that. Demise has a way of corrupting even the creations of the Gods, so it is likely that the Wolfos was not itself. I know that my apology likely means nothing to you, but I do not wish harm on you or your friends.

Er, . It's fine. Where are you taking us?

There is a town not far from this mountain. Past the town is a ravine; I believe that what you seek might be hidden within the ravine.

Okay, a ravine. Good to know.

By the way… I could not help but notice… you remind me of someone.

I remind you of someone? But you only hang out with wolves. Kyoshiro threw the wolf an incredulous look.

While you may have a point, your face… it is so familiar to me. You know, I admit that this is strange and disconcerting but I think you look like—

"I was wondering; what are we going to do when we approach town? Everyone is already suspicious of us, but now we have a wolf in tow. They will likely not react kindly to this." Zukto's voice suddenly interrupted the wolf.

I see your point. However, I can be as a spirit: no one will be able to see me. As long as you leave town in the direction of the ravine, I will reappear to you once we have put enough distance between ourselves and the town. Is this agreeable?

"Ah, yes, that sounds fine."

Kyoshiro felt a bit disappointed that Zukto just had to open his mouth when he did. He was admittedly very curious about what the wolf was going to tell him.

Wait, didn't this happen before? Hm, why do I feel like… oh, wasn't it Zelda before? She was about to tell me… that I reminded her of someone. But that was back when she had lost a lot of her memories; was she simply trying to remember me back then, or was it something else entirely? She would probably just brush me off though if I asked about it. It's so strange though, no matter how you think of it. The wolf would not know anyone who we know, so why would it make the same observation that Zelda did?

Sorry there, I had not expected that sudden outburst. I keep thinking about it, and perhaps I am simply mistaken. Sorry to spring that on you so suddenly. The wolf projected another thought to Kyoshiro, but then fell silent.

Well, okay, maybe I am just overreacting. If you think about it, this wolf is probably thousands of years old. He's naturally seen his fair share of people through the centuries. I am bound to look like someone else, right?

I mean, people can be different but not that different. Sure, my ears aren't like the ears that a Charcaian would have, but besides that… that still does not explain why Zelda would bring it up. Why would I remind her of… wait… could she have been… thinking about my mother…? Kyoshiro felt a strange mixture of relief, pain, and nervousness.

I… never thought about it like that before. Does… does Zelda notice something about my features, in my face maybe, that remind me of our mother? Does she always feel a bit sad when she looks at me, having to be reminded of mother like that? Geez… I guess I really am clueless.

I still have not had a chance to ask her about my parents. It isn't something that I want the others around for though; it feels pretty personal still. And I don't know how Zelda will react when I ask.

Okay, we are nearing town. I will continue to head in the direction of our destination, but you will be unable to see me. Young man from Charcai: please escort everyone through town. We will meet up shortly. With that, the wolf disappeared.

I wonder… where my parents have been this whole time. I really do miss them, and I have so many questions for them. All my life, I did not really believe in 'gods.' It was not until I lived among the Gerudo that I saw first-hand what it was like to live in a world where gods had a more active role in influencing the world around them. And yet, despite my upbringing, it appears that Charcai and Hyrule are more similar than I once thought.

Charcai's history is intimately connected to the gods; why did I grow up with the opposite impression? Ricando, for some reason, seemed very intent on locating my parents; do they know more about this situation? Will they be able to shed some light on what's been going on? I certainly hope they can help; at times, it is hard not to feel overwhelmed by everything. I need all the help I can get right now. Zukto thought to himself as he led everyone through town.

"Zukto, I believe I have figured something out about that strange forest we were in before." Hylia suddenly spoke to him in Charcaian, remembering that the people around them would not react well had she chosen to speak in Hylian instead.

"Oh?" He responded, surprised that Zelda was finally willing to engage her friends. He was also curious about how she was able to 'discover' something about the forest, seeing as she had never been to Charcai before and certainly had not had any time away from the group thus far to do any kind of exploration or research.

"That forest is plagued by a mysterious magic. I actually did not get the sense that the magic which caused the land to wither away was necessarily evil or dark. I think someone purposely destroyed the forest to hide something."

"To hide something? Hm. Well, I cannot really say one way or the other if that forest had anything in it worth hiding… but I was curious about it myself anyway. I certainly want to return at some point, but we have so many matters that require our attention here… I wonder when we might have the time to return."

"Indeed, we have our work cut out for us here. We did discover some useful information from that book, but the information we gleaned mostly only serves as historical context for our current situation. We still have much to discover about the people who we are fighting against. After all, there are quite a few of them whom we have yet to meet."

"My parents, I pray, will be able to help us. I just hope that they have been safe this entire time. I want to make finding them a priority, after we finish our current objective."

"I have no objections with that. You know… would not our newest companion, the wolf, be of some help in that regard?"

"I didn't think of that; you may be right. I would be ecstatic if it could lead us to them somehow."

"Feel free to ask. If you believe that your parents can assist us in making a stand against your brother, then I welcome their help."

"L-Listen, Zelda, about my brother—" Zukto began, hesitantly.

"Your brother is involved with the murder of my foster parents, had a hand in this curse being placed upon me, was the reason that I was separated from my parents at birth… must I remind you of these things? Your brother does not deserve mercy, as far as I am concerned." Hylia darkly pointed out, not giving Zukto time to say anything. Hylia had observed Zelda for long enough to know that this was a touchy subject for her, and responded accordingly. Zukto immediately fell silent.

Hm, you sounded exactly like me just now. Zelda observed.

Have to keep the façade, after all. You made the observation yourself earlier that Zukto may ask you about somehow saving that man. It seems that your prediction was on the mark. We did not let him say anything, but he immediately shut up when I said what I did. That must mean that he was going to bring up that exact subject. Your intuition is quite a force to be reckoned with. Hylia observed, smiling wryly.

It is absolutely true that I want to stop Kkladekk… though I wonder, is there a peaceful way yet of approaching this situation? Or are things really so far gone? To save Hyrule, is it paramount that we kill Kkladekk? I am not opposed to bloodshed if it will save my people; however, I am not without mercy when the situation calls for it. I suppose that only time will tell: will Zelda choose mercy, or malevolence? Hylia thought to herself, deciding that she did not want to continue any conversations with Zelda's partners for the time being.

Damn… Zelda just immediately shot me down. How did she even know what I was going to say anyway? I know… I know that you're hurting, Princess. Don't think that I have forgotten. How could I? And yet… to ask me to just throw my brother to the wolves… I can't do it. We have time still: I will figure out a way to save him. I swear to you, Kkladekk… Krandses will not be able to control you forever. Just hang in there. Zukto sighed, feeling overwhelmed. There was still so much that they did not know; so much that could work against them. Despite his misgivings, Zukto knew that it was the right choice to try to help his brother. Surely when he met with his parents, they would agree with him.

And now, we are together again. A familiar voice spoke into everyone's minds.

"We are counting on you to lead us through the ravine." Hylia remarked when the wolf's body materialized back into view before them. They had put some distance between themselves and the town, and no one seemed to be wandering around.

I already feel the presence of evil magic around us: we are quite close to something that should be connected to Krandses. The wolf assured them.

"Everyone, be on your guard. We have no idea what's hiding out here." Zukto warned.

I can follow the trail of dark magic, but I cannot guarantee whether or not there is anything significant out here. And I have no knowledge of how it might be protected if there is indeed anything worthy of discovery. You may have to think creatively in order to gain access to what it is you seek.

"We'll be fine; right guys?" Link asked.

"Yeah, we just need to make sure to stick together." Zukto pointed out.

Hmmm… sorry Zukto, but I actually intend to do the exact opposite. Hylia thought to herself. She just needed to figure out how to get separated from everyone…

The group continued following the path for a while, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. Hylia was getting annoyed that thus far, the path down the ravine was completely straight-forward; there had been no alcoves to duck into, no caves to hide in.

I may have to cause a disturbance in order to make sure I can run off on my own, undetected. It is too bad that none of Kkladekk's goons have appeared to fight us; I would welcome such a distraction right now. But instead… hm… Hylia looked around. The only thing notable in the area was the walls of the ravine, towering high above them.

… It appears that my only options may be a rock slide, or perhaps an earthquake of sorts. Sorry everyone, but I need to cause some chaos in order to get away. I cannot have you getting in my way. Hylia quietly focused her magic, feeling around for sizable chunks of earth above them which could be disturbed.

"Everyone! To me!" Hylia suddenly commanded as she used her magic to start a rock slide. Everyone panicked slightly, not expecting Hylia's outburst. The group huddled around her as she erected a barrier to protect them, as always. This time, however, she waited until she knew that everyone was safe and all of the falling rocks and chunks of earth had kicked up a heavy cloud of dust and sand. Before the cloud settled, returning visibility, Hylia quietly ran off. To cover her tracks, literally, she set off more rocks to fall behind her.

"Damn, that's the second time today something like that happened." Link observed, coughing slightly as the dust began to settle.

"Everyone's alright, right?" Zukto asked, looking around. The dust had not settled all the way, so he slid his pair of goggles down over his eyes. With the goggles on, he could see clearly even with the dust cover. He thought he saw someone running off, which puzzled him. Was it the figure of whoever started the rock slide?

"Wait a second… Zelda… where the hell is Zelda?" Kyoshiro asked, noticing that they were now short one person.

"… Shit, really, we lost her?" Zukto sighed, feeling exasperated. Zelda really was nowhere to be seen.

She really could not have gone far. Thus far, this path has been quite straightforward. All we have to do is press on; we will be able to find her. The wolf offered.

"Come! We have to catch up to her!" Zukto yelled, breaking into a jog. He was not entirely sure where he was going, but he would stop when he saw anything noteworthy. Everyone ran after him, hoping that nothing was waiting to ambush them.

Hmhm, that was too easy. Hylia mused as she ran down a path that was partially hidden from the main thoroughfare they had been traveling on. The path seemed to take them straight into the ravine walls. There had to be something back here, she reasoned, as the paths seemed to have been deliberately carved and shaped.

Why did you want to be separated from them, anyway? Zelda asked.

Our plan will not work if we are with them, right? It was not just a matter of finding secrets that Kkladekk does not want us to know: I want to catch him unawares, and possibly cause some trouble in the process. We needed to be separated for that to happen.

I suppose. Now we actually need to figure out if there is some secret location here.

Hmm… over there. I see something. Hylia stepped down the last stone step, and stopped before a strange alcove. There was a raised dais of some kind in the ground, adorned with a symbol, but it seemed worn down by foot traffic and covered in sand.

… It is hard to make out some elements of this symbol, but still I cannot shake the feeling that it is familiar to me for some reason. Zelda observed.

We better keep moving regardless: I want to make sure that none of your friends find us. Hylia walked over the dais, wanting to check out what else was in the alcove. When she stepped in the middle of it, however, it suddenly shined with a red light!

Ah! We somehow activated it, maybe? Zelda wondered.

Yes! I can feel it; it will bring us deeper underground. Hylia braced herself as the dais sunk into the earth. The dais finally stopped at a dimly-lit docking station. Hylia stepped off of the platform, and it immediately returned to the surface.

I guess we cannot leave that way; we will need to figure out another exit when we are finished with our business here. Hylia noted, starting down the passageway connected to their current location.

Do you not think it odd that it was so easy to gain entry? Zelda asked.

I did expect to encounter more resistance, yes, but then again your powers are incredibly handy. If I hear someone approaching from around a corner, all we have to do is hide in the shadows until the coast is clear. The passageway led them to a large hub of sorts; Hylia observed that many pathways branched out from it.

This place is a lot bigger than I imagined.

Be careful: I believe I hear footsteps coming this way. Zelda warned. Hylia quickly melted into her own shadow, completely hidden from sight. It helped that the lighting was not that bright.

"Where is Ruellian...? I think that something or something has gained entry, but I have yet to hear or see anything out of the ordinary... we need to deal with this before Master Kkladekk finds out." Someone with a deep voice muttered as they walked by.

Hylia tried her best to study the person, but the person was wearing a shabby cloak over his torso which obscured any distinguishing features. His face was also covered, though Zelda observed something quickly as he passed.

That man has red eyes. She was surprised.

So?

Hylia, you should know exactly why that is intriguing. Red eyes make me think of the Sheikah.

Yes, but that man is working for Kkladekk. Do you really think a Sheikah, a Hyrule native, would be fighting against us?

Why not? Anything is possible at this point.

I suppose we will need to keep an eye out for him, at any rate. Hylia stepped out of her shadow and continued in the direction that the unknown male just came from.

"Ruellian, you did not come back with him like I asked." Kkladekk stated impatiently.

Ruellian looked momentarily ashamed, but she quickly defended herself.

"Master Kkladekk, the woman in their group is insanely powerful. We need to get her away from them-"

"Hm... that does give me an idea. I have to concede that you are correct about Zelda: she has incredible powers. We need to force her hand. I think the best way to do that would be to... ah, subjugate one of her friends."

"Which one?" Ruellian looked intrigued.

"I think it is time that Kyoshiro and I were finally reunited; it has been quite some time since we worked together. Ruellian... I must ask you to become the Warden." Kkladekk requested.

"Oh, him. I can do that. You want me to lure Kyoshiro somewhere?"

"Yes. I need you to bring him to me. Make sure that none of his friends see you leading Kyoshiro away." Kkladekk pulled a ring out of his pocket, and began to absentmindedly play with it.

"You will see Kyoshiro shortly; this I can promise you." Ruellian's body quickly changed into that of a middle-aged man.

"Kyo will be so surprised to see me." Ruellian chuckled as she walked off.

"Hey, I found something!" Zukto exclaimed as he followed closely behind the wolf spirit.

I can smell the woman, but her scent is quite faint. I do not believe she has come this way, but if I can smell her she must nevertheless be somewhere around here. The wolf explained.

"So this is some kind of entrance or exit? I wonder why Zelda did not say anything to any of us before disappearing; we still have no idea where she is." Link furrowed his brow.

"She does this all the time. That's just how she is." Kyoshiro shrugged.

"Oh, what; not playing the part of the overprotective big brother now?" Zukto teased, raising an eyebrow at Kyoshiro.

"Shut it. You saw how easily she defended us from that strange, shape shifting thing. Do we really need to worry that much about her? It seems to me that she has everything under control." Kyoshiro muttered tersely.

"Something wrong?" Zukto furrowed his brow this time, looking confused in response to his friend's sudden dismissive and impatient attitude.

... Am I really needed here? No one really asks me for anything. It just seems like they're dragging me around for no reason. Kyoshiro thought bitterly. He was not sure why he suddenly felt so impatient, but he could not help himself.

"Hey, um, how about we go after her? I for one worry about what kind of trouble our Princess might get into. She has been acting strange all day, after all." Link pointed out.

"I am with you. C'mon, Kyo. We need to find our friend." Zukto agreed.

"Fine."

Everyone took turns climbing down a narrow, stone passageway that looked like few people had used it in the last year. The pathway brought them to a dark, cool passageway.

"Now, which way did she go...?" Zukto muttered.

Follow me. I will show you in which direction her scent is strongest. I will not, however, lead you to her. I am happy to help you, but I do not want to get caught up in a fight against Krandses or any of his followers. Once we part ways, you may call on me again by playing this melody…

The wolf howled a quiet tune once. Link pulled out his ocarina, and instinctively practiced the song along with the wolf without actually blowing into the instrument.

"I will remember your song. Thank you for your help, and for sharing your knowledge with us."

It was the least I could do since you helped my pack. But if you succeed in stopping Krandses, we will owe you a great deal more. As long as I do not get directly involved with him, I shall gladly lend you my powers should you have need of them. Until we meet again, young adventurers. The wolf nodded in the direction he could smell the woman, so her friends would know how to find her. With that, he silently ran back in the direction they had come from.

"Okay, you guys ready? We have no idea who or what is waiting for us in here." Zukto warned.

"Our first priority is to ensure Zelda's safety. Then we need to see if we can discern any useful information about Krandses' plans or the people who work for him." Link continued. Zukto nodded.

"And we should stick together." Zukto added as he ascended the ladder they had stopped under. Kyoshiro was the last one to climb the ladder, and he did so with little energy or focus.

Something... feels familiar: I get the feeling that I have been here before... why the hell do I feel this way...? I suddenly feel agitated, and like... I am anticipating something. What is waiting for us here...? Kyoshiro remembered that Zukto and Link wanted to stick together, but he wanted to find the source of his déjà vu. They were of course waiting for him when he got to the top of the ladder, so he needed to figure out a way to get separated from his partners.

How does Zelda always manage to slip away from us so easily? Right now, I wish I had her penchant for disappearing.

Hey, look at that. Zelda pointed out to Hylia as they quietly walked down a passageway. They had not encountered anyone else after they had initially run into the person with red eyes.

You mean that sconce? We have already passed by several.

Yes, but none of them were shaped like this. That is a crescent moon, the same shape as the marking on my face; I believe this area holds a secret. Try examining it.

I suppose it cannot hurt. Hylia approached the sconce and held a hand up to it. Before she could even touch it, it glowed with a strange light.

I knew it! This should lead us to something important.

The wall to the right of the sconce slowly shifted, revealing another passageway.

I guess Ganondorf's 'gift' does have its uses. Zelda thought grimly.

You believe the sconce reacts to the presence of Krandses' magic? Intriguing. I suppose that is a way to make sure people cannot freely enter this space. Let us proceed with caution.

Hylia descended even deeper underground, following the hidden passageway. The passageway finally opened up into a room that looked like someone's personal study.

Hm, there has to be useful information somewhere around here... Zelda thought, observing the room with Hylia.

How about we start with this map here? Hylia suggested as she approached a map on the wall. It did not take long for her to figure out that the map was of Hyrule!

Strange, why is this a map of Hyrule?

I am not sure; however, I believe we ought to turn our attention to this circled area of the map. Is not this Hyrule Castle Town?

Y-you are correct. So now, we need to figure out why Hyrule Castle Town might be important to them... Hyrule Castle is there, naturally, but is that really the only reason the town would be circled on a map? I get the feeling that there might be more to it than that. Zelda guessed.

In any case, we need to figure out how to return to Hyrule before we can act on this information. Let us hope that our presence here in Charcai will keep Kkladekk and his followers distracted.

"Who's there?!" A gruff voice called out. Hylia jumped slightly, not realizing that anyone else was there with them.

Shit, I did not notice anyone else here; sorry.

It is fine. I do not think that the voice we heard is Kkladekk, so we may be able to deceive whoever has found us.

"No one can be down here unless Master Kkladekk allows them to be... is that not correct?" Hylia calmly answered.

"Hm... I admit that I have no idea how one might gain entry to this space, besides of course the way that I entered. I do not recognize you, though; identify yourself."

"Why, I am Ruellian of course." Hylia chuckled to herself.

"O-oh, Ruellian. Yes. So after you sent me away this morning, did you catch up with them? How was it?"

"Unfortunately, I hit a bit of a snag. The woman with them is incredibly powerful: I was no match for her. To make matters worse, our friend Ricando possesses magic that can dispel my illusions. I returned here to discuss a new strategy with Master Kkladekk. He has an idea, and I need your help."

"Oh? What is this idea?"

"We need to first make sure that Kkladekk's brother's group gets separated. They are much less of a threat when they are not together. Then we need to keep them busy. You and I should engage Zukto and the blonde swordsman."

"Understood. I follow your lead, Ruellian."

He believed every word I said! I am amazed that I pulled that off so easily!

I am also frankly amazed at how well that went. This man must have a lot of respect for Ruellian. Hylia, you are surprisingly crafty.

I believe I learned a few things from you. I have not shared a body with such an obstinate and independent woman, such as yourself, for quite some time now.

To deceive your enemies, you must first deceive your allies. Unfortunately now we will have to fight our friends, but we only need to do so until we can catch this man off guard. It will be interesting to see how he fights: if I am right about his identity, this may give us the advantage.

The man finally approached Hylia, eyeing the cloaked figure critically.

"You know, your cloak looks an awful lot like..." He began suspiciously.

"Is not this disguise perfect? When they see me, they will think that I am her. They would not dare hurt me like this." Hylia chuckled.

"Hm, perhaps. Let us leave here, for Zukto has no chance of entering this space by his own power." The man made to leave the same way he entered; Hylia followed closely behind him.

We have a slight problem here: we have no idea what this man's name is. Hopefully that does not give us away later. Zelda observed.

Let us hope that Zukto demands to know his name. Hylia mused.

Kyoshiro watched as Link and Zukto turned a corner. They were in a hurry, but Kyoshiro did not feel the same amount of urgency that they did. He slowly followed them around the same corner... but suddenly found himself in what appeared to be a dead end.

They went this way, right? How could they have up and vanished so quickly? I was not that far behind them... did they figure out something about this place? But at any rate... I wanted to be separated from them; I should take advantage of this situation. Kyoshiro turned around and went back the way he came, looking for anything of interest.

I keep thinking that I know this place, but I have never been to Charcai before. I did not even know it existed until Zukto told us where he was from. And yet, why is this place so familiar? These bleak walls, the weak lighting... heh, it is perfect for me. I am just as uninteresting as my surroundings: I am nobody.

Kyoshiro started to pay less and less attention to his surroundings. A door suddenly swung open, nearly hitting him; Kyoshiro's brain needed a moment to register the face of the person who appeared from beyond it.

"W-Warden?! It's... it's really you, isn't it? How in Din's name did you-" Kyoshiro began, looking stupefied.

"Kyoshiro, m'boy! So here you are. I been lookin' for ya all over. Y'know, you just up and left us so suddenly that we been worried 'bout you. No letters or visits or nothin'." The older man scolded Kyoshiro gently.

"H-hey, yeah, sorry about that. Just, a lot of stuff has happened and... but really, how in Din's name did you get here?"

"Get here? Whatever do you mean, m'boy?"

"Er, well, how do I say this..."

"We are in the basement of the BH, remember? You didn't go and get yourself knocked around, did ya? You're my best fighter. I can't afford to have you out of commission."

"Wait, what? You just said we're... back in the BH?"

"Of course. I can't just leave here like you can: I got too much work to do. Speaking of work, you and I have some work to do m'boy."

"Does it have to be taken care of right this minute? I got some stuff I gotta do..."

"So you come back to the BH but not because you're ready to apologize and work with me again?" The man looked disappointed.

"You don't get it! I wasn't here a moment ago; I was somewhere quite far from here. Me being here is a mistake."

"... Why go back to be with people who don't even like you?" The older man muttered darkly. Kyoshiro stopped for a moment, trying to make sure that he understood his old boss correctly.

"You don't know a thing about them."

"And they don't care to know about you either."

"That's... one of them is my sister: she cares about me." Kyoshiro furrowed his brow. Why was the warden trying to make him angry? And how did he even know that he had been traveling with people?

"Why have you been wandering around on your own, then? Shouldn't your friends be with you?"

"This place is confusing; we just got lost."

"Wouldn't you rather come back and work with me? Remember all the good times we had? Remember how many times a week someone would come to the front desk to ask about you? Remember how everyone welcomed you as a member of the family?"

"Family..."

The warden approached Kyoshiro, who looked confused.

"... You were the one who saved me, right Warden?"

"Of course. I was hunting in the woods when I heard some Wolfos get really aggressive. I found a young man bleeding on the ground, barely alive. Good thing I found you when I did, or else you wouldn't have made it."

... I wanted to die that day. I felt so hopeless, so unwanted. And really... I still feel that way, don't I? Kyoshiro cast his gaze towards the ground, not saying anything.

"M'boy, you forgot the most important thing."

"... Most important thing?"

"Yes. Come with me." The warden started to walk down the hallway, towards the dead end that Kyoshiro had found earlier. Kyoshiro was confused, but he did not know what else to do. In the end, he decided to follow the older man. When they turned the corner and found what would have been a dead end, Kyoshiro noticed that a door was waiting for them.

I do not recall that door being there. This is so odd. Are we really in the BH? How did we get back here? Kyoshiro watched as the older man walked through the door. When Kyoshiro followed him, a strange feeling put him on high alert.

"You can't catch me off guard that easy!" Kyoshiro declared as he effortlessly drew his weapon and turned to face whoever had been hiding in the shadows to surprise him. Kyoshiro's large blade clashed against something steel.

"Hah, so my instinct was right after all." Kyoshiro smirked, making eye contact with his would-be attacker. The man stepped closer to Kyoshiro, revealing himself.

"Now isn't this strange. What would the so-called Demon King Ganondorf be doing in a place like this?" Kyoshiro asked, raising an eyebrow as the two of them kept their blades locked. Neither of them conceded an inch. Though Kyoshiro was quite tall, standing at 195 cm, Ganondorf towered above him at 230 cm.

"So-called? Watch your mouth, boy. The only reason I have not paid back the injury you gave me in the desert is because our mutual friend very much wants you in one piece. Consider yourself lucky, you welp." With that, Ganondorf stood down. His eyes glared down at the Hylian.

"Mutual friend...?" Kyoshiro muttered, looking around the room. The warden was nowhere to be seen. As Kyoshiro was trying to figure out what exactly was going on, a shadow extended across the room. Before Kyoshiro realized what was going on, his entire body was restrained by something.

"Augh, what the hell...?" As Kyoshiro looked up, he was face-to-face with Princess Zelda!

"P-Princess? Wh-what in Din's name are you doing?" Kyoshiro could not hide the confusion on his face. Why was she not trying to rip Ganondorf limb from limb?

"I'm sorry, dear... but I only assumed this form to catch you off guard. I am not your precious Princess." The person who looked like Zelda smirked.

"Plus, her powers are just so handy."

"Just get it over with already." Ganondorf growled.

Kyoshiro could hear the sound of a book opening and pages turning. Suddenly, his eyes grew heavy.

"Besides the fact that he was able to so easily counter your so-called surprise attack, things are proceeding smoothly." A voice remarked. Though Kyoshiro's consciousness was fading away, he could recognize the voice of the person he could not see.

"D-damn... you... Kkla...dekk..." Kyoshiro muttered as Kkladekk's magic overcame him, putting him to sleep.

"Oh dear, he recognized my voice. I guess he does pay attention after all." Kkladekk chuckled.

"Why were you so adamant about this one?" Ganondorf asked gruffly.

"Twice already I have engaged Zukto and his friends. Once with your help, and once on my own. In both cases, only one person was able to inflict wounds on you or me. You mentioned before the wound Kyoshiro inflicted on you... I must admit that Kyoshiro's incredible skills with a blade are my handiwork. That is why he was able to catch both of us off guard."

"Your handiwork? Ah, right, I forgot that the welp has been working for you this whole time. I enjoy stuff like sabotage and betrayal." Ganondorf chuckled, an approving smile on his face.

"Kyoshiro was actually my newest, and last, recruit. I saved him from the brink of death, and got him to agree to work with me. Of course, he never knew who I actually was thanks to..." Kkladekk pulled a ring out of his pocket and approached Kyoshiro. He carefully removed the ring Kyoshiro received from Ricando, and replaced it with the new ring.

"The only reason Kyoshiro ended up with Zukto was because of an accident: that day, when Kyoshiro and Zukto met, Kyoshiro had left his ring in his room. Over time, he seems to have been able to overcome the effects of my magic.

But no matter: everything has been corrected now. Let us be off. Ruellian, let us find Shaikh Ethe. Ganondorf, we will be in touch shortly." Ruellian let go of Kyoshiro, knowing that Kkladekk wanted to bring Kyoshiro with them. He snapped when the swordsman was free of his restraints, which seemed to draw Kyoshiro from his slumber.

"Master?" Kyoshiro asked. His once steely blue eyes seemed to be clouded. Ruellian quickly left the room, intent on finding Shaikh Ethe.

"How are you, Kyoshiro? Feeling alright?"

"I am fine. Why do you ask? Did I get into a tight spot again?"

"Hm, yes, one might say that. But everything is alright now. Do you mind coming along with me? I have some important work for you that we need to discuss."

"Of course, Master. Anything for you." Kyoshiro and Kkladekk disappeared with a flourish of magic, leaving Ganondorf on his own.

"Hah, that fool. I can see it clearly: the Gods want Kyoshiro on their side. That is why he met Zukto. Trying to rely on that boy will certainly cause Kkladekk problems later... which will make things easier on me. I welcome this new development. After all, I must sacrifice Kkladekk in order to achieve my ultimate goal." Ganondorf's sinister laugh echoed in the room.

"Hm, now what do we have here?" Hylia remarked as she and Shaikh Ethe crossed paths with Zukto and Link.

Wait a moment, that cloak... is that Princess Zelda? Who is that with her? Zukto wondered. The tall, broad-shouldered figure standing behind Zelda was not immediately recognizable; it did not help matters that the person was wearing a tattered cloak and his face appeared to be covered with bandages.

"Zukto, brother of Kkladekk. So we meet at last." The bandaged male spoke.

"And you are?" Zukto asked, wondering why the man was hiding his face. Zukto could not help but think about Zelda when he stared at this mysterious person. Was she able to fool this person into thinking that she was one of them? Should he try not to say anything that could blow her cover in case she was trying to stall for time?

"I am Shaikh Ethe. I apologize, but Master Kkladekk will not tolerate your meddling. The more we can distract you, the better." Zukto noted the man's use of the word 'we.' So it must be true then, Zukto surmised, that Zelda was trying to trick him.

"If you want to fight us, we are more than willing to do so. Right, Link?"

"I shall fight by your side until the end." Link nodded. As soon as Link drew his blade, Shaikh Ethe's cloaked companion quickly extended her shadow and restrained Zukto. Zukto found himself thinking back to the first time he had been on the receiving end of Zelda's powers; though the experience had been nerve wracking in its own right, he was surprised to notice that she felt much stronger this time than before.

"I got you!" Link declared, remembering that had been able to sever the connection between Zelda and Zukto previously. Though he was unsure of who their opponent was this time, he was confident that he would be able to separate them just the same.

Hylia was anticipating Link's interference. Just as Link was about to cut through her shadow, she quickly withdrew it and then extended it towards Link! Link was immobilized when her shadow grabbed him, sword pointed at the ground.

"How about you let me have that?" Hylia asked smugly, her shadow reaching up to take Link's sword. He could offer no resistance in his state.

"Nice job, Ruellian. Can you restrain both of them at the same time?" The man asked. Zukto looked suspiciously at the cloaked woman, wondering if it really was Ruellian or Zelda pretending to be her. After all, when someone named Ruellian approached them earlier, Zelda had been able to single-handedly defend everyone from her. How then could Ruellian have gotten so adept at using Zelda's magic in such a short amount of time?

"You are leaving all of the fun to me? Very well." Hylia smirked, appreciating the fact that the man trusted her so much. Her shadow quickly grabbed onto Zukto's, and he could once again feel her power as she rendered him immobile. It was one thing to restrain one of them, but Zukto was impressed that she had the magic power and concentration necessary to restrain both of them.

"What now? They may be immobile, but if I let go of them they can just fight back." Hylia observed, wondering what Shaikh Ethe's end game was.

"Drop the act; you are not Ruellian. I can sense power way beyond what any typical mortal would possess." The man observed.

"Ahah, you think you figured out my secret?" Hylia mused, smirking.

"Let's figure out who is hiding beneath that cloak!" The man disappeared in a flash, taking Hylia by surprise.

Careful! His movements remind me a lot of Master Impa!

Still thinking that we are fighting a Sheikah?

Yes. Your senses are stronger than mine, so you should be able to detect his movements faster if you concentrate. He will likely come from the shadows to land a decisive blow before you can react. Sheikah are taught to fight their opponents without revealing themselves.

I think we can use his momentum against him. Hylia stood still, steadying her breath and focusing her hearing. Just as she heard what she thought was a footstep, she quickly let go of Zukto and Link's shadows and dissolved into her own. Just as she was disappearing, the man lunged at her from the darkness.

"Damn, she was able to detect my approach. You over there: do not move. This is between me and the woman." He warned. Zukto tightened his fist slightly, but did not want to make the situation even more complicated. It helped that the woman who had yet to identify herself seemed to be quite capable.

As the man spoke to Zukto and Link, Hylia reappeared behind him. In a flash, she ran Link's sword through his back! He coughed up a lot of blood, but just as quickly as Hylia had appeared he managed to slip a small dagger into his right hand and slash it towards her face without even looking back at her.

"Hmhm... I am impressed by your speed. However, the injury I inflicted on you is way more of a concern than the scratch you just gave me." Hylia mused. She absentmindedly reached a hand to her cheek to brush the blood off her face, which disturbed a lock of her hair. Zukto noticed her bright-colored hair immediately.

"Oh my, did I just give away my secret?" Hylia grinned, noticing that Zukto was staring at her with a look of confusion on his face.

"Wh-who are you?" The man coughed, sword still lodged in his back.

"My, you are still conscious? Perhaps I did not run you through enough." Hylia declared darkly.

Suddenly, Hylia could detect a high amount of magical power closing in on them.

"Stay behind me!" She ordered as she stood in front of Link and Zukto. As an afterthought, she quickly extended her shadow and retrieved Link's sword from out of the man's back.

"This was quite useful. My apologies for deceiving you before." She stated simply.

"What in Farore's name is going on here?" Link asked. Just as Link posed his question, Kkladekk appeared in the room with a small group of people in tow.

"I knew you were coming. Could not stand the thought of being left out, could you?" Hylia taunted him.

"Shaikh Ethe! Shit! Master, we have to help him!" Ruellian immediately got on her knees, trying to ascertain how serious her partner's wounds were.

"Dammit; it appears that my business took too long. I never suspected that I would arrive only to find one of my most reliable men in such condition. Ruellian, retreat with Shaikh Ethe and start treating his wounds; I will join you shortly."

"Yes, Master." Ruellian quickly disappeared with the injured man.

"That looked serious. Do you always play that dirty, my Princess?" Kkladekk asked, looking unamused.

"Princess? I am sorry... you got it all wrong." Hylia mused.

"Don't be cute with me; we have a score to settle. And I think I know the perfect way to do it." Kkladekk's face softened a bit as a man stepped out from behind him. Hylia, Zukto, and Link could hardly believe their eyes: it was Kyoshiro!

"Kyo? What the heck are you doing with Kkladekk?" Zukto asked.

"That's Master Kkladekk. And my name is not 'Kyo.' That's a cutesy name for little boys; in case you hadn't noticed, I am a man. If you underestimate me, you will pay the price."

This is a tough situation. Kyoshiro's mind is being manipulated somehow. Wrath observed.

Ah, Wrath. Yes, I suspected as much. No matter what though, we have to avoid excessively wounding him. Hylia directed her thoughts towards Wrath.

"You complain that I play dirty? What about you?" Hylia retorted, feeling nervous about Kyoshiro's role in their current predicament.

"You were the ones who started it. After all, you took Kyoshiro from me." Kkladekk pointed out.

"'Took him from you?' Zukto met with him, and I believe he agreed to follow Zukto of his own accord."

"Yes, unfortunately for me we had a bit of a... well, a bit of a problem anyway. But that is sensitive information that would not serve me well were it to get out." Kkladekk chuckled a bit.

"For the sake of clarification, Kyoshiro was working for you? For how long?" Hylia asked, trying to stall for time.

"Hmhmhm, how about I leave that up to your imagination? Now, Kyoshiro, your job is to keep these people busy. But you are not to kill the woman." With that, Kkladekk disappeared.

"You guys are our enemies. I will show you no mercy." Kyoshiro declared as he drew his weapon.

"Please, Kyoshiro, you are our friend. We do not need to fight. We should be fighting against Kkladekk." Hylia calmly spoke.

"Friends? Us? Please. I do not make friends with pathetic weaklings."

"Excuse me?" Hylia's eyes narrowed.

"You are the woman Master told me about. I have no idea what he sees in you. After all, women are inferior to men in battle and industry. Who has to build houses? Who has to kill game to put food on the table? Who has to defend our cities? Men. Our strength and valor on the battlefield cannot be matched by a mere woman."

"... Strength alone is not sufficient." Was all Hylia said, as she was trying not to take Kyoshiro's words to heart.

"To prove my point, how about all three of you fight me? I am not concerned about being outnumbered; I have been in other battles with odds worse than this."

"Someone needs to knock some sense into you! We accept!" Hylia declared as she quickly extended her shadow towards Kyoshiro. She grabbed onto his, intending to force him to drop his sword. She was surprised, however, at the amount of resistance she encountered.

"Hmm... trying to manipulate me, are we? I don't think so!" Kyoshiro firmly grounded himself and swung his upper torso away from Hylia, as if he was trying to pull her towards him. Hylia was caught off guard, and was unable to ground herself in time. Using her own magic against her, Kyoshiro was able to throw Hylia across the room.

She hit the ground a ways from him, her hood falling off in the process. Zukto and Link stared in disbelief: Zelda's hair really was blonde now! Even more surprising was the fact that her eyes were now a crystal blue color. Hylia glared at Kyoshiro as she quickly got back up on her feet.

"Hm. That is an intriguing look in your eyes. You are not just going to give up, are you? I can appreciate that. If you have other tricks up your sleeve, feel free to show them to me. The last thing I want is to be bored."

"Your concern about being bored really should be the least of your worries." Hylia darkly muttered as the Triforce of Wisdom on the back of her right hand lit up. At the same time, however, the Triforce of Power suddenly appeared on her left!

... Shit! Demise's influence is growing this much?!

A blinding flash of light obscured the room for a moment. When it cleared, Kyoshiro was caught in a web of golden chains. He tried to struggle against them, but they appeared unfazed by his efforts.

"What in Din's name is this?!"

Hylia stared at Kyoshiro, slightly aghast about what had happened.

"Princess, are you okay? What the heck is going on?" Zukto asked as he rushed up to her.

"... We need to talk, but not here; we cannot have this one overhearing us. Come. I know: you do not want to leave your friend behind. Neither do I, but we cannot do anything for him right now. Those chains will stall him, giving us enough time to get away." Hylia hurried out of the room, Link and Zukto in tow.

"... Master called her Princess, and that other guy used the title as well. So I see now why Master is interested in her: her status will likely come in handy. But I am interested in her for a different reason. When that light filled the room... I felt a terrifying amount of power resonate from within her. I want to see that power for myself. I have not been this excited about someone else for a while now." Kyoshiro mused, despite still being stuck in the trap Hylia left for him.

"Okay, so we must be out of earshot of him by now. Mind explaining yourself, Zelda? Oh, right... force of habit. I have a feeling that I know who you actually are. You must be Hylia." Zukto began.

"Yes, Zukto, I am Hylia. I have been controlling Zelda's body the entire day. She and I wanted to throw Kkladekk off, because we have reason to believe that he does not know about me. But funnily enough, Kkladekk never saw my face today.

So that is why my hair and eyes are different, and of course that is why 'Zelda' had been performing magic beyond her abilities ever since this morning. It is clear to me that she must train even more, as her power alone is completely insufficient to stand against Kkladekk and his machinations. Even I have difficulty against some of his subordinates, which is saying something."

"So Zelda can call upon you at any time now?" Link asked.

"Yes and no. She and I can openly communicate now, and I can switch places with her in a pinch. There is a slight problem, however. My magical power is much greater than she is accustomed to, so when I give Zelda control of her body again she will be quite fatigued; I ended up getting involved in a lot more today than I originally anticipated."

"The best thing we can do right now, then, is find a safe place to rest." Link reasoned.

"Yes, that would be the wisest course of action. Come. We must put distance between ourselves and this place... but as for where we can actually go, I am unsure." Hylia began walking again, though she did not appear to be in a hurry. She knew that the path she took to reach this place was now a dead end, so she hoped that the path everyone else took would be accessible.

"Today was quite the day. We met two more of Kkladekk's team, if you don't count Kyoshiro: Ruellian, and Shaikh Ethe. How many have we met so far, anyway?" Link asked.

"Perhaps those two are the only two we have met, besides Kyoshiro. Ganondorf does appear to be working with them, but I know him well enough to know that he is merely using Kkladekk. Ganondorf cannot actually be considered their ally." Hylia pointed out.

"Don't forget Krandses: he is controlling my brother, after all." Zukto added.

"We must figure out how to free Kyoshiro from their control. What the hell did they do to him?" Link sighed.

"That bothers me as well. Has Kyoshiro really been working with Kkladekk this entire time? I had not gotten that impression." Hylia frowned slightly.

"None of us did. It was a shock to me to see Kkladekk suddenly following my brother's orders like that." Zukto ran a hand mindlessly through his hair, looking exasperated.

"It is obvious to me that they are somehow controlling him. But it is a rather sophisticated magic that they are using, to also be able to suppress his memor—" Hylia began, but stopped herself as she realized with a start that what she was saying sounded exactly like the situation that Princess Zelda was struggling with.

"Oh merciful Gods, preserve us. The spell put on Zelda allows someone to control her, and also suppress her memories. If the same thing is happening to Kyoshiro, then it may be the case that he has been subject to the exact same spell." She looked pensive.

"But we did not see a mark on his face. Right, everyone? No one saw anything like that?" Link questioned.

"Now that you mention it, I did not see anything obviously different about him. His face seemed to be the same as always." Zukto looked thoughtful.

"Is it really the case then that Kyoshiro is being controlled? Might it be that he actually has been working with Kkladekk all along, and that he merely strung us along?" Link asked, looking somber.

"Wrath spoke to me, and he is quite certain that Kkladekk is exerting some kind of influence over Kyoshiro. I trust Wrath's perception." Hylia explained.

"Okay, so if Kyoshiro really is being controlled… then are the other people working for Kkladek also being controlled? Or is Kyoshiro the only one?" Link wondered out loud.

"That is certainly a question we need to consider. If Kyoshiro is the only one being controlled, then why? What is so different about him?" Hylia continued.

"Kyoshiro would not go after us like that, right? Not of his own will. My brother must realize this, which is why he has to go out of his way to suppress Kyo's memories of us. Kyoshiro will only fight against us if he has forgotten about us. I feel like we all considered one another friends, so…" Zukto muttered the last part.

"I suppose that you might have a point. At any rate… we are in quite the predicament. We have lost one of our allies, we cannot return to Hyrule, and we do not really have a safe place to stay. If we simply return to the village, it would be quite simple for Kkladekk to send someone after us. We need to get Kyoshiro back, but we have no idea how to do that at present. There has to be someone who would help us."

"With how things are proceeding, it is absolutely imperative that we find Zukto's parents!" Ricando declared, speaking in Charcaian.

"I am quite eager to find them, sir, but where do we even start? I barely know my way around this part of Charcai as it is." Zukto sighed, responding to the older man in Charcaian.

I guess he still wants to keep secrets from everyone. No matter. Hylia thought, somewhat amused.

"We must make haste to the Forest of the Ancients. You remember that forest, correct?"

"Yeah, sure I do. It isn't too far away from town… but we have already traveled so much today. We need to find a place to rest."

"We do not have that luxury right now. We need to return to the Forest as soon as possible."

"Everyone got that, right? I don't really know what's there, but apparently we need to hurry back to the forest we were wandering around in after arriving here." Zukto explained.

"I shall protect everyone to the best of my ability." Hylia nodded.

"Your protection and guidance is invaluable, Hylia." Link smiled, grateful that she was traveling with them.

"Hm… I ought to remind you, however, that I am not some replacement for Zelda. I may be more powerful than her, at least for now, but that woman has the power to significantly impact the course of your journey. Never forget that." She warned as they finally escaped from the underground lair. It was nearly nightfall, she noted.

"What is so significant about that forest, Ricando?" Zukto asked, speaking in Charcaian.

"Hylia observed that there is a powerful magic blanketing the area. I have a suspicion about what the source of the magic is, but you must take me there before I can be sure about its origins."

"Would the magic… be connected to my parents somehow?"

"Perhaps, or perhaps not."

"About that, though. You sound as though you have already tried to find my parents before we even came here. If there was something really so important hiding in the forest, wouldn't you have found it after all of this time?"

"Not necessarily, my boy. There is a place in the forest that people have not been able to explore. No ordinary magic could get in my way; there is an incredibly powerful seal that I believe we should investigate."

A seal, hm? Not that I would be able to do much about such a thing, but I guess checking it out won't really hurt… but this is going to be one long night. Zukto furrowed his brow slightly, worrying about how his friends would hold up throughout the night. There was no guarantee that their journey to the forest would lead to anything, and there was still the matter of where might be safe enough for them to rest for the night.

The journey back to town was quiet. Most of the townspeople had already retreated to their homes for the evening, so the group did not encounter any trouble. Hylia, however, could sense that someone was waiting for them in the direction of the forest.

Oh merciful Gods, please protect us. He is waiting for us; I can sense his presence.

"Everyone, if I could get your attention. I feel that it is only fair that I inform you of the fact that Ganondorf is waiting for us somewhere near the edge of the forest." Hylia announced calmly.

"Dammit, really? Why is he even out here?" Zukto replied tersely.

"We may have no choice but to fight. I will do my best to keep his attention on me, though."

"Do you still have the energy to fight?" Link asked.

"Yes, thanks to the Triforce of Wisdom. I would not worry about me, honestly; keep your wits about you."

Hylia felt steadily more nervous as they got closer and closer to Ganondorf. Her lifelong nemesis, Demise, had been reincarnated as Ganondorf; he certainly would not show any mercy to her, knowing who she was. No matter what kind of danger she was approaching, however, it was her duty to protect her people from his evil.

Visibility was much lower now, as the sun had completely set before they even got back to town. They could not see too far ahead of themselves, but Hylia knew that they were quite close to where Ganondorf was waiting for them. Suddenly a deep, masculine voice disrupted the peace of the valley.

"My, my, Hylia, it has been quite some time since we last crossed paths."

"Ganondorf…" Hylia gritted her teeth, trying to prepare herself for what was to come.

"That was a great trap you set for the boy: ingenious, really. Too bad for you that I was around to set him free, hm?" He chuckled ominously.

"My intention was not to imprison him for the rest of his life. We needed to escape, so I did what I had to in order to ensure we could get away."

"You may have escaped last time, but you will be unable to escape this time my dear Hylia. Do we not have unfinished business, you and I?"

"Ganondorf, if you want a fight then I suggest that you stop prattling on. I am about to run out of patience." Hylia stopped several feet away from the Gerudo man, watching him carefully.

"You know what I am after, and yet you still so boldly approach me? I suppose you never learn your lesson, do you?"

"Big talk coming from the guy who has consistently failed to defeat my two champions." Hylia taunted, a golden glyph appearing underneath of her. Large arrows materialized around her and began to fly straight towards Ganondorf. The arrows were bathed in a mystical light.

"Isn't it odd how you can never defeat me yourself? You always must rely on mortals to do your dirty work for you. Did you forget that?" Ganondorf grinned widely as he summoned many demons around him. Some of the demons dashed forward in order to take the blows from the arrows. Each time an arrow hit one of the demons, an explosion of bright light lit up the area.

"As much as I enjoy fighting with you, there is actually something else that I came for. You are in my way!" Ganondorf clenched his right fist, and the Triforce of Power began to glow with a brilliant light.

Shit! I need to draw him away from everyone else! Hylia began to run off, hoping that Ganondorf would follow; he did.

"Hylia! Not that way!" Ricando yelled in Hylian, too panicked to remember that no one else knew that he could speak their language. He knew the area well, and was worried because she was running in the direction of a river with a fast current.

"What in Farore's name?! Ricando speaks Hylian?!" Link looked over to Zukto, who seemed equally bemused.

"You can run, but you cannot hide from me!" Ganondorf declared as he closed in on Hylia. Hylia looked over her shoulder as she ran and fired a few beams of her light magic at the Gerudo man. One attack hit its mark, but it only slightly staggered her target.

"Hmmm, you must be getting tired. This is not the true strength of Hylia; why hold back against me? Don't you want me dead?" He taunted, laughing.

It must be because I have used up so much magic power in the course of this one day, but I cannot tell him that.

Hylia quickly stretched out her shadow in an attempt to restrict Ganondorf's movements. At first, it seemed like he was unable to resist his restraints.

"You, you underestimate me you foolish girl; I thought you knew better." Again, his Triforce began to glow. A glyph appeared underneath Hylia, and before she had time to react she could feel Ganondorf's dark magic coursing through her body.

"Aauuggh!" She cried out, unable to defend herself. At first his magic merely hurt, but as he continued to use it Hylia noticed that her consciousness was slipping.

"Zel-Zelda, I… I am… sorry… I cannot…" She muttered, before her vision blacked out. In a flash, Hylia's hair reverted back to Zelda's color. Zelda weakly opened her eyes, only to lock eyes with Ganondorf.

"G-Ganondorf… you suppressed her power." Zelda's breathing was labored.

"An excellent observation, my dear. Hylia was in my way; you are the one who I wanted to see."

"If you think… if you think that I will go anywhere with you… you have another thing coming." Zelda took a step backwards.

"You still defy me, even in your condition? You can barely stand up straight, Princess. You are not in a position to fight me."

"Nobody said… anything… about fighting you." Zelda pointed out, looking oddly defiant.

"What are you…?" Ganondorf's eyes narrowed at her.

This is my only chance to get away. Zelda took a deep breath, turned her back to Ganondorf, and quickly dove off the cliff they were standing on.

"Ugh, seriously?!" Ganondorf swore under his breath, and hurried to the edge of the cliff to see if he could find her.

"Shit! Zelda! Zelda!" Zukto yelled out, a dread filling his chest.

"We have to get him away from there! What if he goes after her? She cannot defend herself!" Link quickly drew an arrow and fired it at Ganondorf. Ganondorf easily avoided the projectile and threw an unamused scowl at Link.

"Boy, do you really think that testing me right now is wise?" He threatened.

"Might I remind you that I do not possess Wisdom? My forte is being brave enough to do the things that other people are too afraid to try." Link smirked.

"I do not have time for your wisecracks, boy. With only the two of you, there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop me. You've lost the swordsman who injured me back in the Desert, and you lost the Princess. You may have the Triforce of Courage, boy, but you do not understand how to use it. I, on the other hand, know exactly how to use mine…" The Triforce of Power lit up on his hand again.

"Quick, Zukto and Link, find Zelda! She needs you!" Nari exclaimed as she suddenly jumped out from Zukto's shadow and stood confidently between them and Ganondorf.

"Hahahaha! What is this? You have no hope of defeating me, so you send a little girl at me? I hope you realize that I show no mercy against even children!" Ganondorf's hands glowed with dark magic, and he fired a beam of concentrated magic towards Nari.

"Ganondorf! I am surprised that you seem to have forgotten about me!" Nari indignantly pouted as she disappeared. The magic that Ganondorf launched at her dispersed against the ground where she had been standing moments before.

"Zukto, listen! Go find the Princess! I will not repeat myself again!" Nari scolded as she reappeared behind Ganondorf. Her hands glowed briefly before chains shot out of nowhere straight towards Ganondorf. The chains snaked around his legs and arms, binding him in place.

"What the hell is this?!" Ganondorf's Triforce of Power glowed again as he tried to break free of his restraints.

"L-Link, we need to get going. Come! Down to the river!" Zukto looked back at Nari briefly before he ran off. He felt bad leaving her alone with Ganondorf, but it seemed clear that she did not fear fighting the Gerudo man.

"You are getting in our way! Back to Hyrule with you!" Nari snapped her fingers, and Ganondorf suddenly disappeared!

"Zelda! Zelda! If you can hear us…!" Zukto shouted as he and Link ran along the bank of the river.

"It's no use. Who knows how far along the river already took her…" Link sighed.

"We have to keep moving! With any luck, she was able to navigate herself to the shore. Wrath was with her, after all; he would have certainly helped her back onto land."

"Point taken. We always help each other when things get rough, and we aren't about to leave Zelda out there on her own."

"That's the spirit." Zukto smiled slightly.

Gods, please keep her safe…!

Charcai, is your spirit guiding the girl? By your grace, she will be safe and Zukto will finally understand why his role in your struggle is so vital. Ricando thought as he chased after Link and Zukto. He already knew that Zelda was going to be fine, so he did not even bother to scan the river for her.