A/N: Fixations done at 24.8.2015.
The picture I have in use as the cover for my CaH saga is from dA by an artist lychi and the picture's name is just simply Zelda.
Also, another note: I do NOT own the characters or places unless said otherwise. Nintendo has the rights. =P Honestly speaking, all I have is the idea for the story, few monsters, creatures and bit of changing the places. Oh, and couple of OCs here and there. ^^; I'm certain everyone can figure out which belongs to me and which doesn't. =)
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IMPORTANT! READ!
1) Letters From Hyrule will still be on hiatus / on hold. I hopefully can pick it up again as soon as possible. The least, hopefully, will be that it'll continue at January. ^^;
2) There are THREE stories in DeviantArt that are part of my CaH Saga. The first one is called Mission at Kakariko Village and it is one of the little missions Dark was send during Ganondorf's ruling. The second is called I WANT OUT! (Dark Link) and it is a song fic with small tid bits about Dark's life during those seven years. The third is about Dark creating a knife for a friend and being at the Christmas Ball.
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Thank You, triforce carrier, for your review! =D Really? Wow... That's a new thing... Glad you're happy with me having broken your scale of awesomness! ^.^
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Enjoy the chapter! ^.^
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DARK LINK'S QUEST
CHAPTER 21: The Fire Temple, part 5
The room Dark came into had very little of safe spots. There were lots of very thin pathways around there. The main thin pathway rounded the whole room and gave the dark Hylian a chance to get a better look around himself. He carefully stood on the thin pathway and leaned his back against the wall behind him. To his left were two pillars that would be easy to climb into. The problem was to get to them.
The sea of lava was very calm which was a good thing. Even a slight wave would already destroy lot of the thin pathways around there. Far away, on the other side of the room, seemed to be a door. Dark wasn't sure if it was open or not but the way to there was very long and there weren't any of pillars for safety. The only good thing was that the area seemed to be fully enemy free.
"Dark?" Link called carefully but he still startled the ex-shadow. Dark raised his gaze up and waited for the Hero to continue. "What does it look like? Is there any of way forward?" Link inquired calmly.
The dark Hylian took once a deep breath to calm down. The room felt oddly warmer than the earlier areas. "It seems safe and I think there's a door on the other side of the room." Dark answered and moved a bit to his right. "You can come down but be careful. The ways around here are extremely thin." He continued with a slight warning.
Link nodded and left to climb down. Sheik followed the whole scene from the ledge. Once the Hero had come down enough, Dark already took a grip of him. "I got you, don't worry." He half whispered and helped to steady Link on the pathway.
"Dear Goddesses! How the hell you can walk on this?" The Hero inquired bit freaked out about how thin the pathway truly was. "It's even thinner than any ropes!" Link exclaimed while fully leaning against the wall. Yet, as he watched around himself, he realized that the wall wouldn't provide safety for long enough before the road would separate from it. "Dark?" The Hero inquired bit fearfully.
Dark hadn't let go of Link even for a second. "I'm here. You can walk forward and I'll keep you balanced." He replied as confidently as he could. The Hero nodded but he wasn't certain at all. "Just walk forward. I won't let go. I promise." The dark Hylian continued and took a bit better grip of Link.
The Hero took once a deep breath before he pushed himself off of the wall. He gasped slightly and tried to balance himself straight off but before he had a chance to do much, Dark had him balanced already. Link sighed in relief and left to walk forward very slowly. Yet, the dark Hylian kept him in full balance whole time.
Slowly the Hero regained his confidence and his walking became more calm and steady. Dark slowly, unnoticeably, loosened his grip on Link. He stayed fully alert and ready to take a full grip on the Hero if needed. Yet, it seemed unnecessary.
Link kept his gaze on the far off being pillar. Calmly he walked forward while keeping himself balanced. Dark glanced backwards and was bit startled to see the Sheikah already down. He had hoped to be back at the wall before Sheik would've joined them at there.
The dark Hylian kept glancing from the Sheikah into the Hero and back. He didn't dare to leave Link out of his notion but he couldn't let Sheik get harmed either. And the distance kept increasing between the Sheikah and the ex-shadow. Dark sighed and took a better but unnoticeable grip of Link. "I'll be very soon with you, Sheik!" He finally called to the Sheikah as he glanced at him again.
The call had fully freaked Link out. He had been so concentrated in his walking that he had forgotten about the dark Hylian behind him. The Hero gasped in fear when his balance was shattered... Yet, he didn't lose the balance which only confused Link even more.
"I told you I got you." Dark told calmly. The Hero sighed fully relieved and relaxed. "Just continue walking." The dark Hylian continued with a small smile. "You were doing such amazing job already." He commented happily. Link nodded and concentrated back into his walking. And slowly the ex-shadow loosened his grip again on the Hero.
Once Link was safely on the first possible pillar, Dark turned around and head straight towards the Sheikah. Sheik was getting forward but very slowly. He had slightly better balance than what the Hero had but the Shadows in his blood didn't help that of much. "Need any help?" The dark Hylian inquired with a small grin while already taking a firm grip of the Sheikah's hand.
"Nice and easy." Dark half whispered as he started to back off while still holding on to Sheik's hand. The Sheikah only sighed nearly exaggerated but let the dark Hylian keep his hold and followed him forward. Soon the ex-shadow had brought Sheik to the same pillar where Link was at. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Dark inquired calmly. The Sheikah only snorted as he climbed to the pillar.
The dark Hylian just shrugged and leaned against the pillar while still standing on the thin pathway. "You should get up too, Dark." Link called bit worriedly. Even though the lava seemed to be still, he certainly didn't want to risk the ex-shadow's life at all.
"Okay..." Dark replied and climbed up. Yet, he stayed at the edge and sat down to it while dangling his feet over it. The dark Hylian was staring to the other side of the room where the door was at. He kept wondering how they would cross it safely and fast. He even thought about going to check the way forward on his own but in the end he didn't dare to leave the Hero alone with the Sheikah even though he knew that the duo would be perfectly safe with each other.
"I'll check the door and the way to it." Dark finally stated and jumped down to the thin pathway before Link or Sheik could say a word. Carefully, but without any of trouble, the dark Hylian started to walk on the pathway. The Hero and the Sheikah stared quite surprised how easily the ex-shadow walked forward.
Halfway to the door there was sound of a low growl. Dark stopped on his tracks and listened. He slowly turned to face the duo and his eyes widened in absolute terror. Both Link and Sheik had heard the same sound and they had taken out their weapons. Soon the shadowy beast came out of nowhere and glared at the Hero and the Sheikah. "NO!" Dark shrieked and left to run towards the pillar as fast as he could while withdrawing his sword.
He knew that creature. He had heard the stories. He had seen the picture. Yet, he had never thought any of them to be true. And now the monster was right in front of his eyes. The eater of Light. The only Shadow that would go against the beings of Light without any mercy at all.
The creature roared and lunged towards the duo. Its gleaming golden eyes with simple red dots for pupils were fully fixed on Link and it thoroughly ignored the Sheikah. The black misty monster got to the pillar, engulfed it into darkness and jumped off of there. Sheik stood up on the second the creature was gone but... He was alone on the pillar. "LINK!" The Sheikah shrieked and looked around in pure terror.
Dark still saw the creature since the Hero of Time, Hyrule and Light was giving out slight light as the creature had him fully engulfed inside it. The dark Hylian growled, sheathed his sword and jumped or rather dived forward. He was going by instinct now and all he could think was to get Link out of that creature and into safety as fast as possible. "Protect." Was the only word that flashed through his head while leaving no room for anything else at all.
Dark hit to his hands on the extremely thin pathway and started to run on all four. "Shadows, help me, please!" He begged desperately as he ran like a wild cat. He jumped against the pillar where Sheik was standing and bounced off of it while chasing after the Shadow. The Sheikah was bit startled when he saw the black bow and quiver with arrows in it on the pillar in front of him.
"GIVE HIM BACK, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Dark screamed in full rage and followed the path the Shadow was taking. Slowly but surely the dark Hylian was catching the creature. And soon he dived straight through the shadowy beast and ripped the Hero out of the Shadow's clutches.
Dark somersaulted on the thin pathway as he protected Link with his own body. After the fast somersault, the dark Hylian crouched down and hid as much as possible of the Hero. The ex-shadow had his right hand on the pathway while crouching as down as possible without fearing to cause harm to Link. He kept his eyes tightly shut and listened as the monster moved in front of him from behind.
"Leave or I swear I'll rip you into pieces..." Dark threatened furiously while quietly growling and shaking out of pure rage.
"You'd have to leave the Light unprotected to do such." The creature replied smugly. The dark Hylian's growling got slightly louder but it certainly didn't scare the Shadow at all. "You're a fool if you think you can keep him away from me." The monster continued calmly.
Suddenly a bright flash of light startled both of them. Dark gasped but the Shadow screamed a bit in pain. The next Light Arrow struck harder into the creature. The dark Hylian gasped again and tried to protect Link even more as he flinched at the light. "USE A DEKU NUT!" The ex-shadow screamed after the third arrow got the monster to back off slightly.
Sheik was bit startled but he certainly wasn't going to complain on this one. Very swiftly he tied a Deku Nut into the next arrow and let it fly. Dark tried to shield the Hero even more as he kept his eyes shut as tightly as he could. Yet, he couldn't protect himself as well as he would've liked to.
The arrow struck next to the Shadow and the Deku Nut broke open. Dark flinched harshly and gasped in pain while the creature started to scream in agony. "You'll pay for this!" The monster shouted and tried to attack against the dark Hylian. Yet, Sheik let few more Light Arrows fly and kept the dying Shadow off of the duo.
Eventually the screaming ended and Dark sighed in relief while relaxing a bit. "Link...?" He called weakly as he carefully moved to get a better look at the Hero. Link was fully unconscious but alive. The dark Hylian sighed again and carefully started to get up while making sure that the Hero didn't touch the lava around them at all.
"Dark, is Link...?!" Sheik shouted in full worry. Dark didn't answer but once he had managed to get up with Link in his arms, he started to walk towards the pillar. The dark Hylian tried to stay out of breaking into pieces as he carefully helped the Sheikah to get the Hero to the pillar.
"Sheik... Help him... Please." Dark begged quietly as he backed away from the pillar a bit. "He... He needs light..." He continued in verge of tears while fighting to keep his voice from breaking. Sheik only glanced at him before nodding and turning fully to the Hero.
Dark sat down to the pathway and broke down. "It's my fault... I should've seen it... I should've remembered... If Link..." He thought miserably. "I have to get Sheik out of here... After that he can kill me if Link doesn't make it through..." The dark Hylian continued while nearly gasping for air as he cried. "Yet, no death will be good enough... Dear Goddesses, why didn't I see it?! Why didn't I sense that freaking beast?! If Link... It's my fault..."
Sheik had no idea what he was supposed to do. "Needs light... What the heck that's supposed to mean?" He thought fully puzzled but he placed his hands over the Hero and closed his eyes. "Fine... Let's see what this'll do." The Sheikah thought and concentrated into light magic. Same which was used in the Light Arrows.
Sheik carefully placed his hands onto Link's chest while keeping the magic on. Suddenly the light spread all around the Hero and the Sheikah pulled back in full shock. Yet, the magic continued on and started to brighten up. Sheik gasped as the light became too bright for him to watch anymore and he tried to protect his sight by his arm.
Once the light faded, nothing seemed to have changed at all. The Sheikah sighed in disappointment and slumped a bit. "Shit... I thought that would've helped..." He thought when suddenly the Hero started to cough. Sheik gasped in full surprise and shot forward to help Link to his side.
"Link... Are you alright?" Sheik asked bit fearfully as the Hero's coughing started to calm down. Link was still breathing quite fast and slightly shaking. The Sheikah glanced at the dark Hylian and frowned. Dark hadn't noticed a thing around him but it was clear that he was crying. Yet, Sheik turned his gaze back to the Hero in worry.
"I... I'm okay..." Link finally whispered and started to calm down. He kept his eyes closed but sat straighter. "W-what was that damn creature?" The Hero inquired fully confused and finally opened his eyes.
Sheik shrugged. "I have no idea but I think Dark knows the monster." He replied and turned his gaze into the ex-shadow. The Sheikah frowned since Dark didn't seem to hear a thing what was going on. Link blinked few times before he turned his gaze into the dark Hylian.
The Hero knew that situation way too well. He had seen the dark Hylian break down more often than not. "DARK!" Link screamed out as loudly as he could. That call startled the Sheikah too but it fully freaked out the dark Hylian.
Dark gasped and nearly fell off of the thin pathway. He leaned backwards and took a grip of the pathway to steady himself on it. The ex-shadow stared wide-eyed at the Hero before he scrambled to his feet and ran straight to the pillar. "LINK!" The dark Hylian nearly shrieked on the second he realized what he was seeing. He climbed up to the pillar very swiftly and instantly embraced Link extremely tightly.
"Dear Goddesses! Link! I thought... I... Sheik... Thank You, thank you! You saved his life! Oh dear goddesses..." Dark nearly rambled on while he cried out of relief of seeing the Hero alive and well. Sheik stared fully shocked at the scene Yet, very soon the dark Hylian let go of Link and bowed his head in full shame. "I'm so sorry! I should've seen that bastard! I should've been able to prevent this! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He nearly wailed while breaking fully down in shame and fear.
"Dark..." Link called quietly while being fully taken off guard. "Darky... It's okay..." He continued nearly instantly as gently as possible and carefully hugged the crying darker Hylian.
"I'm sorry... I didn't... I'm so sorry!" Dark kept whispering but he accepted the hold and even returned it halfway. Link tightened the hug slightly and tried his best to calm the broken Hylian down. Yet, that situation was very short lived.
Sheik moved to other side and forcefully pulled Link off of Dark. Right after that the Sheikah took a grip of the dark Hylian's tunic and pulled him close. "You'd better explain what that freaking bastard was and why in Goddesses names you ran on all four at there!" He growled fiercely while pointing towards the thin pathways.
Dark was scared to death at that point but the last words took him off guard. "...What?" He asked fully confused. "Could you repeat that...?" The ex-shadow nearly begged while trying to make some sense to the whole situation.
"Idiot!" Sheik screamed. "I asked you to explain that mon—" He continued but Dark cut him short.
"NO! Not that part... The second one..." He half shouted and shook his head. "You said that..." The ex-shadow continued fully puzzled and frowning.
"Yeah. You ran on all four at there!" Sheik replied furiously and fully glared at the dark Hylian. "You'd better explain how the hell you can do something like that!" He continued harshly.
Dark fell silent as the words kept going circle in his head. "Ran on all four." He frowned and shook his head. "...No..." The ex-shadow whispered while slowly starting to hyperventilate. "It can't... No..." He closed his eyes tightly and broke down all over again. "When... Where... How... It just... No..." The dark Hylian mumbled in near panic.
"Leave him alone!" Link screamed and finally pushed the Sheikah off of Dark. "This certainly is NOT the way to get answers!" He continued furiously and carefully hugged the dark Hylian again. Dark gasped in shock and shot his eyes open. "It's okay, Dark. Everything's okay. We're all safe and sound. This is NOT your fault. Not even slightest bit." He whispered carefully and gently while doing all he could to help the ex-shadow. "Dark, please, talk to me. Tell me what's going through your head right now." Link half begged quietly.
Dark was slowly calming down. He leaned against the Hero and closed his eyes."I..." The dark Hylian whispered quietly before falling silent again and taking once a deep breath. "The creature... It's called as The eater of Light. It is the only Shadow monster that hunts Light beings. You, Sheik... You have bit of Shadow blood in your veins but Link... You're the Hero of Light. That's the reason it went after you." The ex-shadow started silently and dried few tears as he opened his eyes and stared at the rocky surface in front of him.
"They say it either kills the victim extremely brutally or... Or it'll turn them into ReDeads..." Dark continued quietly. He didn't dare to look at either one of the two. The dark Hylian gulped once before already going forward with his explanation. "Others can save the victim but... But that what the creature already stole... Can't be salvaged... Unless..." His explaining became more and more uncertain as he went forward and soon he fell silent.
"Unless what?" Sheik inquired harshly. Link gave a quick glare to the Sheikah while Dark only flinched and started to shake again.
"U-unless the one protecting the victim comes forth..." The dark Hylian nearly mumbled. Sheik huffed and shook his head. He was just going to inquire more but Link shut him up very quickly by even more harsher glare.
"Could you explain a bit more, please?" The Hero inquired calmly. Dark gave a quick nod and tried to gather himself back together. "It's okay, Dark. Take your time." Link whispered gently.
"The protector... It's another Shadow... A Shadow that has latched itself into the victim. A Shadow that has taken a form and who has swore to protect the one it has latched into..." The ex-shadow explained nearly ashamed. "I... I didn't..." He whispered and stared at his hands.
"That cat like run! What the hell was that about?!" Sheik screamed furiously. Dark flinched thoroughly and gasped. He slumped fully and tried not to break down again. Link let go of him while nearly growling. Right after that he slapped the Sheikah hard.
"I told you to LEAVE HIM ALONE!" The Hero screamed thoroughly furious. He would've loved to strike Sheik again as he clenched his hands into fists. "Keep your mouth shut." Link nearly hissed as he glared at the Sheikah.
Sheik stared at the Hero fully shocked. He had never thought for anything like this to happen. The Sheikah stayed silent and he just stared while Link closed his eyes and took few deep breaths in hopes of calming down. After that the Hero turned around and very gently embraced the dark Hylian again.
"I'm sorry about that idiot. Just ignore him." Link whispered as calmly as he could. Dark was shaking badly and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel. The whole situation was thoroughly out of his grasp. Everything just hurt. Both physically and mentally. And the dark Hylian just didn't understand at all about what was going on.
"The protector... It... No... Every Shadow has this instinct side of them. But it only comes up within the ones that has latched themselves into someone because they have someone to fight for. The only instinct they do have is simply... Protect." Dark finally started as he stared at the rock in front of him.
"Most say that it's Protection Mode but few also call it as Hunting Mode. It is time when the Shadow can't remember a thing... All they do realize is to protect and fight for the one they have latched themselves into... Even to death if need be. It is the time when the Shadow uses all they have to protect the one they've latched into..." He continued nearly sorrowfully.
"So... Are you saying that you—" Sheik nearly whispered but fell thoroughly silent when Link glanced at him quite warningly. Dark simply nodded.
"I don't know how, when or where but... Somehow I have latched myself into Link... It's the only explanation for my actions." He whispered nearly inaudibly while closing his eyes all over again. "I... I didn't mean it to happen..." The dark Hylian continued and broke down once again. "I'm sorry!" He nearly screamed.
"Well, I'm not." The Hero stated confidently and carefully got Dark to look at him. "You saved me from that beast. And you certainly are one of the most important persons in my life. So, yeah, I'm absolutely happy that we have this strong connection." Link continued with a small smile on his face.
The dark Hylian just simply nodded but stayed silent. He was still trying to make some sense to the whole thing. "Dark..." Sheik started and startled the ex-shadow. Link nearly growled and turned to glare at the Sheikah. "You said that the protector doesn't have any of memory..." Sheik continued but left the question unasked.
Dark sighed and nodded. "All I can remember is seeing that beast and running towards it with a sword in my hand. After that the next thing is having Link in my arms. Everything between..." He half whispered but trailed off soon and shook his head. "I don't remember how I got Link out of that creature or what happened to it..." The dark Hylian continued but suddenly he freaked out. "Shit! The creature!" He nearly shrieked and shot to his feet while looking nearly frantically around in search of the monster.
"It's dead." Sheik stated calmly. Dark shot his gaze into him on that second and even Link looked bit confused at then and there. "You told me to use a Deku Nut. Hell, you even gave me these." The Sheikah continued and showed the bow and the quiver with arrows. The dark Hylian sighed in full relief and crashed to his knees.
"Thank You." He nearly whispered and tried to relax. "I would've gladly watched that beast suffer. Its kind is the only one whom I accept to be killed by the Deku Nuts. The only Shadow that I hate the most." Dark stated nearly calmly and took the bow and quiver back as Sheik offered them to him.
"Dark?" Link called bit worriedly as he watched the dark Hylian. "Are you alright?" He continued even more concerned as the ex-shadow turned his gaze into the Hero after pocketing his weapons. Dark just simply nodded but it was certain that he wasn't fully okay. "What's going through your head right now, Darky?" Link inquired carefully.
The dark Hylian shook his head and moved off of the pillar. "We should get the hell out of here. I don't know how many of those beasts are in here." He stated quite confidently. "The thing is that they like extremely warm and lighted places... Like what this is." Dark continued nearly angrily.
"And how are we going to get to the other side?" Sheik asked as he came to the edge. Dark gave a short chuckle.
"Simple. Link goes first, I'll be on middle and you're last, Sheik." The dark Hylian stated calmly. The Sheikah narrowed his eyes but the ex-shadow was fast to answer. "I can keep Link on balance and eye on him. You're not having as much of danger of getting attacked by that creature. And you have bit better balance on your own. You are free to keep a grip on me if you want to."
"How many is in one place at once?" Link inquired as he carefully came down to the thin pathway. Dark was very quick to balance him and help the Hero bit forward to give Sheik enough room to come down too.
"Only one but it doesn't mean that others wouldn't be close by." The dark Hylian replied bit worriedly. Link nodded and started to walk forward on the pathway. Sheik sighed and shrugged as he placed his hands to the ex-shadow's shoulders. The trio walked carefully forward towards the door.
On the second they reached the door, Link already opened it and went inside. Dark and Sheik followed straight off. The duo shut the door and sat down to the floor. "Glad that's behind now." Link half whispered and both the dark Hylian and the Sheikah nodded.
"Is this the reason the Shadows think that I betrayed them?" Dark thought miserably as he stared at the floor. "The fact that I'm connected with Link far more than I thought? Is that the reason they hate me? I know Link is the Hero of Light and the Shadows don't exactly have the rights to touch him... Did I somehow break a rule or something?" The dark Hylian sighed sorrowfully and closed his eyes. "If that is the case, then I have to meet with a Shadow and get the truth out... And if it truly is the reason they think I betrayed them... Then I have to find a way to break that connection."
"Dark?" Link called and carefully crouched down in front of the ex-shadow. Dark snapped his head up bit startled. The Hero sighed sorrowfully and carefully embraced the dark Hylian. "It'll be okay, Darky. We'll fix this fully. I promise." He whispered confidently.
Dark sighed sorrowfully but nodded. He kept his gaze off of Link but he did lean into the hold. "Guys... We got a problem..." Sheik called as he watched the room. Both the Hero and the dark Hylian turned to look at him but nearly instantly their notion turned into the figure at the other side of the room.
The room was nearly a square shaped. The area they were on was bit higher than the midsection of the room. There was a short pathway to the mid area of the room. That area had equal looking squares as were at the Forest Temple with the exception of falling and rising ceiling. On the other side of the room was laying a Shadow.
The creature stared at the trio with its gleaming red eyes. It stood up and showed itself fully. A four legged animal. It's ears were sharper and bit thinner than what wolves and such have. The legs were surprisingly long compared to the rest of the creature's body. The face looked like a wolf's. There was two tails; one fluffy and long while the other one was equally long, it wasn't fluffy but more like a lion's tail.
The Shadow shook itself slightly before sitting down. "I have been waiting for you." It started calmly and looked straight at Dark. It ignored the two others fully. "Welcome to the Riddle Game. I'm sure you've heard about this." The creature continued and waited until the dark Hylian had nodded slowly. "Good. Then you can give the rules to your comrades. After that we can start this little fun." The Shadow stated and stretched a bit.
Dark took once a deep breath and stood up. "Okay... We're not going to get across without playing her little game." He started carefully.
"What the hell do you mean?" Sheik inquired bit harshly while ignoring the Hero's glare. The dark Hylian sighed and turned to face the Sheikah.
"What I mean is that the Shadow has made traps into that field. We cannot go forward without playing along." He stated as calmly as he could.
"What kind of game?" Link inquired calmly and stood up too.
"Riddles. They'll be told in full Shadow and only to me." Dark started bit hesitantly. "I... I cannot ask for help from either of you so..." He continued but trailed off.
"What'll happen if you answer wrongly?" Sheik inquired straight off.
"She'll break three blocks on our way." Dark answered and avoided fully to look at the Sheikah. "And if I answer right we can move forward. Yet, we cannot return backwards or reuse blocks that one has been onto already." He continued quite fast.
I don't think we got any choices... So, let's begin." Link stated confidently and walked to the start of the area. Dark followed him very close and Sheik came after him. "Just the white areas, right?" The Hero inquired and the dark Hylian nodded.
"I'll tell the moves so you two only follow what I say. Okay?" The ex-shadow nearly begged. Link nodded without a second's thought. The Sheikah sighed, shrugged but nodded finally. "Okay... Let's begin this..." Dark called to the Shadow.
The creature nodded and stood up. It started to pace in front of its own side of the area. "It has three parts. Same shape. Three holders." The Shadow started.
Dark snorted and shook his head. "Easy..." He half mumbled. "The Triforce, the Golden Power that was left behind by the three Goddesses." The dark Hylian answered with a slightly confident smile. The creature huffed but nodded. "Okay, let's take the first step." Dark called and took his place on the game board. Link and Sheik followed and took their places on different sides of the ex-shadow.
The Shadow kept pacing around the area as it thought through for the next riddle. "Huge creature. Red. Wings." The creature stated and stopped its pacing as it stared at the dark Hylian. Dark thought through the words over and over again but suddenly he figured it out.
"Nogard..." Was the first word that came into the ex-shadow's head. "A dragon." He finally stated and out of the huff the creature gave out, it was clear to be the right answer. "Forward." Dark called calmly and chose his next road while the Hero and the Sheikah followed.
The Shadow thought its head through before it stopped its pacing once again. It crouched down slightly and placed one paw above one of the tiles on the game board. It was clear that the creature was certain of getting one hard riddle into there. "Huge. Flies. Bird of the Gods." It finally stated with a small grin on its face.
Dark frowned and stared at the floor. Those four last words were what rang a bell in his head but he couldn't find the word. "What did Link say about the bird...?" The dark Hylian wondered. "It flew with the Gods and Goddesses. According to the legend the first Hylians had a bird of their own... But that's not what I'm looking for!" The ex-shadow growled slightly as he tried to remember. "The name... What did Link say about it...?" Dark sighed and sat down.
The creature smirked. "Time's running..." It called and started to swish its two tails from side to side. "What is the answer, shadow?" It inquired nearly smugly.
"Give me a sec!" Dark nearly growled back and shot a glare to the creature before already starting to go through different words in his head. Suddenly his expression brightened. "Lives at high above. Just like some people live at attics or, better yet, at loft places. And the bird's second part comes from the huge wings." The dark Hylian suddenly recalled. "LOFTWING! It's a Loftwing!" The ex-shadow nearly screamed in joy and stood back up.
The Shadow hissed in anger and started to pace again. Dark just simply nodded to show it was safe to move forward. Things continued easy for halfway through the area. That was when the dark Hylian made his first mistake.
Dark was fully certain of the answer so he didn't think twice before he already blurted it out. "A wolf—NO! Wait, a fox! A FOX!" The dark Hylian shouted out but the creature grinned smugly.
"Answer is given and found to be wrong." The Shadow stated and eagerly jumped to the first white block. From there it chose its way forward while the ex-shadow cursed. The blocks the creature jumped into crumbled into pieces and fell down. The Shadow chose one of the black ones after the third white block and sat down looking extremely pleased about its work.
"Dark?" Sheik inquired and looked at the dark Hylian. Dark didn't dare to face either of his comrades.
"A mistake which will NOT happen again." The dark Hylian answered fully ashamed and bit angrily. The Sheikah only snorted and whispered few words that he knew that Dark would hear. This was waited for. The ex-shadow sighed sorrowfully and gave a quick glare to the shadowy creature.
"Hey, Dark." Link called and the dark Hylian raised his gaze up to him. The Hero gave him a reassuring smile. "Everyone makes mistakes. It's no big deal." He stated confidently. Dark sighed but nodded. "Just calm down and concentrate. It'll go perfectly fine." Link continued calmly and the ex-shadow nodded again with a small smile. The Hero's smile widened a bit and he nodded back.
The riddles started to get harder from there on. Sometimes Dark knew the answer but he couldn't find the right word. And explanations weren't accepted. Slowly the creature was getting closer to them which only led the dark Hylian to make a different plan than what he had used so far.
After answering once again right, Dark gave his orders. "Link, get two blocks towards right and Sheik one to left." As the duo moved forward, the dark Hylian stood his place. It was only after second such move that the Hero and the Sheikah realized what the ex-shadow was doing.
"Dark... You're blocking your own movement." Link nearly whispered as he realized that the only white blocks where Dark could get were right in front of him after one black block. The Hero and the Sheikah were taking the white blocks from both sides of the white and black column.
"I know. It'll be okay." Dark replied as calmly as he could. Link and Sheik tried to protest against the new plan but the dark Hylian refused to listen to any of words said against the idea. "Just knock it off! I know what I'm doing, okay!" The ex-shadow nearly barked back and turned his gaze off. The Hero and the Sheikah didn't really have any of choices since if they didn't use all three blocks forward, the creature would destroy one and get closer to them.
The Shadow cursed silently as it realized the situation. Dark was trying to get Link and Sheik over before the creature could catch them. In the end it didn't take much to get the duo to the other side of the room. By that time the Shadow had changed its objective and made its way straight in front of the ex-shadow. "Well, well, well... Looks like you're in bit of trouble." It whispered with a slight grin.
"It depends fully on how you want to look at it." Dark replied as calmly as he could. The creature only snorted and shook its head. "So... The next riddle?" The dark Hylian inquired carefully. The Shadow only shrugged but it did think for the next riddle it could come up with.
Unfortunately for the Shadow, the next riddle was easy for Dark. Yet, the creature was grinning as she stood on the black square next to the dark Hylian. "How do you think you're going to get forward, hmm?" It inquired calmly.
Dark took once a deep breath and grinned slightly. "Just watch and learn." He replied, backed off as much as the square gave him rights... And ran. The black square crumbled underneath him but after a quick somersault, the ex-shadow did reach the white block. He sighed in relief and relaxed slightly.
The Shadow cursed and growled. "Cheater!" It screamed angrily but couldn't really prove it. It was one block forward after all.
"Nothing tells one couldn't do it this way. It might be bit more dangerous but not breaking any rules of the game." Dark replied nearly smugly and glanced at the creature. The Shadow was sheathing in anger but it couldn't do a thing. "So? Next one, please?" The ex-shadow inquired calmly. The creature huffed and turned her gaze off.
"Dark, why wouldn't you go on all four like before? You were faster on that way!" Sheik called surprisingly calmly. Dark flinched slightly and gave a slight angry gaze to the Sheikah.
"Because it's instinctual! I can't do it just like that!" The ex-shadow replied bit angrily. The sudden gasp from the Shadow got the dark Hylian to flinch. "Oh... Shit..." He thought in near panic.
"YOU'VE DONE WHAT?" The creature shrieked in full fury and ran towards Dark. The ex-shadow gasped in shock and turned around. The black block between him and the next white square rose up. The Shadow shot to its hind legs and brought its front paws to both sides of the dark Hylian's head while glaring with full force straight into Dark's eyes. The black block slowly turned into being see through and allowing both Link and Sheik see what was happening.
"DARK!" Link screamed and without Sheik stopping him, he would've ran straight for the dark Hylian's help. "Let me go! I have to help him!" The Hero shouted while fighting against the Sheikah's hold.
"Don't. I don't think this is what you think it to be." Sheik replied calmly while he watched at the scene. There was something that kept telling him that things would calm down very soon without anyone getting hurt.
Dark was fully scared and he was slightly shaking. The creature glared down at him. "What the hell have you done?" The Shadow questioned in near sneer. The ex-shadow gulped once while trying to gather his crumbling thoughts.
"I... I... There was The Eater of Light..." The dark Hylian whispered fearfully. The creature jumped at the name and it blinked once in thorough shock.
"The eater of Light?" The Shadow queried and glanced at the Hero before returning its gaze into the ex-shadow. "The Hero of Light...?" It continued in near whisper and waited for an answer.
Dark sighed and relaxed. "He's okay. I managed to save things and Sheik gave the Light Treatment." He answered while closing his eyes. The Shadow narrowed its eyes almost threateningly.
"I need to see that." The creature answered harshly and the ex-shadow nearly flinched at that. "Open your eyes. Now." The Shadow continued commandingly. Dark gulped once, slumped slightly but did as the creature asked. They locked eyes before very slowly the Shadow let their foreheads touch. "Let me through..." It whispered calmly. The dark Hylian took once a deep breath and tried to calm down as he gave the access to the Shadow.
The creature went fast through the latest memories but she stopped once she found what she was searching for. The realization and notion of the Shadow Beast. The wolf like Shadow frowned as she went through the memories very slowly. The running, falling to all four and continuing the chase, giving the bow and arrows, the attack and ripping the Hero out while taking back all of the stolen Light without realizing it, the threats, the fight, the death of the Shadow Beast, bringing the Hero to the pillar and slight light coming from the pillar without realizing it...
The creature pulled away and started to pace for a while. Dark sighed, relaxed and slid down to sit on the white block. The black one slowly returned to its place on the floor. "You have a connection with him..." The Shadow stated out the truth.
The ex-shadow simply nodded and waited for the accusations. "I'm grateful of that. You saved the Hero's life." The creature nearly whispered and finally stopped her pacing. She sat down and watched Dark with slight admiration. Eventually the Shadow nodded. "Thank you."
The dark Hylian blinked in full surprise. "You... You don't hate me for having latched myself into the Hero of Light?" The ex-shadow asked in full confusion. The Shadows chuckled and shook her head.
"Why would I hate you when you do as you're supposed to? You saved his life." The creature replied calmly. "Now, you should go. The Sages need your help. Along with the Shadows. But do not worry. You latching yourself into the Hero is NOT the reason some of the Shadows are mad at you. I'm sure you will find out the reason soon enough." The Shadow continued, turned her back to Dark and moved to the other side of the room. She turned around and sat down. "Go. You are needed." The creature stated and lay down to the floor.
The ex-shadow sighed in relief and stood up. He calmly walked to the other side of the room. Before he could've said or done a thing, Link already embraced him quite tightly. "I was worried for you." He whispered before letting go of the dark Hylian. "Are you okay? What happened?" The Hero inquired nearly instantly.
Dark sighed again and gave a small smile. He glanced at the Shadow on the other side of the room before turning his gaze back to Link. "I'm fine. She only wanted a proof of my words. And even though I can't remember, it doesn't mean I wouldn't have the memories." The ex-shadow replied calmly. "But, we should continue. The longer we are here, the longer the Sages are in danger." He continued carefully.
The Hero sighed but nodded. He let go of the dark Hylian and glanced once at the Shadow. The creature was watching them but hadn't moved from her place. Sheik and Dark already walked to the door before Link followed them.
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A/N: So... Any Detroit Red Wings fans around? ^.- This was very unintentional promotion for the ice hockey team. ^^; In fact, I realized the connection only after having written it. XD
So, review, please! =D Even anonymous ones are accepted but if you got a account in here or at DeviantArt, inform of the penname so I can leave a review reply! Otherwise the review reply will be on my profile page or in the next chapter! Thank You!
Also, flames are accepted but those shall be for Axel's entertainment or for Demyx's practice! =P
Still in working:
1) Do a drawing from one of my stories and I'll write you a story OR I can give bit of preview from upcoming chapters or next stories. =)
2) Send questions to Dark and/or Link! Also, other characters will be answering if you want to send a question for them! =)