Were you able to figure out the puzzle of the labyrinth from the last Chapter?

If not, don't worry, because the next installment is here! :D

Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 21 – Deceit

The light from the torch in the room began to fade as Vio ran further and further from its reach… and he noticed in a quiet panic how the journey back through the same passageway was taking longer… but, right before he felt as if his strength were starting to fail him, a dim light began to shine at the end of the tunnel.

Picking up his speed, the young hero let out one last burst of energy as he ran through the tunnel, only stopping in a huff as he reached the exit, nearly running into the other three Links waiting nearby. In an instant, the three heroes- who had been sitting down as they waited- sprung to their feet as they began to crowd him. He… he'd made it, and they were still there. Still, the battle was only half over.

"Vio! Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"Are you being chased by a bad guy?"

Panting, Vio shook his head as he waved a hand off to the others, catching his breath as he looked around them quickly. "The… the door that I had us go through earlier," he explained as he looked around him at the numerous entryways, though ignoring the questioning cries of the others. "Which one was it?"

Red, having remembered the door to the right which they had taken, instantly turned towards the door as he pointed at the engravings above it. Gritting his teeth, Vio walked up slowly to it, looking up at the writings…

"… It's the one that says 'through here', right?" Green asked, uneasy and worried for how Vio was acting, though following close behind him.

Giving a grim smile, Vio nodded. But, before the others could follow him, the purple hero whirled around and ran across the room, instead stopping at the doorway which was lying directly opposite of the first. He beamed as he looked up at the engravings above it… "I knew it…" he whispered to himself in triumph as he read the engravings, "How could I not have seen it before? So stupid…" He shook his head with a sigh, lost in his own thoughts as he re-evaluated their situation.

"Well? What's this one say?" Blue demanded, his patience wearing thin as a frown covered his face.

Vio's grin turned into a brief smirk as he looked wryly at the other, raising an eyebrow. "To spell it out, it reads, 'e-r-e-h, h-g-u-o-r-h-t'."

"Ereh…. hguorht?" Red struggled to say in puzzlement, twisting his tongue as he tried to speak, completely confused at what Vio had said. "Uh… what?"

"Vio, what's going on?" Green asked sternly, annoyed at still being unable to understand their friend's erratic movements and strange words.

"This is the way through," Vio said firmly with a nod, looking back at the others. "I know I was wrong before… but I'm certain now, this is the right way. Will you guys follow me?"

Blue was the first, and quickest, to react, grinning as he drew his blade, apparently eager to fight whatever monster would dare face against them next. "Of course we will!" he shouted enthusiastically as he ran up to Vio, ready to follow him down the dark passageway. He looked back at Red and Green, his eyes blazing with readiness. "Right, guys?"

Green hesitated for a moment; looking back at the other two, then Vio, as he quietly crossed his arms. "We'll follow… but first, I want answers," he spoke quietly, looking at Vio with serious, though slightly hurt, eyes. "What's going on? You've been hiding things from us… You won't even tell us what happened. Friends don't keep secrets from friends, Vio."

Vio looked away, quietly ashamed. True… he hadn't told the others what he'd been thinking. He supposed… he'd thought that they wouldn't understand. Nodding, he replied simply, "After the Keaton spoke to us, I heard a different voice… speaking to me. A riddle. I didn't think you guys would be able to understand… especially when I heard that voice again calling to me through that door."

Red frowned quietly as he looked sadly at the other. "Y'know… you could've at least asked us?" he said, a bit hurt as well. "Maybe we're not as smart as you are, but we still would've tried our best to help you understand it."

Even Blue was quiet as he looked at the other, his eyes no longer narrowed in determination but instead looking to the side in hurt.

Vio's normally calm, unexpressive face saddened in guilt as he looked to the side, then back up sadly at the others. "I… I know. And… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept it from you guys… I was wrong." Now that he thought about it… why had he kept it from the others? Was he truly that self-centered into thinking they wouldn't be able to figure it out? No… it was more than that. Looking back up at the others sadly, he sighed as he spoke again- this time, unlike the others, from his heart instead of his mind. "I suppose… I loathed not being right. You all looked up to me, looked at me like I could never be wrong. I had to figure everything out, had to know everything. And when I didn't… I felt like I was letting you all down."

Green's expression changed softly as he heard the words of his friend. Was he really that… expectant, of him? Yes, he knew he could always rely on Vio to help solve their riddles and answer their questions, but… he never thought that it would be such a hard burden for him to bear. Not just figuring things out, but the need to figure things out, to keep the faith his friends had in him.

Looking back up to his friends, Blue gave a quiet sigh- before his smile returned to his face and he clapped Vio on the back. "Vio, it's not that we think you're always right- we just know that you'll always try your hardest to figure things out. But y'know… next time, if you can't figure something else, you could always try asking us. It never hurts to ask for help." Shaking his head, he laughed as he heard himself getting preachy, and instantly dismissed his teacher-like attitude as he shrugged, crossing his arms a bit smugly. "Hey, don't think too much on it," he said with a nod, his swaggering voice returning, "Just show us the way to go."

"Yeah," Red piped up, his smile returning on his face as his bright eyes trailed back up to their friend. "Don't worry about it! We forgive ya. Just, can you tell us what that other voice said?" he asked with a sort of a weak grin.

Vio nodded instantly, and told the others what the voice had told him. He then relayed to them the secret of the maze which he had discovered in the opposite room.

"You mean, then…" Green spoke, a look of realization coming over his face as his friend smiled and nodded.

"In one room are all these options…" Vio explained quietly as he swung out, gesturing to the multiple red herring entrances… then nodded as he finished, "And in all of these options, there is only one correct way to go."

"And the weird markings?" Red asked, puzzled.

Vio smiled as he nodded, "These markings… are just the words 'Through here', backwards. It tricks people into going to the opposite of the exit." He paused for a moment, before crossing his arms and smiling as he shrugged, "At least, that's what I can make out of it." However, he was quick not to make the same mistake again- and smiled briefly as he glanced at the others, "Do you guys have any ideas…?"

Green's warm smile returned as he glanced over back at his friend, glad to see Vio's attitude changing for the better. However, he shook his head, saying as he laughed, "No, you're just as clever as ever, Vio!"

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Blue roared triumphantly, his spirit returning to him as he grasped his sword and swung it high above him. "Let's go!"

Vio gave a bright nod to the others, his spirit restored as he looked over his three friends. No more… no more would he be the loner in his mind. Though he would do his best to figure out the riddles and puzzles presented before them, he knew now not to take the burden entirely on himself, or feel as if he were letting the others down if he didn't. With the others rallying behind them, the young hero led the way into the new passageway, a new sort of confidence driving him on as they plunged into the darkness of the tunnel.

The next few rooms were similar to the first, but were gradually changing- instead of dozens of doors to choose from, the numbers were lessening until there were only a few, four or five, optional entryways through which to go through. Still, having learned his lesson from the mysterious calls of the shadows in the waterways, Vio was able to read the words above each doorway, and find the one which read backwards, leading the others through the correct entryway. As they dove further and further in to the dungeon, the doors grew fewer and fewer…

Until they came to one with just two doors left.

"Alright, I guess this means we're almost out of here!" Blue shouted triumphantly as the four Links walked into the room, looking at the two choices in front of them. Already, he and the other two were starting to walk towards the more obvious one in front, and even Vio was slowly following along to what seemed the more obvious choice… After all, strangely enough, the door to their left didn't even hold the ceremonious archway, and there were no symbols atop its arc to read…

And yet…. Vio paused for a moment as he turned to look at the crude entryway to the side. He took a quiet step forward, almost as if he felt he were being pulled towards it by a force he could not understand…

Green was first to notice that Vio was not following them through the front entryway. His eyebrows raised in surprise as he looked over his shoulder at Vio. "Hey, Vio… you, uh, coming?" Once more he looked at the poorly-constructed exit way which Vio stood in front of. "That… that doesn't really look like the doors we've gone through so far. Shouldn't this first one be the right way?"

Vio narrowed his eyes in concentration as he looked suspiciously back up to the first doorway, clean and polished. True… like the others, its backwards words were engraved upon the stone surface, and he deciphered it to clearly read "EXIT"… However… once more, his eyes were pulled to the undecorated exit, and he took another step forward. What was… that voice…? He listened intently, bowing his head in concentration. He could almost certainly here some sort of cry, a loud, screaming voice echoing through the tunnel…

"Guys, I… I think we need to take this exit," Vio found himself saying, before he could even realize the decision he was making. He closed his eyes as he tried to concentrate… before, in the room which had revealed the secret of the enchanted labyrinth, it had tried to trick him with two correct answers. And now there was an obvious correct answer, and obvious incorrect answer. Yet why… why was he choosing the incorrect one?

Because, he thought as his eyes opened determinedly, none of these doors were truly as they seemed…Why should this be any different?

Blue and the others looked to each other in light confusion. Glancing back at Vio, Blue crossed his arms as he grunted, "Well… what makes you think that? This pattern has been working for us so far. What if that tunnel leads us back to the beginning?"

Sighing, Vio shook his head as he looked back to the others, determination written on his face. "I know it doesn't make sense," he said firmly, "but… I really do think we must take this tunnel. Do you remember the second riddle I told you about? And the voice that led me to the room? I can swear that it's leading me through here, as well." He eyes looked almost imploringly at the others.

Looking over at Green, Red nodded as he smiled, "I believe him. I mean, so far, we've all led each other on gut feeling alone… Well, why not Vio, too?"

Green smiled as he crossed his arms, though carefully holding his torch, nodding at Red in agreement. His confident eyes traveled back to Vio. "If you think that it's the right way to go… well, then, you know we'll be following right behind you."

Blue nodded as he turned direction, following the trail of the others as he walked up to Vio. He gave his friend a bright grin- "Learning a little initiative, are we?" he teased as he elbowed his friend. The Vio from before would never have changed directions, against reason, to simply follow a 'feeling'. He was glad he'd changed.

Vio smirked in response, crossing his arms. "Certainly not," he said loftily as he looked out into the darkness, "Though I blame you for catching this nasty little bug. Your pig-headedness is rubbing off on me, it seems."

"WHAT?" Blue roared in fury, though he tried to hide his grin as he instead balled his hands into fists. The other two laughed- and even Vio couldn't hide a small chuckle as he turned to run away, his eyes glinting, as if daring the other to try and catch him.

Their spirits raised once more, the two last Links laughed as they followed the other two through the dark tunnel, the light around them travelling with them as it dove, unafraid, into the shadows up ahead.

The darkness of the tunnel was briefly illuminated by Green's torch; but still, it was difficult to see too far down the path, and as a result the boys weren't able to notice how, the further down they walked, the smaller and smaller the walkway grew… Until it was nearly upon them, and they looked around them with surprise at seeing how the walls on either side of the pathway which they were walking through had closed in so tightly, they were nearly walking in single file. Looking above, their eyes widened in surprise as they also noticed how the ceiling had lowered gradually as they'd walked through the strange, unfamiliar tunnel, effectively growing smaller and smaller with each step they took.

"What… what's going on?" Blue gasped as he grit his teeth in frustration, putting a hand to the cold wall around him- and he noticed, with a cold jolt of fear, that his elbow was still bent as he reached out to the wall. From everywhere, the tunnel was getting smaller and smaller the further down they walked. He looked over at Vio in a slight panic.

"Wait, can you hear that?" Vio interrupted quickly as he found himself beginning to crouch down to prevent the top of his hat from gracing against the bottom of the ceiling. He leaned forward, kneeling down as he put a hand on the cold, stone floor, straining to hear a dark voice, its quiet screams echoing just faintly through the narrow walls of the tunnel. He definitely could hear it… but, now that he thought about it, why had he asked them? They hadn't heard the strange voice before, what made him think that-

"Hey- yeah!" Red gasped as he struggled to fit in beside Vio in the cramped space, wide-eyed and also leaning forward. He looked back, surprised, at Vio. "I do hear a voice! It sounds like someone shouting!"

"Shh!" Blue commanded sharply as he also shoved by Red, taking the lead as he listened intently in the silence… and then, with a quick jolt, he turned to look back at them. "I can hear it too!" he shouted as he nodded feverishly at Vio, his eyes narrowed as he looked up at Green. "Can't you?"

Green nodded simply as the echoes of the shadowy shouts reached his ears, even over Blue's shouts. He looked back at Vio calmly. "Yeah… I can hear them too. Someone's over there. Is that the voice who was leading you before?"

Vio, struggling to move past Blue and Red, walked further down the tunnel as the others followed him, the shouts of the unknown voice growing slightly louder the closer they moved, even though the closer they moved, the smaller the tunnel was growing, forcing them to now be crawling on their knees. Looking back at Green, he sighed as he said, "I'm not sure. But whatever it is, we must find it."

Green nodded as he, too, went down on his knees to continue crawling through the air-duct-sized tunnel, though careful to hold his torch ahead of him as the four continued their walk. And yet, though he didn't care if he had to hold it for hours on end, he seen noticed, with wide eyes, how a soft light in the distance marked the end of the tunnel… and as the four drew close to it, it was already sufficient enough to shroud them all in its dim light. Putting away his torch, Green instead opted to pull out his sword, noting how the others did the same.

Blue, eager despite his Red's protests, moved in front of Vio as the four approached a metal grating across the entrance, drawing his sword and grinning widely. He almost hoped that there would be an epic fight on the other end- he couldn't imagine how cool it would look from the opposite end, to see the four heroes bursting through the tunnel, ready for combat- but was disappointed as he instead kicked the grate off and jumped down into the large, seemingly empty room…

Looking behind him, Blue moved out of the way as Vio jumped out of the tight tunnel, leaving room for Red, and then Green, to follow suit as they entered the large, circular, open chamber…

But they were not alone.

From the far end of the wall, a single pair of red eyes went wide open as it looked at the four heroes who had appeared through the vent and into the room… and with a wide gasp, as if he had been punched in the chest, he slowly shook his head.

"No… NO, damnit!" he shouted, his words choking on his throat as he shook his head furiously at the others, straining against his chains. "You idiots!"

Instantly, at the sound of the voice of the other, the four Links, swords brandished and held high, whipped around to face this new threat- and their eyes went wide with surprise and realization.

The four heroes were silent with shock at they stared at the familiar form, chained up against the wall.

Shadow Link, shaking with fury and fear in his bindings, shook his head as he grit his fanged teeth, looking at the four familiar heroes who stood in his cell. His breathing was shallow and choppy as he tried to deny it was really them. "You… you fools…" he found himself swearing as he looked at them, his eyes wide and his voice shaking. "What have you done…!"

"Is that…" Green breathed incredulously as he lowered his sword. "But… But you're…"

"It is!" Red cheered in glee as he immediately put his sword away.

"No… no way," Blue muttered under his breath as he also stared at the familiar shadow. "You're…"

"… Shadow," Vio finished, the only one to retain his calmness as he instead took a few steps forward, closing the gap between them to just a few feet. He looked briefly over the chained Shadow, then back into his wide, furious eyes. He gave a simple nod. "It was you who was calling to us, wasn't it?" he asked, though he couldn't help but stare, with a hint of worry and puzzlement, at the chains which were binding him to the walls…

"You… you heard that?" Shadow asked incredulously at the one who had approached him. He blinked for a moment… then, gritting his teeth, angrily shook his head as his mind snapped back to the urgent matter at hand. His voice grew in fury and panic as he shouted at the four children, his bound hands tightening into fists. "That… that isn't important now! You… MORONS! What the hell are you idiots thinking coming here?-! Didn't you get Zelda's message I sent? Don't you realize what you've DONE?-!" His chest heaved as he panted, sweat beading on his forehead as he finished screaming at the Four Sword heroes.

Blue's eyes snapped open as he, too, advanced sharply to the reflection of their selves, standing alongside Vio. "You… you were the one who sent Zelda's message to us?" he gasped in surprise.

"What… what do you mean, what we've done?" Red whined as he shrunk back towards Green, afraid of Shadow's fury. "We came here to save Zelda!"

"Calm down, Shadow!" Green shouted as he shielded Red, walking up beside Vio- though even he was shaken by the revelation of their anonymous, unsung ally.

"Calm down?" the hero's darkened reflection hissed in fury under his cast-over bangs, leaning against the chains which bound him to the wall. "I risk my neck for you idiots time and time again- first trying to free Zelda, then using the last of my energy to kill Vaati while you incompetent morons stand there slack jawed- all for you to screw up like this, and you want me to calm down?-!"

"Shadow!" Vio snapped, though his eyes were growing wide with realization at the other's words. He remembered how Shadow had helped them the last time they had fought Vaati and Ganondorf… but to think that he was still on their side…? And that he was the one who had saved them back at the Maiden's Tower…? "What's going on? … What have we done wrong?" He looked at the others through worried eyes, his unusually faltering voice fading into silence.

Before the prisoner could even answer, a loud thud shook the very walls and floors of the dungeon, the vibrations heavy and the noise deafening as it shook the very stones in the room. Once more drawing their swords, the four heroes looked around, wide-eyed and panicked at what could have made the sound.

Instantly, Shadow lunged against his chains at the Links, his eyes wide. "G-Get out of here!" he hissed at them, his voice cracking in desperation and panic as he tried to quiet down his volume so as not to alert the coming Darknut, though keep the urgency in his words. "Nevermind me… The chamber-master… he's coming! You don't understand… he'll kill you!"

Vio looked back sharply at Shadow… the chains which kept him held to the wall… he hadn't thought of it when he'd first noticed the boy, but why was he chained up? Then again, if he were truly helping them, then it meant he had been jailed as a traitor in the Dark World… His eyes narrowed in determination, and he looked back to the other three as he spoke calmly, but his voice firm. "Guys, I know we must hurry to find Zelda, but… I'm not going to leave Shadow. He's helped us in more ways than we know, and… I don't think we ought to leave a friend behind."

Shadow's wide, panic stricken eyes looked up at Vio, as they instead began to calm over in a sort of silent realization. A… friend? He bowed his head as his fangs grit together in quiet reluctance. Shadows… shadows were not meant to have… friends. "Idiots… just, forget about me," he growled as he shook his head, also shaking away the previous thought, "I'm not important. Zelda-"

"Zelda wouldn't want us to leave a friend behind," Green interrupted sharply as he moved to stand by Vio, smiling determinedly and nodding at him before looking back at Shadow. "Vio's right. We're getting you out of those chains. Blue?" He glanced over his shoulder with a quiet smirk at the proud, strong hero. "Care to do the honors?"

Blue grinned as he nodded towards Green, hoisting his sword in his hand as he moved closer to Shadow, ready to slice away at the chains bonding their reluctant ally. Shadow Link was quiet as he watched the blade being lifted into the air, focused over the metal chains binding him to the wall-

Yet before he could so much as bring his sword down an inch, a massive explosion rocked the sides of the dungeon as the wall burst out, shattering into hundreds of pieces of rock as the shock wave from the blast sent the heroes falling to the ground, slamming on their backs against the harsh stone and looking up with wide eyes at the source of the massive, forceful intrusion.

The Master of the Dungeons, the mighty Darknut, rose up from the hole in the rubble it had made as it had crashed through the walls of the cell… against the haze of the dust cloud generated from the blast, its harsh, bright slits of eyes burned through its helm, looking down at the heroes in spite. Raising a heavy, armored foot, the beast stepped fiercely into the room, towering over the Links and sending the familiar shadow of the terrible, armored beast cast over their fallen forms.

"N-no," Shadow choked as he squinted his eyes against the dust, shaking his head as he looked at the Darknut to the fallen heroes. "R… Run!"

With a mighty, metallic roar, the Darknut raised high its massive fist… and not waiting a second for the intruders to get to their feet, leapt forward as it slammed its fist harshly on the floor, sending another shock wave through the stone floor and jerking the Four Sword heroes back off their feet. Ignoring the chained Shadow's protests as he lunged against his binds, the chamber-master chuckled darkly within his harsh armor as he took another, ominous step towards the Links... and once more, his shadow covered their fallen forms, his slit-eyes looking down at them in dark triumph.

Oh no! Our heroes have finally been able to locate their invisible benefactor, Shadow Link, but...

What is Shadow talking about? Have the Links truly made a terrible mistake...?

And will they be able to use their combined powers to defeat the Dungeon Master Darknut?

All these questions answered in tomorrow's chapter, Chapter Twenty Two: Light!