AN: So, another week another chapter. We're a week away from the chapter I've been excited for since before I started this story, and I can't wait! But first, this chapter, and before that, thanks. Thank you to Um I lost my name, miano53, silverheartlugia2000, and RyoKushei for your lovely reviews, and to those who favourited/followed this story over the last week!
Now, let's get this show on the road. Here's chapter twenty-five, enjoy!

25- Creeping Shadow

Midna was practically giddy as she tucked the final mirror shard away, a vicious grin plastered across her face. For a moment Link wondered if he should be worried, but he figured she was pretty justified in feeling that way. He hated Zant despite only meeting the guy, what, three times, so he couldn't imagine how bad it was for Midna.

'Gracious me, I can't believe you killed the dragon.' Ooccoo wriggled free of his pocket, beaming up at him, the expression somewhat disconcerting on her strange face. 'Thank you so much, young man, I must inform the others immediately. Thank you, thank you!' She didn't even give Link time to wave off her gratefulness before she had taken off, running full tilt towards the edge of the dragon's platform and disappearing over the edge.

What Link wouldn't give to be able to fly again.

'This is it, Link. We've finally got all the pieces.' Midna turned to him, face alight with excitement, with a desire for revenge. 'It's lucky, isn't it, that Zant's merely a false king? Because of that he couldn't shatter the mirror completely.' She snorted derisively. 'He can pretend all he likes, but because of it we can finally kill him. Make him pay for his crimes.' Spinning in a circle she cackled at the sky, which was slowly clearing, the storm dissipating.

Still slightly concerned Link asked her if she was okay, watching her catch herself as she span to face him again, expression deliberately neutral.

'It's fine. I'm fine.' She rolled her eyes. 'I just got a little carried away, so stop looking at me like that. We need to go, it's time to pay those sages another visit.'

Link wasn't about to argue with that, gladly entering the portal she summoned a moment later. He wasn't particularly looking forward to seeing the sages again, but it couldn't be helped. Maybe they'd lay off on the cryptic warnings this time.

Who was he kidding? Of course they wouldn't.

A moment later he was stood on the sandy roof of Arbiter's Grounds, the sudden heat of the desert stifling. For a moment he could barely breathe it was so intense, a shock after the cold of the windy city heights, and he had to catch his breath. Plucking lightly at his tunic he grimaced into the glare of the sun that caught on the high stone pillars and sand around him, squinting up at the broken mirror, stood innocently atop its plinth.

As he approached it Midna emerged from his shadow, mood decidedly more sombre now that they were here, so close. So, so close. Slowly she produced the three mirror shards he had put so much effort into collecting, letting them hover in the air as she carefully slotted them back together again. As each one was reunited their strange allure grew stronger, and Link found he couldn't look away from the murky, warped reflection they cast. Sudden light distracted him, however, as the patterns on the mirror glowed, what cracks there had been vanishing without a trace.

The glow spread as Midna dropped back down to his side, creeping along the massive chains until it enveloped the chunk of rock suspended behind the mirror. Link flinched as the chains snapped with a screeching, metallic sound, and then staggered as the rock dropped, slamming into the ground with enough force to make it feel like the whole world was shaking. Dropping down onto one knee Link waited for the tremors to stop, coughing through the sand the sudden impact had kicked up.

When the haze cleared both rock and mirror were glowing, the latter casting some kind of ethereal projection onto the former. He was reminded of the Gates of Time as a strange kind of portal appeared in the face of the rock, a pathway leading to seemingly nowhere.

'It makes our world sound unpleasant, to call it a realm of shadows,' Midna murmured softly; when Link glanced at her she had a small smile on her face, though it was tinged with melancholy. 'But it holds a unique kind of beauty- or it did, before Zant corrupted it. The light of a setting sun, something you only see briefly in this realm. It's a gentle light, pure, and all who bathed in it were equally pure and gentle.' Link practically heard her jaw clench as she suddenly tensed, anger filling her face. 'But then Ganondorf came, and his foul power turned the light harsh and cold. Darkness and evil don't go hand in hand, Link, but that man… he is both, and he destroyed my home, my people. We cannot let him, or his followers, destroy yours too.' Midna glanced at him and they exchanged a nod, united in their resolve.

A sudden low, mournful wail made Link turn, to find the sages stood behind them. 'It was all our doing,' one whispered, the ancient grief in its voice profound. Their heads were bowed, hands clasped. 'We underestimated Ganondorf's power, his will to survive.'

'We thought, with the injuries he received at our hands, that he would surely die once cast into the Twilight, but this was not the case,' another continued, as they all shuffled a little closer to the dais.

'He survived, gained a powerful ally, and caused you and your people so much grief.' As one they bowed their heads, voices all mingling into one. 'O Twilight Princess, we hope that you can someday forgive us for our carelessness.'

For a moment Link didn't process what they'd said, but when he did he turned to Midna, startled. She was staring at the sages, a mixture of contempt and surprise in her expression. When she caught Link looking she averted her eyes, chewing at her lower lip in what Link recognised as an attempt to keep herself from blurting out what she was thinking.

After a moment she clicked her tongue softly. 'What, so you knew?' she asked, before shaking her head ever so slightly. 'I'm not fit to be called that. I abandoned my people when I fled from Zant, so if you want forgiveness, I'm not the person you should be asking. In fact, I should be the one begging forgiveness…' the bitterness in her voice made something twist in Link's chest as he watched her curl her hands into fists, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

'I didn't care about your world at first, you know. All I wanted was to save my people from Zant. This realm of light could burn for all I cared. But then I met Zelda, and I saw the lengths she would go to in order to save as many people as she could, no matter what realm they were from.' She smiled faintly, studying her hands as she flexed her fingers. 'And then I met you, so distant and apathetic. But look at you now, Mr Ihavenointentionofbeingahero.' The smile became a grin at Link's indignant sound, before she sighed and turned away, staring up at the mirror's projection.

'Look how far we've come,' she murmured. 'You say you think you've done bad things in your life, well so have I. But what does it matter if we can save our worlds? There's always time for repentance, to atone for our crimes. And I know now, from the bottom of my heart, that we have to save them both. Without one there cannot be the other.'

As she faced him fully Link nodded, just slightly, and she smiled faintly.

'If we can just defeat Zant, the curse on me will dissolve. We may even be able to revive Zelda… or tear her from Ganondorf's grasp.' She drifted closer, studying his face. 'We should go. Now.'

Again he nodded, glancing at the sages who were still stood nearby. They all bowed their heads when he looked, slowly fading into nothingness. He took it as a blessing to go ahead, which he did, finding himself climbing another set of translucent steps to a kind of see-through balcony, where he paused, so close to the rock he could reach out and touch it. Despite being in the path of the projection he cast no shadow on the stone before him, as he stared into the swirling path ahead.

'Ready?' Midna asked, to which Link replied that he was. It was something of a lie, because nerves were twisting in his stomach at the thought of crossing to another realm- to Zant's realm –but he wasn't about to stop now. Not when they were so close.

There was a brief moment of silence, of stillness, before a kind of shudder rippled through Link. There was a tugging sensation, light at first but then growing stronger, until he felt like he was going to be ripped apart, and the world went dark for a moment, maybe two. Willing himself to stay calm Link shut his eyes, only opening them again when his feet touched solid ground once more.

The scene he found before him was breathtaking. It was completely alien; great islands of dark rock floating in an unending expanse of dark clouds lit by a soft, dying light. A land of half-light, of flitting, fleeting shadows. He could feel the light weighing down on him, as if it were trying to mould him into a different shape, or perhaps it was the heavy air, neither warm nor cold.

Overall it was just very strange, unlike anything Link had ever seen before.

Or maybe he had, because the sense of déjà vu that suddenly overcame him was so strong he nearly stumbled, a heavy jolt in his stomach making him feel queasy. He didn't recognise anything, but he was somehow certain he knew this place.

'Where are we?' He didn't recognise the place, not at all. It wasn't like any architecture he had seen in Hyrule before. The air was heavy, the light was strange. He didn't like it, not one bit.

'Where we n- need to be,' someone replied, voice hoarse, strained. It immediately snapped Link out of his stupor, as he remembered the prone form next to him, felt the sticky blood on his hands once more. That's right, he couldn't be getting distracted, he had a life to save-

Link shook his head viciously. He didn't have time for this. He couldn't be getting caught up in the past, not right now. The present was what was important. So he ignored the pain in his head, which felt like something was squeezing his brain, and went back to taking in his maybe not so unfamiliar surroundings.

In the distance were several tall buildings, and from where he stood he could see what looked like glittering black smoke pouring down their sides, billowing gently as it dripped down into the nothingness below. Link wondered what would happen if he fell off one of the islands before deciding a moment later that he really didn't want to think about it. Any more than the déjà vu making him light-headed, or the memories lingering on the edges of his mind.

'Welcome to the Twilight Realm,' Midna said softly, still hanging at his side. 'Normally people from your realm would turn to spirits in the Twilight, or perhaps even beasts, like you did.' She raised an eyebrow when he turned to her, surprised. 'It wasn't Zant's curse that first turned you into a wolf, you know. It was his subjugation of that Light Spirit. When he did that he forced back the light and allowed the Twilight into your realm. The reason this-' she produced Zant's crystallised magic, balancing it on a finger, '-turns you into a wolf is because it's pure, concentrated Twilight, or at least the magic of this realm.'

That explained the weird sensation pressing down on his body, then. This place was trying to turn him into a wolf.

Processing this Link lifted a hand to the Master Sword, which was thrumming gently with power. Protecting him. Keeping him human.

It was as Midna cast a glance away down the path he stood on, almost anxiously, that he noticed she was glowing. Just slightly, but there was a definite aura of golden light enveloping her. Link squinted slightly, wondering what its source was. Zelda's magic, maybe? He wasn't sure.

'Link, listen…' Midna turned back to him slowly, something like nervousness in her expression. 'I- I abandoned my people, those who considered me their ruler, and I just- I can't face them like this.' She gestured to herself. 'As some wretched imp. What would they think? I don't look like someone who could lead them, or even help them. So do you mind if I keep hiding out in your shadow, for just a little while longer?'

Link didn't mind, but he also didn't think the Twili would be all that hung up on her appearance. She was their ruler, their Princess, apparently, and anyway even an imp was probably better than Zant. When he told her as much she smiled ruefully but vanished all the same, taking her soft golden aura with her.

Rolling his shoulders Link stood still for a moment before heading down the path towards the distant buildings, where he found himself approaching a central square of sorts, though it was really more of a circle. He could see a few figures dotted around, so he headed for them, wondering if he could just ask where to find Zant. When he got closer, however, he recognised the shield faces, the strange symbols, and on instinct reached for his sword. He'd dealt with enough Shadow Beasts to know he needed to act fast.

'Wait- wait!' Midna was in front of him almost before he could grab the handle of his sword, hands outstretched to halt him. 'They aren't enemies, Link. They've been twisted a little out of shape, but they're Twili- they're my people. They won't harm you.'

Slowly dropping his hand back down to his side Link eyed the nearest Twili, deciding to take Midna's word for it. When he looked more closely he saw that, while they did look similar to Shadow Beasts, there were definite differences, not least the absence of the deep red of Zant's magic. The glowing symbols on their skin were green, like Midna's.

When he walked on Link saw that there were three paths leading from the central area, one of which was missing or broken, another of which was blocked by that billowing black miasma. The third seemed passable, so he went for that one, ducking around a particularly tall Twili as he headed for the door of the building at the path's end. Everywhere he looked he saw those deep red symbols, evidence of Zant's continued tyranny, though the door he was approaching was lit up with green. He took it as a good sign as it slid open, admitting him into a tall, gloomy room filled at the corners with that strange smoke and murky grey light.

Not entirely sure where he was going, or what exactly he was doing, Link fought his way through the building, finding as he did that coming into contact with the smoke turned him into a wolf, even with the Master Sword's protection.

There were signs of Zant everywhere, from the monsters with glowing red symbols carved into their skin to the massive floating statues carved into the shape of his helmet, to the strange phantom version of him at what Link assumed was the back of the building. They fought, and while it was satisfying to beat a Phantom Zant Link had to wonder how it would compare to fighting the actual thing. Knowing Zant he would definitely have a fair few tricks up his voluminous sleeves.

At the back of the room there was what appeared to be the Twilight version of a Wallmaster, its thick fingers clenched tightly around a bright, glowing sphere. Assuming it would have something to do with reaching the real Zant, because that was how these things went, Link pried it loose, looking to Midna as she popped up at his side.

'It's called a Sol,' she said, as Link gingerly picked the sphere up. 'They illuminate our world, kind of like the sun of your world. It's what allows life to flourish here. Not even Zant of Ganondorf could corrupt it, which must be why it's here.'

The Sol was warm, pulsing gently beneath Link's fingers like a giant heart, which he guessed it kind of was. The sustaining force of this world, a source of life. Just like, as Midna had said, the sun, though he was glad it wasn't as bright. Hugging it to his chest lightly Link looked at Midna, wondering what he was supposed to do with it.

She caught his look and frowned thoughtfully. 'They're supposed to be outside,' she said, turning to look at the door. 'If we bring them back then maybe… yes, that's it. Can you take it back outside, Link? To the Twili out by the entrance to our realm?'

Link said that he would, and was annoyed to find that it refused to go into any of his pockets, leaving him to carry on around in his hands. Not so helpful when he was sure he'd need his hands to fight his way back out again. At the very least it was light, though, weighing next to nothing as he tucked it between his arms and set out to leave the building.

Of course, as soon as he got halfway across the room there came an eerie grinding sound, followed by what sounded like joints popping. When he looked Link found the Wallmaster awakening, alight with dark red power, most definitely locked onto him, or perhaps the Sol. Cursing softly Link picked up his pace, spending the next twenty minutes running from the ever-looming threat of being squashed by a giant, animate stone hand.

It was intense.

But eventually Link escaped back out into the half-light outside, where apparently the Wallmaster couldn't follow. He stood for a moment to let the racing of his heart subside, before making his way back to the glowing golden portal back to Hyrule. That tall Twili still loomed near the entrance of the building, and when Link made to edge around them again, Sol cradled between his palms, a sudden ripple passed through them before they began to shrink and change. Stilling in surprise Link watched as the Twili lost its Shadow Beast-esque appearance, the sharp edges and shapes smoothing out to something more similar to Midna. They stared at him with mournful, glowing orange eyes but didn't say anything, instead just looking away towards the floating island's central area.

For a moment Link glanced between the Sol and the Twili, apparently now free of Zant's power, before moving on, wondering if the same thing would happen to all of the Twili in the vicinity. As it turned out it did, and while none of them spoke he could feel their glowing eyes following him wherever he went.

Midna led him to two indentations in the ground of the central circle, where he gently placed the Sol in one, feeling a weird kind of pang in his chest as he was parted from its warm light. It was different to losing Fused Shadows or mirror shards, but it bothered him nonetheless.

'There should be another one somewhere,' Midna said, spinning in a slow circle. 'Probably over there.' She gestured to the building beyond the broken path, and Link noticed that a patch of ground near the sheer edge was glowing. He crossed over to it, and was startled when it began to rise into the air the moment his feet touched it. Wobbling he regained his balance, refusing to look down as he found himself on a see-through, glowing platform of sorts that was slowly drifting across the gap. Keeping his eyes fixed ahead Link waited to be dropped into oblivion, only breathing again when the square descended gracefully and his feet met solid ground.

The second building was much the same as the first, albeit a little more complex and filled with a fair few more monsters, as well as more of the strange green platforms. At the end Link battled another phantom Zant for control of the second Sol, which sat at the back of the room in the clutches of another Wallmaster. Once the phantom was dealt with Link stole the Sol, spending the next ten minutes running away from the Wallmaster as he tried to navigate the building's more convoluted insides.

He managed to keep the Sol from the Wallmaster, so that not too long after the phantom's defeat he was placing it in the second indentation outside, next to its fellow. As soon as he did he felt a surge of warmth along his back so, confused, he drew the Master Sword, to find it glowing with a brilliant golden light similar to the aura that surrounded Midna when she left his shadow. Lifting it gingerly Link admired the glow, feeling power creeping along his arm, filling him with quiet confidence.

'This is- well.' Midna seemed a little speechless as she appeared before him, gaze fixed on the Master Sword. 'I think the power of the Sols has been transferred to your sword… this has to be a sign. Our gods must be backing you too; they've given you their blessing to defeat Zant.'

Flicking the Master Sword lightly Link pursed his lips, unsure how he felt about having the deities of two whole realms counting on him. He'd only just accepted one lot, and now there was another?

Well, there wasn't much he could do about it now.

So he sheathed his sword, heading up the path directly ahead, stopping before the dense waterfall of shimmering black fog. He stared at it for a long moment, finding the constant movement soothing somehow, before he drew his sword once more in order to wave it experimentally through the mist. It recoiled from the gold light, so Link waved a little more vigorously, carving a gap big enough for him to step through.

He nearly fell down the sudden gap beyond the fog, but managed to push off with his other leg and land badly on the other side, collapsing in a heap. He smacked his nose against the stone, but at least he hadn't fallen into the endless sky below. Sitting up he rubbed his face gingerly, throwing a glare over his shoulder at the gap. It was a good trap, he would admit.

Prodding his nose a few more times for good measure Link hauled himself to his feet, heading into the third and final building. Zant had better be there. Considering that the building was the largest, and full of the most miasma, Link was assuming the False King of Twilight would be somewhere inside. Probably right at the top, or something. When he asked Midna if she thought where Zant would be she informed him that the building did, in fact, house the throne room, and as such if Zant was going to be anywhere he'd probably be there.

With that in mind Link set about finding said throne, which turned out to involve climbing a lot of stairs, as well as defeating a lot of the Zant-head statues, as well as a lot of journeys on see-through platforms across great heights. Link was really getting sick of these potential long drops.

But he persevered, eventually finding himself in an antechamber outside what Midna told him was the throne room, which was as heavily barred as any temple he had ever seen. Clearly Zant had taken a few tips from the seals on the doors that barred the way of creatures corrupted by the Fused Shadows.

The antechamber was full of the creeping miasma, but Link cut through it easily with the Master Sword, downing the Shadow Beasts that ran at him through the gloom with a few swift slashes. Now that his blade was infused with the Sols' power he could cut them down with a single blow, though in the Twilight Realm, with the Twilight Princess in his shadow, he could feel nothing but sorrow for doing so. At least it was quick, he supposed.

Eventually Zant ran out of guards, though, and at last the way was clear. Link approached the door, pulling out the key he had found hidden away elsewhere, where he let it balance in his palm for a moment. Staring up at the chains Link steeled himself, wondering what he would find beyond the door.

Nothing good, he expected.

It was now or never, though, so he reached out, letting the key slide into the lock. Seconds later he was jumping back to avoid being crushed by the heavy chains as they dropped to the floor, leaving Zant's last line of defence curled around Link's feet. The door slid open, revealing a tall, shadowed staircase, which Link stared at for a long moment.

He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the anticipation now curling in his stomach, and stepped over the threshold.