With the four Links now having their restored memories, and all Four Elements, I'm sure you're all ready to go for the final stretch of the journey, right?

Well...

Don't forget, there's still one more Link to this story! ;)

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Choices

Their laughter had long subsided and faded away into silence, yet it still lingered in the back of his mind, haunting him and eating away at him through each passing second. Though there was nothing but silence all around him, he was far from calmed or content, the inside of his mind like a battlefield as it raged with the emotions fighting against each other. His memories replayed what he had only recently just witnessed from afar- the trek of the four heroes through their final temple, overcoming the obstacles within and rising up together to defeat the terrible monster at its end. Through the terrifying and harrowing ordeals, each risking their lives for the other, the four had triumphed over the deadly challenges, defeating the evil that had cursed the temple and freeing the Water Element from its prison inside.

A soft wind blew by him; his eyes nonchalantly glanced to the side as he watched the tattered, ripped flags of the towers around him lightly wave and flutter in the breeze. The wind grew strong in an instant blast, yet once more, suddenly ceased, the torn flags falling limply back against their poles. The sun was just yet falling in the sky, hovering just above the horizon and spilling out a warm, orange-red glow across the land- and as another sudden gust of wind blew past him, ruffling his clothes and blowing his hair across his face, he could feel it- there was a storm coming.

The young boy of shadows continued to stand calmly amidst the tower-tops of the castle, a hand grasped lightly around the topmost flag-pole of the tower upon which he stood, his feet resting easily across the stone roofing beneath him. And as his gaze continued outwards, over the castle and to the land around him, with the sea, forest, mountain, and clouds drifting out around him, he found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the sad, tragic beauty of the dying sun as it continued to fall beneath the horizon, its colors changing from a kaleidoscope orange-red to a dark, heavy bronze. And as the wind blew against him once more, this time in a steady, yet forceful stream, and the sun finally faded beneath the horizon, darkness finally took over the land- yet, he noticed calmly, the world had not entirely been plunged into darkness. The sun's rays still peeked just barely over the horizon from underneath it, and already the stars were beginning to alight in the sky, the moon rising from behind him and beginning its own climb in the sky, sending out its beacon of white light down upon the land.

It was strange… even though night was cast over the land as the sun fell, there was only a sense of peace as the moon began to rise in the sky, casting its own light overhead, a white beacon amidst a sea of darkness. Once more, a gale of wind blew across him, and his attentions turned to where it had blown in from- and as he recognized its direction, he understood. The storm summoned by his superiors to sink the Water Temple had been dispelled- the temple had risen, the heroes successfully escaping from it. And yet, this did not mean the storm had simply gone away- no, it had merely changed directions, and was now headed towards the castle itself. It would be some time before the raging storm reached the castle- but for now, he enjoyed the calm before the storm in the sullen, dreary wind, and the periods of no wind at all, alternating erratically and yet creating a strange sort of peace.

As his thoughts drifted to the storm and the temple, once more they were forced to think about the heroes themselves. Shadow's calmed, maroon eyes kept their gaze calmly focused on the sea ahead- he had not interfered with them, this time around. It was not his magic which summoned the storm, or created the monstrosity which they had faced at the temple's depth. And he had dared not show his face to them yet- not until they had either failed, or successfully completed this task. And as they had clearly not failed… Already, he knew what their sights were set on next. Come morning, the Four Sword heroes, their memories restored and their strength as a team regained, would make their way to the castle itself, ready to break the barrier Veran and Onox had placed on it and storm the gates. They would come, like knights in shining armor… like the sun in the morning, rising up against the darkness and chasing it away, letting the light prevail once more.

A curious thought entered Shadow's mind… if they were like the sun, what was he? The moon bringing the light in the darkness of night… or the darkness itself?

Interrupting his thoughts, however, came a calm sound from behind him- Shadow hardly needed to turn around, however, as he recognized it almost instantly, even as it approached from afar. He remained calmly standing on the tops of the roof, then, as the flapping of wings grew louder until they were right beside him- and his gaze moved not an inch as the sounds of talons landing against the stone beside him were brought to his ears.

The wise owl Kaepora stood calmly and quietly beside the boy as he landed on the tower, his wings calmly folded to his sides and his intense, yet kind yellow eyes looking out across the dark horizon. He was silent for a moment- for now, there was little he needed to say. However, as the minutes passed by, so the owl finally spoke.

"… You have been watching them." It was hardly a question, so much as a statement- and Kaepora's curious eyes calmly looked to the side at the boy of darkness who stood beside him.

Shadow was silent as he listened to the owl's words, thinking about them carefully- and then carefully choosing his own words.

"They're strong… much stronger than I ever gave them credit for." His voice was kept calm and steady, his gaze unwavering from its sights set across the land and over the sea.

"Of course," Kaepora responded smoothly with a light chuckle, joining Shadow's gaze in looking out across the sea. "They are the Four Sword Heroes, after all. In the end, they will triumph."

This statement lightly took Shadow by surprise, and he glanced to the side, his eyebrows rising curiously. "You have that much faith in them?" he asked, his eyes narrowing in confusion. He was willing to admit their strength, too- but to go so far as saying they would definitely emerge victorious?

Again, the owl chuckled, his talons shifting beneath him as he lightly turned to look towards the boy. "I do. I have always believed in good triumphing over evil- and that belief has never wavered. The heroes will surely defeat the two foul villains of darkness- of this, I am certain."

Shadow frowned, not liking his answer. That was it? That's all he had to base such a bold statement, was simple belief in a mere concept? Angrily, he looked back over across the land. He wanted to make a smart, sarcastic remark about how baseless the idea was, or how foolish the bird was, or how he must be going senile from old age. However, biting back these comments, he instead grit his teeth as another sentence was forced past his lips.

"… And what am I, then, Kaepora?" he asked quietly, his lightly narrowed, yet confused eyes, looking over at the owl once more, surprising the bird by calling him by his name. "Evil… or good?"

There was not a single pause of silence before the owl spoke, smiling and looking out across the lands, his head tilting lightly upwards to gaze across the night sky.

"There is an old saying that I know… It goes, 'the light shines the brightest in the dark.'" He smiled, continuing. "Wherever there is light, there is brightness. However, in the darkness is where the light is the brightest of them all."

At the owl's wise words, something tugged inside of the boy's chest, and, hating the pain it brought with it, he narrowed his eyes, looking away in anger.

Another moment of silence stretched on between the two as the owl sat quietly beside the child, who still stood on the other side of the flag-pole, looking out amongst the stars and the darkened, night sky. However, as if finally coming to terms with his thoughts, Shadow closed his eyes, exhaling calmly and tilting his chin downwards.

Finally, he spoke.

"… I have a decision to make."

Though he waited a moment to respond, the owl did indeed, nodding calmly as he replied, "indeed, you do. And what is it that you will choose, young child of shadows?"

Shadow's eyes calmly opened once more- and, keeping them calmly fixed ahead, he replied in a simple voice- though strained as he did his best to keep it calm, "I have done many things. From what little memories I have… I can't deny the fact that I may once have been good- on the heroes' side, even, fighting evil and monsters of my own kind, working towards the triumph of the light. However, I have also been on the other side-" here, he looked with a frown, his narrowed, conflicted eyes casting themselves over the owl. "I've fought against the light and lent my powers to the darkness, in order to bring destruction and death."

Kaepora remained silent, listening patiently to the boy's words as he spoke, and staying quiet even after he was silent- knowing that he was not yet finished.

Frowning once more and leaning against the flag-pole with a sigh, Shadow continued, "If I'm to make a decision, I can't base it off what I've done- or who I was in my past. And yet, I can't really ignore or forget what I've done, either."

"Young child…"

Shadow blinked, looking over at Kaepora in light surprise as he spoke.

The owl's kind, yellow eyes looked over at Shadow as he continued to speak. "You are far more important than you have ever realized," he spoke calmly and quietly, though his voice more serious than the boy had ever heard it before. "You are a truly remarkable being- a creature born of the darkness, with a child's heart of the light. Your choices are your own- yet you must not forget that you hold both sides within you. And in the end, only you can decide for yourself which path it is you choose."

Shadow was well used to the owl's ramblings and 'words of wisdom', especially during their time spent together over the past few weeks when he would quote old sayings or try and give him advice. He was used to ignoring them or brushing them off, irritated by him trying to sound like a wise sage or something or another. However… how he spoke this time was far different than he had ever heard him speak before. His voice was calm and slow, stressing the importance of every word- yet also delicate and kind, like a patient, caring father. And beneath every word held a depth like he'd never seen before- a depth that told him there was much more to just the surface of what he was saying.

However, it wasn't long before the shock wore off, and Shadow looked away once again, his eyes narrowed in resentment for how the words had affected him so. He grit his teeth once more to bite back the harsh comments he wanted to say- there were other, more important things he still had to sort out, for the moment. Pushing angrily away the words Kaepora had spoken, he leaned away from the flag-pole, standing on his own as he said simply and calmly, as if the words spoken before had never been said, "I don't know how I know, or what it even means, but… something tells me the heroes and I have more in common with each other than what meets the eye." He raised an eyebrow, looking over at Kaepora expectantly.

"… You know, don't you?" Shadow quietly accused the owl, his eyes narrowing. "You know exactly who I am. And so do the heroes, too." There was a small silence- but as Kaepora started to speak, Shadow quickly interrupted him, snapping sharply, "And don't give me any bull. I want to know, so tell me."

Kaepora hesitated a moment longer- though, sighing, looked away as he gave in and spoke.

"… The hero, Link, possesses all of the qualities of the Four Sword Hero. Strength, heart, wisdom, and courage…" Kaepora's voice trailed off as he looked into the sky, though he soon continued. "His soul is bound forever to the light. In this same way…"

Shadow raised an eyebrow, curious and confused. It almost seemed to pain the owl for what he was saying… but still, after the silence, he went on.

"… Shadow Link also possesses each of these qualities… yet his soul is bound, oppositely, to the darkness, through which he was created."

Shadow Link… Somehow, that name was familiar. From what Veran and Onox had told him, "Link" was the name of the Four Sword Hero who had been split into four, nix their silly nicknames for one another. So why was his own name placed in front of the name of the hero…? His eyes widened in realization as he looked over to the owl, a sudden chill running through his chest.

"Then… I'm…" For the first time, Shadow felt himself at a loss for words as he looked over at the silent owl. Kaepora did not respond- and, as Shadow swallowed a lump in his throat, his teeth were clenched as his astonishment turned to fury.

"S-So, what are you saying?" he finally snapped, his mouth twisting into an angry snarl as he rounded on the owl. "… That my destiny's already been decided for me, is that it?-!"

He understood what Kaepora meant. Though he could hardly believe it, somewhere, something in him was telling him it was true- he was one of the heroes himself, technically- a part of the hero Link- and yet, unlike the Four Heroes, here he was, a shadow, a creature of darkness- bound to that very darkness which tied his soul to the shadows. Was this what Kaepora meant, saying he was a creature of darkness with a heart of light…? Could it possibly be true? And if so, what did this mean for him and his decision…?

If he was merely a part of the hero, was he even his own person…?

Finally, Kaepora answered, looking back calmly and unafraid at the raging child.

"… Only if you decide to let it," he answered quietly, his voice kind and gentle. "Everyone has the choice… to choose their own destiny."

His eyes closing in quiet pain, Shadow looked away, his teeth clenching against the words and his hand tightening his grasp around the pole…

And as the wind blew once more, pulling Shadow away from his thoughts, his eyes slowly and calmly opened, his body relaxing as the gentle wind ruffled over him, cooling him down- and yet bringing a certain chill down his back. … He couldn't afford to waste time dwelling on this. The night was still young, but he had much preparing to do- after all... He'd made his decision. And there was much that he still needed to do.

Clenching his teeth, Shadow narrowed his eyes as he spoke quietly under his breath.

"… Leave me, bird."

Kaepora blinked in quiet surprise, still looking over at Shadow. "Leave…?"

Shadow's eyes snapped open, and, his mouth twisting into another, fierce snarl, he shot a furious glance over at the bird. "You heard me," he growled, his hands tightening into fists. "…Get out of here. I'm done with you."

At first the bird was slightly shocked- though, relaxing, he ruffled his feathers, trying to rationalize by speaking, "Oh, very well, if you need some time alone. I shall return come morning, when the heroes-"

"No, you won't."

Shadow's narrowed eyes burned through the surprised, yellow eyes of the owl as he looked fiercely down upon the bird. "I said I'm done with you. You no longer serve me any purpose- and I've got business to take care of. So get out of my sight."

Kaepora looked back at Shadow in shock and sadness. Weakly, he raised his wings, saying sadly as he did so, "I shall not be a burden to you, child. I have merely only hoped to help you-"

"I said get out!" Shadow roared, interrupting the bird as he full-on whirled around to face the owl, hovering above the tower itself with his fists clenched in front of him in fury, swirling wisps of shadow magic forming around his tightly balled-up hands. "I won't stand any longer to be lied to! To be swayed one way or another, or used as someone's pawn in a damned game!" he shouted, his anger building as the pain rose in his chest. A stinging sensation was blinding the corner of his vision, and a knot was choking his throat- but he ignored the pain, instead roaring out loud once more, "I don't need your goddamned help, or anyone else's! From now on, I'm doing this alone!"

Crying out loud, in a tortured mix of agony and rage, Shadow wasted not a second longer as he stepped forward, lashing out with his fists towards the owl. The blasts of dark magic bowed to his whim in an instant, slamming forwards at its target. However, the terrible blast of dark energy only burned to a crisp against the stone roofing of the tower, as Kaepora instantly lifted himself off his perch, his wide, massive wings beating against the air as he rose up into the sky to avoid the hit, hooting wildly as he did so. Snarling and taking another step forward, Shadow looked fiercely up at the owl, the tears now brimming in the corners of his eyes and slowly trickling down his cheeks, leaving dark trails down either side of his face.

The owl said nothing as he rose high into the sky, above the reach of the child, though looking down sadly upon him. However, before the wise bird Kaepora turned to fly quietly away, he called out one last time to the child, his voice calm and laced with sadness.

"… Whatever your choices may be, young Shadow… you shall always have a friend."

And as the owl's wings beat heavily against the air around him, flying outwards into the night, his form only illuminated against the wide glow of the moon and the glistening lights of the stars… Shadow Link stood silently in the air above the towers, watching the bird fly away until he was finally out of sight.

A wide silence followed after the bird had left, leaving the boy standing alone against the tall, massive towers of the castle. And yet, in the midst of this silence, the wind blew once more- heaving upwards and over, sending the tattered and torn flags all around him into a waving frenzy, and whipping his clothes in the strong, sudden breeze. Once more, the wind knocked him out of his sullen, dark thoughts- reminding him of his limited time and of what needed to be done- what he had chosen.

Slowly, the child bowed his head, his eyes closing as his clenched fists fell to his side. This was his decision. Slowly, as his dark red eyes opened, the shadows of darkness began to grow once more around him… And, as resolve flashed across his vision, the child took a few steps backwards, into the darkness, letting it engulf him in its shadows until it had completely enveloped him, vanishing him out of sight from the world of light. And when the darkness faded, the young child of shadows was nowhere to be seen- gone, ready to finally face his decision.

Shadow's saga is slowly coming to a close. What has he finally decided? Will the Links be forced to face him one final time?

These answers and so much more in tomorrow's epic update, Chapter Thirty-Eight: Confrontation!