The sun was just starting to rise above the horizon, gracing the kingdom with it's warm, morning rays. It had been nearly a full twenty-four hours since any of them had slept, and they were starting to feel the effects of their lack of sleep. Still, they waited for the return of Paya, Revali, Daruk, and Teba. Riju balanced on one foot in an attempt to imitate some form of an ancient fighting technique. She narrowed her eyes on Link and beckoned to him with her fingers, her arm raised. Link rolled his eyes at her and turned away.
"Looks like I need to brush up on my fighting skills," Riju said. "Come on, Link, fight me!" She jumped onto her other foot, catching her balance. "I will destroy you with my power!"
"Yeah," Urbosa said. "You look real threatening with those made up movie-styled karate moves."
"Remember when we all thought Link was doing karate?" Riju dropped her pose, standing on both feet, and laughed. "What a joke that was."
"My karate saved your ass," Link snarled.
Riju rolled her eyes. "Right. I'm still convinced it was pure, dumb luck."
Link's expression softened and he shrugged. "Probably."
They all turned as a flash of light interrupted the conversation. Just yards away, Paya, Daruk, Revali, and Teba appeared out of nowhere. Teba was on his hands and knees, gasping. Revali fell backwards, pulling Daruk with him, leaving Paya the only one standing. She fought to catch her breath for a moment, turning to look at the three men on the ground around her. She shook her head as she turned her attention to Teba, who was still on the ground groaning, clutching at his shoulder. Blood seeped through his fingers.
Mipha rushed forward, dropping to her knees at his side. "You were shot!"
"Oh, for real?" Teba muttered. "I had no idea."
Mipha frowned at him. "I can't heal you with the bullet inside. I need to take it out."
Teba squeezed his eyes shut. "Yeah. Alright."
"I'm sorry, Teba," Mipha said with regret in her eyes.
"Just do it," he snarled.
Mipha sucked in a breath, not anymore thrilled to do it than Teba was, but she had no choice. She hesitated as Teba pulled his hand away, then dug her fingers into the wound. Teba pulled backwards, screaming and cursing at her, but Mipha ignored him and tried again.
"I'll fucking kill you, I swear to Hylia," he barked at her. But by the time he was finished speaking, the bullet was out of his shoulder and in Mipha's fingers.
Mipha let the bullet drop to the ground and moved her hand over the wound once more, this time to heal him. Within a few moments, the wound was closed.
"There," she said softly. She offered him a smile. "Better?"
Teba still had a snarl on his face. He met her gaze but said nothing.
Mipha rolled her eyes. "I saved your life. You're welcome."
"Yeah," Teba muttered, getting to his feet. He wiped at the wet blood on his arm, but all he did was smear it against his skin. He sighed and looked up as Link approached. Link inspected his shoulder for a moment, then punched him hard.
"The fuck was that for?" Teba barked at him.
"For getting shot!"
Teba grinned. "The things I do for you," he said, shaking his head.
"Stop it," Link hissed.
"You're just mad that you're not the big shot hero this time around."
Link wrinkled his nose and turned away from him. "Whatever."
"You know," Revali started, turning to Zelda. "I'm getting real tired of your father's shit. He's a fucking child."
Zelda sighed, but otherwise ignored him. She turned her attention to Paya. "Thank you for getting him out of there."
"And you," Revali growled at Link. He pointed a finger at him. "You broke my damn wrist!"
"You stabbed me!"
"You went Hulk!"
Link hesitated. Since he turned at the shrine, a part of him still felt the cloud of darkness moving through him, more present than it had ever been. He didn't know if it was apparent to the others, but now he could feel it start to pulse even stronger, and his vision darkened at the corners as it threatened to take over once more. He turned away from Revali, biting his lower lip.
Revali's face whitened, already catching on to Link's change in behavior. His eyes narrowed on him, and he quickly drew his bow. "Paya," he snarled in warning.
Link's eyes flashed red once more. But before he had a chance to strike, Paya stepped forward, her arm outstretched. The force of her attack sent Link flying backwards, crashing into the outerwall of the barn. The air snapped as she disappeared, then appeared once more at his side as Link moved to get to his feet. She thrust her arm out once more, using her power to pin Link against the wall. He snarled inhumanly at her and struggled against the force, but she had him, and his power - at least for the moment - completely immobilized.
Her eyes narrowed on him as she concentrated her power into keeping him pinned against the wall. She said nothing as the group slowly made their way over to them.
"Bastard," Revali hissed.
"How long can you hold him back?" Zelda asked.
"I don't know," Paya admitted. "Few hours, maybe."
"We're out of time," Daruk growled. "If we're going to save him, we need to do it now."
Zelda nodded slowly. "Right," she started. "As soon as he's back to normal, we'll go to the spring."
The Champions, however, didn't know how long it would take before Link would return to his normal self. And as the minutes turned to hours, they started to realize it could be quite some time before that would happen. They opted to take shifts throughout the day, a couple of them staying with Paya while the others did their best to occupy their minds with other menial activities. And when Paya's strength began to falter and Link threatened to overpower her hold, Zelda took over, holding him back as best as she could and allowing Paya to rest.
They worked like this through the morning, and though her father had given her strict orders not to go near him, Aryll couldn't help but to watch with a broken heart as her brother began to disappear in front of her eyes. Though he hadn't been straightforward once with her since their kidnapping, she knew she was losing him, and there was a strong chance he would succumb to the darkness that grew inside of him. She suspected her father was also starting to come to this realization, judging by the torn expression on his own face.
The afternoon turned to evening, though the world grew very dark as storm clouds began to roll in. Paya took over holding Link back once more, and the Champions, plus Riju, Rusl, Teba, and Kit, gathered inside the farmhouse to discuss their plans to go to the spring.
"There's a good chance the Yiga will be waiting for us there," Zelda said. "But for this, we will be better off in a smaller group. Daruk and Revali will go with me."
"Why don't we get to go out adventuring?" Riju whined.
"It's hardly adventuring," Teba muttered. "If anyone should be complaining, it's me for being stuck here with you."
"Let the tough guys think they need to protect us here," Urbosa said. "It makes them feel good."
Riju rolled her eyes. "Right, like this guy could protect us." She thrust a thumb in Kit's direction.
"Rude," Kit said simply.
"What happens if it doesn't work?" Rusl asked.
Revali met Rusl's gaze. "What has he told you?" he asked carefully.
"Next to nothing," Rusl said.
"Then let me fill you in," he said. "Every time he turns, it gets worse and worse, and it lasts longer and longer, until he just won't turn back. He'll be gone, and there will be nothing we can do about it."
"There has to be something," Rusl said.
"There isn't," Revali snapped. He hesitated, meeting Rusl's gaze. "And when that happens, we need to take him out." Rusl opened his mouth to argue further, but Revali cut him off. "That's what he wants," he said sharply.
"No!"
Rusl turned to see his daughter in the doorway with tears in her eyes. Her brows furrowed angrily, and before anyone could stop her, she ran out of the house and towards the barn. Picking the gun up from the counter, Revali ran after her, and Rusl and Daruk quickly followed suit.
Despite their shouts behind her, Aryll threw herself at her brother, still pinned against the wall by Paya's power. She wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging desperately to him and sobbing into his chest.
"You promised!" she shouted at him between sobs. Her voice softened. "It was just us. Just me and you. You promised we would be okay. You promised you would be there. You said you'd always be there." She cried harder when her brother did not respond. "That hasn't changed! You can't give up! You promised, Link! You promised!"
"Aryll," Revali warned. He raised the weapon in his hand, but his hand shook and his vision blurred.
"No," she sobbed. "No. Please. Link, please. You promised. You promised." Her voice trailed off as she cried softly.
Rusl turned away. He couldn't bear the sight of his broken children, the ones he had abandoned. In that moment, it didn't matter why he did it, even if it was to protect them. He had abandoned them, left them alone with no one but each other, and it seemed very likely that Aryll would soon lose her brother. He would lose his son.
"Ary."
Aryll pulled back suddenly as Link's muscles relaxed and he dropped to his knees. She moved back to him frantically, pulling his chin up and watching as the red in his eyes faded. She broke into tears once more and fell against him. He wrapped his arms loosely around her, but said nothing further as she sobbed.
At the sound of his son's voice, Rusl turned around quickly. He watched as his son returned to his normal self, and he sighed softly in relief.
When her crying finally lessened, Link spoke. "Get out."
Aryll pulled back and regarded her brother with confusion. "What?"
"Get out," he snarled, not meeting her gaze.
"Come on," Paya said softly, pulling Aryll to her feet. Aryll held her gaze on her brother, fear in her eyes, as Paya pushed her out of the barn.
Link felt sick to his stomach, in more ways than one. He didn't know how long he had been there, or what had happened, if anything. He could have guessed, based on how he felt, that it had been a long day. The only thing he was absolutely sure of was that the next time would be his last. Pain ripped through his body, and he wrapped his arms around himself with a pained groan before falling into unconsciousness.
When he awoke, he was lying on the hard ground. He opened his eyes to see the faces of Revali, Daruk, and his father hovering over him. They backed away slightly as he sat up. His head throbbed and his hand rushed to his forehead in an attempt to stop the world from spinning. When he looked up, Revali and Daruk were on their feet, and his father held a hand out, pulling him to his own feet once he took his hand.
"How long?" Link asked. When no one answered, he asked again, his voice fierce.
"Since this morning," Daruk said.
Link met Revali's gaze. "When it happens again," he said, "you need to pull the damn trigger."
"Link -" Revali started, but Link cut him off.
"Next time I won't come back!"
They fell silent for a moment.
"How can you be so sure?" Daruk asked.
"I just know," Link hissed. "Alright? I'm done. End it."
"I'm not doing it," Revali sneered.
"You promised you would," Link barked.
"Because I didn't think it would come down to that!"
"Come on," Link muttered. "You hate me. It should be easy."
Revali pushed his shoulder hard. "This isn't funny!"
"Revali, your soft side is showing."
"Idiot," he hissed.
He pulled a gun out from under his jacket. He shoved the weapon into Revali's chest. Link met his gaze, his expression serious. "Don't miss."
"Fuck off, man."
Link stepped out of the barn. The rain fell heavily, but he paid no mind to it. It was about the only thing that kept him grounded and aware of the world around him, reminding him that, for a little longer, he was alive. It felt cool and refreshing against his skin and even chilled him. He shivered slightly, then looked over his shoulder as his father followed him out of the barn.
"How long were you going to keep this from me?" Rusl snapped.
"It doesn't matter," Link hissed. "If this doesn't work, that's it. I don't come back. There's nothing you or anyone can do about it."
"It doesn't matter?" Rusl sneered. "I've been fighting to keep you alive since before you were fucking born, and you think your death doesn't fucking matter?"
"There's nothing you can do!"
Rusl stared at his son; his face softened. When he didn't speak, Link continued.
"I've already accepted it," he said. "It's time everyone else does."
"No," Rusl muttered. His face hardened once more as he grew angry. "Absolutely not. You don't get to tell me what I have to accept. I've accepted every damn thing up to this point. I worked too damn hard to keep your stupid ass alive to let you throw it all away."
"The hell do you think you're gonna do about it?" Link snapped.
Rusl hesitated. He pulled his gaze away from Link and pinched his lips together.
Link narrowed his gaze on him. "What else are you hiding?" he hissed. When his father didn't speak, he raised his voice. "Whatever you think you're planning, forget it. I won't allow it."
Rusl winced slightly. "Look," he started. "I have to do what I have to do. It's just another thing I've had to accept."
"The fuck is that supposed to mean?"
Rusl met his gaze, his brows kit together. "It means you can't fucking die. Or all of this will have been for nothing."
"If I turn," Link started, "all of this will have been for nothing. Everything Zelda and I have done to keep Hyrule safe. Just stay out of this. You have no part in this."
Rusl laughed sharply. "Yeah. You know what? Fuck you. You don't know shit. I'm more a part of this than you are."
"Well, then, why don't you enlighten me?"
"Forget it," Rusl muttered. "You're a fucking idiot."
"I'm sick of your shit," Link hissed. "You think you can just take care of everything yourself. Look how that has worked out for you so far. All your actions - those were your choices. And we suffered the consequences. I don't have a choice here, but you do. I'm gone, Dad. And I promised Aryll she wouldn't be alone. You don't get to do something stupid and leave her alone like that."
"You're not -"
"She can't lose us both!"
"Stop fighting!"
Rusl and Link turned suddenly to the voice. Aryll stood in the rain, her hair plastered to her face. They had no clue how long she had been there, not even noticing her approach. Though the rain ran down her face, it was clear that she was crying. Her body shook and her shoulders shuttered with each forced breath.
"Why the fuck are you always fighting?" she yelled at them.
Link bit his lip and pulled his gaze away. He dared a glance at his father, but Rusl had his back turned to them slightly, and he was pinching the bridge of his nose.
"For the love of… fuck! No one's going anywhere, alright?" Her voice lowered, and her shoulders dropped. "No one's going anywhere, right?"
"Aryll," Link started. But his sister was looking passed him at their father, her brows furrowed as she studied him. Link turned to him as Rusl glanced over his shoulders, and his ears twitched.
"What is she -"
"We're not fighting," Rusl said in an exhausted tone, cutting Aryll off. He met Link's gaze. "And no one's going anywhere."
Link pulled his gaze away. All he wanted to do was prepare everyone - prepare himself - for the worst possible scenario. His chances of coming out of this all alive seemed slim to none, now. The least he could do was make sure that when he was gone, everything would be okay. Aryll wouldn't be without a family. Hyrule would remain standing, at peace once more. And life would go on for everyone. But it seemed his father, the one person he thought could be the most logical and realistic about the situation, couldn't accept his son's fate. Link couldn't blame him, of course, but that only made it that more difficult for him to accept his own death. There was no getting through to him, and he was terrified of what his father would do to prevent his inevitable death. He couldn't stand to watch his father come apart, so he pushed passed his sister, ignored the puddles that soaked his feet, and made his way into the house.