"This thing is the embodiment of the evil magic that Zant cast on you. It's definitely different from our tribe's shadow magic... Careful... If you touch it, you'll turn back into a beast! This thing is too dangerous... It's probably for the best if we just leave it here, huh? But on the other hand...if we kept it, you'd be able to transform into a beast anytime you wanted... Yes, since Zant was kind enough to give this to us, we should be thankful and use it all we can!"

-Saintess Midna, Twilight Princess

Chapter 36: Oni

Northern Palace, Hylia City…

Impa, angered as she overheard someone talking about Link's condition, stormed her way through the halls, scaring servants and soldiers from her imposing presence. She headed for the Council of Six's chambers, one floor below the throne room. After several minutes and up four flights of stairs, she arrived at the large red and golden doors that led into the room. Two guards stood at attention, immediately frightened as they didn't seem to notice Impa.

"Uh? Milady, wh-what are you doing here?" one asked.

"I'm here to see Veran! Where is she?" Impa asked.

"Um, sh-she's not…" the second asked.

Impa pushed them out of the way, opening the doors and seeing the stain glass window depicting the First Emperor uniting Hyrule under one banner, that of the Dragmire clan. Its light poured onto the round table where the Council would have their meetings and chairs were underneath. On the table where the absent members usually sat were Sheikah stones. The one where Veran would sit began to glow and her image appeared, sitting in the chair.

Seeing the hologram, Impa said, "What have you done? You've gone against Heika's orders."

"I've done no such thing," Veran told her.

Impa glowered and the Twili asked, "Why do you care? You've no reason to for a reborn traitor."

"I do if that boy is special to Heika," Impa replied.

Veran scoffed, telling her, "He has no clue how dangerous that boy was."

"Was?" Impa questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Was. It was the Council's decision and Koume and Kotake's guidance that helped us in making it. The boy was far too dangerous. Even more so after Meg took the Triforce piece from him," Veran said.

Impa was afraid to ask, but Veran continued with, "He thrashed about after you all apprehended him. And it was the wise women's council that told us that he needed to disappear. His being needed to break and become nearly unrecognizable. That would be the only way to keep the empire."

"Just the twins? Heika's nursemaids?" Impa asked, not believing her.

"Yes. And Master Yuga agreed," Veran said.

"That dark mage? Why would you ask his advice?" Impa asked.

"To find a way to prevent that so-called 'Hero' from destroying the empire, uprooting people's livelihoods and starting a worldwide disaster," Veran told her.

Impa shook her head and said, "Tell me. Tell me that you didn't destroy him."

"No. But that heart-shaped Shadow Crystal most likely will…along with the many curses and infusions of monsters Koume and Kotake placed inside. And since they're not employed by the empire anymore, we have no affiliation," Veran said.

"How so? You all made a decision, a quite illegal and terrible one, I might add," Impa shouted, standing up and slamming her hands on the table.

Veran was taken aback, asking, "And I ask again. Why do you care of what happens to that boy? We've done things like this to traitors and prisoners all the time. Remember Master Yosuke?"

Impa sat back down, remembering the day they took her old master's remains to the dungeons. She remembered seeing Ghirahim attacking him successfully after the man tried to eliminate the emperor. And Fi's confusion as to what happened. All Impa heard afterwards were rumors, ones that said that her master was taken to the Shadow Temple. And if that was the case…

"We did. We took the boy and his traitorous mother to the Shadow Temple. And the girls, his sisters, and friends escaped from the dungeons…I don't know how, but…" Veran said.

"There's no way to escape from a place like that. Unless, you didn't put them in the Shadow Temple," Impa said.

Veran was silent and Impa asked, "Where did you put them? I know that they were transferred from the palace dungeons and was assigned to go to the Shadow Temple. So, where are they? And what did you do to them? And why didn't you inform me, Byrne or even Maud on your decision?"

"Because it came from His Majesty himself. We gave him the evidence and he decided for us to deal with the problem," Veran said.

Impa knew that wasn't the whole truth and Veran continued with, "We did so, but it seems that they found their way out. But not to worry. Even if they were to come back together, the boy will become a monster, ending the eternal cycle of the 'Hero' and freeing us all from it."

"What in the name of Hylia are you talking about?" Impa asked.

Symmetry City, 18th Darmani…

Black smoke covered the skies above the city and many buildings were on fire. People ran about, evacuating as they thought the Imperial army had returned to finish the job of eliminating Labrynnan resistance. One group included Lydia, Din, Nayru and Farore. The inn they were in was suddenly set ablaze, just as they were helping Lydia figure out what to do next. The source of the blaze wasn't known, but they were forced to evacuate just as Lydia tried to go upstairs to check on Link.

Outside, Nayru and Farore helped many of the stragglers into the cave system that was long ago a volcanic one. It served as a shelter during Hyrule's first invasion and again for the massive fire that consumed the city. Guards that remained helped lead remaining residents and even checked homes that were threatened by the flames for families hiding. Lydia looked everywhere for Link, hoping that he woke up and escaped, but she doubted it.

But those thoughts couldn't plague her. She had to believe that he did or else she couldn't take it. And her daughters. Did they find safety with that Patch fellow?

"W-Why did you m-make me d-do t-th-that?"

Link, hiding in the cliffs near Symmetry City's east entrance, cried as he saw the result of his passing out after feeling like his body was on fire and waking up outside the city. Something gnawed at the back of his mind, telling him that it was perfectly fine. He lost control, setting the city of traitors on fire. The voice that told him was very familiar but demented.

"Oni, w-w-why? How?" Link asked, his feelings telling him that it was the imposter that tried to kill him.

"Why are you feeling sorry? They're all traitors. Leaving poor Queen Ambi like that."

"B-b-but how di-did…? How did y-you…?" Link asked.

"Oni" laughed and throbbing was felt at Link's chest. The boy looked down and saw his scarred chest. It looked like a six-pointed star, with Twili tattoo-like lines running from it and down his arms, abdomen and around to his back. "Oni" scoffed and told him, "Who knew that Sue Cubus girl would find my remains. That heart of mine that's inside you now, beating quite happily I might add."

"I-I thought…" Link stammered.

"Well, you thought wrong. Now that I have a body again, I'll make sure to finish the job that even you couldn't finish," "Oni" said.

Everything turned red and Link doubled over as he felt pain all over again. He tried to fight it, trying to stay awake and prevent "Oni" from controlling him. It didn't work and Link tumbled to the ground. His body was covered in shadows and everything around him turned black.

"WHOA NO!" Fi screamed.

Agitha, Aryll, the Guru Patch and she saw the entire city on fire and virtually abandoned. There were guards on the ground, mostly deceased and signs of a struggle were all around. Fi checked the deceased, seeing large gashes on them. They looked like sword marks and the weapons next to them were broken, more signs of a struggle.

"Um, where's Mom? Where's Link?" Aryll said, very worried.

She started for the east inn when Agitha stopped her. Aryll saw that her twin had grabbed her arm and Agitha shook her head, saying, "No. It's too dangerous."

"We have to make sure that Mom and Link are okay!" Aryll yelled.

"But getting hurt or killed in this place won't help," Agitha said.

"What? You rather leave them to die? Typical!" Aryll shouted.

Agitha withdrew and she fell silent again. Most likely the guilt she felt, Fi thought. Patch, however, started for the north of town, saying, "If I recall, there's a cave in the north that we can go to. It's the old cave our ancestors used to store an Essence of Time. And then in the recent war, we used it as a shelter from the Hyrulian Vah Naboris' air raids."

"Okay, where is it?" Fi asked.

"Follow me. I'll lead you to it. But, I don't think they'll be too happy if your 'friends' follow us," Patch told her.

Symmetry City, Skull Dungeon…

The old dungeon where the people of Symmetry held the Essence of Time: the Burning Flame. Like the element's namesake, the old dungeon was filled with lava pits, blocked off by iron gates. Pathways led to various parts of the cave, each behind a door. Patch explained that the place changed, as it was a lot more dangerous before, after a Hero took the Essence for his quest. He couldn't remember which one, but he knew that he helped the Oracle of Ages in his time.

"Oh, well, where's everyone?" Aryll asked.

"Hey! Hey!"

At the left door was Din, who had an urgent look in her eyes. She motioned for them to come and they did. When Fi was close, Din snatched the pendant that was on her cloak and said, "See? This is why those girls were following you and they followed us here!"

She threw it into a nearby lava pool and it melted. Horrified, the girl was about to ask why when Din pulled her into the next room. Patch and the twins soon followed and Din said, "Nayru! Now!"

As they made it to a stairwell, Fi saw the dungeon change to a dangerous, lava filled and undead enemy infested dungeon. The room they were in changed from a rocky floor and torch-lit chamber into a lava pool with a path leading north and east. Breaks in the path were there, forcing anyone who would enter to either go back or jump to safety.

"Okay, let's go," Din said, leading them down the secret passage.

With Oni…

After taking over and changing Link's form into his own, the black-clad Oni stared at the second room from the entrance changed to a lava filled room with a small path leading west and east. Fire Keese were everywhere along with jelly-like enemies called Zols. Unlike Chu Jellies, they provided no nutritional juices after defeat and were an annoyance.

"So, they really think they can hide in here? It's not like I haven't been in a place like this before," Oni said.

He could hear screaming and smirked as it was Link trying to take back control. A slight headache came and it barely fazed Oni. Summoning the obsidian blade, Oni slashed at the Zols and blocked as a Fire Keese tried to tackle him. He retaliated with a strong sword swing, cutting it in two.

The room quiet, he sensed Aryll and Agitha's presence. Link pleaded for him not to hurt them, but Oni scoffed. His eyes shining red, he asked, "Why do you even care about Agitha? Last I remember, she wants you dead."

Another shout for him not to hurt them, Oni ignored and headed west as their presence was strongest there.

With the Cubus sisters…

I-no and Sue, after nearly getting trapped in a room and getting ambushed by jumping Stalfos, sighed as they hadn't a clue what happened. The cave was quite empty and it suddenly changed as lava and monsters appeared. They were certain that the place had no such things as the twins couldn't sense the presence of monsters.

Finding a door to I-no's left, the twins entered the next room, seeing a horde of Hardhat Beetles. Sue, a wielder of a steel fan, gave a strong wave, sending a gust of wind their direction. The monsters were caught up in the whirlwind and were tossed into the lava. Once gone, the twins deftly jumped onto the platform the monsters were and they saw a door in the north.

Sue grabbed I-no's left hand and the two simultaneously ran and jumped. Both luckily landed on the platform where the door was and they ran through. Immediately afterwards, they separated, getting attacked by black fire. It was a dark-haired Twili in black and he glared at the pair, saying, "You're not the twins I'm looking for."

"Twins? Wait, you're not affiliated with those girls that was trying to…" I-no started.

Sue shushed him and said, "What are you? You're not human."

The man gave a small chuckle, which deepened to a monstrous laugh. His eyes began glowing and Twili markings turned red. He grinned, revealing sharp teeth and said, "You catch on quick."

With an obsidian blade, he leapt at them coming at them so fast that I-no and Sue could barely keep up.

Rumbling shook the old essence chamber, where Nayru and Farore were ushering people to a portal to safety. Lydia, armed with a sword one of the guards gave her, helped stand guard and saw the many worried and scared expressions of the people. She felt guilty, remembering her role in the siege of Lynna. She wondered if the people they practically imprisoned in their own city was just as terrified as the people she saw.

"Mom?! MOM!"

Lydia saw her girls, along with Fi, Din and a man that Fi introduced as Patch, the restoration guru. Aryll ran up and hugged her mother, asking, "Where's Link?"

"I don't know…I can only hope that he escaped," Lydia said sadly.

Agitha didn't say anything and Aryll handed Lydia a sword. The woman was about to take it out to see when Din yelled, "Don't!"

"Yes. The weapon will split you into four if you unsheathe it," Patch told her.

"So, how is anyone supposed to use it?" Lydia asked.

Everyone looked to Din, who said, "We're going to use this to free your son from darkness."

"How? Especially if any one of us was to wield it, it'll break us into four," Lydia asked.

Din's face became sad and she said, "We'll have to give it to him…and it's power will split him into four…and the power to repel evil will purge the evil that cloaks him."

"Din!" Farore yelled.

The dark-skinned sister shrugged and said, "They were going to need to know sooner or later."

"But it's not a guarantee that it'll purge him. It could make him more dangerous!" Farore said.

"It was Nayru's idea, remember?" Din yelled.

The sisters took ushering the remaining citizens to the remaining soldiers and Nayru told Farore, "Just trust me on this. Let Link take the sword. Yes, it'll split him apart, but it'll give us a chance to destroy the darkness inside…"

A loud explosion came from the other room, the former boss room of the place. The frightened citizens started pushing each other, trying to get to the portal. The soldiers called for them to slow down and not push and Lydia readied herself for a fight.

Putting the uninspired dubbed Four Sword on her back, Lydia took the lead and slowly opened the door. She saw two women, both with silver hair and wearing green and orange in the next chamber. They were fighting a vicious battle with…Oni?

"I thought you all said he died," Lydia said.

Aryll and Agitha saw that Oni was still alive, yelling his name and catching his attention. The woman, twins, were then struck with dark energy and sent flying into the wall behind them. The door Lydia was behind was blasted open and she knocked unconscious.

"Oh no! Oh no! Over here!" a guard yelled.

Aryll and Agitha were protected from the blast by their mother, who was badly hurt. The two also received injuries, with cuts, bruises and burns from the blast. The twins' vision was fuzzy and their ears were ringing. Aryll could see Fi rushing towards their defense as the room darkened and she was struck by a blade beam filled with dark purple energy.

"Is that all you got?"

Farore fired off a ball of light and Oni, whose pale face was covered in Twili markings, blocked the attack with ease. He retaliated with another shockwave, sending everyone still in the room flying to various walls and corners. The energy also shut off the portal, leaving the few remaining citizens with them.

Aryll and Agitha, holding onto their unconscious and badly injured mother, watched as Oni sauntered towards them. He looked ready to cut them down as madness was in his red eyes and the black blade was at the ready. Stopping for a moment, as Aryll was sure that her former friend had lost it, Oni said, "Why don't you want them gone? Especially Agitha? It's not like she even cares that you're no longer here."

Fi jumped in front of him, yelling, "If you want to take them out, you have to go through me!"

Oni, using his free right hand, back handed her to the wall on the girl's left. She struck it, immediately falling unconscious. The crazed man, or monster, turned his attention back to the mother and daughters trio, asking, "Why not?! Don't you wanna be free from their stupid stares and condescending nature? All they ever do is hold your back! Your own mother doesn't even believe in you! So, why should she live?"

'N-No…' Aryll thought, realizing what had happened.

Agitha looked down and asked, "So, it was you? You told me all that? Not Link?"

"Oh. That. Nope. That was all Link, but apparently, I helped him say all what he felt about you. A spineless coward, thinking herself smarter than everyone and disguising her constant fear of getting killed with hatred," Oni said.

Readying the sword, he said, "Maybe you should've been…"

Agitha bowed her head and yelled, "Link! Listen! I'm sorry!"

"What? Trying to be apologetic after all you put him through? I don't think so," Oni said.

Looking up at Oni, Agitha said, "Link, please…I…I'm sorry. Yes, I was scared. I was terrified every day. Especially after you reacted so violently to Dad's picture, almost like you were…a monster. But after seeing you like that, I knew. You really did have one inside of you and my hating you only fed it."

Oni swung his weapon, another shockwave sending the trio sailing. Aryll slammed into an old pot near the portal, shattering it and crumbling onto the floor in pain. Lydia limply rolled towards the stairs. Meanwhile, Agitha slammed into the back wall, falling onto the sigil that served as the portal.

Near where she landed were Farore and Nayru, both badly injured and dazed. Din, who had hit the right wall earlier, could barely keep her eyes open. The few guards and citizens played dead, hoping that Oni wouldn't attack. But, he did anyway, stabbing several in the back and ending their lives then and there.

Sword covered in blood and with a grin on his face, Oni headed for Lydia and Agitha shouted, "LINK!"

Oni turned to her, annoyance on his features, and the girl said, "Please…I'm…I'm sorry. If-If you…hate me, I understand. But don't take out Aryll! Please!"

"It's not like you care! You never cared! So, stop with the fake repentance!" Oni shouted, sounding more like Link with every word.

Seeing that it wasn't working, Agitha said, "Then…then that sword just won't do. Take the one that's off Mom's back."

"Why?" Oni asked.

Farore and Nayru finally sat up and Din said for them, "Yeah. Take…Take that one."

Oni didn't get why and Farore told him, "It has power that you'll need after you take out us traitors…"

"The power to repel evil and take on the empire…And it can turn you back to normal, Oni. No longer you'll be a monster. You'll be human again," Nayru said.

Farore's face went into horror and Oni asked, "Oh really?"

"Y-Yeah…Just…take the sword on Miss Lydia's back. The golden handled one," Din told him.

Oni eyed them, glaring and walking towards Lydia. She groaned, stirring awake, and Oni grabbed the weapon off of her before she had awakened. When she did, her eyes went wide and she said, "Oni?"

"Not the one you knew before, Mom!" Agitha yelled.

"Yes, I'm not. But, you won't have to worry about that much longer. None of you will…" Oni told them.

He unsheathed the weapon and it began to glow with an otherworldly light. Oni's eyes went wide as he realized the light wasn't helpful. It ran down his arm, through the markings on his face and then his entire body. Glaring at Farore and Nayru, he shouted, "You…YOU TRICKED ME!"

Agitha could see shadows in the shapes of a dragon, a Goron, a Zora, a bird, and a trio of humanoids. All fled from Oni and the light filled the room, along with Oni's screams and curses on the others. When the light faded, Link stood in the center, dazed and in pants that looked like the prisoner uniform Groose and Pipit wore. Below him was a small black and red crystal that pulsated like a heart. It disappeared into the shadows when Agitha locked eyes onto it.

Link looked around, seeing Aryll, Agitha, Lydia, the unconscious Fi and the sisters, Din, Nayru and Farore. Staggering towards Agitha, Link muttered, "I-I…heard…heard you…"

Just as he got to the stairs leading up to the portal, Link stopped, holding his belly and doubling over. He fell to his knees and the light that expelled Oni had started coursing through his veins, being readily visible. Aryll, jumping to her feet, rushed towards Link along with Lydia, who nearly fell back to the ground.

Link didn't want their help, only saying with fluctuations in pitch in his voice, "St-Stay…stay…away!"

A pulse of energy sent the duo back and Agitha was pinned to the wall. She could see Link's body covered in cracks with light pouring out of them. The sword in his hand started to crack and it shattered, releasing so much light. Link didn't scream, instead he closed his eyes and gave Agitha a small smile. She couldn't do anything as the light was blinding an another explosion collapsed the room.

"Agitha, Aryll, Mom, I'm sorry…I'm really sorry. I couldn't be the Hero Granny wanted. Nor could I protect you. I made all of you scared of me…I'm sorry. Maybe it'll be better next time. Maybe…."

Well, I know you all think this is the finale, but it's not! No way! We're not ending the story like this! Yes, it seems like Link's been killed off, but there's gonna be an explanation about it. That and there's going to be a sequel to this. So, this story's not done yet.

Anywho, thanks to everyone that has reviewed the story so far. As well as those that put this fic in their favorites and are following it. You guys are the best.

-miano53