-deep breath-

Okay… wow. Hi everyone. x) Been a while… hasn't it?

To cut right to the chase: Around November last year, I said I had been diagnosed with a medical condition and that I wasn't sure when I'd be able to finish the fix. Well, I'm still struggling to cope with the big changes in my life, and everything else, unfortunately including this fic, has come second. However, I must also admit that there have been times that I could have been working on the last two chapters you all have been waiting so patiently for- and I apologize a thousand times over that it's taken so long. All you readers have been so wonderfully patient and I couldn't ask for a better set of readers/reviewers. However… I DID make a promise to you all. I said I would finish it… And I have.

In summary… tldr; I'm very sorry this has taken so long, but it's finally here. :) Questions will finally be answered… strengths and friendships will be tested, and the final confrontation between light and dark will ensue. It's slightly longer than a typical chapter, but nothing crazy like Reiteration, I promise. P:

Please enjoy the final two chapters of my fic, The Four Swords: Reminiscence.


Chapter Fifty-Four: War


In one colossal, ear-splitting and ground-shaking explosion, the barrier of light which had so bravely protected the five young heroes shattered, its shards of yellow light glistening like glass as they were flung in all directions from the heavy forces which blasted pasts its defenses, destroying the barrier and leaving nothing behind. Hungry and mad for power, destruction, and vengeance, the two monsters, the Dark Dragon Onox and the Shadow Spider Veran, reborn and disfigured through the horrible powers of Darkness, lunged forward, their eyes burning with malice and a maddened glee, as they aimed their sights upon the Heroes beneath them.

"MOVE!" The roar came loudly from the center of the group, his voice sharp and quick, commanding and relentless. Green's order did not go unheeded- and, in a split second, the five heroes on the ground all quickly snapped into action, leaping off to the side as they quickly divided in two, one half running off to one side and the other to the opposite as they made to escape the initial attack of the two monstrosities they now faced. The two monsters, screaming and enraged in their initial attack, barreled forward past the long-gone an destroyed barrier of light, nearly colliding into each other as they slammed upon the now-empty grown before them.

The ground shook and rumbled, plumes of dust shooting up from the dirt beneath, as the two monstrosities struck the ground where, only seconds before, the five heroes had stood before them. Nearly entangled upon one another in the poorly coordinated and power-hungry lunge, Veran and Onox, roaring and screeching in fury and hate, struggled, their bodies as large as they were, to stand once again and turn to face where the heroes had gone now.

Yet, the five children were much quicker on their feet than the two giants before them- and already, running quickly around their attackers, they had met once again in a group, turning to face their opponent's back.

The fight had begun.

"We need a strategy," Green gasped, his chest heaving and panting in exhaustion from the quick and sudden burst he and the others'd had to put on in order to escape the initial lunge of the two demonic creatures. "We don't have much time," he added quickly, clenching his jaw as he looked past his team to the monstrosities before them. In seconds they would be up and turning around, lunging back towards them and-

"I can sense their weak points," Shadow snapped quickly, turning his fierce, red eyes from each of the other Links, eventually settling them upon their leader. Instantly, the others turned to look at the child of darkness as he growled, narrowing his eyes, his face covered in dirt and scratches from the rubble-strewn battleground, "Veran's eyes, right behind her pincers... And the gem on Onox's forehead."

Quickly catching on, his eyes wide, Blue nodded as he added hurriedly, "Get past her teeth and get up to Onox's head, and we have a chance!"

Without hesitating a second longer, knowing their time precious short, Green shot a look towards Vio. Now, more than ever... He needed his friend's brilliance.

And the young Link, as if sensing the great responsibility on his shoulders, gave a calm and solemn nod, looking past them once towards the beasts, who were screaming, roaring, and shrieking as they lumbered to their feet. Vio's eyes narrowed slowly- and, snapping quickly, he said calmly, yet with an urgency to his voice, to the others, "They're working together. It must be Ganon's single power controlling them. This won't be like last time- our only chance is to keep them separate, attack them in two groups."

Instantly, Red gave a nod, stepping forward. "What groups, Vio?" he insisted quickly, looking over his shoulder once, his eyes growing wide, as the two monsters, now on their feet, roared and screamed as they began to turn around. His sweaty grip on the hilt of his blade tightened... They were running out of time...!

Narrowing his eyes and speaking quickly and shortly, lifting his blade as he sensed their time ending soon, Vio quickly snapped, "Blue, Red, and I will go after Onox. Shadow and Green, you two need to get past Veran's pincers and-"

"No time left!" Shadow suddenly roared, jumping forward to the center of the group, his wide, red eyes looking up furiously at the sight before them. "Just do it! Now!" he shouted- and as all the Links turned quickly to where he was looking, their eyes widened and their hearts sank- as Shadow had said, their time had run out.

Breaking themselves free from each other and regaining their own balance, Onox resting on his large serpentine tail and his upper half supported by his two massive wings, and Veran towering high over the rubble with her eight horrendous legs, the two monstrosities once more faced the five, grouped children, their eyes burning in an endless hate and lust for destruction.

Quickly, his eyes narrowed and his heart pounding, Green once more rose his voice above the screams of their enemies. "Keep them separated! Back each other up," he called out quickly, as the two groups raised their weapons and prepared to charge into battle, "And whatever you do, DON'T BACK DOWN!"

And as the monstrosities screamed their darkness and hate to the children, so the five young heroes returned the shouts, their voices filled with determination, light, and a drive unlike any heard before. The five Links quickly ran forward, splitting into their two assigned groups as they approached the enemies from angled sides, each luring the other to the opposite side as the first, their hearts racing and their eyes narrowed and fiercely set upon their mission.

Snarling, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white, Shadow ran alongside Green, speaking quickly and loudly to him as they approached their target. "I'll distract her for you!" he roared as the two charged, side-by-side, into battle. Fearless and with nothing to stand between them and their goal, the two Links ran alongside each other, as if they had always done so and there was no other truth than this. "You strike the eyes when you have an opening! And watch out for those pincers!"

"Got it!" Green responded just as quickly, nodding fiercely once, his eyes kept forward on their target. And though the both of them ran straight towards hell's beast, into the reach of the enemy and the center of the inferno... He held not a shred of fear, nor doubt, with the support of the friend who ran alongside him. At this thought, even despite the intensity of the fight... he could not keep a small smirk from tugging at his cheeks.

Veran, screeching as her two main glowing, glaring purple eyes settled upon the two approaching heroes, quickly turned to face the children, her large and towering limbs slamming across the rubble with each numerous step and sending clouds of dust billowing through the air around her. The six massive pincers, each in pairs growing smaller to the center, wiggled in delight and anticipation of its victims as Veran, hungry for death, ran towards the Links, advancing quickly upon them in hopes of slamming them to the ground and crushing them beneath her limbs.

Running off to the side, splitting away from Green and rounding off an angle around the massive spider, with his narrowed red sights set upon the beast before him, Shadow pulled back his lips in a snarl as he brought his fists in front of him, the shadow magic already called forth from his powers and bursting from his hands. The blasts of dark magic he flung, one after the other in quick succession in hopes of bringing the demonic spider's creature towards him and away from Green, quickly met their mark- slamming against the side of the spider, they hardly caused damage to the massive, seemingly impervious behemoth of darkness- yet they served their purpose all the same. Screeching in hate and fury, her wide, purple eyes glaring to the side at the nuisance, the destructive spider Veran quickly and nimbly whirled around on her eight spider legs, lunging after Shadow and slamming her powerful legs down quickly after the new target.

Fulfilling his part of the plan, Green, his hands wrapped tight around his sword and shield, quickly ran off to the side, splitting away from Shadow when the other Link took to his own, sending his distracting blasts of shadow magic towards the massive behemoth the two strived to take down. And as Green noticed, ever growing closer to Veran yet keeping both a safe enough distance and a close enough one to move in for an opening, the distraction was working perfectly- the gigantic monster that had once been the sentient and coherent being of Veran was no longer, transformed by the darkness and the powers of the God of Darkness and simply made as a larger, more powerful vessel in which to accommodate his power. And as another shot from Shadow's magic barreled into the spider's side, knocking it off-balance, Veran screeched in pain- and, for a second, it appeared as if she were stunned, leaning slightly backwards in the attack's recoil and trembling lightly as her body remained still, almost paralyzed. Green's eyes snapped open. Now was his chance! He leapt forward, his sword brandished and-

-In a heartbeat, Green found himself stumbling, catching himself from falling as he stopped himself from running, his eyes widening in shock and the breath nearly stolen from his chest at what he saw. Veran had not been stunned- she had been preparing an attack! For a mere second after Green had charged towards the unsuspecting monster, so Veran had lunged forward, towards the attacking Shadow- and, from the center of her pincers, out had burst a large, white and silky web, strong and firing in one solid, massive piece towards her attacker. Shadow's eyes were wide as he threw his arms up to defend himself- but even his dark magic could not burn through the terrifying web which slammed against him, wrapping his arms close to his sides and tightening all around his body, slowly squeezing him as, from the other end of the web, a large string which attached her caught prey to her pincers began to slowly retract. Chattering with demonic glee, her prey caught and defenseless in her trap, Veran's pincers opened and closed hungrily as she slowly began to draw in her catch towards her devouring, awaiting pincers.

"Sh-Shadow!" Green shouted, his eyes wide as, completely forgetting his mission, ran towards his struggling, entrapped friend, his mind only thinking on what would happen if Shadow, unable to fight back, would finally be dragged to those two, deadly pincers and-

"NO! Damnit! Go after her! Now, Green!" Shadow screamed as he writhed and struggled, his heels digging into the ground below as he resisted as best he could the powerful pull from the web as Veran slowly began to drag him in closer and closer to her terrible, snapping jaws. Though he desperately tried to call up his dark magic, it was all for naught- his hands were pinned tightly to his sides, his entire torso wrapped in the sticky, constricting white web with only his legs left as his last line of defense, his last way to struggle against his slowly impeding doom. The ends of his boots were scuffing madly against the ground, leaving thin grooves in the dirt and rubble as he was dragged closer and closer to those wide, dripping fangs... Green's eyes went wide as he looked from the web to the spider, the spider to his trapped friend, his friend to the pincers...

And in an instant, the decisive and quick-thinking leader knew what had to be done.

Running forward, putting on an extra burst of speed as he barreled towards the monstrous spider, the hero leapt in between both his friend and the spider, shouting aloud as, forgoing his shield for his glistening, proud Four Sword, with both hands wrapped fiercely around its hilt, he brought his sword down in a powerful vertical strike, the razor-sharp edge of his blade cleanly and evenly slicing through the binding string of web which tied the spider to its trapped prey. The result was instantaneous- as the pressure was relieved from the pull of both sides, Shadow was flung to the ground, freed, yet still trapped- and, stumbling backwards from the hit, Veran's feet scrambled over the ground as she attempted to regain her balance, the severed web lying uselessly on the dirt.

Eyes flashing, wasting not a second as he bought his blade quickly up from behind him, Green shouted as he charged headlong towards the stunned, vulnerable monster- and, leaping forwards, cried aloud as he thrust his blade forward, impaling the tip of his sword through the massive spider's left eye.

Without waiting an instant, hardly pausing a second to hear out the beast's screeching cries of pain and rage, Green's blade was withdrawn from its target as the hero quickly whirled around, leaping out of range from the monster and running back towards where the severed trail of web led. From behind him he could hear the painful, withering screams of the monstrosity- yet he couldn't heed them, not yet. Instead, his eyes were focused on one thing and one thing alone. Hardly slowing down, Green instead kept his speed quick as he ran up towards the fallen Shadow- and, his blade work quick and accurate, swung downwards once more, inches away from his friend, the end of his blade just barely catching the binding web which had tightly wrapped itself around Shadow's arms and legs.

Sliced to shreds, the web fell useless to the ground- and, as Green extended a hand, Shadow gave a grim smile, taking it wordlessly in his own. "Come on," Green said, panting lightly, his mind still working and running, not stopping for a second to think back on the successful hit, "we've got to regroup with the others."

The Link of shadows was silent for a moment- but, with his grim smile, managed to open his mouth as he muttered out, "Thanks," his friend helping him hoist himself to his feet.

Grinning, Green merely picked up his sword once more, nodding in response. Though he felt the rush of battle and the clock ticking away their precious seconds, knowing he needed to hurry and that every moment counted... He allowed himself a moment's hesitation as he grinned and responded confidently, "You bet. Now let's get back to the others!"

Grinning in response, Shadow gave a simple, agreeing nod. Their task now complete, without any more words exchanged between the two, the duo quickly ran past the thrashing and writhing monster that had once been the sorceress Veran, back towards their friends, ready to continue taking on whatever challenges would lie ahead.

As two of their friends ran off to meet with the malicious, terrifying spider monstrosity, the three other Links, determined and ready, ran off in the opposite direction, charging into the fight with the ominous and towering Dark Dragon. Almost instantly, a bolt of icy-blue magic was flung from the three's direction, slamming harshly into the side of the dragon's face. Roaring in pain and irritation, its burning, soulless red eyes instantly turned to face its attacker. Nearly out of breath, but forcing himself to keep running anyways, Red gripped his Ice Rod firmly in his hands, his eyes focused fiercely upon the beast he'd attacked.

"You guys keep going!" Red shouted as he came to a stop, planting his feet firmly in the rubble-strewn battlefield beneath him. He tightened his grip on the Ice Rod held firmly in both hands, his youthful face hardened and his bright, blue eyes set into a determined, fearless gaze. "I'll keep him distracted!"

Stopping as they noticed Red falling back, Blue shot a quick glare towards Vio, who had also stopped beside him. "What do WE do, then?" he shouted quickly.

Vio's eyes widened- and though he meant to respond to Blue's question, something else came out of his mouth.

"Look out!-!"

Quickly shoving the other's shoulder, Vio pushed the two of them off to the side- only milliseconds before a massive, clawed hand came slamming down on the ground right where they had been standing. A cloud of dirt flew upwards at the massive impact around the beast's claws, which were digging into the dirt itself, curving inwards in a tight and deadly grasp, the ground below becoming unearthed with the motion. Onox's blood red eyes narrowed in fury at his missed attack, and his jaws opened wide, flashing his horrible set of gleaming white fangs. However, this was not merely for show- and only a second after his mouth had been opened, multiple and massive balls of blazing fire came barreling out from between his jaws, aimed right towards the young heroes.

Once more, the three Links were forced to jump to the side to evade the attack- and, once more shouting out, Red returned the volley with a string of ice attacks. "Come and get ME, you big lizard!" the small Link shouted as he once more flung more ice at Onox, jumping backwards and to the side, hoping to lure its attacks away from his friends.

Breathless, after having recovered from evading the attack, Vio quickly glanced up at Onox and then to the side at Red, drawing Onox's fire. Only a split second passed before he knew what had to be done- and quickly he whirled around to face Blue, his eyes narrowed and intense.

"Blue, next time his hand comes down, I need you to jump on it, and run up his back to his head! That's the only way to get to the gem! Red and I will distract his attacks!"

"Got it!" Blue responded with a bold, wild grin. He thought Vio's plan was insane, crazy, risky and something his normally calm and cautious friend would never propose- but he was excited nonetheless, and knew that he was the perfect one to do such a daring maneuver. He wasn't sure how exactly it would play out, but… he trusted him beyond words, and so not another word was spoken as he whirled around, running over towards Red. After all, with Onox being distracted towards Red, Blue knew exactly where his next attack would be aimed…

And, just as Blue thought, Red was only seconds away from being hit by Onox's hand once more, the small Link using his size and agility to his advantage as he quickly dodged another attack by the monstrous dragon's claws. And not a second after the hand slammed on the ground, with the cloud of dust still hovering in the air-

"HA!" Laughing aloud, Blue leapt up quickly, his sword and shield sheathed to give him greater mobility, and planted his boots firmly on top of Onox's scaled, clawed hand. The Dark Dragon hardly noticed his presence- a mere flea in comparison to the gigantic creature, Blue's weight was hardly anything to Onox's massive bulk. Instead, his attention was still focused on the small Red continuing to shoot the ice at him- and once more he returned another volley of fireballs to the Link. And as he began to raise up his hand for a second attack-

"Going up!" Blue laughed to himself as he crouched down, bracing himself as he was lifted high into the air on the back of the giant dragon's hand. His next move would be risky, he knew... but if anything, this challenge was yet another adventure, and he'd tackle it just as he did all the others- headfirst, with no looking back. With another laugh, as the monster's hand grew close to his shoulders, Blue took a deep breath- and jumped.

Overwhelming the small Link facing him, Onox roared as he once more slammed his opposite hand down on the ground, more fireballs flung at Red. Already, he was beginning to advance upon the small Red, his strength and stamina greater than the other's- but suddenly, right before when it would seem as if Red would be completely overwhelmed, a harsh stinging sensation burned through the beast's eye, and, snarling in contempt and rage, Onox jerked his massive head to the side- just in time to see Vio let off another string of arrows, all aimed precisely towards the creature's eyes.

Vio's glare was intense, furious, calm, and piercing as he looked over the string of his bow, the points of his arrows all aimed high and precisely towards the beast's eyes. He and Red could keep the dragon's attention divided, he knew this- making sure neither of them became overwhelmed- and, above all else, he had to keep the beast from recognizing Blue's presence on his back. Holding down his bow, he quickly jumped to the side, evading another slam of Onox's hands- and, looking back up, suddenly found himself grinning widely, even resisting the urge to laugh.

After all, it was one of the greatest sights Vio had ever seen- unbeknownst to the massive creature attacking the Links on the ground, there was a third Link running just beyond his sights- jumping and leaping over the massive scales on his back, a wild grin on his face, climbing higher and higher up the demon's neck. The wind was buffeting him backwards, but still he ran on, his grin growing wider and wider with each leap he took.

Onox once more roared as he flung his hands towards Red, slamming them just inches away from his target, and again sent another flurry of fire towards the archer beside him- but still he was oblivious to the swordsman who had finally reached the top of his climb, and was standing- almost victoriously- on top of his very forehead.

Taking out his sword, Blue stood right in front of the gleaming, diamond-shape gem on Onox's forehead, the massive crystal even bigger than he was. Still, he laughed- and, biting back a remark about the new definition of a 'headache', thrust his sword downwards as hard as he possibly could.

The glistening, silver metal of his sword plunged effortlessly down, all the way down to the hilt, submerging itself completely in the blazing red crystal atop Onox's head. And from the slit Blue's sword created in the gem, a blinding, white light began to burst forward out of it. Screaming in agony and pain, the Dark Dragon Onox tossed his head back, his jaws parting and his arms flailing around dangerously, his wings beating furiously behind him and his tail slamming harshly against the rubble-strewn grown beneath.

"Blue!" Vio yelled, his eyes wide with concern as he stepped forward, his heart pounding, his friend's safety on top of the raging monstrosity the only thing on his mind. "Get out of there!"

Remembering something from a lesson he'd learned the hard way before, Blue kept himself from grinning as he wrapped his hands tight around his sword, pulling it out of the gem and keeping it firmly in his grasp. He was not about to lose it this-

"-AAHH!"

Suddenly, Blue felt the world turn upside-down as he was jerked backwards, losing his balance with another massive upheaval of the beast's head, tossing and jerking from side to side. And in an instant, he no longer had grasp on solid ground beneath him- but found it suddenly rushing up to meet him as he plunged downwards off the giant beast's head, the wind buffeting him from below, the entire world spinning and his heart racing in panic and fear-

"Gotcha!"

A triumphant voice covered over Blue's scream in a loud and vibrant shout as Red, beaming in victory, leapt forward, his Ice Rod extended in his firm grasp and a shoot of icy magic firing out from its orb. In an instant, swirling and twisting in an ether-like substance, the ice had flown through the air like snow, crackling and popping as it solidified into a solid form-

-And seconds later, Blue gasped as he landed on the downward-sliding ice, his momentum carrying him forward and sliding across the cold substance, guiding him safely down to the ground until it ended, where he stumbled out and onto the ground- shaky, but unharmed.

And as Onox screamed and roared in fury and pain behind them, the three Links quickly regrouped, flashing and exchanging quick grins, and turned towards the side, running towards the center as they aimed to regroup with the others.

The five Links, leaving the two wounded monsters to reel and scream in their wounds, quickly ran back to the center of the field, gasping in deep breaths and ignoring the pains in their muscles, knowing they still had yet to go. Instantly, upon meeting, their eyes went over each other, mentally sighing in relief upon seeing that they were all safe and relatively unharmed.

"What do we do now, guys?" Blue asked breathlessly, the first to speak as the words burst out of his mouth the instant the five of them had ran together, stopping only a few feet in front of them and, though keeping close together, turning to look over at the side at Veran and Onox, making sure they were not caught off-guard by their recovery.

As they had been running, knowing his responsibility, Vio had kept his eyes outwards and to the side, watching the injured monsters and seeing what they could do next. The gem on Onox's head had been shattered, and underneath, a pulsating, undulating bolt of light was flashing from the top of his head. The exposed crystal was weak and vulnerable. And a quick glance to Veran told Vio all he needed to know- one of her eyes was gouged out, destroyed and utterly worthless. But the second one was still wide-open and working- there would only be one way to bring these two monsters down, once and for all.

And so, without a moment's hesitation, Vio responded quickly, without even pausing for breath, "They're both weakened, all we need to do is finish them off!"

Shadow nodded, his eyes fierce. "We're not done yet," he said firmly, hiding his pain and his wounds- as he knew all the others were doing, as well.

Green nodded in agreement, clenching his teeth. "We'll have to divide up again. This time, we'll need to-"

"G-guys! They're getting up!" Red suddenly cried out, looking away from the others and back to them as he took a few tentative steps backwards, still holding out his Ice Rod in front of him.

Only seconds after the four Links turned around to heed Red's cry, they suddenly found themselves falling backwards as the ground in front of them exploded with force, tearing it to shreds with the force of the impact. Onox's claws had slammed down only inches in front of them, and the full force of Veran's body came crashing down as she leapt in front of them, her one good eye wide and infuriated as her claws twitched hungrily in front of them.

Scrambling to get to their feet, the Links quickly regrouped again, backing up and standing firm against the monsters, though their eyes wide and panicked as they looked at the sight in front of them.

Standing together and side by side, Onox and Veran set their sights on the children- but, instead of attacking again, stood still as a strange, black cloud began to build behind and around them, swirling higher and higher and getting more powerful, plunging the entire world around them into darkness as it seemed to suck away all the light of the world around them...

"W-what are they doing?-!" Blue shouted, his eyes wide as he lifted his shield, keeping close to the others.

"I don't know... E-everyone, just stay together!" Green replied loudly, though his heart was racing in panic as he, too, wondered just what was going to happen.

However, in the confusion and horror of the five Links, among one of them an expression of understanding and true terror began to come over them... Shadow's red eyes grew wider in recognition as he began to see what was happening, a sinking feeling in his stomach turning his entire body cold, the color draining from his face.

There wasn't a second left- the darkness had built and grown until it now engulfed the monsters before them, leaving only their glowing, burning eyes showing from beneath. And with one, unified roar of fury and rage, the darkness lunged forward, sending a massive wave of pure dark power hurtling towards the five children, destroying and consuming everything in its path, slamming powerfully towards them without a second's pause-

And in the very last second, as the darkness threatened to swallow them whole and the entire world along with it, a single figure stood out as he leapt forward, placing himself in front of the group, his red eyes burning and a darkness of his own growing at his fists...

And before the four Links behind him could even cry out his name, Shadow's yells drowned out everything as he threw his fists forward, a massive and powerful wave of darkness, nearly matching that of the one headed towards them, thrown upwards, expanding in an instant to cover the heroes and meet head-long with the one headed towards them.

With the two forces of darkness meeting and colliding, the entire world turned black- and the Links, hidden under Shadow's shield, could see nothing, instead holding up their shields in defense and crouching together, riding out the battle of power and destruction going on around them, drowning everything in the roar of darkness.

The darkness seemed to last for both eternity, and a split second.

None of the Links could even hear their own cries for their friend over the silence of the darkness.

But when it had finally passed...

Fading away into the light of the night's moon, the darkness around the Links finally began to recede in slivers of dying magic, slipping away into the night until it no longer became distinguishable from the dark magic essence and the natural darkness of the night. Once more the world around them was visible, and the sounds of the night returned to them- those of the bestial roars of Veran and Onox, recovered and once more thundering around in fury...

And the silence of the friend who lay collapsed on the dirt before them.

"SHADOW!-!"

Crying out in unison, the four Links instantly leapt forward, falling down on their knees as they surrounded their fallen friend. The roars of Veran and Onox, slowly recovering from the attack yet still letting their anger be known, went all but unheard as the four Links frantically shook their friend's shoulders, calling his name and trying to wake him up. But no matter what they tried, Shadow's dark red eyes would not open, his blackened hair falling over his face, and he remained lying motionlessly on his back, facing the stars above them.

It was then that the dark clouds above the Links finally came to fruition- the storm had been a long time coming, having taken its time as it journeyed from the waters of Lake Hylia to the ruins of Hyrule Castle, and now, it seemed, was the time for it all to come to an end. First, the opaque drops of water fell slowly from the swirling, tumultuous storm clouds above, dappling the ground with random splotches of shades. But all too quickly, as if spurred on by the despair on the ground below, the rain fell in heavier sheets, whipped on by the wind, until the water poured down upon the land, covering everything in water. Brief flashes of lightning illuminated the sky behind the clouds, and now, in addition to the roars and screams of the demons below, the noise of the pounding rain was clouding the area around the fight- and where the four Links knelt, soaking wet, around their silent, motionless friend.

Finally, one of them spoke.

"G-green! What do we do?-!" Red cried, looking up to Green with wide-eyed, tear-filled eyes. Water streaked down his cheeks and matted his hair and clothes to his skin, and as he looked fearfully at his friends, he saw the exact same things on them.

Instantly, though Green hated the fact that he had done it so many times before, the leader of the Links put two fingers on his friend's neck- and, though relieved that his friend was still alive, was still staring down at his unconscious friend, wondering just what they were supposed to do now. And when Red called his name... Swallowing away a lump that refused to leave his throat, Green looked up- and found all three sets of eyes staring at him through the pouring rain, at a loss, needing an answer.

For a moment, Green found himself looking back down at their fallen friend. The falling water had already soaked him just as much as it had them, keeping his black bangs plastered to his forehead. Green's hand was still on Shadow's shoulder. Briefly, he remembered only moments earlier, fighting Veran- caught in the web, his friend had urged only one mission, to keep fighting. Shadow had always done that... Always keep fighting. And no matter how great the pain would be... he knew HE would always keep fighting, too.

Finding himself finally able to swallow away the lump, Green looked up at his friends with new conviction burning in his eyes. "The sooner we take these things down," he said firmly, his teeth clenching tightly and anger shaking his voice, "The sooner we can help Shadow."

Interrupting the Links came the roars and shrieks of Veran and Onox; the Links looked to the side, watching as the two monsters, recovering from the massive attack that Shadow had protected them from, began to once more climb to their feet, aiming their bloodthirsty sights at the children once more. They, too, were now soaked in the waters coming from the heavens above- the water made them glisten and shine against the harsh darkness of night, illuminated only briefly by the occasional flash of lightning which lit up the entire sky in its eerie, haunting blue light.

Quickly, Green turned his sights back on Vio.

Nodding calmly and solemnly, Vio stood up, looking once back at Veran and Onox before glancing back at his friends and speaking, his voice full of assurance and determination.

"Blue and Red- you two, take Onox down. Green and I will finish Veran."

Without missing a beat, Green added quickly, "Keep them away from Shadow. Let's go!"

The lightning lit up the sky once again behind the children- yet quicker than the light from the flash could even fade away, the four heroes had leapt upwards and, dividing into their two groups, were now racing across the rubble-strewn ruins that had once been their Hyrule Castle in different directions, ready to finish it all, right there and right then.

"Green!" Vio shouted aloud as he and Green ran through the blinding, pounding rain towards Veran, who was screaming as she scrambled to her multiple legs. As his leader turned to look, Vio yelled, his voice as loud as he could manage, "She jumped at us, a minute ago! With that attack, that only opening she'll give is when she comes down!"

Green nodded, taking it in as his mind tried to race fast enough to keep up with Vio's strategic thinking, keeping one step ahead of their opponent. Out of the corner of his eyes he watched Veran, screaming and writhing, prepare to make the same jump she had made before. He quickly jerked his head back to Vio. "What do we need to do?-!"

Vio knew Green wouldn't like his answer, but he gritted his teeth and came to a stop, readying himself for what would come next. "One of us has to get caught. Then, and only then, she'll leave an opening for the other to strike."

"I'll-"

Instantly, however, Vio interrupted Green with a fierce voice and narrowed eyes. "No," he shouted firmly, the tension growing by the second as Veran stood to her full height, only a few feet in front of them, her pincers chattering as she prepared the jump attack and sheets of water being flung from the tips of her claws at every swing. Vio continued, rushing his voice. "I don't think my arrows can do the job! Only your boomerang will work for this! It has to be me!"

Their time was up.

With a loud screech, the massive arachnid had crouched downwards, and, in an instant, its spindly legs had launched the massive creature high into the air, its shadow shrinking over the two children as it sank into the darkness of the night, practically disappearing. Vio glared at Green, his eyes wide and urgent as he stood still, ready to do his part.

And as Vio's eyes burned into Green's, so their leader stared back, in the span of the one split second they had, all sorts of thoughts, worries, and feelings going through his mind at once. Vio was right in his thoughts- Green did not like this at all. Any time that one of them offered to put themselves in danger for the others... A lump began to form in Green's throat. Would Green be able to do this...? Would Vio be safe? Would this even work? And... perhaps the one that tugged at his chest the most... How in the world had he ever been so deserving of the trust his friend was putting in him?

Either way... The second was up. And Green, knowing there would be no alternative, nor any second chances, gave one quick, swift nod, and ran off to the side, his boomerang already in hand as he got out of the way.

And not a second later... The shadow directly over the calm and standing Vio Link was growing... He closed his eyes and lowered his sword, feeling the pounding rain on his shoulders and bracing himself for the hit...

Ready to take it for the team... Vio clenched his jaws tight and braced every fiber of his being. He would do his part, prepare himself and be captured by the terrible, spiteful monster that was the twisted sorceress Veran, in order to give his friend those precious few seconds of vulnerability. In a flash, he could see Shadow's still body lying amongst the rubble, his body being soaked by the rain... Vio's eyes closed tightly. He would gladly have taken his friends' place... But this was all he could do, for now. And so he would do it without hesitation.

And yet...

In an instant, a split second of horror and despair, the two Links each received the shock of their life.

In the final split second as Green readied his attack, and Vio readied his defense... Both of their worlds were turned upside down as the ground beneath them split in two- and Veran landed, screeching and screaming, right on top of the lone, green Link.

Instantly and suddenly rendered both defenseless and motionless, Green could do nothing but shout aloud in shock and pain as Veran's remaining set of pincers locked themselves tightly around his middle, the jagged edges squeezing his body tightly and lifting him up off the ground, his arms pinned to each side and his boomerang and sword long dropped on the ground below him. Chattering in vicious glee, Veran raised her pincer above her, as if displaying her captured prize for all the doomed world to see. And though Green struggled and fought, it was all useless- and, shrieking in laughter once more, the spider brought the pincer close to her wide, open jaws, ready to devour the child and send him to the dark, unforgiving depths of death.

Vio's eyes snapped open, his heart caught in his chest, and his breath froze all in the same instant that those terrible sounds were heard- those of Veran's triumphant, hellish screech, and his friend's cries of shock and pain. And at that moment, nothing else mattered- and he found himself running, faster than he ever had, towards the back of the monstrous spider, his arm reaching out behind him for his sword...

"You... will NOT..."

His voice was shaken, laced with fury and determination as his eyes opened wide, his chest heaving and his running figure finally reaching the back of the spider.

"... take..."

Breathlessly, and almost effortlessly, Vio found leverage on one of Veran's outstretched spider limbs, leaping on top of it and jumping straight onto the back of the beast.

"... my FRIEND..."

He panted heavily as he ran up and on top of Veran's massive, arched back, his boots pounding heavily on the soaking wet surface of the monster as he reached the top of her face.

"... AWAY FROM ME!-!-!"

In one loud yell, Vio had leapt off the top of the spider, just as her pincers had brought a struggling, defenseless Green straight to her agape mouth, and, executing a perfect Spin Attack downwards, shouted as his blade sliced clean through the spider's pincers, severing claw from the rest of the body and sending it plunging to the ground, its prisoner freed from its grasp, and the spindly leg of the monster jerking about in shock and pain.

And as soon as he landed-

Twirling around, Vio shouted aloud as he thrust his sword forward, with more effort than he'd ever given in a strike, and plunged the tip of his sword, all the way up to the hilt, straight through Veran's eye.

Vio could've sworn his ears would burst from the sound emitted from the horrible creature in front of her as Veran, with Vio's sword plunged all the way through her eye, was frozen in place, shrieking louder than any sound made before, the dying spider's voice grinding and searing as it broke through the world around him.

Finally, feeling as if he could hold it no more, and feeling both the pounding rain down his face and tears streaking his cheeks, Vio cried aloud as he stepped back, pulling his sword out from the eye of the monster and stumbling back as it finally was released from its hold. No sooner had he done so then he felt a hand on his shoulder- panting, he glanced over, seeing Green's exhausted, pain-stricken, yet comforting face as he struggled to his feet, giving a nod.

"... Vio... We're done..."

Despite himself, all the anger and sorrow, the ferocity and determination which had urged him on, Vio found himself calming down as he gave a slow nod, forcing a grim smile on his face. And as Green returned the nod, having freed himself from the fallen, useless pincers, the Links turned and ran back towards the center, knowing all too well they still had a job to do- and a friend to protect.

Amongst the pouring rain, a brilliant flash of red and orange lit up the night sky, as, despite the water slamming it from all sides, a gigantic blast of fire was sent barreling through the sky, slamming on the ground below and exploding upon impact, sending shoots of fire in all directions. And yet, as the fire cleared and smoked, from between its reaches raced two small figures, deftly evading the attacks as they ran into the belly of the beast, towards the monstrosity ahead of them and to the fight of their lives.

"Blue!" Red shouted above the roars of the dragon and of the storm, the other looking back in response as they ran.

A wild grin came across Red's face, one he'd learned well from his friend. "You're not going up alone, this time!"

It only took Blue a second to understand what he'd said- but seeing the bold grin on his friend's face... In the midst of all the chaos and destruction, Blue's laugh rang loud as he responded, "Wouldn't have it any other way, buddy!"

And when the moment finally came-

The entire ground shook as if it had been struck with the force of a God; chunks of rubble flew up from the crater-sized impact and the air was clouded with rain, fire, and dust. But in the split second as the claws began to tighten together, the hand starting to lift back upwards-

"NOW!-!-!"

In an instant, before the massive hand of the dragon could lift hardly an inch off the ground, two figures soared through the air as they leapt over the rubble and boulders, landing directly on the back of the monster's scaly, slippery hand.

Gasping from the effort and each holding on to the other for stability, Red and Blue had only a second's time to catch their breath- and their footing- before they suddenly felt themselves pushed downwards with the force of the monster's hand lifting quickly skywards.

The rain pummeled them from all sides, pouring down the sides of the beast's claws like dozens of mini waterfalls and each drop of water doing its best to pull the two small heros off of their perch and down to the unforgiving, harsh ground beneath. But, with their teeth and fists clenched and each of them holding on to the other, the two heroes managed to stay on as the hand reached its full height in the sky, raised high next to the towering monstrosity beside it.

The great dragon beast Onox roared in fury upon not seeing the children on the ground any longer- unaware that they had hitched a ride directly on his own claws. His burning, hate-filled eyes widened and his jaws parted as he roared once more, thrashing his head backwards and his wings behind him slamming against the wind and rain with each monstrous beat.

"Alright, Red!" Blue shouted as he knelt down, his gaze focused sharply on the beast's head. "We have to get to that gem!" Red nodded, ready to listen to Blue's orders, who had already done it once. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Blue yelled above the storm and the roars, "What we'll need to do is-"

And yet, cutting off Blue before he even had a chance to finish, Onox suddenly screamed in his rage, his thrashing now moving onto his claws as he raked the air with his talons, flinging his hands every which way as torrents of fire burst out from his jaws, lighting the dark and rainy sky in fury and terror. Red, his eyes and mouth wide as he cried out his friend's name, could only watch helplessly as the Link was tossed clean off the beast's hand, thrown off and towards the dragon-

-At the last second, however, Blue's outstretched sword dug itself into the dragon's side, stopping his descent instantly as he held onto the hilt of his sword for dear life. Onox, screaming in pain at the stab, looked downwards with burning eyes as he saw Blue holding on to his sword, stuck firmly in the center of the dragon's chest.

"R-RED!" Blue shouted, gasping as he jerked around from side to side with the dragon's movements, still dangling from his precarious grip on the sword. "F-forget me! Go for his head! NOW!" he bellowed as loud as he could, not even able to look towards him as he instead was forced to focus on holding on to the wet hilt of his sword, evading the swipes of Onox's claw towards him, and the torrential rainfall pounding him every second.

Red's heart had stopped as he watched, with despair and horror in his eyes, Blue struggle to hold on. If he fell from this height... if Onox managed to grab him with his claws or teeth...!

However, he didn't have long to think, as he felt the monster's hand jerk beneath him- he was about to slice his claws towards Blue! And if Red was still on it...!-!

Red's eyes widened- then narrowed, all in an instant. He knew what he HAD to do.

And, just as the monster's hand swiped forward, Red ran as fast as he could off the edge- jumping at just the right moment, using both his own momentum and that of the hand's lunge to propel him across the wide distance, landing squarely on the back of the dragon's neck. Grabbing on to the protruding scales and holding on as best he could, Red gasped, fighting against the motion of the beast and the pounding of the rain, as he desperately climbed his way up the back of the creature's neck.

After what seemed like an eternity to the gasping, soaking wet child, Red finally felt his hand latch onto one of Onox's horns, and was able to hoist himself upwards and over, standing shakily, yet victoriously, on top of the dragon's head. He could hear Blue's screams below- and while it terrified him, at the same time it relieved him- his friend was alive, and though he was in danger, Red would only use this knowledge as fuel... Fuel to allow him to deliver the final blow to the beasts which had thrown his whole world upside down.

And so, grabbing tight onto his glistening Four Sword, his eyes narrowed and his face darkened, Red found his footing, his courage, and his strength as he ran forward, unafraid and undeterred, over the top of the dragon's head, hundreds of feet above the air...

Leaping high through the storming, torrential sky, with his blade swung over his head and leaving a trail of water and glory behind it, Red shouted aloud as he leapt forwards- and brought his sword down, straight through the pulsing, beating red sphere of light which rested at the center of Onox's forehead.

It was as if the entire world had exploded at the apex of that point- light blasted Red from the wound he'd made in the diamond of light, and every sound was swallowed up by the roar of pain and agony bursting from Onox's jaws. However, despite his victory in Onox's pain, Red knew he didn't have much time- and, stepping back, quickly drew out the sword from the now out-of-control, dying sphere of light. Ignoring everything else, his eyes were wide as he ran to the tip of the beast's jaws, looking down for any sight of-

"BLUE!-!"

The sword... it was beginning to slip out of the beast... He was about to fall...!

Forgoing everything, tossing all his fears and doubts aside, Red put his sword away and whipped out his Ice Rod as he dove head first off the top of the beast's snout, free falling off the top of the gigantic beast. As he fell, his eyes narrowed in concentration, he outstretched a hand-

-And, grabbing onto Blue's hand in that split second, his sword released from the beast's chest, the two Links fell in tandem towards the ground, their descent only quickening each second they fell-

"ICE-ROD!"

Red shouted aloud as he whipped his weapon out in front of him, a massive burst of snowy, icy wind erupting from the tip of the orb. The massive force blasted outwards and towards the ground, slowing the two's descent- and when they finally fell, it was with a gentle slump as they landed in a heap of light, snowy ice.

Gasping for breath, Blue's head burst out from the snow as he looked first over at Red, then at the thrashing, screaming Onox.

"Did that-?"

"Y-yes, now let's hurry back to the others!" Red gasped quickly, still knowing that their clock was ticking closer and closer away. Climbing out of the snow, he held out his hand-

-And, with a grin, Blue took his friend's hand, sheathing his sword and nodding. He had never been so impressed with the small Link- he'd seen Red leap off, unafraid, of the highest point of the dragon's face, angled downwards and ready for nothing but saving his friend. That took an amount of bravery that no one could never measure. And as the two ran back to their friends, ignoring the dying shrieks of Onox behind them, neither of them could help a small grin from forming on their faces, knowing that each had learned so much from the other.

The Four Sword Heroes regrouped near the center, their thoughts ignoring the screaming and dying monsters behind them as they instead focused on one thing and one thing alone- their fallen friend. Instantly, as they all reached his side, they all fell to their knees, gathering around him and looking fearfully at his still-closed.

"Shadow! Shadow, wake up, we did it!" Red cried as he shook his friend's shoulder desperately. And yet...

"... Oh, no..."

The hollow, despair-filled and almost silent words of Vio shocked everyone as they looked towards him, and then, seeing where his eyes were, looked in the direction which he currently stared at. And as each of them saw what was happening, a terrible sort of horror began to creep into each of their hearts.

Darkness... clouds of billowing, building shadows and blackness were building behind the two monsters, who, after thrashing and screaming in rage and pain, had fallen onto one another in a massive, twitching and snarling heap, each leaning weakly against the other as they gasped their final breaths. But as the darkness grew behind them, it seemed to seep directly into their forms... as if feeding them with energy... Renewing them... Restoring them...

"Uggnnngh..."

Despite the terror of their situation, the Links' eyes went wide and they all gasped as they whirled around behind them-

Pushing his hands beneath him and weakly struggling to sit up, opening his red eyes despite the pounding of the rain, Shadow groaned weakly as he came to, his arms trembling as they struggled to hold his upper body up. But as his eyes opened fully, and his consciousness came to-

His eyes snapped open as he looked down at himself, where the other Links were also staring at as well.

The dark clouds... the darkness which was feeding into Veran and Onox, restoring them, healing their injuries and undoing all the damage the Links had done... it was also feeding itself into Shadow himself, bringing him back into consciousness and restoring his power. The Links could only stare in confusion, yet excitement upon seeing their friend awake. Finally, however, Shadow got to his feet, staring at his outstretched hands as the darkness fully immersed itself in his body...

Still trembling, yet no longer out of a physical weakness, Shadow's eyes looked seriously up at the two large monsters, who, being larger in size, were taking longer to recover... And his fists and throat tightened as he spoke, realization dawning over him.

"... I... I can stop this. Once and for all."

The Links, confused and shocked, looked at one another before back at Shadow.

Getting to his feet, Green moved to put a hand on Shadow's shoulder- but quickly, the child of darkness jerked away, instead glaring at them with narrowed, determined eyes.

"Right now," he snapped suddenly, as the dark clouds continued to grow all around him, giving him energy to the limitless powers he now knew he could wield... That he could wield all along... The Four Links looked at their friend, almost in quiet awe and intimidation, as the clouds and waves of darkness continued to grow around and behind him. His red eyes burned as he said darkly, "I'll hold them down. You four, deliver the final blow."

Though the Links once more looked at each other, unsure and worried- when they looked back at their friend, with his narrowed and determined eyes, his strong stature and the burning desire to finish this all blazing in his spirit and in the darkness that surrounded him...

They each gave a nod.

"We'll do it, Shadow," Green said firmly. Vio, Blue and Red all nodded in fierce agreement as they drew their swords.

Shadow nodded.

"End it."

With one final nod, the Four Sword Heroes, their Swords drawn, turned and ran towards the two fallen monsters, their swords trailing behind them and their spirits driven ahead, the light urging them on and bringing them to their final fight, their final blow- together and as a team.

And as Shadow watched them leave...

Once more, he looked at his outstretched palm, at the dark power flowing through it and all around it. The endless amount of energy, of shadows... He could feel every ounce of it, endless and continuous, flooding through his veins and filling every fiber of his being with power. The power he'd used against the Links' fight, however massive and terrible it had been, was nothing... compared to this. Shadow closed his eyes, taking a deep, steady breath.

It all made sense now... everything.

'I see now... that I have his power... the power of the God of Darkness...' the thoughts once more raced through the child's mind in the few seconds he had left. 'I've always had it... And yet... Just as it is theirs to command... so it is also mine. But unlike them... Unlike all others...'

His eyes blazed open as he raised his hands, a massive, blackened darkness rising above and around him and thrashing about in fury and power. As the power grew within him, through the darkness and shadows, another sort of power was also adding its might to the child- a power that came from the inside, rather than the outside. A power which, although he had never seen it, had always been there... Flooding through him from the depths of his soul.

'Unlike them... I will use it differently. I cannot be controlled... I WILL not be controlled. Instead... I will use this power... This life... how I choose to use it...!-!-!'

Shadow closed his eyes... and took a deep breath.

'Today... this ends.'

And as the Four Heroes finally reached the heap of wounded monsters, the vile creatures Veran and Onox, the power not yet restored to them, their eyes instead blazing straight at the heroes and their mouths open in an enraged, hateful scream...

Just as the massive blast of darkness from Shadow, the Being of Light and Darkness, hurtled towards the beasts, spurred on from the depths of his very being and the massive clouds of darkness and power which surrounded him... Just as it struck the two monsters, sending waves of darkness all around them and pushing out the God's powers, expelling them from the creatures and leaving nothing but emptiness in their beings... And just as the two monsters, screeching out in pain and hatred from their denied powers, looked in front of them, knowing they could do nothing but scream in their rage...

Slicing past and through the darkness of the night, the empty despair of the pounding rain, and the terror of the beasts which screamed at them, the four young children, each and collectively known as the Four Sword Heroes, ran as one single Link, together and yet apart, as they finally reached their target. Their sets of blue eyes were narrowed in bravery, courage, wisdom, and heart as they charged forward, their arms outstretched and their hands tightly gripping their holy weapons of light...

And, with the four of them grouped tightly together with their swords held out in front, their attack came- the powerful and unmistakeable, trademark and signature Super Spin Attack of the Four Sword Heroes was unleashed. Their four blades swung in unison, and just for a moment, were together as one- and as they reached their target, the four glistening, silvery blades of holy light dug deep into the beasts of darkness, shattering the darkness and blinding everything and all in sight and sound in an instant and mighty explosive blast of pure, white light... and, ultimately, silence.


Desperate to know what's going to happen next? ;)

Has this final blow truly done away with the evil villains of darkness, once and for all?

Read along to the final update, Chapter 55: Peace, to find out. :3

-Tiggz