"When I look at you, Mr. Hero, I now realize that just about anything is possible if you put heart into it. Ha! Seems like it's about time for me to decide where to put MY heart!"

-unknown Hero

Chapter Twenty-One: Corrupted Heart, pt. 1

"So, why did they name you 'Ravio'?"

"Why did they name you 'Ravenna'?"

"Hey! Don't answer a question with a question, voe!"

"Why not?"

"Because that's not good conversational skills! And it's kinda rude."

"Not really. Not if a person's not really trustful of you."

"So, I'm not trustworthy? Is it because I'm Gerudo?"

"N-No. Not that!"

"Then what?"

"I got here about three months ago, just trying to sell my wares and they told me that you…um…"

"What?"

"Nevermind. I was named 'Ravio' because my mother's clan has a habit of combining names if a child's a 'half-breed'."

"You're a half-breed?"

"Half Hylian, half Lorulean. Anyway, my father's name was 'Ralph' and my mother, her name was 'Violet'. So…"

"'Ra' and 'Vio'. 'Ravio'! Heh, that's kinda silly. H-hey! Don't look at me like that! It's…different."

"So, why 'Ravenna'?"

"Oh…um…Well Gerudo are usually named either after birds or famous warriors in our tribe's long history. I, however, was named after a famous queen of Labrynna, Queen Ravenna."

Illusionary Mansion, second floor…

Ravio walked through the darkened halls, unable to see a hand in front of his face and instead used his heightened sense of smell to travel around. That and Yami's warnings on where to go. The Sheikah-like fragment could see, despite being more like a specter to Ravio, and led him with ease into the next area.

Opening two large doors and going inside, Ravio saw that they were in a library. The library had many bookshelves with varying books and subjects. Some of the books were in random locations and Ravio had a feeling that some kind of puzzle was involved in the room's setup.

"Thinking the same thing. Let's go," Yami said, heading up a flight of stairs to the upper level.

Ravio followed and he stopped at a locked door. It was barred and it reminded Ravio of the many puzzles in dungeons his predecessors had seen. Yami looked around and said, "Must be tied to the room. Look around and see if we're missing anything."

"I guess. But aren't I getting chased by something?" Ravio asked.

"Yes. So, I would hurry if I were you," Yami told him.

The purple garbed one rolled his eyes, wondering why Yami was so nonchalant about getting chased by a monster. If anything happened to any of them…Well, Ravio didn't want to think about it.

He headed downstairs and towards the first bookshelf he spotted with a missing book. The bookshelf's subject was on the elements and a book on the third shelf was missing. It was in the middle of a sequence of green books, each on the subject of the elements of Forest, Fire, Water, Earth, Shadow, Wind, Spirit and another that was missing. Ravio figured it was Light and looked around the main floor for the book. After searching for a few moments, he spotted the book laying onto of a table in a corner.

The hooded one picked it up and an immediate flashback came to him. It was when Ruto taught him about the elements back in Lake Hylia. The precocious Zora princess told him that Light was the element of enlightenment or truth. Hylians discovered it long ago after the age of the sky and used it for their efforts in repopulating the planet.

Checking the contents of the book, Ravio found that the memories he held were right. The book read, "Light users can absorb the light particles around them, performing feats including teleportation, conjuring orbs of light, barriers, healing and speedier movement."

"So, I could…" Ravio said, holding out his right hand.

Light slowly coalesced into it and he could see small sparks. He was amazed, especially after the sparks became larger and more visible. But that amazement was short lived as Ravio could see black splotches appeared. A snarl was heard and Yami shouted, "What are you doing? Hurry up and figure this out!"

"Right," Ravio said, putting the book back on the proper shelf.

The door didn't open and Ravio could hear the growling getting closer. With the room growing darker, Ravio found the next bookshelf missing a book. It was of a red leather covered books and the subject was of sword techniques. The techniques included the Spin Attack, Jump Strike, Ending Blow, Shield Bash, Overhead Parry, Sidestep Parry, Jump Thrust and the last one was missing. Finding the respective book on the floor near the stairs, Ravio gasped as it was of the technique the Great or Hurricane Spin. He saw the green garbed Hero of old as well as Hasan and Kishin performing the technique against hordes of monsters.

Shaking his head and seeing the room even darker, Ravio rushed to the bookshelf closest to the main floor entry and placing the book with the others. Yami told him that the door still didn't open and begged him to find another bookshelf.

Ravio looked around, panic rising, and found that all the bookshelves on the main floor was complete. But, he did find a book sitting outside of any group on one near a large stained glass window. He took it, seeing the title "Equipment: the Mirror Shield." Upon reading it, Ravio's mind went to the Hero of Time's memories, finding the Mirror Shield in both the Spirit Temple and the Stone Tower in Termina millennia ago. It reflected light as well as absorbed and redirected magic back at attackers. It was useful against two Gerudo Witches and the dark mask that kept Termina in an alternate dimension.

A roar and Ravio found the room completely dark. He looked around, trying to find something to focus on. The darkness was thick, but he could hear growling behind him. Seeing a pair of burning red eyes, Ravio backed away, but ran into what felt like a desk.

Something sprinted for him and Ravio rolled out of the way, hearing and seeing the owner of the red eyes crash into the desk. Yami's voice shouted in his head, yelling at him to use Light magic. But, Ravio hadn't much of a clue to make it more than just sparks.

"N-no…N-NO LEAVE! NO!"

The red eyed shadow leapt at Ravio again and the young man held his arms in front of his face in a defensive posture. A barrier of light appeared, illuminating the area and bouncing the monster off it and recoiled. Surprised, Ravio saw the shadow, something that looked like him but cloaked in black. That and he saw the stairs.

He ran, the barrier illuminating his every step. The youth arrived at the door and went through, much to Yami's relief. But, he wound up in a room that looked like a salon. There were a few chairs and something that looked like a white and pink battle dress that Madame Couture would make. But, it wasn't finished and Ravio could feel powerful energy from it.

"So, you're taking it? Why?" Yami asked.

"Zelda could probably use this," Ravio said, taking it and finding it disappearing in his hands.

Yami tilted his head, muttering, "Hammerspace? I…guess…"

The darkness returned, it creeped up in the room like Malice. Ravio looked for another way out. But there was none. Yami cursed but could do nothing as the darkness broke down the door, spreading and covering everything in its inky blackness…

"Find the Hero's Sanctuary…all of you…"

Zora Seas, small seaside hut…

Yami woke up, quickly sitting up and scaring Mipha. Just as the Zora tried to ask what was wrong, as Yami had been out like a light, the Sheikah ran out of the hut. He saw the sun-drenched isles, not seeing anything that would look like a sanctuary. The only one he could remember was the chapel in Snowpeak and the Fire Sanctuary in Hyrule.

"Yami, what's wrong?" Mipha asked.

"Is-Is there a sanctuary around here?" he asked, still frantically searching around.

"Um…It's in the Zora Palace. Why?" Mipha said.

Yami thanked her, jumping into the water and quickly swimming towards the undersea palace. She followed, asking, "Yami! Wait! What's wrong?"

He ignored her, continuing his descent. Just as he was close to the palace, the Zora Armor wearing Sheikah was stopped and Mipha yelled, "Yami, answer me! What's wrong?"

"Nothing that you haven't already helped with," he replied.

"Please, just tell me," Mipha told him.

"I…I just have to go there. Please. Let me go. I'll find my way to the sanctuary," Yami said.

He swam off, but Mipha wasn't going to let him go by himself. As she followed, the Zora princess could sense a powerful aura drawing Yami into the palace. The golden light enveloped him and Mipha found herself getting engulfed.

The next thing she knew, the Zora wound up in the sanctuary her uncle hid behind the throne in the palace. It was a circular chamber, an ancient cistern formerly used by them to provide water for wayward humans who wound up in the area. It became a sanctuary, images and statues of the Hero appearing 3,000 years prior to the empire's rise. The carved in the rock images and statues' eyes began glowing with golden light and Mipha muttered, "By Farona…"

"Whoa! What's happening?"

Karane, Pipit and Ruto had entered the chamber, to which Mipha asked, "How did you get here?"

"The rock blocking the cavern disappeared. So, we came in here to investigate. Where's Yami?" Ruto replied.

Mipha pointed down and Karane gasped, saying, "This looks just like…"

"The chapel back home. But why are the eyes…?" Pipit asked.

The sound of thunder was heard in the distance and the ground shook violently. Nearly falling down the stairs leading to the bottom, Mipha used her spear to keep her balance and called out Yami's name. She doubted he could hear them, but something odd happened. The quakes stopped as well as the sound of thunder. Sparks of light filled the air and a power was growing down below.

"Wh-What the…? What is this?" Karane asked, looking terrified.

The stairs, originally with no railings or barriers, suddenly gained them that glowed with multicolored light. An arrow of light appeared on the stairs, beckoning the four to descend. None thought to go down, the idea of the cistern collapsing in on itself with them in it wasn't appealing. Just as that came to them, a specter that looked like a man in golden armor appeared.

"What is that?" Ruto asked, holding up her staff in an attack position.

"A Poe?" Mipha said.

Pipit looked at the specter carefully, noting the missing right eye and the blond hair. There was also a red, fur lined cape that covered the ghost's shoulders. As if they knew him, Pipit asked, "So, you're really here?"

The specter nodded and Karane said, "Thanks for helping us get here."

Another nod and the spirit beckoned them to descend. After going down several flights and descending what seemed to be eight stories below, the four found Yami standing near a circle filled with elemental runes and ancient Hylian script. It was surrounded by four statues, the likeness of Karane and Pipit's friend. He looked at it with trepidation and Karane asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same," Yami said, not looking away from the circle.

Mipha grabbed his arm, asking, "Yami, seriously. What's wrong? Why and how did you get there?"

"Even if it's temporary, I have to come together," Yami said, his gruff speech changing.

He ripped his arm from her grip and stepped into the circle. Seconds later, the Sheikah disappeared, leaving behind the mask he used to swim. Mipha picked it up and said, "Is…Is he…?"

"Gone? I dunno…I can't sense him, but…" Ruto told her twin.

The tremors restarted and the statues began cracking. Once again not wanting to be buried under cave rubble and water, the four rushed up the stairs, taking care not to fall.

Termina Fields…

"Where are they going?" Aryll asked.

She and the others took Cremia's wagon, following the two bright lights that was formerly Kishin and Raven. The pair had passed out, just as Agitha regained her senses. Since they weren't on good terms, Aryll blamed Agitha, but Agitha insisted that she had nothing to do with what was going on.

Another wagon was behind them and it was Kafei, Anju, Din and Farore. The innkeepers left, curious as Anju's grandmother had told them about an awakening was going to take place. Fragments were going to face their greatest fears and the light of Courage was going to reappear.

"Wait, one's arcing to the east!" Farore said.

"The other's heading south!" Din added.

"Okay. We split up. One group'll head south and the other can go east to Ikana," Groose said, the two wagon's stopping.

"I'll head south," Farore said.

"Me too!" Aryll added.

"I will too," Groose said.

"And I'll take you. Kafei?" Cremia said.

Agitha, Din, Anju and Kafei agreed to head east. Especially since Kafei had wanted to meet with the King of Ikana on his father's, the mayor's, behalf. With the groups created, the two wagons took off.

Aboda Village Ruins…

"Hasan! Lord Hasan, where are you going?" Byrne asked.

Hasan jumped out of bed, leaving the sole inhabited home in the ruins and marched towards the ruined chapel. A curious Mido, Fado and Granny Matilde followed the two, taking care to watch out for monsters. The cold didn't seem to affect the half-breed, as he had left with only his undershirt and pants and walked in the snow barefoot. Since awakening, the youth didn't speak to anyone, thus was Byrne worried.

"Hasan! Hasan!" Byrne yelled, running up to him.

He looked into his eyes as they walked, seeing the youth's hazel eyes were glazed over, as if in a trance. Ganondorf, seeing everything from the Sheikah Slate, asked, "What's going on? Why is he acting like this?"

"I don't know. He hasn't responded to anything since waking up," Byrne told his emperor.

"Hasan! Hasan! Wake up, child," Ganondorf said, his voice loud from the slate.

After several minutes, the group arrived in the ruins of the village chapel. It was a sorry state and barely recognizable as a house of worship. Hasan took a step forward, touching the snow-covered stones, and disappeared.

"W-What happened? Where did he go?" Fado asked, frightened.

Byrne couldn't sense the youth anywhere and thought the question himself. Granny Matilde looked ready to cry, muttering, "Please return to us…by any means necessary…"

Sensing she meant her grandson, Byrne thought, 'Is she truly grandmother to the Kingslayer? If so, then…Your Majesty, I will do what is necessary to protect our homeland and you.'

Mercay Isle, cave behind Oshus' house…

"Oh, come on! I thought we were leaving!" Makar shouted.

Tetra, Oshus, Master Mazio and he were standing in front of a cave that Oshus had used for storage. But, it was much more to the place than meets the eye. A barrier had been created, one powered by Earth magic and Master Mazio had said that Bartolomeo had entered. When asked what else was there, Oshus admitted that he had been protecting a shrine to the Heroes, one that appeared on Mercay over 2,500 years ago.

Bart had been acting strange since returning from the Temple and losing his right eye. Almost as if he had become a completely different person, Makar noted. He seemed to be a lot more patient with him, but there was still hints of annoyance when Makar insisted on leaving the island still banged up.

Tetra knew something was off. But when she asked, Bartolomeo insisted that everything was fine. That day, his last words before disappearing was something about coming together temporarily. He then took the Phantom Hourglass and then, poof, he disappeared.

Banging on the barrier, Makar yelled, "Hey! Let us in! You stupid, one-eyed Tafrah!"

"It's not like he's going to let you in after calling him that," Tetra told the Korok.

Makar fumed and took a few steps back. His arms, good now that he was healed, swung around, creating a current of wind around the boy. He then spun around, swinging his arms as if playing Octoball. The wind current struck the barrier, but nothing happened.

"Yeah, Wind beats Earth…yeah…" Tetra said sarcastically.

"Then why don't you try?" Makar asked, glowering.

She took up the challenge, walking up to the barrier and putting a hand on it. The privateer could see something beyond the boxes and barrels of storage and saw a tunnel. That tunnel led deep underground, where many statues and carved in the rock images of someone with Bartolomeo's face. They were arranged in a spiral and led down to a cavern floor, where a sigil with various runes was located. There, their one-eyed friend sat, meditating.

As if sensing her presence, the youth opened his eye, red, and said, "Leave me alone!"

Tetra was pushed back by a powerful wave of energy and was caught by the Master. Master Mazio looked at her and then at the growing stronger barrier, asking, "You saw him?"

"Yes, but he really doesn't want visitors right now," Tetra said.

Another tremor rocked the island and Oshus said, "Not again."

"Tetra try again! Try to reach him!" Master Mazio said.

The blonde did so, placing her forehead against the barrier. She saw Bartolomeo again, disappearing as darkness surrounded him. She prayed, saying in ancient Hylian, "Scion of Courage, hope and might…deliver us from Darkness' Blight…"

Koholint Island, Mabe Village…

Midna and Fi, both 22 and 20 respectively, ran after their ward, a dark-haired youth that they found in the southeastern part of the island, in an old hut. The villagers had told them that he had lived there for years but no one bothered him as he was considered dangerous. So much so that even monsters didn't attempt to attack that place. Whenever the Blood Moons appeared, the region was engulfed in darkness and anything caught in it was destroyed.

When the pair found him, they brought his unconscious body back to the village, to everyone's chagrin. The mayor begged them to send him elsewhere. Papahl, the one who originally found him, but let him be, asked if they would take him to Tal Tal Heights. Others wanted him send offshore or just somewhere that wasn't the village.

Midna vehemently said no, as the youth looked just like Link, but with black hair instead of blonde, and dressed in all black. Fi wondered why Midna was defending him as she said he looked like Oni. Her anger was apparent, as Oni did kill her, but she was revived by a fairy she had kept on her person.

"Where are you going? HEY! Wait!" Midna shouted.

Their ward entered the area south of the village, heading for Toronbo Shores. They descended with ease, seeing him leaping and jumping as if he was trained for the Shadow Corps like them. As the sun started setting, Midna and Fi could see shadows coming from their ward. He stopped at the water's edge, looking distraught.

"N-No…M-Must…C-C-Come…" he said, reaching his hand out, almost as if trying to catch something.

Their ward passed out and darkness came out of him like invasive vines, striking the sands, trees and nearby cliffs. Midna and Fi jumped off one just as the darkness crashed into where they were standing, landing on the beach. Their ward convulsed violently as more of the darkness covered the area.

"Aw, Papahl was right. We should've left the Oni look-a-like back in that hut!" Fi said.

Midna rushed to him, with Fi screaming her name and jumping from an attacking dark wisp. The Twili leapt over darkness, ducked as chunks of rock were flung at her and slid towards the dark-haired ward. She knelt at his head, seeing his face pained as his body was slowly disintegrating into the dark puddle surrounding him. Holding him on his side, Midna said, "Come on. Come back to us. Don't let the Malice win."

Six black hands popped up from the darkness, clawed and reaching for Midna. They looked like Floormasters and Midna didn't like the sight one bit. Glaring, she shouted, "Leave him alone! You've already taken enough!"

"MIDNA!"

Fi leapt over the Floormasters that surrounded them and landed next to the Twili. As she did, a burst of light came from her feet, beating back the monsters and causing their ward to scream in pain. His body tensed up even more and Midna told Fi, "Hey! I know you don't trust him. But don't see him with your regular eyes. Look at him with your mind's eye. See what I see."

Fi did so, using the "eyes of truth". Closing her eyes, she didn't see the Oni look-a-like. Instead, she saw…Link, the boy that they were supposed to find. He was sleeping and didn't seem to want to wake up. Darkness came from his heart and didn't seem to want to subside, even after Fi landed with that burst of light.

Opening them, the azure-haired youth said, "Link? This is him? How?"

"I don't know, but he's corrupted. He has to wake up or else…this'll be permanent…" Midna told her.

Fi joined Midna and placed a hand on his forehead. She then prayed, muttering, "Please don't let him go. We…His Majesty…My brother…We all need him, whether or not we know it. Please…"

Tower of the Gods, Great Sea…

"Hilda! Hilda! What's going on?" a nun asked.

Hilda, the violet-haired nun of an ancient royal line, looked at the various statues in the hub of the tower. The priests had all stopped praying as the altar was surrounded by darkness. It latched onto the altarpiece, that of the Goddess Hylia, and snapped the head off. The darkness also spread to the other statues of the sages, crumbling them with ease.

Worried, Hilda ran to the upper floors, checking on the statuettes of the Heroes and the members of the old Hylian Royal family. The images of the royals ended after the Hero Ravio and were intact, unlike the statues of the Hero. Each had cracks and looked as if they were going to break at any moment. If they did, Hilda knew it represented something horrible happening to the Hero.

"But…He's supposed to be dead, right?" Hilda asked herself.

"Hilda! Come quickly! We've refugees!" a priest told her.

She ran with him to the entrance of the tower, seeing a group of Wind Tribe members, a Rito, a half-breed and…an unconscious wolfish Tafrah. They had arrived on what seemed to be an ancient clockwork, some kind of airship. They were badly injured and two of them held the Tafrah.

"W-We need help. Please…" the Rito, male, said.

Hilda looked at the Tafrah and asked, "Did the empire do this?"

"Yeah. But he's been chased endlessly by that Lord Xander guy. And we need sanctuary. So please, don't turn us away," one of the Wind Tribe members told her.

Hilda agreed and the Tafrah's eyes shot open. He pushed the others off of him and rushed into the tower. The guards blocking the entrance were quickly subdued with a few punches and kicks, the half-monster snarling viciously as he attacked. Hilda ordered for the nuns and priests to help the Wind Tribe and she reentered the tower, hearing screams as the Tafrah rampaged. Flames also marred where he had been, and she saw injured guards, shopkeepers and priests.

Sensing disturbances on the floors above, Hilda went back to the hub, seeing the statue of the goddess completely destroyed. It was melted into golden goop and a sigil with various runes were in its place. One of the nuns, trembling, said, "Th-That Tafrah…He…He…"

"The empire will pay for this!" another said.

Hilda didn't think that the empire would be so petty as to bring Tafrah to their doorstep to destroy an old statue of the goddess. But that message she received from Hylia. That Tafrah may have been…No way, Hilda thought.

She approached the sigil, only to be confronted by a barrier. A nun screamed, shouting, "Hilda! Don't! That Tafrah will attack you!"

"I know, but there's something off about him. I must find out what. So please, let me do this," Hilda told her.

She placed her head onto it, praying in ancient Hylian, "Scion of Courage, hope and might…deliver us from Darkness' Blight…Strength of Earth, Kindness of the Forest, Wanderlust of Wind…"

Illusionary Mansion, salon…

"What happened? Why is he like this?" Beatriz asked.

Zelda, sensing something had happened, entered the mansion with Beatriz to find Ravio. Unlike what they thought, the manor didn't drop them into endless illusions. Instead, the sentient manor led them to Ravio, sending them through the rooms he had gone through and arriving at an old salon.

When they arrived, he was on the floor, passed out and darkness covering much of his body. Zelda saw that it wasn't Malice, but something more…ancient. Almost as if it was a heart that had fallen into darkness.

Floormasters appeared, surrounding the trio and threatening to take Zelda and Beatriz away. Zelda knelt at Ravio's side, putting her head on his forehead, closed her eyes and prayed, "Scion of Courage, hope and might…deliver us from Darkness' Blight…Strength of Earth, Kindness of the Forest, Wanderlust of Wind…Fortify Farore's Champion Eternal…Passion of Fire, Protection of Shadow…May Din's Might endow…Serenity of Water, Tenacity of Spirit, Truth of Light…May Nayru's Wisdom ease your fight…"

Zelda's eyes shot open, revealing golden ones. With a harmony of voices, she said, "Rise, Hero of Redemption! Purge our world of the Malice's Scourge!"

And there's chapter 21. Review?