"You must time your attacks carefully to land a blow on this enemy, because it seems to anticipate your every action!"
-ancient Sheikah teacher
Chapter 22: Corrupted Heart, pt. 2
"So, you're named after a queen? Cool."
"Not really if you're not royalty yourself…"
"Well, you're the daughter to the chieftain here. So, close enough."
"So, you're saying I'm kinda like a princess?"
"Yup. A crown princess. What?"
"…Oh…nothing. Thanks, Ravio."
"Link? Link, if you in there, please!" Fi said.
Their ward, unknown if he really was Link, kept convulsing in Midna's arms as she tried to keep him from rolling onto his back and choking. The sight was horrible, and the pair could do nothing except for wait out. But it was getting worse and more Floormasters appeared to take the trio.
"Leave us alone!" Fi yelled.
She kicked at them, sending out arcs of light with every strike. The light struck four of the eight monsters, sending them back into darkness. More appeared in their place and Fi continued kicking, the waves of energy hitting each monster.
Midna looked at the corrupted Link, praying that he would come out of it. Just as she tried to keep him steady, something told her to take Fi and run. She tried to, but more darkness blocked their way out. Fi called to her and Midna ran towards her. The pair hugged and closed their eyes as the darkness consumed them and the entirety of the beach.
"What's going on? What's happening? Where am I? Who are you? What is this? How did I get here? Where is everyone? What am I? Who am I?"
Waking up and slowly becoming aware, a small light appeared in an endless, white void. It hadn't a clue where it was nor who or what it was. Floating around, it looked for a landmark or something that could help it.
"Scion of Courage."
The tiny light bobbled, confused as it heard a woman's voice.
"Hope and might…deliver us from Darkness' Blight…"
"'Scion of…Courage…? What's…that?"
Another light, tan in color, appeared. It took a humanoid shape and the tiny light heard another woman's voice.
"Strength of Earth, Kindness of the Forest, Wanderlust of Wind…Fortify Farore's Champion Eternal…"
The humanoid light's color changed from tan to green to light green and back to tan. The tiny aura floated towards the color changing counterpart. But black mist surrounded it, blocking the tiny one's path. A trio of female voices spoke, and it heard, "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…"
The humanoid light flashed brilliantly, banishing the darkness around it. The light surrounded the tiny one, quickly getting absorbed and fusing the two together. Once combined, the growing light saw the darkness, coalescing and summoning Floormasters.
"Rise, Hero of Redemption! Purge our world of the Malice's Scourge!"
The light formed into a Hylian male, with blonde hair, light skin and dressed in white. His eyes were closed, as he was sleeping and the attire looked more like sleepwear than armor that was necessary at the moment. The monsters grew closer and the youth muttered, "I…can't…Let me sleep…It's better this way."
The Floormasters surrounded him and one held his forehead. Darkness then entered him, keeping him asleep and blackening his heart. Just as the monsters lulled him under their control, two more lights appeared. One rapidly changed colors from fiery red to purple while the other turned blue, orange and yellow. The auras coalesced, turning into a youth nearly identical to the sleeping one.
Instead of blonde, his hair was black in color and his skin a pale white. His clothes were black with green, linear markings, with a hood covering much of his head. The attire was Twili-like and most would've thought he was a member of that shadow tribe. But the light that came from him couldn't have been brighter.
He saw his opposite with hazel eyes and then the surrounding area. He wondered where he was and how he got there, but those thoughts were interrupted as six Floormasters rose from the fog-covered ground. The youth instinctively reached for his sword with the left hand. But, he was unarmed.
Cursing his luck, the youth didn't know what to do against the monsters. He tried to think of how to escape the hand-like creatures, but his ideas were dashed as he heard his counterpart speak.
In an echoic, dark voice, the captured youth told him, "It…It's better this way…Go to sleep…and dream it all away…"
"No…No way. I…I…don't know what happened, but we have to wake up. Link…C'mon, wake up," the dark-haired youth said.
More Floormasters appeared around the youth, Link, and he opened his eyes, revealing completely red ones. His blonde hair turned grey and his skin deathly pale. Shadows covered him like ink, changing him into a dark creature. The darkness of the monsters was absorbed into his heart and he said, "You really want to wake up? Why? No one misses us."
"Aryll does. And so does Groose. And Karane, Pipit, Mom, Granny…Agitha, even though she's still terrified…" the other Link told the corrupted one.
"You're lying. No one misses me. Especially not her," Link, or "Shadow Link", said in disbelief.
The other "Link", or "Oni", as his memories were telling him, shook his head and said, "Agi…She was always a daddy's girl. So…when Dad died…by those monsters…she didn't know who to blame. So, blaming me was the most logical choice for her. And all the times…I attacked her and Aryll in that state…"
"That's…no excuse! She hates me and I hate her!" Shadow Link bellowed, his voice becoming more like a roar.
"You don't mean that, because I don't hate her at all. I still love her, even if she doesn't love herself or me," "Oni" told him.
Shadow Link thought his other half as unreasonable and screamed in frustration. He then landed on the ground, using the shadows that pooled around him and changing the entire landscape to that of a ruined temple's great hall. "Oni" recognized it as the Temple of Time's Chamber of the Sword and could barely admire that Shadow Link had remembered the details as his counterpart lunged at him wildly with an obsidian blade.
Oni backflipped and ducked as Shadow Link had continued attacking, performing five horizontal swings, three vertical and two jump strikes. Oni landed near a corner after the last jump attack and found that he was in one. Cursing again, especially since he didn't have anything to counter with, he braced himself for the worse as Shadow Link came charging again.
"Seriously, you're giving up already? C'mon! I thought you were stronger than that, Mister 'Kingslayer'!"
The voice was that of Hasan Salamand's and Oni wondered why he could hear them. They were in another dimension, right?
"Hey! Don't just daydream! Block! You got Light magic, right? Use it!"
That was Bartolomeo Ferreira's. Oni held up his hand and a barrier formed just as Shadow Link struck again. His blade bounced off the shield and Raven Schultz's voice had urged for Oni to start using magic, since he was swordless. With a pushing motion, Oni sent the barrier Shadow Link's way, the attack sending him crashing into a wall.
"Good. Now for some Earth magic! Stomp your foot and send rocks or something his way!"
"Alright," Oni said, stomping his foot and the floor underneath shattered as if he was wearing the Iron Boots.
Much to his surprise, they materialized on his feet. He stomped again and the concrete rose, surrounding him. Ravio Lapin's voice told him to punch at the shadowy one, and he did, the concrete flying at Shadow Link like bolts from a crossbow.
Shadow Link got up and dodged the first three concrete pieces. He slashed the fourth and fifth and jumped over the last three. Angered, he charged in again, shadows coming out of his being as he seemed to move faster.
The shadow ran circles around Oni and another voice, Kishin Minamoto's, said, "Create a barrier of Wind. Just hold up your hands and think of winds protecting you. Seriously, it can do that."
Oni did so, holding his arms in a protective manner over his head and a cyclone surrounded him. He then released his arms and the cyclone became wind blades that sought out his enemy. They struck, tripping Shadow Link, causing him to hit the floor three times before landing on his face.
"Okay…Wow…What next?" Oni asked.
"What do you mean, 'what next'? Find a way to end him!"
That was Yami Tsurugi, one of the more…harsher Heroes of Yore. Oni held out his left arm as the thought to create a sword of light came to him. It did, forming into a weapon that vaguely looked like the Four Sword. It came to him just in time as Shadow Link recovered, jumping into the air and coming down with the intention of slicing Oni in two.
He dodged seconds before impact and the shadow's sword unleashed a powerful shockwave. Oni held up his sword, summoning another barrier of light to deflect the blast. He was pushed back towards a wall in the octagonal chamber. Another voice, the somewhat timid Kiba Saika's, said, "Maybe…combine two elements…My Zelda's descendant could…"
"Combine? How? Whoa!" Oni asked, leaping over a dark tendril.
He saw that Shadow Link had become completely enraged, darkness pouring out of him and the chamber pooling up with the miasma. He managed to combine Forest with Darkness, using the dark vines to swing at Oni like whips. Oni continued on the defensive, holding up his weapon and keeping his barrier of light.
'Okay, how to…? What do…? What do I do…? I don't know how,' he thought.
"Thrust your sword into the ground. Think of the floor becoming lava."
The voice was unfamiliar, but at the same time was. Oni did so, striking the miasma covered ground. The darkness hissed and shrieked as a river of lava appeared from the front of Oni and traveled towards Shadow Link. The shadow saw it and summoned pillars of purple crystals. With a scream, the crystals shattered, forming incredibly sharp shards that was hurled at Oni.
"Use Light and Earth together! Hurry! Make a shield!"
Oni went into a defensive posture, imagining rocks forming a barrier around him, surrounded by light. The walls released tiles and bricks and another barrier of light formed, creating said shield. The dark crystals struck it seven times, with the seventh shattering it. The impact blasted Oni into a wall, causing him to hit his head and becoming dazed.
Shadow Link laughed and said, "This is the power of the Hero? How dull!"
The temple shook to its core and Shadow Link screamed "Let me show you…JUST HOW FEEBLE YOU ARE, 'HERO'!"
The darkness engulfed everything, sending them into a black void. Oni couldn't see anything, but was immediately punched in the stomach by something. Another punch, this time to his chest and he staggered back. A third and fourth punch to his face had him nearly spinning around. The last was a bash to the back of his head, sending him to the floor.
The shadows receded, revealing the ruined Adoba Village. Shadow Link rematerialized, standing over Oni and having a smug look on his face. He grabbed him by the hood, flinging him into the air and Oni crashed onto a pile of rubble that was a home. Shadow Link reappeared, standing in front of Oni and his grin was wider.
"Seriously, this is the power? How…weak. So, putting us back to sleep is best…No one wants a fearful, weak Hero…One that can't protect anything, not even himself," Shadow Link said.
He placed his hand on Oni's forehead and everything grew dark. The next thing Oni knew, he was in the abyss again, as Link. But he wasn't the one Aryll and the others knew. He was dressed in green and wearing the floppy hat and chainmail.
"W-What…? What's happening? How did I…?" he asked, looking at himself.
The landscape changed to the rolling plains of Hyrule, but in the late summer. The skies were dark, threatening rain, but nothing came. Oni, or Link, remembered the day.
"N-No…I'm…I'm back here? Why?" Link asked.
On his back was the Hylian Shield he obtained from…Malo and the Master Sword…the one lost after the battle. He shuddered, fear rising in him, something that he remembered. The sight of the darkened plains, the threat of rain and the attire he wore. It was the day…he died as the Hero Chosen by the Gods, not the "Kingslayer".
Turning around, he saw the towering figure of the Dark King, Ganondorf. Not the man Hasan grew to know. But the progeniture of the Dragmire clan that ruled the Hyrulian Empire.
"Heh, heh, heh…An impressive looking blade, but nothing more…Would you hear my desire? To take out this wretched blade and blot out the light forever," the Dark King said.
Link was suddenly trapped in a barrier of light, one that hurt if he accidentally bumped into it…according to his remembrance. Without thinking, he unsheathed his blade, ready to fight. Neighing was heard in the distance and it was Epona, not his that was still in the capital of Hylia City. But the one Princess Zelda of the old Hylian Royal Family rode.
The Dark King charged forward and the two dueled viciously. Everything was the way Link remembered, but something was off. He shouldn't have the memories of the Hyrulian Empire or the present day at all. As they fought, he started to waver, but he had to defeat the Dark King. To save Hyrule.
After a hard-fought battle, Link leapt into the air to perform the Ending Blow. He stabbed the Dark King in the chest, but Link could feel power leaving the Master Sword. He looked down, seeing the shine from the blade disappearing. The hilt had also changed, the handle and guard turning from purple to blue.
Leaping away, Link thought the battle was over. But he saw the Dark King rise to his feet. He had trouble breathing, but Link could sense that he still had life left in him. The Dark King vowed to drench the history of Hyrule in blood and he passed out, standing on his feet.
Light turned Link from his opponent to a revived Midna, the legendary saintess, not the one he knew. She smiled, asking if Link had no words left. But he did. He was going to apologize for failing Hyrule. For letting it turn into a dark empire and becoming a Hero that no one wanted.
Suddenly, Link felt pain in his own chest. Looking down, he saw the Master Sword, depowered, deep in his chest. Princess Zelda gasped and Midna screamed his name. The two went to him and Link felt everything growing dark.
Seconds later, Link found himself in a desert. He was dressed in purple and had dark, purplish hair. He wasn't the "Hero Chosen by the Gods" anymore. He was Ravio Lapin, a mere traveling merchant.
"Hey, Ravio!"
A Gerudo vai ran up to him, dressed in pink and gold attire. It looked like bridesmaid attire and Ravio was confused. He was just fighting the Dark King and then, he was there in the desert. She grabbed his arm and said, "Why are you still dressed in those clothes? C'mon! Get changed so you can see your bride."
"'Bride'?!" Ravio asked, very confused and flustered.
"Oh, don't tell me. You've gotta be kidding me, voe…" she said.
He remembered. She was Ravenna's older sister, Cardina of the Hikma clan. She was the one that introduced him to Ravenna, one of the heiresses to the tribe. Cardina was the one with the most likely chance to succeed, but Ravenna garnered the most attention for crushing on a voe, a half-breed at that.
She led him to the tent, where a Gerudo voe attire was ready for him. It was black and gold in color and was resized to fit him as Gerudo men were very tall and much more muscular than Hylians and Loruleans. Ravio changed into the attire and was taken again to the center of the village, There, he saw a Gerudo woman, dressed in white and gold, with her face covered with a thin veil.
She smiled when she saw him and Cardina said, "Don't make my sister regret marrying you."
"Uh, o-okay," Ravio said.
The ceremony started, with the village elders standing at an altar to the Goddess of the Sands, Solana. Ravio agreed to the vows that were made, uncovered Ravenna underneath her veil and smiled at the redhaired, tanned Gerudo woman. She was around his age, 22, and her hazel eyes were shining.
The two went in for a kiss and the surrounding villagers cheered, but the elders weren't too happy, simply clapping for the couple. Afterwards, the pair were thrusted into the shoulders of the few men in the village, being paraded around and having the crowd cheer and sing praises. One of the loudest ones was Cardina, singing, "She finally got married! I hope you have bliss and be satisfied!"
Everything swiftly changed and Ravio found himself standing in front of an older Ravenna and their five, mixed-breed children. The youths, ranging from ages 4 to 15, were terrified as some soldiers from Hyrule had came knocking on their door. Ravio thought they'd be safe in Labrynna's Akkala City. But war came to their doorstep and the country was dragged into it.
"Open this door! We know you're in there, 'Kingslayer'!"
Ravio turned to Ravenna and said, "I don't hear them in the tunnel. Take the kids and go that way. Find Queen Ambi and tell her what happened."
"What? No. I'll fight with you," Ravenna said.
Ravio shook his head, telling her, "You'll just get yourself and the kids killed. Just go. Please! I'll catch up!"
The kids took off while Ravenna halted midstep. She looked at her husband and said, "You…You're lying."
Ravio gave a sad smile and told her, "Please. We…Just wait for me and I'll find you. Please."
Ravenna nodded, taking a Gerudo scimitar and running off. Ravio, finding his sword, stood in front of the entryway of his home's living room. He shuddered, knowing that the end was coming. Hylian soldiers were everywhere and the emergency tunnel he dug would come in handy for his family. But, he had to buy them time to leave. If they were arrested and tortured just for being married and related to him, then…
The door was blasted open and Ravio covered his face for a few moments. The enemy soldiers poured in and Ravio whispered a simple song. It was one that Ravenna taught him as he had a penchant for showing cowardice when he was younger.
"Maybe by tomorrow…the sun's gonna glow…Maybe tomorrow, it's gonna snow…" Ravio whispered.
"On accounts of the failed assassination of our beloved 1st ruler, you, 'Kingslayer', are charged with attempted murder and treason," the captain said.
"How? I'm someone else, not that guy that you're talking about," Ravio said, courage building up.
He had to keep them talking or else he would have to fight. The latter happened and Ravio began blocking and parrying attacks from Hylian longswords and spears. To his surprise, it was easy, just like it was when he had to help a caravan that was overturned in the nearby Rolling Ridge. But, he didn't see someone with a crossbow and was shot in the chest.
Staggering back, he fell to the floor, his blood pooling around him. The Hylians then circled him, kicking and stomping him, trying to get their master's "revenge". The 1st emperor had been long dead, so what revenge did they need, Ravio thought?
His mind started growing hazy as another entered, yelling, "We were supposed to arrest him, not kill him!"
"But milady!" the captain said.
"NO BUTS! We were supposed to get the Triforce piece from him and now he's dying!" the woman shouted.
Ravio hadn't a clue what they were talking about. He didn't have a "Triforce piece"…neither did Ravenna…or his children…
"Don't just stand there! Use a fairy or something!" the woman shouted.
Ravio's vision darkened just as they were about to, waking up in an inn. The sun shone through the windows and he sat up, finding that he was dressed in all-black, typical of a Gerudo voe. He saw his skin was quite tanned and checked his ears as well.
They were pointy, but his nose was flat, like a Hylian's. His hair was a deep red and the name "Hasan" came to him. He slid out of bed and muttered, "What happened?"
He remembered his time as the "Kingslayer", then as "Ravio" and he immediately jumped up, yelling, "Ravenna!"
The door opened and a little girl came in. He remembered her name was "Cremia" and said, "Oh…Um, sorry."
"You okay, Big Bro?" she asked.
Hasan nodded and Cremia told him, "Well, Ma said that we're near Windfall Island. So, get up, sleepyhead!"
"Alright, alright! I'm up!" Hasan shouted, tossing a pillow.
The ship docked and most of the family and crew disembarked. As they explored the island, Hasan remembered Kiba had washed ashore there. But, there was no sign of that being the case. The island's architecture was much older, mostly of wood and stone. The flags of the Great Sea Alliance didn't exist yet and Hasan didn't know why he had memories of the future.
'What's happening?' Hasan thought.
Cremia saw his lost expression and asked, "Um, are you sure you're okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Hasan told her.
"Well, c'mon! The inn's this way!" Cremia said, the little girl grinning as she ran off.
Knowing that she was going to get into trouble if he left her alone, her older brother followed. He saw the townsfolk and sailors going about their business, the port town being just as busy as it was in the far future. Or was it the past? He didn't know anymore…
Something had him stop in front of a pictograph shop and Hasan found himself entering. It was as if something drew him there, tugging at his heart and he had no control over it. Inside the shop, which was filled with pictographs and pictos of various locations. One of them he halted.
It was a picture of the deserts of Samasa, a place Hasan had never been before. He had always been out at sea with his family, traveling and hawking wares in many places. Their favorite place was the Great Sea, so the only deserts he would've found would be sandy islands in the ocean.
"Oh! OH! A customer!"
A redhaired youth came barreling down the stairs and said, "Welcome to the Pictograph Shop. We do repairs of pictographs and sell our own. All those pictos you see are from my great-great-grandmother during her travels. Cool, huh?"
"Uh, yeah. It's cool…" Hasan said.
He stared at another that was of some ruins in Hyrule's Great Desert, something that looked like a coliseum. The youth, a voe named Kreiss, said, "Oh, Granny told me that's the Arbiter's Grounds. It was the home to an execution site the Hylians had during their 2nd Civil War. A lot of Gerudo died as well as other people she called 'Dark Interlopers'."
"Yeah, that's right," Hasan muttered.
"Yep. So, wanna pictograph for your sailing adventure, mister voe?" Kreiss asked.
Hasan shook his head and asked, barely a thought to do so forming, "Um, so, what happened to your grandmother?"
"Great-great-grandmother. She's still around. Just in a retirement home. She's over 200 years old, y'know," the youth said.
Hasan was surprised as he never heard anyone living that long. He then asked where the retirement home was, to which Kreiss asked, "Uh, why? She doesn't really get any visitors outside of the family. And, you're just a customer."
"Um…I just had some questions I would like to…" Hasan said.
"HASAN!"
Cremia found him, glowering as she thought her older brother left her. Hasan smiled, patting her head and leaving the shop. Kreiss stared, suspicious of Hasan and rightfully so. Hasan didn't know that family, so he had no reason to see the matriarch.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Cremia asked.
"I'm fine. Don't worry," Hasan replied.
"Alright…But I'm telling Mom if you go crazy," the girl said.
Hasan was going to reply, only to find himself sailing on a small boat in the middle of a storm. Sadness had gripped his heart and he remembered meeting the matriarch of Kreiss' family, Ravenna Lapin. She seemed to recognize him, even though he never met her before. But, when she placed her forehead on his, it was as if meeting a long-lost friend. After their meeting, the elder became gravely ill, dying two days later.
Something cried out in him, asking why she had to die. Logically, she had to go as she was 261 years old. She lived so long that she remembered things before the Hyrulian Empire took over much of the northern continent and the Great Sea. Some of those things, Hasan himself could remember and it was…scary to say the least.
Thus, he questioned why he left to take care of a monster that was terrorizing the seas south of the island. He was armed with a bow, his trusty scimitar and a small cannon. The sailing wasn't smooth at all, as waves whipped his boat about and threatened to toss him into the ocean.
"Why? Why did I come out here? This is crazy!" Hasan yelled, the rain and thunder deafening much of what he said.
The waves then suddenly rose in front of him and Hasan cursed everything he had ever done to get to that point. Bracing himself for the wave's impact, he could only watch as the water crashed down on him, sending him under. Moments later, he woke up again, sitting in what looked like a pirate captain's chair.
"Capitan! Capitan!"
Groaning, as he had a splitting headache, he noticed he was dressed in blue and the name "Bartolomeo Ferreira" came to him. Putting a hand on his head, the captain gruffly asked, "What?"
"Um, sir. We…We're nearing the Forsaken Fortress. Um…" the youth in black and white asked.
The captain glared at the quivering half-breed kid, muttering, "What do you want me to say, mutt?"
"Ah! Um…I…um…" the boy said, looking ready to cry.
"Bartolomeo…Why are you being so harsh to the child?"
His first mate/wife dressed in green and brown, Anna, shook her head, approaching the captain's chair near the wheel. She put a hand on his left shoulder and whispered, "Calling your crew 'mutts' or 'dogs' isn't going to raise morale. I'm also questioning why we're here in this dangerous part of the sea."
"Because those are His Majesty's orders," Bartolomeo replied.
The brunette rolled her green eyes and asked, "So, we're now blindly following the king's orders? This isn't like you, Bart."
"D-Don't call me that in front of the crew!" Bartolomeo shouted.
The boy, or "Korok-ish mutt" as the captain called him, giggled, only to scream as a gauntlet was thrown at him. He ran away and Anna said, "See? This is why we can't have children."
"No, it's because I'm busy most of the time and we've tried many times," Bartolomeo said.
Anna sighed, realizing that her husband was too hate-filled to have a family. Probably because he lost his so violently…
"Capitan! We're here!" the one manning the crow's nest yelled.
"Alright! Get the crew ready. We're storming this place," Bartolomeo said, jumping out of his seat.
Anna stopped him, saying, "If there are Gerudo here, what then? It's not like killing all of them will bring your family back!"
"Shut it and step aside!" Bartolomeo said, shoving her out of the way.
Anna shook her head, muttering, "Please let him release this hatred before his last breath…A Hero…isn't supposed to be like this…"
Hasan overheard that and was about to retort when a headache gripped him. Something told him that he had a conversation like that before. But, he couldn't remember. That and the half-breed looked like a Korok…like Sarada…
"Who…?" Bart muttered.
His vision was clouded, everything changing to the interior of the Forsaken Fortress. His crew went through the place, taking out the pirates that tried to attack. They even took those unarmed as prisoner, mostly children. The sight wasn't right and for the first time, it didn't sit well with him. But, he still had a job to do. The fortress had to be cleared of the pirates and established as a base for the Labrynnan Navy.
The captain's attention was turned to a Gerudo archer hiding behind a column, aiming for one of the half-breeds. It was the boy that he had berated earlier. Without thinking, Bartolomeo jumped in front of the boy, pushing the child out of the way just as he was shot in the chest.
Anna's eyes widened as she saw her husband collapse after saving the child. The boy yelped, only for his fear to quickly turn to anger as he rushed forward, taking out the archer with a few knife throws. Anna rushed to her husband's side and said, "You…Why?"
"I dunno…But…is…is he…?" Bartolomeo asked.
"Yes. Olivio's safe and just avenged you…" Anna said.
The other crewmembers gathered around, after taking out many of the pirates. Some where confused while others were both sad and angry. A few were relieved, with one of them saying, "Don't act like that! The capitan's always been good to us! Even whenever he called us names!"
"I'm…I'm…s-s-sorry…I'm so sorry…I should've…" Bartolomeo said, his eyes closing.
Shaking his head, Raven found himself standing on the western cliffs overlooking Sunken City. He had his troops escort his family to Mt. Cucco, and then to Goron Mountain. They would be protected there, right? He hoped so as he wouldn't know what to do if they had been killed by the Hylians.
He looked at the sight of the city, seeing his handiwork in flooding the place. Hyrulians soldiers had gotten caught and pulled under a tidal wave Raven summoned from the falls, using a Water Rod, that fed the city's waterways. Before, they had surrounded him, but he leapt to the high ground, using his power to create the flood. Guilt came to him as he didn't want to kill anyone, but he had no choice.
His wife, Camilla, his children, and the people of Holodrum needed to be safe. He had to protect them, be the Hero that they needed.
"So, that's where you were hiding all this time?"
A plume of darkness appeared and Raven backed away from the cliffside. A figure dressed in tattered black clothes appeared and the dark-haired youth had a tired smirk on his face. His red eyes had dark circles under them and Raven could spot fangs poking out from his lips.
"Fake," the youth told him.
Raven changed the Water Rod into a blue hilted sword and asked, "Who're you?"
A snap and a few pops, along with a violent turn of the youth's head, changed the newcomer from man into a monster. Standing before Raven was a ReDead, one that had a gaping hole in its chest. With a shriek, it screamed "I'M THE HERO! NOT YOU! NOT YOU!"
It summoned a sword from the darkness and slashed at Raven. Raven held up his weapon, clashing and locking swords with the monster. It screamed again, freezing Raven, and said, "NOT FAKE! NO FAKE! NOT FAKE!"
A great pain and Raven found that he had been stabbed in the stomach. The wound grievous, Raven looked at his attacker, seeing the pleased smirk on its face as he started to bleed out. The sword, obsidian in color, was covered in his blood and the ReDead screamed, "I'M REAL! YOU'RE NOT! NOT! NOT! NOT!"
It then grabbed the weapon, turning Raven towards the cliffside, ready to throw him off. Just as it tried, Raven regained his focus, muttering, "I'm not…I'm real…I'm…real."
He plunged his sword into the ReDead's neck, but it caused for the two to tumble off the cliff and into the water. Just as Raven was covered by the waves, he thought, 'I'm…All these memories…are mine. I'm not fake…I'm real.'
A bright light came from his left hand, with another appearing from his right seconds later. The light surged through him, healing the massive wound and cracking the imagery around him. His eyes turning gold, Raven's appearance shattered, revealing a young man with blonde hair, light skin, green clothes and silver armor. The landscape shattered, returning the blond youth to the ruined Aboda Village.
He looked around, summoning a sword similar in appearance to the Four Sword, expecting a monster. His expectation was right as an arrow came flying towards him. He blocked and someone landed on the ruined chapel.
"Why didn't you go back to sleep? We're supposed to be asleep!"
It was the shadowy version of him and the youth said, "I've done enough of that. Seven years? Really? Again?"
Shadow Link smirked and jumped, landing in the snows several feet in front of the youth. He pointed the obsidian blade at him, saying, "So, 'Link'…you're gonna prove that I'm wrong? You still a 'Hero'? Even after all that happened?"
Link nodded and went into his battle stance, holding the blade with confidence in his left and summoning a buckler with the Hylian crest on his right. Shadow Link scoffed, muttering, "I'll make you regret this…"
He charged and the two clashed swords, sending shockwaves through the ruins…
YAY! Link's back! LINK'S BACK! Thanks to Oracle of Hylia for their review on the last chapter. So, will Link defeat his shadow or will he be swallowed by the darkness? Stay tuned!
-miano53