PART FIFTY - THE SHADOW OF MY KIN
Am I...dead?
Katie stirred, her color flickering, throwing away some of the blackness. At once, her orb glowed brilliant white.
She was left alone in the dark.
The fairy whimpered, keeping the urge from losing her mind. Sure, she handed the dark before but it was with the company of companions. All alone…
Breaking this terrible, heavy silence were soft patterns of pebbles trickling from above, the beats had a rhythm to it. The air reeked of dust. Katie tried to remember what happened but her mind fixated on the demons forming around her.
Everything's fine. It's going to be okay.
So dark, it was almost tangible. How could she be made of light and yet not see what was in front of her?
"Hello?" she squeaked out. "Is…is someone there?"
Gently, she fluttered up a little higher, throwing off the dust caking over her wings. Maybe there could be another source of light. Oh where was Link?
She did her best to analyze the situation, just focus on her surroundings. Yet her mind slips away, melding into the darkness that reminded her of its presence. It was everywhere in every corner, all in a single shade. As silent and still as the dead.
You are trapped here.
"No," she whimpered.
You will die here.
A sudden, palpable panic seized her. Just like that, she abandoned her careful inspection and skimmed through the air blindly, searching for Link. Where was he? Was he even alive? Was she the only one left, fated to die in this darkness?
Shapes formed in the darkness, transmogrifying into hideous faces. They grinned at her, monsters with black teeth. The fairy cried out, her light throwing back shadows made from jagged walls and detritus. She prayed to the Goddess, pleaded to them. She already suffered at the hands of both her hero and the enemy; can't she have a bit of mercy?
So dark! It's all so dark! Terror tore through her head in a radiant flash. I can't see anything! I can't see! I can't—
Someone snatched her from the air. The fear in her exploded and a piercing scream shrilled in the air. The hand that held her shook.
"Shut it, you shit," someone hissed.
"L-Link?" Katie whispered, trembling so much that heavy flakes cumulated over the ground at his feet.
In her blinding light, Link's face appeared pallid. He regarded at her with great annoyance before letting her go. Katie's color began to quiet a little and now that she was calmer, she noted his hand clutching his side.
"A bruise," he said dismissively, apparently noticing her stare.
"Is…is your rib broken?" she said softly. Though the jitters still crept over her orb, the sight of him greatly mitigated her fears.
"Nothing broken," he muttered, throwing a look over his shoulder. The silence seemed to deepen with every second. How was he not afraid? Not even a little? "Dammit, where the hell are we?"
Katie started to cry.
"Shut. It. Now's not the time."
"I'm scared."
Link let out a frustrated breath. "Why the hell did you stay with me? You should've gone with them!"
Pink splashed over the fearful white. The worst feeling she could have was feeling like a liability. Coming with him only gave him problems than solutions. "I…I thought I could help."
"Yeah, well, you thought wrong."
"I'm sorry, Link," she said penitently.
Link groaned, running a hand down his face. "Just stop the waterworks and think. Where the hell are we?"
Katie wished he could hold her like the twins whenever she was scared. He could promise her that nothing will ever hurt her so long as he was here.
She sniffed, trying to collect her wits until something moved in the dark. Link was on his feet in a second and his sword collided with something that shined lovely silver in Katie's light.
"Thought you got rid of me?" Banard sneered, sending Link back with a kick.
Link hit the wall behind him, grunting. He quickly twisted to one side and Banard's blade struck at the wall just inches away. Backing away, Link steadied himself, both hands on his sword that glowed softly blue. Katie quivered by his side. The silver mercenary tugged his sword out from the wall, eyeing them.
"Bad. This is bad," she heard Link mutter. "Too dark in here."
Banard's blade flashed as it collided with the Master Sword, the two blades creating sparks of lights when they met. Link stumbled a little at Banard's strength, but still kept to his feet.
But rather than attacking head-on, Link snatched Katie then used his hookshot to dash over the darkness. Banard quickly disappeared behind. Air rushed in, the motion sickening Katie. The wall approached them, her light shining over the cracks. Link flicked his wrist, sending the metal claw back before he could meet the wall with his face. He took the rest of the escape on foot, Katie flying at his side in a whitish-pinkish ribbon.
"Where are we going?" Katie asked quickly.
"We can't fight like this! Is he crazy?" Link snapped. "We'll get killed!"
A flush of yellow welled up in her orb. "We're getting of here?" Hope dawned in her voice.
Link stopped at the approach of a broken pile of stone. He sighed angrily. "Even if we get out of here, he'll still catch up." He paused, turning. "Say…this place feels familiar, don't you think?"
She'd been too afraid to notice it. With a quick look around, she assessed the surroundings. The wall patterns, the smell, even the atmosphere—Katie gasped. "The maze, Link! The one with the giant and the defensive mechanism! Remember, it was under the lair!"
"Oh, right."
"And I remember the way out," she said, thrilled.
Like white lightening, Banard's blade struck them. Link jerked back, the sword sailing past his head. Grounding his teeth, Link pulled out his sword just as Banard approached them with hardened eyes.
"Neither of you," he hissed, "are getting out of here. Not while I'm still around."
"You're a stubborn old man," Link said with a scoff, taking on a defensive form.
Katie's hope sank. There really was no way out of this, not until they defeat this mercenary. The two swordsmen went at each other again with a series of slashes, Katie fluttered and acted as the source of light.
Silas stopped before someone could topple over him. The man went down, clutching at his neck where blood spurted out. Silas stared at him, then turned away gasping before the panic could really settle in him.
Keep going. Just keep going.
He needed to take several detours through the alleyways, but found them choked with people who thought the same thing. It led him to walk through the main streets were bodies littered over the cobbles. Silas breathed through his mouth, but even that was starting to fail with bile rising at his throat.
Despite his urgency, he will not step on the fallen and so had bounced around them carefully. His eyes darted away from the dead, no longer able to bear the sight of them. All he saw was anger. Accusation and loud hatred.
He kept hold of Katie's promise. It was something to concentrate on, something to hope. There were still a few potions on him to keep for Link. He'll be knackered after the fight with Banard after all.
Do you really think he'll save you?
Silas kept on running, shaking his head. Not in response, but to keep that voice from his head.
Do you think he cares about you?
Link made himself perfectly clear; he did not care about Desmera or its people. He even stated that he wanted the world to burn down.
Silas felt his fortitude waver. What was he thinking, counting on Link? Link was no hero. How many times did he need to spell it out for him?
But he can't read though, Silas thought, and this trail of thinking sounded like his own. He didn't have the chance to read, didn't have a normal childhood…
The sound of that whip sent shudders down Silas's spine. He could still see the child quailing beneath it. The result came out as the person Link was today, but there was more to him than just that.
"He is the hero," Silas muttered, stopping to see where he was heading.
This looked to be the right way. The roads were getting wider, meaning the town square shouldn't be too far. Around here, it was dense, no one stopping to see him as they ran, slamming their shoulder and elbow to get through. Silas fell to his side, cringing at the shock of pain through his stomach. He opened his eyes to see a forest of legs and a river of blood.
He managed to crawl out before someone could trample him to death. Blood and dirt caked his face. When he got to his feet, he did a mistake of breathing through his nose. All at once, he was made aware of the taste of iron on his tongue, and even felt it all around him.
Whatever food he had eaten, it all went out, along with the red potion he took earlier. He groaned, staring down at his mess, one hand leaning on the wall of a building, the other rubbing over his stomach.
He'd gone for far too long without his medicine, and that was before the expedition to the catacombs. Elixirs kept him awake and alive for sure, but his medicines had various different vitamins and minerals to keep his body functioning healthily.
From a display window, he saw his pallid face. The face staring back at him seemed to have aged twenty more years, enervated and tired, frightened out of his mind.
A disturbing thought occupied to him as he stared at himself.
I might not live after tonight.
His hand reached out to touch the glass, the reflection followed. The hand clenched to a fist.
No…I won't live after today.
It did comfort him a little. Now he had absolutely nothing to lose. Better to beat this till the bitter end.
Every inch of his muscles shivered and he turned to find a shadow behind. It had sprouted out from the ground, towering over a villager who'd been too slow. Silas froze as fresh scarlet splattered across his face.
The shadow didn't turn to him, or even give any pause. It simply went along to find more victims, its lower half made up of entirely mist so it seemed to glide across the ground.
"Ah…" Silas stumbled, staring at the broken villager. A hand seemed to clutch his hope, playing with it, giggling at how small and fragile it was. Heat prickled his skin, setting his heart thrashing.
Don't scream. Don't do it. Don't do it.
Quickly, he bit down on his thumb till he tasted blood. Screaming would scare his senses away.
But there were just so many. The servants of darkness slashed ubiquitously, seeming to only exist to pray on the innocence. Silas wondered about the Goddesses. They were said to protect mankind in Hylia's stead. But how? How could they allow something like this to happen?
Hylians haven't a chance at touching fire, so they couldn't possibly fight something like this. Pitchforks, swords—nothing worked, not even words could reach them. They only kill and kill and kill and kill.
Silas slammed his fist at the wall with an angry cry, frustrated by his impotence. He can't be like his sister or like Link. They could fight the shadows like it were a waste of their time. Silas still had his dagger, but what use was that?
Just…what am I doing?
He really planned to go to the town square? And then what? What exactly could a sick bastard do against an insurmountable force?
Silas pressed his forehead against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut with his fist pressed over his head.
Where? Where did I go wrong?
As if his head emerged out from water, he was now made aware of the screams all around him. Desperate, he plugged his ears to drown it out. There was no hope for this. No purpose to this. He can't see anything. There was no future, nothing to fight. Just blood, and cold bodies. Not even Katie's promise was enough to desensitize the horror he'd seen.
Just give up.
"Hey, kid!"
Silas stiffened and turned to find a black cat right there. For once in his life, Silas found himself smiling, so relieved to see this insufferable rodent that he nearly cried. "Simon…"
The cat sucked in a breath. "Din's tit, kid! I was looking everywhere for you! Where the hell were you?
Silas glanced up and saw shadows cornering people near the tailor. He flinched when their claws rose and turned away before they met their mark. "Sophia," he said hoarsely, and remembered that he still had the blue ribbon she gave him. It was black with blood. "Where….where is my sister?"
"By the bakery. She's losing her mind over you!"
He would see his sister again. That alone gave him the courage to stand back up. His legs were unsteady and it worsened when he saw a kid lying on the ground, motionless. The shadows didn't spare anyone.
"Never mind them," Simon said hastily. "We need to meet up with your sister. She'll help them."
Yes…Silas thought numbly, staring at the child who would've had a future ahead of him. Yes, Sophia could handle it. She could handle anything. She could—
Do you know how many times I thought I wouldn't come back home?
Silas trembled, hugging himself. His sister…he thought her unbreakable but…by the Goddess, he was horrible. He was so horrible to her. She suffered while he reveled in his safety, taking everything for granted.
And now he expected her to magically vanish all of this with a snap of her fingers, with a simple slash of a dagger.
Silas gritted his teeth, and raised his chin to see the town square up ahead. Many people died here, slaughtered, all by him. He sent Irela to them, he drove Tristan mad and he nearly drove Sophia mad too.
Silas knew exactly what he had to do now. "You shouldn't leave my sister alone, Simon."
"What?"
"Go and tell her to meet me at the town square." Silas couldn't take one step before Simon wen in front of him, shocked.
"Are you nuts? Boy, take your head out of your ass and move it!"
"I have to go," Silas insisted, more to himself. The crowd around them thinned, only because many had perished and a few escaped. He stood among a gutter of broken forms, all who had been alive moments ago. "I am their Lord, Simon!"
"You are a bastard," the cat hissed. "And that thing will kill you. Don't do something stupid, kid!"
"This isn't stupid! You wouldn't understand. I vowed to protect these people." Silas could feel his composure shattering. The screams grew faint but persistent. "And I failed them. I failed."
"You didn't fail, alright?"
Silas sharply gestured around them, his motion making Simon flinch. "Then what the hell do you call this, a setback?" He shook his head sharply. "No, I have to meet this king."
"And that's exactly what he wants you to do!" Simon snapped. "Just wait for your sister. Wait for Link."
"I'm done with waiting," Silas said, walking passed him, his eyes looking straight. "I'm done with letting others do the fighting. I may not be a Sheikah, I may not be a swordsman, but I still have to do something!"
"But you can't—"
"All my life," Silas cut him off, "people keep trying to protect me. Every one of them. Why? Am I that helpless?"
Viktor lied and manipulated him just to keep him safe. Sophia refused to let Silas see anything that he wouldn't like. And Sally….Sally had tried to preserve them…
"You're not even the Lord!" Simon complained.
"I've taken a vow and I intend to keep it."
"What vow? What stupid vow tells you to go kill yourself?"
Silas looked up at the pillars of smoke, and then glanced at the overturned carriages. His eyes swept of the small area, looking at the broken windows, the brown and white cottage with splatters of red across the front.
Silas straightened his posture, not looking at Simon as he spoke. "I, Silas Lawrence Havar von Haidrund—"
"What are you doing?"
"—lay my hand before this sacred book," Silas continued without breaking stride, "and stand before the eyes of Nayru the wise, Din the strong, and Farore the courageous. I stand before the three Goddesses to ask for their blessings as I uptake my father's duty and his father and the one before him." Silas closed his eyes. "The duty of a noble. I stand near his Grace, the late King Edmond, to take upon his burden of Hylia's sacred kingdom."
Silas opened his eyes to the charcoal sky. "I pledge my life to Desemra, and all of the lands surrounding it. I take upon the fiduciary duty of my ancestors with honesty and sincerity.
"I will not abuse my rights of riches, and I promise, with the Goddesses as my witness, to be munificent to my people and offer largesse to those in need. I promise to be an exemplary of kindness and uphold true principles, to be the very epitome of nobility and leadership. I will not harm my subjects if it is not done by a just hand. I will not misuse my people's trades, nor will I stress them with unfair taxes and levy. I will be fair and right, in the eyes of the Goddesses, I make this vow."
Emotions seeped into his voice, wavering his words. "I-I will serve my people till the end of my days. I swear to repay remunerations, give merits to those who serve their land well. I swear to protect the lives promised to me, to any and all on my land. I swear to serve the crown by treating my land with reverence and devotion, and using by any means necessary to protect it from all those who wish to harm it and its residence.
"Says I, Silas von Haidrund, son of Lawrence Haidrund may he rest at peace. As one who lives under the law of Hyrule, I say this: my people are my duty, and a country…a country is its people."
Silas stared at the chaos before him, remembering of the long hours he had spent with papers crumbled around him, trying to get it right. Finally, he turned to Simon. "Those are my 'stupid' vows," he said thickly. "I wrote it myself. I said it a few days after my father's funeral. At any point did you hear me say that a discovery of illegitimacy can renounce those claims?"
Simon said nothing.
"I am not derogated from my vows. Never." He turned to the town square fiercely. "There is a thing that is threatening my home. Even if we lose here tonight, even if all our work was done in vain, I have to see this through to the end."
"What do you want to do then?" Simon said finally.
Silas took a deep breath. "I'm going to confront him. I'm not exactly what the plain is here, but I'll extemporize to buy us some time." Anger filled him. Louis. Louis. "Tell my sister to come meet me there. That's where she'll find me."
"And if she finds you dead?" Simon asked harshly. "What do you think that'll do to her?"
"If that is how it must be, then we will fight to the bitter end."
Simon looked ready to protest.
"Please, Andrew," Silas said softly, and the name froze the cat. "This isn't something you could understand. This town has been our entire lives. We could either live or die today, but it will be done on this ground. Whatever the outcome will be, we will only get it through fighting."
Simon paused. Then, for once, seemed to actually listen this time, telling Silas he better not get his ass killed before Sophia could reach him. The shadows were desperate to slow her down.
"Simon?"
Simon turned.
"If…if something were to happen to me…" Silas swallowed, looking at him. "Take care of Sophia."
Simon scoffed, turning away. "You take care of her, you selfish prick." He paused, not turning around. His tone changed into one Silas never heard before. "Kid," he said quietly. "You better not die on me."
Silas watched the cat mend into the darkness. The former Lord stood there for a few minutes, smiling faintly. Maybe if things had been different, he would've tried to make amends with Simon. They both cared for Sophia, and whether Andrew liked to admit it or not, he did care for Desmera and its people.
With a deep breath, Silas turned to the town square determinedly, the wind blowing at his face, fluttering his bangs. There were more crowds up ahead, more people who would get killed if he didn't buy them some time. He started to run, and this time he had no intention of stopping till he made it.
Not only was Katie's light giving him a splinting headache, but it also helped Banard on where to find them.
Link tried not to lash out her, since it would only help her stand out even more, but his frustration was festering in him, trying to look for an outlet.
"Link, we should out of here," Katie whined in a whisper.
"You go. I'm staying." Link searched for Banard and found nothing. "Dammit!"
"We can't stay here though! We need to go!"
That could've been made a lot easier if she didn't stay glued to his side. "Why did you come here?" he hissed.
"I-I thought I could help."
"And why do you want to help?" He didn't take his eyes off, shifting as he tried to make out the dark.
Katie hesitated. "Because…I just…"
"You want me to be a hero."
Her color shone red. "Again with this?"
"Yeah, again with this." He didn't have the luxury to send her a look. Rather, he had to keep on moving, taking random turns. This part of the maze didn't look familiar. It must've been where Sophia and Silas were at.
Those Haidrund twins…what was going on with Desmera? Did they make it out? He had a bad feeling about this…
"Fine, I get it," Katie said, cutting his thoughts. "You're not the hero, but that doesn't mean I can't help you!"
This was hardly the place and time for it but Link just couldn't help himself. "You got me to stay here in the first place," he growled lowly, craning his head through an open doorway and found nothing, not even a hint of light if you don't count this goddamn snowball on wings that can't leave him alone for five minutes. "I could've been out of Desmera if you hadn't lied to me!"
At least she had the decency to flush, rather than retaliate. "I—Link, I didn't mean—"
"You don't care about Agnes," he seethed, doing the worst mistake by removing his eyes from the surrounding to snap it at her. "You don't give a shit about her. I bet you think I'm just wasting my time, huh? I bet you wonder why I don't pick up a random dog from the street and call it a day."
Her flush deepened.
"One thing I can't stand it about you," Link snarled, "is your bullshit!"
"But I don't think that way anymore," she said quickly. "Really, Link, I want to help you find her! I really mean it. I know you'll do everything it takes to find her but you can't do it without me!"
Anger built up in him that he nearly got his throat cut. Old instincts kicked in and he raised his sword automatically, meeting against an ivory one. The thinner blade ran along the edge of the unscathed surface of the holy blade. The assailant was adroit with his sword, flicking his wrist and changing his grip. Link had to jerk back, and even then he felt the wind of the attack slap his face, steel inches from skin.
"Don't you two have issues," Banard said with a chuckle. "Look at you, bunch of kids fighting."
Link felt his face heat up. It was one thing to quarrel with this sprit, but it was a whole lot other to lower your guard and forget the battle you're fighting.
"Just stay out of my way," Link snapped at her.
They were in this squared area that acted both as a hall and a room. At least with the walls immuring them, Katie's light bounced off it and gave them something to work with. In it, the blades glinted white and pinkish.
Banard showed no hints of fatigue, parrying all of Link's advances with yawning ease. He then returned them all in one fearsome blow that nearly toppled Link if he didn't back away in time. Stumbling, Link righted himself and gritted his teeth, aggressing the man harder than before. There were no blind spots. Nothing. The man was impregnable.
"You can't just lie down and die?" Link said hotly.
Banard grinned. "I might as well hang up my sword then." He threw his weight as he bought his sword vertically. Link sidestepped, raising his own blade when he finally saw what he was looking for. A blind spot. "Want to know why I went there?"
Link froze. His only chance wasted. Banard shove him back by the shoulder, throwing Link back against the wall. Frustrated, Link waited, about to push himself off the wall but the older man didn't attack him. He sauntered over to Link, his eyes clouded, his smile tight. That silver earring dangling on his ear did not match the black and grey color on him.
"You shagged up some girl?" Link asked, hoping to buy some time to catch his breath. Banard moved awfully quick for a man his age.
Banard snorted. "Don't put me with that sort." His smile went cold. "I just did something no son should ever do."
Link froze and Banard merely shrugged.
"Bitch tried to kill me," Banard explained. "Tried to drown me while I was sleeping."
Then he moved at Link. Link nearly forgot himself, yelping as he was met with a powerful ringing of their locked blades. When Banard stopped his flurry of attacks, Link thrust his sword. The older man simply went to the side, the blade passing by him, and he grabbed the hand that held it, twisting not to break but to disarm it.
"I kept my dagger with me that night, waiting." Banard plunged the butt of his sword in Link's stomach. "I buried it right into her, heard her scream to hell."
Link was on the ground, gasping. Banard pulled back his boot and slammed it into Link's bad side. Katie cried as pain exploded through Link.
"And I made sure she stopped screaming." Link cringed, and glanced up to see Banard's grim face. "Didn't matter that I was defending myself. Guards came in one morning, nearly sent me off to the gallows if I didn't escape. Had to hide out all the way overseas."
He grabbed Link's hair, pressing the silver sword against his neck. "She tried to kill me, a bastard like me, all to marry some noble." He pressed the tip of the blade harder. "You know how much that pisses me off? Working for another noble?"
"Banard, please stop!" Katie cried. "Just leave him alone!"
"You…you killed your mother?" Link whispered, unbothered by the blade at his cheek.
"Sure did." Banard paused, noting Link's pale expression. Slowly, he grinned. "Ah, we're in the same pot you and I, eh?"
Link moved before he could think. His hunting dagger was out from its sheath and buried right into Banard's knee. The man twisted, yelling. Link raised his head and slammed the top of it on the man's chin. Banard staggered back, fumbling as he fell, blood dropping behind him.
Link grabbed his sword from the ground, standing over Banard. He could kill this man, could end this fight, but something so strong overtook him that he ended up running the other way.
"Link!" Katie shouted. "Link, wait!"
Banard's blood was warm on his hands, just like hers. So warm and thick, that iron scent. His back burned with the hidden scars on them. Each scar had been the right for him, the penance for his crime. But even then, he was told that it never be enough to give him the right of forgiveness.
"Link!"
Darkness thickened the further he grew away from that sprit. Eventually, Link did stop for the ground was uneven and his boot caught onto something.
"Link…"
He stayed there, down on all four, inert. If Banard came for him now, Link wouldn't bother fighting back. He only stared at the ground, that hole in him growing wider and wider. Years couldn't soften the scars, only buried the memories deep. The longer they slept, the painful they become upon awakening up. Even when he closed his eyes, he could still see her, as real as Katie's light.
"Link…Link, say something." She tried to go over his face, but he turned away, as if her light would expose him.
Link bowed his head, his hands balling to fists on the ground. "You heard him," he said quietly after some time
"What?"
"He's right." Link's head lowered even further, an ineffable weight crushing on his back. A weight from years and years of nightmare, of punishment. The scars tattooed him of the memories, reminding him of every waking moment. "I…I killed her…" His voice spoke in a whisper, echoing in his ears. "I killed my own mother."
"Link—"
"I killed her." Link hated how he giggled, hated how it made him feel. It was uncontrollable, that small childish part of him still tried to pretend it never happened. "You-you understand that?"
"Link, I already knew."
Every thought in him vanished like a torch thrown into a lake. Slowly, he glanced up to find the fairy flushing. "I…I already knew," she said, sounding ashamed. "I um eavesdropped on you and Ruto when Sheeva readied the map for you…I'm sorry."
He stared at her for a long time, long enough for his eyes to sting at her powerful glow. "You…you knew?" he whispered, voice strained.
She hesitated before nodding. "And…that's not only it. I knew about Dobbin's letter too. You showed it to me once, remember, when you wanted to know what it says? You found it when he made that stupid prank with that skeleton on his bed. If you had known how to read it then…then you would've known he was okay."
And Gorge, that madman, never would've ended up as chief. Link's gang—Dyer, Ilia, Hank, Gus, and Andie, his poor little Anny who tried to apologize of their actions and got captured, all suffered.. A whole mess eventuated from Link's inability to read a few words.
He had thrown that letter away, but still remembered the nights he spent staring at the words, wondering how he could've missed them.
"I knew about it, Link. It didn't really take long to figure it out to be honest."
She…knew all of this….
He did recall that she'd been a little distant when they left the Zoras, and thought she'd only been upset from leaving it; it was the closes thing she knew to home.
Link couldn't help but chuckle, rubbing his face with both hands. "You knew all that, and still came with me?"
She nodded.
"Why?"
"Because…" She hesitated. "I mean…I don't know."
"You don't know?" he said, chuckling humorlessly again. "You don't know why you're travelling with a murderer? You don't know why you didn't stop for a minute to realize that the 'hero' you're pinning for killed his own mother?"
"Link—"
"You don't know," his voice rose, "why you came with him in the first place? Do you have any idea, Katie, how many times I've wanted to kill you, in the beginning? Do you have any idea how close I was?"
He grinned at he. "I could've killed you in your sleep. I could've left you here to die. You think I'm still your hero? You think I'm good enough to save anyone?"
"I-I don't know much about you," she said, shaking with a brightly colored fear. "But I can't help it, Link. I just…I believe in you. I can't explain it but I just do."
"Katie," Link said seriously. "I killed someone. I'm a murderer. You get that, right? Tell me you got that part."
"I get it, but I don't know about your past or why you did—"
"Don't try to twist it," he growled. "Don't try to look for a reason. I did it because I wanted to." He chuckled. "You understand that? I loved every minute of it! I'm a monster."
"That is not what you are!"
"That is what I am!" he shouted, slapping her. Normally, she would be quick to evade him but this time she moved belatedly and was thrown to the wall. Looking at her small state, he wondered how he ever came to rely on this bug. "Don't you ever, ever say that I'm not!"
Don't hope for it. Don't even think about it. He was nothing to this world, only a tiny speck. There was no redemption or forgiveness for something like him.
So long as he remembered his place, then he had the right to live.
"Found ya!" someone sang.
Link jumped to his feet when Banard came from above, landing on the spot Link had been a second ago. Despite being injured, the man seemed fine and even grinned, but it was a different kind of grin. It was too broad, those eyes were a little dark—
Aw shit, Link thought in dismay. It got him.
Not entirely since Banard didn't go berserk. But Link should've seen it coming with how the man brought out his past. This place brought out the worst in you, darkening your already horrible memories, enough to make you recall every detail of it.
Link hadn't realized how it was affecting him as well. It wasn't strong like before, but it still got to him with how easy he let his guard down. Without Sophia around, he knew he better get a hold of himself.
Link rolled to the side and scooped up Katie before getting to his feet. She was blinking weakly, and Link used her as a lantern to avoid running into a wall.
Now that he was looking at the walls closely, he could see cracks spreading through them, the ground shifting ever so slightly. This place was going under as well. The king planned to bring down his whole catacomb.
He really wants me dead.
Link grinned at that, a hard, cold grin. "Just wait for me, you bastard," he seethed. "I'm coming for you." But first thing's first, he had to get rid of Banard, finish what he started. That man will not let him leave this place, not alive.
The smell was even worse here. Something repugnant, burning, but Silas couldn't see the source of it.
His pace slowed as he arrived to the town square, feeling so out of place. Screams and cries continued to resonate in Desmera's streets, while in here was calm, chilling. Where it was once a scene admired for being the center of the town, it was now littered with fly-ridden corpses.
Silas felt his breath choking in him when he saw him.
The King of Shadows.
The man stood near the broken fountain, black cape whipping behind him. He was large, easily three times Link's size. Being so close to the creature, seeing that golden tinted crown atop of him, Silas wavered. A hole sucked away his courage. He could feel the nightmares happening all over again.
The air here was far heavier than in the catacomb. A hand seemed to be pressuring in his mind, forcing it underwater. Silas covered his mouth, praying he hadn't made a sound. I…I can't breath…
A thick blanket smothered his emotions, leaving him with only fear, miser and defeat. The turbid air made him shrivel. He wanted to turn around. He wanted to leave.
The king chuckled, a voice so incredibly deep and soothing. He stood so imposing, so in control, as if this town already belonged to him. "Silas! About time you've shown up, boy. I was beginning to wonder."
When the King of Shadows turned, Silas gasped. "Uncle?" He hadn't seen Tristan since the mess with the deed.
The man held Tristan's face like his own, with eyes of deep red blood, beaming, his skin as black as night. His hair had grown longer, tied into a ponytail with the end seemingly trailing with mist. Even the built was much different, not a portly or thin man, but that of a warrior. The posture itself demanded respect. Silas felt ready to bow down.
No, stop it!
Louis hummed, impressed. He seemed so grander than anything Silas imagined. Silas didn't know what he was expecting but he didn't think he'd find Louis relating a human, his own uncle at that.
"The catacomb has strengthen your endurance to dark magic," the king noticed. "Well, it was expected, seeing as how you've managed to get out alive. Those with weak-wills have shown to be at my feet in submission but…" He trailed off, looking at the corpses. "I have no use for them."
"Louis," Silas said, hoping he didn't sound as he felt. "That's who you are."
"And what of it?"
"You-you…" Silas licked his lips, his throat dry and he saw a smug dancing on Louis's lips. Desperate, Silas tried to think of anything to say, anything to buy some time. "You-you turned a sacrosanct sept into a catacomb! A holy place and you just—"
"Do not speak of an event you have no knowledge of," the king warned. Silas closed his mouth at once. "You have never heard of it being initially a sept, nor have you read any fanatic linkage to my catacomb."
It was true. People only knew of the catacomb. There was never a mention of a church once, and one that kept Dinraal's husk.
"Besides," Louis said with a smile, "I think the origin of my catacomb is the least of your concern." He raised his hands, making Silas flinch and cry out. Instead of harming him though, Louis did something else.
Much to Silas's horror, he saw people running towards the town square. It was difficult to see with the wind howling in his ears but Silas managed to make something out of the sky. His blood turned to ice.
The dome was getting smaller.
When it stopped shrinking, the wind settled and the shadows proceeded with their slaughter.
"Why have you come to me?" Louis asked. "You aren't hoping to defeat me with that stick, are you? I'm not sure of whether to be amused or offended."
The king's words were nonsensical to Silas as he helplessly watched his people escape the carnage. "S-stop this," he uttered, then turned to Louis. "Stop this please!"
Like a hot knife, pain spread through him down to his stomach, making him gasp sharply.
"Pathetic," the king said, though he sounded delightful. "Your ailment will kill you by the morrow, but oh I can't have that."
Silas fell to his knees, shocked. The pain was a punch with steeled spikes. His face tightened in pain.
"So much darkness," Lois said softly. "So much powerful emotions—the sharp stab of betrayal and loss, the haunted thoughts of grief and guilt, the torrents of misery and despair. Oh, you will be the perfect snack once this night ends."
Silas cried out, curling on the ground. He coughed roughly into his hand and saw blood. Potion…I need…
His arms were too numb to move.
"But it's never too late to add a bit of seasoning." Silas looked up to see Louis smiling cruelly with Tristan's face. "Watch, boy, as I bring your town to its knees, as my slaves feast on the flesh of your subjects and run your streets red with blood!"
The king shouted tempestuously, thrusting his fist upward. At once, several shadows appeared, more ravenous and unfettered this time, like sharks breathing in blood. Seeing this showed just how much they've been put on a leash the whole time.
Silas raised his hands to his head. "No, no—"
The shadows clawed the victims with newfound voracity. The screams were raised to the sky.
"No," Silas cried weakly. "No. No! NO!"
Louis chuckled.
"I'm not afraid of you. I'm not afraid," Silas muttered frantically, feeling such pain upon him that he could hardly breath. "I-I'm no-not afraid…"
"Oh, I think you should be very afraid." Louis strolled up to him, crackling softly. "Being a sick boy is one crime, but a bastard? My goodness are the Goddesses cruel to you."
A large hand fell on Silas's head, ice cold shivers ran down his body.
"You could be my little servant. I could use a smart mind in my army, but first you must be broken so I could reform you. All things must break before they can rise again strong."
Link will save your town. Katie promised him, but her echoes started to reiterate. Silas shook his head, like a wild horse refusing to be tamed. The air thickened enough to leave him gasping. The hand stayed firm on his head, forcing him to look up at those crimson eyes.
"I never did tell you about your mother. Your real mother."
Silas chocked.
The king feigned sympathy. "A mother's love knows no bound, isn't that right? You know, she never had any intention of alerting the town, but still she failed all the same."
"No!" Silas screamed. "No! No, you're lying!"
Sally can't leave him. She was a murderer but she can't…he lost his father already and his mother…his mother…
"And all your hunters too! So delicious!"
Louis took his hand off and stepped back. With a flick of his wrist, the darkness curling at his feet puffed up, spreading out from his sides like long wings, so wide that it nearly covered the entire town square. The shadows stopped for a moment, and so did a few villagers to see what was happening.
The sheet of darkness hung in the air…and there were faces moving in it, struggling as if trying to break free. The obsidian faces were outlined, their lips moving slowly like through thick, black oil. They cried out soundlessly, pain clear on their face.
Silas sat back on his knees, stunned, numbed.
"So many souls!" Louis exclaimed. "Your uncle was a busy man! Now, does this one look familiar to you?"
Of course she was. He remembered her peeking over his head to see if he was sleeping. She'd make sure he took his medicines, took his rests and ate his meals. The woman had her faults, had done horrible things like manipulating their father, killed him…but…
"Sally?" Silas whispered breathlessly. He reached out to touch her face but couldn't move an inch further. Her face moved, a face made up of anguish and fear. The agony was so palpable that he could feel it deep within his bones.
The living of Desmera cried at what they saw, but he couldn't hear them. He couldn't hear anything but the faint sobs of those who had been sacrificed for Louis's advent.
"Let's not forget your butler too." There was some disdain in Louis's voice. "That foolish uncle of yours. Well, no matter. Your butler is not among them, but he did wind up with a fate the same as your father. I'd say it's rather poetic, don't you think?"
Silas dropped his hand, staring at the faces. "Why?" he whispered.
"Darkness takes all and everything. Like your Irela." The king's lip twisted in distaste. "You should never leave imperative matters a woman. She had failed but there was no denying her service. Her heart was blacker than a night with no moon, no stars. She was perfect…or so I thought."
Louis snapped his fingers. The horrific wall of tormenting faces vanished. The king rubbed his chin, Tristan's chin, as if getting a feel of his new body. "Your uncle wasn't so hard to convince, but he'd been stubborn, which explains my…belated resurrection. He had darkness in him, and while he disgraced me at times, watching him bloom was quite satisfying."
Louis grinned. "You must understand that it takes time to truly corrupt a Hylian, to bring out their darkest desires, to get them to act on it. Like your Link, the Corrupted Hero."
Silas coughed, blood tainting his hands. He didn't have the strength to take out a potion. And he didn't want to. That would mean living longer, suffering longer.
"All of you would make a great sacrifice for me." Louis grinned widely, looking over at the frozen onlookers. "And you, boy, will watch it all happen. Depending on my mood, I might spare you if you live through the night."
Silas was left inert on his knees, listening to the dark man chuckle. People continued to run for their lives, crying to the Goddesses.
"Stop it," Silas breathed out, numbly. He saw a shadow cornering a poor man. "Stop it."
This new wave of terror showed the highlights of Louis's powers. The shadows don't seem to ever tire or waver. Nothing humane existed.
This senseless massacre, this horror…
"Stop it!" Silas wailed, his voice shrieking and sounded unlike his own. "Stop it. Stop it! Please stop it!"
This was a section of hell. Watching the destruction devouring his home right before his eyes, his people hunted down like animals, seeing Sally's face like that…
Tears streaked down his face, splattering into a puddle of scarlet under him. "Stop it," he cried. "Stop it! I'm begging you! I'm begging you please!"
Louis laughed.
"Stop it!"
"Your Irela dreamed of this," Louis told him. "She wanted the world brought to flames. Oh you cannot comprehend the deep hatred seated into her heart. It was magnificent, Silas! A shame she went the way she did, but she never loved you. She was disgusted by you. As if her life couldn't be any more worse, she had to be married off to a disposable sick boy who didn't know when to shut his mouth. She counted the days for your grave. They all did."
Silas lowered his head till his forehead was flat on the cold cobbles. He squeezed his eyes shut, but the images were still there, repeating endlessly like those mirrors in that haunted maze. He wanted to claw it out of his mind, take out his ears, disappear.
"Poor, poor Silas," Louis said sadly. "Full of doubt and uncertainty, tormented with shame and terror. Would you like to be free of it? Would you like to be more than this? More than an invalid bastard?"
"Please," Silas sobbed, voice terribly hoarse as he gasped for air. "Please…please stop this. I'm begging you!" He reached out, grabbing the king's cape and looking up. Eyes crazed with desperation. "I'll do anything, absolutely anything you want. I-I beg you, Louis, please stop this!"
Louis frowned, indignant. "I offer you a chance to be more and you cling to the lives of these peasants? Perhaps you'll change your mind when there's nothing left of them."
"I'll give you anything!" Silas cried in a fading voice. "Anything at all. Anything!"
Louis seemed pleased. "And what would you do?"
"My soul," Silas said without a thought. "My soul. It's all yours, okay? You can have it."
"Your soul belonged to me the moment your Irela came to Desmera," the king said coldly. "Your subjects and all of this land belong to me. It will be the mark of the true king's stand."
Silas's hands dropped from the cape as they lost their strength. Screams carried on, each sounding further and further away from him as he stared up. The impervious dome now covered only a section from the gates of Desmera to the town square. Smaller space means bigger crowds and bigger crowds mean…
We're all going to die. This is it.
He giggled.
It's all over.
He laughed
We lost.
And he can't do anything about it. Why did he bother himself if this is what the end portends? The town was over. It was done for.
It hurts. He cried through his laugh, holding his head. It hurts so bad. I want to die.
I-I can't see anything!
There was only this darkness around him, binding him, burning the self-resentment and resign within him. He cried, laughing, and crying so hard that he nearly choked on his own spit.
Desmera…Desmera was gone.
Desmera has lost.
And so was his sanity.
Finally.