A/N:

Yet another chapter that took ages to write. But it's done.

Not much in terms of content warnings, this one's the calmest of the three.

So, yeah. Enjoy!

The four of them strode quietly through the streets, Linebeck hanging back as the only one unaware of where they were going. In the two-and-a-half years they'd been working together, they'd gotten closer, but certain things were still hidden from Linebeck, since he was still not an adult. They'd been sent on more missions as time passed, Link honing his sword skills. On his eighteenth birthday, the other three had pooled their money and commissioned the best blacksmiths in all of Hyrule to make a perfect replica of the fabled Hylian Shield. It hadn't taken long for Link to become used to fighting with it.

Midna and Zelda continued to date, still not making their affection for each other public outside the group. They trained their magic in tandem, and Midna had become more and more skilled with the spear. On the other hand, Ghirahim kept his skills constant, even discovering magic of his own. Linebeck spent more and more time with the others but avoided other people like the plague. By the time he was sixteen, he was nearly as tall as Ghirahim, and was now working on a more efficient power system for the city monorails.

Now they were on a short trip and Linebeck didn't know what they were doing.

Of course, that anxiety was only amplified by the fact that Midna was carrying a bunch of heavy shovels. The truth of what they were doing wasn't obvious until they came across the graveyard. Linebeck clearly recognized the location. "What are we-" he cut himself off as Midna handed him a shovel.

"Zelda will make sure that whatever we do here will be excused," Midna explained, handing out the rest of the shovels. "These should be tough enough to be able to take down a headstone. Linebeck, can you lead us? I take it you know where your father is buried?"

Linebeck's eyes widened. He hurried through the graveyard, the others running to keep up with him, and they eventually gathered around a lone headstone in the corner of the graveyard. Linebeck glared down at it. "Bastard."

Link glanced over at Midna. "Zelda is letting us demolish Linebeck's father's grave?"

"We're free to do whatever we want."

Linebeck barely waited a moment before slamming the shovel into the gravestone's corner. A chip of stone flew off. Something flared in his eyes, and he got to brutalizing the chunk of stone. Ghirahim aimed a strong swing at the other corner, sending another chunk flying off, and Midna and Link soon joined in. The destruction became enjoyable as they shouted curses and laughed harshly, earning themselves concerned looks from passerby.

More and more chunks of stone flew off, and Ghirahim shattered those shards into gravel, and Linebeck ended up working on erasing the name from the grave. It became a frantic, almost fun, experience, and even after the grave was completely demolished, they decimated the remaining rubble.

It was late in the night once they were finished, and they practically had to drag Linebeck away, laughing as he shouted curses to the wind, an elated grin on his face as he wished the worst possible torture on his long-dead tormentor.

They stopped at a restaurant and stuck around for a few hours, ordering whatever sounded interesting until they ran out of money. The last thing they managed to order was a few slices of tiramisu, and ended up leaving at midnight, taking an empty monorail back to the castle. Ghirahim dozed off with Link beside him, fighting to stay awake while Midna and Linebeck discussed their tastes in significant others.

Midna sat with her arms crossed behind her head. "I don't really have any specific type of person I like. Zelda and I really started to get close while studying magic, and we were childhood friends. I don't know my preferences. You seem a bit more on the romantically imaginative side. You're still young, but I imagine that you yearn for a certain type of person."

Linebeck's face reddened. "Well, uh... I-in terms of looks, I kinda like... muscular people. I also think I'd like someone who could protect me, but it would also be nice to be with someone that I can talk to about the stuff I like. ...but I guess the only specific physical trait I'm interested in is muscularity. Just... someone I can rely on and talk to."

Midna let out a short laugh. "I'll admit, I think it's cool that you've already got a good idea of what you like. Someone you can feel safe around. If you do manage to get yourself a boyfriend, just remember that you should do stuff for him as well."

"I know." Linebeck pulled his Rubik's cube from his pocket and started playing with it. "But there's no one I'm interested in yet."

The shovels were returned without incident, and the four of them met back up in Linebeck's room.

"Monster attacks are getting worse," Link mumbled. "But these past two years, we've been getting better, right?"

Ghirahim shrugged. "Depends on who you ask."

Link shot him a nasty glare. "Well, we've managed to help hold off enough monsters that people have been taking notice."

"Strange that it's been two years," Midna mused. "Since the first signs, I mean. What do you think is taking this 'imminent doom' so long?"

"Who cares?" Linebeck toyed with his Rubik's cube, barely looking up. "We get more time to set up. We deserve more time to rest, anyways."

"You deserve a vacation, huh?" Link asked, raising an eyebrow. "You've barely had time to make that coat you keep talking about."

"I think our visit to the graveyard counts as a vacation." Linebeck set the Rubik's cube on his bedside table and sprawled out on his bed. "Someone knock me out. I haven't slept in ages." He rubbed at the dark circles under his eyes, which had darkened from gray to nearly black in the past two years.

"Gladly," Ghirahim responded, cracking his knuckles and causing Linebeck to jerk upright in bed. "I'm kidding," he quickly said.

Linebeck sighed. "I hate you." He brushed his hair out of his face. Both he and Link had grown their hair out, but Link had trimmed his after a point. Linebeck's hair went past his shoulders, and he never tied it back for anything. "I'm going to stay in here until I get some sleep. Or until Zelda can figure out what's causing this shitty weather. That hail last week was hell. Zelda's got me working on protecting against hail, since that seems to be added to our 'shitty weather roulette' along with lightning storms and those burning hot weeks."

"We haven't figured out much." Midna gazed out the window. "Actually, I want to show you guys around the Twilight realm."

"Finally. About time." Ghirahim stretched and yawned. "Well, I'm going to get some sleep. See you all in the morning."

"Sleep well," Midna called after Ghirahim, then turned to Link. "Bring your Hylian Shield. I'm good with magic, but I'm not very good at enchanting items. I'm going to have it enchanted by the best of the Twili."

Link's eyes brightened. "Really? It's a sturdy shield, but I was scared that it would break when we fought that lynel. The only reason it didn't break is because Linebeck reinforced it with some extra metal."

"You're welcome for that, by the way." Linebeck rubbed at his face. He had the barest scraps of stubble on his upper lip and his chin. "Pay me the next time you want me to do that. I need to buy supplies for my coat and those goggles I'm trying to make."

"You should invest in a hair tie," Midna mumbled. "Watching you work makes me anxious. I keep thinking that your hair will get stuck in something."

"I can tuck it behind my shoulder or ear. I'm careful." Linebeck sighed and laid down. "Get out already. If you want to come back, it had better be with some tea spiked with something to knock me out for a day or two."

"I'll get you some tea with a light dose of sleeping potion," Midna conceded. "You owe me some tips for my next date with Zelda."

"Deal."

Waiting until after they both had left the room, Link wrinkled his nose and looked quizzically over at Midna. "You're asking a gay teenager for tips with your girlfriend?"

"He's more of a hopeless romantic than I am, so he's got tips for dates and stuff. I'm pretty sure the reason why there's no one he's interested in right now is because he currently couldn't care less."

"He's spending too much time making fun of me to pay attention to other people," Link grumbled. "Well, see you in the morning."

"Sleep well, then. See you tomorrow."

Midna silently led them down the dark corridor. Link was still half-asleep, Ghirahim was mutely furious, and Linebeck was surprisingly lively, supposedly after getting some sleep. Still, Midna refused to let them know where she was taking them.

Eventually, Midna drew in a long breath. "Zelda has been withholding information from us." She waved a hand, and a glowing blue ball of light appeared. With just the torches, Link had needed to squint, but Midna's light made the corridor brighter. "We talked last night. I went to her room and finally asked her what it is we're facing."

"Well, what is it? And where are we going?" Link asked, allowing irritation to creep into his voice. "We've been walking for ages."

Midna rolled her eyes. "Quit whining. That's Linebeck's job."

"I thought you would be nice to me," Linebeck grumbled.

"Hush. You do whine a lot. I suppose I should tell you where we're going, though. I'm leading you to the Mirror of Twilight- the portal from Hyrule to the Twilight Realm. It's deep beneath the castle, and the path there is a maze. It's a very secret place, only Zelda, a few of her advisors, and other Twili know about it. But back to what Zelda told me.

"Most peoples' dreams about the coming danger are very vague, but Zelda and Ganondorf have both had more specific dreams. I can't say much about Ganondorf's dreams, but Zelda has been in near-constant contact with us and still hides things. So far, all we've seen is bad weather and an increased number of monsters- no truly malicious evil that the Master Sword is needed for."

Link idly tapped the hilt of the mentioned sword. "The sword is meant for sealing evil. I've heard of times when it's been drawn to simply deal with strong monsters. Maybe that's what this is- just some really powerful monsters."

"It's not that. I managed to get Zelda to tell me that she's been seeing other figures in her dreams- specifically a shadowy silhouette from whom the monsters get orders. She's never gotten a voice or a face."

"That's not very helpful," Ghirahim dryly interjected. "What about the threat? We don't know what this 'coming doom' is supposed to be."

Minda drew in a clearly annoyed breath. "It's the destruction of Hyrule," she snapped. "Every time we lose in one of Zelda's dreams, Hyrule is quite literally blown to bits. We're not sure how the figure does it- only that they beat us and destroy Hyrule."

"Why does the figure want to destroy Hyrule?" Linebeck quietly asked.

"That's not important," Midna snapped. "We just need to find this person and get rid of them before they can destroy Hyrule."

"But it is important to know their motives," Linebeck protested. "If we know what they're after, then we can predict what they'll do. Think about times when you guys fight monsters- like that lynel fight. We knew that it wanted to destroy that Goron mine, so we were able to protect the mine. If we hadn't known that, then we might've accidentally driven it closer to the mine. If we can figure out what this guy wants, we can figure out what we need to protect, and we can start to track them down."

Link peered nervously at Linebeck, then at Midna. "He's got a point. Maybe you could ask Zelda for more details."

"She mentioned there being a second figure, and we know that this person wears a cloak and uses magic. That's one reason why we're heading to the Twili Realm, to see if a few of my colleagues can help us track down unusual magicians." Midna let the magical light fizz out as they reached a pair of metal doors. "We're here."

In the large room, a pair of Sheikah greeted the group as they entered. Electric lights shown down on them, powered by lightning-magic stones. Linebeck appeared more interested in the lights than the large, engraved mirror in the middle of the room. It was taller than Midna by a few feet and seemed to glow ever so slightly, the markings on it reminding Link of the rings of a tree, with a Triforce in the middle. Midna stood before it and held out her hands.

The two Sheikah stepped away from the mirror as it began to glow. Link threw his hands up over his eyes as bright light filled the room. After a few seconds, Midna sighed, and said, "You guys are fine now. The light went away."

Link brought his hands down, and found that the mirror had flipped around, facing the other side of the room. The portal looked like a projection of the mirror's markings in a cone shape. "Come on," Midna sighed, striding past the mirror. "We should try and make this visit quick. Being in the Twili Realm for too long makes Light Realm dwellers sick."

"I'm a demon," Ghirahim stated, walking after Midna.

"And you originate from the Light Realm. Hurry up, you two. Link, I know you want that shield enchanted."

Link hopped into the portal last and felt as though he'd been sucked into an ice-cold vacuum. For a few moments, he was flying through a dark tunnel, then was spat out onto solid ground. He lurched up, finding everyone peering down him with amused looks. "Wh-what?"

"You lost your balance, huh?" Ghirahim asked.

Link brushed himself off, peering around at the sky, which looked like it was caught at the moment when the sun is just about to dip below the horizon, cloudy and melancholy.

"I see why it's called the Twilight Realm," Ghirahim mused, gazing at the sky. "Your buildings could use some work," he added, glancing sidelong at the smooth, black-colored buildings, some marked with glowing symbols not unlike the symbols on Midna's cloak.

Midna flicked him on the nose. "Quiet, diamond boy. We have our own culture, and this kind of stuff is beautiful to me. Zelda calls it serene."

Link almost tripped over his own feet as they started walking into the nearest building, and he jogged beside Midna. He peered up at the woman, then at other Twili people they passed. "You guys all kinda look similar. Similar skin, similar orange hair..."

Midna shrugged. "Well, you Hylians tend to look the same to us. But we do all share traits. We're a smaller race, too, but it's not like our numbers are dwindling. The magicians should be around here. Ghirahim, you'll stick with Link, and I'll handle Linebeck."

"'Handle' me? What am I, some kind of feral cat?"

"You sure act like it."

"Shoot me."

Linebeck raised an eyebrow at Link. "You don't understand how eager I am for this." He tested the wooden bow's string, tugging it back, testing how much strength was needed. "I thought you would've wanted Midna and Ghirahim in here with us. I'm the last person you should trust to shoot an explosive arrow at you."

"My shield is enchanted," Link protested, holding up the Hylian Shield. "It should protect me better than ever. The enchantment was to make it sturdier and that it will automatically gravitate towards any incoming danger as long as I'm aware of it. I'll be okay."

Linebeck snorted, picking up the lone arrow from the nearby table. "It's your funeral. What kind of flowers do you want me to bring?"

"U-uh, viburnums. I think they're expensive, though."

"Bah. Price be damned; I'll steal some of those for you if you die." Linebeck nocked the explosive arrow and carefully drew it back. He spent nearly a minute aiming, while Link slowly felt the adrenaline seep into his body, causing him to shake as he held the shield up.

The arrow was lit on the moment that Linebeck let it loose, and it exploded on contact with Link's shield. Link staggered back on impact, and hot smoke clouded his vision. Still, he felt no pain, as the smoke cleared away. Linebeck was staring at him with clear worry in his eyes. "O-oh, good," Linebeck sighed. "Nice shield."

Link wiped at his brow. "Y-yeah."

"Anyways. I've got work to do. Want to come with? Ghirahim's busy, so I need someone else to come with me."

"What for?"

"The other engineers don't like me. They like to harass me if I'm alone. There's one group of hired guards led by this one girl. She makes me very uncomfortable, but she doesn't bother me if I'm with someone else."

"Sure, then."

The castle labs were one of the largest rooms in the castle, and Link hovered by Linebeck while he worked. Link found no need to draw his sword, but he was unnerved by the furious glares that some of the other workers gave Linebeck. However, he was too absorbed in his work to notice.

Once noon rolled around, Link managed to peel Linebeck away from his work and guide him down to the dining hall. In the dining hall, Ghirahim was leaning against the walls, rubbing at a bruise on his arm. Linebeck wandered away to get lunch, and Link frowned at Ghirahim. "How'd you get that? You didn't have it this morning."

"The knights around here need to be a little more disciplined. A group of them challenged me to a duel soon after we got back, but they cheated and ambushed me halfway through." Ghirahim let out a long, irritated sigh. "Brats. The younger ones are the ones who attack me, but the older ones just shun me."

"S-should I tell Zelda?" Link asked, peering around. "Why would they attack you? I haven't heard of this before."

"I can handle it," Ghirahim grumbled. "I have told Zelda, though, but she never has the time to help me. those knights are pretty brash. They taunt and hurt me out of fear of my being a demon, even though they should know that I could wipe them out without effort."

"Well, the way you hang around Linebeck makes more sense. Everyone around the castle hates you."

The irritated expression fell from Ghirahim's face. "Yeah, well, I can defend myself. Linebeck's situation is more worrying. 'Sides, that girl in charge of those hired guards has been shooting him creepy looks. They've talked a few times, but Linebeck seems really scared of her now- not that he's said anything about it."

"Well, I'm acting as his guard today, so I'll keep an eye out."

"...Cool. Midna should be trying to piece together what she was told by the Twili. She should be done by tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, then."

"Agahnim? The hell kind of name is that?"

"A magician's name," Midna retorted, meeting Linebeck's eyes. "And he's a rogue sorcerer. He trained among other Hylian magicians and disappeared after a bit. He worked with the Twili a lot and a few of the Twili that I spoke to mentioned that he'd become enamored with the old stories of Demise."

"You think he's summoning all these monsters?"

"I guess that's what we all assume is happening, Ghirahim. We're still unsure who the silhouette person could be, but Zelda's been looking into that. Link, she's been looking into you and Ganondorf, too. The three of you each have a part of the Triforce, and, after a bit of research, Zelda has discovered that the Triforce doesn't split apart unless someone attempts to claim it for themselves."

Link rubbed the back of his hand. "Meaning...?"

"Someone other than you three tried to take the Triforce at some point. I know it wasn't Zelda, because I've been with her during each of her visits to the sacred realm. It's not you or Ganondorf, since you two haven't been there. There are constant guards in the Temple of Time to make sure no one tries to sneak in. The public doesn't know that you three have the pieces- Zelda's even keeping it a secret from the other leaders. All they know is that it's mysteriously missing."

"Do you think that Agahnim tried to take it?" Linebeck flinched and waved a hand. "Bellum says that it's possible that Agahnim might've summoned something big. He and I have done a bit of research about evil entities and all that. There are a few things than can be summoned. There's even a vague description of how to summon Demise and others. Maybe Agahnim came across one of those books and figured out how to summon one. Demise was the only one who required the full Triforce to be summoned. That, or someone's trying to get to the Triforce to take over Hyrule. Either way, it brings up this question: if someone's trying to get the full Triforce, why has no one tried killing one of you? That's the main way of stealing a part- killing the original holder or getting them to willingly transfer it. It's possible for people to obtain parts of the Triforce without someone else splitting it, but that's rare. It's usually in situations where someone inherits the piece from an ancestor who died while holding it or something."

"...Th-this is the kind of stuff you're reading in the library at midnight?" Ghirahim asked. "I thought it was just a bunch of romance novels that you're too embarrassed to let us know about. You could go toe-to-toe with a historian like this."

Linebeck blushed. "Th-thanks. I picked out a mythology book by accident last year and got into the subject. B-but that's my two cents on the whole thing. I-I need to get back to the project Zelda's had me work on."

"See you tomorrow, then," Link mused, watching the engineer leave. He looked back at Midna. "...Well, either way, I think we need to find this Agahnim guy."

The Twili woman nodded thoughtfully. "Yes... We should bring some soldiers with us, as well. Just in case. Ghirahim, can you do that? We should start looking by the end of the month."

"The knights don't trust me. Have Link do it."

"But-"

"Link is a captain of a large portion of the knights. They trust him more than me. I need to follow Linebeck down to the lab. He's getting really scared of that one girl." Without any more explanation, Ghirahim stomped out of the room.

''The knights don't trust him?"

"He tells me that they've challenged him to duels," Link muttered. "He's gotten hurt by them. They don't trust him since he's a demon."

Midna rubbed at her cheek for a moment, staring at the door. "Well... If it gets too bad, we can intervene. I'm surprised that Zelda hasn't appointed Ghirahim as Linebeck's personal guard. I'll look into any rumors of a mysterious magic-user- I'm not sure how Agahnim is actually connected to all of this, but he's most likely a threat of some kind."

Linebeck tossed a flashlight at Link, not bothering to look and make sure he caught it. "You said he was spotted around here for a few weeks?" Linebeck asked, eyeing Midna at the back of the group.

Midna nodded, weaving through the crowd of knights. "Some Gerudo salesmen around here mentioned seeing him. Ganondorf managed to pinpoint a few locations where he could be staying." She nodded at the large Gerudo man, wearing Yiga crimson and leading a small group of his own soldiers.

Ganondorf nodded back, smiling warmly. "It was the least I could do," he admitted, his voice a gentle rumble. The masked Yiga behind him shifted out of his way, and the Hyrulian soldiers turned to face him. He was easily over seven feet tall, with long red hair tied back into a long ponytail. Link and the others hand only met him roughly a week or two ago.

"This area is the outskirts of Geudo City," Ganondorf explained. "Everyone here is free to explore this part of the city as long as you don't cross past the walls with the murals. That circles the center of Gerudo City, where only women are permitted within the walls. For one, we know that Agahnim cannot be in there. My troops here will provide you with maps we have created, locating areas that the magician should be in. If you find him, incapacitate him."

The Yiga handed out small tablets. Ghirahim idly tapped it and flinched as the screen glowed brightly, showing a map of Gerudo City's outer district. Link peered at the screen beside him. "I'll go with you," he offered, "so you're not stuck with a normal knight."

"Thanks."

They all split up into groups of two or three. Linebeck wandered around for a bit, snapping at any Yiga or knight who offered to partner with him, before he gravitated back over to Midna, clinging to her like a shy child hiding behind his older sister. As the streetlamps flickered on, they all dispersed.

Link shuddered as he and Ghirahim wandered through the empty streets. He always liked the sandstone buildings of the Gerudo. Link once visited a Gerudo village that had been carved into the side of a cliff. But the outskirts of Gerudo City were eerily silent. There was a loud crash off to the side, and Link whipped around, tearing the Master Sword from its scabbard.

A stray cat dashed out of an alleyway. Ghirahim strode over to where it had run from. "It knocked over some trash cans."

"R-right." Link let his arm hang limply. "Well. Where are we going to check?"

Ghirahim shrugged, holding up the Yiga tablet. "A collection of run-down buildings around here. Midna said that she and Linebeck would be nearby." Ghirahim pointed to the yellow point just above theirs. "That's where they're going."

Link nodded and shivered. "Let's keep going. It's always so cold in the desert at night." Hw shifted his weight, and peered back down the dim, sandy street. "Well, let's go. Have your sword ready, just in case, y'know? Midna's always good to go because she can whip out magic at any time, but you're a bit limited."

"Let's hope they don't run into Agahnim," Ghirahim muttered, worry glittering in his eyes. "We heard those reports of him attacking people. There's a good chance that he'll try to target Linebeck, since he looks the weakest."

"Then we should try and find him first," Link sighed. "Lead the way. You've got the map, not me."

The stretch of road that their objective was on was dark and without lamps. Most of the buildings had their windows boarded up, doors locked. Link knocked on a few as he passed, finding no answer aside from the one in which he got a loud, screeching cat's meow in response, followed by the mangy thing leaping out the window at him. Link rubbed at the trio of scratches on his cheek.

"Cats suck," Link mumbled. "Too mean."

"Linebeck would kill you if he heard you say that."

"Well, he might as well be a cat himself. Rude bastard. How can someone hate dogs?"

"I don't like dogs. Too excitable and they smell awful. Besides, Linebeck's scared of dogs."

Link said nothing, knocking on more doors as he passed them. They reached the end of the street without issue. "Let's move onto the next dot-"

"You didn't actually check the houses," Ghirahim pointed out. "You take the left; I'll take the right. Check inside the houses."

Link kept a tight grip on his sword as he checked each house. The doors were easy to pry open, and the rooms were small. He swung the flashlight around, illuminating the houses, and then moved on to the next one in the line. Ghirahim was practically sauntering, while Link moved stiffly, sword ready in case he was attacked. Still, the way that Ghirahim twitched in reaction to the smallest sound hinted that he was more high-strung than he let on.

Rubbing at his eyes and yawning, Link pushed open one of the last building's door, and found that it was unlocked, and swung open easily. He motioned for Ghirahim to be ready, successfully catching the demon's attention. Link nudged the door further open and aimed the flashlight into the room. At first, he saw nothing- then the light roamed over a huddled shape in the corner, and Link was blown away from the door, static setting his hairs on end. Ghirahim shouted out and set knives flying into the building, and the huddled shape threw itself out the window.

Link fell in a heap on the ground, barely aware as another ball of energy rushed his way. Ghirahim struck at it with his sword, but cried out in pain and tensed up, electricity flickering across his body. Sucking in a breath, Link forced himself up, and met eyes with the figure attacking them, dressed in a red cloak that covered most of his body. He recognized him from the photographs. "...Agahnim," he croaked out, forcing himself to tighten his grip on the Master Sword. While he got no verbal response, the figure's glare only became more venomous.

Agahnim waved his pale, bare hands, and another ball of electricity was sent at a still-recovering Ghirahim. "Traitor," he hissed. "Tricked into betraying your master."

Link drew in a sharp breath and dashed to Ghirahim's side, tearing his Hylian Shield from his back. He didn't have the time to drag Ghirahim out of the way- the electricity exploded on contact with the shield and dispersed harmlessly. Link shoved Ghirahim away with his foot and lunged at Agahnim. The magician hissed and backed away, this time sending a thin wave of energy Link's way.

Initially, Link thought of blocking it with his shield, but his sword reached it first. The wave of magic appeared to be absorbed into the Master Sword's blade, but Link didn't have the time to ponder it over. He brought up his sword and slashed down as he reached Agahnim. The magician leapt back and out of Link's range, but a wave of energy shot out from the blade and struck Agahnim in the chest.

"Give it up," Link hissed, forcing away his confused thoughts. "I thought you would be trouble, but it seems like you're just some magic-slinger in a bad robe. Make this easy for the both of us and surrender."

"Fool! Killing me only delays the inevitable."

"Cut the cliche shit. What we want from you is to tell us what the 'inevitable' is, and we're not killing you until we get answers. Surrender, Agahnim. You've seen how quickly I can beat you, and Ghirahim is a powerful enemy as well."

"I know well enough how powerful Ghirahim is," Agahnim hissed. "But he's weaker now that he's turned his back on Demise."

Knives planted themselves in the wall beside Agahnim's head. Ghirahim stalked over, halting beside Link. "I have no memory of who I once served, and I'm content with my current role. I will not allow you to destroy Hyrule; my new task is to protect it, and if I must die for that to happen, then that is my destiny. I fight for the royal family and the Hero of Hyrule, now."

Agahnim brought his hands up, but Ghirahim swung his sword down, slitting the magician's wrists. "Don't," he hissed. "I promise the Sheikah can provide you with a fate worse than death if you don't cooperate."

Link pressed his blade to Agahnim's throat. "Ghirahim. I can keep him here. Go and find someone else and let them know that we've found him."

"Got it. Don't let him slither away."

Ghirahim found and brought Linebeck and Midna over first- Midna ditched them in order to find Ganondorf, since she had heard where he would be. Linebeck, out of paranoia, had a small med kit, and he shakily wrapped bandages around Agahnim's wrists.

Ganondorf returned, led by Midna, and promptly tied up Agahnim as the rest of the Yiga and knights met back up with them. "You cornered him quickly," Ganondorf commented, glancing sidelong at Link. "I've heard that the Master Sword can negate certain magic... He must've been surprisingly easy to deal with."

Link smiled sheepishly. "H-he was. The sword absorbed his magic, and then shot it back at him if I swung at him. Plus, I had a Twili magician enchant my shield recently. It was unaffected by magic. He was really easy to catch, but I think it'll be hard to make him talk."

Ganondorf pursed his lips, tying the ropes into a complex knot. Agahnim wriggled, and Ganondorf laughed. "This rope binds your magical ability; you're not getting away from us." The magician cursed loudly, and the Yiga chuckled. Ganondorf forced Agahnim to his feet and gave Link and his friends a warm smile. "We'll handle it from here, transporting him to Zelda. You four have done well, and I'm sure you have more work to do. A few of my allies will gladly take you back to the castle."

Linebeck leaned back in his chair, frowning at the others across the room.

"What's his problem?" Ghirahim hissed, nudging Link.

"I broke one of his projects last night," Link mumbled. "We're all a bit frustrated, anyways. Damn Sheikah still haven't gotten anything out of Agahnim."

"It's been a month," Midna growled, setting her plate down. "What's taking them so long? I've tried asking Zelda, but she's been pretty busy recently. At least things have been calming down now that Agahnim has no longer been causing problems."

"That shadowy figure has started showing up in my dreams, though," Link mumbled, jabbing his fork as his food. "How about you guys?"

"Yeah, he has," Midna mused. "We're always fighting him, whoever he is. He leads the monsters and is trying to take the Triforce. Zelda mentioned similar dreams, whenever we do get a chance to meet up." She glanced down the long table. The other castle knights sat far away from them. Linebeck was alone on one of the other tables. Midna lifted her fork up and pointed it at the far end of the room, at the group of hired mercenaries. "Is that the woman that Linebeck is scared of? With the black hair?"

"Yes," Ghirahim sighed. "I've talked with her a bit. She's very... a lot, if that makes sense. Loud and brash. Quick to anger. One of her friends made a mistake while they were sparring, and she hit him over the head. Hard. Shouted at him that he wasn't that clumsy."

"Yikes. Why does he have an eye on Linebeck?"

"Well, he's a very skilled engineer," Ghirahim mumbled. "And he's fearless when working. He pretends to be very brave around the other engineers." He glanced up, and then suddenly stood up. The mercenary in question had started moving towards Linebeck's table. Ghirahim snatched up his plate and gave Link and Midna a quick wave.

The two of them watched as he swiftly strode over to Linebeck, sitting across from him. A cold feeling of dread shot through Link's veins as a dark expression washed over the mercenary's face, and she whipped around and stomped back over to her friends. "You should ask Zelda to get here to work somewhere else. She gives me a really bad feeling."

"I've heard rumors about times when they talk," Midna sighed. "She's a bit older than he is. The rumor is that she's interested in him. If she gets close to him, she puts a hand on his shoulder or his arm or something." Midna held up a slice of meat on her fork. "She asked him to make her a pair of gauntlets one time. I was present for this one. He told her that he was too busy with the stuff that Zelda had assigned to him." Midna twirled the fork between her fingers. "She yelled at him. Told him that he should be able to make excuses for her. She probably would've hit him if I hadn't intervened."

"You think she likes him?" Link quietly asked.

"No doubt about it. But she only accepts him if he does things that make her happy. He walked by while they were sparring one time, and a few of her friends snuck up behind him at her request and scared him badly. It made him panic, and she screamed at him to quit being such a wimp. I was there at that time, too, and Linebeck made me stay with him for the rest of the day. She likes to the idea of him, and nothing else. She calls him names and belittles him when he does something she doesn't like, but fawns over him when he goes quiet and does as she says. I'll certainly have a talk about her with Zelda."

"Why haven't you done that yet?"

"Oh, I have. Zelda gave her less shifts around him. But the fact that she refused to go near Linebeck now that he wasn't alone is very worrying. I'll see if I can get Zelda to remove her from the castle entirely."

Zelda collapsed on her bed and sighed. "Don't worry about me," she said, seeing the worried looks on everyone's faces. "I'm just tired after these three months, and really glad that we finally got him to talk."

"What did he say?" Linebeck asked, a notepad and pencil in hand. Zelda had called for them to meet her in her room, and they all knew that it was to discuss Agahnim. After all, he'd been in the dungeons for three months. "Can you make it quick? I'm busy."

"T-take your time," Link interjected. He glanced at Linebeck. "Don't rush her, okay?" The teen scowled but said nothing. "We've all been having dreams of a shadowy figure. Did Agahnim mention him?"

"We think so," Zelda mused. "He told us- and we know it's truthful, I ended up using a spell that forced him to say nothing but the truth- that he'd managed to summon one of Demise's followers. Weaker than Ghirahim, but with a more versatile skill set."

Ghirahim snorted. "Tch. I'm no follower of Demise anymore. I don't even remember anything about him, and I serve you now. Anyways, what are the options? Who are the possible enemies? Agahnim is out of the question, but there are a number of monsters and entities who are loyal to Demise that he could've summoned."

"It could be any especially powerful monster mentioned in history. There aren't too many entities with their own agenda, like you, Ghirahim." Zelda sat up and rubbed her face. "Either way, we know that Agahnim successfully summoned them, and he is no longer needed. He was working with it before, and now the entity has most likely taken over the plan." She sighed. "Catching him did nothing to help us."

"But we managed to get information from him," Midna murmured, sitting down on the bed besides Zelda. "If we hadn't caught him, we wouldn't know that he'd already summoned this being. We know that it's weak but versatile. If you keep questioning him, maybe he could give us more clues about who this being is. We know it's a summonable follower of Demise. We know it has a humanoid silhouette. That narrows it down- the four of us can get started on research."

Linebeck flipped his notepad page over. "She's right," he mumbled. "A lot of Demise's followers were monstrous. Humanoid followers were more notable, so they should be easier to research." He scribbled something down. "I can't do much research, since I still have more work to do. Link can do the research, since Midna has duties in both the Twilight Realm and Hyrule, and Ghirahim is practically my personal guard at this point." Linebeck grinned at Link. "You're a good swordsman even without practice. You can take some time off to do some research."

"That's a good idea," Zelda quietly agreed. "You three are dismissed; Midna, I'd like if you stayed a bit longer."

Midna laid an arm around Zelda's shoulders. "Of course."

"Nothing so far," Link grumbled. He shoved aside the stack of books and slid the paper over to Ghirahim. "I had some ideas, but with everything that's been happening recently, none of them fit."

"He's right." Linebeck looked up from his half-solved Rubik's cube. "Nothing listed here can do what we've seen. The weather? Most powerful monsters can affect the world just by screwing things up. Controlling monsters? A connection to Demise is all that's needed. But breaking into the Yiga's headquarters and assassinate one of Ganondorf's most trusted men...? There's been no evidence, we just know that it was murder."

Midna took Linebeck's stack of notes. "We're lucky that Ganondorf has people willing to be his stand-ins, or else whoever we're up against would have the Triforce of power."

"Why are we doing this?" Linebeck shoved back in his chair. "Zelda's got people who could be doing this for us."

"We don't have any missions to do," Ghirahim grumbled.

"Then we should be taking a break! Resting! If we keep burning the candle at both ends like this, constantly sparring or doing missions or researching, we're going to burn ourselves out."

"Didn't know you cared about that," Link muttered.

Linebeck scowled. "I like time off, too, you know. I just lose track of time and forget about self-care."

"Don't you have a personal AI? Doesn't he remind you of this stuff?"

"Yeah, Bellum does. I just ignore him. But I'm suggesting taking time off, so why are you arguing with me about it?"

"We're not," Ghirahim grunted, grabbing the back of Linebeck's shirt and hoisting him out of his chair. "We're just saying that you tend to be hypocritical. If we're going to take some time off, we need to ask Zelda. I think we've deserved it, after a month of fruitless research."

"A year off?" Link felt his knees go weak. "A-are you sure, Zelda?"

The queen gave him a gentle smile. "I'm sure. This year will not count mission days. You get 365 days to use as you wish. Link, your nineteenth birthday is coming up, yes? That won't be counted as a day off, since it's a given that you'd take time off on your birthday. This merely means that unless you're in the middle of a mission or we specifically need you four, your days are yours to use as you please, for a year."

Linebeck frowned. "And once that year's up?"

"Then you must go back to focusing on preparing. That's all. You may go."

The moment the door shut behind them, Linebeck grabbed at the front of Ghirahim's cloak and snapped, "We're going to Lurelin Village. Now. For a week. Let's get going now."

It took three monorail rides to reach the seaside village, located far from Hyrule City. They checked into an especially nice inn, everyone but Linebeck pooling their money to afford the room for a week.

They headed down to the beach soon after noon. Link was the only one with a proper swimming suit and got a mouthful of saltwater within moments. Linebeck helped drag him back onto the sand, making fun of him all the way.

"I've never actually been to the beach," rasped Link. "I didn't think that would happen."

"Do we need to teach you how the beach works?" Ghirahim teased, having taken everything but his bodysuit off. Linebeck and Midna just wore casual clothes, rolling sleeves up past elbows and pant legs over knees.

Link threw himself in the water again, this time with Ghirahim nearby. His next hard-learned lesson was the consequences for opening your eyes in salt water, and Ghirahim was on the verge of drowning him.

Meanwhile, Midna alternated between swimming out as far as she dared and curiously watching what Linebeck was doing. He waded around half-submerged rocks, occasionally climbing up onto one of them and surveying the water. The rocks weren't far from the beach, and seagulls and crabs sat atop them, fleeing if Linebeck got too close. Midna swam up to the rocks and hauled herself up onto one of the rocks, watching Linebeck peer into the water as he moved from rock to rock. "Are you, uh, going to swim with the others?"

Linebeck splashed some water at a seagull. "I don't know how to swim." He bent over and reached into the water. He peered around and jerked his hand to the side, and withdrew it, holding a small, wriggling fish. It was barely a few inches long, and Linebeck let it fall back in the water.

"You're just going to torture these animals then?"

"People in Lurelin do a lot of fishing, they'll probably be hunted within a few days. You guys like crab, right?"

Midna chose to instead go over to Link and Ghirahim.

"Did he scare you away?" Ghirahim asked, grinning slightly.

"I think he's trying to catch us a live lunch," Midna mumbled. "What's Link doing?"

"I'm going to see how long I can hold my breath for," Link answered cheerily, rubbing at his eyes and then letting out a sharp yelp.

"There's salt in the water! If you rub your eyes with wet hands, you'll get salt in your eyes," Ghirahim snarled. He turned to Midna, and muttered, "It's like trying to babysit a pair of suicidal toddlers."

"At least Linebeck knows how saltwater works. He's just trying to kill stuff."

"I'd rather deal with Linebeck. At least he's somewhat acting his age."

Ghirahim started wading out to the rocks when Linebeck let out a triumphant hoot. Linebeck clambered up on top of one of the larger rocks and held up over his head a sizable crab, still live and moving, belly-up and helpless. "I GOT ONE! CAN WE COOK IT!?"

"I see why the other engineers don't like him," Midna mused, watching with a mildly disturbed expression while Linebeck struggled to keep a tight grip on the poor creature. "Ghirahim, you said you wanted to deal with him. Make sure that sad little crab's death isn't painful."

"On it. Keep Link from drowning himself."

The week in Lurelin passed by quickly, and Ghirahim decided that they would spend the next week camping in the woods near Zora's Domain. The tents they brought were easy to put up, but hard to defend against monsters, so they usually returned from hikes to find their tents in shambles.

Still, Ghirahim seemed pleased with his choice. "Let's hike up to that peak," he decided on the third day, pointing at the mountain in the Zora's Domain forest. "It's nameless; the Zora use it for training. Why it's never been named, I don't know, but we should hike up it!"

It began raining as they got started on the hike, and they spent that night in a small cave. By noon the next day, they reached the mountain's peak- Ghirahim happily jogged around the perimeter of it. It was mostly flat and stony, lush with pine trees and bushes. "It's beautiful up here," Ghirahim declared, peered down at the forest. "This does seem like a wonderful place for training. Want to spar, Link?"

"Sure thing. Just don't throw me down the side of the mountain. I don't think it's in Hyrule's best interests if I die so soon."

Months passed, and the four of time were careful to not use up their vacation days all at once. Link's birthday passed by, as did Linebeck's and Midna's. Ghirahim had no actual birthday that they knew of, but they all chose to celebrate his birthday on the day that Zelda and Midna summoned him and decided that he was 21 years old. Zelda grew a year older by the time she sent the four of them on a mission to Gerudo Desert in order to investigate strange sightings.

Midna spent her days leading up to their mission making potions for them all to survive the desert heat. Link tried to help but added one wrong ingredient and almost got himself banned from potion-making. Despite the stench of half-made potions making him nauseous, Ghirahim took on the job of running back and forth and gathering any ingredients that Midna wanted or needed. Linebeck was a busy as ever but spent his free time in the same room as Midna, talking her ear off about whatever cats he saw or what his newest project was.

All it took was one long monorail ride to reach the Gerudo Desert, and they had an inn room already paid for them. They rested, reviewed the map locations where the odd sightings had taken place and got to work the next day. The locations of interest were deep in the desert, so they trekked through the sands for hours, wearing cloaks they'd bought to protect against the sun, and stopping in the shade of rocks to rest and eat.

A few times that day they ran into small Gerudo settlements. Those living there provided the four of them with any relevant information and offered to refill their water canteens. Night fell, and the four of them spend it in their own individual inn rooms. Link peered out the inn window at the shadowy desert, he felt please with what they'd managed to accomplish. Most of the sightings had been of an increased number of monsters, but the Gerudo they'd spoken with had also mentioned seeing strange shadows.

Most of the sightings had been around some labyrinth ruins in the far corner of the desert. The four of them were off to the ruins by morning. Link dealt the monsters along the way. He easily cut down any overeager monsters, his shield holding up perfectly. Ghirahim lazily flung knives at tougher monsters, and Midna occasionally jumped into the action with an eager smile.

Linebeck ignored the fighting, sketching in a notebook that he'd brought. Link tried to ask Linebeck about it, but the only response was the engineer dragging his new goggles down over his eyes. The goggles had been completed only a few days ago, and Linebeck had spent a handful of hours sewing gold letters into the black strap, sewing in the words 'pulvis et umbra sumus'. 'We are but dust and shadows', or something like that- Link didn't really care.

The labyrinth ruins were in view when they stopped for the night. Link collapsed into a heap while Ghirahim pitched a tent. He bled from multiple cuts and scratches, and while they weren't bad, sand had gotten into the wounds. Ghirahim and Midna agreed to go and find some food, and Link stayed in the tent with Linebeck.

"...What are you doing?" Link mumbled, watching Linebeck dig around in his bag.

"Getting medical supplies. You can't have sand in your wounds for too long. It might cause an infection."

Link said nothing else as Linebeck laid down a cloth and set down rags, small bottles, and a slew of other little tools. "...Do you need to wash them out with water?" Link finally asked.

"Can't waste water in the desert," Linebeck bluntly replied. Link was about to protest as Linebeck poured water over the wound.

Link blinked. "But-"

"This doesn't count as a waste," Linebeck murmured, taking a cloth and cleaning out the wound. "We can't reuse this water now that it's been in your cut." After washing out the cut, Linebeck smeared a colorless paste onto another cloth and bound it over Link's cut. "Where are your other cuts?"

Link quietly listed his other injuries and ended up rolling his pants legs up and taking his shirt off. "You're good at this," Link mused, watching Linebeck quietly and quickly deal with his other cuts.

"W-well, I've never been too squeamish and this kinda stuff had interested me. Plus, I'm a bit paranoid, so I've always thought it was important to know how to deal with wounds."

"Ok. ...Is there anyone that you like right now?"

"Why?"

"Just curious. You seem distracted right now."

"Yeah, for your sake," Linebeck hissed. "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, since I'm pawing all over your bare torso right now."

"Oh. I'm not too uncomfortable, so you're alright."

Linebeck quietly bound up the last cut on Link's arms and poked at a cut on Link's cheek. "How'd you get this one?"

"Lizalfos got a lucky hit."

"It's pretty small." Linebeck frowned at it. "You might just need a band-aid for it."

"How about a kiss," Link teased. "You know, like the whole 'kiss it better' thing."

"Are you making fun of me?"

"N-no. You don't have to-" Link cut himself off as Linebeck gently kissed him on the cheek. "Oh."

Linebeck laughed. "I need some kind of practice, so why should I turn you down? You're good to go. Drink some water, get some sleep, the like." He put everything away and glanced outside. "Sounds like they're back. I think they found some water, too."

There were no monsters outside the labyrinth when they approached it. They split up into two groups, and Link entered the maze with Midna following just behind him. "Narrow halls," he muttered, holding out a hand against the wall. "I don't think we'll be seeing any lizalfos or moblins in here. Maybe some keese."

"We'll be fine," Midna mused. "I'll admit, though, I can sense some magic in here. It feels as though its coming from deeper in the maze."

"Powerful magic?"

"I can't tell. I'll have to get closer. Now I wish that we'd gotten the map."

"We'll be okay if we move fast. We could try using breadcrumbs." Link drew his sword and swung it at the wall, leaving a deep slice in the stone while his sword remained unscathed. "This can be an easy way to keep track."

"Sure. Just don't hurt me."

"I'll be careful."

Link cut into the walls every time they turned a corner. They ran into no monsters or trouble and ran into Linebeck and Ghirahim at one point. They all decided to team back up, led by Midna, as Link scored cuts in corners they took, and steered them away from places they'd already been. The sun rose steadily in the sky above them, and time pass with nothing to show.

"It's stronger this way," Midna mumbled, hurrying down a long corridor. "Goddesses, this maze is huge."

"It's a labyrinth," Linebeck dryly hissed, clearly fed up with their lack of results. "It's a large maze by definition."

The four of them wandered until Midna halted and stared at one of the walls. "We've come by here a few times. The magic presence is strongest here." She placed a hand on the wall. "Its past here. Could we break down the wall, Link? Would you be willing to try? I can do it with my magic, but it'll be faster with your help."

Ghirahim and Linebeck had no comments, quickly backing up as Link tore the Master Sword from its scabbard and Midna flicked her wrist, crackling energy hovering above her palm. "They're a little too eager for this," Ghirahim sighed as they started tearing into the wall. "Effective, though," he hissed, watching chunks of stone clatter on the ground.

"This wall is weaker than I expected," Link laughed, standing back. "That, or your magic is really effective," he added, glancing at Midna.

"Be careful," Midna hissed as he took a step forward. Beyond the now-ruined wall was an empty plaza. "We might we walking into some kind of trap." She reached down to her belt and took a small ball from a pouch. She tossed it into the plaza, and they all held their breath until it came rolling to a stop without obstruction. Midna sighed and stepped into the plaza, followed by the others.

The ground was sandstone and somehow clear of sand particles, but tufts of surprisingly green grass stubbornly stuck out between cracks in the ground. Ghirahim nervously looked around, hands on his hips. "This is where the magic is strongest?"

"Yes. I'm not sure if it's active magic or leftover magic." Midna knelt in the middle of the plaza, placing a hand to the ground. "It's leftover magic. Something big happened here, like a summoning. This may have been where Agahnim summoned that being he mentioned. That would explain why we found him in a Gerudo town."

"Can you tell what was summoned?" Link asked. "It must still be in the desert, since people have reported strange sightings."

"It's not anywhere around us," Midna murmured. "But I know what its magical aura should feel like, now." She straightened up and rubbed dust off her hands. "If we come near this being, I'll be able to identify it now."

They explored the plaza for a few minutes more, and then exited the labyrinth. Link trailed behind the group as they made their way out of the desert, and Linebeck ran up to Midna. "What exactly is a magical aura?"

"Well, most every living being as a magical aura about them; only the Twili can sense it. Each person's aura is unique and can foreshadow possible magical talent. For example, Ghirahim's is dark and with an evil root, but has softened and warmed around us. His aura is strong, since he's both magically and physically strong. As for Link, he is physically strong, but has little magical potential."

"What about me? I've been curious about magic." Linebeck smiled sheepishly. "I've asked Ghirahim about it, but he can't teach me much since his magic is specific to him."

"You have an odd magical potential. You could possibly handle powerful spells, but your magical stamina is so low that it could be dangerous. On the other hand, a person's physical strength aura changes with things like exercise, and you're alright in that section."

"So... you could teach me magic?"

"For your sake? I'd only be comfortable with teaching weaker spells to you. Due to your weak magical stamina, powerful spells can be dangerous."

"...Oh. Okay."

Midna let out a quiet laugh and wrapped an arm around Linebeck's shoulders, tugging him closer. "Don't feel bad about it. You at least have some magical potential. It's more than Link." Listening in on their conversation, Link felt his face redden. "Besides, you're a skilled engineer. I'm sure you could whip up some robotic shit that would let you fight fairly with a magician. But, for now, all we need to do is report back to Zelda."

Link ran his hands over the glossy black top of the grand piano as Linebeck propped the cover up. Ghirahim tapped the piano, blinking. "That's nice leather. I'm impressed that the castle staff take such good care of this thing." He backed away, looked around the large, empty music hall, and sighed. "We've got nothing better to do for the next few hours until Midna gets back from her patrol. How'd you get permission to come in here, Linebeck?"

"I just explained that I wanted to practice, and I had to show them my music. This is a piano and b-flat clarinet duet, and I've got both parts." Linebeck pressed a key, letting the note ring through the air. It didn't echo, as the room was specially built to avoid echoes. Linebeck fiddled with the buttons on his metronome while Link started to get impatient.

"Are you going to play anything?" Link tersely asked.

"Let me get my damn tempo! Weren't you supposed to be out on patrol with Midna? You've only gone with her like, five times since she picked up that aura a few months ago."

"I've been busy!"

Ghirahim scowled. "Both of you, just shut it. I need to talk to Link, anyways." He grabbed the shorter man by the upper arm and led him away from the piano. A scale was played as he sternly faced Link. "Midna found something on her last patrol."

"You wait to tell me two weeks later?"

"She had to research it to be sure. She told me what she found right before she left today. For now, she just wants you and I to know."

"Why not Linebeck?"

"He's got enough to deal with. That woman is still getting on his nerves, plus ever since he invented those new lamps, the other engineers have been dangerously jealous of him. We don't need to make him more paranoid."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Midna is sure that what we're up against is one of Demise's more esoteric followers- just known as a shadow. It has been used as the hero's doppelgänger in the past, but it appears to be much more powerful. Midna has been picking up faint senses of its magical aura all over summoned monsters, so it must be the thing summoning then and trying to take the Triforce. Remember those two lynels about a month ago? The shadow's aura was all over one of them."

"Only one?"

"Yes, the more skilled one. There have been rumors that there have been more attempts on Ganondorf's life, too."

Link shifted uncomfortably. "Whoever this is, they're really desperate to kill him."

"Yup. Zelda wants you to act as guard for him for a bit, but otherwise, things have been calm." Ghirahim went quiet as Linebeck started playing an actual song. "...He wasn't lying about having experience," he murmured.

"What should we do about this shadow thing?" Link asked, ignoring Ghirahim's comment. "We'll have to deal with it at some point."

"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it. For now, we should do research and try to continue with our normal lives."

Link was soon assigned to being a part-time guard for Ganondorf. He was nervous as he explained his new duties to the Yiga leader, but the man only smiled and thanked him. "I'll certainly feel safer with you around, Link. You and your friends have been very helpful to us, even if you don't know of it." A humorous smile flickered on Ganondorf's face. "Your skilled engineer friend is putting the Sheikah out of business."

Link straightened up. "He works quickly and is very abnormally talented, but the other castle engineers have been very hostile to him."

"That's too bad. Hylians in service to the royal family always tend to be a bit stuck-up. I hope things get better for you and you friends, but I can't do much to help. I'm the one in need of help, after all, and I apologize for causing enough trouble that you must sideline your heroic duties."

"No, it's fine! I haven't had much to do anyways."

The first few weeks in Ganondorf's service were calm. Link was able to meet with many members of the Yiga. They were made up of people from all races and walks of life. They had long forsaken the old goal of Hyrule's destruction, instead protecting Hyrule alongside the Sheikah. Ganondorf was aided by four generals that he selected himself, each of the five of them wearing a black scarf to signify their standing.

After a month of nothing, Ganondorf was attacked by a young knight from the Hyrulian army who had been working with the Yiga. Link learned that an hour before he attacked Ganondorf, the knight had been acting oddly. Soon after the Yiga captured the knight, he vehemently denied even knowing what had happened.

"Strange," Ganondorf murmured after the interrogation. "This is what happened with every other person who has tried to attack me. They seemed to have no memory of what they'd done."

"Like... they'd been possessed?" Link quietly ventured, tipping his head to the side. "Maybe that's what it was."

"Perhaps... I've thought of that, but most of the time, possession is physically obvious. This knight and other people who have attacked me... the only change was a shift in their behavior." Ganondorf crossed his arms, frowning. "We're dealing with a follower of Demise, aren't we?"

"Yes, a shadow of some sorts."

"Then we'll need to be more careful if this 'shadow' can possess people."

Two months passed with nothing to show, and Ganondorf dismissed Link from his role. Link returned to the castle, and he and his friends quickly set off to another mission.

Months passed with little danger- the weather was still ominous, with hot rain and days of black fog. Link sat outside the engineering lab, roughly two weeks after Linebeck's 18th birthday- early in October, the latest birthday of the group. Ghirahim was down in the training grounds. Midna was busy with Zelda- she had wanted to meet with her along with a group of Sheikah engineers.

As the sun began to set, Linebeck finished up his work and walked with Link down to the sparring grounds. "...So. I decided to come out to the other engineers."

"Oh. How did that go?"

"Good. I was a bit worried, but they were nice about it."

Link nodded curtly. "Do you know what the Sheikah are working on now?"

"They're testing out an old Sheikah weapon," Linebeck explained. "It's very dangerous, but it's for the research."

As they made their way through the halls, Ghirahim managed to track them down. "Zelda wants to meet us down at the sparring grounds," he quickly explained.

"That's where we're going," Linebeck muttered. "Come on." He grinned at Ghirahim and walked off with Link, the demon following after a few stunned seconds. "Any idea what they're doing with the robots they're working on?"

"I don't know what they're doing," Ghirahim growled. "Just that they need you to take notes, for me and Midna to stand by, and Link to test what they're doing."

"Is this safe? Why have me test it?" Link already felt dread seeping through his confidence.

"Because you're the hero," Linebeck muttered. "That's probably the only reason. I'm sure they trust you."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

The sparring grounds were filled with Sheikah scientists, with Midna and Zelda on the far side of the grounds. They waved Link and his friends over, and they ran over, momentarily pausing to stare at the robot surrounded by Sheikah scientists. "What are you guys working on?" Link asked once he reached the two women. "That, uh, spider-like robot is pretty creepy. I don't like seeing all the wires and stuff."

"It looks like some old Sheikah creation," Linebeck commented. "Called a guardian. They were all trashed because they were faulty." He shot a suspicious look at Zelda. "Why did they bring up an old version of one?"

"Curiosity," Zelda grumbled. "I didn't agree to it; neither of us did. The I'm worried that the Sheikah may be becoming bitter about the Yiga taking up their former role as spies and protectors from the shadows. I'll give them a few minutes, then I'm stopping all of this."

"Good idea. I've heard that those things were really dangerous."

"What do you need me to do?" Link finally asked, nervously glancing at the half-dismantled robot.

"They're testing out it's targeting systems," Midna sighed. "We're only going to give them about seven minutes, so just... jump around or whatever. Linebeck, we want you to take some notes, and Ghirahim, we could use your help if that thing goes haywire."

"Hopefully, it won't," Zelda growled, shooting an angry glance at the Sheikah scientists.

The Sheikah had Link wait in the middle of the sparring grounds while they set up the robot. Linebeck trudged around, looking for a good spot to watch, and Ghirahim stood with Midna and Zelda. Link drew his sword and swung it around a few times before the Sheikah activated the robot. Its singular eye lit up with blue light. It twitched, sending chills down Link's spine.

Zelda gestured, and Link started properly practicing moves, grimacing as the robot's blue eye swiveled the follow him. He turned away from the robot, momentarily making eye contact with Linebeck, standing across from him with his notebook. The engineer awkwardly waved.

The clicking and stone-on-stone grinding noises of the guardian robot were starting to fray Link's nerves.

The next few seconds dragged on agonizingly long.

Shouting was the first thing he noticed. The Sheikah scientists shouting, then Midna and Zelda, then Ghirahim. Linebeck was the only one who was silent, but he paled in horror. The next thing he noticed was a loud, rapid beeping. The Master Sword felt red-hot in Link's hands. He could feel the blood pounding in his ears, icy dread rushing through his veins in the split-second after the beeping suddenly stopped.

Then there was a bright flash of light, the loud noise of an explosion, and searing, pulsing, agonizing pain all over Link's body.

His vision suddenly blurred. He fell to the ground, weakly unable to feel anything in any of his limbs- unable to feel anything below his neck. He was aware of his heart frantically beating. People screamed, and Link could dimly hear rapid footsteps. Hands passed over his wrong-feeling body, and Link's line of sight shifted.

A good distance away from him, Link could see another group of people helping up a figure that was missing an arm and a leg. The ringing in his ears forced a pounding migraine down on Link's head, and his pulse suddenly felt sluggish, his heart struggling to beat. Link tried to take air into his lungs, gasping for air like a fish out of water without reprise. Air entered his mouth and nose but escaped his body without contributing to keeping him alive.

Link tried to speak. He tried to make some kind of noise. He tried to ask the people around him if he was dying. His thoughts slowed. He couldn't recognize any of the fuzzy figures above him. His vision darkened, his pain faded, and Link desperately tried to conjure up some kind of cohesive thought.

Before everything slipped away into the yawning darkness, Link recalled his friends, clinging to images of the four of them caring about each other before everything crumbled and Link felt every aspect of his consciousness crumble away.