Alrighty folks, so it looks as though I have a bit of explaining to do, don't I? Well allow me to do just that. As of this past Sunday I have officially GRADUATED from high school, so yay! But the reason that I was gone for so long was because of finals, class trip, graduation weekend, and other life related things, so you know how it goes. But the good news is that most of this chapter was typed up on my fancy new laptop that I got from my dad as a graduation present so hurray! Anyway, I'd just like to say I'm sorry for this chapter in advanced: its shorter than previous ones, which is good, but its also kinda weak in my opinion, mostly because my brain is still drained from the past few weeks and mostly because I wanted to get it out of the way so I can freaking finish this story already. ANYWAY, I would like to thanks to TenthDoctor21, Coola13, Born of Prayers and Vivi-ntvg for following/favoriting! Now onto the reviews!
LooneyCat55: Glad the last chapter was a picker uper. But as for the tragedy in this chapter... I will say nothing about it here! You must read on for yourself!
Pandora151: Yay! I'm glad this chapter made things better! That was the intent from the beginning!
TheJediAvenger: ALL THE TWILIGHT PRINCESS REFEREANCES! :D the chapter after this one will have a ton too so you'll like that! And yes, the action is certainly buttkicking! :D
CupcakePride101: Thank you! Hyrule Historia was my main tool for the last chapter, so I'm glad it showed!
Guest: But of course! I had to throw the title drop in here somewhere and remind you all why its called Blood and Spirit!
Nikrael: Yeah, bringing them back was a little cliched but I had to do it for the LORES! plus, I'm sure everyone would hate me if I didn't... :P I do think your thoughts about where the story was headed were interesting though, but I had to make things harder for Link, Zelda and everyone else than just that, now didnt I? ;)
silverhawk88: Well actually, I had an idea for what they were going to call Zelda II (reference to the game lol) myself. I think its a little bit of a spoiler though, but I'm sure you'll catch the reference her name makes when we get to that point! :D
Vivi-ntvg: Yes, I had to give those little proverbs a place to begin with in universe of course! I think doing that ties things together so nicely! And I'm glad you enjoyed the surprise that the goddesses were, believe it or not, their differing personalities are a blast to write for! And as for the tragedy... we'll have to see!
GO ZeldaXLink: And it will be done soon! In fact, I'm hoping to have it all wrapped up by the end of the month, but no promises!
Jarvis R. Yeriel: Yeah, all of the timelines and time travel in the Zelda series can get a little overwhelming at times, but I kinda like its complexity... :) And wow, I wasn't even thinking about Abraham's of faith when i was writing this, but I suppose you're right! They parallel quite nicely! And I simply adore writing things that can be drawn into the real world! It adds a whole new level of depth to a story!
Worried Time Lord: Oh, don't worry. I think the time stream will be just fine nonetheless! :D
RandomButLoved: I went a little nuts with the references in the last chapter, but I'm glad you liked them! And yes, they shall indeed be together again... and the Zelink shipping will be beautiful, as always!
YueMelHamachi: Glad to see you enjoyed it! And Thanks! :D
ShadowNinja1011: I'm glad you caught the references and liked them! :D
Nintendoman01: Well, not necessarily the Triforce, but the goddesses intervention nonetheless!
Well, that's about it for now! Let's get started!
Chapter 36: Lights in the Shadows
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for a friend."
-John 15: 13
While it seemed as though hours had passed for Link and Zelda as they met with the goddesses at the entrance to the Golden Realm, only a few moments had passed within the world of the living, though for Sheik, they might as well have been days. In those several minutes alone, Veress had managed to injure her in so many ways that she had lost count of all the blows she had taken. However, the Sheikah leader was resilient and strong; despite her pain and exhaustion, she was somehow still standing and fighting, fueled by adrenaline, anger and grief over the fact that both the goddess and the hero were gone forever.
Yet, all the same, the Interloper leader could tell that her foe was tiring out and growing weak from her wounds. She had stopped using restraint against Sheik long ago, wanting to end this ongoing battle and claim the Triforce as quickly as possible. And yet, much to her frustration, the Sheikah leader seemed to be the only obstacle standing in her way aside from the goddess of Termina. "Come on, Sheik!" Veress hissed impatiently as she clashed blades with her former friend for the hundredth time. "Give it up already! You're only a hit or two away from death. You can't possibly expect to win. The goddess and the hero are both dead and gone, so just face it; you're all alone in this battle now."
Sheik said nothing as she feebly backed away from Veress's knife, unable to find the strength to push it back. She groaned in pain as she removed the arm that she had wrapped around her heavily wounded stomach, allowing blood to pour from the gash across it freely as she shakily drew her staff and took on a defensive position. Even though she knew that the chances of her coming out of this battle as the victor, much less alive, were quickly diminishing, but she knew that to give up now would mean certain death and destruction, not just for her, but for all who lived upon the surface, including her people. And so, she remained standing, even if she knew that this deciding battle could very well be her last.
As Sheik continued to take the brunt of Veress's aggressive strikes, Terminus was struggling to remain standing as well. Her powers were quickly fading, and with each passing moment, the barrier she had placed upon the Triforce was growing weaker and weaker. She knew that it would only be a matter of minutes before her strength was exhausted and the golden power would be vulnerable again. And so, as she poured as much of her waning power as she could into fortifying her shield, the goddess of Termina continued to pray to Din, Nayru and Farore for help, desperately waiting for a response as they were quickly running out of time.
The Sheikah leader let out a sharp cry of agony as she felt the Interloper leader piece her thigh with her sharp knife during the split second that she had let her guard down. Barely able to remain standing, Sheik clumsily dropped her weapon as she rushed to place her hands over the wound to staunch the blood flow, realizing that she had so many wounds that were most likely beyond conventional healing. Her right shoulder was torn wide open with a cut that ran all the way across her chest and her back had been badly burned by several of Veress's bursts of flame, as well as both of her hands. And then, there was the deep cut across her stomach and the puncture wound that had just been delivered to her leg. All of these things, along with all of her other minor cuts and bruises, brought the Sheikah leader unbearable misery with each and every move she made. She was drenched in both the rain pounding upon her from above and her own scarlet blood, but as she tried to find a way out of meeting certain doom at the hands of the immensely powerful Interloper leader, who had barely sustained any injuries at all, both her heart and her mind were racing faster than they ever had before.
Taking advantage of the fact that Sheik was too weak to even hold onto her weapons anymore, Veress delivered a high kick and knocked the Sheikah leader back to the ground several feet. To ensure that she would not rise again, the Interloper leader kept her pinned down by calling upon the Fused Shadow to grant her enough magic to stun Sheik into paralysis, which worked as the Sheikah leader felt a burst of cold yet burning electricity pound through her veins, halting all of her movements altogether as she collapsed to the ground.
With a dark grin, Veress slowly approached Sheik and roughly grasped her by the collar, holding her up and restricting her airflow as her wicked, unmatching eyes bore into the Sheikah leader's tired ruby ones. "Well, Sheik, it looks like this is the end," she said with soft, triumphant malice. "Any last words?"
The Sheikah leader, who had remained silent for quite some time, decided that, even if she was going to die, she would face it with dignity. And so, after coughing up some of the thick blood that had been choking her for quite some time, she gave the Interloper leader a stern glare and hardened her resolve. "E-even if you strike me down… my people will continue to fight you… u-until none of them remain," she said in a voice that was little more than a weak whisper, though determination filled her tone. "I-it is the responsibility… of the Sheikah tribe to protect this land… a-and we will not r-rest until… until it is finally f-free from evil… once… and for all…"
"Silence!" Veress shouted in fury as she struck Sheik across the face roughly, hating her and the hope that she was showing. "There is no chance for any of you! There is only darkness for you and death for your people! The surface is mine now and no one can stop me!"
The Interloper leader let out an insane laugh as she pulled out her golden knife, holding it high in the air as her dark, destructive power flowed into it. The Sheikah leader remained unafraid as she gazed at the weapon that was poised to end her life, knowing that even if she was about to die, she had given it her all and that was absolutely the best she could have done.
Upon seeing that her blade was brimming with dark power, Veress turned her attention back to Sheik once again, looking into her eyes once more as she aimed her dagger right for her heart. However, the Sheikah leader noticed that the Interloper leader was hesitating to bring it down, even though there was absolutely nothing to stop her this time. For what seemed like ages, the two former friends simply gazed at each other, memories of the past they had shared together and thoughts of how the kindness between them had turned to animosity filling them both. Sheik's firm glare turned to a look of grief and sadness as she remembered how close she had once been to the young woman who sought to kill her now, who had fallen so far into the depths of darkness that she was unable to see the light. And her sadness only deepened when she watched as Veress's own evil grin subtly faded into an unreadable expression, though the Sheikah leader thought she could sense the smallest hints of regret and guilt in it. Perhaps the Interloper leader, somewhere deep inside her blackened heart, was still able to feel such things beyond her greed and hatred, and realize that she was about to cruelly murder the person who had always been there for her when no one else had been. And as she came to this conclusion, Sheik decided that perhaps Veress was not as far gone as she had once thought. Perhaps the girl who had once had such noble aspirations and goals still remained inside of her, simply wanting to break free from the binds of darkness and power that had ensnared her. Perhaps it was not too late for their broken friendship after all.
As the two of them tried to decide how they felt about one another however, the ground suddenly began to rumble lightly, though Terminus was the only one to really notice it as she felt the last of her sacred power leave her. The goddess collapsed to the ground weakly, feeling drained and exhausted as the shield surrounding the Triforce shattered, signifying that it was unprotected once more. Terminus cried out in anguish as she realized that there was nothing to keep the golden power safe from the Interloper leader anymore and that the goddesses had failed to answer her prayers. It was too late and now, the surface would certainly fall to eternal ruin.
However, the goddess of Termina was too hasty in her grieving. For as the earth continued to tremor, it grew more and more violent, until even Veress was thrown off her feet, freeing Sheik from her grasp and allowing the paralysis to wear off. In the midst of this, the Sheikah leader was the first one to spot the golden ring of light that had formed on the ground around Link and Zelda's still lifeless bodies, one that only intensified as the winds began to pick up. Terminus and Veress only caught sight of it when the circle of light shot up into the heavens as a bright beam, completely drowning the dead lovers in its illumination. While the Interloper leader and the Sheikah leader looked on in confusion, the goddess of Termina slowly stood and gazed at the heavenly light with rising hope, knowing that this was nothing less than the work of the golden goddesses themselves. Indeed, they had answered her prayer after all.
As the light slightly faded, it allowed everyone to see the girl and the hero slowly begin to rise up off the ground, both of their forms still limp, listless and bloodied. As they ascended high into the air, both of them suddenly came to a stop as a great, vibrant glow flashed out from both of their bodies, filling the entire landscape with pure light. Her darkened heart unable to take such sacred brilliance, Veress shielded her eyes and let out a pained scream, until she noticed that Link and Zelda had been raised upright and their grave wounds were being healed.
"No!" the Interloper leader shouted in raw rage, realizing that the hero and the girl were somehow being brought back to life. Not even thinking about the pain that the light was causing her, Veress raced towards it with both of her knives brandished, desperate to stop this before the two biggest threats to her eternal reign could be revived.
"Veress, stop!" Sheik called out in warning to her former friend, knowing that interfering with something supernatural such as this was foolish and dangerous. However, Veress did not listen as she continued to run towards the column of light only to come to a screeching halt when she saw the three large, luminescent beings that had appeared to guard it. Though their images were obscured, all three of them bore feminine silhouettes, one surrounded in a crimson glow, another in an azure glow and the third in a verdant glow. Their very presence radiated an overwhelming amount of power, power that Veress found she feared instead of craved and so, she humbly backed away, knowing that there was nothing else she could do lest she face certain death at their hands.
While neither Link nor Zelda had regained full awareness yet, their hands intertwined as they floated together in the air, their lives being restored to them as their lips were guided into a warm and passionate kiss. Another pure glow flashed around them as the goddesses finished their work of bringing them back from death, and soon they began to slowly descend to the ground once more as the light began to fade away from them and the three heavenly beings disappeared. As the two of them gently landed on their feet together, they found themselves reawakening into life once more and the very first thing they noticed was that they were clinging onto one another in nothing less than the most blissful kiss they had ever shared.
Slowly, the couple finally parted and opened their eyes, forgetting that they were in the midst of a battle as they breathlessly gazed lovingly into each other's eyes for what seemed like ages as they realized that they were miraculously restored to life once again, just as the goddesses said they would be. They completely ignored Sheik, Veress, and Terminus all staring at them in disbelief as they leaned in close, warm smiles on both of their faces, knowing that in light of all they had been through, the world could wait for them for just one moment more.
"Oh, Link…" Zelda sighed contentedly as she leaned her head against the hero's shoulder, simply taking in his comforting warmth and reveling in the fact that she had been reunited with him after thinking she never would.
"Zelda…" Link whispered softly as he closed his eyes and laced his fingers through her long blonde hair, wanting to say so much to her but not even knowing where to begin. However, before either of them could say another word to each other, their peaceful moment was interpreted by Veress, who had at last gotten past her initial shock over the fact that the couple had been revived.
"Impossible!" the Interloper leader shrieked in incredulous fury, gripping both of her knives tightly as she glared at the hero and the girl, both of whom she had thought had been lost forever. "You two were dead! How in the world did you…?" She was so infuriated that she was unable to complete her sentence, instead opting to race towards them with her blades raised high, intending to drive them both back into the realm of the dead they had just return from.
Since neither of them had their weapons, they were forced to break their embrace and dodge her attack, remembering the task that the goddesses had entrusted them with: saving the surface from falling into chaos at her hands. Though neither of them wanted to leave each other's side after everything that had happened, Link and Zelda split up nonetheless to reclaim their scattered weapons so they could resume the battle. The girl was quick to find her glowing Bow of Light and before the hero could even spot the Master Sword, she was already starting to fire sacred arrows at the Interloper leader, who, still in stunned rage, defended against her every shot.
As she tried to take in the fact that, against all the odds, Link and Zelda were alive once more, Sheik simply remained sitting on the ground, trying to push away the pain of her wounds so she could help them stand against Veress. She knew that what had just happened right before her very eyes was nothing short of a miracle, but she had no time to think about that now; after all, a war was still being waged all around her and it was a war that she was not about to let the hero and the girl fight on their own. Gathering up all of the energy she could, the Sheikah leader slowly rose to stand and as she did so, she managed to spot the Master Sword conveniently lying on the ground not too far away from her.
"Hey, Link!" Sheik called out to the hero with a small grin, rejoicing in the fact that she was able to speak to him again after thinking that she'd never get the chance. Link, who had been searching for his sword several feet away as Zelda and Veress dueled, turned to face the Sheikah leader, immediately showing concern in his expression upon seeing how heavily injured she was. "Over here!" Sheik shouted, trying to hide her flustered blush upon seeing his obvious worry for her.
"Sheik!" the hero exclaimed as he rushed over to her, not even bothering to pick up the Master Sword until he checked on her wellbeing. "Are you alright?"
The Sheikah leader shrugged, despite the pain it brought her shoulder to do even that. "I'm fine," she said, brushing off her multiple wounds to ease his worry. "It's just a few cuts and scrapes. I think you were a lot worse off than I am… Is it even worth the time and effort to ask how the two of you were brought back from death itself?"
"Let's just say it's a long story," Link said, glad to see that Sheik had not lost her sense of humor, even in the midst of a battle such as this. "When all this is over, I'll tell it to you, I promise."
"I'll hold you to that promise, hero-boy," the Sheikah leader said with a small laugh and a sly wink, despite the fact that she was starting to grow light headed from blood loss. A sudden nervousness came over her as she remembered what she had been wanting to tell him for so long, but she put it out of her mind for she knew that now was not the right time or place. "So what do you say we put an end to this, once and for all, hm?"
"Let's do it," the hero said with confidence as he took up the Master Sword once more. This time, the blade of evil's bane recognized him at its wielder and it did not burn his hands as it had when he was nearly corrupted. And as another sign of this recognition, the blade was bathed in a soft blue light as the sword spirit emerged from it and bowed low and respectfully before her master, speaking in an apologetic tone as she addressed him.
"Master Link," Fi began, too ashamed of her earlier behavior towards him to lift her head up to look him in the eyes. "I must ask of your forgiveness for how I treated you previously. I was in error and my memory faltered greatly. But if it be your will, I wish to fight by your side once more, just as I always will whenever you may need me, now and forevermore."
"Its fine, Fi," Link said with complete understanding, bearing no ill will towards the still loyal as ever sword spirit. "I know it wasn't your fault."
"Thank you, Master," Fi said with gratitude, rising to stand she called upon her duel rapiers and immediately began to race towards Zelda to help her fight off Veress.
"Are you sure you can fight in that condition?" the hero asked the Sheikah leader once the sword spirit left, frowning as he noticed her trying to limp towards the fight despite her injuries.
Sheik sent him a stubborn glare, determined to not let anything, not even all of her many wounds, keep her from joining in this fight, especially now when it seemed like victory could finally be obtained. "Of course I am," she snapped rebelliously, turning away from him as she pushed away the rest of her pain and hurried towards the fight, with Link trailing behind quickly after her.
Veress scowled bitterly upon noticing that she was now surrounded on all sides. Link, Zelda, Sheik, Fi and even Terminus had all taken up opposition against her, all of them ready to do whatever they had to in order to stop finally put her wickedness to an end once and for all. "So…" she said darkly as turned a slow circle to look at each of them. "You all wish to stand against me, hm? You all really think you can defeat me? You fools! I will not be defeated now! Not when I am so close to getting what I desire! I don't know how the two of you came back from death itself," she said bitingly to the hero and the girl, wishing that they had stayed dead. "And I don't care. All that matters now is that I will return you both back to where you belong and then, I will burn your precious surface to ashes!"
"No," Zelda said rigidly, fed up with the Interloper leader threatening to destroy the land that it was her charge to protect. "You won't. The golden goddesses themselves restored Link and I so we could stop you once and for all and that's exactly what we plan on doing."
"And so this can go one of two ways," the hero said firmly as he gripped his sword tightly, not even feeling a hint of the former anxiety he usually experienced upon facing the Interloper leader, most likely a sign that the goddesses had lifted the curse that she had placed upon him. "You can either stand down now or we'll take you down. Like you once told me: it's your choice."
Veress glared daggers at Link, letting a scream of wild frustration out as she realized how quickly the tables had suddenly turned against her. "No!" she shouted brutally. "I will never surrender! Even with all of the hope in the world, none of you can hope to stand against my awesome might!" With a deranged laugh, the Interloper leader threw her hands up, calling upon the Fused Shadow to grant her all of its remaining power. A dark aura surrounded her as she grinned insanely, setting her sights upon the unprotected Triforce nearby and knowing that if she were to claim it, this battle would be over quickly.
All five of them were quick to realize what Veress intentions were and they all knew that they had to stop her immediately. And so, Terminus, with what little power she had left, hurried towards the golden power and began to focus her dimming energies into trying to create another, albeit very weak, seal upon it, hoping that it would be able to fend off the Interloper leader's dark magic at the very least. Fi was quick to follow after the goddess of Termina, hoping to serve as the last line of defense against Veress while Link, Zelda and Sheik took the offense against her in an attempt to defeat her.
The hero, the girl and the Sheikah leader quickly formed a line between the Interloper leader, hoping to push her back as much as they could. With their blades already brandished, Link and Sheik immediately rushed towards Veress, who used her dark magic to repel them a bit, but not enough to injure them in any way. It was as they were exchanging blows with her that Zelda took a glance towards the Fused Shadow, still hanging in its place high in the air as the rain began to pour harder upon the courtyard. She knew that, even though the Interloper leader was greatly outnumbered, there would be no defeating her unless her power source was to be taken out. And so, the girl made that her priority as she began to fire light arrows towards it in the hopes of wearing down the shield that Veress had cast upon it, as the hero and the Sheikah leader continued to fight her.
Since Link was relatively uninjured, he quickly began to take over the battle as Sheik grew weaker and weaker by the second from her wounds. The hero, still concerned for her health, subtly began to guide the clashing of his and Veress's blades away from the Sheikah leader, knowing that she needed to recover before she could actively fight. However, Sheik was quick to notice this and she grew frustrated with Link once more for treating her as if she was too weak to fight with him simply because she was hurt.
"What are you doing?!" the Sheikah leader hissed angrily to the hero under her breath when they were close to each other.
"I'm trying to keep you from killing yourself!" Link said firmly, remembering how she had said almost the very same thing to him when he was on the brink of death himself and how he had stubbornly refused to listen to reason himself. For the first time, the hero realized just how alike him and the Sheikah leader were and just how much of a struggle it would be to get her to leave this battle before it was too late.
"I'm not going anywhere," Sheik said resiliently. "I'm staying right here and fighting until I can't anymore."
Link sighed in aggravation, already hating the only idea that had just came to him, but knowing that if he didn't implement it, there was a very good chance that the Sheikah leader could meet her end. And so, he pushed Veress, who had been pressing both of her blades against his, back a few feet and gave an apologetic look to Sheik before he held his sword aloft. "I'm really sorry, Sheik," the hero said with a frown, much to the Sheikah leader's confusion. "But this is for your own good."
In a movement so quick that Sheik wouldn't have been able to stop it even if she was uninjured, Link brought the Master Sword down and struck the Sheikah leader against the head with its pommel in a way that would not hurt her too much, but knock her unconscious all the same. The hero guiltily watched as Sheik collapsed to the ground listlessly, knowing that if he had not done this, she certainly would have gotten herself killed. At least now, he could keep her safe for a little while, long enough for him to defeat the Interloper leader and end this war, even if he had to do it on his own.
"Wow, hero…" Veress laughed tauntingly from behind him, taking amusement at seeing how he had subdued Sheik. "How heartless of you… All she wanted to do was help and you wanted to take all of the glory of defeating me for yourself, so you took her out. I have to say, I couldn't have done any better myself…"
Link glared at the Interloper leader, skillfully swinging his sword for her though she was quick to block his strike with a dark barrier. "What I did to her was nowhere near as bad as what you did to her," he said, remembering how Veress had betrayed Sheik in such a cruel way.
"Silence!" Veress shouted in fury upon being accused on such a sore subject. "You know nothing of what I've done! But all the same, I'm glad you eliminated Sheik from this battle. I've been wanting to go toe-to-toe with you all alone for quite some time, hero, and now it seems as though I'm finally getting the chance to destroy you myself. What a pleasure it is for me to know that when I finally do kill you, this time, there will be nothing to bring you back to life!"
"You mean if you actually can kill me," the hero corrected her with a confident grin, holding his sword up higher as he prepared to fight in earnest.
The Interloper leader said nothing in her anger with his hopefulness, but instead, she simply rushed towards him with a fierce battle cry, clashing blades with him once more. As she let some of her power flow into her knives, Link felt a burst of electrifying pain course through his body and he was quick to draw his sword back as he tried to think of a way to hurt the almost invincible Interloper leader. For a brief moment, he watched as Zelda continued to fire arrow after arrow at the Fused Shadow, none of them leaving so much as a scratch on the barrier around it and he realized that the only way to take out both Veress and her power source was to do so at the exact same time. And so, the hero knew that all he could do now was keep fighting against the Interloper leader until he subdued her, which would give the girl a chance to take out the Fused Shadow and end the war once and for all.
As Link and Veress dueled, both of them moved quickly and skillfully, utilizing all of the skills of the Sheikahs that both of them knew. For what seemed like ages, the most either of them could land on the other were small minor cuts and tears, though nothing major. Both of them were deadly with their respective weapons, and as far as strength and skill went, they were fairly matched. However, the Interloper leader had the advantage of magic on her side and it was one that she was using heavily as she fired multiple bursts of flame at the hero, who managed to dodge or repel most of them with relative ease. However, as the battle dragged on into what felt like hours, both of them were starting to tire out, which gave way to both of them landing more injuries. Veress growled in anger upon receiving a heavy blow to her arm and Link recoiled in pain upon taking one of the Interloper's burning flames to his back. But nonetheless, they both continued to fight intensely, neither of them backing down for even a moment.
However, this exchange of strikes soon came to an end when the Interloper leader let her guard down for a split second to see that Terminus had actually succeeded in erecting a new shield upon the Triforce, much to her fury. And in that split second, the hero was quick to make his move. Using a smooth, fast technique that Sheik had taught him, Link thrust his sword upwards in a speedy, even strike, cutting Veress cleanly and deeply across the chest as her gaze was directed towards the golden power. The Interloper leader let out a shriek of pain as she glanced down at her bloodied chest for a moment before glaring relentlessly at the hero. "Enough of these childish games!" she proclaimed hotly, looking towards the Fused Shadow above her head and ignoring the shower of light arrows striking against it. "I've toyed with you long enough, hero! Now you shall see true power!"
With a devious laugh, Veress raised her hands high above her head and called upon the dark relic one more time, hoping to use its might to slaughter the hero once and for all. As she did so, the rain began to pour in thick sheets, completely drenching everyone upon the battlefield and turning the clouds above pitch black. From the shadowy heavens, bolts of dark violet lightning began to crash upon the courtyard, striking dangerously close to Link, Zelda, Sheik, Terminus, Fi and even Veress herself. With a satisfied grin, the Interloper leader held both of her knives high and waited for the energy of the lightning to flow into them. Once her weapons were charged and alight with this destructive power, she didn't hesitate to send that electrifying energy towards the hero, who moved quickly and narrowly dodged them. He knew well the tactic that she was implementing, for it was the very same one he had used to defeat the demon king what seemed like ages ago. But Link knew that this time was different. The lightning that Veress was using was from no mere storm; it was born of her own dark, evil energy, and if he were to try and use it against her, he knew it would only empower her even more.
Upon leaping out of the path of another burst of lightning that Veress had fired at him, Link glanced around the immediate area, trying to figure out what to do. He knew that he had to act fast, lest the Interloper leader actually succeed in striking him with her magic and killing him all over again. As he surveyed the courtyard, he happened to look over at Zelda, who was still tirelessly firing arrows at the Fused Shadow, beginning to lose hope that at least one of them would do something, anything at all, to destroy the barrier. And as he looked over at his wife, a sudden, impulsive and likely dangerous idea came to the hero. Darkness would do nothing to counteract darkness; it would only make it stronger. However, light had the capacity to drive back the darkness, something that had been clearly proved when the girl had used her light arrows to free him from the darkness of corruption. But what kind of power would be created if light and darkness were to be combined all at once?
Without taking another moment to think his plan through, Link quickly raised his sword into the air, hoping that a bolt of dark lightning would fill it just as it did Veress's knives. "Zelda!" the hero called out to the girl, who immediately ceased firing arrows at the Fused Shadow to look over at him. "Fire one this way!"
"What?!" Zelda exclaimed loudly so she could be heard over the roaring thunder. "Why?"
"There's no time to explain!" the hero said insistently, knowing that he was running out of time as Veress began to charge her own blades once more. "Just do it!"
"But-" the girl began to question, confused as to where he was going with this.
"Now!" Link shouted in slight desperation as he looked up and saw a destructive lightning bolt began to come down right towards his lifted blade. Without wasting another moment, Zelda did as he said and aimed a golden arrow towards the Master Sword, letting it fly with precision. Right as the blast of dark lightning hit the metal of the blade, the arrow struck it as well, and the resonating force of both energies combining was almost enough to knock the hero off his feet as he used both hands to cling onto the Master Sword, even though it suddenly felt as though it were a thousand pounds heavier. Link let out a cry of both agony and determination as he felt the conflicting sensations of light and dark run their course through his blade and begin to flow down through it into his body. Both of them combined created a sensation painful of both hot and cold, quite similar to what he used to feel every time he entered a spell of corruption, and the electricity running into him quickly began to send him into paralysis. Knowing that he only had one shot at this, the hero ignored his pain and looked towards the Interloper leader, who stared at him with both confusion and shock for a moment before she aimed her own electrified blades towards him and let the power flowing through them loose towards him. At that same moment, Link found the strength to bring the Master Sword, which was enveloped in both light and shadow all at once, down, allowing the power contained within it to fly out of it in a brilliant burst of energy. As both the power of light and darkness left the sword, the sheer force of it being sent out was enough to throw the hero to the ground, paralyzing him for a moment or two as the shooting pain from the electric shock he had received running through his veins began to fade.
Zelda, Fi and Terminus had all watched Link execute his plan with complete shock, all three of them initially believing that he had lost his mind until they watched the combination of light and darkness tear through Veress's attack that she had sent towards the hero and strike the Interloper leader with a great amount of force, rendering her into semi-consciousness and clearly injuring her as she was sent flying back with a cry of pain. It was only then that the three of them realized just how brilliant the hero's idea actually had been, but they had no time to think about that now. Link, still unable to pull himself up off the ground, looked over at Veress, seeing that his attack had succeeded but not taking a single moment to revel in that fact.
"Zelda!" the hero called out as loud as he could, even though his voice, like the rest of his body, was strained and weak. "Now! The Fused Shadow! Hurry!"
Knowing what he meant, the girl looked up towards the dark relic and quickly fired another light arrow towards it, but the shield Veress had placed upon it still held on. "It's still not working!" she shouted back to the hero worriedly, noticing that the Interloper leader was already beginning to recover thanks to her restorative magic, while Link was still unable to move due to the lingering paralysis.
Upon hearing this, the hero glanced up towards the Fused Shadow, realizing that they were out of options. His only plan had failed miserably and because of it, he wasn't even able to get up to defend himself against Veress, who, in the midst of her pain, had shakily risen to stand and reclaimed her knives, more provoked against Link than ever before. And as the Interloper leader slowly began to approach the hero, he locked eyes with a girl for a brief moment, both of them knowing that there was little else they could do.
With a look of absolute hatred on her face, Veress stopped right in front of the hero and held her knives high above him, completely ready to end his life once and for all. Tears almost began to fall from Zelda's eyes when she saw the look of desperation and hopelessness in Link's sky blue eyes and it was in that moment that she knew it could not end like this. She could not lose him again so soon, not after finally being reunited with him. She absolutely refused to lose him ever again.
"No!" the girl shouted in a fury that was not her own as she held her bow out in front of her, feeling a sacred power from deep within her fill her, as Hylia's consciousness took over and guided her words and actions. The Bow of Light began to glow brighter as Zelda closed her eyes, speaking as Hylia would have as the area around her became enveloped in the light of the goddess. "Guardian dragons of this world! Come to me! Be joined with my light and fight with me now!"
No less than a few seconds later, Faron, Eldin and Lanayru all flew high above the courtyard from different directions, answering the goddess's call loyally. The girl looked up towards the dragons as they all bowed their heads in respect to her, knowing what she was about to do and all three of them were completely ready for it. Raising her bow, Zelda quickly fired off three arrows in succession, each one hitting one of the dragons squarely. However, upon being struck with the purifying light of the sacred arrows, the dragons felt no pain, instead being filled with the holiness and power of their light and being transformed into new beings entirely. All at once, the dragons of the surface changed forms into beings encased in a golden glow, though each of them maintained their original shape. A bright light flashed out across the land as their transformation came to a close, and the girl was quick to aim her bow towards the Fused Shadow once more, completely confident that this time, her arrows would work.
"Spirits of the light!" she called out authoritatively to the former dragons, now existing as powerful light spirits. "I have granted you the power of the light that shines far and wide upon this world. And so, in my hour of need, grant me the light to banish darkness!"
Zelda's light arrow flashed brilliantly as she let it loose, symbolizing its great strength as it collided with the barrier around the Fused Shadow, completely shattering it as it struck all the way through to the center of the dark relic itself. A blinding light enveloped the power source of the Interlopers as Veress let out a shriek of incredible agony, feeling its power leave her all at once. It was as she was encompassed in this pain that Link finally managed to break through his own paralysis and rise to stand, not even wasting a single moment as he struck the Master Sword across the Interloper leader's chest heavily, deeply wounding her, but not killing her. Veress collapsed to the ground, screaming shrilly all the while as her magic was taken away from her and her evil energy was drained entirely.
The light of Zelda's arrow coursed through the Fused Shadow, counteracting its dark magic and creating cracks in its black stone surface. And, as the purity of the light drove away the shadowy magic of the dark relic once and for all, the Fused Shadow broke apart into four pieces all of them separating and crumbling to the ground right in front of the girl, who could feel Hylia's presence leave her as she glared at the remains of the wicked power source, which had caused so much pain and destruction.
The thunder and lightning came to an end as the rain continued to pour upon the courtyard softly, the winds slowing down as the only sound that could be heard was Veress's voice rising in a cry of rage, grief and agony. Knowing that she was powerless now and she could do nothing to claim the Triforce anymore, Terminus and Fi moved to stand near Zelda, who herself had come to stand beside Link as they all watched the Interloper leader kneel before her broken relic, desperately trying to salvage it, but not having the power to actually do so. Tears began to stream down Veress's face as she realized that she had just lost the only thing she had left. Without the Fused Shadow, she had nothing; no magic, no followers, no power, not even her sanity. And it was as this fact sunk in, she let out a wild, unhinged scream of heartbreak, crumpling to the ground and pouring out her sorrow through tears. As the hero, the girl, the sword spirit and the goddess of Termina looked on, even they could not help but feel some pity for the young woman before them, who was in the midst of nothingness than a complete emotional and mental breakdown in the aftermath of her defeat.
Several solemn moments passed until Link and Zelda joined hands, both of them glancing to one another, but neither of them smiling at one another as they thought they would have. Indeed, their victory seemed hollow when they saw just how weak and pathetic Veress was without all of her magic and power to stand behind her. And it was for that reason that, even in the aftermath of all she had done to hurt them both, they could not find it within themselves to finish her off and so instead, they all turned away from her, allowing her to grieve all alone as they looked towards the Triforce, which would be safe from danger once again.
"It's over…" Zelda whispered to Link in disbelief. "I can't believe it's finally over…"
"I never thought we'd get here," the hero said, the slightest hint of relief in his voice. "After everything we've been through, we're still together. It's a miracle…"
"It certainly is…" the girl said with a hint of a smile as she leaned into her husband, feeling secure and comforted in his arms once again. "Link… I love you…"
"I love you too, Zelda," Link said with a small smile as he gave her a light kiss on the cheek, so glad that he was simply with her once more after thinking he never would be.
However, what all four of them failed to see as they looked upon the Triforce was the Sheikah leader stirring her way back into consciousness, feeling the full toll of her heavy wounds as she weakly pulled herself into a standing position, barely managing to stay on her feet amidst her pain. But as she took in the sight before her, she was quick to notice that Veress had been defeated, but she took no relief in that fact as she saw the Interloper leader turn her tearful, insane, angry gaze away from the broken Fused Shadow and towards the girl and the hero, who were standing only a few feet away from her, their backs turned to her. And it was because of this, that none of them, not even Terminus or Fi, were able to see what Sheik could; Veress slowly and silently rose to her feet, gripping both of her golden knives as she set her sights upon Link more than Zelda, resolving to finally finish what she had started and ease at least some of the pain of losing her dark relic by making the girl feel the pain of losing what she loved above all else as well.
The Sheikah leader gasped upon realizing what the Interloper leader's intentions were and she knew that she could not let Veress follow through on her wicked, vengeful plan. Even though her wounds were causing her an untold amount of pain and her thoughts were muddled and hazy from being knocked unconscious by the hero, Sheik was resolved to ensure that Link and Zelda remained safe and unharmed, especially after all they had been through. And so, without even wasting a single moment to reclaim her scattered weapons, the Sheikah leader began to run as fast as she could towards the hero and the girl as Veress moved towards them slowly, hoping to have the element of stealth on her side. However, just as the Interloper leader was about plunge her knives right into the hero's turned back, something that she could have never anticipated happened.
In a blind, breathless, thoughtless moment, Sheik leapt towards Link as fast as she could, fueled by the love she felt for him and nothing else. And, right as Veress thrust her blades towards the hero, the Sheikah leader blocked their path instead. Both of the Interloper leader's sharp blades dug into Sheik's stomach deeply, going all the way to the hilt. The Sheikah leader let out a pained gasp as she felt the unbearable agony of the knives piercing her through her already existing stomach wound, and upon hearing this gasp, Link, Zelda, Fi and Terminus were all quick to turn around to see what had happened.
All of them were completely shocked, but Link and Veress were perhaps the two who were most taken aback by what had happened. In horror, the Interloper leader realized what she had just unintentionally done and she was quick to slip both of her blades out of her former friend's body, immediately letting out a chocked sob of guilt and remorse. For as much as she had claimed to hate Sheik, Veress had never intended to murder her, not even in the depths of her hatred and insanity. While she had wounded her greatly, the Interloper leader had been unable to let go of her fond memories of the past that she had shared with the Sheikah leader enough to justify killing her. After all, Sheik had been the only friend Veress had ever had and even when she had the chance to, the Sheikah leader had not killed the Interloper leader, instead showing her mercy in light of their once strong friendship. But now, even though it was an accident, Veress knew that she had landed nothing less than a fatal blow upon Sheik, one that it was much too late to undo now.
"Sheik…" the Interloper leader whispered in regret and grief, unable to look her former friend in the eyes. "I… I'm… I'm… so sorry… I…"
The Sheikah leader simply smiled softly and weakly as she began to collapse to the ground, only for Link to quickly catch her in his arms to make sure she would not fall. "I-its fine… Veress…" she said loud enough for only the Interloper leader to really hear clearly. "I… f-forgive you…"
Veress said nothing else as she tried to let these words sink in, unable to believe that Sheik would be willing to forgive her after condemning her to certain death. And so she was still and solemnly silent as Fi and Terminus both apprehended her, using magic to restrain her and pull her away from the Sheikah leader so the hero and the girl could try to tend to her wounds.
Much like Veress, Link also took the guilt for what had just happened to Sheik as he gently laid her down against a nearby piece of rubble, taking care not to agitate her wounds any further. He had been quick to figure out that the Interloper leader had intended to kill him instead of the Sheikah leader, but it was her selfless sacrifice that had saved his life, but very likely at the cost of her own.
Zelda stood by watching sadly and solemnly as the hero knelt down next to the Sheikah leader, looking over her heavy wounds and coming to the quick, painful realization that they were beyond healing. All the while, Sheik simply smiled softly and warmly at him, feeling the pain of her wounds begin to muddle her mind away but simply taking comfort in the fact that Link was by her side, even if she was certainly dying.
"Link…" the Sheikah leader began quietly, knowing that there was so much she wanted to tell him but knowing that there was little time left for her to say it all.
"Shh…" the hero quieted her, unable to return her smile as a wave of heavy grief washed over him as he began to realize that he was about to lose one of his closest friends. "It's ok…" he said, trying to convince himself more than her. "You'll be fine. We'll-"
"Don't… l-lie to me… h-hero boy…" Sheik said, wincing with pain with each word, even though her smile did not fade. "W-we both… know… what's g-going to happen… here…"
Link shook his head sadly, fighting off the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes as he took Sheik's cold hand and held it gently. "Why did you do that, Sheik?" he asked her, not with anger, but with grief. "You didn't have to save me like you did."
"No…. I-I didn't…" the Sheikah leader said as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "B-but I wanted… to… Like I-I said… I w-would put… my l-life on the… line for y-you… any day…"
"Sheik, I'm so sorry," the hero said mournfully, wishing that he could do something, anything, to heal her wounds and keep her from dying like this. "I should have been able to protect you, but I… I…" He was unable to complete his sentence as he trailed off into a small sob of grief, unable to hold his tears of sorrow back anymore. Slowly, the Sheikah leader reached a shaking hand upon to place it against his cheek holding it there as she smiled at him sadly.
"You know… I n-never noticed… that you're e-eyes were so… b-blue…" Sheik said contentedly, her love for him only growing as her life began to fade. "And… l-like I always t-told you… I-I never… needed y-you to protect me… B-but it makes me… so glad that… y-you wanted to…" The Sheikah leader was silent for a moment as she turned her head to glance over at Veress, who was still unable to take in the fact that she had mortally wounded her best friend. "Link… c-can I ask… y-you… to do me… a favor?"
"Yes," Link answered without a moment's hesitation. "Anything."
"P-please… don't kill Veress o-once I… I'm… gone…" she said softly, feeling pity for the young woman she had grown up with. "I… I k-know she's h-hurt all of us… so much… but y-you have to u-understand… She l-lost herself... to the darkness o-of her own heart… S-she's confused… but I-I know that somewhere… deep inside of h-her… t-the old Veress… the Veress w-who was once… my b-best friend… is still t-there… I know it… S-so promise me… that you won't k-kill her… p-please…"
The hero hesitated upon hearing this request, surprised at how Sheik could find it in her heart to have mercy for the very person who had fatally wounded her, the same person who had tortured him so cruelly and had sought to destroy the surface and everyone upon it. But all the same, Link knew that he owed it to the Sheikah leader to fulfill this last request and so he simply nodded in agreement. "I promise," he said solemnly.
"T-thank you…" Sheik said weakly, knowing that she was running out of time even though there was something very important that she still needed to tell him, lest she die with any lingering regrets. "I… I guess there's n-not enough time… for you to tell me… how the t-two of you… were brought back… b-but I'm glad that you were n-nonetheless… J-just knowing that y-you both… and y-your baby… will s-survive… makes me happy…" She paused for a moment, letting out a soft groan of pain as she felt her grave wound begin to claim her. "P-please… t-tell my people… that I l-love them all… and that I… I did not w-want to leave t-them… And… t-there's one more thing…" She stopped once more and took in a deep breath, knowing that this was her last chance to tell him what had been weighing on her heart for so long now. "Link…" she began, her voice soft and remorseful. "T-there's something… I've… wanted to tell you… f-for so long… I-it took me s-so long to work up the c-courage to say this but… well, I guess t-this is as good a time as any… Link… I… I love you…"
She had said it in a voice that was almost inaudible, but he had heard it nonetheless and it only made him feel guilty. Guilty for knowing that he could never return the feelings she had for him and guilty for realizing that she had known this from the very start. And yet, even if he could not love her romantically as she loved him, he did love her in a different way, as a close friend, one of the closest companions he had ever had. Losing her brought him untold grief, but even so, he could not find anything to say to her in her final moments, which only multiplied his guilt even more. "Sheik…" Link finally said, wanting to say so much to her, wanting to thank her for all she had done, wanting to apologize for how he had failed her, but finding no words. "I… I…"
"Shh…" the Sheikah leader quieted him comfortingly as she lowered her hand from his face, smiling slightly at him. "It's ok… it's ok… Y-you don't have to… say a-anything at all… S-simply getting the chance… to know you… t-to be near you… w-was enough for me… Y-you reminded me w-what it… was like t-to be happy again… e-even when I thought I never would be… And for that… I-I am grateful…" Sheik let out a soft, slow breath as she closed her scarlet eyes, feeling death finally drag her away from the hero she loved. "T-thank you… so much… Link…" she said, her voice barely even a whisper as her last words faded away into nothingness. "F-for… everything…" As she said these final words, she felt her body grow numb and cold, until she let out one last small breath and drifted off into what could have been like a much-needed sleep to her, even though it as one that she would never awaken from.
Tears streamed down both the hero's face as well as the girl's as they watched the Sheikah leader peacefully pass away, knowing that her friendship and alliance had been invaluable to both of them. She had been there for them at a time when they needed more help than just each other, at a time when the world seemed to be collapsing all around them. She had supported them and had even given her life in service to them because she knew how important both of them were to ensuring that the surface would go on thriving. But not only that; she had given her life for the hero she had loved, even though he had not loved her back in quite the same way. She had risen to the task of preserving his life so he could go on living and loving the one he truly did love, for simply seeing him happy had brought her joy. Indeed, the Sheikah leader had been more than just an ally; she had been a friend, a confidant, a companion, and so much more. And now, she was gone.
And so, as the rain softly falling upon the courtyard finally ceased, Link closed his eyes and gave Sheik a solemn moment of respectful silence, knowing that she had deserved so much more than this. "No, Sheik…" he whispered his final words to the deceased Sheikah leader, knowing that she would not hear them but knowing that they had to be said nonetheless in light of all she had done for him in the brief amount of time they had known each other. "Thank you…"
Ok so... PLEASE DONT KILL ME! Yes, I am aware of what I just did and yes I don know that I mess with your feels a ton and I am sorry. But while I cannot explain this right now, I will explain it eventually... maybe... Anyway, now that I've got you to put your pitch forks and torches down, let's talk about the last four chapters (hard to believe I know). The next chapter's gonna be angsty, lore-filled and packed with resolution and hurt/comfort and then more of the same for the next 2 chapters after that (only add some blissfulness to the third one, since we'll need a little of that) and then we have the epilogue and aferword and we'll be all done here! So...
Chapter 37: Curse of the Interlopers
Chapter 38: Song of Time
Chapter 39: A New Era
Epilogue: Blood and Spirit
Afterword
So there you have it! I don't really have that much else to say except for that it is almost 2 AM and I am quite tired so leave me REVIEWS as usual and goodnight! Until next time!