Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
As you can tell by this note, this chapter will be a bit different.
With the tone shift in this saga, being more intense.
I decided to get into the writer's zone and make a powerful chapter, introducing a new enemy and touching up on an old favorite.
This is when things get real for our heroes.
Don't worry though, the next chapter's tone will be a little lighter, but not too much. :)
Also:
Check Author's note at end for some news!
Fear gripped me, of course it did.
I had only just stumbled upon the Forest itself and what lied hidden within.
But I was determined to see the task through.
Hands placed firmly on the ancient blade's hilt, I used every bit of strength I could to retrieve it from it's pedestal.
True to the wise Deku Tree's words, I could feel my life draining away, weaker and weaker as the sword budged inch by inch.
With a sick feeling in my gut, light-headed and weary, the Blade gave way.
For the moments I held it up, the blade gleaming in the afternoon sun, I swore I could take on the world...
Link had to stop writing for a moment, lightly tossing the pen down as he felt a wave of nausea flow over him. Not in the way of illness, but just a genuine feeling of wrong in his stomach.
He felt hot, a hand placed on his aching temple confirmed that he indeed had a fever, or the start of one.
"Urrgh..!" He seethed, head on the desk as he tried to hold a steady breathing pace. "...Damned bandages..."
Pushing his chair away from the desk, he stood up and walked to the other side of the room, tugging off his Champion's Tunic along the way to a mirror in the corner.
Unlike the Castle, Vah Medoh's atmosphere felt dull and cold, much like the other Divine Beasts, even if it was heated on the inside. Given that they were transporting the entire army back to Castle Town, leaving the Fort in Fenrir's command, he should be thankful.
It was noticeable though, when Link had checked out the view from the window while strolling through the lower levels where the rooms were situated, the flurry of snow raining down past.
A thick blanket soon covered the vast kingdom below them, warranting a hasty return due to the army being ill-prepared for extreme weather so soon.
Teba was off at the main control module, trying to figure out how his connection with Vah Medoh was severed so quickly and easily. Though, given both Link and Zelda's experience with Sheikah tech, and the knowledge that Ar-Janek possessed a Sheikah Slate, it was obvious how it occurred.
Zelda was down the hall speaking with Tennessee, while Time and Twilight were on the top floor overlooking Hyrule, and Agahnim was...somewhere.
The Gerudo disappearing so suddenly was cause for concern.
"Sssh!" Link hissed as he prodded the wound along his left side, a stained bandage wrapped around his waist to cover it and stifle the bleeding. "Ugh...Of course I get side-swiped when I least expect it."
Peeling the bandage away, he could see the full wound that Durz had inflicted on him during his speed demonstration. He was too hyped up on adrenaline to notice the bleeding, and to make matters worse, using his Flurry Rush without a normal trigger took it's toll on his senses for a bit.
The wound bleed fresh, even now, nasty black marks outlined the slice, obviously from the properties of the Twilit Scimitar. It was like poison, only much worse.
"Zelda...is gonna kill me..." He murmured to no one but himself, grabbing a roll of bandages from his pack.
"Oh-ho, that, sir knight, is quite the understatement." Came a teasing, sing-song voice.
"Fuck snow."
Twilight couldn't quite put it anymore clearly.
"I've been up on Snowpeak, and aside from the sledding and soup, just fuck snow and everything about it." He began counting with his fingers. "Fuck the cold part, fuck the powdery part, fuck the freezing sludge when it melts, fuck literally everything about it!"
Time couldn't help but smirk at the statement, sitting with his knees tucked to his chest. He held out his hand, a bit of snow landing in his gloved palm and melting on the leather.
"...I like it, but...I suppose it can be troublesome...Sometimes." He added quickly.
"No shit!" Twilight snorted, leaning back on his palms with his legs dangling over the side. "Your tunic wasn't much help either." He added flatly, picking at his collar.
"Well, I wasn't much of an mountainer." Time said, equally flat.
The two liked to bicker at these moments, it kept them grounded and reminded them that they belonged in the past, not here. But, as with all things in this new world, something was bugging the Hero of Time about his successor.
"Given my absence when you were informed...Tell me, what exactly did they use to bring you back?" He inquired to the Hero of Twilight. "I imagine it was no easy feat for a simple spell."
"Wasn't a spell." Twilight corrected. "It was the Sheikah Slate they carry, remember? It's exact power seems to be the ability to bring forth spirits of those who've passed, binding them to constructed bodies so they may 'live' again."
"Those who have passed?" Time hummed for moment, scratching his chin. "Interesting, do you think the Sheikah planned on binding many spirits to multiple slates and bring them back as an army of the deceased? It would be a brilliant plan..."
"I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility, given the Sheikah's quirks, but I don't believe I'm 'deceased', but...I don't know..."
Time gave him a look, prompting him to explain.
"When we came here a century before...We questioned the Sheikah intently, trying to figure out just what being summoned via the Slate entailed." He frowned. "From what I gathered after you departed from my company then, my body is not the original, but an identical construct of...some kind of energy, but my soul is the same. I can bleed, get sick, and even die all the same...but I'm not me..."
"A literal hell..." Time remarked dryly.
"You could say that..." Twilight stood up and brushed himself off. "I need to talk to Tennessee, I'll catch you later."
"Alright, until then." He waved him off, looking back out to the vast outreaches of Hyrule.
A little bit of nostalgia hit him at the sight of Death Mountain and Hyrule Castle. It was comforting feeling that left a warmth in his chest, in spite of the cold. A spirit like himself shouldn't feel the world around them.
But he wasn't just a spirit.
A scowl creased on his features as he made sure the Fierce Deity mask was still on his hip, his connection to nigh-godhood that permitted his abilities after death.
He had informed his Hero of this time that he was a wraith, something that he'd not elaborated just yet...Though he would in time.
Footsteps crunched in the snow that had built up on the Divine Beast's exterior, approaching the Hero from behind with a distinct metal tapping from steel-toed boots.
"A gorgeous sight, isn't it?" Time asked Agahnim, who stepped beside the hero, crouching down with his arms hanging over his knees, looking over the side. "The snow is quite wonderful, isn't it?"
The Gerudo didn't reply immediately, only peering over the edge and watching the powdery substance falling gently from the heavens. He had swapped his black underclothes for fur winter clothes, his gerudo voe armor overlapping it so the fur stuck out from the joints and seams.
"...I wouldn't know." Agahnim replied finally. "I've never stopped to appreciate it in my past lives and...well, you remember Zora's domain, don't you?"
Time felt a twinge of sadness at their shared pain. "I do."
"Yes..." Agahnim sighed, amber eyes dull. "All those people...frozen in place, yet still alive and aware of the events around them. I feel sick to my stomach each time I think of the atrocities I've committed...The freezing of Zora's Domain, twice now, are among the ones I regret the most."
"Don't dwell on it." Time said, keeping him in the present. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It isn't out of the realm of impossibility that one of us heroes could be corrupted just like you. You were not responsible for your actions-"
"Then who was?" He snapped. "Even now, I fight to maintain control of my actions, to resist the darkness tainting my soul. None of us haven't the time or need to play in the weather." His hand fished into his coat pocket, retrieving a envelope from within, holding it out to the hero. "That goes for you too."
Time took the envelope, cutting the seal and reading the note within. He was quiet for a moment, then spoke.
"...Don't despair." He placed a hand on the Gerudo's shoulder, folding the note into his pocket without worry. "You will have your moment soon, and we shall all have the time to relax after this tiresome and frustrating journey."
"...hmm." Agahnim mumbled, unconvinced.
"It gets in my fur, my paws get cold, and not to mention the frozen, muddy slush it leaves in it's wake on the warmer days before freezing again!" Twilight grouched to him and himself only, realizing that he looked like a madman raving about. "Fuck me, I miss Midna."
A sad little truth, but it hurt nonetheless.
Having a companion with him at all times negated a lot of the loneliness that came with adventuring. Midna being part of his shadow was the same principal, and an interesting one at that.
One mere year after his adventure with the Twili Imp turned Princess, he'd discovered that the destruction of the Mirror of Twilight wasn't the end of the connection between their worlds. The Twilight portals dotting Hyrule, now long diminished, could function similarly and Midna had visited often their world often, many times to escape from her responsibilities as ruler.
And she'd called him lazy...
Those were nice, reminiscing on the old days and having a cup of tea on the riverfront. That one time she'd shown up in rancher clothes to scare Ilia into thinking he'd brought home some random woman.
First time he'd been slapped, to be frank.
As he headed into the lower levels, Twilight passed by the living quarters, made from emptied storage areas. Now, there were mostly soldiers residing within them temporarily until they could get Vah Medoh to move and back to Castle Town. He was brought out of his nostalgia trip by the voices of Wild and the Princess. His sharp ears perked, halting his stride outside the door, straining to hear.
"Okay, how does that feel?"
"Eh...Not that bad, I mean it wasn't bad as a minute ago-OW OW OW! FUCK! Stop! Stop touching it!"
"What in the hell?" Twilight muttered, rapping his knuckles on the door. "Hey! Can you two keep it down? People can hardly rest when you're shaking the ship!"
"Bite me, Twilight!" Link's voice strained through the thick door. "Or just get in here and help, godsdammit!"
"Er..." He wasn't sure how to react to that. "...That's...kinda weird..uh..."
"We're not doing anything! Get in here already!"
Reluctantly and extremely worried, Twilight cracked the door open and peeked inside. Sure enough, the two were simply sitting on the bed. Although Wild was shirtless and Zelda had a thick red blush across her face, be it from her close proximity to his descendant or his wisecracks.
He'd guess later, eyes locking with the nasty wound on Link's side.
"Okay, when and how?" He sighed deeply, crossing the room and kneeling down to inspect it the deep gash.
"When do you think? Durz got a good one on me when he demonstrated his speed." Link huffed. "I followed his movements, but it kinda caught me off guard at first. Hell, I just noticed the wound an hour ago."
"I expected as much..." Twilight murmured, lightly grazing his fingers over the edge of the wound, over the blackness that surrounded it. "Hmm...Poison...This is the scar from a Twilit blade alright, obviously that scimitar, nasty magic."
"Don't you control that 'nasty magic' too?" Zelda arched her eyebrow.
"Well, yeah..." He smiled sheepishly. "But I don't poison my opponents, it's practical but a sad way to go. I mean, I'm one of the more pragmatic heroes, but even I won't stoop that low. Hold still..."
"Can't you just get Agahnim to do this?" Link asked as Twilight held his palm over the wound. "He is our best healer at the moment."
"Haven't seen him in the past few hours, and Twilit poison is very delicate and can only be removed by another Twili or someone who's familiar with their magic." Light arcs of red electricity danced between Twilight's palm and the wound. "Agahnim may be able to use a Fused Shadow, but he more than likely brute-forces it, enhancing his own magic instead of learning to properly handle their unique power."
"And you know?"
"I do, though it's a combination of training I did with Midna after my own adventure, my wolf form, and of course, a side effect of the slate summoning me to this time."
Zelda visibly slumped a bit, nervously staring to the side. This action didn't go unnoticed by the lycanthrophic hero.
"You okay?" He asked, still treating the wound while he looked at her.
"I...Um, looked into the Sheikah Slate's summoning rune very recently and made a discovery we should've a long time ago..." She looked at him with saddened eyes. "We can..."
"De-summon you." Link finished for her. "Your spirit will return to the afterlife and be reunited with Ilia and everyone else."
Twilight's posture changed a bit, seeming disappointed and saddened at the same time. His eyes became melancholic and his hands dropped from the wound, which had been fully cleansed of the Twilit poison.
"..." He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I know..."
It was their turn to be surprised. "Y-You know?"
"Of course I do, learning how to be sent back without being killed again was my first course of action a century ago." He shrugged. "As much as I'd love to go back, I can't just...leave you three to Ganon. Especially when Fused Shadows are involved."
"Yes but-"
"No, that's final." He frowned. "I won't leave until I'm sure you two are well off."
"But..." Link tensed. "What if you die again?"
Twilight stood up. "Then you just wait a day and summon me again, that simple."
Link and Zelda exchanged looks, disappointed and relieved at the same time. In the case of the latter, her eyes soon lightened.
"Okay, how about this?" She said. "When we get back to the Castle, We'll de-summon you so you can go back and tell your friends that you're okay, then resummon you the next day."
Twilight blinked and closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
"...Fine." He conceded. "However, You two better remain out of trouble while I'm gone."
"No promises." Link replied snarkily.
The former hero rolled his eyes, walking to the side of the room and staring out of the small window to the outside world, watching the snow fall past, sticking to the glass and melting.
Zelda helped Link wrap another bandage around the cleaned wound, stifling the fresh bleeding as he threw his Tunic back on.
"Better?" She asked, applying a little pressure to the injury.
"Yeah..." He winced.
"...Twilight, what is the afterlife like?" The Princess leveled her gaze at his back. "Is it like the books say it is?"
Twilight noticeably fidgited at the question, leaning forward with his left hand on the window, tracing the patterns of ice forming on the surface.
"...The Death Fields." He murmured with a sad tone. "Stories do not do it justice. Hell, even my own words cannot shed light on what that realm is."
"...Well, can you at least describe something about it?"
"Yes...When I died in my era, I awoke in the Death Fields in the form of my younger self, back from my journey. A form, I suppose, I was more comfortable with." He shrugged. "Time was with me, as he'd always been most of my life. It was the second time I'd seen him in hylian form though, he had always been in the Hero's Shade form."
"Okay...What was the location like?" Zelda asked, chewing on the tip of a pen she'd whisked from her pack, along with a notepad.
"Are you taking notes!?" Link asked in disbelief. "Is that really appropriate right now?"
The Princess responded by childishly sticking her tongue out at him.
"Heh, it's fine." Twilight waved a hand, before continuing. "The ground was grassy, the blades a dull green in contrast with the fields I grew up in. Around us were wheat plants of some kind, about the height of my waist. The sky was dark, like just after sunset where it's dim but there is still light. There were dark clouds too, like it was to storm. But there was no thunder, nor any rain."
He sighed. "Dammit, I wish I had a smoke pipe right now."
Zelda leveled him an annoyed look, scratching out the irrelevant statement.
"Time was aware of the Death Fields, but never had truly been there, as he had become a wraith for my benefit, while it was all new to me."
"Yeah, I was going to ask him about that..." Link piped up. "What is the difference between a spirit and wraith? Doesn't seem all that different..."
"Not a damn clue, something about a 'Divine Wraith' or something?" He shrugged. "Anyway, We walked forward and through the wheat plants. I let my hand sway over the top of them as we headed further inward. At the end, we met a clearing...and I saw them." His ears drooped a bit. "My Zelda...Ilia...Midna...Rusl...Uli...Mom and Dad...and the others.
They were waiting for me...Yet, I was shocked. I didn't remember Zelda or Midna dying, only Ilia. She'd fainted in the fields one day and never woken up...When it was my time, I was confined to bed with illness for weeks and wasn't aware that Zelda had passed in her sleep and Midna had-"
"Twilight, stop!" Link said lowly, placing a hand on his mentor's shoulder. "That's enough..."
The former hero's eyes were wide in surprise, but gradually softened. "...Sorry...I got carried away, didn't I?" He chuckled slightly, looking out the window again.
"It alright." Zelda said softly, putting away her notes. "You don't have to say anymore."
"No, no. I don't wanna leave you guessing." He continued. "It was...uh, nice? They welcomed me with open arms and the field was...almost benevolent, catering to our needs and wants." He closed his eyes. "If we wanted a warm bed, it gave us a house. If we wanted a snack, it gave us a feast. It was...remarkable and calming to finally relax after years of worry and hardships."
"...Wasn't your son there with you?" Link asked after a moment. "The original Wild?"
"Hmm, see...That's the damnedest thing..." He smiled a bit. "I had found out that...the soul of my son hadn't passed on like mine had, it had been reincarnated into my next son. It seems his destiny wasn't to be killed at the age of three..."
He brushed Link's hand away with a sad smile. "And it wasn't to die from his injuries while protecting the Princess."
The words hung in the room, sending little signals to Link and Zelda, who's eyes widened at the implications.
"Wait...You mean, I'm...?"
The door burst open and in walked Time, holding a letter and envelope in his hand, seeming very determined.
"Twilight, I need to speak with you." He turned to the Princess and her Knight. "You two go find Agahnim, we'll catch up in a minute."
"U-uh, sure..." Link said, still not yet recovered or even fully registering the new information. Zelda had to actively force him from the room to allow the ancient heroes some privacy.
Time held up the letter for Twilight to read, the latter doing so quickly, frowning at both the sudden intrusion and the words on the paper.
"The Forgotten Temple?" He sighed. "Of all the times for an interloper...This is a trap, no doubt."
"Daku doesn't bring himself that low, if he wanted to contact us, he'd have done it himself. But, to send a note..."
"You think something is restraining him?"
"Someone." Time corrected, giving a serious look. "Three guesses who..."
Link and Zelda headed up to the main control terminal atop Vah Medoh, where Teba and Agahnim were. While Link was still reeling, often staring off in contemplation, Zelda took control of the situation.
"Is something wrong?" She inquired, stepping beside Teba and looking down at the panel he was tinkering with, a mess of symbols flitting across the screen as his winged fingers tapped across it.
"Nothing on my end." The Rito Champion replied coolly. "Finally got the thing to respond to my commands again, should have it started up soon, then we can get off to Castle Town." He pointed over his shoulder. "It's Agahnim who wanted something."
Zelda nodded, stepping away and over to the Gerudo, who was kneeling at the edge of Vah Medoh, looking down over the side with a telescope, muttering various curses under his breath while focusing on one spot.
"I was scouting the road to Castle Town for Yiga, given that's where the Aeraflos said he was headin..." He scoffed to himself, handing the scope up to Zelda. "Little did I know I'd spot them that quickly."
Zelda peered through the scope downwards to the road between the central fortress and castle town, about halfway was a figure of a stationary caravan. About three wagons and some horses, but very few people walking about and some others lying facedown in the snow, their hands bound.
But alongside them noticeable blotches of crimson blemishing the snow, moving back and forth. Upon further inspection, the sheikah-trained princess noted that they were the iconic uniforms of Yiga foot soldiers.
"We need to head out now..." She murmured, feeling herself grow hot with anger. Chances are, they would take the captured people off to whatever hole they hid in and brainwash them. "Before it's too late."
Zelda felt something fall on her shoulders. She looked away from the scope to see that Link had come up and placed a warm doublet over her, to keep her warm from the cold weather.
She gave a smile at the gesture, which he returned as he crouched down beside her, peering downwards.
"How many?" He asked, finally focused after the recent conversation.
"I'm not sure..." She passed him the scope. "Five?"
He peered through it, setting it down after a few seconds. "I'd say six..."
Footsteps came from behind as Twilight and Time joined them. "If this 'Janek' character is among them, we cannot waste any time." The latter said. "Foreign Nobles from the Festival are still in town. Having Assassins mixed in with them is just asking for murder, perhaps not even one."
"Teba and I have already talked about that." Zelda stood up. "Once we get Vah Medoh and the army back to Castle Town, we'll load any foreign nobility aboard and get them back home. Some of the soldiers will stay aboard for security while we all handle matters."
"It will take a few days, so don't expect my help in the meantime." Teba said, tapping his knuckles on the console's rim. "...Blasted technology."
A quick warp down and a small walk led the heroes towards the ambushed caravan. Despite their confidence, something bugged Link about the whole ordeal. Six Yiga was child's play in most scenarios, why did so very few of them take down a caravan just a little ways of Castle Town and in full view of Vah Medoh.
It wasn't a smart move at all, not that they were known for those.
"Something isn't right..." Agahnim piped up, stopping in his tracks.
"What makes you say that?" Time asked.
"I feel it too." Link said, frowning. "Why would six Yiga, who we could casually wipe out without any problem, attack a caravan traveling between an army and Castle Town? It's...stupid!"
"Hmm...I agree." Zelda said, tugging her face mask up. "We will proceed with caution and observe them before attacking."
Nods of agreement went around, ending with Twilight who stared at Link.
"Wild..." He said, pointing to the Master Sword. "Look."
Link blinked, quick drawing the sword that seals the darkness, the blade's glow was pulsing. That meant a dark, evil presence was nearby, something not even Janek triggered within the sword.
Time stared at the sword with a stony expression. "Remain vigilant and be prepared for anything."
Agahnim cast a spell on himself, his figure becoming ethereal and hard to see. Time and Twilight morphed into their wolf forms, bending low into the snow. Link sheathed the Master Sword, he and Zelda both shrouding themselves with their hood and face masks respectively.
Twilight and Time shifted quietly around one of the wagons, already buried in the snow, while the other three went further down to flank them.
Twilight burrowed in the snow, tunneling under the wagon to peer out with one eye amid the whiteness. A sweeping look wouldn't reveal him, only a trained eye could do so.
Three Yiga went about, footsoldiers with tough builds, not too muscular like a blademaster, but not too lanky like a normal footsoldier. One held a bow while the other two had the iconic sickles of their clan.
"Please...we're just farmers..." A man on the ground pleaded, hands shifting in their binds. "We don't have-"
"Shut up!" The Yiga with a bow hissed. "We must suffer this cold to deal with two from your group, so shut your damned mouth before I cut out your tongue."
"Far more aggressive." Time noted from beside Twilight. "Odd..."
"Did they find one of the women yet?" One of the sickle-bearing Yiga asked the other. "It shouldn't be hard to scour the wagons."
As if on cue, screams and yells from the next wagon over rang out. A Yiga general, a blademaster...or what looked like one, stepped out. His red armor was tainted black and bore red marking similar to a twilit creature. Sharp, jagged metallic gauntlets and boots in place of the normal leather, along with a dark cape draped over his shoulders.
He forwent the normal headdress of a blademaster and wore only a black, tattered hood with a blank mask, no features or even eyeholes on the face.
To Twilight, it reminded him of a Shadow Beast's face, just much smaller and with a single red eye on the upper part. As he stepped in the snow, his hand trailing behind him, his gaze snapped to the three normal Yiga standing around.
"We have one...it is time for us to depart, take only those who are able-bodied...leave the rest to freeze."
His voice was metallic and gravelly, demonic and soulless.
Evil.
The dark Yiga pulled his arm from the flaps of the wagon, dragging out redheaded woman from within and into the snow. The woman muttered expletives that only a farmgirl could know, lifting her head to glare at her captors with ocean blue eyes.
"Malon..?" Said Time.
"Mother..?" Said Twilight.
The two heroes looked at each other, eyes wide with confusion and realization.
"What the fuck..." They agreed.
The woman continued to curse them out, pounding her fist into the ground for emphasis. "Damn you all to hell! I hope the Goddesses torment your souls for eternity, you filthy assassin scum bastards! Burning like the fucking quims you are!"
"Silence woman!" The Yiga hissed, bending down and clamping his hand over her mouth, sharp fingers digging into her cheek and drawing blood. "Or as my lesser said, we shall cut your tongue from your mouth."
Meanwhile, on Link and co's side. The Hero of this era was staring at the woman in confusion, it's like he recognized her but he didn't remember ever meeting her. At all. It made him almost anxious, not even noticing Agahnim slink away to a new position.
"Link, are you alright?" Zelda whispered, noticing him fidgeting.
"...No." He murmured back. "I think...I'm remembering something."
The Princess paused for a moment at those words.
"...Of what?"
He pointed to the red-headed woman. "Her."
The woman in question was being manhandled by the Dark Yiga, as the two had dubbed him. Her red hair had darker patches, dried blood and her face, probably nice and even beautiful at one point, was covered with bruises and cuts.
Before either could say another word, someone grabbed Zelda by the back of her collar. Just before being sent tumbling forward and into the open, she heard Link grunt in surprise as he was attacked as well.
Scrambling through the snow, Zelda quickly righted herself to look back at whoever had ambushed them. Finding that two of the normal Yiga had snuck up on them, using their moment of thought and reprieve to ambush and subdue them.
One held Link in a choke hold, locking his arms in place while the other drew his sickle and held it high, ready to bring it down on her hero. She was in and the open and exposed, in full view of the Dark Yiga. Even then, rows of needles slid in between her fingers and she tensed, ready to throw them to save Link.
Too late.
Agahnim, unnoticed by the assassins, had drawn his shortblade and drove it through the sickle-bearing Yiga's chest. Just before he could turn on the one that had Link, the assassin had shrugged off the stab, turning about to face the Gerudo and slamming him into the side of the wagon.
Link choked out, holding a hand to his throat as he gasped for breath as the footsoldier continued to strangle him, dedicated in taking one of the heroes down with him. Zelda stood up and was about to head over to help them, when Link gave a cry.
"Hyaaa!" His yell was accompanied by an orb of pure lightning belonging to Urbosa's fury. The initial shock fried the Yiga immediately behind him, killing him instantly as his twitching corpse dropped. The after-shock blasted both Agahnim and his opponent into a nearby snow bank, where the fighting resumed after a brief pause.
While confused that Urbosa's green spirit hadn't shown up like the other times Link had used the power, she sharply turned to face the Dark Yiga, who stood staring at her with that blank mask with the red yiga eye in the center, the clan's symbol.
A cold chill flowed through her at the sight, especially when two more seemed to fade in from behind him, stepping to both sides. One was identical, just without a hood, revealing sickly crimson hair and black skin, with red markings on their neck. The other was smaller, like a footsoldier, jagged spikes of black metal armor rising up and crossing his tainted yiga uniform.
And they were all glaring right at her.
The Shadow Yiga.
Spawn of Ganon's Magic and the Fused Shadows.
Link gasped, green electricity crackling through his weapons and chainmail shirt. He huffed loudly, standing up and turning to see Agahnim struggling with a Yiga Footsoldier a little ways away. The Gerudo, while at a disadvantage, nodded his head, telling the Hero to go aid the Princess.
"..." The leader pointed a sharp finger. "...You are none of our concern, Princess of Hyrule. Begone and we shall spare your life and the ones of your allies."
Despite his words, the normal Yiga who wielded a bow seemed nonplussed by the offer, nocking two arrows in his duplex bow and aiming it right at her.
Obviously spiteful of insubordination, the lead Shadow Yiga drew a broadsword of similar dark origins and cleaved the Footsoldier's head from his neck with swift, nonchalant swipe. The headless corpse collapsing right after, the wound festering with a similar black poison that had plagued Link earlier.
"I shall repeat myself only once." He growled. "Leave now."
Zelda's eye darted over to Agahnim, the former beginning to overpower the Yiga with a palm to his cheek, the swirl of branding magic erupting from his hand to subdue the Assassin. But she noticed that the Gerudo was still being pushed away, the Assassins struggling far more than he should be, even as Agahnim growled for him to obey his commands.
He was resisting it.
Something was definitely wrong.
Her eyes went to Link, who had recovered and was quickly at her side. Giving him a nod, they both turned to the three Shadow Yiga, a look of determination on their features as Zelda's other hand produced a row of needles in between her knuckles and Link drew the Master Sword with a metallic ring of the sheath.
They noticed with great nervousness that the blade was pulsing frantically in response to their opponent's mere presence.
"...Feh." The leader scoffed at their defiance, slowly lumbering towards them. "Very well."
"Chikara, we have no time for them. We have yet to find the other girl." Hissed the smaller one of the trio. "Our master will be-"
"Silence!" Chikara retorted, still advancing. "They are a hindrance, Chie. Master says to eliminate hindrances. So we must eliminate them."
His head turned with an odd sound, glaring like a hawk at Link, who steeled himself and drew his shield. Like a flash, the Shadow Yiga appeared in front of him, broadsword swiping left and knocking his shield away, clanging as it smacked into a wagon, a long scratch across the surface.
While Link dropped his empty hand in surprise, Chikara brought his blade high and ready to strike down on him. The hero had a scant amount of time to hoist the Master Sword up and parry the broadsword as it crashed down on him, sparks shearing from the contact of metal on metal.
Their blades were forced together, locked in place with both fighting for dominance. Link, despite his remarkable strength, felt his foe slowly begin to overtake him, pushing him back until he nearly on his knee.
"Urg...stronger than Twilight..!" He hissed in exertion. "That's for sure..!"
He didn't even bother to try and figure out how a Yiga, of all people, was this strong all of a sudden. As a matter of fact, there was far too many things he should question about this particular trio, even as he used every ounce of strength to force the weight of the clash to the side, sending their blades clashing to the ground beside them.
Face to face, or in this case face to mask, with Chikara confirmed one thing to Link.
The stench of death wasn't from the normal Yiga nearby, but emanating from Chikara himself. It was like fighting the undead or a stalflos that wasn't all skeleton. It reeked for Din's sake!
"Kyaa!" Zelda brought her needles down in an ice-pick grip, stabbing a dozen of them into Chikara's arm, splashes of oily black blood spewing from his flesh.
The Shadow Yiga glared at her, more annoyed than hurt, tugging his arm back as the needles ripped through his skin, trailing black blood as arteries and veins were severed, all with same nonchalance of walking down the road. The same arm was pulled back and swatted at the sheikah-trained princess, nailing her in the forehead and sending her sprawling. A shriek of pain was her response, holding a hand to her temple as she lay in the snow, disoriented.
Link's head lowered to at that, eyes alight with anger as he broke off the lock and whirled his sword around, aiming for the Shadow Yiga's neck. A killing blow via a slashed throat.
Dodged effortlessly.
Chikara had only stepped back, gaze focused on Link and Link alone, the tip of the Master Sword grazing the cloth of his collar as it passed by, mere inches from his exposed black flesh. He brought his broadsword back and stabbed forward, Link thinking quickly as a red barrier appeared around him, shattering on contact with the blade, making the Shadow Yiga recoil in surprise.
Daruk's Protection...but no Goron Champion was present.
"What the..?" Link murmured to himself, quick to raise it again as Chikara swung again, this time not recoiling as much.
Link had just one more time to use it, the barrier once more shattering. Only this time, he was the one to recoil from the sheer force of Chikara's strikes. Just as Link thought of using Urbosa's fury, Chikara's open hand lurched forward, his palm hammering on Link's chest with enough force to bruise and crack his ribs, his breath whisked away as the Hero was forced to his knees.
He wasn't done either, bringing his broadsword up in a vertical slice that slashed the Hero across the chest and face, leaving a thin, bleeding line up his torso and cheek. Link gave a gasp at the pain, falling to his back as he clutched his new wounds, twilit poison tainting his blood with greater intensity. All rounded up as Chikara stomped on his chest, grinding his foot in to aggravate the wound and worsen the bleeding.
"Huh...?" Zelda clutched her bruised forehead, looking up to where they'd been. Her eyes went wide upon sighting her royal knight, bleeding and screaming in the snow, with the dark shadow of an assassin looming over him.
"Link!" She cried in horror and rage, a needle whisked from her palm towards Chikara's eye, or where it should be. .
Revenge sounded so delightful to her right now, she hadn't really thought of what she was doing. Not until the Shadow Yiga caught it mere inches from his masked face, looking at it with a bemused expression. A low chuckle escaping from behind his mask as he removed his foot from Link's chest, walking calmly through the snow, trailing his bloody sword behind him.
"Really?" He inquired, a hint of sarcasm lacing his growl. "All these opportunities to flee, Princess. And you still fight? Truly, it is an admirable quality..."
Zelda nearly screamed when a blade pierced her thigh, tainted blood spewing onto her sheikah garb as she clutched at the broadsword sticking out from her leg, the insanely sharp blade slicing into her gloves.
"But a damned foolish one." He concluded, tugging his blade from her leg, planting his boot on her chest to slam her into the snow, relishing in the cries of agony coming from her and the hero, holding the tip of the blade to her chin, nipping at the skin there. "It's almost sad, however...I feel no need to kill you, perhaps I should leave that job to my brother or sister?"
Chie, the smaller one, grumbled to himself, turning to the remaining one of their group. "Yūki, do you want to finish one off?"
The last Shadow Yiga held a silence, seemingly unaware as Twilight and Time burrowed out from behind them, morphing into their hylian forms and drawing their swords. The former sneaking up on Yūki with an furious expression while Time knelt down to cut the captured Hylian's binds, ready to spring up if his descendant needed help.
But, once the former hero was bearing down on her back, Yūki swiftly dodged an impaling stab, turning unnaturally to face the Hero of Twilight, who stared back in surprise.
"Twili-Walker..." She said coolly, grabbing his wrists.
Chikara, stopping his torture of the Hylian Princess, whipped around fully to their prize standing behind them. Flashes of ethereal green light made him and Chie vanish from the spot, reappearing to surround Twilight. A swift blow to the gut disorientated the former hero, another one knocked away his sword.
Together. Yūki and Chie took hold of his arms, holding him down as Chikara held out a hand, wisps of dark red lightning arcing from his fingers to Twilight's chest. Cries of agony echoing from him as dark particles emerged from his body, taking the shape of...
"He has the Fused Shadows..." Chikara cackled with demonic glee. "We can extract them."
Zelda hissed from her position on the ground, rolling to her side and forcing her eyes open through tears. "Li...nk..." She whispered loudly enough for him to hear, a single open eye was his sign of listening, the sickly black slash on his cheek disheartening to the princess. "Y...ou need to stop...them..!"
Link nodded, hissing through his teeth as he turned his head to see Agahnim sink his blade into the normal Yiga's chest, who continued struggling despite the mortal wounds he had crossing his chest. Cursing to himself that their healer was busy, Link dragged himself to his feet, grasping the Master Sword's handle as he staggered about, bleeding badly from his chest and face. His champion's tunic and chainmail shirt had been sliced clean through, a feat not even managed by Lynels half the time.
He braced, feeling the time flow slow down, he covered ground slowly, aiming for Chikara, driving his blade at the Shadow Yiga's back. Even in his perception of reality, he noticed Time coming up behind Yūki reading to attack her and free Twilight's grasp.
Imagine his shock when Chie and Yūki's gaze followed him at equal speed, even in his slowed reality.
The next thing he knew, Chikara had turned and was facing him. He tried to raise his sword to strike, but was stopped as the wind was knocked out of him courtesy of a swift kick to the ribs. Link wheezed and fell to a knee, gasping for air...
Then let out a pained gasp as Chikara's blade plunged into his chest, poisoned blood flying from the wound as Link's mouth hung open in a wordless scream.
"Link!"
"Wild!"
Fiery pain enveloped the wound, the world deaf to him even as Twilight and Zelda screamed his name in horror. Blood dripped into the snow, turning into a fountain after he heard a fleshy, squelching noise as Chikara removed his blade from Link's chest. Open air met the bloody wound, only increasing the already horrific agony he was experiencing.
Then, without a word, he fell onto his back, Master Sword falling from his grip as he met the ground.
Chikara chuckled, turning back to his work, noticing Time just as the ancient hero was getting ready to a slash an unsuspecting Yūki, but he hesitated after witnessing his descendant fall, eyes wide in shock.
"A Divine-Wraith walks among us." She hissed, ignoring her wound.
"Send him back to the Death Fields." Chikara commanded, all three forwarding one of their hands toward the Hero of Time, wherein he was blasted into the side of a wagon by all three of them at once, his own Master Sword flying from his grasp as he fell unconscious at the surge of dark magic.
Link continued to struggle to breathe, short gasps for air rattled in his chest as blood seeped from the corners of his mouth. He felt like he should be thrashing in pain, but all he could bring himself to do was lie still as he let out one final gasp for breath. Zelda's horrified voice continued to plead and call to him, echoing in his ears. The twilit poison ravaging his body as he bled out, Link felt his vision fade, and the world fell quiet around him.
He was dying.
Agahnim gave one final cry as he sank his blade into the Yiga's eye socket, his body still struggling despite the odds before falling still. He'd survived multiple stabs to his heart and other vital organs, even a slashed throat didn't stop him for long. Branding had no effect, which didn't make sense in the slightest.
It took all his strength and a blade to the brain to put this footsoldier down.
The surprises didn't stop coming, even as he trudged his way back to the Caravan, amber eyes wide in shock as his allies were strewn about like ragdolls, bloody and beaten. Zelda was clutching her bleeding thigh, immobile even while calling out to Link, who lay still in the snow a few feet from her, a pool of blood forming below him. Agahnim turned to the others, noticing Time unconscious but alive, and was slack-jawed as Twilight appeared to be getting drained of his power.
"Faigh r idh leis an solas, glacadh leis an dorchadas." Chikara chanted in his demonic tone. "Tabhair do chumhacht d inn!"
"Na cuir an aghaidh!" Chie and Yūki said in unison. "Na cuir an aghaidh!"
Despite his shock, Agahnim growled and drew his blade from the fallen Assassin's corpse at his feet. He rushed forward, a spell of protection ready in his palm in case they decided to try anything.
"Maighstir Falt..." Chie hissed, glaring up at his presence, joined by Yūki who repeated the words. "False Master..."
"We are not starting that..!" He growled, raising his blade, stopping when a lesser demonic voice called out.
"You will not claim them!" A blade attached to a chain punctured Chikara's arm, the Shadow Yiga yelling in surprise and pain as he was lurched to the ground, oily blood draining into the snow. "Im shall sever cín gwedh na i gwathren with cín blood!"
The other Shadow Yiga snapped their heads to the side, releasing their hold on Twilight as they glared at their attacker. Agahnim took the moment to toss his blade like a throwing knife, nailing Chie in the shoulder. All that got him was Chie giving a loud hiss and blasting him with an sickly green force, sending him down too, right next to some captured Hylians, who gasped as his form landed so close to them.
Twilight coughed, grasping at his chest as he collapsed in exhaustion. His energy completely drained, a fragment of the Fused Shadow he'd hidden away floating mere inches away from him, ready to be taken. He didn't have the strength to reach for it, but turned to look at his would-be savior.
They wore dark crimson hooded clothes, toughened steel armor around his thighs and chest, same with his gauntlets. He wore fingerless gloves, though it was hard to tell as his exposed flesh was blackened, almost charred. A dark red cloth went both down his front and back of his waist, giving him a robed look. The armor crossing his chest bore golden markings, glowing with light similar to guardians. The same markings were present on his smooth pauldrons and gauntlets as well, the chain blade trailing from under his palm.
His face was concealed by both a hood and mask. The latter was completely smooth and bore a crease in the shape of a V, revealing nothing but two red eyes with dark pupils. The cheeks of the helmet bore the same glowing marks, a row of four on each side.
A flash of green, and he was suddenly beside the Hero, completely taking the Dark Yiga off guard and dragging Chikara to the ground with a tug of the chain.
"Oh fuck, it's Isu." He muttered upon getting a closer look.
The Shadow Yiga seemed to echo his thoughts, given the fear in Chie's voice as he exclaimed.
"It's the Goddesses Wraith! We must fall back!"
"Not without the Fused Shadow!" Yūki growled, reaching for the artifact.
"Janek will see to it, we must retreat for now." Chikara stopped him, ripping the blade out of his forearm. He turned to glare at Twilight one final time. "We will see you soon, Twili-Walker."
"Run..." Isu said lowly.
And with a flash of green, they vanished.
Zelda coughed, wincing in pain as she dragged herself through the snow, desperately crawling towards Link. She could see his eyes, wide open even as his breathing had ceased. She gritted her teeth despite her own pain, determined to help her hero. A bit away from her, Agahnim groaned and stood up, shaking his head wearily after being swatted aside so easily, narrowing his eyes at the newcomer standing beside Twilight.
"Who is that?" He asked.
"Zelda didn't reply, she didn't care right now. Questions definitely plagued her mind, like what those men were and if they could really have been of the Yiga clan they'd been fighting. But she didn't care. Her hand finally latched to Link's arm, allowed her to pull herself close and look over him.
"Their masks had their symbol on it, and they work closely with the normal looking yiga..." The Gerudo grumbled, staring at the bodies a few feet away. "They much be high ranking...Perhaps higher than Ar-Janek..."
"Agahnim!" Zelda nearly screamed, causing him to jump. "Shut up and come here! You need to help him!"
The gerudo quickly snapped to reality upon noticing Link and giving him a secondary assessment, one not under stress, and instantly swore as he joined Zelda at his side. His hands glowed with healing magic, working furiously at the wound in the hero's chest. Zelda placed her hand on Link's forehead, looking into his bright sapphire eyes, which had begun to glaze over.
"...Don't leave me again..."
Time had gathered himself across the way, the freed hylians emerging from their hiding places after being unbound. Their hooded savior looked down the snow bank where he'd appeared, the snow there melted and the frozen grass burnt. He retracted the chain-blade back into his gauntlet, resetting it with a mechanical click. He looked beside Twilight, who'd fallen to the ground, staring at the Fused Shadow that hovered there, his charred fingers reaching out to touch the artifact.
"No." Twilight snapped, exhausted but with enough strength to reach up and grab his hand. "Don't...you...fucking touch it...Isu."
"...Hmm...You are in no condition to oppose me, Hero of Twilight." Isu said, his voice not quite as demonic as the Dark Yiga. "You are no match for the S'Gaokage, when they cower before me. What does that prove of you?"
"Shut your damn mouth, you bastard!" He gasped, hand falling to clutch his chest. "Ah...Just give me the fused shadow, it's safer with me."
With a bemused posture, Isu grabbed at the artifact like a ball, it's surface hovering inches from his fingers as he knelt down and held it out for him.
"I will be watching you, do not forget that." He said with a threatening monotone. "Expect to see me soon, Twilight Wraith."
With a green flash, in a manner not unlike the the Shadow Yiga, he too vanished. He left the Fused Shadow to be collected by Twilight, who struggled to get to his feet. He noticed Time brushing himself off and speaking to the captured, and now freed farmers. They exchanged glances, ones of apprehension their saviors final words.
"No, you have to save him!" He heard Zelda yell, sending a sting of panic through his heart as he whipped his head around.
The Princess was holding Agahnim by his armor straps, glaring at him. "Why can't you heal him!?"
"Princess...I...He's too far gone..." The Gerudo had a pained expression.
"No! You have to...to..." Her gaze widened, looking to Agahnim's side.
He turned to look, and promptly yelped at a glowing, greenish-colored Zora kneeling beside him. Zelda, however, only watched the familiar green figure, the aura not of the Shadow Yiga, but of a spirits drifted around the Zora girl before her. The girl's eyes were glowing, but heavy with sadness at the sight before her, but focused as her hands waved over his body.
The green magic glowed with far more intensity than Agahnim's. And, with a jolt, Link gasped loudly for air. His arms clutching at the injuries marred with poison crossing his chest and face. He breathed deeply a few times, very much alive, before easing down into unconsciousness. The spirit smiled as she placed her hand over the one he'd placed at his chest, squeezing lightly.
"M-Mipha?" Zelda spoke, stuttering.
The former Zora champion simply smiled at her. "It is my pleasure."
Zelda slowly returned it. "...Thank you, Mipha."
They shared their smiles for a second, but Mipha's soon vanished. She looked to the side, at an unknown figure, her expression showing pure terror and fear, she gave a gasp of surprise before she vanished into wisps of green light.
"Mipha!?" Zelda gasped and reached out to where she'd been, but she was gone.
She looked around in a confused panic. But with no clear answer or reason as to why she acted that way, she slumped into resignation, sighing and placing her hand back at Link's forhead, checking him over and giving a grunt of disapproval at the black marks over his wounds. Twilight walked over, kneeling beside her and placing a hand over the wounds, assessing the extent of the poison's damage.
He winced, it was pretty bad.
"Go get healed, Zelda." He said, beginning to pick Link up. "I'll put him in one of the wagons so we can get that poison out of him." He glanced down at her wounded thigh. "Come find me and I'll clean your wound too."
He walked off, leaving the Princess sitting in bloody snow. She gave another sign, struggling to help herself up. After a few tries, she succeeded, standing at an awkward angle thanks to her wounded leg.
"Excuse me, Princess." Zelda turned, not too quickly, to face Time as he walked up with the red-headed girl from earlier. "I found the leader of the Caravan. This is Malon, current owner of Lon-Lon Ranch."
"It's a pleasure, your highness." She bowed with her hands crossed at her lap. "Thank you for helping, we haven't a clue what those men, if you can even call them that, wanted with us. But I'll tell you right now, it wasn't going to end well for us at all."
"It's not a problem, anything for our people." Zelda said, somewhat bemused at their lack of concern for her obvious wound. "May I ask, did...they say anything about a goal or target?"
Malon seemed to think. "...Something about a bargaining chip and new recruits for their clan. If they planned on using me for the former, they had another thing coming. It's scary that they could stand up to you all too..." She cringed. "We're all lucky that guy showed up...Well, if he's human too that is."
"He is...er, was." Time replied. "There have been cases of heroes being corrupted by ancient power, but Isu's case is that he never truly turned evil, but he's not good either. He's willing to do things other heroes will not...He's an instrument to the goddesses."
"Well...I don't know anything about him and those Yiga demons..." Malon said snarkily. "But they seemed awful interested in finding the poor girl we picked up earlier this week while coming from Kakariko."
"Girl?" Time looked at her. "What girl?"
"Yeah, she's over in the next wagon. Luckily you guys show'd up when you did, or else they'd have taken her and me!"
"Can we talk to her?" Zelda asked, still ignoring the pain in her thigh.
"Sure, just don't open the flap too wide. She hates bright lights like the sun." Malon laughed. "Everyone calls her Blind."
Total Word Count:
10,053
Author's Note:
Whew!
That ending line. :D
This chapter was INSANE to write! I got so lost in the moment and had so many good ideas, I had to put them all in one thing and try to connect them a little bit...
Wow, it's fantastic!
I focused a bit more on Twilight since he and the Fused Shadows will play an integral part really soon. It's also because... (Here's the news!)
I'm officially working on Twilight's After-Story!
Taking place 13 years (With chapter 1 having scenes from right after Twilight Princess' story.), it follows TP!Link in his quest to find the lost Gerudo people who have long since left Hyrule.
It is Canon to Routine's story and will explain some things about Time/Shade's purpose as a "Divine Wraith". It will explore the death of TP!Link's first son Wild, and how it affected his relationship with Zelda and his future son of the same name. And of course, it'll have the return of everyone's favorite Twilight Princess. (Wink Wink)
The Chapter:
-Twilit Poison came to me when I imagined that, if a creature of shadow is hurt by the light, perhaps a creature of light could be hurt by the shadow? I thought of it in a sinister way, an evil way like if a villain had a shtick where he poisoned/cursed his swords with dark magic.
It's a neat concept, and I'm interested on how I could expand upon it.
-Agahnim and Time's heart-to-heart was completely incidental. I was feeling glum and I poured some heart and soul into it, but not much.
-With the focus on Twilight, I decided to explore a bit of his backstory since I'm writing his after-story at the same time. Something to reference down the line. His missing of Midna and his story of the afterlife was just a topic I'd thought would be enjoyable.
-Also, to clarify, I wasn't implying a direct relationship between Twilight and Link. The truth is that the soul of Twilight's son(s) were one and the same, and were reincarnated into BOTW!Link.
-I like to imagine that the Champion's have a personal connection to their Divine Beasts. Teba using a high-tech console may seem out of place to the outside viewer, but from his point of view it's actually something he feels comfortable doing. Like muscle memory. He understands the gibberish on the console and knows how to deal with any problems that arise.
After all, Teba was the first to successfully pilot his Divine Beast.
-I call the new Yiga the "V2's", given that they work underneath the dark Yiga and are much more deadly and resistant. It takes a full thunderbolt from Urbosa's fury, decapitation, or a stab to the brain to fully kill one. And then some! Quite the step up from the cannon fodder these guys were in previous chapters.
-The Shadow Yiga, the fate of the three trusted Yiga Strum presented to Ganon. Through some twisted combination of the Triforce of Power and the Fused Shadow Ganon possessed, they were changed from loyal soldiers to inhuman twili soldiers with a combined power to knock the Hero of Time out cold.
-Malon is the descendant of...you guessed it, Malon from OOT. She is also the descendant of one of TP!Link's Twin daughters, which one is a mystery however. In truth, she is one of Wild!Link's distant cousins and her great-grandparents knew Link's parents.
-Ganon requires all Fused Shadows for his plan. What that plan is? I don't know! Either way, the Shadow Yiga are all too willing to forcefully extract the fragments from Twilight...painfully.
-The spirits of the champions have faded, Urbosa, Daruk, Revali...
-The bouts of odd language are combinations of Elvish, Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and Japanese pronunciation. It's my take on the whole "ancient language thing that rarely anyone speaks anymore".
Honestly, Isu gets some good lines, such as: "I shall sever your bond to the shadow with your blood!"
-Poor Agahnim, there's only so much you can do when the people who defeat you on a regular basis are manhandled by three people.
- (See below for info on Isu.)
-And finally, after the second time Link has fully perished, Mipha's spirit comes in to save the day and revive him one last time before she too fades.
-Blind? What a lovely name for a maiden... :)
Bonus: Isu Info
This character is what I like to call "The Timeline Wraith" or "The Goddess Wraith". While lesser than a Divine Wraith like Time, he is actually leagues more powerful due to being around for quite some time.
He's been around from before even Demise had emerged for the first time. His role is to maintain the Timelines after the split after Ocarina of Time, preventing any crosses or goddess-forbid, a convergence.
His armor, and name, are based on the Isu Armor from Assassin's Creed: Origins. Both as a reference to the series and as a nod to his ancient origins.
You see, way back to around when the Triforce was first created. You had your trio of the Hero, The Princess, and the Villain (Obviously not Ganon or Demise, as this was faaar before the skyloft era.) The difference was that, while the Princess was still undeniably good in most cases, the Hero was like any other man, and with that difference, comes corruption.
For now, while most Heroes are pure of heart and are un-susceptible to temptation of power, the first hero to succumb to it was punished by the Goddesses for his folly. He was forever marked with glowing, blood red eyes to show his temptation for power and forced to serve the Goddesses. Thankfully for him, the Interloper War marked the time when he'd finally regained the favor of the goddesses when he drove the traitors into the Twilight Realm.
His armor was forged from the ancient technology of the Lanayru province back in it's futuristic heyday, a reward from the Thunder Dragon for his heroic actions. It was crafted with even stronger material than the Hylian Shield, making it the best armor to ever exist. The blank faceplate was only a bonus that concealed his red eyes almost completely from the casual viewer.
And due to living for so long, while he no longer possesses the Triforce of Courage, he does possess an even greater power that even the interlopers feared then. There's no doubt it hasn't grown in power over the many, many millennia he's walked the earth.
And lastly, in case you're wondering...
Yes.
He was a Link.