The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.

The Voice
Chapter 51 - Stalemate

"All right, here we are," Sheik said in a weary tone. "Let's get this over with. Travel pad's over there, activate it so this Urbosa woman can talk into your head and leave me out of everything, as per usual."

"Y-You're cranky all of a s-sudden," Link said, noting with some annoyance that, after the excitement of the sand seal battle, his stutter was returning. Sheik wasn't kidding, then, when he said that battle clearly calmed down some part of Link's mind. If only there was a way to channel that calm when he wasn't in the middle of a fight.

"Just...tired of the routine, you know?" Sheik said. "Luckily, this is the last Beast. Finish this, and we'll finally be ready for the final assault. The end of all this is bullshit is within sight, Link."

He almost sounded excited about it...and had it been anyone else, Link would have taken it as just that—excitement for the war to be over. But it wasn't that Sheik was excited for. Link grimaced. He still hadn't found the perfect thing to say to Sheik to convince him to stay alive. If Link didn't hurry, the moment that Sheik would ask Link to destroy the slate would be...

"Hey, you with me?"

"R-Right," he shook his head and wandered over to the pedestal, holding the slate up against it to activate the pad. The console lit up, along with the pad. It was a refreshing colour compared to the sickly purple one that Ganon brought with it.

And then he waited. He waited for the sensation of his ears popping, for all sound to be blocked out as Urbosa, like her fellow Champions, would speak directly to his mind, telling him how long she'd been waiting, giving him advice on how to tackle the challenge ahead.

There was nothing. He opened his eyes (when had he closed them?), blinking in confusion, closing them again after confirming he'd actually activated the console. It was humming contently, the sound blending into the thundering steps of Naboris as it continued on its way through the desert, Hylia knows where it was heading.

Confused, he held the slate up against the console again, as if activating it again would work.

"Link, it's already active," Sheik said, just as bewildered. "What're you doing?"

"She...she's n-not h-here," Link said, anxiety bubbling up inside him.

"Urbosa?"

"She's n-not s-saying anything!" he said. "Urbosa! A-Are y-you there?! C-Can y-you hear m-me?!"

"Link, calm down, your heart rate's spiking," Sheik said. "Just breathe, okay? Ganon's probably realised it needs to suppress her spirit to stop her from helping you—all we've got to do is kill the damned thing, and up she'll pop, complaining about how long it took you to get to work!"

Naboris' leg must have struck something, because the entire Beast shuddered and shook, nearly throwing Link to the floor. He crouched down, trying to keep his balance. Sheik was right. Of course he was right. He had to be right. Urbosa was right there, probably looking at him right now with disapproval, impatiently waiting for him to get to it.

He took several deep breaths, willing his heart to stop trying to escape his chest.

Come on, he thought. What good is panicking now going to do? We have to help her!

When the shaking stopped, and he could finally stand up without falling over, it was over. His chest felt...a little constricted, still, but not nearly as bad. He breathed, relieved to find himself able to take in proper lungfuls.

"Link?" Sheik asked hesitantly.

"I'm g-good," he said, looking past the console to the distant platform that would presumably take him up to the main section of the Beast. "M-Map, right?" he asked.

"Map, yeah," Sheik confirmed. "The terminal appears to be just above us, quite a ways up. We've got some climbing to do—platform ahead should take us where we need to go."

"D-Detect anything s-strange?"

"Not yet, but I don't have access to any of its sensors yet. I guess we can expect the same old things. Freaky skull-shooting eyes, Guardians popping out of the walls, ridiculous obstacles just to activate a terminal...business as usual"

"W-Wish sh-she could t-tell us," he muttered, stepping past the console. "S-So we'd kn-know..."

He followed the walkway towards the platform, mindful of the piles of toxic sludge that marked Ganon's influence over the area. No skull-shooting eyes yet, luckily, so at least Sheik wouldn't complain about that yet.

It was a bit strange, really, that nothing had tried to kill him yet, especially since the monster in control of the Beast had to have known he was coming. Were Link in its place, he would have sent everything he had to fight off the threat.

"Link!"

Sheik's hiss brought him out of his reverie. "Wh-What?"

"Look!"

Link glanced down at the pile of sludge at his feet, noticing it was quite larger than the others...and it didn't consist of just the sludge. There was something very...distinctly spider-shaped in the muck. A Guardian, one of the small ones, its head split down the middle, exposing its mechanical innards.

"A G-Guardian," Link said, unimpressed. "S-So what?"

"A dead Guardian," Sheik corrected. "When was the last time we saw a dead one inside a Beast? Before you killed it, I mean? All the other ones have been active and operative. More importantly, the batteries have been removed. See that slot, just to the right of its eye?"

Link pretended that he did, nodding. "Y-Yeah?"

"That should have been chock-full of batteries, but they've been removed. Every single one. Now, unless this thing very deliberately committed suicide by removing its own batteries, someone else did."

"S-So?"

Sheik sighed. "Link, nothing alive has set foot on this thing for a hundred years. One could suggest that the battery removal was carried out before the Calamity struck, but this...this carcass looks newer than that. There's still oil leaking from its internals."

Link's eyes widened. "We're n-not alone," he said quietly.

"It's not business as usual," Sheik said. "You stay alert, hear me?"

"R-Right."

If the dead Guardian wasn't proof enough that something was off, the utter lack of resistance as Link proceeded deeper into Naboris definitely was. There were no eyes watching him, barely any sludge impeding his path. There were more Guardians, all dead and smashed to pieces, leaking oil and other fluids from their opened heads...and all lacked batteries.

"Whoever did this really needed the energy," Sheik said upon finding the fourth destroyed Guardian. "Link, I can't detect anything unusual...and that's really freaking me out. It's like whatever went through here nearly cleaned all of Ganon's influence out, only leaving whatever's controlling the Beast itself."

"W-We need t-to figure out wh-what's going on," Link said, turning a corner and gasping as he found what they were looking for: Naboris' main console.

"Sheesh, and I thought this place looked big from the outside," Sheik said.

From the outside, Link had noticed that Naboris' body was vaguely tube-shaped, but he hadn't expected it to be like that on the inside as well. Walkways and platforms lined the tube's walls, but they were all oriented the wrong way, upside-down and sideways. Only a central staircase leading up to the main console was oriented correctly. In the distance, high up, there was a door leading to what Link assumed was Naboris' head. By his estimate, it was directly above where they'd entered the Beast.

"In there," Sheik said, apparently having followed his line of sight. "Let's plug in and see what we can find, yeah?"

As he passed through Naboris' body, Link expected something horrible to jump out at him at any moment. It was ridiculous; he almost wished for the eyes to line the walls and Guardians to rush at him. Anything was better than waiting for something, anything to attack.

"Relax, Link," Sheik reminded him. "Don't start imagining things. Just stay focused."

He kept a firm grip on the Master Sword's handle as went, even as he ascended the flat staircase leading up to Naboris' head. To his relief, the room containing the map console was as empty as the rest of the Beast he'd explored so far, and nothing horrible happened when he inserted Sheik into the receptacle, either. So far, it did truly seem like it was business as usual...save for the complete lack of enemies, that is.

Link didn't like it.

"All right," Sheik said with a satisfied murmur. "Establishing handshake...authenticating...access granted. Hello, Naboris."

The Slate spun around and was released from the receptacle, and Link retrieved it, looking at the screen, which was displaying the three-dimensional map of Vah Naboris.

"Interesting," Sheik said, highlighting the large, tube-like section of Naboris' body that they'd just passed through. "This whole thing is like a giant lock tumbler. The main body is divided into three sections that can all be spun around independently. For the layout to make sense, they all have to be in the correct positions. Each terminal is in different parts of the Beast, and we have to figure out the correct configurations for the tumbler."

Link sighed. "S-Sounds like a p-pain," he grumbled.

"Without a doubt," Sheik agreed. "Lot of trial and error involved, but you're in luck."

"Yeah?"

"I can run simulations to figure out which positions will work or not," Sheik said, sounding just a tad smug. "Feel free to thank me anytime."

"Wh-When w-we're done," Link said. "Anything e-else?"

"No, and that's weird," Sheik said. "Usually, I could get some sort of idea of where to expect resistance based on where Ganon's malice is concentrated...but right now I can't detect any."

Link glanced at the Slate's camera. "N-Nothing?"

"Well, some, the malice that's usually concentrated in the mainframe—I wasn't able to detect it before, but now I know what to look for. The Blight is definitely still there, but it seems...hesitant to emerge."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but I guess it's too much to hope for that it's afraid of you and will roll over and present its stomach once we activate the mainframe."

We'll never be that lucky, Link thought. "K-Keep scanning, or wh-whatever it is y-you do. L-Let me kn-know if you f-find something:"

"You got it. In the meantime, I'll configure the sections so you can reach the first terminal."

With a loud groan, the first section of Naboris' interior began to spin, then the second, followed by the third. Each section oriented itself so the series of walkways and platforms would take Link to a doorway near the top of the middle section, which had previously been covered by a metal grate.

"There's the first terminal," Sheik said. "Have at it."

The tension was unbearable. Even Sheik was uncomfortable, judging by his lack of comments on Link's progress...which, compared to previous Beasts, was bloody record-breaking. By the time he hit activated the third terminal, they'd barely been inside Naboris for more than hour. The only thing that slowed Link down at this point was how he took his time clearing the individual rooms, just in case there was something waiting for him to be lulled into a false sense of security.

Hah, as if Link had ever experienced a sense of security, false or otherwise.

Well, the time he spent with Sheik and Sidon made him feel...much safer than anywhere else. He shook his head. This was not the time!

"I'm running scans on every spectrum I can imagine, Link," Sheik said after a while. "Still nothing."

"D-Doesn't make any s-sense," Link grumbled, tired of looking over his shoulder every minute. "Like it's h-haunted."

"I'm not afraid of ghosts," Sheik said. "What're they gonna do, throw ectoplasm at us? Oh no, slime, how horrible. Actually, Revali's ectoplasm is something I can do without entirely, so if that feathered fucker tries to fling that shit at me, I'm calling an exorcist."

In a way, it was nice to discover that Sheik's atrocious sense of humour remained, even when he was nervous. Too bad it reminded him of the continued absence of Urbosa's spirit. Whatever had cleaned the enemies out of Naboris had also suppressed her...or even worse, removed or destroyed her.

I won't fail you, he promised. I'll find you and free you, just like the others. Hang in there, Urbosa!

"Okay, last one. Good job, now all we need to do is access the mainframe...and we can get to the bottom of this. You remember the drill? I'll shock the bastard if it tries to steal me, you go to town on it."

Link nodded, crossing Naboris' interior for what he hoped was the last time, ascending the staircase as soon as Sheik had rotated the section back into the correct position.

He paused in front of the mainframe, poised to insert the slate into the mainframe. His hand was shaking, cold sweat beading on his forehead despite the steadily rising temperature inside the Beast.

"We'll be fine, Link," Sheik told him gently. "We always are."

"Y-Yeah."

This felt wrong. Everything since he'd set foot on Naboris had felt wrong, but this in particular was...it was like there was something final about this, and not the way it should have been. Nothing like the triumph he should have had swelling in his chest at knowing that the last Beast was about to be freed.

"Let's finish this."

Bracing himself, Link inserted Sheik into the mainframe, watching nervously as the Slate was spun around and sank into the groove created for it. He stood back just in time as Ganon's miasma whirled around the mainframe, preventing him from getting too close.

Just above the mainframe, the miasma began to take shape. Link stepped back, drawing the Master Sword and his shield, which activated with a hum, relieved to see that the sword's blade immediately began to glow as well. It hadn't been just a fluke, then, on Medoh. Or perhaps the sword realised that it wasn't an appropriate moment to withhold its more vital functions from him.

The aspect...part...whatever it was of Ganon finally took a solid shape, little more than a floating torso terminating just where its stomach was supposed to be. This one had two arms—one ended in a massive, curved sword, while the other was attached to an Ancient shield, just like Link's.

Red tresses hung from its head, pooling around the helmet-like shape of its face, the mad eye rolling in its socket...as usual. At this point, Link was almost glad to see it, to have something go according to plan. Link could handle this, even if Urbosa wasn't there to advise him like the other Champions. Urbosa had been a great warrior, and if she was bested by this thing...well, he knew what to expect.

Or so he thought. The thing roared and was suddenly floating right in front of him. Link hadn't even seen it move! He was barely able to raise his shield in time to block the first blow, which struck with such force it sent him tumbling backwards off the platform, landing painfully in a heap at the bottom of Naboris' interior.

"Link! Are you okay?!" Sheik asked, his voice echoing against the walls.

"B-Barely," Link called back, back on his feet just in time to see the creature floating down to face him, mockingly slow as it tilted its head to the side. "Don't m-mock m-me," he growled at the thing, falling into his combat position.

It moved again, but this time he was ready. It was fast. Horrendously fast. Its shape was a mere blur as it crossed the distance between them in less than a second in a zigzagging pattern. Link blocked with his shield again, planting his legs firmly on the floor to prevent himself getting thrown back again. He held his ground and struck a blow of his own when the creature reared back for another go.

Unfortunately, it was just as fast with its shield arm, and the Master Sword bounced harmlessly off it.

"Damn it!" Link growled, stepping back and avoiding a blow that would have cleaved him in half...and left the creature open for a brief window. He struck with the Master Sword, satisfied when the blade easily cut through corrupted flesh, causing purple-ish blood to spill from the cut.

It shrieked and tried to relative, but Link had already moved out of its range, using the open space for all it was worth. He had to maintain distance until it decided to close in, dodge or block its blows and then attack himself.

Oh, what he wouldn't give for a bomb right now.

For a little while, at least, his strategy worked. The creature moved fast, but predictably. Always in a zigzag, and apparently not smart enough to try and attack him from behind. No, it always went for his front.

But he couldn't keep it up forever. Each strike he had to block felt like getting hit with a sledgehammer, and his shield was staring to flicker, like it was running out of power. He glanced at the cylinder that housed the mechanism at the exact wrong moment, and gasped as the monster's shield slammed into his chest, which sent him crashing into the wall and knocked the air out of him. Wheezing, he saw the thing approaching and tried to level his shield up, but his arm wasn't cooperating. He had to defend himself, had to—

The creature raised its sword and brought it down.

It would have struck true, as well, if Sheik hadn't interfered.

"Not today, fucker!" Sheik shouted as the section Link was on began to move, putting him out of harm's way and causing the creature's weapon to harmlessly glance off the stone-like metal. "Get him, Link!"

Lungs burning from the lack of air, Link forced himself onto his feet and, after a moment of thinking, ran up the wall in the same direction it was spinning, up to the point where it was nearly vertical and only momentum was carrying him further up. He bent his knees and kicked off the wall, sending himself flying through the air...directly towards the creature, which had been watching him with that same confused look as before.

Not smart enough to attack Link from behind...and definitely not smart enough to account for an attack from above. It tried to raise its sword so Link would impale himself on it as he fell, but he twisted out the way and knocked its shield aside with his own in a single motion, reversing his grip on the Master Sword and sinking it to the hilt into the beast's left shoulder.

It shrieked in pain and shook him off, but the damage was already done. Whatever magic the creature was composed of clearly included some kind of muscles and tendons, which Link had just severed. Its shield arm hung uselessly at its side, the shield deactivating.

It shrieked and charged at him even faster now, more recklessly. Link dodged but felt the blade slicing across his back. Not deep, but definitely painful.

The thing was aggressive. Link could barely keep himself from being overwhelmed by its attacks now, continually forced on the defensive and not allowed a single window to attack. Sheik tried to help by rotating the sections to provide him with cover and obstacles, but the creature refused to give him any respite. At this rate, he'd soon be too exhausted to even lift his sword, much less swing it. He had to do something drastic...and stupid.

What the monster had gained in speed during its frenzy, it had lost its precision. It wasn't even aiming for specific parts of Link, now. It was just as desperate to score a hit as he was.

Daruk, don't fail me now, he thought, dropping his weapons as the monster charged at him again, slamming his knuckles together, expecting to feel the surge of power as Daruk's magic coursed through him and out, forming the shield he'd been so famous for—

Nothing happened. There was no power, no surge, and no shield.

His eyes widened, and he tried to twist out of the way, but it was too late. The tip of the thing's sword pierced his left shoulder in a thrust and was wrenched out in an attempt to repeat the motion. Link was barely aware of his actions as he threw himself into a roll to avoid the next thrust, right hand closing around his sword and swinging it upwards, smacking the blade against what appeared to be a bit of exposed spine emerging from the bottom of its torso. It shrieked in pain and flew away, shaking.

Weak point, Link thought, the pain in his shoulder slowly fading away, suppressed by the battle fever, though the limb itself hung uselessly in a grotesque mirror of the creature, to which he'd given nearly the same injury.

What had just happened? Why hadn't Daruk's Shield worked?

"Sheik!" he called out to the mainframe above him, which was currently upside down. "I couldn't summon Daruk's Shield! The magic doesn't work!"

"Try the other techniques!" Sheik said, sounding panicked. "Link, don't let it get close like that again!"

Easier said than done, but Link tried to will the air currents of Revali's Gale to lift him into the air, but those would not come either. Then...Mipha's healing wouldn't work either. He was on his own, with nothing but a single working arm and a cantankerous sword.

"I need your help," he told the blade. "Please."

As if in response, the blade began to glow a little brighter, just in time for the creature's second wind, coming at him with an overhead chop. With no way to dodge it in time, Link had to parry. He swung the Master Sword as hard as he can, hoping to knock the blade aside. He didn't expect the Master Sword to flash so bright it nearly blinded him when the swords collided and sent the creature smashing face-first into the nearby staircase.

Not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, Link followed up with a stab into its back, a cut across its face. He'd have sunk his blade into its eye if it hadn't reared its head back and smashed its helmet into Link's face, knocking him backwards and screaming in pain as his face erupted with what felt like liquid fire, blood pouring from his nose for the second time in less than two days.

Fuck, if his nose hadn't been broken before, it definitely was now, reduced to little more than pulp.

"Link!"

He couldn't respond. There was no time. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Link rose to his feet again, legs shaking under his weight. At least he seemed to be doing damage to it as well, if the amount of purple blood intermixing with his red on the floor was any indication. Not enough, though. He could barely see straight, but he did see the monster raising its blade up in a peculiar manner and...and...

...and the electricity that began arcing along its blade.

"Oh, come on!" he shouted as the monster charged once more, forcing him back on the defensive and dodging. He couldn't let that sword touch him again, or he was dead. He smelled the ozone left behind by the lightning wherever it carved through the air near him, felt his hair standing up on end, despite how soaked with sweat and blood it was.

At least it was slowing down, clearly suffering from its injuries as well. Not that it helped Link all that much since he couldn't get close enough to take advantage of it.

Then he got lucky. The monster miscalculated an upwards stroke that left it wide open. Link angled the Master Sword and plunged it forwards and upwards. It glanced off the exposed spine, but easily cut through the flesh near it, stabbing it vertically. Link was sure he'd sever its head from the inside, but jerked away before he could, nearly splitting itself in half in the process.

"Die!" Link shouted, his voice cracking, but the fucking thing still wouldn't, the electricity fading from its weapon, only to be replaced by a garish, green light that hurt Link's eyes. It formed a sphere at the tip of its blade, hanging there for a moment, before the creature swung the sword, launching the green orb directly at him. Instinct forced him to hurl his aching body to the side, and he only felt the impact of whatever foul magic the thing had just tried to hit him with it, and the way it tore apart the floor where he'd been standing.

What the hell was holding the thing together at this point? Spite?

Another orb was forming, but Link's vision was swimming and he wasn't sure he had it in him to dodge another. In the corner of his eye, he saw the mainframe platform come back to its original position...and the Ancient shield cylinder rolling to a stop just in front of it.

A stupid plan formed. A desperate plan.

"Sheik!" he called out as he forced his legs into a sprint towards the platform, throwing his sword aside as he went, snatching up his shield instead with his working arm. "I need a bomb!"

"What the fuck are you doing?! Link! Stop!"

"A bomb, Sheik! Now!"

"I don't even know if I can—"

"Try!"

He bounded up the stairs, relieved to see the blue light of a bomb actually materialising at the mainframe's base, outside of Ganon's miasma. He felt heat at his back.

"Link, duck!"

Link did that, and felt and saw the sphere miss him by mere inches, rebounding off the miasma and blowing up the opposite wall. He didn't stop for that, he kept moving, curling his working arm around the bomb while still keeping a firm hold of the shield cylinder.

"Link, it's coming!"

"I know! Blow it when I say!"

He jumped off the mainframe platform, turning in the air to face the creature, which was just a foot away, barely holding together in its desperate attempt to finish him off. Link knew the feeling, which was how the plan had formed in the first place. Time seemed to slow down as he uncurled his arm, turning it into a clumsy throw, sending the bomb flying towards its face.

"Blow it!" he shouted as he activated the shield.

Everything went dark for a second, his ears popping. He had the vague sensation of flying through the air for but a moment...and then he slammed into the floor and was sent skidding along it until he hit something hard. Judging by the sharp edges, a staircase. The fact that his spine hadn't broken was a fucking miracle, he decided, as he tried to move his legs and found that they were still working...if a little numb.

Then again, all of him was numb at this point, his brain positively swimming in painkillers.

His hearing was more or less gone, replaced by a sharp whistling though that was thankfully fading as well, replaced by dull impressions of a voice that was...shouting at him?

Sheik.

He opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to clear his eyes of blood, sweat, and tears...what a delightful combination. He looked down at his front, saw that his Sheikah uniform was no longer purple and blue...

...well, it was still quite purple, but not from the original dye.

Hylia, his head hurt. Willing himself to sit up, he looked around, hoping to spot his...oh yes, there it was.

The explosion had finished the division the Master Sword had started, it seemed. One part of the monster was already fading away, while the other was clinging to its existence, crawling along the floor, its shield flickering uselessly.

He couldn't tell where his sword was—somewhere far away. He gritted his teeth and drew the dagger on his belt instead, stalking unsteadily towards his prey. It didn't even notice him until he sank the blade of the dagger into its neck, twisting the blade and severing whatever passed for nerve endings in there. He withdrew the blade and stabbed it again, and again, and again, until there was nothing left to stab, and the blade bounced off the floor, the corpse dissolving into purple smoke and leaving not a trace of its existence behind.

Save for a bleeding, broken Hero of Hyrule, who immediately collapsed onto the floor, breathing harshly and wetly, each cough bringing up more blood.

Dimly, he was aware that just lying on the floor like this was not a good idea, but it felt too heavenly to even consider not doing so. Even more dimly, he was aware of a voice in his ear, which grew a little clearer by the minute.

"—ink! Link! Listen to me! You cannot fall asleep, you hear me?! Don't fall asleep! Get up, Link, get up!"

What an annoying, nagging voice, Link thought...but it had a point. The floor wasn't nearly comfortably enough to sleep on, and it was covered in blood, some of it his.

Sitting up seemed to shake something into place in his head, and he slowly came back to the situation at hand. He'd done it. He'd beaten the creature, all without help. Sure, he'd almost died doing it, but still! He would have laughed if breathing didn't hurt so much.

Whimpering, he forced himself to slowly rise to his feet and unsteadily stumble towards the mainframe.

"Oh, thank Din, you're alive," Sheik said as Link's head crested the stairs. "I mean, I knew you were alive, but awake? What the hell were you thinking?! Since when was blowing yourself up a good idea?!" he shrieked.

Link let the shouting wash over him like a comforting wave...which even his addled mind found to be an odd description, leaning heavily against the mainframe.

"Hello to... you too," he wheezed, and began to cough. Wet. Unpleasant. Bloody. "Mind...fixing this thing so...Mipha's magic can heal me?"

"So damn reckless, I have no idea why I...I...what? What is this?!"

Link closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the warm metal of the mainframe. "What now?" he asked, wondering if, if he tried hard enough, he could turn into a liquid. Being solid right now was just unpleasant.

"Link, there's something wrong," Sheik said, voice sounding urgent.

"Everything is...wrong," Link countered.

"No, Link, I'm not...it won't let me access the system. Something is keeping me out, something like Ganon, but not entirely like it! Link, I can't regain control of Naboris!"

The Hero opened his eyes, focusing on the slate in the mainframe. "No...override?" he asked.

"Nothing," Sheik confirmed. "I can't do a damn thing from here, and now there's...wait, what's that? Something just appeared on my scanners..."

It was probably a good idea to rearm himself, but Link had no idea where his sword was, so he kept a firm grip on his dagger. It was better than nothing. His ears were still ringing, but he could hear...footsteps? Behind him? He turned his head, still forced to lean against the mainframe.

Someone was standing at the top of the stairs, dressed in red. Their hand was a short, straight sword, the sort carried by Sheikah.

"Who are you?!" Sheik demanded. "Are you the one who cleared this place out before us?"

The stranger had their head bowed, blonde hair obscuring their features. They were breathing heavily. "Hero..." they spoke, voice a mere whisper. All the same, there was something familiar about it to Link's ears.

"What? What did you say?" Sheik demanded.

"Hero...Champion," the stranger repeated. "You?"

"Me," Link breathed out. "I'm the...Hero."

How a Yiga had managed to enter Vah Naboris before them was a mystery, but he wasn't about to be intimidated by some banana-eating, Ganon-worshipping piece of—

The stranger darted forward, and before Link could react, he felt their sword sinking into his stomach, angled upwards, cutting into the area behind his ribcage. He gasped, but there was barely a sound, and all that came from his mouth was more blood, so deep red it was nearly black. It pooled onto the stranger's hands, their face still downturned.

"Link! No!"

Sheik's voice was barely a whisper in the background. Link felt his grip on his dagger slacken, the weapon clattering to the floor. His vision began to blur and darken around the edges. The stranger slowly raised their head...and Link saw the last face he expected on it.

"Sh...Sh..." he couldn't speak.

"Die," the stranger said, wrenching his blade out of Link's body, letting him drop to the floor.

He was so stupid. He should have known! Sheik hadn't seen the signs for what they were! Whatever this...this thing was, it had the same level of access that he had, and then some. It had taken control of Naboris from the fragment of Ganon and eliminated all other forms of security...but why?

No, no, no, no speculating, there was no time. Link was dying, his heart was going into cardiac arrest, his entire system shutting down in response to how his organs had been shredded by the fucker's sword!

Sheik had no way to help. He wasn't locked out of the system entirely, but he didn't have root access and couldn't truly take control, nor could he stop whatever magic-suppressing ability this creature had. The only thing he still had access were...were...

His own defensive shield...and the travel pad.

Fuck!

"Link, hang on!" he ordered his lover, who lay dying on the floor, gasping for breaths his ruined lungs couldn't keep. "Engaging teleport! Just hang in there! No time for maths, so you'll just have to deal with the nausea!"

He hoped this would work. The field couldn't be that big—if he could get Link out of its range, then perhaps...maybe...possibly...

"She...ik..." Link's hand was raised towards the mainframe, trying to reach for him, but he was already being broken into fragments, to be hastily sent off anywhere but here.

"I'm sorry, Link! You'll be fine, I promise!"

And then he was gone, leaving Sheik alone with the stranger, whose blade was still dripping with his lover's blood. Sheik tried not to pay attention to the amount of blood Link had lost, the damage he'd suffered, and definitely ignoring the nagging doubt in the back of his mind about Mipha's supposed healing abilities.

Link had been moments from death...and this time there would be no one to take him to the Shrine of Resurrection.

His sensors reported movement, and he just managed to activate the protective shield around the mainframe, forcing the stranger to step back, flailing their hand at the sudden shock.

"That's right, asshole," he spat. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeves too!"

The stranger paced back and forth in front of the mainframe a few times. Sheik felt their attempts at wresting control of the mainframe away from him, even the minor superficial level he controlled. There were limits to what access to the tumblers could achieve, but still! No way in hell would Sheik let them!

There was system report from the mainframe.

Insufficient authorisation detected

Conflicting users attempting access

Stalemate detected

Access denied for all users pending admin authorisation

"I don't know what the hell you are," Sheik said as the stranger sank into a seated position on the floor in front of the mainframe, raising its head to look directly at the slate. "Or how the hell you managed to steal my goddamn face, but I promise you this: You will never gain access to this system. Not as long as I still live."

The stranger, with its grotesque reflection of Sheik's own face, stared back at him. It was a strange sight, like a mirror image that didn't match up with what once expected. It was unnerving...as was the stranger's left eye, blue and spinning wildly, just like with the Guardians, and the Blights.

"How did Ganon create you?" Sheik asked.

"Submit," the stranger replied in a voice Sheik recognised as his own, though hoarse from disuse.

Sheik felt it probing at the corners of his mind, scanning him, using the fact that they were connected to the same network against him. What the fuck even was this thing?!

"I don't think so," Sheik replied, launching his own set of scans. Whatever secrets this doppelgänger of his held, he would find them...and then he'd eviscerate the thing for what it had done.

Link...

Please...don't die...