Sky's agonized scream rang throughout the chamber. He fell to his knees and gripped the arrow stuck in his chest, glaring at Sky Zelda with eyes full of hatred.

"Don't take it personally," Adult Link urged her the best he could, hiding his own guilt. "When Sky comes back to you he'll understand."

Cia, on the other hand, didn't take things so well. She collapsed by his side and held his limp body in her arms and his eyelids began to close.

"Sky, don't! Stay awake!" she begged, gently shaking him. "Don't leave me, please…"

The sorceress rested her head in his shoulder, her sobs heard across the room. Adult Link felt a pang of empathy for her.

"Link…" Sky Zelda grasped his arm fearfully, beginning to tremble. "He's not moving…"

She was right. Sky didn't even seem to be breathing at this point. Did it not work? Adult Link shut his eyes and turned his head, not able to watch his brother motionless in Cia's hands.

"Wait," the Hero said urgently. "Look. He's waking up."

Adult Link felt pressure on his shoulder as Sky Zelda began shaking from excitement. "He's awake!" she exclaimed, tearing up from happiness. "It worked!"

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Sky's eyes opened and darted around blankly, grasping for something to comprehend. The poor guy was still clearly out of it. But then he noticed Cia hovering above him.

"You…"

The sorceress beamed at the sound of his voice. "Yes, darling, I'm here," she said gently, stroking his cheek. "What is it?"

"You fucking bitch…"

"Huh?" Cia's face twisted in confusion as Sky pushed her away forcefully. He ripped the arrow from his chest and tossed it over his shoulder, readying his sword in the process.

"Did you really think you'd get away with such a stupid plan?!" he shouted, struggling to his feet with grit teeth. "I shouldn't even let you walk out of this temple in one piece."

Cia gripped her scepter with unsteady hands as she slowly backed away. "S-Sky, honey," she stammered in disbelief. "It's me, Cia. Remember? I won't hurt you-"

"You sure as hell did a lot of other things." Sky reached back to make a forceful swing but found his arm being held back.

"Link, please!" Sky Zelda hugged herself to him from behind, clearly frightened by his strange behavior. "Listen to yourself. This isn't you!"

Her pleas went unheard. The girl was tossed from his body, skidding across the floor and stopped by the wall. Ghirahim rushed to her side and hoisted her over his shoulder.

"I've got her, don't worry," he nodded. The Demon Lord made sure to stay a fair distance away from Sky, who was still steadily moving towards Cia. "Just do something about all that."

"No, let me go!" Sky Zelda desperately pounded on Ghirahim's body in a meek attempt to break free, but she was carried farther away from her friend all the same.

"W-What the hell is going on?!" Adult Link took a step back nervously. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Aw, poor Sky." Dark's voice cackled from the floor. "His anger is controlling him already! Shame I can't do it to you so easily…"

Adult Link glared at his shadow's red gaze curiously. "But Sky doesn't have a… A you," he argued. "There's no way-"

"Don't you remember where I came from?" Dark groaned. "I'm the manifestation for the darkness in your heart. The negative thoughts of your past lives. And it seems like Sky is forming one of me as we speak…"

"Grandfather!" Wolf abruptly rushed to his ancestor's side, clutching his chest. "What's the matter with Sky?"

"There's no time to explain," Adult Link said. Sky was beginning to make a few sword swings at Cia, which she desperately blocked with a magical barrier. "We've got to find a way to stop Sky, and fast."

"Oh, don't go overcomplicating things," Dark sighed. "It's actually pretty easy. I mean, I did tell you that's another me at work, right? Just wake me up and I'll split from Sky." A wide smile spread across his face. "For now, at least."

Adult Link bit the inside of his cheek apprehensively. A panicked Sky Zelda was caught in his view, pounding and kicking Ghirahim with all her strength. "Sky has the most reason out of all of us," the hero argued. "I can help him… I know he'll listen eventually."

"Whatever," Dark sighed, his silhouette shaking its head. "Have it your way. But don't come whining to me if something goes wrong."

Adult Link ignored his words and dashed to Sky, restraining him by the arms from behind.

"H-Hey!" Sky struggled uselessly against the grip. "Let me go!"

"No way." Adult Link gestured with his head for Cia to move away, which she did gladly. "This isn't right, Sky. I learned the hard way that violence won't get you anywhere. Well, excessive violence anyway… Look, my point is that this isn't you."

Sky stopped resisting for a moment, but it didn't last long. He kicked backwards and his Adult Link between his legs. Dark laughed uncontrollably as his other half fell to his knees in pain.

"W-What the hell…" Adult Link stammered. He leaped forward and grabbed Sky by the collar, dragging them both to the ground. "Don't you fucking move."

Sky continued to thrash his limbs while his counterpart held him down. "I told you," Dark said. "You have to wake me up. If you don't, well… Who knows what will become of Sky? He could go so crazy he'd kill everyone in this room."

"Link, stop!" Everyone looked up to see Sky Zelda rushing towards them, Ghirahim chasing close behind her. "Don't hurt him, please!"

Adult Link was unsure of which one she was speaking to at first, but it was obvious when she gripped his arm tightly.

"I'm not hurting him," he explained, still fighting to keep Sky immobile. "He just won't listen. So-"

"Just stop," Sky Zelda said, a sudden seriousness in her tone. "I don't care what you do as long as he isn't hurt. But it's obvious he won't listen to us. It's… It's starting to scare me. Please, just bring him back. I feel awful asking you to do something like that, but…"

Adult Link couldn't help but be filled with sympathy for the girl. He met Sky's wild gaze, disturbed by his brother's loss of sanity. "I think I know a way. But it's not really…foolproof, I guess."

Before Zelda could respond, Ghirahim grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and pulled her away. "Stupid girl… I'm trying to protect you for once. Be grateful!"

The Hero of Time struggled to block out the chaos around him. He noticed Cia cowering behind a curtain in the back, her arrogance completely drained. To think this was the same girl who scraped his eye from its socket and supposedly tried to have him killed… It was like night and day.

"You have to do it, kid."

Adult Link flinched at the sudden sound of the Hero's voice. "But if I do, Sky will suffer for the rest of his life. I can't do that to him!"

"Yes, you can. Leaving him like this would be the same as abandoning him. Leaving the guy dying in a field would be better – trust me, I know. The point is that he can't stay in this state."

The Hero's words rung in his ears. Sky looked like he was going through torture as it was. Just looking at him felt like Adult Link's heart was being crushed.

"Sky…" He gripped Sky harder, partly for protection and partly to keep him constrained. "I'm so sorry…" He could practically feel Dark grinning sickeningly as he lifted his head up a bit. "Dark, what do I do? I don't know how to do this."

"Oh, please… Let me handle it. Just keep him in earshot." After a deep breath Dark shouted, "Hey, dumbass! Yeah, you in there. I know you can hear me!"

To Adult Link's surprise, Sky froze at the voice. "W-Who…?"

"Look, I know want revenge and all. Everyone loves that shit. But you can't do it right now."

"Why not?!" Sky's chest heaved in a panic. "That bitch deserves everything she's got coming!"

Dark cackled, entertained by the ordeal. "You've got to have patience, little guy. You're not really Sky, so you can't make that call."

Sky froze and furrowed his eyebrows. "No, I'm… I'm Link, right?" It sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Kinda. You're a part of him that broke off, in a manner of speaking. His anger. Every bit of anger from his past life and the current one. You make up all of that. Remember Hylia? And Robin and Hannah?"

The fury disappeared from Sky's eyes, now appearing eerily empty and tired. "Oh… Them. Sounds familiar, I think."

"Of course it does. You've been around for quite a while. You just never realized it. Don't worry if it sounds confusing."

"Hylia… She let me die," Sky muttered deliriously. "Hannah left me. Robin… He-"

"Oh, don't be such a crybaby," Dark groaned. "You'll get used to the sad stuff. But we've got to get a move on. Let's make a deal shall we?"

Sky wasn't listening, still staring blankly into space.

"…You like Sky, don't you? Your helpless little hero?" Dark asked mockingly.

For once he began to process thought. "I-I think," Sky replied unsurely. "If I look at it like he's a separate person, he's pretty, like, a good guy."

"Indeed. But he's also an empty-headed and stupid guy. Wouldn't you agree? I mean, why would you let people just walk all over you like a damn doormat?"

Sky grit his teeth, anger returning to him. "Everyone does that… Hylia and Zelda especially. I should really get rid of them."

"H-Hey," Adult Link stuttered nervously. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Shut it," Dark growled. "Let me do the talking. Where was I? Oh, right. Yeah, those two are hoes kind of deserve to have their heads lopped off, but the time isn't right. Trust me. Patience is a virtue. If you want to protect Sky a little while longer, you've got to let him stay with Zelda."

"But-!"

"Hey, let me finish! Look, here's the deal… After a while you can make yourself known to Sky. Then you can possess him and end his suffering in this world. And then you can take a sword to Zelda's throat."

Sky grimaced in disapproval. "But why do I have to wait? He's already so sad… I can feel it now, even."

"Because your power grows with his misery," Dark explained. "And soon he'll hand himself over to you willingly. Just let him enjoy happiness a little while longer."

Adult Link couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Dark lying or did he actually care?

Sky stared at the ceiling for a long while, taking in Dark's compromise. "Are you sure he will be okay?"

"Oh, sure. Sky's tough, you know. Just let him come back. I know you can feel his presence in the back of your mind. He's sleeping peacefully back there, totally ignorant of what's going on right now. You could leave him be, but what's the fun in that? Come on, you can trust me."

Sky closed his eyes and inhaled nervously. "O-Okay… I trust you. Just take care of him, okay?"

"Oh, we'll take good care of him," Dark chuckled. "Now, bring him back. You can do it."

After a few deep breaths, Sky's movement stopped altogether. But before anyone could panic, his eyelids fluttered open, the light returned to his azure eyes.

"Ugh…" he groaned. "What in the world…?"

"Oh, he's back," Dark smirked. "Wasn't I adorable back in the day? Sorry for you I'll just get more vengeful."

"Sky, I…" Adult Link let go of his groggy brother, taking in the sight of him. "I'm sorry."

Sky raised a brow suspiciously. "Young, is that you? Um, you look…different."

"I didn't think you'd recognize me," he laughed forcefully. "Not even my own friends did when I first… Well, that's another story. Anyway, I'll explain everything later-"

"No, you don't have to," Sky sighed. "I think I remember. Cia put me under her power, right?" His counterpart nodded. "I was hoping I dreamed that somehow. Are you guys here to hurt her? You must be. Look, don't even bother."

"Don't bother?! Are you out of your damn mind?" Adult Link shouted angrily. "Do you even know what she did to you and Wolf? The way she treated you?"

"Better than you do, I'm sure," Sky smiled, patting his arm. "But Cia spoke to me. She opened up and, well, I can't help but feel bad. I can't forgive her for the things she made me do to Wolf and Lana, but… Well, let me show you."

He gently pushed Adult Link off him and made his way to a back room. Cia's gaze snapped to different people nervously as the room went deadly silent. Sky Zelda stood by Ghirahim's side, not knowing what kind of emotion to feel, while Agitha sat patiently in the back, still holding her finger. Wolf Zelda, who was mostly silent throughout the battle, held her bow at ready with a stern expression.

And then there was Wolf. He stood alone, not exactly sure what to do. For the first time in quite a while, he looked terrified. Though he held it well, Adult Link could tell. The shaking of his hands and wavering of his irises gave it away.

"Wolf." Adult Link's call echoed across the silent chamber. "Come here."

Wolf stared at his feet as he approached. He looked so pathetic from the first time his grandfather had seen him. His dark blond hair stuck out in tangles, some streaks of blood here and there, and a red blotch stained the middle of his tunic. He no longer wore the determined expression of a hero. Instead, he looked more like a dog with its tail between its legs.

"It's alright, Wolf." Adult Link opened as arms and allowed his descendant to fall into them. Wolf's body began to shake, no doubt a signal of tears. "It's almost over. Just hold out a little longer."

Midna glided over and placed a hand on Wolf's shoulder. Though she did nothing else, her touch was enough to calm him.

"I-I'm sorry, Grandfather," Wolf sniffed. "I know I'm supposed to be the hero type, but I'm not-"

"I know, I know." Adult Link rubbed his back awkwardly, not sure if it would help. "You've been through a lot. But you don't have to worry anymore. I'll take care of the rest. I promise."

Before Wolf could respond, if he even was going to at all, Sky walked back in with Cia's crystal ball. "I must show you something. I've never really seen it myself, but you all deserve to know."

Adult Link and Wolf looked into the glass surface as Sky said, "Show us Cia while she as the Guardian of Time."

An image of Cia faded into it, showing her sitting alone, the ball in her lap. She stroked her hand across it lovingly as the visions inside it changed from Sky, to Wolf, to Young Link, and to other heroes they'd never seen before.

"…Is she going to do anything?" Wolf asked.

"No," Sky answered, shaking his head. "This is what she did, all day every day. Just sit there and wish we were with her. It tends to drive a person crazy, I'd think."

"So she was lonely…" As much as Adult Link hated to admit it, he could relate. Wandering alone in Hyrule Field didn't do much for his mental state. And being in one room alone must've been ten times worse.

"There's more," Sky continued. "Ganondorf came to her. I think those names sound familiar to you. He came to her and offered her power to gain us. She really was a good person. Please believe me…"

Wolf nodded, "Don't worry, I believe you. But we can't just let Cia go. You know that."

"We'll figure it out," Sky said. "But let's just agree not to hurt her."

The three turned to Cia, whose malice had all but disappeared. She gazed at them timidly, clutching her staff protectively. Upon noticing their suspicious glares, she tossed it a fair distance away. Though the others weren't fully convinced, Sky smiled at her warmly.

"It's alright, Cia," he assured her gently. "You don't have to hide. We won't hurt you."

Some of the others scattered around the room groaned in disappointment, but one sharp glare from Sky silenced them. Slowly but surely, Cia shuffled out of her hiding space.

"Hey, everyone!" Agitha yelled across the room. "Wait a second!"

Wolf turned to her with a worried look. "What is it?"

"It's the army I was with!" she exclaimed. "Impa's army. They're here!"

*Sorry for the delay, everyone! It's been a hard few months. But I got Breath of the Wild yesterday and my writing spirits were raised! :D I'm publishing all this in a rush, but I'm petty happy with how it turned out. The part with Dark Link was really fun to do, so tell me what you think! :3

k bye.*