Jovani did not bother to talk or ask questions. He just kept behind the strangers as they ran between the houses and along the ruined streets. He kept his harp clutched to his body, huffing and turning red. He nearly crashed into the woman when she stopped and scanned the cobblestones. Finally, she, and the thin man called Shad, knelt together and lifted one of the larger stones. It popped off easily, revealing the hole beneath. Without thining, Jovani leapt straight in, only to find himself jostled and pushed forward by his rescuers.

"Hurry, hurry!"

"Move, sir!"

"Okay, okay!"

The tunnel was dark and dank, and Jovani considered it a miracle that he was able to run without tripping over himself.

It was to his mild relief that he finally registered a dim light at the end, faintly illuminating a metallic mesh. He grabbed and heaved and pulled, eager to avoid having the other two escapees force him vertically as well. When he finally got to the top, he felt as though he had popped up from below deep water. He fell flat on himself, puffing like a fish on a reel. He blacked out for a few eternal minutes.

Finally, someone grabbed and picked him up. He found himself plonked into a hard wooden chair, the harp falling to the floor beside him.

Finally, his eyesight came back to life. There was a wicker chair across from him. On one side was the man, and the woman was on the other side. The latter had picked up a long, scabbarded sword, holding it loosely with both hands.

Another woman was sitting in the other chair. Her hair was cropped, and she wore a plain dress. The lines in her face were those of an older person, but Jovani had the feeling that she was a decade younger.

She wore an odd expression; a mix of disbelief, hope, fear, and wonder. Not knowing what else to do, Jovani waved his free hand awkwardly.

"Hi."

The woman in the chair forced herself up from her seat, whirling her head to look at her companions. She extended a longer finger.

"Is...is that harp real?"

Jovani nodded dumbly and picked the instrument up as tears began to form in the woman's eyes.

"Shad...oh, Ashei...the miracle has come!"

As Shad and Ashei put their hands on the woman's shoulders, she focused again on Jovani.

"Listen to me...I'm Princess Zelda. That harp is our last chance..."

Jovani was shocked. Zelda? He had seen the Princess in his younger years when he had joined a crowd at one of the yearly processions. She had been lively and graceful, not...

The blast missed Jovani, who was standing parallel to the door, by less than an inch. He was nearly blinded by the yellow flash, and he somehow knew that the door was completely disintegrated. He stood dumbly, his ears ringing and his eyes going glassy. He knew there was sweat starting to form on his forehead, even if he could not feel it.

And somehow, he knew Shad and Ashei, as they were called, were on the move again.

Standing just outside the hole that had been put into the small house, Shad and Ashei sized up their competition. Dark Link approached with a casual-half smile, as if he were greeting old friends. It seemed he had a skip to his step, and the two survivors noticed something different. He had the same black clothing as before, as well as the red cape, but he had something strapped to his right arm. Shad gulped and Ashei snarled as they saw it was a wooden shield with a distinct etching of a goat on the surface. Colin's shield. Dark Link looked to his enemies and then to the shield and back. He shrugged. Ashei yanked her sword from its scabbard.

Shad swallowed once more, afraid that he would stammer. "I don't suppose this the part where you say you'll spare us if we give up?"

Dark Link chuckled. "No. You've wasted far too much time already. My time, at that." He tilted his head. "But you would not face me in the open unless you had something to protect...or someone..."

Ashei moved a few paces forward, sword at the ready. Dark Link nodded, and broke into a dead run. Ashei barely swerved out of the way as Dark Link swung the shield toward her face. She swung her own weapon horizontally, then vertically. It didn not matter which; Dark Link blocked each blow effortlessly, the sheer power of the arm behind the shield sending vibrations through Ashei. She went for her last gamble, thrusting the sword forward, putting the whole weight of her body behind the blade. It pierced straight through the top of the shield. She moved to grab the stuck sword with both hands and tear the shield away.

She was a split-second too slow.

Shad froze in horror as Dark Link swung again, tearing the impaled shield away, taking advantage of the momentum to swing his arm in another arc. The shield hit Ashei in the neck, edge first. She dropped like a rock.

Shad could have done a million different things at that moment. He could have screamed. He could have wept, could have ran away, could have relieved himself on the spot. Instead, trembling, he reached behind himself and pulled his dagger from the small of his back.

Dark Link blinked his golden eyes, then smiled. He took hold of the sword, ripped it free, and tossed the shield away.

Presently, Jovani managed to stand on his feet.

"Give me the harp!" Princess Zelda shouted. "Give-"

There was another flash of movement before Jovani's eyes.

Dark Link reached across and took Jovani by the throat. Jovani gasped noiselessly and kicked his feet about. It should not have been possible for such a thin man to have such strength, and yet a single hand was enough to leave him floundering helplessly in midair.

"Does this make you uncomfortable?"

Jovani felt his eyes bulging, as well as the fingers practically digging into his skin.

Who is this guy!?

"Good..."

"No!" Princess Zelda cried out.

I don't want to die here, don't want to die, don't want...

Then the clarity struck Jovani. He couldn't feel his body at all, but he knew he had to still be holding the harp.

He strummed the strings. He didn't care which way his fingers brushed them. Anything to get away...

His silent prayer was answered. The room disintegrated in a second, and he found himself in the void again.

Next up; with both Jovani and Dark Link removed from the future, Link and Midna have more obstacles yet to face...