Chapter 18 – The Hero And The Shadow
The shadow's blade wheeled over his head, and them came crashing down towards Link. Link shrugged it off on the side of his own sword and spun around to strike. The being that called himself a god was too nimble though; he did a surprising back flip over Link's blade, and made a counter strike. Link turned around and blocked the assault, and then blocked another two blows, before hitting back again.
The great hall was now filled with a great wind, and the shadows seemed to be moved by the wind as though it were smoke. It swirled between them, and made Link shudder, he was cold. "Why are you fighting me!" Link demanded.
"I fight you because I want to. That is all." He spun his sword around his back and leaped over Link's head, Link crouched and thrust his sword upwards. He expected that the shadow would fall down off balance, but he floated higher above him and landed on his feet on the ground behind. Link turned and struck his sword, and the blow was shrugged off. They sent several strikes back and forth, and then Link backed away, warding the shadow off.
"What are you? Really?"
"I am a god, Hero. I have told you. And now I have no purpose but to cause misery for those that cursed me as disgraced."
"But you look like a child in the shadows!"
"I can change..." The shadow grew and expanded, until it was twice Link's height, and laughed out loud. "See." He advanced on Link, sword poised to strike. Link ducked as a blow swung towards him, and lunged forward to strike. The shadow leaped backwards, flipping over his head. When he landed he was back at his original size again. The child shadow ran at Link with some speed, and Link was knocked back to the ground by his attack; he shrugged off the sword, but was still toppled off balance.
He flipped back up on to his feet and swung at the shadow's legs. It leaped up and swung at Link's head. Link drew up his sword to block, and sent the shadow's sword away with a scraping of steel then kicked sideways at the shadow's chin, the shadow fell flat on its back. It just laughed as Link looked over him, holding his sword in killing poise.
Zelda had been watching all this with her hands over her face, peeping through her fingers. She was used to violence and fighting, but this felt somehow different, and she struggled to cope. "Destroy him, Link!" She screamed. But the shadow was just laughing hysterically.
Link thrust his sword, but the shadow rolled to the side, and struck Link's side. Link reeled in pain and fell to his knees. He was wounded, a flesh- piercing blow had hit him in the ribs, and he was bleeding heavily. Leaping to his feet angrily holding his side with his left hand, he thrust his sword towards the shadow; but the shadow merely sidestepped him and landed a blow on his right shoulder. "Argh!" Link shouted out in pain.
"Link!" Zelda called, running towards him. The shadow looked at Zelda, then with some form of magic, sent a powerful shadow cloud towards her that knocked her to the ground breathless, then he turned back to the Hero.
Link was kneeling on the floor, supporting himself with his sword. "You see Hero, you are not too strong. Not really." Link's sword arm was in agony now, and so he held his blade in his left hand instead.
"I will not fall to you, no matter what you say you are." Link stood up, and faced his adversary. "Come on!" He ran forwards and cut upwards with his blade but the shadow blocked him with such ease, stepping left and right swinging his sword loosely to repel Link's strikes. It was hopeless.
"Give in Hero, you cannot win!" The shadow was laughing hysterically as Link struggled to stand. He leapt into the air and kicked him under the chin, flipping Link over onto his back again. Link finally understood what it felt like to be defeated, on the brink of death in combat. How he had put so many others through such agony. Nevertheless, he could not and would not give in; there was too much hanging on this; the fate of the world. The closed his eyes and prayed to the gods, a desperate plea for strength. As he did so, the Triforce of Courage shined bright gold like the sun in his hand. Zelda was still on the floor, grappling with some unseen force that the shadow had inflicted upon her, twisting and writhing in pain.
The power of the gods filled his veins with gold and he arose again, holding his sword in his Triforce bearing hand. "I will never give in to you!!"
The shadow laughed. "Your precious Triforce cannot help you Link!" He suddenly seemed stronger than before, and had a deeper voice. He flew through the air towards Link, but the Hero just sidestepped him, and twisted his blade down into the ground, kicking the shadow in the back. "Argh!"
"Yes it can!" Shouted Link, he raised his sword and struck the shadow. For the first time, the shadow was hit by Link's blade, and the power of the Triforce struck with a great ferocity. The shadow reeled, but turned back quickly and slashed viciously. Link deflected these blows and then lunged forwards.
For a long time they duelled, two great powers of gold and shadow locked in volcanic combatance. Their blades sparked, and fire flew; they bounded through the air, kicking up off the great pillars and lunging downwards; neither one would give in.
"What are you fighting for, Hero?" Yelled the shadow.
"I fight for Hyrule! I fight for the free people!"
"The free people are doomed, Hero! Fighting me will not save them." The shadow swung from above, and Link ducked. Temporarily getting behind the shadow. He swung his blade, but he back flipped over Link again
"I will do what I must!" They shouted over the wind and thunder as they fought, steel flying left and right, their pattern of fighting becoming almost fluent, matching each other step for step, strike for strike.
"That which you must do is already a lost cause!"
"But I will do it anyway! I do not care!"
"You are foolish, you are no hero!"
"I am the Hero of Time!"
"You were the Hero of Time, but no you are nothing. That destiny has lost you!"
"No, silence! I am the Hero, and I will destroy you!" Link threw himself forwards, "Die!" He lunged his blade, but the shadow leaped above him, kicking him to the floor, and landing on top of him.
"No, you will die, Link al'Ryak!!" The shadow thrust his blade down into Link's back, and blood erupted up from a great gash.
"No!!" Link screamed a pain so fierce, dropping his blade with and clang and curling up on the floor.
"You see! It is pointless, Hero." Link rolled onto his knees and looked up into the malice and hate in the god's flaming eyes.
"Link!" Zelda was on her feet, but knew not what to do.
Kneeling, Link fell forward onto his hands, head lowered to the floor. He looked up at Zelda and opened his mouth to try to speak to her, but it was in vain; the shadow kicked Link upright and slashed his silver blade across his neck. An explosion of blood stained the floor, as the Hero crashed to the ground on his face.
"Link, no!!" Zelda screamed, and ran to his side. The shadow had stepped back, and was laughing maliciously. Zelda pulled Link over and looked with dread into his dead, pale eyes. "No, Link, no! Don't leave me here all alone!" She stroked his face, but he did not move. "I can't go on without you..." She held his body close and started to weep, crying for his soul and her own.
But here at the brink of the world, in the Fortress of Darkness, where all light has long gone, the quest had failed at its bitter end. For Link al'Ryak, the Hero of Time, was dead.
The shadow's blade wheeled over his head, and them came crashing down towards Link. Link shrugged it off on the side of his own sword and spun around to strike. The being that called himself a god was too nimble though; he did a surprising back flip over Link's blade, and made a counter strike. Link turned around and blocked the assault, and then blocked another two blows, before hitting back again.
The great hall was now filled with a great wind, and the shadows seemed to be moved by the wind as though it were smoke. It swirled between them, and made Link shudder, he was cold. "Why are you fighting me!" Link demanded.
"I fight you because I want to. That is all." He spun his sword around his back and leaped over Link's head, Link crouched and thrust his sword upwards. He expected that the shadow would fall down off balance, but he floated higher above him and landed on his feet on the ground behind. Link turned and struck his sword, and the blow was shrugged off. They sent several strikes back and forth, and then Link backed away, warding the shadow off.
"What are you? Really?"
"I am a god, Hero. I have told you. And now I have no purpose but to cause misery for those that cursed me as disgraced."
"But you look like a child in the shadows!"
"I can change..." The shadow grew and expanded, until it was twice Link's height, and laughed out loud. "See." He advanced on Link, sword poised to strike. Link ducked as a blow swung towards him, and lunged forward to strike. The shadow leaped backwards, flipping over his head. When he landed he was back at his original size again. The child shadow ran at Link with some speed, and Link was knocked back to the ground by his attack; he shrugged off the sword, but was still toppled off balance.
He flipped back up on to his feet and swung at the shadow's legs. It leaped up and swung at Link's head. Link drew up his sword to block, and sent the shadow's sword away with a scraping of steel then kicked sideways at the shadow's chin, the shadow fell flat on its back. It just laughed as Link looked over him, holding his sword in killing poise.
Zelda had been watching all this with her hands over her face, peeping through her fingers. She was used to violence and fighting, but this felt somehow different, and she struggled to cope. "Destroy him, Link!" She screamed. But the shadow was just laughing hysterically.
Link thrust his sword, but the shadow rolled to the side, and struck Link's side. Link reeled in pain and fell to his knees. He was wounded, a flesh- piercing blow had hit him in the ribs, and he was bleeding heavily. Leaping to his feet angrily holding his side with his left hand, he thrust his sword towards the shadow; but the shadow merely sidestepped him and landed a blow on his right shoulder. "Argh!" Link shouted out in pain.
"Link!" Zelda called, running towards him. The shadow looked at Zelda, then with some form of magic, sent a powerful shadow cloud towards her that knocked her to the ground breathless, then he turned back to the Hero.
Link was kneeling on the floor, supporting himself with his sword. "You see Hero, you are not too strong. Not really." Link's sword arm was in agony now, and so he held his blade in his left hand instead.
"I will not fall to you, no matter what you say you are." Link stood up, and faced his adversary. "Come on!" He ran forwards and cut upwards with his blade but the shadow blocked him with such ease, stepping left and right swinging his sword loosely to repel Link's strikes. It was hopeless.
"Give in Hero, you cannot win!" The shadow was laughing hysterically as Link struggled to stand. He leapt into the air and kicked him under the chin, flipping Link over onto his back again. Link finally understood what it felt like to be defeated, on the brink of death in combat. How he had put so many others through such agony. Nevertheless, he could not and would not give in; there was too much hanging on this; the fate of the world. The closed his eyes and prayed to the gods, a desperate plea for strength. As he did so, the Triforce of Courage shined bright gold like the sun in his hand. Zelda was still on the floor, grappling with some unseen force that the shadow had inflicted upon her, twisting and writhing in pain.
The power of the gods filled his veins with gold and he arose again, holding his sword in his Triforce bearing hand. "I will never give in to you!!"
The shadow laughed. "Your precious Triforce cannot help you Link!" He suddenly seemed stronger than before, and had a deeper voice. He flew through the air towards Link, but the Hero just sidestepped him, and twisted his blade down into the ground, kicking the shadow in the back. "Argh!"
"Yes it can!" Shouted Link, he raised his sword and struck the shadow. For the first time, the shadow was hit by Link's blade, and the power of the Triforce struck with a great ferocity. The shadow reeled, but turned back quickly and slashed viciously. Link deflected these blows and then lunged forwards.
For a long time they duelled, two great powers of gold and shadow locked in volcanic combatance. Their blades sparked, and fire flew; they bounded through the air, kicking up off the great pillars and lunging downwards; neither one would give in.
"What are you fighting for, Hero?" Yelled the shadow.
"I fight for Hyrule! I fight for the free people!"
"The free people are doomed, Hero! Fighting me will not save them." The shadow swung from above, and Link ducked. Temporarily getting behind the shadow. He swung his blade, but he back flipped over Link again
"I will do what I must!" They shouted over the wind and thunder as they fought, steel flying left and right, their pattern of fighting becoming almost fluent, matching each other step for step, strike for strike.
"That which you must do is already a lost cause!"
"But I will do it anyway! I do not care!"
"You are foolish, you are no hero!"
"I am the Hero of Time!"
"You were the Hero of Time, but no you are nothing. That destiny has lost you!"
"No, silence! I am the Hero, and I will destroy you!" Link threw himself forwards, "Die!" He lunged his blade, but the shadow leaped above him, kicking him to the floor, and landing on top of him.
"No, you will die, Link al'Ryak!!" The shadow thrust his blade down into Link's back, and blood erupted up from a great gash.
"No!!" Link screamed a pain so fierce, dropping his blade with and clang and curling up on the floor.
"You see! It is pointless, Hero." Link rolled onto his knees and looked up into the malice and hate in the god's flaming eyes.
"Link!" Zelda was on her feet, but knew not what to do.
Kneeling, Link fell forward onto his hands, head lowered to the floor. He looked up at Zelda and opened his mouth to try to speak to her, but it was in vain; the shadow kicked Link upright and slashed his silver blade across his neck. An explosion of blood stained the floor, as the Hero crashed to the ground on his face.
"Link, no!!" Zelda screamed, and ran to his side. The shadow had stepped back, and was laughing maliciously. Zelda pulled Link over and looked with dread into his dead, pale eyes. "No, Link, no! Don't leave me here all alone!" She stroked his face, but he did not move. "I can't go on without you..." She held his body close and started to weep, crying for his soul and her own.
But here at the brink of the world, in the Fortress of Darkness, where all light has long gone, the quest had failed at its bitter end. For Link al'Ryak, the Hero of Time, was dead.