Disclaimer: I not own Legend of Zelda. There happy now?
"L-Link?" Terra said as she turned around slowly.
"What...What is wrong with you?" Link asked as the golden aura around him intensified, surprised by how pale she was.
The dark aura around Terra only darkened as she fell to her knees, clutching the sides of her head as she began whimpering in pain. The sages were being pushed back from an unseen force coming from Terra, causing the barrier around Hyrule to fall. The sages all tried to fight against the force, but failing horribly. They turned to Link who was slowly gaining ground against the force, "Link! Good luck!" Zelda yelled to him as she and the other sages teleported away.
Elsewhere with Dark Ryuu no Oni Link and Yami Link, Dark Ryuu no Oni Link's sword was swinging wildly around him as Yami Link kept trying to get close enough to attack but failing due to the huge sword flying around Dark Ryuu no Oni Link. "Do you plan on actually attacking me anytime soon? Or do you plan on keeping this stupid game up?" Yami Link taunted.
"Why? Too scared to find a way through my shield?" Dark Ryuu no Oni Link taunted back.
Suddenly Yami Link began to glow with dark light as Dark Ryuu no Oni Link began slowing down. Yami Link saw an opening and he charged and jumped onto Dark Ryuu no Oni Link's weapon. Sliding down it towards Dark Ryuu no Oni Link's face, his katana drawn back ready to stab out as soon as he was close enough. "Goodbye foolish shadow," Yami Link said, grabbing the top of Dark Ryuu no Oni Link's face and rammed his katana through his face and coming out the other end.
The Ryuu no Oni Mask came off Dark Link's face as he slowly slid off the katana, transforming as it happened, the sword disappearing under Yami Link, though he did not fall but instead floated where he was. The Ryuu no Oni Mask slowly began to crumble as the dark light around Yami Link intensified and almost looked like black ooze. As soon as the mask finished crumbling the dark light around Yami Link was sucked into his body. Yami Link slowly floated down and stood up from where he was, a smirk on his face as he flexed his muscles. "Very interesting," Yami Link said as he looked towards the highest tower where Link was, 'Link, how is it going up there?'
Back up there with Link, he had managed to get within a foot of Terra, but the dark aura around her only intensified as he did so, making it so that he couldn't get any closer. After hearing Yami Link's voice through their bond he answered, 'Not good, its Terra, something is wrong with her.'
'I see, tell me, are you glowing with any sort of energy?'
'Yes, a golden one, why?'
'Because I believe I just absorbed the power of the Ryuu no Oni Mask, and I believe that golden aura you have must be a sign you are absorbing the powers of the Mast of Apotheosis,'
'Thanks Yami, that may help me up here,' Link answered as he began to manipulate the aura through force of will, slowing piercing through the darkness.
Terra began to scream in pain as he did so, the darkness becoming even greater than it was before, almost blowing Link away. Link continued to do what he could to get through the darkness, slowly reached out his hands towards her as the light pushed it's way through the darkness. "Come on Terra, fight whatever it is that is doing this to you, I can't do this by myself," Link whispered to her, trying to reach her through the darkness.
"L...Link...Help me," Terra cried as she began shaking in pain.
"I'm here Terra," Link said as the darkness thinned as the light reached and encompassed her, followed by Link's hands as he picked her up and embraced her, "I will always be here for you."
The darkness quickly dispersed after that, the dark clouds in the sky disappearing. The golden light around Link only became stronger as this happened, "It is alright now, I'm back and you are safe now," Link whispered to her as she slowly opened her eyes, color returning to her face.
She looked up into Link's eyes, seeing the concern and something else in them. Terra fell limp and starting crying in his arms, relieved that he was with her. "I was so scared...you were in trouble...I didn't know what to do...Then I heard a voice inside of me...It told me to call upon the power of destruction...The power of the World Dragon," Terra told Link, tears flooding out of her eyes.
"You were scared?" Link asked, almost like he didn't believe her, "I was so scared that you were going to die. And then I found you up here, looking like you were on death's door, darkness swallowing you up. Don't ever do that again."
Several floors down, Yami Link was blocking the entrance to the upper levels of it, specifically against the sages who were trying to go up there. "Come on! We want to see if they are okay!" Saria yelled at him.
"No, you nosy sages can wait until they come down," Yami Link answered as Impa reappeared behind the others.
"No good, he is blocking teleportation somehow," Impa, reported to Zelda and Nabooru, both extremely annoyed by that fact.
Zelda marched towards Yami Link and glared straight into his eyes, his now emerald green eyes, "Now you listen here! I'm the ruler of this land and I won't stand for not being allowed to go where I want!" Zelda yelled at him.
"No dice, the royalty card won't work on me," Yami Link informed her with a coy smile.
"What about this?" Darunia roared as he punched Yami Link in the stomach, but instead of falling over at the force of it, Yami Link just stood there, not even flinching at it, still smiling, "What the...?"
"Nice try," Yami Link mocked as he lightly pushed Darunia back, "They will come done when they are ready to see us."
"Come on! What could they be doing up there?" Saria whined.
"THAT'S IT! I'm going up there!" Ruto yelled as she tried pushing her way past Yami Link, obviously thinking about something the others weren't.
"No, and get your mind out of the gutter," Yami Link said as he drew his katana and barred her way with it.
"My Linky-poo will not...!" Ruto began yelling as Yami Link glared at her.
"You are forgetting Temporal Mechanics Zora. You gave him your sapphire in another timeline; you still had it in this one. He took it by force in this timeline as the Ryuu no Oni, so he is under no obligation to marry you in this timeline," Yami Link reasoned out, and then when she tried to speak he added, "And he doesn't even like you. I should know, considering I was in his mind. Quite frankly I think he is afraid of you."
"Well that was a bit harsh," Impa commented, giving up trying to get past him while Ruto backed off mumbling something under her breath.
"So?" Yami Link asked as he resheathed his sword.
"How did he get up here so quickly anyway?" Nabooru asked Impa.
"Good question," Impa said as she began to study Yami Link, "Where did that talking cat and the glowing girl go?"
"Haven't a clue, they are somewhere around here," Nabooru answered.
Up a couple of floors, Dark Oreku and Ara were creeping up the stairs, slowly and very quietly. Dark Oreku snapped a twig that had made it's way into the tower and he stopped in his tracks. Looking around he sighed in relief and continued following Ara who had gotten ahead of him. They eventually made their way to the top of the tower and were nearly blinded by the golden light that Link was putting off. "I can't see anything," Ara whispered trying to see past the light.
"I can barely see as it is," Dark Oreku whined as he began to walk down the stairs disappointed at the results of all that sneaking around, Ara deciding to follow him after a few more attempts at trying to find out what was going on. As they left the light began to subside as two forms came out of it, one was Link, his tunic and cap having changed colors from a sylvan green to gold, and his pants having become black. The other was Terra, her clothing had changed as well, she was wearing a white tunic and black pants. "Thank you," Terra said to him, "I was lost in the darkness, the darkness of my own blood. You showed me the light and helped me banish the darkness."
"I told you once that I would protect you," Link responded with a smile, "And I always will."
Terra was slightly saddened by that statement but said nothing of it as she and Link descended the stairs. They quickly made their way down to where Yami Link was holding off the sages, "As I said, they would come down when there were ready," Yami Link said, as he looked back, "About time, they were beginning to get on my nerves."
"Sorry to keep all of you waiting," Link said with a broad smile, "Now it is time to end this siege."
"When did you two change clothes!?" Ruto yelled practically running over Yami Link to glare Link in the eyes, "What were you doing up there!?"
'Mind in the gutter,' Yami Link transmitted with a smirk, leaning against the right wall of the hallway, causing Link to chuckle.
"Not what you're thinking," Link said still chuckling while slightly insulted, "Honestly now, do you think I'm that kind of person?"
"Ruto, he has you there, Link is far too pure and mature for that kind of thing," Impa added in, Ruto stepping aside to pout.
"So how did your clothes change?" Saria asked, bringing up the question on all of their minds.
"I'm not quite sure," Link said thoughtfully.
"I believe the same thing happened to him that happened to me. When I killed Dark Ryuu no Oni Link, I pierced both him and the mask, the mask crumbled and I absorbed its power. I believe Link has absorbed the power of the Mask of Apotheosis. And thus has become the Holy Knight again, or he has unlocked it for himself," Yami Link tried to explain, confusing everybody else except Link, Zelda, and Impa, "Let me try this again. I am now the Ryuu no Oni and Link is the Holy Knight."
"Shall we go test out our powers now?" Link asked as Yami Link grinned with excitement.
"Yes, I want to see what I can do," Yami Link chirped out as a small bolt of dark light sparked around his right hand.
Both he and Link then continued down the stairs, followed by the sages and Terra. They walked out of the castle and through the town, walking across the drawbridge and looked up at the two dragons still clashing with one another. "Now where were we last time?" Link asked looking up at the dark dragon.
"I believe we were just about to do this," Yami Link said as he drew his katana and held it up into the air.
"First time the powers of light and darkness combined we were sent to another dimension, and that was when the powers of the Dark Adamantite Dragon and the Adamantite Dragon combined. Now let us see what happens when we combine our powers," Link said as he drew the Master Sword and held it up into the air.
They slowly moved their blades so that they would cross each other between them. When they did both blades began to pulsate with power. Link began glowing with a golden light as Yami Link began to glow with a dark light. They slowly lowered the swords until the point in the middle of the crossed blades was pointed at the Dark Adamantite Dragon. The light around both of them moved towards that point and began swirling around one another forming a vortex of golden and dark light. "Hikari!" Link yelled out as the golden light intensified.
"And Yami!" Yami Link yelled after that as the dark light intensified.
"Form Meian!" They both yelled as the vortex of light shot out from their blades in a ball of swirling gold and black light.
It was bending light and darkness as it shot towards the dark dragon, only gaining strength as it traveled. It struck the dark dragon in the middle of the back, right between the wings. The dark dragon roared in pain as the orb dug into its skin, growing ever larger as it began to take the form of the dragon. Zorshnal quickly let go of the dark copy and moved out of the way, the black and golden light devouring the dragon as he watched in awe. "So that is the power of Meian," Zorshnal whispered to himself.
Within minutes the dark dragon had been completely devoured by the black and gold light and the lights had disappeared with nothing else to feed off of. Zorshnal flew towards the gates of Hyrule Castle Town and began transforming into his human form, falling like a rock as he did so. He landed as he finished his transformation, landing with a loud boom, picking up a cloud of dust and leaving a large crater from where he landed. He walked towards both Links, the sages, and Terra, a broad smile on his face. "Well done, well done," Zorshnal said standing before them, "The power of light and darkness, something forever denied to the Adamantite Dragons. I never thought I would see it."
"Zorshnal, I thank you for buying us time to get what we needed to defeat it," Link said bowing slightly to him.
"The Legendary Holy Knight, the Ryuu no Enzeru in the language of dragons, the wielder of the Hikari Blade, and the bearer of the Eye of Destiny," Zorshnal said looking at Link and then turning to Yami Link he added, "The Demon Knight, the Ryuu no Oni in the language of the dragons, the wielder of the Yami Blade, and the bearer of the Eye of Fate. Your combined powers have defeated the dark dragon, a dragon more powerful than the gods. A dragon equal to myself, the eldest Adamantite Dragon. I could pick no better guardians for my daughter."
That surprised everybody but Link himself, each of them speechless. Terra eventually stumbled forth and managed to say through shock, "You, you are my father?"
"I am, I beg your forgiveness for your hard life alone, I lost you while I was taking you to my home. I was attacked by seven blood dragons on another plane. When our breath weapons met a dimensional breach formed and sucked you into it. I fought them off and searched for seven years, for some sign of you. But I couldn't find you, I had feared the worse, but then I sensed it, ten years after I had to stop looking. You had summoned the World Dragon; I knew only one like you could do it. I came bursting through the planar barriers to find you, to stop the World Dragon. But I was too slow and it had already tested you, bringing you to the brink of death," Zorshnal said, his head lowered in shame, watching Terra for some sign of forgiveness or anger.
"Why did you give up?" Terra asked, her voice strained, staring straight at him.
"I didn't, a Planar War occurred, and is still going on. I always hoped you were still alive, but I couldn't look for you with the war going on. I understand if you hate me, I wouldn't forgive me either," Zorshnal answered as Terra walked towards him, and stood right in front of him, looking into his eyes.
Without saying anything Terra embraced Zorshnal, and began to cry. This lasted several moments before a loud shrill voice cut through the air, "Isn't that sweet? Blah it is making me sick."
"Good job Navi, we may promote you if you continue with your good work," another voice said, this one deep and rumbly.
"My, my if it isn't the great Zorshnal," a melodic airy voice practically sang.
"I wish I had knew this prior to the start of the war, he has a daughter," another voice, this one deep and malevolent.
"I'm more interested in Meian. It would appear that it has awakened at long last," a fifth voice sang, this one deep and melodic.
"Not here, not them," Zorshnal said as he stood in front of Terra glaring up towards the sky as a dark portal opened up.
"Yes us Zorshnal Kor Erias, Adamantite Dragon High Elder," the melodic airy voice said as a strong wind picked up, a strange woman with tanned skin, brown hair, and red eyes appeared in the blink of an eye mere yards away from them.
"Tenma," Zorshnal growled seeing the woman before him.
"It has been a long time Zorshnal," the deep and malevolent voice said as a man with blood red skin, black hair, and black eyes fell out of the portal and landed in a fashion similar to the way Zorshnal did.
"Jornay," Zorshnal said his eyes focusing on the man now.
"Are you forgetting me?" the shrill voice cackled, as another woman appeared this one with golden brown skin and hair, her eyes black as opals.
"Tori," Zorshnal said, still focusing on the one he called Jornay.
"She is not the last one," the deep and rumbly voice said as a man with stony skin and grey eyes fell like a meteor towards the ground and landed with far greater of an impact than either of the others.
"Yama," Jornay said as the portal began to crackle with energy.
"And I," the last voice said as an angelic figure flew out of the portal and slowly descended towards the ground.
"Sensui," Jornay said as the figure descended, his voice full of hatred and disgust.
The figure as it slowly came closer was revealed to be a male, he was about seven feet tall, and his face soft and smooth without a single flaw. He was clothed in a white tight robe, white boots barely visible under the robe, and he had white gloves on his hands. His hair was long and snow white, his skin a slightly lighter shade of white with specks of gold in it, and his sparkling eyes were a rainbow of colors. His well-toned muscles could be seen from under his robe. His left wing was a fine and soft silvery color, and his right wing was a deep and shimmering golden color. "So you remember me Zorshnal, I'm honored," the man said, not even taking note of Zorshnal's tone, "And the Ryuu no Meian, the Dragons of Light and Darkness. What a treat this is to meet you both."
Both Links walked forward towards the five people, Link glaring at them while Yami Link's eyes full of curiosity as he looked into Sensui's eyes. "Mere children," the man Zorshnal called Yama commented looking at them.
"But they have the power of Meian," the woman Zorshnal called Tenma pointed out.
"They have the eyes of warriors, they are not mere children," the man Zorshnal called Jornay added staring straight into their eyes.
"Navi says they cannot be trusted, they will attack us when our guard is down," the woman Zorshnal called Tori laughed as Navi fluttered near her right ear.
"Allow me to apologize for my companions rudeness," Sensui apologized with a deep bow to both Links individually, "At times they are caught up in their own egos."
"A man can be defined by the company he keeps, tell me is that an accurate assessment?" Link asked with an unexpected among of wisdom, still glaring at Sensui.
"I suppose, they are ambitious people, strong, determined, courageous, intelligent," Sensui answered with a bemused smile, "Those are qualities that define me and them."
'I like this one,' Yami Link said to Link, still carefully studying Sensui, 'and He has some class unlike his companions.'
'Are you saying that he is like you,' Link answered, a venomous tone in his voice.
'I suppose,' Yami Link admitted, ignoring Link's tone, as he stepped forward and asked, "What is evil?"
"The ability to kill without remorse," Sensui answered, his still smiling.
"Are you evil?" Yami Link asked.
"Yes, are not all warriors? By the true definition at least. You cannot be a warrior unless you are willing to kill, and not feel guilty about it. Heroes, villains, the common solder are all evil, all have that in common. You are evil are you not?" Sensui asked.
"You've already answered your own question, what is your goal?" Yami Link asked casually, doing what he could to mask the importance of the question.
"That is the important question isn't it?" Sensui asked rhetorically as he turned his back to them and looked up into the sky as the clouds began to twist and change into images of different kinds of barriers braking, "My goal is to open the barriers between the planes, to allow complete freedom to move as one wishes."
"Damn it Sensui!" Zorshnal roared in anger drawing everbodies attention, "You know as well as I do that would lead to utter chaos, Blood dragons would tear this and the other worlds asunder. Demons would steal the souls and devour the flesh of mortals. Avens would capture mortals and use them as slaves. Roshan would come to the mortal worlds and suck them dry of all of their natural resources!"
"But is that not the job of the Adamantite Dragons? To pursue those who would do so, surely you are not proposing that they all would do what you accuse them off?" Sensui asked, slowly backing Zorshnal into a corner.
"We Adamantite Dragons cannot deal with the flood of problems that would form from the barriers being taken down. And you know that as well as I do," Zorshnal accused, with a low growl directed at Sensui.
"So you would rather things go on as they are? You Adamantite Dragons are among the few privileged that can slip through the barriers between the planes without penalty. Blood Dragons are weakened to almost the point of death when they do so, and you Adamantite Dragons swoop in and kill them in response to it. Instead of capturing them and returning them to their own plane," Sensui stated, his smile not once leaving his face.
'This guy is a genius,' Yami Link transmitted to Link with an impressed look on his face.
'What? You actually think this guy is right and respect this...this...' Link transmitted back, slightly shocked at that.
'Hardly, he couldn't be more wrong if he tried. Though he has honorable, noble intentions and goals, it will only end in tragedy. He is working with the others because they all truly have one thing in common, a desire for freedom. The "good" races don't agree with his desire for it, they would rather keep things as they are, despite how much it should appeal to them,' Yami Link explained with a smirk on his face, apparently satisfied with whatever assessment he made of Sensui, 'In his own way, he is very much like you.'
"Zorshnal, this is the reason for the planar war?" Link asked, his attitude towards Sensui slightly improved.
"Yes," Zorshnal admitted his eyes drawn into a deep glare towards Sensui.
"Now tell me something Sensui, why would you bother talking to us about this?" Link asked, a smirk mirroring Yami Link's crossing his lips.
"Because for the past ten years it has been at a stalemate, the power of Meian would settle it either way," Sensui answered, not even trying to hide his intention of getting them to join him.
"Why so honest with your intention of having us join you? You know that your companions alone weaken your argument," Yami Link pointed out while asking his question.
"They are the only ones willing to fight for true freedom, true equality. If I lied to you about what I wanted, would I ever have the chance of getting you on our side?" Sensui responded pleasantly.
'He is a genius,' Link admitted to Yami Link and then said, "For now, we have our own problems to deal with, our own people to protect. We will consider your proposal however and we will meet when we have decided."
Zorshnal, to say the least, was appalled by Link's willingness to even consider Sensui's opinion, left speechless of what to say. "I agree, I will not take sides in a conflict I have no idea what it is really about, until I have protected what I care about either," Yami Link agreed, shocking Zorshnal even more than he already was.
"Your conflict with the fairy?" Sensui asked motioning for Navi to come closer, Navi flew over to him immediately as he did so, "What has she done to you?"
"I was willing to go on with my life, totally ignore my own past. But she wasn't she sent a dragon to attack me, then hundreds of gigantic tree parasites, then a former ally who she brainwashed, followed by an army of dragons and a Blood Dragon, then an army of shadow warriors, and finally she sent a dark Adamantite Dragon to attack us," Link said, making sure to keep his voice as free from anger as possible.
"What did you do to her?" Sensui asked, a small hint of surprise in his voice.
"I had been cursed by a monster I had killed, which made me turn evil...No not evil, villainous. I banished her from my presence during that time," Link answered, great remorse in his voice.
"How long did it take for you to return to normal?" Sensui asked, his voice still pleasant and now understanding.
"Long enough for me to conquer this kingdom, and then begin to conquer another," Link answered, a small tear forming in his eye.
"I see, but why do the leaders of this kingdom welcome you now in open arms?" Sensui asked, his allies becoming restless.
"It was Link's devotion to Terra," Zelda answered for him.
"Even in the midst of his madness, where he reached the deepest pits of depravity, hatred, and cruelty. He cared for her, and no one else," Darunia added.
"He would do anything to protect her," Saria said, "Even risk his own life."
"He forsaked the evilness in his heart, and the power it brought. So that he could gain the power to protect her," Impa added in as well.
"Terra's devotion to him, she risked the mountains of Hyrule to find him when he was hurt. She summoned the power of a god to protect him," Ruto said with an impressed look towards her.
"He risked it all, he followed his own heart, he sought redemption for his actions, he once again took the Blade of Evil's Bane, the sheer fact he still feels guilty over what happened proves he is worthy of trust once again," Nabooru added in as well.
"Young lady, why did you follow him when he was still a villain?" Sensui asked looking straight into Terra's Eyes as she slowly stepped out from behind Zorshnal.
"Even though he said he was evil, that he was villainous, he was the first one who ever showed me any kindness, that ever treated me like a real person, he protected me, and he has done so ever since we first met," Terra answered looking at Sensui, but not quite able to meet his eyes.
"Navi, why do you hold such a grudge against him? He is obviously a good person, he did far worse things to the people of this land and he has atoned for those acts, why do you still hold a grudge against him?" Sensui asked looking at Navi.
Navi didn't answer him and instead teleported away in a flash of darkness. "I see," Sensui said, a hint of sadness and regret in his voice, as a portal opened behind him, "Very well, I made a poor choice of allies when I accepted her into my fold. But I cannot harm her; I won't go back on my word of nonaggression with her or the others. Take all the time you need Ryuu no Meian, my offer will still stand when you are ready to consider it. I cannot help you with her defeat, but I can tell you that she is not on this plane. In order to finish this you must find a way between the planes. Until we meet again Ryuu no Meian."
With that said they all walked through the portal and it closed behind them. The Links stood there for a few second, Link pondering what to do next and Yami Link pondering the ramifications of this turn of events. Link turned to Zorshnal and said, "He isn't evil, in the false sense of the word. Nothing about him tells me he is not a good person. You knew he was like this, that is why you tried so hard to make us believe there was something unredeemable about him. Why?"
"Because he has led countless people like you down the same path by just speaking with them," Zorshnal answered coming forward to meet them, not a hint of regret that he tried to manipulate them.
Both Links walked past him, Yami Link continued on into the Castle and Link stopped in front of Terra. "Are you alright?" Link asked noticing that she was trembling.
"Yes, I just wasn't ready for someone like him," Terra said as she slowly stopped her shaking, "I know he is wrong, but the way he spoke, it made me want to believe him."
"Whatever I decide in the end will you still be by my side?" Link asked as Terra looked up into his face.
"Of course I will," Terra answered him, seeing only compassion in his face.
Link only smiled at that and then turned to the Sages and said, "Can you please watch over Terra for me? I have to learn how to control my power if I have any chance to end this once and for all."
"Of course we can," Zelda reassured him, "But can you really trust this Sensui to leave you be until you finish this war?"
"He will keep his word, I'm certain of that," Link stated confidently as he looked back to Terra, "All you have to do is call for me and I'll come for you."
"Alright, good luck," Terra said as Link quickly ran off after Yami Link.
And that is all for chapter 12! Damn this chapter was sappy...Must stop watching sappy anime...No! I can't! They always have good villains....DAMN IT ALL! To watch sappy anime and write sappy stuff, or to deny myself the privilege of watching such awesome villains. Damn it...Good villains are so hard to come by.
Yami Link: Why must I be stuck with him? And why am I the only one here today?
LunaticChaos: Because I'm too lazy to write lines for anybody else.
Yami Link: Lazy son of a...{Notices triple sized Megaton Hammer in my right hand} What are you going to do with that? I have my badass shield, you can't touch me with that....{I take out another triple sized Megaton Hammer} Okay...Maybe you can touch me with two of them...Wait a second...When did you get two of them?
LunaticChaos: I've always had two, why show my hand prior to the final bet after all. Now folks I have some questions for yah...
What did you think of the many plot twists during this chapter?
Was this chapter too sappy? Was it too sappy coming from me?
On a scale of 1-10, how good was this chapter?
What did you think of Sensui? Cool, stupid, interesting, good personality?
What is your favorite character?
What is your favorite villain?
What is your favorite hero?
What do you think of Link and Yami Link absorbing the powers of the Ryuu no Oni and the Ryuu no Enzeru/Holy Knight?
What insane plot twist will I come up with next?
And that is all for now! Now then press that little review button and give me one! Ciao for now!
Tis has been a fic from your unfriendly neighborhood LunaticChaos