Notes: While I wish to apologize for my apparent neglect, I assure you, this story will be finished. However, it may take a while, as I have other projects which also require my attention. In the meantime, I thank you for your continued support.
As the young teen continued his playthrough of Twilight Princess, he couldn't help but feel uneasy about his elder brother's words. Deciding he would take a break from the game, he paused the Wii and pulled out his phone before heading to YouTube. However, as he began searching for anything on Malenia, he became bombarded with videos titled: "Where is Malenia? What happened to Malenia? Formsoft, fix Malenia!" etc. "Okay... That's weird," he said as he opened one such video by a YouTuber called VaatiVidya, which he saw had the most views.
"Where is Malenia?" the video began with a soothing, masculine voice with an English accent, calmly speaking over a short clip showing the strange woman he'd seen in his game fighting in an unknown arena. "That is the question that's been on everyone's mind for the past two days," the video went on to show other clips of this same fight, displaying her vast techniques and showing many fighters either avoiding her attacks, attacking, dying, or taking the hits with a shield. "The same is also true of all the residents of Elphael and the Haligtree as a whole, as the entire area was empty of enemies for the past 24 hours," he explained while showing clips of a colossal dead tree with a walled settlement at its base. "However, we still have no idea why or how this happened, as the entire area is still accessible to us, and all the lootable items remain in place," he continued, showing images and footage of corpses with a light glowing from their core. "I'm sorry I've been unable to uncover more. But, if you find anything new, be sure-" the young man turned off the video, his eyes wide and his mind whirling as he comprehended the gravity of what he'd just heard and seen.
"How did this happen?" he whispered before he shook off his stupor and went back to playing Zelda. "You know what? The only way I'm getting to the bottom of this is by playing this game,"
By the middle of the morning, Link had arrived at his destination. After using Midna's powers to teleport him to northern Farron Woods, he'd met up with an old friend of his, a young female monkey with a red bow, who'd helped him out while looking for the first fused shadow piece. However, when he'd found her, she was surrounded by strange, puppet-like creatures with glowing red eyes. Thankfully, like a puppet, as soon as he hit them, they tumbled to the ground in several pieces. After making quick work of these fiends, he spoke with the monkey, who thanked him for his help and informed him of an area, deep within the woods, where she was exploring when the puppets attacked and drove her out. Link, presuming this to be where he needed to go, followed the monkey's instructions.
Sure enough, after jumping across a cavern using Midna's help, Link found himself in a place he hadn't been to before. So, making his way across another gorge and using the howling stone on the other side to communicate with the spirit who acted as his mentor, he made his way into a dark cave. Upon exiting the cave, Link found himself in a dark wood, with a thick canopy completely enveloping the space in an eerie shade. In the center of the path ahead, he found another whistling stone, activated by howling its song. However, instead of meeting with his teacher on an ethereal plane above Hyrule, a small, nome-sized creature with a leaf cape and a creepy grin landed before him, wielding a three-headed trumpet and a lantern. "Tee-hee-hee, let's play a game. I'll hide. You try to find me," it said in the voice of a young boy before twirling into the air and vanishing in a gust of leaves and wind.
Then, without warning, Link heard a trumpet blast from somewhere in the woods, followed by puppets falling from the sky, surrounding him. "Ugh, these guys again!" Midna complained as Link readied to fight.
It was tedious, but after chasing the little thing around the forest, he finally gave up after Link bit him one last time, hoping into the air and vanishing. After he left, Link looked around and realized that the area he'd jumped into had no way out save for a single exit leading onward. So, he pressed on, finding himself in what appeared to be the ruin of a giant building. However, as he approached the gateway with two statues standing on either side, he paused as Link noticed an ornate stone door blocking the entrance. "How are we supposed to get through that?" Midna inquired as she lent forward on Link's back.
He shook his head before perking his ears and sniffing around to see if he could find anything. However, when he drew closer to the statues, he watched in stunned silence as both suddenly sparked to life with blue veins of magic, stamping their spears on the ground before leaping high into the air. The first landed before him, with the second landing behind. "Beast who speaks to our hearts..." came a strong monotone echo in his mind. "Guide us to the place where we once stood,"
At first, Link thought this would be a piece of cake. But, as he looked around, he realized, much to his shock, that the ground had split into small, square platforms, just big enough for him to fit. Then, as if things couldn't get any worse, he turned to the right, only to find one of the statues following his gaze while the other turned away. "Oh, this looks fun," Midna sarcastically remarked.
Sure enough, Midna's retort may have been his own if he could speak. This puzzle had proven to be one of the most frustrating to date, with Link having to navigate between the statues, only to find himself back where he started if he got stomped on or if they got stuck. But, after much trial and error, he finally got them back to their resting places, where they deactivated, and the wall blocking the entrance into the back of the ruins faded into nothingness. With nothing in his way, he and Midna ventured inside, only to discover a large, open area with a sword in the center of it, sitting thrust into a pedestal. However, even from this distance, he could tell this was no ordinary sword. The blade was composed of flawlessly polished tempered steel with a single fuller running down the length of it covered in artistic runes, with the symbol of the renowned triforce near the hilt. The guard was solid blue steel shaped to appear as though wings sprouted from it, followed by a fine leather guard and a brass pommel. How it remained in this state when it seemed as though none had visited this place for many years was a mystery to him.
At the time, he could also feel a strange presence drawing him to it, as though it was to be his. As soon as he reached it, he felt a powerful force attempting to push him away from the blade, yet he pressed on before touching the hilt. Suddenly, his body began to glow as he felt himself changing shape while the world around him flashed a blinding light. The next thing he knew, he pulled it out with both hands gripped tightly before raising it into the air with his right arm. Link then lowered his arm, taking a moment to examine this marvellous sword in his now human hands. It felt perfectly balanced, the blade's edge still sharpened and ready for use. "This is incredible," he said as he continued looking over it. "Midna, look-" he paused as he turned to Midna to find her floating in the air holding an orange and black spike which she stared at curiously.
"This doesn't match my tribe's magic. It's similar, yet it feels so..." she paused as Link cocked his brow. "Oh, Link," she said as she turned to him, seemingly surprised as he walked up to her. "Careful. If you touch it, you'll turn back into a beast," she began. "I suppose Zant wasn't kidding when he said he found a new source of magic. I've never seen anything like this before,"
"So, what do you think we should do with it?" Link inquired.
In response, Midna floated down and turned away from him. "We should probably destroy it," she said before turning towards him, rolling her head in thought before resting her chin on her hand. "On the other hand... If we kept it, you could turn into a beast anytime you like," she paused before a sinister grin appeared on her face, or at least, her smile would look creepy to anyone who didn't know her. "You know what? Let's take advantage of this "gift" Zant "oh so kindly" gave us,"
Link nodded in response. "I agree," he began. "So... Where do we go now?"
Midna pondered this a moment. "Remember what I mentioned back at the castle? About the Mirror of Twilight?" she inquired as Link put a hand to his chin before nodding. "It is the key to my world and the way to Zant," she explained. "However, I don't know where it is in Hyrule. So, I was wondering. Would you help me find it?" she asked, holding her arm and looking at him with pleading eyes.
"Of course," Link replied before turning away in thought. Only to be distracted by an ornate chest standing by the pedestal. "Huh, what's this?" he asked as he walked up to it and took a moment to look it over. Much like the sword, this chest was of fine make, its surface covered in polished brass plating that gleamed in the sun, with many intricate designs and patterns woven into the metal. Upon finding no lock, he opened it to find a beautifully crafted blue and yellow dyed leather sheath. "Maybe..." he took the sheath, and with the sword still in hand, he placed the blade into it. Sure enough, it fit like a glove. "I thought so," he said as he took his old sword off his belt and attached the new one in its place before turning to Midna. "Hey, look at this?"
In response, she chuckled slightly. "I have to say. I'm not a fan of the colours,"
"Well, I think it looks good," Link retorted as Midna shook her head. "So, I guess we should return to Castle Town?"
Midna folded her arms and flew closer to him, taking his discarded sword and snapping it out of existence. "And how do you want to get there, exactly?" she inquired tauntingly.
Link thought it over for a moment. "I guess we'll have to teleport," he replied. "Besides, I'm not even sure if there is any other way we can get out of here..." he paused as he caught sight of something reflecting sunlight in the distance.
"Alright, where would you like to go..." Midna drawled as Link walked towards a small alcove near the entrance, seemingly not paying attention to what she had said. "Hey, what are you doing?" she floated after him.
Link leaned into what once may have been a small room before stretching his hand toward a small, golden creature slowly moving up the wall. He quickly but carefully snatched it up before holding it to his face. "I knew it,"
Midna flew up and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, what happened? What did you find?"
"Look," said Link as he turned around and presented his hands to Midna. Nestled between them was a snail which shone as though covered in gold.
"That's cool and all, but why is this important?" she asked as Link stuffed it in his pouch.
"It's for Agitha. You know, the girl who asked me to find the golden insects?" he said as Midna attempted to remember.
Suddenly, she recalled what he'd meant. "Wait, you mean that girl who thinks she's a princess, always wears that weird butterfly dress, and is obsessed with bugs?" Midna asked with a cocked brow.
"And what's wrong with that? Everyone has a hobby," he retorted. "Besides, I've made more money through her than I had back in Ordon,"
Midna sighed. "Alright, if you say so," she said in exasperation. "So, do you wanna leave now?"
Link nodded. "Yep, let's go," he said before Midna touched Link with the magic spike, changing him into his wolf form before Midna vanished, and Link separated into small fragments before flowing upward and disappearing.
Once the fragments emerged from the blue and black portal overlooking Castle Town from the west, they wasted no time reassembling Link before Midna appeared and fell on his back. Link then turned to her, letting out a slight whine. "Okay, I'll turn you back," she said before taking the spike and disappearing into his shadow once he turned back into his human form.
Now human again, Link prepared to enter the town, only to stop as he saw none other than the postman. The man dressed as always in his tight-fitting, white summer uniform with a large banner on his back, running full speed at him from across the bridge leading into town. "HHHHHEEEEEYYYY!" the postman cried before stopping in front of him. "Hello, Mr. Link, I've come to deliver a letter, two letters, in fact," he presented Link with two red envelopes while humming a familiar tune. "Ha ha, well, my business is concluded. Onward to mail!" with that, he turned about and disappeared the way he came.
Once he was out of sight, Midna reappeared beside Link. "What a strange man," she remarked. "But what did he give you?"
Link looked through the letters he'd just received. "Oh, Talma has some information for me at her bar? That sounds interesting," he put it back before reading the other. "It's from Renado," he said as he opened the envelope and read it over.
However, when he finished, he didn't speak as his eyes took on an empty gaze. "What was it about?" Midna asked, having a pretty good idea of why Link seemed so distant.
"It's from Renado. He said Ralis, the Zora Prince, has nearly fully recovered," Link said in a monotone.
Midna nodded and smiled in an attempt to cheer him up. "Well, at least that's some good news. Anything about the girl?"
Her face fell when Link looked over at her, his disposition unchanged. "He said there's been no progress," he concluded.
Midna rolled her eyes. "Well, it's only been two days, so you can't expect any changes so soon. Am I right?" she said as she gave him a side glance and a pat on the back. Link wiped his eyes before nodding solemnly. "So, what are you standing around for? We need to stop Zant,"
Link, reminding himself of everything at stake, brought himself back to the situation at hand. "You're right. I can't rest while Zant's still out there," he said before running up to the great doors on the other side of the bridge and entering the town.
Once through the gates, Link quickly turned down the side street to the left of the main road, passing a large, colourful tent. He minded the stray dog, which he usually found in this part of town, bending down and petting him on the head before continuing to Talma's bar. However, upon turning the corner and seeing the sign for Agitha's Castle. Link recalled the golden insects in his inventory and decided that he might as well get his rupee's worth. So, he turned to the first door on the right and entered. Inside, he found himself standing in a small room decorated with stained-glass windows and various artistic depictions of insects hanging from the walls, with most displaying butterflies. In the center of the room stood a barren, moss-laden tree which reached above the 2nd floor, surrounded by several ferns with a small fence running around the perimeter. As Link walked further, he noticed several of the bugs he'd collected previously making their up or down the tree, with others flying around it. "Oh, how lovely to see you again," came a sweet feminine voice, and he turned to his right and quickly spotted its owner.
Agitha was young, no older than seventeen by his estimate, yet it seemed she was orphaned, as he'd never seen her parents, nor had she ever mentioned them. Despite this, she appeared incredibly well off, with her house decorated by ornately patterned wallpaper, furniture, tiled floors, and, as previously stated, many stained-glass windows. Even on the 2nd floor, he could see from the cutout portion made to fit the tree at least one more looking out to the rear of the house. Agitha was no exception either, as she always wore fine clothes, and the few times Link had run into her outside, she even carried a parasol. It wasn't just her clothes either, as she wore what was, in his opinion, an excessive amount of makeup and eyeliner, with a set of large crystal earrings, a pearl necklace, and even hair ties for her duel ponytails made from pearls. "Yes, it's good to see you too," Link replied before walking up to her.
"Do you have any more bugs to bring to the ball?" she asked, her gentle blue eyes glistening.
"I sure do," he replied before reaching into his pouch and handing her the golden snail.
Immediately her eyes centred intensely on the snail as she took and brought it up to her face. "Ahhh, look at you, little cutie," she said as she snuggled it up to her face. "Little snail, little snail, just once, I'd like to take a bath in that slime..." she continued as Link scratched the back of his head. Every time he gave her a bug, she would say something like this, and every time it made Link feel uncomfortable. Despite this, he knew what came next. "Aww, thank you, you've made me so happy. Now let me share this happiness," she then walked over and placed the snail on the tree before reaching into a chest beside the couch and pulling out a purple rupee, which she handed to Link.
As the young man stared at the screen, he couldn't help but be shocked at what he saw. After that first cutscene with Malenia, he noticed the game had begun to change in other ways too. From how Link carried his equipment to the dialogue and even the animations. "What is going on here?" he shook his head and checked on YouTube again but found nothing on Twilight Princess that matched what he'd seen. Feeling his frustration rise, he put down his phone and sat back on the couch, staring at the ceiling as he tried to figure out some plausible explanation for this turn of events. Then, suddenly, he got an idea. "What if I take out the disc? I mean, I didn't save," feeling confident in his new idea, he jumped up from the sofa, walked over to the Wii, and pressed the disc evacuation button. However, while the disc slider flashed as it always did when inserting or removing the disc, it didn't come out. After a moment, he tried again, but the disc didn't move. Then, he pressed it for the third time, but instead of the disc, the only thing that came out was a steamy red liquid. "What the hell!?" he shouted as he quickly moved away, narrowly avoiding the rust-coloured mist before it dissipated, leaving only a red puddle on the floor. "Wha- What just happened?"