Anonymous person, I LOVE YOU TO DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, many, many thanks to J and Ame Yumeko. You guys are the best!!! Anyway, on with the log and chapter.

Back. Still sick. In fact, it's still the same day as I wrote the previous chapter. And the chapter before. And half of the chapter before that. Still listening to the Spiderman CD. I always know where you are, you never know where I am, you got me sneaking around like the Invisible Man. I'm done. Once again, have fun. I'm a poet and I didn't know it.

I'll stop using stupid clichés now.

-Shawshank

Chapter 10-Vendance

The rest of the night went so smoothly, Link was sure he was dreaming up the whole thing.

He had walked into the tent, wrapped up the still-asleep Zelda in blankets, and slung her over his shoulder like a bag of luggage. To his surprise, she was extremely lightweight. He took his sword, sheathed in its scabbard in one hand and stepped outside the tent to find the kid waiting, holding his sword belt, item bag, food haversack, and Sheik's bag. They walked to the outskirts of the encampment, where Link placed Zelda on the ground and shrugged on his belt and bags, which magically shrunk to their proper size.

They left under the cover of darkness, Link wondering to himself when the first monster they would encounter in this land would jump out at them. Wondering when he would have to kill again after seven years of peace. Wishing it would never happen.

When dawn came, the boy indicated to Link that he put Zelda down on the grass. For some strange reason, she still had not awoken. Link decided that his emotions had been out of control, and what he had intended to be a small nudge with magic ended up as a larger one. The two men had not spoken any words since they had left the encampment of witches. Link was still trying to digest the information the boy had given him, and was still wondering why the boy had known about Zelda being asleep. The two sat down next to Zelda's unmoving body and opened their packs, taking out a scant meal to break their fast. The boy spoke, breaking the silence he had held for several hours.

"We should head straight in this direction. In fact, we'll get somewhere if we head straight in any direction, but it would be best to go where we're headed first."

"Which is."

"I don't know. I'm following my gut."

Link nodded knowingly.

"Ah. The gut is the best navigator."

"Not necessarily. In this case, though, it happens to be."

Link's face turned towards Zelda, still sleeping in the bundle of blankets.

"She's still asleep. I don't know why she won't wake up-I only gave her a small jolt, enough to make her sleep for about five hours."

"She will sleep for another two. Don't worry."

Link's gaze snapped up to the boy's knowing face. He saw something that had not been there before; he saw an ancient, wise being, captured in the gaze of a youth. His eyes narrowed.

"What are you?"

The boy smiled at him.

"I'm glad you asked. I've been waiting for that question to pop up for a long time."

He sighed.

"I'm afraid I have not been telling you the entire truth. In fact, the story I told you is far from it. I must apologize for this; it was necessary to find the truth."

"Considering you have such an obsession with truth, I'm surprised to find you stray from it when it comes to yourself. That's not very fair, is it?"

The boy squinted in the first beams of sunlight shooting over the horizon.

"No, it isn't, and that's why I'm apologizing. You'll see why when I'm finished, if you'll let me speak."

Link nodded, and sat back, fighting a yawn. He didn't want to listen, he was so tired, but he had to... His eyelids fluttered and he settled himself on the ground, listening as the boy's words burned themselves into his mind.

***

No, I have not been telling you the truth. Ah, the truth, such an elusive thing...

I brought you to the camp, in a way. I poisoned the grass so that whoever was cut by it would die. I could feel your friendship and love radiating, so I knew that the other would be too tired to move on. Then, I discretely fed this information to one of the Hierarchy. She acted on it, and captured you.

Before I continue the truth, I must tell you another aspect of it. I am not whom I appear to be.

Do you recall the creatures you studied, the creatures that were mentioned so many times in the Ancient Scrolls? Yes, the Metamorphicals, those who can take many shapes. The scourge of Ancient Hyrule. I am the last.

You see, *I* am Vendance, the goddess your Zelda imitated.

Do not be surprised. With all the years I have spent trapped in this world, I have gained much knowledge and culture. I am no longer a savage beast; I am a gracious, sly, powerful being. However, despite all this, mercy is alien to me. Do not beg for it when the time comes.

There is another. He is telling me not to reveal too much. Don't worry, Master, I won't. Remember, I am no longer a creature, but a *being*. He says not to overestimate myself. Ah, he has no idea of my power. No idea at all.

Anyway, I transformed into the nurse she actually believed to be a witch, and fed her the information she needed. She did exactly as I expected, and I was able to manipulate you to allow me freedom. The tribe has been isolated for so long; I have lived out so many lifetimes in that sorry excuse for a civilization.

See, I knew you were coming. My master told me of this. He told me true. You are the Chosen Ones. You have come, and now I am free. No one is safe from me, including yourselves. For, I am Vendance.

You actually believed I was no more than a mere child. How foolish of you. Ah, I feel your anger now, Hero of Time. I feel your anger and shame at being fooled. You had no idea, did you? Typical Hylian. Always so cocky and sure of themselves...

You feel my blanket falling over you. You want to give in to it, don't you? So why not? Sleep, Link. Sleep, and let me go. Let it all end...

You've wanted it to end for so long, haven't you? Well, why not now? I mean, you have nothing left here. You want to visit those moons. I can feel it in your soul, the yearning; you would be surprised how many others feel that same thing. It eats at them, until they are left with nothing but death. Like your friend the Gerudo. What's her name? Arianna? Yes, her. She was very close to you, wasn't she? Almost as close as Sheik. Oh, Sheik. He takes up a large amount of your thoughts, doesn't he? Or should I say, Zelda does? There's really no difference, is there?

And you actually believed that rubbish the Princess fed you.

I hold nothing but contempt for you, Link of the Kokiri. Or is it Link of the Hylians? The Gerudo? The Sheikah? The Zora? The Gorons? Which are you, Link? What race do you belong to?

Does it even matter to you, Link? You are the Hero of Time; that's good enough for you, isn't it? No? I didn't think so.

Would you believe me if I told you that you are none of these, and yet all at the same time? Haven't you ever wondered about that strange feeling you got in your stomach every time you came upon one of their domains, like you had been there before and forgotten it? It is because you were Chosen, Link. Chosen by the three goddesses.

It almost makes me feel sorry for you. You don't even know what race you are. You are one mixed up kid.

You're falling again. I can feel it. The darkness is blanketing over your soul. Let it come, Link. Let it come. Everything will just go away, if you give in. Everything will go away...

***

The Metamorphical smiled as it looked down upon Link. The so-called warrior was slumbering like a baby. It glanced over to the still sleeping Zelda, and its master called.

It paced over to the Princess and picked her up, finding her as light as a butterfly in its suddenly muscled, Zora arms. Vendance's now tall and lean body was slightly damp. Water droplets were flung from its headfin, glittering, as it glanced around to assure itself that no one was coming, that no one would see. Vendance closed its eyes and concentrated, drawing on Zelda's slightly weakened magic. Now, just a little longer... ***

Link saw the sky. He saw the three golden, shining figures come to rest upon the ground. They got up, and saw him, and walked over to him. They were each surrounded by an aura of a different colour; red, green, and blue. Their long hair glittered in the sun as the wind whipped through it. They looked up to the sky as well, gazing towards the clouds, standing alongside Link. When he looked at them, they looked at him as one, and he saw that they were weeping.

(What's wrong?) He asked, concerned for no apparent reason. (What are you crying for?)

The three women gazed at him as a white light burst up around his body. He remembered what had just taken place in the real world; he was going back. They knew. He was reluctant to leave this beautiful place, so full of life, but he would not sacrifice Zelda. Not before he sacrificed his own life.

The three women watched as his body blurred and started to disappear. Their lips moved, again as one, responding to his questions.

(What are you crying for?)

The echo chased birds around the blue sky, the bluest sky he had ever born witness to. He knew now that he was not in any place known to mortals. He was in a place beyond. Was *this* the Sacred Realm?

No. This is beyond the Sacred Realm. You were there once, with Zelda. This is the place Beyond.

The echo came back to them.

(What are you crying for?)

The three joined hands and formed a protective circle around him. He was aware of an intense feeling of sorrow before he disappeared. It took a few seconds for his brain to translate their answer into words he could understand, but when it did, he was surprised.

You. We weep for you.

***

"Stop! I said, STOP!"

Link's cold, hard voice halted the Metamorphical in his tracks. The creature turned to look at him, Zelda in its arms. Vendance was a Zora now. Link felt mild surprise that it could become creatures from *his* world as he unsheathed his sword, an action accompanied by the sweet singing of metal on metal. The Hero shed his hat, knowing from his experiences in the other time that it only got in the way.

It was his best hat, but for now, he would have to deal.

The Metamorphical stooped to dump Zelda unceremoniously on the ground. It straightened up with a smirk.

"So, you broke through my spell. That's too bad. I'll have to kill you now."

"Not if I kill you first!"

Link paced, grinding his teeth, working himself into a frenzy. Blood shot through his eyes, tinting his vision scarlet. It was times like these that he missed Navi, missed her constantly reminding him that this was bad for his teeth, that he should try to keep his sanity so when she picked out the weaknesses of their enemy, he would be aware enough to put them to good use.

But that was when only his life was at stake. Now there were so many others who were in danger.

Now was the time to fight by instinct. He brought the point of his sword to the Metamorphical's throat. He had no idea how to even hurt the creature, let alone kill it. He slashed its arm enough to give a Hylian a deep cut, testing the creature's limits.

The skin simply shifted back into place behind the blade.

The creature stood, sneering self-confidently at the Hero, who was looking at his blade in shock. Vendance raised a hand to strike him.

Suddenly, it wasn't a hand any longer. It was a long spike. It looked *pretty* sharp.

Link gulped and moved into a defensive posture, holding up his shield. Maybe this wouldn't be as easy as he had first thought.

The spiked arm went right through his shield as though it wasn't there and drove itself through his arm. The adrenaline flowing through his veins toned down the pain a bit, but it still hurt. He hissed through his teeth.

The creature laughed and raised the spike again. The adrenaline flow increased.

Link looked at his shield, which now sported a huge hole. It was time to get serious.

He bared his teeth and let his instincts and adrenaline take over. The sword was in his left hand, now his right, his shield discarded and laying somewhere nearby. He cried out and slashed at the creature in front of him, taunting him; he stabbed and slashed. He cut it's skin in a dozen places; across the forehead, the throat, the heart, the hand, the leg, the foot, the stomach; he had even stabbed his blade through it's ribcage, feeling it grind past long, curved bones.

Vendance stood, letting him waste his energy.

It's body shifted, and Link backed away. This was different. Instead of just a part of it changing, its whole structure was shifting. When it stopped, it was still humanoid, but a strange combination of all the races of Hyrule. He snapped out at Link with the sharp teeth and reflexes of a Deku Baba, slashed with Stalchild claws; whirling blades appeared around the other arm, slicing open his skin in a dozen places. His whole body was wreathed in fire, and Link's clothes ignited when the creature brushed him. Then the aura was of ice, and the Hero was frozen in place, leaving it free to claw madly at the ice, trying to get at him.

Its Wolfos snout sniffed him out, following him wherever he went. His Bomchu tail exploded whenever Link got too close. Link blocked with his sword, shot arrows, and lashed out when he could, but he never did any damage. Something moved in the corner of his eye, and he turned, letting his attention wander for a single second.

Zelda. What would she have done? What would Navi have told him to do, between shouting at him and trying to pull his earring out in exasperation.

He knew. Suddenly he knew. He heard her speaking in his mind; he realized suddenly that he was *not* going to survive if he continued with this strategy. She wasn't speaking now, she was yelling, as if from far away.. Navi. He knew.

*Link! Its name is Vendance! Vengeance! Whoever sent it is toying with you!* -I know, Navi, I know..-

He sneered at the creature, much as it had sneered at him at the beginning of this battle.

"What are you, afraid?"

The creature suddenly stopped.

"What do you mean, am I afraid? I am not afraid of anything, least of all you!"

"Then what are you doing hiding in the bodies of other races? Are you so weak that your true form cannot defend itself?"

"Well, no, I-"

"'No, I-' nothing. You're a cuckoo. Admit it. Cuckoo!"

The creature's eyes tinted yellow.

"You are playing with fire. You'll get burned."

Link gestured to his charred clothing, grinning openly.

"Little late for that; I already am burned. Shows how much you know.. Cuckoo!"

The infuriated being paced around him, considering its options. It snarled, "Liar!"

Link just grinned cockily, gauging his opponent's reactions.

Its whole body shimmered again. When it finally took form again, it was no more than a humanoid shadow. Link was still grinning. He walked around the creature, pretending to show some interest in this thing he had never seen before. The patch of blackness tilted its head upwards. It was all Link needed.

He pounced!

Link drove his sword directly into the creature's solar plexus, right below the ribcage, up to the hilt. Strangely enough, it did not penetrate through the other side; nor did the skin stretch or show any sign of stress.

The creature gagged as Link retrieved his sword. He wiped his blade upon a clump of dry grass. Suddenly, all the places where he had struck it burst open, spewing yellow blood. It shuddered and screamed out loud, a high- pitched sound that would haunt Link's dreams for years to come. It melted into a pool of shadow and slipped away, particles streaming out of it and joining the blue sky above.

It was daylight now. The time had gone by in the blink of an eye. The battle was over.

Link sat down in shock, laid his head on an outcropping of particularly lush grass, and slipped into a sleep filled with dreams of all those he had murdered.

***

Maybe there is still hope, Scholar.

(Maybe. I'm not sure, Apprentice.)

But, he is the Hero! One of the Destined! The Goddesses must reward him; it is his right.

(Yes, but for the same reason, he must live his life this way. Tortured by his past, present, and future. His dreams hold all three. We must study him.)

But, Scholar; he is One of the Destined! We cannot study *him*! He is above the rest! He will know.

(This is the point, Apprentice. He *must* know. He must know that we exist. He must seek us out.)

Surely you're not suggesting...

(Yes. I'm afraid so. The orders came in today. We have no choice.)

But, Scholar-

(I said, we have no CHOICE! I would avoid this if I could, but there is now way out! I'm sorry, but that's the end of it.)

He is-

(He is the Hero. The One spoke of in Legend, along with his friend, the One Who Holds Many Secrets.)

So you accept it?

(I have from the beginning. I went into the body of a mortal when he was here last, when he was growing up here; I met him. He is a closed person. If we can break through those walls, we might have very powerful weapons.)

But, Scholar... how could the Elite order this?

(They're the Elite, Apprentice. That is the end of it. Continue with your work now.)

Yes, Scholar.

*** *CAUTION*: NEW CHARACTER COMING SOON!!!!! Sorry, this one's been stewing around in my mind for a while now. I'm so happy I finally found a place to use them! (I'm not giving anything away, not even gender.) I know my fight scenes suck, but it's the best I got right now. If anyone has tips, feel free to let me know. In fact, if you have tips for anything, ANYTHING AT ALL, give my doorbell a ring. Via email would be nice... I love getting feedback, too...

Thanks to everybody who's actually bothering to read this... and may God have mercy on your poor soul. Correction-multiple new characters coming soon. I'm just really excited about the one mentioned above!!! Sorry. -Shawshank