The Last of Promised Light

Chapter I - Hail of Blood

A land, parallel to a realm of mystery, magic, and blood, once endangered by a terrible evil, was spared of the chaotic wrath, their saviour young but bold. This hero has rescued his homeland from a malignant shadow, flown through time, warded off the evil of this realm, and shape-shifted quite several times. The name of the young saviour was Link, a name melded with that of the Hero of Time, entwined with a legend forever soaring on the wings of the wind. Link, after throwing a sinister force back from whence it came, decided to quickly leave Termina on his beloved mare, Epona. If he had stayed at the feast, it would be too unbearable for him to leave this splendid, yet dangerous place. He and Epona traveled far, wandering, searching for their way back to Hyrule, their homeland. The adventure originated from Link's desire to seek out his blue fairy friend, Navi, who parted paths after they released Hyrule from the grip of the Emporer of Darkness. Tatl was a yellow fairy who had helped Link about in Termina, but he had to leave her to return to Hyrule. Yet, where was Hyrule?

The clopping of Epona's hooves was the only sound that clicked at the air. It was a clouded area, fog obscuring their vision. The mare was walking with a vigorous rate, and Link felt the vibrations of her strolling transfer to his own little body, which he was completely used to. All of a sudden, a disturbance occured. Epona abruptly slowed her pace, and came to a stop. Link noticed this, and concern took over as he looked down, cocking his head. Her breathing was labored in a matter of seconds, when she was in perfect condition only minutes ago. "Epona?" inquired his young, smooth voice. The mare below gave a lurch, and bucked the warrior off her back powerfully with a wild whicker. The ground was cold, and spread a shudder throughout his body as his arms and legs found the earth.
With a grunt, Link raised himself into a sitting position with his right arm, shaking his head, legs straight across the freezing ground. Epona shrieked once more, rearing and throwing painful kicks at him -- Link was fortunate to have raised his shield in time. The ghastly face of the Mirror Shield took the mare by surprise, and she backed away, glaring coldly. The shock quickly subsided however, and Epona took several steps forward, repelling Link with her own presence. He backed away, unable to find the opportunity to leap to his feet and run. Epona raised onto her hind legs, forcing her out front legs once more, though the attack failed. Link parried the blow, thrusting his shield forward, making his mare stumble. "Goddesses, what are you--" Before the Hylian could finish his sentence, the shadow of a demonic force behind her blue eyes. She wasn't with him anymore. Without a choice, Link whirled around and fled -- Epona followed closely, whinnying like mad, the evil weighing her down. This was becoming a dangerous pursuit. I have to lose her...it's my only chance. It could be her only chance, too. But...how? If only...
Link threw a depserate glance over his shoulder, to see her figure still tailing him through the fog. In his lack of attention, his voice slipped out a panicked cry as his foot found the edge of a cliff. Instinct took over--he kicked off, leaping into the air. His free hand groped around for something solid, and it found the rough bark of a branch that just barely hung to a dead tree. His weight swung him back onto the other land safely, leaving him stunned for a few seconds. Link slowly stood to his feet, and turned his head at the fog of the wide gap, hearing Epona scream at him angrily. "How?" The question slipped out croakily, and he realized he was shaken from the sudden turn of events. There was no turning back. "I can't get her back..." he muttered aimlessly. "Not now, anyway. Epona...what happened?" Link turned his head again, only to see more fog label his eyes useless. "Goddesses." More angry now, he trudged through the thick layers of white, wishing it would be easier if he could just push the strips of fog away.

It felt like an hour of tiresome walking. Link's legs dragged him along with effort as he continued his stride, beginning to feel the need to rest. His legs became stiff from movement, but he was just glad the fog was finally lifting. When he reached the point where he could finally see through the clouding layers of translucent white, he noticed he had found barren land. Dead, dry land, lacking grass, just stone and soil. The sound of shifting rock reached his ears, and he spun his upper body around, his sparkling blue eyes meeting the menacing, red ones of an easily recognizable figure. "I thought I was rid of you long ago," he growled dangerously, turning his full body about to face the shadow. "How is it possible? I sent you away, and I did so with the King of Evil. You couldn't have followed me through time. Not all the way here." He lowered his head, hiding his eyes in his golden blonde hair, still glaring with hate. His rival chortled, cocked his head, and cracked his neck in a challenging manner.
"Couragous, but not wise. Do you not know? Do you not know why I do not assume your child form?"
"I'm not here to play."
"Of course you're not...Ganondorf was never a part of Time. Evil never is. There is no logic in Time that not even the wisest will ever find. All I did was ressurect myself with the help of a few...companions."
"You probably killed them once you felt the air of Hyrule again, huh?" Link drew the golden blade from its finely decorated sheath, the silver shimmering like a diamond, even in the lack of light.
"I suppose you could say that." The shadow held a black guard impersonating a Hylian shield, unsheathing the dark reflection of the sacred Master Sword, which was the blade of evil's bane, the line that the Hero of Time wielded against Hell. The battle was about to take suit, and the outcome would be hard to see. A Hylian youth, hero of two lands, against his black adult image, sinister and terrible. Dark Link flexed his fingers, cracking the stiffened bones in his hands. The black pupils swimming in the red blotches widened in interest, giving him a more insane look. Link threw his head to the left, tossing his hair and jerking his head back towards his foe.

The struggle won't begin until one flashes his blade.

Link leaned his form back a little, and suddenly flashed across the battlefield with his nimble agility. The shadow crouched down a bit, shield and sword in hand, awaiting the right opportunity of strike. As he saw the green figure near him precariously, he lunged forth, the dark handle of the twisted blade in his hand. The line of the corrupted Master Sword emanated a horrible force of demonic, Hellish aura as it was forced towards Link, who deflected the blow with the Gilded Sword in his hand. He set it, the broader part of the blade facing them, and the darker sword bounced off the gleaming surface. Dust flew around in countless formations around them as they continued their crazed war, the two swords becoming blurs in the lessening fog as they were sent at the two rivals. Dark Link sent his weapon down upon Link, who ducked his head to the left and evading the strike on his right shoulder. The shadow swung the blade in a downwards diagonal direction to the right, which the young warrior missed with a quick step back. Link raised the Gilded Sword, set his right hand at the end to support its strength, and made a blind stab at Dark Link's head. The blow managed to sever the left shoulder, and this left Link open for a split second. Dark Link lashed his sword out, and the young Hylian arched back, but the tip fo the blade tore through the cloth and scathed the side of his body, along with a bit of his stomach. The energy in the impure sword coarsed through Link's body, completely numbing his legs, disabling his arms, and his body collapsed onto his knees, falling onto his hands afterward. His strength succumbed to the tainted Master Sword, and he was immobilized. Dark Link swooped down, poised for the kill as he steadily raised his blade in triumph. "No!" Link cried out, hoping this wouldn't easily be his end. He awaited the blow, and yet, nothing happened. He wasn't sent to the hereafter just yet.
He raised his head weakly, and blinked in surprise. The black body of the shadow was seeping away into the wind. Dark Link was dissolving into the air, as if he were nothing but dust. He stood, frozen, and the wind swept the figure away. "Wherein could he have not slain thyself?" he muttered in the language of the Hylians. Link's strength steadily returned to his body as he thought the situation over. The substance in the dark blade was not poison for sure. A feeling of uncertainty crept into him. He sensed his essence was not in its normal stance anymore. He wasn't calm, nor competitive for that matter. Link rose to his feet painfully, limping off. He felt the urge to kill; to murder.

"Uh...uh..." Zelda overturned in her sleep, her pleasant dreams slipping away like a snake. Her mind was creeping into a nightmare, a terrifying prophecy. All was silent in her sleeping quarters, except for the sound of her tossing bedsheets. Zelda had been a bit distracted lately for Link's absence. She did not know him too well, she only knew he was a hero, that only tales of this hero existed, that no one else saw who the Hero of Time was. She could not remember much, though she often had images flash past her eyes. Herself as an adult, a massive evil combating Link, three jewels, six medallions, and much more. Though Zelda did not know Link so much, she felt like she's known him forever. She had been worried, because the young warrior had disappeared for months now. Her mind climbed forth more, probing around the prophecy, leading her through a twisted scene.

She was running, but didn't know why. All she knew was that she wanted to keep running. The flames of the torches clinging to the bloody walls fluttered as she raced past breathlessly, throwing orange lights upon the stained wall, the red ceiling, the soaked floor. She could barely see the stone wall, for it was covered in blood. Zelda continued her pace, and two doors came up on her sides; she automatically swerved around to the left, bursting through it, twisting the doorknob and wrenching the door open. A horrifying image filled her eyes. Two long chains suspended a figure in midair, and it was impossible to see who the image was, for the whole room was ruined with massive blotches of blood. She stood there, paralyzed, sickened by the chamber. Two torches on both sides of the room did not help her at all, for it simply illuminated the figure in red. She stared in fright as the victim raised its head as her, with empty, black eyes. The left arm weakly struggled against its chain, and blood suddenly spurted forth from below the chest, ripping through the cloth and spilling messily onto the floor.

Zelda's eyes snapped open, wide with fear. Her heart beat against her lungs wildly, her breathing panicked. She blinked several times at the ceiling, trying to drive the image away, but she couldn't. Her throat wanted to scream, but it was restrained, pinioned to the bed as if some invisible force had chained her there. Zelda tried to sort out the nightmare, biting her lower lip and still staring at the ceiling. Her body was stiff, her head throbbing in slight pain. The footsteps of an approaching guard flew down the hallway, taking her by surprise. The clanking of steel armor echoed against the walls as she heard one rush along, stopping at the doorway.

"P-princess!" he gasped. "An army approa--approaches! The king wants you--wants you--wants you on the field in case of negotiation! Come, the Hyrulean army gathers to meet the other!" He raced off, panting more desperately.
Zelda laid there in bed, eyes locked onto the ceiling. But at last, her arm gripped the side of her bed, and she creakily sat up. Her golden blonde hair was a bit tangled up, but still fine. She sat there in bed, squinting at the floor, worrying over the blood-filled prophecy. Finally, she slipped out the bed, striding out the room in a clumsy manner.
Out on the fields, the army filled with Hylian warriors, aided by a number of Gorons, some Zoras thrown in, marched forth to face a more massive, superior army of Skulltulas, Stalfos, ReDeads, and more horrifying monsters. It was dusk, and the field was thrown in faint black with outlines of red. The opposing army was silhouetted against the light of the sky, looking even more menacing than ever. Zelda, on her own horse, rode to the front of the Hyrulean army with her Shiekah guard, Impa, following the stallion of her father, the King of Hyrule. Her smooth, blue eyes traveled across the hill, which was covered in the figures of thousands of monsters. The army flowed down the hill to halfway at the bottom, easily outnumbering the inferior Hyrulean army. Zelda's eyes caught the sight of a green figure in front of the army, however...
"Link!" she cried out happily, joyful he was unharmed. The commanders of Hyrule's army glanced at each other, knowing to respect anyone Zelda knew. However, a large, bulky man strayed from the crowd, up to the young Hylian daringly. He wanted to know why a child was out on a dangerous location that was liable to become a battlefield for the two armies. His black horse carried him from his fellows to Link, and the horse slowed to a stop.
"Hey, kid!" he said in a strong voice. "What are you doing out here? Pretty dangerous for a forest boy. Let me take you back, eh?" He was about to outstretch his arm to let the boy up onto the black horse, when he hesitated upon studying him. The commander was suddenly confused. Link stared at him directly for a moment, and he lowered his eyelids, his lips curving into the sinister, insane smile of a killer. His left arm craned around his neck, felt the handle of the Gilded Sword on his back, and gripped it. He lashed out the blade in an arc, and a shower of blood rained upon him as he beheaded the man! The Hyrulean army stared in disbelief, but Zelda was truly frightened now. She watched as the warrior passed his stained blade through his lips in tasting the blood, raised the Gilded Sword in the red light, and lowered it in pointing it at Hyrule's army. Slowly, a great cry rose from the monstrous army he led...