Chapter 3 Shackled Demons

Hello again. Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I've been too busy writing 'Darkness Falls on Mineral Town.' Sorry. This is getting exciting, I am immensly happy about this chapter. And I should tell all you that some of the credit for this story goes to my brother, who thought up an idea which made me think up these ideas. So all hail my brother. Great thinker upper of ideas that help me think up other ideas.

Link walked past the cold stones of the past, looking for more paranormal activity. He began to wonder if these Poes were really the ghosts of the dead come back to haunt the living. But Link didn't believe in Souls, so this belief was hard to follow through with. But fallen fairies? That seemed even less likely. Link was not about to start believing the preachy talk of Navi and the gatekeeper. Link didn't believe in divine power. He believed in cold, hard facts. Everything could be proven. In fact, Link wasn't sure he could trust the gatekeeper. Maybe the gatekeeper was an agent of Ganondwarf, sent to deceive him. That surely was possible. Maybe the gatekeeper wanted Link to believe in these things so he could be corrupted easily. Navi had always told Link of these things, and Link had always disbelieved her. Would Navi lie to him?

Suddenly Link found himself standing before a large gravestone, which stood taller than all the others. On the front of it words were carved in the stone.

"Here lie the Sheikah," Link read. "Protectors of the Royal Family. Now fallen into darkness..."

It ended with three dots. What did that mean? How had the protectors of the Royal Family fallen into darkness? And what did the three dots mean? Did that signal that more was to come? Was it a clue? Link reached into his pocket, and took out his ocarina. Perhaps the dead would like to hear the melody of the royal family. The family which they had protected all those years. Link closed his eyes, and began playing Zelda's melody. The notes rang, happy and at the same time sad. Mournful, and at the same time, joyful. Link ended the song with a reverberating low note.

Link put his ocarina away, and looked up at the gray tablet. Suddenly it began to rain. Thunder rumbled, and lightning crashed far off in the sky. Rain brought back frightening memories, so Link tried to ignore it. Suddenly the gravestone exploded. Link's sword was immediately in his hand. The stone was gone, revealing a deep, dark hole below where it had been. Mist rose from the hole, as if it hadn't been opened for years. And it probably hadn't. Link took a step forward, and then hesitated. He was about to enter the tomb of the Sheikah. Who had fallen into darkness. But what darkness was it? Did they mean death? Was death considered darkness? When the gatekeeper spoke of death, he seemed to have a positive opinion about it. He had said something about the dead no longer playing a part in the world of man. Something about them going to paradise. But he had also said that they could fall. Link banished all thoughts of this, and jumped down the hole.

Darkness enveloped him as he fell. He couldn't see anything until he landed on the cold dirt ground at the bottom. Link slowly examined his surroundings. It was pitch black down their, with the only light coming from the hole above him. Link felt the stone ground below him. It appeared that he was in some sort of tomb.

"Navi," Link said, "light up the room."

Navi immediately began glowing brighter and brighter, until her light illuminated the room. Link saw that the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room were made of stone, and coffins were positioned everywhere around him. Link walked to the side of one, and placed his hands on the side of the lid.

"Careful Link," Navi said. "Remember the carving. It has been my experience that it is not wise to disturb ancient powers of darkness."

"Ancient powers of darkness?" Link said. "These were the Shekiah. Protectors of the Royal Family."

"Remember the inscription on the gravestone. 'Now fallen into darkness,' it read."

Link immediately shoved the large stone lid off of the ancient casket. It crashed to the ground beside the coffin with a resounding thud. Dust rose from inside the coffin, and Link finally amassed the courage to look into the ancient cell. What he saw surprised him. There were no remains!

"What the heck," Link said in surprise.

"Link... I'm not sure that was such a wise decision."

"Everything is foolish in your terms," Link said sarcastically. "Lets see. Maybe we'll find your Lord of Light in here."

"Did it ever occur to you that we might find something like what we uncovered seven years ago?"

Link stopped.

"Help me get the lid back on the casket," Link said to his fairy.

"Its too late," Navi said. "The lid is way too heavy."

Link stopped, and began rebuking his sudden fear.

"I need to open another one. I need to see what is in the others."

"Don't Link," Navi said. "Don't make the situation worse. I'm getting frightened."

Link groaned as he pushed another stone lid off of a second coffin. It landed with a resounding crash on the floor. Link looked inside that one. What he saw frightened him. There was a skull, but a large hole had been cut through the face of it. The jaw bone was open, fused permanently in its position. The only other bones which were there were those of one hand. And they were all split apart in pieces, as if some mighty jaw had chewed them up and spit them back out.

"What happened to these people?" Link said in awe.

"Something evil," Navi said. "'Protectors of the Royal Family. Now fallen into darkness...' What does that mean?"

"I do not want to meet the one who caused the deaths of all these men and women," Link said. "Navi, what can you tell me about the Sheikah?"

"They were a tribe of warriors which lived in this area before Kakariko village was built. Around that time Hyrule was at war with a nation known as Kardonia. It turned out that the Sheikah tribe was also fighting with Kardonia. But there was little the small tribe could do against the powerful nation of Kardonia. So the Sheikah tribe and the nation of Hyrule formed an alliance, and defeated Kardonia. The Shekiah tribe was so grateful to Hyrule for the help, that they swore to protect the Monarchy of Hyrule. Soon the Sheikah tribe had been annexed into Hyrule, and Kakariko village was built as a permanent home of the Sheikah and their descendants. The people that live their now are mostly descendants of the Sheikah tribe, for it is now all but gone. No one knows what happened to them, the Sheikah. They just... disappeared. And then this gravestone appeared."
"That is not comforting at all," Link said as he looked down at the mutilated face of the Sheikah. "Say, didn't Sheik say that he was the last surviving Sheikah?"

"Something like that," Navi said. "But I think other Sheikah are still alive."

"Then where are they?" Link asked.

"I don't know."

Link walked to a third coffin, and pushed the lid off. In this one, he only found a leg bone. He then opened a fourth casket, and found nothing inside.

"I think you should stop opening the coffins," Navi said. "There must be a reason why these coffins are closed when no body is inside."

"According to you and the Gatekeeper," Link said, "the dead no longer play a part in the world of the living. I was the one who believed differently. Now you are supporting my beliefs on this."

"And what beliefs are those?" Navi asked.

"That there is no Lord of Light. Poes and Redeads are reanimated dead. They are bound to Ganondorf when they die."

"But that would mean that when you die, then you will automatically will be turned into a servant of Ganondorf."

Link stopped at this, realizing the truth in Navi's words, but he just cast them aside.

"The truth hurts," Link said.

"But if they are reanimated dead, then doesn't that compromise your disbelief in souls?"

"Yes," Link said honestly. "I guess that belief was wrong from the beginning."

Navi was surprised, and even a little happy at this. For the first time Link, the major skeptic, had admitted his beliefs to be wrong.

"But the important thing is that they can be stopped," Link said, holding up the bottle which he had trapped the Poe in.

"You didn't destroy it," Navi said.

"It ain't going nowhere," Link said.

"But you can't just go around trapping every Poe you see. I mean, you don't have enough empty bottles."

"Then I'll trap them in the same bottle," Link said.

"Link!" Navi suddenly exclaimed.

"What is it," Link said annoyed, before he heard something cackle ominously from behind him.

Link turned. What he saw took his breath away. At the far end of the room, behind all the coffins stood some sort of altar. It was black, with pink roses sprinkled over top of it. A silver cup rested in the center of it. But the thing which stood out the most were the two Poes floating to the right and left of the altar.

"Oh crap!" Link said, and drew his sword.

The Poes giggled evilly, before holding forth their torches laden with black flame. Then they charged. Link fell to the floor, and they shot overhead. But one managed to toss down a small amount of flame upon the Hero of Time. Link shrieked as his flesh was burned by the vicious fury of the undead, or demons, whichever they were. Link then leaped back up to his feet to face the Poes. Link cried out, before charging towards them. Link swung the Master Sword around, cutting through one of the Poes, but the other shot away. The Poe which had been struck shrieked before dissolving in a cloud of blue fire. Soon the Poe Spirit was floating right where the Poe's flesh had been destroyed.

"Quick Link!" Navi shouted, "trap the Poe spirit in the bottle!"

Link reached into his pocket for the bottle. But the other Poe drew some sort of glowing yellow sword, and slashed Link in the side with it. Link cried out, and swung his sword at his enemy. The blades clashed. Steel against paranormal energy. Link looked up into the eyes of his enemy. They were dark, evil, and filled with hate. But Link saw something surprisingly familiar about them. They had a look in them, which reminded him of fairy eyes. Except they had been poisoned.

Link swung his sword around, but the Poe caught the blade against its own. The Poe then whipped its torch into Link's chest. Link screamed as hot coals from the strange black flame flew out and bored holes through his shirt before burning his flesh. The Poe then stabbed its blade into Link's stomach. Link all of a sudden was silent. He looked down at the blade protruding from his stomach, and fell to the ground without a word.

The Poe growled in satisfaction as Link slumped over on the ground. The sword was stuck deep within him. But it was not embedded in his body. It was embedded in his soul. Yes. The Poe had hooked his spirit. There was no wound on Link's body, and no blood poured from where the blade had entered his stomach. But his spirit was in peril. Link's soul hovered parallel to his body in the Spirit world, and right next to it stood a creature to dark to be described. It had caught Link's spirit with it's large yellow hook, and was drying to bring him in. But Link's spirit fought against it, holding tightly to Link's body. Back in the physical world, the Poe slowly drew its blade back, pulling at Link's soul. Link's body thrashed on the ground in somewhat of a seizure as his soul tried its best to hold on, but it was weak compared to the mighty Poe.

Suddenly a bright ball of light collided with the Poe, knocking it back through the cavern away from the fallen hero of time. But its sword remained embedded in Link's soul. The Poe lifted back up from the ground, and began charging towards Link again. But right before it reached him, Navi flew in front of it, barring its passage. The Poe shrieked in supernatural fury, and backed away from the fairy. Then its fear of the fairy left it, and it began to snarl.

"Lord of Light," Navi whispered. "Please give me strength."

Something struck through the Poe as these words left Navi's mouth. The Poe's eyes flared, and it screamed in agony. She was calling upon the Lord of Light! The Poe then charged the fairy while screeching in terror. But the fairy began to glow even brighter than before. It seemed that her energy had now multiplied ten fold. The Poe came barreling towards her, like a large bundle of hate, supernatural energy, and desire all rolled into one bundle. The Poe swung its torch towards Navi. It collided with her, and the black ethereal flame consumed her. The Poe laughed as the fairy screamed as her perfect bluish white soul was consumed by fire.

At least, that's what the Poe wanted to happen. The Poe swung its demonic torch towards its enemy, hoping to burn her away with the fire of darkness. But Navi caught the torch against her small hand, and pushed it away from her. The Poe's eyes widened as it looked at its torch, and realized that it had been put out. The Poe screamed like the undead, and swung the unlit torch at Navi. But Navi held out her hand, which shone with the glory of light, and caught the unholy lantern again. Navi then pushed the lantern away from herself, and the Poe resisted. The creature was amazed. How could this tiny fairy have so much strength?

"Nio cay entrana. Nu hera thorda," Navi said quietly.

The Poe shrieked, and backed off from the fairy.

"Nio cay entrana! Nu hera thorda!" Navi commanded the Poe.

The Poe dropped its torch, and moved backwards, away from the fairy.

"Nio cay entrana! Nu hera thorda!" Navi said louder than before.

The Dark Spirit suddenly was shackled and bound with bright white chains. Chains which shone brighter than the sun. The Poe screamed as it watched the shackles close upon its demonic hands, and the chain wrap around its accursed body.

"Go now!" Navi shouted. "Away from this world! And never return."

Suddenly a fury took hold of the Poe, and it thrashed and fought to free itself from the chains. But the chains held fast. Then the Poe was encircled in a ball of light, and it disappeared.

Navi sighed, and brushed imaginary dust off of her arms. She then looked over at the body of the one she had guarded for so long. The Poe's blade was still hooked in Link's soul, awaiting its master to return, and remove Link's soul. Navi began flying over to Link. Suddenly the fairy felt a dark presence. She looked around the room, searching for whatever enemy awaited her.

Then a Poe appeared right next to Link. Navi almost shrieked. She had forgotten about the first Poe which Link had been unable to trap in a bottle. Now it had returned, reunited with its flesh. It put a cold hand around the yellow rod which the second Poe had plunged into Link's soul. Navi's jaw dropped as she realized what the Poe was going to do. It was going to finish the job. The Poe tugged hard on the blade, sending a convulsion through Link's body, and Navi charged. The Poe saw this, and pulled harder with the blade. Link's soul was almost off of his body. The Poe pulled harder. Link's soul only held on by a thread. The bonds between the spirit and the body were straining. The Poe yanked the blade as hard as it could. Link's body shuddered, and his eyes flashed open. His mouth opened, and he screamed. The Poe drew the blade back all the way, and Link's eyes closed, and his body fell to the ground like a corpse. Then Navi struck.

She shot in, and slapped the Poe as hard as she could. The Poe staggered backwards, trying to clear the dizziness out of its head. Navi then held her hand out, and a stream of bright light shone out upon the Poe. It screeched and writhed under the bright light. The Poe then swung its torch at Navi. Navi dodged to the side, and then tossed three rings of energy into the Poe's face. The ring's seemed to electrocute the Poe, sending streams of energy through it's body.

The Poe then shot a beam of black flame into Navi, knocking her back. Navi cried out as the fire burned her flesh, cutting into her soul. Something black was awoken inside of her, and it took all the small fairy had to push it back. Navi flew back to the Poe, and slammed into it. The Poe tumbled over, and stumbled through the air, disoriented. Navi then pulled her hand back before stabbing it into her enemie's chest. The Poe shrieked as Navi's hand, now surrounded by glowing white energy, pierced through its black hide and cut into it's soul. The Poe began to dissolve in a blue fire which surrounded its body, burning away its decayed flesh. Then with a flash, it was gone. In its place appeared the same purple fire of the Poe's spirit.

"Leave this world," Navi said to the Poe's soul. "With the power of the Lord of Light, I banish you from this world."

The purple fire disappeared. Navi then flew over to the body of Link. He lay still, with no visible movement. Navi touched his skin. It was cold and clammy. But the sword hadn't been yanked out of him, so their was still hope that perhaps the Poe's had not managed to tear his soul from his body. Navi touched the blade gently, and a shock of evil energy shot through her hand. Navi drew her hand back. There was no way she could remove the blade. Navi fluttered over to Link's head, and touched his forehead gently.

"Link," she said softly.

His flesh felt cold, and wet with perspiration. But Navi could feel that their was a soul in their still. Somehow, through it all, the bonds between his soul and his body had remained intact. Navi closed her eyes, and channeled all of her energy into Link. Healing energy coursed through his body, mending the scars in his spirit, and carrying it back into the body. Navi opened her eyes.

"Did it work?" she said.

Link groaned, and moved his head to the side.

What do you guys and gals think's going on? Suggestions are very welcome. What do you guy's think should happen later on in the story, and at the end? Farewell. And please leave reviews, that mean's all of you.