So, last we left off, Link managed to slay that huge spider known as a Queen Gohma! But not only that, the Queen had been keeping a certain red-haired bounty hunter captive by the name of Kain Borne, and Link managed to bring him home safe and sound. Yay! Anyway, let's just go ahead and slide into the chapter.

Chapter 9

Virtus Kin

"Ahhh, that hit the spot!"

Kain, after at least ten plates, finally called it enough. He'd nearly cleared out the pantries at the bounty office, to boot. Link only had a little food, as he wasn't at the absolute peak of his hunger. He was still trying to stomach everything that had transpired over at Skyview Temple.

"So, you ready to head home, Kain?" asked Link, lowering his mask back onto his face.

"Sure, why not? I'm sure the wife is beyond worried..."

Kain and Abel left with Link following after, though Gerome stopped him.

"Here's your reward for bringing Kain back," siad the larger man as he handed Link that bag of rupees, Link taking it gratefully.

"You do realize this is going straight back to Kain and his wife, right?"

Gerome chuckled a little. "I figured. Besides, if you needed cash you'd have come here for more than supplies. Anyway, you'd best be off. I'm sure Mary has more words of thanks than you can count for ya."

"I bet she does," said Link before waving and leaving the bounty office. "Now, where did Kain live again? Somewhere on the eastern thoroughfare, if I'm not mistaken..."

OOO

Link finally managed to catch up with Kain and Abel, meeting them in front of Kain's house.

"Hey, took you long enough," said the Bloodborne before turning to the door. "We've been waiting. It's been what... 11 months? I've been gone for almost a year... But I'm back. I'm finally home."

Reaching up to the door, he knocked. It took a moment for anything to happen, but he eventually heard a quiet, "I'm coming," from inside. Link could hear a few locks being undone, and eventually the door opened, revealing a brunette woman wearing black clothing. Link knew that there was a reason behind her outfit. Those who have lost something typically wear black as a means of mourning. A year believing yourself to be a widow is torturous enough, but even worse when you were rather newly married a little over a month ago. By the time he had gone missing, Mary was with child, too.

The woman, Mary, took a moment to gather herself to look at who it was exactly that had knocked on her door.

"Welcome, what can I help you wi-"

She made direct eye contact with Kain right as she was about to finish her sentence. Her hands flew to cover her face and tears become visible in her eyes.

"K-Kain...?" she whispered, almost as if it were a dream that would end were she to speak his name. She reached out to him, carefully stroking his face. "Is this...?"

"Mary," said Kain softly as he grabbed her hand, holding it with both of his own. "I'm home."

Mary couldn't restrain her self any longer as she threw herself at Kain, wailing as she did so.

"It's been almost a year! But my baby's finally back! I thought you were gone... I didn't want to believe it but I thought you were gone... Thanks the Goddesses I was wrong!"

Kain embraced her tightly as if he'd lose her again were he to let go. "I may have been gone, but I'm back now. And I'll never leave you again, I swear."

Mary couldn't stop crying, though face broke into a wide smile. "You'd better not. I don't want to raise our child alone."

"You mean..." Kain said with a knowing smile, Mary nodding in return.

"You're a father, Kain. Her name is Rose. Rose Borne. Your daughter, our daughter. She's 3 months old... I'm just glad her earliest memories will involve you."

Kain smiled widely and hugged Mary again, this time lifting her off of the ground. "I wanna see her then."

Mary giggled quietly and gestured inside before heading in, Kain and Abel following closely after. Link, however, smiled and turned to leave, though Kain stopped him.

"What, leaving so soon? You can stay," Kain said gently.

"This is a family reunion, and it's not my family. I wouldn't to be a bother," Link said solemnly before trying to leave, Kain still stopping him.

"Look, I know you're still wrapped up about your sister, I get that. But you'll get her back. You got me back, didn't you? But you aren't going to get anywhere secluding yourself from others. You're a part of my family, just as much as Abel, Mary, or Rose. Now come on, kid, just stick around for a while."

Link was about to say something else, but Abel's voice stopped him.

"Hey, Link, why don't you come in and say hi? I'm sure Mary would love to meet you!"

Link sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, I can stick around for a little bit. Not too long though."

"Hey, as long as you just say hi and stick around for a little bit, then I'm fine with that," said Kain, stepping aside so Link could enter.

Kain's house was rather quaint. It was a reasonably sized house for three people, and all of the furniture was nice. Mary had done a surprisingly good job of maintaining it all on her own for the past year.

Link sat down on the couch across from the Bornes, not doing much otherwise. Kain quickly sat next to him and 'lightly' punched him in the arm.

"Mask, hood, off. She's a nice person. It's not like she's going to be gossiping about the bounty hunter who saved my life," said Kain as Link rubbed his arm in pain.

"Alright, geez. You just had to ask." Link made quick work of removing his head accessories, quickly placing his mask in his pouch before Mary got back carrying a small child.

"Here she is, Kain," said Mary as she sat down on the other couch, cradling the child in her arms. Kain smiled and sat down next to her holding his hand out to his daughter.

"Hey there, Rose. Daddy's finally home," said Kain as Rose took a hold of her father's finger. "Hey, she has a pretty strong grip for someone so young!" Kain said as he tried to remove his finger, though Rose wouldn't let go, smiling and making bubbling noises. Kain laughed quietly in return.

"She has your eyes," said Kain as he looked into Rose's soft brown eyes.

"Well, she got her hair from you," declared Mary as she unraveled Rose's shawl, revealing her wispy red hair.

Link smiled and quietly placed the bag of rupees on the table, Mary noticing the subtle action, which in turn drew her attention to Link.

"Oh, hello. Are you a friend of Kain's?"

Link nodded. "We've known each other for quite a time."

Mary narrowed her eyes as she looked at Link, taking a good long look at Link's face, though her gaze was directed mostly at the scar on his chin.

"I've... I've seen you before... Link?"

Link blinked a few times as he pointed at himself in question. "How did you...?"

Mary smiled. "It is you! Did you really forget about when you and Kain used to work together? To think that someone my Kain trained became the Hooded Demon... How have you been?"

Link smiled. "I've been fine, thank you. How have you been?"

Mary looked to Kain, a warm smile gracing her features. "Never better."

Link stood and walked over to the two, looking Rose in the eyes, bringing another smile to his face. "She's adorable."

Rose's attention shifted from her parents to Link, her smile lost to an intrigued gaze.

"L... Li... ing... ink," said the infant before her smile returned, reaching out to Link.

"How in Hyrule..." said Link as he gave Rose his finger, and true to Kain's words, her grip was impressive.

"She's going to grow up to be a strong girl, I can feel it. Just like her parents."

Kain once again 'lighly' slapped Link on the back, throwing him to the floor.

"Or... More like Kain I guess..." said Link in pain from the floor, earning a laugh from Kain and Mary. Mary finally noticed the bag on the table and grabbed it.

"Also, what's this?"

"It's yours," said Link as he stood, brushing himself off. "I got it from the bounty office."

Mary looked at him for a moment before she went to open the bag, though her attention was drawn to a commotion from outside.

"Well, what's going on out there?" asked Kain as he headed to the door, opening it to reveal a massive crowd gathering around town square. In the middle of the ground was a large podium with what appeared to be a Royal Knight standing on top, evident by his gilded armor and weapons.

"Hey..." said Kain to someone rushing by, though in vain. "Hey!" he yelled to another, though they ran past him too. Grabbing a third person, he raised them off the ground to eye level.

"What the Dark Realm is all this commotion about?"

"You didn't hear?" the villager asked. "Virtus Kin has returned from purging Faron Woods of the evil that has been plaguing it! He's the epitome of what a knight should strive for! And haven't you heard? He's the spitting image of the Heroes! Now, let me go! I wish to see for myself!"

Kain, confused, dropped the townsperson to the ground and went back inside.

"What was that all about, honey?" Mary asked after having put Rose back to bed.

"They're talking about some 'Virtus Kin,' saying how he looks like the Heroes... I don't buy it. He can call himself the Hero all he wants, but no one like that exists today." declared Kain before sitting back down.

"I should really get going," said Link quickly before turning to the door, but not before hugging Mary and shaking Kain and Abel's hands. Once he got outside, He quickly put of his mask and hood before making his way to the center of the crowd, looking up to the podium at this 'Virtus Kin'.

"People of Hyrule! I, if you didn't already know, am the Royal Knight Virtus Kin. As most of you know, I have recently gone to Faron Woods to cleanse the area of evil. I have good news!"

The knight, Virtus, drew his sword and held it skyward triumphantly.

"I have succeeded!"

The crowd cheered wildly, flowers being flung from nearly every direction. Link took this time to truly inspect this 'Virtus' character. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he did bear a great resemblance to the Heroes, though there were subtle differences. His hair, instead of being the pure blonde, nearly gold bore by the Heroes, had wisps of white, and his hair color was overall lighter. That, and his eyes, instead of being pure blue, had traces of silver throughout.

"Hey!" said Abel as he made his way to Link, having seen the same differences Link had. "This guy's not the Hero!"

"How dare you?!" shouted someone from the crowd, throwing a stone at him, hitting him in the back of the head.

"Who are you to try and deny our Hero!" called another before throwing another stone. Link caught that one, however, dropping it to the ground in annoyance.

"And who are all of you to crucify someone for voicing their opinions?" said Link in rage.

"People, people, it is quite all right. Some just don't wish to accept the reality that I am the one who will stand in the face of evil. Leave him alone."

"Anything for you, Chosen One!" called another citizen before Abel was dragged out of the crowd by some citizens who ignored Virtus' order.

"However," said Virtus, "I see there are those of you who still doubt me. Is this not enough?"

He raised his sword again, Link finally taking note of what it was. In his hands was none other than the Master Sword, the weapon of the Heroes themselves. But, it seemed different from the legends... The cross guard was instead of blue a deep golden color, the gem itself being blue, and the blade was silver instead of white, and it didn't give off the holy light that it was supposed to. Staring intently at the sword, his attention was drawn to Virtus, who in turn was staring at Link. Their eyes met, and Virtus' triumphant smile faded a solid margin.

"You..." he said before aiming the sword at Link. "So, the Hooded Demon. Just the man I was looking for. Rumor has it that you are the only one who can possibly match me in a duel. I wish to put those rumors to rest! The public needs to know that they're Hero is the best that he can be, better than anyone else!"

Link's eyes widened as the people around him backed off, making a rather large circle around Link.

Virtus, his smile returning, jumped off of the podium, landing gracefully.

"I Virtus Kin, challenge you to a one-on-one duel to the death!"

Link began laughing afterwards, his Demon persona finally asserting dominance.

"Who are you to challenge me? Hero or no, an upstart knight couldn't hope to best me. I've had years of experience, more than anyone my age should have. Today, I offer mercy by denying your challenge. But next time," said Link as he drew his own sword, aiming it at Virtus' neck, "I will not hesitate to cut you down."

"Ha!" cried someone from the crowd. "He thinks that he can beat a Hero of Legend! He thinks that a mere mortal can beat the descendant of a man who has defeated gods and demons alike!"

"Why don't we kill him now and be done with it?!" shouted another before hurling a large stone at Link, though Link dodged, the stone instead striking Virtus, causing his forehead to bleed. The man who threw the rock quickly turned the blame back on Link somehow.

"How dare you make Virtus bleed! That's it, kill him! It's not like we need any more bounty hunters anyway!"

The rest of the crowd grew angry, most agreeing with the man's statement. They were about to swarm him when Kain made his way into the crowd, most shocked to see him alive and well.

"Enough of that. Leave him alone. I mean, where would most of you be without him? I know at least a handful of you wouldn't be alive, myself included. It wasn't Virtus who saved me from Faron Woods, it was the Hooded Demon."

"I must agree with Sir Borne," called a new voice, loud and commanding.

The crowd parted to reveal Sebastian Steele himself making his way to the center of town, and he didn't look happy.

"I hereby decree that anyone who who tries to lay as much as a hand on the Hooded Demon will be arrested for attempted murder. Anyone found to still plot to kill him will be arrested for conspiracy to commit murder. And if he is found dead, then anyone found suspect will be hung publicly for committing murder. Do not test me."

"But General Steele, he dared to insult the Hero!" came a voice from within the crowd, Sebastian's angry gaze turning almost immediately in the direction the words came from.

"Did I not make myself clear? Or do you intend to still preserve the 'Hero's' image? In that case, I have the authority to arrest you right here, right now!" he yelled.

The crowd around the woman who had spoke dispersed, leaving her alone to feel the weight of Sebastian's glare. With fearful tears in her eyes she ran, the rest of the crowd retaining their new positions.

"Good. Now, this area is to be cleared! I will not have any more of this gathering since it is well on the way to becoming a riot! Disperse now or face capital punishment!"

Reluctantly, the crown dispersed, leaving no one left but Kain, Sebastian, Link, Virtus, and the few knights who had accompanied him.

Sebastian shook his head in disappointment before heading over to Link. "I apologize for the way the citizens reacted. They merely found false hope in Virtus. And I apologize for the way he acted as well. He has always been against bounty hunters being allowed to do work he feels is strictly for the knights."

"It's quite all right," said Link before turning his gaze on Virtus, whose displeased gaze became visible. "It's not your fault men like him exist."

Sebastian smiled for a moment before turning to Virtus. "Even if the public finds you as a Hero, that does not mean I will treat you as one. Mess hall duty for the next month."

"What?!" said Virtus in shock as his attention was brought to Sebastian. "But, that's not right! It should him punished, not me!"

"Yes," said Sebastian, turning to Link in contemplation. "I should leave the man who started a mob to kill a man alone whilst punishing the man who would have died. At least recognize when you are in the wrong, Virtus. Two months. Feel lucky knowing if you weren't in the Royal Guard, I could have had you executed already."

Virtus merely sheathed his sword, turning back towards the castle. "There are others who agree with me. Know that the monster you refer to will soon be brought the punishment he rightly deserves. And there will be nothing you can do to stop it."

With that, Virtus left, his following of knights following closely after. Link shook his head, still hung up on what just happened.

"Well, I'll have to say goodbye for now. I need to find Abel. He was dragged off a few minutes ago. Thank you."

"No, thank you," said Sebastian. "Though there are few who would believe it, I know Virtus is not the next Hero. You are. He merely read the legends, finding the think he could replicate the easiest. You yourself don't replicate the Hero- You are the Hero down to a point. You've done great things. I know what you did back at Faron Woods. I knew you were knight material."

Link shook his head before running off, leaving Kain and Sebastian alone.

"So, you really think Link's the next Hero?" asked Kain, walking up to the other man. Surprisingly, Kain was pretty much the same height as Sebastian, a claim not many could make.

"With all of my being. Virtus is a skilled knight, no doubt, but even he doesn't possesses the skills or bravery to challenge a Queen Gohma. Not many people in this world can. Not even you, Bloodborne," said Sebastian, staring off into the distance.

"I guess you're right. I never really thought about it that way," said Kain in understanding.

"But regardless, if Link truly is the Hero, that means evil is approaching. We can't just leave ourselves defenseless."

"Wait are you...?" asked Kain, Sebastian nodding in response.

"I am going to prepare this world for war."

So. Yeah. Virtus Kin's here. ANyway, I decided to add the whole 'false prophet' thing because it seemed like it made so much sense, and I'd honestly hate myself for not adding it. Virtus looks pretty much like Link, aside from the white-ish hair and silver-ish eyes. And his Master Sword is a palette swap from the original. But anyway, that was all I had to say.

OniHelix out!