COUNTING STARS

Chapter 26: Fatalist

Monday, December 17th

Pipit slams his fist upon the tabletop, earning a few sideways glances from the lounge clientele, and points an accusatory finger at the redhead sitting across from him. "This little wuss tripped me during our encounter with a loose moblin!"

"It was an accident," Mido insists, tiredly.

"False!" Another slam of the fist. "You thought that I'd be your little sacrifice while you all scurried away to safety. I won't have it!"

"Well, would you have done the same thing?"

"Aha, a confession!"

"No, an honest question. Would you have?"

Pipit goes to answer, but clamps his mouth shut, pondering. "Of course not," he responds after a moment, pridefully lifting his nose in the air. "I'm fast enough to just outrun everyone, anyway."

"But either way, someone gets left behind and eaten."

"Natural selection."

"You're unbearably hypocritical."

And you're unbearably hypo-bitch-able for tripping me."

"That doesn't even make—"

"Save it! Don't talk to me anymore!" Pipit exclaims with pompous mulishness. Then, he shifts his gaze my way. "Can you believe this—this treason?"

I lean against the table, elbows propped up on the end, sitting quietly upon a pulled-up chair. Six sets of eyes fall on me. Pipit, Mido, Sheik, Mikau, Midna, and Zelda. "Well," I begin, expression detached and calculating, "no, I can't."

Pipit nods adamantly while Mido rolls his eyes in defeat. The rest of the crew frowns, surprised to think that I had seemingly taken Pipit's side on a matter.

"That is," I add, absently running a hand through my locks of hair, "I can't believe my friends went out monster hunting when I explicitly told them not to."

An uncomfortable silence settles into our booth in response to that. And, naturally, Pipit is the first to break it. "…I, uh, I said monster encounter. I don't know about any monster hunt—"

Deadpan, I keep my voice candid and flat. "Especially after you all deliberately asked to help me fight Yuga's army of monsters."

Caught in my crosshairs, Pipit lowers his head, resigned. Others at the booth share quiet glances.

"To be fair," chimes Midna, likely the least corrigible of the bunch, "we asked to help you. Who's to say we can't do our part all on our own?"

I meet her fiery eyes. "That's fair," I reason. "But I'm hearing of some dangerous encounters that aren't being properly handled."

All eyes fall on Mido. Looking around, he raises his hands innocently and cries, "It was an accident!"

Sheik clears his throat, marking the return of civility. "Just to clear things up, we actually handled ourselves fine. We were all armed with baseball bats that we stole from the locker room. We took down three bokoblins, a pack of keese, and a lizalfos. Even Mido got a kill—it was only a chuchu, but it's the effort that counts." They all nod upon hearing their names, sending me proud looks.

Zelda and I share a glance; her eyes reflect the sorrow that I feel but choose not to show. That sorrow triggered by the fact that our innocent friends are blindly running outside with determined bloodlust. Sighing, I fold my arms on the table and regard them coolly. "That's great. Really. But you're all far too ambitious in your hopes to actually accomplish anything meaningful."

Mikau snorts. "That's a real pick-me-up."

"You know what I mean. Yuga has an entire army," I say. "Killing a couple monsters here and there won't hurt his numbers."

"He's right," sighs Pipit. "These monsters are multiplying like rabbits. What's even the point?"

"It doesn't help that Hero is nowhere to be found," grunts Mikau with stubborn gloom. "I thought he was here to help our city."

"Maybe he got arrested," suggests Midna. "He's been wanted for a while. Maybe the police finally got him."

I catch Zelda sending a furtive glance my way, then she flicks her gaze elsewhere as soon as it came.

Mikau shakes his head. "The police have been hiding out like a bunch of cowards. There's no way they caught him."

"I'll bet he's planning something big," Pipit mumbles, staring at his hands. "Don't you think? The dude's not gonna let some clown take over the city without a fight."

My breath hitches in my chest. Do I even have a plan? I look at Zelda, whose eyes are still dim from the disappointment of somehow losing her Triforce. She was supposed to be part of my plan. At least, that's what the gods told me. But without that blessing, she's nearly powerless. And I am clueless as to how she could get it back.

How am I to take on a god and his endless army alone?

I suppose I don't have a plan. So now we're all just biding our time.

Tuesday, December 18th

The ruckus that followed Castle Town's siege has gradually begun to die down as residents are beginning to accept that Yuga's totalitarian regime is here to stay, for the time being. Yuga has yet to claim Hyrule Castle, though many are certain that its takeover would be a cakewalk for the dark army. Neighboring cities have been hesitant to lend support to the kingdom's capitol, in wake of the horrible massacre; King Gustaf has refused to call for additional support, knowing that many deaths would be on his hands.

So, essentially, the city is trapped. Thus, an ironic sense of calmness has settled amongst the civilians, as if everyone is woefully accepting their fate as prisoners. A loss of hope has blanketed the city.

I was once a beacon of hope. I'm supposed to be, still. But I'm at a crossroads, and the gods won't help me with any clues.

I'm told I need Zelda. I'm told it's futile trying to stop Yuga without her. But I'm not told how to get her that wretched power back.

I've spent nearly all of these past two days reading old books, scouring their pages of magic and lore for any hints as to solving the mystery of the golden triangles. After many frustrating hours of tugging my hair, gritting my teeth, and clenching my fists, I've found nothing that even alludes to a disappearing Triforce.

It's futile, then. I suppose I know what I must do next.

I slam the book shut and aggressively scoot out of the chair, standing up to leave the library. I halt, however, upon seeing Zelda waiting in the doorway.

We lock eyes from across the room. She scans the area, noting that we are alone, then speaks. "Everything okay?" Her tone lacks the concern that the question might otherwise imply.

I sigh, forcing myself to relax. "Yeah. Fine." After sloppily tossing the useless book back onto its shelf, I make my way toward the exit and stride past her.

"Your pissed-off face really screams 'fine,'" she calls dryly after me, falling into stride just behind. We walk down the hall of the upstairs west wing, our footsteps clicking loudly against the abandoned academy's tile floors.

"I hope that wasn't an attempt at flirting."

"Please."

"It sounded oddly like a pick-up line."

Zelda grits her teeth, angrily squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. "I don't have time for this. Did you find anything out, or not?"

I can feel my frustrations reaching their peak. Wheeling around, I glare at her sharply. "No. And I don't see you helping out in this investigation."

"Well I'm not the expert on mystical powers and golden triangles from fairy tales. You are." She folds her arms, cross. "We have a city to save. A maniac to kill. Keep looking."

The blood is boiling between us. It's to the point where I'm under such stress that I no longer care what I tell her. "You know, partnerships are a two-way street. And you're doing nothing proactive to get your power back."

"I just found out about this thing a week ago, and now you expect me to figure out how to re-summon it?" she cries, brows arisen. "And for the last time, it is not a partnership."

I clap my hands together promptly. "Alright," I say. "Not a partnership. Works for me." With that, I turn around and stride swiftly to the staircase and begin my descent.

"Oh, and what's that supposed to mean?" an angry Zelda shouts back, her boots stomping up behind me in pursuit.

"It means," I grunt, keeping my eyes locked forward as we angrily lumber down the halls, "we're no longer working together, princess. You're not going to help me anymore."

"What?!" Zelda finally catches up to me and claws at my shoulder, stopping me and spinning me around. "Listen, Hero," she growls, forehead creased and face red hot, "the gods said it themselves that you need me. And now that you can't figure out what to do, you're throwing a temper tantrum?!"

"Well if I need you, how come you're powerless right now?" I fire back. "Damn the gods. I'm not going to waste my time on a wild-goose chase."

Her face contorts into a mixture of fury and disgust. "Yeah, okay, go alone then! Serve yourself up on a silver platter. You'll be killed."

"At least I can stand a chance." I hold up my gloved hand for emphasis, then turn away.

Zelda's eyes burn into my back as I leave. "So you're just gonna give up on everything we've worked for?"

"I didn't see you this enthused about working with me before," I spit, scowling over at her. "You know. When you were following me around and insulting me."

"Oh—as if your actions never deserved such treatment!"

"Maybe if you weren't so damn stubborn you would've realized that what I did was for you, to keep you safe, to save your life!" I yell, closing the distance between us yet again. "I've tried and I've tried to make amends with you since. To be your friend again. To be nice. But you were nothing but heartless to me." Staring into her eyes with contempt, heart hammering, I lower my voice to a colder tone. "And instead of what I did being unforgivable, maybe you're just incapable of forgiveness."

Zelda holds my gaze for a long time. Then, shaking her head, she emits an ironic laugh. "What do you know," she begins slowly, "about what's forgivable and what's unforgivable?" She regards me with a hollow and stoic expression, but her eyes pierce mine with disdain. "I'll tell you what's unforgivable. Wanting everything to do with me—then dumping me. Then wanting to befriend me—then not wanting me around anymore. I don't think you understand how human relations work." Now she scowls deeply up at me, wetting her lips. "So let me decide for you, Link. Never talk to me again."

With an aggressive bump of the shoulder as she passes by, Zelda walks away and out of my sight.

What if I told you that the furious temper tantrum I'd just thrown was all planned to keep Zelda away? To keep her from putting herself in danger? I'd sound pretty smart, wouldn't I? Or like a complete jackass. Take your pick. Either way, my decision produces a better outcome than letting her tag along.

It had come to my attention while reading chapters upon chapters on the Triforce of Wisdom that I'd be getting no more divine clues, so the idea of getting Zelda's power to return was borderline impossible. But of course, Zelda's fundamental stubbornness guaranteed that she would still insist on helping me in my fight against Yuga and his forces. So I had to push her away.

And it worked.

Towards the end, though, I began to actually speak my heart. It was what I honestly felt to have been true. And it helped in distancing us, I believe, so it happened to be a win-win.

The only reason I'd begun to consider rekindling our relationship again in recent weeks was because I had grown more confident in my ability to protect her and in her ability to fend for herself—but that all depended on if she were to get her Triforce. I don't want to risk it if she had the same mortal strength; it's best that she stays out of this.

I've pretty much already come to terms with my fate. Kill Yuga or die trying. And it's no use waiting it out anymore—the longer I wait, the more people die, the more aggressive the monsters become, the more greedy Yuga gets.

So that's it, then. I must go fight Yuga as soon as possible.

Wednesday, December 19th

More and more frightened academy students who've taken refuge in their dorm rooms have been worrying about the monsters inching their way closer to the campus. Normally, the beasts steer clear of densely-populated areas, since masses of civilians can overpower a lone bokoblin, but lately the packs have been growing antsy and more courageous in their migrations. Just a block away from the headmaster's property—at least according to rumor—beastly wails and cries have echoed into the night. Yuga's army of mindless grunts has proven to disobey its own curfew rules; attacks during legal hours have been becoming alarmingly more common. So, if monsters have set up camp in the area, it's best to exterminate them before an unlucky student suffers an attack.

Am I stalling because I'm reluctant to go fight Yuga, in what would be a very decisive, fateful battle? Perhaps. But if a terrible fate does befall me, maybe clearing out some nearby monster camps can buy the holed-up academy students a little more time before the dark world forces start to get hungry.

The snowfall does its part in muffling their snorts and grunts, I note as I round the corner of the academy post office. Down the road a couple more alleys, I can see the firelight of the monster camp and the shadows of the dancing bokoblins against the brick wall. I creep down the sidewalk, my boots crunching in the slush.

When I come across the neighboring alley, I see an overturned trash can with heaps of junk spilled out on the snowy ground. Probably the work of raccoons. I bend down to pick up the metallic lid, deciding that it would suffice as a makeshift shield.

I peer around the corner into the depths of the very next alley. There, two bokoblins dance across the campfire while another two lazily kick back against the brick wall. Only four of them, and easy to take out. I brace myself, then dash into battle.

The dancing bokoblins' heads snap in my direction, their yellow eyes bulging as they cry out in surprise. The other two leap up and grab the pair of tree branches lying off to the side.

I rush forward and slam the lid against the head of the first beast, knocking it back, then spin around to kick the next one in the chest, sending it back to slam against the brick. The next two lunge at me, flailing their tree branches. I block one of the blows with the trash lid and follow up with an uppercut to the bokoblin's chin. The other swipes horizontally at my feet, but I pin the branch against the ground with my shield and kick at its arm, snapping the creature's elbow. It wails, releasing its grip on the weapon.

I bend down to pick up the branch as the first two bokoblins come back for a rematch. The first one leaps up into the air, claws raised. I roll out of the way, careful to avoid the campfire. I bludgeon the next one in the head, then quickly hold the branch in the flames until it catches on fire. Ducking under the third one's swing, I smack it across the face with the burning branch, and the bokoblin wails in pain as its face bursts into flames.

The bokoblin with the broken elbow then leaps onto my back and latches its arms around my chest, screeching into my ear with its hot breath. I pry its arms off of me, then slam the creature's back into the wall so hard that I hear its skull crack, and it cripples to the pavement.

Two remain, and they compile what little wit they have to stand on either side of me, trapping me between them. Screeching, they both charge forward; I quickly thrust the tree branch into the open maw of the first monster, impaling it, then spin around and slam my shield downward onto the other one's head. It faceplants into the campfire, and I step on its head to pin the creature in the flames.

All at once, the monsters' bodies burst into purple smoke, and silence settles into the alley once again. The hair on my neck stands up, and a chill runs down my spine, but it's not from the cold.

I wait, the rush of adrenaline still hot in my blood. Any second now, a vicious enemy will spring out to attack. I can feel it.

"—and then I convinced Mido that the jelly that came from the chuchu tasted just like blueberries, so he ate it, then puked!"

I flinch at the sound of the familiar voice and the feminine giggle that accompanies it. Oh, gods, is it really…?

"Pip, that's so mean," laughs the girl.

I whirl around the corner, livid, until I'm face-to-face with Pipit and Orielle, bundled up in warm clothing and each carrying a baseball bat. They both yelp in fear at the sight of me as I demand in hot fury, "What are you two doing out here?!"

Then, I realize with dread, I'm not dressed as ordinary Link. I'm dressed as Hero.

"Ohmygods!" a very wide-eyed Pipit all but screams into the night. "Hero?! You are alive! Can I get a picture? Can I wear your hat? What's your favorite color?"

I stare at him flatly in my completely-green suit. "Blue."

Orielle ignores my dry answer and stares at me with wonder in her brown eyes. "Are you out here fighting monsters?"

I frantically keep surveying our surroundings for any oncoming threats that could have been lured by the loud noises we've made. "Yes, I am," I reply hastily, making a shooing motion with my hands. "Now go home. Just leave all this to me."

Pipit's mouth falls agape, and he raises a finger. "But—"

"No. Get out of here right now," I insist. "And tell all your friends to stay indoors until Yuga gets the boot."

"Dude, Hero—"

"I'm serious. I don't want to see any more civilians fighting against these dangerous monsters."

"Will you just—"

"No! Leave, now!"

"Behind you!" shouts Orielle, pointing.

Confused, I spin around. Then, gut sinking in terror, I realize that I am staring into the bright red eyes of my possessed doppelganger. A perfect mirror, an ink-black reflection of my entire physique, with evil burning in his lifeless eyes. "Dark," I breathe.

"Dark?!" gasps Pipit, grabbing Orielle's hand and taking frightened steps backward.

"Get out of here. Now," I order over my shoulder, using the most serious of tones I could muster while keeping my gaze locked with Dark's.

"W-we can help—"

"I will handle it!" I roar—and with that, I've sent the two scuttling to safety.

I suppose I should've asked for one of their baseball bats.

Damn. Now that's just lazy writing.

We remain in our little standoff for a long, grueling moment, waiting for the other to make a move. I don't want to do this. This is too difficult for me. I have to hold back, because what if I kill him? He will feel no remorse, so he won't hold back on me.

"Dark," I prod, holding up a pacifying hand, "listen to me. I know you're in there."

His demonic eyes continue to bore into my own, his body remaining perfectly still.

I gulp, hoping he doesn't get anxious and attack. "You don't have to let him control you. You're stronger than him."

If he weren't listening, I tell myself, he'd have already tried to kill me.

He doesn't react. Not a single muscle of his moves. He must not even be breathing.

I hold his gaze, terrified.

Dark slowly begins to approach me. My heart pounds faster in my chest, and with every step he takes forward I take one backward, keeping my distance from him. "Dark, come on, bro!" I cry. "You're not anyone's puppet!"

At that, Dark lunges straight at me, his fist raised. He swings down, and I duck and roll out of the way. I retreat back a few steps, but he sprints toward me with unprecedented quickness, sending a barrage of jabs and punches aimed at my head and stomach. I deflect most of them with my gauntlets, but when he feints to my side and I go to block it, he follows up with a heavy blow to the head.

I'm sent careening onto the snowy pavement, and I stagger to my feet, dizzy. The pain in my skull is explosive, and Dark doesn't seem to be backing down. As he winds up for a heavy punch, I charge straight at him, grabbing around his legs and lifting him up over my shoulder before throwing his body to the ground. Then, seemingly unaffected, Dark leaps back to his feet.

He rushes forward and jumps high into the air, spinning with his leg outstretched to kick me straight in the head before I have time to dodge. Once again I'm sent sprawling onto the ground, in delirium, trying desperately to get back up. He closes the distance again, but I sweep my leg, kicking out his ankles and dropping him to the concrete. Quickly, I jump on top of him, pinning his body below my weight, and summon the divine strength in my right fist before bringing it straight down into Dark's face.

Then, suddenly, the color of his body flickers. Just for a moment, the briefest of moments, his skin flashes to the paleness of a normal human. And just a millisecond later, it's back to ink-black. My heart leaps inside my chest with hope. I reach back and punch him again, harder this time. Again, the real Dark flickers for a split second.

This time, though, long enough for him to speak. "Link!" he cries, before his eyes glow bright red once more.

That moment proved to be short lived, because he frees an arm out from under me and punches me across the jaw. Then he somersaults backward and hops to his feet before rushing at me. He jabs twice at my chest, I barely manage to block them; he throws an uppercut, I dodge to the side and swing a counterattack. With unbelievable deftness, he grabs my fist, twists my arm, and follows up with a roundhouse kick to the gut. I wheeze in pain and try to throw a punch out of desperation, but he effortlessly moves out of the way, winds up, and kicks me square in the chest with such force that I'm thrown straight back into a lamppost.

As my mask and green cap fall off my face, I collapse to the ground, my back screaming in pain where I'd collided with the pole, and I stare up at my evil reflection as he strides toward me to finish the job. The world around me spins. The stars above dance around, taunting me with their beauty and liveliness. I begin to hear voices. My entire body is weak, drained, and utterly lifeless. And here I realize that I'm about to lose my life to my best friend.

Hey! Hero! a voice shouts.

Mind detached, I watch Dark's eyes shift to the side.

Three figures appear. I must be hallucinating. Can we just get this over with, bro? I'm ready. I'm ready to see Uncle Rusl again.

Is that Pipit and Orielle? Gods, I'm losing it. There's no way they'd come back. Dark? says the third figure. The voices are echoing now—but that sounded awfully like Sheik.

I steal a glance, my head lolling to the side.

It's Sheik, but I know it's not actually Sheik. I'm just seeing things I care for before I'm killed. I'll bet Zelda, Mikau, Mido, and Shad will join us next.

Huh. Sheik's got a gun. That's odd.

Dark, I'll shoot you if I have to.

A blurry shadow passes by. Could Dark be running away?

Pipit, Sheik— says Orielle, pointing at me, the last image I see before my vision fades to black.

What the—?! Oh my good gods…

Link. I knew it.

Thursday, December 20th

"Oh, good, you're awake."

My eyelids lazily creep open, adjusting to the new sensation of light. I lie on a firm cot in a small rectangular room. Two empty cots, curtained off, are to my left. Three empty chairs—and an occupied one—sit at the back wall straight ahead. I sit up abruptly, grimacing at the pain in my head and back.

Orielle sits alone at the back of the room, gazing at me with an intrigued steadiness about her.

I frown. "Where are we?"

"The academy infirmary. Pipit and Sheik left a little bit ago to get us all breakfast," she adds, answering my next question.

I nod slowly, rubbing at my neck. "Uh-huh," I murmur. "So, um… You all know…"

Orielle raises an eyebrow. "Your identity? Of course." As I breathe a sigh of resignation, preparing for the inevitable earful I'm about to receive from my two friends, she raises a finger and chimes, "Oh, and some blonde girl named Zelda stopped by to check on you while you were out."

My jaw falls open. "…Say what now?"

The brunette nods, her long double braids bobbing with the motion. "Mhm. That was when the boys were here though. Apparently Sheik had told her you weren't doing well, so she came by. When she saw you were okay, she demanded that they wouldn't tell you she came because you two had just had a big fight or something."

I blink, deadpan, looking at her.

Orielle raises her hands innocently. "Well she didn't say anything to me about not telling."

I crack a smile. "Right, right." I hold my hands to the back of my head and huff. "I don't get her one bit…"

"Now, I'm not great at reading strangers, but I'm pretty sure she was only checking that you had a pulse."

"Probably so she can kill me herself."

"I wouldn't doubt it. She seemed pretty upset. She almost cried just looking at you."

I lower my head, my chest tightening. This time, I can tell, I truly hurt Zelda. And this time, it was entirely my fault—I'll admit that. But I wouldn't have done that unless I absolutely had to. She needs to stay away from me for her own good. Enough hoping that everything will work out. Enough risking her life for my own selfish heart. Gods above, nothing ever works out in my favor!

"Are we the only ones who know?" asks Orielle, promptly tearing me out of my current mental and emotional breakdown.

"Pretty much," I answer. "Zelda knows. My detective knows. That shadowy guy who tried to kill us knows."

"…Huh?"

I wave it off. "I'm sure I'll explain to them when they come back." With a sigh, I glance at her curiously. "What about you? What's your story?"

Orielle wets her lips, shrugging. "My mother got a new job at Hyrule Castle a couple months ago; she never really tells me what she actually does. So we moved here from Necluda and I enrolled at the academy in November. Since I enrolled late, I was put in an empty dorm, which was nice, but I kinda wanted to make new friends. So after a couple weeks of keeping to myself I decided to go down to the lounge to meet some people. And I met Pipit. And we talked, and we connected, and now… here we are." She offers me a small smile. "Of course, my mom didn't expect the city to be invaded by monsters and held hostage, or else we probably would've decided on another place to live. And then I wouldn't have found out your identity, Mister Hero."

I nod. "Guess we're both losers on that deal." Then, I ask slowly, "You won't… tell anyone, right?"

She shakes her head. "I won't. I know the headmaster wants Hero expelled, and I can tell you care for this school."

"It's kinda all I've got left," I mutter with an ironic smile.

"I know. Pipit told me about you," she says. "And I'm really sorry about your uncle. Is that… Is that why you became Hero? To fight against the gangs that killed your uncle?"

"That's the only reason why," I tell her earnestly. "And all this—" I gesture in a sweeping motion. "—this chaos? It's all my fault."

"How so?"

"It's tough to explain," I sigh. "All I know is that it's my job to make things right again."

"You know how much Sheik and Pipit want to help you?"

"I can imagine."

Right on cue, the door swings open. Pipit walks in first, a box of strawberry Pop-Tarts tucked under his arm, followed by Sheik, wearing a suspiciously-neutral facial expression.

Both of them stop in the middle of the room, staring at me. I stare back, not moving.

Finally Pipit breaks the silence. "How's your face?"

"Uh, fine, why—"

He walks up and slaps me in the face.

"Ow!" I yelp. I glare at him, then nod and shrug. "Okay I deserve that."

Sheik, surprisingly, only smiles at me. "I knew it was you."

"You did?" I ask.

"You did?" Pipit echoes.

A nod. "It wasn't that hard to put the pieces together. Everyone else just didn't know you were hiding in plain sight." He pauses, glancing at Pipit then back at me. "It was obvious. You left almost every night. Hero wanted to kill Dragmire, Link wanted to kill Dragmire."

"Yeah, I guess that's a pretty big lead," I admit with a grin. "It's surprising the police haven't figured it out yet. They're clueless."

"Sounds like another plot hole to me."

I hum in agreement, then turn to Pipit. "But I had you fooled?"

"When you went out every night I just thought you were frequenting that tranny bar," he says with a shrug.

"Okay, Tidbit."

He shoots me a death glare for bringing up that nickname in front of his girlfriend, who sits in the background, giggling quietly.

Folding his arms across his chest, Sheik gazes at me with concern written on his face. "Link, was that… actually Dark?" he asks.

I swallow hard, then nod. "Yeah."

Pipit frowns. "What the hell happened to him?"

"It's… complicated," I tell them hoarsely. "You see… Dark isn't actually a human. He's an entirely different species, from the dark world. You know, where Yuga came from. Where monsters are born."

"So he's secretly been a monster all this time?"

"No, it's actually the opposite of that." I wet my lips before continuing. "He's of a species called shadows, and they're a little hard to explain so I'll just get to the point. When Dragmire started summoning monsters from the dark world, Dark snuck through the portal into our realm to warn our people of the evil things Dragmire was plotting. I was in the city one night when I met him. And one of the most unique characteristics of Dark's species is that they can become exact physical copies of any being." I pause, then grin. "Hence the reason he's so good-looking."

Pipit scoffs. "Sus."

I ignore him, pressing on: "Dragmire found out about the one soul that escaped his clutches and sent out his gang to hunt Dark down. So he and I became reluctant partners, and then over time we became friends and then roomates. While as all this was going on, I had struck a deal with Cia, the leader of the M.O.D.'s rival gang. We decided to ally together to take down Dragmire and his henchmen. They would then get to rule the streets, and in return, I'd get to kill Ganondorf and finally get my revenge. When Dark and I had thrown every M.O.D. gangster in prison, Cia kidnapped me and took me to her hideout, where Ganondorf had already been taken and restrained."

"So she turned on you?" asks Orielle, who'd stood up to join Pipit and Sheik while I was telling the story.

I nod. "Yep. And then out of nowhere, Yuga appeared. Turned out he was pulling the strings on the whole deal. He said he was the king of the dark world and noticed many of his servants were being stolen and taken to the light world—the servants being the monsters. He shot Ganondorf in the head." I lower my gaze, attempting to ease my growing anger. They all stare at me in surprise, staying silent. "…Then Dark came in, trying to rescue me. But he froze when he saw Yuga. Called him 'Your Majesty.' Yuga snapped his fingers and hypnotized him on the spot." I shake my head in despondency. "I was heartbroken. One of my best friends was trying to kill me." A pause. "But I escaped, regrouped, and now here we are."

"I don't get it though," says Sheik, squinting. "There's more to this whole conflict, isn't there? The whole motive can't just be street cred."

Sighing, I nod slowly, then remove the glove I've been wearing for the past couple months. The back of my hand glows in holy light, illuminating the room in faint, warm hues of yellow. "You're right. Both Yuga and Dragmire were out for this. This is what gives me my 'powers.' The Triforce."

Hesitantly, they all step forward and lean forward to bask in the enigmatic figure on my hand, captivated.

"Whoa," whispers Pipit.

Sheik looks up at me with a smirk. "I remember seeing this a long time ago. So I never needed to ask why you started wearing a glove."

I shrug as they all step back to where they were, then habitually put the glove back on. "There's two more pieces to the Triforce, called Wisdom and Power. This one's Courage. Dragmire had Power and was looking for the other two. If someone were to obtain all three pieces, then, well, they literally get anything they want." I pause, fighting the urge to shiver. "When Yuga killed Dragmire, he didn't receive Power, which was strange. In theory, when you kill a bearer, you become the new bearer. But anyway, that won't deter Yuga from trying to steal Courage and Wisdom."

"Wait, but what about Wisdom?" Sheik asks. "You didn't say anything about that one yet."

They look at me expectantly, and I breathe in and out before answering. "…Zelda has it."

"What?!" he cries. "So this is how my sister falls into your little plan? This is why you reconnected with her? To drag her into danger along with you?!"

"The goddesses told both of us of her destiny," I tell him, "and she came to me wanting to help save the city. This could've been our best chance."

"You said it yourself—Yuga literally plans on killing the bearers!" He stops. "Wait. What do you mean, 'could've?'"

"I don't know how or why, but right after we found it, Zelda's Triforce disappeared completely." I shrug. "As far as I know, she's powerless. And I knew if I explained to her with legitimate reasons why she should stay out of danger, she wouldn't listen and would try to help fight Yuga anyway. So, a couple days ago I got into this big fake fight with her, trying my best to piss her off so much that she'd leave me for good." I raise my hands, palms up. "It worked."

The room is silent for a long while.

"You know," Sheik says eventually, "you make a lot of sense now that you've actually told us what you're doing."

I smirk, my eyes falling to his hip, where a leather holster is attached to the belt of his ripped jeans. "Since when do you carry a gun?"

He shrugs. "Since we started fighting back. I've never used it though because I wanted to train in hand-to-hand combat first."

Before I have time to voice my opposition to my friends' hopes of fighting back, Pipit chimes, "What were you even doing last night?"

I look at him. "Well, after I cleared out the bokoblins lurking in that alley… I was actually going to confront Yuga."

"What?!"

"Alone?"

With a nod, I look from friend to friend. "Guys, this is all my fault anyway. I was duped into putting Yuga into power. I was losing hope, and I wanted to end it right then."

"Nuh-uh," Pipit says with a shake of the head. "Not when he's got a whole army on his side. Not to mention Dark, who messed you up big time."

"Thanks for the reminder."

"Pipit's right, Link," says Sheik, and I fix him with a baffled look. "I know, I'm shocked too. But you can't seriously think you can fight the entire dark world with only a little triangle and an ounce of courage."

"Then what do you suppose I do, huh?" I ask. "I'm out of options. Enlighten me."

"Wait a while longer," he insists, and Pipit and Orielle nod in agreement. "And trust us. Just wait 'til you see what's been going on here. We will be much more help than you can imagine."

"We?"

"Yes, we. You think we've just been sitting around on our asses, waiting to get attacked, while you're out doing the big boy work? No—we're not just a bunch of sheep," he says, a new excitement and intensity in his tone. "If you're patient, we can take down Yuga. Together."

I cannot deny that I am intrigued by his proposition. Sighing, I ask him, "What could you possibly be talking about?"

He grins. "You'll see. We've formed a resistance."