COUNTING STARS

Chapter 36: Revenant

Zelda awoke in a dark, empty chamber. Shackles clung to her wrists and bound her to a chair of hard, cold stone. Nothing budged, no matter how ferociously she struggled. Oddly, in spite of her terror at the thought of being kidnapped and held at gunpoint by Link's mortal enemies, her mouth began to water from the strange scent of pizza. Perhaps Zelda's ravenous hunger was just making her imagine things.

At first, she thought Link was dead. The last thing she'd seen was Link getting shot, then her mind went blank. Her heart was crushed, but she didn't have the voice to weep. Tears streamed down her face and dripped onto her lap; she could not wipe them from her wet cheeks, and the cold, sticky feeling itching at her skin threatened to drive her mad.

Luckily, before that could happen, Wisdom kicked in. Link wasn't dead, a separate voice had told her. He couldn't be. Ganondorf needed him alive to claim Courage.

Nayru's presence had always been calming, but this particular moment took the cake. Zelda felt emboldened. Link was alive, and she was being kept alive to lure him here. He would come to save her. It didn't matter what Ganondorf could do to her, because in the end, they'd prevail. They'd win. Right?

Zelda surveyed her surroundings, analyzing any possibilities for an escape. Her binds were wired to a junction box, but she didn't have Link's electricity-shooting abilities to override the circuit. Bloodstains were spattered on the stone floors and walls, some streaking in apparent claw marks. Zelda shivered. Nothing else made up the chamber; Zelda was trapped, and there was nothing even Nayru could do to get her out.

Her ears perked up at the sound of an approaching figure behind the steel door. A man's footsteps boomed throughout the chamber, getting louder and louder until the heavy door slammed open. Slowly, the figure stepped out of the shadow and into the dim light of her prison.

Ganondorf Dragmire lumbered toward her, adorned in a full suit of regal armor, crested with precious jewels and gold. She looked at his face and couldn't help but notice how much different he looked from the sketch art of him that used to be tacked to Link's bulletin board. The man still had the same ash-gray skin, strong jawline, and chinstrap beard. But his bright red hair was now far longer, billowing out behind him and resembling the mane of a beastly lion. He'd ditched the business suit and adopted an outfit suitable for medieval warfare. An extravagant circlet crowned his head, a large amber gem serving as the centerpiece. The most notable change, Zelda considered, were Ganondorf's eyes; what were once cool and composed were now untamed, primal, wild. It was like he had let go of his professionalism and now succumbed to the influence of an inner demon.

He stopped just before her chair, then knelt down to stare at her eye-to-eye. Zelda found herself shrinking under his gaze, but fought to maintain her dignity.

"I've been dying meet you."

His voice was smooth and powerful, yet his words and the confidence behind them were sardonic and demeaning.

Zelda didn't answer.

Ganondorf lowered his eyes to his gauntlet-clad hand, which burned with golden light so close to another bearer. Zelda felt her hand heat up too.

"You know," he began cooly, "my taste of death, though brief, really gave me the opportunity to build on some things."

"What things?" Zelda found herself asking.

Ganondorf lowered his glowing hand, letting her words hang in the air for a moment. "My power. My purpose. My burning rage."

Zelda squinted, confused, yet intrigued. She didn't know what motives he had in terrorizing the streets—and, later, a pair of teenagers. Other than greed, of course. Certainly he had other reasons behind his madness, didn't he?

Rising back to his feet, Ganondorf glared down at his prisoner, who waited for him to continue. "You do not understand any of it," he said. "So know that when I kill you and your special friend, it isn't personal."

Zelda knew that was his plan all along, but hearing it spoken made her stomach sink. Still, she hated the fact that he was trying to justify it—and she hated that it made her even more curious.

"Then make me understand."

Ganondorf raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn't react, and a moment of silence between them passed.

Zelda waited. Then, Ganondorf spoke.

"I am not of your era. Every thousand years or so, a new version of you, me, and your special friend are reborn. Had you any knowledge of that?"

Zelda shook her head.

"Neither had I. For thirty years I led a normal life—worked hard, became a successful businessman. And then... one day... I remembered. I remembered it all. Everything that the past versions of me hated about our world. And I became enraged. I gathered a group of allies and took out my anger on the public, commanding a mob of criminals from the shadows." He narrowed his eyes and gazed somewhere beyond her, his mind envisioning the stories his words were telling. "Exactly one year after I adopted my true identity, the King of Evil, I acquired what belonged to me. The Triforce of Power. And I felt... unstoppable."

"Yuga stopped you, though."

"Or—" Ganondorf looked back down at her with disdain. "I let him. He and his gang were too much of a nuisance, and it didn't help that your special friend was working with them to take down my incompetent subordinates. I knew Link was only a pawn for them, and after he was betrayed, Link became a pawn for me."

"How?"

"By getting rid of Yuga." Ganondorf smirked. "He was only but a distraction, you see. Why waste my efforts on someone not worthy of godly power?"

Zelda's frown deepened. She despised Cia and Yuga for betraying Link, but she knew what Ganondorf had done was worse. He could have easily gotten rid of Yuga and his dark world forces, but he instead faked his death and left it all for her and Link to take care of. It was brilliant, really. Yuga's takeover had left the city in shambles, and defeating him had taken a severe physical, mental, and emotional toll on Link, Zelda, and all their friends. Now, they were weak—and Ganondorf was stronger than ever.

"I still don't know why you're doing this," Zelda said. "Isn't Power enough? Aren't you happy yet?"

Ganondorf emitted a short laugh. "It is not merely about Power. It is about avenging my past selves. Avenging my people. Destroying the Hylian royalty and ruling the world under my own empire. And I can only take over the world if I am truly unbeatable—and when I claim the other two pieces, all of the lands will be under my rule."

"Avenging your people..." Zelda's voice trailed off, and she looked again at his golden eyes, his red hair, his different skin tone. "The Gerudo?"

Ganondorf gave a single nod. "Tell me. How many of my people do you know of?"

She pondered that, and all she could think of was Nabooru Spirit, her math teacher. "Just one."

"Only a few hundred of us remain. Do you know why?" he asked, his voice picking up in volume, frightening Zelda. "Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Hylian Kingdom murdered well over half of us. They treated us like savages. We fought back, of course—but this constant tension lasted for millennia."

"But that was so long ago—"

"It does not matter!" Ganondorf roared, and Zelda jumped in her seat. The man's golden eyes were feral now, wide and unblinking, as he stared down at her with rage. "The damage has been done! The effects have lasted to this day! My people are nearing extinction, and yours must pay for their crimes!"

Zelda knew she couldn't get him to understand that punishing a race for their wrongdoings from a previous generation would do nothing to fix what had been done. Ganondorf was too blinded by power; his mind was too set on domination. While Ganondorf might not have even known it, Zelda was certain that avenging the Gerudo was not his true motivation. He only claims that to justify his quest for ruling the world.

"So your solution to what the Hylians did hundreds of thousands of years in the past is to murder them in the present," Zelda said.

"My solution is to kill you. Then kill Link. Then when I have completed the holy Triforce, I will wish for immortality." Ganondorf breathed in, then out, staring down at her with narrowed eyes. "I will become a god. Then I will destroy every kingdom and rule the world how it should be ruled."

Zelda's lip quivered in fear, and her breath was shaky. Their gazes were locked for quite some time, before Ganondorf finally tore his eyes away and turned to head back out of her chamber.

"Then tell me—" Zelda called after him, "how differently should it be ruled?"

He stopped, looking over his shoulder.

"However I want."

And he left, slamming the metal door loudly behind him.

Tuesday, January 8th

"Good morning, Mr. Gaiden."

I blink away the blur in my vision, my eyes focusing on the lady in the baby blue shirt. I move to sit up, but a burning sensation in my abdomen forces me back down, and I hiss in pain.

Oh yeah. I got shot.

"Easy there," she says. "You were shot nineteen hours ago. You've made exceptional progress overnight; I've never seen anything like it. But you're gonna be in this bed for a few more days, then we'll work on walking. Deal?"

My heart is pounding at a million miles per hour. How could I have failed Zelda? My chest is full of hot, burning anger. I will kill each and every last one of them to get her back. Saving her is the only thing that's on my mind right now. As soon as the nurse leaves, I'm making a break for it, no matter the pain. I heal fast. I'll be fine by the time I reach the M.O.D.'s lair—wherever that is.

"You're a lucky guy, Mr. Gaiden," the nurse continues, much to my impatience. "The bullet didn't puncture any organs. You're expected to make a full recovery, so long as you get your rest."

I know, I reply in my head. Agahnim must've aimed there on purpose to keep me alive. Ganondorf, after all, needs to be the one to kill me in order to claim Courage.

Right now I just need this nurse to leave me alone.

"Someone left a note for you, by the way. On that table right there." With that, she leaves.

I reach over and pick up the envelope, tearing it open and pulling out the sheet of paper inside. It's written in ink, with sloppy handwriting that implies it was written hastily.

Link—

Or should I say "Hero"—

I hope you recover quickly. Mostly because it is your fault you brought my daughter into this mess. So it is your job to bring her back unharmed. I've seen your little feats and antics all over the news, so this should surely not come as a challenge to you. Like you, I have lost a lot in my life. If Zelda is taken from me, I do not know what I would do. But I am certain about one thing. If that man lies a finger on her, mark my words: I will have your head.

Zelda's father left the note unsigned.

I crumple it up and shove it in my mouth, swallowing it—if anyone found it, my identity would be exposed, after all.

"Psst!"

I turn my head to the window. There, peeking in from the outside, is Dark.

"Is the coast clear?" he asks.

I nod.

Dark opens the window fully and tumbles into my room, knocking over a tray of painkillers and spilling the pills all on the floor. He winces at the amount of noise he's made, then meets my eyes and clears his throat.

"So. You've been shot."

I look at him.

"...Right. Well, I'm here to save you!"

"I was just about to get up," I tell him, slowly moving.

I grit my teeth as another wave of white-hot pain tears into my abdomen. I emit a pained grimace, but manage to sit up in my bed and throw my legs over the edge.

"Easy, tiger." Dark throws my arm around his shoulder and helps me to my feet. "There we are. Side note—how was the morphine?"

I give him another look.

"Right. Not a good time." He clears his throat again as I hobble with him up to the window. "So, uh... what's the plan?"

"I'm going to kill Ganondorf right now."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves—"

"Dark," I say, stopping to look at him. "They took Zelda."

"They what now?" He blinks. "They... took her? Kidnapped?"

I nod.

Dark lowers his head. "Oh my." A pause. "Link, I'm so sorry. We'll get her back. I know it."

I say nothing.

What Dark doesn't know is that I'm not taking him with me. I'm going alone. I cannot risk losing anybody else.

Slowly, Dark helps me lift myself up and over the window to begin my painful descent. As another bout of pain rips through my midsection, I squeeze my eyes shut, biting my lip until I taste blood.

"Take it nice and slow," he tells me gently.

I find the gutter pipe he had used to climb up to my second-floor room and slowly lower myself to the ground; Dark follows immediately afterward. When we both finally reach the pavement in the downtown alleyway, I shiver and rub my hands along my forearms, then turn and head toward the open.

"Link, wait."

I turn.

"Look at yourself."

I look down. And, of course, I'm in one of those loose hospital shirts that are tied at the back. Most of my body is exposed to the frigid midwinter breeze, and it isn't until just now that the cold truly hits me.

"Oh, gods," I mutter, teeth chattering. "It's freezing. Can you call a taxi?"

"You think they'd let your bare ass sit on their seats? Here. I brought your suit."

Dark removes his backpack and unzips it, pulling out my green attire and throwing it at me. I thank him, then quickly throw it all on.

"Well, I'm not freezing anymore," I say, "but now we can't call a taxi. They'd call the cops on me."

"Damn, I wish I could drive. I'll call Sheik. He has a car."

Sheik arrives in his blue '91 Camaro twenty minutes later, parking on the hospital curb. In that passed time I had already begun to feel some of my strength return. When I crawl into the front seat and Dark hops in the back, Sheik stares at me with concern.

"Are you okay?"

I turn to look at him through my black mask. "I'll be fine. Trust me."

Sheik shakes his head skeptically, then starts the car and drives off, heading towards Westcastle. "I can't believe this. Zelda was kidnapped. You were shot."

I study his face; the bags under his eyes, his unkempt, tousled hair. He clearly hasn't slept.

"I've been trying to figure out where they've taken her. All of us have, actually. All night." He shook his head. "It doesn't help that the M.O.D. have been off the map for so long. They've shown no signs of where their base could be. They're completely invisible."

"Ganondorf will eventually reveal where he is," I tell him quietly as Sheik just avoids hitting another vehicle. "Zelda is only being kept alive to bait me to him."

Sheik intakes an uneven breath, clearly shaken by the recent events. "I don't get it. Why is this happening to you two?"

"It's our destiny."

He frowns. "Huh?"

"Ganondorf wants the full Triforce," Dark explains from the backseat. "Zelda and Link each have a piece, so he has to kill them both to get it."

"What the hell—" Sheik blinks back surprise. "How did you two even get dragged into this mess?"

"Ask the goddesses," I reply dryly, looking down. "Apparently it's some never-ending cycle, and the three of us are all just reincarnated. Haven't you heard any of the legends? A princess needing a hero to rescue her and defeat evil. I think you can guess what that hero's name always was."

Dark nods. "Mario."

"Link," I correct him sternly. "His name was Link."

"Hey, that's your name!" Dark blinks. "Oh. I get it now."

"Zelda's not a princess, though," says Sheik.

"She doesn't have to be." I look down at my marked hand. "But the princess's spirit can take any form. Same with the hero, and same with the evil."

"So what's our next move?"

"Find out where they took Zelda."

"But I thought you said Ganondorf will eventually reveal where he is?"

"Why wait?"

Sheik nods and shrugs. "I guess. But it wouldn't be smart to just rush over there right away. Isn't that what he wants? You're hurt, after all."

"Give it a couple hours. I'll be fine." I poke at my stomach to test the pain, and sure enough, it's already starting to fade. "And I don't care if it's all part of his plan. If I don't even try, he'll just kill Zelda and take Wisdom right then and there, then hunt me down until the end of time."

The three of us slip into a restless silence for the remainder of the trip to the academy. When we arrive, Dark and I climb up to our dorm room and crawl through the window, while Sheik takes the conventional route. We tumble inside, then find that we're not alone.

"LINK!" the group shouts, rushing over to me.

Pipit, Karane, Mikau, Mido, and Midna swarm me, making sure I'm okay and explaining that half of the school thinks I'm dead, while one particular redhead stays back with wide eyes.

"Wait—" says Malon, pointing. "Link is Hero?!"

They all turn to her, silent.

Pipit clears his throat. "Well, that's awkward."

Right then, Sheik opens the door. Malon turns, sees him, then walks up and slaps him in the face. "You never told me?!"

"Uh..." Sheik blinks, confused, then looks up and sees me in my suit. He realizes then what she meant, and clears his throat. "Oops."

Dark looks around at the members of the resistance. "What's going on in here, anyway?"

"We've been here all night," explains Midna, "trying to figure out where Zelda was taken."

She gestures over to the table in the middle of the room, which is covered with miscellaneous photographs and newspaper entries about the M.O.D. and its members, all connected together with red string.

"We can't track her phone because she left it in Minish's classroom before she was kidnapped," Pipit says. "So we did some detective work."

I raise an eyebrow. "What've you found out?"

"Absolutely nothing," Mido answers.

Closing my eyes, I pinch the bridge of my nose.

"But don't fret, 'cause we're close."

"Close?"

"Yup." Mikau waves me over to the table, where a giant map of Castle Town is spread out. "We've analyzed a collection of anonymous tips that CTPD has put out on their social media accounts. Basically a bunch of people reporting that they've seen a particular one of these criminals out in public over the past five years. If we find where their appearances overlap, then maybe we can narrow down where their base is. Agahnim, for example—" He points to the northeastern area of the city. "—lives here in Guardian Acres, according to his Facebook, but somehow has no criminal history. So he's out of the picture." He places the photograph of Agahnim's masked face over the section of the map, circling it with red pen.

"But all the others have been sighted in common areas," Karane continues, picking up the picture of Onox. She places six thumbtacks in separate locations, then puts the picture of Onox in the middle and draws a red circle around it all. It appears to have a radius no bigger than a few miles.

The others do the same with the remaining criminals: Zant, Veran, the late Sakon, even Ghirahim, the latter of them all having the most westward circle.

Pipit then picks up the seven remaining tacks and places them in far-apart locations. Some random streets, one in Castle Park, and even one not too far from the academy. Of those I recognize, Hyrule Castle is first. Then Market Street. He glances at me briefly, then draws a black circle around the seven tacks, which encompasses them all. Then he places the picture of Ganondorf in the very middle.

"That last one doesn't really help," he says, "but the other circles overlap not too far from here."

I stare at the oblong shape that's been created on the large map of the city, admiring their work. Its borders encompass about six or seven square blocks, and I could walk to its western edge in about five minutes.

It's close by.

I think hard. I try to remember any signs of their stronghold; any suspicious locations near Westcastle; any places that put me on edge.

Then, by some stroke of luck, it hits me. And my eyes widen with hope. Just like Yuga had done, the M.O.D.'s base had been hiding in plain sight this whole time.

"So what now?" asks Malon. "We can't just go breaking into every building in this zone looking for Zelda."

"We can't, but he can," says Midna, pointing to me.

The others look around, confused.

"...Where's Link?"

Dark looks out the window, sighing.

After retrieving the Master Sword from where I'd left it—and also the Bow of Light for Zelda once I save her—I break out into a full sprint eastward. It hurt at first, but after a minute or two, the pain in my stomach has completely disappeared.

I cannot believe how idiotic I am for not figuring it out sooner. The signs were there the whole time. Ganondorf is a Gerudo, and the only Gerudos I know about other than my math teacher are those two elderly sisters. They must be related to him somehow. Not to mention it's another damn acronym—

I arrive at the doors to Mod Pizza with my blade drawn. Predictably, it's closed. I take in a breath of preparation, then slam my shoulder into the double doors and break them open.

It's dim and empty. No traps, no gang members, nothing. For a moment, I get second thoughts, thinking maybe I've gotten the wrong place.

No. I'm certain this is it.

"I like your glove, buddy."

That Gerudo woman told me that the day I came here with my friends. Immediately after, my hand started to throb, and I felt uneasy. I hadn't thought too deeply into it after that, though. Stupid.

Now, Kotake and Koume are nowhere to be found. I navigate around the tables and seats and leap over the counter, searching for any secret doors or passageways. Moving past the oven, I push open the doors to the back storage room and flip on the light. Just cupboards, cabinets, refrigerators, garbage bins.

I narrow my eyes on one particular fridge in the corner of the room, much taller and much wider than all the others. A single magnet is attached to it, shaped like a crescent moon.

Bingo.

I walk up to the fridge and open it up, and sure enough, it's just a decoy. The back is cut out, leading to a passageway with a descending staircase. I remove my glove for a source of light, then slowly walk down the wooden stairs, keeping a hand on the brick wall for stability.

I travel through many empty corridors and down many flights of stairs until I reach a wide, expansive chamber with metal doors on all sides. This must be the lair.

A single lightbulb dangles from the concrete ceiling, hanging down to illuminate the centerpiece of the room, a table. And on that table, I realize, sits a man with his back turned to me.

"You're too late."

My eyes widen; I know that voice. And I recognize that man's stature, his silvery hair. Could it be—? I take slow steps forward, then stifle a gasp.

"Chief?"

What the hell is he doing here?

Slowly, Auru rises to his feet and turns around to face me. Creases line his forehead. His cheeks are sunken-in, and dark circles lie under his gray eyes. He looks terrible. Distraught.

"If you're looking for Dragmire, he's gone. You're too late, Hero."

"Where is he?"

"By now, the castle," he states darkly, heaving a sigh.

"How do you know?" I take slow steps toward him, glaring heavily. "And you didn't stop him?"

Auru's nose wrinkles, and his mouth twists in anger. "Don't you understand yet?" he snaps.

I tense up at his hostility, stepping backward once, cautiously.

And suddenly it dawns on me. Why the police were so insistent on arresting me. Why they never decided to give Hero a chance. Why the chief himself held such an adamant grudge against Hero. Why the M.O.D. have been able to escape prison so effortlessly. Why the chief is even in the M.O.D. lair in the first place.

I narrow my eyes at him, betrayed. My jaw tightens. "You're with them."

"I have a family," he exhales, his anger diminishing into something softer. "He threatened me. I had to make a choice, and I chose to protect them."

I'm silent for a long time.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly reach my hands up to my head. Removing the hat and mask, I reveal my face to the man who wants me arrested, remaining entirely stoic. "When he's done with whatever it is he's doing, you won't have your family left. Believe me."

Auru stares at me for a good while, refusing to budge. "Link Gaiden." It had no tone of question in it. He laughs, but there was no amusement in it. His gaze drops to the floor, and he shakes his head. "Should've known."

He meets my eyes again, and I nod once, sternly.

And we stand there, firmly, two sets of eyes locked in a long, relentless stare-down.
Then the chief's expression softens, ever so slightly. Maybe now he knows what's at stake here.

"Go get him," Auru finally says, gaze falling. "And don't let him come back this time."

By the time I make it back out onto the street, a loud, static noise rings out from above. I look up at the skyscrapers and the JumboTrons built into them, and my eyes widen in fear.

Ganondorf hijacked them all, and he's live broadcasting from Hyrule Castle.

Everyone on the street stops and looks up, watching.

"Puny mortal Hylians," the man grumbles, glaring into the camera. "I am Ganondorf. Your new king."

The camera pans over. There, on his knees, hands raised in the air, is King Gustaf.

"Like your weak ruler, you will all bow before me."

He pulls out a pistol.

Then shoots King Gustaf in the head.

My heart stops. The whole block erupts in a chorus of gasps and screams. Just like that, our kingdom has been overtaken. Gods save us all.

The king collapses in a heap of bloody robes. Ganondorf picks up the man's golden crown from his head, stares at it, then crushes it in his powerful fist.

He stares at the camera, then, his golden eyes blazing with madness and fury.

"I'll be waiting for you, Hero," he says ominously. "You know where I am."

Then the screens all go black.