When the blinding light faded, he saw he was back in the graveyard.

Standing atop the stone pedestal marking the descent into the Shadow Temple, Link looked down from the plateau. Hidden in the cliffside, the vantage point offered him an uninterrupted view of the cemetery, but no one below would be able to spot him immediately.

He glanced back at the slope, which led to the cave Impa and he had used to access the temple. With a shudder, he turned his back with a fervent wish to never return. The hookshot made the climb down a simple thing, and he took his time meandering through the gravestones, enjoying a burst of unprecedented sunshine.

The weather had been so unpredictable lately, it was nice to see some summer sun come through the habitual dark clouds.

Link had nearly reached the exit when the pain in his shoulder flared. Stalling, he realized spots were dancing in his vision, his fingers had gone numb. Breathing became difficult. He stumbled, catching himself on a tree. The pain had snaked down into his chest, along the length of his arm.

With a gasp of surprise, Link slipped to his knees, trying to take a breath when his lungs were on fire. What was happening?

Navi's frantic voice didn't reach him. Her form bounced in front of his face, but she was blurry, out of focus. Link reached for something solid, but his hands couldn't feel anything at all. Did he still have hands?

The ground rushed up to meet him, and he found himself staring at a rock as his sight swam in and out of blackness. He inched his fingers forward, and that small movement caused agony for his shoulder. His eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out.

~oOo~

He smelled smoke. Fire.

Warmth had crept back into his body, which incidentally felt as if it had been tossed off a cliff and landed on several rocks on the way down. He was dry again at least.

Wood crackled as it burned. He opened his eyes.

The night sky, clear for once, watched him through the cover of the forest. Dark lifted himself with a groan of effort. His entire being hurt.

"Welcome back."

Dark spun too fast and slapped a hand to his sore neck. "Damn." He looked across the fire at the man sitting there, tending it. "Fierce," he croaked in a voice like death. "What're you doin' here?"

Fierce stood and crossed to his side in that fluid way of his. He knelt at Dark's side and offered him a canteen. "Water first," he instructed, waiting patiently for him to take a few sips.

Dark wiped a hand over his mouth, then flinched, stealing a look. His hands were clean—no more blood. He was also naked beneath a pile of blankets. He looked up at Fierce and arched a brow.

Fierce's pale eyes didn't waver. "I took the liberty of caring for you while you were unconscious." He gave Dark a sardonic look. "Should I not have?"

Dark chuckled, then winced when his ribs protested. "Thanks. How long was I asleep?"

"Most of the day." Fierce returned to the fireside and turned a makeshift spit. He glanced at him idly. "You should be fine now."

"Thank Farore for that," Dark groaned and laid back, too exhausted to sit up. He paused, then asked, "Did you see it?"

Fierce's tone held no censure. "The cucco? Yes." He was silent for a moment. "There were more," he finally said.

Dark squeezed his eyes shut. "Tell me."

"Alatar attempted to control you, but you resisted," Fierce explained a too calm voice. "I wasn't able to reach you sooner, or I might have been more help. I am sorry."

Blowing a sigh, he opened his eyes. "Not your fault."

"You didn't hurt anyone, Dark. Alatar had ordered you to slaughter an entire village."

Dark's heart lurched. He sprang up.

"But as I said," Fierce continued, unconcerned. "You refused. Instead, it was a few poor cuccos. But no one else."

Pressing the heel of his hands against his eye sockets, Dark asked, "You're sure?"

"Yes."

Dark sighed, letting his hands drop. "And Alatar?"

"Gone, for now." He met Dark's gaze. "But the curse is still unbroken. Both Shadows are merely dormant for now."

"Both?"

Fierce frowned. "Yes. You were stronger than he realized. He will be back, Dark," he warned.

He stared into the fire, his guts churning. "I should have gone after Sienna," he grumbled. "If I rescue her and we leave Hyrule, the curse will be less potent. We can—"

"Dark," Fierce said. "You are in no condition to help her. Alatar will see you coming, and Ganondorf will kill you."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Dark growled. Had he the strength, he would have stood and paced, or punched something. Anything to let out the frustration. "I can't leave her there."

"If you cross Alatar again, he will use her against you," Fierce warned. "Do not put a target on her now."

"I'm not going to sit here and do nothing!"

Fierce's serene composure was grating on his nerves. "I'm not suggesting that," the god replied. "Rejoin Link and the others. In the meantime, I can use some of my power to keep your curse at bay."

Dark's eyebrows shot up. "You can fix it?"

The corners of Fierce's mouth flattened in the slightest show of frustration. "No, but I can attempt to slow it down. Temporarily."

"Then do it." Dark curled his fingers against his palms. "Whatever you can do to get me ready to face Ganondorf and Alatar."

Fierce nodded and lifted the spit of the flames. "I'll do what I can. In the meantime, eat something."

Dark pulled himself to the fireside with a bit of effort and hunkered down. "I suppose fighting off Shadow possession always makes you feel as though you wrestled a dragon?" he asked. Fierce actually chuckled. Dark gaped at him. "Seriously?"

"I know a little about it, unfortunately." Fierce's brows drew down again. He was quite emotive today, Dark mused. "Long ago, I faced adversaries similar to Alatar and the creatures he's able to summon from the Dark World."

"The Dark World?" he asked, skeptical.

Fierce shot him a glance. "It has many names, and that one precedes you. It has no connection to you."

"I see. So these Shadow beings...they come from there?"

"Yes and no. Over the eons, the Dark World has changed many times. At the moment, it is from where Alatar and Ganondorf both draw their power. Thanks to Ganondorf's influence, it has nearly overlapped completely with the Sacred Realm, the home of the gods."

Dark took a bite of the meaty morsel Fierce offered him, grunting in appreciation. "So how do we untie them? I'm guessing the overlap isn't great for you and the other gods."

"No," Fierce agreed, and for a second a wealth of emotion crossed his face before it became impassive again. "That will be done by the Sages, with the Hero's help. Once Hyrule—the World of Light—the Sacred Realm and the Dark World are separated once more, Hyrule will return to normal," he assured Dark.

"And I can rescue Sienna."

"Yes."

Dark sank his teeth into the meal, but his thoughts were on Sienna. Trapped in the castle. Alone. He couldn't wait for Link to be ready for his final battle with Ganondorf. Things were worsening by the minute. And the damned curse…

He could feel the malevolent energy snaking through his veins, even now, waiting for him to drop his guard, poking at weak spots. Hoping to catch him by surprise again.

"We'll pay a visit to the Great Fairy," Fierce was saying. "She is nearly as old as I am, and more accomplished in the ways of healing."

Dark didn't comment, but sullenly chewed his food. Fierce gazed at him, silent and still as stone. He wondered, not for the first time, whether Fierce could read minds.

They finished their fireside dinner, agreeing to set out for Kakariko first thing the next morning. The journey would take several days on foot, but Epona hadn't returned. Dark could only assume she had returned to safety in the mountainside village.

The morning of the fourth day, the grey peaked roofs were visible beyond the ridge. Death Mountain stood sentry above it, calm once again.

Dark hitched the strap of his pack a little higher on his shoulder. "This is where you leave me, isn't it?" he asked Fierce.

He stood, arms crossed, the wind blowing his hair into his face. "Yes."

Looking towards the peak of Death Mountain, he added, "And the Great Fairy?"

"In the graveyard, there is a spring," Fierce replied, his voice nearly lost in the high winds. "Look for the headstone with her mark."

Filing the information away, Dark glanced back at his brother. "You have somewhere else to be?"

"As you said, the gods are in trouble."

"The Goddesses, you mean."

"Yes. My daughters."

Dark's eyes almost fell out of their sockets. Seeing the expression, another flicker of amusement crossed Fierce's lips.

"I haven't spent all these millennia alone, Dark," he said.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it; it was just unexpected," Dark grumbled.

Fierce chuckled again. Dark checked to see that the sky was still blue to ascertain reality hadn't left him.

"I will return if you need me," he promised Dark. Then, with his usual abruptness, he vanished in a blink.

"Maybe the world hasn't fully turned upside down," he grouched to himself and resecured the strap of his pack.

It took another half hour of tromping through Hyrule Field, but he made it to the village gates before the sun went down. As much as another run-in with some Bokoblins appealed to him, he'd rather avoid a scuffle.

The village gates still lay in pieces, but the armed guards on patrol waved him through once they recognized him. The battle scars from the carnage were still visible in the pulverized stone, scorched roofs and torn dirt. And yet the residents were hardy and enduring as always, bustling about the business of repairing their homes and rebuilding. He couldn't help but admire them. The villagers of Kakariko were a tough bunch.

Passing a few familiar faces, he nodded in greeting but kept on his way, navigating the busy streets to the village graveyard.

Expecting to hear the usual peace and quiet of the graveyard, it made his ears scream with agony to instead hear high-pitched, tinny screeching.

With a grimace, Dark ran up the pathway to find the source of the racket and make it stop.

"Link! Wake up, Link!"

"Navi?" Dark came to a lurching stop, catching his breath. "What's-?"

He answered his unspoken question when his gaze landed on Link, unconscious and deathly pale. Death being the key word.

Kneeling beside his friend, Dark pressed a finger to his pulse point, then lifted his closed eye lids.

"He's alive," he assured the panicking fairy, who was busy bobbing around his head and making that awful, tinny noise. "Be quiet and calm down!"

"Easy for you to say!" Navi hissed. "If he dies-"

"He's not going to die," Dark growled. "Not if I can help it. Now be useful and tell me what the hell happened!"

Navi grumbled in annoyance but said, "He was bitten by some dark creature in the Shadow Temple. I think it may have poisoned him, but I've never seen anything like it before!"

Dark peeled the sleeve of Link's tunic aside to inspect the damage with a wince. "Definitely poison," he agreed. It was working fast, if the blue-black discoloration snaking its way through Link's veins was any indication. Hauling Link's limp form up and over his shoulder, Dark stood up and said to Navi, "You're a fairy; maybe you can point me to the Great Fairy's fountain near here."

Navi's wings fluttered. "How do you know of the Great Fairy's fountain?"

"It doesn't matter. Take me to her, now." Dark gave Link a shake. "He won't last much longer."

Navi shot him a narrow-eyed glare, but she flew over to a grave two rows down near the graveyard centre. Sensing the presence of another fairy, the dirt beneath the headstone heaved and crumbled, giving way to a tunnel leading deep under the ground. Navi dove into the opening, lighting the way with her wings' glow while Dark followed, carrying Link.

Stygian blackness gave way to piercing light as the fountain came into view. Blinking, Dark laid Link at the edge of the stone basin, turning to his fairy companion.

"Well?" he asked pointedly.

"Give it a minute," she grumbled.

A column of water erupted from the fountain's centre, revealing the form of a magenta-haired woman as the gush of water dropped back into the pool.

"Great Fairy," Navi said, her head bowed in respect. "Please help us!"

The fairy turned moss-green eyes on Link, her beautiful face drawn in a frown. "This is terrible magic," she said in a voice as soft as a mother's kiss. "I am afraid I cannot help him."

"You're a Great Fairy," Dark cut in before Navi could protest. "Your healing magic is unparalleled, isn't it? So, save him!"

He glanced down at Link, the panic he'd beat back crawling its way back up his throat. Link was the last of his family. If he died...

The great fairy looked to him, and Dark wished he hadn't drawn her attention. Fairies beings of magic, of goodness and light. The curse inside him was a monster, curling taloned hands around his heart. He imagined he could feel it eating away at his flesh from the inside like acid. He couldn't bear to have her see it within him.

From the way her eyes shuttered with sadness, she knew what afflicted him.

"Ganondorf's influence has taken its toll on the world," she told him. "I draw my strength from the well of magic in the Sacred Realm. With its corruption, I have grown weaker."

"What can be done?" Dark persisted. "I swear I will do anything. I need to save him. He's my...my family."

Navi's head spun around, her eyes round. The great fairy didn't break his gaze.

"I know of your connection to him," she confirmed. "You share the same blood. This will allow you to save his life."

"What is it?" he asked, ignoring Navi's disbelieving stare.

"You can take the poison into your own body. It will not harm you, but it will add to your burden."

Dark didn't need her to tell him the burden she spoke of was his curse. He squeezed his eyes shut, gathering himself. There was really no choice. Either he suffered a stronger dose of the curse, or his brother died.

Even if he could stomach choosing himself over Link, he knew Link's destiny was far more important than anything else. Even Dark's life.

"I understand," he said, opening his eyes and meeting the fairy's gaze.

The great fairy's sympathy was clear; it was worse than hot coals burning his skin where she looked at him.

Summoning his magic, Dark reached out to the part of him that was Shadow, as Impa had taught him. The familiar pressure squeezed around him like the air was being sucked out of the space around him. He let the restriction tighten around him until it abruptly released.

The Great Fairy's fountain was no longer a bright and vibrant place. As grey and solid as the stone it was made of, it was as if someone had paused reality and sapped it of colour and life. The walls no longer shimmered with arcs of light, the pool's water no longer rippled. Navi and the great fairy were gone.

Link still lay on the fountain, the poison appearing as an inky coil, wrapped around his body.

Dark reached out to pull away the tendrils of poison when they recoiled, squeezing more tightly around Link. The tendrils became a snake, raising its black head to stare at Dark with slitted, crimson eyes.

Dark's breath stuck in his throat.

"You're not afraid, are you?"

Dark spun around, reaching for a weapon but grasping only air. He'd left everything behind. Standing before him was an exact image of himself, real and life-like in a false reality.

"Afraid of what?" he demanded of his Shadow-reflection. "Who are you?"

The shadow-him smirked, an expression Dark found curiously enraging. "Afraid of yourself, of course. You don't want to take the poison. If you do, how will you ever beat the curse?" He leaned in, the smirk morphing into a taunting grin. "How will you ever save Sienna if you can't get rid of all that darkness inside you?"

The shadow-Dark laughed. "'Darkness'. But that's who you are, right? Dark."

Dark grimaced. "Are you here to make bad jokes about my name or are you here just to annoy me?"

"We like to make jokes. It's our way of avoiding the real issue, isn't it?"

"We're not the same," Dark growled.

"Oh, but we are!" The shadow vanished, reappearing at Dark's shoulder in an instant, leaning close. "We are exactly the same, you and I. I'm just another part of you. One that was unlocked by that sweet little curse."

Growing impatient with the antics while Link's life was siphoned away, Dark snapped, "What do you want?"

His shadow-self walked over to where Link lay, reaching down to snatch the snake behind its head. The beast hissed in rage, coiling its body into itself.

"You're afraid of amplifying it," the shadow said to Dark, watching the futile struggles of the snake. His eyes were eerie, glowing vibrantly crimson in the realm of Shadow. "But it's the only way."

With his other hand, he grabbed Dark's forearm in an impossibly strong grip. Dark instinctively resisted, but his efforts were as useless as the snake's writhing in his other self's grasp.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

The shadow met his gaze. "It's the only way," he repeated. "I don't want him to die, do you?"

Dark hesitated, glancing at Link. While he was distracted, his shadow-self plunged the snake's fangs into a thick vein in his forearm. Dark ripped free with a shout of pain. The snake's skin peeled away into a pile of ash with a last sharp hiss. The puncture wounds on Dark's arm throbbed. Dark slapped a hand over the wound to stop the blood, glaring at his shadow.

His other self just shrugged. "I want to be free," it told him. "The only way to do that is to break our curse."

"Which you just made that much harder to do!" Dark roared, itching to get his hands around the other's neck.

"Find a way," the shadow hissed. "Or we lose everything."

Invisible pressure slammed into Dark, knocking him off his feet, overwhelming his senses until there was nothing he could see, hear, feel. Pain exploded in his arm, racing up towards his heart. Dark screamed.

Then it was over, and he was back in the Great Fairy's fountain, lying on the floor and clutching his arm in a white-knuckled grip.

Panting, he rolled into a sitting position, disoriented. Navi hovered over Link, who seemed to be coming to. Dark reached up to swipe a hand over his face. To his shock, his arm continued to throb, though there was no sign of the punctures in his skin.

"What happened?" Link muttered groggily.

Navi looked to where Dark was sitting, but he was too shell-shocked to answer.

"You're alright now," the fairy assured Link. "We should take him back to Kakariko. He needs help," she added to Dark.

Dark forced himself to get up and move to Link's side. "Okay there, friend?" he asked, smiling in relief when Link opened his eyes.

"Yeah," he rasped. "Dark? What-"

"Come on," Dark interrupted, reaching an arm under Link's shoulders to help prop him up. "Navi's right. We need to get back to the village."

Link was in no position to argue, so Dark lifted him to his feet, thanking Din when his strength held, and his legs supported both their weights. As he supported Link back through the tunnel, Dark's mind tortured him with the image of his own face, staring back at him with those unfamiliar eyes. Cursed eyes.

Somehow, as he and Link crossed back into Kakariko to look for aid, Dark couldn't stop the feeling that he was now beyond help.