AN: Hey guys, it has been too long. Apologies for that. I just have been caught in a crazy whirlwind called life for a while now and it has been difficult to get to a computer and type. Again, I can't guarantee consistent updates, but I will try my best to get them up as soon as possible.

But here you go! At last, chapter twenty two.

Enjoy!

[LINK]

As I stumble down the stairs, something hits me.

I don't know where the library actually is.

I trip and fumble left and right in the darkness, hoping to simply find a railing to grab onto. Then I remember one of techniques Fi taught me.

I unsheathe the Master Sword, hold it out in front and begin to dowse the room, looking for Impa. I do find the path she took eventually and continue on in the darkness, slowly. I come upon a door and swing it on its hinges, to reveal a flight of steps leading downward into a dark basement. At the foot of the stairs there is a dim light rocking back and forth due to the wind outside shaking the entire structure of the building.

I begin the descent, sheathing my sword. I am now wide awake, ready to track down Ghirahim with all my might.

My foot falls on the floor of the basement. It smells like old wood, scrolls, and lantern oil. Calming.

I walk through the endless shelves of books looking everywhere for Impa, when I hear a bottle being opened and liquid being poured into a larger basin to my right. I turn around the last bookshelf in the row and find Impa refilling the lantern she is using with more oil. She does not break concentration with my presence, though. Once the lantern is full, she puts the stopper on the bottle, sets it next to her, and continues on in her research with the book in her lap. I kneel down to sit next to her, opening my mouth to speak, but she holds up a hand.

I know not to interrupt her when she is avidly studying like this, so I wait. No matter how impatient I am.

Minutes go by without a word passing between us. I want to scream in rage. I know where Zelda is, and she is only interested in that book. What kind of mother is she?

I immediately regret thinking that. I know she cares deeply for Zelda. Probably even more than me and this is saying something. She raised her, cared for her, and kept her close until she had to leave her behind with her father. Not an easy choice for her, either, she had told me once. She wanted to stay with them and live as a family until the end, but fate wasn't so kind with her. She predicted that Ghirahim would try to summon his master, but the timing she was never sure on. Once the ball started rolling on his plot, she had to find a way to free herself from her ties. To hunt him down on her own.

She bears a heavy burden alone. Or did. Until Zelda and I came back into the picture, she has done everything she could.

I think she was lonely. She has spent years hiding in the shadows, bearing the world on her shoulders, and unable to trust anyone. Even with Ghirahim's ability to take over someone's mind and body, she decided to trust us.

That means everything to me.

She brings her hand down to rest on the book and looks up at me. She gives me a small smile, heaves a sigh, and dives right into it.

"What is it, Link?" She asks quietly.

"It's Zelda," I say, and begin to explain the mirror that appeared in my room. That I believe it was cast by Zelda in her sleep, her subconscious trying desperately to contact us. Once I finish, she places her hand on her chin, contemplating. We sit in silence for a while longer as she processes the new information. I gradually become more impatient.

"It could be a trap," she trails off. She is right, of course, but something inside of me snaps.

"Impa, it specifically showed me her exact location. I don't see how this could be a mix up!" I stand, beginning to stride back and forth, my anger slowly creeping to the surface.

She only continues to sit there, calm.

"Link," she finally says. "There is no good in losing our heads. You know how Ghirahim works. He uses tricks to manipulate people into his hands. Just stay focu—"

I can't contain the swell of rage as I move to punch the wall, knowing that it will break my hand with how much force I put behind it. But I don't care. I am blinded by my rage.

Before my hand even makes contact, though, Impa has already moved to restrain me. I struggle to break free of her grasp, but to no avail. I know deep down that she is right, but I just can't see an end to this hell.

"Impa," I say, voice quiet but filled with the hurt I feel. "Let me go after her."

She freezes. I know she wants to find her just as badly as I do, but she still hesitates.

"Link," she states. Her voice calms me if only slightly. "I know how badly you want to go after her, but do you know where to start?"

My eyebrows furrow together clenching at the top of my nose.

"What do you mean? Of course I do! She is in the caverns at—"

"She is not there, Link," she cuts me off. I falter.

"Wh-what do you mean she's not there? I saw it, she—"

"She is not there." She states again, no joking in her voice. I know she is telling me the truth. My body suddenly becomes deadweight. Impa catches me before I fall straight to the floor.

"How do you know?" I loosen my grip on Impa's sleeve and droop my head to look at the floor underneath me. The loose pieces of hay on the floor at least give me something to look at.

Impa remains quiet. Hesitant. As if unsure of how to proceed.

"Impa," I plead. "How? How do you know?"

She pulls me into a hug. I simply sit there, unmoving, waiting for an answer.

I feel nothing. No emotion, no fear, not a thing. I am being swallowed by the darkness again. I can't resist it.

The next thing I know, I feel myself being laid on the ground, a hand running through my hair, and a whisper I barely caught the words to.

"She is in Hyrule. Link, she is at the castle. She—"

Then all went silent as I fell into the darkness.

I wake to the sound of whispers. Impa and Renado are having a discussion about something. Something they don't want me to hear. I moan as I sit up, my right side throbbing in pain.

"Link," Renado says, cutting Impa off. "How do you feel?" Impa glances over her shoulder to me. I look away, embarrassed.

"Like a dishrag that has been rung for the last time," I respond, grabbing a cup of water from my nightstand. I gulp it down, setting the glass back on the nightstand with a resounding thud.

"Link," Impa starts, "I need to talk to you. I know where Zelda is—"

"Castle town, right?" I ask, not hiding my frustration. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I know you, Link. You would have rushed in without a plan, tried to save Zelda, and died in the process. Ghirahim is getting stronger by the day, and he is not to be taken lightly."

We sit in silence. I ball my fists between the sheets on my bed. Then something hits me.

"You doubt I can do this?" I look at Impa. She sighs, then looks at me levelly.

"No, Link, it is not that I doubt you," she unfolds her arms from in front of her, "I know you will be able to find my daughter. It is just a matter of planning and knowing the enemy," she walks over to my bed and places a hand on my arm. "I know you will save my daughter, but we need patience and a plan. I have already started on how to go about rescuing her, so don't worry on that. I need you to return to your normal self before we can execute it, though." She gives me a sad look and removes her hand from my arm.

I pause.

"What do you mean 'my normal self'?"

"Look at your right arm, Link," she says almost painfully. I do. What I see catches me completely off guard.

It is completely black.

"Wha—"

"The rage you felt earlier," Impa cuts me off, sitting on the edge of the bed, "has taken on a physical form. This is the work of Ghirahim. Before all this began, I sensed no dark side in you. But now there is a darkness placed in you by Ghirahim that if uncontrollable, will completely consume you. This is what evil is," she says, hand hovering over my arm. I cringe.

"How do I remove it?" I whisper. She stays silent. I meet her sad gaze, pleading. The silence grows.

"It will be painful," she says, "but there is a way." I don't hesitate.

"What do I need to do?" I ask earnestly.

"Follow me," is all she says.

I throw the blankets off of me and move to stand. Renado, who has stayed quiet this whole time, moves to help me by slinging my arm over his shoulder. Simply moving is painful enough, and she said I have to do something else painful on top of this? And she won't even mention what it is, so that means whatever I have to do won't be pleasant.

How overwhelming.

I continue to move, though, following Impa out the door and to the stairwell. I continually tell myself I have to do this. I have to do this for Zelda.

Then my entire body is on fire.

I fall to the floor, writhing in pain as I yell. I hear the distant sounds of people running. I open my eyes slightly to look through the tears that have formed in my eyes to see Tetra and Gonzo at the top of the stairs.

I can't hear anything. It's all fuzzy and there is a constant ringing in my ears, but that is the least of my worries at the moment.

I look down to my arms and see that the black is spreading. Not just to my arms, either, but my entire body. I feel a pair of hands grab me under my arms to hoist me up, and they begin to rush me out the front door and to the right on the path. I think the windstorm has calmed down a bit, but I can't really tell. Seeing as my attention has been brought elsewhere.

The pain continues to escalate as we move. Black spots start to impede my vision, causing me to trip over everything that sticks up and finds itself in front of my feet. Eventually, I can't even walk the pain is overwhelming.

My body is on fire. I am going to die.

Then it gets even worse.

White hot pain shoots throughout my entire being. I scream in anguish as hands hold me down to the ground. I writhe, trying to escape, but am too weak to do anything but lie there, waiting.

Then the pain begins to subside. Slowly.

I gradually make out my surroundings as feeling returns to my body. I smell the dust and the dry wind, and am confused to smell water in the mix. Suddenly, I feel as if I am floating. I open my eyes to find myself submerged in a pool of water. As the ripples splash against my sides, they wash away the anguish and pain I just experienced. They wash away more than that, too.

My anger, sadness, and disheartened spirit are all gone, replaced by hope, determination, and a courage that even startles me.

I sit up in the pool, finding the bottom, and look around. The black on my skin is completely gone, and I am returned to normal, if not better than that. I feel energized. I stand, turning around in the process to find Impa, Renado, Tetra, and Gonzo all standing at the shoreline. Tetra and Gonzo have not had much experience with magic, I think as I take in their flabbergasted expressions, but Renado and Impa are smiling. Their faces are hopeful.

I walk to the shoreline slowly, a smile forming over my face.

"Sorry, everyone," I say. "I didn't mean to scare you."

I look down to my hand and see the outline of the Triforce glowing.

My courage has finally returned.

Just hang in there a bit longer, Zelda. I'm on my way.

[ZELDA]

I feel weak. As I wake, I feel gradually more tired, cold, hungry, achy.

Afraid.

I open my swollen eyes to take in my surroundings. My eyes take a while to adjust to the dim light, but once they do, I find that I am in some sort of run down jail cell.

It is cold, damp, and from what I gather all around isolated from the world. Not a single thing stirs in movement save for me and my attempt to stand. I move, but stop immediately when a pain shoots up my side, legs, and chest. My wrists appear to be caught up in chains above my head. I feel the deep cuts the handcuffs have made in my wrists, and feel the dried trails of blood down my arms as a result. I gasp for air, wondering where in the world I could be.

With cold sweats rolling down my face, I look up to my only light source. The moon shines on, ignoring my pleas of help. I close my eyes as tears fall down my cheeks.

Help. Impa.

Link.