A.N.: Whoo, another system breakdown. See, that means you guys get another chapter.

Chapter 15: Who You Are

"Are you up for a game, Vaati?" Dethl asked as it began to expand into a dark sphere. The mage readied the Wind Waker and tried to see what the shadow planned to do. "We know you like to play with your victims, let them power up before coming to see you. We will give you the same chance if you agree so we don't destroy you with our first move. Isn't that generous?" The sphere bulged and there were now bat wings on its sides. "We shall grant you back your abilities you just rejected. Vaati, get rid of your binding curse so this will be more interesting."

"No."

"Tsk. So you've figured out that each time you take advantage of this world you become more ingrained in it, good for you. Shame, Vaati, you could have been god, and yet you choose to be beaten by us."

"Who says I'm going to be beaten by you?" Vaati spat. Dethl's plastered grin suddenly opened and turned into a red eye. The mage froze as he saw the shadow's transformation; he was facing himself.

"You underestimate us, Vaati. We know everything you know, and therefore we know how to be you. You can't defeat us. We know too much about you, and you know nothing about us."

Vaati faced down the copy of his final form. I'm not that ugly. He felt small with only the Wind Waker to help him against what he believed was the ultimate being. He mentally punched himself for not asking Link what his best strategy was against his final form.

"Remember this one?" Dethl blasted a laser beam from its eye that Vaati dodged. He realized for the first time that Link could always roll out of that attack because the blinking eye was a huge giveaway for it. A good lesson learned – if he made it out of here. Dethl read the mage's mind and also looked surprised. It laughed. "Such power and yet you just discovered why you could never hit your target! Ah, Vaati, you made us make the same mistake you made."

"Stop the chatter, you pathetic excuse of a copy!" The sorcerer swung the Wind Waker and sent a tornado towards Dethl. Dethl saw through the attack and sent its own cyclone. The winds raged between Vaati and his copy, but the black eye was beginning to struggle to keep its cyclone in control. Even though it knew everything about Vaati's attacks, replicating it to perfection was a different matter entirely. Vaati saw this and smirked. He raised the baton and twisted it to the right, causing a gale to blow against the shadow. "Hmph. Apparently you only know how to control the wind one section at a time."

Dazed, Dethl slowly floated back up and faced the sorcerer. It grew a clawed arm that shot out and grabbed its target. "You arrogant fool," Dethl glared.

Vaati laughed and returned a wicked grin. "It's not so fun anymore, is it?" He grimaced slightly as the claw squeezed, but he continued to snicker. The tornado he had created hit Dethl at that moment and forced the shadow to let go of the mage. Vaati then created sharp streams of wind that sliced long gashes into Dethl. The shadow screeched and began to lose its form as Vaati. The winds stopped, and the sorcerer brushed out the wrinkles from his cape. "This is insulting. Do you think I'm that weak?"

"Truly astounding, Vaati," the black mass rasped. "We had reasons to hold you in high regard." It collected itself and it floated as a dark ball of shadow in front of the mage. "We apologize for our behavior earlier. Join us to be the gods of this world."

"I decline your offer. I'm going to kill you, fool."

"This is the world where all your desires will come true. What do you have back at the other world that you hold so dear?" Dethl was genuinely confused.

"Unfinished business…" Vaati sounded unsure of himself. Dethl appeared as surprised as a black blob could manage to look surprised before it began to change shape. There was a shrill laugh as the grin reappeared on the shadow's face.

"Vaati, we are shocked. Oh dear," it laughed uncontrollably, causing the mage to grip the Wind Waker tightly. "Oh dear," it repeated, "you hid this so well from yourself we didn't know either."

"Make your last words worth it because you don't have too long to live."

"Of course. Now, how shall we put it?" Dethl was beginning to shape shift again. "Ah, but we should've known the moment we saw you with the Wind Waker. Yes, yes," it mumbled to itself, "you cannot kill us now." There was a brief flash and someone Vaati recognized stood before him instead of the monster. It was Link.

"Hmph. That just gives me more motivation to kill you," Vaati growled, but he didn't sound too confident. Link smiled and scratched his head the same annoying way he always did. Dethl was an expert on imitation.

"Nah. You can't. Sorry, Vaati, but we saw a glimpse of the real you just a while ago. You will never admit it, but you cannot hide it from us."

Vaati refused to speak, though his hands trembled in fury. The fake Link nodded solemnly like he was speaking of a terrible disease.

"You, Sorcerer Vaati, have been changed to fit the role of hero." The boy scrunched his nose in disgust. "How disappointing. We believed you were one of the true Lords of Darkness when we met you. The rumors passed through the centuries! They were incredible, and you had been our ideal. Now we see you have become just like our enemy."

Link smiled broadly and held a hand out to the mage. Vaati pointed the Wind Waker threateningly at the boy's neck, which only caused the imposter to laugh even more. "We can read you like a book, Vaati. You will not kill us because you cannot kill Link. Now come and join this world so we can return you to the respectable villain you were. We will both get something out of it; you will terrorize the denizens of this world so you may shed your hero identity, and we will thrive off of the nightmares."

"You…" Vaati hissed and his shaking hands dug the Wind Waker more sharply into the sneering Link's neck.

"You cannot kill Link, and therefore us, Vaati," Dethl whispered. "That's the truth you've been hiding from yourself all this time…"

Both forms stood completely still and time seemed to grind to a stop. The Palace of Winds had long since disappeared and they had returned to the endless void. Minutes, perhaps hours, had passed and the only visible movement was the steady rise and fall of their chests as they breathed. Finally, Link raised his hand and gently moved the unyielding Wind Waker away from his neck. "You see? You do not even deny it. Let us help you return to the person you had been. If you go back now, you will not be able to complete your wish. You cannot kill Link."

Vaati looked down until his eyes were hidden from view. His thoughts were in turmoil and he appeared to be trying to clear a deep inner struggle. After several seconds, the sinister red eyes lifted slowly and the former sorcerer let out a venomous snarl. "Don't tell me what I can and cannot do." He suddenly shoved the startled Dethl onto the ground and grabbed the copy's sword, slamming it through its stomach. Link screamed until he fell into a fit of weak chuckles.

"Ha, perhaps we were wrong. Haha, we can…simulate blood just…for laughs," Dethl Link's face contorted into a demented smile and coughed up blood. It howled in laughter at its absurdity. "We're pretty good…actors, don't you think?"

"Let me leave."

"Have patience. You…will leave…this place when we…are gone." Link dissolved into the black shadow that was Dethl. "We shall…leave with satisfaction…Vaati. In the end…we have won. You were able to…show us that you still had it…in you to be…who you were destined to be." The surroundings began to flicker and Vaati had trouble focusing. "You can never…be the hero…Vaati. Remember that. It is…your fate."

The mage became enveloped in blinding light as the last vestiges of the Nightmare vanished into the void.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Vaati opened his eyes and found himself lying flat on the sand inside the cave he had wandered into before he had met Dethl. Some water dripped onto his face and he hastily wiped them off with his sleeve. The light from the sun was flickering into the cave as it signaled the new morning, and Vaati wondered how long he had been gone.

The mage sat quietly on the sand, listening to occasional cawing of the seagulls outside. He fingered some damp sand, creating a little mountain only to crush it between his thumbs later.

You can never be the hero, it is your fate, Dethl's voice taunted.

Vaati narrowed his eyes. I never asked to be one…fool. He stood up and prepared to return to the Rito's island.

OXXXXXXXXXO

fleets: Seems like a few of you are still confused about Dethl (I understand - he's one of the most boring bosses in the Zeldaverse). LA SPOILER WARNING: In LA, Dethl was a very flat character who didn't have too much of a background. All we know is that it survived on the nightmares of the dreamland (Koholint), and it tried to prevent Link from awakening the Wind Fish so Koholint would stay in existence (it was all a dream). Dethl wanted to be the master of the dreamland. It had the ability to take the forms of Link's previous enemies, including Ganon.

In Beyond Centuries, I've taken a few liberties and gave the thing my own twist of its personality. Hope this clears things up.

Reily96: Uh...did I do a good thing (sweatdrop)? Oh, and I saw a bit of the manga! Link seems a bit OC in it...

Rune Caster: Haha! :D

Diablo1123: It gets better.

bleu-blizzard: Well that's good :). He's still unsure, it seems...

H-bomber: Hello! Thanks for the support, my regular reviewer! Yup, I'm having trouble deciding how evil Vaati is as well XP

Peka The Corsair: Hope I cleared things up :)