The Bleeding Effect
Chapter X
AN: It is helpful to know at least some general information about "A Link Between Worlds" before jumping into this chapter.
If he was human, Link could say to them "I can explain" or even "It's not what it looks like". However Link was no longer a man, but instead a beast. And the monster that emerged from the well still lived, its massive hands forming fists to squash him.
Link darted out of the way seconds before a fist came down hard on the drum. He would talk with his companions later; right now, he needed to finish the battle he began.
The hands that had once been such a threat were now hardly a challenge; as a wolf, his speed tripled. He dodged and weaved around the cumbersome limbs with practiced ease, sprinting for the monster's eye once more. Now that he didn't have to worry about evading the darkness, he shouldn't have too much trouble. There was one downside to his wolf form, though, aside from the obvious fact that Sheik and Navi now knew he had one—he could smell everything. The rank of fetid decay and gore was amplified to an almost painful point. His nose felt like it would just drop right off, and he almost wished it would, to rid himself of the sickening stench.
Link didn't turn his head to look behind him, not once. He didn't want to see the expression on Sheik's face, but still, his mind turns on itself, slapping images into his mind. Sheik's expression creased with disgust, twisted with horror. He didn't want to see. He wouldn't look.
Link sprang up, landing in the squishy substance of the monster's eye. His claws clutched onto the folds of it for a better grip, but to his surprise, the membrane of the eye gave way under his claws with a pop.
Clear juices intermingled with blood slicked Link's legs, and he slipped from the monster's eye before he could even tear into it with his jaws. Nevertheless, it seemed that his claws did do some damage; the monster shrieked with pain, dragging the bulk of its body out of Link's range.
"Leave me alone!" The monster bellowed. "I want you to leave me alone!"
"Look out!"
One of the monster's hands was about to sweep Link off the drum (he didn't know what lay beyond, and he had no desire to find out) but, instead, it flopped ungainly to the drum with Sheik atop it. The Sheikah's dagger was buried up to the hilt in the monster's hand. Sheik pulled it out and plunged it back into another part of the hand, twisting the blade, stabbing again and again.
"I can handle this simply enough," Sheik ordered. "If you still understand Hylian tongue, do as I say. Go for its eye!"
A shadow fell over Sheik. Link tried to shout a warning, but all that came out was frantic barking.
"Do you not understand me?" Sheik yelled, right before the second hand dropped down, grabbing him. He winced as the hand squeezed tighter, trying to crush him.
"Jelly! Jelly!" Crowed the monster with triumph. "I'll squash you into jelly!"
Link ran behind the hand, claws scrambling for purchase on the drum as he pivoted around abruptly before launching himself at the back of the hand. He gripped onto it, then let himself slide downwards, nails renting apart the monster's flesh in neat lines.
The monster from the well howled at the sting, and unwillingly dropped Sheik to the floor.
Link guarded Sheik, growling lowly at the hands, warning them away. The monster's hands crept closer and then shrunk back into the gloom, wary of engaging with Link again.
The wolf's ears flicked back as he heard the scuffling sounds of Sheik standing once more. His constant stream of growls came to a halt when he felt Sheik place a hand on his back. Sheik pet his fur gently, if a bit awkwardly.
"Thank you, hero."
There was no disgust in Sheik's voice, no hatred. Only gratitude. Link was surprised, and a bit elated. His companion seemed to be taking Link's transformation in stride. Perhaps, when Link returned to his own time, he might consider showing Rusl and the resistance group his transformation. If someone as tightly wound as Sheik could accept him, then Link might not have to hide the truth from his other allies as well.
"We can fend off the hands all day, but it won't do us much good." Said Sheik. "We need to find its eye again."
"How?" Asked Navi. "We can hardly see several feet in front of us in this gloom, let alone track down the monster's body!"
It might have been difficult to see, but there were other, much more developed, senses at Link's disposal. He sniffed the air, narrowing down where the stench of rot was the thickest. Once found, he was off like a shot. The hands bumbled after him, but Link didn't spare them even a first glance; he knew that Sheik had his back. Sure enough, Link could hear the light thunks of needles embedding themselves in flesh, coupled with Navi's shouts of encouragement.
The monster seemed to know that it was found, but Link didn't give it a chance to escape. He was upon the red eye again, grip even firmer now that he knew to expect a slippery surface, ripping out chunks with his teeth.
The monster reared back, thrashing.
"No!" It cried. "I don't deserve to die! It was their fault! They were blind, not me! Kill them instead!"
The monster from the well beat out a fast pace on the drum, like a frantic heartbeat. It quickly slowed, until the hand stilled entirely.
"This wasn't…what I…wanted." The monster sunk to the drumhead. Link and his companions watched as it blackened, dissolving into a curl of smoke which drifted away into nothingness.
A human hand shot up from the side of the drum, fingers digging into the top of the head. Link yelped and nearly jumped from his skin.
To Link's surprise, Sheik all but flew over to the person trying to pull themselves up. He gave them a hand, and Link could tell it was a woman. But who?
"Lady Impa," Sheik checked her over. "Are you alright? Did the monster harm you?"
She waved his concerns away. "I am fine now, thanks to you, and the hero."
Her red eyes cut to Link. To his confusion, she wasn't confused by his appearance. She beckoned him, and Link padded over to them.
Impa waved her hand, and she and Link were encased in blue light in the shape of a gem. It was a soothing, clean energy. Link breathed deeply of the pure air that had eluded him for so long within the Shadow Temple. He felt himself beginning to shift into his human form. He stood on trembling back legs, wincing as his tail receded inch by inch.
Sheik's hand rested upon the barrier of light. He looked as if he was restraining himself from beating upon it. His eyes were fixed upon the other Sheikah.
"Lady Impa, wait, you can't leave already. There's so much more I still need to—"
"Sheik." Her stern voice had a hint of fondness in it. "There is nothing more that I can teach you. You must now learn from your experiences, from those around you, and from yourself."
Then a brilliant white light enveloped the crystal of energy, and Link shielded his eyes.
When he opened them again, drawing his hands from his face, he could see that the claws and fur were now entirely absent. He was human once more.
Link glanced around. He stood upon a blue, octagonal platform. It was studded with emblems he struggled to recognize. In the center, beneath his boots, was the emblem of the Triforce. At least he recognized one.
"Are these…the medallions?"
"Yes, very good. I'm glad to see Sheik took the time to explain to you at least that much."
Atop the violet emblem appeared Impa. Link approached her.
"I think a bit more of an explanation would be welcome."
The Sheikah dipped her head in acknowledgment. Atop the rest of the medallions—save for the orange one—appeared others, of different races, sizes, ages. A gigging girl in green waved at him. Link waved back, a bit unsure.
"We are at your disposal, hero," The old Hylian rumbled, white moustache twitching as he spoke. "Ask all that you desire."
"Finally some answers," Link muttered, before straightening. "First, the obvious. Where are we right now?"
"The Chamber of Sages!" Trilled the Zora.
"Why am I in the past?"
The sages were silent, exchanging glances.
"Actually, we were hopin' you could tell us that, brother," Said the Goron.
"We know that you're still Farore's chosen hero," Piped up the girl. "But we also know that you're not our hero."
The old man rubs his chin. "So you're a time traveler, you say? This was not foretold to us."
"The Goddesses have not yet chosen to reveal their designs to us. We must have faith in them." Impa's statements were met with a chorus of agreements from the other sages.
"There was a Great Fairy I encountered on my way to the Shadow Temple. She said that she was a servant of the God of Time, Roark."
"Roark?" The Zora's fins twitched as she considered Link's words. "I've never heard of him."
Link tugged off his gauntlet, and pointed to the patch of skin in the middle of the mark of the Triforce, which formed an inverted triangle.
"The fairy said that he was the fourth triangle. That it was initially supposed to be a Tetraforce."
"Blasphemy!" Harrumphed the elderly sage. "There are three Goddesses and that is all."
"But why would a Great Fairy lie?" Pointed out the Goron.
"They've never told me a lie," Jumped in the girl.
"She was not lying." Informed Impa. She folded her arms. "Roark is the fourth deity."
Link gaped. "You can't be serious. Why has there never been any other mention of Him? Why did He not contribute a piece to the…Tetraforce?"
Impa shook her head. "He has told me little. I know not much more than the fact that he truly exists, and is indeed the God of Time."
The girl snapped her fingers. "If he's the God of Time, then he must have been the one to send this Link back here!"
"But why? And where did this 'Roark' feller send our brother?"
"The whole idea of a Tetraforce is utter nonsense, absolutely ridiculous," Said the old man.
"I don't think I'll believe anything until I see some proof." Said the Zora.
"So you don't know why I'm here? Or have any clue how I can get back to my time?" An edge of desperation worked its way into Link's voice.
His words echoed in the following silence. For all the wisdom of the sages, they had no answer to give him; they could only hazard guesses. The Sage of Shadow was the one who eventually broke the silence.
"Nothing is ever entirely preordained, Hero. It was foretold that a hero would appear to strike back against Ganondorf. That he will succeed or fail—that is up to you. You have done well in working towards completing the Hero of Time's mission so far. We suggest you continue onwards, freeing the last sage and obtaining the final medallion."
One by one, all the sages vanished from Link's view, until only Impa remained. She took his hand, flipping it over so his palm faced upwards. She placed the Shadow Medallion in it. His fingers curled around the cool metal.
"Your mind is ill at ease child, and not simply due to the quest that lies before you. What else disturbs your mind?"
Her red eyes called to his mind a different pair, glowing with hate and cruelty. His gaze cut away from hers.
"I just…" He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Was Dark Link…right about the Shadow Temple? About…me?"
"The Shadow Temple was initially a prison during one of the many great wars Hyrule was embroiled in. Many were tortured there."
Link swallowed hard. Sheik had been right. When it came down to it, the Hylians were every bit as barbarous as all the other races.
"The war eventually came to an end, but the presence of evil in those dungeon walls did not leave. Many who died returned as vengeful wraiths, and the heartlessness of the torturers invited in many dark demons and creatures. It was impossible to cleanse the dungeon. The Royal Family ordered my ancestors to seal it away forevermore, but the Sheikah leader of the time proposed an alternative solution. The dungeon was renamed the Shadow Temple, and repurposed as a holding place to stow away the darkest thoughts of Hylians, so that they would never be driven to commit atrocities of such magnitude again."
"So Dark Link truly is the embodiment of…" Link's throat closed. He couldn't ask. Because what if Dark Link truly was all the worst qualities within him? What if he was everything that he didn't want to admit?
"Dark Link is not your 'Shadow Temple', so to speak. It is a monster created by Ganondorf's own wicked magic. Though it is modeled after you, it shares no further similarities. It is not a reservoir for the evil within you. It is not you."
Link slumped with relief, expelling the nervous breath he had been holding back.
"So the things that it said…"
"Were not at all true. Its intention was to weaken your heart as well as your body, and it succeeded. If not for Sheik's intervention, you surely would have met your end."
Link was reminded of the way Sheik appeared on the ship as if from nowhere, wielding light arrows effortlessly.
"Is Sheik Zelda?" Link blurted.
Impa's eyes widened a fraction with surprise, but then her face crinkled with mirth. "That is something that you should ask him yourself."
"He truly cares for you, you know. He's been worried about you ever since we learned that you had gone to take on the monster from the well by yourself."
"I am aware. I raised him as my own. But he shall recover from my absence, in time."
Impa waved her hand once more, and a shaft of light shone upon Link.
"It is time for you to join your companions once more. Fare thee well, hero."
For the second time that day, Link's sight was swallowed by bright light. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in Kakariko's graveyard, at the entrance to the Shadow Temple.
Sheik was waiting for him, Navi perched upon his shoulder. Link must've been in the sages' chamber longer than he had surmised; even though it was only drizzling, the Sheikah's clothes were soaked to the skin.
"Let's return to the inn, where it's warm and dry," Said Link. "I'll tell you everything."
One roaring fire, two hearty meals, and three hot ciders later, Link concluded his tale. He did tell Sheik everything, as promised. He began with the onset of his journey to free Hyrule from the grip of the Twilight, detailed the still-unexplained switch in the Temple of Time, all the way up to the conversation he had with Impa mere hours ago. He had no explanation for why the dark energy of the monster from the well transformed him into his wolf form—he could only offer his own guess. Link suspected the monster's type of dark energy was similar enough to the twilight that it triggered the transformation. Link left nothing out, crafted not one lie. It was simultaneously one of the most difficult and one of the easiest things he had ever done.
When at last he finished his tale, he took a long, deep drink of his cider, letting the warm tang of apple and cinnamon wash over his dry throat. Link dashed a hand over his mouth, wiping away the excess foam.
Navi, unsurprisingly, was the first to speak. Instead of her normal, bubbly tone, though, the fairy's voice was dampened with worry. "So you don't really know where our Link is? Or what he's doing?"
"I can only assume that he's in my time, working his way through my own quest." Said Link, regretful that he could offer little more to cheer the fairy.
"All alone, and in the future?" Fretted Navi. "How will he know what to eat, or how to defeat his foes?"
"My time isn't all that different from yours. And I'm sure Midna is taking great care of him," Link reminded her. A small smile tugged his face as he imagined his friend's frustration at dealing with a child. He couldn't wait to hear the stories she would tell when he got back. If he got back. His smile dimmed.
As if reading his mind, Sheik finally spoke up. "So you have no idea how to facilitate the switch again."
Link regarded his companion. Sheik had been completely silent and totally expressionless during Link's entire story, never betraying what he was thinking. The man's voice now was kept flat and neutral. Did he believe Link? Was he mad at Link for not coming out with the truth right away? The hero had no idea.
"No, I don't. I can only continue my ancestor's quest, and hope the answer will be revealed to me eventually."
"That was the path I had chosen as well, after the hero's collapse. I knew something was wrong from the start. He had been understandably weary after our tangle with Morpha, but he was nowhere near exhausted enough to lose consciousness. My immediate assumption was that you were some sort of wicked imposter that, through magic, subdued the hero's mind and overtook his body. A servant of Ganondorf, perhaps, or some other base and corrupt being."
"What made you so suspicious of me?"
"Your story of memory loss fell through almost instantly. You are right handed, whereas the hero favors his left. You're a better swordsman by far, but a laughably worse musician."
Link couldn't argue with that.
"And yet, you were able to wield the Master Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane. If you were truly possessed by an evil spirit or magic, how could you hold the blade so effortlessly? And your actions were very similar to our hero, such as when you rushed in to save the people of Kakariko." Sheik's red eyes flashed. "Of course, when you suddenly had eyes able to see the absolute truth, my suspicion of you tripled instantly."
Link winced. "You understand why I couldn't tell you everything before, right?"
"Entirely."
"So what happens now?"
"I will follow and aid you as I have before, and your ancestor before you." Sheik stood, chair scraping softly against the wood floor. "Tomorrow we make for Gerudo Valley, to locate the final sage. It is a long journey. We should rest now."
Link grabbed Sheik's wrist, not tightly, but with enough force to keep him at the table. "Wait. Now that you know who I am, I want to know who you are."
"You already know who I am."
"No one can wield light in the manner you did save the Princess. Are you Princess Zelda?"
To Link's astonishment, Sheik actually chuckled. He pulled his chair up again, and Link released his grip, confident that the Sheikah wouldn't attempt to leave.
"You have been honest with me. I suppose it is only fair that I return the favor. The answer is yes…and no."
Link raised an eyebrow. "Yes…and no? Are you some sort of jester now? Should I check your head for bumps?"
"What I am about to tell you must be kept in the strictest of confidence." Sheik's serious tone sobered Link immediately. "When you return to your own time, you cannot tell Midna, or any of your other friends anything that we discuss now."
Link nodded. "I understand."
Sheik performed a cursory sweep of the room. No one paid them excessive attention, all in the inn deep in their cups and own conversations. His eyes flicked back to meet Link's.
"This is not the only world in existence."
"Do you mean the Twilight Realm?"
"No. From what you've told me, it's still connected to this world, albeit in a separate plane. What I am talking about is a different world, disconnected from this one. I come from a land called Lorule. It is, in many ways, similar to Hyrule, but also quite different." Sheik lifted his arm, displaying the bracelet. "Artifacts such as this one enable travel between the two worlds. All Sheikah have one."
Link clumps the clues together in his mind. His eyes widen. "If you're from Lorule, and can wield the light arrows…"
"Yes. I am Princess Zelda's counterpart. I am Sheik, prince of Lorule."
"This is amazing!" Breathed Link. "No, this is insane. No, it's both."
"That is why my people are the perfect guards of Hyrule's Royal Family. Our enemies will never be able to figure out who we truly are, and where we have come from. It's impossible for them to exploit familial ties."
"But what about Lorule? Don't you need to govern your land?"
Sheik closed his eyes. "The land is no longer governable. My father and sister lingered behind to attempt to rebuild it, but I know they'll never manage to heal Lorule."
"Why not?"
Sheik pulled up the leather armor that covered his right hand, exposing skin as bare as anyone else's.
"Long ago, the royals of Lorule sought an end to the constant wars over our Triforce. So they destroyed it."
"They destroyed the gift of the Goddesses?" Link was aghast. The thought of doing something that horrible had never crossed his mind.
Sheik flipped the leather down back into its proper place. "One a gift is given, is not the receiver permitted to do whatever he desires with it? They were trying to help. They didn't understand that the Triforce was the linchpin of Lorule. Without it, the nation crumbles. Massive quakes rent the earth apart. Wickedness thrives, unchecked. Monsters spawn faster than they can be slain. Every day is a struggle to beat back our enemies from encroaching any further upon royal territory."
"We have to help them."
"One quest at a time, hero. Even if you went to help, it would be in vain. Lorule's time is at an end."
"Where am I? Why is my counterpart not helping?"
Suddenly the inn doors slammed open. Everyone's heads jerked to the door, some in alarm, others in irritation. Kafei sauntered in, his arm draped across a fetching woman with short red hair. It must be Anju, Link realized. Kafei's wife. They sat down at two of the barstools, and as Kafei called for mead with a flick of his hand, he nuzzled into the woman's neck. She tittered and blushed. A few men hollered in appreciation of the show, others mumbled with envy or disgust.
Sheik jerked a thumb at the man. "There he is."
"You can't be serious." Link couldn't tear his eyes from Kafei, from his theatrical movements and garish clothes. "He hardly looks like me!"
"Hardly acts like you, either." Sheik plainly said what Link had been thinking. "He's quite the salesman."
"This is insane."
"Any more insane than time travel?"
"I see your point."
"Come." Sheik stood once more. "Any further questions can wait until tomorrow. We must rest in preparation for the road ahead of us."
Sheik made his way to the steps that lead to their room. Link locked eyes with Kafei. The man winked back, before returning his attention once again to Anju, slopping alcohol on the bar counter as he used sweeping hand gestures. Shaking his head, Link got up and followed after Sheik.
-TBC-