"Link, are you sure about this. I don't think this will work, it's too risky and there's too many detail we haven't worked out." Zelda complained from behind Link as he wrapped his hands around the hilt of the Master Sword. Gripping the blade left him with an essence of relief as the familiar power stretched through his veins. It was like the only drug with no withdrawal effects besides the loss of a powerful sword. It took a while for him to convince both of them to allow him to take the sword into the Twilight by saying it helped more than hurt.
"What's wrong Zelda, you don't trust Midna?" Link said as a light-hearted joke. The Twilight Princess was standing in front of the doors to the temple harboring her power. Opening a portal directly to the Twilight Realm was more difficult than she believed it was before. Link glanced at Zelda quickly and smiled innocently.
"It's not her I don't trust, it's the plan." Zelda said under her breath just enough so Link could hear. He looked away keeping the friendly smile he had before, but inside was tormented by worry. He didn't question the method of getting there, but he was attempting to devise a plan once he was there. The worst case scenario was that he was positioned in the middle of an entire army, or if he appeared before the other Holy Bane Generals.
"Don't worry, Zelda. Now back up, Midna looks like she's ready." Link said as an aura of darkness appeared around Midna. Countless fist-sized black orbs floated up from the ground and gathered in a ring above her, she raised her hands upward to focus more of the orbs in one spot specifically. Zelda stepped back silently as Link drew the Master Sword from its pedestal.
Zelda glanced around seeing the black orbs swarming in from all over the woods. They came from the trees as if Midna was pulling the very energy from the world around them. The reason for all this was the lack of the Mirror of Twilight, even a shard of the Mirror would make the process easier. Her hair extended upwards and formed a ring around the portal, it looked like the rips in reality made by the Twilight Beasts with its neon blue lines stretching through a black background.
Midna suddenly threw her hands upwards and shouted which activated the gate between the two realms. Link closed his eyes and waited in silence for Midna to send him into the Twilight. He honestly always wanted to visit the Twilight Realm again, but he wished it was under better circumstances that he would return.
"Midna, I'm ready." Link shouted. She let out another cry which turned Link into a shadowed figure of his shape. Piece by piece, Link flew towards the portal leaving the Light behind him and preparing for whatever was before him. He heard Zelda shouting out farewell to him before all things went silent from before.
A sudden pain pierced through his mind as something went wrong, his sight was blocked off by the darkness that enveloped his body but his sense still worked. He heard the beastly growls of Chaos soldiers and a scream from Zelda as swords and other weapons were being drawn. Link's body felt numb as he entered the Twilight Realm. Midna cursed loudly before releasing her power and attacking the soldiers, but that caused a disruption in the portal.
"No!" Link shouted as everything grew silent and he lost consciousness. The familiar slight warmth that came from the Twilight sky was like a cold yet loving embrace. Unable to awake his self, Link felt his body plummeting to the ground and yet he didn't feel the pain of hitting the ground.
"Damn it." Midna shouted as a Chaos Soldier knocked away Zelda's sword and leaned forward delivering a powerful punch to her stomach. The Princess simply fell forward in pain holding her stomach and gasping for air. Midna used what little power she had left to form a spear from her hair and launch it forwards, slashing into the ribs of a Chaos Soldier.
In an act of desperation, Zelda rolled on her side grabbing the rapier she kept at all times. She jumped forward sinking the blade into the flesh of a Chaos Soldier and moving back to remove it. The two soldiers that the princesses injured fell to the ground dead, but more flooded into the small area they were in. Even a fool, even Link, would realize that at this point, he was surrounded with no chance of escape.
Zelda stood tall, brave and royal compared to Midna's hunched over and feral position. The Hylian princess raised her hand to the Twili signaling their defeat but underneath it contained another message. With her pointer finger aimed upwards, Midna glanced to the dark night sky to see a floating figure above them. The red glowing orb in its core made it similar to a Poe, but the beings movements were more like a puppet.
The figure descended down to them head first, twirling and spiraling through the air in an epic display. It suddenly dropped down directly in front of Zelda and she saw the face of a being that existed on another plane. It held a transparent look, with Zelda able to see through the black death mask and the red paint splashed on it to create a disturbing smiling face. The ghostly figured hovered before her, everything below the head surrounded by a black torn black robe.
"I....am....Panic..." It said in a ghastly voice, every word drawn out into the air. Its head suddenly jerked to the side causing the mask on its face to shift from side to side creating a strange snapping noise as it moved. There were no holes for eyes, but Zelda knew that it had a way of keeping its gaze on her. She kept silent, not giving into the fear that built up inside.
"Get away, monster." Midna shouted which caught the attention of Panic. The specter slowly descended into the ground, passing through it all as if it was slowly falling through air. Midna looked down at the ground in front of her seeing Panic's mask studying her intently. The paint shifted from the sadists smile to a psychopathic look of anger and confusion.
"I.....am....Panic...." It said as it rose from the ground. Midna stepped back and stood up straight measuring herself up to him. But it was difficult to compare size with something that couldn't be touched. Panic raised his left hand, exposing that it was nothing but five hooks in the general form of a hand. It rubbed the hooks against her face before slowly hiding its hand underneath the shadows that surrounded it. "You.....are.....the monster." He said emphasizing his distaste for her.
"What do you want, Link is gone and we don't know where he is." Zelda announced for all to hear. It was sad at how true the statement was knowing that they've possibly lost Link until he found his way back. Panic lurched backwards like he was being dragged by a string, passing through soldiers. He fazed directly through Zelda and stopped before her with the same expression he showed Midna.
Zelda's eyes widened as Panics head suddenly began to twist in every direction possible. The mask made strange rattling noises as it flipped from side to side, swinging and snapping backwards. The seizure ended with Panic looking at Zelda with the paint in a wide-eyed childish grin.
"You...." It whispered to her before a Chaos Soldier behind her slammed elbow into her temple. Before she fell to the ground, Panic whipped out its hooked hands and latched them into her shirt. He then shot upwards into the air and once again, gracefully flew away in less than a second.
Before Midna could respond, the soldier behind her landed a heavy blow directly above her spine. It was not long before Hylian soldiers arrived, but they came after all the Chaos already disappeared into the night. The only thing they found was an injured and unconscious Midna and two small spots of dark red blood from the soldiers the princesses killed.
Link awoke amidst a dimly lit massive temple. He stood up quickly grabbing the handle of his blade ready to draw it off his back until he remembered an important fact. He looked to the ground and lifted up the brightly glowing Master Sword. As he raised up, Link used the Master Sword's glow to illuminate his vision and came across a surprising sight. He was in the middle aisle of a massive temple, and in neatly organized rows, were coffins marked by the Hylian symbol.
"What the hell?" Link muttered underneath his breath as he walked forward seeing this almost endless row of coffins. He attempted to open one of them out of curiosity, but they were locked by a force beyond his control. After struggling momentarily, Link stepped back from the coffin and looked down the aisle to the end of the building.
Between two ancient burning black flames were two corpses, both of them chained to the wall in a different manner. The smaller of the two was suspend in the air by his wrists, the larger and most likely older was held to the ground by thicker chains that covered him from the shoulders down. Link stepped forward slowly until the air in the room started to suddenly chill as he felt another presence.
He turned around slowly and saw an ancient enemy to his ancestors, one that plagued the Hero's blood for as long as it existed. He stepped backwards and tightened his grip on the blade, a feeling told him that the thing before him would never even consider letting him walk out alive. An all black figure stood there, it's black clothes, gray skin, and red eyes pierced into his mind.
"Hello, again." Dark Link said with a cruel smile and a malicious intent that sent a chill down Link's spine. Those two words started it all, Dark Link stepped forward as a duplicate of the Master Sword formed in its left hand. He leaped upwards into the air clasping the hilt of his blade with both hands and bringing it down.
Link rolled backwards holding onto his blade before positioning his self to lunge back. He proceeded to use an athletic sprinting position to jump forward and attempt to plunge his blade deep into his mimics chest. Dark Link jumped backwards, while morphing his sword into a bow and arrow. Once his feet touched against the ground, Dark Link launched three arrows simultaneously.
"Do you remember our last meeting, Link. It was in the Water Temple, you pinned me to the tree with your sword.". Link drew the Hylian shield from his back and raised it up on level with the arrows. As he heard the sound of metal hitting metal, he spun around and threw his shield like a spinning blade. Dark Link ducked under the shield and charged back forward, his bow morphing into the Megaton Hammer. With all of his weight and momentum in one blow, Dark Link jumped upward and attempted to bring the hammer down on Link. Knowing he couldn't defend, Link stumbled backwards as the hammer crashed down and cracked the ground underneath. "It's my turn to be the Hero." He said in a voice similar to Link's own.
The Hammer melded down into a strange covering around Dark Link's hands. He remained hunched over, but used his version of the Golden Gauntlets to stick his hands into the stone under there feet. Link drew the Ordon Sword behind his back and prepared his self to attack before things grew out of hand. Dark Link grabbed the stone tile and pulled it out of the ground with ease and threw the heavy object like a pebble. Link reacted instantly by pushing forward and performing the Mortal Draw on the oncoming object. But directly behind it was Dark Link with his twisted grin and the shadow of the Master Sword.
On impulse, Link performed a second Mortal Draw with the Master Sword in his left hand. He heard the shout of Dark Link reduced to a whisper in seconds as the black figure disappeared and the warmth of the Twilight returned to the room. Link stood astounded by what he just faced, but he remembered that he had to return back to the Light quickly. He turned back to the end of Temple, at the two figures and their undisturbed rest.
He walked down the aisle passing the rows of marble coffins and engravings in the wall. It was so dark, yet the light of the Twilit sky and the white stone created something of a dark light that was easy to through yet still a strain on the eyes. With his two blades away and after collecting his shield, Link stood before the elevated platform that held the two above him and chained to their positions. He stood their silently, wondering how he was supposed to awaken them when his problem solved itself.
He looked up and saw a small change on the figure that was chained in the air. Link saw luminescent ruby like eyes staring directly at him with a hidden intention. The figure took in a heavy breath as it seemed to come back to life from his eternal slumber. Link took a second to study which one awoke.
It was a dark skinned male with a black hair that loosely hung around his head. He wore a large black coat that remained open with tears along the ends. His baggy black pants were a loose fit and provided the wearer with comfort and mobility. Link wouldn't have much longer to study the now awake person, he immediately swung upwards and wrapped his legs around the chain that suspended him in the air. Link stepped backwards in surprise but pressed against one of the coffins that rested behind him.
The chains suddenly snapped as the person twirled back down while twisting, releasing his hands. He landed against the ground hunched over and arose slowly letting the joints in his body pop as he stretched. Link noticed the reflection from two large scimitars on his back , and underneath his coat were two hooks attached by a chain that wrapped around his torso.
"Well, well. Who's this guy?" He said before leaning over and leaping off the platform. Link wondered why it seemed that everyone here knew him from before yet they've never met. He landed on the ground before Link from his ten foot drop with his right hand on the curved hilt of the scimitar on his back. "I guess I should be thanking you or something like that for letting us out. You look familiar." He said as he began to slowly draw the blade.
Link acted first by quickly drawing the blade form his back and pointing it at the person's face. But he was shocked to see how fast he moved, Link jumped backwards and rolled over the coffin to avoid being cut in half by the scimitar. It was at this moment Link realized why he was supposed to help them, his opponent seemed to instantly shift from spot to spot. Leaving images of him self every time he changed direction, with his incredible speed he moved from coffin to coffin knowing Link had no chance of keeping up.
"Riax, relax." A deeper voice boomed out and the one known as Riax stopped standing on coffin behind Link. On his face was a disappointed expression as he looked up to the other platform to larger of the two. Riax sighed heavily knowing that he took to long to take out Link, he thought it was more fun showing of his speed while delivering small injuries. "If you'd just wait a minute, maybe we'd learn something. Who knows how long we've been here."
"Your the bandits, right. I can get you out of here, on one occasion. Once we escape, you help Hyrule. Then we can go on our way. Nothing else to it." Link said bluntly as the larger silver haired of the two dropped down from his platform. When he landed on the ground it was like the entire floor shook, and the spot underneath him cracked down at least ten inches. He stepped up slowly and walked past him.
Judging by their appearances, Link guessed the two were brothers. The silver haired one seemed around Link's own age, while the younger was closer to Midna's age, maybe slightly older. The silver haired man stood before him with very basic clothing, a white vest and loose fit black pants. His face carried a tired permanent look while Riax's looked energetic and eager to fight.
"Depends, what kind of help we talking. Because in all honesty, I've dealt with enough drama from the damn Hylians. Snobby bastards..." Riax said as he walked over to the closest coffin to him. He slid his hand along the bottom of the lid and began to test the weight of the object. After determining that it wasn't worth putting effort into he pointed at the older brother who was easily physically stronger than a Goron. "Jiax, get this. I hear breathing inside."
"There's a war going on in Hyrule, an army from the Chaos Realm. I'll only let you out if you agree so make up your mind quickly. They might show up here soon and they won't give you the same choice." Link said watching Riax for any bodily expressions that may signal how far he's getting. Riax wasn't a difficult person to read outside of battle, his stance showed that he agreed if it was earned him freedom. Jiax apparently didn't care either way, his half-open eyes didn't even show the slightest hint of an opinion as he easily flipped open the casket.
"Whatever you say green-guy, just give me a sec." Riax said as he looked into the casket and began to awake one of the many bandits that made their group. Link noticed the massive foot long halberd on Jiax's back and noted the large double-sided axe on the other end. He figured that the older was the strength while the younger kept the speed, but it didn't mean that either of them lacked in the others field. "Suna, come on. Wake up, Suna."
"What the hell do you want, god, it feels like I was hit by rolling Goron." A dark skinned woman with red dreaded hair said as she climbed out of the stone container. On her back was another scimitar, smaller than Riax's though it was still of the same curved design with less of the ritualistic markings. Link was astounded by her pure beauty and was left speechless. Although he looked away in shame, Suna noticed his quick stare. "What, never seen a Gerudo." She said which shocked Link.
Another coffin across the room suddenly opened as the lid was pushed off. A Sheikah jumped out of his imprisonment and landed in the aisle with stealth and speed. Following his escape, more and more of the coffins opened as Gerudo and Sheikah together stood from their rest. Riax watched as he saw them all arising and looked back to Link who stood their slightly surprised. He didn't expect all of the coffins to be filled with the bandits, but some part of him saw this coming.
Riax turned around using an almost feline like agility, leapt into the air gracefully. He stood atop the platform that held him and his brother in the air and watched out over his awakening people. His memory was hazy and he was pretty sure that all the others were too, some of them began talking to each other and opening the other caskets to release their friends and comrades. Link remained silent as he saw the remains of the two extinct clans of Hyrule, the Gerudo and Sheikah.
"Listen up, I don't know what's going on. But apparently this guy does, so we're going to follow him out of here and when we are in the clear we'll get the answers we need. It's as simple as that, lead the way Link." Riax announced from where he was and Link looked for all of the other responses. He was amused by their response as they all happily accepted orders and obeyed them without questioning Riax, but they did have their wonders on Link.
The Hero had the feeling that this entire situation went fairly easy, so it was most likely going to get more difficult later. It didn't take long for the hundred or so people to become quickly organized and identify who was who and what position they were in. Even though there wasn't many of them compared to an entire army, they had enough skill to hold their own against an entire legion of Chaos Soldiers. Exactly what Link needed. But one thing bothered him. Riax announced to everyone that they were following Link, the specifically said 'Lead the way Link."
But Link never told any of them his name, he quickly dismissed the though as a lapse of memory on his part.