Chapter 18: Realm of Sin II

His next target was the Clockwork Dragon, said to be roaming Hyrule Fields and Gerudo Desert. It would be best to get it away from an inhabited area. In that case, the desert seemed like the best battleground. His room at the orphanage had been given away to a refugee now working there, so he spent the night at the inn and warped to the desert oasis.

The desert didn't have much for cover, being a mostly flat area with sandy ground. As he considered how to handle this, he realized that there was a group of soldiers here at the oasis. A pair was working on a device while others were setting up a pit that reminded him of a hunter's cover. Would they recognize him? Link was wearing the gray clothes he'd gotten from Marley instead of his usual green, so he shouldn't be as obvious. He acted calm to not raise any other suspicions.

"Hello, what are you doing out here?" one of the soldiers asked him.

Link nodded to them. "I came out to see about stopping the Clockwork Dragon. Are you here for the same?"

"Not quite," the soldier said. "We were sent to scout out the area and dragon. We weren't ready for someone who could fight it."

"We won't be able to complete the base until the warp station is set up," another said.

"I've got the Septdraco, so I don't need a base," Link said, holding his right hand up so they could see the artifact.

The two soldiers stared at it in disbelief. "How did you get it from Ganon?"

Link shook his head. "I didn't get it from him. I defeated the Sulfur Dragon and gained it that way."

"That's good to hear that one of them is down."

"Two of them, I got the Prism Dragon yesterday. Do you have any information on the Clockwork Dragon now?"

"We're supposed to report to General Leonidas," the second solider said.

The first one rubbed his chin. "Yes, but if he's already taken out two, it shouldn't hurt to tell him what we know."

"It'd be better to have that horror out of the skies quickly," one of the technicians at the warp device commented.

"That would be," the second said.

"It's killed off several patrols already," the first one said. "And it may have attacked the castle town, since a huge fire has been burning there since before yesterday. There weren't many left there, but those few are likely dead. As for the dragon itself, no one has seen it on the ground; it's always flying or hovering in the air. Still, it would be best if you could get sight of it first. It can strike things from two miles away, possibly three. It appears to be made metal, but we haven't been able to make close observations."

"We got word a little while ago that it was hovering around Ruto. You'd think that with it being called the Clockwork Dragon, it'd have a regular pattern to its movements. If it does, it hasn't been around long enough for us to decipher such a pattern. It does return here at night, which is why we've set up here."

When he'd been to Ruto, he hadn't been of a mind to observe much of the area. Link recalled that it had been an open field with a few scattered tree groves, with foothills leading into the northern mountains several miles from town. It was worrisome that the castle town was in ruins, but he felt that Gale could keep himself safe from a fire. "I see. Are there any towns north of Ruto and before the mountains? Or is that area pretty open?"

"Not between the town and mountains if that's what you mean," the soldier said. "There is an old stone fort there in an open field. Much of that place collapsed in a previous conflict, but the stone blocks are large enough that you might get some cover there."

"You'd have to get from Ruto to the fort ruins without alerting the dragon," the other one said. "No one wants to travel out in Hyrule Field because of it."

But he had an unnaturally fast horse and if it was there, drawing it away from the town was a priority. "I think I can pull something off. Thanks for the information, I'll see what I can do today."

"Wait sir, that one could be beyond one person's ability," the first soldier said, coming closer to stop him from warping away.

"They're not that hard," Link said, then stepped back and brought up his flute to play the Song of Soaring.

It wasn't cold in Ruto, but it was noticeably cooler than the desert. As he arrived inside the barricade on the west end of the main road, nearby guards readied themselves. "What are you doing here, stranger?" one asked.

"I'm tracking down the Clockwork Dragon," he said. "I heard it was here."

"Yes, up there," the guard said, pointing to the southern sky. "It hasn't done anything yet, thankfully. We don't want to provoke it."

He nodded, then looked up to the south. While it was high overhead, it was clearly much larger than the Sulfur Dragon. Red and gold scales glimmered in the sun like fire; its wings appeared to be a series of huge gears attached to thin orange membranes. From here, he couldn't spot a seal marking on it. "Has it attacked any towns yet?"

"No, but we really don't want it to start."

If the stories were right, it could wipe this town off the map. "I know. I've heard there are ruins of an old fort to the north; how far are they from this town?"

"About four miles," the guard said.

"Good, that should be far enough away," Link said, then put his flute away. His quiver was already on his back, so he just needed the bow at hand.

"You're really going after it? Are you crazy?"

"Some would say so," he said. Since he was as ready as he'd get, he summoned Balrog. "I'll draw it away to the ruins, to keep it from hitting this town. You should still be alert."

"Who are you?" the guard asked, still not believing what he was hearing.

"I'm Link," he said, getting into the saddle. He gave the guard a small wave before getting Balrog to trot along the street and off to the north. There were other people in the streets, ones who gave him wide gawking berth once they saw his horse and its flaming blue hair.

There was another barricade to the north with another guard. But the barricade was made to stop monsters from coming in. After judging the distance and waiting for someone to move out of the way, he let Balrog run to leap over the barricade and leave Ruto. The guard was startled at this, but there wasn't anything he could do to stop them. And this should catch the dragon's attention…

"If it's attention you're looking for," the Prism Dragon said cheerily, "you just leave it to me. I'll even lead the shots for you. Aren't I nice?" It then fired a spell into the air that burst into a rainbow of sparks far overhead.

A bellowing roar filled the air as Clockwork noticed. More rainbow shafts surrounded him, indicating angles towards the ground. From what Prism had said, Link moved Balrog to the other side of the road to avoid a cluster of the shafts. Flaming rocks followed, slamming into the ground and creating blast pits everywhere. One further ahead crushed a large tree into burning splinters. While Balrog was fine in being a spirit, Link didn't think he could take a hit from those. If it didn't kill him outright, he'd be badly crippled.

Avoiding Prism's shafts to avoid Clockwork's barrage, Link and Balrog pushed on even as the air filled with dust kicked up from the destruction. Waves of magic blades and metallic arrows were added in to strike him one way or another. It got so bad that he barely saw dark profiles of the stone fort in time to pull Balrog away from crashing straight into the ruins. Now he needed a shelter to take until the air cleared.

One of Prism's shafts became massive, sweeping around trying to find him. Link guided Balrog around the fort, keeping an eye on it. A shrill sound came from overhead, followed by a blood red beam of energy slamming into the old fort. The stones turned bright in melting, releasing a horrible stench in the air. While he'd been able to evade the barrage, that thing was something to fear. It was a sign that death could come in an instant against this dragon.

He put his hand with the Septdracon on it near his mouth. "Sulfur can drain opponents, right?"

"Oh god, you want me to go against Clockwork?" Sulfur said in horror. "I don't mind fighting Prism because that little pest is the weakest in combat. Clockwork is pure menace and death."

"Sulfur can," Prism said, amused. "You want to find out how to use us as summons? Heh. You'll have to get rid of the horse first."

The red beam was still firing, so Link moved Balrog away from it before dismounting and dismissing him. The thick dust and his gray tunic would keep him harder to spot, he hoped. Covering his mouth again, he asked, "Now what?"

"Well I'm no good for combat like old yellow-belly there said. Sulfur should do since that's basically your only option now. Grip the outer part of the ring of the dragon you want to summon and pull. If you want, you can call out their names too for flair."

It was unnecessary flair (and not a good idea with all the dust and smoke about), so Link simply tugged on the yellow ring. It pulled out slightly and yellow energy surrounded him. Instead of calling Sulfur nearby, the magic tightened and manifested a strange armor on him. The yellow scale mail had a sulfuric scent and strangely little weight to it.

"And you have wings now!" Prism said.

"Fine," Sulfur said, sounding closer to his ears than the out-of-sight Prism. "Just direct me, I'll get you in striking range. The seal marking is on its chest."

Drawing the Master Sword, Link nodded. "All right, let's go."

It was like jumping and not getting caught by gravity. As Prism was still showing where Clockwork's barrage was going, Link was able weave through on his approach. The metal dragon paused a moment on noticing him, then rushed forward to meet him. A rash move, one that made it easier to see the white seal on its chest. He knew how he wanted to approach and Sulfur responded; they dove down out of its attack, then rose up to drive the Master Sword through the seal.

The sword brightened, shattering the enormous dragon apart. Really, once he knew where the seals were, fighting the dragons wasn't going to be hard. As Link got surrounded by a red mist, he knew that the harder part was coming. At least Prism had agreed to help him without a challenge like this. The summoned form of Sulfur vanished, leaving him back in his usual armor and clothing.

Seeing the torch basin beside him, he figured that the goal had to be the same: find a soul flame and bring it back here. There was something that worried him about the fiery haze to this one. That was a more dangerous sign in his dreams. And instead of being near the stone ruins, this appeared like the Gerudo Desert, a vast stretch of land with… were those grave markings out in the distance? Tattered flags that might be old war banners waved behind them.

There were a few monsters closer to the protection seal, phantoms in heavy cloaks or thorny armor. Closing his eyes, he recalled that these guardians couldn't be defeated with normal or magical weapons. Had the Master Sword ever been used against beings like these? He didn't think so. It'd be better to test that out against a single guardian, not that cluster of half a dozen over there. There was also two other protection seals in his view.

Link picked the one that would be easier to run to and sprinted for it. The guardians came alert to his movement and howled furiously. Once he got to the other seal, they got confused and started attacking each other. That wasn't right. The image he had for them was a calm intimidating being with a strong sense of duty. Their sole purpose should be guarding a place or being obstacles to a test goal.

Then again, they were destroying each other which helped with thinning out the threat. The armor guardians used their swords in a display of brutish power; the form they had looked barbaric to Link. The mage guardians seemed equally wild with their spells, although he didn't have the training to be certain. When the last one standing screamed out, Link again felt that this armor guardian was wrong. It shouldn't have this fury.

That might make it sloppy, if dangerous. Taking a moment to ready his wits, Link left the safety zone with his shield and sword ready. The armor guardian rushed for him, swinging its sword like it meant to cleave him in two. He simply did the same as he had to the dragon: step to the side and strike where this one was unshielded. In response, the Master Sword gave a pure clamor as it cut through the steel-like shell.

In the sound and feel of that strike, Link knew what was wrong here. This guardian was a being of evil, not a servant of the divine. Knowing that gave him confidence in fighting it. While those wild swings were deadly, it was vulnerable to the Master Sword. He felt his shield shudder on blocking its strike, but it held and gave him an opening that brought the evil guardian down. But there was no sign of the soul flame here.

"Link!" someone cried out with fear.

The childish voice caused a chill in his blood. What were they doing here? Link turned towards the voice and saw a vague form in the wavering air. He hadn't been in Ruto long; maybe someone was missing from there. As he ran towards the child, another figure approached. It was one of those mage guardians, headed for the child instead of him.

He diverted to intercept the guardian, keeping it from reaching the child. It was like cutting through a ghost in that there was little resistance and a cold presence to his strike. Seeing the guardian move a handless glove to cast, Link shifted his shield to knock the attack orb back to its source. It was disintegrated. There didn't seem to be another guardian around.

When he turned back to the child, though, he could barely see their face. They didn't have any color aside from the warm glow of this realm, with inky hair and pale skin. "Are you okay?" he still asked.

"Am I?" the child asked, looking up and revealing that they had no eyes. Their mouth turned into a freakishly wide grin as they pulled out a dagger to attack. Link backed up out of the attack. The false child giggled madly and stretched itself out to have a longer reach. "What're you doing being a hero after you betrayed your princess? You are such a fool, stubbornly denying that which goes against your desires. You don't see the blackness growing within your soul. How about you just die for being a failure?"

Hurt by those words, Link felt his face get warm and he had an impulse to lash out. Yet he was still out in the open of this strange realm where any lurking guardians could see him. For that reason, he denied that impulse and searched for a way to defeat this strange creature. The false child was wielding its dagger as its only weapon; those stretched limbs looked too feeble to be threatening. He waited for it to try slashing at him before moving in with a thrust. With a disturbing cry of pain, the false child died.

The Master Sword was still responding to it being evil. Was it going to be like this if he got forced to fight Gale? Perhaps the false child was cruel and twisted, but that death still troubled Link. It wasn't a real child. Still, he felt sick at its death cry. He headed back to the safe zone to get his mind ready again.

Where was the soul flame? Sulfur's challenge had offered it right away. Unless it was an unusual color, a fire was going to be hard to spot in this place. The other had been white like the seals. There was the seal he'd entered from, the other seal he'd seen from there, a third seal on the sands further away from the entrance, and a white glimmer past that. As he didn't see any other spot of white, Link made sure he was calm, then ran for the distant seal.

Before long, magical beams and more fireballs rained down around him. Prism wasn't helping him this time, but Link quickly noticed a gold shimmer on spots that the barrage was hitting now. The sands shifted under his feet, quivering with all the carnage. Why would anything need all this power? Especially when it wasn't that accurate. He could be a lot more effective with a carefully aimed arrow.

He was close to the seal when he could see the other white spot more clearly. That looked to be another soul flame, its torch being held in a simple stand. Running right past the safe zone, he went to claim the torch. He briefly felt its heat, reminding him of yesterday when he'd argued with Zelda. He should have taken that more calmly. Then again, she had been angry as well, confronting him rather than consulting him as she may have intended. He would need to be more mindful of harmful anger in the future.

"I do have to apologize to her," Link said, ignoring the attacks still going on around him. They weren't going to hit him.

With those words, the soul flame accepted him. He turned around and saw other shadowy figures within the fiery air. They weren't really important, he realized. If they got in his way, he might fight them. But his goal was getting this back to the start and any battle here would only waste time. Link ran back, dodging attacks and ambushes along the way.

He returned the soul flame with a few scrapes and burns; they were close calls, but still not worth fighting. Once the basin was lit, there was a heavy thump in the sands behind him as the Clockwork Dragon finally landed. "Where is your anger? Battle is a place for fury, to wipe out those you hate and snuff out their existence so that they never stain your life again."

"I was not taught to fight with such aggression," Link said, turning and looking up to face it. Up close, it looked even more unnatural, with bolts running along seams in its armor and not a sign of flesh anywhere. Even its eyes were more like burning coals than something organic.

"And you still won? I cannot believe this." Its wings shifted with mechanical clicks. "What of Demise, hmm? The ancient demon isn't even of our world, but he has the sheer arrogance to create a cycle of destruction and despair that lets him control our history. Even as he loses, he still wins. You're just another pawn, as is the princess and the so-called villain. If it wasn't for him, we might've had a chance and you wouldn't be taking on the hellish burden you have."

"I would like to destroy him, but I don't want to destroy Gale along with him," Link said.

Clockwork snarled. "You… you dare attempt to be our summoner when you only have righteous fury within you?! We were crafted of sin and made to ruin the land!"

That sounded bad. But the other two had mentioned something. "You would have succeeded if it hadn't been for Demise taking control and twisting your goals, wasn't it?"

The very air around them seemed to darken. "You've got that right."

"And you seem to hate him far more than me," Link said. "We have the same goal in that at least. And I got the soul flame back here in spite of your efforts."

After it growled, Clockwork said, "I despise being reasoned with. Understand? Don't try that again."

"I'll consider that."

The dragon snorted and the air lightened. "But yes, to crush that demon, we're willing to compromise even with a calm little hero of light. Much as I hate to admit it, your will has conquered mine. Fine. I am the Clockwork Dragon, born of wrath, and I submit my will to yours. Whatever obstacle you face, I can erase it off the face of the earth. Anything you need destroyed will be gone."

Which meant that Clockwork would be of no use in saving Gale directly. "Like the Great Wyrm?" Link asked, recalling that it was supposed to be the largest of the seven.

It actually chuckled at that. "Oh yes, let me at that lazy fool. Be a hero of dragons! Let nothing stand in your way and leave nothing to stand behind you either." The strange realm faded as they returned to the normal world. The Septdraco changed again, with a ring next to the prismatic silver one turning red.

And the Prism Dragon appeared, still holding onto its sphere. "Hee hee, got to know how to play those fools right! Nice work."

Given what Clockwork had said, Link felt uneasy with the praise. "What are you doing?"

Prism tilted its head. "I said I'd help you and I'm helping you. I am helping, right? Cause I let you dodge being obliterated like all that." It flicked its tail towards the fort.

Nearby, there was a large puddle of molten rock that crackled as it scorched the grass it came into contact with. He'd gotten a glimpse before of large walls that should have been weathered with age. Those walls were now either part of the cooling lava pool or shattered into gravel. Since this fort had been on a higher elevation, he could see a long stretch of blackened craters along the road back to Ruto.

The power to cause all this destruction was now in his hands. Feeling a quiet horror, Link looked over the Septdraco with its three colored rings. Stealing life, creating a confusing fog, bearing an array of weapons where any single of them could be terrorizing: this really wasn't power that he wanted. Then again, it was in his hands and he knew he'd be careful with it. This summoning artifact could get used by someone who didn't mind abusing its power if they could get the dragons to cooperate.

"Now I know some of the others can be awful grumpy," Prism said, hovering to his other side. "But I know what's gotta be done, my handsome hero. The real villain is Demise, the one that must be destroyed. I'll help you in any way I can to cast him out of the world. And I gave my word, I'll help you to get what you really want in all this."

"I didn't face a challenge with you like the other two," Link said, still wary. At the same time, he was grateful for the support.

"Well that's cause I didn't feel like challenging you," the small dragon said. "Like I said, our ultimate goals are the same and I can put aside minor wishes in order to accomplish that. I have a real good feeling about you! So don't worry. Just call me out if you want something from me."

He didn't feel like Prism was trustworthy. But it seemed willing to help with the others so they could fight Demise, once the specifics of his plan could be worked out. "Good. We should find a way through these mountains to reach the Great Wyrm, then."

"At your service!" it said cheerily before dissolving into bright sparkles.

Dear Gale,

How are you doing today? I wanted to talk with you about some things last time, but didn't get around to it. And yesterday I was back at the orphanage, so I was busy talking with the kids and assuring them that I was taking care of things. Tonight, I'm somewhere in the northern mountains looking to get into the territory where the Great Wyrm is. There's a trader's road here, I believe, that should lead to the other side.

I was working on a letter to Zelda too. I know you probably don't care for her, but we had an argument recently. Perhaps it was inevitable. I still feel like I should apologize and try to explain things. Of course, it was about you. She has visions like my dreams, except she can see into things currently going on. Do you see things like that because of your role? While it took her some time, she's realized what was going on between us. It's more of a problem on my end of things, since she declared me a potential traitor.

Luckily, I've convinced a few people already that I'm not trying to be. I want to be able to talk better with people and I'm actually doing well lately. But it gets hard on me when they start talking against you. I would like to just talk with you again, if that's all right with you. I know it could be hard on you given your situation, but I hope that we can find a way.

And please keep hope and faith in me for this. I will find a way to save you, whatever it takes. If you can believe in me, I know I can do it.

With love, from Link

Dear Link,

The castle town is burning. I'd be fine if it wasn't for that, though it doesn't have a chance to get into the castle. While I know I did that, I can't explain why I did it. It wasn't necessary even if the pest that triggered it is no longer around. There's a lot of times I can't explain things, when I realize I'm following conflicting agendas. I was following thoughts that didn't feel like myself.

That answers one of your questions; I can access memories from my predecessors like my own. In exchange, I know there's a darker force putting thoughts in my head and directing my actions. Sometimes it's in greater control over me. When I with you, though, I can be myself. It doesn't see our time together as important, like it stays out of these letters mostly. I'm not certain if you can separate us like you want. Yet reading your letter, I want to believe in you. I'm sorry if it's tough on you, but keep following your heart as it seems to be leading you well.

From what I know, you have the right idea in following the trader's road through the mountains. It should have good bridges and wide paths. If you're on the right one, there's a fort in the mountains that acts as a waystation for those traders. You'll be able to get good gear there; you'd better do that since you'll at least need some cold-weather clothes for going that way. There's a goddess in that region who prefers winter and makes sure her land stays that way year long. She may not be directly helpful, but respecting the beliefs of the people up there should help. The main issue there you may encounter is that they believe going out at night is too dangerous. Try to get somewhere to stay before sundown or they won't open their doors for you.

And right, don't ask me about Zelda. I'm pretty sure that this cycle could be broken if she died before having a daughter, which the dark voices would love to convince me to do. But I lose a little more awareness with every violent act I do, whether by my will or not. It may be smarter for me to stay away from her now.

I'd like to talk with you more face to face too, but it may be best to only write tonight. Though I would love to get you back in bed.

Love, Gale

Dear Gale,

Well I can't deny that I want to love you again, a bit of why I'm fine with just writing tonight or we wouldn't really get to talk. Sometime, though, if you're up to it and you know the other voice won't interfere. My shadow self really hates that, though. I've been tense while setting up camp here, thinking that it might show up and try to stop me based on responsibilities and honor. However, I think it'd be easier to convince the princess to go along with me than the shadow.

I know you said not to ask, but that made me think, are you sure killing her like that would break the cycle? I am pretty sure that I'm only a spiritual descendant of the first hero. If her bloodline was to die out, isn't there a strong chance that her role would start passing to spiritual descendants as well? Though I don't have many ideas on what else might break the cycle.

Anyhow, thanks for letting me know about the fort. I'll see about getting supplies there. I don't think anyone that far out will recognize me easily. As I got some different clothing to go over my armor; the few people that I've spoken to today didn't think I could be the green-clad hero they're expecting. I have some cold weather clothing but they should be in storage now. Still, I could use a new coat and it'd be faster to get one at the fort. I'll have to buy more paper for letters as well, since I don't have many sheets on hand.

I've heard about the fire; I hope it dies off soon if it's bothering you. And I look forward to a time when you won't have to worry about actions and thoughts out of your control. Once this is over and the land is at peace, what do you say about coming with me to find other lands? I know there's plenty out in the world, many that I've dreamed of from past heroes. There's even a land of powerful machines called trains out in the world somewhere. That would be interesting to see with my own eyes. Away from the expectations of Hyrule, we could truly be free to be ourselves.

I have confidence that if you could follow your heart too, then you'd turn out to be a good person. For that reason, I don't mind defying the expectations others have of me as a hero. I'll fulfill my role in a way I see fit. Your darker voices want you to believe that you should expect nothing outside of what they call fate, right? I won't ask that you defy them as I do, as that could be too dangerous on your part. Just keep hope that you can have your own life past this time of legend.

Love, Link

The sky over Hyrule Castle was dark with smoke even as the flames were dying down with the stone walls penning them in. "It's a move to keep manipulating him," Ganon said to himself, trying to work the crumpled paper and wooden token into the enchanted envelope. "That's right. He'll be so warped from his desires that he will stay by my side as I rule a land of darkness." He closed his eyes; shadows whispered to him. "I'm not falling for these naive dreams; nothing has changed."

That was right. Nothing should change. At least, not for him. It had been a long wait, degrading their spirits over the generations. If he was right to suggest that the princess' (thus the goddess') soul might move away from blood descendants, the soul would have to wear down even further. He remained strong. At some point, he would prove that there was no unbreakable spirit, no purity that could go uncorrupted.

Right, so let him think there was a weakness where there was none. If this Link did not break, then surely the next one would. Ganon sent the envelope off and turned his thoughts towards all of the lands that Hyrule now encompassed. There were some provinces that had escaped having a dragon descend on them; darkness had to spread to all lands that Hyrule claimed.

Far to the north, Link bandaged up a fresh cut on his arm and hoped that the general potion would help it heal quickly. Had the Master Sword gotten rid of his shadow self for good after this latest ambush? He had his doubts as the charm was still on the bracelet, unlike the one for Phantom Ganon. At least it shouldn't attack again tonight and he could get to sleep.

The envelope landed on the ground beside him as he was finishing that up. He'd gotten a little of a letter to Zelda written and wasn't sure if that little bit was any good. Even if Gale couldn't be of help with her, he picked up the envelope to open. There was a round wooden charm inside that had small runes burned into it; the letter looked like it had been crumpled and nearly torn. His concern was only increased on finding that the writing was messier than usual.

Link…

I know you mean every word you say, even in writing. But as you may guess from the state of this letter, I can't afford time writing anymore this evening. I can't explain how I feel right now. I'm afraid for you; I would like to see other lands with you. But I must be more careful with my chances around you.

I want to see you, but you must be careful. They will kill you if they have the chance. As for your shadow, keep this ward nearby so that it won't disturb your nights. It won't work under daylight.

Love, Gale

"I really need to figure out a way to make sure I'm speaking to you alone," Link said, then took the ward in hand. That'd be one less worry off his mind, and one more proof that he cared. "Thank you."

A/N: To the person who had the Megaman theory, yup, looks like that happened! Though it's a MM2 Metal Blade situation since Clockwork can decimate anything.