A/N: It's been forever and a day since I last updated this, I'm sorry but college is literally killing me so I can't promise another update soon :c
Also if you're reading Sweet Nightmare, Bitter Dream, I apologize but I've had technical difficulties (laptop erased what little I had) and lost motivation due to it, I'll get back to it maybe on vacations.
Nonetheless, I had fun writing this! Please do tell me if the characters are OoC since I haven't touched the game in a while so... enjoy!
My, you really are curious... I know I'm taking too much time explaining things but listen well... everyone has a story. And a story is such a fragile thing, ever-changing and endless, that it can be deeply affected by anyone... no, I'm being too strict in here: Anything can change everything, in such an ample display of probabilities that trying to count the possible results is a useless task.
Perhaps in the future you will find what I just said to be particularly interesting.
Untamed Anger.
She heard the sound of her heels click against the stone floor, crystal blue eyes focused on the large doors on top of the stairs ahead. She moved silently, barely paying attention to the chatter held by the two outside the structure; the voices grew quiet as she neared the chamber in which the blade- her blade- rested.
Her pace was measured as she approached the platform that held the weapon, kneeling at the top stair and staring at it. The steel had an ethereal glow around it, flickering ever so slightly once in a while. She frowned, raising a cloaked hand to touch the hilt, the tip of her cloak coming in contact with the blue diamond on it. She closed her eyes, whispering something under her breath.
White expense. Water-like surface for a floor. It could change with a simple thought; it would change if so she wished. Not enough time.
Silence met her ears and she stayed still. An enraged roar pierced the air. Sound of chains and shackles and furious shouts.
Strange.
Soft splashes as she moved toward the source. Quickly, quickly. Leaving white behind, she reached gray, darkening with every step. She saw him. Dark scales, red and black and roaring as he forced the chain uselessly.
She stopped. He glared.
No, no, this shouldn't happen-
"No, it's real I assure you."
"It's hard to believe, that kind of crystal is really hard to find!"
"When you have someone as the Demon King as your master, there's no such thing as 'hard to obtain' when it comes to materials. Moving on?"
"Alright, let's see then..." Zelda hummed softly, raising a hand to her chin. "Not sure if you would answer this..."
"Shot away, it's not like you haven't receive such answers in the past few minutes or so."
Sky blue eyes opened to stare at the dark chocolate ones, seriousness hardening them to a point he found himself familiar- comfortable?- with. "When we first saw you today... back in your Spirit form." She stopped for a moment, chewing her lip as she organized her words under the other's strangely patient gaze. "The diamond in your chest had an orange line instead of being entirely red- like Fi's blue one. Why is that?"
A dark shadow covered his eyes for a moment before he broke eye contact, clenching a fist on his side. "I don't think the Sky Child told you how he beat me and you weren't conscious at that time. I won't dwell in details but I'll let you know, the diamonds are not simple decoration for the Spirit form, they're a core." Crossing his arms, the Demon Lord pursed his lips, looking at the stone pillars. "Your chosen hero managed to... damage it greatly, and they don't heal easily by themselves; it took long before it was back to a more bearable state."
The blonde's frame tensed and she stared wide eyed at the white-clad male, realization hitting her swiftly. "So it's like a scar?" He nodded as a reply and she frowned. "You said it took time before coming to a 'bearable state', but now it's barely noticeable..."
"Some scars do fade with time, and I must highline this information again: What you felt as barely a few seconds when you crossed the Gate of Time back to this era was actually thousands of years. And the Realm inside the blade is extremely fickle with time." He rolled his eyes at her questioning gaze. "What could have felt like an eternity could have been just one second, and vice versa. It's not particularly clear how that works but perceiving time is not a task for everyone."
Zelda nodded, taking in all the information. Silence fell around them as they simply waited for something to happen, not quite feeling like continuing asking or answering things at the time. The Demon Lord leaned his head against the stone pillar directly behind him, closing his eyes and humming a tune to himself as the blonde pondered about their recent conversation.
She had managed to find out plenty of tidbits about the Demon Lord, all of them simple curious data without much meaning behind it other than being answers to whatever questions nagged at the back of her head. Ghirahim, however, was cunning and knew how to give the most complete yet vague answers, and he did have a voice tone that made it hard to differentiate between truth and teasing and lies and sarcasm, as if he had practiced how to do so millions of times.
But there was one thing he always refused to answer, and that was his reason for returning and needing their help.
The blonde was distracted from her thinking when the Demon Lord lolled his head to the side, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "Well, it seems you don't have more questions for me. It's only fair I ask now. What have you done so far in the surface?"
While she wasn't expecting the other's question, she smiled slightly. "We've been trying to map out the regions of the surface. So far we have the basics of Eldin Volcano and Lanayru Desert and we're quite far with Faron Woods." She sighed, looking at the clouds drifting slowly through the sky. "We were planning to go explore an area close to a pond in the woods but..."
"But we appeared." He finished the sentence, once again closing his eyes and humming under his breath. "Still, it's quite surprising you haven't finished this place. You've had a good quantity of time if calculations aren't erroneous."
Zelda pouted, turning away from him. "It's not like we were able to concentrate solely on that. The first weeks- maybe even a month- we were forced to go back to Skyloft because we needed things such as potions and steady rations and other basic things... besides, Link had to recover, he suffered some nasty injuries on that battle, and my Father wished to see me- and I did too." She grew quiet as the explanation left her lips, sky blue eyes becoming sober. "We needed a break, even if we wanted to continue..."
"Humans are fragile beings, little goddess." Ghirahim's voice drifted through the air again, deep and melodious. "They can push themselves past their limits but at doing so they suffer damages much too great for them. That's what makes them imperfect, as is true for all living beings." He smirked secretly at her surprised eyes, probably not believing such words came from him. Of course, he had to add something else- a clarifying note. "However, those rules don't apply to all living creatures, as is the case of my master and me. We have reached such a level we're practically perfect."
Zelda didn't know whenever to laugh or groan in disbelieve. She opted for the first option, barely managing to quiet her guffaws into incessant chuckles and giggles. "For a second I thought you were being poetic. I have to agree, except with that last sentence."
"Keep saying that, maybe you'll believe it." Ghirahim continued, raising his hand to pick at his gloves distractedly. "But still, taking so long to collect information of an area when you can reach the ruler of said area seems like a very counterproductive action. Why wouldn't you ask the dragons' about their provinces?"
"I..." Zelda hesitated, fidgeting with her hands. "We didn't really want to do that. I mean, we knew the dragons would be eager to help us if we asked but..." She sighed uneasily, dropping her arms to her sides. "We wanted to do this by ourselves, besides Eldin and Lanayru aren't exactly easy to reach. We thought getting the easy things out of the way would be better..."
"Easy isn't the best way. If you ever want to reach a goal, no matter how close or far it seems, you must be willed to shed sweat, blood and tears for it." Ghirahim muttered, displeased. "But even the most careful plans and hard work can be stomped to the ground in a second."
A tense, heavy silence fell on the duo. The Demon Lord silently seething in contained fury and the blonde stayed silent, too doubtful to try and break it, the feeling worsening at the angered aura that rolled from the other in waves. Both stayed quiet, knowing the best thing to do would be regaining their tranquility.
Huffing and pushing low branches away, the green-clad blond stomped through the forest, cursing the sassy demon and robot for leaving him behind. He knew for a fact Scrapper could carry more weight without trouble, and it was the second time Ghirahim left him in the dust.
His inner rant was shushed when a light chime rang behind him and he sighed, relaxing his tense posture with the familiar sound he hadn't heard in so long. He froze suddenly, eyes widening- the chime that always calmed his nerves came solely from the holy blade he wielded what felt an eternity ago.
Link spun on his heels, sword drawn from its sheath with a loud ring. Electric blue eyes scanned the area, searching for the source of the bell-like echo. "Who's there? Show yourself." His eyes pierced through the thick foliage some distance ahead when a low chuckle rumbled from it before a short figure leaped from the branches to the grass-covered ground, extracting a soft chime from the three golden earrings.
"Ah, my apologizes. I didn't mean to disturb you." The figure, who he could tell was male from the tone, smiled at him, tapping his sharp claws against the wooden surface of the cane calmly. The blond didn't lower his sword, wary of the creature. "My, please do stop pointing your blade at me; my intention is not to harm you, boy."
With mistrust bright in his eyes, Link tilted his sword to the side, keeping it at the ready. "Who or what are you? Why are you here?"
The creature chuckled through a smirk, leaning against the cane nonchalantly. "Curiosity, something that all living beings possess... Well boy, I have quite a few names imposed by others, not many of them being flattering, you know? However I'm known as Zyrca, and I'm a demon." Zyrca's eyes narrowed and his smirk stretched as the blond's eyes widened and his posture tensed. "And my motive... I seek for respect, something most other demons strip from me in every possible occasion." He sighed, shaking his head slowly. "I hoped traveling around this land would help me, but it seems patience will be crucial."
Link chewed his lip, studying the gray creature in front of him. Truth be told, Zyrca was anything but intimidating, with his small frame and calm nature. He couldn't help but feel sympathy, remembering the time his own nature made him the bullies' favorite targets; at the same time, he remembered Batreaux and the fact he was one of the most gentle beings he knew, even when he was once a demon. "I... guess I understand you a bit, Zyrca. My name's Link."
The dark eyes lifted to stare at him, a small smile half-obscured by the light colored mask. "A pleasure. You don't seem that worried about having a conversation with a demon."
Link shrugged in response, relaxing his shoulders and loosening the grip around the weapon's hilt slightly. "I know one that is anything but evil, so I can't just lump you into that category."
"Ahh... you are quite trusting..." Zyrca muttered under his breath, humming quietly. "Yes, pushing everyone in one category isn't the right thing; however you need to be careful with other demons. Some believe themselves to be above everyone else and won't hesitate to show their strength." Frowning slightly, he dug his sharp claws into the cane. "I reunited with one of such not long ago; he is quite a pompous creature with little patience for others and a thirst for what he believes belongs to him..."
Link perked up at the description, something clicking in his head. "A tall man, white jumpsuit with diamonds, short and pale hair?"
"Confident, slightly rude yet still gentlemanly, flossy. Yes, that's the one."
"Sounds like Ghirahim, he calls himself Demon Lord..." Link paused for a moment, pondering quietly before continuing. "You said you saw him some time ago?"
Zyrca nodded, earring clicking with the motion. "That's correct."
"Was that a simple coincidence or...?"
At the question, the small demon shook his head. "Ahh, boy, you're asking for information that should stay low, I believe. Just know that I saw him and that the two of us had an... enlightening conversation, however it's not possible for me to share such information with you." He grinned, narrowing his eyes. "It's a teeny tiny secret he would no doubt be willing to murder anyone to keep it low; good thing I'm fast enough. I better take my leave before he finds me; it would be quite a nasty rendezvous. I'm sure this won't be our only meeting, until next time, Link." He suddenly took a step back, vanishing with a rustle of leaves as Link called out for him.
"Wait!" He strained his ears, yet all he could detect was the forest's sounds, no more rustling reached his location as if the demon had simply disappeared through thin air.
As he turned again in direction to the Sealed Grounds, he couldn't help but wonder about what the gray creature had said. His eyes widened and he gasped as he suddenly recalled- Ghirahim was with Zelda and Fi, in the Sealed Grounds.
Adrenaline shot through his veins and he sprinted.
Both of them turned to stare at the Temple's entrance, sensing more than hearing a disturbance. Without losing a beat, Ghirahim stalked toward the tall stone doors and pushed them open easily, Zelda tailing him close behind. They were greeted by the sight of the large, almost empty room, and the half-closed doors on the back of it.
Without much hesitation, Zelda ran toward the entrance, feeling a strange dread and guilt coming from inside the area. Their eyes quickly fell on the kneeling blue sprite that had her back to them; it didn't take long for Fi to perceive their presence in the room and she looked over her shoulder to stare at them.
Zelda's eyes widened when she saw the obvious guilt bright on the crystal blue eyes; Ghirahim froze barely a step behind the blonde, lips thinning into a straight line as he returned the stare.
Heavy silence slowly deafened them as they waited for someone to speak, to explain, to find the right words... A shuddering sigh cut through the thick air as Fi took her gaze from the duo at the entrance, the guilt intensifying.
"I'm sorry..." She muttered hesitantly, voice barely above a whisper as she refused to look at them. "I'm sorry... Ghirahim. I can't fulfill the promise..."
The Demon Lord snapped out of his trance, his expression changing so suddenly he may have as well taken off a mask. A shadow settled on his eyes, dark chocolate gaining a maddened spark as he gritted his teeth together. "For your own good, you better be kidding."
Zelda was struck speechless as the tall male snapped his fingers, clenching his hand around the hilt of the dagger he had summoned. The smaller sprite slowly shook her head, tilting it ever so slightly to look at his expression.
She saw dark eyes burning with ire.
Clang! She raised her cloak with no time to spare to block the weapon hurled in her direction, the metal producing a high-pitched scrape that echoed in the silent room, followed by another snap of fingers and the swishing of knives hovering in mid air, aiming for her.
The Demon Lord snarled at the blue Spirit, she didn't move into offensive position, though she kept an arm up to defend against his assault.
"How dare you? !" Ghirahim howled as he commanded the daggers to strike their target, ears deaf to the shocked gasp behind him as he focused solely on the clanging brought by the attack.
"Analysis indicates this is the best course of action." Fi replied seriously, lowering her blockage slightly to look at him, her eyes emotionless as another snap cut through the air.
This time, the daggers swirled around the Demon as he hissed. "Best course of action? Best for whom, blind servant? For the goddess that decided to leave you inside your own, personal prison after fulfilling your mission? For the gadfly chosen hero whom you had to guide through everything like a snotty brat? For yourself, perhaps?" Another snap and the daggers lined up, point-first toward the kneeling sprite who simply stared back at him, replying with a quiet, yet sure tone.
"You know nothing of what you said is true. I believed you knew more than that." He growled savagely, raising his hand and bringing his fingers together.
"Stop!" The cry froze him before he could command the knives forth, wrenching his infuriated eyes from the suddenly surprised ones of his counterpart, whipping his head to send a dark glare at the blonde.
"I advice you to mind you own business." He muttered venomously, keeping his voice low and leveled.
His eyes darkened as the sky blue ones returned the glare. "You were the one who brought me into the topic when you said I sealed Fi, so it is my business as well. And I can assure you whatever the matter is can be solved without trying to tear someone apart."
A thick silence fell on the group, as the Demon Lord and reincarnated goddess stared at each other, the blue sprite taking the opportunity to survey them closely as she rose to her feet, keeping her guard up. Analytical eyes narrowed slightly as a quiet chuckle drifted through the chamber.
"You talk too much and know too little." Ghirahim breathed through his low laughter, shadowing his face with his bangs. "This topic is not for some meddlesome child who thinks she's untouchable." Twitching his fingers erratically, he raised his head slightly to send her the darkest stare he could muster, voice so quiet it could have been a whisper. "I can't maim her in that form unless she leaves her weak point exposed anyway- and that isn't happening anytime soon. It's rather... infuriating. But you..." A maddened grin started to appear in his lips and the blue sprite jumped to action.
"Let her be, this is between the two of us and that's what we have decided." She spoke forcefully, staring at him with a cold seriousness that could freeze anyone in place.
"You say it so easily, as if it was just a game! A simple child-play!" A loud snap followed by the sound of daggers cutting through the air- soon to be bouncing off a glowing, light barrier and the seemly liquid-metal cloak. Ghirahim vanished in a cloud of diamonds, reappearing behind Fi and placing the cold metal of one last diamond-shaped dagger against her neck. He licked his lips greedily. "And you two tease me so... yearning for blood and both are immune to my attacks."
Fi remained unaffected. "You never did have patience for misfortunes." Her cold mask cracked again as the blonde shouted at the demon, effectively getting his attention.
"Ghirahim!"
And becoming a new target.
Grinning widely, the Demon Lord flicked his wrist in a second's notice, aiming for Zelda. Her eyes widened as the knife closed in, barely giving her enough time to raise her own shield, though it proved unnecessary.
Clang!
"What do you think you're doing? !" Lowering the Hylian Shield, Link glared at Ghirahim, eyes flashing wildly. "Let her go!"
The Demon Lord's grin remained in place, giving an unnerving feeling as he wrapped his arm around the petite sprite's shoulders. "You may be a pest but you really have the best and worst timing I've seen in my whole existence, Sky Child." With a snap, he vanished again. "Why don't we play now, my dear chew toy?" Link jumped to the side the moment he heard the swishing of a sword cutting through air, avoiding the downward thrust. Licking his lips, Ghirahim pulled his sword out of the stone floor as his cloak disintegrated, dark eyes shining with bloodlust. "You won't stand a chance against me, not with that piece of scrap metal!"
Ignoring his threats, Link readied into a battle stance, keeping his narrowed eyes on the other. "I knew I couldn't trust you, you're here just to get revenge."
Chuckling, Ghirahim raised his dark saber and pointed it in the other's direction, his crazed smile turning into a snarl and his voice taking a humorless tone. "I can't believe how thick you are, boy." Crouching low, he suddenly sprinted, swinging his blade. The blond performed a back flip to avoid the attack and raised his sword to block the next strike.
Ghirahim slashed at him again, extracting a loud ring as the two blades collided; he jumped back to regain distance between the two, amused eyes meeting with the serious ones of the hero. "You seem slower than before, Sky Child. Losing practice?" He taunted before snapping his fingers, disappearing and reappearing behind the blond and readying to slash at him; Link jumped back as the blade came down, hissing as the metal left a superficial cut on his arm.
The Demon Lord lifted the sword to his lips, lapping the red stains from the metal with a satisfied grin. His smile was soon to fade and he jumped back as an orange barrier encased the hero, who looked at the shield confusedly before spotting the blonde who had summoned it, also protected by it. With a sneer, Ghirahim parried the shield, growling angrily as his saber bounced off the surface harmlessly.
"There's a 97% chance your rage is blinding you, diminishing your perception of the various scenarios that could change the situation." The Demon Lord's eyes tore themselves from the hero's and turned to look at the cold, calculative ones of his foil. Fi continued with her robotic tone as Ghirahim whipped his blade forcefully to the side, glaring. "If you continue this course of action you'll merely waste time that could be invaluable."
Ghirahim growled to himself, stroking the hilt of his blade restlessly. "You expect me to simply stay put when everything gets more and more complicated? And you do nothing to stop this- just a bearer of bad news and no solutions."
Fi continued floating calmly, unaffected by the accusation. "It's only fair- you who bring chaos without a reason." She dodged the blade as the tall demon swiped it in her direction, hissing infuriately as he did so.
He stepped toward her agitatedly, fist tightening around his sword's hilt tightly, ignoring the suddenly thuds brought by the blond hero as he hit the shield in a vain attempt to break it, eyes flashing with panic and anger. "Without a reason? ! How can you say su-" Ghirahim's sentence was cut as he slashed again, only to find his blade deflected by the cloak, catching a glimpse of his foil as she used the momentum to spin around him and swiftly kicking the back of his knee, making him lose his balance.
For a moment, Link recognized that action. The same the Demon Lord used on him on that last battle.
Ghirahim took a step to regain his equilibrium and turned to glare at Fi as she spoke, her voice neither scolding nor teasing. "I suppose that's proof enough of how being enraged won't allow you perform at your best abilities." She dipped her head as she continued. "There's no reason for quarreling when our goal simply gets clearer and more urgent."
Without uttering a word, the Demon Lord allowed his blade disintegrate into black diamonds, silently agreeing to the end of their match with a nod of his own.
The blue sprite looked at Zelda, nodding to signal her to lower the barrier, setting Link free who immediately tensed as he studied the seemly relaxed stance of the taller male.
"If our goal is clear..." Zelda started, snapping Link's attention back to her. "Then where should we start?"
"The dragons and Levias are the only ones who could hold clues of the spell. It would be for the best to gather any information they withhold." Fi replied, looking away from the others to gaze at the sword on the pedestal. She stayed silent for a moment before continuing, turning toward them again with a chime. "Faron, the Water Dragon, should be able to aid us; it would be wise to visit her. However, the Master Sword is being targeted and leaving it here can be dangerous, at the same time it is holding back a seal and the removal of it can cause grave consequences."
Link chewed his bottom lip uneasily, tapping his fingers on the edge of his tunic. "We can't leave it but we can't stay..."
"I can keep it safe." The blond looked up at the petite sprite, slightly surprised with her offer. "Calculations show a low rate of immediate danger."
"I can talk with Faron." Zelda peeped in. "Why don't you and Link stay here and me and Ghirahim go see her?"
"Does seem like a good plan." Ghirahim spoke up, smirking as he strolled toward the blonde and placed one gloved hand on her shoulder while the other rose to his chest. "Shall we?"
Fi tensed almost unnoticeably. "Ha-." Snap. With a slight chime, she lowered her gaze, humming quietly. "The probabilities of this taking a troublesome turn are very high now..."
Link quirked a brow questioningly. "How so? With his teleporting ability and the fact that Zelda is Hylia, they should be back very soon."
"Correct, they should be able to return in a short time. But the chances of this occurring are of 17%." Seeing his still confused eyes, she continued explaining. "If memory serves right, Faron is able to hold a grudge easily; it's in the nature of some dragons to do anything possible to pay back damage done to them. Faron is one of these. And even when he seems to be either ignoring or forgetting this fact, Ghirahim did attack her during our quest." Link's eyes widened with realization.
"It would be for the best if you hurry, Link." He didn't need to be told twice.
Shoutouts and Reviews:
Laureen Lycan (Patience will reward you in time, can't quite tell you what's gonna happen, now can I? :3c sajdhsa ohgod you flatter me way too much ;A; Really happy you hear you enjoyed how I worked with the characters so far! Hopefully I'll continue that way, though I fear OoCness will happen soon... and the clash of interactions between this and last chapters ahahaha- still, the world needs so much more GhiraFi and I'm willed to DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER. SOON.), Argen-Lobo-Ridder (nothing is ever a secret anymore), aaaand Shiranui117 (why must your username remind me of one of my ships in KG ;; but hello there!).