Chapter 23: Twilit Phoenix Pyrisk

Past the door with the golden lock, Link and Zelda discovered a circular chamber with a large egg in the center. A few seconds later, the egg hatched and a creature emerged from it. Resembling a rooster, the creature had two heads with bright yellow eyes, a serpentine tail, and fiery wings. Once the creature saw them, a bright beam fired from the eyes on one of its heads causing a nearby Dodongo to turn to stone.

"So this thing is responsible for turning the tourists into stone statues," Zelda observed. "We need to topple it down and cut off its heads!"

"Right," Link agreed, holding the Master Sword hilt tightly.

The two split up and ran in opposite directions causing the bird to turn both of its heads. While one of the heads shot beams out of its eyes, the other squawked if either Link or Zelda got too close to it. So the two decided to attack the bird from a distance by throwing one Bomb each at its feet. Surprised, the bird fell over allowing Link to attack the head that shot the beams until it was completely destroyed. The other head snapped at Link when he tried to strike it allowing the bird to get back on its feet. This time, the bird ran toward Link and Zelda.

"This one's going to be tricky," Zelda noted. "Try rolling the Bombs towards its feet while you're running."

"Okay," Link said and followed Zelda's advice.

After timing it right, the Bombs exploded and the bird fell over. Link slashed its head like the other one until it fell over. Thinking it was done, Link walked away when all of a sudden the bird's body got up on its own. From its headless necks came spurts of liquid fire that rained down onto the floors of the chamber. Avoiding them, Link and Zelda moved closer to the bird's feet and placed two more bombs there. Once they exploded, the headless bird fell down and the fires stopped flowing from its neck. Like Voltar, the bird melted into a puddle of liquid that quickly dried up revealing the Hylians Rich and Prospero lying unconsciously on the floor with a piece of metal that had a neck-like brace and a rectangular spike running down the back of it.

"It's another Fused Shadow fragment," Zelda said, picking the metal piece up and putting it in her satchel with the other. "These two must've found it in here."

Link and Zelda then lifted Rich and Prospero up and brought them out into the foyer where all the tourists were no longer statues and moving very stiffly like they had just fallen asleep. While they weren't looking, the two placed Rich and Prospero by the foot of a nearby Goron statue and left. Outside the temple, Zelda and Link found a passage that ran along the river of magma till they reached a cave entrance that was blocked by rocks. Using the Bombs they found, they blew up the rocks and were surprised to find Darak standing there with the two guards Brutus and Tyrus on each side.

"I take it you've succeeded in removing the Fused Shadow fragment," Darak said. "Are the tourists safe?"

"They're all fine," Zelda replied. "Just slightly tired after being turned to stone while two of them, a husband and wife, are completely passed out and it was with them that we found the Fused Shadow fragment."

"Then they were probably the ones who got corrupted by it," Darak remarked solemnly.

"What did you do about Flint?" Link asked.

"I sent him away claiming I was still deciding what to do with you, but now he's run off," Darak answered. "I'm afraid he'll be telling Ganon about my treachery soon and when that happens I'll be arrested for sure."

"Then we have to stop him," Link said.

"It's too late for that," Darak said shaking his head. "You need to leave this place and find the last Fused Shadow if you want to aid Midna's revolution."

Zelda gasped. "So you're—

"A member of the Twilight Wolves?" Tyrus said mockingly.

When Zelda gave Tyrus an odd look, Brutus explained, "Yeah, we know. We're actually members ourselves."

"What Ganondorf is doing to our fair city is wrong," Tyrus added. "Midna's the only one with guts who can take him down."

"And she'll need the power of the Fused Shadow artifact to achieve this," Darak finished. "For your bravery, you are now my sworn brother and sister. May the Goddesses smile upon you!"

Smiling, Link and Zelda bowed low to Darak and then they made their way down the mountain trail to the Skyloft Rail. There, they hitched a ride using their Talon Clasps and swung away from Terror Mountain.

###

Several hours later, Link and Zelda found themselves in the Zora District with the beach being completely empty and stormy skies overhead.

"What is this place?" Link asked.

"The Zora District, though more specifically Sunrise Bay," Zelda answered. "It's certainly changed since I landed here yesterday and met Professor Phosile."

Before Link could respond, something emerged from the ocean. It resembled a person, but it had slimy skin with gills on its neck and fins on its arms. Its shiny black eyes stared at them with bewilderment before saying, "What are you land-dwellers doing here? The beach is no longer safe and neither will the ocean!"

"You must be one of the Zora," Zelda noted, which caused the creature to nod briefly. "What's happening here?"

"A storm suddenly appeared over the ocean yesterday and it hasn't stopped," the Zora answered. "Monsters have been appearing along the shore and the ocean's creatures are becoming increasingly more hostile."

"Do you know where the storm is coming from?" Link asked.

"The Ralis Temple," the Zora said with a dreaded tone. "It was a sacred place, but now it's become possessed by something evil that threatens our District."

"Are you familiar with the Fused Shadow fragments?" Zelda asked.

"Unfortunately, I am," the Zora replied.

"Is it possible that a Fused Shadow fragment is causing this storm?"

"I know it is, because I was the one who put the Fused Shadow fragment in the temple."

Link and Zelda looked at the Zora with surprise.

To be continued…