A/N: Hey, this was quick. I wrote another chapter. Who am I and what have I done with me!? Wait… what? Hi.

§ - Chapter 6: The (Other) Twilight Invasion - §

The shifting cloud of Nothing had finally coalesced into the hooded figure before him, and the pale aristocrat was very pleased. Without so much as a glance, Ghirahim ordered his underling, "Mayabi, your work is done. Leave my presence."

The red-robed man turned to Ghirahim, bowed, and his form melted into an impossibly black shadow on the ground where he had stood moments before. The pool of darkness dissipated.

Still facing the summoned, the Demon Sword felt excitement welling up within him, perverse joy oozing out from his very being. He felt quite certain that this newcomer would obey his commands. At that moment the hooded man, in his first action since he materialized from the shadows, knelt in deference to the new Demon King. Ghirahim could hardly contain himself.

Through this whole encounter, he managed to hide every trace of the great weariness he felt. It had been a grave mistake to so prematurely destroy his twilight tool. He was quite drained from supplying the power that the spell needed from his own freshly acquired stores of nothingness. As the thrill of success began to die down he began breathing harder, which made him anxious, realizing that the conjured man might withdraw his submission.

This strain was noticed by Link, hovering above and watching. Not only was Ghirahim struggling, the stranger was as well. Maybe he's not kneeling to Ghirahim at all, realized Link. He could just be tired. That possibility gave him some hope. As he realized earlier, he could not defeat them both. Even if that didn't make the black robed one an ally, their weary states and the chance that they would not work together drastically increased the likelihood of him emerging victorious should combat ensue.

Roxas didn't know where he was or what was going on. One minute he had been trapped in darkness, and the next he was pulled into an unfamiliar setting in front of unfamiliar people. He did, however, recognize the nobodies surrounding the area. He also recognized the power of Nothing inside the white nobody in front of him. At least Roxas assumed he was a nobody because he had summoned other nobodies, had the power of Twilight, and was entirely white and gray. The gleam in his eyes told Roxas everything. This man sought power by manipulating others. By manipulating him. His delight at having acquired a new tool was evident.

"Mayabi, your work is done. Leave my presence."

So apparently the bright red sore spot in is vision was named Mayabi. Now, it was just Roxas and the white man. At first, he was simply being extracted from his prison within Sora. But at a certain point, that had changed. For some reason, something had abruptly begun to suck energy from him, possibly to continue his removal. Needless to say, he was exhausted. More than that, he was weak, as if wounded. Unable to stand any longer, he dropped to one knee. That was when he noticed that the other nobody was also looking quite worn.

I will not be used again, he stated to himself. This could be his only chance to do anything about it. Who knew how strong this guy was when rested? Sure, Roxas himself was tired, but that didn't matter. He would fight for his freedom. He had the necessary motivation. The manipulator may be driven, but nothing substitutes for real power like noble motivation. At least that's what watching Sora and his allies seemed to indicate on a regular basis. Whatever the case, he would make his escape there and then. But how to go about it?

The way Roxas saw it, he had two real options. Firstly, he could fight. It was straightforward and simple. He knew he was a good fighter, and he could use some of his precious remaining magical energy to heal himself, giving him an advantage. On the other hand, there was a more appealing alternative. He could use up every bit of his magic in an effort to catch his captor off-guard. He could surprise him with the pillars of light he created on occasion, such as his battle with Sora. In the moment of distraction, he could run. He had no idea where he would go, but at least he could attempt his escape without being incapacitated by physical injury, a serious risk in the former idea.

Taking a deep breath, Roxas prepared himself and sent three blasts of event horizon toward his enemy. He turned and ran before he even saw their effect.

After not even a minute of running, Roxas nearly ran into the demon, who in typical fashion appeared in a flurry of diamonds.

"You have the gall to attack me!? I who freed you from your prison and brought to this world!? You dare to turn on me!? I am your master!" the presumed nobody raved.

"I don't need to thank you for freeing me if you're just going to put me on a leash yourself." the true nobody retorted.

"You will pay for your audacity, and you will learn to obey me!" Ghirahim raised his sword at Roxas. Too tired to fight after using his power on the event horizon, he merely watched as the demon brought his saber down.

Roxas may not have waited to see the attack's effect on Ghirahim, but Link certainly saw. The burst was so quick and unexpected that the Demon Lord had no time to teleport as he normally would. As the mysterious stranger darted away, Link watched Ghirahim sail back, launched by the power of the strange blue beams. Still observing, the Hylian saw the demon teleport just in front of the mysterious man, and he heard their exchange.

"You have the gall to attack me!? I who freed you from you prison and brought to this world!? You dare to turn on me!? I am your master!"

"I don't need to thank you for freeing me if you're just going to put me on a leash yourself."

"You will pay for your audacity, and you will learn to obey me!"

As his adversary prepared to strike, the sky child came to a decision. Indicating his will to his best friend, the hero and his bird dove down using their skill and experience and the birds natural talents to descend faster than even a freefall.

Just as the sword should have entered his flesh, a sudden impact sent Roxas flying. It took him a few moments to realize that he was not landing, but instead continued to ascend. Looking up, he found himself suspended by his coat in the talons of an enormous red bird. His mind urged him to struggle, to fight, but his body was just so tired. Adrenaline was only worth so much in the face of all the energy he had used with his magic and the sprinting on top of that spell that brought him here. His vision began to fade away, and he resigned himself to the fact that he had lost his freedom. He was captured and helpless and would once again be forced to serve some monster on their quest for whatever it was they wanted.

Ghirahim was furious! When had the sky brat arrived!? Why didn't Mayabi…? Damn. I ordered him to leave, he thought, unaware that Link had actually been watching for a while. Ghirahim was in no state to follow. The two who had engaged in the struggle may have been tired out from the spell, but Link was most likely at full health. Even without the master sword available to him, the hero would probably best him. He hated losing. Of course, once he thought about it, he wasn't really sure he lost. He had intended this as the final step after which he would use his newfound power to destroy the Hero, wage war on the Goddesses, and avenge his King. This had obviously failed, but no plan ever survives contact with the enemy. He still ended up significantly more powerful. Not to mention that swarm of creatures waiting around the ritual site. A few of them had left, curiously, but these beasts seemed to be truly submitting to his authority. He hated losing. But perhaps, Ghirahim thought, this has been a resounding victory.

After a few minutes of flying, Link began to relax somewhat. Ghirahim was strong and could teleport, but he was neither omnipotent nor omnipresent. There were limits to his teleportation. He could not be anywhere at any time. Link had always been able to feel when he was within the creep's range. At first, he felt it simply as his innate sense of danger. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, his muscles tensed, and he generally felt on edge. Over time, he had learned to differentiate between the variations of this phenomenon. It was extremely muted, nearly absent even, when he faced weak creatures like Keese and Bokoblins. Particularly distinct types included the one that accompanied the Guardians in the Goddess Trials he had been forced to endure. That one was notable because it had a strong component of terror built in, as if he had no choice be to fear these beings. Another was The Imprisoned. Demise in his restricted form had impressed upon him a strong sense of urgency. He wasn't particularly difficult or scary, but the impending doom present should he escape added the unique attribute to this form of the danger feeling. Yet another distinctive presence was, of course, Ghirahim. Along with the typical parts, the sensation of Ghirahim's proximity had a defined aspect of creepiness. Not in the haunting, ghostly sense, but in the disgusting, unpredictable, disturbing sense. Basically, it felt like Ghirahim. The importance of this was, of course, that the feeling was gone. It had been slowly fading as he fled until recently when he no longer sensed the fiend in the slightest.

Now with time to lower his guard and think, Link began to wonder about the choice he had made. The man he had saved had fallen unconscious almost immediately upon his rescue. Either that, or he felt most comfortable hanging limply without word or movement. Link supposed this was possible, considering he knew nothing about the man. In fact, he wasn't even sure this was a man. Link had yet to see his face. He thought it was a man because he was shaped at least roughly like a Hylian and his voice had sounded masculine in the one sentence he spoke. Actually, he thought, he kind of sounded near my age. This boy, as Link now thought of him, was conjured by Ghirahim to be a subject, but he apparently had other plans. Just because the boy was no friend of the fiend, though, doesn't mean he's an ally.

So now what? He could take him back to Kakariko to rest and heal, but if he turn out to be an enemy, that would be dangerous to the villagers. He could keep him in Faron or Lanayru and… do what, exactly? If the boy was and ally, then leaving him alone in the woods or the desert would be a bad idea. But staying with him was out of the question, because that would put the denizens of Kakariko in even more danger, as no one could protect them Ghirahim and his newfound power. He mulled this over for a while, circling in the air between the village and the Sealed Grounds. Finally, Link came to a decision. The boy seemed to be set on his own freedom, making him an enemy of Ghirahim as noted before. He also seemed to be fairly logical. His only statement may have been emotionally driven, but it was also a logical argument, and it was said almost calmly. Certainly passion was present, but it was oddly subdued for a person fighting for their freedom. From this, Link was pretty certain that the boy would not wake into a sudden fit of rage, and he would likely be able to be reasoned with. Even if they wouldn't end up on good terms, he could probably be persuaded to leave without harming the village, if only to increase the force with which Ghirahim would have to deal.

Link wasn't completely sure, but this conclusion was enough to give him the confidence to bring the boy to the village at least long enough to request advice from Zelda and her Father. With that in mind, the crimson loftwing headed in the direction of Kakariko.

A/N: Umm… yeah. Do what you want. I said most of what I wanted to say yesterday (was it yesterday? Maybe two days ago), so… read and review. Or, you know, don't. Have I said that before?

Oh yeah, there is one or two things to bring up. Obviously, this is succeeding the events of Skyward Sword, but most of you probably noticed I've pulled in some references to other Zelda games (two so far, one of them more subtle than the other). I'm going to try to draw in some of the more obscure, poorly defined portions of "history" revealed at different times throughout the games to integrate the story more seamlessly without curbing my freedom. That said, if I say anything that directly contradicts known material, could you let me know? Thanks if you do.