Chapter Twelve
Void sat rigid on the front step. He clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing after they widened in shock. Of course! This was Link's village. He was dressed in the traditional Ordon outfit. Though Link looked as though he were from the village, there was something about him that made him look like a stranger to this place. Perhaps, Void thought, it was the wilder look in his eyes, or the restless air about him. It was the feeling of someone who had seen the world and couldn't return to the life they had left behind.
The two stared tensely at each other, drawing the attention of all the villagers, including the children. The mayor looked between the two before he cleared his throat and asked awkwardly, "Do you two know each other?"
Link nodded curtly at the same time as Void looked sharply away and muttered, "More or less."
The mayor looked between them again and then at Rusl for support. Rusl broke the tense silence that follow by walking over to Uli and Void. He sat beside his wife and took the baby from her.
Void could still feel the burning gaze of the villagers. His blood boiled from their stares and he clenched his jaw. His red eyes burned with the growing anger of being the spectacle of the village. The villagers began murmuring to one another as Link walked over and gestured for Void to get up and follow him. Uneasily, Void complied. He rose slowly, his muscles taught. He could feel the anger and fear coursing through his veins.
Void followed Link to the edge of the small lake on the far side of the village and stopped a few feet from the Hero. He could still feel the villagers watching them, making his blood burn with rage. He glared at Link, but didn't say anything.
Link took a pace over to him and placed a hand lightly on his arm. There was concern in Link's expression, but hungry anticipation glinted in his fierce blue eyes, sending chills down Void's spine. Anticipation and a fierce excitement bubbled up in Void. His muscles remained tense and a low growl escaped his throat.
"Don't look at me like that," he spat and shook off Link's hand. Link clenched his teeth in frustration and glared accusingly at Void. He didn't say anything, but pulled Void a bit farther from the villagers and just behind the shop at the edge of the lake. He held tightly onto Void's arm, his eyes narrowed dangerously. A chill of anticipation rolled down Void's spine at the sight of Link, reminding him that Link was a battle hardened warrior.
"What are you doing here, exactly?" Link hissed his voice raw from lack of use and…anger!
Void was taken aback, in the past the Links had rarely spoken, if ever and now Link spoke. It was also with anger that the Hero wasn't supposed to feel. The Hero was supposed to be pure and untainted, but now it didn't seem that was so.
"You brought me here, Hero," Void hissed back, emphasizing the last word. Link snarled in anger at this and took a step even closer to Void.
"You know what I mean," he spat in a low voice. "What are you doing near Ordon?"
Link's accusing tone made Void's anger grow and he bristled at this accusation. The normally kind and gentle Hero acting like this set him on fire for some reason, as if the Hero infringing on his anger was dangerous.
Void had no response for a moment. He groped with admitting to the Hero that he'd come here with nowhere else to go, but the answer made his look weak and fueled his anger, so he settled with spitting, "It's none of your concern."
To Link's frustration, he realized that he wasn't getting anywhere with this and shook his head in frustration. Who was Void anyways? What was he? He resembled Link, but was completely different in complexion as well as personality. Link could practically feel the anger and hatred radiating off of him. He'd had a vision from the Spirit of Light by Lake Hylia that depicted multiples of this person and the Fused Shadows, but he still didn't understand.
"Who are you?" Link forced himself to ask, dreading the answer.
Void tensed and anger flashed across his face, "I'm Void and no one else!"
The hatred in his tone caught Link off guard and he took half a step back. Void was glaring at him with such anger and hatred that honestly confused Link. As far as Link was concerned, it had never been in question if Void was Void, what was in question was who was Void.
"Who are you, though?" Link pressed, standing his ground and meeting Void's hate filled gaze with challenge in his own gaze.
This question enraged Void even farther, however, and he clenched his fists, fighting down his desire to leap on the Hero and tear him apart. Void was shaking with anger when he managed to answer, "I'm not you! I'm not your Shadow! I'm Void!"
Link shook his head and countered, "What do you mean?"
Void closed his crimson eyes, his anger and hatred for the goddesses, Zelda (the goddess Hylia's incarnation), and especially for Link finally broke through. Tears burned in his eyes and slipped from beneath his eyelids, burning his cheeks. He clenched his fists and through gritted teeth, snarled, "I'm myself even if I was created from you."
"What are you talking about?" Link asked, he was confused and baffled by the nonsense Void was spewing.
"You're the Hero of Hyrule, but you're not the first," Void managed, tears running down his ashen cheeks. He opened his eyes to glare accusingly at Link. "The first Hero was impure, so the goddesses removed the darkness from his heart and separated his soul, splitting it in half: the light half and the dark half. The Hero always came back to save Hyrule, but the darkness was still there, still alive."
"You!" Link couldn't stop himself from blurting out as he made the connections. But the part of the Hero coming before ate into his mind. Void seemed to know this and muttered the answer Link needed.
"The Hero was reincarnated through his decedents and his soul was always there in the time of need, always there to face Ganondorf." Void hated talking about this, it was like talking to the Spirits of Light who refused to let him forget he was once part of the Hero, as if he wasn't his own person.
"What about you?" Link asked warily.
"I was always there," Void said acidly. He turned his face sharply away from Link and looked at the peaceful little lake. He hated it all. The peacefulness made his blood boil with rage and his guts roll in disgust. The peace was nothing but an ignorant lie for people to try and shield themselves from the harsh reality of life.
Link felt a stab of pity and something else for Void. The way he said it made Link question what he meant. He placed his hand lightly on Void's shoulder and looked curiously at the other. "How do you all this?"
"I was there, unlike you," Void spat, wrenching his head up to look Link in the eyes. The furious rage still burned brightly there. As he continued, his voice was scathing. "Unlike you, I can't die. I was cursed by goddesses, bound to exist for the rest of eternity, but unlike you and Zelda, I don't have the luxury of death."
"You're trapped in this existence," Link murmured. "You're a prisoner."
How fitting, Void thought to himself. Link pitied him when it had been Link who had sealed him as a prisoner in the chamber in the water temple. But it wasn't this Link; a voice in the back of Void's mind reminded him. He hated that nagging reminder. Link was subtly different each time he came back and this Link was no exception.
After a moment, Link broke the silence, he asked, "What about Zelda?"
"She the human incarnate of the goddess Hylia," Void muttered, looking away from Link. "She became human so she could be with the Hero for an eternity each time he returned. But, like you, Zelda's different every time she comes back."
"I'm different?" Link questioned in surprise.
"Unlike me, you're not trapped as a discarded fragment of the glorified Hero! You change with every time you come back! The last Hero…" Void spat, trailing off. Tremors of rage passed through his body and he shook his head in frustration.
"What happened last time?" Link asked quietly and stepped even closer until he was right beside Void.
"The Hero of Time sealed me inside the Water Temple," Void snarled, the tears that had abated threatened to spill over again. His rage and anger hid the fear that welled up at the memory. He'd been trapped, his body wounded and unable to heal in the endless whiteness of the chamber.
Link saw the fear exposed for a mere instant and suddenly he understood. The darkness in the first Hero's heart was no just anger and hatred, but also fear. Link could feel the pounding of his heart as he look at Void, the other's head turned away and his black hair hiding his eyes. He felt a yearning of the first time he'd met Void and the heated hunger that had been momentarily forgotten burned beneath his flesh again.
Link suddenly pulled Void against him, his lips hungrily searching out Void's. He slammed Void's body flush against his and crashed their lips together. Void shoved against him to throw him off, but yielded with surprising speed. The taste of Link was on Void's lips and he pushed against the Hero, holding him in place, his arms snaked around the back of Link's neck as he forced his tongue into the Hero's mouth.
Rusl walked towards the shop, his steps cautious. Link and Void had gone this way not to long ago, but hadn't come back. Fear had ignited in his gut for his adopted son and Rusl went to seek them out. Even though Link had become a warrior, Rusl felt his fatherly fear, but was draw up sharp by a gasping. He moved around the edge of the shop to see Void and Link fully absorbed in each other. Neither of them noticed him as they held onto each other as if for dear life, kissing heatedly. Rusl was shocked to the bone. This was not what he was expecting to find. He made a hasty retreat, saying nothing of what he'd seen when he settled back beside Uli on their front step.