Sorry, I didn't update last week. Busy time. Tshirts being sent, entrance exams and other crap. Ace Attorney took up any free time left over. Sorry guys. And now there's a bloody storm, the lightning is literally lighting up the room, and I think the hail is going to smash through the conservatory.

Chapter 15

The sun and moon

The battlefield had stilled. It was as if someone had pressed pause on the scene. The very air itself seemed to hold its breath. Puppets hung from their strings, glassy eyes reflecting the tense scene. The sentient memories frozen. Four small Links, each garbed in different colour surrounding a beast puppet. A goron with a green hat surrounded by splinters, black eyes fixed on Dven and Puppet Link. A proud lion crouched, ready to pounce only a few metres from the pair. The only sound to permeate the stillness was the faint crackling of the three flames that everyone was trying so hard to protect. Fear was crouched amongst the broken bodies of puppets. Her hair had become a great crest of caramel feathers; her bow a crown of blood red feathers. . Her fingers elongated into long claws. Her body was less of a girl and more of a bird like creature with almost cat-like features. Her face was slightly elongated into a cat like muzzle with a mouth full of needle-like fangs. A long feathered tail flicked out behind her. Her body was covered in fine fur-like feathers that shimmered, the patterns similar to that of her dress.

Puppet Link stood over Dven, one wooden boot pinning his shoulder down, the tip of his sword pressing against Dven's throat. Black puppet strings stretched from the joints of the puppet, humming eerily. Eyes of resin trapped in a mask of surprise. Dven pressed himself against the floor, eyes locked on the puppet above him. His weapons were out of reach. His left arm twitched as the pressure increased.

The web of black puppet strings that stretched across the scene, trapping them in a dome of darkness, severed them from the rest of Fi's mind. It was above this dome that an indigo bird hovered. On her back perched a girl in a bright magenta dress, a bow clutched in her hand. Behind her was sat Silver, looking over the girl's shoulder with an expression of agony.

"LINK!" Silver howled, struggling to climb over Zi.

"Don't, if Kuklin gets you it's all over."

"But Link." Silver whimpered.

Zi's eyes scanned the dome.

"This is dark magic." She whispered.

"Try a light arrow." The bird said, speaking for the first time.

"Surely, they'd have already tried that."

"Only from the inside." Zi replied.

Taking a goldren arrow from the quiver on her back and drew back on the bow she held. It was golden, shaped like shallow lyre. Taking aim, she fired quickly. The string she had drawn the arrow on, hummed a pure clear note.

"Ne…"

A flurry of movement as zelda fired more arrows, using the different strings of her lyre bow.

"Dashabu nobe jundu de shu'tu kerenu sa-"

Every time the arrow hit, a ripple of light spread across the dome. The song itself was so reassuring that Silver stopped struggling. Inside, the cage, Dven smiled, physically relaxing. The puppet cocked his head to one side, listening.

Kuklin screeched, his voice tearing the air with shrill grating cries. His long slender fingers clutched over his ears.

"LEI"

The note rang out through the hall like a gong. The black puppet strings turned gold at the point of impact. The gold spread across the web, heading down the puppet strings to the victims.

"Mia." Zi's bird whispered, spying the remlit puppet.

The gold leapt down the strings connecting Mia to the web. It hit the puppet with considerable force, forcing the puppet to her knees. The wooden tomb that encased her began to glow. The paint began to flake, coming off in fine flakes. Her resin eyes softened and began to gleam with new life. Muscles, trapped in wooden twitched and began to move. The strings shuddered and snapped with an audible twang. The now living remlit dropped to the ground, gasping for air, mewling like a kitten.

A small bird swooped down and lifted her off the ground, carrying her to the safety of the rafters around the edge of the hall.

"NO!" Kuklin screeched, waving his hand.

The puppet strings attached to Link flicked, sending him headfirst into the red flame. The gold ran down from the web onto his strings towards the puppet. It began to work on the puppet, turning his petrified wooden body back into flesh. Paint fell off the puppet's smooth wooden surface in great flakes. He was being pulled mainly by his hands. The triforce began to flash on his hand once more. His eyes watered as the muscles relaxed and his grip loosened on the sword. Wood became skin and muscle, resin became eyes.

There was a jolt and the strings snapped taut. He was inches from the red flame. In front of him, stood another Link. He had the same face as Dven. But wore the traditional green garb of the hero.

Silver's howl sliced through the noise.

This Link had stepped from the green flame and know knelt before Link, the master sword held out. He had stopped Link reaching the flame, stopped the demon being awoken.

The gold now ran down the puppet strings to Kuklin. It hit the puppet master, driving him to his knees. The gold then did to him, what he had done to his victims. The gold spread across his body, encasing him in a golden sarcophagus.

The web shattered, the sound of a thousand glass windows shattering filled the room as tiny shards of gold rained down.

"LINK!"

Ras leapt at the puppet master. A great swipe of paw, cracked the statue. They spiderwebbed across his being. The strings above Kuklin snapped and he collapsed into a pile of golden shards, lost amongst the remains of the web.

Zi leapt down before her bird even touched down. She ran over to Dven and helped him up. Silver ran straight to Link. As she neared him, the new Link glared at her, his eyes warning her to keep her distance. His hand dropped to the pouch at his belt and he withdrew a red whip. He pointed it at Silver.

Sem, Silver's Link, coughed weakly, mouth opening and closing as he tried to breath.

Silver took a step forward and the whip struck the ground at her feet.

"Hey!" Dven called.

But Ras beat him to it. The golden lion placed himself between Silver and the new Link. His bright blue eyes locked on the flame Link's.

They glared at each other, like two tom cats sizing each other up.

Suddenly, Dven's voice came to Silver's mind.

Not this me, the me that fought the demon in the first place. Well, a combination of me and Whiskers.

Things began to piece together in Silver's mind.

least two pieces of the triforce to do so, and even then, it would take a lot of darkness and a nice long ritual.

In the statue on the hill, Silver had found a detailed account of the Demon's first appearance. The sun and moon, stood against him. They fought side by side. The moon then hid in the light of the sun and evacuated the people. The sun was extinguished. But a great bird appeared and took the ashes of the sun. She opened her beak and began to sing. With this mournful song she lay down a prophecy. When the night was darkest the sun would rise.

a great bird

A combination of me and Whiskers.

two pieces of the triforce

began to sing

sun would rise

It all made sense. Her eyes fell on the blue flame. The woman in the long dress looked like an older version of Zi. Her white dress had long sleeves, giving her arms the impression of wings.

"Zi?" Silver called softly.

She looked up at the wolfos.

"We need to wake the bird."

Dven walked up to Ras, putting a hand on his mane.

"This should be interesting." He muttered.

Zi walked up to the blue flame.

"Never thought I'd be doing this again." She whispered.

"Dejavou right?" Dven called over his shoulder. "Avoid any and all black tornadoes and guys in lycra."

"Very funny." Zi growled.

Putting her hands to together, she held her bow, and began to play. Her soft voice rose and fell, like the gentle beat of a bird's wings. The words she spoke were of an ancient language, barely distinguishable. It was a prayer, of Earth and Sky, calling on the goddess. In the flames, the goddess' mouth opened and she herself began to sing. Their voices resonated in unison, filling the hall with their music. The goddess' eyes opened and she stepped forwards into Zi. Their voices rose to a crescendo and when they died away, only one person was left. She still looked like Zi, but her eyes were older, wise. Her face thinner and more elegant. She held herself with more grace and poise but her smile was the same, full of joy and happiness.

"You are much wiser than your heritage suggests of you."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." Silver said.

Behind them, there was a swirl of mist. The flame Link had relinquished Sem to Dven and Ras. Dven lay Link down. They sword was still inside him, taking it out would only kill him faster. Link coughed again, a small trickle of blood dripped from his lip. Now, the lion, village boy and hero had joined together. Like with Zelda, a man who looked almost identical to Dven stood there. He wore the garb of the hero, but like with Zelda who looked less boy and more man. The mist that curled around him betrayed his grey heritage.

"Been a while." He said.

"We need two pieces of the triforce." Silver said.

"Go and sit beside him. Put your left paw on his." Hylia told her gently.

Silver nodded and padded over to Link. She could hear his wheezing. The triforce on his hand pulsed in time to his heartbeat. But even that was beginning to slow down. Silver placed her paw beside his. Link's hand lifted, shaking violently. With some effort, he placed it over Silver's left paw.

"Ilia's going to kill me when she finds out." Silver said.

Link tried to chuckle, but all he did was send himself into a fit of coughing.

Hylia came and knelt on the other side of Link. Beside her, Dven, in a flurry of mist, sat beside her, now a young lion. Hylia began to sing, a long mournful melody. As she sang, tears fell down her cheeks. Beside her, Dven had his long low roar. Silver added her own voice.

It was a melody of loss, of all those who had died in every single battle against the darkness. Of mothers, daughters, fathers and sons. Of brothers, sisters, friends and acquaintances. Of everyone who had suffered at the hands of the dark.

Light began to fill the hall. The darkness was torn to shreds until it was nothing more than the memory of a nightmare.

Around the edges of the hall, a long figure began to dance. Spinning and twirling, leaping from wall to ceiling as if gravity were nothing to her. A strange, almost robotic voice adding to the music.

Then the world was washed with white.

With every new dawn, new hope is born.

It is done.

Ok, my head is killing me. But I'm glad I got this done. Took me five hours. So, I'm going to pack it in and sleep. I still have biology revision and two Russian essays to write. Oh what is life.