I tried to concentrate on my surroundings. Captain Falcon is an excellent runner. One time I practiced with him across a field and he matched my speed flying. He also has his signature combat moves, which I would hate to get a taste of again.

And now he is taken over by an evil entity that gives no mercy.

All that went through my mind was that I needed to be quick. The quicker I can remove the ink from Captain Falcon, the easier it was. Lucario and Ike weren't as strong as Roy or kid Link because the ink was only starting to infest them. Still, they were sadistic monsters, but not as annoying as the more infected ones.

But I shouldn't panic. Panic will be worse.

The ceiling came into my view. I didn't understand I was being swept off my feet until my wings cracked and I was smashed down onto the hissing floor. My breath was choked back as an assertive foot crushed my chest.

Captain Falcon's phantom snickered as his other foot stomped on my wrist. I felt a thick, electrifying sensation coil around my hand as my fingers were forced to open up. I cursed as the phantom kicked away my bow.

I hope he forgot that I had another arm.

As I pounded my left fist in the back of the phantom's knee, I smiled at the dramatic change that took place on his face. His knee buckled, and I was barely quick enough to shove his body away before his knee would fall on my face.

I was able to snatch my bow just as I rolled away. A weird gasp escaped from my mouth as I snapped my wings back into their joints. I was getting pretty good at adjusting my wing joints now after a couple times I've been tossed around.

The vent from one of the walls hissed. The air conditioning I activated earlier was starting to reach into this room. I stole a look at kid Link's phantom, who glanced at the vent with curiosity and concern.

Captain Falcon's phantom roared as he darted straight towards me. I licked my lips and leapt, spreading, and then twisting both of my wings forward to gain momentum to flip just above his head. I was creative to shoot an arrow smack-dab on the middle of his angry face. Ink burst with the blue light and I was able to see parts of his helmet.

The phantom fell to his knees, groaning and squeezing his head. I didn't hesitate to shoot another arrow to his head. More of the ink crumbled and disintegrated as his face came into view. Captain Falcon met my eyes and with shaking hands, he removed his helmet.

He chuckled weakly. "H-Hey… I thought I could help you. But I think need your hel-"

I tensed as Captain Falcon sprung up on his feet and grabbed at my toga. With him being much taller than me, he lifted me off the ground with ease. The gash the bird gave me earlier pounded against my head as he wringed my breath dry. A dark smirk formed on his lips, twitching prominently from the phantom and the person inside.

"Hello little firefly. How does it feel to be held captive in here; limited, constricting?" The phantom snickered.

"I, think. You are… p-poetic for a six-foot tall phantom, but I'll take, the, 'little firefly' as a compliment." I meant to chuckle, but it came out as a feeble squeak.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Roy parrying kid Link's phantom as the creature lashed at him with his bare hands. The lava that dribbled down its chin and squirted short beams but Roy and Ike were careful enough to keep their distance. But it won't be long until he is able to shoot a fully charged beam, and then they will need my mirror shield.

The grip around my neck loosened as I hit the floor bottom first. Before I could regain myself, the phantom collapsed and carped, grabbing and scratching at its head where the ink broke off.

I heard Captain Falcon's voice. He began to scratch at the ink. "Ughh, can't you tell you're not welcome to use me! Get out! Get out!"

I took this chance to take Captain Falcon's head and press him against my chest. White brilliancy immediately shrouded him. The phantom released a horrible shriek but even that receded relatively quickly.

My surroundings were a luminescent white but I heard the kid Link's phantom rage. "What, wha, no! Why can't you sit still! You birdbrain, you maddening, infuriating fowl! I never should have left that bitch alive, I should've reduced her to pulp right then and there!"

Instinctively, I pulled my arm in front of me, and the mirror shield materialized around it. My teeth chattered as the spiraling beam of lava banged against my shield and reflected off into every other direction.

Captain Falcon, who was limp in my arms, removed his head from my chest and grinned. The last of the ink crumbled off of him. "Thanks."

I just smiled loosely. The beam of lava was still hot on my shield.

The light died down and I noticed Roy was nowhere to be found. Ike was on the floor breathing heavily. Captain Falcon was quick to go up to Ike and pull him away from the battlegrounds.

Ike grabbed my arm and pointed to the ceiling, his gasps desperate but speechless from exhaustion.

Hanging from the canopy of leaves was Roy tied up in vines. He grunted, twisted and turned, anything to escape the sea of flames that was lit around him. Just under him, the phantom chortled, "What's the matter, Roy? We used to play this game all of time! It tickled you, you know you love it! Scream! Scream to your heart's content!"

I shot an arrow, but the phantom simply shifted to the side.

"Your stupid little prick of an arrow won't work against me. I can't believe others were scared of that little blue beam." The phantom produced a small bow but a fiery arrow with spiraling, hissing energy. "This is an arrow!"

Somehow I managed to bring my shield out in time. The arrow spun on an axis alike to a drill and continued to spin even after coming in contact with my shield. Eventually the momentum and fire died and left my arm weak and sweaty.

"Ohhh that infernal shield! That little bitch got you that didn't she? Hmm? Oh, I knew I should have killed her. I should have killed her. I should have melted her into pus and bones!"

I held my breath. What was this sudden change in him? This phantom has always been sickly sadistic, but now he was losing his mind.

Then I remembered. My audience with that strange boy. My white light is hope in a physical form, so the black ink should be despair, misery, and hopelessness. And that was growing bigger and bigger inside kid Link.

I kicked my feet off the ground and ascended towards him. I tried to call out to him with my most calm tone. "Link,"

The phantom twitched. I felt the temperature drop in the hellish scenery and the flames that slowly cooked Roy alive extinguished. I sighed. I had to pick my words carefully or else the phantom would backfire.

"I know how scary it was being trapped in here all alone. I've been through that, and I'm still experiencing it. But Link, even if you were alone in here, even if you are still a kid, you're Link. And the older version of you I know wouldn't give up his courage."

When the phantom's head slumped, his appearance shifted for a half second. I saw the green tunic and hat but that quickly transformed back to his tainted state.

"…Everyone forgot about me." He spoke with a shivery voice. And with that helpless tone, he began to pour out everything he has been holding in.

"I never liked following someone. I never did. I was always the leader and I was the one that everybody looked up to. But everybody else was too. Everybody had his or her own story and everybody was a leader. And… and I liked that. I wasn't alone. I liked being in a room full of people where everybody had their own adventures."

"But when we were looking around in this cave, I was scared. I was scared of seeing you… You w-were I-I-I… I was never so scared in my life I c-couldn't believe… and everyone ran away and-and I… we were left behind. And when I noticed Roy was gone, I… I was…. I've f-fought giant spiders and monsters but nothing was as-as-as scary as… and-and black things took over me, and everyone f-f-forgotI existed."

He wrapped his shuddering arms around me. Although he was still infected with the black ink, he looked up to me with tears in his red eyes. I couldn't understand his story, but something horrible must have happened to him other than just being left behind. Even though he is a kid, Link is one of the bravest people I know. And to see that person shaken up like this…

I put one hand behind his head. A soft blanket of white light shrouded us. I closed my eyes and concentrated on him. Now that I have him in my arms, in my light, hopefully he can regain his confidence.

Even if this may be a cycle and even if I do lose him, I promised myself that I would save everyone. I haven't come very far, but I've come to this point with the help of my friends. Hopefully this little Link would understand.

I felt the light die down and opened my eyes. Link was smiling.

But the ink was still there.

"What...?" I muttered.

Roy let out a muffled scream and the phantom grasped the root of my wings. Smoke sizzled and whined from his hands. My head throbbed as I screamed at the viscous, searing liquid dripping down my wings. It felt as if my whole body was on fire and the veins were boiling blood. Everywhere I grabbed on the phantom's body was blistering hot.

I couldn't stop screaming, my voice itself was deafening over the sound of my body burning and frying into black bits. We crashed to the ground with such impact; it blew the furniture and my friends back on a ten-foot radius.

"Keep screaming! Hahahaha you are such a laughingstock! I can't believe it, I can't believe you'd actually… Hahahahahaha! I can't… I can't take this!" The phantom snickered.

There was a grunt, and a bronze sword speared into the phantom's head. The phantom swayed largely to the left, and Ike pulled me away. Every single spot on my body was sizzling and raw. My mind was blank and the burns should have hurt, or felt hot, but I felt nothing.

"Stay awake. We can't lose you." Ike spoke softly. Captain Falcon knelt by me, patting my cheek.

I took a deep breath and with horror, I realized my lungs crackled with each succeeding breath. I could still move my limbs but the numb, melting feeling weighed me down. Black, bubbling burns made my muscles stiff. When I tried to bend my elbow with a large burn, it was stuck in place, and finally cracked, oozing an odd salmon pink liquid that didn't look like blood.

The phantom jerked with Ike's bronze sword still protruding from its head. We didn't have much time.

Captain Falcon leaned in to me. "Is there anything I can do?"

I turned my head towards the vent. The air conditioning was spitting out small chunks of ice. Behind that shuddering frame is ice-cold air, but I wasn't sure if it would be effective to the phantom.

"Okay. I'll do that for you." He grinned.

Ike stood up with great effort in his shaking feet. He still breathed heavily but managed a smile. "I'll help free Roy. He seems bored up there."

On the ceiling, Roy was still hanging from the vines. When our eyes met, he frowned. I tried to smile back.

As Ike pulled out his sword out of the phantom's head, time started to move again. Captain Falcon taunted the phantom, provoking him to come closer and closer to the vent. Ike came right underneath where Roy was suspended in the ceiling. I had a bad feeling and my intuition was right.

With a powerful swing, the sword spun in the air making perfect circles of bronze. Even from the ground I saw Roy cringe and whine in protest. But the double-edged sword sliced through all of the necessary vines without cutting into Roy, and the sword and the swordsman plummeted towards the ground.

Ike waited at the bottom with his arms open. His sword sliced into the ground at the same time Roy came crashing down onto him. After Roy hastily removed the remaining vines that wrapped around him and assisted Ike up, he hurried to me with incredible speed.

"I'll assist Captain Falcon. Don't strain yourself." Ike pressed on as he pulled his sword out of the ground. I nodded once.

Roy had burns all around his body too. Although his skin wasn't black and bubbling, he didn't look less pained. The wrinkles between his eyebrows were becoming more prominent.

"How do I look?" I croaked.

"I won't lie to you. You look like you're dying."

I breathed. "Man… I don't hurt anywhere though. I'm just really, tired. But Roy, you saw me trying to give my light to him. But he didn't change. His despair became too big. That kid, was alone for too long."

The noises of battle became faint. Roy's worried face almost seemed timeless. I forgot to explain to him that my light is hope and the ink results from deep despair but I had a feeling he can understand that.

"So… what. Are you giving up on him? Is that your decision?"

"What, no!" I shot up. Instantly, my body reacted to the sudden change in position and shrill, paralyzing pain seared through all of my veins. A dry but long scream escaped from my lungs. Roy cupped my mouth to not gather the phantom's attention.

I tried to glare at him but the new tears forming in my eyes probably negated it. Each breath I took was a useless attempt to give my crackling lungs air. "Did… I ever, say that I was going to give up on him?"

"Then what are you going to do with all of these burns?" Roy cried.

"Humph, from my perspective, it sounds like you're the one that's giving up on poor little Link. That's… what the kid said to me. That you left him alone and he was terrified out of his mind."

Roy's eyebrows furrowed in suspicion. "What are you talking about? I told you the last thing I remember was that I was saving a man and he did something to me to turn me into a phantom! I don't remember this place!"

"That's what you remember! It doesn't mean that Link's memory isn't real, you might have well forgot about it! … I-I don't know what the hell is going on!"

My head felt dizzy. My throat was on fire from screaming so much and I couldn't believe I was screaming at Roy when there more important matters to take care of. I don't know how I gathered enough power to stand up, but I did. After a few minutes of silence, both of us started to breathe normally again.

I couldn't look directly into Roy's eyes but I calmed down a little bit. "L-Look, I'm sor- I'm so sorry. But I'm the only one who can save him. You guys… I don't know what I'd do without all of you. But I have to save him."

"And I'm telling you, don't go alone." Roy pressed.

I nodded once. "I'm sorry."

Captain Falcon winked at me. The phantom was dragging his legs, mumbling and sputtering the remaining lava. Ike quickly came to my side. "He's not aggressive anymore. I think your convincing worked after all."

I smiled wryly. Now that I'm not mad or feverish, I could barely stand. Roy rolled his eyes that I wasn't listening to him or whatnot but I still had an arm around him for support.

The phantom was two steps away from the vent.

"Link." I exhaled. The phantom turned to me slowly. He glared at me for one moment and then frowned at the next.

"What can you do, you're done for soon! Hahahaha, haha," Between deranged cackles, the phantom coughed. And with another step, he fell to his knees. "Ah, ...but I can't hold onto this kid any longer too. God, God, damn it, he's bursting from inside me! Bursting! Bursting! I'm going to explode if I stay any longer! I-I…"

The vent frame rattled off. Cold, dry air burst from the small opening, covering the phantom. The remaining lava turned black instantly and gradually hardening the phantom himself.

"Damn children, always are messing with, me… I don't, want to… die! I…"

A single drop of thick orange liquid dripped from the phantom's red eyes. I dropped my bow and embraced the now immobile monster. Very feeble light dispersed from me, but it was enough to veil his small frame.

As soon as I felt his arms around me, I opened my eyes.

There he was, a younger version of the swordsman I admire, tears full in his eyes. I didn't know if he was crying because I looked like a terrifying burnt zombie, or because we were the first people he has seen in a long, long time.

Author's Note: It's difficult describing pain when you've never experienced it before. Well not that I want to be burned by lava... Next chapter is a rest chapter to take some weight off of him.

Mystical- The little boy is someone you might know already. Or maybe not. Thank you for being patient, also.

riverraiden- That's pretty interesting but it's not quite what I had in mind. Very interesting plot though!