Chapter 15: Mask of Truth.
Zak stared at Romani for a moment, at a loss for words. Quickly, he turned around as the dark Romani aimed its bow and fired an arrow at her. Romani recoiled, calling out in pain. The purple tunic man laughed, the tip of his finger tapping against the throne chair. Romani regained her bearings, blood trickling down from her cheek.
"Zak, what's going on?" she asked, staring her shadowy form down intently.
"You shouldn't be here," he said through gritted teeth. The purple tunic man raised an eyebrow. The man approached them, his foot stepping down onto the shining floor beneath them. A shadow version of him appeared near the others.
"Zak," he said calmly, "You shouldn't be so rude. Aren't you going to introduce me?"
"No," Zak said. Electricity shot through his body. Romani called out in surprise.
He laughed, "You're in the realm of the Mask of Truth. Telling lies gets you punished. He trained you better than this, Zak."
Zak narrowed his eyes, "Leave him out of this. Romani, this man, he's..." Another electric shock tore through him, forcing him to his knees. His shadow form approached slowly. Romani fired an arrow at it, which it blocked with ease. She stood between it and Zak. Her shadow form fired an arrow. Romani ducked, realizing that it was headed for another target. Zak roared out in pain as the arrow stuck into his forearm.
The purple tunic man stretched his arms, revealing silver-plated gauntlets, "I grow tired of your weakness, Zak. Tell her who I am."
Cursing, Zak finally relented, "Romani, he's my biological father. His name is Dakumani. He went by Daku when I knew him."
She stared at Zak blankly, "I don't understand. Why are you fighting with him? Shouldn't you be on the same side?"
Romani's shadow fired another arrow. Zak leaped up and sliced it in two with his sword. Daku's shadow pounced, and the two locked blades briefly before Zak was shoved back. Zak's shadow advanced, slicing at Romani. She narrowly dodged his attack. Both Zak and Romani found themselves cornered. The shadows advanced.
"It's more complicated than that," Zak said. Another surge of electricity brought him to a knee. Daku stared at them with his blank white eyes, a smile dancing across his face.
"Tell her, Zak. You have a mission here, don't you?" he said sternly, "Tell her what you have to do."
Zak glared daggers at Daku before speaking, "Romani, I have been trained by an elite group of warriors from every corner of Hyrule. My mission here is to purge the evil masks that my master left behind in his youth." He and his shadow exchanged a flurry of blows. Romani chased the shadow back with a few well-placed arrows. Once she managed to get a clean him, his shadow fell through the mirrored floor. Her own shadow fired a few arrows at her, and Zak barely managed to knock them away with his sword. Daku's shadow held its monstrous sword behind him, preparing some form of attack.
Romani swallowed hard, "What happens if you fail?"
Zak narrowed his eyes, most of his attention focused on the shadow, "Once I tell you this, you'll never trust me again." No electricity shot through him, which made Romani even more worried. Daku's shadow held its sword next to its head and crouched down low, readying itself to pounce at any moment. Zak dropped his gilded sword onto the mirrored floor.
"Tell me," she whispered, her heart full of dread.
"If I fail," he grumbled forcefully, "I have to destroy this world. These evil masks are too powerful." Romani dropped her bow in surprise. Her shadow fired a volley of arrows, and a glowing green wind blew from around Zak, forcing them off course. Daku's shadow leaped up high in the air, swinging its sword down mightily at them. Zak shoved Romani hard and rolled out of its way, and then spun up, slashing the shadow's back in a corkscrew fashion. After Daku's shadow fell through the mirrored floor, Romani's shadow shot two arrows into Zak's chest. He fell flat onto his back, shock on his face. Romani pulled out her slingshot and nailed her shadow right in between the eyes, knocking it through the floor.
Zak coughed, yanking the arrows out of himself one by one. Luckily, they hadn't pierced much further than the tip when they hit. He discarded the shadowy arrows and stared at Daku. "Tell me why," he demanded, "Why are you here? What are you planning?"
Daku arched an eyebrow, "Oh, right. You think the power of the mask is going to work on me. That's ador-" He fell to his knees and clutched the sides of his face. Daku let out a blood curling scream, scaring Romani half to death. She scrambled over, grabbed her bow, and aimed at him. Zak jumped up and stood between her and Daku.
"Stop!" he called out. She reached up and slapped him hard across the face, hurt.
"Why? I should kill you where you stand," she instead aimed at Zak, "It would save my home from you! I can't believe you, Zak. I trusted you, let you live in my house, and you were planning on killing everyone I've ever known this whole time?"
Zak gripped his Giant's Toothpick firmly in his hand, "No one's going to stop me from saving Termina, Romani. Not even you." The magical green wind erupted out of Zak again, this time it blew Romani out of the throne room. Once the doors closed, he turned his attention to his shrieking father. Zak advanced cautiously, and the room filled up with hundreds of Daku's shadows. He jumped to the side, grabbing his gilded sword while sliding across the mirrored floor on the shield on his back. Dozens of swords slashed down at the ground where he had been moments before.
A blinding white light shined underneath Daku's feet. "Impressive, farm boy. This one has more will than I expected. No matter. His is mine to control. Finish this." His father faded away with the echoing voice. Zak stared down the hundreds of clones nervously. He looked at their faces, and then had an idea. Zak sheathed his gilded sword and pulled out a blade of grass. He played a special song, one that he hadn't before. From the other side of the door, Romani's eyes widened. She had heard the song before. Her mind filled with images of a red-haired pony galloping across Romani Ranch with a boy in a green tunic on top...
The shadows swung their swords wildly, all collapsing into the mirrored floor at the same time. The floor cracked, and then exploded into countless shards. Zak played his song, and the fragments dissipated, leaving behind a white mask covered in red markings and an ominous eye. With a deft throw, Zak embedded his spear through it. A soft white light drifted up out of it before fading away. He retrieved his spear, opened the door, and was immediately punched off of his feet. Romani lowered her fist, tears in her eyes. She ran off, ignoring his repeated cries.