Ballad of the Hero & the Demon

by Cosmic Sky

Link was more than happy with the peace, but that doesn't last too long. As the hero of the land, he had a duty to fulfil. He's slain monsters, but does he have what it takes to slay a demon? What if there's more to this demon than meets the eye? Does he slay her or try to save her? This is the story of a Hero and a Demon, and the unlikely but treasured bond they forged.

2. Chapter 2-Night of the Demon

Hey, welcome to the second chapter of this crossover story. Last chapter was the buildup so here comes the big confrontation! I hope you all enjoy!

I do not own anything.

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Chapter 2-Night of the Demon

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You could say it was an early start to the day. Practically everyone was up and about; several were finding it hard to go back to sleep.

Link knew for sure that he wasn't going to be going back to sleep anytime soon. The unease and curiosity consuming him was all-consuming. It would keep his eyes open and constantly call out to him, demand he find an answer to the massacre that had taken place earlier. At least he wasn't alone in that goal.

Practically all of the Sheik had emerged from the camp to investigate the scene. A good number of soldiers had gotten up and road down to see what all the commotion was about. Shock, awe, and terror were the most common reactions, along with a little bit of relief. No one was shedding any tears for the raiders, though a handful were giving them some form of last rights to prevent evil spirits from potentially rising. Given the lingering presence of the darkness, Link wasn't exactly against that on the grounds of practicality.

Once autopsies were finished, every marauders' body was going in an unmarked mass grave. Unknown and unmourn by anyone, such was the fate of raiders who pillaged villages and left nothing but destruction and desolation in their wake. Now, they were the aftermath of another being's rampage; the words justice and karma were of course thrown around an awful lot. Another word he heard riding across the massacre site was omen.

His fists tightened as he stepped forward toward the remains of a massive Lynel. It wasn't the leader, but Link was willing to guess he was one of Irgoll's lieutenants. He lay split clean in half, crows eagerly picking at the innards that lay exposed to the elements. Link couldn't say that he was disgusted as he'd seen far worst in the past. As a matter of fact, he'd delivered such blows to Lynels in the past-cutting them clean down the middle with a powerful and well-crafted blade.

As he examined the corpse though, he could tell it wasn't a sword that killed the monster.

The warrior beside him concurred. "I've been around and I don't think it was a swordsman or woman that we're looking for."

Link laughed, "You're wishing it was, aren't you, Irina?" His fellow Hylian looked away with a dismissive frown, but Link could tell he'd hit the mark. In spite of the grimness of the sight, his fellow soldiers were finding little ways to stay positive. For those who savored the thrill of battle like Irina, that meant deducing what kind of enemy had done the deed.

Arms crossed, the long-haired Hylian looked to the corpse with mild disinterest. Like Link, she too had seen her fair share of gruesome sights. As such, this left her unphased, her only interests lay in trying to discern what had caused the deaths. She'd correctly concluded that no sword had slain any of the raiders attempting to cross into Hyrule. "No sword, but the darkness used could mimic a blade well enough. No sword this lot could put up was able to stop whatever it was that came upon them. All I've come across are broken blades. A damn shame."

Link wasn't alone in his laughter. "Ah, thinking of the weaponry, how typical of you, Irina. That said, I will say that you might have a point. Aside from their items and weapons, this lot had nothing of particular value, and what they had with them had likely been stolen. I'd suggest we return the stolen items, but I fear that they've already gone to the hereafter." The two Hylians looked behind them to see a human approaching, a very familiar human. His cobalt blue hair and steely gray eyes stood out amongst the carnage, along with his rather handsome face. Like the two of them, he was undisturbed by the gruesomeness around them. "Irina, I do hope you won't be wasting your time trying to reforge these swords, they're far better as scrap metal."

"Well, I won't exactly argue with you on that, Renato." The long-haired Hylian woman remarked. "Shattered weapons, including magical weapons meaning they were completely helpless against whoever did this."

"Would you be honest enough to tell us you're just a little bit worried?" The talkative soldier questioned.

Irina's sky-blue eyes briefly flickered to Link. It didn't go unnoticed by him or Renato, who quietly smirked at short glance. "A little. If we can't face threats such as whatever did this then we won't be worth much as an army, will we?"

It wasn't the first time Link had heard that saying. Ingram himself had said a version of it just the other day when they were called out here to face Irgoll and his approaching raiders. Now, here they were examining their remains, trying to figure out what had did them in. Whatever it was, practically everyone from veteran warriors to green recruits had the sinking feeling they were going to be facing it in battle. Would that saying hold true? After almost a year of training with many new army recruits, Link would venture yes. Versions of "this is what we train for" were going to be passed around a lot, no doubt as encouragement.

Personally…Link thought it was true. If they couldn't handle whatever had done this then they might as well have dissolved the Hyrulean national army. On a personal level…Link knew this wasn't something to run away from. He'd faced far worse than this before.

"Link," called his human compatriot. "Do you think it was the Yiga? Such dark magic surely is their trademark, right?"

"I'm not rolling it out, Renato. In fact, I'm really tempted to say they're probably involved, but…something about this just feels different. It feels a hell of a lot more…serious." The Hero of the Wilds said with a furrowed brow.

His two compatriots silently drunk in his words while looking around. Light had begun to brighten the sky with even traces of the sun on the horizon. As minutes bleed into more hours, the sunrise continued, spreading light across the land of Hyrule. Given the nature of Hebra region, sunrise played out a little differently. The warmth it brought wasn't as encompassing as it would have been for other regions. Sometimes, the sunrise wasn't even visible or even felt through the mountainous cold and at times snow. This wasn't one of those mornings though. Sunlight shined through blankets of gray clouds as night turned to day, a new day over Hyrule.

The sunlight provided miniscule warmth, but it was there. With its coming came the makings of camp and breakfast. Now that practically everyone was up, it was decided that all the morning rituals might as well begin, that included breakfast. Some chose to forgo it though, the remains of the raiders having killed their appetites. Still, a larger number of soldiers decided that it was best to put something in their stomachs. One reason might have been to take their minds off of the mess that had awoken them all and the uncertainty that loomed over them.

A line of separation ahd been drawn between the slaughter site and the camp grounds. Stacks of smoke rose into the morning sky as fires were going and food was cooked. No one imagined that they'd have a semi-peaceful meal with their would-be enemies' bodies lying several dozen meters away. Not that some let that stop them from eating.

Link couldn't say he was among them as he felt an invisible weight bearing down on his mind. It showed on his face.

"Hey, think someone else can take your place? It'd great if you could eat with some of us, it'd probably put us at ease." Trevor said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. Link had heard him coming, felt him even. Looking to the human with a benign smile, he shook his head. In spite of his silent answer, Trevor seemed determined to get him to lighten up. "Come on, let one of the other cooks take over. Let them get some practice in."

"You know, I actually agree with that, not that your cooking isn't top-tier, Link." A new voice sounded, signaling the entry of another into their conversation.

"Hehehe, you know, Captain Barbato…I…think you might be right." The Hylian's answer came as a surprise to the two humans, a happy surprise. Trevor in particular practically exploded with excitement before rushing off, no doubt to inform the army cooks that one of them would be filling in for the Hero of the Wilds.

Chuckling, Link turned his attention back to the soldier in front of him. Though he was the hero of the land and often hailed as Hyrule's greatest warrior, he was still a soldier in an army. Tatius Barbato was a soldier as well, but he was an army captain in command of hundreds of troops, several of him had traveled out here to head off Irgoll's raiders.

It wouldn't have been the first time the foreign warrior dealt with marauding bandits, and they wouldn't have been the first to fall to his axe. Link had seen said axe in action, and he could say that the black-haired foreigner was probably the best axe-user that he'd ever seen. Even the Master Sword and Hylian Shield had been given a good workout against the warrior's axe.

Stepping forward, the goateed man placed a shoulder on Link's shoulder. In spite of the rather brisk air, Link felt a sliver of warmth from the physical contact. "I know what you're thinking, that you have to be ready, that your next big fight is coming. It probably is, but you won't be fighting it alone. Look, the lot of us may not have a sword forged by the gods, but we damn well care about this land. It's home to us, and whatever or whoever it is, we're going to face it, and we're going to beat it."

Maybe it was wrong for Link to still need pep talks after everything he'd been through. He was in no ways a rookie, even a hundred years ago, he'd been a seasoned knight in spite of his young age. A hundred years ago, he'd been a quiet and solemn warrior who did as he was ordered and followed his instincts. Waking up after a hundred-year slumber, all he had were his instincts and an old order. Exploring Hyrule and battling the mundane and supernatural monsters that plagued it, freeing the Divine Beasts and slaying the Calamity Ganon. After all of that, could he still get nervous and need a pep talk?

The answer was actually yes. He may have achieved great feats, but behind those feats was still a young man who couldn't shake the feeling that he was going to fail. Link had already failed once, and that failure would haunt him and Hyrule for the rest of time. But that wasn't the end.

Looking into the azure eyes of the axe man, Link was reminded of the fact that many in the new army had been drawn to Hyrule thanks to him. They'd heard tales of a mysterious lone warrior scouring the wilds, slaying monsters, discovering lost treasures, and reclaiming a whole kingdom. Briefly looking past Tatius, he saw the line that extended beyond him. Several soldiers looked like they were still trying to wake themselves up, but as they sensed his gaze, they shaped up. Smiles ad thumbs up were thrown his way; Link's lips slowly curled into a smile. The support and encouragement was…well, Link still struggled to get used to it sometimes.

"Captain Barbato, thank you." The Hylian said with a slight bow.

"Hahaha, if you really want to thank me, I'll take one bowl of cooked bacon."

"Whaaat!?"

"Come on, captain! Save some for the rest of us!"

"This is Link's last serving!"

"What the hell! We want some of his cooking too!"

Link burst into laughter at the collective groans and complaints from those behind the captain. He could have done the heartless thing and simply walked away after serving the axe-wielder, but he had a compassionate heart. A hundred-year slumber hadn't been able to rob him of that. "Alright, alright! I'll take a couple more orders before taking my break!" He shouted. The explosion of relief was almost the equivalent of thunder.

"No offense Captain Barbato, but could you hurry up! The rest of us are starving!"

"You know, I'm thinking you may just have to schedule a cooking class just as much as another combat seminar." Trevor whispered into his ear.

"However will I find the time." Link mocking pondered with an ear-to-ear grin. Cooking for himself had been…relaxing. Cooking for others? He'd managed to find something genuinely exciting and even comforting in the act. Without a doubt, the simplicity of it was that he had people to give him feedback, and eat with. Those were nice things to have, incredibly nice things to have.

-O-

Dozens of fires had been started around breakfast groups to keep both themselves and the food warm. Even with the onset of spring, the region's trademark chilly air was on display. In the case of some fires, they were born and sustained via magic.

Din's Fire, I wonder if I should actually try learning that spell. Maybe I can combine it with Daruk's Protection. It'd probably make for a pretty awesome fire barrier that could maybe even kill a Frost Lynel if it's got enough power. There were a myriad of sayings in Hyrule, some of which had developed over the course of his century's long sleep. One that preceded them though was that you couldn't take the warrior out of the man-once a warrior always a warrior. That had practically been a motto in his family. Link knew his warrior upbringing was the reason why he tended to view things through a battle-focused lens. When he awoke and found himself in a wild and untamed Hyrule, he learned to be grateful for that-it was him against a land of monsters of all shapes and sizes.

He still thought that way now that most of the monsters had been slain. By now, it'd just became instinctive of him. Part of those ingrained instincts told him to prepare himself-whatever had caused that slaughter was still lurking in Hyrule.

Countering that instinctive voice was the more jovial part of himself. He was amongst friends, so maybe he could afford to relax.

Renato was certainly trying to get Irina to take it ease with a mixture of flirting and jokes, as was typical of him. He caught his fellow Hylian's gaze as he took his seat. Minor as it was, he caught how her eyes briefly twinkled when he smiled at her.

"You know, this isn't quite how I pictured us having breakfast out here. As a matter of fact, I actually thought we'd be skipping it." The foreign warrior remarked.

"That actually makes two of us." Trevor spoke up. "I know what the timeline for Irgoll's arrival was supposed to be, but I couldn't help but feel like we'd be fighting off some scouts or something by now. Or preparing fortifications."

"In the snow? Eh, no thanks." Renato said with a shake of his head and a frown. "I've done that before and it's not fun."

Not for the first time, Link looked to his foreign comrade with a raised eyebrow. The New Hyrulean Army was composed of native Hylians and hundreds of foreigners. No one was exactly picky and everyone was more than a little curious of each other. Foreigners who'd never seen Hylians before were quick to take note of their pointed ears. Hylians in turn were somewhat quick to notice whatever particular quirks the foreigners brought with them. That extended to the army where fighting styles met and blended with each other. In that blending went personalities that were strange and for some, otherworldly.

Renato wasn't exactly otherworldly, but there was undoubtedly a great deal of mystery surrounding the blue-haired swordsman. For starters, his cobalt blue hair was unlike anything Link or any other Hylian had ever seen before. As for his skirt-chasing? Oh yes, that was much more understandable, and after a time, normal to accept. Renato made a point to flirt with almost every pretty girl he came across, including his fellow soldiers like Irina. By the grace of his surprising combat ability, respect and even friendship had been formed. Still, the social man was a walking mass of mysteries that even Link had yet to decipher after a full year of befriending him.

"Fighting in the snow…it'd certainly be dramatic, and a worthy challenge." Irina said in response to Renato's statement. Her normally cool and detached expression broke into a grin as she leered at her human compatriot. "Look on the bright side of it, Renato, we wouldn't have to worry about bugs. Or rather, you wouldn't have to worry about bugs."

Laughter exploded from the rest of the group while the human hung his head in shame.

"You know, unless Irgoll's army had a summoner who could summon swarms of killer bees or locusts. I heard there's a couple of spells for that." Link spoke up. Normally, he wouldn't have done this sort of thing, but he'd became quite social since his adventure. Plus, it was fun jumping on his friend's insect phobia from time to time.

"Hey, Link, years back, wasn't Hyrule home to some giant bugs? I think I remember one guarding a forest temple?" Trevor added. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw how every word spoke was making Renato tremble in disgust more and more. Sure, he could have stopped, but other human felt like maybe there wasn't any harm to be found in pushing him a little further over the edge. Just a little. "What was its name again? Stag…Stag…"

"Do we really have to talk about this over breakfast!" The blue-haired swordsman cried.

"Stagnox! I just remembered! Supposedly faced by one of the incarnations of the Emerald Hero!" Link proclaimed with a snap of his fingers.

"So, another one of your ancestors…or…reincarnations." Link shrugged in response to your question. "Well, the good news is the monstrosity was slain and its bones have surely long since turned to dust by now."

"Unless it was part of a species and there's still hundreds if not thousands more out there." Irina casually offered. "Who knows, maybe some of them could have adapted to the snow."

"One could be hiding out here right now." Trevor remarked with a thoughtful expression. "Hmm, maybe one could have caused the massacre."

Renato's face went from disgusted to annoyed. "Okay, I get you're all trying to scare me, but for Pete's sake, at least keep your scares grounded in the realm of reality." Even as he said that, he swerved his gaze to Link, no doubt seeking confirmation.

Chuckling, Link figured that they'd teased the blue-haired human enough for one morning. "I think we can safely say that whatever caused this wasn't insectoid, or at least not a kabuto beetle. Not even a pincer beetle because the slash marks are too…clean for that." A hand went to his thumb as his mind immediately jumped back to the gruesome imagery. It didn't at all hamper his ability to eat breakfast, nor did his words unsettle his three comrades around him. "The stick of dark magic though felt a tad…different."

"Different? Different how?" Irina questioned.

"It's tough for me to explain." The blond Hylian admitted. "To be honest, I can't, but if I had to, it just felt…different."

"Darkness can come in different flavors?" Trevor remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"According to stories, the Sheik were users of shadow magic, and eons ago there existed the Dark Interlopers, who would become the people of Twili." Link explained.

"And whose queen would one day go on to marry a Hylian, the legendary Hero of Twilight after one hell of an adventure together." Renato mused with a wily smile. Beside him, Irina simply rolled her eyes, but said nothing. "In support of Link, I somewhat agree. Back in my homeland, dark magic no doubt exists, though not all practitioners are evil. Now, slight unhinged to deranged, but not all of them are evil. In fact, practicing the dark arts have actually done a little to improve the looks of a few." It was then that Irina reached over and lightly pinched the human's cheek.

Link smirked at the display, though he did ultimately take Renato's words to heart. He knew the story of the Hero of Twilight, saving not only the realm of light but the realm of shadows as well, and eve marrying the princess of the latter, whom he adventured with. To him, it wasn't just a story…he knew in his heart that it was history. A part of his family history. Even if darkness isn't always evil, it's not something that you should invite. I know that Hyrule definitely doesn't need it now. He felt his swords hands instinctively flex, like they were dying to grip the Sword that Seals the Darkness.

"Hey, Link, you've lived amongst the Sheik long enough, right? How come they left their shadow magic behind?" Trevor's voice sounded.

In a heartbeat, he was brought back to the present and back into the conversation. Sighing, he sat upright and looked to the morning sky. It was still a sheet of gray clouds; he spotted a few morning snowflakes beginning to fall. He doubted it'd turn into anything more. "No clue, but…maybe it had something to do with people getting scared of them. Hyrule is a kingdom generally aligned to the light, and the Sheik are a people of shadow and darkness. Still, that didn't make them evil, just…prone to being misunderstood. That's how we got the Yiga Clan."

Irina's nose wrinkled at the mention of the murderous cult. Renato took notice of this, yet he politely remained silent. Whenever the Yiga were mentioned, he always seemed to remain respectfully silent, especially in the presence of the reformed Yiga.

Link looked far to his right where one group was eating alone from all the others. That's how it always was, and how it would likely remain for months, maybe even years to come.

"Do you guys think the Yiga had something to do with this?" Renato's voice was calm, showing his neutral stance in where the conversation had gone, or rather where it was going. Not once did he look in the same direction that Link had. "Whatever was cable of that kind of carnage would no doubt be a boon for them."

"I have a sinking feeling they're involved in this. After all, dabbling in dark magic is well within their capability." Link admitted. "What I'm curious about is how they would go about this. Not to mention this seems a little more…theatrical. Now, Kohga, I can see sort of going for this, but-"

"You mean the master of the Yiga Clan?" Trevor inferred.

"The last master. I've heard reports that they have a new master, though no one knows how it is." Irina said. "Based on what I've heard, anyone would be an improvement over that buffoon."

"Irina, you do realize that means more trouble for us, right?" Trevor interjected with a raised eyebrow.

Taking a bite out of her sausage, Irina looked none too perplexed. "Arguably so, but that means a greater challenge for us."

The dirty blond hung his head in laughter. "Yes, I suppose that's another…somewhat valid way to look at it." Turning his green eyes to Link, he asked, "Again, was the leader of the Yiga truly that much of a buffoon?"

"He was…" There really was no reason for him to defend what little there was of Kohga's honor. He was the leader of a monster-worshipping cult that was capable of theft, lying, and murder, especially murder. Link thought maybe he was trying to protect the honor of his countrymen since the question commonly came up-if Master Kohga was such an idiot, why hadn't anyone taken him out earlier? "He was more theatrics than substance." Link finally said.

Laughter broke out amongst his trio of friends. It wasn't the most direct answer, but it was telling. Before long, Link joined them.

"Ahem, Master Link, I don't mind to interrupt your breakfast, but your presence has been requested at, er, command." A new voice popped up.

Ear immediately, Link whipped around to find himself staring into the cherry-red eyes of a teenage Sheik He immediately looked at the whole face and knew the identity of the messenger. "Thanks for letting me know, Suikon." Placing his nearly finished bowl on the ground, he looked to the rest of his friends. "Here's hoping I'll be back with good news."

"Here's hoping you come back and you tell us we can move to some place a tad sunnier." Renato jested. "Or, you know, anything useful about what we'll be up against."

"We'd really appreciate that sort of info." Trevor chirped in.

Link gave his friends a mock salute as he departed, "You have my word guys, you'll all know." Once they were out of earshot, he turned to the Sheikah archer. "Have they found out anything?"

"I'm guessing so! I hope so!" The eighteen-year-old warrior said. "Seriously, I'm in the dark just like you, just like everyone! And I really wanna know!"

"Well, we're about to find out."

The atmosphere itself seemed to change as they came to the central tent that housed the Queen of Hyrule, her advisors, and the nation's leading commanders, including Link himself. It seemed like hours ago when he'd been inside of it, having been pulled from his sleeping tent and hauled in to be informed of the new situation. Now, he was hoping for some clarity.

Looking at the brain mounted on a pedestal, he felt he was going to get some, albeit in an…unconventional manner.

Suikon shuffled uncomfortably beside him. Clearly, he was happy he was staying in the loop, but the present of the still fresh brain was…disorienting to say the least.

"I'm assuming you…got it to talk." Link whimsically asked pointing at the removed organ.

Ingram tried to maintain a stoic face, but it was clear even he was a little…startled. The Hylian quietly wondered if he'd been there when the brain was removed. "In a manner of speaking. I heard a rumor that the brain can actually survive a few seconds after death."

"It turns out to actually be minutes, and with the help of magic, perhaps even hours." To her credit, Zelda looked normal, perfectly normal. Link shot her a crooked smile that got her giggling. She knew he'd recovered enough of his memories to know that she had a certain way about her. Oh, she was a scholar and a bit of a scientist, and that gave her a certain fortitude that was to be admired and weirded out by. "We were able to activate a couple of brains and record enough images to grasp a loose picture of what happened."

Link did a silent nod with his head, then indicated to the brain, which had an array of wires connecting it to a Sheikah slate. Said slate was touched and tapped and lastly sat on a nearby table. The projection sprung to life for all inside the tent to see.

The video started off exactly as one would expect-the brain's former occupant marching with the rest of the raiders. A darken night sky dotted with starts hung overhead. Multiple bodies stood on either side of the slain raider, then they all came to a stop. The video distorted, which Link attributed to the owner feeling the tension in the air. There was a murmur of confusion through army, the everyone was whipping their weapons out.

It didn't much good as up ahead, there was an explosion of dark magic. The entire front row was blown away. Link wished the raider had looked directly ahead immediately, but he did look ahead. Unfortunately, all he saw was a winged, black blur. Without knowing it, he leaned forward, watching the video as closely as possible.

After the initial attack, Irgoll attempted to get his troops in order, but those same troops were falling dead to the ground. Blue eyes intensely watched every blow, punches coated in dark energy, their impact was more akin to cannonballs and bombs going off. Body parts flew all over the place, monster and human alike. When it wasn't a punch or occasional kick, it was dark energy blasts. Link didn't think of Guardian lasers, they were nothing compared to what he saw. They were blasts, the sort that blew holes in fortress walls. Understandably, the marauders were completely annihilated. The suspicion that he had that some bodies had been completely destroyed was proven correct.

The death screams of the would-be marauders lingered in Link's pointed ears.

Those death screams were countered by the war cries of those who continued to fight. Link was glad that the raider was amongst the group as he finally got a clear image of the so-called demon.

Hair as white as snow, but it wasn't like the Sheik's. It stood up, animated by dark power, which coated the demon like an aura. Said demon was female, a woman. She was covered in a red one-piece body suit. Aside from her wings, her arms and legs were clawed, looking more like warped gauntlets with crimson cracks; speaking of which, Link took note of the crack-like scar over her right eye. It seeped with a familiar toxic substance, malice. That same substance swirled in her eyes, red as blood. Link felt himself shiver in unease just by looking at them through the eyes of a slain bandit.

Whoever she was, her grinned with malicious glee.

Surprisingly, the video didn't cut off there. Somehow, the raider managed to get out of the way of the coming attack. He looked up at the sky, spotting the she-demon flying overhead, then coming back down with a downward punch. Again, the video didn't end as the owner of the brain managed to scramble away just in time to avoid that attack, just barely though.

As he stood up, his vision darkening, he saw the she-demon prepare an orb of dark energy. A second later and the orb exploded, a barrage of smaller spheres shooting out. The tent went silent as there was a loud boom, then the video feed began to shake. It was clear what had happened. Bloody gasps and groans preceded a thud; the feed correspondingly became one of the night sky. Violent screams and shouting continued to fill the air as the feed began to go dark, then cutting out completely.

Link was quietly amazed at how…calm he was, yet on a slight part of him remained on edge. "…How many more brains have you…ahem, did anyone see anything else?"

"We're currently looking at several brains, trying to piece together what happened." Zelda replied, not missing a beat in such a statement. "Link,"

"Let me see them." He said with a resigned expression on his face. It was a blessing he had such a strong stomach, in both a figurative and literal sense.

At least he wouldn't be completely heading back to his comrades with no news. He could at least tell them they're going up against a she-demon who enjoys causing death and pain. Nothing too out there for a rebuilding army to fight, right?

---

Castle Town, Afternoon…

Two years ago, Castle Town was a graveyard of ruins. Over the century, only a handful of people went by to mourn the glory of what had once been the kingdom capital. There were others who came with the intention of digging up whatever they could-once common places items turned to treasures of the modern world.

Link remembered how Zelda had tightened up upon first laying eyes on the ruins. Admittedly, when he regained his memories, he couldn't help but look at them in a new, more sorrowful manner.

Come of that sorrow remained for the both of them, day by day it lessened. Day by day, the capital city was being rebuilt.

Link occasionally glanced out the window of the library to look over the town. Sometimes, work continued on throughout the night, but during the day it was omnipresent. That dedication had allowed it to go from looking like ruins to an actual town. While it wasn't a match for what it once was, it would be again someday; some optimistic builders boasted that they would surpass the Castle Town of old.

At the rate things were going, Link was fairly confident that such a thing might become a reality before he actually started looking the tiniest bit like his age. Assuming they were able to find whatever demon that had found its way to Hyrule.

A sudden thud made him relocate his gaze from the window to the front. Zelda was standing over him, a stack of books sitting right in front of him. The intent was clear.

"Anything so far?" He asked reaching over and taking the first one off the shelf.

The queen let out a heavy sigh. "Nothing absolute so far. I have some theories, as do several others, but so far we still have little to no idea what sort of demon we're dealing with here."

"Well, whatever it is, at least we have the power of light on our side, right?"

Zelda's laughter echoed across the library. It made the other researchers and scholars look up with looks of surprise on their faces. Slowly, that surprise turned into joy with others merely curving their lips in benign smiles. With just her voice, she completely shifted the mood of the library, albeit Link was to thank for that. All the scholars around the rebuilt library, yet it fell to him to give the most direct answer.

Still, that direct answer was lay beyond a darkened road where dangers could still leap out ad attack. For that reason, a mass research attempt was under way.

Much of Hyrule Castle's interior had been left intact despite the century long absence of life. As a sealed mass of evil intent, Calamity Ganon wasn't able to ransack the place; the blight's presence had also kept away potential looters, most of them anyway. Further miraculous developments had allowed certain things to survive. For books, that was a blessing, albeit for many the ink had begun to fade in many requiring some extra work to be made legible. With all those things out of the way, there was only one complication left-finding something useful.

So far, no one could claim that they had. The description of a winged she-demon was specific yet so generalized. Not to mention no one knew if what they'd seen was the demon's true form or only one of many forms it could take. There were still so many unknowns, yet Zelda had decided to lead the effort to find one potential piece of information they could use. Naturally, her subjects, Hylian, and human alike, followed after her. Link and a couple of soldiers certainly did.

In spite of his own comment, Link still felt a continued bit of unease gnawing at him. He knew it was gnawing at Zelda too. True, they did possess the power of light on their side, but they still didn't know who or what they were up against. They could easily be killed if they went into this blind and foolhardy. Link hated the thought of that, and he wasn't going to allow Zelda to be put in any serious danger.

Casting a quick glance around the library, he felt the protective desire burning for everyone. Harnessing that fire, he began to comb through the collection of books just as Zelda had done and everyone else were doing. His eyes immediately read through lines upon lines of texts, examining pictures that raged from detailed to mere outlines. The winged she-demon was a constant in his mind and he compared it to what he saw in front of him.

He couldn't quite say he felt scared because…a part of him honestly didn't. While he'd no doubt seen a powerful monster, he'd faced dozens of those before. The sadistic grin the creature bore on its face was no different from monsters who enjoyed terrorizing villages. At the end of the day, the she-demon was another monster he was going to have to slay, no matter how much of a struggle it would be. Link was prepared for the struggle to cost him, potential an arm, a leg…or his life.

"Ah, that's good. That steel determination of yours, that's the mark of a true warrior, and a true defender. Hold onto it, Link. No matter what darkness stands before you, don't let your heart retreat in fear. Even if it trembles, push forward."

His concentration was temporarily broken. The image of the she-demon was broken by old faces, faces that he secretly wished he was able to look at it. Link knew he couldn't though, his memories, his dreams, and photographs were the only place where they could be found. He could imagine what many of those faces would be saying to him, something along the lines of what he'd just heard in his head.

A whimsical thought entered his mind, how many of those faces would he see beside him in the library like him? He didn't think his sister would be among them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tea cup being sat down atop the table he was at. Looking up, he stared into the familiar red eyes of a certain someone. His lips curved into a smile causing her cheeks to blush. "You're an awful long way from Kakariko Village, Paya. Glad to have you here."

For several seconds, the granddaughter of the village chieftain looked like she'd either faint or her head would explode; typical behavior for Paya. "G-G-G-Grandm-Grandmother thought it best I-I-I come to Hyrule Castle to help with the research! A-A-A-An attempt to in her words get me out of the village."

"How's it been so far?" Link asked with a smile.

She held the circular tray to her chest, her blush receding yet the smile on her face continued to shine. "So far, it's been…amazing. This is my first time visiting Hyrule Castle, and my first time really visiting Castle Town. It's all so amazing. Everything here is so much bigger than Kakariko Village." Meeting his eye, Link saw an all too familiar twinkle in her eyes as she gave him a slight bow. Now it was his turn to blush pink. "T-T-Thank you, Master Link, for making all of this possible."

Nervously scratching his head, he looked away. "I-I just…I kept a lot of people waiting."

"But eventually you came through for us all. Just like you will now." The teenage Sheik affirmed.

Link had been on the receiving end of a lot of compliments, most of which always left him feeling a little embarrassed. Though he knew he was still ultimately a soldier, in the eyes of so many, he'd became something more. In a way, he was living up to the expectations that had been set for him, and in some ways thrusted upon him. A hundred years ago, they terrified him into silence. He would have also quietly waved off Paya's compliment and encouragement.

Giving her a smile born from her assurance and his own confidence, he said, "Thank you, Paya."

He watched the white-haired girl walk away, steam still bellowing from her ears. This didn't go unnoticed by the others in the library. Several looked back at him and playfully rolled his eyes and winked. He heard the word "lady killer" being thrown his way, and not for the first time.

After a sip of his tea, he went back to the task at hand. Link crossed his fingers that the name would only end up being literally applied to one lady in particular.

---

Akkala Citadel, Night…

"Alright! Come at me, you overgrown rust bucket!"

Being robots, Guardians didn't have emotions, or faces for that matter. Still it almost seemed like the magical machine took the Hylian's words to heart; it threw itself at the soldier with its glowing pincer-like arms.

KLANG! KLANG!

And they were met with the soldier's two gauntlet-covered fists. Sparks flew from the collision of attacks, and more followed as the two fighters began a fierce brawl. It was a pair of humanoid fists and a set of tentacle-like arms. In spite of the lankier nature of the latter, they displayed equal strength to the powered gauntlets they were clashing with. Each collision created a small shockwave in the air, the lot of them blending together into a deafening thunder that rung across the arena, and throughout the inner layers of the fortress. It was certainly attention grabbing.

His face split in a grin, the Hylian suddenly grabbed the Guardian's arms and pulled back. The mechanized entity weighed more than twice his weight and resisted his pull, but it didn't matter. Green eyes cackling with excitement, his grin turned into a mighty roar as he heaved the ancient machine overhead. He briefly watched it collide with the forcefield that had been erected around their arena, sparks flying and the monocular eye blinking several times, a clear indicator that the machine was in pain. Rushing forward with his right fist reeled back, he planned on dealing even more damage to the construct.

It wasn't going to go down easily though. The glowing eye pulsated, embers of blue flame and light manifested around the Guardian, then condensed into a translucent barrier. It took the brunt of the charging Hylian's attack, his face morphing into a grimace as he found himself trying to punch through the forcefield. While he'd cracked barriers before, this one was putting up quite a fight.

Shoving its body forward, the brown-haired Hylian was knocked back. The barrier shattered, and in that moment the Guardian struck out with its claws, nailing him in the gut, then smacking him over the head with its other pincer arm. Reeling its right arm back, it launched it forward expecting to deliver a knockout blow to the teenage soldier.

Spying the attack coming, the boy threw up his chrome silver gauntlets just in time to block the blow. He grunted feeling his feet sliding across the ground. More punches came as the Guardian went on the offensive. It was an impressive onslaught, but the young soldier wasn't about to give up.

Energy amassed in his silver gauntlets causing them to glow. As it continued its assault, the Guardian took notice of this, sensing the energy build up. Coming to a quick decision, it jumped back and trained its eye laser on the Hylian soldier. The soldier sprinted forward causing the pottery-like robot to fire its laser…and it hit absolutely nothing.

THOMMM!

Its lone eye spun about as its body was knocked off to the side, its circuits howling in pain. Coming to a stop, it saw the Hylian having moved to its right side, a proud grin on his face. Instead of throwing another punch directly at the machine, he hit the ground, sending forth a shockwave that temporarily disoriented the Guardian.

His right arm rose, then slammed into the ground sending forth a burst of energy. With a blast, the Guardian was launched upward to the night sky. Both arms reeled back, the Hylian launched himself upward, delivering a powerful uppercut to the Guardian knocking it further into the air. He didn't look down at the ground, which now seemed so far away. His spirits were actually higher than his body, and still rising.

Rearing back his right force, he channeled his strength into it, causing the gauntlet-covered hand to blaze with bluish-white energy. With such might, he'd be able to annihilate a fully functioning Guardian in a single blow, much less one that had been continuously dented such as his opponent.

The Guardian's singular eye swerved to look at the coming attack. Blue light raced up and down the machine's body, eventually condensing into its eye. A bluish-white blaze formed in front of it, the it shot outward as a larger-than-normal energy beam. The beam and the fist collided in mid-air, illuminating the night sky and the walls of the fortress. Spectators watching from those walls whistled and gasped in awe at the collision.

It lasted for a few seconds, then the light faded and both combatants began their descent toward the ground. Both of them hit the ground with a battle-ready stance, especially the Hylian. Sweat had begun to drip down his brow. Smashing both his fists together, he made ready for another attack. Detecting that, the Guardia prepared to do the same, it hadn't even come close to exhausting its energy supply, plus it was definitely still in fighting condition. Its lone eye continuously flickered as it looked to its opponent.

Pincer claws snapped at empty air as if to issue a challenge. The Hylian took it, dashing straight for him.

"Channing! That's enough!"

Thump!

"W-W-W-What?! What do you mean enough, Commander Alderdice!" Shouted the teenage soldier. To his dismay, the commander of the newly refurbished Akkala Citadel merely shrugged his shoulders. Plus a slight apologetic smile. "I was just getting started!"

"Yes, but what you displayed was more than enough. Besides, we don't need you banging up this thing too badly." The older Hylian declared, folding his arms over his chest. Channing groaned and hung his head in defeat. "You did good, Channing, be proud of that. Be patient and wait a little while longer. You'll get your chance."

Eventually, the brawler looked up to see the technicians and blacksmiths mulling around the now deactivated Guardian. Channing couldn't help but frown at the sight. It looked much cooler when it was active and trying to smash him into a bloody pulp.

"Ever heard the saying, be careful what you wish for?"

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard of it, Russell." The male brunette groaned. His best friend's golden blond sharply contrasted the night sky that hung above both of their hands. It also contrasted his sharp blue eyes, eyes that always analyzed everything. Fitting for an archer, and perhaps even an up incoming sorcerer. Offering his hand, he helped Channing up. "Hey, they worked great!"

"Naturally, after all, I wet over the specs for these things myself, and the enchantments." Russell cackled with a gleam in his glasses. That gleam died as his smile turned from slightly sinister to benign. "Be patient, you'll get your day. I highly doubt we're going to see a lifetime of peace, no matter how good that would be." The words were spoken with a somber note that wasn't lost on the brawler.

"You know, I'm not surprised that you've been thinking about that massacre in the northwest. Heard that none of the monsters survived. Can't say I'm sad about their deaths though."

"No one is, the tragedy is that something else got to them before we could." Channing gave his friend a dry stare that he shrugged at. Even though they were polar opposites on multiple levels, one thing that seemingly united Channing Waddell and Russell Verlow was their hunger for battle. It was one of the factors that led them to joining the new army.

Up ahead of them loomed Akkala Fortress. A hundred years ago, it'd been one of the pride and joys of Hyrule's military, then it became its last bastion, and finally it became the "army's graveyard". Not so much now. Multiple torches illuminated the exterior and interior as hundreds of soldiers buzzed about like a beehive. Akkala natives had found it a welcome change over the past century. Albeit a few complaints had been made about the noise. It was hard to rebuild a fortress and train a new army without making a little bit of noise, the first crack of dawn to the stroke of midnight.

Midnight was still several hours away, and waiting in front of it was dinner, which Channing was looking forward to. "So, you know what they're cooking in the mess hall? Or who's cooking?"

"I hear it's Erskine's turn to cook, so you get a good work out and a good meal." The blond casually fired off.

The male brunette made a face. "I wouldn't exactly call that a good work out. I was just barely getting started."

"You worked up a sweat, and you gave me a chance to test these out." Save for some fading singe marks, there wasn't a scratch to be found on the silver gauntlets. That fact filled Russell with a sense of pride, yet he couldn't help but wonder what improvements could be made. His strait-laced friend had a point-to really see what they were capable of he was going to need a bigger challenge. "Maybe another fight can be arranged at the end of the week. How'd you feel if it was against a better opponent?"

Expectedly, Channing's face split into a grin. "Come on! Use that noble blood of yours to pull some strings! Get me someone strong! Hell, get me Link!"

"Oh, if only, and it was just a suggestion! On top of that, I don't feel safe putting my gauntlets up against the Master Sword!" Russell shouted.

"Ah, come on! It'd be awesome! I only sparred with him once!"

"He kicked your ass."

"He's Champion of Hyrule, he kicks everyone's asses, including Gerudo. Think I could fight one of them?"

"You could travel there and challenge their warriors. It'll be something to see you do battle in a disguise." Russell quipped with a grin.

Channing's face went beat red from a mix of anger and embarrassment. "No way! I'm never doing that again! Never!"

"But you looked so lovely dressed in a drag. Why, I was thinking of maybe-"

BOOM!

Neither of them knew how far back they'd been flung, only that they were lying on their backsides and in pai. Pure pain that rung their bodies like a pair of bells. They were pretty sure blood was pouring from their ears, it certainly was from their noses and lips. Every breath was a pain as it felt like their chests had been caved in leaving their lungs with little ability to function. Still, they sucked in air as best they could; both young soldiers inhaled smoke and ashes leading to hacking coughs.

Channing sat upright, even as he felt a nonstop ringing in his ears and his eyesight was blurred. "The…hell…was that? A…bomb?"

"No…no." If not for the magic enchantment of his glasses, they'd have cracked. Russell wasn't in a hurry to push that protective enchantment, but he had a sinking feeling running away wasn't an option. "Magic…t-t-that was magic."

"Guess you'd…know, 'ole buddy." Running his hands over his face, Channing finally felt the ringing come to an end. Even the pain was fading. Looking straight ahead at the entrance to the fortress, he recognized that whatever agony he was in, it was nothing compared to what he was about to walk into. "Rus," he called offering his hand.

Taking it, the bespectacled soldier got to his feet. He quietly looked around for the gauntlet container, spotting it several feet away. Pushing his glasses up, he walked toward it, ignoring the panic breaking out around him. Russell walked over to Channing and handed them to him; he held out his right hand summoning his personalized Soldier's Bow. "Stay sharp."

They stumbled their way through the outer wall into the fortress' interior; every step they felt the hairs across their bodies stand up on end. Danger lay up ahead and they knew it.

They heard it all around them. The pair felt their teeth rattle as the fortress walls were shaken by what sounded like explosions, multiple explosions. Russell called them what they were-magic. Even Channing could tell it was magic, the air was charged with magical energy, and not just ay magical energy. Channing had seen Malice before and he remembered how it made his skin crawl and his stomach churn in fearful disgust. He had that feeling now, and it was getting stronger.

The ground beneath the teenage soldiers shook nearly knocking them to their knees. Another explosion went off scattering debris across the sky. Glancing upward, they saw amongst the debris were bodies, their comrades. Hearts pounding, they ran forward toward the epicenter of the explosion.

A heartbeat later and the "epicenter" found them.

Appearing in the blink of an eye, fending off a swordsman, the entity appeared. Channing ad Russell had only seconds to drink in her fearsome form, but those seconds were enough for them to realize what they were facing a demon. The dark aura, the wicked wings, and the clawed hands were all dead give aways.

The single-edged Sheikah blade was raised and brought down by the swordsman, but it was parried by the she-demon's left fist. Her right fist drove straight into his gut, a blast of dark energy utterly eviscerated his stomach in an instant.

"Y-Y-You…you bitch!" Channing screamed, rushing forward ready to avenge his fallen comrade. Behind him, Russell regained his composure and hung back, notching an arrow to cover his friend.

BOOM!

Channing's gauntlet-covered fist and the demon's left hand collided, releasing a miniature shockwave. The latter seemed impressed at the Hylian wasn't blown away by the force of her attack. That was the signal for her to start throwing more punches, which was exactly what she did. Naturally, Channing met the barrage with one of his own, his arms turning into silver blurs that constantly collided with the demoness' fists. The Hylian's face was one of righteous fury while the she-demon's wore an expression of malicious glee. She was enjoying this, yet it was clear she wasn't taking this seriously.

She wasn't blind to the other soldier either. While still maintain her standoff with Channing, she watched the other soldier, an archer, move in behind her. She chuckled at the attempted sneak-attack. Her tail rose and flicked against the two incoming arrows.

BZZZZZAAAT!

Which weren't normal arrows; they were a shock and a bomb arrow respectively. The she-demon's expression became one of genuine surprise as her tail was suddenly assailed by a burst of electricity and explosive heat. In front of her, Channing saw his chance and went in for a right jab. He missed.

"Hmmph!" Driving her right fist forward, the demon expected to plow straight through the teenage soldier, yet she hit nothing but air. Her red-tinted eyes traced him as he spun to the side, an excellent evasion that spoke of his skill under pressure. Her pointed ears twitched hearing the sound of more arrows flying through the air. Arrows behind her and a fist to the side, a well-executed two-pronged attack. "Useless but impressive." She said in a whisper. Flexing her wings out, she exerted a tiny fraction of her power, releasing it as sheer force that deflected both attacks. Deeming the archer a greater threat, she turned to face him. "You first."

To his credit, Russell remained composed, his blue eyes glaring back at the she-demon as she approached him. "No, monster." His right hand glowing with magical energy, he slammed it into the ground erecting a mystical barrier around himself. It nearly cracked to pieces at the first punch of the demoness, but it held long enough for him to get off a point-blank shot with a bomb freeze arrow. Russell jumped back, quickly firing off two fire arrows that hit the mark. Reddish-orange flames quickly consumed the spreading ice sheet ad consumed the she-devil.

She was hardly phased by the combination attack. "Ahh, that's cute. It certainly hurt more than any of the other-!" Her left hand rose, catching the incoming jab sent by Channing. "Hahaha! How that's even cuter!"

Russell's glasses gleamed, completely obscuring his eyes from sight. "I'm sure you'll love this then."

Snap!

Sensing the sudden shift in power, the she-demon looked down at the gauntlets with a little more attention. She saw the sudden accumulation of magical energy, evident by the weapons gaining bright blue outlines and the force behind them increasing. Quickly catching on, Channing slammed his right fist forward, arcs of lightning jumping between the two fists then fusing together. The resulting explosion was blinding and ground-shaking.

Stumbling backward, the she-demon no longer had a look of amusement on her face, she was looking at the charging Channing with a hint of seriousness in her gaze. He had the willpower and the skill, but now it seemed he had a little bit more power, enough to potentially pose a bigger threat to her. Wisps of dark magic encircled her hands, which were thrown forward as punches. They collided with the soldier's barrage of punches, black and blue constantly duking it out.

"You throw some good punches, but not good enough!" Shouted the she-demon. Her right jab failed to pulverize his head, but a bloody gash opened up on his cheek. Undeterred, he continued his assault. Until she caught his fists in her hands. "Ahhh, you thought you could punch me to death?"

"It's worked for plenty of monsters before you!" Channing shouted.

"I'm of a different sort, kid." Her wings shot out, all but stating what she planned on doing. Channing refused to look afraid as he glared into the she-devil's murderous red eyes. He was daring her to make her next move. Maliciously giggling, she prepared to take flight with her mortal opponent. Her grin fell apart as she realized her wings weren't carrying her skyward like they normally would. Her nose wrinkled as she sensed a sudden build up of magical energies. Snapping her head to the right, she saw the archer had been chanting, a ring of mystical runes surrounding him.

Quickly realizing what was going on, the she-devil broke from Channing and attempted to rush Russell. Beads of sweat rolled down the bespectacled warrior's forehead as he felt death itself coming at him. Luckily, his best friend held it back by the tail, literally.

"Bastard!" The white-haired demoness shouted. "I'll kill you!"

"No, the only one dying here is you, monster! Russell, now!" Shouted the male brunette.

A short grimace preceded the mystic archer taking his bow and aiming at it the magic sigil that had appeared above the two fighters. It was formed a triangle, three arrows surrounding the two fighters. Thanks to Channing, the demoness had never notice the three arrows being fired and positioned in set up for the spell. Now, the spell was complete, and its payload rained down from the sigil as a beam of magical energy. It slammed into her and Channing with enough force to shake the ground like an earthquake. Both combatants disappeared in the resulting burst of green-colored energy.

For a little while at least. Channing out seconds later, his clothes singed and blood pouring from the side of his face. Hitting the ground on his knees, he coughed up some blood, but managed to look Russell's way. Though he looked worn and exhausted, the brawling shot his best friend a grin and a thumbs up.

For the first time since the fight began, Russell smiled; it fell as he heard a new voice beside him. "She's not down yet."

The words were proven true as the smoke was blown away, revealing the she-demon to be alive and well. "You actually managed to make me feel pain with that little attack." She remarked. Her lips curved into an insidious smile while holding up her hand. It cackled with dark energy that glowed with an eerie light. "I hope you've got more than that, this is just starting to get fun!"

Light coiled around the Royal Sword pointed straight at the white-haired woman. It illuminated the fierce glare of the empowered warrior woman. "We've got plenty more, demon. This citadel won't fall to you!" Rearing the sword back, the brunette amassed power into her golden sword, causing its glow to grow. The energized glow took the shape of a beak and wings, a bird. When the sword was thrusted forward, the shaped projectile flew forward like an arrow, cawing at the she-demon.

Swiftly raising her arm up, she blocked the attack with a shield of dark energy. More energized thrusts followed, along with arrows. At times the two attacks fused together to create stronger projectiles, all aimed at the same target. Each one slammed against the dark barrier that the she-demon had erected. Sensing something else, she threw up her arm creating another.

Four beams of whitish-blue light slammed into the barrier creating a sizable explosion on contact. More followed as new Guardians joined the battle, along with the surviving soldiers. Cannons had been removed from the fortress walls and wheeled all the way over so they could be used on the she-devil.

"All forces, concentrate your fire on the enemy! Show her that Akkala Citadel will not fall again!" Boomed the voice of Howard Alderdice. Instead of a sword or bow, he was carrying a shoulder-mounted cannon. It was clearly one of the experimented "portable" cannons developed by the army's engineering corp. The Sheikah-style markings glowed bright blue as the fortress commander kept the trigger squeezed. Bolts of magical energy continuously shot out at the already pinned she-devil.

"Don't stop until you break through the barrier!"

"Someone call for backup! We're going to need some serious help to take this thing down!"

"Screw it! Just keep shooting! Hey, get some more ancient arrows!"

Any vestige of the winged demon was completely obscured by the bombardment of fire. Bombs, lasers, arrows, bolts of magical energy, fireballs, and even bolts of lightning, all were being hurled at the demonic invader. Piling on top of each other into a towering explosion, the interior of Akkala Citadel was lit up with the sounds of battle for the second time in little over a century. For the defenders, they felt the determination of their predecessors, and for some, their ancestors. The fortress would not fall again, and certainly not at the hands of one invader.

WWWWHOOSH!

Shooting straight up, the demoness shook off the lingering flames and lightning clinging to her. A small spit of blood was expelled from her lips as she looked down. She saw how the shock of her escape was short-lived. The soldiers were now aiming at her in the sky. Holding her hand out, she manifested a sphere of dark magic that cackled with arcs of red lightning.

"Evil Shower!" She cried. From the massive sphere came a literal rain of smaller dark magic balls, hundreds of them, potentially thousands that all pelted the battlefield like rain. A new chorus of explosions rocked Akkala Citadel, its occupants sent scattering like leaves, or insects in the view of the she-demon. "Hahahahahahaha! That's it, run! Clung to the ruins of this fortress! It'll be your graveyard, just like it was for those fools a hundred years ago! Join them in the dirt!" Ceasing her attack, she placed both hands together, causing the dark sphere to grow in size, changing color from purple to red. Clouds drifted behind the she-demon revealing a sinister crescent moon, a perfect representation of the fortress down below. "Evil Orb!"

A focused beam of malicious red and black descended from the sky, smashing into the ground and blowing away anything and everything around it. Instead of staying stationary, it moved as the she-demon moved her arms. A scorched path was left in its wake as it moved across the inner courtyard; the fortress' stone towers were obliterated in seconds. The beam didn't simply stop at the structure, it punched straight through into the very earth that the building had been built on. Dark magic tore through everything in its path until reaching the water at the bottom of the cliffside.

By the time the beam ceased, the collapse had already begun. Blasted apart and unstable, an entire quarter of the fortress tumbled into the ocean, generating massive waves on impact. Hundreds of voices screamed in horror as they fell into the water. Many were silenced as they hit the ocean. Death claimed them in multiple ways: the sheer impact from the water, their own wounds becoming too much to bear combined with the impact, pieces of debris falling atop of them, and some simply drowning as they were unable to swim to the surface. It wasn't like there was much air for them there, pieces of rock, steel, and wood slammed into the ocean one after another.

In the span of seconds, Akkala Citadel had been dealt a greater blow than it had one-hundred years prior, when it was besieged by hijacked Guardians. Those same mechanized beings were amongst the casualties. They had fared little better than the humans who lived in mortal terror of them.

One Guardian desperately struggled to stay afloat in the water. Its functions ceasing, yet its mechanical drive remaining, it locked onto the she demon hundreds of feet in the air. With the last of its power, it shot a final laser at her.

Rings of purple magic swirled around the she-demon's eyes. The thin blue beam curved, varying off course and missing its target completely.

Turing her attention back to the citadel, the she-demon noted that quite a few survivors remained. They were in complete disarray after her initial attack. It was now clear that she wasn't fooling around anything. Before, she'd been humoring them, but now, she was ready to start getting a little serious. Raising her arms, she manifested two orbs of dark magic. Flinging them forward, she watched them create sizable explosions on the other side of the citadel.

Amidst the resulting smoke, a set of laser blasts shot forward, aimed at her. Instead of deflecting them, she held her hand up creating a dark barrier formed from a magic circle. "Darkness Stream!" From that same circle shot out several clawed hands composed of dark magic. They crossed the distance like arrows and impaled themselves into the fortress like spears. After that, they acted like claws, the claws of a demon gripping and tearing whatever was unfortunate enough to be caught in their grasps. "Hehehehe…hahahaha!" Clenching her fingers, she caused the darken claws to detonate, creating a wall of purple and orange-tinted explosions.

The night sky became painted red and orange from the numerous fires eating away at Akkala Citadel. -Hundreds of despairing voices mixed with the stone of stone crumbling. In short order, the fortress had been brought to the brink more so than it had a hundred years ago, a sizable chunk of it now lay at the bottom of the ocean. Another major attack and the entire fortress could go. No doubt that realization is what led many to flee the fortress.

She saw them streaming out like ants from a ruined anthill. It would have been so easy to kill them, yet the she-devil retrained herself. For the moment.

Wisps of Malice swirling around her, she raised both her hands and began condensing dark magic in-between her palms. Purple and blast swirled together with mystical sparks dancing around the orb. Once it was unleashed, another beam of destruction would tear through the fortress, no doubt sending another chunk of it into the ocean.

"Dem-!"

THUNK! BOOM!

"Gaaaah!"

It was hard to tell which was more impressive, that the arrows had actually managed to hurt her or the fact that she'd failed to intercept it in time. Holding an hand to her stinging right shoulder, the demoness tracked the trajectory of the arrow, which left a trail of blue particles in its wake. Her jaw slightly dropped seeing that it came from Akkala Tower. From dozens of yards away, she saw how that could be.

The Yiga clansmen who'd secretly attempted to take it over all lay dead on the top platform. Their blood seeped into stone while their bodies grew colder with every passing second. Their killer stood tall atop the tower, a glowing blue-tipped arrow notched and aimed at her.

Red eyes seeped in evil locked with blue eyes hardened by determination.

"Ah, the so-called hero finally arrives." The demoness spat with a contemptuous smile.

There was only silence from the Hylian, who didn't move a muscle as he continued to glare at the winged demon.

Uncaring about the lack of a response, the demoness sped toward the Hylian. Dark magic gathered in her fist as it was reared back and ready to be thrown forward.

The ancient arrow was released just as the fist was launched, the two powers meeting in a blue and purple-colored explosion. It grew with the former overtaking the latter and a feminine cry of pain rolled across the sky.

"Hyyyyaaaah!"

A blue burst of light cleared away the smoke. It gave survivors reason to look up to the sky where they saw the demoness that had terrorized them seemingly on the backfoot. They couldn't see the blood that now streamed down the woman's lips, her head, and her arms, but they could tell by her now fierce war cry that she wasn't happy at all.

Moonlight reflected off of the Master Sword as it clashed against the gauntlet-like arms of the she-demon. She hissed at every collision, yet she continued to fight. Her red eyes glared back at the Hylian swordsman who was matching her blow-for-blow, and even gaining a slight edge.

While defending himself, the swordsman had realized that the Master Sword was indeed effective against the demon. Powerful she was, she was still a creature of darkness, and he was wielding the sword that seals and cleanses darkness.

"Aaaaahhh!" Wailed the winged demon as the glow of the Master Sword intensified. Just that seemed enough to burn her and make her recoil in horror. Unwilling to last even a second, Link laid into her with a series of slashes that drew blood from all over. "Gaaaah! Aaarrrggh! Aaaaaaahhhh!" Using her wings, she flew backward, putting at least ten of distance between them. Blood dripped from the cuts across her body, but it seemed the real pain was concentrated in her head. "Gaaaahhh! Aaaaaahhh!"

Link cocked an eyebrow in slight confusion. He hadn't hit her head, yet it seemed that pain was greater than any of the wounds he'd delt to her body. Pushing the confusion aside, he raised his sword to the sky.

I know I…haven't had enough practice with this, but please, I have to stop this monster before she kills anyone else! In the name of Hylia! In the name of the Golden Goddesses, please work for me! He pleaded.

As smoke and fire ate away at Akkala Citadel, light from the heavens descended forth. It seemingly shot from the sky to the tip of the raised sword. The ancient metal was illuminated by the divine light, becoming a luminous torch that seemingly shined across the entire fortress. Link's determined gaze never wavered, even as he felt his heart jump for joy at his call being answered.

Sensing the massive build up of power, the she-demon looked up and saw what was essentially pure power confined in a sword, a raised sword. Immediately realizing what was about to happen, the demoness cupped her hands together and began amassing dark magic into a sphere. The second she did so, the sword was brought down, releasing a massive arc of bluish-white energy. It was easily over ten feet in high and moving at her with lightning speed. Flapping her wings, she put just a small bit of distance between them, enough to finish amassing just enough energy.

"Demon Blast!"

The incoming sword beam collided against the purple magic beam in a clash that lit up the skies above Akkala Citadel. Even the wounded and dying felt their eyes go to the mid-air collision, watching as the two attacks battled it out. The power contained within both was strong enough that it parted the clouds around them and send fierce gales blasting through the shattered fortress. For the spectators, some outright clasped their hands together and prayed the light would be strong enough to overtake the darkness.

Though the attack had already been launched, Link still felt some unseen pressure on him, the feedback from his Skyward Strike struggling to overwhelm the dark beam. Gritting his teeth, he knew what he had to do. Raising his sword skyward, he again called down the sacred energy of the heavens; while it wasn't as much as before, it was enough to give his attack the edge he believed it needed. Instead of vertically, he held his sword horizontal.

"Hyyyaaa!" He shouted launching the next energized strike, this time a horizontal arc that combined with his previous attack. The Skyward Cross had been completed, and it was now vigorously pushing against the dark beam.

And it was strong enough to overpower it.

The shining cross pushed through the dark magic beam to get at the beam's originator, who realized all too late what was happening. She hissed feeling the divine power closing in on her and ceased her attack in favor of folding her wings inward.

BOOM!

Link knew better than to wait for the smoke to clear. Sheathing his sword, he drew his bow, the Great Eagle Bow that belonged to his former rival and comrade. Three ancient arrows were notched and fired at the she-demon. The cloud of smoke was ignited by the divine energy held within the arrows hitting their target. A bright blue sphere of energy erupted in the middle of the sky; it was quickly shattered from the inside by a burst of purple light.

"Raaaaaaaahhh!" He could see the blood pouring down her face now, staining her white hair crimson and her eyes had gone feral. It almost seemed like his attacks had driven her mad.

Once more, Link stood calm and ready at the approaching demon. A few beads of sweat poured down his cheek; he was used to this feeling, this mounting pressure that challenged his ability to remain calm. For some people, it was a challenge, but for him, it was natural.

Right here and now…I'm where I need to be. He thought with eerie calmness.

Just as the she-demon struck out with her claw, Link jumped out of the way. As usual, time slowed to a crawl, coming to a near complete stop for him. He could make out every detail of the demonic woman that had laid siege to Akkala Citadel. She was without a doubt unlike any demon that he'd seen in his life. She was also perhaps one of the most powerful foes he'd ever faced. Every cell in his body told him to kill her, that he couldn't let her live. That's why he took aim first at her wings, letting two of the three arrows fly. She screamed in pain as the divine energy seared her wings rendering them completely useless. Stumbling back, she gave him the opportunity he needed to take aim at her head.

For the briefest second, his blue eyes locked with hers. For whatever reason, Link saw something other than pain and rage in her red-colored eyes. Whatever that something was, it temporarily gnawed at him. He let the last arrow fly straight at her head.

Any other opponent would have had their head impaled by the magitech arrow, then probably had either lost it or their entire body distengrated into oblivion. But not this demonic woman.

Ka-boom!

Her right fist rose in an uppercut that caught the arrow seconds before it hit her face, knocking it upward where it exploded. Shutting her eyes, she swirled around the blast and went straight for him. Link was both startled and impressed, but he wasn't scared.

In the nanoseconds in which she moved toward him, Link reached behind him and withdrew an Ancient Shield, the blue energy spreading out around him and protecting him against her punch. It was vastly superior to any Lynel, Talus, or Hinox; the only comparison he could find was Fireblight Ganon, and eve then he felt this punch might have had those outdone. His slid across the platform, but he didn't buckle. More punches came, this time accompanied by bomb-like explosions. Link was immediately glad he'd gone with a heavily upgraded Guardian Shield.

At his command, the shield surged with mystical energy while he simultaneously pushed forward. He heard a grunt of annoyance and felt the punch be deflected. In a second, his arm shot up, gripping the Master Sword, his shield was parted and his sword came down. The demoness read his moves and jumped back, letting out a huff as she did so. Her eyes filled up with rage as she attacked again, and again she met the Master Sword. They repeatedly struck at each other, her with her fists and him with his sword and occasional shield.

"Rrrraaaaahh!" She screamed coming at him with a darkness infused fist.

"Grrrraaaah!" Link shouted moving to parry the blow with his divine sword.

Light and darkness met again in a short but intense clash that seemingly shook the entire tower down to its foundations. A dual-colored explosion pushed both combatants back, but they were far from finished. Link surged forward again, his eyes still blazing with determination.

SWOOSH!

Though he cut nothing, he could see the demoness taking flight skyward. He thought he'd neutralized her wings, but apparently, they were stronger than he thought. Just as he thought of activating Revali's Gale to chase after her, he saw her manifest a darkish-purple magic circle. From it shot dozens of shadow-composed arms that shaped themselves into fists. Raising his shield up, he felt the brunt of them, like a rain of boulders. It was only after they ceased was he able to see the she-demon flying off into the night. He quickly drew his bow and took aim at her.

A single Ancient Arrow flew from the century-old bow, heading straight for the winged demon

Boom!

It met with a burst of dark magic shot from her palm, overwhelming and destroying it. Link thought of firing another arrow, one infused with more of his energy to give it an extra kick. He ultimately decided against it, realizing that the she demon was retreating and giving chance to her would only lengthen the battle. Unless he could get a clean hit on her, he wasn't going to win, and something told him that wasn't happening tonight.

Atop Akkala Tower, he silently watched her vanish into the night sky. She'd disappeared as suddenly as she'd appeared.

For the first time, Link could hear his ow fast-paced breathing. He felt his hands shaking with anticipation as his body gradually began to relax, recognizing that the battle was over.

"Link! Link! Are you there? Are you alright?"

Reaching down to his waist, he pulled up an image of his princess. "I'm alive, Zelda. The demon is retreating."

"You managed to drive it off?" She asked with a blooming smile. He could see the mayhem around her, on the ground where most of the damage had been done.

Heaving out a sigh, he nodded his head. "I can see how she managed to annihilate those raiders. We're definitely dealing with one mighty powerful demon." His own smile was brief and sudden, a burst of emotion he normally would have repressed. "But the good news is, it's weak to the light."

"Ahh, I-I…I see. Then I-"

"You were where you needed to be, on the ground tending to the wounded, to your subjects." He assured. His own words came back to him, I'm where I need to be. "I'll be done to help out in a second."

"Are you hurt, Link?" Zelda asked with naked concern.

"No, no. Believe it or not, I managed to keep myself from taking a hit, though it certainly wasn't for her lack of trying." If he hadn't been the warrior he was, Link knew he wouldn't have been simply wounded, he'd be dead. Though he didn't want to sing his own praises, especially when dozens of others had died, he was grateful for his advanced fighting ability. Looking back at the direction the she-demon had flown, he was even more grateful as he knew he was going to be needing every ounce of his skills. "The tower's safe by the way. Um, just tell anyone coming up to mind the bodies."

"R-R-Right, I'll do that." She said before ending the call. Just before she did, Link could hear someone calling for her.

Link let his arm fall to the side and looked back up at the sky. "Revali, I'm sure you'd be flying off, rubbing it in my face a pair of wings is real handy right about now." He smiled vividly picturing his Rito rival saying those exact words, then taking off after the demoness. Urbosa would have warned him not to get too careless, especially if she'd been in the fight with him. Daruk would have likely done the same. As for Mipha…his smile fell and his heart ached at the thought of his lost love. Link quietly looked down, knowing that she'd probably be on the ground alongside Zelda tending to the wounded.

The night wind blew across the tower, as if reminding him of what he already knew. Link inhaled through his nose, smelling the smoke and blood riding the air. It brought back memories that kept him up at night.

"Master Link," Called a voice from behind.

Looking back, he saw group of Sheikah technicians having arrived on the scene.

"Don't worry about these guys. Obviously they're not getting back up."

"No, they're not, but it'd help if we could get them to talk. We've got a lot of questions that need answers." One of them said with a heavy sigh.

Link looked up at the moon. It was a wanning crescent moon, meaning in a couple of days they'd have a new moon. A moonless sky with a demon on the loose. "Yeah, isn't that the truth." Questions piled up in his mind, but the most pressing ones probably weren't the sort the technicians had.

Where would that demon appear next?

Would he be able to kill her when she did?

How many people might die before he could stop her?

His grip on the Sheikah Slate tightened as his gaze turned fierce.

Whoever you are…wherever you are, I will find you, and I will stop you. I swear it on the name of the Golden Goddesses.

---

So, that was the second chapter, and this story has officially kicked off. Mira's made her presence known to Hyrule, and boy did she do it with a bang, literally.

Akkala Citadel was chosen as the site of her reveal for a couple of reasons. In Breath of the Wild's backstory, the Hyrulean army made their last stand there so it's got history. Going along with the scenario of Hyrule rebuilding itself, especially its army, I thought some attention would go into fixing it up; doubly so since it is a lookout point against eastern invaders. Sadly, nothing can prepare you for a demon with magic powers showing up out of nowhere and utterly demolishing everything in her path. I figured that would make one major impression on Hyrule, and not the sort that Mira would normally want. She has blood on her hands and that's going to come up a whole lot in future chapters.

I can't quite say I'm done with Akkala Citadel since I did want to show more of it after two years of reconstruction. Since I wanted to get to Mirajane's public reveal and get the ball rolling, I cut that in-depth description out save for a little peek into the fortress' occupants. They've been training, but again, a magical demon isn't quite what they were able to fight off. As a lover of disaster movies and action flicks, I got a bit of a thrill writing Mira blasting off a chunk of the fortress into the ocean. She's certainly got the power for it (along with dozens of other FT characters), but being the good person she is she doesn't go that far too often.

Link and Mirajane finally met in battle. The former being the hero and the latter being the villain, I tried to set things up in the most direct way possible-Mira on a rampage only to be stopped by Link, who proves to be her match. A bit cliché, but Link is really the strongest fighter in Hyrule and the only one capable of fighting Mira on remotely even ground; a part of that is undoubtedly thanks to the Master Sword. It is undeniable canon that it is effective against demons and evil creatures which, Mira, when using her Take Over: Satan Soul qualifies as, especially since it's slain creatures that exceed her in power. In addition to the Master Sword, I'm adding Ancient Weapons since they're incredibly effective against everything in Breath of the Wild, including the Ganon Blights whose powers are darker than Mira's, albeit they don't quite have the same level of effectiveness as the Master Sword.

Adding to the above, Zelda's powers fit the bill as well. While writing Link and Mira's first fight, I did briefly toy with the idea of having her join in on Link's behalf. What made me decide against it was I wanted the fight to be one-on-one and show how evenly matched the two are without outside interference. Plus, well, if you've seen the pairing tag for this story then, you know. She will be playing apart in all of this, after all, she's Queen of Hyrule and this is the first major challenge her rule is facing.

As a lover of swords beams, I couldn't help but include the Skyward Strike. In-game, Link can perform a sword beam attack, but only at full health. For gameplay reasons, this is understandable, but I'm going to play around with it for a bit. It's been two years since the end of Breath of the Wild so Link's learned so new (or familiar) techniques that I'm going to enjoy showing.

Just for fun, some of the OCs in this story are based off of characters and archetypes from Fire Emblem. In particular, I'm sure Renato's behavior and appearance was a dead ringer for a certain someone from Awakening. Irina is named and based off of Ayra from Genealogy of the Holy War.

Also, fun fact, the human brain can survive for up to seven minutes after the body dies. With magic though (and this being fiction), the timeline ca be extended. It was fun writing Zelda being fascinated with gaining new knowledge, eve when it's a little morbid.

Chapter Two was fun to write and I'm looking forward to writing Chapter Three. It'll include some new faces showing up as I change perspectives while showing the aftermath of the attack on Akkala Citadel. Until then, stay safe and healthy, everyone!