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.

3. Chapter 3-Demon in the Wild

Hey, everyone. Welcome to Chapter 3 where the ball that started rolling last chapter continues this chapter. This chapter will have some action and start revealing some of the mysteries that the first two chapters have set up. Hehehe, of course, all the answers won't be coming and I can say even some new mysteries will be introduced this chapter. Now, without further ado, let the story continue!

I do not own anything.

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Chapter 3-Demon in the Wild

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The attack had occurred almost two hours to midnight, widely considered the most dangerous time of the night. As it stood, the danger had officially passed as it looked like the she-demon once gone. Albeit no one knew where and search parties had been sent out to locate her; they had orders to locate, not engage. It would be suicidal to try to take her down after the power she'd displayed at Akala Citadel, even if she had been injured.

There were far bigger things to focus on.

Search and rescue were the leading priorities as decreed by Queen Zelda herself. The blonde monarch was front and center at the first aid camp that had been set up in the battered heart of the citadel. The healers and medics who'd survived were working right alongside her, using magical and practical medicine to tend to the injured. Arms and chests were splattered with blood, whose odor hung in the air along with the lingering smell of smoke. Words couldn't describe the foul smell.

What Link hated most though was how it all jogged his memories. Almost two years since he defeated Calamity Ganon, yet he could say only about sixty percent of his memories had returned. They'd came gradually came piece by piece, sometimes needing things to ignite them. As he stood amongst the wreckage of Akkala Citadel, he felt old, painful memories return. A sudden war that they'd spent all their time preparing for, yet was not going in their favor. Corpses lying around him, the corpses of people that he knew-friends, comrades. Everyone was dying, and he was doing his best to keep from joining them.

It took several long breaths for him to drag himself out of the abyss of the past he'd fallen into. Lingering there wasn't going to do him or anyone else any good. Opening his eyes, he looked around him. It hadn't been hijacked Guardians that had caused the destruction around him, it'd been a demon, a she-devil summoned from goddesses' knew where. Whatever or whoever she was, she was gone and there were people around him who needed his help. So that's what he focused on.

The people around him needed his help more than his pondering. Every second, someone was in pain or even dying.

It was said that the lucky ones die first. Link hated that how that could sometimes be true. Those that lived often had to suffer through pain, either physical, mental, or some combination of them. One look and it was clear that an emotional blow had been dealt to the Hyrulean Army. Even as everyone tried to focus on rescue and recovery, it was clear on the faces of several soldiers that their pride had taken a major blow. All the training that they put in, hours, days, weeks, months, and it'd all practically amounted to nothing. Nothing but dust easily swept away by the wind. Still, everyone attempted to hold themselves together.

Medical knowledge was something that he'd picked up during his adventure. It was a necessity since if he was seriously injured, there wouldn't be help for miles. Miles. Even Mipha's Grace couldn't always be relied upon thanks to its required cool down. Link had been forced to learn how to patch himself up in the all-but-certain case of getting injured. Now, he used every bit of that medical knowledge to keep his comrades alive.

Hours passed like the ticking of a clock. Every second, every minute, was spent trying to keep someone from passing on into the next world, and somewhere else, that's exactly what happened. Overhead, the crescent-shaped moon and the stars remained, shining bright, heedless of the mayhem that had played out on the earth. Clouds moved across the sky, at times occasionally blocked the moon's light. A handful of unlikely soldiers died exactly as that happened. The reaper claimed them as the biggest source of light in the night sky was gone. It was an ill omen that had a few muttering quick prayers. For others, it was motivation to keep on working, to work harder.

As the recovery continued, relief arrived from the outside. By now, news had spread to the surrounding areas, perhaps even all of Hyrule thanks to the Sheikah slates and towers. Wagons filled with doctors and medical equipment came to a stop and were unloaded. A handful of soldiers were even moved onto the wagons for transportation. Several soldiers looked at them in naked wonder of if they would ever be seen again. Or if some of them would ever be able to hold a blade.

After what they'd all just fought, that was going to be a question that came up quite a bit. Was being a soldier in the rebuilding Hyrule Army worth it when they were going to be facing such threats?

While the treatment of soldiers was vital, so too was maintain vigilance. A set of lookouts had been posted around the ruins. Armed with the finest bow and arrows possible, they scoured the darkness for any sign of the she-demon, or some other threat. At the moment, a good chunk of the army was weak and vulnerable, not to mention the queen herself was on the scene to help. Such an opportunity for a fatal strike against the kingdom, so good that some wouldn't be able to pass it up. The question was who could such people be? That was another constant question in the heads of the lookouts, and the soldiers on the ground.

Eventually, the first rays of sunlight could be glimpsed over the horizon. Little by little, they grew until they bathed the land in full. What they illuminated was a shattered fortress on a cliffside surrounded by greenery. Quite a crowd had grown outside the former. Long gone were the stacks of smoke that had once risen into the air. All the fires had been put out, yet the damage was done.

One look at Akkala Citadel from the outside and one would wonder if the structure could be rebuilt a second time. It certainly wouldn't be with its original size given half of it had fallen off into the ocean. The sea itself had also bore witness to the sudden and violent attack, and it took had claimed its dead.

Throughout the night, all the focus had been on the land. By the time any boats could be dispatched to inspect the damage in the water, the tides had came and gone, depositing their payload Nearby fishermen would spend the entire morning reporting the wreckage that washed ashore. Pieces of stone, wood, weapons, armor, furniture, books, small pieces of treasure, and last but not even remotely least-bodies. Lots and lots of bodies. On the spot autopsies confirmed that some had died from drowning, a fact that would weigh hard on several when they were made aware. Others had clearly died from other means: having parts of their bodies blasted off or having been hit by falling debris. Only a handful, twelve or so, were alive. Just barely alive at that. They too were given immediate medical attention. As for the bodies of the deceased, as best they could be, they were collected. In time, they would be added to the mass burial for the rest of their comrades.

There was little talk of breakfast as the morning sun climbed into the sky.

Between the workload and the exhaustion, various gory medical procedures, and the lingering sense of paranoia, few were overly eager to eat. Still, murmurs of a morning meal began to ripple through the aftermath crowd.

Regardless of the constant, near tortuous pain stabbing at her mind, Zelda sent the word out for some cooks. Naturally, the nearby villages, especially Tarrey Town would be sending their best.

The princess looked like she could use a good meal, along with a long hot shower and a nice long rest. She believed she would only be getting the first, the second one maybe, and the last one was highly unlikely. Casting a glance at her loyal bodyguard and friend, she knew the same went for him, albeit the meal part might be out.

Zelda remembered the first time that she met Link. Admittedly, he didn't look like much, just another run-of-the-mill soldier. He was certainly less talkative than a normal one, something that didn't sit well with her at first. That unsettling feeling she got was magnified the first time she saw him in battle. Link was the quietest soldier that she'd ever met, and he was without a doubt the most skilled one. The three months leading up to Calamity Ganon's surprise attack had been one long viewing of his fighting capability; it was literally enough to wipe out invading armies, sometimes with very little effort. He rarely laughed or grinned, his stony complex barely changed into anything resembling joy. All Zelda saw was both unsettling and comforting-determination, determination that was like steel.

Link had that same determination in his eyes as he looked to the east where the she-demon had fled. Zelda wondered how much he wanted to give chance when the creature retreated. She could understand the urge, even though she hadn't been the one to battle it. Letting it go off to goddesses' knew where wasn't ideal, but they had more important things to worry about. Still, it was clear that the she-demon had never left Link's mind. Her presence had likely shared space with a number of other things-how best to kill her.

Reaching forward, she took hold of his blood-stained hand. "Link," she called. "Link, please, you should take a break. You have to take a break."

He turned to look at her, his concentration seemingly breaking. A sudden gasp left his lips like he was recognizing her for the first time. "I…I…guess you're right. It'd be pretty embarrassing for me to fight her again and suddenly my stomach growls, right?" The entire statement and the smile at the end were so unlike the Link of old. Zelda was quite happy for the change, amongst many others. "Guess we should also, uh, wash our hands first."

That was true. Both of their hands were coated in blood, a look that neither of them liked to much. Zelda stared at her blood-stained hands longer than Link did. For the male Hylian, it was an unpleasant sight, but he knew that his own unease was nothing compared to Zelda. This was the first time she'd ever gone through something like this, and it showed. He saw the way her hands trembled and felt them trembling when she reached out to him. Link gave her right hand a reassuring squeeze. It temporarily caught her off-guard, but Zelda quickly accepted it; she needed the comfort that he provided.

She laughed at the irony. "Link, I…I owe you yet another debt of gratitude."

"I just did my duty, like I always have." He said with a shake of the head. "I-"

"You drove that demon off before she could destroy the entire fortress and kill everyone inside. That would have been the absolute worst outcome." Zelda affirmed, some heat in her voice. It was clear she was trying to stop the flood before it broke the dam. "You saved everyone here, our people, Link."

The warmth he felt wasn't from the blood. Tension that had begun to build in his shoulders leaked out thanks to Zelda's words. It was just what the princess-turned-queen had hoped for. Feeling bold, she completely wrapped her arms around him, bringing him into a warmer embrace. Link didn't resist her, he slowly raised his arms to wrap around her.

It was clear they both needed this, this anchoring. Without it, they both knew they could easily slop back into the darkness of the past.

"We're going to beat this before it destroys us, Link. We're going to do that. We have the power, the wisdom, and the courage to do so." The royal blonde whispered to her knight.

Link took several deep breaths before giving a response. "We do…and we will." He didn't feel like he'd forced himself to say the words. After saying them once verbally, he repeated them in his head over and over again. Each time, he felt himself growing a little more confident in them. By the time Zelda let go, he felt better than he had moments ago. The tension and anxiety was gone, if only for a little while.

As she beckoned him back, Link looked back down at his hands. He felt an instinctive urge to grab a sword and shield and head off into the wild. His fists closed around air as he looked up, inhaling the morning breeze.

Link looked back to the eastern forests. "I will find you." Was all he whispered before turning to follow after the princess. He doubted that he was in the right frame of mind to cook, so anyone hoping for his famous cuisine was going to have to wait a little while. How long that was, was up in the air.

---

Akkala Tech Lab…

For several long minutes, no one said anything. The tense silence was seemingly nigh unbreakable. Considering that even Robbie, a notorious chatterbox of theatrics and enthusiasm was quiet, that spoke volumes about how grave the situation was. Not that anyone needed to be reminded of that. From the moment they walked into the lab, they knew how dire a situation they were in.

In front of the monitor played clipped images of the battle. For Link, Zelda, and Ingram, it felt like a repeat of the previous morning. Except now they knew what had caused the massacre, and they had a new one to clean up after. The finer details were present in the clips that they saw of the she-demon. Robbie had spent almost half an hour stringing together the recordings from the Guardians to create a continuous feed so they could get a comprehensive look at the she-demon. Every few seconds the video would blur then pick up again, indicating where one Guardian had fallen. According to one of his assistants, they'd lost a total of twenty-eight Guardians in the attack.

Ingram had responded that they'd lost over two-hundred men, plus almost the whole of Akkala Citadel itself. The fortress was still somewhat salvageable, but with half of it now resting in the water, it would be unwise to try to build over it. Link's face tightened as he got the unspoken message, Akkala Citadel was more than likely going to have to be abandoned. There was no way it was going to be rebuilt until they dealt with the matter at hand.

"Well…she's probably the strongest dark magic user that we've seen since the Calamity Ganon." Robbie finally said breaking the tension. It had to be done, and he decided stating the rather obvious was the way to go. "She's powerful enough that the Ancient Arrows aren't able to kill her in a single shot, but they are capable of doing damage."

"Would my…Light Arrows be more effective?" Zelda asked.

"Highly likely, your highness. Since the Master Sword dealt her the most damage, we can reasonably assume that your holy magic would be able to do the same."

Link and Ingram looked right at Zelda, as did several others in the lab. The queen wasn't blind to any of those looks. It was unclear how many hits from her Light Arrows it would take to bring the demon down, but it would die eventually. The thing was, Zelda would to be able to get a lock on the demon, which, given its speed and power, meant putting herself in the monster's attack range. It would be a death sentence for her, provided that Link wasn't there, which he would be. The two of them working together might be a viable option, but Link wasn't willing to put his royal charge so close to danger. That was a sentiment shared all around by man, except for Zelda herself.

Her hands tightened, yet she held back from saying anything. She was the magic arrow that they could possibly use, but in the event she was caught or broken…Hyrule would suffer a blow it might never recover from.

Robbie, sensing the queen's displeasure, chose to shift the conversation in another direction. "We were able to scan the magical frequency of the demon's attacks. Now that we've recorded it, we're updating the Guardians to be on the lookout for it. In addition to that, I think we can set up some magical sensors across the country."

"How long will that take?" Ingram questioned.

"Hmm, I'd say about…two days at most. Even then, we're still looking at a fairly generalized area. We simply don't have the resources at the moment to comb all of Hyrule." Resources was a constant thing to keep in mind when building anything, be it a machine, a building, and most definitely a country. As for the latter, there were plenty of resources to be had. Wood, stone, metal, and labor. When it came to finer things like say, the construction of Guardians and previously lost technology, things got more complicated. "All this said…the sensors will be open to sabotage if they're left unprotected."

Ingram grunted in annoyance, but he accepted the hard truth. "Speaking of the Yiga, have they been spotted in any areas?"

"So far, nothing. Truth be told, it's actually a little surprising that they haven't made a move." There was little doubt in anyone's minds that the Yiga were involved in this, somehow. "That said, if they do make a move I wouldn't be surprised. It's just we'd have that to contend with on top of this she-demon. Purah and I have decided to reinforce the firewalls surrounding the towers so they can't be hacked."

"I'm tempted to say we shouldn't worry about that, but I feel like if I did, I might jinx us." The older warrior remarked. "Alright, we can't afford to overexert ourselves, yet at the same time we can't let this demon roam free. Is it possible to equip the airborne Guardians with scanners and have them patrol Hyrule instead? Would that free enough resources you can focus on other matters, like repairing the Guardians and perhaps weapons crafting?"

The withered but still spry inventor looked up in thoughtful contemplation for a moment. "It might. We're still trying to get some cloaking features fine-tuned, but those can wait in favor of getting them in the air and getting them operational. That we can do in a day. Regarding the weapons, we've been at work with that. Now you can say we've just been given a little more motivation."

Link cast a swift look around the lab. He noticed that not once had anyone stopped working. When the citadel fell, they'd definitely felt the tremors. No doubt there was a silent worry of if the fighting would reach them. Mercifully, it hadn't, but where the demon would strike next was the question hot on everyone's minds. Another military base? A town? The capital itself? A research lab like this where progress was being made, but could so easily be lost? It was terrifying to think about, so people did what they could to keep the unease at bay. Link wondered what he would do with himself.

Train yourself. Prepare so that the next time you face that she-demon, she won't be retreating. She will be dead. A voice within his mind answered. It was blunt, not particularly cold but not particularly warm voice. Link would have placed it as an army commander, one giving him a direct order that was incredibly easy to understand. His body tingled with a desire to carry it out. He wanted to carry it out the next time he ran into that white-haired demon.

"Link, Link."

Blinking, the blond swordsman looked up, realizing that everyone was looking at him. A sheepish look consumed him. "I-I'm sorry about that. I just…spaced out for a minute."

"Hey, I know the feeling of being lost in your own thoughts. Believe me, I've been there plennnty of times!" Robbie offered in comfort. "Instead of just repeating everything we just said, why don't I give you a better demonstration! Wait right here!"

Yet again demonstrating how energic he still was, Robbie hurried off, then came back mere seconds later. In his hands was a chunk of white crystal that glowed with golden light from within. Link's eyes widened as it, as did several others, including Zelda and Ingram. They all leaned in close to further examine the mysterious gemstone. Link and Zelda immediately recognized the mystical glow. Both of them reached forward to touch it, and as they did the crystal glowed even brighter. Its radiance was helped along by a sudden illumination from their hands. Looking down, they both saw familiar golden triangles shining bright with gold light. It seemingly fed into the crystal causing its glow to intensify.

As the shine grew, Robbie realized if it kept on growing, it might start blinding the other lab occupants or messing with the instruments around them. Taking a step back, he put at least two feet between himself and the Triforce bearers. The glow from their golden triangles died down as did the glow of the crystal, albeit it still carried a noticeable shine.

"Ah, you saw what makes this little rock here so valuable before I could even begin the introductions!" The goggles-wearing Sheik shouted. Said goggles had also protected his eyes from the bright light. "We've come to call this mineral Holy Quartz. Just like how rubies, sapphires, and topaz contain elemental energies, so too does this baby here! The element of light!"

"Holy light?" Ingram asked with wide eyes.

"Yep! Pretty much in the name, isn't it? Anyways, we discovered it about two months ago when we were doing some excavating around the Temple of Time ruins. At first, we don't think they were much more than perhaps just some precious jewels buried from a previous era. Once we ran some tests though, you could say we…awakened them so to speak. They contain the power of light, akin to the Master Sword and your own divine power, Lady Zelda!"

Wide-eyed, Zelda asked if she could hold the chunk. Slightly nervous given what had happened before, she tried to keep her powers in check as she reached out to take hold of it. Even then, Zelda could feel her once dormant powers rising up, like a fish lured to the surface by bait. Luckily, she didn't produce such a blinding gleam this time. The quartz chunk in her hand still glowed bright; she could feel the resonance between it and her own powers. Clenching her fingers around it, Zelda felt like she was holding pure power in her hands. To an extent, she was.

After basking in it, she handed it back to Robbie. "I-I…see what you mean. That is quite powerful, and much like my own power. I'd wager it's also like Link's sword."

The blue-eyed Hylian had his own thoughts watching the scene. He finally voiced them, "Robbie, you said this Holy Quartz is like other gemstones, does that mean it can be…forged into armor and maybe even used in weapons crafting?"

"Exacto! We've been researching the same thing, and it seems that they may be capable of that!"

"How much do we have available?" Ingram immediately asked. While he felt a surge of hope for them all, he kept his expectations tampered. For as wondrous as this mineral was, he was willing to bet that a tradeoff was coming. Namely a tradeoff in quantity.

"Eh, well…we've got managed to mine little over two-hundred pounds of the stuff. A couple of sizable chunks and smaller chunks. Maybe enough to craft a couple of weapons. Now, suits of armor like the kind knights and soldiers would wield…" Robbie trailed off giving the senior knight an apologetic look.

His tempering paid off. Ingram nodded in quiet understanding, then turned to his royal leader. The decision ultimately rested with her as she was truly the leader of Hyrule's armed forces.

"I want construction on Holy Quartz weapons to begin immediately. We know not when that she-demon will attack next, but we can prepare. Swords, spears, and perhaps even arrows. Focus on those. Also, if possible, what are our chances of mining more Holy Quartz? Is it unique to specific areas?" She had a plethora of questions she wanted to ask, but for the sake of the situation, she was limiting them to the ones that mattered the most. Another ray of light was shining through the darkness of uncertainty.

"Well, our first haul was by pure chance. Luckily, now that we know the energy signature they give off, we can scan for them and know where to dig. As for where that is, initial scans have pointed to central eastern Hyrule housing a few deposits of Holy Quartz. Some even near Death Mountain. Frankly, it's surprising that the Gorons haven't discovered it yet, but we can certainly tip them off. With their mining expertise, we might be able to dig up some worthwhile deposits!"

"Get to it immediately then! Tell them this is a direct order from the queen of Hyrule! Whatever they need, they shall receive." Zelda explained. She quickly looked between her bodyguard and her chief military commander. Both men already knew what she was thinking. "Also, begin construction on Holy Quartz weapons immediately. I'll even divert workers from Castle Town's reconstruction if you need the extra assistance." She imagined that some workers wouldn't like being pulled off of city construction, but unless they did something, there wouldn't be a city to continue building, or people to inhabit it.

By the time news of Akkala Citadel's fall reached the rest of Hyrule, they'd hopefully be on taking the first steps to slaying this demon. They had the tools, they just had to find it before it struck again.

Surely they could do that, couldn't they?

-O-

"Would you mind some company, Link?"

Blue eyes were torn away from the cloud-dotted sky to stare into a pair of sagely green eyes. Link bowed his head in quiet approval. Ingram quietly took up the seat beside him, a comfortable distance of a few inches between the two warriors.

Many had said that they were polar opposites in spite of being two sides of the same coin, soldier coin at that. The most common difference between them was one of them actually looked their age, yet they were the younger one of the duo. That someone was Ingram, much to the shock of those who were "out of the loop". Between the two of them, one would undoubtedly say that he was the oldest of the two. In truth, Link was the oldest, a good one-hundred-and-nineteen years, yet he looked not a day past his teens. That's what always caught people off-guard about the blond Hylian, the fact that he had indeed been there when Calamity Ganon struck a hundred years ago. He'd fought tooth and nail with everything he had.

And he'd failed. Not that anyone with a shred of decency or respect would mention that part. They didn't have to do as Link found it hard to forget it.

Anyone with sharp eyes could tell that the failure still weighed on him, even as he'd taken on a newer and more carefree persona thanks to his amnesia. Traces of his old self could still be seen, even by those who never knew him.

For people like Ingram, they may not have known him personally, but they knew what kind of man he'd been a century earlier. A dedicated soldier who felt failure weigh heavily on him, and fought with its ghosts when they came knocking. This was one of those times.

Reaching over, the former mercenary put a comforting hand on the Hylian's shoulder. "Don't stress yourself out. You'll be too tensed up before the next battle has even begun. It could potentially cost you."

"I was that out of it, wasn't I?" Link asked as he turned his gaze back up to the sky. He'd watched as the blackness of the night turned red and purple, then finally bright blue with the sun coming out. He couldn't count how many times he'd done that after waking up and exploring the remains of Hyrule. It was a quiet and surreal feeling, but this latest time had been radically different. "I just…can't shake the feeling if I don't stop her, she's going to destroy Hyrule like Calamity Ganon did." His hands tightened into fists as the form of the darken monster appeared in his mind.

"That's not going to happen. Hyrule may not be as strong as it was a century ago, but it's learned from experience. You've learned from experience as has Queen Zelda." The green-eyed man explained in a calm yet stern voice. Link found it deeply suited him. Ingram was both a military commander and a father, he was no doubt used to something like this. "If we can pin that she-demon down, I have absolute confidence that you will be able to slay her. Alternatively…we shall slay her." His right fist stretched out and lightly hit his chest. It caused Link sit upright, as if it were a call to attention. "I know that you've fought this way all by yourself, but you're part of an army. Individually, we may not be as strong as you, but together, we will all be at your back. Armed and ready."

Link stared down at the fist at his chest. His heartbeat was calm, and he could feel it. Ingram's fist was the cooling wind that he probably needed. He took a deep breath, inhaling fresh air for what felt like the first time. All night he'd been breathing in smoke and blood, two things that he'd actually gotten disturbingly used to. It felt wrong when the blood belonged to people he knew.

"She's definitely going to be the strongest opponent I've faced since the Calamity Ganon." He said.

"Hey, that distinction will go to all of us. Loath as I am to say it, this may be the type of threat we need to face. Hyrule is a land that seems to attract trouble like a lightning rod."

"Yeah, it is." Link chuckled. He was surprised by his own words. "Still, we always manage to keep a steady population."

"Heheh, after we slay this demon, imagine how much attention that might attract."

Both soldiers found themselves laughing. Their joint voices were drowned out by the hum of the lab just several feet from them. Though they knew a dark struggle lay ahead of them, they were able to take the time to enjoy this calm moment. In enjoying it, they found further rays of light to grasp onto, rays that would see them through the coming darkness.

---

When Mirajane felt her feet touch the ground, the pain she'd been holding back. It didn't go unnoticed by the hooded figures before her.

"Pitiful! Disgraceful! You're huffing and puffing after a little scuff like that! You're supposed to be a demon, act like it!" Cruel orange flames illuminated the furious face of the first figure. She was a woman and she was most definitely not happy. Her anger burned as hotly as the flames of her whip, yet her left hand held it as if it were no inconvenience at all. Given how fiercely her anger was, that was perhaps to be expected. The fair-skinned woman seemed the embodiment of wrath.

"Now, now, Brigitte. Our little demon didn't do too bad for her first battle with the Champion of Hyrule. If anything, she fared somewhat better than expected." Another figure cackled in opposition to the first.

Still burning amber eyes snapped to the hooded figure. "If your expectations were so low then we would have been better off ignoring this woman in the first place. Akkala Tower still stands! We should lay siege to it now, the more towers we can laid waste to, the better."

The leading figure leered at the woman, his dark-red eyes putting a silent restraint on her. Sensing the tensing mood, the others patiently waited for him to make his declaration. "We will have more opportunities to harness the technology of the towers, as well as remove them from the playing field. Now that the queen and her forces know our she-demon exists, they're no doubt going to be on guard."

"Still, it's not like the lot of them can do much to stop her. Much less us." A second female voice snickered. "Ólethros, can I please go see what goodies I can salvage from the citadel's fall? I promise, I'll be quick about it."

A dismissive snort came from the first female figure. Her fiery whip had died down, yet the angry glow in her eyes remained. "You honestly think you'll find something worthwhile in that garbage, Kavali?"

"You never know, Brigitte. As you know, I've collected some of my best puppets from some of the most unexpected places. Or pieces of them anyway."

"Kavali," the leader of the group called. "Rest assured, you will have your chance to gather materials. In fact, I'll be offering you whatever best the Gerudo have to offer. We're going to be sending our dear demon to recapture the Yiga's fortress. A promise was made, and a promise shall be kept." The two female sorcerers looked less than enthused at his decision, but that was nothing new to the leader of the Acolytes of Ganon. Displeasure was common amongst them as everyone had differing side goals they wanted to pursue. Ólethros could tolerate that so long as it didn't interfere with their main goal.

Kavali was the first to react. "You're going to let her use her powers, aren't you?"

"I believe one of Mirajane's demon forms has a spell to control others. Why not see it in action?" The Heavenly Noble Star scowled in displeasure. Still, there was no rebuttal on her end. "Think of it this way, Kavali, if her mind control is stronger than yours, you'll have some room for improvement."

"There is no way that this woman's sorcerer is stronger than my Black Marionette." She responded.

Brigitte rolled her eyes. "That remains to be seen."

"Oh, so now you're on her side." Kavali sniped.

Brigette's cold amber eyes glared at her just as they always did. No mercy, not compassion, only a cold desire to see one's full abilities used in service of their goal. She grunted at her fellow Heavenly Star before turning back to their leader. "I will be heading back to the lair to oversee the continued construction of the time portal. Kavali, I don't need to remind you to keep the likes of Zhest and Cromus in check, do I?"

"Hmm, keep them in check? Remind me what that means again. I've forgotten, Brigitte and could use some of your often praised wisdom." With the growth of her mocking grin came laughter from the rest of the group. Brigitte kept an icy calm, for the most part anyway. This was something she'd grown used to; she'd dealt with it for the last ten years in fact. "Don't worry, I'll keep them in line." Licking her lips, she walked over and caressed the face of the still kneeling Mirajane. "We still need this pretty face for Lord Ganon's revival. Afterward, she'll be all theirs, or anyone else if they prove themselves. What do you say, Antero?"

At six-feet-one, the largest of the hooded figures belched out a laugh. It tripled across the forest like a boulder's decent. "You already know where I stand on that front, Kavali. Brigitte, rest assured I'll make sure our vessel remains in pristine condition for the revival ritual." His words caused a softening of the whip-user's eyes, if only by a fraction. He next turned to Ólethros, giving him a bow that was met with a nodding of the head. "Will she need some treatment for her wounds?"

"Yes. Better safe than sorry, not to mention I don't want to run the risk of the Gerudo scoring a lucky blow. Or the new Champion activating Vah Naboris." The leader of the acolytes explained. "Still, if all goes well then by the time such a thing comes to pass, it'll be too late. We'll have set up our catalysts in the Gerudo region and hopefully the others."

"If we could get her to destroy Vah Naboris though, it'd be a boon to our plans." Kavali remarked. Her green eyes lingered on the kneeling demon. Just as they'd intended, she'd hardly reacted to their discussion. She was as obedient as a Guardian robot, albeit in this case a hijacked one. Personally, Kavali cared little for the robotic creations. Controlling living creatures was far more fun; that thrill was one of the reasons she'd been so onboard with this plan. While she may not have been the prime puppet master, she was one of the ones pulling the strings on this so called wizard. "Ólethros, what about you?"

"I believe I may have located some more Chronolithe in the Hebra Mountains. I'm going to go personally dig it out, and Darkuto will be helping me."

"What, you plan on having him dig it out?" Antero asked. The fight-loving acolyte was willing to follow their leader's orders, but he could be rowdy. Sometimes rowdier than their other battle maniac. Neither of them were ever excited to do anything other than fight.

"Things would go a lot faster if he did. Ultimately though, having him stand as lookout will be his true duty. It's most assured that the Rito will be on guard now that Hyrule is under new threat. Worst comes to worst, Vah Medoh will be over our heads, blasting us into oblivion."

"Ah, Vah Medoh, that would be a challenging opponent Darkuto would eagerly take up." Antero mused.

"Yes, but again, I'm hoping it won't come to that. If it does though, then things will simply have worked out that way." The hooded sorcerer said. "Now then, you all have your assignments. Go, for our Lord Ganon."

Brigitte was the first to leave followed by Antero and Kavali. Both could teleport to their chosen destination, but with Hyrule on high alert, the use of their dark magic might give them away. It might be better to move on foot, a task that would take days, but would be none the less safer. Contrary to Brigitte's complaining, Óletheros knew they had time. Besides, the longer they took to act the more Hyrule would suffer under the weight of paranoia. It was a lovely sight for him, one that he could spend days watching. In a sense, he would be able to watch it while working toward his ultimate goal. The goal that had been passed down to him from his predecessor, Astor.

"I have foreseen it, Ólethros. It shall be you, you shall finish what I started. I trust you with it, my student. Become the harbinger of the calamity."

"I shall, and you, dear Mirajane, will help me realize that destiny." At the sound of her name, the white-haired wizard looked up at him. Her transformed red eyes shimmered with eagerness that filled his dark heart with glee. "Tell me, are you looking forward to fighting him again? He's the strongest warrior in the land, a worthy challenge for you."

Mira struggled to respond to her master's words. She was caught in a vocal paradox, wanting to speak yet not knowing what to say.

To Ólethros, her debating was nothing short of amusing. It led him to further caressing her face. She really was beautiful, especially when she was in her Satan Soul forms. He was looking forward to seeing her other Take Over forms in all their terrible glory. Especially her so-called strongest form. The terror it would inspire would be as rich as chocolate, and likely give him some worthy inspiration for his next musical piece.

"H-H-Hero…hero…" The white-haired woman finally said.

Ólethros nodded, his garnet-colored eyes cackling with further amusement. "Yes, hero. And what's the best kind of hero?"

Darkness flashed through her eyes. Hideous black and red shadows rose up from around her, condensing in her eyes. "Dead. The best hero…is a dead hero." Her lips curled into a feral snarl that completed the vicious image, the image that had no doubt been carved into the minds of the Hyrulean army. "I will kill him next time, rip his head from his neck."

"Oh, I'd love that, my dear." As a reward, he pecked her on the check. "Now then, let's get you looked at. You're going to be heading to the desert to meet up with Konnoji. This'll be the first time you'll meet him. Do please keep from burning down his house. It's your job to reclaim it for him. When you do…enjoy the bananas, they can be quite tasty."

The heat of the midday sun bore down on Mirajane without end. As she'd heard, the sunlight of the Gerudo desert was harsh, harsher than anything she'd so far experienced in Hyrule. She looked up at it with a slight sense of wonder. Something about the burning hot sun felt…familiar to her.

Shaking off the feeling, she continued on her path, the convoy behind her quietly following after her. Save for the occasional chatter. Ignoring it, she kept her focus on the path ahead of them, on the destination that she had in mind.

Before they reached it her form would change. Her masters wanted to see a demonstration of her mind-bending power, and they would have it. Mirajane's heart burned with an eagerness to impress them, especially Brigitte, who seeming took her side over Kavali. The black-haired woman constantly flexed her fingers, no doubt eager to use her own puppeteer magic to do the deed. Whenever she looked to her, Mirajane felt a sense of eagerness that made her mind spin. This sense of rivalry that sprung up within her…did she have it with someone else before?

No matter how hard she tried to focus her mind, it gnawed at her, like a fly that simply wouldn't leave her alone.

Through the rolling sands she could see the structure coming into focus. The former hideout of the Yiga Clan. Carved out of a mountain with dozens of tunnels stretching through and below it. Though subterfuge was their way, the Yiga had proved more than capable of militarily defending and holding the fortress, much to the chagrin of the Gerudo. In a hundred years, the female tribe had never made a serious attempt to breach the fortress. While it might have been possible, the worry was always that it would come at too high a cost. That may have been true, but apparently one lone warrior had been able to infiltrate it and take it, by killing the clan's leader. Since that day, the Yiga had been scattered to the wind.

And here she was returning them to their lost home. Much like the man who'd taken it from them, she would take it back with little trouble.

She could see them, a pair of guards standing at the gates. Upon throwing off her clock, she whispered the incantation. "Take Over: Mirajane Seilah."

A curtain of purple squares rose around her, altering her form. For spectators, it was a bigger change than any other that they'd seen. When the squares dissipated, Mirajane Strauss was not walking in front of them. It was someone new.

For many, it was quite an improvement.

"Halt, who goes there!" Shouted one of the guards, already having one of their spears pointed. They could sense the danger rolling off of the black-haired woman as surely as they could heat from a fire.

Unfortunately, they were going to need more than just a couple of spears.

"I am the one who commands you. Let us pass." The horned woman declared. With a wave of her hand, her Curse was activated. "Whenever a Yiga clansmen passes through her, you shall allow them entry. Is that clear?"

Only for a second did they look like they were fighting the command. Their fight ended in defeat as they nodded, their eyes seemingly completely normal giving no indication they were under control. One would ask how long that control would last, but Mirajane was supremely confident that while she was in the base, her control would be absolute. She was likewise sure that none of the occupants would be able to break her Curse's control. Mirajane doubted that anyone in Hyrule could break her control.

All…save for maybe one.

Human. Human…will.

Was that her voice? Impossible. With a slight shake of her head, Mirajane continued to walk through the fort with her entourage following her, or at least most of it. Little by little, the group pattered off; there were Yiga clansmen moving to reclaim their former home. Mirajane ignored the triumphant snickers, shouts, and declarations of revenge several made as they did so.

Home. Reclaiming…a lost home.

"Something wrong, Satan Mirajane?" The masked ninja beside her questioned.

"No, it's nothing." She replied. Again, it was like a fly buzzing about around her head, or worse, inside of her ear. It was getting annoying, but Mirajane kept that annoyance hidden behind a nonchalant façade. "The central chamber is right up ahead."

"Yes, it is," the masked figure said with naked anticipation in his voice. His pace picked up as they neared the giant doors. He flung them open and walked straight to the center. "At last! We have reclaimed that which is ours! Next shall be our dignity! The dignity that was stolen by those Hylian bastards!" Boomed the masked man. His cloak fell away revealing his crimson-red bodysuit. Arms stretched upward to the high ceiling. "Lord Ganon, I swear on the name of my Yiga forefathers that your return shall be ensured! It will be secured here in this fortress, which has stood tall dedicated to you for centuries!"

Kavali gave the performance a long and amusing clap. "Ahem, I do hope you haven't forgotten who it is that you owe the return of this fortress to, Konnoji."

His grandstanding finished, the masked ninja turned to Kavali and dropped to one knee. "No, I have not, and the Yiga shall not forget this, Kavali. As it was in ancient times, the Acolytes of Ganon will have our support, and we shall expect theirs in return."

In a clear show of respect Kavali crossed her hand over her chest and bowed. "You shall have it, Master Konnoji. Won't he, Mirajane?"

Mimicking the acolyte, the Take-Over wizard bowed as well. "Yes, you shall. Now then…can I have some bananas?"

Konnoji blinked behind his mask. A minute later and he burst into laughter. "So, even demons have fostered a liking for our clan's prized fruit! Very well then, you've earned it! Come, we're going to make sure that those Gerudo bitches haven't eaten them all up! And when the time comes we shall make them pay for every one they've eaten!"

"Just remember, we keep up the façade, so you must keep your hands off the Gerudo here." Kavali warned.

"Tsk, understood. We were patient enough to get this far, we can…wait a little longer. For now though, we can at least be happy to have our home back. Let's enjoy it."

With all of the Gerudo guards under her control. Mirajane dropped her Seilah form. Even then, the Curse's power remained in effect. If she wondered too far off there was a fear of it being broken, but the mental hold on their minds had only just begun. Kavali would move to wrap ensnare them in her magic solidifying their hold on them. The Gerudo women wouldn't know it, but they would become accomplices to the resurrection of the Calamity Ganon. Or, if their plans went as well as Master Ólethros desired, Ganondorf himself.

Mirajane watched the midday sun slowly but surely began to descend downward toward the horizon. It was a steady descent counted in hours. Mirajane marked those hours by the banana peels that piled up beside her. No matter how many she ate, she never seemed to grow full; either her mind was elsewhere, or they just tasted that good. It might have been the latter as every bite she took had her quietly moaning in enjoyment. They really did taste good.

But she didn't lose herself to the taste. She reminded acutely aware of those watching her.

Several times she looked back, her eyes seeing nothing but the rocky cave that she'd came up from. She knew they were there, hiding in the shadows, waiting for her to drop her guard so they could pounce on her. The moment that they tried, Mirajane knew she would retaliate. Even if her body resisted her, she would force it to respond as she wished.

If you can guard your chastity, then why not your consciousness? Perhaps you're more of a demon than you originally thought.

Feeling her heart pounding so intensely Mirajane whipped her head around. She was still alone, yet the voice had sounded so close…and so familiar.

Her moment of confusion was the opportunity that one of her watchers had been waiting for.

Craaaack! Cra-ack!

Like the worms he mimicked, the acolyte rose from the earth. His dirt-brown cloak was covered in dirt that fell off as he stood upright and began to walk toward Mirajane. With every step he took she remained on guard. His amber-colored eyes held nothing but insidious intent, especially as they focused on her chest. While she knew she couldn't kill him, she would have appreciated it if he would go find someone else to harass.

"Would you mind some company, Satan Mira?" he offered in a deceptively casual voice. "You know these bananas are best enjoyed in company. Actually, I know a couple of ways to fix them up that I'm sure you'd find delightful. I heard a rumor that you liked cooking."

"I…do?" As she gave the response her head buzzed. Memories spilled forth like a turned over pitcher. A hand went to her head to steady it like the overflow was too much for her. It almost was. In spite of it, she caught the way the acolyte was moving toward her. Mirajane glared at him, the darkness within her rising and forming into a thin aura of intimidation. It stopped him in his tracks, yet the acolyte chuckled as if he were more amused by it than anything.

"Woah, that's a scary look to shoot your ally. We're both acolytes, aren't we? No need to be so hostile!" He innocently cried.

"Allies, yes, but keep your dirt-covered hands off of me, and your worms too." The white-haired girl coldly snipped. "Touch me without my permission and there will be nothing left of you, not even ashes."

"Hehehe…hahahahaha! Now that's a threat worthy of a demon! You really are the she-devil that Grandmaster Ólethros made you out to be!" Her attempted intimidation wasn't working as well as she'd thought it would. In the back of her mind she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. Such dark auras like her own were common in the Acolytes of Ganon.

As were underhanded tactics like attacking from behind.

Her right hand shot out, grabbing the human-sized worm that had been creeping up behind her. The creature let out a strangled gasp before it was crushed underneath her superhuman strength.

"Like I said, try to touch me again without my permission and there will be consequences." Her old voice snapped.

Not even the increase in power seemed to detour him. The acolyte grinned revealing rows of sharpened teeth that didn't quite look right on a human. His eyes cackled with malicious glee showing that he was actually taking the increase in power as a challenge. Shadowy worm constructs began to swirl around his body as his amber eyes leered at Mirajane.

This was becoming annoying for her. The way he was looking at her was making her feel more and more disgusted. She felt her hands clenching into fists.

A canine howl broke the tension that had accumulated between the two, at least temporarily.

Mirajane's eyes snapped from the first cloaked figure to the second. His hood was down revealing his wild and spiky dirty blonde hair. Dark blue eyes stared back at her own, swirling with sadistic malice. Upon grinning at her, he too revealed a maw of sharpen teeth no different from the first acolyte's. Mirajane remained on guard now that they were both here.

"Cromus, I was just having some fun." The first acolyte chuckled.

"I know, I know Bellfield, but we have use of your abilities. I'm afraid playtime with our newest member will have to wait. Don't worry though, we'll have plenty of time to get better acquainted with her in due time." The wild-faced man cackled.

His compatriot raised an eyebrow. "We? I was hoping for some alone time with the Demon! I've put in so much work already! Aren't I entitled to a break, a nice, long enjoyable break?" As he spoke he turned back to the white-haired woman with his same leering grin. Her expression hadn't changed, only growing more irritated as the had their short conversation. She didn't look none too happy that he was being called away, even though she wanted him gone. Sighing in defeat, the hooded man hung his head. "Oh, fine! I'm going! But you better not put the moves on her, Cromus! I saw her first."

"First come doesn't always mean first serve." He grunted back in response. His eyes flickered to Mirajane; she saw the sudden red tint of his eyes, a clear indicator of the dark power within him. Of the beast she knew lay within him. "You know the true law as laid out by Lord Ganondorf himself, what you want you take. And if anyone tries to stop you, you make them wish that they hadn't."

Mirajane's magical aura flared up out of impulse. The way that Cromus was leering at her was that of a wolf before a lamb, a nice juicy lamb, there would be no interference from others. Least of all a worm like Bellfield.

With a wave, the dirty blond departed with the previous acolyte. Mirajane was alone once more, and happily so. Her magical aura died down and the tension in her body finally left it. If only for the moment. In her heart, she knew that this wouldn't be the last time that she dealt with those two…or some other devious and horny acolyte. Mirajane could remember the way that a couple of them had leered at her before.

It would continue and continue until the deed was done. Until Lord Ganon had been revived. Afterward…

Mirajane blinked as her mind went blank at the thought of what came afterward. Unseen by all save for the goddess, a veil of darkness rose up around her. Mirajane's eyes turned blood red as her body tensed up. A hand went to her head, clawing at it.

"No…no." The distortion in her voice would have bothered her if she were sane. As evident by the darken glow in her eyes, she clearly wasn't in her right mind. That was solidified in her next words. "Lord Ganon…his revival is all that matters. Nothing matters beyond that." Shallow laughter rose from her throat and slipped from her lips. It rode the afternoon wind that blew across the Gerudo Desert. "Lord Ganon…Lord Ganon…your revival…I shall ensure nothing impedes it. This land…shall be yours once again!" Her cursed laughter rose, chilling the bones of even the birds that desert-dwelling reptiles that lurked around the fortress.

Once more, it was under Yiga's control. This time, they wouldn't be so easily dislodged, not while the Demon Mira stood vanguard over it.

---

Hebra Region…

Link remembered the first time that he explored the Hebra Region. The second he saw his breath in front of him as a cold cloud he knew he was going to need cold protection. By the goddesses, he turned out to be right. Venturing deeper into the region required him to dress accordingly, his first true test of weathering the elements. From time to time Link returned to the region, namely the numerous mountain peaks and valleys to refamiliarize himself with the harshness of the world he now lived in. Even after he'd slain the Calamity Ganon.

"If you want to train hard, go to the Hebra Region. You can go to the Tabantha Frontier, but personally it's not quite the same."

"Really? The cold helps that much?"

"Hehehe, it did for me, Link. Let's just say that I find it akin to the icy chill of death. It pushes you to dig deep and find the fire you need to keep it back."

He'd gradually came to understand what the words met. It was grueling work fighting in the freezing cold, but it indeed hardened him. Just as it'd hardened the Rito warriors who sailed across the region, including his former rival. Ever since he freed Vah Medoh, he could have sworn that sometimes Revali was watching him train. At times his spirit seemingly popped up verifying his suspicions. This was one of those times that Link would have actually loved to hear him.

The multi-colored flames around the Master Sword dimmed as he huffed out cloud after cloud. Already the freezing cold was rushing back to him. Rather than let its fast spreading chill get him down, Link focused all of his mind and body on the sword in his hands. His grip tightened and his body glowed bluish white. From his hands into his sword the glow-the energy-went, causing the flickering flames to be revived. They shot out, lighting up the clearing with a quiet sizzling as they had minutes earlier.

As seconds turned to minutes, he endeavored to make the blaze brighter than it had been before. The gleaming silver steel was gradually covered in rainbow-colored flames. With their growth the temperature around the clearing skyrocketed, a change noted by the Hylian's sole observer. He watched as the knight fed the holy blaze with his inner strength. Its size and luminosity was a testament to the power that the Champion of Hyrule held within him. He seemed to be summoning as much of it as he could.

Once frigid winds had turned blistering hot. They swirled around the enflamed Master Sword. Snow parted ways and grass swayed in the constant wind.

With the flames to his liking, Link reeled the sword back. As he did so, he fed the flames one final time, making them grow exponentially one final time. With a battle cry that seemingly carried over the plains, he swung the Master Sword forward, unleashing the accumulated power.

The flames erupted forth in a straight line, cutting a clean path across the snow-covered landscape. As it did so, it shook and superheated the ground, the holy power continuing onward until it finally reached its limit and dissipated. By then a clear ten-foot-wide scorch mark had been left upon the earth. The spectator took flight to get a literal bird's eye view of the blast. Link let out more tired huffs as he awaited the official report.

"That one was probably your biggest one yet. It stretches for a good three kilometers." The white-feathered Rito offered.

Link's smile was brief. "Thank you, Teba." He sat up straight, tightening his grip on the sword as he'd done dozens of times before during this training session.

The current Rito Champion stepped forward, placing a feathered hand on the Hylian's shoulder. "Link, I can understand your drive, but don't push yourself. Besides, anymore and you might just bring down an avalanche if you try to go bigger like your did a month ago." Both men shared a chuckle as they recalled the memory. Teba had woken up with a gut feeling that it was going to be an eventful afternoon, and by way of his fellow Champion, he'd been right. It'd been a while since he'd had to so readily flee from an avalanche, especially carrying a passenger. Who happened to have caused said avalanche.

"You know, I think trying to slice an avalanche in half would be a good way to test the move out. What do you think, trial by snow and ice?"

Teba gave him the courtesy of a laugh. "Considering that you're trying to launch a wave of holy fire strong enough to take down a demon, you may actually be onto something. I've heard that your flames are already strong enough to melt through steel."

Link shot him a broad grin. "So you're on board with the idea!"

"I didn't quite say that!" Teba quickly countered. "Blowing away an avalanche, Link, that's still a pretty dangerous move, even for training."

The Hylian hung his head. "I know, Teba, but…the demon that we're facing. I can't help but feel like enough power to pull off a move like that is only going to be a fraction of the power I need to face her."

The Rito archer held the Hylian swordsman's gaze as a cold wind blew across the field. A new round of snow had begun to fall. It would take time, perhaps days, for the numerous scorch marks Link had left behind in his training. Teba had watched several of them be created, his respect for the Hylian warrior growing from what it had once been. He knew that Link was a supremely capable warrior, undoubtedly the best in Hyrule, yet he'd came to him with fear and anxiety cloaked around him. Teba knew that meant whoever this she-demon was, she wasn't a threat to be underestimated. She'd single-handedly annihilated Akkala Citadel. That had been three days ago and she hadn't been seen since.

Once news of the attack had spread, an invisible grip had tightened around Hyrule. No one wanted to openly talk about it, but everyone could feel it. That included the Rito, and especially Teba.

His feathered hand with the blue scarf he wore around his neck. One hundred years ago, it'd belonged to Revali of the Rito, the greatest archer their people had ever known. It now belonged to Teba, his successor, the new Champion of the Rito. Likewise, Riju of the Gerudo, Prince Sidon of the Zora, and Yunobo of the Gerudo, now wore their predecessors' blue cloths identifying them as Hyrule's new Champions. Link was the only anomaly; he was one of the only one of the original Champions from a century ago. He was also the strongest amongst them as he had been back then.

"Have we been compliance in these two years of peace?" He muttered.

Link looked down at the snow at his feet. "I…I don't know. It's not like anyone was blindly optimistic about Hyrule's future. For whatever reason, our land always seems to attract danger. The type of danger though…"

"Probably the strongest demon that Hyrule has seen in ages, perhaps even on par with the Calamity Ganon. Still, you managed to drive her back." Teba offered. He pointed his right index feather and finger at the Master Sword which lay in Link's hand. Though their sparring had temporarily ended, the blade retained a silver glow that stood out against the falling snow. "If you can get in a clean blow, you can this nightmare."

"Yeah, if I can get in close." They both knew that having the right weapon was only half the battle. A holy sword like his wouldn't be much good if he couldn't get in close enough to use it. Or if his target was fast enough to avoid his sword beams. Link knew he needed something to even the playing field. "Or if I can slow her down."

"You know, I'm really not a fan of you potentially setting fire to the land. I heard some rumors that you're a bit of a pyromaniac." Teba humorously warned.

The Hylian's response was a grin. "Well, I'll admit when I first woke up, I had a little fun with the Bomb Rune and tested what I could do with some bomb arrows. You know how sometimes you need a little force to get the job down." Teba shook his head in amusement at the indirect confirmation. Apparently, the blond had a little more fun with his first days of resurrection than anyone thought. "Anyways, she has wings, and if I can find some way to disrupt her flight, I might have an edge. A grounded opponent is easier for a warrior like me to fight."

"True, on the ground I have a hard time picture anyone being a match for you. Then again, using Revali's Gale, you might stand a chance in the air." Link met the Rito's eyes, sensing he had something important to say. "I've heard you've been exploring and expanding the abilities of the Champions. Revali's Gale could allow you to fly, perhaps not as elegantly as a Rito, but you could maintain a whirlwind powerful enough to stay in the air. Alternatively, you could use it to bolster the Sacred Flames."

Link stared at Teba with a slightly slack-jawed expression. The latter took the opportunity to bask in the moment, something that his predecessor would have approved of. Had the blue-feathered Rito been alive, he'd have made the most of this moment, maybe even ordering someone to take a picture.

Laughter fell from Link's lips while Teba held her smug smirk. He deserved it. "Thanks, Teba. I don't know how long it would have taken me to come up with that idea." Link held his hand up to the sky, feeling the cold wind that was omnipresent in Hyrule's northwest region. "Think I should start here, in Revali's old home."

"It might make you feel closer to his spirit. Sometimes I imagine I can hear him when I'm in Vah Medoh. Speaking of which, I imagine I'll have to step up my training with it. We're going to be needing its firepower if we're to survive this."

"How good have you gotten?" The blond asked.

Just as Teba was about to answer, their conversation was cut short by a third party, the Master Sword. Azure flames pulsated around the sword illuminating the two warriors. Teba jumped back as did Link, his face morphing into pure confusion. As he held up the sword, he felt the ethereal flames flowing into him.

"Master,"

"H-H-Huh? W-W-Who, me?" The Hylian gasped.

"Link? What is it? What's happening to the sword?" Teba asked.

"I-I don't know! I-I just heard a voice, the spirit of the Master Sword, I think!" His confusion died down a little as he looked to the flaming sword. Link could feel something in the depths of his soul stirring just like the first time he'd gone to reclaim the Master Sword. The voice that had called out to him had felt familiar.

"Master…danger. Danger lurks…close by. The darkness…it is near, it covets…the great…"

"Great…what? Hey, are you there!" Instead of a verbal response he got a more…physical one. The blue flames condensed in the center of the blade, then fanned out as a pulsing circle. As it did so, Link felt his arm pulled in another direction. "This is…dousing."

"Dousing? The sword can do that?" Teba said.

"Apparently, and what it's sensing is…trouble." He looked to the Rito Archer with seriousness. "Teba."

Nodding, he looked in the direction that the sword was pointing. "That's in the far west, the Western Summit."

"Then I better get going." He said. Link already knew that he was going to have to balance riding the Master Cycle with holding the Master Sword. Not easy, but he'd done worse. "Teba, I don't want to alarm anyone, but head back to Rito Village and put everyone on alert."

"I'm on it. I'm going to put Vah Medoh on standby. In the meantime, don't do anything crazy, and report to me if you find something."

With a nod, both warriors set out to do their respective duties. Teba took flight and high-tailed it to his home. As for Link, he summoned his own personal Divine Beast; he hit the throttle and began making a single track in the snow, and eventually up the mountains. He'd done these rides before making this latest one trivial for him, on the surface anyway.

As he rode west, Link could feel a chill up his spine. He knew exactly what it was, and what it meant.

Hey, are you there, spirit of the sword? Do you still have enough strength to talk to me? Did trying to channel the power of the Sacred Flames rouse your consciousness?

Link felt a reply was fifty-fifty, so he wasn't surprised when he didn't get a response. He supposed that the spirit's focus was on detecting the darkness that had befallen the Hebra Region. Frankly, he agreed with it. Unless it was focused on that, air was better saved in preparation for what lay ahead of him. Link could practically see the darkness that he was racing to. It wasn't the first time that he'd done so; he just had to hope this time wouldn't be the last.

The further he rode the more the Master Sword pulsated, signaling that he was getting closer. Link noticed how the flames flickered just a little bit brighter as if the sword itself were gearing up for what awaited them at the end of their journey. He already had a feeling of what he would face.

Ever since their battle at Akkala Citadel Link had a hard time getting the image of the she-demon out of his head. Her terrifying power had engrained itself into his mind. For three days he had no idea where she was. Those had been a long three days, not just for him but for everyone in Hyrule. Though the public had tried to continue on with life the same as normal, there was a constant unease in the air. For the army and reforming government, that unease was more like an invisible grip; everyone was simply waiting for the strangling squeeze whenever that would be. Link had a feeling that he was going to be the first one to feel that. He was okay with it since he could take it, and he could shake that tightening grip off if he found the opportunity.

Or if he could make the opportunity appear.

Getting closer and closer to the western mountains caused his sword to pulsate even more. With it came a constant thumping in his right arm. Were it not for his grueling training then his arm would have been throbbing by now. A fight was waiting for him at the end and that pain might have been a hindrance, but no such agony existed.

A mighty jump gave him a high view of the mountains and the circular gorge that marked the western side. Link's blue eyes noticed something different about it, a slight distortion in the air. The Master Sword pulsated in his hand, stronger than before. Upon hitting the ground, Link realized what he had to do.

Dismounting from the Master Cycle, he walked up to a ledge and held the sword in front of him. Azure flames fanned out in front of him, some of them flowing into his eyes. The knight's blue orbs widened as he saw what really lay before him, a barrier, a giant magical barrier. Link's eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Alright, so you are here." Whatever was happening, he knew he couldn't allow it to continue. "Now, so I'm guessing I use you to cut this thing down…and whatever else stands in my path." The flames receded into the blade, which instead gained a faint silvery glow. Link raised his sword then brought it down. He watched his slash leave a gaping hole in the barrier; from it cracks spread to the rest of the barrier. Within seconds it shattered; his ears twitched with the faint sound of glass breaking.

"Okay…now comes the really hard part." Dismissing his Master Cycle, He took a running start, then leaped off the ledge. Fierce cold winds whipped at him as he plunged leg first toward the ground. Hehehe, this never gets old! That one joy broke through the grim seriousness that had coated him. Once he dimmed the timing right he deployed the paraglider. With the wind blowing at such a breeze he was able to ride it safely down to the ground. As he glided down he looked around him, trying to discover what the source of the disturbance was.

Turning around, he saw it and went wide-eyed.

Someone was digging a hole straight into the mountainside.

Link's eyes went wider as he sensed the raw evil rolling off of whatever lay within the hole. Crimson eyes appeared in the darkness, and a smile. He didn't know how, but he could see a smile in the darkness, a vicious and cruel smile that opened to speak words.

"FINALLY, I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU, HERO!"

The rock exploded outward, as it did Link raised his shield, putting all of his strength into it. He did so just in time as a bloody red comet shot out straight at him. Link grimaced as he felt the impact of the malicious force against his shield. He was hurled backward by the incredible force.

Gnashing his teeth, Link reached behind his back for the Master Sword and drew it. The silver sword was already ablaze with divine light when he drew it and brought it down.

BOOM!

In spite of the height, Link landed on the ground without so much as a stumble. He kept his eyes focused on his opponent, who descended right across from him. As he did so he flared up his magical aura. The ground cracked and the water raged, the once chilly air turned blistering hot. Link kept his shield raised in preparation for the man's next attack.

"You're not her." He said in a solemn voice.

He stood a couple of inches taller than him at a solid six feet. What stood out to him was his hair, the ashen gray color reminded him of the Sheik, so too did the facial symmetry and the markings. Instead of being red though, they were black. His eyes glistened like polished rubies. And they were filled to the brim with unrestrained bloodlust. To emphasis that, he held up his right hand, it pulsed with violent red energy that had smashed into him mere seconds earlier. Link knew that a direct hit from one of his punches would probably leave him crippled, if not dead.

"No, I'm not the Satan, I'm stronger! I'm the better opponent for you, so come, Hero of Hyrule! Let's have a nice, good death match!" he shouted before kicking off toward Link.

Great, he's got speed AND power! Link thought as he jumped back, watching as the man shattered the ground with his bear fist. Fragments of rock shot outward in all directions like a bomb had just gone off. Within seconds, more fists were flying his way. Link did his best to avoid them and block them. He quickly came to prefer the former over the latter as blocking left his arm with a constant dull ringing. His Hylian Shield was sturdy enough to weather the blows, but Link knew there was a limit.

Not to mention his opponent was fast enough that a shield couldn't block every attack.

Link spun around, his sword shining as it collided with his opponent's fist. Now it was his right arm ringing from the shock. His fist slid back, but he remained firm as he tried to push back on the attack. Link dropped the attempt when he saw the man's other fist come flying at him. He dodged the blow, his nose wrinkling as he caught the foul stench of darkness on his fists.

A darkness-coated fist came flying at him from blew, an uppercut

Now or never!

At first glance, it would seem like the punch connected, but the massive whirlwind was proof of the contrary. It swirled around the raised Master Sword. The elemental energies merged with the holy energies embodied in the Master Sword creating a divine whirlwind that Link launched at the fighter.

"Ahh, now that's what I'm talking about!" his right hand was reared back, malicious red energy coiling around the limb. "This is why I joined the Acolytes!" With those words, he launched his fist forward, his dark energy colliding with the shining whirlwind. The two attacks pushed against each other in an explosive clash that left spider-web cracks along the ground. Even the mountains around them shook from the two attacks attempting to overpower each other.

Link could still feel the wind around him. He didn't know if it was because his mastery of Revali's Gale had increased or if Revali himself was empowering him. Either one would suffice, and neither of them were important now. The wind continued to encircle him and eventually the Master Sword. Link pulled it back then swung it forward again, empowering his cyclonic attack. It was enough to tip the balance.

BOOM!

Even though the mysterious fighter vanished in the resulting windstorm and explosion, Link highly doubted he was dead. A heartbeat later and he recognized that he wasn't alone.

Propelled by the lingering wind, Link spun around, his sword colliding with a magical forcefield. He immediately struggled against it.

It was a source of amusement for the man on the other side of it. "Ah, so this is the Master Sword. Quite a powerful blade." The hooded figure cackled.

Link merely glared at the man. He knew that whoever this man was, he was pure evil. It rolled off of him like the heat from Death Mountain. It also shined in the shine of the Master Sword. Link felt a pulse from it; it was all he needed.

ZASH!

Whoever the figure was, he was fleeing backward, his hand stinging and smoking. "Urgh! A very fine blade indeed! A cursed holy sword that burns the darkness!"

"Only weak shadows! It's still steel, and I'll break it all the same!" Boomed another, familiar voice.

Link used his sword instead of his shield to block the overhead spike that the first opponent attempted. Though he felt his body ring, Link maintained his block, the Master Sword was glowing immensely bright, shining like torch.

Fueled by the surge of strength, Link shrugged the man's arms off and looked straight at him.

He was sure he was a Sheik, but a heretical one. His maniacal grin was unlike anything he'd ever seen on the people of Kakariko Village. Looking into them, he was reminded of a blood thirsty Lynel that wouldn't hesitate to tear him to shreds. He responded accordingly.

BOOM!

Sword and fist met, neither proving strong enough to overcome the other, but enough to shake the air and the earth.

After what felt like eons, Link's feet touched the ground. His eyes remained on his opponent, especially the shape that his dark aura was taking.

The conversation he had with the others four days ago came back to him. He considered it a blessing that Renato wasn't here. The sight of a giant ethereal beetle would have likely scared the life out of him. At least he wouldn't have been alone, the avatar was quite fearsome, especially as it locked its beady red eyes on Link. It was a predatory entity that saw him as its prey.

Dark energy once more swirled around the man's arm as he reeled it backward. "Vile Barrage!"

As the slew of the punches came at him, Link counted them. Any fighter of less caliber would have lost count at the two-hundred punches coming their way; for that matter, they also wouldn't have been able to count them all as they came speeding at them. Link could see them though, and he could counter them. That's exactly what he did. The Master Sword glowed bright as it counteracted each attack, an explosion of darkness and light igniting right in front of him.

At the end of it all, the man was in front of him, his left fist coming straight at him. His blue eyes saw the attack coming in slow motion. To be frank, that actually made his incoming attack even more horrific to behold. A dark-coated punch that could probably demolish a hill or even a mountain. But he stopped the attack with a swing of his sword. Everything to his right side exploded, including the distant mountainside. As he struggled to keep his opponent's left fist locked down, he saw him about to strike at him with his right fist. His shield was there to meet his attack leaving the two fighters in a deadlock.

"Who…are you?" Link grunted feeling all of his strength being put forth to hold off the mysterious brawler.

He grinned at him. "A demon who's finally found his prey! I'm not letting her take you from me, not when you dropped right into my lap!"

"Grrr! Hate to break it to you, but I was expecting her!" The Hylian shouted back.

"Aahh, well, don't worry, I'm a much better fighter than her, not to mention I've been waiting for this for too long!" He boomed.

Link's eyes narrowed. "What are you, Sheik or Yiga?"

"Does it really matter?"

Link was about to say that it didn't, but his opponent was apparently done with words. He saw his leg rise up in preparation to kick him. Link jumped back just in time as he saw the spire-like mass if dark energy shoot upward. To the side of it he saw his opponent moving toward him. Sword out, he countered his next attack with a spin slash that released a vicious gale across the battlefield.

"So that sword really does live up to its legend! Good, it'd be such a shame if it broke after only a couple of blows!" The mysterious fighter shouted before launching into a new volley of punches.

There were times Link was immensely grateful that he recovered the Master Sword. Amongst the myriad of weapons, he'd collected from across the land, it was undoubtedly the strongest. It was also the most useful when he was going up against anything fueled by darkness and evil. Link found that its strength literally shined when in the presence of such forces, including moments like now.

When he struck back, light and darkness collided, filling up the entire valley like a torch.

BOOOOM!

Something shook the skies above them. As he withdrew his sword, he saw it pulsate with that familiar azure flame. Wide-eyed, Link looked up and saw that a midair battle had begun. He instantly recognized one of the combatants.

Her form was different, he recognized her, immediately at that. Somehow, she sensed his gaze and looked away from the flurry of laser beams assailing her.

Across hundreds of feet, from the ground to the earth, the hero and the she-demon locked eyes.

---

Writing this chapter was a little difficult since I had to balance out what was included. Things didn't quite go as planned since most of the chapter was supposed to focus on Mira. I suppose in a way it did, just not quite in the way I envisioned.

First off, I wanted to show the aftermath of Mira's "introduction" to the people of Hyrule. Her actions have made her public enemy #1 in Hyrule, and every bit of available resources is being directed to taking her down. While thinking about that, I thought of how there's a gemstone associated with the good 'ole fire, ice, and lightning elemental triangle. From these gems can come armor pieces with corresponding elemental resistances. Given how resource discovery and management was a part of BotW, I decided to do some expansion, thus was born Holy Quartz. While thinking of the idea, I also thought of a corresponding dark gemstone that may or may not come into play later on in the story.

Second, my original idea was for this chapter to focus entirely on Mira. In doing so, I was able to introduce the Acolytes of Ganon. They're my interpretation of the order that Astor belonged to. As I'm sure you've all realized, they're the ones responsible for summoning, and corrupting, Mira. As for their role and abilities in this story, you could say my inspiration is somewhat twofold. I'm basing them off of the Specters from Saint Seiya (as it happens, I'm binge watching the Lost Canvas), who are in turn based on the 108 evil desires of Buddhist teaching. Now, will I be showing 108 evil sorcerers, no. Only a handful of the larger group will be shown, and even then, I plan on giving them some backstory.

Ólethros is Greek for "ruination" and "bane"

Kavali comes from the 1989 Kavali Cyclone. She is also based off of Griffon Minos, so that gives you a hint of what her abilities will be.

Bellfield is derived from Levi Bellfield, the infamous British "Bus Stop Killer". Odds are you can speculate where his character will be going based off of that and his interactions with Mira.

Cromus is one of the sons of Lycaon, the first werewolf in Greek mythology. That's a big hint as to what his abilities will be.

I'm not going to tap dance around what sort of people would worship a monster like Calamity Ganon, or even just Ganondorf period. If anyone's hoping for a lighter interpretation of Ganondorf then I'm sorry. I'm not one of those people who's up for that lighter and softer interpretation of Ganon. Mirajane's fallen into a rather horrible crowd and she's not going to escape it without scars.

As this chapter showed, yes, Mirajane can access her other Satan Soul forms, including Seilah. It's my hope I can showcase all of her forms, and yes that includes Alegria. As for rather or not that'll be fighting with Link and Hyrule or against them…hehehe, you all will just have to wait for that.

The next battle's begun, this time in the Hebra Region. I was torn between having it take place either there or in the Gerudo Desert. With the latter, it would be anti-climatic to have a big battle there when the bad guys have just reclaimed the Yiga's old hideout. Speaking of them, yes, they made their first appearance in this story! And they've got a new master! In the end, this chapter was part intermediary and part setup. Next chapter Link and Mira will be having another close encounter so to speak, and I'll have some surprises in store next chapter!

Until then, readers! Let me know what you all thought of this chapter and until next time!