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.

4. Chapter 4-Collisions in the Sky

Last chapter I really introduced the villains and showed Mirajane's extremely warped view of things. Will that start changing this chapter? Will she fair any better against Link this time? Will Link take a wing or an arm off? Those are all questions that will be answered this chapter. I hope you all enjoy this fourth chapter of the story!

I do not own anything.

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Chapter 4-Collisions in the Sky

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It seemed like even the Master Sword was growing accustomed to the she-demon's presence. He supposed after the first battle the sword might have gained some sort of proximity alarm regarding her. Link was mighty appreciative of it. First came the rush up his sword up, reaching straight into his brain. It was already fired up thanks to the battle he was currently embroiled in. The fact that the jolt was so strong was a testament to how severe the threat the she-demon posed.

Unfortunately, he already had one enemy he had to deal with, a fighter able to keep him on his toes. In the back of his mind, he cursed his luck. Fighting the she-demon and this bare-fisted brawler wouldn't be easy. A part of Link didn't feel comfortable leaving either of them to Teba or the other Rito forces. Then again, it wasn't like he could split himself into two to take on both of them.

According to legends, there was once a sword that could split a person into multiple selves. Four to be exact if Link remembered right. How he was able to do that in the heat of battle was a genuine surprise. Granted, thinking about it didn't exactly help him. That fabled sword was nowhere near at this moment, and he needed all the power of the sacred sword currently in his hand. He was facing an opponent with the strength to shatter mountains in his fists, and Link was sure he wasn't using all of his power to fight him. That thought just made his current situation all the more dire.

Up in the sky numerous explosions were taking place, proof that the Rito weren't hesitating in fighting off the she-demon. He couldn't afford to look up and see how they were doing, or even devote much time to think about how things were going. The fist-fighter in front of him was requiring all of his attention to handle. That seconds' long glance was all he was able to get. Somewhere inside Link felt frustration, but he channeled that frustration into his sword. Gnashing his teeth, he forced out more of his strength and in turn drew out more of the Master Sword's power as well.

Between those two things the sword glowed with a brighter radiance. It counteracted each punch made by the mysterious man until their fists collided in a collision of light and darkness. Link felt the strain from the pushback, but it was nothing new for him. His arm muscles howled, and his feet dug into the earth, just like his opponent's. They were dead even, but neither of them were satisfied with that. One of them was going to have to give.

"Good, you're keeping your focus on me. I've been waiting for this a helluva of a long time." Grinned the darkened warrior. "By the way, my name's Darkuto!"

"I'll try to remember that." The Hylian snarled. "Who the hell are you! What is that thing!" he saw the man move. His right arm pulled back and his left leg surged forward in a kick that would have decapitated him if he hadn't fallen back. Link raised his shield and used it to weather the next several kicks that came his way. The final one pushed him back through the snow, but he stayed standing. Darkuto vanished in a black blur, at least to the naked eye. Link tracked his movements-watching him dash to his left where he struck at him with a right hook. Luminous energy gathered in his shield as he twisted his body sideways; it exploded outward as he pushed forward, connecting with the attack at the perfect moment. Both of them were pushed back, but Darkuto more so than Link. "I want answers!" Shouting that Link swing his arm forward, unleashing a crescent-shaped slash that hit the man in the chest.

Dark energy coiled around both of the man's hands as he grinned at him. Link could see his attack had done little damage; at best all he'd done was excite the man. "You want answers, you're going to have to fight for them! Before the Great Calamity returns, I'm going to get my fill of battle!"

Contrary to his words, he'd just handed Link a little bit of information. Really, it was all the information that he needed to know.

Darkuto's dark aura intensified as the Hylian disappeared. Just like him, he tracked his movements, albeit he was impressed with his speed. His arms were raised to shield himself from the overhead slash that the Champion of Hyrule brought down on him from behind. He grunted feeling the holy blade cutting through his darkened energy to get at his skin.

In a blur the young swordsman vanished again, then reappeared on his right side. Darkuto jumped up, avoiding the sonic-speed thrust that the swordsman performed. He recognized that he'd missed and slid into his next attack, a sword beam that was three times as large as the last one. Darkuto's leg was reared back then swung forward releasing a darkened crescent to counter it.

Through the resulting explosion a burst of light appeared. Darkuto's gleeful smile was illuminated by the bluish-white light. It grew closer as the sword-shaped mass of light was brought down upon him. His arms were raised and used to guard against the attack. The impact sent him back down to the ground, his feet breaking the earth; Darkuto remained upright, even as he felt the weight of a burning hot boulder trying to crush him into paste. The burst of light continued to glow brighter as he resolved not to be pulverized. "Hahahaha! Now I'm getting what I paid for! You're trying to kill me with everything you've got! That's how a death battle should be!"

"You want death, huh?" Link quietly seethed. He gripped the Master Sword's handle even tighter, so tight that he could have sworn he felt his palms beginning to hurt. "If you're some follower of Ganon, then you'll get your wish."

Suddenly, the beam of light vanished. Darkuto didn't take that to mean he had a chance to breath; he knew he had to use that moment to brace himself. Tendrils of holy light whipped around the Hylian and his outstretched sword. The sight of it made the dark power within him howl like a bloody beast. It manifested as a giant beetle as he readied himself for the Hylian's attack. Darkuto stretched his arm back and channeled that dark power into it. The beetle roared, its blacken horn pointing toward the sky.

"Vile Breaker!"

The earth shattered as the malicious fighter surged forth, the air itself seemingly being blown away as he dashed at his opponent.

Seconds before the empowered attack could connect the phantasmal form of a Rito warrior appeared behind the Hylian. He looked to the oncoming warrior with not disdain, but pure hatred. His wings spread out and the wind heeded his call.

Link watched the man's attack release a concentrated beam of dark and red-colored energy from his fist. It plowed straight through the snow and even the mountain range behind them, destroying everything in its path. He knew if he'd taken that directly it'd have hurt like hell, potentially even been crippling.

"Scatter his remains to the wind, Link." Spoke the ghost of the Rito Champion. His usual pride-laden arrogance was gone.

"With pleasure." Responded the Hylian Champion. The luminous glow of the Master Sword was bolstered by the swirling wind. A miniature cyclone encased the sword, then it became layered in frost as it gathered the natural energy from the sky. "Arrrrgggh!" Screamed the blond as he brought his sword down. An ice-tinted crescent was blasted from his blade. It completely overshadowed its target on top of moving at the speed of lightning.

Darkuto looked straight up at it and grinned. His fist was in the process of rising to meet it with the attack connected, resulting in an icy yet luminous explosion that propelled Link higher into the air.

With the moment he had Link examined the aerial battle. It hadn't gotten any worse, though it wasn't going as well as it could have. The she-demon was giving the Rito one hell of a fight, though they were undoubtedly keeping their distance from her. No doubt they knew from the intel report that getting too close to her meant certain death. She knew that though and was doing her best to close it so she could kill the avian warriors.

"HEY! YOU'VE GOT ENOUGH GUTS TO FINISH WHAT WE STARTED!" Link couldn't remember the last time he'd shouted so loudly. A part of him actually felt a little good in doing so.

Now, one would say that shouting out a challenge to a murderous she-demon wasn't a good idea. Given how she turned her attention to him, one would wonder if he had a death wish…or if he was that eager to settle things with her.

Personally, Link would have claimed the latter as his reasoning.

She immediately broke off from the other Rito and beelined for him. In doing so Link was able to see that her form was slightly different. The she-demon now had a pair of sky-blue wings attached not to her back but to her hands. Likewise, a patch of similarly colored scales dotted her skin up to her cheeks. They contrasted the red glow of her eyes. She reeled her right arm back, cosmic-like energy amassing within her palm. Link knew all too well what would happen if he took that direct hit.

Wind swirled around him as the phantom of Revali of the Rito loomed behind him. With a flap of his ghostly wings the Hylian maneuvered out of the way of the attack, and the next several that the she-demon launched at him. Link knew he couldn't just trust Revali, his instincts were sounding all the alarms to keep him alive. His skin tingled with every grazing blow; the cold of the mountains was long gone as it'd been replaced by the boiling heat of battle. Plus, the venomous breath rolling off of the she-demon. She didn't speak, only growl and roar at him like a feral enemy. Link quietly wondered if that's all she was to whoever the hell these people were.

"Link, you're running out of time!" Revali shouted. He could feel the presence of his old rival fading as the winds around him died down. Once they did, he was going to start plummeting straight down to the earth. The monster in front of him would ensure he'd never reach the ground, not while he still had a heartbeat anyway.

He didn't plan on letting that happen. "I know! Revali, into the sword!" Disappearing in a blur of ethereal will-o-wisps the spirit condensed into the Master Sword giving it a coating of azure-colored wind. Flipping it into a reverse grip Link was propelled further up into the sky as the she-demon took a swipe at him. Rebounding, she shot straight up at him, smashing into his raised shield like a cannonball. Link felt his left arm groan in discomfort. His eyes widened as he saw the she-demon reel her right hand back; she seemed to be holding a small galaxy in her palm. There were dark wisps around the swirling galaxy that promised a tremendous amount of pain once it smashed into him. Like the insignificant bug he was in the cosmic scheme of things, he'd be crushed. Except he had a power to counter that.

With a roar she launched her right fist forward. Link drove the tip of the Master Sword into her attack, the two energies within exploding outward. Clouds were blown away by the shockwaves, a thunderous boom rolling across the sky. With a shout, Link pushed downward with his right arm. Holy light pulsated within the Master Sword, nipping at the scaled woman's arm. She winced in discomfort, and in that moment, Link pushed up. The wind cyclone exploded outward one final time. The Hylian was pushed even higher into the sky, the colder atmosphere biting into him more viciously than ever. It was just as Link wanted.

The Master Sword was raised, and alongside it was a Great Frost Blade. It'd been summoned as the Hylian Shield had been dismissed. Cold energy wrapped around the mystical ice-forged blade. Likewise, holy energies once more enveloped the Master Sword. Light poured in from the upper limits of the sky, even from the heavens themselves. Light and ice mixed together in the parallel swords, their power contained by the Hylian warrior. His blue eyes looked straight down at his demonic adversary.

They followed her as she moved at superhuman speed. He watched her zigzag through the sky; she knew that she had to stop his attack, and she had the speed and power to stop him.

Link knew his swords weren't fully charged, but he had to act as the she-demon came within striking range. Her right hand glowed with dark energy as she made another attempt to pulverize and obliterate him with her evil power.

BOOM!

Even if his swords hadn't been fully charged, they were still strong enough to counteract the dark attack. That's all Link had been hoping for. He saw the massive spire of ice jet outward; so much ice to encase one arm. Actually, it wasn't just the right arm, most of the right side had been frozen by sparkling ice as well. Her left arm was still functional though, and that's what she used to fire at Link. Acting quickly, he raised his Frost Blade to counter the attack. While it worked, he lost the sword, the pieces flying into his face. Link gripped the Master Sword with both hands and commanded it to fill with light once again.

Instead of looking at him she looked at the ice coating her right side. For a hot second the woman's eyes glowed with something other than malice. There wasn't much time to dwell on that though, Link swung the Master Sword in a horizontal arc that unleashed a point-blank energy slash. The she-demon was pushed back, blood spewing from her stomach.

Cold air was being sucked in then expelled in rapid succession. Link could fully feel the struggle of trying to breath at such high altitudes, not to mention the frigid temperature digging into him. Even with his thermally insolated clothing, the level of height he meant he was definitely going to feel the cold. It added to the moment of exhaustion he wallowed in after pushing himself so hard in such rapid succession.

"Link!" Shouted a voice of one of the Rito. It wasn't Teba but one of his comrades. Looking down, he saw them flying at him alongside another. "Brace yourself! Teba's reached the Divine Beast!"

The second he looked straight ahead he saw what they meant. A barrage of laser beams the size of buildings slammed into the she-demon. Her pain-filled screams rung his ears. It said something that she was still alive after those attacks. The ice coating her right arm had understandably cracked, parts of her blue scaled skin had been singed by the laser fire.

"What's the situation?" He called realizing that he had a moment to catch his breath.

The Rito on his left was the first to respond. "We're holding the enemy off. We've already sent word to the rest of the army. They said they should be here in five minutes tops."

Link couldn't help but grimace. "That can end up being too long, but it's better than nothing."

"There's some kind of sorcerer on the ground setting up some sort of spell." Explained the one on the right. "We haven't been able to get near the cave he's burrowed in the side of the mountain. There's some kind of-"

His last act was to throw him away as they could sense the attack coming. He knew that Link's life was more important than his, a fact that created a ginormous hole in his heart. It no doubt also ate at his companion, averted his eyes from the bloodshed.

It happened in an instant. There was a sudden boom from below, then the Rito was blown to bloody, feathery bits. Insectoid wings had sprouted from Darkuto's back seemingly granting him the power of flight, high-speed flight at that. Coupled with his strength and it made for a deadly combination, which the Rito warrior experienced. He turned around amidst the bloody rain to grin at Link.

"You're my prey, Hero. I'm not letting the Demon take you." Declared the fist-using warrior with a sadistic smile. It was colder than the air around them. The fire in his eyes burned hotter than a volcano's flames. "Those were some good moves, but I hope you have some more stored up for all battle!" His eyes glowed red as he lunged forward with a right jab.

The surviving Rito warrior threw his hand out releasing a glowing feather. On contact with it a barrier formed stopping Darkuto's attack, but only temporarily. Knowing that the Rito warrior began to carry Link away, the Hylian didn't struggle as he knew they needed all the escape time they could get.

"Just drop me off on the ground, I'm the one he wants!" He shouted. The idea seemed solid enough, Darkuto wanted a fight with him and was for the most part uninterested in everyone else. He also didn't seem willing to "share" him with his supposed allies.

"I will, but we also need to stall for time until it gets here!"

"Until what gets here!"

His first attempt to speak was drowned out over the sound of glass shattering. Both warriors saw the Darkuto had broken through the barrier and was now coming after them. His murderous smile was aimed directly at Link. In seconds he knew what he had to do and acted. With a violent shove he pushed the Rito away and began free falling to the ground. Resummoning his shield, he held it up and slammed his sword against it in a clear show of a challenge. With a laugh Darkuto zoomed toward him, hellbent on continuing their fight. As he came toward him Link could have sworn he saw the outline of a giant, monstrous beetle heading toward him. Again, he was glad that Renato wasn't here; if he was part of the reinforcements Link would have to warn him. This man may not have been a giant bug, but he sure was able to bring one to mind. A giant, murderous bug that would happily crush everything around it into bloody smears.

WHOSH!

Link knew his enemy was behind him, but it'd take too long to reposition his shield. His physical shield anyway; he had another he could call upon, and that's exactly what he did.

The phantasmal form of the Goron Champion manifested behind Link, his stony bellow jetting out as his protective spell activated. Fire and darkness clashed as Darkuto's fist collided with the flaming barrier. With the time he had, Link twisted his body around thrusted his sword forward. The fiery barrier surrounding him closed in on his sword, giving it a coat of flames as the tip rammed against Darkuto's fist. Summoning up more of his inner strength Link was able to push forward. Sprays of blood shot from the man's right arm as he pulled it back. Instead of stopping he merely lashed out with his left fist, a move that Link easily deflected.

"Okay, let's see you stop this one!" Both his hands were brought together above his head, dark energy amassing around them turning into a massive sphere. It suited the trend of his attacks-possessing immense destructive power, the likes of which could probably annihilate a mountain.

Facing such power wasn't anything new for Link.

As he brought his hands down the Hylian dismissed his shield in favor of his Sheikah Slate. Ethereal golden chains manifested out of nowhere, stopping the fighter in mid-air. Link fell to the ground as his opponent remained frozen in time while stuck in the air. Every second that passed the ground grew closer and closer, something that would have terrified ordinary people. For Link, the ground's growing proximity was cause for celebration.

At the end of the day, he was a ground-based fighter. He needed his feet back on the ground to be at his best. It was a race against time for him to reach the earth before the Stasis Rune's effect wore off. The Hylian wasn't confident it'd hold for anything longer than a minute, especially given Darkuto's immense power.

CRA-ACK!

He cursed seeing the chains break apart while Darkuto's aura flared up. With a downward glance he spotted Link and zoomed after him. The closer he got the more clearly Link could see his insidious smile.

Still not out of ideas yet, Link sheathed his sword and summoned Revali's bow along with a few Ancient Arrows. Notching them, he began to fire shot after shot. Darkuto's blackened wings wickedly hummed as he dodged each other. If he wasn't such a dangerous enemy and this wasn't such a bad situation Link would have commended him. While he continued to fire at him, he remained aware of the fact the ground was getting closer and closer, he could practically feel it.

"Time for you to return to the earth, Hero!" Shouted the bloodthirsty man. His wings glowed again as he zoomed at him faster than before.

With the briefest time he could, Link looked behind him. The ground was less than twenty feet away, a distance that would disappear in the blink of an eye. That was still enough time for him.

Link's draw was fast. Thanks to his acceleration and eagerness Darkuto had no way of dodging the bomb arrow that Link fired at him. Immediately after it was launched Link turned around and fired another at the ground. He was practically sandwiched between the two explosions, but the one closest to the ground created a greater shockwave. It was just what Link needed to break the fall. He had another arrow notched even before he hit the ground. Darkuto burst through the smoke to continue his beeline at him. His fist collided with the mystical arrow resulting in a blue and black-colored explosion.

"I'll split that bow in half!" He shouted as he came at his opponent with a left-handed chop attack.

Yet another arrow was notched and held at the ready as he ducked the move and got in close. He knew his arrows could do some damage, but close range was probably where their effectiveness would be maximized. One explosion and a grunt later he was proven right. Darkuto took a step back, blood dripping his right side. Azure flames were licking at his clothing and seared skin.

"No matter what, you always seem to have a crafty move or two up your sleeve. Impressive." The older man grunted.

"I'd say the same. You're a hell of a lot tougher than the average monster." Link admitted.

"Monster? Hah! I'm a tad insulted!" Darkuto bellowed. Holding his blood-covered hand out, he manifested a bizarre sigil in his palm. Fittingly, it resembled that of an insect, a horned beetle to be precise. "I am the Earthly Vile Star, one of the strongest of the One-Hundred and Eight Evil Stars! It's my fists that will clear the way for Calamity Ganon's return! Of course, after the dark one returns, there might not be much left for him to ravage here in Hyrule. I have quite a gluttonous appetite for destruction myself!"

Scorn overcame any sense of respect Link felt he might have had evaporated. While white-hot anger bubbled within him, it was tempered by the little bit of information his opponent had just dropped. "One Hundred and Eight Evil Stars," he murmured. "I've heard of those…evil stars."

"Acolytes of Ganon. I'm sure you've heard of us, after all, you fought us a hundred years ago." The ashen-haired man declared. He grinned as his words got the Hylian's gears turning. "Surely you remember Astor, Advent of the Calamity."

Link's scowl condensed as the memories came flooding back to him. There'd been numerous things he remembered over time. Some of them were good and some of them were bad, some things were downright nightmarish. Many of those kinds of memories had been memories of battle. The lead up to the Calamity Ganon's resurrection had been a case of escalating crises. Amongst the increase in monster attacks had been something else, someone else. In his mind's eye appeared a hooded figure wielding a globe-like contraption.

"I see." Link finally said. "Well, that's one aspect of this mystery solved. Suppose I should thank you for that."

Closing his fist, he dispelled the sigil. Darkuto actually looked a little smug at the information he'd just given away. Link quietly wondered what his superiors would have to say about that, provided he made it out of this fight. "Consider it a reward for giving me a good fight up until now. Besides, now you know who you're facing, so you should be able to give it all you've got from here on out. You hate us, don't you? We followers of the Calamity Ganon? The enemies of Hyrule." His voice grew to match his smug expression. No, they both changed. With every word his expression grew to match his apparent epithet, vile.

As snow began to fall in earnest around him, Link felt himself not feeling a chill, but instead feeling hot. From deep within him a fire had begun to burn. It blazed with such an intensity that he could have sworn he was standing in the heart of Death Mountain. "You're right, you are the enemies of Hyrule, but more than that…you're my enemies."

Darkuto's grin stretched across his face. "Then what are you going to do? Stand there and let us-!"

Dodging the first arrow was close, but the second and third actually managed to hit him. Darkuto grunted in pain as the mystical energies assailed his body. His aura died down giving him less protection, Link seized on that opportunity.

THUNK!

The impact of the Boulder Breaker was absolutely nothing to scuff at, be it in the hands of the Goron Champion or the Hylian Champion. In particular, the latter had fervently trained so he could wield the club-like sword with the same level of strength as his fallen friend. One would say that he'd achieved that goal as he sent the Earthly Vile Star rolling across the ground like a marble. Before he even stopped Link was racing after him, dragging the Boulder Breaker behind him, then lifting it up and bringing it down atop his adversary.

"Raarrgghh!" Shouted the malicious warrior. His fist rose and met the oncoming club in a ferocious uppercut. Snow and rock were blown away by the duel of strength.

To the martial artist's chagrin, it didn't last long though. Numerous laser beams and magical blasts slammed into him all simultaneously. Inevitably, Link was blown away by the intense force. He had to use the Boulder Breaker to shield himself from the debris that came with the intense attack.

"Link! Link, can you hear us!"

Hearing Trevor's voice cooled down the angry blaze within him. Perhaps he needed it, and these reinforcements. "I'm here! Glad to have you guys here! Do you have any Holy Quartz weapons?"

"A handful, this is going to be something of a test run!" He answered over the Sheikah Slate. "Teba's fighting off that she-demon in Vah Medoh! I'm sure you can hear it, right?"

With this moment of respite Link looked up to the sky. It was a war in the sky, a fierce war that saw bursts of blue and black and purple flying in all directions. Far in the distance he could make out the form of the avian Divine Beast. All its armaments were being used to shoot down the she-demon, who seemed to be on the defensive against the overwhelming barrage. It was a welcome sight given the damage that she'd been able to wreak havoc unopposed. Seeing it did give Link some hope that aside from him, if they could hammer at her with the Divine Beasts they could kill her.

But Link didn't feel comfortable just leaving it all up to Teba or the others.

As if to answer his call, a Rito dropped by with an item in his feathery hands. "Link, here. This is the Roc's Cape, I hear you've heard of it." He immediately recognized the blue and white-colored cape that the Rito offered to him. "It can't grant you actual flight, but it should be enough for you to take to the air and stay there with some ease. The Grand Elder approved its use for you."

"Then I'll use it." The Hylian affirmed grabbing the cap and fastening it to his back. "What's the situation elsewhere?"

"There's a barrier protecting some sorcerer in the mountains. He's been…he's…he's hiding behind it and playing a damn violin! Like this whole thing is just some sort of show to him!" Shouted the feathery warrior.

As confusion utterly consumed Link's face the more analytical part of his mind spoke up putting the breaks on things. "Playing a violin…at a time like this. And he's behind a barrier too. That means he's confident that he's got time and he's not in any danger." Looking back over at Darkuto he saw him engaged in battle with several others, including Ingram himself. The veteran warrior was undoubtedly holding his own, and that was enough to draw Darkuto's attention. Several other veteran warriors were beside him giving him support. "I've got an idea. I'm going to get in touch with Teba and tell him to direct all fire to that sorcerer. He's the bigger threat, beyond even that she-demon."

"A-A-Are you sure about that?" The Rito warrior questioned.

Link nodded. "I'm almost sure of it, and if I'm wrong, I'll bear the consequences. The she-demon…I'll deal with her."

"…Well, you are the one with the holy sword." The Rito admitted. "Alright, tell him and I'll go let the others know. Link, just…be careful with her. She's given us one hell of a run for our money."

"Good, just give me a lift first."

Time always seemed to blur in a battle, at least the most intense ones. One could look up at the sky and see the sun, then look up again and see the moon. At the moment, Link couldn't see either as the sky was covered in darken gray clouds that continuously deposited snow onto the ground. Thousands of snowflakes were blown aside by all the fighting.

Teba raised an eyebrow at his request, but he ultimately chose to follow Link's lead. Of course, he also asked him if he'd ran it by Zelda, with the Hylian admitting he hadn't. That got a chuckle out of Teba; he said that the Hylian felt more like a commander than just a maverick soldier. He hadn't been the first one to call him that. Even Zelda had seemingly called him that behind closed doors, never with contempt though.

With the Roc Cape he was sailing through the skies. Even if the cape couldn't replicate "true" flight it was still good enough. He imagined he could fly faster and soar higher by activating Revali's Gale. Link could sense that he still had a couple more minutes before it finished recharging.

"Hey! Ready to finish the fight, you bitch!" He didn't know if his voice would ride over the wind, but he was hopeful. As soon as Teba let up on his assault then the she-demon was going to go all out on the offensive.

After their previous clashes surely the woman knew that he was a threat to her. So long as he had the Master Sword her life was in danger. As her roar resounded across the skies, he took stock in that his idea had worked. Link knew it was possible he'd end up regretting that, especially if the she-demon brought more of her power to bear. Based on how it had a different form then previously he was betting it was some sort of shapeshifter.

As she came at him Link felt a second presence, one less hostile.

"As you know, I'd like nothing better than to be in your place. Unfortunately for all of Hyrule, I'm not, so you'll have to do." The haughty voice had him laughing like a fool. "Use all the might of the wind to strike that abomination down. She is a blight on the land of Hyrule; as its Champion, do your duty!" Revali's spectral form appeared behind Link, his navy-blue arms spread out. With a gust of wind, his ethereal form melted into the Roc Cape enhancing its powers.

A circular sonic boom was born from him launching himself at the she-demon. Her hand glowed with dark energy, becoming a giant claw that clashed against his sword. They created shockwaves in the sky, numerous ones from their countless collisions.

In terms of pure firepower, she had him beat. Link didn't dare take any direct hits from her magical beams, some of which went straight into the clouds. Some of them were outright blown away as a further testament to their power. Seeing that made Link feel just a little proud though, he was taking those blows back-to-back, even if it wasn't directly.

Link tried to get in close so he could take a swipe or two at her. Any hit he could land on her went a ways toward ending this, and perhaps taking out one of the Acolytes' best fighters. Her dark power.

A colossal dark beam cutting through the mountains reminded him of how terrifying that power was. Link watched in wide-eyed shock as some small hills and mountains outright collapsed after being cut through by the dark beam. His bewilderment was short-lived as he found himself moving from side to side to avoid the numerous blasts of dark magic she shot at him. Then there were the explosions they gave off when they detonated.

He was starting to get flashbacks of fighting Windblight Ganon. Of course, he didn't have the Roc Cape back then, or Revali's spirit aiding him.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY FROM ME! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!"

She meant it. The near suffocating sense of dread fell upon him like the reaper's scythe. Looking ahead he saw the scythe pulled back and ready to decapitate him. Swirls of cosmic blue and black intermixed within the she demon's right palm. It struck like lightning, colliding with his shield, and shattered it after seconds of clashing. Link screamed as his arm was broken and torn, yet it remained attached to his body. Just barely at that.

Even through the pain, he saw her movements. Her leg was stretched back, then launched forward with the aim being his left side. Luckily, it was her left leg meaning he could block it with his sword in a reverse grip. That still her arms free, and she used them to grab his throat.

Never in his life had he been so violently seized by the throat before. Metallic claps didn't even come close to describing it. The fact that his throat wasn't immediately crushed was nothing short of a genuine miracle. Granted, the she-demon was trying her hardest to crush it; he was resisting it with all his might, and that wasn't easy.

"Kill you." Seethed the white-haired woman. "Will…kill you. Must…kill you!"

While she'd been speaking Link flipped his sword back into an upright position. "Not today, monster." Leaving his hands free was a mistake as he thrusted his sword into the demon's left hand. The Master Sword's divine metal pierced the woman's blue scales, the tip came out the other end. Predictably, she screamed in pure agony, loosening her grip on his throat. "Gaaah! Aaaah!" He could spare a second to catch his breath, though he made sure to hold tight onto his sword.

Somehow, the she-devil fought through the pain of having her left arm impaled. Eyes flashing with murderous rage, she swung her right fist at the Hylian's face. This time Link didn't have a plan to stop it. He took the blow and felt like his jaw was seconds away from coming off. A second later and his stomach was hurting as she drove her fist into his gut. Pain exploded across his skull and his abdomen, but Link didn't let go of the Master Sword. That grip remained as more blows followed, each one leaving Link feeling like he'd had a mountain rammed into him.

Oh, holy Hylia, I ask you now to once again lit your divine flames. Flames that once forged this darkness-slaying sword. Once more, evil stirs, so I beg you, ignite the flames of heaven so I may purge it from this world!

It took nothing short of all his willpower to recite that prayer and keep holding onto his sword. Thankfully, it worked. Multicolored flames consumed the Master Sword, and thanks to its position they ran straight through the demoness' hand. Just as her right arm had been trapped in ice, her left arm was now ablaze.

Through the pain eating away at multiple parts of his upper body, Link brought his legs up and used them to kick off of the flailing monster woman. He still had an aura of wind surrounding him along with the Roc's Cape; they helped him descend. Yet again, once he had a minute to catch his breath he could heal himself. Unfortunately, that relaxing breath became a shriek of panic as he realized what was below him.

Rito Village had been relatively untouched by the battle. Really, it wasn't surprising since it was miles away from the western mountains. Had they flown that far? And Revali's Gale had been enhanced to last that long?

Gotta…move the battle elsewhere! At least get it outside the village! The Hylian thought while spreading the cape out to ease his descent. His paraglider was a beloved piece of equipment he had many memories with, but he couldn't deny that the Roc Cape was certainly effective in its own right. Link could only hope that everyone had gotten the warning and were indoors where it was safe. No, I've got to stop this! As best he could he angled his body to ride the blowing winds. He couldn't land in Rito Village, so that meant he had to land elsewhere.

"Link, to your left!" Revali's voice shouted in his ear.

Wincing in slight agony he twisted his body just barely avoiding the blast of wind that shot across the sky. He recognized that it hadn't came from the she-demon but someone else. Link felt his heart slam against his chest in pure fear. Before he even traced its location he knew that he now had another enemy to deal with, and this one was dangerously close to Rito Village.

Tracking the trajectory of the blast he spotted another hood-wearing individual, this one floating in the air via a personalized cyclone. Beneath his hood he saw a set of dark red eyes. In his outstretched right-hand was a vortex of wind. Directing his palm toward him he launched another blast of wind at the Hylian, surely with the intent of bringing him down.

Wincing at how he didn't have a shield nor the strength to raise one, Link realized he was going to have to make do with what he had.

"You believe the wind is your ally? Ridiculous. Not when you're in the presence of the Heavenly Gale Star."

Just as he was about to call upon Mipha's power the Hylian found himself frozen in the air. No, it was the air itself that was holding him in place. Horror and anger rapidly consumed him as he furiously fought against the sense of helplessness that had seized him.

"Heavenly Gale Star, hah! No follower of that abomination has better mastery of the wind than me!" Revali's specter appeared behind him. Truly his spirit was pushing himself farther than he ever had before. Given the situation, it wasn't surprising. "Kill them, Link! Stop them before they destroy my home!"

Once he was free, he swung the Master Sword in a vertical arc, releasing a burst of energy. In the short time it took to travel toward the mysterious acolyte, he called upon Mipha.

"Please, don't strain yourself, Link."

I can't help it, Mipha. I can't…I won't let anyone else die! Not as long as there's a breath of life left in me! The warrior passionately responded. Immediately he felt his lost love's magic repairing his body. His ravaged left arm was completely healed, making it usable again. Thank you, Mipha. Link whispered. He felt her gentle arms wrapping around his neck in a ghostly yet affectionate embrace. Instead of summoning a shield he put both hands on the Master Sword's hilt. Using the last remains of Revali's power he summoned a whirlwind of his own and used it to launch himself at the mysterious sorcerer.

Beneath his hood he grimaced, firing off blast after blast of wind, but it was all in vain. The Master Sword rose and fell in varying arcs. That grimace turned into a panic shout, especially as the holy sword caught fire. Throwing his hands together he concentrated all his power into a barrier that just barely held back the sword. That meant he couldn't keep himself afloat, resulting in the two of them rapidly falling toward the ground. Toward Rito Village.

"Damn you to hell!" The sorcerer screamed.

"That's you lot!" Link shouted again. Maybe it was the surge of regenerative strength from Mipha's Grace, maybe it was the anger within him, whatever it was Link let it utterly consume him. His war cry was loud as thunder as he pushed down, sending the sorcerer crashing to the ground in a hail of holy fire. As he screamed in agony Link didn't feel any sense of hesitation. He ran straight at him, intent on cutting him down without getting his name or one piece of his identity. In a sense, he knew who this man was, a follower of Ganon, the evil force that had ruined his life and millions of others. "Hyyyyaaah!"

"Hold it right there, hero! Kill him and the chicks are going to be joining your old rival!"

Stopping dead in his tracks Link slowly turned around. Another Acolyte had made his way to the village, and while doing so he'd taken some hostages. His hood was down revealing his somewhat young yet undoubtedly sinister face. His jet-black hair was streaked with red giving him quite an appearance. The third-eye on his forehead did a damn good job of that on itself. It was utterly inhuman, resembling those of the Malice sludge that he found across Hyrule when he first woke up. It pulsated with the same wicked power, power that the young Rito children in his grasp could in no way survive. They squirmed and struggled to escape his grasp to no avail.

Link had already lowered his sword before he spoke his first word. "You fucking bastard."

He chuckled, furthering Link's already sour opinion of him. Instead of looking directly at him though he looked at the burning mass ahead of him. His cocky expression faltered showing genuine concern. It didn't last long as he returned to grinning at Link. "We were having a good day, ya' know. Our plans were on track before you went and ruined it. Oh well, guess that's what do-gooders like you do. Geez, I can't wait for Lord Ganon to come back so the lot of you can be wiped out. The world will be such a better place afterward!" His grin growing, he raised the two struggling Rito children up. The move was enough to make Link scream in outrage. "Hey, kids, you wanna see that, don't cha'? That world will be so much better than this shitty one!"

"Let them go, you bastard!" Link shouted.

"Drop that little sword!"

He did so immediately. As far as Link was concerned there was no debate about what he had to do.

"That's a good boy. Now then, get down on your hands and knees." The man demanded wearing a cruel smile all the while. "Hey, Nereus, you alright!"

Behind him the other acolyte rose. Link didn't dare look behind him to see how he was after the attack, but he could smell burning flesh. His attack had definitely done some damage. Oh, and he undoubtedly angry as he slammed his boot atop his head. His nails dug into his gloved palms while he struggled to contain his anger.

"I'll…live, granted some healing magic would be appreciated."

"Eh, we'll get you patched up in a little bit. For now, though, well…how the hell can we let an opportunity like this pass us by?"

"Oh, agreed brother." Now there was cruel malice in the wind sorcerer's voice. To go along with it he raised his foot then stopped down atop of Link's head. It wasn't the worst blow, not even to his dignity. "I'll have to make this short, but you deserve worse for what you did to me." Another stomp came at the end of the statement. "Nerio, throw me one of the brats. I want to kill one myself!"

That was his que to rise, to summon every ounce of strength he had in his body and stop them. He still had Urbosa's Fury, he could summon a boomerang, he could move faster than the eye could see, he could do many things. He just had to stop these demented brothers before they-

"Evil Shower!"

Hearing a spell like that usually meant nothing good. Seeing the numerous spheres of dark energy coming from the sky was undoubtedly a bad sign.

So it was surprising when the magical projectiles slammed into the acolytes instead of him, or the kids. The brothers were caught off-guard by the attack, maybe even more than Link was. With the boot off of his head he was able to sit upright. His blue eyes stared straight up at the demonic entity who'd fired the energy blasts. Link's mouth fell open in pure shock.

Right arm out as the left arm was still injured. The cosmic glow died down as she merely hovered in the air. He read her expression and was amazed to find…nothing. No malice, no hatred, no wickedness.

Even though she had the appearance of a demon, Link couldn't see an ounce of evil in her expression.

"Y-You…why…" The Hylian called out.

"Gaah! You bitch, wrong target!" Screamed one of the sorcerer brothers. Whipping his head about Link saw it was the one with the third eye. Said eye was glowing red and orange, collecting wicked energy as if in preparation for an attack. "Die, all of you!" He yelled as he unleashed the pent-up power."

Instinct had his body moving fast with his mind just barely keeping pace. The Master Sword was in his hand and brought forth to counteract the energy beam that shot forth from the acolyte's supernatural eye. What would have been a straight beam was deflected resulting in sparks and offshoots in all directions. Gnashing his teeth Link diligently pushed forward, further splitting the beam. Seeing he was coming within striking range he surged power into the sacred sword then swung downward.

"Aaaah!"

"Come on! We're leaving! We've done all that we came to do!" Shouted the voice of the other one.

Once the light faded, he immediately took stock of what had happened. At the last second the three-eyed acolyte had seemingly turned his head to the side so Link's sword merely cut into his collar bone instead of his head. It was a last-minute evasion that had saved both his life and that precious third eye of his. His brother had grabbed him and the two were now speeding away on localized cyclone. As they left Link saw that the wind sorcerer's robes had been scorched, as had the skin beneath. His eyes rose as he realized there was another enemy he had to be weary of.

She was nowhere in sight, but the two children who'd been taken captive were.

"A-A-Are you two alright!" He immediately called out.

"Y-Yeah! We're fine!" Shouted the first Rito, a male with bright red feathers. "That monster lady grabbed us flew us up here!" He and his female companion pointed to something in the sky. Spinning around Link saw what, or rather who, they were pointing at.

Even with an injured wing she was still able to fly, albeit at a considerably slower pace. There was a shimmer of red around her. It took Link a second to realize it was preparation for a warp spell. Now was his chance.

So why didn't he take it?

Link watched the shimmer around her glow until she and the other two vanished in clouds of darkness. They were gone and he had absolutely no idea where they were. When they showed up to cause trouble again, he knew the responsibility would once more fall to him. Link knew that and yet…he didn't find it eating away at him like a ravenous beast.

Why?

Why did you save them? Why did you…save me? His mind replayed the last moments of the she-demon's entry. Very few of her attacks had hit him, or the kids. It hadn't been a type of spray attack, his instincts told him that she'd intentionally aimed for the two acolytes. Why would she do that? Wasn't she one of them?

He was almost grateful when his Sheikah Slate rang, and he saw Trevor's face on the other end. "I'm alive. How are things on your end?"

"Still breathing too, we all are." The spear fighter affirmed. He had some blood and sweat on his face, but otherwise he looked to be lacking in serious injuries. It'd take a sit down for him to learn Link only looked the same because he'd used Mipha's Grace, otherwise he's sure Trevor would be worried. "The enemy's retreated. Teba used Vah Medoh to damn near blow the mountains to rubble. Whatever was in there, it seemed to be their main objective. Once that went, they retreated."

"I see." While they had an identity, a goal was still missing. Well, not a direct goal that Hyrule could begin formulating a counterplan around. Link felt frustrated, but he was none the less happy that the fighting was over with, and mass casualties had been avoided. "In case you didn't check, I'm in Rito Village."

"Rito Village? Damn, how'd you get that far away!"

"It was a surprise to me too, but that's where I ended up. I'll head back as soon as I can."

"No, just stay there. I have a feeling that's going to be where everyone's going to regroup once the chaos settles downs. Besides, the village can use all the protection it can get. Most of the warriors scrambled to get here so the village needs you to be there in case something or someone else attacks."

Lifting his head and looking around, Link saw a good case to be made for that. Everything looked peaceful, but then again, an Acolyte of Ganon had managed to slip into the village and kidnap two young children. He was better stay here and looking after the village. Besides, that's what Revali's spirit had asked of him.

He'd spoken too soon as a handful of Rito had risen up and were clearly in a panic.

"I'll be here when you guys get here. Call me if anything comes up." Link called to his friend on the other end. As he put the Slate back on his hip he looked down at the young children who'd been caught up in the mayhem. "Listen, you two, stay close to me, alright? You have my word I'll protect you."

"We know you will!" Triumphantly shouted the red-feathered Rito. "Teba and Tulin talk about you all the time! It was awesome to finally see you in action, right, Mae!"

Link couldn't help but let out a self-mocking chuckle. "I wasn't much good to you guys. All you say was me getting my head stomped on."

"To save us, sorry about that." The black-feathered Rito finally spoke up, her feminine voice quite gentle. "Sorry about that. Me and Alfie were playing when we saw something happening in the sky. The next thing we knew that creep grabbed us." She stepped forward and silently bowed her head. "If we hadn't been there, you may have beaten them."

"That doesn't matter now. I will defeat them, that's a promise." Reaching forward, he gently patted the heads of the two young Rito causing them to laugh. "For now though, I've got a duty to look after everyone in Hyrule and make sure they're safe. If I have to take some stomps to the head, no biggie." Another cry caught his attention. "Mae, Alfie, both of you stay with me."

With a nod, both children followed after him as he sped through the village. Beads of sweat poured down the side of his face. He had no idea what he was going to find, but he was bracing himself for something bad. Link quietly prayed that it wouldn't be too horrific though. Akkala Citadel was still fresh in his mind.

As it happened, the victims were few, and instead of dead they'd been petrified, literally.

"What the hell?" He murmured, temporarily forgetting that he had children right beside him. His shock was simply too much for him to hold onto his manners. Everyone else was terrified as they were trying to figure out what to do to save the four petrified Rito. Link bit his cheek realizing that they'd been cursed; he didn't have to think hard about who'd did it to them. That third eye of his…it can fire laser beams and petrify people. I think there's a monster that can do that. Was its eye transplanted into him? Shaking his head free of the thoughts he decided to focus on the situation at hand.

He knew he had to call Zelda. Her divine powers could potentially break the petrification curse. They were the-

Me. Use…me. Mas…ter. Ma…ster.

Wide-eyed, Link suddenly looked around him, scouring the crowd for the source of the feminine yet stoic voice. There was no one calling to him.

But something was definitely going on. "Um, Mister Link, your sword's glowing." Alfie remarked pointing to the sheathed blade on his back.

Unsheathing the Master Sword, Link found it was indeed shining with a faint gleam. More importantly, he could feel it humming in his hands. Looking between it and the petrified Rito, an idea formed in his head.

"Everyone, please move away!" He shouted as he walked forward. Link was nervous, but he was still determined to do this, for the sake of the avian people who were his responsibility just as much as his own fellow Hylians. Please, goddesses, spirit of the sword, let this work. Went his silent prayer as he tapped the sword against the first Rito. The sword's glow intensified, then concentrated itself over the Rito. Cracks appeared along their body, then they flapped their wings as pieces of rock crumbled away. Joyous shock spread through the crowd. "That's a relief." Link whispered as he moved onto the second Rito. In a matter of seconds, he was done, having freed all four Rito from their petrification.

"Liiink!" Shouted a familiar voice. To his left he saw Tulin flying toward him. "You did it! You saved us all again!"

"Tulin! He's awesome, just you said he was!" Mae shouted.

Sheathing his sword, Link watched the three young Rito dance around each other. It wasn't them singing his praises that made him smile, it was the fact they were still alive. The fact that everyone around him was still alive made him smile and filled him with a sense of triumph.

He may not have slain the enemy, but he'd protected the people. He'd done his duty.

---

Given its location, Rito Village could get quite chilly at night, be it in the spring, summer, fall, and especially in the winter. Any stay there was going to involve appropriate clothing, even at night when the day's activities were done. Or in the case of the New Hyrule Army, the fighting. There was always something a little special about coming together around a fire. Sometimes that special feeling could keep at bay anxiety and outright terror, the flames themselves furiously fighting those feelings alongside a dose of iron will.

Everyone assembled around the fire had that look in their eyes. It was taking a considerable amount of strength to keep from panicking.

For some such as Zelda, it was the knowledge that panicking wouldn't help the situation. In fact, it was likely that doing so would give the enemy exactly what they wanted. That certainly couldn't be permitted.

Which left the queen and her inner circle with the question of what to say and what to do.

The former spoke first. "I suppose it isn't surprising that they endured after a century. After all, they practically got what they wanted."

"Not quite, Lady Zelda. You managed to keep the Calamity Ganon restrained to Hyrule Castle for one hundred years. That was a major blow to their plans, so they had to find other ways to raise hell in the land." Teba was taking the news perhaps the best. One could say he had something of an outsider's perspective alongside those like Ingram. Their contact with the Acolytes of Ganon had been relatively minor. That was a sharp contrast to Link and Zelda's.

As everyone in the meeting chamber knew, the queen and her personal knight had personal experience in dealing with the Acolytes of Ganon. They'd been perhaps the largest of the dark forces that had arisen a hundred years ago in accordance with their master's return.

"I don't think Astor's the one leading them." Link spoke up. Quietness was nothing new for him, especially long stretches of silence. Such things made his eventual speaking up all the more noteworthy. His hands rubbed together as his eyes held a distant look in them. In the fire at the center of the room he was seeing his past, the last few days of his life from a century before. "I cut him down myself."

"Yes, you did." Zelda echoed as she too relived the memory. Needless to say, they weren't fond ones. Having assassins chasing after you was a rather horrible experience, doubly so when you were potentially the last hope for your nation's survival. Knowing that, a good chunk of Ganon's dark forces had taken aim at her. Luckily, Link had been there, especially when the Calamity's so-called herald made his move. "Still, resurrection…"

"I cut him to pieces with the Master Sword." Link politely countered. "It's able to counteract Ganon's power. There's no way he could have survived those wounds, at least…I hope not."

"In all likelihood, he didn't. The problem is his successor." Teba's words dispelled the darken clouds around the two like an arrow. He held up his Sheikah Slate and projected an image from it. Everyone immediately recognized the image as being from Vah Medoh's perspective. At first the target was the she-demon, then it gradually switched to the mountains. A zoom in depicted a mysterious male garbed in dark robes with red highlights. He was indeed playing the violin, until one of the Divine Beast's energy beams pierced through his barrier. In a heartbeat he grew serious and became retaliating with his own dark magic. It was of a stronger caliber than what the others had seen, somewhat evenly matching Vah Medoh's shots.

What made Link and Zelda's eyes widen was the manifestation of a cosmic-like barrier to ward off the shots. They'd both seen one like it before, and they knew it was unique to only one member of the Acolytes.

Ingram rubbed his chin in contemplation. "So, just as the role of Champion has been passed down, so too has the role of Grandmaster of the Acolytes. He was right here and we let him slip through our fingers. That said, it's damn fortunate that you and Link were in the area, Teba."

"We were just training, then the Master Sword started to go off." The white-feathered Rito explained casting an aside glance at Link.

Realizing now was a time to speak up, Link did so. "Just like with ordinary Malice enemies, whenever Ganon's evil is close by the sword responds to it. Like you said, we got lucky we happened to be in the area. Still, we don't know why they were here."

"I'm afraid it's going to take a while to discover that. In order to stop him, Teba had to practically blow away most of the mountains. Granted, when he did so we saw some kind of burst of energy shoot up from the rumble." Tatius spoke up. As soon as he did the video feed from the Sheikah Slate showed exactly that. Beneath the barrage of the Divine Beast's assault the southwestern mountains of the Heba Region crumbled. A burst of energy shot skyward, never making it very far. "We've got an excavation going, but it's going to take some time, and even then it's not likely they're going to find anything noteworthy."

"Still, it's better to be safe than sorry." Zelda spoke up. She'd shaken off the anxiety that the Acolytes' return had invoked in her. Now, a fire reflective of the hearth before her burned in her eyes. "Whatever he was planning, we managed to scare him off, hopefully before he could complete his objective. Likewise, Link managed to defend Rito Village. These are achievements for us to take pride in, but we mustn't lower our guard." Looking around the room to see she had everyone's attention, she held up her own Sheikah Slate to create a projection of her own. It was a map of Hyrule with the Sheikah Towers highlighted. "As fast as we can, we're attempting to attach scanners to every Sheikah Tower. They send out a pulse that will report back if any of Ganon's Malice is detected."

"I for one am still curious as to how his evil is present. Your slaying of Dark Beast Ganon should have cleansed it from the land." Ingram inquired.

Link grimaced. "It should have…but something must have gone wrong."

"Or," Tatius spoke up. "These Acolytes have a means of holding it in their bodies. It's clear that they're using its power to fuel their magic, or perhaps even deriving their magic from it. Regardless, it seems they've became carriers for Malice."

"Which means we're going to need those Holy Quartz weapons now more than ever. Some of the prototypes were tested today and while they had a good performance, we're going to need more." Ingram declared.

As the discussion continued Link quietly found himself withdrawing from it. There was one thought in his in his head he couldn't shake. Actually, it'd been in his mind for hours, he'd merely pushed it to the corners of his thinking. Now it was clawing its way back since the meeting seemed to be winding down. The claws happened to be sky-blue. His shoulders tightened and his head hung low. While his subtle change didn't go unnoticed, no one spoke of it. Everyone assumed he was weighed down with thoughts of future engagements with the Acolytes. Such a thing wasn't uncommon, and it wouldn't' be once word began to spread of who they were facing.

There was only one person who felt it might have been something different. Something that she wanted to verify.

-O-

As per usual, the world kept on turning even in the midst of earth and sky-shaking battles. Some found solace in that. Link supposed he'd became one of those people.

The cold sky opened up revealing the numerous stars. Counting them was an impossible feat, but it didn't stop people from trying. On the flipside, one could find a bit of joy in getting lost in the multitude of celestial lights so far out of earthly reach. Link had discovered that joy; losing himself in stargazing was always a good way to take the stress off his body and soul.

Surprisingly enough, the cold wind helped. Perhaps it was cooling the fire that burned within him, a fire that seemingly refused to die down.

Rito Village was peaceful. It had no signs of the earlier distress, nor did the surrounding lands. Unless one counted the influx of Hyrulean troops. Luckily, the Rito were quite accepting of them, and the troops knew to treat the avian people with the kindness and respect they deserved. A few were even getting festive since it was their first time meeting a Rito in person. The sights and sounds were enough to bring a small smile to Link's face.

Drawing the Master Sword he held it up to the starry night sky. Faint moonlight glittered against the silver blade. "I really owe you today. You set me off in the right direction and once I got there, you helped me out a lot."

There wasn't any response from the sword, albeit Link wished there was. Having had some time to sit on it he knew that he'd definitely heard the sword's spirit speaking to him. He'd been calling upon its powers throughout his battles; Link supposed he was hoping that all that might help wakeup the spirit within the sword. It hadn't been the first time he'd tried something like this, but he was hoping maybe this time would be different.

This failure wasn't going to get him to give up though. "What do you think of all of this? Are we on the road to repeat what happened a century ago, or are we on a different path?" The Hylian half-heartedly asked the sword. As usual, no answer. "What happened with her? She…why didn't she kill me or the kids?"

A cold wind blew across the village. The mountains sung around him, yet they offered him no answers.

"Her form was different, so…what kind of magic does she have? Does it allow her to change forms? Which evil star grants her that power?"

"That's a question I'd like to know myself." Sounded a familiar voice.

Link didn't jump at it. Given he was sitting on a rooftop, it'd have ended poorly for him, especially if his reflexes were too dulled. Turning to his right he saw Zelda had climbed her way up. With a small smile he nodded to her, and she took her place beside him.

"I've got some reading up to do, now that we know the Acolytes of Ganon are behind this. A part of me feels a fool for not realizing it was them." The queen remarked.

Link shook his head. "The last major encounter with them apparently happened fifteen years ago, a while before I woke up. Even before that…we scattered them to the wind a hundred years ago." The warrior retorted. After sheathing the Master Sword he held it in his lap. When not in his hands, his lap was perhaps the most reassuring place for it. "This time…"

"You're not going to leave anything to chance, are you?" Came the queen's quiet and even frightful voice.

It made Link realize what he was sounding like. He bowed his head in apparent shame. "I'm sorry if I'm sounding too…bloodthirsty."

"You cannot be blamed, Link. Not to mention you are far from the only person to be afflicted with it." Shooting him an aside glance, she dispelled any potential lies he might tell her. The entity known as Ganon wasn't just a threat to Hyrule, it was a plague. Anyone who would help spread that plague was undoubtedly going to be lacking in sympathy, especially in this time of restoration. "That goes for me as well. If…if an opportunity to kill all of them arises, I don't think I'll be able to find any mercy in me. Not for them…not if they have some plan to unleash Ganon upon us all again."

Like him, she knew how dangerous the threat of the Calamity Ganon could be. Actually, Zelda potentially knew that better than anyone. While he'd been in a regenerative slumber, Zelda had been locked in a fierce struggle with the evil. Every second, every minute, of those hundred years, she'd been restraining Ganon. She'd only barely came out of it sane; she still had numbers almost two years after the final battle. Link himself had nightmares as well, as did several others who got more involved as Hyrule rose from the dead.

Ironically, they were now contending with Ganon attempting to do the same.

"Sometimes I just find it baffling how anyone can find it in themselves to…to…support that monstrosity. They know not what they're dealing with." Zelda murmured as a shiver ran down her spine. Link knew it wasn't from the wind.

"They could always be suicidal idiots. Instead of jumping off a cliff or something they want to take all of Hyrule down with them. That's where we have a problem." Link sternly stated. He had his own memories to contend with, memories of fighting madmen who were eager to see his home burn. The fact that they too would burn as well seemed of little concern, or they were eager to die themselves. Link never wanted to imagine what path in life could lead a person to such thinking. "If they're so eager to die, they'll have plenty of opportunities."

For such a grim comment, Zelda managed a rather warm smile. One could say it was a testament to how vile their enemies were. Both Hylians would adamantly argue that the Acolytes might not have even been deserving of a proper burial for the things they'd done, or the things they were trying to bring about. The same went for the Yiga, who they were sure were aligned with the Acolytes, just as they had been a century ago.

Several minutes passed during which the pair gazed skyward. A handful of times they spoke to one another, calling out constellations and the occasional shooting star. Naturally, Zelda was the more skilled astronomer of the two of them; Link more than welcomed the education she happily gave him.

He'd have liked it if that education could continue, but Zelda was too perspective. "Link, what was it that ate at your mind during the last part of the meeting? I can tell something was occupying your thoughts more so than the Acolytes."

His chest tightened with anxiety anew. The reasonable side of his mind berated the rest of him. What reason was there to hide his thoughts from he? Not to mention if there was anyone who might be able to explain this, why not the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom?

"When I landed in Rito Village, another acolyte was there, he took two captives. The two of them had me pinned and would have killed me or the hostages…"

As he trailed off Zelda realized the "important part" was coming. She leaned in close with her curiosity showing on her face.

"The she-demon…saved me and them." He finally said. As he expected, Zelda's jaw dropped as she clearly didn't know what to make of the news. "I know what it was. She used a spray-like attack. It hit both of the Acolytes, but not me or the kids. After that, when one of them tried to blast me at close range, she…she got the kids out of the blast radius. They told me themselves she'd practically rescued them. Why would she do that, Zelda?"

"I…I…I don't know, Link." The royal blonde answered with a shake of her head. Her curiosity now mixed with confusion. "That's…unheard of. For both a demon and an Acolyte of Ganon. Honestly, if it was anyone but you, I don't think I'd believe it."

"I can hardly believe it myself." He repeated. "Zelda…none of this makes any sense."

"No, it doesn't. This is a mystery whose details we're missing." She affirmed.

"Can we afford to go searching for those details?" Link asked with a razor-like glint in his eyes.

Zelda wasn't surprised by it. "I honestly don't know, Link. We're practically in the middle of a crisis. The truth is we need answers on how to solve it, but we can't go running off to find them and leave ourselves vulnerable. I have no idea why that demoness did that and I'd like to know, but I don't want those answers at the expense of Hyrule's safety."

That was the sort of answer he'd been expecting. Looking inwardly Link felt that was the answer he'd come to on his own as well. Feeling the weight of that realization he hung his head. Zelda shot him a sorrowful look and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. That hand turned into a hug, one that he felt he needed.

"Would you say I'm thinking about this too hard?" The teenage warrior whispered.

"Not at all. I'm actually glad you told me what you were thinking. I can remember when you're nary say a word and how frustrating that would be." The miniscule reminiscence got a laugh out of the two of them. "Honestly, it is something to think about. After her ravaging of Akkala Citadel, one would think that she-demon incapable of anything resembling compassion. It's enough to boggle the mind."

Link could agree with that. His mind had been boggled alright, and he wished there was way to reverse it. Why was that moment of compassion eating at him so much?

His grip on his sword tightened. "You're right that we can't seek answers at the expense of exposing ourselves. We've got way too much to lose." It felt like a block of ice had been dropped from the sky atop the fire burning within him. With it the anxiety and uncertainty within him was extinguished. "If I can't get an answer out of her, I won't waste my time…or put anyone else in danger. I will kill her next time, before she can put anyone else in harm's way."

"I know you will." Zelda affirmed. "You're Hyrule's guardian knight, and you've already slain one great demon. I have no doubt you'll be able to slay this one."

Even if it was only temporary, Link felt the coldness being driven away. He was sure it was the same for Zelda. Actually, he could see it on her face. Link didn't know what his own face looked like, but he wanted to believe he was smiling. He had support, and that was always something to be grateful for.

He still had things to protect, and on the sword in his lap, he would protect them, against anyone and anything that threatened them.

---

WHAM!

Mirajane could taste the blood in her mouth. She felt an immediate desire to make the man who struck her taste the same in his mouth. Her eyes transmitted as such, and he responded to it in the only way he could.

Darkuto held up his right hand and beckoned to her. His aggravated sneer had transformed into a cocky smile.

Her injured left arm didn't matter. All she'd need was one to kick his ass.

Dark magic swirled around her right arm and her eyes glowed pure scarlet red. It suited the violet-colored aura that rapidly enveloped her. Within seconds it grew in size, and in doing so it smashed against Darkuto's. The two pushed against each other with the resulting pressure affecting the meeting chamber.

Numerous cracks appeared in the circular chamber as it shook from the clashing auras. Several stepped back as they felt the pressure too. Even the most brutish of acolytes wisely stepped away and eyed the door. They sure as hell didn't want to be caught in the crossfire of the two.

Then there were those who were unfazed, including the Grandmaster himself.

All things considered, Ólethros was taking the day's losses pretty well. His violin practice had been disrupted and the Time Shift Sigil he'd been setting up had been destroyed. It was a setback, but not one that they couldn't overcome. Granted he had a feeling they'd have to put in a little more work to do that, but no one said this endeavor was going to be easy.

Likewise, no one ever said that controlling a she-demon from another world would be easy. While he had done so before, it seemed that contact with the Hylian Champion was affecting the obedience spell that they'd put on her. He knew it was because of the Master Sword; likewise, that same sword had been the reason Darkuto had been kept at bay and even faced a worthy challenge. Hell, he'd been wanting to face the sacred sword's power himself. Well, he'd gotten his wish.

His wish for battle was about to be further fulfilled as he clashed fists with the Demon Mira. Or he would have if he didn't put his foot down.

"ENOUGH!"

The chamber rung with the familiar sound of his shout. Likewise, many of the acolytes were familiar with it, and they knew to fear it. All save for perhaps the organization's newest member.

Mirajane didn't quite back down, she looked to him with slight annoyance. She wasn't intimidated by his power, even with the subjugation spell on her. He was going to have to reinforce it. Oh, and get her arm wound healed up, otherwise she might lose that arm. That would be an…inconvenience.

The hold his wrath had on everyone was broken. "I knew this was a bad idea."

"Yes, Brigitte, so you've told me." The Grandmaster casually retorted. "She hasn't reached the end of her use just yet."

"Are you so sure about that?" Brigitte snarled. The woman looked a second away from pulling out her whip and using it. Not on him of course, she certainly knew better than that. "I want to be there next time, that way if she acts out of line again I can discipline her. Or anyone else that does the same."

Darkuto merely chuckled at the venomous glare that was directed at him. As with all the previous times, he clearly wasn't intimidated.

For her part, Mirajane wasn't either.

Knowing that further attempts at intimidation wouldn't work, the Heavenly Wise Star turned her attention to the acolytes' leader. "I don't need to tell you we'll have to tackle the Heba Region again. So far, we've only secured the southwest and we're currently wrapping up the northeast."

"I'm aware. Hmm, maybe we should try establishing the southern Time Sigil. We're going to have to spend things up since now the Hyrulean Army is going to be onto us. Heh, they undoubtedly know we're planning something, but they have no idea what. That window of opportunity won't last long though."

"Obviously not. Unfortunately, we don't have the numbers we once did to capitalize on it." Brigitte commented with disdain.

Ólethros threw back his head in laughed. "Look on the bright side, that just means we've got to work twice as hard, and it'll make the reward all the better when we succeed! Isn't that right, everyone!" There was a subdued murmur from the crowd. To anyone else it would have been discouraging, but to Ólethros sane yet warped view, it was akin to thunderous applause.

"Um, excuse me, Grandmaster, we have a slight complication." Spoke an unsteady female voice.

Again, to his credit Ólethros didn't explode in outrage. He merely raised an eyebrow and looked to the acolyte in question. His gaze carried no anger, only curiosity at what this complication was. "Maliza, report. What happened?"

The identified acolyte stepped forward with her head bowed low. Following a quick inhalation, she looked up to face him. "Sir, while we were moving some of the Chronolithe stones into position on the eastern front, there was an unexpected discovery by Sheikah scouts. In the ensuing battle the stones were lost along with some of our own men."

In spite hearing the bad news, Ólethros remained calm. Merely letting out a sigh of annoyance he put a hand to his chin. "Mmm, that's disheartening. That means we lost two sets of stones. They're going to have to be replaced, and that's going to be a hassle. We had to scrounge around to find the few that we already have."

"Yes, they're not to be wasted." Brigitte remarked while shooting Maliza an aside glare. The poison-coated woman glared right back at her superior, not at all intimidated by her. She also wasn't going to let her be blamed for an operating she had nothing to do with. Tearing her glare away from the younger woman the analytical acolyte looked back to Mirajane. As expected of their spellbound destroyer she'd been silent throughout the entire exchange. "We'll have her use her Seilah Form to get some Gorons to dig for us. They'll get it done the fastest, not to mention we can use them to set up the northeast ritual point."

"Agreed. Best get her healed up then." Commanded the Grandmaster of the Acolytes of Ganon. "Oh, and recode her, don't want our dear Satan Mira causing another incident, do we?"

"Gah! Go on, play with her. Call me when you have something other than a stealth mission." Darkuto groaned. Now that the opportunity for a fight had passed so too had his interest in the meeting. Just before leaving he turned to look at Mirajane. "Hey, Satan, if you want to toughen up, I'm always available. Especially if you want to see how strong your Alegria Form is up to snuff. This world has greater demons than yours."

Those words were enough to draw a glare out of the docile white-haired woman. She continued to glare at Darkuto's retreating back as he left the chamber. The Earthly Star was unfazed though as he'd been the target of such murderous intent before. He was one of the few who welcomed it.

Kill him. Kill him. Kill him! Kill him! Urged a voice within the wizard's head. No, it wasn't one voice but multiple voices, all urging her to put her fist through the wicked heart of the brawler. They grew so loud that it was beginning to make her head a little dizzy. Before Mirajane knew it she was clawing at her skull with her good hand.

Suddenly, a firm hand gripped her by the wrist and began dragging her away.

"Come on, healing that arm will be easier than attempting to regrow a new one from scratch." Brigitte grumbled. It was the nicest she'd sounded all meeting.

-O-

There was no light in Acheron save for those of lamps and candles. Fitting given it was the home base of those who spurned the light in favor of the darkness.

She belonged in a place like this, didn't she? She was a demon, one with many different forms, but ultimately all of them were unholy in appearance and power. The darkness was her home.

So why did she long for the light? Why did she long to feel the sweet and warm rays of the sun on her face? Why did she long for the sounds of laughter and jubilation. Couldn't she have gotten that in the base's food hall?

No. That's not it. That's not what I want. Spoke a voice within her. It was different from those that had been screaming for her to kill Darkuto. There was no ferocity in it, no bestial edge; this voice was more…human.

Was it her voice? Was she a human being?

With every step she took she felt her heartbeat quickening until it practically burst as she came upon the door. Pushing it open she wasn't meant with a flood of sunlight like she hoped. No doubt there was still light out, but it was rapidly being eaten away by darken clouds. It was going to rain. Strangely enough that didn't bother her too much.

"Don't worry, you'll fit right in here. Oh, and give Gray some time. He'll come around eventually!"

"R-R-Really?"

"Absolutely! I've seen him sneaking a couple of glances at you! You've definitely piqued his interest, all you got to do is make that interest a whole lot bigger."

Blue hair and blue eyes, a quiet and stoic disposition that could suddenly give way to passion when a certain someone was mentioned. Rain…water. All those things swirled within Mirajane's head. They pushed her to step out of the cave and begin her walk.

She had absolutely no idea where she was going, but a part of her knew she needed to get out of the underground fortress of the acolytes. For whatever reason, Ólethros had humored her request and decided to let her out; predictably, it was to the chagrin of Brigitte, who at least wanted to send someone with her. Mira practically sighed in relief when she was finally given the go ahead. Granted, she had to remain hidden while she was out and about. If anyone recognized her then she'd undoubtedly have to kill.

Kill.

Kill.

Kill.

Why did that bother her? Why did thinking about killing someone make her head hurt? Why did looking up at the graying sky make it hurt even more?

"No! No! Don't go, please! Lisanna! Lisanna!"

Who was that? Why did that name make her heart flutter and cause her to be filled with a mixture of happiness and worry?

What in the hell was happening to her?

The sky unleashed its watery payload saturating the land. Countless raindrops pattered against her cloak as she walked on, still without a destination. Where was she walking to?

Walking…yes, that's what she'd been doing before. Wait, before? Before what?

Overhead the sky let off a furious payload that soaked her cloak. Even with it she could feel some of the droplets getting through, the wetness seemingly seeping into her skin. Each raindrop felt like a brick, with their numbers taking a step further became strenuous. Mirajane found herself clenching at her head as more images appeared in her mind. It was so aggravating she wanted to throw back her head and scream to the sky. Was it possible for her to dispel the storm?

Doing so would undoubtedly break her cover, but by this point she didn't care. She wanted something to make the pain stop.

Looking up at the sky only made things worse as the raindrops hit her face in full. Each one felt like a bee's sting, yet despite the agony she couldn't look away. Mirajane saw something in the gray clouds, an image, a moving image that set her mind ablaze.

She saw three people, two sitting up and one lying on her backside. They all shared her white hair, one of them more so than the others. She was her, she was her.

"Aaaaahh! Aaaaahhh!" Her scream rivaled the looming thunder that boomed amidst the clouds. "Who are you! Who are you?! WHO!?" Pain shot through her body, stabbing at every bone and organ within her. Nowhere was the pain more apparent than in her head, which now felt like it was on the precipice of splitting open. "WHAT IS THIS?! WHO ARE YOU?! WHO!?"

Tears and frantic screaming filled her ears. The cold grip of terror had seized her heart and it was squeezing the organ into oblivion. She screamed for the girl lying on the ground not to die as her body was encased with a luminous light.

"Li…sanna…Li…sanna! Lisanna!" The name brought her to her knees and left her twisting and turning. Dirt quickly marred her cloak while whisps of red suddenly erupted around her. They concentrated around her head and attempted to dig into it, burrowing through her snow-white hair. Their attempted burrowing made Mirajane scream even louder, her voice frightening off any nearby animals. "AAAAAAHHH!"

Her hand came down and cracked the earth. While her right hand clenched her head her left hand was digging into the ground. For whatever reason, it seemed to be burning. Through the agony Mirajane looked at it and felt her eyes widen. A sword had been ran through her hand, a sword glowing with fire. Holy fire. In that moment came clarity.

A stranger fighting her. An unfamiliar sky with an unfamiliar town below her. She heard the voices of children frantically wailing while evil laughed. Mirajane saw someone hold up two avian humanoids; they were struggling to free themselves. Not too far away someone was on the ground, struggling to move. Another cloaked figure was standing over him, stomping on his head. She knew what she had to do and acted.

The strange with a sword looked up at her with confusion.

Suddenly, her mind jumped back further. There was a ballroom she'd been led to…and bound in. her wrists burned as she attempted to free herself. Chanting soon filled her ears as darkness swirled around her.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" She repeated in a thunderous scream.

As the face of the hooded figure in front of her came into view, the dark tendrils stabbed at her skull. Instead of piercing her skin something shot out. Atop her head appeared a magic circle rotating like a chariot wheel. Its darkness clashed with the red-tinged whisps stabbing at her.

Across the sky a bolt of lightning flashed as the two dark powers warred with each other, neither triumphing. As they retreated Mirajane stood up and attempted to take a step forward. All the while she'd be unaware of where she'd been going, and that proved costly. The ground beneath her gave way and the next thing she knew she was sliding downward. Her mouth opened in a scream of unexpected panic, then it was silenced as she hit the water.

Mirajane saw blue all around her. Water filled her ears and lungs as she struggled to swim to the surface. With every stroke it grew further and further out of reach. Desperate, she called upon her magic, and that in turn caused the internal battle to begin anew. She screamed in the water, her consciousness unable to handle the pressure for a second time.

Blissful, silent darkness enveloped her mind, and Mira welcomed it.

---

So, what did you all think of Chapter Four? Mira showed her first sign of resistance and I'm sure you all can take a guess as to what caused that. It's a clue as to how the mind control over Mira's going to be broken. Eventually.

I honestly didn't intend for the battle scene to take up so much space in this chapter. The truth is it was all setup for that one scene with Mirajane rescuing the Rito children. That moment is where this whole segment involving the Heba Region came from to be honest. As the saying goes, it's the journey and not the destination. Well, mostly in this case.

The Roc Cape is an item that formed appeared in Oracle of Seasons followed by Four Swords and Minish Map. Frankly it's one of my favorite items. For the purpose of this story by mixing it with Revali's Gale it allowed Link to gain flight so he could keep up with Mirajane. On the subject of Revali's Gale and his spirit, I decided to have some fun with this chapter. When each of the Champions gave Link their respective powers, I like to think a small part of their spirits stayed with him. For Mipha, this would be in-character. Since the battleground was Revali's homeland I felt the remnants of his spirit would be very helpful, not to mention willing to drop his rivalry and implore Link to give it all he's got. I love getting creative by mixing and matching Link's different abilities and items, it's one of the fun things about writing his character.

Now then, onto Mirajane. Next chapter is going to be perhaps three-thirds hers since she's had a little meltdown. It was inspired by the fact that all afternoon it's been looking like it's going to rain in my area, and it finally did as I was finishing up the chapter. I figured instead of just her siblings why not throw in Juvia. In fact, my original idea was for her to walk or fly all the way to the sea where she'd reminiscence about her guildmates. I decided that's going to be featured next chapter, along with more showing of what Hyrule and the Acolytes are getting up to.

As a Kamen Rider fan and current watcher of Kamen Rider Revice, I couldn't resist including a Rider villain expy. Darkuto is one of both Kamen Rider Vail and Kuuga's final villain, N-Daguva-Zeba. For those of you with some KR knowledge, that should tell you that he's going to be one tough opponent, and a potential endgame boss.

In writing this chapter I decided to give Astor some mention, as well as affirm that Link's fought the Acolytes of Ganon before. Since this story follows Breath of the Wild's original timeline, their defeat turned into something of a pyrrhic victory. I'm looking forward to expanding on it in future chapters. You all get three guesses who he'll be telling the story to.

Until next time, let me all know what you thought of this chapter! Be safe out there, readers!