Sora felt something wet across his face, and a bad smell intruded his senses. He let out a small noise, but that just prompted the wet sensation to return. Groaning a bit, his eyes creaked open, and he saw a mess of grey hair and a tongue taking up his vision. It took him a second to realize he was looking at the face of a dog, the loud panting he quickly became aware of confirming it. Not even the first time he woke up to a dog's kisses since the incident at Destiny Islands!
Slowly, Sora sat up, letting out a yawn as he saw the dog was a tiny thing, a small scruffy canine who had to stand on his hind legs to even reach the teen, his small paws resting on the couch cushion. "Hey, boy…" The brunette groggily greeted, patting the dog on the head, who hyperactively sniffed at his hand as his tail wagged.
"Scamp! You woke up our guest!" Malon's voice rang out, Sora turning to see the redhead entering the room. The dog, Scamp, took his paws off the couch and sauntered off, not seeming too upset at being scolded. "Sorry about that, Sora. Before Link came the other day, it had been a while since we had guests…friendly ones, that is. He's just excited."
Letting out another yawn, Sora shook his head. "It's alright! We should be going pretty soon, probably. Is anyone else awake, Malon?" He didn't want to leave the comfort of the ranch so soon, but he was sure the others would be eager to get to Kakariko Village!
"I heard Link moving around upstairs. Haven't seen your friends, though! I guess they're still in the barn." Malon replied. "You should wake them up, I'll have some breakfast ready in just a few minutes!"
It had been masked by the smell of dog breath before, but now that Scamp was away, the scent of bacon and eggs became apparent to Sora. He hadn't realized how hungry he was, not having eaten since arriving in Hyrule! "Yeah, okay, I'll see if they're up yet!" He got off the couch, wanting to get at that delicious smelling food!
Going outside, he saw it wasn't far past dawn, the sun not even fully off the horizon yet. Still, he saw a portly man with a large mustache off near the horses, this stranger not noticing Sora. Must have been Talon, and the teen was surprised he was up so early given Malon's earlier description of him. He just ignored the man and went into the barn.
Inside, Donald and Goofy were sprawled out on the hay, both of them slowly craning their necks to look at Sora as he entered."Mornin' already…?" The knight asked, letting out a loud, drawn out yawn.
"What do you mean 'already'?!" Donald exclaimed, slowly sitting up and rubbing his back. "That was the longest night I've ever had! Barely slept a wink…!"
"I slept like a log!" Sora cheekily bragged, placing his hands on the back of his head. "But more importantly, Malon almost has breakfast ready! Come on, it smells great!"
Donald was about to chew Sora out, but the mention of food shifted his focus. "Why didn't you say so?! Come on, Goofy!" The mage demanded, forcing his friend to his feet as they rushed past Sora and into the house.
When going back himself, he noticed the man who was assuredly Talon was gone. Probably called in for breakfast. He paused near the home's door, looking off at the area with the horses. In all the worlds he went to so far, Heartless were a near-constant issue. Even Traverse Town needed people to volunteer as guards to keep certain sections safe. Yet this ranch…it was peaceful all by itself…but how? Why? Was there just not enough darkness here? Too much of it elsewhere in Hyrule for the Heartless to even notice this place?
Sora eventually realized he had been standing in place for several minutes, having spaced out entirely. After catching himself, he quickly went inside and saw he was the last to arrive. Link (Navi on his shoulder), Donald, Goofy, and Talon were sitting around the kitchen table, Malon providing them with two plates stacked with bacon and eggs!
"You're that Sora feller, right?" Talon asked, already piling food onto his plate. "Ya came just in time, get some food while it lasts!"
"Dad! You shouldn't serve yourself before the guests!" Malon scolded, hands on her hips. It was clear from her tone that she never had issues reprimanding her father in the past.
"Aw, Malon…" He mumbled, but didn't return the food, just stopping as Link, Donald, and Goofy got their own portions. "But say, Malon tells me you three are friends of Link here. That makes you friends of this ranch!" The mustachioed man said with a chortle.
Sora sat down, quickly getting a helping of bacon and eggs as Malon sat across from him. Only after he got his food did she serve herself, Talon putting more food on his plate. "Yeah, we've been traveling with him for a bit." The brunette said between bites of food, watching as Link handed a bit of bacon to Navi, which was the size of her head. "But how does he know you?"
"We met when we were kids, only being with each other for a bit before things went…bad…" Malon replied, her voice becoming sad at the last few words. "But a few days ago, he came back and chased off my Uncle Ingo. He was working for Ganondorf, trying to pawn off my favorite horse for that horrid man's favor! Can you believe it?!"
"I didn't really do much." Link quietly insisted. "I just beat him in a race, and he fled. Talon actually made him run."
"Wait, really? Your own brother?" Donald asked, disgusted by what this Ingo guy had done, but still surprised at Talon's actions. He seemed so nice…and also unlikely to get in a fight.
Talon sighed. "Sadly, I had to. Link here couldn't use his gear in the race, and my brother drew a knife on him since he was unarmed. I had gotten back just in time from Kakariko Village and…well, I did what had to be done." He didn't exactly sound proud of his actions either.
Navi cleared her throat. "Speaking of the village, we should be getting to it soon. After breakfast, we need to head out."
"So soon? You just arrived!" Malon protested, frowning a bit and giving Link pleading eyes. "Come on, Fairy Boy, you were gone for seven years!"
Link didn't seem able to look the redhead in the face anymore, his cheeks tinted a bit red. "Navi is always right about these things…but we'll visit again when we can, okay?"
"We got some important stuff to do!" Goofy insisted between bites of his eggs, keeping his tone friendly.
"I understand. I can tell Fairy Boy is up to some big things with all that gear he has." Malon said, a smile returning to her face. "You five just take care of yourselves is all I ask!"
The rest of the breakfast went by in relative silence, Talon asking Sora, Donald, and Goofy some personal questions which they just gave vague answers to. When it was all done, Talon went to take a nap as Malon saw the group off at the ranch's entrance.
"Don't worry, we'll take care of Link and get him back to you safe and sound!" Donald promised Malon in a teasing tone, feeling there was something going on between the two.
"I think Fairy Boy will be taking care of you guys!" Malon insisted with a grin. "Anyway, just stay safe, that goes to all of you."
"Don't worry, we can handle ourselves!" Sora said with an assuring smile. "We're pros at this kind of thing!"
Donald rolled his eyes. "Oh, please…!" He murmured, just loud enough for everyone to hear, but was ignored.
With a few exchanged farewells and words of gratitude, the quintet left the ranch as Malon waved them off. It was around eight in the morning at that point, and Navi insisted they had plenty of time to reach the village before nightfall.
"What do we do if we can't find anything else out at Kaka…Kookoo…uh, the village?" Goofy asked, already forgetting the place's name.
"Kakariko Village." Navi corrected. "Well, we'll have to just stay there until we find an answer! Like I said before, there's really nowhere else to go. The only other option would be Death Mountain where the Gorons live, but I don't know if they'd have any information of Temples outside of their own."
Death Mountain? That was a pretty foreboding name! Looking into the distance, a mountain was very visible. Looking at it closer, Sora realized it was a volcano and even had a ring of smoke around its peak. He had to assume that was Death Mountain, a suiting name for a massive volcano like that! It seemed Kakariko Village was built into the rock near the volcano's base, as only the tallest building, a windmill, was visible from where they were, peeking over a wall of natural rock.
The trip to the village had little room for conversation given the Heartless that attacked the group. This wasn't unusual, of course, but everyone quickly noticed a pattern. As the quintet got closer to Kakariko Village, the groups of Heartless grew larger and the individual ones were stronger. What started out as some Shadows appearing eventually transitioned to a dozen Large Bodies appearing at once.
"This didn't happen last time! What's going on?!" Donald demanded as he finished off the last of the Large Bodies with a Thunder spell. "The Heartless just keep getting stronger!"
"I think there's something going on at Kakariko Village…" Navi suggested, looking towards their destination, which was only about twenty minutes away at that point. "Wait…is that smoke?!"
The rest of the group looked and saw that dark smoke and an orange glow emanating from the top of the rock wall. "A fire?! Come on, we have to get there fast!" Sora exclaimed, breaking out into a sprint towards the village, the others following his lead. They all moved so fast that the last bit of the trip was less than half of what it should've been. The entrance to the village was carved into the rock, a staircase leading to their destination.
At the top of the stairs was Kakariko Village, what looked to be a decently sized, quaint, cozy place under normal circumstances. But right then, several of the homes were on fire, people running away towards a path leading up to Death Mountain as a way of seeking shelter. Surprisingly, though, there wasn't any actual source of the mayhem! No Heartless, no monsters or minions of Ganondorf that seemed present. The group all wanted to help with the fire, but also felt they had to find the source of the attack first and take care of it!
Rushing ahead, the quintet reached a well in the middle of the village, a lone figure standing there. To the outsiders, he seemed suspicious, donning a blue bodysuit with an usual eye-like symbol along a white wrap around his head that hid most of his features. However, he wasn't even looking at them, instead facing the well.
"Sheik?! What's going on here?!" Navi exclaimed, floating between the man and Link. "Where did this fire come from?!"
The man, Sheik, turned to look at the group. It was revealed he had blonde hair, and almost his entire face was concealed save for a single, piercing red eye. His gaze lingered on Sora, Donald, and Goofy before focusing on Link. "You! Get back, now! It's dangerous here!" He ordered, his voice giving him away as not being much older than Link.
Before anyone could ask for context, the wooden structure on the well that held its bucket tore from the stone circle, flying off and crashing onto the ground. Yet, there was no sign of whatever tore the piece of the well off. The group looked around and saw nothing, with Sheik turning back towards the well.
Without warning, the quintet felt a sense of dread in the air, like something massive was barreling towards them, but there was nothing around! They were startled as Sheik suddenly yelled out, the five of them turning to see he was floating in the air, being waved about as if by an invisible hand! He was then thrown off, landing near the wooden structure and hitting the ground with a harsh thud.
At this moment, something emerged from the well, but it wasn't easy to describe. It was flat, but didn't have any sort of defined shape. It was purple and black, a speckles mess that reminded Sora of static on his television set back at home. This unusual mass crawled from the well, oozing down its sides before shooting off towards the rock wall surrounding the village. It moved around too fast for the fighters to do much as it sped towards the ground again and right at them. Desperately, both Sora and Donald unleashed magic, a Fire and Thunder spell respectively, but the odd entity's form simply opened up and the spells hit the ground harmlessly. Then, within the blink of an eye, it was upon them.
Their worlds went dark.
For the second time that day, Sora found himself stirring back into consciousness. He was on his back, and his entire body ached. It took him a few moments to be aware of rainfall hitting his face, the crackling of fire no longer audible. Slowly, he opened his eyes, seeing grey skies and steady precipitation, but no orange glow or smoke. The village was okay! Or at least…not on fire. What was that thing that attacked them…? And more importantly, where was it?
The brunette sat up, seeing Donald and Goofy coming to as well. Meanwhile, Link was still on his back, being lightly shaken by Sheik as Navi hovered overhead. "Hey…! What happened?" Sora asked, seeing that the mysterious man with red eyes almost seemed like a ninja in his attire. "Link and Navi told us about you, you're a friend, right?"
Sheik glanced at Sora with that unusual eye of his and nodded. "I'm an ally to Link, yes. Navi told me that you three are outsiders aiding them in their quest. Tell me, why are you in Hyrule at all?"
"We're looking for two people." Sora explained as he stood up, Donald and Goofy still getting their bearings. "I'm looking for a girl named Kairi. Red hair, blue eyes, the same age as me. And they're looking for a King named Mickey!" He gestured to his two companions.
"None of those names are familiar to me." Sheik bluntly stated, not sounding at all sympathetic. Not mean, necessarily, just a lack of care in his tone. "You might ask around the village if you wish."
Sora couldn't help but be disappointed, and looked over as Donald shook himself awake in an animated fashion. "My head…!" The mage complained. "What was that?!"
"I'll tell you all what just happened once Link is awake. I used some magic to heal your wounds. It was lucky for you all that I was here and that that thing had little interest in you." Sheik replied, continuing to try and get Link to open his eyes.
"Don't worry guys, I vouched for you!" Navi exclaimed. "Sheik knows that you're all trustworthy!"
"Aw, shucks! Thanks, Navi!" Goofy said, trying to sound cheerful but still seemed a bit sore as he and Donald got to their feet. "That thing that attacked us sure was spooky…"
It was at that moment that Link finally stirred, blinking his eyes open and groaning as he sat up. "Sheik…?" He murmured, looking to the unusually dressed man as he leaned away from the green-clad teen. "What just happened?"
"Something terrible, I'm afraid." Sheik replied, helping Link to his feet. "What attacked us was a dark entity that was sealed beneath the well long ago by Impa, the mayor of this village." He glanced at Sora, Donald, and Goofy at that last part, clearly directing it mostly to them. "But that seal just broke, and that thing, Bongo Bongo, is now free and went to the Shadow Temple to gather more power."
"Wait, so the Shadow Temple is near here? Where is it?! That's what we came here for!" Sora exclaimed, also wondering if Sheik was the one to put out the fires. They seemed too intense for some simple rain to do the trick. Just how long were they out for? The cloudy sky made it hard to tell what time it was.
"It is. It's hidden by the graveyard, and Impa went there to try to seal it before your arrival. However, I worry for her, and you should go and aid her." Sheik informed, then turning all his attention on Link. "I will teach you a song to reach its entrance more easily. However, you will need to get an important object first." He paused, glancing back at Sora, Donald, and Goofy for a moment before looking back at Link. "Remember what I told you about your sword. Discover what you need to find, and then use it."
Link didn't seem to understand what Sheik meant at first, but then gave her a nod. "I understand. I'm ready for the song."
The outsiders were confused, but was sure Link would explain. First, though, the mysterious youth pulled out a harp as Link got his Ocarina ready. The two played a melody that was sad and even sounded a bit haunting. Their notes weaved through the raindrops and into the overcast sky…
"Go now, and make haste." Sheik instructed, putting his harp away. "Impa is strong, but Bongo Bongo is a monstrosity, so I still worry. That thing can never be allowed to gather all its strength!" With those foreboding words, the young man pulled something from his pocket and threw it on the ground, summoning a brief, blinding light, causing everyone else to cover their eyes. By the time they recovered, Sheik was gone…
"What was that all about?! That hurt my eyes!" Donald exclaimed, rubbing at them and grumbling something else under his breath.
"He does that sometimes…" Navi said, blinking a few times to help her see well again. "We don't really know much about him. Looks like he put out the fires, though, and I can see people coming down from the path to Death Mountain." The fairy informed, flying a bit higher to get a better view. Indeed, there was a large crowd of people slowly coming back into the village.
Rubbing his eyes too, Sora was at least glad the village was okay. However, he started to notice this feeling in the air that reminded him of the oppressed sensation in Hyrule Field. It also, once more, seemed like he was being watched by something, but instead of it being far away, it seemed like the watcher was right behind him. He even couldn't help but glance over his shoulder, but there was of course nothing there. That's when he realized something else…
"Hey, where are the Heartless?" He asked, realizing just how strange this situation was. "There are people here, and there's a cursed Temple filled with darkness nearby…but no Heartless." As much as he hated to think about it, this village was the perfect place for the creatures to swarm and attack. Yet there wasn't one in sight. Sora figured that the ranch was safe because other places attracted the Heartless more, but what better spot for them to go to than a village in a country that was overthrown by a diabolical man that's near a cursed location?
"Huh…I hadn't noticed, but he's right! There were a lot of Heartless on the way, but it's safe in the village!" Goofy remarked, scratching the side of his head. "Where would they all go?"
Link looked off past the windmill, towards the graveyard. "Maybe they're all in the Temple. If they're like Gold Skulltulas, they'd be attracted to curses…"
"Gold Skulltulas are the physical manifestation of a curse we've been hunting." Navi explained. "We got a lot of them on the way. That house over there is somewhere you should avoid. The people are half-spider, and we wouldn't want you to think they were monsters to fight or something…" The fairy pointed to a rundown home that looked like it hadn't been entered, let alone lived in, in decades.
That was a pretty disturbing thought, half-spider people…but the outsiders had no reason to doubt her. "Okay, got it…but what about what Sheik said. Something about getting an item and using your sword?" Sora asked, noting that Link looked up at Navi, clearly wanting her to answer. He really relied on the fairy for so much talking…
"That's a bit hard to explain…" The fairy admitted. "We'll need to split up for a bit. There's some information we'll have to gather, and the two of us may need to leave the village. In the meantime, you guys can ask around for your friends. We promise we won't go on without you, so…let's make the well our meeting place, okay?"
That seemed unusually specific and yet vague. Donald crossed his arms, squinting at Navi. "What's with all the secrecy?" He asked, realizing it was a bit hypocritical given how Link and Navi had no idea of where the outsiders came from.
"It's just a lot to go over! Trust us, it's easier this way." Navi insisted. "But like I said, you can go ask for your friends while we split up, so it's fine, right?"
Sora found it odd too, but wasn't as annoyed by it as Donald. "It's not that big of a deal, Donald! Link and Navi can take care of themselves, and I'm sure they'll tell us sooner or later!"
"Yeah! We can trust 'em to keep their word!" Goofy chimed in with a grin. "My legs a bit of a rest after goin' across that field anyway! Goin' around the village won't be as bad!"
"Aw, fine! Let's just split up, then!" Donald relented, grumpily stomping off in a random direction. Giving Link and Navi apologetic looks, Sora and Goofy followed him.
The outsiders went around the village, asking everyone that saw about Kairi and Mickey, but they sadly had no luck. An old man in a blue cloak, a beggar, a redheaded woman near a chicken (or Cuccos as she called them) coop, among many other citizens of the village simply had no idea who Kairi and Mickey were. Strangely, during this search, the rain grew more intense as lightning blasted across the sky, the windmill spinning rapidly for a few minutes. Going around in that rain was miserable, so after realizing the search was pointless, the trio took shelter under the straw canopy of a nearby house. The well was within view of their location, so that seemed the best place to wait.
"Where do you think Link went?" Sora asked, noticing they hadn't seen him or Navi since they split up. "Do you think they found what they were looking for?"
"They better have, I don't want to wait here for long!" Donald exclaimed, peering out at the continuous rainfall. "…You think that Sheik guy is taking care of the Heartless? He seems capable…"
"Maybe! Link and Navi said he was a good guy, so maybe he's helpin' out the village by keepin' the Heartless at bay!" Goofy agreed. "Maybe they really did just go to the Shadow Temple, though…" Just that name made it seem like an absolute magnet for Heartless. He didn't want to say it out loud, but it made him nervous to go in there…
Unfortunately for Donald, the group ended up having to wait for well over an hour since sitting under the canopy before Link and Navi came back. The rain was still falling, and the three were nearly ready to fall asleep before they saw the teen and fairy approach the well. "Hey, they're back!" Sora exclaimed, nudging Donald and Goofy to fully wake them up. The three got up, approaching the well. Sora was alone in noticing that Link stood an oddly large distance from the well, glancing at it as though he was weary of it…
"Hey, sorry about that, I hope you guys weren't waiting for too long!" Navi apologized. "We got what we needed, now we just have to get to the Temple!"
"But wait, what did you get?" Sora asked, looking Link over. It took him a second, but the brunette noticed a strange object on the swordsman's belt. It looked like a large magnifying glass, but purple both in the handle and lens. The object also had three red points coming from the top that didn't seem to serve much of a purpose. "Is that it?"
Link took the object from his belt and turned it around in one hand. "It's called the Lens of Truth. Navi thinks it's what Sheik was talking about. It lets people see hidden things…"
"What sorta things? Invisible stuff?" Goofy asked, looking the object over. It just seemed like a fancy magnifying glass to him!
"I don't exactly know." Link admitted, putting the lens back in his belt. "Navi just thinks it will help us, and I trust her." He said it so factually, like the fairy was incapable of being wrong.
"Works for me, I guess." Donald said with a shrug. "Can we just go? We're supposed to head to the graveyard, right?"
Navi started to float towards the right of the windmill. "That's right! Come on, let's hurry! Impa could be in danger!" She said, starting to fly ahead. The other four followed closely behind, passing the Cucco Lady and down a path that led away from the village. This pathway opened up to an ancient looking graveyard, little else of note aside from the worn tombstones and an abandoned looking shack.
"Sheik said the Temple was near here…so Navi suggested I play the Nocturne of Shadow and call out to you guys." Link said. With the others nodding in agreement, he played the haunting melody before vanishing in a purple light along with Navi.
The outsiders walked amongst the graves, the sensation of being watched growing exceedingly stronger. "This place is sure spooky…" Goofy commented. "Where do ya think Link and Navi ended up…?"
"Up here!" Navi's voice called, startling the trio. They looked up to see that, at the back of the graveyard, was a raised area with a fence, Link standing behind the barrier and waving at the group, Navi at his shoulder. "There's no other way up here!" She informed, indeed there being no way to scale the wall easily. "Link, use your Hookshot!"
Link nodded, taking the device out and firing it a the ground, the hook embedding into the soft dirt. "Grab on! I think one at a time, the Hookshot can't pull all of you up."
Donald went first, being the smallest, to test the Hookshot method. As the chain retraced, the mage was pulled up with relative ease! Then went Goofy, the chain going noticeably slower with him, but he just managed to make it. In the middle in terms of height and weight, Sora wasn't so bad as Goofy, and was soon up with Link.
The quintet found themselves at the top of a staircase leading into the earth, torches lighting the way down. Once more, the feeling of being watched became intense, making everyone nervous to move on. Yet Link was the one to press onward, drawing his sword and readying his shield, Navi right at his side as they went down the stairs.
Summoning their own weapons, the outsiders followed, feeling like something was going to jump out at them from the darkness at any moment…yet nothing happened. If anything, that just made them increasingly anxious! Before long, they reached the bottom of the stairs and entered a large chamber, the center lit by a group of torches, a pedestal in the middle of them that served some sort of purpose in the past. The only other thing of note was the opening at the other end, a perfectly square whole that led into a yawning darkness!
Sora swore, just for a second, he saw a perfectly round orb peering out of the darkness like a single bloody eye! He was about to yell out to the others, to warn them, but when he blinked, it was gone. No one else reacted, so he had to wonder if it was just his imagination…
"Come on, I'll try and light the way." Navi said, taking her position at the front of the group as they slowly marched into the inky blackness. The inside of the Shadow Temple was hardly any more appealing inside than it was outside. It opened up into a stone hallway, one shorter than the entrance to the area to the point that it felt claustrophobic. That oppressive sensation that was inside the Water Temple was back, but twice as horrible to deal with!
There were no more torches to light the way, so it was only Navi's light guiding them. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to pierce through the darkness very well on her own, the hallway mere feet ahead of the group being pitch black. It was better than nothing, though. At this point, things were quiet. No Heartless or any other creatures appeared, but the quintet constantly felt like something was going to rush out of the shadows to attack!
"This isn't enough…I'm gonna help too!" Donald said, moving to the head of the group along with Navi. He raised his staff and focused for a moment until it let out a glow that helped illuminate things just a bit more. There was still plenty of darkness ahead, but it aided them a little. Thankfully, their trek through the hallway went without incident, and no one in the group dared to utter a word after Donald offered to help light the way. Despite him speaking and nothing happening, everyone still had the thought that any noise might alert something wicked to their presence…
Before too long, the quintet entered an actual room, and they all released a breath they didn't even realize they were holding in. The chamber wasn't very big, and it had little to see. In the center was a pillar with a large statue of a raven perched on top of it, its stony eyes seeming to follow the group as they went into the room. Aside from that, though…there was nothing. No other hallways, no doors, no clear way of moving forward!
"Gawrsh…was there some other way to go that we missed…?" Goofy asked, breaking the silence. "I didn't see any…"
"I was keeping an eye out for that and didn't see anything." Navi insisted. "It might be worth it go back and check, though. You never know when one of these old Temples might have a hidden passage…"
Whether a coincidence now that conversation was going on or not, Heartless quickly spawned in all around the room! There were some familiar faces, the Wight Knights and Search Ghosts, but also a new type of Heartless, Gargoyles that flew through the air!
Sora, Goofy, and Link surrounded Donald and Navi as they prepared for a fight. The mage was staying with the fairy because he couldn't use his staff as a light and for combat at the same time! The room was dark enough as it was, and the others needed to be able to see their opponents!
One thing that surprised the fighters was that the Heartless seemed unusually strong! The Wight Knights and Search Ghosts had been fought by Sora and Goofy in the past, but they found those types of Heartless faster, and their attacks took more effort to block! Was it the power of the Shadow Temple? That was the only thing that made sense to them! On top of their speed and strength, their durability seemed buffed as well, taking multiple bashed from Goofy's shield or swings of the Keyblade to take them down. The only exception was with Link's sword, which seemed to almost faintly glow in the darkness and still evaporated the Heartless in a single slash!
The fighting wasn't helped as the three had to guard Donald and Navi, Sora using Thunder spells when needed to cover a wide area of Heartless to keep them at bay. It was especially useful to use Thunder on the Gargoyles, which were generally out of reach from melee attacks, and the Thunder spells tended to knock them out of the air by damaging their wings! While taking a few hits, the three fighters managed to eventually clear the Heartless out with minor injuries with both Donald and Navi remaining entirely unharmed!
Panting a bit, Sora wiped some sweat from his brow. "Something was real different about those Heartless…" He murmured, just glad that wave of them was over. "I think it's pretty clear that they're just drawn to this place, that's why they weren't in the village! And the darkness here just makes them stronger…"
"That makes sense. I did notice the lack of these monsters in Kakariko Village. In any case, we still need to work out a path forward, and I just realized something!" Navi informed. "Link, use the Lens of Truth! The path forward could be hidden to our eyes!"
Nodding, Link took the object from his belt. "Good idea, Navi. It must be why Sheik wanted us to get it." Taking a deep breath, as if scared of what the may see, he held the object up to his face, peering through the lens.
"What do you see? Anything weird or hidden?" Sora asked, not sure what to expect. Something 'hidden' was such a vague term! It could mean just about anything.
"Not yet." Link said, who was slowly scanning around the room, making sure not to miss anything. "Everything looks normal and…" Without warning he stopped, staring at a seemingly random wall. "I see a way through. Right there…" He pointed at the segment of solid, stone wall. It didn't look any different than the structure around it.
Donald squinted at the wall, even holding up his glowing staff as if it'd help. Yet the wall just looked like, well, a wall! "What is it?! What are you seeing?!"
Link apparently decided that simply showing what he saw was easier than trying to explain it. He put the Lens of Truth back in his belt and approached the wall, reaching out to touch it. Except, when he should have placed his hand on the stone, it simply phased through! He kept reaching until his entire arm was inside the wall! "It's not real. The wall is just an illusion." The swordsman explained, stepping into it.
"Hey! Don't go too far ahead!" Navi yelled out, dashing into the wall and after Link, looking like she simply vanished into thin air.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy seemed kind of nervous to just walk through a wall despite Link and Navi having no problems with it. Walking side-by-side, they approached the fake wall. Donald went in first, stepping through slowly, but of course making it through okay. Sora held his breath, somehow feeling like it'd help, and just stepped on through. His confidence bolstered by his friends' success, Goofy took a fast step forward…into solid wall, stood too far to the side and missing the fake wall.
"Oh, come on!" Donald exclaimed, reaching through to grab Goofy's arm and yank him through the fake wall. The quintet found themselves in another hallway, but this one was a bit wider. One difference, though, were the torches along the wall, as if the true Temple began here. Something that really stood out wasn't the light, but what the light revealed. Along the walls were openings where ancient skeletal remains of people were laid out.
"I thought this was a Temple, not a crypt…" Navi murmured uneasily. "I guess it could be both…I really don't know anything about this place or what they worshipped here…"
"I don't want to think about that!" Donald exclaimed, his staff alight and held above his head. "Let's just move forward!" He didn't want to admit it, but he was getting kind of freaked out!
The group did as Donald asked, following him as he took the lead. Not that his staff's light was very necessary anymore. Thankfully, the torches were enough to at least see more than a few feet down the hall, but the extra visibility was always welcome.
One thing that became apparent as the group walked down the hall was an odd noise. For a second, none of them quite knew what it was! Yet with each step, it became slowly louder and more apparent as to what it was. It was the sound of slow, rhythmic drumming! The source wasn't clear, just that it was coming from somewhere deep within the Shadow Temple.
"Is that Bongo Bongo?" Sora asked out loud, feeling a nasty chill in his bones at the repeated drumming. Something about it just unnerved him in a way he couldn't explain! "Bongo. Like a drum…right?"
"It might be. If it is, it'll be helpful for us to follow the noise." Navi asked before looking over at Link. "A bongo is a type of drum." She told him, the older teen nodding in understanding.
With a way to track down their target, the group marched onward at a quick pace. As much as they felt an instinctual dread in meeting Bongo Bongo, they needed to help Impa in any way possible, assuming she was still okay, of course. As the quintet went down the hallway, they eventually heard a shuffling noise behind them. Quickly, all of them turned around and saw one of the wall openings held a mummified corpse rather than a skeleton…and the body was moving!
It was little more than dried flesh wrapped in protruding bone, its face a red mask with empty sockets and rotted, grit teeth. On the opposite side of the wall, a second one of the grotesque creatures emerged, both of them emptily staring at the group as they shuffled closer.
Link's face went white as a sheet, barely able to even take a step back, his fear very evident. "Th…Those are…!" Was all he was able to muster before the was interrupted by the ghastly creatures.
The two shambling corpses opened their dried maws and let out an unearthly shriek that bounced off the walls and could be felt down to the bone of the entire group. It was a horrid sound unlike any of them had ever heard, and so loud it was as if the creatures, the ReDeads, were screeching right into their ears! It wasn't just that it was loud and horrifying, but it quite literally froze everyone in place! Their feet felt rooted to the ground, with Navi nearly falling out of the air because her wings barely moved, and none of the fighters could even move their arms to attack or defend!
Using the paralyzed group to their advantage, the two ReDeads closed the gap, moving slowly yet somehow seeming to get to their victims shockingly quick! One of the corpse-like creatures leapt onto Link, curling its limbs around him to hold itself in place as it dug its rotted teeth into his neck! The older teen yelled out in horror and pain, his body still unable to move. The other ReDead went for Sora, mirroring the actions of its comrade as it clung to the Keyblade user and bit at his neck! Dr. Orpheus' protection made it so the monster's teeth didn't penetrate his skin, but it was still nauseating and painful!
Luckily for the quintet, the monsters didn't exactly think ahead, if they were even able to. While Sora and Link were incapacitated, Donald and Goofy were unharmed, and their paralysis quickly wore off! Their bodies moving again, the two older fighters swiftly came into action!
Goofy went for Sora, slamming his shield onto the ReDead's back, causing its grip on the teen to loosen. He repeated the attack, but harder, causing Sora to stagger and for the creature to let go, landing on its feet. The knight spun around, using the edge of his shield to slice the ReDead across the chest, causing it to drop to the floor defeated!
With Donald, it was a bit tough. He couldn't use any big spells without risking harming Link. He felt the best thing was a basic Fire spell due to how small it was. With a cry, he unleashed a fireball at the ReDead, striking it in the back. The creature was lit on fire, but it didn't seem to harm it at all, as it didn't react! Panicking, Donald yanked on one of the thing's limbs, managing to pry it off of Link, who was able to move enough to shove the burning ReDead off of him and onto its back. Thinking fast, the mage cast a Blizzard spell, freezing he monster's torso and head to the floor. With its face encased in ice, it couldn't shriek at them anymore.
"Link, I'm sorry!" Donald quickly exclaimed, looking the teen over. Link was staring at the ReDead, a look of open terror on his face as he rubbed at his sore neck. "Are you okay?! I thought it'd let go! Are you burnt?!"
"Couldn't you have done anything but that?!" Navi cried out, flying between Donald and Link as if to protect her friend from the mage. "Don't you have some other kind of magic that could've done the job better?!"
"I said I was sorry!" The duck snapped, glaring at Navi. "I didn't want to hurt him or anything! I just wanted to help!"
"It's fine, Navi." Link interrupted, having composed himself remarkably fast. "He was just trying to help. I didn't get burned."
Sora felt pretty freaked out too from his attack, but not as bad as Link had. He, too, had recovered by this point. "We don't have time to fight anyway! Don't we still need to save Impa?!"
Navi sighed, shaking her head. "You're both right. I'm sorry, Donald. I just got so worried over Link, and…" She trailed off with another sigh, seeming more disappointed in herself than anything.
"Well…I can understand that…" Donald relented. "Let's just keep going. I wanna get out of here!" Once more, he took the lead as the group went onward, lighting the way with his staff.
As the quintet went down into the Shadow Temple, the structure seemingly to actually, subtly, slant downward, they encountered numerous dead-ends and paths that Link needed to use the Lens of Truth for. It'd always reveal a hidden pathway to them or showing that an optional path actually lead into a seemingly bottomless pit. Every so often they'd enter a room with chains and wooden Xs in them that had a disturbing red stain on them, some even with skeletal remains nearby…
The Heartless became more restless on top of everything, appearing in larger numbers and seeming to grow more powerful the further they went on. Sora, Donald, and Goofy increasingly had troubles during their fights, yet Link's sword always managed to slice through the attacking creatures with ease.
"We're pretty lucky you have that sword…" Sora pointed out as Link took out a Large Body with a single swipe of his blade. "The Heartless don't stand a chance against it!"
"Where'd ya get it anyway? What's it called? In all the stories I've heard, super strong swords always got fancy names!" Goofy added on, genuinely interested in the unusual blade Link had.
For a moment Link hesitated, like he wasn't sure he was allowed to answer that. Navi floated to his ear and whispered something the other three couldn't hear. The older teen cleared his throat. "It's called the Master Sword. I got it from a Temple…but like I said before, I don't know why it's like this. I just know how effective it can be."
That was enough to satisfy the trio, especially since this was hardly the time for Link to go on a story about the unique blade. After taking a few minutes to rest, the group pressed onward. Much like the Water Temple, the Shadow Temple was mazelike in design, and they were sure it was due to Ganondorf's influence. There would simply be long stretches of hallway that didn't seem to have much purpose being such a long walk. And these massive pathways simply lead to rooms that seemed mostly empty save for a pile of bones or an ambush of Heartless. A statue of the raven was seen now and again, but if it was something to be worshipped, it certainly had no altars of any kind…
At the very least, the group knew they were making progress due to the pounding of the drums, which never ceased for a moment. The more they walked forward, the louder these beats got. It was he only way for the group to know they were making any progress, as the Temple started to seem repetitive as time went on.
That was, however, until the quintet reached something entirely new. They entered a room without any hallways or other paths to go by, save for an unconventional one. Sitting, or rather floating, before them was a massive, ancient looking ship with a raven as a figurehead with two large bells on either side of it. Yet this boat wasn't floating in water, it was simply situated in a foggy void, the only bits visible through the mist being pitch black and seemingly endless. There was a small stone staircase leading towards the deck of the ship, and there was no sail or paddles or anything on the structure to actually make it move.
"What is that…?" Sora asked, having a really bad feeling about the vessel. He was an islander, so he was around boats all the time, he felt comfortable with them. But the one in front of him made him want to just turn and run in the other direction. "Why is there a boat here?"
"I have no idea." Navi answered, looking towards Link. "Hey, can you see any other paths with the Lens of Truth? Anything noteworthy at all?"
Link took out the odd item and looked around with it. He searched slowly and thoroughly…yet after a minute he shook his head. "I can't see anything different at all with the Lens of Truth. No other paths or anything we couldn't already see."
"That there drummin' noise is getting' pretty loud." Goofy pointed out. "Maybe we gotta take this boat to get to it. We're goin' the right way, right?"
"But if we have to take the boat, and Impa went ahead of us…why is it still here?" Donald brought up. "Unless something happened to her…"
"If we're going to help her, we can't hesitate." Link decided, though he didn't exactly seem eager to keep going. "We'll just have to be careful, I don't think we have a choice."
Following Link's lead, the entire group boarded the vessel, the footfalls of the four fighters making no sound when stepping on the deck despite its age. A sense of unease befell them all, and without warning, the bells of the boat's bow rang out! The ship jolted and started to bob forward, as if on the open sea! There was no visible force that kept it going, it was as though a giant, unseen hand was moving it like a child playing with a toy! Within seconds, the boat moved past where the group came in and was now in a hallway just big enough to fit the vessel, so there was no going back…
"Be careful!" Navi warned as she looked around. "No telling what'll happen on this thing or where it's even going…"
The way the ship moved without any sort of resistance was unnerving to Sora. Even on the calmest seas, the water still resisting the boat's movements, the natural currents, no matter how tiny, pushing against your vessel. But there was none of that in this case, and he knew it was because there was nothing to push back against the ghostly boat, but it still felt so wrong to him that it made him feel sick…
As if summoned by Navi's warnings, three foes appeared before the group, materializing out of the fog! Not Heartless, and not the ReDead either. It was a trio of tall skeletons, each with armor, a sword, and a shield! They were Stalfos, their eye sockets glowing with small red orbs, showing just a bit of life in something that should be entirely dead! They marched towards the four fighters, their skulls in a scowl as though offended by the presence of the living upon the ship.
Sora wasted no time and darted forward, feeling none of his spells would do much. Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder didn't seem like they'd be effective against something without skin or muscle! The Stalfos he went for swung at him, Sora blocking the blow but being held in place. Despite having no muscle, the Stalfos was still strong, and he grit his teeth as he pushed back.
Link went for a second Stalfos, or rather he attempted to fight from a distance, using his bow and arrows as he backed away, firing them off at the skeleton. However, it kept blocking most of the projectiles, and the few that hit it simply dug into the bone, but that didn't seem to actually hinder the Stalfos in any way.
Donald and Goofy had an easier battle, fighting one Stalfos at the same time. Like Sora, Donald knew that the basic element spells wouldn't do much against a skeleton, so he opted for a Gravity spell instead. When the black and purple orb descended onto the Stalfos, its movements were halted, and it grunted in clear effort as it tried to take a step forward. Goofy charged in, using his shield to slash at the Stalfos' own shield and knocking it out of the creature's hand and sent it hurdling over the edge of the boat and into the abyss below.
Meanwhile, Sora had no access to Gravity, having to rely solely on direct attacks in his fight. He managed to push the Stalfos' attack back, slipping in and slashing the skeleton across the chest…or rather, its ribcage. The bones were hardier than Sora expected, so the attack didn't crumble it like he had hoped. In retaliation, the Stalfos stabbed the brunette in the stomach, but his magical protection stopped a more grievous injury. The attack hurt a lot, and most assuredly left a bruise, but it didn't penetrate his skin or even his clothes as he was sent staggering back.
Link's Stalfos had closed the gap with only a few arrow wounds to show for the blonde's efforts. With the Master Sword in hand, Link clashed with the Stalfos, blades clanging as each one tried to push the other back. The older teen's raw strength was greater than Sora's, able to parry the skeleton's blade with relative ease, swiftly slashing its skull in half horizontally! The red embers of its sockets vanished, and the monster collapsed into a heap on the floor!
Casting another Gravity spell, Donald and Goofy had their fight about wrapped up. The Stalfos, even without proper eyes, seemed to be glaring right at the knight as he charged forward, shield at the ready. With a cry, Goofy slammed his shield into the side of the Stalfos' head, popping it off its neck and sending it into the abyss just like its shield! Same with Link's, the creature soon fell apart and was nothing but dead bones, armor, and a useless sword.
Sora was the only one left, and as he noticed the other two Stalfos being defeated, something surged within him. He recalled how Link used his sword to create a miniature tornado earlier on, and something deep down in the brunette started to stir, though he couldn't say what. As the final Stalfos readied to slash down at Sora, the teen raised his Keyblade as magic welled in him. "Aero!" He yelled, a shield of wind surrounding his body! Sora had no idea where he got the word 'Aero' from, it seemed to just come from his heart, somehow…
As the Stalfos swung its sword, the Aero spell knocked the attack away and put the creature off-balance. Using this to his advantage, Sora mirrored Goofy's tactic and used his Keyblade to knock the Stalfos' skull right off its head! It, too, fell into the void below, causing the rest of its body to fall apart.
With all the foes gone, the fighters had a chance to catch their breath, Navi fluttering by Link. "Sorry I couldn't help more." She said to the swordsman. "I'd have dived into its eyes, but…"
"It's fine. We all got out okay." Link assured Navi before turning his attention to Sora. "You can do a lot of magic with that weapon of yours. What is it?"
Deciding just naming it was okay, Sora held it out in front of him. "It's the Keyblade. Really helps against the Heartless, but the Master Sword is in a league of its own against them!"
Link's eyes widened, as though Sora just revealed something he had been expecting. "A Keyblade…?" He murmured, seeming to be thinking before he said anything else.
As the Aero spell started to disappear, Sora was about to ask if Link was okay, but Navi interrupted him.
"A wall! Dead ahead!" She yelled, the boat never having stopped moving, and indeed approaching a wall! Luckily, though, a place to get off also revealed itself, this clearly being the end of their trip on the eerie vessel.
Once the ship neared the landing, the group quickly leapt for their lives, landing hard on the ground, but without any serious harm while Navi simply flew with them. Looking back, they saw the boat stop right before it would've hit the wall. Without warning, the vessel simply fell. It didn't tumble, just dropped straight down like a massive invisible hand simply let it go. Unable to fight their curiosity, the quintet waited silently, knowing there had to be a thud or a splash of water or something. Yet an entire minute passed, and there wasn't any noise.
"What was that?!" Donald all but demanded as the group got their bearings. "It was creepy!"
"No clue…let's just forget about it, it's easier that way." Navi said as the five saw where they were. They were in an area like where they first saw the boat, except there was what appeared to be a cave's entrance as the only path forward. Link even used the Lens of Truth once more and saw no alternatives.
Unlike the hallways, the entrance before them didn't seem manmade. It was as though something massive burrowed in, or out, of the stone wall. And they also noticed the drums were louder than ever. Slowly, Donald once more leading the group with his lit staff, the five of them entered. They quickly saw there wasn't much to the cave save for a hole in the floor, once more looking like some sort of creature made it…and it seemed the drumming was coming from it.
"Bongo Bongo's gotta be down there…" Goofy suggested, feeling pretty nervous. "But just how deep is it?" Even when Donald lowered his staff into the opening, the bottom wasn't visible.
"We don't have any choice. Not like we can go back." Sora pointed out. "The boat's gone and I don't think we're gonna see it again…"
Silently, everyone agreed with Sora, knowing they had no way to go but down. Taking a deep breath, the four fighters leapt in one at a time, Navi flying down with Link as he jumped. As they plummeted through the darkness, they failed to realize the ever-present drums stopped without warning…
After a few seconds, the quintet descended into a massive cave-like area, its walls swallowed by the darkness. They landed on a circular platform, one that bounced the fighters up a bit when they hit it, protecting them from harm. It only took them a moment to realize it was a gigantic drum, one the size of an entire room! Around them was a glowing green liquid with countless bones along its shallow bottom.
"Hey…if we're on a drum…that means…" Link murmured, looking around along with everyone else, weapons at the ready!
Then, there was a thump.
Turning around, the quintet bore witness to a grizzly sight. Floating above the drum's edge was a horrific creature that shook the group to the core. Its skin was purple and grey like a corpse, humanoid in shape, yet its bottom half was going upwards, off into the void so its entire body wasn't even visible. Its arms ended in stumps at the wrist, its massive hands detached, yet floating by the stumps and clearly still usable in some manner. Most eerie of all, though, was its head. Or rather, its lack of a head. Coming out of the neck was some sort of odd, fleshy flower, and in is center was a single, piercing red eye.
The two hands of the beast, of Bongo Bongo, started to smack the drum, playing a haunting tune, the same that had been following the quintet all through the Temple! Each time one of the gnarled hands struck the instrument, it sent a shockwave that bounced the fighters of the group, none of them having any way to stay grounded. The rhythm got faster, jostling the group as they readied for some sort of attack. Instead of attacking, though, the main body of Bongo Bongo simply vanished, fading until there was nothing there as its dead hands beat is drum.
"It's up to something! I can't see it anywhere!" Navi cried out, looking all over the place along with the others, but Bongo Bongo's main body was simply gone! "Link, try using-"
The fairy was cut off as the hands stopped playing and curled into fists! They shot forward, one heading towards Link, and the other towards Sora, Donald, and Goofy, who were grouped together. Acting fast, the older teen dived out of the way, and at the same time got his bow and some arrows ready, firing several projectiles at the hand as it passed. Two of the arrows hit the hand, sinking into its rotting flesh, but this didn't seem to harm the hand, not even drawing blood!
Sora and Donald shot Fire spells at the hand, the fireballs hitting and the fist and scorching the flesh, but it didn't slow down! While they leapt out of the way, Goofy stood his ground and tried to use his shield to stop the attack! At the same time, though, the other hand slammed onto the drum, knocking the knight into the air. This distracted him enough that he couldn't even block the fist as it collided with him, making him yelp out in pain as he bounced towards the edge of the drum, thankfully managing to come to a stop just before he fell into the green liquid.
"Hey! That was cheap!" Donald yelled out, firing off Fire and Blizzard spells near the space between the hands, trying to land a blow on Bongo Bongo's body even if it was invisible! Yet his attacks just went off into the void, not hitting anything. "What…?!" It seemed the phantom didn't even need to be close to its hands! That just frustrated the mage more, thinking of it like the monster was cheating!
"Link! The Lens of Truth!" Navi cried out o her companion, managing to get the full thought out. "It's our only shot!"
Doing as suggested, Link got the object from his belt, having his sword in the other hand as a method of defense and attack. Goofy, who had recovered from his attack, rushed to Link's side to provide extra assistance. The blonde gazed through the lens, scanning the entire area before stopping and pointing with the Master Sword. "There! Its body is there!" He yelled out.
Instantly, Sora and Donald went on the offense. Wanting to keep their distance from the monstrosity, they fired off Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder spells at where Link was pointing. To their astonishment, the spells stopped in midair, hitting something that only the swordsman could see. In response, Bongo Bongo's hands started to thrash about, swinging wildly around the drum as its body started to fade back into existence again. Apparently, if it took damage, Bongo Bongo couldn't remain invisible.
The fighters ducked under the appendages as they flew about the area, Sora and Link slashing at them as they went by and got some lucky hits in! Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to stop the hands from targeting Link. They flew to the sides of he drum and opened up wide before coming in towards Link in a large, deadly clap!
Knowing there was little he could do to actually stop the attack, Goofy leapt out of the way, hoping Link would do the same. But the swordsman stood his ground! Rather than run, he waited for when the hands drew near and swung his sword in a spin attack! The powerful blade made deep gashes in the dead palms of Bongo Bongo, stopping them in their tracks!
While both hands were occupied, Sora sprinted for the phantom's main body, leaping at it and slashing across its single, piercing red eye! This elicited a disturbing, pained groan from Bongo Bongo despite its lack of a mouth. Not slowing down, Sora unleashed a barrage of blows and slashes onto the weak spot of the monster, letting out a cry each time and finishing the onslaught with a Fire spell to the eye!
Surely enraged, Bongo Bongo sent one of its hands at Sora, grabbing him before he could dodge! The hand was large enough that it circled just about his entire body with ease, leaving only his head and his feet exposed. With the Keyblade pinned to his side, there was nothing he could do!
"Sora! Hold on!" Goofy yelled, charging at the hand to save his friend. Yet, as he drew close, the other hand slammed on the drum, sending the remaining fighters in the air. When this happened, the free hand scooped Donald and Goofy up, holding onto them as well! At his point, only Link and Navi were free, only able to watch as the hands went up in the air, squeezing at its captives.
Saving Link for last, and apparently blaming him for its misfortune due to the Lens of Truth, Bongo Bongo lowered its body to the drum and surged itself forward in an attack towards the older teen! Like before, he stood his ground, teeth grit at the sight of his new friends entrapped by the monstrous being. Readying the Master Sword, he waited until Bong Bongo was right in front of him and thrust the weapon forward! The blade pierced the single red eye of the phantom, getting push right to the hilt!
With that, Bongo Bongo grew still, stopping dead in its tracks.
Link let out a cry of effort and sliced the sword in an upwards arc, nearly cutting the creature's eye in half! With this, the phantom thrashed in clear agony, letting go of Sora, Donald, and Goofy as it started to slam the drum mindlessly, its body retreating near the end of the drum as the hand spasms slowed down, as did its thrashing. Frozen in place, Bongo Bongo's body changed into that familiar static form it held when coming out of the well earlier before simply falling apart. The remnants of the phantom quickly shrank away until there was no trace of it left.
Panting, Sora winced as he felt his entire body ache. If it wasn't for Dr. Orpheus, he was sure he would've had some broken bones at least! "Is everyone alright?" He was going to use Cure if needed, but he recalled how their wounds were healed after the last Temple…
"I think we're all okay…but where's Impa?" Navi wondered. "We didn't see her at all!" As if waiting for such a question, everyone was blinded by a white light, just like with the Water Temple.
When the light faded, the group found themselves in the unusual spacious area again, their wounds all healed like before. This time, they were facing the purple platform, and on it a woman faded into existence. She was tall and looked strong, wearing some light armor with a symbol of an eye on it, the same symbol as Sheik's. Though she didn't exactly seem old, she sported white hair which was almost as unusual as her red eyes.
"I knew I'd see you here, Link. I didn't realize you'd have outside help, though." The woman observed, her voice steady, yet kind.
"Impa! What happened to you? Did Bongo Bongo…?" Navi asked, trailing off and unwilling to finish her question. "But yes, this is Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They've been helping us a lot!"
With her unusual red eyes, Impa looked Sora, Donald, and Goofy over, almost like she was studying them. After a moment, she gave the very smallest of smiles. "You three have good hearts, just like Link. I'm happy to know you're with him."
"We're just trying to help. This kingdom needs us, after all!" Sora was glad he could help, even if it seemed Kairi wasn't in this area…
"But what about you, Impa? You went into the Shadow Temple, right?" Link asked as he approached the woman, a heavy frown on his face. "I let you die too, didn't I?"
Impa placed her hands on Link's shoulders, holding him in place. "No." She answered sternly. "I am the only one here at fault for my death. You can't go and blame yourself!" Her voice and facial expression then became just a bit softer. "You have a strong heart. Stronger than you believe. You saved my village, after all. The Shadow Temple was a horrid place, channeling the darkness of Hyrule's past, and it drew in those beings of evil. But you perceived and cleansed it! You must be proud of that!"
The older teen didn't say anything at first, his hands clenching into fists. Then, he took the Lens of Truth from his belt and held it out to Impa. "Here. I want you to have this. It belongs to the Sheikah, right? You should keep it." He completely ignored the praise he got, silently rejecting it.
The woman looked solemn for a moment, then took the object. "I thank you, Link. I thank all of you. There's just one more thing. The Princess is safe, Link. I cannot tell you her exact location, just know that she's alive."
"Really?! Oh, thank Farore!" Navi exclaimed. "We were worried about her!"
"They were lookin' for a Princess?" Goofy whispered to Donald. He felt a tad awkward standing by these talks, especially since, unlike Ruto, he never got to meet Impa.
Donald shrugged. "I guess so." He whispered back. "I've got some questions for them when we get back…"
"Now, go. You only have one Temple left to cleanse. As the Sage of Shadows, I wish I could aid you more. All I can do is pray for your safety." Impa said, offering a more genuine smile to the group.
Then, at that moment, there was another blinding flash of light as the quintet was whisked away…
A/N: A bit longer than my usual chapters, but I really wanted the Shadow Temple done in one go. Decided not to make it a labyrinth of total nightmares like in my Ocarina of Time novelization, a bit too dark for the Kingdom Hearts feel, and it'd just be repetitive. Speaking of which, I nearly had the Dead Hands appear, but it'd feel pointless. Aqua and a smaller, weaker Link were able to beat one without much issue, so a stronger Link and three additional companions would make it a cakewalk. That, and even in the actual game, the second Dead Hand felt sort of lame. Robbing the Shadow Temple of a unique miniboss, and also kind of making the Dead Hand encounter way less unique.
And I'm sure it was clear, but it was Ventus' unconscious influence that let Sora use Aero like that along with knowing its name. I don't want to make Ventus, or at least his heart, crop up too much, but every so often he'll stir. As for Bongo Bongo, I let Link have the victory since Sora beat Morpha. I also want to avoid Sora upstaging whoever he's with in each world. Don't want him to just swoop in, beat up the villain for whatever hero he's aiding, then leave. I've been avoiding that so far given Mob and Kenshiro got to finish off their foes while Lucien was just defeated by other villains. Not to say Sora won't ever get the finishing blow on the main villain of any world, it just won't happen too often, or will usually happen if it's not interfering with a milestone of the character he's aiding or part of some other type of growth or an explicit rivalry like with Ken and Shin.
I also apologize for how long it took for this chapter to come out. No real excuse, I've just been tired from work so I haven't felt too motivated to write.