Holy crap, life just demolished me for months straight without stopping. I could not find any time to work on this until a few days ago.

Also, I'm running out of chapter names. I did not plan those before starting this story.

Born a Weapon

A Twilight Princess Fan story

Chapter 32

Warning

Finding the rock should have been simple, but it wasn't where she last saw it. The Gorons had moved the rock out of the way, and it took some searching for Midna to find it. Fortunately, it was still close enough for her to use the portal to move it. She thought that would be all the excitement she would experience, but she was in for a surprise when she warped back to Zora's Domain. Although she had warned Link to move, he had gotten involved in a fight and was still in the way. She tried to stop the rock, but she had already dropped it, and it had too much momentum.

She watched in horror as the water washed away Link and the other man and quickly flew after Link. Despite her best efforts, she could not keep up with Link as the water carried him away. Just when she was about to lose sight of him, he pushed himself off a ledge and slammed violently into the ground. She tried to rush to his aid again, but the man from before dropped down from somewhere above her, seemingly unaffected by the fall. As he spoke to Link, Midna finally got a good look at the man and recognized him as one of the masked individuals.

"Midna, open the cages" Midna was hesitant to leave Link alone with the masked man, but what could she do? Her magic wasn't strong enough to fight anyone unless she used the- no. She wasn't doing that.

Reluctantly Midna floated over to the imprisoned Zora and focused her magic on destroying the locks containing them. The locks weren't as weak as the chain she had destroyed in Hyrule Castle when she first found Link, but they seemed to be made in haste and weren't stronger than she could handle. She had only destroyed one lock when she heard the masked man mention poison.

She whipped her head around to see Link on his knees, barely keeping himself upright. Link would die if she didn't do something, so she raised her hand to attack with magic, even if it would only distract the man, but nothing happened. The familiar feeling of the Fused Shadow washed over her, and she froze. She tried to push every ounce of magic she had into overcoming the Fused Shadow, but nothing happened. Who were these masked people, and why was the Fused Shadow protecting them?!

"Some hero you turned out to be," the man said to Link before turning his head to look at Midna. He only briefly glanced at her before drawing a dagger and approaching the downed hero.

"Get back in my shadow!" Link's voice rang in her head. She prayed Link had a plan because she couldn't do anything against the man. Thankful the Fused Shadow would let her move, she flew over to Link and merged with his shadow just before Link ripped the dagger out of his shoulder, plunged it into the masked man's, and grabbed the last piece of light from him.

Groaning slightly, Link sat up, surprised at how good he felt.

"Midna?" He asked but got no answer. Opening his eyes, Link saw that the world around him was white again. "Oh." Getting to his feet, he turned around to see the Hero's Shade standing behind him.

"We meet again," the skeleton spoke, "your efforts have begun to return some vigor to Hyrule, but it is far too early to relax. Especially with your masked assailants wandering the land."

"Do you know who they are?"

"I do not, but clearly, they are very skilled. I had not realized the extent of the danger you face. Your training must be accelerated."

"Wait, you didn't realize?"

"I have never witnessed them, but they are intent on ensuring your demise. If you are to survive, you must improve. Rapidly." The Hero's Shade drew his sword and shield. "Time works differently here, as you have no doubt noticed, and we must take full advantage of this. Others wish to speak to you, but until then, you will train."

"Others? Who-" Link was interrupted by a blade quickly moving towards his face.

When the light cleared, Midna saw she was back in Lanayru's spring, but her relief was short-lived since Link collapsed as soon as he arrived. With Link lying unconscious in broad daylight, Midna could not retrieve his spring water for the poison. Just before she could start pancaking, the spring became much brighter as the light spirit emerged. Although Midna couldn't see Lanayru from where she was, she saw a bottle of spring water float out of Link's pouch, followed by the sound of it uncorking and pouring out. Midna yelped when the empty bottle suddenly fell beside her, and more objects began floating out of Link's pouch. After the ruffling sound of clothes, Link was gently lifted off the ground and placed into a shallow part of the water, and the light finally receded.

"He will recover," Lanayru spoke as he disappeared. With Lanayru gone and Link in the shade, Midna could emerge in her shadow form and examine Link. The poison in his shoulder seemed to be disappearing, and he had bandages soaked in spring water over parts of his body underneath his tunic. Sighing in relief, Midna sat down next to the injured hero.

"Thank you," she said to the unseen light spirit.

For what seemed like days, Link experienced what he could only describe as an ass-kicking. The Hero's Shade's training was ruthless, and were it done in the real world, Link would have died several times. After each time Link was destroyed, the shade explained precisely why and how to avoid it. The shade's fighting style was fast and deadly, and Link was slowly becoming so as well.

"You have improved at an impressive rate," the shade said as he knocked Link over.

"Yeah… fifteen whole seconds," Link said sarcastically, "this would be a lot easier if I could remember anything about my past."

"You believe you were a warrior?"

"Something like that. I definitely had some training based on what little I can remember, and a clone of me and one of the masked men seemed to know me. I think I fought them before, though I can't imagine it went well." Link suddenly remembered his terrible injuries when he stumbled into Ordon. Could they be responsible?

"That might explain your counterpart's skill."

"Wait, what? How?" Link asked as the skeleton sheathed his sword.

"When I was alive, I faced a similar being. A copy of myself, although it had no intelligence, unlike yours. It copied not only my looks but my skill as well."

"But he's way better than me!"

"Now, yes, but that was likely not always the case. Your duplicate must have been made before your memory was lost."

"Are you saying that I used to be that good?" Link said slowly, bewildered.

"I am saying it is possible," the shade said as he handed Link his sword, "he has likely trained after he was made, but I believe you once could rival him." Link took the sword and looked at his reflection in the blade.

"How did you do it? How did you beat your copy?" Link looked back at the shade and swore he sighed.

"I knew how I fought, and I knew my weaknesses."

"That won't help me," Link sighed, lowering his sword.

"No." Link ran his hand down his face, wondering how he would defeat his doppelganger. A skeletal hand was gently placed on his shoulder. "But I will ensure you will achieve victory. Even with how time works here, we have spent several hours training. Your companion is worried, but there is something you must do before returning to her." The shade retracted his hand, "as I mentioned, others wish to speak to you. A ghost has a request, and Lanayru has a message."

"A ghost?" Link repeated, worried, "It's not a Poe, is it?"

"No," the fog around Link grew thicker and closed in, "May we meet again, and remember to believe in yourself. Have courage, hero. A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage." With those final words, the Hero's Shade stepped backward into the fog and disappeared.

Link had been unconscious for way too long. Something had to be wrong. The sun had moved far enough across the sky that much of the small area Link was in was now shaded. The last time he had that poison in him, he wasn't out for this long. Or… maybe he was? Midna was out for a while herself, so she didn't know how much time had passed the first time, and the masked man said the poison was derived from that, not the same one. Could it be stronger? It probably was. That man was determined to kill Link. Would one bottle of spring water be enough? He might need more. And so much time had already passed! He was probably dying this whole time! Midna fumbled with the empty bottle's cork and filled it in the spring, quickly bringing it back to Link and administering it to him. There. He should be okay now, right? Maybe one more bottle…

Link expected to wake up when the fog closed in on him, but he remained in the white void. Slowly, a tall floating figure was revealed as the mist receded again. She appeared to be a Zora, but she was transparent. Like a ghost…

"Hero," she spoke, "please, you must allow me to thank you for revitalizing both my people and our water, which is the water source for much of Hyrule."

"Who are you?" Link asked as he sheathed the sword he forgot he was holding.

"In life, I was the elder of Zora's Domain and the queen of my people. I was called Rutela. The dark ones raided and, as a message to my people, executed me before them." That made Link mad. Zant had publicly executed the zora's queen to intimidate them and then stole everything from them. "Young man, I have something to ask of you." Link nodded to show he was listening. "When the dark ones descended upon us, I sent my young one, Ralis, to Hyrule Castle to inform Princess Zelda of our fate." Oh no. "But I fear danger followed him from our once doomed home. I feel it. His presence grows fainter to me over time… but my time among the living has passed, and though I would give it gladly, I no longer have a life to risk in his rescue. Hero, please… save my dearest prince, Ralis."

"I have good news," Link said, "I think I know where he is." The look of surprise and relief on the queen's face made Link feel a little better. "I saw a zora in Castle Town. That must be him."

"Is he all right?" the queen asked, breaking her façade of professionalism.

"He will be. I'll make sure of it."

"Thank you, hero. If you help him, I will bestow upon you the protection of water. This power will grant you the ability to swim and respire in water as if you were a zora." Now it was Link's turn to look surprised. The fog began to thicken again, enveloping the queen's ghostly form.

"Hey! Light thing! Do something!" Midna was freaking out. The sun had set, freeing her to pace around the entire spring, which she did constantly.

"Calm yourself. He will recover. He remains unconscious because he is training." Lanayru responded without showing himself.

"You said that already, and I told you he can't train while asleep!" Midna threw her arms down in frustration while scowling at where the voice came from. With an aggravated sigh, she resigned herself to doing the only thing she should think of. Getting more spring water.

This time, instead of backing off, the fog fully enveloped Link, and he found himself in a black void instead of a white one. A glowing ball floated down from somewhere above him. Once he turned his gaze up to it, a massive shining yellow serpent shot up from below him and grasped the ball in its jaws. It seemed to swim through the abyss momentarily before approaching Link, its face stopping a short distance from him.

"My name is Lanayru," the light spirit spoke, "your efforts have at last restored every light spirit in need of aid." Lanayru's voice seemed to become more serious, "Hero, the dark power you seek waits in a temple set in the bed of Lake Hylia. But before seeking it, you must bear witness to something and never forget it. You must know that it was the will of the goddesses that we locked away the power you seek." A blue, green, and red light emerged from behind the light spirit and flew past Link. They each dashed over an empty section of the void, creating a green patch of land.

"They granted power equally to all who dwelt in the light and then returned to the heavens. The lands where the goddesses descended from came to be known as the Sacred Realm." The three lights crashed into each other above the green patch, making a bright flash and leaving behind the Triforce. "For ages, the people lived at ease, content in mind and body. But soon," A loud noise was coming from behind Link, and he turned around just in time to see a massive army charge past him. Lanayru's voice could still be heard perfectly from within the charging mass. "Word of the Sacred Realm spread through Hyrule, and a great battle ensued. Among those living in the light, interlopers who excelled at magic appeared." Link was quickly moved to a side view of the army and saw another charging, led by figures blasting magic at their opponents. "Wielding powerful sorcery, they tried to establish dominion over the Sacred Realm. Though they were not the only ones capable of magic, they wielded an object of immense power that boosted their abilities." Link was moved closer and saw one of the men lift an elegant piece of stone above his head. Although Link had not seen it in its complete form, Link recognized the Fused Shadow. The Fused Shadow began to float above the man, and he unleashed a massive blast that engulfed Link as he screamed in surprise and tried to shield himself with his arms. When he lowered them, he was alone with the Fused Shadow. Moving closer, Link examined the complete artifact. He grasped it in his hands to turn it and get a better look.

"It is unknown how they managed to create this dark power, but they laid waste to their enemies with it. Even when it was stolen from them in a desperate mission," A figure flew past Link, stealing the Fused Shadow from him and disappearing into the darkness. "It still caused chaos." The cloaked figure appeared before him again and stood unmoving, gazing at the Fused Shadow in his hands. Link slowly approached and pulled the hood off his head to reveal a man. His head snapped to Link, and his eyes bore into him, but they were wrong. Black lines covered his eyes, turning in perfect 90-degree angles and converging on his iris, which was a dark grey. Link stepped back and noticed bodies littering the floor around him. "It corrupts or controls those who wield it. They turn on those close to them, using its power to slaughter them. But it is only loyal to its creators and leads those who wield it to their deaths." When Link looked up from the bodies, the man was collapsed on the floor, only propped up by his right arm, but that soon gave out. Behind him stood the same man Link saw using the Fused Shadow in the fight, and he calmly kneeled and picked it up. "It was then that the goddesses ordered us three light spirits to intervene." The light spirits all appeared behind the man, who turned around with a fearful look. "We sealed away the great magic those individuals had mastered." Link shielded his eyes as the light spirits grew brighter, and the man screamed in rage as the light enveloped him. When the light faded, Link was left alone with the Fused Shadow again. "You know this magic. It is the dark power you seek. the Fused Shadow." A perfect copy of Link appeared beside the Fused Shadow, facing away from him.

"Be wary, hero," Lanayru warned, "the Fused Shadow's power and corruption has not faded." The copy of Link turned around, and Link saw his eyes matched the corrupted man's. "It seeks to warp your mind, you and your companion's." The clone lunged at Link, striking Link with his fist and making the hero tumble through the air. "Fortunately, it has been unable to do so." Sometime while Link was tumbling through the void, his copy and the Fused Shadow disappeared. "But you must not get complacent. It has not given up." Lanayru moved from somewhere behind Link to be in front of him again. "Watch yourself, hero, and your companion, and have her do the same. Do not underestimate what you carry, or it will not be bulbins, masked men, or clones that end you, but each other." With that warning, Lanayru faded away, leaving Link in total blackness. It took him a few seconds, but he eventually realized his eyes were closed, and when he opened them, he saw the sky above him.

Slowly, Link sat up, expecting to feel groggy or weak, but he felt fine. Slowly getting to his feet, he realized he was covered in bandages, so someone treated his wounds while he was out, probably Midna, whose voice he could hear nearby yelling at someone. After quickly grabbing some of his supplies lying on the floor, he made his way up the small hill he was at the base of. When he reached the top, he saw Midna's small form screaming insults at seemingly nothing.

"Who are you yelling at?" Link asked as if he wasn't just nearly killed.

"Link!" Midna cried as she zipped across the room at him and began shaking him violently. "Don't do that! You were out for hours! You scared the shit out of me!"

"Ok, I'm sorry! Stop shaking me! I wasn't knocked out by choice!"

"Why were you out for so long?!" Midna released Link, but she clearly needed to vent her emotions as she began ranting about how long she had to wait and how worried she was, though she didn't intend to say that last part.

"Well, to answer the question you asked a few minutes ago," Link said once Midna ran out of things to say, "I spent some time training with the Hero's Shade, the skeleton ghost, then I spoke to the ghost of the zora queen Rutela who asked me to save the zora we saw in Castle Town who happens to be her son, and told me she would give me the ability to breathe underwater if I did. Then Lanayru gave me an unnecessarily creepy warning about the Fused Shadows. Told me about their history and reminded me that they can corrupt people. Apparently, it's been trying to corrupt us. You haven't felt any random urges to kill me in my sleep, have you?"

"No?" The Fused Shadow lied.

"Well, that's good. Maybe you should put it in your magic storage thing, though. Just in case."

"It's… full," the artifact lied, manipulating Midna's body to make it seem like she was slightly embarrassed to admit that.

"Really?" Link raised his eyebrows, "Wow, I was starting to think it was infinite. Well, I have my bag…"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," the Fused shadow lied, putting Midna's hand on her chin, "you don't seem to know anything about magic. If it tried to corrupt you, you might not know how to fight it."

"… all right, good point, but it has been, according to Lanayru. Just be careful, ok. He said it was trying to get you too."

"Don't worry, I won't let it get me," the artifact waved Midna's hand dismissively.

"Well, I guess we should make our way over to Castle Town," Link said as he began to exit the spring, and Midna entered his shadow. "Now that the twilight is gone, I should find Epona. Oh. Never mind." Link stopped when he saw Epona run up to him happily.

"She showed up while you were unconscious. Still have no idea how she knew to come here."

I hope this chapter was enjoyable. It felt a bit off to me, but no matter how many times I remade it, it always felt the same.