"Hey! Watch what you're touching, mutt!" Midna hissed, yanking the blonde boy back by the collar of his tunic. The fabric bit into his neck, cutting off his breath just long enough for him to cough in surprise. The rough cloth scraped his skin, and his fingers fell just short of the glass display case he'd been reaching for. The fiery red hand dragging him away pulsed with irritation, and Link didn't need to see her face to know she was glaring at him.

They'd been searching every corner of the Twilight Palace for days, looking for keys, weapons, anything remotely useful. It was slow, cautious work. This room had once been a library, but now it looked more like a trophy room. Or a graveyard.

Glass cases lined the walls, filled with strange objects sealed away behind dust-smudged panes. The air stank of rot and something worse, like rusted metal and soured magic. Cages were stacked against the far end of the room, thick with grime and unidentifiable residues. Some were empty. Others weren't.

The creatures inside, if you could call them that, were silent, either too broken to react or smart enough to pretend. It was impossible to tell if they were twisted animals or corrupted citizens of the Twili realm. Whatever they were, death had either claimed them or waited patiently nearby.

Link stared, disgust growing in his gut. But Midna… Midna was crushed. He saw it on her face, how her pride shattered under the weight of guilt. This was her kingdom, her people, her responsibility. She had failed to protect it, and now she had to walk among the consequences.

'I should be the one in that cell.' She thought bitterly. Once, all she had wanted was her throne back, her power. She didn't care what it took to complete her goals, even if it meant leaving a whole world of people to suffer, she wouldn't have even hadn't batted an eye. Greed had grasped her heart, and at the time, she didn't mind one bit. Now, after everything that she has endured, all the people of the light realm she has encountered, their pain, suffering, and sacrifices. It brought fire to her heart and with it guilt.

Things were different now. She'd changed. The people of Hyrule had changed her.

Link had changed her.

So how could she just leave them to that demon? How could she leave Link to this? If it wasn't for her, he would have been able to have a normal life, a peaceful one, and she took that all away from him. She could've prevented this, maybe if she headed the warnings, and listened to the damn legend, none of this would have transpired.

When they first met, back in the cold, dark cell, she had no idea just how much she would come to love him. Everything about him was just selfless, he didn't care for his life for a single moment, and, truly, that scared her. No other Human was like this, so why was he any different? What made him so special? Hylia had chosen him for a reason, but what did the goddess see in him to put him through this endless hell? An endless cycle of pain and suffering, which was far worse than any prison.

She looked at him. Hanging impatiently from her grip, arms crossed, eyes narrowed in a way that said-

'Really?'

"Don't even think about it." She snapped.

"Any one of these could kill you on contact. I know you love your toys, but for the love of the goddesses, could you not act on impulse for once?" She scolded, he only gave her a sheepish, guilty small smile.

"Don't touch anything." She repeated firmly and dropped him onto his feet. He huffed and muttered under his breath, but didn't argue. His gaze drifted to the cages again, his mouth tight.

Then the floor rumbled.

The tremor came suddenly, shaking dust loose from the rafters. Link staggered, bumping into a table and reaching instinctively to steady himself, just as a searing pain tore through his palm. His eyes shot down. His hand was wrapped tightly around a strange object on the table: a black, metallic heart, small enough to fit in his palm, etched with glowing teal runes. The Hylian hadn't meant to grab it, but now he couldn't let go.

The heart pulsed. His hand wouldn't obey. Pain pulsed down his arm, his free hand reached for his blade as dark spots started smearing into his vision. Would cutting his hand off be the only option?

One stroke. Clean.

His panic only grew worse as the heart slowly started to melt into his flesh, he bit down a scream that rose from his throat. Then suddenly it was gone, the pain and the mysterious object, leaving a freezing sensation and his palm oozed with his precious blood.

"What are you doing?! GET DOWN!" Midna yanked him back just in time. A monstrous claw slashed through the space he'd been in a second earlier, narrowly missing his head. The inky creature continued its advancements, only to be met with a glowing blade as he briskly swiped at the claw. One slice and the appendage cleanly fell off before the ravenous creature released an ear-splitting screech. The blade quickly silenced the beast as it sliced through its meaty throat.

He knew Twilit Messengers never traveled alone.

Grabbing Midna, he darted under a table and sprinted toward the nearest hallway, ducking through the first door he found. The room was smaller than he'd hoped. No exits. No windows. Just a strange mirror standing tall in the center.

"Great." Midna muttered.

"I didn't even know this room existed!" Link slammed the door shut and shot a blast of ice toward it, freezing the entrance just as one of the creatures slammed into it from the other side. He turned to Midna for answers.

"There's no other way out!" She said, panic rising in her voice. He pressed his hands against the door, pouring more magic into the ice, reinforcing it. But it wouldn't last. A second impact shattered the barricade. He was thrown across the room.

The Hylian cursed silently to himself as he scrambled to his feet, retrieving his sword for the upcoming fight. The creatures trickled into the room like an avalanche, and he put up a good fight. Slowly, he was getting pushed back and back as he blocked every power punch and swipe. His back was met with the mirror. A small light started illuminating from the mirror, going unnoticed by the hero, who had his attention on his opponents.

"Link!"

And then—nothing.

His body felt weightless, like falling into a void. His eyes opened to darkness. Cold, infinite darkness.

When had he closed them?