Warning: Rated "PG-13" for violence and occasional language

Approaching Darkness

Chapter 1: Only the Beginning

A blue sky.

That was something that hadn’t been seen for awhile. The sky now seemed to glow a blood-red, black clouds crackled with red electricity. It all had happened so fast that no one was prepared. Cities lied in ruin; few crawled from the crumbled walls and splintered timbers. Those that lived grouped in random camps to try to retaliate against life’s very threat. Termina Field was beginning to die; the ground dry and cracked, grass brown and dead, trees stripped of their beauty. The very ground lifted up as dust to even the lightest of touches. Termina was slowly becoming a land of death. Near the south, where life was still welcomed, a portion of the survivors made their stronghold. Several men stood at the edge of the camp, staring at the wasteland that spread out before them.

“Damn it all,” The tallest muttered.

“What makes you say that, Jay?” The one next to him asked.

“Just look, Tom,” He answered. “It happened so fast.”

Tom looked back out at the death land, his fingers touching his short sword thoughtfully. Off in the distance, thunder crashed and red lightning struck the ground, kicking up dust and debris. A slight tug on Tom’s pant leg caused him to look down. The large bright eyes of a young boy stared back into his own.

“Daddy,” The little boy whimpered. “What’s happening?”

Tom reached down and picked up his son and let him rest against his hip.

“I don’t know Sean,” He answered holding the little boy closer. “I don’t know.”

He looked at the ground, trying to avoid his son’s watery stare and ignoring Jay repeat the same four lettered word over and over. Sudden laughter caused Jay and Tom to look up. The two other men were laughing at something that they apparently found funny.

“What’s so funny?” Tom and Jay seemed to ask at the same time, but with different words.

“Oh, nothin’ much,” Answered the man that had laughed. “Patrick here was just tellin’ me a joke.” He gestured to the man next to him.

“Kevin looked so darn depressed, that I cracked one on ‘im,” Patrick said with a slight smile.

“It was a funny one at that!” Kevin said bursting into more laughter.

All the sudden noise caused Sean’s eyes to water up with fear and Tom held him closer. Eventually, everyone settled down and their eyes returned to the wasteland, pondering how and why it happened. Tom adjusted his hold on Sean so his arms wouldn’t cramp. He narrowed his eyes, a figure was walking towards them though still a long way off, but there was no vegetation to obscure his view. Upon seeing the silhouette, he felt Sean jab his face into his rib cage and tried not to wince with the pain.

“Daddy!” He squealed. “It’s scary!”

Tom looked down at his son. What was he freaking out about? Everything now was scary in someway. He also then remembered that a child can sense evil more easily than an adult could. Tom eyed the figure before turning around and walking back into the camp. Jay followed, whispering profanities like he always did when he knew something bad was going to happen. Kevin and Patrick were sniggering on about something as they disappeared inside the camp. Tom put Sean down who immediately ran off somewhere as he turned to Jay.

“What do you think that was?” He asked. “That figure.”

“More likely something we wish we didn’t see,” Jay answered.

“You think it was a demon?”

“Could be, or another survivor. It’s anyone’s guess.”

“Should we get prepared anyway?”

“More likely a good idea.”

“Should we tell everyone?”

“No. There’s no reason to worry them,” Jay replied.

The noise of a boot coming into contact with the dry earth caused both to turn around. Behind them stood a man in his early twenties or possibly a little less; he was young. His blonde hair fell around his forehead and shoulders, a forest green headband was tied around his forehead to keep his hair out of his eyes. He wore a steel breastplate that covered the upper half of his torso, a red serpentine dragon coiling its way on the steel surface. His brown pants were held to his body by a black belt and a blood-red sash was tied loosely around his waist. He had black armor bands that started below his shoulders and ended at his wrists, they stopped just above his elbows and began again right below and ended at his wrists. His boots were covered with grey armor that jutted up over his knees to protect them and dark purple cape fell down to his ankles. His eyes were the blue of the deepest seas and seemed able to pierce you to your soul and burn it.

All the while, the strange man seemed impressed with the town; like he was pleased with what he had discovered. The man’s eyes traveled down and Tom’s followed . . . there Sean stood, cowering behind his father’s leg, huge watery eyes staring up at the stranger. The man’s gaze left the young boy and looked about the camp, a somewhat distant, crazed look reflected in his eyes. Without even giving Tom and Jay a glance, the man walked between them; forcing them aside roughly with his cape following along with the movement. Tom and Jay turned around and watched him stop several steps away.

“Who is he?” Tom asked in a whisper.

Jay only shrugged.

Tom gave a nervous glance at the dusty ground, trying to put one and two together. He looked up at the man as he turned around, something unpleasant spelled in his eyes. Tom tried not to wince in pain as he felt Sean’s nails dig into his leg.

“He’s evil, daddy,” The little boy whispered. “He wants to kill.”

The man walked over to Sean and bent down to look him in the eye. Anyone looking on would’ve seen a friendly faced person looking at a boy, but Sean saw a different picture. What he saw was the same man, but with blazing red eyes and a pleased cold grin that did not promise anything but a painful death. The air around them seemed to grow cold and dark. It remained that way for a few moments before the man stood and everything returned to normal to Sean’s eyes. He walked back between Tom and Jay who remained where they stood and only Sean watched him as he walked back into the dusty wasteland.

“That,” Jay said suddenly, “was weird.”

“What do you think he wanted?” Tom asked.

“Only Nayru would know.”

Both men walked away talking amongst themselves but Sean remained behind, staring in the direction the man was heading in; back into the desolate wasteland. Off in the distance, he thought he saw something move, but shook it off and followed his father.

---------------------------------------------------

Up on a hill, overlooking the camp, the man stood watching. A large legion of anxious lizards waited, working their jaws in hunger, quarreling with one another, and fidgeting. One of the lizards approached the man and bowed deeply at the man’s boots.

“How sssshall we procccceed, Masssster?” It hissed when it stood upright.

“At this moment, simply scare them. Get them to run around, tire themselves. Do what you want with the women and wait on the men until after I find what I’m looking for,” He said, “but don’t kill them all just yet.”

The lizard bowed once more before returning to the front lines and repeating its Master’s orders in a series of roars, growls, and hisses. Roars and hisses of approval told the man that his minion soldiers were very pleased. The lizard that had spoken returned to him.

“When you give the word, Masssster,” It said bowing shallowly this time.

The man turned back to the camp, his cape blowing in a sudden wind. He smiled coldly.

“Dig in.”

At his words, the Lizalfos rushed excitedly down the hill, screeching and hissing happily. The man watched them and walked after them slowly, waiting for his chance to strike.

---------------------------------------------------

The panic running through the camp was chaotic and Sean cowered behind a barrel, having lost sight of his father. People ran screaming, blood flowing in arcs as the lizards struck their prey with claws, teeth, and swords. Sean took a quick breath of fear when he felt a strong hand grab the back of his shirt. He was forced around and saw the same strange man he had earlier. This time the man’s eyes remained blue and the air did not turn cold and black.

“You’ll come with me,” The man said in a tone that was neither friendly nor concerned, “if you want nothing to happen to your precious father.”

Sean’s eyes watered up, but he held back his fear as best he could. Reluctantly, he went with the man in fear of what would and had happened to his father. As he followed, Sean kept his eyes on the ground to avoid the bloody carnage around him; people screaming as they were ripped open and eaten alive.

Upon seeing the green grass turn brown, Sean looked up. Swift shapes rushed past and he guessed that those were the lizards, done with their work and returning to where ever they came from. The man halted at the top of a nearby rise, his hand holding Sean’s wrist tightly, and a Lizalfos approached them when it spotted its leader.

“Sssshall we sssstay, Masssster?” It hissed. “Or sssshall we return to basssse?”

“Go ahead and go,” The man answered. “And take the boy with you.” He shoved Sean roughly into the lizard’s claws. “When I get back, I want him untouched. Understood?”

“Yessss, Masssster,” It replied.

The Lizalfos turned quickly, slung the boy over its shoulder and ran off with the others. The man watched them for a few moments before a voice cut through the air.

“Where the hell is my son!?” Tom demanded, sword drawn.

“You won’t be seeing him anytime soon I’m afraid,” The man answered, clearly enjoying this.

“You bastard! What did you do to him!?”

“Nothing,” He said turning to face Tom with a smile, “yet.”

By then, most of the survivors from the Lizalfos attack had gathered to punish the obvious leader. The man simply smiled and chuckled softly at the sight. Golden light began to shine from his right hand, a three triangle pyramid with the bottom right triangle glowing brighter.

“Oh my Goddesses,” Jay whispered. “It can’t be.”

“What?” Tom asked.

“That’s the so-called ‘Hero of Time’,” Was Jay’s answer. “That’s Link.”

“Took you long enough,” Link laughed with a malicious flash in his eyes.

Tom didn’t hear him; he was still trying to get over the shock that his son was now far out of his reach. “Why?” Was all he could ask.

“That’s none of your concern,” Link sneered coldly. “I’ve found what I wanted and am finished here.” With that, he turned around and began to walk away.

“My son . . . You were looking for my son?” Tom said, a great deal of guilt building in his chest.

Link stopped at his words. “What’s it to you?” He asked.

Tom remained silent as Link shook his head with amusement.

“Still,” Jay said suddenly, “we can’t let you go after what you had those things do to us.” He drew his sword as he spoke.

A cold look suddenly took over Link’s face, like he had been waiting for this. The symbol on his hand flashed and the light died away as clouds rolled in from no where, blocking the sun; changing red day to black, smoggy, night. The ground began to shake violently and spilt open behind the man.

The large helmeted head of the dragon, Volvagia, erupted from the split earth; twisting and spinning, throwing its long fiery mane around its muscular neck. It shot up into the sky, pulling its body from the crack; the light of molten magma glowing from far below, filling the clouded, dark sky with brilliant light. Its two forearms bulged with muscle, its shoulders had become wider to handle the large mass of flesh that had piled onto its torso since its last enslavement; large powerful muscles were heavily defined in its chest.

After the last of its tail had been pulled free, it floated behind Link, waiting and growling in hunger. Link’s face still wore the same cold expression as the survivors began to back up with fear.

“Eat them,” Were the only words to pass Link’s lips.

With the screech of a large jaguar, Volvagia rushed past Link who stood still despite the powerful wind caused by Volvagia’s body. Link slowly walked back down the rise, watching the survivors flee as the huge subterranean-lava dragon descended upon them; enjoying hearing their death screams and watching their blood fly from the great dragon’s maw.

After eating its fill, Volvagia floated back behind Link and coiled on the ground like a huge rattlesnake. It bent its head down and Link stroked it on the snout, its sky blue eyes closing and a soft purr reverberating from deep within its throat.

Out of the corner of his eye, Link saw something move.

“You missed one,” He said taking his hand off causing Volvagia to open its eyes. “No matter though. I was hoping you would leave one for me.”

Tom pushed some rocks off of himself. He looked up and saw Link standing with the large fire colored dragon behind him. He chanced a look around. All the others were dead. Close to no bodies lay about and those that were still there where mangled beyond recognition. He did not even turn his head to the sound of twigs snapping from under Link’s boots. He felt a hand grab the collar of his shirt and hold him off the ground without difficulty. Link was strong, very strong; stronger than any man Tom knew. His body fell limp in Link’s grasp. His son was gone and there was nothing he could do to change it.

“So, this is the end,” Tom whispered.

“It’s the end for you,” Link said with one of his devilish smiles, “but only the beginning for me.”

Tom’s chest suddenly became very heavy and it was hard to breathe as he saw golden light illuminate Link’s face.

“Once before . . . I gave you another chance, but this time I will not.”

The golden light blinded Tom and he closed his eyes to escape the radiance. He felt a pressure enclose around his neck and warmth from a liquid run over his Adam’s apple. There was little pain and Tom dared not to open his eyes. He felt drowsy, the running warm liquid made him feel refreshed and yet he wished to sleep.

Soon his entire body felt cold and heavy; unwanted baggage. The warm liquid still ran down his throat on the outside and then began to on the inside. His lungs began to fill with it and Tom could taste its coppery flavor in his mouth.

“Do you enjoy dying slowly?” Link’s voice asked softly.

Tom could feel Link’s presence extremely close to his face.

“I do not think Salyll enjoyed it as much as you are now, but you will soon see her again.” Link leaned in closely to Tom’s bloodied ear and whispered, “When you see her . . . Tell her, that I still want her . . . long for her”

Tom’s muddled, swirling, mind barely heard Link’s words. Want her? Want who? Salyll? Who was that?

“Salyll?” Tom managed to ask in a harsh, almost inaudible, voice.

Link only smirked and Tom did not see it.

“We’ll discuss it another time,” His low voice answered. “Some other time.”

Tom’s body sagged and fell from Link’s grasp to crack open the back of the skull on a protruding rock. Tom’s world had gone eternally dark.

Link stood from the corpse, blood pooling on the dead ground from the cut throat. Blood on his hands, he returned to where Volvagia waited and jumped aboard the dragon’s head; waking it from its appeasing slumber.

With a growl, Volvagia stretched itself and took to the sky; flying towards the dark mountains.

Link leaned against one of the dragon’s horns, sitting on the thick boney skull. He looked at his blood covered hands, old lusts returning for a second run.

“A pity you and Salyll betrayed me like that,” He whispered, “hiding the creature from me. You both knew I would find him eventually.

“Well,” He muttered as the dusty wind whipped at his hair, “you and Salyll failed with flying colors.”

Chapter 2: 5 Years Later…

Sean opened his eyes, only to see the dreary dark walls of his shared room. He sat up in his cot and yawned, running his fingers through his pure white hair. He glanced at the window, only a black sky to stare back; the red sun yet to rise. Sean got out of the cot and walked barefoot to the large door, opposite of where he slept. He put his hand on the handle and looked back at the others. Not a sound came from them apart from the occasional sleepy moan and the movement of someone rolling over in uneasy slumber.

Seeing that they were all still asleep, he opened the door and tried to keep its rusty creaking down. He poked his head out into the torch lit, black walled hall; it was empty. Satisfied, Sean slid by the door and pulled it shut behind him. He knelt to the ground —something he did every time he was about to sneak out— and lowered his ear to the stone to listen for someone approaching in the hall. Nothing, except for the pounding of his racing heart in his throat and ears. Standing, he then set off down the hall, careful not to make too much noise. He wanted to be somewhere where he could be alone and find some fresh air.

His trek brought him to two glass doors that led to a balcony, one he visited on his off-time. The black strips that held the glass panels together twisted and coiled like Skulltula webbing and were textured like bone. The handle was once —perhaps— gold, but now it was scorched black and no longer shone in brilliance. The black spines of the door melded into the black hallway, depth an insensible thing. Torches lined the hall at long intervals, but wherever they were placed, they did little to chase away the shadows which would soon engulf the light.

Once again, Sean touched the handle and looked about; hoping a Moblin or a Lizalfos wouldn’t come by. Relieved that none were around, he clicked the door open and shut it softly; glancing up to make sure none were running to see who had moved a door. He let a sigh escape from his mouth, shoulders sagging. He couldn’t keep this little hide-and-seek ploy up for long. He was soon to get caught for sneaking out of the Slave Chamber before sun rise.

He leaned on the black railing with his arms crossed and rested his chin on his arms. He looked out at the dead landscape before him, but could only see the silhouettes of dead trees and distant remains of destroyed buildings. Ever since he was brought to this dark fortress on the shoulder of a six foot tall lizard, he had never left its walls.

An early morning breeze kicked up and blew his hair around as a thin red line appeared over the crests of the distant mountains. Morning was approaching and the rest would wake soon. He gave a sigh.

Sean was a young boy of twelve and just one of the many slaves of the dark fortress. He had pure white hair and ice blue eyes that made him look cold when he really wasn’t. This had been something that had set him apart from all others since he was born and upon his arrival, people distanced themselves from him. He had become a slave when Link had caught him five years ago. Why Link had chosen him and not his father or another adult was still unknown and Sean never pressed the matter in fear of a brutal beating for being curious. Such actions were forbidden. Though he wasn’t beaten as much as the other slaves, his were more painful and he could barely crawl into his bed afterward.

He remembered when he lived in a rebel camp with his father and the three other men he considered his uncles. He remembered the freedom he once took for granted. He remembered how it felt to have that all taken away in the blink of an eye. The last he had seen of his father was when the first screams were heard from the Lizalfos attack and his father had told him to run for cover and then ran off himself.

That had been one of the worst moments of his life; when everyone he knew was killed by the very man that had saved them from a falling moon many years earlier. Why Link had done so was also a mystery and Sean never pressed that either—then again, no one was probably going to tell him anything, anyway. He guessed what happens, happens and there’s nothing more to it. Many times he had considered running away but never did. He didn’t know the land or its dangers and decided it best not to ask. After all, slaves weren’t supposed to know those things or more less anything for that matter.

Sean shivered in his brown long sleeved-shirt and pants. It was chilly outside, especially at the height he was at and this early in the morning. He was only on the fortress’ third level but it was built on a hill and that put it up even higher. His head sunk a bit between his shoulders, in hopes of feeling a little warmer.

His icy eyes looked down about the cracked ground that spread out before him. It was once covered in grass; Sean vaguely remembered that. The dried, dead, skeletons of trees cast strange, crooked, shadows on the dead earth; resembling long gnarled fingers reaching out for life so they could destroy it. To Sean, the landscape almost perfectly reflected Link’s soul; cold, barren, and dead.

“What are you doing out here?” A deep voice asked suddenly, causing Sean to whip around in fear and surprise.

There, behind him, stood a huge muscular Moblin. It was a wonder on where they got pants to fit around its bulky frame. Its two protruding lower jaw fangs glistened in the red light as the first rays of red shone over the mountain peaks; its small beady black eyes glittered with malice. It was easy for Sean to see what the large bull-dog looking creature wanted to do to his hide.

“Answer slave!” It bellowed.

“I-I was just getting some-some fresh air,” Sean stuttered, not knowing what to say other than the truth.

“Fresh air,” The Moblin repeated, it seemed to ponder that reply for awhile. “You came out here for fresh air.” Its tone was beginning to become mocking. “Keep that up and I’ll put you somewhere where you’ll only dream of having air to breathe!”

Sean was backed up full against the railing, any further and he’d be over the edge. The Moblin stepped onto the balcony, standing at its full height. The belt it wore was lined with studded spikes as with the rims of its boots. Wrapped around its hand was a long leather whip, each of the tails ended with a sliver sharp piece of metal. Every muscle in Sean’s body tensed when he heard the sound of the leather stretching as the Moblin pulled on it just for the look on his face. Large blood vessels held themselves higher than the surrounding muscle on the Moblin’s large arms; showing off its brute, raw strength to the small child. The whip uncoiled from the Moblin’s hand and fell to the black stone floor. It held its hand back, ready to strike and Sean cringed up.

“Slaves that are where they don’t belong will be punished,” It said with cold glee, beginning to bring its arm over in an arc.

Sean closed his eyes and awaited impact, but it never came. He reopened an eye to see Link standing there, holding the Moblin’s strong arm back with one hand. Compared to the Moblin, Link looked scrawny, but Sean kept that inside. Link held the heavily muscled Moblin’s arm back with one of his thinner arms without any effort. It was an amazing thing to see whether Link was an evil emperor or not. How Link was able to pull off such a feat with his much smaller muscled arms was unknown, but then he wasn’t about to tell anyone either.

The Moblin was standing in dead surprise, its jaw dropped and staring at its Master. Link simply looked back with one of his cold smirks.

“M-M-Mas-Master,” The Moblin stammered.

“What do you think you are doing?” Link asked in his coldly, calm voice.

“I-I was going to punish this slave for being out of the chamber before dawn, Master,” It replied.

“You are right in saying that he was out before the desired time, but what exactly was he doing that was illegal?” Link questioned, a certain malicious spark going off in his eyes; Sean knew it all too well.

“He was,” The Moblin stopped for a second, thinking that its Master would probably think he was lying —it swallowed to moisten its horribly dried throat—, “getting fresh air.”

“Fresh air,” Link repeated, raising an eyebrow; corner of his mouth twitching ever-so-slightly.

“Yes, Master.”

Sean couldn’t help but smile a little at the situation, but it quickly disappeared when Link threw the Moblin —with one hand— through the doors and it crashed into the other side of the hallway. Link’s eyes seemed to be alive with blue fire that disappeared after the Moblin hit the wall.

“Fool!” Link spat. “You forget your place.”

The Moblin bowed its head though still on the ground; pieces of the wall falling down around it. “Yes, Master,” It said. “Please forgive me.”

Link crossed his arms; Sean watching the muscles in Link’s arms twitch as he held back the urge to tear the creature apart on the spot.

“Normally I would’ve killed you, but today I’ll let it slide,” He said, the effort to hold back as obvious as the veins in his throat beginning to surface a little. “Go make sure the others get to their duties. Do what you want if they get out of line as long as death is not the result.”

“Yes, Master,” The Moblin said standing, giving a bow, and disappearing down the hall.

Sean froze when Link’s eyes rested on him after the Moblin’s dismissal and gulped looking into Link’s usual cold glare; he was in one of his moods.

“Don’t think more of it,” He snapped. “The last thing I need is all my workers dead.” With that, Link turned on his heel and was through the door before Sean could even blink.

Link had changed some since Sean had first seen him five years ago. He was nearing his thirties and stood a little over six feet tall. He also wore the same outfit he had when Sean had first seen him. It almost appeared like it grew with him but Sean shook the thought off. All this curiosity would soon cost him his life.

The red sun had now cleared the peaks and bathed everything in its blood-red glow. Sean leaned against the railing on his side. Already noises from within floated in the air through the open broken door. He’d have to go back inside soon and head for the Lizalfos quarters. His job there was to monitor the lizards’ brawls and arguments —make sure they didn’t get too violent— and report it all to Link for later evaluation—as if Link cared if they all killed themselves. He had gotten so used to seeing blood that it didn’t matter to him anymore. He saw slaughtered, mangled bodies many times everyday; as he had that day five long years in the past. The lizards could never seem to agree with each other on anything.

Sean sighed and went back inside. As he walked down the halls, he decided that he was going to run away or die trying. He didn’t want to be inside the black walls any longer.

Other creatures and humans in the halls moved away from Sean as he went through. They either stopped at his passing, ran in the direction they were heading in, or running in the opposite. Sean simply dismissed it all since he could care less now. No one talked to him or helped him when he was in pain—all but one person that is— and he was beginning to enjoy a life like that. His stride was brisk, threatening to run down anyone who did not get out of his path; luckily for them all that they did.

As he turned the corner to the Lizalfos chambers, he stopped. One question just kept playing itself in his mind over and over. Why did Link save his life?

Chapter 3: Forbidden Tongue

“Damn you!” An eight-foot tall Lizalfos roared, slashing its claws at its foe. “How dare you talk about Master in that fashion!”

The smaller Lizalfos flew backward, blood flying from its face and side. It lay in a heap for awhile before struggling to its knees. Immediately the larger lizard charged and smacked the smaller one clear across the room. Before it could move this time, the larger one was upon it, hacking away mercilessly.

Sean stood in a corner with his arms crossed, his icy eyes giving a non-concerned expression instead of the fear he would’ve otherwise shown. This happened everyday and there was always a replacement until the wounded could return to duty, if at all. He never once had shown concern to these creatures for it was they that had so mercilessly killed his friends and family. Sean closed his eyes, the smell of blood filling his nostrils. It would soon be time to stop this. Before you know it, there’ll be a feeding frenzy.

“Uchawxk, roub ak if,” Sean said stepping from the wall and towards the lizards.

All the Lizalfos froze and stared at him in awe. The large Lizalfos stood with his eyes fixed on Sean, ragged red flesh hanging from his teeth and jaws. He approached Sean, covering him with his shadow.

“What did you just say?” It asked, apparently he had mastered not to hold his s’s, and knew full well what Sean had said.

“I just said, ‘break it up’,” Sean answered, not liking the reptile standing that close.

“You just spoke in our tongue,” He said, a slight hissing sound in his voice.

“So?” Sean crossed his arms, his icy eyes peeking out from behind his frost white hair. He acted like it was no big deal, but the truth was that he didn’t know what language he had just spoken in.

“How could you do so? Only our Master can speak it apart from us.” The other lizards hissed in approval.

“I don’t know. It just came out.”

The Lizalfos stood stone still for a moment and then bowed his head to him.

“Any others who can speak out tongue are worthy of our respect,” It said.

A few of the lizards nodded slightly and others growled. The large one seemed to stick with its race’s code, but most had seemed to have abandoned it after siding with Link.

Sean didn’t know what to think, he was getting confused and he didn’t like this.

“Why did you kill my family?” Sean asked as the lizard lifted its head.

“We just follow orders; not because we want to, but because we have to,” He replied, “and it was not I who slew your brethren.”

“That’ssss jusssst what you ssssay,” A smaller lizard hissed suddenly, separating itself from the crowd of scaled bodies. “Jusssst becausssse thissss sssslave can sssspeak our tongue doessssn’t mean we have to repent for everything. He issss jusssst a sssslave.”

“That may be,” The large Lizalfos said towering over the smaller one, blood dripping from his jaws. “That just means we can do him no harm, but then you are not one and so not under the protection Master has placed upon them.”

With that, the larger lizard was on the smaller, ripping its sorry carcass to ribbons. Sean stood by watching. Maybe this large lizard wasn’t so bad, but he could never forgive the lot of them for what they had done.

He headed towards the body of the first lizard that was attacked. It was —of course— dead and the only way he knew it had been a Lizalfos was because he had seen it before it became mince meat. He bet that’s what the other looked like by now, and deemed it best not to watch.

Unknown to all, a small Lizalfos, about the size of a small child, snuck through the door and headed into the hall.

-
Sean looked up as the door slammed open —all lizards halting their activities, but still talking in hushed hisses— and there stood the same Moblin from earlier that morning. It was smiling like it did when it knew it was going to have a new torture victim.

“Slave,” Its deep voice bellowed, “Master wishes to see you.”

All sound in the room stopped. Nobody went to see their Master, he came to you. If he asked you to come to him, it was either something very special or something very bad.

Slowly Sean stood and the lizards parted a path to the door, their yellow cat eyes watching him. Some were worried for him and others wished the Master would separate his head from his body. Their claws clicked on the ground in agitation, scaled tails rubbing against another for the sake of moving. Most of the Lizalfos were fidgeting in the silence that had swamped the room at the mention of their Master.

After Sean passed it, the Moblin glared in at all the Lizalfos and slammed the doors shut.

The Moblin led Sean to two large doors at the end of a hallway he had never been down before. With a huge hand, it opened one of the doors; it squeaking softly on its hinges, much to the Moblin’s distaste.

“Up the stairs, slave,” It snapped, using the handle of its whip to push Sean into the stairwell that lay behind. “Personally, I hope you never descend those steps.”

With that, it slammed the door shut; Sean staring at the door for a few moments, his eyes bright with slight fear as the fire light from the hall disappeared. The cold he had felt in his heart was gone and he was an innocent young boy again. He glanced back up the stairs and clambered up them on all fours —since they were slightly steep— towards the light above him. At the top were just a few more halls, but these were larger and more elaborate in decoration —mostly with dragons— though they were all black as well. Just then, a creature Sean had never seen before rounded a corner and he hid behind a wall.

“It’s alright, kid,” He heard a gentle male voice say. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

Sean slowly peeked around the corner before his body followed him. There the creature stood, obviously a male. It was roughly as tall as Link was and age was undeterminable. Its skin was a light shade a blue and a few splotches a darker blue were randomly spotted allover its body. A long tail-like thing hung down from the back of its skull and the tip was solid dark blue.

Huge blade shaped fins sprouted from its wrists and the sharp edges glistened in the torchlight. It had webbing between its fingers and toes and it had solid black eyes that shone like the surface of the ocean in the sun. Its build was like Link’s, tall, thin, but strong; the lines of its muscles in its chest and arms were well defined. The only piece of clothing the creature wore was a strip of cloth that hung down past its knees in the front and back and a little around the sides; held up by a large buckled belt. It was easy to tell that the creature wasn’t too fond of it, but wore it regardless.

“What exactly are you?” Sean asked, looking the creature up and down, but staying in the safety of his corner.

“I’m a Zora. Link wiped most of us out a long time ago,” It answered. “My name’s Reo. What’s yours?”

“Sean,” He answered.

“Sean,” Reo repeated. “Good name. Listen, don’t tell Master Link about this. Slaves aren’t supposed to know the names of anyone.”

“I know.”

Reo motioned for Sean to follow him and began to lead him down the hall, neither made a sound. After awhile, Reo spoke.

“You might already know this, but not everyone here is evil, though most are. I want nothing more to get out of this place. I’ve been here for as long as I can remember. Before my father died, he’d tell me on how beautiful the oceans were and how he’d get us both out so he could show me. Well, eventually, Link found out and massacred my father right in front of my eyes.

“Since then, he put me up here so he could keep an eye on me, so I’d never try to escape again.” Reo trailed off, his black eyes shining with sorrow with the memory.

“I’ve only been here five years,” Sean said softly. “Before, I lived with my father in a rebel camp; Link had killed my mother long ago, or so my father says. My dad would tell me about her since I didn’t remember anything about her. Then Link found us, and I didn’t know it was him at the time, but I could feel the evil that runs in his blood. He sent his Lizalfos down on us and took me. I don’t know what he did to the survivors after I left, but I know they’re all dead, even my father.” He turned his head away and looked at the ground.

“Sorry to hear that,” Reo said softly, staring at the ground himself. “Many here have horrible memories about what Link has done to them. Some are the only ones left of their families that have been forced to watch the others die. There’s so much more that I dare not say.” He tightened his jaws. “I hear that you have been thinking about escaping. Is that true?”

Sean nodded, though his mind was still on the memories of his father.

“That’s not going to be easy, but there’s another up here that you should know about.” Reo stopped and pulled Sean closer to him so he wouldn’t have to talk very loud. “Her name’s Lilith. She’s a Gerudo that serves Link herself. In a way, that’s a privilege and a curse. I think he fancies her, but she doesn’t like him much. Some of the other Gerudos like him, but that’s not important. She wants out like us and you might get to speak with her if you walk out of Link’s room. Not many do.” He stole a glance at Sean’s hair. “White hair,” He muttered softly.

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing,” Reo said as they began walking again, picking up the pace.

Sean followed, but slightly confused as to why Reo had muttered about his hair.

“Master Link’s patience only lasts so long, so if you value breathing, I suggest we walk faster. If you get there when it runs out, he will kill you without a second thought. That’s how he burns off steam and he’s got a hell of a lot of it too.”

Sean nodded, intent of listening to what the Zora said, and kept up with Reo all the way down the hall. They soon came to a halt in front of the largest and most engraved doors Sean had ever seen. Dragons and such soared over its smooth surface. Reo sighed and looked down at the young boy.

“This is as far as I go,” He said, looking at the door in some strange longing. “Lilith will walk you back if you live. I will point her out to you though.”

Sean stepped back as Reo grabbed the handle of one of the large doors and heaved it open; the door making an annoying scraping sound as it grated across the stone floor. He then stepped back and let out a tired sigh.

“That is one heavy door,” He said with a slight laugh. “And to think Link can open it effortlessly with one hand, and even throw them open.” Reo shook his head. “He’s got some insane strength for a normal Hylian.”

Sean gave a confused look up at Reo. “Hylian?”

“Yeah,” He answered. “He’s not from Termina like you and me. He’s from Hyrule.”

“I thought Hyrule was just a legendary place,” Sean whispered. “That was bestowed with the power of the Goddesses.”

“Hyrule is a very real place, not the Golden Land of childhood myths. Many of the creatures you see in this fortress, which are not slaves, are from Hyrule. No one has ever been there though, but don’t —I mean don’t! — ask Link about Hyrule or anything else along those lines. He will kill you! Then he’ll wonder where you found that out, and that’ll lead him to me and Lilith. Even better, don’t say anything at all!” The Zora said in a harsh whisper, eyes glancing around for any sign that Link had heard him.

“Unless he talks to you, you answer him with what he wants to hear; whether you think it’s right or not. Don’t bother giving excuses, he can see right through them.” Reo stopped to catch his breath. “I’m only trying to warn you. Only two out of every thousand walk back out alive.”

Both peeked out from behind the massive door to see into an unearthly large room. The whole interior was black, even the furniture, but brightly lit by a gigantic bay view-like window. Several doors littered the walls on either side of the chamber, but they were all closed and kept their destinations secret. A large black table stretched almost the entire length of the room, a large black throne seated near the side closest to the door.

Standing in front of the window was the form of Link and next to him, one of a woman. A long yellow skirt hung from her hips and she wore a matching yellow top. She had a figure that would make any other woman jealous. Her long fire-red hair was pulled back in a ponytail that fell to the middle of her back; a yellow gem embedded in her hair tie. Two golden armbands were on her upper arms, each with engravings that could not be determined from a distance. She had clear sea-green eyes —instead of the standard amber— and her skin was very tan. Just by looking at her, it would be hard to see why any man would not want her.

Sean watched Link and the woman. Their lips were moving as they talked but he could not hear the words.

“That woman there’s Lilith,” Reo whispered and Sean obliviously nodded.

The boy’s blood froze in his veins when he saw Link blink and his eyes land on him. Links said something to Lilith, who exited the room through a different door and Sean felt Reo’s hand against his back and give him a slight push into the room. He looked back at the Zora who mouthed “good luck” to him and disappeared down the hall.

“The lizard boy,” He heard Link’s voice say, that froze his blood and caused him to turn around. “Causing trouble are we?”

Sean could see in Link’s eyes that he had calmed down a bit since earlier that morning, but the fire still raged.

“No, sir,” He answered, staring at the floor.

“I see.” Link was walking in circles around Sean. “So you speaking a forbidden language means nothing to you?”

Sean only raised his eyes enough to lock with Link’s; he knew. An amused look spread over Link’s face.

“So it does,” He said, still circling the boy, hands folded behind his back. “I suppose I shouldn’t ask you ‘how’ since it’s so obvious, but I don’t want to hear you speak another word in it again unless putting your life in danger is some sort of thrill for you.”

“Yes, sir,” Sean said softly, repeatedly praying for his life.

“I’m letting you slide this time since I see no advantage in killing you,” Link said stopping so Sean was between him and the open door. “Now get out, but if you come up those stairs a second time, I guarantee that you won’t be going back down.”

“Yes, sir,” Sean said, keeping his head low and walking quickly out of the room.

He didn’t stop walking, even to the sudden crash of the large door being slammed shut. He sunk to the ground when he rounded a corner and gave an exhausted sigh. He was so tense right there that he thought Link might lecture him or even kill him, but instead Link simply warned him and sent him on his way.

“You’re one lucky kid,” A female voice said, causing Sean to jump and look around.

There, a little way away from him, stood Lilith; an impressed look on her face. She had her arms crossed and was leaning against the wall. She straightened herself and came up next to Sean and helped him off the floor.

“You must be Lilith,” He said, trying to catch his breath.

“That’s right and you’re Sean. Reo was just telling me about you,” She replied. “Well we should be moving. Master Link doesn’t like a lot of talking up here.”

“Is that why he stays up here?” Sean asked.

“Yes, in one way or another. It’s a lot more peaceful here than downstairs with all that noise. I guess you can relate. You spend your days with the Lizalfos.”

“I just have to make sure they don’t start a war amongst themselves. You get used to it after awhile though,” Sean muttered.

“I bet and I know. Before I was brought here, I was a pirate, along with all my sisters; sailing the seas and braving storms and Gyorgs, lots of dangers. I come here and I don’t get to do anything. Life is extremely boring here and I want adventure again, but as long as I stay here, I won’t get one. That’s why I want out and Reo told me you want out because you just can’t stand it anymore,” Lilith said.

“That’s right,” Sean replied. “I’ll come back one day and kill them all.”

“Who?”

“All who put me in this mess, especially the Lizalfos. Those murderous bastards deserve to burn.”

“Not all the lizards are bad, Sean,” Lilith said softly as they walked. “The largest one respects you.”

“He does?” Sean asked in a somewhat disgusted tone.

“Yes. Not sure why though, but I have noticed that every time another lizard says something bad about you, he’s on them in less than a second.”

“I have noticed that,” He muttered.

“Well this is where we depart,” The Gerudo said stopping at the top of the stairwell. “Just try to get used to the Lizalfos, Sean,” She said as he went down the steps. “To be honest, there are creatures out there worse than them.”

Chapter 4: Escape

Sean stood in the halls outside the lizards’ chamber, having been driven out. That wasn’t bothering him too much though, he hated being in there. What was really bothering him was all that had happened in the past hour and was leaving him totally confused. For one, how could he speak a language he knew nothing about and was almost impossible to learn none the less? What was Link talking about when he said, “Since it’s so obvious.” Why did Link treat him different that everyone else? He had never even once laid a finger on Sean since he grabbed him five years prior. Sean scratched his head, giving a sigh. Was there something that everyone else knew that he didn’t? ‘Must be.’ Sean thought brushing some of his death white locks from his eyes. His hair was getting long, not like it really mattered anyway. It’d just be harder to see.

Sean leaned against one of the black walls and allowed his mind to wander to anything other than questions. The first thing that came to his mind was his escape plan, which drew up blank. He had no clue on how escaping this conveniently placed fortress would work. ‘It’s on a stupid hill!’ Sean thought to himself in frustration, hand resting on his forehead. His ice blue eyes locked themselves onto the black ceiling when he pulled his hand away.

The halls of this “prison” were patrolled twenty-four-seven by Lizalfos and Moblins and it was impossible to travel very far without at least one catching a glimpse of you. Hiding in the shadows was always an option, but Lizalfos had excellent senses of smell, sight, and hearing and it wouldn’t be long before they finally pinpointed you. The Moblins had senses no better than an average Terminian, but their strength was something else. All though they were extremely, physically strong, Link still out matched them without any effort.

Sean rested his chin in his hand and cocked his head slightly to the side. The sky outside the window was slowly turning black as the red sun began to disappear behind the distant ebony peaks. He would have to be getting back soon unless he wanted some quality time getting to know a whip, which was fun for the person hitting him. Sean straightened himself and began the trek back to the Slave Chamber, as it had come to be known. Along the way, he began thinking about traits of the lizards and Moblins.

The Lizalfos had sharply acute senses and were lightning quick. They could kill without injuring the area surrounding their victims. Their brains were also larger than that of the Moblins, giving them the intelligent advantage. They also made excellent assassins.

The Moblins were definitely dumber than the lizards though they at least had some brain in those block heads of theirs. Their strength was probably the only reason Link kept any around. If you needed something reduced to dust quickly, a Moblin was the one for the job.

As he walked about the halls, many of the creatures gave him nasty and disapproving looks. Apparently word of what happened had spread and that’s what Sean had hoped to avoid. His need of escape was more necessary now and he could be killed for it. He hoped his luck would last until he could get out.

Sean rounded a corner and bumped into someone, while still deep in thought. The slave he had bumped into turned around, a slightly terrified look in his eyes; like he thought who ever had touched him was going to rip off his head. The boy was slightly younger than Sean and about the same height, wearing the same basic clothing. He had deep reddish-brown hair and clear golden-emerald eyes. Upon seeing who had bumped into him, the boy wiped the scared look off his face and smiled.

“Sean!” He exclaimed happily, throwing his arms around Sean’s waist in a hug that caused Sean a bit of embarrassment. “I thought I’d never see you again!”

“Shut up, Suto!” Sean hissed, slightly serious and slightly joking. “I don’t need anymore attention that what I’ve already got!”

Suto let go of Sean, grabbed his wrist, and began to drag his friend quickly down the hall.

“Follow me then,” He chimed happily as Sean stumbled after him.

Sean was Suto’s best and only friend in the black castle. He was only two years younger Sean, but maybe acted younger than he should. Suto continued to drag Sean around until he came to the Slave Chamber. The Slave Chamber was nothing more than a large room filled with ramshackle cots and a window on one of the walls.

Suto kept on dragging his friend until he came to two beds that were still vacant. Suto jumped onto his bed and bounced on it with his knees. Sean winced just watching him; that cot could collapse at any time since Link could care less than he already did about what they slept on.

“So, what happened?” Suto asked when Sean sat on the bed opposite of himself.

Sean smiled weakly at his young friend.

“Why are you asking that?” He said eventually. “We live basically the same life.”

Suto shook his head. “Link ordered you up to his chamber,” He said. “What happened?”

Sean sighed and crossed his legs. “It doesn’t matter.”

Suto’s lower lip quivered and Sean rolled his eyes. Suto was doing his cute show that could get almost anything out of anyone who still had warmth in their hearts. He turned his head away, but could still see Suto out of the corner of his eyes. Those watery golden-emerald saucers. Sean gritted his teeth and growled, Suto was getting better at it.

“Alright!” He yelled whipping around to face Suto. “I’ll tell!”

Suto smiled an “ear-to-ear” grin and was bouncing on his bed, clapping his hands with an enthused “Yay!”

“You want to know what I did. I spoke in another language. Okay?” Sean said, apparently annoyed.

“That’s it?” Suto asked raising an eyebrow, clearly disappointed.

“Yeah.”

“Which one?”

“What do you care?”

“Is it illegal to want to know?”

Sean fell silent. “I guess not.”

“So then, which one?” Suto persisted again.

“…Lizalfos.”

Suto straightened in surprise, eyes widened.

“Th-that’s im-impossible,” He stuttered. “No one knows it but the lizards themselves!”

“I know, but I did,” Sean sighed.

“Prove it,” Suto said.

“What?”

“Prove it,” He repeated. “Say something.”

“I swore I wouldn’t speak in it again!” Sean hissed. “I can’t!”

“C’mon. Just real quick.”

Sean sighed. “Kxoho, A juat jemokxadw. Xuffo?”

Suto’s eyes shone in the torchlight with a big smile on his face. Apparently he was very impressed.

“You really can!” He squealed. “Cool!”

Sean grabbed Suto’s shoulders roughly and locked his ice blue eyes with Suto’s emerald green ones; scaring Suto badly.

“Listen to me!” Sean snapped, his eyes ice cold. “Don’t you dare say a word about this! I just broke my promise to Link! I swore I wouldn’t speak in it again and I just did! If he finds out, I’m as good as dead! Understand?”

Suto gulped and nodded slowly and Sean released him. His ice blue eyes seemed to give a menacing flash before they softened down, Sean was serious.

Suto crawled under his thin blanket and curled up into a ball. Sean got up and sat himself down next to his friend.

“It’s okay,” He said softly, placing a gentle hand on Suto’s small shoulder. “Just don’t say anything, but I guess that won’t matter.”

“Why?” Suto asked.

“I’m leaving,” Sean whispered, “tonight.”

“Why?”

“You know why and I think it is best you stay here.”

“Why?”

“It’s easier to travel alone, besides, what would you do once you got out onto the wasteland?”

“Kiss it,” Suto replied sarcastically to lighten the mood a little.

Sean smiled and pushed on Suto’s shoulder softly.

“But why do you have to leave?” Suto pressed.

“I’m not quite sure. I just can’t stand this place anymore, but you,” He looked at his best friend, “you practically grew up here.”

Suto looked off to the side sadly. That was true. This fortress had been his home for as long as he could remember. He looked back up at Sean.

“Will I ever see you again?” He asked weakly.

Sean only shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.”

Suto nodded closing his eyes and drifted off to sleep in a matter of seconds.

Sean sighed and patted Suto’s shoulder softly. Suto was like a younger brother to him, even though they weren’t related in any way. Sean went back to his own cot and crawled into it. He was going to need his rest if he planned on escaping. He thought for awhile on how that might work, but drifted off to sleep himself.
Sean awoke some hours later, the sky still dark. He sat up and looked around; everyone else was still asleep. He carefully slid off the cot, making sure to keep it from creaking too much. After getting to the floor, he pulled the blanket off the cot and tied it around his neck; a make-shift cloak. He didn’t know whether it was really hot or cold in the wasteland nor did he know how he was going to get out. He figured he would plan as he went along.

He sprinted softly over to the door and crouched to the ground, placing his ear on the cold stone floor; listening for the footfalls of something coming his way. Silence. With that good news in mind, he stood —creaking the door open— and slid through. He looked in both directions before pulling the door shut softly. He knew this was a foolish move, but then again, he could be doing himself a favor.

After gathering was courage he had, he sprinted silently down the hall, staying in the shadows. Every so often, he’d stop and listen for any other movement other than himself. Nothing. ‘The guards must’ve already been by here.’ Sean thought continuing down the hall. He eventually rounded a corner and saw two baskets sitting next to a black door that would’ve been invisible if not for the torchlight along the walls.

Suddenly, Sean heard a door open and two creatures come out, talking very loudly. They were some way behind Sean and he looked around frantically for a place to hide. With no where else to really go, Sean lifted the lid of one of the baskets, jumped in, and replaced the lid; staying as still and quiet as he possibly could.

Eventually the voices became clearer, suggesting that they had entered the same hall as Sean. He could feel the footfalls of one of them slightly, meaning one was very large and by the deep voice, it was a Moblin. The other was a Moblin as well Sean guessed, since its voice was too deep to be a Terminian or a Lizalfos, but higher than the other, suggesting it was smaller.

“…So these them baskets they wanted us to take to the dock?” The deeper one asked.

“I would assume so,” The other replied. “The others have already been moved so they’re waiting on these two.”

Sean heard the crackle as the other basket was picked up and then he felt the presence of two very large hands grab his basket and set it on its carrier’s shoulder.

“What the hell do they put in these things anyway?” The deep voiced one demanded; apparently holding the basket Sean was in. “This thing’s heavy!”
“Stop your whining!” The other snapped, and a sound followed that told one of them had been slapped. “Let’s just get them to the dock before Master decides to have our heads served to him on a silver platter!”

Both fell silent as they hustled down the halls, unaware of their hitch-hiking passenger. Sean had no idea where they were going, but he guessed he would find out soon enough. ‘The dock must be a way out.’ He thought to himself. He had never seen the dock before so he hoped it was an exit.

The trek continued for about an hour or so and Sean was drifting off with boredom, but tried to keep himself awake. Soon a smell reached his nose that he did not recognize, but this wasn’t the time for new smells. He would be able to enjoy it later, when he got out. After a few more minutes of walking, Sean was dropped hard on his rear. He mentally said “ouch” since he didn’t want them knowing he was in there.

“There’s your dumb cargo,” The deep voiced Moblin snapped. “I don’t see why Master continues to give you this shit anyway.”

“I’ve told you a bazillion times,” A different voice said, clearly one of a Terminian. “If he doesn’t want it, I take it.”

“Whatever,” The deep voice muttered again, letting its annoyance known. “Let’s go.” With that, it disappeared with the smaller Moblin.

Sean took a deep silent breath; so far, so good. He had actually escaped from the clutches of the fortress without getting caught. The immense blackness of the night prevented him from seeing anything in front or around him. He made himself comfortable inside the basket, trying not to make to much noise. He had no idea where he was or was going and so decided to stay put until he could figure that out.

The blinding darkness started to make Sean feel tired again and he closed his eyes, not that it changed anything. He’d be cramped when he woke up, but he didn’t care. Eventually he dozed off, but there remained one thing he hadn’t thought of . . . . How incredibly easy escaping was.

Chapter 5: Enter Dark Link

Sean awoke to the gentle sound of the ocean; the water lapping up against something. He opened his eyes and yellow sunlight peeked in through cracks in the basket’s weaving. Yellow! The only sunlight he had seen for so long was red. Where was he? Sean punched the lid off and peeked out. Sure enough he was on a small boat, traveling down a narrow river that was separated from the ocean by a thin sandbar.

On the left side was the shore, heavily forested and filled with life. Sean had never seen anything like it since he was at least three. He turned around and saw a man sitting at the steering rudder, looking extremely shocked. His cloths consisted of a simple tunic, pants, and boots.

“Where the hell did you come from?” He asked; he must’ve been the man from before.

“I was in the basket,” Sean answered.

“In the basket?” He was surprised about that as well. “Why?”

Sean shook his head. “Is it okay if I just ride until you stop?”

“Sure,” The man answered with a shrug. “It doesn’t really matter.”

Sean crawled his way out of the basket carefully onto the boat. The boat was sort of long, like a canoe, but a little wider. The air around him was clean and smelled of water and salt. The air around the fortress was dry, dusty, and harsh on your skin. Sean simply glanced around at his surroundings; this was the most color he had seen in five years, along with many wild animals.

“Where are we?” Sean asked, his ice blue eyes shining with wonder.

“Somewhere far south of that demon’s fortress,” The man answered. “Good thing he hasn’t reached this far yet, but he gets closer everyday.” For some time, the man had been watching Sean look around in awe.

Sean looked over the edge of the boat. The water was so crystal clear, he could see the bottom. He dangled a hand over the side and let it slide through the water as the boat moved. It was so clean and cool on his skin. The water back at the fortress was no where as clean as this. He watched fish of many sizes and colors swim by and under the boat.

The man watched Sean silently. ‘The boy is dressed in dirty rags, is barefoot, and has a dirty blanket tied around his neck. Where did he come from?’ The man thought to himself. The boy was acting as if he had never seen color before. This was beginning to worry him. ‘What if,’ He began to think, ‘What if he came from the fortress?’

A shiver ran up the man’s spine. If that were so, the boy would be hunted; either to be killed or brought back. He was starting to feel sorry for Sean, he was just so young. He was also very thin and frail-looking, like he hadn’t eaten in days or weeks. The man bit his lip and looked off to the side nervously.

“Hey kid,” He said, causing Sean to turn around and look at him. “There’s some food in the bag next to you if you want something to eat.”

Sean’s eyes widened. “You would give me food?” He asked in astonishment.

“Err…yeah,” The man answered slowly. “You look like you could use it.”

Without another thought, Sean dug into the bag, pulled out something (he didn’t care what it was), and started to chow it down.

The man watched Sean for a moment. “When was the last time you ate something?”

Sean shrugged, his mouth too full to answer.

“Where you a slave?”

Sean nodded.

“That would explain it then,” He muttered under his breath.

Sean turned around again to face the man. “Where are ya headin’?” He asked, tossing the rest of whatever he was eating into his mouth.

“No where in particular,” The man replied. “I just go around and sell this stuff, trade it, and so on.”

Sean nodded, swallowing the rest of his food. “I’m just trying to live long enough to get out of here.”

“What do you mean?”

Sean shook his head, not wanting to answer that question.

Eventually Sean went back to staring over the edge of the boat at all the fish and the man went back to steering the boat. The current had been good enough to keep the boat going straight at a steady pace, but needed a little steering help every so often.

The silence lasted for some time before the merchant’s stop finally came up. He tied the boat to the dock and Sean hopped off onto it.

“Thanks for the ride,” Sean said facing the man after hopping onto the dock.

“Don’t mention it,” He answered. He called Sean back when the boy began to walk away. “You don’t plan on traveling in those do you?”

Sean looked down at his tattered dirty clothes.

“Here,” The man said tossing a bundle of something to Sean. “Wear these instead.”

Sean unfolded it to have a pair of pants and boots fall away from the long sleeved shirt he was now holding. He had never seen new clothes before.

“You can go change over there,” The man said pointing at several large bushes. “And then give me your old clothes and I might be able to find someone who could use them.”

Sean nodded and disappeared behind the bushes, reappearing a few minutes later wearing his new set of clothes and boots. He walked down the pier and tossed his old clothes to the man.

“Well, doesn’t that look a lot better,” He said catching them and putting them away. “I bet you’ll be glad you have them too.” The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch and tossed it to Sean. “You might need these as well.”

Sean fingered the pouch as its contents clinked together. He untied the drawstrings and opened the top; within were a couple dozen different colored rupees. He pulled one out and held it between his finger and thumb, the sunlight causing its red light to dance across his young features. It had been awhile since he had seen the jewels that were Termina’s currency. He looked at the rupee a bit longer and returned it to the pouch. He tied the pouch shut and put it in his pocket.

“No need to thank me,” The man said before Sean could even utter a word. “You’ll need them if you plan on running around, considering how young you are.” He sighed and gave one last look at Sean. “Are you sure you’ll be okay by yourself?” He asked. “These forests are crawling with monsters and thieves.”

“I’ll be fine,” Sean answered. “It’s worse where I’m coming from. Anything’s better than that and I never want to go back.” He turned around, but looked back at the man. “Thanks again.”

“It’s fine, but I just hope you know what you’re doing,” The man said as Sean turned and began walking away. “I can only hope.”
Sean had been walking for awhile with no clear destination. He was quite a way from the ocean, but salt still distantly lingered in the air. Birds flew and chirped in the trees, sounds that Sean couldn’t remember from before his time at the fortress. The sky was a bright blue and the clouds were white; much different from the red sky and black clouds he had gotten so used to seeing. He looked around. The grass was lush and green and the trees were coated with green leaves that swayed in the faint sea breeze. Clusters of multi-colored flowers dotted the ground and a variety of insects hovered about them.

A stench suddenly filled Sean’s nose, one he knew well; the smell of decaying flesh. ‘Why would that smell be in a place like this?’ Sean though jumping off the path he had been following; his childish curiosity too strong to resist. He quickly ended up in a small clearing among a few very huge trees. This clearing was the source, but there was no carcass and that’s what confused Sean.

No sooner than when he had placed one foot into the clearing, a hand suddenly erupted from the ground and grabbed his ankle. The hand was four fingered and the flesh was bleached death white, but the dagger fingers were salmon pink. Soon after the first, another hand shot from the ground and grabbed Sean by the throat; only squeezing hard enough to have a firm grip.

Sean was so shocked by what was happening that his body wasn’t reacting to the commands he gave it. The hand on his ankle released its grip and disappeared underground. The one around his throat lifted him off the ground, its joints creaking and cracking. The arm was only flesh and bone, but seemed to surging with nonexistent muscle. The hand then turned him and began to lower him near the middle of the clearing. As it did, four more hands rose from the ground and clamped onto his arms and legs. With being in the four hand’s clutches, the one on his neck released him and sunk into the dirt once more. Sean winced as the dagger claws dug into his flesh, drawing blood.

Just then, a little ahead of him, the ground began to roil and bubble like molten lava waiting to erupt. The ground then shot up like a geyser and fell away to reveal a monster. Its body was slug-like and thick. It had two thin arms that it kept tucked against its flabby bulk. Its head was a human skull with the same bleached skin stretched over the boney features and held up by a long, thin neck. The creature was the same bleach white as the arms and splotched the same with salmon pink and stood around seven feet tall.

Sean shivered, looking at the creature’s razor sharp teeth that glistened in the sunlight. The creature worked its jaws, staring at its prey with deep eyeless sockets. It opened its mouth, which seemed to hang limply by just the skin, around two feet. The rotting stench was definitely coming from this monster and Sean was having trouble inhaling.

The creature began to close in on Sean, to bite him in half, and the dagger claws of the hands dug deeper into his flesh with glee. Before the creature could close its jaws around the boy’s torso, a voice cut though the air causing it to stop.

“Mekoh!”

A shadowed figure dropped soundlessly from one of the huge trees and both Sean and the creature were staring at the figure as it approached them. Sean couldn’t make out anything from the figure except for the swaying of a cloak. Sean shivered with a different fear than fear he had with the creature; a fear that he had suffered with for five years.

The figure eventually stepped into the sunlight and Sean saw that his prediction on who it was, was only part correct. This man was the exact same height and age as Link; in fact his body-build and facial features were exactly the same. The only differences this man had from Link were that his hair was raven black and his eyes were a piercing blood-red. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt and pants, black boots and a hooded black cloak that trailed to his ankles; a long sword hung from a belt around his waist.

“How many times must I tell you, this is my territory!” He demanded.

The creature, whose name appeared to be Mekoh, made a pleading hissing sound and earned itself a punch in the jaw from the man. The man smirked when he heard Mekoh’s jaw crack with the impact.

“I don’t care if you were hungry!” He snapped. “Eating random people will bring on the authorities and I know you don’t want that.”

Mekoh snapped its jaw back into place with its tiny forearms and the arms on Sean placed him on the ground and withdrew from him. Sean fell back onto the dirt, his legs sore from the punctures that were deep in his muscle. The man reached out and grabbed one of Mekoh’s long arms, slowly squeezing it and causing the strange creature a great deal of pain.

“Better watch yourself Mekoh,“ The man warned coldly, “or you’ll see why this arm doesn’t bend this way!” As he said that, the snapped the arm backwards so it was now twisted in an awkward direction.

Mekoh gave a high pitched screech and pulled the injured arm under.

“That’s one,” the man muttered, smiling. “Let’s see,” He counted on his with a smug look made Mekoh began to shudder. “You’ve got seven more. Which one’s next?” He tightened a fist making his knuckles crack and Sean and Mekoh jump.

Mekoh started his shriek sounds again and the man rolled his eyes.

“What do you mean you’re mortally wounded?” He asked calmly, repeating Mekoh’s plea, “You’re one of the Un-Dead. You can just fix your stupid arm.” He turned around in a huff. “Stupid excuse for a –” He looked at Sean through the corner of his red eyes.

“That’s just sad, Mekoh,” He muttered in a mocking tone. “Trying to eat a defenseless kid. Where’s your dignity?”

Mekoh hissed something in its strange tongue, staring at the ground.

“He was the first to come around?” The man said, making a question out of Mekoh’s phrase.

Mekoh nodded.

“Damn it, Mekoh! Just get out of here!” He snapped.

In less than ten seconds, Mekoh and its arms were under the ground and gone. The man gave an annoyed sigh and crossed his arms, his back facing Sean.

“I really do hate him,” He muttered before the corners of his red eyes locked on Sean again. “I forgot about you.”

Sean shivered on the ground, his leg muscles ached horribly from the deep punctures. This black-haired man looked exactly like Link and Sean hated and feared Link’s guts. ‘What if the man is working for Link? What if he decides to kill me?’ Were the questions that ran through Sean’s mind.

By now the man had turned around and Sean felt his cold gaze full blast; like a fire burning from the inside, slowly to the outside. Something was at work behind those crimson pools, as if he was thinking about what to do with the boy. Sean simply whimpered softly and shuddered, blood seeping from his skin and darkening his clothing. He couldn’t run, even if he wanted to.

“I wouldn’t want to stay there if I were you,” The man said eventually.

“I can’t move my legs,” Sean replied weakly, hiding he eyes behind his white hair.

The man gave a half annoyed, half amused laugh.

“You’re pretty weak for one with white hair,” He muttered.

“Huh?” Sean’s face was twisted in confusion.

“You mean you don’t know?” He asked; dark eyebrows rose slightly. “What a shame.” His face relaxed, but was still hard. “What a shame.”

“What are you talking about?” Sean demanded lifting his head so he could see the man clearly with his ice blue eyes.

“You really don’t have a clue,” The man replied calmly. “Though it is possible it’s only a fluke…” He trailed off.

Sean was feeling confused. The man was only speaking half of what he meant, possibly trying to hide the truth. As far as Sean was concerned, he was doing a pretty good job. He stared at the man and slowly slid his right hand into the long sleeve of his shirt, hoping to hide from the man what he had there. He wasn’t sure if the man had seen the movement, but tried to hide the thought from his eyes.

“What are you going to do to me?” Sean asked after a while of tense silence.

The man gave no answer. He bent down and grabbed Sean, slinging him over his shoulder much like what the Lizalfos had done five years ago. Sean remained silent and limp as the man began to carry him off somewhere. He had no clue on what was going to happen, but at least he wasn’t walking.

With every step the man took, the punctures would throb and Sean would wince with the pain. That creature had held him tightly, possibly in an attempt to injure him if he had gotten free of its grip.

“What was that thing?” Sean asked aloud, but to himself.

“What, Mekoh? He’s a Dead Hand,” The man answered in a voice much like Link’s, but colder and deeper.

“What’s that?”

“You saw one.”

“Who are you?”

“Dark Link.”

“Who?”

“My name is Dark Link.”

“Link?” Sean squeaked, his entire body tensing in fear despite the pain.

“I’m nothing like that bastard,” Dark Link answered, smirking to himself. “He’ll always be a wimp and coward.”

“You know him?” Sean asked in astonishment.

“Know him? He’s me and I’m him,” Dark Link replied.

“How does that work?”

“It’s too long of a story and I don’t need to spill my life to the likes of a kid!” He snapped in return.

“Some other time then?” Sean squeaked softly only to have Dark Link growl in return.

He sighed, the pain of the trip and Dark Link’s tight hold around his middle all came flooding back to him. He couldn’t understand how this guy could be related to Link, more less be him. It didn’t make any sense. Sean lifted his head and looked at the scenery that passed by him. There were many tall, ancient, and massive trees that could easily be two-thousand years old or more. Faint bird calls echoed through the air from high up in the canopy. ‘Where am I?’ Sean thought to himself. Was Dark Link taking him somewhere so he could kill the boy without any worry of the public? Sean could only hope for something better.

The sound of running water brought Sean out of his thoughts. He looked around, but saw nothing more than Dark Link’s black cloak. Sean sighed and let his head hang limp, but lifted it when he felt Dark Link’s hold on him shift, lift him up, and set him gently on the ground. Sean was a bit surprised about the gentle part after seeing how Dark Link treated Mekoh. He put his hands down beside himself and felt that he was sitting on a rock and now could now see the stream he had heard earlier.

Dark Link kneeled down beside the stream, reached into the folds of his cloak, and pulled out a piece a piece of cloth which he ripped up and put one in the water.

“I’m going to wash out those wounds on your arms and legs,” He said, not even giving Sean a glance, “because if I don’t, you’ll surely die.”

Sean gulped and nodded slowly, remaining silent. He didn’t like the idea of dying too much and also remembered the way Dark Link had snapped at him the last time he had spoke. After wringing the excess water out of the wet cloth, Dark Link turned to his little patient; his expression as hard as stone.

“Roll up your pant legs,” He ordered, glaring Sean in the eyes.

Sean did as he was told, used to being beaten if he didn’t, and winced when the cold wet cloth touched his bleeding skin; as many wounds do. After flushing out anything Mekoh’s rotting fingers may have left behind, Dark Link tied a few of the dry strips around Sean’s thighs and pulled his pant legs back down.

Sean watched Dark Link soak another strip and he pulled the sleeve on his right arm down slowly, but not before those cold red eyes locked onto him.

“What’s on your arm that you don’t want me to see?” He asked though demanding Sean show him.

Sean shook his head like a rebellious child and held the sleeve down tighter.

Dark Link reached out and grabbed Sean’s wrist tightly and roughly forced the sleeve back. There on the back of Sean’s hand was a black silhouette tattoo of Volvagia. The dragon’s head took up the back of the hand, a clear spot for the eye, and the thick serpentine body coiled up Sean’s arm and the end of the tail was located somewhere by his shoulder.

“One of Link’s favorites,” Dark Link muttered. “He had something in store for you. You’ve put him in quite a mood with your little escape plan,” He added with a smugly amused smile.

“You can tell all that by this?” Sean asked, pointing at the tattoo with his free hand.

“I told you, I know him,” Dark Link shot back. “I know how his twisted little mind works.”

Sean looked away and found the bark of a tree quite fascinating while Dark Link finished working on his arms. Dark took a few of the remaining bandages and began wrapping them around the back of Sean’s hand and up his arm until it met with the other bandage.

“You don’t need anyone seeing that,” He muttered, tying them off. “It’ll only cause you trouble that you don’t want.”

Sean nodded slightly wondering why Dark Link was actually treating him nicely, though that may not be the intention. He still felt pretty crappy, even with the bandages, but Dark Link wasn’t finished yet.

The dark-haired man reached back into the folds of his cloak and withdrew a small vial filled with a rusty red liquid. He popped the top off with his thumb, releasing a thin eruption of vapor that traveled down over the rim; much like dry ice. He held it near Sean’s face, who was forced to inhale the liquid’s foul odor. Sean wrinkled up his nose in disgust.

“What the heck is that?” He asked.

“Drink it,” Was all Dark Link said.

“Why?”

“Just drink it.”

Sean’s eyes traveled back to the vial. To him, it looked like blood and smelled like it too.

Seeing that Sean wasn’t going to drink it voluntarily, Dark Link forced the boy’s head back and dumped the metallic tasting liquid down his throat until he swallowed it.

Sean gagged and wrenched his head free from Dark Link’s grasp, his eyes watering from the burning liquid going down his throat. He coughed and his breath escaped from his mouth colored the same red as the liquid. He held his breath and watched the red smoke swirl in the air, eventually disappearing. Sean could only drop his jaw and with every exhale his breath was red.

“It’s just a side effect,” Dark Link said, keeping his eyes averted from Sean and returning the vial to his pocket.

“What does it mean?” Sean asked, the air in front of him turning red with every word until disappearing a few seconds later.

“The potion’s working,” Dark Link answered, standing. “Give it time, it’ll go away.”

Sean coughed, his throat still burning slightly. The puncture holes weren’t throbbing anymore and he had trouble even feeling them at all. He slid off the rock and slowly lowered himself so his weight went to his legs gradually. He was surprised that his legs could hold him up like they did before Mekoh got him. He jumped around like a little child, testing the strength of his legs while Dark Link growled impatiently.

“What was that stuff?’ Sean asked, stopping his jumping.

Dark Link wasn’t facing Sean.

“It was a healing potion,” He muttered in reply. “It helps speed up the healing and takes away the pain.”

“Why did you give me one? More less, help me.”

“Because you’re traveling with me from now on, since you know what I look like and who I am. I can’t let you roam around free. And since you’ll be traveling with me,” He turned his head enough to only glance at Sean. “I don’t need you lagging behind because you are wounded.”

Chapter 6: A Daily Kill

“Please pardon my intrusion, Master, but we have a problem.”

Link turned around from the window to face the Moblin that has just entered the room. Link’s long golden hair was bed rustled and he was only wearing his pants, having recently risen from sleep.

For the last five minutes he had been watching the blood-red sun rise over the razor peaks, but now that had been interrupted. His deep blue eyes locked onto the creature and burned into it, causing it to cower slightly in fear. It could see a muscle twitch in its Master’s jaw, confirming his annoyance.

“Insolent creature,” Link hissed through his clenched teeth.

How he hated it when they stormed into his room unannounced.

The Moblin gulped softly when it saw Link’s muscles tense up, trying to resist the urge to slaughter.

Link growled and then relaxed with an exasperated sigh, his fingers flexing maliciously.

“I shouldn’t need to kill you,” He said coldly, “at least not yet.”

The Moblin dropped to one knee and bowed its head, knowing it should’ve done that in the first place.

“I do not wish to displease you, Master, but it seems a slave is missing,” It said quickly, trying to hide its fear.

“Ah yes,” Link said turning back to the window, “the one that escaped from the dock.” He turned his head back enough to see the Moblin through the corner of his eye. “You’re slow by three minutes. I’ve already been told,” He muttered. “The boy didn’t escape too long ago, but I hope you’re the last to tell me of this.”

“Yes, of course, Master,” The Moblin said, keeping its eyes on the floor, but it risked a glance up. “What about him, Master?” It asked.

“I don’t see why he’d want to care for the kid,” Link muttered. “The boy is nothing more than disposable flesh to anyone. He’s useless-“Link stopped in mid-sentence. “What about those two Moblins that were loading at the dock?”

“No one has heard anything from them, Master,” The Moblin answered. “Some think they ran away.”

That just upped Link’s anger more than the Moblin would have wished if it was as close as it was to Master right then, but Link quickly suppressed it so he could save it for later. His eyes just flashed at the creature.

“What are you still doing here? Get out!”

The Moblin turned and fled quickly through the door before its Master could call it back.

Link growled and gritted his teeth angrily. Yet another day that started on a sour note. He looked back out the window, his body bathed in the sun’s red light. His face was a frown that could put any monster to shame.

“Perfect,” He muttered, his tone dripping in angry sarcasm, “that’s perfect.”

------------------------------------------------

The huge doors of Link’s room crashed against the stone walls, cracking them, as he threw them open. Link stormed down the hall, fully dressed and his cape billowing out behind. He was officially ticked off, yet a confirm reason didn’t exist. He had always been a bomb with a short fuse and his was lit and just about ready to explode. He wanted to crush some sorry being’s skull in his fist, watch their blood pool on the stone tiles when they were impaled on something near. Somebody had to die. He was furious that the two Moblins didn’t have enough common sense to check what they were loading.

“One child, one child!” Link roared, throwing his arms up in the air. “They couldn’t even stop a child!”

All the residents of the fortress moved out of Link’s way as he stormed though. Those that didn’t became nothing more than a giant blood splatter on the wall. They weren’t sure why their Master was so angry, but they knew it was suicidal to ask.

When Link came to the Lizalfos chambers, he practically stomped the door down when he kicked it open. Blue fire seemed to rage in his eyes, hoping to escape its prison and flame its enemies. The Lizalfos would be first since it was with them, Sean was with most.

“Thade!” Link yelled, everyone who heard froze in fear.

Almost immediately, the eight-foot Lizalfos slithered out and lowered itself before the evil lord.

“Yes, my Lord?” It asked calmly, keeping its yellow eye focused on the floor.

“Just a simple question,” Link muttered, moving his hands to his hips. “Did you ever speak to the white-haired boy?”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“When?”

“When he spoke in my tongue, my Lord.”

“No other times?”

“No, my Lord. He kept to himself.”

“So you didn’t talk to him much.” Link turned away from Thade. “Did he ever give any indication that he was going to run away?”

“No, my Lord, but I doubt he is alone with his thought.”

Link glanced up at the rest of the lizards standing in a surrounding crowd. “He never spoke to any of you?”

Most of the lizards hissed and nodded, Thade kept still.

“Very well, but one more thing. What happened to the Moblins who were loading at the dock?”

“I have seen nothing of them since last night, my Lord,” Thade answered. “As I’m sure you’ve heard already, they fled once figuring out their mistake.”

“I will deal with them myself,” Link growled turning around and going for the door, but stopped and turned back to Thade who had not yet risen from the floor; since he had not been given the order to do so.

“Stand up, Thade,” Link said from the door, his eyes watching the lizard rise. “You are the most loyal of my lizards, so I want you to go find those two and bring them to me. That shouldn’t be too hard, should it?”

“No, my Lord,” Thade answered, keeping his eyes from his Master’s face. “I will find them.”

“That’s good. At least someone still has a sense of authority around here,” Link muttered, causing the other Lizalfos to shift uneasily and some growl softly. His eyes drifted back to Thade from smirking at the others. “Best be quick about it.”

“Yes, my Lord,” The lizard answered before disappearing through a tunnel that led to the outside.

Link walked swiftly from the door and down the hall, not really going anywhere in particular. Having taken over most of Termina, nothing really happened anymore. No one standing against him, no brave heroes coming to stop him; no nothing.

“Ganondorf was the lucky one I guess,” He muttered with an amused smile. “I bet if he was still around, he’d be trying to stop me, but alas,” He grabbed a random person, who was passing by, by the throat, “he wouldn’t stand a chance.”

With a simple flick of his wrist, he sent his captive playing across the hall to splatter its innards allover the wall and floor. Link took no notice to the mess and kept on walking. Everyone he passed by kept out of his arm’s reach to keep from being grabbed and flung into a wall.

Link eventually stopped out on a balcony that looked over the same scenery as the others; a barren wasteland randomly littered with the skeletons of the once living. He leaned against the railing with his hip and looked at the land that spread out before him, from over his shoulder.

A high altitude breeze washed away the heat of the sun and made being outside comfortable for only a few seconds before the red sun’s inferno set back in. Link drummed his fingers on the railing. ‘I wonder if he found the boy.’ He thought to himself and then smiled. ‘Why don’t I just ask him?’

He straightened himself and walked back into the pleasing shade of his fortress and began to make his way up to his quarters. He was feeling surprisingly pleasant at the moment, something he had rarely felt since his once innocent childhood about twenty years ago (he was seven), but it would not last. Some monster was bound to tick him off at any given moment. Fortunately for his good mood, everyone steered clear of him when he passed by.

Link ascended the stairs that led up to his level and he brushed into Lilith at the top.

“Master,” She whispered in surprise, taking a few steps back from him. “I did not see you.”

“I’m going to be doing something,” Link said, dusting off his shoulder where she had bumped him with his hand, “so make sure no one bothers me.”

“Yes, Master,” She replied, tensing up when he walked to stand right next to her.

“That’s a good girl,” He said softly, letting his hand run over the smooth skin of the Gerudo’s shoulder before continuing down the hall.

Lilith remained where she had stopped, her skin still tingling where Link had touched her. For the past few days, he had been doing that and moving closer to her too, if he saw her. To be honest, Link scared her, more in the past say or so. This was something small, but then again, small things soon lead to bigger ones. Lilith promised herself she’d be out of there before that could happen. She rubbed her shoulder, to rid herself of the uneasy feeling there, and disappeared down the hall to seek out her friend.

------------------------------------------------

Link closed the heavy door to his room. He folded his arms across his chest and looked out the large window to see the silhouette of a bird fly by off in the distance. He raised his eyebrows, clearly interested with this new sight.

“A Kargorok,” He said with amusement. “So he stuck around.”

Link turned from the window, sauntering over to the large black throne near the table; running his hand over the smooth stone of the arm.

“I guess it’s time to pay him a little visit.”

Link walked over to the front and settled himself down in it; enjoying its soft padding like a feeling long lost from him.

------------------------------------------------

The room, if that was what it could be called, was simply an empty white space. It seemed to go on forever yet have walls, giving a sense of confinement and illuminated by a nonexistent source of light. It was a place hidden deep within the mind, an almost unknown space. One could call it the place they go to when they dream; a place where anything could happen.

Link stood in his usual arms crossed pose, the person standing opposite of him was like his mirror image in everyway. Black hair, red eyes, and black clothing were the only things that set this man apart from Link.

“It’s been awhile,” Link said with a smirk.

“It has,” Dark Link replied, his face a stone, but his eyes glared at his milder side, “but not long enough.”

“You still want me dead, don’t you?” Link chuckled. “You still know that my death with result in yours?”

“At least I would go, knowing I took you with me,” Dark Link snapped.

“Alas, this is not the point why I’m speaking to you now,” Link said calmly, one of his arrogant smiles on his face. “I want to know of the boy.”

“You’re not getting him back, if that’s what you’re aiming for,” Dark Link muttered, his arms crossed and him turning his body slightly away from Link.

Link simply laughed under his breath.

“I knew you were going to say that,” He said, still smiling. “Not quite what I was aiming for, but perhaps later I shall.”

“I thought you would, but you’re going to have to work for him,” Dark Link warned. “Don’t think I’m going to give up something as precious as him easily to you.”

“I never doubted it for a second,” Link replied with a shake of his head. “It’ll be nothing I haven’t done before in my life.”

“I would expect as much from you,” Dark Link mumbled, “and possibly less.”

“That hurt,” Link said, his face full of mocking pain. “I haven’t sunken that low yet, as you already have. If I were you, I’d prepare myself, but not right now. I have more important things to take care of. As of the moment, you are released from the hook. I will catch you again, but I suggest staying out of the deep water where something larger could get a hold of you.”

“I can fend for myself, mortal,” Dark Link snapped. “I don’t need to be warned of anything from you.”

“On the contrary, my dear dark side,” Link said, his face looking arrogant and sly, “I’m not warning you of anything out there in the world, I’m warning you of myself.” By now, Link had dropped his hands to his sides. “Care to see why?”

Dark Link had turned back around to face Link, arms at his own sides, and he looked slightly confused. Link simply smiled back at him and held one of his hands before him, palm pointed at the wraith. The air in front of his palm rippled and an unseen force threw Dark Link backwards. Upon hitting the white floor, Dark Link jumped to his feet, his own hands surging with black fire.

“Now, now,” Link said smiling, hand going back to his side. “There’s no need to get all worked up about it.”

The fire on Dark Link’s hands subsided.

“How could you hit me?” He demanded. “You’re just a mortal!”

“Surprising how we share the same mind, yet you know so little,” Link replied, trying not to laugh too much. “I possess one of the pieces of the Triforce, the sacred relic of the Goddesses. It gives me amazing power. Power I never before dreamed of. Power I never knew existed within my body. Power you could never began to comprehend.

“In order for me to become as powerful as the Goddesses themselves, I must obtain the whole Triforce and for me to do that, sacrifices must be made and people must die. The sacrifice I am willing to make for this power is allowing you to have Sean. I once needed him, but no longer do and so you may have him. I doubt he will be anything for you as is he is useless to me, but I will return for him; just not now.”

“I’ll enjoy watching you try,” The wraith said darkly. “The Triforce is no easy thing to get, and its carriers not easily killed, as you demonstrated breaking Hyrule from under Ganon’s rule-“ He was cut off when Link rushed forward and throttled him, his blue eyes burning maliciously.

“Don’t you ever speak of that again,” The Hylian hissed venomously. “Ganon is weak as is Hyrule. I’ll have no problem taking them over. Stand in my way if you wish, but you may not like the way your body feels after I finish with you.” He roughly jerked his hand off of Dark Link’s throat, leaving a red mark behind. “I warned you once, but never again. You can die on your own accord.”

Dark Link eyed Link with his red eyes and Link did the same with his blue ones; both sizing the other up, both trying to intimidate the other. Eventually Link broke away from the stare and turned his back on Dark Link.

“You left the boy in the forest, are you sure that is wise?”

“What are you getting at?” Dark Link demanded.

“You’ve got that Dead Hand that enjoys following you everywhere,” Link replied. “Surely he may try to take the boy again.” He looked over his shoulder at Dark Link who was looking slightly appalled. “Don’t look so surprised. We share the same mind I hope you remember. We can read what the other is thinking, know what the other knows. Personally, I don’t care if you read my mind. You couldn’t stop me even if you knew what I was doing.”

Dark Link only glared. “Burn in hell.”

------------------------------------------------

The sound of a door opening broke Link’s connection with Dark Link and his vision flashed back to reality. In the doorway stood a Moblin, which had apparently opened the door, and Lilith peeked around the frame.

“Lilith!” Link yelled, standing and practically smashing his chair into the floor with his fist. “I thought I told you not to let anyone bother me!”

“I apologize, Master,” Lilith said softly, but immediately stopped when Link growled.

“I simply came to tell you, Master,” The Moblin said, drawing Link’s full, crazed attention on it, “that Thade has returned with the two you sent him to go find and awaits your orders, sir.”

“Ah yes. I remember them now,” Link muttered, calming down. “I’ll go see them myself. Where is he keeping them?”

“In the lizard chambers, my Lord.”

“I’m going then.”

The Moblin gave a shallow bow and moved to the side and let Link pass it, Lilith sinking as close to the wall as she possibly could. To her luck, and surprise, he passed by her like she never existed. It was possible he was occupied with something else so his thoughts couldn’t settle on her.


Link strode down the hall to the Lizalfos chamber; the pleasure of seeing more blood fly kept his good mood intact. Dark Link had found Sean and didn’t seem willing to share the boy, just as he had predicted. That wraith had always been a greedy one.

He eventually turned into the chamber to find it practically empty except for three beings; Thade and the two Moblins. Apparently the other Lizalfos had been driven out somewhere else so what was about to happen would remain quiet.

“Very good, Thade,” Link said walking up to the three creatures. “I could’ve gone out and found them myself, but then their lives would’ve been so much shorter.”

The two Moblins gulped softly.

“Did it ever occur to you to check the heavier basket?” Link asked them. “Well?”

“No, Master,” The large Moblin answered slowly, “it did not.”

“I hope you boys are proud of yourselves for losing the result of ten years of searching.” Link turned his back on them. “Bring them downstairs, Thade,” He ordered.

Thade nodded and pushed the Moblins after Link down a hidden stair well in the wall of the chamber. There were actually many hidden stairwells that led to the same place, but one could only find them if one already knew where they were. Link knew the location of each hidden stair way and exactly where they led. He didn’t mind showing the location of these steps to the people he took down there, because they never came back up.

The stairs spiraled down to under the castle, where lay many large, and otherwise unknown, caverns. The stair way was surprisingly dry and warm for the depth they were at. There should’ve been the smell of mold in the air and the walls damp with mildew and other rotting smells; yet there was none. The lower they descended, the warmer the air got and the more uncomfortable it was to breathe in.

Link kept his cape close around his body; he didn’t want anyone behind him stepping on it and then everyone falling down the stairs. That just wasn’t suited for those whose lives were in the final minutes. Then again, Link didn’t want to fall down the stairs since he had done it too many times in his earlier years and then the fact that it could alter his reputation slightly to his disliking, and that just reminded him on how much he hated Moblins. Even if Sean’s escape wasn’t entirely these two’s faults, he was still going to kill them anyway; be it now or later.

After about twenty minutes of walking, Link stepped off the final stair and into a large cavern, Thade forcing the Moblins down after their Master.

A soft blue glow illuminated the cavern enough to barely see. A mysterious mist clouded the cavern, rising up from the floor somewhere. An unnatural rock formation coiled its way around the cavern. From over a part of a coil, two rock structures that resembled curled ram horns barely peeked their way over. The entire long formation was textured with what seemed like smooth, fine scales.

Link walked over to something that strongly resembled a clawed talon. Heavy scale plating covered the top of the strange hand and ended at the claws. Link put his hand on the back of the strange formation, resting his weight on his hand and looking smugly at the Moblins.

“Well boys,” He said, grinning coldly, “this is where your pitiful lives will end.”

“How is that so?” The smaller Moblin asked. “There is nothing here.”

Link closed his eyes and chuckled softly.

“On the contrary, gentlemen,” He said, straightening himself and approaching the Moblins, “things aren’t always what they appear to be.” He smiled when both Moblins looked confused and then he looked past them at Thade. “You can leave, Thade. Your assistance is no longer needed.”

The Lizalfos gave a shallow bow and disappeared silently up the stairs.

Link looked back at the Moblins with a cold smile and then turned his back to them and looked at the huge coiled rock.

“Arise, Bringer of Fire,” He ordered, arm reaching out at the large stone structure.

At his words, the entire cavern began to shudder as something gigantic started to move around. The fingers of the clawed rock began to flinch and the long claws drove themselves into the stone floor. Slabs of the rocky skin began to fall from the coiled body, revealing the fire colored scales underneath. The creature raised its head, its sky blue eyes blazing as it roared, the rock falling from its helmeted skull. From the back of its head, sparks flew until a huge flaming mane ignited and filled the cavern with tremendous light and heat.

Volvagia pulled its upper body from the ground, more rocky skin falling down around its new visitors. It stretched out its serpentine body the best it could in the confined space of the cavern and gave a yawn, the bright glow of its heated insides shining until it closed its maw.

Volvagia shook its body, much like a wet dog, to rid itself of the rest of its hard, cooled skin and looked around for its Master. Upon seeing him, the large subterranean-lava dragon lowered its head down to him.

Link reached out and scratched Volvagia under the chin, the dragon closing its eyes and purring happily.

“How’s my little pet?” Link asked Volvagia in a soft, almost gentle voice that he never really used. “Are you hungry?”

Volvagia kept on purring.

Link took his hand from Volvagia and walked back to the Moblins, who were looking like they were in shock; clinging on the other’s arms.

“Well, gentlemen,” He said, putting one of his arms around the smaller Moblin’s shoulders and causing both Moblins to jump in fear; when Link did that, it only meant something bad. “You’re not much, but Volvagia needs a midnight snack every now and then.” He took his arm back and looked at Volvagia. “Have all the fun you want with them,” He said with a sly smile before turning and walking back to the stairs, lingering long enough near the cavern to enjoy the sound of their blood-curdling screams.

Juto


“Goddesses I hate him!” Dark Link roared, holding his clenched fists by his face.

He whipped around and stalked off in the direction he had left Sean in.

The entire forest was silent, possibly from the wraith’s anger. Sunlight shone through the trees and a light breeze blew, but still there was no sound. It was as if all woodland creatures had been exterminated, but every so often a bird or squirrel would move slightly in their hiding place.

Dark Link kicked a nearby tree with an explosion of splinters and moved on, leaving a large dent in its side; he occasionally cursed Link or some other person. The cracking of branches caused his to look up to see a Kargorok sitting in a tree slightly above his eye level. Its large talons sunk into the bark and it flexed its wings, to stay balanced, every so often.

“What are you doing here?” Dark Link asked, anger in his tone.

The Kargorok made a soft cawing noise in reply.

“The others want to know when? Tell them it’ll be awhile,” Dark Link said. “Nothing’s ready yet. These things take time.” He fell silent when the bird began to squawk a little. “He’s ready too?” The wraith gave a laugh. “Tell him he won’t be needed until much later. Despite anything he tells you, he’s not coming!” Dark Link’s hand moved to hold his left arm below the shoulder. “It’s too risky if he was to come now.” He put his hand back down at his side. “I know your kind is restless and impatient, but your assistance is not needed yet.”

The Kargorok bowed its head in acknowledgment.

Dark Link began to walk away, but stopped and looked back at the bird.

“And if you see Mekoh, tell him the next time he sees me will be his last.” With that, Dark Link turned back to his path and continued down it.

-------------------------------

Sean sighed and limply kicked at the air in front of him from his seat on a large rock. He aimlessly flipped his hand at his long, white bangs that hung almost over his eyes. Dark Link had run off somewhere a few minutes before and Sean hadn’t heard anything more of him; he had just vanished. Sean had no idea what was wrong, but all he had gotten out of that was it seemed that Dark Link was talking to himself. Whatever it was, Sean was sure it wasn’t anything really important, or anything he should worry about. He sighed again and noticed a red smoke had ceased coming out on his breath.

“Thank the Goddesses,” Sean said with relief, closing his eyes. “It was so annoying.”

He opened his eyes and looked nervously down at his right hand. He slowly pulled back the sleeve and looked sadly at the bandages. It felt like a curse to have that tattoo on his arm. There was no way to remove it and even if he lived long enough to become adult, he’d always bear this scar of his childhood. He placed his left hand on the knot and stopped. So badly did he want to tear off the bandages, yet at the same time he wanted to hide the mark from all eyes. Sean closed his eyes again, his left hand trembling on the fabric. The tattoo was beginning to burn slightly, like something red-hot reaching closer and closer, but as quickly as the burning had come...it was gone. Sean pulled his hand away from his arm and lowered the sleeve, opening his eyes.

“What was that?” He asked himself softly, not really expecting an answer.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sean saw something in the shadows of the massive trees. When he focused both eyes in the shadows, two small orange eyes stared back into his own. Sean gasped and scrambled over the rock to get behind it. He slowly peeked over the top of the rock to stare into the huge orange eyes of something sitting on top of the rock, right in his face. Sean gasped again and did a backwards crab-walk to get a better view of whatever it was.

All he saw was a fuzzy, black ball that had bright, shining orange eyes. The strange creature stared back at Sean, unblinking and causing the boy’s spine to tingle. Sean’s breath lodged itself in his throat when the black ball gently, and silently, bounced off the rock and up to Sean. The white-haired boy continued to back up until he was stopped by the huge trunk of a tree. With nowhere else to go, he sat stone still, not knowing whether this thing was friendly or not. He didn’t relax until the creature’s eyes softened in sadness and it made a sad purring sound.

“Are you okay, little guy?” Sean asked, picking up the strange creature.

In his hands, it felt soft and fuzzy, like the pelt of a cat. With the index finger on his right hand, he gently stroked the creature’s head, causing it to close its eyes and purr happily.

“You like that, huh?” Sean asked the little fluff ball.

It answered with a happy, “Kyuu!”

Sean laughed and continued to pet and nuzzle the soft little creature.

-------------------------------

Dark Link rested his forehead in his hand as he walked, closing his eyes momentarily.

“How the hell does he do that?” He asked to nobody, but himself. “He’s only a mortal and I’m a wraith. I should always exceed him in power and strength, but somehow he’s managed to exceed even me! How does that weasel do it!?”

Dark Link looked up as he entered the clearing where he had left Sean when Link had begun talking to him and immediately saw the boy cuddling a small black, fuzzy creature. A small smile played across his lips, an expression he rarely used, but even he thought the scene was slightly cute; that much he was willing to admit. He approached them both soundlessly and caused Sean to jump in surprise when the wraith placed his hand on the small creature’s head. The creature, with a loud “KYUU!!”, turned around and buried itself into Dark Link’s shirt. Dark Link simply sat down on the ground across from Sean and cradled the small furry ball in his hand; the little creature purring happily.

“What is that little guy?” Sean asked, sad that the creature had left him for Dark Link.

“He’s a Black Boe,” Dark Link answered, stroking the little Boe with his thumb. “His name is Juto.”

Juto rolled in Dark Link’s hand so it was leaning against his chest on its side, still purring.

“He’s been with me ever since I saved him from a Wolfos.” Dark Link paused. “That would’ve been when I first came here.”

“When was that?”

“Close to ten years now.”

“Whoa. Is he your only little friend?”

“Oh no,” The wraith answered with a smile Sean wished he had never seen and made the boy feel like a fool, “There are others, but they don’t hang around me.”

Sean gave a slight nod and there was a silence between the two. Dark Link stood up and Juto jumped to his shoulder, snuggling against the wraith’s neck and wrapped up in his black hair. Sean remained where he sat, watching Dark Link walk away, Juto on his shoulder. Dark Link didn’t really seem the type to have a humane side, yet when Juto was there, it showed itself a little. If he was so cold, then how could he have a friendly side? One that was like a normal human. Sean slapped himself. He had to stop asking himself all these questions. Just as being curious around Link would get him killed, the same was more than likely to happen around Dark Link.

Dark Link stopped at the edge of the clearing and turned his head enough to glance at Sean through the corner of his now malevolent red eyes. Upon seeing the boy scramble to his feet, the wraith turned his back on the boy once again and continued into the forest beyond.

Sean panted as he stumbled after Dark Link, every so often falling onto his hands from the momentum of all his weight going forward too quickly. He didn’t want to be left behind with Mekoh hiding anywhere nearby. The creature would definitely take him the next time they met. Sean tumbled through a bush and landed hard on the ground. He pushed himself up and shook his head, but that only gave him a headache. When he looked up, he saw Dark Link standing in front of him, smirking with his arms crossed. Sean’s heart sank and he let his head drop, feeling extremely stupid. He waited for Dark Link to snap at him, but the wraith only chuckled softly.

“How do you expect to stay off the menu with all the noise you’re making?” Dark Link asked, clearly enjoying the disappointment running through Sean’s mind.

Sean kept his head down.

Dark Link sighed. “You’re not under the protection of Lizalfos, Moblins, or even Link anymore,” He told the boy. “You’re going to have to learn how to defend at some point.”

Sean looked up, but Dark Link had already turned his back on him; Juto resting on the wraith’s shoulder. Sean looked off to the side, disappointment reflected in his eyes. His eyes shot back up when the wraith sighed.

“I don’t see what Link saw in you,” He snorted. “Either way, I can’t let you return to him.”

“What makes you think I want to go back?” Sean asked, his own eyes giving a flash of cruelty as he got to his feet.

“Link may not be the nicest person around anymore, but dying back with him would be so much less painful than dying here with me.”

Sean jumped at his last comment.

Dark Link smirked.

“Don’t annoy me and you’ll be fine for the time being,”

Sean tried to suppress the ever growing shivers that were racking his spine. Link and Dark Link truly were the same in temper, but their behavior differed slightly. Dark Link had a bit of a heart deep inside, but he suppressed it well, and whether Link was still human inside, Sean did not know. To him, they both were murderous monsters. How the world could cope with the two of them, Sean didn’t know and didn’t really care much.

Sean stood up, Dark Link having once again turned his back on the boy and walking away. This time, Sean walked quickly to catch up with the long legged wraith, his ice blue eyes burning from behind his white hair. Dark Link was right; he’d have to learn to defend himself if he wanted to survive. Sean never let his eyes leave the back of Dark Link’s head, but he let his ears wander to the forest around him. He dug the heels of his boots into the ground and pivoted to face his left, standing stone still. He had heard something that he didn’t like.

Dark Link turned around when he heard Sean scuff to a stop. The boy was staring at the underbrush, his face twisted in fear and eyes jerkily searching the foliage for an unseen threat. Juto stared off in the same direction that Sean was, giving a soft growl. Dark Link wasn’t surprised that the two of them had spotted something before him, but it didn’t take long for him to hear their stalker.

Dark Link grabbed the collar of Sean’s shirt and jerked the boy roughly into him as a large blur erupted from the bushes with a roar. The ground shook beneath the feet of the creature as it landed and turned to its missed prey. Its slitted yellow eyes glared at the white-haired boy and its silver fur bristled at its shoulders, saliva dripping from its jaws.

“A Gray Wolfos,” Dark Link muttered, smiling slightly as the wolf growled. “The largest not including the Artic Wolfos, am I right?”

The large wolf growled in return.

Dark Link moved Sean behind him, Juto jumping down to the boy’s shoulder.

“I always wanted to see how tough this version could be.”

The Wolfos bared its fangs, not too happy at the taller creature blocking its path to its prey. It pawed at the ground in frustration. It bent down, preparing itself for the pounce.

“Get into the bushes behind me,” Dark Link ordered Sean. “It’s sights are set on me now, so it may not see you leave. Juto, I want you to protect him if this mutt gets past me.”

Juto made its “Kyuu” sound and Sean dove into the bushes and fell immediately silent. Sean watched Dark Link turn his full attention to the Wolfos, who hadn’t moved yet.

“Well, well, well,” The wraith said with cold glee. “It’s just you and me.”

The Wolfos growled in reply.

“Since I’ll be killing you, I don’t want to have to clean my cloak of your guts,” Dark Link said, unclasping his cloak and letting it fall to the ground.

Sean blinked, staring at Dark Link’s back. His black clothes hung loose on his body, but Sean could see the wraith’s muscles ripple under the cloth. Dark Link looked so much more powerful without his cloak, but maybe he wore the cloak to hide his inhumane strength. Seeing Dark Link standing there reminded Sean of Link, who shared the same inhumane strength. Both were cold tempered murderers, getting joy from killing anyone in their paths. Sean snapped back into reality when Dark Link began to talk again.

“To put the odds a bit into your favor, I’ll drop my sword,” He said with a cold smile that was planning something.

Dark Link undid the buckle of his sword belt and dropped it to the ground with a slight metallic clatter. He then moved into a fighting stance and awaited the Wolfos’ next move.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve fought anything worth fighting and killing,” He said with sick delight, his tongue hanging slightly out of his mouth. “Don’t disappoint me.”

The Wolfos launched itself at the wraith with a roar, paws extended in front to shred its opponent’s flesh. Dark Link simply ducked from the claws, grabbed a giant forepaw as it came over him, stood, and swung the giant wolf into a tree.

The tree gave in to the Wolfos’ body and toppled over with a thunderous crash. Nothing moved past the wood dust of the giant tree, no sound came forth. Sean closed his eyes and sighed. When he began moving out of the bush, Juto pushed back on his ear, pleading him to stay put. Sean looked at the small creature and settled back down. All Sean knew that happened next was that the wolf erupted from the derbis with a loud roar and Dark Link simply jumped out of the way. Sean’s eyes darted around, trying their best to follow the blur of the wraith’s body gliding effortlessly in and out of the Wolfos’ reach; darting around the creature’s legs, causing its anger to rise to a boil. The wolf would slam its large claws into the ground where the wraith stood, but then he would appear somewhere else and the large gray creature would turn around and do it again. To Sean, the Wolfos seemed so slow as it went after Dark Link, but in reality, it was lightning fast and Dark Link was faster still.

The whole scene seemed to slow way down when Dark Link had leapt onto the Gray Wolfos’ back, holding on to its thick neck fur as it salivated and snarled.

“You’ve put up quite a fight,” Dark Link laughed, his eyes wide in crazed bloodlust, “but this is where it ends.” He lifted his right hand above the wolf’s head, all fingers straight like the end of a spear. “Lights out.” After he said that, he drove his hand straight into the Wolfos’ brain and through its lower jaw.

The Wolfos let out a quick screech of pain and staggered for a few steps before collapsing to the ground with a rib-cracking crunch.

Sean scrambled out of the bush, snapping twigs and having a hard time staying on his own two feet. After freeing himself from the bush, he straightened himself, took a deep breath, and sprinted over to the Wolfos’ carcass.

“Dark Link?” Sean whispered softly, trying to peek over the giant ribcage of the animal, but it was taller than he was.

He ran around to the wolf’s large head when Dark Link’s cold cackle entered his ears and sure enough, the wraith was leaning against the back of the large creature, untouched save for a blood covered arm.

“That was fun!” He laughed, uncaring of Sean’s presence.

Sean’s face slightly took the look of disgust, hating how Dark Link found entertainment. He looked nervously up at the dead animal.

“What do you plan on doing with this?”

Dark Link’s red eyes rolled in their sockets to look at the young boy.

“What would I do with it?” He asked, as if answering.

Sean shrugged slightly.

Dark Link stood up and walked around the Wolfos to his cloak and clasped it back around his neck.

“I could always eat it,” He said picking up his sword belt and replacing it around his waist.

Sean seemed to gag on his own saliva.

Dark Link smirked while fastening the belt buckle.

“But that would just bring more wolves.”

“I don’t want to see anymore of those!” Sean said, closing the distance between him and Dark Link incase the wraith decided to leave the boy in the dust again.

“The woods are full of them,” Dark Link answered. “We’re bound to run into this one’s pack.” He motioned to the carcass. “They’ll be catching wind of its death soon so we should get going.

Dark Link turned on his heel and continued down the path that they had been walking before the wolf had attacked. Sean had to jog to catch up.

“Shouldn’t you wash your arm off?” He asked, once at Dark Link’s side.

“Why? Wolf blood tastes so good anyway,” He answered, licking the back of his hand in a way Sean could compare to a starving carnivore with a newly found carcass.

Sean grimaced and looked back at the path in front of him, the forest closing back in around the pair and the sound of Dark Link lapping up the blood off his arm filling his ears. A shudder racked down the young boy’s spine, the sight of the wraith’s fangs in his mind. Dark Link for sure was no normal being; his lust for blood and strange appearance really set him apart, yet he looked exactly like Link and Sean could see many similarities between the two.

A soft purr and touch against his neck caused Sean to almost jump out of his skin and he saw Juto sitting on his shoulder, wrapped up in his frost white hair. Its flame orange eyes were sparkling in the sunlight that broke through the trees. Sean gave a small smile and stroked it with one of his fingers.

“We’ll be coming up on a village if we keep heading down this road,” Dark Link said after a time of silence. “I figure you might need some things from there.”

“Like food,” Sean blurted, almost too enthusiastically.

One of Dark Link’s fangs protruded from between his lips, licked clean of any blood.

“Like food,” the wraith repeated back in a dry tone. “I’ll never understand mortals,” He muttered, rubbing his forehead, “more less Terminians.” He looked back down at Sean. “But before we get there, something has to be done first.”

Sean did not like the way Dark Link grabbed his shirt, the gleam of the long sword glinting in the boy’s eyes.

The Death of Ganondorf


The Evil Realm. The realm that was once a sacred place before Ganondorf's tainted heart entered it. A dark crimson sky silhouetted a jagged mountain range; its tallest and largest peeks spitting out lava and quaking roars. The land was dead and barren; much like the fate Termina was suffering. The land crawled with faceless, shapeless forms; tortured and tormented souls of Hylians and demons alike. They thirsted for blood and hungered for flesh, all starving since they were all edible to each other as a rock was to a human. There as one that served as food, one that was not like they. It cowered in a heap on the ground, a holy light keeping the demons at bay. The light showed no signs of faltering, but still they waited.

Ganondorf lay on the ground, his body trembling from fear and instability. He had no idea how long it had been since he had tasted food of any kind or quenched his thirst with any fluid. His saliva did him little good, but he even had little of that. His strange colored skin clung tightly to his bones, his physical power disappearing long ago. His deep burgundy hair was slightly becoming a dusty gray and was beginning to fall out due to his rapidly failing health. The only thing that was keeping him alive was the power of his Triforce piece. It could not allow its carrier to die unless the situation was dire. To the piece, it was in no dire situation and so Ganondorf kept on living.

Ganondorf lifted his dying amber eyes. Thousands of pairs of golden eyes stared back from the shifting, dark, shapeless mass of bodies and claws that surrounded him, his piece keeping them away. The former Gerudo King lowered his head back to the ground and closed his eyes. He had no idea how long those monsters had been waiting, but they never left, nor slept; just watched. A sudden high-pitched screech of pain caused Ganondorf to snap open his eyes and use what remained of his strength to sit up.

Quite a distance from him, flailing bodies of demons flew through the air like they were being knocked aside by something. Ganondorf could not tell what was happening from his angle on the ground and soon the demons in front of him started to stir and break a path; a shadowed figure walking towards him, radiating with power. The symbol of the Triforce on the back of the Gerudo's hand began to shine and burn, like it did when another carrier was closing in, causing him to wince in pain. He clutched his hand, but the burning just got worse. Ganondorf looked up long enough to see a bit more of the figure that was approaching him. It was of a young man that wore a steel breast plate, steel armored boots, pants, and a cape. That was all he could see with his failing eyes. As the man got closer, the worse the burning in the Gerudo's hand became and he lowered his eyes. Eventually, the man's boots scuffed to a stop in front of the Gerudo man, who looked up and saw the man clearly, but still didn't know who it was.

"Ganondorf," The man said with a cold smirk and a tone to match. "How long has it been? Seventeen years I believe."

"Link?" Ganondorf asked, slightly in shock. "Is that that you?"

"The one and only," Link answered in a slightly arrogant way. "I'm surprised to see that you've lasted this long in this hell hole, however, that means nothing to me. You see, you've got something I need."

"I have nothing on me!"

"Oh, but you do," Link reached down and grabbed Ganondorf's weak and boney hand, holding it so he could crush it in one squeeze, "and it's right here."

Ganondorf looked at Link's strong fingers clamped around his hand, feeling slight malevolent pressure on his skin; their Triforce Symbols blazing.

"You can't take it," He whispered from the pain coursing in his hand.

Link looked as if he was trying not to laugh.

"Why can't I, old man?" The Hylian asked; harshness easily detected in his tone. "You are in no position to be telling me what I can and cannot do. I can see that the Triforce Piece of Power is the only thing holding you together. You are no longer fit for it and so it needs a new master."

"I will not surrender it to you! You're not the same Link as before."

"I was never any different." Link's face went dark. "You're just one of the many reasons my life was taken from me, but I don't really care anymore. Don't worry; you won't be the only Triforce carrier to die."

Ganondorf blinked at Link's words, not knowing what to make of them, and then Link began squeezing Ganondorf's hand ever so slowly; snapping each bone as slowly as humanly possible. Ganondorf felt his throat freeze up with the pain, too weak to produce no more than a ragged croak. Link's smile got more devilish every time one of Ganondorf's hand bones gave in to the steadily growing pressure. That was the longest time of the Gerudo's life; listening to his fingers snap apart. After every bone was crushed, Link repositioned his palm over the back of Ganondorf's hand and squeezed some more, harder and more violent than the first time. The former Gerudo King felt the burning sensation seep away from his broken hand and watched in pain, and horror, as the top triangle of Link's symbol began to glow as bright as the bottom right one. Link then dropped Ganondorf's lifeless arm while still smiling his devilish smile, but looked slightly satisfied.

"Your work for me is done," The Hylian said, flexing the fingers of his right hand, as if to rid it of stiffness. "Now you're free to rot away, from my life, and from history itself."

Ganondorf still found himself unable to speak.

"At a loss for words I see. The thought that a mere child from you past is going to kill you scare you? My, my. You must be weak then."

The roar of a Jaguar sent the surrounding demons into hysterics, yet they did not flee. Off in the distance, a familiar glowing shape snaked its way though the sky in Link's and Ganondorf's direction.

"Our time together ends here," Link said, taking a few steps back from the old Gerudo man. "So sorry you won't live to see me destroy the world of Hyrule." Link rose his right arm into the sky, palm extended upward. "Ciao."

As he said that last word, Volvagia's large taloned paw grasped onto Link's raised arm, pulled him up, and set him on its helmeted head as it zoomed by. Out of the corner of Ganondorf's eye, he saw a flash of light open a rift in the sky, the dragon flew through, and it closed behind the creature's glowing tail.

Sensing that the light barrier had vanished, the demons shrieked with delight. Their hunger would soon end. Ganondorf did not have any strength left to fight them off, more less move, as they closed in around him. He didn't even scream when they began ripping open what remained of his flesh on his weakened body.

------------------------------------------

Link was back in his quarters, sitting sideways in his favorite black chair. It was shaped like a throne with three large spikes on the top. The arms ended in dragon claws, each grasping a blood red orb. The back and seat were padded and a purple bird and red dragon, which were painted in the front on the bottom, were locked in mortal combat.

Link had removed his cape and tossed it onto the top of the chair and discarded his red sash to the floor. He lounged against an arm of the chair and held his right hand above his face, gazing at the two-third glowing symbol on the back. Already he felt his newly acquired power surging through his veins. He smirked and looked off to the side, running his fingers of his left hand through his golden hair.

"That was too easy. The white-haired boy could've easily done it." He put his hand down. "Like taking candy from a baby."

The Hylian's head snapped around when he heard the huge doors scrape across the floor; Lilith shyly peeking around the frame.

"Master," She said softly, "why did you kill him?"

"Who?"

"The Gerudo man," She replied. "Why?"

Link smiled his arrogant smile and motioned with his finger for her to approach him; slowly, she did.

"What is it to you?" He asked when she was close.

Lilith was silent for a few moments.

"He-he's a Gerudo...like myself," Came her stuttered answer.

Link gave a short, soft, laugh.

"So quick are you Gerudos to abandon one another in times of dire danger, yet get angry at those who kill the stragglers." He looked at her through the corners of his deep blue eyes. "That man was a straggler. I now hold more power in one of my little fingers than he could ever dream of having. There's no room in this world for the weak."

He stood up, putting only a short distance between his body and hers. As quick as lightning, his right hand clamped itself onto the Gerudo's throat; Triforce symbol blazing with a soft electrical hum in the air.

"In one squeeze, I can shatter your vertebrae and force your windpipe into the broken bones. Quick? Perhaps. Painful? You won't feel anything like it ever again." He felt Lilith swallow under his hand. "Are you trying to tell me that you are weak, Lilith?"

"No, Master," She answered, fear clear in her eyes. "I would never do that to you."

Link gave a slight smile and removed his hand from her throat, a mild compression mark left behind. Lilith gently rubbed her neck, grateful that he had not squeezed. Her heart skipped several beats when Link grabbed her by the chin and turned her face towards his. The Gerudo's face flushed, despite the fact she didn't like him, but he was making her feel nervous. Link leaned over to kiss her, but his lips barely touched hers when a knock on the open door sounded and Reo peeked in; his own face flushing when seeing Lilith and Link standing as close as they were.

Link stepped away from Lilith and his cold eyes locked onto the Zora, sending shivers down Reo's spine.

"My Goddesses I'm sorry, Master," Reo said when he found his voice.

"Shut up," Link growled back.

Reo jumped slightly.

"It's just that I saw door open and I was wondering why-"

"I told you to shut up!"

Reo bit his lip and stayed silent.

Link walked several steps away, his back to both, putting his hands on his hips with an annoyed sigh.

"At least you knocked," He muttered. "I'll give you that much credit."

"Thank you, Master," Reo whispered, but bit his lip again when Link glared at him.

"You're damn lucky I haven't killed you yet," Link muttered under his breath.

Rep simply lowered his head, not making a sound. He lifted his head when Link began to speak again.

"Lilith. I want you to bring me Suto," He ordered. "I would like to talk to him."

"Yes, Master," Lilith said, giving a small bow and moving for the door; a wave of relief washing over her body.

"Reo will make sure you get there and back safely. Won't you, Reo?"

Reo nodded, not too sure if talking was the answer Link was aiming for. He somewhat relaxed when Link averted his eyes from him.

"C'mon, Reo," He heard Lilith whisper and felt her soft touch on his arm, urging him into the hallway. Slowly, he turned from the door, following the Gerudo down the hall; Link watching them leave with great interest.

------------------------------------------

"Did you hear what he said to me?" Reo asked when they were a safe distance away from Link's door. "He threatened to kill me!"

"Let it go, Reo," Lilith answered. "We'll get out of here soon enough." She paused. "Maybe we'll catch up with Sean."

"He is just a young boy. How far could he get?"

"From what I heard, he was found by someone Link absolutely hates and it seems he won't fight this person."

"That's good for Sean then. At least he'll be safe for the time being." Reo fell silent for a moment. "Why is Link going to waste his time with a young boy?"

"I don't know," Came Lilith's answer, "and I think we shouldn't pry."

"I guess you're right," Was the Zora's sighed reply.

They continued the rest of the way in silence and at the top of the stairs, Reo felt Lilith's fingers entwine with his own and she held his hand as they descended the steps.

White Hair


“Damn it! Get back here!” Dark Link growled, grabbing Sean by his hair and dragging the boy towards him.

Sean yelped in pain when his hair was tugged savagely in the wraith’s grasp.

“I won’t cut off it all! Just your bangs so no one can see them!”

“You don’t need to use your sword!” Sean yelled back, eyes watering up with fear.

“Would you prefer I ripped it out of your scalp?”

“......No...”

“Then come here,” Dark Link ordered sternly.

Sean slowly scuffed across the ground and sat down in front of the wraith.

“Why are you cutting my hair?”

“We’re going into a village that’s down here somewhere. If you’re not going to eat anything I kill, I’ll get you some food from them instead.”

“But why cut my hair?”

Dark Link got down on his knees, holding his drawn sword in his right hand, and got uncomfortably close to Sean’s face.

“Let’s just say that your hair color won’t go well with them.”

“Why?”

Dark Link pulled away from Sean’s face.

“White hair is not a good color to have around here, more less anywhere for that matter.”

“Why?”

“Shut up or I’ll take out one of your eyes!”

Sean sucked in his breath and fell silent, but spoke again, causing Dark Link to have the urge to slice off the boy’s head.

“Why doesn’t anyone like white hair?”

Dark Link’s eyes flashed with thought of seeing the boy’s blood spill from his slashed throat.

“Not now damn it!” He hissed though clenched teeth.

Sean fell silent.

“I’ll tell you some other time, but right now I want you to shut your goddamn mouth!”

Sean gave a slight nod, seeing the wraith’s thoughts swirl in the red eyes; blood, pain, and death.

After a slightly entertaining session of Dark Link trying not to stab Sean in the head, Sean’s bangs had been trimmed down so that it appeared he had none at all. Dark Link had sheathed his sword and had distanced himself from the boy to cool himself down and vent out his anger at something else. Sean had stood and was pawing at his now missing bangs, missing the long ones badly. Apart from that, thoughts of why people didn’t like white hair swirled in his mind. His father and uncles hadn’t cared at all and didn’t discuss it. Nobody in the camp had. ‘Old people have white hair and nobody cares.’ Sean thought to himself. ‘Why would it be any different for me?’ A soft touch on his leg brought him out of his thoughts and he looked down to see Juto pressed up against his pants. He reached down and picked up the Black Boe, petting its head as it purred. Sean smiled a little, but stopped when a certain sound came from his ears from the earth. He dove to the side, and rolled, just as a bleached white, rotting hand shot through the dirt; just missing his leg. Dark Link was on the hand before Sean even knew the wraith had moved.

“Mekoh!” Dark Link yelled, smiling in sick delight and constricting the arm viciously.

A muffled screech sounded from in the ground and Mekoh’s full body came forth; cowering in a tight ball. By then, Dark Link had dropped the hand and had grabbed Mekoh’s two stubby arms and pulled them as far out as they would go without coming off. He had planted his right black leathered boot onto Mekoh’s chest with his knee bent, threatening to extend his leg out its full length and rid Mekoh of its small arms. The Dead Hand’s eyeless face seemed ridden over with shock.

“I told you to leave, Mekoh,” Dark Link said, his face an expression of delight in another’s pain and fear, “but you didn’t listen.”

Mekoh made a protesting screech and Sean could hear the leather of Dark Link’s boots and pants flex as the wraith straightened out his leg slightly. Sean noticed the skin on Mekoh’s arms stretch as if it were going to tear.

“Never assume anything I say, you worthless excuse for an UnDead monster! I don’t understand why no one has killed you yet.”

Mekoh whimpered.

“Don’t go begging for mercy! I saw what you were trying to do! You were trying to take Sean again!”

Sean blinked. How did Dark Link know his name when he never had told him?

Mekoh started to say something, but the wraith silenced him.

“Don’t tell me you’ll be good now! I’ve given you enough chanced to prove you’re trustworthy!”

“Kyuu...”

“Stay out of this Juto!”

The Black Boe shuddered in Sean’s arms and buried its face into the boy’s shirt.

Dark Link’s cold red eyes bored back into Mekoh’s eyeless sockets.

“For quite awhile now I’ve wanted to inflict Nayru forbidden pain on you!” He smiled coldly. “It’s not like you’d die from it anyway, but it’ll have to wait for another time.” In one swift move, Dark Link straightened his leg, sending Mekoh backwards with the loss of its front arms. Dark Link then tossed the dismembered limbs aside and stormed off away from the UnDead creature.

Sean kept his distance from the lifeless limbs, not seeing them bleed like any normal wound. No blood poured from the wrenched apart flesh and that disturbed him somewhat.

Dark Link gave a sigh, breaking the silence that had settled the clearing after Mekoh had left.

“C’mon, kid,” He said, motioning for Sean to follow him. “I’m not going to waste anymore time here.”

Sean quickly got up and ran over to Dark Link, wanting to be in his safe presence with Mekoh being not too far away. Giving one final glare to where Mekoh had disappeared, Dark Link turned away and continued down the path he wanted to have already walked without Mekoh’s interference. The Dead Hand had taken Dark Link’s hint and vanished underground to replace its arms in peace.

Sean jumped when Dark Link grabbed him by the arm, pulled him close, and stopped walking. The wraith dug in his pocket until he pulled out a small stretchable band. He then turned Sean around and began gathering all of the long locks of frosty hair behind the boy’s head.

“What are you doing?” Sean asked, slightly confused.

“Tying your hair back,” Dark Link answered, the band apparently clenched in his fangs. “It’ll keep you out of trouble when we’re in town.”

Sean kept silent, still wondering what was so bad about his white hair. He shook the thought from his mind and allowed Dark Link to finish.

Soon the tugging on his white hair ceased and Dark Link had stepped around to Sean’s front, bending down to see him clearer. Dark Link’s eyebrows rose in what seemed like amusement and Sean thought he saw the edge of the wraith’s mouth twitch up in a small smile, but it faded so quickly that Sean wasn’t entirely sure he saw it.

“You look like a little girl,” He said, Sean thinking he heard a laugh get caught in the man’s throat, fighting to free itself, “not that it’s much of an improvement anyway.” He concluded he comment by patting Sean on the head and straightened himself.

“Little girl?” Sean repeated, his face twisted in confusion and dislike.

Dark Link said nothing and continued down the path, Sean running to catch up.

“Just what is so wrong with my hair?” The boy asked again once he caught up.

The wraith didn’t reply right away.

“You hair color on someone your age is disliked. I’m going to leave it at that.”

Sean could tell that Dark Link would say no more and so he didn’t pry any further.

A silence settled over them both as the pair traveled down the path. Birds chirped softly in the canopy of the trees, sunlight dotting the shaded ground. The air was cool, comfortable on the skin and pleasant to the lungs. Sean still found it wondrous how a place could be so beautiful compared to the wasteland he had gotten so used to seeing. The wasteland made it seem that there was no longer any beauty left in the world, but Sean had found that to be false. Now he felt that he could never go back to Link’s fortress ever again, but then a thought occurred to him that he hadn’t thought of since his escape. Suto! Sean cursed himself mentally. How could he forget about his only good friend? The boy glanced up at Dark Link. Wasn’t Dark Link his friend? Could he be trusted? Sean wasn’t sure yet, since he hadn’t been with Dark Link that long. So far the wraith had saved his life three times. Wasn’t that enough?

“Damn,” Sean muttered under his breath, holding his head in his hands as he walked.

Dark Link looked down at him, looked back up, but said nothing.

‘Oh Suto! How am I supposed to save you!?’ Sean yelled in his mind, as if his friend could answer him. ‘How can I save you when I can’t even protect myself!? I promised I’d come back to get you! Oh Farore, I’m sorry!’

Dark Link snorted. Obviously the kid was going through some mental stress and he decided to just stay out of it. ‘He’s putting himself in pain. No need for my assistance.’ He thought to himself.

Silence in the mind soon took both beings over, minds as empty as Link’s cursed wasteland. They walked until the passage of time was forgotten and Sean couldn’t walk another step.

Seeing that Sean wasn’t going to move, Dark Link picked the boy up and set him under a tree off of the road. Juto appeared from the shadows and nestled down in Sean’s lap.

“Stay here,” The wraith ordered after putting the boy down. “The town isn’t too far from here, but I will not let you waltz in there the way you are. By the time I return, you should be rested up.” Without another word, he strolled away; his cloak billowing out behind him as he pulled the cowel over his head.

Sean rested his head against the tree trunk, sleepily watching Dark Link go. When the man was out of sight, the boy let his ice blue eyes drift back to look dead ahead of himself; eyelids half closed. He was so exhausted from tying to keep up with the pace Dark Link had set for their travel. The wraith seemed to prefer quick travel and leave those who lagged behind.

Sean’s eyelids then became too heavy and he let them drop shut. Quite a bit of things as happened in just one day and they had taken their toll on the young boy. He began to drift off to sleep when a thought of the Wolfos that might be tracking him came to his mind. Sean immediately calmed down and relaxed.

“If they find me,” He whispered, “the find me.”

He inhaled deeply, something like a half yawn, and his head fell slightly to the side when the strength in his neck muscles vanished. The only other movement he did after that was to move his hand to cradle Juto’s soft body when the small creature moved to curl up on the boy’s chest.

Woodfall

A red-haired man was bent over the small crop square he was tending; just one of many that supported the town. He straightened his back, resting an arm on the handle of his rake, and wiping the sweat from his brow. He risked a glance up at the sun; it was beginning to set, signaling the end of work for the day. He let out an exhausted sigh. He should be returning home soon since his work was finished.

He pulled his rake from the dirt, but before he could turn around to go back to the village, a strangely tall and dark shape detached itself from the shadows of the thick forest. With a look of curiosity on his face, the man watched the shape closely as it approached him. Eventually, he saw the shape take the form of a man wrapped up in a black cloak.

“Barron, c’mon!” Someone yelled from the path that led back to town. “It’s time to go!”

“Give me a few minutes!” Barron shouted back, his eyes still locked on the dark figure.

The person that had shouted to him shrugged and sprinted down the path, Barron turning momentarily to watch him go. He jumped in suprise when a large shadow suddenly overtook him and a forbidding presence chilled his spine.

“Is this Woodfall?” A cold voice asked, Barron slowly turning around.

The black cloaked man towered over him, raven black hair only slightly falling from the cowel; the rest of the face in shadow. Barron could feel the man’s eyes bore down on him and he thought he saw their faint red highlights in what little light got past the thick shadows.

“Yes,” He answered slowly; voice full of fear, “this is Woodfall.”

“Funny,” The man replied, though he didn’t sound amused at all. “I was expecting a swamp.”

“The old Woodfall was destroyed ten years ago,” Barron explained, “along with Clock Town and most of Termina.”

“I see,” Muttered the dark cowel, though it seemed he knew much about it. “I simply need to pick up something in town and then I will be on my way.”

Barron didn’t make any objections when the dark figure pushed by him and headed for the town; black cloak billowing in the dust of the path. He felt worried about having that man walk into town, but another feeling told him to keep to himself and say nothing. Barron gave the figure a worried look and set off down a different path into town.

---------------------------------------------------

Sean fluttered open his eyes to have the morning sunlight peek back at him through the trees. It took him a few seconds to realize that something was on him. He rolled onto his back, from his side, and saw that some kind of blanket was on top of him. He was slightly confused about where it had come from and then almost jumped out of his skin when he heard Dark Link’s voice from another side of the tree.

“You’re finally up, are you? I’ve never seen anyone sleep as long or as deep as you before.”

Sean didn’t know how to reply.

“I guess you slaves didn’t get much sleep back at the fortress, huh?” He gave a sigh. “Link must enjoy seeing you work the crap out of yourselves. Just to stay alive. If you don’t die at Link’s hand,” The wraith gave a short amused laugh that startled Sean, since he wasn’t expecting it, “you’d die of exhaustion.”

Sean heard Dark Link’s clothes rustle as he stood up and he walked around the tree to Sean.

“Either way, you’d die,” The wraith continued, red eyes flashing with the thought of death. “Maybe your leaving actually did yourself a favor, but I’m not saying I’ll keep you from getting killed. If you want your life, you must keep it from those that wish to steal it from you. Kill or be killed. You decide.”

Sean nodded weakly, words failing him.

“At any rate,” Dark Link began again, “put on that cloak I bought you.”

Sean looked back down at what he originally thought was a blanket.

“It’ll hide your hair from the locals, but know this!” His face darkened. “If they find out about you, I just might have to kill you. Remember, you’re only traveling with me so Link cannot get his slimly paws on you for what you are!”

That last sentence hit Sean hardest where it hurt most. That told him that Dark Link didn’t care about him; just like Link.

Dark Link saw Sean’s face relax to what looked like slight shock; it almost made him laugh.

“Why do you look so surprised? Don’t tell my you didn’t know that you were, and still are, nothing more that a pawn in Link’s plans for Termina. I will tell you here and now that if you were a normal Termian, Link would’ve killed you on sight.” Dark Link paused to let his words sink in. “You’re breathing right now. What does that tell you?”

Sean didn’t say a word, but his eyes answered for him.

I am not normal.

Dark Link gave a slight smirk in recognition of Sean’s answer.

“Get up and put on that cloak, right now,” He ordered, patience wearing thin.

Sean slowly stood and wrapped that cloak about his small body and fastened the clasp at his throat. At this moment in time, blocking his body away from the surrounding world felt good. He felt cold inside and the environment just seemed too vast for comfort.

Dark Link walked over to him, pulled the hood over the boy’s head to hide his hair, and gave Sean a push so he would move. He knew that the boy was feeling horrible and he didn’t care. All he had done was say the truth and in this case, the truth was a blade sent to the chest. If Sean wanted to mope right now, fine. Dark Link would let him. The boy would just be silent and do as he was told. It just worked out for the better for the wraith.

Sean forced his feet clumsily forward, Dark Link’s hand on his shoulder to keep him moving. His mind felt numb, just like the rest of his body. Nobody cared about him for who he was, only for what he was; a “what” he wasn’t sure of. He was just being used for an unknown purpose.

He exhaled softly through his nose. He could live with it. After all, hadn’t he lived with it for five years already? Well, he hadn’t known about it then, but now, he had no choice but to do what Dark Link told him. That shouldn’t be too hard since Dark Link never asked much of him anyway. His ice blue eyes stared blankly ahead, his body as clueless to its surroundings as a zombie, but his mind was active and thinking.

As the boy continued to think, he remembered the only still living person who treated him nicely . . . Suto. Suto was his best friend and would never do anything bad and would never try to hurt him. Reo and Lilith were others who had treated him friendly; warned him of different dangers, but Sean didn’t know them that well and so shook them from his mind.

“Remember,” Dark Link’s voice sounded in the quiet atmosphere, “keep your hood over your head and stay silent.”

Sean gave a weak nod.

“The people seem friendly enough, but are pretty edgy, so stay close.”

Sean nodded again, listening intently.

“Try to help keep our time there quick. Don’t talk to anyone.”

Sean nodded once more, not feeling like speaking.

Dark Link seemed to acknowledge Sean’s answer and removed his hand from the boy’s shoulder.

Sean continued walking on his own, Dark Link following slightly behind. Dark Link had been correct in saying that the town wasn’t very far because the trees began to thin and shrink as they approached the edge of the woods. As they continued, Sean took notice to the trees seeming to recoil back in terror and shrivel up and die, the closer the edge came. Soon, the trees were no more.

Sean blinked in the sudden sunlight and shaded his face with his arm. Dark Link didn’t appear to be effected by the change in light, but then again, his face always seemed encased in shadow when he wore his hood. A shiver found its way down the boy’s spine, but he kept going forward.

He lowered his arm as his eyes adjusted and he saw the farmland that had been forcing the woods back. Though it seemed huge, it was small compared to those that supported cities.

“Just play along with what I say,” Dark Link said as he and Sean walked the paths that ran though the fields. “There’s no need to make this harder than it has to be.”

Sean nodded; his throat still not accepting words.

Dark Link didn’t seem to care that his young charge was currently speech disabled. Normally, he would have continued on his way without even giving Woodfall a second thought, but now, he had a child with him and he had to care for it whether he wanted to or not.

Sean forced a cornstalk out of his way, the hood of the cloak falling back from his head. He hastily replaced it, the stalk snapping back upright after his passage; Dark Link noiselessly coming to stand behind him.

“And I mean what I said,” His cold voice whispered, dark cloaked body moving forward, “so you better watch it!”

Sean’s body seemed to freeze over for a few moments before he followed the wraith. Did he really mean it? Sean prayed to the Goddesses he didn’t.

---------------------------------------------------

“Welcome to Woodfall or a newer version anyway.”

Sean glanced up at the person who was welcoming them, ice blue eyes shining in nervousness. Dark Link remained a black spire on the sunlit path.

“We’re only here to pick up a few things for our journey, and then we’ll be off,” Dark Link’s low voice said from within the cowel.

“Stay as long as you like,” The greeting person replied, giving Sean a sudden pat on the head.

Dark Link reached back and jerked Sean towards him so the boy could follow. Being sure his grip was tight, he dove into the crowd of people walking the streets.

Sean was bonked around by the jostling bodies, but Dark Link’s grip never faltered. Soon they were through the worst of it and Sean could relax. People were still everywhere, but the crowds weren’t as thick.

Dark Link released the boy’s wrist and flexed his fingers as if the circulation had left them.

“Entrance gates are always a pain,” He muttered; Sean sitting on the ground, rubbing his wrist. “No matter though.” His red eyes locked on Sean. “Follow closely.” With that, he started to walk away.

Sean leapt to his feet and dashed after the wraith; one hand holding the hood on his head.

He took some time to glance around at all the people when he was in the safe presence of Dark Link’s body. There were a lot of people in a town that was less than ten years old in existence and a majority of them were adults.

“Why are there so many people here?” He whispered; his voice finally free.

Dark Link didn’t even acknowledge Sean’s voice.

“They’re all survivors from Clock Town,” He answered flatly, “as well from other smaller villages; such as yourself.”

Sean sunk deeper into his cloak, wanting to simply disappear. He was getting sick of this world, sick of what he was. Whatever this “what” was, was known to all but him. That was just sickening to the boy. He had to get away.

His thoughts were shattered when Dark Link’s powerful fingers wrapped around his arm and pulled him into step with the wraith.

“I’m going to go pick up what you’ll need,” He said, halting his stride. “We can leave faster if I do it myself. Stay here until then, and don’t let anyone get close to you.”

Done with stating his instructions, Dark Link melded into the crowd of bodies and vanished.

Being sure that Dark Link was far out of sight, San began to back up from the street. Careful that no one had taken an interest in him; he turned around and ran into a nearby alley. Once there, he flopped onto the ground, resting against a wall.

The boy’s breathing was quick, his body alive with the thrill of escaping. Even though Dark Link would surely protect him and keep him safe, the wraith was so much like Link that Sean’s innards twisted up and caused him nauseating pain. He let out a sigh and pulled the hood from his head, closing his eyes.

What was the point of hiding his hair? Wouldn’t he be ratted out eventually regardless? Was the color of his hair supposed to control his life? Seemed that way. Be feared . . . be hated . . . be used. That was to be his life and all because his hair was white.

Soft footfalls reverberated off the alley walls into Sean’s ears. Instinctively, his hands went back and tugged the hood over his frosty hair; his eyes searching for danger. Sean’s body trembled with fear, his lungs forcing more air out than they were taking in. Had Dark Link discovered that he had disobeyed and was coming to punish him? Kill him? Sean whimpered with the thought.

Much to his surprise, and relief, the person that peeked around the corner was no more than a girl.

She was about his age and wearing a simple dress that most girls of her age wore. Her hair, just like his, was an unusual color; it was a navy blue so dark that it appeared black. Her eyes were a sparkling green, a green that reminded Sean of someone he valued more than anyone.

“Who are you?” Sean demanded, a little harsher than he had intended.

The girl shivered from his tone.

Sean relaxed the muscles in his face since they had twisted into a scowl; instinctive for protection against strangers.

Upon seeing the boy’s features soften, the girl took a step into the alley.

“My name is Renn,” She answered. “I saw you run into the alley and I wanted to see what was wrong.”

Sean glanced momentarily off to the side. It seemed logical enough. He shifted his weight forward and used the wall to help himself up. Unknowingly, with his body going forward, strands of his white hair freed themselves and dangled from his hood; light glistening off of them.

Renn’s eyes widened when she saw white hair appear out of the boy’s cowel.

“W-wh-wh-wh . . . You-you have wh-white hair!?” She stammered, eyes trembling with fear.

Sean, at first, was confused until he felt long strands of his hair touch his face. He gave a sigh and stared at the ground; glancing up at Renn through lowered eyebrows.

“Yes,” He answered flatly. He reached back and tore the hood from his head, revealing his hair to her, “I have white hair.”

Renn took a step back, body shivering in a non-existent chill.

“Why are you scared?”

“I can’t say,” Answered the girl.

“Why?”

Renn didn’t answer right away.

“They said he would come back and lay waste to the people who hurt him.”

Sean was greatly confused.

“But you’ve never hurt me,” He said, trying to calm her, “and I’d never hurt you.”

His words did little, but Renn seemed more relaxed.

“Please,” Sean continued, “why are you scared of me?”

“What is your name?”

“My name?”

“Yes.”

“Sean. My name is Sean.”

Renn looked extremely relieved.

“Your name is not the same as his,” She said, hand clasped over her racing heart.

“Who?”

“I cannot say. To speak his name would bring our demise.”

Sean was even more confused that before and was about to ask her to tell him who she was talking about, but Renn seemed to shove it all aside and give Sean another try.

“What brings you to Woodfall?” She asked with a very familiar smile.

“I’m traveling with . . . err . . . my father,” Sean replied. “He’s just picking up some things before we leave.”

“Where are you going?”

“He hasn’t told me.”

Renn looked disappointed.

“You’re lucky you can leave this place,” She said. “One day, Link will find it and destroy it, like he’s done with so many other places.”

Sean was almost refreshed to hear hatred drip in her words when she said Link’s name.

“He’s a monster . . . a murderer!” Renn looked fired up; fists clenched as if to punch the sky away, but her body immediately sagged with sorrow. “But . . . but he cannot be stopped. So many have stood in his way and died horrendous deaths.”

Sean nodded. ‘I would know.’ He thought.

“It’s fate, I guess,” She said eventually. “Maybe it’s out fate to die here all of us in this town-“

“And everyone every where else,” Sean finished for her.

Renn looked at him curiously.

“There are only several groups of survivors outside of this town,” He explained. “Those that aren’t in those camps are either here, are dead, or are slaves at Link’s fortress . . . Like I was once.” He rolled the sleeve of his shirt away from his right arm. Renn glanced at the bandages covering his hand and arm.

“Under these bandages is a mark that Link put on me so I could be found, no matter where I go.”

Renn looked frightened again.

“What are you?” She asked.

“That’s none of your concern,” A deep calm voice answered.

Both children jumped and Renn ran behind Sean and hid.

Dark Link walked around the corner, his face still concealed in shadow; red eyes shining.

Upon seeing him, Renn gasped in terror and startled Sean when she grabbed his arms in fright.

“I told you to stay put, Sean,” Dark Link said, his voice like ice as he entered the alley, “so exactly this would not happen. Luckily for you, this girl did not end up running in terror from here screaming,” He added with a sneer.

Renn shivered as the air began to chill, pressing herself close to Sean for warmth; Sean getting extremely worried since Dark Link only used his name when he was severely ticked off.

“First you defy Link,” The wraith snarled, “and now you defy me. Link may be powerful, but I am a power to be reckoned with! A horrible mistake, boy, but I will not deal with you here.” His red eyes locked onto Renn, causing her to recoil in fright. “Say anything of this and life nor death will never accept you.”

In one swift movement, Dark Link had Sean —hood on the boy’s head— and vanished.

Renn remained on the ground where she had fallen when Dark Link had gone for Sean. Upon the wraith’s departure, the air had returned to its original temperature. She simple stared at the alley’s entrance, one hand holding herself up and the other holding her chest over her heart.

“Who was that dark man?” She asked herself. “Sean said he was traveling with his father . . . Could he be?”

Renn shook her head and stood, brushing off her dress.

“I guess I will not know.”

She walked back out of the alley and to the street. No one was acting like anything was wrong or anything different had happened. No cold air . . . or strange dark beings. She was relieved and scared for them at the same time. Renn began walking and headed for home. She wished, deep in her heart, that she would never see the dark man again.

Renn gave a small smile as she continued her trek home.

She wished, above all else, that she could see Sean again.

Chapter 11: Molgera

“Suto . . . Master has called for you.”

The reddish-brown haired boy turned his head to gaze at his visitors. He had separated himself from everyone else the morning of Sean’s departure. He refused to see anyone, say anything. He simply sat and stared at the wall, his back to the only door.

His golden-green eyes shone in the torch light of the hall —no torches were in Suto’s solitary room— with the whites of his eyes red from constant tears.

“He won’t come back . . . will he?” His soft voice asked.


Lilith walked over to him placing her hands on his small shoulders, trying to give him a little comfort.

“Sean has only been gone a little more than a day,” She answered; unwilling to tell the poor child the truth.

Suto laughed bitterly and pulled away from the Gerudo, walking to the side of the room farthest from her. “Somewhere deep inside me . . . it tells me he’s left me.”

“Don’t be so down on yourself, Suto,” Lilith cooed, trying to coax him to come to her.

Suto wrapped his arms around himself, shoulders hunched with his face at the wall. His jaws were clenched tight and he lowered his gaze from the black bricks, eyes closed.

“There are only two people who have ever truly cared about me,” He whispered, eyes opening slowly to stare at the floor, “and they are Sean and my father.” After saying so, his eyes watered up and he bit his lip; eyes shutting again.

“Come, come now,” Lilith said softly, remaining where she sat on the cot. “I know you miss them both, but we cannot keep Master Link waiting much longer.”

Suto gave a snort when Lilith said “Link”, but otherwise, walked over to her; willing to be led to the Evil Lord.

“I’m sure Sean is missing you terribly right now, but for his sake, Suto, be happy.”

Suto forced a bitter smile, but it was immediately swept off his face. He couldn’t be happy. Before, he could only be sad, but now he was to be only angry. Without giving the two adults a chance to catch him, he started down the hallway, ready to leave them both in the dust with his fast pace.

Lilith gave a sigh and glanced at Reo who only shook his head in response. She turned her head to look over at Suto, a defiant air in his stride. He did not want to go, but was not about to defy Link’s word. Lilith caught up in pace with Suto, he ignoring her presence; lost in his own thoughts.

“I had a little sister once,” The Gerudo whispered softly. “She was about your age at the time,” She gave a pained smile, Suto glancing up at her through uninterested eyelids, “and she was some what like you. Only three years ago, Link destroyed her body; his face covered in my younger sister’s blood, smiling in the sheer delight of it.”

Reo walked up to Lilith’s side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, making sure his arm fins were pointed away.

Suto watched the Zora try to comfort the Gerudo. Sean would have done the same if it had been him, perhaps his father as well . . . but his father had changed too much.

The trio walked in silence until they came across the doors that led up Link’s chambers on the upper level. The doors’ surface glistened in the torchlight, reflecting its visitors as if it were a dark mirror. A carving of Volvagia, in all its fiery glory, flowed across the black stone; deadly flames erupting from its toothless maw.

Lilith glanced down at Suto when they paused before the forbidden doors.

“It’s funny,” She said, gaining the boy’s attention, “but I see Gerudo in you.”

Suto blinked as if he had no idea on what she meant.

“Never mind,” Lilith said eventually and began to take a step towards the door.

The corner of Suto’s lip curled up in a silent snarl and he darted in front of the woman, blocking the way.

“Why did you say that?” Suto asked, standing defiantly between the door and Lilith. He would stop her himself if she tried to push past him.

“It will all be explained if you go up those steps,” Reo replied, much to Suto’s dislike, opening the doors that led to Death, “and I know you want to know. We both,” He motioned to himself and Lilith, “know about as much as you, and would like to learn more.”

Suto’s eye narrowed dangerously at the Zora and he turned in a huff, stomping up the stairs. How dare Reo talk to him like that; no one talks to him like that . . . no one.

Lilith and Reo glanced at each other, wondering if it was the right thing to go up those steps that so few have ever descended. Reo’s shoulders sagged with a sigh and, with a surrendering smile, motioned for Lilith to go up the stairs.

Suto could hear them following him, he growled; teeth gritting in anger. First Sean leaves and now this! Could his life get any more screwed over?

“What’s wrong, Suto?” He heard Lilith ask. She sounded concerned. Why would some like her feel concerned for a person like him? There was nothing about him that was wrong . . . it’s where he was going.

“Wrong! I’ll tell you what’s wrong!” Suto planted his feet down and pivoted on the large step to glare at the two people tailing him. “I don’t want to see my father! That’s what’s wrong!” Without even giving the Zora and Gerudo and chance to recover from his shouted words, he whipped around and continued up the stairwell.

“Father?” Lilith asked softly; slightly shocked by the boy’s tones and the words he spoke.

Reo didn’t reply, just as shocked as she.

“Does he mean . . .?” She didn’t finish the question.

Reo shrugged, pulling her up the stairs after the young boy. By the time they reached the top of the stairs, Suto was already in Link’s chambers; his young voice ringing off the walls.

“What do you want?”

“Is wanting to see my only son a crime?” Link asked in return, using his unearthly calm voice.

“I’ve gone through enough as it is! Having to see you is not improving anything!”

Link approached Suto, kneeling down to see eye-to-eye with the small boy.

“Go tell Reo and Lilith to quit hiding behind my door and to come in here.”

Suto’s golden-emerald eyes drifted to the door, watching the Gerudo and Zora slowly walk out from behind the door; staying close to one another.

“Don’t be shy now,” Link said calmly . . . too calmly.

Reo and Lilith came into the room as far as a little beyond the door. Link paid them no attention since it now belonged to his son.

Suto’s golden-emerald eyes drifted back to his father.

“What do you want from me?” He asked in a low, hateful, voice.

Link stood up, arms folded behind his back. With one of his scheming grins on his face, he walked over to the large central black table and leaned against it on his hip; arms loosely folded over his chest.

“I think the question is what you want from me,” Link answered slyly.

Suto’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“What would I want from you?” He hissed, wanting to leave more than anything else, to be back in his room of solitude.

“What everyone else wants, child . . . freedom,” The Hylian replied, once again moving his arms to a different position; left resting on the table near his hip and the right free to do as he willed. “Sadly,” He continued, “freedom is something I do not hand out.”

“You gave Sean his freedom!” Suto shouted. “Why can’t you do the same for me?”

“Sean escaped me, my son, and is now in the iron clutches of my dark twin. Free of me, he may be, but he is not anymore ‘free’ than you are.”

“If it’s freedom you cannot give me, why not tell me what I want?” Suto asked, in a tone almost identical to that of Link’s cunning.

Link smirked; almost highly impressed.

“You truly are my son, Suto,” He said, grinning dangerously. “Your mother would be so proud to hear those words pass my lips.”

“That’s just it,” Suto replied, an almost reflection of the Hylian man on a smaller scale. “Who was my mother? Lilith said that I looked a little like a Gerudo as they brought me here.”

Link’s dark blue eyes locked onto Lilith, causing her to shrink from under his glare. Satisfied by her fear, he averted his gaze back to Suto.

“I’ve tried to forget for ten years, but it was in vain.” Link’s bodily composure seemed as one of a person in deep sorrow (shoulders sagging without strength), but he was quick to cover it up and return to himself.

“Your mother,” He continued, “was a Gerudo woman by the name of Nita, a very beautiful woman I might add and a very sweet one too.”

Suto did not like the tone in Link’s voice, or where this answer was going to lead.

“I, you could say, acquired her from a Costal Village I once visited. Her sister and she were given to me if I spared the pathetic lives of the villagers.” He gave Suto a smile that made the boy’s upper lip twitch in disgust. “There was no downside to the deal, so how could I refuse? I took them both back with me,” Link paused, no longer needing to describe the matter.

Suto could read Link’s body language —the way he leaned against the table, chewing his thumb gently for a few moments— and hated the way the adult Hylian was smiling.

“You sick . . . “ Suto muttered, but Link didn’t seem to hear him.

“Within one year, your mother was my concubine, but then she died giving birth to you.”

The red light of the sun glistened in Suto’s eyes, a perfect match to his hatred; red shining in a thin red line across his narrowed eyes.

“Not quite what you expected?” Link asked, a smug smile on his face. “But then you’ll find that life is full of surprises and disappointments.”

Suto didn’t reply; fists clenched at his sides. His shoulders and arms shook with the rage that ran in his veins. Being the son of Link was bad enough, but to find that he was just the end result of pleasure between two people and caused the death of one made his blood boil.

“You’ve got Gerudo blood in your veins, kid. Live with it.”

“How . . . Why would you do something like that?” Suto forced the question out after a pause.

Link smirked and straightened himself, walking casually from the table.

“I’ve always thought Gerudo women were more attractive that Hylian women,” He answered with a casual, and arrogant, shrug of the shoulders; seeming full of himself.

“You’re disgusting,” Suto hissed venomously.

“Are you any different?” Link countered, spinning on his heel to face the boy; golden hair shining orange in the red light. “My blood runs in your veins as well. Don’t be so quick to judge me when you have a little of me within you.”

Lilith was standing close to Reo, arms holding one of his close, in terror. Her suspicions of Link had been confirmed, yet she wished that they had not.

“He’s worse than I thought,” She whispered softly, watching Link and Suto argue yet was not hearing their words.

“Everyone has their dirty secrets,” Reo replied, he too watching father and son verbally fight, “everyone.”

“Why did I come up here in the first place?” Suto demanded, arms in the air. “You’ve done nothing than causing me to hate you more. I should’ve thrown myself off a balcony when Lilith came for me!”

He turned to leave, but stopped when Link spoke.

“Did Sean tell you he was coming back here, before he left?”

Suto slowly turned around to face Link, who appeared to be examining his fingernails, but was probably finding an excuse to avoid looking at his son.

“Because if he did . . . “

“What are you getting at?” Suto asked slowly.

Link looked up from his fingers, a slightly dark —plotting— smile on his face.

“If you believed him, even for one second, you’re a fool,” Link answered smoothly.

Suto blinked, but otherwise kept silent; wanting to see what else his father was going to throw at him.

“Do you even know what he is?” Link continued. “He’s something even more shameful than you. Things like him cannot be trusted.”

It was a while before Suto could get words to form on his lips.

“Are you saying that he’s not coming back?” He asked; his malice melting off of his small frame like hot wax on a candle; now becoming the sad boy in the dark room, alone.

“Not only that, but he was simply using you for his escape. If he had felt any compassion for you, he would’ve taken you with him. Yet, here you stand before me almost two days after his disappearance.”

Suto’s bottom lip quivered, his cold bitterness becoming no more. He had just been stabbed in his weakest spot. With a wail, eyes squeezed shut, he ran over to his father; wrapping his arms around Link’s waist and pressing himself close.

Link, slightly startled by this, simply looked down at the little boy clinging to his pants. A faint sympathetic smile played across his lips and he placed a hand on Suto’s small shoulder.

“You’ve lost someone close to you, haven’t you, Suto,” He said softly, attempting to comfort the small boy. “I once lost someone too . . . “ He trailed off and gently pushed Suto off of him.

Suto looked up at Link, wiping his nose with the sleeve of his shirt.

“Would you like to know how to please you father?” He asked, walking away from his son and a good distance from the window.

Suto remained where he stood, but otherwise said nothing.

Link smiled, “I know you do.”

Suto didn’t reply, but a few more moments of being hammered by Link’s cold stare caused the boy to slightly nod his head.

In satisfaction, Link held his hand in the air in front of his face.

“Beat him,” He ordered and snapped his fingers.

A dark shadow suddenly overtook the window, a mighty blue eye gazing in at the small mortals. A taloned paw shattered the glass; grabbed Suto roughly, dragged him through the broken window frame, and bore him down the castle wall.

Lilith, now clutching Reo and him to her, watched the last of Volvagia’s muscular tail whip up and disappear with a terrifying roar.

“What are you doing!” She shouted. “You’ll kill him!”

Link walked casually to the broken window and picked up a large shard of glass.

“Volvagia is not much of a threat to my son,” He answered coldly, unworried. “Suto should be back in a few minutes, at the least.”

Lilith straightened herself and took a few steps towards Link.

“How can you be so cold? Your own son was dragged by his flesh out a window to the ground far below and yet you do not care!”

Link didn’t look at her, too enthralled with his glass shard. He ran his index finger up and down its sharp edge, red blood running down the clear smooth surface.

“Glass,” Link laughed under his breath, running his bleeding finger all over the shard, “so strong, yet so fragile.” His blue eyes darted up at Lilith. “It’s used for safety and yet can become deadly.” He held his blood covered finger before him and watched as the wound shone gold and closed up, as if it was never there.

Lilith glanced down at the glass shard as its sharp blood covered edge began to glisten as the glass began to move in Link’s grasp as his hold tightened on it.

“I’d get going if I were you,” Link hissed in a low tone.

“What about Suto?” Lilith protested.

“He’s no longer of any concern to you,” Link replied. “Out . . . now.”

Reo took the hint, grabbed Lilith by the arm (despite her protests), and dragged her out the door.

-----------------------------------------

Suto landed with a thud on the ground, coughing from the dust that had shot up his nose and into his lungs. He was on his hands and knees on the dry ground, trying to recollect what had just happened. His head was throbbing and he wasn’t entirely aware of his surrounds, but there was one thing he knew was there. A loud roar from behind brought him back into reality and he was up and running as fast as his body could take him. His hands were soon cut and bleeding from his constant tripping onto sharp rocks that littered the ground; plus the occasional bone. A new panic tore through his body, a panic far worse than anything he had ever experienced before, when the sunlight over him was suddenly banished by a large scaled body that he did not see.

The boy’s ears picked up the wheeze of the great dragon inhaling deeply, its flight so silent that he had not sensed its presence until it was upon him. Squeezing his eyes shut, Suto launched himself to the side as a wave of unbearable heat blasted the ground where he had been standing not too long before. The heat began to come closer to him and he was up and running again, the searing heat of Volvagia’s fire driving him mad.

Soon Volvagia ceased its fire and glided on ahead of the boy to cut him off, Suto looking up at the dragon’s glowing belly. With the dragon’s head turned away from him, Suto slid to a halt and took off in the opposite direction. He had absolutely nothing to fight the dragon off with and even if he had, he wouldn’t stand a chance. With horrible fright, the boy scanned the horizon looking for a place to hide; any place to hide. Much to his pleasure, he found some rubble and rocks piled up in what seemed like a small cave. Without a moment’s hesitation, he dove in.

Soon after he fell silent, the earth shook with the impact of Volvagia purposely landing hard to volt the boy into showing himself. Suto’s body felt the tremors, and he could hear, the subterranean-lava dragon driving its talons into ground and dragging its serpentine body across the dead dirt. Suto knew Volvagia was completely capable of moving without a sound and —Din knew how!— not even setting its surroundings aflame if it wished. The dragon was trying to scare him so he would flee.

Suto listened intently as the digging and scraping grew louder and stronger, him staying as still and silent as he possibly could. The sounds and tremors stopped and he knew that Volvagia was right on top of him now. The boy jumped slightly when he felt something move next to his hand. It was a cold, dry, scaled body. A bead of sweat ran down his face.

“Uh-oh,” He whispered and fell immediately silent.

Volvagia’s shadow blacked out the red sunlight and the cave went dark. The dragon began to hiss deeply with each breath, a sign that it was in extreme frustration. Its sky blue eyes scanned the barren land; the boy had to be nearby. Once it spotted the rocks, it lowered its mighty head and peered inside with one large eye. It saw nothing. With a deep throated growl, it brought its head back up and continued its search.

Suto was on the verge of wetting his pants, or he already had; he wasn’t sure. When the dragon had looked inside, his entire body had been drenched in a panic sweat, soaking his clothes. He jumped again when the scaled body returned and began to rub his arm and wrap about his hand. Suto glanced down and saw a large snake coiling about his arm. He felt his breath catch in his throat. His father had told him that the snakes that lived in the Wasteland were poisonous and one bite could kill a man in a matter of minutes.

He watched the snake for a few moments more and quickly grabbed its head. It let out a threatening hiss and Suto pulled it from his arm and threw it as hard as he could out of the cave. Once ridding himself of the snake, he realized the mistake he had just made and fell still with fear.

At the soft landing of the snake into the dust, Volvagia’s head snapped up and around to the small dust cloud. The boy was in the rocks, since snakes don’t normally fly from stones on their own accords. With the silence the dragon was known for obtaining, it slithered over to the rocks; coiling softly about them.

Suto watched several small rocks, and sand, fall down on top of him as the dragon’s deadly coils squeezed the large rocks. He had been found and there was no way he could escape this time. As he heard the dragon inhale, a sharp, hard, body pressed up against his and wrapped over him; taking Suto completely by surprise.

Volvagia slammed the rocks on top aside and released its fiery breath down on the boy. When the flames subsided, there was a charred black, spiky body that crumbled to ashes to reveal Suto curled up in a ball and unharmed. The dragon watched Suto look up, it looking back with eyes of hatred.

Suto jumped up and ran again as Volvagia once again inhaled, lighting the fires of its bowels. Flames licking the dragon’s lips, it released the hellish air in hopes of scorching the boy this time.

As his only means of escape from the fire, Suto launched forward into the ground; hoping the fire would pass over him. Much to his surprise, he was still moving and gaining speed though he was lying on his stomach. He risked a glance up into the dusty air and saw that he was riding on the back of some creature. Its body was brown and spiked, yet he was not hurt by them. Its jaws were the home of many long and needle sharp teeth that could not fit in its mouth. Its body undulated through the ground, like a dolphin’s body in water, going faster than any horse could possibly run. What got to Suto the most were the creature’s three sky blue eyes; one near the snout and two above it.

Behind him, Volvagia had taken to the air and was soaring after him. Suto looked back over his shoulder to see a fire ball making its way for the back of his head. He let out a yelp and the creature zipped immediately to the right; the fire missing them easily. Out of sheer terror, Suto grabbed onto the creature’s spikes and held himself close.

He glanced up ahead and about five more creatures, identical to the one he rode, dug themselves from the ground. Just as he passed, he saw them launch themselves upwards and heard Volvagia roar and almost fell off what he now believed to be a worm, when the ground shook after Volvagia slammed into it. The worm slowed into a turn and halted so Suto could see what was happening.

Volvagia was coiled up defensively and struck, like a rattlesnake, at the small worm creatures zipping about its large body. The small worms acted like dolphins as they leapt in and out of the sand, nipping at the dragon’s glowing skin. After having had enough, Volvagia inhaled and spat out a wave of fire, incinerating the five worms.

Before the smoke had even cleared, Suto’s worm spun around and zipped off at a break neck speed; Suto turning his head around long enough to see Volvagia erupt from the smog in chase. Suto grabbed the worm tighter and squeezed his eyes shut. His body was forced backwards, but he held on tight, as the worm shot off ahead of the dragon; filling the air with dust. It easily out distanced the dragon and halted abruptly, unmoving as the dust of its passage cleared.

Volvagia searched about in the dust for its prey and soon spotted it. Before the dragon got far, a dark blue tentacle shot from the ground and wrapped about Volvagia’s thin body and held it fast. Volvagia let out a shriek of surprise and whipped about to meet its new foe. Upon seeing what held it, the dragon released another wave of flame, but to no avail.

The ground beneath the dragon suddenly jerked upwards and then shot into the air in a cloud of dust and debris. Suto watched a shape rise from the dirt, the new creature’s head only a third of Volvagia’s length. Its mouth opened from a vertical part instead of the horizontal part that other creatures had; maybe this was the only creature with such a mouth. The mouth was opened wide, revealing long dagger teeth; the smallest only a length of six feet. Its small eyes were green on green with yellow pupils blazing in anger. A fin-like appendage hung from its chin, twin dorsal fins on the top. Two large fins stuck out from the sides of its face (away from the mouth and eyes) and gave the head the appearance of a large manta ray. The back of its head, and the rest of the body, were covered in spikes like the smaller worms, but the large one was tan splotched with a dark teal. The dark blue tentacle about Volvagia’s body was really the large worm’s tongue which, in its own power, was very strong.

Suto was in awe watching the huge worm dwarf Volvagia in size. The dragon seemed to be in some state of shock because it was doing nothing but stare at what held it.

The giant worm took advantage of this vulnerability and drew in its tongue and crunched its jaws around Volvagia’s thin body. Luckily, for the dragon, the worm’s teeth were stopped by its prey’s rock skin. Seeing that biting was not going to work, the worm closed its jaws around Volvagia once more and, with the dragon shrieking the entire way, slammed its head straight into the hard ground.

With the quake that followed, Suto tumbled off the small worm and flopped onto the dry earth. He sat up, shaking the dust from his hair, and looked around for signs of the two giant creatures. They were no where to be found, only air-borne dust just beginning to settle.

“Where are you?” He asked in a whisper.

As if in answer, the giant worm’s head exploded from the ground, Volvagia still clenched tightly in its jaws. With one swing of its large head, it tossed the dragon that landed in an eruption of dust and didn’t move afterwards. With a mighty exhale, dust flying from its gill slits, its head turned back to Suto to gaze at the boy with one eye.

Suto began to back up, but bumped into the small worm, who was watching him with triple blue eyes. Suto looked back at it and it turned its gaze to the large worm and then back to the boy. Suto glanced back at the huge worm which began to lower its massive head gently to the ground. The boy looked back at the small worm, which gave a nod, and dove under the sand as if it were water.

He looked back at the large worm and slowly walked towards it, since he had no other place to go. It remained as still as stone as he approached, save for its slow breathing through its gills. Suto kept looking up as he got closer to the large head, yellow pupil watching the small Termian.

Suto walked up to the side of the worm’s face, touching the knobbed, dusty, skin. It finally his Suto what the worm was doing. It was going to allow him to ride it. Suto grumbled to himself for not seeing it before. He walked along the side of the head, looking for a place to climb up. He found a few stray spikes near the base of the head and climbed up them as best he could. Once on top, he grabbed hold of a part of one of the dorsal fins, too scared to want to pass the wheezing gills.

“Can you take me home?” He called, unsure if the worm could hear him.

In response, the giant worm turned its head to the right and began to plow through the dirt; slowly gaining speed. The dry, dusty, wind whipped Suto’s hair back as he squinted in the attempt to see where he was going; the force of the worm’s movement almost knocking him off. He solved that by sitting behind the large fin.

Why had his own father sent Volvagia after him? What was his father planning?

He’d just have to wait and see.

------------------------------------------

Link paced back and forth through the shards of glass; enjoying hearing them crack as he crushed them beneath his boots.

“Where is Suto?” He asked, no one around to answer. “He should have been back long ago,” His blue eyes glanced out the window, “Volvagia as well.” Eyes narrowed, he looked away from the broken window and walked away from it.

“If you fail me, Suto . . .”

“My Lord, a large creature is approaching the fortress.”

Link turned to se Thade kneeled in the doorway.

“Is it Volvagia?”

“No, my Lord, this creature is ground-ridden,” The Lizalfos replied.

“Any sign of the dragon?”

“No, my Lord, nothing.”

Link gave a frown. “Send a few Moblins and Lizalfos out to find Volvagia before the Leevers do.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

Thade’s golden eyes glanced back at a lesser lizard behind him. With a nod, he sent it off to fulfill its Master’s orders.

“As for the approaching creature, let it be. It provides no harm unless its Master is threatened. Understood?”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Go make sure the guards know. Please return once that is complete.”

“As you wish, my Lord.”

“You are dismissed.”

Thade rose, gave a bow, pivoted, and walked briskly away; claws clicking on the smooth stone.

Tired of pacing, Link sat down in his black throne, lightly chewing on one of his thumbnails.

Where was that son of his? His patience was really beginning to wear thin.

A throbbing in his right hand caused him to glance down. The symbol of the Triforce on the back of his hand was pulsating with light in the rhythm of a beating heart. Volvagia must just be unconscious. It’d wake up soon and there’d be food waiting for it when it did so.

Several minutes passed, Link entertaining himself by drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair; foot occasionally tapping the ground in irritation. Suto was taking much longer than he had anticipated. Perhaps Suto had returned on this new creature; he’d have to wait to find out. The familiar clicking of claws caused Link to turn his head to the door.

“My Lord, the boy has returned via the back of a large worm-like creature,” Thade stated, giving a small bow before presenting Suto.

“So, you finally defeated Volvagia,” Link said, rising from his chair. “Impressive for one of your stature.”

“Why did you try to kill me?” Suto demanded, breaking away from the tall Lizalfos.

“Kill you?” Link’s face was one of pretend shock. “Why would I do anything like that? It was merely a test.”

“A test? A test?” Suto shrieked. “I was almost the main course of some open flame meal! That was no test!”

Link simply smiled patiently. “Not a test, you say,” He walked over to the wrecked window, watching the worm take a post by the side of the hill near where he stood, “but you passed with such flying colors. I’ve never seen a more perfect result.”

“Suto approached his father and looked out the window as well. “You mean that worm-thing?” He asked.

“Why of course,” Link replied. “It was to see which creature would rush to serve you. If it wanted you strong enough, it would protect you from the threat my dragon possessed.” He smiled. “It seems you’ve made a powerful ally.” He turned to his son. “Do you know who it is?”

Suto shook his head. All he knew was that it was a giant-aquatic-wannabe-worm.

Link gave a satisfied smile.

“You have just obtained the power of none other than the Master of the Earth himself, Suto. You have made an alliance with the great and powerful Molgera.”

Upon hearing his father speak the worm’s name, Suto felt the skin of his back begin to burn and crawl. It was painless at first, but it soon turned to fire; his very back beginning to steam. Suto tried his best not to cry out, but he felt like someone was pushing a burning branding rod into his spine, slowly twisting it. Unable to take it anymore, the boy spun around, the pain sending him off balance as he tried to get away from the window; unable to stand.

Steadily, the pain grew worse and worse; Suto’s eyes watering uncontrollably, the pain freezing his vocal cords. The fire burned through every vein of his small body; his ears and fingertips burning as much as his back. He felt as if Volvagis had swallowed him and he now resided in its molten bowels. To Suto, the entire room seemed to be aflame and he could not escape the heat or cool himself down.

His hands were strained and frozen, fingers bent like claws. He tore aimlessly at his shirt, unsuccessfully getting it off. Eventually his shirt found its way over the boy’s head with him letting out a yowl of pain since his shirt was beginning to melt into his back. He was on his hands and knees, tears streaming from his eyes and beads of sweat rolling off his skin. His entire body heaved up and down with every labored breath he took. His vision was blurred by the tears and sweat in his eyes and he blinked rapidly to rid himself of them.

The pain was gone.

Thick wisps of white smoke rose off his back, filling the air with the aroma of burning flesh. The silence following his scream was only slightly disturbed by the sizzling of the boy’s boiling flesh cooling down to normal temperatures. There was only one difference to his back.

A large silhouette tattoo of the Worm Lord was burned into his skin by magical means. Its large toothed maw gaped open wide as if to attack the nape of its Master’s neck. The spiked body coiled about the rest of the boy’s back and the finned tail finished just above his waist.

Gasping for air, Suto turned a sweat drenched face up in search of his father; lower jaw hanging limply, eyelids half closed. His surroundings seemed like a back blur mixed with red sunlight. Nothing made sense. He could only stare blankly.

“Hurts . . . doesn’t it?” He heard his father ask softly.

Link quietly approached his son. “I had the same thing happen, quite some time ago.” He sat down in his chair and began to undo two of the bands on his upper right arm.

Suto forced his head up to look at his father, his eyesight somewhat clearing, to see what he was doing. When Link pulled away the unclamped armor, he saw a similar tattoo on his father’s arm.

Volvagia’s mouth was open in a screech, clear eye glaring at its foe. Its fiery mane billowed over its neck, serpentine body coiled into a circle. It was also a black silhouette.

“All the Masters receive one,” Link explained quietly. “Every creature has a different crest that its Master bears and no two people will ever share the same crest. Once a creature chooses a Master, it remains that way until the day they draw their final breaths.”

Suto watched Link take one last look at the tattoo before it was once again covered by the armored bands. His elbows shuddered and finally his stamina broke —his branding having taken most of his energy from him— and he collapsed to the ground; his body occasionally giving a small spasm from the surging pain that had tore through his body not too long before.

Link slowly rose to his feet, approaching the small boy’s body at his own pace of leisure. He took the boy into his arms, cradling him much like how a mother would hold her infant child.

“You’ve been though such a terrible ordeal,” He whispered, talking to his son’s sleeping face. He gave Suto an apologetic smile that only the boy was allowed to see.

Careful not to disturb his son’s slumber, Link made his way to his bed chamber; which only a few had the liberty of entering.

“Yes . . . that is what you need,” link continued to whisper, placing Suto gently down among the silken pillows of the bed; tucking a black blanket around the boy’s small body. “Sleep is what you really need,” He said sitting on the edge of the bed, stroking Suto’s wet reddish-brown hair. “I’m sorry for what happened to you . . . I truly am.”

Through the entire ordeal, Thade had remained in the doorway, letting father and son complete their business undisturbed. When Link had vanished into his bed chamber, he slowly walked into the main room of his Master’s quarters; attempting to keep his claw clicking to a minimum. The eight-foot lizard knelt down and picked up Suto’s still burning hot shirt. Thade held the ragged cloth in both clawed hands, giving it a few shakes to aid it in cooling down. Silently turning, he made his way to Link’s bed chamber door. He’d return the boy’s shirt to his Master since he thought the boy may need it.

Chapter 12: Southern Swamp

“You fool!” Dark Link roared, his fangs adding to his forbidding appearance. “I told you to stay hidden!” He swung back-handed at Sean and sent the boy flying. His fingers closed around something that seemed like an invisible rope. What ever it was, it was held taunt and connected to the boy. “I didn’t request much, but something possessed you to disobey me regardless!”

The wraith swung whatever he held and a wide circle and threw it as far from him as he could.

Upon catching the boy with a local, Dark Link had grabbed him and taken him far from the town to deal with the delinquent. The forest trees surrounded the two as if the small area they stood was the only clear place in the entire forest. All woodland animals had fallen silent, not even an insect hovered above a flower. All had dispersed in response to the wraith’s rage.

Sean’s body bounced off the ground and he rolled to a scraping halt. He sat up on his hands and knees and was panting for air. His face was covered in scratches and bruises, as was the rest of his body. His ice blue eyes looked up at the wraith from under lowered eyebrows. His eyes were not filled with fear, but with hatred. The childish shine that normally illuminated them was gone and replaced with one of malice.

Dark Link could see the look in the boy’s eyes and knew it well. He had seen that look in his own reflection many times . . . the look to kill. There was no doubt in his mind that the boy would try to kill . . . and would be very difficult to stop.

Sean slowly got to his feet, swaying dangerously on his weakened knees. His arms hung limply at his sides, as did his head between his shoulders. He shifted his weight so his torso was bent slightly backward for balance, a some-what insane smile on his young face. A demonic air began to radiate from Sean’s body as he wiped the blood off his face, from his bleeding mouth, with his sleeve.

Dark Link was taken slightly aback from the boy’s sudden aura change. It unnerved him a bit. He cursed himself when he caught his leg moving to take a step backwards. Why was he feeling fear from a mere child? Dark Link suddenly smiled to himself. It had just hit him as to why and now he simply stood his ground.

“You want to kill me, don’t you?” He taunted coolly. “You want to feel my blood spill on your skin—hear my flesh tear.” He smiled; unafraid. “That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

Sean’s cold eyes simply watched the wraith’s every move, amusing Dark Link immensely.

“Feel free to try to fulfill those lusts of yours. You’ve wanted to do it for five long years, have you not? I will not stop you.” The wraith smiled a smile almost as insane as the one the boy wore. “Try to land your best shot.”

If as on cue, Sean hurled himself at Dark Link in a screech of built up hatred. His fingers were flexed as if to rake the wraith’s face with claws, but he possessed none. He wanted to slam his full weight into his target, but Dark Link simply caught the boy’s wrists and held him easily out of reach. Regardless of all his weight’s momentum being forced to return into his small body, and jar his bones, Sean continued to wriggle and squirm in Dark Link’s grasp; snarling and snapping at the wraith’s face.

Dark Link was seriously enjoying this new source of entertainment. He never really expected the boy to attack him, but he loved this new twist on things. Sean’s pupils had shrunk into thin slits—thinner than usual anyway— and seemed to focus on everything and yet nothing at all. Dark Link felt like he had an unhappy, snarling, Wolfos pup in his hands and it was beginning to tick him off.

Shadows appeared the gather about the wraith’s red eyes—causing them to gleam brighter— and this new sight caused Sean’s snarls to silence into soft, angered, growls. With his own roar of anger, Dark Link spun in a circle and used his momentum to hurl the child away from him. He halted in a swirl of dust, red eyes smiling from under the shadows.

Sean’s body twisted in the air and his feet anchored into the ground solidly, one hand down to brace himself, as he slid backwards in a large unearthing of dirt. His head only lifted to finally look at the wraith after the dust began to settle.

“Impressive reflexes,” Dark Link said, “but I grow bored of this.” The wraith smiled again. “Allow me to jazz things up a bit.”

Dark Link’s form grew hazy and blurred before it disappeared entirely.

Sean blinked and glanced around, newly grown fangs protruding from his lips and dragon slit eyes scanning the area. Instinct and common sense told him that there was no way the wraith had simply vanished, but was moving too fast to be seen. The boy’s long pointed ears twitched and he swung around to face behind himself.

Nothing.

Ice blue eyes swiveled in their sockets to catch the blur of something moving. With a growl, he faced it.

Nothing.

A twig snapped and Sean spun towards it, letting out a yowl that sounded like an angry wild cat.

Again, nothing.

He let out a throaty snarl, a corner of his lip vibrating with the sound. The wraith was toying with him; not even trying to stay hidden. He froze when a shadow overtook him and powerful hands grabbed his arms and held them at his sides.

“You’re better than this,” He heard Dark Link’s voice whisper in his ear. “Can’t you catch me? Or are you really that weak?”

Sean let out a hissed scream and struggled to free himself, but Dark Link kept him in place without any effort. His squirming ceased, but he continued to growl, maintaining Dark Link’s interest.

“Tell you what,” The wraith whispered again, “prove to me that I’m wrong about you.” His hands removed themselves from Sean’s arms.

With a roar, Sean swung around, a clenched fist flying to connect to the wraith’s jaw.

He hit air.

One of the boy’s legs had flown up to aid him in his power spin and he slowly lowered it by adjusting its position in the hip socket. The wraith had vanished again and Sean could not sense him. Words began coming to him from the trees, but the words weren’t spoken, or in his mind. They flowed on the wind’s breath.

Nice try, boy, but not good enough.

The words laughed at him.

This is no more than a game of cat and mouse. That’s right. You are the cat and I am the mouse and I am the cleverest mouse you’ve ever fought.

The words laughed again.

The mouse will win this fight!

Sean spun around when the wraith’s aura hit him like a whip. There the wraith was, standing casually in a tree; leaning against the trunk with his arms crossed. His eyes laughed manically at the boy and his lips were parted in an arrogant smile.

“Once again, try and catch me,” He taunted, jumping noiselessly from the tree to the ground, “or is that still beyond you?”

Sean snorted and, with an angered cry, charged Dark Link. He swung a clawless hand at the wraith’s stomach, but only swiped air. He glanced up at his left, saw the wraith standing not too far away, and lunged at him. He got a face full of dirt. Spitting the mud from his mouth and nose, he looked around again. The wraith was back in a tree, glancing at him from over his shoulder.

Sean hissed with narrowed eyes. Was the wraith as to so cocky to turn his back on his foe during a fight? He’d set the wraith straight. Quickly, he was up on his feet and dashing after the wraith.

Dark Link turned his head back ahead of him. Perfect. It seemed his plan was going to work beautifully. He launched himself from his tree to land on one foot in another; bend down on his anchored leg and launch himself forwards again, alternating legs as he went. He easily dodged any branch that got in his way without missing a step.

He could hear the boy following him though surprisingly quiet for one rushing headlong into battle. It was the boy that was cocky, not him. Well, what did it matter? This fight was almost finished anyway.

The wraith jumped from his current tree down to the ground, right in front of a well camouflaged marsh—from a distance at any rate. He turned to meet his on coming foe. He knew for a fact that the boy had not seen this coming.

Sean cleared the trees to find Dark Link simply standing still, waiting for him. He growled in anger. The wraith was making a fool of him and he hated that.

“It looks like you’ve finally caught me,” Dark Link said, smiling in the satisfaction of a good chase, though obviously not defeated. “Now aren’t you going to finish what you started?”

Sean thought that was logical and couldn’t ask for anything better. Without even giving his surroundings a second thought, he charged the wraith, eager to kill him.

When Sean was just close enough to touch him, Dark Link stepped to the side and, with one hand, shoved the boy straight into the marshy swamp. The force of his push and the momentum of the boy’s charge caused Sean to fly quite a way into the murky water with a large splash.

Dark Link watched the boy surface and sputter for air. It brought him relief to see the boy’s eyes shining in childish wonder—his face returning to normal. It surprised him when he felt relief. Did that mean that he had honestly had felt fear when the boy had snapped? He tensed his jaw and though nothing more of it.

Sean sloshed his arms about in the water, attempting to keep his head above the surface. He glanced around at some of the rare marsh-dwelling trees and blinked in the sunlight that glared down on him from between the leaves of the land-dwelling giants. His eyes soon found Dark Link standing on the bank. The wraith seemed both happy and mad at the same time and Sean did not know why or how that was possible.

“Hi-i-i-i-i, Dark Link!” He called, waving one arm in the air to attract the wraith's attention. Sure enough, the wraith was already giving Sean his attention.

“Why am I in a marsh?” Sean shouted.

“You attacked me!” Dark Link shouted back since the distance between them was too great to talk normally. “So I pushed you in to bring you back to your senses!”

“There’s just one problem . . . I can’t swim!”

Dark Link cursed.

“Well I’m not coming to get you!” And he turned his back to the boy.

Sean’s spirits dropped, but he was brought out of that when a sudden wave bobbed him in the water. He glanced about and saw the water ripple as something swam just below the surface.

“Dark Link? There’s something in the water!”

Dark Link didn’t reply.

Sean continued watching the ripple until the water began to break. Several spikes, with a crude fin stretched between each of them, rose from the water and quickly descended.

“Dark Link!” Sean shouted, his voice beginning to quiver with fear. “There’s something with spikes in the water! It’s circling me!”

“Well, swim away from it!” The wraith shouted back, not even turning around.

“But I can’t swim!”

Dark Link gritted his teeth with an annoyed growl. “Fine! I’ll come and get you!”

Just as he turned around, Sean screamed and the wraith saw a huge spike-laden fish erupt from the water; spray flying from its wide tusk filled maw. The fins between the spikes of its back, tail, and sides were horribly tattered and yet the fish could still swim with ease. Its scales were once a deep mahogany, but were now coated with the mucky green slime of the swamp. Dark Link could only stand and stare as the fish slammed its head back into the water on top of Sean. Luckily, the water that was being forced away from its head carried Sean (in a screaming mess) away to safer water.

“Shit!” Dark Link hissed, tossing off his cloak and unbuckling the leather straps of his boots.

He was having trouble getting to the water since he was stumbling over his boots that wouldn’t come off right away. He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head; running for the water and cursing the entire way. He took a deep breath and dove into the water, uncaring of what awaited him in the murky depths.

Sean was simply floating in the water, whimpering, and watching the roiling water where the giant fish had submerged. He had seen many terrifying creatures, but this fish was the worst by far. He watched the water for any sign of the fish, but found none. How a fish of that size could hide so perfectly in this deep swamp, he did not know, or wanted to find out.

The boy’s blood froze when he heard something surface behind him and almost screamed when he felt something grab him, but a hand clamped over his mouth to silence him.

“Shut up!” Dark Link hissed. “I don’t need you announcing your presence to every predator in this swamp!”

Sean wrenched himself from Dark Link grasp and clung to the wraith’s body in sheer panic.

“Oh, Dark Link!” He cried. “I’m so scared! So very, very scared!”

“Just let go of me!” The wraith snapped and tried, unsuccessfully, to pry Sean from him. “If you let go, I can help you.”

“But if I let go, the fish will eat me!”

“It won’t eat you because you won’t be here!”

Taking advantage of Sean’s distraction, Dark Link pulled Sean from him and hurled the boy into shallower water. He only had enough time to glance behind himself—eyes trembling in true terror— as a shadow covered him, to see the greenish teeth of an endless black maw rush at him in a wave of water.

Sean’s eyes were open wide when he had sprung to his feet and turned to see the spiked fish swallow Dark Link into its large mouth. He forced back his scream and headed for the shore, careful not to utter any squeaks of his restrained shout. Once again, Dark Link had saved his life, but this time as what cost? Dark Link had been able to plan the others out and enjoy the fight that followed, but this time he was fighting for his life.

Sean sat down on the shore since there was nothing he could do to help. The swamp water was settling a bit, though still roiling in small waves. Had the wraith been killed and eaten by the fish? At this time, Sean believed it to be very logical, but he also doubted that a mere fish could defeat the wraith so easily. Then again, Dark Link’s attention had been on Sean and not the enemy. Sean placed clenched fists next to his mouth and continued to watch the marsh with trembling eyes.

A surge of bubbles soon broke the surface of the water, followed by the huge fish. Its lower jaw had been torn and now hung uselessly to its head; splashing deep green blood everywhere. It reeled and shrieked in the muck before a sudden blow punctured its skull, pieces of its brain flying from the broken bone. Dark Link’s form appeared on the fish’s head and then toppled over into the water.

Sean’s breath stopped in his throat. The fish was now dead, but did Dark Link just die? Was it all his fault for bringing this upon the man who had saved him four times now? Sean noticed Dark Link’s shirt not too far away, so he grabbed it and hugged it close; burying his face in it. He was brought out of his sorrow when a familiar voice snapped at him.

“Get your dirty paws off my shirt!”

Sean looked up and sure enough, there was Dark Link standing, in a some what exhausted way, in the water; the dead fish’s carcass floating in the swamp. Sean did as he was told and tosses the shirt aside, drawing his legs up to his chest and hugging them close.

Dark Link sighed and sloshed up the shore and sat himself down on Sean’s right, wiping his face dry with his now dirty shirt.

“You owe me big for this,” He muttered eventually.

Sean nodded, though Dark Link wasn’t looking at him. The boy was fascinated by the wraith’s body build. He was muscular, but didn’t truly look it, and his thin body would lead to believing otherwise. Sean’s eyes traveled up and noticed a piece of cloth tied about the upper part of the wraith’s left arm. The cloth was beginning to sag and there was a black tattooed head partly revealed, though Sean could not tell what it was.

Dark Link’s eyes soon found the boy’s . . . and where they led. He hastily fixed the cloth and made sure it was firmly in place.

“It’s nothing,” He muttered in answer to Sean’s unasked question. “Nothing that concerns you.”

That boy’s head dropped slightly and he looked away. He hated these silences Dark Link always threw at him. They made him feel uneasy, like something was wrong. A soft rubbing against his arm caused him to glance down to meet two large orange eyes. Sean smiled and scooped Juto up in his arms, the little Black Boe’s eyes asking if they both were okay.

“We’re fine, Juto,” Dark Link said with a smile only meant for the Black Boe. “It’s no big deal.”

Juto purred in satisfaction to that reply and begged for Sean to pet him. Sean did just that and looked up at Dark Link.

“What are we supposed to do now that we’re covered in swamp water?”

“The smell will keep the Wolfos and other predators at bay,” The wraith replied, putting his shirt back on. “I don’t need to be attacked again,” He added with a snort.

Sean grimaced, knowing that was partly his fault. He stood up and walked away from the swamp, Juto in his arms. Dark Link followed, collecting his discarded sword and cloak and returning them in their proper place.

“What did you mean, before, when you said I attacked you?” Sean asked, Juto cradled—asleep— in his arms.

“Exactly what it sounded like,” Dark Link replied, re-buckling his boots.

Sean didn’t understand. “I don’t remember anything after you took me away from Woodfall, except the color red,” He said eventually.

Dark Link snorted a laugh. “I saw what I saw and what you say can’t, and will not, change that.” With that, he started back through the brush the way he had dashed earlier; Sean once again on his tail in chase, but in the fear of being left behind.

The fish’s carcass drifted lazily in the swamp, blood mixing in the muck. Three large spikes rose from the depths, followed by another fin just like it. The large identical fish revealed themselves, water running down their slime covered, knobby scales. Their tusks cleared their jaws and rose up above their nostrils. Their tattered pectoral fins steadied their massive bodies in the water, them having come to see what all the commotion from earlier had been about. Much to their pleasure, something had been left behind for them to dine upon.

The largest of the two moved towards the carcass with one mighty swish of its tattered tail. It came right up the dead fish and nudged it with its tusks to see if it was dead or sleeping, not like it would’ve made any difference. Satisfied, it opened its maw and closed its teeth around a piece of the caress, ripping it off with a sickening crunch of armor plates tearing.

The smaller fish approached slowly, hoping to not be chased off from this new meal and much to its luck, the large fish was busy filling its belly and so did not notice. The smaller fish went to the opposite end of the carcass and began to chew on the broken skull.

Soon the air was filled with the sound of bones and armor cracking to pieces in the fishes’ jaws as they devoured the flesh of the dead.

Chapter 13: Koume and Kotake

“I’m hungry,” Sean whined, almost dropping Juto in his staggered steps.

“You already ate what I bought you,” Dark Link answered, several steps ahead of Sean.

“But there was so little—“

“There was enough to last you for a week at the least!” The wraith snapped. “And you ate it all in one day!”

Sean cringed, tightening his hold on Juto and waking up the Black Boe.

Dark Link sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly, but still walking and not turning his head back to Sean.

“I guess it’s not your fault, since you’ve been more that starved for about five years.”

Sean glanced up at the back of the wraith’s head, one eyebrow cocked up. Was it just him or did he hear concern in the man’s voice? It left him confused for awhile, but he just shook it off. It didn’t matter.

The trees had begun to thin from around them, marshes becoming more and more frequent. The path that they walked on soon became nothing more than hard packed dirt that cut through the underbrush. Singing birds soon appeared after the death of the giant fish and the disappearance of Dark Link’s anger. Every so often, Sean saw a small fox or squirrel scurrying about the plants or trying to hide.

Soon the trees became no more and the two stood in a clearing. A long, wide, river of somewhat clean swamp water cut through the mud in a slow, lazy current. The sky had now become a cloudy grey, a strange dampness filling the air. Lily pads, large enough for Dark Link and Sean to sit on one together, bobbed slowly in the currents of the river; a frog or two taking a quick rest on the large leaves.

Near the banks of the river stood a building on stilts, though slightly sinking into the mud. It was in horrible disrepair. The glass of the windows was shattered and ripped from the frames. Parts of the boarded walls were gone or broken, a door squeaking on rusted hinges in a soft pre-rain breeze. Rungs of the ladder were either missing or laying half-way on the rung below. The wood of the entire structure creaked and groaned, acting like it was to fall at any moment.

“What happened here?” Sean asked, breaking the silence.

“This happened well over ten years ago,” Dark Link replied. “It was one of Link’s first attacks of conquest.”

“Why would Link attack a place so far hidden away as this?”

The wraith simply pointed at a long wooden object floating beneath the run-down building.

“That would be it. This river flows all over the southern area of Termina. Word of Link’s betrayal would spread quickly,” He explained with distaste, “and Link could not afford to have that in the beginning.”

“So he killed everyone here?”

Dark Link nodded.

Sean looked back at the boat. “Could we ride it?”

The wraith shook his head. “It may be floating now, but it’s probably so waterlogged that if you stepped on it, it’d sink like a rock.”

Sean looked disappointed. “Does that mean more walking?”

“Yep,” Dark Link replied, “more walking.”

“I hate walking,” The boy muttered.

“Get used to it, kid, because you’re not going to be doing much else.”

“Where are we going anyway?”

“It doesn’t concern you,” The wraith answered, “but I might tell you when we get there.”

Sean moaned something about Dark Link being so unfair, Juto mewing in despair with him. Dark Link wasn’t really paying attention to them because he felt something watching them from very nearby. Sean stopped making noise—Juto as well— when he noticed Dark Link looking around uneasily. He was about to ask about what was amiss, but Dark Link silenced him with a wave of his hand.

A white furry head popped up out of the brush. Its face was furless and had two clear blue eyes. It was one of the swamp-dwelling monkeys.

It hopped from the undergrowth and into the clearing before the trio. Its hands and feet were bare tanned skin—like its face—, while the rest of its body was covered in curly white fur; a long tail swishing eagerly behind it.

Juto gave it an angered growl, causing it to cringe back, but Dark Link signaled for the Black Boe to hush up.

“It wants something if it’s come down from the trees to us,” He said softly.

“What do you think it wants?” Sean whispered.

Dark Link shrugged.

“What is it you want, little guy?” Sean asked the monkey, who seemed pleased to finally be asked that very question.

It hopped back towards the shrubs, looked back at Sean, hopped back over to where it had been before, and then hopped back over to the greenery.

“It wants us to follow it,” Sean said, enthusiastically running forward, but gagging to a stop when Dark Link grabbed the collar of his shirt.

“It could be a trap,” The wraith warned. “Link could still have personnel here.”

“Why would he have a monkey?” Sean asked, freeing himself from the wraith. “I want to follow it.” With that, he ran into the brush after the furry creature.

Dark Link blew out a suffered sigh. He had never asked to take care of a kid and now he felt like a father—well, however fathers feel about their children since he wasn’t so sure. With not much else of a choice, he dashed into the undergrowth after the boy and the monkey.

He soon caught up with the boy, who had stopped and was still holding Juto tightly. Sean was shifting his weight from one leg to the other, looking slightly uncomfortable. He turned to face Dark Link when the wraith approached him.

“Well, where’s the monkey?” The wraith asked, beginning to find this entire situation amusing.

“It went into that clearing, over there,” The boy answered, momentarily facing the clearing before turning back. “There’s somebody in the clearing who looks dead.”

Dark Link glanced up to see a dark lump in the clearing with the monkey hopping about it in distress. His red eyes narrowed with he thought he saw something familiar about the lump.

“What is it?”

Dark Link snapped back at the sound of the question.

“Stay here,” He said, walking slowly for the clearing. “Juto, watch him.”

Juto replied with a soft, “Kyuu.”

The wraith stepped into the clearing, the monkey hopping over to him and bouncing insanely about his legs. Dark Link attempted to kick it away, but it hopped off on its own. He picked up his pace a bit since he knew he had little to fear from everything, yet he felt a little uneasy about something. He halted when the lump gave a groan—the monkey bouncing like crazy in circles— and sat up, facing away from Dark Link.

“Hmm? Popo? Where are you, Popo?” It asked, sounding like an old woman.

The monkey hopped to the front of the person, looking happy and proud.

A gnarled hand patted the ground until it finally found Popo and pat the monkey gently. “There’s my little Popo. Did I worry you?”

Popo bounced some more and moved under the woman’s hand until she was turned completely around and faced Dark Link—who felt his breath stop in his throat.

The woman was old and dressed in a black dress that had a red stripe around the waist and strange symbols on its trim. Her hair was a dirty grey, possibly once being bone white, and was held back in a bun. Her nose was large and curved like a hawk’s beak, adding to her strange appearance. Her skin was an odd shade of green and a large red gem was worn on her forehead.

“Why, Popo. Who did you bring to help me?” She asked getting to her feet and making her way over to Dark Link, peering at him with squinted amber eyes.

She stood as tall as she could on her tiptoes, but barely made it to Dark Link’s chest—nose included— and he simply stared back at her in dismayed shock. She suddenly muttered something, searching the folds of her waistband, and brought out a pair of bifocals. She set them on her large nose and blinked rapidly until her vision was clear.

“Why . . . What . . . . . . How?”

Dark Link took a step back, hoping to get away from this woman, but she just followed him. The wraith really became edgy when he heard Sean’s face sound from right behind him.

“Who’s she?”

Dark Link turned around to face Sean, who appeared curious and still holding Juto. “She’s no one.”

“Dark Link?” The woman asked, hustling her way around to stand next to Sean—standing as tall as the boy. A few more blinks confirmed her suspicions. “It is you. I knew it!” Large magnified eyes turned to examine Sean. “And you are you?”

Sean was leaning slightly backwards since the old woman was leaning into his face. Was her eyesight really that bad with glasses? “I’m . . . Sean,” He said slowly, eyes jerking from the woman, to Dark Link, and back.

She seemed to grunt in approval and turned back to Dark Link. “I didn’t know you had a child.”

“He’s not my son—dad!” Dark Link and Sean said at the same time.

The woman chuckled. “I expected as much. You look nothing alike!”

“And you can barely see even with those glasses of you,” Dark Link retorted.

“Bah! So my eyesight isn’t what it once was, but my memory is still sharp.” She jabbed a boney green-skinned finger at the wraith. “I still can recognize your voice.”

Dark Link snorted, crossing his arms, and looking annoyed. “I never expected to find you here in a swamp.”

The old woman gave a nod, not really paying Dark Link any attention, and turned back to Sean—who jumped at the sight of her magnified eyes. “What’s wrong with you, boy? You smell like bog water and are nothing back skin and bones. Didn’t this lubber of mine feed you?”

Dark Link snorted again at the comment.

Sean swallowed, arms almost crushing the displeased Black Boe. He looked like he was going to faint—Dark Link rolling his eyes.

“Aside from that,” The woman gave a sudden pat to Sean’s shoulder, “I’ll get you something to eat. Your ol’ Grandma Koume will take care of you.”

Sean’s face twisted in confusion. “Grandma?” He repeated the word in the attempt to clear his thoughts and straighten everything out.

“Yes?”

“Don’t start this up again, Koume.”

“It’s not everyday Koume gets a grandson, now is it?”

Dark Link let his anger and tension flow out with his breath. Koume had been like this the many years he had known her. “Koume, Sean is not your grandson.”

“Yes he is,” Koume answered as-a-matter-of-factly, “and so is Popo. Here, Popo. That’s a good boy.”

Dark Link looked like he was going to explode on the inside, though he exterior gave no signs. His fangs grinded together behind closed lips, watching the old woman pet the white monkey.

“Won’t you two come back with me?” Koume asked. “I fear it is about to rain and I do know that you don’t want to be in the rain with already wet clothes.” She turned to Sean. “And don’t worry; I’ve got plenty of food for you to eat.” She looked back at Dark Link as Sean hopped around happily—along with Popo. “Will you be coming too? Kotake would love to see you.”

Dark Link towered over Koume, his face back in shadow as it usually was. “Sean belongs to me. I go where he goes and he doesn’t leave my sight unless I wish it.”

“If that’s how you say you’re coming. . . .” Koume shrugged, showing him scant attention yet again. “Sean, Popo, let’s go,” She said, walking off with the boy and monkey happily tailing her.

Dark Link remained silent and followed. Sean was to never leave his sight for Link could appear at any moment and whisk the boy away and the wraith knew it. Link was no fool, but neither was the wraith. Dark Link had also hoped to never run into Koume and Kotake ever again, but fate wasn’t on his side and hadn’t been since Sean entered his life.

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Rain pattered the roof and windows, blurring the outside world into a wash of colors. Thunder rumbled distantly, sounding like the hungry stomach of a massive dragon. The sky was grey, causing the Southern Swamp to appear as devoid as life as the Wasteland, but at least it rained.

“Why, look at how tall you’ve grown!” Kotake exclaimed—she looked exactly like Koume, but had blue where Koume had red and didn’t need glasses— clasping her gnarled hands together in pride.

Dark Link grunted, once again, sitting shirtless on the floor of the twins’ strange, elevated, house. His clothes had been stripped from him and placed on the railing outside to get cleaned in the falling water. All he really had to cover himself up with was his cloak, since it hadn’t gotten dirty. He wore it about his waist like a skirt, feeling thoroughly embarrassed, but not showing it. If Sean hadn’t been with him, he wouldn’t have cared so much, but he still didn’t like having himself stripped naked in front of other people.

The same exact thing had happened to Sean; even his boots were outside drowning in the rain. The boy—being as small and thin as he was— was wearing one of Kotake’s blue and black dresses; Koume claiming the blue brought out Sean’s eyes. The boy was sitting on his knees—on a chair— in front of a window, watching in awe as the rain slid down the glass. Sean was simply dumbfounded that water fell so carelessly in huge amounts from the sky. Since he had been so young when taken to Link’s fortress, he had forgotten many things about the outside world—such as rain.

Juto sat next to the boy on the sill—Popo sitting in Sean’s left shoulder, opposite of Juto— and it too watched the water slide down the window; growling at the rain drops that splattered on the glass panes.

“I see that you’ve kept yourself healthy and fit,” Kotake continued to praise. “I never expected you to grow to adulthood.”

“Why thank you,” Dark Link muttered. “I’m glad you thought so highly of me.” His tone was full of sarcasm.

“Don’t take it that way,” Kotake said, sitting in a chair opposite of the wraith, hands folded in her lap. “You were thrown into that horrible labyrinth with no food! Koume and I doubted you’d live to reach twenty.”

“Well, here I am,” Dark Link replied with heavy sarcasm; spreading his arms slightly as if presenting himself, “and I’m twenty-seven.”

Koume giddily clapped her hands. “I’m so glad that we were wrong about that!”

“Koume!” Kotake scolded. “That is not good for your heart! Please sit down.”

Koume did so reluctantly.

“Koume, you’re not as young as you once were.”

“I’m only five hundred years old!”

“Five hundred and nine.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Nine years.”

“That’s not what I meant!”
“Koume! This stress will give you another heart attack! Please calm down.”

Koume sat on the floor in a huff beside her twin sister.

“So Koume hasn’t changed much,” Dark Link said with a slight laugh following, “and neither have you, Kotake.”

“What would we change to?” Kotake replied. “We can’t become sane.”

Dark Link chuckled. “I suppose not, but then again, you two were never sane.”

“There’s so much water,” Sean said in awe from his place by the window; Juto “Kyuu”ing with him.

“It’s called rain,” Koume said, getting to her feet and going over to Sean.

“Why does it rain?” Sean asked, not taking his eyes off the window.

“Well,” Koume began, “some say that the rain is the tears of the Goddess, Nayru. They say she cries for the land as it dies and her tears replenish it.”

“Then why is it so hot at the fortress?”

“Fortress?”

“Link’s fortress,” Dark Link said, causing everyone in the room to look at him. “That’s where the kid’s from.”

Kotake’s body seemed to sag in her chair. “I’m terribly sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize for anything,” Dark Link said. “It’s not like you made him snap.”

“It’s not that,” She replied, shaking her head. “We could have stopped him—prevented all the killing. We had a chance about fifteen years ago, but neither of us knew it was a chance for something.”

“What was he doing here, specifically?” The wraith asked.

“He brought Koume back after one of her heart attacks and so I helped direct him to Woodfall.” The witch sighed. “He seemed so kind back then and how could I not help to his cause—which was to stop Majora and the falling moon.”

“Which lead to him having a taste of absolute power and how it felt to be a god,” Dark Link said grimly. “So he’s after this power again and is already two-thirds of the way there.”

“Dear Farore,” Kotake breathed, hands clasped over her mouth.

“Damn straight. He has to be stopped.”

Kotake suddenly smiled. “I’ve never thought I’d live to hear those words leave your mouth.”

Dark Link’s face remained grim and stone-like.

“So, like him, you’re going one a quest to stop some awesome power from obtaining control. I won’t ask for your reasons, but,” She got out of her chair and leaned close to the wraith’s ear, “you could give that boy a better life—something you, sadly, never had. I know you, Dark Link. I can read you like I read a book. You can’t hide anything from me.”

Dark Link stood up abruptly. “I’m going to go wash up.” With that, he left the room.

“Why is it hot at the fortress?” Sean asked again, since it was never answered.

“Well,” Koume said, turning back to the boy, “that usually means that the fiery Goddess, Din, is angered and so people must suffer her wrath.”

“Does that mean she’s mad at Link?” Sean asked, the shadows of the falling water dancing across his young face.

Koume nodded solemnly. “I’m afraid so, my boy. I’m afraid so.”

Author’s Note: I’m sorry for the long wait for this chapter, but to tell the truth…since I hated the beginning half of this chapter so much…I refused to type it for the longest time. Anyway…I got past it and all is well. I hoe you enjoy this next installment of Approaching Darkness.

Chapter 14: After the Rain

The yellow light of a waking sun peeked through the tree branches, drops of water falling from the soaked leaves. The swamp plants sparkled like gems in the gentle morning light, as if the Goddesses were apologizing for the downpour. The clothes that have been outside had been brought in the previous night and dried by a fire during the worst of the storm. Both Sean and Dark Link had washed the bog’s residue off their bodies and out of their hair; Sean’s bath having had been one hell of a job since he was still aqua-phobic from the huge fish attack.

Now the boy had calmed down and was outside, leaning on the railing with his elbows and his chin resting on his arms. A morning breeze kicked up and gently stroked his frost-white hair. Short bangs fell onto his forehead after the breeze died away, his hair already growing back after Dark Link had cut it. A few moments later, the breeze returned and blew at his shirt and sent a chill up his spine, but he didn’t react. It was still morning and so of course it would be slightly cool.

“Sean?” A voice said from behind him. “What are you doing out here?”

Sean turned his head around to see Kotake. “I’m just thinking,” He answered, turning his head back to the way it had been before.

“Thinking about what?” Kotake came up next to him.

“I don’t know . . . everything I guess.”

“Everything from the past few days?”

Sean nodded.

“Does that include someone special?”


Sean cringed a little, attempting to duck his head away as his cheeks turned slight pink.

Kotake smiled and patted him on the back. “It’s alright to like someone, Sean. There’s no need to feel shame about it.”

“I left him. . . . He can’t forgive me for that,” Sean whimpered softly from under his arms.

“Who did you leave?”

“He was my only friend . . . he’s been my only friend. And I left him for dead at Link’s Fortress.”

Kotake patted his shoulder again, but her hand remained there. “There was probably nothing you could do before, but there’s nothing you can do right now.”

Sean remained quiet.

“Dark Link told us about a girl he found you with in Woodfall, last night. What was her name again?”

“Renn,” Sean said softly. “She found me in the alley when I was trying to hide.”

“Renn. . . . I think I know a Renn.” Kotake tapped her chin gingerly. “Dark blue hair?”

Sean nodded, though only the top of his head moved since he was hiding his face.

“Sweet girl, Renn,” Kotake said. “She’s the daughter of Kafei and Anju—both once had been good friends of Link.”

Sean lifted his head. “Link used to have lots of friends, didn’t he?”

“Yes, though he’s killed most of them by now. His good friends and bitter enemies . . . all dead.” Kotake shook her head. “Nothing can be done about that now though.”

“Where’s Dark Link?”

“He left before dawn,” Kotake replied.

“Why?”

“He wanted to get something to eat. Would you like something?”

Sean nodded, standing straight.

Kotake hustled to the door (as fast as her old legs could take her) and motioned with a finger for Sean to follow; which he did quickly.

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“Renn, do you realize how much danger you were in?”

Renn felt her father sit on the bed next to her, but she did not turn from the window. Her hands gripped the sill and she sat on her knees; dressed in a nightgown that once belonged to her mother.

“Are you listening to me?”

Renn gave a small nod, still watching the rising sun; not wanting to face her father.

“Renn, he had white hair.”

“I know, but he wasn’t anything like what the legends said.”

“Still, he could’ve killed you,” Her father said.

“But he didn’t.”

Renn heard her father sigh and his arm wrap around her, pulling her from the window.

“You know your mother and I worry about you.”

“I know.”

“And you know how dangerous those with white hair are. We all do.”

“I know, daddy, but Sean wasn’t anything like the others. He was nice.”

He father sighed again, holding his daughter in a huge on his lap. “I’m just worried for you about meeting him. So far, no one else knows he was here and that you talked with him, but you, your mother, and me. I don’t know what the rest of the town would do if they knew.”

“They won’t know, daddy.”

“This is a very serious matter, Renn. More serious than I think you can understand, but I don’t expect you to. I know you know how the people here think about white hair and if they were to find out about the boy, things could get very bad.”

“How bad?” Renn asked, turning her head back at her father.

“Umm…well…Just…bad,” He answered, keeping his eyes from her.

Renn gave him a disappointed look and turned away again; cuddling closer to him.

“I’m not trying to scare you, Renn. I just want you to be aware and careful at this unsteady time.”

“Kafei!” A voice called from another room of the house. “What’s keeping you?”
Kafei adjusted his hold on Renn and stood up, holding his daughter close. “Let’s go see your mother, okay?”

Renn nodded, burying her nervous face into her father’s dark violet hair; wrapping her arms around his neck.

“It’s alright,” He whispered soothingly, patting Renn on the back. “Just give it no more thought.”

Renn hugged her father. “I miss him.”

Kafei continued out the door and into the hall. “I’m sure you do,” He replied. “He was different.”

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“You sure do eat a lot,” Kotake said, sitting opposite of Sean; who was shoveling in any piece of food he could get. “How long were you at the fortress?”

Sean held up an open hand, all five fingers out.

“Five…years?”

Sean nodded, though not looking up, or stopping.

“I see how hungry you can be then,” She said, tapping her knees. “Well, eat your fill. You’ll be glad you did.” Kotake gave a sigh. “I never knew he was being so horrible to children. Even a woman of my age, who’s seen so many things, has never seen what Link is doing. Sure, there are some people that kill children, but Link…starving them, treating then lower than worms……and all the rest of it for his own amusement.” She shook her head. “He’s changed so much, but I guess time always does change a person.”

“You’re a witch, right?” Sean asked, halting his eating for a bit. “Dark Link said something about it last night.”

“Why, yes. I am.”

“Can you do tricks and stuff?”

Kotake laughed. “Not tricks, my dear boy. I do magic; spells, curses.”

“You wouldn’t curse me, would you?” Sean asked, looking scared.

Kotake laughed again. “Of course not. I did that back in my youth, but no longer. Now I just use my magic when I need it.”

“What kind of magic can you do?”

“I control the element of ice.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and Koume controls fire. She uses it to cook.”

“Oh Peahats!” Koume shouted from the kitchen.

“What’s wrong, Koume?” Kotake called back.

“I lit the cupboard on fire again,” Koume replied, utterly calmly.

Kotake stood up. “I’ll be right back,” She said to Sean before vanishing into the kitchen.

Sean watched her leave for a few moments —smoke coming out of the kitchen door— before he went back to eating. However, he continued to listen to the events conspiring within the kitchen. Koume was ranting on about something, Kotake attempting to calm her twin. The faint roar of a fire covered out most of the two witches’ chatter, but it was silenced by the whoosh of an icy winter wind.

“Now, zap it with a flame,” Kotake said.

That was soon followed by what sounded like a small waterfall.

“Now everything’s wet!” Koume whined.

“For the fifth time this week,” Kotake snapped back. “Don’t blow so hard and the cupboards won’t catch aflame.”

Sean shrugged and when back to spooning something, which looked somewhat like oatmeal, into his mouth.

“If you eat that too fast,” Strong hands clamped onto Sean’s thin shoulders, causing him to jump and splash his food everywhere, “you’ll make yourself throw it up and I know that you wouldn’t like that.”

Sean’s eyes drifted up when the hands left him. The faint aroma of blood drifted in the air. Sean saw Dark Link walk for the kitchen; the boy’s eyes catching a glimpse of reddened fingers before the wraith hid them away in his cloak. A surge of disgust rose in his stomach and he pushed the bowl away, suddenly having lost the desire to eat.

Sean kept watching Dark Link, easily seeing the wraith in the doorway. The wraith’s back was to the boy, but Sean could see the side of Dark Link’s face a little. The wraith’s tongue ran across his lips, as if trying to clean away something that wasn’t supposed to be there.

“Did you find what you needed?” Sean heard one of the witches ask; he didn’t know which one.

“I guess,” Dark Link answered, bringing one of his reddened hands near his face, “though it wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for.”

Sean felt everything rise up in his stomach, threatening to rush up his throat, when Dark Link licked his fingers clean —in a somewhat still starving way.

“You really shouldn’t starve yourself like that,” One of the witch twins said.

“It’d bring too much attention to myself if I didn’t,” The wraith answered, moving on to his other hand.

“Surely someone wouldn’t miss a cow or a horse.”

The wraith sighed. “You’d think so…. You’d think so.”

Sean forced himself to swallow, his whole body intent on not obeying any commands he gave it. He slid from his chair and slunk noiselessly outside for a little while.

“You don’t suppose Sean overheard, did he?” Kotake asked, hand over mouth.

“Of course he did!” Koume exclaimed. “You’d expect nothing less from Dark Link’s son.”

“He is not my son!” Dark Link snarled, eyes showing that he disliked that joke.

“Well, of course! You’re nothing alike!”

Kotake rolled her eyes and Dark Link closed his in an attempt to calm himself.

“But,” Koume continued, “if he was your son, he wouldn’t look like you anyway.”

Koume appeared proud with herself, but only earned confused looks from her twin and the wraith.

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Sean slid down the polished wood of the ladder, intent on getting away from the house as quickly as he could. He softly thumped to a stop on the lush green grass that grew about the clearing. A cicada blared its siren upon his arrival, but seeing that it was alone in doing so, it immediately quieted down. Sean didn’t give the insect another thought, though he did prefer its racket over his own thoughts. He didn’t want to hear himself think, though he didn’t have much of a choice.

The boy bunny-hopped to a circular porch that was beneath the main house —which was on a large pillar and resembled a large red pot— and floated on the pond over which the house was located. The clear water of the pond rippled when he landed on the creaking boards, small fish zipping around in search of safety. Sean plopped himself down in the cooling shade, legs loosely crossed and head resting against the large vertical support beam.

So Dark Link wasn’t a normal person, just like him. Sean had no idea as to what Dark Link could possibly be, as well as himself. Dark Link may have saved his life, but how long would that last? Was the red-eyes man simply keeping him until he needed him for whatever dark purpose the dark man seemed to rely on for survival? Sean shuddered at the thought. Again, he wasn’t seen as a person but as some ‘thing’ that was used by someone else. Sean soon found himself hating his life once more. It had been better being a slave with Link, that being property with Dark Link. Sean sighed. He didn’t have any choice in the matter, or what happened in his own life. He may have gotten away from Link, but escaping from Dark Link was almost impossible.

Slowly, a chorus of cicadas began to sing, staying beneath the volume of the young boy’s thoughts. Sean eventually became aware of the insects’ song and the soothing sound of a nearby waterfall. As he listened to his surroundings, a different sound reached his ears.

Sean opened his eyes, having closed them since he was beginning to feel tired. It sounded like…squeaking—like something frightened or in pain. Since he was a young boy, his curiosity got the better of him and he jumped to shore from the porch and vanished into the forested swamp.

Whatever it was, that was in distress, wasn’t very far away from the witch twins’ house. The soft trickling of the water became more defined the closer Sean got. Soon, he saw the water seeping from some tall rocks rise above the ferns and undergrowth. The squeaking was more urgent and answered by a delighted growl. Sean couldn’t see the creatures that were making the noise, since he was staying behind the foliage just incase it was something deadly. Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Sean crept closer to the small clearing by the stream and slowly moved some leaves out of his sight.

There was a small lizard on the ground, surprisingly long-bodied for just a lizard. Its hind legs were tucked under its body and its fore limbs held its front half off the grass. Its neck was almost as long as its body and its tail was almost double that. Three horns sprouted from the crown of its skull and small three-spiked fins grew from its spine at random intervals until reaching the tip of its tail. Wings sprouted near its shoulder blades and one lay limply in the dirt while the other flared upwards in the attempt to scare off its attacker.

Its attacker, however, was not fooled. It was a dark furred Wolfos pup, not a baby, but not yet full grown, that was out for its first kill. So far, it was about to succeed. Bits of its fur were charred and smoldering, suggesting that it had suffered some blows from its prey, but paid them no mind. The Wolfos was circling the green winged-lizard, head low and fangs revealed in the feeling of superiority.

The lizard, though wounded, gave no signs of backing down from its adversary. Its golden eyes followed the Wolfos’ every move; the wolf’s own golden eyes doing just the same to the lizard.

Sean simply watched the two creatures. He was hesitant to intervene in remembering his last encounter with a Wolfos, though this one was no where near as large as the last one. When the Wolfos lunged at the lizard’s throat, Sean decided it was time to get between them. What surprised him about this was that it was going to be a lot easier than he thought.

Upon revealing himself from the bushes, the Wolfos stopped in its tracks. Its eyes were no longer locked on the lizard, but on the boy. Its hackles rose and it let out a growl, causing the boy to step back. This, however, did not satisfy the wolf pup. Knowing that it was no longer safe, its tail ducked between its legs and it darted into the underbrush; whimpering with fear.

Sean glanced around, trying to find what may have spooked the Wolfos, but he found nothing. It dawned on him slightly when even the lizard began to show fear towards him, but it couldn’t get far with its broken wing. Sean knelt down next to the little lizard and it hissed at him in a failed attempt to scare away the white-haired boy.

“Is that any way to thank the person who just saved your life?” Sean asked.

The green lizard shut its mouth and seemed to ponder that thought, golden eyes watching Sean.

Sean reached out his hand, but drew it back when the lizard growled.

“It’s okay, little guy. I’m not going to hurt you.”

The lizard permitted the hand to pat its head.

“You’re a strange lizard,” Sean commented, stroking the lizard’s scaled head. “I’ve never seen one like you before.”

While comforting the lizard, Sean looked over the rest of its body, but only its wing was the major injury. He finally paid the lizard attention again when its claws dug into his skin and it crawled onto his shoulder. He eyed the lizard suspiciously and it looked back at him with almost pupil-less golden eyes. Seeing that the strange creature was securely in place, Sean stood up; wincing as its claws dug deeper in the attempt to stay still.

The lizard’s head swayed on the thin neck towards the stream and then turned back to Sean.

“You want me to take you to the stream?”

The lizard nodded.

Sean was slightly puzzled by this but did so anyway. Upon reaching the small stream, the creature’s head turned back to him. It gave a slight nod as if in thanks and purred its goodbye. Sean winced again as its weight drove the talons ever deeper and were then ripped out as the lizard leapt from his shoulder. It landed without a splash in the water. Sean watched it swim until its body wavered and faded into the very currents themselves.

Confused, and alarmed, by this, Sean slowly backed away from the stream and bolted back to the twins’ home. Dark Link would be furious to know that he had run away again.

Chapter 15: Burns and Secrets

The light of the sun through the curtained window made the undersides of Suto’s eyelids glow red. He groaned, flopping his arm up over his eyes. His head was throbbing and the blood running through his back made it pulsate against the sheets in the rhythm of his heart.

“Are you awake, my young master?”

Suto stopped, arm still over face. He didn’t recognize the voice. It sounded hissed and deep throated, unnatural to the creature from which it came from. His hand moved to rest on his forehead and he opened his eyes groggily to look to his right.

In a chair beside him sat the tall Lizalfos. He was seated somewhat awkwardly in the polished wooden chair; the back of the chair at his side and tail flopped over the edge, being that the lizard’s tail-bone was not made to sit in a chair furnished for the humanoid Termians.

“Where’s dad?” Suto asked, his vocal cords not yet fully operational and causing his voice to sound a little raspy.

“He is going about his duties, my young master,” Thade answered.

Suto closed his eyes, face twisted in response to the pain of his forehead. He could barely remember what had happened the day before. He knew he was in Link’s bedchamber, he could smell his father’s scent on the pillows and sheets. He barely remembered the powerful, but gentle arms that had brought him here. The pain of his headache soon pushed away his memories and he gritted his teeth together.

“You need water, my master. Shall I bring it to you?”

Suto shook his head, opening his eyes as best he could. “I’m coming.”

Thade gave a nod, not any where ready to protest, and stood from the chair; holding a clawed hand out to Suto to give him assistance.

Absent mindedly, Suto grabbed onto the scaled hand and felt himself get pulled right out of the bed. The giant lizard set him on his bare feet, but stayed near to act as a support.


“Can you carry me?” Suto asked, only half aware of his surrounding world and what he was doing.

Thade sighed, but didn’t object. He slid his hands underneath the boy’s arms and lifted him up and sat him stomach down on his shoulder; careful to avoid the boy’s back. Suto was still extremely tired and wrapped his arms around the lizard’s saurian neck; attempting to stay on and just giving the Lizalfos an absent-minded hug. Thade didn’t give this a thought and took the boy from the room, golden eyes drifting to gaze at the boy’s injured back now and again. Bringing the boy to the main chamber, Thade set Suto on the large black central table.

Suto blinked sleepily, the sunlight a lot stronger in this chamber than in the bedroom. He rubbed his eyes, somewhat alarmed when Thade pressed a cold, wet, cloth against his forehead; though it did feel nice.

“Where did the water come from?” he asked.

“One of your creatures brought it,” Thade replied, making the water run over Suto’s face to cool him down.

“Creatures?”

In response to Suto’s question, a slithering, scraping, sound suddenly picked up behind the boy somewhere. From around the other side of the table, one of the small worms from Volvagia’s attack came into sight. Its powerful body muscles flexed the spikes of its belly to move it across the ground as if it had legs. Its long body undulated side to side, much like a snake, and coiled to a stop before its Master.

The memory of that dusty battle came flooding back to Suto. The terror . . . the fire . . . the pain. Suddenly, Suto felt that as if a needle had been jabbed into his brain from the base of his skull. The burning . . . He remembered the burning. His hand slowly moved to his back, fearing what it might find. His fingers touched the inflamed skin and he pulled them away, holding back his pained yowl.

Without even giving a word of explanation, Suto bolted from the table and back into the bedchamber for the full body mirror that was on the wall. Standing in front of it, Suto saw someone else looking back at him from on the other side of the glass. It was a small boy with tangled reddish-brown hair, golden-green eyes, and small pointed ears. This boy was deathly thin, ribs clearly visible as the skin rolled over them with each breath.

This was him. This was a boy named Suto who was none other than the only surviving child of a sadist named Link.

Suto could’ve laughed or cried. He didn’t know which one was better to do. Normally, one would think that a person such as Suto, being Link’s son, would look a lot healthier, but alas that wasn’t so. Suto was treated the same as everyone else; left to find a small corner to curl up and die in. Suto stared at the floor, but glanced back up at himself in the reflective glass. There had been a reason as to why he had come back in here.

Though hesitating, Suto turned around enough to see himself clearly from over his shoulder. What he saw shocked him. He wasn’t expecting it. There was the crest in his flesh, made from the burned, dead skin. The skin surrounding the scar was reddened and flaking; it also burned. In some places, infection puss or liquid seeped from the cracks of the partially dead flesh; he had opened the cracks in his sleep.

Suto bit his lip, turning his head from the mirror, and fell to his knees; shoulders hunched to his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears pushing their way out and falling to the smooth stone floor. So this was the result of all that burning pain he had gone through. He didn’t recall his father even showing an ounce of sympathy. He remembered getting a glance at his father of him standing while Suto withered in pain.

“Young master,” he heard Thade say. “You shouldn’t run like that.” The worm had come up next to Suto, three blue eyes glistening with concern. “Let me treat and mend your wound, my master. You will feel better.”

Wiping his nose dry on his arm, Suto stood up, the worm following behind him as the boy went over to Thade. Scaled hand on his shoulder, Suto allowed himself to be steered by the Lizalfos to their destination.

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“What are you doing now?” Suto asked, chin resting on his arms which were folded before him.

“Cleaning the infections, young master,” Thade replied, uncorking a bottle with his claws.

Some blankets had been retrieved and placed on the table and Suto laid stomach down on them.

“This may sting a little, but don’t worry.”

“What are you going to put on me?”

“Nothing more than some red potion, my young master. You don’t always have to ingest one to benefit its healing powers.” Not allowing for Suto to reply, Thade poured a little on the boy’s back.

Suto clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut as the potion fizzed on his skin. After a while, the stinging of the potion made his back feel better; numbing many itches.

Thade was careful when he wiped away the foaming ooze. The wounded flesh was still very tender and easily torn. He re-corked the potion bottle and handed it to the mouth of the worm, which slithered off to put it away. He then placed a nearby damp towel on Suto’s back to help cool the burned skin.

“Burns inflicted by magical fire take a much longer time to heal than normal burns. You are lucky to have survived, my young master.” Thade gently compressed the wet towel on Suto’s burnt back. “Magic burns usually eat away at the victim’s body in just a few hours.” He felt Suto tense up under the towel. “Don’t worry, my young master. This burn won’t be able to hurt you anymore. Soon it will only be able to heal itself.”

Suto sighed, slightly alarmed from what Thade had said, but was also enjoying the cool dampness on his back. He made himself a little more comfortable. “Why are you taking care of me?”

“My lord requested it of me to tend to your needs until your strength has fully returned, my young master.”

“So dad actually does care about me . . . a little,” Suto said with a sigh.

“He cares for you more than you know.”

Suto lifted his head and turned around until he could glance at Thade, without moving his back. Thade’s golden cat eyes didn’t look at him or acknowledge that Suto had moved and was looking at him. He simply continued to press on the towel until the coolness was the water turned hot with Suto’s body heat.

Once this was done, he removed it and placed a dry one in its place. The roughness of the towel against his tender skin caused Suto to hiss with the scratchy pain. It didn’t help him when Thade pressed on it in the same manner as the wet one.

“Now, if you will be as to so kind, please sit up, my young master,” Thade said, Suto obeying.

“What now?” Suto asked sleepily, laying down having made him drowsy.

“Now, my young master, I bandage up your wound and the process that I just completed will be done daily until the burn begins to heal on its own.”

“I have to go through this again?”

“Yes, my young master. Your burn must be soaked in cold water daily to prevent it from dissolving your skin.”

“I thought that you said it couldn’t do that,” Suto inquired, turning his head towards Thade.

“If this procedure is done daily, than it will not, my young master,” Thade answered calmly, taking a few rolls of bandages that the worm had brought.

Suto said nothing and looked away, finding his gaze on the small worm that was aiding Thade. Though this was only the second time he’s ever set eyes on one of them, he still was not used to their presence, or appearance. Their three blue eyes which could look around independently from the others, very much unlike any creature Suto had ever seen before. Their needle teeth that stuck out of the worn smooth lips at awkward angles, from being bashed by rocks, and looked very weak from being thin, but appearances can be deceiving. Their strange body spikes which could like legs above or under the dirt, giving them the appearance of a huge carnivorous millipede. What was the purpose of that finned tail?

“Young master, please lift your arms.”

Suto did so without even knowing it (his mind having gone elsewhere) and Thade proceeded to wrap the bandages around the boy’s torso and shoulders; the bandages looking somewhat like a shirt.

“You may lower your arms, my young master.”

Suto did so, his mind returning to the world surrounding him from deep thought. The bandages felt hot and itchy against his skin and he began scratching at them, but jumped when Thade’s clawed hand grabbed his.

“Do not scratch at them, young master. You will loosen them and the burn will be left with nothing to protect it.”

Thade’s hand left Suto’s, and the boy’s dropped to his side.

“This is something that all Masters go through. You are suffering nothing different than what your father went through.”

“But this crest is so much bigger than dad’s.”

“That is because the largest monster has sided with you, young master, and therefore its crest could not fit merely on your arm.” Thade paused for a moment. “Has my Lord ever told you about a man named Ganondorf?” The lizard knelt down before the boy, as Suto shook his head.

“I see,” Thade whispered, glancing off to the side momentarily. “I expected as much.” His golden eyes found Suto’s golden-green ones. “Your father has possessed the most profound hatred for a man named Ganondorf that I have ever seen. Even with being the cause of this man’s death, my Lord still wishes to condemn his soul to a fate far worse than hell, but that aside.

“Long before your birth, and even your father’s, I was a soldier in the Gerudo King’s armies. He had long exterminated my clan and forced me to his cause. Some years later, I met your father while he was still on the side of good…but his eyes never fooled me for a second.” Thade made sure Suto was still listening, which the boy was intently. “If you asked for my opinion, young master, your father was long on the side of darkness though his body walked within the light.”

“And what does Ganondorf have to with this?” Suto asked, beginning to feel confused about what Thade was saying about Link.

“I apologize, my young master. I began to ramble, though all that I have said is the truth.” The almond shaped golden eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly. “If you think having one crest is bad, Ganondorf had a much worse fate. He had many creatures under his control and all of their crests burned into his body wherever free flesh was available. Ganondorf desired power, as your father does, and the Gerudo King paid for it with his own flesh, while your father does so with the blood of others.”

Suto felt the rhythm of his heart begin to race in his chest, eyes staring at Thade in fear and confusion.

“I am from Hyrule, as is your father,” Thade continued. “I have seen countless horrible deeds done to children you age and younger. Things you may never be able to imagine and that I will never repeat. I live because my Lord spared me the horrible death that befell my comrades by his hand. A soldier owes his life to his Lord. To you, my young master, my allegiance is also pledged. I desire nothing but your safety and happiness.”

“Then why did you tell me all those horrible things about my dad?” Suto demanded, his eyes wet with unshed tears of pain and anger.

“It was for your safety, young master,” the Lizalfos replied. “I cannot bear it of you to be hurt and not know the dark truth behind the cause.” The slit pupils flicked up to the boy’s face from under scaled brows. “I do not know what my Lord has planned for you, but I only want to warn you about what could happen to you.” Thade rose to his feet, noticing Suto sit there and fight the urge to cry or to lunge at the lizard and try to kill him. “I don’t want you to walk the same blood soaked path Link decided to travel . . . nothing good can come of it,” he whispered under his breath, softly enough so the boy could not hear.

“My dad . . . is not as crazy as you say he is,” Suto snarled, staring at his feet and his tone somewhat threatening.

“Yes . . . of course, my young master,” Thade answered with a shallow bow, hand over heart.

“Take your leave,” the boy muttered, eyes glaring off to the side to avoid see any part of the Lizalfos’s green body.

Thade immediately swept from the room, claws clicking and clacking on the stone floor. He completely understood the huge risk he had strapped onto himself through his actions. This might as well end his life. Tail swishing in the air behind him, the lizard vanished down the hall.

Suto’s gaze dropped down to the worm that had remained in the room with him. It lifted its head and rested it gently on its Master’s lap, attempting to give him comfort the only way it knew how. Suto looked down at the worm, his face grim with resolve.

“Dad’s not crazy,” Suto told the worm, stroking its spiked head behind its eyes. “No . . . he’s not.”

Chapter 16: Dinolfos

“And where have you been?” the wraith asked calmly, though disappointment dripped in his tone. He stood on the porch under the house, standing in the cool shade. He leaned against the tall support beam with his back; arms crossed and fingers drumming his left upper arm.

Sean stood meekly on the edge of the same pond, his gaze pointed at the ground and his fingers fumbled with the bottom of his shirt. His heart was racing in his chest, making him feel light stomached and nervous.

“I-I was helping an animal that was getting a-attacked,” the boy answered weakly, not wanting to unleash the wraith’s anger.

“So . . . you ran off unsupervised to help some creature when it could’ve easily killed you?” Dark Link’s red eyes narrowed in the shadows. “Sometimes you shock me with your block headedness. There are so many hungry predators roaming these trees that would love nothing more than tasting your blood in their mouths. If you were to die, it’d be quite hard to replace you.”

Sean felt himself cringe under the wraith’s cold tone. His fingers gripped the fabric of his shirt until his knuckles turned white from the pressure. He felt like he wanted to disappear, vanish from the face of the earth, when Dark Link’s anger rose to the surface.

“However,” he heard the wraith sigh. “You’ve returned unharmed and in one piece, so there’s no use in getting angry.” Dark Link stepped back onto shore from the porch. “C’mon. Koume and Kotake would like to say good-bye to you before we leave.”

Sean’s eyes rose to meet Dark Link’s. “We’re leaving again?”

“Yes, we are,” the wraith answered, using his index finger to motion for Sean to approach him, “and it’s soon.”

“Are we going to that place that you won’t tell me about?” Sean asked when at Dark Link’s side.

“If you want to put it that way,” Dark Link answered with a shrug. “There’s been no need for me to tell you of it before now.” He pushed Sean towards the ladder. “Now go say good-bye.”

Sean put his hands on the rungs and looked back at Dark Link. “Aren’t you coming too?”

“When you get up there first,” Dark Link answered, giving the white-haired boy a threatening eye.

Sean gulped silently and scrambled up the ladder. He didn’t want to stick around to see what the wraith might do to him if he disobeyed . . . again. Once reaching the top, he was greeted by a bounding Popo; who latching himself to the boy’s head and almost sent him back down the ladder.

“Popo! I told you not to do that until he was away from the ladder!” Koume shouted, hustling out of the house.

Popo got off Sean’s face and crawled, ears drooped in sadness, over to Koume.

Koume went over to Sean and helped the startled boy onto the deck. “You sure you’ll be fine walkin’ in that Din-forsaken forest?” she asked when Sean regained his lost senses.

“If Dark Link is going to be with me, then I don’t mind,” he answered, brushing back his hair from his face.

“Oh don’t worry,” Dark Link said as he stepped off the ladder, wearing a crazed, and somewhat unpleasant, smile on his face. “I’m sure nothing will want to touch him anyway.” His smile didn’t comfort Sean, but then again, it wasn’t supposed to.

“Dark Link! Don’t scare the poor boy!” Koume snapped, bifocals almost falling off her large nose.

Dark Link just chuckled with a smirk and walked into the house, having to duck to get into the door.

“Dark Link? Come here for a quick moment,” the Ice Witch called, peeking her head out of the kitchen. “Are you sure it’s wise to take the young boy to see Traax?” she asked once he had come up to her. “I’m not sure how pleased he’ll be to have trespassers.”

“Sucks to be him then,” Dark Link snorted. “He’s got what I need . . . and I need it now. If Link gets there first, we can all kiss our asses good-bye!”

“I’m aware of that problem,” Kotake replied calmly, moving to seat herself in a chair nearby. “But at least he was foolish enough to destroy the one he had possession of, which gives us a slight advantage. I do believe that Link doesn’t know of this one’s existence.”

“I pray you’re right,” Dark Link murmured, heading back for the door to leave.

“One last thing!” Kotake called, causing the wraith to halt. “Traax is very cunning. He’s outdone every person who has ever gone to see him.”

“I know. I’ve heard the rumors,” the wraith muttered, glancing over his shoulder at the Ice Witch, “but I’m not going to let that bag of scales outwit me. I won’t let him.”

Kotake just gave him a sad smile as he went out the door, almost knocking his head on the top of the door frame; causing him to duck down suddenly. “I’m just worried you’ll do something you’ll regret,” she said to herself, as she watched him through a window motivate Sean to climb back down the ladder so they could continue their journey.

-------------------------------------------------------

“Are you sure that it’s safe to be walking here?” Sean asked, body drawn in close and him walking as near Dark Link as possible; looking about nervously.

“It’s fine,” Dark Link replied.

“Well . . . I don’t like it,” Sean said, crossing his arms with a huff. “It’s dark and spooky.”

“It’s a forest. Get used to it.”

The tall trees grew close together, somewhat creating walls of bark along the path. The broad leaves blocked out most of the sunlight, except for a thin stray beam of light touching the ground here or there. Occasionally, a bird would sing softly, but only quick enough to break the uneasy silence of the foliage.

“Why is it so quiet?” Sean asked in a whisper, too nervous to disturb the quiet anymore than he had to.

“Because we’re now in Dinolfos territory,” the wraith answered calmly in a soft voice. “And another reason is . . . we’re being followed.”

Sean looked up at him with wide eyes. “Followed?”

“Don’t tell me that you didn’t know.”

Sean lowered his gaze to the ground. “I won’t tell you then.”

Just then, something touched against the back of Sean’s neck, the boy was sent running, and screaming, in circles until he finally tripped to hear Juto “Kyuu” in the pain of hitting the ground. “Curse you,” the boy muttered to the Black Boe upon hearing Dark Link chuckle.

“Running from a cream-puff,” the wraith snickered, picking up Juto and helping Sean to his feet. “That, I have not seen before.”

Sean grabbed the bottom of his shirt and wiped the dirt off his face. “You try being scared to death!” he snapped in return.

“Very little scares me,” Dark Link replied, walking past Sean with Juto on his shoulder. “Now come. I wouldn’t want to find out what’s following us, if I were you.”

Sean gulped and hustled into step with the wraith, so he wouldn’t be left behind. As soon as he had caught up with the wraith, however, Dark Link stopped and pulled the boy into him, taking a large step back.

A streak of green shot down from a nearby tree with a roar; a slight tremor shaking the dirt as the earth cracked under the talons of a large creature. Before the three was a green scaled animal, crouched over with all four clawed limbs driven into the ground where Sean had been standing not too long before.

It lifted his head, almond-shaped gold eyes watching its prey. Its head was thickly built with a short, but powerful, snout which was lined with many needle-sharp teeth, hidden behind scaled lips. Small knobs littered its brows, crown of head, and ran along the top edges of its snout; some running down the back of its heavily muscled neck. The skin of its gullet was extremely wrinkled, but held taunt to its throat; ready to expand at any time.

It rose to its hind feet, spine holding its body horizontally on its hips and powerful, long, hind legs. It held its forelimbs against its muscular chest, three long clawed fingers flexing in anticipation; a smaller fourth appendage served as an opposable thumb. The farthest inner clawed toe on each hind foot was held slightly off the ground to prevent dulling; ready to attack. A long sturdy tail swished behind it, as if pleased to finally have prey.

“Vaducco. Vhojx fhoo,” it hissed in a familiar language with a sadistic toothy grin.

Dark Link chuckled at what the creature had said, but Sean didn’t have a single clue as to what it had declared.

“De!” shouted a similar voice from the brush, another one of these mysterious animals revealing itself. “Traax juat ke dek bacc khojfujjohj.” It turned its saurian head to the imposing trio. “Nxuk rijadojj te oei xulo nakx Traax?” it asked, confusing Sean more by the word.

“Something that will only be told once and to his ears alone,” the wraith replied calmly, but chuckled when the saurian creature gave him a quizzical look. “You understand me perfectly. Don’t act like you can’t.”

The second creature gave a disturbing hissed cackle. “Ak’j khio. A idtojkudt oeih kedwio. Semo. Traax nacc tosato oeih vuko.”

Sean looked up at Dark Link. “What’d it say?”

“It wants us to go with it.”

“But it almost killed me!”

“And it will if you don’t move.” Dark Link nodded to the guide creature and it, with the other, turned and walked down the path; bodies swinging side to side with the shifting of their body weight on their hips.

“What are those creatures?” Sean asked in a whisper.

“They’re Dinolfos,” the wraith answered. “You’re fortunate to live with the knowledge of their existence.”

Sean gave Dark Link a scared look, but the wraith wasn’t even paying attention to him.

The two Dinolfos led the boy, wraith, and Boe on the trail for at least a mile before they halted again.

“Nxuk rijadojj te kxoo xulo xoho?” yet another hissing voice sounded from the trees, though the owner could not be found.

“Kxoo xulo rijadojj nakx Traax,” the guide Dinolfos replied, and was soon leading them on again.

Around a few more bends in the trail, a large cave that sat amongst the trees came into sight; extremely well hidden from an aerial view. The guides led their charges onward and straight into the cave.

The cave was dark the further in one went, reeking strongly of death. Right where the sunlight could no longer penetrate the shadows, young Dinolfos rough-housed and played until their mothers called them back within the darkness.

“Nuak xoho,” one of the guides ordered before it vanished into the shadows, the other keeping guard of the trespassing trio.

Sean stayed close to Dark Link, staring at a white skull whose eyeless sockets stared back. He hadn’t noticed, but with their arrival more and more of this Dinolfos clan had begun to emerge to see their leader’s new victims. The females kept their young close and the males chuckled and joked about what their leader would do to the foolish trespassers.

A hissed chorus suddenly rang through the cave and every Dinolfos bowed his or her head; golden eyes closed. Out of the shadows came yet another Dinolfos, but this one was slightly different. The knobs of his head were short spikes; tallest above his eyes. More short spikes lined his chin and lower jawbone; displaying his older age and rank as leader. Around his thick fleshed neck was a necklace made from the arm bones of Termians, each bone separated by a hooked claw of a Wolfos. The bones clacked dryly together, sending frightened chills up Sean’s spine.

He walked with the Dinolfos’ swaying gait over to a strangely shaped rock. The front of it was elevated while it had a gentle slope down to the back. His upper half rested on the elevated end and his body comfortably rested along the slope. His four fingers wrapped over the rocky edge, golden eyes, with red lining his pupils, watching his new visitors. The cave was silent, save for Traax’s hissed breathing.

“A xouh kxuk kxo sxact teoj dek idtohjkudt euh kedwio,” he said finally, scaled lips parted in a smile. “De mukkoh. Jadso xaj vuko nacc ro tosatot xoho,” he paused, smile broadening somewhat, “I will make up for your incompetence and speak in your pathetic tongue.”

Dark Link snorted, amused from that comment, Traax chuckling in response to it.

“That’s amusing, wraith. I never thought I’d live to see the day when one of your kind would lower himself to such a low level as to speak the language of these ‘Termians’.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Dark Link retorted. “I’m finding it strange that you would lower yourself to this level . . . hearing that you are speaking the tongue of the ‘Termians’ as well.”

“The answer is quite simple, wraith,” Traax replied smoothly; scales dryly scraping across the stone as he adjusted his body. “He may just be a child, but he’s one of the ‘dying race’. I can allow him to understand his fate. I owe his kind, at least, that much respect.” The Leader Dinolfos chuckled. “Now, back to business. What would bring three beings to, so foolishly, enter my domain?”

Sean glanced up at Dark Link —who didn’t look back— with widened eyes. He was feeling afraid of dying in the cave —like whoever the skull on the ground belonged to— and that the person that had been protecting him all this time was a wraith. He hadn’t known that wraiths were still around. He’d only heard about them in myths and legends from the Beginning Eras and all those had said that all of them had either been destroyed or sent to another realm. Suddenly, many of the stunts Dark Link had been able to pull off made sense to the boy.

“I seek what so many others have thrown away their pitiful in the search of,” Dark Link answered, folding his arms over his chest.

Traax began to laugh. His laugh rang off the walls of the cave, echoing eerily from the stones. “You seek the Portal to the Chosen Land? What is it you seek in that Golden Land of Prosperity? The salvation of your damned soul? The extinguishing of the World of Light?” His lips were pulled back in a toothy grin. “What makes you think you’re worthy of using it?”

“It’d make life a lot easier for the both of us,” Dark Link replied calmly.

“That much is true,” Traax hissed, yellow-red eyes smiling, “but if I let all who’ve said that to me go, what fun would I have?”

Some of the Dinolfos let out soft hissed chuckles, but quickly fell silent.

Sean glanced around at the saurian creatures when they laughed. He was reminded of the Lizalfos, but it seemed the Dinolfos were just as sadistic, but in a more highly civilized manner. Despite his newly-developed fear towards Dark Link, he pressed himself up next to the wraith; wanting to hide in the wraith’s power filled presence. He felt some of his fear ebb away when Dark Link placed a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder.

Traax chuckled again, shaking his head with a smile. “I am highly amused by this, to say the least. To have two of this world’s rarest beings waltzing right into my abode to see me at their own free wills. I will be pleased by this for years to come.” His fingers tightened around the stone edge and he pushed himself up to a standing position; stepping from his stone throne.

“I have decided to give you a chance to use what you seek,” he announced in a louder voice. “If you succeed in the test I will place before you, as I have done to so many others, you will be granted permission to travel through the portal at your leisure for the rest of your days. However, if you fail, your lives will come to an abrupt halt.” Traax approached Dark Link, his green scaled head slightly above level with the wraith’s. “Though I do believe such a fate would be difficult to bear a success upon yourself. Am I correct, wraith?”

Dark Link smirked. “More difficult than you can imagine.”

The Dinolfos chuckled. “I’m sure.” Traax turned his head away from the wraith and slowly walked some distance between them. “This will certainly prove to be the most exciting match we have ever seen. Ryuu, of course, will be highly pleased.” The Dinolfos’s head glanced back at them, eyes shining unpleasantly. “Though most of Ryuu’s fights have lasted less than one minute, I’m sure this one will last a little longer.”

Traax glanced around at his clan before he shouted, “Ke kxo uhodu!”

His clan responded in loud excited roars of their own, some repeating their leader’s words. With a nod from Traax, some came up around Dark Link and Sean and guided them out of the cave; Traax following behind, chuckling softly under his breath.

Sean’s eyes were wide with fright, but he felt safe with Dark Link’s hand on his shoulder. Juto had slid down the wraith’s arm and hopped into Sean’s arms with a happy purr.

“If anyone should try to attack you in my absence, Juto will see to your protection,” the wraith whispered softly, keeping his words below the noise of the Dinolfos.

Sean nodded, staring at the ground ahead of him; a little bit of pink flushing through his paled face, bringing his normal color back to him. He felt a little excitement push up through his nervousness, making him feel slightly better about the whole situation. He wouldn’t care if the wraith denied it, but he truly did believe that the wraith had done that because he cared. At that moment, it didn’t matter to him if Dark Link had ordered Juto to protect him because he was something “special”, but rather because there was a little compassion somewhere in his darkened heart. The boy decided he’d give the wraith a hard time about it later, since now wasn’t exactly the best time to be giving snide remarks. Sean glanced up at Dark Link, but the wraith did not look back; red eyes shining in the shadows of his black hair.

Traax halted everyone at the top of a hill on which he had led them all. Down below was a vast open space of hard packed earth with a large cave on the far end of this arena. The shadows of semi-buried bones and skulls littered about clear ground, most crushed and almost invisible to the scanning eye.

“This, wraith, is where you will fight our prized Dodongo, Ryuu,” Traax stated, motioning his hand in a horizontal arc at the cave and battle ring. “A victory for you is to immobilize Ryuu, while your death is his victory.” Traax eyed the wraith warningly. “Understood?”

“Like blood on a white shirt,” Dark Link replied smugly, a fang protruding from his lips with his smile.

Traax chuckled. “I like that analogy. There shall come a time when I will use it. Now, wraith, it is time for your fate to be decided.”

Dark Link just grunted with a smirk. He unclasped his cloak and dropped it on Sean; giving the boy a pat on the head. “Look after that for me, alright?” He undid his sword belt and set it next to Sean; who was now peeking out from under the large cloak and with Juto’s orange eyes peeking out from Sean’s white hair. “That too while you’re at it.”

Traax looked amusingly impressed. “Tossing away your own weapon? What would make you do such a thing?”

“I don’t need it,” Dark Link answered, cracking his knuckles. “I can beat this little lizard without it.”

Traax chuckled softly. “Whatever you want, wraith. Though, of course, I seem to have forgotten what you are,” he added with a taunting tone.

Dark Link just smirked. “I’ll see you in three minutes,” he said before vanishing down the path to the arena.

Sean rushed forward a few steps, still clutching the wraith’s cloak around himself; Juto tangled up in his white locks of hair, looking slightly distressed as he flew around when Sean stopped abruptly. Sean didn’t like this. He really did not like this at all. Whatever it was that lived in the cave was huge; possibly larger than that tusked fish. He slumped down to his knees, fingers tightening their hold on the cloak. He wanted to shout to Dark Link to tell him to be careful, but he kept quiet; knowing that Dark Link wouldn’t appreciate being told to do the obvious.

“Boy,” Traax hissed, coming up behind Sean. “I’ve decided to be generous and let you share the same fate as the wraith. If the wraith should die, then your life will come to an end, but if he should win, then the portal is yours to use as well. Sound fair?”

Sean didn’t look at Traax, but made it obvious that he was nodding; knowing that to disagree would be foolish.

“Quite wise, child, quite wise,” the Dinolfos whispered behind the boy; an unpleasant cackle bouncing his words slightly. “Though I must say that I admire your bravery. I have seen many children your age cry by this point, but you haven’t even freed a tear.” He chuckled, causing chills to rush up Sean’s spine and the boy to swallow to try to moisten his drying throat. “Surely, if the time must come, I’ll regret having to kill you.”

Sean pulled the cloak closer around his body; the fabric still warm with the wraith’s body heat. It made the boy feel somewhat better, but Traax’s words and laughter left him chilled.

Dark Link stopped before the cave, it rising up high into the air above him. He put his hands on his hips, red eyes peering into the shadows. He had no idea if this was some sick prank the Dinolfos were pulling. To him, they seemed like the type of lot to do something of the sort. He was just about ready to storm back up the hill and give Traax a piece of his mind when a blast of foul air came from the cave, followed by a hungry growl.

A tremor shook the ground with every step as a large bipedal creature began to come for the exit of the cave. Dark Link backed up a few steps as the tremors grew stronger and the faint glisten of fangs shone in the shadows. Dark Link felt his eyes looking up in their sockets as high as they could go without him lifting his head. He knew he must have miscalculated something at one point.

A muddy green head drifted from the shadows, spikes adorning its head much like Traax. Its orange eyes were small in comparison to its large thick head, which ended in a short wide snout. Unlike the Dinolfos, it did not have lips and its teeth shone in the sun like blades; the smallest tooth easily as long as Dark Link’s hand. Its head was held up by a thick muscled neck, which was attached to a barrel-shaped body. Short two-clawed forearms were tucked against its muscles torso; seeming weak, but in reality, were strong. The dirt cracked slightly under its large three-toed feet, claws stained in blood and covered with dust. A thick tail, as long as from tip of nose to end of hips, held its body balanced in its horizontal stance.

Dark Link looked up at the creature that stood at least three times his own height. A smug smile was on his face and he stood there arrogantly with a hand on his hip.

“Why aren’t you intimidating,” he said, brushing at his nose with his other hand, “I was almost worried that I’d have to fight one of those wimpy Dodongos, but I’m glad I’m wrong.”

Sean’s breath stopped in his throat when Ryuu had revealed itself. He couldn’t understand on how that creature was supposed to be a Dodongo, since they were all supposed to be extinct.

“What do you think of Ryuu, child? Quite a formidable opponent, is he not?” Traax chuckled, golden eyes narrowing with glee. “He has slain many men without sustaining injury since his birth. What makes you think a wraith can beat him?”

“Because Dark Link is a wraith and not a man,” Sean answered, not even realizing that he had said Dark Link’s name.

Traax cackled a little darkly. “So that is the infamous Dark Link.” He laughed at the thought of it. “This shall be the best fight we have ever seen . . . and ever will see. I’d like to thank you, child, for bringing such a sadistic creature into our midst, though . . . that will not save your life.” He laughed a little more, walking away from Sean to the tallest point of the hill over the arena. “Den, vawxk!” he shouted down to the arena contenders with the roar of the male population of his clan behind him; the females remaining at the cave with the young ones.

Dark Link braced himself against Ryuu’s footfalls, the dry dirt cracking beneath the Dodongo’s heavy scaled plated feet. The wraith was wondering to himself just how he was expected to fight this creature without killing it. He could see its mind ticking behind its orange eyes. It was plotting his defeat, just like he was plotting its.

Ryuu suddenly drove its toe claws into the dirt and pivoted around, using its massive tail as a whip. Dark Link barely had enough time to drop to the dirt to hear the air whistle across the giant Dodongo’s tail. The wraith then used his arms and one of his legs to propel himself to the side in a roll when the large tail slammed into the earth; leaving a shallow trench in its wake.

Dark Link rolled into a crouching position, one hand bracing himself and the other in a slightly defensive position below his face. ‘Just how the hell am I supposed to take that thing down?’ he yelled at himself mentally. His attention snapped back to his surroundings as the ground jolted beneath his feet. The wraith leapt backwards as Ryuu’s huge jaws slid across the dirt in the attempt to scoop the wraith up in its maw. Twisting his body into a back-flip, the wraith landed silently in a ring of dust; one hand bracing his upper body in his leaned over stance and the other arm held out to the side for balance.

“Well,” Dark Link sighed, getting to his feet and rolling back his sleeves, “here goes nothing.” The wraith braced his legs in a stance to absorb recoil without falling over, holding his fisted right hand towards Ryuu; wrapping his left hand around the wrist of his outstretched right arm, and anchoring his left elbow into his side. His red eyes followed the pacing Ryuu back and forth, holding his right arm steady; much like an aimed rifle. ‘Any time now, that large pair of boots is going to charge me and when it does-’ He didn’t have the time to finished his own thought.

The ground shook again as the ten ton Dodongo charged at the wraith once again, maw like a black abyss lines with more than sixty sharp bladed knives. In sheer panic (something that didn’t hit the wraith all that often), Dark Link opened his fist and a pillar of black-purple fire erupted from his palm straight at the charging creature. Dark Link had shut his eyes to protect them from the flames, but he felt relieved when the ground ceased quacking from Ryuu’s footfalls. The fire subsided and he opened his eyes, standing up straight.

Ryuu stood some distance from him, the fire having sent the creature back. Along the right side of its face, and down to its right forearm, was a black burn; contrasting greatly from its muddy green scales. Its orange eye was unharmed and blazed against the dark flesh. Dark Link felt his breath catch in his throat. The creature should have been incinerated! Destroyed! There was no possible way that it should still be breathing!

Traax’s shrill laughter ran through the air, causing Ryuu to chuckle in a very animal-like manner; unnerving Dark Link greatly.

“What did I tell you, boy? Did you think I was lying when I said he sustained to injuries until now?” the Dinolfos shouted, obviously talking to Sean, but purposely yelling it for all to hear. “Like I asked before, what makes you think a wraith can beat Ryuu!”

Dark Link’s red eyes narrowed, watching the burnt flesh on the Dodongo steam a little. He saw the faint twitching of the flesh beginning to heal. “What in the hell is that thing?” the wraith asked himself softly.

Ryuu gave its head a shake, the muscle and skin of its throat swinging in response to the head’s movement. Its burnt skin was itching and becoming annoying. The Dodongo wasn’t too pleased with this feeling its prey had inflicted upon it. With a growl, Ryuu propelled itself forward in an earth quaking trot, simply to make its prey move in a run.

Dark Link, however, was no longer scared like the Dodongo had wished. He saw what the creature wanted from him and decided to amuse himself with its whims. The wraith just smirked at the approaching saurian being. With an amused chuckle of his own, his form wavered and vanished with him saying, “Just try to catch me.”

Ryuu slowed its trot into a walk and soon a halt. It was not stupid and knew the wraith was using speed to stay unnoticed. A foolish gesture that only postponed the inevitable. The Dodongo drove the talons of one of its feet into the ground and simply left the other alone and in a normal standing position. Its orange eyes disappeared behind thick eyelids and the creature let out a growled sigh, as if relaxing.

Sean was slightly surprised at Ryuu’s odd behavior. The boy was still wrapped up in the wraith’s cloak, Juto still tangled up in his hair and sitting on his shoulder. The fight had long left Sean in the dust. He no longer knew exactly what was going on, despite the fact he had been watching the entire thing. As much as he thought Ryuu was being crazy, Traax’s soft chuckling told the boy there was more at work here than he could see.

He was really caught off guard when Ryuu’s eyes suddenly snapped open and the Dodongo swung its massive body around and collided with the wraith’s body by using its tail. Dark Link, however, wasn’t totally phased by the hit. He simply took his fingers and drove them through Ryuu’s hide without the aid of claws. Ryuu roared with the pain and tried desperately to rid itself of Dark Link, but did so to no avail.

Dark Link’s body zipped unseen once again, blood escaping from the wounds of Ryuu’s tail in arcs as Dark Link tore his fingers out. In a swirl of dust, he reappeared near one of the walls of Ryuu’s cave. He simple stood there, arms loosely folded on his chest, without fear and not making any move to escape.

“Doesn’t seem like you enjoyed that too much,” the wraith taunted coolly. “I can see that it made you angry. So why not kill me for it? This time, I won’t do anything to stop you.”

Ryuu snarled, saliva sputtering in moistened jaws. The wraith was up to something. That much was obvious. The Dodongo’s orange eyes darted to the grounds surrounding the wraith, quickly plotting its next move. With a crocodilian smile, the large saurian creature barreled forward. Upon spotting the wraith’s form vanish, Ryuu slammed its right foot into the ground and forced its ten ton body almost ninety degrees in a turn to the left. It knew the wraith was not expecting this move. It snapped its jaws shut at the wraith’s estimated location and was pleased to feel warm blood run across its gums.

Dark Link didn’t feel the pain in his left arm until he turned his head around to see it caught up in Ryuu’s serrated edged teeth. If he moved, the teeth would cut even deeper into his limb than they already were, and their backward curved shape eliminated almost every hope of escape from the head that was as long as he was tall.

Hot air blew across Dark Link’s fresh wounds, causing them to sting, as the Dodongo chuckled at his miscalculation. With a mighty swing of its head, Ryuu sent Dark Link flying, but it had not opened its jaws so the wraith could fly out, but kept them closed so it could strip the flesh from the wraith’s limb to cause him horrible pain.

Dark Link’s body smashed into the dirt, him lying still to simply recollect his bearings. His left arm was in so much pain that he couldn’t even feel it anymore. He lifted it to his face to see the damage. Gleaming white bone shone here or there, where the muscle had been severed clear off. His arm appeared like a stick, with very little muscle, flesh, and a lot of bone. He could see the tendons pull the joints of his fingers and flex with others down his arm.

“Damn it,” he murmured weakly, chest heaving up and down as he breathed and placed his left arm on the ground beside him.

A small pool of navy blue blood began to gather about Dark Link’s left arm and the small crater his body had created on impact. The arteries in his arm had been ripped apart and now his blood leaked out of his body through them. With a pained hiss, Dark Link forced himself to a sitting position; enough muscle still remaining in his stripped arm to balance his torso. Blood beginning to thicken and clam up around his joints, the wraith held his injured arm in front of him; palm open at the sky. With a scream that had started as a hiss, the flesh of the wraith’s exposed shoulder shuddered and the broken blood vessels suddenly pumped full of fresh blood, instantaneously healing themselves; arteries proceeding in forcing blood to and fro. Blackish-blue tinted muscles snaked their way down his boned arm; building back up the mass of muscle the wraith had possessed before. Once the last of the muscle finished entwining around his fingers, skin crawled its way down from the shoulder; Dark Link’s arm looking like new.

“Impressive,” Traax’s voice hissed. “A forced regeneration.” The Dinolfos chuckled. “He will be feeling that later.”

A wide-eyed Sean turned his head back to glance at the cackling saurian lizard. Personally, he didn’t see what was so funny. Sure, Dark Link had been able to heal his arm, but that seemed to have left the wraith fairly winded. He didn’t appear to have any energy left to fight off the attacking Dodongo. Juto whimpered sadly on the boy’s shoulder and Sean reached a hand over to soothe the frightened Black Boe.

Dark Link let his weariness and pain seep out of him with a sigh. Arm still outstretched before him, the wraith twitched all five fingers until he could clench a fist with ease. Satisfied that the nerve endings, tendons, and muscles were working as they had before, the wraith pushed himself to his feet; though still slightly unstable.

Ryuu let out a snorted chuckle. Its prey was still ready to fight after having a limb stripped. How would he feel if that whole arm was torn right off? With this thought in mind, Ryuu charged forwards, the earth cracking and flying back from beneath its talons.

Dark Link wasn’t going to run away this time. When the creature just about smacked into him, the wraith grabbed onto the Dodongo’s mouth, one hand on each jaw. He had carefully shifted his fingers to prevent them from getting sliced off, but the small spaces between each tooth still allowed for the sharp edges to cut into the wraith’s fingers.

Ryuu pushed against the wraith’s arms, somewhat forcing them back, but struggled against the wraith’s strength. The Dodongo snorted in anger, starting to flex its jaws so its teeth would cut deeper into the wraith’s fingers.

Dark Link couldn’t help but turn his head away when Ryuu’s hot, putrid breath gusted into his face. It reeked of the many men the creature had devoured and slaughtered. Dark Link pushed harder against the Dodongo —not paying any attention to his fingers— so it’d push harder back and when he thought it was fighter hard enough, the wraith let go of Ryuu’s mouth and jumped away; Ryuu crashing head first into the ground.

The Dodongo lay there, no longer willing to move. The drop into the hard ground had forced its lower jaw into the roof of its mouth and jarred its brain. Ryuu no longer wanted to fight. The wraith’s last move had been too much.

A slow clapping sound suddenly rang through the air, causing Dark Link’s already throbbing head to hurt worse. Sean turned around to see Traax slowly, but loudly, clapping his scaled hands together; wearing as amused, yet dark, grin.

“Vawxk eloh. Vawxk eloh,” the Dinolfos called down the exhausted Dark Link. “Bravo, wraith. For a moment there you had me worried.” Traax looked behind him and signaled down at the arena with a hand, two other Dinolfos immediately responding.

Traax’s attention turned to Sean. “I’d like to congratulate you, boy. You are one of the few to meet Death and leave in peace. I’d much rather preferred that you have fought for your own life, but a deal is a deal.”

Sean didn’t reply. He was a little too shaken up by Traax’s words and the now past battle. His and Traax’s attention shifted to the two Dinolfos as they returned, acting as supports for Dark Link.

“I have kept my word and your request has been granted, wraith. The Portal is yours to use until the last of your days. The boy has been granted the same privilege.” The two Dinolfos eased the wraith over to a tree and sat him gently on the ground beneath it, so he was sitting against it. “Now, is there anything else my people can do for you?” the leader dino asked.

Dark Link shook his head. “All I need is a few minutes rest,” he replied, looking very much like he needed it.

“Very well. We shall be expecting you in a few minutes,” Traax murmured with a bow of his head. “Semo!” he shouted to those of his clan that had come to the battle and left with them.

Sean scooted over to Dark Link after the Dinolfos’ disappearance. He sat on his knees beside the wraith, cloak bunched about his body and Juto still on his shoulder. Now that Sean thought about it, he’d never seen Dark Link sleep before. Not even once. The wraith’s face was relaxed, all thoughts of pain eliminated from his mind; breathing soft and steady.

Sean took a quick moment to glance down at the wraith’s hands. The blue blood on his skin seeped back within the wounds and the cuts sealed themselves as if they had never existed to begin with.

The boy looked up at the wraith’s shoulder —him being on the wraith’s left— and noticed something oddly familiar. It was the tattoo he had caught a glimpse of after the giant fish attack. It had been covered then, but Ryuu had taken the bandage off when it had stripped Dark Link’s whole arm of flesh.

The tattoo was of a bird, one that looked truly majestic. Its head was bent down near a thick feathered chest, large wings flared upwards and back; as if contained within a circle. The bird’s body was thick, suggesting all the powerful muscles contained within and its talons were held outward as weapons for battle. Four long feather tails sprouted from its rear and curved down, forward towards the head, and up; as if riding the bottom of the same invisible circle.

Sean blinked. He had never seen a tattoo like that before, nor the bird it was of. The thickness of the bird’s body showed that in real life, it would be huge and maybe too heavy for flight. He jumped when Dark Link’s right hand clamped over the black tattoo.

“Forget you saw it,” he whispered warningly; red eyes watching Sean from behind half-closed eyelids and long strands of black hair.

Sean nodded weakly, crawling out of Dark Link’s cloak and left it on the ground next to him as the boy scooted away.

Dark Link picked up his cloak and put it on, hiding his left arm within it. He stood up, Sean following. “They’re waiting for us,” he said and led the boy back towards the Dinolfos’ lair.

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“I see you’re looking better,” Traax commented, having been waiting for the wraith and boy to return. “That wraithirian sleep of yours really does your people wonders.”

“Too bad it’s a pain in the ass,” Dark Link mumbled under his breath, Traax chuckling softly.

“Come,” Traax ordered. “I will show you the location of the Portal. However, you’ll have to memorize its location afterwards.” With that, the Dinolfos began to walk away, wraith and boy quickly following.

“Now, I cannot say what lies right beyond the other side,” the saurian lizard said when they were walking beside him, “for I have never gone through the Portal myself, but I know of the world.” He stopped before a path in the trees. It seemed normal enough, but the branches above curved over as if the top of a circle the farther away from where they stood.

Sean looked down at Juto, who looked back, just as confused as he.

“Wraith,” Traax motioned to Dark Link with a finger, “there is something I must tell you.” The Dinolfos’s eyes when to Sean when the wraith came up to him. “Oei mijk tovouk kxo tomed vhem kxo dehkx. Oei muo kxadb kxuk ak teoj dek sedcohd oei, rik oei uho nhedw. We ke Hyrule udt oei muo vadt jemo ke xocf oei.”

Traax looked at Sean again, making sure the boy wasn’t attempting to listen, but the boy was floating around the Portal entrance; totally enthralled with it. “You are this world’s only hope for survival. You are the only one with the guts to want to march straight into that monster’s domain and destroy him. My clan cannot do much to aid you, but we have too much to lose. What do you have that can be lost? I know that neither Termina or Hyrule want you and you were cast out by your own people if you’re in these worlds.”

Dark Link snorted, but spoke in a low tone, “Don’t think you know so much about me, though all you just said is the truth.” He paused, jaws grinding noiselessly together. “A nacc jkef kxuk rujkuht Link, rik A xulo mo end houjedj.”

“A’m jiho,” Traax replied, “I’m sure.”

“I’m not about to become a savior here,” Dark Link murmured threateningly.

“I’m not asking you to,” Traax replied calmly, not giving in to the wraith’s obvious threats to drop the subject. “Defeat the man you term a ‘bastard’. You’ll be doing everyone a favor, as well as yourself. I wouldn’t deem this quest of your righteous, but does the cause to want to kill a man have to be?”

Dark Link’s red eyes glowered slightly, but he said nothing. He turned and began walking over to Sean —wanting to get away from the smooth tongued dinosaur—, but Traax’s words made him halt.

“Tovoukot Ryuu oei muo xulo tedo, rik dek roadw urco ke fik oeih cavo ed kxo cado veh u fenohvic suijo aj u khio jawd ev senuhtaso.”

Dark Link didn’t turn his head back to look at the Dinolfos. His shoulders rose slightly in anger and he let it out with a sigh. He walked wordlessly over to the boy and Juto hopped up onto his shoulder. “We’re leaving now,” the wraith said simply. “I’m not wasting anymore time here.” With that, he ushered Sean down the path, the boy confident that everything would be fine since Dark Link was with him.

Traax watched them vanish down the trail, standing alone. His arms were folded loosely over themselves, hands gripping the opposite shoulder, and his lips were pulled back in a toothy grin.

He was pleased to note that his words had sunk in . . . suck in deep.

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I’ve got a few questions for you readers since this is the halfway point of Approaching Darkness.

1. What do you think of Approaching Darkness thus far?

2. Do you think the plot line is good? Interesting?

3. What character do you like out of them all so far? Why?

4. What is your favorite part of this fan-fic? Why?

5. Are you looking forward to the soon-to-be written prequel?

6. Should I write a sequel to Approaching Darkness? Explain your reasoning.

I hope you’ve been enjoying this fan-fic as much as I’ve loved writing it and I hope you stay with me until the very end. Thank you for your support, readers. ::bows::

Chapter 17: The Breaking of Innocence

“Well, I see that Thade fixed you up well,” Link’s voice whispered softly in the silent air.

Suto looked up at the door, having remained where the Lizalfos had left him; still stroking the worm’s head. The glint in the boy’s eyes was not friendly.

Link just gave a smile, leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed. “I can see that he told you something unpleasant.”

“He said you were crazy,” the boy replied in a disgusted voice, hand still stroking the worm’s hard head.

The Hylian chuckled. “There are some who would think that of me.”

“But you’re not crazy! I know you’re not!”

Link stood up from the door and walked over to his son; sitting beside him on the table. To someone else, that would seem far out of character for Link while only Nita would’ve loved to see Link spending time with their son, if her life hadn’t come to an end.

“Now, what did Thade tell you about me?”

“He said you kill people,” Suto whispered, sounding like a child telling an embarrassing truth.

“Who doesn’t nowadays?” The Hylian gave a short laugh. “Thade was in no position to say such things,” deep blue eyes rolled to lock with emerald-gold ones, “when he has slaughtered so many in the name of his ever-changing Lord.”

“Is he going to kill me?”

“Only if his strongest desire is death,” his son look frightened and he answered with a slightly crazed smile, “because I will not allow it.”

In silence, the boy watched his father slide off the table; depositing his cape and hip-sash on his throne when he walked by it. Softly, Suto edged off the table, the worm following its Master, and he followed his father into the bedchamber.

He caught sight of Link pulling a black long-sleeved shirt over his bare upper half. Its collar was separated by a V-cut that ended mid-way down his torso, leaving quite a bit of the Hylian’s chest bare.

“I was about to call you in here anyway,” said the Hylian man to the boy who wore nothing but the bandages around his torso and a pair of tattered pants.

He walked past his son to a closet, opening the door to pull out a box, and walked over to the bed—across from the full-length mirror. With a finger, he motioned in request for the boy’s presence. He was not disobeyed.

“I’ve got a little something for you,” Link’s soft voice said gently; a gentle tone that only Suto knew. “I was going to give it to you on your birthday, but now is as good a time as any.”

Suto blinked. His father was going to give him a birthday present? That was a surprise to him, since he thought his father didn’t even care about him, more or less his birthday. He scooted closer to Link when the Hylian gave him a beckoning motion.

Link opened up the box and pulled out a sleeveless wrap-around vest. “This is for you.”

Suto’s young face twisted in confusion upon taking the piece of clothing from his father. He didn’t know quite what it was, as well as clueless as how to act upon receiving a gift since he never had been given one before. “What is it?”

“It’s a vest made from the toughest leather in Hyrule,” Link replied, fingering the edge of it.

“Where’s the leather come from?” Suto glanced up at his father.

“The hides of Dodongos. An ancient race of lizards that are now extinct in Termina, but endangered in Hyrule.”

“Endangered?”

“There are not a lot of them left,” Link explained calmly. “Pretty soon they’ll all be dead, or extinct.”

“If there’s not many left, why kill them?” Suto felt confused.

“The less of them there are, the more valuable items are that are made from them.” Link placed his hand on Suto’s, his so much larger than the boy’s, and leaned down near him. “When you wear this, no sword can hurt you. No tooth or claw can take out your heart.”

“And normal leather couldn’t protect me?”

“Not even a chance.” Link pulled away. He walked back over to the closet and rummaged through it. “Those pants you’re wearing. They’re terrible. Take them off.”

Suto blinked, glancing down at the ragged piece of clothing that hung to his hips. Without a moment’s hesitation, he followed his father’s order and stripped himself naked.

“Oh come now,” Link said, walking back over to his son; noticing his uneasy expression. “No one else is in here so don’t feel so worried.” He handed Suto what he had carried over. “These will be better.”

Suto took the new pair of pants from his father. They were a calming shade of grey, much nicer looking that his dirty, old brown ones. Not used to feeling air against his lower body, Suto gladly pulled the pants on. The fabric was soft, a great contrast from the itchy fabric he had gotten used to.

“That’s a lot better, isn’t it?” Link asked, kneeling down next to Suto; as tall was the boy who was standing. He turned the boy so he was facing him and unclasped the vest. “Hold your arms out.” He put his son’s arms through the holes and clasped the right side to the underside of the opposite side and pulled the left flap over to boy’s chest to clasp on the top of the right flap. The leather vest completely hid the bandages the boy wore.

When Link’s hands pulled away from the vest, Suto lunged at his father in a hug; wrapping his arms around the Hylian man’s neck and buried his face into his shoulder. The boy started to sob, too many emotions running through him that he couldn’t make sense of them or hold them inside. His grip tightened in earnest when he felt Link’s arms reluctantly encircle around him, like the Hylian wasn’t sure what to do.

“Don’t cry, Suto,” he heard Link’s voice say in a pleading tone; since it seemed he wouldn’t know what to do if he did start crying.

“Don’t leave me,” the boy whimpered in return. “Don’t leave me alone!”

Link’s arms tightened around the boy as he stood up. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m tired of being alone,” the boy continued to whimper.

“Thoughts like that won’t get you anywhere, Suto. At your age, I can understand wanting to attach yourself to someone. I did, and wanted, the same thing when I was your age. But do you know what I discovered?”

Suto was still locked in a hug, his father’s strong arms holding him gently, and he stopped sobbing. “What?”

“It only causes pain in the end. You, of all people, should know that by now.”

Suto’s grip sagged. “You’re right.”

“Of what importance were you to him if he leaves you behind like a piece of everyday garbage?” Link placed Suto down on the bed. “Let him go, Suto. He’s not coming back for you.”

“How do you know that?” Suto demanded, suddenly defensive.

“Did he ever say he as coming back? For any reason? Once?”

“…No…” came the soft reply.

“What does that tell you?”

“…He doesn’t care for me…”

“Correct.” Link smiled, pleased at where this was going. “What are you going to do about it?”

Suto’s eyes suddenly hardened, a spark in them much like Link’s. “Hurt him….”

The Hylian’s smile broadened. “Why?”

The boy’s eyes darkened. “To make him suffer.…Suffer like I have.”

“Are you sure?”

Harsh golden-emerald eyes flicked up into deep, dark blue ones. “May the Goddesses stop me.”

Link was highly impressed on how quickly the snapping had occurred. The boy must’ve bottled up a lot of emotion and now it had just exploded. Just what kind of emotions Suto had been holding for this other boy were lost to Link, but he planned on using them to his advantage; not figure out what they were.

“Now you’re full of hatred…it’s a powerful thing.” The boy’s eyes watched his father pace and ears listened to him speak. “It can crumble cities, destroy lives, consume passion….The list goes on and on.” The wheels in Link’s mind spun furiously as he planned how he could use the child to do his dirty work. “But as you know…one does not go charging into revenge. It’s simply not done that way. Patience is the key to any success. Just wait, my son,” Link placed a crooked finger under Suto’s chin and forced the boy to look up at him, “and your heart’s desire will be fulfilled in time.”

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“Here is the boy, my Lord,” a Gerudo woman announced; dressed in something that didn’t quite fit her by a margin. “All washed like you ordered.”

Suto’s hair was shiny and soft, fluffed out mostly at the right side of his face; semi hiding his eye. The hair in back only came to the base of his neck; all of it still somewhat frizzy and shaggy. All the dirt and grime had been scrubbed off his thin, boney body; his skin tone a lighter shade of tan than originally thought, but still a tad dark from his Gerudo blood. His old bandages had been switched for fresh ones, them now covered by the Dodongo hide vest. The legs of his grey pants were tucked into identical leather boots; the rims lines with the smaller fangs of Dodongos. Black armor bands covered his thin upper arms, the lower arms covered in one piece of fabric that attached to the base of the middle finger of both hands; exposing both palms. The boy’s eyes still gleamed with newly born hatred, but it hid behind the happy childish shine.

“Looks like you did your job well,” Link commented, lounging against the doorframe of his bedchamber; having taken off all his usual wear and had the silky black shirt and matching black pants on instead. “I am pleased.”

“We are all too eager to carry out your whims, my Lord,” the Gerudo woman replied with a deep bow; one hand out to the side and the other keeping herself into the small tank-top—it wasn’t as tight fitting as she had hoped it would be.

Link chuckled. “Change into something that suit your better.”

“As you command, my Master.” The woman departed immediately.

“Daddy, those ladies are really nice!” Suto announced, skipping over to Link.

“You mother was once one of them,” Link replied softly.

“Can I see them again?”

“You’re free to visit them whenever you like.”

“Really?”

The Hylian gave a nod.

The young boy ran around in a happy circle, the worm scuttling in chase of its highly pleased Master.

“Tell me, Suto. What is that worm’s duty in following you?” Link asked, somewhat curious about it.

“He is my body guard,” Suto replied happily, wrapping his arms around the spiky worm and giving it a hug; chin resting on the crown of the brown head. “He is to never leave my side and is to alert the others if they’re needed. At least, that’s what Molgera told me.”

Link found that interesting. “Told you?”

Suto poked his own head with a smile. “Yep. Told me when he brought me back.”

“The worm spoke in your mind?”

The boy nodded. “Isn’t that normal? Can’t your dragon do it?”

Link his son an amused smile. “No. He can’t. It’s better that way.”

“Why?”

“For a creature to be able to voice its thoughts in its Master’s mind is a sign of tremendous power. I don’t need to listen to a dragon’s bitching in my mind.”

“Is it bad then?” Suto seemed saddened.

“I’ll leave that decision up to you. You’re old enough to decide for yourself.”

Suto looked down at the worm, whose triple blue eyes looked back, and he looked back up at his father with a smile. “The nice ladies helped me name the worm. He is to be called Amuu now!”

Amuu seemed quite pleased with its new title.

Link snorted a laugh. “Much better than ‘worm’, I suppose.” He was slightly surprised to see the worm nod along with Suto. Maybe Amuu was a lot smarter than he was giving it credit for.

“You go run along and play,” he said, waving a dismissing hand at his son. “I have some things to do that do not concern young children.”

Suto didn’t object. He knew as well as everyone else that to disobey the Hylian was to befriend Death. A childish bounce in his step, the boy skipped out the chamber’s door; Amuu skating quickly behind.

Now feeling much more comfortable upstairs, Suto took his time in looking around at the dark halls around him and the deep red rug that lined the hallways. Much to his surprise, he bumped into something and fell to the floor. He looked up and saw a tall Lizalfos standing over him. At first, he thought it was Thade but the tell-tale scars on the snout gave it away.

“Jsu!” the boy shouted, trying to sound threatening despite the pain in his rear.

The Lizalfos cackled, saliva covered teeth shining in the torchlight. “Oh dear boy! I am sssso pleassssed that you remember me.” His hissed voice was dripping with sarcasm.

“How could I not?” muttered the boy, standing and trying to relieve the pain in his butt. “You’re not allowed up here! You know that!”

Jsu cackled again. “I am free to come up here assss I wissssh when I have bussssinesssss with my Masssster. That bussssinesssss issss, however, classsssified from people like you.” His gold eyes gave Suto a criticizing look. “I ssssee that my Masssster hassss finally taken an interesssst in hissss own sssson. How tragic!”

Amuu coiled defensively about Suto’s feet upon sensing bloodlust in the air. That just made the lizard laugh harder.

“What’ssss thissss? A worm? A worm to protect you? Ha! You sssshould know better!”

“Amuu could easily rip out your throat, Jsu,” the boy replied darkly.

“It hassss a name now? You never csseasssse to humor me, boy. Thissss hassss been a mosssst entertaining chat, but my Masssster awaitssss my pressssencsse. Another time.” The Lizalfos walked right by the boy and worm and continued down the hall in the direction Suto had come from.

Suto’s eyes glowered at the scaled back of the lizard. One day, he would shut that reptile’s large mouth for good. The surge of heat that had risen into his cheeks receded and the boy continued onward; his hatred sliding off him like water.

The boy soon came across his destination: a set of plain black double-doors. He grabbed onto the handle and pulled it downwards; flooding the dark hallway with light.

“Master Suto! Back so soon, are you?”

“Daddy shooed me out of his room,” Suto told the Gerudo woman that had come to greet him, “so I came back to see you again.”

The woman smiled. “Well that was very kind of you.” She looked down. “And I see our little friend has come too.”

“Amuu follows me everywhere,” he said proudly; Amuu looking proud of its name.

“Well, he seems to enjoy his name,” the Gerudo said with a smile.

“Did you change your clothes, Caty?” Suto asked, noticing her different attire.

The Gerudo was wearing a dress that better accommodated her figure than what she had been wearing before. It, to say the least, looked a lot more comfortable.

“My Lord ordered it to be so and I obliged to his command.” She held out her hand and closed her slender fingers around the boy’s hand when he placed it within hers. “Come. I’m sure the others will be glad to see you again.”

Suto nodded and went down the hall, Amuu following after shutting the door with its head.

The torches in the short entry hall burned a great deal brighter than the ones in the main hall and everywhere else in the fortress. The hall opened up into a much larger room, a room that was brightly lit and decorated with runs, tapestries, and other things of bright colors; giving the room a happy feeling that greatly contrasted the fortress’s dull and grim feel. Several doors lead off to smaller rooms that were the necessities; food, bath, toilet, etc. The slaves were lucky enough to have a toilet, but that thing was so disgusting that, as nasty as it is to say, no one used it that often.

“Auntie Kera!” Suto shouted and ran over to the Gerudo he had spotted and hugged her around the waist, since that was all he was tall enough for.

The woman that he had tackled jumped from the sudden impact around her waist and turned her head around to see the boy behind her. “Suto! It’s only been a few minutes,” she said giving the boy a smile.

Suto let go of his aunt so she could turn around to face him. “Daddy shooed me out so I came back to se you and the other nice ladies,” he replied with one of his large smiles that always cheered Sean up when the white-haired boy felt down.

“You really are a sweetie,” Kera said with a smile, ruffling up the boy’s hair which made him giggle. “Just like my big sister,” she added sadly under her breath so the boy couldn’t hear. Kera had been fifteen when Link had brought her and her older sister Nita, who was ten years older than her, to the fortress; Kera was only two years younger than Link at the time.

Suto opened his eyes, since having closed them to keep his hair out of them, and he spotted Lilith on the far side of the room, but when her sea-green eyes meet his emerald-green ones, she quickly swept from the room without a word. “What’s wrong with her?” he asked his aunt.

Kera bit her lip momentarily before she spoke. “She…she doesn’t trust you anymore,” the Gerudo replied softly. “After she found out that you are Link’s son,” she looked down at the floor, “well…I’m not going to trouble you with her words. You’re still a young boy and I know Nita wouldn’t want you to hear it.”

“Was it bad?”

Kera nodded. “I’m afraid so…I’m afraid so.”

“But do not fret, Master Suto,” Caty added, placing a hand on the young boy’s shoulder. “We will always love you.”

Suto blinked. “You love me?”

“Of course, silly,” Kera chuckled, giving the boy a hug. “You’re my nephew. How could I not?”

“And you’re such a sweet little thing,” Caty continued. “I’m sure you’ll find someone special.”

Suto looked over at her. “But what if he already left me here to die?” His tone was innocent, but his eyes gave a hostile flash.

Both Caty and Kera’s faces dropped; along with the other harem women that sat nearby.

“Is that the boy that escaped two days ago?” his aunt asked. “Suto…I seriously doubt he left you.”

The half-Gerudo turned to his aunt. “How would you know?” The boy seemed angry, through his eyes welled with a few tears.

“Suto, I’m your aunt and even though I rarely got to see you until now, I know how special you were to that white-haired boy. I have never personally met that boy…but when I’d be able to catch glimpses of you two,” Kera started to seem saddened, Suto’s anger washing away, “I knew I was looking at something special.”

Suto was at a loss for words. His mouth moved but no sound came from it; no sound could. Kera’s words clashed tremendously with his father’s, confusing the young boy. Link had said Sean hated him, but Kera said the complete opposite. Which was the truth?

“Kera’s right, you know,” Caty said, catching Suto’s attention. “You’ve known that boy for five years now. He’s been very close to you. What makes you think he’d turn around and slap you in the face?”

Suto looked down at the floor, eyes remaining there even though Kera and Caty eased him into a couch and sat on either side of him. “He left me…he left me all alone,” he whispered after a pause. “He didn’t even say goodbye to me.”

“Maybe he didn’t want it to be a goodbye.”

The boy looked up at his aunt when she placed a hand on his thigh.

“If he didn’t say goodbye, he didn’t want it to be one.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means he plans on seeing you again, Suto. A goodbye is forever and he didn’t want that.”

Suto’s gaze went downcast. He suddenly felt a terrible pang of guilt chill his body. He felt horrible for doubting Sean, who was really going to come back for him and really hadn’t left him….Or so the half-blood hoped.

“Oh, Suto,” Kera cooed, cuddling up her nephew. “Why the sad face?”

“I doubted my best friend,” he answered softly. “I thought ill of him and doubted him.”

“Everyone doubts someone at least once in their lives, Suto. To doubt is nothing new. It’s natural…and I know it hurts. You see, I doubted my older sister…your mother.”

Suto looked up at her. “You did? Why?”

Kera looked away from him. “I…I didn’t think she was doing the right thing when she fell in love with your father and they…well, when the thought of you entered their minds.”

Suto seemed a little distressed. “You didn’t want me to be born?”

Kera recovered quickly. “Oh no! I would never think such a thing! I could wish for no one better to be my sister’s son. It’s just…that night was the start of my sister’s demise, but I guess that it was a take one or the other sort of thing. If you hadn’t been born, maybe I’d still have my sister today; but with her death, I have you.”

The boy seemed saddened. “Well…which were you hoping for? Me or her?”

“To tell the truth, I wanted you both, but the Goddesses were kind and let me keep my nephew. I couldn’t ask for anything more.” She gave Suto a hug. “I could’ve lost both of you.”

Suto sat happily in the hug. “You mean that?”

“Of course, silly,” Kera said with a smile, playing with Suto’s hair again; the boy enjoyed that.

“Besides, it’s nice to have a little boy around to pamper,” Caty added, giving Suto a gentle pinch on his cheek; him gladly soaking up all the attention like a sponge. “And such a cute little boy at that.”

“Does daddy get attention like this?” Suto asked, one eye open since someone was enjoying petting his head; he didn’t mind.

“Your daddy’s a busy man,” Kera said, holding the boy in her lap, “and he gets some at the end of the day, but he gets his love and attention by…other means. But you, on the other hand, could use some unconditional love right now.”

“What’s that?” the boy asked.

“Love for no reason and no matter what you do, but don’t let it go to your head.”

Suto nodded, closing his eyes. “I won’t.”

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“But, Masssster, you do know that ssssome people are having sssswaying loyaltiessss. They musssst be dealt with.”

“Don’t waste your breath, Jsu. I am not blind or deaf to what happens behind my back.”

The Lizalfos immediately dropped to one knee with a lowered head before his Master, who lounged in the black throne; seeming exceedingly bored. “My apologiessss, my Masssster. I did not mean to be repetitive.”


“Your rank and loyalty is higher than most that are. You have nothing to fear. Now stand up.” The lizard did so. “Now, would you like to tell me who you think is being disloyal?”

“It would be my pleassssure, Masssster,” Jsu hissed, one hand over his heart followed with a short bow. “My sssssourcssesssss tell me that the Gerudo Lilith hassss fallen out of your favor, Masssster. Sssshe issss in love with another man.”

Link’s attention seemed caught fully caught and yet not at all at the same time. “And that is?” His eyebrows rose in requesting an answer.

“The Zora named Reo, Masssster. Many a time have I sssseen then together in the hallssss. I know not what they disssscusssss, but I know it issss ssssomething that would not earn your approval.”

“You’ve been with me for over twelve years, Jsu. I trust your judgment on what you believe my opinion would be.”

“I recsseive your approval with much pleassssure, Masssster.” Jsu gave a low bow. “It issss in my opinion that if they rousssse otherssss to their causssse, they could revolt. I hope I did not sssspeak out of tolerancsse, Masssster.”

“Your opinion was welcomed and approved,” the Hylian answered, watching the lizard with dark, yet bored eyes.

“What do you proposssse issss an appropriate coursssse of action for thissss treasssson, Masssster?” the Lizalfos inquired, hands folded at his back.

“That same as always,” the Hylian replied. “Eliminate them.”

“Would you like me to do the honorssss, Masssster?”

“I want my son to take care of this one, Jsu. It will be a good test of the worm’s killing abilities…as well as my son’s.”

“Of coursssse, Masssster.”

“We all know of Molgera’s power, but the little ones elude me.” Link stared Jsu in the eyes; unblinking blue versus gold. “No hard feelings about this, I trust.”

“May the Goddesssssessss forbid ssssuch an emotion, my Masssster. I’m ssssure thissss one time of many will no russsst my sssskillssss.”

“That’s good to hear,” the Hylian said with one of his sly smiles, knowing that the lizard had said that only to please him. “I know you loathe my son for what he did to your face.”

“It issss of no concssern, Masssster,” Jsu replied, standing straight backed with his hands folded behind him. “The damage wassss minor and I healed quickly and properly only to ssssuffer a few sssscarssss. Do not worry, Masssster. I will sssstand asssside thissss time.”

“You better,” Link warned softly but sternly, “because if you don’t, it’ll be more than just your pride that’ll be hurting.”

“Undersssstood, my Masssster.”

“Daddy?” Suto peeked around the edge of the door he had opened to see what was going on. He saw his father lounging in the black throne; him sitting in it, chin resting in his hand with the elbow on one of the arms while one leg hung over the opposite arm and his other leg looked as it would if the Hylian was sitting normally. Jsu stood a respectful distance from the bored emperor, hands folded at his back; both looking at the boy.

“What is it?”

“Can I come back in?”

“Jsu was just leaving with his orders,” he cast the lizard a threatening glance, “weren’t you, Jsu?”

The Lizalfos caught the glance and hint. “Of coursssse, my Lord.” He gave the Hylian a bow and departed; purposely allowing his tail to whip Suto in the thigh as he passed.

“He’s just jealous. Come on in.”

Holding his right thigh, Suto hopped into the room over to his father with Amuu in close pursuit.

“What are you doing back so soon?” Link still looked extremely bored.

“Auntie Kera and Caty sent me back,” Suto replied. “I don’t know why.”

“Where they mean to you?”

“No. Them and the others were very nice…but Lilith wasn’t.”

That interested Link. “How so?” His eyebrows rose.

“She left the room when she saw me and didn’t say anything. Auntie Kera said it was because she doesn’t trust me.”

The Hylian liked the sound of that. “Really….I bet Reo is the same way.”

Suto shrugged, massaging his stinging thigh. It made no difference to him either way if Reo and Lilith trusted him or not, though it would hurt.

Link adjusted his body so he was closer to the back of the throne and able to sit up without needing to brace himself up with an arm. “Why don’t you come up here?” he asked, patting the seat before him. “Let daddy help you.”

Suto climbed up into the throne and sat down, leaning back on Link’s chest as if the Hylian was the back of the throne itself.

Link moved the boy a little more so his son was in his lap and made sure that they both were comfortable. He then proceeded to rub the boy’s skinny thigh. “Feel better?”

Suto nodded, relaxing into his father’s warm body and the soothing feeling the Hylian’s hands gave to his leg.

Seeing that his son was feeling relaxed, Link decided to see what information he could draw out of the boy. “So what did you, Kera, and Caty talk about?” he asked, his son’s eyes closing.

“Mommy,” the boy answered softly, loving the attention from his father, “and Sean….Sean doesn’t hate me.”

“What makes you say that?” Link pressed, continuing to massage the boy’s leg.

“He’s coming back for me. Auntie Kera said he was.”

“Well…even if he is, would that excuse him from what he put you through?”

Suto opened his eyes and looked up at his father’s face. He didn’t understand what Link meant.

“Would you excuse him for all that gut wrenching pain you’ve endured? All those sad lonely hours in that dark room? All those tears you shed because of him?”

Suto still only stared and Link kept on rubbing his leg.

“When does he plan on returning for you? A day? A week? A year? A millennia? Maybe he is returning for you, but how do you know it won’t be when you’re an adult? An old man? Dead?”

Suto dropped his gaze, feeling his heart do the same.

“You cannot wait for him Suto. You can’t wait forever. Only foolish lovers wait for one another forever, but little does one know that the other has found someone new and will never come back.”

“And how do you know that’s true?” Suto countered in a sulky tone.

“How do you know it’s not? The world is cruel, Suto, and will never give you want you want. If you want something, you take it. Don’t wait for someone to give it to you because it may never happen.” He stopped rubbing the boy’s leg, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Do you know who Sean spoke to last before he left? Besides you.”

“Who?” the boy murmured.

“Lilith and Reo.”

Suto looked back up at his father.

“It is believed that he helped him escape,” the Hylian continued; knowing full well that it wasn’t the truth. “And if he had never met them, he’d never had left.”

“What are you saying?”

“Neither of them trust you now, do they?”

“…No…”

“If they are the reason that Sean escaped and caused you so much pain, what are you going to do about them?”

“Return to them what they caused me.”

“And that is?”

“…Horrible pain…”

“Good…that’s good. What’s motivating you to take this course of action?”

“…Because of them…I lost Sean…Now they shall suffer the same with each other.”

“That’s a good boy,” Link whispered with a dark smile into his son’s ear. “Does your leg still hurt?”

Suto nodded.

Link gave a nod with a look of mock sympathy and started massaging the boy’s thigh once again.

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“Reo…I don’t like this.”

“Like what?”

“Everything. How things have turned…and that boy.”

“I think you’re overreacting. It’s not a sin to have children, you know.”

“I know, but you haven’t seen Suto lately. He’s different…changed.”

“I still think you’re overreacting. He is just a child.”

“I know, but his father is the larger problem. That damn bastard is twisted beyond hell!”

“I know…I know. There is not much that can be done about that now. Everyone knows he’s been that way since his childhood…and how old is he now?”

“About twenty-seven…maybe a little more.”

“Sounds about right.”

“Why are we discussing that bastard’s age?”

“Personally, Lilith, I find it somewhat fascinating that a man as young as he has almost completely destroyed an entire world….Something that takes most men well into their years to achieve.”

“Well I personally don’t care about his achievements. I just want to be rid of him in my life….I want to leave.”

“Most want out of here, Lilith. It’s a fleeting dream.”

“But Sean got out!”

“He is a child and only about as tall as your waist. It would be a lot easier for one of his size to escape rather than one of yours.”

“Oh? And when did you become the brains of the group? I thought you were the muscle.”

“I thought you were the beautiful distraction. Somebody had to be the brain.”

“Oh, stop joking around, Reo.”

“And what are you going to do about it if I don’t?”

“Are you going to kiss me? Or just stand there?”

“I might…I might not….”

“Well, make up your mind, Mister brains-of-the-outfit.”

“Who’s joking around now, hmm?”

The darkness of night of night had long fallen over Termina and the fortress, the torches reacting to this on their own and dimming for slumber, but bright enough to light the way for a late-night stalker. Reo and Lilith were alone in the dimmed black hall, enjoying one of their rare intimate moments, but this time, they weren’t really alone.

“What’ssss thissss?” a sarcastic voice cackled. “I ssssee you two are at it again.”

The Zora and Gerudo broke apart immediately, feeling the heat of their blood rush into their faces. Lilith didn’t let her embarrassment stop her anger, however.

“What are you doing out here so late, Jsu?” she demanded, not willing to let the lizard get to her.

“I can assssk you the ssssame quesssstion,” the Lizalfos replied; arms crossed over his scaled chest and leaning against a wall with his shoulder, “but I think it’ssss all too obvioussss.” He chuckled softly for a few moments. “In ansssswer to your quesssstion, my sssshift for patrolling the hallssss issss during the night…and I find yet another usssslesssss piecsse of information to tell my Masssster.”

Lilith felt the heat in her face increase, her hand finding Reo’s for comfort and in no use to hide their relationship any longer from the Lizalfos. “He knows?”

“Of coursssse he doessss,” Jsu laughed. “My Masssster hassss known for ssssome time now. Do you think a harem girl can keep a ssssecret from the only man sssshe will ever ssssleep with? I think not!” The lizard’s golden eyes were crazed in thinking that the two before him were far inferior in intelligence.

Lilith’s hand tightened around Reo’s and he returned the grasp. “I never asked to be raped by him,” she murmured darkly.

Jsu just gave a loud hissed laugh. “Nor did the otherssss…excssept for the boy’ssss mother. Sssshe wassss the only one who accssepted what my Masssster gave her…a child. While you would throw it away without a ssssecond thought. Wouldn’t you?” Jsu loved the way both Lilith and Reo cringed away from his words. If he could not kill them, he would toy with their minds using the truth. “A fissssh and a humanoid. What hope of a full relationsssship do you think you can have in one that cannot producsse young? Issssn’t that what loverssss want?”

“Stop talking like you would know,” Lilith snapped, the braver of the two.

“Oh? And you do? I may be a mere Lizalfossss from a war-torn world, but I know my sssshare of what relationsssshipssss are, by courtessssy of my Masssster. He taught me many thingssss of hissss and both your culturessss. Do not take me for a fool, becausssse if you do…the fool issss you!”

Lilith found the lizard’s words disturbing. Why was he even bothering in speaking to them, more or less what he was telling them? She was even more surprised when Jsu’s mood suddenly changed, like he had somewhere to go, as well as very bored.

“Well, I musssst ssssay it’ssss been a pleassssure knowing the both of you,” he said, straightening himself and dropping his arms to his sides. “I hope you two have a pleassssent life…however long it lasssstssss.” The lizard chuckled darkly as he walked past them. “Cssiao.”

Reo and Lilith watched the lizard vanish into the dark of the halls before they looked nervously at each other.

“What do you suppose that last part was about?” the Gerudo asked, wide-eyed.

Before Reo could answer, a scratching sound filled the hall, soon seeming to reach deafening levels. Long spiked creatures scuttled about the hall; some running along the walls. Reo clutched Lilith close, arm fins brandished outwards as a warning, as the worms surrounded them in the hall; cutting off their escape routes.

“In answer to your question,” a young voice replied from the shadows; a young boy’s body emerging from the darkness of the hall at a brisk determined pace, “he was inferring your eventual death…which will quickly commence.”

The boy’s brown-red hair fell over his right eye, hiding it completely from sight, while his left eye glowered out from behind shorter bangs at the two adults. Any hint of a young child within had been completely terminated.

“Suto…what are you doing?”

The boy made no move to answer or any recognition to the name. “You have fallen out of my father’s favor and so must suffer the penalty. You must pay for this insolence with your lives.”

“I told you he was different,” Lilith muttered under her breath. “Damn his bastard father to the farthest depths of hell.”

“You are, however, free to fight for your lives,” Suto continued, as if he were a machine, “but do not hope for escape…for there will be none.” He lifted an arm, hand directed at the Zora and Gerudo, but his hand was limp on his wrist; dangling uselessly on his straight arm. “Kill them,” he ordered, his hand suddenly gaining strength and fingers pointing at the two.

The small worms immediately reacted and several leapt for them. Reo held up his arm fins was able to slice a few of the worms into pieces —green blood flying everywhere— but the worms’ numbers suddenly increased from the surrounding halls and overtook both the Zora and Gerudo with merciless ease.

Suto stood as still as stone, Amuu obediently at his side, staring at the raging carnage before him yet his eyes did not see it; his senses blinded by rage. He finally blinked when a warm wetness splattered against his face, his eyes back to that of a young boy. He reached a hand up to his cheek and slowly drew it across his skin; heart beginning to race in his chest. He pulled his hand away and held it before him, fingers trembling along with his eyes and breath. Red blood dripped from his hand, hot against his warmed flesh from his own rushing blood. Something stopped in his throat, causing his lungs to stop taking in air as well as expelling it. He slumped down to his knees, feeling like he was about to hyperventilate.

“W-wh-wha-wha-what have I-I d-done?” he asked himself, body violently trembling. “What have I done!”

He clenched his hands into fists and pounded the stone floor repeatedly, eyes tightly shut and tears pouring from them. “I never wanted to kill them! Never! Never!” The boy sat there, his back arched as he sat on his knees and leaned on his arms that lay tensely before him on the stone floor. He sat there and sobbed silently as the worms feasted right in front of him, only Amuu remaining at his side and trying to comfort him.

A distance down the hall, a man stood in the shadows, his dark silky attire hiding him despite his brilliant blonde hair and battle-tanned skin that greatly contrasted the black stone. His arms were crossed and he leaned against the wall. “Bravo, kid,” he said softly, face wearing a dark expression and grin, “you make daddy proud…very proud.”

His blue-eyes gaze changed when someone walked up beside him; dark blue meeting amber gold.

“What do you think, Masssster?”

“I am pleased, Jsu,” he looked back at the bent form of his crying son, “very, very pleased indeed.”
I've just got one question, since I am very interested in what my reader's think of my writing.

What do you think of the plot twists that have occured in this chapter?

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Please do take your time in any of your reviews and tell me what you really do think of my fic. I really enjoy deep and involved reviews, which help tell me what I'm doing well and what I need to work on. More reviews like that and I should be able to improve my writing skills and make this story more enjoyable for me to write and you to read. Thaqnk you lots. :bows: