Ocarina of Time Chapter 50

 Chapter 50

Bongo Bongo

Link blinked, wanting to believe his eyes were deceiving him. He brought a hand up to his face to assure himself the mask was still there. Sure enough, his hand touched the wooden mask. Sheik's bloodstained dagger was on the ground where it had fallen. To further add to Link's dismay, the little orb of light that had been Sheik's spell flickered and went out. He didn't want to know whether that was because the caster was no longer in range or because something had happened to them.

"Did you see anything?" Link asked Navi.

"No." Navi sounded just as shocked as he was. "There was this shadow, and then I just turned around and she was gone."

Beware the shadows.

"She can't have just vanished," Link reasoned, not feeling remotely reassured by his own words. Sheik wasn't the one for pranks, but he peered up the twisted corridor, half hoping that this was some unexpected joke. "Sheik, you can come out now."

Nothing.

"Sheik?" he called. "Sheik. This isn't funny."

Only silence answered him.

"SHEIK!" Link bellowed, his scream echoing off the walls. Hoping to find her nearby, Link ran back down the corridor they'd traversed, trying not to pay too much mind to the way its unnatural twisting churned his stomach.

There was still no answer from Sheik. Nothing except his laboured breathing and the crackling of torches.

This is so not funny. Link thought, growing frantic. Where did she go?

"They are here. The shadows," Courage said. "Sheik was taken by one of them. It was gone before I could warn you it was behind you."

"What are they?" Link thought back. "Is she alright?"

"They can shift from one place to another, but not far," Courage answered. "I can still sense the Triforce of Wisdom, but it's deeper within the temple..." There was an abrupt pause followed by, "Ware your back!"

Link felt a sudden uneasy sensation that he was being closely watched, and he turned around. A shadow loomed on the wall, growing larger, and then it appeared. A black, leathery 'thing' resembling a disembodied hand was floating towards Link. It was at least the size of a fully grown skultulla, big enough that it could have easily grabbed him.

"Do not let it seize you!" Courage said.

Five gnarled fingers opened and Link slid to the side in one fluid motion, flattening himself against the wall. The hand snatched thin air. Somehow, it sensed his movement and turned. Before it could grab him, Link slashed his sword downwards, slicing straight through several fingers.

The creature erupted into black smoky wisps, each fading into the air. Link backed into the wall, gasping.

"What was that?" he panted.

"I don't know," Navi replied, her voice trembling. "I'm not exactly an expert on creepy, disembodied hand-looking things..." she paused and then her eyes went round. "LOOK OUT!"

Another of the floating hands was approaching him, moving like a puppet dancing on invisible strings. Link ducked, and the strange apparition missed him by a hair's width. Reacting quickly, Link plunged his sword through the back of the hand. A third apparition came flying towards him, leaping over Link's frantic swipes. It belted him across the face, a stinging blow that knocked him flat.

Hitting the stone hard, Link rolled onto his side. The hand grabbed his leg and started dragging him with effortless ease. With a desperate cry, Link snatched his sword up and hacked madly at the grotesque hand until it dropped him. It too burst into smoky wisps, and before he knew what he was doing, Link was sprinting madly back into the room where he'd last seen Sheik.

He didn't even remember reaching the wall or bracing himself against it. He stood there for a long moment, his heart beating so fast that it was like it was trying to claw its way out of his chest. His head was spinning. Vertigo soured his stomach, his senses still plagued by the warped corridor. It was like being drunk, an experience he was in no hurry to repeat.

"Link. They're gone now." Navi's voice sounded as if it were coming from underwater.

They were alone. Navi's light was nowhere near as bright as Sheik's, and now that its comforting guidance was gone, the darkness seemed thicker and more oppressive than ever.

"I don't want to see another one of those things again," Link gasped, still catching his breath.

"We should find the Necromancer," Navi suggested. "The sooner the better."

"What about Sheik?" Link demanded. "We can't just leave her! If he figures out who she is..."

He pushed the thought out of his mind.

"Sheik would have wanted us to go after the Necromancer first," Navi reasoned. Her voice still trembled. "Chances are he's the reason she vanished. So she might be in the same place as him."

"It's better than nothing," Link said. With a sickening knot in his gut, he realized that he no longer had Sheik's map. It might have told him where she was, and where they needed to go, but without it, they were as good as lost.

We were heading in the right direction, Link thought. Let's just keep going and hope we don't get horribly lost.

A thought struck him, and Link cursed himself for not considering it earlier.

"I get the feeling you know this place," he thought to Courage. "Do you know the way?"

"I did, but it has been many eons since I traversed this wretched tomb," Courage answered. "It is but a memory now. One amongst many."

Link frowned. "How do you know so much about this temple?"

"That isn't important," Courage said, almost sounding annoyed. "Focus on the task at hand. Sheik is your priority now. There will be time for this later."

"Alright. I'll just have to keep guessing in the meantime," Link thought back. He was growing increasingly curious about the spirit in the Triforce. What was it exactly?

Link contemplated his options. He considered going back to Kakariko but quickly dismissed the idea. Navigating his way back to the entrance would be slow and treacherous. It would take too long, and every moment he wasted could endanger the lives of the Necromancer's captives, including Sheik.

The corridor Sheik had been leading him towards opened into a wide hall. Its polished marble floor, stone arches, and vaulted ceiling were reminiscent of the Temple of Time. Hidden in alcoves along the wall were statues, all of them robed and bearing weapons or staffs. The only light came from torches along the wall, their meagre flames sputtering away.

"This must be part of the main temple," Navi whispered. "I think we're close."

The heads of the statues followed him as he passed. At least, Link was sure they did, but every time he looked at them, they were as still as ever. He reached the double doors, halting for a moment to steady himself, and pushed them open.

At first, he couldn't see anything, and he nearly missed a step. Then, as his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he realized they were standing on a balcony flanked by steps. Two braziers on either side of the door cast a feeble glow upon the temple's facade, which seemed to merge with the wall of the cave. Faintly, Link could just discern the gentle lapping of water against a rocky shore. It sounded strangely out of place in this forgotten realm.

"Where are we?" Link wondered.

A little way ahead, off to his left, he could see a flickering light. With nothing to tell him where to go, Link decided to investigate. He climbed down the crumbling remains of the steps on his left, thankful that Navi was able to guide him. In several places, the steps had fallen away, leaving a broken mess of jagged stone that was covered in bat droppings.

The steps led to a path that snaked its way along the edge of an enormous pool of water. As Link's eyes adjusted to the gloom, he could make out the tumbled remains of towers jutting out of the water like broken columns. Had this temple once been part of a much larger complex? He knew now, from what Sheik had told him, that the collapse of the Old Kingdom had left entire settlements buried or destroyed, wiping out many of the Sheikan clans and scarring huge swathes of Ancient Hyrule. It was because of this that the Kokiri, who had been passive observers,  had clashed with those who'd sought to claim Hyrule's rich resources for themselves. If what Link now knew was correct, the newly appointed Second Sages had intervened to stop the carnage. It made him wonder just how old these ruins were. The flow of time had not been kind, slowly eroding all traces of these ruins, as if to wash away all memory of the Sheikah's bloody past.

Snapping his attention from his rapidly drifting thoughts, a sure sign he was getting tired, Link focused on the light ahead. There was no time for curiosity, and so he moved on.

"Keep an eye out for any traps," Link whispered to Navi. "Even if you think it's an illusion, warn me." She nodded, keeping low to the ground so they could spot any raised stones that might trigger a trap.

He fixed his attention on the flickering light up ahead, squinting to try and work out what it was. Like an insect drawn to light, he drew closer to it. After a lengthy walk, he was able to make out the five towering obelisks surrounding a dais, an altar at the centre. He still couldn't see any end to the vast cavern, which worried him. If he didn't find what he was looking for soon, Kakariko would be a burning ruin by the time he returned.

As he got closer to the dais, Link spotted two figures standing at the base of the obelisks furthest from him. Courage stirred in his mind, seemingly troubled.

"Something is wrong," the spirit said.

The taller woman was slumped against the stone to which she was bound, a cloth wound around her eyes. As he got closer, Link recognized the white cowl and Sheikan garbs of the shorter woman instantly.

"Sheik!" Link shouted, caution briefly forgotten.

Picking up the pace, he ran as fast as he could, climbing the steps up onto the dais and around the altar. He thought he could hear a faint hum coming from the obelisks, a hum of magic deep within the tall spires. It was getting louder.

"Some foul sorcery is at work here," Courage said. "Necromancy. It grows stronger, even now."

Link took this in, approaching the obelisk. As he got closer, he recognized who the taller person was.

Impa.

"Sheik, Impa?" he called. He didn't even notice the mask lying in the centre of the stone table as he ran over to the two women. Courage noticed, and the sudden sensation of dread was not his own.

"Link... wait," Navi cautioned. Then she stopped as Impa's face was illuminated by her light, revealing a sight Link wasn't prepared to see. "Goddesses. What have they done to her?"

Blood was weeping beneath the rag that served as a blindfold, and it only took a moment for Link to register what had happened. Impa had been blinded.

"Impa?" he gasped, the bottom dropping out of his stomach. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Navi... they..."

He couldn't bring himself to form the words. The very idea that anyone would want to blind someone revolted him to his core.

"I know," Navi said quietly.

Link turned to Sheik, half afraid she'd be in a similar condition. She was unconscious, but he could see no sign of any obvious injuries.

"Sheik?" Link called desperately.

"Hey, Link... look over here-" Navi's attention had drifted to the altar. Link only paid her a quick glance before pressing a hand to Sheik's face.

She was cold, frozen. It was almost like when he'd found Saria in the Forest Temple.

Suddenly, his skin prickled as something raised the hairs on the back of his neck. He was being watched. Navi gasped, and Link whirled around, his sword humming from its sheath.

To his relief, the newcomer was Halvard. His long blue robes were dirty, his normally tidy hair a mess, but he appeared unharmed. He stepped towards Link, an oddly passive expression on his face.

"Don't worry," he said. "Your friends are still very much alive."

"You have to help me," Link said in a rush. "We have to get Sheik and Impa out of here... The Necromancer. He's around here somewhere..."

"I know," the man said simply. There was something really odd about the way he was staring, not to mention unnerving, but Link couldn't quite place it.

Did his eyes move like that last time? he wondered, noting the man's quivering pupils.

"You have to help me get them out of here-" Link stopped and glanced at Navi. She was staring at the Mask Salesman warily. "What do you mean you know? You have to help me... If we don't hurry and kill the Necromancer soon, he'll attack Kakariko."

"Yes," Halvard agreed without inflection. "He will."

Link froze, not understanding why the Mask Salesman was sounding so bored. The man was smiling, but there was nothing friendly in that smile now. It was cold. "What..."

"The necromancer is controlling him," Courage said, its voice clear in Link's head, "and he is not alone."

"What have you done to Halvard?" Link demanded, raising his voice and gripping his sword so tight his knuckles hurt. He spotted the Shadow Medallion around Halvard's neck.

"Nothing. Yet," the Necromancer answered. "I feared you might arrive too late. My pets were supposed to bring you here, but it seems they failed."

"Too late?" Link's head was spinning, his mind was screaming as he tried to deny what he was seeing. It was no illusion. The mask he wore told him that much. "Too late for what?"

"To greet an old friend," the man answered. "Two, in fact."

Behind him, Shiek was stirring, her moan muffled by her gag.

"Ahh... and the princess joins us too. I am sorry, my dear, those pets can be a little heavy-handed sometimes." Halvard still sounded bored. "I will not keep you long. Ganondorf would like a word with you once we're done here, and I fear he is not as patient as I am." He turned back to Link. "Now boy, that mask you're wearing, I want it back!"

He smiled, a crooked leering smile. Two Redead lumbered out of the darkness, followed by a creature with red eyes. A creature Link knew all too well.

"How?" he gasped. "I killed you!"

Dark Link sneered at him. "You forget, Hero of Time, so long as you live, so do I."

Link felt a chill at those words, but he swallowed back his fear, or at least he tried to.

"You seem awfully eager to kill me," Link said as nonchalantly as he could. "Seems a bit strange, don't you think?"

Dark Link just glared at him. Before Link could move, two screams shattered the air and his muscles went rigid.

Navi! Link tried to force his jaw to work, but he couldn't move a muscle. Navi, help me!

Where was she?

Halvard strode forward and peeled the mask from Link's face. Then, Link could only watch as the Belt of Sages was pried from his waist, unable to do anything. He could sense a growing anger inside him that wasn't his own. The Triforce mark on his hand itched and burned, urging him to seize the power of his Triforce shard, but the ReDead and Halvard were both distracting him. Something was blocking his contact with Courage, and Link wasn't sure who or what was causing it.

"You won't be needing this," Halvard said, tossing the belt carelessly aside.

Link groaned inwardly. Without the belt, it would be almost impossible to channel magic. The Redead still had him within its spell; he was completely at Halvard's mercy. Unless...

"Foolish man. He should have known better than to meddle with powers he did not understand," Halvard said, appearing to speak more to himself than anybody else. "As they say, he who studies evil is studied by evil. Now, the puppeteer becomes the puppet." He strode back to the altar, still holding the Mask of Truth, which he flicked aside. He picked up something else that lay on the stone table. A heart-shaped mask. Three horns jutted out from either side of the monstrosity while two more decorated its head, while amber eyes glared at him, burning into his mind even from a distance. "Don't worry, boy. I won't let you die before she returns and you see your world burn... you, bind him with the others."

Link desperately tried to channel the Triforce of Courage. Although he could feel its blessed warmth, it slipped away like warm water between his fingers. He tried again, unable to focus as the empty pits of the Redead stared back at him. It was blocking his ability to reach Courage, though he couldn't have said how. Dark Link stepped towards him, a smirk on his face.

Again he tried to channel Courage, and then finally its warmth flooded his veins. Dark Link's smirk turned into a frown. He shrieked in unison with the Redead as its spell broke, allowing Link to send a plume of light towards them. Dark Link jumped out of the way, snarling in rage. Halvard spun around, his eyes burning.

To Link's fleeting relief, he was able to remain on his feet; the contact with Courage did not completely drain him. He caught a glimpse of Navi darting towards something, but then he kept his gaze focused on the possessed Mask Salesman.

"So... you have finally figured out how to use the Triforce of Courage?" Halvard said coolly. "It won't save you; it takes years to master the power of a god, and even then, there is a price to pay for borrowing a deity's power. No doubt, your friends forgot to tell you that. Didn't they?"

Dark Link dashed forward, no doubt hoping to skewer Link before he could act. His thrust slid off Link's shield, leaving him momentarily exposed. Link drove his sword into this opening, but Dark Link stepped away. They continued to trade blows, blades ringing with a crash of steel. Courage's power gave him the focus he needed. Attack, defend, attack, defend. Link danced aside each stroke easily, but Dark Link began pushing him back, his sword strokes moving in fluent motions. Link almost stumbled on one of the steps of the dais and jumped clear as Dark Link's black blade sliced towards his side.

"I think you need a new trick," Link snarled, letting his shield take the bite of the impact.

The demon scowled, sliding his sword into a gap in Link's defence. Seeing this, Link leapt back, narrowly avoiding the sword thrust.

I'm going to need a new trick too, Link thought, sweat beading down his forehead.

Halvard turned back to the mask on the table, just as the runes on one of the obelisks began to glow. It burned red like fire, and Link cursed. He was running out of time.

"Don't fret, child," Halvard called over his shoulder. Whether he was addressing Sheik or himself, Link wasn't sure. "I won't make you wait long. Once Majora awakes, you will be an appetizer for the feast you and your kind will provide."

Link was in no position to give any consideration to Halvard's words. Dark Link swept in towards his flank, flicking Link's sword, his own blade almost nicking Link's side.

"I'm not falling for that one again," Link growled, stepping aside.

"Don't be so sure," Dark Link taunted, to which Link didn't reply.

He caught sight of Navi out of the corner of his eye. She was hovering next to Sheik, doing what he had no time to work out.

Dark Link darted to the left and Link went after him. At the last second, Dark Link changed tactics, slipping his sword to the right, his black blade coming within a hairsbreadth of skewering Link. Dark Link rushed forward, pushing Link onto the edge of the dais and making him stumble. Link tried to recover, but Dark Link slammed into him, throwing the full force of his weight straight into Link. Link tried to dash aside, intending to let Dark Link's momentum send him tumbling over. Instead, he staggered backward, his head crashing straight into an obelisk with a hideous crack. Spots danced across his vision, and Link barely held in a groan. He only had a moment to see the triumph burning in Dark Link's red eyes before the demon's sword was tearing towards him.

Instinct saved him and the sword cut across the steel of his shield instead of his neck. He was unable to stop Dark Link's savage kick to his unguarded side. Pain blossomed across his chest as he slid to the floor, ribs cracking on impact.

"Stop!" Halvard roared. "I said bind him, not kill him!"

Before Link knew what was happening, Halvard was beside him. Despite the agony that was his ribs, Link tried to haul himself up. Before he could, a ReDead stirred in the shadows, and its empty eyes met his own. It screamed, and instantly Link's muscles went rigid. Dark Link kicked the Master Sword out of his grip, the momentary contact causing the demon to hiss in pain, and then he pried Link's shield away as well.

"Keep him still this time," Halvard snapped at the Redead before kneeling beside Link. "I will make sure he won't bother us again." He had a knife in one hand, and Link knew what was coming. His body screamed for him to run, but his limbs could not obey.

No. Please, no...

"I only intend to take one eye... Child of light."

Link could only watch in terror as the knife touched flesh just beside his right eye.

Then, without further warning, the Mask Man's blade traced a line of white-hot pain across his eye. Instantly, half the world went dark, and a fire burned through Link's skull as something hot ran down his cheek. The redead to his right was no longer visible, and the spell broke. Link screamed, louder than he'd ever screamed in his life. Somewhere, beyond the agony searing through him, he heard Navi cry out. He was aware of a sudden pulse of fury that wasn't his own.

The pain was like acid eating away at flesh and bone, burning him to his very core. Warm liquid still trickled down his face.

Goddesses, it hurts! Tears of pain filled his remaining eye as he howled.

He could hardly think through the agony of it, certainly not enough to wonder why the possessed Mask Man didn't just finish him off. He clenched his fists and jaw, falling on his side against the unfeeling stone. He stopped screaming, his throat raw. The wound burned like a liquid flame, far worse than any injury he remembered sustaining. Something in his mind called out, a mix of alarm and rage. It tried bringing him to his senses, but Link couldn't comprehend beyond the scouring agony.

He was vaguely aware of a clash of swords, a flurry of fire crashing into the Redeads beyond him, and Halvard yelling, "STOP HER!"

A bright flash of light caught Link's attention, and Halvard was thrown into the air. He fell back onto the dais with a crack, striking it awkwardly, then landing spread-eagled and completely still.

Sheik was free. The sight of her brought Link's mind back to some semblance of clarity.

Sheik? Wait. She'd been tied to the obelisk. Link turned his head slowly to look at it, confused. Dark Link couldn't have been that sloppy.

Navi was there by the obelisk, the bindings she'd been undoing loose in her hands. She looked stunned, unable to believe what had just happened.

Focusing through the blazing fire coursing through his head, Link managed to grasp the Triforce of Courage. Its warmth flooded him, dulling the throbbing pain. It couldn't heal his eye. He didn't think anything could heal that. The pain faded enough that he could get up, pushing the Master Sword against the stone.

"Can you stand?" Courage asked, concerned. "I will help you, but you must get up."

"I couldn't hear you," Link thought back, feeling shaken, still gritting his teeth as if that alone could ward off the pain. "What happened?"

"There was too much noise, between him and his spell. I can ease your pain, but I cannot let you idle. We must end this before the ancient one awakens. Even with the Triforce of Courage at your disposal, you would be hard-pressed to stop her."

"Link..." Navi flew over to him, her voice hushed and sorrowful. "Link, your eye. I... Oh, Goddesses, I'm so sorry."

The wound still throbbed dully and Link pressed a hand to the injury, touching the torn flesh where his eye had been. He had been half expecting to feel his eye and discover that the injury was nothing more than some twisted illusion. It wasn't. His eye was gone.

"It doesn't matter," he growled through clenched teeth. "Have to help Sheik."

"Link, you have to stay still," Navi said, her voice shaking. "I'll get Sheik to help you... just hold still... I... Just... hang on."

Navi was stammering. He wanted to tell her he'd be all right, but even he knew that was a lie. The remaining Redeads started screaming like banshees, unaware Link was half-blind and couldn't see them. Link groaned as their shrieks reverberated in his sore head. Dark Link was fighting Sheik, meeting her two daggers without faltering.

"The Mask," Courage's warning surged through his mind. "It cannot be allowed to enter this realm once more. You must destroy it. Quickly!"

"Navi, the mask," Link rasped. He didn't have the energy to speak anymore, much less shout.

"But... Link, you're bleeding everywhere!" Navi exclaimed. "Just... hold still. I'll see if I can rouse Impa..."

"No time," Link said, teeth clenched as a wave of nausea mingled with the pain.

"But... I..." Navi was still stammering.

It was all Link could do not to focus on his injury. He still channelled the Triforce of Courage, a strange hum ringing in his ears. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but the wound was weeping less.

Have to stop it. Staggering, the Master Sword feeling heavier than it should have, Link ran forward. He didn't bother with his shield, not even sure that he'd be able to use it properly now.

His steps were sluggish, and the world spun in sickening lurches. A fourth obelisk was now decorated in red runes. Even as Link looked, he saw a faint purple hue enveloping the mask on the altar. He quickened his pace, ignoring Navi as she yelled for him to stop. Blood was dripping onto his tunic now.

His body begged him to stop, pleaded with him to heed Navi's advice and just rest for a while. He couldn't. Not now. If he stopped for even a moment, Link knew there would be no getting up.

"Focus on me if it helps," Courage offered, "But do not dwell on your injury, grave as it is."

Link cut down a Redead standing by the stone table and shoved its body away from him. Reaching the altar, he stared into the amber irises of the heart-shaped mask. Majora's eyes bored into his mind.

"Don't allow your blood to touch its frame," Courage said. "That will only serve to strengthen it."

Even without the spirit that shared its name, the mask was still powerful. Still hypnotizing. Link could have sworn he saw those black irises twitch. Courage was speaking to him again, urging him to strike the mask. There was an odd sense of fear in that contact as if the spirit was afraid of the heart-shaped object.

The runes on the fifth obelisk burned brightly, and only a sharp slap across his face from Navi tore him from his trance.

"Link, snap out of it!" she yelled. "The spell is almost complete!"

How long had he just been staring into those eyes? Even as he looked away from them with his one good eye, the mask's image seemed burned into his mind. At that moment, he could sense a growing presence, an evil like no other, stirring just beyond his awareness.

Majora. Destroyer of worlds. An odd sense of understanding filled Link. It was as if he knew this mask, knew too what it was capable of, despite having only seen pictures of it before now.

Gripping the Master Sword in both hands, Link yielded to Courage, letting the spirit fill his consciousness. He plunged the blade between those yellow eyes.

An ear-piercing scream tore the air asunder, piercing every fibre of Link's being as the mask erupted in flames. The blue and red paint melted like wax, the amber irises bubbling and peeling away as the flames consumed them.

The humming from the obelisks went silent, and the purple hue that had previously enveloped the altar faded. All that remained of the mask were ashes.

Link sank to his knees, breathing hard. Only the sound of steel upon steel brought him to a more urgent matter. Sheik was still fighting Dark Link, moving like a whirlwind and deftly avoiding each stroke of the demon's sword. Link staggered to his feet again, pushing himself up slowly. There was no way he could challenge Dark Link in a swordfight; it was taking all his effort to draw the essence of Farore from his Triforce piece and keep the agony of his injury at bay.

"Let me ease your pain. Get up, Link. Your fight is still not done."

Hearing Courage's voice, Link drew on the power of his Triforce Shard. It filled him, dulling his throbbing injury. He ran as fast as he could, nearly tumbling head over heels as he leapt down the stairs. Channelling Courage, Link sent a stream of green light crashing into Dark Link. The attack flung the demon into the balustrade that ran along the lake's edge. Link ran as hard as he could, raising his blade before the demon could recover, and then sank the Master Sword straight into Dark Link's heart. The demon shuddered once and went still.

"Stay dead this time," Link said angrily. The demon's body dissolved into a pool of black ichor, and only then was Link convinced it was gone for good. His flailing strength fled, and he fell to his knees, breathing hard. He couldn't channel Courage anymore, and its voice seemed to come from somewhere far away. Link clasped his wounded eye with an unsteady hand. A part of him didn't want to believe what had happened. Surely, a potion or a Great Fairy could just fix it. He'd never heard of a Great Fairy restoring missing appendages before, or healing the blind. It was gone, his eye was gone. Denying that wouldn't change it. If the power of the gods couldn't heal him, then nothing would.

"Link?"

Sheik dropped beside him, her eyes wide with horror as she took in the sight of his wound.

"Just need to sit for a moment," Link grunted.

"There is no time. The Necromancer will be coming now," Sheik said hurriedly. "I would heal your injury if I could... but there's still something I can do. I need to borrow the power of your Triforce shard. I don't know if it will ease the pain, but it will stop the bleeding at least."

"How?" Link asked, a little startled. How would she react, knowing that there was a spirit, or something else, bound to the Triforce of Courage? It didn't matter, Link realised. He needed her help.

"Let me worry about that," Courage said in answer to his thoughts. "Her idea is sound."

"If I use telepathy," Sheik explained, "It's possible to share our Triforce pieces' power."

"Will you be alright?" Link asked. It wouldn't do much good to have them both unable to do anything. They hadn't come so far to die in this forsaken hole in the ground.

"I will be fine," Sheik said. Link wasn't sure whether she was just saying that to make him agree, but there was no point in arguing.

Resigned, he nodded mutely. Sheik placed a hand against his forehead and then her consciousness touched his own. He could sense her fear, her sorrow at what had happened, for Impa's injury, amongst so many other things. He wanted to pull away. When she winced, Link knew Sheik could feel his pain as well. Then there was the spirit bound to the Triforce by some magic Link didn't understand. Sheik saw it, a sudden intake of breath, but she didn't pull away.

There was a sensation of cool water rushing through Link, and then the pain vanished. He gasped, looking to see both Courage and Wisdom glowing on Sheik's hand. It faded in an instant, and for a moment, Link was sure he'd imagined it.

"There, it's done," Sheik whispered. Link mumbled his thanks, looking into her sad eyes. "I'm sorry, Link," she said, her voice pained. "It should have been me who took that. Not you." She looked at him again, her expression calm but contemplative. "How long have you known there was a spirit bound to your Triforce shard? You've never mentioned it before."

"What?" Navi was startled, her eyes going from Sheik to Link.

"I only became aware of it recently," Link explained, glancing from Sheik to Navi, and trying to relax his aching shoulders. "I didn't exactly know what it was, and honestly, I still don't. Besides, I thought you'd think I was mad, hearing a voice in my head."

"I don't think you're mad," Sheik said quietly. She shredded one of the less soiled parts of her cowl, doused it with water from one of their waterskins, and wiped his face. Link flinched, not remotely enjoying the sensation.

During this brief intermission, Navi zipped closer to Link, looking both annoyed and concerned. "You could have told me." She sounded hurt. "I wouldn't have thought you were crazy. Besides, it's hardly that weird after all we've encountered."

"I wanted to ask Rauru if he knew anything," Link answered to her reproach. "I'm sorry... I'm only just beginning to understand it myself... besides, we have other worries right now."

It was darker than ever now, with only one eye. He looked back over at the obelisk, the pain having dulled enough that he could think clearly. Where was Impa? It took a moment to spot her. She lay listless on the ground, hands unbound. "How is she?"

"Not good as far as I can tell," Sheik said, looking over her shoulder. "They took..." Link could hear the cracks in her resolve as she faltered. She looked away, her face suddenly anguished.

"She's blind," Link finished with a grimace. "I know... What about Halvard? Is he alive?"

"He is alive," Sheik replied, her voice trembling. Link had never seen her this close to breaking point before. "A few broken bones, but if we can activate the portal, we should be able to return them to Kakariko. There are guards near the portal. They'll summon a healer quick enough."

"Where's the portal?" he asked.

"On the far side of the lake. We'll find the cells over there too, but we have to stop the demon first."

Link nodded, still wondering how on earth he was supposed to fight. With one eye missing, it felt almost as if he was crippled and the thought terrified him. A part of him wanted to scream in denial that it had ever happened, but that wasn't going to help.

You will do what you have to do, he told himself resolutely. There was no point debating that. Moping over an injury, regardless of the severity, wouldn't change the task ahead of him. He'd just have to learn to live with it and make do as best he could.

"Is there nothing more you can do?" Navi asked in the meantime. "You can't just expect him to fight like that."

"This type of injury is well beyond my abilities to heal, Navi," Sheik said solemnly. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah," Link managed, using the Master Sword to push himself up. Sheik grabbed him under one arm, but seeing that he was fine, she let go.

"We've got company." Navi's warning brought him back to full alertness. He looked up and saw two disembodied hands come into view, seemingly hovering through the air on their own accord. Link could feel the Necromancer brush against his mind as the rest of the monstrosity appeared, but its power seemed dulled, the contact washing over him to little effect.

"Oh, I really am starting to hate him..." Sheik snarled, the first sign of anger Link had seen in her during the entire ordeal.

"Traitors! How dare you call yourselves Sheikah!" the Necromancer's voice boomed in their heads, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. "You will die... the light shall die... For eons, I have sought a way to bring our race back and now you destroy that chance!"

"Majora would never have brought them back!" Sheik yelled. A savage backhand, if it could count as one, forced her to dive out of the way. Link sprung aside as well, swiping uselessly at his attacker.

"You lie!" the demon screamed.

"They would have been puppets. Is that what you wanted?" Sheik yelled, dodging yet another blow. Link wasn't sure what she was doing, but the giant disembodied creature was only getting angrier.

"Silence!"

One hand came zooming from Link's right, Navi screamed for him to duck, and the hand barely missed him. Link cursed, wondering how he was going to dodge two of these things. He could see the bulbous glowing eye from the stump where the beast's neck might have been, the creature's bloodied torso hovering over the altar.

It watched Link, trying to attack him from the right.

Sheik had realized this. Retrieving her bow, she focused on defending Link's right flank. One arrow struck the beast's eye and Link couldn't help but wince as the demon's voice shrieked in his head.

He looked around for the belt, sure a spell of light magic would be effective enough to harm the demon. In the encroaching darkness, he couldn't see it.

One hand crashed into the obelisk with enough force to topple it, Link yelped and ran as bits of stone rained down around him.

"You will die, Hero of Time," the beast snarled in his head. "You are but a cripple now, unable to fulfil your role."

"Silence demon!" Courage roared, forming a contest of wills with Link caught in the middle. "Your opinion was not invited and nor is it welcome!"

Apparently shocked, the Necromancer withdrew its hold on Link's mind. Pulling out anything in his bag that might help, Link gripped his hookshot, but he could no longer see the demon. Except for its damned hands. He jumped away from another that came close to splattering Halvard's body and ran towards the Mask of Truth. Slipping it on, he turned around to see where the demon had gone.

Finding it, he drew the Zoran hookshot out of his bag and took aim. With a single click, the gears in the hookshot shifted and fired. His aim was true, despite his impaired vision, and the harpoon went straight into the demon's eye. Its scream reverberated in his head and Link retracted the weapon. Black blood oozed from the injury and dripped from the barb of Link's weapon. The demon's hands went limp and Sheik chose that moment to draw her bow, pulling the string back to her cheek and firing.

The demon shrieked again and its hands took to the air once more, swiping erratically at everything. Link didn't see the hand to his right. It slapped him into the dais, and light danced across his vision, his head spinning. Link rolled, almost retching as he shakily got to his feet.

"Navi?" he called weakly "Where's the belt?"

Navi wasn't far away. Without a word, she ducked and darted around a hand that tried to swat her. Link grabbed his sword, his shield still forgotten. The hand attacking Navi quickly lost interest in the sprite and went after Link. He ducked beneath its blow, swinging around and arcing his sword through the air. The sword-work was clumsy, but he got lucky and slashed the floating appendage straight through its fingers. The hand disappeared in a wisp of smoke, leaving the other one to come after him.

Sheik fired an arrow again. Most of her shots missed the demon's eye but there were enough arrows in its side to make it resemble a spiky porcupine, albeit a very disfigured one. Black blood seeped from each of the wounds, but if the creature was injured, it gave no sign of it.

"Link, here!"

Navi was circling around Halvard's body. Her cry didn't go unnoticed, and she shrieked as the hand Link had just disposed of reappeared and flew right at her. She dodged it, flying down towards the belt. Just as she grabbed it, one disembodied hand yanked the other end of the belt, pulling it from her grip.

Link fired his hookshot again. His aim missed and the weapon retracted on its own accord. He cursed, annoyed by his poor aim. Sheik's arrow found the offending hand instead, light flickering from it as it slammed into its target. Dropping the belt, the hand went limp and crashed into the altar.

With one hand down, and the other trying to swat Sheik without success, Link focused the hookshot back on the demon, only to discover that it had moved out of range.

"Damn it," Link hissed, copying a curse he'd learned from Sheik. He looked to see Navi holding the Belt of Sages. He took it and quickly clasped it around his waist.

He drew Light as fast as he could, feeling its warm current course through him. His first attempt to send lightning at the demon failed and so did his second. Its laughter echoed in his skull.

He was finding it difficult to judge the beast's movement, and he cursed under his breath. He should not have been so careless. If he had been more careful, he wouldn't be half blind now.

Ignoring the angry torrent of thoughts, Link kept focused on his attacker. To his dismay, the remaining hand stopped trying to dance around Sheik's attacks and came after him. He tried to move to the side, but a sudden moment of vertigo, no doubt caused by his attempt to channel while exhausted, made him stumble. Before he could recover, the hand snatched him in its grip.

He struggled, grunting as it began to squeeze the air from his lungs. His ribs strained and cracked as he was slowly crushed. Vaguely, he noticed Impa struggle to her feet. Oblivious to this, the demon moved through the air like a puppet, its eye- still with black fluid oozing from several wounds- gazed at him curiously. The scar on his hand burned as if scalded by oil, and a voice urged Link to use Courage, to strike the demon down. Dazed by the demon intruding upon his mind, Link was just able to get his hand into his satchel. He had an idea, a very stupid one, but it was all he had. He touched the smooth surface of a Goron bomb, praying that Impa's ring would protect him. Link snatched the bomb out of his bag, working purely by touch, and then channelled Fire.

BANG!

The hand exploded, disintegrating into black wisps. Every remaining drop of air left Link's lungs as the stone slapped him with a horrible crunch. He was too stunned to cry out and too amazed that he hadn't blown himself up along with the hand.

Saria's bag was blackened but otherwise intact, thanks to the enchantments that protected it. Link struggled to his feet. Grabbing the hookshot from where it lay and aimed it at the demon. It fired, striking true, plunging straight into the demon's eye. Coupled with a blast of lighting from both Sheik and Impa, the beast was finally stunned.

"It's not over... not yet... The dead will have their revenge... the Necromancer growled. "They are coming for you... The one who holds the Triforce of Power is coming... He knows you're here. He will revive me."

Its voice was faint in his head this time. A small mercy, Link thought. He ran forward, scraping the Master Sword from where it lay.

"Not if I run you through with this!" Link growled, driving the sword into the demon's eye. The fluid that gushed from the wound almost made him ill, a tremor ran through the demon's body and then it was still.

It was dead... finally, the horrid creature was gone.

The creature's body began to burn, just like the mask. It erupted in purple smoke, its flesh flaking away into ashes.

It was gone.

The demon that had once been a man, nicknamed Bongo Bongo by those who knew him, was finally gone.

And that was when Link first heard the howling screams of the living dead.

Next Chapter

Reviews

SunPraiser31 chapter 51 . Apr 1, 2017 Oh god. I wasn't expecting that. So Impa's totally blind, and now Link is half blind too? Damn. That was pretty brutal. I mean, I wasn't expecting the Shadow Temple to be a cakewalk, but you really showed these guys no mercy. Good. I like it when a story takes a darker turn like that. Something that drives the characters to the limit and shows you what they're really made of. Not enough of that on Fanfic. Most people prefer to write fluff. Good on you for doing that. Sadly, for Link and Co., the hits aren't done coming yet. Far from it.

HelixHero chapter 51 . Oct 18, 2015 Oh god. Cool!

Shaveza chapter 51 . Sep 29, 2015 Aaaaaaaaaah...I dunno what was more shocking, Impa being blinded or Link losing his eye. The relief is palatable. Then the tension just piles all back on right there at the end. It's great! But the howling screams do not say anything good about the state of the missing villagers. Oh boy.

Lord Darth Yoda chapter 51 . Sep 22, 2015 Oh man, this chapter. Don't know why you warned me, it was awesome! First, it had a mix of Harry Potter and Metal Gear as Sheik uses the blood sacrifice Dumbledore and Link joins Big Boss in losing an eye. Explains why the Hero's Shade is missing his. Didn't expect that! And that boss battle was awesome. Dark Link, Redeads, Bongo Bongo, and almost Majora sounds like a kickass boss fight. I wanna play that now. Please?

TheHero136 chapter 51 . Sep 21, 2015 Good job. Can't wait for the Ganon sequence. I don't know what you plan for Navi or Sheik but I hope that it ends spectacularly. I suggest a siege on Ganon's tower to rescue Zelda when the time comes and a battle to take Hyrule Castle but that's just me. Keep it up and good luck.