Dark Awakening (Shadows x Kaybee)

[Kaybee]

Impa folded her arms, eyeing the magical circle with a dubious gaze as her fingers fiddled with the tip of the lonely banded length of her bangs not tucked into her braids or ponytail. As always her greatsword was slung across her back and her red eyes held attentiveness that belied her posture. It had already been proven that these summonings could go wrong, and while such errors had not ended in disaster last time, she had doubts that repetitions would be any better. This world needed a hero, and as much as she hated to admit it, while Impa was a nigh-peerless warrior and the product of the last summoning was no slouch with those crossbows of hers, they were not heroes, or at least, not in this world...

Nearby, the object of Impa's thoughts shuffled slightly, betraying nervousness as she rubbed one palm against the smooth wooden grip of her crossbow. Her green cloak's hood pooled around her shoulders and her eyes flocked between the circle, the door, and the centerpiece of the room where this world's princess stood. Linkle had been confused by this woman, the spitting image of Prince Zelda of her own world, yet undeniably female in a way that he had never been, and holding the triforce of wisdom that she herself was supposed to have, only a world can't have two triforces and hers had been left behind. Thus Linkle found herself both aggravated and captivated by the woman in the same breath, the parts of her that reminded Linkle of her male counterpart and the connection Linkle felt to this world's triforce of wisdom drawing her close while the frustration of being ripped away from her love and her power pushed her away.

At the centre, Zelda raised her arms with a flourish, triforce glowing for a moment in the dim light before the circle glowed in response, activated by the princess' magic. Space twisted, a jagged line of blackness appearing in mid-air as the stillness stirred into motion, a wind rising and circling the princess, setting Linkle and Impa's garments flapping as it grew in strength, howling as it clawed at the stone walls and plunging the chamber into darkness as it blew the candles out, leaving the chamber illuminated only from the circle that still glowed, brighter and brighter.

Impa's stance widened, bracing herself against the gale, Linkle reached out, digging her fingers into a crack in the stonework to keep herself steady as the crack widened, splitting jagged, a gash in the fabric of reality itself, starkly black against the glow of the circle, before a thunderclap of pure sound shattered the space entirely and a figure appeared in a split second.

Then the light of the circle vanished, snuffed in an instant.

The gale wound down as quickly as it had come, plunging the chamber into silent darkness with only Impa's red eyes and the faint glow of Zelda's triforce visible for a long moment...

Impa's hand moved to the hilt of her sword, pointed ears twitching slightly as she strained against the darkness, listening for the presence. She had seen someone -or something arrive, but the last summoning hadn't created a darkness like this. Worry coiled in her gut, as sounds began to filter in. A creak of wood and cord from where Linkle had stood as the once-heroine readied her crossbows. A faint hum of gathering power from Zelda...

And something else...

 

[Shadows]

Of the seemingly countless worlds, timelines and eras of existence, there is a near constant which governs and connects these land. That near constant being the mythical triforce and its three destined guardians for each of the respective key components that make up its legendary force. In most worlds, three souls are destined to be reborn with a predetermined connection to those three key components, with the vast majority of them reaching a happy conclusion, where in the guardians of the triforce of wisdom and courage managed to overtake the wicked machinations of the man who was linked with triforce of power.

However, there were exceptions to this general chain of events. Realms, eras and timelines where the hero failed or was simply never born. And while Princess Zelda and her companions of this world had hoped to bring forth a hero of a now saved realm to aid in the protection of their own which lacked such a champion, they would instead pull forth something else. Something of a land where their Link had fallen in battle long ago. Where the dark one ruled over Hyrule. Where the only connection left to the long removed hero of time was a dark, twisted clone which had aided its master in the downfall of the kingdom itself.

As silent darkness filled the chamber where Zelda and her companions had attempted the summoning, a lone, silent and understandably confused figure knelt within the center of the now snuffed out circle of light. His breathing was somewhat labored from being ripped away of his world. Those sharp eyes were long used to this type of pitch blackness and were as such able to adjust to the cloaking darkness quicker than most as they quickly started to take in their new surroundings. If nothing else, this granted him a few sparse moments to access the situation and weigh his options, before they could make him out clearly with their own eyes.

Of those he saw, it was Zelda which immediately captured his attention. The very Princess which his master had taken as a bride in his world, only still showing the light and energy she once had prior to said arrangement. Then there were two other women which he didn’t recognize from his own world. One was of the Sheikah tribe, from what he could tell, while the other one…. The other one had a strange familiarity to her that nearly brought forth his blood lust and, were it not for the weapons at the ready to be trained upon his direction, he may have lashed out at that very instant. But for now, he instead stayed his hand from reaching for the sword at his own hilt. For now.

As the darkness slowly subsided, the lone figure would begin to come into view for the three women. A figure which, while often referred to in various incarnations by the simple name of ‘Dark Link’, looked far closer to the original than most. Instead of a shadowed or grayed body, his flesh was of a normal complexion, like any other Hyrulian. His famed clothing, while perhaps a touch disheveled and tattered from prior battles, had upon it that familiar green coloring that was commonly associated with the hero, while at his side there remained a hilted sword which, while not the Master Sword, was a fine blade which matched his usual choice of weaponry for close hand combat.

Perhaps the one area’s where he may look different from most was in the subtler differences. His hair, while normally blonde or light brown, was a darker shade of brown in this instance, while his eyes seemed to lack a certain degree of gentleness that one might expect of the hero, though granted the latter may be excused by some as a result of the circumstances in which was forcibly pulled into. But for most extents and purposes, this man, this cloned puppet created by his world’s Ganon to assist in defeating that lands hero, looked just like the very Link which the Princess and her companions had been desperate for in their world.
Slowly standing to his feet, the practically perfectly matched clone raised his hands in a sign of not intending to fight what he knew would be a losing battle, as he instead parted his lips to speak, “Princess… Zelda?” The words came out slowly, cautiously, almost seeming to be distrustful of what he was seeing and inadvertently confirming to those around him that he indeed knew a Zelda of his own in his world as he continued, “You look… different. What’s going on around here? And who are these people?”

Glancing around a little more, the clone began to recognize the chambers as being the same room as one in the castle of his realm, only far different from the way his master had made it appear since overtaking the lands. “And where am I?” The green tunic wearing male inquired, seemingly piecing together that he somehow wasn’t in his own world any longer. It was a prospect which concerned the clone, though he managed to mask it under the genuine confusion which was felt over what exactly was happening.

 

[Kaybee]

Zelda took in the figure before her, unmistakably Link, faded, worn, and tired, but his face was the very image of the hero who had been supposed to save them, if perhaps a little older. He was paler than the princess remembered, though his hair was darker by contrast, but as the shadows dissipated like so much smoke the tension in the room eased at the sight. There was no triforce on the back of his hand, but then again, that did not necessarily need to manifest. He had the look of the hero, and he was no distaff like Linkle, so his triforce would have remained intact.

Only royal training kept the princess' knees from trembling with relief as she stepped forwards, but no amount of composure could keep the relief from her voice. "Thank the spirits... Link..." She smiled. "You're here at last."

Zelda almost took another step forwards after that, to sweep her new 'hero' into a grateful embrace only for Impa's hand to settle on the princess shoulder, forstalling it. The Shiekah guardian's other hand had at least strayed from the haft of her greatsword, even if her stance still spoke of wariness as her eyes roved up and down 'Link's form. There was a presence to him, that much was for sure. Something that spoke of more than just strength or speed or stamina. It set her on edge, but at the same time, it was proof enough to her that this man was more than he seemed, and if that was not what made a hero, she was not sure what was... "Hmh." A grunt, not quite approval, but at the very least acceptance.

Only Linkle remained wary. Perhaps it was seeing something so similar to herself yet at the same time so different that set her on edge, like that shadowed image of her own form with the red eyes she had confronted once in her own battles. Perhaps it was something else. It was only reluctantly that the former heroine unloaded her crossbows and thumbed their actions back into place, folding her arms over her chest as she regarded the newcomer with uncertain eyes. Something about him seemed off to her, something not quite right in his presence.

Zelda explained, Impa at her shoulder while Link watched from the edge of the room. This world was on the brink of disaster, darkness spreading from the southern castle had already engulfed much of the land, and even now was slowly beginning to encroach upon the palace grounds. Whispers among the populace that Ganon, the prince of darkness, may be returning once more, and the legends of a hero to match against the darkness, once held to as a sign of hope, had only grown more hollow with the passing of days, the hopes of the people becoming particularly dour when the tomb of ancients in which the legendary Master Sword was supposed to be enshrined was swallowed by darkness not one week ago.

The notion that they could summon a hero had been raised by the royal sorceress, Cia, and they had chosen to draw from worlds in which this battle had already been fought. The first summoning born of inquisitiveness had yielded Linkle, capable in her own right, but hampered by an unfortunate technicality, and now, a second summoning borne of desperation had yielded him...

As she spoke, Zelda led 'Link' from the summoning chamber, Impa falling into step on the other side of him while Linkle trailed behind. "We need your help hero..." The princess' voice was just shy of pleading. "I am so sorry to ask another fight of you after what you must have already gone through but please. This world needs you..."

 

[Shadows]

It had been a long time since anybody was unaware enough to mistake him for the actual Link, so the words of the Princess who seemed relieved at his very presence were enough to shake the on edge clone into further confusion over the situation. Enough so that his tenseness softened, at least to an extent where his repressed urge to strike out in defense of himself was slowly replaced by a need for answers, as those curious eyes lingered upon Zelda, before giving another looking over at the other women near her.

While not seeming anywhere near so moved by his presence as her Princess had been, the woman that he would come to know as Impa was at least accepting of the man they thought to be the actual Link of an alternate world. Still, the clone could tell she was a clever woman, along with being a capable warrior, so he would need to watch himself around her. Then there was Linkle, which the clone became increasingly interested in upon finding out her story as he listened to Zelda weave their tale up to this point. The Dark Link could tell she wasn’t quite convinced of him, nor was he exactly fond of her, especially after finding out who she was, but the clone kept such disdain hidden from view. After all, he’d plenty of practice in masking his aggression toward someone due to constantly having to do so with his master; the Ganon of his own world which had successfully taken rule over it long ago.

Following Zelda’s lead as he silently listened to her explain the situation, ‘Link’ considered his own options, which had an ulterior motive of its own, yet did have the opportunity to yield an endgame that somewhat line up with their own hopes in the visiting hero. A chance at gaining the Master Sword, the very weapon which his own world’s Ganon quickly destroyed even after killing their Link, was a tempting enough incentive for the clone. But more so, a chance at being the one to slay the Ganon of this world – a Ganon who held no direct power over him like his own master had - was a delicious substitute for those long held desires to usurp his lord and master back in his own realm.

The one downside, of course, would be the necessity of pretending to be the actual Link, at least for the foreseeable future. It was a thought which kept a bad taste in the clone’s mouth, but the inevitable taste of revenge would surely help in washing that away, as Zelda spoke of her regret in asking him to take on another fight in this new world that they had pulled him into. Fortunately for the clone, he had some past experience in having to play the part of the actual Link, as he gave a soft smile to the Princess while assuring her, “I have to admit, this is a lot to take in, your highness. But I know you well enough to realize you wouldn’t have called me forth unless you had no other options for keeping your people safe.”

That much was at least true, as the clone could see much of his own Zelda within this one. So much so, that he braved a touch of boldness on his own part, by reaching to his side with the hand closest to her and taking it with a firm, yet surprisingly gentle grasp, while assuring, “I’ll do everything within my power to best serve you, Princess. And hopefully I can manage to meet your expectations.”

She felt soft, he thought to himself. She always looked soft and warm in his own world, but his master would never allow anyone else to touch her, nor would he dare to risk such a move in that world. But here it was a different matter, as his hand lingered into holding onto Zelda’s for a few moments, before letting go just short of any potential awkwardness in the somewhat forward action. Perhaps there was another upside to his playing hero? One which went beyond gaining physical power and unleashing his long bottled rage upon a version of his master. As he continued to follow the Princess and her two lovely companions though the castle, the dark clone managed to just barely suppress the smirk which threatened to show upon his deceitfully friendly features, as his mind turned to thoughts of actions far beyond simple hand holding.

 

[Kaybee]

Thank the Sages.

Zelda's grip tightened on 'Link's hand as he promised his aid, just barely holding back the urge to throw her arms around him in a tight hug born of relief. "Thank you..." She kept the tremor from her voice, though beneath her dress her knees were somewhat of another matter, trembling with nervous energy. Impa echoed the words of thanks with a faint smile, albeit that her words were in her typically curt tone, and Linkle nodded, though she did not smile at him. The distaff heroine's hands were well away from her crossbows at least though, so that was something...

"Is that... Is that him? Did the spell work?" The voice sounded from behind Zelda as royal sorceress Lana stepped into the corridor, eyes going wide as she beheld the fourth form following the entourage. Where Zelda held courtly restraint however, the excitable mage had no such compunctions and at Zelda's nod her walk became a jog, ducking around the princess to wrap 'Link' in an excited hug. "Oh thank goodness! I was so worried it wouldn't work properly like last time!" Linkle shot the excited bluenette a glare which she ignored. "B-but you're here now and... And you'll help us right?"

Lana realized she might have jumped the gun and glanced back at Zelda for confirmation quickly, then tightened her hug again upon receiving a nod from the princess. "Oh thank you thank you thank you!" Finally though, she seemed to realize where she was and back off, a little bit flushed with embarrassment at the realization. "Ah... Uhm... Sorry about that... Just glad you're here to help..."

Lana fell back to walk beside Impa while Zelda stayed by Link's side, letting the princess take up the burden of explanation. "First we thought of finding the master sword in it's grove, or at least clues to where Ganon might have taken it as he now controls that part of the forest and may have removed the sword." she explained, detailing the initial steps of a campaign to counter Ganon's steady advances across Hyrule. Finding the Master Sword was top priority but reconnecting with their allies across the kingdom such as the Zora and the Twili would help too, and with the Master's grove under dark control, it would perhaps be better to make friends before pushing towards the calamity himself.