These rings were mysterious little trinkets, that was for certain. At first Caelan was admittedly skeptical about their powers, though considering what he had seen before it wasn't so absurd to think there was some truth in it. Well, only one way to find out then. Sliding the ring onto his finger he looked at it for a moment, wondering precisely what was supposed to happen. Then, almost in a flash, the purpose of the ring began to make itself known. His skin tone was the first thing to change, darkening rather quickly right before his eyes until he had a modest tan. The bangs around his eyes, normally blonde and perfectly visible, receded as the color became a darker brown, almost black. While he couldn't see it his eyes adopted a new tone, becoming a light brown color as well. His attire changed drastically as well, and he soon found himself in simple wool trousers, a linen shirt and a small knapsack strapped over his back. Caelan had been changed from a treasure hunter to what could best be described as a simple farmhand in seconds, and he was shocked. Turning his hands over and giving himself a checking he was having one heck of a time wrapping his mind around this. He understood his own magic perfectly, he utilized moisture in the air and water itself to create the desired effect. This though, this was way above him.

Following the lead of the others Caelan climbed up into the cart, easing himself into his seat and exhaling softly. So they were going right into that entire group then, right into the maw of the enemy? These people were nuts, this couldn't possibly end well. If these disguises failed and they were forced to fight then it was going to be a pretty lousy time of it. They might be able to get through it, but it sure as heck won't be pretty. Giving a frustrated shake of his head the mage sighed again, lifting his hands and giving his cheeks a few slaps to snap himself out of it. If he was pessimistic then bad things were bound to happen, he needed to be positive. Besides, these people had been at this for a while, hadn't they? Surely they'd been in situations like this before, so they were versed in this kind of thing. Demoko knew what he was doing, and he wouldn't let them down. That was perhaps the biggest challenge of this, putting his faith in someone else. After traveling on his lonesome by so long having someone who he could rely on was odd. Unlike his typical partners, other treasure hunters or raiders, he felt like he could actually trust these folks. So why then was he so damned nervous? Link's uneasy expression didn't help his nerves much, though he chalked that up as the boy always being nervous. Things would be fine, he was positive, they just had to be.

About halfway across the gap they were stopped by one of the guards, a no name soldier judging by everyone's reactions. Regardless it was enough to make Caelan tense up, and it was all he could do to not show he was panicked. Tensing up as the man came over he looked to the floor nervously, worried that if he glanced over something might be given away in his expression. As uneasy as all of this was it was most likely not a big problem, and thankfully that seemed to be the case. Thanks to some smooth talking on Demoko's part the soldier walked away, leaving them to their ride. Caelan leaned back against the frame of the cart, closing his eyes and smiling thankfully. That was much too close for his liking, thank goodness nothing had come of it. Then, just because life oh so loved to give him all the stress it possibly could they were stopped yet again just a few meters from the last point. Unlike before when they were stopped it wasn't just a grunt this time. This figure was a fair bit more imposing, and commanded a fair bit of respect from those around him. He must have been one of the leaders then, and he definitely carried himself like one. Why were they being stopped a second time, and by an upper ranked soldier of all things? Oh so not good.

The questioning got off to a hot start, really not looking good for them at all. As if just being questioned wasn't nerve wracking enough this man seemed to be particularly attracted towards one of their group members, and not in a good way. For whatever reason Sophos was a point of interest, continually questioned by the other man. Caelan couldn't say how, but the disguises looked to be useless with this man. Great, so that was it, they were made. Swallowing back nervously he wrung his fingers together, training his eyes on the floorboard. Hopefully in this state he could still use his magic, he might be able to get out of here in spite of the overwhelming numbers. Forming an escape route in his mind it became apparent that it wasn't going to be necessary, as the mage was abashed to admit. The other man had turned away from them after some pleading on Sophos' part, and began to try and hold off the General. Caelan shifted about in his spot uneasily, unable to keep himself from looking towards General Onyx. He didn't seem that tough, they could probably get by him if need be. He wasn't going to do anything though, not unless someone else made the first move.

"Awww.... Damn it all!" Caelan cursed, watching as Demoko went into the fray against the General. They were made, no helping it now. They needed to fight if they wanted to get out of here. They were all given instructions as what to do, with himself being tasked to protect Nayrin and Aadab. There wasn't time to debate it, they were already being set upon.

Tearing the ring off of his hand, just in case it limited his magic, Caelan got ready to jump off the cart and join the fray. Before he even had shifted much an arrow soared towards him, narrowly piercing his skull in its flight. In a flash his hide was saved by Regol, somehow snatching the arrow right out of the air before it met its target. He also caught a few more, and the water mage watched in surprise as one was fired back, nailing one of the archers directly. Right, time to get to work then.

Uncorking his bottomless waterskin Caelan climbed off of the carriage, trying to get an assessment of what was going on. He'd fought before, sure, but never on this kind of scale. It was an awful lot to take in and he hadn't the faintest where to even begin. His job seemed simple enough; protect Nayrin and Aadab while they armed the explosives. Nodding to himself he looked back at the two, disappointed they'd not moved yet. That didn't mean he couldn't start yet though. Looking back to the cliffs above he saw the archers reloading their crossbows, taking aim and letting another hail of arrows rain down on the group. Quickly drawing out a good few liters of water he raised it up above their heads, spreading it out and freezing it as he did so to create a shell of sorts between them and their attackers. The ice, several centimeters thick, proved to be more than enough to stop the hail. The ice cracked a little but held firm, and the archers were made to reload again.

"Come on, someone lend me a hand, please?!"

With a breathless nod, Nayrin accepted the ring and slid it on her finger without hesitation. The magic only took a second to work, and she found that her skin had lightened and her hair was a shade of brown, and her attire seemed more casual and fitting for a young girl. Hopefully her eyes weren't odd, but if they were she'd just keep her head down and hope for the best. With a nod of approval, she lept into the merchant's wagon before settling herself in, maintaining her connection with Aadab for sanity's sake, and giving Link a once-over to make sure he was okay.

"Gods, this better work." she mumbled under her breath before focusing her gaze elsewhere, and before she knew it their wagon was being stopped and demon-men were inspecting them. Miraculously, they made it through undetected but it wasn't long before another man stopped them. For some reason, he kept staring at Sophos and she then realized who this man before them was. Their luck had run out, and it wasn't long before the might of the Templars came down upon them. Nayrin's orders were simple enough, make the explosives work, but she had no idea how they worked or what exactly they did other than explode. Her friendly "shadow" seemed to be hard at work, so she didn't feel the need to ask him for help. "Time to think on your feet." she assured herself, and before draping her cloak over her form, she threw the ring Demoko gave her to the ground and took off.

Caelan was covering for them as the arrows buried themselves within his ice wall, and she blazed past him and launched herself up the supports that held the bridge. She dug her dagger into the wooden post before using it as a foothold, and then set to work on the bomb. "Shit, how does this work? I...I can stab it. Maybe I should stab it?" she murmured to herself, and within seconds the Sheikah set to work on trying to figure out how exactly she was supposed to make this infernal device explode. Time was of the essence, and she found herself longing to see Link, but the quicker she got this done, the sooner he'd be safe.

It seemed that Onyx was more trusting in Gaios-or more cautious about their enemy-than he'd thought. Surely the hulking man knew of Gaios's personal dilemma regarding these heretics. Whatever the reason was, Gaios was thankful that he wasn't crushed immediately. No, this enemy of the Templars, this Sage, sprang into action before Onyx could hurt any of the others, attacking Onyx with a sword that seemed that it might rival the titan's own blade, in quality if not power or size. If anybody could even hope to survive against Onyx, this Sage was that person.

Sighing, Gaios grabbed his blade as an arrow was stopped from hitting him by a familiar shadowy entity. Brother Regol. "R-R-Regol! I...what...?" Now he was even more torn. Brother Regol was working with the Sage?! Perhaps he turned traitor after Fiona had betrayed him. He couldn't blame him, and he was glad that his former comrade had chosen to save him. But why? They were enemies now. He'd have to kill Regol. His blade was already in his hand. He just...he just had to thrust it forward, and silence this traitor. As he was gathering strength, a hand took a solid hold of his wrist.

---

Sophos clambered out of the cart as Onyx appeared above them, a true monster of a man. Whatever had made him the way he was, Sophos couldn't imagine that it had happened without some sort of abnormal intervention. Only Demoko would have a hope of killing him, with his newly enhanced abilities. Even if it was looking tough for the Sage, Sophos knew he could handle it. If not, there was no point in trying to fight Thallus. He'd only be more powerful. As arrows and crossbow bolts flew at them, he saw Regol taking a few for their comrades, including Gaios. Though his loyalty was questionable at best, he was helpful at the moment, which was enough. Sophos ran over to Regol and Gaios, noticing Gaios about to stab the shadow-man. Without even thinking about it, he grabbed the offender's wrist and called his name.

---

"Gaios, no! You can't do this! You can't murder your own friend!" The Templar's eyes widened when he realized what he was about to do, and who had stopped him. Turning around slowly, he looked Sophos in his eyes, a painful mixture of unpleasant emotions burning inside his own.

"You...." Before he could finish his sentence, he was suddenly flying to the floor, a frail weight on top of him.

---

As Gaios was stuttering to say something, Sophos noticed out of the corner of his eye an archer taking aim. Making quick use of his powers, he slowed the world around him quickly enough to grab Gaios and force him to the floor. "Save the talking for later! We're in a battlefield, and your allies aren't very good with their aim! That shot was probably meant for me, but I couldn't...I couldn't let them kill you."

"Why...why are you helping your enemy?" This earned the Templar a smile from the older man.

"You tried to help me, son. You tried to help me, and that was enough."

---

He couldn't understand why he'd tried to help Sophos. He was getting in the way of this holy mission. His personal mission to emulate the man who could have been his father-his real father, even if he wasn't biologically his sire. How did that make sense? Who had betrayed that ideal, he or Sophos? Who was wrong?! Who was right?!?! The frustration was impossible!

But when he looked at Sophos, he couldn't imagine the man doing wrong, or hurting somebody who hadn't attacked him or his friend. He remembered the first day he'd actually learned about Sophos's activities in Castle Town, the day his quest to hunt the man down had started. He had helped protect a Deku scrub from a group of rowdy Castle Guards. This was a man who went out of his way to come to Castle Town to buy cheap ingredients to sell at asking price in potions to his customers in Clock Town. He went through that much trouble just to help people. How...how could a man like this be the same type of heretic he'd been warned about? The murderers, the cultists who planned to destroy society by turning them against the One God? It didn't make sense.

Standing up, he turned to one of the archers, staring him down. He couldn't see what the other was doing, but he knew the other Templars were wondering what he was doing. He recognized a pair running towards him and Sophos, weapons drawn, ready to kill the latter man, who was just getting off the ground. As his father raised his wand, Gaios called to him. "Stop. Fight the archers...I'll take these two."

And that was the instant he turned traitor. Grabbing a chunk of rock from the bridge, he crushed it in his hand and launched it towards the two approaching heretic hunters, the resulting shrapnel spreading in a shotgun effect. One was too shocked at the betrayal to react, but the other dodged to the side, swinging her halberd at Gaios, who quickly jumped high into the air, his jump bolstered by a spire of rock that he had created in less that a second. As his opponent's blade crashed against the spire, Gaios's sword was already piercing through her chest, the end of the blade sticking out of her front. "I am sorry, my sister, but my eyes have been opened. A man like Sophos is not an enemy, and never will be. Not to me"

Whatever Nayrin did, the fuse ignited and began to speed rapidly to the other fuses and down towards the half of the bridge leading into the desert. Withing a few minutes the first bombs went off under a group of charging Templars sending them flying upward or over the side of the bridge. A chain reaction followed as the explosions continued down the line. Demoko looked on as the explosions came speeding towards them. Onyx was distracted by the sound and looked back to see them coming towards them. Acting quickly Demoko created two portals under Onyx's feet trapping him in the stone blocks of the bridge.

"Using magic on me won't save you heretic!" Onyx shouted as he began to rip his feet slowly out of the bridge. Demoko however simply smiled and wave as he sunk into a larger portal and appeared on the other half of the bridge next to the others. Onyx realized what the Sage had done and let out a large roar as the explosions engulfed him and he was no longer to be seen as the smoke was too thick to see. Demoko saw the smoke as an advantage and quickly pulled out a little wind and began to sway it back and forth till the wind picked up and blew the smoke in front of the archers. The arrows stopped coming as none dared to shoot blindly lest they hit their own.

"Everyone group up and push onward!" Demoko shouted as the cart moved forward drawn by the large lizard. Templars continued to charge them, but with their backs safely secured it would be a whole lot easier to move forward. Demoko quickly dispatched any Templar who dared to engage him in sword combat. "Calean on my rear, Nayrin cover our backs!" Demoko shouted as he kept at a steady pace of moving forward with the cart.

Regol kept close to Sophos and Gaios. He knew Sophos like the others were still wary of him, but if perhaps he fought next to Gaios who was a very close friend of his, then perhaps he could calm the man's nerves and help him get into their regular fighting rhythm against the ones they called sisters and brothers for so long. Even Regol was having trouble fighting the Templars, with no way to verbally communicate, he was force to kill without warning.

After nearly blowing herself up, Nayrin managed to flee from the falling debris before making her way back into the fray. Everything was chaotic, and it seemed that one of the templar's own had turned against them. The Sheikah found that relatively interesting, but before she could dwell on it any longer, she had to duck in order to miss the blade of a rather annoyed soldier. He was easily disposed of, but things became complicated as Demoko called for her to defend the rear.

Defense wasn't her strong point in terms of covering other's backs, but she did the best she could by flinging the last of her sharpened rupees at the assaulting templars before ducking behind the cover of her invisibility cloak. She'd flicker between being visible and gone, and used this tactic to confuse and distract a portion of the troops in hopes that her companions could create enough distance between the cart and their impending doom.

Caelan only lowered his ice shield once the arrows stopped flying, but it seemed work was far from over. There was a slight lull in battle as the explosions rocked the bridge, making him cringe and cover his ears from the loud sounds that resulted from it all. After they had stopped did he finally survey the area around them, and he was relieved to see the Templars in disarray. So the bombs had done the trick, they could feasibly get out of here now. However they still had some length of bridge to cross, and not all of the enemy were done in by the explosions. Indeed a few archers remained, and troops had managed to get on their side of the bridge by sheer luck alone. With everyone collecting themselves and getting together again the mage hurried himself along, going to join Demoko as he was asked. For whatever reason he was being told to cover their retreat, a feat that he did not hold much hope for himself in accomplishing. Now wasn't the time to doubt himself or question his skills, he had to have faith in himself. Of course this was easier said than done with a good many armed men baring down on them.

Nayrin took the incentive to initiate an attack, and he watched as the Sheikah vanished. She must be distracting the enemy as they were soon looking among themselves and swiping at the air in hopes of striking down their invisible foe. Taking the moment to attack he drew a fair good amount of water from his pouch again, and with a throwing motion soaked a good bit of the bridge in water. Extending his arms straight out and flattening his hands he then closed them into fists, causing the water to instantly freeze. Making his arms rise then spires of ice shot up from the ground, impaling a few of the soldiers whose reaction times couldn't possibly save them. Throwing a look over his shoulder at the gradually retreating cart he turned back just in time to see a halberd coming down at him. In a panicked move he threw more water, using the force of it to throw himself away while getting a small slice on his forearm in the escape. With swiping motion he smacked the Templar in the side with a torrent, sending him toppling over the side of the bridge in one fell swoop. Slowly he was working his way back, backpedaling and just trying to keep their attackers from catching up, also hoping that Nayrin would show herself so he could comfortably attack.

As soon as it became apparent that combat was already starting, Kalama was quick to leap off the cart and remove the silver ring. Several Templars rushing in to attack him visibly hesitated as his true appearance was suddenly visible, and he used that hesitation to his advantage. He ran into the group and choke slammed the first Templar he came to, but by then the rest had returned to their senses and moved in for the attack. Before they could get a blow in, however, a burst of Din's Fire ignited them and forced them away. That was when Kalama dropped his guard, however, allowing another to start pressing the attack. Kalama dodged as much as he could, but one attack seemed inevitable. Kalama decided to take a risk and form a disc of fire in front of him, but the blade shattered it easily due to Kalama's lack of master over this new technique. Until he got more practice, solid fire would be next to useless. The shield did, however, prove helpful even in how brittle it was. The Templar's blade was slowed enough that Kalama was able to dodge and find the time to draw his own sword. Gripping the hilt with both hands, Kalama ran the Templar through. He slumped on the Shifter's sword, after which Kalama kicked the dead man off the sword. He continued in this way, using his usual brute-force method of attack.

---

Aadab was not as quick to enter the fray. She continued her meditation, faintly aware of the battle. She realized the rest of her companions were enough to keep the Templars from thinking one was hanging back. She was a relatively new addition to the group, and, really, only Fiona had seen her other than Regol, and the Twili was now an ally, anyway. When she felt ready, her eyes opened and she slowly stepped out of the caravan, her spirit completely in tune with her body so soon after meditation. She drew her staff, her favorite weapon, and steadily strode into the fray with purpose in her stride. As she often did, she formed a spiritual barrier around her staff to protect it against battle damage. Such a small barrier required the barest minimum of effort for Aadab, a master of Spirit. She soon found her first opponent moving in, who she dodged whipped in the back of the head with the staff, sending them staggering forward. Frustrated, the Templar turned and tried again, only to have the same result. This was when Aadab stopped toying with him and pressed the attack, driving the Templar back. She was a flurry of staff strikes, never letting up and letting no openings in her defense show. After the man was worn down, she smacked his chin to stagger him, drew a dagger, and slipped the thin blade between the gap between the breastplate and left pauldron, through the chainmail, and directly into the Templar's heart. The man fell as soon as she withdrew the dagger, which she returned to its sheath.

The caravan was making great progress, they only had another fourth to go before they were off the bridge. However nothing was ever so simple. There was an earthquake and the bridge and ground began to shake as Onyx came landing down on the bridge from above. He was very big, but somehow he was still able to sustain his weight and fly still. The Templars stopped charging as he held up his hand and ordered them to retreat. "I do not know how you have grown so strong Heretic to take the minds of Regol and Gaios, but I will not hesitate to fight you and them if I am forced to. I am no Fiona, but I will do what must be done with honor!" Onyx bellowed.

Demoko looked at his companions, back to Onyx, and back at his companions. "This will most likely be our toughest challenge yet my friends. Onyx is one of the greatest warriors the world has ever seen. The power he commands make him like that of a demi-god almost. We must stand together, or else we will fall apart." He said trying to infuse everyone with some type of courage. It was very hard to do so, because every step Onyx took the entire bridge shook.

As Sophos and Gaios were cutting down Templars alongside Regol, Demoko and Onyx continued their epic battle. It was something to be amazed by, and Sophos might have stopped to watch if his life weren't in danger. The three started moving forward with the caravan, Regol following alongside them. Gaios was pleased that he at least had one friend from the Templars on his side. When a young recruit started coming at Gaios, he knocked the boy to the side with a blast of earth. Sighing, he disarmed his attacker, and grabbed him by the collar. "You have two choices. Walk away or die." Gaios narrowed his eyes at his captive, hand on the handle of his blade. "Decide."

The terror in the boy's eyes was far too real for Gaios. This was the fear of somebody whose life was about to end. "I'm giving you three more seconds, boy. Take that armor off and abandon this crusade, or die." As another arrow barely missed him, Gaios grew impatient. Letting go of the boy, he took a small step back and swung his sword, lopping his head off with one clean swipe, pushing it to the side with his earth magic. Turning to attack another group of Templars, he let out a battlecry and unleashed a barrage of earth attacks at them.

---

Sophos, meanwhile, was battling the archers that were harassing the group on the bridge. Bursts of magic launched Templars to and fro, screaming to their doom. He felt bad about killing them, but they were trying to kill him. He didn't exactly have a choice, here, since he didn't want to die. When he saw Gaios execute the Templar he was trying to make surrender, he turned his head away. It was hard to see something like that and not be a little annoyed. However, that feeling soon disappeared when the bridge rumbled as Onyx landed on it. By the Godesses...he really was huge....

"Gaios, Regol, we need to move onward! Just listen to Demoko and we'll get out of this alright!" Bursts of energy started exploding around Onyx, though Sophos doubted they'd ultimately have much effect. Gaios, meanwhile, started covering his arms and torso in a suit of armor made from the stones that made up the bridge. His steps were slowed down, but between his armor, the solid rock on his body, and his natural resilience, even Onyx wouldn't be able to kill him with only one swing. The second was a matter of debate, but if it got that far then there was no hope either way. As a final measure of preparing himself, he summoned a dozen or so disks to float around his body. Keeping his mind on this much rock wasn't an easy task, but his training had put him through much more daunting tasks. As long as this battle was decided within a relatively quick time, he'd be alright.

The moment they were stopped Link knew they were going to be screwed, but thankfully he wasn’t picked out first and killed during his more vulnerable state. Instead, he was shifted to the side with everyone else being picked out to fight, keeping Link on the side-lines for now. Link kept the ring on, he didn’t want to remove it and wanted to stay in this strange form and keep his odder yet regular appearance hidden away just incase they saw him as different and decided to take him out anyway. Everyone else was getting out and going immediately to aid Demoko, but Link was definitely a little more reluctant to do such a thing. He was feeling scared, he had a sword and the gloves to lift it but he just couldn’t bring himself to use it. The sword was hidden under the illusion, but his fear wasn’t. He wanted to help Nayrin but couldn’t, he wanted to fight but couldn’t. Running off from the caravan and trying to find somewhere to hide, while his shield protected his back from incoming fire his fear was anything but hidden as he became a cowardly little kid that he was supposed to be.

Two hurricane knights were flying over the battle looking for people to target. Everyone seemed to be preoccupied with what was around them, but not what was above. They spotted Link still in the cart and saw that he was hiding cowardly and choosing not to fight. As they flew over head the pair of Hurricane knights sent huge gusts of wind knocking the cart on its side and tossing Link out of it. The first knight landed in front of him and drew his sword to attack Link while the second remained in the air above circling.

Keeping his head low, Link casually glanced out of the cart every so often, trying to watch the others and hoping they were okay in return. He didn't want them to get hurt because he wasn't able to help them, his eyes shifting across the battlefield as he held onto the hilt of his sword nervously. With a feeling of anticipation, he leaned slightly forward but in doing so he was spotted by the enemy. With a sudden and very strong blast of wind, Link was thrown right out of the cart, sending him tumbling across the hard ground. With the hard ground smacking him around and sending him rolling like a ragdoll, he was understandably pretty disorientated by the time the knight came flying right at him and threw down its sword. In a reflex driven by instinct, Link immediately drew his own sword and blocked the attack, the force of it sending him sliding across the ground a little on his shield. He wanted to parry the attack, but he couldn't bring himself to do it and could only manage to stop it hitting him, his hand quickly trying to make a desperate grab for his shield. He was all too scared, his sword swinging out desperately as he tried to defend himself.

The knight was impressed by the boy's ability to deflect his attack, but he didn't care for very long as he charged forward leaning forward sword at his side. When he was in range he brought his sword from his side and swung it in an upward vertical arch. It would have left him widely exposed, but the knight was too fast to leave it open for more than a half second as he quickly twirled to the left and then brought his sword down in a top to side arch swing.

As his fellow knight continued his attacks on the ground, the knight flying over head dropped several small bombs behind and over Link to distort him and to throw him off his fight with his fellow hurricane knight.

Link could barely hold his own, his defence not holding up as well as it should had been able to. He was unable to concentrate long enough to follow with the attacks and parry them properly, he just didn't have the courage to. Gasping when the knight came in for another swing, he made a quick horizontal swipe only to end up falling back again, the knight's vertical swing only just missing him. With one more attack incoming, he quickly spun around as he tried to flee, his shield scraping against the knight's sword and breaking the illusion if only for a moment. He needed to get away from both of them, making a quick scamper as he tried to cover some ground; however, with a sudden barrage of bombs from above he was knocked around and thrown right off his feet several times over. Bouncing off the ground several times, he scampered for his shield once again, managing to pull it off his back and hold it up for protection, "Help! Help me! I-I can't fight!"

Time froze it seemed, everything slowed to a stop and this wasn't Demoko's doing for he slowed as well. The group was frozen before the giant behemoth of a man, nothing stirred except for Demoko's shadow that left his side and crawled quickly across the surface of the bridge and seeped into Link. Once inside it dragged Link into his own mind and to a very desolate place. There was clear water beneath his feet, but he hovered over it able to walk across it. Every direction was white except for up which contained the stars and a bright moon. In the distance hazy figures could be seen behind a cloud of mist. In the opposite direction a tall hazy figure stood behind another cloud of mist.

"You called for help my son." A skeletal warrior said who stood next to Link but a bit off. "Do not be afraid for you are safe here." The Skeletal warrior said as he approached Link. He was taller than Link, but by no means a giant like Onyx. The warrior gave off a cold presence, perhaps due to his not so lively personality. "I am the Hero's Shade, I guide the Hero's of Hyrule when they need it most. I have not been summoned for over 500 years, but then again there hasn't been a Hero for 500 years as well." The Hero's Shade said as his cold breath slowly reached Link, thankfully it didn't reek of decaying tissue. "Tell me son, what is it that you require of me?"

Link had no idea what had happened to him the moment everything suddenly stopped, thinking he had died and this was what death felt like. Gasping, he pulled back, looking all around himself before something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. A shadow moved towards him rapidly, almost jumping in fright at what it could had possibly been, "Ah! No! Please no! I thought I-ah!" Shielding himself from the inevitable shadow, it proved completely useless as he was dragged away from reality and tossed into a plain far more empty than his own. Letting out a gasp, he spun around quickly, his breathing rapid as he tried to suss out where he was and what could possibly be happening. This must had been purgatory, his death probably painless if he didn't even realise he had been killed.

Slowly looking around, he almost leaped right out of his boots when a voice called out to him, an undead creature pretty near him. Cowering slightly, he stared at it as it spoke, feeling confused to what was being said and what it was. Everything it was saying could easily leave a frown on his face, his feet shuffling back a little shutting his eyes a moment as everything felt suddenly a little chilly, "W-What...? But...I-I locked away that side of me; I'm just an ordinary boy!" he spoke, frowning a little, "Why would you come before me if I did that...? I-I'm not a hero, I'm just a coward! You should be helping the others...my friends...o-or at least, if they think of me as their friend..."

"True you have cast aside your Hero's Destiny for a blank slate and I do not think any less of you for it. However regardless of if you are the Hero or not, you are my bloodline and I will not ignore your plea for help." The Hero's Shade said. He looked off into the stars over head and stopped looking at Link to allow the boy to calm down. "I can not help them my son, I can only help you who can in return help them if you wish." The Hero's Shade turned his head back to Link and looked coldly at him with his one good eye that was an orange hue. "Tell me my child, why have you not learned that those who are travelling with you sincerely are your friends? I know they are not the most perfect people in the world, but they do care for you Hero or not." The Hero's Shade said as his voice tensed around the word "hero". He did not mean to put Link down, but to simply emphasize the point that his companions will care for him all the same.

He turned his back to Link and walked off a bit, placing his hands behind his back. His armor rattled against itself and his dead flesh and bones with every step. "I cannot blame you however for feeling unsure about them. When I was young, I had no friends and was bullied by the other kids. I was different from the rest and easy for everyone to pick on. After so many years it is hard to allow people into your life who you feel are only going to hurt you when you let your guard down." The Hero's Shade looked down at the water that they slightly hovered above and saw the reflection of a young 10 year old boy in a green tunic. "I can't help your friends, but they are not the ones who need my help, it is you, you need help finding some of your courage and I will for I do not want you to travel down the same road I did."

Link was having a hard time adjusting to the fact that there was an undead warriors standing before him, talking to him like he was a long lost relative. He couldn't understand it, but there was one thing he knew and that was that the creature was friendly, "...M-My bloodline...? But I didn't cast it aside completely! I just...wanted to know what it was like to be normal..." he spoke, pressing his fingers together as he shuffled nervously. He didn't really think he had any ancestry considering he was essentially created by one and birthed by the other. Lowering his gaze in contemplation, he stared at his hands before suddenly gasping, his eyes going straight to the gazing eye on the Shade. Hesitating a moment, he frowned and looked down again, "I-It's just-...I...I don't know if they like me or whether they like...the Hero. Are they looking for fame, glory and money? Will they kill me before I can become a monster and destroy everything? And if Nayrin leaves too-...does she still love me? The half-breed creature of darkness that I am?"

Blushing a little, he let out a sigh as he lowered his gaze, the Shade's story sounding all too familiar to him than he liked to had known, "I guess...it's a curse for us: to be treated differently, to be bullied, to be an outcast", he frowned, staring down with no shadow to reflect upon. He didn't mean to doubt his friends, but when he went from none to many surrounding him all with the same goal it was easy to doubt their own thoughts of friendship towards him. Slowly looking back to the Shade, his hands went to his heart shakily, staring at the figure before speaking up again, "But I have no courage! It's all locked away! I...I can't allow myself to die either for if I die while I have everything sealed away, there will never be another Hero! I won't be reborn, I will become part of the void and everything I was in the past will disappear...you will disappear! How do I find courage through that??"

"I had a hard time of wondering if people accepted the Hero or me as well. I found the latter to be true." The Hero's Shade said as he continued to stare at this reflection. "I found that the friends I had made, were still the very same people I had come to love even when I was no longer a hero." He turned away from his reflection and looked at Link. "They will still love you monster or not my Son. Even after so many centuries, even after I have become this monstrosity that is before you, even after I gave up my destiny as the Hero of Time, Saria still considers me her friend." The Hero' Shade stared deeply at Link and a breathed deeply and then sighed sitting down next to him. There wasn't much to look at in this realm but the stars. With a wave of his hand they were sitting on a grassy hill that overlooked the old peaceful Lake Hylia that the Hero's Shade remembered. The mist still surrounded the boundaries of the realm and the stars still hung overhead.

"Child, just because you locked away the Hero's Destiny doesn't mean you can't have courage. True there won't be another Hero, and true I will disappear, but I'm okay with disappearing." He said calmly. No doubt the reaction that Link was least likely expecting. "Fighting to prevent those things won't give you courage my son. I think the only thing it will do is stress you out and maybe a heart attack." he said calmly yet again. "Courage is hard to make out of thin air, you can't force it and you can't be thinking about it either. Many people think that courage is just facing your fears and being strong and heroic. It is true those things usually run parallel to being courageous, but in my opinion courage is the state when you stand for what is right and what is just or fair." The Hero's Shade held out his hand as a butterfly came a fluttering before him. It landed on his finger and he eyed it carefully before it flew away. "It requires less to do what is easy and not what is right, so thus when one does something right they are going against the current."

Link stared at the Shade, his eyes slowly wandering away and worrying over what was being said to him when everything about it was all in his own past as well. He may not remember his past lives, but knowing all of these things happened to him at one point made him feel a little saddened. There was always going to be trouble at the beginning of his life, but the future of his current one was vastly uncertain. Frowning, he let out a sigh, "Being a skeleton isn't being a monster...I mean, isn't everyone just a walking skeleton anyway...?" he spoke, looking up to him again, "But...you gave it up? I don't understand how or-ah!" Getting a fright pretty easily when the scenery suddenly changed, he looked around hastily at where he was, seeing the lake before him and the stars above. He could remember the time he first came here; his leg was broken and the healer refused to help him so his father took him for a fishing trip. Even though they didn't catch too much, he still remembered it from when he was little.Lowering his head a little, he sat down as well and stared at the lake and the stars. He didn't think he had any courage, he was constantly bullied when he was young and even when everything was beginning to try and kill him he was still acting cowardly while he had the Triforce of Courage. Rubbing his hands together slowly, he gave him one last look before letting out a sigh, rubbing his chest, "...So long as I can live, I will unlock it...but, so long as I can live that long..." he spoke lowly, sounding a little doubtful. He didn't want himself or anything he was to disappear, his fear was coming from that very thought. He was still trying to find courage just from sitting there with this strange walking talking skeleton, but it was even harder to take in everything he was saying and allow it to flow as courage to fight the knights that attacked him. Looking up at the Shade, he watched the butterfly curiously before it decided to leave them, a frown on his face reappearing, "...I want to find courage...but, how do I do such a thing? I've never been good with riddles, I can't even write my own name! I want to stand for what is right, I want to fight with everyone! What am I going to do when I go back and I face those guys? If I don't have the strength to fight them, I'll surely fail...right? I need to find the courage to help, but if I don't have the strength, what do I do...?"

"Haha that is true, everyone indeed is just a walking skeleton." The Hero's Shade was amused by Link's comment, he had never thought of it like that before. "I did give it up. When I was called upon to be the Hero I was several years younger than yourself. The Master Sword wouldn't have a child wielding it and it sealed me away for 7 years until I was an adult. Much had changed in that time and the world was filled with chaos from the Evil King's reign. After I defeated him, going on the long, perilous, painful, and exhausting journey to save the day, the Princess felt as though I had been robbed of my childhood and sent me back into the past. I warned the younger version of the princess of Ganondorf's plan and he was sealed away before the those horrible things came to pass." He said as he looked out at the lake, his voice becoming soft and filled with sorrow. "From that point on I was no longer the Hero. The great deeds I had done as an adult never happened, the friends I made I actually had never made, and I was back to where I began except without my destiny."

The Hero's Shade chuckled a bit as Link said he was no good with riddles. "Well if you decide you want to be the Hero again you may want to learn how to solve riddles very fast, because you'll deal with them your whole life." He said before pausing for a moment to ponder over what Link had said. "Like you when I was no longer the Hero, I felt I could no longer be courageous because that part of me no longer existed. Along my next journey I found magical masks that gave me incredible strength and power, with them I was able to save Termina from impending doom. I thought that I had found my courage again because I was a hero once more, I had the same strength and power I had had when I was saving Hyrule. However eventually I could not rely just on these masks, and I saw my courage disappearing before me." He looked at the grass next to him and picked a small dandelion and brought it up before him and let the wind blow all the tiny seeds away. "I eventually came to realize that if you can find courage, then strength will find you as well. That is no riddle either my son, if you can find the courage to stand up to those Templars, then strength will come to you in some way, shape, or form."

Turning his head towards Link he let out a sigh. "It definitely is easier said than done, but I speak the truth. I know everyone always says they know how you feel and that they've been there before as well, but I can truly say I have walked a million miles in your boots. I can relate to what your going through, certainly not because I am a previous incarnation of you, if you talked to several of the other guys finding their courage was as easy as counting sheep. Its because I have faced similar if not the same situations as you have 500 years before you even existed. However I can only help you to try and understand things, I can't carry you the whole way, and not because I'm too old to be carrying anyone, but because only you can unlock your own courage and strength."

Link hadn't heard of the stories of the Hero of the Past, his knowledge of what Hyrule actually went through was definitely something he didn't know much of when Demoko had failed to tell him everything like that. Even though such a dark past never happened, it might had helped his confidence a little more if he was told that rather than being revealed that he would be destroying everything in the future because he merely existed. Lowering his head a little, he frowned and let out a sigh, "...You were still a hero, right? I'm the one who's cursed; I'm going to cause horrible things in the future", he spoke, frowning a little, "The ...'great deeds' I am supposed to accomplish under the title will only lead to an unfortunate fate for me and everyone around me. On the bright side, you made friends. As for Ganondorf...uhhh...I-I am kind of...umm..."

He wanted to sympathise with the Shade, but it was awfully difficult when he was in the same predicament and couldn't exactly give encouraging words about it, there was also the problem that he was more than just 'the Hero'. He got to be a normal person in the end, yet still went on to save others and make new friends. His own future was uncertain. Looking to the dandelion, he stared at it curiously, his eyes following the seeds before he frowned, lowering his head again. If only he could, but everything he had grew up with and all that he had been told was definitely hurting his confidence. He wanted to know how he managed to find that courage in the first place once all of the masks had gone, but he feared it would be something he could never achieve himself. Looking back up to the Shade, he stared at him sadly as he tried to find sympathy within him; however, he was very doubtful with that, "Same situations? I doubt that...because, you see...I have a great darkness within my own spirit, the very one I locked away! I may have the Hero's Destiny, but I am also the Dark One! I am one in the same, I am both you...a-and I am Ganondorf. I am a Gerudo male, I have a terrible dark power that has proven to be stronger than I...I am destined to become the Fierce Deity and destroy everything! Since when have you had to go through that same situation...? When you're both you and your greatest enemy...?"

"I was still a hero because I chose to be one and regardless if your Hero's Destiny is locked way, you can still chose to be one. And you will not cause horrible things in the future my son, I know and believe in you that when the times comes you will have the strength to change what is fated." The Hero's Shade said as he placed a his ghostly hand on Link's shoulder. Link though still feared his heritage as a Gerudo male, and following in the same footsteps as Ganondorf. The Hero's Shade was a bit offended when Link asked him when he had been his own worst enemy.

"Child you forget that with every force their is an equal and opposite force. Each of the Heroes had to face their own inner evil head on. I battled mine in the Water Temple and I was almost defeated. This dark version of myself was able to copy every move I made and execute with greater strength, agility, and power. Only through a single clever trick could I defeat him." He said before slowly turning his head towards the figure in the mist in the far distance who stood by himself instead of with the rest of the figures in the opposite direction. "There has only been one Hero who was born without an opposite. He was the most pure and greatest Hero to have ever lived, but when he faced evil within himself for the first time, he was consumed by it and became the Fierce Deity. Only in the afterlife did he learn how to face his inner darkness." He continued to stare at the figure who was looking in the opposite direction of them, he had his back turn to them and his arms cross. "You have a great darkness in you yes, but there is an equal and opposite force of good in you. I believe you are destined to be the greatest Hero to live and that is why you must face the greatest inner darkness any Hero has ever had to face." The Hero's Shade made the best smile he could with his skeleton face, he believed in Link with all his heart.

He stood up as several blue birds came chirping over to them. They landed on him and jumped about his head and shoulders. "You are not Ganondorf Link, do not make that mistake. You are a Gerudo male yes, but no you are no Ganondorf. Do not let the Happy Mask Salesman or Demoko tell you otherwise. Both are there to help you, Demoko in a more sincere way than the Mask Salesman, but even gods and sages make mistakes. However do not use those words to justify not trusting them, because Demoko is a good man even if he is machine."

To choose to be a hero was an awfully strange task, Link thought. He had been made to believe that a hero couldn't choose and if they were chosen, they had to accept their fate. It appeared in a lot of stories he was told growing up too, how it was always someone with a title going off to save the other in trouble, never someone who was nobody. A nobody like him couldn't be a hero by that logic and even though he desired to be normal for just a short time, this battle was going to have to have him playing the hero anyway. Frowning a little, he looked up at the Shade, staring at his creepy hand a moment before he slowly looked away again. With the example he was being given, it sounded like the idea was fighting your opposite and defeating it that way, not so much embracing it and learning to conquer it. Giving him a little glance, his eyes were soon directed away and off to another figure, only causing Link to frown, "...I heard of that story and I-...I don't want to have to die to face my inner darkness..." he muttered, lowering his head a little and pressing his hands to his chest.

Not really feeling too encouraged, looking back to the Shade he could only feel a little fearful for the future if such a destiny was to befall him, his having to take on the greatest battle he has ever done before in all his past lives. It was a huge weight on his shoulders, there was no way he was going to be able to carry all of that weight without it breaking his back. Slowly looking back to the Shade, he stared at him before gasping a little at the sight of the birds, watching them all the while feeling confused to where they came from. If he couldn't believe either the Happy Mask Salesman or Demoko, then just what was he supposed to believe. Pulling out the necklace for a moment, he stared at it for a second before looking to the Shade, "So...don't believe him but he's still good so trust him? Remember what I said about riddles...?"

"Trust the fact that he is truly trying to help you, he wants what is best for you. He is just a bit lost on what to do. He has never directly been in contact with us Heroes, he has always worked from the shadows. This questing stuff is actually as knew to him as it is to you. True he may have seen it a dozen of times, but seeing and doing are two very different things." The Hero's Shade said as he birds fluttered away to a nearby tree and nestled in their nests. He watched them as they warmed their young by laying over them. "Demoko once was the head of the Council of Sages, but being the guide or leader of a troupe of people trying to save the world is something he has little experience with. You and each one of your friends has their own problems they are dealing with, and he has to try to help each one of you. He may be as old as Time itself, but juggling so many things can be hard for someone Sage or not. Sometimes he makes mistakes, and other times there is physically no way he can't help the situation."

The Hero's Shade sat down cross legged in front of Link to communicate more directly to him. "I know you probably had a lot of mixed feelings going through your head when you found out your adoptive father wasn't your real one, that Demoko was your genetic father, and that your mother was Nabooru. None of us took it lightly either and we didn't find out till we were dead. While I am not saying he was right to hide that fact from you, or even hide entirely from the rest of us, you also can't blame him for keeping it from us." Taking a moment he rubbed his ghost hand through the grass and flowers began to pop up. He took a few and began to braid them together. "Would there have ever been a good time to tell you? You know yourself better than I do, so maybe there would have been a time, but I'm going to say there wouldn't have. There most likely would never had been a good time to tell you where you would receive the news well. To him it was better to allow us to live our lives believing whoever adopted us or lived with were our real parents and relatives. Even I cannot say that's true or false, because it is such a hard question to answer that there is no right or wrong answer. Instead of looking at if there is a right or wrong answer I like to look at whether it was for the better good, and it is. He was trying to protect us from being hurt, or from being afraid or worried." He said as he finished braiding the many flowers. He placed them on various parts of his armor and watched as a few hummingbirds buzzed about him.

"Trust that he is trying to help you, but realize that he may be withholding the facts sometimes to protect you or wait until the right time to tell you. He could have told you the tale of the Fierce Deity in a better way if it had been on his own terms, and could you argue that if you hadn't learn that you could come to destroy the world you would still be as worried as you are now? Do you have a right to know these things, yes no doubt, but by not knowing them would that be a bad thing either? Yes as well." He looked up as the butterfly returned. He held out his finger and it landed on it. Another one came and flew towards Link's hand and landed on it. "I know this may be a hard thing to grasp, sometimes it is hard to explain such things in a way for all to understand. I know when I was your age I had a difficulty of understanding things as well."

Link watched as the birds retreated back to their nests, staring at them with interest as to whether they actually were real or not. He had no idea about any of this place, he didn't know if it was an illusion or the real thing. Watching them curiously, his expression dropped slightly and he looked away, feeling a moment of loss overcome him. Even if they were illusions, they were a family and that family value was something he never had and yet always wanted and now that he technically had a family, they only wanted to see him fulfil his hero role. He still had his adoptive father, but he wasn't his real dad and he wasn't with him through this harsh time. He really did miss his father, but Demoko or Nabooru could had eased that by comforting him and acting generally like parents. Letting out a sigh, he lowered his head a little, "I know it's probably a lot to juggle around...but, they have experience; all I did was play blacksmith's apprentice with my...a-adoptive father and pretend I was a knight".

Watching as the Shade moved in front of him, he frowned a little as he listened to him, feeling a little conflicted to how he was supposed to be reacting to being told all of this. It was just his desire to know what a family was like, a real family, after being surrounded by them his entire life and looked down by them for having darker skin than normal. None of his past selves had that problem, they didn't have to face prejudices based upon his skin or have their mother be called a whore, "A better time to tell me...wouldn't had been in front of the image of my adoptive father being tortured, afraid and then killed in front of me", he spoke lowly, "I am hurting really badly, I am afraid of what I am and I am worried for my dad..." He really did wonder if Demoko was trying to help him, why was he ignoring him a lot of the time? Demoko barely so much as glanced at him when he got his new body and even during the battle he wasn't giving him helpful advice or telling him where to aim for or even hints to where a weakspot might be. Demoko would had sent aids to help his other incarnations or had Sages and other higher beings to guide him, but as he was right now he was being guided more by the Happy Mask Salesman and that was definitely not the most ideal match-up considering how he treated him.

Feeling a little calmer than before, he slowly looked up towards the Shade before letting out a groan, shrugging a little, "Maybe...it would had been bad", he mumbled, not feeling entirely sure when the right time might had been to tell him. He would had liked some training regarding his powerful shadow abilities if Demoko was aware that he might cause destruction in the future, but the guy just let things run their course instead. Slowly looking up again, he gasped when a butterfly landed on him, holding his hand out slowly as if trying to not disturb it. Letting out a sigh, he looked to the Shade again, only tilting his head a little, "I may be small, but I'm not...that young", he spoke, looking back to the butterfly, "I'm just a wimp. I'm the type to cry in my sleep, I hide in barrels to escape a bully, I get...tossed down wells for being different. Maybe Demoko came to me too late...besides, he picked me up just before I became a wanted criminal. I want to save my friends, but I guess my biggest worry is trying to fight for them and coming out looking like a complete idiot. They're all so strong, why do they need to protect me? Because I'm 'the Hero' and can't handle things myself? I bet you were like a one-man army even when you were young..."

"The Happy Mask Salesman believes the best way to shape you into the Hero is to hide nothing and make you hit rock bottom, because he his philosophy is that when we hit our lowest point we are open to the greatest of change. The way he goes about it, is a method I don't agree with." He said as the butterfly danced about his finger tips. They were beautiful creatures and brought him delight in the empty realm. "Tossed down wells? That's rough, I just got abandoned in the forest at the time by the other kids. People can be mean sometimes. I didn't belong either, I was a Hylian child among Kokiri, and then I acted as a Kokiri among Hylian. I was the boy without a fairy, I was very alone and use to cry myself to sleep a lot as well. I understand that everything you have experienced isn't identical to what I have, but believe me when I say I can truly sympathize with you." He said as he put the butterfly on one of his flowers.

He looked up at the moon and stars. They were very bright and pretty in this realm. "I was no one man army, I actually fled from half my battles. I wasn't some skilled swordsman until after I had completed my quest, but at that point I was turned back into a child and most of what I had learned went to waste. That is why I am like this now. I was consummed by my desire to pass on my skills, but I couldn't because I was lost my way in the forest. My unfilled desire to pass my knowledge kept my spirit alive in the realm of the living until I was transformed into this creature before you. From there I was finally put to rest when I was able to pass it on to the Hero of Light, the one before you. However I still linger to head the call of my bloodline."

Link frowned upon listening to that, definitely knowing it was not the right way to go considering he was the result of that. He had been given everything at what felt like all at once and he was a wreck because of it, "I thought he might had guessed that it was bad...because I'm the result of that", he sighed, looking to the butterfly, "All he's managed to do was scar me for life and send me into a depression". Looking back to the Shade, he frowned upon hearing what happened with him, but knowing he was in a similar predicament when he was younger he didn't quite feel alone on this one. While he didn't like the fact that in his past lives he was alone early in his life, but it was still something he could relate to, "A fairy...? If I got a fairy for this journey, maybe I might feel better too..." he spoke, smiling a little bit, "I would had been able to see down the well..."

Letting out a sigh, he slowly pushed at the butterfly to try and get it to take off, hoping it would be able to find somewhere better to be other than his hand where he might end up hurting it. Staring downwards, he soon fell into a frown again as he could only think about what he would have to face once he was out of this time slip, worrying that he might end up screwing it up and becoming too over confident and end up killing himself. Keeping his gaze away from the Shade, he let out a soft sigh and slowly rubbed his chest, frowning, "I really don't want to get lost in the forest...I'm a little afraid of them, anyway", he spoke, looking up slightly, "Maybe that's where I got that fear from, after that happened. I don't know why, but I don't have a call towards any bloodline. It's kind of ironic that before this, I was the Hero of Light...now what am I? Hero of Darkness? Even without my powers, I can't even be healed by the Light, so I'm screwed if I get hurt once I leave here".

"Darkness is not evil my son, it is only evil if you make it evil. Shadow magic has been used for over many millennia for good. Magic is not good or evil, only its wielder is. Thallus is the Sage of Fire and he uses his magic for evil, Onyx uses his Wind Magic for evil, Fiona wields Light Magic for evil even." The Hero's Shade looked out at the many figures in the mist their eyes began to glow through the mist signaling that their time was nearing its end. He got up and the butterflies flew away together. He drew his sword and shield and walked down the grassy hill away from the Lake towards a stone pillar arch that was glowing. "Fear not about being hurt, wounds heal and there is more than one way to heal a person with magic, you will discover this in due time, but for now our time is up in this realm. The next time you want to meet simply ask and I shall be there. Just remember that you are not alone in this journey. If you ever feel yourself doubting those around you, just remember I will always believe in you, not because you are a suppose to be the Hero or that you are my bloodline, but because I see much potential in you and believe that whatever happens you will find your Courage and you will conquer your own worst enemy." Before Link's eyes the hill he was on disappeared and he stood before the door with the Hero's Shade.

"Just remember what I said, if you can find the Courage, strength will soon follow. Now draw your sword and shield child and we shall both charge this portal together. We you give the signal I want to hear your loudest yell and I will give you mine and we will run at the speed of a galloping horse out of this realm. We shall charge the Templar Knights and we shall swing our swords in a downward arch as they are paralyzed with fear from our roar. We will spin and duck underneath their pathetic counter attack and hit them in the back so hard with our shields that they hit the ground with such force it renders them unconscious. Now my son how does that sound to you? Shall you give the signal for us to charge forward?" The Hero's Shade didn't have the power to manifest himself in his current form in the outside realm, but he could lend Link the strength he needed to conquer his enemies for the time being.

Staring up at the Shade, Link let out a little sigh and slowly looked back out into the distance only to feel a little confused when the sight of something else began to form out in the mist. He figured it was about time for him to face reality again, but he was probably talking with himself for way too long anyway. He felt safe in this strange realm and not quite alone, but then again he was with his own past life and he often felt comfortable by himself rather than attracting others. Slowly nodding, he lowered his head a little before slowly getting to his feet as well. He didn't know Light could be used for evil, but he found it difficult to imagine Shadow being good. It was a very destructive power, one that could tear the body apart and cause changes that could only be reversed by someone of Light; maybe the Light could do that too, change someone until a Shadow user vanquished the evil. Listening to the Shade, he couldn't help but frown, staring at him as he took in every single word being spoken to him, "...Okay, I'll remember that", he nodded, slowly reaching for his own sword, "I'm still scared though, but...I'll be brave and try to stand up for myself".

Looking around hastily as the environment changed, he frowned as he stared at a large door. There was that enclosed feeling again, the lump in his throat preventing him from breathing properly. He needed to find the Courage to do this, he couldn't let the others down by falling down into cowardice again. Drawing his sword and shield, he held onto them carefully, his own sword still feeling heavy even with his special gloves, "Yell...? I-I guess, but I'm no good at that", he spoke, biting his lip; the rest of the plan was solid, but he was just so pathetic sounding. Raising his sword up a little, he looked up at the Shade for a moment before back to the door, "The signal...okay, I'm going! I'm going now!" Hesitating at first, he quickly tried to pump himself up before letting out a fairly pathetic yell as he ran through the door, not meaning for it to sound so terrible and yet he was trying.

The Hero's Shade gave his yell as he charged the door with Link. They both past through it and Link found himself back in the real realm. Everything that seemed to stopped began to speed up to normal speed, giving Link a good advantage as he found himself charging the semi slow moving Hurricane Knight. The Hero's Shade was no where to be found, having fused with Link and giving him increased the strength and stamina needed to effectively wield his sword and shield. The Templar was shocked by Link's speed and sudden charge, the boy had seemed so frighten only moments ago.

The moment Link came in contact with the Hurricane Knight, his eyes immediately yanked up and stared at the warrior. There was a burst of energy to not give his enemy a chance, something he had no idea about its origins and could only wonder where the Shade had gone to. He really needed to step it up, there was a plan to what he had to do and he couldn't give his enemy a chance. Trying to find the courage to stand up for himself, he closed his eyes momentarily before moving onto the next stage of the attack after his downward arc, immediately turning his foot and spinning rapidly on the spot before coming to a halt, waiting for the inevitable counter attack so he could duck down and immediately force his shield around to hopefully smash the knight as hard as he could manage. He certainly felt stronger, but there was still another knight to contend with and he had no idea what he was supposed to do about them, the plan only going as far as bashing the one knight to the ground. The other had used bombs before and could fly around in the air, something he couldn't counter.

The knight was hit hard with Link's first attack but was still standing and tried to counter attack but missed as us went underneath. The Knight was sent flying with a good deal of force as he was hit with the Shield from behind. He went head first into the stone pavement and smashed his face to a whole new level rendering him unconscious. His partner who flew overhead was surprised but that turn to anger quickly and he began chucking small bombs at Link.

"Good job my son! Now it's time to take out that flying menace... Use the gauntlets Demoko gave you... The crossbows..." A voice whispered from the wind it seemed like. Link had never used a crossbow before, and magical ones for that matter, but it was as simple as aiming and shooting and hopefully some beginners luck in Link's case.

Link didn't think he would be able to take down that guy, but sure enough he managed and was able to take down the guy. Staring down at the knight, he immediately turned to look up as bombs started flying down at him. Suddenly making a dive for it, he stumbled on his feet before he quickly turned around, feeling pretty unsure to what was supposed to be doing now. Feeling panicky, he looked around for something he could use before the sound of the Shade spoke to him again. Confused, he quickly sheathed his sword and placed his shield away, looking to his hands, "Uhhh, I don't know how these work!" he spoke quickly, holding his hands out at the other knight just hoping they would do something.

As Link's wrist locked into the right position the bracers shifted into their mini crossbow forms. Two explosive bolts were already loaded and locked onto the Knight. They fired automatically and the Knight was too stun to dodge them in time. The explosive arrows hit their target and the Hurricane Knight fell from the sky and over the side of the bridge to never be seen again. "Excellent shot my son, now join the others against the titan of a man Onyx. To defeat him all of you must work together. It will be no small task, but remember if you can find the Courage then Strength will find its way to you." The Shade said as if he was still standing next to Link. He had lent Link all the strength he had, but it was going to take more than what he could offer in the realm of the living to defeat Onyx.

Against perhaps all odds they were winning against a larger force. This was absolutely ludicrous, no one in their right minds would have started a battle like this. Never before had Caelan traveled with anyone so bold, it was alien that they had this kind of bravery. If he hadn't been so busy fighting and staving off attacks he might be laughing at the absurdity of what they were undertaking. The proof was right before his eyes though, the enemy was dwindling and they were still strong, not a single loss. They were going to get out of this, somehow, and he couldn't believe it. Throwing up another shield of ice the blonde mage cast a flurry of ice shards over the open expanse, nailing two archers in the chest and watching as they collapsed on their perches. That ought to do it for those pests, now they could focus more on the troops closer to them. All around him his companions were making short work of the enemy, decapitating and maiming people left and right. Caelan wasn't any better, he'd impaled a good many people and punctured lungs and other organs with his attacks, but it was out of necessity. He'd never killed someone before, not on this scale. Surely once the drama was over he'd be reeling from what was going on. Right now, however, the only thing on his mind was fight, fight, fight!

When matters seemed to be going in their favor a huge weight was cast upon their shoulders... Or the bridge, rather. With astounding fleeting movements the large man known as Onyx threw himself onto the bridge, shaking the structure upon his impact. The thought going through Caelan's mind was probably the same as everyone else's; This guy was huge! Not just round huge either, but he had a proper intimidating stature to him. Demoko's words didn't so much instill him with courage as it did make him near soil himself, but there was no turning back. At least the little guys had been dealt with, it would be a collective effort fighting this one. Goodness knows they were going to need all of their combined strength and the Goddesses' blessing to get through this battle. Looking around himself he saw the remnants of the enemy army being tidied up, by Link of all people. There was some satisfaction in that, the kid had seemed fairly hopeless up until now. If he was ready to fight then hell then Caelan was too. Smiling slightly he looked over at Onyx, trying to psyche himself up for the battle.

"Eh... I've lived a good life I guess. Nowhere near as rich as I'd like to be though." Bringing out a fair bit of water from the bottomless flask Caelan separated the liquid into smaller, more condensed chunks, gradually morphing them into ice shards. He could throw them individually with keen accuracy or create a hail of projectiles, both would be handy here. Considering how many people were present it would more likely be the single shot, quick firing shards than a scattered storm, no reason to go injuring his friends after all. Swallowing back nerves he reached up with one hand, pulling his goggles on over his eyes and training his sights directly on Onyx. Damn it, the guy just had to be completely covered in armor, hitting any vital points was going to be next to impossible. At least he'd be annoying like a gnat, that was the least he could do.

Nayrin's eyes were wide as she absentmindedly watched Link tear into Onyx's army, the power ebbing from him in waves as he continued his furious assault. How in Nayru's name did he manage to obtain such strength? Whatever it was, she was grateful to see he was safe, and her moral boosted. She whipped off the invisibility cloak before returning to Demoko's side. She wasn't sure how she'd help, but she figured her strength was agility and close-combat maneuvering. If the enemy couldn't see her, how would he know where to punch? She'd serve as a decent distraction, but first she'd have to notify the one long-range attack specialist she knew of.

Within a moment she was at Caelan's side, quickly letting him know of her plan. "Do not consider me when you aim your magic, I am confident that I am quick enough to avoid him. Do not hesitate, my friend." she adamantly spoke, and afterwards she notified both Aadab and Regol of the same plan. Regol didn't seem too thrilled about it at all, given his strange protective instincts towards her, but she brushed him off before fastening the magic garb around her once more and vanishing.

She couldn't help but feel her courage waiver as the monster of the man crossed the bridge, and she wondered if there were any more explosives left tied to the rafters. What if she could find some way to attach those to him? Then again, there was a chance she'd manage to blow herself up...Nonetheless, she took to tossing her senbon at the man from behind in hopes that he'd lose a bit of his focus. She had to be useful in some way, and until further orders this was how she'd do so.

A man was watching this whole scene in shock, and also in awe. These people were fighting what could only be a monster of a man, and from what he could tell they were winning. This man was Gabriel, a merchant and an archer. He did not know which side to choose, or if to choose a side at all, but he figured that if he was going to fight, he would start with the biggest threat. The huge suit of armor. After a bit of internal conflict between staying out of it or joining in, he shrugs and mumbles "fuck it." and takes out his bow. He draws it back with an arrow that has a fiery aura to it, and aims for the man's back. After steadying the bow, he leases the arrow, and as it flies through the air it catches aflame. If it hits Onyx, his armor would burst into flame as well. He draws back another arrow, this one with a dark shadow around it. He smirks behind his hood and says "Room for one more?" loud enough for the others to hear.

Onyx's forces were defeated and scattered about the bridge. Onyx was infuriated at the turn of events, but remained calm. "I have been given orders to capture the Heretic Sage and arrest or terminate all others. If I will not come willingly then I must destroy you, I will not risk anymore of my brothers lives trying to spare all of you heathens. I do not know what sort of spell you have placed over Brother Regol and Gaios, but I shall lay them to rest and free them from your grasp so that they may find peace in the next life!" Onyx shouted as he tightened his grip on his behemoth of a sword. The wind started to pick up around him and the entire bridge. He turned his sword upside down and slammed it into the ground and it split in half revealing a golden pole that slowly expanded upward, growing in length. At the top it opened like a flower forming a bright stainless gold spear tip.

Demoko was taken back by this transformation. "That... that is one of the Sacred Weapons of Light... Impossible." He muttered underneath his breath. Onyx grew a large grin across his face as he could sense their uneasiness by the turn of events. He thought about offering them another chance, but the time for words and mercy had passed, punishment was now upon them. As he was about to charge the heroes he could feel tiny pricks in the crevices of his armor from behind. He quickly turned and fired a beam of light from his spear at Nayrin.

"Foolish girl, I am a giant among children! It will take much more than that to hurt me.... Arghhh!" A firey arrow pierced his shoulder crevice and ignited him in the power of fire magic. The pain was severe and quickly traveled to every inch of his body. To put the fire out he quickly created a cyclone around him and overdosed the fire in oxygen effectively putting it out.

While Onyx was distracted Demoko took the moment to try and inspire his fellow comrades. "I know some of us are tired, others feel that they were sucked into this quest, and even more of us are torn between loyalties, but whatever reason we are here, by fate or choice does not matter. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that is why it is called the present. Whatever lies before us, over the horizon that is tomorrow, does not matter at this point, what does is Onyx who stands before us in the present. Clear your mind of all else other than what is at hand. This will be our hardest challenge yet, harder than the Forest Temple and harder than the Pirate's Fortress, but will still have the same outcome. Now let us stand together and show Onyx that while he may outmatch us in size, but that we outmatch him in strength and heart!" He shouted as he fired a blue beam from the tip of his sword.

The fire had hurt badly and had caught him completely off guard, but it was going to take a mountain to fall on him to bring him to his knees. He saw that the Sage had taken the opportunity to encourage his fellow friends while he had been distracted. He saw the blue magic beam coming towards him and fired one from his spear and collided with the other creating an explosion that rocked the broken bridge. He followed up by twirling his spearing and then swung it up in a forward arch sending a massive gust of wind towards the heroes. Demoko placed a force field up which immediately cracked upon impacted and sent him flying several feet back and off the bridge. He grabbed onto the edge just barely, "I'll be fine! His weakest points are the crevices on his armor! Try for the ones on his legs!" Demoko shouted as he slowly pulled himself up.

The Shade placed two hands on Link's shoulder, he could not be seen, but Link could surely feel his presence there. "I am here my son, we shall do this together. Tell Aadab to use her Spirit powers to summon the sands to blind Onyx. Tell Sophos to conjure a portal underneath Nayrin's and above Onyx for her to try and get some close attacks on his back where he cannot reach. Caelan will be responsible for prepping to take him down by turning water to ice underneath his feet, and you will fire an explosive bolt to deliver the knock down blow." The Shade told Link and then merged his strength with Link's to give him the courage and confidence to carry out the plan.

Link barely knew how he managed to do such a thing, managing to completely decimate the warriors with just a few blows. He couldn’t have done that without the Shade’s help, there was no way he could pull such feats off before being killed. Looking back towards Nayrin, he gave a little smile which quickly faded at the sight of what still had to come. He couldn’t stop fighting just because of some little victory, but he didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to keep this up for. He was able to do a lot of work because he was being aided, but sooner or later he was going to be ambushed, surely. The giant man was still there and still in charge, fighting Demoko directly and was very quick to almost causing harm to Nayrin.

Just what was the next plan of action? It was not looking good, even if he managed to tear those warriors down with a few attacks. He couldn’t get close to the big man quite yet, he didn’t have the range power to do so. Looking between the pair, he frowned slightly when Demoko used a single opportunity to instead conduct a speech, one that didn’t mean much to him. Demoko did try to inspire and the others might be, but those events weren’t the best for him when he had been pretty evil during those events. He had used his shadow powers for those events and had managed to tear apart the enemy using them, even changing form to shut down the dragon at the fortress. He was discouraged to say the least, especially when he had none of that firepower behind him and was instead relying on his past self to pull him through.

Raising his fists slightly, he watched as Demoko once again took his chance to attack the giant man and instead quickly had to duck down as the collision sent a shock wave across the battlefield. This was getting intense and he had no idea what the outcome would be or whether he’d be able to pull off anymore attacks like that, especially when he hadn’t planned that much ahead. Raising his hands to try and guard himself against the incoming gust, but with Demoko’s shield that was only momentarily prevented before Demoko instead paid for it, “Ah! No!” he gasped, but by dirt luck Demoko had managed to save himself from a nasty fall.

Link was beginning to panic now; there was just no way he was going to be able to fight against this man. Cowering slightly, he pulled back a little before gasping, looking to his shoulder momentarily before back to that powerhouse of a man. Frowning slightly, he listened to the Shade through his panic before quickly nodding, feeling too worried that he might screw even that up; however, the Shade had an answer to conquering his nerves and infused him with power once again. Gasping momentarily, he soon rushed towards the group again, hoping to catch them in a good moment without Onyx becoming too savvy towards his plans, “Aadab, use your powers to summon sands and blind him! Sophos, use your portal underneath Nayrin to take her above Onyx so she can attack his back”, he spoke quickly, trying to get them to move quickly before he turned his attention towards Caelan, “Use your water to create ice beneath his feet, I’ll shoot him!” Raising his hands again he prepared a bolt for firing, just waiting for the others to pull off their plans before he could deliver his own attack.

Gabriel grinned, and shouted "Oi ugly! Think that's a wound to thing about? Try this one on for size!" He then shoots a few regular arrows, then nocks another magical one, this arrow being surrounded in a sinister sheath of shadow. He looses it and it flies towards onyx. "aim for the chinks, eh? Easy enough." He starts to shoot arrows at an almost blinding speed, loosing ten in the matter of a half a minute. By the time they are all flying, the shadow arrow turns into hundreds of tiny little splinters made of solid shadow, then aim for his neck. "I call this the intelligence test!"

Aadab stayed back, seeing no way to get through the thick armor Onyx wore. The Sheikah scanned the opponent, searching for any vulnerabilities. Her sharp eyes had just caught something she could potentially exploit when things became worse. Onyx underwent a transformation that completely changed the armor, undoing all of Aadab's work to find a vulnerability. The others managed to distract him momentarily, giving the Time Sage a chance to pick up morale. Aadab, however, still had a while yet before her morale was broken, the meditation she performed previous to the battle still keeping her spirit in balance. When Onyx recovered and Demoko was sent flying backwards by a failed shield attempt, even Aadab was made nervous, causing her to tense up ever so slightly. She relaxed when he caught himself, but Link's sudden burst of confidence caught her attention. His plan seemed strange, for she had always thought sand control fell under earth magic. Her moment's indecisiveness quickly passed, replaced by her usual confidence. Drawing on her reserves of magical energy, she slammed one end of the staff into the ground while pushing her magical reserves outward towards the sands. Sure enough, the sand tracked onto the bridge from use rippled with energy before rising into the air and swirling around her. Her reach did not stop there, however. She had drawn on all of her magical reserves, causing sands from both sides of the bridge to come under her control, making view of her completely obscured by the swirling sand. After a moment longer, she swept her staff towards Onyx, sending the vortex in his direction. With Onyx mentally tagged by Aadab, the vortex would follow him wherever he moved, and after a moment longer while Aadab experimented, the others found themselves unaffected by the abrasive nature of the sandstorm. She figured the others were smart enough to figure out Onyx was in the dead center of the vortex.

Between Link's sudden outburst of power, Onyx's transformation, and the situation at hand, Gaios and Sophos were stunned to say the least. Still, they were undaunted. Deciding that risking even a single blow was unwise, Gaios scattered his earthen armor and instead took position to fire a barrage of rocks. It seemed that this monster of a man was going to kill them all, and only their outright best could even stand a shadow of a chance of stopping him. That was fine, these two were probably the most highly motivated out of the group now. Perhaps even more so than Demoko.

Their leader's near defeat at the hands of Onyx only brought frustration, and their attacks continued, bolstered by Demoko's speech. The crevices in his armor were small targets, but Gaios could definitely hit them. Sophos would have to do his best. Standing firm as they continued their onslaught, Sophos heard Link's words and frowned. A portal...his portal against the corrupted Kalamadea only lasted a moment, and now he was to transport Nayrin through one? Could it be done? This was a power he used mainly as a terrible, terrible weapon against the most powerful opponents.

Gaios, unaware of Sophos's predicament, simply yelled to his father. "Sophos, don't hold back now! Unless we defeat this monster, it's over for us all!"

Yes. It would be over for them all. For Sophos and for Gaios. For Link and Nayrin. For Kalamadea, for Aadaab, for Caelan, for this young archer who had just joined them, even for Demoko. They would perish here and none would know their story.

For them. "For you. For us." Shutting out the world, Sophos only allowed himself to see Nayrin and Onyx. He would have to hold the portal for at least two seconds. He could do it. With what was at stake....he could do it. Focusing all of his power, Sophos opened both ends of the portal, determined not to fail. He wouldn't be responsible for anybody else's deaths. Not ever again.

Caelan was kind of lost as to what was going on right now. This was a lot more chaotic than any battle he had ever been in before, he'd never fought with so many people at once. Somehow, probably by sheer luck he was still alive, unscathed even. Boy magic was becoming a bit tiresome to use though, he had expended a lot of energy on creating shields for arrows and taking out the archers as well. Tired as he was the others must be just as exhausted, this battle was taking its toll on all of them. If they faltered here they would die, that much he was certain of. It was so hard to maintain the presence of mind to win though, especially now with Onyx having joined the fray. Compared to the common fodder they had dealt with thus far this man was literally a beast, much larger than Caelan thought possible. They had struck out against the General only for naught to happen, he almost looked to brush off their blows. One arrow did manage to penetrate Onyx's defenses and cause some damage, but the flames were quickly distinguished. Right... So flaming arrows didn't do a whole lot, what the hell was he going to do with water?

Demoko wasn't ready to give up on them yet, even if Caelan was close to throwing in the towel. In one of his speeches the man tried to rally them to battle and instill some sense of courage. More than that though he provided a plan, a way to take this monster of an enemy down. It was hard to think that they even stood a chance here, but if they didn't at least try they were dead anyways. He'd rather go down fighting then just get squashed like a bug. Right... So they all had their part, each as important as the first. No pressure then, if he screwed up it might be the difference between them living and dying, that was all. With his ice shards still hovering about him got rid of his ammunition as well, firing them at various points on Onyx's person in hopes of striking him. The sound of ice shattering like glass signified none had managed to get through, but at the very least they had him on the defensive, for now. Hail of shots aside now they had to get into this plan of theirs, starting with Aadab's sandstorm. It certainly did its job, visibility was reduced fairly well for both sides. Their reduced visibility only lasted for so long however as sight was promptly restored to them, now the fight was really going to begin.

Next up was Sophos and his portals... And then his part. Caelan was certainly feeling pressure already and it wasn't even his move, but he had to get ready. Watching Sophos for his initiation he drew more water from his pouch, readying himself for what he had to do. As soon as Nayrin had vanished into the portal he made his move, amassing a fair lot of water before sending it towards Onyx. Sliding it across the ground he stopped it right at the man's feet, pulling it up slightly to his shins before freezing it instantly. For good measure he threw a bit more water out as well, making a second layer and applying as much pressure as he could to pack the ice solidly. That would have to hold for now, it was the best he could muster. "Link, that's all I've got!" Caelan said, looking over at the boy and nodding. "The rest is up to you!"