Linked Through The Ages: A Linked Universe AU

Chapter 5: Dreams of Fate

Everything vanished. The spring. The warmth of Zelda's palm. The wilted flowers. Everything was gone, meanwhile, a black void was left in its place.  The only thing that remained in the darkened plane was the pedestal where the Master Sword elegantly stood, except it was chipped and broken.  Weeds clung to its dull edges and vines snaked up the handle.  Link could barely spot the flickering light fading underneath the greenery surrounding it.

Link reached a shaky hand out towards the sword.  As he grasped the handle, the blackness before him morphed into a mirror image of the sword, as well as the pitch black silhouette of a man.  His clothes were similar to the Hero of the Wild outfit, except with chainmail and thicker layers.  A sash was tied around his waist and a cloth, much too light to be a regular cloak, hung from his shoulders.  In fact, the shadowy figure's cloak reminded him of the sail cloths he often saw in Lurelin Village that were used for rafts.  His crimson eyes met Link's with a challenge hidden within them.  The shadow pulled out the sword, pointing the sharp, black tip towards the hero.  After Link pulled his weapon, the figure raised his sword upward, allowing the demonic looking weapon to charge to a deep magenta.

Link barely had time to dodge the blast the sword released as the shadow figure slashed his weapon downward.  Both the Master Sword and its dark lookalike clashed with impeccable speed as the two began their fight.  The shadow sent wave upon wave of malice from his sword.  He was also far too quick to be struck by Link, despite the time it took to charge the sword.  Questions ran through Link's mind.  Why did this...thing...seem so similar to him?  Both were as swift as the other in their strikes.  Both wielded an identical sword and shield, except for the other wielding a darker version.  As both gracefully danced with the other in battle, Link also noticed the inverted Hylian crest, plastered across the replica shield and the strange figure's abnormal looking cloak.

Despite the shadow in front of him being just as skilled, the young hero knew how to end the battle quickly.  The charged swipes of magic the figure would fire at Link, reminded him of the many guardian beams he had parried.  He backed away, allowing the shadow to charge the sword once more.  He swiped his sword downward, sending the bolt of malice towards the young boy.  Link held his shield before him, allowing the beam to strike it.  He flicked the shield outward, deflecting the beam of power, intent on harming him, and sending it back to its owner.  The malice beam struck the shadowy figure, eliciting a demonic scream from the creature.  Link watched as the corrosive substance tore through the silhouette, eroding his pitch black skin and clothing.  His eyes shone a bright red as he laughed and groaned in agony.  Meanwhile, Link's chest also began to burn.

Malice corroded through his sky blue tunic as he struggled to breath.  Link dropped to his knees, grabbing his chest which slowly bubbled with malice.  He coughed up the goopy substance, his vision blurred as the substance began leaking from his eyes, and his heart pounded in his ears.  Through his struggling wheezes, he heard the shadow's hysterical laughter echoing within the dark plane they resided within.  Link felt nauseous and vomited a mixture of blood and malice, as the creature who was afflicted by the same wounds, bellowed in amusement, as if enjoying a comedy show.  Link fell to his side, feeling nothing but the pain of the corrosive jelly eat away flesh, bone, and skin.

The dark figure stood, grabbing the cursed sword next to him.  He twirled the the blade in his palm, the laughter dying to a maniacal chuckle as the creature hobbled towards Link.  As he stood above the fallen boy, Link watched in horror as the figure morphed.  The shaggy, unkempt hair grew into his own fine and lengthy locks paired with poorly cut bangs.  Its face and eye shape began to mimic his own and the shadow's body morphed into a stick compared to its original proportions.  Even its clothes transformed into the familiar tunic and cloak that the boy wore on the daily.  Link felt like he was looking into a mirror, even down to how the thing wore its hood over its eyes, allowing its face to be completely hidden from the outside world with the shadow it cast.

The dark doppelganger raised its sword, tip pointed towards the spluttering boy's heart.  "You cannot kill what is apart of you," Its demonic voice echoed throughout the cavernous space around them.  The boy attempted to wriggle away from the its weapon, but the creature slammed a dark boot in the center of his chest, pinning Link to the floor.  He gasped in pain, desperately clawing at the leather of its boot and pants.  The shadow sneered once more as it began to drive the blade towards his chest.  Link closed his eyes, ready for the sting of iron to pierce his skin, yet it never came.

The pressure from his chest was removed as a growl resounded within the strange realm.  The pain dissipated from his chest within a matter of seconds as a sickening crack echoed from behind him.  He gasped clutching his chest as he struggled to lift himself from off the floor to face his savior.

What he saw was a pool of black blood and malice underneath the limp body of the doppelganger.  Its face was plastered with the unmistakable look of fear and horror as black blood squirted from its torn throat.  A dog stood on top of the creature, continuing to maul the strange lookalike.  The dog had short, black fur, yet it looked out of place as it was a shade lighter than the perfectly opaque landscape.  It was also a larger dog than what Link was familiar with.  He could see that its body was toned due to its short hair and the muscles in its upper half straining as the dog continued to maul the shadowy creature. The malice that stuck to its paws and muzzle, clung to the beast like mud, yet it remained perfectly unharmed by the corrosive substance.  Link also swore he saw a glint of red glowing from the dog's eyes as it gazed on the lifeless body before it.

The giant dog gave one last growl as it turned towards the shocked boy.  Its long tail wagged gently behind it as the dog licked its chops.  It had floppy ears, a wrinkly black forehead, and a square shaped head and muzzle.  Its eyes were wide and they were the darkest blue Link had ever seen.  Although the dog's appearance was slightly intimidating, its ears were perked up and its tail wagged in a friendly manner.  Although Link was surprised at how cute this beast was, what surprised him the most was the intelligence hiding behind the dog's dark blue eyes.  Could this be Wolfie in another form?

"Wolfie?  Is that you?"  The whispers that deactivated the Guardians from earlier, began whispering again as the dog whimpered and shifted from one paw to the other restlessly.  The dog looked back and forth, from Link to the other end of the dark nothingness. 

"Help me...help me please!"  The whispers pleaded as the dog's whimpers increased into a loud whine.  "Please...help me!  It hurts! please!"  A wave of malice appeared from somewhere off in the distance, headed towards the boy trembling on the ground, yet he couldn't move.  The feminine voice was almost screaming, her voice cracking in agony and pain.  "HELP ME!  HELP ME PLEASE!  IT HURTS!  PLEASE STOP!! PLEASE STOP IT! IT HURTS!  IT HURTS!!"

Link watched in stunned silence as the wave of malice rushed towards him to swallow him whole.  A flash of black caught his eye as the dog leapt on top of him before the malice reached him.  He felt the beast's sharp claws dig into his shoulders and ribs and he saw nothing but its black fur.  The only sound remaining were those desperate, anguished pleas.

"Please...someone...help me....please."

...

Hello! I'm back from vacation and had a fun time writing this in the car!  I hope ya'll are enjoying the story as well!  Just curious...would anybody like to see the chain get into any trouble that is kinda unrelated to the plot?  Sorta like bonding stuff for the group?  I have a couple ideas I'm thinking about doing, but I'm also open to new ideas as well.  So yeah!  If you think of a funny situation that you would like to see, let me know!  Have a wonderful day and God bless you!