The white-haired copy of the hero merely laughed in response to this question, his voice sounding both like his own combined with something much darker and wicked. "I
am you…" he said, still smirking ominously, his white eyes conveying nothing but mystery and malevolence.
The real hero shook his head as he regathered his courage, clenching his hands into fists in preparation of using his powers. "No, you're not," he said boldly, knowing that
even if this being held a passing resemblance to him, they couldn't possibly be him.
"Oh?" the other hero asked knowingly, slowly holding up his hand to reveal none other than the mark of the Triforce of Courage shining on the back of it. "I'm not?"
"What?!" Link exclaimed in disbelief, glancing down at his own hand only to find that the Triforce of Courage was no longer there, most likely meaning that his powers were
gone as well. "How did you…?"
He trailed off as his flawed copy stepped closer to him, his empty eyes putting off an almost hypnotic glow. "I am a part of you…" he said, the darker edge of his voice
becoming more prominent. "I always have been… Ever since you were born. Ever since your last life, actually… You almost lost to me back then, but I can promise you
that you won't win against me this time… For when there's nothing left of you, then I'll finally be able to take over…"
"I… I don't understand…" the true hero said, his fear steadily growing as his doppelgänger began to slowly circle him. "What are you?"
"I told you: I'm you," the white-haired figure said, his smirk turning into a scowl. "I'm everything that is corrupt and twisted about you. I'm the dark, tainted part of your
soul… I'm what you're ultimately destined to become…"
Link could feel his heart pounding faster in his chest with each word his darker self said, unable to shake the connection he felt to this strange being. "And w-what makes
you so sure?" he asked as defiantly as he could, even if he had begun to subtly tremble.
"Because we share the same soul…" the other hero said as he came to stand still mere inches in front of the true hero. "We were fused together centuries ago by your
precious goddess… It's because of her that you have this dangerous darkness inside of you… And that darkness… is me…"
Link slowly shook his head, even though he found himself unable to look away from the soulless eyes of what claimed to be his other half. "I… I don't…" he began to say,
but before he could finish, he was suddenly cut off by another sharp pang of pain as the other hero placed his hand squarely on his chest as it burned with dark magic.
The darker hero let out a sinister laugh as the real one let out a heavy cry of agony, watching with sadistic pleasure as he began to take on his own appearance. Link was
paralyzed with pain, unable to see his golden hair quickly turn white as the red and blue markings formed on his face almost instantly. His vision failed him entirely as his
pupils disappeared, his eyes enveloped in the same empty white glow as his advisory as he felt nothing but sheer darkness pound through his veins.
"Who knows?" the dark hero, otherwise known as the dreaded Spirit of the Fierce Deity, asked, taking twisted pleasure in the true hero's suffering as he put a hand under
his chin and forced his blank, tearful, lost gaze up towards him. "Maybe I'm already taking over…"
Verona frowned a bit as she stood over Link while he lay unconscious in the room she had bequeathed to him within the Palace of Twilight. The Queen of Shadows
patiently waited for the hero to recover from having another large portion of his spirit stolen from him, knowing that his body and soul had to compensate for its loss by
taking energy from another source, the Triforce of Courage, most likely. Not that it mattered much to Verona; she would wait as long as she had to until the Spirit of the
Hero belonged to her in its entirety.
And yet, as she watched Link toss and turn about restlessly in his sleep, his Twili markings pulsating dimly in the darkened room, Verona couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.
At first, she wasn't entire sure why; after all, everything was going exactly according to her intricate plans. She was on the fast track to getting everything she had ever
wanted, all the power she could have ever dreamed of. And yet, something still seemed wrong all the same.
Thinking that the hero had something to do with her sudden trepidation, the Queen of Shadows narrowed her gaze towards him in close examination, steadily realizing
that he was subtly shivering in his sleep. Somewhat bewildered by this, she gingerly reached out and placed the back of her hand against his forehead, feeling that he was
startlingly warm. Verona's frown deepened as she considered these symptoms, along with the fact that he was breathing rather irregularly, and soon enough she came to
dismaying conclusion.
Though light dwellers didn't come into the Twilight Realm often enough for it to be a regular occurrence, Verona knew of a relatively obscure condition that she had come
across during her studies, one that only afflicted those from the world of light if they lingered too long in the Twilight. Since Hyrule was a land engulfed in the purity of the
light, those from it were often adversely affected by the impurities of the Twilight Realm, a place devoid of many of the key qualities they needed to survive. And though
Link was showing all of the flu-like symptoms of what was commonly known as Twilit fever, Verona didn't quite understand how he might have come down with it. After
all, he had been subjected to the Twilight before on several occasions, and to her knowledge, she guessed that he had never had it before. The only theory the Queen of
Shadows could come up with was that his sickness came about because of the lingering remnants of her dark magic that she had left within him after drawing the Spirit
Shard out. In conjunction with the fact that his spirit was steadily weakening, his body had most likely become unaccustomed to the Twilight Realm, and because he had
been within it nonstop for well over a week now, far longer than any period he had spent within it before, he had come down with Twilight fever.
Verona let out a sigh of disappointment as she shook her head, looking down at Link with an expression that was both one of disgust and worry. While not much was
known about Twilight fever because of its extreme rarity, the few cases of it that had ever been noted had always ended in a slow, excruciatingly painful death. And while
the Queen of Shadows knew that the hero's life would eventually be forfeit either way thanks to her own plans, she knew that she couldn't take his spirit from him if he
was dead.
"Always something…" Verona scoffed in annoyance to herself as she turned away from Link, not even caring that he was muttering incoherently in his sleep. Her yellow
and crimson eyes were set in a tight glare as she emerged onto the room's small balcony, glancing behind her only once as she heard the hero let out an agonized,
frightened moan. Powerful hallucinations were another symptom of Twilight fever, so the Queen of Shadows wasn't really surprised when she heard him let out a terrified
shout as he continued to wildly thrash about, clearly unaware that he was trapped within one.
This clearly wouldn't work. Verona knew that there was no way she could keep Link in the Twilight Realm now, since his condition would only deteriorate until he eventually
and inevitably died. Even all the magic the Triforce of Courage gave him wouldn't be able to prevent it. Which meant that the Queen of Shadows had no other choice: they
would have to return to Hyrule.
It wasn't that Verona herself could not deal with the light of Hyrule; after all, she had fortified her own magic to be able to handle it for extended periods of time. But she
was reveling in the dominion she had claimed over her native
realm. Of course, while Hyrule was in the palm of her hands as well, she didn't very well want to go there
until she had gathered every last piece of the Spirit of the Hero, so that she could lay waste to it as she had always planned. But now it seemed as though carrying her
campaign back to the land of light was what she ultimately had to do, and soon. If she waited too long, then the hero wouldn't have a spirit left to steal.
What made the situation even more aggravating was the fact that they would have to take Zelda back to Hyrule with them, which would only embolden her in her foolish
escape attempts. After all, if she wanted Link to kill the Queen of Light, then she would have to wait until he was at least physically able to before she thrust the sword
into his hand and told him to execute her. But Verona would ensure that Zelda would remain properly restrained, in the same way that she would ensure that Link stayed
in line as well. So far, he had been surprisingly cooperative, to the point that the Queen of Shadows had to admit to at least herself that she appreciated his willing aid thus
far. Of course, he had complained a few times, which was expected, but he had yet to outright rebel, something that set Verona's mind at ease. In the midst of countless
other matters that she had to attend to, at the very least she found she could trust Link to remain in on her side as long as she kept up her act. After all, keeping him in
her thrall was key to her success at the end of it all.
Verona stiffened the slightest bit when she head Link stir in the room behind her, but she didn't turn to face him, knowing that he was finally waking up. However, she did
finally turn around, mostly out of surprise when she heard him clumsily collapse to the ground the moment he attempted to rise out of bed.
"Link!" she exclaimed, the concern in her voice strangely clear as she rushed to him, forgetting her usual grace as she knelt down beside him as he remained on his hands
and knees. His vision was spinning to the point that he didn't even notice the Queen of Shadows kneel down next to him thanks to the sudden onset of motion sickness
making him weak and nauseous.
"Link, are you alright?" Verona asked, her usual calm demeanor suddenly gone as she looked into his face, seeing that his Twili markings were glowing bright and his grey
eyes were drastically dull. The hero didn't respond as he continued to breathe heavily, his sights set on a trance-like gaze to the floor beneath him. "Link?"
The hero breathed a sharp intake of air as his eyes suddenly widened, his gaze finally drifting upward as he lifted his head a bit. "I… I'm n-not… I didn't…?" he began to
stammer, speaking in soft, broken, incoherent sentences. "But h-he… he was… me…"
"What are you on about, child?" the Queen of Shadows asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion as she tried to decipher what he was babbling about.
Link was silent for another long bout of time as he glanced around, his breathing still tense and his darkened eyes still filled with obvious confusion and fear. "I… I don't uunderstand…"
he murmured, his muddled mind still half trapped in his nightmare as he tried to figure out where the dense forest had gone, along with the sinister figure
who had been taunting him. "Where is he…?"
"Who?" Verona pressed, still puzzled by his cryptic words.
The hero didn't respond to this question as he instead focused his bleary gaze on the Queen of Shadows, giving her a look of sheer bewilderment as his body tensed up in
sudden fear. "W-who are you…?" he asked, sounding completely lost and unknowing.
"Link, it's me," Verona said with a somewhat patient frown.
"Midna…?" Link guessed, his mind unable to recognize the Queen of Shadows for some reason as if is most recent memories had been blocked off by something. And so,
instead, he made his judgement based on the familial semblance that Verona bore to her cousin, whom he did happen to remember, yet even then, the Twilight Princess
herself was very vague in his mind.
"No," the Queen of Shadows scoffed coldly, offended that the hero would even confuse her for Midna at all. "I'm not Midna. I'm Verona. Remember?"
Link continued to stare at Verona in disturbed confusion, still unable to recognize her even as she managed to grip onto his arms and begin to pull him up off the ground.
However, it was clear that he was still unsteady on his feet as he swayed the moment he was standing upright, his entire body trembling in his weakness. "B-but…" he
stopped as his entire body seemed to go rigid, his eyes growing heavy as the Queen of Shadows did her best to steady him.
"Link, you're delirious," Verona said, her tone serious yet somewhat sympathetic. "You're very ill and you need rest. Now, just lie down and go back to sleep."
Not surprisingly, the hero hadn't really heard a word that she said as he weakly leaned against her outstretched arm, not even caring about remaining upright as his head
began to loll tiredly. However, just as he began to slip back into the depths of unconsciousness, he whispered one last, delusional thing as his eyes rolled back into his head
and he fell back onto the bed. "F-Farore…"
Verona let out a long sigh as she looked down to the now listless hero, shaking her head as she realized that he seemed so small and vulnerable when he was ill, like an
innocent child. And in a way, the Queen of Shadows realized, he was still but a child. After all, he was only about seventeen, so young to be bearing a spirit so strong and
magic so powerful. Because of his youth, he was certainly naive, but in a rather endearing way. A strange feeling passed over Verona as she was reminded of the fact that
he was not only a youth, but also a living being in general, more than just the mere vessel of her prize. She knew well what this feeling was, but the last thing she wanted
to do was admit that. She could not feel remorse for what she was doing to him. She couldn't. There was no room in her plans for such weak sentiments of pity and
compassion. No matter how young and innocent the hero was, no matter how much torment he had gone through because of her, no matter how she felt about him,
she could not relent.
Not now, not ever.
Midna was exhausted. She had lost track of how many days she had been wandering about Hyrule, searching every corner for both the hero and the queen. Not that she
would have been able to tell day from night thanks to the endless black veil reigning the skies still.
The Twilight Princess had stuck around long after the fires in Castle Town had naturally burned out, hoping to catch up with Link somehow. And yet, once the smoke had
cleared and the town was revealed to be empty, she found that not only was he gone, but so too was Zelda. Knowing that the queen wouldn't just ditch her at a time like
this, Midna's first suspicion was that Verona had actually managed to capture her, though there was no way to know for sure. Which was why she had searched the ruins
of the charred metropolis thoroughly for any sign of both of her missing friends, desperate to ensure they were both well and safe. And yet, she found nothing.
However, Midna wasn't one to give up so easily. Despite the fact that her search in Castle Town had been fruitless, she had quickly began a one-woman campaign across
the entire kingdom, gliding above its snow-covered terrain as fast as she could. She spared no location from her scrutiny either; from the heights of Death Mountain, to
the frigid falls of Zora's Domain, to the vast expanse of Gerudo Desert, to even the untamed wilds of Snowpeak. If it was part of Hyrule, the Twilight Princess risked it to
go there, revisiting many of the locales that her and Link had happened upon during their first journey together. Ironically enough, the only place she couldn't venture into
was her own realm, which she knew all too well was her own fault since s
he had been the one to break the sole conventional gateway between the worlds of light and
Twilight. Midna had already come to the conclusion that Verona was most likely parading around the Twilight Realm as if she owned it; she could only hope that the Queen
of Shadows had not dragged Link and Zelda there too.
Midna sighed to herself in defeat as she ran her small hands up and down her arms in a pitiful attempt to stay warm. She had been meandering out in the dead of winter
for nearly a week at least, and there had been no relief from the bitter cold conditions in sight. Thankfully, Twili were somewhat more accustomed to cold since their realm
lacked the warmth of the sun, but even still, there was only so much the Twilight Princess could bear.
She had just finished checking Ordon Village for about the tenth time, knowing that there might be a chance of the hero showing up there, but of course, he had been
absent, his home still lying in the same pile of charred remains as it had been last time. Midna couldn't help but think of her last encounter with Link as she found herself
aimlessly gliding through Hyrule Field with no real destination in mind. It hadn't been long and he hadn't said much, but she had been able to see all of the fear, dread, grief,
rage, and anger in his eyes in that one moment that it was clear that something had happened to him during their time apart, though she didn't even want to imagine
what. After all, he had already gone through so much abuse and torture already; the last thing he ever deserved was to be put through any more pain.
Which was part of the reason why Midna was so resolved to find him. Regardless of what was befalling Hyrule and the Twilight Realm, she had decided to make Link her
first priority. She knew that if she could only manage an actual conversation with him, then certainly she could convince him to return to her, she could help him master
control over his powers, and then, once the storm of emotions between them had passed, then they could reunite with Zelda and together the three of them could put
Verona's ambitions to an end at last.
Of course, finding the queen was just as much of the Twilight Princess's concern. After all, with her new powers, she would certainly be the first one the Queen of Shadows
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