Destined for Calamity (zelink)

Chapter 9

In the depths of the night, I awoke from a slight breeze on my face, the fire at its last breath. In the thick haze, I seemed to make out Dark's figure descending the mountain, heading directly toward one of the ominous chasms that plagued the land of Hyrule. To my surprise, I watched him disappear, as if he willingly dove into the abyss of Tobios' Hollow chasm.

A strange enchantment seemed to grip me, rendering me immobile and unable to follow. Overwhelmed by a strange drowsiness, I found myself compelled to lie back down and surrender to sleep's embrace. Uncertain whether it was a dream or a reality my eyes had witnessed, I succumbed to the mysterious forces that held sway over me.

After a few hours had elapsed, I emerged from the shelter, my eyes scanning the surroundings in search of a familiar presence. The cloudy sky emitting an eerie hue as the air grew heavy with a dense fog combined with the silence weighting on the mountain created a disturbing sensation. As I ventured a short distance downhill from the campsite, I discovered him completely engrossed in sharpening his sickle. The grating sound assaulted my eardrums, adding to the strange atmosphere thereby amplifying the sense of discomfort.

I cautiously approached Dark, his back facing me, the unease in my gut growing stronger with each step. His intense focus and the unnerving sound created a sinister ambience, as if the act of sharpening the farming tool held a deeper significance. Despite his investment in the task at hand, Dark's fatigued form betrayed his stern and unyielding expression. His body slouched slightly forward, his eyes fixating on a distant point.

It is only as I approached him that I registered the scene that stood before me. The ground was littered with the lifeless bodies of countless monsters, their grotesque forms twisted and mangled. Heads were severed from their torsos and limbs torn apart, forming a macabre painting of death.

The air was thick with the metallic stench of blood as it was splattered everywhere, a sickening aroma that mingled with the putrid scent of decaying flesh. Puddles of blood pooled around the dismembered remains, glistening ominously in the overcast daylight. It dripped from Dark's weapon, staining his hands and garments, an unforgettable mark of his violent deeds. The scene was a morbid symphony of horror, a symphony conducted by Dark himself. A mix of repulsion and fascination overwhelmed me while I observed the sight.

As I stood there, paralyzed by the disturbing spectacle, the reality of Dark's nature sank in. He was a force of merciless destruction, a killer driven by a primal hunger for battle and dominance. The monsters, once menacing adversaries, now laid defeated, their lives snuffed out without mercy. It was as if a whirlwind of savagery had swept through, leaving behind a trail of carnage and desolation.

In an instant, the lifeless corpses vanished, leaving no trace behind. It was as if the gruesome image had never existed, dissipating into thin air. The gravity of what I had just seen washed over me, filling me with a sense of dread and foreboding. I had unintentionally stumbled upon a haunting vision, a glimpse into Dark's true power and the horrors he was capable of committing, the enormity of it all sending shivers down my spine.

"Finally, you're awake," he remarked, shattering the oppressive silence. There was a brief moment where he continued with his task, as if the previous events had never occurred. However, abruptly, he ceased sharpening his tool, the sound of the final stroke reverberating in the air. Rising to his feet, he stretched his body with a deep, satisfying exhale before pivoting to meet my gaze. A brief pause ensued, during which he appeared to scan me intently. Fatigue may have clouded my perception, or perhaps it was a trick of the light, but it seemed as though his complexion had lightened, the previous charcoal hue fading away. It felt as though I was in the presence of a different person entirely, though his piercing ruby eyes remained unchanged. His expression was unreadable, devoid of his usual air of arrogance and self-assurance.