The Legend of Zelda- Ocarina of Time

Tainted Waters

Chapter 35
Tainted Waters

Dark Link looked down in surprise at the blade protruding through his heart, its bloody end digging into the stone wall behind him.

"You were wrong," Link said, struggling to hold his sword from exertion. "I am the Hero of Time, and I can kill you."

Dark Link laughed, even with the blade in its chest, sending an icy chill through Link's veins. It bore an uncanny resemblance to Ganondorf's phantom, laughing as Saria disappeared before his eyes.

The demon grasped the steel of the sacred blade, smoke hissing from burning flesh. Dark Link's face was contorted into a hideous smile, a mockery of Link's own features.

Repulsed, it took all Link's will not to recoil in horror. He reached for Light, feeling the magic surge through his blood like a living current. With a thought, he directed it into the Master Sword, and the blade gleamed a brilliant white, banishing the shadows that clung to the walls of the chamber. Dark Link screamed and then collapsed against the wall, his cry becoming a horrible wet gurgle as his features became distorted, and then it was nothing more than a bubbling rasp before it finally went silent. The disfigured monstrosity that had once taken Link's form melted away, forming a pool of black ichor.

The room seemed to tilt, everything was spinning, and suddenly Link felt the Master Sword slip from sluggish fingers, hitting the floor with a metallic clang. His legs gave out, and before he knew it, Link was collapsing beside the remains of his shadow. A strange, ethereal sensation washed over him, as if he were adrift in the depths of Lake Hylia. His eyelids were heavy, and he wanted nothing more than to sleep, his body pleading for a respite he knew he could not give.

Vaguely, as all awareness threatened to slip away, Link felt a tingling sensation on his hand that refused to be ignored. As it did, warmth spread through his body, chasing away the bitter chill that had seeped into his bones. He hadn't meant to channel his Triforce piece, but it came to him all the same.

"Haven't you had your fair share of fainting yet?" a voice—the strange wolf—asked in his mind. "Your work is not yet done."

Puzzled, Link tried to answer the otherworldly spirit, but it was already a dormant presence in the back of his mind. He focused instead on the voices around him, slowly becoming clearer as clarity blessedly returned.

"Is he safe now?"

"I think we'd know if he wasn't."

"What did that thing do to him?"

"It beat him pretty bad, that's for sure."

Link opened his eyes, blinking as he adjusted to the light. The Zora surrounding him were talking amongst themselves, their voices a mixture of concern and wariness. Two Zora knelt beside him, their figures still fuzzy, and then Ruto's face hovered over him, her brow furrowed with worry. They sat him up, one Zora dressing his wound while Ruto pressed a bottle of red potion to his lips, its pungent smell stinging Link's nostrils.

"Drink," she urged him.

Knowing it was unlikely to taste nice, Link did so reluctantly. The vile concoction assaulted his tongue, and he coughed and spluttered, awakening a fresh wave of hot pain in his side. He groaned, barely biting back a scream.

Despite his protests, the potion did its job, and his head cleared. Looking back up, Link saw the fear in the eyes of Ruto's companions, and shame washed over him as he recalled the demon's crimson eyes.

"I'm sorry," he rasped, looking back towards the floor, noticing his blood pooling upon the once pristine stone. "Was.. anyone else hurt?"

"No," Ruto answered, her voice soft as she tried to meet his eyes, making him look up. "Link, what was that thing?"