The Legend of Zelda: Blood and Spirit

Chapter 36: Lights in the Shadows

Chapter 36: Lights in the Shadows

While it seemed as though hours had passed for Link and Zelda as they met with the goddesses at the entrance to the Golden Realm, only a few moments had passed within the world of the living, though for Sheik, they might as well have been days. In those several minutes alone, Veress had managed to injure her in so many ways that she had lost count of all the blows she had taken. However, the Sheikah leader was resilient and strong; despite her pain and exhaustion, she was somehow still standing and fighting, fueled by adrenaline, anger and grief over the fact that both the goddess and the hero were gone forever.

Yet, all the same, the Interloper leader could tell that her foe was tiring out and growing weak from her wounds. She had stopped using restraint against Sheik long ago, wanting to end this ongoing battle and claim the Triforce as quickly as possible. And yet, much to her frustration, the Sheikah leader seemed to be the only obstacle standing in her way aside from the goddess of Termina. "Come on, Sheik!" Veress hissed impatiently as she clashed blades with her former friend for the hundredth time. "Give it up already! You're only a hit or two away from death. You can't possibly expect to win. The goddess and the hero are both dead and gone, so just face it; you're all alone in this battle now."

Sheik said nothing as she feebly backed away from Veress's knife, unable to find the strength to push it back. She groaned in pain as she removed the arm that she had wrapped around her heavily wounded stomach, allowing blood to pour from the gash across it freely as she shakily drew her staff and took on a defensive position. Even though she knew that the chances of her coming out of this battle as the victor, much less alive, were quickly diminishing, but she knew that to give up now would mean certain death and destruction, not just for her, but for all who lived upon the surface, including her people. And so, she remained standing, even if she knew that this deciding battle could very well be her last.

As Sheik continued to take the brunt of Veress's aggressive strikes, Terminus was struggling to remain standing as well. Her powers were quickly fading, and with each passing moment, the barrier she had placed upon the Triforce was growing weaker and weaker. She knew that it would only be a matter of minutes before her strength was exhausted and the golden power would be vulnerable again. And so, as she poured as much of her waning power as she could into fortifying her shield, the goddess of Termina continued to pray to Din, Nayru and Farore for help, desperately waiting for a response as they were quickly running out of time.

The Sheikah leader let out a sharp cry of agony as she felt the Interloper leader piece her thigh with her sharp knife during the split second that she had let her guard down. Barely able to remain standing, Sheik clumsily dropped her weapon as she rushed to place her hands over the wound to staunch the blood flow, realizing that she had so many wounds that were most likely beyond conventional healing. Her right shoulder was torn wide open with a cut that ran all the way across her chest and her back had been badly burned by several of Veress's bursts of flame, as well as both of her hands. And then, there was the deep cut across her stomach and the puncture wound that had just been delivered to her leg. All of these things, along with all of her other minor cuts and bruises, brought the Sheikah leader unbearable misery with each and every move she made. She was drenched in both the rain pounding upon her from above and her own scarlet blood, but as she tried to find a way out of meeting certain doom at the hands of the immensely powerful Interloper leader, who had barely sustained any injuries at all, both her heart and her mind were racing faster than they ever had before.

Taking advantage of the fact that Sheik was too weak to even hold onto her weapons anymore, Veress delivered a high kick and knocked the Sheikah leader back to the ground several feet. To ensure that she would not rise again, the Interloper leader kept her pinned down by calling upon the Fused Shadow to grant her enough magic to stun Sheik into paralysis, which worked as the Sheikah leader felt a burst of cold yet burning electricity pound through her veins, halting all of her movements altogether as she collapsed to the ground.