The Legend of Zelda: Blood and Spirit

Chapter 37: Curse of the Interlopers

Chapter 37: Curse of the Interlopers

It was amazing how so much could happen over the course of one day.

This unspoken mantra was something that both Link and Zelda had realized as the sun began to set over the land in the wake of their battle against both Veress and Majora. Over the course of one day alone, so much had happened and so much had changed. When this fated day had begun, the couple had awakened with the notion that the hero would not survive it, instead forever entangled by corruption, every part of his former self lost, never to return. And indeed, that had happened, and in the midst of it, all hope had seemed dim for the surface. But in the same day, the girl had used her sacred arrows to free her husband, but at the great cost of both of their lives. And yet, in what could be considered nothing less than a miracle, they had both been reborn on the very same day as their shared deaths. But even when it seemed as though victory against the Interloper leader was theirs to grasp, that victory had been hard won, marred by the noble sacrifice of the Sheikah leader, who had given everything that she had to give, and now, she had nothing left.

In light of all that had occurred over the course of the past several hours, the small procession consisting of Link, Zelda, Terminus and Fi was solemnly silent as they personally escorted Veress, who was now securely bound by heavy chains, to the desert, where she was to be banished to the darkened realm along with the rest of her followers. Even the Interloper leader herself was noticeably quiet and remorseful as they traveled across the fields, the burnt orange sun filling the plains as it began to set over them, replacing the dark clouds that had formerly filled the skies before the Fused Shadow had been split apart. The dragons, who had now taken on new forms as spirits of the light, had taken it upon themselves to hide each of the four pieces of the dark relic away, each in a different corner of the land, out of the reach of anyone who might try to use their evil power for wicked purposes. And so it seemed as though the Interloper War had finally come to an end, and yet everyone was still feeling the aftershocks of its final battle in full force.

Out of all of those involved in the conflict, Link was most likely the one who was affected by the events of the past day. Since Sheik's death several hours ago, the hero had hardly spoken a single word, much to the girl's concern and worry. But Zelda knew that his silence and distant behavior did make sense; after all, he was most likely still grieving over the loss of the Sheikah leader, one of his closest friends. But what no one knew was that there was so much more bothering him than just that, even though that was certainly part of it.

Of course, Link was still feeling the guilt and sorrow of Sheik's death, but even so, there had not really been enough time for those things to sink in yet. What was starting to finally sink in for the hero however was the realization that he was truly free from corruption once and for all. Never again would he have to live wondering if the next day would be his last and never again would he have to fear unintentionally hurting those he cared about. Even though Link knew the demon's presence was finally gone from his mind, he kept waiting to hear its cruel voice to return to taunt him again, but thankfully, it never did. He had gone on for so long living with the grim reality that he was doomed to spend eternity lost as Majora's mindless servant, but now, thanks to Zelda, he had the rest of his life ahead of him once more. He was free, free to live in peace and free to spend all of his days with his wife, never having to worry about his mind, soul, and spirit being overtaken ever again.

And yet, even this revelation was made bittersweet when Link thought about how Sheik had selflessly sacrificed her life just to save his. Word had already been sent to the Sheikah elders hours ago that their leader had not survived the battle and her body had carefully transported back to Kakariko so it could be prepared for burial. But even so, her passing did not seem real to the hero, and he kept hoping that she would come hurrying after the group as they traveled to Lanayru Desert, her eyes still bright and fiery red as she directed her playful, sarcastic teasing towards him, just like she always used to. But Link knew that she never would again; Sheik was gone, and he knew that even if it had been Veress's knives that had ended her life, he was still partially to blame. The hero had never been responsible for the death of another human being before, especially the death of someone who had come to be so close to him, which only made him feel worse. The Sheikah leader had always supported him and helped him from the moment they met and in the end, he had been unable to repay the debt he owed to her by protecting her. And now, because of that, he would never get the chance to repay the debt he owed her for all she had done for him.