Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sand was always a welcome sight to Link. Most people usually had some quarrel with it, saying it was too hot when the sun shone directly on it, or that it would get everywhere if one wasn’t paying attention, but he was always willing to overlook the minor inconveniences sand often came with. To him, sand meant a brief reprieve from the constant sea travel and a much needed change in scenery. It meant the familiarity of home after weeks away or a chance to see new sights and meet new people. Being on the Great Sea meant lots of time spent cooped up in boats, and while Link loved sailing, getting his feet back on land would always be the highlight of his day.

The sand Link saw now was particularly exciting for a variety of reasons. Islands in the Great Sea tended to be fairly close together and traveling from one to the other only took a few hours at most, but Tetra’s ship had left the Great Sea a long time ago and islands had become few and far between. The last time he saw any land at all was almost a month ago, and he was more than eager to get off the ship for a change. Link could feel himself smiling at the prospect of the wide open space and steady ground. Of course, there was another far more important reason to smile at this sand.

“Miss Tetra? MISS TETRA! I DON’T THINK IT’S AN ISLAND!”

The pirate captain in question looked up at the crow’s nest, an exasperated frown on her face.

“I CAN SEE THAT, NIKO! WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THAT FROM DOWN HERE FOR THE LAST THREE HOURS!”

“O-oh. Well, I just noticed! And I wanted to make sure you did too, miss!”

“I swear to Hylia, Niko, what do you even do up there all day? Never mind actually, I don’t think I want to know!”

Link turned towards her, the grin still on his face. “He’s probably practicing for a puppet show or something. Probably trying to get all the details straight so he can tell our story for the next hundred years or so.”

“Goddesses, don’t encourage him. Please. You know I won’t force him to stop, but I sure as hell don’t want to see any more of his ‘shows’.”

“Well I don’t see anyone else writing down what’s happening. Niko’s work may be the only reliable history people have!”

“Link, if you say another word I’m going to launch you out of the fucking canon again.”

His smile dropped into a fearful grimace, hand quickly snapping to his forehead in a salute before he turned back to watch the shoreline slowly grow closer. Tetra was mostly talk when it came to her threats, but he had more than enough firsthand experience to tell the real ones apart. It probably didn’t help that Link was constantly talking back to her, but in his defense someone had to keep her ego in check.

He also kind of liked Niko’s puppet shows and art pieces.

The next half an hour was spent carefully ensuring that his first few steps on land weren’t stumbling around dizzily while getting the taste of sand out of his mouth. Tetra didn’t make it easy, trying to get on his nerves constantly since she knew exactly what he was doing. He managed it, though, and Link stepped onto a new continent with no fear of a new concussion. There was talk about exploring to the Northwest, since Zuko thought he saw a tower of some sort in the distance, but it could have also just been a strange mountain formation. Link was barely paying the rest of the crew any attention, though.

There was a patch of sand, maybe ten feet in diameter, where the air above shimmered in a strange half mirage. He wouldn’t have normally given it any thought, mirages were fairly common after all, but he swore he could almost feel time itself as he got closer to it. It was a strange, but somewhat familiar feeling, like the air became thicker and pushed back against his movements. The Phantom Sword felt the same way when it slowed down everything around him, and he was sure Ciela would have been able to explain why it did that. Probably something to do with not being used to a change in the flow of time or something.

“Link. Link! Come on already, stop staring at the ground!”

He startled, not realizing that Tetra was talking to him. “Sorry, just- let me check this out really quick, it feels weird.”

Tetra rolled her eyes. “Weird? It’s sand, Link. You’ve seen sand before. If you want an excuse to make sure Niko isn’t lonely while he guards the ship, I can put you on laundry duty. You two can bond over dirty underwear while the rest of us explore my new kingdom.”

Link didn’t have to look at her to know that she was making that winking face she always did. It was a face that accompanied any bold claim, plan of action, or threat. He was almost certain she had practiced it in the mirror for hours just to get it right, but wasn’t about to tell her that.

“Laundry threats don’t change the fact that this sand feels like time magic, so give me a second, okay?”

As he stepped closer to it, the air only felt denser and heavier, but not enough to properly slow him down. He wasn’t going to step fully into the mirage, but he did want to get close enough to investigate more. Maybe there was something buried in the sand there?

“Time magic? Link, wait-”

Suddenly the air around Link felt dry like ash, and he fell forwards onto his knees as he choked. It was as if all the moisture in the air disappeared, and he couldn’t seem to breathe right. It was hot, too. Hotter than a beach had any right to be. He coughed a few more times before looking back up.

The mirage had seemingly grown, encompassing the dunes of sand as far as he could see. That wasn’t right though, Link hadn’t seen any dunes at all earlier. The shore had quickly given way to a lightly forested grassland, but now all he could see was sand stretching into the horizon. Turning around yielded the same sight. There was no ocean, no ship.

No Tetra.

It was a desert. Link had never been to one personally, but he’d heard of them before. Miles of sand with scorching temperatures and no water to be seen, and he had somehow found himself in the middle of one with no way back.

“Fuck.”

Chapter Text

Link was beginning to rethink his opinions on sand.

It felt like he had been walking for hours. There seemed to be no end to the oppressive heat and dry air, and every direction held nothing but more sand. Link was, in a way, really impressed. His whole life had been on the ocean, and now to be able to walk so far without even a glimpse of water in the distance? He wouldn’t have believed it if he weren’t seeing it for himself.

The mirages certainly weren’t helping, though. Every time he thought that maybe, just maybe, there was finally a pond or a lake or anything, he would be disappointed to find just more sand. Sometimes he got lucky and found a rock, but all it was good for was a change in scenery.

He’d had his canteen of water on him, because he wasn’t stupid enough to drink sea water, but it had just been the single canteen. Link hadn’t anticipated being stuck in a desert, so it wasn’t nearly enough and had run out fairly quickly. And while it had worked to keep him cool for a bit, he didn’t have the arrows or the energy to make ice arrows anymore. By now he was, in no particular order, way too hot, tired, and thirsty to go much further.

He was also angry at himself. He knew it was his own fault, not being more careful in his investigation. Link was alone now, and even if he wasn’t in a desert, he had no way of knowing how to get back to Tetra and the others. He didn’t even know if getting back was as simple as finding the shore they were all on. What if he was centuries in the past or future? He’d never time traveled before, but everyone had heard of the Hero of Time, so he knew it was possible. It was possible he’d gone and abandoned his friends forever, just like the last hero had abandoned Hyrule.

“Of course I just had to get closer! Why not go towards whatever was giving off time magic!? Great going, just walking right into a portal or whatever it was. ‘Oh, look at me, I’m the Hero of Winds! Watch me trip ass first into a desert and die alone!’ Yeah, it’s not like blindly wandering into some bullshit has ever gone wrong for me before! For Nayru’s sake, why is this gonna be the thing that does me in?”

“Good news, Mister ‘Hero of Winds’! It doesn’t have to be that at all!”

If it wasn’t for the unstable ground beneath his feet, Link would have jumped maybe a foot or two in the air at the sound of an unfamiliar and unexpected voice responding to his monologue. As it was, he instead lost his footing almost immediately and fell backwards, giving him the opportunity to survey the newcomer.

He was taller than Link, though not by too much. Most of his features were difficult to make out due to a heavy, and sweltering looking, purple cloak worn over top a blue tunic. The hood was drawn, hiding all but his mouth in shadow.

Quickly standing, Link backed up a few steps, his hand resting on the grip of his sword.

“Who the fuck are you?! How did you even get here?!” he demanded.

Across from him, the figure raised his hands in a show of peace.

“Hey, woah! No need to get violent, Mister Hero, I see that sword there! I figured you looked a little lost is all, so I thought I’d offer some… well, not help exactly, I’m lost too, but maybe some companionship?”

Link began to pull his sword out, just an inch, to make sure this interloper knew he was serious.

“Don’t make me ask again, who are you?”

The figure waved their hands back and forth, obviously hoping Link would have been more receptive to his claims “I-I’m just a traveler! Honest! Like I said, I got lost in the desert, same as you!”

“There’s nothing in sight for miles, how come I didn’t see you before?”

“W-well, I can be sneaky if I want to be! And besides, an armed stranger in the middle of nowhere? You bet I’m taking precautions when approaching! I’m not exactly a stranger to fighting myself, but I’d rather not end up some highwayman’s next target.”

Link... guessed that made sense. Most other ships he saw when on the Great Sea were pirates, so being cautious of strangers was something of a given. He was even threatening the guy in front of him for the little scare. He dropped his hand and shifted out of the tense stance he had taken, an apologetic smile working its way onto his face.

“…Sorry about that. You have a point. About armed strangers, I mean. I’m still just kind of on edge about everything and, well shit, you came out of nowhere! How’d you sneak up on me, anyway?”

The figure grinned like he’d just heard a joke, and though his face was hidden, Link could tell his eyes were lighting up at the opportunity to explain.

“Oh, well that’s simple, really! I have a bunch of magical trinkets and tools for every use! I don’t want to let you in on all my secrets, but invisibility capes are wonderful for staying safe from bandits. I took it off as soon as you said you were a hero, but I wasn’t listening for very long anyway. I was just happy I found anyone at all in this wasteland! Which actually reminds me, this desert is really dry, and I’m sure you must be parched. Could I interest you in a water rod? Or maybe an ice one? Just to borrow, of course!”

Link was stunned. An invisibility cape and magic rods? Those were rare! He’d never seen either up close, and this stranger had more than one magic rod. Had he gone adventuring and dungeon exploring to get them? Or maybe… had he made them himself? After a moment just trying to comprehend the idea, Link offered his hand to the stranger in a proper greeting.

“I think I might have to take you up on that offer. My name’s Link, by the way.”

The man before him seemed somewhat surprised, but after a brief hesitation he returned the handshake with a laugh.

“You know, you’re not the first Link I’ve met. I don’t see why I can’t have a few friends with the same name though, Mister Hero! I’m Ravio, traveler and helping hand for hire, at your service!”

Chapter Text

“How much longer, do you think?”

“Oh, I’m sure we’re almost there!”

“Almost where? It’s just sand. And it’s been just sand for hours!”

“Well, now that’s just not true, Mister Hero! We passed a rock maybe thirty minutes ago.”

“Fuck you, and fuck your rocks, Ravio.”

“Hmph. Well fine then, I’ll have you that I have no idea where we’re almost at. Probably ‘just sand’ again. I just thought you’d appreciate the anticipation. Makes time feel quicker in my opinion!”

“WHAT.”

Link stopped dead in his tracks from where he had been slowly trudging along beside Ravio. He had been following the other traveler for most of the day, and the desert had gotten considerably cooler once the sun began setting. They had been navigating by moonlight for the last hour or so, and Link had been hoping that the confidence behind Ravio’s motions meant he at least had a concrete goal in mind. Apparently, that goal was just… to keep walking and hope for the best.

“Hey, in my defense I did tell you I was lost, too!” Ravio peeked over his shoulder, slowing his gait slightly upon seeing Link standing still, “Try to keep up, though, Mister Hero! It won’t be night forever, and as potent as my Ice Rod is, I’d rather not have to deal with the heat.”

Link couldn’t believe it. He was traveling through a hellish desert with the only person for miles, and they were a complete idiot who just happened to have enough magical gear to survive the heat. He didn’t like his chances alone, though, so he started walking again. Ravio was right, once the sun rose, it would just be hotter and more miserable, and even though the water problem was solved, food was the next big issue. Until they found something to eat though, there was nothing to do about it.

“... So, why are you lost in the desert then?” Link asked. If there was no destination, he might as well figure out how Ravio got in this situation, “I know why I’m here, but my circumstances are pretty fucked up, and I feel like people don’t normally just walk into the massive sandy death trap without a good reason.”

“Oh, I have no clue!”

Or maybe he won’t figure it out.

“See, I was on something of a vacation, and I was taking a lovely hike through the forests of Holodrum. The path I was following had a bend in it, and when I made the turn I was suddenly in a desert! At first I thought that I wound up lost in my thoughts for a while and stumbled into the Samasa Desert, but the sand there is a completely different color, far more yellow than this. Plus, when I turned around the forest was gone!”

Ravio went on for a bit, rambling about this Holodrum place and different deserts he’s seen in the past, but Link wasn’t really listening any more. If Ravio didn’t know how he got here, he and Link might be in the same situation, and Link didn't think he would know how to deal with time magic. 

The story made for nice background noise, though. It reminded him of Niko, between how dramatic and embellished the tales were and just how expressive Ravio was. He was constantly waving his hands around to accentuate his point, and despite how little of Ravio was actually visible, Link could practically picture his facial expressions through his body language.

Insane or not, at least Ravio was good company.

▼

It was hard to see through the darkness, but Ravio thought there were cliffs ahead of them. Or maybe it was clouds? It could even be a sandstorm for all he knew. 

He tried to keep it from showing, but he was worried. Having not seen any landmarks during the day and not being able to tell if he saw any now, he wasn’t certain if the two of them would ever get out of the desert. It was larger than any he had seen before, but he couldn’t just teleport away. He had to think about Link, too.

It was funny that his name was Link. Sure, it was a common name, but everyone he had met named Link was anything but common. All of them were heroes, people to look up to when there was danger. This Link didn’t seem any different, walking with the same confidence he saw in the others. The only thing that was missing was the green outfit nearly all heroes seemed to wear. 

He was also different, though. Link was rude, quick to defend his actions and opinions while making sure Ravio knew his intentions. His apology for almost stabbing Ravio had been more of an explanation, making it sound like he’d do it again if put in the same situation.

And yet, despite his defensive nature, the wooden shield on his back went untouched. Every now and then his hand would drift to the sword he carried, but never the shield. It was like he was looking for something to attack, daring something to get in his way so he could fight his way out of the desert. It was a kind of desperation that made Ravio think of Hilda. A princess surrounded by such hopelessness that she would do anything to help her kingdom, her friends. Maybe Ravio was wrong, but Link’s goal of leaving the desert didn’t seem to be for the same reason as his own.

But regardless of whether or not they left the desert soon, Ravio doubted he’d be able to get back to his vacation for a long time. Running into Link was an omen, he was sure of that. The younger boy was quiet now, probably tired from walking all day. Ravio was beginning to tire as well, but he didn’t want to stop yet. Courageous hero or not, Ravio was going to personally make sure Link made it out of the desert okay. 

Maybe next time he would try visiting Calatia. It would just be him, his thoughts, and a peaceful, non hero-related trip.

And there weren't any deserts in Calatia.

Chapter Text

Sleeping in was a luxury Link would probably never have. There was always some odd-job he was assigned to, or some weirdly out of the way patrol route that meant he’d need to wake up before the sun ever rose. It was probably the only thing he didn’t like about being a knight.

His dad never seemed tired, though. He was always awake earlier than Link, but his energy never seemed to waver. So when Link got out of bed, he wasn’t surprised to see that he was already strapping his armor on and getting ready to make his way to the castle. He had a standard guard rotation while Link… Link had forest patrol. Not that there was anything wrong with forest patrol! It was just…

“You can stop frowning, you know. A day’s boredom isn’t going to kill you.”

Boredom. Tedium. A mindless, soul crushing task with nothing to do but count how many times he’d passed a certain tree or a specific ditch. 

“It’ll certainly try…” he grumbled, “I’ve been on forest patrol for a week now! I just want to see some action again! Besides, Jago broke out of jail a few days ago, and he’s always up to something on Tuesdays. I could catch him, you know I can handle Jago!”

His father sighed. He did that a lot whenever Link wanted to do something more useful.

“I know, you’ve arrested him maybe five times now, more than enough for us to realize we could set a clock to his robberies. It’s just-”

“Just what? Why won’t anyone let me actually be a knight?”

“Link, you’ve only been a certified knight for seven months, and your circumstances mean you didn’t do a lot of the training everyone else does. It’s nothing against you, son, you just have to do a bit of catching up. And if that means checking every tree is in its place, then you have to check that.”

It was stupid. He’d more than proved he could be a knight, but no one ever treated him like that. He’d sealed and killed Vaati, he’d banished Ganon to the dark world, and everyone could see he knew what he was doing! Why should he be stuck making sure the forest still had trees when he could be saving lives?

But Link knew his argument would get him nowhere. He let his anger wash away, and tried to at least come up with a positive side of the forest patrol. He would be all alone, which meant-

His dad began making his way to the door, turning to face him as he opened it, “And Link, don’t get in too much trouble. I know you and Shadow will get restless, but just keep in mind that you aren’t alone.”

It meant he was never really alone.

Link smiled, grabbed the Four Sword and the rest of his gear, and headed towards the outskirts of Castle Town.

▲

“Why are we actually doing this again? We could just leave, you know. Your father wouldn’t even notice!”

“I’m pretty sure he already knows we skip out on patrol sometimes. Also, he’s your dad too, technically.”

“Technically my ass, he didn’t raise me.”

“You said it yourself! You’re my reflection from the Dark World, so that makes you me!”

Link slowed his march slightly, letting the shade of the trees linger on his face as he passed under them. Several steps behind, Shadow followed suit, rolling his eyes at Link’s antics.

“There’s already four other people considered ‘you’, we don’t need more.”

“You are going to let dad be a single father of six and enjoy it.”

Did it really count as having six children? Maybe not, but Link thought it was a funny joke. Though it probably didn’t help that not all of them could be in the same room at once. 

Shadow thought it was funny too, though, so Link didn’t care if the joke made sense.

“Yes, and I’m sure our father loves it when he suddenly has five hungry boys to feed when you promised it would be only two,” Shadow said.

Well, maybe he had a point there, but it wasn’t like it was Link’s fault! He hadn’t been the one to make the decision, he hadn’t even existed to make it.

“But really,” Shadow continued, “Why are we still here? You heard your father this morning, he more or less expects us to leave our post! We could stop at the bakery and get something to eat, but for some reason you’re just content to wander through the trees for hours!”

“I’ll have you know I’m not enjoying this as much as you make it seem, but I thought I’d be nice and let you have a break from all the sun,” Link said with a smile. Shadow was closer than he thought to convincing Link to leave, but it wouldn’t be fun to make it too easy on his reflection.

“Hey! It’s not my fault I get sunburnt easily!”

“It is, though. Zelda told you your weakness to light is all about willpower. Sunburn is literally a state of mind for you.”

“Oh, and your state of mind is so much better, Mister ‘I Spent A Literal Month Arguing With Myself And Still Have Trouble Understanding The Concept Of Cooperation’?”

“Okay, okay! Point taken, we’re both a mess. Now let’s go and get a cake before all the good stuff gets sold,” Link turned on a dime, breezed past Shadow and made his way back towards Castle Town.

And then he stopped in his tracks.

“Hey, Shadow?”

“Yes, Link?”

“Why is there a tree in the middle of the path?”

And indeed there was one. There was nothing particularly special about this tree, it looked like the hundreds of others surrounding it, with old gnarled bark and a canopy that stretched out wide to soak in the sunlight, but there was definitely a problem with it.

Namely, it hadn’t been there ten seconds ago.

The path they were traveling was by no means well worn or frequently used, but it was defined enough to have clear edges, so it was clear that the tree had appeared directly in the middle of it. Link and Shadow had also walked this path enough to know by now that, no, there wasn’t supposed to be a tree there.

“That… is a really good question.”

The two stood for a moment, and Link tried to rationalize how a tree could appear suddenly behind them. When his father had said to make sure every tree was in its place, he hadn’t expected that to be an actual issue he would deal with. 

He took a slow step towards the tree, and then another, Shadow following suit. As far as he could tell it was just… a normal tree. But normal trees didn’t move suddenly. So the question then was how it had gotten there. Was it an illusion? Had it been transported by magic? And if so, why? As he stepped closer to the tree trunk, he put his hand against the wood, feeling the roughness of it beneath his fingers. 

Not an illusion, then.

So why would there be a tree here? It couldn’t be an attempt to hide anything, since Link had noticed it almost immediately. He supposed it could be a distraction, after all he was spending quite a bit of time investigating something that would likely turn up no clues. See, he was even trying to find something hiding in the branches now! Definitely good distraction material.

Link’s thought process came to an abrupt halt as his brain finally caught up with itself. He spun around and grabbed Shadow, quickly moving them so their backs were against the tree, surveying the forest around them.

“ Ow , Link, what was that for!?”

Link only shushed him in response. Much like the tree behind him, the rest of the forest looked suspiciously normal. There weren’t any monsters in sight, no figures darting through the trees and bushes, no ambush or anything.

But, like the tree behind him, there was also something wrong with all of this.

He was looking at a completely different forest now.

Chapter Text

The trees weren’t right. Sure, some of them looked like they would’ve fit perfectly in the forest Link was supposed to patrol, but that was only a few. Most of them looked like they belonged in a drier climate. The ground, too, looked like it belonged to a drier climate, with more dust and silt than soil and grass. It reminded Shadow of the forests nearer to the Gerudo desert.

Link seemed to make a decision, and turned to Shadow.

“I think we should split up. See if we can find anyone, or a town or something.”

Shadow looked at him warily, “You want to split now ? Like-”

“No, not with the Four Sword! Just us two. If I split now, it’d be weeks before they all found each other again.”

“Okay, good,” Shadow smiled triumphantly, knowing he had partially won an argument the two of them had been stubbornly refusing to let go, “I was about to call you an idiot. They wouldn’t last five minutes together before spreading to every corner of the kingdom again.”

“Hey, they’d make it at least ten!”

“Well, next time we’re lost in an unfamiliar forest, I’ll take that bet. Thirty rupees.” 

Shadow extended his hand, and Link laughed before shaking it, “While we’re making bets, I’ll put fifty rupees on finding someone before you do.”

Shadow tilted his head, considering for a moment.

“Deal.”

Link had a job, and he was paid quite well for it, but Shadow liked to think he had a well-paying job, too. Sure, it wasn’t on any ledgers or tracked by the kingdom, but he had yet to lose a bet to Link. He looked forward to another eighty rupees weighing down his wallet.

▲

If it were closer to night, Shadow could’ve made it miles away from the forest by now. As it was, though, the sun peeked through trees, making his path more winding and circuitous as he tried to avoid the light to the best of his ability.

It was stupid. He knew it was stupid, but he still tried to stay in the shadows. Link was right, and Zelda was right, and he was wrong, but he was going to stay out of the sunlight for as long as he could. Sunburns aside (he knew he would one day get past that), there were other issues with light. 

For one, Shadow was an incredibly spiteful person. One day he would have to give up on sticking to the dark parts of the hallway, making detours to pass under awnings and through alleyways, but that wouldn’t be for a long time. Not while everyone else told him he had to stop. He didn’t, and he’d prove that you could get through life just fine avoiding sunny days and brightly lit streets. 

The other issue was this: for as much as everyone told him he wasn’t some evil beast that would melt in the light, he was still dark . That was an undeniable fact, he was literally made of shadows. So sunlight would always weaken him, even if it didn’t hurt him. He’d still turn a little wispy, his form shifting as it tried to instinctively recoil, and his powers would be harder to use.

So when the stick he tossed slightly ahead of him landed out from under the canopy of the forest, he didn’t pick it back up. Instead he grabbed a rock from the ground and started tossing it between his hands. He could do some makeshift racquetball with it and the trees, but he’d probably lose it faster than the stick.

He had to do something with it, though! The forest had proven to be just that so far: no villages or towns or cities, not even some weird forest hermit. There were always weird forest hermits in Hyrule, so Shadow had been hoping to find a cabin or something, but there had been no luck yet. Now he was just bored and playing with sticks and rocks and whatever else was on the ground. 

If Vio was here, he would at least have somewhere to direct his boredom.

“Excuse me-”

Shadow didn’t scream. He definitely didn’t. Maybe he made a noise that sounded like a bird, but it wasn’t a scream.

He did however turn around and throw the rock at the person suddenly behind him.

▲

“I’m not apologizing, and I want you to know I’d do it again.”

“That’s okay! Sorry for scaring you, everyone always tells me I walk too quietly, but I always forget, because it’s not like you actively think about walking, it’s just something you do. Like breathing I guess? People tell me I don’t breathe loud enough either, and so whenever anyone has to wake me up they’re worried I’m dead or not breathing or something. And people also tell me-”

“Do they tell you that you talk too much?”

“No!”

“Well they should.”

“Hmm… You’re not very nice for a spirit.”

Shadow stumbled a little. A spirit? He’d been confused for a lot of different things before, but a spirit was new. He wasn't some goodie-two-shoes goddess-serving idiot, so this person, whoever they were, was both incredibly perceptive to notice he wasn’t human, but also incredibly dumb to not realize he was a shade.

Shadow looked them in the eye, “I’m not a spirit.”

And they looked back, either not noticing or not worried about the glare they were receiving, “Oh! Sorry, I thought you already knew! You keep avoiding the light, and it’s definitely a conscious choice, so I figured that you realized it already.”

“Realized I was a spirit?”

“No, no. Realized that you were dead!”

Shadow’s brain stopped for a moment, “How- I’m not- I didn’t-”

He collected himself for a moment and tried again, “I got better. How did you know I died? Who even are you?”

The stranger paused for a moment before sheepishly looking to the side, “Oh, I’m so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Link!” He offered a gloved hand towards Shadow, who didn’t take it, seeing the soot and oil stains covering it, “And you are? Also, how do you get better from death?”

“... Shadow. Also, you can’t just ignore-”

“Oh! That’s how! You’re not a spirit, of course , you’re a shade! And shades can’t truly die until their counterpart does! In that case, I take it back, you’re not mean for a spirit, you’re really nice for a shade!”

“What.” All he had said was his name. Was it that obvious? Also, this person, another idiot named Link he’d have to deal with, knew way too much about shades and spirits. If he weren’t dressed in that weird overall getup, Shadow would say he was a medium or a mystic or something, but no mystic worth their crystals would be caught dead without their stupid magic robes.

They had been walking back towards where Shadow and Link, his Link, had split up. He hadn’t gotten a chance to tell that to the newcomer yet, who barely let him get in a single word half the time. The fact that they had almost had a conversation there surprised him a little. 

He just hoped they found Link soon. This was like being stuck with Red after the poor magician had a cup of coffee, albeit with less fire. Somehow this new Link was managing to carry on still, all without Shadow’s input.

“-last one I saw was my own, and he was really rude! He never actually said anything to me, and I get that he was part of a fighting challenge that Joynas had set up, but he could have at least said something during our fight! But there's also the chance he wasn’t a fully developed shade like you, so-”

“ Wait , shut up for a second!”

Shadow put a hand over Link’s mouth, cutting off whatever it was he was talking about. He thought he had heard someone else speaking, but he couldn’t tell now. It wasn’t his Link, that was for sure, but it wasn’t a voice he recognized either. The two stood there for a moment before he heard it again.

“-not just going to stand around like an idiot and let you trick me.”

“I’m not! I swear!”

That was Link.

“You can lie all you want, but I think I’m just going to kill you now.”

And suddenly Shadow wasn’t just standing there. He was running, already going through the process of summoning a bomb to throw at whoever this person threatening Link was.

“Please, listen to me! I wasn’t lying!”

He burst into a clearing, where an older teen had a panicked Link pinned against a tree, with a ruby-encrusted sword leveled at his chest. He leaned down with an almost bored look in his eye, “Then where’s your shadow, monster?”

As he raised his hand to throw the small bomb he managed to conjure, Shadow managed to catch Link’s eye, who smiled and answered the stranger.

“Right behind you.”