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~Chapter Fourteen- Beat of the Dark~

Rushing into the darkness of the Shadow Temple, soaked from the storm outside, Warro and Zelda did not know what to expect as they followed Impa into the temple. Impa had loosely wrapped Warro’s neck in cloth that had been soaked in the liquid of a Red Potion. The scratches on his neck had begun to heal and they hardly bothered him as the continued onwards. As they ran, Impa tossed a purple magnifying glass with a red tinted lens to Zelda.

“Princess, catch. I know you want to help, so this is the best way you can: finding the illusions for us. Put it up to your eye every now and then. You have the biggest magic pool, so this should be easy for you.”

“S-Sure,” Zelda said with a nod. She placed the lens up against her eye and gasped. What she saw shocked her, but she put the Lens down before she could see anymore. “Keep going. I don’t see any illusions yet.” Zelda turned pale as she hurried alongside Warro. She looked at him and could tell he sensed what she had seen: spirits in heavy concentration. He clutched the Spirit Pendant tightly and his breathing was becoming heavier.

“Warro, calm yourself.” Impa turned around, stopping. “We have to protect the princess. We’ll talk to the sage after we fight the demon of the well. For now, just bear with the uncomfortably of this place. I know it must be hard for you to be in such a place filled with death.”

“D-death?” Warro looked over to Zelda, who seemed just as shocked as he was.

“Yes, but it’s a long story.” Impa turned to Zelda. “See anything?” Zelda put the lens back up to her eyes and checked. She nodded as she pulled it away.

“There’s an exit coming up. Also, Impa, may I add another observation?”

“Of course, this temple is rather enigmatic, after all.”

“I see spirits all around us.” Zelda took a deep breath. “They are all pointing at Warro. What are they doing?”

“Warro, keep it up.” Impa turned to Warro. “The moment you let your guard down, they’ll begin to fight for control over you. I don’t know how much stress you can take.”

“I’m okay,” Warro muttered. “Back in the Forest Temple, a spirit said she would loan me her power. I can feel her with me.”

“That explains it,” Impa muttered.

“What does?” Zelda tilted her head.

“The Forest Sage’s spirit is residing in the Spirit Pendant,” Impa explained as the group began to move onward. “I think Warro contacted her during his pursuit of Gohma with Kuro. You can tell it’s with him, because just look at his pendant.” She pointed to the Triforce-shaped pendant around Warro’s neck, which was now green. “You should be fine as long as a spirit resides in the pendant. It’s like a pact. They protect you in exchange for their residence.”

“Huh?” Warro tilted his head and scratched the back of his neck. This whole thing about the pendant confused him. “If she was protecting me, why was I possessed back in the well?”

“I figure she was caught off guard.” Impa picked up the pace. “Let’s keep moving.” They came to a halt at a wall.

“It’s alright, it’s just an illusion,” Zelda said with a quick look through the Lens. As they walked through the wall, Warro’s eyes widened and turned green as the Spirit Pendant around his neck began to glow.

“The spirits are malevolent,” he said, with a hint of femininity in his voice. “Had I not stepped in, now, this spirit would have possessed him and hurt him.” Zelda gasped, in shock, but then calmed down. Of course, it was not Warro speaking. Even if she had not noticed the eyes, she would have realized that Warro did not know words like malevolent and benevolent.

“Can you see the other spirit?” Impa asked.

“Yes, and he tells me, ‘Find my skull amongst the rest. Fail, then you shall face the abyssal darkness of Hyrule’s bloodstained past.’ That is what he said, and I believe he is referring to the skulls atop those poles over there.” Warro pointed to the center of the room. “I believe this is the only way to continue. I cannot help after this. I am in the domain of another Sage. It will be up to this boy to cope from here on out.” And with that, Warro’s eyes returned to their usual dark red state as his pendant lost its green and turned back to its original, black color.

“Princess, use the lens,” Impa said as she rushed over to Warro. “Keep yourself calm.” Warro breathed heavily, clutching the pendant tightly. “I’m sure you will become stronger, after being in this concentrated spiritual area. Just breathe…breathe, Warro.” Warro found it hard to listen. “I said breathe, damn it!” She slapped him and Warro began to breathe normally. Warro stared at Impa with shock. He was surprised to hear her say words that he would normally hear out of Kuro. When she said those words, he knew that it was best to listen.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “It’s just so scary here.”

“It’s alright, Warro, we all are scared,” Impa said. “Try not to show it, because after all, she may not show it, but the Princess is counting on you to protect her just as well as Link does.”

“I found it!” Zelda said. “The others were all illusions!” Just as she stood next to the pole, the floor beneath them fell.

“We should have never trusted that spirit!” Impa muttered as Warro and Zelda screamed as they fell into the darkness. “I believe you, Princess, but we are just too trusting…” They bounced with the beat of a drum as they landed. “This material…” Impa felt the ground and then suddenly a figure began to form from the darkness. A pair of gigantic hands formed and began to beat on the ground, bouncing everyone, as if it were a drum. As the tempo increased, a one eyed monster formed. “Playing the drums to the end, I see,” Impa muttered. “This time, I will see that you are dealt with, Bongo-Bongo!” Bongo Bongo’s body disappeared, leaving its hands visible as they kept up the beat.

“What is this thing?” Warro said as he took out his weapons. The stress from the spirits had lifted itself mysteriously.

“I do not remember his name, but I recall the town naming him Bongo-Bongo for his obsession with the drums, and how he could see into one’s soul. He was once a Shiekah like me, until he went mad.” Impa withdrew her blade and held it out. “Princess, when I give the signal, use the Lens! Warro, you take care of the left hand; I’ll take care of the right!” She took off, jumping each time the drum was beaten.

“Got it!” Warro called out as he ran by Zelda, before stumbling upon the first beat of Bongo-Bongo. He rolled on the ground as the left hand stopped pounding and reached over him and grabbed Zelda.

“Warro!” she shrieked. Warro’s eyes widened as he saw the hand begin to tighten its grip on the princess. Those feelings from before--fear, anger, and helplessness—they began to well up inside of him again. He had to redeem Zelda’s opinion of him! He had to be like Link and even better! His eyes turned a stunning red as his personality change came over him again.

“Tch, just as useless as always,” he muttered as he lunged forth and stabbed into the back of Bongo-Bongo’s hand. The monster let out a loud cry of pain that made everyone’s ears ring. “Let her go, beast! I’ll twist it, if you don’t!” Bongo-Bongo still persisted to squeeze. “Very well, then.” Warro planted his feet against the back of the hand and began to twist the sword clockwise and the counterclockwise. “How do you like that? Not very fun, huh? Let her go, and it will stop!”

Impa paid not attention to Warro as she leapt off the fingers of Bongo-Bongo’s right hand. She had been narrowly missing capture. While Warro was injuring the back of the hand, Impa aimed to stop the constant drumming by aiming for the palms. Disabling the hands would leave Bongo-Bongo’s main body wide open for the kill. As she back-flipped, she threw a trio of Deku nuts at the hand. Of course it would not do much damage, but it would distract Bongo-Bongo from playing the drum.

“Agh!” Warro was flung back by Bongo-Bongo’s hand. As he landed, his eyes opened up back to their usual color. Warro’s head was spinning and his body hurt all over. He remembered he was fighting Bongo-Bongo’s hand and how Zelda was caught by it. “Princess!” Warro gasped as he got up. The pain got worse and with each step he took, it felt like something stabbed into his side. As he neared Zelda, something grabbed him from behind.

“Warro!” Zelda shrieked in the exact same tone she had before, when she was caught. Warro futilely tried to break free as Bongo-Bongo’s grip on his tightened. He heard his bones beginning to crack, when suddenly,

O’ Holder of the Pendant of Spirits, receive my power! A purple light shined from Warro’s pendant and then darkness surrounded him. Standing before him was an old woman. She had a long nose and her back was hunched over. Her long, bony fingers were wrapped around a crystal ball. “I am the Sage of Shadow, Impa. I sensed your desire to meet me, as well as the presence of my granddaughter. We shall talk more after this battle. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”


“Warro!” Zelda cried out as Warro’s body disappeared into the massive hand’s grip. She looked over to Impa, but as she tried to stand, her legs failed to obey her, sending pain all over her body. They both were broken. She felt the ground beneath her and felt blood. She dared not look what happened, but she did. She lifted up her skirt and…

“Princess!” Impa yelled as she slashed through the palm of Bongo-Bongo’s right hand. She rushed over to the one she and Warro had failed to protect. She looked at Zelda’s legs and covered her mouth. Zelda was far too young to receive such a severe wound. “Warro!” She called into the hand. “Warro!” Impa yelled. She began to despair. She had failed both the Princess and Warro. She was the strongest of everyone, yet she failed to protect them against such a—

“Aw, hush, Impa, dear,” a voice said. A hand came out from the darkness and placed it on her shoulder. Then, standing behind her, wearing a red cloak stood Warro. His eyes were purple and his voice sounded like an elderly person. “We will give the Heart Container to the Princess. It has been a long time, child. I see you have grown up to be a fine, young woman.” Warro pointed his sword at the remaining hand. “Bongo-Bongo, I shall fight you to protect my family, and to serve my duty as a Shiekah: to protect the Royal Family.”

“That’s… the Magic Cloak,” Impa muttered. The Spirit Pendant was amazing. It not only allowed Warro to be a medium, but it allowed him to use artifacts that belong to the spirits.

“Yes, dear,” Warro said, turning around. “Now, hand me the Lens.” Warro put his shield away. Zelda was pale as she weakly tossed the Lens of Truth to Warro. “You all are underestimating this boy. He is attuned to the darkness. In this temple, his power has multiplied.”

“That means…”

“Yes, this boy has the presence of Dark Matter somewhere inside of him.” Warro shut his eyes and put the lens to his eye. It widened and he saw the body of Bongo-Bongo. “Now, let’s finish this.” Warro charged forth, ducking underneath the hand as it attempted to grab him again. Once he neared Bongo-Bongo’s eye, he stabbed his sword into it. “Now, let’s put your power to the test, child.” As she drove Warro’s sword deeper into the eye, Impa’s grandmother made Warro begin to pummel the eye with his fists, before the eye was nothing but jelly at his feet. Picking up the sword and turning around, Bongo Bongo’s body faded into the darkness, leaving behind a Heart Container. Impa carried Zelda over to Warro and handed her to him as he knelt down and touched Zelda’s body to the Container. Zelda’s legs stopped bleeding and the blood she had spilt returned to her body, before the wounds closed. Warro’s eyes returned to normal and he fell forward, dropping Zelda underneath him.

“Warro…” Zelda’s eye twitched.

“Yes?” Warro panted, looking down at her.

“PERVERT!” Warro gasped loudly as Zelda swiftly kicked him in the gut.