#colgera

The dark side is not nearly as interesting as Vio had expected.

“UGH!”

He winces at the loud voice in the hall. He would have expected the Palace of Winds to have thicker walls.

“Damn windbag!”

Vio sighs and puts aside his book, recently salvaged from the Palace library. While he has not yet been permitted to visit Princess Zelda, he’s otherwise been given free reign. Not that it’s gotten him anywhere in terms of investigation. His enemies apparently do not make a habit of leaving a paper trail.

He gets out of bed and walks to the door, opening it just a crack.

“What’s going on?” Vio asks Shadow Link.

The hero’s reflection startles, then quickly redirects his ire. “None of your business, hero.”

For all of Shadow Link’s flattery in the woods, he doesn’t actually seem all that interested in Vio’s company. Vio doesn’t mind.

“Does it have something to do with the others?” Vio asks.

Shadow scoffs. “I wish.”

Well, that’s good news. It means Vio doesn’t have to take an interest. He begins to shut the door but hesitates. It’s been an unproductive week. He needs to learn something or he’ll go insane.

“It’s Vaati,” Shadow complains. “Now that he’s back, he’s trying to gather his old allies. Apparently one of them still needs to be freed.”

Vio raises an eyebrow. “So you run Vaati’s errands?” He’s glad Shadow can’t see his amused expression.

“What,” Shadow says, “did you think my only job was to chase you and your friends around Hyrule?”

“I mean… yes?” Vio opens the door slightly, studying Shadow’s expression. He doesn’t look like he’s lying. “Where are you supposed to go?”

Shadow rolls his eyes. “Some place called the Stormwind Ark.”

“Really? I thought that was a myth.”

“You know something about it,” Shadow says. It’s a statement, not a question.

“I—no. Not much, anyway.”

Shadow’s eyes light up. “You do! You’re the one who reads books!”

Now it’s Vio’s turn to scowl. He tries to shut the door. “You can’t just assume—”

Shadow stops it with his hand. “You know all about the legends of the Zora people—”

“Actually, it’s the Rito—”

“Ha!” Shadow’s claws puncture the wooden door. “Got you. You’re coming with me.”

“No, thank you.”

Shadow opens the door, facing Vio directly. “You said you wanted to help.”

My friends, Vio thinks. And Shadow Link is most definitely not his friend.

“I’ve got your sword already,” Shadow says slowly. Deliberately. “I don’t need to keep you around.”

Vio gulps. Shadow confiscated his sword and his bow the moment he arrived at the Palace of Winds. He’s defenseless and they both knew it.

“Fine,” he says. “I’ll come.”

Shadow grins smugly. “Great. We’ll take the dragon.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He really does have a dragon.

“Purple Link,” says Shadow, “meet Dragon.”

Vio narrows his eyes at the pair of them: Shadow, standing on the edge of the tower’s turret, and a large obsidian beast. Beyond them, the sky is deceptively pleasant.

“Does it have a name?” Vio asks.

Shadow puts his hand on his hip. “Do you, hero?”

“Yes? We chose them as soon as we realized we couldn’t all be called Link.”

“Well unlike you,” Shadow says, “she’s one of a kind.” He puts a hand on the dragon’s head and she leans into his touch.

“My name is Vio,” Vio says, crossing his arms over his chest. “And if you want me to help you, you really ought to be nicer.”

“What, aren’t you proud of being one-fourth of the legendary hero?” Shadow taunts, petting the dragon. Is she purring? “You know, it was your predecessor who trapped Vaati’s asset in the Stormwind Ark.”

“That was a few generations ago,” argues Vio. “He was helping the Rito people subdue a blizzard threatening their region.”

“Clearly didn’t work well enough, since they died out anyway.”

Vio’s jaw drops. “That is incredibly insensitive.”

“It’s ironic.” Shadow seems almost bored by Vio’s outrage.

“I know what irony is, you callous cretin.”

“Also alliteration, apparently.”

Vio is scowling, but Shadow is… smiling?

“You’re messing with me,” Vio realizes. And then the dragon bites his arm. “HEY!” He reaches for the sword on his back until he remembers that it’s been confiscated.

Shadow is laughing harder than any self-respecting creature of darkness should. Vio shakes his arm in the dragon’s vice-grip; its jaw is unrelenting but its teeth simply graze the fabric of his shirt.

Shadow attempts to collect himself. “Aw, Vi, don’t freak out!” (Vi? Nobody’s ever called him that.) “She’s messing with you too.”

Vio examines the dragon’s eyes. She doesn’t look particularly bloodthirsty.

“If she actually wanted to bite off your arm,” Shadow continues, “you’d know it. Look at her tail—that’s play behavior, not aggression.”

Vio does. The dragon’s long tail wags playfully behind it. Vio shakes his arm again and she simply lets go. She looks at Vio with those big eyes and he has a feeling he’s supposed to be doing something. After a few seconds the dragon seems to understand that Vio will not be giving her what she wants, and turns to Shadow instead.

“Ready to fly?” Shadow asks the great beast, petting her head like she’s a cat. She chuffs.

“I didn’t know monsters had play behaviors,” Vio says quietly.

Shadow looks him dead in the eyes when he says, “And I didn’t know heroes had names.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Vio doesn’t know how his hat is staying on his head as they soar through the sky. At least Shadow’s hat seems to have some magical properties, more of a symbiotic entity or additional limb than a piece of fabric. But Vio’s hat, to his knowledge, is completely mundane. Maybe it’s bound to him like his mission to save the princess, an unbreakable tie to the hero from whom he formed.

“Is it difficult to steer, or is she doing all the work?” Vio asks Shadow, who crouches by Dragon’s neck with one hand on the nape. Further down its back, Vio has spent the past twenty minutes pretending to be literally anywhere else.

Dragon huffs at the question. Shadow turns to face Vio, who quickly looks away.

“She’s doing the work,” he explains. “I just give her directions.” Shadow turns back to the skies.

Reluctantly, Vio slides closer. “And what kind of directions will you be expecting from me?” He risks a glance at Shadow’s profile, its soft angles highlighted by the afternoon sun. It’s strange, since they were both made in Link’s image, that Vio has significantly sharper features.

Shadow smirks. “You tell me, bookworm. We’ll be reaching Hebra in a few minutes and then we’ll be flying towards the Ark. What are we up against?”

“I don’t think we’ll have much trouble getting there. Since the hero contained the scourge, there isn’t a storm. Just ascending sky islands and ships leading to the Ark. I believe that the hero had to climb them himself, as the Rito were challenged by the wind and altitude.”

“Skip,” Shadow says. “Dragon can handle anything.”

“I suppose we can bypass the platforming, then,” says Vio, trying not to be disappointed. “Although I’ve read about some fascinating shrines—”

“Boring. What’s the ship like?”

Vio bristles at the swift dismissal, but in the grand scale of Shadow’s antagonism it’s just another drop in the bucket. “Well for one thing,” he says, “it’s massive. A floating battleship. According to historical records and folklore, it was built by another long-gone civilization—the Zonai—to reward the Rito for helping their fallen god. But it was overtaken by a beast, presumably on Vaati’s orders, which created weather so severe that it nearly killed them all. Thankfully, the hero was there to subdue the monster and restore peace to the region. And while the Rito have since died out, their history remains intact.”

Shadow stares at Vio.

“What?” Vio asks, suddenly very uncomfortable with the attention.

“Nothing,” Shadow says. “You have a good memory.”

“I have a curious nature.” Vio looks down at Dragon’s scales. “Speaking of which… what is the plan, when it comes to the other three heroes?”

“I need the four swords,” says Shadow. “I’ve got yours and red Link’s.”

“How?” Vio asks. “Is he okay?” He winces, already regretting his display of concern. But Shadow doesn’t seem to have noticed. And when Vio looks to him for confirmation, he’s shocked to see an entirely different person there.

The kid grins at him. He wears a striped beanie and shirt. But when he speaks, it’s with Shadow’s voice. “I convinced your friend that the sword was never his to begin with and then I framed him for arson. The villagers were angry but I’m pretty sure he got away.”

Something in Vio’s chest loosens. So Shadow isn’t a complete homicidal manic, then; he’s a person with a job, who seems uninterested in causing additional harm. Or at least he isn’t interested in harming Red, who in all fairness would be deeply unpleasant to harm.

“So you can just turn into other people?” Vio asks.

Shadow answers the question in the most direct manner possible: he transforms into Vio. “Sure can!”

Vio flinches. “That’s weird. Don’t do that.”

“What?” Shadow teases. “Not used to seeing your pretty face up close?”

Vio’s ears burn. “My—Shadow Link.” He clears his throat. “Shadow. What exactly are your powers?”

Evidently pleased with Vio’s discomfort, Shadow turns back into himself. “Shapeshifting, obviously. Levitation. Manipulating dark matter.”

“And did Vaati give you those powers?”

Shadow narrows his eyes and Vio immediately regrets asking. He can’t show too much of his hand, especially when it’s just him and this maniac tens of thousands of feet above the ground.

“My powers are sourced from the Dark World,” Shadow tells Vio. “And there’s only so much I can do before I need to recharge.”

Vio tries not to react to this information perceptibly, but internally his mind races.

“So the further you step into the light,” he asks, “the weaker you become?”

Shadow narrows his eyes. “What, are you planning something, Vio?”

“I—no. I’m just curious.” And now it’s time to change the subject. “How are you planning to get the other swords?”

Shadow eyes Vio thoughtfully, as if running a risk analysis in his head. Although if that’s something Shadow actually knows how to do, Vio is pretty sure he wouldn’t have recruited his enemy in the first place.

“Trickery worked the first time,” Shadow says. “Next, I want to see if I can get two-in-one. Make the blue and red heroes think their ally is in danger and then set a monster lose on them.”

“Their ally?” Vio asks. “Do you mean me?”

“I have your sword.”

“It won’t work. Green’s the leader, try him instead.” Vio isn’t sure why he says it so quickly, but he knows it to be true. The others would not care nearly as much about saving him as they would about Green. But—stupid Vio—he shouldn’t tell Shadow that.

If Shadow is at all intrigued by the interpersonal implications of Vio’s comment, he doesn’t show it. “Yeah, well, I don’t have Green’s sword.”

Vio raises an eyebrow. “You can channel eldritch magic from the Dark World, but you can’t construct a fake sword?”

This actually seems to get a rise out of Shadow. Vio would be lying if he said he wasn’t pleased.

“Whatever I end up doing,” Shadow says stiffly, “you won’t be around to see it. You’ll be useful for this errand, but you’re crazy if you think I’d trust you around such a high-stakes mission.”

That is news to Vio. “You asked me to help,” he says, and he’s annoyed by how disappointed he sounds. When he joined Shadow in the forest he understood to some degree that his sword was the real point of interest, but he’d hoped that being around Shadow would mean reducing the harm done to the others. And ultimately, of course, defeating Shadow and his masters from within their operation.

Less heroically, Vio can also admit his own boredom. He’s not sure if he can tolerate another week of just sitting around and waiting for things to happen.

“Don’t pout,” Shadow tells Vio. “At least I offered you a choice. And who knows? If you behave, maybe we’ll even find you a place in our new Hyrule. Definitely a better reward than disappearing as soon as you’ve outlived your usefulness.”

It’s like a slap to the face. But confusingly, Shadow isn’t the reason why it hurts—he’s just the messenger.

They ride in silence towards the distant sky islands. From this angle, Vio can clearly see how the silhouette blocks create a direct upward path. He looks even higher, shielding his eyes from the sun, and can just make out the looming battleship above.

“It’s getting cold,” Shadow says quietly. “Dragon doesn’t like it.”

While the sky looks beautiful, there is a noticeable chill in the air. Vio suppresses a shiver. “How can you tell?”

“That it’s cold?”

Vio rolls his eyes. “That Dragon doesn’t like it.”

“Her tail,” Shadow says, pointing behind them both. “Look. Completely straight.”

It’s surprising, to Vio, that Shadow cares so much about this monster. Not only because he’s kind to Dragon, but also because he seems to pay attention to it. A small part of Vio wonders what it would be like for someone to show him that degree of care.

As if encouraged by the attention, Dragon soars closer to the ascending platforms. They look man-made, stone blocks covered with weathered old paint. Despite the lack of precipitation, small piles of snow litter the edges. They float above an odd-looking rock structure with a turquoise-illuminated doorway—a Zonai shrine.

“Look,” Shadow says, pointing upwards. “Bet that would be fun to jump through.”

One of the nearby platforms has a large hole in the center, which appears to have been filled with a purplish disc of ice.

“I guess,” Vio says.

“And the sails, for bouncing.”

Even higher, small boats circle beneath the looming battleship. Their sails resemble trampolines.

“Would be a short-lived fun,” Vio says, “without a way to break the fall.” Shadow seems deflated by the response. Vio holds back a smirk. “And I hate to break this to you”—he really doesn’t—“but I don’t think it’s going to be as simple as touching down and freeing the monster. The Zonai had incredible workmanship and often crafted structures with intricate puzzles. If they, the Rito, and the hero all wanted the scourge trapped, I doubt they just installed a big glowing button and called it a day.”

“You almost sound excited,” Shadow says.

“By puzzles?” Vio didn’t realize that. “I guess I am. The others weren’t exactly patient when we came across them. Though I can’t imagine you’re much better.”

Shadow is completely casual when he responds, “I was patient enough to wait for your party to implode and then pick you off one-by-one.”

Vio’s eyes widen. Then he glares. “You tried to kill us with a rock. I wouldn’t call that a sophisticated solution.”

“The rock was named Arrghus,” Shadow says. “And it was my friend.”

“The rock was your friend?”

Maybe it came out meaner than Vio intended. Although why shouldn’t he be mean? Shadow is his enemy. They are using each other. Shadow certainly isn’t nice to him.

“As if you can judge,” Shadow mutters. “You betrayed your friends, remember?”

“At least I had friends to begin with.”

He doesn’t know why he said it. Maybe he wants to prove he can bite back. Maybe Shadow’s circumstances remind him of his own. Maybe he just doesn’t want to admit that he killed something with a name.

Shadow glares daggers at him, but surprisingly does not respond.

“Whatever,” Vio mutters. “It’s cold.”

Dragon huffs in agreement. She accelerates, reaching the apex of the circling boats and overshooting the Stormwind Ark itself. It’s breathtaking from above. There are multiple tiers and hand-crafted structures, with a style that feels both Rito and Zonai. It’s shaped almost like a bird, with a head on the mast and large sculpted wings. On both sides, feather-like oars tread the air.

“There it is,” Shadow says sharply. “Dive.”

Vio shouts as Dragon begins her descent. Without an alternative, he’s forced to to grab onto Shadow’s sleeve.

They land safely on the main deck of the ship. Shadow hops off Dragon’s back unfazed, but Vio can barely stand.

“Was the crash-landing really necessary?” he asks, although he knows damn well that he provoked it. Shadow just shrugs.

Vio shakes his head and looks around the deck. This ship is, indeed, abandoned.

“We must be the first people to visit in centuries,” Vio says.

“Look,” replies Shadow, pointing a little further down the deck. “A big glowing button.”

Vio follows his finger to a stone sculpture of an ouroboros—a serpent eating its own tail. An intricate turquoise diagram of a hand illuminates the center. Beyond the sculpture, a massive updraft of wind comes from a massive grate. Surrounding the grate are five raised gears.

Shadow approaches the button and presses his hand against it. The grate creaks—it’s trying to open, but something is keeping it shut.

Vio stands beside Shadow. He looks down at the grate and makes out the movement of something underneath.

“Colgera,” Vio says. “Scourge of the Stormwind Ark.” He knows its name, but nothing about its appearance. Based on the size of its prison, it must be gigantic.

As if hearing its own name, Colgera roars. A burst of cold air erupts from the grate.

“You’re sure it’s safe to release?” Vio asks Shadow.

“For me? Obviously,” says Shadow. “For Hyrule? No, but that’s kind of the point.”

Vio was right to be mean. Shadow doesn’t care for anyone but himself. “Kind of?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

“What Vaati chooses to do with his pets is his business. I’m just here to destroy the heroes and snuff out the light.”

Well, then. At least he’s not trying to hide it.

“Quite a pet,” is all that Vio says.

Shadow smirks. “Yeah, well, we can’t all have dragons.” He clasps his hands together. “So how do we open this thing?”

“I think they’re part of a locking mechanism,” Vio explains, motioning to the five raised gears. “Based on what I know of Zonai engineering, each lock should correspond to a terminal we need to activate. And the terminals must be placed around the ship, sort of like a Divine Beast.”

Shadow tilts his head. “What’s that?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Vio tells him. “Now, where should we start?”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The first lock is not far. Vio and Shadow find an on-deck area with two parallel chambers, both closed off by lattice grates.

“If they were bars, I could shapeshift and slide through,” says Shadow. Vio tunes him out, already heading for the lever in front of the left chamber.

“No need,” he says, pulling it with both hands. It takes some strength, but the grate slides open. Vio steps inside but only finds an empty turquoise treasure chest.

It startles Vio to find something that the hero had once touched. Not Link, who’d only started his serious training a few years ago, but one who came before him.

“Anything good?” Shadow asks in Vio’s ear. Vio literally jumps, turning around to face the demon.

“No,” he says, trying and failing to salvage his pride. “Looks like someone beat us to it.”

Shadow looks at the chest thoughtfully. “So the hero climbed up to the Ark, stole its treasure, and imprisoned its patron beast. When you put it like that, he actually sounds pretty cool.”

“Patron?” Vio asks. “Scourge.”

“Not sure there’s much of a difference.”

Vio doesn’t even know how to respond to that, so he doesn’t. He heads over to the other chamber and sighs. It has a lever too, but the lever appears to be broken. The fulcrum is intact but it’s missing something to grip.

Vio looks around for something of use—ideally, the missing piece—but only sees a couple of fallen icicles. He picks one up and weighs it in his hands. It’s roughly the size of a sword.

“Lever’s busted,” Shadow informs Vio.

“Obviously,” says Vio. “I was thinking I could use this to pull it, but I’m not really sure how to attach—”

“That’s easy,” Shadow interrupts, plucking the icicle from Vio’s hands. “Leave it to me.”

Before Vio can even protest, Shadow summons a mass of matter out of thin air. It’s a purplish substance with glowing red veins. Shadow binds it to the icicle like glue, then uses it to attach the icicle to the fulcrum.

“Gloom,” Vio says.

Shadow nods, though his expression is surprised. “You know what it is?”

“I read about it.”

Now Shadow looks amused. “You’ve been reading about dark magic, Vio?”

He rubs the back of his neck, avoiding Shadow’s examination. “I mean, yeah. I’ll read anything.” In all honesty he’d chosen the book about dark magic from a pile of books about far less controversial subject matter, but Shadow doesn’t need to know that.

“A-ha!” Shadow exclaims as the grate slides open. Vio follows him inside the chamber, where they’re faced with a turquoise-accented fan apparatus.

“Looks like we need to blow air into it,” says Vio. “Got any magic powers for that?”

“Wind is Vaati’s domain,” Shadow replies. “Which I guess is why he gave me this.” He reaches into his pocket and takes out a thin wooden whistle. The Rito craftmanship is unmistakable. Without further fanfare, Shadow blows it in the direction of the fan. Despite its diminutive size, it releases a powerful gust of wind that turns the fan. It turns bright turquoise and something clicks nearby.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They find the next terminal within the ship’s interior, protected by another Zonai puzzle. This one uses the same principle—attaching something to something else—but involves more complexity than the last.

“It looks like a propeller,” Vio says of the mechanism. “But it’s missing a paddle.” He frowns. “Is that what you call it? A paddle? A blade?”

“I know what you mean,” Shadow tells him.

“Yeah,” Vio says, “but I want to get it right.”

Shadow studies him once again. Vio scowls. “What?”

“Nothing,” says Shadow. “What do you think we’re meant to use instead?”

Vio looks over the surrounding area. The interior of the Ark is in a state of disrepair, with large stone plates that have chipped off the walls now resting in dark corners.

Shadow follows his gaze. “Good idea. I can take it from here.” He uses telekinesis to lift a plate, coats its edge in gloom, and affixes it to the propeller. “Your turn.”

Vio doesn’t realize he’s being asked at first. But Shadow is offering the flute in his direction.

“I’m all right,” he says. “You can do it.”

“Works for me.” Shadow puts the flute to his lips and blows. The propeller catches the wind and the grate slides open.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“It’s interesting,” Vio says at the next lock, “how the Zonai designed these puzzles to build on our prior experience.”

Shadow tilts his head. “What do you mean?”

“Well, look.” Vio points at the system of turning gears. “You can see that a cylindrical piece connects those two, carrying the momentum towards the gate mechanism. But there’s another cylinder missing in the circuit, similar to the propeller. We have to add something in its place. And what did we add in the past, when something cylindrical was missing?”

Shadow’s eyes land on a nearby icicle. “You’re right.”

Vio grins, putting his hands on his hips. “Of course I am. It’s why you brought me, isn’t it?”

“Okay, don’t get too cocky,” says Shadow, attaching the icicle to the gear. “I feel like a child could solve some of these puzzles.”

“You didn’t figure it out,” Vio says, although he doesn’t actually feel insulted.

“Never said I was smarter than a child,” Shadow replies as the gate slides open. “That’s why I have you.”

He offers Vio the flute and this time he takes it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The penultimate lock is trickier than the previous. Not because of a puzzle but because of its location. After searching the ship’s interior three times over, Vio and Shadow accept that the final two terminals must be found above or below the structure itself, currently out of their reach.

“We can survey the area with Dragon,” Vio tells Shadow, “if you think she’s in flying shape.”

Dragon huff indignantly, not having moved from her spot on the deck.

“Up or down first?” Shadow asks, climbing onto her back and offering Vio a hand. For a second Vio wonders if something would happen, cosmically, if he took his own shadow’s hand—apparently, nothing does. Shadow actually hoists him up, ignoring the opportunity to fake him out and watch him fall.

“Down,” says Vio. Shadow nods and grips Dragon’s neck.

“Up,” Shadow commands. Dragon rises. Shadow steers her over the deck’s edge and then says, “Dive.”

It’s still not a pleasant sensation. Vio doesn’t know how Link felt about falling from large heights, but he’s decided that it’s personally not for him. But Shadow’s presence does bring him some comfort. He might not trust Shadow to do much, but keeping them both alive while they’re on the same steed feels like a reasonable expectation.

Although Shadow can just levitate, Vio supposes, if anything goes wrong.

That is less reassuring.

“Look!” Shadow shouts, pointing towards the bottom of the ship. They see a small chamber there, its fan not even guarded by a grate.

They touch down and Shadow blows the flute.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The final terminal is much trickier. After circling the ship on Dragon for fifteen more minutes, Vio alerts Shadow to an apparent hatch on the top of of the boat, a few levels above the deck. They land beside the two large trapdoors and Shadow uses his power to pull them open, revealing a long vertical chute.

Vio notices that Shadow’s face is now illuminated by red light. He walks to the edge to find a grid of red lasers complicating an otherwise straightforward descent. He has no idea what would happen if someone touched one of the lasers, but he doubts that it would be good.

“I read a book with something like this once,” Vio says, referring to a spy novel he ‘borrowed’ from an inn where the four had stayed. “The guy had to weave between the lasers. But that was horizontal, and this…”

“It’s like a dive,” Shadow finishes the thought. “Cool.”

Vio is more than happy to let Shadow do it. He’s recently discovered that he does not enjoy diving; and besides, only Shadow has magic to break a fall. Maybe if Vio had a parachute or something he’d consider it, because it does indeed seem very cool, but…

“Don’t worry,” Shadow says, preparing to jump down the chute. “I’ve got this.”

“Wasn’t worried,” Vio replies.

Shadow’s lips curl. “Was that a compliment, Vio?”

Something weird happens in Vio’s chest. “I—no. But it’d be hard to screw up when gravity’s not an issue.”

“Fair enough,” Shadow says. He gives Vio a cheeky wave and then jumps.

Vio peers over the edge and watches Shadow’s dive, impressed by his ability to evade the lasers. Towards the bottom he clearly cheats with his powers, but then he climbs into a chamber and out of sight. Seconds later, Vio hears the flute and the grate creaking open.

“Nice!” Vio shouts downwards, his voice echoing through the chute. Shadow’s hand pops back out, gives him a thumbs-up, then disappears again.

Vio laughs. He genuinely laughs. He can count on one hand the amount of times he’s done that.

“There’s an exit down here!” Shadow calls up to Vio. “Take Dragon and meet me on the deck.”

Vio looks over his shoulder and frowns. “Will she let me fly her?”

“Only one way to find out!”

Vio shakes his head but does as asked, climbing awkwardly onto Dragon and gripping her neck in the same manner he’d seen from Shadow. “Hello,” he says as her wings begin to unfurl. “We’re going to take this nice and easy, okay?”

Dragon huffs.

“No diving,” Vio continues. “Just a gentle, smooth—AH!”

At least it’s a shorter dive this time. There’s still an unpleasant feeling in Vio’s stomach, but it’s a familiar unpleasantness. Shadow stands at the big glowing button and waves as Dragon touches down.

“Locks are all set,” Shadow says, motioning to the cylinders. “Only one thing left to do.”

Vio waits for him to press the holographic hand, but Shadow steps aside. “Want to do the honors?’

The words leave Vio’s mouth before he can stop them: “Why are you being nice to me?”

“What?”

Shadow looks genuinely surprised by the question. He must be a better liar than Vio.

“Forget it,” Vio mutters, and then steps up to the button. Colgera roars at his approach. Vio winces.

“And you’re sure we should be letting this thing out?” he asks. “It sounds pretty angry.”

“Why would it be angry with the people who freed it?” Shadow replies.

“I don’t know, I just—”

Apparently out of patience, Shadow activates the terminal himself.

Pieces of the grate creak open, unhindered by the locking mechanism. This releases an even stronger upward gust of air, roaring louder than either Vio or Shadow can yell. And then it emerges: Colgera, scourge of the Stormwind Ark. Its emergence produces winds that throw back Shadow, Vio, and Dragon, sending them all flying towards the nearby structures.

This, now, is a proper storm. It reminds Vio of a supercell, a unique structure that produces lightning, hail, and tornadic winds.

Colgera itself is the centerpiece of the chaos. It is truly massive, closer in size to the Ark itself than to Dragon, and appears to be made from brittle ice. It has an angular face with five yellow eyes, sharp mandibles, and even sharper teeth. Its body reminds Vio of an insect, wit three circular segments connected by an icy exoskeleton, and long mantis-like limbs that help it soar through the air.

It is terrifying and it is breathtaking. And as it roars down at his saviors with the fury of a beast that’s been trapped for generations, Vio understands that this was never going to be as easy as pressing a button.

“You said it wouldn’t be mad at us!” he shouts over the roaring winds.

“I said it wouldn’t be mad at me!” Shadow replies.

Vio stumbles as he tries to stand. Colgera floats above them menacingly, releasing another battle cry. Why would it turn aggressive at the sight of its captors? Is it just stupid, or—

“It’s my fault,” Vio realizes. “It must think I’m the hero.”

Shadow throws his arms around Dragon’s flailing neck. “Vio, she’s freaking out! What do we do?”

Vio stands up and assesses his surroundings: they’ve been pushed towards the two chambers, one containing an empty treasure chest and the other containing a fan. There are still several icicles on the ground at his feet, kept solid by the low temperature. He picks one up and sighs—it’s not a sword or a bow, but still better than nothing.

High in the sky, Colgera continues to stare down at Vio, Shadow, and Dragon. It’s almost as if the monster is waiting for their move. Its yellow eyes pierce through the silvery wind and thick snow that’s started to fall.

“We’re going to need her help,” Vio tells Shadow, who seems to have calmed Dragon down at least a little bit. Neither Dragon nor Shadow seems pleased with this suggestion. Vio scowls at the latter. “Unless you want to transform into something that can fly us out of here?”

Annoyed, Shadow shuts his eyes in concentration. After a few seconds he groans. “Damn it. I used up my magic with the puzzles.”

Vio expects to feel the urge to mock Shadow for his short-sightedness, but in this moment he simply doesn’t. “Then we’ve got no choice,” he says instead. “If this thing wants to see a hero, I’ll show it a hero.” He climbs onto Dragon’s back and offers Shadow a hand. “Come on. I need you to steer.”

His eyes wide, Shadow takes it. He assumes his position at the helm, so to speak, and issues his first command:

“Dragon. Up.”

Reluctantly, she does as asked. Fighting wind and precipitation, Dragon ascends above the Ark as Colgera watches in eerie silence. It’s only when Dragon reaches her position over the beast that it roars and comes back to life. It begins to fly around the area, slow but powerful, slashing like a blade through the cold air. And then it stops again, positioning a circular segment of its body right beneath Dragon, and shakes. The thick ice encrusting the circle begins to crack, releasing large icicles upwards towards the beast’s prey. This shedding reveals a thin purplish layer of smooth ice underneath.

“Careful!” Vio warns Shadow, who actually does a pretty good job steering Dragon between the ascending icicles. They just barely manage to evade the projectiles when Colgera roars and moves again. This time, its roar creates a large spherical portal in front of it. Colgera flies into the portal and disappears.

Shadow sits back, exhaling loudly. “Is that it?”

Vio narrows his eyes at the portal, which Colgera had created directly beneath the place where Dragon treads air. “I don’t think so.”

“Then what is—”

“GO!” Vio shouts, just in time. Colgera emerges from the portal, mandibles-first, launching itself upwards to swallow Dragon and its passengers whole.

Shadow doesn’t even need to tell Dragon to move. She outspeeds Colgera and avoids the attack. Unable to cancel its own momentum, Colgera continues to snake upwards, treating its prey to the sight of its underside: three vulnerable circles, unarmored by thick ice.

But that’s not helpful at all. What Vio really needs vulnerable is Colgera’s head. If he can just get to its eyes, he can take it down just like every other monster he’s encountered. It’s a standard rule that most things struggle to kill you when you’ve stabbed out their corneas.

Colgera is doing something new. Having passed Dragon mid-air, it does a sort of upside-down U-turn, turning and propelling itself downward. Shadow doesn’t need to be told to steer Dragon aside; but even with his quick reflexes, their luck runs out. As Colgera dives, Dragon’s wing scrapes against one of the circular segments. But this doesn’t hurt Dragon at all—instead, it hurts Colgera. It releases a loud roar as the icy disk cracks in a snowflake-like pattern.

“Did you see that?” Shadow asks Vio.

Vio nods. “Hold on. Watch what it does next.”

Colgera returns to its original position beneath Dragon, flying horizontally once againt. It lines itself up and releases the icicles from its frontmost segment.

As Shadow helps Dragon avoid the projectiles, Vio yearns for his bow. It would be so easy to shoot the vulnerable purple ice beneath the armor, shattering it completely. But he only has a single icicle, and he’s determined to hold onto it so he can land a killing blow.

“Do you have anything you can throw?” Vio asks Shadow, looking him over for any sword or javelin he previously hadn’t noticed.

Shadow shakes his head, but for some reason he’s… grinning?

“I don’t think we need it,” he tells Vio. He leans down towards Dragon’s face and whispers something. She nods.

Vio doesn’t like being out of the loop. “What?”

In response, Shadow dives off of Dragon.

“SHA—”

But Vio quickly gets it. Shadow straightens his body like a missile and smashes right through the vulnerable ice. Dragon flies faster than she ever has, shooting downwards to catch Shadow mid-air. Vio shields his head from falling crystals as Colgera howls above them. Shadow, meanwhile, laughs hysterically.

“How did you know that would work?” Vio asks, trying to steady Shadow by grabbing his shoulders. But he understands completely. He’s honestly surprised he hadn’t figured it out first. Humbled, even.

“You’ve gotta try it,” Shadow says, putting a hand over Vio’s. His eyes literally sparkle with adrenaline. “It’s so fun, you’ll—AH!”

Vio and Shadow briefly embrace as Dragon speeds through the air, avoiding Colgera’s upward bite attack. So this is the loop: shed icicles from beneath, disappear, attack upwards, and repeat.

“I’m serious,” Shadow says as Colgera shakes again. The icicles on its middle segment begin to detach. “You’re gonna love this.”

Vio shakes his head. “I don’t like falling.”

“You’re not falling,” Shadow argues, “you’re diving!”

“No, thank you.”

“But why not? It feels amazing!”

Vio turns to him, frustrated. “Why do you care how I feel?”

Shadow’s eyes widen. “I—I don’t.” He looks over Vio’s shoulder and then back into his eyes. “See?”

Vio tries to ask what in Hylia’s name Shadow is talking about, but he’s cut off by a firm push off Dragon’s back. And then he’s falling, really falling, twisting and turning in the cold air—

It makes sense. It makes perfect sense. Vio has already helped Shadow free Colgera. Shadow has Vio’s sword. He had never intended to let Vio help with the others. He doesn’t need Vio anymore, so of course he’d take the opportunity to eliminate him. And can Vio even blame him, when he’d do the very same?

Maybe this is for the best. The others can probably save Zelda without him. They’ll steal back Vio’s sword from Shadow and Green will dual-wield. They’ll banish the darkness and return to the sanctuary and end up just as dead as Vio is about to be.

Will his mangled corpse disappear along with them?

Vio tries to makes peace with it. He shuts his eyes and allows the wind to take him. But… he isn’t sure if he wants to lose this feeling. He’s been set adrift, but he’s also free. Vio is falling to his death and it’s the first time he’s truly felt alive.

SMASH!

Vio breaks through the ice and lands on Dragon’s back. Alive.

“—told you, it’s amazing, right?”

Shadow is pulling at him, helping him to stand. He wears a smile, but it turns to a frown when he sees Vio’s expression. “Is everything okay?”

Vio narrows his eyes. “You pushed me off the dragon.”

“I know, but—”

“You pushed me off the dragon.”

Shadow appears genuinely surprised by Vio’s response. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I just thought you could use some help.”

Vio tries to access his anger but it just isn’t there. Reluctantly he admits, “It was pretty amazing.”

Shadow beams again. “I knew you’d think so! Do you want to go again?”

In the time it’s taken Vio to recover, the cycle has repeated. They hover above the final segment.

“Are you sure you don’t want to do it?” Vio asks Shadow.

Shadow smiles mischievously. “Don’t make me push you again.”

Vio doesn’t need to be told twice. He jumps off Dragon’s back and dives into Colgera’s final segment. This time, it doesn’t feel as if he’s fighting Colgera. It’s more like they’re flying together. Entwined in an aerial dance that culminates in the shattering of ice.

Once again, Dragon and Shadow break Vio’s fall.

“Is that it?” Vio asks, panting with adrenaline. “Are we done?”

He watches Colgera create another portal and disappear into it. Seconds later, it emerges with newly-formed icy segments.

“Second phase,” Vio says under his breath.

“Second phase,” Shadow agrees.

But this time, Colgera does something different. It roars at Vio and Shadow, creating several tornadoes in the open air. Dragon can barely react before she’s hit head-on. Vio is thrown off her back and caught up in the tornado, which flings him directly in Colgera’s direction. Time seems to slow as he collides with the beast’s head. He lands right above the eyes, stabilizing himself with one hand.

In the distance, he sees the silhouette of Shadow Link hurtling downwards. Without his powers and Dragon, he has nothing to break his fall.

Well, there’s that problem solved.

Vio positions the icicle above one of Colgera’s eyes, preparing to plunge it downwards. It doesn’t wince or blink in anticipation; the eyes remain wide-open, staring him down. If Vio didn’t know any better, he’d almost think they were curious.

Its long body shakes, but that won’t get Vio off its head. In fact, the shaking only serves to expose its vulnerabilities. So why…?

“Look at her tail—that’s play behavior, not aggression.”

Shadow’s voice echoes through Vio’s mind. And suddenly everything makes sense.

“You don’t think I’m the hero at all, do you?” Vio asks Colgera. “You just want to play.”

The mighty beast roars. And after centuries of isolation and confinement, Vio can hardly blame it. And Shadow—

Vio can just make out Shadow’s silhouette before he falls through the cloud barrier surrounding the Ark. The last thing he sees is the tail of a long, crooked black hat.

“Okay, then,” Vio tells Colgera. He grips the brittle ridge of its forehead and bears down. “Let’s play.” Before he can come to his senses, Vio issues his command: “Dive.”

Colgera does. Vio screams as it torpedoes downward, its thin shape allowing it to pick up unbelievable speed and momentum. The monster easily catches up with Shadow, grabbing him by the middle with an outstretched mandible.

Vio sighs with relief as Colgera tosses Shadow upwards, his body ragdolling right behind him. Vio nudges Shadow’s shoulder, but it seems that he’s unconscious. Colgera must have literally knocked the wind out of him.

“Thank you,” Vio tells the scourge of the Stormwind Ark. “I’m glad you’re free.”

The truthfulness of his words surprise him. This monster is an ally of his enemy, capable of threatening an entire region—but he just can’t bring himself to hate it. The idea of imprisoning it again after Shadow’s defeat is unfathomable now. Surely Vio can convince the others that Colgera deserves better. And he can only hope that once he is gone, Link and Zelda will honor his vow of protection.

Colgera makes an odd rumbling noise, like an iceberg splitting and falling into the sea. Then it flies Vio and Shadow back to the deck of the Stormwind Ark, angling its head a few feet above the ground and sliding them off. Dragon waits there, defensively unfolding her wing in front of Shadow. Vio pats her and shakes his head.

“It’s okay,” he says. “It doesn’t want to hurt us.”

Dragon huffs.

Colgera does not overstay its welcome. After one last look at Vio, it nods and ascends. It roars, creates a portal, and disappears. Vio knows it will not return.

“Ugh… Vio?”

Shadow stirs on the deck. Vio looks down at him, shocked by his own actions.

“I’m here,” he hears himself say. “You’re all right.”

He has no idea why Shadow appears to take comfort in this. A small smile spreads onto his face, though his eyes remain closed. His hat, which moves with a mind of its own, wags slowly.

Shadow’s eyes open and Vio can’t look away. Vio has tried to avoid Shadow’s gaze since joining the dark side, anticipating the uncanniness of staring down his own mirror image. It’s a feeling he’s had every time he’s looked at Red, Blue, and Green. But Shadow’s eyes are different—dark red and slightly glowing, searching Vio’s with equal attention.

It feels, in this moment, as if Shadow actually sees Vio.

Vio looks back.

“It was just playing,” Vio informs Shadow.

Shadow mulls it over, then shrugs weakly. “That was pretty fun.”

Vio laughs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sun sets as Dragon flies Vio and Shadow home. In a cold region like Hebra, the warm oranges of the sky combine with rich purples, creating an iridescence that colors the snowy mountains beneath.

“Hey,” Vio says. “Shadow?”

Shadow turns his head, taking a break from steering. “What?”

Vio speaks before he can reconsider. “About your plan, with Red and Blue. It sounds like a lot to manage at once: disguising yourself and directing the monsters. What if something goes wrong like it did with Colgera? What if you use up all your magic shapeshifting?”

Shadow narrows his eyes suspiciously. “So you’re saying I should politely ask your friends to hand over their swords instead?”

“No,” Vio replies. He shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he opens them, he’s looking right into Shadow’s. “What I’m saying is… I could do it.”

This clearly takes Shadow by surprise. “What?”

“I could play me,” Vio clarifies. “So you can manage things behind the scenes.”

Shadow scowls. “How stupid do you think I am? It’s one thing to bring you along for an errand, but this is a serious mission. You could ruin everything.” More quietly, he adds, “You have every reason to ruin everything.”

Shadow looks so sad when he says it—when he admits the very real possibility that Vio is lying to him, using him, and planning to betray him. When he correctly identifies the truth.

But what is Vio supposed to say? “Fair enough, I obviously want to protect my friends and Hyrule?” Shadow might not hate Vio as much as he once assumed, but surely that admission would still get him thrown off Dragon.

“I’m actually a pretty good actor,” Vio says instead. It’s not a lie. “And if I wanted to eliminate you, I would have just let you fall to your death.”

Shadow isn’t stupid—Vio understands that now. But he is lonely and bored. People make uncharacteristic decisions where they’re lonely and bored. Like a monster playing with its captor, or a predator recruiting its prey.

Or a hero saving his shadow.

“Fine,” Shadow says. “I’ll let you help.”

Vio tries not to look too relieved. “Thank—”

“But if I see anything even resembling heroism from you, I will lock you up just like Zelda.”

It is, noticeably, not a death threat.

“Understood,” Vio says.

“And,” Shadow smirks, “I wouldn’t have died, even if you had let me fall. Not for long anyway.”

Vio searches his eyes. Was that a joke? Surely it was a joke.

Shadow bursts out laughing. “You should see your face right now!”

“I mean,” Vio says, “I kind of do.”

But not really. Vio and Shadow have a similar face, but Vio doesn’t smile like Shadow. Doesn’t laugh like Shadow. It’s just not in his character.