Hyrule-Bound Ch. 6 - A Dark Omen Brewing
âCome on, Sean. Youâre gonna get left behind! Weâre gonna get nice beds at the stable without yooouuuuu.â The bright-eyed blonde teen ran ahead of his parents and younger brother.
The small boy dragged his feet as he walked behind his parents. âIâm tired of walking! How come we couldnât just ask Miss Paya to use the Sheikah Slate?â
âBecause, Sean, we arenât going to waste the Slateâs power on something so dumb.â The short, brown-haired man in front of Sean shook his head, before hissing in pain when the woman beside him whacked her hand against his arm.
âOne: The Sheikah Slate has unlimited power, Seamus. Two: Itâs not dumb at all, this trip actually could have warranted us going to Impa. But I decided weâd take the trip ourselves. Weâre almost to a stable, weâll get some horses to help us along. We still have about a week till the ceremony.â The womanâs white hair curled around her head like a halo, as she stepped back to pick up Sean. âCome on, honey, itâs not much farther.â
âOh come on, donât spoil the boy, Ahava. He can walk just fine.â Seamus scoffs, giving his wife an exasperated look.
âHeâs 6 years old, Seamus. And just for that, you get to walk while we use the horses.â She gives him a smug smile, flipping her hair as she walks ahead beside her elder son.
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âWhy hello, there! How are you all doinâ? Ahava, itâs so good to see you!â Bright, emerald green eyes sparkled at the new arrivals. Ahava smiled, going to embrace the tall Gerudo woman.
âHey there, Miss Chief. Youâre just bout ready to pop arenât you? Got any names picked out yet?â Ahava presses her ear to the womanâs swollen stomach.
âI was thinking Zakiya.â
âOh, thatâs a wonderful name, Jamie.â Ahava leans to pick up Sean, and waves her other son over. âLink turned 10 last week, so we brought him here for the ceremony.â She runs her hand through his hair, ruffling it.
âOh, I see. Hello, Link, youâve grown quite a bit since I last saw you. And as have you, Sean!!â Jamie takes Sean from Ahavaâs arms, bouncing him in the air, earning an excited giggle from the small child. âWell, come on. Got about an hour, we can get Seamus his room all set up at the Bazaar.â
âYou know, I donât really understand why I have to go to that damn Bazaar, but my boys can go in town.â Seamus huffs.
âWell, only voes under 18 years of age may enter Gerudo Town. And that attitude of yours is precisely why we donât let adult voes into Town.â Jamie smiles sweetly, a knowing grin on her face.
Seamus blows a raspberry at her, shrugging. âFair enough. Lead the way, Miss Chief.â
âMAMA!!! LOOK! I DID IT!!â
âCome on, Sean! Letâs have a sword fight!â
âItâs a boy?! But I thoughtâŚâ
âI know...Itâs...a little worrying, given all the legends. But...I donât care about all that. Heâs still my son, that isnât going to change. No matter what happens.â
âDo you have a name for him?â
âLucasari. Itâs a very old Gerudo name. Legend has it, it was the name of the last Gerudo male, the one who fought in the First Calamity.â
âItâs a wonderful name, Jamie.â
âQueen Hilda! Welcome! Itâs been a while since youâve come here to Kakariko.â
âHello, Impa. Is my daughter here? I know she likes to come here when she runs off.â
âNo, Iâm sorry. She isnât around here. She might be in Gerudo Town with Jamie?â
âI see. Thank you, anyways, Miss Impa.â
âNo problem, Queen HildaâŚâŚ.You two can come out now.â
âThank you, Miss Paya.â
âOf course, Zelda. But Sean, you have to keep an eye on her. She needs to get back to Hyrule Castle by tonight so her mother doesnât become suspicious.â
âYes, Miss Paya. Come on, Zelds!!â
âARE YOU KIDDING ME, SEAN?! Weâve been looking all over for the Princess and it turns out that YOU are the one whoâs been helping her sneak out?!â
âWELL MAYBE IF YOU WERENâT SUCH A SHITTY KNIGHT YOU WOULD HAVE FIGURED IT OUT BY NOW! ARENâT YOU SUPPOSED TO KEEP AN EYE ON HER AT ALL TIMES?! ISNâT THAT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE THE PRINCESSâS CHOSEN KNIGHT?!â
âL...l...Link? Ar...are youâŚ.Help...h..HELP!!â
âWe...w...we were arguing...AndâŚ.a...and...we fell off the edge of the walkway.â
âWhat the hell could you two have been arguing about, Sean?â
âI...Iâm the one wâŚ.wh...whoâs been helping ZzzzzâŚ.â
âTake your time, dear.â
âIâve beenâŚ.helping Zelda sneak out...Q...Queen Hilda.â
âYes, Sean. Iâve always known. Thatâs why Iâve never been very inclined to go after her when she runs off. Because I knew sheâd be fine with you, you wouldnât let her get hurt.â
âItâs not your fault, Sean.â
âHEâS THE DAMN REASON OUR SON IS GONE, AHAVA!!â
âHE IS OUR SON TOO! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, SEAMUS!â
âDo you see the way everyone looks at us? With that damn pity in their eyes?â
âBecause our child just died, Seamus. What the fuck do you expect from people who have a sense of fucking empathy?â
âThey are looking at us like we are WEAK!â
âTHEY ARE LOOKING AT US LIKE WE JUST LOST A FUCKING CHILD!â
âHey there. Nameâs Sani. You looking for a job?â
âUh...yeah. A waitress perhaps?â
âOh. OhâŚ.uh...yeah sure. Name?â
âWell, Shauna. How soon can you work?â
âOh, well then...th-thatâs great! Weâre pretty short-staffed right now, so thatâd be wonderful. Iâll see how you work tonight, and if you do well, weâll see about getting you a proper position here.â
âYour name isnât really Shauna, is it?â
âDo you prefer Shauna?â
âI donât really care. You can call me Sean if you like.â
âEh. Iâll probably just stick to the nicknames. Are you all alone out here?â
âPretty much. I canât go back home, and Iâm almost 18, thereâs no point in going to Gerudo Town.â
âYou realize theyâd probably still let you in, right? Especially if you went there dressed like how you were in the tavern. They wouldnât think twice.â
âThey know me. Theyâd know itâs me.â
âIâm guessing youâre well-known then? How often have you been there?â
âMy mom was best friends with Lady Jameela. Iâve known her son since he was born.â
âI seeâŚWell, chickadee. You can stay here as long as you like. If you donât have anywhere else to go, youâre welcome here at any time.â
âThh...thank you...Sani.â
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Itâs cold. Why is it so cold? Did I kick my blanket off?
Bleary eyes blinked up at the wooden ceiling, as Sean attempted to feel around him for the blanket Gloam usually covered him with at night. Sure enough, the blanket was just to the side of him, haphazardly splayed across the floorboards. He sits up, rubbing his eyes.
âYou alright, Sean?â Gloamâs deep voice whispered from a few feet away. Sean looked up to see the elder man watching him from a spot against the wall.
âYeah...Iâm fine. Weird dreams sâallâŚâ
âNot really. Bad parts, yeah. But not super bad.â
âWanna head outside for a bit? Be better than staying in all cooped up.â
âYeah.â Sean stood up, careful not to disturb Tear and Ravio who were curled up together a few feet to his right. Gloam stood up as well, wrapping his arm over Seanâs shoulders as they left the house as quietly as possible.
âSo...your brother was a chosen hero?â
âYep. Can you guess his name?â
âHmmmmmmmmmm⌠Was iiiitttt...Link by chance?â Gloam shoots a knowing smile at Sean.
âOh how did you guess?!â He gasps dramatically, pressing his hands against his cheeks. They both laugh. âHe was trained to be Zeldaâs knight for about...9 years? I was 15 when he died, so...yeah.â
âAnd then Lucas pulled the sword afterwards? When he was 10?â
âYep. Honestly, Link kinda sucked at being a knight. He had a really bad temper, didnât get along with any of the royal court. Bad mouth, no filter. He was a serious dickhead, honestly. I feel like becoming a chosen hero...made his ego too big. Donât get me wrong, he took his job seriously when it came to Zelda, he was just bad at it. 10 years old is too young for that kind of responsibility.â
âYeah...tell me about itâŚ.You feeling alright now?â
âYeah...Iâm alright. Just kinda...sucks, you know?â
Sean sighs, before leaning his head against Gloamâs arm. Gloam responds by pulling Sean into closer to him, allowing the two of them to fall into a comfortable position together, Seanâs head resting against Gloamâs chest.
âI miss him...He was an asshole...but he was my brother.â
âI know, Sean...I know.â Gloam runs his fingers through Seanâs hair. âYour hairâs startinâ to grow out.â
âI might let it this time. Plus...I donât like getting my hair cut by anyone who isnât Miss Paya.â
Gloam chuckles. âYeah, then itâll have to wait unless we can magically end up back in your Hyrule.â
Sean snorts, relaxing in Gloamâs grip. âYeah...guess soâŚâ
This is your fault, Sean. You pushed me off.
Link? No...no you know thatâs not what happened.
Were you jealous? Was that it?
Of course I was jealous of you. But Iâd never do that, youâre my brother.
What...whatâs going on? Why is it so dark? Gloam? Zelda? Lucas?! Anybody?!?!
You know, Sean⌠There were other ways to get what you wanted. You didnât have throw your own brother off the bridge.
Hey, asshole, I fell off of it too. I lost Link and I canât speak properly because of all of this. Youâre just trying to mess with my head, so fuck you! I know what happened.
Oh really? There was no resentment? No anger? Thereâs no way you can tell me you didnât dislike your brother at least a little bit...enough to want to hurt him?
No. He was a dick, but I could never kill him.
I think we both know thatâs a lie.
Who the hell even are you?!
EvERerrrytthinGG huRRTtss
Ihateyouihateyouihateyouihateyou
YoU UUUUuuuuu DidddDDD ThIS
All Sean could see were two burning red lights in front of him, as a mass of black tar bubbled and spit at his feet. Two hands shot out of the tar, pressing against the ground, as a rolling mass crawled out of the pitch-black substance. âYouâre the reason for this, Sean. Youâre the reason heâs gone.â
âI know Iâm the reason...But it doesnât matter. I didnât mean for it to happen, and thatâs all I can doâŚâ Seanâs breathing quickened, his voice cracking as tears spilled over his cheeks. The creature crawled towards him, gaining more and more of a humanoid shape. Every once in a while, it seemed to stop, its whole body spasming. Itâd change form, from a person, to a wolf and then to simply an amorphous blob.
âPathetic. Pathetic. Patheticpatheticpathetic.â The creature screeches, lunging towards Sean. The tar-like substance splatters over Seanâs body, pinning him to the ground of whatever void he was currently stuck in. âYouâre just a waste...a burden. Itâs your fault, your fault! You canât help your friends! Youâll just end up hurting them too! You donât want to hurt them, do you? You canât protect them, so all youâll end up doing is dragging them down.â
âNo, I wonât. I wonât!â Sean tries to claw at the creature, choked sobs fighting their way out of his mouth. âI can help. I know I can. Gloam tells me all the time.â
âHe just pities you. You know youâre just a burden to him.â
âIF I WERE JUST A BURDEN HEâD TELL ME!â
âFunny that you actually believe that. Now shut up, and die.â
The black tar falls out of the creatureâs mouth, covering Seanâs face and finding its way into his own mouth, choking him. His vision was quickly fading, as he continued to try and fight his way out of the creatureâs grip.
Sean woke up, gasping for air and coughing. Gloamâs voice kept calling to him, as he felt hands steady his body as he rolled to the side, and threw up in the grass. Heavy sobs jolted through him, as Gloamâs arms wrapped around him, pulling him back to sit.
âItâs not my fault, itâs not. Itâs notâŚ.I didnât mean for it to happen. I didnât. I didnât!â
âShhh, Sean. I know. Itâs not your fault, donât ever think it was your fault.â
Sean continued to cry, tear-filled eyes staring up at the bright moonlight. âItâs not my faultâŚâ He whispered, hanging tightly onto Gloamâs arms, curling into a ball.
âItâs not my fault.â
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âHis brotherâs Dark? How could that be possible, Shadow?â Four whispered to purple-haired man.
âHow else would it work? His brother was held the Spirit of the Hero. Anyone bound to a goddess, or with the Spirit of the Hero, will gain a Dark Image. His brotherâs Dark was always malformed, we think it was because of Linkâs heart. He wasnât exactly a prime example of heroism. He was kind of a dick, honestly.â Shadow crosses his arms, sighing. âThis Dark has latched onto Sean. Which is weird, because his brotherâs Dark should have either disappeared or gone rogue without their Light around, and since it didnât have a chance to meet its Reflection. I think those two have something to do with it.â
âThem? You mean...Mali and Vanity?â
âYeah. I donât know what theyâre planningâŚ. Iâm not exactly welcome in the Dark World, as Iâm sure you know.â
âRight...What should we do?â
âKeep an eye on Sean. Having those two on his tail for whatever reason wonât be good for him. Heâs fragile enough because of what happened to his brother, having Mali on him especially will just fuck him up worse. I think Gloam has him handled for now, but⌠We just have to keep an eye on him till we can figure out whatâs going on.â
âOkayâŚâ Four nods, before pressing his hand against his forehead.
âYou alright?â Shadow is immediately at his side, pressing a hand to Fourâs cheek.
âYeah, Iâm fine...Just tired. Have you gotten anything that might help Vioâs situation?â Four presses his head against Shadowâs shoulder, taking in a shaky breath. Shadow wraps his arms around him, swaying gently with his cheek pressed against the top of Fourâs head.
âIâve learned a couple things, so itâs a start. When you initially beat your Dark, and I was released from the Four Sword as a result, something happened that managed to cause a piece of your Dark to become stuck in your body. And itâs slowly corrupting each part of you. It started with Vio for whatever reason⌠Thatâs all Iâve got so far...But itâs something.â
âWerenât you close with your VioâŚ.back thenâŚâ
âYeah, I was...Maybe I set the precedentâŚâ
Four pulled back a bit, fiddling with the edge of Shadowâs collar. âWeâll figure it outâŚI promiseâŚâ
âI know we will. Blueâd never let me live it down if I didnât.â He chuckles, earning a laugh from Four as well. He presses a kiss to Fourâs temple, before pulling him into another hug.
âBlech. Love is so gross.â
âOh, hush, Vanity. Theyâre rather cute together.â
âSeriously, Mali? Good fucking Fayra, youâre so weird to think that that mushy shit is cute.â
âWatch your language, Vanity. You know I donât appreciate foul mouths.â
âYeah, yeah. Whatever. Did the baby heroâs Shadow find the kid?â
âYes, they did. Itâs going to be a little troublesome with the Chained Hero around, but luckily we have the little tyrant and the three heirs, so that should make it a little easier.â
âHmm...How long until we have to go get her?â
âStill a little while. We have to wait for her to finish her assignmentâŚ.and find the Guardianâs Sword. We canât retrieve her until she finds it.â
âOooohhh, Mommy is going to be so happy to see how everything is coming along⌠The next thing on our list...will be the newest hero...What was the name he was given?â
âLucasari! Ooohhh like the old hero. In that Calamity thing. I see. Funny. Both holding the Spirit of the Hero, yet being blood incarnations of our wonderful King.â
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OOOOHHH BOI CHAPTER 6 PEOPLES. Also @dill-musette ........you know exactly why Iâm tagging you :)
We got some good bois saying hi in this chapter. Actually they are very bad bois but eh.
Mali and Vanityâs designs will be in another post right after this one, that way yâall can get a little info on them.
We also got some FourxShadow in this chapter, as well as GloamxSean moments, which Iâm pretty happy about and I know @bitchyfoxbread will be happy about as well.
We will be continuing like this for the next few chapters, as I built up some basic backstory to certain characters, then we will be going back to the groupâs actual journey. Theyâre going to be in Tyâs Hyrule for a little while, though.
Also, the Era that Sean, Lucas, and Aoife are from is called the âEra of Restorationâ. I donât know if Iâve said that before, so Iâm saying it here. Itâs about 200 years post-Breath of the Wild, and Hyrule is being ârestoredâ pretty much.
Yeah, Iâm so clever, I know, right?
Stay crazy, my Lovely Proxies~!!!