Blighted Memories

Chapter 36. Freedom

Link was speechless at the sight before him. He never expected Dark Link to cross this line, to revive previous heroes to serve him. There were about seven undead heroes total, and somehow, he knew this wasn't even close to how many must've been skulking around the town. The rotten stench of the past filled the air, only making the mangled bodies before the group seem even worse.

Unlike with the Blighted, there was no Malice that filled in their injuries. Link saw the festering wounds and deep openings in their flesh. Exposed tendons, bones, muscle, veins, and even nerves decorated them, with a few pulsating weakly. They were all dressed in faded and shredded green tunics and cone shaped hats, as though the legendary garbs that they once wore had died with them. They all looked nearly identical to him, and seeing such imagery on bodies and faces that looked like his own instilled Link with a disturbed feeling that he didn't even know was possible. He wanted to throw up again, yet couldn't.

The heroes all stared at Link, not his group as a whole, only Link. Link felt the weight of those dead eyes on him, of his predecessors that had returned from beyond the grave. Their faces were limp and lifeless, the facial muscles no longer functioning. How they were able to move their mouths at all, Link didn't want to know. The only one that had a different expression was the one who seemed to be their leader, who wore an unsettling wide grin that stretched across his entire face. Even then, it wasn't a real grin. The facial tissue had just rotted away around the mouth. Its broken jaw caused its mouth to hang open permanently, showing its decaying teeth and the remains of its mouth in a disgusting open-mouth smile.

"They...they all look like..." Riju said shakily.

"Wh-what's going on here?" Izichi said, rattled. "Link, why do these things look like you? What are these things to begin with?"

Link didn't answer, only edging in front of his group to prevent the undead heroes from getting to them. He was absolutely sickened by the sight before him, but he was prepared to fight them and buy time for the others to escape.

The grinning, undead predecessor stumbled forward, sword drawn. Its rusted sword was caked with fresh blood, still dripping down onto the pavement. He gasped in surprise. A fear gripped him as he realized what happened.

Did...did they kill one of our own? Or more than that, even?

Link felt an immense guilt wash over him at the sight. Did he really just lead a member of their group to their demise? Searching the town for survivors was his idea. He'd led everyone here.

Another death that was his fault...he froze up at the thought of it as the Great Calamity ran through his mind, watching all over again as the people he swore to fight and protect died all around him.

All because of him. Because he had failed.

"It...hurts..."

Link raised his head to see the grinning Link's face. The undead hero held out his sword, angling it as if showing it off.

"It...hurts...to...fail..." it said. "It...hurts...so...much...doesn't...it...?"

"Uuagh..."

The monster gave a low groan as it simply tried to keep itself standing. For a moment it wobbled, and Link thought it might fall over, yet it still stood, letting out a painful wheeze.

"It...hurts...it...hurts..." Its voice didn't even sound like Link's. It may have been like his once, but it was so raspy and decayed that there was barely a timbre to it at all, coming out more hollow like he was using his own breath to form the words.