Hero's Wings (A Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword AU)

Chapter 6: The Search Begins

Link cautiously walked down the path that led to the odd building he'd spotted on his way down. His landing had been... less than graceful to say the least. His earlier faceplant could still be felt with the light stinging coming from his cheek; a reminder of sorts. Not to mention that almost immediately afterward he was attacked by two man-eating plant creatures. One of them had nearly gotten a mouthful of his wing, but he'd managed to get out of the way in time. It was after the fight that Fi informed him that the creatures were known as 'Deku Babas', an odd name, even for a plant creature.

To top it off, Link discovered that there were no updrafts down here to help him fly so he would have even less help with flying than when he was back up in the sky. He made it a mental note to practice flying down here when he got the chance. He knew he would need to get stronger to do so. No updraft to keep him in the air was just like not having a Loftwing to catch him when he fell. He'd already gotten a taste of that and it wasn't pleasant in the least.

He reached what he assumed to be the entrance of the building and approached the door. However, when he got closer, a glowing orange symbol abruptly appeared. It looked like an eye with a teardrop hanging from the bottom of it while many triangular designs surrounded the eye. He cautiously reached out to touch it only to find the symbol was actually a smooth, solid surface; not the rough, stony surface of the door he'd been expecting to touch.

"Child... Child of the Sky... Please... Strike the spike at the pit's bottom..."

Link gave a start at the voice that had suddenly called out. He couldn't find where it had come from, it had seemingly come from everywhere; echoing in the air around him. Link hesitantly decided to heed the mysterious voice's instructions and cautiously made his way over to the edge of the pit he'd seen on the way down, peering down into it. He quickly spotted a whispy black mass surrounding what looked to be some sort of small stone monument at the bottom of the pit. He straighted himself out before spreading his wings and jumping off the platform. With a little effort, he manuvered himself through the air and slowly lowered himself into the pit.

As he decended he began to feel a heavy, malicious presence surrounding him. The further he went down, the thicker the presence in the air got. By the time his feet touched the bottom, he felt like he was practically choking. He now stood face to face with the stone momument; the whispy black tendrils slowly rising and disappating. He slowly drew his sword from its scabbard and raised it skyward. However, as he did this, he began to hear whispers. He couldn't make out what they were saying or if they were even speaking his language. As he raised his sword higher, the whispers became louder and louder until it sounded as if they were screaming in his ears.

Suddenly, a cloud of black smoke exploded from the cracks around the spike, surrounding him. His eyes screwed shut and he covered his face with his arms, sword still in hand. A gust of wind rushed around him and then settled as quickly as it had started. Cracking one eye open, he cautiously lowered his arms, taking in the scenery around him. He was surrounded by a pitch black shroud, a low rumble echoing in the space around him. He jerked his head around frantically, trying to find a way out. A loud, shrieking roar suddenly rang out in the darkness, causing it to quake. Link twisted his body around, only to come face to face with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth; brandished and ready to tear into him. The abomination stood up to its full height before opening its jaws wide and dropping its head back down to finish him off. He covered his face once more with his arms while his wings halfway folded to cover him, awaiting the brutal, gruesome death that was sure to come.

But it never came.

The sound of birds chirping filled the air, alerting him to the change in scenery. He quickly dropped his arms, eyes darting in all directions looking for signs of the abomination. A small breeze had him turning his attention back to the spike; the smoky tendrils still flickering around it. He folded his wings back behind him, doing a once over of his surroundings before slowly raising his sword once more. This time, the sword absorbed energy, building it up to its maximum before giving off a pleasant ring, signaling that the strike was ready to be released. He swung the sword downward, releasing the pent up energy from the blade. It surged toward the spike and struck it with an audible 'clang'. The spike's markings glowed brightly for a moment before fading away, the smoky tendrils going with it.