Shattering the Stars

A Sweet Reunion

Ok, wow, I'm so excited to finally begin this here story. It's been in the making for a while now, and features the return of a character that I've written about before. In fact, many! It won't quite make sense now, with new names and such, but I promise, this'll be a good one. Enjoy!-Jooostan

Shattering the Stars
Prologue: A Sweet Reunion

Link walked down the bleak, sterile halls of the complex with a hidden disgust. His boots slapped against the marble floor harshly, making his presence known to every patrolling guard. His sword and shield, strapped to his back, rattled on top of each other, something which all the guards took note of.

They're scanning me, Link mused. His inner thoughts kept analyzing every singly aspect of the makeshift base, articulating ideas on why things seemed so off. Soon he made it to a large, sliding door that separated him from his target. An unseen guard pulled a lever from behind the scenes, opening the door. There, Link's eyes rested on the enemy.

A man. A nefarious man, who held the distinct feature of a malformed right hand. His face wore a heavy, scorched mustache, and his gaze was murky, exhuming an overt sense of authority. His hair was a fiery red, combed back, and clothes were expensive in nature, silver and gold strips lining the cuffs of his suit.

"Ah, you must be Link!" The man stood up and held out his arms. The unwonted act surprised the hero, who hesitated before outstretching his left hand for the man to shake.

"And you must be Alastor," Link smiled, dissembling his true emotions towards the man. He so longed to draw his sword and decry this man, condemning the living bastion of villainy a fate of prosecution.

Nobody knew the true name of 'Alastor', but he did go by one moniker, one that Link refused to even think about. Giving merely the name his time, let alone the man, seemed insulting. He was a foul piece of work, a radical incendiary to the verdant land of Lorule. He accosted them with his terror and left it all in ruin. The kingdom of Hyrule knew of this, but elected to keep their knowledge a secret, hoping to be the swift sword of justice to all the lives lost.

Link looked into Alastor's eyes with underlying animosity. These dark, brackish eyes of the man across from him emitted a vicious sense of danger, something that quickly distraught Link's noble soul. This man had killed countless innocence all in the search of something unknown. Now, he seemed so avid to meet the Hero of Time.

"May I interest you in something to eat? Perhaps a plate of sauteed peppers?" Alastor walked over to his dogs which Link had just noticed, as if they had quickly materialized.

"No, I'm quite fine," Link responded, sitting down. He watched as Alastor lifted a pristine dome to a dish, which revealed a plate of sliced meat. He casually threw some on the floor in front of the hounds, yet they didn't react, only narrowing their eyes towards the food before returning to their master.

"I see. I'll send for the waiter to at least bring us some refreshments," said Alastor as he sat back down across from Link.

A middling table separated the two, and Alastor reached over to a lampstand that was next to his chair and for a little, golden bell. He rung it twice and just before the waiter emerged from the adjacent door, he snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the dogs started to shred into their meal, apparently needing permission from their master to do so. Link gulped at the display of power.

"Lon-Lon Milk, chilled," Link mumbled to the waiter as he arrived.

"An excellent choice, my friend!" Alastor waved the waiter away, clasping his good hand to his bad one and resting the ball of disfigured flesh neatly in his lap.

"Now, shall we discuss out arrangements? The whole matter around the incumbent defender of Hyrule?" Link leaned back in his chair, thinking thoughtfully of how to emphasize the exigency of the situation without blowing his cover.

Suddenly, the feigned largesse expression on Alastor's face was wiped away. His brow furrowed into a frenetic curve, a far cry from the more jovial appearance it had just moments prior. Link's nerves tensed up as the mordant glare from Alastor set off so many alarms inside his head. The killer quickly recomposed himself as Link hid his fear, gleaning the remains of his attitude.

"I was... not aware that the kingdom had already made a decision," Alastor replied, glancing to his dogs. The hunters were relaxed, having just finished their meal, but when their master looked over to them, they grew nervous.

"Well, they advised me to visit you to relay their choice," Link began, assuming Alastor was under the pretense of offering his own 'protective' abilities. "They had chosen me."

Alastor then exploded in joy at the news, startling Link. He rose from his chair and emitted a hefty chuckle, extending his good hand for the hero to shake again.

"I had a feeling they'd chose you," Alastor exclaimed as he shook Link's hand ludicrously. "A very wise decision indeed!"

Link was in a state of bewilderment. His thoughts were in complete disarray as he tried to inwardly reason why this monster would be so overly joyous at the fact the opponent was tasked with defending Hyrule. To conceal his confusion, he did his best to copy Alastor's enthusiasm.

"Th-Thank you, Alastor," Link said through strained teeth, his emulation of happiness apparently working. The two sat back down just as the waiter returned.

"You're very welcome, my friend. It's not all the time that my worries for these lands are eliminated." Alastor took his plate of sauteed peppers from the waiter, and Link took his glass of ice-cold milk. "I guess there is no further purpose for this meeting, but I implore you to stay for a little while longer."

"Very well. That does give me time to ask you a few questions I had," Link said, amazed that things were going so smoothly. He didn't think he'd get this far without problem, his head coming up with a few violent outcomes if Alastor tried anything.

"Shoot. I'm an open book!" Alastor looked overwhelmingly calm.

"Alright then. Forgive me for being so blunt, but I am a little... puzzled by your remarkable citadel. What kind of purpose would a place like this serve for a man of your... reputation?" Link chose his words carefully before taking a sip of his drink, knowing that Alastor was a cunning fiend.

"Ah, well, I guess the efforts of the great pioneers often confuse conventional minds," Alastor started, looking around at the expensive lot of relics he had placed in glass displays. "I aim to collect. These are just a few of the various treasures I've come across. I make sure to preserve them for all time, so that they can be remembered by everyone in this reality."

Link's eyes widened at the uttering of those last three words. Alastor was seemingly too busy admiring his handywork to notice, but the Hero of Time grew more disturbed regardless. He nervously tried to bring up more of the subject just to dissuade Alastor from getting any ideas.

"If you don't mind me asking, but what kind of relics? I remember seeing a strange little gadget, one with a long string extending from a spherical object." Link described the item he saw with flimsy imagery. He didn't know what to make of the device, after all.

"Oh, I know what you mean! That little thing comes from my homeland. Friends used to call it a 'yo-yo'! An old childhood toy, that was..." Alastor fell into a feeling of nostalgia for a moment, allowing Link to relax.

"Huh, I didn't take you as the sentimental type," Link commented.

"Oh, I have a lot of memories of home," Alastor said, putting his hand to his chin. Before Link got to ask anything else, a servant appeared and bent down next to Alastor, whispering something indecipherable.

"I'm terribly sorry, but it seems something has come up," Alastor rose from his chair, putting his good hand out for Link to shake one last time. "It was a pleasure to meet you, my friend."

"The pleasure is all mine," Link replied, shaking Alastor's left hand. The two warriors looked into each other's eyes one last time before the hero turned away and started to walk out. The sliding door he entered from closed right behind him.

Alastor walked away with his servant, through the door the latter came from and shut it behind him. A clicking sound came from the oak separator, the automatic lock engaging. The servant looked to his master, shrugging slightly.

"Kill him," Alastor said, looking at his disfigured hand nonchalantly.