The Life of Dark Link

A Rebirth

Renado's eyes widen as he stumbled back. Dark Link stayed on all fours staring at the ground. 

The bucket spilled.

Dark Link could see his own disgusting reflection. Dark Link squeezed his eye tightly, letting tears fall releasing his pain and anger inside. He turns his head to Renado, then mouthed 

Just kill me now

Dark Link turned back to the spilled water. He let go of his body, letting it drop to the floor. His face was planted in the water, wishing the little bit of water could somehow drown him.  He heard Renado's calm footsteps slowly walking towards him. Then Dark Link felt Renado's giant gentle hands on his back. 

"My boy, the spirit of Eldin knows how your heart wants to walk the right path. The spirit of Eldin wants to grant you a gift. Look at your face in the water Daku." spoke Renado.

Dark Link hesitated to raise up his face to look. His face is so gruesome. Then Dark Link heard tremors of Renado's voice chanting

"Kono mizu wa, honmono no niku ni anata no saisei no chansu o ataeru to, anata no jaakuna mahō no sheru kara anata o nogareru koto ga"

The spilled water started to glow, giving Dark Link the encouragement to look at his reflection in the water one last time. 

It was the same face.

Nothing had changed.

But then Renado kept on chanting the same chant. His skin started to melt into black droplets falling onto the spilled water. Dark Link could see his reflection changing. His skin was now fair. Now the pigment in his hair was changing. The droplets dropping in the glowing water were white. His hair became a dark brown. Then a river of red came rolling down his face into the glowing water, slowly revealing ivy green eyes behind his old crimson eyes. His reflection finally shown what was within him. The Daku that was always there. 

"...I-is is this my new real body now? Can I forget I was named Dark Link? Can I live as Daku now, Renado?" Dark Link muttered. Dark Link turned over and sat upright. His eyes were still soaked in tears of sorrow and pain and his voice still trembled with fear. Renado kneeled. He scooped up Dark Link and rested him on his lap. 

Renado began to comfort poor Dark Link. "My boy, now that you are under the service of Eldin, you will not truly be Dark Link any longer. You will thrive now as Daku, the boy you were meant to be. You will serve as a servant for Eldin as I have, for the return of your body in clean flesh, instead of the nefarious magic your creator granted you. Daku, you have been reborn."

Dark Link, now Daku, started to cry for the first time of joy.

"Daku?" Renado looked down at him.

"Yes, Renado?" he looked up.

"Do you want me to bring in your new family now?" Daku just responded with a nod. Renado placed him on the chair again and headed out the door.

A second later, Ashei busted through the door yelling "YES! MY NEW LITTLE BROTHER IS ALIVE STILL! You made it through the curse. Are you alright little brother?" Her eyes gleamed with joy and the fascination that she is now the older sister. But her excitement was still too great because before Daku could even answer her question, her mouth kept running with new ones. "Oh my gosh! Lil' brother looks, your wrist is fine! That's great! Oh, bless the three goddesses that you are all right lil' brother. Did the releasing of your curse hurt?!" The second Daku mouth began to open, Ashei was already halfway through a new sentence. "Oh, let's go introduce you to everyone in  Kakariko!" 

Then Oto's hands gripped on Ashei's shoulders "Sweetie, you best be needin' to breathe in more when you're talkin'. Slow down honey, the boy isn't goin' anywhere. Let's be introducing him to the family and how things are runnin' here from now on."

Ashei smiled. "Ok daddy!"

Oto knelt down to Daku's level. "Well, my boy, since your my son now, you'll still have your first name as Daku. Do you have a middle name or last name?" Daku shook his head. "Well then, my boy, you are now Daku Senshi. Senshi is our last name it means warrior in ancient Hylian. And, err, well, we don't do middle names here so that is your full name lad. Welcome to our family. We like to hunt, practice with our weaponry, and explore the snow peak mountains. This right here is where we're doing everything but sleep. We sleep in the Kakariko Inn." He rested his words for a bit to let it all settle in for Daku. "How old are you Daku?"

Daku looked up at Oto. "I am almost seven"

Ashei cheered with her hands in the air.  "Yay! I am eight. I'm the big sister!"

Oto gasped. "Wow, Daku, you have been through a lot for a six year old," He looked towards his happy-as-can-be daughter. "Ash, show your new lil' brother around town."

"Yes, father!" Ashei smiled with glee. She yanked Daku out of the chair and dragged him throughout town. They went to the graveyard, Barnes bombs, and the Inn. "Hey lil' brother, there is someone important I want you to meet. She is my best friend." Ashei dragged Daku to the other end of Kakariko, to Renado's house. At the front door, there was a little girl with a black bob cut hair playing with her doll. The little girl looked up at Daku and Ashei when their shadow covered her.

The little girl cuddled her doll. "Hello Ash! Are you here to play with me and my dolly again. He-he." Ashei wiped her hands through the little girl's black silky hair. 

"Don't worry Luda, I'll play with you later. But now I wanna introduce you to our new friend: your big brother and my lil brother. The one, the only, Daku Senshi!" 

Daku playfully bowed at Luda.

Luda clapped her little soft hands together. "Did the mother cuckoo deliver him?! That's how you got a little brother? But I thought you needed a mommy and daddy to order a new baby?" Luda thought aloud. Ashei giggled, but Daku stayed silent in confusion. 

Ashei knelt beside Luda. "Luda, that's not where babies come from."

Luda put her finger to her lip and pondered. "It's not? Daku, do you know where babies come from?"

Daku replied "No, I do not." He scratched the back of his head. "Actually, I have no clue" 

Ashei's mouth dropped. "Really Daku? You don't know?" Ashei looked to the sky. "Well, I guess I know because I am the oldest. Hahaha." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Oto will give you that talk sooner or later"

Daku stayed confused "Ummm, ok."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Luda, do you wanna come with us to the book room in the Inn? I wanna show Daku. Apparently, he likes to read" 

Luda held her doll. "Ok Ashei, lets go." As she passed by Daku she swung her doll under one armpit and took Daku's hand. "Follow me, new big brother!" Luda charged her way to the Inn like the brave little lady she is. She pushed Daku into a chair. "Ok new big brother read me a bed time story!" She took a book and threw it and herself on his lap. 

 Daku turned over the leather tattered book with the title The Princess Zelda. As Daku read aloud, Luda started getting cozy in his arms while Ashei laid on her stomach. Oto and Renado walked in on Daku reading. As he read, he overheard their chatting. "That funny, Renado." He heard Oto say.

"Whats funny?" Renado questioned.

"How he is reading about the princess. He might get a chance to see her in the festival next week." Oto replied as he kicked back and rested on the side of the doorway. 

"But we must let the royal family know that there has been a practice of the dark arts in Gerudo Desert."

Oto shook his head. "Well Renado, you can do the serious work, but I am planin' to make new memories with my new son at the Three Goddess Festival"