The Legend of Zelda: Goddess of Secrecy

Overworld Chapter 31 - Trekking the Mountain

...as he raced to get back to Glenwood. Dusk grew with every moment they rode. Link's arm began to swell and burn. Link clutched it, and fell against Epona's neck as his grip began to slip. He whispered, "The shop, the Twili's shop..."

Epona looked back up at her rider, worry in her eyes. She whinnied, "Hold on, little one. Show some strength."

Link clutched on the reins, the pain expanding up his arm towards his shoulder. Epona slid to a halt in front of Mirum's store. She reared and hit the glass. The window trembled, but held. Mirum rushed out the door, exclaiming, "Whoa, stay!"

Falling from the saddle, Link tumbled into the snow. He tried to force himself up, but the pain shot through his arm again, and he fell back down as agony coursed up his arm. Mirum watched him, before she started to approach him like someone would attempt to soothe a wild animal. "Fighting it won't help the pain. Breathe."

"What's happening to him?" Epona demanded, leaning over Link protectively.

Mirum patted the horse on her nose. "Settle down. I can't help him if you're guarding him like this. That twilight shard is bringing out the animal in him, but dusk is when the power of the Twili grows stronger. It's why I warned him to be back before then." Mirum set her hand Link's arm. She muttered, "It was only a partial shard."

Link asked, "What happened?"

"The thing expanded in there," Mirum said. "I should have known. You're not like a normal human, not even like a normal Hylian. Different stuff is in you, huh, Hero?" She gripped Link's arm, before ripping the twilight shard out. Link grit his teeth, wishing she had warned him beforehand.

As Link rubbed his arm, Mirum looked at the shard. She went on mumbling, "Though, this a little unexpected." Turning around to Link, Mirum asked, "Did you meet anyone who has been to the Dark World? And that's the Dark World, not the Twilight Realm or our shadow clone, Lorule. Very important difference, the Dark World."

Yore landed on the sign on Mirum's shop.

"Zeal has been to the Dark World. And we were at the portal. The Master Sword was used to open it."

Mirum replied, "That would do it. Well, then I suppose there's nothing we can do about it now. Not unless you destroy the Dark World. But that would take the Triforce. Which you don't have all of."

"Link!"

Link looked up at Bruce rode into Glenwood besides Frostbar and Freya. Bruce pulled his horse to a halt beside Mirum. "You took that thing out of his arm, didn't you?"

"No, I left him to die," Mirum retorted, crossing her arms. "Of course I took it out of him, you numbskull. You think I would leave the Hero, our only hope at peace, to be consumed by twilight magic?"

Bruce grumbled something under his breath. Mirum went on, "There is a difference between darkness and twilight, knight. Twilight still has a hold on the day, but there is no cure from darkness. I assure you, if it was dark magic I had put into the Hero, then he would already be beyond hope."

"Can one put dark magic into a person?"

Mirum looked up at Yore on his perch. She replied, "If you have any interest in magic like that, I would visit the Twili in Midna's Marsh and Grimvale. Within the shade of the Shadow Temple, you may find a little more liberty to talk about that kind of thing. Supposing that the Temple still stands." Then she was lost in thought with the shard she'd removed from Link. He rubbed his arm as the pain faded to memory. Fortunately, quickly.