Chapter Text
The Minish Door was open.
The Minish Door was open.
The Minish Door was open.
It was the only thought running through Link's head as he stood gasping for breath just on the outside of the courtyard. He stood in the doorway, afraid to cross the threshold, as his ragged pants echoed back to him.
"...Link..." Dot's voice was small, just behind him, as she gripped his hand tighter. "...Something's wrong..." Her voice shook, and Link glanced over at her for just a moment. Dot was staring straight ahead, but Link could see slight tremors in her lip.
Dot was afraid.
That wasn't okay.
He needed to fix that.
Link frowned before tightening his grip on her, pulling her to stand closer behind him. He grabbed his sword with his free left and unsheathed it, the sword glinting in the light from the open courtyard ahead of them.
He took a deep breath and immediately regretted it. The air smelled foul, like stagnant water. There was the heavy taste of evil in the air, something that Link couldn't explain in words but knew deep in his soul.
This was how the castle had felt when Vaati had taken it over a year ago.
"You feel it, too?" Link whispered, trying not to gag on the concentrated miasma filling the air. Dot nodded into his shoulder, stepping closer into his back.
A gloved hand lifted into his periphery before a warm golden light sparked into life around her fingers. Link could feel the heaviness hanging in the air recede just enough so he could breathe easier.
"Why didn't we notice this sooner?" Link questioned, still standing just inside the castle as Dot's golden magic started working its way through the air.
"I don't think it's strong enough to get inside." Dot whispered back, letting go of his free hand before snaking it around his waist. Her grip on the fabric of his tunic was a comforting weight even as she pulled the fabric taut. "There are barriers built into the stones of the castle, designed to keep evil at bay."
Link stepped forward into the courtyard, eyes locked onto the Minish Door across from them. Dot's Light Force magic shimmered in the air around them, a hazy gold pushing deeper in the courtyard as her fingers sparked brighter. Slowly, they made their way across the courtyard as Dot's power pushed back the evil.
"Ready?" Link asked once they were just on the outside of the Minish Door.
"Mhm." Dot nodded into his shoulder.
They stepped through the doorway together.
Link felt the Minish magic wash over them as they entered the Elemental Sanctuary. There was a dense fog hanging in the air, and Link shuddered as he felt the clash of Minish magic and the evil miasma in the air. They paused just inside the sanctuary as Dot let her Light Force spread out ahead of them.
Link drew in a shaking breath as he looked around the sanctuary.
"What... What happened to it?" He asked out of shock. The elemental stones still stood atop their pedestals, but they were now nothing more than moss-covered stones. The roof was completely missing, allowing weak beams of sunlight to filter down through the fog and hanging vines. Most of the floor tiles were missing, or completely covered in soft carpet-like grasses.
The Four Sword still stood inside its pedestal, and though no plants or age touched it, it seemed lesser somehow.
"...It's almost as if..." Dot started softly before trailing off. "...Could it be... that 100 years passed on this side of the doorway?"
"It looks that way." Link answered, taking a hesitant step forward. He watched the Four Sword for several moments, and noticed there was a thin layer of black mist rising up from the blade. It was thin and wispy, like the curls of smoke rising up from a lake in the early morning, and only stayed black for just a few moments before turning white, adding to the fog inside the sanctuary.
"I think the seal is breaking." Dot's voice shook, but her hand did not waver as she pushed her magics further out. Link stepped forward again, slowly and carefully bringing them to the edge of the circular ring of stones that remained around the pedestal.
"Can you stop it?" Link asked, taking the moment to look at her over his shoulder.
"I... Maybe?" Dot was biting her lip as she thought. She didn't have a ton of control over her magic; she'd only been learning about it for a year. The Wishing Cap had bridged the gap in skill and knowledge for her when she saved Hyrule after Vaati had been sealed, but this would rely solely on her.
She let go of her deathgrip on Link's tunic to step beside him.
"Be careful." Link whispered, grabbing her hand back and squeezing it gently. She nodded and stepped forward. Link gripped his sword tighter in his hand before shifting slightly into a better position to be able to grab Dot back should anything attack.
She stepped up to the pedestal, laying her hand gently against the gemstone set into the pommel. Her magic sparked from her fingertips before running down the blade. Link could feel the warmth of Dot's magic seeping into the air, blending with the Minish magics seamlessly.
It looked like it was going to work. The fog was clearing from the air and stopped coming from the blade. Link could taste the cleansing magic in the air, and he could feel it humming deep within him. The gem of the Four Sword sparkled with colors before turning white.
Dot's magic fizzled out with a small pop.
"Wha-?" Dot flinched back.
"Hoh hoh hoh hoh!"
Link's blood ran cold. He recognized that cackle. He sprang forward immediately, arm outstretched to grab Dot. The mists condensed right in front of him into a shadowy arm, snatching Dot straight up into the air even as Link's hand closed around nothing.
"Link!" Dot screamed even as Link was buffeted back by a large burst of wind. Forced into a crouch, Link shielded his face until the winds stopped. Once they did, he glared up even as he felt his stomach drop into his feet.
"It's nice to see you again, Hero." Vaati's high-pitched voice called down from where he hovered in mid-air.
"Put me down!" Dot was trying to struggle against the shadowy arm extended from Vaati's black and purple keese-like body, but her fingers couldn't find any purchase.
"Vaati!" Link yelled up at his foe, stepping forward even though he knew there was no way for him to reach the villain.
"Ah-ah-ahh." Vaati scolded before the shadow arm tightened around Dot, causing her to gasp in pain. "Don't be too hasty or something terrible might happen to this lovely girl."
Link clenched his teeth and stepped back, even though every instinct inside him was screaming not to do so. Vaati's expression did not change, but the smug satisfaction he gave off from forcing Link to retreat, even just a step, was palpable. Vaati descended somewhat, hovering closer to the ground and Link.
"That's it, Hero." Link shuddered at the utter contempt and hatred Vaati managed to imbue into that one title. "Now, I think I shall take this lovely maiden somewhere nicer... hoh hoh hoh hoh hoh!"
Now was his chance!
Link leapt forward, blade arching up and around into a slice as he attempted to free Dot from Vaati's shadow hand. He felt the sword bite into the shadow just a moment before it stopped, the force reverberating up Link's arm.
CRACK!
Link had just enough time to register the sound of his sword shattering like glass before Vaati swatted him away. His mind was filled with pain as he felt himself hit the wall of the sanctuary before falling bonelessly to the ground in a heap.
"LINK!" He heard Dot screaming his name as his vision swam. Vaati's cackling filled his hearing after.
"Even the holy Light of the Four Sword wouldn't be enough to stop me now." Vaati gloated, somewhere above Link. "In what world could a mere mortal blade stand up to me?"
Link heard a whoosh of air and Dot's screams for help getting quieter and quieter. He tried to push himself up, but the pain was too much. His vision blacked out and he knew no more.