Dark Body, Light Soul (Or the Tale of the Stalfos)

by Garino

43: Shadows of Doubt

Chapter 43: Shadows of Doubt

“Well, Daniel? Are you going to say something, or just let me do all of the talking?”

The shadow creature kept a smirk the whole time we had been staring each other down. This thing is me? I know I’m a fan of the games, but there’s no way this joker could be me.

“Who are you, and how did you get here?” I asked.

“I’m here because you are. With no one else around, we can have a nice chat. As for who I am, I’m Daniel Fortesque, champion of Igor, savior of Necro City, and a sloth from Earth.” The last part was spit out as if he ate something rotten.

I glared at him, but before I could get a word in edgewise, he continued. “The Station of Awakening, huh? I guess you’re gonna hone what little power Igor gave us so when you’re back on your feet, you won’t feel like a burden, right? I can’t blame you. That old sword of yours might not work anymore when you try to use it.”

I lost my train of thought. Station...of Awakening? “Quit lying to me; this looks nothing like the Station,” I called out. “And even if it is, why haven’t we been attacked yet?”

The shadow dropped his smirk. “Not everything is as the games show you. This is a dream, a fabric of your own reality. If Heartless Shadows want to appear…” Three globs of darkness appeared around him, growing from the ground. Imp-like stance, two long antennaes, sharp claws, and large yellow eyes made me realize he summoned Shadows. “...then it’s because you willed them to appear.” In a swift motion, he pulled a red curved sword out of his left sleeve and destroyed the summoned creatures.

“Or YOU willed them. I’d like to keep my dream free of Heartless, thankyouverymuch,” I retorted.

“But you see,” he chuckled, “I AM you. So if I will them, YOU will them, too. But we’re not here to discuss the ways of summoning creatures just because we want to keep continuity in a game we’re not even part of. We’re here to discuss myself.”

Egotistcal bastard, isn’t he? “Go tell it to someone who cares!” I commanded.

“That’s exactly the plan.” His smile disappeared once more. “Because I have a bone to pick with you, Daniel. Or should I say Al? Al...short for so many names; boring, bland names that no one even care for. But Daniel...strong, cool, all of the ladies would want a man named Daniel. And so many cute nicknames to go with it; Dan, Danny, Dan the Man...much better than Al.”

“What would you know about a name? It doesn’t have to do with anything,” I growled.

With a shrug, he continued. “Alrighty, then. What about the day you left Earth? How did that happen again? An old man tells you, ‘Hey, I can take you to a new world, away from the boredom of this rotting shithole.’ Without even thinking, you take him up on his offer. Then, instead of being the star that he thought you were, you screwed up and got yourself nearly killed. Then again, what should he have expected? You were simply back-up to no less than six other candidates.”

“Silence yourself!” I barked.

He ignored my shout. “So now, you’re left with a choice: do you go back home to the boring world, where you just leech off of others so you can live a life of solitude, uncaring for those outside your door; or maybe stay here, trying to patch up the mistakes you made, see the land you expected, maybe even find a local to love? Don’t tell me you didn’t have eyes for one of the girls you met.”

“Sh-Shut up!” My anger was nearing the boiling point, despite the fact I already knew what he was attempting to pull off.

“Then along came Luna, the Maiden of the Night, co-ruler of an empire. You realize you really are here, and abandon ANY notion of returning home. You can’t stand to go back to Earth, where you’re just a nobody. Why not live in Equis? If all goes well, ‘HEY! Maybe I can be a HERO!’ But tell me, what story is that ever a success, where the hero is nothing but BONES? The games and stories that try to make them heroes? They were more flawed than heroic! And you’re no different from ANY of them!”

“That’s not true!” I clicked the button and activated my sword, gripping the handle tightly. “None of it is, you liar!”

The shadow me chuckled again. “Oh, but it is. Deep down, you know it. You know why? Because we’re one and the same. A poor, deluded kid with dreams of heroics...and his Shadow, there to make him remember the cold hard truth.”

I gripped my sword tightly and charged. “Take your so-called ‘truth’ and shove it!” In my anger, I struck out at the shadow with an overhead attack, only to be blocked by the smirking devil’s own sword.

“Hmph. Not so keen on accepting my word. Very well…” His smirk faded as I saw his form grow darker. “I’ll just have to beat it into you!!!” He kicked me in the chest and gave himself room to maneuver, starting our fight proper.

I charged at him again, anger clouding my judgment as I tried the same tactic from before. Again, he blocked it with a smug grin and threw a punch to the chest. I backed off, giving him time to counter with his own attack. I put some distance between us to dodge, and charged once more, this time with a stabbing motion. He danced around it and thrust the sword into my left shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain from me. He pushed until I fell to the ground, where he pinned me.

“Well, well, well...looks like our little hero isn’t as heroic as he thinks. And to think, I thought this would’ve gone on a bit longer,” the Shadow laughed. His laugh stopped and his voice grew cold. “It hurts, doesn’t it? To be alone, helpless, and unable to fight against the darkness. Those that try to resist only hurt themselves and others, and you’re no exception, Al. Accept that. Accept that you were wrong this whole time, and end your misery. Give up on both sides, because you’re insignificant to either of their futures.”

Even as the pain became greater, I knew it...he was right. What did I hope to change? One guy, an undead, a despised creature of darkness...and I hoped to make things better? I’d be better off not waking up...just staying here...in safety…a small flash through of my life should be a good end to all of this…

Here, I saw exactly what he meant earlier. The times I had angered others, been selfish, taken but never gave, the countless mistakes I made, what I did wrong, what I refused to do. Everything I did...and shouldn’t have done.

Then, something changed. A familiar friend’s voice. Opening up to him, so he would open up to others. Giving a bottle cap worth a lot of money to someone simply because I had no use for it. Standing up for someone who was being hurt, and winding up on the receiving end of a beatdown for it. A most recent memory played; the one with Luna.

“You are one of the chosen few to have received the call. Show you are a hero. The proverbial light to penetrate the darkness.” Her voice was softer this time, unlike when she shouted it out as part of a rousing speech. But it still had the effect that it did before.

The Shadow twisted the blade in my shoulder, aiming to cut me in half. “Hope you enjoyed your life, Al, because it ends now.” With a sadistic grin, he pulled the blade across my chest.

With a newfound resolve, I grabbed the blade with my right hand, stopping him from cutting to the heart. Shadow Dan must not have expected a second wind, as his grin turned into confusion, then anger as we fought for control. “Grr...give up! The world has no use for a slacker like you!” he shouted.

“That’s...where you’re wrong…” I strained. “...if that were true...I...WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN CHOSEN!” I managed to pull the blade out of my shoulder, causing the other me to lose his balance from applying pressure. I kicked him away from me and struggled to get back up, putting my arm to my shoulder.

The doppëlganger growled at me. “Chosen!? Don’t delude yourself! At least SIX others were chosen before YOU were even considered!” he pointed out.

“And they all denied the call of duty!” I shot. “I was chosen, and I accepted! No matter my reason, I made a choice! And I will see it through, no matter who I have to go through!” I picked up my fallen sword, keeping a stoic demeanor despite the face I was amazed there wasn’t any blood. “Even if it’s through me.”

Shadow Daniel smirked. “Very well...if that’s what you believe, then I’ll have to open your eyes to the truth.” He pointed his sword at me, the darkness intensifying. “Let’s dance!”

This time, he made the first move, going for my injured shoulder with a blade thrust. I countered with a quick step to the right and a thrust to his abdomen. He quickly turned his thrust into a slash as he hit the same spot, but not before grunting as he took the hit. I gritted my teeth and attacked again, but he opted to jump back, putting a bit of distance between us.

“I AM A SHADOW!” he shouted. “THE TRUE SELF! YOU THINK YOU CAN MATCH BLADES WITH ME!? YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW THE BASICS OF SWORDPLAY!”

Well, he’s got the last part right, I thought. Doesn’t mean I’m not dangerous, though. He’ll have difficulty figuring out my attacks at the very least.

I looked at my shoulder to make sure it wasn’t too badly damaged. Surprisingly, it was just a mark; no blood, no huge pain, no ‘lag’ when I rolled it. But it WAS still a target, so I had to be careful. Looking back, Shadow Dan had opted to taunt me. “C’MON, I HAVEN’T GOT ALL DAY! LET’S GET THIS OVER WITH, SLOWBRO!”

I decided to charge once more, sword in my right hand. Shadow chuckled and took a defensive stance. As soon as I got close, he swung his sword in an attempt to cut me down, or at the very least slow my charge. I dodged his attack by rolling under it, countering with an uppercut to his jaw. He recoiled, giving me an opening to continue the assault with a thrust from my sword to his chest. He recovered enough to dodge the lethal attack, however, taking the hit in the same shoulder he had hit me in prior to my second wind.

Shadow Dan kicked me in the chest , giving him more room to work with. He then launched an all-out attack, slashing with his sword, causing me to go on the defensive. Every attack he launched, I blocked with my Beam Sword, though I knew I was at a disadvantage; he was gaining ground with every attack, and I only had so much before he drove me to the edge of the circle. Adding to this, my movements were starting to slow, and he managed a few hits. To keep myself from losing more footing and recover some strength, I locked blades with him in the middle of the arena. He made that cocky grin again as his yellow eyes bore into my own.

“Is that all you’ve got, Al?” he asked. “It seems as though you’re at your limit. Just a few more minutes, and this fight will be over, so why not save me the trouble and surrender? That’s what you’ve done before to avoid fights back on Earth, so why change now?”

“Because...this is important...far too much...to simply give in,” I breathed. This was a problem. If I couldn’t best him soon, I’d be in dire straits. And worse, he was right; I was pushing my limits as it were. But wait...I had just the solution, given to me mere moments ago! The only way to beat him was to break my limiter!

“Then I’ll grant you some last words. Got any?” he sarcastically remarked.

Well, if what they said is true, I think what I’m about to do is similar… “Yeah. Just two words,” I replied with a smile. The sapphire on my bracelet began to glow, catching my clone off guard. “HEAT RISER!” I punched him away and felt energy course through my body. I felt...well, no words can describe a power high, I think it’s different for everyone. The sudden rush of strength made me glare at my opponent, and on a whim, I dashed at him, faster than I had even imagined.

He growled as the tables were turned; now HE was on the defensive, with me pressing the attack. Every swing, every parry, every step, it felt like we would end in a stalemate. Or it would have, had he not mistimed a block. He roared as my blade hit his hand, causing him to drop the curved sword, and jump to dodge the next attack. He was about to take a step back before he looked and realized; he had nowhere to go if he wanted victory, and that was already out of his grasp. To prove it, I kicked his blade over the edge and into the darkness.

“You...you haven’t won this!” he cried. “This is only a temporary setback! We’ll meet again, and I’ll show EVERYONE what a coward you are! You don’t deserve to be a champion!”

“Oh, shut up already,” I sighed. “I already said if I was unworthy, I wouldn’t have been chosen. Quit being a sore loser. In fact...stay out of my dreams.” With lightning speed, I closed the distance and performed a snap kick to the chest, one that King Leonidas would be proud of. Shadow Dan cried out in pain as he was sent careening into the abyss.

“DAMN YOU TO HEEEEEEEELL!!!” Those were the last words before I couldn’t see any sign of him. I took a few steps away from the edge and groaned loudly, feeling the strain of breaking the limit.

“Damn it...why do my dreams feel so much more painful than they should be?” I complained.

Author's Note:

Alright, I have a bit of thanks to give to Thethhron for taking Jazz's place as my prereader. You know what to do. And for first timers; you have the link. GO! SHOWER THIS PERSON IN PRAISES!!!

Comments

[ZeroInfinity]

Wait, wait. Here is a villain who is objectively pure evil. It's his doubts personified, and stuff, or something. This is one enemy that wants to see him fail at every corner, just to spite him, because that's what he is, what he does.

And Daniel, as genre savvy as he's been up until now, snap kicks him? That's... I know dramatic convenience and all, but just... Jeez. For a genre savvy guy, you think he'd have recognized a recurring villain when he sees him. The villain even said he was going to come back.

[Thethhron]

I miss Jazz. He had a really fun story

[ultra1437]

3765896
Right? Wouldn't freezing him in carbonium... carbonite... whatever it's called (Reaching for a Star Wars reference here, and failing to brain it) and mounting him on a wall bring this loop to a close much easier?

[BronyGamer]

I sense Bleach shenanigans!

[Capt TeK]

3766657 It's Carbonite.

[Linkerman]

And then suddenly it was part of that training thing that was going on before

[Black--Soul]

Was that really a mirror of himself or a god/player at work?