Chapter Seven
“Rainy Night Interlude”


Derek glanced at the door. He was across the hall from the archives, he was in the study. The screams had stopped for ten minutes already, but he didn’t think about it too much. His interest was in the log book. He read the most recent one with absolute interest, reading over each and every word with precision.

“Shadow...and Light,” He muttered to himself “the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. I pity you, Link...you went from hell and back, only to have hell knocking at your door a week later.”

Each word he read only reassured his conviction. He heard something on the other side of the door. It would either be Kerst or Saria. He knew enough to never underestimate the sages. He kept his hand on the handle of his sword, glancing at the door out of the corner of his eye.

The figure stepped in, it was Kerst. Derek smirked and relaxed once again.

Kerst had a scratch mark from his cheek down to his neck, he laughed to himself, “Damn that girl. She’s feisty. But she’s got a great set of lungs, she’s a screamer!”

“I heard.” Derek muttered.

Kerst shrugged and rubbed his hands together, “Yeah, but I punched her in the gut a few times to shut her up. I did it till blood started coming out of her mouth.”

Derek raised a brow, “She still alive?” Kerst nodded, holding up his hand, it was bleeding, there was a bite mark, “Yeah, she fainted about five times, I used the drug, but she bit me and I spilt the rest.”

Derek shook his head and said with an annoyed expression, “I give you a simple job, yet you still manage to screw it up.”

Kerst gave Derek an angry look. Derek sees this and stands up, facing Kerst.

Kerst, the larger and more muscular of the two backs down immediately, “I’m sorry.” Derek nodded slowly, stepping down, “Don’t let it happen again, or I’ll kill you.” Kerst knew he wasn’t just saying it as an empty threat.

Derek glances back at the book. Kerst asks cautiously, “Did you find anything interesting?”

Derek looks at him out of the corner of his eye, “Yes, actually...I found something very interesting.” He stands up and takes his cloak off of the table, “Meet me at my quarter’s tomorrow morning, we’ll seal the deal there with the chancellor.” He slips the cloak on and heads for the door.

Kerst questioned something, “Hold on.”

Derek stopped. Kerst continued, “That girl...I know for a fact that you never stepped foot in Hyrule. You said you knew everything about her. How? And this temple...how did you know where to find it?”

Derek stood there silently for a moment before replying, “Let’s say that a little songbird sang for me. And...” he added, “if that songbird turns on me, I'll just have to clip it's wings.”

He continued, “As for me knowing the girl...haven’t I taught you anything? Deception will always be your greatest asset. Keep that in your head.”

“What do you want me to do to the girl?” Kerst asked.

Derek sighed, annoyed, “I don’t really care, kill her if you want.” He tosses him a knife “Slit her throat and dispose of the body.”

Kerst eyed the knife in his hands and spoke, “I have a better idea. She’s still useful. I know some people around Hyrule who would love to get their hands on some fresh young girls. I’m sure we’ll make a profit out of it.”

Derek shook his head, “I don’t care. But I advise you to make sure she never completely recovers. She’s not to be underestimated.”

Kerst laughed, “She’s just a little girl, nothing to worry about.”

Derek warned, “She’s got a lot of unlocked potential. She’ll grow more powerful over the years. She’s a sage, after all. If you aren’t careful, she’ll be the one to end your life...if I don’t do it first.”

Derek left before Kerst could respond.

It was raining, people rushed past him, trying to get home and out of the cold weather. Derek walked towards the castle, which was a good distance away.

He heard some ruckus to his left. It was coming from an alleyway. Curious, he casually walked towards the commotion.

A small seven year old boy was held up against the wall by two middle aged men, there was a third, also. The third cracked his knuckles and began mercilessly using the boy’s body as a punching bag.

The boy was bruised all over, there was blood running down his face from a broken nose, he was near unconsciousness, but cruel fate caused him to still stay awake.

Derek spoke loudly, but calmly, “Let him go.”

The others glanced at Derek, whose face was hidden under a hood.

The third man, who seemed to be the leader, gave the boy one more punch to the chest, knocking the wind out of him before turning to Derek, “This is none of your damn business, so I suggest you get your ass out of here before something happens.”

Derek laughed lightly, “Three grown men picking on a little defenseless boy, that’s rather sad.”

The leader replied, “He owes us money.”

Derek responded, “For what?”

The leader spat at Derek, the wad of saliva splattered against his cloak. The man gestured at a small box, “Rent.”

Derek glances at the spit slowly rolling down his expensive cloak, he says, while still keeping his cool, “Rent for living in a box, amusing. I suggest you three give the boy to me.”

The others dropped the boy, the child crumpled, holding his stomach.

The leader, along with his two thugs walked up to Derek. They were almost twice his size. Derek glanced up at them. The leader forcefully pulls the hood back, revealing Derek’s face.

The man laughed, “It seems baby face doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut.”

The two thugs behind him joined him in his laughter, the leader smacked Derek upside the head, “Are you gonna fight all of us, pretty boy?” They laughed again.

Derek sighed and sent a fist flying right for the leader’s chest, his fist collided with full impact, cracking the victim’s sternum and throwing the man back into the wet ground. The laughter suddenly stops.

They all looked at the man lying before them on the ground. Derek spoke, “Wait for it...” the others looked at the unmoving man, not knowing what to expect.

Slowly, they heard little snaps, then, before their eyes, the man’s chest collapses into his body, blood spurted out, the man’s heart was exposed for all to see.

The two men backed up from the disgusting sight and ran off in terror.

Derek strolled over to the boy, he was unconscious. Derek glanced at the corpse behind him and concentrated back on the boy. He picked him up and took him into some shelter.

The boy opened his eyes. He was inside the Temple of Time.

The boy was sore all over, he looked at himself and saw that he was wrapped in a blanket and had some bandage wrap wrapped around his body.

“You’re awake.” Derek said, handing him a cup of hot cocoa.

“...Thank you, sir.” The boy said softly.

“Don’t worry about it. Do you have a family?” Derek asked. The boy shook his head, sipping the cocoa. The hot liquid warmed and revived him.

Derek sighed, “Alright then.” He looked at the boy, he felt pity for him. He knew he couldn’t take him in, though. So he went with the first idea that popped into his head, “How about we find you a home?”

The boy almost choked on the hot drink, he looked at Derek in shock. Derek extended his hand at the boy. The boy noticed something about Derek, something familiar “Y-You’re...”

Derek smiled, holding up a finger to his mouth, “Shh....let’s keep it our little secret.”

Derek spent the next hour walking around Hyrule’s residential area, looking for someone who’d take the boy in. The rain had stopped, but the sky was still gray.

Finally, they found someone. The Blacksmith. After a bit of negotiating, they struck a deal. The boy would be raised by the blacksmith and be his apprentice. Derek sweetened the deal by paying the blacksmith an extremely large sum of money. He also made the lucky blacksmith swear to take care of the boy as if he were his own flesh and blood.

Later that day, Derek left and continued his trek to the castle. He shook his head, muttering to himself, “I’m growing soft again...”