Chapter 0 - Vexation of the Viper Queen

               Light washed over Princess Zelda. The luminescence surrounding her was bountiful enough to feel smothering - covering every inch of her body. Her eyes unable to shut, it burned into them, causing her no small amount of discomfort as she moved through the light - her feet in motion and mind lost in a memory.
 
               The light reminded her of the first time she’d awakened to her divine heritage - when after spending so long laboring tirelessly to evoke it, she had finally been rewarded with a manifestation… And what a result it was. She had been blinded as light sprung from her very body; tangible in its intensity, warm and invigorating. Like an inferno it spread around, bathing everything and burning away every scrap of darkness it touched; those that were cast across the Hylian plains and those that dwelled within the mechanical shells of Guardians that bore down upon her. 
 
               It was in that moment she was too surprised to properly react beyond the simplest realization of what had occurred - and events as they developed from there gave her little time to dwell upon it. And yet, as she marched through the castle gates, in preparation to face her destiny, she saw the awakening as a recognition and reward for everything that had come before. For her service, for her dedication - and even despite… No, even because of her conflict and desperation, she had finally cultivated the power she’d been trained to strive for and earn through such trials.
 
               The light that now surrounded her reminded of that sense of triumph. And yet; so too did it remind her of what followed. 
 
               One hundred years, bathed in her own radiance. Surrounded on all sides by the ancient, unfathomably-vicious manifestation of fury and destruction that was responsible for the destruction of her kingdom - that was, at least, how she saw the calamity to begin with; containing it as she had. But, Ganon was more than just the cause of her kingdom’s suffering; more than the cause of her own rigors and woes. It was a creature of malice far beyond her comprehension of time; even her considerable scope of history did it little justice, she came to realize. It was a beast of legend that has rampaged through Hyrule through millennia - done untold amounts of damage, ended countless lives.
 
               She spent every moment of every hour of every day menaced by the very embodiment of evil - a thing whose very intellect was drowned out by its own unending urge to destroy and despoil; and, as terrifying as it may have been - she would derive a sense of power from this. Ganon was a creature beyond her - and yet; she overcame it. She sealed it - she kept it bound, and when the time was right; she had the key to its demise.
 
 
               Surrounded by light, the princess’ mind was brought to times of triumph. In those memories, she had power - granted to her as a reward for her resolve. Something that was in her blood, but up to her to earn; and she had. It was no small amount of pride - and after she had earned such a reward, she made eager use of it…
 
               Until it was taken from her.
 
               Slowly, definition began to return to the world around the princess - shadows taking form in the light as she began to distance herself from the luminous corridor she’d been navigating for some time. The light that filled it was by no means the product of the goddess - rather glowing crystalline formations embedded into the walls. Were this a traditional spelunking endeavor, the princess might have seen their presence as convenient in the dark caverns… But in her present state, they did infinitely more harm than good. 
 
               Shuffling further from the reach of the corridor’s luminescence, and closer into what she’d come to see as a natural cave, the princess looked down to herself - checking herself for injuries. While she typically might observe them as bruises or bloodied marks on her otherwise fair skin; and moreover, might feel them before locating them, recent developments have made such an endeavor… A tad more involved.
 
               Raising her hands, Zelda found her flesh ashen and fingers gnarled, boney and stiff as she tried to ball them into fists; only doing so with a faint amount of creaking and popping. The only color to her skin was that of an otherworldly green glow cast by her eyes - now little more than motes of light in hollow-looking sockets. Travelling up her arms, she finds a similar sight; with one bearing a defined, pitted gash from a prior encounter, but no new developments.
 
               Her decrepit arms, her unnatural eyes… They were all simply a part of her body, as it had become not so long ago. It was still surreal for her to see it this way, and yet… This was the state she’d been tricked into. Her lips, already dry and curled back to bear her teeth, felt stretched as she tried to scowl - trying to express the outrage boiling inside of her; but among the many limitations her body now had included that of properly allowing her to express herself. 
 
               Following the latest round of taunting from her tormentor, Zelda had departed further into the caverns she’d been deposited in - and since entering the luminous corridor, she’d had time to… Digest her situation a little more adequately. 
 
               When she entered this place, she’d brought along a damaged Sheikah slate - one she presumed was malfunctioning… But, she entertained the idea that it was trapped. She wished she had more time to investigate it - but she’d lost it when she’d begun to flee from… Well, what the slate had awoken.
 
               Jais Zhaima… Queen of Vipers. A strange title for an enigmatic figure - one that Zelda truthfully knew nothing about; but she didn’t oblige herself to have known much about an ancient Yiga ‘queen’.  The Yiga themselves were, by their very nature, secretive and hostile - so if the Queen of Vipers was a figure in their history, she’d imagine few others would know about it… Or, perhaps, her existence was expunged. She called herself the ‘first of the Yiga’ - seeing as they were an offshoot of the Sheikah, Zelda wouldn’t be surprised if they disowned her and those that came to follow her. 
 
               More important than the woman herself, Zelda thought, was what she’d done. Jais’ words haunted her - “In my domain, the goddess is unwelcome.” The Yiga seemed… Particularly assertive about having expunged the goddess’ influence from this place… And from Zelda herself. She recalls vividly seeing… Something be violently rent from her in their initial encounter; and since then, she hasn’t been able to make use of the goddess’ powers… She hasn’t been able to hear her; or petition her, or… Anything. Having earned that power for herself, it was… Insulting to have it stolen from her; but moreover, it was isolating. Hylia’s blessing was the only bulwark she’d had against evil from the past century - and now, thrust into darkness again… She had no company beyond the evil itself, looming over her with an insidious sense of amusement. 
 
               Was it possible for Jais to have removed the divinity from her very blood? Was it dispelled - or stolen? Jais’ withered body seemed to have been revitalized… So much as Zelda recalled, before she lost consciousness. Or perhaps it wasn’t the goddess’ power the Yiga had stolen, but something else? Her youth, her vitality, or… Something else? To be reduced to a decrepit form, with Jais’ own body returning to a more healthy state seemed to imply a correlation… But, Zelda couldn’t be sure.
 
               The Yiga were known for their secretive nature; their lies, their illusions. What Zelda saw before her… Could very well merely be a display; fielded by the very founder of their clan. Zelda could spend ages in this very tunnel, mulling over the truth of the matter and weeding deceit from reality… But, what she couldn’t debate was the very physical effects of Jais’ actions.
 
               Zelda’s body now moved in a shambling crawl. She couldn’t keep a brisk pace - which meant time was of the essence if she sought to find answers. She… Wanted to set her hopes high - that she might confront the Yiga and restore her body, but… Without a proper plan to do so, gathering information was the first step of that…
 
               And getting out of this cave was the first step toward getting information. Zelda looked down to her body again - and winced, catching sight of a mote of light concentrated on her thigh. Brushing past the ancient dress she’d garbed herself in, she reaches down and finds her fingers coming into contact with something hard - with a sharp yank, she pulls a glowing crystal out from her flesh; one that had been embedded into it when she was blindly fumbling through the corridor. 
 
               As the princess leans back up, she stops short as she finds an ache pervading her back; it’s only a moment later that she’s able to fully rise into a proper posture before shambling through the tunnel - further into darkness.
 
               Admittedly, the darkness didn’t bother her terribly much. One of the few conveniences of this new form was that, even without a single source of light, she was able to view the cave as though it was daylight. Of course - if the crystal corridor was any indication, daylight itself would be… Difficult to navigate. 
 
               While that unnatural quality was a momentary benefit - her more… Natural inclinations were becoming something of a detriment as well. Throughout her travels, she’d grown accustomed to detecting sounds that might precede a threat - especially in the days leading up to the calamity. Harsh, ragged, or hissing breaths. The sounds of uneven or unnatural gaits. Clattering, popping, or cracking of bones echoing in the shadows… They were enough to give any sensible Hylian pause. Zelda was no exception, but… She slowly became aware that when she stopped to devise the source of such noises in this tunnel; the noises stopped as well.
 
               Having quickly surmised that she hadn’t picked up a tail - it became apparent that the source of the noises she’d normally attribute to a predator or one of Ganon’s minions were, in fact, coming from her. The realization made her wince, and she continued along attempting to move a little more quietly, if only for her own sake. Even if she could quiet her breaths - the drawn-out scraping of her bare, bony feet across the dusty cave floor still persisted as she made her way deeper inward.
 
               One thing that did give her reasonable pause, however, was the occasional rumble - bellowing from far ahead of her, and resounding through the stone around her. While her feet had, by and large, grown numb since her degradation into this form, she could feel the vibrations travelling up into her legs and shaking her to her core. She recalled what she’d seen of the map on that damaged Sheikah Slate - the tunnels she’d entered into went rather deep. Admittedly, she wasn’t sure exactly where she’d ended up within them, since losing consciousness - but the source of that rumbling could feasibly be any number of unpleasant things. 
               Earthquakes, subterranean volcanoes, the movement of ancient colossi… In such a frail form, Zelda didn’t want to account for any of the above possibilities. It inspired no hope to think she was any higher up in the tunnels, either - because that left the cause of the vibrations as an indeterminate unknown… And, it occurred to her - she didn’t even know if she was in the same set of tunnels. 
 
               After she was accosted by Jais, she’d passed out - and by the time she’d awoken, she was in a crypt. It seemed familiar to the architecture of the structure she’d entered into, but there was no way for her to verify that she was in the same location. Furthermore, the decrepit state of her clothes at the time put another thing up for debate - how long she’d been unconscious. It was another answer, among many, she sought… And moved toward at the quickest pace her new body would allow.
 
               The cave itself began rather straightforward - but, the deeper she got, the more it began to wind and branch off. Her trip through it grew from a boringly-slow shuffle to an agonizingly-drawn out experience when she began to find herself walking in circles - or veering down one path to find it end with a dead-end. Despite her stress, and despite her altered body… Her mind was still sharp-enough to find landmarks within the cavern to avoid as she continued to navigate it. Stalactites of a certain shape, limestone formations, cracks and crevices, pools or puddles on the ground… And, as she grew closer to what she could only assume to be the source of the rumbling, she took the path where the noise was strongest - presuming that to lead her to an exit. 
 
               For better or worse - the princess’ hypothesis turned out to be correct. Eventually Zelda found herself moving toward the mouth of the cavern - and from its edge, found herself staring across a gap at a vaguely familiar structure. 
 
               While the princess had never seen this exact place before; its architecture was undoubtedly Sheikah. She saw smooth, grey metal flanged with lighter, grey stone and lit with beads and tracks of light, almost in imitation of constellations in the night sky… But there was something decidedly different about the area. Not just in regards to its configuration - but instead, to the way it was lit. Rather than the familiar, active blue or idle orange shades typical of Sheikah technology, the place was bathed in an ominous shade of red. The lights weren’t blindingly bright as the crystal cavern had been - but Zelda couldn’t focus on any of them for long; both due to their intensity and simply due to a… Fierce quality they had about them; glaring at her as though a predator gazing from the dark.
 
               Besides - she had no reason to stare. While it was clear she’d stumbled upon some inactive shrine structure, it was likewise clear that it was inaccessible due to the gap between the cave’s exit and the platform before her. Even if she were in top shape, it was much too wide to jump. Hissing through her grit teeth, Zelda began to turn away, skulking back into the cave…
 
               “Giving up so soon, princess?”
 
               Zelda froze in place; feeling the voice echo through the cavern - the sensation carrying through her body just as much as any of the quakes had.
 
               “I had assumed your persistence had entailed a greater sense of mettle. Or were you wanting for a more ideal locale to settle down and haunt?” Jais challenged from afar.
 
               Zelda’s teeth gnash before opening her mouth - only for a weak wheeze to escape her. She dreaded to think of what had become of her lungs and throat in this decrepit state - but whatever had happened, she could no longer speak. What’s more… She didn’t want to subject anything to another ghastly wail, so she restrained herself before she got too loud. 
 
               “Or, perhaps I should take your silence as a challenge? Does she think herself a silent hero? My, my...” Another quake begins within the cavern - prompting Zelda to throw herself against the wall of the cavern to steady herself. Looking behind herself, she can see a series of shapes rising from the misty crevasse between her and the platform - square pillars grinding against one-another as they form a bridge. With a chuckle coinciding with the last of the rumbling, Jais concludes “Far be it from me to keep the hero from their trial…” 
 
               This ‘trial’ of Jais’ was a farce, and Zelda knew it. Perhaps she was unaware of the worst of the Queen of Vipers’ sins - but her sadistic demeanor was quickly becoming clear. Zelda approached the bridge tentatively - noticing a sliver of a gap between it and the cave. If she could wince - she would. Even as the smallest possible fraction of its previous width; she was still unsure of if she could even cross that. Moreover - if these platforms were raised by Jais… It stood to say they could be lowered, too. 
 
               The latter concern was… Present, but Zelda tried to reason her way through it. If Jais was just toying with her - then it was clear by her actions that she had no interest in killing the princess. Of course - the reason why Jais was toying with her still nagged at Zelda. What was her goal, here? What did Jais have to gain from Zelda being here; from having been placed here, and being led deeper in? More ominously - what did Zelda risk losing by indulging this torment? Zelda felt her dry, stiff brow trying to furrow - as she continued to deliberate… But all she was doing was wasting time in thought. She grew no closer to answers by just wishing to have them - like it or not, they most likely lay somewhere beyond that bridge.
 
With her mind made up, Zelda shuffles closer to the edge of the cave, leaning over it and beginning to rock - trying, even in her greatly diminished capacity to do so, to build some momentum. The princess eventually rears back for the last time - and pitches herself forward - rasping as she does so - before falling on her elbows and knees onto the first platform composing the bridge. She can hear a crack resounding through her body; unused to the shock of the impact - and she can see a bit of dust scattered onto the platform that simply hadn’t been there before. Zelda shudders as she tries to stand-
 
               But before she manages, she coughs up a bit of dust, herself. “Akh- khh- khhhh...” she hacks, clenching her teeth afterward.
 
               Hissing, she jitters and staggers back onto her feet; her ascent scored by Jais’ chuckling. “What a great effort for such a pedestrian task.” she jabs as the princess begins to shuffle forward. Mercifully, the other side of the bridge is connected seamlessly with the platform. It was rather small - and seemed to lead toward a ladder. Zelda shambled over to it, and upon laying a hand upon its first rung… She began to register a problem. 
 
               She could curl her hands up just  fine, but… Maintaining a fist; maintaining a grip was an issue. Furthermore, posturing herself to ascend the ladder would be tricky with as… Inflexible as she’d become. She tried to plot the best path forward - but as she did, Jais’ voice returned - this time with less venom and more of a curious air to it.
 
               “What a curious duty the Sheikah have assumed upon themselves.” she begins. “All that which you see before you… That which you have seen, littered across this land. All built in service to the goddess. What service it provides is no more than adjudication. Determining the worthiness of those that seek to serve her. What right does one hold to demand such rigorous trials of their followers…?” 
 
Zelda pays the Yiga no mind as she grasps the highest rung she can and places her foot on the highest she could manage - her stiff leg straining as she does so. 
 
“And what of the unworthy? These pits; these traps… They were not made with the faith that they would unerringly be avoided. Sheikah machines are built for a goddess that demands service or sacrifice. The very gears by which they turn are oiled by blood.” 
 
Zelda reaches up with her opposite hand, trying to force herself higher, but falls just short. She uses her opposite foot to try and propel herself upward, and she manages it. Her hand weakly clasps around the rung, and she lets go with her other… Only to find herself releasing the rung and falling back onto her feet; with a discomforting snap resounding from her back.
 
“In the Sheikah’s hands, this place is just another device by which to measure your worth. Do you think yourself worthy, o heir to the imprisoner?”
 
Zelda growls and looks upward, trying to find a place to properly snarl at Jais. The Yiga is silent for a time, and the princess uses the silence to reposition herself on the ladder. 
 
“Find solace in this: her sense of worth is no longer relevant. This place has been profaned. No longer is it a piece of her machine. It is now as I have made it - and so it shall be. You lay yourself bare before my judgement - and if you are worthy… I am not a heartless judge. This is a trial - and success is rewarded.”
 
Zelda crooks one of her arms over the rung of the ladder; hoping it’s more secure than her hands alone. She tries to advance again - but this time is… Considerably more awkward. The way she shifts is unnatural and stiff - even the sensation of her skin playing upon her bones is unnerving. She makes slow, jerking motions up the ladder, even going so far as to try and bite down on one of the rungs before her teeth slip off of it. Rung-by-rung, she climbs, nearly slipping several times… But, she eventually throws herself over the edge. She lands face-first - her well-preserved dress now having greyish marks upon it; having gathered a few smears of dust.
 
The princess shudders and rasps on the ground; her weak fingers pawing at the steely platform beneath her as she tried to stand, but couldn’t quite manage it. One of the… Mixed qualities of this body was its… Numbness, so to speak. She couldn’t feel pain, which in itself was disorienting, but helpful given some of the injuries she’d incurred since becoming cursed. Of course - it wasn’t that she couldn’t feel outright; but her form was more… Selective. What she felt, here and now, was exhaustion. 
 
She hadn’t been moving slowly through the caves as a result of fatigue - but limitation. Now, forcing her body to perform a task it simply wasn’t built for anymore made her feel downright drained. Zelda rolls onto her back; looking up toward the high, vaulted ceiling of the shrine chamber - rising far enough to be veiled by darkness even to her unnatural gaze. As she recovered from the exertion, she looked down at herself - past the dirt now gracing her dress - and down to her body. Her recent spills sounded dangerous - but a quick survey revealed that they sounded worse than they actually were. Tired as she was, she was still capable of advancing…
 
And, with a gravelly groan, she raises her arms and uses them to balance herself as she stands back up, rising shakily to her feet. 
 
“Good.” Jais applauds. “I’d be humiliated if my champion met their death from as pitiable a source as a ladder.” 
 
Zelda groans again - the breath dry and ragged as it travels past her lips. Was the Yiga staking a claim now? Was this what it was about? The assertion disgusted the princess. As ill as it made the princess feel… There was a part of her that wanted it to be true - at least then, she’d have the slightest bit of insight as to the Yiga’s aspirations… However unsettling.
 
As quickly as the princess had forced herself onto this platform, she hadn’t had much time to properly survey it. Now that she was on her feet - she had an opportunity to do so… And she didn’t much like what she found. The second level of this shrine seemed to terminate at a wall with a glassy-looking door in the center of it.. Between the ledge she’d entered from and the door at the opposite end were four stony blocks - and arranged around the room were four pits in the ground that seemed to correspond with the blocks, each one a different size.
 
It didn’t take a genius to devise the intended solution to this puzzle - but, even as easy as it appeared, the princess wasn’t looking forward to properly doing it. As she crept her way over to one of the stones - the largest of the bunch - it seemed to dwarf her in size. As she was, she had no way of moving it. Her mind leapt quickly to the prospect of using compounded force against it - but without a means to hold it in stasis, that wasn’t an option. 
 
Instead, she turned her attention to a smaller block - roughly waist high. That, she presumed, would be easier… But, looking around for the corresponding block made actually maneuvering it into place seem slightly more daunting. She had to go all the way around the others and push it past the largest one. 
 
               Zelda looked upward again - seeking some means to beckon Jais; but the Yiga had gone silent. One one hand, the princess couldn’t complain - she’d come to appreciate times without her taunting and blasphemy. Of course - that also meant she had no guidance or aid… Which the princess presumed was the point. 
 
               Jais talked a big game about posing a trial upon her - but how sincere was she about that? Zelda shuddered as she returned to her musings on the Yiga’s reasoning for bringing her here… Jais was in control of this place by her own admission. Presuming that was true - she knew full well what trials awaited her… And what Zelda was capable of accomplishing. It was… A distinct possibility that the Yiga brought her here with the intent to leave her trapped.
 
               “Hhha-... Hhhhnnn…” Zelda rasps, looking back down to the blocks. If that was Jais’ goal - she wouldn’t let that happen. To hell with what Jais thought of her - she’d see her way through this simply to keep the sadistic woman from penning her in. Zelda leaned down toward the small block - reaching out and bracing her hands upon it. The sensation was like grinding stone against leather - her disorientingly-selective sense of sensation picked up upon every pit and grit upon the stone as her hand slid across it and affirmed their position. Zelda began to lean into it gently - trying to gauge how much force was needed to move the thing.
 
               A moment of gentle nudging yielded little result - so she angled herself further forward, maintaining a moderate shove, but even that did little. She shut her eyes and forced herself against it as hard as she could manage… And she could feel her footing begin to slip, so she began to walk toward it, shoving the entire weight of her body against the simple stone. Her feet glided smoothly on the metal beneath them…
 
               But as for the block, it remained stable. Zelda wheezed as she relaxed her body, slowly straightening upward with a series of soft criks rising up her spine. She had to reference the other blocks in order to come upon the conclusion she dreaded most - she hadn’t budged it an inch. Jais didn’t taunt her for this failure - and the silence frustrated her infinitely more than anything the Yiga could’ve possibly chided her with. To her, it spoke a testament to Zelda’s theory - that this wasn’t something she was intended to surpass; this was a place to be abandoned.
 
               Zelda took a heaving draw of breath - but exhaled only a pitiful rasp; hardly comparable to what she’d taken in. She could feel her boney chest puff out a little - and despite trying to settle herself down, it didn’t relax any. She could feel a pressure building at the back of her throat - she grit her teeth trying to keep it at bay. After having seen what her body’s shrieking could do to something living… She didn’t want to do it again.
 
               And yet, at the same time - she wanted to scream. Unable to properly interrogate the Yiga, being imperilled by even the simplest of tasks, and dealing with Jais’ deception and goading and lording the princess’ misfortune over her - as ghastly as she might look, Zelda was merely mortal; her patience was limited… But, as she tried to hold back her impending wail, she asserted to herself that it was not yet exhausted.
 
               The princess placed her hands upon the block again, this time shoving herself into it. Nudging the top half of it with as much force as she could muster in a single moment, she felt it give way… For just an instant. It dipped forward for just a moment; before landing back on the ground with a dull thud. 
 
               To the princess, that was progress. She reared back again, and tried to recreate it - but as she shoved herself against the stone once more; she found her arms quaking, whatever momentum she’d built up dissipating long before she was able to make any sort of progress. 
 
Frustrated but not dissuaded, she tries again. Again, she rears up, gritting her teeth and feeling stale air drawn in past them. Again, she shoves - but the stone doesn’t budge an inch. Zelda raises her hands, crooked fingers curling slowly into fists before she brings them down upon the top of the stone. The only sound it makes is a dull crack as one of her joints pops.
 
Again, the princess shoves against the block to no avail. 
 
Then she strikes it again, more quickly this time. Her chest heaves and back arches as she sucks in breath - luminous eyes glaring at the inanimate stone before her. The stone doesn’t move despite her building anger - and so she shoves again. And again. And again. Eroded grit drifts from the block, disturbed by Zelda’s now-furious attempts at moving it; a thin layer of dust coming to litter the ground. This, and the growing fatigue besetting the princess’ emaciated limbs, are the only products of her endeavor.
 
               Her arms stop making contact with the block - and instead she begins to thrust her shoulder against it; not entirely curious, but desperate enough to experiment with having a greater mass behind her attempt. This experiment - like all she’d made previously - is a failure. Sore, tired, and almost incandescently furious with her shortcomings, the princess’ hands fall upon the top of the block - boney fingers securing themselves upon the top of it, but not attempting to push it further.
 
               Instead, the princess steadies herself - feeling her body shifting in response to the exertion placed upon it. She was… Fairly sure that she no longer needed to breathe - and yet, her body drew in ragged breaths, her back arching and shoulders rising with every inhale, and slowly slumping downward with every raspy exhale. At first, she correlated it to the same sort of fatigue resounding through her body - streaking up her arms, cropping up like needles across her back and heels… But, as similar as it might seem to an exhausted panting… There was something different about it.
 
               It didn’t feel like a show of weakness; and it wasn’t a product of necessity. If it wasn’t that, then… The only thing the princess could assume was that it was some way for her decrepit body to… Express itself. In particular - to express her anger. How fearsome she must look - a beast bearing its teeth; gasping in defiance to its undead nature. Were the sounds not ghastly enough to freeze an onlooker in terror, then what those breaths were building up to would. 
 
               That was it, Zelda realized. Her body was making a threat. She was making a threat - because that’s how she felt. She was furious and disturbed - at herself and at Jais in nearly equal measure. There was so much she couldn’t do, and so… Her body was prepared to do what it could. 
 
               Her fingers popped as her grip tightened on the block, and the princess threw her head back, her jaw dropping. She could feel her entire chest contract as she forced out the supernatural pressure that’d been building within - feeling her throat tighten and back arch. “... eeeeeEEEEEIIIIAAAAAAAAAHH!”
 
 She recalled how it felt to unleash such a terrible screech before - and this was... Different. She’d only done so accidentally, before - a product of attempting to force out some sound, compounded with a slow build of fear and uneasiness. This wail, however, was a product purely of rancor. It somehow felt more… Potent, this way - the sound was tangible; rattling even Zelda herself down to her bones. She could feel the air around her buzz with the dissonance; and even the dust on the ground jumped and shifted as she sustained the cry.
 
               The terrifying shriek remained for some time before her throat began to constrict; prompting her to taper off and choke out the last of the sound before slumping forward, her upper half coming to rest on the block before her; spent. Even with Zelda silent, the sound still boomed throughout the open shrine chamber and in her own ears; underscored by a ringing even she wasn’t immune to. Horrible as the scream was, letting it out was… Cathartic. Whether it was truly a product of some profane transmutation of emotion to force or simply a means of venting her frustrations - Zelda no longer felt fury boiling away in her emaciated gut. 
               
               The princess didn’t quite feel better, either… And her disposition wasn’t entirely improved by Jais’ interjection.
 
               “My, what a voice you have… A sound like that might wake the dead.”
 
               Zelda took a slow draw of breath as she began to lift herself off of the block. It was as she made her way upward that she noticed something had changed about the room - peeking over the edge of the block, she saw a cluster of crystalline material gathered on the floor alongside several scattered shards. Following the trail it formed, Zelda’s gaze was guided to the door that had been barring her entry… Or, where the door once lay.
 
               It hadn’t moved - as she assumed it was intended to, and yet… Somehow the sheer dissonance of her cry managed to shatter it - creating a gap wide enough for the princess to make her way through. Slowly and shakily, the princess moved forward - her feet brushing shattered crystal aside as she approached it.
 
               “Oh-” Jais begins; seemingly having taken notice of it, herself. “And how inventive. I had begun to wonder how keen a mind this one had been blessed with…”
 
               Zelda tried not to pay the Yiga’s musings any mind. The closer she got to the shattered door, the more clearly she could make out what was on the other side, or… What little there was. It took slow and deliberate movements to make her way through the crack - and as she poked her head through to the other side, she found herself in an expanse of darkness. 
 
               At first - Zelda’s mind returned to the stairway leading into Jais’ chamber. The oppressive darkness she navigated there was… Intimidating; but at least she’d been able to keep her hopes up with the promise of a reward. And yet - that was before her eyes became supernaturally attuned to the shadows. She could see perfectly in what she could only assume was pitch darkness, now - so what made this darkness special? It had to be arcane in some way, but… Zelda didn’t have a clue by just looking at it.
 
Where the sight itself failed to aid her - Jais intervened. “Ah; and here we have the highlight of this trial. A product of my own tailoring - as I’ve had time to experiment.” Time? How much time? Zelda leered as she fully emerged on the dark side of the doorway. “Though I find the basis for it as deplorable as the rest of these facilities.” 
 
A sharp sound echoes through the chamber - followed by a series of more artificial thumps. Zelda winces as light erupts from the darkness - sudden enough to surprise her, but not bright enough to fully stun her. A path of blue lights carves its way through the shadow - winding deeper into what appears to be a path ahead. Even as well as the path is lit - Zelda can make out… A mist playing at the very edges of the light, as though repulsed by its presence. 
 
“Strive e’er to walk within the light of the goddess. That is what the Sheikah aspire to. Such was the lesson of this temple.” Jais explains. “I shall leave you with that knowledge… For what good it does you..” Jais leaves Zelda with a soft chuckle, dissipating just as quickly as that shadowy mist disappeared in the light. At the very least, her instructions were clear - and Zelda was tired of questioning the cryptic nature of the Yiga’s machinations, so clarity was a luxury she was eager to claim. 
 
Zelda hobbled into the lighted path before her, walking slowly ahead - keeping an eye on the ground for any prospective threats; traps, pitfalls… The likes of which she wholly anticipated Jais placing in her path. Thankfully, none came - and yet… The path itself soon came to an end. Curious, Zelda looked around for some sort of guidance - and it soon arrived. Another set of lights activated on the ground before Zelda, followed by another, forming a curving path ahead. She begins to step forward-
 
Before she catches sight of the skeleton. 
 
As the path moves onward, it illuminates a set of bones strewn on the floor - face down, with one arm outstretched. It seemed to be entirely clear of rot or flesh - either due to age or… Having been eaten away. Zelda is staggered at the sight - long enough for the start of the new path to disappear. As new pieces of the path are created, others are deactivated, she notices - and so she watches it snake away into the shadows before arriving at another, stable mote of light far from her present position. 
 
Zelda braces herself, watching the path progress as though feeding into its terminus - disappearing until all that’s left is that final area. Once the path was clear, she was sure it’d return to her side, so she made her way to the very edge of the path, waiting for it to appear…
 
And, after a few moments of waiting, she wasn’t entirely sure it would, anymore. Did she need to activate something, herself? Was there a trigger she was missing? Or was it unforgiving enough to only activate once? That possibility was distressingly on-brand with Jais’ sadism. If that were the case, what options did she have - return to the start? Brave the shadows and, what- end up like that pile of bones? If anything, she couldn’t scream herself out of this o-
 
The first part of the lighted path returned as she was lost in her musings - Zelda wheezed as she lurched forward, bare feet slapping on the smooth stone as she raced to get to the far end of it before the next piece of the path appeared. She managed to make it - and as the next piece appeared, she arrived at that too. She moved as quickly as she could - but, that said, she did so at a pace akin to… Purposeful lumbering. As she passed the skeleton, the detriment of this became clear - she’d begin to fall behind the pace of the lights.
 
At first she’d been able to make it to each new spot before the next appeared, but after the first several sections, she was outpaced by one section - then two, then three… And based on her prior observations, there were only five active pieces of the path at a time. The princess tried to force herself to move faster; trying to will some further momentum out of her creaking legs, but her pace remained constant even as she came to bring up the very rear of the path.
 
Zelda began to pant again - not just in frustration, but in fear. Ineptitude cost her time, before - getting up the ladder, getting past the block puzzle… Even fighting the Iron Knuckle wasn’t as much of a threat to her as it very well should have been - she felt no pain, so injury wasn’t a concern. But this - if those bones were any indication… 
 
The princess made short, frantic huffs as she staggered forth - doing so until she found her foot catching on something hard. Gravity quickly seized the princess - dragging her down to the floor. No! She shouts into her own head, the sound drowning out everything else. Her boney hands paw at the ground to give her some traction, but her frail body isn’t quick enough to rise from the ground, or even do as little as crawl forward, before the path she’d fallen into disappears - leaving her bathed in shadow. 
 
The first thing Zelda hears is a crackling sound - like wood simmering away in a fire. Zelda staggers to stand up, but in her panic, can’t afford herself the proper time to do so. Even with the path now too far for her to catch up with, she begins to laboriously crawl ahead, making her way forward even as the sound persists - teasing away at her ears like an audible timer of how long she has before she meets a terrible fate. 
 
Realizing she isn’t making headway, Zelda begrudgingly slows down - long enough to get onto her knees… Which, thankfully, she still has. Shakily, she stands up once more, and begins to hobble toward the light. She doesn’t find her movement hampered by the darkness - nor does she feel any different; physically, at least. The fear still plagues the princess as she soldiers on, until…
 
The cracking sound ceases. 
 
Zelda pauses in place - looking down at herself… Despite the supernatural shadow cloaking her form. Tentatively, she takes a step forward - and is, of course, able to do so. Curiously, she raises her hands to meet one-another - and they’re still around, too. Perhaps she wasn’t quite used to the leathery tone of her new flesh yet - but as far as she could tell, everything was… Fine. Despite the sound’s termination, and despite being in the darkness, she… She was perfectly well. Relative to her present state, of course.
 
Zelda takes a few more cautious steps forward - still unsure about whether she’d encounter any differences in elevation, or unforeseen pitfalls; but mercifully she found herself… Unchallenged, as she made her way to the end of the present section of the path. It was after a few more minutes of trudging that she managed to step into the light - curious what she may discover about the darkness’ effects…
 
And, after doing so, the princess partially hoped she’d have remained in the darkness.
 
Her flesh was undamaged - or at least, untouched from how she’d entered this chamber. What bothered the princess, however, was the fact that it was… Bare. The priestess’ dress she’d been wearing had simply disappeared from her frame, somewhere in the darkness - so too had most of the jewelry she’d been wearing. The necklace was completely gone, as was one of the bangles - all that remained was… Perhaps the clearest indicator of what had happened. Around one wrist sat the remnants of the other bangle - perhaps a third of it was left; one end roughly even, the other jagged, and the entire surface pockmarked with corroded pits and bathed in rust. The  princess’ attempt to feel it revealed just how fragile it had become - a delicate pinch of her fingers causing the metal to crack and splinter, falling off of her wrist and shattering as it impacts the ground.
 
Perhaps the darkness was as dangerous as she’d feared - eating away at whatever it touched, but… It seemed she was exempt from that. Was it merely there to destroy the inanimate? Was the skeleton merely there for show? Or… Was her undead nature an aegis against it? Part of her wanted to look at that possibility as a silver lining, but… Most of her didn’t want to make positive of her present circumstances. 
 
Zelda shuddered as she raised her hands over her bare chest, her body twitching as a hand crossed one of her nipples. A baleful sound escaped her open mouth - though doing little to capture the sheer mortification she felt. Normally, she’d have been aghast for somebody to stumble upon her… Disrobed, but the thought of somebody seeing the whole of her body like this caused her no small amount of anxiety. Wherever Jais was leading her - she hoped it’d be close to somewhere she could pilfer some clothing… As much as the thought disturbed her.
 
Looking ahead - Zelda could see something through the darkness; a broad swath of illuminated terrain, what she could only assume is the end of the trial. At first, there weren’t any lights to guide her there, but after a moment of waiting, she could see a few portions of the path illuminate… But not, as they had been, from lights on the floor. This time, she could trace the lights to emplacements on the walls - casting a spotlight onto the ground. Quickly, these spotlights began to move - shifting in a set pattern to provide points of entry, and then positions to transition to.
 
Clearly - it was a trail designed for more nimble participants. The prime challenge seemed to be that there were pillars, here and there, that would interrupt the spotlights - forcing one to leap between them at the right times. In light of recent discoveries… Zelda didn’t feel compelled to force herself through such an exercise. Without waiting for the spotlights to begin her part of the path, she stepped forward, beginning to walk straight toward the end. 
 
The princess kept her arms outstretched; trying to feel for any obstacles in her way before she bumbled into them, and this saved her from crashing into a couple of pillars. It was as she approached the middle of the path that one  of the spotlights crossed over her…
 
And, after having done so, she could  hear a rapid series of electronic beeps. Curiously, the princess turns in the direction of the spotlight - wincing as she does so. As before, it wasn’t bright enough to entirely blind her… But there was something much more intense within the spotlight that the floor lights didn’t have - a single beam resting in the middle, which made it much harder to look at. The beeps grew quicker during her observation - and in her confused state, it took Zelda a moment too long to recognize its source.
 
With a confirmatory beep, the central beam disappears, and a burst of light stems from the source of the spotlight, followed by the sound of something racing through the air. With no time to react, Zelda finds a force - like a hammer - impacting her chest, knocking her backward with a frenzied wheeze. Even after she hits the ground, Zelda is carried further by the sheer force she’d become subject to, stopping only once she impacts a pillar. The princess curls up defensively - hacking up dust as her hands clutch for her chest. She doesn’t feel any pain - but the sheer shock of it disarmed her. 
 
Her fingers find themselves playing at the edge of a crevasse that simply hadn’t been there before - in the dead center of her chest. The flesh didn’t feel entirely broken - more… Collapsed. She wanted to explore the wound further, but the beeping began anew as the spotlight chased her to her new position. Wheezing worriedly, Zelda crawls onto her hands and knees, retreating behind the pillar. The spotlight lingers for a moment before the beeping dies down, transitioning into a more inquisitive pattern… Before dying off completely. Zelda can see the spotlight slink away - returning to its previous pattern as she remained out of sight.
 
“Strive e’er to walk within the light of the goddess.” Jais echoed with a chuckle. “There is a foolish sense of trust in that aspiration. My design was to dispel it with this trial. Is it not… Educational, to learn what harm misplaced trust can do?”
 
Zelda groans. This was the last lesson she needed from a Yiga. She slowly rose back to her feet; her back sliding against the pillar as she used it for support. Her body felt… A little weaker after that attack - as though she needed to catch her breath, when that wasn’t exactly an option anymore. Even if she desired a respite, it’d be unavailable - as another spotlight began to sweep toward Zelda from her side of the pillar. With a dull huff, she staggers away, moving back in the direction of the exit. 
 
It became clear, as Zelda maneuvered the spotlights, that their pattern was little more than an illusion. They seemed like they were creating a path; but it was closer to an obstacle course. She found herself freezing on the spot more than a few times as they moved in front of her - or found herself cowering behind pillars for minutes at a time. She could only imagine the proper solution of this place - if there was even a solution intended by its mad creator. The idea of using Guardians as a light source was cruel - and Zelda wasn’t sure if Jais was only using the more petite models by design, or if the princess had simply gotten lucky with the one that spotted her. She had to fight herself to prevent the mental image of a full-sized Guardian attacking her out of her train of thought. 
 
The final hurdle was, perhaps, the trickiest - before the very end of the darkened area, several spotlights shone down from above, creating a difficult pattern to navigate at her speed. Zelda approached it anxiously - carefully gauging the very borders of it, then hobbling past at the right time. Making it across felt nothing short of miraculous - but, as though the trial sought to deliver one final insult to the princess, the border between the darkness and light had a small ledge, which caused her to trip and collapse onto the other side. By then, she was well out of range of the Guardians - but even so, she was none too happy. 
 
Zelda remained on the ground for a moment or two - curling up to rest on her knees, and hunching over them. The challenges of this form had become clear as day to her - but what made them ever-more daunting was how far off the prospect of returning to normal felt. For how long was she doomed to fear things as simple as ladders or waist-high ledges? How long was she restricted to trudge along at a glacial pace? Time seemed to be the most restrictive factor, but… As Zelda reached over to her chest, she wondered if that wasn’t her only limitation.
 
How long would this body of hers last? In a matter of hours, she’d received a wicked gash on her arm, and took a direct hit from a Guardian’s laser. It didn’t hurt - it didn’t even set her back, but… Even if she could survive these injuries, how much could she maintain? Was there no way to protect herself? Restore herself? 
 
Zelda shuddered as she sat back up, looking down at herself. Her chest still sat bare and exposed - but above her bosom sat a pit, just larger than an apple. It sat where Zelda’s heart should have lain - a wound that would have killed a living Hylian, and yet wounded only Zelda’s sense of self. She was so fixated on this sight that it took her a little while to notice the hair brushing past her shoulders. 
 
It was the tone of her hair that caught Zelda’s eye at first - it appeared somewhat greenish, illuminated by her eyes, but upon plucking a lock and pulling it further from her face, it appeared… Paler than before. The last time she gazed upon herself, her hair had still been her normal shade of blonde - give or take a few streaks of grey, but now… It looked entirely drained of color. Of course, what surprised her more was the length. She’d been rather keen on her shorter hairstyle; its length was maintained even after the initial curse. Clawing at it now - it seemed to fall well past her shoulders and onto her back.
 
Zelda was at a loss as to what might have caused these changes - the shadowy mist? Lingering effects of the curse? Something about her terrible shriek? Typically - the curse burdened her with more questions and no answers. 
 
Raggedly, Zelda rises onto her feet, stumbling forward. The remainder of the corridor stretched on for a short distance before harrowing - retreating from the surrounding walls to leave small gaps between the floor and walls. Looking upward, Zelda could see something of a tube extending down from the ceiling - and exit; at least to this chamber if not from this damned labyrinth. However - sitting between the princess and the elevator, obscuring the platform, was something Zelda had come to expect from Sheikah shrines.
 
Sitting before her was the… Well, shrine of the shrine. A small platform, led up to by a staircase, and resting under a roof. A place where, from her understanding, Sheikah monks would be interred in a form of self-mummification - a final sacrifice to the goddess, whereupon their spirits would live on in adjudicating the trials of shrines like this. What was different about this shrine was… There was a shrine, yes - but no monk. 
 
The princess stood before the shrine curiously - never having seen something like this before. She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised, given Jais’... Tastes. Recognizing that, Zelda moved on-
 
“Hold, o heir to the betrayer.”
 
Zelda moved on. Feeling fatigue seeping deep enough to burden her very soul, she rounded the shrine and prepared to advance upon the elevator.
 
“I would hope that strike didn’t damage your ears. I command you, hold.” 
 
Passing the shrine now - Zelda can see the elevator before her. She drags herself over to it… Before watching, with a scratchy cry, as it begins to rise, ascending well before she even had a chance to get close. 
 
“What a rebellious little champion I’ve garnered. I can’t say I’m disappointed.” Jais coldly observes. A low thrum resounds through the chamber - underscored by the sound of grinding; clanking emanating from below. “In fact - I’d say you’re due for a reward.”
 
Zelda takes a step back from the elevator, lumbering back toward the shrine. As she turns, she watches something rise from the pit at the edge of the platform - the familiar shape of a Guardian’s leg. The princess freezes, moving back toward the elevator - before another leg stretches upward; its mechanical digits grasping at the air. Zelda takes a sharp draw of breath as she starts to circle the shrine in an attempt to avoid the rising tendrils - but another pair manifests on its opposite side, and three more seem to rise around her. More approach, looming over her like serpents. As she’d grown accustomed to seeing, amid the calamity, the light within the Guardians’ mechanics is a violent shade of red.
 
“In truth - I had hoped you would reach this place. Do not misunderstand - I had my doubts. Those of the betrayer’s bloodline operate by no strict standards, and what has become of them since my interment, I am unaware.” The Guardian legs loom over Zelda - a few beginning to approach. One snaps at the princess, causing her to flinch backward, nearly falling onto her rear. “And you offered little in our interaction. A mote of light. A frantic flight from danger. Is this the will of one who must oppose Ganon? Is this one that has? What, I wonder, has become of the Lord to which I pledged myself…” 
 
Zelda finds herself surrounded - and, with no evident options other than awaiting imminent demise, she begins to rear back, drawing in breath… Only to find one of the Guardians’ limbs clamping fast upon her ankle. Disrupted, Zelda gives out a guttural series of whines - expelling the pressure she’d built before properly cultivating it. 
 
“But I never wanted you to give up. I didn’t want you to fail. My, how you have surprised me... I truly do believe you worthy of reward. I make no illusions that my praise will be enough, so I will afford you something more constructive.” Another limb wraps around Zelda’s arm - with another seizing the opposite. Evoking a surly groan from Zelda, they lift her up - and more limbs secure her free leg and waist, securing and suspending her. “I will give you time to reflect.”
 
The rational part of Zelda’s mind knows that even at the zenith of her power, she wouldn’t physically be able to tear herself free of a Guardian’s grasp. Even if she hadn’t discovered this fact in her own studies, the truth of the matter was easily discernible by a quick visual inspection. Even more importantly - given the relative fragility of her body, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep her limbs if she even tried to muster a token resistance. So, the princess was at their mercy - at Jais’ mercy.
 
“I will not allow you to pursue the damnation you seek any further. Rest here - find peace in finding no further obligation than offering your presence.” Zelda felt a chill creep through her body as Jais continued. “Your trial is at an end, ‘champion’ - and so it is your time to watch over others’. This place will serve to educate future generations - and it is to you that they will pay reverence, as mistress of this shrine. I’ll ensure you have company - believe me… Interment can be quite torturous without it. But, first...”
 
The Guardian limbs reposition Zelda - spreading her limbs wide and holding her parallel to the ground. More limbs seem to snake upward - displaying more variety than before. Some seem to be extensions of smaller Guardians’ limbs, currently grasping objects - and others seem to be fully-sized, but tipped with different heads. One in particular looms over Zelda - its head conical and bearing a round tip; glimmering with crimson light. 
 
Its light grows more and more intense, not just cascading off of it but washing over Zelda’s face in waves. The light is blinding in its intensity - but beyond just washing over her vision in a red haze, she finds her vision… Cutting out. Flickering between black and red before growing stable as the arm pulls away. While confounding, the princess has no time to dwell upon it as the more spindly arms descend upon her. They descend in a wave - hovering over her body as they bring their contents closer.
 
It takes a moment before Zelda recognizes what they carry. They’re small and flimsy, because… They’re made of paper. Small, white strips emblazoned with red ink hang from the arms’ surprisingly delicate grip - and soon hang over Zelda’s body. She recognizes them as seals the Sheikah often used, but… It was an artform she was well aware the Yiga shared - but for what purpose, she was unsure. When one makes contact with her arm, the sensation is surreal. The paper seems to draw itself against her flesh - pressing firmly against it with a will of its own. Stranger than the sensation of the seal conforming to her skin was the sensation that permeated her limb - Zelda could approximate it to frost spreading from the outside of her arm inward, seeping down to her bones - paralyzing it. Even if she wanted to move - she couldn’t.
 
It felt terrible - but it was only worsened when another seal affixed to her lower arm, then two to her opposite arm, then one upon her navel… More arms descended, in waves, carrying Yiga seals. Two clasped tightly upon her breasts, causing Zelda to rasp when they affixed themselves. Another came down upon her crotch, completely covering her sex. This defilement would have made Zelda scream if she could even move, anymore. The last of the seals covered her legs and back - leaving her entirely still. 
 
“It is by my will that your body is no longer hers - and I will make that clear. Be honored. This will ascend you beyond one born of the betrayer’s blood; beyond a link in aeons-old shackles. You will become an idol - a dagger in the side of the one who condemned you. A testament of blasphemy. I urge you - embrace it. Reject her scorn. Spit on the name her agents laid upon you. Your mind - your will - is your own. Do with it as you will.” 
 
One of the larger arms releases one of Zelda’s - but the limb remains stiff; locked in place by way of the seals. Smaller arms guide a garment upon it - hanging limply in the limb’s grasp, Zelda can’t make out what it is until it begins to slide up her arm- before the arm supporting her seizes her limb once more, and the process repeats on the other side. It resembles a Sheikah garment - but… Of course, tailored to the Yiga clan. A kimono, she recalls - white and black, but bearing red details along the surface of it, in strange and fearsome patterns. Once draped over her, a belt is affixed around her waist to secure it - the thick band tied in a heavy knot over her navel. In Zelda’s experience, it was… Supposed to be worn on the back, but it seemed easier to remove from the front, like this. She couldn’t help but wonder if that was deliberate. 
 
The way it was tied exposed the bulk of her chest - nearly revealing the entirety of her sealed breasts, but also highlighting the apparently-heartless pit in her chest. There had been a bit of hope in the princess that the kimono might have covered it, but… She relented that it was much more on-brand for Jais to taunt her like that. 
 
The princess found herself jerked forward as the arms maneuver her toward the shrine - slipping underneath the roof and being tipped upward. The arms manipulate her like a puppeteer - repositioning her to fit within the display. Her legs are bent to rest on her knees - but carefully, her legs are spread. Zelda feels a sting of embarrassment at the positioning - but is silent to protest. The lower half of the kimono ultimately drapes over her legs, thankfully - obscuring them as she’s laid to sit upon the shrine. Her arms are then guided into new positions. One sinks low - her thumb and middle finger coming to pinch the bow her belt had been tied into, threatening to remove it. Her opposite hand raised higher - her index finger and thumb pinched and other fingers fanned outward. A small arm deposits a long pipe in Zelda’s outward hand - something the princess would’ve sneered at were she able.
 
Though she can’t exactly see what’s becoming of her hair, she can feel it being manipulated - restyled much as her own body had been. Zelda felt… Mortified at being subjected to this, but what infuriated her even more was the fact that she could hardly express it. It wasn’t just that her body was locked down - it was that her body had few ways to process her embarrassment and fury. Her heart couldn’t hammer away in her chest. Her skin couldn’t gloss with sweat. Her lips couldn’t belt out protests. Even her head felt surprisingly clear - a surreal disconnect of her mental and emotional states. She knew how she wanted to feel - knew what she wanted to do, but… Her body wasn’t capable of it anymore.
 
Zelda could tell that they were done with her hair when a hat came to loom over her head - wide-brimmed, akin to the style of the Sheikah. “Ah, if only you could admire yourself…” Jais laments. “But, I believe it best to spare you the torture of having a solitary image burned into your eyes. Darkness serves as a more appropriate canvas for the mind to paint… And I believe this would make for an appropriate last touch.” Zelda stilly watched as bands of light began to erupt around her - crimson and menacing, forming a cage around the shrine. Her shrine, as Jais willed it. A small aperture remained as an arm snaked through it - carrying with it an object familiar to Zelda.
 
Glossy and glimmering in the red light, Zelda recognized it as a Yiga mask, bearing the familiar, upturned symbol of their uncorrupted kin. Sealed and bound as she was - Zelda could offer nothing more than a mental protest as it came to rest over her face - blacking out the world around her. She could hear the last of the cage manifest - a low, droning hum appearing and disappearing as it stabilized - locking her away.
 
“I cannot tell what thoughts swim within your head.” Jais coos. “But I hope them contemplative. Fear me. Detest me. This is your choice. Hatred is a weapon in itself. But do not waste the time you have been given mourning your losses. Think of what has been taken from you - what has truly been taken. It is there you may level the blade of your ire.” A sigh resounds throughout the chamber - almost tangibly washing over Zelda. “But I will not press you further. I will return in time. Perhaps then, we may hold a more enlightened conversation.”
 
Zelda can almost feel Jais’ presence leave the chamber - and as much as she is thankful for it… She also understands that she’s left her alone. With the mask over her face, she sees nothing but darkness - the rest of the world veiled behind it. Her body sits posed within the shrine - the air stale as ever, she can’t feel the slightest hint of movement around her. 
 
She can’t pretend she’s not afraid. She can’t pretend that Jais’ words aren’t haunting her. She certainly can’t pretend that she’s not furious for having waltzed into this position in the faith that Jais would lead her somewhere better. Perhaps the lesson of this trial was appropriate, after all…
 
But - despite the fear, despite the frustration, and despite the uncertainty of it… Zelda feels driven. Bondage was not something she was unused to - and as long as Jais had surely spent sealed in this place, Zelda had experience of her own in that regard. Whatever doubts the Yiga had of her - the truth remained that Zelda was the woman that stood against the calamity for an uninterrupted century. Perhaps it was by virtue of her heritage that she had the ability to - but it was a product of her will that she could execute such a grand feat. 
 
Zelda had little power, and no hope of rescue from beyond. The burden of escape sat squarely on her shoulders - and despite everything… It was one she swore to carry. The only question was… 
 
How long would it take?