Author's Notes:

This chapter is crossover between my story and fellow author DisplacedWriter's newly rewritten story of A Forced Hero

I hope you all enjoy

After winning the Royale and signing over what seemed like over thousand autographs, the first written to a cute little griffin we had promised to in the Pens, Prince Thistle managed to guide Katy and I through a crowd of fans and into the sanctuary of private rooms. My sister and I were each given a suite on the top floors of Thistle’s hotel to relax and sleep after we had won the Hialla’s Royale. The room I was given was extravagant with rich velvet colored walls, a beautiful crystal chandelier like the one in the arena’s Blood Room, and plush furniture with pillows that were meant to accommodate varying races. The bathroom had all the standard commodities I was familiar with, but the massive shower inside took my breath away. The shower’s width was incredibly long with a fancy marble floor and a shower head that looked like it was meant to spew out a small waterfall. It easily accommodated my height and the shower’s calming warm waters quickly soothed every muscle in my body as I turned the nozzle.

After I finished applying shampoo and washed out every piece of sand that clung to my body from the arena, I sat on the shower’s marble floor and meditated on today’s events as water continued to pour across my shoulders. It was exhilarating using my powers in an actual fight and Katy’s prowess in her battle with Steel Horn was simply amazing. Through sheer determination alone she managed to beat that behemoth of a minotaur with just her bare hands and that instance when she rose her broken body from the ground gave me a glimpse of an aspect of the Force that I had yet to tap into.

The Light.

Or to be more specific, the Light Side of the Force. Using the Force as my eyes, I saw raw power coursing through her body as the unity of support from the arena’s audience filled her with the strength to fight. Whether this power was DETERMINATION native to Undertale or magic native to this world, the Light emanated through her regardless. It was like glimpsing into the heart of a star. This was a hint of how powerful Katy could be, and before the fight ended and the Light began to dim, I saw how close Katy was to becoming The Undying. Her battles in the arena were a true test of her new powers.

I however, found my battles in the arena to be…lacking. True I had put into practice a few techniques I had learned from Darth Malgus’s holocron, but I never truly felt like I being properly challenged in that arena. No limits were tested, my rage was unleashed for only a few brief moments, and the strongest gladiator in that entire Royale was claimed by Katy. Despite the immense pride I felt for my sister, I still felt a little jealous that she was the one to push the boundaries of her new powers.

I have taken the form of powerful Sith Lord, a Sith Lord from an MMO game with a mountain of content to show how powerful he truly was. The Wrath defeated armies on several different planets and would then conquer said planets for the glory of the Sith Empire. Hundreds of Jedi and rival Sith tested their lightsabers against the Wrath and fell to his blade. Whether it was Hutt crime lords, enhanced alien super soldiers, ancient Sith who could terrify entire galaxies, or even monstrous terrors straight from a Lovecraftian novel, they all fell to the Empire’s Wrath.

So with all that power and experience now mine to possess, I test it on some amateur fighters from the lowest brackets of an arena? No, I need a real test. A test to observe what my limits are and what needs to improve if I want to possess the knowledge in my token. But how can I test this safely? Despite my control over the Dark Side, (and by control I mean that I haven’t accidentally killed anyone yet), I’m still a little hesitant to go all out on somebody. The first one I’ve met that could probably take a Sith Lord’s beating was Steel Horn and he probably won’t be able to fight for at least a few weeks after what Katy did to him. No, I need someone else to test my strength on, and I would prefer if it wasn’t my sister or one of the Bronze gladiators I was currently ranked with. There has to be someone in this world of mighty magics that could help me test the limits of my power.

…
…
…

“Actually who said it had to be someone from my world?” I thought out loud.

I turned off the shower and dried myself off with a silk towel that had the initials TA stitched into it, then walked out into the suite. I approached my bed which had my clothes neatly laid upon it and next to my lower robes rested a pyramidal holocron with Sith hieroglyphics etched into its sides. My token housed not only Valkorion’s vast trove of knowledge on the Force, but Valkorion also said that The Merchant gave the token knowledge of the multiverse as well.

“The Merchant gifted this holocron with knowledge of the multiverse and the many Displaced that reside within it. When the situation becomes necessary, I will enlighten you on any questions you may have about the multiverse.” I recalled.

Katy has already been summoned by another Displaced, Gregar I believe was his name, and I could summon one of my fellow Displaced to help me find the limits of my strength. There has to be someone else out there who was displaced as similarly as Katy and I were. Changed into robust characters from fictional worlds as strange and magical as Undertale or Star Wars.

But would they be willing to help me? I could already imagine it now.

“HI! My name is Jack and I summoned you to my world so we could beat the crap out of each other. Won’t that be fun! But don’t worry, it’s just so I can find out how strong I really am.”

While I won’t word it exactly like that, it is still the basic premise of what I want. Whether they would be willing to help me or not, I won’t know unless I actually try to summon a Displaced.

Succeed or fail, this will be an interesting experiment nonetheless.

“You’re sure that this is the place?” I asked Valkorion as he walked alongside me.

“I am, there is a token of another Displaced hidden here.” The holocron guardian answered, phasing invisibly through island dwellers as we passed them on the street.

It was the next morning and I had successfully managed to summon Valkorion from my token to question him on the subject of summoning other Displaced. At first I was apprehensive, Valkorion had so far only offered up information on a whim and I expected him to turn away from my questions as soon as I asked them. But surprisingly he actually did answer my questions and even more surprisingly told me that there was a token nearby on the island itself. After I told Katy that I was leaving the hotel to tour the island by myself for a little while, I pocketed a little bit of the prize money I earned from the Royale and took to the streets in search of the token with Valkorion. Keeping my plans to myself.

I didn’t want to tell anyone that I was summoning another Displaced like Katy and I unless I was absolutely sure that I could. No sense in alarming anyone if it turned out I couldn’t actually follow through with my plans. However, I was beginning to regret that decision, because as soon as I stepped out of the hotel I was immediately mobbed by the island’s populous.

Hundreds of adoring new fans or curious tourists bombarded me with questions or requests for autographs on every street corner I turned and I chastised myself for not anticipating this. Either of Princess Falca’s or Prince Thistle’s presences could have warded off the crowd if I had asked one of them to accompany me but I neglected that my newfound celebrity-like status would attract such a crowd. It was tiresome but I eventually managed to reach my location half a kilometer and a hundred autographs later. The entire experience gave me a newfound respect for famous celebrities everywhere.

The location that Valkorion had directed me to was a trinket store found in one of the Isle of Gaiety’s shopping districts. The store had various miscellaneous items displayed on its windows and at first glance they all seemed like beautiful works from ages long past. A glass vase with the visage of a grand dragon painted onto its surface, or a gnarled staff made from seemingly ancient oak. They all appeared to be marvelous works from masterful artisans and had price tags to match their magnificence. But when I examined the pieces closer I found them to actually be beautifully crafted fads. The dragon on the glass vase was made from cheap paint and I sensed that the wood deep inside the staff was incredibly warped after analyzing it with the Force. I deduced that the shop was actually fraudulent in nature and its goal was to sell worthless junk to gullible tourists. I hoped Valkorion was right about this place.

“I’ll leave you to it then, my work here is done,” Valkorion said as he faded away back to his holocron.

I sighed at his departure and bent down so I could access the shop’s door, many of these buildings had doors that were too small for someone my size. The shop’s sent reminded me of old books and it seemed to enhance the store’s credibility of being an antique trinket shop despite the falsehood I knew it to be. Past the shelves of numerous other false antiques and trinkets was an aged griffin sitting behind a wooden counter focused on a book. Despite my entrance, he didn’t even seem to notice my arrival even as I walked up to his counter.

‘How distracted does one have to be to not notice a giant red man standing before them?’ I pondered. It must have been a good book.

Behind the distracted old griffin was the token I was searching for, it had to be. I could sense its magic radiating from it as it seemingly stared back at me. It was familiar but I couldn’t quite place where I had seen it last.

‘Was it from a video game? Yes… No… was it from something that I had played once before at my cousin’s house?’ The tokens origin continued to evade me.

It was a necklace of some kind with a strange eye carved into a stone pendant. The eye’s pupil was a hollow hole and no matter how long I stared at the blasted thing it couldn’t rekindle my memory. It must have been from a video game I played a long time ago, or maybe Katy had played the game and I just merely watched her play it when I was really young. Maybe I’ll ask Katy when I return, but for now, I need to obtain the token first before I can examine it further.

I cleared my throat to gain the old griffin’s attention but he still didn’t look up. I chuckled humorously at how focused the griffin’s attention was to his book and it almost pained me to pull him away from it. With a wave of my hand, the Force compelled the book to slam shut and the old griffin squaked in surprise at my sudden interruption.

“WHAT IN THE BLUE BLAZES!!! *CAWWW* Did Gren forget to shut the Ancestors damned window again. I swear I-” The old griffin had finally looked up to see that he had a customer. But not just any customer, the Warden of the Shattered Isles.

“Oh, sweet Ancestors bless my old heart, the Warden has come into my shop. MY shop of all place he chooses! *CAWWW* Please forgive me, my lord, this old bird is not as good a host as he should be.” The old griffin exclaimed as he walked around the counter to bow to me.

“It’s quite alright I assure you,” I said with a smile. “Good books are hard to pull away from.”

“But still… my lord I should be diligent when someone such as yourself enters my store.” The old griffin rose slowly from his bow and looked at me with a confused expression.”Sooo… why have you come to my store my lord?”

“Why to buy something of course. That necklace over there has caught my eye and I wish to purchase it from you.” I answered

The old griffin’s eyes widened in surprise and looked at the necklace in bafflement. Using the Force I glimpsed into his surface thoughts to see what had him so baffled.

‘That crappy little thing?’ The old griffin thought. ‘I haven’t even begun to paint over it yet and he wants something I found on the side of the road?

My smile widened and I almost laughed at the old griffin’s ignorance of the item he possessed. That ‘crappy little thing’ was the key to summoning a being from another universe. Out of all the fake trinkets inside his shop, this token undoubtedly was the most valuable item among them.

“V-very well my lord! You have chosen well, quite well indeed! This little artifact came straight from an excavation of an old temple found within the confines of Equestria's dreaded Everfree Forest. The brave archeologists there found this necklace to be made from impossibly powerful magic and it is said to release its power to the owner who whistles to it a special little song. But no song has ever been discovered for it as of yet, so the archeologists gave this wonderous little artifact to me since no one could uncover its power. Parting with such a powerful artifact will cost me quite dearly, and if were to put a price on it I would say it would cost maybe… 1500 bits.”

I had to suppress my surprise at the boldness this old griffin had within him. He was obviously lying through his beak, but I could understand why he would do so. I’m a wealthy man as Warden of the Shattered Isles and my victory at the Hialla’s Royale had scored me an impressive sum of cash. 1500 bits was nothing to my wallet and the old griffin probably expected me to just pay for the overpriced necklace without a care. In an earlier time I would have just paid for it outright and be on my way, but considering my bad decisions when it comes to making deals with merchants, it’s clear that I need to work on negotiating better deals for myself.

I stroked my chin in consideration for the old griffin’s offer and gazed at the token in mock disdain.

“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “I really just want it as a small gift for my sister, but I don’t think I should pay that much for it.”

“Weeeelllllll, if it is a gift for a family member, maybe I can lower the price just a tad. 1300 sound okay?”

“Hmmmm, I just don’t think so. You see I found other trinket stores like this one in other shopping districts and I think they can offer me a better price on other necklaces. Are you sure you can’t lower it some more? Maybe around… 150 perhaps?”

The old griffin’s eyes widened and he ruffled his feathers at my counter offer.

“B-b-but my lord, this is an artifact of incredible power. Surely you can’t ask me to part with it at such a low sum?” He asked with a crumbling smile.

I shrugged my shoulders and silently began to walk towards the door, hoping he would fall for my bait.

“*CAWWW*!!! Wait my lord wait. Ummm… we can still make a deal, how about 200 bits AND an autograph for my grandcub Gren. He loves arena gladiators and he loved your performance last night. Please, my lord, don’t ask me to lower the price any further, I beg you.”

The old griffin bowed low again almost to show how desperate he was. It was a tactic to draw out pity from me and I would have applauded the old griffin’s strategic manipulation if I wasn’t trying to keep up the appearance of an uninterested customer.

“Oh very well then, 200 it is and I’ll gladly give your grandson an autograph.”

Deep within the confines of the Fury the ship’s droid occupants went about their daily maintenance and awaited their master’s command. With little to do, and no meatbags to play with, HK-55 contemplated asking his master to shut him down till he finally had work for him to do. An assassin droid should be out in the field eliminating targets instead of working on a ship like a common protocol droid. Luckily, his master had just thought of something for him to do.

The Fury’s communications holoterminal had sprung to life with his master’s image in holographic form. Both HK-55 and 2V-R8 rushed to the terminal and awaited their Sith master’s orders.

“I am in need of both of your services, come to my location at once. A griffin chariot has been sent to the ship as transport.”

“Joyful Statement: Oh master, thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you.” The deadly killing machine exclaimed as thoughts of shutting himself down left his core processor.

The token laid upon the floor of the hotel suite as I contemplated the consequences of what may or may not happen. While this other Displaced may be a kindred spirit like me as a human being who was thrown from their life and into a new universe, I couldn’t predict what they would be like in person. For all I knew this other Displaced could be some madman or gentle soul for all I knew. However, I was committed to my course of action and I was determined to see it through till the end. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to take precautions.

Which was why I summoned my two droids from the Fury. 2V-R8 was to observe my meeting with the other Displaced and record it into his hard drive and write a log of the meeting into my journal. This experiment of my mine should have digital and physical records. HK-55, on the other hand, was to be my backup should the other Displaced appear to be hostile. He’ll stand in the corner of the room tactically cloaked with a blaster rifle in hand and will fire stun bolts on the other Displaced should I give the order.

I will summon the Displaced armed with nothing except the Force and hope that the other Displaced takes my approach with no weapons as a good sign of non-hostility. With HK-55 at my side, I will offer one hand while arming the other.

“2V-R8 begin log.”

“Yes master.”

“The token appears to be enchanted with some form of magic that my Force sensitive senses can detect. The magic is foreign to me, and I can’t begin to hypothesize what kind of Displaced lies on the other end of this token. It is my hope that through this experiment I will begin to take my first steps into discovering more about this crazy situation me and my sister have been placed into. Maybe this fellow Displaced will be able to offer me more information on how entities like The Merchant displace people into a world from a cartoon show. Or they’ll know just as little as I do.”

“The second purpose of this experiment is to ask this other Displaced to help me understand just how skilled I am with my newfound powers. Am I truly a man who understands the vast strength and power this new Sith body offers or am I merely a child inhabiting a powerful man’s skin. The memories and experiences I’ve obtained from this body’s neural implant have helped me quickly understand this body’s power but I’ve yet to put that knowledge to a worthy test. Perhaps this Displaced will have suitable skills to test me if they choose to help me in this matter. We shall see soon enough.”

I levitated the token off of the floor and into my hand. The stone was cold and smooth to the touch.

“Let us begin.”

I focused on the token’s magic and willed it to reveal how I may summon its owner. Valkorion had said that, like my own token, a message left by the Displaced will show how I may summon them. After filling the pendant with the Force, images and meanings touched the cortex of my mind and I allowed them in to show me what I needed to do.

I first heard a sweet song echo through my thoughts and I felt its rhythms fill the stone in my hand.

‘The token needs a song first. Hmmm, that old con artist almost had it right.’ I pondered curiously as I considered the token’s requirement. I couldn’t hold a tune for the life of me and I never really learned how to use an instrument. Now I regretted not following my sister into band class when I was in high school.

Then I saw a wolf with a strange symbol on his head stride through an empty void towards me. The wolf stops and stares at me, as if in judgment, and then a light shines from the beast and spawns forth an inexplicable figure.

‘The wolf is the Displaced or its herald, and it will judge whether it is safe for them to come to my world.’

That was the last of the token’s message and I had 2V-R8 record events and my thoughts on the matter. After considering the token’s requirements I figured now would be the best time to get Katy involved. I still wanted her opinion on the token’s possible video game origin and she was the only one nearby I knew who could play adequate music. I told the droids to wait for me and I left my suite to walk over to Katy’s across the hall. I knocked on her door and a few seconds later Katy opened it with a banana in hand. The banana reminded me that I still haven’t had breakfast yet.

“What’s up Jack?” Katy asked as she peeled the banana.

“I need your help with something, does this stone pendant remind you of anything?” I asked while holding out the token so Katy could see it.

Katy took a bite out of her banana as she studied the pendant with her one eye, then did a double take in surprise. Her jaw dropped and she looked back up at me as if I had done something impossible.

“Jack! How in the world did you find a Howling Stone?”

“What’s a Howling Stone?”

“Don’t you remember? It’s from The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess game. You use to watch me play it remember?”

It suddenly came back to me. I was probably eight at the time and I remember that Twilight Princess was one of the games I liked to watch Katy play when it came out somewhere in the early two thousands. I was fond of those memories because on nights after school Katy and I would pop 2 or 3 bowls of popcorn and take turns playing video games on the couch. Twilight Princess was probably my first introduction to the Legend of Zelda franchise but Katy had been a fan of it since I was two.

“Ahh, now I remember, the hero Link would transform into a wolf and howl at howling stones so it would transport him to another landscape right?” I asked, the wolf from the token’s images making much more sense.

“Right, but still, how did you find one Jack?” Katy asked as she continued to examine the Howling Stone.

I quickly explained what the token was and how I found it. I also explained what my intentions were with it and Katy took it all in stride.

“Well, at least that old fart in your token is finally being useful for once. Might not give you all his secrets on the Force, but at least he can work as a tracker for other Displaced tokens. So how do you plan to summon our fellow Displaced?”

“The token requires a song in order to work and since you’re the musical one in our family I figured I would ask you to do the song.”

“Well I’m flattered Jack but the songs from Legend of Zelda mostly require instruments rather than vocals. I think I can remember how to play a few of the game’s songs with a piano but I don’t have one of those just sitting in my pocket.”

As I considered our conundrum I remembered that there was a jazz band playing in TheDeep’s Reprieve cafe when we arrived at Thistle’s hotel last night. A plan started to form in my head and I asked Katy to follow me to Prince Thistle’s private suite so I could ask him for a favor.

The main dining room of The Deep’s Reprieve was quiet and the only souls occupying it were me, Katy, my droids and its owner Prince Thistle. The cafe was temporarily closed off from the rest of the hotel and the prince made sure that his staff would give us enough privacy to perform my experiment. The triangle stage in the corner of the dining room held a wooden acoustic piano for Katy to use and she began to practice a few notes before she decided upon a song to summon the other Displaced.

After I told Thistle what I was planning to do he excitedly told us that he would allow us to use his cafe so long as we brought him along so he could see what happens. Instead of the suit he had on last night, the prince now wore an intricate olive green robe that complemented his midnight purple feathers. A golden silk sash hugged his flanks and the black ribbon tied to his tail was replaced with an olive green one with golden lace. He still wore the same rings on his talons and he idly gazed at them as he asked me a question.

“Now are you quite sure this will work darling?” Prince Thistle asked me as Katy played the first few notes of a song and would pause to play it again till she felt that she got it right.

“I’m confident that it will, although I’m not too sure what this other Displaced will be like in person. Are you sure you want to stay and watch, this other Displaced could prove to be hostile?”

“Why should I be afraid when I have two other dashing Displaced ready to protect me at a moment’s notice?” Thistle answered as he walked around me to hide behind my lower robe, causing me to chuckle.

“Don’t worry about me darling,” Thistle continued as he took a seat next to a dining table. “I can take care of myself. Besides, dangerous or not, another exotic alien visiting our world is something that I desperately want to see, especially if they are as voluptuous as you two treasures.”

“Well, we’ll see soon enough won’t we,” Katy said as she cracked her knuckles, ready to play us a song. “Got any requests Jack?”

“You're the expert on Legend of Zelda. Which song do you think suits me as the summoner?”

Katy twirled her long red hair between her fingers as she considered me for a moment. Then when it came to her and she gave me a thumbs up.

“I got it.”

I looked around the room one more time before Katy started and I made sure that my droids were ready. 2V-R8 stood at attention a couple meters away from me with my journal in hand and HK-55 remained cloaked against the walls of the cafe ready to be called into action if needed. Everything was in place.

“The song I’ll play is called Song of Storms.”

With that Katy’s hands danced across the piano’s keys and the song’s notes filled the room with a beautiful melody. Slow and methodical at first, the song transitioned into a mildly powerful sequence and would then transition back into its slow methodical state to repeat itself. My head bobbed slightly side to side as I stood there entranced by the song but I soon took notice of a glow emitting from the Howling Stone. The song was working and it was time to finally meet my fellow Displaced. I sat the token on the ground and waited for the next step.

As Katy’s song fell silent, a melody filled the air once more and was followed by the howl of a proud beast. Magic within the air began to swirl and tear reality, soon filling the room to the brim with a gale of green energy. Suddenly, a spectral wolf leaped out of thin air and landed in front of me in a proud posture. At a glance, it looked like a wolf, but there was something rather off about the creature. The top of its fur was red in color with swirls of green at it sides much like the energy that radiated from the stone. On its forehead was a strange glowing red symbol I couldn’t recognize and adorning its ears were blue earrings with its right ear marred by the claw marks of some beast. More scars blemished its face and the rest of its appearance was much like you would find in a normal grey wolf. As the beast looked up and stared at me with intelligent blue eyes, it suddenly crouched low to the ground as if threatened by something.

Katy rose from the piano slowly, awed by the wolf as it stood in the center of the cafe. She rose her hand as if wanting to pet the wolf’s fur but stopped herself once she saw it lower itself to the ground. Prince Thistle remained in his chair with his talons clawing at the edges of his seat, anticipation and excitement expressing themselves on his beak. I double checked to see if 2V-R8 was writing this all down and I saw him writing fanatically into my journal while his visual sensors never left me or the wolf. I looked back down at the wolf and cleared my throat to prepare my greeting and tried my best to hide my excitement.

‘This is beyond what I expected. This must be Link in his wolf form, just like from Twilight Princess! Can he speak to us? Can he understand me? I need to handle this with care. Calm yourself Jack, just greet him at first like any other person.

“Hello, and thank you for answering my summons. My name is Jack Krieger, behind you is my sister Katy and this is Prince Thistle of the Shattered Isles. I’ve summoned you here in order to exchange knowledge and hope that this meeting can lead to a possible friendship.”

“I'll be the judge of that.” I heard from within its mind before it suddenly sprinted toward me and leaped high into the air as if aiming for my head. Instinct told me to react aggressively to the wolf’s pounce, but the Force calmed me before I could act. There was no aggression in this wolf’s actions so I placed my trust in the Force and hoped it was right. Otherwise, HK’s itchy trigger finger was going to light up the room. My vision was assaulted by a bright burst of light as I soon found myself lying on a gentle floor of clouds like a pegasus.

I noticed I was high above the Shattering Isles, with the sea and the main continent off in the far horizon. My attention was drawn by the sound of deep breathing as I looked up to see the wolf again only except it was now bathed in a peculiar spectral shade. With a gentle echoing howl, the beast became a man; a warrior covered by a red cloak and hood with the famous signature green tunic adorning his torso.

Link, or at least a man who appeared to be the famous video game character, stood before me and I calmly placed my hands behind my back as I realized where we were. The small familiar currents of the Force indicated to me that this was a deep dark corner within my mind and I deduced that the man before me had brought us here so that we may converse in private. While I still trusted that the man didn’t seek to threaten me, I prepared my mind for an attack nevertheless. I walked towards the man and greeted him once more with a diplomatic smile.

“Well now, this was not how I expected we would speak to each other. Tell me do you have any more surprises in store for me?” I asked in a gentle tone.

“We’re just here in a temporary mindscape that I always create whenever I meet a new Displaced. You, however, I don’t trust. Your scent is rather powerful to my wolf sight.” the man explained as he reached up to lower his hood. I had to blink twice to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks when I noticed the trimmed mustache and goatee combo. I don’t think I ever saw a Link with facial hair.

“Fascinating,” I whispered silently as I continued to examine him. He was no Link that I had ever seen before and it further confirmed that he was a Displaced just like Katy and I.

I bowed, hands still behind my back, and rose to speak again.

“My apologies if I appear to be untrustworthy. My intentions are purely as I have said before. I wish to exchange knowledge, preferably pertaining to the nature of our displacement, and hope that this exchange can lead to a possible friendship.”

“That’s kinda hard to believe.” The pointy eared man said as he tugged on one of his leather gauntlets. “While I’m not one to judge others harshly, I recognize you as a Sith, a being who channels his power through hatred and rage. Your scent is a little similar to another I fought before in the past.” he explained.

“Ahh, I see,” I said as I considered his reasoning. The Dark Side is many things but friendly is not one of them. He is right to be cautious. The Dark Side’s ‘scent’ must reek off of me since I have used nothing but its power to fight my battles so far.

“The Dark Side of the Force has been my ally in my endeavors on this world. But the keyword I would like to emphasize is ally. Its power doesn’t control me, I control it. I assure you that I’m not like some evil old man in a dark robe hell bent on the conquest of the galaxy.” I said with a little levity hoping to lighten the atmosphere with a joke.

“Just a precaution.” Link said as he pulled out the Master Sword, making me reach down for the lightsaber on my hip that wasn’t there. He flips his weapon around so that he’s holding the blade’s tip. “Take hold of the sword.”

The atmosphere surrounding the sword was bathed with Light Side energy. It was fascinating to see its power pulsate and weave with the currents of the Force surrounding it. With a little hesitation, my clawed hand reached down to take the sword into my grasp.

It was instant, a burning sensation traveled through my hand and up my arm to the core of my being. I could feel the Light coursing through me more vibrantly than ever before even when I saw Katy fight in the arena. It was like feeling the warmth of the sun for the first time after spending months in a dark cave. Its warmth passed over me quickly and I nearly dropped the sword till the burning sensation stopped altogether.

I then felt nothing. Nothing but a calm, nurturing light. The light was guidance, hope, and… peace.

My breathing was a little excessive, but I calmed down quickly after I realized what this was.

“This ‘precaution’ hopefully proved to you that I am no threat, yes?” I said as I took the blade into my other hand and tested its weight.

“I believe so, it seems the Dark Side doesn’t have that much of a hold on you yet. At least the Master Sword didn’t burn your hand off-..um..” The hylian cleared his throat when he realized his poor choice of words. Hearing this, my mind instantly went to the idea that I may have almost turned into a Skywalker just moments ago. Since this was in my mind and not reality, I decided to let the matter go.

“Let’s start from the beginning, my name is Link.” He said as he extended his right arm in an attempt to provide a friendly handshake. “Or if you prefer to call me by my original name, it would be Jeffery. It’s just that for seventeen years, the name Link felt more natural to me than my own. It’s a strange feeling that I suppose is the result of the Void.“

‘That is so interesting and frightening at the same time. Was my own sense of identity altered when I was in the void? Was Katy’s?’ I pondered as I reach my hand out to accept the handshake.

“Well, I’ll call you Link for now since you seem more comfortable with it. Now then, since I’ve earned your trust, may we conduct further business out in the real world.”

I was worried what was happening out there after the others saw me getting pounced on by a wolf.

“If there is nothing else to discuss in secret, judgement has been passed.” Link said. And as those words left his mouth, the mindscape started to fade with another bright light. Returning me back to where I was standing before as if nothing had happened. A bright silhouetted wolf leaped out from my forehead before landing gracefully on the floor, its form soon reshaping and taking on Link’s original appearance.

I looked around the cafe to see that everyone had barely even moved since Link had brought us into the mindscape. I sensed that HK had kept to his hidden position and thankfully didn’t make any assumptions despite Link’s actions. He awaited my orders like he was told to do and it helped solidify my trust in the droid. 2V-R8 was still recording everything, while Prince Thistle and Katy had switched back and forth between expressions of surprise and worry. As Link transformed back into his hylian form, Katy walked over to my side and never kept her widening eye off of Link. The prince, on the other hand, was completely starstruck at Link’s transformation and his beak moved to whisper a few words that I could barely make out.

“Ohhhh yessss, he is simply marvelous.”

Turning my attention back to Link, he had completed his transformation and stood in the room complete in his battle attire. I cleared my throat to gain everyone’s attention and began further introductions.

“Everyone, this is Link. After a brief conversation in my head and assuring him that everything was safe, Link has decided to appear before us in his true form. Say hello everyone.”

Link’s blue eyes scanned the room, noticing a lot of the new faces. When his sights landed on Katy, recognition lit up his eyes not because of him knowing Katy personally, but more likely because of the form she was Displaced as. “It's nice to meet you all.” Link said with a wave of his leather gloved hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Katy said as she walked up to him to grasp his hand in a firm handshake. “Like Jack said my name’s Katy and it’s nice to meet another human being again. Even if he does look kinda… elfy.”

After finishing the handshake with a light-hearted grin Katy moved away so Thistle could begin his introductions as well. Link moved his hand to shake his talons but the prince waved it away as if it was nonsense.

“Oh darling, I greet people in a much different way.” Thistle said as he got onto his hind legs and hugged the hylian like he did with Katy and me when we first met. Link was surprised at Thistle’s intimacy and was even more surprised when he kissed him on both of his cheeks.

“Those little whiskers on your face are adorable by the way,” Thistle said as he separated himself from the hug.

Link coughed into his fist awkwardly. “It’s called a goatee.” Link said as he turned his attention back to Katy. “Also the proper word is Hylian.” He said while shaking his head. “You’re the third person who has compared to me an elf, at least you didn’t compare me to Legolas.”

Katy snickered as she continued to grin. “I know, but even if I’ve played the games for over a decade, I’m still gonna associate Link to an elf if Nintendo continues to make him small with pointy ears. At least you’re the first Link I’ve seen with a goatee. It looks nice on you by the way.”

Link thanked Katy for the compliment then looked over at 2V-R8, whose visual sensors still had yet to leave him. “At ease.” Link said jokingly, although the tone might have fallen on deaf ears to the robot. Link turned back to Katy as he reached up to stroke the goatee she mentioned. “Yea, it started years ago and I’ve been trimming it to match what I used to be,” the Hylian explained.

Now that everyone had properly introduced themselves I led everyone to a dinner table so we could exchange stories. Katy and I told Link about our individual experiences into our new universe, how we were displaced, what we went through in our new bodies, and how we’ve started to master our new powers. Thistle remained quiet throughout most of the conversation and only chimed in once in a while to help explain how I became Warden of the Shattered Isles. Other than that, when Link’s attention was focused on either me or Katy, I noticed that Thistle was thoroughly examining Link from top to bottom. It caused me to wonder briefly if that was how Thistle looked at me when I wasn’t looking.

Link then told us about his own adventures and the other Displaced he has met along the way. He told us about people such as Betty, Azure, Wyatt, Nick, Rez, Palutena, Rin, Sans the Better, Akuma, Ash, and lastly Dark. So many Displaced, so many people like Katy and myself, and in a way it made me feel less alone. So many people were out there in the vast void with powers and abilities that people could only dream of having back home. This meeting was going exactly as I wanted. Information was being exchanged and now I had a list of potential allies I could call upon with a few of their names hinting at what their skill sets entailed. But I was still missing one key aspect of this meeting.

I wanted a fight. A REAL challenge to test what I know so far. From what Link has exhibited so far and the stories he has regaled us with, he more than fits the criteria I require. A skilled swordsman, a competent magic user with an inventory of tricks, experience from many past battles. The only question is how I go about in articulating my request.

I looked to Katy and then to Link as I considered my problem. From what his personality has revealed so far, Link seems to be a very straightforward person with a morality as tough as steel. In some ways it reminded me of Katy. So perhaps a straightforward question is all that is required. Let's hope that is the case.

Link and Katy had just finished explaining to Thistle the magics of the Master Sword when I asked my question.

“I must say Link your tale is quite a fascinating one and your feats of combat are impressive as well. Would it perhaps be too much to ask if you could demonstrate your skills for us?”

“Sure, although not here. I’ll need a fairly open area and targets to use them on without harming anyone or anypony.” Link replied.

“Well as for targets I’ll gladly volunteer!” He initially was surprised at my statement, but I sensed that he understood what I was getting at. “I’m in need of a good competent warrior to test myself and sadly the most competent warriors I know of are currently out of my reach. There is an arena here on the island with enough space, equipment, and medical personnel on standby. The Titan Arena is the perfect place for a little sparring, and it just so happens that Thistle here is the Keeper of that same arena.”

I gestured my hand over to Thistle and the prince’s ever-present smile had widened.
“Thistle would it be okay if we could shift the Titan Arena’s schedule once more?” I asked, confident that he would say yes. The prince had been very accommodating so far.

However, I was very surprised at his answer.

“I’m not so sure Jack,” Thistle sighed, still smiling, as he fiddled with a gem on one of his rings. “The Titan Arena benefited greatly from the Royale, despite the hundreds of bets I had to refund last night. If I were to interrupt the arena’s schedule so soon after the previous upset, I could actually start to lose profits this time.”

“Don’t take it the wrong way Link,” Thistle continued as he stared down at his rings. “I’m sure you’re as skilled a warrior as you’ve made yourself out to be and I’d think a sparring match between you and Jack would be a marvelous event. But sometimes business must demand that you consider that your gains may not equate to what you might lose. I’m afraid that a loss of profit in my most esteemed enterprise is too much of a risk for one little sparring match.”

I was actually really shocked. Thistle went out of his way to get Katy and me a fight in the Royale with barely any care for what could happen to his gambling losses. Unless… is he wanting something in return?

Thistle’s eyes slowly moved from his rings and he gazed into Link’s bright blue irises.

“But I am a reasonable griffin. If we could settle on a deal, I’m sure I could allow the Titan Arena to be of service to you and Jack. That is unless you actually want to spar with my House’s Warden?”

“He is asking for one, I see no reason to decline.” Link said in a curious tone of voice.

Thistle leaned forward with the elbows of his forelarms pressed against the table.

“Well then if I am to recover from my possible losses I want something from you. To be more specific, I want… a dance.”

“Like a dancing contest or…?” Link left the question hanging for the griffon to answer.

“No darling, I want to dance with you as a dance partner. It’s been so long since I’ve danced with someone with such an exotic… figure. I think a personal dance with a handsome alien from a different universe is more than worth a few gambling refunds. What do you say, do we have a deal?” Thistle asked as he reached out with his talons to offer a handshake with Link.

Wait was this actually happening? Thistle will give us access to his arena if he gets a dance?! I was so confused right now. I looked to my side and saw that Katy was covering her mouth to hide her laughter

“Wouldn’t that be a little difficult considering we’re two different species? I mean, two-legged and four-legged.” Link asked with a raised eyebrow. “Or the fact that the only form of dancing I’m accustomed to is freestyle movements, or Kamaro’s dance…” He said. He sounded unsure of the request as he soon looks toward me. “Is there no other location?”

“Well… the Titan Arena is the safest. Although we could find some wasteland out in the middle of nowhere like in some anime.” I stopped myself as I noticed that Thistle was looking at me with puppy dog eyes while everyone else had their attention focused on me. He really wanted this didn’t he? “But if either of us were to get hurt I would prefer that we spar in a place where medics are nearby.”

Link took a gentle breath and shook his head as he looks up to Thistle. “Alright, it’s a deal. But I can’t promise it’ll be a good one.” He said. Despite agreeing to the deal, I could sense he wasn’t going to be comfortable with this.

Link shook Thistle’s talons and the prince got up out of his chair to lead Link to a more open floored section of the cafe. In my mind, I questioned how Thistle planned to even dance with his bipedal counterpart considering their differences in anatomy. But then my question was shortly answered when, with a quick flap of his wings, Thistle rose onto his hind legs and matched Link in height. Using his tail and wings to keep himself balanced, Thistle walked as gracefully as any other homo sapien and chuckled softly from looks of surprise he was getting from everyone in the room.

“I’m very flexible compared to most griffins. Now then my darling little alien we can’t dance without music. Katy, could you be a sweetheart and play a little something for us? Something spicy please.”

“Uh sure, you got it!” Katy lept from our table and quickly bounded back to the piano on stage and flipped through some sheet music on a music stand. After finding one that suited Thistle's request she strummed her fingers across the keyboard to produce an upbeat song you would normally associate with a tango.

Thistle removed his robe so he could move more freely and revealed more of his midnight purple feathers and tiger striped coat. After flexing his wings a little bit Thistle began to notice Link’s discomfort.

“Don’t worry yourself too much darling this is just for fun! It doesn’t matter if you haven’t danced hand and talon with someone else before, just follow my lead and relax your body. Have you ever thought about taking someone out to dance before?”

“Well, no. Other than two special someponies or someone I once knew in my life.” Link answered a little cryptic.

“Well, now you’ll know how to dance with them after we’re done here. Now take my right talons into your left hand.” Link followed his instructions. “Take your other hand and place it on the crook of my back underneath my wings and… oh for goodness sake get closer to me!” Thistle admonished as Link panicky stepped closer.

“Now, watch my paws and follow my steps.” Thistle continued as he took two steps to the right and two more to the left, perfectly in sync to Katy’s tune. Swaying side to side, forward then back, Link followed the prince as best as he could despite how stiff his body moved. It was like watching an angelic acrobat trying to dance around a stoic tree. It was kinda hilarious to watch at first, but slowly Link was beginning to mimic Thistle's movements almost perfectly.

“Good, good! You’re starting to get it now. Keep up with me, we’re going to try to get a little more complex here. Twirl me away,” Thistle ordered. Link did as he was told and raised the prince’s right talons above his head to extend his arm and twirl the prince away from him.

“Now twirl me back. Very good!” Thistle congratulated as Link twirled him back into his arms. “You’re a fast learner Link, and nimble on your feet too.”

“Hey, I need to be when it comes to fighting.” Link said for a short moment before adding more context. “Especially when it comes to my other forms.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Thistle said they returned to swaying side to side. Thistle eyes lidded themselves before the smile on his beak turned impish and he spoke in warm soft tone. “I wonder how nimble you are with your… other appendages.”

Link immediately returned to his awkward stoic movements and the sudden shift in motion accidentlly brought Link’s right foot in front of Thistle’s left paw. The prince tripped over the obtrusive appendage and would have nearly fallen to the floor if he hadn’t caught himself with his wings. Both of Thistle’s wings were outstretched behind him and the tips of his wings kept his back from hitting the ground. Link still held the prince by his left talons and with the position they were in, it almost looked like they were striking a dramatic pose.

I could hear Katy giving them a wolf whistle from the triangle stage.

Thistle just continued to smile devilishly, while Link looked embarrassed and slightly annoyed at the position he was put in. The Hylian gave Katy a quick glare and his eyes and teeth swiftly morphed into a more canine state before they morphed back into their normal form. Link pulled Thistle back onto his hind paws and placed his other hand back underneath the prince’s wings so they could continue their tango.

Their bodies turned and moved elegantly in tune to the music surrounding them. Thistle laughed and fluttered his wings a little as they began to speed up with the quicker tempo of the song. The prince still took the lead but was soft and wasn’t subtle with his movements; he clearly stated where he wanted to go by moving himself, inviting his partner to follow along with the quicker pace. He was alert despite his jovial mood, scanning the floor ahead of them, watching for cafe tables or chairs whenever they came close to them. Wherever Thistle leads them Link follows him step by step, perfectly interpreting whatever the prince had intended.

Link was starting to relax the more they continued to dance. Awkwardness and tension left his muscles and he began to match Thistle in elegance. He no longer had to stare at their feet to follow Thistle along and nothing felt forced as I watched him follow Thistle's lead. In the midst of his elegant movements, a sort of harshness followed his footsteps. A hint to his nimble fighting style as he translated his warrior instincts into artistic dance movements.

Then finally, it was over. Katy had hit the last note and the dancers paused in the middle of the room as if frozen in time. Thistle leaned in to whisper into Link’s ear. I had to enhance my senses with the Force just to hear it.

“Dance like that with any girl and they will definitely fall for you. Always be confident, and if you make a mistake, don’t apologize for it. Just work harder into your dance to make up for it. Thank you very much for the dance darling.”

With that Thistle parted from Link and landed back onto all-fours. The prince bowed his head to his dance partner and Link bowed his head in return.

Link returned his gaze towards me and mouthed the words, ‘You owe me,’before turning his attention back to the griffon. “Hopefully this is satisfactory.”

“I am more than satisfied darling. I’ve danced with kings, queens, minotaurs, diamond dogs, and even dragons. But never have I danced with someone from beyond the bounds of my own universe. You’ve made this greedy little prince very happy.”

Thistle clothed himself again in his olive green robe and flapped his wings with a satisfied sigh.

“Now then I do believe you two are owed an arena to fight in. I always pay my debts.” Thistle said as the sapphire ring on his talons blazed to life with a blue glow and a portal appeared right in the middle of the cafe. “This portal shall take us directly to the Titan Arena, follow me darlings!”

Thistle entered the portal and Katy leaped down from the triangle stage to follow him. Katy gave Link a thumbs up as she walked past him and told him he did a good job as she entered the portal. I ordered 2V-R8 to enter the portal along with them and declined to extend that order to HK-55 knowing that he would follow us as soon as Link and I entered the portal. Before Link and I followed my sister, I struck up a quick question that had been bugging me.

“It wasn’t that bad was it? I knew Thistle could be a flirt, but I didn’t expect...well… that.” I may have met the prince yesterday, but that dance had completely caught me off guard.

“I’d rather not dig deep into the subject, but let’s just say it was somewhat of an ill reminder of what happened to me in the past.” Link answered before going through the portal without another word, except for a quiet mumble I sensed deep within his mind.

With a deep breath I follow him into the portal.

It was comforting to feel my lightsaber in the palm of my hand. Within its decorative hilt was a collection of advanced technology and ancient force-imbued elements that would produce a blade hotter than the surface of a star. Few things in the galaxy can withstand a lightsaber’s intense heat and even fewer have been able to defeat their masters. It was an elegant weapon, and it would finally meet the blade of another.

The magical transparent stone wall that led out into the Titan Arena showed me that my match between myself and Link was about to begin.

“GOOD PATRONS OF THE TITAN ARENA, DRAW YOUR EYES TO THE CENTER RING! WE HAVE ANOTHER SPECIAL PRESENTATION IN STORE FOR YOU TODAY.” Guile the promotor bellowed.

“OUR WARDEN HAS COME TO SPOIL YOU ALL AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON. HE PLANS TO FIGHT NOT ONLY FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT, BUT HE ALSO BRINGS WITH HIM A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER FROM LANDS FAR BEYOND OUR REALITY. A STRANGER WHOSE HISTORY IS UNKNOWN, WHOSE SKILLS ARE UNKNOWN, WHOSE POWER IS UNKNOWN… ALL THAT IS KNOWN OF HIM IS BUT HIS NAME. LINK!”

The audience ooed and applauded for the mysterious warrior that had come to their arena.

“THE RULES OF THIS MATCH FOLLOW THE SAME RULES AS ANY OTHER MATCH BETWEEN TWO GLADIATORS. BOTH MUST NOT KILL, BUT A LITTLE MAIMING NEVER HURT ANYONE. BOTH CANNOT LEAVE THE CONFINES OF THE ARENA, THAT MEANS NO FLYING OR TELEPORTING AWAY FROM THE CENTER RING! LASTLY, EACH COMBATANT HAS 20 MINUTES TO KNOCK THE OTHER ONE OUT OR FORCE THEM TO SURRENDER. IF TIME RUNS OUT THEN THE MATCH ENDS IN A DRAW. THESE RULES ARE SIMPLE AND ABSOLUTE.”

“SO LET’S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD. 2 WILL ENTER, 1 WILL LEAVE WITH GLORY. LET THE MATCH BEGIN!!!”

The stone wall that separated me from the arena slid underneath the floor and a wall on the other side of the arena revealed Link with his Master Sword in hand. The arena itself had changed itself again, and this time instead of the sandy hellscape Katy and I fought in last night, the arena floor was broken up into tall pillars of stone with an uneven rocky terrain blemished with long jagged fissures. Gouts of flame erupted from these fissures in seemingly random intervals and superheated the rocks around them to produce a distorting haze. One hot hellscape was simply substituted for another.

At least this time I had something to protect my feet. I was still in my vacation attire with my lower robe covering my legs and black sleeves buckled to my arms. A black diadem rested on my head to offer a little protection and the only part of my body that wasn’t covered was my bare chest. My vacation attire was perhaps my lowest quality of gear I could bring into this fight, but my lightsaber was what would truly protect me. The lightsaber was a Sith’s and Jedi’s life, it was their first and last line of defense no matter the battle. Win or lose, the outcome of this battle will depend on my skill with a lightsaber and luckily I had the experiences of one of the best lightsaber duelists in the old Sith Empire.

Link and I stepped into the arena and my lightsaber ignited with a hiss that sent the audience abuzz with anticipation. The dark saber was surrounded by a red shade of light which refused to be swallowed whole by the saber’s blackish blade. The lightsaber blade was inspired by Mandalorian intuition and was crafted by the hands of malevolent Sith. It will really test just how indestructible the Master Sword truly was.

“Are you ready for this Link?” I asked as we stood six meters away from each other.

Link raises his weapon at a diagonal angle and kept his sword raised as if expecting me to do something. “Clash your sword with mine and we will begin.” the Hylian explained before I noticed a strange gleam in his blue eyes as if he was analyzing something.

After closing the distance, my lightsaber met his sword with a hiss and the Master Sword held strong underneath the lightsaber’s intensity. Light and Dark met each other in a salute of respect.

“Let's do this.”

With that Link leapt towards me, his weapon moving with a speed that challenged my Force enhanced senses. Parrying his first sequence of strikes, my opponent grunted in surprise when I warded him off, then stepped back to regroup. He attacked first with the intent of achieving first blood, but now he had to quickly reevaluate his strategy.

Link lunged in again, and the arena was filled with the hiss and hum of a lightsaber striking the blessed metal of a sword half a dozen times in the space of two heartbeats. I would have been carved into ribbons had I tried to react to each of Link’s moves individually. Instead I simply called upon the Force, letting it flow through me and help guide my hand. The Empire’s Wrath greatest strength had always revolved around his skill in defense. My lightsaber became an extension of the Force, and I responded to Link’s unstoppable attacks with an impenetrable defense.

All the while, my rage grew within a vessel inside my mind. Dark Side energy grew inside me as I thought of anything I could think of to build my rage in a matter of milliseconds. That bastard Merchant who tore me from my family, past failures from home that haunted the corners of my mind, anything that gave me rage was kindled in the fires of the Dark Side.

As Link’s assault began to lighten up, I went on the attack. In the past, I was always afraid to surrender my will to raw emotions because of the damage they could cause. Now I had no such limitations; for the first time since I fought the Aper Major, I felt like I was calling upon the full power of the Dark Side.

I drove Link back with furious slashes, forcing the Hylian into a backpedaling retreat across the rocky terrain. Link flipped over a horizontal slash from my lightsaber and landed behind a large boulder, but I was relentless in my pursuit and threw the boulder across the arena with one hand while leaping forward to land a crippling blow to Link’s right leg.

However, my strike was turned aside at the last second, but I was quick to follow it up with another series of powerful thrusts and stabs. Link continued to give ground, pushed inexorably back by the storm of my lightsaber. Each time the Hylian tried to change tactics or switch blade stances, I anticipated, reacted, and seized every advantage I could find.

Link was starting to get desperate. Leaping, spinning, ducking, rolling; he was tactically wild in his retreat and used the terrain to force me into obstacles. Forcing my blade to cut through obtrusive boulders or would direct my warpath into uneven terrain to weaken the speed of my blows. Link’s grace on the field of battle was impressive but he was slowly running out of terrain as I backed him ever closer to the arena’s wall.

Recognizing what was happening, Link pirouetted from an over headed strike from my lightsaber and leaped far away till his back was at the wall. The Hylian stooped ever so slightly, panting heavily, and gazed at me directly in the eye. There was no hint of defeat in those bright blue eyes.

The crowd roared with excitement as the battle paused for a moment and I could feel their desire to see more. The emotions of hundreds raged wildly across the arena sending ripples throughout the Force that sent echoes farther than any sound. I took those emotions, that excitement, and made it my own but was wary in making sure that it didn’t overcome me. I sensed that this battle was far from over.

There were fewer than five meters between Link and myself, but it was just enough space for Link to reach behind his back and into his cloak to pull out a shield. A shield that was just as recognizable as the Master Sword. The Hylian Shield with the emblem of the Triforce emblazoned at its center with the red wings of an outstretched bird underneath it. If the countless attacks from monsters and magical attacks from multiple games were any indication, then the Hylian shield was just as indestructible as the Master Sword.

I hesitated.

Few Sith or Jedi have ever faced another blademaster with a shield since most materials in the galaxy rarely withstood the continued onslaughts of a lightsaber. But the Hylian Shield was not made from most materials. The Empire’s Wrath has faced other lightsaber wielders with shields before in the fiercest battles with the Eternal Empire, but those experiences were few in comparison to the countless Jedi The Wrath had to defeat in the past. This sparring match just became a lot more complicated and I just made a huge mistake by hesitating.

I gave Link enough time to go on the attack.

The battle was rejoined, but now it was me that was on the retreat. With limited experience, even my vast command of the Force was unable to anticipate the anomalous sequences of the sword and shield fighting style. My mind was flooded with a million options of what Link might attempt, and the memories of the Empire’s Wrath gave me little experience to draw upon. Overwhelmed, I staggered back, floundering as my mind was set with the desperation of a drowning man. My rage was weakening.

Link was unrelenting in his pressure. Whenever I tried to counterattack his shield was there to cut me off and he would continue to attack with a with a peculiar rhythm that gave me little to no respite. He would come at me high with his sword, I’d parry it, and he would push me back with the edge of his shield to prevent me from attacking. I felt one of the pointed edges of Link’s shield briefly grind against my left lower ribs and I had to leap back before he followed up the shield bash with a vertical strike from his sword.

I let out a small hiss from the bruising the shield bash left on my ribs, but thankfully The Wrath’s memories advised me on how to handle the pain. As a Sith Juggernaut pain was another resource I could use to fuel my power and the drowning desperation I felt moments before was swept away by a brief fire of rage. The pain helped me focus and it was likely the reason I was able to hold off Link’s next assault.

Battling through the arena’s rocky terrain I sensed that Link and I were approaching one of the arenas fissures where a wall of flame will soon erupt. With the Force, I carefully predicted when the flames would emerge and moved our battle slowly towards the fissure. In the instant it took Link to recognize where we were and realize that his opponent might escape, I thrusted out with a weak Force push. Knocking the Hylian off balance for a brief second, I backflipped over the erupting wall and onto the other side. With the wall of flame finally giving me respite from Link’s attacks, my perception of time slowed considerably and I strategized what my next move will be.

Link’s shield had completely thrown me off and the little experience I could draw upon from the Wrath’s memories offered only a few strategies. Only the Knights of the Eternal Empire were the only ones the Wrath ever faced who used a sword and shield style in combat. It was a defensive style that allowed the Knights an effective tool to defend against strikes in lightsaber duels and it was quite effective in ranged blaster combat as well. One strategy the Wrath used to fight the Knights was to simply outmaneuver them with his pure skill in his lightsaber. As effectively defensive the sword and shield style was, a skilled Djem So practitioner could easily outmaneuver and counter-attack to land a deadly blow when the sword and shield user had to reach out from behind their shield to attack. The only problem with this strategy was that Link was a veteran swordsman and after suffering his onslaught for over a minute I could tell that there was little to no chance that I would get the opportunity to counter-attack. He knew how to cover his paces and he’ll have an answer to any attack that I may throw at him.

Another strategy was to simply use sheer brute force and break the shield. The Wrath had the advantage of having a very, very, strong physical body and once amplified by the Force the Wrath could break durasteel and knockout monsters 6 times his size with nothing but his fist. But superhuman strength or no, the Hylian shield was just as unbreakable as the Master Sword and I doubted that I could break it with strength alone.

It was pretty humbling. During this entire spar I’ve been using nothing but the Wrath’s experience to fight back. It might as well have been the Empire’s Wrath fighting Link, not Jack Krieger.

“I need to think for myself instead of just relying on the Wrath’s instincts. But… I’m no real fighter! I’m just some scrawny college kid who got lucky that one time with Katy’s jackass boyfriend. My only real experience in fighting was just going psycho on a couple assholes who either made fun of my family or tried to hurt them. You can’t do this Jack, you can’t SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP.’

Time may have slowed as I gathered my thoughts, but time was still progressing. Soon Link will be upon me again.

‘I need to gather more of my rage, but it’s not simply enough to get angry at things I pluck from my head. I’m getting angry at things like the Merchant or Valkorion, but those bastards weren’t even here. I need to get angry at...at… Link. Yes, when I fought the Aper Major, the Dark Side flooded my body with strength because the beast was the sole focus of my rage. But Link is just… I can’t-’

I looked around the arena and noticed the silence that overtook the audience. I felt their confidence in my victory, I sensed their thoughts as their minds jumped into ideas of how I would beat the mysterious stranger in their arena. They expected their Warden to win.

‘I can’t fail them, these people trust me to be strong enough to protect them. This was a mistake, I shouldn’t have brought Link here. If I lose here in front of so many people I’ll-, That’s it! That is what Link wants. He wants to embarrass me in front of the people I’m sworn to protect. My sister is watching, House Hialla is watching, and this little shit is pushing me back! Noooo, that’s not happening, not anymore. I’m going to crush that scrawny little neck of his.’

The flame wall from the fissure died down, and my heart thumped against my chest like a primal drum. Pure rage filled my being and I could feel it climbing up my throat, begging to be let out. Link rushed with sword and shield in hand but he was far too late to stop what was coming.

“RAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWW!”

A Force Scream roared from the back of my throat sending pure Dark Side energy echoing into the arena. The focus of its power was directed at the small Hylian and it sent Link spinning off his feet and across the arena several meters away from me. Link struggled to his feet and I could sense the unsteady sensation that plagued his perceptions. The Force scream had done part of its job and imbalanced the little shit, but it should have made him afraid. The purpose of a Force Scream was to instill fear.

‘Why isn’t he afraid? He’s really pissing me off!’

While Link tried to gather his bearings I channeled the Force around me and into the palm of my right hand. I hurled out the wave of Force energy at the Hylian and the shock wave shook the very foundations of the Titan Arena. The concussive blast had enough power to shatter every bone in Link’s body and it could’ve pulverized his flesh into a mass of pulpy liquid. But Link somehow must have sensed the coming danger at the last second and raised his shield to protect himself from the attack.

Unfortunately, the Hylian Shield couldn’t protect the stone surrounding him. The giant boulders behind Link exploded into great chunks of rubble scattering across the arena by the hundreds. I grasped these rocks with the Force, and with a wave of my hand, the rocks rained towards Link like a tempest. Link raised his shield again, desperately trying to ward off the wave of stone and this left him wide open for attack.

With the Force gathering into my legs, my feet leaped from the ground with a charge and closed the vast distance between Link and me. Realizing that I was coming, Link had to choose which attack he would have to block with his shield and he wisely chose to block the raging Sith barreling towards him. Solid stone pelted his back and it weakened his stance as my lightsaber smashed into his shield with a crushing blow. Link grunted in pain as his shield was torn from his arm by my blow and his face was wide open for my fist.

Feeling bone crunch underneath my fist I sent Link sailing back once more and I felt euphoria as I saw him on the ground.

‘Yes! On the ground you shit! Yesssss, morrrrre!’

The Dark Side filled me more and more with its power as my emotions ran wild. This was what I was missing. It’s not simply enough to just get angry, I need to get angry at the enemy currently in front of me. I must want his suffering, I must devour a banquet of his pain. To become obese with heat, power,... and rage.

As I basked in the glow of my epiphany, Link got back up. His eyes were narrowed and filled with determination and he reached up with his hand to set his nose back into place with a soft crack. I wasn’t the only one angry now.

‘Gooood, Yessssss, Goooood. Bring me more, bring me your hatred so that may feed upon it and grow stronger.’

“So much for the whole, ‘the Dark Side is only my ally’ speech.” Link commented sarcastically. “Seems to me you’re craving a different kind of fight.”

In response, I simply drew the lightsaber slowly across another boulder and had the top half slide to the ground.

Link wasn’t impressed. Link raised his sword skyward and I sensed a sudden shift in the arena. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning strikes his sword, giving it a powerful radiance. “Let’s give the crowd something worth their money, shall we?” the Hylian asked before suddenly impaling the ground with the Master Sword. There was an eruption of power as electricity traveled wildly across the arena before suddenly changing directions and headed straight towards me. The magical surge shaking the ground as if it was an earthquake.

Grinning, I channeled the Force into my legs once more and hopped lightly into the air to smash my feet into the ground, sending my own Force-induced shockwave outwards towards the approaching magical surge. The two forces of energy clashed in a chaotic eruption and sent stone and debris flying across the arena in all directions. I had to swat aside a few chunks of stone as they flew towards me and then had to take a few steps back as a geyser of flames erupted from the point of impact from our blast. The magical lighting and Force energy that had been channeled into the arena floor had greatly unsettled the arena’s framework.

But I didn’t have time to analyze the damage we caused for long as an arrow soon came sailing towards me. I incinerated the arrow with the plasma of my lightsaber but had to stop many more arrows as they seemingly were rained down upon me. The cause of this storm of arrows came from Link of course as I saw him slowly circle around the outskirts of the arena shooting arrow after arrow from a beautifully crafted oaken bow with an engraved silver grip.

The bowstring hummed as Link fired his arrows at me nonstop and despite his admirable skill with the weapon, there was no way he was ever going to hit me with one of those arrows. Firing projectiles at a man skilled with a lightsaber was just as fruitless as a man trying to kill a dragon with a water gun. My technique switched to the defensive style of Soresu and I either incinerated the arrows with my lightsaber or swatted them aside with a hand protected in Force energy. I was getting prepared to charge Link once again when suddenly, among the rain of arrows, a very peculiar arrow flew among the rest of arrows towards my position.

The arrow was bathed in a plethora of Light Side energy and out of pure Force-sensitive instinct I knew that this fight would be over if that arrow got so much a meter closer to me. Instead of waiting for the arrow to come into contact with my lightsaber I threw up my hand and stopped the arrow mid-air in a telekinetic grip. However, the Force energy I was using to hold the arrow was blighted with my Dark Side energy and when it came into contact the arrow’s Light Side energy, it catalyzed a chain reaction that enveloped the entire arena in a blinding white light.

My eyes burned from the arrow’s intense flare and I had to throw up a Force shield to protect myself from the rain of burning white Light Side energy that sailed towards me. My shield held firm under the rain of energy, but I was already damaged from the arrow’s dazzling display. Everything was blurry when I tried to open my eyes, and I could barely even discern what shape the rocks were when I stared at the ground.

My eyes were now useless to me and I kept my eyelids closed to ignore the visual distraction they caused. My sight may be gone but I didn’t need my eyes to see my enemy. The Force was all I needed.

‘He will pay dearly for that.’ I seethed.

I waited, displaying an opening in my defenses to show that Link’s attack had disabled my eyesight, and hoped that it baited Link into making a mistake. Instead, the hylian held his position with his bow in hand without even having an arrow nocked. Had he seen through my deception? Or was he merely preparing something else?
‘Come on, attack me! What are you waiting for?’

The longer I waited, the more I grew impatient. What kind of warrior doesn’t capitalize on an opponent’s blindness? Did that arrow of light take too much energy out of him? All I knew was that the longer I kept up this act, the phonier it appeared to be. So with the Force traveling into my legs, I charged suddenly towards Link with my lightsaber ready to strike him down.

He wouldn’t have his defenses up in time as his sword was at his side and his bow would offer him no protection from my lightsaber’s blade. He wouldn’t have time to dodge as I would already be upon him the moment his legs so much as twitched. I almost didn’t want to believe it, but this could be the end of our little bout.

‘Despite his attempts to embarrass me, I won’t kill him. Noooo, he needs to suffer, I’ll take one of his arms and then I’ll- wait, what am I thinking? I shouldn’t want that! What’s happening to me?’

For a moment it felt like a veil was lifted from my mind and the fires of my rage soothed briefly. I was terrified at the sadistic thoughts I entertained in my head and I faltered in my charge towards Link. Link noticed my weakness, except this time, my vulnerability was for real. He furrowed his eyebrows as if confused but he quickly pushed aside his confusion so he could act. With a deep breath, he shouted out a name and magic began to stir in the air.

“KUN VULOM!”

The magic condensed and transformed into a brilliant sword of light, and as the light dimmed, the sword levitated in mid-air as if held by a string. The sword was the size of a claymore with a rainbow hue tinting its peculiar emerald green metal with eyes embedded into the edges of its guard, pommel, and center. The sword’s light intensified for one last moment and then leaped towards me on an intercept course. My lightsaber clashed with the levitating blade and I had to use both hands to keep the sword from pushing me back.

My brief foolish moment of hesitation was gone and I fell back on my rage to focus on the fight at hand.With a grunt, I pushed the sword away and retreated as the sword continued to attack me. With no clear idea how I was to counterattack I only kept up my defense as I reached out with the Force to figure out what magic was keeping this magical sword animated. It slashed and cleaved at me from random angles as it’s magic became more transparent to my Force Sight. A shield of magic enveloped the sword to protect it from my lightsaber’s heat but at small, microsecond moments the shield would evaporate whenever the sword invested more strength in its attacks. The sword had a weakness but I had to wait till that weakness presented itself more openly.

All the while my eyes were still blind from Links arrow of light and as my Force senses reached out to find out where my original opponent had gotten to I cursed when I sensed a new protective aura surrounding him. His hand was reaching into his bag and sums of magic extended from within its confines to swathe Link in a new protective covering. The magic condensed and took form in a new set of armor with the silhouettes of strange wisps surrounding the armor giving it more even more power.

With a pained grimace, I opened my eyes so I could at least get a glimpse of the armor’s physical form. Everything was still blurry but my eyes could still make out a few things. A shadowy gray metal made up most of the armor’s exterior with sharp pointed edges extending from its shoulder and leg guards. But the most curious thing was the shadow I saw growing behind Link. It could have been an illusion, or a by-product of the Force slowly trying to restore my eyesight, but I swore I saw the shadowed silhouette of a dragon extending its wings and letting out a silent roar as the armor finished molding onto Link.

An overhead slash from the levitating sword brought my attention back to it and I had to prepare myself as Link rejoined the fray with his Master Sword. 2 enemies now fell upon me and it only took me seconds to realize that Link was by far the most dangerous of the two. He was stronger, faster, and more precise in his strikes now and by the time it took for the levitating sword to strike at me twice, I had to bat aside at least two dozens strikes from Link. Each offensive they threw at me was a model of lethal efficiency- quick and powerful strikes and counterstrikes that would have kept me guessing had it not been for my connection with the Force.

As long as I kept up my form in the lightsaber stance of Soresu, spinning my lightsaber in a controlled rhythm of defensive postures, I was able to ward off both their attacks easily using whirling parries. For now, I was content to play a completely passive role in this fight, as going on the offense will easily lead me to defeat. I waited for my opportunity to strike back, but all the while I built up my rage and power in preparation for that opportunity or for when I would need an escape from any more of Link’s surprises.

Wondering how the audience was regarding our spar so far, I waited until it was time for the levitating sword to attack again, then gauged the sword’s predictable incoming stroke. Knowing exactly where it would end by watching where it began, I was able to momentarily divert my Force attuned senses from the combat to telepathically gauge the crowd’s thoughts.

Some were excited at the development of the battle, while some cried out in anger as they perceived that Link was cheating by summoning another opponent in our fight. Katy was at the edge of her seat both equally excited by our fight and worried that her little brother may get hurt. Then there were the droids, and while I couldn’t perceive their thoughts like organics, I could still sense their mechanical movements. 2V-R8 was still writing frantically into my journal and I made a quick note to acquire another one after this spar was over. HK-55 still remained tactically cloaked amongst the crowd waiting for my command and an idea quickly came to mind as I considered the options available to me.

All HK-55 needed was one secret gesture from me and he’ll follow his orders to shoot at any target I desire. I had complete trust that HK could carry out his shot perfectly, as human error was no factor when it came to assassin droids of his model. But if I’m going use HK properly I needed to find the perfect opportunity for him to strike.

My distraction with the crowd had lasted only for a fraction of a second, but in that one brief interval of time Link had somehow seen my lack of attention and sprung forward while jabbing the tip of the Master Sword towards my wrist to disarm me. I snapped my whole body to the side at the last possible instant, feeling the sting of metal as it barely nicked the lateral side of my wrist. The sudden movement threw off my defenses and balance, and as my spinning lightsaber slapped away the blow from the levitating sword I had anticipated from earlier, my saber lost it’s momentum and faltered.

In the split second it took me to bring up my defenses again I was left completely vulnerable. Link sliced at my head with the flat of his blade, forcing me to duck, then he chopped at my feet on his backstroke, causing me to jump before I could properly set myself. I may have avoided his swipe, but I landed clumsily on my feet. Another blow rained down on me and with my body out of position, I was forced to block its path rather than deflect it to the side. Link was definitely stronger now in that armor, and as we clinched our swords together we each tried to outclass the other with pure strength.

But before we could find out which one was the stronger of the two, Link’s levitating sword sensed its opportunity to strike at me with my lightsaber now occupied completely by Link’s Master Sword. Magical energy focused itself within the blade and it raised itself in the air as if it were going to hurl that deadly energy towards me. I was doomed, and there was nothing I personally could do without giving Link the opportunity to strike me down as well. I was now defenseless to either of my opponents.

However, as Link’s levitating sword focused its magical energy to strike the final blow, I noticed that the magical shield protecting it was gone. I had found my escape, and with a flick of my pinky finger, I gave HK-55 the secret gesture he was waiting for.

With speed and a reaction time that only a machine with a CPU thousands of times faster than any human brain, HK-55 fired his blaster rifle from within the audience and struck the levitating sword with intense blue plasma. The sword hissed and sparked as it was warped by the plasma and the volatile magic it was channeling just moments ago. The sword ceased its levitation and fell to the ground with a thud as black smoke was excreted from black blemishes on its blade.
As the sword fell Link’s eyes flared and he hissed through his teeth in a sudden pain in reaction to the sword’s warping.

There was a brief instant where I saw my opening to escape and I took it so that I may regain my bearings. I pushed Link away with a vicious blow to his head with the hilt of my lightsaber and leaped away to land on the peak of a large boulder. Our fight was paused for the moment, and Link and I each took that moment to catch our breaths. The levitating sword faded away just like the smoke emitting from its blade and I sensed its remaining traces of magic traversing towards Link to become one with him once more.

My eyesight was starting to return so I opened my eyes to gaze into Link’s own then had them travel around the arena. HK-55 was still camouflaged amongst the audience and the audience's members were turning their heads left and right in confusion, wondering where that loud bolt of light came from.

Link took this moment to reach into his pouch and pulled out a strange hand-held… mirror? No, it was purple with three red spikes along the top and had an eye on the end of the handle. I sensed a flow of magic travel into the object and he looked around again through its eye and eventually stopped on the position where HK was located.

‘Did that artifact just allow him to see HK-55 despite being cloaked?’ I pondered curiously.

He placed the object back in his pouch and turned to me. “I’d say that was fair. My sword did act as a partner, it’s only right that you were able to call upon your own.” Link said as he took up a defensive position sword at the ready.

I had no idea how much time had passed but I sensed that we were reaching the time limit of our match.

“I’m ready to go whenever you are,” I said from up on top of the boulder.

“You’ve fought well thus far, now I’d like to see how far you can really go. You show great promise for this world.” Link said as he sheathed his sword, making me wonder if he was giving up? However, after seeing him reach into his pouch once again it made my body tense up. He pulled out a strange mask that had an eerie likeliness to his own face, except the hair was white and it had red and blue markings adorning its cheeks.

All of Link’s tools thus far had been connected to the Light Side in some way, but in that mask, I only sensed the familiar echoes of the Dark Side. Another entity lived inside that mask, an entity that was begging to get out and let loose its hunger for battle.

‘How curious’ I pondered in fascination as Link put on the mask

“JACK! He’s using the Fierce Deity mask!” Katy cried out in a panic.

‘The what?’

The mask latched itself onto Link’s face and I bore witness to a startling transformation. The Fierce Deity mask almost seemed to merge completely with Link’s face and power seemed to flood from the mask and into Link’s body. He grew taller as beacons of light stretched forth from every corner of his body and at his side magic condensed once again to form into a sword. The sword itself had a simple hilt but the most extraordinary feature about the sword was the twin blades that curled themselves into a sinister double helix. As the sword was formed Link took its hilt into both of his hands and he stared at me with a new, stunning set of white eyes made of pure light.

Both Link’s and the entity’s intellects were now as one within Link’s mind, and each of their goals were simple and direct. Defeat me and end this battle.

Exhaustion. That was all I felt as the timer had finally run out.

The arena was a broken battlefield of pulverized stone and molten rock as I stood within the center of it with weary legs. My crimson torso was littered with scars leaking droplets of blood and my jaw hanged openly as I inhaled and exhaled copious amount of air. The Dark Side’s strength within me had waned over the course of my battle with the Fierce Deity but I still had just enough left to keep me conscious.

Link had torn the Fierce Deity's mask off with one hand and the double helix sword he held in the other had faded away like a mist. He was smiling as he returned to his smaller natural size and he congratulated me as he massaged his bruised shoulder from one of the few blows I had landed on him during the last few minutes of our match. Although he met the end of our match with warm feelings, I felt nothing but cold rage.

‘I hate you… you little...insignificant…,’ I let out a loud huff as my left hand clung to my side from a sharp pain I felt moments ago. Pain no longer fueled my power and had become a hindrance now that the battle was at an end.

‘It’s over Jack. Stop it. Rage serves no purpose now anymore.’

“WELL NOW, I CERTAINLY DIDN’T EXPECT THIS TO BE THE OUTCOME. TWO GLADIATORS ARE STILL LEFT STANDING!”

The audience was in a frenzy of cheers.

“THE MATCH IS A TIE. THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER SURE DID PUT UP QUITE A FIGHT, QUITE A FIGHT INDEED. I DARE SAY HE IS WORTHY OF A CHAMPION’S TITLE IF HE COULD PUT OUR OWN WARDEN THROUGH HIS PACES LIKE THAT. GIVE THAT POINTY EARED DEVIL A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.”

The audience clapped their talons, hooves, hands, and wings in a cacophony of different sounds and awarded Link with their praise.

“WITH THAT, WE CONCLUDE THIS MATCH AS A TIE. WELL DONE GLADIATORS!”

At the end of the promoter's words, sections of the Arena’s walls descended to show us our way out and I tiredly deactivated my lightsaber to walk through them. I needed a glass of water, some bandages to stop my chest from bleeding, and maybe some… ice cream? Yes, I definitely wanted ice cream.

This fight was way more than I had bargained for.

After the conclusion of our match, Thistle kindly gave Link and me a private room so that we may recuperate. I thankfully got my glass of water and I had used the Force to stop my wounds from leaking more blood. But I was still missing my ice cream and Katy, bless her soul, thankfully volunteered to find some for me. While she was gone, Link and I didn’t talk to each other very much and it left the room in an awkward silence. I felt obligated to speak, but it took me awhile to get words clearly articulated in my head.

“I’m sorry for how I acted during the spar. My behavior was… inappropriate to say the least.”

“You did surprise me, so I gave it back twice as hard to see if you’d snap out of it. I know the mask was a bit overkill, but I had a good reason. I wanted to see how you’d prepare yourself to fight something as powerful as the Fierce Deity if it was something beyond what you’re capable. It was also to teach you that while a Sith lord’s anger can give power, it comes at the cost of your focused mind. I’d suggest you try broadening your choices for cases like this when it's not enough. I’m no Yoda, so I’m just speaking from experience that being your Displaced character makes you strong, but going beyond the character’s original powers will make you stronger. If you were to ask your sister, she would tell you of things that the original Links have never used in our battle.” Link explained as he examined my battered condition.

“Sorry that I messed you up a bit, would you like me to use my Nayru’s Care spell to heal ya up a bit?”

“No please, I’ll be fine. The Force is all I need but I thank you nonetheless for your offer. The pain will help me to never forget the experiences I’ve learned from our battle. Anyhow…” I paused as I tried to think of another topic of conversation. “What can you tell me about the Fierce Deity? I must say, after being the focus of that spirit’s fury it has left immensely curious about its origins and power. I didn’t play much of Legend of Zelda when I human, but I don’t believe I ever saw it when I watched Katy play the games.”

“Fierce Deity is my terminian counterpart, a god who forced the trickster Majora to dance for three days straight, then once Majora was exhausted, he carved a mask from Majora’s armor, then proceeded to seal him away. Afterwards, he did the same to himself so that if Majora returned, he can return if a worthy warrior finds him and puts on the mask. But that’s all I can remember based on the Manga I read before I was Displaced. His Mask came with me after that and has been in my pouch for a long time. I used to fear him, afraid he would take me over if I ever wore it. There was even a time I had no choice but use him against a lesser void dweller who wanted to take over my Equestria,” Link explained before shaking his head. “It was a hell of a fight that left me in a coma for a few days but was thanks to Iron Ash the blacksmith, I’m still alive. Iron Ash came with me through the Dimension Between Worlds when we were sucked in together, and he couldn’t fight alongside me since he wasn’t a true Displaced with my dimension poisoning him, forcing him to use healing spells just to stay alive. But that’s the past, and it happened almost three years ago. He’s also the reason why I have this enchanted brigandine armor.”

‘So there are void dwellers who will actually invade another Displaced’s universe? That is both interesting and frightening. Interesting that they can actually be fought off, and frightening that beings who can cross universes at will would actually invade the universes they play with.’

I made a mental note to prepare for such an event if it were ever to occur to me or Katy.

“One last question. Have you ever heard of a Displaced… binding themselves to their tokens?” I asked in regards to my problem with the connection I have with my holocron token.

“Binding? A token is usually used to summon displaced from other universes, is there a problem with yours?” Link asked.

I had to word this very carefully. I trusted that Link was a perfect model of morality, but the less that people knew of my connection to my token, the better.

“You could call it a problem, but I would rather call it frustrating. You see my token is a holocron, which in Star Wars is an immeasurable information storage device, that holds the knowledge of one of the most powerful Force-wielders in Star Wars lore. It also houses a guardian that protects and teaches the holocron’s knowledge, but this guardian is the frustrating part, as it keeps me from accessing the knowledge because it deems me unworthy. It also will telepathically link with me to comment on something and it will even enter my dreams sometimes. Have you ever heard of any other Displaced having a connection like I have to mine?”

‘Maybe if there are others in a similar situation as I am in, maybe they have come up with ways to cut off the connection.’

“First of all, why did you choose it as your token?” Link asked.

I furrowed my brow at his words.

“Choose? I didn’t choose the holocron to be my token at all. The void dweller who forced Katy and I here, The Merchant, created our tokens for us. There was no choice in the matter at all.”

“Oh… you didn’t make it yourself,” Link stated with a frown. “The Merchant might have made it so you would stay connected, although I don’t know why.”

My heart dropped at those words. I could… make… a token?

He tricked us, he tricked me! That son of a bitch lied to us and tricked me into the subjugation of an artifact that I could’ve made by myself this whole time?! I didn’t know what to feel. Hate for the Merchant for trapping me in my worthless connection to my token, or hate at myself for allowing myself to be so easily duped. I swear by every fiber of my being that if I ever find The Merchant again, I will do whatever it takes eviscerate him or it out of existence.

“Are you ok Jack? It’s getting kinda cold in here.” Link asked as he scrutinized me with his blue eyes. He probably sensed my anger, so I forced myself to take slow deep breaths and focused on my inquiries for Link. I could vent my anger later.

“I’m fine, just realized something stupid that I could’ve avoided. Anyway, so I take it that you’ve never met anyone with my kind of connection before?”

The Hylian shook his head. “That’s the first time I’ve heard of such a thing.”

‘Well, it was a long shot anyway.’

Before we could continue our conversation, Katy bursted back into the room with two tubs of ice cream in hand and a happy grin.

“Heya guys, I got us a tub of vanilla and chocolate. You guys ready to dig in?”

“No thanks. After what me and Jack did in the arena, I’ll need some time to unwind. Then I’ll check for any possible injuries I didn’t notice due to the adrenaline rush.” Link said as he started to flex his neck.

“Ahhhhhh,” Katy sighed as her shoulders drooped. “Oh, well more for me and Jack then.”Just as Katy finished her sentence, two objects sparked into existence and floated in front of Link.

They were our tokens. One was an exact copy of my holocron with Sith hieroglyphs etched onto its surfaces. While the other one was another exact copy of Undyne’s helmet that acted as Katy’s token. Realization dawned on Link’s face and he reached out to take the tokens out the air and placed them into the endless depths of his pouches.

“So those are copies of our tokens then. You’ll be able to call upon us whenever you need us?” I asked.

“Pretty much, but I’m a little sparingly with who I summon, I only do it in a life and death situation.” Link explained to Jack. “Also, just a small warning. My token has twilight magic in it, so be careful not to activate it by accident or you may suddenly find yourself as a red horned wolf of some kind.”

“Alright then, warning received, so how do we send you back to your home universe? Is there some sort of trick involved?”

“Just four simple words; Our contract is complete and I’ll be on my way.” Link explained.

Katy and I looked at each other and then back to Link.

“Our contract is complete,” I said enunciating each word clearly.

There was a soft glowing blue light that slowly formed and surrounded Link in a crystal. He looked up and relaxed as the crystal started to spin, and soon, the room was filled with a bright serene light. When the light cleared, Link was gone.

Katy rubbed her one eye with a closed fist and whistled at Link’s exit.

“Well, that was fun. I liked him, seemed like a pretty swell guy even if he did knock my little brother around. Anyway, let’s eat this ice cream before it melts.”