Prologue was so popular I decided to go ahead and upload the first chapter. Well, it was pretty popular. Aside from the flame-like review Yuan gave me... Riiiiight, Yuan? Don't you feel bad now? You should. Myeh. Here's the first chapter.

Chapter 1: Kage

"Look, nothing personal, but you're scaring the customers," the inn hostess whispered. Kage sighed and stood from the table, ascending the stairs to his room. He'd been receiving glares all morning and would rather sit in his room anyway. Besides, he needed to think.

When he had been absorbed into the light of the star, Kage upheld Morpha's final wish and became a new person. However, he would never forget. To give up his past would be to give up his memories of Morpha. So, to make sure he would hold onto her memory forever, he chose to call himself Kage, an ancient Shiekah word that meant 'shadow'.

Upon being reborn, Kage found that he didn't appear any different than he had. His hair was still sable, his skin still pale, and his eyes were still as crimson as blood. He was even wearing an identical black tunic, but his sword and shield were missing. Since he left behind his identity as 'Dark Link', Kage located a nearby town and purchased new clothes for himself. He now wore a red tunic beneath a silver breastplate with mahogany trousers. His boots were dark chestnut and he wore a similar glove on his left hand, the hand that bore the symbol of the Triforce of Courage. After all, he was Link's replica. He abandoned the hat altogether and went with that attire.

However, his scarlet eyes were unsettling. Many were disturbed or frightened. Kage was growing weary of the stares and whispers. He heaved a sigh and snatched his traveling bag off the bed. He began packing his few supplies into the leather sack. He was sick of enduring harsh words and harsher eyes. He'd go somewhere else, somewhere where the people weren't so judgmental.

The hostess seemed almost grateful as she checked Kage out of the inn. He slammed the door as he exited to make his discontent known. Taking a quick glance around Kakariko Village, he proceeded through the gate and into Hyrule Field. The plains were vast and empty, yet they held a sense of hope that revitalized Kage's spirit. There was a large structure in the distance that he had passed on several occasions but had never really taken the time to inspect. He chose that as his destination.

The sun was setting by the time he arrived, but Kage made it just before nightfall. He gazed at the sign hanging on the arch-like entrance. It read "Lon Lon Ranch". With a shrug the man continued onward. As he came nearer the corral, he heard someone singing. He veered off at the first house and entered there instead. Inside there was a hefty man seated amongst a trio of cuccos. He yawned and opened one eye to view Kage. When he had seen the visitor fully, he bolted upright, looking quite startled.

"Oh, I didn't hear you come in!" he chuckled nervously. "My name's Talon, and I'm the owner of this here ranch. What can I do you for?"

Kage noted the uneasiness in Talon's voice. "Is this a shop of some sort?" he inquired calmly, quietly, as to not further perturb his host.

"Uh, well, yeah! We got some great milk if yer interested!"

Kage tilted his head to a side. "May I please view a sample?" he asked politely.

Talon's hand was trembling as he tossed a bottle of milk to Kage. The red eyes were finally getting to him. "Th-that there's Lon Lon milk. It'll restore yer health with a single gulp. And there's two servings per bottle," he explained as he watched Kage turn the container over in his hands.

"I see," he said after a brief silence. "And for how many rupees do you ask in exchange for this intriguing beverage?"

"…S-seventy-five! Seventy-five rupees. No more, no less. It's a great deal, isn't it?" Talon informed, laughing loudly to mask his terror.

"Hm…" Kage reached into his pocket and drew out the single blue rupee he had acquired when he accidentally collided with a tree. He furrowed his brow. "Perhaps we could come to an agreement on these… extenuating circumstances?" he suggested, phrasing his query carefully.

The cry of a Wolfos came from off in the distance. The door swung open and a young woman with red hair entered, closing the door behind her. She uttered a stifled gasp when she saw they had company, but her expression soon smoothed over and a gentle smile claimed her lips.

"Oh, howdy, Malon. Yer dinner's on the table," Talon grinned at the new arrival. He then turned back to Kage, his expression grim. "Seventy-five rupees means seventy-five rupees. I'm not gonna settle for any less than my price!" he repeated venomously.

"Father!" Malon snapped. "You're charging seventy-five rupees for a single bottle! You only ever charged Link fifty! And his first bottle was free! You're being unfair!"

Kage jumped at the mention of his light half's name. However, in light of this new discovery, he turned his gaze upon Talon with a low flame glowing in his crimson eyes. Talon cowered backwards at this glare. "Malon, why are you taking his side!" he whined.

"Father, give him the milk," the girl requested. Talon grumbled, then nodded at Kage to take the drink at no charge. The young man's eyes lost their fire and he smiled in thanks, heading for the door. Outside, he looked up at the heavens and sighed. "I can't go back to the inn… I don't have enough to stay again," he muttered to himself.

"Do you need somewhere to go?" inquired a voice. Kage whipped around, startled, and found the owner of the voice. It was Malon.

"Um… Yes, I suppose I do," he replied timidly. The girl giggled and took his hand, leading him towards the stable.

"You can sleep in the loft. Now, before you get all freaked about having to sleep in a stable with a bunch of cows and horses, let me tell you that it's really very comfortable up there. I sleep there every night," she informed. Kage was appalled at this.

"Your father forces you to sleep in the loft?" he assumed in disbelief. The air rang with Malon's laughter. "No, no, silly! I sleep there because I like being with the animals!" Kage blushed at his mistake, winning more laughter from the redheaded ranch girl.

"You're blushing!" she giggled. "That's so cute!" Kage blinked, the light pink hue upon his face deepening to scarlet at his companion's words. Malon laughed again and opened the door to the stable, ushering in Kage. The dark-haired man entered, discreetly turning his face from the girl as he passed her.

Malon showed her guest the blankets and pillows. She lit a lantern and placed it between them as Kage prepared his makeshift bed. He couldn't help but notice when Malon released a wistful sigh. The girl smiled in apology when she noticed Kage's eyes upon her.

"I'm sorry for staring, but you just look so much like my friend," she explained, lowering her eyes to the floor. Kage narrowed his eyes in curiosity. "That Link fellow you mentioned to your father earlier?" he presumed. He mentally slapped himself for jumping to conclusions yet again. With his luck, Link would turn out to be Malon's brother, or worse: her son.

But luck was with Kage as Malon nodded her assent. "He came the ranch a long time ago when he was still just a little boy. That's when he first came for Lon Lon milk. After that, he visited every now and then. Soon he just seemed to vanish. His visits stopped altogether… for seven years. Then one day he appeared out of blue and rescued the ranch—and me—from Ganondorf's influence. I thought he was my shining knight, come at last, but I haven't seen him for months now, so I guess it wasn't meant to be after all."

"…I hope you get to see him again," Kage smiled, ignoring the treachery of his own words. Ganondorf would kill him again if he had any clue as to what was going on.

Malon extinguished the lantern and pulled her blanket over herself. Kage sighed and braced himself against the wall. He looked through the crack between the boards of the roof at the stars. Just as he was falling asleep, he was startled awake again by a chiming noise behind him.

Kage turned abruptly and saw a tiny winged woman emanating dark purple light. She had her hands on her hips and a rather discontent expression on her face. Kage cocked his head to a side. Is this a… fairy? he mused.

"Why are you staring?" the alleged fairy rebuked. Kage drew back slightly in shock. He had always thought fairies to be sweet, gentle creatures. This woman before him was no such thing. Kage blinked in expectancy.

The fairy heaved a sigh. "Look, I don't have time for a staring contest, pal. Just listen to what I have to say!

"Your name is Dark Link, the shadow clone of the Hero of Time. Don't say anything just yet, buddy. I'm not finished. Ganondorf summoned you to kill your light half, but you failed. When Morpha allowed you to come back to this world, your destiny was realized. Don't look at me like that! Everyone has a destiny, you know! Yours is to find your way to the Shadow World, where your essence was spawned from. You used to live there until Ganondorf found you and brought you to this world. When you cross the gap between dimensions, your memories are all lost, unless, that is, you have a certain item that you can only get in this dimension. You have to find that item and go to the Shadow World—Necrule, Hyrule's shadow opposite. Once you get their, your task will become quite clear. Oh, and my name is Raven. Now, any questions?"

Kage nodded. "Yes, um… What?" he inquired with a countenance of pure disbelief.

Raven sighed in frustration and smacked her forehead. "How did I ever get paired with this loser…?" she muttered.

Okay, piece together the first word of thethis chapter and the last word of the last one. "I was... Kage." That's his name, yup.

Okay, I want some serious feedback on Necrule, 'cause it'll decide whether or not I continue this. Please, please, please give me your honest opinion, 'cause I don't want to write something people don't want to read. Honest opinions, nice, loooong reviews, that's what's gonna keep me writing, folks. With that, I must now away. Please review!