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Blind trailed closely behind the boy who had invaded his hideout. It was effortless for him to keep pace; Blind could have navigated the hideout backwards, while the kid was struggling to just keep his footing on the shifting floors. From behind them Blind heard the telltale clinking of one of his blade traps, and without looking he silently shifted just out of its path. The trap buried itself into the kid’s leg instead; the boy grunted in pain and Blind made a point to gasp sympathetically.
The commotion was enough to draw the attention of the three other guards in the room, and they quickly moved to whale on the boy. One lackey made the mistake of making eye contact with Blind, earning it quick withering glare before it hurriedly corrected itself. By the time the boy had turned to check behind him, Blind’s expression was already replaced with a look of gentle admiration, the very picture of a demure little maiden.
Of all of Ganon’s lieutenants, Blind had a particular appreciation for guile. Oh, plenty of Ganon’s monsters were powerful, but there was a certain satisfaction in drawing in one’s victim first – in not letting some light-eyed fools notice your fangs and claws until they felt their piercing strike.
Blind always knew he was a creature of fangs and claws, even when he lived in the Light World. He did not seem impressive back then; the sunlight made his eyes burn and his skin blister red, and he stuck to the shadows whenever he could. Other thieves jeeringly called him Blind and assumed he was harmless. A foolish assumption- but there was opportunity in their ignorance. For a while he played the role of the unassuming grunt, biding his time for the perfect moment to cut each one of them down. He watched their mocking expressions turn to fearful realization as he stole their lives and precious power. Eventually his reputation grew to reflect his more vicious truth, but by that time he’d already amassed his own gang of loyal thieves. He set his ambitions where any thief would: to the golden power of the Dark World.
But the Dark World had a funny way of transforming people into their true selves, and it turned Blind into what he knew himself to be: a fearsome specter of sharp fangs and fiery claws. This form still burned under even the muted daylight of the Dark World, but it came with a gift: a thousand faces, and with them any façade he could imagine. In this world of true selves, he could make people see exactly what he wanted them to see.
The sounds of combat faded as the kid finished off the last of guards, silently sheathing his blade. Blind’s gaze settled on the boy once more, a tinge of wariness creeping into the edges of his thoughts. Blind wasn’t the only one hiding his true form. The boy reeked of a Light World magic that cloaked him even in this world. He didn’t seem like much, if this kid truly was the Light World's champion, perhaps there was a more fearsome beast hidden behind that youthful face.
But Blind wouldn’t have to wonder for long. He could sense the gentle ripple of magic coalescing under one of the skulls lining the hideout wall. The kid didn’t notice it in time; his blade cut through through the skulls indiscriminately, unwittingly freeing a writhing golden pocket of Dark World energy. The boy tried to scramble back, but he was too slow – the magic latched hungrily onto his Light World form. Blind watched on just as eagerly as the magic began to transform the boy. In such a concentrated form, the Dark World’s power could suppress even the most stubborn Light World magic. For a moment Blind would have a glimpse at what this kid truly was.
A long ear unfurled from the boy's pink hair, and then another. Calloused hands shrunk into small, soft paws. A small tuft of a tail popped into existence.
The boy had become a rabbit. A pink, fluffy little rabbit. No weapons to speak of, no claws or fangs, and not so much as a flicker of ferocity behind those beady little eyes.
The transformation only lasted a couple seconds, but it was all Blind could do to choke back his laughter. What a pair they were – a powerful specter pretending to be helpless, and a helpless rabbit pretending to be powerful. But if there was ever proof that Blind wasn’t dealing with a real threat, this was it. The boy had done well to get this far, but some rabbits were just lucky, and that luck was going to run out.
A sudden stop in front of him pulled Blind from his thoughts once more. The boy was glancing between his compass and the large door in front of him. A small smirk flashed across Blind’s face - his hideout must’ve really turned the poor kid around. They were about as far from any outside entrances as they could get, and the room they were heading into was a nice, shadowy place with no other exits. A perfect place to strike.
But there was no need to be artless about it. Blind was a thief at heart, and the kid had so many fascinating trinkets on him. He was sure that shiny sword would fetch a handsome reward, as would many of the kid’s treasures. But there was one item that stood out to him: a glass orb that shimmered like the cosmos. He knew it well, for the rumors of it were shared among every Light World thief who coveted the Dark World’s power. This Moon Pearl must be how the boy was able to keep his Light World form.
Blind’s hand twitched at his side as the boy led them through the doorway. One swift motion was all it would take. Once Blind had that pearl, the boy would be transformed by the Dark World permanently. He would die as he truly was – as a weak, helpless, pathetic little rabbit.
Blind stretched his hand forward, his eyes fixated on his prize as it began to glint in the sunlight.
Wait- the sunlight!?
The revelation came too late; with horror he realized that his shadowy sanctuary had somehow become flooded with wretched sunlight. He could already feel it eating its way through him. His face melted away, baring his true spectral form to the burning brightness. His clawed hands raked at his eyes- it felt as if they were boiling.
“Gyaaah! Too bright!”
Blind stumbled back, scanning the room with a snarl. Even through his blurred vision he could just make out the form of that kid, still bathed in sunlight as he wordlessly raised his blade. He didn’t even seem surprised by this turn of events. Blind’s scowl twisted into a vicious smile. So the rabbit had a few tricks- no matter. He would soon find out what Blind’s true form could really do.
Blind hovered in the air, moving like a predator circling its prey. Through the pain he could feel the back of his eyes prickling with power, and he kept those eyes trained on the boy as a vicious beam of magic fired from them. The kid just managed to dodge out of the way, returning the attack with a slash from his sword. Blind grunted in pain before steadying himself. Time to give the boy more to deal with. Flames roiled in the back of his throat and he let loose a barrage of fireballs across the room. But the kid didn’t let up, weaving between the projectiles with another series of attacks.
Blind snarled- he would have killed this kid by now if it wasn’t for that wretched sunlight. But he wasn’t out of the fight yet. He still had his gift of a thousand faces. He might not have been able to hold a disguise anymore, but he could still make a boy bleed.
In a moment one face peeled away from him, and then another, each encircling the boy with an onslaught of beams and flames, as well as a few vicious bites and claw attacks from his body. The boy was struggling now. His tunic was scorched and his breath was labored. He had managed to get a few good hits in, but now the kid was just staring forward, not moving, just clutching his sword in front of him. Blind grinned; even with his advantage, the kid was through now. He should have expected as much. Blind’s disembodied faces circled around the boy, cackling, as Blind lunged forward for the kill.
Suddenly the boy sprung into action, whirling the blade around him. Its steel tore through Blind, causing him to shriek in pain. It was too much, it was all too much. He could feel his form crumbling, stripped away layer by layer until there was nothing left.
For a while there was just pain. And then, light. Blind grimaced as he found himself floating in a glaringly bright white void. But then he realized that he wasn’t alone. There was a girl there, too. He knew her well, for he had spent some time perfecting his disguise in her image. The maiden was just staring at him now, a sheen of magical force between them. Perhaps his destruction had brought him to the same place she was being kept. Or perhaps she wasn’t there at all, and this was all just the random firings of a fading mind. It didn’t matter- it was obvious which one of them was trapped there now.
“How?” Blind finally spoke, struggling to hold his gaze on the maiden. “I… I saw him! I saw what he truly was! How could I have lost?”
The maiden didn’t answer. Blind let out a shaky, humorless chuckle.
“It… it was a trick, wasn’t it?” He said. “You two conspired against me. You helped him disguise himself. Made me think I was just dealing with a rabbit so I’d let my guard down.”
At last the maiden sighed, staring at his spectral form with what almost seemed like pity.
“Blind, a being of lies and illusions- there is no one you have deceived more thoroughly than yourself. You think a soul that wishes for peace is not capable of fighting for it. You assume strength cannot exist without viciousness. You have always coveted true power, and yet even now you do not fully comprehend the breadth of it.”
Blind snarled, glowering at the maiden. He would not be talked down to. Not like this, not in his true form.
“You sanctimonious brat.” He hissed, scraping a claw against the magical barrier. “You’ll see true power when Ganon destroys you and everything you hold dear. I doubt you’ll find your hero’s softness so admirable then.”
But the maiden just smiled. “I know Link’s power will protect us. And his kindness will save us.”
The barrier began to hum with magic, and with a knowing look the maiden turned her back on Blind, walking away into the white void. He tried to shout after her, to curse her and her hero further, but there was no response and his words were simply swallowed by the void. Soon Blind was alone, in his tattered and defeated true form, surrounded by bright light.
Until finally, mercifully, everything went dark.