Three days after leaving the castle, past midday. As the edge of Hyrule Plain drew near, the ground grew steadily rockier. The soft grass vanished, replaced by increasing stretches of gray stone. The sky was clear, but when Midna's gaze drifted eastward, that blue grew murky. Evidence of the shadow's encroachment. Lake Lanayru—roughly seventy kilometers east of the castle town, a massive chasm two hundred meters deep—was drawing close. Midna sat on Link's back, arms folded. Link walked in silence. As always. His pace was steady, showing no sign of fatigue. Beside him, Nocta moved in step, her silver hair rippling in the wind. (She's beside him again.) Midna kept her gaze forward, thinking it to herself. Not that it mattered. Nocta could walk wherever she wanted. It was none of her concern. "[excited]Hey, that sword—let me see it for a second," Nocta called out without hesitation. Link glanced back slightly and silently tilted the hilt toward her. Nocta's left eye—silver—and right eye—deep crimson—gleamed. "[excited]Whoa, is this real steel? It's so heavy-looking, but the balance is amazing," Nocta leaned forward, her fingertips tracing the blade's edge. Close enough to almost touch Link's arm. She moved her hand as if confirming the sword's shape. Midna's right hand clenched tight. (It doesn't matter. I don't care.) She told herself that. There was nothing wrong with showing her the sword. Nocta was just curious about everything—that was all it was. Link wasn't even resisting. Nothing was wrong. Nocta let out a small cry and placed both hands on Link's arm. "[excited]When you tilt it this way, the light reflects differently! Isn't that amazing!?" The patterns on Midna's body wavered faintly in orange. (I... I don't care.) She told herself again. This was maybe the third time. Was it her imagination that the "I don't care" was starting to sound hollow? Link's pace seemed to quicken slightly. Or was that just Midna's imagination? Either way. It didn't matter either way at all. --- Lake Lanayru was exactly as the rumors described. A chasm as wide as a plaza split the earth in two, its depths too dark to see. The wind that rose from below was cold, carrying the smell of stone. The only suspension bridge looked unreliable at first glance. Several planks were missing, and the rope at its edge was blackened. The moment the four of them stepped onto the bridge— CRASH!! Something crawled up from the darkness below. Shadow monsters—enemies dwelling in the shadows of the light world. Three large shadow beasts hauled themselves up, splintering the bridge planks. Behind them, a dozen or more small shadow maggots writhed and clung thickly to the bridge's edges. Link drew his sword instantly. The first shadow beast lunged—SLASH!! He deflected it with the flat of his blade and sliced through. The shadow scattered. Midna leaped onto the bridge's railing. The patterns on her body glowed pale blue, and black thread-like magic extended from her hands—shadow weaving. The magic of the Twilight race, materializing shadows into substance. One thread, then two, then three, black ropes tore through the air and coiled around the large shadow beast's body. "[serious]Don't move," She bound it. The second beast froze. Nocta dove into the bridge's shadow—and vanished. The next instant, she appeared suddenly on the bridge's underside. Shadow crossing. The rare ability to move short distances across the thin boundary between worlds without a shadow mirror—one in two hundred possessed it. Nocta materialized directly in the midst of the cluster of shadow maggots clinging to the bridge's underside. "[laughing]Here I come!" One kick, two kicks, three kicks. The scattered shadow maggots flew off the bridge. Zelda had positioned herself on the high ground at the bridge's entrance. Her golden hair rippled in the wind, the Triforce mark on her forehead glowing faintly. The light arrows she held in her right hand shone white. Whoosh—THUD!! An arrow pierced the shadow beast's core. The shadow exploded. One down. Another arrow. Another beast. Zelda's movements were flawless, nocking the next arrow while not even waiting to confirm the previous one had struck. Link closed in on the third beast. His sword reflected light in a sweeping arc—SLASH!! The shadow beast crumbled. The four moved in perfect coordination without a word spoken. Link slashed, Midna bound, Nocta scattered, Zelda finished. No one gave orders, yet each compensated for the others with their own abilities. One left. Midna pulled on her shadow rope, trying to draw the bound beast closer. It had moved to the very edge of the bridge. The wind was strong. The plank beneath her feet rattled. —In that moment. On the wet board, Midna's foot slipped. Her body tilted toward the bridge's edge—toward the outside—toward the abyss. She released the shadow rope. She couldn't regain her balance. The void filled her vision— Then an arm reached out. Link flew forward, his right hand bracing against the bridge plank. His left hand caught Midna. In the moment she'd released the shadow rope, the last shadow beast had thrashed free, and the distant sound of it being finished by Nocta and Zelda—THUD—echoed faintly. Silence. Only the wind blew. The bridge swayed slowly. --- Link slowly raised his palm, with Midna upon it, to the height of his face. A shallow cut ran across Midna's right arm. She must have scraped it on a splinter from the bridge's wooden railing. Blood seeped thinly from the wound. Link's blue eyes found that cut and drew closer, concern evident in his gaze. The patterns on Midna's body glowed—from her neck down her arm—red. Bright, unmistakable red. A color she'd never seen before, burning with an intensity she'd never felt. The patterns spread slowly. A small "eh" escaped Midna's lips without thinking. (What... what is this—) Then, footsteps rushing from behind. "[surprised]Oh my!" Nocta's voice rang out. Her silver hair bounced as she moved. Her voice was loud, loud enough to echo across the entire bridge. "[surprised]Your patterns are glowing red. Isn't that the color they glow when your emotions are really intense? Midna?" Zelda turned. Her emerald green eyes rested quietly on Midna's patterns. Midna's face burned crimson. Her cheeks were hot. The patterns glowed even brighter. A vicious cycle she couldn't stop. "[angry]N-No! I just exhausted myself too much and lost control of the patterns!" She jumped down from Link's palm of her own accord. Her landing feet trembled slightly, and she desperately tried to hide it. She tried to suppress the patterns. The harder she tried to suppress them, the more her consciousness focused on them. Nocta clasped her hands behind her back and spoke with a smile. "[sarcastic]I see," Her expression showed she didn't believe a word. Zelda said nothing. She simply lowered her gaze quietly. That silence was the hardest thing for Midna to bear. --- On the rocky terrain beyond the chasm, they set up camp before the sun fell. Link gathered firewood and started a fire. Nocta unloaded their supplies. Zelda checked their water. Midna sat on a rock, arms folded. When the campfire began to glow red, Zelda sat down beside Link. "[gentle]Let me see your arm," Her voice was quiet. Link silently extended his left arm. There were cuts from the battle. Zelda's hand began to glow faintly. Light magic flowed from her fingertips into the wound. Link's arm shone white, and the cuts slowly disappeared. Midna had moved to the opposite side of the fire, into the shadow of the rocks. She hadn't meant to watch. But somehow, she was watching. The distance between them was close. Zelda's golden hair lay just beside Link's arm. Zelda said something in a low voice. Link shook his head slightly. That quiet exchange continued peacefully beyond the campfire. Something burned in her chest. No—not anger. Anger would have been easier. This was something more. Something like... a searing, gnawing sensation. Every time Zelda's hand touched Link's arm, that feeling intensified. The patterns began to glow again. Midna clenched her teeth and forced them down. (It's none of your business.) How many times had she said "it doesn't matter" now? She was tired of counting. Then, another figure appeared in the shadow of the rocks. Silver short hair. Pale blue at the tips. Small horns glinting in the moonlight. Nocta. She'd approached without a sound—Midna hadn't noticed at all. Nocta leaned close to Midna's ear and whispered. "[whispers]Are you jealous?" Midna felt all the blood in her body rush to her head. "[angry]Don't be stupid!!" She shouted. But her voice trembled slightly. She could hear it herself. She realized it only after the words left her mouth. The tremor in her voice was the worst part of all. Nocta said "[gentle]I see," quietly and said nothing more. She didn't laugh or snicker. She simply stepped back and returned toward the campfire. Midna was left alone in the shadow of the rocks, hugging her knees tight. She knew she was feeling something. Did she hate Zelda? Was it about Link—no, that wasn't it. It wasn't. Why had it suddenly become that kind of conversation? She had things to do. Defeat Zant. Reclaim the Twilight. That was all. But. The burning sensation in her chest slipped past all that logic and remained, persistent. She still couldn't give that feeling a name. --- In the deep of night, when everyone else slept. The campfire burned on. Link lay in the shadow of the rocks, breathing quietly. Zelda slept a short distance away, her back straight even in sleep. Midna sat on the rock, hugging her knees, drifting in and out of consciousness. Only Nocta was gone. She'd disappeared into the shadows, pretending to head toward the water. Midna knew that much, but she lacked the energy to follow. In the darkness of the rocks, Nocta opened her right hand. Something small rested on her palm. A charm—a small, worn scrap of parchment. Its edges were frayed, evidence of being carried for a long time. The surface bore the ancient script of the Twilight race, finely carved, and in its center, shadow letters were arranged. Midna's shadow name. The true name given to every Twilight when born, the name bound directly to the soul. To know someone's shadow name was to hold their soul. That was why it was never revealed in the light world. Few knew it. Nocta stared at that charm. The smile had vanished from her face. The lightness of her daytime demeanor, the carefree air—all of it was gone. Slowly, she clenched her fist. Her lips moved silently, forming words without sound. ——You should have come back, Midna. In that voiceless voice lay an emotion that had been nowhere in her daytime manner. Something heavy, dark, something she couldn't suppress. The campfire flickered in the distance. In its reflected shadows on the rocks, the outline of Zelda tending to the last of Link's wounds was visible. Nocta glanced that way once. Then back at the charm. Her clenched hand trembled slightly. ——The next morning, the four set out again. The road to the Gerudo Desert stretched into the distance. But the shadows on the rocks swayed unnaturally. Not with the natural wind, but with something else. A presence—as if Zant's servants were dissolving into the shadows themselves, seeping slowly into the ground beneath the four travelers' feet.