[ His arguments are weak, half-hearted things, lacking any real fight, and that's how she can tell her words have managed to reach him. Are they things he truly believes, or just things he's heard so many times he assumes they're the truth? It's impossible not to internalize such cruelties, especially a lifetime's worth. Zelda is only just learning to believe that the Calamity was not her fault.
Zelda does not believe that he is cursed, but she stops short of asserting that. She doesn't want to overwhelm him anymore than she already has by challenging him on everything he believes about himself.
So instead, simply, ] I am not afraid of you.
[ She hesitates for a moment, then reaches out once more to lightly touch his arm with her left hand.
Is he dangerous? Certainly. Could he hurt her? Without question. But so could any other person, powers or not. Yes, perhaps the risk is greater with Darin should he lose control, and he has said himself that he barely knows his own strength, but Zelda can't find it in herself to fear him for that. That would be like fearing a lightning strike every time she hears thunder; she'd rather risk the danger to watch the storm than never see the beauty in each flash of electricity webbing across the sky. ]
[When she touches his arm this time, he doesn’t flinch. How can he? His entire body is tended up like a knot of steel cords. He lowers his gaze to the floor between them. He’s lost. Confused. The cognitive dissonance between what he feels and what Zelda is saying is deafening.]
[Because he knows her words come from a place of kindness. Even Acteon and Kessler knew what he could do and said much of the same. That they trust him. They aren’t scared of him. He’s not a monster.]
[But they didn’t see what Dromas did. They didn’t see what he was apparently capable of. And they didn’t know about the prophecy, about the origins of his power. That he’s an Archfiend God of destruction. That he’s literally supposed to be the end of Anmaral.]
[So while Zelda says she’s not afraid of him now, he can’t help but believe that will change. That if she ever learns the truth, she’ll be terrified of him. And, honestly? As much as that prospect hurts, he’d prefer it to actually hurting her. Or anyone for that matter. He’d rather be alone than disappoint people who came to trust him. If they can’t stand him, they can’t get hurt when he inevitably changes. He’ll be easier to stop.]
[He can’t meet her gaze but she could easily step into his.]
Then clearly you don’t recognize danger when you see it.
[One last push; a weak barb meant to try and cause her to get upset and withdraw. Before she starts to care too much.]
[ Oh, it's much too late to stop her from caring too much. That chance has long since passed, blown away on the wind when he carried up into the sky and snapped their picture. ]
So I've been told before.
[ Zelda is aware of her tendency to be reckless. Hell, Darin chastised her for exactly that on the day they met, when she risked an encounter with the harpies in order to try to rescue him. And he is not the first person to say so, nor is he the first person she's put herself in danger because of... and he will certainly not be the last.
The nice thing about being notably shorter than Darin is that it's easy to move into his field of view when he's trying to avoid her gaze-- which she does now, not retracting her hand. ]
You say that I barely know you and very well, I will capitulate to that. But I do know that you would not hurt me, not on purpose.
[ But she knows he'll still fight her on that, so Zelda decides to take a gamble. ]
However- [ She takes a steadying breath. ] -if you can tell me truthfully that you intentionally mean me harm, I shall stand aside and trouble you no more with my company.
[Darin's eyes snap to hers. He has no doubt that she's telling him the truth; he knows that look. He's worn that resolute look more times than he cares to admit, always when he was challenging someone's authority. He wore that self-same look when he challenged the masters of his smithing guild when they tried to declare him ineligible for his master's certification. He wears that look any time some high-born noble looks down on him, pitying his 'affliction.' It's the look of someone who knows in their heart of hearts that something is worth fighting for.]
[And Zelda seems to think he's worth fighting for.]
[All he'd have to do is lie. Tell her that he'll hurt her, that he wants to hurt her and that'll be the end of it.]
[But didn't he tell her that he hates liars? That he'd rather people be straight with him than hide their thoughts and intentions? He wears everything on his sleeve openly. He never compromised who he was even if people hated him for it. His principles were forged in iron.]
[He sighs and closes his eyes, some of the tension leaving his large frame like steam evaporating off of a red-hot stovetop.]
...I...don't want to hurt you, Zelda. I'd never hurt you...
Hell, when I heard you got hurt I was ready to find the jerk who did it.
[He glances away, huffing as he rubs the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed at his own admission. After all, that's why he rushed over here in the first place, isn't it?]
[ She knows before he speaks that she's won her gambit. It's plain as day in his face and in his form, the will to fight dissolving right in front of her. Even if he had tried to lie to her, Zelda wouldn't have believed it-- not only because she already knows he's a terrible liar, but because she's already seen over and over again the way he cares for other people.
It's the entire reason he's here in her apartment at all.
She lets him look away this time, her countenance softening. ]
I know that you won't hurt me. It does not matter to me who-- or what-- you are, Darin. You are my friend, and I won't allow you to throw that away so easily.
[Darin spares a glance Zelda's way and immediately snaps his eyes back to the nearest wall, his frame stiffening up reflexively. It's really not fair how she can be so disarming.]
[What's worse, he feels like a complete ass right now. All of that trauma dumping, the yelling...and all because she just wanted to understand him. And he came over to help her too! Just what the hell was wrong with him?!]
[His head falls and he roughly tussles his own hair.]
Gah...! The hell is wrong with me?? I came over to check on you and I went and yelled at you over something stupid. I'm sorry, Zelda. I shouldn't have disturbed you in the first place.
[The urge to bail; to try and run and save face is strong. He'd probably be heading for the door if he wasn't so sure he'd just explode through it at this point.]
[ (His poor hair. If he keeps going at this rate, he's going to end up pulling it all out.)
Zelda carefully moves so that she's a bit closer to the door, intending to put herself between it and Darin. She'd really rather he not run off after all this. ]
No, I am glad that you came. Truly. [ She squeezes his arm softly, trying to get his attention back. ]
I'm sorry that I did not tell you sooner what happened to me. I only meant not to trouble you because I am not in danger, but... [ She expels a small sigh. ] ...Well, were this Hyrule, you would not be the only one upset with me for my silence.
If it helps, I will accept your apology for yelling at me. But none beyond that. [ There's something gentle but firm in her tone that says she's not willing to accept any argument about this.
Zelda pauses for a moment, examining him carefully. He seems to be calming down, but they've been in this position before, where he's gone back and forth between being comfortable with her and wanting nothing to do with her. And in addition to that, his words are often at odds with what she reads in his emotions; he acts as though it would be troublesome to spend time with her, but lights up like the sun when they stumble upon a subject they're both passionate about.
She can't keep up this guessing game any longer. ]
Darin, tell me plainly: do you wish me to stay out of your life?
[He answers before he even has a chance to properly think. Always quicker to speak with his heart than his own self-doubting mind. But now that he's outright said it, walking it back would just cause more frustration.]
[With a grumble, he drags a hand down his face.]
I don't...want you to stay out of my life, Zelda. I'm just not...good with this sort of thing. I actually really like spending time with and working with you.
[But there's something else and Darin's not sure he can put it off any longer. If Zelda is so dead set on understanding him then...]
...There's...a reason. A reason why I try and push people away. Do you mind if we sit...?
[ Zelda is not expecting an explanation for why he is trying to push her (and apparently others) away; he has reasons aplenty, based on what he's already told her of his life. So to hear that there's another reason under all that takes Zelda by surprise. ]
All right.
[ She nods and leads him back to the table, gesturing to the other chair as she takes a seat. She doesn't intend for it, but her brow has furrowed with concern at what he might be about to say. After everything else, what could be left? ]
[Darin takes a seat and leans forward, propping himself up with his elbows on his knees. He focuses on the floor rather than Zelda's face as he wrings his hands.]
Before...when I said that people with hair like mine are said to be descended from demons...? There's...more to it.
[He wrings his hands and closes his eyes. He recalls the day he crossed paths with Dromas at long last after weeks of chasing him down. The strangely empty city of Eruyeka. His dramatic reveal and speech. How he laid Darin out so easily, laughing at how weak Darin was.]
When I met my brother...back home. The day he destroyed Eruyeka...
He was trying to show me how strong I should be. That together...a city or two was nothing.
[He closes his eyes and breathes out slowly.]
Back home there's a...a prophecy spread by the church. They've used it to fearmonger and convert people.
"A Red Star Afore a Silvery Moon Ushers in the Heralds of This World's Doom The Realms Now Split the Demon King Will Rise This, Poor Souls, is How Our World Dies."
[It sounds like nothing more than a poem, one that Darin had heard endlessly parroted throughout his life. Only recently had it felt less like a limerick and more real.]
It talks about the alignment of Anmaral's moons forming what the chuch calls "The Demon's Eye." It's never happened before but when it does...something's supposed to happen.
The Archfiend Diomuhr is supposed to rise up and destroy the world.
[He pauses there, assuming Zelda has her fair share of questions. Darin certainly had enough for Dromas.]
[ Zelda listens silently, taking care to give Darin ample space to speak. The things he says are troubling, to be sure, but her expression remains measured for most of it.
Until she hears the words "Demon King," that is.
The color drains from Zelda's face, the rest of Darin's explanation going more or less unheard. The Demon King. Of course, he cannot be speaking of the same Demon King from Hyrule's past, the one Zelda fears she has identified among the members of Rauru's court. The one who is here, somewhere, doubtless biding his time and planning something terrible. Anmaral's Demon King cannot possibly be the same person. It is impossible.
But logic does not put Zelda's mind at ease. It's statistically impossible for Ganondorf to be here, in this world, at the exact same moment as Zelda, across all the possible worlds and moments in time and space. And yet, here they are.
Normally, Zelda would have a question or two at this point, even though she suspects Darin still has more to tell. But right now, she can't think of a single thing to ask. Although she is facing Darin, she seems to be staring right through him, her mind all the way back in Hyrule, watching Ganondorf kneel before Rauru and the utter fear that dropped in her stomach at the sight of him. Zelda has gone quite pale, her expression tense and grim, a look Darin has never seen on her before. ]
[Darin was expecting this reaction, which makes his next admission all the more painful. When he speaks, he closes his eyes and his words are hushed. Ashamed.]
According to my brother...Diomuhr could not enter Anmaral as he was. To do so, he had to play a trick. He had to be reincarnated.
One human couldn't contain all of that power. So...two were chosen by destiny to each bear one half of his soul.
Twins.
[He lets the emphasis hang, sure that Zelda knows what's coming next.]
...Zelda, Dromas and I—together—are Diomuhr.
I'm the Demon King prophesied to destroy my world...
[And there it is. There's the story. The reason why he doesn't want people to get close to him. Because he'll hurt them if he changes. Or worse yet, he'll hurt them by changing. They'll come to care for him and try and find ways to stop him and would likely get killed in the process. Or, worse yet, they'll be disappointed in him should he be unable to change his fate.]
[ There are very few things Darin could have said to invoke this kind of reaction from Zelda. The Princess of Hyrule is a woman of few fears and few prejudices, having a penchant for being curious and open minded to a fault. Nothing Darin has said up until now has stirred this kind of fear in her. And she knows-- she knows-- that his Demon King is not Hyrule's.
But no amount of reminding herself of this fact can stop her from flashing back to her seventeenth birthday, to the day the prophesied destruction of her world came to pass. She was so young, just a girl, and forced to face on her own the incarnation of hatred itself. One hundred years she spent trapped with it, using every ounce of her strength and magic to protect what remained of her kingdom until Link could defeat the monster and save them all. For how much Zelda has grown and recovered since then, the Calamity still haunts her nightmares. And after a century steeped in its hatred, Zelda knew its progenitor the moment she laid eyes on him kneeling before the first King of Hyrule.
[Zelda's not saying anything. Why isn't she saying anything? Darin's heart is beating into his throat. He can feel the rapid thumpTHUMP thumpTHUMP in his godsdamned ears!]
[He takes the chance and lifts his head to look at her and that same heart that had been pounding in his own ears sinks into the pit of his stomach.]
[He knows that look.]
[The look people gave him when he climbed out of his sickbed as a boy. Not astonished and elated that a boy of seven survived his grisly wound but horrified and appalled that he still yet lived. Not lucky. Not blessed.]
[Cursed. A Monster.]
[Over time those looks bothered him less but they stung all the same. But now...now he opened up of his own volition. He took a chance. He gambled.]
[And he lost.]
[And it's like watching the sun set after a funeral. Knowing that tomorrow things will be different. There will be loss and you'll feel hollow and things just won't feel the same. And over time, the pain fades. It dulls and hardens like a callous on the heart. He doesn't need her to say anything because her expression is plain: Terror. Pure terror. It's like she can see the monster he's meant to become looming over his shoulder.]
[The least he can do is cast the image out of her mind.]
[And so he stands abruptly, lowering his head to the floor.]
...And now you know. And it looks like I did what I set out to do in the end.
[His voice is cold and broken and when he speaks next, he laughs. It's bitter and mocking and sounds like ice linking around in a steel cup. The mask is back up in one fell swoop.]
I told you, didn't I~? I'm the furthest thing from a 'champion.' Any good I've done was accidental, I promise you.
[Play the role. Hammer the point home.]
I'm a smith, and with these hands I'll be forge the hammer that sunders the world. I'll forge an end to tomorrow.
[It's theatrical, but at this point he has to be. He has no other choice.]
[And so he makes for the door, throwing it open and pulling it closed behind him with a slam.]
[And as he walks home, he pulls out his shellphone. He looks at the wallpaper he spent hours trying to figure out how to assign; the selfie he'd taken with Zelda in the sky above Naughtilust. He wants to change it but he can't figure out how right now. Instead, he moves to her contact ID.]
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no subject
Zelda does not believe that he is cursed, but she stops short of asserting that. She doesn't want to overwhelm him anymore than she already has by challenging him on everything he believes about himself.
So instead, simply, ] I am not afraid of you.
[ She hesitates for a moment, then reaches out once more to lightly touch his arm with her left hand.
Is he dangerous? Certainly. Could he hurt her? Without question. But so could any other person, powers or not. Yes, perhaps the risk is greater with Darin should he lose control, and he has said himself that he barely knows his own strength, but Zelda can't find it in herself to fear him for that. That would be like fearing a lightning strike every time she hears thunder; she'd rather risk the danger to watch the storm than never see the beauty in each flash of electricity webbing across the sky. ]
no subject
[Because he knows her words come from a place of kindness. Even Acteon and Kessler knew what he could do and said much of the same. That they trust him. They aren’t scared of him. He’s not a monster.]
[But they didn’t see what Dromas did. They didn’t see what he was apparently capable of. And they didn’t know about the prophecy, about the origins of his power. That he’s an Archfiend God of destruction. That he’s literally supposed to be the end of Anmaral.]
[So while Zelda says she’s not afraid of him now, he can’t help but believe that will change. That if she ever learns the truth, she’ll be terrified of him. And, honestly? As much as that prospect hurts, he’d prefer it to actually hurting her. Or anyone for that matter. He’d rather be alone than disappoint people who came to trust him. If they can’t stand him, they can’t get hurt when he inevitably changes. He’ll be easier to stop.]
[He can’t meet her gaze but she could easily step into his.]
Then clearly you don’t recognize danger when you see it.
[One last push; a weak barb meant to try and cause her to get upset and withdraw. Before she starts to care too much.]
no subject
So I've been told before.
[ Zelda is aware of her tendency to be reckless. Hell, Darin chastised her for exactly that on the day they met, when she risked an encounter with the harpies in order to try to rescue him. And he is not the first person to say so, nor is he the first person she's put herself in danger because of... and he will certainly not be the last.
The nice thing about being notably shorter than Darin is that it's easy to move into his field of view when he's trying to avoid her gaze-- which she does now, not retracting her hand. ]
You say that I barely know you and very well, I will capitulate to that. But I do know that you would not hurt me, not on purpose.
[ But she knows he'll still fight her on that, so Zelda decides to take a gamble. ]
However- [ She takes a steadying breath. ] -if you can tell me truthfully that you intentionally mean me harm, I shall stand aside and trouble you no more with my company.
no subject
[And Zelda seems to think he's worth fighting for.]
[All he'd have to do is lie. Tell her that he'll hurt her, that he wants to hurt her and that'll be the end of it.]
[But didn't he tell her that he hates liars? That he'd rather people be straight with him than hide their thoughts and intentions? He wears everything on his sleeve openly. He never compromised who he was even if people hated him for it. His principles were forged in iron.]
[He sighs and closes his eyes, some of the tension leaving his large frame like steam evaporating off of a red-hot stovetop.]
...I...don't want to hurt you, Zelda. I'd never hurt you...
Hell, when I heard you got hurt I was ready to find the jerk who did it.
[He glances away, huffing as he rubs the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed at his own admission. After all, that's why he rushed over here in the first place, isn't it?]
no subject
It's the entire reason he's here in her apartment at all.
She lets him look away this time, her countenance softening. ]
I know that you won't hurt me. It does not matter to me who-- or what-- you are, Darin. You are my friend, and I won't allow you to throw that away so easily.
no subject
[What's worse, he feels like a complete ass right now. All of that trauma dumping, the yelling...and all because she just wanted to understand him. And he came over to help her too! Just what the hell was wrong with him?!]
[His head falls and he roughly tussles his own hair.]
Gah...! The hell is wrong with me?? I came over to check on you and I went and yelled at you over something stupid. I'm sorry, Zelda. I shouldn't have disturbed you in the first place.
[The urge to bail; to try and run and save face is strong. He'd probably be heading for the door if he wasn't so sure he'd just explode through it at this point.]
no subject
Zelda carefully moves so that she's a bit closer to the door, intending to put herself between it and Darin. She'd really rather he not run off after all this. ]
No, I am glad that you came. Truly. [ She squeezes his arm softly, trying to get his attention back. ]
I'm sorry that I did not tell you sooner what happened to me. I only meant not to trouble you because I am not in danger, but... [ She expels a small sigh. ] ...Well, were this Hyrule, you would not be the only one upset with me for my silence.
no subject
N-No, really...it's fine. It's not like you've got any obligation to report things to me and I wasn't exactly in a position to help you either...
I'm just...I'm glad you're alright. And I wanted to do something. And then I went and yelled at you like that.
[He laughs, more at himself than anything else.]
Some friend I am.
no subject
Zelda pauses for a moment, examining him carefully. He seems to be calming down, but they've been in this position before, where he's gone back and forth between being comfortable with her and wanting nothing to do with her. And in addition to that, his words are often at odds with what she reads in his emotions; he acts as though it would be troublesome to spend time with her, but lights up like the sun when they stumble upon a subject they're both passionate about.
She can't keep up this guessing game any longer. ]
Darin, tell me plainly: do you wish me to stay out of your life?
no subject
[He answers before he even has a chance to properly think. Always quicker to speak with his heart than his own self-doubting mind. But now that he's outright said it, walking it back would just cause more frustration.]
[With a grumble, he drags a hand down his face.]
I don't...want you to stay out of my life, Zelda. I'm just not...good with this sort of thing. I actually really like spending time with and working with you.
[But there's something else and Darin's not sure he can put it off any longer. If Zelda is so dead set on understanding him then...]
...There's...a reason. A reason why I try and push people away. Do you mind if we sit...?
no subject
All right.
[ She nods and leads him back to the table, gesturing to the other chair as she takes a seat. She doesn't intend for it, but her brow has furrowed with concern at what he might be about to say. After everything else, what could be left? ]
no subject
Before...when I said that people with hair like mine are said to be descended from demons...? There's...more to it.
[He wrings his hands and closes his eyes. He recalls the day he crossed paths with Dromas at long last after weeks of chasing him down. The strangely empty city of Eruyeka. His dramatic reveal and speech. How he laid Darin out so easily, laughing at how weak Darin was.]
When I met my brother...back home. The day he destroyed Eruyeka...
He was trying to show me how strong I should be. That together...a city or two was nothing.
[He closes his eyes and breathes out slowly.]
Back home there's a...a prophecy spread by the church. They've used it to fearmonger and convert people.
"A Red Star Afore a Silvery Moon
Ushers in the Heralds of This World's Doom
The Realms Now Split the Demon King Will Rise
This, Poor Souls, is How Our World Dies."
[It sounds like nothing more than a poem, one that Darin had heard endlessly parroted throughout his life. Only recently had it felt less like a limerick and more real.]
It talks about the alignment of Anmaral's moons forming what the chuch calls "The Demon's Eye." It's never happened before but when it does...something's supposed to happen.
The Archfiend Diomuhr is supposed to rise up and destroy the world.
[He pauses there, assuming Zelda has her fair share of questions. Darin certainly had enough for Dromas.]
no subject
Until she hears the words "Demon King," that is.
The color drains from Zelda's face, the rest of Darin's explanation going more or less unheard. The Demon King. Of course, he cannot be speaking of the same Demon King from Hyrule's past, the one Zelda fears she has identified among the members of Rauru's court. The one who is here, somewhere, doubtless biding his time and planning something terrible. Anmaral's Demon King cannot possibly be the same person. It is impossible.
But logic does not put Zelda's mind at ease. It's statistically impossible for Ganondorf to be here, in this world, at the exact same moment as Zelda, across all the possible worlds and moments in time and space. And yet, here they are.
Normally, Zelda would have a question or two at this point, even though she suspects Darin still has more to tell. But right now, she can't think of a single thing to ask. Although she is facing Darin, she seems to be staring right through him, her mind all the way back in Hyrule, watching Ganondorf kneel before Rauru and the utter fear that dropped in her stomach at the sight of him. Zelda has gone quite pale, her expression tense and grim, a look Darin has never seen on her before. ]
no subject
According to my brother...Diomuhr could not enter Anmaral as he was. To do so, he had to play a trick. He had to be reincarnated.
One human couldn't contain all of that power. So...two were chosen by destiny to each bear one half of his soul.
Twins.
[He lets the emphasis hang, sure that Zelda knows what's coming next.]
...Zelda, Dromas and I—together—are Diomuhr.
I'm the Demon King prophesied to destroy my world...
[And there it is. There's the story. The reason why he doesn't want people to get close to him. Because he'll hurt them if he changes. Or worse yet, he'll hurt them by changing. They'll come to care for him and try and find ways to stop him and would likely get killed in the process. Or, worse yet, they'll be disappointed in him should he be unable to change his fate.]
no subject
But no amount of reminding herself of this fact can stop her from flashing back to her seventeenth birthday, to the day the prophesied destruction of her world came to pass. She was so young, just a girl, and forced to face on her own the incarnation of hatred itself. One hundred years she spent trapped with it, using every ounce of her strength and magic to protect what remained of her kingdom until Link could defeat the monster and save them all. For how much Zelda has grown and recovered since then, the Calamity still haunts her nightmares. And after a century steeped in its hatred, Zelda knew its progenitor the moment she laid eyes on him kneeling before the first King of Hyrule.
Prophesied destruction.
Demon King.
She feels like she's going to be sick. ]
no subject
[He takes the chance and lifts his head to look at her and that same heart that had been pounding in his own ears sinks into the pit of his stomach.]
[He knows that look.]
[The look people gave him when he climbed out of his sickbed as a boy. Not astonished and elated that a boy of seven survived his grisly wound but horrified and appalled that he still yet lived. Not lucky. Not blessed.]
[Cursed. A Monster.]
[Over time those looks bothered him less but they stung all the same. But now...now he opened up of his own volition. He took a chance. He gambled.]
[And he lost.]
[And it's like watching the sun set after a funeral. Knowing that tomorrow things will be different. There will be loss and you'll feel hollow and things just won't feel the same. And over time, the pain fades. It dulls and hardens like a callous on the heart. He doesn't need her to say anything because her expression is plain: Terror. Pure terror. It's like she can see the monster he's meant to become looming over his shoulder.]
[The least he can do is cast the image out of her mind.]
[And so he stands abruptly, lowering his head to the floor.]
...And now you know. And it looks like I did what I set out to do in the end.
[His voice is cold and broken and when he speaks next, he laughs. It's bitter and mocking and sounds like ice linking around in a steel cup. The mask is back up in one fell swoop.]
I told you, didn't I~? I'm the furthest thing from a 'champion.' Any good I've done was accidental, I promise you.
[Play the role. Hammer the point home.]
I'm a smith, and with these hands I'll be forge the hammer that sunders the world. I'll forge an end to tomorrow.
[It's theatrical, but at this point he has to be. He has no other choice.]
[And so he makes for the door, throwing it open and pulling it closed behind him with a slam.]
[And as he walks home, he pulls out his shellphone. He looks at the wallpaper he spent hours trying to figure out how to assign; the selfie he'd taken with Zelda in the sky above Naughtilust. He wants to change it but he can't figure out how right now. Instead, he moves to her contact ID.]
[Zelda (FIRST FRIEND!)
[And presses Delete.]