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skyloftian-nutcase · 1 year ago

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Elastic Heart Ch 6 (Linked Universe story)

Summary: When Sky goes missing, the Chain scrambles to figure out where he is and what happened before it's too late.

(AO3 link)

First chapter

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Chapter 6: The Damned

The world was strangely disconnected. Sight, taste, sound, touch, nothing seemed to connect. Nothing quite processed, nothing quite stuck except for the single thought in his mind.

That’s the old man. That’s the Hero of Time.

The Shadow, wearing Time’s face, smirked at him. “Surprised to see me? You have been looking awfully hard. I’m almost flattered, really.”

Link felt like he was back in the Skyview Temple facing Ghirahim for the first time. The otherworldliness of this creature, wearing such a familiar face—

The face of a friend. The face of someone he’d failed. The face of someone who didn’t entirely trust or like him, and for good reason .

Of all the faces to take…

Would it have been better if it looked like one of the others? Would it have made him feel better or worse? Wouldn’t looking like the Link who disliked him make this easier ?

Because this was a trick. This had to be a trick. Right? There was no way the Shadow was actually Time all along . He’d seen it change shape, it was a freaking lizalfos at one point for heaven’s sake. There was no way this was Time. There was no way it was in league with him.

Right?

Could shapeshifters change to look like people? He supposed it wasn’t impossible. But all he could think was, that’s the old man. That’s the Hero of Time .

The Shadow stepped towards him, his eyes narrowing as his brow deepened. Link felt an innate sense of danger , and his mind snapped back into focus.

He couldn’t be in league with Time. That wasn’t who the old man was at all. Also, the Shadow had attacked Twilight. There was no way Time would hurt his descendant, his most precious member of the group. None of that made sense.

This was Demise, messing with him.

The fear of a child long gone drained out of him, replaced with an anger that slowly filled him from the core outward, distantly familiar like reuniting with an old friend.

“Your curse won’t save you here,” Link hissed, settling into a ready stance. “I’m ending this.”

His words gave the Shadow pause, which in turn made him wait to see what was happening. Why was the monster suddenly watching him, head tilted to the side? Had…

No. He wasn’t wrong about this. He wasn’t . He knew this had to do with Demise. Perhaps the Shadow was a servant of his. Either way, he’d get to the source. He'd come all this way - he wasn't giving up now.

Time’s dark reflection laughed, harsh and grating, making Link’s skin crawl. “You think I’m Demise ? That’s absolutely charming . I must admit, you’re at least close, but oh Hero - surely you must realize by now.”

Here the Shadow started pacing, his teeth bared in a sadistic smile. “You, Demise, you’re cut from the same cloth. Two spiritual titans battling for the fate of the world. Such a fight isn’t without consequence, as you are well aware.”

Link stiffened. No, no, don’t say it, not while the others were in earshot—

“I don’t suppose the rest of you realize those consequences, do you?” the Shadow questioned the others, looking down at them from the pit where they were stuck.

“Why don’t you just come down here and fight?!” Wind yelled, swaying on unsteady feet. Link’s worry for him bubbled in his chest, and he took a small step forward.

The Shadow snorted. “You think that’s all I want? To fight?”

Link gritted his teeth. “Enough of this. Leave them out of it. This is between you and me.”

“Oh, but is it?” the Shadow questioned, its red eyes glancing down at the other heroes again. “I suppose they don’t recognize that it is very much about you.”

“Quit your damn stalling and let’s get to it!” Legend challenged, sword at the ready. Link knew he was baiting the enemy, trying to draw him down so they could fight as one.

The Shadow knew it too. “Call it what you will, Hero of Legend. But I figure you ought to know the truth. It will give me some satisfaction before your deaths, either way. Perhaps it’ll give you some peace of mind.”

Time finally sighed, taking the bait. “What are you talking about?”

Link lunged forward to attack with a yell. They didn’t have to know, they didn’t need to know—

This was entirely about them and not about them at the same time. Link had a job to do and he wasn’t going to let them get hurt, physically or emotionally.

Is that really why you’re so desperate to keep the secret? Are you protecting them? Or yourself?

The Shadow parried the blow, holding their blades in a lock as it laughed. “You truly don’t get it , do you? You don’t understand how terribly you failed?”

“Shut up!” Link screamed, pushing both blades forward, making the Shadow lose its footing before it leapt around to the side, getting behind Link. The Skyloftian gasped, rolling to avoid a swipe that would have cut him clean in half. The others down below cried out to him.

“Oh, I can only imagine how much that curse weighs on you, you miserable wretch! I am not Demise,” the Shadow yelled in return, almost proudly. “But I bear his power, his signature, his heritage . Don’t you understand, Link? I’m born from his malice, but you are my true progenitor.”

Link froze.

Wh… what?

“You think all that malice that the demon king contained could possibly all be sealed into that sacred blade? You think he could have uttered such a curse, damning every Hero after you due to your own shortcomings, and a simple mortal child could stop him? You may have killed a god, but there are consequences, and the ripple of power that infected every inch of time is one of them!” Shadow said, pointing at Link with his blade. The heroes below had grown still and silent. “Demise’s curse follows you, your successors, and the goddess wherever you go, but I am the physical embodiment of that confrontation, the piece of your soul that was corrupted by malice.”

Link felt his mouth go dry. What—this couldn’t—what—

Shadow stepped forward, his form changing with the same disturbing liquid-like movement before it rearranged itself into a familiar face. Link’s blood ran cold.

Shadow turned into him .

His dark reflection smiled. “You made me, Link.”

Link’s mind went blank with horror before it screamed everything all at once.

This can't be true! What is he saying?!

This is entirely my fault. This is entirely my fault!

This was the cruelest joke Demise could have pulled, the worst insult, the most horrifying truth to cut him to his very soul.

Because his soul had been cut, apparently, his unbreakable spirit had been broken .

This monstrosity had to be lying ! He was lying! There—there was no way he could be right!

But what if he is? It isn’t impossible - Demise was a god, he imbued his blade with a soul just as Hylia did with Fi. What could stop him from corrupting—

He couldn’t even finish the thought. He felt utterly violated, like he couldn’t even trust himself anymore, like he didn’t even know who he was anymore .

Just let him kill you .

The thought made him stop breathing a moment, a bone sinking exhaustion and despair that he could hardly hold at bay.

But he did hold it at bay - because beyond the horror was something else.

The others were still here. And this thing, whether it was him or not, was going to hurt them. And he wouldn’t allow that .

Besides… if it’s me, then… if I kill it…

He didn’t finish the thought. He glared instead, enraged beyond words, exhausted beyond measure, tears stinging in his eyes but dried with white hot fury.

“I wanted to attract as many heroes as possible,” the Shadow purred with grim satisfaction, basking in Link’s silence. “The more I can feed off the Spirit of the Hero, the more I can escape the confines of just being a shadow relegated to the darkness of the world. I hadn’t dared to hope I’d catch the original in my net.”

Snapping its fingers, the Shadow grinned as monsters appeared down below, distracting the others. Link cried out to them but immediately had to parry an attack from the enemy as the Shadow lunged towards him with ferocious energy, and all out war erupted in the room.

Link dodged the attack hastily, his world silencing everything outside of the fight. The Shadow was now his size, leveling the playing field between the two of them, but it didn’t fight like him at all. A small part of his mind tacked that away for later, a piece of hope he desperately latched onto as it whispered if it was you it would fight like you while another argued back but if it’s been around for millennia, it would change and adapt—

His thoughts were interrupted as Shadow shield bashed him in the chest, making him stumble backward. His body screamed, already exhausted from fighting so much. He reached hastily into his adventure pouch and found his last potion bottle, which barely housed a few sips. When he found he couldn’t take a deep breath, he decided it was time to finish it off.

The two gulps revitalized him enough, his determination covering the rest, and he yelled as he parried an attack just in time to send Shadow stumbling backwards.

Link scoffed, “You’re too sloppy to be me.”

The Shadow roared in retaliation, shifting forms once more and turning into Time, towering over him. Link gritted his teeth as he barely dodged a downward strike, giving him an opening to potentially dislocate his enemy’s shoulder as his arm was hovering just in front of him, but the Shadow was too quick, despite his bulkier form. Or, well, he utilized it, shoving his entire body weight into Link shoulder first, and the Hero of the Sky twisted so their backs scraped against each other instead, leaving him dizzy and twirling to the opposite side of the beast. Shadow shifted again, turning into Four, throwing Link off balance and swiping for his waist. Though Sky stepped backwards, the tip of the Shadow’s blade cut into his belt a hair.

The Skylfotian gasped desperately to catch his breath. That potion hadn’t nearly fixed enough, and he couldn’t figure out a good weakness on an opponent who kept changing .

Not to mention he knew he was flinching and stepping away as the Shadow continued to take the forms of his friends. He tried to remind himself that it wasn’t actually Four or Time, but the thought of making anything that looked like them bleed made him physically ill.

Down below, fire burned monsters in large swathes, the heat rising up to their battleground. Link didn’t have time to see Warriors use the fire rod, to hear Hyrule yell as he set half a room ablaze, to notice Wild and Legend freezing enemies with ice magic immediately after they were roasted, making their bodies shrivel in the drastic environmental changes.

He did hear Twilight’s cry of pain, however, and he turned in horror, the bottom of his stomach dropping out, before his peripheral vision reminded him of an incoming attack. He sidestepped hastily, lost his balance, and summarily twisted his ankle on an uneven stone as he slammed into the ground, pain shooting all the way up to his hip.

Time heard it too. The eldest Link whirled, both eyes opened in fear and protective anger, when he saw his pup fighting a handful of beasts alone while trying to climb the walls to get to Sky. Wild hastily turned his arrows towards the small horde, giving a warning yell before firing this time. Twilight ducked, his shield hovering overhead to protect himself as ice rained from the sky. Time used the hookshot to latch onto a lantern and pull himself to his descendant, cutting the frozen beasts in half.

“Are you alright?” he immediately asked.

“Fine! Fine, I promise ,” Twilight insisted. “Just nabbed me a bit, look.”

The rancher showed him the wound, superficial as it was, but enough to leave him limping. Time immediately reached into the boy’s bag, pulling out the last of the milk he’d had earlier.

Twilight opened his mouth to protest, and Time immediately said, “Don’t you even dare . You haven’t earned the right to downplay your wounds after last time. I’m not saying use your last potion. Just drink this so I know you’re fine.”

Twilight sighed in defeat, downing the liquid.

Despite the small reprieve for the pair, the battle on the ground level had barely let up. Warriors cut through swathes of half burnt enemies, what little magical ability he had mostly depleted, and he choked back a gasp and rolled as a moblin swung for his head. Wind tore past him, stabbing the beast’s knee. When the moblin wailed and its leg gave out, the sailor hastily removed his blade, twirling to give himself moment before his sword cleanly cut through the creature’s neck. The fierceness in the child’s eyes was nearly palpable, and he nodded mutely to the captain before continuing on.

The captain surveyed the battle, eyes analytical. They’d eliminated nearly a third of the horde, but it was slow going. After already partially clearing a dungeon and pushing themselves all day, there were weak points he was beginning to notice. Twilight had been one, but Time was covering him. Wind seemed steadier on his feet, but he’d also just been knocked out a few minutes ago. Hyrule and Four had paired up while Legend and Wild held enemies at bay from a distance.

His brain automatically tried accounting for Sky out of habit, and he felt his heart skip a beat as he glanced upward. He couldn’t see anything from this vantage point. But he couldn’t worry about it right now - they’d be useless to Sky if they couldn't eliminate the immediate threat down here.

Heading for the sailor, he watched the boy’s back while he took on a pair of bokoblins.

Up above, Link found himself wishing he was outside. The stale air and dust was hardly doing him any favors with as much as he was desperately trying to suck in breaths. Nevertheless, he raised his blade with a prayer, feeling power emanating from Fi as she sang in sync with his cry. The Shadow’s eyes widened, his dark blade unable to match such an attack, and he barely dodged the strike. It did manage to create distance between them briefly, allowing Link a moment to recover before raising his blade once more.

The Shadow took the opportunity, rushing ahead in a risk of either getting to his foe in time while he was wide open or being cut cleanly in half.

The former option won out.

Link managed to deflect a full-on stab with his shield, but the blade still cut through his side as it slipped out of reach. He hissed, feeling fire erupt in his side as blood immediately began to trickle from the wound. The Shadow smirked, not breaking contact, and Link growled defiantly, slamming his head directly into the other’s. His enemy yelled, stumbling backwards as Link saw stars and attempted to blink them away. He stumbled until he felt a breeze blow by him with a sharp whistle, and he belatedly realized it was an arrow. Had the Shadow changed tactics again?

The arrow arched and landed on the ground on the other side of the platform, freezing the stone around it temporarily. Link whirled, but the Shadow was only glaring at him with sword and shield still in hand. Who had—?

Wild.

At the ground level, the champion pulled out different arrows, glaring fiercely up above as Legend covered him.

“You should probably let our Ordonian figure this out!” Legend again warned him as he cut down some keese. “He knows this place better than any of us!”

“He almost got ambushed,” Wild fired back, shaking his head. “I got this!”

“What the hell have you got?!” Warriors snapped from across the way.

“Focus on your own fight!” Wild fired back, eyes narrowing as he looked for his next target.

He wasn’t going rogue. He wasn’t deviating from the plan. He wasn’t going to abandon the group to solely go after Sky.

He would bring Sky to them .

He nocked three arrows, looking over their red bulky tips, and yelled as loudly as he could, “Fire in the hole, Sky!”

Up above, the voice rang in the ears of his brother-in-arms, who immediately moved into the center of the platform to avoid another stray attack. Shadow didn’t quite understand what was happening, though he mirrored Link’s steps, making him inaccessible to the others down below. Link didn’t give the monster time to figure out what was happening, closing the space between them with a diagonal slash and forcing him to block. Three arrows flew over them, aimed far, far above where it should have been if Wild had any intention on hitting them.

Realization sank into Link like a stone.

He looked up a moment too late to see the arrows collide with the ceiling.

Ah, shit.

Link watched massive chunks of stone fall from above, forcing him to run towards the edge of the platform just as the Shadow did. The pair were close enough to exchange blows as they ran, neither hitting with particular strength or accuracy, though enough to divide their foe’s concentration. Link pulled out a clawshot, throwing care to the winds as he slapped his shield on his back. He fired for a few stakes at the top of a broken stairway, and Shadow latched onto him the instant the chain pulled. The monster’s grip sank into his fresh wound, making him scream and nearly let go.

Honestly, he had to let go. If he followed through on this move he was going to just hit the stakes and be stuck hanging with the Shadow holding onto him. He wouldn’t be able to defend himself.

But if he let go the sailcloth might not stop both of them from slamming into the ground.

Link huffed, an insolent smile curling his lips, and he released his grip.

The Shadow snarled at him, panic in its red eyes, a strange look on his own face. But Link’s sense of victory was short lived as the Shadow twisted them so that Link was at the bottom and reached for his sailcloth.

The Skyloftian wrestled ferociously with his dark counterpart, preventing him from latching on to their one saving grace, but it didn’t seem to matter either way - their sideways momentum continued long enough for them to slam into a staircase instead of making it all the way to the floor, and Link couldn’t help the scream of pain that was ripped out of him as he felt a rib snap.

Cries rang out from below.

“Champion what the hell— ”

"I didn't mean for it to grab him!"

“We can get to them now, let’s go !”

Time took off in a heartbeat alongside Twilight and Legend. The falling stones had separated the rest from the stairway, though they also killed the majority of the remaining monsters. The eldest Link could see Sky up ahead, pulling himself to stand just in time to parry an attack from the enemy, who seemed just as shaky on its feet.

Despite the Shadow’s efforts, it couldn’t break through Sky’s defense. The boy was the best swordfighter in the group. Sky found an opening and went for it, and though the Shadow jumped to dodge, the knight still managed to cut through fabric and make the monster bleed, though superficially.

Hissing, the Shadow stepped back further, creating distance between them and shifting into a dark liazalfos. With its increased speed it slithered quickly around Sky, bashing him into a wall with its tail. Sky hit the ground and didn’t move.

Twilight yelled the same time as Warriors, but the captain was being held back by multiple monsters while the rancher had to focus on enemies encroaching on him and Time. Wind, Hyrule, and Four had their hands full as well, and Wild was too far away to be of any use. Legend pulled out a boomerang, charging ahead as the Shadow shifted back into Time’s darker half.

Smirking, the demonic visage of their leader said, “And now you get what you deserve, Chosen Hero .”

Raising its sword, the Shadow thrust it down to pierce Sky through the heart when its motion was stopped. The Shadow jerked with a jolt, blinking rapidly and looking down to see an arrow wedged between its ribs. Snarling, it turned its head to glare at its heroic reflection, who was fixing it with a withering, seething glare as he lowered his bow.

“Get away from him you bastard!” Legend screamed, getting within throwing distance. The Shadow raised its shield to deflect the boomerang and then turned to flee, too wounded to continue the fight. Legend pursued it as Time ran to Sky, who was still motionless on the stairs.

The sounds of battle seemed to quiet down in Time’s mind as he finally took the last three steps in one long stretch and knelt down by the teenager who they’d been chasing for days.

“S-shadow…” Sky said with a trembling voice.

“He’s gone,” Time soothed the boy gently. “He’s gone.”

The Skyloftian watched him, eyes watering and filled with desperate hope, and he let out a tired, barely audible laugh of relief.

“What were you thinking?” Time whispered, his voice quivering as he held pressure on one of Sky’s many, many wounds. There were far too many , and they were all in various stages of bruising and bleeding. He’d been accumulating them all day from multiple battles.

Sky’s trembling breath halted for a heart stopping moment before he continued to try and suck air in. A gurgling, bubbling sound accompanied it, and Sky coughed harshly. Time flinched, drawing the boy into a seated position as blood flew out of his mouth in little bursts of specks. When his fit had settled, he smiled at Time weakly, who was held captive in terror and horror as blood started trickling freely out of the corner of his mouth and nose. “M-making… amends…”

“Sky!” Legend slid onto his knees, careless of the layers of skin he no doubt just scraped off in the action. His hands shot to Sky’s shoulders, shaking him. “Sky, you blasted idiot , what were you thinking —”

Time steadied the veteran with his available arm, pulling his hands off the Skyloftian knight as shaking him was absolutely not helping. “Vet, get a potion.”

“I don’t have any!” Legend yelled in a panic without a second thought. “I used my last one on the captain earlier in the dungeon, remember?! Where the hell are your fairies?!”

Time shook his head, feeling dread fill him. “There are none left.”

Trembling fingers brushed against Time’s face, barely tracing one of his markings. He immediately returned his attention to Sky just as Twilight came running over. “I’m… I’m…”

“Save your strength, young one,” Time said softly, taking Sky’s hand in his own. “It’s going to be okay.”

Sky swallowed, determined. “I’m… sorry. I’m s-sorry. I’m sorry .”

“What… what is he… why is he saying that?” Legend asked, eyes wide. “Sky, what are you talking about? Listen, if you believed that shithead’s story for one second I swear to the goddesses I will smack some sense into you.”

Twilight was searching madly through his pouch, movements frantic and uncoordinated. Legend reached for Sky again, and the boy went limp, his eyes closing with a shuddering breath.

“Sky. Link. Link , stay with us .” Time pulled Sky to him, cradling the young knight in his lap, supporting his head with his right hand. His other hand slid down the boy’s arm, curling around his wrist in a desperate attempt to find a pulse.

It was there. Thready and steadily slowing. Time’s heart sank with a chilling realization, one that was all-too-familiar.

Twilight’s breath quickened as Legend started to shout the knight’s name. The rancher pulled out a bottle filled with red liquid. “I’ve got a potion, I’ve got one!”

Legend snatched it from Twilight without a word, tearing the cork off the bottle and shoving it in Sky’s face, when Time pushed him away.

“He can’t drink it when he’s unconscious,” Time said, not even bothering to hide the utter defeat in his voice.

Wild and Warriors were by his side next. Warriors stood over the group so as not to crowd Sky, but Wild had no such qualms and squatted directly across from Time.

“Is he okay? What’s happening?!” Wild asked, terrified.

The air grew colder and quiet. Three more pairs of footsteps hurried over, and Time couldn’t find his voice to explain what was happening.

He gave the boy a strong shake. Sky didn’t flinch. His skin was almost as white as his sailcloth.

He heard Warriors first. The captain sucked a shuddering breath in through his nose, taking a step back; he’d seen enough comrades die in battle, he knew the signs.

He was already mourning.

Legend sank into the ground on his hands and knees, his fists slamming the stone. “ Fuck. No, no , nonononono …”

His pleas devolved into sobs, wracking his entire body. Wind was asking what was happening, his voice trembling, his face already implying he knew exactly what was happening, even if he didn’t want to accept it. Four was still as a statue, his expression drawn in horror and devastation. Twilight’s hand slid to Wild’s shoulder, gripping it harshly as the rancher squeezed his eyes shut and looked at the ground, tears freely falling down his cheeks.

“Does anybody have a fairy?!” Wild yelled desperately, his head and hair whirling around as he looked from member to member.

He knew they didn’t. They all knew they didn’t. Between the previous world and this dungeon, they’d exhausted many of their supplies.

Pop.

Time glanced to his left to see Hyrule knocking back a green liquid, chugging it like his life depended on it. The boy almost choked at one point before continuing.

Elixir.

Dropping the bottle carelessly, Hyrule shoved Wild aside and took a deep breath, reaching his hands over Sky. Time watched him tiredly, his heart a pile of ash, his mind settling on the inevitability of the situation.

These wounds were from the Shadow. One wound from the Shadow nearly killed Twilight. One wound took Hyrule all night to barely scrape by with enough healing magic to make sure Twilight survived the night. Sky had too many. Although none were individually as severe as the one the ranch hand had sustained several weeks ago, together they were enough. Together all of it was enough. Sky had been fighting armies by himself this entire time.

Why? Why?!

Why did Sky do this?! Why did this happen?!

Time couldn’t watch this. He couldn’t watch Hyrule wear himself to the bone on something so utterly beyond his ability to save.

“Traveler,” he said softly, barely mustering the strength to speak.

“Don’t—you— fucking— dare.” Hyrule hissed between gritted teeth.

Wild shifted from where he lay splayed on the ground from being pushed. Twilight hadn’t bothered to help him up, too transfixed in hope and horror at the sight in front of him. The champion then glanced around between the heroes before locking eyes with Four. The two nodded firmly to each other.

Standing, the champion grabbed Wind and guided him away. “Come on. Give him some space.”

Four also stood and gently went to Legend, whose cries hadn’t stopped since they’d started. The veteran didn’t seem to notice him, but Twilight also rose and helped the smithy pull Legend to his feet. The veteran shuddered, trying to get a hold of himself as he caught sight of the glow of Hyrule’s life spell. Time heard Warriors shuffle behind him, drawing closer rather than farther.

Sky remained limp in Time’s arms. The blue glow cast by Hyrule’s magic made him look ghostly, as if heralding what was to come. Time swallowed thickly. He wanted to smack the traveler for putting himself through this, for wearing himself thin over such a futile effort.

Sky wasn’t coming back from this.

Time started to shake. Warriors’ hand was warm on his shoulder.

Hyrule started to gasp for air, sinking to the floor as his magic faded from his hands. Sky didn’t move. His pulse slowed even more. Time could barely feel it now. Wind and Legend could both be heard crying in the background as the group had been watching in the distance.

Warriors shuffled to the other side to stand behind Hyrule, ready to pull the weary traveler from the attempt, ready to help the group accept the reality of the situation while Time was still drowning in it.

He’d failed him. He’d failed one of his boys. He’d failed as a hero, as a protector, as a leader.

Sky’s gone .

A million thoughts whirled in his mind. What were they going to do? How would they tell the boy’s family and friends? What would they do with the body?

How could he keep moving forward after losing someone else?

Time bit his tongue until he tasted blood. He knew he could keep moving forward. He’d lost many friends. But this…

This was somehow so much worse .

Warmth engulfed him all of a sudden. Acutely aware of the change, Time was ripped out of his grief and looked around, wondering if perhaps a portal had opened or enemies had arrived or—

Hyrule was glowing .

“You—” Warriors muttered, awestruck, staring at Hyrule’s hand. Time followed his gaze, squinting through the blinding light, and he saw it.

The Triforce.

“I told you,” Hyrule said softly, clutching his left hand with his right as the Triforce burned through the skin. “I don’t know the meaning of giving up.”

#writing #elastic heart #Y'ALL #I WROTE THAT LAST SCENE AGES AGO #so glad I can finally publish it in context :D #now it's 'let's second guess myself' hours about whether this climax is actually a good one BUT #I'm pretty happy with it #hope y'all enjoy :D #linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu sky

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