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smilesrobotlover · 11 days ago

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Chapter 13- Shadow Phantoms

Link barely slept two hours that night. The day before kept replaying in his mind, and he kept tossing and turning from the anxieties gnawing at him from the inside. Rest was important, but by the goddesses, he couldn’t rest knowing that his son was in danger; he didn’t feel like he was allowed to rest, as if sleeping was the wrong choice to make at that moment. Even with the small amounts of sleep he found, it was nothing but nightmares—nightmares of never finding Kori again, nightmares of the beast killing everyone he loved, and nightmares that he couldn’t even remember. But the feelings lingered, and when he woke up with the sun barely peeking over the horizon, he finally decided to get up. Though he tried to be silent as he got his things together, Uli opened the door to her room to greet him, a sad smile on her face. The two silently embraced each other, Uli holding tight to Link as his face buried into her shoulder. After a moment of hugging each other, Uli pulled back, giving him a firm look.

“Please be safe,” she begged, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I will ma,” Link promised, “I’ll find pa and Kori.”

“I know you will,” she said in a small voice, rubbing her thumb gently against his cheek. She gave him a quick peck on the forehead and nodded, which gave him permission to leave. He bid a small farewell to Rela who was still sleeping and left the house, jumping on Epona and heading to his clearing. But where he expected emptiness, he saw Colin, who was waiting with Rusl’s horse and his sword in hand. He was pacing the clearing, spinning around when Link arrived, and he smiled as Link got closer.

“Hey!” He greeted when Link slowed down. “I figured you’d leave at this time.”

“What are you doing here?” Link questioned, fearing the conversation that would take place.

“Waiting for you, of course.”

“Well… I need to leave right now.”

“Great. I’m coming with you!”

Link sighed. Just as he thought. “You’re not coming with me.”

“Yes I am.”

“No, Colin. It’s too—“

“Dangerous?” Colin cut in, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms. He still wore his green shirt, but instead of his Ordon skirt he wore blue pants that stopped in the middle of his calf, as if they were too small. A green bandana was tied around his forehead, and he wore straps that held his sword close to him—he looked like he was ready for a fight. Which meant convincing him otherwise was going to be a challenge. “Let me guess, you want me to stay back to protect Ordon?”

Link frowned. “Yes. Colin, don’t—“

“No! I know you and pa always say that my duty to stay behind is so important and I don’t disagree! But I’m not staying behind this time.”

“Colin, it’s not safe! Do you have any idea what we’re dealing with?”

“Yes! I do!” Colin shouted, his smug demeanor dropping to make way for frustration. “I fought it in Faron woods so it wouldn’t hurt Kori and Rela! It’s terrifying, but I’m not going to sit around and wait anymore! You guys need all the help anyway!”

Link sighed again, shaking his head. “I’m not arguing any further. You’re staying here.”

“I’m not asking for your permission.” Colin got closer, his expression turning dark. “That thing took my dad and my nephew. I’m not gonna let it get away with that.”

Link stared for a moment, truly seeing his little brother, the timid and quiet boy he once was, growing into a courageous young man. It almost hurt to see how much he grew up, his heart aching for the little boy, but he couldn’t help but feel so proud of him, knowing that he was willing to fight to protect those he cared about. It was always something Colin wanted since he was a child, and Link knew he couldn’t deny him that any longer. He finally looked down, ignoring Colin’s piercing gaze and nodded.

“Ok,” he agreed, and Colin looked surprised, as if he needed to fight more. But he quickly nodded and hopped onto their pa’s horse, a little grin on his face as he clutched his sword close to him.

“Ok! Where to?” Colin asked, and Link gave him a smirk.

“To Kakariko.”

“Oh! Right! To Kakariko!” He cheered, sheathing his sword on his back and turning to Link with a determined look in his smile. “Let’s go save Hyrule.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ride to Kakariko felt tense as Link and Colin pushed their horses as fast as they could, every movement making Link jump out of his skin. He had his sword drawn, not daring to sheath it as the world flew past them, as if danger would attack in any moment. Colin was clearly feeling his anxiety, and his excitement for finally tagging along was gone as he stayed close to Link, though Rusl’s horse was nowhere near as fast as Epona. The two brothers reached Kakariko before the sun began to set, and to Link’s surprise, it was eerily empty—a stark contrast to how it was when he last visited. Colin got off his horse and looked around with his brows furrowed, his hand moving his sheath to his hip.

“Where is everybody?” He asked softly, so soft that Link almost didn’t catch it.

“No idea,” Link replied, feeling uneasy as he got off of Epona. The two began to lead their horses through the empty town, with Colin calling out a “hello” here and there, but they got no responses. Occasionally Link would spot a villager watching them silently through a small crack in their window, before closing it harshly, the sound ringing out in the air. Colin huffed, putting his hands on his hips as he glanced at Link.

“What in the Spirits’ names happened here? Why are they all hiding?” Colin turned back to the buildings, cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting, “we’re not here to hurt you! You can come on out!”

A noise was heard from the other side of the village, and Link and Colin got their hopes up that someone was finally showing up to explain things to them. But instead of villagers, Link saw a group of people on horses riding towards them, and he immediately spotted the resistance riding in the front.

“Looks like backup is here,” Link said, and he waited for the group to meet up with them. Shad was riding behind Ashei, who had a determined look on her face, Auru was on his own horse and he bore a relieved smile as he watched Link and Colin, and to Link’s surprise, the King of Hyrule himself was riding behind them, with a group of forty soldiers or so following. He didn’t know the king was going to show up, but he certainly wasn’t complaining.

“Glad you boys made it safely,” Auru said, grunting as he hopped off his horse, “I thought we were gonna have to hunt ya down.”

“Ha, when we showed up with no one in sight, I thought we were gonna have to hunt you down,” Link chuckled, poking Auru in the chest. The old man laughed and looked over at Colin, resting his hand on his shoulder.

“Glad you could join the team, boy.”

Colin’s round ears went pink and he looked down, fiddling with his fingers in front of him.

“I—I just want to help in any way I can,” he muttered, and Auru nodded.

“I understand. You’re no doubt worried about your old man.”

“Yeah… Worried about him and my nephew.”

Ashei and Shad walked up to the group, with a proud smile on Ashei’s face.

“We need all the help we can get, Colin. Welcome to the resistance,” she said, holding out her hand, and Colin’s eyes practically popped out of his head as he gingerly took her hand and shook it.

“Thanks,” he breathed, clearly feeling nervous from the attention.

“Pardon me.”

The resistance turned their heads to see King Edmund walking over to them, his hands behind his back and his eyes narrowed.

“Forgive me for making assumptions, I’m not as familiar with Hyrule as I should be, but I was told that Kakariko was a booming town, with a growing population.” King Edmund turned his head to stare at the closed and quiet buildings. “Where is everyone?”

“Hey!”

Link turned to look at the sanctuary, where Luda was peeking out from, her sword in hand. Her eyes traveled between each person, her gaze finally landing on Link and Colin.

“Link, Colin, you’re here?” She asked, almost to herself, and Colin jogged up to her.

“Luda! What’s going on? Is everything alright?”

Luda shriveled a little, almost hiding into the sanctuary as they got closer, but she pulled herself together and gestured to the inside with her head.

“Come inside, I’ll explain everything.”

The army King Edmund brought stayed outside, keeping an eye on things, but he and the rest of the resistance headed inside. There were some injured and sick huddled against the walls, but what caught Link’s attention was Barnes sitting in a corner, his leg in a cast and his head hung. Both Link and Colin immediately traveled over to him without thinking, and the man raised his head when they got closer.

“Barnes,” Colin started, looking him over, “what happened?”

“Oh kid…” Barnes mumbled, his voice ragged with his usual character and charm sucked out of him. Link frowned, resting his hand on the man’s shoulder. Being up close, he could see his bumps and bruises scattered all over his body.

“Um… Link, Colin,” Luda started, her voice shaking, “Barnes and my father went to the Gorons to tell them to stay inside at night and…. When they were coming back—”

“Oh, don’t tell me,” Colin whispered, his expression filled with horror. Luda nodded, her eyes welling up with tears.

“He-he went missing. M-my papa is missing and—” Luda broke down crying, her head in her hands. Link moved to comfort her, but Ashei beat him to it, with her arm wrapped around her. Colin sat down next to Barnes, his expression defeated.

“Not Renado,” he whimpered.

It was uncomfortably silent as Luda cried, with Link standing near Barnes and Colin clearly fighting back his own tears. Link should’ve been fighting back tears as well; Renado was like a second father to him. But for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to cry. He could only feel anger and fury growing stronger and stronger. That beast… it was taking everyone he cared about…

“You were with her father?” King Edmund cut in, interrupting Link’s thoughts, and Barnes raised his head again.

“Yes.”

“What did you see? When was this?”

Barnes shifted, clearly agitated from the questions. “I didn’t see nothin’. I fell down the mountain and Renado was gone. All that was left was his bow.” Barnes sighed, shaking his head. “Broke my ankle in the process. It all happened yesterday morning.”

Shad and Auru glanced at each other, shocked expressions on their faces.

“That thing moves fast.” Auru said. “It just attacked Castle Town yesterday.”

“It must’ve moved straight from Faron, to Kakariko, and then to Castle Town,” Shad continued, his finger stroking his chin. “It seemed like Kakariko was just a pit stop for it.”

“Indeed,” King Edmund agreed. “Is this why everyone is inside?”

“Yes,” Luda sniffed, nodding her head. “Everyone was frightened so they went into their homes.”

“Staying inside just to be picked off one-by-one,” King Edmund muttered to himself. “Well, do not fret any longer, we’re going to eradicate this threat and try to save the abducted people.”

Ashei nodded and gave Luda a squeeze. “We’re going to find your father, Luda. Everything will be alright.”

Luda nodded and sniffed again, leaning into Ashei’s touch. It grew silent for a moment until Barnes raised his head again, his brows furrowed.

“What is causing these disappearances?” He asked, his voice low. “Renado was about to tell me before I fell down the mountain.”

“It’s a shadow beast,” Colin answered before Link could, his gaze piercing into the ground. “A mutated shadow beast that has grown powerful enough to become a serious problem.”

The silence grew heavy, and Barnes rubbed his face as sweat began to drip down his brow.

“Cripes,” he muttered. “Well that’s the last thing I wanted to hear.”

“A shadow beast?” Luda repeated. “But—it—my father is long gone then.”

Link shook his head quickly. “No. He’ll be fine, they’ll all be fine.”

“But—the shadow beasts turn people into more shadow beasts—”

“No!” Link’s voice began to raise and he stood up abruptly. “They’re going to be fine! We’re going to save all the people the shadow beast took, alright? So stop thinking that it’s over because it’s not!”

Ashei’s expression went dark and she subtly shook her head. Link frowned and looked away, feeling like he reacted too much there.

“Look, don’t assume the worst,” he continued, trying to control himself, and he dared to look Luda in the eyes, “don’t assume the worst yet. Don’t give up on your pa.”

Luda shuffled her feet but nodded, smiling slightly. Link nodded back and let out a huff, feeling eyes piercing into him like arrows to his skin. He couldn’t take it.

“I’m gonna go take a breather,” he muttered, weaving his way around the crowded sanctuary and bursting through the door. The soldiers of Hyrule all looked at him, but he turned away, walking to the Kakariko spring and sitting down, staring at the sparkling water lap against his boots.

“They’re going to be fine,” he whispered, glaring hard at the water. “Please, let them be fine.”

“Link?”

Link didn’t turn around, knowing that Colin was approaching him from behind. His little brother carefully sat beside him, leaving space between the two as he rested his hands on his knees, staring at the water. They were silent, with Colin clearly trying to think of what to say, so Link sighed and decided to speak for him.

“Did I sound too mean?” He asked, and Colin gave him a surprised look.

“W-well… you sounded…. Sorta mad.”

Link shook his head, disappointed in himself. “Poor Luda. I didn’t mean to come off that way.”

“It’s ok. You—” Colin paused, staring at the water for a moment. “I guess all that talk was stressin’ you out?”

Link groaned, rubbing his eyes. “I can’t—I have to believe that they’ll be alright.”

Colin nodded, staying silent.

“If I believe that they’re in trouble I will lose myself! I—I can’t have that type of talk right now,” Link whimpered, and Colin nodded again.

“I understand. We have to have hope.”

Link sighed, lightly tapping Colin’s arm. “I should apologize to Luda. She’s clearly upset and I’m just makin’ it worse.”

Colin got on his hands and knees, following Link’s lead as they stood up. “Yeah. I doubt she’s upset with you, though. I mean, Ashei seemed pretty upset, but Luda seemed fine. Apologizing wouldn’t hurt—what is that?”

Link paused, looking over at Colin who was on one knee, staring at the Kakariko gate. Link turned to see what he was looking at, and he spotted a silhouette of a person.

“It’s just a guy, Colin,” Link said, but his little brother shook his head.

“No, something’s wrong.”

Link stared hard at the person, and he was able to pick up on what Colin was talking about. The person was wavering, their legs swinging and stomping on the ground as if they would collapse, and whatever they were wearing, it was dark in color, almost looking like a void standing out in the red rocks Kakariko was known for. Link stood up straight, walking closer to the mysterious person.

“Wait, Link—“ Colin protested, but Link ignored him, feeling concerned for the person more than anything. But as he got closer, he saw that something was deeply wrong. The person was huge, towering over Link, with dark, thick armor. In its hand was a heavy sword being dragged across the ground, leaving a trail of torn up dirt, and a mouth was gaping open from beneath the helmet. Just as Link was about to draw his sword, the thing suddenly bolted towards him, and he flinched as he brought out his shield just in time for the heavy sword to ram into him. Link went flying, landing harshly against the rocky wall and onto the ground.

“Link!” Colin called out to him, and Link scrambled to his feet, his heart threatening to burst out of his chest as he pulled out his sword, snarling at the titan standing before him. The heavy sword swung down on him again, but Link was able to roll out of the way. In one motion, he got to his feet and jumped in the air, spinning his sword around him and slicing the armored monster’s back. Pieces went flying, metallic noises of the armor falling to the ground ringing out, and the creature swung its sword at Link again, like a gibdo after paralyzing its prey. Link jumped out of the way and backed up next to Colin, who had his sword drawn.

“I don’t think that’s a person,” Colin commented, “it’s more like… a phantom of a person… with armor.

Link let out a bitter laugh. “And what made you think that?”

The armored beast charged again, making Link and Colin dodge before it rammed into them. The soldiers behind them began to panic, with orders being yelled out frantically and many running over to help the two brothers.

“WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!” One soldier yelled, and Link heard shouting from the other side of Kakariko. Just above the soldiers, he made out another armored beast emerging from Goron mountain, marching towards the group.

“Well isn’t that just great,” Link growled, looking over to Colin. “You think you could handle this guy?”

Colin looked over and nodded. “I got him. Go take care of the other one.”

Link grinned at him before bolting to the other armored phantom, weaving and zipping past the soldiers who watched in horror as the thing got closer. But before it could reach the soldiers, Link broke from the frontlines, jumping high and slamming his sword onto the armor. The impact rippled through his muscles, and the armor cracked under the pressure, sending the armored phantom stumbling back. Link landed on the ground, rubbing his sore arms and snarling at the phantom as it recovered from the hit. It stumbled over to him, and Link brought up his shield to smack it before it could try anything, and when it was off balance, he jumped in the air again, flipping while tearing his sword through the helmet. Landing on the ground with a roll, Link spun to see the helmet cut cleanly in half, the phantom’s head revealed, and his blood froze. It looked just like the shadow beast, though its head was more round and had no tendrils coming out of its body. And instead of leathery black skin, it seemed like it was dripping with the black ooze that would come out of the beast. It wasn’t a phantom of a human, it was a phantom of the beast itself.

Its yellow teeth separated, the jaw unhinging as a shriek suddenly escaped its throat, ringing out and shaking Link to his core. It took charge as he tried to recover, and Link was soon pinned beneath the large creature, its teeth gnashing at his face to rip it off. Link growled and threw the shadow’s phantom off of him with a strained yell, grabbing his sword and stabbing the phantom right through its open mouth. His sword pierced through the back of the mouth, hitting the ground beneath the writhing monster, and as black blood oozed out of the creature’s mouth, it stopped moving and finally died. The body dissipated into twilight magic, slowly fading into nothing and leaving behind the battered armor. Link sat there for a moment, staring at his sword that was embedded into the ground, until he heard footsteps to his side.

“Looks like the shadow beast made some new friends,” Auru said, and Link looked up to see the resistance, including King Edmund, watching him. Link sighed and stood up, sheathing his sword.

“Yeah, that’s what it looks like,” he replied. “When did you guys get here?”

“We heard shouting and fighting,” Ashei said, crossing her arms. “Shame you and Colin took all the fun.”

“Where’s Colin?”

“I’m here!”

To Link’s relief, his little brother pushed through the crowd of soldiers, black blood covering his arms but he had a relieved grin on his face.

“Me and the soldiers took care of the other one!”

“Woah, what about us?” Auru argued light-heartedly. “We helped a little at the end!”

Colin smiled and shook his head. “They helped a bit.”

“Ouch.”

King Edmund nodded, looking at Link with a twinkle in his eye. “Yes. But I must say, that was phenomenal fighting there, Link!” The king suddenly walked up to him, shaking his hand with excitement. “It was like watching a dance, I couldn’t look away at how you fought with such skill and grace!”

Link smiled nervously. “R-really? I was just fighting.”

“Yes, but you needed no help, and you fought with such mighty strength. You’d give my brothers a hard time, and I don’t put that lightly!”

“I—thank you.”

Edmund nodded before pulling away, staring at his white glove that turned black due to the blood on Link’s hand. He made a face of disgust as he stared, and Link started to wipe his dirty hands on his already dirty clothes.

“Sorry, your highness. I don’t think that’s gonna come out,” he chuckled nervously. Edmund simply sighed and looked down at Link again, nodding.

“Well, there are more important things than ruining a good pair of gloves. Everyone listen up!” Edmund turned to the soldiers, the resistance, and the few villagers that left their homes to see what was going on. “The beast has clearly learned some new tricks—creating monsters to fight for it. Though it’s a dire situation, it’s a lead as to where it is. We’ll split up, find these monsters, and hope that they can lead us to the shadow beast!”

The soldiers all cheered in response, and Edmund turned to Link. “If you wouldn’t mind, Link, could I travel by your side?”

Link was taken aback as he looked over to the resistance, and Auru gave him a nod.

“Sounds like a plan, your highness,” he said, putting his shoulder on Ashei. “Me and these kids will move out to find more of these creatures. Link, you’ll go with the King. There’s no one better to protect His Highness.”

Link nodded at the resistance before turning to King Edmund. “I’ll go with you, but only if my little brother Colin goes too.”

King Edmund bowed his head, which Link assumed was a “yes”, and he turned to the soldiers. “I expect nothing but effort to be put into this search. It’s time for you men to represent and protect your kingdom.”

The king soon began ordering the soldiers around, splitting them into groups while Link watched with his hands fidgeting with each other. Colin walked up to him, placing his hand on his shoulder.

“What do you think this means?” He asked, and Link glanced up at him. “Nothin’ like this has ever happened before.”

Link shrugged. “I think the shadow beast realized that we ain’t pushovers, and it’s finally releasing its true power. I just hope finding these shadow phantoms will lead us to its den.”

Colin pursed his lips, crossing his arms as he watched the king.

“I hope Pa and Kori will be ok,” he whispered, and Link watched his little brother’s worried face before wrapping an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close to him.

“I hope so too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Consciousness came to him at once. Kori gasped as his eyes shot open, and he sat up abruptly, his heart beating a mile a minute. He looked around him frantically, feeling the dread of danger around him, and his eyes landed on the shadow monster that’s been tormenting him and his family. Kori would’ve let out a shriek of fear, but someone covered his mouth aggressively, pulling him close so he wouldn’t flinch away.

“Quiet,” a woman’s voice whispered so quietly, he almost didn’t hear her. Kori glanced up at the one holding him, and it was the ninja person from before, her gray eyes watching the beast intently. “It’s asleep, we must escape.”

Kori nodded, glancing back at the beast while standing on his shaky legs, and he looked back at the ninja person, spotting his grandfather passed out below him.

“Grandpa Rusl—” Kori started, but the ninja shot him a warning look, her eyes glancing over at the beast, though it stayed unmoving. The ninja looked down at Rusl, smacking his cheeks gently which caused him to stir. His eyes opened, though it looked like it required a lot of effort, and he began to glance around with his eyes widening in confusion. His mouth opened, but the ninja already covered it, her finger up to her covered lips while the other pointed at the sleeping beast. Rusl’s eyes widened even further, and he finally stood up while instinctively pulling Kori closer to him. The ninja then grabbed Rusl’s arm and began to lead them away from the beast, the group stepping over rubble and debris scattered around. It made Kori wish he had shoes.

They left the room they were in, and it was clear to Kori that they were in a building of sorts, with pillars, cobblestone, and other materials houses were made of littering the place. Though it didn’t look like the building he was in before, with the purple wallpaper and portraits of Malo decorating the place. Where was he?

Rusl stumbled a bit, his grip on Kori loosening, and the ninja grabbed onto him before he could topple over. His grandfather looked strangely groggy, as if he was fighting to keep his eyes open, and he wavered before finally grounding himself.

“Sorry,” he muttered, and the ninja resumed their escape. The building they were in was strange, with long stretches of hallways leading into multiple rooms, some holding desks and beds inside of them. Kori’s never been in a building like this before, save for the castle. It was eerie being in a place clearly built for hundreds of people, only for a soul to be nowhere in sight. What was even more eerie about the place was how dark it was, with no windows letting in light for them to see. Fortunately, Kori was able to see relatively fine, but the ninja and his grandpa were struggling to see where they were going, causing them to stumble and trip over rubble, which didn’t help his grandpa’s fatigue. Once again, he stumbled and nearly took the ninja down with him.

“Sorry, sorry,” he apologized, holding himself up by the wall.

“Are you ok?” the ninja asked, and Rusl shook his head.

“It feels like my body weighs a thousand pounds… I feel so weak.”

Kori huddled up next to his leg, which resulted in Rusl resting his hand on his head.

“I’ll be fine, Kori. Let’s just focus on gettin’ outta here, yeah?”

The ninja nodded and continued walking through the ruined building, the group running into dead end after dead end, with Kori feeling more and more scared the longer they were in there. He heard his grandpa’s breathing grow heavier and louder as they walked, with his whole body sagging more and more. It was odd how he was acting in such a way—was he sick?

“Finally!” The ninja exclaimed quietly, running up to a small hole in the wall where dim light shone through. The ninja waited for Kori and his grandpa to catch up, and when they did, she jumped through the hole, landing on the gray grass below. She began to observe her surroundings while Kori walked to the edge, eyeing the height nervously.

“Sheik.” Rusl called out to her, and the ninja—Sheik—looked up at him. His grandpa picked Kori up and gently lowered him down to where Sheik was, and he was grabbed and put down on the ground, finally out of the creepy building. Rusl began to follow, lowering himself down, but Kori noticed how his arms shook, and his grandpa suddenly lost his grip and fell harshly to the ground with a yell. Kori gasped and ran to him, helping him sit up as he grimaced painfully.

“Are you ok?” Sheik asked, offering her hand, and Rusl waved it away.

“I’ll be fine, I’m just not feeling well.” Rusl groaned, rubbing his back. “I hope that thing didn’t hear me.”

“We best move, just in case,” Sheik said, and Rusl nodded, scrambling to his feet while Kori helped him. Sheik waited a moment, watching her surroundings, and Kori glanced up at the skies. The sky was a bright orange, with dark purple clouds flowing through the silent wind. The plants and grass were dull in color, looking dark against the sky, and black squares floating up and disappearing. It was unlike anything he’d ever seen.

“Where are we?” Rusl asked, his neck craned to look at the sky. Sheik didn’t say anything, she only stared at the sky with her back turned to them. Kori glanced up at his grandpa who was glaring ahead, and Sheik finally turned to look at them, her eyes wide.

“I know where we are…” She muttered, her voice sounding shocked.

“Where are we?” Rusl repeated, his voice having an edge to it. “Are we in Gerudo Desert or something?”

Sheik shook her head, and Kori glanced at Rusl again, who looked more worried now.

“We’re in the Twilight Realm.”

#love at twilight #smiles writes #Kori #FINALLY UGH #GETTING TO THE GOOD STUFF #also apologies this is so late #well it’s not that late all things considered #but I’m FINALLY done ugh #this chapter almost did me in #hehe #also using the new art :) we’ll see how it goes!

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