The decision was made long before they reached the shrine. Even if Green didn't quite know it yet, the signs were all there. Red had stopped crying in Kakariko, tears replaced by a tentative smile. Blue wasn’t nearly as explosive as before, instead taking their journey back in stride. Green is the only one truly oblivious, which Vio can’t help but dismiss as typical for the introspective leader. There is no doubt in his mind that Green is torturing himself over the decision. The grapple between selfishness and whatever Green perceives as the right thing is no doubt wearing away his mental strength. Vio is all too happy to let him wallow in it, especially since it makes the return trip quieter.
The ruined shrine looms over the horizon. The sight of it kills any halfhearted conversation Red was trying to start. The steps up are taken in complete silence. The four of them stand before the pedestal.
"Guys, I need to talk to you about something," Green stares down at the hilt of the Four Sword.
"What is it, Green?" Red, ever the conversationalist, leans in.
Vio can't help but smirk. "We're not-"
Blue cuts him off. "We're not rejoining!"
Green's eyes bulge. "How did you know?" For once, Vio can claim to read Green's eyebrows perfectly. How is it that all three of you guessed?
"Well, I think it helps-"
"-that we're all-"
"-Link!"
Green laughs. "Haha, I guess it does." He rubs the back of his neck. "So, I guess we just put the sword back then?"
"I guess." Hums Vio.
"I thought you would know a way for sure to stop it." Ribs Blue.
As much as he tries to pretend otherwise, he enjoys a good-natured ribbing with Blue. "Oh, of course I do," Vio raises a finger in the air, "you just put the sword back and believe it will happen."
Green gives him a once-over. "I didn't think you would put a lot of stock in belief."
Vio grins. "Don't knock it until you've tried it." Even now, he can't help but reach into his pocket to touch it—to reassure himself that it's still there. The shard from the mirror is wrapped in cloth, both to hide it and also to protect from cutting himself on it. When he looks up, Red is staring at him.
The four of them raise their swords.
Vio doesn't remember what happens after. A bright light blocks out his vision as the sword enters the pedestal. The shard glows red-hot in his pocket. For a moment, he worries about it breaking into even more pieces. But once he can open his eyes properly, his fingers fumble to check the shard. It's still the same size as before. Still intact. Just as intact as the four of them.
"It worked!"
"Don't sound so surprised-" Vio tunes out the conversation. There's a yelp from Blue as he's tackled in a hug by Red. There's something else that he's been considering that might as well work.
"Vio, get over here," Green waves him over. Vio obliges. The four that once were one hug.
They go their separate ways sooner than he would expect. Green throws himself into guard duties while Blue and Red spend their time cleaning out dungeons.
Blue drops a pile of mirror shards on his desk.
Vio winces. "Do you mind not making my job harder?"
"Why do you waste your time collecting all those shards anyways? It's not like they do anything now."
Vio huffs. It takes all his mental strength not to fight back. "Because."
"Because?"
"Yeah, just because I can."
Both Blue and Red give him a knowing glance. They both know why, they all do. But he doesn't care for their pity, just their cooperation. Resurrecting Shadow can't be that hard, right?
Vio stares at the book. Maybe if he glares at it hard enough, it will give up its secrets. The words have been floating on the page for hours now, without any real way to decipher them. He taps the shard in his pocket.
"You know, you should really go to sleep eh?" Shadow hovers on the library desk.
Vio blinks. Shadow doesn't disappear. "This is because I'm running on no sleep, isn't it?"
Shadow laughs. "Looks like it. Although maybe it's a breakthrough and I'm really here."
It's a testament to his exhaustion that Vio can't think of a clever comeback to that comment. He puts his head on his desk and groans. "It's been a month."
"Believe me, I've been counting the days."
"You know, you're not a very good imitation of Shadow."
"Get some sleep, maybe after I'll be more accurate."
Vio awakes, by his calculations, about 12 hours later. He has to lift his head off the pages of the book, but luckily there isn't any embarrassing drool on the page that betrays his use of it as a pillow. His hair is mussed, the candle has long since gone out and most importantly, Shadow isn't there.
Shadow was never there, whispers a thought in the back of his mind. He dismisses it. He's got enough on his plate without thinking about sleepless hallucinations.
"Your mail!" The postman drops a package in front of him unceremoniously. Before he even has time to react—how did the mailman find this library anyways, much less himself—the postman has sprinted off at full speed.
Vio carefully opens the packet. There's a letter inside, along with a bunch of loose tissue paper.
Hi! Hope you're doing well! <3 We found this in the last dungeon and thought of you!!! Blue says hi o/
Vio opens the tissue paper. The last shard of the mirror is there, glinting at him in the evening sun. There's something hastily scribbled in the paper directly below it. Believe.
It fits perfectly in with the other shards that are haphazardly arranged on his floor at the room in the inn. He draws an outline around it and waits. The moon comes out and shines on the shards. Vio lets himself believe against all hope. When he opens his eyes, he can't help but notice his shadow seems a lot more cocky in the candlelight than before.
"I didn't think you would be one to hide," he says, biting his lip to hide his smile.
"Who says I'm hiding?" The snarky voice returns just as he remembered it, full of life.
Vio meets Shadow's eyes. His breath escapes him.
"What, caught off guard by my greatness?"
Vio grins. "No, actually. I'm caught off guard by my own." Shadow's fang seems sharper than ever through his grin.
It's quiet, but just loud enough for him to hear. "I always knew you could bring me back."