He stood like a giant on the balcony extending from the throne room. Gray clouds of an oncoming storm surrounded him, made ever more magnificent from the glow of the lava moat below. Ganondorf lifted his right fist into the air and admired the top fraction of the Triforce as it emanated a golden godly light. A moment later he snarled and thrust his fist back to his side. One day, it would all be his.

It had been over seven years since he invaded the Sacred Realm. The only threat to his reign, once locked inside the very realm he corrupted, had returned to haunt him. If only he could have predicted it would happen. The hero was awakening the sages to help in the fight against the tyrant of Hyrule. The last he heard was the Spirit Temple had been infiltrated and the Spirit Sage, Nabooru of all people, awakened to her true destiny. Once, she had served him faithfully, acting as a sorceress almost equal to his power, and in the end it was all a ruse. Nabooru was no more useful than dirt.

While these trifle troubles frustrated him beyond all reason, he grew bored of waiting around for the hero to come. Ganondorf had already mapped out his plan for the future once Link was dead. The Triforce of Power had made the corruption of Hyrule a simple task, but the full power of the goddesses was needed for the entire world to feel his evil. In the meantime, he had renovated the castle with stronger stone walls, sharp spikes that made it impossible to climb, and the dungeon transformed into a chamber for torture to meet his evil desires. Since the completion, Ganondorf split his day between training in swordsmanship and sorcery.

To calm his racing mind and quell his desire to dominate the world, he pivoted toward the doorway on his right and exited the throne room. His intention was to travel three floors down to train, but he was stopped by a Gerudo guard. She bowed at her waist with her legs stiff and greeted, "My lord, I have something to report."

For a moment, Ganondorf was excited to think a scout had spotted the hero's approach. He disguised his anticipation and said irritably, "Do I look like a patient man to you?"

The guard immediately answered, "My deepest apologies. During my patrol I found a strange portal in the Lost Woods. I knew I needed to report it right away and left two keese to guard it until your arrival."

A portal? Ganondorf had already exposed all of Hyrule's secrets, so what could this portal be? Where would it lead to? "Take me there immediately," He ordered, knowing he could not miss the opportunity to discover a new land to conquer.

"Yes, my lord."

Ganondorf turned his back to the carpet covered staircase and followed the guard to the stables where they mounted their steeds. They departed for the woods back entrance to avoid the Kokiri people who returned after Link defeated the monsters in the forest. The chill In the shadows of the woods had Ganondorf reaching for his cloak before they brought their horses to a halt. The keese squawked noisily at it as if it would attack at any moment. When Ganondorf saw it his eyes fill with excitement.

What the Gerudo called a portal was a narrow tear in the environment surrounded by a glowing green magic and whatever lay beyond was obscured. Ganondorf wisely informed his guard, "This is a dimensional rift and through it lies another Hyrule."

"You mean there's another world through there?" The guard asked.

Ganondorf looked at her with a sneer. Was it really possible that he was born of the same race, but with an intelligence that doubled theirs collectively? "Yes. That's precisely what a dimensional rift is." It was more than she could comprehend that if he could successfully pass through the rift he opened the gates to a brand new world to dominate and bend to his will. His army would grow and he could fight off the hero and sages with ease. First, he had to make sure it was safe. "Who will be my first volunteer?" The keese flitted around above him, protesting in squeals. "No. You," Ganondorf pointed at the guard. "Step through the portal and return immediately to report what you see."

The guard thought better of protesting. She took a minute to prepare herself while receiving glares of anger from her king. To test it, she shoved her hand through the portal and instantly pulled it back to find it was still safely attached. In the next moment when she hesitated Ganondorf roughly gripped her arm and shoved her through the portal, until she disappeared to the other side.

Upon her return a few minutes later she checked to make sure all of her body parts were still attached. There was death in Ganondorf's eyes when she looked at him again and realized she had kept him waiting. "The sky was filled with shimmering lights like ours at night," She reported. "It was the woods, just like we have here. I did not see any people. And it was warm. I could see a castle like yours in the distance."

Satisfied, Ganondorf declared, "I will invade this new land and make it bow to me, the King of Evil!" Then, to the Gerudo he ordered, "Ready twenty soldiers to depart immediately and I want one hundred on standby. I will send a messenger when I am ready."

"Yes, my lord." She bowed respectfully and then hurried to fulfill his request.

An hour later his soldiers were with him, rallying for a fight. "We may find there is no life through the dimensional rift but we should prepare to begin a war! No matter what you do, you still do it in my name!" Ganondorf turned from their excited shouts and faced the rift. He placed his hands on the opening and with all his might tore it farther and wider so his seven foot mass could easily fit inside. He and his army passed through with the reins of their horses in hand.