The large balcony of the castle was finally quiet. Zant was kneeling, gasping, his red eyes now only slits as he tried to breathe. Link was standing over him, the Light Sword held in front of him, illuminating his face. Minda was standing off to the side watching the scene. A cold, raspy voice broke the silence of the twili. "Minda...help me…"
"Help you?" said Minda. "Help you?! Why should I help you?!"
"I am your brother…your own flesh and blood...you wouldn't let this light dweller kill me, would you?"
"You?! You who changed our people to monster and enslaved them?! You, who would see the suffering of all creatures in both worlds?! You're no brother of mine!" She spun around so her back was facing the two. "Do it, Link! Finish him!"
"No!" rasped Zant. "You can't!" He looked up to Link, who was standing ready, but his face was uncertain.
"Minda…he's your brother. Are you sure-"
"He is NOT MY BROTHER!" Her voice broke slightly. "My brother would NEVER do this! He would NEVER hurt an innocent being! He would NEVER do THIS to me!" She spun back around. Tears were streaming down her face. "He may have the body of my brother, but not the soul. This beast is just an evil, heartless creature!" She shut her eyes tight. "Do it now! Strike him down!"
Zant went still. His face was expressionless, except for his eyes. They were changing, going from the horrid red to a seafoam green as if they were smoke. "Minda," he said in voice more like a whisper than a rasp, "I am not evil. I am only trying to exact our revenge on the light dwellers."
"Revenge?!" yelled Minda, opening her eyes again, tears still streaming down her face. "Revenge for what?! What have they ever done to us?!"
"They shunned us into exile!" said Zant in his raspy voice again. "They drove us into this realm!"
"And what is wrong with this realm?! We were HAPPY here! YOU were happy here!"
"Yes…I was…" said Zant in his hushed voice again. "But the light dwellers sentenced us here as punishment…"
"They may have sentenced our ancestors, but not us! We were BORN here, in this realm. This realm is our home! Why does it matter what they light dwellers did back then?" Zant closed his eyes. His head suddenly jerked sideways.
"It…doesn't really…" He shuddered violently. "I don't want it…anymore…" He grabbed his head. "No more…" His voice was no longer raspy and growing stronger. "No more…get…out of…my…head!" He threw his arms to his sides and looked to the sky and started screaming. A blood red cloud erupted from him, shooting into the sky. The more Zant yelled, the more of the red cloud he dispelled. He stopped screaming when the last of the cloud was hovering above them. He fell forward onto the stone floor and didn't move.
Link noticed his hair was changing from the black it was to a violently bright orange. He bent down to check if Zant was alive or not when a brilliant white light began to shine from the spot Minda was standing. Link looked over to see what was happening and what he saw made his jaw drop.
Minda was rising off of the floor and was encased in a sphere of white light. She began to change, her arms and legs lengthened as the light enveloped her. She got taller and assumed a more human figure, her long, violently orange hair reaching down her back. As the light faded, she was left standing there in a black cloak with an elaborate green swirl pattern, her eyes closed. She slowly opened them and stared at Link with her glowingly seafoam green eyes. She slowly looked over herself.
"Minda?" ventured Link. He was starring at her, slightly slack-jawed. He was amazed. Minda looked up and began to walk toward him.
"Link…thank you," she said. Her voice was still the same. She approached Link and hugged him tightly. "Thank you so very much." She looked up into his eyes. Link couldn't help notice how beautiful she looked with her soft face, half pale, half black, and her seafoam eyes staring into his.
"I didn't do anything. You were the one who saved Zant."
"Zant," she said as she pulled away from him. She bent down next to Zant and held her hand out above him, palm down. A green glow began to form in her hand, which she put on Zant's back. Zant suddenly stirred.
"Minda?" he said. He lifted his head weakly. "Nice to see you again."
"You too, brother." She grabbed him under the left arm. Link bent down to help, grabbing Zant under his right arm. The two pulled him up into a semi-standing position. "How are you feeling?"
"Well, aside from a little sore, I'm exhausted." He smiled at Minda, then turned to Link. "You are an excellent swordsman." Link wasn't sure what to say to this except thanks. They turned to go back into the castle when a low, evil laugh began to echo across the balcony. It kept growing louder and louder. "Oh no," said Zant.
"What is it?" asked Minda. The cloud above them had begun to swirl quickly. It was becoming smaller and more dense. It swirled into the outline of a human and started to turn black.
"Gannondorf," answered Zant. The black cloud formed the shape of a man. He was wearing black armor and had a blood red beard and hair. He was wearing an evil smirk. Slowly, he descended onto the balcony. When he landed, he looked up at the three and, in a deep mocking voice said, "So you're the new Hero of Time?" He laughed that deep, evil laugh again. "Well then, lets see what you've got."