"Link. Link! Don't be reckless!"

"If I don't destroy it soon the whole area will be drained of life! I have no time to strategize!"

A giant monster stood before them, made of pure darkness with a lion-shaped body and a snake's fangs. Its mane burned with black fire. It had a tail that was thick and long with a black jewel in the middle. Its claws dug into the earth, draining and devouring the life from the surrounding forest. Link charged toward the demon, Master Sword in hand. A fairy emitting silver light followed behind him.

"If you cut off its claws we may be able to prevent it from taking more life, but you have to hurry, it gets stronger with every passing second, Link."

As Link dashed toward the monster's claws, a tentacle sprang from its side and lashed at him. He parried just as two others came from the beast's chest. Now surrounded on all sides, Link began charging a spin attack. He waited until the tentacles were about to hit him before releasing his power. The tentacles dissolved but were only replaced by six bigger, stronger ones. He used his sword and shield to block the flurry of attacks. As he was distracted by the others, a tentacle snuck up behind him and wrapped itself around Link's ankle. It then pulled his feet out from under him and threw him backwards. Link landed on the rocky ground hard, but mostly unharmed.

"Link, you have to listen to me. Absorb my power, it will make you much stronger than you are now. At the moment, you can't even get close to the thing, much less kill it. You need more power."

"I have enough. I do not need yours."

"Yes, you do. Take it."

"No! I will not absorb your life just for the sake of getting stronger."

"I was never meant to be alive in the first place! When you drew the Master Sword its power was too much for your body to handle due to your lack of training. The power that you couldn't handle was taken and I was created from it. I am merely the incarnation of it! The goddess gave me the command to follow and aid you until you were strong enough to wield the full power of the Master Sword. It is the will of the goddess herself that you use my life!"

"If I took a life of a friend I'd be just as bad as that demon!"

"Link, don't be stu-"

"Stop trying to convince me, Strata! I still have power I haven't used yet!"

Link's body started glowing with a blinding white light and strips of his platinum blond hair began to turn silver. His sword emitted the brightest light of all.

"Idiot! You know there's a limited amount of times you can use that power!"

He darted forward toward the demon's tentacles. As they attacked, he let out a burst of power, disintegrating them in light without even lifting his sword. They continued relentlessly attacking him, but were unable to get within a few feet. Link was finally able to get close to the demon's claws. Although, the closer he got to it, the more the range of his light decreased. The power of the darkness around it was suppressing Link's power. The tentacles had given up their attack and retreated as Link became close enough to slice the first set of claws. He directed all his light energy to his sword, so it glowed even more fiercely and became twice as powerful as before. He ran up to the claws and drew back his sword, putting all the strength he could into the swing. Once he swung, a beam of light came from the sword, cutting off all the claws in a row. The demon roared as black blood oozed from the spot where the claws were detached. Then, suddenly, the evil pressure that was suppressing Link before grew greatly in strength. The light of his sword decreased to almost nothing and he had to struggle to stay standing. A tentacle whipped from the monster's stomach and wrapped around Link's torso. This time, it kept a tight grip on him as if rose up to the snake mouth of the demon. Link could still barely move from the dark pressure and was helpless as the light around him was extinguished. The only thing that remained of the power that had just been coursing through his body was three silver highlights in his hair. He was almost to its mouth when a bright silver streak slashed through the tentacle holding him. Link tumbled to the ground and luckily had the tentacle as a cushion when he landed. When he opened his eyes he saw Strata glaring down at him.

"You would have died if I hadn't been here to cut through that disgusting thing! You're so idiotic! If you would just combine my light with yours, you would be able to withstand the darkness that thing produces!"

Link stood and retrieved his sword and shield from the grass-covered earth, ignoring Strata.

"Why didn't cutting off its claws seem to weaken it any? It only got stronger once I did it."

"I was observing from a distance as you were attacking it. The jewel on its tail would flash whenever a new wave of tentacles attacked you. I believe that is where its power comes from."

"Okay then, I still have another chance at beating it."

"Not without me you don't."

"No, I can do this without you."

"How are you supposed to even get clo-... No. Link we don't even know if you could control that amount of power without me. You could destroy the whole forest! Or even yourself!"

"I have to try Strata. I can't take your life. I just can't do it."

Link lifted his sword in front of himself.

"No! Link, Stop!"

"I call upon the goddess Farore. Please lend me your abilities in my desperate time of need."

Link lifted the Master Sword above his head.

"Lend your strength to the Hero of the Goddess!"

A pillar of green fire blasted down from the heavens and enveloped Link completely. It receded after a moment, leaving Link pulsing with green fire. Automatically, he exploded forward at superhuman speed around the demon to its tail. Tentacles chased him, but Link covered so much distance, so fast, they couldn't keep up. Link reached the tail in seconds, leaping to the gem. The tail moved quickly and drew back so that he missed his opening. It then swung itself back at him with the gem facing the opposite way, so Link couldn't break it. Link brought his leg up and kicked the tail away in an explosion of green. The tail slammed into the ground, revealing the jewel. Link landed and lifted his sword to the sky once more. All the fire around his body receded to the sword. He threw his shield to the ground and jumped on the tail as it began to rise. He raised his sword above the gem with both hands and slammed it down, smashing it apart. There was silence, then laughter.

"You may have defeated me, but in the process, I have defeated you, Hero of the Goddess."

Darkness violently exploded from the gem, surrounding Link and extinguishing his flames.

"Link!"

Strata flew toward him but was too late. A sphere of darkness had already imprisoned him and was floating upwards. The demon slowly began to dissipate.

"The Hero of the Goddess will stay in that state for three years. When he comes out, however, he will no longer be the hero of a goddess, but the Hero of Darkness."

The last thing Link saw was the pitch black of his imprisonment and dark future.