There was an indescribable pain that ran through me. It was not just the wounds that littered my body, but the agonizing knowledge that, despite everything, I had failed.
The beast loomed over me, his hot breath searing my wounds, his blood mixing with mine on the stone bricks. He was wary, cautious of any further move I would make. I could feel his questioning eyes pierce me, but it slowly dawned on him just as it had on me. The battle had ended, and the hero had lost.
Ganon rose, and plunged his sword into the ground, confident that he hod no more use for it. He kicked me in the side, sending waves of physical torment throughout my being. The pain was unbearable. He kicked me a second time. Blood rushed through my wounds and out of my mouth. I began to cough, and every convulsion was more painful than the last.
He dug his claws into me, deepening my injuries, and slowly lifted me from the ground. I was broken, and pathetic, and he smiled. A smile that seemed too large for his face, a smile that contorted his grotesque, blood-stained head. Malice seeped through his grin, and I felt it, like a dagger. He grew more and more assured of my defeat with each passing moment.
He dropped me with no hesitation. My body hit the ground with a dull, sickening thud. The beast dug his foot into me, twisting it, tearing my skin and soaking his matted fur further with my blood. He removed his foot and slowly walked away from me. His interest in my suffering had waned, like a broken toy that he had grown bored with.
I had almost forgotten the princess.
I wanted to see her. Fighting my screaming muscles, and my burning wounds, I turned to face her, and regretted it almost as soon as I had.
Her mouth was covered by her hands, and tears were streaming out of her eyes. Zelda, too, has grasped the situation. Nothing she could do would help her, or me. I was beyond the point of no return, and I could sense my consciousness fading.
I lay my head to rest on the stone. The rain that had raged on since the beginning of our fight had lessened, and I could see the light piercing through the clouds. It felt like a sign, almost as if the gods themselves had sensed my fall…
I couldn't sense much, but I could hear the princess scream. A mix of emotions resided in her voice, but I could sense anger. Anger directed towards not only Ganon, but to me as well. I wished I could have apologized, but Zelda was beyond my reach.
As the princess fought to resist Ganon for as long as she could, a thought ran through my head like lightning.
The Ocarina.
Did I have another chance? Would the song even work? I didn't have time to worry about it. I had so little time, and so little strength, but if I could try things one more time…
I unlatched the instrument from my waist and tenderly held it to my lips. My arms howled in protest, almost as if my body had accepted death. I hadn't, and I wouldn't lose twice to myself of all things.
The notes were soft and shaky, perhaps out of order, perhaps off-key. The ocarina fell from my hands, and skidded across the pavement. I looked to the newly lit sky, one free of rain, and accepted my fate.
The next few moments were strange.
I could feel the light above engulfing me. It was biting at my wounds, searing them, containing the blood to keep me just barely conscious. I was rising, rapidly, passing above the battlefield and through the clouds, into the sky. I saw visions of many things, some felt like a memory, others like premonitions. An endless ocean, a vast kingdom of darkness, a city in the sky…
Soon, I was walking in a bright light. Something foreign, yet strangely familiar. It was peaceful, but the danger of an impending evil resonated even there. My wounds were not completely healed, and each step felt as if I was swimming in hot coals. Nevertheless, I pressed on, sure of something in front of me, but uneasy with my own resolve.
The walk was most likely short, but it felt like a lifetime. The energy I had found in that realm was slowly drained from me, and at last I collapsed.
It was not the same place. As my senses receded from me for seemingly the last time, I could feel the floor beneath me, and I could hear panicked voices. Footsteps, whispers, shouts, demands, nothing was registering me, except for one voice. One voice that rang out above all others, and as my body finally gave in to my injuries, I heard that voice speak one sentence.
"It's going to be okay."