Link decided to head to Castle Town, where she wanted to talk to Telma and her crew. However, on her way, a trademark bark told her that her undead teacher had another lesson. She stopped, and allowed the gold wolf to pounce.
Link appeared in the misty arena, and curtsied in front of the skeleton.
We meet again, my child. Pray, have you used my last skill since we last met? the skeleton asked.
"I mean no offence when I say this, but there were no situations in which it came in handy in the meantime," Link said, somewhat disappointed.
Ah, I see. I agree, a watery temple is no place for swordplay. Let us hope you will have more chances to engage in sword duels after today. This next skill is a particularly difficult one for me, but I believe it will fit right at home for your battle style. Are you ready? the skeleton asked.
"I am ready," Link said.
Good. My fourth hidden skill is the helm splitter! Let it be hewn into your mind, the skeleton said.
Hero's Shade Skill 4: Helm Splitter
It is impossible to perform the back slice against armoured enemies that move swiftly in combat. Against such foes, perform a shield attack to cause a flinch, and then leap into the air, greeting them with your blade with an immediate strike from behind. Now, show me your mastery! the skeleton said. Link thrust her shield forward, and leaped high into the sky, slamming into the skeleton's helm with her blade, before lightly landing behind him.
Impressive. Be sure to tread lightly after your shield attack! the skeleton said.
"You're right… the helm splitter is really natural for me!" Link said. The skeleton nodded.
I expected it might. That concludes today's lesson, the skeleton said.
"I am grateful for your teachings… truly. I will be sure to find the time to practice these skills before we meet next…" Link said. The field vanished.
Link gently knocked on the door to Telma's bar, and stepped inside.
"Oh my, if it isn't Link?" Telma called from the bar. Several heads turned, but Link adjusted her sword, and the bar continued their drinking.
"How have you been? You've got good timing: I was just talking about you!" Telma said, as Link came up to the bar. "Introduce yourself to the people over there… they're a resistance group. Want a drink?" Telma continued. Link nodded, and inspected her inventory. There was some milk she had gotten earlier, but it was horribly spoiled.
"You wouldn't happen to have any milk, would you?" Link asked. Telma shook her head.
"Then I'll pass," Link said, putting a red rupee on the bar, and walking over to the resistance group. Telma looked at the rupee tentatively, but realising that Link wasn't going to retrieve it, set it in her till. Link sat down at the table.
"My name's Link," Link said. Everyone nodded, and the closest person to Link, a woman, shook her hand, bowing. Link noted she was the only one standing.
"Nice to finally meet you. We are most of the resistance group for Hyrule. The final member is currently tending to the deserts of the east. Auru is his name, should you meet him," one of the men said. He was very gentle in appearance, and wore glasses. Link suspected he was the brains of the operation.
"And what might your names be?" Link asked.
"I am Shad. I have heard of how formidable you are on the field of battle… I'm rather the opposite. Well, I am formidable for my immense knowledge… but does that really count when it comes to fighting?" the man who spoke first said, confirming Link's suspicions.
"Nonsense, we need you. My name is Ashei. Like you, I am versed in the arts of war, learning on the mountains with my father. I'm not very skilled when it comes to courtesy, though, so fair warning. The only thing I was taught for social meeting was how to identify nobles, commoners, and such things as that. And I think I failed that… you wouldn't happen to be a noble, would you?" the woman who shook Link's hand said.
"Noble? Me? Are we sure this group is fighting to keep Hyrule from turning to rubble?" Link asked.
"Nonsense, Link, you sell yourself short. …Actually, you probably wouldn't be suited for aristocracy. Never mind. You might recognise me, Link…" the third man said, removing his helmet. It was Rusl, Link's teacher.
"Rusl! The kids are-" Link started in excitement.
"All right. I have seen them already. I must thank you for what you have done. I have taught you all I know, and you have surpassed me… I suppose that is due to my own inaction, though. Our group can still help you, though," Rusl said. Link nodded.
"No offense to your skill, Rusl, but I have received a second teacher. Not just the greatest teacher, experience, but also another one who's teaching me a few interesting swordplay techniques," Link said.
"Who?" Rusl asked.
"I don't know his name myself, and I doubt you can find him. He only shows up for me… and I don't summon him. He comes when he comes," Link said.
"Interesting… Do you like his tuition?" Rusl asked.
"…Yes. I do. He is firm, but he's a kind spirit. If he wa… isn't a male version of me in personality, I'm the world champion of needlepoint," Link said. Rusl nodded.
"As long as you appreciate what you learn," Rusl said.
"Anyway, I should probably go see what this Auru is doing," Link said. She got up, and left the bar.
Link went to Lake Hylia, near the eastern part of Hyrule. She found an elderly man atop a tower, looking over at the desert. Link approached him, and coughed.
"My name is… Link. Does that…" Link asked, hoping this would be a good idea.
"Link, is it? Telma told me of you… I am Auru. I am part of the group that takes refuge with Telma. I have heard about your deeds… You have no doubt heard of the strange events in the desert, no?" the old man said.
"I am here about the desert, yes," Link said. This was a good idea.
"Ah, yes. The Gerudo Desert once held a prison for some of the worst criminals known to this land… The criminals sentenced to death were sent to the underworld through a mirror found in that prison. Now that prison is condemned, and even the road leading to the desert is impassable. But the cursed mirror is still there…" Auru said. Link looked at her shadow.
"Found it," Link mouthed. Midna nodded from inside the shadow.
"These old bones know that the evil plaguing our fair land is related to that jail. So I have come to learn the truth… Miss Link, what will you do now?" Auru asked.
"I will go into the desert, and find that mirror!" Link said.
"Really? Then allow good old Auru to aid you…" Auru said. "Give Fyer this. Once he gets it, he will aid you." Auru handed Link a small memo, and Link accepted it.
"I saved Fyer's life, and he owes me. And I doubt any man would refuse to aid you," Auru said.
"I don't know… I've seen exactly that happen… by the sorts of perverts you'd expect to jump to action, no less. But I trust your judgement. If you believe this falls under Fyer's debt, then I shall attempt to use it anyway," Link said, turning and leaving.
Link walked around to the portly Fyer, and pulled out Auru's memo.
"Auru would like to call in a favour…" Link asked gently. Fyer took the memo, and read it over.
"I see. Well, this is all in order… Load yourself into the cannon, and I'll send you to one of my secret locations… the oasis!" Fyer said. Link climbed into the cannon Fyer stood in front of, and hopped in. She curled over, a little bit intimidated. The cannon pointed up, and aimed to the east. With a massive blast, Link was sent flying.
Link landed inside the oasis, and floated to the surface. She coughed a little, spitting out water. Midna appeared beside her, standing on the water.
"Princess… before we press forward, there is something I want you to hear," Midna said.
"Tell me, Midna," Link said. She swam out of the oasis, and perched on a rock, beginning to absently dry out her hair.
"Do you remember what Lanayru said about the Fused Shadow? What do you think happened to the magic wielders who attempted to use it to take over the Sacred Realm?" Midna asked.
"…They were punished, and badly?" Link asked. "I don't pay much attention to religion. I forget what happens when you tick off which goddess."
"They were banished. They were chased into another realm by the goddesses. It was another world… while the sun shines bright in Hyrule, this antithesis was a land of perpetual twilight. Those who lived there became shadows that could not mingle in light. Eventually, it got the name of the Twilight Realm, and all who enter could not return. They were doomed to live in twilight forever, mere shadows of Hyrule…
"This is the history of the Twili as has been passed down by our ancestors. Does this help you understand what I am? I'm a descendant of the tribe that was banished to the Twilight Realm!" Midna said.
"…Sort of. But does it really matter? I mean, you are just a cute girl whose one mistake was being born into a family whose ancestors once kinda pissed off our goddesses… What does this have to do with anything important?" Link asked.
"…Thank you. Well… our Twilight Realm is actually quite peaceful. Well, until Zant took control and converted the Twili into beasts of shadow. He must have gained a great, evil power unknown to our tribe to do so… in any case, I was cursed to assume this shape, and was sent from my realm. I can no longer get back without his power…" Midna said.
"Poor girl…" Link said.
"There is one thing, though… though the goddesses forbade us to return to the light, they left one link between light and darkness. The Mirror of Twilight, passed among the protectors of Hyrule. It's the only way to the Twilight Realm… you must obtain it!" Midna said.
"Of course. I will accompany you for this journey," Link said. Midna smiled, and dived into Link's shadow. Link got up, and ran towards the prison to the north of the oasis she landed by. As she ran, she heard a short bark. She recognised the sound, and moaned slightly. She stopped, and allowed the pounce.
She appeared in the misty land once more, and looked ahead at the skeletal teacher.
We meet again. I am aware you have had no chance for swordplay… forgive my intrusion. I deemed it necessary to teach you this one forgotten technique as you approached the areas ahead, the skeleton said.
"Thank you for your kindness… I was feeling so guilty…" Link said. The skeleton laid a hand on her shoulder.
Like I said, I am sorry for the haste of my return. Anyway, this technique is a particularly dangerous one, and not for the faint of heart. Do you have courage enough for what must be done? the skeleton asked. Link nodded.
Naturally. The fifth hidden skill is the mortal draw! Let it be hewn into your mind!
Hero's Shade Skill 5: Mortal Draw
The ways of the sword are common knowledge to some foes, and as such, they may come prepared against back slices and helm splitters. It would be most effective, in this instance, to use the mortal draw. To use this skill, you must forget the two most elementary of sword techniques: zed focusing, and actually drawing your sword. Lie in wait, a seemingly innocent figure with no chance of survival… and, before they suspect a thing, draw your blade! There is no defence for this skill. Mortal draw dishes out death. Attempt this skill… the skeleton said. He approached Link, and Link lay in wait. To make the bait more appealing, she twiddled her hair. The skeleton frowned, and came closer to deal a blow. Link's sword thrust into the skeleton's side the next nanosecond, sending him clattering into a pile of bones. He began to reform, and plucked one of his ribs from Link's sword.
Now I see why she is so effective in combat… anyway, you have clearly mastered the mortal draw. Be sure to be careful, as your life is at risk. Do not attempt to make your bait more appealing than you can withdraw from. That concludes today's lesson, the skeleton said.
"Thank you," Link said. The field vanished.
Link approached the old prison, and looked around. The old place was once a stone labyrinth of sorts, but the rooms had fallen into disrepair, and quicksand pits were common sights: perhaps more common than stone itself. She stepped through a few rooms, to find a room with four blue flames. Some ghostly lanterns appeared, and scooped up the flames, sealing a door shut.
"Now who designed that?" Link asked. Not expecting an answer, she jumped towards the lanterns, missing all four. The lanterns approached Link, making giggling noises. Link sheathed her sword, distraught. The four lanterns approached Link, and prepared an attack. Link's mortal draw re-killed the ghosts holding the lanterns, shattering the lanterns, and re-lighting the doors. Ghostly rags appeared around Link, and the door opened.
"The mortal enemy of the unmortal: mortal draw!" Link said triumphantly.
"That's a lot of mortal…" Midna said. Link shrugged, and entered the door.
Link was met with an intimidating figure. The creature screamed, and approached Link. Link tried to move, but she found herself petrified. The creature grabbed Link, and gave her a massive bear hug. Link found herself disgusted, both at the creature and her own cowardice. She threw off the creature, jumped to one side, and used a back slice. She used a finishing blow, and defeated that enemy. She quivered. She pressed on, fearful about her abilities. She moved to the next room, and saw a massive blade.
"I… I am not afraid…" Link said. It was a lie, mostly. The sword pulled itself from the stone, and swung at Link. Link stabbed at the sword, missing, but hitting a robed figure with the head of a cow… skull. Link shot the figure with two arrows, sinking it to its knees. She smacked the creature's head, sending it's skull into a wall, smashing it. The robes dissolved, and the sword exploded into small bugs. All that was left was a small little device.
"What does this do?" Link asked, her fears momentarily forgotten. She touched it, and it jumped to life. It was spinning on the floor, perpetually in motion. She hopped on top of it, and found herself not spinning. She put pressure on one end, and found herself moving that way.
"It's like a spinner…" Midna remarked.
"Hm… I wonder what I can do with this…" Link asked. She found an impression in a wall, and nudged the Spinner into it. She started flying across the wall along the impression, and continued her search through the prison.
Link found herself in a cavernous chamber. In the centre of the room was a colossal fossil, of some creature with a bull's head and four digits. A figure appeared atop it. Zant.
"Darn it! Darn it! You live, you little… no wonder people call you 'heroine'! But you are still a woman, and even the bravest woman has her fears… this is a bittersweet reunion! This is the last time I will see you threateningly. For I will be turning YOU into a skeleton… or at least, a blubbering wreck!" Zant said.
"I am NOT afraid, Twili monster!" Link said. But doubt was seeping through her mind… that other undead creature earlier…
Zant had placed an enchantment upon the skeletal creature in the centre of the room. Its eyes glowed red and it slowly emerged from the sands. It was now peeping out from the waist up.
Twilit Fossil STALLORD!
Link hopped on her Spinner, and shot herself into the sand. She hit the spine of Stallord, knocking out a chunk of spine before returning to an outer rail. Stallord looked about, and summoned some skeletal sentinels. Link shivered, and dived into the mess. She plinked off several sentinels, and hit the spine again. Stallord summoned some more sentinels, and before Link could reach the rail, the sentinels plinked her back into the spine.
"What. An. Idiot. How is this supposed to be scary?" Link asked. Stallord fell to the floor, and the sand drained from the room, where more rails appeared around the side. The centre platform shot up suddenly, giving Link a startle. The bovine head of Stallord reanimated, and began to float. Link charged, but Stallord kept his distance. Link swerved to the rails on the pillar, and shot towards Stallord. Stallord breathed fireballs in Link's direction, and Link jumped from side to side. Link jumped into Stallord's face, and plunged him to the floor. Link stepped to the skull.
"They call this the splitter of helms… but I wonder if it works on skulls?" Link said. She slammed her shield into the skull, before using the helm splitter attack. The skull exploded, proving Link's theory. She felt herself shaking, and she took deep breaths to slow that fear. A passage appeared above her, and she began to climb it.
Link circled up a tower, and approached the tower's top, where a golden statue rested. It held a large mirror in its hands.
"This is… well, it should be the Mirror of Twilight…" Midna said.
"But there's only a quarter of it here… so, will it be just my left leg that appears in the Twilight Realm or something?" Link asked.
"This is no laughing matter!" Midna said. Link nodded, and looked up, noticing something.
A dark entity lurks in the twilight… it houses an evil power… a voice said. Or rather, five voices said in unison. Five spirits appeared above them, standing on five of six pillars. One pillar remained empty.
You there, being guided by fate… you there, being in possession of the crest of the goddesses… hear us.
At the command of the goddesses, the lineages of the sages have guarded the Mirror of Twilight since ancient times.
You seek this… but the Mirror of Twilight has been fragmented… by mighty magic!
That magic is a dark power that only… he possesses.
His name is… Ganondorf.
The five spirits spoke in turn, where Link needed to keep track of which was speaking when.
He was the leader of a band of thieves who invaded Hyrule in the hopes of dominating the Sacred Realm… I feel ashamed to count myself among them…
He was known as a demon thief, an evil magic wielder renowned for his ruthlessness… he scared my disciple…
But… he was blind… blind to the light…
In all of his fury and might, he was blind to any dangers, and was brought to justice by a young boy with the blood of a hero… a hero I nurtured into being…
We executed the king, of course. But, uh… he didn't die. Blast him…
He killed a friend of ours, the sixth sage, Ruto…
By some divine prank, he was revealed to have been chosen by the goddesses. Like the hero who defeated him and the princess of Hyrule at the time, he bore a fragment of Triforce.
He also took the Sword of the Sages… we probably should've taken that out of him…
We sealed Ganondorf in the Twilight Realm. But Ruto will be sorely missed…
The sages took the time to mourn the passing of the sixth sage. Link took the time to keep track of what happened, because the five speaker thing was throwing her off.
His abiding hatred and lust for power turned to pure malice…
Perhaps that evil power found itself in that Zant's hands…
"Yeah, um, guys? Sages, whatever your names are… trying to figure out the source of Zant's power now is a bit too late for action…" Midna said.
Fret not, companion of a Link. Only the true leader of the Twili can shatter the Twilight Mirror… Zant just tore it to pieces. This mirror can be fixed.
The Mirror of Twilight has become fragments, which are hidden across Hyrule…
One is in those snowy mountains….
One is hidden in an old domain…
And one is high in the sky…
You who have been chosen by the goddesses … you should be able to find and gather the pieces three. You must be prepared, child. Dangerous power lurks in the fragments of mirror…
The sages vanished. Midna appeared from Link's shadow, and teleported Link away from the Arbiter's Grounds.