Chapter Eight

Unexpected Events

He couldn't move if he wanted to. Down came the hero in all of his glory. With his widening red eyes, the mage wanted to flick his wrists up and obliterate the foolish Hyrulian or to drop his levitation spell to prevent the attack but he couldn't command his body or mind to act. Too frightened was he. Slowly the mage's eyes followed the sword to its destination.

Combining the magic of the Pegasus boots to quicken the effects of the Roc's feather that the champion kept in the heel of his left boot, Link flew higher and faster than he could believe. The wind flapped into the cap he wore. Pushing the Four Sword down, Link smiled, seeing the blade penetrating Vaati's shield. Hitting the mage's chest, victory was finally in Link's hand. Suddenly, the sword shattered into countless pieces.

Vaati watched it all with such horror; his relief was still lost to him. Link landed lightly on the ground, staring at the handle in disbelief. Feeling betrayed, the champion shook out of control and was barely able to keep a grip on the handle. Laughter drew his attention back to the skies.

"Oh, how the tides can change… like the wind," the mage cooed, wiggling his fingers about, causing the ball of energy to appear in his hand.

Taking his time to savior the moment, Vaati focused on his target. Cocking his arm to throw, the mage held the attack as green sparkles flew about him and landed in front of his enemy. Surprise overtook Vaati, causing him to lose his energy of power, as a second Link appeared before the first. Staring passed his ocarina; the Hero of Time was equally baffled to see someone who looked identical to himself was holding only a handle part of a sword.

"So the sword still held some magic. No matter…" before the wind mage could finish, a scream from the heavens brought all eyes above the flying wizard. Spitting a figure out of its tip, the vortex vanished. All Vaati could see was green as the figure slammed into him, forcing both of them to the ground. The crash landing didn't startle the Hero of the Winds, but he did feel pity for the one that cushioned his fall. Scratching the back of his head, the hunter chuckled.

"GET OFF OF ME!" hollered the wind mage. In a split second, a force greater than that of the vortex blew the hunter into the arms of the other two Links, fifty yards away. Staggering to his feet, eyes flashing red with hate, the wizard summoned his dark negative ball. No longer did he care for the moment, the mage threw the ball at the Links, using the wind to intensify the speed.

A wavy blur of shadow appeared between the Links and Vaati. Solidifying before the ball, the scream of denial become one of rage as the Hero of the Golden Land saw the magical orb coming right at him. Whoever was using that magic must've stripped him from his home by warping him wherever he was now. Cutting into the magic's fabric, the Blade of Evil Bane reflected the orb, right into its caster's chest.

"Er, argh," growled the wind mage. "I didn't expect these events. I'll see you next time."

Not caring about any of it, the knight threw a force of light at the enemy. Vaati was the faster, summoning a strong updraft which took him into the skies, flying far, far away from the four Links.

Turning to the other three, the knight seemed equally confused but only for a moment. His country needed him and one of the three might able to send him back. Immediately, the knight spoke the words everyone was thinking.

"What's going on here?"

Author's note: Things may get a little confusing here with the Links. When referring to the Hero of Time (Ocarina of Time Link) I'll be using the term 'wanderer.' For the Hero of the Winds (Wind Waker Link) I'll be using the term 'hunter.' For the Hero of the Golden Land (Link to the Past Link) I'll be using the term 'knight.' And for the Hero of the Four Sword (Four Sword Adventures Link) I'll be using the term 'champion.'