THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: AN OLD THREAT, A NEW ERA

Co-Written by Brian A and Erico

Chapter Eight: The Foretold Apocalypse

By Erico

Link knew he would die. That point rang inevitably in his mind as he was once again slammed into the wall by a bolt of energy from Agahnim's hands. He wanted to wipe that covered smirk from the old blue wizard's face, the rage of betrayal he felt burned intensely in his heart and with it he thought he could forge the blade, which would smite the evil at last.

"Oh, come, come Link," Agahnim said as he fired another bolt. "I'm still reading your thoughts. Your pitiful threats are no match for us. We have lived for millennia upon millennia." Link staggered to get up, but then slumped weakly to the floor. His body screamed at him for relief, and he could give it none. Link was hopelessly lost. He had faced battles like this one before…but each time he overcame the odds because 'Aganhim' spoke to him and gave him advice. Now he saw what the batty wizard, the pawn of King Ganondorf had been doing all along.

Pulling him in, until at last he could not scramble out. Agahnim ceased firing, but now Link did not even look up. He was so enveloped in shock; both from the attack and the incredible mental torture that not even the strongest willed soul could have overcome it.

Agahnim laughed loudly, turning to his master. "The boy is wounded beyond his ability to fight, master. We have won at last."

Ganondorf frowned. "Not yet. We must extract his Triforce."

Agahnim nodded. "Ah, yes. You must claim the sacred relic as your own. I will prepare the spell for you…"

Ganondorf suddenly laughed lowly. "Fool," he said to his wizard. "Why waste time doing it the hard way when I can extinguish his flame and take it from his corpse?" And suddenly, Agahnim's blood chilled.

Zelda and her troupe finally pulled up to the towering spire, only to find that police units were already there, their guns now being trained on the obviously involved limousine.

"What the…" Mido began, but Malon gritted her teeth.

"Link's been here, all right. The cops have been called to a disturbance. And now we're a part of it."

"Enough!" Rauru cried out. "The sages and I will hold the officers at bay with our magic. You, Mido and Zelda must hasten to the tower-top and aid Link." He pushed a button beside his seat and the sunroof opened easily. With great calm, he floated himself up and out of the top, until he stood on the car's roof. The other five sages quickly followed in fashion. Rauru opened his calm but fiery eyes and he found himself looking at who he assumed was the situation leader of the police squads. Even as more units pulled up, efficiently keeping the limo from going anywhere, the bushy mustached man spoke.

"You will get down and hold your hands behind your backs! You are under arrest!"

Rauru put on a look of innocence. "On what charge, officer?"

The policeman spoke up again. "Mr. Ganondorf has called us, informing us that you have come on a terrorist action. We will use deadly force, is that clear?"

Rauru smiled. "Perfectly. But I'm afraid you have a few thing mixed up." Rauru sighed and lifted his hands, joining them with the other five sages. The officers raised their pistols and assault rifles to firing position, but held their fire. Rauru led the six sages in the chant, and soon every officer within two city blocks was snoozing peacefully. Rauru smiled. "Ether. Works every time, when you hold the power down." True enough, Ether was an anesthetic, and one, which had given the opposition a nap. At higher levels of power, the spell would have engulfed everything within range in a frigid frost. Rauru stomped his foot on the car roof. "Now is your chance, my children. Run!" Zelda, Malon and Mido didn't need to hear it twice, as they scrambled out of the limo and began a run towards the tower.

Little did they know that this desperate act was already a futile one.

Zelda, Malon and even the bumbling Mido scurried along as fast as they could. Occasionally they found pockets of resistance in the climb, but the threat was always dispatched either by a well-timed Stun Deku Nut, or a blast of power from Zelda's piece of the Triforce. But even with the speed that they were moving, Zelda found time to try and reach Link with her mind. The operation was simple enough; any person who could use magic could speak through the mystical haze, the dimensional worldly difference of magic. Magic that co-existed in the same physical space, but on a totally different phase of motion.

Link…Link, can you hear me? Zelda probed out, her mental words scanning for the weak signal high above her that she knew to be him. But then…another voice she could hear. Not speaking directly to her, but a voice nonetheless. A voice that was torturing Link. She grimaced at the sinister sound, the grating noise comparative to nails and chalkboard. It was evil, and evil would always repulse good.

Yes, Link. Give in…your fight is hopeless and the cause is lost. All of time, space and magic belong to Ganondorf…the King of Evil. It wasn't Ganondorf, no, Zelda could tell. It was a weaker voice, but still one with great power. And in all of Hyrule's history, the path traced by the Triforce relic, there had only been one other like that.

"Agahnim." Zelda spat out the word, as if trying to dispel the foul taste in her mouth that it gave her. "That bastard's messing with Link's head." Mido and Malon turned for a moment as they ran then turned back.

Only Malon spoke, as Mido sprang ahead with a spread of Deku Nuts. "How?"

Zelda looked on, her eyes dead with the utter hatred she was receiving on the link. "Telepathically. Agahnim's playing mind games…making Link lose the fight. It's the sickest way to win. No honor…"

"Whadidya expect, Zel? These guys are playing for keeps, and if they're winning, they might already have his Triforce piece." Those words, said so utterly plainly by the red-haired Malon struck at Zelda, like the bullet that at last pierced the armor of her emotional protection. The thought haunted her—could Link truly be dead? No. It can't be. He is the Hero of Legend, the true carrier of the Triforce of Courage. Fate would not play such a foolish game with them—would it?

"I don't even want to think about that, Malon!" Zelda snapped as she suddenly lashed out with a magical beam. The entire rank of Lizalfos that Mido had been struggling with fell dead, and Malon at last saw Zelda had been pushed to the extreme.

And Malon knew by what. In all of that royal dignity and the stiff-upper lip crap, inside that formidable shell which hid her true feelings—Malon had seen the true Zelda in that chink. A Zelda, which had a far deeper reason to be concerned about the feisty and utterly inexperienced boy known as Link besides the fact he held the future of the world in his actions—Zelda cared for him. How deeply, Malon could only ponder, but as they continued upwards, Malon knew the answers would come, and come very soon.

For Malon knew people, and in the darting eyes of Zelda she saw a passion…but what? A passion for the hero: or a passion for Link?

"Ganondorf, you don't need to kill the boy! He is weak and foolish…"

"And a threat if he lives," Ganondorf said sternly as he reached up to the wall and grasped his trident—a magical weapon, which he had not used in a long while, since he fought the second Link. He spun it around a few times, getting the feel for its weight and range again. Then with a cry of anger, he threw the spear to his side. The trident spun in a wide circle, slicing the wall to ribbons. Satisfied, the grinning Gerudo called back to it, and the weapon returned. Agahnim's mind was beginning to hazily cry out—but why? Isn't this what he wanted? Somewhere in the murky depths, the ancient desert Necromancer didn't think so. Of course, his memory had always been a bit fuzzy. But there was something—something there that he wanted to know, but was just out of reach. And at the moment, there were more important things to do besides play Memory.

A part of his conscience was crying out to save the boy, but he did not know how. He could not oppose his master—one he was loyal, and two the move was suicide. He could not directly influence any decision, or make any action. He could only speak his mind, and if that went too far, the wizard knew what Ganondorf would do. Ganondorf was evil: not stupid.

"How is this whelp a threat once his Triforce is gone? Without it, he will just be another simpleton, another being in a world where he is powerless. You would rule him as you did the world, one of your slaves," Agahnim argued. But then Ganondorf cocked his head over to Agahnim, his most trusted servant, and looked at him in a way he had never done before. Ganondorf's glaring eyes were saying only one thing; I don't trust you. Agahnim nearly gulped, only stopping when he realized the action of fear would only further prove to Ganondorf his guilt—the guilt of caring.

"It would be wise for you to hold your tongue, Agahnim. You are strong, but I am by far much stronger than you could ever hope to be. I call this strike one. The next is three. Strike out with me, wizard, and you die." Agahnim nodded somberly. Ganondorf must be growing weak, or perhaps he was so close to victory that ruthless edge was fading out in the excitement. In any case, Agahnim had gotten off lucky.

Ganondorf smiled wickedly as an idea formed in his head. "Agahnim, seeing as you and I have been associates for many years, let us come to a meeting point. Recently, your actions involving this…creature …have been less than your usual self has. I give you a chance to prove yourself as a worthy member of the cause here. Destroy the boy, and all is forgiven. Refuse—and you speak your last sentence before oblivion in my void between dimensions." Agahnim shuddered, for he had heard the stories of Ganondorf's many years of exile to that realm, and the stories were nowhere near being pleasant. A realm: with no hope, total dark—solitude. Maddening. Solitude…Hell in its purest form. And then: it was at that moment, Agahnim realized something. A realization that would stand out in time: like many others. That we could go to space: that the world was round. That we weren't the center of the Universe: that Ganondorf was as close to being Satan as anyone could get. Perhaps—Gods forbid—Ganondorf was the true essence of the evil incarnate.

And the only thing he could do was to comply. Slowly, Agahnim began to walk towards Link, raising his left hand and building a massive ball of magical energy—the deathblow, which would forever send the boy to his fate beyond the measurable dimensions. Link was near death; his vision glazed over, his body unmoving, that flappable tongue now dangling loosely from his open mouth. His skin and frame; scorched and charred from blow after blow of magic. His magic, Agahnim thought. Somewhere within the depths of his mind there cried a voice that told him to spare the boy. But Agahnim could not obey. If he did not do it, then Ganondorf would destroy him and do the job himself. Agahnim sighed softly, so softly that he could not even hear it. In the hope that somewhere within that broken body still lay the conscious mind of Link, he said the only thing he could.

I'm sorry. Then Agahnim raised his hand…

Only to be blasted back into Ganondorf as a bright yellow beam of magical energy struck him full on, dealing him a good amount of damage.

"No!" a voice cried. The pained ears of Agahnim perked up: a woman's voice? Zelda, no doubt, come to save the hero. Well, he wouldn't stop her. Now, there was another option. He had to obey Ganondorf, but he could not do that if he could not fight. And as Agahnim thought, I've been struck a good blow, which has hindered my abilities.

Ganondorf cried out in surprise. "What?" Mido and Malon rushed from behind the staunch figure of the accursed Princess Zelda, running to the crumpled form of Link and picking him up with speed only adrenaline could give them. But a furious Ganondorf raised his trident, pointing the prongs at the moving group walking away towards the window of his office.

"Oh, no you don't!" Ganondorf smirked, and he launched his trident like a javelin. It whistled through the air, howling like a Minnewerfer shell of WWI, until it struck a member in the group that accompanied Link.

Mido found himself pinned to the ground, two of the points having pierced through his torso, and he screamed. But only for an instant, as the weapon suddenly shone—no—glimmered with dark intensity that enveloped his figure from the prongs—leaving moments later to show a totally de-fleshed skeleton remaining where the blustering Mido had once been. Malon did not bother to look back at her fallen friend, for she knew his fate. Now, she could only concern herself with the fate of Link.

And by God, it wouldn't end here. With force that she never dreamed she would hold, Malon picked up Link like a sack of potatoes and kicked the window pane outwards. The high wind whistled and stung her face, but Malon did not pause for a moment. With a cry of primal protection, she lunged out the window, letting gravity take hold of her, and the hero. Zelda soon followed, moments later, and just in time. A screaming Ganondorf utterly destroyed the tower Spire as his dark magic was released in a powerful shock wave of aggression. They fell for seconds on end, dropping five floors a second—until the six Sages below took hold of them with their powers and brought them to a gentle halt on the ground.

The driver of the limo perked his head up from the window of the car, a look of concern on his face. Zelda looked at him sternly. "Get in that driver's seat and turn this thing on. We must flee…now!"

Rauru and the sages tapped her on the shoulder. "Not all of us, Zelda. Only you, Malon and Link can escape this. The sages must hold Ganondorf at bay while you retreat."

Zelda stared at him in shock. "That is suicide!" Zelda said stoutly.

Rauru nodded. "We know. We also know that the only hope of defeating Ganondorf lies in Link…and the Master Sword. He is too weak to fight, that is why you must run. So he may fight another day. I doubt we will live long enough to retrieve the sword for him again…." Rauru paused as he looked at the others. They stared at him plainly, but each giving a curt nod. Rauru sighed. "Therefore, we must bring it to light now." Rauru and the others gathered in a circle once more, closing their hands in an unbroken chain. They chanted a long sentence of syllables, and then the ground shook with intensity…but no Pedestal of Time or sword emerged. Rauru dropped his hands and turned to Zelda. "We have brought forth the sword…but only Link can retrieve it. We have placed it out of reach of Ganondorf, where he cannot destroy it. But you must leave now. Tell Link when he feels he is ready to obtain the weapon, he need only call to it. If he is…then he will retrieve it with no problems." Just then, a massive explosion occurred overhead, and Rauru lifted his white and chubby face in worry. He swiveled it back to Zelda. "You must take Link far away from here. There is an old woman in a shop downtown…part of the resistance. She will have the life-rejuvenating potion you need to restore Link to full vitality. We must confront Ganondorf. It will be a fight we have no chance of winning—but then we have always known that." Rauru bowed slightly to the Princess, then turned and faced the other five Sages. Each nodded, then lifted their heads and began to chant even more, a slow glow emanating from each of them until they were nothing more than orbs of light…amethyst, topaz, golden, crimson, emerald and sapphire. Then the orbs shot off up into the sky, to do an act of futile heroism; fight the King of Evil.

"What the…man, something's trying to pound its way outta my head here," Link grumbled. He had a splitting headache, and the fact that he felt like last week's, overcooked steaks didn't help. Then it all came to him in a flash. "Agahnim, I'm gonna shove your head so far up your…"

"Ask anyone and they'll tell you this place gets a bit spooky at times." A new voice was heard, and Link sprang into action, reaching for his sword. Shoot. He had lost it back during the fight. The fight he had lost. Of course, he should have lost it. That constant voice of reassurance and aid was nothing more than a trick: a trick that had been laid out for him to step into. But Link sighed; knowing remembering the past would not help him now. He had to face the future. He opened his eyes and looked around, stopping in surprise as he saw a floating figure in the air. The figure was a man; hadn't shaved in a while from the looks of it and his jaw jutted out in an odd position…Lockjaw? Nah, that condition had been eliminated years ago with Tetanus…

Link's own jaw dropped in shock. Something wasn't right here. The brown baggy clothed man laughed raucously, floating over next to him. "At least you got your smarts, Link. That's a good thing."

Link frowned at him. "Exsqueeze me, buster. I've had plenty of surprises in a very short time, so you'd better explain yourself fast."

The man nodded. "Well, obviously I'm not ordinary. I am Dampé the Gravedigger…well, I suppose its Dampé the Ghost now, isn't it?"

Link grunted in response. "And which part of the past do you come from?"

Dampé smiled. "Oh, I've been around here since Link the First. But I suppose a question you really should have asked is…'where the devil am I?'"

Link smiled a bit. "Yeah, that's kinda' relevant."

Dampé cleared his throat. "Link, you are caught between voids. Between the world you know…and the spirit world I help others to proceed into." Link blinked, but the incredulous response Dampé was expecting never came. "Er…Link, that's a bad thing."

"Yeah, so? Everything else has gone horribly wrong, so why not this?" Link's attitude was less than full candor, and it showed. Link was in a state of depression and despair. He'd screwed up plain and simple, and no one could tell him different…although, no one would. That's the deal, Link thought. People will ding you more often than help you. "I accept the fact I'm dead, fine. Probably the best thing under the circumstances, too. I was a loose cannon, and in the end I just blew up in my own face." Dampé frowned, then reached over and kicked Link in the shin. Link doubled over in pain, and Dampé snapped at him.

"Link, knockit off, willya? This is no time to quit the game. You may be down…but you aren't out yet. And as long as I'm here with you…you aren't going to be Mr. Mope."

Link glared at the ghost. "Your job is to play Taxi Driver for spirits, right? Then explain to me why you won't shuttle me across the River Styx."

Dampé sighed. "Because it isn't your time yet. Fate has quite a lot for you to do in your life…and until that is done you cannot die. I am a multipurpose ghost, Link. But I don't think that I can convince you of anything, much less that you need to get up and fight. That job—that job belongs to someone you know and love." Dampé suddenly froze as a shovel appeared in his left hand. "Link, this is my trusty shovel. In life, I dug up treasures on the Heart Pounding, Gravedigging Tour. Now I dig up spirits from their rest to speak with loved ones." Dampé pointed the tip of the spade to the ground below, which Link could not see. He put his other hand on the top of the handle, then drove the entire shovel deep down. When he pulled it back up, there was a hole with light below it. And he could see two balls of luminescence floating up towards him and Dampé. They hung in the air, then elongated, becoming human figures…

…The figures of his foster parents. Link didn't know what to say, and all that came from his throat was a squeak of surprise and shock. His mother smiled and reached out a hand to his shoulder. "Hello, Link. I'm sorry about the drinking thing, but I know you are too. Don't feel sorry for us—we died for a reason. So you could fight and save the world." His father approached him, too, and Link embraced them both in a hug. There were no words to say; just the emotions they shared were enough.

"Zel…we're losing him!" Malon cried out. Her hand was next to Link's throat, taking a pulse. His body, burned and bruised from every angle looked more like an autopsy report than a living being.

But for what the racing Limo was facing, he might as well be dead. Wolfos ran through the streets, howling at every turn, pursuing the white cruiser with unstoppable fury. Zelda, standing up her head poked through the sunroof occasionally sent out a blast to deter them—but to no avail. For every Wolfos she downed, two more took its place in the pack. Ganondorf had sent out all his forces at last, and there was nothing that the law enforcement could do about it. The world was in peril once more because they ignored the threat.

And if they couldn't reach that old woman in the Potion Shop, Zelda knew they might just as well throw in the towel. Zelda's mind raced with clashing emotions. One part of her wanted to yell and scream at him endlessly for being such a fool; but another part wanted to protect him at every cost. The mission, or the man? Zelda no longer knew the difference. She was attracted to Link, but at every turn he was so boisterous, so flamboyant Zelda's fragile heart broke a little more.

The biggest piece had shattered off twenty minutes ago, when she saw him lying there, totally destroyed with only that one thin thread of life…a thread which was not Link's, but the Triforce that he held. As long as courage existed, there would be enough musters to push on with life. And Zelda could find herself saying only one thing. "Hang on, Link. Please, Link, for me. Live. Live!" And then Zelda's world crashed around her as she fell apart. Every bit of emotion that she had ever held back—in pride, for morale, for dignity: Zelda finally lost it. Malon had to bite back tears of her own as she held the sobbing Princess to her chest. Malon could feel Zelda's grief, and she had grief of her own.

But the time was not right. Malon had to be strong…or all of them would be extinguished.

Link too, like Zelda was also having an emotional breakdown. But the reasons were much different. Zelda cried because of lost hope; Link cried for joy. He was with his family once more, in the void of which Dampé guarded. There had been endless hugging, words spoken that had not been, reassurances laid.

And Link felt better. At least enough that he didn't feel so discouraged about his situation. His mother, ever smiling in the place of everlasting happiness, along with his father on endless greens and meadows of golf. He had seen his true mother, spoken with the Links of the past, and shared every bit of information he could. They too, saw the matter quite seriously, but each and every Link from his first blond ancestor to the brown haired young man, which had died 200 years ago…each Link, had assured their modern counterpart that he could succeed.

As Link waved his good-byes to all of the Links and marched off with his head held high. But as he moved farther and farther away from the light and closer to Dampé, his parents seemed to grow dimmer and dimmer. And at last he turned and looked in concern. "Mom, what's happening?"

The serene figure of the mother he had grown up with smiled warmly at him, with only a tint of sadness. "We have to return, Link. The light needs us." Link nodded, trying to be brave. But he could still feel a tear begin to well up in his eye.

His father saw it, too. "Sport, you don't have to feel ashamed of being sad." He paused and pulled the tear from Link's eye with a finger. "After all, if you don't feel sad, how can you be happy?" Link laughed. His father—still saying the same thing he always had.

"I still feel like I should stay here."

His mother nodded. "It's hard to leave. This is such a happy place—like a dream in the morning that never ends." She walked closer and gave him a hug, and Link could hear a sniffle. "But right now, the world needs you more than we do…more than the light does. I know you have it in you…you always did. Make us proud, son. Make us all proud." Link nodded, returning the firm embrace and then he stepped away. His parents waved one last time, and then they blinked out in a flash of light.

Link turned to Dampé, a new and fresh look of determination on his face. "Well, let's get going."

Dampé nodded, lifting his lantern and shovel. "I'll show you the way, Link." Link and Dampé began to walk silently, but quickly towards the darkness, away from the light that still had musical tones wafting from it. And Link felt compelled to ask one question: one, which would cement his faith forever. "Dampé, was that Heaven?"

Dampé chuckled. "Link, call it whatever you want. The happy hunting grounds, the lands of plenty, Utopia, Strawberry Fields Forever…Heaven. It's all the same, Link. A place of joy, where no evil exists and no pain does either. Where you go and live in eternal happiness. And one day when you die…you will join them too…but not now. Now you have to make earth its own paradise." Dampé paused, then smiled as he pulled up his shovel. "We're here."

"It's working…the boy's color is returning," the woman said. An ancient woman: skilled in the art of herbs and potions. She put her cat down for a moment and checked his pulse. She smiled gently, her wrinkles crinkling up. "He'll be fine. Just give him time." Zelda looked up. Even though she could breathe easily, with a sigh of relief her eyes were still red. Gone forever was the wall of emotionless stolid-ness. Replaced, was a ruler, who not only cared for her people, but also about how they felt. But how badly ruined was their cause? Had the Sages fallen, like the jolly Mido? Were she, Malon and Link the only ones left? It was a thought that left her shudders.

But that shudder left as quickly as it had came as Link's eyes fluttered open and he groaned. Zelda and the old woman were by his side in instants, and Link found himself unable to move. The pain was too great. He winced, his face full of agony. "What the devil hit me?"

The old woman patted him on the palm of his hand. "About 20,000 Magical Units, give or take about 500. I know this because my treatments are very accurate. Still, you won't be going anywhere for a while. It takes time to heal all wounds."

Link groaned again. "Can't…quit. Must fight!"

Zelda's face contorted in rage and she snapped at him. "I think you've done enough fighting for one day, Link." But then her face softened and she stopped herself. "Mido's dead, Link. And the Sages might be as well."

Link nodded through closed eyes. "Yeah, I guess I screwed up big, huh?" Malon gave a very loud harrumph, but said nothing more.

Zelda grasped at straws in her mind, trying to find some way to lessen the burden of guilt on Link. "Link, even if you hadn't been so rash, eventually he would have made his move by himself."

Link laughed for a moment, stopping only as a shot of pain wracked his weary body. "Funny thing, Zelda. He already did. He's had one of his people…playing buddy with my mind…"

"Agahnim. Yes, I know." For once, Link was at a loss for words, and he looked up, his eyes barely squinting open. Zelda sighed. "I scanned the connection with my own powers."

Link fell back to his bed and remained quiet, then he spoke again. "Are you mad at me?"

Zelda shook her head. "For seeking aid in our dire quest? No, Link. Doubtless I would have been any more wary than you. Not one of us in your position would have done as well as you."

Link nodded. "Still…I lost all my weapons in there. And how are we going to get the Master Sword? It won't let me use it."

Zelda smiled, for once. The quick forethought of Rauru might save them all yet. "Link, Rauru and the Sages uncovered the Master Sword while you were knocked out. All you need do is call to it, and it will appear. Whether or not it will emerge from the Pedestal…that's another matter."

Link was beginning to speak again, but then a loud and booming voice interrupted him. A voice that Link knew all too well. "That is one thing I cannot let happen, boy. You should have forfeited the Triforce in the Spire when you had the chance. Now, all of your friends must suffer as well."

Link let his eyes slide all the way open as his mouth curled in disgust. "Agahnim."

"None other, Link. No longer the fruit…I am a sword, carved in Ganondorf's image and at his bidding." Link tried to get up, but was still too weak to do so. Agahnim chuckled. "Oh, Link. Still trying to put up yer' dukes, eh? A futile gesture."

"Just show yourself, you cold-blooded sonnuva…." Link didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as a powerful blast of magic suddenly careened into the wall beside him and took down a massive chunk of masonry. Zelda and Malon leapt up; ready to defend their guardian at all costs.

But Agahnim merely laughed at them. "Link, this is truly sad. The Hero of Legend…having to be saved by girls."

Malon pulled out her Bow and growled at the cloaked figure, which could now be seen in the dust cloud. "Agahnim, you picked the wrong Bitch to mess with!"

Agahnim clacked his teeth, waving an index finger. "Such language, my lady. That will cost you dearly." Malon didn't bother to say another word as she shot an arrow. Link tilted his head, just in time to see Malon's frame be thrown across the room and into the wall. She cried out in pain, then slumped as she passed out in unconsciousness.

Link found enough power to scream at Agahnim a curse, and then he yelled at Zelda. "Physical attacks don't work! Use the Triforce!" Zelda gave a curt nod, but did not turn her head. This was one foe she would not let get the better of her. She put her hands together, slowly forming an incantation in her head. Then with a fury like the gale of the Maelstrom, she poured forth a golden beam of devastating energy. Agahnim didn't even have to step aside; he merely formed a ball of his own dark power, and the black mass swallowed the devastating ray like a hot dog. Zelda stared, dumbfounded as Agahnim raised his hands and then fired the globe at her.

Link suddenly felt a wave of fear wash over him, and all he could do was scream. "ZELDA!" The word was barely out of his mouth when Zelda was swallowed whole by the blast, only to emerge seconds later, totally motionless. Her mouth and face were open in pain, but no scream: no sound, nothing emerged. Just silence.

And Link could no longer sit and take it. He felt a sudden boost of power from within himself, and he lurched up from his table, managing to plant both feet firmly to the ground. He stared at his enemy. He looked at the devastation he had caused. Link had had enough. "You sick bastard," Link said, his voice so low it sounded like a growl. Agahnim chuckled loudly, treating Link's threat like any other—worthless. Link continued. "You tricked me, you inflict pain on everything, yet you claim to be an honorable man with your grandeur and hate of killing. You're worse than Ganondorf—he kills people outright. You toy with them, with their feelings, their trust…their very centers of being. You truly are a pervert. The worst kind." Link staggered forth, but he did not notice the sudden specks of light clustering in his hand.

"Link, you may speak truth…but as you should recall, it is the ones who win who make history. Do you want to know why Atlantis…why Hyrule…vanished? People like you gave up because they knew people like me would always win." And then Link was standing toe to toe with Agahnim, looking up at him every inch he looked down.

Link said one final sentence. "Not…this…time." Link quickly rotated his right hand forward in a punch, and Agahnim chuckled—for about a fraction of a second. That was when he felt his nose break. Unbelieving, Agahnim backed up and raised his shaking fingers to his nose. When he pulled the grayish digits back—they were covered in blood. Then it hit him: this was not the Link he had known; this was the Hero of Legend.

Agahnim roared in anger, and in fear. Link had to be destroyed—now. He raised his hands, forming a cluster of dark magic once again. Then, he released it. Link did not look on it in fear, nor did he see it as a threat. He just saw Agahnim—and a way to defeat him. With an incredible yell, and with an unleashing of power from within him than he had never done before, Link sent his left hand hurtling forth, like returning the volleyball: a 5,000 Magic Unit Volleyball of dark energy. Agahnim never saw it coming. The orb backfired from Link's return and hit him full on. Agahnim suddenly found himself shaking in the same paralyzing spell, which he had inflicted on so many others. And all the while he felt snakes of pain slither through him, Agahnim could only stare as Link walked closer—and closer. And closer: until Link stood at Agahnim's face with a look of pure emotion and instinct.

Agahnim felt no thought from the boy. And he could say only one thing. "You…you're mad…." Link did not bother to respond. His attack was answer enough.

The force from that double punch could be felt even high up in the Spire of Ganondorf's castle, and he shuddered at its power. Something had gone wrong…something had gone horribly wrong.

"Agahnim…Agahnim, are you there?" Ganondorf asked, searching the city with his magic for that blip of intelligence that was Agahnim's. He couldn't find it. Somehow…Zelda and Link and their followers had defeated his most trusted and most powerful aide. Ganondorf could only cry out in rage and anger, but then he stopped. He didn't need Agahnim. That coot was way past his time, and his often-timid views could have gotten in the way.

Ganondorf would do it himself. And who would stop him…the Sages? The six who had dared to try and attack him were now safely stored within his void between dimensions. Lost forever, in a place, which only he could pull them from. Not the boy: Agahnim was three times weaker than Ganondorf.

The boy would fall. And once he did…all three pieces of the Triforce would be his. Ganondorf almost purred at the sheer simplicity of it all. But he needed to speed things up. An idea formed in his crooked and twisted mind, and he smiled widely.

This world was just too happy for his tastes. It was time to do some remodeling.

"Zel…Zelda, you alive?" Link's voice reached out, probing her tortured mind for that spark of existence. Zelda groaned, knowing that now she felt like Link had. She opened her eyes, and Link pulled her up. The woman, who had escaped without a scratch, was tending to Malon.

"Where's…"

"Agahnim? Dead, I hope. I sure hit him hard enough." Link smiled widely. "We stand a chance yet. See that hole up in the roof?" Link pointed to the massive jagged remains of mortar and wood. "That's where he went." Zelda smiled, but then something felt wrong.

It was getting dark. Too dark, because it was only 6:00 in the afternoon. Transfixed by the overpowering void, Zelda emerged from the building and could only stare in fear and disbelief. Link soon followed, and then all four of them stood looking at the sky.

It was becoming totally dark, black billowing clouds blotting out every source of light. Malon whistled in wonder, the old woman chanted in frantic gibberish, and Link found himself slipping into old Bible References.

"And the sky became as dark as sackcloth…"

Zelda nodded. "The Foretold Apocalypse…it has happened."