Chapter 11: Not everyone can be fooled so easily
After waiting a while, Link also ascended to the sky, calling his Loftwing. He flew towards the emerald beam of light marking Faron province, passing through some of the ring-shaped stones to increase speed along the way. As he neared the beam of light to jump off, he looked into the eyes of the Loftwing. The bird then started reacting violently and threw him off, as if this wasn't the Link he remembered. Link mumbled something to himself and skydived down into the beam of light, landing in the clearing behind the Sealed Temple.
"Oh, you're back!" an undoubtedly surprised voice says to Link
"Hello there. I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I don't have much time to talk now. How goes your various research?" Link responds to the Goron
"I haven't been able to conduct any more research because all the walls I've been studying have vanished. It's like they are no longer needed. The talking statues are still here, however, so I'll just re-focus my research on them instead." the Goron answers, sounding gloomy and then hopeful
"Well, good luck on wherever your research takes you!" Link says as he turns to walk away.
"Same with any other adventures you are on!" the Goron says as he heads his way.
Then Link mumbles something under his breath again, "What a fool."
Link walks calmly over to the side entrance of the Sealed Temple. He slowly pushes open the doors, stirring up the dust that had resettled after the incident with the sword. He thought about returning the blade to its pedestal, but decided against it. He knew he would need it again soon.
"You there!" a voice calls out to him
The legendary gate of time opens once again, and out of it steps the Goddess's servant, Impa.
"You don't head through this gate very often because you aren't part of this time. You came once to save Zelda, but why again? Is something the matter?" Link asks the woman
"I sensed multiple evil vibes in the air, percolating through the gate itself. I knew something was off here, and I've been checking as to what. So far, nothing is threatening the gate, but -"
Impa stops mid-sentence upon looking into Link's eyes. She notices the color is off, and she also sees Zelda and Groose peeking through the doorway that Link entered the temple through. Zelda, upon seeing Impa again for the first time in a month, runs up to her, ready to tackle-hug her.
Impa holds out her hand, telling her to stop. She gestures towards Link, saying, "That is not Link over there, yet it is him."
"So only you could tell by glancing in my eyes?" Link says with a grin, "I'm honestly quite surprised Hylia didn't notice. Her power has undoubtedly dimmed over the centuries, hasn't it?"
"Wait….Impa? What is going on, and what do you mean? I saw Link unconscious at Eldin province, as well as his adversary's body dissolving away into thin air!" Zelda says with grave concern
"My, my, you don't even recognize magic when it's right in front of your face, do you, Hylia!" Link says with a half-grin.
"Don't tell me…." Groose slowly says with even more concern in his voice
"Yes, Zelda, Link is right there, but his adversary has possessed him." Impa responds to them both
"You fake-faced cheating bastard!" Groose yells at Link, "What have you done with the Link we know!"
"He's still here." Link says as he gestures to his heart. "To be honest, I was quite surprised by how easy it was to take control of him. Only a faint residual aura remains in the eyes of his body, but the aura is faint enough to not matter now." Gorgonis says, letting his voice show fully where Link's was a moment ago
"Why have you done this?" Zelda says with a tear in one eye
"He found me and challenged me upon seeing me with this." Gorgonis says as he holds up Link's right hand, with a glowing dark ring on the back of the hand.
"T-the Dark Mirror?" Impa stammers
"Does it scare you? The power I now hold? You cannot harm me because you would be harming your friend, Link. However, I can still unleash the full power of the Dark Mirror if you try to get in my way. Unless you want to kill your friend, there is no way you can stop me." Gorgonis says, letting a dark aura show. "Lucky enough for you, I'm not going to hold onto him much longer. The only thing that will prolong it would be one of you deciding to fight me."
Impa steps forward, energy charging on each arm. "I know why you are here, of all places. You want to get around that barrier over the Triforce. I could tell when you mentioned that a faint residual aura in your eyes wouldn't matter. Even if it means hurting Link, I won't let you get your hands on the Triforce."
"Well then, it seems the goddess's servant knows little of Vailcon magic. This is a particularly strong version of possession. Only killing the body I am in or having me willingly relinquish control will release it. I was just about to release it myself, but you have to get in my way. I'll teach you a lesson in not meddling in matters that REALLY don't concern you." Gorgonis says as he draws the Master Sword and Ghirahim's Sword form.
"H-how can you wield that?" Zelda stammers
"Ah, such a foolish goddess. First of all, I am possessing its rightful wielder. Second, you could consider me a hero to my people. That sword was made for heroes, after all." Gorgonis says
Impa charges forward, shaping the energy on her arms into twin daggers. She then proceeds to teleport behind her adversary, only to have him unleash two energy waves from his two blades at her. Impa backflips over both of them and delivers a powerful kick to the arms of Link's body. Gorgonis stumbles backward, and Impa sees another chance, only to misjudge the situation and have Gorgonis slice her ankles.
As Gorgonis spins around after this attack, Impa slams the hilt of one dagger into Link's back. Gorgonis thinks to himself, "So we're both trying to do the same thing, eh?"
This strange "dance" continues, until each combatant has many small cuts and bruises. The worst injury is Impa suffering a cracked rib.
"Because you possess the Dark Mirror, I thought you would be a much more difficult opponent." Impa says tauntingly
"Thing is, I have been going easy on you, though it is because I specifically don't want to sew any more grudges or disputes by killing you. I'm not that sort of being." Gorgonis says, "But since neither of us is really getting anywhere, I am not going to waste time on this any more."
Gorgonis holds up Demise's sword, and it turns back into Ghirahim.
"You are much better at toying with your opponents than I am, so I shall leave Impa to you." Gorgonis tells the sword spirit
Gorgonis throws open the doors, dims the power of the mirror to its absolute minimum, and manages to get through the first barrier with little resistance. A second one surrounds the Goddess Statue itself, and the final one surrounds the Triforce near the top.
Gorgonis searches through the various items Link has in his possession, eyeing the Clawshots. He takes one and begins to grow some amethyst on it, making the claw tips on it strong enough to punch through solid rock. He fires it at the statue, propelling himself through the second barrier and landing on top of the skydiving platform where the Triforce sits. The enhanced claws dull upon being removed from the rock.
The final barrier is roughly spherical, and it doesn't actually prevent entry like the other two do. This is the aura related to the Sheikah legend, the one about how the Triforce will rupture into three sections if the heart of its potential wielder is unbalanced. Gorgonis knows this by putting one hand next to the barrier.
Gorgonis undoes the possession magic on top of the statue. Link is unconscious, as he was kept that way during the entire duration of the possession magic. Gorgonis's true form materializes, and as he stands there, Impa and Ghirahim both rush outside, fully intent on killing each other.
Gorgonis extends the same arm marked with the Dark Mirror and says, "I desire the power to revitalize my homeland, the wisdom on how to revive it, and the courage to see it through!"
