Ok, so let me just say I love this chapter and that it was honestly a LOT of fun to write! I mean, I deviated a little from how the game did this part, but I can assure you they're all improvements! ANd so, before we begin, let's go to the guest reviews!
Conner: Yeah Lana/Link is great, even if it is one sided in the game :/ And I always ship tease for pretty much everything, especially Zelink :D
miniminjas: Glad you like it and there will certainly be more Zelink! Zelda would be a really goo ally, mostly because she is both a great fighter and is really levelheaded on the battlefield as well! As for the goddesses, they might make a cameo here, though I'm almost certain I'll include them in the side stories somehow!
And that's really it for now. So, let's get started! :D
Chapter 20: Evil's Bane
"And with each sealed statue awakened, the temple doors should finally open!" Zelda exclaimed with a bright smile after everyone had returned to the allied base upon awakening their respective statues. Thankfully, the princess had little trouble repelling the ghost soldiers away from the base with the help of the elite soldiers who had remained to guard her, but like everyone else, she had no idea how to repel them once and for all. Surprisingly, awakening the sealed statues had not gotten rid of them, but as everyone quickly discovered as they made their way back to the base, the spectral hordes had seemed to become even more aggressive than they had been before.
"So… we can finally go in… right?" Darunia asked expectantly.
"I have some rather… unfortunate news to report in regards to that query," Fi spoke up. "According to my most recent scan of the area, I am able to report that the temple doors have not yet opened, though the reasoning behind why is unclear to me. By all accounts, awakening the sealed statues should have granted us entry to the temple, which leads me to believe that there is an external force at work."
"I think so too," Zelda said with a worried frown. "I'm almost willing to bet that this has to do with the reason why the ghost soldiers are acting so strangely and aggressively. Someone must be manipulating them!"
"So… you think someone's pulling the strings behind the scenes?" Link asked, somewhat relieved that the spectral forces' behavior might have nothing to do with whether or not he was the hero.
"There must be a hidden puppet master somewhere!" Ruto proclaimed. "But who could it be?"
"I'd chalk it up to being that witch or any of her cronies," Midna said with disdain for Cia. "The only question is how she found out that we were here…"
"That doesn't matter now," Impa said firmly. "Whoever this interloper is, we have to find them. Our entrance to the temple depends on it. Everyone, fan out across the ruins, and if you find anything suspicious, take it down immediately!"
"Yes," the princess said with a nod of agreement as she sheathed her rapier at her side. "And certainly, by doing so, we will finally be able to get inside the temple at long last."
Without needing any further instruction, everyone set off from the allied base, save for Zelda, who was still responsible for holding it down, though she sent most of the other troops off to search for their unknown foe as well. Of course, since the ghost soldiers were still laying wait around nearly every corner of the area, the allies had to deal with trying to reduce their constantly replenishing numbers, and as opposed to their last objective, most of them had taken separate paths entirely, opting that they would cover more ground by splitting up throughout the ruins instead of traveling in groups.
However, all was not well as the allied forces continued their hunt, largely finding not even a clue about who or where the enemy commander could be. Only a few in their number managed to pick up on it, but those who were particularly sensitive to malevolent energy were able to sense the sudden shift in the air, penetrating through the natural sanctity of the temple and the ruins. Through her scans, Fi was the first to detect this bout of darkness, though she was unable to specifically pinpoint its source, but since none of her allies were close to her position, she had no one to report it to. Zelda was the next one to sense it as she watched the entryways of the allied keep carefully, gasping in shock as she drew her blade once more.
"I feel an evil presence nearby…" she whispered to herself, suddenly regretting that she had sent the other troops away. She could only hope that whoever and whatever this wicked force was, it would refrain from attacking the allied base now, since she was its sole line of defense and her troops were already spread quite thin as it was.
Though Link himself didn't have the sensitivity that would alert him to such a presence, Proxi certainly did as her wings tensed up while watching the hero duel against one of the ghost soldiers. The fairy was able to tell that it was relatively close to their current position near the crumbled fountain at the center of the ruins, but even as she flew a bit higher, she was unable to detect anything out of the ordinary.
"Something wrong, Proxi?" the hero called up to the fairy, having finished fighting off the ghost soldier as he took a small breather.
"Well… I thought I felt a dark being somewhere close…" Proxi said as she landed down upon her companion's shoulder. "But… I could have been wrong."
"It might not be a bad idea to check it out, though," Link said, glancing around cautiously. "After all, it might be exactly what we're looking for."
"Yeah…" the fairy said, the sudden surge of darkness making her anxious as she also looked around, only to find the immediate area empty of enemies and ghost soldiers alike. "I just don't know where it could though…"
"Well, why don't we start by checking out one of these abandoned buildings?" the hero suggested, referring to the ramshackle stone houses lining the pathway, or at least the few that were still relatively standing. "After all, whoever they are, they might be hiding just out of our reach inside of one of them while they command the ghost forces."
"O-ok…" Proxi said, her tone still uneasy, something still clearly bothering her.
"Are you ok?" Link asked, glancing over at his fairy companion with concern. "You seem a little tense."
"Yeah…" the fairy said letting out a deep breath as she floated alongside the hero as they stepped into the nearest empty house. "It's just… this place is supposed to be so sacred, untouched by darkness or evil… It's as though the entire area is being defiled by it! It's really creepy!"
"Well, it won't be for much longer if we have anything to do with it," Link said reassuringly as they ventured into the ruined house, both of them growing silent as they took the ramshackle atmosphere in. Parts of its roof had caved in, and vines and cobwebs had invaded the one room home as its wooden furniture was rotting into the ground, showing that it had been abandoned by its owners long ago. Both the hero and the fairy didn't speak out of reverence for whoever had once lived here centuries ago, but as they looked around the relatively empty, deathly silent room, they both failed to see the shadows of the figure behind them. That is, until they slowly reached out and touched Link on his unarmored shoulder, barely even skimming him with their light touch, but it certainly was enough to alert him to the fact that he was not alone.
Startled by what he was sure was an attacking monster, the hero swiftly drew his blade and spun around, Proxi leaping off his shoulder and flying into the corner near the ceiling as she let out a high-pitched scream of fright. Link gripped his sword tightly in the heat of the moment, his heart pounding with returned adrenaline as he prepared to bring his blade down on whatever might dare to launch a sneak attack on them. That is, until he saw that the person who had joined him was in no way an enemy at all.
"Lana?!" the hero exclaimed a bit breathlessly, lowing his sword as he looked down to the white sorceress who stood before him, an innocent smile on her pretty face. "What are you doing here?"
"You nearly scared us to death!" Proxi exclaimed hotly as she slowly floated back down from her high hiding spot.
"You mean she scared you, Proxi," Link said with a teasing, confident grin.
"Oh sure," the fairy said sardonically. "Just me. After all, it wasn't like you drew your sword in a panic or anything."
"I just like being prepared, ok?" the hero retorted huffily, finally sheathing his blade as he looked to Lana once more, who was giggling in amusement at the duo's argument.
"Sorry if I frightened you guys," the white sorceress said perkily. "I just happened to spot you going in here and I was curious to see what you were up to."
"Proxi sensed an evil presence somewhere in the ruins," Link explained, knowing that certainly Lana would want to help them locate it. "We were trying to see if we could find it in here."
"Evil presence?" Lana said, raising an eyebrow as she shook her head and laughed dismissively. "Oh, come on. Don't be silly. I don't sense any sort of 'evil presence', and as you both know, I'm usually the first to notice that sort of thing. Maybe your nerves are just getting to you," she said a bit condescendingly to Proxi, who had taken to sitting on Link's shoulder once more.
"B-but… I thought… I could have sworn…" the fairy trailed off, glancing away in embarrassment. Perhaps she had been wrong, but she still couldn't shake the thought that there was a hidden evil nearby, strangely closer now more than ever before.
"Now, why don't we get out of this dusty old place, huh?" Lana asked, her smile still as bright as ever. "There's something I wanna show you, Link."
"What is it?" the hero asked as the white sorceress led the way out of the abandoned house.
"I've discovered a secret way into the temple," Lana said, glancing back at him with her constant wide grin. "It takes a little work to get there, but I can take you right to it. Now come on!"
Link was a bit surprised when Lana suddenly gripped his arm and began to pull him forward towards the temple, something that she usually wouldn't have done unless she absolutely had to. "Hold on a minute, Lana," the hero said with a frown as he stopped in his tracks, forcing the white sorceress to do the same. "Before we go, I want to go back and check on Zelda first, just to make sure she's handling things all right by herself."
"Aw…" Lana said, her shoulders sagging in visible disappointment. "But Link… You'll have plenty of time to check in with her later… After all, the sword is supposed to be your first priority… right?"
"It's not like the sword is going anywhere without me," Link said as he pulled his arm out of her grip and gave her a wary glance. "Are… are you ok, Lana? You're not really acting like yourself…" he said, remembering the demeaning tone she had taken with Proxi earlier, now combined with her lack of concern for the princess, traits that were so unlike the white sorceress's kind, caring way.
The white sorceress scoffed playfully as she rolled her violet eyes at him, shaking her head to set his mind at ease. "Oh, don't be silly, Link!" she said with a small laugh. "I'm perfectly fine! In fact…" she paused for a moment, hiding the fact that she was tightly clenching her fists at her sides well. "If you want to go see the princess… then why don't you go on ahead. I'll meet you there."
"Um… ok…" the hero said a bit uneasily, turning to leave. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Lana said with a nod, her smile still never fading as she held her hands behind her back rather mysteriously. "I just have to go take care of a few things first…"
Darunia laughed triumphantly as he brought his hammer down, obliterating yet another ghost soldier into nothingness. He was accompanied by a small force of his Goron brothers that had come along to this battle, all of them being able to hold their own against the spectral forces they were battling against. The Goron patriarch couldn't help but grin broadly with pride for his kind, knowing that what they didn't have in numbers in this fight, they made up for in their sturdy strength.
"Keep it up, brothers!" Darunia encouraged heartily. "If we take out all these guys, then everyone gets an extra serving of rocks tonight, on me!"
The Goron warriors all cheered with hungry excitement upon hearing this, propelling them to fight with even more verve as they continued to launch rocks at their ghostly opponents. However, in the midst of their emboldened battling, the entirety of the Goron forces failed to notice the electrical currently gliding seamlessly along the ground, bolting straight towards them, until it was too late. Darunia, who was fighting a bit ahead of his brothers, turned around in shock and surprise when he heard their pained cries, all of them seized by the electrical current that was painfully zipping through their solid forms. The Goron patriarch panicked as he realized this same current was coming for him, and so he was quick to curl himself into a ball, allowing his stony back to protect him from the brunt of the shock, though he still felt some of its sting.
When the strike was finally over, Darunia, unlike the other Gorons was actually able to stand up and recover immediately from it. The Goron leader's jaw dropped in horror upon seeing all of his brothers lying scattered upon the ground, stunned and in pain from the sneak attack they had just endured as the ghost soldiers continued to swarm them. Darunia was quick to drive them all off though, determined to protect his brothers above all else as he savagely rammed his hammer into every last one of them. However, as he continued to take the spectral knights down, he couldn't help but spot a quick, familiar blur of blue speed high over his head, leaping from roof to roof of the ruins as they let out a girlish laugh.
The Goron leader frowned in disturbed confusion as he recognized this laugh, his grip tightening around his hammer the slightest bit as he tried to shake such a ridiculous thought from his mind, even though things added up when he considered that his brothers had just been taken down by an electrical strike. "Sister Lana…?" Darunia muttered under his breath in bewilderment, wondering if the usually kindhearted sorceress could be responsible for such a ruthless attack.
Midna grinned slyly as she commanded her wolf to relentlessly batter a group of ghost soldiers into submission before she ended them once and for all with a brutal punch courtesy of her hair. The Twilight Princess found a certain thrill in battle, a thrill that she had not felt since she had joined her own hero on his quest months ago. And while it didn't quite feel the same without him, she still found pleasure in taking down her enemies, knowing that while they were larger than her in stature, they were nothing compared to her wit and tenacity.
With her Twilit wolf charging bravely, Midna entered into a new keep, keeping an eye out for whoever the one causing all this chaos with the ghost soldiers might be. However, the only person she found within the keep before her was the white sorceress alone.
"Hey, Lana!" the Twilight Princess called out with a smile of greeting as she approached her ally. "How's it going?"
Lana didn't give a reply as she stood with her back turned to Midna, something that initially confused the Twilight Princess when she considered the white sorceress's usually outgoing nature. But nonetheless, she dispelled her wolf as she floated to Lana's level, frowning as she addressed her once more.
"Um… Lana?" Midna tried again, reaching out to touch the white sorceress's shoulder. However, before she could, Lana suddenly turned around, startling the Twilight Princess quite a bit.
"Oh, sorry, Midna," the white sorceress said with an overly-large grin. "I didn't see you there."
"Uh… ok…" the Twilight Princess said, though she wasn't sure how Lana couldn't have heard her. "So… what are you doing out here all by yourself? I don't see any ghost soldiers nearby."
"Well… I got rid of them all in here…" Lana said, averting Midna's questioning gaze.
"Without any of them reappearing?" Midna asked caustically, knowing that the spectral forces multiplied like weeds.
"What can I say?" the white sorceress said with a slightly nervous laugh. "I guess I'm just that good. So… you're leaving now, right?"
"What's the rush?" the Twilight Princess asked suspiciously, crossing her arms.
"Oh, uh… there's no rush," Lana said with a shrug. "I just… figured you'd want to be on your way. After all, there's still a lot more of those pesky ghosts out there! We gotta go take care of them, right?"
Midna frowned even more warily upon hearing this. "But don't you wanna work together so we can get things done faster?"
"I don't see any need why we need to do that," the white sorceress said aloofly, already urging the Twilight Princess out of the keep as she gently pushed her away. "Now, why don't you get going, and-"
"Hold it," Midna said rigidly, pulling herself away from Lana as she gave her a cold glare. "What's going on with you?"
"W-what do you mean?" Lana asked innocently enough.
The Twilight Princess was silent for a long moment as she stared at the white sorceress, refusing to budge an inch as she noticed Lana begin to crack under the pressure. Before too long, her cutesy, lighthearted demeanor shifted into an annoyed, darkened one, something that looked so strange in the white sorceress's expression. However, she said nothing until Midna finally broke the longstanding silence at last.
"You're not really Lana, are you?" she asked knowingly, her hair already coiling into a fist behind her.
The supposed white sorceress smirked darkly, not caring that she had been found out, for she knew she would never let the Twilight Princess escape with this secret before her plans had come to fruition. "Maybe I'm not…" she said coyly, orbs of darkness surrounding her hands as she prepared to engage Midna in battle. "But it's not like I'm going to let you live to tell anyone else…"
Ruto had taken to an advantageous position within the southern ruins, where she could easily tap into the waters of the nearby lake to further fuel her Zora scale. Unlike the Goron patriarch, the Zora princess hadn't brought any of her own forces to fight in this battle, as she had not really seen the need to beforehand. Even now that they were meeting opposition from the ghost soldiers, Ruto still didn't think that she needed any assistance. After all, she was certainly more than capable of taking out a few spectral aggravations all on her own.
Moving with grace and elegance, the Zora princess raised her scale up as she called forth another wave, which rose from the water in the ground and plowed its way towards her foes, pushing them back and damaging them all the while. Ruto smiled in satisfaction as she continued her watery barrage of attacks, sending a stream of darts of water towards the ghost soldiers at her sides as she banished them back to their graves before summoning a whirlpool to suck the ones in front of her down.
"Consider it an honor to be defeated by a Zora princess!" Ruto said with a haughty laugh as she watched the ghost soldiers disappear, forming orbs of water over both of her hands as she prepared to take on the rest. However, before she could launch them at the spectral hordes, they all suddenly collapsed before her, defeated from an unseen electrical attack that left the Zora princess quite confused. Ruto only saw the one who had aided her for a moment as she zipped past the entrance to the keep she was in, but she smiled thankfully nonetheless, glad for the white sorceress's help.
"Thank you, Lana, darling!" the Zora princess called out to the white sorceress as she began to make her way out of the keep and onto another one. However, what Ruto didn't know was that taking down the enemies in the keep was not all Lana had done. For as the Zora princess casually walked through the exit of the keep, her body was suddenly seized with electricity thanks to the hidden spell that the white sorceress had cast. Ruto let out a loud scream of agony as the current rippled through her, the fact that her smooth skin was consistently wet only causing her even more agony. After what seemed like ages, the powerful shock mercifully ended as the Zora princess collapsed the ground, still convulsing as her mind was completely numb for several minutes. When she was able to think coherently again, the first thing Ruto felt was betrayal, immediately knowing who was behind such a vicious attack, for who else could be. And though she was unable to pick herself up off of the ground thanks to the lingering paralysis, she was still able to let out an angry shout, knowing that when she was able to move again, her first act would be revenge. "Lana!"
Fi could sense that the evil energy pervading the ruins was on the move, and so, even though she had not been issued a direct command to do so, she decided to hunt for it, hoping to take care of this threat as soon as possible to expedite her master's mission. The only problem was that she still could not dowse for its exact location, nor did she know what form it might be taking, but she could certainly sense its wicked intent, one that had to be stopped immediately. The sword spirit glided gracefully through the ghostly forces, ignoring most of them and only engaging them when she had to, as her mind was focused solely on her task alone.
Eventually, Fi made it to a keep on the western side of the battlefield that was infested with ghost soldiers. Though she had not seen any of her allies since they had separated from the allied base, the sword spirit disregarded the thought as she leapt into action, gracefully twirling and spinning her enemies into oblivion without even flinching. However, as she cut down the last one, the sword spirit was immediately alerted to the fact that the malevolent influence was in the immediate vicinity.
Spinning around quickly, Fi turned to see that solid magical barriers had formed over all of the exits of the keep, locking her inside. The sword spirit could see through the largely clear barriers, but she was able to detect that they were composed of darkness, despite the fact that they bore the same symbols as the barriers that Lana created.
And, sure enough, the white sorceress herself stood on the outside of the keep, grinning maliciously at Fi through the barrier. The sword spirit remained floating in place as she stared at her expressionlessly, her scans immediately confirming quite a few clarifications. "I am aware that you are not the real Lana," Fi said calmly.
"Oh, good for you!" the white sorceress patronized mockingly. "So let me guess, you know who I actually am then, don't you?"
"Yes," the sword spirit said with a nod.
"Well, that's too bad," Lana said with fake disappointment. "For both me and you. But mostly, it's bad for you since I'm not going to just let you go and tell all your little allies. Hate to break it to you, whatever you are, but this barrier blocks all forms of telepathic communication, so no trying to reach through to your precious master, or whatever it is you call him."
"I did not need for you to relay such information to me," Fi said. "I have already detected the impenetrability of these barriers on my own and I am also aware that none of my allies will be able to see me within this keep thanks to your magic. However, even though you have momentarily trapped me, I can guarantee that there is a 99% chance that you will not be able to fool them forever."
"Oh, I know," the white sorceress said with a cunning grin. "But I only need to fool them long enough to get rid of that annoying little hero once and for all. And the best part is, he'll never even see it coming! It's perfect!"
Lana let out an icy, wicked laugh as she vanished in a burst of darkness, leaving Fi alone in a prison that was immune to her abilities. But nonetheless, the sword spirit remained patient, knowing that this imprisonment, as well as the deception of the one who had trapped her, would not last forever. "That is what you believe…" Fi said after her adversary had vanished, confident that her master would be wise to its wicked plans.
Agitha hummed cheerfully to herself as she skipped about the ruins, more concerned about finding new species of bugs instead of taking care of the ghost soldiers. The insect princess had completely forgotten about their objective as she wandered about the battlefield on her own, having a wonderful time playing and exploring the area without a care in the world. That is, until she quite literally ran into the white sorceress along the way.
Lana stumbled forward, clearly surprised as the young girl obliviously crashed into her from behind. "Hey! Watch where you're going, you little-" she began to hatefully scold, before she remembered the front she was putting up, though she was confident that the insect princess wasn't smart enough to figure the truth out. "I mean… Hello there…" she trailed off in faux benevolence, unable to remember the child's name.
"Oh, hi, Miss Lana!" Agitha greeted with a bright grin. "Would you like to play with me?"
"Um… no," Lana said, not hiding the fact that she believed this girl to be beneath her notice. "Now, why don't you run along and… frolic, or whatever it is that you do."
"But… Miss Lana, I wanted to show you this really amazing flock of butterflies sitting on some vines that I passed by earlier. They were very beautiful and I'm sure you'd just love to see-"
"I don't care about stupid butterflies!" the white sorceress exclaimed hotly, glaring darkly at the insect princess who stared at her in surprise at her sudden harshness.
"W-what?" Agitha asked timidly, taking a step back from the older girl that was usually so kind to her.
"I said, I don't care about you or your dumb bugs!" Lana growled bitterly. "Now get out of my way!"
"B-but… but I…" the insect princess stammered, trying her hardest not to cry, even though her feelings had been badly hurt.
The white sorceress let out a groan of fierce annoyance at the child, knowing that she had places to be and no time to deal with this little pest. "Give me that basket," she demanded, suddenly snatching Agitha's basket right out of her hands in order to teach her a lesson for wasting her valuable time
"H-hey!" the insect princess exclaimed, desperately reaching for her prized wicker basket, one that she had labored so hard over to make and decorate. "Give that back! All of my friends I collected are in there!"
Lana laughed twistedly upon hearing this, holding the basket high above the girl's head to goad her. "Perfect…" she hissed, before dumping the contents of the basket on the ground all at once. Agitha let out a frightened cry as the several bottles she had within it shattered upon colliding with the stony ground, instantly letting all of the golden bugs she had toiled over collecting crawl and fly free. Tears were already streaming down the insect princess's face as she collapsed to her knees, desperately trying to beckon her various friends to come back to her, but before she could even regather any of them, Lana was quick to rub salt in the already painful wound. Agitha screamed in horror as the white sorceress brought down her boot upon the pile on insects in front of her, brutally crushing them all to death as she twisted her foot into the ground for extra measure. The insect princess could hardly believe that the white sorceress, whom she had once looked up to and trusted, could be capable of such heartlessness and cruelty towards such beautiful creatures.
Lana snickered in dark satisfaction as she turned to leave Agitha to wallow in her grief. The insect princess sobbed uncontrollably as she stared at the smashed remains of her bug friends, unable to look away. "M-Miss Lana…" the girl whispered in heartbreak. "W-why… would you… How c-could you do that? T-that was s-so… mean!"
The white sorceress merely laughed once more as she glared at the miserable child behind her, not at all regretting what she had done. "That was pretty mean," she said with wicked sarcasm as she walked away, proud of her horrific accomplishments in making a young girl cry. "But it was awfully fun…"
After fighting through countless legions of ghost soldiers that barred his way to the allied keep, Link eventually made it, though strangely he hadn't encountered any of his allies, including Lana, along the way. However, as he approached the allied keep, he was able to see that ghost soldiers had already begun to flood into it, causing him to worry for Zelda's safety since she was all alone in there. And yet, as he arrived, all of his worries were immediately set to ease and replaced with awe instead.
The princess fiercely tore her rapier into one of the ghost soldiers, causing them to dissipate instantly. Not missing a single beat, Zelda spun around, her thin blade glowing with golden light as she parried several times in quick succession, dodging each attack sent her way deftly and skillfully. Upon taking out several more ghosts, the princess backed up a bit with a new strategy in mind. Suddenly, her rapier vanished from her hands, instantly replaced with a beautiful, shining bow. Zelda didn't take any time to admire her weapon though as she held her hand over its string, forming a magical light arrow, which she drew back and shot through the crowd of ghost soldiers in front of her, defeating several of them. Still wrapped up in the heat of battle, the princess aimed her bow for the skies as she fired off three light arrows in quick succession, seeming to miss her target entirely until all three golden projectiles crashed into the ground in a blinding explosion that took out a large portion of the specters. To finish off her barrage of attacks, Zelda made her bow disappear as a large orb of pure light appeared above her palms. Using her magic, the princess lifted herself into the air as she held the orb above her hand and once she had risen a few feet into the air, she quickly threw it down on the remaining ghost soldiers, defeating them all instantly.
Link hadn't realized that he had been watching her in amazement until she smiled at him warmly, breaking him out of his shock. He had known that Zelda was a skilled fighter, but her abilities in both swordplay and magic made her a deadly opponent. She fought with grace, speed, accuracy and ferocity, all things that the hero couldn't help but find somewhat attractive, especially since it seemed as though the princess barely broke a sweat or disheveled her immaculate beauty during the heat of battle.
"How are things going, Link?" Zelda asked as she approached him with a smile now that the keep was empty of ghost soldiers. "Have you found who our mystery assailant is?"
"Not yet," the hero said, still trying to break out of his amazement. "But… I do want to tell you that… you… you…" he paused, wanting to tell her that she fought like no one he had ever seen before, that he only wished that he was as skilled as she was, that she had looked absolutely lovely doing so. And yet, instead of telling her any of these things, he blundered instead. "You fight good," he said lamely, immediately averting her gaze out of embarrassment as he had put it way to plainly.
"Oh…" the princess said in slight confusion, having expected him to say more than that. "Um... thank you?"
Before Link could try and correct himself by saying more, Impa burst into the keep, her hand on the hilt of her blade as she breathlessly ran towards Zelda. "Princess!" the Sheikah guardian exclaimed, her expression clearly concerned, yet angry. "I have troubling news. Both Midna and Fi are nowhere to be found, and I've received reports from Darunia, Ruto, and Agitha that they have been attacked. By Lana, of all people."
"What?!" both Link and Zelda exclaimed in unison, exchanging a glance of disbelief upon hearing this.
"But… that doesn't make any sense," the hero said with a confused frown. "I just saw Lana a few minutes ago before coming here. And besides, why would she ever want to hurt any of us at all?"
The princess sucked in an anxious breath as she suddenly gripped Link's arm tightly, her eyes growing wide as they filled with panic. The hero quickly glanced over at her with concern, only barely able to hear the statement she whispered in fear. "Because she's Cia's other half…"
"What?" Link asked, not able to hear what she had said clearly.
"Impa, do you mind if I have a word with Link? Alone?" Zelda asked tensely, her blue eyes wide and nervous.
"Um… of course," the Sheikah guardian said, though she did wonder why the princess wanted to privately converse with the hero instead of letting her in on her thoughts. "I suppose I will search for Midna and Fi then."
"Thank you," the princess said, trying her best to hide her breathlessness until Impa had left. And once she had, she let all of her pent up anxiety go before the hero.
"Link, I know why Lana is doing this," Zelda choked, her hands trembling as she continued to grip Link by his arm relentlessly. "We should have seen it coming all along. We were so blind. I should have-"
"Zelda, slow down," Link said, quieting the princess as she talked very quickly, clearly thrown into a frenzy. "What are you talking about?"
"She said it herself, Link," the princess said, her heart racing as she shook her head. "Her and Cia are two parts of the same whole. They both have the same thoughts, the same memories, and despite what she said about her being her 'good' side, I'm certain they have the same intentions."
"Zelda, you can't be serious!" the hero exclaimed, unable to believe what she was implying. "Lana is nothing like Cia! So what if they were once the same person? They split up because Lana didn't want to be evil like Cia. She wants to help us; she always has."
"Or so she made us think…" Zelda said, her fear turning to anger as she released her grip on the hero, her gaze turning into a bitter glare. "For all we know, she could have just been putting up a front this whole time. Maybe she's been spying on us, letting Cia in on all of our secrets, on all of your secrets. Maybe this is just her way of saying that she's done pretending and is ready to take us down from the inside out."
Though Link was tempted to boldly refute the princess's claims, he could tell where they were coming from. After all, Cia had clearly traumatized Zelda in their first meeting. Certainly this fear and paranoia was a defense mechanism on her part, to ensure that she would never be damaged in such a way ever again.
"Zelda…" he began softly and slowly, gently placing his hand against the side of her face. He knew it was a bold gesture, far too bold considering the current status of their friendship, but she didn't seem to mind as his touch somehow calmed her down. "I know how you feel about Cia… But you can't let your hatred for her cloud your judgement. Think about this for a minute, without letting your feelings get involved. Would Lana really turn against any of us like that?"
The princess stilled for a moment, considering the question the hero had just posed in a logical, thoughtful manner. As much as she despised Cia for what she had done and what she wanted to do, in her heart, she knew full well that none of that was Lana's fault. If anything, Lana had done nothing but put all of her efforts into trying to stop her malevolent other half, something that Zelda couldn't help but be immensely thankful for. In many ways, the white sorceress was their insider, the one who knew Cia more than anyone else. And even more than that, her knowledge of the black witch's magic and abilities was infallible. Even if Lana had been unable to stop Cia's rampage in the first place, she was an invaluable ally in helping put a stop to it. And that was something that the princess couldn't just cast aside for a theory that she had come up with out of fear and distrust.
"No…" Zelda said with a sigh of relent. "I suppose not… But if that's not the case, then what's really going on here…?"
"I don't know," Link said, finally lifting his hand away from her, as much as he didn't want to. "But I'll go find out. You stay here."
"But… what if I want to come with you?" the princess asked with a coy, almost flirtatious smile.
"I think it's a better idea that you don't, as much as I'd love your company," the hero said playfully smiling at her. "After all, I don't want you taking your anger at Cia out at Lana."
Zelda's smile grew a bit colder, though resolve filled it as well upon hearing this. "The next time we face her, I'm going to make her pay for what she did," the princess said, her tone stone cold and almost frightening. "I refuse to let her make me feel weak and helpless every again."
Link was silent upon hearing the princess's vendetta, but he knew better than to try and convince her against it now. "Well, for now, stay here and keep the base safe, ok?"
"Ok," the princess agreed, seeing him off with a small smile, even though tantalizing thoughts of her ultimate revenge against the black witch were still stirring inside her mind.
Though Link thought that he would have to seek Lana out, he ultimately found that was not the case. Instead, the white sorceress came to him.
Lana had a bright smile on her face as she daintily skipped towards the hero, waving at him from afar as she approached him. "Hi, Link!" she greeted warmly, not noticing his wary expression. "Ready to go check out that secret entrance?"
"Um, yeah…" Link said carefully, hoping to get some answers as they did so. "But can I ask you something first?"
"Oh, of course," the white sorceress said with an eager nod. "Ask me anything!"
"Impa told me and Zelda something about some of our allies getting attacked earlier…" the hero began coyly, prepared to listen carefully to the white sorceress so he could catch her in a lie if need be. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
"No!" Lana gasped in surprise and horror. "Oh, goodness! Our poor allies! Were any of them hurt? Who would do such a terrible thing!?"
"We don't know…" Link said coyly, giving her a suspicious gaze. "Midna and Fi are also missing apparently."
"Well, here's hoping we can find them!" the white sorceress said, taking the hero's arm once more. "But for now, we really should get going to the temple! That sword's not gonna draw itself after all!"
"Wait just a minute, Lana," the hero said, giving her a hardened gaze. "What's going on with you?"
"W-what do you mean?" Lana asked with a frown, apparently taken aback.
"You're acting like you don't even care about any of our allies," Link said, taking his arm out of her grip once again. "And you seem obsessed on getting me to go with you to this secret entrance… Don't you think we should get rid of the ghost soldiers first?"
"Who cares about them?" the white sorceress asked in apparent aggravation, forcefully taking his wrist with a tight grip as she nearly dragged in forward, showing a surprising amount of strength. "As long as there's a way in, we should take it! Now, come on!"
Before the hero could even resist, someone else interrupted, someone that absolutely shocked them both. "Link?!" Lana called out as she wandered out of a nearby keep, her book of sorcery clutched close to her chest as she glanced around for the hero. "Are you out here? I heard your voice and I-"
The white sorceress stopped in her tracks upon seeing what looked like her exact copy gripping onto Link's wrist, her face mirroring her own shock well. The new Lana's eyes were wide in both confusion and amazement as she tried to figure out what was happening, which was the exact same thing the hero was trying to do as he looked between the two identical Lanas, unsure of what to think.
"No!" the Lana that was holding onto Link exclaimed as she let go of him, throwing her hands down at her sides in an apparent rage. "You'll ruin everything! I thought I had you taken care of with all those ghost soldiers!"
"Wha- Who are you?!" the new Lana exclaimed, shaking her head in absolute bewilderment.
The other Lana quickly regained her composure as she realized that she could use this to her advantage, knowing that she hadn't lost her deception quite yet. "I think the better question would be… who are you?"
The new Lana scoffed in disbelief upon hearing this question as she took a step forward. "I don't know who you think you are, but I'm Lana!" she exclaimed, glancing towards Link, who was still taken aback by this sudden turn of events. "Right, Link?"
"Um… I honestly have no idea what's going on…" the hero said a bit sheepishly, exchanging a befuddled glance with Proxi.
"One of you must be an imposter!" the fairy exclaimed as the two Lanas came to stand side by side in front of the hero.
"An imposter?" the second Lana said, crossing her arms as she frowned at the other white sorceress. "I guess that's flattering, but it's still really inconvenient…"
"I guess that explains why Impa said Lana attacked everyone…" Link muttered in realization, glad that he had not been wrong in thinking that the white sorceress wasn't behind such mutiny.
"She's the imposter!" the first Lana exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the second one. "She must be! I mean, she just came out of nowhere!"
"I didn't come out of nowhere!" the other Lana protested. "I was busy fighting ghost soldiers in that keep this whole time! I only just now defeated them."
"Likely story!" the first sorceress scoffed. "Link, you can't honestly believe a word she says! I'll bet anything that she was created by our enemies to trick you!"
"What?! No I wasn't! I'm the real Lana! Link, you have to believe me!"
"Like he's that dumb! I can sense the darkness pouring from you! You're nothing but pure evil! I bet you attacked our allies too! I wouldn't put it past a malicious creature like you!"
"What?!" the newer Lana exclaimed, gasping in shock and deep concern. "You attacked our allies! Oh no! I swear, if you hurt any of them at all, I'll take you down myself! No one gets away with hurting any of my friends!"
This bold, noble statement was what struck Link the most as he watched the two of them argue back and forth over who the true white sorceress was. He knew that, above all else, Lana was a selfless soul, always looking out for those she cared about and devoted to protect them even above herself. He remembered that when he had asked the first white sorceress about this attack, she had shown cursory concern, but nothing deep and fierce like the second Lana was. Over all, the second white sorceress seemed much more accurate, for though both of them looked exactly the same, she was generally much kinder and gentler in her words and actions, something that made it easy for the hero to decide who was the original and who was the imposter.
"Silence, you creature of darkness!" the first Lana exclaimed as she stood ready to fight the other one. "Come on, Link! Let's take this imposter out!"
"I couldn't agree more…" the hero said, drawing his sword. The first Lana smirked triumphantly at the second Lana, who stared at Link with wide eyes of disbelief, her heart broken that he believed a cheap fake over her.
"Link, no!" the second Lana exclaimed fearfully, backing up as she prepared to shield himself from his no-doubt fatal blow. However, instead of striking her down, the hero stabbed his sword cleanly through the other Lana instead.
The first Lana let out a high pitch scream as she threw her head back, however, she strangely did not bleed. Rather, her form began to flicker for a moment or two as Link withdrew his sword and joined the real Lana in an offensive stance against the imposter. And, after only a moment or two of her form phasing in an out, the guise of the white sorceress faded away entirely to reveal none other than the dark wizard instead.
"Wizzro!" Lana exclaimed, a burst of electricity already forming over her palm as she prepared to make him pay for callously masquerading as her. "We should have known it was you up to no good."
"You foolish children!" Wizzro growled angrily as his one eye glared at the hero and the white sorceress. "You were only lucky that you were smart enough to figure it out, hero! I guess you're not as easy to trick as you look. You and that insipid fairy as such nuisances! It was absolutely miserable having to pretend to be kind to you! And as for you," he said to Lana. "I don't know how you handle being little miss goody-two-shoes all the time, but it's disgusting! Of course… I don't think many of your allies will see you that way anymore…"
The white sorceress took in a diffident breath upon hearing this, knowing that in a way, the dark wizard was right. By attacking their allies, he has certainly sullied her reputation in the eyes of all of their allies, but Lana was more than ready to mend her relationships with all of them, hoping that they would believe that it had not been her who had harmed them.
"But I guess none of that matters in the end…" Wizzro went on, grinning darkly as an aura of dark magic surrounded him. "I still won't let you get to that sword!"
Acting quickly, the dark wizard suddenly shapeshifted into the white sorceress once more, only this time she had a duller coloration than the original, making it easy to tell the two apart. With a sinister laugh, the fake Lana held her hand up as a powerful electrical current surrounded it, before she aimed it towards the hero and immediately let it lose. Though Link had his shield raised, he knew that trying to block it with it would only make the shock worse, considering the fact that the shield was a metal one, and would certainly conduct even more electricity. And yet, though the hero didn't have any options or ideas for dealing with this unavoidable attack, the white sorceress did.
From the moment Lana saw the electrical current spiraling towards Link, she knew that she wouldn't have time to create a barrier to block it, not that she thought it would have fully protected him from it anyway. And so, acting on both instinct and fear, the white sorceress rescued the hero from this deadly attack by making herself the barrier between it and him.
Only a second after Lana had jumped in front of Link and spread her arms out wide and protectively, the electrical current struck her in the chest, eliciting a sharp scream of pain from her as she was thrown backwards into the hero. The two of them collapsed together to the ground with the white sorceress landing on top of the hero as the current continued to rip through her body, allowing him to feel some of the sting of it, but nowhere near as much pain as Lana was enduring. The current both numbed her as much as it ripped through her in painful waves for what felt like hours, until, mercifully and blissfully, it ended, leaving her twitching in semi-conscious agony as she struggled to remain aware, despite the fact that she couldn't move a muscle. Lana continued to lay limply across Link's lap as he simply stared down at her in both shock and heavy concern, unable to believe that she had so easily sacrificed herself for him in such a way, knowing full well that he should have been the one to take the brunt of that attack instead of her.
"Hm…" the dark wizard said, still tactlessly mimicking Lana. "Not who I was aiming for… But if it means I can kill two birds with one stone, then I'll gladly take it!" With another wicked laugh, the fake white sorceress prepared another attack, this one meant for only the hero, but before she could launch it, something miraculous happened. Link took no notice of the Triforce of Courage begin to shine incredibly brightly on the back of his hand as he slowly rose to stand, making sure to set Lana down gently as she was still trying to regain cognizance. The hero's glare was dangerously livid as he gripped his sword tightly, prepared to make the dark wizard pay for what he had just done. However, it seemed as though the Triforce was going to do that for him.
The false white sorceress let out a piercing scream, turning back into the dark wizard immediately as the Triforce of Courage flashed brightly. Wizzro recoiled in pain as the purifying light overwhelmed his dark soul, but Link refused to relent as he stepped forward, prepared to take him down once and for all. But what the hero hadn't been expecting was for the ghost soldiers to attempt to do the same.
The dark wizard cried out in pain and surprise when he was suddenly attacked from behind, spinning around to see a group of ghost soldiers all ready to fight him. "You dead dolts!" Wizzro scolded in rage. "You're supposed to be under my command! Kill him!" he said, pointing a bony a finger at the hero.
"All who threaten the sanctity of the Temple of the Sacred Sword must be eliminated!" one of the many spectral knights said boldly, thrusting his ethereal blade out at the dark wizard once more.
"It looks like Wizzro's hold over the ghost soldiers is broken!" Proxi informed Link excitedly. "They're on our side now!"
"No!" Wizzro screeched bitterly, sending out a wave of darkness to take several of them out. "This isn't the end, boy!" he nearly screamed to the hero in a burning rage, still unable to deal with the sacred light of the Triforce. "I don't care what Mistress Cia says! Next time, I will destroy you!"
The dark wizard finally vanished in a burst of darkness, leaving Link and Lana alone with the large group of ghost soldiers. Link stood before them a bit warily, ready to defend against them if they still intended on attacking him. And yet, instead they all collectively knelt down before the hero in a bow of reverence, at last finally recognizing him as the chosen one.
"He who shall wield the sacred sword has appeared!" one of them exclaimed respectfully. "The temple doors have open. Please excuse our trespasses, oh one of the heroic spirit. You are now free to claim the blade of evil's bane."
Link had no time to react to this, for the entirety of the ghost forces suddenly disappeared, leaving him to get the Master Sword as they had said. However, the hero could scarcely think about that now as he quickly knelt down beside the still listless white sorceress, hoping that she was not too severely hurt.
"Lana?" he asked worriedly, propping her up gently in his arms. "Can you hear me?"
The white sorceress groaned in lingering pain as her eyes slowly fluttered open, taking a moment or two to focus on the hero, despite the fact that the rest of her body was paralyzed. "Y-yes…" she said, her voice but a weak whisper. "Are… y-you alright?"
"I am thanks to you," Link said with a small, grateful smile. "Why'd you do that, Lana? You know I would have been fine either way."
Lana let out a breathy laugh, hearing the light joking air in his tone. "B-because… you're too… i-important to… loose… Link…" she barely managed to get out, wishing that she could move so she could start using her magic to heal the internal damage.
The hero's smile faded upon hearing this, knowing that if she didn't receive medical attention soon, this shock could become fatal. "We need to go get some help," he said, glancing around for any sign of any of their allies nearby, but finding none.
"N-no… Link, y-you… need to g-get… the s-sword…" the white sorceress said, her head lolling a bit as she struggled to keep her eyes open.
"Not until I'm sure you're safe," Link said with sincerity, before he did something that absolutely stunned Lana. Slowly and gently, he scooped her small, delicate, yet currently limp frame into his strong arms as he held her close and securely. The white sorceress stared up at him in nothing less than amazement, her cheeks growing the slightest bit red as her mind raced with thoughts of affection. She had never once dreamed that he would be holding her in his arms, and yet he was, even if he was doing so to help her instead of in a romantic way.
"Link… I…" Lana began, breathless as she tried to think of something to say.
"It's ok," the hero reassured her, certain that she was going to tell him to forget about her and go for the Master Sword again. "I have a plan. Fi?" he asked to the open air, hoping that the sword spirit would be able to hear him.
"Yes, Master?" Fi responded telepathically a moment later, able to hear him now that the magical barriers the fake Lana had used to trap her were gone. "How may I be of assistance?"
"Fi, Lana's hurt. I'm going to take her back to the base, but do you mind getting over here and covering us? The ghost soldiers are gone, but I don't know if Wizzro's still hiding out around here somewhere."
"Master, if I may, I would advise against returning to the allied base with Lana at the current time," the sword spirit reported. "I can estimate with a 79% certainty that two thirds of our allies believe that Lana has caused them harm thanks to the deception of the dark wizard. If you would like, I can report to them the truth of the matter, so that they understand that they were fooled."
"Yes, please," Link said with a sigh, frustrated that Wizzro had sullied the white sorceress's good name in the eyes of their allies. "If you don't mind."
"I certainly do not," Fi said politely. "Master, the best course of action I can recommend at this moment is that you continue towards the chamber of the Master Sword. Though the temple doors have opened, I can confirm the presence of dark forces invading the interior. I will send some of our forces to aid you, as well as tend to Lana and her injuries."
"Good," the hero said with relief, already beginning to head towards the temple, which was relatively close to their current location. "Thanks, Fi."
"You are welcome, Master," the sword spirit said, also going off to fulfill her own mission.
"I-is… everything ok, Link?" Lana asked weakly, having only heard one half of their conversation on the hero's side.
"Yeah," Link said, glancing down at her with a reassuring smile. "Fi's going to send some soldiers to help us, and she's also going to tell everyone about Wizzro's trick."
The white sorceress closed her eyes and let out a sigh upon hearing this. "I… h-hope he... d-didn't hurt a-any… of them… t-too badly…" she said with remorse, thought of the dark wizard masquerading as her while bringing harm to their forces bringing her shame all the same.
"I don't really know what happened," the hero said, hoping the very same. "But I'm sure they'll all understand that it wasn't you who attacked them."
"Yeah…" Lana said, finally starting to regain some feeling in her arms again. "I hope so… Link, I-"
"Hold that thought," Link said, stopping in his tracks as he stood before the lofty, now-open temple doors. As he had expected, the interior was infested with bokoblins, all of them milling about in wait for someone to attack.
"Oh no…" the white sorceress said with dismay as she weakly turned her head to see the monsters running the purity of the temple's sacred halls.
"Well, it looks like we'll have to fight our way through to the final resting place of the Master Sword," Proxi said. "Might as well get going!"
"Lana, can you walk yet?" Link asked, glancing down at the white sorceress in his arms with a frown.
"Um… no," Lana said, trying hard to move her legs, but they wouldn't budge. "Not yet. But it's fine. I'm getting some feeling back in my arms, which means I can start healing myself soon. You can just leave me here if you want."
"No," the hero said with resolve. "You saved me, Lana. There's no way I'm not going to just leave me behind after that."
"Wow…" the white sorceress said, awed by his selflessness. "Link… I don't know what to say…"
"Consider it as a way of saying thank you," Link said with a brave smile, shifting Lana in his arms to a slightly less comfortable position, though she didn't mind. With the white sorceress secured in his right arm as she rested over his shoulder and his sword held in his left hand, the hero charged onward into the temple, hoping that the Master Sword was not too far away.
Lana was amazed that Link was still able to fight so well despite the fact that he had a limited range of motion thanks to her. Though the hero made sure that keeping the white sorceress out of harm's way was his first priority, he still managed to tear through the bokoblin ranks lining the lofty, ancient halls of the temple. Most others would have certainly abandoned someone as immobile and injured as Lana in favor of the mission at hand, but not Link. The white sorceress knew he was different. The wellbeing of those around him was much more important to him than his own. And that was one of the main reasons why he was more than qualified to be the hero that Hyrule desperately needed.
According to Fi's intelligence, the chamber of the Master Sword was located at the back of the temple, and fortunately, the temple itself was not as large on the inside as it appeared to be on the outside. It was only a collection of about six or so large rooms, most of them interconnected, lined with marble floors and large windows that allowed the golden daylight sun to stream inside its dusty halls. And, while there were plenty of bokoblins scattered about, it was nothing the hero couldn't handle.
The white sorceress sighed in relief as she felt the paralysis in her legs begin to ware off, which was good news for both of them as Link hesitantly lowered her to the ground so she could stand, though she still needed his support to walk. It was around that time that the chamber of the Master Sword itself came into view, something that both Link and Lana smiled in excitement about. Oddly enough, the chamber was actually a large, forested area, akin to a lush, peaceful grove. Monsters didn't dare intrude upon it thanks to the sacred presence of the blade that rested within the pedestal within it, meaning that, at long last, the hero's path to the Master Sword was clear.
"Well, there it is," Lana said, her arm resting against Link's shoulder as she leaned against him for support. "Are you ready, Link?"
The hero was silent as he stood within the threshold of the chamber, the Door of Time, staring at the sword sparkling afar in the distance, a sword that was apparently meant for him. It was finally the moment of truth; this would be what would ultimately decide if he really was Hyrule's hero or not. "Yes," he said quietly, yet firmly, prepared for whatever fate had in store. "I'm ready."
Lana stood near the entrance of the chamber, just out of the reach of the monsters as she continued to use her healing magic while she watched Link slowly approach the Master Sword. The hero found himself unable to look away from the beautiful blade as he got closer to it, for it certainly lived up to how it was described in the legends. It rested stately in its stone pedestal, its silver, deadly blade shimmering beautifully in the heavenly sunlight spilling in through the trees, highlighting the mark of the Triforce engraved near its hilt. A golden gem rested at the center of the cross guard, and its handle was wrapped in teal bands all the way to the pommel. The violet-blue cross guard itself fanned out into wings that vaguely reminded Link of Fi's flowing cloak. In fact, the entire sword itself was reminiscent of the sword spirit, reminding the hero of what she had said about her being the spirit of this sacred blade. And perhaps it was that reason that he felt as though the sword itself was beckoning to him, as though it was asking him to draw it from its ancient seat and use it in battle as its lone wielder.
Link hesitated for a moment as he stood directly before the sword, already feeling the great amount of power radiating from it. Proxi floated in awe beside him, watching expectantly as he began to reach down towards its hilt. He paused for a brief moment as one more burst of doubt filled him, before he finally placed his hands upon the Master Sword, the world around him suddenly fading all at once as he did so.
He had wielded this sword before. He had wielded it before it took on its current form, before it was imbued with the immense sacred power that filled it now. He had drawn it from its place in the sky, had worked in conjunction with the wise, ethereal spirit that inhabited it. He had grown with it, forged it in the flames of the goddesses themselves until it had gone from the Goddess Sword to the Master Sword. His spirit had bonded with it, eternally connected with it, and finally laid it to rest when their shared mission was over.
But that wasn't the only time he had wielded it. The next time he laid his hands upon it was centuries later, when he was but a child thrust into a dangerous decision. And there had been consequences for him drawing it too. It had sealed his young body and mind away, for his own protection, so that he could grow in safety until seven years had passed. And then, he fought with it again, defeating countless foes as blood gathered on its immaculate edge, the only constant tool he had to sustain himself and survive in a war-ravaged world.
The next time he had wielded it has been out of necessity. Its sacred light had driven a dark curse away from him, restoring him to his true form. From its place in a sacred grove, he had taken it, using its light to drive away the shadows from the world. He fought bravely, yet savagely with it, tearing through every monster and foe that dared to stand in his way. And in turn, it guided his way through the darkness of the Twilight itself, merging with the fractured, yet pure light of the parallel world. And, when its usefulness had reached an end, it was laid to rest as the protective key over the resting place of a great evil, left untouched for generations.
Until now.
For now, he drew it from its pedestal yet again, all of these vague, distant memories stirring inside his mind as he closed his eyes, letting out a relaxed breath as it began to lift from its spot in the ground. With little effort at all, the hero slowly pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal, both of his hands wrapped tightly around it until it was finally free.
Link opened his eyes in slight surprise as he looked down to the Master Sword, now resting in his hands instead of its ancient seat. For a moment or two, he merely stared at in disbelief, amazed that he had indeed been able to draw it. Its weight felt natural in his hands, more comfortable than any sword he had ever wielded before. And though no one had told him to, he slowly raised its tip into the air as if guided by instinct, a sacred golden light flushing its flawless surface as he continued to breathlessly stare up at the blade of evil's bane, which against all odds, now belonged to him.
However, what the hero didn't see as he slowly lowered the sword in front of him to admire the magical glow around it was that Lana had already departed with the two soldiers who had finally arrived to escort her back to the base. And, because the white sorceress was no longer there, no one was able to see the dark wizard materialize several feet behind the hero, an angry scowl crossing his features.
"Tired of hiding from me?" Wizzro muttered in tranquil rage, forming a burst of darkness to take Link down while he was distracted. "Little brat… I'll make you wish you had never crossed me!"
With a wicked laugh, the dark wizard sent his attack flying towards the hero at a frightening speed. However, though Link didn't know it was coming, the Master Sword somehow did. As if acting on its own accord, the sword guided the hero's hand, prompting him to spin around quickly, and right before the dark blast struck him, the Master Sword hit it instead, repelling it and obliterating it completely with its sacred power.
"Wow…" Link whispered in absolute amazement to Proxi, who was also taken aback by the sheer strength of the sword he now possessed. "I never expected it to be this powerful!" He looked to the Master Sword, still shining brightly as he held it out before him, amazed that it could help him telegraph enemy attacks and defend against them in such a way. Zelda had been right in saying that the Master Sword was exactly what they needed; with its might, there was no way Link could be defeated.
The hero smiled briefly at the sacred sword in gratitude for saving him, before that thankful smile slowly turned into a triumphant smirk, which he was quick to direct towards the shocked dark wizard.
"W-what?!" Wizzro exclaimed in both anger and sudden fear as he glided backwards a bit. "But… but how did you-"
"You're no match for the power of the Master Sword, Wizzro," Link said confidently, stepping forward as he held the sacred sword aloft, Proxi cheering him on all the while. "I guess that means no more of your dirty tricks."
The dark wizard clenched his fists in absolute fury, its sole red eye wide with hatred. "You fool!" he scoffed. "You think you've beaten me? This is only the beginning! Give me the Master Sword, or be obliterated!"
"Don't you know anything, you silly wizard?" Proxi asked pointedly as the hero took up an offensive pose, the Master Sword still glowing with sacred power all the while. "The Master Sword can't be wielded by an evil hand! In fact, the only one who can really wield it at all is Link himself!"
Link glanced over at Proxi and nodded in agreement, still grinning confidently as he prepared to attack Wizzro, but before he could, the dark wizard suddenly sunk into the ground, disappearing out of sight. "Hm… it seems as though this sacred location is blocking my powers…" he mused tauntingly from an unseen position. "Looks like a change of venue is in order. Why don't I go pay your darling princess a visit, hero? I'm sure she'd just love to see me!"
The hero gasped in surprise upon hearing this, not even worrying about the dark wizard's fading teasing chuckle. "We have to go help Zelda," he said with resolve to Proxi, who agreed with him completely. And so, with the Master Sword at last in hand, Link departed the temple, racing to Zelda's aid without a moment's hesitation.
Completely without warning, the enemy forces had converged upon the allied base. Though Ruto and Midna, who had been found injured in an abandoned keep thanks to the false Lana, had been forced to retreat, taking the still heartbroken Agitha with them, Zelda, Impa, Fi, and Darunia remained to take care of the base and provide backup for the hero. The sword spirit had done her job in making their allies aware that they had been attacked by an imposter instead of the real Lana, who had for the most part recovered from Wizzro's attack and was able to fight alongside her allies once more.
"Our position has become disadvantageous!" Zelda called out to her fellow allies as they realized the allied base was about to be claimed by bokoblins, not leaving them much of a choice. "Let us retreat to the temple and strike from within! If Link has claimed the Master Sword, then he will certainly be joining us on the way there!"
No one dissented against the princess's plan as they all began to cut a swath forward, finding it hard to do in the sea of dark forces they were up against. Though they tried their best to stick together, they found themselves slowly dividing as they fought against the hordes of monsters. Zelda bit her lip anxiously as she watched her allies struggle, hoping that the hero would arrive to aid in their plight soon.
However, before the princess could attempt to hunt him down, a familiar dark laugh echoed across the battlefield. "I won't let any of you get away that easily!" Wizzro announced as he suddenly appeared before them, not even wasting any time in launching a dark blast at Zelda. Though the princess tried to avoid it, she was ultimately struck by the darkness as it knocked her back into the wall of a building, burning her as she let out a cry of pain. The dark wizard merely laughed at her agony, quickly launching several dark flames at Impa as she tried to go to her young ward's aid.
Even so, Zelda shakily rose to stand, her battle gown slightly damaged as she gripped onto her rapier with one hand and covered the dark burn on her arm with the other. "Stand down, wizard!" she proclaimed fiercely, unafraid of the one who had tried to impersonate her in the past. "The power of the Master Sword is on our side. Your end is nigh!"
"Like your little boyfriend even knows how to use its power!" Wizzro scoffed, sending out another powerful dark wave towards the princess. Though Zelda tried her best to deflect it with the light of her rapier, she still took the brunt of it as it bashed her into the wall once more, cutting up her back and burning her hands.
Not caring about the other allies who were all engrossed in their own battles, the dark wizard approached the princess alone, who was still collapsed on the ground, trying to pick herself up as she coughed up a bit of blood from his last attack. "Speaking of which…" Wizzro continued to taunt as he formed another dark orb, holding it high above his head as he prepared to bring it down. "It looks like he'll be too late to save you this time…"
Zelda's eye widened in sudden fear as she realized there would be no defending herself against such a direct assault this time. However, just as the dark wizard threw the powerful blast down, it was blocked by a force that was somehow even more powerful.
The princess gasped in shock to see the hero stand between her and the wizard, having arrived just in time, the full glory of the Master Sword shining as he stood ready to take his foe down once and for all. Wizzro recoiled back in fear of its brightness, but it was clear that the dark wizard wasn't retreating this time.
"L-Link…" Zelda whispered in awe, unable to take her eyes off of him as she realized that the Master Sword looked perfect in his grasp, as though it was made for him, which, in a way, it was.
Link merely smiled back at the princess briefly, extending a hand out to help her stand, which she graciously accepted. The other allies all cheered in support of the hero when they saw that the sacred sword was now his, knowing that their initial mission had been a success. Now all they had to do was repel the dark wizard and his forces.
"You weak children really think you can defeat me?!" Wizzro asked, though the panic in his angry tone could clearly be heard now. "I'll destroy you all!"
"Not if we take you down first!" the hero proclaimed, pointing his blade directly at the dark wizard. "You've caused about enough chaos for one day. It's time to end it."
Zelda, though very impressed by Link's sudden increased confidence and verve, nodded in firm agreement with him, holding her rapier at the ready to attack. Wizzro frowned bitterly when he noticed that he was surrounded on all sides, Impa and Fi joining the hero and the princess while Darunia and Lana continued to fight off his forces. The dark wizard knew he was severely out numbed in strength, especially since the hero now had the Master Sword in his possession. However, he was still not about to give up that easily.
Not sparing any more time on cheap talk, Wizzro held both of his hands up as a pool of darkness covered the ground below him. This darkness first snaked its way towards Fi, but the sword spirit evaded it by turning into the Goddess Sword and flipping high into the air. While distracted by the failure of his attack, Impa attempted to swing her heavy blade his way, but Wizzro deflected it with a thick cloud of darkness, though what he didn't see was the princess's light arrow flying straight for him. The dark wizard let out a cry of pain as the arrow pierced right through his robe, creating a burning hole through his form. The Sheikah guardian took advantage of this by finally landing an attack on him, sending him plummeting to the ground with a single slash of her giant blade. And then, to finish him off, both Fi and Link converged on Wizzro, two sacred blades landing simultaneous, deadly blows upon the dark wizard, both the Goddess Sword and the Master Sword sealing his defeat.
Wizzro let out a scream of agony as he recoiled on the ground, heavily damaged from the battle and unable to immediately pick himself up. He was lucky that the Hylian forces weren't vicious enough to kill him then and there; after all, he would certainly fall along with Cia and Volga when the time came. "Gah… You… c-cheated!" he accused, still bitter as ever even in defeat. "Then again, we didn't give you much of a choice, did we?"
All of the allied forces watched the dark wizard carefully as he slowly rose to float once more, just in case he planned on launching an attack even as weakened as he was. "If you want Cia, you'll find her at her base at the Temple of Souls in the Forbidden Forest," he revealed in defeat, surprisingly giving them useful information so they wouldn't harm him any further. "But she's not going to be happy…"
With another scoff of anger, Wizzro finally disappeared from the battlefield, taking all of his remaining forces with him. The Hylian forces all let out a collective sigh of relief now that their enemy was gone and the area was peaceful yet again, allowing them to take pride and pleasure in their victory.
"Link, the Master Sword really is amazing!" Proxi exclaimed to the hero, who was smiling down at the dimply glowing sword in his hands with satisfaction. "As long as we have this, we can't lose!"
"I know," Link said boldly, spinning it in his hand skillfully. "I feel like I'm unstoppable when I'm using it! It's like it was made for me!"
"It might as well have been," Zelda cut in, smiling brightly as she stood before the hero. "You did a wonderful job, Link. I knew you would be able to draw the Master Sword all along."
"And you were right," Link said, finally sheathing the sacred sword as he gave the princess a coy smile. "I don't know why I ever doubted myself in the first place. It's like you said: wielding the Master Sword is my destiny, and it's a destiny I'll gladly accept."
Zelda's smile faded slightly upon hearing this, glad that the hero was taking pride in his own accomplishments for once, but somewhat bothered by the almost cocky way he was speaking. "Well… all the same, I think it's safe to say we're ready to take this fight to Cia," she said a bit diffidently.
"Oh, I know we're ready," the hero said, glancing back at the hilt of the Master Sword with a determined grin. "She won't stand a chance against me this time."
"You mean… she won't stand a chance against the Master Sword… right?" the princess asked, her worry starting to slowly grow.
"That's what I said," Link said, even though Zelda was certain that he hadn't. "Isn't it?"
Before Zelda had time to respond, the rest of their allies all joined in on the hero's revelry. Impa gave him a nod of pride as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've come far, Link," she said with a pleased grin. "I'm proud of you."
The hero smiled and accepted her praise with a nod as Lana applauded his success. "Great job, Link!" she cheered, clearly showing that she was feeling much better than before. "I knew you could do it!"
"Congratulations, Master," Fi said, still as stoic as ever. "The Master Sword has chosen you as its sole wielder and none may touch it save for you."
"Nice going, brother!" Darunia exclaimed, giving the hero a hearty pat on the back. "You really stuck it to that wizard!"
"Thanks, everyone," Link said with an appreciative laugh, clearly soaking in their praise. "Especially you, Zelda…"
The princess was the slightest bit taken aback by him singling her out as he slowly approached her, a somewhat flirtatious grin on his face. "F-for what?" she asked with uncertainty, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks as he stopped only a few inches in front of her, slowly and gently cupping her face with his hand, in front of all their allies nonetheless.
"For believing in me," Link said, still smiling playfully at her, ignoring the warning glare Impa was sending him to put some distance between him and Zelda. "You gave me all the confidence I could have ever needed to get this far. And I can't thank you enough for that…"
"O-oh…" Zelda said, her voice trembling the slightest bit as she found it hard to look away from his handsome sky blue eyes.
"Link…" Impa admonished aloud, but the hero still didn't listen, shocking everyone, especially the princess, when he suddenly folded her into his arms in a sudden embrace. Zelda stilled in his hold for a moment or two before slowly melting into the hug, feeling strangely comfortable and at home in his strong arms. She couldn't help but close her eyes and smile as she leaned her head against his shoulder, blissfully taking this peaceful moment in for all it was worth before the Sheikah guardian all too quickly intervened.
"Alright, that's enough," Impa said with a hint of impatience in her tone, stepping closer to the pair as she gave the hero a discriminating look. Begrudgingly, Link released Zelda from their embrace as he let out an annoyed sigh, wishing that he could have held onto her longer, though he was glad for the brief moment he had. But even so, the hero and the princess smiled warmly at each other in the aftermath of their embrace as their other allies laughed good naturedly at the affection they clearly had for each other, save for the white sorceress, who couldn't help but let out a disappointed sigh as she glanced away.
"Well," Zelda said as she recovered from her bashful weakness, taking up a mask of authority and poise before her allies as they departed from the ruins, their next task clear. "We have our objective. Travel to the Temple of Souls and use the Master Sword to defeat Cia. If all goes according to plan, this war will soon be over and Hyrule will know peace at last!"
Ok! Well the Temple of the Sacred Sword stage has reached its end, but I can assure you that we have some of the best stuff in this story coming up ahead! I have BIG plans for the Temple of Souls, and I already can't wait to write it all! But first we're going to have something of a break chapter next time around, mostly character interactions, though there will be some foreshadowing as well! Its gonna be awesome! So, for now I'll leave on this question. What stage is your favorite in Hyrule Warriors (altogether, including music, visuals, ect.)? I'd say my favorite to play on is most likely Skyloft. They made it look so beauitful with the Wii U's graphics, and the music just perks me up every time i hear it! So, don't forget to leave your answers in the REVIEWS! Until next time!