Twenty-Five
The Dark Lord Raneses, master sorcerer, unparalleled warrior, king of three nations, soon-to-be ruler of the world, as he thought of himself, reverently gazed upon the tiny black triangle that lay on a pedestal set into the stone floor in front of him. He had come so far, planned and schemed, worked and slaved for this moment, the moment he would take control of the ultimate power.
The Triforce of Shadow, his ancestor's creation, designed to control the Golden Power by channeling the powers of its bearers through the bearer of the Fourth Piece, was finally in his possession, his to master.
The new Dark Lord had requested that he not be disturbed until he exited this chamber, under penalty of death to any who dared interrupt the complicated procedure. It would likely take him days, but the results would be worth stepping away from orchestrating the conquest of the world.
He took a moment to savor his victory, drawing in a deep breath. Once he controlled this fourth piece of the Triforce, that indescribably powerful artifact would be under his dominion, his to use as he wished. He could remake the world in his image, throw down the very gods themselves and take their place.
The Three Bearers would be powerless against him, the one called the Hero, especially, since that one's legendary abilities were all provided to him by his piece of the Golden Power. Without it, he would be nothing more than another weak mortal. However, Raneses knew he would still have to be careful against Link, regardless. He had managed to defeat Ganondorf in single combat, a claim only one other in history could make.
As he prepared to begin the procedure, the Dark Lord's thoughts drifted to the previous holder of his title. Raneses had spent his entire life learning about his ancestor, making plans and preparations to continue the first Dark Lord's conquest. It had been interrupted by the Hero of Time, and Ganondorf had been imprisoned. Upon escaping, he had again been captured and forced into the Twilight Realm, from which he had finally escaped nearly a year ago.
The new Dark Lord had begun implementing his plans a little more than two years before that, and had been surprised to sense another incredibly powerful being suddenly emerge into this world. In between orchestrating the world conquest, Raneses had used what precious little spare time he had in attempting to discern the identity of the other entity.
By the time he had learned that it was Ganondorf, returned to the kingdom of Hyrule in an attempt to conquer it once again, it was too late. The Hero named Link had cleared the Twilight that had covered Hyrule and shortly thereafter confronted the first Dark Lord in person, ultimately defeating him.
Raneses had then begun preparations to take Hyrule in a series of lightning-fast raids, so that it would not give him the same trouble it had his ancestor. His only regret was that he had not identified his ancestor sooner, since if he had, he would have stepped in to aid him, and even the Hero would not have been able to resist the combined power of two Dark Lords.
Clearing his mind of distracting thoughts, Raneses closed his eyes and concentrated deeply, erecting numerous barriers, both mental and physical, around him and the artifact, unsure of what would happen if he made a misstep in bringing the Triforce of Shadow under his control.
He sent his focus into the artifact, reveling in the power he could feel radiating from it. Ganondorf had poured so much of his considerable power into this that the weak Hylian Sages had been able to capture him after he made it, a feat they would never have accomplished otherwise.
Greetings.
Raneses looked up sharply, a ball of destructive energy already forming in his hand as he glanced about the tiny spherical chamber, but it faded away as he realized it was the artifact itself that had spoken to him. He hadn't been expecting that.
Do you wish to master the power I contain?
"Yes," he said aloud. The voice inside his mind sounded almost exactly like his own, which he realized, in turn, must be the voice of his ancestor. Ganondorf must have put a guide in the Shadow Triforce to aid in its usage.
Why do you think yourself worthy to wield my power?
Raneses drew himself up before the pedestal. "I have accomplished what no other in the history of this world has done; I have brought nearly the entire globe under my control. I wield powers none can hope to equal, and none can match me on the battlefield."
None but the Master may wield my power.
"If your master is Ganondorf, he is dead. I am the Dark Lord now. I am Ganondorf's heir, and all that was his now rightfully belongs to me."
Words alone prove nothing. The truth of your claim will be examined.
Before Raneses could ask what this entailed, he felt a sharp pain inside his skull, and could feel his mental barriers straining against a powerful force.
Do not resist. If you are what you claim, you will not be harmed.
Gritting his teeth against the agonizing pain in his head, Raneses slowly let his barriers drop, one by one, ready to snap them back into place the moment he detected malice. He had trained too long and too hard to be beaten in a contest of mental strength, no matter the opponent.
Without his control, he was suddenly thrust into one of his memories. As he looked around, he saw the dark stone walls of the fortress he had lived in until his fifteenth year. Grand and opulent, it sat at the top of a cliff overlooking a storm-tossed sea. The rocks for miles around were bare save for an occasional patch of moss, but the area was largely brown and gray. It was a forbidding place, and few besides those who lived there knew of its existence. It was supremely defensible, the only entrance guarded by a long, winding path manned by many towers and crossed by several walls.
What is this place?
"This is where I was born," Raneses told the voice, so similar to his own, "and it is where I grew to be a man."
The voice was silent, but the walls rushed toward the new Dark Lord, and he passed through them to one of the rooms at the top, with a wide, expansive window framing a spectacular view of the endless ocean below. A woman, her hair red as flame, stood before the window with a small boy who shared her features. The room was richly decorated, with several grand tapestries depicting ancient battles and some more recent. They were full of angular lines and bright colors, and were framed by many ceremonial weapons. The woman and the boy were similarly dressed in finely made clothes, though the style was still recognizable as Gerudo.
Raneses recognized the memory the Triforce of Shadow had chosen. This was the first time his mother had told him who he was and where he had come from.
As he watched, the woman told the boy a story about a man named Ganondorf, who had been born to the race of Gerudo more than a century before. He was a powerful sorcerer, and when he was crowned king of the Gerudo, he knew he could be the one to finally lead his people out of the desert and into the lush country of Hyrule.
"Ganondorf ruled the desert for several years, waiting for the right chance, and he learned whatever he could about his enemy in the meantime. The people of Hyrule had long oppressed the Gerudo, harassing them and driving them further into the desert on several occasions, defacing one of their temples and turning it into a prison, among other indignities." The woman scowled at this, and the boy continued to listen, fully attentive.
"In time, when Hyrule suffered a civil war over a powerful artifact known as the Triforce, Ganondorf knew his chance had come to provide a better home to his people. He offered the reigning king of the Hylians his aid in winning the war, and with the skills of the Gerudo, the rebels were quickly overcome. Ganondorf worked his way into the King's confidences, until he was permitted access to the castle archives, and there he researched everything he could about the Triforce." The woman gestured at one of the tapestries behind them, her bracelets jangling as she indicated the triangular symbol prominently featured there.
"He proceeded on to the next phase of his plan. Ganondorf was a very patient man, willing to make plans that could take decades to come to fruition. He knew the Triforce would make him immortal, granting him the abilities of a god, so he set about arranging events so that he could enter the Sacred Realm and take it for himself. Several years passed, and once Ganondorf had tricked two Hylians into letting him access the Sacred Realm, he laid his hands upon the Triforce.
"But something went wrong. He was only allowed to keep one piece of the Triforce, Power. In a divine prank, Courage and Wisdom went to the two Hylians Ganondorf had manipulated into aiding him." Raneses' mother's voice was full of scorn as she mentioned the Hylians, and the boy's opinion of the people who inhabited Hyrule would soon become the same, remaining that way as he became the man watching the events replaying before him.
The woman continued. "The Dark Lord, as he had crowned himself, spent seven years ruling Hyrule and searching for the other two Triforce bearers. Once the one known as the Hero awoke, it was not long before the other bearer, the Princess Zelda, began to aid him in a quest against Ganondorf.
"The two eventually confronted the Dark Lord, and instead of allowing the Gerudo to peacefully coexist with them, the so-called Hero and Princess demanded that Ganondorf give up what was rightfully his by conquest and return to the desert. They were able to defeat the Dark Lord, and with the aid of the Sages, including the traitorous Nabooru, they sealed him away." The woman scowled again before continuing. The adult Raneses nodded slowly in the background. His mother had always told him that if Nabooru had remained loyal to her king, the Hero of Time would not have succeeded in overthrowing him.
"Ganondorf's eldest daughter, my grandmother, fled the country after his defeat, bringing only the clothes on her back, as the Hylians immediately drove the other Gerudo back into the desert. She journeyed far, looking for the remnants of her father's army. He had once told her that he maintained a separate fortress and garrison in case of his defeat in Hyrule with which to rebuild his strength."
The woman gestured at the room around them, with the rich tapestries covering the dark stone walls. "This is that fortress, my son. The army had long abandoned it when your great-grandmother found it, but she remained here, knowing she was the conduit of the Blood Curse and her line would produce the heir to her father's throne. We are her descendants."
"What is the Blood Curse, Mother?" the young Raneses asked.
A frown crossed his mother's features before she answered, her eyes looking out at the endless sea below. "It is a terrible curse that was placed upon our people long ago by an unknown sorcerer, likely Hylian. Because of it, only one male Gerudo is born every hundred years. Our people are forced to look for mates outside our society until the male is born to keep our people from dying out. Gerudo blood overpowers traits from the father, and only maternal lineage is counted. That is why I have not told you of your father. He is unimportant, merely a means to an end: your birth." Raneses' mother smiled at her son, touching his cheek before continuing.
"It was long believed that the male was random, and any Gerudo could bear the future king, but Ganondorf did extensive research into the Blood Curse, looking for a way to break it, and from what he learned of the curse, only the eldest daughter of the male's line can produce the next male from among her descendants if the male does not live long enough to sire an heir. Only one of our kings was ever recorded to sire his own heir, and that was the king whose name you bear."
The young Raneses looked up at his mother while his future self looked on in the background. "So, I am the next male after Ganondorf?"
The Dark Lord knew his mother's response by heart, as it was this moment that lead to all his plans and efforts.
"You are, my son. You are Ganondorf's heir, and all that was his belongs to you when you reach manhood. It is your duty to reclaim all that was taken from our people, and it is your destiny to continue the path he started."
The scene before him faded to blackness, and the voice returned.
You believe all that was witnessed to be true. In your mind, you are Ganondorf's heir. There is no falsehood in this.
Raneses drew himself up. "There is not. Are you convinced that I am worthy to bear your power?"
You must also prove you are Ganondorf's heir in spirit, not only in blood. What have you accomplished that is worthy of your ancestor?
Raneses was growing increasingly suspicious of the voice, but answered anyway. "I have expanded on what the first Dark Lord accomplished. Where he was able to conquer Hyrule, I have begun bringing the entire globe under my domination. The nations of the world are powerless against my armies, and my task will soon be complete."
You have allied yourself with the ancient People of the Sky.
The blackness was replaced by another familiar memory: Raneses' first meeting with the Oocca known as Kyron. The Dark Lord watched as the feathered being stormed out of an ornate throne room, muttering angrily to himself. The surrounding building was full of soft colors and gentle lines, with wide, expansive windows that offered a view of the night sky, spotted with pinpricks of light and swirling with puffy clouds. It was cheerfully decorated, and Raneses' lip curled in disgust, as it had then.
The Dark Lord knew where to look, and therefore immediately spotted the tall cloaked figure standing on the balcony as Kyron stomped to the railing, clenching his fists in frustration. The Oocca did not notice the shadowy figure behind him, and stood gnashing his beak and pulling at his feathers in trembling rage until a breeze caused the figure's cloak to flap.
Kyron turned to see what had caused the noise, and gasped in surprise at the cloaked figure's glowing yellow eyes. "Who are you?" he said, one hand reaching for the short sword that hung from a sash across his feathered chest.
"I am one who may be of aid. What is it that causes you such frustration?" the shadowy figure asked.
Kyron answered truthfully, unaware he was already being manipulated through the Dark Lord's power to not feel suspicion. "None of the others will recognize our heritage. They are content to float among the clouds, wasting their lives, instead of reclaiming what was once rightfully ours."
"And what was once rightfully yours?" Raneses asked. His future self looked on, silently wishing the voice, whatever it was, would be satisfied with this and would not waste any more of his time.
The Oocca grinned arrogantly, as much as was possible for one with a beak. "The entire world. Thousands of years ago, my ancestors ruled the globe from their floating cities, instead of merely watching and observing the land-dwellers. They are all fools! We should rule them once more. We are the superior beings; we should make them serve us."
"Why do you not do so?"
Kyron again sighed angrily. "The elders do not agree with me. They hold all the power, and I am merely the commander of what little military we still maintain. My opinion does not matter." He scowled.
"How many are above you in the hierarchy?" the cloaked Dark Lord asked. Kyron rattled off a list of a dozen or so names, and the figure nodded slowly. "And if they were eliminated, you would be the leader of your people?"
The Oocca nodded, the high plume of feathers on his head bobbing with the movement. He peered at the cloaked figure, as if trying to see under the enshrouding hood. "Why do you ask?"
The glow from the cloaked man's yellow eyes increased. "If I were to arrange events so that you become the ruler of your people, would you honor an agreement with me?"
Kyron nodded eagerly. "Anything you ask of me, I will do in return for this."
Fool. Raneses had thought it then and he thought it again now.
The scene shifted again, to Kyron's coronation. Hundreds of the bird people were gathered in the opulent throne room, lining the walls and steps, perched on various pillars and decorations. They wore no clothes, but their brightly colored feathers were more than sufficient decoration. Oocca of every color of the spectrum made it seem as if a vast shifting rainbow was packed into the hall, so closely were they gathered together.
One of the bird people, his feathers white as new-fallen snow, placed a bejeweled crown on Kyron's feathered head, and stepped away as the new ruler flared out his wings, stepping into a spot where four beams of sunlight intersected by means of hidden mirrors. The new Oocca ruler seemed to be set aglow, and even Raneses had to admit it looked impressive, even if it was cheap theatrics. Kyron began to speak, first saying what an honor it was to be the leader of such a grand nation.
The idiot had been unable to memorize what Raneses had prepared, so the Dark Lord had been forced to hide behind the throne and directly project the words into Kyron's mind.
The irony of his hiding place had occurred to him then, and now, Raneses felt distinct amusement, some of which was not his own. Deep in the part of his mind he still had blocked off, the Dark Lord grew increasingly suspicious of the supposed guide within his ancestor's creation. A mere guide should not possess enough intelligence to feel amusement.
The new Oocca ruler spoke to his people, outlining his intention to re-conquer the world and bring it under their rulership once again. It was a stirring speech, but it also helped that Raneses was subtly influencing the minds of the crowd to make them more responsive to what Kyron was saying.
Again because of Raneses' power, none of the gathered bird people voiced any objection that Kyron was now the supreme ruler of the sky beings. Raneses had been swift in his elimination of the Oocca leadership, and though most had been arranged to look like accidents or natural causes, a few of the deaths had been unavoidably suspicious. His tremendous mental powers made up for this, and the sky people were universally accepting of the change in leadership.
Once again, the scene shifted to another memory. Gigantic flying fortresses were berthed, side by side, in an enormous floating city, the base and shipyards from which Raneses directed the Oocca invasion. It had been converted from an existing city, and the bright colors and round shapes of the buildings were somewhat incongruous with the sharp, twisted lines of the fortresses, which Raneses had designed personally.
Below, clouds drifted lazily around the city, floating above the thousands of workers that swarmed over the fortresses in various stages of construction. Most were slaves, captives from cities the ground army had destroyed in lightning raids in the opening months of the war.
How did you assemble such an army?
The voice seemed aware of his surface thoughts, and Raneses took note of this in the part of his mind he still had sealed off.
The Dark Lord looked down at the city as he answered, unconsciously mimicking the pose of his past self, visible a few feet away, shrouded in his black cloak. They stood on the edge of an immense platform, framed by four identical pillars, one at each corner of the platform. They were ordinarily used in airship docking, but were currently empty, the gigantic, gas-filled balloons floating in a few places around the city. They were similar in design to what the mercenaries commanded by the man named Viserys had used before their redesign into the newer warships, and had been the inspiration for the original airships, the design having remained the same over the centuries since the Oocca took to the sky.
"I located the remnants of Ganondorf's army, some of whom were still banded together after almost a century. Others I forced into service, and yet more offered their services once I contacted them."
Again without warning, the scene shifted to show Raneses in his cloak approaching a castle deep in a mountain range, alone. The castle was made of dark stone, and was heavily fortified, projecting a forbidding presence. Soldiers in full plate armor could be seen patrolling the high walls and manning the towers.
The cloaked Dark Lord boldly approached the main gate, and an alarm was raised. More of the armored soldiers rushed to the wall above the gate, aiming crossbows and two cannons at Raneses' past self.
"Who goes there?" a deep, growling voice boomed down.
The cloaked figure looked up at the guards and gestured with one gloved hand. The gate flew open and the armored warriors scattered like leaves in a strong breeze, falling from their post.
Several challenged the Dark Lord, and the cloaked figure drew a broadsword from beneath its cloak, matching the attackers stroke for stroke. The armored warriors stood nearly as tall as Raneses, heavily armed, but none lasted longer than a second or two before he knocked them aside.
You located the hidden fortress of the warriors the Hylians call Darknuts.
"Indeed I did. They once served my ancestor, and I knew they would be great assets in my own conquest."
Before him, Raneses watched himself smash through the Darknuts' defenses like the fearsome warriors were mere children, striding boldly through the castle. It was sparsely decorated, save for row upon row of weapons lining the walls leading to the throne hall. Many suits of armor lined the entrance, also, and several of these stepped out and attacked Raneses, the Darknuts being indistinguishable from the empty suits, so still were they standing. The Dark Lord knocked them aside with crushing force, not slowing for a second as he strode to the end of the hall and opened the doors to the throne room.
A huge man, nearly matching Raneses' own height, sat on an ornately decorated throne, carved from the same dark stone as the rest of the castle. He was completely encased in a suit of richly decorated plate armor, the helmet resembling a crown. Two dozen Darknuts stood around the long hall, and as one turned to face the intruder, raising their weapons.
The seated man did not rise as Raneses entered the room, and made no move other than to lay his massive greatsword across his knees. "Who are you?" he boomed in an extremely deep voice.
Raneses reached up and lowered his hood. "I am one whom you should respect."
The Darknut ruler slowly stood and walked down the steps of his throne, his armor clanking with the movement. "You think breaking into my home and fighting my men earns you my respect?" He laughed derisively, the sound echoing off the walls. "You may be skilled enough to enter this inner sanctum, but you are arrogant to assume I will kneel before you merely because you wear the face of a long-dead warlord."
Raneses stood straighter, holding his broadsword loosely at his side. "I am Ganondorf's heir. You swore an oath to serve my ancestor, and I have come to hold you to it. What was his now belongs to me, and that includes your loyalty."
The Darknut ruler walked slowly toward the Dark Lord as he responded. "Ganondorf had to earn our loyalty, and you will do the same."
With a fierce yell, the Darknut ruler raised his greatsword over his head and charged at Raneses, his long cloak flaring out behind him.
The Dark Lord sidestepped the Darknut's charge and lashed out with his broadsword, slashing a large piece out of the ruler's cloak. Enraged, the ruler spun and brought his greatsword around, both hands on his enormous weapon.
Raneses blocked the powerful strike, twisting to the side and slashing for his opponent's legs. His strike was also blocked, and the two gigantic men traded a series of blows, sparks flashing as their blades repeatedly collided with jarring force.
The rest of the armored warriors in the hall stood silently, their laws forbidding them to interfere in this ritual combat. They would serve the victor with unquestioned loyalty, as the strongest warrior was their king. If someone bested the king, he was automatically the new king.
Raneses remembered this as he watched the duel, recalling when he had fought it, also. The Darknut ruler had been one of his more difficult opponents, simply because of the massive brute strength he had at his command, not to mention the fact that he was also a master swordsman.
The Darknut ruler battered Raneses back, pressing the Dark Lord toward the entrance. Raneses refused to give an inch of ground, and with a sudden burst of speed, he again sidestepped the ruler's advance, slashing at his back. His opponent spun and brought up his weapon, and the two locked swords.
The Dark Lord and the Darknut ruler pressed forward, both straining to overcome the other. The ruler was incredibly strong, but so was Raneses, who was not using his powers to enhance his abilities in this fight. He was using only his own natural strength, a condition he had set upon himself for this duel. They stood locked for several minutes, neither managing to press the other back.
Slowly, Raneses flexed his arms, his boots planted wide, and his blade began to inch forward. The Darknut ruler redoubled his efforts, a deep grunt of effort sounding within his helmet as he strained. The Dark Lord continued to press him back, and finally, with a last push, he shoved the Darknut backwards, knocking him to the floor.
The Darknut ruler left his sword where it lay and got to his knees, bowing his head. Raneses had proved he was stronger than the king, and so had fulfilled the conditions of the ritual combat, which did not necessitate death. The rest of the armored warriors in the hall dropped to one knee, also.
"We will serve you as we did Ganondorf," the ruler said. "We are yours to command, and you are now our king."
An impressive feat.
All faded to blackness again, and Raneses was alone with the voice once more.
"I have recruited many more creatures into my service. Many of them offered their soldiers, and others, too mindless to do so, I have brought under my control," the new Dark Lord told the voice. He was quickly growing impatient with needing to offer proof of his power.
You command vast power, Raneses, both from myriad soldiers and from the arcane arts you have mastered. You are worthy to wield the power housed in the Triforce of Shadow.
There was a brief sharp pain, and a sudden flow of raw power surged through Raneses, like a raging river pouring into the Dark Lord. He cried out, half in pain and half in triumph as the dark forces contained in Ganondorf's creation swirled within him. He felt his already impressive abilities greatly strengthen in potency, and he became aware that he had lifted off the floor of his private chamber, black lightning crackling within the barriers he had set up around himself.
Eagerly, he searched for the bearers of the Triforce, to seize their power for himself, but he was unable to locate them. Anger and puzzlement flared within the Dark Lord, and the voice spoke to him once again.
You have just unlocked the first level of power contained within the Triforce of Shadow. The full extent of its power is not yet available to you, for it will take time to master. Continue with your conquest, and I will guide you along the way. Soon, you will be able to channel the Golden Power through this fourth piece, and nothing can stand in your way once you do.
Raneses dispelled the barriers around him with a gesture, and looked down at his right hand. It now bore an upside-down Triforce marking, the central triangle formed by the original three pieces a solid black while the others remained outlines.
He had hoped to master all of the power of his ancestor's creation at once, but this did not significantly set back his timetable. Conquering the kingdoms of the world through the Oocca and his soldiers would have to suffice for now, until he unlocked the full potential of the Triforce of Shadow.
The Dark Lord smiled slowly as he looked at the marking. He knew the voice that had been speaking to him was not a mere guide now. There was only one possibility as to the voice's identity. "I look forward to working with you, honored ancestor," he said aloud.
A man that could have been his twin appeared before Raneses' eyes, dressed in dark plate armor edged in gold and framed by a long cloak, a golden crown worked into his flame-red hair, connected by thin golden chains to his forehead jewel. The other man stood at an equal height to Raneses, meeting his eyes with pride in his own.
The other man had a slight transparency to his features, and smiled broadly, a fierce glint in his eye. "I should have expected no less from one who has the right to carry on my legacy." The apparition's voice was the same one Raneses had been having his silent conversation with, identical to his own, but slightly more gravelly, sounding older than the new Dark Lord.
Raneses inclined his head slightly in a show of respect to the previous holder of his title, awed to actually meet him. "How are you here, honored ancestor? I had thought that you had been defeated, though I would have offered my assistance had I known you had returned to life."
Ganondorf scowled briefly. "It is true that the one known as Link managed to best me. I underestimated him, a mistake I will not make again. I had thought to overpower him in single combat so that I could seize his Triforce, but like his predecessor, he showed hidden strength in our confrontation and took advantage of my weak spot." He indicated a glowing white wound in the center of his chest. "I intend to eradicate those accursed Sages if ever I get the chance." His voice was full of derision and fury, but Ganondorf calmed as he looked over at his descendant.
"The Triforce of Power preserved my spirit, though that piece of the Golden Power has since passed to another. When the Hero burned my body, I was forced to wander the realms, searching for a way to return to life so that I could pursue my revenge and continue my plans." The Dark Lord smiled. "It was during this time I became aware of you, Raneses. It was not until today that I learned you were my heir, the next male by way of the Blood Curse, but I have been aware of your power for a long time. Your abilities are impressive, considering you did not possess a piece of the Triforce."
Raneses looked down at the marking on his hand. "So, you housed yourself in your creation?"
Ganondorf nodded. "I had kept it in the Twilight Realm for safekeeping, though I have since learned that the half-wit I used to further my plans attempted to use it himself, and it apparently drove him insane. It remained there until the creature known as the Antihero disobeyed my orders and journeyed to Midna's kingdom, also attempting to take my creation for his own use. I was unaware of this at the time, and when he vanished from my perceptions, I assumed Link had defeated him, as had the Hero of Time.
"I later sensed your invasion of Hyrule, and had gone to the dungeons of the castle, searching for the portal there that lead to the Twilight Realm, knowing the battle would throw the Hylians into confusion. There I was confronted by the new bearer of the Triforce of Power, and when I attempted to take it back from him, the other two Bearers appeared and confronted me, also. I was not yet strong enough to overcome them, and so I left.
"Once the Antihero began attempting to use my creation, I housed myself in it to prevent the creature from using it, and have since been attempting to keep my creation out of the hands of the Three Bearers, though the fool insisted on repeatedly confronting them. " Ganondorf stopped to look over at his successor, and met his eyes, his expression serious. "If you are to succeed in your plans, you must learn to never underestimate a Triforce Bearer. They can be unimaginably powerful once they learn to unlock their true potential, and this is enhanced if all three Bearers work together as one. Do you understand?"
Raneses nodded. "I have thought long on how to deal with the bearers of the Golden Power. Upon locating some of your writings, I decided the best way would be through your creation."
Ganondorf smiled, a surprisingly genuine expression. "It seems you have inherited my intellect as well as my face. You have already learned the valuable lesson that lesser beings are merely tools to be used by those of true power, to be discarded once their usefulness has expired."
Raneses again nodded. It seemed that the new Dark Lord and the old shared a similar mindset. "Yes, honored ancestor. Some cultures are best manipulated by using their leaders as figureheads through which to control them. Others will respond best to a direct takeover, and yet others are best suited to remaining unaware anything has changed, either through manipulation or disinformation."
"Indeed." Ganondorf gestured at his descendant. "What are your current plans? You do have an overarching plan for your entire invasion, do you not? Including contingencies for any possible defeats?"
"I do," Raneses replied. "The takeover is proceeding uninterrupted in all parts of the world except Hyrule and Calatia. The kingdom of Calatia has so far managed to repulse many of my attacks, and is among the last of the free territories. Likewise, Hyrule is still not fully under my control, though the capital is taken. There are pockets of resistance that still attempt to oppose my forces, though I have captured all of the Zora and am in the process of finding a weakness I can use against the Gorons. The Hylians have mostly disappeared, and I have ordered my soldiers in Hyrule to search for their hiding place."
Ganondorf crossed his arms, frowning thoughtfully. "The Gorons feed on stone. If you block off their food supply, you can starve them into submission, as I once tried to do. I used a dragon, though the Hero of Time was able to slay it. You must eliminate them quickly, as they could prove troublesome in the future." The first Dark Lord was thoughtful for a long moment. "It is impressive that you have orchestrated an invasion of this magnitude by yourself for this long, but you will need my assistance for the final push. The most difficult part will be the final elimination of all resistance. Who opposes you at this time?"
Raneses walked about the edge of the tiny spherical chamber as he replied. "The only significant threats to my plans are the Hero and his companions and a large mercenary organization that opposes the Oocca sky fleet. I have recruited the Antihero to eliminate the mercenary leadership, and I had planned to deal with the Hero personally once I mastered the Triforce of Shadow."
"A good plan," Ganondorf said, "but I would advise against trusting such an important part of your plan to the Antihero. This latest incarnation has shown himself to be capricious and untrustworthy, acting more in his own interest than any who would command him."
Raneses grinned, a savage predator's smile. "I have taken steps to ensure the creature's loyalty."
Ganondorf must still have been able to discern his descendant's surface thoughts, as an identical grin spread across the first Dark Lord's features. "Pain is often a superb motivator when no other tactics have proven successful."
"I have found that to be true in the course of my preparations," the new Dark Lord said. He looked over at his ancestor. "So, what is the next step in mastering your creation? I wish to advance my plans as soon as possible."
Ganondorf crossed his arms again, seeming to look past the walls of the meditation chamber to the outside world. "Patience. As I said before, it will take time to master my fourth piece. Controlling something as powerful as the Triforce will be complicated, and must be done by degrees. Your takeover is proceeding smoothly enough that we will be able to continue with it until we unlock the final parts of the Triforce of Shadow. Then, your armies will not matter, as you will be powerful enough to continue by yourself."
He turned to look at Raneses. "I will continue to advise you as you progress. Because I inhabit your Triforce, I will be able to see and hear all that you do, and will offer my counsel whenever it is needed."
The new Dark Lord bowed slightly before the apparition of the old. "I welcome whatever assistance you choose to provide, honored ancestor. Together, I am sure none can oppose us."
Ganondorf nodded and slowly faded out of sight.
Raneses opened the door of his meditation chamber and strode out into the same room he had seen in the memory of his mother's story, gazing out at the storm-tossed ocean below. He smiled again. With his ancestor's approval and assistance, his long years of planning would come to fruition that much sooner.
The time to remain in the shadows was coming to an end.
Author's Note: The plot thickens... I'm going to leave you on that note for a little while to finish up my other story, 'Hero's Origin', as I've only got a couple chapters to go on that one. Also, Silverwolf05 has posted a picture of Dark Link(aka Nemo or the Antihero in this story) so go check that out. Till next chapter!
(Revision Note: For those of you reading this for the first time, this is roughly the halfway point of the story, plot-wise at least. From here onward, the battles get bigger, the plot gets thicker, and the pace gets faster until the action-packed conclusion. Enjoy the ride!)