It was unusually quiet inside the temple. Link knew there was a battle going on outside and there were soldiers and monsters killing and dying, but somehow none of that penetrated the temple walls. All of the doors to other worlds were closed and motionless. Cid was leaning against the dais with his arms crossed, absolutely silent, so the only sounds came from Link's own movements.

For the sake of hearing something he scuffed one of his boots against the stones. They had been so white when they first entered the temple, yet now they had darkened with hundreds of footsteps. Would it soon be stained with blood as well? When they finally left the Sacred Realm, what would remain?

"Shouldn't we be out there?" he asked, a variation on a question he had asked several times before. Though Cid seemed mildly irritated, he repressed the feeling for whatever reason. Perhaps it was because he made allowances for the stresses of war. In any case, he merely shot Link a dark glance.

"Two people are not going to make much of a difference," he answered, "especially if there aren't any major monsters. Besides, this place is potentially the most important point in any of the worlds. Right now it may be an empty room, but all it takes is two Shards to make this the crux of everything. Magic quests like this have a bad way of trumping military power or strategy, so I'm not going to let that happen."

"I know," Link sighed, glancing toward the empty dais nervously. To think something so close could be so important… "It just feels like I'm sitting here doing nothing. Are you sure they'll be alright?"

"Nothing is sure in war. But Linkina has a good head on her shoulders and Vio's ability is damn useful. We've got a decent set of soldiers out there and the Links should be able to take care of any problematic opponents, so they should be able to drag things out quite a while."

"Drag things out? What do you mean?" In response Cid just gave him a disparaging glare, so Link wracked his brain to try and find out what mistake he was making. "Oh, are you saying the real outcome will be decided by other battles?"

"Bingo. The army is their distraction, so you can bet they won't let it distract themselves."

"But… wouldn't that mean their strongest fighters are elsewhere? Probably fighting against the other groups or coming here?"

Cid didn't answer for a while, twitching the stick in his mouth. When he finally did speak, he directed his words at the ceiling. "That's exactly what I'm saying. But you don't have any time to be worried about the others. All you need to concentrate on is whoever shows up here. If it's Knil, I leave that part to you. Anybody else, do what you can."

Nodding, Link remained silent for a few minutes, staring at the walls randomly. The passage had been closed to discourage any enemy forces that might break through. Most likely they couldn't figure out even the remaining lock, or at least not quickly enough for them to avoid being killed by Links. Given enough time they'd get through, of course, but Link realized that if that was the case everything was already lost.

What would he do if that happened? What would Cid do? He could imagine the man returning to his own world or another, vanishing in the many realities for the remainder of his life. There was no way he could do the same thing. It had been too long since he'd seen his family or friends. Plus the enemy would be after him, overwhelming forces seeking to end his life…

To push aside the thoughts he focused on Cid, who had gotten to his feet. Like he had done several times before, the older man took out the Shards and arranged them on the depression in the dais. With five they could be put together fairly well, some of the edges locking but others coming together only by logic. There were clearly two gaps, two remaining Shards until everything was over.

"It's kind of weird, isn't it?" He hadn't intended to speak aloud, but the words came anyway, forcing him to scramble to put together the rest of what he was going to say. Cid just watched him, as patient as before. "So much is riding on us; if we make a mistake everything could… end. All the rest of you have had the world on your shoulders in the past, but for me it's overwhelming…"

"Get over yourself. Sure, we might be pretty important right now, but we're a few people in the scope of history. Do you think that there's only one hero in every story? Most of the time there are a lot of guys who fail before one kills the monster. You just don't hear their stories. People act like if they lose it will be the end of everything, but that's just because they can't see far enough." Cid pulled the stick from his mouth roughly and glanced over at Link. "I'm being real encouraging, I know."

"Actually, that does kind of help," Link laughed awkwardly. "And all I can do is my best, right?"

"Right now your best is getting out of the way." Cid's tone had changed dramatically. Link's eyes snapped over to him, then followed the older man's gaze to one of the corridors.

A suit of black armor was standing in the center, looming even in the large corridor entrance. Though the suit covered the figure's entire body, from the form it was clearly not human. Each of the arms and legs was almost the size of Link's waist, muscle straining against the dark plates. Dalboss hefted his hammer onto one shoulder and stepped into the room.

"Evening," Cid greeted cordially, drawing his sword. "I suppose you're going to give us some crap along the lines of 'Make this easy on yourselves and give us the Shards?'"

"Why?" Dalboss rumbled. "I'd much rather just take them over your dead bodies."

"A man after my own heart. And what kind of man are you, anyway, beneath the mask? I rather suspect Goron, with a build like that. What's your story? Did a Link kick your pet rock when you were a child, scarring you for life?"

"Shut up!" Dalboss smashed his hammer into the ground, sending a shockwave up Link's legs.

"Oh, did I strike a nerve?"

"Do not belittle me with your idiocy!" Dalboss began moving, every footstep smashing through the ground. Before he got very far Cid leapt forward, sword swinging down. The first blow deflected off the hammer, which was on guard, but there were more coming. One caught between the plates of armor and when it scraped out there was blood along the end.

There was no indication the enormous warrior even noticed. Instead he brought down the hammer with startling speed. Cid simply wasn't where it hit, somehow a short distance away and striking at Dalboss's arm. His blow actually knocked the arm aside slightly.

With a quick smile Cid reached over his shoulder and slid out the blue rod. At the same time he raised his sword and struck with both at once – a second too late. The enormous hammer lifted off the ground and caught him in the stomach. Though the spikes didn't pierce his armor, the force of the blow lifted him off his feet and sent him crashing into the far wall of the chamber. His impact damaged the stones and then he dropped to the ground, slumped against the wall.

He just looked stunned, Link decided, so he would be back up relatively soon. Just stunned, he couldn't actually be injured. It didn't seem like Dalboss was going to finish him off either…

…and that moment was the first time that Link realized he was the only thing standing between the enemy and the Shards.

Standing at the top of the temple, Ulrira examined the battle below carefully, playing a slow melody in a minor key. It certainly didn't look good, not by any standards. In fact, all of it was almost too depressing, like a nightmare scenario that had been crafted only to bring about horror. But unless this was truly a nightmare, it was no story.

Something landed on the roof behind him and he turned sharply to catch a glimpse of the Lizafos. Steel was already flashing at him, and he could barely move away, his feet clinging to the edge of the building. The sword slash ripped through his harp, making a painful discordant noise before the pieces fell to the ground.

The battle had closed swiftly, soldiers meeting monsters in a flurry of blood and sparks. They were obviously well trained, but there seemed to be far more monsters than humans. Soon they were scattered in the battlefield, knights and Geurdo back to back against the looming tide. Several of Vio's bodies had been overwhelmed, trampled by the sheer weight. She hadn't seen him in some time.

Linkina bashed aside another Moblin, not bothering to kill it as she moved on. Things were worse than they had expected, much worse. Barely visible against the dark sky in the distance she could see much bigger monsters, terrible beasts she did not recognize. Just before them was a tide of obsidian, warriors moving slowly and unstoppably.

They could not be allowed to meet the soldiers. She could see them now, cutting their blades and bodies and ranks effortlessly, carving a path of death and destruction. Even if they could sustain a few losses, each man down was a son or husband or father. Unless she did something now, the sacrifice would be too great. Linking gripped her sword tighter and started forward, but almost instantly froze as she sensed someone.

Too late she turned and saw the Stalfos release the string. The bone arrow was already hurtling toward her face.

This time it was a Moblin, rushing at her with spear in hand. Had Nabooru been a second slower the thrust would have impaled her through the stomach. As it was, she spun parallel to the shaft, her scimitars flashing and decapitating the monster. It fell with a brief spurt of blood and the nearest others backed off, not wanting to be the next to die.

For the moment it took all she had to keep her weapons raised in their intimidating stance. One second slower and she would be dead. That second was a moment of distraction, a slight muscle cramp, a sluggish movement. In the past she had known despair under the rule of Ganon, but never quite like this. Surely many of the warriors she had killed, backed by a vast army of evil creatures, must have felt this same hopelessness as their companions fell around them.

Something moved toward her back and she did not have the strength to turn. Her body could have made the movement, skewering whatever was attacking, but she could not will it to use the strength it had left. Before it struck, a broadsword swung from the side, biting into the monster's hide and knocking it to the ground. Jolted from her fatalism, Nabooru turned and stabbed the small beast through the heart to make sure it could not rise again.

She had been saved by a man in armor, one of the knights that came from Cid's world. He seemed to be an average warrior, better then the mindless monsters but succumbing to attrition just as she was. All of them reminded her of Cid in some strange way. The half-dead look in his eye seemed very fitting for their current battle. It seemed that men could be worth as much as a Geurdo warrior, but this knowledge would do her very little good now.

Between them the ground suddenly burst apart, a monstrous plant erupting from the soil and actually knocking Nabooru from her feet. The knight panicked and attempted to strike, but as it thrashed it knocked him away. Lurching around on the thick twisted stem, the plant began splitting, the flower becoming a terrible maw that bent toward the fallen Geurdo.

He was at the top of the stairs already, throwing aside the door triumphantly. It glided away in an irritating fashion instead of slamming, but at this point he was too elated to care. Striding into the room at the top of the tower, Hero put his hands on his hips and grinned. Victory!

It was a small circular room, rather unimpressive. The same creepy walls as the rest of the temple, of course, but by this point that wouldn't bother him. What really mattered was that a Shard was floating at the center of the chamber, suspended in a soft beam of light. All he had to do was walk up and grab it and he would have completed the mission. Then he could run back down and save all the others and they'd carry him back into the camp as the real hero.

That almost seemed too easy, actually. Stepping forward cautiously, Hero took a better look at the room. Was there another reflection in the walls? Was that… a woman? Zelda? He whirled to look behind him, but the corridor was empty. Giving a sigh, he turned back.

Someone was standing in front of him. It was Zelda's body, that he was immediately sure of, but it seemed to be formed from the same marble as the rest of the castle. While he stared it beckoned for him to come closer and tilted her face invitingly. Well, it wasn't the real Zelda, but he would take what he could get. Stepping forward, Hero kissed the stone lips.

Cold. Very cold. The chill seemed to seep into his body from her lips and infuse him. He staggered backward and hit the door, which had somehow closed behind him. As he slid toward the ground, his eyes began to drop closed and the mirror began closing in.

Several bodies went down in bloody heaps, blocking the doorway. Unfortunately, the first monster on the other side was a small creature in a blue robe, fire shooting from its hands. Shiro leapt back as quickly as possible, crossing the room so hard he hit his back on the opposite wall. Sliding down the stone, he managed to land on his feet. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and watched the monsters make their way inside.

This room was a dead end, he realized. So far his progress toward the Shard had been very steady, but here on the bottom level things had become more difficult. There were stronger and more numerous monsters, which slowed the process. Somehow he had come here, in a less than ideal situation.

A large Moblin was inching toward him, wary but confident. He ignored it, feeling his pouch with his free hand. There were fewer bottles of potion there than he would have liked. Would it be better to try to conserve his strength, or in the end would he be better served by intentionally taking some damage and rampaging his way through this mob? After all, he only needed a few seconds with the Shard to be able to send it to the others. Once he had done that nothing else mattered.

Just as he was about to flick one of the bottles up to his mouth, clammy fingers grabbed his shoulders. He could see the mottled brown arms, skin barely clinging to bones, gripping him for only a few seconds before his sight began to blur. As his life was drained away he dropped to his knees, hands falling loosely to his sides.

Fire and ice raged together, creating a vortex within the chamber. For several seconds the fierce winds beat against Din and Vincent, then they were swept from their feet, smashing into opposite walls. Vincent barely landed on his feet and his wife crumpled to the ground. In the center, Koume and Kotake laughed in unison, the sounds blending perfectly.

Din struggled to pull herself up with her elbows. Before she could rise far, Kotake's foot caught her in the chest and knocked her up against the wall. She cried out in pain and he struck forward, flames surrounding his fist. Just before it struck Din knocked his fist aside, chilling air driving him back.

Across the room, Vincent struggled against icy winds. Abruptly he lunged forward, sword drawing a line of blood through Koume's shoulder. She shrieked in pain, power exploding around her. The wind become stronger but he leapt aside… only to find that he was stuck. Ice was climbing up his legs, freezing around its body as it went. Before his arm completely lost the ability to move he hurled his sword. Koume barely ducked aside, letting it fly across the room uselessly while her opponent froze solid.

Flames descended upon Din from every side, forming a burning globe that pressed in with immense force. Winds slashed around her in a smaller sphere, keeping the fire at bay. Within the vortex, however, Din seemed to be barely on her feet, sweat running down her face and her eyes struggling to remain open.

Quite suddenly the winds burst out, vanquishing the flame and disappearing entirely. Koume raised an eyebrow at Din's body, which stood motionless, standing but slumped. Then with a grin he created another flame.

The attacks from the blade came one after another, a pale river pressing him back. Ganondorf grunted with each of the stronger blows, wincing as the shock moved down his arms. With the sword he could keep Light at bay, but there was no way he could do more than parry the oncoming blows. Even though the sword was not heavy in his hands, he couldn't move it as fast as he could his fists. Attrition was slowly wearing him down.

He was certain that this barely bothered Light. The other man had a smile on his face, a peaceful innocence that was all the more terrible. Only his eyes, flickering with the flashing of the swords, betrayed his cruelty.

A chance. Bringing the sword over his head, Ganondorf brought it down with every ounce of strength in his body. Even if Light dodged to the side, the movement would make him vulnerable for a kick. Once he passed the horizontal position he intended to release the sword and attack directly in any case. As if mildly surprised, Light looked up at the large blade bearing down on his head.

Then he stepped back and slashed. His sword hit Ganondorf's weapon directly, glowing as it shattered the tip. Light split Ganondorf's blade in two, a sword swing that seemed to tear the air itself. The broken hilt fell from Ganondorf's hands as blood began gushing from them. It hit the floor and made a hollow sound before coming to rest.

Link trembled as the giant approached, footsteps sending tremors through the floor. The hammer was back on Dalboss's shoulder, now that it had done its work on Cid. He had fallen on the opposite side of the chamber, just beneath the hole in the wall he had created when hitting it. Even if he was alive, he would not be moving soon.

What was he supposed to do? Like so many times before, the opponent was beyond him. But this time, there was no one else. The only warriors in the chamber were him and the hulking Goron that was approaching. He was all that stood between the enemy and the dais at his back. On it the Shards sat darkly, forming their pathetically incomplete triangle. Could he turn, grab them and run? Even if he could only take one or two, that would be enough to stop their plan…

No. Dalboss would lunge forward and be on him in an instant. Even if he got away, that hammer could probably be thrown. Even if he escaped into the hallway, he would only be heading straight into the thick of battle, where hundreds of monsters would kill him for the Shards. Standing here was his only option.

He gave a loud cry and charged, blade sweeping low in preparation for a slash. Dalboss cuffed him on the side of the hand, sending him sprawling ingloriously. Then the dark armor reached the dais. As the feet finally stopped, for a moment the chamber was still, the floor no longer shaking as one enormous hand reached down and scooped up the Shards.

It was a desolate plane, black rock and black soil stretching as far as the eye could see. Mists drifted in the distance, making everything into a dead haze. For brief moments it would curl around shattered rocks or scorched remnants of trees before rolling on in the endless abyss. There was no sun in the sky, only dark clouds that hung as if they would soon fall and smother everything.

Three points of gold shone brilliantly in the gloom. They were small in the immense darkness but intense, keeping away the shadows that shifted around them. All three Goddesses faced one another in a triangle, heads tilted forward and eyes closed. Between them a spark of pure light glittered, slowly growing.

At their feet the land was beginning to become lighter, the darkness seeping out of the soil and becoming a rich earthy color. Grass was beginning to break through it at places, imperceptibly increasing in size. Flower petals slowly formed and opened, soft yellow and red, their color marring the landscape. The process continued inexorably.

Then a shaft of radiance pierced everything. The Goddesses opened their eyes to look, finding a doorway of light etched into the air. A man was silhouetted in it, his cloak shifting slowly around him. They turned to face him, eyes meeting his. For a long moment he merely watched, then he shifted.

Altair stepped into the darkness.

- - - - -

You could say that I wrote the entire story for the sake of this cliffhanger. Or cluster cliffhanger, if you prefer.

I also apologize that these updates have become sporadic. I'll make an effort to keep them somewhat consistent - I assume no one really cares if they aren't always on Friday.