Chapter 25: Link's Breakdown
The battle resumed as Link, Saria, Zelda, Ruto, Nabooru, Impa, Darunia and Rauru each charged at the now four-armed Stalfos Commander, who looked agitated as he was now being attacked from all sides, but nonetheless more ready to defend and strike back, wielding his weapons and making gestures to the group as to bring it on! The group first attacked en masse to keep the Commander occupied, trying to find an opening which they could use to their advantage to strike hard. The Stalfos Commander was reacting very aggressively, forcing the group to duck underneath its swings to prevent being decapitated on the spot, although they couldn't prevent being smacked aside in turn or otherwise receiving cuts still, although they did manage to deliver damage of their own, succeeding in breaking parts of the Commander's ribcage along the way as they continued to attack. However, a combined attack from Link and Zelda managed to knock the Commander's helmet off, revealing a third eye as it apparently was getting too much damage. With a crackling howl, the Stalfos Commander promptly summoned another horde of regular Stalfos to assist him in his struggle, effectively making things harder for the group.
"DARN YOU!" Link shouted as he was now once more fighting for his life as well as that of saving the others in kind, cutting several of the regular Stalfos in two as he went on.
"I'll keep these Stalfos occupied as best as I can! Go for the Commander!" Darunia said as he unleashed one Goron Pound after the other, at times substituted by an onslaught of furious Goron Fire Punches, each having the force of the legendary Megaton Hammer.
Of course, the Stalfos Commander was having none of it and fought back to aid its comrades while attempting to put an end to those who opposed Ganondorf and Majora's rule. Still, the Sages were still a force to be reckoned with as Rauru's Light Magic hit its mark most of the time, Saria's vines were very helpful in restricting some of the Stalfos, Ruto's Water Spout blasted several Stalfos in the air, Darunia's Fire punches knocked some of the skulls off of some of them in turn, Impa used her shadow to capture some Stalfos to clobber them with her blade and Nabooru made frequent use of her Sword Spark to blast some of the Stalfos back, while Link and Zelda double-teamed the Stalfos Commander.
Ganondorf looked up as he saw the wounded Dark Link and Dark Zelda come in, supporting each other.
"I take it that those two bested you somehow?" Ganondorf asked.
"Yes, my Lord. We did manage to inflict damage, but they got the better of us somehow…" Dark Link said.
"We can confirm that they are very much alive and more battle-hardened than ever before." Dark Zelda added.
"Hmmm…" Ganondorf said, obviously thinking.
Both Dark Link and Dark Zelda grunted as their wounds were beginning to take their toll on them.
"You two are lucky that I still have some use for you, so I will not banish you to the gap between dimensions… yet. However I do want to see some results next time! Get yourselves patched up, I'll be making sure you'll get some company soon." Ganondorf then said, before leaving to where Majora was.
Both Dark Link and Dark Zelda watched him leave, sighing of relief, before moving to where they had their room to patch up their wounds.
The fight in the arena had become even more brutal than before. Where Link and the Sages first had the advantage, they were now having serious trouble as a group of Stalfos had joined the fray, turning the initial battle into a fight for survival. Sure enough, Darunia was smacked against the wall opposite of the entrance to the arena, with Rauru and Impa being callously tossed beside him, while Link, Saria, Zelda, Ruto and Nabooru were smacked among some rubble in that same direction, the entire group having difficulties to get up.
"I must say that I am impressed; I didn't expect you to hold out for so long…" The Stalfos Commander said, watching the group, "however, this is where it ends. Take comfort in the fact that you'll at least die together, considering the way you have been co-operating in this fight so well… say good-bye!" The Commander said, getting ready to charge in for the final attack and end the opposition to Ganondorf and Majora's rule once and for all.
Suddenly, something else happened... Link's rage and despair had reached a boiling point, when suddenly something began to float up from his pocket... it was the Fierce Deity's Mask! It moved on towards Link's face and latched onto it... the instant this happened, Link suddenly screamed in agony as he began to transform; breaking free from the rubble he laid under as a white flash covered him. Saria, Zelda, Ruto and Nabooru all winced or recoiled in horror as they could hear Link's bones snap and readjust themselves as the magic and the power from the mask overtook the young boy's body, making it grow to adult-sized proportions in a matter of seconds. His regular equipment was either dropped, vanished from sight or relocated and his sword began to reshape and twist itself while growing in length until it was about half to two-thirds of Link's length as the Fierce Deity itself, its blade twisted to form the shape of a double helix. But this wasn't what shocked the Sages the most… it was the sight of Link's face, as his eyes turned completely white and void of pupils and irises, while below his eyes, on his cheeks and on his forehead appeared to be facial markings in red and blue, as if he became a warrior from a different or even ancient tribe of its own! The Stalfos Commander also looked on in shock as the transformation took place, seeing the young boy becoming a man. A sudden flash emanating from Link blinded everyone in sight as the transformation completed.
As Saria, Zelda, Ruto, Nabooru, Impa, Darunia and Rauru could look again, they were horrified to see what has happened to Link. He now had white hair, facial markings, a light blue tunic underneath a metal cuirass, metallic gauntlet, black leggings, white eyes without pupils and a very large size in height and width (standing two heads taller than a normal adult Hylian) and held a large, double-handed helix-edged sword, which by itself could inflict MASSIVE damage by the mere size alone, coupled with the power that was flowing through it! It was as if Link had become a completely different person altogether… and he was BEYOND pissed, giving a glare of absolute death to the Stalfos Commander. The resident Stalfos troops also stood still, wondering what was going on as none of them made a move yet… Saria and Zelda both gasped as they saw Link baring his teeth during a rather low, menacing growl… they could have sworn to see his canines having turned into fangs, which only added to his rather frightful and intimidating appearance.
Majora was taking his time in torturing a young couple by turning them into two Deku and was prepared to set them on fire, when he suddenly froze in utter fear as he detected the sudden change in energy. This caused Ganondorf, who was watching this, to frown to see Majora being petrified with fear!
"No! It... it can't be!" Majora then exclaimed, ignoring the two Deku succeeding in fleeing from him as he was fixated on something.
"What is it?" Ganondorf asked.
"He's here... I can feel its presence!" Majora said, his body shivering all over.
"Of who?!"
"The Oni, Ganondorf, the Oni who has been responsible for my demise back in Termina!" Majora exclaimed.
Ganondorf decided to sense the energy that petrified Majora in this state.
'Well, this is different! I can definitely tell that someone had an increase in power, but of such a magnitude is indeed unsettling… I wonder who… wait…' Ganondorf thought as he began to put two and two together.
"Majora, you said you were being defeated by Link, right?!" Ganondorf then demanded.
"He… he was… but he was wearing that mask!" Majora said.
"What?!"
"That mask was given to him… so we could play… but I never thought… he would use it to end me!"
"Majora, you imbecile! How could you do something so stupid?! Now we need to put more work in to counter this threat because of you! Get to work on making our forces stronger, pronto!" Ganondorf then barked.
"But…"
"Must I repeat myself, Majora? Giving that mask with such a power to someone like HIM was clearly a mistake on your part! See to it that you have the guts to rectify that mistake at all costs!" Ganondorf snapped, before leaving the room.
Majora trembled for another second or two, before uttering an inhuman shriek of frustration, which only Ganondorf ignored as he walked back to his central throne room at the top of his new tower.
"What the-?! What is this?!" The Stalfos Commander asked, as he then sicced his remaining lackeys onto the Fierce Deity Link... only to watch as Fierce Deity Link swung his Double Helix Blade with tremendous force, decapitating the Stalfos who were too close instantly while those who were further off were struck with the crescent shaped sword beams that the sword emanated, causing the Stalfos to writhe in pain as the sheer power of it rocked their bones and made them drop their weapons, causing the Sages to stare at the Fierce Deity in shock, Saria and Zelda even holding each other out of pure fright. Nabooru and Impa on the other hand had a jaw drop as they saw Link slaying those Stalfos like they were nothing and Ruto found herself taking a few steps back out of fear.
"By the Goddesses, he's huge!" Ruto exclaimed, now intimidated by his appearance...
"Oh my…" Zelda said.
"What happened to you, Link?!" Saria exclaimed in fear.
"He's like a ferocious god!" Impa exclaimed.
"Where did Brother gain such power?!" Darunia asked.
Rauru narrowed his eyes.
"I can see Link struggling to maintain control of himself! Now I see why he wants that mask purified." He said.
Saria and Zelda were both speechless and also could sense the struggle that Link was in. It was only fortunate that Link was focused onto his target: The Stalfos Commander.
"This is intolerable! ATTACK!" The Stalfos Commander said, sending what remained of his minions and those who recovered from the Sword Beam assault began to strike at Fierce Deity and the shocked Sages in kind.
Fierce Deity Link however was having none of it and was ready.
"Oh no you don't!" He said as he swung his sword to and fro, creating sword beams that stunned/damaged the Stalfos troops while also slashing the closest ones apart with his massive blade, the Sages assisting him as they recovered from their initial shock.
Where once the Stalfos Battle Force was superior in numbers, they were now having their bones kicked by a rejuvenated and more powerful Link, whom went completely postal on them, buying the Sages time to recover. Fragments of the Stalfos' bones were callously tossed left and right as Fierce Deity Link rampaged across their ranks like someone whom got lost in his rage and the desire to kill! Within a matter of minutes, all of the Stalfos except for the Commander itself was completely wiped out, leaving the Commander to make a last stand in the hopes of still capturing or killing the group, although he was fighting a rapidly losing battle, despite the Commander having four arms which he utilized with great valor to no avail. Fierce Deity Link first cut the Stalfos Commander's weapons in two, before sending several Sword Beams to the Commander himself, hitting him HARD as well as severing its four arms in kind and sending him backwards, tumbling onto the ground as it rolled over onto its ribcage, while Fierce Deity Link rushed over to it, setting a foot on its spinal column.
"I have warned you, bonehead! I've TOLD YOU that you have messed with the wrong people, that I wouldn't take kindly to you attacking my friends, but you wouldn't listen! Now it's time for you to pay the penalty! DIE!" Fierce Deity Link said as he then plunged his double-handed helix-edged sword into the Commander's back, cutting its spinal column in two!
A crackled outcry of pain was heard as the Commander's lower body was being severed from the upper body.
"Let this be a lesson to you bonehead, THIS is what will happen if you mess with me or my friends. As for your leaders Ganondorf and Majora, they will get their dues soon enough. I haven't forgotten what they've done to my homeland, my friends and myself and I will make them PAY for what they've done!" He growled.
"ACK! You… you haven't seen the last of me!" The Stalfos Commander said.
"DO NOT WASTE YOUR BREATH," Fierce Deity Link snarled, "no matter HOW numerous you are, I and my friends will take you all on! You will see what will happens when Evil decides to ruin the lives of those who want to live in peace and spend time with their loved ones! But whatever happens, YOU will not live long enough to see it! HYA!"
And with that, Fierce Deity Link decapitated the Stalfos Commander with his blade, before everything went silent for a moment, nobody making a move as the remains of the Stalfos Commander disintegrated into nothingness, leaving the entire group alone inside the arena. Then, the Fierce Deity got a hold of his face, followed by another bright light that blinded the Sages once again for a second or two, before it vanished again. As they could look again, they saw Link tossing the mask to the far side of the arena… or at least out of his grasp, as the young man collapsed on hands and knees, not moving an inch… but he appeared to be shaking and trembling all over… as if he was afraid… but afraid of what? Afraid of himself? Afraid to face them now? Afraid of the mask? These questions rang through the Sages' heads. But then Saria and Zelda picked up something else… it appeared to be someone sniffing… and was that whimpering that they could hear? Worry and concern overriding their minds, Saria and Zelda both walked towards the trembling Link, with both Princess Ruto and Nabooru following, although keeping their distance warily…
To say that Link was in an emotional turmoil was a major understatement. He had hoped to never use it, but now that accursed Fierce Deity Mask was now exposed, as if the dark spirit within gave the mask almost a will of its own and took control of Link, much like how Majora's Mask was able to take control of the Skullkid. But where the Skullkid was weak and helpless to resist, Link's own force of will, courage and determination allowed him to remove the mask on his own accord, thus not becoming a puppet like the Skullkid had been. Still, Link was scared, sad, frightened, upset and outraged altogether… how could he face his friends after showing off the power of that Mask right in front of them while he was explicitly refraining from using it until it was purified? Why did it have to show up now and take control of him like that? What would the Sages even think of him now? Was he still worthy of being their Hero now that they had witnessed this? These were questions that rang through his mind as he was shaking all over, the mere thought of being rejected because of something that was out of his control made him sick to his stomach. It was then that he felt two hands landing gently on his shoulders. Looking up, he saw Saria and Zelda kneeling down in front of him… and was that concern on their faces?
"Link, are you okay?" Saria asked in a sweet yet genuinely concerned voice.
"Yeah, are you alright?" Zelda asked.
The sight of two of his best friends looking with great concern and worry on their faces, coupled with those two very questions, finally overloaded Link's mind and triggered a reaction that NONE of the Sages saw coming. Out of reaction, he suddenly grabbed the one sitting the closest to him, which was Saria, holding her close to him, buried his face on her left shoulder… and then he wept.
"Why….. WHYYYYYYYYY!" Link wailed in the embrace of his best childhood friend, who looked in absolute shock, before responding by simply holding him close to her, "WHY does this all have to happen to us… why did this have to happen to ME?! I can't take it anymore!"
"Shhh, it's alright Link, I'm here for you." Saria soothingly said, stroking his back, while at the same time feeling the pain that he was feeling now stabbing into her soul.
"I'm here for you too, Link… please calm down…" Zelda said, hugging Link on his right side as the young man just threw out everything he had tried to hold back and crop up emotion wise.
This made the Sages realize that, despite his vigorous, determined and courageous spirit, Link basically had lost his childhood because of all the hardships he had to face ever since the whole affair with Ganondorf went down, followed by his travels in Termina and the ensuing quest to save that land. It was as if Link was forced to grow up quicker than they could have imagined, despite his own genuine efforts to live the life he was supposed to be living and/or catch up from the Future That Almost Was. Impa then watched the Zora Princess Ruto approaching the three, before she then hugged Link's other side, holding him close.
"There, there… we're here for you… we're your friends… you can confide in us…" She meekly said as she joined in on the hugging and trying to comfort the young, distraught hero.
"Oh, dear Goddesses… the pain… I can feel your pain…" Nabooru said as she hugged Link and by extension Ruto, Zelda and Saria from behind, kneeling down to make it more comfortable.
Rauru and Darunia remained firm, but they couldn't help to understand why Link was hurting so bad on the inside. Impa on the other hand sighed in sadness as she approached the group… only to stop as she let out a soft gasp, blinking even. Not because Link himself was currently crying out his sorrows of the recent trauma he experienced as well as those of the past, but she saw that both Saria and Zelda were shedding tears of their own, crying along with Link! She could see that Ruto and Nabooru were crying themselves too as she got closer to the group, but it was certain to her that Link was very close with both Saria and Zelda, seeing that both girls were trying their best to comfort their distraught friend and yet were openly sharing his pain. Seeing the scene itself however even caused Impa herself to shed a tear, sniffing as she mustered the courage to join the group hug, but more in the way of a mother soothing their upset children as she embraced Link on the side where Saria and Zelda had embraced him…
"It hurts, Saria… it hurts… so bad…" Link wailed as he cried, as if there was no end to his pain.
"We know, Link… please…" Saria said, whimpering herself as she just held Link as close as she could, wanting to give him release of the torment which was a burden on his soul.
"We feel your pain… but please…" Zelda said between sobs, worried if there would be an end to his pain…
"Don't cry, Link! Seeing Link cry makes Ruto sad." Princess Ruto then said, for the first time deeply and genuinely affected by such an emotional outburst, no less by the one she secretly liked so much…
"It's alright, Link, throw it all out." Nabooru said, before noticing Impa behind Zelda and Saria, with Impa merely nodding in understanding.
For about a few minutes, the group just stayed there in position, trying to comfort each other, but most importantly Link himself, as his pain was apparently too much to be just kept within him. The group seemed to finally understand the level of pain Link was holding within himself, the pain of all the horrors he faces, the losses he suffered, the suffering he had to endure, the crippling or better yet nigh-destruction of his childhood… it was just too much for the young hero to contain as he now bore his soul and threw out his heart to his dearest friends. Saria and Zelda both simply cried along with him in almost the same force as Link was, also feeling the sorrow they had gone through up to the point of where they were now. It pained Saria to see Link admitting to feeling miserable of never being able to see her again in the Future That Almost Was due to her duties as the Forest Sage keeping her bound into the Chamber of the Sages in turn, while Zelda felt she was responsible for the whole situation due to underestimating the power of the legend of the Triforce, although she did her best to make up for it in her attempt to make Link live his childhood out the way it was supposed to be, unaware of what would transpire in the distant land of Termina as well as the events after that up to the present. It was then that, after several minutes, Link gently broke the embrace, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, his crying reducing to sobbing and whimpering, then reducing it more to mere sniffing, before looking Saria in the face, who looked on in wonder and confusion, only to see Link smiling at her as the last of the tears left his eyes.
"Thank you, Saria, I… I really needed that. I'm sorry if it appeared to be troublesome, but… I… I just couldn't hold it in any longer." Link said, wiping his tears away, before giving her a friendly hug in return.
"It's no problem at all, Link. You've been through so much that I have wondered how you managed to hold up through all that." Saria said, smiling as she returned the hug, wiping some tears away herself.
"Thank you too, Zelda, Ruto, Nabooru and Impa…" Link then said, hugging each of them in kind.
"Don't worry about it, kid; we're friends after all and we're here to support each other in any situation, no matter what. That's what friends are for after all." Nabooru said, patting Link gently on the back.
Ruto smiled as well as she too received a hug, which brought relief to the Zora Princess as well. Impa nodded with a smile, although she couldn't help to notice a faint blush on the faces of Saria, Zelda and Ruto as Link hugged them in gratitude.
"Are you feeling any better now, Link?" Rauru asked, while Darunia approached them.
"Yeah, a lot better now. It appears I held in more than I thought." Link said, smiling despite his body still shaking all over.
"What made you break down like that in the first place?" Impa asked.
"Well, other than me having been dead before, it's just my fear that the Fierce Deity's Mask would corrupt me as how Majora's Mask corrupted the Skullkid before, the fear of losing everyone I care about… and just plenty of other sorrows that I just wanted out… heck, I even feared that, during my time in the Future That Almost Was, I could never see each of you ever again with the exception of Zelda, considering your duties as Sages and all…" Link said.
Saria teared up again, hugging Link as it clearly showed that, despite everything, Link put his friends before himself, which made him quite the selfless person. Perhaps his courage and determination to do what he believes is right played a major part in this. Zelda also came to hug Link again, showing that she too cared about him.
"Hey, there's no shame in letting out your sorrows every once in a while, Brother," Darunia said as he swooped Link, Saria and Zelda up in a brotherly Goron hug, forgetting his strength for a moment, "at times it helps a lot to just let it all out. And among your friends who like and support you, you can expect all the help and comfort that you need or want; that's what friends and brothers are for after all."
Afterwards however, he felt the three children tapping on his arms and chest…
"Daruniaaaaaa… AIR!" Link, Saria and Zelda said in unison, being held a bit too tight in the Goron Leader's well-meaning embrace as their faces began to turn a bit bluish.
Darunia saw what he was doing and released the three, who then proceeded to take in a couple of deep breaths of air before they realized they were no longer being smothered by the Goron Leader's strong, muscled arms.
"Whoops, a times I forget how strong I still am." Darunia said, which got a laugh out of the whole group, showing that they were indeed feeling better.
"It's fine, you mean well." Link said.
"But we now know what the Mask is like and can do regarding power…" Zelda said.
"Which leads me to my question: How do we purify it?" Saria asked.
"This can be done in the Chamber of the Sages in the Ruined Temple of Time." Rauru said.
"Well, I guess we can be on our way then." Impa said, just as Zelda got the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Healing herself, which affected Link once more positively by relieving him from all the pent up frustrations and torment he had tried to keep for himself, but was unable to.
Out of gratitude, Link hugged Zelda again, right before giving the princess a soft kiss on her right cheek, which caused her to nearly drop her ocarina out of shock, not expecting this move.
"Thank you, Zelda. This really means a lot to me." Link said with a genuine smile on his face, being oblivious to the blush that had crept on Zelda's face, before walking on with the others, whom gratefully haven't seen the kiss.
Smiling herself, Zelda decided to keep that for herself as she regained her composure and joined the rest as they moved on, out of the arena and into what appeared to be a celestial building, supporting each other due to them having temporarily forgotten about the injuries they have suffered during the last few battles. But each of them knew that so far they were still alive, which was what counted the most.