Link often imagined facing against the King of Evil again. In the lulls between training, in between the short thoughts of peace, and whilst he looked towards the future. The man was cruel and unusual in every manner of the word, so he haunted him like he believes the spirit of the dead roamed Ikana. A dreaded thought encountered for the sparse moment of his life, comparatively, but leaving a deep enough mark to never truly begone.
In truth, Ganondorf was not the only evil who had done such a thing, such as the creature before him was not the true King of Evil. There were others had left a lasting impact on his soul, but the were all gone, just as this demon should have been. And though the spirit of the beast that was once known as the Gerudo King was gone, his memories were not.
Otherwise, they would not be leering over him as they were now, bearing scorching eyes matched only by the dark flames that flickered and roared in his hands.
BOOM! The dull boom echoed out again as Link caught the swing with his shield. He grits his teeth with the blow, feeling the attack vibrate through his arm. He still saw the other fist coming, swinging up at him like an uppercut. He dodged it nimbly, barely, by twisting his body around the fist that had hit him, pulling his shield back with the same moment. He quickly whipped it back around, holding it up to block what was sure to be a following strike. BANG! And he was right.
Now the first that had tried to hit him had slammed down him, sending his boots deep into the sand of the desert, and knocking a layer of sweat from his hair and skin. It was enough force his head down with a gasp, and that was allowed him to see the armored foot rising to kick him. This one he dodged again, only barely once more, by leaning back and out of the way, forcing the fist that was holding his shield down to scrape over the metal.
Link lurched to pull himself from the desert, flipping backwards but never releasing his sword and shield. Only the blade was of any great, so named the Magic blade for the numerous jewels through it. The shield was just the opposite, only a simple plate of metal well forged and folded to reduce the forces delivered to him.
The thoughts of his weapons reached him as his feet hit the sand again, shield raised up and sword drawn back in preparation for another strike, eyes peaking over the edge of the steel. But he didn't see the monster charging him, not as Ganondorf would do, not as a king who was as tactical as he was brutal. No… this monster was toying with him, like the beasts who roamed the corrupted temples or monuments. A monster, not a fallen man.
"Is this all you have Hero?" The beast holding Ganondorf's voice spoke to him. The deep rumble of his chuckling was unsettling familiar. "A hundred thousand years I have waited to fight you once more, one who has such fear and loathing in his heart, and all you can do is entertain me?" Link didn't want to guess what the creature truly wanted. So often the answer was life or death. "I hoped you would at least force me to do more than beat you. Though perhaps I thought to highly of you. Many have before." The laughter continued, even as the monster crossed his arms, uncaring of how isolated Link was, vulnerable even, though he hated the term.
"You okay Link?" Tatl rang in his ear. He didn't look at his fairy companion, only nodding in response. They had been through a great many of battles before. This was little different, if perhaps a bit more desperate. "Good, great, just… just hold on. Tael's working with the others on something, and it's kinda obvious this thing would rather play with you than kill them. I'd call that a trade up." And Link could agree to that.
Beaten as he might be, the monster would at least partake in a bit of foolishness to let him live. Such was the nature of monsters, Link presumed. Though perhaps the first to speak so frequently, the Nightmare was hardly the first to make a game of life and death. Not after he had fought a drum against a demon of the dark or raced a mad golem through snow-stained trails.
"If you will not offer me more of a challenge…" the Nightmare started to speak again. Link readied his shield preparation, the handle of the Magic Sword straining as he tightened his grasp on it. "Then perhaps I should do as I have observed with others, and make this fight one you cannot afford to lose!" Link did not know how much more the monster could do to make that clear.
He didn't think of it anymore, not when the beast was against him once more. BOOM! With fist against his shield. It made his feet drag against the sand, resisting the force that would likely have reduced his bones to dust had it connected. Impa could have attested to that, likely. That wasn't important now. He raised his sword, holding the point threateningly for any other blow that could have come his way. But there wasn't, at least not one he could easily see.
Instead, he saw the green digits of the Ganondorf mockery tighten against the edge of his shield. Link dug his heels into the ground a moment later, already knowing what was to come. But it was a foolish move, and not even his first.
"GRAH!" With an unneeded cry of exertion, the monster twisted and spun Link by his shield. He felt his feet leave the sand, whipping him through the air like a flail. It threw off his balance, his support, and any means to defend against an attack! He had to make a decision, and he needed to do it quick.
So, he let go of his shield, letting himself fly over the sand and away from the beast. Only his blade was left to him then. It was the weapon he grasped as soon as his back hit the ground, body already twisting to right itself. HIs forceful roll didn't end with him on his back or in pain, but skating across the desert dunes on a foot and bended knee. He kept his blade up and sharp, held by both hands. It wasn't enough.
"LINK! Link!" He heard Tatl ring again as she flew closer. He spotted her easily, dashing towards him and without the beast wearing Ganondorf's face to even consider her worth attacking. Link was thankful for the small mercy at least. "Link! What was that?! Are you alright?" He was fine, but he wasn't sure what that was.
Until he saw the Nightmare putting the shield between both of his hands, holding it steady as he stared daggers at Link, menacing almost as much as his horrific grin and flaming hair. Link watched as he easily lifted his shield, the one he had ripped from his hands, and placed it between his pair of arms.
SCRNCHK!
Link winced as he watched his shield be crushed into scrap.
That was his second shield in as many weeks to be destroyed. That number didn't set well with him. No better than the laughter of the Nightmare leering down on him.
"Oh no, oh crap! That's bad, that's really freaking bad!" Tatl let out next to him. Link did not react, or else she would likely scream louder. "Y-You got another shield though, right? Take it out! Take it out before he starts coming at us again!" He understood her fear, but he could not abide by his friend's request. The shield was important, but this was a game to the monster.
And Link had to drag it out. Or else he would start knocking off the other 'pieces', and Link could not abide the others being hurt. Not again.
"Without a shield to defend yourself," the Nightmare continued to speak. Ganondorf's voice was low enough almost to make the sand link stood on rumble. "Perhaps I may rid you of that blade as well, and truly rob you of any means of victory. Perhaps then you may start to show me something new." Link had no intention of it. The blade may not have been important to him as many other tools in his arsenal, but it was still his blade. Just as this monster was going to die, either quickly or slowly, it was.
"Link, tell me you got a plan," Tatl hastily whispered behind him. She knew better than to obstruct his vision, even if his shield was no longer there. "Tell me you have something up your sleeve. Another bomb, some magic weapon, anything else that you think could help us." The concern his fairy had was troubling on its own.
But not so much as the bolt of lightning that ripped towards him.
SHRIIIIIIIIIIIII
The sound of vibrating metal and crackling lightning overtook Link for a moment, nearly so much as his grit teeth and strained muscles. The force of his body, nearly everything that he had, was put into resisting the sudden blast sent at him, something he had nearly missed he was so focused on his fairy companion.
But his sword had raised to resist the blow, and it did so at an apparent cost. His strength quickly failing, the blade's crystals cracking, and the creature glowering as it watched him barely resist what he could only think was an off-handed strike. A strike that was sent out only to keep him from relaxing.
And the result was gasp of breath, a near collapse to his knees, and a blade that was by all considerations ruined.
"Link!" He heard Tatl ring. Some distance away, he was sure Tael made the same call. "Good job! Great actually! No, you gotta do something in return. NOW!" She was ringing as if she knew he had something. He didn't himself.
Because Tatl and Tael knew everything he had, and if they were worried about his inability to do this, there weren't many other avenues for him to look for victory. She was likely assuming he was hiding something, the same way he had before in Hyrule, and again before that in Termina. She was hoping he was hiding another trump card here.
The unknown had the advantage, but among allies, it was a detriment.
But he could not say that, nor act upon it. He was being trusted with the life of the others, and so he could not afford to simply give up. Even if he had nothing, he could not falter. And though he had something… he could not risk exposing it.
"A-Anything you got, I'll take it," Tatl continued on. Link listened to his friend, nothing how she was wavering as she spoke. Even as the demon disguised as Ganondorf approached. His foot falls were shaking the sand. "Seriously, anything, I'll take it. I'll get Tael a-and Super Buzz and the crew and they'll do it. Distract him or whatever it is you need, we can do it. But seriously, we do not have a lot of time to spare!" She was correct on that.
The monster was approaching faster now, mane of red billowing as he ran. If nothing else, he was focused on Link. He saw that as a small benefit, small as it truly was. He kept his sword ready, his shield already gone.
Link heard laughter when the beast jumped at him, listening to Tatl as she flew away to avoid the blow. He ducked, far lighter now that the plate of steel was gone. The mass of metal and muscle flew over his head, dragging the air and the point of his cap with it. He knew that would not be all the monster did. He had been through this far too many times before.
That knowledge let him spin, pushing off the sand with the flat of his blade, dragging him out of the way of a leg that rose to kick him. One that blew past the sand with such a speed and ferocity he saw shimmers of glass form from the dissipating dark flames. It still wasn't everything, not nearly enough.
Link spun himself, dragging the sword in towards his body to do so faster, letting him lift his feet and push outwards with them. As he suspected, he caught the forearm of the Phantom Ganondorf, watching for a moment as the vile being glared up at him, the malicious smile beneath golden eyes piercing his soul. In the next, with the monster swinging his arm once again, he was flying again, far more controlled than before.
Link flipped through the air, the same way he had done from climbing trees and jumping off cliffs. The acceleration was, however, incomparable to the two. The strength of the monster was never to be underestimated. Neither was Link's skill. That was no longer an unknown, to his friends, comrades, or the monster that spoke.
"Still running, Hero?" He heard the mocking voice speak as he landed, sand dragging behind him. "Still looking for a means to beat me? Still trying to decipher a manner to harm me? HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!" The laughter was embellished, but Link could only glare, holding his focus. The monster was not wrong to be so confident, not when all else had failed against him.
Impa's Biggoron's Sword, her Naginata, Darmani's fists, Cardin Winchester's mace, Winter Schnee's glyphs, Oobleck's hammer, and the multitude of blows that had come between. They were all useless. Link was not surprised, he knew they would be. He lacked the tools to defeat this monster now, especially with the power it boasted to hold. And with the land surrounding them, he couldn't doubt it was being honest.
Truly, Link hated when the unknowns were played against him.
"If you will not dare to attack me, then perhaps I can offer more encouragement." Link readied his stance again, running through what the beast could mean. The possibilities rose as it floated into the air again, chuckling no different than the demon he based itself on. "For unlike the terrors of your past, you do not face me as a lone child seeking vengeance. You face me as what you truly are, a Burdoner!" The mocking title came forth again, but this time with an epiphany Link loathed.
A thought of truth, a seed that bloomed, as the beast fashioned his hand away from Link…
And towards Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos.
"Rejoice Burdoner!" The demon cackled, as did the power in his hand. "You will truly be the Hero you once were, once more!" Link watched as the power began to shoot through.
He was running before he took his next breath. The sand slowed his strides, the battle had taken his energy, the Pegasus Boots were still worn from his battle with the Bellumgera. Too many factors were working against him, not enough to save them.
Link only watched as the pair of children heard the lightning crackle, turn away from the monsters they were facing, looking up at the beast that was laughing down on them. He watched, nearly screaming as he beat his arms and ran forward, as a look of shear terror crossed the boy's face, and untold shock the girl's.
He could do nothing with what he had, he could do nothing as the beast shot force the power that was beholden to the Demon King.
SHIIIIIIIIIIIII-
And then do nothing as it was reflected away.
"WHAT!?" The beast yelled above Link, a thought he shared. But his thought was of relief and joy. The monster's below, was the first he heard it release. One that was filled with fury, not malice.
Link even let out a chuckle as his boots froze in the sand, watching the reflected mass of lightning shoot far into the blue sky, faster than Elrora likely flew and soon out of vision. Out vision and mind, and beyond the reach of the monster that had shot it… or the power that had reflected it. A power he only glanced a sight of, as was all to relieved to see.
"Who did this!? Which of you mongrels is responsible for testing my power!" The demon bellowed in the air now, so much like the monster that Link was used to. Terrifying, wrathful, and emitting a fury that promised pain. It was a far preferred to the warm malice of his sadism. "Show yourself or else I will burn this land to expose you!" That was hardly a threat to them. This wasn't their land.
"Link!" He did not turn to Tatl's voice, only nod to show he had heard her. "Did you see that!? Did you! I-I almost missed it!" That was fair, for where he not focused so heavily on the blast itself, he would have as well. Then he would have been staring at the squires who looked just as baffled.
Even as Jaune turned to him pointing as if he was responsible. Link only shook his head in response from the distance that he was, Pyrrha Nikos seeing him looking no more enlightened. If they knew the answer as to how, he wished to hear it. He only was aware of the Sacred Blade being able to repel such evil power…
"Tael's okay, over by Super Buzz, a-and those kids are good, but… b-but I can't find that Cardin brat, the Golem Girl, or Ice Queen." She couldn't? That raised a brow of curiosity from him, even as he kept his eyes on the demon in the sky, they one beast who continued to show he was not the true Ganondorf.
Or else he would not continue to bother to look for the source of the defense. He would make himself one.
"Wherever they are, Tael and I think that the Ice Queen is responsible for that defense!" Link nodded in understanding. He already thought the same. He had, after all, seen the remnants of her glyphs shatter upon the blow dealt to it.
It was interesting, however, seeing a glyph act so in common with the blow of the Blade of Evil's Bane. Perhaps she and her sister had far more power than he initially believed. Yet another unknown he was faced with, but one that he was joyed to see the Phantom Ganondorf no more aware of than he.
"When Tael and I were talking about it, Super Buzz had the idea of being able to shock that monster wit its own attack! Kind of like turning a fire against itself to burn out the fuel!" Link was already thinking of such a strategy, and history said it would work. So many other enemies in his past, king and demons alike, were felled by their own magic.
It could work.
"The thing is though… there's no way they'll be able to hit that thing with its own attack."
Now Link turned to her.
"H-Hey, don't give me that look!" Tatl let out indigently, ringing lightly as she spoke. Link looked away from her quickly, more worried the beast would attack again than upsetting his friend. It took much more from him to truly upset her. "Its just… it's like trying to throw water back up a river! You aren't going to get it to work unless you divert it first. If it was some ball of an attack, then sure, but it isn't, so we can't." Link bite his lip as she spoke. She was right.
It was the critical difference even he noticed between Ganondorf Dragmire's attacks and this beast. One was a focused mass of power and might, capable of turning walls of cinder and concrete to ashes and dust. This was a stream of power, like a hose of water blowing through objects. Perhaps that was the difference between them. Perhaps… that was why Winter's glyphs worked.
"If you do not show yourself, I will strike once more!" The devil spoke as Link thought of him, the beast rising higher into the air with its threat. "I will not merely turn your allies to ash, I will burn them so you may hear them scream!" The threat was hardly concealed, and the monster would likely do just that. Link's thoughts began to race, as did Tatl.
His grip on his blade tightened as he saw the beast raise both its hands into the air again, eyes of gold now a mad rush of power. So easily it was provoked, so unlike the true Ganondorf who would only be amused by the antics and power. Now it was a benefit, but a threat. A benefit because its next action would be obvious.
A detriment, because there was no more holding back on his part. And the unbridled rage of a monster was not something a squire could endure, not so easily and with their fatigue doubtlessly piling.
"Link! You gotta do something!" Again, Link knew he could do nothing! "Th-That Super Buzz character said that the monster was using lightning to attack, not just some magical power! Can you do anything with that?! Can you beat it away, absorb it, reflect it, I don't know swallow it!?" Link could do very few of those things.
But… he may have had a tool to reflect it… but it was only a chance. One that would guarantee death if it failed. The revealing of its unknown hardly seemed worth the risk… but the risk in either direction was death.
"Link! Hurry and do something!" Tatl rang again, this time above the crackling of lightning that flittered through the air and roar of the monsters along the horizon. Perhaps they sensed the attack coming, and were goading it on to enjoy the terror. Surely the squires felt as much… and Link himself a rage to match it. "Literally anything would be okay! Even just shooting an arrow at that thing will-"
"Hey freakazoid!" Link and Tatl's attention immediately diverted to one direction, and to something they didn't expect.
Cardin Winchester, carrying a single legged Penny Polendina, standing in front of a sweat covered and clearly exhausted Winter Schnee. None of them looked better to bear, and all of them appeared out of energy. More than that… they looked as if they were at wits ends, with Winter almost appearing as if she'd fall over any minute, and Penny clearly unable to stand… All of that matched by Cardin yelling from the front of their small group.
Yelling up at the monster that now bore down on them.
"Yeah! I'm talking to you!" He kept yelling. Despite Link knowing he was no match and the boy having to have at least an idea of that, he was still yelling. "You wanna know how we reflected that blast of yours!? Well the secret is right behind me!" Link had only one thought for the comment, and Tatl was kind enough to yell it out.
"That idiot!" Truly Link agreed, even if he was grabbing the Phantom Ganondorf's attention. But it was the worst kind of attention. And he knew that because he knew the visages evil undertook when it was enjoying the land around it.
The sneer of contempt, the glower of hatred, the crackling of power, and the burn of flame. All of it encompassing the armored demon that hovered in the air, so nearly and so well mimicking the terror from Link's storied past. It was close, though not perfect. Close enough to be of concern, and doubly so now that it was focused on someone other than Link.
"All that power of yours is just a big ball of lightning, and what a joke that is!" If there was any credit Link could give to the boy, it would be his courage, because it straddled the line of stupidity to the point of being indistinguishable! "All it took was a good mirror and we were able to push that stuff around like it was a freaking ray of light! Worthless as the sand we're kicking 'round!" His taunts were also effective, for all the good that could be described as now.
"Cardin speaks truthfully!" It was difficult to tell if the damaged Penny speaking up in defense of the boy carrying her was a sing of great pride, or a clear indication of her ineptitude. "You have… you have been presenting a lack luster strategy too dependent on unknown variables! It is a poor strategic maneuver to focus on such things! It is not A-Okay!" Link wasn't sure what he took more issue with when the golem spoke.
Her trying to gather the monster's attention while she was already injured, or giving the monster strategy tips. The later, he knew, was more imperative.
"Those MORONS!" Tatl rang like a funeral bell in his ear. He found no fault with her insult, tired and worn as he was. "They're gonna get incinerated like that!" And Link didn't doubt it. He didn't doubt that it was exactly what the monster was going to do.
But he could not fault the knowledge that it was likely what the trio was planning. Not with Winter so close to them, a knight that was given acknowledgement by the Headmaster of Beacon. She would not allow such fool hardy words, especially not when she was doubtlessly the one responsible for the tactic. But Link could find precious few reasons why they were attempting to gather attention the way they were.
None, except for the idea that they wanted to be struck first. Such a plan would be admirable, if escape were an option. AS it was not, it was not a good decision. And he only ground his teeth in anger.
"Pathetic? Worthless?" The demonic entity whispered in the air, but its voice carried like the rumbles of a storm. Link readjusted his stance and grip automatically, his mind wary of any attack to come. Any was possible, especially with the beast that held such power. "You dare to not only mock my power, but they fault me for it?" There was no more joyful malice in his voice.
Link heard only cold threatening darkness. It was not what he wished to hear. Not so quickly and not while he had the advantage still.
"Link! Link!" Said Hylian turned slightly with the voice, seeing Jaune and Pyrrha running to him, the boy yelling as his partner trailed. He only noted she was more fatigued than he was and nothing more. "What the heck is going on!? What are they doing!?" Link didn't have an answer, he didn't believe there was one.
"Penny is… heavily injured and Ms. Schnee looks… as… if she is about to fall over from Aura exhaustion." Her breaths were prolonged and deep, trying to catch her breath. "They… They're going to be attacked a-and… and we don't know what to do. What can we do?" Link didn't know the answer to that either. He could only look between them once before returning his gaze to the air.
The air that had not only chilled in the desert to be like the Frozen Domain of Snow Head, but also darkened by the malice of the creature. He heard the breaths catch from both squires, both seeing for the firs time the sky dimming as the power of the creature continued to form, his strength so easily seen now.
Ganondorf Dragmire, the true King of Evil, turned a land of light into eternal darkness. He did so for joy. This creature was doing similar to his own world, but out of spiteful hatred for being challenged. Link took small, tiny, solace in knowing that its intelligence ended with mockery and threats. It was no king, only a shadow pretending to be.
But it was still a shadow that had worn them to the point of breaking, shattered many of their weapons, and now hovered in the air like the final fall of an executioner's axe. That was not to be underestimated.
"I'll burn you slowly, letting the fear and torment of your agonizing deaths feed me for years to come!" The threat of the creature was far more damning than the petty insults of Cardin or Penny. Link could see the recognized their mistake now, far too late. "For your vile words and mocking nature, I shall smite you with the hatred of a hundred thousand years! I shall leave you to choke the Burdoner with your ashes! Not even memories of you will remain when I am DONE!" The monster threw his hands into the air, and Link believed his threat.
Because lightning crackled about his hands, descending from the skies and swimming about his grasp. The once already intimidating and malicious stream of power it held grew into a torrent. Like a river compared to a waterfall, like the scale of a lake aside the endless ocean. There was no comparison between the two, and Link doubted any who looked upon it would there was one to be had.
Cardin tightened his hold across the golem. The Golem curled into his chest. Winter Schnee held up her arms, even if she was already so close to falling to her knees.
Link doubted they would survive even a singular blast more.
"Oh crap! Oh crap!" Tatl was ringing next to him. "It's gonna do something! We gotta do something!"
"T-Tell me what you need and I'll do it!" Jaune yelled out. There were few ideas for what that could be. "I-I can distract him or… or throw something at it! Anything!"
It was fortuned then, and only then, that the monsters were not chasing them. Not when even they still glowered and praised the better in the air, crackling lightning about his body. Lifting the thing like… like…
Just like other mages in the desert he had faced before.
Link had a plan, but it couldn't wait for an explanation. It needed action. Now.
That action began with him reaching behind himself, searching his satchel quickly for the item he needed most, and the one he knew he was a fool for not using earlier. One that would be both difficult, but beneficial, now of all times. He needed it, and he didn't. But the plan needed it, and for that, he would bring it out.
"Link?! What are you doing?!" Tatl rang at him, catching the attention of the squires. "Do you have a plan?! Do you?!" Her worry was showing, but Link was sure it would pass, once he made sure to have the plan go to fruition. "Tell me you got something, please!" He didn't have time for that. He only had time to do what was necessary.
She would only watch now. Time would only watch his plan and bless it if it were true.
That began with shoving another tool at the squire that so nearly looked his double, but so oppositely possessed his skill.
"OOF!" Said squire was pushed back by the force of the blow. "What is- HEY! I need that!" And was countered by Link taking his blade away. "What are you doing with that?! I'm gonna need my sword!" No, he wouldn't, not now. But someone else would.
"GAH!" Namely his partner. "What I… I-I already have a weapon!" She did, and Link saw that. It was a fine weapon, he knew. She had done much with it, and he had seen her perform just as well in the arena through Impa's eyes. But it was too short, too thin, and likely too fragile for what was now necessary. And Jaune's blade was perfect. "What am I supposed to… why do I need this?!"
"Y-Yeah! Seriously, a-and what's with this- Whoa, what are you doing?!" What he was doing was obvious, and Link did not have time to explain. He still was not sure he had her blessing.
Even as he was pulling out his bow and arrow, and shooting an arrow at the monster.
It had the predicted result.
THUNK!
It struck true against the beast, but doing precious little against it. Deep enough to stick out of it, but nothing more. At that nothing had it reduced to near ash fast and quick, enough to remind Link that time was still of the essence, and he was squandering it.
"LINK! What the HELL?!" He wasn't surprised by the scream of rage that came from his companion. "What are you THINKING!? Do you seriously want us to take that for NOTHING!?" It wouldn't be for nothing. But it was obvious that time was out and the plan had to move forward. It was all too obvious as the thunderous booms began to rain from the sky.
And the monster continued to speak.
"BURDONER!" The demon cried at them. "You truly wish to take to take on even their foolishness?! Even now?!" Even the faux monster above screamed.
Even as his cape billowed above him, even as hatred was quickly growing, it didn't understand, and Link was grateful for it.
It would die to the unknows it pretended to be. To focused on what it thought understood.
The unknowns had the advantage, because they were so often ignored.
"VERY WELL!" The creature bellowed into the air, matched by a loud and horrific applause from the sky. Link squinted as the force of the heavens ripped open, as if this were real life and not some horrid land the creature had made. He could no longer heard the monsters screaming. Perhaps gone for the power the monster held. It didn't matter.
Not when his plane was so closet to happening.
"I OFFER YOU ONLY THIS IN PAYMENT FOR YOUR ENTERNAL SUFFERING! A TASTE OF THE RAGE AND TORMENT THAT WILL BURN YOUR ALLIES TO RUIN!"
And the thunder fell.
The thunder fell and Link watched it spiral and ripple towards him. Quick as he was, he had only a breath of Time's blessing to witness the force barreling towards him. So much like Ganondorf Dragmire was it he almost considered the beast the true incarnation once more. For a moment, he saw the fowl of his plan. But that moment passed, and his realized that Time had blessed him. For she allowed him the time to move.
Move out of the way, and let the lighting barrel towards Jaune Arc.
SHIIIIIIIIIII-
The squire holding the sacred treasure of the Gerudo, the Mirror Shield.
Link watched it slam into the opaque shine of the shield's front, hitting with the force of a falling tower and likely with the sound to match. Deafened as the boom and splay of sand blinded him, Link had only the trust of the squire and his training that it was not for ruin, only that and that alone. Little to gamble on and much to risk, but Time had blessed him, and it showed.
It showed Jaune Arc holding a nearly immaculate pose with the shield, a perfect form that let the smooth glass front of the tool aim heavenly, pointing at the beast and rippling with the power it sent at them.
The Mirror Shield had to be used, but someone other than himself. The beast would have not attacked a surface so reflective, not after he had already had one attacked deflected. But it would fall for a feint, because it was no Ganondorf Dragmire.
-IIIIIIIIIIII-BOOOM!
Then like the blow that had been thrown forward first, the blast of lightning shined outwards, raced towards the beast it had been thrown from. Link felt his cap nearly fly from his head, already deafened to the horrified yells that came from the squires and Tatl. He trusted that their cries meant their health.
"GRRRARAAARAAAAAAHAHAHAHHHHAAAAAA!" Just as the cry her heard now was a sign of pain.
The pain so great and powerful that Link was blinded once more, but not by the sand ripping through the air, but by a light so strong it felt like the Sacred Realm for a moment, and only that. It came from the sky, hanging far lower than any sun or moon, and from the same source as the howling pain that ripped through the air like Volvagia's flames.
The Demon was burning. The demon was hurt. The demon was vulnerable. It was time to settle.
Link turned to the girl, to Pyrrha Nikos who held Jaune's blade. The golden blade that was suitable for what was next. He looked at her, no longer blinded as he was torn away from the light. He grabbed her shoulder, by the golden pauldron she also wore. It made her look at him, and she focused on that. Her green eyes to blue.
Unlike her partner, she was a trained knight. A squire in name, but Link could tell through Impa's eyes she was far more than that. And tired as she was, she was also the only among them who had not been harmed in some horrid way, and with the skill to know what to do.
She nodded to him, answering his silent command, and ran past him and Jaune arc. He didn't see her, at least not well, as she vanished from his vision. He could hardly hear her, as the crackling of lightning and pained screams continued to tear through the darkened desert skies. He could only trust in the plan Time had blessed.
His Magic Sword was too damaged, too worn, to be of any use against even a weakened monster. He could not guarantee it would work. But Jaune's blade was sharp, golden, and appeared to be of fine make. Link knew that from his singular duel against the boy and watching him before. The squire who held it needed much training but the weapons were of fine make.
But Pyrrha was both more trained and more trained with its use. She would easily know what to do.
So, they slide easily, held by the boy's partner, into the monster.
Link knew that was true, when the wailing stopped and the light grew.
The light grew until it was blinding worse than before, until it was so bright it muted the air around him, turning the darkened desert into an endless expanse of light. He heard ringing, but knew it was neither Tatl nor Tael. He saw the endless plains before him, but knew it was on holy end. It was just a light that rivaled the sun and made his tired senses feel frayed and ready to burst.
But he endured it, because it was not a swift death nor an incinerating end that the demon had promised. The fake Ganondorf that had so easily shown his true colors, all to easily falling for a ploy of the squires and exposing his vital weakness to them all. Link endured this curtain of endless white and light that continued to scorch his senses because he knew it was not because of the monster. It was because of something else, but what he did not know. Just another unknown he had to endure.
He had to endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and endure and-
Then the blanket of white was gone, and Link was staring at into a wall of darkness.
Something slammed into his lungs, and he was finally able to breath. A coughing fit that made him gag on nothing. Tired muscles twisted in a pain that almost made him wish for the numbing endless white screen that had vanished. He did not though, only instead scratching at a ground that was rough and hard, not loose and coarse. Only… only realize that he could hear, he could see, but there was precious little of either to be sure.
"Gah!" "What happened! Where is everyone?!" "Students! Sound-off! Give vocal confirmation of current presence!" "I'm present still! I detect everyone else nearby!"
The voices yelled out around Link, the only confirmation that he was not blinded for a moment. He focused on a breathing for just as long, a moment, if only to right himself and not lose track of what had happened. He did that, and also measured what was around him now in the dark.
He felt harsh stone beneath his bended knee, not the granule sand he had experienced for so long before. There was the whistling of wind around him, damp and cool. It was completely different the harsh blasts of air that came from the arid desert. Clearly there was no sun, let alone a tower to climb the sky. It was… encapsulated. It was a room they were in. Link had a suspicion of where they were, but he did not want to falsely hope.
"Sky! Are you still good?" He heard Jaune ask the other boy in the group, the one who was not a group leader. "Just… just groan if you're not okay!"
"I-I'm good! I'm good! I promise I… I'm just trying to stay small here." Ah, to avoid threats. Link nodded his head, even if no one could see it. "What's up you… you worried or something?" What an odd question to ask.
"Just an idea, actually. I think you… you can help with us." Jaune spoke again. The others around him, himself included, were quiet as he caught his breath. "Can you give us another Sky Box?" Now that was a fine idea. Evidently, it was one that Sky Lark also agreed with.
Rather than give a vocal agreement or some other sign, Link instead watched as a strong source of light erupted from some distance aside him. His eyes traced it, quickly finding Sky large at the center of it, arms out stretched above him and holding the source of his power in place. Blinding as the light was, especially after being in darkness for a bit of time, he was still able to make out a few others around the boy as the box that he was now known for illuminate itself.
Cardin Winchester was beside him, as was Penny Polendina. One was sporting the signs of a deep and long battle, while the other appeared to be little more than a broken figure, leg torn off and all. Some distance in front of them, Link barely saw Winter Schnee and Jaune Arc, both of them barely up, on their hands and knees. The boy still held his shield in hand, glimmering and showing the strength of the box that Sky Lark was putting out.
However, he did not see Pyrrha or Oobleck, but he recalled their voices earlier, recalled them when the white screen had finally faded away. That bright light of the box grew though, and as it did, Link continued to search the room around them. He was thankful to see his fairy companions still behind him, Tatl and Tael bouncing around as the chamber they were in continued to become illuminated. And not some far distance behind them, and him, was Pyrrha Nikos and Doctor Oobleck, the younger of the two being supported by her elder. That was everyone, they were all here.
And here… was somewhere else entirely. Not anywhere that could be mistaken for a desert, even if they had miraculously fallen into a grotto. And with that on top of just having killed… the Nightmare?
"Sky! Turn that down!" Cardin yelled out the words like an order. "I can't see crap anymore! I'm going blind underground here!" There was another quick apology uttered by the boy, but one that was followed by the dimming of the light. It was preferential, for a moment.
Link tightened his grasp on his blade as he continued to study the halls around him, leaning on it as a source of support despite its ruined nature. Dark walls that carried a claustrophobic nature to them, damp and almost ashen gray structures that domed far above him and far away from him. Surrounded as he was, and though it could not be considered small, he knew he wasn't above ground. He knew this wasn't a part of the tower in the desert. He knew… that he and the others were back to where they were before.
"Is… Is th-this the…" Tael started to speak, but his sister finished for him.
"Yeah! Yeah! This is the mine shaft again!" The golden fairy rang and buzzed through the air, the cheer in her voice almost alien in comparison to the constant fighting that had been going on for nearly the past few hours. It was hard to believe it was so long, but Link could not turn away from his internal clock, or his exhaustion.
Instead, leaning on a knee and feeling the hard surface of stone beneath him, he doubly checked the truth to Tatl's words and joyous ringing. Even as she was one of the only sources of light in the hall, bouncing around in the now softer illumination of the Sky Box, Link made sure this wasn't another illusion in itself. But he could see no obvious cases for it. No shimmers, no floating objects, no misconceptions, nothing… nothing except for the bit of a dome they had fallen into earlier and were back in again.
Out, through victory.
"That did it! That broke the illusion! We're out of there!"
"Holy… Holy crap, you're serious?" That was Cardin Winchester. Link recognized his voice as well as the swell of pride that followed. Both, the relief included, were well deserved to experience. "I-I think she's serious. We… we did it! We freaking did it!" His shout echoed through the hall of the cavern, and he wasn't alone.
He heard the screaming of the other children as well, muting the relieved sighs and gasps of others. The celebration that came from the cutting of the tension, victory after a hard battle, it was natural to celebrate and release yourself in. And Link… Link smiled as he rolled his head. For the first time in hours, his muscles relaxing from the state of constant flexion. Now they felt like Chu-Chu jelly to be thrown around. It'd be easy to admit one of them could likely finish him off at this point, but there wasn't any fear of that happening
The ancient monster known as the Nightmare, the great being that mimicked one of his worst foes and nearly killed his comrades, copying again the actions of the past, was sealed away. He was gone… sealed away.
"Yes! Yeah! We- holy crap! Penny, your leg's gone!" Jaune's fright was understandable and, normally, necessary. This was not normal, as Link reminded. It also dragged him from his thoughts.
"Fear not, Friend Jaune. I am A-Okay!" The golem responded, grinning as he was used to many of her kind doing. Cheerful and good natured, though unable to feel pain. "I am merely… in need of a new prosthetic!" Ah, her reasoning for being made of metal. Though he had only hard the term briefly from Glynda, it made sense.
"Really? All that was just a… prosthetic?" He didn't sound convinced. "Oh geez, that's amazing! Not to mention the luck that of all the things to get broken, that's what you get torn off." Perhaps he was trying to sound uplifting but… he had little success. Though Link did not focus on the conversation still, not fully.
"Yes, lucky," Winter added in. She was supporting the boy as she guided him forward, her own health a bit better than the rest, thanks doubtlessly to the Golden Chu Jelly she was gifted. The smile across her face, however, directed towards him, showed her unspoken thanks. "Though after the ordeal this has been, I will accept any luck that is given to us. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Oh, I'm not complaining," Jaune quickly amended. Link chuckled at his swiftness. "Just… i-it's the first time in what feels like days I'm not talking without the fear of getting eaten." Perhaps not the most logical fear, but that may be why the Beowolves preferred him. They did to eat their prey. "And… oh Dust, we did it. We really did." His laughter came rolling out again, almost mistaken for constant panting.
The others around him did not disagree, with even Cardin and Sky giving the boy claps on the back. Winter left him at that point, taking slow strides towards him while the others grouped together. Link did not approach, waiting for her instead. There was no reason to waste energy and… he was tired. Even with Tatl and Tael ringing about him, he was so very tired.
"That was an excellent strategy you had at the end there, Link," Winter spoke softly when she was close enough to him. He looked up at her, Tatl and Tael ringing in recognition as well. "Penny developed the plan with only a few parts available to her, but I am glad to see you do not lack the ability to alter what is necessary to make something work. More than that, we were fortuned you had such a shield available to you." Yes, that.
Link looked past Winter to Jaune, the other knight doing the same. The boy was being surrounded by the other squires, even as he held Link's Mirror Shield in hand. It was not a weapon he tended to use, given how fragile it was against physical attacks, the most common form of assault, but it had its uses, and Jaune was no fool, knowing quickly how to use it. That was fortunate.
"It was also beneficial that Jaune recognized what was necessary. Reflecting the attack after you baited it for me." Winter took a breath of air, and Link could not tell if it was out of fatigue or thanks. "There were so many risks involved… but it is fortunate it all worked out in the end." Indeed, it did.
"You weren't so bad yourself," Tatl complimented Winter with a ring. Link watched the alabaster knight look at the fairy, confused. "Seriously, that's not an easy trick you pulled off, and you did it thrice over. Good on you for that."
"Y-Yeah that was… that was cool," Tael joined his sister now. "I'm… There aren't many stories about Nightmare but… but now there's one about you beating it, by… by turning it against itself. That's really cool." Tael's rings were softer than his sisters, but Link smiled at them both in kind.
"I… thank you both," Winter hesitantly returned. It was still enough to have Link smile up at her. His heart slowly unwinding. "You both also had much to share and assist us with, and I appreciate both of your inputs. Without you both… I don't think we'd be here." There was much that occurred beyond any quick plan Link had planned for, and all of it was appreciated.
Not only was the Nightmare defeated, but the relief of it appeared to be doing more. Winter was talking to him in a casual tone, something she had yet to do. Or, more appropriately, something she had yet to do with Tatl and Tael. Jaune as laughing beside Cardin, something he honestly did not expect to occur. Penny was careless of the showing of her true nature, perhaps in point to her still being hidden, but still more open than she had been before.
The ease that followed victory gave a sense of calm to their souls, and that calm opened up their hearts. Link let out a sigh of his own, content to finally see it.
"Now… aside from your shield, how fare's Jaune's sword?" Ah, that brought Link from his thoughts. He had almost forgotten about it. Almost, but not entirely.
His head turned back towards Dr. Oobleck and Pyrrha, both of them near a golden blade on the ground. Pyrrha was the one to help deliver the final blow, and Oobleck rushing in to save her. Neither appeared harmed, but it didn't take much thought for Link to realize what they were standing over. And… he couldn't wait for something else to happen.
"H-Hey! Careful Link!" Tatl lightly cajoled him as he stood, earning Winter's attention again. Likely the squires if he thought honestly. "No need to force yourself there. The literal biggest threat is dealt with." That was just it, Link reasoned with a glance. The threat was dealt with, but now he had to be sure.
He turned away from Winter, his boots lightly clicking as he walked across the stone floor, Sky's Sky Box illuminating his steps. Truly a useful ability to have. Within only a few strides forward and he heard the clicking of Winter's boots following him. Another second after that, and the group of squires joined them. It was hard to miss them in the otherwise deathly silence of the chamber. Perhaps that was why he was still not fully at ease. It was too quiet.
Regardless, Link continued forward, watching as Pyrrha turned her head over to look at him, her usual long mane of red matted and ruined by desert sand and sweat. She panted still, chinks in her golden armor and bruising around her skin. She had endured much during the fight, of that there was no doubt. There was also little reason to question why she was leaning on Dr. Oobleck, the older knight supporting her.
"Pyrrha!" Jaune let out as he ran past Link. He was momentarily surprised, seeing the boy carrying his shield possessing such stamina still. He put it away, seeing as he nearly stumbled when he was in front of his partner. "Pyrrha oh… oh thank Dust you're okay. Y-You are okay, right?" He asked the question only after he assumed, she was alright.
"I'm okay, Jaune. Really," the girl responded. Link looked at her carefully, as he had done to many other fighters on the field. There was nothing externally worrying about her, except the clear signs she had fought a long battle, or at least a hard one. Given where they were, and the monsters she had endured, it was likely both. "I'm just… just a little tired is all." Link believed that. The pair of rings from behind him showed Tatl and Tael did as well.
"Oh, thank dust. You had me worried there." Link watched, slightly humored, as Pyrrha blinked at her partner's words. "Catching Crocea Mors like that and running at that monster? I just… oh geez, I thought you were in trouble." Another natural feeling of concern. If nothing else, Jaune Arc did have the signs of his humanity. For many other knights, that was a hard thing to keep.
"I-I'm fine though Jaune, really." Pyrrha returned. "And I was… I was worried when you took that blast from the Grimm. That was an excellent form you took for it." Form? That was not the first thing Link thought of as a compliment after a life-and-death battle.
"Hey, I wasn't worried about that." For a moment, Link believed Jaune was telling the truth. Because through his fatigue, he was still grinning. Grinning as he looked down at his partner. "You taught me all about the best ways to defend myself, so I knew that as long as I did as you said, I'd be good! So, thanks again Pyrrha. You're… You always got my back." And he laughed at his own words. Perhaps that was for the best.
Because otherwise he might have seen the hot blush that overcame Pyrrha's features. Though he was still beaten and tired, willing to risk a red or green potion for recovery alone, Link found the situation sweet enough to let persist.
"Ain't that cute?" Tatl lightly rang in his ear. Quiet enough that no other eyes turned to him. "Makes you almost forget we all almost died just a few minutes ago." Link nodded, even as his fairy companion dropped dust around with her bobbing. She was right, but they were children. Squires though they were, they were still children.
And children enjoyed peaceful moments like this.
But peaceful moments were meant to last forever, and he, as someone in charge of them, had to check on the beast that had s nearly killed them all. The beast that had been slayed through by Jaune Arc's blade, Crocea Mors. A golden blade that Pyrrha had grabbed, all to stab the monster.
Link turned away from the pair of children, and the eyes on them as well, to look for the blade. As expected, it wasn't far, with eyes already on it. Dr. Oobleck even turned to him as he approached, the green haired man nodding lightly as he came to stand next to him. He looked for only a moment before his gaze fell back down, and Link turned down to stare at the ground as well.
And there it was, the blade that had slain the Nightmare. Or, more accurately, what remained of it.
"Is that… what I think it is?" Tatl asked beside him, flittering between Dr. Oobleck and himself. "That's the kid's blade, right?"
"Yeah, i-it is," Tael quickly agreed. "But… B-But I think… I-I-I think it did what the last blade did." Link recalled just what the last blade was.
The blade that was impaled at the bottom of this dome they stood in, wrapped in an almost uncountable number of chains and flits of paper. Enough to make his head spin at the number. That blade that had melted shortly after they had appeared. A blade that was large, imposing, and black as the night.
This blade, Jaune Arc's former golden blade, appeared to be taking on that role.
Link stared down at the golden blade. An heirloom of Jaune Arc and presumably a weapon of great importance to him. It had strength to it, as he realized both it and the shield were able to endure a great many of blows through his training and spars, but now it was something else entirely.
For staring down at it, with the other knights beside him, they saw the mass of darkness lurking around in the blade, haunting it like a ghost.
He watched, eyes focused, as the sheen of gold, reflecting Sky Lark's sky box, often dimmed darker and darker, until it looked as if it were swallowing the light itself. Then that patch would swim away, showing the shine of gold again. It was like water running over metal, being unable to separate from it, for now…
Because for now, it was obvious the creature inside of it was trying to escape. Truly beyond the normal veils of life and death, living off of the emotions of fear and anger, and currently twisted and confined by the collective relief of those present. Nothing to feed off of, and stuck in a metallic prison designed for death. Though no sound came from the blade, flat on the ground, Link could almost imagine the monster inside it, scratching at the surface.
"Such a monstrous thing, held in such an inappropriate prison," Winter noted next to him. Link didn't turn as she approached, though his fairy companions rang as she did so. "Perhaps that is appropriate, only if it is beyond conventional means of killing."
"Foolish to try, fool hardy, unimportant and unbeneficial," Dr. Oobleck finally spoke now. "Too many risks involved, far too many. Unpredictability just as high, unquantifiable. Mass and volumetric shape generated form innate fears of nearby individuals, compelled by either memories or Aura induced, lasting due to vast life span of collecting fear and hatred from natural wildlife. No, anything involving risk to the specimen… unallowable." Link saw him now, seeing the hand he had under his chin, hard eyes focused on the blade, and barring down at it as he imagined he would if it were another monster. It was only then he realized the knight was thinking similar to him, or in that he was thinking of what to do.
Because where things were now, was not good enough. A blade, no matter how old or cared for, was not to be trusted for such a monstrous thing alone.
"… What should we do with it?" Winter asked first. "Is there anything we can do? Seal it back up as it was before?" Like the large blade they had seen before, she meant. Link understood, though he could hear Jaune about to argue with it.
"Doubtful, unreasonable, or at least unlikely." Dr. Oobleck countered. "Previously associated with markings and counters undocumented and unknown. Impossible to reproduce. Necessary to hold elsewhere, though seal away a definite requirement." Link nodded to that as well.
"Yeah, far away where no one will ever see it again." Tatl added on. "Lots of stuff like that back in Hyrule, too powerful to use or too important to let others see. This counts, for sure." Link had no disagreement with her words.
"But… but what about my sword?" Link heard Jaune meekly add behind him. "That… That's my dad's sword."
"And your dad's blade has got a pure evil monster living in it now!" Tatl fire back at him. Link hung his head at his fairy's explosive nature. Rather that than more violence. Not now. "You wanna give that back to him? Be my guest. Can't say he'd be happy about it, especially if it breaks out again." The cry the boy gave was understandable, if a bit high pitched.
"That was mean, Sis. He just wants to give that back to his family…" Tael whined next to them.
"That thing isn't going back with the Arc kid any faster than it is going to face the light of day again!" Tatl rang out. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Winter nodding with her. "And you can not tell me you wanna risk that thing going on another killing spree, or what could basically amount to one."
"No… I don't but… but it was a nice sword." Link grinned at that, laughing under his breath. It was a nice sword, and it had served a wonderful purpose. One that he recalled his own blade was destined for, one that he had yet to grasp in this time.
"Tatl is right," Winter offered up. "Though I apologize for the use of your family's weaponry, Jaune, it was necessary to defeat a Grimm of high power and classification state. You will be compensated by the Atlesian Military, if not, by Beacon, surely. Am I wrong, doctor?" That was for the obvious member of the group.
"No! You are correct, absolute and certainly." He sounded pleased as well. Link was sure it was relief, more than anything else. The relief of a battle survived… it was a pleasant sensation. "If unable to do so through legal channels or procedures, I shall personally gift a compensatory item of equivalent or exchangeable value to your lineage weaponry. May include either a large amount of Lien or personal choice of commonly available tools." That did sound like a fine deal, if one-sided for the obvious party.
"Hey! Does that mean I get somethin', too?" Cardin called out. Link didn't turn to see him, only hear the boy was up again, and with a sense of pride to himself as well. "My mace got blown to shards by that monster, so that means I get somethin' too, don't I? Same as Penny fer losing her swords… and a leg?" The golem would have her leg restored, Link was sure. IF not, he'd have Darmani form a new one for her.
"Of course! Of course! Merry distribution of property and gains!" Dr. Oobleck almost began to sing. Link was sure he would pass out soon. "All present for the defeat of the demonic entity thusly referred to as a Nightmare shall receive adequate compensation for loss of health and tools, so long as dutiful documentation is taken of the event! Full events, including all experiences mentally and physically!" A groan came from the squires, and Link let them do so.
Link let him complain, let them run amongst each other. It was alright. Because even though they were complaining, the larger concern was still on the floor beneath him. Still swimming in the darkness of the golden blade. HE could not see the red eyes of the terror gazing back at him, but they were in there, and Link knew it would not be long for it to try and escape again.
A blade was a fine prison, but once swung it would be unleashed. It would not due to risk the monster being set loose again, especially when the edge of a sword was so easy to wear or damage. It needed to be protected, or else it could not be called a seal.
"Hey, Link?" He turned towards the voice of Arc, seeing him standing by as his teammates and friends were speaking to Dr. Oobleck. "You… you want this, right?" He was holding something towards him, something easily recognizable.
Link reached out and grasped the sheath of his family's blade, smiling as Tatl and Tael swirled around the alabaster metal. The mixture of light and darkness, the two colors that so easily opposed the fairies' natures, but so deceptively predicted the object that was to be held in the metal. It was almost prophetic how it looked. But Link ignored such a thing. He didn't care for those anymore.
When Jaune released the sheath, he turned back towards the blade, ignoring the lull of noise that came from behind him. They were anticipating danger, and he was glad they did. They would be foolish not to. Not when he did as well. Even as he knelt to the golden blade's side, watching the almost miasmic like darkness swirling within. His hand hesitated for a moment over the hilt of the blade, not willing to touch something that was so vile. Not again. But to not do it again would be to risk others finding this again.
Inaction was an action, and he could not allow the knowns of his past to decide the unknowns of his future.
Carefully, his hands wrapped around the blade's hilt… and nothing happened. Nothing but the recognition of weight in his hand.
The blade didn't feel off balanced or odd as he lifted it up, recognizing that it was a well fashioned blade, similar to his shield before the beast broke it. The same beast and monster that was now sealed away in the boy's family's sword. Ironic, if at least appropriate. But Link did not dwell on it.
Instead, he twisted the blade by his wrist, aiming the tip of the double-edged metal into the hollow of the sheath. It sang, or perhaps hissed, as it was lowered inside, entering until neither the gold or the corrupted darkness could be seen. Only the alabaster sheath and the hilt of the sealed blade's handle. As was appropriate for any weapons, home at last.
Home… where Navi likely was, and he could not follow. Having come here looking for her… and still not finding her. Finding instead something beyond what his Nightmares were, and then worse followed. And now… now he had conquered another evil, with the assistance of those behind him, those that were trying to help him find his friend… his friends.
Link looked up, seeing the eyes of the group on him. The expressions of relief were palpable, and also well deserved. Finally, a lull to take a breath in, and now for only one last command to be given. One he was sure they would not argue with.
So, with the breath he had left, Link spoke it.
Let's go home.
There was no argument.
Author's Note:
Would you believe me if I told you that balancing so many characters, along with real life, makes it hard to keep track of their tick sand mental ideas when writing them? There were a lot of times I had to go back and rework and rethink about what the characters were doing because I wasn't sure if it fit with what they had done before. Quite the writer, aren't I?
Would you also believe that I rewrote this several time and I'm still not sure if I did it good enough? Did you guess it was because I was setting up five different plans and ended up with the one that felt realistic, quick, and unforced? Would you believe that I actually wanted there to be a reflection trap on the monster, but got sick of writing the same thing so much I made the villain generically fall to his own demise because he's a dumb monster and not the OG Ganon?
Aren't I desperate?