Chapter 28 The final battle
The fight against Ganondorf was consuming every rest of Link's energy and at some point he had lost every sense of time. His right arm was completely numb and useless and only his left arm continued holding the master sword. He neither heard Zelda's voice nor did he see anything else than his enemy. The fire still hadn't died down and more than once he almost burned himself. On the contrary the dark lord showed no sign of fatigue; he seemed unweary and indestructible.
A sudden ray of bundled energy shot through the fire and hit Ganondorf. For a moment, time seemed to be standing still until Zelda's voice broke through the barrier. "I will try to paralyse him with my power but I'm not sure how long I can keep it up. Destroy him, Link!"
Link grabbed his sword tighter and collected his last strength. He thrust the blade into Ganondorf's chest but the energy, that had made his enemy unable to move, threw him back violently. His back hit the ground and he gasped for air. Behind him he heard Zelda cry out in pain as the ray of energy struck her back. The fire died down and for a minute there was nothing but silence. Ganondorf slowly rose to his feet. The wound on his chest was bleeding but he did not seem to care. "You fools!" he shouted. The fragment of the Triforce was glowing on the back of his hand as he raised it into the sky. Link felt the same prickling in his hand. The three fragments of the sacred relic were about to be joined again. Link felt his strength leave his body as the fragment was removed from his hand. He could see the princess wince in pain as the same was happening to her. It was over. Ganondorf had won.
The sky was glowing in an unnatural dazzling light as the three fragments were joined again. Link lifted his hand to cover his eyes. Ganondorf held the relic in his hand and started laughing madly. "The world is mine! Die, you pitiful rats!" He turned around to face Zelda and Sheik, whose unconscious form was still lying on the ground and he swayed his sword. However, before he could reach the princess, the glowing in his hand became so strong that it turned the whole area into pure white light, blinding every single one of them. Link closed his eyes firmly but the light pierced his eyelids and burned itself onto his mind. In the blinding chaos he heard Ganondorf suddenly scream. His hand was burning and he had dropped the Triforce out of pain. Navi shot in the air behind Link. "The Triforce is consuming him!" Link lifted his head to see the scene before his eyes. Ganondorf's left hand had been scorched down to the bones, leaving a few trails of burned meat. He was still screaming but soon started laughing hysterically. Madness had struck him as he tried to gain control over the enormous power of the sacred relic. Zelda quickly got up from the ground again and ran over to where Link was still lying. "He is mad! Link, we must get away!" She tugged at his sleeve and he nodded. He collected his shield and sword and moved over to Sheik's side. Whatever had happened, he couldn't leave him dying here. With little strength left he managed to get him on his back and started running. The platform was shaking as Ganondorf, who still struggled to regain control over himself, started to transform into something that was no longer human. Small rocks rained down when his huge claw hit the ground. "The castle is going to collapse soon. Hurry!" Navi shouted. They ran down the stairs that led out of the castle and Link was constantly trying to keep his balance. The way down in the collapsing building was a hard one and with the extra weight on his back he stumbled more than once. Eventually the end of the staircase and the entry to the castle came into sight and, regaining new hope and strength, the four of them managed to reach safe ground before the castle gave in completely. The black outer walls crashed down and buried the beast that Ganondorf had turned into underneath them. Clouds of dust emerged from the ruins and before long disappeared into the black sky. A sudden silence settled and only the heavy breathing of Link and his companions filled the air. "It is over," Zelda whispered.
