The door to the final floor opened up. Link walked out of the room. His heart was heavy with all that he had learned from Vexen's journal. He did not know if he could even face Ariasx now. As long as she was alive, Saria would stay asleep. But if Saria woke, she would disappear.
Her power was Saria's power. Her power made up her existence.
When Saria woke, she would have to give it back.
"What am I going to do?" Link asked. "I…I don't know if I can do anything now. Can…can I really strike her down…ask her to give up her power so Saria can wake?"
Link stopped moving and sat down. His gripped his head, hoping to alleviate the pressure of the situation. But nothing helped. His mind always ventured back to Ariasx. He had no real strong feelings to her…but he could not help but think about her.
Maybe because she was made of the same essence of Saria, his heart was attached to her more. She was still Saria in some way or form. This realization though, did not help the situation one bit. Tired, confused, and somewhat hurt, Link got up to his feet and continued to walk.
One thing he did know was Ganondorf could not be allowed to leave the Castle.
As he walked up the stairs, he heard noises from above the stairs. It sounded like steel clashing into the ground. Curious, Link made a full sprint up the stairs.
As he got the stairs, he saw a man cloaked in red and black at the top. His body was shrouded by a black robe, and a red cape. His face was wrapped in red bandages, making no distinguishable features on his face. The other was a young girl, in a small white dress, blue sandals, and blonde hair.
They we're being attacked by two Stalfos.
Link's mind focuses away from Ariasx, and moved into Hero mode. He drew the Master Sword and summoned the Keyblade. He leapt into the air, screaming in holy fury. The first Stalfo, who was about to put its sword through Namine, looked to the side. That was the last thing it ever saw though. Link's Master Sword went straight through the next, cutting it's head off. The Stalfo collapsed into pieces, burning away into blue fire.
The other, became more aware of Link. It put its shield and blocked Link's attack. But Link was not worried. He knew how to fight Stalfos. The two went into a stare off, moving around the room. The two patrons looked on Link confused. Link ignored them as he fought the Stalfo.
The Stalfo, believing it had an opening, tried to strike at Link. Link rolled under the attack and then swung the Keyblade and Master Sword forward, slashing its bones. The Stalfo backed up, but Link side stepped and kept on its trail. Link inched up closer to it.
As the Stalfo kept its guard up, Link made a bold move and leaped straight into the air. Link got to where its head was and spun with the swords on it. The Stalfo's skull was sliced. Link then landed behind it, slashing it into two pieces. The Stalfo fell on its knees as the body and legs disattached from each other. Again, the Stalfo fell apart and burned away from the blue fire.
Link sheathed the weapons and walked towards the girl, who had fallen over from fear from the attackers. He reached out his hand to her.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"Ye..yeah." She said.
Link pulled the girl to her feet. She brushed her white dress off as she looked around.
"I thought the creatures couldn't leave the floors." Link said.
"These aren't illusions created by memories, Link." She said.
Link turned to her, surprised.
"How do you know my name?" He asked.
"His darkness is now filling the hallways of the Castle as we speak, Namine." The man said. "Ganondorf, has indeed returned."
"Ganondorf has returned?" Link said. "Who…who are you people anyway?"
"Oh…" The man said. "Yes…we forgot to introduce ourselves. My name is DiZ."
"I'm Namine." The girl said. "We've been expecting you, Link."
"Namine…Namine…" Link said, knowing he heard that name recently. It struck him when he remembered the journal.
"Wait a minute." Link said. "You're the girl that Vexen mentioned. And Ariasx!"
"Yes." She admitted, calmly.
"You…you knew I was going to ask that?" Link asked.
"Of course." Namine said. "I have the power over Sora's memories, and those connected to him. Through Sora, I can see into you're memories. So I pretty much know everything about you."
She turned away from Link, her hands behind her back.
"You see…" She began.
Namine then began to explain the whole situation of what happened to her to Link. She knew if Link did not know what was going on, he might attack her, thinking she was a full Organization member. Link sat down, listening to the detail of the story. From altering Sora's memories, to Marluxia's fall, to Riku's decision, and to Sora's slumber. Link learned everything about Sora, almost to the point that he would know him if he ever met him.
"Quite a tale Namine." Link said.
"Yes." She said.
"We we're going back up to the Thirteenth floor to move Sora and his friends to a new location." DiZ said. "It would be much too dangerous for us to stay here. The Organization members here may all have been eliminated, but there are still more of them somewhere else. We have to move to a safer location, before they arrive."
"On our way up there however," Namine continued. "Ganondorf's minions ambushed us. We we're chased from the Thirteenth floor, and almost killed. Until you showed up. We can't move Sora to a safer location, until Ganondorf is taken care of. But Sora was asleep, and Riku left the Castle awhile ago. We put our trust into you."
"I don't get it." Link said. "If you have power over memories, why can't you alter Ganondorf's?"
"Namine's power only affects those who are tied to Sora." DiZ said. "Ganondorf only knows Sora from the data collected from Vexen. He has no real connection to him. Her power is worthless against him."
"So…" Link said. "I have to face Ganondorf once again."
"Don't take this so lightly." DiZ said. "Ganondorf is not just himself."
Link looked up at DiZ curiously.
"He has absorbed the data that was collected by Vexen from the Replica Riku." DiZ said. "Riku's darkness has given the evil King many new powers. And he is no longer in the Realm of Light, but the Realm of In-Between. The Gods, who created the Light World, have no dominion there. Ganondorf can freely absorb the darkness from the realm, making his power amplify by magnitudes."
Link remembered that he was not in the same realm where Hyrule was located at. Ganondorf, of course was going to be more powerful.
"It's alright." Link said, summoning the Keyblade to his hand. "I think I can match him with this Keyblade."
Namine and DiZ looked blankly.
"Since I started wielding this…" Link began. "My power has been increasing by folds I never thought possible too. I can match Ganondorf."
"You sure are confident." Namine said.
"This blade has given me unheard of power." Link said. "I'm even stronger than I was the first time I fought him."
As Link spoke, he began to look at the blade. He was curious on how it came the first time, but now the curioursity struck him harder than ever. He began to wonder what was the blade, and how did it come to him. Odd of him to feeling this now after he used for it so long.
"And yet…" Link muttered. "I can't help but wonder how it came to me?...Its weird…but suddenly…I'm wondering what is this blade."
"You wonder because you and Sora are connected." Namine said.
"Me and Sora…connected?" Link asked.
Very strange for Namine to be saying something like that. How would she know anyway?...Well…she had power over Sora's memories…as she said…but how could she know Link's memories?
"It's a little long to explain…" Namine said. "So I'll start here. Sometime ago, Sora sacrificed himself to save a friend."
Link was surprised to hear that. And for some strange reason, he felt she was telling the truth. But why? He never knew this girl, yet it slowly started to feel like he's always known her.
"Sora sacrificed his heart and body to save Kairi." Namine said. "But…somewhere in the form he took after falling into darkness…he still remembered who he really was. And through Kairi's light, she brought him back into this world…binding his heart to hers…so he could remain a human. But his heart…it was scattered across the realms…moving around…trying to find Sora…instead, it found you."
"Sora's heart found me?" Link asked.
"More than that." Namine said. "Sora's heart manifested inside of yours. When you drew the Keyblade from the stone in your dream, you let Sora's heart inside of yours. Because of that, you could wield the Keyblade. Because Sora's Heart enables you to use it…and what enabled me to draw you into Castle Oblivion."
"So you're the one who opened the door!" Link shouted. "You're the one who brought me here…so I could find Saria!"
"Yes." Namine said. "But the Organization wanted yours and Sora's heart to fuse. If they did, I would be then able to alter your memories. So…I forced Sora's heart to fuse with yours…but…I delayed the process with my power…so you couldn't have your memories controlled. This symbiotic relationship you had with Sora…it only granted my power to minimal things."
"But what about those visions that knocked me out for hours!?" Link asked, now curious.
"Those…we're the result of Sora's heart taking the brunt of my power." Namine said. "Since Sora's heart is with yours right now, whenever I did drastic things to Sora's heart, you would feel the brunt end of it, causing those painful visions…I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it." Link said. "In fact, I'm grateful you did. It kept me going in the Castle. And Saria's visions?"
Namine stayed quietly for a second.
"Those visions…" She said. "Are leaked fragments of Ariasx's power."
Link was hoping not to hear that name. The gloom he was in earlier quickly returned.
"Ariasx…" Link said.
"Your still unsure of what you want to do?" Namine asked.
"I don't know." Link said. "Ariasx…she is made of Saria's power…but she's not like Saria at all…she's herself. But…as long as she lives, Saria will remain asleep. But…I mean…I can't kill her. And it seems just as wrong to ask her to give up her power. She may not have a heart, but she runs around and acts like she does. To ask her to give up her power would be no different than sticking my blade in her."
"What…do you really want?" Namine asked. "Do you want that which is real, or that which is fake?"
"I don't know." Link said. "I wish I never met her. I don't want to be the one to make this decision. The feelings I have for Saria…they're almost…if not exactly the same for Ary. But I know those are fake…I mean…I just met her…and now she's on my mind…"
"She is made of Saria's essence." DiZ said. "The feelings you have are real…because the feelings you have for Saria are real…now you have to choose what you really want. A fantasy…or reality?"
Link stood quiet. No matter how much he tried to run, it was up to him to choose. The idea dreaded on him. He knew what he wanted, but the costs would weigh heavily on him. Could he really do it?
Whether he could do it or not, he had his answer.
"I choose…Saria." Link said.
Namine looked at him with sadness. Even she knew what Link felt. In order to have Saria, he needed to have Ariasx vanish. She only hoped that the Goddess's, which watched carefully over Link, would play with events so the burden was not on his shoulder.
"What am I supposed to do though!?" Link shouted with anger. "Am I supposed to go up to her and say, "I don't want you because you're not real. I want Saria…not you." How am I supposed to…"
The Castle began to shake. Pieces of the white marble began falling from the ceiling. Link redrew his weapons, and looked around.
"Namine!" DiZ shouted.
"Right." She said.
Namine put her hands together, appearing to pray. A white glow appeared from her heart. She stretched out her hands as the glowing aura appeared above her. The sphere expanded, consuming the whole castle…until everything returned to normal. Nothing going on. Nothing.
"What did you do?" Link asked.
"I used the last bit of my power to stop Ganondorf from escaping." Namine said. "I've bound him to the last floor…using this."
Namine pulled her hand up and revealed to Link a card. This card was entirely different than the ones before. It had a red background…and the picture of Ganondorf's tower on it.
"This card currently binds Ganondorf to the 13th floor." Namine said. "As long as it exists, he can't escape. I still have minor control over him since his body is not real…but…"
"Sora still sleeps on the Thirteenth floor." DiZ finished for her. "We can't leave without him…and so does your Saria…"
"In order for us to rescue them…someone has to go inside the Thirteenth floor and destroy Ganondorf." Namine finished.
"Then I think I know what must be done." Link said, as he took the card from Namine.
"One more thing." She said. "Since the time you drew the Keyblade, you have been borrowing Sora's power. When you return from the final battle, you'll have to give his power back."
Link sighed. He knew for some reason that he would not have to keep the Keyblade.
"Don't worry." She said. "Your heart is strong. And besides…your true strength comes from the sword that choose you…not something you borrowed."
Namine went up to Link. With her soft hand, she touched Link in the heart. When she did, Link watched as he suddenly began to glow with a soft white light all around him. The Master Sword itself began to glow with a bright, blue light.
"What did you do?" He asked.
"I temped your heart to unlock its true power." Namine said.
"My true…power?" Link asked.
"You'll understand in time." Namine said.
"Make haste…" DiZ said. "There is no telling how long it will take before the King of Evil breaks out of the seal we have placed on him. You must destroy him here. If he escapes, there will be no telling what havoc he will unleash on us. And…now that he knows of the other worlds…just think of what destruction he can unleash…can you truly protect not one, but many worlds Link?"
"I see your point." Link said.
Link took the card from Namine. He walked towards the stairs. With this, he held the card high in the air. The door opened as the card vanished. Link walked towards the light. Before he did, he turned around.
"Thank you Namine." Link said. "I'll return…I promise."
Then Link walked into the light.
To plunge into the shadow.
It didn't take long till the glittering light began to turn into sickly darkness. Clouds of the endless pathways covered Link's vision, preventing him from seeing anything. He drew the Master Sword. The light of the blade erupted, preventing the darkness from reaching him.
"This scent…" He said to himself. "Its…familiar…"
Eventually, the clouds dispersed away. When Link could see…he saw the same thing he did three years ago.
He was in the middle of Hyrule Castle grounds after Ganondorf took over the Kingdom. He recognized the ruined bridge, the floating landmass, the magma from below. Skulls of many brave warriors from before laid there. Though this place was a vision and an illusion created by the card, Ganondorf's power had made the place appear so real. More real than before.
Link gulped, walking forward to the same glowing bridge as before. As he did, the child Link faded out.
And replacing him was the Link that explored this dreaded tower.
Link grew up.
He wasn't surprised. Somewhere in his mind, he knew this would happen. It happened when he entered Alantica with the Zora Tunic. HE figured it would happen here…as an adult. The new grown up Link grabbed the Master Sword.
And then after walking through the bridge…walked back into the Ganondorf's Tower.
There was no longer any turning back.
"NNOOO!" Ariasx screamed and cried as she stood in Ganondorf's throne room. "WHY? THIS ISN'T FAIR FOR HIM! ITS NOT RIGHT!"
"Whether or not you accept the truth, that is reality." Ganondorf said. "You and Saria…cannot exist in the same world."
"He can't make that decision!" She shouted in despair. "I don't want him to choose this! I WANT TO BE THERE WITH HIM! I WANT TO BE WITH HIM!"
She moaned and cried as Ganondorf's reality sunk in.
"But…" She said. "I want him to be happy…I want Saria there with him…"
"Certainly…" Ganondorf said. "I'm sure he wants that too…"
Ganondorf walked in front of the crying girl.
"There…is another way." Ganondorf said.
Ariasx looked up.
"You and Saria are made of the same essence." HE said. "The only thing that you lack is a heart. If you we're to…kill Saria…her heart would have to go to you."
"NO!" She shouted. "I won't do it…I WON'T LISTEN!"
"Very well…" Ganondorf said. "I guess you'll never be with him."
Ariasx couldn't bear that thought. She wanted to be with him. She didn't want Saria to die. But she wanted to be with him.
"…You…you do it…" She said.
"The boy has already denied you." Ganondorf said.
"Denied me?" She shouted. "He may be confused, but he WOULD NEVER DENY MY EXISTENCE!"
"Are you sure?" Ganondorf asked.
Ganondorf used his power to display a vision.
The vision of Link choosing Saria over Ariasx.