Dear lord let me just say that this chapter was probably the most emotional thing for me to write ever. Like seriously, I am still in tears over it. And I thought ch. 33 was bad! But seriously, I just adore this chapter so much, and you'll see why. I just poured so much heart and soul into it and I think its the best that W&C has to offer. But for now, let's go onto the reviews so I'll stop rambling:
Fierce Deity's Shadow: Indeed it was a cliffhanger! Looks like we'll have to see what happens next now...
Jarvis R. Yeriel: Yeah, it was kinda stupid of Zelda. I dunno what it is, but I always find that I kinda bash Zelda myself, even in my writing (you'll see quite a bit of that in L&S). But hopefully, she'll make up for it a little in this chapter, even if she really isn't the focus of it!
Lovely girl 10: Oh yeah, she better! And yeah, poor Navi.. :(
RandomButLoved: Yes!but for real, Veran was deliciously sinister in the last chapter, as was Navi's beautiful sacrifice. Glad you liked the interlude as well, but I hate to say that this chapter won't have one (mostly cause its like 2 AM and i didn't feel like writing one after this emotionally draining chapter so...)
Nintendoman01: Sorry! But yeah, I agree. And don't worry, cause Veran is finally about to get what's coming to her!
Ok, well with that outta the way, let's get started! (BTW, this chapter switches between Zelda's external PoV and Link's internal PoV a lot, so I hope its not too confusing!)
Chapter 35: Duel of Spirits
"If desperate times call for desperate measures, then I'm free to act as desperately as I wish."
-Katniss, Catching Fire
Darkness was everywhere. It surrounded and shrouded the hero like a thick blanket. It swirled around him smoothly and silently. It existed both above and below him, but most of all, it was inside of him. It ran its course through his veins, pouring into his heart and soul and constricting them both with its poisonous nature. He breathed it in as it clouded his senses, obscuring his thoughts to the point that he couldn't even think or remember what had happened. And yet, the darkness sedated him and soothed him, so much so that he could not feel pain or agony anymore. He found himself growing content with it, even despite the fact that is was so foreign to him, unaware of the malicious presence watching him while he was trapped inside of his own spirit.
"It appears as though the little hero has found his place within the darkness…" a cold, familiar voice cooed sadistically to the hero, its words penetrating his mind as he drew in a small, anxious breath, his memories still largely misted by the darkness. "Once more my corruption is upon your spirit, filling it with the rich, beautiful darkness that you find yourself within… Be at ease, dear child, and let it take your spirit… Let your weary soul finally find the rest is so desperately needs and deserves…"
For a moment, the hero felt compelled to listen to the voice of the demon speaking to him; after all, he felt comfortable within this inescapable darkness, as if it was lulling him and setting his mind at ease as he stood within its empty grasp. It would be so easy for him to simply close his eyes and drift off into it forevermore, to be at peace and at rest within its inviting arms and to no longer have to endure suffering or pain any more. And yet, before the hero could resign himself to this much-needed peace and tranquility, a small, soft voice suddenly sounded out from the very depths of his soul, one that the demon could not hear since it spoke to him from only the outer reaches.
"You're not finished yet…" was all it said, its tone gentle and light compared to the dark voice of the demon, who continued to speak to the hero from all around him.
"Come now, Hero of Time," it urged him, its voice seeming to grow a bit louder as it carried the slightest hint of impatience in its tone as the hero fully opened his half-lidded eyes. "Submit… Surrender… Loose yourself… You stand within the void… Let it consume you… Let go… Let go…"
The words "let go" continued to reverberate throughout the plane as the hero stared straight ahead into the darkness, feeling it wrap itself around his heart as much as he wanted to will it away. A shiver ran through him as he glanced down at his wrists, seeing blood red manacles and chains wrapped around them and his arms and he couldn't remember why they were there. He couldn't remember anything; the only thing he could decide at the moment was that the voice of the demon sounded so insincere and lustful compared to the tender voice that had called out to him from inside his soul, a voice that he decided to listen to even despite the darkness's clarion call.
Slowly, the hero shook his head, his breathing shallow and strained from the sudden crushing weight he felt upon his heart, which wanted to go into the darkness even though his soul wanted to resist it. "N-no…" he said, his weakened voice barely even a whisper as he forced himself to speak.
The demon had heard him and, for a moment, it was silent, before it spoke out once more, this time from directly behind the hero. "And why not?" it asked him, its voice surprisingly calm.
The hero slowly turned around to see the Fierce Deity standing before him, only instead of the towering form it normally took, it was his exact same height, staring into his pure blue eyes with its empty white ones with a dark, cruel expression. In his hands, the Deity held a mask that took on the shape of a heart, its yellow glowing eyes piecing through the darkness malevolently as they bore into the hero's soul menacingly. Majora's Mask.
The hero was stunned into silence upon seeing the Deity and the demon together like this, knowing that he stood alone against both of them. His breathing becoming even more uneven and his form growing colder, he shook his head once more, the darkness infesting his heart flaring up more than ever at the sight of the demonic mask. "I… I…" he stammered, his head pounding as no words or thoughts came to him. He felt faint and weak in the presence of such great corruptive power, power that sought to claim his soul, his spirit, everything he was, in its dark clutches.
The Deity smirked upon seeing his indecisiveness, though it was clear his actions were guided by the mask he held. "You can't even remember what you once fought for anymore, can you, child?" he asked mockingly, his voice sounding like a combination of both the demon's dark, deep tone and the hero's own youthful voice. "If that's so, then why even resist corruption at all? Perhaps you need to be reminded of why you put the mask on in the first place…"
As the Deity said this, a long, thin tendril draped out from Majora's Mask, snaking its way towards the hero, who was unable to do anything as it lightly touched his forehead. He let out a small, sharp gasp as a brief, sudden vision flooded his senses: a sensation of incredible pain, the crushing agony of defeat, a sultry, wicked laugh, and the sight of an evil woman holding a dagger mere inches away from his eye, her own red and yellow eyes shining with blood lust and cruelty.
The vision only lasted for but a moment before the demon removed its contact from the hero, whose breathing had become so labored and heavy that he was visibly trembling. Gingerly, he lifted his shaking hand towards his right eye, only to find that it had apparently not been torn across like the vision seemed to imply and yet something inside of him told him that it had all the same. The darkness inside of him swirled violently as he let out an agonized groan, finding that even standing was starting to become an incredible feat. And yet, something else was filling his heart as well: anger. That woman in his vision, the evil Sorceress of Shadows, had been the cause of whatever suffering he had gone through. Broken, distant memories twisted into his mind of a dark curse, a dangerous relic, a once-great kingdom lying in bloody ruins, the senseless massacre of so many innocents, the merciless slaughter of a figure that he could not place, but he knew they had been important to him.
"You're not finished yet…" the voice inside his soul spoke once more, though it was much more softer than before as the darkness in his heart started to overtake it.
"The Sorceress of Shadows has put you through all this agony…" the Deity spoke once more, the demon clearly capable of reading the hero's every thought. "And yet you have such power at your disposal now… Embrace it, hero… Chose this great power. With our combined might, we can turn against the sorceress who believes that she has such unlimited control over us both… We could destroy her and rule the world in her stead... And most of all, you would finally be free of the damage she has caused you… You could finally have vengeance upon her for what she has done to you… Isn't that what you really want?"
The hero's breath finally stilled upon hearing this. Though his memories were very limited at the moment, he knew that he harbored a strong hatred for this Sorceress of Shadows deep inside his heart, which was pounding hard in time with the darkness clouding it. He knew that she had done such horrible things to him, and most likely to those he cared about. He wanted nothing more than to put her through all of the agony and anguish she had put him through and then some, until he gave her a slow, painful end. Never before had the hero felt such bloodlust and vengeance before, but his darkened heart swelled at the thought. He wanted to see her bleed, he wanted her to suffer, he wanted to kill her for all she had done. And he wouldn't rest until he had.
Slowly, his thoughts still muddled by darkness and anger, the hero nodded to the Deity, who's cold, fake grin only deepened. "Then accept this, hero…" he said, holding Majora's Mask up slightly as its glowing eyes captivated the enraged, yet still numbed hero. "Accept it, and have more power than you will ever know. Submit to it and restore your lost honor. Surrender to it and take the revenge against the sorceress that you so desperately desire. Let go… and rise above all…"
The hero's expression was uncharacteristically darkand malicious as he stared at the demonic mask unflinchingly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the Deity's words. Instead, he remained perfectly still, his heart hammering with an untold amount of darkness to the point that he could barely stand it, bitter cold hatred coursing through his veins. The Deity finally stepped towards him, holding the mask up even more as he did so, but it was only as two tendrils coiled out from it and spun their way up towards the hero, wrapping themselves tightly at the back of his head, did he finally break out of his daze.
A sharp gasp escaped him as he felt Majora's cold, yet burning touch upon him, the darkness inside of him threatening to tear him apart as it reverberated throughout him in excitement at the demon's touch. Slowly, the mask lifted itself out of the Deity's hands and the warrior went completely still and emotionless without its master controlling him like a puppet. Clearly, Majora now had a new puppet in mind instead.
Suddenly panicking, the hero tried to pull himself away from the mask as it slowly approached his face, but it already had a tight hold upon him. He was barely even breathing anymore by the time the mask finally turned itself around, allowing him to finally see what was behind it: nothing but an immense void of inescapable, all-consuming darkness. Upon seeing this, the hero felt the shadows inside of him almost pull him towards it, even though his soul was screaming for him to flee from it, even though he could not.
"You're not finished yet…" the now-barely audible voice in his soul said as he tried to cling onto its words but failed.
"S-stop!" the hero screamed as Majora's Mask came to be mere inches away from his face, almost covering it completely. Fear and rage flowed through him simultaneously; indeed, he hated the Sorceress of Shadow with every fiber of his being, but this was not what he had wanted in order to defeat her. He didn't know what would become of him once its power fully took him, but the immense terror that filled his soul told him that would not be good.
Majora simply laughed mockingly at the hero's futile struggle, its voice vibrating through every part of his being. The demon had already invaded him, planting the seeds of darkness and hatred inside his heart. Now all that was left for it to do was reap them.
The hero let out another frightened cry, one that was suddenly muffled as Majora's Mask finally fitted itself over his face fully, tightening the bonds behind his head so that he could not remove it. A deep, sharp pain tore through every part of the hero as he gave another muffled scream as his hands flew up to the mask covering his face, blinding him and cutting off his breathing. In desperation, he tried to rip it off of his face, but it was too late; the demon had already begun to fuse its poison of evil into his soul. The hero could feel his senses begin to quickly shut down as the demon's tendrils snaked their way around his limbs, tightening around his arms so that they could pull them away from the mask. The darkness inside of the hero felt crushing and oppressive, especially as it began to leak its way into his soul, threatening to destroy him entirely. Nearly in complete control of the hero, Majora contorted its new puppet until he was standing upright and firm, even though untold agony coursed through him, especially as the demon began to search for something inside of him, though he had no idea what. His cries became silenced and his pain gradually began to numb as his soul started to grow accustomed to the corruption attacking it, his mind growing blank entirely once more. The eyes of the mask glowed even brighter than ever in unison with Majora's newfound dominion over the hero, and the demon simply laughed maliciously, the hero's voice unknowingly joining in.
The Hero of Time had succumbed. He had surrendered. He had let go. He had given everything he was to darkness and corruption. He was the servant of the demon, the new Fierce Deity, the embodiment of evil itself. He would conquer and destroy. He would ravage the world until there was nothing left at all. He would be unstoppable.
"You're not finished yet…" like a small, enduring beacon, the voice suddenly broke through the nothingness that now filled the hero.
"You're not finished yet…" they came not from his soul, but rather from his very spirit, which was so close to being broken that the voice could barely be heard.
"You're not finished yet…" these repeating words filled the lost hero, stirring something within him, yet he could do nothing to act upon it.
Until a new voice penetrated the darkness inside of him.
"Link…" she spoke from an unseen place, but he knew her voice with absolute certainty, even in the midst of his shattered, hazy memories. "I… I… l-love…" Her quivering, whispered statement, said in absolute devastation, rung out loud and clear, even despite the mask covering his face that blocked out everything else. A sudden aching filled his darkened heart, one that was much more natural than the shadows that had wrongly rooted themselves there. She said nothing more, but that was all he needed. Her words were like a sparking fire burning within him, one that grew brighter and brighter with each passing second. Distant, yet vivid images of her and her alone entered into his mind: her radiant smile, her long flaxen hair shining in the sunlight, her lovely face, her warm sapphire eyes, her gentle, beautiful voice, and the way she loved him and filled him with that exact same love. She was like a bright spring arriving after a long, brutal winter, the joyous golden sunshine returning after a dark, endless night. He loved her, he had always loved her, and he always would love her. And as long as he existed, he would strive to do anything in his power to protect her and her kingdom, a kingdom they both loved so dearly.
Majora had told him that he had forgotten why he had put the mask on, and indeed, Link had put it on out of both his own pain and his hatred towards the sorceress, but he could not let those things control him. All at once, he was reminded what he had fought so hard for; all his memories converged and returned to him, and the haze of darkness filling his heart began to lift. All this time, he had been fighting so hard and for so long through all of the pain and torture he could possible endure for two things alone: for Zelda, and the peaceful world that they once could have shared together, the world they still could have together.
"You're not finished yet," the voice of his spirit said with firm urgency, and he finally understood what it meant. His fight was still not finished. He still had every reason to fight now as he did before. He would always have a reason to fight, a reason to survive so that he could protect what he cared for. A warm, purifying burst of unknown strength coursed through him, giving him the power that he needed to resist the demon's reigns on his soul. And, with a strong, determined shout, the hero broke free of its restricting bonds and tore Majora's Mask off his face, finally freeing himself and his spirit from its heavy control.
The sword never hit her. The twisted metal blade stopped mere inches away from Zelda's forehead and in that moment, time seemed to screech to a grinding halt. Veran took notice of her servant's hesitation and her eyes widened in rage and surprise as the controlling green flame above her palm suddenly went out without warning. The princess, her heart still pounding in her chest, slowly opened her eyes to see the tip of the sword hanging right above her head and she stared up at it in fear, confusion and wonder. But what the hero did next, neither one of them could have anticipated.
Before Veran could even react, Link swung his sword swiftly away from Zelda and right at the sorceress, leaving a large gash in her side. Veran screamed in absolute shock and great agony as blood began to pour from the wound as she collapsed to her knees from the intense pain. The Deity rushed for her once more almost immediately, but the sorceress was quick to form a strong barrier around herself so she could recover, though the hero pounded on it continuously with his heavy sword.
All the while, Zelda stood in shock, watching the sudden turn of events with wide eyes. Her mind was numb with sheer awe at what just happened as she tried to make sense of it all. Somehow, someway, Link had broken free from Veran's hold over him. Contrary to what the sorceress had claimed, she had not broken him. Though she had gotten him to put the Fierce Deity's Mask on, she had not been able to tighten her reigns of wickedness around his heroic spirit. And as Zelda realized this, she could not help but smile in slight relief. If this was true, then perhaps the mask hadn't corrupted Link's soul yet either, meaning that he was not entirely lost after all. There was a chance, however small, that when this was all over, he would be able to take it off in the end and return to normal. The very thought made the princess' heart leap with newfound hope and vigor. Perhaps they could have that impossible, happy future that they had both dreamed of after all…
Of course, what Zelda could not see or know about was the internal battle that Link was still very much engaged in, especially as Majora recovered from the hero having severed its intense sway over him. The demon, enraged and absolutely appalled, glided back towards its first servant and latched its tendrils onto the Fierce Deity instead, both of them glaring at Link with immense hatred. And the hero, having regained his senses and some of his strength, glared right back at them with determination, knowing that even if they had almost conquered him, they had not defeated him.
"You are nothing but a mere mortal!" Majora shouted to the hero in absolute fury. "A weak, human child! What makes you think you can resist me in both this lifetime and the last!?"
"Because," Link said, his tone firm, rigid and resolved as he remembered the words that the voice was still whispering to him from his spirit, words that grew stronger now that the darkness had been chased away from his heart. "I'm not finished yet!"
The demon and the Deity both let out an angry shout in unison. "Fine!" Majora hissed hatefully as the double helix blade appeared in the Deity's hands. "If you want a battle so much, hero, then you shall certainly have one! If you refuse to submit willingly, then I will batter and beat you until you do, just as I did to your ancestor ages ago! And this time, I will make sure the one of the Blood of the Goddess is killed before she can save you like she did last time!"
Upon hearing the demon threaten the princess in such a way, Link clenched his fists tightly at his sides in righteous anger, wishing that he had a weapon to battle against the force that sought to destroy everything he was. And, much to his surprise, at almost the very moment he pined for a weapon, one somehow appeared in his hands out of nowhere, more specifically, the Master Sword. He had no idea where it came from, but its appearance was accompanied by the same old encouragement his spirit had been giving him all along as he engaged the Deity and the demon in a war for his spirit: "You're not finished yet."
Zelda continued to watch in amazement as Link continued to attempt to break through the sorceress's barrier, knowing that what made things even better was that even Veran could not trump the might of the Fierce Deity, something that had been proven during their earlier encounter in Termina. Even all of her dark powers, including those granted to her by the Triforce, could not outmatch his now-godlike strength, especially now that she was no longer in control of it. Finally, it seemed as though the princess and the hero could triumph over their vicious adversary; for once, things didn't seem entirely hopeless. However at this point, the battle could go either way, and as Zelda gathered her wits about her and reclaimed her fallen bow once more, she prayed to the goddesses once again that it would end in their favor.
As the princess prepped her bow for battle once more and the hero continued to beat against the barrier, Veran attempted to use the Triforce's magic to heal her wound, all while calling out to Majora in desperation. "What happened?!" she demanded in furious confusion as to how she had lost control of the Deity so suddenly, glaring down at the effigy of the mask on her chest. Upon receiving no response from the demon, who was preoccupied in battling the hero, the sorceress only grew even more infuriated. "Answer me!"
As Veran was distracted with trying to contact Majora, she failed to see the light arrow that Zelda had sent towards the barrier, shattering it upon contact. With her protection gone, the sorceress was unable to guard or evade the hero's next attack, one that ripped across legs roughly, tearing the lower half of her long skirt right off and revealing her shapely legs. Though she almost collapsed to the ground once more out of pain from the deep gashes, Veran retaliated by lifting herself high into the air, out of Link's reach so that she could recover from his relentless barrage of attacks. She glared down at both the princess and the hero with more hatred that she had ever shown towards before. She didn't even bother to ask the obvious questions that were pressing her at the moment, knowing that she would get no answers for them; instead, she clenched her fists at her sides and shouted at them with heavy animosity.
"You fools!" she screamed with seething rage. "This… changes nothing! Now both of you shall fall to my power... The power of the Queen of Shadows!" Without another word, Veran formed a large, deadly-looking blade out of the darkness and pointed it down towards both of them as she floated high above their heads. A large burst of flame rushed forth from the tip of her sword, racing towards the two of them at a lightning speed. Before Zelda could even react to it, Link leapt in front of her and swung his own blade, sending the deadly blast flying right back at its creator. Veran came crashing to the ground the moment it struck her, crying out in agony as it burned her exposed flesh heavily.
At the same time, the respective blade of the hero and the Deity clashed violently, sparks flying from the metals bouncing against one another. They both pressed their swords together heavily, knowing that this was a match of strength more than anything else. "You are alone in this fight, hero…" the Deity said between barred teeth, clearly speaking under Majora's influence. "Who will come to your aid while you are trapped inside of your own spirit? Who will save you now?"
Though Link's arms were starting to ache from the pressure being put upon them, he did not relent as he glared back at the Deity with intensity. "I'll save myself if I have to," he proclaimed fearlessly, no longer burdened and tortured as he was before. "And I'll save her too; I always have and I always will."
Taking full advantage of the sorceress' newfound venerability, the Deity raced towards her, his sword poised to attack, with the princess quickly following behind him, a light arrow already notched on her bowstring. Veran saw their approach and quickly scrambled to her feet, drawing her blade back as well. The two swords clashed with so much force and raw power, that the collision created a large explosion that rocked the ground of the chamber. Zelda was sent flying back by it towards the northern wall of the room, and was unable to see who had won the attack due to the bright flash of light. No more than a second after she landed near the wall, the hero's double-helix blade landed only a few inches away from her and wedged itself deep into the ground. The princess gasped in fear and surprise, but quickly turned her attention back to the ongoing battle. Looking towards the center of the chamber, she saw that Veran had indeed knocked the large blade out of the Deity's iron grip somehow, no doubt using the powers of the Triforce to give herself an unfair advantage. The sorceress grinned vengefully when she saw that the hero was unarmed and unable to fight back any more. Zelda rose to her feet and watched with wide eyes as Veran took a swing with at him with her own dark blade. The force of her attack was strong enough to knock the Deity to the ground, but thanks to his thick armor, he sustained no injuries.
Link let out an involuntary cry of pain as the Deity finally landed a hit upon him. He felt the agony of the slash across his chest, and yet it had left no mark, most likely because this battle was not a physical one. Of course, he had managed to strike his foe a few times since the battle began, but thanks to the protection Majora was giving him, the hero's blade had done little to damage him. Link knew that winning this battle against both the demon, and the Fierce Deity's Mask itself was the only way to free himself from its control over his body, even if either of them had any sway on his soul or mind any longer. And all the while, he couldn't help but worry about how Zelda might be faring against Veran, somehow knowing that the sorceress had lied to him in making him think that she was dead. He had no way to know of her condition, but he hoped that somehow, she knew that he was fighting for her both inside and out.
The hero raised the Master Sword to counter another unrelenting attack from the Deity, trying his best to push his foe back but with little avail. Unlike their past parries, the Deity did not let up this time, knowing that he was starting to weaken his opponent. And even though Link's determination and resolve were strong, his soul and spirit were still weak from having nearly fallen into complete corruption earlier. Majora took advantage of this as it spun on of its tendrils out, wrapping it around the hero's sword arm and jerking the Master Sword out of his grip. The blade clattered to the ground out his feet, leaving him completely vulnerable to all attacks, something that the Deity didn't hesitate to take advantage of. The double helix blade tore its way into the hero's abdomen, digging in deep, though it was clear that his heart had been what Majora had been aiming for, for it was in the heart that the spirit resided. As the Deity came in for another strike, Link was lucky enough to dodge out of the path of his blade, lest his heart be skewered through completely. Pain filled him from the earlier two attacks, but somehow he was still standing. And yet, as he tried to reclaim the fallen Master Sword, Majora took to its underhanded tactics yet again, quickly wrapping one of its coils around his ankle and pulling him down to the ground as it dragged him in close to the Deity, who stood with his sword raised ready to strike his heart, and his very spirit.
Zelda's mind began to race for a plan as she watched Veran go in for another attack, which Link luckily dodged skillfully. She knew that if the hero didn't have a weapon, this intense battle would never end, remaining at a stalemate forever. Link needed his weapon back and soon, but he was currently held up by Veran, and certainly she would make it impossible for him to reclaim it. And so, the princess decided that she would just have to help him herself.
Zelda glanced over at the double-helix blade beside her and bit her lip fretfully. She knew just by looking at it that she wouldn't even be able to lift such a large and heavy sword out of the ground, much less toss it over to Link. As she came to this realization, the princess looked around the chamber once more and found the Master Sword still wedged into the ground from Veran's earlier attacks, lodged only a few feet away from her. Zelda knew that the blade of evil's bane would be much more manageable for her to lift than the Fierce Deity's Sword and, remembering what the sages had said, it would be able to finish the sorceress off just as effectively, if not more so. And so, she rushed towards the sword, quickly grasping its hilt as soon as she reached with both hands without even thinking. However, the moment she did so, her hands began to burn up as though they were on fire, causing her to cry out in anguish and let go of the hilt almost immediately. Gingerly stroking her sore hands, Zelda stared at the blade with confusion for a moment before realizing what just happened. The Master Sword could only be wielded by one with the Spirit of the Hero, and though the princess did have the Blood of the Goddess, the sword repelled her unqualified touch nonetheless. But even so, she had to keep trying, despite the burn that the sword would no doubt give her upon a second attempt. Bracing herself for the pain, Zelda grasped the hilt once more and though the sting was intense, she managed to draw it out of the ground after some struggling. Groaning in agony, she used all of her waning strength to hold the heavy sword up as she turned her attention to the battle once again.
The Deity slammed his foot firmly into Link's chest, making sure that he would remain pinned down. The hero let out a small groan of pain, but his glare towards the demon and its servant remained firm. And yet, before the Deity could plunge his sword into Link's heart, Majora took advantage of this moment of triumph for all it was worth, lowing itself down to the hero's level as its glowing eyes bore into his deeply. "Look at you…" the demon said mockingly. "You resisted so much and for what? To ultimately loose anyway? Admit it, hero. You are weak. You were never strong enough to stop the sorceress, and you are not strong enough to stop me. Face it, dear child… There is only darkness for you and death for your people… Ages ago, I vowed that I would obliterate the Spirit of the Hero, and it is so gratifying to know that I am about to destroy it with you as its bearer… You, the great 'Hero of Time', who kept my plans of obliterating Termina from coming to fruition… Well, I suppose it's only fair that I do much worse to your dear Hyrule… It's such a shame that you will be one who will cause so much destruction, especially since you worked so hard in vain to protect it…"
Though Link struggled as much as he could while the demon spoke, it was no use; he couldn't move. Perhaps Majora was right though; he was weak. He had been too weak to stop Veran from the very beginning of it all, and now he was too weak to even protect himself from complete and utter corruption, no matter how hard he fought. And yet, as despair flooded the hero's thoughts, the voice spoke from his spirit once more, its voice almost reverberating like a shout throughout his body: "You're not finished yet!"
For a brief second, Zelda watched as Link skillfully dodged another one of Veran's advances, even though he had landed a few burns, but none of them had seemed to damage him too much. The princess's hands were still stinging in agony as she lifed the sword up into the air as high as she possibly could. "Link!" she shouted laboriously, hoping he could hear her voice despite the mask's apparent corruption. And indeed, he did, for as the voice of his spirit was silenced once more, he clearly heard her call out his name, renewing his hope once more as his fingers slowly wrapped around the hilt of the Master Sword at his side. "Catch!" Without any further hesitation, the princess tossed the blade in his direction with all of her might. She held her breath anxiously as she watched the Master Sword sail through the air, and as the hero caught it by the hilt with precise movements. However, the moment he grasped it, the blade began to glow with a strong, sacred light. And that light grew even brighter when he pointed the tip of the Master Sword skyward. The holy glow of the blade of evil's bane was so pure that its purity actually caused Veran physical pain, and Zelda had to look away so she would not be blinded by it. But when the light had faded and both of them looked back to the hero and the sword, they could not believe what they saw.
Link felt a strange, sudden surge of power flow through him as the Deity began to thrust his sword downward, and, as if by reflexes and instinct, the hero swung his own blade up mere seconds before the double helix sword met with his chest. The Deity recoiled back at the sudden strike, allowing the hero to rise and see the bright blue glow that surrounded the Master Sword, sheer energy seeming to flow between him and it.
"Master Link," a familiar voice said from behind the hero as he glanced behind him to see Fi gliding there. Something inside of Link warmed immensely at the sight of her, something that he knew was not entirely his own, but perhaps from another life entirely as he looked at the sword spirit, greatly comforted by her presence. "Direct contact with the Spirit of the Hero has unlocked the ultimate sacred power of the Master Sword. Its evil-destroying might is at your disposal. Use it as you see fit." Fi gave a brief, terse nod in the Deity's direction as he began to race towards the hero once more, before the sword spirit vanished away and Link spun around to counter his foe's attack perfectly.
A strange, feminine figure hovered above the Master Sword as Link held it up. Zelda gasped in surprise and awe when she recognized that the being's physical appearance matched descriptions of something that she had studied in Hylian lore growing up. "It's the spirit of the Master Sword!" she whispered to herself in disbelief. The spirit, sometimes referred to as Fi in the most ancient of tomes, supposedly only existed in legends told of the ancient goddess and her hero. Most Hylian scholars had disavowed the knowledge of the spirit's actual existence, but the few believed that she was actually real thought that she was sealed inside her blade in an eternal slumber. Yet sure enough, the princess was seeing the spirit with her own eyes as it floated elegantly over the tip of the sword, glowing with in the same ethereal light as the blade. Both Fi and the Master Sword took on a fierce vigor, much like their bearer did; the sword and its spirit were surrounded by three differently colored flames: one red, one blue and one green. Zelda's eyes widened in even more amazement when she realized that they were the legendary Sacred Flames that the sword was forged in at its creation in the ancient era. It was then that the princess gained an understanding of what was happening. She theorized that the power of the Fierce Deity was so great that it somehow unleashed the purest sacred powers that were contained within the Master Sword in a physical manifestation. Veran must have realized this too, as Zelda noticed when she glanced over at the sorceress, who was backing into the wall in complete shock, her face full of something that the princess had never seen her show before: fear.
Without uttering a single word, the mysterious spirit suddenly glanced over at Zelda. The princess froze up in confused wonder until she noticed the Bow of Light glowing brilliantly at her feet. Cautiously picking it up, she felt herself being filled with sacred power, unlike any she had ever experienced before. In astonishment, she looked back towards Fi, who had turned her attention back to Veran, and the princess realized that the full power of the sacred bow had been unleashed along with the Master Sword's, further signifying the connection between the two holy weapons.
Meanwhile, Veran stood against the wall, her jaw dropped in bewilderment and her face pale with fright, knowing that the power before her rivaled even her own. She remained frozen in place as Fi lifted her cloaked arms and brought them down swiftly in the sorceress's direction. Veran had no time to react before the three Sacred Flames began to race towards her one by one. She could not protect herself against the holy fires and all three of them crashed into her, heavily injuring her. Veran screamed in agony and collapsed to the ground once the flames had finished their attack, glaring at both the hero and the sword spirit with extreme contempt.
With her duty fulfilled, Fi flew high into the air and preformed a magnificent flip before descending back into her vessel, which continued to glow in a heavenly light. As soon as the spirit had vanished, Link grasped the Master Sword with both hands and raced towards the sorceress, ready to finish her off. However, Veran, in all her heavy rage at how she was losing this battle, was ready for it, and met his strike squarely with her own blade after she scrambled to her feet. The mark of the Triforce flashed erratically on the back of her hand, as did the Master Sword, and bright sparks flew when the two blades collided. So great was the sheer concentration of raw power within the chamber, that it caused the earth beneath their feet to tremble violently. Zelda barely managed to remain standing as she watched the face-off tensely. Her heart beat rapidly as she realized that this battle between two figures of god-like strength was no place for a mere mortal such as herself. It was true that she had the sacred blood of the goddess Hylia flowing through her veins, but even so, her limited strength was nothing compared to the current deadly power of both the hero and the sorceress.
Over and over again, the hero and the Deity clashed swords, and yet it was starting to become clear that Link was gaining the upper hand. Since the Master Sword was at its ultimate strength, he had been able to actually injure the Deity quite a bit with its purifying power, tearing through his armor and landing several direct hits. And yet, the hero knew that this battle would not end unless he took down the source of the Deity's strength itself: Majora. And so, making sure to remain as tactful as possible, the hero began focusing his attacks on the demon instead, hoping that he could inflict some sort of damage.
Link and Veran continued to press their swords together roughly, making it a battle of sheer strength more than anything else. Zelda could see from her place several feet behind the sorceress that both of them were struggling to prevail, but it was really going nowhere since they were so equally matched. The princess bit her lip as she looked to her hero, hoping with all of her heart that he'd be the one to win this. Suddenly, however, the Deity locked his fierce gaze directly on Zelda. She let out a small gasp of surprise, wondering if he actually recognized her despite the mask's power over him. She continued to stare back at him for a moment until he nodded to her and quickly turned his head in Veran's direction. It took Zelda less than a second to understand what he was trying to tell her. With a small, yet confident grin she nodded back at him and, although she wasn't entirely sure, she thought that for a very brief moment, she saw him flash a smile back too.
As the hero plunged his blade into the Deity's chest yet again, he soon found the demon's tendril's wrenching themselves around both of his wrists tightly, concealing the still-present markings of the curse, though they had turned from red to black long ago. While Link's grip on the Master Sword was firm, so too was Majora's hold on him as the mask drew in close to his face once more, its eyes shining at him with unbridled fury.
"My hatred for you and your kind is unparalleled, hero!" the demon screeched in mad frustration. "I do not understand it! What gives you the power to resist like that?! What is it that makes that wretched spirit of yours as strong as it is!? Never have I encountered a human spirit that can withstand evil and corruption without being tainted for so long! What gives you such a strong desire to fight, even when everything seems to be against you?!"
"That's easy," the hero said with a courageous grin, staring the demon down just as intensely as it was him. "I fight to keep innocent people safe from monsters like you! I fight to protect Hyrule and to protect Zelda so that one day, they won't have to suffer anymore. And I don't care what you do to me; you can beat me, threaten me, curse me, corrupt me, anything, but I can promise you this. No matter what you do, I will never ever turn my back on people who need me, and I will never give up!"
With a deep breath of determination, Zelda rose her bow and concentrated all of her power as she crafted a light arrow and drew it back. She aimed right for Veran's turned back while Link kept her distracted and after one last quick prayer, the princess let her arrow fly.
Upon hearing Link's courageous proclamation, Majora simply screamed in wild fury, so enraged with him that it could not even come up with a proper response. And, in a movement so fast and unpredictable, the demon tore several of its sharpened tendrils into the hero's chest, digging deep inside of him in the hopes that it could find his spirit and finally crush it once and for all. Link was unable to bite back a cry of immense pain as he felt himself being torn apart once more, this time much more violently than before, but he knew that, as Majora was distracted, he had finally gained just the opportunity he needed.
The arrow hit its mark perfectly, heavily injuring the sorceress's already scarred, burned and bloodied back. Veran screamed in pain as she dropped her sword, giving Link a great opportunity to land the final blow. And, that's exactly what he did.
Even though the tendrils of the demon were clawing their way into his heart, getting dangerously close to where his spirit was hidden and putting a great strain on both it and him, Link somehow worked up the strength to raise his sword, even despite his bound arms. And, right as the hero prepared to plunge his sword into Majora, the demon's corruptive, dark coils finally touched the Spirit of the Hero, slithering themselves around it in less than a second. And even though the agony was unbearable to the point that Link could no longer take it, he let his sword fall nonetheless, tearing it deep into Majora's Mask and severing the coils that were connected to his spirit.
The hero plunged the Master Sword right into the center of Veran's chest, into the middle of her midriff which bore the manifestation of Majora's Mask. The sorceress's scream of agony was so shrill that it broke the glass of the large window of the chamber and it nearly deafened both the hero and the princess. The sword went through her so deep that its tip even came out of her back, marking it as a fatal blow. But even so, Link still stood in an offensive position and Zelda crafted another light arrow and kept her sights set on Veran, unsure of what would happen next.
Majora let out a high-pitched screech as the Master Sword split its form in two, its dark, true essence rising from it as it collapsed to the ground. The unstable demon watched as the Fierce Deity suddenly clutched his chest in agony, which was the exact same thing Link was doing as he collapsed to his knees weakly, still feeling an unbelievable amount of pain. Majora knew well that its time was at an end; it could feel the sacred glory of the Master Sword burning it up and soon there would be nothing less. But if it was going down, then it would ensure that the hero would be dragged along with it.
In extreme suffering, Veran collapsed to her knees with the sword still buried deep into her flesh, her eyes wide with disbelief and pain. She kept her gaze locked onto the stone floor ahead of her and only glanced up at the hero when he moved to stand in front of her. Glaring viciously at him, she struggled to stumbled to her feet and backed away from him, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "Y-you..." she shouted in a broken voice, her entire body trembling with agony. "In-infernal hero! You... you both think... that t-this is over... d-don't you? W-well its far f-from over! You can't p-possibly win! N-not as long as the p-power of the Triforce r-rests... in my hands!" Cackling wickedly, Veran lifted her hand into the air, ready to let the Triforce heal her dire wounds but even she could have never expected what would happen next. The mark of the Triforce glittered dimly for a moment, but before she could even use its great magic, it started to fade away until it was gone altogether. Veran's eyes widened as she realized that the power of the gods was leaving her once and for all, leaving her to die from her extreme injuries. "No!" she shouted in desperation, her mind starting to spiral into insanity from the implications of this. "I-it cannot be!"
A bust of relief and hope came over Zelda as she watched the golden relic leave the sorceress, knowing that justice had finally been served at long last. "Face it, Veran!" she shouted boldly, bravery filling her in the aftermath of this arduous battle. "You have abused the power of the gods time and time again, and they have grown tired of your tyranny. They are taking away from you a power that was never rightfully yours to keep in the first place. Your reign of darkness is finally over."
Veran glared hatefully at the princess, growing ever weaker from her mortal wound. "S-so you think..." she hissed darkly, hatred for both Link and Zelda filling her words as she spoke. "Y-you may have defeated m-me... but I am n-not the only one of my kind! B-before I left my native r-realm... I bore seeds of my hatred for t-this land of light... And, one day... my descendants s-shall rise u-up and avenge me... They shall c-conquer this land... and, they will d-destroy the Blood of the Goddess and the Spirit of the Hero... forever!"
"You believe that you have won, hero?" Majora taunted Link as the hero began to grow weaker and weaker, his spirit crumbling apart from the direct contact the demon had made with it. "You believe you have triumphed? Well now look at yourself! You are falling apart! Your spirit is failing you, child. Even if I was unable to corrupt it to my own ends, I have at the very least left my mark upon it! And, even if I die, then at least I will die knowing that the Spirit of the Hero, both of Hylia's and of Terminus's, shall die along with me! Farewell, hero… It's a relief to know that we will not meet again…"
Throwing her head back, Veran laughed wildly at her wicked curse as her wound finally took its toll. The ground began to shake as the Master Sword embedded into her chest began to glow brightly, its sacred power destroying the wicked woman once and for all. In a large flash of brilliant, blinding light the Sorceress of Shadows vanished away forever, finally destroyed as her insane laughter gradually echoed away into nothingness.
Majora let out a cruel, sadistic laugh as its form suddenly shattered, completely destroyed once and for all. As the demon was obliterated, so too was the Fierce Deity, who merely vanished away into thousands of specks of darkened light, all of which poured down upon the hero, who simply remained in place, crying out in agony as his spirit tore itself apart savagely. It was as though his very essence was crumbling and cracking like glass, which, in a way, was exactly what it was doing. The strain of the intense battle against the demon had damaged it greatly, to the point that it could not survive much longer. And yet, all Link knew as he remained alone, a cold, white light filling the once darkened plane, was that he was dying, something that he always knew would happen. And yet, as he looked down to his trembling wrists, he saw that the marks of the curse had finally vanished away, filling him with a strange sense of hope that perhaps, somehow, someway, Veran had finally been defeated, freeing him from her curse at long last. And yet, as he thought of this, a pang of grief filled the agonized hero, for her knew that if this was true, he would not be around to celebrate this great victory with Zelda.
Just as the tears of despair began to fall from his eyes, a soft voice, the voice that Link recognized to be the one that had spoken from his spirit, reached his ears yet again, this time speaking from outside of him instead of within. "Son of Courage…" the feminine voice said with a hint of sadness in its tone. Though incredible weak, the hero managed to lift his lowered head to look and see the figure who was approaching him, a beautiful young woman with long verdant hair, clad in an immaculate green dress with kind emerald eyes. The woman stopped right before him and slowly kneeled down to his level, taking his shivering hands in hers as she gazed into his face with untold pity and heartbreak. "Be at ease… You must rest now… Your fight is finally finished…"
Her words, though sweet and gentle, filled the hero with a rush of terror. "N-no…" he stammered somewhat incoherently, much to the woman's surprise. "I… I can't… I… I'm not f-finished… yet… I… I have to…"
"Shh…" the woman consoled him softly as she pulled him into a gentle embrace, her heart aching even more for him as she heard him let out a small sob. "Your heart is pure and your intention is noble, my son, but now it is time for you to rest. Your spirit has been badly damaged, and it must be renewed… But first, you must rest…"
Once more, the hero shook his head, his mind distant and confused to the point that he felt as though he was losing it, but at this point, he didn't care. He had fought so hard and for so long, and yet he seemed to be ultimately doomed anyway. The very thought drove him to a near breakdown "I c-can't…" he said, feeling muddled and deranged after all he had been through. "Z-Zelda… Hyrule… needs…me… I… I can't… I…"
"My son…" the woman said, frowning down at him as she watched his eyes haze over with the beginnings of madness, madness she had pushed him into so many times before. "Please… Your beloved is safe, as is Hyrule… But you will not survive if you do not let yourself be at ease… Now rest…"
The hero, still falling deeper into insanity with each passing second, gave the woman a look of genuine fear as he completely collapsed into her arms, his breathing small and trembling. "Am… am I g-going to… die…?" he asked incoherently, his half-lidded gaze no longer capable of focusing on her.
The woman gave him a small, motherly smile as she brushed some of his hair out of his eyes tenderly. "Not exactly…" she said truthfully, knowing that he did not deserve lies in his current mental state. "Your spirit will shatter in a few moments, but do not fret, for I will deliver you. I will renew my creation and you shall know life once more, as will your spirit. You will be exactly as you were before, my dear, beloved child… But the only way I can properly restore you is for you to rest… You are only prolonging the pain, my son…"
The hero finally began to close his eyes as he listened to her, no part of him aching more than his heart did. "W-will you stay w-with me…?" he asked the woman distantly, feeling as though he had known her for his entire life even though he had never seen her before.
"Yes," the woman answered immediately, giving his hands a small, reassuring squeeze. "My dear, precious Son of Courage… I am so sorry for all that you have had to go through. Your suffering has been long and brutal, and even now I cannot promise you that it will end. So long as evil endures, it is your lot in life to stand against it. But if it were up to me, then I would safeguard you from all harm; I would keep you at my side and protect you from all harm. My heart is filled with love for you, my son. I have loved you from the beginning of time, and I always shall until the day the earth crumbles to dust and life ceases to exist. My love for you is as deep as the depths of the oceans and as high as the tallest mountaintops. My soul cries out to yours, for you are a part of me, born of my divinity at the dawn of time. We are bound together, you and I, by something far greater than destiny or fate. One day, my beloved spirit, you will understand why I created you, why this world pines for the light that only a hero can give it so much, as well as the great sacrifice I had to make to bring your light into the world… One day, in another life, you shall know… But for now, my son, let your heart and mind rest. Let them be comforted by my words and keep them with you always, just as you shall be in my heart always…"
The hero smiled softly as he shut his eyes for a brief moment, before glancing up to the woman once more, captivated by her beauty and motherly affection for him. "F-Farore?" he asked, referring to her by a name that he somehow knew was hers.
The goddess of Courage smiled down tenderly at the Hero of Time, who, as his spirit grew smaller and smaller, had changed from the form of an adult to that of a small child, no older than ten, in her arms. "Yes, Link?" she asked warmly, speaking to him as a mother would her precious child.
"Was… w-was I s-strong?" he asked innocently, wanting the confirmation of her approval above all else.
"Indeed you were…" she said sweetly, placing her hand against his cheek gently as tears of sadness for what was about to happen to him finally slipping down her cheeks.
"W-was I… b-brave?" he questioned with a small, youthful nod as his eyes dropped shut once more.
"Very brave…" she said as her heart tore asunder for him and all the pain he had to endure.
"Farore?"
"Yes, my dear Link?"
"A-are… are y-you… proud o-of me..?"
Farore could not withhold her held back sob upon hearing this question, her heart finally shattering as the boy in her arms began to fade away into nothingness, his spirit shattering apart. "Yes, Link…" she whispered as she gave him a small kiss on the forehead right before he dissipated into millions of particles of light, the Spirit of the Hero finally breaking and with it, a piece of Farore's heart and soul breaking as well. "I have always been proud of you… And I always shall be…"
D,X Well that's it! I'm dead! I can't deal anymore! This chapter ruined me! I thought I couldn't get any sadder than the climax of B&S, but clearly I have myself beat! This chapter emotionally devistated me so much that I was in tears while writing that last part and I couldn't even justify putting in a fun little end section after this. That is how messed up this made me. But I would totally LOVE to know what you guys thought about it, since this chapter is my new pride and joy! So please please please REVIEW! Until next time (which will hopefully be less depressing!)