The castle then rocked erratically, cracks formed in the walls as towers of books fell to the ground in fluttering heap. Bellum lost hold of the strings, by the Goddesses' mercy they were not killed or mortally wounded by his influence. He snarled as a wall of flames barred him from advancing further. Marionettes of shadow and straw appeared on mass to rush towards Bellum. Link immediately swept Zelda up in his arms while Impa followed his lead. They fled the castle as it crumbled to pieces and tore away in pieces at the hands of monstrous talons and limbs. They left the castle just in time to watch it crumble into ruins. In a matter of seconds, the legacy of the Hylian royal family was reduced to worthless stones.

Zelda was in tears, seeing the cause of such destruction came in the form of a dragon, a chimera, an evil Great Fairy and two deranged puppets. She buried her face in Link's chest as she bawled. Link knew them to be Onox, Sable, Veran, Iris and Skull Kid. Why they were here was anyone's guess. He made eye contact with Veran who simply raised a hand and signalled him to stop. The wrath in that permeated every fibre of her being forbade him from attempting to help them. Link was relegated to the sidelines with Zelda while Impa took command of the guards to contain the area and evacuate the denizens of Castle Town to the safety of Kakariko Village.

For the first time in his life, Link felt utterly powerless. He finally understood what it was like to be a random townsfolk; moved to the side as fodder while an evil beyond comprehension was free to do as it pleased. He watched the barrages and arcane pandemonium of the battle. Bellum had mutated into a plague ridden abominable titan of tentacles and exoskeletons. Veran, Iris and Skull Kid combined their powers over darkness, fire, ice and illusions to hinder and damage Bellum. They also granted various boons and shields to one another for the sake of protection or increasing possible damage from attacks. Sable as the chimera and Onox as the Dark Dragon were the fighters, moving in close with impossible speed to shred through Bellum's body.

The destruction rained as spells were slung wayward, destroying parts of the city nearby. The physical blows between Bellum, Sable and Onox tore the earth beneath them. There was no choice if they wanted to survive. All of Castle Town had to flee. People ran for their lives as they scattered into the fields. They didn't care which direction they ran, as long as it was the opposite of the monstrous battle unfolding. In the midst of the carnage, Link found himself renewed. Even if the world fell around them, he could still protect Zelda regardless of divine intervention. While she was stunned by the sudden changes in the world around them, he was there to guide her to safety.

As they fled, Zelda suddenly shoved away from Link, she ran through the streets of the collapsing Castle Town. Link immediately followed after her as she led him right back to the Temple of Time. By the Goddesses' mercy, it still stood in defiance of the chaotic maelstrom that had engulfed everything. Within the white marble stone halls, the eerie serenity permeated their very beings. The chants of the Sages emanated through the air; the ancient beings were attending to their prayers in the Sacred Realm, invisible to the eyes of mere mortals. The altar stood before the Door of Time that led to the chamber that held the Master Sword. All was in its place.

Link felt uneasy in this place where in the past it had comforted him. Now the chants sounded ominous and the brightness of the chamber hurt his eyes a little. He glanced at the back of his hand, expecting to see the triangular mark faintly on his skin. It was now gone. He felt no benevolence or comfort here, only judgement to be followed by swift punishment. The memory of Veran's words stang with the realisation that he had lost the favour of the Golden Goddesses. He was a hero, but not the one they sought to protect Zelda and the Triforce.

Zelda ran forward to the altar, her panicked steps made her trip on the red rug that lined the floor and united the altar to the entrance. She was helped up by Link who asked shakily "Why are you here? We need to leave Castle Town."

"I know that the Goddesses will help us." She gestured to the Terminan Hero's Bow on his back "If I can just get them to gift me the power of Light Arrows I can drive those monsters away."

The temple groaned while the doorway was torn open by four sets of claws. Four monstrous heads looked in as the chimera loomed forward. Zelda was frightened, snatching Link's bow from his back, the back of her hand glowed with the golden crest of the Triforce. Even though she had no arrows, a beam of light formed in her hand as she drew the bow. She unleashed a barrage of holy magic with a single shot. They cut through the chimera, shattering the Fused Shadow helm into pieces to end the transformation. Zelda stepped forward as the darkness congealed and the monster shrank.

"These things… they're a magic relic for channelling darkness." She noted, poking the dislodged pieces with her shoe. The runic marks were familiar; something she had seen in ancient books. "There was a time when Hylians channelled light the same way… Perhaps Hyrule should return to the technology of the sky people…"

Link held her back, eyeing the Fused Shadow "Just don't touch that thing. It might corrupt you."

"Of course, darkness always corrupts."

"No, I mean, you're not trained in magic like that. You wouldn't be able to control it."

"As no one should be, it is forbidden by decree of the Goddesses."

The darkness finally cleared to reveal Sable unconscious on the floor. One quarter of the Midna's Helm was still on her head as she bled out. Her body was torn by the barrage of Light Arrows.

"See, darkness corrupts. This poor girl is beyond saving, her blood has even putrefied."

Skull Kid called as he bounded around the corner "Hey! It's all safe here! Bellum is gone now!" He froze at the sight of Link and Zelda over Sable's mutilated body.

"I saw a huge light show over here, what happened?" Onox fell silent as he stood beside Skull Kid. A storm brewed on his face, the movements of his eyes told Link that he had already grasped an accurate perspective of the situation. Link instinctively stood before Zelda, raising his sword shakily, he did not want to fight a shape shifter.

Skull Kid nervously trembled "Is she?"

"She's still breathing." Onox quietly raged over and swept Sable into his arms.

Zelda raised the bow again "Not another step, you foul fiend!"

Onox made a face like he was watching someone urinate in public. He shook his head at Link and spat in his general direction. He then left the temple without a word with Skull Kid in tow. Neither of them could look back nor even say farewell to Link. Zelda ran out into the street but saw that as quickly as the monsters came; they had left. The evidence of their battle was all around as Castle Town had been demolished in the process.

Link approached her, carrying the three remaining pieces of Midna's Helm. He nervously said "We can't leave these where anyone can find them."

Zelda nodded "I agree, I can sense the dark magic from here, I will entrust these pieces to the three tribes of Hyrule. They will protect them as they have protected the Spiritual Stones for generations." She heard the overcast sky groan as the heavens opened with a gentle rain. "The evil has passed and we are safe. I will lead Hyrule as its Queen into a new era."

Link followed beside her as they made their way through the destroyed city "How do you plan to do that?"

"I will usher in a new era of divinity by permitting the use of sky folk magic. You'll see, everyone will be able to defend themselves with such power and we will be bettered for using it."

"Sky folk?"

"It's a lesser known tale, only the royal family speaks of it. There was a time when the chosen of the Goddesses lived in a city floating in the sky. Their magic and technology was driven by the power of light… I believe we can resurrect it." She looked to the Fused Shadows "If darkness can be channelled, then so too can light."

Link smiled at Zelda, seeing her back to her usual spirited and wise self. They travelled the long road to Kakariko Village to be reunited with the survivors. They did not speak of the giant knight who took the jester woman at the Temple of Time. Instead they regaled the story of slaying a chimera. Link paused for a moment, considering the motive for the Terminans' intervention, yet just remained thankful they came to defeat Bellum.

The sun rose over Gerudo Desert, the shattered remains of their once proud tribe were now scattered to the wind. Arbiter's Grounds smugly squatted in the sea of dunes; taking the place of the peaceful oasis and Spirit Temple as a final insult to the fall of the Gerudo. The fallen king, Ganondorf, was taken before the monolith on the roof of this prison for his execution. Six pillars circled that rooftop, each bearing the crest of a Sage. He was in chains and ragged from imprisonment, but not broken in the slightest. He stood tall in defiance of the ethereal Sages who floated before him. His limbs restrained by metal used to weigh down monsters; yet he still glared at their hollow mask eyes.

Behind the Sages stood the Mirror of Twilight; some ancient relic the Hylian royal family was clearly afraid of. Why else would something so valuable looking remain in a dungeon as far away from the palace as possible? The ghostly forms of floating robes and masks over invisible bodies were the only form the Sages could take beyond the Sacred Realm. Each was equipped with an elegant long sword, imbued with the light of the Goddesses. Ganondorf knew they meant to impale him with every blade to end him.

The Sage of Water moved first, thrusting the sword so it cut through Ganondorf's heart. The Sword of the Sages remained impaled through his chest as his breath and heartbeat slowed. To be brought so close to death woke a power dormant in Ganondorf. Golden light shone from the back of his hand as the crest for the Triforce of Power appeared. The Sages cowered in terror; had the Goddesses forsaken them for permitting their power to be used by such a monster?

Ganondorf tore the chains from his arms with a flex; proceeded to remove the Sword of the Sages from his chest and returned the attack inflicted upon him. The Sage of Water was cut down with ease; vanishing into a hollow mask. The pillar with the crest of water cracked and broke as its divine connection was severed.

Before Ganondorf could continue his killing spree, the other Sages conjured the power of the Mirror of Twilight. A monochrome portal to the mysterious Twilight Realm opened on the monolith. Its vortex strength finally dragged Ganondorf into it. As death could not stop him, banishment was the only option. Ganondorf was now locked in another world and safely away from Hyrule. The Sages had achieved their goal in dealing with the Gerudo King, even though it was not in the way they expected.

Amidst the panic and mourning, they did not notice the solitary sorceress watching them from above. Veran leant against a pillar on the rooftop; cloaking herself in shadows to evade their awareness. She sighed to herself "What a waste… the legacy of the Triforce lives on."

Sickened and disgusted by this world, Veran warped to the Twilight Realm with the last piece of Midna's Helm in hand. As the remaining pieces were still in Hyrule, she had to make sure there was the possibility of them being reunited. She then left that Fused Shadow in its historical place as a treasure of the Twili tribe.

Veran also swore to never return to Hyrule.