Chapter 53 - Temple of Spirit I

Epona galloped down the passage of the chasm with her rider steadfast upon her saddle. It was a dangerous ride because some of the passages were so narrow and the rocks jutted out, creating the possibility that riders not watching their step could get hit on the head and knocked off of their horse. Link knew the chasms well though, even as dark as it was now, and he avoided them, slowing down when he needed to and speeding up when he knew he had a safer path ahead of him.

He was wearing a long, brown robe, one the Gerudo wore to weather sand storms that flared up from time to time, a hood over his head with a mask he could pull down to cover his face protectively for weathering the sand storm. As he drew toward the end of the chasm, pulling Epona's reigns back to make her stop, he looked ahead at the open desert before him, seeing a thick wall of sand and dirt being whipped about a good thirty feet in the distance as if the storm was containing itself in one place for a certain reason.

His brows narrowed, knowing the force of evil that was causing this, and he looked down to the sand that still lay flat before him, seeing the horse tracks that led right into the storm, having been made recently, otherwise the random gusts of air blowing through the chasm sporadically would have covered them up already. Turning, he dismounted Epona, his boots pushing up the sand beneath them, taking her reigns into his hand. As he did, he gently pulled his horse around to face the opposite direction, and once she was, he reached back, smacking her hind flanks so she would go back to the Gerudo Valley as he'd told the Gerudo he'd send her. Epona started riding away from the dangerous storm ahead, leaving Link where he was standing while he turned to face the darkness before him, separating him from his destination.

Tiny in comparison to the gusting sand flying about in a cloud outside of the chasm he was standing in, he tugged his sword from the sheath beneath the robe he wore, as well as his shield, and then looked ahead again. With determined blues set steadily ahead of himself, Link reached up and tugged his mask down over his face, a square shaped hole with a sheer mesh clothe cut over the eyes to prevent sand from getting into them allowing him to see out. Once in place, he tied the tie of the robe at his neck to prevent a lot of sand from getting into his clothing, especially into the mask he wore. Now there was one last thing he needed to do.

His dark half, as he'd noticed when the shadow had abducted Zelda, had used a form of magic Link hadn't considered he'd possessed. His mother though, Myriad, had gifted Link with a portion of her power, and she'd said he could use it in the same manner as he'd used the spells Zelda had taught him, the shielding and the fire he preferred to stick the closest to. Myriad had told him it was there within him, the same as the rest, but he could feel a difference. Somehow, Link knew that his dark counterpart was using a twisted version of that power he'd been gifted with at birth, and if he'd figured out how to call upon it, then Link could as well.

Being nighttime as it was, Link closed his eyes and sought to invoke some of that power. He concentrated hard, felt it welling up inside of himself, a light beginning to shine around him, illuminating the area he was standing in between the rocky walls of the chasm. When his eyes opened again, he could see much better than before, and he smirked a little over his accomplishment. This would help his navigation of the storm tremendously.

Moving forward on foot, he disappeared into the gusting winds and sand, able to see much further with that power he'd just recently learned he possessed lighting his way. His sword still in hand, shield on his arm, he kept his eyes opened, moving forward constantly but warily, the storm about him creating too much noise for him to hear clearly, so he had to rely on his other senses.

In doing so, he noticed a shift in the sand beneath his feet. Looking back, he saw spikes attached to the top of a plant like creature rising up from the dirt, spinning about in circles. It began to head toward him once it had risen through the sand completely, spinning sharp spikes on its arms out at him, and Link turned his sword and held up his shield, stabbing the tip down to stop it in its tracks.

The creature was called a Leever, and with the first taken out, another of them came from the opposite direction, out of no where seemingly since Link couldn't see that far into the sand storm, and once more, he was forced to defend himself.

He evaded the second enemy with a roll out of its way and a swipe of the sword to slice it in half, then turned around and looked ahead again without care to the death of his victim. He knew he would have to be wary though, there could be several more of them, as well as who knew what else, shifting about in the storm brewing about him now.

Despite this however, Link was glad he'd learned of Myriad's power before he'd come out to the Gerudo Desert, but somehow, he got the feeling he would have either found out anyway. It just seemed that in this instance, fate was in fact working on his side. Walking on, he just hoped that the spell would last long enough to make it to the entrance of the Temple, and that when he got there, he was able to easily get inside of it.

But still, he had to reach it first, and through his traveling, more threats hurled themselves at him in the darkness created by the sand clouds. Link did his best to evade them, to make sure he watched the sand beneath his feet for Leevers, and to watch the sandstorm now for possible rocks that could have been hurtled through the winds and into him. As meticulous as the task had become, he remained vigilant, and eventually, he noticed the power of the light spell he'd cast starting to fade slowly.

It would become completely dark once the spell faded, and if that happened, he would be in much worse peril. Managing to sight a rock flying toward him, Link held up his shield as the force of the object rammed into it, and then he took off into a sprint. Once he'd done so, he found himself heading toward a dead end in the form of a rock wall, and he had to stop. Spinning around so that his back was facing the rock wall, he knew the only good thing was that nothing could come at him from one side, and he crouched down with his shield held before himself protectively, trying to figure out which was he was going now.

His magical abilities exhausted themselves for the moment, and the darkness took over, disallowing him to see much of anything unless immediately before him. The sky wasn't visible through the thick fog of sand to even see the moon and stars, and Link leaned to the side as a rock hit the wall next to him, not phased by the fact that he could have just been smacked in the head and possibly killed. That didn't scare him, his mind too focused on how to get through this storm and find the entrance of the Temple when normally he'd know exactly where he was.

Now he was lost amidst the chaos for the moment, still crouching when a Leever came at him and slammed an arm into his shield, which protected him before the Leever burrowed again, but Link felt sand shifting beneath his feet, and he was forced to roll out of the way again. Taking the threat out, he drew in a breath and looked about, trying to find some means of travel. He glanced to his left, and then his right, and when he looked in that direction, having rolled closer to it because of the Leever's attack, he spied a rocky floor close to him near the wall his back was currently against.

When he saw it, he realized some of the sand beneath his feet was starting to cave in again another Leever burrowed up beneath his feet, and so he pushed himself forward and toward the rock floor. The aggressive plants began to give chase, and a spike cut the back end of his robe off as he leapt onto the hard rock surface that would prevent the creatures from reaching him.

Glancing back, seeing the Leevers burrowing beneath the sand again, Link smirked over his evasion, and then looked ahead. He had two points of protection now, the rock beneath his feet, and the one to his back, leaning up against the wall behind himself for a moment of shielded rest so that perhaps he could regain a little of his magical abilities when he felt a bit of crumbling and heard a thud of rock.

With narrowed brows, he turned his head to look back at the wall behind himself. Reaching his hand back toward it, holding onto the Master Sword in his fist, he pushed against it. More of the rock crumbled away, and a light from behind the wall started shining out of the hole. Tilting his head to the side, he his fist forward, and using the power the gauntlets he wore aided him with, he smashed it back into the wall with a resounding thud. A crack starting forming in it as he stepped away from the spot where his fist had impacted it, spreading upwards until the wall began to crumble down completely, leaving him to face what appeared to be a hidden cave.

Deciding to seek refuge inside for just a moment and find out where the light was coming from inside of it, Link moved, keeping ready with his weapons incase there was an enemy waiting for him within the cave he'd just found.

The light seemed to be shining from the end of the tunnel, an orange color softly, as if there was a fire close by, and Link tilted his masked face in curiosity. Coming around the corner, the cave revealed the source of the light he'd seen. Torches stood at the top of columns surrounding around a square caldron upon the floor. At the front of the cauldron was the symbol of the Triforce, just like the fairy cave Nissa had let him and Zelda to before they'd reached Lake Hylia. The biggest difference was that instead of water, there was an orange mist in the pool.

Link couldn't help a smirk, pushing his mask up on top of his head while he moved toward the symbol and placed his hand atop it in order to summon the Fairy Maiden that resided here, and he watched as the orange mist grew brighter when his fingers made contact with the stone. A soft giggle sounded, and the mist formed up into a maiden whose body was completely orange and her butterfly's wings fluttered gracefully.

Looking over and down at Link, she lowered herself closer to his height level and smiled, waving a single hand at him. "You must be Link. I've heard of you from my sister."

"The Maiden of Lake Hylia, right?," he asked her in response.

"Yes," she nodded, "I am the Fairy Maiden of the Desert. Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," Link nodded respectfully. "I came across your cave by accident. I was trying to navigate a sandstorm to the Temple of Spirit when my light failed."

The fairy giggled softly, flying toward him and folding her hands behind her back as she leaned forward in midair as if inspecting him. Link looked himself over in the brown robes while she did this, then back to her when she said, "You know, my sister was right. You are handsome." She waved her hands back and forth after telling him so with a snicker, adding the words, "Don't worry, I just had to see for myself. But, back to what you were saying. Lost, hmm? Well, I can aide you if you'd like. Oh, and where's your companion? Princess Zelda. I would like to meet her."

"I would greatly appreciate your help, my lady," Link started, then informed her, "Zelda isn't here though. She was abducted by an evil copy of myself. That's why I need to find the Temple, because he took her there. If it were daytime, I'd be able to find it easier, however, the sandstorm seems to be caused by something unnatural, and since it's night, it's just that much worse."

"Abducted!?," The Maiden gave a stern look, "How rude! In that case, I hope you'll find her and bring her back here sometime. I'd like to give her a gift. But you're right about the storm, I can sense it. The King of Evil has caused many problems, and this is but one of them. In the meantime however, I will replenish all of your strength, and add to it, so that you may have an easier fight and save her more quickly from being harmed."

With the words, the Maiden lifted into the air and spun in a circle, waving her hands to the side as she sent particles of energy toward Link in order to do as she'd said she would. Link could feel himself stronger for it again, very grateful he'd found the cave in his searching for the Temple entrance, wondering how she might help him find it.

Once she'd strengthened him again, she told him before fading away, "To reach the Temple, take three stones right, turn left to a rock island, and you'll see the light."

Disappearing, from sight that was, Link looked to the side and thought her verse over. Three stones right, left to a rock island, he mused in his thoughts. Rock island. Somehow that sounded familiar. With the words, he thought back to when he was a child, and had found the temple. About thirty feet before the entrance was a rock jutting up from the sand he'd climbed up onto, and with recognition dawning on him, he turned to face the corridor he'd entered the cave from.

Moving toward it, lowering his mask again, he thanked the Desert Fairy Maiden in his head and moved on. Now he knew exactly where to go.

---

The rock rose out of the sand like a beacon as Link pulled himself up onto it from the desert floor amidst the whipping winds. Three stones right had been rocks similar to the one he was standing on when he'd left the Fairy Cave, all placed along the wall he'd found his dead end at, several yards apart. Once he'd reached the third stone, he looked to his left, away from the rock wall he'd been navigating against, and headed in that direction, seeing nothing at first, but eventually, he found it; the rock island on which he now stood.

The Leevers, Link had determined, were an immense annoyance, wouldn't leave him alone whenever he was on the sand, and as he climbed onto the rock jutting up out of the surface of the desert floor and more of the creatures burrowed again behind him, he took comfort in the fact that for now they wouldn't be bothering him. Ignoring the annoying pests while he was there, he looked for the light the Fairy Maiden had mentioned.

Peering off into the distance, able to see a bit more again due to his replenished magical energies charging the light he'd created for himself, not to mention the Maiden had granted him more magic energy to boot, Link spied three lights in a triangular fashion toward the highest point of the rock as he stepped up onto it, telling him he'd gone exactly where he needed to.

Sword in hand, shield on his arm, he smirked and then looked down before he jumped toward the sand again, rolling to the side immediately as a Leever tried to rise up right beneath him as if it knew he was coming.

Link didn't waste his time with the creatures, moving swiftly toward the three lights, and more and more, he could see the rock walls housing the Spirit Temple coming into view with the large monument carved above it of the Triforce. Pushing onwards until he'd reached the steps, he moved up them and toward the doors, finding that they were already open due to, more than likely, his mimicry's interference. Link tried not to think about it though, and pushed them open, walking into the entryway of the large atrium he now found himself in.

The columns and statues decorating the walls were all gothic in style, the floors decorated with criss-crossed tiles, painting a decorative surface onto the floor with different colors. Above him, a long balcony type walkway connection two doors on the second floor overlooked the chamber that had no stairs or ladder going up to it, leaving Link to guess that another path was located elsewhere. As his eyes scanned that balcony above him though while he untied his robe, pulling it off and letting it fall into a pile on the floor around his feet, tugging his mask from his face, he heard the words, "Nice getup."

Link turned his head swiftly to the direction the voice had come from, and seeing, standing on the balcony, his dark copy emerging from the shadows, Link narrowed his brows and demanded without hesitation, "Where's Zelda!?"

"Pfft," Dark Link drew out, leaning against a column with his arms crossed over his chest. "She's safe, where else? I had a nice little talk with her earlier about everything, and I think she's warming up to me," he grinned. "Jealous?"

"Of what?" Link replied without missing a beat, stepping forward. "Why don't you come down here since you're so superior to me and show me why I should be. Or do you want to throw some more magic at me and run away. Yet again," he added dully.

Dark Link smirked over the insult thrown at him, and he shrugged, "Nah, I'd rather watch you try to figure out this Temple first, save my strength, and go have some private time with Zelda again while you're off figuring puzzles out. I'm sure I'll have her squealing cutely by the time you find her." He added and turned to walk away.

The words made Link more angry than he cared to admit, and he narrowed his brows and decided, as Dark Link tried to head off, that now was the best time of any to show him exactly how much business he meant. It took a little will power, but focusing on it the same as he'd done with the light to see in the sandstorm outside, three orbs of light formed in the air and took off swiftly after the mimicry. These, however, were white instead of black as the ones that his mirror had attacked him with earlier in the Valley had been.

Dark Link was caught off guard by the sudden attack, jumping out of the way just as the orbs smashed into the floor near him, knocking him to the side with the force of the blow.

Link felt heavily weakened after summoning so much of the power he had vested in himself, and he wondered if the same happened to Dark Link after performing the task. He'd have to really be careful of his magic usage now. But he didn't regret the opportunity to hurt the bastard he was currently after, though before he could consider anything at all, he heard Dark Link saying, "Hmm, I didn't think you'd figure out how to do that so soon."

The mimicry pushed himself up, dusting his black and white clothing off before adding the words, "I guess you could say I was surprised you had it in you at all when I discovered it. Must be a hereditary trait."

Link rolled his eyes, then reminded his mirror, "Like you told me, you of all people should know exactly what I've got up my sleeve."

Dark Link, grinning down at him when he'd said that, just waved a hand and told him, "Well, if that's the reaction I'm going to get every time I mention something to do with your dearly beloved Princess, I just want you to remember this one thing."

Dark Link paused for just a moment, stepping to the side, looking down at his light half before he began again meaningfully, "When you find Zelda, and she's all warmed up to me, or I've been forced to hurt her again for not cooperating, just remember that you're the reason I want her so badly to begin with."

Dark Link didn't stick around after he'd spoken those words, turning and leaving through a set of doors to the right of the balcony he was standing on, and Link took a few steps forward before he stopped himself, then fisted his left hand and slammed the side of it into a column next to himself. His anger only abating slightly because of the move which had cracked the column, Link turned and tried to calm himself down, knowing he'd need to if he were going to get through this and rescue Zelda before any harm could come to her at the evil mimicry's, or anything else's, hands.

Sighing out his breath, Link moved to the only doors that were located in the entryway at the back of the room, and he drew his sword before he pushed them open. Whatever lay beyond them he was now determined to overcome.