Hello guys! I apologize a hundred times over this is so delayed, and I could list a dozen reasons explaining how life has gotten so hectic for me- but I know you are all eager for the chapter, so I'll save it and hope you guys can understand anyways and forgive me for this being so late. ^^'

Anyways, it's time! The wait is over! Chapter 53 has arrived! Hold onto your seats, folks, and let's go! :D


Chapter Fifty-Three: Catastrophe


Already as the ground began to move, chunks of rock were being torn away from the central pillar, the cracks slicing through the heavy stone and concrete and tearing apart the tower piece by piece. The ground was no longer stable- and as it broke apart from all sides, it begun to tip, twist, and turn, starting to crumble to the ground.

And on its top, hundreds of feet above the ground below, stood the five Links, as best they could on the shaky ground, their eyes wide and their hearts frozen.

Finally, one found his voice.

"Guys! Stay close together!" Green shouted, choking past a heavy knot which had formed in his throat. Sword and shield had long been sheathed and he looked around him in quick, wide-eyed panic, wondering what they were going to do- there was no way down, or out, of the collapsing tower. His heart caught in his throat when he knew the inevitable- they were going to fall along with it.

"Ahh-!"

Instantly, the four Links whirled around at the sound of the shout- and though it seemed their eyes couldn't grow wider, so they did in the horror of what they saw.

Beneath Red, the ground had given way, and he found the cracks splitting around him- the cement floor cracked and split, breaking off from the tower as it began to plunge down, with the terrified Link still upon it and crying out for the others.

Without hesitation, the heroes turned and tried to run forward to catch their friend. And as Vio reached the other Link, shoving him out of the way as the two landed harshly upon rock that, while shaky, had yet to break off… The other three were not so lucky.

Though Blue and Green leapt as one to try and save their friend, the ground beneath them no longer could remain stable as the rest of the tower began to collapse- and as it cracked and gave way, jerking horribly to the side, the Links found themselves stumbling and gasping as they fell harshly to the unstable stone beneath. And Shadow, though nimbly jumping over the cracks and the stone, eventually made his way towards Vio and Red, extending out an arm as he helped the two up- so the ground continued to rumble and thrash, move and shake, until it finally became no more for the tower to bear.

And as the floor of the massive arena room finally split in half, a terrifying cracking sound splitting through the night as the two chunks slowly yet steadily began to tip, the rumble of the falling, breaking off concrete growing louder and louder by the second…

In an instant, in their darkest moment as the tower finally came crumbling down…

Bursting past all the rumbling and cracking of the tower, and slicing through the darkness of the night and their despair, so came a brilliant, powerful shaft of light from out of the darkness, slicing down towards the tower. And, surrounded in that light, flying over the broken pieces of the tower, came the sight which drew the heroes' eyes- and made their hearts skip in a second's glimpse of hope.

"KAEPORA!-!-!"

Bathed in the light around him, the great owl, his wings spread out wide as he soared around the crumbling tower, flew quickly towards the heroes, his gaze unwavering and fierce.

"Heroes! Follow my guide!" the owl hooted out loudly as he soared quickly just over the heads of the Links, weaving in and out between the rocks as he flew, alongside them, in the midst of the collapsing tower.

Struggling to keep his footing on a chunk of stone that was starting to slip, Green grit his teeth as his eyes darted from side to side, desperately trying to come up with anything to save his friends. The gleam of light shot out from behind him and he turned quickly to watch Kaepora's flight trail in front of him, over and under the falling boulders. His eyes widened in understanding.

"Everyone, follow after Kaepora!" Green shouted as loud as he could, hoping his voice could reach the separated Vio, Shadow, and Red on the now-opposite side of the collapsing tower. The leader held his breath as he looked after the owl- desperately hoping their friend, their guide, would be able to save them. With a quick nod towards Blue, who was getting to his feet next to his leader, Green turned and quickly, without any further hesitation as he put his trust into their guide, leapt across the falling boulders near them in the direction Kaepora had flown. Blue, clenching his jaw and fists tight, followed quickly after as the two heroes desperately leapt from falling boulder to chunk of tumbling, cracking, twisting concrete, desperately trying to keep their footing in the collapsing tower among them.

On the other side of the collapsing, thousands of tons of falling concrete, Red was just being helped to his feet by Vio and Shadow as the rock continued to break, twist, and pull under their feet. Already they had begun to plummet along with the broken tower- and, desperately trying to keep their footing on what pieces of rock still able to serve as footholds, the three Links found themselves jumping off their current rock to another close by.

And yet, as the gleam of light flew past them, their eyes widened as they were drawn to the great owl, watching him in the briefest of seconds as he flew over their heads, the light leaving a clear trail cut through the darkness in front of them. Green's shout came loud to them, and, gritting their teeth and preparing themselves, the three heroes looked one last time at each other, saying nothing, as they each knew what to do.

Afraid, Red grasped onto Vio's arm, taking a quivering step backwards and looking down in wide-eyed terror at the path they had to take- leaping across the falling boulders, the wind whipping up from all around them as they fell along with the tower, the ground constantly cracking and splitting into smaller chunks which spun as they fell, knocking against other boulders and shattering as they plunged downwards through the darkness and to the far-away ground below.

A crack dug in the ground beneath them, Red's eyes flew open wide-

And in an instant, Red looked to the side in surprise.

Grasping Red's hand tight in his own, Shadow looked down at the smaller hero, giving a firm, determined nod. No words were said- but none were needed to; Red saw it all in his friend's eyes. Red's throat tightened up as he looked up in renewed faith at his friend- and, as the three looked at one another one more time, each exchanging nods of understanding and readiness, so they turned towards the trail of light Kaepora had left for them, the wind whipping them from above and the empty sky all around them and below them looking up as they leapt across their broken, plummeting boulder to the next, and the one after that, leaping and jumping underneath one over the other, not for a moment stopping to rest.

The owl continued to dive in and out of the falling, plummeting wreckage that had once been the castle's tallest tower, weaving in and out of the boulders, precariously avoiding each one as they turned and twisted, falling into other pieces and breaking off into more chunks which continued to plunge downwards. And right on the trail of his guiding light, following without hesitation nor fear the light laid before them, the five Links ran amidst the collapsing mass of rubble, their hearts pounding and their eyes wide and focused on each step before them.

It was like nothing they had ever done- the wind buffeted them from all sides, the speed of their downward fall hindered their leaps from boulder to boulder, and always they were jumping, running, turning, moving, dodging a falling slab of concrete above them or leaping over a crack in the rocks below. The darkness was no help- blinded by what they couldn't see, it only made things worse for the heroes as they were unable to see the rocks falling around them, the rest of the tower breaking apart into smaller and smaller chunks of concrete as it continued its plunge… And yet, bursting through the darkness was the light trailing the great owl, leaving a brilliant, glowing trail through which the Links could follow.

The ground was quickly rushing up to meet them- even in the pitch black darkness of the night around them, and with the trail of light ahead which they followed, Green could see the ground growing in size as they continued to fall. He tried to keep his thoughts calm and collected as he continued running across the boulders, Blue by his side and Kaepora's trail only a few feet in front of them, but his heart continued to pound, as he knew the inevitable would soon happen- they may have been risking and dodging death every second that they leapt and fell down along with the tower, but once they hit the ground…

Shadow grit his teeth as he leapt over a passing slab of concrete, turning quickly to the side as he helped Red stumble forwards and onto the next platform. Vio shouted aloud to them as he ran forward, marking the path for them set by Kaepora and keeping one step ahead of the plan. The Link's red eyes, glowing through the darkness and brightened by the yellow, bright light set by their guide, widened in growing shock as he glanced downwards to the growing, approaching ground below. Quickly, he clenched his teeth, taking in a sharp gasp of air as he realized just what they meant. Soon they would reach the ground- and even if they would survive the impact of falling, then there would also be the danger of the various other parts of the tower falling all around them and crushing them.

And all too quickly, it was over.

Shouting aloud, leaping forward in all his wild and unchained spirit, Blue ran the last sprint forward, charging ahead as he met the end of their fall, defying the entire world as he ran to meet the conclusion. The boulders slammed heavily on the ground, pounding into smoke-filled explosions as they hit against the ground below, some sticking firmly into the dirt by the impact and others shattering into trillions of rocks by the force of the fall. Guided by the light of their friend, the Links ran forward to the end- and as Blue hit the ground, the light slicing upwards and around him as he landed, so he quickly tumbled into a quick and efficient roll, grunting and gasping as the ground pummeled him from all sides- and finally, skidding to a stop amongst the dirt and rocks and rubble.

Hot on his heels, Green shouted aloud as, following the light of their guide and the drive of their spirit, he ran after Blue, leaping off the crumbling chunks of tower for the final time, his feet aimed for the solid and unmoving ground. And yet, even as they finally made contact with the ground, so he knew his trials were not over- and, gasping sharply, did as he saw Blue do and tuck into a sharp roll, allowing his momentum to carry him forward until even he could no longer control himself, and found him stumbling and falling, sliding and jerking across the uneven, rocky and damaged ground, pummeled by the sharp and unforgiving impacts from all directions.

Lastly, as the three Links watched the other two land on the ground, with Kaepora's light guiding their way to the descent, so each of them braced themselves as they continued running and leaping over the boulders and slabs of broken, mangled concrete, ready and determined to finish the terrifying, trying ordeal.

Vio's eyes were firm and narrowed as he burst ahead of the others, quickly scanning everything around them as he desperately hoped to find a place they could fall and not be harmed by the massive, egregious amounts of rubble which had already plummeted to the ground, and those which were still falling above them, ready to hit them from above at any second. Finally, gasping sharply and letting his feet leave the rock beneath him, Vio jumped outwards- and, with thinking far abandoned in place of action, rolled forward onto the ground, trying to keep on his feet- yet, ultimately, failing as the ground shook and heaved with the impact of a massive boulder slamming down only inches away from his fallen form.

Red held his breath, his eyes wide as he watched Vio run off the last boulder and roll to the ground. He and Shadow were next- and, gritting his teeth, holding his breath as he forced past his fears, running after his friend. They were nearing the end of the leap- and, at the last second, on his own power and bravery, Red jumped ahead, shouting out aloud as he saw the massive slab of concrete landing dangerously close to Vio. His heart pounded in his chest- and, as soon as he hit the ground, found himself rolling and tumbling with his forward momentum- but, refusing to give up or stop, quickly righted himself on the ground as he continued running towards Vio, his eyes wide.

Following a little behind the others as he made sure not to come too close to the light which he followed, Shadow's red, narrowed eyes kept focused on the others as he made sure they came to a safe stop on the ground. And then, an instant later, as Red made the jump, he saw the massive boulder from above slamming down on the ground beside them, nearly striking Vio… Red was running after him, but he couldn't see the shadow of darkness, in the already dark of night, growing overtop both him and Vio… Eyes wide, Shadow's breath froze in his chest- and, abandoning all thought of himself, yelled aloud as he ran over the falling and crumbling slabs of concrete and rock all around him, leaping over the edge and racing towards the two.

Gasping as he finally came to a stop, Green groaned as he shook his head, his thoughts swimming dizzily around in his head, and placing his bleeding, scratched palms on the ground as he hoisted himself back up to stand. The air around him was thick and heavy with the smoke of the destroyed tower, and the ground still shook in occasional quakes as more and more boulders slammed down all around them. His heart was still pounding- it wasn't safe here, they could be crushed at any minute, he has to find the others- quickly, he looked around, desperate to catch a glimpse of the others, calling out loudly above the roar of the collapsing tower for the others.

Blue shouted aloud in surprise as he quickly scrambled to his feet, jumping to the side just to avoid a boulder as it slammed down against the ground where he had just fallen. Smoke and debris were flying everywhere, the darkness was choking and he couldn't see Kaepora's light anymore- and yet, pushing through all this, he kept his mouth in a tightly-set, determined snarl, looking fiercely around for any sign of the others. His heart froze when he suddenly heard Green's voice calling- and quickly, looked to the side where it was coming from- his eyes widened, and his heart sank.

"GREEN! GET DOWN!-!-!-!"

The scream burst from his mouth louder than even he expected, and, his eyes wide and frantic, Blue found himself bolting forwards towards his leader, praying that he would make it to his friend before the rock falling down above him did first.

And as Blue ran towards Green, so Shadow was sprinting as fast as he could over the broken, mangled ground beneath him towards the others, watching the shadow of the massive boulder growing over the both of them as Red tried to help Vio to his feet… And, shouting aloud as he finally reached them, instantly jumped in front of them as he slid to his knees, slamming both his fists firmly on the ground and creating in an instant a massive, powerful barrier of shadow magic around the two- and seconds later, so the massive chunk of the tower slammed over the trio, covering them entirely from sight.

Reaching his leader, Blue shouted aloud as he wasted not a second more, running heavily into Green as he shoved him aside, the two Links falling to the ground as, a split second later, so the ground beneath them shook and moved with the heavy impact of a gigantic slab of concrete and stone crashing into the ground beside them.

And finally, as the massive impact shook the ground and the smoke began to billow… everything began to quiet down.

A few rumbles here and there were enough to tell the Links that some stones were still falling and breaking apart as they struck the ground- but as silence finally descended over the rubble-strewn, destroyed castle tower, the impacts became less and less until finally, in the thick of the smoke and the night, it was silent.

Silent, that is, except for the slight groans coming from the two Links as they each struggled to their feet, weak and dizzy, exhausted and bruised- but not yet broken. Regaining their breath and calming down, the two Links took deep breaths as they looked at the rubble-strewn destruction around them.

Giving a weak smile, Green looked over at Blue, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving a short, small laugh. "Thanks, Blue… I guess I'd be a pancake right now if it weren't for you."

Responding with a battered, though still energetic, grin of his own, Blue nodded, returning the laugh as he said, "Well, I figured since pancakes don't make good leaders, it'd probably be best to keep that from happening."

Green gave a short, grim laugh, shaking his head at Blue's joke. However, it lifted the mood just enough for the two, still grateful to have come out of the mess alive, and silently, they looked out amongst the destruction, quickly climbing over the rubble and calling out for the others, their voices loud and clear over the calm, silence of the aftermath of the tower's collapse.

And just when the two of them began to look at each other, wide-eyed with their hearts sinking at the growing fear that they would not find them-

With a rumbling noise alerting their attention from the side, Blue and Green's eyes were instantly diverted to the side as, upon catching sound of the movement and then sight of it, the two watched with lifting hearts the scene unfolding before them.

A massive, half-destroyed slab of concrete, lying broken on its side over the ground, was beginning to move in jerky motions, as if being pushed from underneath- and then, with a final upheaval, the massive stone leaned to the side, eventually forced with such might that it toppled over to the side, revealing the once-trapped heroes beneath it. Gasping, Shadow staggered back a step as he recovered from pushing the boulder off of them, and Vio, whose shield was held over his and Red's head, slowly lowered his shield and moved to stand, helping the smaller Link back up on his feet.

"Vio! Shadow! Red! Guys, you're okay!"

Jubilant and excited, the two Links eagerly ran up to their friends, leaping across the strewn rubble around them and ignoring the destruction wrought around them, instead, for the moment, grateful they were all still alive.

Instantly, Red's eyes widened and his grin grew upon seeing the others running up. Names were called all around, smiles exchanged and laughter shared as the five Links regrouped once again, eagerly talking and bubbling with excitement.

And above them, glistening across the sky in a golden light, came the faint, melodic call of an owl- with wide grins, the four Links looked up, just in time to see the brilliant, yellow light slowly fading away as the great owl Kaepora, his job complete, fading away into the night.

"Thank you, Kaepora!" Red called out with a bright grin, jumping up and down and waving. "We couldn't have done it without you!"

The tension and fear of the moment broken, Blue grinned at his friends, laughing as he said, "We DID it, guys! We beat 'em! It's over!"

"Yeah!" Red cheered, grinning as he clung to Blue's arm. "We've won!"

Even Green and Vio, grinning from the infectious excitement, grinned as they looked back at the others, smiling and nodding. Chuckling, Vio crossed his arms, satisfied, as he spoke.

"It really does seem that way... it's been a hard fight, but we-"

"... No."

Blinking in surprise, abruptly halted from their excitement, the Links turned to look at the calm and quiet voice which had spoken opposite their own excited, relieved words.

Standing a few feet away from the others, his backs to them and his arms crossed as he looked over the rubble-strewn ruins of the castle, Shadow frowned as he calmly and quietly repeated what he had said.

"This... this is still not yet over. I'm sure of it."

Surprised, Green looked at the others- then, quickly, frowned as he walked up to his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder and looking confusedly at him. "What do you mean, Shadow?" he pressed, looking worriedly back to the others, then back at Shadow. "What do you know about all this, anyways?"

The Link closed his eyes in pain, looking away.

"Wait... have you known about this all along?" Blue suddenly said, blinking and frowning in mild surprise and anger. "About their power and everything?"

Frowning, Shadow turned to look back towards them, his eyes cold and calm, yet despondent and fraught with shame.

"I've had my suspicions... but that last battle confirmed it. I... I was a fool for not noticing it before. I'm sorry."

Once more, the Links looked back at each other in doubt.

"But, Shadow, they're gone," Red insisted, trying to smile. "It's over. They're-"

"No, they're not," Shadow insisted, shaking his head and looking back out suspiciously across the rubble. "And you guys should know this more than anyone else. We need to stay on our guard."

This time, it was Vio's turn to speak in surprise. "What makes you say that?" he commented.

Shadow grit his teeth as he looked away. "Because... while Veran and Onox may be something different... you've fought this power before. All of us have." He closed his eyes once more, looking away from the shocked and confused glances of his friends- but, upon opening them, looked once more across the ruins of Hyrule Castle.

"After all... the power of a God... good or bad, can never truly die."

There was a stunned silence between the Links.

"The power of... a God...?"

"Shadow, what does that-"

"You don't really mean-"

"But... but that's-"

The four Links, looking at each other in resistance and confusion, shook their heads and each tried to speak back to Shadow- but, cut off in an instant, each of them found themselves suddenly stopping mid-sentence, eyes wide and hearts frozen at what had interrupted them.

A low rumble had shaken through the ground, and amongst the pile of massive, broken and twisted stones, something had begun to move. The ground moved once more beneath them as an impact, deep and heavy, shook the ground, the rocks around them beginning to shift and fall by the vibrations.

Shadow swore under his breath, a pit beginning to form in the depths of his stomach as he looked around, wide-eyed. "Just like last time..." he breathed, looking around them in apprehension. "It's happening... all over again..."

"Shadow, what is going on here?-!" Green finally shouted, nearly losing his cool as he looked to their friend in worry, shock, confusion, and surprise. "What's happening? What power is this?-!"

Shadow did not answer- he did not need to.

Something else answered before him.

The explosion which tore through the rubble-strewn ruins of the castle tower was unlike any the Links had ever experienced before. Massive chunks of what had once been the castle's walls were blasted into trillions of pieces in an instant, thrown in all directions as an enormous tremor was sent pulsing through the grounds, shaking everything in a sudden, violent, and terrible upheaval. The Links, caught off-guard and unable to keep their feet in the incredible and instant shifting of the ground, cried aloud as they fell harshly to the ground- and, their eyes wide in absolute terror, they could only watch as their worst nightmares crept out of the darkness surrounding them.

As if clawing through the depths of hell itself to get to them, pushing aside gigantic mounds of ground as they climbed to their feet, terrible roars and shrieks slicing through the air all around them, two massive, demonic, monstrous figures, blackened by the shades of night, slowly began to rise out of the rubble, one set of eyes a piercing, burning purple- the other, a hateful, bloody red. Their figures, drenched in black darkness, pulsed and throbbed as they grew to their titanic heights, gazing down in raw, unbridled fury at the destruction wrought beneath them.

When the shadows had finally cleared, the ground still rumbling- as if trembling in fright from the very abominations which towered over it- the two figures, one emitting a terrible, deep growling sound and the other a high-pitched, screeching shriek, took their colossal steps forward into the sight of the Links.

In a flash of terrible light, the golden scales off his titanic body glistening horribly through the darkness, the massive creature lifted its head high, those pair of demonic, red eyes looking down fiercely upon the children below it. Slowly, its jaw began to open as its two leathery, blackened wings strapped to its back unfurled, spreading out wide across either side of the beast. The two massive, golden fangs protruding from its jowls pointed skywards as the monster's wings beat against the wind, its heavy, snake-like body trailing after it as it slid across the ground behind it. Harsh, yellow-tinted claws slammed across a rock of concrete as the monster hoisted itself upwards across the destruction, flashing off a golden underbelly of thick, armor-plated scales and titanic, sharpened spikes running down the back of its neck all the way to the tip of its tail.

Tilting the two golden horns atop its head backwards, its wings once more continuing to lash out against the air around it, just barely supporting the massive weight of its serpentine form, the mighty and terrifying Dark Dragon, Onox, reared back his head as his jaws burst open, his throat rattling as he bellowed out a horrendous, bone-rattling roar which shook the foundations of the earth itself and sent vibrations through the tense, horrifying air all around it. Nearly a quarter of the size the tower had once been before its demise, the horrific beast rose to its full height as its wings successfully carried its form off the ground, and, its neck hunching and arcing over to stare down hungrily at the children below, the dragon once more parted its jaws and roared out in pure, unbridled power and rage.

There was not a second longer to react before Onox's roar was met, and surpassed, by a blood-curdling, horrendous screech, slicing through the heavy thickness of the air and sending shivers down the heroes' spines. Nearby, a pile of rubble was instantly shattered into pieces as a heavy impact from above slammed down upon it, piercing it and cleaving it clean through its center, using the new foothold to support its weight as it crawled out of the depths of hell and walked over the rubble, standing on all of its long, hideous, eight legs and lifting its body high above the wreckage beneath.

The six pincers affixed to the monster's jowls wiggled and squirmed in twisted delight as the creature shrieked again, taking more steps forward as the massive arachnid creature, adorned with horrendous and terrifying streaks of black and grey, set its soulless, purple gaze upon the four heroes below. And when they became in its sights… screeching and screaming in delight and horror, the harrowing and nightmarish Shadow Spider, Veran, rising to nearly half the size of the dragon beside her, towered over the wreckage and slowly advanced hungrily upon the Links, each of her legs slamming viciously upon the ground, one after the other.

It took a moment for the Links to remember to breathe- and when they had found their breaths returning to them in sharp, panicked gasps, their eyes wide, each of them quickly and hurriedly struggled to get back onto their feet, quickly grabbing onto their swords and shields and backing up into a tight group once again, though unable to tear their eyes away from the two demonic, impossible sights before them.

Gritting his teeth so forcefully his jaw ached, Shadow looked up at the two demonic forms as a knot choked in his throat. "The power… of the God of Darkness…"

"That's… Veran and Onox…?" Green stuttered to find his voice, his jaw dropped down as he kept close to the others, his eyes still fixated on the horrible dual demons which were swiftly approaching them, climbing over the wreckage and the ruins to reach their targets.

"N-no time left!" Blue shouted out, his eyes wide and his jaw clenched as he stumbled backwards, holding up his sword and shield, yet unable to stop the quickly-advancing monstrosities before them. Time raced past them, and the Links found themselves frozen in their tracks, looking up in stunned, heart-stopping horror as the end drew close to the five small, battered heroes-

And in the instant before the darkness finally closed in on the children, all that could be seen was a brilliant flash of light- and, following it, a brilliant slicing sound which cut through the air between the heroes and the demons, trailed along after the form of a magnificent, swiftly-soaring great bird. Doused in the golden and holy light of his creator and master, Kaepora, the magnificent owl and Guardian of the Four Sword Heroes, dove swiftly in between the two heroes, a trail of light blazing beautifully behind his trail and leaving a massive, glowing barrier of light in between the caught children and the demonic monsters before them.

Veran and Onox, no longer the sentient beings from before but instead twisted by the dark magic which possessed them and disfigured into their horrible, bestial forms, screamed as they rammed into the wall of light, only to fall backwards in an instantaneous, explosive reaction, the wall reacting instantly to the touch of darkness and repelling it sharply backwards. The wide eyes of the heroes trailed after Kaepora as he continued his flight around the heroes, protecting them by the barrier of light which sprung from the tips of his wings.

And when the barrier finally closed around the Links, so the light faded from the bird- and, protected behind the wall of light, the Links could only watch as the magnificent owl of light faded from their view- and though they called out his name, no return came.

The roars and screams of both Veran and Onox continued to pound away at the heroes from all sides as, desperate, the monstrosities, towering over the heroes, slammed their forms over and over again upon the shield of light formed around the heroes. Wide-eyed, the Links could only watch as the beasts' efforts proved unsuccessful- yet, seeing the darkness shrouding them slowly began to eat away at the light, knew their time was limited. They had been given a few precious minutes' worth of protection- and though they knew not at what cost it came, it was certain to them that it would not last very long.

Spellbound, still horrified by the appearance and attack of the monstrosities, the Links, still slightly shaky from the close encounter, found themselves finally able to break the silence in between the roars and screams of the demons.

"It's… just like Ganon," Vio breathed incredulously, shaking his head as he stared at the demonic, feral and blackened beings which continued to thrash away at the wall of light before them, desperate to claw and tear at the heroes beneath.

"Is IS Ganon," Blue snarled, his eyes narrowing as he finally understood, clenching his teeth as he swallowed away the fear and worry from what had just occurred. "Just like last time, when he gave all his power to Ganondorf… he was just a pawn… Just like Veran and Onox are now…"

"A vessel for their power," Shadow said, his jaw still tightly clenched as he gave a grim nod. His eyes trailed outside the wall of light as he desperately searched for a friend… but in the darkness, nothing else could be seen, and, reluctantly, he bit his lip, looking back at the two monsters ahead. "Two vessels… which are now entirely filled with the power of the God of Darkness."

It all made sense to them, now. How Veran and Onox had come across the power of the God of Darkness, they may never know. For all the Links had known, they thought his powers had been sealed away in their own swords- and yet, despite this, it had found its way into two new servants- and when they failed to defeat the heroes… The God of Darkness, Ganon himself was taking over, transforming his two pawns into these monsters in order to finally bring about his horrible vengeance.

"Wh-what are we going to do now?" Red cried aloud as he, too, took steps closer to his friends, raising his shield with a shaky arm, also unable to tear his eyes away from the two terrifying sights before them.

"… We fight. Just like we've always done."

Green's answer, though his words shaky as he tried to calm his breath, were firm and quiet as he spoke to his friends, keeping his fierce and hardened eyes narrowed, his sights set not fearfully, but rather determinedly on the two enemies before them. His friends looked towards their leader, the light from the barrier around them glowing radiantly over each one of them- and, returning their gazes, Green set his jaw into a grim frown.

"We've defeated the power of a God before… We can do it again. I believe we can- no, I KNOW we can."

Shadow's eyes blinked in surprise as he looked towards Green. His words… they reminded him of something he'd been told once, by an old friend… The memory resurfaced and he frowned, looking down at the ground in thought, recent events tugging at the threads in his chest.

Slowly, their courage rebuilt, the Links returned the nod and firm gaze of their leader.

"I'll go to hell and back if I have to," Blue growled, holding up his sword as a warm wave of determination and spirit rose up in his chest, "But I will NEVER back down." His fierce gaze burned into the others, alighting the fires within their own spirits with his ever-constant and strong drive and motivation. And just as it had always been- so that ever-faithful grin spread across his face in eager anticipation of the battle ahead.

"Nor I," Vio's voice answered quickly, his voice as calm as it always was- yet with a burning, fierce spirit behind his words. He took a slow, deep breath- but, clenching his jaw and fists tight, the bravery of the hero willing him on, he narrowed his eyes, knowing and ready to dive into battle for what he believed in- for what he knew was right. "We will not fail- of this, I am certain."

"All of Hyrule's counting on us, right now." Red's words came almost as a whisper as he turned his eyes back towards the barrier of light which separated the heroes from the two raging monsters behind it- yet not for long, as already, tears and breaks were beginning to appear in the fabric of the light. The Links turned their eyes on their small friend- and, when he looked back at them, despite all the horrors and pains they had gone through… a small smile was on his face. "I… I just know we'll pull through."

A smile had been growing on Shadow's face as his friends spoke- and by the time they had all spoken, he'd hardly noticed it, but instead found himself smirking as he spoke last, and the most encouraging of them all, to his team.

"A wise friend once told me… the light always shines the brightest in the dark."

The Links were quiet as they looked at him- and, returning their looks of determination, Shadow gave a fanged, confident grin, crossing his arms smugly.

"… So, let's prove him right. Let's show these demons the true power of light!"

And as the light from the barrier, though breaking down, shone upon the five heroes in brilliant flashes and bursts, their hearts lifted from the words and encouragements of one another and their faith restored through the determination of the hero within, the five children once more looked at one another, calm and assured smiles spreading across their youthful, though battered and bruised, faces. Each of them gave a calm nod to their friends as they then turned to face towards their destiny- facing the charging, screaming, ramming beasts, they each turned their sights upwards to the monstrosities, unafraid and undaunted by the rage which was close to all but obliterating what little protection they had left.

Green spoke- taking a deep breath, narrowing his eyes and lifting his sword, he clenched his jaw tight as he looked in fierce, relentless determination at their enemies.

"For Hyrule…"

His bright, energetic eyes also narrowed in drive, Red took a step next to his leader, confident and assured, as he lifted his blade, joining it beside its brother.

"For Zelda…"

Vio grit his teeth, his grip tightening around his sword as he, too, joined his friends, taking a step forward, through the roars and bellows of the beast, lifting his weapon high.

"For the Light…"

A deep breath passed through his chest as his chin tilted upwards, his wild, defiant eyes piercing through their falling shield to the enemies behind it. Gnashing his teeth together in unbridled drive, Blue stepped forward, thrusting his sword high in the air alongside his friends.

"For the Kingdom…"

Lastly, setting his grim smirk into a tightened, gnarled sneer, Shadow stepped forward beside the others- though he held no blade of his own, the dark magic he wielded began to grow around his clenched fists as he stood next to the others, looking upon the disintegrating shield, the furious monsters behind it, and his decision before him.

"…And for each other."

Finally, the light shining upon the faces of the heroes began to break down, darkness seeping in and the roars of the triumphant beasts blasting through the wall and past the heroes. And yet, despite the loss of their shield, the heroes remained standing firm against the threat- ready to face the darkness head-on and end it, as friends and as a team, as messengers of light and defenders of good… once and for all.


The final battle has arrived. I hope you guys expected no less from me- we've finally learned everything we need to know about our two villains, and now, in their final forms, it's time for the darkness to finally face off against the light, in the epic boss battle to end all epic boss battles!

Will good prevail over evil?

Find out... er... soon. ^^ As soon as I possibly can, promise. Hopefully no longer than a week! Keep your eyes peeled for it! We're THIS close to the end!

P.S. Heh... didn't think I'd let you all go without a surprise, now, did you? ;3

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As I've always said... enjoy! :D