Agahnim
The battle of Saria is progressing well, just as the Dark Wizard expected it to. The Imperial forces and Ganon's fight without mercy, an ideal they're incapable of since they're monsters, but for the more intelligent fighters, they risk themselves for their land. Across the city, he can see the powerful arts of the kings, queens, and princesses that fight against his master. A foolish thing to fight for, but if it drives them, who is Agahnim to condone them?
His instructions are clear, to bring the Triforce, Link, and Zelda to his master. As sure as he is that the four will confront each other without intervention, Agahnim believes that the Triforce and Vaati should be separated. As strong as Ganon is, no one is a match for the sole possessor of the Triforce, no matter who that is. Or so it was said until the Hero and Princess of Legend proved the world otherwise. Vaati can be beaten, but the Wind Mage might win a direct fight.
Exploiting a weakness, however… Vaati is fighting two battles, one against Ganon, another against Link and Zelda. While the second one hasn't started, Vaati must be expecting it at any moment. Despite that, he is so sure he'll win the day. That arrogance and pride are his mental weaknesses.
Agahnim chuckles to himself. If he can exploit the mental weakness of Vaati, the physical one will reveal itself. "Dark, where are you now?"
"Heading for the Hero and Princess."
"Good. He should be with the king and the princess. Keep them entertained."
Link
Link zips up in the air as the Hinox's club cracks the ground where he once stood. Hanging off a building's side, Link ignites a bomb and throws it high. Near the cyclop's eye, it explodes, causing it to groan and stumble back before tripping and crashing on some property. Back on the ground, Zelda showers the monster with arrows of light, instantly withering away the beast as it bursts into a cloud of malice.
Landing back on the ground, Link runs through the fighting monsters to his exhausted princess. With the two of them being separated from their friends and the Imperial humans, they have fought much harder than they're used to, almost harder than in the Twilight Realm. Ganon's Moblin army is endless, Vaati's might be, but their ability to fight is not.
Zelda quickly downs a magic potion, refueling her mana. Link looks at her with concern. "Zelda, if you need to rest, we'll-"
"Where can I rest, Link? Ganon's monsters are everywhere, and at any moment, Vaati's will turn against us. The best we can do is take these potions when we can. Malon gave us her entire stock, which is more than enough for the nine of us." She points to the mountain, glaring at it determinedly. "The only thing that matters is up there. I'm not quitting until we get up there and beat him."
Link nods. "Okay then, but do not overdo it. We'll need you for that fight." Zelda snorts and draws her sword. Smirking, Link takes a step forward, only for a shiver to chill his back. Instinctively, he throws his arm out in front of Zelda, searching around for the cause of the trouble. She says nothing, so either she felt something too or knows Link well enough to know he is warning her. Vaati's skeletal and lizard army continues their fight with the pigs, not noticing the stuffy darkness filling the area. "Zelda, what is this?"
"I don't know, but it feels oddly famil-"
"Shield up, Master!" Fi's warning is not ignored as Link raises his right arm up, his body mostly covered by the Hylian Shield. Seconds later, a form of energy sweeps the area, with wave after wave cleaning the area of monsters on both sides. Link himself is forced to slide back and kneel on the ground but doesn't let his guard down. Nearby, Zelda's defense spell, Nayru's Love, remains fortified and keeps her still.
As the waves die out, Link lowers his shield from his face but rises to a battle stance. Fi pops out from the Master Sword, hovering to his left side. The crystal around Zelda breaks apart and is replaced by her golden aura while a much darker one comes closer yet is unseen. The circular intersection has the three exits blocked by walls of dark magic. So it is a fight that's coming. "Zelda, who is it?"
It comes out quieter than Link expected, but his sensitive hearing catches Zelda's answer. "Father." Right on cue, the dark abomination that was once the Hero of Hyrule appears above them on a building, glaring down on them with red hatred and bloodlust. It is enough to make Link choke on the stench of malice emitting from the warrior, but he pushes that thought aside. His concern is Zelda's wellbeing, now that the body of her father presents himself again.
"You know he isn't your father."
Zelda slowly nods. "I know. Still...hard to see. But makes it easier to fight!" Zelda throws a blast of light at the shadow warrior, but he deflects it with the swing of his sword. And not just any sword, but a dark copy of the Master Sword.
Link feels something odd coming from Fi as she looks at the sword Dark carries. While the spirit lacks expression, something tells Link she is quite unhappy to see the sword bastardized in such a way. He quietly signals her to reenter the blade and steps up to Zelda as their adversary leaps down. Zelda might be troubled, but Link is not. He fought a literal clone of himself once before, what is before them is a clone of his destiny. "Dark, whoever you are now, we do not fear you."
Dark's eyes narrow simultaneously with the rise of his smile. "Good. This would be a waste if you were." Looking at the princess in her warrior's shadow, he clicks his tongue distastefully. "Though it is unfair if the odds are against me." Throwing his hand out in the direction of Zelda, a cage of magic forms around her and launches her in the air. Link screams her name but is too late to grab her. As she hovers over the two men, far from their grasps, Dark steps into his battle stance, a clone of both Links'. "You want her, you must kill me first."
Link looks up to Zelda, in case there is another way. "Fi?"
"He is not lying. The cage is tied to his life, Master. Her Grace's powers are inaccessible to her as well, so she cannot break out herself. Unless you defeat him or he undoes the spell, Zelda is trapped indefinitely. And Master...there's no data available on how to defeat him. No weaknesses to expose. You must strike him down with the Master Sword."
His companion has spoken. Sighing, Link cuts his eyes to Dark as he pops the corks of a health and stamina potion. "I never got to truly test myself against the Hero of Hyrule. The spars we did were never too serious. Here you are, wearing his face, possessing his abilities...but you are just a ghost of who he was. If you think I'm going to be distracted by such tricks, your master doesn't know who he's up against." Pocketing the bottles, Link readies himself. "My name is Link Koroks, and I'm going to beat your ass."
Ganondorf
Seeing the columns of fire, ice, lightning, and dark power rip through the Demon King's forces with ease almost upsets Ganondorf. He expected half a challenge from their ancestor, yet the three Gerudo royals fight without much hassle. It doesn't help Ganondorf and Riju have tried to be selective against the monsters, but Koume doesn't seem to care who she chars to ash or chills. The monsters are all the same to her.
Gazing up at the goal on the mountain keeps Ganondorf from thinking too much about the secondary objective beside him. He's not sure how Riju is taking it that Koume joined them after everyone separated, but it bothers him. Midna went with the Loruleans, Ralph and Oren are together, so are Link and Zelda. As far as he's concerned, Koume could have joined her king and queen, but for only one sole reason he can think of is the reason she joined her family.
He bets Riju is just as prepared for the betrayal as he is. Well, can it be called a betrayal if they're not really on the same side? Backstabbing is the more appropriate term, but Koume skips happily in front of them. Sighing, Ganondorf drops the idea that Koume will make the first move. If she wanted to, she could have done so. She's strong enough to take them both on, being two people in one.
"You two are so slow," Koume says as she stops her prancing and turns to her brother and cousin. "Aren't you enjoying this, the three of us, a family?"
Riju almost loses her soul after hearing Koume's words. "Family? You say that word so lightly for being the traitor in our group."
"Oh, shut it, Mareeha. I'm sure we've all done dirty things in our lives, haven't we? I joined the Imperials, Brother joined up with Ganon at one point, and you nearly ripped our family apart. Who is not a traitor in the royal family of thieves?"
Riju says nothing back. Koume, as much as Ganondorf hates to credit her, has a point, even if the last is not truly Riju's fault. Wanting to get closer to the Demon King before more of his monsters appear, Ganondorf steps forward, ignoring his sister's attempt to get in front of him. She manages to grab the back of his cape, almost making him stumble. "Hey, are you going to say nothing to me?"
"I have nothing to say to you unless you are ready to die."
"Oh, so the big, bad Ganondorf is going to kill his only sister left? Not even try to redeem me?"
"No more." Ganondorf removes himself from Koume's grip, continuing to walk away. This seems to anger his sister even more, for the next thing he knows his right shoulder stings with heat. It doesn't burn him, but it gains his attention and irritation. He turns to Koume, his hand on his sheathed blade. "You want to do this now?"
Koume has her twin scimitars in her hands, glaring intensely at her brother. "You have always thought of yourself better than me. No, better than anyone. Your name is Ganondorf for a reason, you are just like him. A selfish king who cares only for his goals."
"You don't know anything, Koume."
"Don't you dare call me that! She died five years ago, a ten-year-old kid who died wanting the same recognition from her parents that her brother got. She died wanting her brother's protection from the bad guys. She died with her people, with her mother and father, with her twin sister. My name, to you, is Twinro-"
"Koume," Riju says darkly as she draws her sword. Koume turns to her cousin, growling in annoyance.
"You too! If it wasn't for you-"
"That was your father's and my mother's fault that Ganondorf and I were to be united if they had their way. It might be my fault that Ganondorf would have chosen me over the more favored Aveil, but it is not my fault, nor his fault, that she suffered the fate she did. That is Zant's. But you need to let go of the past, we have done so. What happened long ago doesn't matter anymore. The three of us are the last of the Gerudo, the last of the royal family, the last of a promise. Look at the present, Koume! Our ancestor, the great stain on our history, in our blood, is here, and we have a chance to take him on together!" Placing her sword back on her hip, Riju walks up to Koume, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And only together can we correct the past."
Ganondorf, who watches the girls from afar, feels his ears twitch at the shrieks of Bokoblins. He sees them, along with three Moblins and a few Miniblins. Drawing the Sword of Sages, he prepares for combat. "Girls."
"Koume, if it is family you want, we're it. Not Vaati and Veran, but Ganondorf and me." Ganondorf hears footsteps come behind, then a sharp pause...and a sharp gasp of surprise that sounds like Riju. Turning around quickly, Ganondorf's eyes widen as one of Koume's blades sticks out of Riju's abdomen. "Riju!" Angry, Ganondorf swings for Koume, but his sister puts up a defensive blast of fire to prevent his attack. As it disappears, Ganondorf swipes away the smoke to regain his vision.
Koume is gone, Riju lies on the ground wounded and bleeding, and Ganondorf is left as the only one capable to fight off the incoming monsters. Another set of shrieks from behind alarm him. From the north, a group of Lizalfos heads his way, but something tells Ganondorf that they're here for more than the pigs coming from the south. The backstabbing has begun, and against Ganondorf's better sense, Koume did it first. "Shit." Not wanting to put Riju in any potential danger if he fights, he picks her up and leaps up to a nearby building. Setting Riju down, Ganondorf hears the...speech of the monsters, if he can call it that. "Riju." She says nothing as she begins to lose consciousness, but she is breathing for the moment. Not well-versed in the application of healing magic or medical attention (hence he is unsure how to properly give her a potion without her choking in her lack of awareness), he removes his cape and wraps it around her waist. For now, he'll do his best defend them, then get to Oren, Zelda, or….well anyone.
If he could translate, the monsters have chosen to eliminate him first. Ignoring his better sense to get Riju out of there, Ganondorf draws his sword once again and leaps down, landing in the center of the two groups of monsters. His yellow eyes blaze with anger as his power flows. He'll show these fools who he is...then he'll find his sister.
Vaati
"Well done, Twinrova." Vaati smiles as he senses the flickering life of the Sage of Spirit and the rage of the King of Thieves to the far west of the city. Somewhere farther south, he can see the Princess of Hyrule hovering in a cage. To the east, the remaining five sages fight hard for their own lives, while Veran tails them close by. Meanwhile, Vaati stays close to the northern edge, but to make their "allies" believe they're helping, he sends a blast every so often into the city.
In five more minutes, Vah Medoh will be fully charged and ready to fire another blast, This time, Vaati will direct it towards the city, eradicating Ganon's forces, his own, and the nine. If anything, that'll force Ganon to show his face. Zelda and her friends will finally be out of the equation and Ganon will bow to the might of the Golden Power.
The wind blows, fluttering the backside of the purple robes Vaati wears, It brings a breeze of victory for the Imperials, it sings the death of the old Hyrule, and carries the dust that will become the world Vaati envisions.
Frowning at the new presence behind him, Vaati throws his hand out, ready to attack. There stands Agahnim, but the wizard shows no visible attempt to harm Vaati. He merely stands in place, his covered face laughing as his eyes stare at the other hand of Vaati, the one that glows. "I must say, I find it impressive you have come so far, Wind Mage. In my time, you were unheard of. Yet here you stand, ready to make the world yours. I know why."
"Why?"
"Fate. Fate reincarnated you for a reason to live life as a Hylian, fate made you remember who you truly are, fate made you the Imperial king. Fate...it sided with you. Never had it sided with my master, or with me, or with the other evils of Hyrule. We thought it did, but in the end, those kids bested us. Yet, at the times you should have lost, fate sided with you. The Temple of Time, Darunia, even the Golden Goddesses, you were as good as dead, but fate chose you. It brings us to this moment. But now, I believe fate has left you."
Vaati's eyes narrow. "What makes you think that?"
"Because now you're at the moment of victory. Fate is a cruel mistress. In the end, it has only chosen one victor. That has been Link and Zelda since the dawn of our history. Who knows, it might-"
"No one can escape the fate that was chosen for them." Vaati steps up to Agahnim, his robes fluttering back now that he walks against the wind. "Fate chooses me to win. All that remains is the end where you will all perish. And once I make my wish, once I make Din, Nayru, and Farore down to my demands, eternal greatness will exist only within myself-" Vaati feels a stinging shock originate from his torso. As it spreads from the eye-shaped spot to the rest of his body, Vaati howls as Agahnim's other hand grips his right one.
"Fate shall no longer choose you, Wind Mage. It no longer sides with you, but with my master, once I present the Triforce to him!" The Triforce slowly draws itself out of Agahnim as Vaati fights against his own pain to maintain the relic. Noticing this, Agahnim intensifies his lightning, causing Vaati to lose focus. However, it does not shake his will. He swears to never let Ganon have it...even if it means giving it up to them.
"You...want the Triforce?... Go...fetch it!" The relic is released from Vaati, but it doesn't join with Agahnim. Instead, it floats in the air and breaks into three, with one piece heading to the west, two to the south.
"No!" Agahnim drops Vaati, watching the Triforce pieces scatter across the city. Choosing the wiser battle, Agahnim flees for the Triforce of Power first. As his body recovers from the shock of Agahnim's attack and the ejection of the Triforce, Vaati rises to his knees. The fight is not over, but the Resistance now has an upper hand. He must recover his strength. He must...bide his time. An opportunity to steal the Triforce will come.
"Twinrova, Veran, all forces...along with Ganon's forces, kill the Princess and her allies."