Ganon snorts amusedly as he looks away from Link and Zelda. "So, you're both going to be the quiet types today, huh?" He steps down to level ground with the pair, plants his Trident of Power in the ground, then sits on the rubble. Sighing, he places his hand in his lap and faces the heroes. "Usually you have lots to say, princess."

Zelda narrows her eyes. "I have nothing to say to you, Ganon."

"Hmmph. Your mother was quite the talker when I imprisoned her 30 years ago. The most talkative twelve-year-old I've ever met. Only the Princess of Destiny was more annoying." He looks to Link, shaking his head. "You, you don't have enough hate on your face. The Hero of Time, I destroyed almost everything he cherished, and he hated me. The Hero of Legend, his uncle died one fateful night, and he hated me. The Hero fo Hyrule, my monsters were the reason he was separated from his family, so he had a hatred for me. Both of you, you don't have a reason to hate me, that is apparent. Everything that has happened to you is because of Vaati."

Link scoffs. "Because of you, Impa, Spryte, and others died a week ago!"

"No," Ganon says firmly. "That was you. It's easy to blame me for everything, right? I, the Demon King, responsible for every bad thing Hyrule goes through? Link, Zelda, you are just as responsible as I am. Do you not realize how pivotal we are all to this accursed cycle. Whenever you two are born, I am to return. I've seen it, across multiple timelines. There's a history in which the Hero of Time succeeds, but the Princess of Destiny sends him back in time, leaving Hyrule heroless for my return. There's the era in which I never took over Hyrule because of those kids stopping me. No matter the path in history, we are slated to return and renew this battle, but you two, no matter the history, never do anything to prevent it. You could have done away with this curse multiple times. You could have prevented me many times...but alas, you allowed Hyrule to suffer age after age. You could have prevented Vaati, but your ignorance allowed him to take Hyrule right up your grasp. You could have prevented the failure of Rauru, but you three were united in circumstance only. You could have finished this in Darunia, but your weaknesses, both of you, allowed Vaati to kill your loved ones and allies. But the paragons of Courage and Wisdom cannot be blamed for failure, no, the legends cannot be told in any other way. You are incapable of accepting that your failure is not because of Vaati, but yourself, so who do you blame? Me, who has done nothing."

Link steps away from Zelda, pacing around Ganon's left side. "Why return, Ganon?"

"To end this. I thought that taking Hyrule for myself would be enough of vengeance against King Daphnes and his damned unification war, but it seems that isn't enough. My hate for you two has grown far beyond that of petty differences between kings. Ruling Hyrule, as time proved, wouldn't give me victory, just a permanent reprieve from fate. Our souls, interconnected as they are, will continuously fight to the end of time. You will persist to annoy."

"Yeah," Zelda says, "we seem to be quite stubborn against the likes of you."

Ganon smiles as he rises up. "To that end, I must thank you. You have given me a purpose. I've had long surrendered the idea of ruling the world. I will blot out the sun from the sky. Raise hell from the cracks of the earth. And then, with the goddesses' own gift to humanity, I will vanquish all they've created. Land, order, life...I will finish what Demise started." Reaching out, he grabs the trident and twirls it as he steps between Link and Zelda, his power goring exponentially with each step he takes. "Then I shall finally rest, victorious."

"Not gonna create a new one?" Zelda says as she raises her bow.

"No. Why do that and risk repeating this cycle again?"

"So I can kick your ass some more!" Link steps forward and launches a jumping strike. Ganon parries it and flies up. Once he's out of reach, he raises an arm up and charges a magical ball. He throws it down in the space between Link and Zelda and it resonates with a powerful impact. As the screen of smoke clears, Ganon sees that Link stands at the point of impact, his shield taken the attack head-on. As the shield lowers, a golden streak flies up towards Ganon, then disappears. Immediately as it vanishes, Ganon is struck from behind. The holy power of light against his body causes him to wince and turn to see the hovering Zelda, her bow still held up from shooting.

"How the…" Confusion sets on his face for a moment before he lets it go and attacks her. Zelda keeps herself unguarded as Ganondorf thrusts forward with his trident, only for the princess to slip away again. Out the corner of his eye appears Link, and with a mighty scream, Link makes a physical attack on Ganon. As both hero and demon fall to the ground, the sky above begins to shine brightly as arrows of light hail down from the heavens and assail Ganon's prone form.

As Zelda sets down beside Link, they hear a burst of deep laughter as the light attack is reflected towards them. Surprised, Zelda casts Nayru's Love hurriedly, creating a weak barrier that breaks in a few hits and batters the hero and princess. Link manages to bring his shield up and get to Zelda, protecting most of their already hurting bodies from further damage. As the light vanishes, Link lowers the Hylian Shield, raising himself and help Zelda to proper footing. In front of them, Ganon stands mostly unharmed beside the single cut to his left obliques. Despite the wound from the holy blade, his resilence seems to overpower it. Ganon takes notice of the wound and the trickles of blood seeping from it. "Hmm. Barely a drop of blood on my end, but look at the two of you, barely able to stand on your feet. Maybe I am wrong about this incarnation, maybe you two are pathetic."

Link touches Zelda's shoulder and calls forth the healing power Queen Mipha gave him, ridding them of their injuries. Back to full vitality, the Hero shrugs smugly. "Try us."

Midna

"How is everyone doing?"

"Ruta is secured, beginning repairing now."

"We're still making way to Rudania. Going down the anus of this mountain is dangerous, even for the Sage of Water."

Midna sighs in relief. Everything is going well with the other. "I'm at the control center of Medoh. Ravio?"

"Riju finally came to. Once she's ready, we'll head to Naboris."

"Great. Let's keep this up, everyone." She looks in the direction of Saria, far out of sight from the mountains at King's Tomb, but she can feel the powers fighting there. Ganon and Zelda are in combat, which means Link is there too...no sign of Ganondorf. Dropping her head, she places her hand on the terminal, initiating the control transfer from Vaati or whoever had control over to her.

Link, Zelda, hold on a moment longer.

Link rolls under the swing of Ganon's trident to his back, leaping up for a back slice. Ganon manages to get his trident between the Master Sword and his caped back. With his free hand, Ganon blocks a barrage of fire, ice, and light arrows with a barrier. However, his attention divided between the two proving to be too costly, Ganon roars and emits a pulse from his body, pushing Link away and eradicates the arrows homing in on him. Undistracted, he raises the Trident of Power towards the heavens, catching a bolt of lightning on the weapon and directing it at Zelda. She cries out as the bolt ransacks her body and paralyzes her, rendering her helpless.

As Ganon prepares to throw his trident at the downed princess, a chain wraps around Ganon's arm and pulls it back, forcing him to drop his weapon. At the other end of the chain is Link, who twists the handle of the hookshot to reel himself towards Ganon. As he comes close, he clicks his heels, switching his leather boots for the iron variety, and plants them both in Ganon's face. Ganon stumbles after the impact while Link lands on his feet and bangs his wrists together, equipping a pair of golden gauntlets. Firing the hookshot again, it wraps around Ganon's neck and the Hero pulls harshly, choking the Demon King as he's forced into the air and lands on the ground face first. Another pull by Link launches Ganon straight into the air.

He's really gonna have to thank Ravio for these items.

Clicking his iron boots again, they switch out for the Pegasus Boots, a pair of leather boots with wings. Link leaps up and chases after the flying demon. "Fi!"

"Okay, Master!" Fi appears by Link's side and they zip past Ganon. Once they're high enough, Link raises the Master Sword skyward, imbuing it with a faint white light. Fi orbits the weapon, granting it even further power as the white light turns yellow. It is a move Link originally created using Spryte's magic for Vaati, but they never got the chance.

As Ganon comes close, the boar makes his own counterattack by charging his power in his palms. He'll never get the chance. "Now!" Fi leaps from the tip of the Master Sword, zipping towards and straight through Ganon. While she didn't physically hurt him, she manages to lock him in place within a Triforce-shaped cage. Right behind her falls Link, swinging his blade in a ferocious flurry of strikes. "Your end is nigh, Ganon! I'll send you back to hell!" After the flurry, Link holds his sword up vertically and slashes down, emitting a giant sword beam upon Ganon.

The resulting impact is beyond Link's wildest dreams.

As he and Fi return to the ground, Link rushes over to the rising Zelda. She looks at her hero with wide eyes. "Link, where the hell did you learn to do that?"

"It combines your father's special move with a little more power. Spryte and I never perfected it or got a chance to use it, but I practiced it with Fi. It seems to work well enough, especially with the added strength of these gauntlets." Link calls away both the Pegasus Boots and the Golden gauntlets for his normal wear, then looks to his sword spirit, who stares distantly to the area Ganon landed. Despite her face is devoid of expression, Link and Zelda can sense she might be frustrated. "Fi?"

"Master, Your Grace, he's coming back. I do not believe we hurt him much at all."

Zelda sighs. "Status of the Divine Beasts?"

"Ruta is in repair mode, so King Ralph must've succeeded. Rudania is still unaccounted for, and it seems Queen Midna is in control of Medoh. Naboris is-" Fi is suddenly flung away from between Link and Zelda, held up a few feet away on a ruined wall. The object holding her there is the Trident of Power. Fading, the sword spirit retreats back into the Master Sword, but as Link tries to call her, he finds her unresponsive. As the trident removes itself from the wall, it flies past them into the hands of the incoming Ganon. He blinks behind Zelda and backhands her out the way. Link, angry, thrusts the Master Sword forward but Ganon nimbly dodges and grabs Link's left arm and twists. Link cries out as a painful crunch brings immense satisfaction to Ganon's ears. Remembering that the Hero can revitalize himself, Ganon places a spell on Link then he discards the Hero with a strong throw. How far the poor boy went, Ganon decides not to care.

At his feet lies the Master Sword, the weapon the Hero has used against him generation after generation. The blade of evil's bane, it has been called. Gritting his teeth, Ganon points the trident down and repeatedly prods the holy blade until it does the impossible. With a final strong attack, the blade cracks in two, releasing a great amount of power into the air. Ganon laughs as the power of the Master Sword vanishes, and the blade that was the symbol of Hyrule's great legend becomes nothing more than a broken, powerless tool.

"You… You bastard."

Kicking the two halves away, Ganon slowly turns to the kneeling Princess of Hyrule. He laughs as she rises up. "You still resist me. I've physically broken your hero, made him unable to heal himself or anyone. I've broken his blade, the source of his power. His spirit shall soon shatter as well. You would do well to stay down, go to him, and spend the rest of this world's time together."

Zelda shakes her head. "No. I will never surrender to you, to Vaati, to anyone! As long my blood, no, the blood of the Royal Family of Hyrule and of Hylia pumps through my heart, I will never kneel to evil!"
Ganon shakes his head. "You are just like her. A pathetic child looking through a window in a hidden garden planning and praying. A pitiful teenager who refuses to bend her will as she is held within the castle dungeon and a sacrificial table. Another wretched child, despite being transfixed into artwork, holds her resolve. A young girl, trapped in the innards of a mountain, tortured and broken, manages to maintain her hope. In this timeline, across others, I've seen this one commonality of you damned maidens. When the world is broken, you hold on. You do so now. Why, when this battle is lost? I have beaten your hero once again! I have beaten the Wind Mage! I am Ganon, your inevitable doom!" Ganon points the trident at Zelda, blasting her with more lightning.

This time, Zelda catches it. The strength of the attack against her palms caused her to kneel, but her determination raises her back up. She slowly stretches out her arms and takes a single step forward. Zelda looks to Ganon as his attack tries to repel her back. "I hold on because for as long as I am able to breathe, there's still hope. For as long as I am able to stand, there's still light in this world." As Zelda continues to close the gap between her and Ganon, the later charges his attack more. Zelda falls back and loses her footing, but she doesn't drop her arms or her sight of Ganon.

"Stay down and die!"

"Never!" Her body begins to glow more radiant than ever before. She doesn't know if this is what her true power, the full power of the Light Force, is, but if so, it is incredible. Nowhere close to when she had the Triforce of Wisdom, but in its own right, she feels godlike. She tries again to step up to Ganon. "We have never stood down against you. Yes, you may have beaten us, captured us, tortured us, and used us, but no matter the age, no matter the timeline, no matter if Link is dead or not, I will be there to fight you because..." Halfway to Ganon, Zelda directs the bolt to the side, throwing Ganon off guard. Next thing he realizes is that Zelda has vanished from sight, yet blood spills from his belly as the fragments of the Master Sword reside there mysteriously. A moment later, his back is repeatedly pricked by light magic, causing him to kneel on the ground. That ground underneath him suddenly glows in the shape of the Triforce before it erupts in a powerful shower of light magic.

Ganon collapses, dropping flat on the ground. Zelda steps up to him, holding a bow with a silver-tipped arrow at Ganon's head. "...I am Zelda."

Ganon looks up, seeing the Silver Arrow lined up between his eyes. "You think that will defeat me? How absurd."

"It has done so before.."

"And while you're here, your Link suffers, possibly dying if not dead. Why not go save him?"

Zelda shakes her head. "No. I will not falter again. If Link dies...then so be it, but I am willing to sacrifice my world for the betterment of the greater one."

"Heh heh. This world...why keep something so flawed, why protect something so destructive? History dictates this will happen again."

"Call it a balance, then. Good and evil, light and dark, they are two sides of the same coin. You cannot have one without the other. We both know this. But I learned one thing growing up, that unlike good and evil, light and dark can coexist. Dark isn't necessarily bad, light isn't always a force of good. Our world is ruled by both-a true shadow if one can call it that. That shadow comes with the destructive cycle in which we partake, but it also comes with doses of peace, happiness, and prosperity. I do not truly know if the destruction can ever cease, so like my ancestors, I look forward to the relative peace. I fight for it, Link fights for it...we all do against you."

Ganon chuckles. "Then if he's alive, I hope he is the same!" Before Zelda can respond, pain shoots up from her back. The Silver Arrow misses Ganon's head by a hair as the bow falls out of Zelda's hand. She collapses straight into Ganon's arms as the Prince of Darkness rises to catch her and pull out his trident from her back. Leaning into her ear, he whispers, "Spirit's broken, blood spilled. Courage forgotten, wisdom forsaken." Ganon released her, letting the blood of Zelda spill on the ground free. Gazing up to heaven, he laughs mockingly at the goddesses.

As Ganon continues to laugh, Zelda struggles to breathe. Extending her arm reaches out towards nowhere, but to her and to her only, she reaches out to her last hope. "Link…"

"Link…"

Link slowly opens his eyes as he feels a hand caressing his face. No one is around him in the ruined structure, but somehow he can hear and feel Zelda's hand. It feels...cold. "Zelda."

"Link… I removed the curse Ganon placed on you. Heal yourself."

Link suddenly remembers the last thing Ganon did to him, and so does his body. His left arm begins to flare up, making Link quickly call forth Mipha's spell. Blue warmth surrounds him, and within seconds, the pain across his body is reduced to a mild soreness. Raising the left arm reveals that even the broken bones were fixed. Looking over himself, he sees blood in places across his torso and legs. He must've been bleeding out for his tunic is...stained red like a rose. He sighs as the damn song plays in his head, then turns his attention back to Zelda. "Are you okay?"

"...I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Link turns his head to the left, somehow seeing Zelda in her surroundings. She lies on the ground, bleeding out of her chest and abdomen. Above her is the Master Sword, snapped in half. Behind her, Ganon laughs in his triumph, but Link ignores that as he begins to worry. "Zelda? What… Heal yourself!"

"I dedicated all the power I could muster into weakening Ganon. Still...wasn't enough. Link, I'm so sorry...for everything. This is all my fault, if only I hadn't hesitated back then, you wouldn't-"

"No, this is my fault. If I hadn't been so reluctant to accept my destiny… Forgive me, Zelda."

Zelda smiles weakly as she wipes the stream of tears off Link's face. "We're both...pathetic. He might be right on that. But Link...I've watched over you all this time. Witnessed your every struggle since we were kids. Even before all this, I always thought-no, I always knew who you were. No matter the circumstance, whether it was just us playing or whenever you felt the need, you are my hero. You are...my best friend for as long as I live. You are...my Link. And you have given me...a greater life than I could have ever hoped."

Zelda's eyes close, which makes Link panic. "Zelda? Zelda!"

"Thank you, Link...the hero of Hyrule…my love." Zelda's hand recedes from Link's face and the scenery changes back to the ruin building Link lie in. He lies in place, unable to form any action except breathing. His face, blank.

He's lost them all. Everyone he held dear, they're all gone. Every connection he had to this world, dead. Nothing...adhering him to his life. Nothing to keep his sanity. Nothing to fight for. Nothing to keep his spirit, to hold on to his courage. Ganon did it, he finally did it. He finally spilled Zelda's blood and broke Link's spirit. Why get up and fight now? Ganon is unbeatable, and soon, will have the Triforce. Ganon will defeat Vaati and be granted his wish. The world will cease to exist. Why wait for death...when Link can end it now? All he needs is an arrow, or maybe even a bomb, and…

His finger scratches across a haunting surface within his pouch, jolting Link. Slowly he retrieves the item and holds it above him. Suddenly a single emotion bleeds through his body, driven by the losses he's accumulated. His father, Impa, the citizens of Ordon, the Resistance, Spryte, Fi, and Zelda. Those lives lost that aren't personal to him-the citizens of Rauru, the Zoras, the Gerudo, the Lorulians, the Labrynnians, Calatians, across this world and others...and even before. The various cataclysms in Hyrule's history...it all builds a rage not just from Link's mind but from the soul that makes up the Hero. It all comes to the surface, it wants to be released, it wants to hurt Ganon and make him pay. It doesn't care for the world, it doesn't care for heroics, it doesn't care for wishes.

"I want the power for myself, to make no one but me happy. If it makes me like them, so be it. If I am not a hero, in the end, I do not care. Her wish, my wish, those are irrelevant now. What I wish is for Ganon to know the pain within my soul!"

Ganon stares down at the sizzling ash where Zelda's body used to lie. He didn't see her disappear, but the voice that spoke to him...that wench. If he thought it impossible to hate another like he did Link and Zelda, that one made it possible. He heard Zelda speaking about Link beforehand, maybe even directly to him. Good...maybe the hero will come to meet his end. That makes Ganon smile. "Oh, Hero of Hyrule, where are you?"

Suddenly a massive pillar of dark magic shoots up in the sky from the city. Ganon stares up at it in confusion, wondering what the mysterious source of the power is. He isn't the only one.

Upon Vah Medoh, Midna sees the pillars from her position, sensing not just the power but the emotions behind it. Looking down, she lifts the bottle of blue potion from Zelda's lips as the princess watches weakly while her body and mana heal. "Link…"

"Midna, what the hell is going on? What is happening in Hyrule?"

"I think...Link put the mask on."

"...Oh shit."

Vaati opens his eyes and stands up from his throne as the surge of dark power disturbs him many miles away from Saria. That power...it is not from Ganon's hatred. It is rage, but the source is not of Ganondorf. No, this rage is a totally different taste. Ancient, historic...and unlike Ganondorf's, it has slept for eons. There's no devil behind this one, but a sleeping, caged god.

If it isn't Zelda, Ganon, Ganondorf, Midna or any of those other magic children, then it must belong to one person...to a soul that has finally shattered.

And from that shattered soul, a fierce deity is born.

"Din!"

Din holds her hand up as Nayru hurriedly approaches her and Ganondorf. "Sister, we are both aware of what just happened."

Nayru sighs and looks to Ganondorf. The young man, meditating and sitting on his knees, has the symbol of Din burning on his hand, but he looks to be troubled. "Is he not ready?"

"No. No, not yet. To receive my power, I told him long ago that he'll have to face his past. He is doing that now by reliving that day."

Nayru looks at her sister like she's insane. "Din, you're torturing him."
"Yes, I am. He needs to face his past and let it go. What happened, happened. Vengeance, his true drive, only leads to more death. If he is to be my champion, he needs to let the past go and strive for a future worth living or dying for. Once he can do that...Ganon will fear his true name."

Ganon sees a figure approach him from the direction the pillar once shot up. It is Link, he can tell from the obvious physical features, but everything else is different. His tunic changed from green to pale blue with an armored gold vest, his pants are now black, his hair is white well beyond its time, and his face, bare of all except one familiar emotion, is covered in red and blue markings. His irises and pupils are gone.

Whatever transformation he went through, it pleases Ganon to know that it took Link to be broken to unleash it. The power behind it, raw rage, it smells wonderful to the Prince of Darkness.

As Link steps forward, every loss he had replays over and over in his head. His father's death in the invasion of Ordon. Impa and Spryte's death in the Battle of Darunia. Shade's death in the Battle of Darunia, and Zelda's fall here. They constantly replay every step he takes, every breathe he makes. It boils his boil, tightens his muscles, and raises his rage. Now that he sees Ganon, the source of it all, Link pauses many feet away and reaches for the large, helix-shaped sword on his back.

"I...am...going...to kill you...Ganon!"