"The Triforce," Link murmurs, before he turns and looks to Zelda, still standing awestruck beside him.
Zelda's gaze hardens, and Link thinks of just how much she's changed in the months they've been away, how much they've both changed.
For Zelda, who had never seen battle before, the change sudden, a shifting of her world in a way that could never be undone. She'd grown from a child into a woman who carried the aspect of a Goddess.
Such a weight would always be upon her shoulders, just as the mantle of Champion would always be on Link's.
"How do we finish it?" Link asks, "How do we seal the Demon King?"
"We must take the Triforce to the where Her Statue stands, and atop Her hands, wish for Demise's sealing," Zelda says, and her gaze is cold sapphire when she looks at him. "And we must wish for it with all our hearts."
Link nods. "How do we get there from here though?"
Zelda smiles, "Take my hand, Link."
Link grasps her hand, and waits.
"Reach out to the Triforce," Zelda says, turning her gaze to the Triforce, gleaming and golden. "And think of Her Statute, where we stood on the day of the Wing Ceremony."
Link complies and reaches out with his free hand, Zelda moving with him.
The Triforce glows radiant white, blinding them for a moment, a roar like thunder resounding in their ears.
When they can see again, blinking spots away from their vision, they stand atop Her stone Hands, overlooking all of Skyloft.
"Home," Zelda breathes, and there is bright joy in her eyes.
"Home," Link agrees. "Almost there, Zel."
"Yes," Zelda says, "One more thing left to do."
Link's breath suddenly catches in his throat. It's almost done. The idea of it, that all the pain and hardship that both he and Zelda had undergone in their Quest, the work of two lifetimes, was almost over- it's difficult to comprehend.
In the back of his mind, Fidelis's voice is warm and reassuring.
Almost done, Hyruen, the spirit says. One last task, and then we may rest.
Link looks to the Triforce, before returning his gaze to Zelda.
"Ready?" Zelda asks, squeezing his hand. Her fingers are trembling in his and Link squeezes them back.
"Ready."
"O Goddess," Zelda prays aloud, "O Divine Three who Dwell beyond this realm of sun and shadow. Lend us Thy Power. We wish for the end to the Demon King, Demise. An end to his Evil and Hatred, an end to the suffering that he has caused the world."
Link echoes her words, the ancient syllables feeling sharp as a sword blade against his tongue.
Over and over, their words ring out, Power gathering around them, the air growing heavy as if they stood in the midst of a thunderstorm about to break.
Then, the Triforce shimmers with radiant light and vanishes.
The ground shakes and suddenly the isle upon which the statue of the Goddess has long stood since She lifted the island above the clouds, is plummeting to earth.
As one, Link and Zelda turn and leap off the statue, whistling for their Loftwings, who easily scoop them up and hover.
"Down!" Zelda says, urging her Loftwing into a dive, following the statue's descent.
The statue is falling steadily, and as they breach the cloud barrier, Link can see that it plummets towards the great Seal that holds Demise at bay.
The Seal that is now cracking, an unholy scream arising from the depths, a monster of nightmare surging from beneath the earth.
The statute slams into it, glowing with a fierce light, and the monster from Link's nightmares shatters into a thousand shards of darkness, vanishing with a terrible shriek.
With a rumbling boom, the statute settles into the earth, forming a kind of courtyard with the temple proper.
Zelda guides her Loftwing into the courtyard, almost falling off in her haste to dismount.
Link follows, his heart suddenly lightened.
The Seal had been completed at long last, the Demon King imprisoned forever, the work of two lifetimes was finally at an end.
"We did it," Zelda breathes, whirling around to Link, grabbing his hands, her face alight with joy. "We did it, Link! We did it!"
Link grins, bowing his head to nudge hers, "We did."
"It's finally over," Zelda declares, beaming.
"No, it's not."
Link spins around, pushing Zelda behind him, unsheathing Hylia's sword.
"You wretched, impudent, little children," Ghirahim seethes, shaking with rage, sliding from the forest shadows to stalk closer. "How dare you!"
His voice rises to a grating shriek, calling out in the language of the demons that Hyruen had heard on the battlefield so long ago.
Link stares in horror at the growing horde of enemies, swarming through the trees, their howling carried on the wind.
He looks to Zelda, who still carries the harp, her fingers bone-white around its limbs, still staring wide-eyed at the demon lord who cackles, holding a sword that Link has only ever seen once, the hilt glittering with red eldritch light.
The sword of the Demon King, Demise.
"Thought you were clever didn't you?" Ghirahim hisses, "And now you stand alone, the Hero," he spits the word with disdain, "and the foolish Maiden."
"They do not stand alone!" a voice calls.
Impa.
Link finds the Sheikah standing beside Zelda, as behind her, emerging from the shadows like wraiths, more Sheikah follow.
They array themselves around Zelda, forming a sort of honor guard, keeping her at the heart of the formation.
"For Hylia!" Impa roars, and the Sheikah echo the cry, their voices rising and drowning out the growls and shrieks of the demonic horde.
The demons rush forwards, only to break upon the Sheikah's blue-black shield wall, and there they stay,
Fidelis, Link thinks, pushing a hissing demon away with Hylia's shield before stabbing at another, Hylia's bow, give it to Zelda, she can provide support from behind the shield-wall.
Of course, comes the spirit's reply.
Minutes later, Holy arrows are flying overhead, slamming into demons and flaring with white flame.
Ghirahim is somewhere beyond the first wave, shrieking orders. The shield-wall buckles as another press of the enemies hits it.
We need more soldiers, Link thinks, parrying desperately.
The wall shudders; one Sheikah falling with a scream, replaced by another in moment.
And suddenly, Link knows what he needs to do.
"Come to me!" Link bellows, his voice pitched once more into his general's call, loud enough to be heard across the battlefield, over the clash of spear against shield. "Come to me, soldiers of Hylia, brave and fearsome spirits! Come and face the armies of Our Lady's enemy! Come and stand beside Her Chosen in Her hour of need! I summon you!"
"Is that all you've got?!" Ghirahim sneers. "A pathetic plea to your Goddess?!"
"Go back to the shadow, demon!" Link snarls back.
Golden light radiates behind him, shapes trailing from it, to stand beside him. Warriors in armor, carrying spears and shields, swords glittering with fire.
Hylia's warriors, come from the Golden Lands.
And behind them, radiant, is Din. Proud, Crimson Din.
Thou art the warriors of Our Daughter, Our Lady of Light, Bringer of the Dawn. Fight now, in Her Name, and for Her Glory.
Go now, Gilded art thy blades, and Strong art thy Hearts!
With a thunderclap, She is gone, and the warriors rush past Link, roaring defiance in the face of the demon horde that has swarmed up the slopes of the temple.
Link follows, his own heart singing to see his comrades once more. He sees Sara, who swings her sword into one enemy, before slamming another with her shield. That one is speared by one of the Eltrid twins, Lethe, Link dimly recalls.
Lethe waves cheerfully before diving into the horde with a whoop, followed by their brother, Astra, who salutes as he goes.
So many warriors that Link has known, has fought beside-
Ghiriahim screams, and the demon's howl seems to invigorate the other demons.
Link lunges, locking blades with the demon lord, the holy blade hissing against the demonic steel of Ghirahim's own sword.
Ghirahim shoves him away, and his shadow seems to twist, the diamond in his chest glowing with a familiar malevolence, the blade he carries alight now with infernal flame.
Demise's power.
Link swears, leaping forwards, slamming his shield into the gem, an action that makes Ghirahim shriek in pain.
The sound makes Link's ears ring, and he can feel a trickle of blood down one side of his head. He curses but slams the shield down again, finding that a small crack has appeared in the gem's surface.
Ghirahim throws him off. The landing is hard, something in Link's hand giving way as he struggles to rise.
Then the Goddess's sword is wrenched from his grasp and before Link can cry out, the sword is rammed into his chest. Bone cracks in the blade's wake and blood chokes him.
Ghirahim cackles, twisting the sword before drawing it out with terrible, slow agony. "This is certainly nostalgic. I've slain another like you, you know," he says, metallic eyes gleaming with malice and delight. "A general of your precious Goddess. Do give him my regards when you make it to the other side, won't you?"
He lets Link drop and the pain of hitting the ground would make Link scream but the blood turns the sound into a gurgle. The Goddess's sword falls beside him, dark with crimson.
It's getting harder to breath. Zelda is screaming and arrows of Holy light lance towards the demon that is advancing on her, their forms blurring in Link's vision.
Impa is lunging forwards, blocking Ghirahim's path to Zelda and Zelda- She is glowing with Holy fire and it turns the dark to light, warm and brilliant and breathtakingly beautiful.
Then she is holding the Goddess's sword and it too is alight with golden flames. It almost hurts to look at her.
Link could weep for relief but he has nothing left in him, life unraveling like a worn thread. And Zelda is running towards the demon lord and she brings the sword down, straight through the cracked red diamond that glows with demonic light, that glows with the last of Demise's energy.
White, Holy, incandescent flame sets the battlefield alight and once more, Link sees Hylia, sword in Her bright hand, and shield upon Her arm, and hears Her voice raised high and mighty in victory.
Link smiles, and lets the darkness take him.