Chapter 12
Aganihm placed the unconscious body of Princess Zelda on the stone altar. He turned to look out of the castle window. The sun was setting, dying the sky a menacing red. Soon, the barrier between the Hyrule and the corrupted sacred realm would be at its weakest point. If the ritual were done correctly, the Princess's life would be exchanged to bring about Ganon's return. Soon, the rightful king would sit upon his throne once again. This night had been prepared for since the slaying of the Hero of Time generations ago. Hyrule had been living on borrowed time, but that shaky peace was coming to an end, for tonight would be the last night of Hyrule.
"Lord Aganihm, sir" one of the mad mage's soldiers said in a panic.
"What is it? Can't you see that I need to prepare for the ritual?" he replied in his booming, authoritative voice.
"There's a kid at the castle gates! I think they're the one sent by the princess!"
Aganihm took one more look out the window, this time looking down at the ground as opposed to up at the stars. Just in front of the gate to Hyrule castle stood an adolescent Hylian draped in green. The child looked up and down at the castle, eventually locking eyes with Aganihm. The guard was right, this was Zelda's childhood friend, Link. Seconds after making eye contact, Link drew their sword from their back and rushed into the castle. Aganihm paid no mind to this, after all, Link was just a weak child with delusions of grandeur. They wouldn't stand a chance against his army.
"Send a troop down and kill them. That will be the end of it" Aganihm said to his knight, calmly "I just need a few more hours before the ritual can be completed".
"Yessir, Lord Aganihm" the knight replied before exiting the room.
Aganihm moved back over to Zelda, brushing his hand across her face.
"Stupid child. You've put all your faith into this one. Can't you see that you've already lost? Your family lost this war ages ago. And now, you've put your friend upon a pedestal, presenting them as a great hero. The Hero of Time couldn't even stop Ganon. What makes you think this weakling can stand a chance?"
The door swung open as the same knight from earlier rushed in.
"What is it now!? Did you kill the child yet?!" Aganihm asked frustrated.
"Sir, the kid...I don't know how to explain it but they're taking our troops down in masses and making their way up here!"
Aganihm turned around and stepped towards the knight.
"What! How!?"
"It's their sword! It seems to be of a divine nature! They're slashing at our soldiers from across the halls! Swirling around like a heavenly tornado! Thrusting with speed we've never seen before! It's unreal!"
Suddenly, fear gripped hold of Aganihm's heart. He had heard tales of this sword being forged specifically to defeat his master, Ganon. A heavenly blade like no other, the Master Sword. Somehow, Link managed to obtain it.
"Keep them occupied for as long as possible! Make sure they don't reach this chamber!"
"Right away si-" the knight had been cut off by a sudden stab through the chest. He jerked forward before bursting into a puff of dark smoke. The smoke dissipated, revealing Link, the Hero of Legend. They lowered their left arm and readied the Master Sword behind them.
"Aganihm". Link said calmly, but with enough edge to send a shiver down Aganihm's spine.
Link then looked down at the altar to see their friend, Zelda, lying motionless.
"This ends here!" Link shouted.
Aganihm mustered all of the courage left in his dark heart.
"Link...You are a fool!"
"Well excuse me, sorcerer! You're the one who's trying to bring Ganon back to Hyrule!"
"You know nothing of my master! Ganon ruled this land for seven years, long before you were born! In that time he brought order to the kingdom! He freed Hyrule from the rule of laughingstocks to the land! He has made this kingdom great!"
"You lie! Ganon is the king of darkness. That's why the goddesses sent the Hero of Time to stop him"
"All of those silly legends you were told were lies, bedtime stories to keep you complacent with the status quo. I'm the only one you can trust...Link…"
Aganihm bent down on one knee, attempting to gain Link's sympathy.
"I loved your mother. I saw great potential in you, almost as if you were my own. I would hate to see you go down this path, and I think Mitsoku would too. Link, you have to trust me!".
Link lowered their blade, still locking eyes with Aganihm. They then looked at their friend, sleeping in the middle of the room, before turning their eyes to the Master Sword, and to their reflection in the blade.
"I trust my friends".
Link rushed at Aganihm, courage burning in his spirit, ready to strike down the mage. The attempted to deliver a slash across Aganihm's body, but before contact could be made, Aganihm's physical form turned misty and the Master Sword merely swiped through his body. Agahnim then grabbed at Link's neck with his slender, bony hands, and began choking them as he lifted them off the ground.
"Lavena and Mitsuko made the same mistake years ago, it cost them their lives. I hoped you would be different" Aganihm said before throwing Link to the ground. He then turned around towards the altar and walked slowly towards the princess.
"No!" Link shouted as they bolted from the ground and slashed their sword at the air. If this had been a normal sword, the blade would have merely made a whooshing sound as it cut through the space, slaying a bug if anything. But this was nor ordinary sword, this was the Master Sword. While Aganihm was well across the room at this point, the swiping of the sword created a beam of divine magic that flew forward, striking Agahnim. The force of the strike sent Agahnim flying through the air, over the altar before crashing onto the stone floor.
"'The same mistake'? 'It cost them their lives?' It was you! You killed them!" Link screamed at the man now scrambling to get off the ground "How could you do that! You said you loved them!"
"I loved Mitsuko and only her more than anything in the world! But she chose that tree hugging Zonai over the greatest mage in all the land! It pained me to kill the love of my life, but I was robbed of what I truly deserved, just as Ganon had! I will restore his rightful place on the throne and deliver justice to the land! I will make sure everyone gets what they deserve! And you deserve to die!"
Aganihm rose from the ground, waving his hands about in preparation for a spell. He thrusted his hands forward, firing the spell at Link. Thinking quickly, Link slashed as the arcane beam, using the Master Sword's reflective properties to bounce the blast back at Aganihm.
Time began to slow down for the wizard as their own magic blast was inching closer and closer to his face. This was it. That spell was powerful enough to kill a lionell, and now it would be his undoing. He couldn't fail his master now. Even if he were to die, Ganon must return to this land. The sacrifice spell had been botched, but if he were to simply transport the princess to the corrupted sacred realm, then perhaps Ganon could take care of her and bring about his own return to Hyrule. Ganon was powerful, he had the means to do so. It would take more time than expected, but it would work. Just before the lethal spell hit Aganihm, with his dying breath, he whispered one last spell, before his whole world became as dark as his heart.
Link had shielded their eyes from the explosion caused by the blast. It was quiet now. Slowly they opened his eyes to see that Aganihm was gone, leaving a small pile of ashes where he once stood. Thinking everything was over, Link turned around to go wake Zelda. But as they turned around to face the altar...it was empty.
"No"
Lightning broke the sky just as it had done on the night the princess first made contact.
"Zeldaaa!"