Mido Town

Two nights it has been. Two nights since the conquerors of the desert, the most feared race in Hyrule aside from monsters, and the people he had promised to protect. That he risked his life and sanity that same night. In one flash of light, a light he had hoped was because of Zelda, ended up making him and the Sage of Spirit the last Gerudo in the world.

Ganondorf stands out on the balcony outside the throne room just as the sun meets the horizon, replaying the events that caused the extinction of the Gerudo tribe. He remembers the people celebrating their victory, then seeing the flash of light that originated from the northeast, and when it has passed over, the bustling city of Mido had become a ghost town. In his anger, Ganondorf left Riju behind for Darunia Town, only to find Zelda and Link under attack from an enraged Vaati.

Ganondorf is the first to speak to Vaati, his rage apparent both in his tone and in the strength of his aura. "Vaati! What have you done?! What have you done to my people?!"

"Ganondorf." She throws her out in front of him, pausing his approach to the Wind Mage. "There's something wrong."

Ganondorf, disbelieving that Vaati couldn't have done such a thing, stares at Zelda. "What?"

"He did wish for it, but...look at him. Why does he look like his world has ended instead of ours? Something must have happened."

Ganondorf scoffs and throws Zelda's arm out the way. He strolls up to Vaati and grabs him by his robe, turning him around to see his face. "What did you do?"

"...He's coming."

Ganondorf pauses before he speaks again, probably confused by Vaati's answer. "What?"

"He's coming."

"You bastard." There is no way Vaati told the truth. Yet, the evidence is apparent, is it not? With Shade's death, the blood seal that Zelda's parents placed on themselves to keep Ganon at bay is completely gone. In the eighteen years since the Queen died, Ganon has amassed his power. The fight within Death Mountain proved that. All the beast needs is a body...but where and how can he get one?

Nobody else knows what Vaati said to him. Link and Zelda heard the Wind Mage, but they didn't know what Ganondorf knew. As far as the King of Thieves is concerned, maybe it is for the best...for now. He hasn't sensed the Demon King in the 48 hours since the wish Vaati failed to make. Yes, he believes Zelda thinks Vaati did not make a wish, for if he did, why would he purposely unleash Ganon if his whole mantra has been to keep the cursed three away?

Yet as he curses Ganon's inaction (if he is indeed back), Ganondorf also curses his own, not in finding Ganon or joining with the others, but to find Midna. It has been five days since he last saw her, four days since she would have gathered the final mirror piece and gone home to the Twilight Realm. Part of him wants to go looking for her, yet the other half of him doesn't want to leave Riju behind. He lost his people just as she did, but the people of Mido were her people. She was their leader, they were her subjects, and to lost her kingdoms in a matter of seconds after defending it so ardently...it broke her. The last pure Sage Gerudo is shattered beyond repair, and to abandon the woman he loved for the woman he loves is too cruel.

"You're weaker because you have a vile heart. A heart that cares. It has love. The girl you fought on the mountain is the one force that keeps you from becoming who you should be. Then there's the Gerudo people. They are fragile, and these people, that girl right there, traitorous now as they were then. Leave all your cares behind, and take what is yours."

"Riju. Forget her. The Gerudo, forget them. Your mother and father, honor them no longer. The Resistance, serve their purpose no longer. Your friends are now your enemies. The one you loved, Midna, hate her. There is only you and your goals. Forget being the Gerudo Prince forever, and rise as the Demon King Ganondorf."

Ganon told him both quotes a few weeks ago, yet now that Ganondorf had made the power within him awaken, he sees no truth in Ganon's words. Or maybe he was telling the truth, but for his own purposes.

He senses a presence behind him, though not long enough to identify it. "Riju?" He turns to the throne room, still vacant as ever. He takes some steps inside, thinking the Gerudo Chief might be hiding in the shadows, yet he doesn't see nor sense her. Maybe his mind is going crazy.

No, there it is again, coming from outside. Something akin to laughter rings in Ganondorf's ears. It isn't Riju's voice, that much is for sure. Taking his sword in hand, Ganondorf steps back outside. "Hello?"

"Do you know the oldest lie in Hyrule, Gerudo? Its that gods are innocent, deserving of your praise."

A masculine voice, one not recognized by Ganondorf as an Imperial. He slowly moves down the stairs, his eyes scanning for movement. "Where are you?" He hears footsteps slightly above him, but his senses quickly alert him (before his reflexes) that it is Riju, not the mysterious stranger. He turns up to her, "You hear it too?"

"Yes." She leaps down to Ganondorf's side, clutching one of her blades. "I'm trying to draw their location, yet this guy is stubbornly hiding. It is like he isn't here."

"It explains the telepathy." The pair now stands in the courtyard of the town, home to the many markets that provide for the town's economy. Now it is home to two uncomfortable warriors looking for a body to the voice in their head.

Riju stops walking, looking back at Ganondorf with a frown. "What does he mean about the gods? We know that...they're not innocent."

Ganondorf shrugs. "Depends on what he is referring to. They didn't cause our current situation."

"Their power did."

"See, who God is to us depends upon our tribe, my children. God, for all intents and purposes, is tribal. God, despite the idea that we are all products of creation, takes sides. When my 'mothers' did their experiments on me, where was Din? When King Hyrule waged war to bring Hyrule under one banner, where was Nayru? When our people became exiles, where was Farore? In each era of time, when Demise's curse took effect, where were the Trinity? In heaven, looking down on the world, doing nothing about it."

"'Our people?' What does he…" Riju looks back to Ganondorf, his head scowling, his fists tightening. But he said nothing...like he is not surprised. He looks like he expected this. "Ganondorf?

"It is him."

"I figured out way back if the Trinity is all-powerful, They cannot be all good. And if They are all good, then They cannot be all-powerful. Din, Nayru, Farore, the powerful creators of the world, are not all good. Hylia, all good, wasn't all powerful. But that is what they want you to believe. And that is what separates me from them. It separates me from Vaati, who lets his morality hold him back. I do not plan on being all good, I do not have room for mercy, but I plan on being all powerful. I plan to eliminate my enemies, not give them an honorable fight to the death. So you, Ganondorf, my direct descendant, and you Riju, a descendant of the one I once loved, I want you to know that your gods have abandoned you. They walked on this earth, they stood face to face with your enemy, but they did nothing."

Ganondorf's power flares, his dark aura surrounding him violently. He holds the Sword of the Sages outward. "Show yourself, Ganon!"

"An impressive blade, but nothing more. And your power...I gave you a purpose, a throne to make your own. I gave you an opportunity as a man to stop the king. But you do nothing with your gift except drown in sorrow! So if man won't do the deed, and if the gods won't...then the devil will." A form begins to appear in the darkening sky above Ganondorf and Riju. To their amazement, the form took on a physical likeness to Ganondorf, save for the skull mask it wears. It brandishes a trident and begins to hover back and forth in the air. "It is such a shame, Ganondorf, because out of all my minions and all my descendants, you have the most potential. Maybe it is the name you bear...you'll be the last to have it."

Ganondorf roars, leaping off the ground and punching Ganon in the face. He unleashes a flurry of punches before one goes right through Ganon's body, stunning the prince. Ganon smiles as he grips his descendant, holds his free hand by Ganondorf's abdomen and projects a small but powerful hand blast on his opponent. Ganondorf falls from the sky with a cry, crashing in the palace.


Riju sighs as she turns from the palace to Ganon, his form rematerializing. The boy will be fine, as long as he doesn't attack with his anger. "Let me guess, this is your clone."

"Ganon" nods. "My phantom, to be exact. What clued you in?"

"The fact I cannot touch your spirit, and even a devil like you has one." Riju takes out her other scimitar, getting in her battle stance. In reality, there's no way she can successfully take on this "Phantom Ganon" alone, but even then...She'll wait for him to make the first move.

He notices her hesitance. "What keeps you from coming closer?"

"I'm just hoping you were up for a game of dead man' volley, no?"

"No."

"Such a shame, you wrote the book on that." Riju snaps her fingers, and a strike of lightning hails down on the phantasm. It cries out as Riju's magic ravages its body while the Sage of Spirit races forward, barely missing the ghost's chest as it dematerializes and flies back up. As he regains form, Ganon nods appreciatively.

"You actually made me retreat. I must commend you for that." Energy crackles along the length of the trident, collecting at its tip. Ganon shoots is towards Riju, the Gerudo Chief barely able to dodge in time. She begins to sprint, running away from successive strikes from the airborne phantom. The damage caused by the blasts are strong enough to leave human-sized craters in the ground and, if not breaking through their walls, the buildings of the city. She thinks of using her mother's magic, coined "Urbosa's Fury," but with only two more charges left, she'll need to make them count.

Charging her blades with electricity, Riju pivots on her heel and charges towards Ganon. She swings her blades, sending two crackling blasts at the phantom. He dodges both of them, and Riju prepares to snap again before she sees her ally soar from out the palace. He grabs the phantom and begins to soar in the atmosphere. "Riju! As strong as you can make it!"

Keeping the thought that Ganondorf will be affected out her head, Riju concentrates on the task at hand before the phantom slips away. Snapping both her fingers and specifically aiming at the Dragmires, lightning strikes the duo with enough power that the slightly dark sky lights up, with enough strength that she hears Ganondorf howl in pain, with enough force it separates the pair.

Unfortunately, it is a pissed off Phantom Ganon that lands closest to her. Mostly exhausted from using so much power at once, Riju can barely raise herself off her knees as the phantom, seething, lifts himself up as if he wasn't scorched. Yet Riju sees his form still jolting from the aftereffects, so however he seems to be fine is beyond her.

He looks at her and sends a powerful blast her way. Unable to dodge, she takes the full force of it, colliding with the wall that makes up the stairs to her palace. With the attack as strong as it was plus Riju's lack of energy, she begins to feel dizzy but tries to maintain consciousness. Phantom Ganon steps forward, recharging his trident for one more attack. He points it at her and fires.

It never touches her, allowing her to slip into unconscious darkness. She'll have to thank him later.


Link lowers the Hylian Shield, then points the Master Sword and fires a sword beam. It collides with Phantom Ganon, pushing him back far enough to distance the phantom from Link. Link (with his one good eye) then glances up to the brightening sky, to which Ganon is too late to notice. Arrows of light hail down on the phantom, blanketing the area around the phantom with bombardments. The growls are audible over the explosions, ringing Link's sensitive ears.

Zelda lands in front of Link, who checks on Riju in the moment they have. "Did you get a good look at it?"

"Yeah, and if I was crazy, I'll say it looks like Ganondorf." Link steps aside so Zelda can look at Riju. The princess whispers a few words, and the Gerudo lady is surrounded by green light before vanishing completely.

"Ganondorf, huh? Doesn't have his presence, yet...I swear I have felt it before. Like Ganondorf's, it is quite familiar, but much more evil."

"That's because it is. Nice eyepatch, Link." Ganondorf joins the group, rubbing his shoulder. The effects of Urbosa's Fury took much longer to wear off of him than it did the phantom and he can still feel the effects. They hear the phantom roar as the debris around it begins to settle, assembling in a triangle formation. Ganondorf in the lead, Zelda to his right, Link to his left.

"What is that thing," Zelda asks.

"An old friend of ours. You two especially. To me, he's just the ghost of the taint on my bloodline."

Link sighs. "I've killed doppelgangers before. They're kind of easy."

Ganondorf turns to Zelda, pointing his thumb at Link. The Hero is usually quippy around Ganondorf, maybe somewhat cocky, but this is excessive given the enemy. "What did you do to him?"

Zelda shrugs. "I should be asking you." They all face the phantom, now hovering in the air. It twirls its trident then thrusts it skyward, creating a powerful shockwave that moves in all directions. The three heroes use their various shielding techniques to protect themselves, but the rest of the town is not so lucky. When the wave dissipates, Mido Town is completely in ruins.

Link lowers his shield again, smirking a bit. "Fi, have you completed the analysis?"

"Yes, if you will like to know the color of its clothes, then yes I have completed analysis."

"Sounds good. Hiyah!" Link is first to engage Phantom Ganon. The two meet with their weapons, but Link uses his momentum to slide underneath the phantom while Ganondorf takes flight above. Link hops to his feet, catching the trident with the crossguard of the Master Sword and smacks Phantom Ganon with the Hylian Shield. Stunned, Ganon is blasted a few meters away by Ganondorf. Zelda takes to the air, drawing the Bow and Arrow of Light and aiming it at Ganon, only for the arrow to miss at the final moment. He rises up, shooting lightning at Ganondorf and sending him towards Zelda. Now with the Hero of the Resistance alone, the ghost of Ganon turns to his eternal nemesis, his eyes flaring with hatred. "Link."

"So do you know my name or do you remember it after getting your ass kicked multiple times?"

"Hmph." Ganon swings his trident, the Hylian blocking at every opportunity. Link, meanwhile, is simply buying time for Fi to form an analysis. Something told Link this phantom cannot be defeated by the Master Sword alone. Zelda's light magic, potent as it was, barely slowed the clone down. Whatever this monster's weakness is not as obvious as it usually is.

As Ganon swipes for Link's head, the hero steps back. Ganon's trident lights up again, the charged energy striking the ground just under Link's feet. He falls on his back but is able to roll backward. Hookshot in hand, Link aims for the front gate of the town, zipping towards the wall as another bolt impacts the ground Link was lying.

"Hey!" Phantom Ganon turns to see Zelda standing behind him. He fires a blast at her, only for her to use Nayru's Love to reflect it. It impacts the summoner; Phantom Ganon howls and kneels as the energy coursed through him. Zelda raises the Bow of Light and fires three arrows, one at Ganon's head, one through his neck, and the last through where his heart would be.

Though the light affects him harshly, the phantom gathers his strength and stands, letting the arrows drop from his dematerialized body. As it reforms, a black ball with a burning string attached rolls between his legs, exploding at the right moment. Ganon's flailing body arcs towards the destroyed west side of town, followed by several blasts from Ganondorf. As he returns to the Princess' side, she faces Link. "Has Fi made an analysis?"

Said spirit appears beside her master. "Yes, Your Grace. It appears that the apparition is too strong to be destroyed with the Master Sword alone. Your power has weakened it by some percentage, but not enough for Master Link to make the final blow."

Zelda nods. "As I thought. He did feel those arrows, but his strength is the only reason he was able to overcome them."

"Riju's power… It hurt him too. So did his own." Ganondorf looks to Link, still on the walls of the city. "Link, stay out the fight. Zelda and I will handle the rest of this."

"What?"

"You will know when to make the final strike, but for now…" Explosions from the west erupt, debris flying in the air towards the trio. As they head for cover, Phantom Ganon rises in the air, aimlessly firing energy strikes from his trident in the direction of Ganondorf and Zelda. Dust and aerial debris clouds the down to the point it is nearly invisible, yet the sounds of buildings collapsing and smaller explosions give the mostly deserted city some forms of activity. Ganon, unsatisfied with his work, lands outside the front gate of the city.

"Hmmph… Link and Zelda, your abilities are impressive. In the past, I have been lax on your Hero, yet now I know what the princess could do if left unchecked.

"That's...not even the half of it." Ganon turns to his right, a wounded Princess Zelda standing there. Despite her injuries, her rage burns.

It amuses Ganon that for the first time, he laughs. "Let me tell you a secret. Vaati never made his wish. A servant of mine stole the opportunity, though I wished he claimed the Triforce as well. But no matter...Your Resistance, their souls were exchanged for my revival. But the best soul I claimed was that of Impa." Ganon taps his heart-if the phantom (and the actual being) even has one. "I wonder where the Imperial king is now. Then there are your sages. There's your beloved Link. And...oh, your mother too."

Zelda's quiet but visible shock makes Ganon laugh. She tightens her fists, unaware of why Ganon made mention of the late queen. "Don't you dare speak of my mother!"

"You say that as if I speak of the dead! Yet I see your hero keeps a secret from you. Your mother is alive, a prisoner of Vaati. But she won't be after I get my hands on her. Or...maybe maybe I'll let someone else kill her."

Zelda grits her teeth, letting her anger overcome her previous shock. "Ganon, you bastard." She takes a step forward, despite her injuries, and allows her aura to surround her.

Ganon folds his arms. "Oh, you're approaching me? All this time, you've barely made a dent on me. What makes you think anything is going to change? You are just a child trying to live up to mommy and daddy's legend, an imitator of a pair that truly gained my respect and hatred."

"You are indeed strong, for a cheap imitation of the real thing. But we cannot beat the shit out of you without getting closer."

"She's right." Ganon looks over his shoulder to the approaching Ganondorf. "Clearly, if we cannot handle your phantom, we are no match for your true form, ancestor. But I must still vanquish you if it is the last thing I do!" Ganondorf unleashes his aura, letting his power spike to the same levels he did two nights ago. He calls for the sleeping beast and it heeds its master's calling. On the other side, Zelda's blood boils with divine power and the Light Force, cascading her in holy light as she returns to her ascended state. Phantom Ganon looks steps back with his arms crossed, his eyes conveying amusement. This is the power that rivaled the Imperial King? The phantom looks to Zelda, who holds onto her lineage's power masterfully. It indeed matches the strength of two night's passed, but without the Triforce of Wisdom to aid her, she cannot endure a battle as long as she had with Vaati. Turning to Ganondorf, the Gerudo somehow manages to control his power despite nearly losing himself the last time. In such a short time, they had exceeded their predecessors and become gods on earth.

If his phantom could convey his emotions, they would see a smirk on its face.