Chapter 4: Where Forgotten Shadows Meet the Light
Wind whipped hard into Link's face as his horse, Epona, trampled the dirt path with her powerful hooves. The mare sensed the anxiousness pouring off of her rider and charged forward without much need of direction. She simply knew where it was he wanted to go. For years, they'd had an unspoken bond which never made it past the woods and never worked better than at the ranch, herding lethargic goats. After Link's first adventure the bond between them only deepened, which in turn deepened Ilia's jealousy. Link's newfound power to transform into a wolf allowed him to communicate with all animals, and even though he could understand Epona now on a level no ordinary human could possibly achieve, his horse always urged him to return to his original self. She liked him better that way, and he did too.
At the moment, Link was especially grateful for the extraordinary bond he had formed over time with the chestnut colored mare. His mind was racing faster than Epona was currently galloping. There were so many issues to address that he just wanted to scream to scare them all away, if only momentarily, so he could think. The makeshift wind helped distract him, and, if he wasn't afraid of hurting Epona, he would urge her to go faster.
Out of all of the things he imagined himself doing this morning, this certainly wasn't on the list. To his embarrassment, he admitted that he had forgotten completely about Zant. He didn't know how the corrupt Twili managed to slip his mind and barely registered their defeat as an acceptable excuse. Link had been the last one to be fighting Zant, after all. The self-proclaimed King of Twilight, had teleported away quite suddenly, and Link had thought that he had wounded him with the Master Sword to a point that warranted a hasty retreat. If anything, Zant should have still been licking his wounds back in the Palace of Twilight, but apparently he had weaseled his way out of his own demise once again.
'This time I will kill him,' Link decided, but then began to doubt himself for the first time since the Twilight Invasion. 'Do I even have the power to do that?' he wondered, 'Did I lose my touch since my last adventure?' Link hadn't thought so a few days ago. Even after his first adventure, he'd made sure that he practiced with his sword at least once every day. If anything came to harm Ordon Village, or any other location in Hyrule for that matter, again, he wanted to be ready for it.
Perhaps practice wasn't the same as the experience he gathered while traveling around. Maybe he should have continued to travel? He had tried that for a little while, but he kept getting letters from home, mostly from the kids and Ilia, begging him to come back and stay. Eventually he had succumbed to their wishes and returned, but maybe that was a mistake. Maybe if he had traveled around then he would be more prepared for what they were dealing with now. 'But if you did that then you wouldn't have been in Ordon to meet Tetra and Aryll in the first place,' he reminded himself.
Link let the makeshift wind sweep away the thoughts and concentrated instead on his surroundings. They were still in the mountainous pass and Epona was beginning to slow down to a canter. He allowed his steed to slow her pace since he knew that she couldn't possibly run all the way to Lake Hylia like this.
He pulled back on the reigns to let Epona know that she could slow down to a comfortable walk. However, his mare was determined to get him where he needed to be and continued with a persistent trot.
Before Link's thoughts could consume him, Epona suddenly stopped, rearing up. He was already tense so moving into the correct position to prevent himself from falling off was almost automatic. When his horse placed her front hooves back on the ground, she stamped in the dirt road uneasily, and he patted the back of her neck absentmindedly as his eyes searched for that which had startled her.
An arrow flew past his face, nearly nicking his ear. Link whipped his head around in the direction that the projectile had come from to see a Bulblin notching another arrow and beginning to aim it. Pulling out his bow, he let the Bulblin take its shot and ducked to avoid the arrow. He then prepared his own bow and arrow, launching it at the monster while it was preoccupied fumbling for another projectile to use from the poorly crafted quiver on its back. His arrow buried itself in the creature's head and the monster burst into a black haze which quickly dissipated into the atmosphere.
"I guess there are still monsters wandering around," Link commented as he surveyed the rest of the area for creatures that meant him harm. Upon finding none, he urged his mount forward cautiously, gripping his bow in one hand and ready to reach for an arrow with the other. His caution was well-placed for not a minute later he encountered another Bulblin. Link was quicker on the draw than the monster and disposed of it before it could let loose a single arrow.
As he proceeded through the narrow pass, Link encountered monsters numerous times. All of them were of the more simplistic variety; Bulblins, Chus, which he had to be careful not to steer Epona into, and Keese. When the Great Bridge of Hylia was finally visible Link stowed away his bow and arrows. If anything attacked him now, he was sure that he'd need a sword to fend it off.
The Master Sword was once again in his possession. Its weight on his back was surprisingly light, if a little heavier than he remembered. After replacing the blade in its pedestal, Link had thought his adventuring days were over. It was a finalizing step, a formality, a period that ended the story. Yet, the sword had been pulled from the pedestal, not by him, but by another hero, his counterpart, and had revealed that there was a spirit living inside the sword the entire time.
Fi. She was oddly calculating about everything and her emotions, well, she didn't seem to have any. Everything she said was either a fact or statistic, or suggestions that sounded like indifferent commands. Despite that, she seemed to know almost everything which made her a valuable source. Link still had trouble classifying her. She wasn't exactly a person. She didn't eat or drink or sleep, not that Link had ever noticed her dozing since they had awakened her, but then again, she had been asleep for hundreds, probably thousands, of years. Who in their right mind would be tired after that kind of power nap?
In fact, Link wasn't even positive she had a substantial body. She always materialized out of thin air and, while she appeared to be solid, he had never actually touched her. For goodness sakes, she didn't even have arms, just a flowy cape like fabric as a substitute. It looked like fabric with the way it undulated, half metallic blue, half purple. Yet, the glossy sheen it took on was so much like the rest of her that Link couldn't be sure.
When Fi wasn't visible, she was inside the sword. As for what she did in there, Link didn't have any good guesses. Even though she inhabited the sword, Link didn't feel any differences in wielding it. Fi claimed she was a sword spirit, but never explained exactly what that meant. Perhaps she assumed it was self-explanatory, and Link supposed it was. There's a sword, and she's a spirit that lives inside of it.
However, Fi was also clear about the fact that Ghirahim was also a sword spirit which Link found confusing. Ghirahim didn't have a sword to retreat into, no one to call "Master" like Fi did so dutifully to him and Kid. The demon lord obviously had power that Fi did not. For one, he actually had arms and hands with which to wield weapons and could work dark magic with no more than a snap of his fingers.
As far as Link knew, Fi could not perform any magic. All she had going for her were the bits of information and advice in desperate need of deciphering that was stored in her head. So why did Fi classify Ghirahim as a sword spirit? Were there different types of sword spirits with differing abilities? Was Fi just a helpful hint giver and Ghirahim an expert pain dealer or was there something more to it than that?
Just when he was contemplating if he should call Fi out and ask her, he realized that Epona had stopped right in front of the sign for Fyer and Falbi's Watertop Land of Fascination. She was pawing the ground impatiently as if reminding him that this was his stop and he should get off now.
"I'm going," Link muttered, dismounting and wondering how long he had been sitting there. He knew it couldn't have been too long because Midna would have said something, unless she's just as distracted as he is.
Link hurried down to the shack as he realized that the more he dallied, the more likely Zant was to reach the spirit spring first. After paying the designated amount for a ride down, Link grabbed a cucco, wincing as its loud protests hurt his ears. It was fair enough. If someone grabbed him and told him to fly them across a lake, well…that probably wouldn't happen, but he imagined that he wouldn't be too happy if it did.
The birds were quite amazing if one took time to stop and think about it. They couldn't weigh more than a few pounds and yet they could support a person's weight in the air. It wasn't much more than gliding, but, considering that they should have plummeted to the lake below and didn't, it was impressive.
He only had sights for the ground and found impatience creeping into his mind as he slowly glided down. Peering below, Link could see the sparkling blue water of the lake steadily growing closer as well as the first outcropping of land which was still too far away for him to drop down safely. He leaned to the right slightly, hoping that the struggling bird above him would be able to stay aloft long enough to deliver him directly to the entrance of Lanayru's Spring.
The cucco, through all of its noisy protesting, was able to keep them both in the air long enough for Link to reach the grand entrance of the spirit spring. He released the bird while he was still a few feet in the air, rolling to prevent injury as he hit the ground. The white feathered cucco dropped down behind him, clucks of contentment coming from its beak now replacing the loud squawks of objection that it had previously been projecting to inform the universe of its dissatisfaction. Link couldn't help but wonder how the cuccos were returned to Falbi. Did they fly? Or did Fyer shoot the birds back up to his associate via the cannon? It probably didn't matter, so long as they always ended up where they were supposed to be.
Another sound, not the cucco or the rushing waterfall to his right, met his ears. It was nothing but an echo that he could only catch the end of, but it didn't seem to be a word. More like…chains rattling? Steel being struck with stone? Whatever it was, Link realized that it was coming from inside the cave that held Lanayru's Spring. "Oh no," was all he could think as he bolted into the cave. "Oh no, I wasn't fast enough."
As the actual spring came into view, Link skidded to a halt. Yup. He was late. With his back to Link, stood Zant, his arms outstretched toward the light spirit Lanayru who was visible and trying to fight off the influence of twilight. By the way its light was dimming, the spirit appeared to be losing. The orb situated securely inside the serpent's jaws that normally pulsed with never-ending light was gradually being tainted black by blocks of twilight that clung to it like leaves to wet skin. The sound that he had heard was the light spirit, struggling as the chains of twilight wrapped around its sphere of light, attempting to squeeze the entity out of existence.
The element of surprise was no longer with Link, or maybe it had never been there in the first place. Either way, Zant turned as the hero entered the cave and, though Link couldn't see the Twili's face behind the mask, he instantly knew that Zant was furious with his presence.
'I should've, I should've, I should've…but guess what? YOU DIDN'T!' Link practically screamed at himself as he drew the Master Sword from its sheath. He shouldn't have stopped to fight so many monsters in the pass. He should have just ran past them. If he had…maybe he still wouldn't have made it. Regardless, it didn't matter now. It was inevitable that he was going to fight Zant today. It was just a matter of when, not if.
"And you're here to stop me, I assume?" Zant said casually, as if he had been expecting the hero, which, Link theorized, he had. Before he could formulate a response, Zant turned around fully to face him and continued. "You can certainly try, but you won't succeed. As we speak my power is growing." Here Zant cackled joyfully, insanely. "Every spark of light that shadow consumes makes me all the more powerful and once this entire realm is coated in darkness, you and all your kind will know how it feels to be cast aside and left to toil for eternity in the shadows!"
Oh, but maybe you won't get the pleasure of seeing this new world. No. That would be far too kind a gesture, after everything you've done to me and my accomplice…and my god. No. You don't deserve to witness the beautiful world I'm creating, but perhaps you can still be a part of it."
Faster than Link could comprehend, Zant grew to a towering height, hovering just above the water of the spring. Lanayru had faded to the point where Link could no longer see the spirit, and the only indication of its presence was the half-shadow tainted orb of light beneath the giant Twili. Link knew what would happen if the orb was completely corrupted. It was a ticking time bomb that he couldn't let expire. If it did, a curtain of twilight would be draped over the Lanayru Province and turn, not only Link into a wolf, but Kid as well. If Link didn't have any motivation before, he certainly did now.
The crackling red sphere laced with twilit runes certainly didn't look very inviting, especially as its size continued to increase. Link's well-trained eyes scanned the area for something that would prove advantageous. Zant's bulk was taking up most of the inner cave and seeing as the Twili was floating above the water, Link wouldn't be able to reach him with his sword. No. Not with his sword, but certainly a skyward strike would reach.
Link raised the Master Sword skyward, satisfied at the buzzing he felt in his fingertips as the sacred sword charged with heavenly power. Running up as close as he was able, Link performed a vertical slice in the air, a lavender beam as tall as the blade was long traveled with astonishing speed towards Zant whose sheer size prevented him from dodging.
As the purple beam of energy struck Zant, the corrupt Twili immediately froze and shrank a little. However, he had already released his hold on the sphere of dark magic and being temporarily paralyzed didn't stop the ball of magic from hurtling straight for the green clad hero. Moving purely on instinct, Link stepped off of the overhanging piece of land and dropped with a splash into the spring that was barely noticeable by the crash of the magic impacting the ground above, effectively crumbling it to pieces. He frantically distanced himself from the debris as it crashed into the water and began its decent to the bottom of the pool.
Link quickly resurfaced, realizing belatedly how lucky he was that the blast hadn't hit him. If it demolished the ground so violently, then just think of what it could do to flesh and bone. Holding back a shudder at the thought, Link quickly swam over to the side, stealing a glance at Zant as he lifted himself out of the water and onto solid ground. Already, the Twili was gathering another immense ball of energy above his head, his arms raised towards the ceiling. Seeing another opportunity to downsize his opponent, Link raised his sword towards the sky as he ran up the small slope to get a better vantage point from which to release the skyward strike.
When Link reached a location that he felt would work well enough, he realized that the blade of his sword wasn't taking on a purple hue at all.
"What the heck?" Link muttered, lowering his arm and then raising it again as he wondered if he had been holding it incorrectly. Still no reaction. Furrowing his brow Link leveled the sword so he was staring directly at the metal. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with the blade. It reflected his face, slightly warped, right back at him, just as expected. Another quick glance at Zant proved that the sphere of magic was almost as large as the last time it was released.
Link turned his attention back to the Master Sword, about to call Fi out to interrogate her. However there was no need. Either Fi read his mind or noticed his puzzled expression and decided he needed clarification for she materialized out of the sword in the same spark of lavender light she always did.
"Master, I detect an increased evil energy suffusing the immediate area. This indicates that the stores of divine energy are severed and cannot be reached at this time. I suggest enforcing a different tactic in battling this enemy," Fi reported in a monotone that only she could manage perfectly.
"Okay," Link sighed in exasperation. That was the only response that Fi required, for she disappeared before he could question her further.
With a high-pitched battle cry, Zant unleashed his second sphere of dark magic. This time, the ball divided, scattering the pent up energy in several directions. Link raised his shield just in time to protect himself from what would have been a direct hit to his torso. The small orb was more powerful than Link had first anticipated when he'd moved into a defensive stance, and the force of fending it off sent him stumbling back a few steps. He regained his balance just in time to intercept the next red and black sphere, this one slightly bigger than the last. Instead of using his shield, Link slashed at the projectile with his sword, intending to reflect the attack right back at Zant.
The ball of magic split on contact with the sacred blade. Two identical, yet slightly smaller, orbs of dark magic flew past Link on both sides, just barely missing him. It was then that his shadow shifted and Midna appeared before of him.
"Are you trying to lose?" Midna wondered.
"I'm experimenting," Link defended himself.
"And do you have a plan yet?" Midna inquired, eyeing Zant who was becoming increasingly frustrated that he could not land a single blow on his opponent. From his size, Link was just as shocked as Zant that he hadn't been struck yet. Zant didn't seem to have noticed Midna's presence which Link thought was for the better.
"No, I don't," Link admitted, "I'll gladly take suggestions though."
"Good," Midna approved of his statement with a nod of her head. "I was going to tell you want to do anyway, but it's better to know that you're willing to listen."
"Midna, plan," Link reminded the black and white imp floating in front of him as if there wasn't any danger to be had around them.
"What's the magic word?" Midna requested, crossing her arms over her chest and waiting expectantly for his response.
"Now," Link said, growing a bit impatient.
"Eee hee! Close enough," Midna grinned. "There are some places where your double clawshots could come in handy. The closest one is right over the entrance. Once you're up there, I'm sure you can see the rest of them."
Link stole a glance over his shoulder, not wanting to leave Zant out of his line of sight for too long. Sure enough, there was a circular grate high above the entrance that he had never noticed before.
"Alright, but what am I supposed to do when I get up there?" Link asked, turning back to Midna.
"There's a clawshot thingy above Zant," Midna informed him.
"And…" Link prompted.
"And that's it," Midna announced. Link quirked an eyebrow. "What? Don't look at me like that! Do you really expect me to do all the thinking?"
"No, but I thought you had a plan," Link said, holding the disappointment inside rather than letting it out in his voice.
"Hey, I never said I had a plan. You just assumed," Midna pointed out, "Now get up there. I'm sure you'll think of something." With that, Midna retreated into the safety of his shadow.
Digging out his clawshots from the many items he had at his disposal, Link turned and took careful aim at the metal grate. A single press of a button and the silver chain automatically shot out, the claw grasping its target and pulling him into the air. Perched on the side of the cave wall, Link was grateful for the uneven rock. Clinging to a flat wall in such a fashion was a challenge that Link didn't welcome. Even though the clawshot was secured firmly in place, it meant nothing if he lost his grip which was why a jagged surface was helpful.
Just as Midna had said, a clawshot target was placed conveniently right above the usurper king. Unfortunately, it was too far away for him to reach, so Link searched the cave from his new vantage point for a closer target. He quickly found one secured to the wall up and to the left of where he currently was. Readying his second clawshot, Link released the chain and waited until the metal claw latched onto the golden grate before loosening the first clawshot from its position. There was a brief second of free fall, of weightlessness, as the first clawshot freed the grate from its grasping metal claws. Then Link was tugged to the next location and digging his boots into whatever imperfections in the rock he could find.
Directing his attention to the red and gold target above Zant, Link was startled to see multiple shots of Twili magic zooming towards him. Without a thought, he aimed and pressed the button to discharge the chain. By pure luck the claw grabbed the grate just as Link released his hold from the other. He was yanked high into the air just in time for the attack to pass harmlessly underneath him. However, Zant wasn't done yet and another set of red orbs sought him out.
Link could do nothing but hope to evade them while he was still being pulled to his desired destination. He did make it, but not without one of the projectiles brushing his shoulder. With the adrenaline pumping in his veins, Link barely felt it. He was now high above Zant, and while it gave him a good opportunity to land a formidable blow, it gave his enemy a chance to do considerable damage as well.
Knowing that every second counted, Link quickly put away his second clawshot and unsheathed the Master Sword. The line between courage and stupidity was a fine one that Link tried not to cross whenever he could help it. However, sometimes, one simply had to be stupid. That was why he loosened his clawshot from its position and entered a free fall, angling the sword so it was pointing downward. He wasn't really sure where he was aiming, especially since Zant was wearing a helmet. It turned out not to matter, for the Twili disappeared in a swirl of black squares which left nothing but the spring below for Link to hit.
He barely had time to take a breath before he broke the surface with a large splash and pain erupted from his shoulder along with every other minor cut and bruise he had sustained in the battle with Ghirahim yesterday. A quick intake of breath was all he needed to be reminded that he was underwater, and Link quickly swam his way to the surface, which proved to be quite a challenge with a metal weapon in each hand. Resurfacing, Link found himself coughing to expel the water from his lungs, but noticed that otherwise, he felt better than he should have considering the stunt he'd just pulled.
The pain he had originally felt, faded away to nothing, and it was then that he realized the spring had healed him. He didn't think it would, with its keeper in such a sorry state, but apparently, the light spirit was doing everything in his limited power to make sure Link won this fight.
Treading water, Link surveyed the area. Zant wasn't anywhere in sight. Midna must have noticed the same thing, for she slipped out of his shadow and hovered a couple inches above the water, her red eyes searching as well.
"If he ditched us, I swear…" Midna trailed off, leaving the threat unfinished as she turned every which way to locate their enemy.
An insane cackle that could only belong to a lunatic such as Zant, drew their attention to the ceiling. The Twili was hovering far above the spring of healing water, growing bigger by the second. Link wasn't going to stick around to see what he was going to do. He cut through the water with a little difficulty due to the items he was holding and managed to get on dry land not a second too soon. Zant came crashing down into the pool of water with what must have been the most enormous splash a single person has ever managed to accomplish on their own because the white spray wasn't just spray, it was a wave that knocked Link off his feet and would have drenched him if he wasn't already dripping wet.
Midna, who had smartly ducked into his shadow before Zant cannonballed into the water, reappeared by his side and whispered, "I have a plan, but it'll require me helping you."
"What is it?" Link wondered, getting to his feet and sheathing his sword before pulling out his other clawshot.
"Do what you did before, except I want you to go all the way to the other side of the spring. From there, you'll have a good shot at Zant. Don't worry about his attacks. I'll cancel out his magic with mine," Midna explained.
"Okay, but what am I supposed to hit Zant with?" Link inquired. Normal arrows wouldn't work. Zant could easily deflect those. He didn't want to pull Zant closer to him with his current size. Chances are, Link would be pulled to Zant instead of the other way around.
"Your ball and chain. Smash his helmet to pieces. With extra luck, you'll snap his neck too," Midna shot him a mischievous smile.
"I don't know if it will reach," Link admitted, angling himself so he had the clawshot target in his sight.
"You leave that to me, wolf boy," Midna advised him. He was surprised to hear the nick name coming from her. She hadn't called him that in a while.
"Right," Link replied, a small smile finding its way onto his face as he aimed at the grate and was pulled to it. True to her word, Midna defended him as he climbed higher. By now, Zant had noticed her and it was debatable whether Zant was even aiming for Link anymore. Midna was able to match Zant's every move, which only seemed to enrage the evil Twili further. It also probably didn't help matters that the Twilight Princess was firing every verbal insult she could think of at him any chance she got.
Once Link reached the grate above Zant, his eyes quickly found his next target, and he positioned himself accordingly in order to reach it. While the giant Twili was focused on Midna, he appeared to be fed up with the interference as he came to the startling conclusion that Link was still on the move. Mimicking the motion of a tornado, Zant spun in the air while releasing his spheres of dark magic with a wild battle cry.
The black and red orbs were individual beings that just kept coming, like hail in a storm. Due to the wind that Zant's immense size was creating as a result of being so large and completing such a maneuver, the projectiles were much faster and hit about twice as hard. Each one was destined to either hit or miss, and at the speed they were traveling luck was pretty much all one had to fend them off.
Link just happened to be lucky enough for none to hit him directly. However, one did impact the base of the rock spire he was currently clinging to via a grate that probably had no business in being there anyway. First it was one, then it was another, chipping the rock at a different angle. It only took the spire getting hit once more for Link to realize that if it fell, so did he.
Extending his free arm towards the next target, he watched the fast flying orbs as they whizzed past. There was no pattern and, therefore, no breaks to be had. So, praying to Farore for protection, Link released his hold on the rock spire and let his second clawshot pull him through the air. He felt a brief sting as the evil energy grazed him on its way past, a small taste of what a direct hit had to offer. Upon reaching his destination, Link concluded that he didn't want to be on the receiving end of such a hit. Those things were small, but powerful.
Dropping down to the ground a few feet below, Link exchanged his double clawshots for the heavy ball and chain. By now, Zant had finished spinning, now dizzy and disoriented from his frantic actions. Perfect, or what would have been perfect if Zant was just a few feet closer. As it happened, Link knew that his attack wouldn't reach.
"Midna!" he called out, scanning the area for her.
"I'm working on it!" came the irritated reply from the other side of the cave. Link couldn't see her due to Zant's size, but he could see the large sphere of Twili magic that was steadily growing bigger by the second. Unlike Zant's creations, this one was laced with turquoise runes and supported by a large orange hand. A hand that Link knew really wasn't a hand at all. It was Midna's versatile hair.
The orb was flung towards Zant with as much force as Midna could muster while retaining the magic she had gathered. If Zant had been close to regaining his composure, the blast Midna threw in his face canceled any recovery he had been working on. It also pushed the corrupt Twili closer to Link who was already swinging the metal ball over his head with the chain to build up momentum.
Link jerked back on the chain suddenly, sending the ball attached to the end of it to meet the chameleon-like helmet that Zant wore to mask his face with so much force that it jarred Link's arms. The helmet didn't shatter like Midna had predicted it would. Instead, it disappeared in a swirl of black Twili particles. Judging by Zant's pained wails, that Link couldn't safely say were overdramatized, the hit had shaken their opponent who immediately shrunk down to a size just small enough that ensured Link couldn't reach him with the same method of attack again.
"We have to finish this fast. That sphere of light is getting darker by the minute," Midna reported, returning to Link's side.
"In that case, I've got it from here," Link replied, slipping the ball and chain back into his enchanted pouch. Drawing the Master Sword, Link stepped up to the edge. Checking to make sure that Zant was still disoriented, Link positioned his sword for a jump strike. By now, he had perfected the timing for such a maneuver. However, he had never used it in the practice of jumping off a ledge. Despite this slight difference, it provided him with the desired effect. The power of it not only caused him to fall towards his foe faster, but it also carried him forward. It was difficult to hold his form at first, but he was cutting the air so fast that he barely had time to think about it. Just as he was about to hit Zant, the Twili vanished, and Link let out a yell of frustration as he was enveloped by the water.
He quickly resurfaced and swam over to solid ground. His gaze was drawn to the ball of pure light. Just as Midna had said, it was almost completely drenched in shadow. The only way he knew of stopping it was to defeat Zant, but that was proving to be more of a challenge than he'd anticipated. It seemed like Zant had picked up a few fighting tips from Ghirahim in the time the two had spent as partners in crime. Zant seemed to be learning as the battle ensued. Every time Link landed a hit, Zant adjusted the circumstances, so Link had no chance of succeeding the same way twice which, in itself, practically decided the outcome. All Zant had to do was survive long enough for twilight to consume the light spirit, and then he could escape. Link knew he was running out of time. If only there was some way to preserve the little light Lanayru had left then maybe he could discover a winning strategy.
"Midna, do you have the ability to stop the twilight from taking over? Or slow it down at least?" Link asked his shadow.
"If I did, I would have done it already," Midna assured him as she slipped out of his shadow, "Although, if we had a source of pure light and fired it at that ball of light then maybe Lanayru would be able to find the strength to fight back."
"Like a light arrow?" Link suggested.
"Exactly, but we left everyone that can use light arrows back at the castle. Maybe we should have thought this through more," Midna reflected.
"Yeah, no kidding," Link mumbled as he wracked his brain for another idea and silently wondered why he couldn't use light arrows as well. He had a piece of the Triforce just like everyone else, so why couldn't he make arrows of light? Unless he could. He'd never actually tried. With this thought in the front of his mind, Link dug out his bow and arrows from his many items and notched an arrow, aiming it at Zant who had reappeared in the center of the spring.
He willed the tip to be shrouded in the brightest light he could imagine. To no avail, the arrowhead remained stubbornly dull. Zant chose to resume his dizzying revolution once again, and this time Midna melted into the shadows, Link's shadow in particular. Abandoning the notion for the time being, Link evaded the red and black orbs as best as he could. When Zant was finally finished, it was no wonder that the Twili was disoriented once again.
While Link knew that this was his golden opportunity to do something, he had no idea what action to take.
Midna slipped out of the shadows, deciding for him. "Take that stupid arrow of yours and smother it in light before Zant regains his senses."
"Midna, I can't. I don't know how to make light arrows," Link argued.
"That's not what I mean for you to do! Just fire it at that sphere of light," Midna ordered him, pointing at the ball of golden white that was swiftly being consumed by darkness and losing its shine.
"What will that do?" Link wondered, notching the arrow once again and aiming where Midna was indicating.
"Do it and you'll see!" Midna invited him, a bit bossily in his opinion. Nonetheless, he didn't have any other options, and it wasn't as if he could actually harm the light spirit by doing this. At least, he didn't think it was possible. Link humored his companion anyway and released the arrow.
The projectile pierced the ball of light with absolutely no resistance and flew straight through it. However, Link was shocked to see what happened when the arrow emerged. The projectile he had launched at the ball of light was now a streak of gold that shattered into brilliant rays of light when the wall impeded its flight.
The shadow that had been steadily creeping along the sphere of light was noticeably smaller as well, almost as if the arrow had helped spread the remaining light throughout the rest of the orb.
Link let a second arrow fly, this time aiming it at a different angle. The end result was the same as the first, and now it was evident that the light spirit was beginning to regain its strength as the water of the spring took on a barely perceivable golden hue.
"Master, the evil suffusing the area has retreated enough to allow the use of divine energy," Fi announced, appearing without warning by Link's side as he was preparing a third arrow.
"Thanks Fi," Link acknowledged her with a nod of his head as he aimed and fired once again at the orb of light.
"I suggest striking the light spirit with a skyward strike. There is an 85% probability that doing so will completely purge the spirit of the darkness attempting to conquer it," Fi advised before returning to her post in the sword. It took a second for her words to register. With Fi's emotionless voice, Link could easily dismiss everything she said as unimportant when, in fact, that was almost never the case. The information she provided him with was vital to his victory and her suggestion could very well end the battle entirely. After all, what chance did Zant have if Link had the full power of Lanayru on his side?
Raising the Master Sword skyward, Link felt the hilt hum in his grip as the blade began to fill with sacred energy. It was at this time that Zant recovered from his disorientation and began to use his Twili magic once again. Link continued to allow the sword to charge up, but quickly abandoned his scheme when Zant launched a series of projectiles at him. Focusing on dodging for the time being, Link was forced to run from one side of the cave to the other and back multiple times as Zant bombarded him with attack after attack.
When this ceased, Link slid to a stop and attempted to regain the breath he'd lost. Glancing at his opponent, Link realized why the attacks had stopped so abruptly. During their battle, Zant had been warring with Lanayru as well as him. Now that the light spirit was stronger it took all of Zant's concentration to fight back.
Recognizing a golden opportunity when he saw one, Link raised the Master Sword towards the sky. As soon as a lavender hue encompassed the blade, Link sliced the air in a single, fluid motion and watched as the wave of purple light traveled towards the struggling light spirit.
The sacred energy struck the sphere of light, and Link watched as cracks appeared in the shadows attempting to devour it. Zant let out cry of frustration as the shadow was ripped apart by the light.
Lanayru, now a visible entity radiating light, whirled around on the false King of Twilight and opened his mouth as wide as the ball of light nestled between his jaws would allow. The light spirit then then dived at Zant, who was too big to move swiftly, and the two of them plunged into the spring that gave off the impression of liquid gold.
Link stepped closer to where the ground dropped off and gave way to the water in order to get a better view. Lanayru suddenly came shooting up out of the water like a geyser of light, forcing Link away from the edge. He tilted his head back to see what was going on. Zant was in the air now as well, creating a ball of Twili magic to launch at the incoming light spirit.
An orange hand shot past Link and wrapped around Zant, jerking him down to a lower altitude. Link turned on his heel to address Midna who didn't even let him pose a question. Instead she said, "While I'm holding him, hit him with that fancy sword move you did earlier, so Lanayru can have a clear shot at the psycho."
Nodding in comprehension, Link turned to face the spring and raised the Master sword once again. Once the divine energy was captured, Link released it, aiming for Zant this time. When the arc of lavender struck the corrupt Twili, Midna relinquished her hold on him. As Zant floated there, temporarily paralyzed by the attack, Lanayru positioned himself directly in front of the Twili. Midna just barely made it back into Link's shadow before Lanayru blasted Zant with light so pure it made Link flinch and avert his gaze to spare his eyes.
He was unable to spare his ears from picking up on the agonized wail Zant let loose as he was disintegrated by the light spirit's power. As quickly as it had started, the sound was abruptly cut off and a few seconds later the light died down as well.
"Thank you, hero," Lanayru rumbled with apparent gratitude as Link turned back to view the spring. He nodded his head in a humble sort of acknowledgement, vaguely wondering why the spirit was thanking him when he hadn't been the one to put a permanent end to Zant.
Even as the water of the spring lost its golden sheen and the light spirit faded, Link couldn't bring himself to believe it was really over. It was so abrupt. He'd imagined Zant's demise to be drawn out and dramatic like Ganondorf's had been. It had been a struggle for a while, but it was a short struggle compared to fights Link had participated in before. A flash of light had ended it all. If only everything could be that simple.
Taking a final look around the cave, Link was met with a comfortable silence. Lanayru was satisfied and that was enough to assure him that Zant's reign of terror on the world was no more. They'd won, so maybe he hadn't lost his touch.
A glint of red floating in the water stopped him from turning completely around to leave, and he took a step closer to the edge. The crimson oval floated without purpose in the clear water of the spring. It was the gem that used to be fixated to the base of Zant's strange helmet, but more than that, it was the gem that had the power to open portals between the world of light and the world of twilight. Almost without thinking, Link dropped down into the water and retrieved the jewel. Midna would need it. Maybe not now, but someday. Link climbed out of the spring and headed for the exit.
He would have believed that Zant's influence on the light realm was completely extinguished along with him, but stepping out of the cavern that contained the worshipped spirit spring proved that wasn't the case. The darkened plum sky to the west was a blemish bordered by gold in the light blue sky. Twilight, but why?
"Midna, why's the Eldin Province not back to normal yet?" Link asked, taking his eyes off of the sky and redirecting his perplexed gaze to the ground where his shadow lay. He watched his shadow shift and darken as Midna effortlessly slid out of it.
"Just because Zant's gone doesn't mean that everything he did will automatically be undone," Midna informed him, but she didn't look at him as she said it. Her attention was focused on the abnormal section of sky.
"Something wrong?" Link wondered, noting Midna's defeated posture, and her crossed arms. She had spoken of killing Zant earlier, so now that he really was dead, Link didn't understand why Midna didn't show at least a little happiness. He could tell there was something she wanted to say, or perhaps it was something she didn't want to say but knew she had to. Whatever it was, he didn't pressure her to explain what was bothering her. If she wanted to tell him she would.
"Zant is…was my cousin," Midna said finally.
"What?" Link was sure he'd misheard, "You're…you were related to that psycho?"
"He wasn't always a psycho," Midna replied, her voice suddenly reminiscent. Link thought she'd elaborate, but his expectations were met with silence, so he remained quiet as well, letting Midna gather her thoughts. If he was patient enough, he was almost positive that she'd answer all of the questions wreaking havoc in his head at the moment without him having to voice a single one.
Sure enough, he was correct. "In your light-dweller years I would have been ten at the time that Zant came to the palace to live with my parents and me," Midna announced using a tone that convinced him she was disinterested in the story she was telling. Link knew better than to believe that though. She cared far more than she was letting on. "My parents were always so busy with making sure the kingdom was running smoothly that they had no time for me. I wouldn't have minded if I had a sibling, but I was an only child then and I still am now.
Back then, I spent all my free time visiting my cousin. He was close to my age and entertaining which was good enough for me. Then his parents died and mine offered to take him in. We were both excited about that because living together made it feel like we were actual siblings which was something we'd always wanted.
But I noticed a change in Zant when he came to live with us. He was still fun, but there was bitterness underlying it all. At first I thought it had to do with his parents, but then I wasn't so sure. He never talked about them, and I didn't dare bring it up for fear of making him mad at me and having no one to talk to.
Whenever I had to attend to my studies instead of being with Zant, he became angry at me. Before his parents' passing he understood the importance of it. I tried to get him to remember why my studies were important, even if they weren't that enjoyable, and suddenly I found myself with a studying partner.
The years came and went, both of us learning more and more of the Twili's history and the duties that fell to our realm's leader. Then it was time for the ceremony to choose the next ruler of the Twili. I was the rightful heir to the throne, so it was no wonder that I was chosen and bestowed the powers befitting only our ruler. You know that Zant thought differently.
I had only let him study with me in hopes that I could change him back into the person he was before his parents died, but never had I thought Zant would take it to another level. He expected to be crowned king and being denied that ruined him. Whatever resentment had been lying dormant within him for years became active and once it was unleashed, there was no going back. You know the rest."
"I'm sorry," was all he could say in response to her tale. Link had never thought of what Midna's life was like prior to meeting her, but he obviously should have given it more thought judging by this new revelation. He had always assumed that Zant was just some random Twili that had stood up to defy her when she was chosen as the Twilight Realm's ruler. Never had he fantasized Zant as being Midna's only friend when she was younger. Not to mention the fact that they were related by blood, cousins with the special bond normally reserved for siblings.
"Don't be," Midna unfolded her arms and flashed him a small smile, "Zant was too far gone to save. He's better off dead. My only regret is not realizing that sooner."
Link didn't know what to say to that, but it turned out that it was best to say nothing for Midna changed the topic, "Anyway, what do you say we get out of here? There's still twilight in need of dispelling."
"Yeah, there is," Link agreed, "but are you sure you're okay?"
"Link, I'm fine. I'll feel even better under the cover of twilight. Let's go, wolf boy," Midna declared, plucking the scarlet gem out of Link's hand and disappearing into his shadow.
This was one of the things he envied about Midna. She could brush off whatever was bothering her with relative ease and keep going. It must have been a secret of the Twili, or perhaps just the leader since Zant was a fairly terrible example when it came to the Twili people's ability of letting things go. Whatever it was, he would appreciate it if she could share the secret with Kid. Goddesses above knows that he needs it.
Link started to trek across the wooden bridges in order to reach Fyer's attraction. Just because Zant was gone didn't mean his job was done. He had much more to do, but for now he was content to take it one step at a time.
