Chapter II
The Odentian warriors started with the canyon. It had a large force of infidels, but a pathetic one. The Odentians simply avoided the arrows, or better yet—caught them. And hurled them back.
The griffin that was Majora swooped from infidel to infidel, picking them off one by one. Hasoer and the twenty others attacked with arms, legs, even heads, occasionally using fingernail-sprouted claws and toenail-sprouted ones.
The infidel's main force decimated, a handful of better ones came out. They fought with double large swords.
For a second, a few warriors held back (largely due to their enemies' arrogance). But they went all out as Hasoer kicked a guard's sword right back at her, ending her resistance very quickly.
The area cleansed, one Odentian stayed behind. The others moved on.
They had, of course, forgotten the Desert Colossus.
Ganondorf had started conquering again.
He already controlled the land where Hyrule Castle and the Market used to stand. He had taken the Lost Woods and Kokiri Forest, in addition to Kakariko. Death Mountain still stood free, but not for long.
Rith was currently off taking Zora River and their Domain. He expected it to be his within a few hours—Rith was instructed not to breathe fire; it could evaporate the water. Then his idea wouldn't work, would it? And he couldn't have that.
The Sages (Zelda among them) gathered. They had to put their plan into action.
They knew about the invaders, and also about their one mistake—the overlooking of the Spirit Temple. They would make their stand there.
But first, they had one more task.
Rauru had told them about an ancient prophecy. It told of Hyrule's greatest hero being controlled, of their conquering, of their almost doom.
It told about a duel of honor—actually, two simultaneous ones. One between the leaders of both conquerors, one between their best fighters.
And it told of the solution.
Hasoer sprinted across the field, his strong legs going as fast as they could.
He came to the northern village called Kakariko, up its steps. He ran to the building he knew it was in.
He slowed down now, so it would look like he had just taken a leisurely walk there. Hasoer didn't bother to knock.
The door squeaked open. As he walked in, Hasoer saw what he had been looking for.
Instantly his hands shot out, and pulled it out, through the glass. The owner, who had been about to greet him, pulled out a bow from under the table.
All the owner noticed was a laugh, and the door splintered. The man was gone—he had run straight through it.
Outside, Hasoer stopped, just about to the stairs. He slipped on the mask, and felt its power run through him.
There was no transformation for him. The mask didn't even show—he looked exactly the same. But Hasoer knew he wasn't.
As the mask's power flew through him, Hasoer knew that he could no longer truly be called Hasoer. Only Emanon. The god of war.
It was almost midnight. Only twenty-four hours ago, Hyrule had been entirely peaceful, except for the little-known disappearance of the Hero of Time.
But Hyrule could not be more radically different.
All of northern and most of eastern Hyrule was in a state of ruin and despair. Ganondorf controlled them.
Southern and western Hyrule were almost no different. This was Odentian territory.
The Spirit Temple was the only place somewhat peaceful, if not normal. The Sages were there, along with some of the military and a few other people.
Lon Lon Ranch was surrounded in turmoil. Nobody controlled it.
It would be the site of the honor duels, having been arranged by the Odentians a few hours ago. At dawn, the ranch would be vacated, except for four.
Rith and Ganondorf stood, waiting impatiently for the Odentians. They came just before the sun cleared the horizon.
Silently, Rith and Majora, Ganondorf and Emanon paired off.
As the sun became entirely visible, the burst at each other. Rith and Majora took to the sky, while Ganondorf and Emanon stayed on the ground.
Rith and Majora snapped at each other—beak flashing, fire flaring, talons scraping. Majora seemed to temporarily have the edge, her smaller size and agility helping.
The thing was, Rith's scales seemed impervious. Her beak and talons merely skidded off.
On the ground, Emanon seemed to be winning. He casually flung aside anything Ganondorf threw at him.
Suddenly, he charged. His sword straight out, he plunged it through Ganondorf's chest. Ganondorf fell down.
Emanon started to calmly watch Rith and Majora. He didn't notice Ganondorf transforming, changing.
Ganon emerged.
Ganon merely took one swipe at Emanon with his sword. Emanon's legs fell out from beneath him. He seemed to think that ended his resistance, and thrusted his spear at Emanon's back.
Emanon rolled over, avoiding the spear. He smiled as Ganon watched, amazed.
"Yes, Ganon. I am the true Emanon. Not a fake."
Emanon grew and changed as well. This form was—
Ganon.
"Now we're equal. Let's see who is truly the better fighter, shall we?"
Swords and spears flashed, but Emanon was clearly better. Ganon's blocks became more and more frantic, barely being able to keep up. And then he couldn't at all.
Emanon's sword flashed. Ganon moved to block it. And then Emanon plunged his spear through Ganon's face.
Emanon returned to his Odentian form and watched the battle rage in the sky.
Rith and Majora still battled, Majora evading anything thrown at her, Rith withstanding.
The Sages gathered their power together. They could do it…
Rith suddenly seemed to explode, his scales and other body parts flying everywhere.
From within merged six shapes, each falling to the ground.
Majora gaped (if a griffin could) as the shapes fell. They landed gracefully, and Majora realized the shapes were Hylians.
As Majora stared, the figures pulled out bows. Six arrows flew at her—one red, one blue, and the rest normal.
The red arrow hit her first. Fire engulfed her body. She writhed in pain, from both the fire and the four normal arrows.
Emanon watched, calm, as he saw the blue arrow hit the griffin. Majora froze over, then fell. And shattered.
Pieces of ice shot out from her shattered body. She was dead.
Emanon turned to face the figures. He bowed, as had been arranged, accepting that they had won their fight. The Hylians bowed in return.
He then said simply, "One of you six. Forward."
The Hylians (who Emanon had realized were the same person, at different stages of their lives) discussed it for a second. Then the youngest, the child, stepped forward. Emanon laughed.
"Is that your best? Oh well. He shall die."
Emanon lashed out with a flurry of fierce attacks, but the kid simply avoided them.
Then he took something out. Some kind of mask…
Emanon recognized it as the very mask he had on his face, the one infidels distorted and warped.
The kid put it on, and Emanon was surprised at what followed. He transformed!
The mask had decided him worthy! Hasoer suddenly had more respect, but instantly discarded it. The infidels had warped it, after all.
The figure there was adult, in armor and wielding a helix sword. Emanon gasped at the ancient symbol. It couldn't have been warped enough, then, to think he was worthy when he wasn't…
Emanon was forced to stop that train of thought, as the helix sword flung a blue energy disk at him. This mask must be almost completely the same…
Emanon dodged the disk. His snap to the right turned into a jump as the warrior tried to stab him.
Emanon decided to make the jump a cartwheel. His feet, and the claws on them, would have decapitated the warrior, had his reflexes been an instant slower.
But they weren't. The sword came up, glowing with blue energy…
The magic flowed through Emanon's body. The magical energy converted instantly into electricity on contact with Emanon, and he fell to the ground. He had been beaten.
But the warrior knew he would heal, and quickly. He plunged the sword through the Odentian's back.
The warrior took off his mask, and returned to being a kid, no more than eleven. But a victorious eleven year-old.