~31~
Nayru gripped Karzad's shaking hand tightly, as the masses around them gasped in unison at the sight. The scarlet sky was thunderous and scorched.
"Where is Novur?" a voice in Nayru's mind screamed suddenly, but the blue ball of light was nowhere to be seen. Lightning seared the redness of the sky, flashing violently. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eyes, Nayru spied a mop of green hair. She reached out and grabbed the stumbling form, pulling him over.
"Londaris," she gasped.
"Where is Rondansa?" he said distractedly, his eyes scanning the swarming crowd.
"I don't know." Nayru said, trying to grip the two panic stricken boys.
"I have to find Master," Londaris said, straining against Nayru's hand.
"No!" she yelled, "We can't separate!" Suddenly Zarij ran straight into Nayru.
"Oh, sorry," she mumbled, not even looking up, but trying to get away.
"Zarij, wait!" Nayru cried hoarsely. Zarij whipped around and sighed in relief.
"I've been looking everywhere for you! What's happening?"
"I don't know," Nayru said fearfully. Suddenly a blinding bolt of lightning screamed across the sky met with a roar of deafening thunder. Then all went black once more.
*****
The blackness was inexplicable. It wasn't just darkness; it was a soundless, lightless void. Suddenly Nayru felt Karzad's hand wrenched from hers. She tried to scream but she couldn't, her voice was driven back into her throat. She sensed Zarij nearby…but she felt unattached from herself, confused. Wind whirled around them, and then suddenly the darkness was ended with a light red glow. It was just a flicker of redness at first, but then growing into an inferno. Then suddenly, it felt as though they all hit the ground.
Nayru, Zarij, and Londaris looked around, but the masses of people who had once surrounded them were gone. They were in some sort of dark chamber. There was a stifling heat that engulfed them, and the air was so thick it was almost impossible to breathe. A booming, diabolical laugh resounded throughout the chamber. They all shivered. Suddenly a dark form appeared before them. It strode forward slowly. The three stood, trembling in fright as the dark form moved closer and closer.
"Behold." A deep dark voice boomed. "The day of reckoning for all of Hyrule has come at last." He stepped from the shadows into the light. Nayru gasped throatily. It was her father. It was Link.
******
Only it wasn't…His face was white as snow. His eyes were black. No white or pupil, just a jet black. Streaks of blackened dry blood dripped from his pale lips. His eyebrows were thick, black, and furrowed in anger. His hair hung in filthy blackened strings, matted with dry blood. He wore black armor, from his head to his foot, and carried a black flail with long sharp spikes, and the master sword. But the master sword, wrought to fight evil, was now cursed. The steel was charred black, and the hilt, stained with brown blood. He paced closer.
"Father." Nayru croaked.
"He cannot hear you know," Link spoke. "For your father's soul has been taken by me, and broken, and disparaged, until I could take his form. You see little girl, when I began my rebirth, I was merely a broken spirit. Being held in the dark realm for all those years, my body was destroyed. But my soul lived on and held a burning vengeance within it. A hate so black that all I wanted to do was mangle and destroy Link, to milk every once of agony from him before I broke him. By then even my spirit struck fear into the hearts of the Gerudo. They bent easily to my will, and I already had them build me a fortress, and they would serve me in any way. I had them ransack your home, bring your mother and father to me. I worked long and hard to create a son, a son who could fight in my place. My fortress was infiltrated and my son destroyed…
Then…I had a better idea. Why kill your father when I could do something worse? Make him my master weapon, and use him to rule and destroy the very people he fought so hard to protect. It was brilliant, and I planned it perfectly. I tortured and imprisoned your mother, and began work on your father. It took me tireless hours of work until I broke him. But when I did, I inhabited his form, and began my preparations. I knew that the four relic bearers would try to be rounded up, but I created many unforeseen obstacles for you.
They worked for as you can see you do not have the staff bearer. Then I would have the very man, who raised and nurtured little Nayru, kill her and her little friends. You will be the first to go, in a mass destructive reign. But, enough talk, I am going to leave you now. I have decided to let you regroup for a few minutes, then I will return and give you a fighting chance in trying to destroy me. You will not succeed, of that I am certain, but surely you won't just give up?" Link/Ganondorf laughed evilly, and then disappeared into the shadows.
*****
"What are we going to do?" Nayru cried, wringing her hands.
"We're going to fight is what we're going to do." Zarij said. "There's nothing else we can do. We might as well just fight. Fight while we can."
"But it's useless," Londaris said, Zarij countered back
"I'll never admit defeat. If I'm going to die today, I'm going to die fighting." There was a long pause and then wordlessly they all agreed.
"I still don't know what my ring does though," Londaris cried hopelessly, flinging his arm out to one side. Suddenly a huge beam of green lightning burst from the tip of his ring and seared the wall that stood in the distance. "Whoa." Londaris said.
"So now we know what our rings do." Nayru said. "Mine protects us from harm, so I'll put up a shield while you guys attack." She said. They all nodded, and then they heard footsteps. This was it.