Chapter Eight: The Lost Legend of the Triforce
Link awoke to find himself on top of a tall cliff. He could see the desert out in the distance and a nearly full moon hovering above him. Chiron was lying next to him, but he was still unconscious. Link was terribly confused. He had no idea how he got on top of the cliff. He remembered running from Ormek and getting caught by the veriok, but everything after that was a blur. He was not able to piece things together till he saw a large bird flying towards the cliff he was standing on.
"Ah Link, you're awake," the bird said.
"Kaepora Gaebora, It has been a long time," said Link, excited to see his old acquaintance.
"Yes it has, but unfortunately there's no time for us to catch up," the majestic owl interrupted, "There are some very pressing matters that I must discuss with you. As you may already know, General Ormek of Tyfiria has upset the balance of the Sacred Realm and the entire world and I fear that it is once again up to you to set things right."
Many of the day's events still confused Link, so he decided to ask a few questions. "I was wondering what had been happening. All day strange things have been occurring. Could you shed a little light on the situation?"
"I'll tell you everything you need to know," said Kaepora. "Today General Ormek entered the secluded part of the Sacred Realm, using the scepter of Sokor. An ancient and powerful relic was stored in that part of the Sacred Realm, the Triforce of Knowledge.
"What, but how?" Link stuttered. "How can there be another piece of the Triforce? I've never heard of it in any of the legends I have studied. Was there another goddess who aided in the creation of the world?"
Kaepora Gaebora ruffled his feathers and began to speak. "Not quite. Long ago, several millennia after the departure of the golden goddesses and the creation of the world, a fourth god descended from the heavens. This god's name was Sokor, brother to the three golden goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore. But Sokor, unlike his sisters was not a benevolent god. He did not come to this world to help its inhabitants; he came to bring them under his rule.
"Sokor, since he had first came into being, had always valued the gaining of knowledge above all else. He valued it more than all the treasure and all the living things in the universe. Sokor devoted his life to obtaining every ounce of information that existed. With the knowledge he gained he created many worlds and he ruled over them with an iron fist. Sokor soon thought himself to be the greatest of all the beings in the universe and that because of his great knowledge he believed he should rule over all things. His sisters did not share his destructive thirst for knowledge. While they did believe knowledge was important, they thought things such as peace, kindness, love, and courage were much more valuable things. The goddesses saw that such attributes were quickly vanishing from Sokor's heart. In an attempt to show Sokor the error of his ways they created this world. It was full of peace and beauty. Two attributes Sokor's worlds lacked. When Sokor saw the work of his sisters, he mocked it and began to create worlds after the likeness of his sisters', but he could not recreate the beauty that his sisters had made.
"Sokor could not understand it. His knowledge of creating worlds far surpassed his sisters', and yet time after time he failed to produce a world which could rival this one. Sokor grew angrier, with each world he created. Finally he decided that if he could not create such a world on his own he would conquer this planet and its inhabitants. The goddesses' plan had failed. Instead of showing their brother the importance of wisdom, courage, and the power of the heart, they only angered him and caused hate to swell within him.
"After Sokor descended upon this world, he created a great army out of an ancient race of aggressive beings known as the Ulgerons. The Ulgerons were a terrible people. They hated all other races and desired nothing more than to conquer the world. So when Sokor offered them the chance to become the supreme race of this world, they jumped at the chance. The army that Sokor created was unlike anything this world had ever seen before. The Ulgerons terrorized the other races and forced many of them into submission. It was not until the Hylians, Gorons, Zoras, Sheikah, Gerudo, and even the Deku formed a great alliance that there was any hope for victory.
"With the power of the Triforce, the alliance became much greater than the forces of the Ulgerons. The Ulgerons were forced back and were nearly defeated. But Sokor devised an evil plan, which turned the tides of the war back in his favor. He created a fourth piece of the Triforce, the Triforce of Knowledge. He infused the Triforce of Knowledge with a part of his evil spirit. Once Sokor placed the Triforce of Knowledge in the center of the Triforce the other three pieces became corrupt. This caused the great alliance to lose their strength, for they drew a great deal of their might from the sacred triangles. As time passed the alliance fell apart and the Ulgerons continued their conquest.
"One by one the races all fell, until only the Sheikah and the Hylians remained. In the final battle of the war, the two races defended themselves in the great fortress of Ulron-Chi that had been created by the golden goddesses themselves. The Hylians and Sheikah fought valiantly, but the Ulgerons were too numerous and forced the defenses back to the fortress's keep. The Ulgerons were just about to take the keep when help from the goddesses arrived. Soarlec the phoenix, servant of the goddesses, descended from the heavens. He removed the Triforce of Knowledge from the other three pieces and sanctified them. Soarlec carried the Triforce of Knowledge to a remote part of the Sacred Realm and created a protective barrier around it, separating it from the rest of the realm and leaving only one path to the evil Triforce segment.
"Without the Triforce of Knowledge draining power from the rest of the Triforce the Ulgerons withered and were easily defeated by the Sheikah and Hylians. Sokor was angered greatly by his sisters' interference. He attacked Soarlec and the two fought a legendary battle. In the end, both Sokor and Soarlec were sealed in the gap between dimensions.
"Fearing the evil power contained within the Triforce of Knowledge, the Sheikah built the Temple of Knowledge around the gate to the secluded part of the Sacred Realm. They also sealed the gate and created three keys and scattered them across the world. Also, in order to make sure no one ever tried to take the Triforce of Knowledge from its rightful place, they made a treaty with the other races. They all agreed to never speak of the war and the Triforce of Knowledge again, in hopes that the evil piece of the Triforce would drop out of the history of the world.
"The treaty worked and over time the history of the great war dropped out of legend. No records were kept of it and those who knew of the war never spoke of it. The only record of the war was inscribed on the walls of the temple of knowledge. For more than two thousand years the Temple of Knowledge remained undisturbed until fourteen years ago, when the Cyntirians discovered it.
"Not long after the temple's discovery, a slave of the Cyntirians found the entrance to temple. He only showed the entrance to one person before his death, his grandson, Ormek. The slave made a copy of a key portion of the inscriptions and gave it to his grandson. After his grandfather was killed, Ormek escaped from slavery and joined a band of other ex-slaves. This band fought against the Cyntirians and freed their people. After the war between the Cyntirians and Tyfirians ended, Ormek dedicated most of his time to translating the inscriptions. His mission eventually brought him to Hyrule. Once there he discovered an old book containing a translation of the ancient text.
"Ormek translated his portion of the inscriptions and learned the secret to opening the gate to the secluded part of the Sacred Realm and the great power which was held within it. Still filled with hatred for the Cyntirians, Ormek set out to obtain the three keys, which would allow him to unlock the gate to the Sacred Realm. It took him years to find all three keys, but yesterday his search ended with the recovery of that blue orb and now Ormek has taken the Triforce of Knowledge from its rightful place and he has upset the balance of the Sacred Realm in the process. But that is not all, I fear Ormek is planning to use his piece of the Triforce to do something terrible to the people of Cyntir."
"How do you know all this?" Link asked, for there seemed to be many gaps in the legend, which he did not understand.
"I met Ormek back when he visited Hyrule about two years ago. The first time I saw him I felt a strong urge to speak with him. I could sense that this was a man of great importance and that he would somehow affect the course of history. It was the same feeling I had when I first met you Link.
"I tried to have a conversation with Ormek, but he did not wish to share his designs with me. I followed him back to Tyfiria and have been watching him closely ever since. It did not take me long before I realized what he was trying to accomplish.
"So you found out about the lost legend of the Triforce by spying on Ormek?" Link inquired.
"No, no, I don't think Ormek even knows the whole legend himself," the bird answered, "he's spent too much time focusing on obtaining the prize. He hasn't spent any time researching its origin. No, I've known about that legend almost my whole life. I am much older than I look, Link. I was alive back during the ancient war, though I did not have the form I do now.
"Yes, the Triforce of Knowledge is indeed an evil relic and in the hands of someone so full anger and hatred as Ormek is, it could cause problems for every nation in the world."
"What exactly makes this piece of the Triforce so powerful?" Link asked, continuing his inquiry.
"The Triforce of Knowledge does not function in the same way that the other three pieces do," Kaepora said. "It gives its holder the ability to take in vast amounts of information in a relatively short amount of time. It also allows its holder to process that information much quicker and more efficiently than any ordinary person. However, the Triforce of Knowledge has one major disadvantage when compared to the other Triforce pieces. He who possess it losses the ability to use any kind of magic other than the magic that is contained directly within the Triforce of Knowledge and unless its holder acquires another piece of the Triforce, he can never again use magic unless he rids himself of the evil Triforce. Although, there are legends of certain items created by the Ulgerons that can extend or unlock secret powers of the Triforce of Knowledge, but even I am not sure if those legends are true. But it does not matter. The Triforce of Knowledge by itself makes Ormek a formidable adversary, for there are many hidden powers, which remain dormant within the golden triangle that he may yet uncover.
"I fear that Ormek will use the power he obtained today to destroy Cyntir, while I don't know his plan exactly, it is apparent that the Triforce of Knowledge is not safe in his possession. That is why you must defeat general Ormek and return the Triforce of Knowledge to its rightful place.
"But how can I beat him?" Link said with a desperate tone, "The Triforce of Knowledge seems to have the power to make him invincible. When I fought him at the Temple he wiped the floor with me and Chiron and he did not even seem to be trying."
"Relax Link," Kaepora said calmly, "The Triforce of Knowledge is very powerful, but its full power can't be utilized by anyone until their mind becomes completely synchronized with it. That would take even the most dedicated person at least a thousand years to do. Still, the longer Ormek has the Triforce of Knowledge the more his mind will meld with it and with that his power will grow. That is why it is imperative that you stop him as soon as possible."
"All right," said Link, "just tell me how to stop this guy and I will do it."
Kaepora hooted loudly with excitement and said, "Off Cyntir's southern shore on a large island lays the great Frozen Fortress. In that fortress there is a temple known as the Blizzard Temple. Somewhere with in that temple you will find the ancient relic, which can separate the Triforce of Knowledge from Ormek and send it back to the Sacred Realm. The secluded part of the Sacred Realm will then seal itself up again. Hopefully the Triforce of Knowledge will never be needed, because once that door is sealed by the relic, it can never again be opened."
"If Soarlec could seal off that part of the Sacred Realm, why did he not do so when he first placed the Triforce of Knowledge there?" Link questioned.
"The goddesses did not want to lose all access to the triangle," Kaepora answered. "They thought that one day they might be able to use the Triforce of Knowledge to help their brother. The relic you must find will not actually seal the gate, but Ormek has destroyed the keys that allow passage to the secluded part of the realm. If you do return the Triforce of Knowledge to its rightful place, no one will ever be able to steal it again."
"Very well, then what is this ancient relic and by what means can it control the Triforce of Knowledge," Link asked, still a little confused.
"Soarlec knew that there may come a day when the Triforce of Knowledge may be stolen, so he left behind one of his talons and with his talon he also left an incantation. When the incantation is used on the Talon of Soarlec it will gain the power to extract Ormek's prize from him and send it back from whence it came.
"Be warned though, Link. The writings Ormek took form the Temple of Knowledge also told of the purpose and location of the Talon of Soarlec. Because of my interference, it is likely Ormek will be expecting you to go after the talon and will send his men after you.
"Now, I suppose its time for me depart and let you begin your journey, after all you have along way to travel in a short amount of time."
Kaepora began to flap his massive wings and was about to fly off, but Link had one last question for the great bird. "What should I do with Chiron?" he asked.
"Send him home," Kaepora answered, "You will face a long treacherous road before you reach your destination and I fear it is not a road Chiron is prepared to take." With that, the majestic owl raised high in the air and picked up Link and carried him to the base of the cliff. He then flew back to the top of the cliff and fetched Chiron.
"I'm sorry that I can't take you further," the bird said regretfully, "but I can not carry both of you at the same time, besides I lack the strength to carry someone of your stature great distances. I'm afraid you will have to travel the whole way on your own. If you head due south you should run into someone who can help you out of the desert." With that Kaepora Gaebora flew off into the night sky. Link decided it was to dangerous to travel at night due to the verioks constantly slithering beneath the desert sands, so he laid himself down next to Chiron and soon fell asleep.
When Link awoke the next morning he discovered his mouth was full of sand. He quickly spat it out and looked over at Chiron to find him still unconscious. Link placed his hand on his companion's shoulder and shook him fiercely. "Chiron, wake up," Link said loudly. Chiron's eyes opened slowly. His eyes then began to jerk around furiously surveying his surroundings.
"Wha… What happened? Are we dead? Where are we?" Chiron was full of questions like these and was asking them too rapidly for Link to answer.
"Speak slower Chiron," Link said, "We are not dead we are perfectly fine, aside from the fact that we are in the middle of the desert with only enough water to last us a couple of days. Other than that we are in good shape." Chiron just blinked not knowing how to react to such an odd sense of humor.
"Yeah, well all I want to know is how we got away from that veriok," Chiron said as he turned to Link to see if he could shed any light on what happened.
"If I was to tell you how we got away, you most likely would not believe me, so do not press the matter." Link said. Nonetheless Chiron continued to inquire of Link as to what had happened. After a few minutes of constant pestering, Link finally gave in and told Chiron they had been saved by a giant owl.
Upon hearing Link's explanation Chiron turned to his companion and said, "I should never have doubted you. You were right, I don't believe you," he then burst out into laughter. Link simply sighed.
"We better move out before the sun gets to high," Link said. Chiron agreed, so the two started their long march headed due south. During their journey through the desert, Link told Chiron that Ormek had acquired a powerful weapon from the temple and that it would give him the last bit of power he needed to conquer Cyntir. He also told Chiron of Soarlec's Talon and how it had the power to confound Ormek's weapon. Link stopped his explanation of the situation there. He decided it was not imperative for Chiron to know all the details.
"Oh man," Chiron said fretfully after Link finished speaking. "We've got to stop him. Link you can count on me to go with you to the Blizzard Temple and retrieve Soarlec's Talon."
"Chiron…" Link said, not quite sure how to handle his companion's enthusiasm, "are you sure you are up for this. It will be no easy task to make it to the temple and besides I am sure your parents are worried sick about you. I think it would be best for you to head home as soon as we get out of this desert."
"No," Chiron protested, "General Ormek has been tormenting the people of my country for far too long. No one has ever dared stand up to him. It's about time someone did something about that guy. If I back down now when I know Ormek may soon be attacking my country, I'd never be able to live with myself.
"Are you really that determined to defeat Ormek?" Link asked. Chiron simply nodded. "Very well then," Link sighed, "you may accompany on my quest. Who knows, you may prove to be a great asset to me."
"Thank you," Chiron said, "I won't let you down.
From the base of the cliff from which Kaepora Gaebora had departed, Chiron and Link had not yet traveled ten miles to the south when off in the distance they saw concentration of many buildings. Each building varied from three to five stories tall.
The two companions were overjoyed to have found a settlement on the same day they began their journey. They were so relived that no thought of caution crossed their minds while approaching the towers.
The two were not one hundred feet from the nearest structure when they heard a loud voice call out, "Hey you two, stop right there." Both of the young men halted abruptly. On the top of one of the nearby towers, stood a young Gerudo, "Seize them," she called out. Link and Chiron were almost immediately surrounded by a group of Gerudo warriors. The two companions drew their swords, but dozens of Gerudo spears were already pointed at them.
Realizing the hopelessness of their situation Link dropped his sword in the sand and raised his hands above his head. He ordered Chiron to do the same. "Save your strength Chiron. We will gain nothing by fighting," he said Chiron reluctantly dropped his weapon as well.
As the two travelers were escorted to the towers, all Link could think about was the impending doom that would come if he failed in his mission and it appeared failure would be the outcome of his journey.