A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
A Pair of Time
Chapter 23- Awakening of the Light
Chamber of the Sages
"Link… Malon…" a voice appears. "Wake up… chosen ones…"
It's like waking up from a dream that you know you've been in too long. Link's eyes start to see the waving color of blue.
Ugh… Where am I?
Link looks up to see he's standing on a platform, suspended in the empty void around him. Light, coming from an infinite distance, shines down in the room. He then eyes a small platform, a green platform with a familiar symbol on it. He turns his head to the left, seeing a yellow one, with a person on it. He quickly looks up to find an old man dressed in strange, noble clothes looking at him.
"Huh?" Link said. "Who… who are you?"
"Fairy boy…?" Malon's voice is heard next to him.
She wakes up to the bewildering sight around her, too. She notices the old man, eyeing both of them. Like Link, she keeps her eye on him, if something should happen.
"I am Rauru," the old man introduces himself, "one of the ancient Sages…"
"Sages?" Malon hears the word. "But, I thought… I thought the stories of the Sages weren't true…"
"It is very much true, Malon. Ages ago, we ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm…"
"Well, Rauru… Where are we?" Link asks.
"This is the Chamber of the Sages, inside the Temple of Light… The Temple of Light, situated in the very center of the Sacred Realm, is the last stronghold against Ganondorf's evil forces."
"Ganondorf… Did he…"
"Link, I shall explain to you all that soon," Rauru interrupts. "The Master Sword, the evil-destroying sword that you pulled out of the Pedestal of Time, was the final key to the Sacred Realm."
"It was?"
"Yes. Now… Link… Malon… Take a look at yourself…"
Link looks down, and is utmost amazed. He's… he's… grown up. He looks over at Malon. All grown up, too. Malon has the same expression on her, looking at herself and then at Link. Link wears the same Kokiri tunic, now a larger size, with a white suit around his skin. Red gauntlets on his hands fit comfortably, as Link stretches his hands to feel them. On his back is his Hylian Shield, now fit for proper use, and a sword that wasn't there before. For Malon, she wears a white shirt complemented with a yellow bandanna over it. She wears a light purple skirt, with a brown, patterned rectangle on it, all held up by a belt. The flowing, fiery scarlet hair goes over her back, as if it grew only a bit.
"Link…" Malon said. "We're…"
"You guys!" Navi flies around them. "You're big now! You've grown up!"
"Rauru, how can this be?" Malon asks.
"Soon, Malon, soon I will explain." Rauru slowly nods low. "The Master Sword is a sacred blade which evil ones may never touch… Only one worthy of the title of 'Hero of Time' can pull it from the Pedestal of Time… Only you, Link, could pull the blade out."
"So… I'm really the Hero of Time?" Link said.
"And, me, the Heroine of Time?" Malon follows.
"Yes. You two are the legendary Heroes of Time that will save Hyrule in its darkest hour. However, both of you were too young to be them… Therefore, your spirits were sealed here for seven years."
"Seven… seven years?" Malon repeats unbelievably.
"And now that you are old enough, the time has come for both of you to awaken as the Heroes of Time!"
Whoa, now that's a big duty. Link exhales to relieve himself. "That's… that's a lot of things to realize, Rauru," Link said.
"Well, do you understand your destiny?"
As it may be, they have to. Link sighs, but dutifully says, "Yes."
"But, remember… Though both of you opened the Door of Time in the name of peace… Ganondorf used it to enter this forbidden Sacred Realm…"
"Ganondorf really did… enter the Sacred Realm?"
Rauru nods.
"He obtained the Triforce from the Temple of Light, and with its power, he became the King of Evil…" Rauru explains. "His evil power radiated from the temples of Hyrule, and in seven short years, it transformed Hyrule into a world of monsters."
"Can't you do anything?" Malon said. "You are one of the ancient Sages!"
"Unfortunately, my power now has only little influence, even in this Sacred Realm… Namely, this Chamber of the Sages. But there is still hope… The power of the Sages remains. When the power of all the Sages is awakened… The Sages' Seal will contain all the evil power in the void of the Realm…"
"So, we should find and awaken these Sages?" Link questions.
"Yes. Both of your powers to fight together with the Sages make you the Heroes of Time, chosen by the Master Sword! Keep my spirit with you… And, find the power of the other Sages and add their might to your own!"
Rauru's arms stretch into the air above. A medallion falls out of the air, bearing the color and the symbol of the platform Rauru's standing on.
The Light Medallion…
The power of the Light by Rauru…
Again, the world closes its eyes for Link and Malon.
"Find the other Sages and save Hyrule!" Rauru's voice hangs in the air.
Temple of Time; Night
The same blue light seven years ago reappears again, but this time, it fades instead of brightens. There they stand, the Heroes of Time. Link and Malon. All grown up.
Malon couldn't believe it. Everything seems so frivolous before the Master Sword. Now, they are to save Hyrule like true heroes. Like if they are stuck in some prophecy. She exhales sharply, breaking the silence of the rather untouched temple.
"We're back… at the Temple of Time," Malon observes, "seven years later…"
"Do you really think…?" Navi starts.
"We don't know, Navi," Link answers. "We don't know if seven years… went past by."
"So much we've missed…"
"Link, Malon. I don't think you could use some of the weapons you found as kids anymore…"
"Oh… My slingshot…" Malon finds the thing in her pack. "It's so small now. And here's the Goron Bracelet. But, that seems so small, too. Like ages…"
"Let's get out of here," Link declares, walking down from the platform.
A presence of a person appears. Malon stops and turns around, while Link draws the blade of evil's bane, nicely with the Hylian Shield. A blond-haired young man, dressed in a tight blue outfit, wearing white over his chest, his head wrapped in bandages. But, the most noticeable thing is the symbol he bores on his chest, the symbol of the Sheikah…
"I've been waiting for you, Heroes of Time," he simply said.
Like a soothsayer, this person's voice carries the mysterious tone of truth, maybe hidden behind the lies.
"When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples."
"Wait," Link stops him. "How do you know about the Sages?"
"That matters little from what I have to say. The five Sages… I know of them. They reside in the five temples across Hyrule. One in a deep forest… One on a high mountain… One under a vast lake… One within the house of the dead… One inside a goddess of the sand… Together with the Heroes of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world… This is the legend of the temples passed down by my people, the Sheikah."
"So, you are a Sheikah," Malon repeats.
"Yes. I am Sheik. Survivor of the Sheikahs."
"Survivor?" Link said. "So, all the Sheikahs… They're all gone?"
"I'm afraid so. I'm the only one left." Sheik then gazes at him, as if Link's a wonder. "As I see you standing there holding the mythical Master Sword, you really do look like the legendary Hero of Time…"
Sheik then turns his attention to Malon.
"And you… accompanying him. Your bond with the Hero of Time has made you the legendary heroine I see standing before me… Though, you may have no weapon, you will have one, and take on the true image of the Heroine of Time. But, your power… It will help the Hero of Time greater than any other weapon. The world of Hyrule cannot be saved without you two."
Sheik's eyes close a bit, then he opens them.
"If you believe the legend, you have no choice. You must look for the five temples and awaken the five Sages…"
"I guess so." Link sighs. "We must awaken them, then."
Sheik crosses his arms, turning his attention to Link.
"One Sage is waiting for the time of awakening in the Forest Temple. The Sage is a girl I am sure you know of…"
"Who?"
"That is for yourself to know. Because of the evil power in the temple, she cannot hear the awakening call from the Sacred Realm… Unfortunately, equipped as you currently are, you cannot even enter the temple…"
"What?"
"But, if you believe what I'm saying, both of you should head to Kakariko Village… Do you understand?"
"Well, seeing as there really is no other choice…" Malon decides.
"Right, then." Link nods. "Kakariko Village is where we'll head next."
"Return here after you have awaken the Forest Sage," Sheik's farewell states.
Exiting the room, they enter the room where the altar is.
"So… fairy boy…" Malon shakes her head. "I shouldn't be calling you that. We're grown up now!"
"That's okay. You can call me whatever you like."
"I know everything's trying to be cleared up and all, but I have this one big question. If you're a Kokiri, then… why did you grow up?"
Link's feet stop. This is certainly a question that he feels he knows of, but… is the answer true?
"Well, Malon, think for a bit." he turns his head toward her. "Kokiris can't grow up, right? And Hylians can?"
It takes a while before the simple answer cracks through Malon's skull.
"So… you really are… a Hylian?"
"That seems the most suitable answer I can think of."
"But, what about your past? How… you were created by the Great Deku Tree?"
"I have a feeling… that he was expecting me to know the truth, sooner or later."
"A Hylian… Fairy boy as a Hylian."
"So, you're still going to call me that?" Link rubs his face in annoyance. "Fairy boy? Even when I'm grown up? Even when I'm not a Kokiri?"
"Mmm-hmm. I've never stop making fun of you, no matter what."
Link sighs, hearing this pet name at his age and race.
"This is going to be a long adventure…" Link said with a smirk.
Market
Clouds, even darker than those seven years ago, hang over Hyrule Castle Town, with no sign that it cares about its overstay. Dead trees everywhere stand like cursed skeletons. The ground feels like it can crumble with each step. The air is cold, as if Death is tiptoeing behind Malon and Link. But worst of all, it feels empty. All the cheeriness seven years ago fled to this emptiness.
"Oh…" Malon kneels down to the ground. "Ganondorf… I can't believe he did this…"
"Damn… He really did turn the world into evil. We have to get into town first, to see if anybody's still there."
Anybody that is still left behind is insane enough to do that. ReDeads from the dead citizens are around the destroyed Market, having nothing better to do than moan.
"All those innocent people…" Malon said sadly. "They've turned into ReDeads…"
"Yes, well, let's just not draw their attention towards us."
Ganon's Castle
Where the famous castle of Hyrule once stood been is but a floating island with another castle on it. It has the color of the shadows, the look of danger, and the feel of evil radiating from it. The green fields around it are laid waste to scorched earth. The main gate of Hyrule Castle, tossed aside like a toy tossed by a baby.
"All the same," Malon comments. "Evil just seem to like the theme of tall, dark, and scary."
"I always did wonder about that," Link said. "Evil can just be bright and cheery. I see nothing wrong with that."
"Ganondorf has a lack of taste of exterior, and if I bet, interior designs."
"Evil is so weird, and kinda stupid."
"Yeah, I know."
Market
The only person that seems alive enough to be count as a resident is inside the gatehouse. The gatehouse is still the same, only with less jars, and a shelf with cages of Poes. A being sits on the bed, staring at them with that one red 'eye'. She wears a dirty white, ragged dress, with a purple coat. Wielding a cane, she whacks the shelf to scare the Poes back to the inside of their cages.
"Oh…" she said admiringly, "you two are quite energetic, you young people. Brave, and quite the lookers, too. Heh heh heh… you, the handsome young man, your name is Link. And you, the beautiful young lady, yours is Malon. Am I not right?"
"Okay…" Malon is freaked out. "How did you know our names?"
"Heh heh he… don't be surprised. I can read people's minds." the 'lady' sighs with a hint of dreaminess. "If I looked as good as you, young lady, I could run a different kind of business… heh he heh…"
"What business do you run?" Link asks.
"A Ghost Shop. It's the only one in Hyrule." the woman points up to the Poes. "Because of the great Ganondorf, it is a fine time for a business like this… heh heh heh… Oh… I can only hope the world gets even worse!"
"First of all, we're not exactly in best terms with Ganondorf."
"Oh, I know. But, what should one do?"
"How about not getting easy money from Ganondorf's evil reign?" Malon glares at her.
"Ah, but I'm doing a good thing here." the woman points at the Poes again. "You see these ghosts? Poes are spirits of concentrated hatred that appear in the fields and Graveyard. They hate the world! Good thing when you destroy their dangerous, physical bodies, they expose themselves as weak spirits like these."
"What's so good about it, then?"
"Young lady, if you catch a Poe, I will keep it. This makes sure that the Poes do not return, thus safety, no? I will pay a lot of money for it… Heh heh hee!"
"Sure…" Link acknowledges, "we'll give you Poes that we'll catch, then."
"Then, no time to stand around, do we? Just go continue your great journey."
"How do you know… Uh, never mind."
"Weird, no?" Malon asks after they exited.
"Definitely. Even after seven years and a taste of Ganondorf's reign."
"Good. Let's go, then!"