A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
A Pair of Time
Chapter 64- Nocturne of Shadow, Part 3
Shadow Temple; Night
"Don't ya just love riding on a boat?"
"If you mean dark, evil, and twisted, then no," Link answers back in the same tone.
Our heroes have gotten through the three top floors of the Shadow Temple, and they still have all their limbs, despite what Link's dark side kept haunting about. The main event of the fane is no doubt the ferry they had laid eyes on earlier. They know the mechanism to activate the ship's wheels, and their good fortune seems to be still sustaining for the two. The only question is, will they have the courage to arrive into the 'other world' by this seemingly unreliable transport?
"Into the netherworld…" Link said. "Where all the evil dead dwell for sempiternity…"
"Hell… Is it burning hot, or is it empty and cold…?"
"From what we've seen so far… Empty and cold seems to be the winner."
"Well?" Malon looks up to him.
"Heh…" He gleams down to her. "I know it'll be impossible to say we've been damned if we ever leave the underworld."
"Hee hee. Good point." She hops onto the ominous ship. "Let's get this show on the road!"
The soft, mysterious cry of the Royal Family pierces through the moans of the dead, hailing upon the phantoms to withdraw their selfishness and carry the ferry to the other side. The bells of the ship continue the call, ringing as if they are emitting knells declaring the deliverance of the livings into the plane of no more. The fares become alarmed when the corvette suddenly is out of suspension and is sailing through the mist blanketing the black void below.
"… Ya would think the ferry to the other world would be less comfortable, but…" Malon observes the ongoing scene, conjugated with the continuous chiming of the ride's campanology, "sometimes darkness can have some style."
"Whoa!" Link throws her back, missing a narrow slash by a Stalfos above. "Yeah, and I don't suppose this type of style has some dispatching crew members, do you?"
A harrowing fight takes place on the ship's deck, pitting the Heroes of Time against two Stalfos. All the while of the affray, the ferry rides along inside the gigantic tunnel, setting the scenery around everybody with stalagmites from the abyss and surrounding mist of an eerie aqua hue.
Pinning one against a corner, Link is problem free, while Malon is trying to drive back her match with the pitchfork. "Ha, that's right!" She bares the pronged end in offensive. "Never seen a heroine wield a farm tool before, have ya?" She drives her footing forward, forcing back the Stalfos. "What are ya gonna do now, huh? What are ya gonna do now?"
Seeing an opportunity, the undead knight smacks and holds down her weapon with its undulatory sword. Startled by the turns of odds, Malon sheepishly chuckles, "Right… that." The Stalfos grins maliciously, then it fades as its head turns towards a cry. Link flies in with his new claymore, landing a hard, vertical slam. With a sharp swiftness, the Biggoron Sword splits its foe like butter, smoothly hitting the bottom.
Link brings the blade to his right hand, giving the Biggoron Sword a proud look. He strokes the metal once, admiring not only its design, but its power. Malon scoffs, believing the hero is plainly gaudiness by flaunting. Catching his eye, she sighs. "Ya wouldn't have a spare spade, do ya?"
"If you would have told me much earlier, I would have. Master Sword?"
"Never mind. My stuff, my responsibility."
"Your stuff, your responsibility, maybe your death?"
"Ha ha, just watch. This pitchfork will come through for me." As soon as Link turns his attention away, Malon allows a gulp to travel through her throat. "I hope," she whispers to herself while staring at her weapon.
The other world brings into view rotting ground with a gap in the middle. The section nearest the ferryboat's drop-off leads into a room closed by an iron door. The other segment holds two statue of the same bird of the shadows. One however is broken off, and judging by its head impaled on the other area of ground, the statue seemed to have fallen to that side.
"Someone's been here," Link notes.
"Impa, I bet!"
"Could be." He scans the dungeon's Map. "If she was here, then I have no doubt she went on to the main room of the monster."
"The shadow thing…"
"It can only be…" Suddenly, the boat quakes violently, eliciting sounds of startled nature. "Whoa!"
"What the heck!"
Yo! The ship's about to sink! Dark Link shouts out. Get off! Get your asses off this boat!
"Mal! Jump off!"
"What! Okay!"
The two sprint, reaching the rim before their feet lose ground with the ferry. Their scream echoes through the dead air, causing the spirits to awaken to these signs of life. The noises then pass away, dulling the excited tension to the same musty atmosphere. Gripping the edge of the black earth are the Heroes of Time.
"Well…" Link grunts as he pulls himself onto the surface, "that was fun."
"Urrrgh… Yeah, fairy boy, about to be sunk into an endless abyss is fun," Malon counters with acerbity when she climbs to safety. "Is joking around while being in the most evil temple really necessary?"
"Do you want to dread what's around every corner and panic at every little thing?"
"It could relieve tension."
"And humor doesn't?"
"Well, yeah, that… but we exchanged so many witty remarks that we're starting to become less alert of things."
"Answer me this. Would you rather die screaming around, or at least laugh a little before being mutilated?"
"See, that's funny, too! Do we always make jokes whenever there's a chance we could die?"
"I do. Nothing against laughing while swords are pointing at our faces."
"See? You're just… going off with whatever's the top of your head, and it turns these bad moments into laughing sprees." Malon cocks her head. "How do ya think of these things?"
"It's a kind of a reflex I adopted before this whole adventure started. It's not like you don't say these things, either."
"I just say 'em. I don't think, yet I still say them."
"It's like my tropism. Something, whether bad, strange, or impossibly insane, happens, and we remark with words that turns the mood comical."
"Yeah, shut up, and let's just get this temple done before I find myself waking up as a ReDead," Malon closes and starts walking to the door nearby.
"There! That sentence was kind of humorous, too!"
The place that serves as the anteroom to three other locations is a curious maze. At first glance, it's all pillars and Floormasters littered around. A head smack against an invisible wall and usage of the Lens of Truth reveal illusions cluttering the passages. The three rooms the tiny labyrinth leads into are not worth noticing about, all except one.
"Hmm?" Malon sees a jar opposite of her. "Nothing much…" An abrupt seizure of the chilliness gives her second thoughts.
"Uh…" Link taps her, pointing a finger to their left and right.
"What…? OH, MY GODDESS! SPIKY WALLS ARE CLOSING IN ON US!"
The erections from either side are indeed intended to reach its opposite. The walls are wooden, with unseemly done pikes jutting out. However dangerous and terrifying they might be, the architecture clearly shows that the booby trap is poorly crafted, almost rushed and amateurish. Such work is very irregular in a dark yet grand temple.
"AAAH!" Malon, in a fit of unparalleled panic, darts randomly around. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW WE'RE GONNA DIE SOONER OR LATER! I KNEW WE'RE GONNA DIE IN THIS TEMPLE!"
"Huh…" Link scrutinizes the oncoming walls. "Crummy pieces of wood…"
"MOM, OH MOM! WE TRIED OUR BEST! WE TRIED SO MUCH FOR HYRULE! BUT YOUR DAUGHTER IS ABOUT TO JOIN YOU!"
"Looks like it can burn pretty quickly…"
"OW! I'M GONNA DIE WITH HOLES IN ME!"
"Maybe the Fire Arrows can take care of these… Quicker yet, I could us- Oof!" The redhead throws herself at him, a clear, erratic thought beating in her eyes.
"OH, GODDESS, LINK! WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GONNA DIE SO SOON!"
"Uh, Malon…"
"I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU, LINK! BEFORE WE DIE, I WANT TO SAY THAT ONE LAST TIME!"
Oh, geez… His face almost grimaces at her latest wailing. Maneuvering his arms underneath the embrace of Malon's, Link quickly procures Din's Fire, warming up in his hands from his touch. Focusing on the crystal, the explosion breaks from his hands, then enlarges speedily enough to ignite the wooden structures. Two seconds later, there remains little but cinders of the trap. Link suspires, then perceives his diehard lover still quivering and holding very tightly onto him. Tight enough that he could faintly feel his breath shortening. "Mal… you can let go now."
She stops her trembling and slowly opens her eyes. "… What?"
"Din's Fire. That's all that's needed to be explained."
"Oh… I… I knew that."
"And the door wasn't locked."
"Uh…"
"And do you want me to remind you of the last few moments?"
"Uh, no… Not necessary." Malon blushes at the thought.
"Um… you still haven't let go."
"… So?"
"Oh, Nayru…" Link shakes his head. Why can't I have somebody who isn't this closely attached to me…?
After retrieving the Boss Key, they head off to the drop-off. The only way across the gap is to destroy the base of the undamaged statue. Bomb Flowers luckily grow in such a dark environment, but to have them blooming right next to the statue is another thing. Ignoring the coincidence, an arrow by the two sets off the explosives, blasting extreme force into anything nearby. The statue's foundation starts to crumble to the pressure, emanating a loud, grating sound. The upper half coarsely slides off, then stands suspended on contact with the ground. Unbalanced poise however prevails, leaning the fractured monument towards the abyss. As assumed, the beak of the bird roughly reaches the other end, driving through the dirt. What was once the dignified sculpture of a creature of the shadows is now a stony, barely stable bridge.
Ahh… I can feel it… Dark Link whispers rather loudly. It's close… The demon from the depths of no light…
Tell me, how can we defeat it? Link asks, almost tentatively paying attention to hidden platforms of the next room.
This ain't no ordinary monster that you've been dealing with. It lives with darkness, in shadows, where the most powerful of light cannot penetrate no matter how hard they try.
Uh…
Don't be a coward. I said most powerful, not most cunning. The little eye of light you've been using in this dark place won't fail you when it comes down to it.
Right, Lens of Truth… Anything else?
Heh, I'll tell you the rest when we get there.
Assured reliance is questioned yet again with Link's dark side. Taking care to make sure he and Malon don't find themselves an early grave, he brings themselves over to the door leading to the shadow spirit.
"Ready?" he inquires as he obtains the Boss Key.
"I dunno…" Malon heaves a breath. She eyes her dirty boots containing splotches of blood. "But it's things like that that makes sure we don't get the job done. Ain't sure if I'm raring to go, but…" She acquires her dependable weapon: her Fairy Bow, "who the heck cares?"
"Hmm, I do."
"You try to be in my shoes, then."
"No thanks. They're too small, if you haven't checked."
"… Last joke, right…?"
"… Who said it was the last?" he adds as he unlocks the large mechanism of the door.
They head in the anteroom, unaware of the floor and the hole in the middle. Stricken when they feel the ground give away, they yell as their descent leads them onto a platform. Instead of being crushed upon impact, the ground rebounds the two, softening their fall.
"Wah!" Malon hits headfirst onto the ground. "Ow…! What the heck…?" She gives a punch on the base, finding her fist springing back. "Hey, this thing's bouncy!"
"Holy…" Link confirms with himself by tapping with the tip of his boot. "It's hollow… The top's pretty tight… Almost like… a drum…"
"Where are we?" The redhead stands up and peers around. "There's nothing but blackness around us…"
True to her word, immeasurable distance of the common color envelops the platform, accompanied with entire noiselessness and frigidness. Around it, the green liquid of the dead lay with the fresh smell of decay. The only light that allows the heroes to even behold images is the one barely beaming from the hole above. All of this gives a sense that the Heroes of Time has reached the end of the living world.
"So… this must be hell…" Malon mutters to Link.
"Dark… It's true… The dark land never lets light set foot here…"
A low, direful voice suddenly sounds off in their minds. Defilers… it utters, implicitly a tone not of the overworld.
"What was that!" Malon shouts.
"You heard that, too?"
"Yeah, it sounded freaky in your mind?"
"Yes!" That wouldn't be you, would it?
Does my voice sound like that? Dark Link said. But I gotta admit, that's a very fine voice…
The voice speaks sharply again. Desecraters of the shadows…
"Ah!" Malon's breathing speeds up. "Get out of my head!"
Fear…
"Where is it!" Link brandishes his two-handed blade. "Show yourself!"
Destroy all light…
As their source of illumination glimmers, so too does their courage and hope. Fortunately, it reverts back when the hole shines in a little more. Once the eyes accustom the light into themselves, they espy the view of a monster in front of the heroes. Two large, ebony hands lay on the platform, spiritually connected to the main body. The monster itself is composed of a gigantic mass of blue to swarthy hue. The only complement is a bright, rubicund eye, the same one that glared from within the Well. The beast starts off its entrance with a pounding of its hands. One smacks the platform while the other raps the bouncy ground. Repeatedly at faster intervals, it composes into something that could be only described as music. The Heroes of Time stand in astonishment at the spirit's… talent.
It's big, it's dark, it's evil, it's ugly… Dark Link lists, and it has a sense of rhythm. Nice combo for an evil shadow spirit, don't ya think?
This is no time to be complimenting!
Meh, you can't appreciate darkness nowadays.
The main body rapidly begins disappearing, veiling itself in darkness. Hey! Tell me how to kill this thing!
Bongo Bongo? Don't tell me you don't know how to kick this thing's ass. It's a phantom shadow beast, what more can be easier?
The hands, not covered, swings around, keeping their steady beat. Moans of Bongo Bongo add more to the eerie music, almost completely hypnotizing the bearers of light. Easy as it is, one hand makes a tackle for Link. Unable to move, the hero takes a huge knock, sending him back almost to the edge.
"Ah! Link!"
"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" He clears his head quickly. "I'm getting injured by a drummer…"
Ha ha ha ha! Never thought I'd hear you say that!
Okay, either help me, or I'm going to recommend to the goddesses that you need an early dismissal to your retribution.
Alright, alright. Lens of Truth, try sniping the hands, then snipe the eye when it opens, then kick ass. Got it?
If I understood what you said…
"YAH!" One of the hands snatches Malon up and starts waving around. Link takes a second's hesitation, then sticks the hand with an arrow, numbing it and dropping its occupant. The redhead lands on all fours, panting from terror and pain.
"Mal! Take care of the hands!" He brings up the Lens of Truth to his eye. "I got it covered!"
"Oooh…" She cringes to stiff away soreness. Taking up her bow, she hastily notches an arrow. "Alright! It's all yours!" She takes down the other hand, which now is limp to the attack. Link prepares his own ranged weapon, its bolt set for the red orb opening up.
Come on… The opportunity unfolds as Bongo Bongo accepts the light and cracks open its eyelids. It tries to charge at the hero in green, but an arrow to the eye stuns its movement still. Wasting no time, the Biggoron Sword cuts through the air and undead flesh as its wielder swings it around in deadly might.
What the heck is fairy boy slashing at? Malon cogitates, for she cannot see the monster underneath the illusion of darkness. All she knows is that her comrade is definitely killing something, marked by shed blue blood and resistance to Link's sword. Whatever it is, that sword of his sure is chopping madly.
Groans of anger signal Bongo Bongo's retaliation, which hovers back to the safety of the green liquid outside. Still keeping its pace of cadence, the mended hands again begin their striking on the colossal percussion.
I gotta admit too, this beat is rather catchy, Dark Link comments. Dum duh duh duh. Dum duh duh duh. Dum duh duh duh.
SHUT UP! Agitated, Link pauses in his tracks to compensate, which proves to be a fatal mistake.
"Link, look out!"
The grasping end of the seizure, the hero cries as his life is being squeezed out. Just when things couldn't get any worse, the air becomes rushed as Link is thrown towards the ocean of green. As soon as the unholy liquid touches his skin, pain almost unimaginable breaks out. The dead is pulling him down, by the horrible process of decomposition. They're reaching, tearing his skin away from flesh, and sucking onto his flow of energy. Link could not scream; it would drain him even further.
"Farore! Link!" Malon is seen on the edge staring frantically. Behind her, more beats and moans tell of Bongo Bongo's ceaseless playing. In his now gray, blurring eyes, a hand readies itself to smack the redhead off the platform.
Mal… Be… Behind… Behind you…
Her shout verifies his fear; the hand thrusts her with its side, letting her join him in the blood of the netherworld. It would be too much for her. Too much. Link educes what strength he has left and leaps forward, catching Malon with his arms. All he has left, all what he could bring to this is not enough. He falls on his knees in strengthening infirmity, his life fading away from his body. All the while Malon gazes shockingly at him.
"No… Link…" she softly said.
"I'm… I'm s… sorry…" he breathes anemically. "I can't… go on…"
His body lowers, bringing Malon's into the green liquid. She cries, both from the extreme pain and from what is to be the inevitable.
"Malon… This… looks like… this is it… for us…"
"Link…" she utters, her voice and face filled with so much agony, but they're also filled with happiness. "I… I… I'm glad… I spent… my life… with you…"
He braves the pain and brings upon them a smile. "I… I'm glad… too…"
"Link… I… I love… you… forever… forever always…"
If this is it, he might as well say it now. "I… I… l… lov…" His eyes darken, his breathing dying, but he has to say it out, "love… looove…" Link's mind finally blackens, and he could say no more.
Malon doesn't have to hear it. As her love closes his eyes, those eyes that reflected the calm, endless sky of blue, she smiles also. She never guessed this would be the end, but then, she never thought the end would be like this, either. With her rapidly faltering endurance, Malon lifts her head up, slowly bringing onto her lips that of the one she kept so loved in her heart. Her heart. Her heart never felt so much emotions at once, never felt so much love ever before. So much of her warm joy. So much… that the thought of their deaths is no more in her mind.
Sappy, sappy ending! Dark Link bawls out laughing. It's stupid! This is very stupid! It's even more screwed up because this ain't the end yet! Goddess! Just because you think you're gonna die, it means that you are and that you should get all lovey-dovey. Truly, this is worth the title, 'Bullshit.'
Darkness. Is that all? Then again, they did die in the underworld, so it should be. Dark. Cold. Damp. Void of feelings. The legend is correct; the afterlife in the netherworld is eternal misery. For the rest of their days as spirits, they shall bear nothing but this. Pain. Agony. Torment. Suffering.
Overpowering this, their stay is tragically worse, for they are… without each other. They cannot say they can't live on, for they are not living, so all they can be with is sadness and loneliness for all of eternity. An eternity… without each other.
Ya lucky bastards, Dark Link mutters. You're lucky that me and the goddesses don't want ya dead yet. And no, you're not in hell, it's just that your spirits haven't been released from your bodies yet. All of you think so many stupid things you can't see what's in front of ya… Snap out of it and wake up!
Link breaks out of his darkness, heaving his lungs as if they are tattered. Hot blood is pumped through his veins, supplying his vitality. Gelidness is no more as heat regenerates in his body. His body… It's sewn anew. No flesh is rotting, no energy is being lost. He is given his life back. His spirit has returned. What…?
What's up, lightie? Ya feeling alright?
What… What happened…? Am I… Am I… alive?
'Course you are! You're breathing, aren't you?
Did… Did you…?
Yeah, I took control of your dead body and climbed back up. You had a couple of Fairies, so I popped those shinies out.
And… And… Malon?
Yeah, yeah, don't go crying over me, but she's alive and well, too.
You… Yo- I… I… You… saved us…
Don't thank me. I had to do this, else it's hell for me. Do you honestly think I want you to die?
Heh… I… guess not.
Now, you better get your act together before Bongo Bongo here decides to go Smashy Smashy on you.
… Thank you… Thank you for caring.
Caring…? Why, you damn piece of-
Link cuts off his hearing and opens his eyes. He's still kneeling, with an unconscious Malon in his arms, unharmed. But he's on the platform like his dark side mentioned. Bongo Bongo hasn't done much, except stare. Either it can only sense him and Malon by movement, or the being only kills things at their height of consciousness.
Or maybe it sensed my dark side and wasn't able to attack it…
Be as it may, the phantom commences another de capo, creating the same, steady lilt on the drum. Link could not help but glare, glare hotly at the gap between the hands where the body is. After all, the spirit did kill them. What's enough for vengeance is to send Death looking at the monster's way, whether alive or not.
The young man in green gently places Malon out of harm's way. Standing up, he brings into his right hand his bow, and into his left, an arrow. With that, he utters, "The light… shall shine upon your shadow…" Aiming vigilantly, he dulls Bongo Bongo's right hand. As he loads onto the tight string another arrow, the left hand cracks open, inclined to grab and wring him to death again. It rushes to crush the lights out of him, but Link quickly strikes back and sends it out of commission. Quickly observing through the Lens of Truth, he views Bongo Bongo's bloody eye revealing itself, setting its madden sight at the Hero of Time.
Link needs no telling; his Biggoron Sword is found in his hands and he stands prepared. It comes down to this. One slash at the right moment and he could triumph. One at the wrong moment, and the body of green water will devour him whole.
… Die… Bongo Bongo hisses in his mind.
This is it. His eyes never leave his foe's. By the end of this moment, the underworld will take one of us… One of us… One of us will fall… to the hands of the unforgivable…
The hero couldn't exactly remember what happened next, for it all went dilatory. He sees a blur that could only be Bongo Bongo flying at him. Another blur appears and he recognizes his blade coming in. His surprise turns into redress as the two blurs collide before his body. Blue blood spout everywhere, an inhuman howl is heard, and his sword feels cold meat giving way. Bongo Bongo lands in front of him, dazed and having gashes all over its bleeding eye.
Time returns him back to the present speed. Link lets a breath regain his courage and stability. He slowly raises the Biggoron Sword up, and all goes silence as his blue eyes burn into the red one staring back at him. "I damn you…" Link's voice fills the world of the dead, "back to hell!"
A slice, then a bellow reaches far into the void. Bongo Bongo roars as darkly as it could be, straining to its throe. In its last moments, its hands turbulently smack the percussion ground, no music at all this time. The unruly scene quiets down, as the hands stop their playing and Bongo Bongo hovers in defeat's paralysis. Darkness once more covers the creature, though this time not in invisibility, but in a sable guise of melanism. The mass of black sinks into the ground, melting away from the plane it used to exist in. All that is now left is a large pool of radiating black and blue, which now is being imbibed back into the land from whence it fled.
Link relaxes into a collapse, torn by the mental strain the whole battle took. He pants heavily, holding onto the Biggoron Sword for support. A glimpse at Malon proves thankful that she is not gone. A small nod, and his eyes wander to the ground. Thank you… my dark self… When his half doesn't answer, he almost gives a start. Hey… where are you? Dark side? Are you there? When Dark Link doesn't reply back, Link comes down to the conclusion. Ah… His work is finished, so he's not going to come around anymore…
… Did you call me or something?
Huh…? Where were you?
Talking to the goddesses. Done and done.
Oh… so…
That's right, I'm a free guy.
But you're still in me, right?
By the laws of balance, yes.
But you're not going to talk?
With you? Ha, don't be serious. I'm better off stuck resting in a corner.
… You do that?
I don't tell lies, do I?
… No, not that I recall.
Later.
Wait!
What? If you wanna bother me, go back to the Water Temple and I'll be more than happy to have a go.
That's not going to happen, for one thing. Anyway, I just want to say thanks.
Aw, shucks, thanks. Now piss off.
Can't you just accept my gratitude?
From you? You gotta be joking. I don't take debts from any lightie.
Really?
All that I ask for is that ya stay alive and die when Fate decides time is up. Besides… His voice suddenly begins to smother away, you're gonna need me again soon…
When he can't hear anymore, Link sighs and shakes his head. Dark side… You really are something. His attention turns to Malon's groans. She twitches for a second, then stirs around. Startled that the physical world is underneath, her eyes flash open. Disbelief runs through them as they perceive and recognize the platform. Her blue eyes turn to Link, who is kneeling with a relieved face.
"Link…?" She stands up with difficulty. She almost trips, but remains stable on her feet. "What…? We're…We're alive?"
"Yeah," he answers simply.
"H… H-How?"
"Uh…" Raking his brain for a credible tale, he words it, along with additions, "Well… he, I mean… I had some Fairies… and they… gotten out and revived us… Um, I… I got us back on the platform… and… I… I finished off the monster."
"… Oh." Malon nods slowly, seemingly oblivious to his stumbling of words. "I see… Good job, fairy boy."
As long as we're alive, that's all that matters. "Yeah… thanks."
"So… all… all that darkness I felt… Was it really the essence of this place?"
"… I don't think so…" Link glances around. "I think our spirits were still in our bodies when we… Well… Anyway, what we felt was the dying state of our bodies."
"Oh… Oh, I… guess…" She follows his eyes observing the surroundings. "This temple… It reaches down to the underworld…"
"Amazing… The Sages were amazing to do this."
"I'll tell ya one thing. It's the hardest temple I've ever been through. 'Specially right here… I can't believe it… We… We… We actually died…"
"We… We did. As unbelievable as it may seem, we… really did perish."
"It… It felt so cold… so cold… being dead… But…" She smiles at him, "I felt better… right before we died."
Oh… THAT. Link reddens, turning his countenance down. Why did I have to say I love her when we were about to be revived?
"Um…" Her smile fades, "I'm guessing… since we're alive, you're now not comfortable with what you said then… right?"
A weak expression of shock walks across his face as he looks back at her, then turns into sad compassion. "I'm sorry."
Malon's face brightens. "That's okay…" She ambulates over and kneels down to him. "Knowing that you at least said it… brings me a lot of hope." She gives him a hug, one full of gratefulness.
Link softly returns her embrace back. "I promise… I promise, Malon… I won't disappoint you."
A sniff is heard, and Malon takes her time to wipe away a falling tear. "Oh, goddess… we… we look a little too weird hugging down here where the dead is all around is…"
The hero acknowledges that, releasing his hold. "Yeah… I'm getting sick of this place." He simpers. "You?"
The wonderful humor that has its trademark on the two opens in her. "Didn't ya know before we came in? I felt like puking when we first stepped into this creepy place."
"Puking, eh? Where does it all go, then?"
"Eww, that's disgusting to think about!"
"Plainly, I think you are."
"Who, me? Disgusting? Where's your proof?"
"Burping during meals, trekking through mud and feces unnoticeably, sometimes refusing to take a bath…"
"Hey! I don't trust the water that you wanna bathe in! There could be things swimming in it!"
"Maybe. But in the end, who smells better?"
"Aw, shut up!"
"Heh heh heh…"
Chamber of the Sages
The last platform bears the sign of Shadow, and now shimmers with turquoise light. Elevating up to greet the Heroes of Time is none other than who is proclaimed: Impa. Clothed in her Sheikah outfit, she stands with a stern look and a crossing of her arms.
Link tips his hat a little and addresses with, "Impa."
The woman nods back. "The boy with the noble Zelda's Ocarina… As I expected, you have come."
Not being introduced, Malon nervously looks at her feet, emitting an, "Uh…"
"And yes, you…" Impa takes note. "The girl of brave blood…"
"… Me…?" She whispers to herself.
"I am Impa, one of the Sheikah," the white-haired woman presents to her. "I am Princess Zelda's caretaker, and I am also the Sage who guards the Shadow Temple."
"Of course. A Sheikah."
"We Sheikah have served the royalty of Hyrule from generation to generation as attendants."
Just as attendants?
"However… on that day seven years ago, Ganondorf suddenly attacked… and Hyrule Castle surrendered after a short time."
"Why did he do that?" Link questions.
"Because of an item. An item he long sought, an item he knew disappeared from the Princess's hands. It was one of the keys to the Sacred Realm… The hidden treasure of the Royal Family… The Ocarina of Time!"
"Because… Because of the instrument?"
"None other. My duty bound me to take Zelda out of Ganondorf's reach."
"So that's how Zelda escaped…"
"When last I saw the both of you, as we made our escape from the castle, you were but youths of yet adult age…" Impa said. "Now… I see that fine heroes have emerged from the children I once saw…"
"About Zelda…" Link ponders for a moment, then looks up to the Sheikah. "Is she… still alive?"
"There's nothing to worry about… The Princess is safe now."
"Okay… We were hoping she was."
"Soon, you'll meet Princess Zelda face-to-face, and she will explain everything…"
"Yes, that's… highly necessary for us."
"When that time comes… that is when we, the six Wise Ones, will seal up the Evil King and return peace to Hyrule."
"When will we meet her?" Malon queries.
"Soon… Heroes of Time, the moment will draw soon… I have to stay here… You go to Princess Zelda's side and protect her on my behalf."
"For you, and for Zelda," Link assures.
"Now I put my power, which should be helpful to you, into this Medallion!" A silent cry for the object rings throughout the chamber. With her arms up high, the coin of purple hue comes to her signaling. Above the Heroes of Time hovers the last of the Medallions, one that bears the most difficult of all the elements. The element that is crested upon its symbolic surface.
The Shadow Medallion…
The power of the Shadow by Impa…
"Please…" Impa's voice, now less strict, asks of them in the fading aftermath of gray, "look out for the Princess!"
We will!
"… Link… Malon…" Rauru suddenly comes in by his own voice, "the heroes!"
"Rauru?" Link said.
"It is I, the Sage of Light… Finally, all of us, the six Sages, have been awakened! The time for the final showdown with the King of Evil has come!"
"Finally…" Malon breathes, "we gonna face Ganondorf…"
"Before that, though, you should meet the one who is waiting for you… The one who is waiting for you at the Temple of Time…"
"Who?" echoes the heroine.
"You will find out… soon enough…"