The inside of Skyview Temple was not as threatening as Link had imagined, at least not at first. The long, winding stairwell was lit by luminescent mushrooms which shone with an oddly soothing blue glow, and the cold, underground air was quick to get used to. His footsteps echoed against the gray stone stairs that seemed to go on forever. Partway down, he happened upon something very unnerving. A massive spider web blocking the way. Link's heart skipped a beat upon seeing it. The string was thicker than any he had ever seen. Link cut through it, cautiously, noting how strong and sticky the webbing was.

"I don't want to meet the thing that made this," he thought to himself with a shiver.

At long last, the stairwell led him to a door. Upon entering, Link had a strange sense that he was now being watched. He drew his sword in suspense as he made his way further into the room, the metal gliding from its sheath with barely a sound. A small stone bridge separated him from a deep pool of water, beneath which many enchanting, luminous plants were growing and swaying. Link, enticed by the plants in the water, paused to look down at them, his guard lowering with his gaze. Then suddenly, a spine-chilling screech filled the air, startling him terribly and disturbing the previously peaceful water. Link impulsively threw his hands over his ears and winced as the screech rattled his skull. From the ceiling above dropped an arachnid known as a Skulltula. Link's stomach felt sick at the sight of the thing. It was almost twice Link's size and was surely responsible for the web he had seen previously. It glared at him with such an evil hunger that it nearly paralyzed Link with fear. Still, he raised his sword and mustered what courage he could. The Skulltula charged him with alarming speed. Link tried to slash its head with his sword, but the arachnid's black skin was so hard and thick that the blade bounced right off, not even leaving so much as a scratch behind.

A second attempt yielded the same. No damage, and no sign of even intimidating the eight-legged beast. Link's heart sank terribly as his hope to defeat this enemy evaporated. The Skulltula lunged at Link and he fell to the ground with a harsh thud. He managed to put his shield between himself and the Skulltula, which fought desperately to grab him with its many legs. A terrible, pungent-smelling poison dripped from its mouth. It bubbled and steamed as it fell onto the shield, missing Link's skin and clothing by mere inches. With much grunting and straining, Link managed to rise to his feet, using his shield to push the eight-legged enemy up and back. When he finally had enough leverage, with a shout of determination, he pushed forward with all of his strength, knocking the creature off-balance. Its hind legs buckled, and the Skulltula tipped onto its back with another shrilling screech. Link observed a glowing, purple soft spot on its belly. Fi addressed him from the sword.

"That glowing spot is its weakness, Master. The Goddess Sword can surely penetrate through its skin there."

Link climbed atop the beast, which in and of itself was a laborious task as he dodged its many flailing legs. When he finally positioned himself, he thrust his blade into its stomach. The Skulltula shrieked and tried all the more fiercely to grab Link. It rocked its body from side-to-side, throwing Link off balance. Then, one of its legs swept across the base of his neck, just above his protective tunic and chain mail, leaving a clean but painful cut in its wake. The impact knocked Link from the Skulltula. His shoulder and spine crashed against the hard, stone bridge before he rolled off and plummeted into the water below. His body seized up in the frigid water as he sank lower and lower. Once his feet touched the bottom, however, he rallied and pushed himself forward. Resurfacing, he paddled his way to dry ground. He shivered miserably as he rose to his feet, but he had no time to sulk. The eight-legged black beast was waiting for him, menacingly, on the bridge.

The Skulltula struggled to maintain its own balance, plagued by its injury. It swiped a long leg at Link, which he deflected with his blade. The Skulltula recovered and swiped again. Link deflected once more, harder this time. Then, the creature lunged. Link's breath froze in his chest as he crouched down, thrusting the sword forward. The blade sank into the glowing weak point once more. With a scream of defeat, the Skulltula shrunk back, stumbling and nearly falling from the bridge itself. It shriveled up and burst into a cloud of malice. Link's chest rose and fell with heaving breaths as he tried to collect himself. He raised a hand to the throbbing wound across his collarbone. It appeared shallow and bleeding was minimal, therefore, he assumed himself to be okay. Sheathing the sword, he made his way across the bridge, dragging a little under his heavy, wet clothing.

On the other side, he found what appeared to be a chest, nearly hidden in a large, leafy plant. A sheet of dust fell from it as he opened its lid. Inside, he found a small, rusted key. Pocketing it, he continued forward into the next room, which looked to be a long, narrow corridor. It was fairly well lit by the luminescent plants and mushrooms. However, there were occasional pockets of dark shadows, and in these shadows, another enemy was lurking. A venomous, living plant called a Deku Baba rose from the ground behind Link in virtual silence. Poisonous, green sludge dripped from its sharp fangs as it crept behind its intended victim. Thankfully for Link, Fi spoke out to him from the sword.

"Master, I sense you are being followed."

Link drew his sword, though not before the Deku Baba lurched forward, wrapping its vine-like body around Link's waist. Link felt the pinch of its poisonous spikes pressing against his frame. Had it not been for the chain mail underneath his tunic, he would have been pierced immediately. Despite its body being little more than a thin, spiked vine, it possessed surprising strength. Link's abdomen and chest burned as it squeezed the air out of him. Link swung his blade upward, but the Baba dodged it. He swung downward and missed again. The head of the Deku Baba arched back slightly and its grip on Link tightened. Link knew it was preparing to strike, like a slithering snake coiling back in preparation to attack its prey. He thrust his sword forward and the Deku Baba lurched directly into the blade. The sword tore through its mouth, breaking through on the other side. It released its hold on Link and fell to its death.

"You just saved my life, Fi," Link said between gasps.

"My estimation concludes a 97 percent likelihood of death occurring without my intervention."

Link had stooped down to wipe the venom from his sword, but Fi's statement gave him pause.

"Thank you for that," he said sarcastically.

"You're welcome, Master."

Link chuckled, shaking his head as he cleaned off the sword. The humorous moment was most welcomed and helped ease him after two consecutive battles. The next room was enormous, circular, and well-lit compared to the previous ones. Several Bokoblin stood guard, all of whom Link defeated with ease. At the far end of the room was a locked door.

"Master, it is probable that the key you located earlier will unlock this door," Fi said from within the sword. "However, I am also detecting a powerful enemy inside."

Hearing this, Link felt his mouth go dry and his hands clam up. He hesitated to unlock the door. His hand, holding the key, began to tremble. He doubted his ability to outlast an enemy that was stronger than ones previously. But then he remembered; Zelda was somewhere inside the temple, perhaps even inside this room with the enemy. He could not bear the thought of her being hurt or killed because of his own fear and unwillingness. He would rather die a thousand times over than for her to suffer for a single moment. Thinking of her, Link drew in a deep breath, steadied his hand, unlocked the door, and boldly stepped inside. Several large metal bars resealed the door. Link turned and tried to pull them apart, but they did not budge. His heart sank and hit stomach soured. He would have to fight his way out of this.

Behind him he heard clattering and a distinct, off-putting cracking sound. Slowly, he turned and was met with the sight of dozens of bones coming up from the ground and joining a golden sword, shield, and helmet in the center of the room. Link grimaced at the revolting scene. The old bones combined into a human-like frame, much taller than Link. This new, re-dead foe shook the layers of dust and dirt from itself and gave a mighty, threatening roar. Link swallowed dryly as he raised his own sword and shield, though he felt terribly underqualified to fight such an adversary.

The Stalfos was slow in speed, though what it lacked in agility, it made up for in brute strength. It swung its weapon overhead. Link dodged, but the weapon hit the ground with such force that it cracked the solid stone, sending fragments airborne in a cloud of dust. Link's deep, forest green eyes widened and the color left his face. This enemy could easily kill him in one hit with such force. Link hesitated, his body going stiff under the weight of his mounting fear. The Stalfos swung sideways. Link managed to dodge it once more; the tip of its ancient blade missing his abdomen by a thread. Before Link could recapture his balance, the Stalfos was returning with another overhead swing. Link deflected it with his iron shield. The vibrations of the impact traveled up his arm and to his shoulder, prompting a wince of pain. Fi called to him from within the sword.

"Master, a similar hit has potential to break your radius or ulnar bone. I can calculate the likelihood-"

"That's it!" Link gasped. Then he thought, "He's made of bone. Old ones at that. I can get the upper hand if I can break one or two."

Another deadly overhead swing bore down on him. He leapt out of the way with a roll. Skidding to a stop, Link saw that the Stalfos' sword was trapped, having split through the stone once more. Link scrambled to his feet and rushed his foe while he had the chance. With as much force as he could muster, Link thrust his heel into the Stalfos' extended arm. A sickening crack echoed through the room as the Stalfos released an agonizing roar. Before Link could strike again, the Stalfos pushed its shield forward. The undeniable, metallic taste of blood filled Link's mouth as the heavy, golden shield collided with his face, splitting his lower lip. Link stumbled backward yet managed to stay upright.

The Stalfos' sword broke free and was quickly flung in Link's direction, but the dislocation of the bone sent it off-course, and the force of the unhinged swing sent the beast stumbling. Link used this opening to strike again, this time going for a leg. Link, with his own overhead swing, plunged the Goddess Sword into the Stalfos' femur bone, cracking it in half. The Stalfos fell to a knee, trying again to reach Link with its massive blade. Link evaded this and kicked again, targeting the monster's hip. The collision was so fierce that it pained Link through his boot, though as intended, the bone separated from the joint, immobilizing the Stalfos.

The advantage was now Link's.

Unable to recover from the ground, the Stalfos let out one final roar, but the Goddess Sword slicing through its neck bone cut its battle cry short. What remained of the Stalfos crashed to the ground and the room fell silent, save for Link, panting to catch his breath. He spat a mouthful of blood and wiped his lower lip. He was in disbelief that he had just won, when deep down, he had fully expected to die in that chamber. The bars in the doorway retracted. Yet, before Link could leave, a small gust of wind flew through his hair, kicking up the dust of the ground as it went, drawing his attention. The wind seemed to gather in the center of the room. Link also noticed a strange light forming, taking the shape of a treasure chest. Opening it, Link found a most peculiar device. A golden beetle attached to a thick, golden bracelet covered in small fragments of emerald. Link examined it, unable to determine what it was.

"Hey Fi?" he called out before spitting more blood.

Fi came forth and curtsied.

"Can you tell me what this is?"

Fi looked over the device carefully.

"It appears to be a device capable of flight and carrying objects with its pincers. With ninety-four percent certainty, I presume you can control it using the attached bracelet."

Link strapped on the bracelet and fiddled with the emeralds. Suddenly, with a curious little sound, the beetle detached and, as Fi said it would, began to fly. The beetle responded to the turning of Link's arm, allowing him to direct it with his own movement. He could also see - though none too clearly - from the device's point of view through the emeralds on the band. A smile crossed his lips as he fiddled with the beetle. Closing his fist summoned the device back promptly. Exiting the room at last, Link traveled westward and came upon a massive, intricately designed door. Its lock was made of pure gold. Its keyhole was strange and abstract. Link and Fi split up, searching the room for any sign of such a key. Link searched the ground while Fi looked higher up. After a while, she returned to Link.

"Master, I have located a hole in the wall ahead," she reported. "Neither you nor I can fit through it. I recommend using the beetle device to explore it further."

Link agreed. She led him to the hole in the wall, high above their heads. Carefully, he navigated the beetle through it (though he hit the wall a couple of times.) To Link's amazement, further into the hole, there appeared to be a bright object. Link could not tell the exact color through the emeralds, but he felt optimistic that this was in fact the key they needed. The beetle scooped up the object. Link closed his fist to call the beetle back to himself. He retrieved what was, in fact, the key, noting how heavy it was. Fi returned to the sword as Link made quick work of the door. With several loud clanks and earth-rumbling groans, the door pulled back. Link felt in his heart of hearts that he was finally drawing nearer to Zelda. Without a moment to lose, he ran through the door, yet to his dismay, found nothing more than an empty, dome-shaped room with yet another sealed door on the far end. Link was growing physically exhausted, and as his frustration rose, his heart sank. A deep sense of sadness, bordering on hopelessness, was beginning to set in. The pit of his stomach felt hollow, painfully so.

"Zelda!" he called out, not knowing what else to do.

The sound of his voice echoed off the walls and faded away. But then another voice chimed in.

"Oh, so that's the girl's name."

With a gasp, Link turned and was met by a slender, pale white individual. His eyes were dark and menacing. He wore a large, blood-red cape and carried a black sword. Straight, platinum locks of hair concealed half of his face, while strange markings covered his skin.

"I told myself that it would be uncharacteristically rude of me to finally meet the girl and not even know her name," he continued with a scoff. "So for that, I thank you. Speaking of you; who — or what — are you, exactly?" he asked, pointing his sword at Link.

Link hesitated to answer, so the pale figure kept on.

"Oh, do forgive me," he said, tsking in disappointment. "I seem to have forgotten my manners. Please, allow me to introduce myself."

The figure bowed with a cunning grin that made Link's skin crawl.

"I am the Demon Lord, Ghirahim," he said, his dark eyes meeting Link's. "I know, I KNOW… it's a mouthful."

Link finally mustered the will to speak up.

"What do you want with Zelda?" he asked, scowling. He had no doubt that this was the individual Bucha had warned him of.

"Now why did I waste my breath giving you my full title just for you to address me so lazily?" Ghirahim retorted, annoyed. "I think what you meant to say was, 'What do you want with Zelda, Demon Lord Ghirahim?'" he shrugged, appearing to inspect his own sword. "I just want to have a talk with the little lass. Why you and the giant Kikwi... thing... are both so uppity about that is beyond me," he laughed. "It's deliciously insulting though."

Ghirahim circled Link, taking long strides with his thin legs.

"Now, back to you. You still have not told me who you are or why you are here interrupting me."

Suddenly, Ghirahim vanished in a cloud of malice and dim orange light. Link turned this way and that, looking for where he could have gone. Then, as quickly as he vanished, he reappeared behind Link. His claw-like fingers crept up Link's shoulders, sending a nauseating chill down his spine. Link shrugged him off, angrily.

"Maybe you're her loyal pet, catering to her every whim and delighting her with all of your little... tricks."

He disappeared once more, reappearing moments later, several feet away. Tucking a gangly hand underneath his chin, he giggled and shook his head.

"Oh my, how silly of me. It's all so obvious: the cutesy little sword, the chain mail, the paper-thin shield. You think you're here to rescue her, don't you? You must have drawn the short straw to come all this way to take her back home to the sky people."

Link stood silently, fists clenched.

"I hate to be an inconvenience, but that won't be happening. Not until I've gotten to... talk... with her."

Link drew his sword and took a side-step toward the door to block his way to Zelda.

"Again with the uppity!" Ghirahim pouted. "I promise I play nicely."

With a swift fling of his arm, Ghirahim's cape fell to the floor. He raised his blade to Link.

"I guess I'll have to convince you by force."

A battle commenced. Ghirahim charged at Link with great speed and swiftness. Link deflected blow after blow with the sword and his shield until he grew tired and Ghirahim grew bored.

"Alright, you can have a turn, I suppose," Ghirahim shrugged. "Come at me with all you've got. Here, I'll even make it fairer for you."

With a snap of his claw-like fingers, Ghirahim's sword disappeared. The demon lord opened his arms, sarcastically beckoning Link to strike. Link thrust his sword forward. Ghirahim dodged with supernatural agility.

"Not quite," he scoffed.

Link swung again, to no avail.

"So close."

This time when Link swung, Ghirahim twirled around him and swept his foot underneath Link's legs, sending the boy crashing to the ground with a painful thud. Ghirahim laughed viciously.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist."

He cleared his throat and straightened up. "I'll contain myself. Now come on, hit me."

Link's face had turned red in frustration. He knew he was being toyed with. It was a terrible feeling. Still, he pursued, flinging the Goddess Sword as hard as he could. However, this time, instead of stepping out of the way, Ghirahim raised his hand and somehow stopped the Goddess Sword, just before it sliced through his wiry hand. With some kind of sorcery, he pushed the sword aside with such force that it caused Link to stumble. He thrust forward once more and was again caught by Ghirahim's otherworldly grip.

"You cannot be serious," Ghirahim remarked, rolling his eyes. "How in the world did the sky people send you down to save the girl? If her life depended upon it, you would have both been killed by now."

Link shouted in anger as he came at Ghirahim with a series of impassioned strikes, each one faster and stronger than the last. Ghirahim found himself actually working to dodge them this time, much to his amusement. At long last, the sword cut through Ghirahim's arm, leaving a clean yet shallow flesh wound in its wake. Ghirahim looked down at it for a second and let out a laugh.

"Fascinating. Riveting, even," he exclaimed masochistically, as if he prided in his fresh, new injury. "No matter," he shrugged.

With a snap of his fingers, Ghirahim vanished. A tense silence filled the room. Then, without warning, Ghirahim reappeared and lunged at Link. In a split second, Ghirahim's hand grasped Link's arm, pushing it backward with such force that it threatened to separate his shoulder from its socket. In the same swift movement, before Link could even react to the pain ripping through his arm, Ghirahim thrust his boney knee directly into Link's side, which was protruding because of the way his arm was bent backward. Every ounce of air in Link's lungs was expelled in a single, forceful yelp. It echoed through the room. Link's arm went limp, his knees gave in, and the sword dropped to the floor below. The only thing now keeping Link upright was Ghirahim himself. The demon lord knew his work was finished. He let his victim slip through his fingers and collapse into a heap of agony. Fi then spoke to Link telepathically from inside the sword.

"Master, I have confirmed a critical internal injury to your central quadrant."

Suddenly, Ghirahim's demeanor changed, for he had also heard Fi's telepathic call.

"That voice. It can't be," he uttered.

Fi emerged, putting herself between the demon lord and her master. Ghirahim's eyes grew wide, but not with excitement. No, this was a look of awe and anger. He took several steps back.

"Y- YOU," he growled with absolute hatred.

The mere sight of Fi made his pale white skin crawl. Every beat of his heart pounded like a war drum against his chest, for he now knew exactly what, and with whom, he was dealing.

"So you… are the Goddess' chosen one," he uttered quietly. "I should have known."

"My master is too injured to engage in this battle any longer," Fi stated plainly. "You are the victor. If you possess any decency, you will accept your victory now and let my Master recover until your next inevitable encounter."

Ghirahim looked down at Link, who had managed to hoist himself up onto an elbow. It was true. The boy could not yet even capture a full breath, let alone put up a fair (or fun) fight.

A few moments of silence passed before Ghirahim perked up once again. "The satisfaction of killing you so easily would be fleeting at best, and I deserve lasting gratification. You're right. I will spare your life for now. But know this..." He pointed his gangly finger at Link. "As you are right now, you have no hope of surviving even the next two steps of the path before you. Whether you die by the sword or the elements, I do not care. But should you survive long enough to meet me again, you'll wish upon every star in the sky that you hadn't. Consider this your one and only warning, and you can thank me for being nice later."

He straightened up and dawned a solemn expression. "The girl has passed on from here. So there really is no point in me dawdling any longer, except to bask in your misery, but I suppose I shouldn't overindulge just yet."

The demon lord smirked and then bowed.

"Ta-ta… for now."

Then he vanished, leaving a burst of malice and faint orange light behind him. With that, they knew he was gone for good. Link rolled over onto his back, suppressing a howl of pain that tried so desperately to escape. Fi watched quietly as he lay on the ground, nearly motionless for the next few minutes. Finally, he mustered the strength to speak.

"So… about that injury you mentioned."

"Yes Master. I can confirm at least one of your ribs is severely fractured. In Ghirahim's absence, I estimate a ninety-nine percent survival rate of this injury."

"That's reassuring," he said, his voice straining as he tried to move. "Thank you, Fi."

Through the sincerity of his tone, he conveyed gratitude for both her injury report and for her effort to come between himself and Ghirahim. Fi understood he was thanking her for both and simply nodded her head.

The initial pain of the blow subsided enough for Link to slowly rise to his feet, sheath his sword, and take his first few steps. He limped forward, grasping his deeply pained side. Each step became a little easier until he finally made it through the door, though the prize he sought behind it was long gone by now. On the other side, there was a peaceful lake surrounded by tall, lively trees. The air smelled sweet. Encircling the lake were a series of gentle waterfalls, the sound of which anyone would want to fall asleep hearing. By now, Link was feeling steady enough to let his hand fall to the side, though he still walked with a slight limp. Before them stood a goddess statue and a crest… yet no Zelda.

Link's head hung low for a time. Zelda's absence was far more painful than anything Ghirahim had just done to him. There was a moment when, if he were fully honest, he felt he would never see her again, and for that moment, he became numb to every sight, sound, and sensation, pleasant or painful. But then it occurred to him: She was still out there, somewhere. And for as long as she was, he had a chance to be reunited with her. Every moment spent fighting or sulking would delay that, so he drew his sword. With a wince and another cry of pain, Link unleashed a skyward strike on the crest. Then, just as had happened on Skyloft, a bright light appeared and turned to a slab of stone, this time with a single ruby in it. Link tucked the stone under his arm (on the uninjured side). With that, he charged the sword once more and carved a circle on the ground and, as Fi said would happen, a strong updraft burst forth and carried him back up to the clouds.