A/N: I listened to "Dark Beast Ganon" from Twilight Princess while writing a portion of this chapter. That part is indicated by four asterisks. Feel free to pull up the song on YouTube and listen as you read along when you see "****"


A welcome wind blew swiftly as they drew nearer to the peak of the Eldin volcano. As planned, Link and Cobal reunited with the other Mogmas, who immediately began their work to find the scattered pieces of the key. Link sat nearby and drank from his canteen, but the water had become so warm that it tasted bitter and unpleasant. As the sun began to set, the Mogmas came forth with all the pieces. As if by some form of divine magic, the pieces merged together, and the key was made whole, as if it had never been broken. Link bid farewell to the Mogmas, warning them that after Ghirahim's arrival, the temple would likely be crawling with monsters. All agreed to turn back, save for Cobal.

"No way, my friend," he grinned. "I'm sticking with ya' 'til the spring, or death, whichever we find first. Besides, I've already faced death twice today, and it really wasn't that bad. I want to help you rescue Zelda."

Link was deeply moved by Cobal's dedication and bravery, as well as his stubbornness. He sensed it would do no good to try to convince him otherwise, so he agreed to let him come with. For Cobal, it was just another venture into the Earth Temple. For Link, it was nearly unbearable. The heat and steam made his skin ache, and his mouth and eyes felt painfully dry, and his eyes especially were irritated by the plumes of smoke, which occasionally sent him into a fit of coughs.

"Oh no, I was worried about this," Cobal said suddenly.

Link looked down at him curiously.

"It looks like that Ghirahim fella closed the place up. The drawbridge has been raised, and some of the tunnels have been stopped up by huge rocks."

"You can't dig through them?" Link questioned.

"Not thick ones like those. We'd need to find some bomb flowers."

He snapped his claw-like fingers.

"You try to get the drawbridge down, and I'll go digging for some bombs. I'll meet ya on the other side. Well... hopefully."

The Mogma burrowed away. Link observed the massive drawbridge which had been raised and secured. The gap was far too wide for him to jump across. He gulped at the sight of the river of lava flowing below. Fi emerged from the sword. Having not seen her for some time, Link was glad in his heart to be joined by his companion.

"Got any ideas?" he asked, squinting his eyes in the smoke.

"Master, it is likely that a skyward strike could reach to the other side."

Link observed two ropes securing the bridge from behind. He followed Fi's train of thought.

"It could snap the ropes," he said.

"Precisely."

Link charged the sword, and with a long, wide swing, he sent the power careening toward the bridge. As they had hoped, the ropes severed instantly, and the bridge fell forward, but to their surprise and dismay, it abruptly stopped halfway down. Looking up, they saw that it was being held from the top by a larger, stronger rope. Link tried to charge the sword again. Alas, nothing happened. He looked to Fi for an explanation.

"I am afraid your body is too depleted to produce another skyward strike," she said in her melodic language. "You require rehydration and rest."

"We don't have time for either," he replied. "We have to get to Zelda... assuming she's even here."

"Perhaps the beetle you obtained at Skyview Temple could be of use," Fi suggested.

Link agreed. He fastened the bracelet, but quickly realized how hot the gold was. Though it pained him to wear, he sent the beetle off toward the bridge, navigating it carefully, and praying it could function under such oppressive elements. He winced as the burning hot gold scorched his wrist. The pain made it difficult to navigate the beetle, resulting in him crashing it a couple of times along the way. Thankfully, it stayed in flight despite Link's clunky navigating. He guided it to the rope. Upon reaching it, the beetle cut through with its pincers. With an earth-shaking crash, the bridge came down. Link called back the beetle and rushed to remove the burning hot bracelet from his wrist. It left behind a red, blistered mark.

Link and Fi ran across into a large room, filled mostly with lava. At the far end of the room, there was an area caged off with a metal fence from the ground to the ceiling. Behind it was a hoard of Bokoblin. Link watched in fear as Cobal burrowed up from underground on the opposite side of the fence, where the Bokoblin were.

"Hey Link, I found a pretty good stash of bomb flowers for ya," he began, not noticing the Bokoblin. His beady eyes widened when he finally saw them, but it was too late. He had drawn their attention. "Yowza!" He cried out.

Cobal tried to rush back underground, but the Bokoblin quickly seized him by the arms, pulling him from his hole.

"Link, help!" he shrieked.

Link ran over to the fence. He tried to slice through the metal, but it did not break. He then tried to charge a skyward strike, but Fi reminded him that he was too physically weakened to do so. Then Fi did something unexpected. Using her powers, she phased herself through the fence. She approached the Bokoblin, skating through the air with grace and speed. The Bokoblin were caught off guard by the beautiful radiance she emitted. She danced around the space and kept the Bokoblin (and Cobal) distracted. Meanwhile, Link had observed that a patch of ground nearby was unusually soft. With some effort, he was able to push himself through the earth, squeezing himself to the other side of the barrier. He ambushed the Bokoblin and made quick work of them. When the last one was defeated, he reunited with Cobal.

"Are you hurt?" Link asked.

"I'm okay," Cobal replied with a thumbs-up and his usual charm, seemingly unphased by what had just happened. "Now tell me, who is this beautiful, otherworldly lass?"

"This is Fi," said Link.

"I am pleased to meet your acquaintance," Fi said with a bow of her head.

"The pleasure is all mine," Cobal replied. "So Fi, how'd you know that display of yours was gonna work?"

"The Bokoblin are creatures of very low intelligence," she replied plainly. "Therefore, they are easily distractible."

"Say Link," Cobal said, stifling a laugh, "you seem to be real popular with the ladies, y'know."

Link's cheeks were already flushed due to the extreme heat, and they grew redder after Cobal's comment.

"Master," Fi chimed in, "I detect your heart rate is increasing considerably."

"Oh, hang it all," Link grumbled as he walked away, prompting a full-blown cackle from Cobal. Fi looked on, unsure of what to make of the situation.

Cobal had found several small bomb flowers, which he carried most delicately in a pouch as they ventured forward. They came to an area where the path forward was blocked by large boulders. Cobal carefully placed them around the boulders and activated their fuses. He joined Link, who was taking shelter behind a nearby rock.

"You might want to cover your ears, mate," he said to Link, who obliged without question.

The bomb flowers worked perfectly, blowing the boulders to pebbles and allowing them to proceed forward into a new room. To their surprise, the door was immediately sealed behind them. Link thought back to his experience from Skyview. He drew his sword and motioned for Cobal to stay close to the door. The room was completely flooded with lava, with only small platforms of rock floating on the surface. Link carefully leapt to one platform, and then another, before he was met with the screech of a new enemy; a Lizalfos. Its armor was made of heavy stone and metal, and it carried a long blade. With a hostile shriek, it charged forward, quickly leaping from platform to platform. Link ran forward also, meeting the Lizalfos in the middle. Cobal knew there was little he could do, so he watched with bated breath as Link and the lizard sparred. The Lizalfos was not a particularly strong creature. Its sword strikes were easily deflected. However, this enemy was frighteningly swift.

Link and the Lizalfos were evenly matched, each taking turns swinging, dodging, and parrying, though neither had landed a blow yet. Then, Link swung the Goddess Sword, and the Lizalfos ducked underneath. With a spin, it thrust itself up in the air, leading with its metal-clad fist. Link was immediately dizzied as it collided with his lower jaw, lifting him off of his feet and sending him flying backward. He crashed down hard near the edge of the platform. The Lizalfos speedily climbed atop him and took him by the throat. Link could feel the scorching lava nipping at the back of his head, which now hung dangerously close to the fiery fluid, with the Lizalfos pushing him further down. Link felt its monstrous grip crushing his windpipe. He desperately clawed at the creature's hands, trying with all he had to pull them off, but to no avail. The Lizalfos only tightened its grip.

"Oh no, Link's a goner!" Cobal gasped. "I've got to do something."

"Master," Fi called out from the sword, "your oxygen levels are dangerously low."

Link felt his resistance waning as his body grew weaker and weaker. His eyes became heavy, and he suddenly felt as though he was falling asleep against his will. His arms fell to the side as his vision faded. Consciousness was surely leaving him. When he had all but given up hope, suddenly, the Lizalfos let out a pained cry and released Link from its grip. It turned to find Cobal's sharp teeth bearing down into its unprotected tail. It tried to fling the rodent this way and that, yet he held on valiantly. Cobal saw a disoriented Link rise to his feet, albeit unsteadily. The Mogma dropped to the floor, and with a fling of his blade, Link sliced through the monster's abdomen. Then, with a swift kick, he sent it into the lava, where it disappeared for good.

Link's legs gave out from underneath him, as he had not yet caught his breath. He instinctively tore at the collar of his tunic and the chain mail underneath as he gasped for air, coughing violently. Fi monitored while Cobal fanned him with his paws. As kind of a gesture as it was, it did little to help. The intense, dry, and smokey air made it all the harder to take a complete breath, but after a minute or so of struggling, he finally managed.

"Your oxygen level has been restored," Fi said.

"I was worried you weren't gonna make it out of that," Cobal exclaimed.

"I wouldn't have, had it not been for you," Link replied shakily. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Now, shape up. We gotta get to Zelda before that caped creep finds her!"

The next room was a hall that seemed to go on forever, and the fact that it was mostly an incline made it all the more exhausting. Link occasionally reached up to rub his chin, feeling rather sore from the Lizalfos' brutal uppercut. Cobal finally led him to a large dragon head protruding the wall. From its mouth spewed molten, hot lava.

"Well, that's just great," Cobal huffed, putting his paws on his hips.

"What's the matter?" Link asked.

"There's a door behind all that lava," he replied.

"Let's look for a way to stop it up."

They continued further up the incline. By the time they reached the top, both Link and Cobal were panting. It was there they found what appeared to be a switch on the floor. Impulsively, Cobal hoisted himself onto it, pressing it down.

"I bet this'll do it," he said, proudly.

They heard the sound of a gate opening. Looking up, they saw another dragon head high above them. Its mouth opened, revealing a large boulder which rolled forward, threatening to crush them both.

"Yikes!" Cobal shrieked.

Link scooped up the Mogma underneath his arm and ran as fast as he could down the incline, the boulder practically nipping at his heels. The boulder roared so loudly that it nearly drowned out the sound of Cobal's frantic screaming. It tore through a series of tall pillars that lined the path, raining down dust and rubble as it went. Unsure of what else to do, Link jumped over the edge, sending them into a freefall. Most fortunately, there was a platform beneath them. He tumbled forward onto the rocky ground below, shielding Cobal as best as he could. After a few jarring, painful rolls, they skidded to a stop. They watched dizzily as the boulder continued on, eventually being launched into the air and into the mouth of the first dragon, bringing an end to the flow of lava.

"Well, twist my whiskers, that actually worked!" Cobal exclaimed excitedly. "You okay there, pal?"

Link nodded his head, feeling a little sore but not seriously hurt. They approached the door, but Cobal hesitated.

"I'll have to leave the rest to you, my friend," He said, a hint of sadness seeping past his brave smile.

"Why's that?" Link inquired.

"The sacred spring," Cobal replied. "It's not for us Mogmas. We've never gone near it." He paused for a moment, as if to hold back a cry, but he quickly perked up again. "Hey, if you see Zelda in there, give her my kindest regards, would ya?"

Link nodded and shook hands (and paws) with Cobal before entering into the final room. It was very similar to the one before it, as it had yet another steep incline. He wiped the sweat from his brow and began the grueling walk up. His legs throbbed and ached terribly, yet he pressed on all the way to the top. He saw a door ahead of him, but before he could make his way toward it, he was stopped by a familiar voice.

"You're still alive, I see."

Link's stomach instantly soured. High up on a platform above him, he saw Ghirahim crouched rather casually, as if he had just been in a spell of deep thought.

"I thought you would have been charred to a crisp long before now," he scoffed.

Link drew his sword. Ghirahim shrugged it off as if he didn't care.

"Oh, there'll be no need for that today," he said, rather apathetically.

Link noticed Ghirahim holding a hand to his side. Blood dripped from his long fingers. He was injured.

"Where is Zelda?" Link demanded.

"Oh, she's just beyond that door," he replied, longingly gazing off in its direction. "And just beyond my reach. The door has been sealed. Neither of us will be getting to her anytime soon. Believe me. I've tried."

He appeared to rally as he rose to his feet, crossing his arms in a show of defiance.

"I told you, you won't be needing that little goddess dagger today." A mischievous grin crossed his lips. He was beginning to look and sound more like the demon lord Link encountered at Skyview. "I doubt that think can cut through solid rock, so save yourself the trouble."

(( **** Start soundtrack "Dark Beast Ganon Theme" from Twilight Princess here **** ))

Ghirahim snapped his fingers and vanished. Then, Link noticed the boulder from before was now rolling through an overhead tunnel. It fell from the tunnel and came crashing down to the floor in front of Link. He watched in terror as two, no, four flaming legs burst forth from the rock. Then, as it slowly raised to its full, menacing height, a fierce, angry eyeball opened and set its sight squarely on Link. It opened its huge, gaping mouth and let out a roar. Link could feel the intense heat within it from where he stood. It was the Scaldera, a fierce fire demon.

The Scaldera charged. After gaining some momentum, it curled itself into a ball and began rolling forward. Link had no choice but to outrun it down the incline, though this was no easy task. After a few steps, Link lost his footing and found himself tumbling painfully down the length of the path. He skidded to a halt halfway down and looked up in time to see the boulder-like creature barreling towards him, though it had now begun to bounce due to the unevenness of the surface and the speed with which it was rolling. Link tucked his head down, shielding himself from what looked to be an imminent impact. The boulder instead hit an uneven part of the path and flew into the air, missing Link by mere inches. The beast crashed hard into the sturdy iron gate below, unraveled, and opened its mouth wide. Link could feel by the movement of the air that the creature was taking a deep breath in. The shift in air was so strong, in fact, that it pulled Link along with it. He had to hold on to the fencing beside him to keep from being sucked down further. Then, the Scaldera unleashed a series of large, powerful fireballs, which came crashing down all over the path.

Link rose to his feet and ran, dodging them as best as he could. Making his way back to the top, he caught sight of a small batch of bomb flowers growing from a patch of dirt. This gave Link an idea. Taking a bomb flower in one hand and his sword in the other, he turned to face the beast once more, which ascended the path with alarming speed. Upon reaching the top, it swiped its long, burning arms at Link. He evaded one, and then the other. On the third attempt, he flung his sword, managing to cut through the arm in one swipe. The monster roared out in pain and again curled into a ball, chasing Link down the hill once more. Link threw himself down and slid to a stop. Then, pressing his body against the fencing as hard as he could, he once more evaded its rolling attack. The monster crashed into the iron fence below again, with an earth-shaking thud. Some of its rocky frame broke apart and fell from it upon impact, revealing a fleshy body underneath.

As Link had anticipated, it turned and began to draw in a deep, fiery breath once more. Link ran forward, trying desperately to not get caught up in the wind himself. With all his might, he threw the bomb flower toward the monster. The monster unknowingly sucked it right in, and the bomb promptly exploded. More pieces of rock showered down onto the ground. Link approach and swung the sword, severing another leg. He then struck at any exposed flesh he could. The creature screamed with each contact. In a final, desperate attempt, it tried grabbing Link with one of its two remaining legs, which Link was able to cut through. The monster was now immobilized, unable to lift itself with only one leg. This allowed Link to plunge his blade deep into the creature's eye. It was a fatal blow. The creature shrieked, trying with all it had to somehow hit Link, though it was no use. The beast soon stopped moving and finally burst into a cloud of malice.

Link took a moment to catch his breath. Despite feeling a bit banged up and utterly spent, he noticed a sense of confidence he had not had previously. Perhaps it was because he had fared much better in this battle than he had against Ghirahim at Skyview. Whatever he was, he took a moment to enjoy it before rushing up the incline. The seal on the door was beginning to fade.


Zelda had been meditating and praying at the spring for quite some time, unaware of the battle taking place within the temple. She felt the Goddess' power increasing inside of her. And yet, she was also feeling drained, both physically and emotionally. She rose to her feet, drawing Impa's attention.

"I think we are done here," Zelda sighed tiredly, mustering a smile.

"What did the Goddess tell you, if I may ask?" Impa inquired.

"She told me more about the power she was giving me," Zelda replied. "She helped me to better recognize and harness it. Though I'm not sure I could do it right now. I feel so tired."

"That is understandable, Your Grace," Impa nodded. "You've been through a lot today."

"She also said that she must test me to know whether I am fully committed to serving her, just as you told me." Zelda looked down toward the ground. "I thought I had already proven myself, but I guess not." She sighed. "I wish I knew when this test would come."

A portal of light opened before them, ready to usher them to their next destination.

"I'm afraid it will be sooner than you would like," Impa said, quite sadly.

Zelda could see that Impa knew more than she did. She started to ask her, yet before she could, she heard the door behind them open. She feared Ghirahim had returned to enact his revenge. However, she noticed that Impa now appeared sad, almost sorrowful, even. Had it been Ghirahim she would have surely rushed off to meet him in battle by now. Zelda turned to see what, or who, was approaching.

She couldn't believe it. Her breath froze in her chest. Her eyes instantly welled with joyful tears as she covered her mouth in disbelief. There was Link, standing before her. She did not know why or how, yet there he was. Pure gladness overwhelmed her. For Link, seeing Zelda with his own eyes made everything he had endured so far worth it. The mental and emotional turmoil he had felt before and the undeniable toll on his body all melted away the moment he saw her face. A wordless sound escaped him. Whether it was a laugh or a cry, he did not know, nor did he care. They each took a step toward each other, but Impa put her arm out in front of Zelda, stopping her.

"Your Grace," she said, gently yet firmly, "this is your test. You must choose: The lad, or the Goddess."

Zelda felt the tears in her eyes turn sour. Her heart dropped.

"I don't understand," she uttered, her voice faltering.

Impa gave her a stern look.

"Yes, you do," she replied, less kindly.

Link stopped as he listened to their exchange. Zelda turned and met his gaze once more. In her face, he saw pain and sorrow. In his, she saw confusion and fear - fear that he was about to lose her... again.

"Link, I..." she began, her voice now quivering, "I have to go."

She turned and looked away from Link. She could not bear to see the pain she was about to inflict on him. Zelda had never once imagined doing anything to hurt Link. She had grown up protecting and comforting him, and he had faithfully done the same for her. He had come to the surface and had surely endured imaginable trials for her, and in return, she was being forced to abandon him. It was the cruelest thing she could imagine, and she felt sick at the thought it of.

"Zelda... I don't understand," he said.

She heard a small waver in his voice, and it broke her.

"I have to go," she repeated. "I don't expect you to understand, but this is what I must do. I'm so sorry, Link."

Link's chest rose and fell with quick, harsh breaths. He felt like the world around him was sinking away.

"I pray you are able to find peace in your heart..." she said, softly, "... and forgiveness for me."

Her beautiful blue eyes met his one more time. Link drew in a breath and held it with all he had. Unable to muster a single word, he simply nodded his head and watched her disappear into the light. A few moments of tense, overwhelming silence passed before Impa set her fierce, angry gaze on Link.

"Listen up, child," she said in a biting tone. "I have never dared to question The Goddess, and yet I seriously doubt that she has chosen someone truly worthy of being called the Hero of Legend."

Link lowered his chin and clenched his fists, but remained silent.

"Zelda had all but fallen into Ghirahim's hands when I arrived," she stated coldly.

Link flinched hearing this.

"Had I not gotten there when I did, this all would have been over, and Zelda would have been long dead by now."

Then she asked quite possibly the most painful question imaginable.

"Where were you?"

The question hit him like a fist to the gut. His breath was taken away by her scathing words. Overwhelmed by all he was feeling, he could not muster an answer for her. He stood there in silent shock, which Impa took as a sign of weakness.

"You were late. If you truly cared for her, you wouldn't have allowed it to get that close."

Impa shook her head before finally walking herself through the portal, which closed behind her, leaving Link alone at the spring. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart in his ear. He had never felt more defeated than he did now. His deep green eyes, welled with burning tears, glared angrily at the crest before him. He looked up at the Goddess statue behind it. He wanted to curse her, to hate her even, as this was somehow surely all part of her doing. Something from within held him back before this anger burned too far. Link felt like giving up. Fi, sensing this, emerged from the sword.

"Master, I see you are feeling discouraged."

Link said nothing. He didn't even look at her, though she could still read his thoughts and feelings, regardless. She continued, cautiously.

"You have demonstrated great courage and sacrifice to help the spirit maiden. Why?"

Link was taken aback, convicted by Fi's question. He thought about it for a moment.

"I would do anything for her."

"Then you must keep going, Master. The spirit maiden needs you to."

Link finally looked up and met Fi's gaze. She was right. Ghirahim was certainly not going to stop pursuing her, and neither would he. His heart longed desperately to be reunited with her; to see her smile and to feel her warm, gentle touch. Yet more than this, he wanted her to be safe, and he would stop at nothing to protect her.

"Thank you, Fi."

With a curtsy, Fi returned to the sword. Link replenished himself at the spring, splashing the cold, delicious water on his face and thirstily gulping some of it down. This gave him the strength he needed to unleash a skyward strike on the crest. From it, he took the final stone slab and returned to the sky.