"Master?" Fi called from the sword, though in the silent realm, she and the sword were truly one and the same.

Link stayed silent, keeping his fierce gaze fixed on the shadowy figure before him.

"I am having difficulty distinguishing you from the individual before you."

"I think... it is me," Link uttered.

The figure was rapidly becoming less of a shadow and more of a physical form. Its frame was now reflected in the water as vividly as Link's. Link took a cautious step forward, creating a quiet ripple in the shallow water beneath him. His breath caught in his throat when the figure before him drew a dark blade, the likes of which looked just like the Goddess Sword, and attacked. Link planted his footing as his dark self sped toward him, blade at the ready. Their swords clashed with an echo that seemed to go on for miles. His dark self continued to bear down, though Link resisted, firmly holding the Goddess Sword in place and keeping his adversary at bay, his arms trembling as he held steady. He studied his adversary now that he was up close.

His dark gray skin was hardly lighter than the black clothing he wore. It was difficult to see any facial features, yet his eyes were fierce and red. No parts of his eye could be distinguished. They looked like red jewels of one shade. Link could not help but to be reminded of the evil glare of the Imprisoned while staring into the eyes of this dark fiend. With his own swing, Link sent Dark Link back.

"What do I do?" Link inquired. "Kill him?"

His question had all but faded into silence when Dark Link returned with a savage barrage of attacks.

"For now," Fi replied, "it appears your success in the trial will hinge on your ability to outlast and vanquish this foe."

An uneasy sting hit Link in the depths of his stomach. Killing a Bokoblin, Moblin, or any other enemy would have been a simple ask. Killing a clone of himself, however, felt more daunting. Wrong, even. Still, he readied himself in a defensive stance, and while blocking against his foe, he studied his attack patterns and movements as best as he could, to see if and how he could best him. The first thing he noted was that his attacks were horrendously powerful. Every block sent the Goddess Sword flying back as his dark self seemed to put every ounce of strength into every last swing. Link found himself struggling to keep his grip on the Goddess Sword strong as it was savagely batted away by Dark Link's blade.

"He doesn't seem to grow weary," Link thought. "That could be an issue."

Link knocked the foe back once more, then followed up with his own series of offensive strikes. The way Dark Link defended was unlike anything he had seen before. Link would swing the blade from the right, and Dark Link's blade was positioned to guard before Link had even followed through. If he bore down with an overhead swing, Dark Link was ready to block before Link was even swinging downward. Dark Link was always a step ahead.

"How does he know what I'm about to do?" Link asked Fi.

"I am able to predict your strikes, with moderate accuracy, by monitoring your thoughts, Master."

"So he's reading my mind?"

Having almost a dozen attacks blocked with perfect accuracy filled Link with a hot sense of frustration, bubbling up from the depths of his abdomen and spreading throughout his body. His hair was beginning to stick to his forehead as a warm sweat formed above his brow. Despite being in the Silent Realm, his arms began to burn with exhaustion, and each sword swing was now accompanied by a strained, heaving shout.

Suddenly, Dark Link parried in such a way that Link nearly lost his grip on the hilt of the Goddess Sword. His body jerked backward as he tried to keep hold of hilt, which led to a stumble. Before Link could recover, Dark Link came forth with unfathomable speed. His gray fist collided with Link's chest, dead center. The boy flew back. He could hear the echo of his own breath following him until he skidded to a stop in the cold, dark water. Before he had even fully comprehended what had happened, his dark self was atop him, taking him by the throat. Amazingly, he pulled Link from the water and held him in the air by his neck. Link sputtered and gagged, trying to pry the foe's fingers from around him.

"You should have saved her," Dark Link said, his voice deep and growling.

"What?" Link managed.

Dark Link's eyes suddenly began glowing, their piercing redness seeming to stare right into Link's soul. The brightness caused a horrid sting of pain on the sides of Link's head. As their gazes connected, the world around Link dissolved. Dark Link vanished. The fog hovering over the water was no more. The eerie, gray sky and the dead tree all disappeared. Instead, Link found himself in a place he had not seen in many years.

His old home.

It somehow appeared darker and deader than the last time he had seen it. The main room was cold and damp, with wind and rain seeping in through the broken windows. Link could feel goosebumps bubbling up on his skin as the unforgiving wind gripped him. The sound of an approaching cough drew his attention to the door. Hiding her pale, thin face with her elbow, a woman with long, disheveled, ash blonde hair entered in, carrying a patched up sack over her shoulder. Link's mouth fell agape at the sight of her. His heart immediately leapt into his throat, though whether it was from pain or gladness, he could not tell.

"Mother?" Link drawled, still coming to grips with what he was seeing.

The frail woman rested her back against the doorframe, letting the sack fall to the bare stone floor and holding her chest as she panted for breath, stifling more coughs. When it looked like she was about to fall forward, Link took a brisk step toward her, yet he was stopped short when he observed a small child run past him. Thin and dirty, the child ran toward the woman. Taking her hand in his, he walked her over to the stone table and sat her down on one of the splintered wooden seats. It creaked terribly, threatening to break apart at any moment. The child then retrieved the sack and also set it upon the table.

"Did they have your medicine?" the child asked quietly, frantically digging through the sack.

"There, there," the woman replied, gently pulling his hands from the bag, stroking his palms with her thumbs.

Link, as he watched, could feel the sensation of her thumbs gliding over the inside of his hands. It alarmed him at first, as the touch felt cold. And yet, he cherished every second of it, despite how strange it was.

"I had enough rupees for a loaf of bread and some milk. There was not enough for the medicine."

"But they had it?" challenged the child.

The woman simply nodded.

"Then let me go earn some rupees," the child protested, tears welling in his eyes. "I can haul in firewood, sweep floors..."

The child quickly rose from his seat at the table. Link remembered the sense of determination that had welled inside of him in that moment. The child was prepared to work through the night if he needed to, to get the medicine for his mother. However, the child stumbled, grasping his own chest and coughing bitterly. Link's hand raised to his own chest in kind as he felt the stinging pain of each cough. The woman helped him up delicately. Once he was standing before her, she gently pushed a lock of his honey-blonde hair aside and cupped his childlike cheeks in her wiry hands. Again, Link could feel their cold yet soothing touch as he watched their interaction.

"Not until you are well," she said, offering a sad yet genuine smile. "Please, go back into the room and rest. I will prepare supper."

With a loud, rumbling groan, resembling a distant thunder, the house around him started to fade, and both the woman and the child ceased to move. The color in their faces turned to gray, and their bodies seemed to be dissolving before his very eyes.

"Mother!" Link shouted, reaching forward.

By the time his hand met her shoulder, it was too late. His hand slipped right through, and she faded into nothingness. Link was torn back into the present moment by the searing glow of Dark Link's eyes. The sides of his head stung terribly at the sight of Dark Link's glare.

"You should have saved her!" he spat again, throwing Link backward into the cold, shallow water.

By the infuriated growl in his voice, Link knew that his dark self would strike again quickly. Rising to his feet, he raised the Goddess Sword up to protect himself at just the right moment, finding himself fending off yet another barrage of unbelievably strong attacks. He could feel his heart beating harshly against his chest while Dark Link's voice resounded in his mind, flooding him with the painful memory over and over. The threat of hot tears stung the corners of his eyes. At long last, Link managed to shove the foe away.

"You should have saved her," he growled again, "but you were too weak."

"No!" Link shrieked.

It was his turn to deliver a series of impassioned strikes. The anger already welling in him was only heightened by Dark Link's ability to counter every strike even before Link had thought of them himself. Link was knocked to the ground by a particularly harsh counter. He looked up in time to see Dark Link's blackened blade rising over his head, yet before he plunged the sword downward, his red eyes began to glow once more. Link tried to resist looking, but was once more struck by a sharp pain in his skull, followed by a deafening high-pitched ringing. The silent realm vanished, and for a time, all Link could see was darkness, and all he could hear was the high-pitched sound carrying on. Slowly, Link began to feel a slight breeze blowing through his hair. It picked up speed and volume, until it was a monstrous wind raging in every direction all at once. It was all he could hear until an all-too-familiar scream tore through the violent winds.

"Link!"

His forest green eyes opened wide, and he was suddenly atop his faithful Loftwing. The bird was straining terribly, flapping his mighty wings with everything he had. Link's own eyes and mouth were immediately dried by the violence of the furious winds. Behind them, Zelda's outstretched hand was reaching for him.

"Link!"

"Hold on, Zelda!" he called back.

He urged his Loftwing to turn, reaching out his own hand and pleading for Zelda to reach further. Their fingertips touched for the slightest of moments, then Zelda was ripped from her Loftwing. Link recalled what had actually happened before, when he had tried to give chase, failed, and was knocked unconscious by the winds. He was then taken back to Skyloft to recover while Zelda was left at the mercies of the merciless storm.

Link vowed in his heart to not let that happen again. This time he would go with her, even if it meant falling to his own death. He leapt from his Loftwing and was sucked into the violent, raging whirlwind. Somehow, he still saw Zelda, crying out and reaching for him. They fought through the winds, each growing more desperate to grasp the other with every passing moment. At long last, Link's palm connect with Zelda's wrist and wrapped tightly around it. He could feel her pulse throbbing against the palm of his hand. His forest greens managed to connect with her piercing blues, and he saw every last bit of the fear gripping the depths of her soul. He was just about to pull her into himself, to reassure her that he would be with her even if it meant to their deaths, when suddenly she vanished, replaced by Dark Link's frame standing over him, sword raised for the kill.

With a gasp, Link rolled out of the way as the water kicked up by Dark Link's sword rained down on him. Link rose to his feet, but faltered back down to one knee. With heaving breaths, he tried to raise the Goddess Sword and found it to be nearly impossibly heavy under the weight of his mounting exhaustion. All-the-while, what had formerly been a feeling of anger and rage now melted into grief. Link felt the full weight of both losses - that of his mother and that of Zelda - as if he had only just experienced them for the first time all over again.

"You could have saved her!" Dark Link spat once more. "You were a coward."

The dark figure walked after him, weapon at the ready. Unsure of what else to do, Link scrambled to his feet and began to run toward the tree, which seemed to draw no closer despite his efforts. Worse, Dark Link, despite pursuing at a walking pace, drew closer.

"Master, I am projecting with ninety percent certainty that your foe is a representation of the memories and beliefs you harbor inside yourself."

"So he's not reading my mind," Link replied in thought, "he is my mind."

"I was not aware you had thoughts such as these," Fi stated.

Link gulped. He knew deep down he had tried to bury these thoughts, and now his own self-blame and insecurities were exposed.

"Yeah, well… I don't know what this has to do with defeating him."

"I have gathered that one's innermost thoughts will return if they are fled from," she said. "The thoughts of the mind can infect one's very spirit if not confronted and ultimately contended with."

The splashes of Link's steps slowed as Fi's words resounded in his heart. While hearing it was like accepting a punch in the stomach, what she said made sense to him. His beliefs that he failed to save his mother had secretly plagued his soul since the night she died. And Link could not recall one single night since his journey had begun where he had not been haunted by the image of his failure to rescue Zelda from the violent whirlwind.

Tightening his grip on the hilt of the Goddess Sword, he nodded his head and drew in a slow, deep breath. Closing his eyes, he honed his senses and listened for the shadowy footsteps roaring up from behind. One particularly hard splash cued him that Dark Link had caught up and was preparing to strike. With a swift twist, he turned to block yet another powerful blow from his adversary, with a renewed sense of fighting will welling up inside. Their swords clashed with loud, reverberating echoes.

"You don't have any hold on me," Link declared, straining against Dark Link's sword. "You've been deceiving me for as long as I can remember."

He twirled the blade around, shaking off Dark Link's sword and creating an opening for his own strike. To no surprise, Dark Link continued to defend with unbelievable accuracy. However, for the first time, Link's blade slipped past his defenses and sliced into the figure's side. A low, growling yelp escaped him. Link's heart leapt into his throat as a feeling of hope washed over him.

"Why didn't you save them?" Dark Link asked, flourishing his blade and clenching his side. "Our own mother? Zelda?"

Link's countenance fell. The questions stung him like a knife. He looked down at his own reflection in the water, the sight of which made him feel angry and ill. His breaths became shaky and unsteady. Why couldn't he save the two people who meant the most to him?

"Master," Fi interrupted. "You must resist him. He is trying to poison your thoughts."

"The sword spirit is lying to you," Dark Link growled, terribly lowly. "You know the truth. You failed our mother and you failed Zelda."

Link shook his head, though it was clear he was still wrestling with the confliction coming from Fi and Dark Link. With a hint of a scoff, Dark Link vanished into nothingness. With quick, harsh breaths, Link turned this way and that in search of the dark adversary. He could feel the heaviness of his presence lingering, so Link knew that he was at least nearby. Suddenly, Link felt a hand grip his shoulder with otherworldly strength. He was forcefully turned and was met with Dark Link's hateful red gaze. Link aimed his head downward to avoid his stare. Then, the unthinkable happened. Dark Link's sword pierced straight through Link's upper body, just below his left collarbone. A primal scream erupted from him as he felt the hot, sharp blade glide through, emerging from the other side. He felt as though consciousnesses was leaving him, yet fought to stay upright.

"Look at me, boy," Dark Link commanded, his eyes beginning to glow once more.

"Resist, Master."

Link bit down on his lower lip, trying to hold in another scream of pain. A whimper escaped, but Link continued to resist. Dark Link reached around to the back of his head, taking a handful of his wetted hair in his fist and forcing his head upward.

"Look at me."

Dark Link twisted the blade in Link's upper arm. The ensuing scream echoed over and over again. The feeling in his legs began to fade. Link knew he had no choice. He would have to give in. His gaze met Dark Link's, and his skull was filled once more with the tortuous, painful ringing.

"Master!" Fi exclaimed, perhaps more urgently than Link had ever heard before.

The sound of her voice grew distant as he was once more transported into the depths of his own fears and doubts. He opened his eyes to a world of darkness. The sky overflowed with the darkest clouds, spewing hot lightning and drenching the earth in an unforgiving rain. Despite this, everything around him burned in a fire that refused to be doused. The bright flames and thick smoke made it nearly impossible to see at first, blasting his face with their intense, nearly unbearable heat. Choking on smoke and throwing his elbow over his mouth and nose, Link tried to find somewhere safe. When at last he came to a small opening, he recognized it at once as the courtyard at one of Skyloft's edges, just beside the light tower, which itself had been nearly leveled. Behind him, the entire village was being consumed by flames or being ripped to shreds by lightning.

Looking out into the dark sky, he could see thin remnants of the cloud barrier streaking below while the angry storm clouds raged on above. He could observe the surface from where he stood, and it, too, was engulfed in flames. Faron's green, lush forest was blackened. Lanayru's golden desert was nothing more than a gray, tormented wasteland. Eldin was utterly flooded with lava. Link's stomach felt sick at the thought of his friends being killed in whatever carnage he was witnessing.

His eyes flickered everywhere in desperate search of any Loftwing or person. The heat pressing against his face, the rain pelting his body, and the lightning and thunder blinding and deafening him brought him to the brink of madness. He threw his hands over his ears, though it did nothing to console him. Finally, he spotted something bright on the ground before him. He ran forward, dodging flame and lightning as best as he could. Before he could reach it, a wall of otherworldly fire rose up on all sides, blocking him from whatever or whoever it was.

"You're too late," Dark Link's voice resounded in Link's mind as Fi's normally would. "Give up. It is over."

Drawing in as deep of a breath as he could and holding it, Link threw himself into the wall of flame, breaking through to the other side, miraculously, without injury. A cloud of smoke rose up to meet him. When at last it dissipated, there on the ground before him, he saw her. Zelda, eyes closed and motionless, with one hand resting on her chest and the other lying limp at her side. The glowing, white gown she dawned was sprawled out on the dark, burned earth.

"Zelda!" he screamed, lowering himself to scoop her up into his grip.

Her neck flopped to the side of his arm, her face turning away from him. Underneath her hand, he saw a wound, from which came both blood and a dim, golden light, which was further fading as the seconds passed. Her skin felt icy against his. Every touch stung. Still, he tried desperately to rouse her.

"Zelda, wake up!" he howled. "Zelda!"

"This is what awaits you," Dark Link broke in with a growl. You couldn't save her before, why should you be able to save her in the future?"

Link shook his head, his harsh breaths slowly turning into repressed sobs. He tightened his hold on Zelda, pulling her into his chest, running a trembling hand over her golden blonde hair and caressing her cold, pale face.

"I'm not going to let this happen," he whispered to her as tenderly as he could. "I promise."

"But you will," Dark Link rebutted. "You have been a weak and spineless coward since your youth. Because of this, you will fail her, just as you have before."

Link clenched his eyes shut, squeezing out two large tears and pressing his forehead against Zelda's. While it had never been so vivid, Link had found himself trapped in this thought before, more times than he cared to count. Every time someone hailed him as a hero, or mentioned his supposed destiny to "vanquish the darkness," his thoughts spiraled into the depths of this dark, burning world. He had admitted this to no one, not even Fi.

Not even to himself.

Previously, he had tried to shut out the thoughts, writing them off as nothing more than self-doubt. But now, Link understood that the thought had only continued to fester in his mind, now vivid enough to be used against him like a torture device. Link ran the outer sides of his fingers over Zelda's cheek. He closed his eyes and reflected on what he knew was true. Lowering his head once more, their foreheads touched, and he was reminded of Zelda's words at the Gate of Time.

"This isn't the end. We will see each other again."

He could hear her voice in his mind as clearly as he could Dark Link's or Fi's. In that moment, he thought she might truly be speaking to him. With each word, her voice dispelled Dark Link's hold on his mind little by little. If Dark Link was a manifestation of the lies and hurt Link had harbored in his mind, then Zelda was the source of truth and healing he so desperately needed. His breaths slowed, growing deeper and more regulated as Zelda's words continued to resound in his mind and heart. Finally, he drew in a long, deep breath.

"You're wrong," he uttered quietly, slowly.

Through the thunder and flames he heard Dark Link's savage, rumbling laugh erupt, filling his mind yet again.

"You're wrong!" Link raged.

In a jarring instant, he found himself staring into Dark Link's eyes. They were back in the gray, hazy battleground, with Link still impaled by the black blade. Dark Link slowly drew it from his flesh, while a horrific groan was expelled from Link's throat. Dark Link kicked his foot squarely into Link's chest, sending him back into the water. Link hoisted himself up onto his uninjured arm and reached up to feel the wound left behind by Dark Link's blade. To his amazement, it was not there. While there was still considerable, residual pain, the open wound had vanished, as if it had never existed.

"Master, I have new information for you," Fi said, relieving Link at once to hear her voice. "Dark Link's weapon allows him further access to your mind. However, your resistance to his efforts is counteracting the injury he is trying to inflict. You can fight on."

Fueled by rage, Link rose to his feet and charged Dark Link with every ounce of strength he had, each sword swing accompanied by a loud, impassioned shout. Dark Link seemed to be less and less capable of predicting and countering Link's attacks, which came one after the other with no sign of ceasing. Dark Link flicked away a sword slash, but this created an opening, allowing Link to take his shadowy foe by the throat. He squeezed as tightly as he could manage, even digging his nails into his gray skin.

"I control you." Dark Link gagged, though he otherwise seemed unaffected by Link's hold.

His eyes looked up to meet Link's once more and started to glow. However, they quickly dimmed as Link's grip grew tighter.

"I control you!" Dark Link shouted, trying to trance Link once more.

"Not anymore," Link replied plainly.

Link flung the blade into Dark Link's gut. The shadowy figure stumbled backward, still trying to trance Link with his stare, yet to no avail.

"Master..."

By the pull coming from within the sword, Link knew what Fi intended for him to do. He raised the sword to the sky and quickly felt a surge of energy buzzing down his arm. Dark Link sprung forward to run his blade through Link a second time. Link, however, flung the illuminated sword, shedding its light and sending it barreling into Dark Link. The shadow being howled loudly, looking to the sky as he slowly began to fade away into the mist. After a few long seconds, he vanished completely, leaving only Link and the sound of his heaving breaths to fill the open, empty space. He made his way over to the tree, an exhausted limp invading his gait. He leaned against the tree, letting it support the full weight of his body.

After a time, he felt a warmth against the back of his neck, followed by an orange-red glow in the water. Turning, he was met with the same light as before, from which Din spoke to him fondly and boldly.

"Strong One," she said, her deep voice booming. "You have successfully completed your trial, though you have endured much grief and pain in doing so."

Link simply nodded, unsure of how to respond. He would be lying if he said that the hurt left over from the memories of losing his mother and Zelda was not still heavy on his mind, though Din seemed to know this.

"The greatest display of power," Din continued, "is one's ability to overcome and master their weaknesses, oft anchored in the deepest voids of their minds. For those who are greedy for power or wealth, their weakness is an unquenchable thirst for authority and rule over those they feel are beneath them. For those who are prideful, it is their inability to see beyond themselves to the needs of others."

The light came closer to Link, bouncing brightly off of his wide eyes.

"Yours, child, is surely your difficulty believing that you are enough."

A knot immediately formed in his throat. His gaze fell, as he did not want Din to see the hot tears now stinging the corners of his eyes. Alas, she could hear the tremble in his hastened breathing.

"Lift up your eyes," she instructed. "You have resisted this truth long enough. Resist no longer."

Pursing his lips to halt the quivering, his glassy, tear-filled eyes raised to meet Din's light. Each breath stung like a hot knife as he tried with all his might to maintain his composure.

"It is true. You were unable to save your mother. Her fate was decided long before you were born, and her fate is not your burden to bear. Alas, you were an innocent child - a babe yourself - and that is all she needed you to be; her child. Nothing more. You were enough for her, evidenced by the love she held for you until her dying breath. The spirit maiden, Zelda's fate, was decided in an age long before yours. When she was taken from you, you valiantly tried to save her, enduring your own injury in an act of selfless love and courage. This is why the spirit maiden believes in you, and why you have been chosen as the Goddess' Hero of Destiny. Your brave, self-sacrificing determination to save the one you love is enough for the spirit maiden and the Goddess Hylia herself."

Link could hold his head up no longer. His honey-blonde locks fell, shielding his eyes as his shoulders hunched up and forward. He broke out in a wordless, quiet, yet heavy cry. Din's words reminded him of the numerous times when he had to remove a splinter from deep within his skin when he was young. Hurt and healing collided in those many moments, as they did right now, standing before the Goddess of Power. The light remained with him for several long minutes, until the hurting lessened, and peace began to settle in its place. He slowly raised his eyes to meet Din once more.

"Go in power, Strong One," she said, and Link could tell by the sound of her voice that she was smiling. "Should you find yourself in dire need, you and the spirit of the sword may call upon me, and I will aid you with my consuming, ravenous fire. Do be wary to use this gift only once, at your moment of greatest need."

Link nodded his head. He could feel his consciousness slipping from the silent realm. He tightened his grip on the Goddess Sword as he prepared to awaken back on the surface, where he would surely press onward with Din's coveted blessing.

"Go in power," she said one more time before her light, and the silent realm with her, faded.