Chapter 13: Perception
Tired and dirty, wounded and listless, Link walked through the forest like a dead man. He gathered the strength necessary to pursue only from the memory of the Phantom and the descriptions of his wicked acts, and encouragement from Navi. She talked to Link as he dragged himself along the forest floor, reminding him that they were already deep into the woods, and the Hermit's home would soon appear. She told him that she would always be there to protect him, not with brute strength or even mending relief, but with her spirit. She would be the one that pushes him forward when he staggers back. As Link trudged along the cacophonous forest, where the animals growled and the wind hissed through the trees, he was glad to have Navi by his side.
Shallow but stinging cuts covered his back from when Felk had attacked him. Deep purple bruises and patches of raw, pink skin covered his shoulders, a reminder of Gregon's assault. Lastly, one long, deep gash stretched across his chest as a result of Elsor's swift blade. Link made no attempt to hide his injuries, though he tried his best to remain unscathed in mind, while not in body.
"Do you think they were dead?" Link asked to Navi as they walked. "When Elsor escaped with Gregon and Felk, do you think they were just lifeless bodies, or did he take them away for a reason?"
Navi pondered the question for a moment. Finally, she said, "Much to my dismay, I don't think you killed them, Link. Felk may have survived the arrow because it had only pierced his wing. And though you battered Gregon, you did not hit him with any pernicious blows. Plus, I doubt Elsor would take their bodies with him unless they were of some use. That black menace does not seem like the type to hold on to things for sentimental value."
Link nodded in accord. "So I suppose I am going to have to fight them again someday." He surveyed his broken body once more. "I may have won that battle, but I fear that if the situation were to occur once more, I could not sustain myself for long. I doubt those creatures are stronger than the Phantom. If I barely made it through that battle, how do I expect to hold my own against the Phantom the second time we meet? Something must be done between then and now. I do not know what, but somehow I must gain the strength necessary to defeat them. All of them."
Navi looked into his eyes. "You have the strength inside of you, Link," she said. "I can feel it. The way you fought yesterday, you did not receive those blows due to carelessness or your sluggish movements. You expected too much out of yourself. You pushed yourself farther than your body or sword could take. I would not have been surprised if your blade had snapped in half during your battle."
Link turned his head to look at her and prepared to speak, until a camouflaged hole suddenly revealed itself beneath a bed of leaves. Overtaken by surprise, Link tripped and fell into the hole, tumbling down into the darkness. Before Navi could fly to his aid, the hole in the ground covered itself up, steel bars sliding to close the hole. For a long time Navi tried to break through the metal and fly to Link, but she quickly learned that he was on his own.
Link awoke aching and wet. The ground was moist and earthy. A thick layer of slime covered the land beneath him, and when Link arose, he discovered that his hands were coated in grime. He wiped his face and opened his eyes. He blinked several times in an attempt to make out his surroundings, but he quickly discovered that there was only darkness. Feeling like a blind man, Link sloshed through the water, touching the wall to confirm his location, trying desperately to correct his blunder.
As he walked through the catacombs, he felt an unknown presence surround him. Link could not detect where or what it was, but he knew that something was watching him closely with vigilant eyes. A spark of light unexpectedly illuminated the room, showing Link that there was nothing before him. But there was still something in the room that gave Link an eerie chill. The walls themselves seemed to be breathing, inhaling and exhaling like a living, breathing creature. The ground beneath the water rose up and down, mimicking a man's chest. The distinct presence of something both vile and extraordinary filled Link's thoughts.
Watch and wait all you like, but I will reveal no more.
The voice startled Link. It sounded like death itself, not necessarily organic –like the rumbling of a mountain.
"Who are you?" Link asked.
I am not what you see.
"Then what are you? Are you Man or spirit? Do you have a name?"
I am called Wirlin, but that explains little. I am unlike any creature you have met before in that I can mold my surroundings, conjuring a façade that is readily accepted by the docile and weak-minded. Now you see me as an ominous spirit, but what would you say to a creature like this? A little girl appeared before Link's eyes, around five or six, with locks of golden hair tumbling down a pinkish, innocent face. Instilling fear requires no more than the art of deception. The same rumbling voice, now coming from a small child, startled Link. I can make you believe you are within a mountain, or that you are asleep, or even that you are another person.
"What do you want with me?" Link asked. The little girl's lips curved into a devilish smile. In no time Wirlin changed once more, now an enormous lion.
For a long time I have wondered the same thing. I have known you were in this forest for some time, but I did not lure you to me until now for a reason. I can snap your brittle body in half faster than a twig. You have seen better days, Link. I can see in your eyes that you would pose no threat to me. Even if you were at your full strength you would be no more a foe than an insect.
"Then why not kill me now?" Link tested him, knowing that if Wirlin wanted to kill him he would have done so already.
I would, but circumstances have changed. You may be weak now, but in time I know that you will grow. Never will you be able to challenge me, but perhaps you can be of some use in indirect ways.
"The Poes," Link realized. "You want them gone."
The lion nodded, a mesh of golden hair bobbing up and down. So proud was this lion. So utterly engrossed in his superiority. And the Phantom most of all. That impudent, arrogant fool. He does not even know of my presence and yet he is already mapping his territory. If I could leave this forest I would turn his soul rotten, but alas, I am a prisoner of my own gift. When I leave this forest, my abilities are lost.
"So you think I can slay the Phantom, and yet you stand there taunting me, undermining my abilities?"
Now you are a fledgling, but in time you will hone your abilities. You will learn how to release the potential inside of you, sharpening your strengths, exploiting your opponents' follies.
"Why does everyone think I am so unskilled!" Link snapped, bursting into anger and frustration. "I killed the great Ganondorf, not you, not the Phantom! I alone saved Hyrule! Ganondorf is now stone because of my doing! Why do you persist to think me as inexperienced?"
Circumstances have changed, my friend. Indeed, your story teems with irony. You were able to defeat your greatest foe, but not without the loss of something of your own.
Link calmed down slightly, groaning in frustration. "Is everything I have done because of the weapon I bear, or what is inside of me?"
You will always be the Hero of Winds, Link. Even in the darkest corner of the world I have heard your story. I do not underestimate your abilities. The problem is that they are locked inside of you, and the only way to extract them is to wield a worthy blade. You may as well use a stick rather than the weapon you hold now. It will make no difference.
"You want me to destroy the Phantom and his minions, but how do you know that once I am done I will not take the forest for myself?"
We will meet again.
"I'll make it my purpose to avoid you."
It is inevitable. I am able to sense every movement of the forest –the faint squeak of a mouse before a hawk overtakes it, even the sound of the wind as it howls through the trees. The lion walked up to Link until their faces were inches away. Wirlin revealed his sharp teeth, but Link did not flinch. Until then, I will bring your victory, and simultaneously your loss, one step closer to the present.
The slime of the water suddenly began to rush up Link's legs, clinging to his body. He fidgeted and squirmed, but soon his entire body was enveloped in green. Soon, after the slime had hardened and encrusted Link's body, it cracked, emitting light. Link breathed again as the chips of solidified slime withered away into the water. First Link saw that Wirlin was no longer with him, gone with the effulgent light that he had conjured. Then he noticed that his body had changed. The wounds that had once been a part of him and caused him great misery -the scrapes across his back, the gashes and bruises covering his shoulders, even the laceration spanning his chest- were now nonexistent. Link smiled in the quiet darkness and said,
"I feel reborn."
