Chapter 24: Transformation

As Link withdrew the Four Sword and held it high into the air, he turned to the Hermit. The man sat cross-legged on the porch, seemingly tranquil and at ease.

"Aren't you going to help?" Link asked, beginning his transformation.

Uriel shook his head. "This is a task you must endure alone. Think of it as a chance to see how much you've improved."

Link nodded and allowed his consciousness to split, permitting four bodies to be commanded under one mind. Link instructed green Link to speak. "Stay here, Navi. I don't want you getting mixed up in this again. I can handle it." The Fairy nodded her head, and the four Links jumped from the porch, landing between the three beasts. They stared at the Links in awe for a moment, wondering what had happened to Link, but then the battle began.

"I'll end this quickly," Felk said, signaling for his comrades to fall back. The creature flew into the air and prepared to land his spiny claws upon purple Link, but he moved to the side in a blurry step just before the claws touched his skin. Purple Link then thrust his sword into the creature just before he could recover, and his body was split in half, oozing with blood.

Purple Link wiped the blade clean on the grass and looked up from the bloodied corpse. He saw Elsor and Gregon staring at him in awe, horror-struck. Perhaps a revelation was going through their minds, and they were learning just how powerful Link had become.

From opposite directions, red and blue Link sped through the air and landed beside the unprepared Gregon, preparing to attack. The red demon was able to block but one swipe with his claws before two blades dug within him, ripping into his skin. He swayed back and forth for a moment, his mouth hung open. "How is this possible?" he asked, nearly breathless, and then fell to the ground. Both Links retrieved their swords, allowing the gashes in Gregon to spill blood.

They met green and purple Link as they fought Elsor. The shadow was obviously the greatest warrior of his comrades, but still, he seemed no match for the four Links. He moved his blade feverously as he fought the two Links, always on the defensive. By the time the other Links joined the fight, it didn't even seem fair. He would block a few of the strikes, but there were always just as many blows that pounded his body, making him stagger.

As the battle continued, Link allowed his thoughts to wander. He had already mastered retaining his form without having his mind intimately part of them, so this wasn't a problem. In his mind he pictured the Hermit, sitting happy, nearly smiling, watching the battle with Navi above his shoulder. What was the point of all of this? How did Uriel know these foes would be no match for Link? Even the Hero of Winds doubted he would so effortlessly debunk Elsor's thoughts of superiority, remembering the last time he had fought them. And yet Link had shed no blood; he had not one scrape or cut from battle. It was as if the Hermit knew all along Link would be tested this way, that he would realize the power the Four Sword gave him only through this test.

Link's mind returned as he saw Elsor, in a risky attempt to save himself, grabbed blue Link's back with a wispy arm and forced himself behind him. Elsor, using blue Link as a shield, lifted his blade and put it to the boy's neck.

Instantly everyone stopped. "You have forced me to exploit the weakness of your new power," Elsor said. "Having four bodies gives you much power, but it leaves you vulnerable elsewhere. You forget that while having multiple selves allows for more swipes of the sword, it also allows for more opportunities to be struck yourself."

"What you say is true," Link instructed the green Link to speak. "But still, I think I benefit from the Four Sword in the end." While Elsor was watching green Link, red and purple Link had sprung unexpectedly beside him. Red Link quickly grasped the shadow's arm and prevented movement, while purple Link pried Elsor and blue Link away from one another. As a result, both blue Link and Elsor fell to the ground.

Luckily the shadow had obstinately held his grasp onto his sword, and so when he fell, he was prepared to defend himself. He fought off green Link and shoved him to the ground. He proceeded to fight purple Link, but the presence of red and blue Link coming closer caused him to draw back.

He snarled. "So this is how our battle ends, Hero of Winds. Such a shame we were never able to kill you. Maybe it could have been done before, but now it is far too late. I commend you, Hero, for you have advanced in a way I could never do. I already reached the end of my potential, but you still have miles to go. Still, it is a shame that your power ultimately goes to waste. As easily as you defeated us, the Phantom will still rip you to pieces in mere seconds."

"You don't know that," Link responded.

"Unless you find another way to gain more power," continued Elsor, "I suggest staying clear of the Phantom and us. It will only end in your defeat." The shadow then sprung up into the air, into the sky. Link quickly instructed the four Links to try to attack him; they shot arrows into the air, threw bows, and hurled boomerangs, but nothing struck the swift Elsor. Soon he was out of sight, heading southeast into the horizon. Last time they fought Elsor had carried his bloodied companions with him, but this time he knew there was no use. Link had mutilated them beyond repair.

"Time to go," the Hermit said when remnants of battle had disappeared. "You must defeat the Phantom, and I must help the village and Tetra, of course." Link handed him the Swodim mushroom, the simple cure for Tetra's unnatural illness. In return, the Hermit handed Link a map to the mountain and the Phantom's lair. "Be careful out there," the Hermit said. "Remember your lessons."

"I will," Link answered. "Protect them, Uriel. You are all they have left."

There was nothing more to say. Both warriors walked soundlessly in opposite directions through the forest. Navi was there to emit light to guide Link through the woods, giving him both hope and a direction. But alas, no light was there for Uriel. All his life he was forced to create his own path, to forge his own destiny, to create his own light; why should a trek through the woods be any different?