Chapter 33: Link's Demise

The sky was a mesh of black smoke, hovering like a halo over a pit of fire. The Phantom shielded his eyes as he allowed the flames to die out, for him to see what had become of his enemy. But no one could have survived that blast. The Phantom had driven everything he could muster into that single attack.

The cave was no more, and in its place was a pit of crumbled rock. In the center the Phantom Hourglass remained unscathed, as if nothing could penetrate the invisible force field around it. The four Links were scattered within the wreckage, all of them lying still.

And yet, the Phantom could not believe his eyes when he saw the green Link groan and begin to stand up. How could this be?

"I…can't give up," Link said to himself as he began to climb the pit, the smoke nearly choking him. "I can't let him win." Link was not strong enough to wake the other Links, but he retained his severed form. How he managed to do so was beyond his knowledge.

"You little fool," the Phantom said, animosity in his eyes. "You should have died where you stood. Now feel my wrath. The Dark World has come for you. I'll let it decide your fate." Like before, the Phantom closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around his body. Link tried his best to reach the edge of the pit, but he had little energy left. Great burns seared his body, and the pain was almost unbearable. He struggled to pull himself atop the cliff, the wounds biting his body, his hands shaking from the insufferable pain. He looked up at the Phantom, a dark ghost atop the cliff, and a melding of emotions flowed through him: anger, frustration, disbelief, and doubt. How could the Phantom win? What happened to the Oracle's promise? Wasn't Link supposed to defeat him? I don't understand, Link mused. Why would Farore promise me victory if the Phantom is to end my life?

The world turned black. The setting sun, once a coalescence of shades of orange, gold, and red, was now gone from the sky. Even the flames that lingered in the pit changed color. Link's clothes, once green and vibrant, turned as black as charcoal. All color seemed to be absorbed by the Phantom's spell. Nothing remained; everything was eaten away, drawn to the Phantom's like a magnet, then dying like a fading star.

Finally, Link was atop the cliff, and he knew that little time was left. With an aching arm, he withdrew his boomerang, and threw it forward with everything he had left. As he fell to the ground in exhaustion, a dark face with two curved horns upon a large snout, and two eyes as red as blood, was unveiled in front of Link's eyes.

The boomerang hit the Phantom squarely in the face, and he stepped backward in surprise, clutching his face, disrupting the spell. Color came back to the world again, and the only black that remained was under the Phantom's hood. "So you have some life left in you!" the Phantom screamed, angered by how close he was. "That is about to change."

The Phantom's feet hit the ground, and he walked over to Link. The Hero could no longer rise. Just holding his separated form was enough of a task for him. The Phantom gripped him by the leg and threw him into the air. Link crashed into the crimson rocks at the edge of the cliff, holding his body in agony. He saw the Phantom walking casually over to him and lifted the Four Sword, his face contorted from the effort to just hold it in the air.

"What do you think you are doing?" the Phantom asked, mocking him. He kicked Link in the stomach, ignoring the sword. Instantly the Hero closed his eyes, holding his sides, his mouth opened but saying no words. The three Links, still in the pit, arose and flew across to Link and the Phantom. They collided with the Hero, becoming one once more. "There, that's better. This is the Link I know. A lone Hero, defenseless and begging for death." The Phantom saw that Link still held up the Four Sword in defiance. The Phantom kicked the Four Sword from his hands, and it went soaring into the air, tumbling down into the forest below. They watched as it disappeared soundlessly below the trees.

"It's over, Link," the Phantom said. "You have failed. You managed to escape fate for this long, but eventually it all comes rushing back to you. The Four Sword is lost. Your village will soon be defeated. Your own Gods have looked away, just as they had done before." Link turned his head, refusing to look into the Phantom's eyes. But the Phantom picked Link up, forcing him to see. "It doesn't always turn out like your idealistic legends. Sometimes the other side wins. You've had your time, Link. Hyrule has basked in its glory for centuries. But this is not your land, Link, and it never will be."

Without warning, a glowing creature reached out and clutched Link's foot.

"I'm sorry, Link," Navi said, "but I couldn't just watch you die." She reached out, beating her wings, and kicked the Phantom. But he just laughed.

"So this will be your last memory before your death," the Phantom said, chuckling ominously. "A last feeble attempt, and resounding laughter."

The Phantom held Link high into the air and, using his magic, threw him, like the Four Sword, far off into the distance, Navi still clutching his leg.

With half-closed eyes, Link watched himself jet over the forest, falling down into the green of the trees. His head went black then, and the only thing he saw in his mind was the face from before, menacing and gruesome, a promise of death.

Beneath the ocean waters, standing alone, nearly forgotten, the King of Red Lions wept. He had seen what had become of Link, and now guilt flowed through him. For so long he had paced through these empty halls, this forgotten kingdom, thinking of ways that Link could possibly win. He had thought he figured it all out. He had thought that even without the Hero's Sword, Link would still be victorious. But he was wrong, and now there was no hope left.

Or was there…?

This is it, the King thought, standing beside the stone structure: the final effort. Walls of water and a floor of cobblestone were all that the room offered. It was here that Link had finally defeated Ganondorf. It was here that the King had made his wish upon the Triforce.

He gripped the sword in the stone, sliding it free. "May the Gods forgive me," he said, holding it into the air.

The stone began to crack, light revealed beneath. The rock trembled in place, as if something within it was trying to break it open, like a chick hatching from its egg. The King heard a soft laughter as it all eroded away, crushing into pebbles. Standing there was Ganondorf, proud and triumphant. For a moment he did nothing, admiring his mere existence, wondering what had occurred. But one look at the King with the Hero's Sword in his hands told him more than any words could say. "Fool!" the King of Darkness shouted. "The Hero had slain me, and yet you undid his deed. You are even more pathetic than your Gods."

Turned the other way, the King of Red Lions held the Hero's Sword into the air. "Go!" he screamed. "Find him! Complete him once more!"

At first Ganondorf thought the King was talking to him, but when he saw him throw the Sword into the air, he knew. Ganondorf jumped into the air, catching the Hero's Sword before it hit the ground.

"No!" The King screamed, falling to his knees. Ganondorf smiled as a golden light emitted from the Sword, encasing him in it as well. Soon they were both gone, away from Hyrule, the place he was once bound to.

"Forgive me, Link," the King said, tears falling to the ground. "I have failed you once again."