Chapter 40: His Other Self

Carrying in his hands a chest glowing with a light that illuminated the space before him, the Hermit determinedly walked through the forest. The chest was so carefully crafted, carved out of a single block of wood. Gold linings were wrought around the edges of the chest, and a metallic hinge connected it together. The chest was so beautiful –so amazing- that the Hermit could not help but peer inside. But there was nothing within.

On top of the chest was a small slit. The Hermit remembered the Oracle's words before she had sent him into the forest with the chest in his arm: "In the forest you will find a key, and only with this key will you be able to lock this chest."

"But what am I to lock in the chest," Uriel had asked.

When Farore had given him the answer, it had taken time for him to believe. It just made no sense that something so powerful could be hidden so well. And it seemed dreadfully ironic that that same force could be locked away in something as simple as a chest.

Uriel was not frightened as he continued through the forest -not tense from the disturbing silence- not shaken by the ominous darkness. Rather, he almost felt at home, as if he had missed the esoteric safety the forest provided.

"Uriel!" the voice broke the silence. "It's you!"

The Hermit looked ahead and saw Link approaching him.

"Uriel, quick, give me the chest. Let me take the burden away from you."

He had been warned this would happen. The Hermit kept his eyes forward, stepping past Link.

"It's over," Link continued. "The Phantom is dead. The city is saved. We won! Why is this so hard to understand? I want to help you, Uriel. I want to make this easier for you. Give me the chest, and I will finish what you started."

"No!" the Hermit shouted, and then added, "Wirlin."

So it has come to this.

Link's body materialized in the air, and then reformed right in front of Uriel's steps. Only now he was no longer a boy, but an old man with a beard and a missing arm. The Hermit stopped, feeling as if he were looking into a mirror.

Look into my eyes, the other said. Look deep within them and see the truth. The Hermit tried to look away, but his eyes seemed drawn to look forward, locking in place. He gazed into his own eyes, now glowing. Within them, he saw the city, now peaceful and prosperous. With the war over, they were concerned with rebuilding the wreckage the war had brought them.

The dream faded, and Uriel was again in the forest.

I promise you this, Wirlin said. My power will not extend to your village. I will allow you to grow, to become whatever you wish. Just give me the chest.

"No!" the Hermit screamed defiantly. "Farore told me the truth. You are slowly expanding, and if something is not done soon, you will take over everything again." Angered, Wirlin stretched his arm forward, gripping the chest. Uriel clutched it tightly, refusing to let go. Wirlin drew back, screaming. His hand was on fire, and slowly blackening and shriveling to dust.

Wirlin disappeared into the air.

The Hermit was told this would happen. Farore's magic prevented Wirlin from taking the chest from him. The shape-shifter needed the Hermit to give it willingly.

So be it, Wirlin's voice bellowed. But you will not find what you seek. I will make your journey through this forest a nightmare. Terror will consume your soul until you have no choice but to give me the chest. So walk on, Uriel. Walk on.

Everything felt so dark to Ganondorf –so vile. He looked up, and the sky was an everlasting storm of red smoke, crackling with thunder. He looked over the ledge of the rocks, red as blood, and saw a world infested with gruesome beings. Nowhere did trees grow, or grass teeming with fragrant flowers. No –there was only the red earth- the corrupted earth.

Ganondorf turned around and saw a swarm of the gruesome beings, and in the center of them was someone he had only dreamed of. Standing on two legs with a ferocious snout with two protruding horns, the beast stepped forward. He held in his hands an ill-boding trident. Two additional horns extended from his shoulders, and he wore a black robe with a skull necklace around his neck. But the most fearsome of his features were his eyes –as crimson as the sky.

"After all these years, we finally meet once again," the pig said.

"I've met you before?" asked Ganondorf.

"Of course," the pig answered. "I am your other self, the spirit of your malevolence. My name is Ganon. Don't you remember?" Ganondorf shook your head. "I guess a thousand years has clogged your memory. Do you, perhaps, remember your failure against the Hero of Time? I thought you might. Once you were beaten, I had no choice but to come forward and confront him myself. When that happened, we were forever separated. After our loss, you were sentenced to imprisonment in the Chamber of Sages. I, on the other hand, was banished to this place: the Dark World."

"But now that I am here, we can become one again," said Ganondorf.

Ganon shook his head. "It is too late for that. You are flawed, Gerudo Thief. I am not a man like you, but a higher being –the true essence of the Triforce of Power. What could one do to enhance raw, infinite power? Nothing. You are disposable."

"No," Ganondorf said, raising his swords. They clashed against Ganon's trident, but the pig's strength was able to overpower Ganondorf, causing his dual swords to fall to the ground. "You can't do this!" screamed Ganondorf. "I created you! We are one! You are nothing without me!"

The trident radiated with a red glow, and a dark energy blasted from the three prongs and hurtled into Ganondorf. He did not fall to the ground. His hands merely rose into the air, his mouth hung open with pain, and he swayed back and forth.

"You have something I want," Ganon said, gripping the King of Evil's hand. "The Triforce of Power flows within you. Fortunately, because as you said, we are one, the Power can be transferred to me." Ganon abruptly jabbed his trident forward, and the three prongs entered Ganondorf's body. The Gerudo Thief did not make a sound, too proud to give in to the pain.

But then he felt his life suck away. The trident bloomed with light, feeding off of Ganondorf's energy. Ganon sneered, letting out muffled laughter.

"I can feel the Power flowing from your body into mine," he said. "It feels so exhilarating –like a surge of lightning. Is this what it's like to hold a piece of the Triforce?" He released the trident from Ganondorf's body with a sharp pluck, and the Gerudo Thief fell to his knees. The trident went dark again, the tips painted with the King of Evil's blood.

"End my life," Ganondorf murmured, blood spilling from his mouth. "I feel so weak without it. It is shameful. It is a fate worse than death."

"As you wish," Ganon said, grinning. Ganondorf saw the shadow of a greasy hand with scaly fingernails over his face, and closed his eyes for the final time.