Chapter 5 - Temple of Spirit III

—Link … .—

Lying motionless among numerous shards of glass with his enemy's sword still impaled in his chest, the silence permeating the chamber was broken by the sound of a door shutting with a thud, signaling his shadow's departure from the chamber.

Yet the sound didn't come before Link could've sworn to the Goddesses he heard Zelda asking his name.

—Link! Please don't give up … !—

Was her voice a hallucination caused by blood loss? Possibly, but the desperation in her tone lent him strength, keeping him focused, and as soon as he heard the doors shutting, his blue eyes turned and his head lifted with a determined sneer on his face.

The mimicry thought he'd witnessed Link's demise, and for as close as it was to being true, he'd been sorely mistaken—Link had only faked it. In his current state, doing so could've been considered dangerous, but playing opossum was the only way to get rid of his dark half in time to save himself.

So the moment he was alone, he dropped the act and lifted one hand to grip the sword still jutting from his chest. Whether a stroke of luck or some kind of divine intervention, it hadn't pierced his heart, not that the wound wasn't serious either way.

Regardless, he still had a few fleeting moments of life left, and intended to put them to good use.

This would not be his end, and with Zelda's image held firmly in mind, he reached into his belt pouch with shaky, bloodstained fingers. From it, he produced the bottled pink fairy received from the Maiden at Lake Hylia so long ago.

She was about to come in very handy.

Yet the simple task of opening the bottle had become tedious when numbness was setting into his extremities, not to mention how little time he had to get it open. So instead of trying, he lifted the bottle as high as he could and smashed it down against the floor in order to break it.

The sound of glass cracking filled his ears as he exhaled another breath, finding each inhalation harder to accomplish with so much blood blocking his airways. Yet, with another slam of the bottle against the floor, it broke open, freeing the fairy inside.

Making contact with his palm, the glowing ball of light was imprinted with Link's fleeting life, rising up through the air in a spiral around his body. Leaving a trail of light in its wake, Link could feel his strength returning and used it to grasp the blade jutting from his chest in both hands and jerk it free one agonizing tug at a time.

Teeth bared in a tight clench and blood streaming from his mouth, he finally dislodged the weapon and let it fall aside with a loud clatter as he slumped back limply. Yet, with the fairy's healing magic still washing over him, the hole it left didn't gush blood for long. Instead, it quickly closed up, his life and vitality restored mere moments before it could escape his grasp.

As a result, his pallor returned to normal, his breathing evening out, and the only evidence he'd been in a fight was the blood still staining his clothing and skin. Otherwise, he felt just as resilient as he had upon first entering the temple, turning his gaze up to the fairy now peacefully floating away after returning his health in silent gratitude.

Taking a deep, even breath for the first time since his impalement, Link found a smile, and not simply in knowing he could continue on, but also in realizing his struggles were about to get a little easier. Dark Link was a formidable foe who'd nearly stolen his life, but the mimicry was suffering mortal injuries now, meaning he wouldn't be a problem for much longer.

And without him around to interfere, restoring Hyrule wouldn't be quite as difficult to accomplish.

Still, that task wasn't nearly as important in those moments as saving Zelda. Without her, nothing else held any meaning. Even with the King and Queen alive and available to rebuild the kingdom once they were freed, Hyrule needed Zelda for its future.

And he needed her for his own.

With the thoughts in mind, Link pushed himself up, the mirror shards littering the floor crunching beneath his boots once he was on his feet again. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself, finding that he was truly no worse for the wear in flexing his arms and hands to ensure everything was working before moving on.

Yet the sight of the Master Sword replica lying upon the floor a few feet away caught his attention.

Still stained with his blood, the blade glinted as he lifted it to inspect. Bringing it to the true Master Sword still embedded in the floor nearby, Link pulled it up to compare the blades and learned there were really no differences between them. Each was a mirror of the other, from length and weight to the color of the hilt and the etchings in the guard—and Link decided he'd just have to take both with him.

After all, the one that had almost killed him owed him a little something.

With the thought in mind, Link pushed the true Master Sword into the sheath on his back, then replaced his shield before catching a glimpse of himself in a nearby mirror.

All things considered, he could've looked worse, but his clothing proved his recent experiences hadn't been pleasant. Blood trails marred the left side of his face and the front and back of his jerkin were nearly covered in crimson. Furthermore, there were various tears in the garments.

Yet his focus centered on his blond ponytail—or more specifically, the fact that it was visible.

"Where's my hat?" Link asked aloud, scanning the floor only to learn it was nowhere to be found among the scattering of mirror fragments covering the tiles.

Had his shadow taken it? Brows narrowing at the thought, he glared in the direction his mimicry had gone and started moving while calling angrily, "My Mom gave me that hat!"

Finding a door not far beyond the area where they'd fought a moment later, he accessed it to enter a circular chamber housing a familiar spiral staircase. Earlier, he'd come across the same set of stairs on the ground floor, but couldn't reach the top because a segment of the steps had crumbled away.

Whether it'd happened long ago, or his mimicry had destroyed it to bar his path, he couldn't say. But that same missing segment was now below him, leaving nothing to stop him from reaching the top.

Doing so as quickly as possible, Link found a set of large double doors at the landing reminiscent of those found in other temples which led into their sanctums. The only difference was that those had seals Zelda needed to break while this one didn't.

Its lack of a magical barrier gave off an ominous feel Link couldn't fully explain. He only knew the final fight this temple had to offer was waiting beyond the doors—hopefully along with Zelda.

So he prepared for the worst if only because of the possible state she could be in, and entered the sanctum.

Inside were numerous alcoves and statues lit by torches, though his immediate attention was drawn by two things, the first being the dark orb he'd come to help Zelda destroy settled upon a sandpit in the middle of the chamber. Seeing it sitting so freely out in the open with no protection seemed strange, but Link didn't even consider approaching it if only because he had no way to destroy it himself.

For that reason, he focused on the second point of interest in the room, which was a dome barrier beyond the orb, and inside was the very princess he'd hoped to find.

"Zelda!"

Careful to keep a distance from the orb since it seemed that getting too close would prompt the evil infesting the temple to protect itself, he took a wide arc around to the dome. Inside, Zelda was settled on her knees with his hat clutched in her hands, and the moment she heard her name, she looked up with tear stricken eyes.

"Link!" she gasped, getting on her feet and moving as close to the barrier as she could while exclaiming, "You're alive!"

Smiling out of relief to see her alone, Link returned confidently, "Of course I am. Why? Did my shadow come back here and try to convince you he'd killed me?"

"Not specifically," she replied, glancing down at his bloodstained hat while explaining, "He brought this to me and said you'd both been injured in a trap. Then he tried to convince me to heal him so he could earn my approval by helping you."

Immediately, Link scoffed. "Yeah, I was injured—because he injured me."

Having surmised as much, Zelda nodded and proceeded to look him over. Going by the state of his clothing and hair, he'd been through more than she cared to imagine. Not only was blood staining most of it, there was a hole in his jerkin close to the center of his chest, and he carried two swords now instead of one.

What's more, one of the weapons clutched in his hand was smeared with red blood. He was stabbed in the chest … .

Realizing the amount of chaos and suffering he'd endured trying to reach her, she rasped his name and whispered morosely, "He nearly killed you, didn't he?"

Shaking his head, Link related, "He didn't do anything a fairy's touch couldn't fix." Smiling to reassure her that he was well, he then asked, "Are you alright?"

It was easy to see that he was trying to distract her from worrying over his most recent struggles, and she decided not to push if only because now wasn't the time. Instead, she admitted, "I'm a little shaken up, but I'll be alright now that you're here."

"Have that much faith in me, do you?" he asked with an amused smile while inspecting the barrier separating them.

Zelda couldn't help but smile in turn, able to feel herself relaxing more and more in response to his casual attitude. Now all that remained was getting the dome out of their way so she could hug him as tightly as possible.

Proving he was considering the same issue, Link asked, "Did that mimicry put this around you?"

"Yes, but I've reinforced it with my own magic," she started, explaining how she'd tricked Dark Link and sealed him outside of the dome to prevent him from entering it and making threatening demands.

She also related his weakened state, and Link seemed endlessly amused by her description, remarking with a grin, "That's my girl. You must've taken a lesson from my mother."

His praise had her cheeks warming with a mild blush as she returned, "I think she had the right idea."

Chuckling, Link looked the barrier over one last time and then turned his gaze to the Master Sword replica clutched in his hand and observed, "I used my mother's power to break the seal on the entrance into the temple, but I'm getting the feeling these swords will work just as well, so step back."

Nodding, Zelda did as he asked and took a few steps back to allow him to break the dome without worrying for her safety. Yet, as he drew the true Master Sword from his back and prepared to strike the barrier, a tremor abruptly spread through the floor.

Coming to a stop in his movements, both Link and Zelda looked around the sanctum before their eyes settled on the Dark Orb when a low rumble sounded. At the same time, the large sandpit beneath it opened up to swallow the sphere completely.

Once it sank beneath the surface and disappeared from sight, everything grew quiet and calm once more, but Link knew better than to think it was over. The air was almost crackling with tension, putting him on full alert as he took several steps away from the dome surrounding Zelda.

Watching him, she asked, "Link? Hurry and destroy it so I can help you."

"No," he denied, throwing a determined gaze over his shoulder with the words, "Whatever you do, don't stop reinforcing that barrier. If you're safe inside of it, I'd rather you stay safe."

Pursing her lips, Zelda argued, "I'm fine, Link, and I don't want you to face this alone!"

Link would've responded, but her words were punctuated by a loud boom as sand abruptly shot up from the pit where the Dark Orb had rested moments prior. Yet it wasn't an explosion, and instead, the coarse material had abruptly taken the shape of a particularly massive arm.

With fingers outstretched, the palm slammed into the floor nearby, and what rose behind it was a shoulder connected to a faceless head—a literal sandman.

The being was massive, sucking more sand out of the pit until it formed a torso as it pulled itself up. But even without legs, it towered over Link and Zelda by at least ten meters, emitting a low, warbled roar that echoed throughout the room.

The sound was forceful but also eerie, unlike anything either of them had ever heard before—and Link merely sneered up at the monster in response, undaunted by the threat it presented as he told Zelda, "Definitely stay in that dome."

Zelda had no choice in the matter. Even if she stopped reinforcing the barrier, it would've contained her. So she could only watch the scene unfolding as Link moved toward the massive monster with two swords at the ready.

During his approach, a loud whir came from above, and a quick glance up revealed several glowing orbs the color of gold forming near the ceiling. Link had encountered such orbs on his way through the temple, and because they tended to keep a distance while shooting beams of light, he'd found two methods of elimination that worked more efficiently than taking them down with his sword.

The first was the boomerang he'd received for his birthday, and the second was the reflective enchantment the Zora had given his shield. The enhancement worked to send the beams of light back at the orbs, effectively destroying them without much fuss.

Yet these orbs behaved a bit differently. Not only were they bigger, they also began projecting continuous beams down at the floor while moving slowly in different patterns about the chamber. Their movements made it more difficult to simply run up to the Sandman and begin slashing away—yet Link had the feeling such an attack wouldn't do him much good anyway.

Instead, reflecting one of their beams into the creature would probably damage it more quickly, not that he had the time to get started in that precise moment. Instead, the Sandman balled a fist as soon as he got closer and sent it sailing down at the spot where the Hylian stood.

Rolling to the side, the fist hit the floor behind him with a loud crash, and his evasion put him at just the right spot. Sheathing one of his blades, Link grabbed his shield and turned just as a beam passed overhead. Lifting it up to cover himself, the protective item reflected the light toward the ceiling, forcing him to angle his arm until it was blasting the Sandman's fist.

The beam left a trail of cinder across the wall before finally slamming into Link's target. As a result, sand erupted from the appendage, and it didn't take long for the oversized monster to let a warbled bellow while jerking his arm away, the fist crumbling from its limb in a sandy collapse.

The sight of it proved Link's assumption correct. He could've probably attacked it with his blades, but this worked more quickly—not that he had the time to take another shot. Instead, a second orb was about to pass over his position, forcing him to duck out of the way again.

Sadly, those beams impeded his progress more than he cared to admit. After landing a successful hit on the Sandman, they'd changed patterns, moving faster which made it more difficult to reflect them with his shield—and there were simply too many. So instead of trying again, Link started the task of taking a few out while dodging their blasts as well as swipes made by the Sandman in an attempt to crush him.

Tugging the boomerang from his hammer bag, he immediately threw the weapon, sending it flying in a spin toward one of the orbs while being careful to avoid those nearby. Remaining on the right path, it soon hit the orb and eradicated it, but there was no time to wait until it returned. Instead, he took off running and jumped to grab the boomerang in midair before the Sandman could bring its fist down on him.

Twisting the upper half of his body, he threw the weapon again before his feet hit the ground, managing to eliminate another orb closing in on his position.

Repeating the attack on a third, Link soon learned that though the orbs weren't difficult to take out, the more he destroyed, the bigger the rest became—and they moved more swiftly than before. Their increased speed made it next to impossible to reflect their beams of light at the Sandman, forcing him to switch tactics.

Instead of waiting for the chance to use them against his enemy, he moved swiftly once the Sandman pounded its fist down again. Evading the blow, Link spun around and drew his sword, moving in with two blades to repeatedly slash the fist just after it hit the floor.

In response, the Sandman lifted its hand before Link could cause too much damage, then swept its opposing arm low as if to swat the Hylian.

Forced to duck, the appendage passed over Link as he dropped to the floor to lay flat followed by immediately rolling aside before one of the orbs could harm him with its beam.

Zelda watched the entire time, her gaze locked on every movement made as Link continued eliminating the orbs until he could get a clear path to the Sandman's fist—and that moment soon came. Once again, the giant monster tried to pound its fist down onto him, and this time, when he moved in to attack with both swords, their blades began glowing white.

Whether he was using the power his mother endowed him with, or the gleam was a sign of the Master Sword's unique strength, the increased power seemed to have a more profound effect than before, causing the oversized fist to crumble away after only a few well-placed blows. In turn, the Sandman emitted another bellow just before slumping back as the remaining orbs stopped projecting their beams.

Realizing he'd stunned the monster, Link wasted no time leaping onto its arm and using it as a ramp to rush up to the shoulder. There, he started the process of tearing both of his blades into the creature's neck.

Landing blow after blow, the Sandman suddenly jolted before lifting its head again, rousing from its stupor. In turn, more sand rose from the pit—the monster was using the material to reform his fists while the remaining orbs gathered at the base of the creature's torso to rotate around it in a protective fashion.

As they projected their beams across the floor of the sanctum at a steady pace, Link fought to steady himself on its shoulder, but couldn't quite maintain his position with the tremors rolling through the monster's body. Instead, he was forced to jump down—though his feet never hit the floor when one of the Sandman's reformed fists caught him in midair.

Lifting him, the monster began to squeeze, putting too much pressure on him to even breathe as it drew its arm back to hurl him into the nearest wall.

Realizing what was coming, Zelda closed her eyes while lifting her folded hands before her face in a bid to aid Link—and it wasn't entirely easy. The act of reinforcing the barrier surrounding her had diminished her strength, making it impossible to shield him as strongly as she would've liked. But she had enough to protect him, a blue flash lighting her hands with magic encompassing his body just as he flew through the air and slammed into the wall with a great deal of force.

Sliding down to the floor not far from her dome prison only a moment later, he managed to push himself up in no time thanks to her intervention. In turn, he proved his awareness of what she'd done by giving her a brief smile with a quickly issued, "Thanks."

And once more, he was returning to the fray without a second thought.

Left to watch, Zelda found she was no longer overburdened with concern. Instead, the longer she observed Link battling the Sandman, the more she was consumed by a sense of … awe. Certainly, she already knew he was skilled, and never questioned his ability to take this newest threat on alone. Yet, as he worked to reflect the beams being projected by the orbs back at the Sandman until the creature was stunned once again, there was something to be said for the hope his determination inspired.

Particularly when he delivered the final blow.

With nothing to stand in his way, Link sprinted toward the creature's torso to attack with his sword—or in this case, swords—and started tearing into the wall of sand relentlessly. With each strike, the coarse material flew away from the creature as Link's blades began glowing a stark white.

In no time at all, he'd domed out a segment of the Sandman's torso and continued to tunnel inside, even as a wall of sand formed behind him that obscured him from Zelda's sight.

But he wasn't trapped within the creature's belly for long.

Working his way to the center of the pit, Link stopped and turned both weapons in his hands so the tips were pointed at the ground, then stabbed the glowing blades downward into the sand. In turn, the energy he'd charged them with was expelled, erupting in a blast that had devastating effects on the monster he was overcoming.

Standing back out of habit, Zelda watched as the Sandman began to shake, sending a massive vibration through the floor. Simultaneously, the creature's surface began to fork with light, growing in brightness until the monster was blown away.

With chunks of sand flying through the air—some of which collided with her barrier—a dense cloud enveloped the sanctum, making it difficult to see for several long moments. Yet Zelda was soon able to make out Link's form as he knelt in the sandpit with both swords stabbed into the ground by his legs and Dragmire's Dark Orb several feet behind him.

Things grew quiet in the aftermath with only the sound of sand tapping downward as it began settling around them. At the same time, Link stood straight and tugged his weapons out of the pit before regarding Zelda from across the way. With the dome still encompassing her, he took a deep breath and flipped both blades over in his hands, ready to finish this fight by completing the final task.

Setting her free.

As he drew closer, she realized he didn't look much better than before. His clothing was still stained and now covered in sand, and his hair had come free of its ponytail during the fight to lie in a mess about his shoulders.

Yet her heart felt as if it were going to pound out of her chest.

Why a pesky blush was staining her cheeks, she couldn't say, but watching him approach the dome after witnessing another fearless fight to restore the kingdom left her feeling meek, even embarrassed. Her fingers clutched his hat more tightly at the thought, and she could only suppose it was simply a matter of resigning herself to the truth—it didn't matter how many times he displayed such bravery, she'd always find his heroics impressive, if not frustratingly attractive.

And even as she had such complimentary thoughts, he remained modest, asking as if he'd just strolled through a park, "Ready to get out of there?"

Not trusting her voice, Zelda silently nodded and waited with bated breaths as Link raised his swords to destroy the dome at last.

Proving he was just as eager to free her as she was to be freed, he wasted no time striking the barrier with deft swings of both swords. It started to waver as a result, his blades glowing once again as they tore through the dome repeatedly until, with a final blow, it broke like a shattering of glass, each piece spinning through the air before dispersing into nothing.

With her freedom granted, Zelda didn't hesitate to rush toward Link, grabbing him in a hug before he could stand straight again—and he didn't mind one bit. Stabbing his weapons into the sand with a smile, he returned her tight embrace in kind, resting his cheek to the side of her head with no lack of relief.

But before he could speak, the sound of her sniffling hit his ears, narrowing his brows in concern as he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she whispered, allowing him to lift her face with his fingers under her chin as she added, "I just really thought your shadow had killed you."

"Almost," he drew out absently, so distracted by the bruise around her left eye that he couldn't focus on anything else.

Drawing up his hand to inspect it, he asked, "Does this hurt?"

"What? Oh … ," she drew out, recalling her abduction from the valley. "Not anymore, but I'll have to wait to heal it. Using so much magic to reinforce that barrier has taken a toll."

"I could use my mother's power to do it for you," he offered, briefly waiting for an answer as she reached up to straighten his hair before replacing his hat with a smile.

"No, I'd rather wait until we've destroyed Dragmire's orb." With her hands coming to rest upon his shoulders, she asked, "After all, the sooner the better, right?"

"Good point," he returned, though neither of them moved.

Instead, their gazes locked—and she was so ready to kiss him she couldn't think of anything else.

Link felt the same way, and didn't waste the opportunity, leaning in to give her a kiss he could only hope would tell her without words how glad he was to have her back safely once more. But their lips only made the slightest contact when the sound of the door opening caught their attention.

At the same time, both looked over to see a shadow with dull red eyes in the doorway, leaning against the frame as if too weak to stand.

Realizing his mimicry was still lingering, Link released Zelda to grasp the swords at his sides and turned to face what was left of it—which wasn't much. Just as Zelda described, the magical construct was an actual shadow now, a silhouette with Link's shape and the only notable features were its red, slanted eyes.

Pushing away from the door with a chilling groan that couldn't have been considered human by any standard, it stumbled toward Link as if still eager to put an end to him.

Seeing this, Link moved away from Zelda with two swords clutched tight in each hand, ready to be rid of the shadow once and for all. Brows narrowed, he picked up speed, rushing toward his mimicry with an angry yell while lifting the true Master Sword.

Reaching the weakened entity a moment later, he lashed out, bringing his weapon around to Dark Link's throat. The blow knocked the shadow backwards, though it didn't fly far. Instead, the dark energy used to create him began to disperse, particles of it lifting into the air to culminate as a dull orb of weakened power radiating above him.

Staring up at it, Link's gaze was next drawn to the hand still clutching the replica of the Master Sword when it began to disperse as well. With particles of it trailing through the air toward the dull power above him, Link lowered his now empty hand while watching the dark magic fading from sight.

And yet, just before disappearing entirely, it began to pulse with a strange, low whir of sound, prompting him to instinctively take a step back. But the space between them didn't matter when the remnants of energy suddenly flew toward him, moving with enough force to send Link sailing the moment it made contact.

"Link!"

Zelda gasped his name and rushed toward him as he slid to a stop only a few feet away. Kneeling at his side, she locked her arm beneath his head and lifted it up as he let a low groan.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he drew out breathlessly, though his voice carried a hint of annoyance. Still, he proved his wellness by sitting forward on his own and took a deep breath before nodding with the words, "I'm fine, it just hit me hard."

Relieved, Zelda smiled and helped him to stand once more, relating, "Then let's destroy the orb before anything else can happen."

With his nod of agreement given, she turned away to approach the Dark Orb and put an end to Dragmire's theft of the Sage Essences at long last. Yet she only took a few steps when Link reached for her hand, tugging on it to stop her from moving forward.

Looking back with a questioning gaze, Zelda asked, "What's wrong?"

Link didn't answer the question with words. Instead, he responded by using his grip on her wrist to pull her in close, and the moment their bodies made contact, she instinctively placed a hand on his cheek in concern, wondering if he was well after all.

But those same instincts were soon sounding alarms.

At her touch, Link held her gaze with a decidedly cold smile slowly curving his lips. The sight of it sent a chill through her spine that only intensified when his sapphire eyes abruptly turned red, causing her own to widen.

"Link, your eyes are—ngh!"

Her choked gasp came when he quickly lifted a hand to clutch her throat in a tight fist, cutting off her air supply as his smile widened into a cruel grin—and she knew who that grin belonged to.

Dark Link.

Before the thought could solidify, he tugged her in, squeezing his fist around her neck with the words, "My eyes are just the way they should be."

At that, he leaned down and captured her mouth in a painfully bruising kiss, leaving her clawing at the hand around her throat and shoving at his shoulders before he pulled back to add, "I have him now, just as I'm about to have you for a round of depraved fun before I kill you both."