"Sir, we have received news from our spies in Clock Town."

Ghirahim, focused intently on the poor training dummy his sword was ripping to shreds, kept slashing, "Hopefully it's good news this time. Zant destroyed a very nice desk."

The Moblin commander, the very same one who reported to Zant the news of the Pendant of Courage, wasn't fearful this time. He knew he brought excellent news. "Lord Zant would be pleased to know that the rebel matching the description of the one he encountered in Ordon was spotted entering Clock Town yesterday evening. It is also of my understanding that the trio who stole the Pendant of Courage have done so prior to the news being received.

Ghirahim paused in mid-strike, and stood up tall. Waving his sword away, he summoned his cloak, puffing out the collar. "Well, it is now a glorious time. Summon Lord Zant and General Horsehead promptly. His Majesty will hear this news, and guide us on our next step." The Moblin nodded, and walked as fast its portly body would allow it. As for Ghirahim, he chuckled to himself as he thought of what his master would do, and glanced up to the peak of Death Mountain.

Whatever it will be, it will surely send a message to the Resistance.

"Only the strong survive. You are strong..."

Gan opened his eyes, and his sight was immediately greeted by the burns only heavy smoke could provide. Putting a hand to his eyes, the young man found his in a town recently ravaged by fire. He got up on his feet, and began to walk around the area. The sky, he observed, was a bright orange, analogous to the various reds forming small rivers of blood and the hellous yellow sun. No matter where he looked, he could see charred bodies of the unfortunate souls who couldn't escape the flames. It reminded him of Auru's account of what happened in Rauru Town, and, of course, his own experience in Nabooru.

As he walked down the singular road, he began to notice more and more about the town. The road was sandy, the houses were made of sand brick, the weapons seen near the bodies were large, curved blades, and on one of the least burned bodies, Gan was able to distinguish features on the body, those that resemble him and…

"No. Oh gods no." Gan bent down by the body, the cause of death unknown. But this body's particular was quite familiar to him. Everything from the red hair to the fitted body was a trademark of a Gerudo warrior, but the red apparel belonged only to one being. "...Aveil?" Gan reached down to the girl, and rubbed her cheek. Her corpse was warm to the touch, almost as if she was still alive. Gan, wary of the situation, traced his hand from Aveil's cheek down to her neck and down her torso to where her heart is.

"When you were weak, they took everything from you…"

He paused right there, not because of what his hand was feeling, but because of what his eyes were seeing. Underneath Aveil's left arm, one that was definitely not there before, was a much smaller body. Like the bigger body, it was a Gerudo female, but with all the notable features, the color of the hair stood out. Instead of the normal reddish-orange hair of the Gerudo, it was a very bright orange, like fire. Gan recognized the dye and immediately turned to the right side of Aveil, seeing another small body, with hair blue-white as ice.

"Koume... Kotake… My dear Twinrova…"

"Gan, where were you?" The boy looked back up, seeing the dead Aveil...alive. He jumped back a bit, taken aback by her stark tone. He should have been used to it by now. Aveil's changed to sorrow as her arms cuddled up the twin sisters. "Why didn't you come for them?"

"I-"

"Why did you let him take me? Do you know what he did to me?" Blood finally appeared on Aveil's form, from a source only revealed by her words. Gan turned back in disgust. "I thought you were my friend, but just like the traitor, you aren't what you seem. I believed you to be powerful, yet when I needed you, when your sisters needed you, you were weak." Gan whirled around, to make a comeback, but the image of Aveil and his sisters were replaced by the likes of his best friend's torturer, Zant. The masked man thrusted an arm forward, sending Gan flying into the street unto his back.

"...And now that they know who you are, they have come for you."

Rolling unto his front, Gan heard marching to his left. There was Ghirahim, Zant, and Horsehead, leading the Imperial Army against him. Leading the trio, however, was a shadowy man, with a single red eye and a golden crown. Gan stood up, and ran for his life. He ran, and ran, and ran until he felt something other than sand grazing his feet. He looked back, noticing the Imperial Army was long gone, and fell to his knee. Suddenly, a bright light beamed around him. Gan looked up, and witnessed three colorful forms-red, blue, and green-hover in the midst of the light.

"Din might have called you her champion, but do not be fooled. Once the Imperials have been destroyed, the gods will turn against you."

Raining down from the trio was another beam of light. Stepping from that one was two figures, one, a young man in a green tunic, a purple-hilted sword in one hand and a decorative shield in the other. His partner, a similarly aged girl in a dress, held up a golden bow, and released the string as the boy moved forward. Gan was too focused on the boy, and didn't realize until the last second that the girl had fired an arrow at him. It struck Gan in the chest, causing the boy to cry out as he fell once more to his knees. Gan then felt his breath hitch, and the sensation of cold metal within his chest. He looked down, seeing the purple-hilted broadsword sticking into him, and looked up to the boy, his feral blue eyes bearing down on him. The sword was pulled out, and Gan hit the ground.

"And the one who you call best friend…"

Footsteps approached him, and the fallen Gan managed to turn and face the one person he knew that shouldn't be dead. She walked up slowly to him, her red-orange eyes holding pure fury. Gan reached out for her, "Midna… Help me…"

"Why should I help you? You betrayed the Resistance, your friends...me. You killed Auru in cold blood. You expect me to help you." Midna drew her blade, and held it over Gan. He watched it hover above his forehead instead of his chest, and behind the blade, two yellow eyes hovered in the sky.

"...will become your greatest enemy."

Gan expected the blade of Midna to come down, but instead he found himself scared for an entire reason. His breathing ragged, Gan looked around, and remember himself. He was alive, in very much pain, chained to a room within the Demon. The boy took in his breath and let it out slowly. "You're...alive… It was just a dream. It was just a dream. A horrible dream, but a dream."

Sweat poured from Gan's glands, and if his extremities weren't locked in chains, Gan would wipe the sweat off. Nevertheless, he continued to calm himself down. It wasn't like no one was down here with him as far as he was-

"You scream loudly." Gan caught his breath, and looked around for the one who had spoken. Based on its broken language, Gan assumed it was a Moblin or Bokoblin.

"Show yourself, beast."

"If me was able to, I could." Gan frowned at the beast's confession.

"Are you a prisoner?"

"...Yes."

"You sound intelligent for a Moblin."

"I am no Moblin. I guess we're related, but I am much smarter than those savages. Which is why I am in here."

Gan took all of this information in, and continued searching for the voice. His eyes caught a pair of red dots shining in the dark room, directly across from him. Gan looked down, seeing a very dark green form under those dots. "Yeah, you're definitely not Moblin. So what are you?"

"I am King Bulblin."

Gan scoffed. "Right, and if you are a king, where are your subjects?"

"In hiding. They await for me to leave prison. Punishment for not joining Imperials. I will not follow such weaklings. I will not fight alongside the weak Moblins and the puny Bokoblins."

A smile formed on Gan's face, the first genuine one ever since…Midna returned to Kakariko. If the Bulblins won't fight for the Imperials, then maybe they would fight for the Resistance. "Then who would you fight for?"

"The strongest side," King Bulblin exclaimed. Gan took note of that, and began formulating a plan.

"What if I help you escape, King Bulblin? Would you follow my command?" Before the monster king could answer, the door opened, and stepped in Zant and a pair of Moblins. Gan sneered at the presence of his torturer, which earned a chuckle from Zant.

"Happy to see you two, King of Thieves. Fortunately for you, the outside world awaits your presence. I wouldn't want to miss the fireworks." Zant waved a hand, and the chains holding Gan vanished. The boy was caught by the Moblins before he hit the ground, and was carried out the room. Zant turned to the growling Bulblin King, and chuckled under his mask. "Funny how easily royalty falls these days."

"Your king will know that soon." Zant smiled under his mask, and walked out the room.

"We'll see."

"So let me get this straight: You defeated a gigantic Octorok? You actually held conversation with a Sheikah? You shot an arrow at an Imperial general? You, of all people, Ravio the Coward?"

Ravio crossed his arms while his friends Midna, Anju, and Kafei bursted into laughter. Hilda, sitting beside Ravio, put a hand to her mouth to contain her own. The Lorulean boy looked to the window, "Yes I did."

Midna shook her head. "Hilda please tell me that he's lying."

"He isn't. Even for a coward, Ravio has his moments of bravery. That's why he was and is my chosen knight."

"Uh huh. Right." Midna nodded her head knowingly, which caused Hilda to blush quite a bit. Ravio missed it, being that his eyes were looking at the ticking Clock Tower. "How long have you been here, Midna?"

"Three days, give or take."

"Isn't that weird to you that, mere days after meeting one of the Imperial leaders, you haven't been caught yet?"

Midna shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "I have been careful, Ravio. Being in the shadows is a specialty of mine."

"But have the Imperials actively been searching for you?"

"Wouldn't they assume I returned to the Resistance base?"

Hilda shook her head. "No. As you told us, they would have noticed the breach. How much of a coincidence would it be that hours after a powerful pendant is stolen that a powerful magic penetrates the Imperial's impenetrable barrier? I believe they know you're here, Mid."

Kafei shrugged. "Imperial numbers have increased, I'll give you that."

Anju nodded. "The people are getting antsy as well. If only we could liberate the town, maybe we could help them."

Kafei scoffed. "If only… We're not that strong."

"Ha," Midna blurted, "we are strong, Anju. I'm sure Auru could pull some strings, and if he can't, you could always stir up your Cuccos."

"I...rather not." Silence enveloped the room, everyone thinking to themselves whether the Resistance can actually make a stand against the Imperials at their current state. Only Ravio had other things on his mind, particularly how, on a nice sunny day, there was a thick dark cloud around Death Mountain's peak. Usually, clouds will encircle the funnel-shaped mountain, but its peak would be very visible. Today, Ravio couldn't see a thing, as it the sleeping volcano was spewing smoke to signal that it was going to erupt for the first time since the Era of Time.

Alarms went off in Ravio's mind, and he abruptly stood up, screeching in a highly pitched voice, " Something is going on at Death Mountain!"

Hilda quickly looked out the window, and paled once she saw what Ravio saw. They could hear an echo of a roar, most likely from a large beast, coming from that direction. "Farore…" Everyone huddled to the window, witnessing what is literally a once in a lifetime event.

"What in the hell have the Imperials done?"

Link nervously eyed the treacherous landmark that divides the kingdom into north and south. It was so bad even Epona herself required consoling from her master. Smoke had only started billowing out of Death Mountain a few minutes ago, and had not the citizens of Clock Town made a clamor about it, it would have went unnoticed by Link and his comrades.

Shade, out of the four of them, looked the most shakened. It was as if he felt something horrible and destructive was really about to happen. "This… This is the Imperial's work. Not even Ganon himself made the mountain awaken."

"Ever since the-"

"Era of Time, yes I know." Shade glance at Zelda, who only shrugged under her father's gaze. "Can you sense whether or not it is a natural occurrence or not?"

"She doesn't have to," Spryte interjected. "I can sense dark forces are behind all of this, but what can we do?"

Link sadly shook his head. "Nothing at all."

Shade nodded, and looked to the building nearby. It was an inn of sort, and from what he could see, it had a good view of the mountain. "Up there. We can get a better view."

Gan wished his yellow eyes could fire lasers into the back of Zant's mask, but imagining it suited him for the moment. He was lead through the Imperial encampment again, this time passing the tent that spent as his temporary residence. Instead, he was lead to the cliff at the end of the path, where Ghirahim and Horsehead already stood. Zant paused, and turned to the two Moblins. "Leave us. He doesn't have the strength to run away."

"We can find out."

"Don't goad him, Zant," Ghirahim sang. "We wouldn't want his bloodline to be cut so early in its time." The Demon Lord turned to Gan, his purple lips forming the biggest smirk Gan had ever seen. "Don't want to disrespect my former master's reincarnation's child accidentally."

Gan had had enough of his namesake being insulted, but what Ghirahim stated intrigued the boy. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, you don't know? Maybe you'll find out soon enough." Ghirahim turned back around, looking to the smoky peak slightly to his left. Gan joined the Imperial trio, and glared at the smoky peak of Death Mountain as well. Within, he could see the makings of a mechanical being, large enough to be mistaken for a boss-size monster. It was a lizard, and responsible for the unnatural growling on the mountain. Most of its body was out in the open, the lower third contained within the opening of the volcanic mountain. Its mouth was open, a large light hovering inside.

"What are you doing?"

"I wouldn't worry about that, Prince of Darkness."

"I am not him! Stop calling me by Ganon's various nicknames!"

Horsehead snorted. "The boy got his temperament. Let him be, for it is time." Horsehead looked to his right, and Gan followed. There were a group of bird-like mages there, and at once they began to chant. Gan was going to ask what were they doing, but as the red light shot across the sky to the west, he had a feeling he knew what could happen. He could feel the overwhelming power the beast had, it growing steadily every second. That red light was just a precursor, like it was aiming somewhere.

"Are… Are you guys crazy? What are you doing?"

Zant shrugged, and faced Horsehead. "Where did the king set as our destination of destruction?"

"The kingdom next door."

"Oh, poor Calatia, right?"

"Yes, Ghirahim. Calatia." After seeing one of the mages wave at him, Horsehead closed his eyes and bowed his head. "Master, it is ready. It awaits your command…" Gan turned back to the large beast, and braced him for the words that would seal one country's unfortunate fate.

Zant stood up, turned to the beast, and yelled, "Fire." The ground increased its force in shaking, almost knocking Gan off his feet. He watched in astonishment as a blue beam shot out the beast's mouth, flying rapidly away from the mountain.

Midna, Ravio, Hilda, Anju, Kafei, Link, Zelda, Spryte, and Shade stood on the roof of the Stock Pot Inn, watching as a frightening red glow illuminated from the slopes of the mountain. Compared to what the Imperials might be feeling, the ground quake shaking Clock Town was rather tame but noticeable, the result of being many miles away. The group of five, along with our other four heroes coming from the Moon, stood in either complete silence or whispered their fears to one another. For the nine upon the roof upon the Stock Pot Inn, it was a silent conversation, one that had questions that were never asked, and answers never given. But the words played out in every person's (and fairy's) mind.

It wasn't until the ground exponentially rocked harder that the city began to be affected. The people began to scream and run for cover, while those valiant or stupid enough to fight for their balance kept their eyes on the ominous scene before them.

Then, like a powerful whip cracked in the air, Death Mountain-the machine specifically, as it was now visible-unleashed its power. A large blue beam escaped the mountain, and went off into the air. A bright blue beacon of destruction, seen up close by the Imperials, and as far south as Kakariko, as far east as the city of New Kasuto, and as far north as Ruto Town.

Even upon the dark throne of North Castle, the beast's power created light.

For Ravio, who had justification for why he could have soiled his robes hundreds of times over, instead directed his fear to his vocal cords. "What is that? What are the Imperials doing? Is that thing going to hit Clock Town? Maybe Kakariko? Oh, do they know where the base is? Did Gan tell them?"

Midna, looked to Ravio, who looked back at Midna. "Why would he do such a thing?"

"The Imperials have been looking for us for years, have they not? They would do anything to Gan to make him give up the location of the Resistance base. Oh no… General Auru, General Bagu, General Error…even that asshole Ralph."

"Generals Auru, Error, and Bagu?" All five agents of the Resistance turned to the hooded Shade, or to them, some stranger with a big green cloak, two kids, and a fairy. He looked surprised as he glanced at Midna, and noticed that the girl wore a necklace with an orange stone dangling from it. Gasping, he realized what the stone was. "You… You have the Pendant of Power."

Midna looked down and noticed her prized item was showing. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't play coy with me. I know General Auru, and I know sending kids to save the world unless they have some skill isn't his style. Best left for the adults." He could feel Link and Zelda bearing their eyes on him, but he ignored it. "You retrieved the Pendant of Power, but why?"

Midna stood her ground. "If I had the pendant you claim I possess, what is it to you?"

Shade turned to Link and Zelda, nodding to them both. They reached around their necks, and pulled out their pendants, Courage and Wisdom. "I believe it is important to both of us."

Hilda began to step back, holding her left hand to her chest. "Hate to interrupt, but that thing is not going here or towards Kakariko. It's going...west."

Zelda made the same motion as Hilda, instead using her right hand. "West? But what is to the west?"

Shade slowly turned back to the beam, noticing that both Hilda and Zelda were correct. It was heading west… "No.. NO!" He forgot himself, almost running off the roof of the inn had not Link and Ravio caught him and wrestled him to the ground. "No no NO!"

"What's wrong Shade?"

"Calatia. It is going to Calatia." Tears began running down Shade's face, and with Link and Ravio's assistance he stood up. He knew he couldn't see it, but he imagined the people of Calatia seeing the same thing he was witnessing now, only that instead of the beam going away from him it was getting closer and bigger. Just like the Hyruleans, the Calatians most likely were mesmerized and frightened it. But as they realized that it was coming for them, Shade imagined them running for their lives, praying that they aren't killed. He imagined those in Calatia's capital city staring down the beam as it enveloped their city. The sound was that of a silent boom, the result a deafening silence.

Shade fell on his knees as the beam vanished, opening his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. All he did was breathe in anguish, for reasons unknown to the other eight. When he finally seemed to snap out of it, Shade turned to his dropped cane, and picked it up.

"Shade?"

"They...have...taken...everything...from...me. They have taken my country, the life of my queen, my friends, my soldiers, my time with my child, and now…" Shade looked to the east side of the city, where Imperial soldiers were entering the city, looking to take it by storm. Enraged civilians, however, were fighting back. Holding his cane horizontally, he twisted the bottom, and pulled out a broadsword, slightly longer, duller, and more pointed than Link's. Taking the dull purple hilt in hand, he held the blade skyward. "They have destroyed my homeland." The blade's golden gem began to shine, and the hilt expanded, revealing two wings along its side, and immediately all the dull color became fuller. The hilt became a royal purple, the blade a glistening silver. Wind blew around the roof as Shade looked at his sword. Around him, the Pendants of Courage, Wisdom, and Power hovered in place, pointing towards the man.

Link was all too mesmerized by the scene. It was a dream come true, seeing the Hero of Hyrule before him, standing with his chosen blade, the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Master Sword.

Shade turned to the others, his eyes simmering with anger. "Time to fight." He jumped off the roof of the inn, rolled on the ground, and ran towards the fight. The five members of the Resistance looked astounded by what just happened.

"Just who is Din's name is that?"

Link laughed as he drew his sword. "You don't know? That's the Hero of Hyrule!"