I thought my life would flash before my eyes as I fell, giving me a chance to remember my family and friends before my quest ended with a gratuitous splat at the bottom of a chasm in the middle of the desert with no one around to hear.
A second after I slipped, my back hit the ground, knocking those thoughts out me as the air in my lungs did the same. Agonizing seconds later, my breath returned and, after a quick check to make sure nothing was broken, I got to my feet.
Looking around, I could see why I had slipped. The wall abruptly went from rough and climbable to smooth and decorated, fancy patterns carved into the walls like I had seen in the other Triforce temples. If nothing else, it was an indication I was in the right place.
There was only one path forward, a similarly decorated passage that went straight for a few dozen feet before meeting at a large, intricate door.
"What, is this the end already?" I asked myself, my voice echoing through the cavern. "Guess I won't complain, just seems a little lazy." I pushed the door open, the heavy stone sliding easily despite its immense weight. As I expected, a wide circular room opened up before me, as large as the ones Zelda and I had seen previously. Light flooded the room courtesy of magic torches along the walls, negating the need for my glowstick and revealing a tall, musclebound man standing in the middle of the room.
"Greetings, one who would hold the Triforce of Power. I sense Power's sisters within you, though time will tell if they will help or hinder you here," said the same disembodied voice I had heard before. "Power needs no words, for all know its truth. The will and mind to shape the world to one's liking is nothing without the ability to do so. Courage and Wisdom without Power are foolish and wasted. With sheer Power, much can be overcome, though it is the most dangerous of the Three, tempting with promises of all things. Will you be able to resist its lure?" The voice echoed through the circular room one last time before fading into oblivion. I didn't move, waiting for my opponent to turn and reveal itself.
The man in the middle of the room turned slowly, the flickering torchlight reflecting off his detailed metal and leather armor. A long cape swished behind him and, combined with his tall stature and imposing stance, gave him the impression of someone who was not to be trifled with. He slammed the point of his sword down, a long white blade that seemed to be glowing faintly, clasped in gauntleted hands. The man's face was handsome in a harsh way, the same way a jagged cliff could be considered beautiful. Yellow eyes stared at me, the man's face surrounded by braided red hair and a short beard of the same color.
"So, you stand before me once again, just like you predecessors so long ago did, seeking the same power I had obtained," the man said, his voice rough and harsh. "'Heroes,' each and every one of you. You and your damn inability to just give up. Still, it is not my position to judge you, not anymore. I am your test, Hero. Come, strike me down as you did so long ago. Strike me with that blade, if you can. I am a remnant of what I was, but I do look forward to crossing blades with you again." He said, pulling his sword from its sheath and tossing the leather scabbard aside. "Come now, prove yourself worthy of Power. Take what you want, as I did. Prove yourself!" The man roared and lunged towards me, our blades locking as we struggled against each other.
"Who are you?" I asked through gritted teeth, trying to push the tall man's sword away.
"I am a shadow, nothing more than a memory given form. But once, I was a king. A god, to some. I am the darkness that follows you through all your lives. You may even know me in this age, as our cycle turns. I am Ganondorf." Our deadlock finally broke, the Master Sword pushed aside by Ganondorf's pale blade. I dropped to the floor as its luminescent edge swung through the place I had just been before scrambling away to get out of reach.
"I recognize your name," I said, steading myself again. "I thought you looked familiar, though the Ganondorf I recognize isn't nearly as old." I rushed the armored man, ducking around two fast swipes to get behind him, only to have the Master Sword slapped away by his free hand. The old Gerudo laughed.
"Ah, am I young in this age? Power gave me such life that I forget what it was like in my youth, to be carefree and reckless. I am happy that my other self could feel young again, instead of being trapped and contained." A flurry of strong blows clanged off my raised shield, shaking my arm with their strength. "Though many of us ended up lodged on the end of that blade, the unlucky of us managed to survive, only to be dredged up to fight another of your incarnations."
"Sounds painful." I forced Ganondorf to back up with a quick series of thrusts, my glowing sword missing each time by a narrow margin.
"You have no idea," the flame-haired man growled, backflipping away before rushing back into striking distance. "I endured hundreds of years of agony, barely clinging to life as little more than a shade. I-"
"You need a nap," I said, slipping under his guard to slam the hilt of the Master Sword into his solar plexus, making him gasp and stumble back to recover. I didn't give him the chance, forcing my way forward with a flurry of blows. I was landing hits now, tearing of a chunk of armor on his shoulder, drawing blood from a cut on his forehead, slamming my shield into his leg to force him to fight with a limp.
I piled the wounds on, but they hardly seemed to phase him. He was wounded, but didn't seem to feel the pain, forcing his body to respond in ways that would have been agonizing otherwise. A deep gash on his bicep didn't make him slow his swings in the slightest, every movement sending dark blood flying. If anything, his strikes hit harder, the luminous blade cutting into the floor when he missed his target.
"You will not make me fall! Not before I reap my revenge!" the giant of a man roared, executing a fast turn to slice at my ribs again. Suddenly, I was on the back foot, backing away from a furious barrage of metal and death. I blocked what blows I could, but there was no opportunity to reclaim my momentum. "You seek what is mine, but I see no resolve in you! Power cannot be obtained by the meek, and you cannot be worthy of what you do not understand!"
Ganondorf continued to hammer me, cuts and bruises appearing on my arms, legs, and torso, but his words were the thing that truly impeded me. I didn't understand power? Bullshit. I knew it, I felt it every day. The Master Sword burned with it, Zelda practically radiated magic, and then hum of hidden energy ran through my own body. I had supernatural agility, reflexes, strength, endurance, and who knew what else? No, I knew what power was, I just didn't choose to act on it. But if this man wanted to see it, hell if I was going to deny him.
Plus, he was really long-winded.
With a harsh yell, I pushed back against a heavy blow that was coming for my head, deflecting the strike with my shield and then letting go of it, throwing Ganondorf's momentum off even more. In the moment before he recovered, I slipped under his guard, cutting at his leg and torso. With a yell that was more anger than pain, the tall Gerudo swung his huge blade overhead and brought it down. I brought the Master Sword up to meet it with a shout of my own, the two luminous blades crashing together with the resonant sound of meeting steel.
Our blades held the other in place, stuck in the same deadlock that had started our fight, but I wasn't on the back foot this time. Ganondorf's tanned face was twisted into a snarl, the larger man pressing against me with a huge amount of force. I wasn't letting up though; he wanted to see power, I'd show it to him.
Though I couldn't reach the strength of Courage and Wisdom, I could still tap into the energy resting in my own body and the Master Sword. The magic blade responded to my urging, humming happily in my hands. At least, that's how it felt. The soft light of it increased, flaring with pure white brilliance, until it outshone Ganondorf's pale blade, the physically larger sword seeming to diminish in size. I pushed harder, fierce determination keeping me from backing off in the slightest. Just as I thought nothing would come of it, the sharp edges of the swords budged, giving me just a little more leverage. Encouraged, I forced more of my will into my luminous sword.
"No…" Ganondorf growled through his clenched teeth, visibly bulging beneath his intricate armor. "No, I won't let you win again. You've had your victories; I will have mine! I will crush anything that gets in my way; I will dominate the gods themselves if I must!" The blades shrieked as they slowly moved closer to the ancient Gerudo.
"You won't crush me," I said through my own grimace, pushing every last ounce of strength into one last push, finally breaking the lock. Thrown off balance, Ganondorf finally stumbled, giving me a bare second to act. With all my empowered strength and a heavy, two-handed swing, I smashed the Master Sword against his blade. The sound of shattering metal echoed through the large chamber, pieces of Ganondorf's blade tinkling against the floor. All the momentum carried through, allowing me to spin through my swing. The Master Sword flashed with all its burning light, humming through the air, before it disappeared, the brilliance vanishing inside the chest piece of Ganondorf's armor.
Everything froze in the aftermath of the strike, both of us staring at the blade embedded in the larger man's chest as the light faded from it. The old Ganondorf raised his head and looked at me, capturing my gaze with hate filled eyes.
"You can kill us time and time again, but we will always haunt you. You will never have victory without suffering and sacrifice. We are your curse, forever." With the last word, the ancient Gerudo king's legs gave out and he toppled backwards. I only barely managed to grab the Master Sword's hilt before it fell out of reach, ripping the weapon out of his chest before he hit the floor with a loud thud. I finally allowed myself a deep breath, bracing against all the numerous pains that rushed through my body.
By the time I picked my shield back up, Ganondorf's body had faded into a fine golden mist that floated through the air. Small flashes of energy shot through the cloud, completely soundless but growing more and more frequent. They got bigger, lingering in the air for longer, until the entire cloud shone with golden brilliance. The whole thing collapsed in an instant, focusing down on one central point and forming a familiar shining triangle.
I stood and looked at it for a minute before pressing my palm against it. More acutely than ever, I felt my being searched, the agonizing moment stretching for two eternities instead of one. My muscles trembled with pain, my mind reeling, but just before I thought something in me was going to break, it all ended with an overwhelming rush of energy and strength. I stumbled backwards a step as the light in the chamber faded, the only remaining light coming from the rapidly dimming sconces along the walls.
But I knew I had done it. I had done what hundreds of people across thousands of years had failed to do. I looked at the back of my hand, already knowing what I would find there. Twinkling alongside its sisters, the Triforce of Power sat. Three smaller triangles linked together to form a larger whole.
The full Triforce, a piece of the goddesses themselves, had found me worthy and was mine to wield.
Instead of making the climb back up the pit, I managed to harness my new power to levitate myself straight up the massive sinkhole. For a stretch of time, the only light was the soft glowing from the back of my hand and the faint circle of light from above. The dull minutes passed, until the rock walls became visible and the soft light of the moon filtered through the rough hole I had broken in the cliff face.
Squeezing back through the crevice, I felt the cool night air flowing around me, a welcome change from the stillness that pervaded the cavern below. I spotted Zelda sitting along the edge of the plateau and wandered over to join her.
"That was quick," she said, not moving her eyes from the expansive view of the Gerudo desert at night. I dropped down next to her and took a minute to take in the seemingly endless ocean of sand, the soft moonlight revealing the sloping dunes and rock poking out, both natural and unnatural.
"Wasn't much to it. Big hole and a fight. A challenge on its own, but still kind of disappointing."
"Look at you, complaining that almost dying just wasn't enough. Should we go back to the volcano and let you tightrope across the caldera on a dry rope?"
"Careful what you wish for, I'd probably survive just fine now," I said, showing her the completed triangle on my hand. Her blue eyes flickered down to it for a moment before retuning to the vast view.
"See, I knew you'd manage. Tough fight?"
"In its own way. I'll tell you about it later." That seemed to satisfy Zelda for the moment, as she just nodded before scooting closer to me and resting her head on my shoulder. "So now what? I hadn't really thought past getting the Triforce."
"Really? Well, good thing one of us has the ability to plan ahead," the blonde woman said with a joking scoff.
"Well excuse me for being a little hung up on finding the most powerful relic in the world," I said with mock outrage, earning me a slight giggle.
"You're lucky you're hot or I'd find someone smarter to be my her," Zelda said, continuing to laugh.
"I'm lucky? No no, you're the lucky one. You get to bask in my perfect hotness, something no one else get to do. I think you're the one who's blessed."
"You're such a goof," Zelda said with a customary eye roll and light smack on my arm. "Anyways, we need to find Ruin, so we should go back to the castle and see if they've figured anything out. If nothing else, I'm sure there's something to help with. Plus, I imagine the leader of the country would probably want to know that we found the most sacred piece of magic in existence."
"That'll be a fun drive," I mumbled into Zelda's hair, savoring the light scent that permeated it.
"Yes, or we could try teleporting." That readjusted my attention quickly.
"Are you telling me we've been driving all over the country for how many days when we could have been instantly hopping around?" I asked, very slightly extremely incredulous.
"No, not quite," Zelda said, holding off my very justified irritation. "I only figured out how to do it a little while ago, while I was waiting for you to get back. It's very short range, I can only do it if I'm looking at the destination and it takes time. But now that I know how and you've got the power of the gods in your hands, we can probably cover a good distance, provided you can focus on where you want to go well enough."
I was a little skeptical, but if it saved us what would likely be two days of travel, I was all for it. The theory was pretty simple. Just think about a place so hard you open a wormhole to that place and step through it. Only hard part was the literal folding of reality bit. Which, of course, is why I managed it on the first try.
One second I was next to Zelda, next I was on the other side of the rocky plateau we were standing on, faint golden light lingering where I had been and now was.
"Okay, I'm supremely jealous. I had to work on that for hours and you just…do it. That's fine. Really, just fine."
"Probably helps that I have a frankly stupid amount of magic too," I said, appearing next to Zelda again. Not in a teasing way though. Of course not.
"Still not fair. You're supposed to be the muscle, and I get to be the beautiful, magical goddess. What do I do now that you can do whatever you want just by thinking about it?"
"Uhh…look pretty?" I offered, earning myself another smack on my arm.
"You're terrible," Zelda said, laughing.
"It's called charm," I shot back, a winning smile on my face.
"Come on, you doofus. Let's get to the castle before you say something even more stupid."
"What do you mean 'even more stupid'?" I joked, holding out my hand to Zelda. She immediately took it and I closed my eyes, remembering the checkpoint on the bridge in front of the castle as accurately as I could. The increasingly familiar feeling of teleportation swept over me, pulling Zelda along.
An instant later, shouting hit our ears, a stark and instant change from the quiet desert night. Blinking through the dissolving golden motes, I could see a bunch of men and women running around in the mix of metal armor and Kevlar that made up the castle guard uniform, carrying all sorts of weapons and fortifications to be assembled on the other side of the checkpoint. From their scared and determined faces, I already knew what was coming.
With a heavy feeling of resignation, I looked over my shoulder to see pretty much exactly what I was expecting: another large army of monsters, though this time with a familiar young Gerudo man leading them.
"Okay, I'm not dealing with this again. Zelda, hold this," I said, handing off the Hylian Shield to her. Pulling the Master Sword from its sheath, I honed my mind down to a laser focus. Consciously using the full Triforce for the first time, I used the magic of Wisdom and the strength of Power to dilate time, combining the result with the heightened reflexes that Courage afforded me. The world ground to a nearly complete standstill around me as I bolted through the monster army. With terrifying ease, the Master Sword cut through chests, necks, limbs, and heads, ending the meager lives of the monsters before they were even aware of it.
Still, I couldn't waste time. Even with the extreme power of the Triforce, I could feel the limits of the magic. With only a matter of seconds, I moved as quickly as I could, tearing most of the army apart in the little time I had. I was jamming my blade into the neck of the last of the large armored knights when the dilation ran out and the world flowed back into action. Most of the army simultaneously crumbled into ash, sounding like the very fine leaves of a tree rustling against each other in the wind. The remaining monsters looked around in confusion as their fellows disappeared for seemingly no reason.
Their confusion gave me just enough time to get to the side of the bridge and lean against it, my muscles burning.
"What are you waiting for? Kill the rest!" I shouted to the awestruck soldiers standing further up the bridge. None of them hesitated for more than three seconds before grabbing their rifles and opening fire on the leftover creatures. What had been a formidable force a scant minute earlier was reduced to one man who could hardly believe his eyes.
"I surrender," the young Ganondorf said, his deep voice remarkably similar to that of his long dead predecessor. He dropped the sword at his waist to the flagstones and raising his gauntleted hands above his head.
"Good choice," I said, pushing myself fully upright again and waiving him to follow after me towards the castle. "We've got to talk."
Awwwwwwwwwwww, shit. I'm uh…heh, back. Please don't hurt me, I don't deserve it. Probably. Or how about this, I'm going to go hide in Australia, and then you can all come after me. My train of thought in this is either you all will die from the assortment of lethality that is that continent, leaving me safe, or I'll die from the assortment of lethality that is that country. The way I see it, it's a win either way.
Okay, so now that I'm back and that conversation is decidedly over, let's talk about something real quick. It has come to my attention that I'm a lazy piece of shit with absolutely no regard for finishing projects in reasonable amounts of time. As such, I have decided to put Contingency 489.3-2 into effect. Particularly subsection G9. What this means is that I am going to try, for the ever fucking life of me, to finish this story by the end of July. Quite the turnaround, eh? You don't hear from me for two months and all of a sudden the story is ending? Whatever am I thinking? Well, the way it sits, I have about 6 chapters left to write. I am currently on vacation, where I am using my relaxation time to write as much as I possibly can. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm working all that hard, just forcing myself to keep going. The climax is going to ramp up in the next chapter, which is half written at this point, after which stuff will happen, we get the epilogue, and then we're done. Easy. Just another 15,000 words to write. Minimum. Yeah, we'll be fine. And if not, you guys are definitely going to hear about it.
Review time, review time~~! Twilit Lord, that's good, that's good…. And that's one hell of a quote, someone should write that down. Aubrey, yeah, damn butterfingers. Luckily, he had all of three feet to regret that. I'm glad Zelda's hips being a tight fit was realistic, I am a skinny boi and largely inexperienced with not fitting into small spaces (context…). Still, it's to her benefit, I assure you. Princessa, thanks for catching up. I am indeed fine and plan to continue being fine. After all, you can't be exposed to a virus passed between people if you never see people. Heh…heh….I'm so alone. Oracle, yeah, for once it was the monsters that got ambushed. Karma's viscous. And yes, Link may be the Hero of Hyrule, but he's not nearly smart enough to keep his mouth shut sometimes. Yes, Sheikah genetics are something that I put some measure of thought into…at some point…a while ago…I think I chalk it up to Sheikah genes being recessive, so they're still Hylian, but like all redheads. Not literally of course, but it's the same idea. Plus magic. Magic probably helps. I'm not sure what your dreams say about you or my writing, but let's say I'm honored and just kinda…move on. Thanks though! Princessa again, because I realized you reviewed a few times and I'm too lazy to change anything at this point, the song I had in mind while writing it was the main Zelda theme, but honestly pretty much any epic theme from the series works. I leave it up to you and your imagination for the definitive answer. Yes, the fluff. It gives me life. And finally, if you want to reread the story, feel free, but give me a little bit to do some revising. I'm largely happy with a lot of the story, but I definitely want to go back and switch up some word choices and do some grammar correction. Congratulations on graduating! I remember mine, nice to be able to say high school was over. I had some good times, but as I look back, I'm very glad I have matured since. I have owned Link's Awakening since it came out and haven't played it. I don't know why, I'm probably just stupid, but I'll get to it soon. Like, really soon. Maybe after I replay Skyward Sword, because damn do I love that game. The music alone…. I agree on the plushy front though, I do love the art style they went for. And BotW Link is definitely a worthy subject for one of his own. I'm good, thanks for asking, not too much of note going on that I'm going to put in here. You guys get enough of my ranting as is. If you really want to know, shoot me a message and I'll be happy to unload. Nate the Guest, I don't think it's really necessary, I'd like to think we're still within the range of what is acceptable. Queen Emily, thank you so much! I love finding a well-established story so I can binge through it and I'm happy to be that for you. You came at just the right time; we're gearing up for the big finale. If I can write it well enough, it should be a good time and plenty exciting.
As usual, that took a stupid amount of time and words, so I'm probably going to leave it there. I do want to say thank you once again. Especially as I'm trying to power through to the end, all of your reviews truly motivate and encourage me to push on. I started writing this story for myself, but now I do it for all of you as well. More flowery words will be used in the author's note at the end, but I want you all to know that I really do love that you guys love the story.
Alright, that's that! Stay tuned next time for exposition and spooky shenanigans. It's all downhill from here. Not sure exactly when the next chapter will go up, but it definitely won't take a month. Hopefully a week, depending on how many chapters I can stock up on. Time will tell, but not right now! Until then, wear sunscreen, don't sneeze on people, remember that the universe is vast and doesn't care about you so be nice to each other and don't waste your life. Optimism! Never gargle cotton! Excelsior and cheers!
~Aro